./o. ./sssso- -------- `:osssssss+- OS: EndeavourOS rolling x86_64 `:+sssssssssso/. Kernel: Linux 6.9.3-arch1-1 `-/ossssssssssssso/. Uptime: 7 mins `-/+sssssssssssssssso+:` Packages: 1545 (pacman), 36 (flatpak) `-:/+sssssssssssssssssso+/. Shell: bash 5.2.26 `.://osssssssssssssssssssso++- Display (L222W): 1680x1050 @ 60Hz [External] .://+ssssssssssssssssssssssso++: Display (SyncMaster): 1024x1280 @ 75Hz .:///ossssssssssssssssssssssssso++: Display (VG248): 1920x1080 @ 144Hz `:////ssssssssssssssssssssssssssso+++. DE: KDE Plasma 6.0.5 `-////+ssssssssssssssssssssssssssso++++- WM: KWin (Wayland) `..-+oosssssssssssssssssssssssso+++++/` WM Theme: Breeze ./++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++/:. `:::::::::::::::::::::::::------`` Icons: breeze-dark [QT], breeze-dark [GTK2/3/4] Font: Noto Sans (10pt) [QT], Noto Sans (10pt) [GTK2/3/4] Cursor: breeze (24px) Terminal: konsole 24.5.0 CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3800X (16) @ 3,90 GHz GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 [Discrete] Memory: 4,93 GiB / 31,25 GiB (16%)
So after i installed it neither Firefox or Brave will play any kind of video YouTube will play the preview videos but audio doesn't work if you click the icon it just starts loading that's the only place I've seen it "work"
another thing is now x11 dosnt work either i have the same issue on that for some reason
i was following this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40QI1-4Nlx4&t=320s
But but the issue may be because of Kwin and explicit sync. I'm not sure it installed, the konsole spits this out:
[$ paru egl wayland 1 extra/wayland 1.23.0-1 [0 B 819.45 KiB] [Installed] A computer display server protocol 2 extra/egl-wayland 2:1.1.13-2 [0 B 89.45 KiB] EGLStream-based Wayland external platform 3 multilib/lib32-wayland 1.22.0-1 [0 B 167.40 KiB] [Installed] A computer display server protocol 4 auegl-wayland-git 1.1.9.r2.gdaab854-1 [+9 ~0.43] EGLStream-based Wayland external platform (git version) 5 aulib32-egl-wayland 1.1.13-1 [+1 ~0.00] EGLStream-based Wayland external platform (32-bits) 6 aufreeglut-wayland-git 3.4.0.r27.g3f4a4dff-1 [+0 ~0.00] Provides functionality for small OpenGL programs - Wayland version 7 aulib32-egl-wayland-git 1.1.9.r2.gdaab854-1 [+0 ~0.00] EGLStream-based Wayland external platform (GIT version)(32-bit) :: Packages to install (eg: 1 2 3, 1-3): :: 4 :: Resolving dependencies... :: Calculating conflicts... :: Calculating inner conflicts...
:: Conflicts found: egl-wayland-git: nvidia-egl-wayland-tkg (egl-wayland) nvidia-egl-wayland-tkg (egl-wayland)
:: Conflicting packages will have to be confirmed manually
Repo (4) Old Version New Version Make Only extra/meson 1.4.1-1 Yes extra/ninja 1.12.1-1 Yes extra/python-tqdm 4.66.4-1 Yes extra/wayland-protocols 1.36-1 Yes
Aur (1) Old Version New Version Make Only auegl-wayland-git 1.1.9.r2.gdaab854-1 No
:: Proceed to review? [Y/n]: y
:: Downloading PKGBUILDs... PKGBUILDs up to date /home/zew/.cache/paru/clone/egl-wayland-git/PKGBUILD

Maintainer : Daniel Bermond dbermond@archlinux.org

Contributor: Det

pkgname=egl-wayland-git pkgver=1.1.9.r2.gdaab854 pkgrel=1 pkgdesc='EGLStream-based Wayland external platform (git version)' arch=('x86_64') url='https://github.com/NVIDIA/egl-wayland/' license=('MIT') depends=('wayland') makedepends=('git' 'meson' 'eglexternalplatform' 'libglvnd>=1.3.4' 'wayland-protocols') provides=('egl-wayland' 'libnvidia-egl-wayland.so') conflicts=('egl-wayland') source=('git+https://github.com/NVIDIA/egl-wayland.git' '10_nvidia_wayland.json') sha256sums=('SKIP' '5cccf1905a266e8e34d5ad4aad4be85390e60b1a0850a29dd9d64adc641de412')
pkgver() { git -C egl-wayland describe --long --tags sed 's/\([^-]*-g\)/r\1/;s/-/./g;s/^v//' }
build() { arch-meson build egl-wayland ninja -C build }
:
$ paru kwin explicit 1 aukwin-explicit-sync 6.0.5-2 [+8 ~7.07] An easy to use composited Window Manager with explicit sync patches :: Packages to install (eg: 1 2 3, 1-3): :: 1 :: Resolving dependencies... :: Calculating conflicts... :: Calculating inner conflicts...
:: Conflicts found: kwin-explicit-sync: kwin
:: Conflicting packages will have to be confirmed manually
Repo (7) Old Version New Version Make Only extra/cmake 3.29.3-1 Yes extra/cppdap 1.58.0-1 Yes extra/extra-cmake-modules 6.2.0-1 Yes extra/jsoncpp 1.9.5-2 Yes extra/plasma-wayland-protocols 1.13.0-1 Yes extra/rhash 1.4.4-1 Yes extra/wayland-protocols 1.36-1 Yes
Aur (1) Old Version New Version Make Only aukwin-explicit-sync 6.0.5-2 No
:: Proceed to review? [Y/n]: Y
:: Downloading PKGBUILDs... PKGBUILDs up to date /home/zew/.cache/paru/clone/kwin-explicit-sync/PKGBUILD

Maintainer: Jonas Costa contact@jonascosta.ch

Contributor: Felix Yan felixonmars@archlinux.org

Contributor: Antonio Rojas arojas@archlinux.org

Contributor: Andrea Scarpino andrea@archlinux.org

pkgname=kwin-explicit-sync _pkgname=kwin pkgver=6.0.5 _dirver=$(echo $pkgver cut -d. -f1-3) pkgrel=2 pkgdesc='An easy to use composited Window Manager with explicit sync patches' arch=(x86_64) url='https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/' license=(LGPL-2.0-or-later) conflicts=(kwin) provides=(kwin) depends=(breeze gcc-libs glibc plasma-activities kauth kcmutils kcolorscheme kconfig kconfigwidgets kcoreaddons :
and they just stop not sure what i'm doing wrong yay does the same thing.
I was having a lot of graphical issues on the 550 driver in games and applications.
A fix would be greatly appreciated still kind of a Linux Noob.

Leviathan, the Eikon of Water concept art
Leviathan, the lost Eikon of Water, has finally been found! After months of waiting, the Rising Tide downloadable content (DLC) has been released and with it, I am once again rambling about the mythological, religious, and cultural inspirations behind the Eikons of Final Fantasy XVI. If you would like to check out any of my previous posts on the subject of Eikons, you can find them here:

1.) Phoenix

2.) Ifrit

3.) Shiva

4.) Ramuh

5.) Garuda

6.) Titan

7.) Bahamut

8.) Odin

As I’ve said in the past, if you feel that I may have said something wrong, or if you would like to add to what information I have provided; by all means please do so. I absolutely welcome the discussion.
The sea serpent Leviathan, like most of the Eikons, has been a staple of the Final Fantasy series since its introduction as one of the original summons#Summon_Magic) from 1990’s Final Fantasy III. While modern usage of the terms “leviathan” and “behemoth” are often used to denote something large and imposing, these words actually originate as the names of two creatures from the Tanakh (or Hebrew Bible). According to the verses 40:15-41:34 in the Book of Job, Leviathan and Behemoth are two gigantic and nigh indestructible animals born around the same time as the creation of the first two humans Adam and Eve, with Behemoth residing over the wilderness east of the Garden of Eden called Duidain and Leviathan bound to the watery Abyss) as stated in verses 60:7-10 in the apocryphal Book of Enoch. While the term abyss may bring to mind the idea of a bottomless hole or even an underworld such as the Greek Hades, Hebrew Sheol, or Christian Hell; the Septuagint, the earliest Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, often uses the term abyss to instead refer to deep bodies of water. In fact, Abyss is the translated noun for the Hebrew Tehom, or the “deep” primordial waters from which the god Yahweh formed the world after the creation of light as stated by the verses 1:2-10 in the Book of Genesis; which is but one example of the cosmic ocean motif, whereby existence is conceptualized as originating from a watery void. I find it very interesting then that the Abyss is referenced several times in the Rising Tide DLC, such as in the name of Leviathan’s Eikonic ability Abyssal Tear; the Motes of Water adage “Know that even should you walk Abyss, our hands will guide you home” from the Minwu Arm Ring description; or the description of the Radiant Tidestrike weapon that says “Surge did the tide, the water rising as if it were some mighty whale stranding itself upon the shore. Behold, the Devourer of Worlds. The beast within whose foul belly our hopes are carried unto the Abyss. - Eikonomachy - Book of Currents 15:40-41”.
From the aforementioned verses of the diegetic Book of Currents, as well as one of the Active Time Lore Entries for Leviathan that states “Old writings clearly speak of Dominants past summoning great whale-like creatures capable of swallowing entire cities…”; we can possibly see a reference to Leviathan) swallowing the protagonist Firion and his allies on their way to the Mysidian Tower in Final Fantasy II. However, I would suggest that these quotes go further than mere references to past games and are actually an allusion to the parable of Jonah surviving in the belly of a whale from the eponymous Book of Jonah. For those unfamiliar with the story, the Hebrew prophet Jonah was tasked by God to preach on His behalf to the citizenry of Nineveh in the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Jonah instead refuses the call, and attempts to sail across the sea to Tarshish. On the journey, Jonah and the sailors he is accompanied by are caught in a huge storm, and believing that Jonah’s dismissal of God is the cause, the sailors thus throw him overboard. God then sends a whale to swallow Jonah, with the intention of preventing the Israelite from drowning. Miraculously surviving in the whale’s stomach for 3 days, Jonah vows to do God’s bidding and is thus safely returned to shore, whereby he travels to Nineveh and beseeches the citizens to renounce their wicked ways, lest they be visited by calamity. This story is meant to illustrate that Yahweh is a merciful god who allows for second chances, giving not only Jonah, but also the Ninevites the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and redirect their course of actions.
With this parable in mind, I would like to mention that in 1949, literary professor Joseph Campbell published “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”; a work of comparative mythology in which he proposed his idea of the Monomyth (later called the Hero’s Journey). Campbell’s theory of the Monomyth posits that while most narratives involving a heroic protagonist may have differing contents, these stories also typically follow a similar pattern; that being a three-act structure comprised of 17 subset stages. One such stage in Campbell’s model is the Belly of the Whale (sometimes also referred to as the Abyss), one of the literally or figuratively lowest points in the story for the protagonist in which the hero must engage in introspection and commence a process of self-transformation if they are to be equipped to finish their journey. This stage acts as a symbolic death and rebirth for the protagonist, with some Christians even interpreting Jonah’s story as actually being an allegory for Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection.
A prime example of this stage can be seen in Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel “The Adventures of Pinocchio”, whereby the eponymous puppet Pinocchio and his creator Geppetto are swallowed by the Terrible Dogfish; with the typically irresponsible and selfish Pinocchio instead performing a self-sacrificial act in order to save his “father”, which he is thus rewarded for by being brought back to life as a human by the Fairy with Turquoise Hair. Viewing the Pinnochio narrative as an example of a more modern mythical epic, Thomas J. Morrissey and Richard Wunderlich state in “Death and Rebirth in Pinocchio”; “Gods can die and be reborn, or rise from the dead. Such mythological events probably imitate the annual cycle of vegetative birth, death, and renascence, and they often serve as paradigms for the frequent symbolic deaths and rebirths encountered in literature. Two such symbolic renderings are most prominent: re-emergence from a journey to hell and rebirth through metamorphosis. Journeys to the underworld [Katabasis] are a common feature of Eurasian literary epics: Gilgamesh, Odysseus, Aeneas, and Dante all benefit from the knowledge and power they put on after such descents. Rebirth through metamorphosis, on the other hand, is a motif generally consigned to fantasy or speculative literature… These two figurative manifestations of the death-rebirth trope are rarely combined; however, Carlo Collodi’s great fantasy-epic, The Adventures of Pinocchio, is a work in which a hero experiences symbolic death and rebirth through both infernal descent and metamorphosis”. We as the player also experience this Belly of the Whale stage in Final Fantasy XVI, when our heroes Clive Rosfield and Jill Warwick confront the Dominant of Darkness Barnabas Tharmr on the seafloor of the sundered Naldia Narrow, appropriately labeled as the Abyss, whereby Clive is soundly defeated by Barnabas for a second time. Fleeing their assailant, Clive and Jill consummate their love for one another on the shore of Ash, with Clive acquiring a portion of the Eikon Shiva’s powers from Jill so that he may finally triumph over Barnabas in a battle of physical prowess and ideals; proving to the false prophet and his God that compassion and the desire for freedom will always overcome any adversity.
With all this talk of whales, I should mention that from the descriptions as given in the Book of Job, Behemoth sounds to resemble that of a large ox or hippopotamus, while Leviathan is suggested as being similar to that of the tanninim) or “great whales” mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible. In fact, Islamic folklore has its own variant of this terrestrial and aquatic duo, that being the large bull Kujata and the even larger whale Bahamut; as outlined by the medieval cosmographer Zakariya al-Qazwini in his seminal work “The Wonders of Creation”. Even though I am going to hazard a guess that the name of the Kuza Beast), a variant of the Behemoth enemy in several Final Fantasy games, is named after Kujata; it is quite obvious on the other hand that the draconic Eikon Bahamut borrows its name from the Islamic whale of the same name as well as the dragon god Bahamut) from the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. While the Book of Job describes Leviathan as being a whale or even a crocodile as suggested by a footnote in the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, verse 27:1 in the Book of Isaiah instead equates Leviathan to a sea serpent or dragon, with the Book of Job description also making it a point to mention Leviathan’s fearsome fiery breath. Given its status as a tutelary god for the Japanese-inspired nation of Wutai in Final Fantasy VII, it could be argued that Leviathan in the Final Fantasy series also shares similarities with Eastern dragons, such as the Chinese Lóng or Japanese Ryū; beneficent, serpentine deities of water and rain.
It is presumed that the figure and name of Leviathan actually originates from the older Canaanite sea monster Lôtān, whose name in the Ugaritic language meant “coiled” and was given the epithets “the fugitive serpent” or “the wriggling serpent”. In the first two tablets of the fragmentary Ugaritic Baal Cycle text, the storm god Baal (Lord) Hadad engages in a feud with the deification of the sea Yammu) to succeed their father El) as the ruler of the gods. At some point in this first chapter of the Baal Cycle, Hadad strikes down the seven-headed serpent Lôtān, who given the missing pieces of the text, could either be a servant of or another name for Yammu, with it also being believed that the monster was a zoomorphic representation of the Lebanese Litani River. Why I bring this up is to illustrate that Hadad’s defeat of Lôtān is but one example of the Chaoskampf mytheme, a pattern found in numerous Indo-European mythologies whereby a younger storm god or culture hero representing order and human civilization slays an ancient serpent or dragon associated with water that represents primordial chaos); perhaps a sentiment held by early agricultural riverine civilizations wishing to triumph over the constant and often devastating threat of floods.
One of the oldest examples of this mytheme is that of the Mesopotamian god Marduk’s dismemberment of Tiamat. According to the Babylonian Enūma Eliš, in the beginning there existed only Tiamat, the female personification of salt water; and Abzu, the male personification of fresh water. From the union of the two primeval waters sprang forth the first generation of gods called the Anunnaki. One such god, Enki (or Ea) would capture and kill Abzu after he plotted to kill his children due to the commotion they were causing. Enraged by Enki’s actions, Tiamat gave birth to eleven monstrous children to wage war against the gods along with her new consort Kingu, who possessed the Tablet of Destinies); the mark of divine rule. Marduk, the son of Enki, challenged Tiamat and her monsters, eventually slaying his opponents with lightning and storm winds. Defeated, Tiamat’s body was sliced in twain, with the two halves becoming the sky and earth. From an earlier promise made with the Anunnaki and the Igigi (lesser gods) as well as the acquisition of the Tablet of Destinies from the beaten Kingu, Marduk was made king of the gods; later mixing the blood of Kingu with clay to also become the creator of mankind.
Through the lens of the Chaoskampf mytheme, we can start to see connections between Tiamat’s dismemberment, the defeat of the multi-headed Lôtān, and Leviathan form. The non-canonical Book of Enoch actually specifies that the land-dwelling Behemoth is male, while the aquatic Leviathan is female; possibly creating an inadvertent association between Leviathan and the sea goddess and mother of monsters Tiamat. This may also be why Leviathan’s Chronolith Trial is named the Hand of Tethys. While still following the moons of Saturn naming convention, it is very fitting that the trial is also named after the Greek Tethys); wife of the world-encompassing river Oceanus and mother to the male river gods and female water nymphs called the Potamoi and Oceanids, respectively. Furthering the connections to Tiamat and Lôtān, several accounts in the Hebrew Bible describe Yawheh triumphing over the forces of the sea, such as in Isaiah 51:9-10 “Awake, awake, arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength! Awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab) to pieces, who pierced that monster through? Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed may cross over?” and Job 26:12-13 “By his power he churned up the sea; by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces. By his breath the skies became fair; his hand pierced the gliding serpent”. It is believed that Rahab, while occasionally used as a flowery term for Egypt or arrogance, was also a sea serpent either comparable to or synonymous with Leviathan. While Leviathan’s death at the hands of Yahweh in Isaiah 27:1 is viewed as a metaphor for the enemies of Israel who will submit to the Hebrew God, the Chaoskampf and the connection with the Canaanite Lôtān is further shown in verse 74:14 from the Book of Psalms, which says “Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness”; which is where the name of the trophy for beating Leviathan on Final Fantasy mode, Thou Brakest the Head, comes from.
Along with the account of Leviathan’s death in Psalms 74:12, several other Jewish sources, such as the Second Book of Esdras 6:47-52, the Apocalypse of Baruch 29:4, and the Bava Batra tractate in the Talmud state that Yahweh will slay Leviathan and Behemoth so that their flesh shall be given as food and shelter to the righteous during the End of Days and the Messianic Age. This may explain why the Behemoth King in FFXVI has several attacks referencing Christian eschatology from the Book of Revelation, such as the Four Horsemen; personifications of War, Conquest, Famine, and Death that herald the Last Judgment; and the Apocalypse, another term for a revelation which has since become synonymous with a cataclysmic end-time event, like the battle at Armageddon for instance. Leviathan and Behemoth’s statuses as eventual sacrifices is very similar to the role that Leviathan and its Dominant unfortunately play in Final Fantasy XVI.
Both DLCs, the Echoes of the Fallen and the Rising Tide, deal with themes of rectifying the sins of the past; whereby the Fallen and the Motes of Water engaged in questionable behavior in an attempt to create their own Mothercrystals to disastrous effect. The Motes of Water, a central focus of the Rising Tide, are a tribe originating from the southern coast of the continent of Ash and hosts to the Dominants of the Eikon Leviathan. After the loss of their Mothercrystal Drake’s Horn, the tribe migrated across the twin continent of Storm; where they were mercilessly persecuted by several groups, particularly the Greagorian faithful of the burgeoning Holy Empire of Sanbreque, causing the tribe and their Eikon to become “lost” to history. Due to their nomadic nature as well as Sanbreque’s similarities with the Roman and Holy Roman Empires, one could say that the Motes of Water mirror the Jewish Diaspora (exile) and transformation of the faith after the Roman Empire’s siege on Jerusalem) and the destruction of the Second Temple during the First Jewish-Roman War; or perhaps one could say the tribe is treated in a similar fashion to the oft demonized itinerant Romani people of eastern Europe. Either way, the Motes of Water are meant to represent the “Other”; ostracized outsiders to the customs of Storm who hid themselves away from the rest of the world to avoid further religious persecution.
After finding sanctuary in the northern territory of Mysidia, the Motes of Water tried to create for themselves a new Mothercrystal to replace the Northern Territories’ own shattered Mothercrystal called Drake’s Eye. The story of the Motes of Water is one of loss and a constant fight to carve out a place in the world to call their own, so it is no surprise then that they wished to regain something taken away from them so many years ago. However, the tribe would engage in a terrible act, enraging their Eikon Leviathan that laid dormant within the infant Dominant Waljas, and freeze both the baby and the Eikon in time to essentially act as an aether battery. Unsuccessful in turning Waljas into the heart of a Mothercrystal, all the tribe achieved was robbing the poor baby of its life and autonomy, imprisoning the Dominant and the tidal wave it summoned in that moment where the tribe’s greatest sin occurred for 80 years.
This frozen tsunami, dubbed the Surge, is not only a monument to the tribe’s greatest shame, but is also a constant looming threat over the tribe’s village of Haven; a reminder to never again engage in such a transgression, lest they be met with watery doom. This mirrors not only Jonah preaching to the Ninevites to change their ways, but also God’s warnings against individuals sacrificing children to Moloch in the Book of Leviticus 20:2-5. In fact, as ProfNoctis suggests in his video “Final Fantasy XVI Lecture Stream: The Mythos of Leviathan Part 2”; Leviathan and the Surge are symbols of human and divine regret, with Ultima, the creator of mankind and the Mothercrystals, referring to Leviathan as its “most profaned fragment”; due to the Eikon being rested from its creator’s control and the act of creating a man-made Mothercrystal being a repeat of the Fallen’s blasphemous attempts at attaining godhood during the War of the Magi and the Sins of Dzemekys, flagrant displays of mankind’s development of free will which is anathema to Ultima’s collective identity.
As a symbol of divine regret, the Surge could be seen as a parallel to the Flood from the Book of Genesis. Deluge or flood myths are motifs that can often be found amongst cultures residing near the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and Persian Gulf such as Egypt, Greece, and Israel; with these stories usually recounting a tale in which a deity or deities summon a world-wide flood as a form of divine retribution. One of the earliest examples is the Mesopotamian Epic of Atra-Hasis, in which mankind was created by the gods to act as servants and laborers. However, due to overpopulation, the storm god Enlil seeks to reduce their numbers by bringing forth a great flood. Enki, seen as a benefactor of mankind, warns the human Atra-Hasis about the flood, telling him to build a boat to protect himself, his family, and his livestock from the deluge. After seven days, the waters recede and Enki and Enlil agree on other means of maintaining the human population. This story is also thought to have been later adapted in Tablet XI of the Epic of Gilgamesh, where the survivor of the flood is renamed Utnapishtim; though both the Atra-Hasis and Gilgamesh flood accounts seem to originate from an even older source called the Eridu Genesis. Similarly, the Greeks also had a deluge myth, as outlined in the Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses, where Deucalion, the human son of the divine Prometheus, is warned by his father to build a chest for himself and his wife Pyrrha to escape a gigantic flood that the storm god Zeus plans to bring forth as a response to the insufficient offering given to him by Lycaon), the king of Arcadia); with the pair washing up on Mount Parnassus nine days after the storm.
There are several theories, such as the Black Sea Deluge Hypothesis, that propose that the ancient Middle East did indeed experience a large flood at some point in the very distant past. Given that flood myths are thus believed to have originated from Mesopotamia, it should come as no surprise that the Hebrew flood narrative bears similarities to the previously discussed deluge myths as well. According to chapters 6-9 in the Book of Genesis, God grows increasingly distraught over the wicked nature of the humans descended from Adam and Eve and their inadvertent creation of sin, and so decides to reset creation to a state of watery chaos. God warns one of the few moral men, the Antediluvian patriarch named Noah, about His plan to flood the world and instructs him to build an ark to house himself, his family, and two of each animal to be the first creatures to inhabit the new world. After the firmament breaks forth and floods the world for 40 days, Noah’s Ark washes up on Mount Ararat. Noah then builds an altar, with God forming a covenant with Noah whereby He declares to never again summon a flood to devastate the world. As Genesis 9:9-17 states, this promise between Noah and God is commemorated by the rainbow, a symbol of peace; which as ProfNoctis points out, also appears once Clive saves Waljas.
Through a certain perspective, the Flood could be seen as a sort of baptism, a spiritual cleansing of the world through physical water. Baptism is considered one of the 7 sacraments of the Christian Catholic denomination; a rite of initiation whereby the individual joining the faith is either submerged in or sprinkled with water three times, representing the purification of sin and the grace given by the Holy Trinity. This is not unlike the Rite of Immersion that the infant Waljas is granted at the conclusion of the Rising Tide DLC; a ceremony for all babies born into the Motes of Water in which the initiate is sprinkled with mountainous rain water from Maiden’s March, river water from Riversmeet, and sea water from Tailwind Bay. The water used in this rite is used as a metaphor for life’s journey, likened by the tribe to that of a river, with this revealing that the Motes of Water hold a very cyclical view of life in a similar fashion to the Buddhist beliefs in reincarnation or the Lifestream from Final Fantasy VII. As the descriptions for the 3 kinds of water used in the ceremony state; “The rain that falls upon the mountains of Mysidia emerges in the springs of Maiden’s March. Thus the water collected from said springs represents birth-the fountainhead from which the river of life begins”, “In the Riversmeet valley, several tributaries merge into a single stream, where clear currents and roiling eddies swim side by side. Its water represents life-a course complete with myriad meanderings, yet one that runs inexorably from source to sea”, and “The Mysidian river empties into the ocean amid the shallows of Tailwind Bay, and thus its water represents death-the stillness that lies beyond the end of the river of life, and from whence the raindrops are born anew”. In fact, the symbol for the village of Haven is meant to be the combination of Leviathan’s scales and the river called the Ceaseless Rill, “...the circle of life that has neither beginning nor end”, not unlike the serpentine symbol of the Ouroboros. I would thus argue that not only does Leviathan represent regret and retribution, but also the chaotic journey of life.
If it’s not already apparent, I find Leviathan to be very interesting. I want to thank you all for sticking around and reading the whole thing, as I know this was a lot. If you would like to check out some more information about Leviathan, I would recommend checking out the videos “Leviathan of Final Fantasy VS the Leviathan of the Bible - FF16 The Rising Tide” by Country Kratos and “A Brief History of Final Fantasy Summons Final Fantasy Lore” by Alleyway Jack.
With the conclusion of both DLCs, Clive and by extension the player, is granted one additional Eikonic power. As such, I am actually going to do one more essay, which I will post next week. I hope you look forward to it and thank you again for reading this. Have a fantastic day!
​

Been meaning to share about this for a bit oops and hopefully this is flair is okay lol I currently have my own website where I share a bunch of different things and I created a page dedicated to my little space. I'm saving a bunch of resources like links to watch old kids shows and coloring pages/activity pages to download. You can find the page here!
If you'd like me to look for coloring/activity pages of a specific fandom/theme let me know and I will see if I can find any to add to the website! :3

(In case it wasn't clear, X-Mon is a play on X-Men and Pokemon, though it isn't actually an X-Men crossover)
Interactive Link: https://interactivewormcyoav6.neocities.org/XMON/XMON
Art Sources/Artist Credits: https://interactivewormcyoav6.neocities.org/XMON/XMON%20Credits.txt
Hi,
Synopsis: You're sent to a Pokemon World, but you have Pokemon themed superpowers / powers that would be useful in a Pokemon world.
This is the normal download, which you can play on intcyoacreator and can edit.
Download: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HEf1csv-Z56c9r8wFvagSnOJ-GdBVKfZ/view?usp=drive_link
This is an offline version you can play without internet access.
Download Offline Player: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wZ-KT4Iwq0PeGYQwffhc2VPr736EDH9S/view?usp=drive_link
Credits: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pv895NKaDbj1da9L9jkjoQvvzuwxttos/view?usp=drive_link
Link to site with all my CYOAs linked: https://interactivewormcyoav6.neocities.org/
My Discord: https://discord.gg/Nvadzvn39e
Future Releases [Note: All dates may be changed.]

1. Interactive RWBY CYOA V1.3: Canceled
2. Interactive Fate/Outer Worlds CYOA: This summer, hopefully
3. Terraria CYOA: I want to work on this one, but it'll be quite a while before I continue it, I think
4. One Piece CYOA: Dropped, picked up by a few other creators
5. Starborn Path: This summer, hopefully
6. Team Builder CYOA: Canceled
7. Link Between Worlds: Not a Legend of Zelda CYOA btw. This CYOA would be about having a video game that is connected to the actual world it depicts. So if you're playing Plague Inc., you're actually controlling a plague in an actual world, and if you're playing Mario you're actually saving a princess (while killing countless goombas). Warning: Playing games with dimensional travelling/multi-dimensional beings is a double-edged sword. Sure, you could get magic and stuff, but Cthulhu will also be able to break into your reality.
   1. Don't know
8. Suzerain CYOA: This summer

If you notice any bugs, or have any feedback, please message me!
If any of you are having trouble playing this, either go onto my CYOA Discord: https://discord.gg/Nvadzvn39e and ask for help there, go see this public post on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/61700564, or put a comment below.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PixelGMS?fan_landing=true
As a Patreon, you get different perks depending on your tier.
Donator ($4): You get access to my finished CYOAs a week early and can commission CYOAs from me. You will still be charged separately for commissions.
Player ($8): You get access to in-development versions of my CYOAs, specifically my last in-development version of a CYOA before I stop working on the CYOA for the day. Additionally, you get access to my finished CYOAs a week early, and can commission CYOAs from me. You will still be charged separately for commissions.
Commissions: Commissions will generally cost $15/hour I work on the CYOA. This includes non-preemptive research time. AKA if I'm looking it up while working on the CYOA, it's included, if it's reading a manga or something before starting, it isn't. If I need to read a million words as research though, I'm just gonna refuse the commission. Note: I'm not accepting commissions at this time

Mac and Linux are officially released!
After a long wait, a lot of testing, and a lot of bullshit from compiling, we now have fully working MacOS and Linux builds which contain all the same features as Windows.
With Updaters for each OS to follow suit with a little public testing needed, Cheddlatron will be and will remain fully functional on each of the three OS versions, so that all users can enjoy the premium features of Cheddlatron, completely free.
Officially downloadable from https://cheddlatron.com/ just click on the download button and you'll be taken to the download for each Version.
As well as our Discord Server for Community Channels, Custom Scripts, Themes, and Support!
Thanks to everyone on the subreddit who has already given us so much support with the bot!

Hello, I created an app to randomly select the start players for our board game sessions. It's in a fantasy theme and supports up to 8 players. It's free and without ads, so totally free.
This is currently a closed alpha (needed for Google Play)
You can join the testers group on Google groups: https://groups.google.com/g/player-picker-test-group
After joining the group you can download the app in the Google app store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.enchantedlabs.playerpicker
Hope that does not count as ad. It's only a free helpful tool for board game players. Feel free to share any feedback you have!

Hello, I created an app for android to randomly select the start players for our board game sessions, especially hero realms. It's in a fantasy theme and supports up to 8 players. It's free and without ads, so totally free.
This is currently a closed alpha (needed for Google Play)
You can join the testers group on Google groups: https://groups.google.com/g/player-picker-test-group
After joining the group you can download the app in the Google app store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.enchantedlabs.playerpicker
Hope that does not count as ad. It's only a free helpful tool for board game players. Feel free to share any feedback you have!

DextyMat Theme For Windows 11
Download Here: https://cleodesktop.com/dextymat-theme-for-windows-11/

Looking for input / testers

This is my FIRST game ever. To "date" myself ATARI2600 was my ONLY game system for years!! Therefor I am not as well versed in game creation as some people :) . I have been told I am creative however :) .. This game is a bit BASIC, I get that.. I am learning as I go .. Sooooooo.................
OK guys.. here is a discription...
Join Tommy in a DnD enspired world on his quest to escape through the 9 hells. In this game, you'll awaken as Tommy, a quirky character born from someone's imagination. Your mission is to uncover his lost memories and piece together the puzzle of his mind. You'll find yourself in the abyss without any clear reason why, encountering fascinating and often bizarre characters along the way. Be cautious with your decisions—they will have significant consequences! Will you work with or battle against the current rulers of the 9 planes of Hell? You will make , and live with, your choices..
Please note that this game is in early testing and may contain various glitches, including spelling and grammar errors. Additionally, the game features mature themes such as sexual content and drug use, making it unsuitable for all audiences. However, it is designed to explore addiction and the reasons behind people's choices.
At times the game boasts a sense of humor reminiscent of South Park and Beavis and Butt-Head. This is my first attempt at creating a game, and I welcome testers and feedback!
Download a copy here !!
https://rockstar73nc.itch.io/tommy-goes-to-hell-testing-demo
or check out a QUICK SAMPLE!
https://youtu.be/Q7X50OXp0N8
THANKS ALL!
NOTE the game as of now took between 2-4 hours in local testing (My kids played all the way though it ) To get the full vibe of the game , (and be the most helpful comments) it is recomeded to play all the way through if possible. Save games are enabled so that it can be done over multiple sessions. I realize it takes time from other projects. I have some offers at the end for people who do play through fully and I'll offer to test other peoples games if they test this one.. NOTE : Im not good at games but I'll try :) ,, We used MZ if that matters :)

Hey guys i just downloaded bannerlord again after a long while as i noticed there are some videos of multiple mods in different themes like medieval set ancient set, i'm asking is there an actual modlist that i can follow specifically or do i still have to navigate between each mods PS: everytime i do this i get crashes thats why i'm asking for a legit modlist ty everyone for any suggestion

I have a "new" 3ds xl, and have had it since being a small child. Don't know why they called the "new" series that, but it's got the little right joystick nob thingy. I had A LOT of data on it, including smash bros, loz ocorina of time and Majora's mask. I also had a Majora's mask theme for the homepage, as well as a whole bunch of street pass. All of this info was on my micro SD card. The Nintendo network id on the 3ds was from the previous owner, whom I never knew as I bought it at a garage sale. Today I took the micro SD out, and factory reset the 3ds to remove the Nintendo network id, because I didn't have the password or any means to obtain it. When I set the console back up after the reset, I put the micro SD back in, but the only data from the micro SD that is going back into the 3ds is the photos. I know that the games are on the micro SD, and I figured out the reason they won't go back on is because they were associated with the network id to prove they were purchased by me. I have no way of re-linking the network id to this 3ds and desperately want my games back on it. Is there ANY way I can force the 3ds to download these games back onto it? I am willing to do whatever it takes, even if it requires hacking or modding it.

I've been doing a re-read recently and I was thinking about Naolin and the story of how he died.
There are many theories floating around this sub that Naolin isn't actually dead, and I'm not sure about whether I agree. Brennan never said (as far as I can recall and haven't finished my re-read yet) that Naolin actually died. He said that it cost him "everything." It's this wording that's led some to believe he didn't die. Because 'everything' could mean his humanity, powers, life as he knows it and not necessarily dead.
However, if he didn't die Tairn would have to know his rider isn't dead unless Naolin was able to sever the connection. So, if alive, Tairn most likely knows and is keeping it from Violet OR he doesn't know and Naolin has this knowledge of how to separate from one's dragon or *potentially* that turning venin severs this connection. If Naolin did turn venin and this separated his connection Tairn would know, and therefore more secrets. We already know that Tairn has secrets but I think this is likely going to be some kind of subplot or theme in Onyx Storm given how much Violet's world has been turned upside down by this new knowledge and all the secret-keeping. But, that's beside the point for now.
As for Brennan, we know, or perhaps, assume that he was mended since he didn't die. But, how 'far gone' he was is still unclear. The re-introduction of Jack Barlow gave us some level of confirmation that bringing someone back from the dead/brink of death is possible and it seems like the challenge is more about 'saving the soul.'
There is still a level of uncertainty about Brennan because it's still a possibility that Brennan had to mend himself. Naolin is/was a siphon and we are unclear exactly how that works. There's a post in this forum about siphons and people seem split as to whether a siphon takes 'power' or if they can use the signet they siphon from. Also, how they can redistribute said power because we don't have much info yet.
My current theory is that Brennan mended himself via Naolin giving him powers he's siphoned. Naolin would have to siphon power from somewhere I don't think this would be possible just via his dragon, hence turning venin and channeling from the ground. I think this is the most likely scenario for Brennan being mended given that the only other option is Naolin mending Brenann. The only way that could work would be if Naolin siphoned off powers from a mender. And why would Naolin siphon powers from Brennan only to give them back to Brennan?
This is exactly why I think Naolin is alive. I don't think Brennan could have mended himself in this context without help. The other option is that Brennan channeled directly from the ground to mend himself, which is possible but unlikely given that no one has noticed any of the venin trates?
Brennan won't talk about it but also doesn't seem to know much about venin before he got the book from Tecarus. Brennan has to be playing dumb because he didn't seem to know much about the venin. In any case I think Brennan knows much more than he's saying.
This also has the potential to link back to Jack. Near the end of IF Jack>! kills Baide. To my understanding a dragon can survive the death of their rider BUT a rider doesn't survive the death of their dragon. Jack does. It's one thing for a dragon to die, it's another for a rider to kill their dragon, which is unimaginable given the bond. You wouldn't do that unless you had certainty of what you'r doing (and also being a little unhinged). Jack is clearly in contact with other venin and got his knowledge about surviving the death of his dragon somewhere. Sure, it could be observations from other venin, but what if it was Naolin? It's far more likely (imo) for a dragon rider to pass this along from first hand experience opposed to just an observation. The venin don't really seem like a group who capture people as from what RY has shown us so far that they opt on the side of draining people.!<
An excerpt from chapt 58 (I think) after Xaden tells Jack he's going to die for killing Baide. “That’s the thing,” Barlowe says, his blond hair covering his forehead as he falls forward onto a hand. “I’m not. They have us thinking we’re the inferior species, but did you see how easily I controlled her? How easily the energy she bonded us with is replaced?” His eyes slide shut as his fingers splay on the stone.
His knowledge about the bond between dragons and humans seems like it came directly from someone who experienced it. The other option for this knowledge is Nolon who knew that Jack was venin and gained this knowledge somehow, which is a whole other can of worms. Jack implied there was more than one venin at the school but anyone currently venin at Besgiath would still have their dragon. Hence, why I think the knowledge about surviving the death of one's draon came from Naolin even if Naolin wasn't the one to tell Jack directly.

Comp Bingo is a regular thread on the 1st of the month.
​
Reading is so important to learning how to write well, yet many aspiring writers have trouble finding the time and motivation to read. Well, here's some accountability!
Below, post the book you read last month and what we can learn from it about writing. This book can be fiction or nonfiction, fantasy or another genre, for fun or the bingo (explained below). Let us know what you learned from the book. We might want to read that book and learn that thing too!
If you completed your bingo card, give us the details so you can earn your special flair!
—---------—---------—---------—---------—---------—---------
Fantasywriter’s Comp Bingo
A comparative title (comp) is a published book that is somehow similar to your book. It also must be recently published, in the same genre, and targeted at the same age group. Reading your potential comps will provide ideas on how to nail certain aspects of your story. Stating your comps will help future agents and editors figure out what sorts of people are going to love your book.
Below is a bingo card that shows how to find your comps and encourages you to read them:
​
https://preview.redd.it/oh9mc9hfr8zb1.png?width=1503&format=png&auto=webp&s=cfc2aeb11d80bf4a42d325d3100891cb0770e7ad
To complete the bingo and earn a special flair:

1. Read three books that correspond to three squares in a row (or column or diagonal) or the whole card for an even special-er flair.
2. All comps must be published in the last 5 years - because that's a typical time period used for comps.
3. Other than the publication date, there is no time limit to complete the bingo. Do the bingo card sometime between the brainstorming stage and the querying stage of your novel.
4. Down below, state the books you read, why they're your comps, and their publication date.

Need recommendations on what book fits a particular Comp Bingo Square?

• Fantasy is a good place to learn what's hip nowadays. You can start a recommendation thread if you’re looking for something particular. However, they skew heavily toward adult fantasy, with only a moderate amount of discussion on YA fantasy and almost no discussion on middle-grade fantasy. They can also be an echo chamber for the 7 most popular authors.
• Goodreads.com allows you to browse recent releases. They have lists of books and a bit of code that can link you from one book to other similar books. Here are some lists to get you started:
  • Middle-grade books published in 2023 (has all genres but the fantasy ones are easy to pick out)
  • YA books published in 2023 (has all genres but the fantasy ones are easy to pick out)
  • Most anticipated adult fantasy in 2023
• ChatGPT is decent. Give it a prompt like “Please recommend five books that are 1) adult (or YA or MG), 2) fantasy, 3) published in the last five years, and 4) have themes related to [whatever you’re writing].” It’ll report back with fitting recommendations. However, it can A) be wishy-washy at the border of YA and adult, B) only give well-known titles, and C) take a wrong guess about a book's content based on its blurb and surrounding chatter. All of the above can be solved by a quick trip to Goodreads to confirm.

Feeling too poor to fill out the bingo card?
You can buy used books on Amazon or AbeBooks.com but don't forget about the library! Nowadays, apps like Libby and Hoopla coordinate with libraries to bring free ebooks and audiobooks right to your phone. It’s a huge, free selection of books!
NOTE: I shouldn't have to say this, but please don't pirate books. Publishing houses consider how well an author's previous book sold before publishing their next book. Library sales factor into that equation but pirate downloads don't.
Don't enjoy reading?
You may be reading (and writing) in the wrong subgenre. Fantasy is large, with many different niches. It spans from cynical, stabby Grimdark to optimistic, heroic Noblebright. There are the world-spanning storylines of Epic Fantasy down to the tiny, cutesy storylines of Cozy Fantasy. There are the overly rational subgenres of LitRPG and Science Fantasy, as well as the more artsy New Weird and Fairy Tales. There are also other mediums such as graphic novels, screenplays, DMing, and video game storylines. And if the last good book you read was in grade school, have you considered that you might be partial to middle-grade and YA fantasy, even as an adult?
All these subgenres are drastically different from one another in terms of atmosphere, prose, and plot expectations. Don't assume Grimdark is your chosen subgenre just because that's what all your friends are into. Explore around a bit. You'll know you've hit the right subgenre when you start loving what you're reading.
So explore what people are reading down below and think about which books you should read to up your writing game.

As the title says, I would like someone to design 5 levels of a 2D racing game similar to Hill Climb Racing.
The first level should be a short tutorial on the mechanics and controls, and subsequent levels get harder as usual.
The game has a specific theme (Asia) so each level should encompass some different aspect of that (i.e - city, country, market etc).
I would leave it to you to design mechanics further than the initial gravity and balancing that can be used to ramp up difficulty.
The game is complete as far as the core aspects go, along with graphics and sound outside environmental. This is a hobby project. I am not looking to gain money or millions of downloads. I just want to make a fun game I can submit to Google Play and have my friends and family play.
I would like to pay a flat project fee - but am open to hourly rates or even by level.

Hey all.
I'm just dropping my two cents after trying multiple Linux distros on my ROG Ally.
One of the latest distros I've been using is Bazzite. I love it, but it also drives me up the wall. Issues with VRR not working, frame limit not working, updates locking up the device on reboot, plasma shell crashing for over 2 weeks, etc etc. I love the whole idea of a fedora immutable desktop, with the Steam Deck UI and handheld optimizations on top. I hope it improves and I'm sure it will, but the non stop issues and hoping the next update doesn't cause me more headaches was enough.
Before that I tried ChimeraOS. While it was good and actually worked reliably, it's a little out of date using the 6.6.10 kernel, and a slightly older mesa 23. I dislike GNOME personally, so didn't think too much about the desktop, but the joysticks and buttons on the ROG never worked anyway. So I moved to Bazzite. I also noticed the performance was definitely not as good as Bazzite, probably due to the older kernel and drivers.
Anyway, I downloaded the latest CachyOS ISO they are making for handhelds and it's pretty damn good. It's all the latest stuff, being based on arch. kernel 6.9.3, Mesa 24.1, all the big CPU scheduler and performance optimizations they have done, and it's a nice clean KDE 6.0.5 desktop with the Steam Deck theme. Handheld mode works perfectly. FPS limit works, VRR works, just install Decky Loader and SimpleDeckyTDP as you would on ChimeraOS, and everything is done. I think they are going to release the final build soon, but the latest iso is pretty fricking sweet if you want the latest and greatest, performance tweaked Linux handheld OS that works reliably and is based on Arch.
I think once it's released and people give it a go, it's going to do well.