Major veins of the body
/r/Dance: The Art of Movement of the Body
2008.04.08 18:07 /r/Dance: The Art of Movement of the Body
We support any protests against Reddit being an ass about API pricing. While we're thinking what to do, consider heading over to lemmy.ml to create new communities not limited by corporate greed.
2008.05.28 03:13 The only major US city conceived of by a Woman
All about & around the Magic City.
2009.11.04 00:47 BacteriaEP r/MLS: The central hub for all levels of soccer in the US & Canada, especially Major League Soccer
The community for any and all levels of soccer in the United States & Canada, with an emphasis on Major League Soccer.
2024.05.15 18:49 Contactunderground Monterrey Mexico 1994, there a CE-5 contact team attracted a large craft which hovered on a mountainside. A blinding beam of light emanated from the UFO and the silhouettes of beings could be seen moving in front of the beam.
 | Shari Adamiak was a dedicated, disciplined volunteer contact worker who I had the honor to serve with as a fellow CE-5 Working Group Coordinator from 1992 till 1998. I honor her memory by posting her report describing an amazing encounter in Monterrey Mexico in 1994. submitted by Contactunderground to Experiencers [link] [comments] In the in-depth document posted below prolonged telepathic exchanges reportedly occurred with two types of non-human beings, very small ones and a larger humanoid being. Joseph Burkes MD 2024 CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE FIFTH KIND IN MONTERREY, MEXICO - DECEMBER 1994 By Shari Adamiak ©1995, Executive Director of CSETI Introduction: The following is an account - from my point of view - of events that occurred during a CSETI investigative team activation to Monterrey, Mexico in December of 1994. While necessarily somewhat subjective based on my own experiences, every attempt has been made to present an accurate depiction of events that were experienced by myself and our team. CSETI Reacts to Flap in Mexico: After seeing a tape of a "Hard Copy" program showing an active wave of UFO activity in Monterrey, Mexico - the third largest metropolis in Mexico - we made an effort to contact the researcher who had taken those videos. Santiago Yturria is a thorough researcher and skilled videographer who, along with Diana Perla Chapa, the host of a popular live talk show on Mexican network television, has had a UFO group for over 20 years in the state of Nuevo Leone. Dr. Steven Greer, international director of CSETI, activated a CSETI Rapid Mobilization Investigative Team (RMIT) to Monterrey to investigate this current flap. Santiago, Diana, and the entire Ovni Club of N.L. assisted us, took us to sites, shared their evidence and graciously welcomed us to Monterrey. Dr. Greer, myself, a woman from New York and a man, also a videographer, from Minneapolis made up the CSETI team. (Names furnished upon request.) Consciousness Connections: Lucid dream activity played a significant role in the events that unfolded in Monterrey. Three of the team had dreams that proved to be portents of happenings on this project. I had a dream in the early hours of December 13th. In it, the extraterrestrials were showing us the spot where we should come in order to have a meeting with them. They showed me aerial views, in stop motion - each one closer to the ground - and marked the site with a strobing turquoise laser pattern. They showed me a view from the ground, looking up at some steep peaks, and showed it to me both in day and nighttime views. The night view revealed two stars in a particular configuration over one of the peaks. That very afternoon, Santiago and his friends drove us to Las Mitres mountains, well known as an area of many sightings of UFOs. As we approached, it dawned on me that it was identical to what I was shown in my dream. We decided to use the spot as our field research site that night. When we came to Las Mitres (so named because the mountain peaks resemble a bishop's miter hat) that night, the two stars were indeed in the sky in the same position as I had seen in my lucid dream. The Team Gets to Work: The CSETI team had observed some anomalous objects in the sky at two different sites on the nights of December 11th and 12th, but the next two nights, the 13th and 14th at the Las Mitres sites, proved to be exceptional. The Las Mitres mountains contain a large cave where the local investigators believe that spacecraft conceal themselves when coming to the Monterrey area. And, unusually dense low clouds were known to form over the cave and other parts of the peaks very quickly. On the night of December 13th, the entire CSETI team set up camp at the base of Las Mitres. We were joined by an American woman who was a friend of one of our teammates, who was married to a Mexican man and living in Monterrey. She had arranged our lodging and transportation for us. Around 10:30 pm, following our first Coherent Thought Sequencing (a CSETI protocol) session, we observed a very bright light that appeared in the zenith of the sky, traveling rapidly in an upward arc that terminated in the center of the constellation Orion. At 10:45 pm, very dense clouds materialized within a minute on parts of the sheer mountain cliffs. The Close Encounters Begin: At approximately 1:00 am, Dr. Greer and another team member were standing slightly down the gravel road when they observed a bright, strobe-like white light to appear at the edge of the mountain. At about the same time, I had gotten up and walked closer towards the brush at the base of the mountain. Dr. Greer looked for me to tell me of the strobe light and found me at the spot where it had appeared. As we stood there, another round light came rolling down the side of the steep slope. Just then, I felt some invisible energy that felt as if it were gently pulling me in deeper to the brush. Both Dr. Greer and I felt there was a presence nearby that, from past experience, led us to feel there was a spacecraft and extraterrestrial beings very nearby. Just then, I began to perceive small, square-shouldered beings in the brush around us. They could be sensed and dimly seen, but a clear view of them wasn't possible. The little beings were extremely shy and reticent. They would scurry close to us, then backtrack quickly into the brush. We could not hear any brush moving or footsteps but we could dimly see them. To me, they seemed to have on uniforms that covered their body and legs that were a dull orange-rust color. They were very short, just up to my knees (I am 5'7"). I became aware of a telepathic message - they were concerned about our video camera, behind me to the right. I turned my head and looked. Sure enough, unknown to me previously as I had not seen it in the dark, was our teammate's professional camera set up on a tripod. I send back the mental message to them not to worry, the camera wasn't on and we wouldn't let him touch it. They seemed to trust my assurance, as the event continued to unfold. I related this two-way communication to Dr. Greer, who went back to the other three people and instructed them to stay where they were unless he called them forward. These rich, rare exchanges with what appear to be extraterrestrial life forms are very delicate scenarios. Any sudden, rash or extreme emotion or movement can thwart the entire event and bring it to a screeching halt, and the extraterrestrials vanish. Sometimes our second-guessing of what is needed to allow an event to unfold in all its possible fullness is accurate; sometimes it is not. It is almost like hesitant dance partners, longing but afraid to get closer. Until we as a people are more accepting of close contact with extraterrestrials, our interactions are likely to continue in this way. I could mentally 'hear' concerned conversation going on amongst the small beings. They eventually conveyed to me the message, again mentally, that they were having difficulty adjusting our energies in preparation for a meeting because my physical energy was concentrated on my stomach, trying to digest some food. Just before all this began, I had eaten about a half of a Power Bar, a dense protein energy food. It was cold and hard from being in my gear bag for hours and I could feel it kind of just laying in my stomach. At this point, I sent a very deliberate message to the life forms: "I give you permission to take it out of my body". Suddenly, I felt as if someone were standing some distance away with a fishing line whose hook was inside my stomach. It felt as if someone were slowing reeling in the line as the food came back out the way it went in. Now, I detest vomiting more than almost anything and I was struck by the gentleness that was used in removing this food from my body. It was only mildly unpleasant. Dr. Greer, an emergency physician, asked me if I was alright. I told him that I was fine and that this was being done with my permission. After this little purging, the energy felt softer, with less intense vibration. Soon the little beings sent both Dr. Greer and I the message that if we removed our glasses, we would be able to see them better. Although I normally use contact lenses, glasses are preferable for field work when wind and dust often get blown into my eyes, plus the fact that we are often in the field until the wee hours of the morning. After receiving this message, we each removed our glasses. One last request from the little ETs - that we remove our hats (it had been a chilly night.) At this point, I could actually feel a harmonious flow of energy between us, the little beings, and some other unseen source. Another Being is Perceived: At this point, the small life forms disappeared. Shafts of golden light began to come from an unknown, unseen source and lay across the bushes in front of us. We learned later that the three other team members behind us could see this as well, although they had not been able to perceive the small beings. I could feel one of these shafts of light approach me and fill my torso with a warm, golden glow. After the light rays faded, a large oval of bluish fog began to form about ten feet in front of us. As the blue mist began to coalesce, Dr. Greer and I became aware of a being within it. Although again we could see him only dimly, he appeared very humanoid, tall, with long and straight silverish hair. He appeared to be clothed in a light blue and silver uniform. We learned later that one team member saw a tendril of the blue fog travel along the ground towards her. It frightened her a little until the mist reached her foot and began to send wisps around her feet. She later told us that there was a gentle kindness about the fog and all misgivings vanished. However, our American friend who was not an actual team member became very frightened by the golden light and blue fog. We learned later that it was all too much for her - something the extraterrestrial would tell us. For as we stood there facing one another, the tall being sent us a message that they would very much like to manifest more fully in the physical to meet with us, but that if they did so, one of our team members would be dangerously frightened. Their caution and concern were touching. And a far cry from the crying wolf that goes on so often when extraterrestrials are said to be heartless, devoid of feeling, and out to harm human beings. We in CSETI feel that this type of encounter points up the absolute need and appropriateness of doing real-time field work in our efforts to learn exactly what these beings are all about. It is important, and interesting, to note that both Dr. Greer and myself received nearly identical mental messages each time there was a communication from the extraterrestrial. Dr. Greer and I consulted one another and decided to send a joint message. We told the tall being that if they could not come to us, it was okay with us if they could take us to where they were. We could sense this was being discussed with a 'central command control', or his more senior team members. Dr. Greer and I saw a copper-gold sphere, ten to twelve feet in diameter, begin to coalesce to the left of the tall being. It never reached material solidity but soon began to disperse. The tall being then sent us a message that it would frighten our teammates just as much to see us disappear in front of their eyes as it would for the ETs to manifest right there. At this time, we had no idea that any member of our team was having difficulty coping with these events. Soon Again, Soon Again: Finally, after what seemed like a few moments, the tall being sent us a message that they would not be able to manifest fully in the physical this night. But they sent a message: "soon again; soon again". At this point, Dr. Greer went back to speak with the other team members and I stayed put. For the next five minutes, the being and I exchanged blessings to each other, to our teams. It was poignant and lovely. I cannot recall any of the actual 'words' or specific communications; it was not a left-brained exchange, but was beyond the bounds of linear thought. Their Reluctance is Proven Out: When I joined the others, I learned that our American friend had become extremely frightened, so much so that she had taken refuge in our vehicle. We had designated the big Suburban as the 'safe area". We do this on all our field research - setting aside a specific enclosure that any team member can go to if unfolding events prove fearful to them. In fact, it is our policy to send a 'buddy' along, who remains with them the entire time they wish to stay in the safe area. We divide into buddies at the beginning of our field session so that each team member is accounted for, and accountable, at all times. She told us that if she had seen anything more from the ETs, she would have run screaming down the mountainside. Preparation is Key: Her reactions impressed upon us the importance of training for each team member. It served as a strong reminder to us to be more stringent in adherence to our policies regarding untrained guests who wanted to join our field work. Much to my surprise, Dr. Greer and I learned from our teammates that we had been standing there, exchanging communication with the extraterrestrials, for nearly two hours. We both thought no more than thirty minutes had elapsed. By this time, it was nearly 3:00 am, so we broke camp and went home. The Encounters Continue: The following day was a busy one with an appearance on Diana Chapa's live TV show in the morning, a field trip to another site in the afternoon, and a talk at the Ovni Club that evening. It was about 11:30 pm by the time we were driving up the narrow road to our Las Mitres site. Interestingly, our videographer teammate was absent from field work. He had decided to stay in the city to visit his friend and her son. As the Suburban headed up the gravel lane, Dr. Greer and I simultaneously observed a small, bright light on the side of Las Mitres. We knew from the previous night that there was no light normally in that area. Tonight we also had with us our American friend's Mexican husband. He and our driver assured us there were no houses, no power lines, no roads, nothing on the sheer cliffs of Las Mitres. As we came to the base of the mountain, Dr. Greer jumped from the Suburban while it was still rolling. The other woman and I jumped out and grabbed the bare necessities of field gear: a 500,000-candle power portable halogen light, our night vision scope, binoculars, a small camcorder, and a hand-held micro-cassette recorder. Because of the reaction by an untrained participant the previous night, we sent our driver and his friend down the road. We told them we could not afford any panic this night. Unbeknownst to us at the time, the men went to a spot at the bottom of the road where they could clearly see the events that unfolded. Are We in a Spielberg Movie?: Dr. Greer grabbed the halogen light and sent a signal to the star-like light on the hillside. Instantly, the light transformed into a gigantic, brilliant round beam that shot light down the entire mountainside! We were astonished. It came close to being the time we always joke about - when events are so incredible that we'll wish we had on "Depends" undergarments! We continued to have a Close Encounter of the Fifth Kind - a human-initiated or human-interactive experience - with this craft for the next two hours and fifteen minutes. An exchange like this, with a team in the field, is unprecedented. During the lengthy encounter, we sent light signals to the craft. The craft would signal back to us in the exact same sequence. Then its lights would extinguish. Within a few minutes, it would again illuminate and initiate a signal to us. This went on and on. Twice during this time period, we saw the shadows of beings walking in front of the blinding beam. At times, the beam would rotate upon itself, appearing to the left of its original position - then back where it was. Once the light seemed to turn over on itself, illuminating the sparsely forested slope behind it. This was one of the times when figures were seen to move in the beam. Hoaxability Ration - Low to Zero: It must be emphasized that this is a very remote area devoid of roads. For anyone to have hoaxed this event would have required something on the scale of a major motion picture crew. There was simply no way to have moved equipment like this onto these sheer slopes. It would have caused quite a commotion in the suburbs below if a crew of that magnitude had traversed those sheer cliffs that day. The area would have been swarming with lookie-loos. At the end of the two hours and fifteen minutes, the light, which by now had split into two candle-flame colored round lights, turned to brilliant red, shot out a lightning bolt of energy and vanished. We saw a golden streak shoot through the sky towards the direction of the ancient volcano, Topochico. And the energy was gone. It was not until this point that we fully appreciated that 1) we'd been standing up for all that time, and 2) our hair had stood on end the entire time. As a side note, I want to report that when we first got out of the vehicle at the base of the mountain, I heard crickets chirping in stereophonic synchronicity. One would chirp on our right, then one would chirp on our left. The chirping was loud and distinct. When I heard it, I told my teammates that it was significant. I had heard similar chirping prior to another major encounter in the past. It was moments later that the gigantic craft illuminated before us. Eventful Trip Home: We signaled to our drivers to bring up the Suburban. When they arrived, we learned that the men had gone to a vantage point and had seen everything, giving us two independent witnesses. In fact, from their extra distance the light was not so blinding and they were able to discern the craft. They both reported seeing a very large disc-shaped craft with a domed top. The men were extremely excited. They said they felt bonded now, like brothers. The American's husband said that his life would never be the same again. As we were riding on our 30-minute drive home, Dr. Greer remarked that he felt the ETs would follow us. Within a minute, the man in front was exclaiming, "la luz, la luz!" (the light, the light!) We could then see that the gigantic light was visible from the road, showing itself to us on the opposite side of the mountain from where it had been at our field site! We stopped at a closed gas station, signaled and videoed (which came out fuzzy and blurred). You will recall that, of all nights, our videographer was not with us this night. Coincidence or orchestrated by the ETs? So many such things happen that we have to ponder the possibility. This time, the light was not appearing as two lights side by side. Instead, they were two lights stacked one on top the other. We continued to observe it on the remainder of the homeward ride, stopping twice more to observe. When we arrived home, we climbed up to our flat roof. We could still see it, even though the entire valley of the city of Monterrey was now between us, the back side of Las Mitres and the rest of the range. The lights were still there. They had changed position again and were now staggered, one atop the other. They had been so bright that we could see the rock face behind it illuminated. As we watched, the lights dimmed down to about half their luminosity. The Craft Revealed: At this point, we could clearly see the structure of the craft. It was indeed a large disc with a sloped dome on top. By measuring with fingers at arm's length, Dr. Greer determined that the craft was between one-half to one full city block in size. As the birds began to sing and the sky began to lighten, we bid goodbye and heartfelt thanks to our visitors for these remarkable experiences and went inside to sleep, and dream of them. Shari Adamiak, Executive Director, CSETI ________________________ Final Notes: I wish to advise that the three persons who interacted with the craft as described above included three very responsible and stable individuals. Dr. Greer is a practicing trauma physician, father of four, world-renowned expert on extraterrestrial intelligence. He is the founder of CSETI, and the visionary and guiding force of it. Our teammate from New York is cofounder of a research foundation and is personal friends with world leaders in both the political and private sectors. And I myself have been educated in the sciences and the law and worked for many years as a paralegal, which gives me a logical mind upon which to base my ongoing extraterrestrial experiences. - Shari Adamiak https://preview.redd.it/zhfu18audm0d1.jpg?width=344&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f389a123a7409d52ac52d37abbd087820390d231 I describe how I first met Shari in 1992. It was an experience that I will never forget: https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/03/05/i-meet-shari-adamiak-the-first-ce-5-working-group-coordinato |
2024.05.15 18:47 Contactunderground Monterrey Mexico 1994, there a CE-5 contact team attracted a large craft which hovered on a mountainside. A blinding beam of light emanated from the UFO and the silhouettes of beings could be seen moving in front of the beam.
| | Shari Adamiak was a dedicated, disciplined volunteer contact worker who I had the honor to serve with as a fellow CE-5 Working Group Coordinator from 1992 till 1998. I honor her memory by posting her report describing an amazing encounter in Monterrey Mexico in 1994. submitted by Contactunderground to ContactUnderground [link] [comments] In the in-depth document posted below prolonged telepathic exchanges reportedly occurred with two types of non-human beings, very small ones and a larger humanoid being. Joseph Burkes MD 2024 https://preview.redd.it/qys8avaedm0d1.jpg?width=344&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=524ae0aad8b8a067c3607fdbeb10fad8cac5c6cd CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE FIFTH KIND IN MONTERREY, MEXICO - DECEMBER 1994 By Shari Adamiak ©1995, Executive Director of CSETI Introduction: The following is an account - from my point of view - of events that occurred during a CSETI investigative team activation to Monterrey, Mexico in December of 1994. While necessarily somewhat subjective based on my own experiences, every attempt has been made to present an accurate depiction of events that were experienced by myself and our team. CSETI Reacts to Flap in Mexico: After seeing a tape of a "Hard Copy" program showing an active wave of UFO activity in Monterrey, Mexico - the third largest metropolis in Mexico - we made an effort to contact the researcher who had taken those videos. Santiago Yturria is a thorough researcher and skilled videographer who, along with Diana Perla Chapa, the host of a popular live talk show on Mexican network television, has had a UFO group for over 20 years in the state of Nuevo Leone. Dr. Steven Greer, international director of CSETI, activated a CSETI Rapid Mobilization Investigative Team (RMIT) to Monterrey to investigate this current flap. Santiago, Diana, and the entire Ovni Club of N.L. assisted us, took us to sites, shared their evidence and graciously welcomed us to Monterrey. Dr. Greer, myself, a woman from New York and a man, also a videographer, from Minneapolis made up the CSETI team. (Names furnished upon request.) Consciousness Connections: Lucid dream activity played a significant role in the events that unfolded in Monterrey. Three of the team had dreams that proved to be portents of happenings on this project. I had a dream in the early hours of December 13th. In it, the extraterrestrials were showing us the spot where we should come in order to have a meeting with them. They showed me aerial views, in stop motion - each one closer to the ground - and marked the site with a strobing turquoise laser pattern. They showed me a view from the ground, looking up at some steep peaks, and showed it to me both in day and nighttime views. The night view revealed two stars in a particular configuration over one of the peaks. That very afternoon, Santiago and his friends drove us to Las Mitres mountains, well known as an area of many sightings of UFOs. As we approached, it dawned on me that it was identical to what I was shown in my dream. We decided to use the spot as our field research site that night. When we came to Las Mitres (so named because the mountain peaks resemble a bishop's miter hat) that night, the two stars were indeed in the sky in the same position as I had seen in my lucid dream. The Team Gets to Work: The CSETI team had observed some anomalous objects in the sky at two different sites on the nights of December 11th and 12th, but the next two nights, the 13th and 14th at the Las Mitres sites, proved to be exceptional. The Las Mitres mountains contain a large cave where the local investigators believe that spacecraft conceal themselves when coming to the Monterrey area. And, unusually dense low clouds were known to form over the cave and other parts of the peaks very quickly. On the night of December 13th, the entire CSETI team set up camp at the base of Las Mitres. We were joined by an American woman who was a friend of one of our teammates, who was married to a Mexican man and living in Monterrey. She had arranged our lodging and transportation for us. Around 10:30 pm, following our first Coherent Thought Sequencing (a CSETI protocol) session, we observed a very bright light that appeared in the zenith of the sky, traveling rapidly in an upward arc that terminated in the center of the constellation Orion. At 10:45 pm, very dense clouds materialized within a minute on parts of the sheer mountain cliffs. The Close Encounters Begin: At approximately 1:00 am, Dr. Greer and another team member were standing slightly down the gravel road when they observed a bright, strobe-like white light to appear at the edge of the mountain. At about the same time, I had gotten up and walked closer towards the brush at the base of the mountain. Dr. Greer looked for me to tell me of the strobe light and found me at the spot where it had appeared. As we stood there, another round light came rolling down the side of the steep slope. Just then, I felt some invisible energy that felt as if it were gently pulling me in deeper to the brush. Both Dr. Greer and I felt there was a presence nearby that, from past experience, led us to feel there was a spacecraft and extraterrestrial beings very nearby. Just then, I began to perceive small, square-shouldered beings in the brush around us. They could be sensed and dimly seen, but a clear view of them wasn't possible. The little beings were extremely shy and reticent. They would scurry close to us, then backtrack quickly into the brush. We could not hear any brush moving or footsteps but we could dimly see them. To me, they seemed to have on uniforms that covered their body and legs that were a dull orange-rust color. They were very short, just up to my knees (I am 5'7"). I became aware of a telepathic message - they were concerned about our video camera, behind me to the right. I turned my head and looked. Sure enough, unknown to me previously as I had not seen it in the dark, was our teammate's professional camera set up on a tripod. I send back the mental message to them not to worry, the camera wasn't on and we wouldn't let him touch it. They seemed to trust my assurance, as the event continued to unfold. I related this two-way communication to Dr. Greer, who went back to the other three people and instructed them to stay where they were unless he called them forward. These rich, rare exchanges with what appear to be extraterrestrial life forms are very delicate scenarios. Any sudden, rash or extreme emotion or movement can thwart the entire event and bring it to a screeching halt, and the extraterrestrials vanish. Sometimes our second-guessing of what is needed to allow an event to unfold in all its possible fullness is accurate; sometimes it is not. It is almost like hesitant dance partners, longing but afraid to get closer. Until we as a people are more accepting of close contact with extraterrestrials, our interactions are likely to continue in this way. I could mentally 'hear' concerned conversation going on amongst the small beings. They eventually conveyed to me the message, again mentally, that they were having difficulty adjusting our energies in preparation for a meeting because my physical energy was concentrated on my stomach, trying to digest some food. Just before all this began, I had eaten about a half of a Power Bar, a dense protein energy food. It was cold and hard from being in my gear bag for hours and I could feel it kind of just laying in my stomach. At this point, I sent a very deliberate message to the life forms: "I give you permission to take it out of my body". Suddenly, I felt as if someone were standing some distance away with a fishing line whose hook was inside my stomach. It felt as if someone were slowing reeling in the line as the food came back out the way it went in. Now, I detest vomiting more than almost anything and I was struck by the gentleness that was used in removing this food from my body. It was only mildly unpleasant. Dr. Greer, an emergency physician, asked me if I was alright. I told him that I was fine and that this was being done with my permission. After this little purging, the energy felt softer, with less intense vibration. Soon the little beings sent both Dr. Greer and I the message that if we removed our glasses, we would be able to see them better. Although I normally use contact lenses, glasses are preferable for field work when wind and dust often get blown into my eyes, plus the fact that we are often in the field until the wee hours of the morning. After receiving this message, we each removed our glasses. One last request from the little ETs - that we remove our hats (it had been a chilly night.) At this point, I could actually feel a harmonious flow of energy between us, the little beings, and some other unseen source. Another Being is Perceived: At this point, the small life forms disappeared. Shafts of golden light began to come from an unknown, unseen source and lay across the bushes in front of us. We learned later that the three other team members behind us could see this as well, although they had not been able to perceive the small beings. I could feel one of these shafts of light approach me and fill my torso with a warm, golden glow. After the light rays faded, a large oval of bluish fog began to form about ten feet in front of us. As the blue mist began to coalesce, Dr. Greer and I became aware of a being within it. Although again we could see him only dimly, he appeared very humanoid, tall, with long and straight silverish hair. He appeared to be clothed in a light blue and silver uniform. We learned later that one team member saw a tendril of the blue fog travel along the ground towards her. It frightened her a little until the mist reached her foot and began to send wisps around her feet. She later told us that there was a gentle kindness about the fog and all misgivings vanished. However, our American friend who was not an actual team member became very frightened by the golden light and blue fog. We learned later that it was all too much for her - something the extraterrestrial would tell us. For as we stood there facing one another, the tall being sent us a message that they would very much like to manifest more fully in the physical to meet with us, but that if they did so, one of our team members would be dangerously frightened. Their caution and concern were touching. And a far cry from the crying wolf that goes on so often when extraterrestrials are said to be heartless, devoid of feeling, and out to harm human beings. We in CSETI feel that this type of encounter points up the absolute need and appropriateness of doing real-time field work in our efforts to learn exactly what these beings are all about. It is important, and interesting, to note that both Dr. Greer and myself received nearly identical mental messages each time there was a communication from the extraterrestrial. Dr. Greer and I consulted one another and decided to send a joint message. We told the tall being that if they could not come to us, it was okay with us if they could take us to where they were. We could sense this was being discussed with a 'central command control', or his more senior team members. Dr. Greer and I saw a copper-gold sphere, ten to twelve feet in diameter, begin to coalesce to the left of the tall being. It never reached material solidity but soon began to disperse. The tall being then sent us a message that it would frighten our teammates just as much to see us disappear in front of their eyes as it would for the ETs to manifest right there. At this time, we had no idea that any member of our team was having difficulty coping with these events. Soon Again, Soon Again: Finally, after what seemed like a few moments, the tall being sent us a message that they would not be able to manifest fully in the physical this night. But they sent a message: "soon again; soon again". At this point, Dr. Greer went back to speak with the other team members and I stayed put. For the next five minutes, the being and I exchanged blessings to each other, to our teams. It was poignant and lovely. I cannot recall any of the actual 'words' or specific communications; it was not a left-brained exchange, but was beyond the bounds of linear thought. Their Reluctance is Proven Out: When I joined the others, I learned that our American friend had become extremely frightened, so much so that she had taken refuge in our vehicle. We had designated the big Suburban as the 'safe area". We do this on all our field research - setting aside a specific enclosure that any team member can go to if unfolding events prove fearful to them. In fact, it is our policy to send a 'buddy' along, who remains with them the entire time they wish to stay in the safe area. We divide into buddies at the beginning of our field session so that each team member is accounted for, and accountable, at all times. She told us that if she had seen anything more from the ETs, she would have run screaming down the mountainside. Preparation is Key: Her reactions impressed upon us the importance of training for each team member. It served as a strong reminder to us to be more stringent in adherence to our policies regarding untrained guests who wanted to join our field work. Much to my surprise, Dr. Greer and I learned from our teammates that we had been standing there, exchanging communication with the extraterrestrials, for nearly two hours. We both thought no more than thirty minutes had elapsed. By this time, it was nearly 3:00 am, so we broke camp and went home. The Encounters Continue: The following day was a busy one with an appearance on Diana Chapa's live TV show in the morning, a field trip to another site in the afternoon, and a talk at the Ovni Club that evening. It was about 11:30 pm by the time we were driving up the narrow road to our Las Mitres site. Interestingly, our videographer teammate was absent from field work. He had decided to stay in the city to visit his friend and her son. As the Suburban headed up the gravel lane, Dr. Greer and I simultaneously observed a small, bright light on the side of Las Mitres. We knew from the previous night that there was no light normally in that area. Tonight we also had with us our American friend's Mexican husband. He and our driver assured us there were no houses, no power lines, no roads, nothing on the sheer cliffs of Las Mitres. As we came to the base of the mountain, Dr. Greer jumped from the Suburban while it was still rolling. The other woman and I jumped out and grabbed the bare necessities of field gear: a 500,000-candle power portable halogen light, our night vision scope, binoculars, a small camcorder, and a hand-held micro-cassette recorder. Because of the reaction by an untrained participant the previous night, we sent our driver and his friend down the road. We told them we could not afford any panic this night. Unbeknownst to us at the time, the men went to a spot at the bottom of the road where they could clearly see the events that unfolded. Are We in a Spielberg Movie?: Dr. Greer grabbed the halogen light and sent a signal to the star-like light on the hillside. Instantly, the light transformed into a gigantic, brilliant round beam that shot light down the entire mountainside! We were astonished. It came close to being the time we always joke about - when events are so incredible that we'll wish we had on "Depends" undergarments! We continued to have a Close Encounter of the Fifth Kind - a human-initiated or human-interactive experience - with this craft for the next two hours and fifteen minutes. An exchange like this, with a team in the field, is unprecedented. During the lengthy encounter, we sent light signals to the craft. The craft would signal back to us in the exact same sequence. Then its lights would extinguish. Within a few minutes, it would again illuminate and initiate a signal to us. This went on and on. Twice during this time period, we saw the shadows of beings walking in front of the blinding beam. At times, the beam would rotate upon itself, appearing to the left of its original position - then back where it was. Once the light seemed to turn over on itself, illuminating the sparsely forested slope behind it. This was one of the times when figures were seen to move in the beam. Hoaxability Ration - Low to Zero: It must be emphasized that this is a very remote area devoid of roads. For anyone to have hoaxed this event would have required something on the scale of a major motion picture crew. There was simply no way to have moved equipment like this onto these sheer slopes. It would have caused quite a commotion in the suburbs below if a crew of that magnitude had traversed those sheer cliffs that day. The area would have been swarming with lookie-loos. At the end of the two hours and fifteen minutes, the light, which by now had split into two candle-flame colored round lights, turned to brilliant red, shot out a lightning bolt of energy and vanished. We saw a golden streak shoot through the sky towards the direction of the ancient volcano, Topochico. And the energy was gone. It was not until this point that we fully appreciated that 1) we'd been standing up for all that time, and 2) our hair had stood on end the entire time. As a side note, I want to report that when we first got out of the vehicle at the base of the mountain, I heard crickets chirping in stereophonic synchronicity. One would chirp on our right, then one would chirp on our left. The chirping was loud and distinct. When I heard it, I told my teammates that it was significant. I had heard similar chirping prior to another major encounter in the past. It was moments later that the gigantic craft illuminated before us. Eventful Trip Home: We signaled to our drivers to bring up the Suburban. When they arrived, we learned that the men had gone to a vantage point and had seen everything, giving us two independent witnesses. In fact, from their extra distance the light was not so blinding and they were able to discern the craft. They both reported seeing a very large disc-shaped craft with a domed top. The men were extremely excited. They said they felt bonded now, like brothers. The American's husband said that his life would never be the same again. As we were riding on our 30-minute drive home, Dr. Greer remarked that he felt the ETs would follow us. Within a minute, the man in front was exclaiming, "la luz, la luz!" (the light, the light!) We could then see that the gigantic light was visible from the road, showing itself to us on the opposite side of the mountain from where it had been at our field site! We stopped at a closed gas station, signaled and videoed (which came out fuzzy and blurred). You will recall that, of all nights, our videographer was not with us this night. Coincidence or orchestrated by the ETs? So many such things happen that we have to ponder the possibility. This time, the light was not appearing as two lights side by side. Instead, they were two lights stacked one on top the other. We continued to observe it on the remainder of the homeward ride, stopping twice more to observe. When we arrived home, we climbed up to our flat roof. We could still see it, even though the entire valley of the city of Monterrey was now between us, the back side of Las Mitres and the rest of the range. The lights were still there. They had changed position again and were now staggered, one atop the other. They had been so bright that we could see the rock face behind it illuminated. As we watched, the lights dimmed down to about half their luminosity. The Craft Revealed: At this point, we could clearly see the structure of the craft. It was indeed a large disc with a sloped dome on top. By measuring with fingers at arm's length, Dr. Greer determined that the craft was between one-half to one full city block in size. As the birds began to sing and the sky began to lighten, we bid goodbye and heartfelt thanks to our visitors for these remarkable experiences and went inside to sleep, and dream of them. Shari Adamiak, Executive Director, CSETI ________________________ Final Notes: I wish to advise that the three persons who interacted with the craft as described above included three very responsible and stable individuals. Dr. Greer is a practicing trauma physician, father of four, world-renowned expert on extraterrestrial intelligence. He is the founder of CSETI, and the visionary and guiding force of it. Our teammate from New York is cofounder of a research foundation and is personal friends with world leaders in both the political and private sectors. And I myself have been educated in the sciences and the law and worked for many years as a paralegal, which gives me a logical mind upon which to base my ongoing extraterrestrial experiences. - Shari Adamiak I describe how I first met Shari in 1992. It was an experience that I will never forget: https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/03/05/i-meet-shari-adamiak-the-first-ce-5-working-group-coordinato |
2024.05.15 18:45 Contactunderground Monterrey Mexico 1994, there a CE-5 contact team attracted a large craft which hovered on a mountainside. A blinding beam of light emanated from the UFO and the silhouettes of beings could be seen moving in front of the beam.
| | Shari Adamiak was a dedicated, disciplined volunteer contact worker who I had the honor to serve with as a fellow CE-5 Working Group Coordinator from 1992 till 1998. I honor her memory by posting her report describing an amazing encounter in Monterrey Mexico in 1994. submitted by Contactunderground to CE5 [link] [comments] In the in-depth document posted below prolonged telepathic exchanges reportedly occurred with two types of non-human beings, very small ones and a larger humanoid being. Joseph Burkes MD 2024 https://preview.redd.it/1p03urq5dm0d1.jpg?width=344&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=723db6453b0c0f1ac49bba85d7ac5345d1f47a46 CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE FIFTH KIND IN MONTERREY, MEXICO - DECEMBER 1994 By Shari Adamiak ©1995, Executive Director of CSETI Introduction: The following is an account - from my point of view - of events that occurred during a CSETI investigative team activation to Monterrey, Mexico in December of 1994. While necessarily somewhat subjective based on my own experiences, every attempt has been made to present an accurate depiction of events that were experienced by myself and our team. CSETI Reacts to Flap in Mexico: After seeing a tape of a "Hard Copy" program showing an active wave of UFO activity in Monterrey, Mexico - the third largest metropolis in Mexico - we made an effort to contact the researcher who had taken those videos. Santiago Yturria is a thorough researcher and skilled videographer who, along with Diana Perla Chapa, the host of a popular live talk show on Mexican network television, has had a UFO group for over 20 years in the state of Nuevo Leone. Dr. Steven Greer, international director of CSETI, activated a CSETI Rapid Mobilization Investigative Team (RMIT) to Monterrey to investigate this current flap. Santiago, Diana, and the entire Ovni Club of N.L. assisted us, took us to sites, shared their evidence and graciously welcomed us to Monterrey. Dr. Greer, myself, a woman from New York and a man, also a videographer, from Minneapolis made up the CSETI team. (Names furnished upon request.) Consciousness Connections: Lucid dream activity played a significant role in the events that unfolded in Monterrey. Three of the team had dreams that proved to be portents of happenings on this project. I had a dream in the early hours of December 13th. In it, the extraterrestrials were showing us the spot where we should come in order to have a meeting with them. They showed me aerial views, in stop motion - each one closer to the ground - and marked the site with a strobing turquoise laser pattern. They showed me a view from the ground, looking up at some steep peaks, and showed it to me both in day and nighttime views. The night view revealed two stars in a particular configuration over one of the peaks. That very afternoon, Santiago and his friends drove us to Las Mitres mountains, well known as an area of many sightings of UFOs. As we approached, it dawned on me that it was identical to what I was shown in my dream. We decided to use the spot as our field research site that night. When we came to Las Mitres (so named because the mountain peaks resemble a bishop's miter hat) that night, the two stars were indeed in the sky in the same position as I had seen in my lucid dream. The Team Gets to Work: The CSETI team had observed some anomalous objects in the sky at two different sites on the nights of December 11th and 12th, but the next two nights, the 13th and 14th at the Las Mitres sites, proved to be exceptional. The Las Mitres mountains contain a large cave where the local investigators believe that spacecraft conceal themselves when coming to the Monterrey area. And, unusually dense low clouds were known to form over the cave and other parts of the peaks very quickly. On the night of December 13th, the entire CSETI team set up camp at the base of Las Mitres. We were joined by an American woman who was a friend of one of our teammates, who was married to a Mexican man and living in Monterrey. She had arranged our lodging and transportation for us. Around 10:30 pm, following our first Coherent Thought Sequencing (a CSETI protocol) session, we observed a very bright light that appeared in the zenith of the sky, traveling rapidly in an upward arc that terminated in the center of the constellation Orion. At 10:45 pm, very dense clouds materialized within a minute on parts of the sheer mountain cliffs. The Close Encounters Begin: At approximately 1:00 am, Dr. Greer and another team member were standing slightly down the gravel road when they observed a bright, strobe-like white light to appear at the edge of the mountain. At about the same time, I had gotten up and walked closer towards the brush at the base of the mountain. Dr. Greer looked for me to tell me of the strobe light and found me at the spot where it had appeared. As we stood there, another round light came rolling down the side of the steep slope. Just then, I felt some invisible energy that felt as if it were gently pulling me in deeper to the brush. Both Dr. Greer and I felt there was a presence nearby that, from past experience, led us to feel there was a spacecraft and extraterrestrial beings very nearby. Just then, I began to perceive small, square-shouldered beings in the brush around us. They could be sensed and dimly seen, but a clear view of them wasn't possible. The little beings were extremely shy and reticent. They would scurry close to us, then backtrack quickly into the brush. We could not hear any brush moving or footsteps but we could dimly see them. To me, they seemed to have on uniforms that covered their body and legs that were a dull orange-rust color. They were very short, just up to my knees (I am 5'7"). I became aware of a telepathic message - they were concerned about our video camera, behind me to the right. I turned my head and looked. Sure enough, unknown to me previously as I had not seen it in the dark, was our teammate's professional camera set up on a tripod. I send back the mental message to them not to worry, the camera wasn't on and we wouldn't let him touch it. They seemed to trust my assurance, as the event continued to unfold. I related this two-way communication to Dr. Greer, who went back to the other three people and instructed them to stay where they were unless he called them forward. These rich, rare exchanges with what appear to be extraterrestrial life forms are very delicate scenarios. Any sudden, rash or extreme emotion or movement can thwart the entire event and bring it to a screeching halt, and the extraterrestrials vanish. Sometimes our second-guessing of what is needed to allow an event to unfold in all its possible fullness is accurate; sometimes it is not. It is almost like hesitant dance partners, longing but afraid to get closer. Until we as a people are more accepting of close contact with extraterrestrials, our interactions are likely to continue in this way. I could mentally 'hear' concerned conversation going on amongst the small beings. They eventually conveyed to me the message, again mentally, that they were having difficulty adjusting our energies in preparation for a meeting because my physical energy was concentrated on my stomach, trying to digest some food. Just before all this began, I had eaten about a half of a Power Bar, a dense protein energy food. It was cold and hard from being in my gear bag for hours and I could feel it kind of just laying in my stomach. At this point, I sent a very deliberate message to the life forms: "I give you permission to take it out of my body". Suddenly, I felt as if someone were standing some distance away with a fishing line whose hook was inside my stomach. It felt as if someone were slowing reeling in the line as the food came back out the way it went in. Now, I detest vomiting more than almost anything and I was struck by the gentleness that was used in removing this food from my body. It was only mildly unpleasant. Dr. Greer, an emergency physician, asked me if I was alright. I told him that I was fine and that this was being done with my permission. After this little purging, the energy felt softer, with less intense vibration. Soon the little beings sent both Dr. Greer and I the message that if we removed our glasses, we would be able to see them better. Although I normally use contact lenses, glasses are preferable for field work when wind and dust often get blown into my eyes, plus the fact that we are often in the field until the wee hours of the morning. After receiving this message, we each removed our glasses. One last request from the little ETs - that we remove our hats (it had been a chilly night.) At this point, I could actually feel a harmonious flow of energy between us, the little beings, and some other unseen source. Another Being is Perceived: At this point, the small life forms disappeared. Shafts of golden light began to come from an unknown, unseen source and lay across the bushes in front of us. We learned later that the three other team members behind us could see this as well, although they had not been able to perceive the small beings. I could feel one of these shafts of light approach me and fill my torso with a warm, golden glow. After the light rays faded, a large oval of bluish fog began to form about ten feet in front of us. As the blue mist began to coalesce, Dr. Greer and I became aware of a being within it. Although again we could see him only dimly, he appeared very humanoid, tall, with long and straight silverish hair. He appeared to be clothed in a light blue and silver uniform. We learned later that one team member saw a tendril of the blue fog travel along the ground towards her. It frightened her a little until the mist reached her foot and began to send wisps around her feet. She later told us that there was a gentle kindness about the fog and all misgivings vanished. However, our American friend who was not an actual team member became very frightened by the golden light and blue fog. We learned later that it was all too much for her - something the extraterrestrial would tell us. For as we stood there facing one another, the tall being sent us a message that they would very much like to manifest more fully in the physical to meet with us, but that if they did so, one of our team members would be dangerously frightened. Their caution and concern were touching. And a far cry from the crying wolf that goes on so often when extraterrestrials are said to be heartless, devoid of feeling, and out to harm human beings. We in CSETI feel that this type of encounter points up the absolute need and appropriateness of doing real-time field work in our efforts to learn exactly what these beings are all about. It is important, and interesting, to note that both Dr. Greer and myself received nearly identical mental messages each time there was a communication from the extraterrestrial. Dr. Greer and I consulted one another and decided to send a joint message. We told the tall being that if they could not come to us, it was okay with us if they could take us to where they were. We could sense this was being discussed with a 'central command control', or his more senior team members. Dr. Greer and I saw a copper-gold sphere, ten to twelve feet in diameter, begin to coalesce to the left of the tall being. It never reached material solidity but soon began to disperse. The tall being then sent us a message that it would frighten our teammates just as much to see us disappear in front of their eyes as it would for the ETs to manifest right there. At this time, we had no idea that any member of our team was having difficulty coping with these events. Soon Again, Soon Again: Finally, after what seemed like a few moments, the tall being sent us a message that they would not be able to manifest fully in the physical this night. But they sent a message: "soon again; soon again". At this point, Dr. Greer went back to speak with the other team members and I stayed put. For the next five minutes, the being and I exchanged blessings to each other, to our teams. It was poignant and lovely. I cannot recall any of the actual 'words' or specific communications; it was not a left-brained exchange, but was beyond the bounds of linear thought. Their Reluctance is Proven Out: When I joined the others, I learned that our American friend had become extremely frightened, so much so that she had taken refuge in our vehicle. We had designated the big Suburban as the 'safe area". We do this on all our field research - setting aside a specific enclosure that any team member can go to if unfolding events prove fearful to them. In fact, it is our policy to send a 'buddy' along, who remains with them the entire time they wish to stay in the safe area. We divide into buddies at the beginning of our field session so that each team member is accounted for, and accountable, at all times. She told us that if she had seen anything more from the ETs, she would have run screaming down the mountainside. Preparation is Key: Her reactions impressed upon us the importance of training for each team member. It served as a strong reminder to us to be more stringent in adherence to our policies regarding untrained guests who wanted to join our field work. Much to my surprise, Dr. Greer and I learned from our teammates that we had been standing there, exchanging communication with the extraterrestrials, for nearly two hours. We both thought no more than thirty minutes had elapsed. By this time, it was nearly 3:00 am, so we broke camp and went home. The Encounters Continue: The following day was a busy one with an appearance on Diana Chapa's live TV show in the morning, a field trip to another site in the afternoon, and a talk at the Ovni Club that evening. It was about 11:30 pm by the time we were driving up the narrow road to our Las Mitres site. Interestingly, our videographer teammate was absent from field work. He had decided to stay in the city to visit his friend and her son. As the Suburban headed up the gravel lane, Dr. Greer and I simultaneously observed a small, bright light on the side of Las Mitres. We knew from the previous night that there was no light normally in that area. Tonight we also had with us our American friend's Mexican husband. He and our driver assured us there were no houses, no power lines, no roads, nothing on the sheer cliffs of Las Mitres. As we came to the base of the mountain, Dr. Greer jumped from the Suburban while it was still rolling. The other woman and I jumped out and grabbed the bare necessities of field gear: a 500,000-candle power portable halogen light, our night vision scope, binoculars, a small camcorder, and a hand-held micro-cassette recorder. Because of the reaction by an untrained participant the previous night, we sent our driver and his friend down the road. We told them we could not afford any panic this night. Unbeknownst to us at the time, the men went to a spot at the bottom of the road where they could clearly see the events that unfolded. Are We in a Spielberg Movie?: Dr. Greer grabbed the halogen light and sent a signal to the star-like light on the hillside. Instantly, the light transformed into a gigantic, brilliant round beam that shot light down the entire mountainside! We were astonished. It came close to being the time we always joke about - when events are so incredible that we'll wish we had on "Depends" undergarments! We continued to have a Close Encounter of the Fifth Kind - a human-initiated or human-interactive experience - with this craft for the next two hours and fifteen minutes. An exchange like this, with a team in the field, is unprecedented. During the lengthy encounter, we sent light signals to the craft. The craft would signal back to us in the exact same sequence. Then its lights would extinguish. Within a few minutes, it would again illuminate and initiate a signal to us. This went on and on. Twice during this time period, we saw the shadows of beings walking in front of the blinding beam. At times, the beam would rotate upon itself, appearing to the left of its original position - then back where it was. Once the light seemed to turn over on itself, illuminating the sparsely forested slope behind it. This was one of the times when figures were seen to move in the beam. Hoaxability Ration - Low to Zero: It must be emphasized that this is a very remote area devoid of roads. For anyone to have hoaxed this event would have required something on the scale of a major motion picture crew. There was simply no way to have moved equipment like this onto these sheer slopes. It would have caused quite a commotion in the suburbs below if a crew of that magnitude had traversed those sheer cliffs that day. The area would have been swarming with lookie-loos. At the end of the two hours and fifteen minutes, the light, which by now had split into two candle-flame colored round lights, turned to brilliant red, shot out a lightning bolt of energy and vanished. We saw a golden streak shoot through the sky towards the direction of the ancient volcano, Topochico. And the energy was gone. It was not until this point that we fully appreciated that 1) we'd been standing up for all that time, and 2) our hair had stood on end the entire time. As a side note, I want to report that when we first got out of the vehicle at the base of the mountain, I heard crickets chirping in stereophonic synchronicity. One would chirp on our right, then one would chirp on our left. The chirping was loud and distinct. When I heard it, I told my teammates that it was significant. I had heard similar chirping prior to another major encounter in the past. It was moments later that the gigantic craft illuminated before us. Eventful Trip Home: We signaled to our drivers to bring up the Suburban. When they arrived, we learned that the men had gone to a vantage point and had seen everything, giving us two independent witnesses. In fact, from their extra distance the light was not so blinding and they were able to discern the craft. They both reported seeing a very large disc-shaped craft with a domed top. The men were extremely excited. They said they felt bonded now, like brothers. The American's husband said that his life would never be the same again. As we were riding on our 30-minute drive home, Dr. Greer remarked that he felt the ETs would follow us. Within a minute, the man in front was exclaiming, "la luz, la luz!" (the light, the light!) We could then see that the gigantic light was visible from the road, showing itself to us on the opposite side of the mountain from where it had been at our field site! We stopped at a closed gas station, signaled and videoed (which came out fuzzy and blurred). You will recall that, of all nights, our videographer was not with us this night. Coincidence or orchestrated by the ETs? So many such things happen that we have to ponder the possibility. This time, the light was not appearing as two lights side by side. Instead, they were two lights stacked one on top the other. We continued to observe it on the remainder of the homeward ride, stopping twice more to observe. When we arrived home, we climbed up to our flat roof. We could still see it, even though the entire valley of the city of Monterrey was now between us, the back side of Las Mitres and the rest of the range. The lights were still there. They had changed position again and were now staggered, one atop the other. They had been so bright that we could see the rock face behind it illuminated. As we watched, the lights dimmed down to about half their luminosity. The Craft Revealed: At this point, we could clearly see the structure of the craft. It was indeed a large disc with a sloped dome on top. By measuring with fingers at arm's length, Dr. Greer determined that the craft was between one-half to one full city block in size. As the birds began to sing and the sky began to lighten, we bid goodbye and heartfelt thanks to our visitors for these remarkable experiences and went inside to sleep, and dream of them. Shari Adamiak, Executive Director, CSETI ________________________ Final Notes: I wish to advise that the three persons who interacted with the craft as described above included three very responsible and stable individuals. Dr. Greer is a practicing trauma physician, father of four, world-renowned expert on extraterrestrial intelligence. He is the founder of CSETI, and the visionary and guiding force of it. Our teammate from New York is cofounder of a research foundation and is personal friends with world leaders in both the political and private sectors. And I myself have been educated in the sciences and the law and worked for many years as a paralegal, which gives me a logical mind upon which to base my ongoing extraterrestrial experiences. - Shari Adamiak I describe how I first met Shari in 1992. It was an experience that I will never forget: https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/03/05/i-meet-shari-adamiak-the-first-ce-5-working-group-coordinato |
2024.05.15 18:44 TheGentleman300 Conquest Chapter 18: the worst chapter in the series imo, and rewriting it (part 1)
A friend of mine started playing Fates for the first time, so once again I got bitten by the “complaining about Fates” bug. In particular, watching chapter 18 of Conquest again after so many years really got me going, and while the general consensus I’ve seen online about this chapters writing was negative, I wasn’t that satisfied by any of the overviews of it I read. I decided to give it a shot myself.
Dissecting why something doesn’t work is fun and all, but I think it’s also important to be constructive which is why I wanted to rewrite this chapter alongside my criticisms. I really do think there’s a lot of potential here that could have been the highlight of the entire story, and so I’d love to try my hand rewriting this chapter to be what it could have been rather than what we got. I have most of it done already, but Reddit only has so many characters before it cuts you off and this post is plenty long enough as is, so I’ll save that for another part coming up soon. This will be part 1, explaining what the chapter is and elaborating on my issues with it, while part 2 will be rewriting it along with my thought process and explanations.
Recap: https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Black_%26_White/Script
Corrin and Co are traveling when they decide to rest for the night at the nation of Izumo. They are greeted by Izana, the archduke of the kingdom, who seems to be a real goofball. After introducing himself, the levity is ended when it’s revealed the entire Hoshidan family has been invited here as well! Before any swords can be undrawn, Izana tells both parties that the kingdom has a strict neutrality pact neither of them can violate.
The scene cuts to later, where Ryoma enters Corrin and Xanders room to talk with them. Xander and Ryoma’s argument is cut short when Ryoma is dragged off by Nohrians. Turns out “Izana” is actually a Nohrian mage named Zola, who disguised himself to trick the Hoshidan royal family into a trap. Corrin and Xander don’t approve of such dishonorable methods to win, however, and fight to rescue their captives with Xander saying “we’ll win this war with honor or die trying”. After Leo kills Zola, the game cuts to later where we see Nohrians and Hoshidans alike having a meal, much to the delight of the real Izuma, who turns out is exactly as bizarre as the fake impression. Xander and Ryoma confirm with eachother that their fight will continue as usual, but Corrin states that no matter what happens they’re grateful they got to see both families eating together even if it’s not under the best circumstances, and the chapter ends with them saying they’ll revel in this feeling.
So on paper, I think this chapter is a great idea. Despite being at war, when one family is at the total mercy of the other, they lend a hand instead of kicking them while they’re down. This highlights how the two nations could accomplish so much together if only they weren’t at war with eachother. If utilized well, this could have been a great “eye of the tornado scene” emphasizing how tragic it is that these two families who share so much in common are forced by fate to fight eachother, making it all the more sorrowful when that’s brought to it’s conclusion through bloodshed. This would also encourage Conquest players to buy Birthright in a natural and subtle way as well now that they’ve had a nice sample of the other side. Of course, I don’t think this chapter was utilized well, and after reading the script again I believe it boils down to three major problems.
-Problem 1: The Lack of Worldbuilding Causes the Conflict to be Driven by Contrivances.
This is one of the many instances where the lack of fleshing out the world and it’s rules out really hampers the weight of the scenes. Unlike Awakening where there was a general cause-and-effect outlining the level structure, all of the Fates routes are much more individual and self-contained when it comes to chapters. This means the game has to really stretch itself to justify this elaborate setup being brought up and solved in one single chapter of regular length, and it’s very apparent when you write out the summary of events here.
Corrin and his army are just walking by when they happen upon the capital of the country. Corrin decides this would be a great place to rest for the night at and are instantly welcomed by its leader, who is also the only person in the game of that country. The entire Hoshidan family also just happen to bump into us because they coincidently came here at roughly the same time, with somehow neither party noticing the other until they were staring at eachother in the same room.
The only thing we know about this new nation we’ve never seen or heard about before is that it’s a peace-loving land with some sort of neutrality pact which means the two nations can’t fight here. What is the importance of this place that would entice all the Hoshidan royals to come over for a banquet in the middle of their country being invaded? Never explained. What exactly is this pact and what power does Izuno have to enforce it, if any? Never explained. Xander, prince of a nation at war and frontline general, has never heard of it. How does Garon or Iago never figure out or look into what happened here, considering the royals walked through their trap unharmed and everybody in charge of the trap vanished? Never brought up.
How many times here was this supposedly major event dependent on coincidences, seemingly important details left completely unexplained, and characters not knowing things that should be basic information of the world they live in? Things like all this quickly build up and make the world feel small scale and artificial, as if nothing truly exists until it’s in the peripheral vision of main characters. In a vacuum, this could all be excusable if the main meat of the chapter was just so dense and important that they just want a convenient excuse to delve into it. But about that…
-Problem 2: Nothing happens, either character-wise or plot-wise.
This is the only scene in both Birthright and Conquest where all eight of the royal families are together in one spot, and they’re unable to fight eachother. What a brilliant idea! How many great scenes could you come up with from this setup alone? How many directions could this move towards?
We actually start off strong, Ryoma and Xander naturally puff out their chest and don’t get along when they’re in the same room, but seem to calm down when Corrin elaborates on how similar they are to eachother. But the game is so eager to get to fighting that it drags Ryoma away kicking and screaming before he even gets to share what he had to say to Corrin, let alone explore what having common ground means to the two of them.
1) I understand this is the Nohrian route so it makes sense the focus is mostly on them, but Takumi only gets three lines here, one of which is “…” Hinoka also only gets three lines, which I think is still more than she got in Birthright, and two of those lines are “You!” and “What are you doing here?”. Sakura lucks out as she’s the only sibling on either side who has anything to say whatsoever when Corrin says they’re grateful they could share another meal with the Hoshidans. That’s a start, but the fact remains Ryoma is the only sibling in the chapter whose remotely relevant, the rest could be omitted and nothing would change. They are only here to be damsels in distress heightening the stakes of defeating the local bad guy rather than providing any character development, checking up on how they are doing without Corrin and Azura, comparing and contrasting their differences between their counterparts, sharing any new information about them, foreshadowing Takumi’s possession, any notable interactions with their counterparts, etc. But no, nothing happens.
2) I also understand this is a video game and they don’t have all the time in the world before the next fight has to happen, yet Conquest is oddly completely uninterested in it’s own set-up. Zola, a minor chapter boss introduced and killed in this chapter, has more screentime and relevance here than any of the siblings, something you’d think would be the actual meat of the chapter they’d want to delve into.
The implications and weight of two dueling nations and families obligated to pause their fighting and dine with eachother could easily take up two or even three chapters as a pivotal arc, yet it’s completely blazed through as if the game considered it a cute novelty rather than a potential life-changing or history-changing moment. Simply put, it’s wasted potential, as if to say “Oh both of the two families meeting in a game about choosing between mutually exclusive families? Eh whatever.”
I wanna stick with just this chapter and not rewrite a good chunk of the entire story, but I can’t stress enough that in any other game this chapter would be the plot-defining moment paving the new way forward rather than chapter 15’s “we’ll expose Garon as a monster by helping him invade an innocent people.”
Neither of the two families are fighting because they outright want to, this isn’t a war about irreconcilable differences or mutually exclusive goals, the only reason for any conflict whatsoever as far as the game has shown us is that the guy in charge of Nohr is a sociopath who threatens to kill his own children at the drop of a hat. Sure, they probably won’t hold hands singing kumbaya after one extended conversation with eachother, but when all of them are in a truce far away from Garon’s authority having a meal together, nothing significant comes out of it plot-wise?
In fact, at the end of the day what significance happened here at all?
-Problem 3: Protags come off as dicks
While our heroes are indeed more likeable and moral than blatant monsters like Garon and Hans, liking peace and disliking war crimes is not enough of a reason for a pat on the back. Our protags might not be burning villages for fun, but it’s difficult to take their proclaimed goal of peace seriously considering both the context of working for people who DO burn villages for fun and they way they handle themselves when presented with an opportunity to work on this supposed goal.
Corrin and Azura
I get it, I totally know what they were going for, and in a vacuum it could be a great line making for a properly bittersweet moment. “Even if the two are at eachothers throats and the future is bleak, me and Azura are grateful we get to have at least one big normal dinner together like a real family.”
But the future is bleak because of Corrin and Azura participating in an invasion, the families are at eachothers throats partially because Corrin and Azura haven’t accomplished anything to reform Nohr. If anything, Corrin should feel great shame here. Elise just unintentionally reenacted the history between the nations where Nohr was clearly in the wrong, and Corrin is sitting directly across and staring at the family who’ve done nothing wrong to him yet are going to be hurt because of Corrin’s decision. Grateful they could spend time with them again? Maybe. But cheerful and laughing?
Xander and Leo
It’s perfectly understandable he doesn’t get along super well with Ryoma because of the tensions between their nations, that makes sense, but I see no reason for why Xander is making several petty insults to his face unprompted, let alone so nonchalant and even somewhat eager to get back to waging a war Xander himself calls “a senseless war of greed and madness” in the epilogue.
He doesn’t treat his own people much better this chapter, declaring Zola and his henchmen as “traitors” to be “dealt with” for their dishonorable methods when ironically Zola taking over the country by disguising himself as the archduke is actually one of the least evil and self-destructive things we’ve seen the kingdom do so far. It must be emphasized that every sibling was in the same room watching Garon demand Xander kill Corrin if he interferes with killing POWs for his amusement, and half of them were in the same room when Garon ordered his henchmen to murder every singer they can find in a neutral country. So a few hundred or thousand innocent people, most of whom would presumably be young woman, murdered to snuff out potential assassins. Or Garon directly ordering the deaths of unarmed civilians in chapter 13 with Hans relaying “Villagers are just soldiers who haven’t picked up a sword yet.”
Xander talks a big game in this chapter about how “we’ll win this war with honor or die trying”, but how do you honorably win a war when your nation is constantly and openly rushing to pointless overkill brutality like this at every turn? What moral high ground does this country have that Xander is so determined to preserve he kills loyal soldiers over what he sees as sullying it, when at no point in the game does the influence of Nohr ever do anything but make life significantly worse? His sudden fervor towards doing the right thing is completely contrasted later on when Xander is the one telling Corrin there’s no justice to be found in war and you just gotta do what you gotta do rather than what’s morally right, in response to Corrin being upset the Nohrian army is killing woman and children who looked at them funny.
I’m sure the game would assure us Zola and all his mooks are terrible people who had it coming, but the issue is no matter how virtuous you portray Xander and creepy you portray Zola, Xander is still directly managing the war for a megalomaniac and helping him achieve his goals in spite of his long history of open sadism and public crimes that make Zola look like a saint. By ignoring the clear root cause of Nohr's dishonor while going this hard against random goon's participating in dishonor, instead of being a gallant preserver of morals, he comes off like a bully who selectively picks and choices punishment.
On the topic of punishment, it particularly rubs me the wrong way how Leo just casually mercs Zola at the end, keep in mind Birthright confirms for all his faults he actually isn’t a complete monster like Garon and dies trying to help the protag.
Didn’t the game use killing defeated foes like this to establish Garon as a bloodthirsty monster? Why is Corrin just standing there watching this happen? This exact same scenario in Birthright has them jump to spare Zola, but here their disapproval is very meek and only voiced after the deed is already done. It’s still apparently too much for Leo though, who chastises Corrin for being “too soft…I envy your innocence.” And then he declares the matter settled on their behalf.
I’m sure this scene was meant to show off Leo’s pragmatism and strategy skills, but it just makes him look like a sociopath and Corrin look spineless. And that’s the biggest issue with this chapter to me, more than the plot being driven by contrivances that aren’t explained or the lack of any character development or interesting scenes taking advantage of the setup, the actions and dialog of our protags don’t match the noble heroes the narrative insists they are:
Summary: Overall, this is a very bizarre chapter. It feels like something meaningful happens here at first glance, your brain sees what’s going on and knows that this is supposed to be a huge moment. Peaceful music playing, a very well-drawn CG of dozens of individual units, liberating a country from Nohrian control, Corrin and Azura are happy and say some lines that sound like they should be deep and impactful.
But when you step back and analyze the bigger picture and context, you find that more or less embodies all of Fates writing, both good and bad. It has a brilliant premise that gets your mind going, excellent presentation to accompany it, and some individual scenes or dialogue in a vacuum are very welcome. If you’re a casual player who just wants context for your favorite characters fighting, it’s easy to feel satisfied at first glance and move on thanks to those factors, especially since the gameplay and MyCastle are very fun. At the same time, there’s no denying the severe flaws that hamper the experience.
Despite being the hyped-up main draw of the chapter, our exciting premise that opens so many doors is almost completely neglected in favor of (once again) exposition on meaningless settings and characters that aren’t relevant anywhere else and also reminding us how evil Nohr is, to the point the chapter title is Black and White. The context makes it very difficult to take the plight of our heroes seriously due to their lack of action (both before and in the present) to achieve their proclaimed goal despite ample opportunity, the proaction they do have being unnecessarily extreme and self-serving, and a narrative that insists they are in the right at every turn despite the results clearly showing us otherwise. There’s definitely bits and pieces of something great buried in all this teasing us, otherwise I wouldn’t be interested enough to write this much all these years later, but as is it’s just a mess. An enjoyable mess, but a mess all the same.
But what do you guys think of Conquest Chapter 18: Black and White? Do you also consider it a wreck, or was there something positive here you believed I missed? What would you like to see in a potential rewrite of it?
submitted by TheGentleman300 to fireemblem [link] [comments]
Dissecting why something doesn’t work is fun and all, but I think it’s also important to be constructive which is why I wanted to rewrite this chapter alongside my criticisms. I really do think there’s a lot of potential here that could have been the highlight of the entire story, and so I’d love to try my hand rewriting this chapter to be what it could have been rather than what we got. I have most of it done already, but Reddit only has so many characters before it cuts you off and this post is plenty long enough as is, so I’ll save that for another part coming up soon. This will be part 1, explaining what the chapter is and elaborating on my issues with it, while part 2 will be rewriting it along with my thought process and explanations.
Recap: https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Black_%26_White/Script
Corrin and Co are traveling when they decide to rest for the night at the nation of Izumo. They are greeted by Izana, the archduke of the kingdom, who seems to be a real goofball. After introducing himself, the levity is ended when it’s revealed the entire Hoshidan family has been invited here as well! Before any swords can be undrawn, Izana tells both parties that the kingdom has a strict neutrality pact neither of them can violate.
The scene cuts to later, where Ryoma enters Corrin and Xanders room to talk with them. Xander and Ryoma’s argument is cut short when Ryoma is dragged off by Nohrians. Turns out “Izana” is actually a Nohrian mage named Zola, who disguised himself to trick the Hoshidan royal family into a trap. Corrin and Xander don’t approve of such dishonorable methods to win, however, and fight to rescue their captives with Xander saying “we’ll win this war with honor or die trying”. After Leo kills Zola, the game cuts to later where we see Nohrians and Hoshidans alike having a meal, much to the delight of the real Izuma, who turns out is exactly as bizarre as the fake impression. Xander and Ryoma confirm with eachother that their fight will continue as usual, but Corrin states that no matter what happens they’re grateful they got to see both families eating together even if it’s not under the best circumstances, and the chapter ends with them saying they’ll revel in this feeling.
So on paper, I think this chapter is a great idea. Despite being at war, when one family is at the total mercy of the other, they lend a hand instead of kicking them while they’re down. This highlights how the two nations could accomplish so much together if only they weren’t at war with eachother. If utilized well, this could have been a great “eye of the tornado scene” emphasizing how tragic it is that these two families who share so much in common are forced by fate to fight eachother, making it all the more sorrowful when that’s brought to it’s conclusion through bloodshed. This would also encourage Conquest players to buy Birthright in a natural and subtle way as well now that they’ve had a nice sample of the other side. Of course, I don’t think this chapter was utilized well, and after reading the script again I believe it boils down to three major problems.
-Problem 1: The Lack of Worldbuilding Causes the Conflict to be Driven by Contrivances.
This is one of the many instances where the lack of fleshing out the world and it’s rules out really hampers the weight of the scenes. Unlike Awakening where there was a general cause-and-effect outlining the level structure, all of the Fates routes are much more individual and self-contained when it comes to chapters. This means the game has to really stretch itself to justify this elaborate setup being brought up and solved in one single chapter of regular length, and it’s very apparent when you write out the summary of events here.
Corrin and his army are just walking by when they happen upon the capital of the country. Corrin decides this would be a great place to rest for the night at and are instantly welcomed by its leader, who is also the only person in the game of that country. The entire Hoshidan family also just happen to bump into us because they coincidently came here at roughly the same time, with somehow neither party noticing the other until they were staring at eachother in the same room.
The only thing we know about this new nation we’ve never seen or heard about before is that it’s a peace-loving land with some sort of neutrality pact which means the two nations can’t fight here. What is the importance of this place that would entice all the Hoshidan royals to come over for a banquet in the middle of their country being invaded? Never explained. What exactly is this pact and what power does Izuno have to enforce it, if any? Never explained. Xander, prince of a nation at war and frontline general, has never heard of it. How does Garon or Iago never figure out or look into what happened here, considering the royals walked through their trap unharmed and everybody in charge of the trap vanished? Never brought up.
How many times here was this supposedly major event dependent on coincidences, seemingly important details left completely unexplained, and characters not knowing things that should be basic information of the world they live in? Things like all this quickly build up and make the world feel small scale and artificial, as if nothing truly exists until it’s in the peripheral vision of main characters. In a vacuum, this could all be excusable if the main meat of the chapter was just so dense and important that they just want a convenient excuse to delve into it. But about that…
-Problem 2: Nothing happens, either character-wise or plot-wise.
This is the only scene in both Birthright and Conquest where all eight of the royal families are together in one spot, and they’re unable to fight eachother. What a brilliant idea! How many great scenes could you come up with from this setup alone? How many directions could this move towards?
-The families bonding over their memories with Corrin (X)So what does Conquest do with this prompt? It does the unexpected route where all of them but Ryoma are shuffled out as soon as they’re introduced, captured offscreen, rescued offscreen, most of their dinner is offscreen, finishing their meal and leaving is offscreen, all of them sans Ryoma have barely any dialog, and none of them are even present in any of the CG’s.
-Calling eachother out for uncool actions, like Ryoma refusing to help Elise or Nohr siccing monsters on farming villages (X)
-Working together to defeat some threat they’d have trouble taking down on their own (X)
-Some cultural exchange (X)
-Some melancholy scene where, even if there’s a lot of resentment, they acknowledge how this may be the last time they ever get to have a meal with Corrin. (Somewhat?)
-Corrin sits down and has a mature conversation with his birth family elaborating on their choice to stay with Nohr (X)
-Some negotiation or debate between the two families about the future of their countries relationship, successful or not (X)
-Corrin being formally declared by the Hoshidan royals as a Nohrian, officially cutting them out of the family (X)
We actually start off strong, Ryoma and Xander naturally puff out their chest and don’t get along when they’re in the same room, but seem to calm down when Corrin elaborates on how similar they are to eachother. But the game is so eager to get to fighting that it drags Ryoma away kicking and screaming before he even gets to share what he had to say to Corrin, let alone explore what having common ground means to the two of them.
1) I understand this is the Nohrian route so it makes sense the focus is mostly on them, but Takumi only gets three lines here, one of which is “…” Hinoka also only gets three lines, which I think is still more than she got in Birthright, and two of those lines are “You!” and “What are you doing here?”. Sakura lucks out as she’s the only sibling on either side who has anything to say whatsoever when Corrin says they’re grateful they could share another meal with the Hoshidans. That’s a start, but the fact remains Ryoma is the only sibling in the chapter whose remotely relevant, the rest could be omitted and nothing would change. They are only here to be damsels in distress heightening the stakes of defeating the local bad guy rather than providing any character development, checking up on how they are doing without Corrin and Azura, comparing and contrasting their differences between their counterparts, sharing any new information about them, foreshadowing Takumi’s possession, any notable interactions with their counterparts, etc. But no, nothing happens.
2) I also understand this is a video game and they don’t have all the time in the world before the next fight has to happen, yet Conquest is oddly completely uninterested in it’s own set-up. Zola, a minor chapter boss introduced and killed in this chapter, has more screentime and relevance here than any of the siblings, something you’d think would be the actual meat of the chapter they’d want to delve into.
The implications and weight of two dueling nations and families obligated to pause their fighting and dine with eachother could easily take up two or even three chapters as a pivotal arc, yet it’s completely blazed through as if the game considered it a cute novelty rather than a potential life-changing or history-changing moment. Simply put, it’s wasted potential, as if to say “Oh both of the two families meeting in a game about choosing between mutually exclusive families? Eh whatever.”
I wanna stick with just this chapter and not rewrite a good chunk of the entire story, but I can’t stress enough that in any other game this chapter would be the plot-defining moment paving the new way forward rather than chapter 15’s “we’ll expose Garon as a monster by helping him invade an innocent people.”
Neither of the two families are fighting because they outright want to, this isn’t a war about irreconcilable differences or mutually exclusive goals, the only reason for any conflict whatsoever as far as the game has shown us is that the guy in charge of Nohr is a sociopath who threatens to kill his own children at the drop of a hat. Sure, they probably won’t hold hands singing kumbaya after one extended conversation with eachother, but when all of them are in a truce far away from Garon’s authority having a meal together, nothing significant comes out of it plot-wise?
In fact, at the end of the day what significance happened here at all?
- -We learned about a new country, but we know very little about it and (other than Izama potentially joining the party later) absolutely none of it will be relevant after this chapter anyways.
- -Well, maybe this place is just set dressing so we have an excuse to meet up with our siblings again, but then nobody has any meaningful interactions, new info to share, planning ahead, or character development resulting from sharing scenes with them.
- -Then is the primary focus supposed to be on how this situation affects the Nohrian family? The antagonist and the conflict he brings is introduced and quickly solved without any consequences, with all the siblings instantly in agreement about stopping him. They don’t really talk amongst eachother about their feelings or how to go forward.
-Problem 3: Protags come off as dicks
While our heroes are indeed more likeable and moral than blatant monsters like Garon and Hans, liking peace and disliking war crimes is not enough of a reason for a pat on the back. Our protags might not be burning villages for fun, but it’s difficult to take their proclaimed goal of peace seriously considering both the context of working for people who DO burn villages for fun and they way they handle themselves when presented with an opportunity to work on this supposed goal.
Corrin and Azura
- This is not seeing things under the worst possible interpretation to be a stick in the mud, Nohr is indeed invading Hoshido for no apparent reason and leaving war crimes wherever it’s armies go. Everybody in the building is aware of this to some extent.
- Azura and Corrin’s grand plan to expose Garon as a slime monster to his family indeed involves directly helping Garon conquer Hoshido, which they acknowledge will bring destruction and suffering that the nation and royal family have done nothing to deserve.
- Corrin and Azura are indeed presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity here to sit down behind closed doors and communicate anything, just anything significant at all, to the royal family that still seems to value them, but our heroes don’t even try or seem to acknowledge that. Corrin doesn’t have any interactions with them that last more than a sentence or two, and Azura is never acknowledged nor speaks to them.
- And yet despite, all this, both Corrin and Azura are quite pleased with the turn of events here, with Corrin acknowledging they’ll “probably try to kill eachother next time they see eachother” but that they’ll “revel in this feeling.”
Sakura: I was just, um...th-thinking...it's really nice to finally see you again. I'm glad you... I'm glad you f-found a way to be happy... Corrin: Sakura... I'm happy to see you too. Sakura: R-really? You mean it?! Oh, Corrin! Elise: HMPH! Back off, you! He/She's my brothesister! MINE! Sakura: Ah! I'm s-sorry! Corrin: Elise! Mind your manners, little one. Elise: But she's trying to take you away from me... She's my archnemesisWhether intentional or not, this is actually a very clever microcosm of the family’s conflict acted out by the youngest and most innocent among them who probably weren’t even born when the conflict started. The Hoshidan loves their sibling, but their time with Corrin is interrupted by the Nohrian shoving them away and declaring Corrin for themselves. This is a great way to challenge our protags to some introspection about themselves.
Azura: Heehee! Corrin: Azura? Did you just...giggle?Instead, Azura just finds this a real knee-slapper. I understand maybe this is just meant to be a cute image of imoutos fighting over oni-chan Corrin and nothing more, but the context makes it very hard to swallow the narrative’s insistence that all this is “heartwarming” as Azura puts it. Keep in mind that all the Hoshidan nobles are sitting at the same table watching all this. Do you think Ryoma also finds it funny that his little sister is scared off and declared an archnemesis by the daughter of the man who killed his father in cold blood? Do you think Hinoka also thinks it's like one big dysfunctional family when Corrin is preparing to march on her homeland with an army?
I get it, I totally know what they were going for, and in a vacuum it could be a great line making for a properly bittersweet moment. “Even if the two are at eachothers throats and the future is bleak, me and Azura are grateful we get to have at least one big normal dinner together like a real family.”
But the future is bleak because of Corrin and Azura participating in an invasion, the families are at eachothers throats partially because Corrin and Azura haven’t accomplished anything to reform Nohr. If anything, Corrin should feel great shame here. Elise just unintentionally reenacted the history between the nations where Nohr was clearly in the wrong, and Corrin is sitting directly across and staring at the family who’ve done nothing wrong to him yet are going to be hurt because of Corrin’s decision. Grateful they could spend time with them again? Maybe. But cheerful and laughing?
ProZD: D-did an alien write this game? blows gentlyBut at least Corrin doesn’t show outright contempt for the family they’re screwing over…
Xander and Leo
Xander: Corrin! There's no need to insult me like that. I could not possibly be anything like this sorry excuse for a prince. … Xander: We will win with honor or die trying. Come, Corrin. Let us go set free our sworn enemy. … Corrin: Heh, sorry... It's just that you and Ryoma really are so much alike. If you weren't on opposite sides of a war, I think you could have been great friends. Xander: Yeesh... Do me a favor and keep that nonsense in your head where it belongs. … Xander (to Ryoma): We only acted as Nohrian royals should. When we leave this place, you'll be nothing but an enemy to be defeated once more.Okay, but why? Ryoma is not the one Xander overheard laughing to himself about how much he’s going to make Corrin suffer. How are the Hoshidan royals “nothing but enemies to be defeated” here when they’re just trying to defend their homeland from somebody who assassinated their king at a peace meeting? Where is all this contempt from Xander coming from?
It’s perfectly understandable he doesn’t get along super well with Ryoma because of the tensions between their nations, that makes sense, but I see no reason for why Xander is making several petty insults to his face unprompted, let alone so nonchalant and even somewhat eager to get back to waging a war Xander himself calls “a senseless war of greed and madness” in the epilogue.
He doesn’t treat his own people much better this chapter, declaring Zola and his henchmen as “traitors” to be “dealt with” for their dishonorable methods when ironically Zola taking over the country by disguising himself as the archduke is actually one of the least evil and self-destructive things we’ve seen the kingdom do so far. It must be emphasized that every sibling was in the same room watching Garon demand Xander kill Corrin if he interferes with killing POWs for his amusement, and half of them were in the same room when Garon ordered his henchmen to murder every singer they can find in a neutral country. So a few hundred or thousand innocent people, most of whom would presumably be young woman, murdered to snuff out potential assassins. Or Garon directly ordering the deaths of unarmed civilians in chapter 13 with Hans relaying “Villagers are just soldiers who haven’t picked up a sword yet.”
Xander talks a big game in this chapter about how “we’ll win this war with honor or die trying”, but how do you honorably win a war when your nation is constantly and openly rushing to pointless overkill brutality like this at every turn? What moral high ground does this country have that Xander is so determined to preserve he kills loyal soldiers over what he sees as sullying it, when at no point in the game does the influence of Nohr ever do anything but make life significantly worse? His sudden fervor towards doing the right thing is completely contrasted later on when Xander is the one telling Corrin there’s no justice to be found in war and you just gotta do what you gotta do rather than what’s morally right, in response to Corrin being upset the Nohrian army is killing woman and children who looked at them funny.
“Justice is an illusion, a fairy tale…Letting innocents die is a tragedy, but so is letting the chance for peace slip away. This is war. There is no such thing as a clean win when lives are on the line.”“Justice is just a fairy tale, innocent people getting screwed over is something we have to accept in war because there’s no such thing as a clean win! But also we better win this senseless war of greed and madness with honor or die trying!”
- If “justice is an illusion”, how is killing Nohrian soldiers to free people who are apparently “nothing but enemies to be defeated” so you can fight them later on terms you prefer, directly prolonging a war which will lead to much more deaths on both sides, for the benefit of Nohr? By Xanders own logic, is this not letting the chance for peace slip away since there’s no such thing as a clean win? Forget Garon and Iago, I’m confident the citizens back home whose loved ones got conscripted would be the ones demanding his head if they found out about this. A very charitable interpretation is that ending the war this specific way will cause more chaos and fighting in the long-term compared to if they conquered and oppressed an innocent nation fair and square, but that’s nowhere to be found in the script whatsoever.
- If Xander believes in “We’ll win this war with honor or die trying”, why is he still following Garon? Garon is winning the war in part thanks to honorless and extreme acts of cruelty like blackmailing the Ice Tribe or making an example out of Scarlet’s body, yet instead of taking action against him like he does with Zola, Xander is instead the most loyal sibling to him to the point Corrin decides the best way to get him on his side is to expose Garon as a literal slime monster? Where’s Xander’s zeal of “Come Corrin, let’s go save our sworn enemies” when his father orders Hans is go through killing injured and surrendering foes who were promised they be spared? Where’s his conviction shown here about “not letting treachery go unpunished” when his father outright says he couldn’t care less about the welfare of his people and he’ll just kill anybody who complains to make an example?
I’m sure the game would assure us Zola and all his mooks are terrible people who had it coming, but the issue is no matter how virtuous you portray Xander and creepy you portray Zola, Xander is still directly managing the war for a megalomaniac and helping him achieve his goals in spite of his long history of open sadism and public crimes that make Zola look like a saint. By ignoring the clear root cause of Nohr's dishonor while going this hard against random goon's participating in dishonor, instead of being a gallant preserver of morals, he comes off like a bully who selectively picks and choices punishment.
On the topic of punishment, it particularly rubs me the wrong way how Leo just casually mercs Zola at the end, keep in mind Birthright confirms for all his faults he actually isn’t a complete monster like Garon and dies trying to help the protag.
Leo (smiling portrait): You’d probably rather die than live with the shame, correct? In that case…Leo makes a fair argument that the stakes are too high and Zola can’t be trusted not to snitch, but this is bit sadistic, no? One of the most powerful people in the country is smug and sarcastic as he’s getting ready to execute somebody whose bleeding on the ground begging for his life and genuinely confused as to why we’re upset with him. I know the intent of “I was wrong! I have the seen the error of my ways!” is supposed to be him saying whatever Leo wants to hear to weasel out of punishment, but that’s exactly the thing, he’s fully cooperating and doing everything he can to appease this guy. And then he’s just killed like a dog without trial or final words, presumably using the spell that skewers you with tree branches.
Zola: Eek! No, please! M-m-milord... I was wrong! S-so wrong! I have seen the error of my ways! P-please...spare my unworthy life!!
Leo (still smiling): Make peace with it, Zola. Perhaps on the other side you will find forgiveness.
Didn’t the game use killing defeated foes like this to establish Garon as a bloodthirsty monster? Why is Corrin just standing there watching this happen? This exact same scenario in Birthright has them jump to spare Zola, but here their disapproval is very meek and only voiced after the deed is already done. It’s still apparently too much for Leo though, who chastises Corrin for being “too soft…I envy your innocence.” And then he declares the matter settled on their behalf.
I’m sure this scene was meant to show off Leo’s pragmatism and strategy skills, but it just makes him look like a sociopath and Corrin look spineless. And that’s the biggest issue with this chapter to me, more than the plot being driven by contrivances that aren’t explained or the lack of any character development or interesting scenes taking advantage of the setup, the actions and dialog of our protags don’t match the noble heroes the narrative insists they are:
- Corrin is openly enjoying spending time with innocent people they’re throwing under the bus so Corrin won’t have to risk their relationship with the Nohrian siblings by directly fighting Garon. They then clearly disapprove of Leo executing a surrendering foe begging for mercy but stand idle watching it happen.
- Azura sits directly across her former family who’ve been very negatively impacted by her decisions and actions, and will continue to be so in the future, yet she’s giggling about the conflict and doesn’t seem to be taking the fact that her two families might kill each other seriously.
- Xander insults Ryoma as a sorry excuse for a prince, and afterwards kills his own subjects to prolong a war of aggression so it can be won the way he personally wants it to be won.
- Leo seems to be having a good time killing somebody who’s surrendered and begging for his life. He then chides Corrin for being “too soft” when they wish that didn’t have to happen.
- And again, for no apparent reason, neither Corrin or Azura do the bare minimum to clue to the Hoshidans about what’s going on or even have a meaningful conversation with them despite claiming to care for them. This is the golden opportunity they were hoping for, yet they apparently spend the entire dinner instead talking to eachother about how happy they themselves are.
Summary: Overall, this is a very bizarre chapter. It feels like something meaningful happens here at first glance, your brain sees what’s going on and knows that this is supposed to be a huge moment. Peaceful music playing, a very well-drawn CG of dozens of individual units, liberating a country from Nohrian control, Corrin and Azura are happy and say some lines that sound like they should be deep and impactful.
But when you step back and analyze the bigger picture and context, you find that more or less embodies all of Fates writing, both good and bad. It has a brilliant premise that gets your mind going, excellent presentation to accompany it, and some individual scenes or dialogue in a vacuum are very welcome. If you’re a casual player who just wants context for your favorite characters fighting, it’s easy to feel satisfied at first glance and move on thanks to those factors, especially since the gameplay and MyCastle are very fun. At the same time, there’s no denying the severe flaws that hamper the experience.
Despite being the hyped-up main draw of the chapter, our exciting premise that opens so many doors is almost completely neglected in favor of (once again) exposition on meaningless settings and characters that aren’t relevant anywhere else and also reminding us how evil Nohr is, to the point the chapter title is Black and White. The context makes it very difficult to take the plight of our heroes seriously due to their lack of action (both before and in the present) to achieve their proclaimed goal despite ample opportunity, the proaction they do have being unnecessarily extreme and self-serving, and a narrative that insists they are in the right at every turn despite the results clearly showing us otherwise. There’s definitely bits and pieces of something great buried in all this teasing us, otherwise I wouldn’t be interested enough to write this much all these years later, but as is it’s just a mess. An enjoyable mess, but a mess all the same.
But what do you guys think of Conquest Chapter 18: Black and White? Do you also consider it a wreck, or was there something positive here you believed I missed? What would you like to see in a potential rewrite of it?
2024.05.15 18:39 Contactunderground Monterrey Mexico 1994, there a CE-5 contact team attracted a large craft which hovered on a mountainside. A blinding beam of light emanated from the UFO and the silhouettes of beings could be seen moving in front of the beam.
| | Shari Adamiak was a dedicated, disciplined volunteer contact worker who I had the honor to serve with as a fellow CE-5 Working Group Coordinator from 1992 till 1998. I honor her memory by posting her report describing an amazing encounter in Monterrey Mexico in 1994. submitted by Contactunderground to AnomalousEvidence [link] [comments] In the report posted below, a prolonged telepathic exchanges reportedly occurred with two types of non-human beings, very small ones and a larger humanoid being. Joseph Burkes MD 2024 https://preview.redd.it/3n19p6awbm0d1.jpg?width=344&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ab154ed65a2403a5660ab1f927065c2b7016ff9 CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE FIFTH KIND IN MONTERREY, MEXICO - DECEMBER 1994 By Shari Adamiak ©1995, Executive Director of CSETI Introduction: The following is an account - from my point of view - of events that occurred during a CSETI investigative team activation to Monterrey, Mexico in December of 1994. While necessarily somewhat subjective based on my own experiences, every attempt has been made to present an accurate depiction of events that were experienced by myself and our team. CSETI Reacts to Flap in Mexico: After seeing a tape of a "Hard Copy" program showing an active wave of UFO activity in Monterrey, Mexico - the third largest metropolis in Mexico - we made an effort to contact the researcher who had taken those videos. Santiago Yturria is a thorough researcher and skilled videographer who, along with Diana Perla Chapa, the host of a popular live talk show on Mexican network television, has had a UFO group for over 20 years in the state of Nuevo Leone. Dr. Steven Greer, international director of CSETI, activated a CSETI Rapid Mobilization Investigative Team (RMIT) to Monterrey to investigate this current flap. Santiago, Diana, and the entire Ovni Club of N.L. assisted us, took us to sites, shared their evidence and graciously welcomed us to Monterrey. Dr. Greer, myself, a woman from New York and a man, also a videographer, from Minneapolis made up the CSETI team. (Names furnished upon request.) Consciousness Connections: Lucid dream activity played a significant role in the events that unfolded in Monterrey. Three of the team had dreams that proved to be portents of happenings on this project. I had a dream in the early hours of December 13th. In it, the extraterrestrials were showing us the spot where we should come in order to have a meeting with them. They showed me aerial views, in stop motion - each one closer to the ground - and marked the site with a strobing turquoise laser pattern. They showed me a view from the ground, looking up at some steep peaks, and showed it to me both in day and nighttime views. The night view revealed two stars in a particular configuration over one of the peaks. That very afternoon, Santiago and his friends drove us to Las Mitres mountains, well known as an area of many sightings of UFOs. As we approached, it dawned on me that it was identical to what I was shown in my dream. We decided to use the spot as our field research site that night. When we came to Las Mitres (so named because the mountain peaks resemble a bishop's miter hat) that night, the two stars were indeed in the sky in the same position as I had seen in my lucid dream. The Team Gets to Work: The CSETI team had observed some anomalous objects in the sky at two different sites on the nights of December 11th and 12th, but the next two nights, the 13th and 14th at the Las Mitres sites, proved to be exceptional. The Las Mitres mountains contain a large cave where the local investigators believe that spacecraft conceal themselves when coming to the Monterrey area. And, unusually dense low clouds were known to form over the cave and other parts of the peaks very quickly. On the night of December 13th, the entire CSETI team set up camp at the base of Las Mitres. We were joined by an American woman who was a friend of one of our teammates, who was married to a Mexican man and living in Monterrey. She had arranged our lodging and transportation for us. Around 10:30 pm, following our first Coherent Thought Sequencing (a CSETI protocol) session, we observed a very bright light that appeared in the zenith of the sky, traveling rapidly in an upward arc that terminated in the center of the constellation Orion. At 10:45 pm, very dense clouds materialized within a minute on parts of the sheer mountain cliffs. The Close Encounters Begin: At approximately 1:00 am, Dr. Greer and another team member were standing slightly down the gravel road when they observed a bright, strobe-like white light to appear at the edge of the mountain. At about the same time, I had gotten up and walked closer towards the brush at the base of the mountain. Dr. Greer looked for me to tell me of the strobe light and found me at the spot where it had appeared. As we stood there, another round light came rolling down the side of the steep slope. Just then, I felt some invisible energy that felt as if it were gently pulling me in deeper to the brush. Both Dr. Greer and I felt there was a presence nearby that, from past experience, led us to feel there was a spacecraft and extraterrestrial beings very nearby. Just then, I began to perceive small, square-shouldered beings in the brush around us. They could be sensed and dimly seen, but a clear view of them wasn't possible. The little beings were extremely shy and reticent. They would scurry close to us, then backtrack quickly into the brush. We could not hear any brush moving or footsteps but we could dimly see them. To me, they seemed to have on uniforms that covered their body and legs that were a dull orange-rust color. They were very short, just up to my knees (I am 5'7"). I became aware of a telepathic message - they were concerned about our video camera, behind me to the right. I turned my head and looked. Sure enough, unknown to me previously as I had not seen it in the dark, was our teammate's professional camera set up on a tripod. I send back the mental message to them not to worry, the camera wasn't on and we wouldn't let him touch it. They seemed to trust my assurance, as the event continued to unfold. I related this two-way communication to Dr. Greer, who went back to the other three people and instructed them to stay where they were unless he called them forward. These rich, rare exchanges with what appear to be extraterrestrial life forms are very delicate scenarios. Any sudden, rash or extreme emotion or movement can thwart the entire event and bring it to a screeching halt, and the extraterrestrials vanish. Sometimes our second-guessing of what is needed to allow an event to unfold in all its possible fullness is accurate; sometimes it is not. It is almost like hesitant dance partners, longing but afraid to get closer. Until we as a people are more accepting of close contact with extraterrestrials, our interactions are likely to continue in this way. I could mentally 'hear' concerned conversation going on amongst the small beings. They eventually conveyed to me the message, again mentally, that they were having difficulty adjusting our energies in preparation for a meeting because my physical energy was concentrated on my stomach, trying to digest some food. Just before all this began, I had eaten about a half of a Power Bar, a dense protein energy food. It was cold and hard from being in my gear bag for hours and I could feel it kind of just laying in my stomach. At this point, I sent a very deliberate message to the life forms: "I give you permission to take it out of my body". Suddenly, I felt as if someone were standing some distance away with a fishing line whose hook was inside my stomach. It felt as if someone were slowing reeling in the line as the food came back out the way it went in. Now, I detest vomiting more than almost anything and I was struck by the gentleness that was used in removing this food from my body. It was only mildly unpleasant. Dr. Greer, an emergency physician, asked me if I was alright. I told him that I was fine and that this was being done with my permission. After this little purging, the energy felt softer, with less intense vibration. Soon the little beings sent both Dr. Greer and I the message that if we removed our glasses, we would be able to see them better. Although I normally use contact lenses, glasses are preferable for field work when wind and dust often get blown into my eyes, plus the fact that we are often in the field until the wee hours of the morning. After receiving this message, we each removed our glasses. One last request from the little ETs - that we remove our hats (it had been a chilly night.) At this point, I could actually feel a harmonious flow of energy between us, the little beings, and some other unseen source. Another Being is Perceived: At this point, the small life forms disappeared. Shafts of golden light began to come from an unknown, unseen source and lay across the bushes in front of us. We learned later that the three other team members behind us could see this as well, although they had not been able to perceive the small beings. I could feel one of these shafts of light approach me and fill my torso with a warm, golden glow. After the light rays faded, a large oval of bluish fog began to form about ten feet in front of us. As the blue mist began to coalesce, Dr. Greer and I became aware of a being within it. Although again we could see him only dimly, he appeared very humanoid, tall, with long and straight silverish hair. He appeared to be clothed in a light blue and silver uniform. We learned later that one team member saw a tendril of the blue fog travel along the ground towards her. It frightened her a little until the mist reached her foot and began to send wisps around her feet. She later told us that there was a gentle kindness about the fog and all misgivings vanished. However, our American friend who was not an actual team member became very frightened by the golden light and blue fog. We learned later that it was all too much for her - something the extraterrestrial would tell us. For as we stood there facing one another, the tall being sent us a message that they would very much like to manifest more fully in the physical to meet with us, but that if they did so, one of our team members would be dangerously frightened. Their caution and concern were touching. And a far cry from the crying wolf that goes on so often when extraterrestrials are said to be heartless, devoid of feeling, and out to harm human beings. We in CSETI feel that this type of encounter points up the absolute need and appropriateness of doing real-time field work in our efforts to learn exactly what these beings are all about. It is important, and interesting, to note that both Dr. Greer and myself received nearly identical mental messages each time there was a communication from the extraterrestrial. Dr. Greer and I consulted one another and decided to send a joint message. We told the tall being that if they could not come to us, it was okay with us if they could take us to where they were. We could sense this was being discussed with a 'central command control', or his more senior team members. Dr. Greer and I saw a copper-gold sphere, ten to twelve feet in diameter, begin to coalesce to the left of the tall being. It never reached material solidity but soon began to disperse. The tall being then sent us a message that it would frighten our teammates just as much to see us disappear in front of their eyes as it would for the ETs to manifest right there. At this time, we had no idea that any member of our team was having difficulty coping with these events. Soon Again, Soon Again: Finally, after what seemed like a few moments, the tall being sent us a message that they would not be able to manifest fully in the physical this night. But they sent a message: "soon again; soon again". At this point, Dr. Greer went back to speak with the other team members and I stayed put. For the next five minutes, the being and I exchanged blessings to each other, to our teams. It was poignant and lovely. I cannot recall any of the actual 'words' or specific communications; it was not a left-brained exchange, but was beyond the bounds of linear thought. Their Reluctance is Proven Out: When I joined the others, I learned that our American friend had become extremely frightened, so much so that she had taken refuge in our vehicle. We had designated the big Suburban as the 'safe area". We do this on all our field research - setting aside a specific enclosure that any team member can go to if unfolding events prove fearful to them. In fact, it is our policy to send a 'buddy' along, who remains with them the entire time they wish to stay in the safe area. We divide into buddies at the beginning of our field session so that each team member is accounted for, and accountable, at all times. She told us that if she had seen anything more from the ETs, she would have run screaming down the mountainside. Preparation is Key: Her reactions impressed upon us the importance of training for each team member. It served as a strong reminder to us to be more stringent in adherence to our policies regarding untrained guests who wanted to join our field work. Much to my surprise, Dr. Greer and I learned from our teammates that we had been standing there, exchanging communication with the extraterrestrials, for nearly two hours. We both thought no more than thirty minutes had elapsed. By this time, it was nearly 3:00 am, so we broke camp and went home. The Encounters Continue: The following day was a busy one with an appearance on Diana Chapa's live TV show in the morning, a field trip to another site in the afternoon, and a talk at the Ovni Club that evening. It was about 11:30 pm by the time we were driving up the narrow road to our Las Mitres site. Interestingly, our videographer teammate was absent from field work. He had decided to stay in the city to visit his friend and her son. As the Suburban headed up the gravel lane, Dr. Greer and I simultaneously observed a small, bright light on the side of Las Mitres. We knew from the previous night that there was no light normally in that area. Tonight we also had with us our American friend's Mexican husband. He and our driver assured us there were no houses, no power lines, no roads, nothing on the sheer cliffs of Las Mitres. As we came to the base of the mountain, Dr. Greer jumped from the Suburban while it was still rolling. The other woman and I jumped out and grabbed the bare necessities of field gear: a 500,000-candle power portable halogen light, our night vision scope, binoculars, a small camcorder, and a hand-held micro-cassette recorder. Because of the reaction by an untrained participant the previous night, we sent our driver and his friend down the road. We told them we could not afford any panic this night. Unbeknownst to us at the time, the men went to a spot at the bottom of the road where they could clearly see the events that unfolded. Are We in a Spielberg Movie?: Dr. Greer grabbed the halogen light and sent a signal to the star-like light on the hillside. Instantly, the light transformed into a gigantic, brilliant round beam that shot light down the entire mountainside! We were astonished. It came close to being the time we always joke about - when events are so incredible that we'll wish we had on "Depends" undergarments! We continued to have a Close Encounter of the Fifth Kind - a human-initiated or human-interactive experience - with this craft for the next two hours and fifteen minutes. An exchange like this, with a team in the field, is unprecedented. During the lengthy encounter, we sent light signals to the craft. The craft would signal back to us in the exact same sequence. Then its lights would extinguish. Within a few minutes, it would again illuminate and initiate a signal to us. This went on and on. Twice during this time period, we saw the shadows of beings walking in front of the blinding beam. At times, the beam would rotate upon itself, appearing to the left of its original position - then back where it was. Once the light seemed to turn over on itself, illuminating the sparsely forested slope behind it. This was one of the times when figures were seen to move in the beam. Hoaxability Ration - Low to Zero: It must be emphasized that this is a very remote area devoid of roads. For anyone to have hoaxed this event would have required something on the scale of a major motion picture crew. There was simply no way to have moved equipment like this onto these sheer slopes. It would have caused quite a commotion in the suburbs below if a crew of that magnitude had traversed those sheer cliffs that day. The area would have been swarming with lookie-loos. At the end of the two hours and fifteen minutes, the light, which by now had split into two candle-flame colored round lights, turned to brilliant red, shot out a lightning bolt of energy and vanished. We saw a golden streak shoot through the sky towards the direction of the ancient volcano, Topochico. And the energy was gone. It was not until this point that we fully appreciated that
As a side note, I want to report that when we first got out of the vehicle at the base of the mountain, I heard crickets chirping in stereophonic synchronicity. One would chirp on our right, then one would chirp on our left. The chirping was loud and distinct. When I heard it, I told my teammates that it was significant. I had heard similar chirping prior to another major encounter in the past. It was moments later that the gigantic craft illuminated before us. Eventful Trip Home: We signaled to our drivers to bring up the Suburban. When they arrived, we learned that the men had gone to a vantage point and had seen everything, giving us two independent witnesses. In fact, from their extra distance the light was not so blinding and they were able to discern the craft. They both reported seeing a very large disc-shaped craft with a domed top. The men were extremely excited. They said they felt bonded now, like brothers. The American's husband said that his life would never be the same again. As we were riding on our 30-minute drive home, Dr. Greer remarked that he felt the ETs would follow us. Within a minute, the man in front was exclaiming, "la luz, la luz!" (the light, the light!) We could then see that the gigantic light was visible from the road, showing itself to us on the opposite side of the mountain from where it had been at our field site! We stopped at a closed gas station, signaled and videoed (which came out fuzzy and blurred). You will recall that, of all nights, our videographer was not with us this night. Coincidence or orchestrated by the ETs? So many such things happen that we have to ponder the possibility. This time, the light was not appearing as two lights side by side. Instead, they were two lights stacked one on top the other. We continued to observe it on the remainder of the homeward ride, stopping twice more to observe. When we arrived home, we climbed up to our flat roof. We could still see it, even though the entire valley of the city of Monterrey was now between us, the back side of Las Mitres and the rest of the range. The lights were still there. They had changed position again and were now staggered, one atop the other. They had been so bright that we could see the rock face behind it illuminated. As we watched, the lights dimmed down to about half their luminosity. The Craft Revealed: At this point, we could clearly see the structure of the craft. It was indeed a large disc with a sloped dome on top. By measuring with fingers at arm's length, Dr. Greer determined that the craft was between one-half to one full city block in size. As the birds began to sing and the sky began to lighten, we bid goodbye and heartfelt thanks to our visitors for these remarkable experiences and went inside to sleep, and dream of them. Shari Adamiak, Executive Director, CSETI ________________________ Final Notes: I wish to advise that the three persons who interacted with the craft as described above included three very responsible and stable individuals. Dr. Greer is a practicing trauma physician, father of four, world-renowned expert on extraterrestrial intelligence. He is the founder of CSETI, and the visionary and guiding force of it. Our teammate from New York is cofounder of a research foundation and is personal friends with world leaders in both the political and private sectors. And I myself have been educated in the sciences and the law and worked for many years as a paralegal, which gives me a logical mind upon which to base my ongoing extraterrestrial experiences. - Shari Adamiak I describe how I first met Shari in 1992. It was an experience that I will never forget: https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/03/05/i-meet-shari-adamiak-the-first-ce-5-working-group-coordinato |
2024.05.15 18:37 Shirakano Anything I should improve on or is he fine like this?
 | Hi, this is where I'm at with my build so far: submitted by Shirakano to AventurineMainsHSR [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/1eeb4u9ham0d1.png?width=1602&format=png&auto=webp&s=9fb1a9e40e723eba9e564bbb66109ab5331c391a I know belobog is not ideal but it's the best I have for him rn,. My salsotto pcs suck major a** so much so none of the IP3 are running it 💀 and Keel is just way less speed so I'd need to change both Ratio and Topaz's builds around that. I'm running him speedy because I like squeezing in as much FUAs from him as possible and I do need the SP generation (+I feel like speedy FUA team just utilizes Robin a bit better). That said, anything major I should change? Or is he good enough for now? I do need to farm a set for Acheron still (Ratio, Topaz and Aven took priority, oops) so it's possible I find better body and change him to 4p but I doubt it will be any time soon |
2024.05.15 18:37 onemanmelee Most thorough method of inspection
Hi all,
I want to have my apartment inspected for mold. I'm not entirely sure if there is any, but due to a feeling of allergies/congestion, sleep issues, fatigue, other symptoms the last few months, I want to investigate this possible avenue.
There aren't any major signs, like visible mold, but there are some possible minor ones.
I know the general advice is hire a pro, but I also have read that they often miss non-obvious molds, that they mostly do an infrared (?) scan and air quality samples, but that often the issue is behind the wall, in the drywall, and that air qual samples aren't that useful.
I've also heard a bit about ERMI testing, but not sure how exactly that works.
So what are the best ways to test for this? Should I hire a pro and do ERMI testing on my own? And what exact certifications should I look for? I live in NYC and called a few places and they all said they were licensed, which seems to by NY's only requirement, but I don't know if there are more specialized trainings I should look for.
Lastly, if anyone else is in the NYC area and has specific recommendations, would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
submitted by onemanmelee to Mold [link] [comments]
I want to have my apartment inspected for mold. I'm not entirely sure if there is any, but due to a feeling of allergies/congestion, sleep issues, fatigue, other symptoms the last few months, I want to investigate this possible avenue.
There aren't any major signs, like visible mold, but there are some possible minor ones.
- A couple of weeks before this started, there was a small bathroom sink leak, and my bathroom did have a sort of musty/moldy smell in it
- Baseboards around the fridge look swelled and split, I think a sign of moisture
- The fridge has leaked several times and water has pooled beneath it
- The counter around kitchen sink is a wood composite, and part of that swelled and split
- Some blistered paint on bathroom ceiling--looks sort of like veins. Not major, but noticeable
- I've had on and off symptoms for years, and when I traveled last year, they seemed to resolve. When I came back home, was fine for a while but they started up again, making me think there is some kind of environmental factor in my home
I know the general advice is hire a pro, but I also have read that they often miss non-obvious molds, that they mostly do an infrared (?) scan and air quality samples, but that often the issue is behind the wall, in the drywall, and that air qual samples aren't that useful.
I've also heard a bit about ERMI testing, but not sure how exactly that works.
So what are the best ways to test for this? Should I hire a pro and do ERMI testing on my own? And what exact certifications should I look for? I live in NYC and called a few places and they all said they were licensed, which seems to by NY's only requirement, but I don't know if there are more specialized trainings I should look for.
Lastly, if anyone else is in the NYC area and has specific recommendations, would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
2024.05.15 18:33 Realistic_Badger_708 On building three villainous businesses and how they fit in my world
Hey, here's a bit about my world before I ask about the three companies. Similar to our world, a major difference is the nations developing super soldier (soldiers with enhanced human abilities) during World War 2 before stopping in the 50s due to how the costs were outweighing the benefits. However, SWORD (a government organization) is formed in the 40s to protect the US from any "super" threat and has been collecting anomalous objects and people.
Fast forward to 2011, when Nyxia, a trickster god, opens a portal in New Aurora (a city stand in for New York) and uses the Mind Gem to lead an army of aliens. SWORD deploys the Guardians (Armor Man [CEO in an armor suit], Apex [an alien raised from the Midwest], Serenity [an interdimensional experiment caused her to get light magic], Lady Liberty [super soldier from an alternate US where Germany won], Red Ranger [govt agent], and Agent X [govt agent]) to fight Nyxia and the aliens. The heroes saved the day, though the city needed to rebuild. Three businesses found themselves connected to the 2011 event.
People R Us - Founded in 1991, Karen Ritter runs a therapeutic and career wellness business. Her company has helped get back on their feet during the 2011 attack. However, the company funds different operations to create superpowers. This has lead to the creation of several supervillains. While Karen dislikes superhumans and sees them as a threat to humanity, she's not above the idea of using her business (both public and private) to better people.
Omegan Corp - Founded in 1999 by her mother, Martha, Megan Max is the CEO. Publicly, the business presents itself as a technology company. Behind closed doors, Megan had stolen the Mind Gem to build her drone program. In her drone program, people are mind controlled to have a drone personality control their minds and bodies. In a year, Megan had converted all public staff members and board members into drones while having hundreds more people (majority homeless and missing people from the 2011 attack) working in secret facilities. Megan was able to retrieve Serenity's corpse and revive her (though having her under her control).
Lexxington - Founded in 2011, Zelle, a demon, runs the law firm to help victims of the 2011 attack. What Zelle's clients and employees don't know is doing business with her causes them to give their souls to her.
If you can, ask me anything about People R Us, Omegan Corp, and Lexxington and how they fit in my world.
submitted by Realistic_Badger_708 to worldbuilding [link] [comments]
Fast forward to 2011, when Nyxia, a trickster god, opens a portal in New Aurora (a city stand in for New York) and uses the Mind Gem to lead an army of aliens. SWORD deploys the Guardians (Armor Man [CEO in an armor suit], Apex [an alien raised from the Midwest], Serenity [an interdimensional experiment caused her to get light magic], Lady Liberty [super soldier from an alternate US where Germany won], Red Ranger [govt agent], and Agent X [govt agent]) to fight Nyxia and the aliens. The heroes saved the day, though the city needed to rebuild. Three businesses found themselves connected to the 2011 event.
People R Us - Founded in 1991, Karen Ritter runs a therapeutic and career wellness business. Her company has helped get back on their feet during the 2011 attack. However, the company funds different operations to create superpowers. This has lead to the creation of several supervillains. While Karen dislikes superhumans and sees them as a threat to humanity, she's not above the idea of using her business (both public and private) to better people.
Omegan Corp - Founded in 1999 by her mother, Martha, Megan Max is the CEO. Publicly, the business presents itself as a technology company. Behind closed doors, Megan had stolen the Mind Gem to build her drone program. In her drone program, people are mind controlled to have a drone personality control their minds and bodies. In a year, Megan had converted all public staff members and board members into drones while having hundreds more people (majority homeless and missing people from the 2011 attack) working in secret facilities. Megan was able to retrieve Serenity's corpse and revive her (though having her under her control).
Lexxington - Founded in 2011, Zelle, a demon, runs the law firm to help victims of the 2011 attack. What Zelle's clients and employees don't know is doing business with her causes them to give their souls to her.
If you can, ask me anything about People R Us, Omegan Corp, and Lexxington and how they fit in my world.
2024.05.15 18:32 Deedah-Doh In regards to Eris's relinquished godly power [Speculation]
We know near the end of Season of The Witch that there was a brief period that Eris became the most powerful Hive deity to ever live (Likely surpassing Oryx, and maybe even approaching The Witness in paracausal capabilities).
We know that she used that power to remove Xivu Arath from her Throne World, make her mortal, and severely weaken the goddess of war.
We know, after doing so Eris immediately expelled all that power from her body so that she may return to her usual, mortal form.
What we don't know is what became of all that godly power after Eris did so.
If we look back at the lore and narrative of Destiny, immense paracausal forces have a way of lingering on even if they diminish somewhat. This is true for the Light, Darkness, and all that is between....these reality-bending forces do not simply cease to be or immediately dissipate.
Because of this, I find it difficult to believe Eris's immense, concentrated power just ceased to exist or dissolved wholly back into the Ascendant Realm after she gave it up. I believe it is far more likely this tremendous reservoir of paracausal energy is abiding somewhere in the Sea Of Screams. It may be slowly be bleeding back into the realm itself without a host, but the overwhelming bulk of it still exists in a concentrated form...and if I am correct, that could be a big problem for the Vanguard Coalition.
That means beings with knowledge of the Ascendant Realm and/or Hive Magic could be eager and willing to ascend to new levels of godhood if the power is rediscovered. This is perhaps even more likely given the enormous power vacuum to follow (especially in The Final Shape if The Witness is truly vanquished once and for all.)
If I am correct, here is a list of likely suspects to try and harness that missing powers for themselves:
submitted by Deedah-Doh to DestinyLore [link] [comments]
We know that she used that power to remove Xivu Arath from her Throne World, make her mortal, and severely weaken the goddess of war.
We know, after doing so Eris immediately expelled all that power from her body so that she may return to her usual, mortal form.
What we don't know is what became of all that godly power after Eris did so.
If we look back at the lore and narrative of Destiny, immense paracausal forces have a way of lingering on even if they diminish somewhat. This is true for the Light, Darkness, and all that is between....these reality-bending forces do not simply cease to be or immediately dissipate.
Because of this, I find it difficult to believe Eris's immense, concentrated power just ceased to exist or dissolved wholly back into the Ascendant Realm after she gave it up. I believe it is far more likely this tremendous reservoir of paracausal energy is abiding somewhere in the Sea Of Screams. It may be slowly be bleeding back into the realm itself without a host, but the overwhelming bulk of it still exists in a concentrated form...and if I am correct, that could be a big problem for the Vanguard Coalition.
That means beings with knowledge of the Ascendant Realm and/or Hive Magic could be eager and willing to ascend to new levels of godhood if the power is rediscovered. This is perhaps even more likely given the enormous power vacuum to follow (especially in The Final Shape if The Witness is truly vanquished once and for all.)
If I am correct, here is a list of likely suspects to try and harness that missing powers for themselves:
- Toland, The Shattered - Toland has been a begrudging ally and guide, but he chided the player guardians for slaying Oryx and not taking up his mantle. If I recall correctly, (though cannot find the passage at the time), Toland was very displeased that Eris gave up her Hive Godhood especially after reaching new heights atop the pantheon. This may have send Toland over the edge, who dedicated his life to understanding the supposed philosophy of the Hive and their masters. Watching said philosophy and his life/unlife's work be rebuked again and again may have decide to take the power Eris forsook to become what the player guardians and Eris should've been all along.
- Nokris - Nokris may seem wildly unlikely, afterall...didn't he meet his final end near the closing of Season Of Arrivals? The player's Ghost seems to think so but...I'm not so convinced. Much like Fikrul, Nokris has necromantic power that allowed himself to resurrect himself even after be killed by Guardians again and again. If it turns out the counterfeit Throne World of his aunt was Nokris's throne world and he finally became ascendant? Then I will concede that he likely met his final death. Yet that detail has remained rather nebulous (if there any who have evidence to the contrary, feel free to post). Beyond that, I think if Nokris laying low after that death, watching a waiting for his moment, and then taking the godly power rejected would be very narratively and thematically compelling for the character. He is the oft overlooked and weakest child of the Osmium Dynasty, neglected and used by far greater powers to be a means to an end. Yet he is surprisingly clever and determined, wanting to prove that he more than that. Nokris being a dark horse that becomes the strongest Hive God amongst a major power vacuum would be, atleast IMHO, and incredible twist. Think about it, despite his weakness, he managed to learn necromancy from Xol and Taking from Savathun and Quria. Absorbing Eris's relinquished godhood could turn Nokris into the Hive's version of Vecna from Forgotten Realms: A lich god.
- Yul, Eir, and/or Ur - These three are the last of the three "intact" Worm Gods...and little is known of their whereabouts or what they are up to. Yul did try to consume Xol at one point to absorb his sibling's power, but Xol escaped and later would become Whisper Of The Worm. Akka become the Dreadnought and his body remainds as such. Xita, the pantheon's mother and their "adoptive father"/subjugator Rhulk both seem to have met their end after the events of "Vow Of The Disciple". With Season Of The Deep we learned the Worm Gods were once Fundamental Leviathans warped by the dark whispers of The Witness who's First Disciple would later come to reclaim them. Who knows, maybe The Witness brought Yul, Eir, and/or Ur into the Pale Heart with it to bolster it's forces and help conquer the place. However, if it did not and the three are still at large after The Final Shape, they may seek to fill the power vacuum. They seek the power Eris gave up and either share it among themselves or infight to obtain it. Seeing the failure of The Witness, one or all three of the Worm Gods may decide to ascend to invoke their own version of The Final Shape using Eris's remnant power. If anything I hope we learn the fates of the remaining three Worm Gods.
- Savathun - Savathun could be the one to end up reclaiming the power for herself...and this may have been one of her many schemes/contingencies to increase her own power. Let's not forget, the whole reason Eris could become a Hive Goddess and even retain her human form is because Savathun setup a special ritual and parameters to make it so. Correct me if I am wrong, but the Witch Queen did not seem surprised when Eris killed her to absorb powetribute from her or that Eris gave up her power after. Terrifyingly, Savathun seems to have an extremely good read on Eris and her development. Would it surprise anyone if Savathun expected Eris to relinquish her godhood and that all the power ended up being stored away by Savathun for one of her many ends? Especially if a power vacuum presents itself, The Vanguard Coalition fails to defeat The Witness, OR the coalition does and decides The Witch Queen is too much of a threat to left alone. Remember, what makes Savathun so dangerous is that she very good at creating contingencies with contingencies from her billions of years of living. Even when you foil one, she has come up with another to either safeguard herself or turn things around in her.
- Xivu Arath - Finally there is the Goddess of War herself. She's been kicked out of her Throne World and I imagine because of that she isn't just mortal but also severely weakened (and her worm ravenous). Xivu may be looking not only to reclaim what was hers, but to do so with a terrible vengeance. Imagine if Xivu learns of that Eris gave up the power that exiled her and is now actively hunting it down to take for herself....now imagine how much more terrifying she'd be is she succeeded.
2024.05.15 18:23 DJadzia How I met my sapphic submissive
Hey gals!
I wanted to share my success story with you. There are so many posts in saphic subreddits out there with gals losing hope around finding a partner. In the kink space, it's harder. But it's possible! It takes a bit of extroversion and effort, but IMO well worth it.
I'm a Domme. I've been kink my entire adult life. I'm also a trans girl. I didn't transition until mid-adulthood due to not knowing anything about gender dysphoria. But that's not really the story. I just want to give hope to trans girls out there as much hope as cis girls. My fiancee/submissive/pet/little is a cis girl.
I went through the hardest breakup of my life with my former partner. We had been together 8 years and she left me for another woman 6 months before our wedding. I was destroyed. I moved home to where I live now and decided I was going to change everything about myself to not feel that kind of pain again. I wanted to switch. I wanted to bottom. I wanted to just date and not fall in love again.
Fast forward about a year after my toxic breakup and I'm now living in my new city. I decided to go to a FemDom munch to give this whole sub thing a shot. Like in most cities, there are not sapphic kink groups where I live but there are PLENTY of kink groups with bisexual women. I wasn't sure I wanted an LTR but I WAS sure that any relationship I wanted to be in had to have some kink and possibly a kink dynamic.
I dressed in a super cute dress, wore a big pink collar, and ventured out into the world. The munch was held at a gay bar and I was one of the first ones there. As the folks began to fill in, there were 1 or 2 sapphic couples there out of about 20-30 people. That gave me hope that I might meet someone to connect with.
Eventually, this bombshell of a woman walks in. She dressed very straight and very vanilla - but as a sapphic friend once said - "Why do you assume everyone is straight? You'll never shoot your shot if you do!" I mean....we were in a gay bar after all! She was looking for a seat and all of the chairs at our table was taken. I stood up, grabbed her a chair and offered it to her. She replied with, "Thank you! Where are you sitting?" and had me put the chair next to me.
At this point, I had no idea what her deal was. Straight girl? Domme? Sub? Vanilla? Wrong internet meet up?
I complimented her beautiful Kate Spade purse and we sat and talked about fashion for the next 30 minutes. Eventually, she offered to buy me a drink. I politely declined thinking it was a friendly offer. Plus I had a stomach ulcer at the time so I wasn't going to make that worse by drinking alcohol.
When she came back to the table, we sat and talked for another hour before I had to go to a friends party at another bar in the same neighborhood. We traded fetlife accounts and I left thinking, "Damn, that girl was awesome! Too bad she's probably straight."
When I got home that night, I added her on FetLife and saw her sexuality listed....a Bisexual submissive! Before I was able to shoot her a message, she shot me one telling me how much fun she had talking to me and how she hopes to see me at more events.
I shot my shot ladies. I asked her out to dinner.
Fast forward a week and we're at a lovely little Mexican resataraunt by the beach. Now that I knew she was a submissive, my Domme side awakened. I skipped the cutsie dress and collar and instead wore a gorgeous, form fitting body-con dress with stilleto black PVC heels. I channeled my black cat lesbian. I curled my hair and did my makeup. I'm still not sure this is a date, and neither is she - but I'm hoping it is!
We talked for 3 hours and sipped on margaritas. We talked about everything. Work. Kink. Politics. You name it! As I walked her to her car in my stilletos struggled with the gravel parking lot but she was impressed I was able to handle it gracefully. She moved in closer to me by her car and we both asked as the same time for a goodnight kiss. I guess this WAS a date! That kiss...floored me.
Our second date was very different. We met up at a Spanish tapas place, again by the beach, and talked kink all night. Despite her looking like a preppy straight girl (I'm more of a big tiddy gothy queer girl), her kinks aligned with mine in every way. We negotiated our first play date. The chemistry was undeniable.
I won't go into the NSFW stuff but only to say that after 23 years in kink, I've never connected with someone is such a profound way.
It's now a few weeks past our 2 year anniversary. We're getting married. We have 3 playrooms in our house. Kink is part of our day to day language but the love and support is beyond great. We're getting officially married in October.
It can happen! Despite being queer. Despite being kinky. Despite gender stuff.
Your partner is out there.
Short version of how I found my person:
submitted by DJadzia to BDSMsapphic [link] [comments]
I wanted to share my success story with you. There are so many posts in saphic subreddits out there with gals losing hope around finding a partner. In the kink space, it's harder. But it's possible! It takes a bit of extroversion and effort, but IMO well worth it.
I'm a Domme. I've been kink my entire adult life. I'm also a trans girl. I didn't transition until mid-adulthood due to not knowing anything about gender dysphoria. But that's not really the story. I just want to give hope to trans girls out there as much hope as cis girls. My fiancee/submissive/pet/little is a cis girl.
I went through the hardest breakup of my life with my former partner. We had been together 8 years and she left me for another woman 6 months before our wedding. I was destroyed. I moved home to where I live now and decided I was going to change everything about myself to not feel that kind of pain again. I wanted to switch. I wanted to bottom. I wanted to just date and not fall in love again.
Fast forward about a year after my toxic breakup and I'm now living in my new city. I decided to go to a FemDom munch to give this whole sub thing a shot. Like in most cities, there are not sapphic kink groups where I live but there are PLENTY of kink groups with bisexual women. I wasn't sure I wanted an LTR but I WAS sure that any relationship I wanted to be in had to have some kink and possibly a kink dynamic.
I dressed in a super cute dress, wore a big pink collar, and ventured out into the world. The munch was held at a gay bar and I was one of the first ones there. As the folks began to fill in, there were 1 or 2 sapphic couples there out of about 20-30 people. That gave me hope that I might meet someone to connect with.
Eventually, this bombshell of a woman walks in. She dressed very straight and very vanilla - but as a sapphic friend once said - "Why do you assume everyone is straight? You'll never shoot your shot if you do!" I mean....we were in a gay bar after all! She was looking for a seat and all of the chairs at our table was taken. I stood up, grabbed her a chair and offered it to her. She replied with, "Thank you! Where are you sitting?" and had me put the chair next to me.
At this point, I had no idea what her deal was. Straight girl? Domme? Sub? Vanilla? Wrong internet meet up?
I complimented her beautiful Kate Spade purse and we sat and talked about fashion for the next 30 minutes. Eventually, she offered to buy me a drink. I politely declined thinking it was a friendly offer. Plus I had a stomach ulcer at the time so I wasn't going to make that worse by drinking alcohol.
When she came back to the table, we sat and talked for another hour before I had to go to a friends party at another bar in the same neighborhood. We traded fetlife accounts and I left thinking, "Damn, that girl was awesome! Too bad she's probably straight."
When I got home that night, I added her on FetLife and saw her sexuality listed....a Bisexual submissive! Before I was able to shoot her a message, she shot me one telling me how much fun she had talking to me and how she hopes to see me at more events.
I shot my shot ladies. I asked her out to dinner.
Fast forward a week and we're at a lovely little Mexican resataraunt by the beach. Now that I knew she was a submissive, my Domme side awakened. I skipped the cutsie dress and collar and instead wore a gorgeous, form fitting body-con dress with stilleto black PVC heels. I channeled my black cat lesbian. I curled my hair and did my makeup. I'm still not sure this is a date, and neither is she - but I'm hoping it is!
We talked for 3 hours and sipped on margaritas. We talked about everything. Work. Kink. Politics. You name it! As I walked her to her car in my stilletos struggled with the gravel parking lot but she was impressed I was able to handle it gracefully. She moved in closer to me by her car and we both asked as the same time for a goodnight kiss. I guess this WAS a date! That kiss...floored me.
Our second date was very different. We met up at a Spanish tapas place, again by the beach, and talked kink all night. Despite her looking like a preppy straight girl (I'm more of a big tiddy gothy queer girl), her kinks aligned with mine in every way. We negotiated our first play date. The chemistry was undeniable.
I won't go into the NSFW stuff but only to say that after 23 years in kink, I've never connected with someone is such a profound way.
It's now a few weeks past our 2 year anniversary. We're getting married. We have 3 playrooms in our house. Kink is part of our day to day language but the love and support is beyond great. We're getting officially married in October.
It can happen! Despite being queer. Despite being kinky. Despite gender stuff.
Your partner is out there.
Short version of how I found my person:
- I skipped the Apps like HER and Tinder because they all suck.
- I got on FetLife and found a local munch with my interests (Dominant women).
- I went to a munch and met a girl.
- We got to know each other and fell in love.
2024.05.15 18:17 kelpkelpers This world is a fucking joke
No one gives a fuck about how good you are at anything
For business they seem to only want attractive people working for them
It’s never about what you’re actually capable of
It’s about how Fuckable your body and face are first and foremost
And how good you look doing whatever it is that’s required of you
I be thinking of all the talented people who are ugly here who probably never got the chance to be noticed because no one took them seriously due to being ugly
And also never being able to develop op to their full potential due to how ugliness robs you of resources and money
As long as you look good you will prosper in life
So many good looking people are literally breadcrumbed life with each major accomplishment being essentially handed to them and they think they’re so good at life and are so resilient when they’re heavily carried by their looks
I look at all the goodlooking people on tiktok who broadcast their fancy houses and cars and They porbably think they worked so hard and are so special and good at doing life but I wonder how that would change if they became ugly lol
submitted by kelpkelpers to ugly [link] [comments]
For business they seem to only want attractive people working for them
It’s never about what you’re actually capable of
It’s about how Fuckable your body and face are first and foremost
And how good you look doing whatever it is that’s required of you
I be thinking of all the talented people who are ugly here who probably never got the chance to be noticed because no one took them seriously due to being ugly
And also never being able to develop op to their full potential due to how ugliness robs you of resources and money
As long as you look good you will prosper in life
So many good looking people are literally breadcrumbed life with each major accomplishment being essentially handed to them and they think they’re so good at life and are so resilient when they’re heavily carried by their looks
I look at all the goodlooking people on tiktok who broadcast their fancy houses and cars and They porbably think they worked so hard and are so special and good at doing life but I wonder how that would change if they became ugly lol
2024.05.15 18:08 just_a_mere_fool Looking to buy a ICE car, but uncertain what will happen to gas only cars as EV's dominate the market the next decade(s). In terms of cost, infrastructure, and price of gas, and general sentiment?
Hello,
I am wondering if this is one of those "crystal ball" finance questions where no body knows, or if there is a clear answer here. It is the internet, so i know everyone has an opinion, but i am hoping for someone knowledgeable in the industry to come forward with some answers if there are any.
Afterall, it seems major manufacturers are going hybrid and i heard rumors some may never offer full ICE again pretty soon here. So I have questions around infrastructure, insurance, and financial reason an ICE car is going to end up like an old cassette tape deck - useless.
submitted by just_a_mere_fool to whatcarshouldIbuy [link] [comments]
I am wondering if this is one of those "crystal ball" finance questions where no body knows, or if there is a clear answer here. It is the internet, so i know everyone has an opinion, but i am hoping for someone knowledgeable in the industry to come forward with some answers if there are any.
Afterall, it seems major manufacturers are going hybrid and i heard rumors some may never offer full ICE again pretty soon here. So I have questions around infrastructure, insurance, and financial reason an ICE car is going to end up like an old cassette tape deck - useless.
2024.05.15 18:05 -343-Guilty-Spark- Canon Fodder: In-Zane in the Membrane
https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/canon-fodder-in-zane-in-the-membrane
Header Image [Imgur]
It’s not a Cypress Hill song, it’s a new issue of Canon Fodder!
By now, you’ll no doubt have made headway through the latest Operation in Halo Infinite —titled “Banished Honor”—which was accompanied by a new Waypoint Chronicle based around a simple question: “What would the story of a Spartan who joined the Banished be?”
We had the perfect character lined up to tell that story, one who hasn’t been seen since the end of Hunt the Truth's second season all the way back in 2015.
Welcome back, Ilsa Zane.
Where Hunt the Truth saw the mantle of narrator pass from journalist Benjamin Giraud to undercover ONI agent Maya “FERO” Sankar in its second season, that torch is once again passed on to a character who made her presence felt in this story... the rogue Spartan known as Ilsa Zane.
Halo: The Third Life is available here on Halo Waypoint, as a free PDF, and in audiobook format on YouTube.
“October 2558. After being taken prisoner by the Banished as chaos erupts across the galaxy, Ilsa Zane’s hunt for the truth leads her to a new stage of life she never expected...”
So, here you go. Here’s the official cover art for Halo: Empty Throne, coming later this year.
Pre-order your copy of Halo: Empty Throne here!
Cover art of Halo: Empty Throne illustrated by Will Staehle depicting a young girl and a Spartan emerging from a blue explosion coming from a Forerunner structure
“2559. It has been a year since the rogue artificial intelligence Cortana seized control of the Domain, an otherworldly dimension housing a vast information network. With an array of Forerunner weapons at her disposal, Cortana set out to enforce an authoritarian peace on the civilizations of the galaxy. But as the United Nations Space Command flagship Infinity prepares to strike against Cortana at Zeta Halo, another plan has also been set in motion.
An ancient access point hidden on a seemingly insignificant human colony has become the focus of a parallel effort to claim the Domain and its immeasurable capabilities. The UNSC, however, needs a key: a living, forsaken product of an old war. As a new generation of heroes rise to meet this challenge and Cortana's pursuit of control reaches a desperate and sudden crescendo, a cunning, ruthless warrior emerges from the shadows of the Banished, who has vowed to fill the new power vacuum by any means necessary....”
Cropped profile image depicting Ilsa Zane surrounded by fire and Banished banners [Imgur]
RANK: Bloodstar BIRTH WORLD: Kholo DATE OF BIRTH: June 11, 2528 APPEARED IN: Halo: Initiation, Hunt the Truth, Halo: The Third Life
Born on the Outer Colony world Kholo, Ilsa Zane was just eleven years old when she lost her parents and everyone she had ever known as the Covenant descended upon her home and reduced its surface to glass. Taken to the remote colony Asphodel as a ward of the state, Zane remained largely silent and solitary until coming of age in 2547, where she was conscripted into UNSC military service.
In 2550, Zane was selected as a candidate for the prototype phase of the SPARTAN-IV program. Though she survived the augmentation process, additional experimental cocktails caused severe neurological damage to Zane. After escaping the facility, she was recovered by Admiral Mattius Drake and integrated into the rebel group known as the New Colonial Alliance.
In the immediate aftermath of the Covenant War, Zane led a group of operatives who attempted to commandeer the UNSC Infinity —securing it as the flagship of the New Colonial Alliance and to prevent the UNSC from deploying it to police independent colonies. This plan was thwarted by Spartan Sarah Palmer, who ejected Zane into space where the rogue Spartan was once more rescued by Drake, who was on standby in a nearby Prowler.
Following this, Zane served as an acquisitions specialist for weapons and materiel, as well as a ruthless instructor for mercenary and rebel groups that joined the New Colonial Alliance, forging them into a veritable fighting force in preparation for a large-scale strike against the UNSC. However, the awakening of the Guardians in 2558 waylaid these plans, leaving Zane as a prisoner of the Banished—with whom she ultimately came to find both common cause and brotherhood.
Image [Imgur]
What does it mean to be Banished?
To be Banished is to seek to liberate oneself, to pledge loyalty not to false promises of divine ascension but to the fearsome might and will exemplified by Atriox.
Service is welcome from any species, of any previous affiliation or loyalty—from the lowliest Unggoy thrall to the mightiest Sangheili warrior, and all between and beyond.
Power is its own end. In the wake of the Covenant War, opportunity is rife to carve up the remnants of the fallen empire’s vast resources and obtain technology that furthers the prime directive of the Banished: to never bow again, a “reclamation” all their own of freedom.
Following decades of calamitous conflict that has left even the most capable commanders war-weary, it is the Banished that are energized and fortified in purpose and will. Payment for those who share common cause with Atriox comes in blood and sport and spoils.
But those who would choose this path must unshackle themselves from ties to the past—unbind themselves from old masters, cast off their piety, and banish their sentimental devotion to honor.
Only then can one become a true vessel for victory.
Only then is one truly Banished.
Why would a Spartan go rogue?
It’s an apt question. After all, Spartans are meant to represent paragons of humanity in both strength and spirit. But across the generations of Spartans, there have been traitors, rebels, or those who simply wanted to leave the UNSC behind to live on their own terms.
For the Spartan-IIs, these examples came as a result of their training—of recognizing and rebelling against the horrific context of their situation.
In the “Homecoming” episode of Halo Legends, Daisy-023 and several of her fellow candidates sought to escape the program following the augmentation procedures that killed or maimed many of their brothers and sisters, but were ultimately brought back into the fold.
Likewise, in the Halo: Evolutions short story “Pariah,” Soren-066 was left disfigured by the augmentations and was gradually radicalized by a technician named Partch, eventually attempting to escape Reach and join the Insurrection. Indeed, the Spartan who sought to apprehend Soren was Randall-037, who later appeared in Halo: Nightfall where we learned that he had evaded the UNSC after the Battle of Vodin in 2532, even starting a family before ONI eventually caught up to him over a decade later, "reversing" many of his augmentations in exchange for release from UNSC service.
Looking to the Spartan Field Manual, originally released back in 2018, we can gain further insight into the risk of rogue Spartans as it applies to the SPARTAN-IV program:
STOLEN GAUNTLET
Nevertheless, the SPARTAN-IV selection process is not foolproof. Spartan-IVs are soldiers with preexisting philosophies and loyalties, and even the most carefully screened candidate can react to their augmentation and training in unexpected ways. Individual Spartans represent a strategically significant level of combat power and pose a major security threat if their loyalty is compromised.
The STOLEN GAUNTLET fail-safe protocol has been created to provide training and permissive rules of engagement for special agents tasked with tracking down and swiftly neutralizing rogue Spartans.
~ Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual, p. 86
Rogue Spartans
Halo Mythos artwork by Isaac Hannaford depicting Mickey's betrayal of Buck and Romeo in Halo: New Blood [Imgur]
Ilsa Zane represents the earliest example of this manifesting as a critical issue for the Spartan-IV program, and she is far from a singular example.
In Halo: Escalation, we see Spartan Vladimir Scruggs—another New Colonial Alliance defector—attempt to sabotage the peace talks between Arbiter Thel ‘Vadam and Chieftain Lydus.
Another prominent example is Michael Crespo in Halo: New Blood, who became disillusioned with being sent to kill other humans in the wake of the Covenant War and defected to the United Rebel Front with fellow Spartan Rudolf Schein.
Of course, defecting is one thing, but what is it about the Banished that would be attractive to a rogue Spartan? That is something wholly contingent upon the individual, and at present there is a specific example we can examine: Ilsa Zane.
Having been discarded by the UNSC after falling victim to experimental augmentation cocktails that ravaged her body and mind, she was eventually left for dead by Admiral Drake as well—she was herself “banished” from the places she had sought to belong. This, in combination with her proclivity for violence and a ruthless mindset, led her to discover a certain kinship with the Jiralhanae on Laika III, leading her to willingly pledge herself and the New Colonial Alliance to the Banished.
In the words of Spartan Scruggs: "I am a Spartan. But what you fight for isn't always the same as who you fight for."
“The cacophony of gunfire was replaced by the sizzle of shock rifles and the thump-hiss of ravagers.”
~ Halo: Shadows of Reach, Chapter 21
Featuring a semi-automatic, three-round burst and a charge ability that can create a burning pool for area-of-effect damage, the Ravager quickly became a favorite tool of Jiralhanae warlords for its capacity to flush out garrisoned infantry.
A unique version of the weapon, the Rebound Ravager, can be found in the possession of Captain Arthoc—a high value target the Master Chief encountered on Zeta Halo. Rounds fired by this weapon have the ability to bounce, to which the words of Agent Washington from Red vs. Blue may come to mind: “It bounces? Who designs a gun that bounces?!”
Halo Infinite screenshot of Arthoc [Imgur]
ARMORY OF RECKONING CAPT ARTHOC FWD: RAVAGER
The Armory of Reckoning—it is a fitting name for the tools of conquest and destruction birthed from its forges.
When we advanced on the human remnants that had sought shelter within their crashed ship, I requested of Commander Bannix an augmented version of the plasma tossers produced by the Forge of Torograd.
Where we have mastered both spike and spear in our weaponry since before the Immolation, infusion matter remains an object of study for our alchemists. I was informed by the Screecleaver that there is a great savant stationed on Oth Liqattu who has sought to unlock further secrets of this fetid power, applying it to our own troops and many of our vehicles.
It is said that prolonged exposure to this corrosive bile can addle the mind and rot the body... that is good, for there are many small spaces in human ships. The capacity for this weapon to launch projectiles that bounce before erupting into toxic piles was of great use in flushing our foes from cover. How they flailed and danced to our battle song!
It is my understanding that pure infusion matter is pumped throughout Forerunner facilities, so we must dedicate resources to finding these wellsprings within the substructures of this ring. I shall bring this to Tremonius once he has returned from investigating a disturbance at his outpost.
On April 30, the rerelease of Halo: Meridian Divide hit the shelves and—as folks have noticed—there's another adjunct in this one as well!
MERIDIAN HOMECOMING
Halo 5 screenshot of a Promethean Knight on Meridian [Imgur]
Completing the trifecta of new adjuncts in these rereleases is “Meridian Homecoming,” which is set in the immediate aftermath of Cortana’s final sacrifice on Zeta Halo in December 2559.
With the leader of the Created dead, the future of this fledgling faction has been thrown into doubt. High Auxiliary Sloan has returned to Meridian where he occupies a Promethean Knight’s carapace and wanders the vast glasslands of his home to find his own fate.
Of course, fans who followed the Precipice short story series last year (which accompanied Halo Infinite's recurring FIREWALL events) know that Sloan has emerged as a new leader within the Created and set into motion the creation of the Executors. “Meridian Homecoming” gives us a small moment in time with Sloan as he contemplates what the concept of home means to him, Cortana’s unfulfilled promise of salvation, his regrets over how he departed from Meridian, and the memories held within a Promethean Knight that set him on a new path.
The fine folks at JumperScape have been adapting some of the lore and stories we’ve put out for Halo Infinite, beginning with the Intel drops we did for Season 2: Lone Wolves. (If you can believe it, it’s just passed the two-year mark for when this season launched!)
We recently discovered Lore VoidCat while checking out the latest Halo lore content on YouTube, and he has put together a fantastic series of videos about various expanded universe aspects—from every blade of the Covenant, to recounting the stories of various games and books, and more. Here’s one of his latest!
Would it be surprising if you learned that Covenant Canon has put out a new video featuring some... you guessed it, Covenant canon? In his latest release, we take a look at every known Arbiter throughout the Halo universe’s history.
Every now and then, the nostalgic longing for those halcyon days of 2007 return, which is exactly what you will feel when watching Meaning In-Between and Frogarchist's exploration of how mystery was a core thematic pillar of Halo 3.
And finally, David and Ian of Podcast Evolved have done a new “book club” episode on one of our previous Waypoint Chronicles: Saturn Devouring His Son.
With that, it’s time to sign off for this month’s issue.
If you haven’t already checked out Halo: The Third Life, be sure to do so—and if you have, well, go and read or listen to it again! Let the gears of speculation turn for what is depicted on the cover art for Halo: Empty Throne (don’t forget to secure your pre-order), and you can get your in-game Ilsa Zane cosplay sorted by completing the Banished Honor Operation Pass!
We depart with our favorite Ilsa Zane comic panel for your entertainment.
Halo: Initiation panel of Ilsa Zane shutting of the UNSC Infinity's original AI, Aine, saying "Quiet you." [Imgur]
This post was made by a script written and maintained by the Halo mod team to automatically post blogs from Halo Waypoint. If you notice any issues with the text output or think this was posted by mistake, please message the mods.
submitted by -343-Guilty-Spark- to halo [link] [comments]
It’s not a Cypress Hill song, it’s a new issue of Canon Fodder!
By now, you’ll no doubt have made headway through the latest Operation in Halo Infinite —titled “Banished Honor”—which was accompanied by a new Waypoint Chronicle based around a simple question: “What would the story of a Spartan who joined the Banished be?”
We had the perfect character lined up to tell that story, one who hasn’t been seen since the end of Hunt the Truth's second season all the way back in 2015.
Welcome back, Ilsa Zane.
THE THIRD LIFE
Our ninth Waypoint Chronicle has arrived, which follows on from the concluding events of Hunt the Truth where a Guardian awakens on the colony world Laika III. Broadly, these events are concurrent with the story that unfolds in Halo 5 as Cortana lays claim to the Mantle, rallies AIs to her cause, and sets about imposing an imperial peace upon the galaxy.Where Hunt the Truth saw the mantle of narrator pass from journalist Benjamin Giraud to undercover ONI agent Maya “FERO” Sankar in its second season, that torch is once again passed on to a character who made her presence felt in this story... the rogue Spartan known as Ilsa Zane.
Halo: The Third Life is available here on Halo Waypoint, as a free PDF, and in audiobook format on YouTube.
EMPTY THRONE
Last issue, we gave you a totally legitimate look at the cover art of Halo: Empty Throne. Art is in the eye of the beholder, and unfortunately the powers that be decided that we could do better than a screenshot made in Halo 3's Forge mode in ten minutes with some crudely edited-in elements... it was a close call, really, but we ultimately pivoted towards something with the vibe of it having come from an incredibly talented and brilliant artist—namely, Will Staehle, whose other work you can check out here.So, here you go. Here’s the official cover art for Halo: Empty Throne, coming later this year.
Pre-order your copy of Halo: Empty Throne here!
Cover art of Halo: Empty Throne illustrated by Will Staehle depicting a young girl and a Spartan emerging from a blue explosion coming from a Forerunner structure
“2559. It has been a year since the rogue artificial intelligence Cortana seized control of the Domain, an otherworldly dimension housing a vast information network. With an array of Forerunner weapons at her disposal, Cortana set out to enforce an authoritarian peace on the civilizations of the galaxy. But as the United Nations Space Command flagship Infinity prepares to strike against Cortana at Zeta Halo, another plan has also been set in motion.
An ancient access point hidden on a seemingly insignificant human colony has become the focus of a parallel effort to claim the Domain and its immeasurable capabilities. The UNSC, however, needs a key: a living, forsaken product of an old war. As a new generation of heroes rise to meet this challenge and Cortana's pursuit of control reaches a desperate and sudden crescendo, a cunning, ruthless warrior emerges from the shadows of the Banished, who has vowed to fill the new power vacuum by any means necessary....”
THE BANISHED SPARTAN
ILSA ZANECropped profile image depicting Ilsa Zane surrounded by fire and Banished banners [Imgur]
RANK: Bloodstar BIRTH WORLD: Kholo DATE OF BIRTH: June 11, 2528 APPEARED IN: Halo: Initiation, Hunt the Truth, Halo: The Third Life
Born on the Outer Colony world Kholo, Ilsa Zane was just eleven years old when she lost her parents and everyone she had ever known as the Covenant descended upon her home and reduced its surface to glass. Taken to the remote colony Asphodel as a ward of the state, Zane remained largely silent and solitary until coming of age in 2547, where she was conscripted into UNSC military service.
In 2550, Zane was selected as a candidate for the prototype phase of the SPARTAN-IV program. Though she survived the augmentation process, additional experimental cocktails caused severe neurological damage to Zane. After escaping the facility, she was recovered by Admiral Mattius Drake and integrated into the rebel group known as the New Colonial Alliance.
In the immediate aftermath of the Covenant War, Zane led a group of operatives who attempted to commandeer the UNSC Infinity —securing it as the flagship of the New Colonial Alliance and to prevent the UNSC from deploying it to police independent colonies. This plan was thwarted by Spartan Sarah Palmer, who ejected Zane into space where the rogue Spartan was once more rescued by Drake, who was on standby in a nearby Prowler.
Following this, Zane served as an acquisitions specialist for weapons and materiel, as well as a ruthless instructor for mercenary and rebel groups that joined the New Colonial Alliance, forging them into a veritable fighting force in preparation for a large-scale strike against the UNSC. However, the awakening of the Guardians in 2558 waylaid these plans, leaving Zane as a prisoner of the Banished—with whom she ultimately came to find both common cause and brotherhood.
BANISH THY HONOR
Halo: Tales From Slipspace - Hunting PartyImage [Imgur]
What does it mean to be Banished?
To be Banished is to seek to liberate oneself, to pledge loyalty not to false promises of divine ascension but to the fearsome might and will exemplified by Atriox.
Service is welcome from any species, of any previous affiliation or loyalty—from the lowliest Unggoy thrall to the mightiest Sangheili warrior, and all between and beyond.
Power is its own end. In the wake of the Covenant War, opportunity is rife to carve up the remnants of the fallen empire’s vast resources and obtain technology that furthers the prime directive of the Banished: to never bow again, a “reclamation” all their own of freedom.
Following decades of calamitous conflict that has left even the most capable commanders war-weary, it is the Banished that are energized and fortified in purpose and will. Payment for those who share common cause with Atriox comes in blood and sport and spoils.
But those who would choose this path must unshackle themselves from ties to the past—unbind themselves from old masters, cast off their piety, and banish their sentimental devotion to honor.
Only then can one become a true vessel for victory.
Only then is one truly Banished.
THIEVING MITTENS
Halo: Escalation Issue #3 page depicting a showdown between Spartan Scruggs, who has taken Admiral Hood hostage, and Spartan Palmer, Chieftain Lydus, and Arbiter Thel 'Vadam [Imgur]Why would a Spartan go rogue?
It’s an apt question. After all, Spartans are meant to represent paragons of humanity in both strength and spirit. But across the generations of Spartans, there have been traitors, rebels, or those who simply wanted to leave the UNSC behind to live on their own terms.
For the Spartan-IIs, these examples came as a result of their training—of recognizing and rebelling against the horrific context of their situation.
In the “Homecoming” episode of Halo Legends, Daisy-023 and several of her fellow candidates sought to escape the program following the augmentation procedures that killed or maimed many of their brothers and sisters, but were ultimately brought back into the fold.
Likewise, in the Halo: Evolutions short story “Pariah,” Soren-066 was left disfigured by the augmentations and was gradually radicalized by a technician named Partch, eventually attempting to escape Reach and join the Insurrection. Indeed, the Spartan who sought to apprehend Soren was Randall-037, who later appeared in Halo: Nightfall where we learned that he had evaded the UNSC after the Battle of Vodin in 2532, even starting a family before ONI eventually caught up to him over a decade later, "reversing" many of his augmentations in exchange for release from UNSC service.
Looking to the Spartan Field Manual, originally released back in 2018, we can gain further insight into the risk of rogue Spartans as it applies to the SPARTAN-IV program:
Nevertheless, the SPARTAN-IV selection process is not foolproof. Spartan-IVs are soldiers with preexisting philosophies and loyalties, and even the most carefully screened candidate can react to their augmentation and training in unexpected ways. Individual Spartans represent a strategically significant level of combat power and pose a major security threat if their loyalty is compromised.
The STOLEN GAUNTLET fail-safe protocol has been created to provide training and permissive rules of engagement for special agents tasked with tracking down and swiftly neutralizing rogue Spartans.
~ Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual, p. 86
Rogue Spartans
Halo Mythos artwork by Isaac Hannaford depicting Mickey's betrayal of Buck and Romeo in Halo: New Blood [Imgur]
In Halo: Escalation, we see Spartan Vladimir Scruggs—another New Colonial Alliance defector—attempt to sabotage the peace talks between Arbiter Thel ‘Vadam and Chieftain Lydus.
Another prominent example is Michael Crespo in Halo: New Blood, who became disillusioned with being sent to kill other humans in the wake of the Covenant War and defected to the United Rebel Front with fellow Spartan Rudolf Schein.
Of course, defecting is one thing, but what is it about the Banished that would be attractive to a rogue Spartan? That is something wholly contingent upon the individual, and at present there is a specific example we can examine: Ilsa Zane.
Having been discarded by the UNSC after falling victim to experimental augmentation cocktails that ravaged her body and mind, she was eventually left for dead by Admiral Drake as well—she was herself “banished” from the places she had sought to belong. This, in combination with her proclivity for violence and a ruthless mindset, led her to discover a certain kinship with the Jiralhanae on Laika III, leading her to willingly pledge herself and the New Colonial Alliance to the Banished.
In the words of Spartan Scruggs: "I am a Spartan. But what you fight for isn't always the same as who you fight for."
ARMORY INFINITUM
The Ravager was a new weapon introduced to the sandbox in Halo Infinite, though it made its fictional debut in Halo: Shadows of Reach.~ Halo: Shadows of Reach, Chapter 21
A unique version of the weapon, the Rebound Ravager, can be found in the possession of Captain Arthoc—a high value target the Master Chief encountered on Zeta Halo. Rounds fired by this weapon have the ability to bounce, to which the words of Agent Washington from Red vs. Blue may come to mind: “It bounces? Who designs a gun that bounces?!”
Halo Infinite screenshot of Arthoc [Imgur]
ARMORY OF RECKONING CAPT ARTHOC FWD: RAVAGER
The Armory of Reckoning—it is a fitting name for the tools of conquest and destruction birthed from its forges.
When we advanced on the human remnants that had sought shelter within their crashed ship, I requested of Commander Bannix an augmented version of the plasma tossers produced by the Forge of Torograd.
Where we have mastered both spike and spear in our weaponry since before the Immolation, infusion matter remains an object of study for our alchemists. I was informed by the Screecleaver that there is a great savant stationed on Oth Liqattu who has sought to unlock further secrets of this fetid power, applying it to our own troops and many of our vehicles.
It is said that prolonged exposure to this corrosive bile can addle the mind and rot the body... that is good, for there are many small spaces in human ships. The capacity for this weapon to launch projectiles that bounce before erupting into toxic piles was of great use in flushing our foes from cover. How they flailed and danced to our battle song!
It is my understanding that pure infusion matter is pumped throughout Forerunner facilities, so we must dedicate resources to finding these wellsprings within the substructures of this ring. I shall bring this to Tremonius once he has returned from investigating a disturbance at his outpost.
MERIDIAN SLOANCOMING
Last month saw the arrival of Halo: Battle Born's rerelease, featuring two new short story “adjuncts” which we took a closer look at in our previous issue.On April 30, the rerelease of Halo: Meridian Divide hit the shelves and—as folks have noticed—there's another adjunct in this one as well!
MERIDIAN HOMECOMING
Halo 5 screenshot of a Promethean Knight on Meridian [Imgur]
Completing the trifecta of new adjuncts in these rereleases is “Meridian Homecoming,” which is set in the immediate aftermath of Cortana’s final sacrifice on Zeta Halo in December 2559.
With the leader of the Created dead, the future of this fledgling faction has been thrown into doubt. High Auxiliary Sloan has returned to Meridian where he occupies a Promethean Knight’s carapace and wanders the vast glasslands of his home to find his own fate.
Of course, fans who followed the Precipice short story series last year (which accompanied Halo Infinite's recurring FIREWALL events) know that Sloan has emerged as a new leader within the Created and set into motion the creation of the Executors. “Meridian Homecoming” gives us a small moment in time with Sloan as he contemplates what the concept of home means to him, Cortana’s unfulfilled promise of salvation, his regrets over how he departed from Meridian, and the memories held within a Promethean Knight that set him on a new path.
COMMUNITY LORE CORNER
For this month’s Community Lore Corner, we kick things off with GammaCompanyMark who has put together a media order for the Halo series if you really, really want to experience it in some form of “timeline order.”The fine folks at JumperScape have been adapting some of the lore and stories we’ve put out for Halo Infinite, beginning with the Intel drops we did for Season 2: Lone Wolves. (If you can believe it, it’s just passed the two-year mark for when this season launched!)
We recently discovered Lore VoidCat while checking out the latest Halo lore content on YouTube, and he has put together a fantastic series of videos about various expanded universe aspects—from every blade of the Covenant, to recounting the stories of various games and books, and more. Here’s one of his latest!
Would it be surprising if you learned that Covenant Canon has put out a new video featuring some... you guessed it, Covenant canon? In his latest release, we take a look at every known Arbiter throughout the Halo universe’s history.
Every now and then, the nostalgic longing for those halcyon days of 2007 return, which is exactly what you will feel when watching Meaning In-Between and Frogarchist's exploration of how mystery was a core thematic pillar of Halo 3.
And finally, David and Ian of Podcast Evolved have done a new “book club” episode on one of our previous Waypoint Chronicles: Saturn Devouring His Son.
If you haven’t already checked out Halo: The Third Life, be sure to do so—and if you have, well, go and read or listen to it again! Let the gears of speculation turn for what is depicted on the cover art for Halo: Empty Throne (don’t forget to secure your pre-order), and you can get your in-game Ilsa Zane cosplay sorted by completing the Banished Honor Operation Pass!
We depart with our favorite Ilsa Zane comic panel for your entertainment.
Halo: Initiation panel of Ilsa Zane shutting of the UNSC Infinity's original AI, Aine, saying "Quiet you." [Imgur]
2024.05.15 18:03 knockingatthegate Call for subs: Folk horror from the Asian diaspora
 | https://preview.redd.it/jz5wcicx5m0d1.jpg?width=925&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f411c2bd735064762af82b544479ebd141ddaf7 submitted by knockingatthegate to IndiePublishing [link] [comments] From https://www.garnetonwinter.com/post/silk-sinew-announced: SILK & SINEW seeks to tease forth folk horror rooted in the experience of the Asian Diaspora. From lengths of muscle and vein, ground bones, endless ropes of sinew it is with our bodies folk horror is woven.The anthology will be broken into segments bringing home the concept of “the body-as-land”: Soil Roots Bedrock Estuary Air. The editors indicate that stories should be rooted in the concept of Folk Horror derived from the body-as-land of the Asian Diaspora. What this means is up to each writer's interpretation but should stay true to the project description above. All stories should be horrospeculative fiction. The editor expresses a preference for moody, horrific beauty/ beautiful horrors, deep meaningful stories, poignant themes, exposing truths, and strong voice: "I love work that straddles the literary line." Length: 3000-5000 words Pay: 5 cents/ word Opens June 1: Priority submission window for South Asian diaspora writers June 8-30: Submission window for ALL Asian diaspora writers (capped at 300 submissions) ONLY when subs open (any work sent earlier will not be read) send work as an attachment to [silkandsinewsubs@gmail.com](mailto:silkandsinewsubs@gmail.com) Please include in the body of the email:
|
2024.05.15 18:01 Radialtangent Progress over two Blocks of Op/Black
M/32/5'10/76Kg/Recreational Athlete from India
Long time advocate of Tactical Barbell(TB) for its simplicity and long term approach. It perfectly suits with my philosophy of fitness and life style.
Long term Goals (How I want to see myself in the next couple of years)
May 2023 again started taking fitness as a priority and started with Burpees (I just love them) after 2 months of it I shifted to DFW Remix with Two 12Kg Kettlebells. My review of that is here https://www.reddit.com/kettlebell/comments/16lzrxf/dfw_remix_progress/
On December 25th, 2023 I made a promise to myself to complete 3 Blocks of OperatoBlack but I could only Complete 1 Block of OperatoBlack and 1 Block of Only Operator(Just 3 days a week). I couldn't stick to my promise- not because of procrastiantion or laziness but it was more about a sudden announcement of my exams (which I have been preparing for the last 2 years) and it has been tough for me to workout along with daily 4 hours of studying and 9-10 hours of office.
Diet: Mostly maintenance level calories with 50-60gms of protein and 1 day of fasting per week. I know I am eating less protein and I set my goals accordingly.
I am a strict TB guy i.e No extra exercise, No extra set, No extra rep on Operator. First Block I have followed everything as written in the Book for OP/Black and for Second Block I did only Operator and discarded Black protocol to save time. Did the workouts as written in the book. Only thing I have changed is instead of retesting after 2nd Block I retested and did the 2nd block with new 1 RM.
For first Block, I was doing upper limit of sets allowed per exercise like 5 in week 1 and 4 and during Second cyle as I retested after first Block itself so I stuck to lower limit of sets allowed per exercise . Deadlift is weekly once and for 3 sets.
Progress I have made after the 2 Blocks of Operator :-
https://preview.redd.it/87hpuf3g6m0d1.png?width=1732&format=png&auto=webp&s=d074f14203d9a681a1a1032978294efb0df2c8c3
Progress in 125 Days
I won't be able to workout for the next 6 months and I want this post to act as a motivation for me when I come back to fitness after it.
Thank you TB community and thank you all for reading this post.
submitted by Radialtangent to tacticalbarbell [link] [comments]
Long time advocate of Tactical Barbell(TB) for its simplicity and long term approach. It perfectly suits with my philosophy of fitness and life style.
Long term Goals (How I want to see myself in the next couple of years)
- Running a Half Marathon in less than 2hrs ( So far not ran a Half Marathon)
- Finishing a Marathon under 5hrs ( So far not ran a Marathon).
- To be able to do more than 20 Pull-ups.
- V taper look.
- Better posture with good core strength.
- Realising the Strength gains that are practically possible in the TB system.
- Reach body fat percentage of 13-15%.
May 2023 again started taking fitness as a priority and started with Burpees (I just love them) after 2 months of it I shifted to DFW Remix with Two 12Kg Kettlebells. My review of that is here https://www.reddit.com/kettlebell/comments/16lzrxf/dfw_remix_progress/
On December 25th, 2023 I made a promise to myself to complete 3 Blocks of OperatoBlack but I could only Complete 1 Block of OperatoBlack and 1 Block of Only Operator(Just 3 days a week). I couldn't stick to my promise- not because of procrastiantion or laziness but it was more about a sudden announcement of my exams (which I have been preparing for the last 2 years) and it has been tough for me to workout along with daily 4 hours of studying and 9-10 hours of office.
Diet: Mostly maintenance level calories with 50-60gms of protein and 1 day of fasting per week. I know I am eating less protein and I set my goals accordingly.
I am a strict TB guy i.e No extra exercise, No extra set, No extra rep on Operator. First Block I have followed everything as written in the Book for OP/Black and for Second Block I did only Operator and discarded Black protocol to save time. Did the workouts as written in the book. Only thing I have changed is instead of retesting after 2nd Block I retested and did the 2nd block with new 1 RM.
For first Block, I was doing upper limit of sets allowed per exercise like 5 in week 1 and 4 and during Second cyle as I retested after first Block itself so I stuck to lower limit of sets allowed per exercise . Deadlift is weekly once and for 3 sets.
Progress I have made after the 2 Blocks of Operator :-
https://preview.redd.it/87hpuf3g6m0d1.png?width=1732&format=png&auto=webp&s=d074f14203d9a681a1a1032978294efb0df2c8c3
| Conditioning | 25-12-23 | 18-2-24 |
|---|---|---|
| ME II - 20Kg KB + Burpees | 7 rounds with 80 secs of rest between rounds | 9 rounds with 80 secs of rest between rounds |
| LISS | 6 Kms in 1Hr | 7.5km in 1Hr |
I won't be able to workout for the next 6 months and I want this post to act as a motivation for me when I come back to fitness after it.
Thank you TB community and thank you all for reading this post.
2024.05.15 18:01 myzozofit FIT Tip of the Week: Muscle vs Fat - Which Weighs More?
 | It is a common misconception that muscle weighs more than fat. Many people believe that if they gain muscle mass through strength training and build up their muscles, they will gain weight on the scale. However, this is not entirely accurate. Understanding the difference between muscle vs. fat weight has important implications for fitness and health. submitted by myzozofit to myzozofit [link] [comments] Building muscle mass increases strength for physical performance and daily activity. It also boosts metabolism because muscle tissue is metabolically active, burning calories even at rest. The Difference Between Muscle vs. Fat WeightBody weight reflects a combination of muscle weight, fat weight and other factors, but do muscles or fat weigh more? Considering the role of each can help you dispel some common misconceptions.Understanding Muscle WeightMuscle weight refers to the total mass of skeletal muscle tissue in the body. Skeletal muscles are the voluntary muscles that attach to bones by tendons and that control bodily movements and posture.The weight of muscle comes from its main components of water, protein and glycogen. Water accounts for about 75% of muscle's weight. The protein actin and myosin make up about 20% and provide the fibers that enable muscles to contract. Glycogen, the stored form of glucose, accounts for 5% and provides an energy source for muscle activity. Skeletal muscles play several crucial roles in the body. First, they allow for a wide range of movements such as walking, lifting and sports activities by transforming chemical energy into mechanical energy and generating force. They also help maintain posture and provide joint support and protection. Additionally, muscle plays a major role in metabolic function. Pound for pound, skeletal muscle burns more calories than fat tissue, so the greater someone's muscle mass, the higher their resting metabolism. Resistance training to build muscle can help increase resting metabolic rate. This is because the protein turnover and repair of muscle tissue after exercise requires energy expenditure. Having more muscle vs. fat weight also confers several health and performance benefits. Greater muscle strength from resistance training enhances athletic performance, speed and power. It also enables a higher level of daily physical activity and helps prevent injury by protecting joints. Lastly, the increase in muscle mass significantly improves body composition. Since muscle takes up less space than fat, it creates a tighter, leaner physique at the same body weight. Considering Fat WeightFat weight refers to the total mass of adipose tissue in the body. Adipose tissue consists of adipocytes, or fat cells, that store energy in the form of lipids.The main components of fat tissue are triglycerides, which make up about 90% of the weight of fat. The rest consists of water, cholesterol, fatty acids, glucose and other substances. Unlike muscle, fat does not contract and its main functions are to insulate the body, cushion internal organs and store energy in the form of fat. There are several types of fat in the body. Subcutaneous fat sits just under the skin while visceral fat surrounds internal organs. Intramuscular fat accumulates in skeletal muscle. Brown fat contains many mitochondria that can generate heat and burn calories. White fat stores and releases energy. Having some fat is essential for health but excess amounts, especially visceral fat, can increase disease risk. The Impact of Muscle vs. Fat Weight on Body ShapeWhile muscle and fat both contribute to overall body weight, they have very distinct effects on your physical appearance and health. This is because muscle is densely packed while fat is less compact. As a result, gaining muscle mass can actually lead to a tighter, leaner physique. On the flip side, losing weight does not always equate to a fitter, healthier body.Though a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat, it takes up significantly less space. Muscle fibers are neatly bundled in repeating patterns that pack tightly together. Fat cells have a more open, random structure with gaps between cells. So a person with a higher ratio of muscle to fat will have a more firm, toned look than someone with a higher percentage of body fat. This is why the scale doesn’t give the full picture of your body composition and fitness level. Two people can weigh the same amount but look vastly different based on their muscle-to-fat ratio. Judging by appearance and ability to move well, lift heavy things and metabolize food efficiently is more telling than a lower number on the scale. The goal should be optimizing health and functionality by maximizing metabolism-boosting muscle while keeping fat within a healthy range. https://preview.redd.it/lwnrcni6jgyc1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=6186376c07c5902f0a26b41cef2554909fda7000 |
2024.05.15 17:52 McMaina Let Us Discuss the Match Up Review Grading Rubric
Note: All of the following criteria are looked at in a vacuum and isolated from other matchups.
Connections:
How similar are the characters, are the connections to said characters true, and are they unique to both characters?
Note: Quantity is taken into account, but quality and uniqueness are what’s primarily taken into account for ranking.
0 : They do not exist and / or are all factually incorrect.
0.5: There is at least one connection that is factually accurate, but it is generic and surface level.
1-3: There is at least one accurate connection, and this one connection is of good quality and is unique. Everything else is either very stretched, generic, and/or wrong.
4-6: More than one connections that are mostly accurate, and there are a few unique connections, and any others are primarily made up of generic connections. Not necessarily bad connections, just ones that are not unique. There may be a handful of stretches. The number of connections isn’t as important up until this point.
7-9: There are a decent amount of connections that are all accurate and strong aside from a few stretched and/or generic connections.
10: A bunch of strong, unique connections that are all factually accurate with very little to no stretches.
Examples of Good Connections: Isaac vs Omori, Harry Potter vs Percy Jackson
Examples of Bad Connections: Darth Vader vs Sephiroth, Buddha vs Gojo
Thematics:
How similar are the character’s personal stories? And if they’re not similar, what about the stories of franchises overall?
Note: Contrasts are counted (as parallels) for when ranking Thematics. Uniqueness and quality also apply to thematics.
0: Character’s Stories and/or Series do not align or parallel at all
1-3: Character’s Stories and/or Series are vaguely similar
4-6: Character’s Stories and/or Series are decently similar and/or parallel each other
7-9: Character’s Stories and/or Series are very similar and/or parallel each other
10: Character’s Stories and/or Series either align/contrast nearly perfectly
Examples of Good Thematics: Ori vs The Knight, Ghost Rider vs Spawn
Examples of Bad Thematics: Luffy vs Ryuko, Giratina vs Yukari
Example of Stronger Connections but Weaker Thematics: Goku vs Sonic, Agent Jones vs Rick Sanchez
Example of Weaker Connections but Stronger Thematics: Monokuma vs Koro-Sensei, Duke Nukem vs Serious Sam
Animation Potential:
How easy would it be to produce a good looking animation? (Available models and sprites, effort required to draw by hand, etc.)
Note: Live Action episodes are too few and far between in both official episodes and MUs that would actually benefit from it, so it will not be taken into account for most MUs.
0: Neither Characters have assets that can be used to make an animation. Assets are going to have to be made in full for the animation to work (I.E. Making 3d models / Sprite sheets from scratch). Almost entirely relies on being hand drawn.
1-3: Only one character has assets, with them being low quality at that. Heavily relies on being hand drawn or assets being created and/or edited.
4-6: At least one character has high quality assets in both sprites and 3D with the other having minimal resources OR both characters have very low quality assets. Would need to rely on hand drawn a bit, but depending on the MU it could be excusable.
7-9: Both have high quality assets in either sprites and/or 3D and/or are very hand drawn friendly. (HD friendly characters EX: The Knight (Hollow Knight), Scooby-Doo, Mickey Mouse, etc.)
10: Both have high quality assets in all styles and are very hand drawn friendly.
Examples of Good Animation Potential: Yuji VS Denji, Scorpion vs Kratos
Examples of Bad Animation Potential: Junko vs The Major, Percival Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III vs Guts
Fight Potential:
How do the characters' combat kits mesh well and/or bounce off of each other well? Do both characters have enough in their respective arsenals to make an interesting fight?
Note: This is based purely on the actual combat side of things, with more intelligence based MUs doing better in Story Potential.
0: Neither character has/can canonically fight
0.5: One character can fight, the other can not
1-3: Both characters are able to fight though very minimal means, usually just being just normal people throwing out basic attacks (punches, kicks, sword swipes, etc.).
4-6: Both have at least more than one ability that can bounce off / counter each other well somewhat dynamically
7-9: Both characters have abilities that bounce off of each other naturally, with both having a lot to pull from in their arsenals
10: Both poweskill sets bounce/match each other masterfully and has a very good and enticing dynamic
Examples of Good Fight Potential: Kaos vs Vortech, Skul vs The Knight
Examples of Bad Fight Potential: Shigaraki vs Mahito, Walter White vs Light Yagami
Interaction Potential:
How well do the characters' personalities, fighting styles, and environment mesh well with each other?
Note: Non verbal communication is taken into account, and non language based communication is also taken into account (roaring/screaming, body language, general expressions of emotion, etc.)
0: Both characters are mute and/or emotionless and cannot interact with one another.
1-3: Only one of the characters in the match up can speak/interact, whereas the other character is either unable or unwilling to interact with either character. The dynamic is one-sided
4-6: Both characters can interact with each other, and their personalities are able to bounce off each other at least on a surface level
7-9: Both characters can easily create unique dialog and banter that comes and flows very naturally.
10: Both characters involved have nearly the same personalities, or contrast each other in an extremely dynamic way that flows extremely naturally
Examples of Good Interaction Potential: Darth Vader vs Lich King, Blade Wolf vs Omega
Examples of Bad Interaction Potential: Giratina vs Wobblewok, Revan VS Dark Urge
Story Potential:
Do the characters involved have a good, in-character reason to want to fight one another? Is there potential for an interesting story to be told through the fight?
0: Neither have an in character reason to fight and have no interesting or dynamic potential for a story during the fight
1-3: At least one character has a reason to want to fight, albeit a reason that’s dubious. That, or the reason both characters want to fight fall into cliche storytelling tropes (for the fight to functionally work, you would need to force these characters into a situation that’s out of character for both)
4-6: Both have a good reason as to why they would want to fight each other, but it’s not unique to either character specifically
7-9: Both have a good in character reason to want to fight and have the potential for an interesting story to be told during the fight/grow some kind of relationship with each other
10: Both have a perfect reason to fight with a magnificent story being told during the fight that feels very official, aside from one having to die
Examples of Good Story Potential: Walter White vs Light Yagami, DIO vs Alucard
Examples of Bad Story Potential: Josuke vs Ichiban, Adam vs Asura
Music Potential:
Do the styles of the characters and/or series mesh well? How many types of genres can it be? Can it tell something of a story without vocals?
Note: We rarely if ever take commission tracks into account for this category, given it can either under utilize the source material or goes involves the commissioned to create an effectively original track
0: Neither have canonical music to work with
1-3: Both have music to work with but clash very hard in tone, instrument choice, genre, and composition/heavily rely on Brandon and Therewolf being Brandon and Therewolf
4-6: Both have music that can work together but would clash in tone, instrument choice, genre, or composition/rely on Brandon and Therewolf being Brandon and Therewolf
7-9: Both have music that can very clearly work well together and/or can work in multiple different genres
10: Matches up in tone, instrument choice, and composition, can reasonably work in multiple genres, can tell somewhat of a story, and can just fucking slap
Examples of Good Music Potential: Grimm vs Alastor, Teddy vs Faust
Examples of Bad Music Potential: Gojo vs Gyro, King Piccolo vs Sukuna
Debatability:
Can you reasonably make an argument for either character to win the fight?
0: Neither character has anything to work with in terms of debating. They have no feats, or scaling of any kind to work with
1-3: The winner of the match up is very clear cut. With the only notable discussion being how fast does the winner stomp the loser
4-6: Both have win cons, but it's still very cut and dry who wins. And/or the debate relies on what you buy for both
7-9: Very debatable with very reasonable arguments being able to be made for either character winning
10: It’s borderline, could go either way, and or is a tie
Examples of Good Debatability: Shang Tsung vs Raphael, Q84 vs Batter
Examples of Bad Debatability: Alastor vs Black Hat, Scout vs Rebbeca
Promotability:
How easy would it be to make promotional material for the matchup?
Note: Hand drawn fan art from artists both inside and outside the general Death Battle community are not taken into account when ranking Promotability.
0: Neither characters have official cannon designs to work with
1-3: Characters have at least one render for thumbnails, and minimal assets for track arts and next time trailers
4-6: Characters have a fair amount of content in decently high quality for thumbnails, trailers, etc.
7-9: Characters have a lot of good, high quality, and dynamic renders and footage to use. The matchup can be easily promoted and it be of good quality
10: Characters have an abundance of renders with dynamic posing and in great quality for thumbnails, next time trailers, etc.
Examples of Good Promotability: Springtrap vs Junko, Makima vs The Batter
Examples of Bad Promotability: Sans vs The Judge, Owlman vs Rick Prime
Recognizability:
Character recognition is how well known the characters / series are, how well documented the characters / series’ are, and how well established they are in and outside of Death Battle
Note: Character recognition is taken into account for both existing fans of Death Battle, and newcomers to the series. This does not account for popularity
0: The characters involved in the match up are either extremely obscure, to the point where only the match up creator knows who the characters are, or they do not exist
1-3: Characters/Series are at least semi known and have a decent following, but are still extremely obscure to the general public and to the DBM subreddit. At bare minimum the characters exist
4-6: Characters/Series are decently well known, and have a decently sized following. But are still not considered to be household names. More often than not brand names are carrying the recognizability more than the characters themselves
7-9: Both the characters and their respective series are massively well known and documented, both in and out of the DBM community
10: Household names that have reached across the globe. These characters are massively well known, with very few people, if anyone, not knowing who these characters are.
Examples of Good Recognizability: Homer vs Vader, Mickey vs Bugs
Examples of Bad Recognizability: Multiverse Monarch VS The Cockroach King, Uzi vs Izzy Fisher
Here is the outline for the overall finished grades. Mind you this is based on the Canadian grading system so anything below a 50 is considered to be a failing grade.
0-29: Any match up that gets a grade in this score really cannot functionally work as an episode of the show. Too much effort would be placed on the Death Battle team in order to make it happen.
30-49: Any match up that gets a final grade within this score could work as an episode, in theory. But in practice it would still prove too difficult for the Death Battle team to make a full episode on.
50-59: Any match up that gets a final grade within this score can functionally work as a full episode of the show. There is just enough for the Death Battle team to justify making a full episode on, but would still require significant effort to make the episode work.
60-69 (nice): Any match up that gets a final grade within this score can solidly work as a full episode with very few potential major issues. There may be a few that still permeate, but nothing that will bring the match up down overall in terms of making a full episode.
70-79: Any match up that gets a final grade within this score can definitively work as a full episode of the show. There is enough to make an episode work and then some, with only 1 or 2 potential major issues, but nothing too great that brings the overall quality down significantly
80-89: Any match up that gets a final grade within this score can work fantastically as a full episode. There would only be 1 potential major issue, but it would be minor in comparison to everything else the match up gets right.
90+: Why isn’t this an episode yet? This matchup is firing on all cylinders and has nearly every category going for it in its favor.
With all of this being said, does anyone have any further questions about the rubric? I would be happy to answer any and all questions.
submitted by McMaina to DeathBattleMatchups [link] [comments]
Connections:
How similar are the characters, are the connections to said characters true, and are they unique to both characters?
Note: Quantity is taken into account, but quality and uniqueness are what’s primarily taken into account for ranking.
0 : They do not exist and / or are all factually incorrect.
0.5: There is at least one connection that is factually accurate, but it is generic and surface level.
1-3: There is at least one accurate connection, and this one connection is of good quality and is unique. Everything else is either very stretched, generic, and/or wrong.
4-6: More than one connections that are mostly accurate, and there are a few unique connections, and any others are primarily made up of generic connections. Not necessarily bad connections, just ones that are not unique. There may be a handful of stretches. The number of connections isn’t as important up until this point.
7-9: There are a decent amount of connections that are all accurate and strong aside from a few stretched and/or generic connections.
10: A bunch of strong, unique connections that are all factually accurate with very little to no stretches.
Examples of Good Connections: Isaac vs Omori, Harry Potter vs Percy Jackson
Examples of Bad Connections: Darth Vader vs Sephiroth, Buddha vs Gojo
Thematics:
How similar are the character’s personal stories? And if they’re not similar, what about the stories of franchises overall?
Note: Contrasts are counted (as parallels) for when ranking Thematics. Uniqueness and quality also apply to thematics.
0: Character’s Stories and/or Series do not align or parallel at all
1-3: Character’s Stories and/or Series are vaguely similar
4-6: Character’s Stories and/or Series are decently similar and/or parallel each other
7-9: Character’s Stories and/or Series are very similar and/or parallel each other
10: Character’s Stories and/or Series either align/contrast nearly perfectly
Examples of Good Thematics: Ori vs The Knight, Ghost Rider vs Spawn
Examples of Bad Thematics: Luffy vs Ryuko, Giratina vs Yukari
Example of Stronger Connections but Weaker Thematics: Goku vs Sonic, Agent Jones vs Rick Sanchez
Example of Weaker Connections but Stronger Thematics: Monokuma vs Koro-Sensei, Duke Nukem vs Serious Sam
Animation Potential:
How easy would it be to produce a good looking animation? (Available models and sprites, effort required to draw by hand, etc.)
Note: Live Action episodes are too few and far between in both official episodes and MUs that would actually benefit from it, so it will not be taken into account for most MUs.
0: Neither Characters have assets that can be used to make an animation. Assets are going to have to be made in full for the animation to work (I.E. Making 3d models / Sprite sheets from scratch). Almost entirely relies on being hand drawn.
1-3: Only one character has assets, with them being low quality at that. Heavily relies on being hand drawn or assets being created and/or edited.
4-6: At least one character has high quality assets in both sprites and 3D with the other having minimal resources OR both characters have very low quality assets. Would need to rely on hand drawn a bit, but depending on the MU it could be excusable.
7-9: Both have high quality assets in either sprites and/or 3D and/or are very hand drawn friendly. (HD friendly characters EX: The Knight (Hollow Knight), Scooby-Doo, Mickey Mouse, etc.)
10: Both have high quality assets in all styles and are very hand drawn friendly.
Examples of Good Animation Potential: Yuji VS Denji, Scorpion vs Kratos
Examples of Bad Animation Potential: Junko vs The Major, Percival Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III vs Guts
Fight Potential:
How do the characters' combat kits mesh well and/or bounce off of each other well? Do both characters have enough in their respective arsenals to make an interesting fight?
Note: This is based purely on the actual combat side of things, with more intelligence based MUs doing better in Story Potential.
0: Neither character has/can canonically fight
0.5: One character can fight, the other can not
1-3: Both characters are able to fight though very minimal means, usually just being just normal people throwing out basic attacks (punches, kicks, sword swipes, etc.).
4-6: Both have at least more than one ability that can bounce off / counter each other well somewhat dynamically
7-9: Both characters have abilities that bounce off of each other naturally, with both having a lot to pull from in their arsenals
10: Both poweskill sets bounce/match each other masterfully and has a very good and enticing dynamic
Examples of Good Fight Potential: Kaos vs Vortech, Skul vs The Knight
Examples of Bad Fight Potential: Shigaraki vs Mahito, Walter White vs Light Yagami
Interaction Potential:
How well do the characters' personalities, fighting styles, and environment mesh well with each other?
Note: Non verbal communication is taken into account, and non language based communication is also taken into account (roaring/screaming, body language, general expressions of emotion, etc.)
0: Both characters are mute and/or emotionless and cannot interact with one another.
1-3: Only one of the characters in the match up can speak/interact, whereas the other character is either unable or unwilling to interact with either character. The dynamic is one-sided
4-6: Both characters can interact with each other, and their personalities are able to bounce off each other at least on a surface level
7-9: Both characters can easily create unique dialog and banter that comes and flows very naturally.
10: Both characters involved have nearly the same personalities, or contrast each other in an extremely dynamic way that flows extremely naturally
Examples of Good Interaction Potential: Darth Vader vs Lich King, Blade Wolf vs Omega
Examples of Bad Interaction Potential: Giratina vs Wobblewok, Revan VS Dark Urge
Story Potential:
Do the characters involved have a good, in-character reason to want to fight one another? Is there potential for an interesting story to be told through the fight?
0: Neither have an in character reason to fight and have no interesting or dynamic potential for a story during the fight
1-3: At least one character has a reason to want to fight, albeit a reason that’s dubious. That, or the reason both characters want to fight fall into cliche storytelling tropes (for the fight to functionally work, you would need to force these characters into a situation that’s out of character for both)
4-6: Both have a good reason as to why they would want to fight each other, but it’s not unique to either character specifically
7-9: Both have a good in character reason to want to fight and have the potential for an interesting story to be told during the fight/grow some kind of relationship with each other
10: Both have a perfect reason to fight with a magnificent story being told during the fight that feels very official, aside from one having to die
Examples of Good Story Potential: Walter White vs Light Yagami, DIO vs Alucard
Examples of Bad Story Potential: Josuke vs Ichiban, Adam vs Asura
Music Potential:
Do the styles of the characters and/or series mesh well? How many types of genres can it be? Can it tell something of a story without vocals?
Note: We rarely if ever take commission tracks into account for this category, given it can either under utilize the source material or goes involves the commissioned to create an effectively original track
0: Neither have canonical music to work with
1-3: Both have music to work with but clash very hard in tone, instrument choice, genre, and composition/heavily rely on Brandon and Therewolf being Brandon and Therewolf
4-6: Both have music that can work together but would clash in tone, instrument choice, genre, or composition/rely on Brandon and Therewolf being Brandon and Therewolf
7-9: Both have music that can very clearly work well together and/or can work in multiple different genres
10: Matches up in tone, instrument choice, and composition, can reasonably work in multiple genres, can tell somewhat of a story, and can just fucking slap
Examples of Good Music Potential: Grimm vs Alastor, Teddy vs Faust
Examples of Bad Music Potential: Gojo vs Gyro, King Piccolo vs Sukuna
Debatability:
Can you reasonably make an argument for either character to win the fight?
0: Neither character has anything to work with in terms of debating. They have no feats, or scaling of any kind to work with
1-3: The winner of the match up is very clear cut. With the only notable discussion being how fast does the winner stomp the loser
4-6: Both have win cons, but it's still very cut and dry who wins. And/or the debate relies on what you buy for both
7-9: Very debatable with very reasonable arguments being able to be made for either character winning
10: It’s borderline, could go either way, and or is a tie
Examples of Good Debatability: Shang Tsung vs Raphael, Q84 vs Batter
Examples of Bad Debatability: Alastor vs Black Hat, Scout vs Rebbeca
Promotability:
How easy would it be to make promotional material for the matchup?
Note: Hand drawn fan art from artists both inside and outside the general Death Battle community are not taken into account when ranking Promotability.
0: Neither characters have official cannon designs to work with
1-3: Characters have at least one render for thumbnails, and minimal assets for track arts and next time trailers
4-6: Characters have a fair amount of content in decently high quality for thumbnails, trailers, etc.
7-9: Characters have a lot of good, high quality, and dynamic renders and footage to use. The matchup can be easily promoted and it be of good quality
10: Characters have an abundance of renders with dynamic posing and in great quality for thumbnails, next time trailers, etc.
Examples of Good Promotability: Springtrap vs Junko, Makima vs The Batter
Examples of Bad Promotability: Sans vs The Judge, Owlman vs Rick Prime
Recognizability:
Character recognition is how well known the characters / series are, how well documented the characters / series’ are, and how well established they are in and outside of Death Battle
Note: Character recognition is taken into account for both existing fans of Death Battle, and newcomers to the series. This does not account for popularity
0: The characters involved in the match up are either extremely obscure, to the point where only the match up creator knows who the characters are, or they do not exist
1-3: Characters/Series are at least semi known and have a decent following, but are still extremely obscure to the general public and to the DBM subreddit. At bare minimum the characters exist
4-6: Characters/Series are decently well known, and have a decently sized following. But are still not considered to be household names. More often than not brand names are carrying the recognizability more than the characters themselves
7-9: Both the characters and their respective series are massively well known and documented, both in and out of the DBM community
10: Household names that have reached across the globe. These characters are massively well known, with very few people, if anyone, not knowing who these characters are.
Examples of Good Recognizability: Homer vs Vader, Mickey vs Bugs
Examples of Bad Recognizability: Multiverse Monarch VS The Cockroach King, Uzi vs Izzy Fisher
Here is the outline for the overall finished grades. Mind you this is based on the Canadian grading system so anything below a 50 is considered to be a failing grade.
0-29: Any match up that gets a grade in this score really cannot functionally work as an episode of the show. Too much effort would be placed on the Death Battle team in order to make it happen.
30-49: Any match up that gets a final grade within this score could work as an episode, in theory. But in practice it would still prove too difficult for the Death Battle team to make a full episode on.
50-59: Any match up that gets a final grade within this score can functionally work as a full episode of the show. There is just enough for the Death Battle team to justify making a full episode on, but would still require significant effort to make the episode work.
60-69 (nice): Any match up that gets a final grade within this score can solidly work as a full episode with very few potential major issues. There may be a few that still permeate, but nothing that will bring the match up down overall in terms of making a full episode.
70-79: Any match up that gets a final grade within this score can definitively work as a full episode of the show. There is enough to make an episode work and then some, with only 1 or 2 potential major issues, but nothing too great that brings the overall quality down significantly
80-89: Any match up that gets a final grade within this score can work fantastically as a full episode. There would only be 1 potential major issue, but it would be minor in comparison to everything else the match up gets right.
90+: Why isn’t this an episode yet? This matchup is firing on all cylinders and has nearly every category going for it in its favor.
With all of this being said, does anyone have any further questions about the rubric? I would be happy to answer any and all questions.
2024.05.15 17:48 Sigmas_Syzygy Early *SPOILER* next month last card deck theorycrafting
Hey, i would like you guys two cents about Arishem's deck, please theorycraft with me.
https://preview.redd.it/5bma9k9ftl0d1.png?width=907&format=png&auto=webp&s=994fe5ab7bd758d813c9c011759169810d325ed9
this is the very bad deck i've built, if you don't care about text, i'll try to explain the reasoning behind each pick, and the feeling of the deck (sorry for my bad english, not my main language):
THE NON INCLUDED: I'm considering quinjet not working here as he does not works in thanos. i'm also keeping mockingbird out to slightly increase in blink quality, but i can see she being subbed in doom's spot.
ARISHEM: Mathematically arishem will add 3 and 2 costs cards more often to your deck (with 6 cost being the least likely), and due to his nature, any original card in the deck is half as likely to be draw, this data means two things: no combo will be consistent, and we can't consider arishem as a ramp card, since he usually will add few high cost cards, and the original ones you includes will be draw fewer times than any common ramp deck. With that information in mind, i've tried building a deck that diminishes the randomness and takes advantage of the extra energy by drawing cards.
COULSON: Coulson's randomness in common decks is actually less randomness in arishem's decks, as said previously, 2 and 3 costs will be the more likely outcome of most cards added to the deck, so coulson garantees you two less common costs (4 and 5), and also 2 extra cards for you to spend your extra energy, doing both things i wanted.
HOPE: If quinjet works, hope will be subbed by it, if not, hope serves the purpose of capitalizing on the extra cards played. To be fair, shes the 12th card in the deck, and could probably be subbed for rogue too, giving a fighting chance against darkhawk, since hope will most likely just float energy anyway due to the nature of the costs of random cards added by arishem and the limited board space.
CRYSTAL: This one is quite a weird inclusion, the reasoning behind it was "you will have more energy than your opponent to capitalize on the extra card" but one can argue that the quality of card draw will be so inferior than your opponent's one that its not worth the risk, and if thats the case, rogue is a suitable sub.
PHASTOS: A nobrainer add, phastos will most likely be the best card in the month and probably one of the best cards in the game, he is probably the cornerstone of the deck, making the extra card draws/add to hand work due to the cost reduction side of his effect. even if at random.
LOKI: Another easy inclusion, the extra energy pairs well with loki's discount, and the extra cards keep the hand at an ok size, i think loki is the way the deck would fall if (when) this "draw more cards" deck idea fails, adding more loki cards to the original deck, like snowguard and cable.
BLINK: Blink is the soul of the part of the deck that wants to reduce randomness, since the deck was crafted with a gap between 3 and 5 (broken by loki, but he is a core piece) the idea is playing one of your original 3 (or the commonly 3 cost generated ones) and switching then for one of the top end in the deck, wich, again, following the math, will be the majority of options available for swap, increasing the realiability of the deck.
ADAM: Yeah, i know he is a bad card, even when played a turn early, but hear me out: this whole list is bad, he is at home here... apart from that, the extra energy early not only gets you to adam faster, but also gives you a fighting change for board power, if there is any deck that would fit adam's lackluster effect, arishem is the one, and his onesided draw effect is actually very, very valuable here, i think he is in the upper half of card in the deck, not being cut first at all.
SERSI: Sersi is obviously not tested yet, and her random effect is probably not gonna make the cut in the normal decks, but Arishem should not be considered a normal deck, nor respond to the normal meta. The same as coulson, her randomness is heavily reduced here, considering you are not only playing more cards, but also higher cost cards, especially since the deck was built considering blink's effect (with mostly 3 costs cards with good effects but not stats), sersi could use this too, becoming a plan B to blinks, even mitigating a bad result from adam warlock losing the location by changing him into a 6 cost.
MAGNETO: Magento is just a good body with good effect, not much here, can be subbed by other six costs, but usually he outperforms most.
DOOM: Doom is actually pretty close to the cutting block, if my idea is anything close to reality, arishem will probably have board space issues, and if so, doom will be a bad pick, he may be subbed for mockingbird or any other high impact 6 cost.
BLOB: I don't have math to back this up, but i think Blob will most of the time have the effect of removing garbage from your deck, since the majority of random cards will be lower cost, and those usually have lower power, he will probably eat those more often than he will eat your magento (like the drawing chance of any card, the eating chance of a original piece is also halved).
My final thoughts about this list is, as you know if you read all the way, it's bad, and not optimized at all, but i think theres something in not considering arishem a "ramp deck", while slotting him as a tempo/board flood deck, and all cards in the list take advantage of that line.
thank you for reading this far, again i apoligize for spelling mistakes, and hope you guys spread some hate towards mt in the comments s2.
submitted by Sigmas_Syzygy to MarvelSnap [link] [comments]
https://preview.redd.it/5bma9k9ftl0d1.png?width=907&format=png&auto=webp&s=994fe5ab7bd758d813c9c011759169810d325ed9
this is the very bad deck i've built, if you don't care about text, i'll try to explain the reasoning behind each pick, and the feeling of the deck (sorry for my bad english, not my main language):
THE NON INCLUDED: I'm considering quinjet not working here as he does not works in thanos. i'm also keeping mockingbird out to slightly increase in blink quality, but i can see she being subbed in doom's spot.
ARISHEM: Mathematically arishem will add 3 and 2 costs cards more often to your deck (with 6 cost being the least likely), and due to his nature, any original card in the deck is half as likely to be draw, this data means two things: no combo will be consistent, and we can't consider arishem as a ramp card, since he usually will add few high cost cards, and the original ones you includes will be draw fewer times than any common ramp deck. With that information in mind, i've tried building a deck that diminishes the randomness and takes advantage of the extra energy by drawing cards.
COULSON: Coulson's randomness in common decks is actually less randomness in arishem's decks, as said previously, 2 and 3 costs will be the more likely outcome of most cards added to the deck, so coulson garantees you two less common costs (4 and 5), and also 2 extra cards for you to spend your extra energy, doing both things i wanted.
HOPE: If quinjet works, hope will be subbed by it, if not, hope serves the purpose of capitalizing on the extra cards played. To be fair, shes the 12th card in the deck, and could probably be subbed for rogue too, giving a fighting chance against darkhawk, since hope will most likely just float energy anyway due to the nature of the costs of random cards added by arishem and the limited board space.
CRYSTAL: This one is quite a weird inclusion, the reasoning behind it was "you will have more energy than your opponent to capitalize on the extra card" but one can argue that the quality of card draw will be so inferior than your opponent's one that its not worth the risk, and if thats the case, rogue is a suitable sub.
PHASTOS: A nobrainer add, phastos will most likely be the best card in the month and probably one of the best cards in the game, he is probably the cornerstone of the deck, making the extra card draws/add to hand work due to the cost reduction side of his effect. even if at random.
LOKI: Another easy inclusion, the extra energy pairs well with loki's discount, and the extra cards keep the hand at an ok size, i think loki is the way the deck would fall if (when) this "draw more cards" deck idea fails, adding more loki cards to the original deck, like snowguard and cable.
BLINK: Blink is the soul of the part of the deck that wants to reduce randomness, since the deck was crafted with a gap between 3 and 5 (broken by loki, but he is a core piece) the idea is playing one of your original 3 (or the commonly 3 cost generated ones) and switching then for one of the top end in the deck, wich, again, following the math, will be the majority of options available for swap, increasing the realiability of the deck.
ADAM: Yeah, i know he is a bad card, even when played a turn early, but hear me out: this whole list is bad, he is at home here... apart from that, the extra energy early not only gets you to adam faster, but also gives you a fighting change for board power, if there is any deck that would fit adam's lackluster effect, arishem is the one, and his onesided draw effect is actually very, very valuable here, i think he is in the upper half of card in the deck, not being cut first at all.
SERSI: Sersi is obviously not tested yet, and her random effect is probably not gonna make the cut in the normal decks, but Arishem should not be considered a normal deck, nor respond to the normal meta. The same as coulson, her randomness is heavily reduced here, considering you are not only playing more cards, but also higher cost cards, especially since the deck was built considering blink's effect (with mostly 3 costs cards with good effects but not stats), sersi could use this too, becoming a plan B to blinks, even mitigating a bad result from adam warlock losing the location by changing him into a 6 cost.
MAGNETO: Magento is just a good body with good effect, not much here, can be subbed by other six costs, but usually he outperforms most.
DOOM: Doom is actually pretty close to the cutting block, if my idea is anything close to reality, arishem will probably have board space issues, and if so, doom will be a bad pick, he may be subbed for mockingbird or any other high impact 6 cost.
BLOB: I don't have math to back this up, but i think Blob will most of the time have the effect of removing garbage from your deck, since the majority of random cards will be lower cost, and those usually have lower power, he will probably eat those more often than he will eat your magento (like the drawing chance of any card, the eating chance of a original piece is also halved).
My final thoughts about this list is, as you know if you read all the way, it's bad, and not optimized at all, but i think theres something in not considering arishem a "ramp deck", while slotting him as a tempo/board flood deck, and all cards in the list take advantage of that line.
thank you for reading this far, again i apoligize for spelling mistakes, and hope you guys spread some hate towards mt in the comments s2.
2024.05.15 17:47 A4x1 Agent concept: Codename DOUBLE
 | ROLE: Initiator submitted by A4x1 to VALORANT [link] [comments] Q - DOUBLE DIP Q: 1 charge INSTANTLY toss down a refresh orb. Another agent can pick it up to gain a temporary charge of a non-ultimate ability. E - DOUBLE BACK E: Signature 1 charge, 40 second cooldown EQUIP a clone with knife only. FIRE to take control of it. The clone leaves a path and returns via the same route when the duration runs out, after being destroyed or canceling early. Half the Cooldown is refunded if the clone returns undestroyed. C - DOUBLE TIME C: 2 charges INSTANTLY create a field around you and following you granting RAPID FIRE. The field also applies to your DOUBLE BACK clone. X - DOUBLE CROSS X: Ultimate 8 points INSTANTLY use on a targeted enemy corpse to steal their identity. For the rest of the round, you transform into that agent and have all abilities ready (including ultimate ability). Hi yall, this is an agent concept I've had for a while. The main idea is pretty simple, I wanted an agent that could steal/copy abilities. A bit of bottom-up design and a bit of top-down design trying to include "DOUBLE" in every ability name lol. The idea of copying is a pretty cool design space in games, like Veigo and Neeko from League. I have a feeling the Valorant team might already be cooking up something similar. I also think this really fits the Valorant mojo of creative (and hectic) exects. I thought about stealing/copying single abilities but it is hard to pull off since not all abilities work by themselves. While the majority of abilities are very straightforward, things like Reyna Q/E, Cypher cam, and Astra's whole kit become hard to implement. This also might limit future agent design space which is a no no. That's why I think copying entire agent kits is the cleanest (only?) way to execute this idea. I had fun making some Valorant style ability icons (which the style was hard to pin down ngl). Enjoy! Some notes: Q - An UI for the ability could be to augment the ability HUB of the agent that picked up to refresh orb to indicate that their next ability is free (does not consume a charge and is not put on cooldown). Kinda like ISO's HP UI when he has a shield. E - I realized this is very similar to IANA's ability from R6. This ability is like a Phoenix ult but you can only run and knife. Your body would be in place like when using a Skye dog or Sova drone. I'm imagining when the clone ends you whip back and get a brief glance of the surroundings along the path. I'm thinking the clone has 20 hp and lasts for 7s (the same duration as Sova drone). C - Basically a stimmy that follows you. I'm thinking the ability lasts the same amount of time as E cause you want to use the two together. |
2024.05.15 17:37 Nemofira Not being in your head during social situations is EXTREMELY LIBERATING
Let's start from the beginning. Buckle up because this is going to be a LONG post.
3 weeks ago, I'd decided I'd had enough and asked my family for support to talk with a therapist I was under before to try and improve my social skills. I'd deemed it necessary because after a hard, good look at my situation I'd realized that my social skills were affecting every SINGLE aspect of my life: lots of opportunities, friendships, fun events, memorable get togethers all wasted because my lack of social skills gave me anxiety. It was unbearable. The worse part was most of the events I had skipped was not with strangers, but with my best friends. I have been best friends with these guys for a decade, and my social anxiety was making it hard to talk with them. It was that bad. Imagine you'd trust these guys with your life and you can't even hold eye contact with them.
Finally, we'd decided on a day for my first session after a long time, it was on a Saturday, but there were challenges to be overcome before we even get to the session: I had to attend 2 social events I'd planned with my friends on the same week.
I have frequent mood swings and during a time of absolute high, while I was attending a seminar I'd talked with the group for hours and had made plans with them. During that moment I was happy and excited that I was taking the initiative to get myself out there; the next day however was a complete nightmare: I'd realized what I had done and I can't practically back out because I'd talked big about being there (I don't normally go out so they were excited to see me). It was a hard 2 days of overthinking and anxiety about how things MIGHT turn out - How I could mess it up for everyone; how we seldom meet due to work and I'd ruin that moment of peace for all of us. If the first meeting bombed, then the next meeting was a guaranteed no-show from me, and the therapy session on Saturday would be completely ruined for me too.
Now the night arrives, the day before the first meeting - we were gonna eat out, just us friends, then just fuck around anywhere we wanted. I couldn't sleep. This is where the shift in my mindset started. My mind had placed this event on a pedestal, and my thoughts changed from My dumbass is going to ruin the evening for everyone to I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT FAIL THIS TIME. The last time I'd attended with them I was a complete mute and was stuck to my phone the entire time, with some of them questioning me if I was alright, and all I could utter was a simple: "I'm just sleepy, is all" (And yes, I WAS NOT SLEEPY AND WAS JUST LOOKING FOR AN ESCAPE). That traumatized me to hell that I had been skipping get togethers since then, and I was hellbent in making sure the same thing DIDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN.
Eventually I fell asleep, and the next day came. I was feeling anxious, but energized. It was the same feeling I got when going into battle (like defending a project from a panel), yes at times I would get anxious due to overthinking, but I was more zoned in on preparations. Now keep in mind, I'm quite close with this group, but I haven't talked to some of them in years, some of them I barely talk to, and only 2 of them I talk to frequently. I'd lasered in on what I knew about these guys, their recent activities, possible topics of conversation, I'd replayed possible interactions, body languages, all of it. It was like preparing for a thesis: First you get the stomachache and headache, and anxiety 3 hours before, but the final hour before, you're just focused on nothing else BUT PREPARATIONS.
Now, I have a bad case of paranoia when walking to malls, and I often find myself fidgeting and sweating a lot because of this. Even worse because I was wearing accessories (I never wear any accessories when going out) and I felt conscious that it might look out of place or goofy. None of that happened. I was riding a motorcycle, and feeling the wind against my face seemed to put me under a spell: anxiety was slowly slipping from my brain. When I walked inside the mall to meet up with some of the guys, I didn't feel any anxiety, any paranoia. There was nervous energy, but it felt natural.
Fast forward and the first guy I meet is the guy I talk to the most, I thought I'd freeze up then and there, unable to talk or hold eye contact, but when I saw that he was happy to see me, and I was happy to see him too, all unnecessary thoughts went out. Everything just flowed instinctively. We talked for a solid 20-30 minutes trying to catch-up, it all felt comfortable, I didn't feel compelled to think too hard about what to say or do next, the words just flowed endlessly from my mouth; the body language I was completely conscious of was a non-factor. Then some of the other guys arrive: we make small talk, fun talk, but it wasn't as in the zone as the one I had earlier, but it felt natural. People pulled out their phones, I pulled mine too, but it didn't feel forced.
It felt as if I was playing a turn based game and I just knew what to do. At that moment there was no cause of anxiety because there was no need for it. I just knew what to do, when to back off and listen, and when there were dry / awkward spots well yes it felt awkward but my anxiety didn't spike up like it usually did.
Fast forward later and all of us have met-up and are going to a restaurant, and we're all sitting together. For the first time in years, I have never been so happy that I'd decided to go and didn't skip. It was a complete eye opener. I talked to everyone at least once or twice throughout the entire experience; we laughed, made jokes, we caught up with each other, we listened to stories: it was so different from what I normally knew, and I didn't care enough to ask how I was keeping up - I wanted to enjoy the moment. Eye contact, the one I dreaded the most, for once didn't feel forced and I felt comfortable enough to hold it with others. For the majority of the time, I think 90% of it I wasn't on my phone at all, I wasn't looking at the ground. I was having fun with them.
Most of the guys there were extroverts and introverts, but I was the only one with social anxiety. At that moment, I felt completely liberated. I know it's not a one-off thing because I noticed a lot of things during that moment. I noticed when I had to listen, when I had to talk, when to break off eye-contact, when to switch topics. It felt like the skills that I needed had been all there all along, and the only thing stopping it from manifesting was my own anxious thoughts.
Of course, my social battery ran out near the end. There were times where I'd try to crack a joke but my voice was too low and people would stare at me and ask "Ha?" but I'd just wave it off with a laugh and tell them to continue. Any other time an interaction like that would shut my brain off and torment me for days - but that wasn't the case. It became a passing "oh well" and I just went on and never lingered on it. When we got tired and were running out of things to talk about I felt comfortable sitting there just fiddling with my drink or listening, or just looking around and it never made me anxious, just an "oh..." and nothing more. When looking back to those awkward moments, all I can think about is how I could've handled it better - actually trying to learn from the interaction instead of letting it put me down, and I am completely sure that it wasn't me just being in a high because I don't regret a single thing, even the awkward parts. It's the first time I've had awkward situations where I didn't overthink or implode on the spot.
The entire experience has me thrilled even now hours after the event, because what I experienced during that event showed me what I could do; in a way, it felt like I had broken through an obstacle and I was glad I didn't stay behind to just sit behind my PC, because what I learned in those short 4 hours will outclass even thousands of hours spent on the internet learning about social skills (Keep in mind, the topic I normally talk about with them is video games; during the entire time, we rarely talked about games). It was a necessity, and now I'm even more excited to attend the second event (this time with some strangers), and eventually my therapy session!
If you'd read this far. Thank you! I just wanted to share this moment of victory with people who can relate to issues of social anxiety. If there's one thing I learned that I want to give out as an advice: Just give yourself a chance, no matter how small. I have only one life to live, and what compelled me was that I didn't want to spend the next 20-30 years as I was: I would rather embarrass myself completely in the pursuit of improving myself than stay in this nest of anxiety and depression. I want to live too, and my desire for a better life, I hope will completely eclipse my fear of the challenges that come with it.
submitted by Nemofira to socialskills [link] [comments]
3 weeks ago, I'd decided I'd had enough and asked my family for support to talk with a therapist I was under before to try and improve my social skills. I'd deemed it necessary because after a hard, good look at my situation I'd realized that my social skills were affecting every SINGLE aspect of my life: lots of opportunities, friendships, fun events, memorable get togethers all wasted because my lack of social skills gave me anxiety. It was unbearable. The worse part was most of the events I had skipped was not with strangers, but with my best friends. I have been best friends with these guys for a decade, and my social anxiety was making it hard to talk with them. It was that bad. Imagine you'd trust these guys with your life and you can't even hold eye contact with them.
Finally, we'd decided on a day for my first session after a long time, it was on a Saturday, but there were challenges to be overcome before we even get to the session: I had to attend 2 social events I'd planned with my friends on the same week.
I have frequent mood swings and during a time of absolute high, while I was attending a seminar I'd talked with the group for hours and had made plans with them. During that moment I was happy and excited that I was taking the initiative to get myself out there; the next day however was a complete nightmare: I'd realized what I had done and I can't practically back out because I'd talked big about being there (I don't normally go out so they were excited to see me). It was a hard 2 days of overthinking and anxiety about how things MIGHT turn out - How I could mess it up for everyone; how we seldom meet due to work and I'd ruin that moment of peace for all of us. If the first meeting bombed, then the next meeting was a guaranteed no-show from me, and the therapy session on Saturday would be completely ruined for me too.
Now the night arrives, the day before the first meeting - we were gonna eat out, just us friends, then just fuck around anywhere we wanted. I couldn't sleep. This is where the shift in my mindset started. My mind had placed this event on a pedestal, and my thoughts changed from My dumbass is going to ruin the evening for everyone to I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT FAIL THIS TIME. The last time I'd attended with them I was a complete mute and was stuck to my phone the entire time, with some of them questioning me if I was alright, and all I could utter was a simple: "I'm just sleepy, is all" (And yes, I WAS NOT SLEEPY AND WAS JUST LOOKING FOR AN ESCAPE). That traumatized me to hell that I had been skipping get togethers since then, and I was hellbent in making sure the same thing DIDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN.
Eventually I fell asleep, and the next day came. I was feeling anxious, but energized. It was the same feeling I got when going into battle (like defending a project from a panel), yes at times I would get anxious due to overthinking, but I was more zoned in on preparations. Now keep in mind, I'm quite close with this group, but I haven't talked to some of them in years, some of them I barely talk to, and only 2 of them I talk to frequently. I'd lasered in on what I knew about these guys, their recent activities, possible topics of conversation, I'd replayed possible interactions, body languages, all of it. It was like preparing for a thesis: First you get the stomachache and headache, and anxiety 3 hours before, but the final hour before, you're just focused on nothing else BUT PREPARATIONS.
Now, I have a bad case of paranoia when walking to malls, and I often find myself fidgeting and sweating a lot because of this. Even worse because I was wearing accessories (I never wear any accessories when going out) and I felt conscious that it might look out of place or goofy. None of that happened. I was riding a motorcycle, and feeling the wind against my face seemed to put me under a spell: anxiety was slowly slipping from my brain. When I walked inside the mall to meet up with some of the guys, I didn't feel any anxiety, any paranoia. There was nervous energy, but it felt natural.
Fast forward and the first guy I meet is the guy I talk to the most, I thought I'd freeze up then and there, unable to talk or hold eye contact, but when I saw that he was happy to see me, and I was happy to see him too, all unnecessary thoughts went out. Everything just flowed instinctively. We talked for a solid 20-30 minutes trying to catch-up, it all felt comfortable, I didn't feel compelled to think too hard about what to say or do next, the words just flowed endlessly from my mouth; the body language I was completely conscious of was a non-factor. Then some of the other guys arrive: we make small talk, fun talk, but it wasn't as in the zone as the one I had earlier, but it felt natural. People pulled out their phones, I pulled mine too, but it didn't feel forced.
It felt as if I was playing a turn based game and I just knew what to do. At that moment there was no cause of anxiety because there was no need for it. I just knew what to do, when to back off and listen, and when there were dry / awkward spots well yes it felt awkward but my anxiety didn't spike up like it usually did.
Fast forward later and all of us have met-up and are going to a restaurant, and we're all sitting together. For the first time in years, I have never been so happy that I'd decided to go and didn't skip. It was a complete eye opener. I talked to everyone at least once or twice throughout the entire experience; we laughed, made jokes, we caught up with each other, we listened to stories: it was so different from what I normally knew, and I didn't care enough to ask how I was keeping up - I wanted to enjoy the moment. Eye contact, the one I dreaded the most, for once didn't feel forced and I felt comfortable enough to hold it with others. For the majority of the time, I think 90% of it I wasn't on my phone at all, I wasn't looking at the ground. I was having fun with them.
Most of the guys there were extroverts and introverts, but I was the only one with social anxiety. At that moment, I felt completely liberated. I know it's not a one-off thing because I noticed a lot of things during that moment. I noticed when I had to listen, when I had to talk, when to break off eye-contact, when to switch topics. It felt like the skills that I needed had been all there all along, and the only thing stopping it from manifesting was my own anxious thoughts.
Of course, my social battery ran out near the end. There were times where I'd try to crack a joke but my voice was too low and people would stare at me and ask "Ha?" but I'd just wave it off with a laugh and tell them to continue. Any other time an interaction like that would shut my brain off and torment me for days - but that wasn't the case. It became a passing "oh well" and I just went on and never lingered on it. When we got tired and were running out of things to talk about I felt comfortable sitting there just fiddling with my drink or listening, or just looking around and it never made me anxious, just an "oh..." and nothing more. When looking back to those awkward moments, all I can think about is how I could've handled it better - actually trying to learn from the interaction instead of letting it put me down, and I am completely sure that it wasn't me just being in a high because I don't regret a single thing, even the awkward parts. It's the first time I've had awkward situations where I didn't overthink or implode on the spot.
The entire experience has me thrilled even now hours after the event, because what I experienced during that event showed me what I could do; in a way, it felt like I had broken through an obstacle and I was glad I didn't stay behind to just sit behind my PC, because what I learned in those short 4 hours will outclass even thousands of hours spent on the internet learning about social skills (Keep in mind, the topic I normally talk about with them is video games; during the entire time, we rarely talked about games). It was a necessity, and now I'm even more excited to attend the second event (this time with some strangers), and eventually my therapy session!
If you'd read this far. Thank you! I just wanted to share this moment of victory with people who can relate to issues of social anxiety. If there's one thing I learned that I want to give out as an advice: Just give yourself a chance, no matter how small. I have only one life to live, and what compelled me was that I didn't want to spend the next 20-30 years as I was: I would rather embarrass myself completely in the pursuit of improving myself than stay in this nest of anxiety and depression. I want to live too, and my desire for a better life, I hope will completely eclipse my fear of the challenges that come with it.
2024.05.15 17:30 flreln After ~3 years of no progress, I fully recovered in about eight weeks
Hey all!
After ~3 years of no progress, I fully recovered in about eight weeks. 97% of the symptoms are gone, including PEM, fatigue, MCAS reactions, and feeling sick most of the time. I’m back to working 9-10h a day with superb cognitive output, training as hard as I can (i.e., 30min peloton 168 bpm, >10k steps a day, lots of bodyweight work during the day), and being truly myself. Gosh, I’m feeling fucking blessed. Like I was asleep for 3y and finally woke up. I have SO MUCH energy. Started a new project, got back to writing essays, hanging out with friends, etc. I’m fucking alive again!
Case summary:
Got a very mild Covid in the beginning of July 2021; didn’t even have fever but felt exhausted (i.e., struggled getting out of bed in the morning) and lost smell and taste; recovered in ~10 days; senses returned in ~2-3 weeks.
Developed neuro issues (cognitive PEM, difficulty thinking) and fatigue during acute covid, literally next day after exposure, and they never went away; this was my first long covid symptom.
Then kept developing more & more symptoms:
All they did was reduce brain fog + reactions to foods, but those sx immediately returned when I tried stopping the supps in Feb.
I think the main problem was mitochondrial dysfunction because all those things I did address it in various ways. Huberman released a great pod on it last week (https://youtu.be/8qaBpM73NSk?si=cDdTBiOzKk86wkQn) + check out Jack Kruse stuff for more info
Sending you all good energy. Stay strong. You can beat it.
VS
submitted by flreln to covidlonghaulers [link] [comments]
After ~3 years of no progress, I fully recovered in about eight weeks. 97% of the symptoms are gone, including PEM, fatigue, MCAS reactions, and feeling sick most of the time. I’m back to working 9-10h a day with superb cognitive output, training as hard as I can (i.e., 30min peloton 168 bpm, >10k steps a day, lots of bodyweight work during the day), and being truly myself. Gosh, I’m feeling fucking blessed. Like I was asleep for 3y and finally woke up. I have SO MUCH energy. Started a new project, got back to writing essays, hanging out with friends, etc. I’m fucking alive again!
Case summary:
Got a very mild Covid in the beginning of July 2021; didn’t even have fever but felt exhausted (i.e., struggled getting out of bed in the morning) and lost smell and taste; recovered in ~10 days; senses returned in ~2-3 weeks.
Developed neuro issues (cognitive PEM, difficulty thinking) and fatigue during acute covid, literally next day after exposure, and they never went away; this was my first long covid symptom.
Then kept developing more & more symptoms:
- food sensitivities in Aug-Sep 2021
- chronic recurrent sinusitis in Sep 2021
- dysautonomia and POTS in 2022
- stomach (H Pylori), gut, and joints issues in summer 2023
- more sensitivities (cold, heat, pill coating) in summer 2023
- neuropathies, more severe joints issues in late 2023/2024
- recurring viral infections (reactivation?) in May, Sep, Dec 2023, Mar 2024
- feeling and being sick most days (fatigue/ugh state, brain fog, reddish cheeks, sinus and ear Sx, sometimes cold sores)
- frequent (every month) sinus infections (very thick yellow mucus, severe cognitive dysfunction, sinus and ear Sx: pressure, congestion, postnasal drip, hot ears in the evening)
- persistent brain fog/cognitive dysfunction: working and long-term memory issues, slow info processing, word recall troubles, not feeling like myself/depersonalization, etc.
- mental and physical PEM
- MCAS: allergy-like reactions to foods (esp high-histamine), cold, pressure, exercise, certain antibiotics (augmentin), tablet coating, etc.
- dysautonomia and POTS
- gut issues: bloating, upset, abdominal pain (esp right lower quadrant; even tested for appendicitis via bloods + CT + ultrasound)
- joints issues: pain and swelling in both feet metatarsals (bursitis)
- misc:
- pain, weakness, and discomfort in 4th and 5th left hand fingers
- right eye issues: sometimes enlarged pupil (only in right eye), pain above right eye if I roll my eyes up, looking at bright objects leaves a lasting mark in the visual field (but does not in the left eye)
- lots of sunlight: sunrise, midday, sunset; as much time as possible under the sun (see below for the pic how I’m typing these words!) >> this cleared up sinus, ear, and GI infections + improved energy and mood
- cold exposure: 3 min cold showers + morning and evening ~20min naked torso outside at ~5-9 degrees celsius; plus temp variability: hanging out naked torso outside as much as possible to retrain that vasculature and aerate the body >> this reduced stress, removed fatigue, and brought my energy back
- spending most of my time outdoors, in nature (parks, forest, meadows, lakes, etc.): hanging out amongst animals, birds, etc. >> this further reduced stress to basically zero and brought back a sense of joy and serenity
- nervous system retraining via specific types of movement and aromatherapy: balance, dancing, climbing, boxing moves, fencing, crawling + smelling flowers, trees, essential oils, herbs >> this brought back trust in my body and a sense of balance & peace
- very clean, vegan, autophagy-optimized diet + eggs (i.e., no sugar, UPFs of any kind, all organic, mostly fresh/little cooked; lots of spermidine via sprouted rye, wheat; other autophagy boosting foods), with ~3 small meals a day and 20-40% caloric restriction >> this took away gut issues, reduced joint inflammation, and opened up my sinuses after years of congestion
- lots of movement throughout the day and gradual return to more intense exercise: started from short and very light and low intensity bodyweight workout (10 mins; one set of squats, pushups, abs, etc.) and built up from that; z1 cardio 105 bpm walking with ~5kg backpack; then z2 peloton 15>20>30 mins; then more intense strength workouts with dumbbells + LOTS of movement throughout the day, every 20-30 mins, never still >> this also greatly improved energy, although I did get PEM first (in March-April) after more-or-less intense 40 min strength training with dumbbells, but then it went away; that lady from huberman pod (see below) had a brilliant point of how each type of exercise (walking, strength, endurance, HIIT, zone 2) positively affects mitochondria in different ways, “muscle contraction is medicine”
- weirdly, 100% dark chocolate, 20-50g daily. It’s a strong autophagy inducer and boasts with antioxidants + boosts brain function and mood. >> I felt substantially better right after I started eating it, and never stopped.
All they did was reduce brain fog + reactions to foods, but those sx immediately returned when I tried stopping the supps in Feb.
I think the main problem was mitochondrial dysfunction because all those things I did address it in various ways. Huberman released a great pod on it last week (https://youtu.be/8qaBpM73NSk?si=cDdTBiOzKk86wkQn) + check out Jack Kruse stuff for more info
Sending you all good energy. Stay strong. You can beat it.
VS
2024.05.15 17:12 Skybliviwind Wasted Potential For Volume 10
TL;DR: Volume 10 should not have the main cast until the end
I think the thing that RWBY is best at is creating potential for an idea that could be very interesting and novel but also a bit risky and then totally squandering it in favor of something safe but way less interesting.
At the end of volume 9, the tree said to RWBYJ when they asked where they'd be taken "not where, but when you are needed most". See i'm under the impression that dialogue actually matters and that something wouldn't be said if it wasn't important especially if it had that much emphasis on it. To me this seemed to imply that there was some kind of timeskip for when they enter back into Vacuo. Probably a few months at least if it is to have any significance.
To me this presented an opportunity to explore a possibility that would be really interesting. An entire volume 10 without team RWBY or Jaune. An entire volume without the main characters until maybe the last episode or 2. Sure it would be risky and maybe feels like it breaks some rules but volume 9 seemed like it perfectly set up for something like that. We focus on team OWNER (Oscar, Winter, Nora, Emerald, and Ren) with the likely placeholder main character being probably Oscar and show how they cope with the apparent loss of their biggest support team, their best friends, their leader, and Winter's sister.
Also don't make Qrow all cheery for no reason either. If anything this would be a perfect opportunity to explore the darker side of his alcoholism and maybe have him relapse or something. Maybe Willow has something to do with that as well. Quitting alcohol isn't easy and going cold turkey is easier said than done and most often isn't done without a few slipups along the road. Combine that with the fact that he lost his 2 nieces and it would be a perfect opportunity for major character exploration and development and maybe peak into his past a little bit too. The writers really dropped the ball anytime they try to explore heavy topics like racism and wartime sacrifices so this could be an opportunity to finally get it right and this seems relatively easy to get right if you at all know what you're doing.
Explore Oscar's slow battle for control over his own body. What does Raven think about the death of her daughter? Would the news even reach her? Explore the stages of grief from all members of team OWNER along with Sun for Blake as they desperately try to ward off the grimm, look for the summer maiden, find and protect the sword of destruction, deal with the refugee crisis (without all the bullshit and not making the Vacuans one dimensional bad guys), deal with Tyrian and Mercury, let Emerald give him some kind of emotional come to Jesus, and any other conflict the writers might have up their sleeves.
Let these characters really shine when consumed by darkness. Just for one volume. Then at the very end, probably on the last episode but perhaps on the second last episode, only when things get really desperate does the portal bring the main cast to Vacuo. Maybe Ren's life detecting ability makes him spidey sense that Jaune is still alive somewhere nearby sorta like the end of Kung Fu Panda 2 if you've seen it and Ren goes "Jaune is alive" or something and knows where to look.
The volume could take place in the months between when the portal closes at the end of volume 8 to when team RWBYJ's portal opens taking them to Vacuo. That would be an amazing concept to me. But unfortunately, we can't have nice things. When i saw the episode 11 animatic i just facepalmed and thought "of course they fucked it up, how didn't i see this coming?". I mean there was so much wrong with that "episode" that you've probably already heard on here already but i don't think i've heard anyone talk about this. I was rolling my eyes throughout the whole thing but by the end there might've been actual steam coming from my ears. Not just for bringing the main cast back at the very beginning of the volume (well technically not even the beginning but the "end" of volume 9) but also for them coming through Raven's portal or Raven being there in the first place. There are so many reasons that is an awful awful idea, potentially the worst idea in RWBY ever and it's what made me lose all interest in RWBY continuing. I'll make a whole other post later about how much i hate that decision.
But for now, what do you guys think? Am i crazy? Is this a ridiculous idea? Is there something i'm missing? Can this idea be improved or expanded? Or is it even worse than what actually happened. Let me know in the comments. I'd be happy to have feedback on this...
To be honest, this whole idea may have just stemmed from my bias as to how much i hate team RWBY as a team so there's that too. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
submitted by Skybliviwind to RWBYcritics [link] [comments]
I think the thing that RWBY is best at is creating potential for an idea that could be very interesting and novel but also a bit risky and then totally squandering it in favor of something safe but way less interesting.
At the end of volume 9, the tree said to RWBYJ when they asked where they'd be taken "not where, but when you are needed most". See i'm under the impression that dialogue actually matters and that something wouldn't be said if it wasn't important especially if it had that much emphasis on it. To me this seemed to imply that there was some kind of timeskip for when they enter back into Vacuo. Probably a few months at least if it is to have any significance.
To me this presented an opportunity to explore a possibility that would be really interesting. An entire volume 10 without team RWBY or Jaune. An entire volume without the main characters until maybe the last episode or 2. Sure it would be risky and maybe feels like it breaks some rules but volume 9 seemed like it perfectly set up for something like that. We focus on team OWNER (Oscar, Winter, Nora, Emerald, and Ren) with the likely placeholder main character being probably Oscar and show how they cope with the apparent loss of their biggest support team, their best friends, their leader, and Winter's sister.
Also don't make Qrow all cheery for no reason either. If anything this would be a perfect opportunity to explore the darker side of his alcoholism and maybe have him relapse or something. Maybe Willow has something to do with that as well. Quitting alcohol isn't easy and going cold turkey is easier said than done and most often isn't done without a few slipups along the road. Combine that with the fact that he lost his 2 nieces and it would be a perfect opportunity for major character exploration and development and maybe peak into his past a little bit too. The writers really dropped the ball anytime they try to explore heavy topics like racism and wartime sacrifices so this could be an opportunity to finally get it right and this seems relatively easy to get right if you at all know what you're doing.
Explore Oscar's slow battle for control over his own body. What does Raven think about the death of her daughter? Would the news even reach her? Explore the stages of grief from all members of team OWNER along with Sun for Blake as they desperately try to ward off the grimm, look for the summer maiden, find and protect the sword of destruction, deal with the refugee crisis (without all the bullshit and not making the Vacuans one dimensional bad guys), deal with Tyrian and Mercury, let Emerald give him some kind of emotional come to Jesus, and any other conflict the writers might have up their sleeves.
Let these characters really shine when consumed by darkness. Just for one volume. Then at the very end, probably on the last episode but perhaps on the second last episode, only when things get really desperate does the portal bring the main cast to Vacuo. Maybe Ren's life detecting ability makes him spidey sense that Jaune is still alive somewhere nearby sorta like the end of Kung Fu Panda 2 if you've seen it and Ren goes "Jaune is alive" or something and knows where to look.
The volume could take place in the months between when the portal closes at the end of volume 8 to when team RWBYJ's portal opens taking them to Vacuo. That would be an amazing concept to me. But unfortunately, we can't have nice things. When i saw the episode 11 animatic i just facepalmed and thought "of course they fucked it up, how didn't i see this coming?". I mean there was so much wrong with that "episode" that you've probably already heard on here already but i don't think i've heard anyone talk about this. I was rolling my eyes throughout the whole thing but by the end there might've been actual steam coming from my ears. Not just for bringing the main cast back at the very beginning of the volume (well technically not even the beginning but the "end" of volume 9) but also for them coming through Raven's portal or Raven being there in the first place. There are so many reasons that is an awful awful idea, potentially the worst idea in RWBY ever and it's what made me lose all interest in RWBY continuing. I'll make a whole other post later about how much i hate that decision.
But for now, what do you guys think? Am i crazy? Is this a ridiculous idea? Is there something i'm missing? Can this idea be improved or expanded? Or is it even worse than what actually happened. Let me know in the comments. I'd be happy to have feedback on this...
To be honest, this whole idea may have just stemmed from my bias as to how much i hate team RWBY as a team so there's that too. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯