I'm a glutton for punishment and I'm back for a round 2.
Back in October I made a post lamenting about how I was struggling to meet people in Cornwall. Through that thread I ended up meeting 3 girls, 2 of which fizzled out, and one I ended up dating for a bit. I've seen people say Reddit is bad for this, but my experience was otherwise, especially compared to the bone dry apps.
I'm 32yo man, from Cornwall. Last time I put an age range people shit the bed and accused me of seeking a tradwife for breeding etc... and then I went outside of that age range and faced abject nightmare fuel, so I'm going to lock in with a firm 26-32. If you are outside of that age range, I am simply not interested.
About myself:
Work: Flooring/Demolition/General Contracting Education: College (studied to be an SSW) Hobbies: Gaming, game development, pixel art, writing, my aquarium, hiking/biking, music, cooking Quirks: Introverted with good people skills. Average Throat Singing enjoyer. Lingo sponge. Positives: Fanatically loyal. Can repair your floor, computer, and pretty much anything. Negatives: Easily slighted. Can't bake for shit. Don't like gross things (Though that's rarely stopped me.)
I consider myself a pretty well rounded guy, and I'd say I'm moderately attractive (maybe a 7, hell maybe 8 on a good day lol). I'm big on personal growth and empathy (part of my SSW roots) and I like to help uplift people.
I have my own sort of pseudo-religion which I define my beliefs and ethics around. If you would like to learn more about the Void, I would be more than glad to share. Emptiness is a frame of reference, a manifestation of limitless potential. If you can vibe with this train of thought and would like to go deeper, I would love to take you on that journey through my mindscape.
I do smoke weed... well rosin. I know almost everything about the stuff and worked in pot shop for years. I do not reek of pot and you would hardly ever know I was high. I also enjoy microdosing shrooms. I don't really have any intention of stopping these behaviors as frankly I enjoy them, and they're minimally impactful on my life in general. I will only ever stop when/if I feel like it. I don't touch anything else. No smokes, no other drugs, no alcohol. Pot and shrooms only, right from Mother Earth.
Last time I tried this I was in a different place in life and feeling all kinds of pressure - I can safely say I am not feeling that crisis level BS anymore. I don't need to rush with anybody - but I do tend to hit it off with people and attach fast. Regardless, I'm open minded this time around.
I don't expect to meet a woman who is "like me" because I'm an absolute oddball (and proud), but I would like to meet somebody who is compatible with the kind of person I am. I'm definitely a homebody, I don't mind small trips - but I'm not a yearly international vacation kinda guy. I honestly do not like most social functions and would rather spend my time with my partner or at best my close friends. Generally speaking I want to do small scale hobby activities with one person and I am happiest that way. I really am happy living a regular life free of bells and whistles.
For now I'd like to try to make some connections and see what's good.
Of course, as a human I am more dynamic than I can put in a post. If you think I sound like an interesting person or would like to connect, I guess reach out!?

The Winds of Winter
Prologue
A storm was coming, but that was not part of the plan.
To the east, dark grey clouds and flashes of lightning were seen afar while thunder could be heard mumbling its rage in the distance. Here where they stood, fierce sea-chilled winds blew from the clear skies of the west. Two weather fronts were on course for a collision, and caught in between was a giant rock that mountains above the shoreline, a hard place. The old natural stonewalls of Casterly Rock were half bathed in gold from the even-falling sun, while the other hid in the shadow of the approaching storm. And soon enough, everything will be clouded in black.
The sound of the strong waves smacking into the face of the stony cliffs can be felt from a mile away, as it was no different from the ones crashing into the wooden hull of their galley. Above their rocking swanship, three tall wooden masts sported simple dark black sails, filled with winds from the west, speeding their eastern course towards the home of House Lannister, ready to hug the coastline tight, fast and dangerous.
The Summer Isle captain at the helm shouted his accented announcement, “Awww shittt! Everyone get yo shields and weapons ready. It’s about to go down! Adventurers and avengers, assemble up to the deck of Motherfunker. Be sharp and stay on yo toes! We’re running this so let’s go!”
“With me to the boats!” the legendary stern knight Ser Brynden Tully called out as his fighting men rallied at the starboard rear of their ship, emerging from the cabins below.
“We all chose to be here. If any man wants to back down now, then do so quickly. I would not die in that man’s company. We elected to do this task for honor and for justice. Some of us are here for vengeance and we may even chance to kill some of them. If so, you may enjoy your short moment of pleasure. But what I offer here is the IMMORTALITY of the songs and tales. And when it is all said & done as we return safely home, the singers will sing of this glorious day, our honorable deed, and their shame of a jape. And they will sing it from this day to the ending of the world, and we in it shall be remembered! We few, we brave few, we band of brothers. For he who shed blood with me today shall be my brother forever in song!”
A roar of cheer exploded in the air, loud and thunderous. As the ruckus died down, Lady Mormont proclaimed, “And a sister too!”
“Aye Maege,” said the Blackfish. “But we have always considered you as one of our brothers. Between your legs, your sacs are larger than most men, especially all the Lannister soldiers.”
“Well that is easy to say, all those Lannisters are a bunch of golden eunuchs!” Lady Mormont declared unlady like.
Laughter swept the deck.
The Summer Isle captain above shouted again and prayed, “Today is The Day, and the moment is upon us my friends. Thirty seconds until the drop zone lads! May the gods be with yo!”
On the starboard stern, three small rowboats hung out from the hull, hovering above the rough waves. Attached over the swanship’s parapet was a roped ladder, allowing the fighters to lower themselves down onto their watercrafts. Each one was designed to hold four pairs of oarsmen abreast, and a single coxswain to steer at the rear.
They were twenty good men and Maege. Each one scaled in black boiled leather armor, with a quiver of arrows slung on one back shoulder, and a Summer Isle goldenheart bow on the other. Most fighters had their own selection of close quarter combat weapons that sat on their belts while a round black-painted wooden shield rested at the center of their backs. They wore no sigils and smeared mud spots on their faces to mimic dark ghostly shadows for this stealthy task. They were lightly armored and had fewer weapons, as their goal required speed. If all goes to plan, they would not need any of them. They could accomplish this mission without a soul lost on either side. But this approaching storm was not part of the plan.
The Blackfish made one last heroic call on the deck of the Motherfunker, before he lowered himself on the ladder, “Come with me and take this song!”
Rico added to the cry, “Come on brothers! Do you want to live forever!?!”
They roared proudly again and began their descent as the Summer Isle crewmen assisted the Westerosi to the ropes, sharing firm ebony and ivory handshakes as they told them they will be back.
Ser Brynden Tully reached the rear rowboat LionsJape along with June, Jory, Jess, Fess, Ben and Benjen. Though it was the end boat, it will be the first to fly.
Aboard the middle boat WinterStorm was Lady Maege Mormont, and the other six oarsmen Phyl, Rico, Sam the Shredder, Ser Barnabus the Goose, Scrooge, and Queen Jeyne’s brother Ser Raynald Westerling.
Lord Galbart Glover commandeered the third boat BattleWolf, which hung closer to the center of the swanship. On it were the younger men Donal, Mikkal, Raff, Leo, and Alesander, all merely teenagers.
As he watched from above, Ser Olyvar Frey thought they were little dark turtles crawling down the ladders with their black shields slung on their backs. As the last turtle, Olyvar hugged & kissed his sister Roslin, and then their brother Perwyn. Ser Perwyn Frey was Lady Tully’s sworn shield, charged with her life’s protection, and her unborn child’s too. Though they were all Frey as family, Rosby blood thorns in their veins as well. We were all just sweet Roses By another name, a horrible name.
Olyvar descended. Alesander Frey was waiting for him adjacent to an empty seat on the boat. He was Olyvar’s nephew, but because they were of a similar age, Alesander felt more like a cousin to him, a cousin that felt more like a brother. He wondered what their mothers would have thought if they saw them there now. As Olyvar sat, he stretched his arms wide at the starboard-bow of BattleWolf and the brothers both grabbed an oar each. Alesander sang and japed, “Are you ready to fly this boat to the moon somehow?”
“Nothing is impossible!” Olyvar smiled.
Ser Olyvar Frey never thought he would be on this boat, absorbing the wrath of the big blue watery roads, rocking BattleWolf as it clung to Motherfunker. But his new knightly confidence was so high he could roar at the Drowned God to look at him and tell him to piss off. But he knew better and kept his silence. With his Frey luck, he believed his corpse would be bedding with mermaids down under the sea if he ever cursed the Drowned God aloud.
The owner of the swanship Motherfunker was an exiled prince of the Summer Isles, a big man with a short black beard, shiny bald head and a dark patch over his left eye that he can’t see through. He was Captain Samullu Jaqenssen, but notoriously called the Black Sparrow … though Olyvar had never heard of him until recently. He and his crew were the only sailors that would assist them in their cause, hypnotized to be a part of their upcoming famous Westerosi song. He was to help navigate his galley at high speeds hugging the rocky coast of the Westerlands. With the three rowboats hung to the side of Motherfunker, it would be hard for the sentries on top of the Rock to spot from above. The Motherfunker stayed far away from the coastline to only emerge near their objective at the time of attack. With a single swanship with plain black sails, the Black Sparrow hoped that the Lannister watchmen would pay them no mind as a regular trading galley on its way to Lannisport or wherever, instead of a vessel for an amphibious assault on their castle. And the stronger the winds and the faster the ship, the window of time to be exposed was much shorter. “They had the need for speed, and the speed needed the wind,” Goose had said the night before. The gods have blessed them with strong winds now. They were to come with the sun setting at their backs in the west, blinding any coastal lookout. Because they were cursed with this approaching storm, the plan changed and they had to depart earlier. Olyvar prayed that this would not compromise the mission. Only time will tell.
Racing onto the storm and nearing the rising cliffs, the Captain spun his ship quickly to a southern course and gave the crewmen the signal to dismount. “Ahhhhhhhhh-ah Ahhhhhhhh-ah!”
“Get ready to push!” the Blackfish commanded.
Each oarsman pressed the tip of their long wooden stick onto the hull of the galley, ready to push off. The Summer Isle crewmen began severing the connections of the mothership and its three rowboats. Single-handed axes swung as LionsJape pushed itself off, the first of three. The rowboat plummeted and the waters swallowed it before spitting it back out just as quick. After allowing itself to lose in Motherfunker’s wake, the oarsmen redirected the bow towards the rocks at the Blackfish’s orders.
The WinterStorm followed right after with Lady Maege’s commands, “Push lads! Push! Push!” as it dropped.
Now it was BattleWolf’s turn. “Gods damn it, I’m too old for this shit,” Lord Glover said as he raised a gloved hand and swung it down, giving the signal to cut. At the main deck, the crewmen swung their axes, gleaming gold in the western sunlight as the oarsmen pushed off. For a heartbeat, the fall had taken Olyvar’s breath away as Lord Glover’s BattleWolf floated in the air. Are we flying? Are we on a dragon? His rowboat slammed into the water, splashing chilled wet droplets inside the boat and out. His hair of short black curls flew and fell, dampening at the plunge. The collision almost knocked Olyvar and the men overboard, but they hung on. The Motherfunker left them with a white salty wake as it headed south. Lord Glover then commanded the starboard men to pull their oars, aiming towards WinterStorm. Olyvar pulled. Once aligned, both sides of BattleWolf began to rev hard. The men were howling and roaring with each tension, trying to evade this dangerous zone of being spotted.
Since the Red Wedding and the death of his beloved King, Robb Stark, Olyvar could not sleep. Grief, anger, vengeance, insomnia and drowsiness took him over the days and nights that felt like half-dreams. But the crashing kiss of the water dive had re-woken Olyvar in shock, as he realized what they were about to do was no fantasy he had ever known. Nothing can stop us now, this is really happening. His heart was pounding to the rhythm of the oars and he wanted to scream his battle cry. He could still hear Jaqenssen the Black Sparrow sounding his siren “Ahhhhhhhh-ah Ahhhhhhh-ah!”
We are brothers loyal to the King in the North, the land of ice and snow. We serve Riverrun and Winterfell, where the hot springs flow. And now the divine winds of the gods had driven our mothership to the Westerlands. To fight for honor, the North will sing and the West will cry. Casterly Rock … Winter is Coming! On we sweep with threshing oars, our only goal will be the western shore!
As Olyvar’s oar rose and fell, he looked up to the windows of Casterly Rock’s tall stony towers, searching for the signaling candle light. But it could not be seen this early. Only when the sun was fully set as planned, this candle would replace it as the guiding light. They rowed by rocks and rocks and more rocks. Seagulls flew in spheres above them, chasing one another. The sun still hung in the air, slowly falling to splash onto the western horizon of the Sunset Sea. They then rowed by a courtyard that just floated on the earth forty feet above the sea’s surface. Suddenly on the other side of their boat, they eyed a whale skimming off the glimmering golden ocean. The boys of the vulnerable BattleWolf did not say a word as the monstrous water-beast swam the opposite direction just twenty yards away from them, paying them no mind. It was a good thing I did not curse the Drowned God as I was going to earlier.
Olyvar, Alesander, Leo, Mikkal, Raff and Donal were seated on Galbart Glover’s rowboat, rowing to Galbart Glover’s commands, “Row! Row! Row your boats you son o’ whores!” and taking in Galbart Glover’s cold stare as he eyed the two Freys specifically when he said it. Olyvar’s arms began to tire, but this was not the place to show weakness to his brothers. So he pulled on while keeping their rowboat as close to the stony walls as possible to avoid detection from above.
They trailed the Lady Bear while following the Blackfish. Soon after, Ser Brynden Tully had found his mark and grounded LionsJape onto a small beach. His men exited, flipped the rowboat above them and dashed forty yards straight toward the rocky edge, where a small barred cave was fitted at the base. Underneath the rusted iron, a thin valley of brown watery slush stank & trickled into the sand & sea. Everyone knew what that was when they agreed to participate in the assault. The Blackfish was told back at Riverrun about a sewer path inside Casterly Rock that allowed all the shit and piss to drain out to the ocean. This tiny hole by the foot of the mountain was all and everything for the mission.
When the sprinting men reached the end with their boat, they dropped it at the skirt and pressed themselves against the wall. The façade was conveniently arched outwards as it ascended, making it difficult to be sighted from above. With the waves muffling the noise of speech, any of them can speak freely outside at sea level. From the cliffs above, their human conversations below would only sound like ghostly whispers. No casual listener should be alerted to such. But hearing and seeing are different things, and they must not be seen.
WinterStorm and BattleWolf soon followed. As Olyvar departed BattleWolf, he cringed at the soreness of his arms that the work had left him. His arms will have to ache again as his squad lifted the rowboat above their heads. They stormed towards the barred entrance, with bow and quiver slung on each shoulder, a turtle shell shield at the center of his back. While the others carried shorter lighter personal weapons, Olyvar was equipped with a longsword that once belonged to his King, Robb Stark.
They dropped off BattleWolf when they reached the wall, waiting for a way in. Ten brothers on one side of the cave, and eleven on the other. The closest ones to the door had their small axes and weapons drawn along with their shields, while the further ones notched an arrow onto their bow. Olyvar had his Summer Isle goldenheart bow ready. The entrance was small, the same size as their black shields, guarding the realm of Casterly Rock, and they continued to wait.
This thunderstorm was coming, and it was not part of the plan. It was the Blackfish’s decision to leave Motherfunker earlier before the storm surges would flood the sewers of Casterly Rock. Their forty yard dash from the beach to the gate may be twenty yards if they arrived an hour later … and there may be no more exit by the time they escape back. But Stark loyalists hidden in the woods outside of the castle were told of executing this assault at the exact evenfall of Queen Jeyne Stark’s arrival to Casterly Rock. The Lannister soldier escorts would be exhausted from their march and acquired a false sense of security when they reached the safe comforts of the castle. The Stark land forces led by Lord Gawen Westerling would create a mummer’s farce with trumpets and drums, sending the weary Lannisters to one side, as the Blackfish himself attacked the other from the sea. Evenfall of this day was the golden time to do this, but they arrived an hour too early. With the storm, Olyvar prayed that everyone else would adjust to the plan. He wondered if Lord Westerling would account for the storm surges. But it makes no difference now. They were here, and they cannot turn back.
Suddenly the rusted iron of the barred cave unlocked and swung open, creaking like a loud squealing rat. Emerged was a crouching older man with a short gray beard and a jaw squared like a mason spice jar. “Welcome to the Rock!” Ser Rolph Spicer declared.
Ser Brynden greeted him with a hug, “I’m so glad you came early, we would be sleeping with the fishes if you were late.”
“It was Edmure’s idea to leave early, he said the storm would flood the sewers, and we prayed you would come sooner too.”
“Like that damn Mill again, Edmure acting prematurely? That boy will never learn! Thank the Gods!”
They both chuckled and began entering through the gate. The others soon followed, ducking into the small hole and into the darkness.
Once inside the caves of Casterly Rock, Ser Rolph grabbed his torchlight and lifted it to the air, showing the brothers the vastness. The lobby was an open abyss where the ceiling was fifty feet high. The walls had multiple rocky openings naturally carved in, small and large. Some were wide enough to walk through. Inside were all shadows, saved the areas illuminated by golden sunlight spying in through each seldom hole or fissure. Where the flames can brighten, hard brown rocks glowed and flickered, as well as old metal tracks, mining carts, abandoned tools, ladders, rusty chains and the occasional plant roots that brewed in the darkness of the caves. The smell reeked. Olyvar was sure there would be no real gold here as it was probably mined out over the centuries. Only shit shits down here in the sewers and caves of Lord Tywin Lannister’s home, not gold, Olyvar thought. This was where Lann the Clever started his legend, swindling the Casterly residents out of the castle, cheating them. It was their turn now to write history, these archers from the sea facing off with their own modern Casterly ploy … accomplishing it without being seen, doing it as faceless warriors.
They followed Ser Rolph and his torchlight in single file, going deeper up into the caves, fitting in burrowed hallways that barely fit them, pursuing his decisions at each fork in the paths, squishing their feet on sluggish wet slopes and steps. The very first entrance they encountered required them to descend a few yards before climbing up the rest of the way. It was hundreds of feet in elevation that they must ascend to. At times, the way was lit well enough. But at other instants, the darkness blinds them, only facing the brother in front of them for their flight. I have promises to keep. And steps to go before I sleep. And steps to go before I sleep.
“By now the guards at the top of the Rock should be asleep after I spiced up their ale,” Ser Rolph Spicer said with a cheeky smile. “Before my sister Sybell married into House Westerling, I explored these parts of Casterly Rock in my youth as a smuggler, going up and down many times. Your legs will tire, no doubt about that. But you lads are years younger than I, and I better hear no complaints unless I am the first one to make it.”
“I’ll do my best,” young Leo announced for himself.
“Your best?” Ser Spicer questioned. “Losers whine about their best. Winners rescue crowned queens.”
“Lady Jeyne Westerling-Stark is THE crowned Queen,” Leo replied.
“Is that so?” Ser Rolph gave Leo a sarcastic look with a raised eyebrow, before continuing up the steps inside the Rock.
“I’ll decide the turns and I’ll establish the security checkpoints. There, we can rest for a moment. A few of you will be left there to guard the area as the others will continue to ascend. Those few will wait until we fall back. But remember, the journey down is far less exhausting. For now, let’s go up and up. Ser Olyvar Frey, would you take the honor of watching our rear?”
Ser Olyvar Frey. The name was still queer to him. As much as he liked the ‘Ser’ in his name, he would like to rid the “Frey” in the surname. He had been the most loyal squire a king could have asked for. He would have stayed with King Robb Stark to the end of the world, but his own blood tore that away from him. Olyvar was not blind though. His young king had made grave mistakes, more than Olyvar wanted to count. As much as he would have favored his sister Roslin to marry him, Olyvar knew you cannot choose the people you love. And Robb genuinely loved another, he hoped. Jeyne Westerling was just as sweet as Roslin. Olyvar would have stayed at Robb’s side as his brother-in-law, or some uncle-in-law by Lord Edmure Tully. Though by choosing Jeyne, it slighted Olyvar’s father Lord Walder Frey. But Seven Hells father, did you have to murder him? At my sister’s wedding feast? Under your own roof? Under my roof? Robb Stark was my king. He was brave and good, and Olyvar Frey loved him. And his soul was tortured in sleepless days and nights, knowing he shared the same blood as the murderers … knowing he could have stopped it if it was not for impulse. You are an honorable fool Olyvar. His father had told him of the treacherous plan the day before, but Olyvar cursed it aloud, defending Robb as it was still his duty. You should’ve been smart and played stupid with father. You could have informed Robb while you were still free, breaking this bad dream. Olyvar shouldn’t have tried to bargain with his father. He should have known he made up his mind a long while ago. Olyvar was imprisoned in the dungeons of the Twins during the Red Wedding. The gaolers were japing at him, “Go ahead, do your duty. Save your king!”
My king. The sad memories faded into blurred flashbacks.

Personally, understanding raid encounters gets a whole lot easier when you can wrap your head around what the team is actually trying to do.
While the strategies for the 4th encounter are pretty set in stone, Realistically this encounter can be beat in an infinite number of ways, the ones that are popular are proving to be the simplest.
That being said, what players should aim to understand is that the entire goal of the 4th encounter is to FREE the 3 solo players stuck in their respective rooms before your timer runs out. Forget about ghost and shape mechanics and remember THAT is what you are trying to do to stop the timer.
In order to get people out of their rooms, they need to be holding 2x regular shape buffs that are the exact same shapes that make up whatever their statue holding the 3D shape has.
Solo player: Holding Square + Triangle buffs Outside statue of themselves: Holding a Prism.
Now with that out of the way, look at the strategies other people have posted and understand that every step involving trading shapes between the solo rooms & using the shape drops to dissect the 3D shapes on the outside are all being done in order to meet this goal of eventually matching it all together and letting your fireteam out.
Hopefully this helps, once I managed to understand, everything falls in place a lot better.

• Complementary video

INTRO

Simple text files are at the heart of Linux, so editing these is a key sysadmin skill. There are a range of simple text editors aimed at beginners. Some more common examples you'll see are nano and pico. These look as if they were written for DOS back in the 1980's - but are pretty easy to "just figure out".
The Real Sysadmin^tm however, uses vi - this is the editor that's always installed by default - and today you'll get started using it.
Bill Joy wrote Vi back in the mid 1970's - and even the "modern" Vim that we'll concentrate on is over 20 years old, but despite their age, these remain the standard editors on command-line server boxes. Additionally, they have a loyal following among programmers, and even some writers. Vim is actually a contraction of Vi IMproved and is a direct descendant of Vi.
Very often when you type vi, what the system actually starts is vim. To see if this is true of your system type, run:
bash vi --version
You should see output similar to the following if the vi command is actually [symlinked](19.md#two-sorts-of-links) to vim:
bash user@testbox:~$ vi --version VIM - Vi IMproved 8.2 (2019 Dec 12, compiled Oct 01 2021 01:51:08) Included patches: 1-2434 Extra patches: 8.2.3402, 8.2.3403, 8.2.3409, 8.2.3428 Modified by team+vim@tracker.debian.org Compiled by team+vim@tracker.debian.org ...

YOUR TASKS TODAY

• Run vimtutor
• Edit a file with vim

WHAT IF I DON'T HAVE VIM INSTALLED?

The rest of this lesson assumes that you have vim installed on your system, which it often is by default. But in some cases it isn't and if you try to run the vim commands below you may get an error like the following:
bash user@testbox:~$ vim -bash: vim: command not found

OPTION 1 - ALIAS VIM

One option is to simply substitute vi for any of the vim commands in the instructions below. Vim is reverse compatible with Vi and all of the below exercises should work the same for Vi as well as for Vim. To make things easier on ourselves we can just alias the vim command so that vi runs instead:
bash echo "alias vim='vi'" >> ~/.bashrc source ~/.bashrc

OPTION 2 - INSTALL VIM

The other option, and the option that many sysadmins would probably take is to install Vim if it isn't installed already.
To install Vim on Ubuntu using the system [package manager](15.md), run:
bash sudo apt install vim

Note: Since [Ubuntu Server LTS](00-VPS-big.md#intro) is the recommended Linux distribution to use for the Linux Upskill Challenge, installing Vim for all of the other various Linux "distros" is outside of the scope of this lesson. The command above "should" work for most Debian-family Linux OS's however, so if you're running Mint, Debian, Pop!_OS, or one of the many other flavors of Ubuntu, give it a try. For Linux distros outside of the Debian-family a few simple web-searches will probably help you find how to install Vim using other Linux's package managers.

THE TWO THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

• There are two "modes" - with very different behaviours
• Little or nothing onscreen lets you know which mode you're currently in!

The two modes are "normal mode" and "insert mode", and as a beginner, simply remember:
"Press Esc twice or more to return to normal mode"
The "normal mode" is used to input commands, and "insert mode" for writing text - similar to a regular text editor's default behaviour.

INSTRUCTIONS

So, first grab a text file to edit. A copy of /etc/services will do nicely:
bash cd pwd cp -v /etc/services testfile vim testfile
At this point we have the file on screen, and we are in "normal mode". Unlike nano, however, there’s no onscreen menu and it's not at all obvious how anything works!
Start by pressing Esc once or twice to ensure that we are in normal mode (remember this trick from above), then type :q! and press Enter. This quits without saving any changes - a vital first skill when you don't yet know what you're doing! Now let's go in again and play around, seeing how powerful and dangerous vim is - then again, quit without saving:
bash vim testfile
Use the keys h j k and l to move around (this is the traditional vi method) then try using the arrow keys - if these work, then feel free to use them - but remember those hjkl keys because one day you may be on a system with just the traditional vi and the arrow keys won't work.
Now play around moving through the file. Then exit with Esc Esc :q! as discussed earlier.
Now that you've mastered that, let's get more advanced.
bash vim testfile
This time, move down a few lines into the file and press 3 then 3 again, then d and d again - and suddenly 33 lines of the file are deleted!
Why? Well, you are in normal mode and 33dd is a command that says "delete 33 lines". Now, you're still in normal mode, so press u - and you've magically undone the last change you made. Neat huh?
Now you know the three basic tricks for a newbie to vim:

• Esc Esc always gets you back to "normal mode"
• From normal mode :q! will always quit without saving anything you've done, and
• From normal mode u will undo the last action

So, here's some useful, productive things to do:

• Finding things: From normal mode, type G to get to the bottom of the file, then gg to get to the top. Let's search for references to "sun", type /sun to find the first instance, hit enter, then press n repeatedly to step through all the next occurrences. Now go to the top of the file (gg remember) and try searching for "Apple" or "Microsoft".
• Cutting and pasting: Go back up to the top of the file (with gg) and look at the first few lines of comments (the ones with "#" as the first character). Play around with cutting some of these out, and pasting them back. To do this simply position the cursor on a line, then (for example), type 11dd to delete 11 lines, then immediately paste them back in by pressing P - and then move down the file a bit and paste the same 11 lines in there again with P
• Inserting text: Move anywhere in the file and press i to get into "insert mode" (it may show at the bottom of the screen) and start typing - and Esc Esc to get back into normal mode when you're done.
• Writing your changes to disk: From normal mode type :w to "write" but stay in vim, or :wq to “write and quit”.

This is as much as you ever need to learn about vim - but there's an enormous amount more you could learn if you had the time. Your next step should be to run vimtutor and go through the "official" Vim tutorial. It typically takes around 30 minutes the first time through. To solidify your Vim skills make a habit of running through the vimtutor every day for 1-2 weeks and you should have a solid foundation with the basics.

Note: If you aliased vim to vi for the excercises above, now might be a good time to install vim since this is what provides the vimtutor command. Once you have Vim installed, you can run :help vimtutor from inside of Vim to view the help as well as a few other tips/tricks.

However, if you're serious about becoming a sysadmin, it's important that you commit to using vim (or vi) for all of your editing from now on.
One last thing, you may see reference to is the Vi vs. Emacs debate. This is a long running rivalry for programmers, not system administrators - vi/vim is what you need to learn.

WHY CAN'T I JUST STICK WITH NANO?

• In many situations as a professional, you'll be working on other people's systems, and they're often very paranoid about stability. You may not have the authority to just "sudo apt install " - even if technically you could.
  
• However, vi is always installed on any Unix or Linux box from tiny IoT devices to supercomputer clusters. It is actually required by the Single Unix Specification and POSIX.
  
• And frankly it's a shibboleth for Linux pros. As a newbie in an interview it's fine to say you're "only a beginner with vi/vim" - but very risky to say you hate it and can never remember how to exit.
  

So, it makes sense if you're aiming to do Linux professionally, but if you're just working on your own systems then by all means choose nano or pico etc.

EXTENSION

If you're already familiar with vi / vim then use today's hour to research and test some customisation via your ~/.vimrc file. The link below is specifically for sysadmins:

• Getting more out of Vim

RESOURCES

• Here is why vim uses the hjkl keys as arrow keys
• Graphical vi-vim Cheat Sheet and Tutorial
• Vi - Vim Tutorial (video)
• How to Copy, Cut and Paste in Vim / Vi

PREVIOUS DAY'S LESSON

• Day 5 - More or less...

Some rights reserved. Check the license terms here

Hello everyone! I'm barrels~
I'm a freelance artist who specializes in making character portraits/sprites. I can draw characters in an experimental painterly style, crisp celshaded anime or semi-realism style, or even in a pixel art style!! I am able to draw humans/humanoids and furries/anthros. I can draw any gender and have drawn characters with bigger body types as well! I've been working as an artist online for over 7 years now and I have experience making character designs, sprites for visual novels, pixel art for games and regular commissions, and making pngtuber or giftuber models for vtubers! I can also do simple animated pixel character overworld sprites! Though I can only do this in a small-medium canvas since I'm not as confident in animating compared to just drawing.
For now, I am interested in working for visual novel-type games where I can make pretty character sprites! I could also make pixel portraits for your RPG games :D
You can check out my portfolio here: https://artsybarrels.carrd.co
or my art archive here: https://ko-fi.com/artsybarrels
If you'd like to see more of how I price my commissions, you can check out my Vgen profile which also includes reviews of my past clients: https://vgen.co/artsybarrels
As for payment methods, I accept payments through Vgen, Paypal, Wise, Maya, Gcash, and Unionbank. I usually do 50% upfront then 50% after final preview but for bigger projects I accept payment plans.
If you're interested in my services or would just like to ask a question, feel free to comment/PM/chat or contact me through the following~
Discord: artsybarrels
Twitter: artsybarrels
Email: [artsybarrels@gmail.com](mailto:artsybarrels@gmail.com)
Thank you so much for reading my post!! Have a nice day~

WordPress has firmly established itself as the leading Content Management System (CMS) globally, and several factors contribute to its dominant position. Its popularity stems from its versatility, ease of use, robust community support, and extensive ecosystem of plugins and themes. Here are the primary reasons why WordPress is the top choice for starting a website:

1. User-Friendly Interface

WordPress is renowned for its intuitive and user-friendly interface. Even individuals with minimal technical expertise can quickly grasp the basics of website management. The dashboard is straightforward, making it easy to create and manage content, customize settings, and install plugins or themes.

2. Open-Source Platform

Being an open-source platform, WordPress is free to use, modify, and distribute. This openness has fostered a large community of developers who contribute to its continuous improvement. Users benefit from constant updates, enhanced security, and new features without additional costs.

3. Extensive Plugin Ecosystem

One of WordPress’s greatest strengths is its vast plugin ecosystem. With over 58,000 plugins available, users can extend their website's functionality in virtually any direction. Whether it’s for SEO, security, social media integration, e-commerce, or performance optimization, there’s likely a plugin available to meet the need.

4. Wide Range of Themes

WordPress offers thousands of themes, both free and premium, catering to various industries and styles. This extensive selection allows users to quickly change the look and feel of their website without extensive design knowledge. Themes are customizable, enabling unique and professional designs that align with brand identity.

5. SEO-Friendly

WordPress is designed with SEO best practices in mind. It generates clean and optimized code, offers a variety of SEO plugins (like Yoast SEO and All in One SEO Pack), and allows users to manage meta tags, URLs, and other critical SEO elements easily. These features help websites rank better in search engine results.

6. Community Support

The WordPress community is one of its most significant assets. There are numerous forums, blogs, tutorials, and online courses available for users of all skill levels. This extensive support network makes it easier for beginners to find help and for advanced users to find solutions to complex problems.

7. Security Features

While no platform is immune to security threats, WordPress takes security seriously. Regular updates and a wide array of security plugins help protect websites from vulnerabilities. The active community also ensures that any security issues are quickly identified and patched.

8. Flexibility and Scalability

WordPress is incredibly flexible and can be used for various types of websites, including blogs, business sites, e-commerce stores, portfolios, and forums. It scales well with the needs of the site, handling traffic spikes and large amounts of content without compromising performance, especially with proper hosting and optimization.

9. E-Commerce Integration

With plugins like WooCommerce, WordPress seamlessly transforms into a powerful e-commerce platform. WooCommerce, in particular, powers a significant portion of online stores globally, offering extensive features for product management, payment processing, and order tracking.

10. Multilingual Support

WordPress supports multiple languages, making it a global platform. Plugins like WPML (WordPress Multilingual Plugin) and Polylang allow users to create multilingual websites easily, catering to a diverse audience.

11. Content Management

As a CMS, WordPress excels in content management. It offers robust features for creating, organizing, and publishing content. The Gutenberg block editor further enhances this capability by providing a flexible, block-based approach to content creation, enabling more dynamic and visually appealing layouts.

12. Cost-Effectiveness

Starting a website on WordPress can be very cost-effective. The core software is free, and there are numerous free themes and plugins available. Even premium themes and plugins are often reasonably priced, offering significant value for their cost.

13. Regular Updates

WordPress and its ecosystem of themes and plugins are regularly updated to add new features, enhance performance, and improve security. This ensures that websites remain current with the latest web standards and functionalities.

14. Integration Capabilities

WordPress integrates well with various third-party services and tools, such as email marketing platforms, payment gateways, and social media networks. This interoperability makes it easier to build a cohesive online presence.

Conclusion

WordPress's dominance as the top CMS in the world is a result of its user-friendly nature, flexibility, extensive customization options, strong community support, and commitment to continuous improvement. Its ability to cater to a wide range of website types and its robust features for SEO, security, and e-commerce make it the go-to choice for both beginners and seasoned web developers.
Whether you’re starting a personal blog or a large-scale e-commerce site, WordPress provides the tools and resources necessary to build and maintain a successful online presence.
More reviews:

• - DREAMHOST REVIEW
• - SITEGROUND REVIEW
• - HOSTINGER REVIEW
• - A2 HOSTING REVIEW

When I was a teen, I carved two small pieces of soapstone in art class, one outside and one inside, both without a mask. I know that some soapstone contains asbestos, talc, and silica. It's been 10 years, and I have no symptoms and never had any. I was wondering if I'm just a bit paranoid or if I should talk to my doctor about it. A few years ago, I had a lung scan because of my pectus excavatum, and my lungs were all right, but there was a 4mm non-calcified micro nodule on one side. The doctor told me that I was probably born with it. So, since discovering that soapstone could contain asbestos, should I be worried? This is the scan result worry its in french Im a really stressed person so i just want to free my mind from this. Tks for ur help

Okay I’m going to be upfront about what I’m looking for. If you’re not into it, it’s fine. I like in Canada and I’m looking for a lady friend who is willing to be my best friend. I’ve realized that I do need someone in my life who into the same things I’m into. Video games, tv shows, movies, anime, cooking, and just chilling in general. I’m not too adventurous, but I am willing to try new things.
I am heavier. I don’t think I’m extremely overweight but yes I am larger and I really like good food. I don’t really care if people are larger like me as long as we get along.
I struggle with anxiety and depression pretty regularly but I’m always upfront about how I’m feeling. I don’t pretend everything is okay when they aren’t and I expect the same. I know it can be hard to talk about it sometimes so I won’t pry if it’s an issue but please at least let me know something is up. I talk about my problems when they come up.
I will not try to start anything sexual from the beginning. I know it takes time to build trust and it’s important for me to trust people and for them to trust me. If whoever wants to start something I’m down I just want them to feel comfortable with it.
I’m tired of feeling lonely but struggle with the idea of intimate relationships with women. It’s not a physical self image thing. It’s more of a history of real bad experiences and getting treated poorly by my partners. I want to let someone in and I am willing to try.
I think that’s it. Feel free to DM me or respond if you’re interested in this hot mess lol.

This is a new one to me!

Hello! Hopefully someone on here can help me. I don’t have health insurance (I live in America) and I’m trying to avoid an unnecessary medical bill but I’ve been experiencing some abnormal thing in regards to my body. I’m a 24 y/o female with no significant health issues, just low iron for the most part, but as of recent my skin has been having some issues. Ive been experiencing allergy like symptoms despite me never having allergies ever. I’ve been getting what looks like different types of rashes (sometimes I get these tiny red dots and sometimes I’ll get small hives) and my skin has been getting extremely irritated with even the smallest bump or scratch. I have a picture of my forearm after I was holding a car seat for a couple of seconds and my forearm had a red mark that looked like burn, and a picture of my legs after I finished shaving; you can see the razor tracks along my legs. My skin has also been extremely itchy, I moisturize my skin regularly and I haven’t been using any new products. The only thing that has helped the itchiness was allergy medication but everything else still seems to be a persistent problem. From a doctors perspective what do you think this is and what should I do? Also if you have any questions feel free to ask, thank you!

Looking to get back into playing airsoft regularly and I hate going by myself but Sunday is really my only free day for it any fellow players out there and are you playing Modern Misson or?

Blog is 6 months old and has 20 posts. The site ranks for keywords on google and has a Pinterest account with some pretty solid growth. For six months old the site has grown well and will continue to grow if content is regularly posted. Reason for selling is that I’ve just lost interest with the niche and site in general and don’t have the time needed to grow it. Site is hosted on Wordpress. Here’s a link to the site: makeovergurus.com
If you’d like any further info feel free to shoot me a message.

When I first started OTF it was about 4 months after I had abdominal surgery. I was going pretty consistently and even signed up TC and went hard. For the past year I’ve gone consistently (4-5 days a week including Sat and Sunday classes) even when I went out of town, I’d go to the visiting studio. Anyway, I’ve gained weight since going- no change in diet, stuck with my caloric deficit and semi clean eating. The only thing that changed was I’m not lifting weights as often ( use to do 4-5 days a week) and incorporated more cardio; hence OTF. I miss weight lifting and really only joined OTF to force myself to do cardio. I get a really good workout at OTF but also got a good workout when I was going to a regular gym. I really don’t want to have 2 gym memberships. Has anyone else been or is torn between whether or not to cancel OTF? What are your thoughts on doing solely OTF. I do have free weights at home and a cable machine that I use 2-3 times a week. Just feeling kind of burnt out with OTF.

Hi everyone!
My name is Nicholas, I'm 25, and I live in Italy. I'm a master's student in Management in Milan. Although I've finished all my exams, I'm back in my hometown in southern Italy, waiting to start an internship (if a company accepts me, hopefully...). So, I have a lot of free time lately, and I'd like to make new friends!
I have a messed up sleep schedule, so don't worry if you're not in my timezone. I studied English, Spanish, and French in high school, so I can speak those languages too if you prefer!
I'm 178 cm (or 5'10") with blue eyes and brown hair. Now, let's talk more specifically about me and my passions:

• I like to make jokes and share memes. For reference, all my friends say I'm funny haha.
  
• I'm a fan of Italian and Russian literature. My favorite authors are Moravia and Dostoevsky. I'd like to read something by Sartre in the future.
  
• Teen dramas are my guilty pleasure, probably a reminiscence of my past as a boy of a famous social in 2014 lol. My favorites are probably Call Me by Your Name and Gilmore Girls. And as a user of that social I believe in Lorde supremacy haha
  
• Since 2-3 years ago, I've entered the anime world, after watching Your Name for the first time. I cried a lot! My favorite anime are Attack on Titan, Nana, Horimiya, and Haikyu!!. I'm a sucker for rom-com and slice-of-life genres!
  
• I watch a lot of sports, really a lot! As a good Italian, I'm an AC Milan fan and a Ferrari fan, but I also watch MotoGP and volleyball. If I had watched Haikyu!! as a kid, I would have definitely practiced volleyball, but instead, I just played it casually in high school and sometimes with my friends. Nowadays, i like running and going to the gym.
  

-I play videogames too! I have a PS4 where I usually play Fortnite or FIFA with my friends.
I hope I've caught your interest, so I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

I love the form factor and usb-c charging of my Sofirn sc32. Initially the green tinge tint of the 5000k didn’t bother me much but since then I’ve acquired a couple of other high CRI lights in warmer CCTs and it’s absolutely ruined me for being able to tolerate green or blue tints. I blame you all, but I digress. For the past few days as I’ve had it in my pocket in regular use while on a bus trip, I’ve been thinking about doing an mcpcb swap to something more tolerable as my first attempt at modding.
My understanding from a couple of other sc32 emitter swap posts that I have read indicates that it uses a 12mm mcpcb, which I can source from mtnelectronics, and they offer a free reflow service to any 3535 that they carry. This is ideal because I don’t have a reflow setup and frankly I’d rather start with just a small resoldering project to learn.
So what are your recommendations with the following parameters: I’d like to retain as much throw output as safely possible while moving to an emitter anywhere between 3kk-5kk with no green tint lottery. Bonus points for retaining a high CRI.
For reference, here is the mcpcb that I was thinking would work, and they have a list of possible 3535s that they can reflow on the page: https://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1000&search=12mm+mcpcb
Alternately, if my plan doesn’t sound right or anyone has other suggestions, please feel free to walk me through it.
Thanks!

BC Lions @ Toronto Argonauts - June 9, 2024

Kickoff: 07:00 PM EDT / 07:00 PM EDT

	1	2	3	4	Total
BC	-	-	-	-	0
TOR	-	-	-	-	0

How to Watch
Television

Region	Channel	Notes
Canada	TSN/CTV/RDS
US	CBSSN/CFL+	34 regular season games will be broadcast on CBSSN while the remainder will be broadcast for FREE on CFL+
International	CFL+	All CFL regular season games, plus playoffs & Grey Cup will be available for FREE on CFL+

Radio

BC	980 CKNW or Sher-E-Punjab Radio AM 600
TOR	TSN 1050
SiriusXM	See the complete broadcast schedule

For more information see: https://www.cfl.ca/where-to-watch-2024-cfl-broadcast-information/
Subscribe to these communities

/BC_Lions
/Argonauts

Remember to sort by new to keep up!

Paradox, Viciate, and Lorenzo continued on their descent into the castle to the Well of Wisdom. A sacred place bestowed on the Alphaverse since its creation. A well that possess the most valuable wisdom from across the Megaverse. Paradox had his group stop in one of the chambers for he assumed his prisoners will be awaking from the poison soon. He then had his chains wrap around King Alexander, Venessa, Cross, Tray, Selena, Malissa, Lucrest, Leoped, and Phonix. Viciate deployed several drones that aimed their weapons at the chained prisoners with Paradox standing resolute holding the Matrix of Eternity in his hands. The prisoners eventually woke up one by one and were greeted by crude words and jeers directed towards them. The chains that bound them prevented them from utilizing their powers to break their bonds and even if they did, the bullets from the drones will prove extremely lethal to their weakened state. Paradox ordered the prisoners to be placed in a line on their knees as he snapped his fingers which summoned imps and more infernal warriors to act as guards. King Alexander, "You can't restore the Matrix in the Well of Wisdom, it will shred you to pieces." Paradox smugly, "Maybe, but that's why I'll have each of you go in for me and see who can withstand the Well." Malissa, "He's going to sacrifice us! Where is Joan? Did she escape?" Paradox, "Oh I believe Tray knows the answer to that." Everyone turned wondering where Tray could be until he finally spoke, the others were shock at his new appearance for he appeared otherworldly to them. Tray did not lift his eyes towards the group, but rather hung his head low. Paradox's eyes beamed with sadistic delight as he spoke, "I guess one can say your sister is now very OPEN MINDED!" It took a few seconds for this joke to register in the minds of the prisoners, but when it did, all of them violently shook the chains in order to be free. "Go ahead use all your powers to break those chains, it only transfers your power levels into my soul. Lockjaw was right, all of you are complete fools in underestimating these accursed chains!"
He grabbed Phonix as his victim but stopped when what seemed to be an earthquake began to shake the foundations of the castle. The earthquake only intensified the longer it went, Venessa, "Does anyone else hear bass boosted music?" In a spectacular explosion of dazzling lights and rifts across space and time, Diamond's glowing body appeared in a giant hole in one of the castle's walls while blaring Hit Me Baby One More Time. Everyone was left speechless when they saw Diamond, believing it to be a ghost. "PARADOX!!!!!" In terror Paradox began to back away, "Impossible, I scarred you for life! HOW ARE YOU EVEN STRONGER THAN BEFORE?!" "It is not for you to know the circumstances that brought me here before you today. Regardless I am back. AND THIS TIME THERE IS NO POWER IN THE MEGAVERSE OR THE NETHERWORLD THAT IS GOING TO STOP ME!" Paradox ordered Lorenzo, Viciate, and the rest of his minions to dispose of Diamond as he journeys deeper to the Well of Wisdom. Viciate used his powers to generate clones of his allies as he slowly approached Diamond. Observing this, Diamond began to smile, "How about I even those odds." After finishing his sentence, 20 identical clones of Diamond manifested themselves behind him. Unlike other clones or copies, these 20 were able to act independently as a collective hive mind. The original Diamond attacked Viciate head on while the duplicates attacked the other clones and others attempted to free the prisoners. Viciate attempted in drawing his sword to strike Diamond in an exposed position, but Diamond's intense senses was able to prevent Viciate from using his sword. In a matter of seconds, Diamond punched Viciate to a bloody mess before leaving him stuck on one of the walls.
His abilities alerted him of several imps closing on his position, and in a swift motion, Diamond created a new Sword of Light, which was far longer and sharper to simultaneously decapitate all of the imps that circled around him. While watching all of this unfold before her very eyes, Selena could not help but smile at seeing Diamond restored to his former self, "He's back." A clone of Diamond randomly appeared next to her, "Nice to know I'm no longer on house arrest." The clone was able to free Selena from her chains and started to free the rest of the prisoners. After freeing them, he gave the group a new set of orders, "I may not know all of you, but focus your abilities in taking down those devilish warriors over there. I'll handle Paradox." The clone soon vanished alongside the other copies leaving only the original Diamond left. Just when Diamond started to follow Paradox's trail, Lorenzo used his acidic whip to suspend Diamond in place. Lorenzo was successful in his attack and used this advantage to expel fatal toxins into Diamond's lungs. "Ugh. Dude, you got some serious oral hygiene problems. Here take a mint!" Lorenzo's mouth was open due to him being stunned seeing his foe unphased with his lethal toxin. The supposed mint landed on his tongue, which resulted in a strong electrical shock being sent all over his body causing him to black out. "Nice whip though, I'm for real going to take this for my collection." Diamond bent over and collected the whip before resuming on his mission to destroy Paradox. Paradox was nearly at the entrance of the Well, but felt his body frozen in place, no matter how hard he tried to move. He finally realized he was frozen by Diamond's soul manipulation, yet when he made this realization, Diamond was already floating horizontally whispering into Paradox's audio receptor, "I think I am going to show off my newfound abilities."
Paradox tried to slice Diamond with a chain along his back, but Diamond vanished before he could land a hit. He reappeared behind him and with a simple flick, Diamond sent Paradox crashing through the castle's walls and ceilings. Paradox regained his stance as he morphed into Astros as he stopped a punch from Diamond which sent shockwaves, shattering any neighboring glass. Paradox kicked Diamond at his shin before hitting him with brute force across his face. He summersaulted backwards a few yards as he morphed into the Ice King. He then summoned several frozen daggers and sharp projectiles as he sent them flying towards Diamond at light speed. Diamond noticed the projectiles flying towards him as he achieved speeds that made time around him slow down several seconds. It was if things were occurring to him at a quarter speed, so with a wave of his arm, he took control of the projectiles and had them float around him before resuming time and sending them back to Paradox. Paradox moaned loudly as the projectiles lodged themselves in tight crevasses of his body and interfering with some of the vital mechanisms. The two teleported away from the castle into the depths of the grand city where they continued their battle. Paradox changed into Shen the disgraced Shogun as he desperately tried to slice off Diamond's limbs and head. Diamond casually dodged each attack with ease he summoned the Sword of Light which has grown longer and sharper to reflect his reunion with the Light. The two blades collided with each other, but Paradox was no match for Diamond's swordsman skills.
Diamond noticed Paradox's right arm malfunctioning from one of the ice projectiles and taking advantage of this weakness, he punched Paradox repeatedly in the chest before kicking him to the floor. He then created a revolver from his nanites and fired four bullets consecutively into his weak spot. He knew his bullets succeeded in wounding his opponent, for the sound of loose air began to hiss from broken wires and Paradox's arm glitching by morphing into many different appearances before changing back to its default appearance. Diamond smiled smugly as he released that Paradox was truly terrified in that moment, "Where has your self-confidence gone? Are those appearances not making you comfortable in your mechanical body?" "SHUT UP!" Paradox then changed into Mecha-Diamond as he was able to grab Diamond by his throat and threw him into multiple buildings. The two eventually landed on top of a commuter train before Diamond could free himself. Diamond sliced his opponent's arm to free himself and used his thrusters to fly backwards as he observed Paradox's body shifting gears to re-forge the missing arm. While in the form of Mecha-Diamond, Paradox had four mechanical tentacles grow out of him, which resulted in Diamond activating his suit to grow tentacles of his own. The two opponents had their tentacles wrap around each other as they fired their blasters at each other. Diamond tried to create two clones of himself, but Paradox's tentacles grabbed him and tossed him into one of the train carts as the civilians screamed in terror. He gradually regained consciousness as he prepared to find Paradox, but for a long minute, he could not sense Paradox. It was not until a lady screamed of a large spider approaching them from the other end when Diamond released it is Paradox crawling on all fours with great speed. Paradox shifted back to full height in a most grotesque fashion as his body spun in different ways before his head shifted back to its normal size. Diamond yelled at the passengers to run to the other cart as he dealt with Paradox. While the passengers fled, two extra mechanical arms began to form on Paradox's appearance of Mecha-Diamond as all four of arms ignited red plasma blades. "Attack Diamond!" The four arms began to spin in opposite directions of his body in quick movements as he rapidly approached Diamond that it was impossible to strike him above or behind.
Confused on what his next move should be, Diamond noticed parts of Paradox's chest plate were loose as it was glitching in and out. Out of options, Diamond swung at Paradox which he swiftly blocked with the four blades, but Diamond was able to have his nanotech grow on Paradox's arms as he then had the nanites send an electric shock on the foreign host, which granted him an opening in tearing off the chest plate and firing two blasts from his repulsers into Paradox's chest. This stunned Paradox as Diamond charged at him and began to tear all the vital wires, buttons, and controls that operated Paradox's mechanical body. Paradox's voice box became affected as it began to shift into different tones and voices as he tried to speak, "No, I will.....not.....be bested a.....second......time." Paradox was able to gain control of his arms as he threw Diamond out of the train cart out into the city's skyline. Diamond was able to shoot a grapple around Paradox's legs as he pulled both of them out into the air as his body began to glow golden with pure Light. Paradox descended towards him with chains around his body as he prepared to strike fatal blows on Diamond's body. Diamond closed his eyes as he extended his right arm while having his fingers form a finger gun. He whispered silently with firm conviction, "Through the power of Heaven's Light all things are possible......grant me the power to send this foul demon of a man back to the infernal depths where he belongs." Diamond then fired a large blast of pure Light towards Paradox as his enemy screamed in anger, "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" The power caused from this blast was so strong and hot that it started to melt the metal on Paradox's body and causing any remaining circuits to fry.
Diamond floated towards the ground as he stared at a ball of fire fall towards the ground as it created a large crater. He stepped forward and saw Paradox's mangled body as his soul still held possession of it. Paradox was still able to manipulate his body to change into whoever he chooses, and as a last resort he changed to Diamond's mother. "Trevor.......how could you do this.....to me......your own mother.......after all your father and I have done for you this is how you repay us?" "Quit your bull you pathetic character of a soul. If I had the power to judge you in the afterlife, I would create a separate place for sadistic manipulators such as yourself so all you scoundrels can do nothing more than hurt yourselves for your sins!" Diamond then used his power to lift Paradox in the air and was about to crush his body and seal his soul permanently, but as he did so a blazing portal appeared as a pitch-black arm reached out and snatched Paradox before Diamond had time to react. Dumbfounded, Diamond de-activated his suit and left his Light form in order to process what happened. Realizing there was nothing else to do he traveled back to the castle. When he arrived, he saw how the group of heroes easily defeated all of the devilish creatures and were tossing all the dead bodies into a giant pile. Only one thing concerned him, the fact Lorenzo and Viciate's bodies were both missing from the battle. He reasoned they managed to escape, but with the injuries they sustained, it would be a long while before they would show themselves again. After making this assumption, Diamond's family greeted him with open arms and hugs, yet even Diamond did not recognize Tray's new body. Tray had to explain his entire story again to Diamond so he would understand why he looked like "A living glowstick." Hearing Tray's story about Joan made Diamond sorrowful and offered to help in making sure Joan's body receives a proper burial. King Alexander and Diamond hastily organized the funeral and gave Joan's family time to grieve and remember their youngest member that was stolen from them.
While the mourners were conversing with themselves, the king wanted to lead Diamond through the many rooms and wings of the enchanting castle. He wanted to show Diamond the inner secrets and history of this castle, so he very discretely led him down a flight of stairs into an older section of the castle where even most of the king's court were not allowed to enter. The two stepped through two enormous emerald doors and continued on through the darkness. The king ignited a turquoise flame from his hands and led Diamond to a large wall. King Alexander, "Stare at these murals Diamond. Notice the story they tell." Diamond stared at the murals and paintings on the wall trying to understand the history behind them. He saw what appeared to be angels directing two races. To the right were humans with their leader baring a resemblance to Alexander with folded hands in prayer as their eyes gazed at the Heavenly specters, in addition it appeared that swords and shields were descending towards them. To the left were the ancient race of Enders who also had their gaze towards Heaven, but descending towards their hands were scrolls with quills, signifying their role to write and document. At the front of the line of Enders stood none other than Ranfus, although significantly younger. Diamond continued down the wall as the next scene involved the leaders of the humans and enders being coronated with the two leaders' hands being locked in agreement. The next scene depicted what was either a battle or war where many humans and enders were dead, brough to their demise by rebellious humans. It depicted how after the battle Ranfus took the remaining enders away to a place that could supervise the entire Megaverse free from human interaction. The last scene showed the battle worn king of the humans siting on his throne with a tear in his left eye, while his right side remained stoic. His left arm pointed downwards to a decree while his right arm pointed upwards with a grand castle and city floating in the palm of his hand. "The Enders used to dwell with you?" "Indeed, for you see, the king in those murals is actually my great-grandfather. Time goes by very slowly for us here, not only that but we tend to live for thousands of years. Originally, after the first man and woman were created and fell into sin, we were created in the aftermath of that event. We bear the same weaknesses as other humans after the fall, but we were created to protect the Enders, who would document the shifting tide of Creation across the Megaverse. Our special duty connected us more in tune with the messengers of Heaven and we strived to live up to our mission of acting as the second example for the Megaverse, the Main Omniverse being the first. Yet, a few of the humans of my great-grandfather's time were seduced by the powers of evil for the many fallen angels, now turned demons, preyed upon their fallen status and sparked division between human and ender. Eventually a genocide broke out where rogue humans wanted the power of the Enders to themselves and would slaughter anyone who opposed them. My great-grandfather and Ranfus ultimately triumphed, but the damage had been done for the Enders no longer trusted us and collectively agreed humans everywhere were unpredictable and destructive. Ranfus left this Omniverse with the survivors of his race, thus leaving us as the sole inhabitants of this realm. From the ashes of the old kingdom, my great-grandfather led the creation of a new one as you can see here, but the reason why his left side is sad is the fact he did not kill the leaders of the rebellion. He did not want to take their lives, so instead he banished them to the wildness of the Megaverse. After casting them out of this Omniverse, he placed a ban where no one will be able to enter or leave. Using his divine gifts, he was able to practically make it seem like this Omniverse was erased and could not be discoverable unless him or another king wills its borders to open up once again."
"And what happened to the exiled ones?" "Most of them died across the Megaverse but their main leader, Mek'el continued following the path of evil and grew stronger in the powers of darkness. This granted him an unnatural talent of cheating death, but when an event in Omniverse 63,745 occurred when that Omniverse's Celestial had an offspring with that Omniverse's name for an angel, Mek'el sensed the potential of such an offspring." "Hold on, that's the Omniverse the Megaverse Council and I had named Evangelion. Yeah, those creatures they call angels are definitely not real angels, but you mean to tell me that this Mek'el influenced The Devourer?" "No, Mek'el BECAME The Devourer. He transferred his soul into the newborn soul of the deadly offspring, completely fusing with the new soul. In response to this, my great-grandfather on his deathbed, ordered my grandfather to create a device that could end Mek'el once and for all. That device was the Matrix of Eternity. It was hastily crafted before my grandfather sent it to Omniverse 63,745 hoping it could destroy Mek'el there. Unfortunately, it did not fulfill its original purpose due to Mek'el fully becoming The Devourer and traveled across the Megaverse eating the Core of whatever Omniverse he entered. His travels would take a long time to reach his next destination, but nothing could stop him. The Matrix continued to grow with wisdom in Omniverse 63,745 before an apparition of an Ender ordered a singular person to send the Matrix in the direction of the Main Omniverse. Eventually, the Matrix landed in your Omniverse, but was kept hidden for a long time with only glimpses and rumors of such a treasure of untold power being passed on from dimension to dimension. Finally at last, you found it in 2021 just as The Devourer arrived in your Omniverse. Little did you know, but upon his defeat when you unleashed the power of the Matrix, it sent shockwaves across the Megaverse. Myself along with my people celebrated when we felt the destruction of The Devourer, finally knowing a dark piece of our history has been put to rest." "When I traveled to Omniverse 63,745 last summer, it was promoted that they created the Matrix of Eternity." "Their leaders simply changed the story and wiped our part out of their history books, for the select few who told you it was their ancestors that created it are not at fault. For they too believe this error, this is simply a mistake on their ancestor's part and nothing more. Come along now, let's head back up a few stairs back to where there was an intersection, there is more I need to show you."
The king led Diamond to a room with many floating orbs that had different colors symbolizing a different Omniverse. "I am aware that you and the Megaverse Council have a broad idea to all the soldiers at the disposal of our enemy. But I want to show you some specific souls that are.......unique. The person known as The Ageless managed to recruit several corrupted versions of the strongest beings in your Omniverse's hierarchy. Among them consist of a fallen Omniversal Tribunal, Protectors, Insanity Trio, Bad Time Trio, many alternate timeline versions of you, and other powerful individuals from the Megaverse. The Ageless and Demonic Council calls this elite group the Bad End Friends. King Alexander brings forth an orb that displays the souls of those fallen humans. This reveals the true thoughts of their soul and what their soul really says." Diamond leaned forward to hear the cries of their souls and was surprised to hear their souls cry out in unison. "We just wanted to heal but now our nightmares are real, and we'll never wake up for we're torn apart! We want freedom! Freedom! Freedom!" Diamond could not believe what he heard, for it caused him to step back to avoid their cries. "Secondly, I want to briefly touch on the Ageless' story. Thousands of years ago lived a man born with unnatural gifts, he could enter into violent places and leave with minor bruises. He was able to kill the celestials in his world with his mere hands and crude weapons. Yet, he was not satisfied, he wanted more power and more entities to kill, for he enjoyed the bloodlust. This led to him being sought out by the fallen Seraphim now named Black Hat. He offered him more power and an entire place beyond his imagination to live the rest of his days as a butcher. The man agreed and henceforth became an unwavering servant directly to Black Hat. Eventually, he earned a reputation by parading himself as a savior wearing polished white and gold armor, in order to win the trust of many defenders who protected their native Omniverse. Once he won their complete trust and learned their secrets and fears, it would be too late for that Omniverse. For it would be a matter of time before complete carnage would be unleashed on all the helpless souls in that Omniverse. Thus, he was given the title Harbinger of the End.......a human who is an undisputed champion in gladiator battles with a mind to match his muscles.......a man always youthful, laughing at the hands of time........The Ageless."
"The last thing I want to reveal to you is the location of our enemy's base. The Megaverse Council has discovered it and that is Omniverse 6,666,666. That Omniverse had so many events that ran parallel with your Omniverse it was almost an exact copy. However, before your Omniverse was assaulted by Black Hat's forces in 2021, they won a resounding battle in that Omniverse. Everything that could have gone wrong in that final battle, did indeed go wrong." King Alexander used his powers to generate a vision of that fateful day. The scene pans to a bloodied and defeated Diamond with a shattered Sword of the Omniverse with Black Hat towering over him. The two listened intently when Black Hat spoke, "The Initiative has fallen. Its members......lost. You have been deceived......betrayed.........purged." The vision hovers over countless bodies of Initiative members that had died in the battle with some of their corpses disfigured and mutilated they were unidentifiable. "I can feel you are scared of judgement day. You led millions of souls to their grave. Your lukewarm faith shaken due to your pleas and petitions being ignored. So, I offer you a choice. Join us and postpone the judgement day, have all the pleasures of the world handed back to you, and avoid living the life as a failure!" The defeated Diamond raised his teary eyes and spoke, "I......accept!" The crowd around him chuckled as Black Hat stepped away with Alastor taking his place, "It's a deal!" The defeated Diamond shook his hand and became controlled and a vessel for Alastor until his original body could be restored. After this moment a large echo of thunder echoes across the battlefield with a bright light shining in the distance. The Ageless, "What is that?" Black Hat, "The veil of the Main Omniverse has been lifted. We are no longer kept out! We must seize this opportunity before it's too late." Ageless remain here with Alastor's vessel." "Why?" "If things go sour for me and my forces in the Main Omniverse, I want us to still have a strong foothold here in the Megaverse. This Omniverse will be perfect. I will be taking half of our forces with me." "What of the few people who survived this battle, should I find them and use them as prisoners and entertainment?" Black Hat had a sadistic smile, "There are no survivors!" The vision then played the sounds of screams with Diamond begging Alexander to end the vision. "That's enough! I cannot watch nor listen to this vision anymore! Please end this nightmare!"
Alexander ended the vision as the two were brought back to reality. Alexander spoke with sympathy to Diamond, "I did not show you that vision to torture you. I revealed it, because you need to understand exactly what to expect from our enemy and take deep root in your faith." "Why did the pleas and petitions of that Diamond go unanswered?" "Truthfully, that Diamond did not pray for deliverance, he instead wanted more glory and praise. When he was in public and prayed, it was for show, and he was not sincere in the words he said. Even at the last moment, he received a message from Heaven begging him to repent from his prideful ways and deliverance would come. Yet, in that last moment, he refused with his soul saying no it has to be my way and I do not want to change the life I am living and that's final. It was his fault no Heavenly aid came, now he has no one else to blame other than himself for his misdeeds and wickedness." Diamond's body had a series of goosebumps when King Alexander finished speaking. He always wondered what would have happened in the final battle for his Omniverse if there was no intervention, now he wished for this catastrophic example to leave his mind.
After this event, King Alexander led Diamond to a sacred place called the Veil of the Celestial Plane to speak with his angelic friends. Along the way, King Alexander explained to Diamond the difference between True Balance and Perfection. How True Balance is the perfect imperfect form of Perfection, because as mortal creatures that are finite with flaws no person alive can reach True Perfection. He explained how demons fear True Balance and how the demons only focus on temporal goals not eternal, for all that awaits them in eternity is eternal punishment. (This is a footnote, because at the end of this post in the comment section I will share the entire conversation in greater detail, for some reason the Sub-Reddit automatic rules count it as a rating post no matter how hard I rephrased the dialogue. Very weird that happened because it never happened before, but hopefully I will be able to share that conversation in full under this post, because it took a lot of effort in composing the dialogue.)
Filled with courage and zeal from their conversation, Diamond entered into the Veil and soon found himself in a vast empty white plain where numerous figures of light floated around him before manifesting themselves as angelic beings. He observed how each of the nine choirs of angels were present. "The Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels, and Angels. All present here at this very moment." A Seraphim spoke up, "Why do you wish to commune with us?" "I am here seeking advice from my Heavenly friends in these trying times. I'm sure all of you are very much aware and can sense in the Celestial Cosmic Plane that the forces of evil are growing ever so powerful. I can feel it within my being that soon a final confrontation may happen." Saint Michael the Archangel, "You already possess all that you need. You know the prayers for deliverance and aid. Furthermore, you know how your enemy thinks." "With all due respect, this time it is different. Different than the way it was for the fate of the Main Omnvierse. This....is the fate of the Megaverse....of everything that had exist, currently exists and will exist. Please there must be some advice all of you may be able to bestow upon me." A Virtue floated towards Diamond's soul to speak, "These particular demons feast on fear, chaos, and revenge. They want nothing more than to see the righteous fall, yet their common weakness is the sin of pride." Uriel intervened, "Pride, that ancient sin which was the sole root that led a third of our former brothers and sisters into disobedience. Fully rejecting the True Love of the Father and willingly following the arrogance of the fallen light bearer, who now brings darkness and death to everyone." Azrael quickly followed up with Uriel's statement, "When they fell from grace, they still retained their position and powers. Now with their leaders nearly having their bodies restored before their fall, through the power of The Seed, they are more of a threat to the Natural Order."
Diamond came to a sudden realization, "With Cloaked Shadow having control of the Dark and shadows in general, does that mean he was a Power before he fell?" The choirs nodded as Diamond responded with his hands near his mouth deep in thought. "I see, well if pride is their weakness than surely arrogance is a key factor in their personalities. Perhaps if the Matrix of Eternity is re-loaded with the knowledge accessible from the Alphaverse, it could overwhelm them." A Cherub, "Yes! The knowledge from the Alphaverse can restore the Matrix and used to harm the demons!" Saint Gabriel the Archangel, "Do not be afraid in this next step in your journey, Trevor. Since the fall of man, the Devil and his minions have actively been at war with mankind, searching for ways to snatch souls from Heaven. Yet, in the history of not only the Megaverse, but your own world, you know that God conquers all, even in the darkest times. From the persecution of the early Christians under the rule of the Mad Emperor Nero, deadly heresies, scandals, political and religious wars, the French Revolution, Napoleon Wars, Russian Revolution, Mexican Revolution, World Wars, down to the present. The demons worked through man to not only bring ruin to the face of the Earth, but to attack the Church. However, both the Earth and the Church have endured and will continue to endure until the end of time when God will come in all His splendor and glory and reward the just while punishing the wicked. For they will receive their reward." A Throne, "There is one more thing that will surely turn the tide of the war, but only as a last resort." Diamond, "What is it? Please share." A Seraphim, "The hypothesis of you being able to fuse with your friends Ben Tennyson and Xavier is true. If Xavier is fully in tune with his scarab and enter into his phase known as Sacred and Tennyson into Alien X, you three will become the singular most powerful entity in the entire Megaverse." Saint Michael the Archangel, "Be warned for this should only be used as a complete last resort. For there can be no going back when you three become a singular entity. There might be potential for you three to separate from this final form, but if there is, it will be certain death for no mortal can yield that much power. Arise young warrior, take courage, and have total faith on the Lord, He will hear your prayers. Remember we are at your side and every warrior in the final battle will have their guardian angel with them at all times."
The Heavenly beings once again became balls of bright light, which slowly blinded Diamond before he awoke from his vision back in his own body just before the Veil of the Celestial Plane. King Alexander stared at Diamond before helping him to his feet. Diamond, "I know what I must do. I must re-load the Matrix in the Well of the Megaverse." Alexander, "That's suicide. For you to be exposed to so much power and knowledge, it will vaporize you." "Believe me, it will work. Just help me recover the pieces of the Matrix and I will reforge it with the nanotech from my suit." Diamond sprinted with great haste through all the flights of stairs Alexander had them take, back to where the pieces of the Matrix laid. He had Alexander hold the pieces together in their proper position as the nanotech from his suit crawled around the broken pieces and fused the Matrix back together again. During this time the other heroes caught up to Diamond and Alexander and decided to watch as Diamond would enter the Well of the Megaverse. King Alexander led the group to the entrance of the Well where everyone wished him good luck. Diamond transformed into his Light form and entered the Well. This form allowed him to withstand the pressure around him as he opened the Matrix to collect wisdom from all corners of the Megaverse both the good and bad. When he did this, thousands of images and lifetimes flashed in his mind causing him to scream, in order to avoid his mind from overloading he constantly switched to different forms and phases every 30 seconds. Everyone waited anxiously outside after hearing Diamond's screams and began to fear for the worst, but just when their hope wavered, a silhouette started to walk towards them. From the depths of the Well emerged Diamond holding the restored Matrix of Eternity firmly in his right hand. King Alexander, "Welcome back Diamond!" "Thanks. With the Matrix restored and the new alliance your Omniverse has made with the Megaverse Council, hope for our victory has reached an all-time high." The heroes only stayed for a few more hours at the Alphaverse before returning back to the base of the Megaverse Council. Upon arrival, the Council members were stunned to see the return of their leader, and with swift orders, Diamond once again regained leadership of the Megaverse Council.
Epilogue
In a desolate place with abandoned buildings in Omniverse 3. "Volxi, can you head downstairs into our storage to bring some refreshment to our party?" "You got it sis!" Volxi entered into one of the chambers to find a spare stash of spiked beverages but was startled when she heard a voice echo in the darkness. "Time's running out Vol." She leaned over to view where the voice was coming from until her eyes landed on a glowing dark green warrior. She gasped as she recognized it was her old friend from Omniverse 8. "Cayden what happened to you?" "That name no longer has any meaning for me." "You look so different. Your skin is green and your eyes black. You look like......" "A ghost? Phantom? Condemned Soul?! Truly a miserable fate I have fallen into. Given a body constantly degenerating and repairing itself, allowing me to phase between matter but how painful it is feeling my cells destroy themselves before regenerating and repeating the process all over again." "Is this a dream?" "No." "I thought not, if it was there would be something to replenish my throat." Cayden hands Volxi a bottle. "Thanks mate. I still have a cup on me. Here it's on the house." Cayden took a long sip before speaking. "We haven't seen each other since the destruction of your people's original home. A lot has happened since then. Last year a terrible event plagued the Megaverse and I tried to stop it. I made my own device that enabled me to visit other Omniverses. I could sense something sinister causing many Omniverses to die. I took my weapons and went to who I thought was responsible. That man was so strong and talented, he mortally wounded me without taking our fight seriously. I thought at that moment when I laid dying that I would give anything to get a second chance at life. To see my friends and family again. My requests were answered by a figure in black business attire and a top hat."
Volxi groaned for she knew who he was referring to while Cayden continued on with his speech. "I accepted his offer and became what you see before you. The only part that was positive is in our contract, I managed to still own partial control of my soul. Perhaps it is through this partial ownership that causes me to experience great pains and desperately seek liberation." "And you came back to your friend for aid huh?" "No, I came as a messenger." Volxi stared at him with concern. "You struck a deal with him too, Volxi. A deal before your home, the ninth Omniverse was destroyed, causing you and all the survivors to wander throughout the Megaverse." "I forgot all about that deal. It can't happen this soon, he did not even stay true to his promise." "Is that really a surprise?" "DANG IT! Alright I'll wager my way out of it. I always do." "You can't talk to yourself out of this one!" "How long do I have Cayden?" Cayden stepped close to Volxi where he was only a few inches away from her face. "That name has no meaning for me, I'm The Shameful now. You have only a few hours. He will send his terrible leviathan to drag you, your sister, and this entire Omniverse along with you! Already his army sets their eyes on this world, drawn by ravenous hunger, by the one who bears the crimson scar." The Shameful laid his hand on a piece of Volxi's face that was not covered by cybernetics. "Make peace with your losses and may it only be a swift end and not a contract of servitude. Alas, he always comes to collect what is his." In that moment The Shameful vanished from her sight and without a moment to lose, she started running back upstairs into the settlement screaming for everyone to pack their things and prepare to leave. Her sister, Val stopped her, "Did you fall down the stairs giving you that slash across your face? What's coming after us?" Volxi stared deep into her sister's soul, "We need to run as far as we can and get our people to safety before it's too late." From a few hundred yards away The Ageless stood waiting for the perfect time to strike with Maestro Zorro summoning the nightmarish Leviathan.