Body dissection game

Subreddit for the game Among Us by Innersloth.

2019.03.22 19:19 Subreddit for the game Among Us by Innersloth.

Unofficial subreddit for the game Among Us by Innersloth. Play online or over local WiFi with 4-15 players as a Crewmate or an Impostor. Crewmates can win by completing all tasks or discovering and voting the Impostor off the ship. The Impostor can use sabotage to cause chaos, making for easier kills and better alibis. Choose from 5 maps and 1-3 Impostors to better suit your own playstyle!
[link]

2020.08.31 15:54 ccy01 gocommitdiev2

Just like gocommitdie but we do not use a child's game to push our own political agenda or call the governing law forcing body a basterd Sadly even gocommitanarchy has been privated.
[link]

2020.10.03 18:01 Phantomsplit BG3Builds

Subreddit dedicated to the creation, sharing, and helping others with their character or party builds for Baldur's Gate 3 by Larian Studios
[link]

2024.05.21 17:22 Apprehensive-You2769 About the DLC's story...

So, from what we can see in the trailer, Marika created the Golden Order and Shadow (which seems to be something tangible like Grace in the base game?) from betrayal. This betrayal caused a war between the Golden Order and Messmer. Because of this war Miquella decided to abandon his body and now it's our task to find him.
Now this arises a bunch of questions. When did this war occur? Before the events of the base game or at the same time? If it occurred before the game, why did Miquella abandon his body over something that presumably happended before he was born? And what purpose did Miquella seek to achieve by leaving his body behind? What do the other demigods have to do with this whole affair? Because they must be involved somehow, since Mogh kidnapped Miquella and we need to kill Radahn to enter the DLC.
I would love to hear your theories!
submitted by Apprehensive-You2769 to Eldenring [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 17:20 Ethereal_Fade Where Stars and Smiles Align – GRANDMA's Gathering!

Welcome to GRANDMA

"Generally Regarded As Not Doing Much Anyway"

🚀 Navigate the Cosmos with GRANDMA: The Relaxed Frontier!

Is your soul whispering for an escape into the vast, velvety sky? Wish to meander among the celestial bodies at your leisure? Heed the call of GRANDMA! We're a motley crew of stargazers, peaceful peddlers, and intermittent adventurers, finding joy in the gentle float through the astral sea, relishing the slow dance amidst the constellations.

What GRANDMA Offers:

Who GRANDMA Is Looking For:

Why Choose GRANDMA?

Selecting GRANDMA means choosing a life where the cosmos is your backyard, and the stars are old friends. It's where tranquility meets camaraderie, and the only thing serious is our commitment to taking it easy. We’re a band of merry spacefarers, where the only gravity we acknowledge pulls us together in unity and fun.

🌌 Drift Into Our Orbit Today!

Chart a course for leisure with GRANDMA. Explore at your leisure, engage when you want, and become part of a story where the only rush is the one you decide to create.

Contact Us:

Fact of the Day: The Reclaimer, a salvage ship, is about the size of a large shopping mall, providing ample room for scrap processing.
submitted by Ethereal_Fade to Starcitizen_guilds [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 17:19 JennyTheSheWolf Why is this world so cruel? RIP Oedon Chapel Dweller

I've been trying to play this game off and on for years and I was really struggling with the combat. I've finally gotten the hang of it this time around and I was starting to feel really good about the game. It's become fun instead of a chore.
One of my favorite things in the game so far has been the Oedon Chapel and the npc there. He was so precious and kind. And it's interesting that his body has taken on beast form but his sanity and caring remained. I looked forward to seeing him every time I popped in there and it's been my go to "safe place" to send people.
Imagine my shock and horror when I go to the chapel and see my little buddy missing with nothing but a blood stain left behind. Apparently, the guy that I sent there from the Forbidden Forest must have killed him. I should've sent him to the damn clinic instead.
My heart is absolutely broken. I knew Yarnham was cruel but I didn't know it was this cruel. I was tempted to start over but this is the farthest I've ever gotten in the game so I decided to keep going. Now, every beast I slay is in the name of my slaughtered little buddy. RIP 💔
submitted by JennyTheSheWolf to bloodborne [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 17:18 fabmol I created the Functional Tennis Saber - AMA

Hi
I’m Fabio, 43, born in Ireland to Italian parents, I’ve played tennis since I was 9 and founded Functional Tennis.
Functional Tennis is:
A quick bit on my background.
Functional Tennis has combined my love of Tennis, E-commerce and interaction with people. Plus it’s allowed me to work with brands I dreamed of as a young tennis player!!
I’m here to answer any questions you may have!!
Fabio
submitted by fabmol to 10s [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 17:14 Charming-Love-4874 Osana (Rival) is trashy boring now.

I get it... As the FIRST Rival, Osana is meant to be the easiest rival of the game (Besides Kaguya). But after playing a bit of Yandere Sim (A video I posted of me speedrunning Amai), I forgot to mention Osana, whose week now is boring.
How is it that Chalice-Dev made Osana a challenging rival at first, but then makes her week feel boring and rubbish to play? It sucks honestly. The students aren't chatting anywhere, making Osana feel too easy to eliminate now. Just: Lure Raibaru away, Attack Osana, done. Thanks to the new Challenge thing, you make Raibaru just... try to apprehend you, only to fail doing so since CHANCES are you'll have PE 1 thanks to the gaming club (or martial arts club).
And I know some may say: "Why not hide the body??" Because there's no reason to hide it at this point in time. Eliminating Osana has no side effects besides a Security Camera in a confusing location (The entrance of the school), Making Raibaru... cry at the tree they chatted at, and I guess make Senpai depresso, but aside from those NO POINT! So what was the point in adding "consequences" if it's considered useless?
That's not to also mention the scripted events that make you unable to talk to Osana or Raibaru. Compare it to 1980s mode (Yknow. The SIDE mode) and Kaguya has like 2-3 scripted events PER DAY. Osana has scripted events back to back and makes it unavailable to talk to her until she can SHUT UP. Even after the beginning conversation(s), she still has scripted events, making it UNAVAILABLE to talk to Osana past 7:30. This makes it so you have a VERY small window to talk to Osana, and do what you needed to do.
The Elimination methods are... Ok. Pool is the most tedious, having to lure 6 whole girls away from Osana via scripted events or a VERY specific way that overall feels like a drag. Fan is my personal favorite as it ACTUALLY provides planning. You have to take into consideration on what you gotta do: "Are you going to get the raincoat? What tools are you gonna use? How are you gonna dispose the body?" It's little stuff like that which makes me love the Elimination. Befriend/Betray is also alright, not too much to mention other than the alt path system.
Overall, Osana got a severe downgrade as a rival, and overall feels boring to eliminate, even if she's meant to be the first. Just because she's the first, doesn't mean she CAN'T be fun to eliminate (Moeko was FAR better imo).
submitted by Charming-Love-4874 to Osana [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 17:12 ASpookyDog A Mega Man Retrospective - Mega Man Zero 3

Hi there!
We're nearly done with the Zero series now. After the next post, these updates may slow down a bit, as it seems the ZX games are a lot longer, being full-on Metroidvania style titles. We'll see.
In the meantime, here's my retrospective on Zero 3, a game that honestly blew me away a little!

Mega Man Zero 3
I was told, repeatedly, that this was the Zero game. Since starting this series, it’s been hyped up to me to an extent that I was worried it couldn’t possibly live up to expectations.
I am thrilled to report that those worries were unfounded.
Mega Man Zero 3 is the culmination of everything that’s been good about the Zero series up to now, with almost none of the drawbacks. The Elf system has been updated to allow you to use up to two of the little guys without tanking your rank, creating a risk/reward customization system that lets you play as you like. Do you want more health? More firepower? A larger combo? Some free health pickups? It’s up to you. The game also introduces a sort of “easy mode” path for beginners in the form of Cyber Space, a version of each level that activates every Elf you’ve collected and has enemies drop tons of health at the cost of rank.
You can now obtain various parts for your body as you defeat bosses, which unlock everything from the ability to auto-charge, double-jump, and more. You can mix and match these upgrades as you see fit. EX Skills are still rough to get on your first playthrough, but I’ve grown on the system a bit. This game does have Elves that will boost you to A-rank for free in a level, and I decided to use them to get a few of the abilities. I can sorta see why they’re locked behind good play—a few of them are, quite frankly, game-bustingly good.
Gameplay-wise, the game is as smooth as ever. There are more bosses this time around, and each one is a blast to fight. The level design is fantastic, and they’ve even introduced a mechanic that pans the camera to make navigating certain hazards easier on the GBA’s tiny screen. I will say that I started a NG+ run and intend to go back and finish it, as this game scratches the itch that games like Metroid: Zero Mission have left in me (that being the need to replay and tear through the game as fast as possible, and—in this case—maximize my rank).
But what I really want to talk about here is the story.
Mega Man Zero 3 takes the narrative structure of Zero 1 and 2 and cranks it up to 11. We have a new stand-in for Dr. Wily, whose character basically amounts to “What if Dr. Wily were like… y’know, a villain? With actual cunning, and the ability to outsmart the good guys with a sinister edge that makes him threatening?” The story is a bit simple, but that doesn’t make it any less effective. You’ll see alliances tested, our heroes brought to their lowest, and a classic overarching theme of hope prevailing over it all. There are some twists and turns, especially by the end, that had me hootin’ and hollerin’. I wouldn’t dare spoil those here. But to those in the know: yes, the last fight is incredible. The ending pays off in a way that feels extremely satisfying.
For me to sit here and sing praises for the storyline in a Mega Man game is not something I expected to do when starting this series. I kinda want to write a full-on review for it, but I suspect I have nothing new to bring to the table that hasn’t been discussed to death by now.
This may be a knee-jerk reaction, and I’d like to sit with it a bit (and finish Zero 4 and the ZX games) before really solidifying this opinion, but for now? I think I can safely say that Zero 3 is peak Mega Man. The game design is as good as it’s ever been, and the story really took me by surprise. I cannot imagine it going any higher from here, but I’d love to be proven wrong.
10/10

Classic Series 1-4 Classic Series 5-6 Classic Series 7-8 Classic Series 9-10
Mega Man X Mega Man X2 Mega Man X3 Mega Man X4
Mega Man X5 Mega Man X6 Mega Man X7 Mega Man X8
Mega Man Zero Mega Man Zero 2
submitted by ASpookyDog to Megaman [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 17:08 Symgaria (SELLING) Home Alone, Logan, Pulp Fiction, Smokey & the Bandit, The Batman, Big Lebowski, Wolf of Wall Street, & about 50 other movie codes 4K/HD/SD list

(SELLING) Accepting Paypal F&F and Cashapp. No reward points unless specified otherwise. ​

4K Movies

HD Movies

SD Movies

submitted by Symgaria to DigitalCodeSELL [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 17:06 random_koala777 The Seeds Cultivated by Time – A theory about Cryo

I was doing some digging around about the meaning of Cryo and it’s “ideal”, and stumbled across a few interesting connections. I am not sure if anyone else has found these connections already (from a quick check) – I tend to only hop on here when I have a crazy theory I want to share. Hopefully I am not rehashing something that's already been covered!
The main theory is that the power of Cryo, like Anemo, is related to Time.
To be more specific, I think Cryo may be the power that creates the "Seeds" that are carried by "the winds of time".
I came across this idea when trying to look into the "ideal" of Cryo.
From what we have seen in the game, all elements are tied to an “ideal”, and each “ideal” is tied to a deeper meaning connected to the world itself. To give some brief examples:
From what we know, it seems like the Cryo Archon’s ideal is likely to have been “Love”. So what deeper meaning does “Love” mean and how does it relate to ice or “Cryo”?
And then from there I kind of spiralled!
The main theory here is explained in the first two sections, and the rest of the sections I try and use this theory to explain other mysteries in the game. Those sections might be heavier in speculation.
The Meaning of Cryo
While I'm not sure I have a concrete “meaning” or understanding of Cryo yet, I came across a few interesting themes surrounding the Cryo Element:
To summarise, there seems to be themes of protection(perhaps preservation?),family, and vulnerability.
Thematically I can see the ties between these – we love our family(typically) and want to protect them, and the things we protect can be seen as our vulnerability(and/or, we protect things that are vulnerable).
So "love" inspires us to "protect".
Love and it's connection to "protection" is an important part of this theory.
Cryo and Time
There are a few instances in descriptions where both ice/snow/Cryo and time are mentioned together.
Furthermore:
So overall, there seems to be a lot of talk about “freezing time”, and it seems like freezing a living organism can preserve them in a way that doesn't kill them (like in real life).
We have seen how Cryo might be related to the idea of “protection” as well, or perhaps preservation?.
So perhaps we can say that the Cryo element seems to be able to "protect" things from the flow of time?
“Seeds of stories, brought by the wind and cultivated by time. Stories brought on the wind will bloom into legends in due time.” - Sundial in Mondstadt related to the God of Time.
In this quote above, it says that “seeds” are brought by the wind/Anemo.
But what are these “seeds”?
While I can’t say exactly what they are, I think that perhaps these “seeds” are at least partially created through the powers of Cryo.
I came to this conclusion after looking at the themes that surround Cryo: love, protection and vulnerability.
These themes, to me, seem to apply perfectly to the concept or function of “seeds”.
A seed tends to need a protective shell, to shield the “vulnerable” parts within.
A seed waits for the correct conditions to sprout, remaining dormant otherwise.
This dormancy can be seen as being “frozen in time”. A seed is effectively “frozen in time” and won’t sprout until the correct conditions are met. This power of protection from time being related to Cryo may be similiar to how the power of Dendro is related to the power of dreams.
Also, remember that when asked about the Cryo Archon, Venti said that “500 years ago, I knew her well.”?
Sure, they are both Archons, but perhaps they were also close because either 1) they both served the God of Time or 2)Cryo Archon is a god of time (perhaps less likely, though).
So the “seeds” frozen in time and/or protected from time, by Cryo, are then carried by the winds of Anemo, to the correct moments that allow them to sprout.
The Love of the Three Moons
This part gets a little more speculative, but fun!
So the three Moon Sisters are suspected to be possible Gods of Time, and also seemed to rule over the Seelie in some capacity.
Love seems related to the fall of the Seelie – as the Seelie seemed to have been forbidden from falling in love with humans. It was after one of the Seelie married a “traveller from afar” that the Seelie fell – some catastrophe struck as a result, soon after this “marriage”.
With the added context that love possibly means or results in the protection from time – that could explain why falling in love with a human was seen as bad. Abusing your powers to protect a human from time sounds bad, for sure.
And maybe, just maybe, the “love” the Seelie had were finite in some way? Which would explain why they couldn’t dish it out to humans freely. Maybe, they had none of this “protection” left over for themselves after giving it away… leaving them to deteriorate and become the lifeforms we see them in today?
In fact, if this is true, then the Seelie gave their love to a “Traveller from afar” which sounds like it could have been an entity similar to the Traveller. The Traveller is said to be a star themselves.
What’s interesting about that is both the Abyss Sibling and the Travellers are stars, and they are possibly very old. In fact, in the We Will Be Reunited quest, the Abyss Sibling tells the Traveller that “I have more than enough time to wait for you, we’ve always had enough time.”
While this seems to be hinting that they have a lot of time, not necessarily immunity from time, it is interesting when you remember that the book Moonlit Bambo Forest says that the Moon Sisters “shared but one love, the stars of daybreak”.
If love is the protection from time, then it could mean that the twins have gained an immunity from the flow of time. Time does not affect them – as they have received the love of the Moon Sisters, who are possibly Gods of Time.
Khaenri’ah, Dainsleif and the Inteyvat
While the pure-blooded Khaenri’ahns are cursed with Immortality, they still seem to be under the effects of time. They don’t seem to be immune.
They seem to still be undergoing some sort of decay – whether it be their memories, mental state, or decaying “from within” (As Chlothar speculates).
HOWEVER – remember how Dainsleif said that he was able to resist the effects of his curse due to the presence of “it”? It was somewhere in the Chasm questline, where he was unsure how the Black Serpent Knights were able to retain some of their humanity without “it”.
Perhaps Dainsleif has also received the “love” of a Seelie/Moon SisteTime god (or whatever the Cryo Archon actually is)?
In fact, now I am wondering if this is also related to the Inteyvat flower, which would harden when In Teyvat, and then return to normal when back in Khaenri’ah.
Khaenri’ah might be located somewhere in the Abyss, and the Abyss seems to have a strange flow of time, after all.
So it might not be too far of a stretch that the Inteyvat flowers are also “protected from time” with this power of love/Cryo until the flower returns to the correct “time” – Khaenri’ah. Though that would also mean that Khaenri’ah is located in a different place in time – in the future or the past, which would be interesting. But probably not impossible from what we have seen in Ei’s second story quest and the Perilous Trails Chasm quest.
Possible Links between Paimon and the Tsaritsa
So there seems to be possible links between the element of Cryo, love, and protection.
The God of Cryo, who is potentially the God of Love and, by extension, potentially the God of Protection…hm.
Remember the “About Yashiori Island” voice lines?
In those voice lines, Paimon claims to be the “god of protection”.
Sure she seems cheeky about it, and was probably joking, but who knows at this point! She might have remembered something subconsciously or this may just be foreshadowing, etc, etc.
Either way, I started digging around to see if I can find any mythological links in real life.
A few interesting things I found:
I’ve already made a theory previously on this subreddit about the Tsaritsa and the Moon Sisters. So if Paimon is also related to the Seelies and/or Moon Sisters, perhaps these connections between her and the Tsaritsa is not too strange if the theory about Cryo and time are true.
In fact, the goddess Hathor is said to be the Egyptian version of Aphrodite, god of love, and from reading the wikipedia page, Hathor seems very similar to the Goddess of Flowers – who was a Seelie - and the Seelie served the Moon Sisters, who may have been gods of Time.
There isn’t much more for me to say here – I am not saying that Paimon and Tsaritsa are the same person, but just that I find it interesting that there may be some overlaps between the two characters. I can’t say for sure what this overlap means. Maybe Paimon is a fragment of the Tsaritsa, maybe Paimon was a servant of the God of Time along with the Tsaritsa, maybe Paimon is the God of Time and is therefore the Tsaritsa’s boss. Who knows. Just interesting.
Time and the Preservation of Memories
In the Parable of the Lethied Lotus in the Book of Sun and Moon, it says:
"A ship captain searching for the way back to the surface discovered a tribe of people who ate these lotuses. Some crew members stayed in that place. Others rejected that temptation."
In this story, staying where people ate these lotuses is said to be a "temptation". The title of this Parable described the lotuses as "lethied" which is related to the Lethe river of greek mythology, where drinking from it causes you to "forget". In other words, forgetting is a temptation they wanted to avoid.
This is in the same book that mentions the God of Time, and Enkanomiya, where they worshipped the God of Time.
Now, Ganyu, a Cryo character, uses Amos Bow, and the literal translation of this weapon, according to the wiki, is "Determination to Not Forget".
So perhaps this power of "protection" can also protect memories.
Since time causes memories to "fade" (best example, Dainsleif's own faded memory due to his long life) then perhaps this power of time immunity can also be used on memories.
TLDR:
Cryo protects things from time, and those things are then carried by Anemo. Cryo seems to have the ability to freeze things in time (possibly), or in other words, to protect them from the flow of time. The Tsaritsa, as the Cryo Archon, may have a deeper relationship to the God of Time (or she is a god of time – if you think that there are multiple aspects that rule different types of time).
There are also some interesting possible connections between Paimon and the Tsaritsa, which, if they are both related to the god of time, makes sense.
The twins may have also received some sort of protection of time, since they are stars and the Moon sisters loved the stars of daybreak.
Also this might also be related to Dainsleif and his ability to resist his curse somewhat, and Inteyvat flowers.
And this "protection from time" may also be used to preserve more intangible things - like memories.
Discussion/Conclusion
So what does “Love” mean in the world of Teyvat?
In Genshin, the power of Cryo, and therefore the power of love, may be the power to protect things from the flow of time. It protects things from the flow of time, creating a "seed", and that seed stays dormant or "frozen in time" until its the perfect moment for those things to “sprout”.
If true, this calls a lot of things into question.
The Tsaritsa’s plans to possible recreate the world may also link back to this idea of “seeds” – she may blanket the world in snow to make it a “seed” for the next world.
I also think that if this is true, then it is quite poetic that Shneznaya – the land of the Cryo Archon – is the last region in Teyvat we visit (Khaenri’ah probably/possibly not being counted as “in Teyvat” if its located in the Abyss).
Anemo also seems to signify death in some ways (Venti’s Story Quest), and if Cryo is related to the concept of “seeds”, then Cryo represents life or birth.
“Seeds brought on the wind will bloom into legends in due time.”
Anemo is death, and is the wind that carries the seeds, and Cryo is birth, the creation of the seeds.
We started the game in the land of Anemo, of wind, and death – we started our journey in the land of “endings” and, if this theory holds true, then the last place we’ll visit in Teyvat will be the land of Cryo, of ice, seeds, and birth.
We started at the end, and will end at the start.
That is more or less it. I hope you all enjoyed reading my descent into madness! Hopefully not too wordy as I have trouble making things concise and I was getting real tired towards the end of this ha ha. What do you guys think? I would love to hear any thoughts or input, or even corrections if I got some things wrong.
submitted by random_koala777 to Genshin_Lore [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 16:59 CDown01 Eagles Peak Pt.10

Previous Part
The first sound I heard that morning was foot steps outside my tepee.
“Get up! Shaoni wants you all in town.”
The gruff but familiar voice of my driver from three days ago shouted at me. It had to be some sick sense of humor on Shaoni’s part, sending this guy to come get me for things again and again. Honestly, even I was starting to feel bad for him. Bianca stabbed his friend I knocked him off that stage yesterday with one of the war clubs. I speak from experience when I say those things HURT.
“Alright alright, just give me a second to get dressed!”
I yelled back to the man as I rushed to get around inside. At least he had the common courtesy to stay outside. A minute or two later I stepped out to see everyone else gathered around the man. Brooke, Katrina, John, and Robert all stood there, just staring at me.
“Mornin’ sleeping beauty”
Robert finally said after what seemed like forever, nearly choking on laugher at his own joke.
“I thought you were never going to wake up. Did you not hear Shaoni last night? We were supposed to be up 6 sharp.”
He explained after his laughing fit. Apparently I had missed that bit of Shaoni’s whole presentation last night. Katrina grabbed a pair of keys out of her pocket and started walking away.
“Come on, we’ve got to get into town and finish this whole thing.”
She called back to us just a little too eagerly.
“She’s letting us drive? I thought she didn’t want us heading back to town without some kind of supervision.”
I questioned as we all walked toward the same beat up red pickup that had brought me here.
“I guess she decided to make an exception.”
Katrina replied, not even bothering to look at me.
“Besides I don’t think running is much of an option at this point.”
She continued, pointing up towards the sky. A storm was brewing there, a killer one by the looks of it. The odd thing was it didn’t seem to want to break, it was just stuck in that state right before it starts raining cats and dogs. The dark, angry clouds tapered off in the sky the further they got from town, Shaoni’s doing, it had to be.
The five of us would just about fit in the truck, not comfortably but we would fit.
“Oh hell no! I’m not dealing with you up here!”
“Why not?! You know you love it.”
Brooke and Katrina argued as he tried to take the passenger seat next to her.
“No you go in the back or I’m driving us straight into a tree, I can’t put up with you anymore.”
Katrina yelled at Brooke, tensing up and getting ready for a fight.
“Would you guys just knock it off! Just sit in the back Brooke, I’ll take the passenger seat.”
I scolded both of them, I was done with their little arguments, it was starting to get under my skin. An evil grin crossed Brooke’s face as he turned to me
“What’s up with you two? You’ve been all buddy buddy with him since we all beat the shit out of each other with wooden sticks. He didn’t get to you first did he? Hmmmm?”
Brooke prodded with a wink.
Katrina Immediately punched him in the face before I even had a chance to respond.
“Ey that’s a good right hook! Give em’ another one, come on come on!”
A heavily accented voice cut in from below my feet. Rocco had managed to slip in without any of us noticing. When Brooke lay eyes on him he just about jumped straight into the truck bed. Apparently whatever Rocco did to him yesterday had left quite the impression.
“I’m not even gonna ask, just shut up and take a seat.”
Katrina told Rocco, slamming her door shut as I took a seat next to her and Rocco hopped in the back. Robert and John pretty much made themselves flat to their doors as Rocco took a seat in between them in the back. Brooke rode in the bed, shooting nervous glances at Rocco every now and then.
Katrina drove like a bat out of hell through the woods and back into town. I’m not sure if she was in that much of a hurry to get all this over with or if she just hoped her crazy driving would throw Brooke overboard. Given where we were headed and how close we would probably be to Bianca, I can’t say I wasn’t hoping the same thing.
We pulled into the parking lot of the Save-A-Lot I’d gotten groceries from my first day here. The storm over head was raging but oddly enough It still wasn’t raining or anything like that. The wind was picking up and the sky looked absolutely sinister but other than that everything seemed fine in the town.
Before Katrina’s combat boots had even touched the ground she was already giving orders.
“Alright listen up, We’re working as a team this time wether you all like it or not. I want us to split up and see what we can find. Anything out of place, anything that seems suspicious, I want you to make a note of it. We have to figure out who the victim is going to be and who’s doing the killing. We have nothing to go on either so nothing is to small here. Lets all take a look around town and meet back here in two hours. That’s two hours sharp Keith!”
Katrina barked, taking charge of the situation and leveling one quick jab at me before turning on her heels and heading out into the town.
As everyone else hurried off in different directions I took a second to think. If I was looking for someone where would I go? Where in town would I most likely go no matter what? That line of thought is what led me to the front door of the Eagle’s Roost. Cliche I know, but a bar was a good a place as any to start, even if it was 8 in the morning. Maybe someone new had stopped by and Tuck would know something about it.
The door was unlocked as usual so I let myself in, if Tuck didn’t want guests I’m sure he’d lock it.
“Hey, Tuck? You in here?”
I called into the bar as I noticed the usually roaring stone fireplace had fallen silent.
“Tuck’s not here right now sweet heart, but I can take a message if you’d give me a moment.”
“Oh, ok take your time then.”
I answered before realizing the motherly southern voice couldn’t possibly belong to Tuck.
“Wait who are you?!”
I chirped as I rushed up to the bar and peered back into the kitchen where Tuck usually was. In his place was a dark skinned woman that looked a little older than Tuck. She wore a pink checkered shirt under an apron that read, “Kiss the cook”.
“My, I haven’t seen you around. I’m Richelle, Tucker’s wife.”
She answered. Her southern accent was smooth and calm. The exact opposite of Tuck’s brutal hillbilly speak that he tried to hide.
“Did he not mention me? He doesn’t like to introduce me to the new comers, always worrying about me that one.”
“No, I think he mentioned you helped keep this place running when I first met him.”
“He must like you then, most people round here don’t even know he’s married. Anyways what can I help you with sugar?”
Her motherly voice did wonders for my stress. I could see why Tuck married her, with just a few words I’m sure she could set anyone at ease.
“I was wondering if anyone new came into town or passed through here. Maybe someone out of place, something like that? Oh, and where’s Tuck?”
“Well I can help with both those things. There was a man here, got off a bus last night all alone and came right in. I don’t know what it was but I just had a bad feeling about him, made me shiver.”
She gave a little shiver at that, to demonstrate I guess?
“As for Tuck he’s been staying with those scientists and…. and I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone that.”
She explained, a look of embarrassment crossing her face as she finished.
Before I had a chance to respond I heard the door slam open behind me. I swore I heard someone shriek my name. All I saw before someone knocked me over the stool I’d been standing next to was a blur of black hair flying toward me, and bright glowing blue eyes.
Bianca wrapped me in a bear hug on the floor.
“What happened to you, are you hurt, how are you back!?”
She fired questions at me as fast as she could.
“Bianca, crushing my… can you just, ease up a bit.”
I pleaded as she squeezed me harder than a boa constrictor.
“Sorry! I just didn’t think I’d see you…”
She squeaked, trailing off suddenly. A single tear making its way down her face as she blushed slightly and released me. In that moment I realized Bianca, who had stabbed a guy not to long ago for grabbing her hand, just bear hugged me. I’m not sure what I felt about that but at the moment, I was just happy to see her and even happier that she was happy to see me.
“Shaoni let us back into town for the last of the trials. We’re supposed to stop a murder in town.”
“A murder?! Is that what you were asking about? Is that man a murderer? My, what is going on in this town.”
Richelle shrieked, reminding Bianca and I that we weren’t alone in here. I felt the hot blood rush to my face as I looked up to see Bianca blushing as well, even redder than before.
“So, did you end up finding anything out about Shaoni?”
I asked Bianca as we took a seat at the bar, getting straight down to business as Richelle started stress cleaning in the kitchen.
I was a bit surprised by what she said. I never expected Shaoni to be THE Thunderbird or a descendent of them. I was still trying to wrap my head around the whole thing.
“So she went into hiding here then? That cave we stumbled into that was connected to the mines. Was that her… nest?”
I thought out loud, hoping Bianca would have some kind of answer.
“I guess, that’s what Frank and Stein have been calling it too. Speaking of Frank and Stein we should probably go see them. We were planning to break you out today, guess we were a little late on that huh.”
Bianca said, getting up from her seat at the bar. I’m not sure reuniting with Frank, Stein, and the rest of them was the best idea. At the moment I didn’t have a whole lot of other options though. I got up and followed Bianca out the door, heading back to her house to call off their rescue mission.
“Good luck darlin’!”
Richelle called after us, I felt sure we could use all the luck we could get.
“How the hell’d ya get back here son?!”
Tuck asked as soon as Bianca and I walked through the front door. Rocco had already found his way back and had apparently been filling everyone in on what had been happening. Stein was unloading some sort of pistol with a long thin barrel on the kitchen table.
“I’m glad I won’t have to use this at least. It’s been… many years since I’ve had to take this out of storage.”
Stein explained to no one in particular while staring at the gun. No doubt it brought back memories of his time with the German military. Frank walked out of the basement at that moment and nodded to me.
“Glad to have you back Keith.”
He said, clapping a hand on my shoulder.
“It’s great to see you all but I can’t stay too long, I’ve got to go back.”
“WHAT?!”
Everyone yelled in unison, even Rocco.
“It’s the last trial and Shaoni is overseeing it personally. You see that storm outside? That’s all her, if I don’t go back she’ll know and I’m sure there will be consequences. Besides Brooke is here too, I don’t want to give him any reason to go looking for me and bump into Bianca.”
I explained to everyone, not enough to wipe the shock off all their faces but at least Stein seemed to understand. Just the mention of Brookes name made Bianca freeze up. Only for a second but I could see this tension pass over her whole body and her eyes suddenly glowed blue and widened with fear. I was paying so much attention to how she’d react to that name that I almost didn’t feel her reach out and squeeze my hand from her place at my side. She sighed quietly before her eyes returned to normal but she still kept my hand in hers.
“You can’t go back! We only just got you back!”
Bianca protested, but my mind was made up.
“I need to see this through and besides someone’s life is at stake. I should try and stop that at least.”
Bianca couldn’t argue with that, neither could anyone else. I could tell Tuck and her wanted to but they didn’t. All Tuck did was quietly nod his head and grunt. I could tell Bianca was running through every possible argument in her head to try and make me stay but wasn’t coming up with anything. Bianca let go of my hand and asked,
“Can I at least come with you? To help stop the murder I mean.”
She looked into my eyes like a puppy, begging me to say yes.
In any normal circumstance I would’ve given in immediately to that, especially coming from someone who looked like her. This time though, I just couldn’t. I couldn’t take the chance that Brooke would see her and something bad would happen.
“You can’t Bianca, I don’t want anything happening to you especially with… him out there. I think Shaoni offered to help him find you if he showed up for these trials or something like that. Either way I’m pretty sure he’s here for you.”
I told her as gently as I could. I could see her recoil at the idea that Brooke might be here just for her. She was scared, maybe more scared than she’d ever been that there was even a small chance of Brooke getting his hands on her again.
“I… no, no your right.”
I didn’t expect her to give in so easily but it was a welcome surprise.
“I hope you know what yer doin son.”
Tuck told me as I got ready to head back out. Frank and Stein cornered me before I could leave as well.
“Take this.”
Frank said, thrusting what looked like a jury rigged walkie talkie into my hands.
“If you need anything call us on that. We’ll help however we can, and don’t expect us to sit around quietly when you go back. We fully intend get you out still, no reason to let a perfectly good plan go to waste.”
I thanked them for the walkie talkie. I was glad they were still looking out for me even if I doubted they could do much against whatever was to come, it was good to have people in your corner. Bianca was waiting for me when I got to the door.
“At least I get to say goodbye this time.”
She said with a little smirk. She’d been acting different since I got back, much more… personable?
“Yeah I guess so. What’s been up with you? You’ve been acting… different.”
I asked her, a little nervous for some reason.
“You helped me… a lot actually. Your the first person who’s really cared about me in years.”
“That’s not true, look at Frank and Stein.”
I responded, missing the point of what she was saying.
“No, not like that. I mean your a friend, a good friend… no that’s not, ugh.”
She said, shaking her head and looking a little embarrassed. Then she did something I really didn’t expect, she leaned over and kissed me.
“Just… make sure you come back ok? For me.”
She added as she pushed me out the door, starting to turn lobster red. My head was spinning but there was a bug dumb smile on my face, I’m sure of that. Filled with all the confidence that brought me, I headed back to the Save-A-Lot to see what everyone else had turned up on the impending murder.
As I walked back lighting began to crack across the sky. The lightning took all kinds of unnatural shapes. I swore one time it almost looked like a pair of eyes, watching me from the sky.
“Alright everyone, I want reports!”
Katrina shouted like a drill instructor, bring the group of us gathered around the hood of the truck to attention.
“The elderly cashier inside, she was… disquieted. More so than I would expect of someone in this strange town.”
John spoke, saying the first words I’d ever heard from him in a wise sage-like voice.
“I looked around for some kinda police station but this shit hole town doesn’t have one. How the hell am I supposed to report a murder if there’s no police!”
Brooke complained to the crowd.
“So, you accomplished absolutely nothing, I kinda figured that.”
Katrina scoffed at him.
“Yeah there hasn’t been a police station here as long as I remember. We never needed one, everyone either moved on to fast or stuck around and just wanted to be left alone, never caused any problems. Still, it’s a little strange come to think of it, would’ve figured the government would make us have some kind of police.”
Robert informed us before giving his own report.
“I looked around a bit myself, didn’t come across much on account of there not being all that many people to talk to in this town. Those old scientist types in the big white house never answered the door when I knocked and I couldn’t find their daughter.”
To my horror Brooke’s eyes lit up and he was suddenly razor focused on what Robert had to say.
“I did see some guy I’d never seen in town before walking around. Didn’t want to talk much though, he just turned around and walked the other way as soon as he caught sight of me.”
Robert finished with a shrug. Brooke seemed less interested after he heard nothing else about the daughter Robert mentioned. Did he know Robert was taking about Bianca?
“Wait that strange guy, was he wearing an old hat? Some kind of bowler I think, looked really out of place.”
Katrina asked suddenly, her eyes lighting up.
“Yeah now that you mention it I think he did.”
Robert answered after thinking for a second.
“Damn it! He saw me and ran when I was searching around town myself. So next order of business we find that guy. Keith! Did you see anything else?”
Katrina asked, whirling around to face me.
“I stopped by the bar and the bartender there told me someone new came into town a few days ago. Apparently she had a bad feeling about him. Maybe its the same guy you two saw?”
I proposed, pointing to Robert and Katrina. Katrina paced around for a bit, thinking I guess. She finally came to a rest again at the front of the truck, apparently she’d come up with another plan.
“Alright, I want that guy in the bowler hat found so we’re breaking into teams of two.”
“Uh, isn’t there five of us, that won’t work.”
Brooke interjected, earning him a look of pure murder from Katrina.
“Keep that up and I’ll find that raccoon, you can pair up with him!”
She yelled completely over Brooke’s attitude.
“I’ll go alone, Robert, John, you two are together same with you Keith and asshole.”
“I have a name you know!”
Brooke complained, getting yet another look from Katrina. If he kept that up I had a pretty good idea of exactly who the murderer and victim would be.
“Alright alright Jesus lady cool your jets!”
He said, putting his hands up in surrender as Katrina took a threatening step towards him.
A few minutes later Brooke and I had broken off from the other three having all agreed to meet up back at the truck in another hour. Brooke had insisted we go to the bar and search for the guy but I had a feeling there was more to it than that. He proved me right when he ducked into an alley and pushed me up against the side of a building right on main street. Usually that would be instantly seen by someone but here wasn’t like anywhere else. There was no one around to help me out or even see what was going on.
“I know we’re supposed to be looking for a murderer but I’ve got other things in mind. That daughter Robert was talking about, you know something about her don’t you.”
Brooke questioned with a growl, arm against my throat holding me uncomfortably tight against the building.
“Daughter? What are you talking about?”
I choked out, deciding to play dumb. He didn’t like this to much and pushed me even harder against the wall.
“That raccoon mentioned her name the other day when the fuckin thing attacked me and it seems pretty buddy buddy with you! Bianca! ring any bells!”
I felt my face grow red at the mention of her name as I thought back to the way she kissed me at the door. That reaction betrayed me and the beginnings of a twisted smile appeared in Brooke’s eyes.
“Oh yeah, you know her don’t you? Know what she can do to I bet. Did she tell you about me, how she threw away everything I could’ve given her.”
He hissed at me, venom dripping off every word.
“At first I didn’t care but then I heard stories of this whore who could wrap you around her finger like nothing else. She’d do whatever you wanted but you’d also pay whatever she asked, do whatever she asked. Imagine my surprise when I started looking into it and it turned out to be my little escaped bird.”
Brooke continued, grinning like a mad man. He was obsessed with her, it didn’t take a genius to see that. But I was in no position to argue with him, I could barley speak with the pressure on my neck from his arm.
“They called her a succubus, the crazy ones at least. Turns out they were right though, there was something off about her from the first day I met her but I had no idea she was something exotic like that. See I make a habit of collecting things, rare things, and she’s the rarest I’ve ever been able to find. I was so close to having her at one point but she just had to break away. When I met Shaoni late one night researching the supernatural she agreed to look into her for me on one condition. I agree to show up in this town in the ass end of nowhere and participate in some trials for her. Easiest deal I ever made, now I’m this close to getting my hands on her again. Imagine what she could do for me, what I could get with her powers.”
Brooke finished his monologue, finally letting me go.
“Now you’re going to show me where she is and I’m going to get the hell out of here. Get going!”
He shouted at me, drawing a pocket knife from his white suit jacket.
My first reaction was to look around and search for a way out. I couldn’t fight him, that was clear. I really didn’t want to get stabbed either. My eyes darted around trying to find anything that could get me out of this. Then I found exactly what I was looking for on the other side of the street.
Katrina had found the man in the bowler and he was running back toward the Save-A-Lot like Usain Bolt himself.
“Katrina, HELP!”
Brooke whipped his head around, trying to catch sight of her before she did anything. Katrina wasted no time though. She took one look at him, pulled the gun from its holster on her waist, and fired. The crack of the bullet made me run on pure instinct and Brooke dropped to the ground. It hadn’t hit him unfortunately, but it had bought me enough time to run.
“Argh that bitch! I’ll find her myself!”
Brooke shouted before getting back to his feet and running the other direction. The guy Katrina had been chasing used the distraction to make some distance on her. He was nearly to the corner that turned towards the Save-A-Lot. I took off after him as Katrina did the same, ripping the walkie talkie from my pocket as I ran.
“Stein get Bianca out of there! Head out to the mine, maybe there aren’t to many people there now, just get her out of town! Brooke is here and he’s looking for her I’ll meet you once this is all over ok.”
I think Stein said something back but I didn’t catch it. The adrenaline spike of getting shot at and chasing this guy who was likely a soon to be murderer made it hard to hear.
We weren’t as fast as we hoped but we were just fast enough to see the consequences of that. As Katrina and I got into the parking lot the guy was already inside, pointing a gun of his own at the elderly cashier that gave me a hard time about my ID. I made out the movements of her lips just before he pulled the trigger. It looked like she said “Oh, you’re the one she sent then.” Just before he killed her.
I stopped dead when I saw the body drop, I’d never seen someone die before. In Imalone people had died but I’d been knocked out for most of it. Seeing it up close though, it made my stomach drop. I fell to my knees and threw up on the spot, the blood, god the blood splatter behind her it was horrible.
Katrina didn’t stop after the shot, if anything she charged in even faster. The gun was still in her hand and she held it up in front of her, using the weight of the gun to smash through the glass doors with the bottom of the grip. The shards of glass rained down on the murderer who surprisingly, seemed just as stunned as I was by the corpse. Katrina dropped her shoulder and charged into him, hitting him so hard they both fell to the ground. She was back on her feet quick as lighting, flipping the guy over onto his front and putting a knee on his back in between his shoulder blades. Katrina locked his arm behind his back and said something I couldn’t hear. At that point I kinda spaced out. The only other thing I remember before getting in the truck was Katrina leading the man out of the store with his hands zip tied behind him. The few people who were in the store had come out and were starting to pick over the scene as we shot out onto the road back to the mine.
I noticed one of us was missing when we came to a stop.
“Where’s Brooke?”
“I wasn’t waiting for him, not after whatever he pulled in town. He can find his own way back.”
Katrina answered me while pushing the man she’d apprehended out of the truck and toward the entrance to the mine.
“Are you doing ok? You looked a little white on the way out here, like you saw a ghost.”
Robert asked me as we got out and followed behind Katrina.
“Sure sure I just… never saw someone die like that you know.”
I said, never so sure that I wasn’t ok. Robert gave me a knowing nod as we made our way down to the coliseum.
Shaoni and Katrina were waiting for us already. Brooke was there too, beaten and bloody against the wall. It looked like someone had dragged him back here against his will, probably Shaoni if I had to guess.
“I can’t say I’m pleased with what went on in town but in the end you did discover the murderer, even if it was too late. Now it’s time for the second part of this trial. I want to hear your judgements, what should this man’s punishment be?”
Shaoni greeted us, ignoring everything that had gone on before like it didn’t even matter. Something about that made my blood boil.
“Katrina, you first. What should this man’s punishment be?”
“P please.. you said.”
The man muttered before Shaoni slapped him hard across the face.
“You will be silent!”
She ordered, the room suddenly becoming electric with her temper. Katrina stepped up in front of Shaoni and gave her judgment.
“He took a life, he should be killed as well. It’s the only way to be sure he doesn’t do something like that again.”
Shaoni nodded at that and pointed to me.
“You next Keith, what should we do with him?”
I was filled with a rage I’d never felt before as I looked at the whole situation. Shaoni was meant to be a spirt of justice, or so I thought. Yet she let that woman die. Worse still, after what the woman said I believed Shaoni may have arranged the whole thing, murderer, victim, and all. That’s not justice, that’s playing god, using her power and influence to mess with people like pieces on a chessboard and for what? Just so she could “test” a few people who’d caught her eye?
“You deserve punishment Shaoni. That man is innocent, you put him up to it didn’t you? Him, the victim, all of it! It’s all just some kind of game to you isn’t it?! You keep claiming you represent justice but from what I’ve heard you’ve had a problem with that. This is something else though, where is the justice in this Shaoni, where! I don’t pretend to know what you’ve been through over the years Justice, but this isn’t right. If it was up to me this man should be let go so he doesn’t have you whispering in his ear and you should go back to sleep like you had been years ago.”
I shouted at her, not caring what she would do to me. It felt good though, to finally let her have it, especially after all she’d put me through.
I learned Shaoni’s real name from Bianca but hearing it seemed to make her shrink. The second I said it I had her full attention.
“No! You don’t understand Keith! These people were terrible, guilty of their own crimes. I found them both and offered them a deal. Submit to my judgment or do something for me and face the judgment of another. They got their punishments, I’m no monster!”
She roared back, the beginning of tears brimming in her eyes.
“Guilty or not you used them like pawns Justice! None of this is right, there’s no justice in it, no right and wrong. It’s just a game to you! Don’t you see this is wrong!”
I yelled at her again.
“DON’T YOU USE THAT NAME!”
She thundered back.
“Would you prefer Vengeance?!”
I added, shattering her.
The mention of that name brought Shaoni to tears and she lost her temper. She threw her hand out toward the man still zip tied on the ground in an act of anger. The tattoos on her arms glowed with a blue, ghostly light. The energy grew until a bolt of lightning arced from the tattoos, filling the room with the scent of ozone. The bolt hit the man in the head, searing the skin of his face black in an instant as his body went still.
“You don’t understand, all those years, all those mistakes. Do you know what that…!”
Shaoni started to scream to me again, but she was cut off by the sound of vehicles above us and the cracks of gunfire.
I looked around in surprise, still in shock after the brutal death of the murderer in front of me. I saw Katrina holding her own walkie talkie and smiling.
“Looks like my ride is here, time to end this little charade. Keith, I’d suggest running if I where you. Shaoni, I’d say its been fun but you’re the whole reason they sent me out here in the first place. You’ve been way too much trouble but for what its worth, good luck.”
Katrina hissed at the two of us. Robert, John, and I were stunned, even Shaoni herself seemed shocked back to reality by whatever was happening. With her piece said, Katrina turned and walked out of the mine, towards the growing sounds of shouting and gunfire coming from outside.
submitted by CDown01 to AllureStories [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 16:57 Shagrrotten The Greatest Car Chases in Movie History, Ranked

Taken from: https://www.theringer.com/movies/2024/5/21/24161120/greatest-movie-car-chase-scenes-ranked-furiosa-mad-max-saga
In honor of the imminent ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,’ we’re shifting into high gear to determine the best chase scene in cinema history
By Miles Surrey May 21, 2024, 6:30am EDTGetty Images/Ringer illustration
After wowing audiences with Mad Max: Fury Road, director George Miller returns to the franchise’s post-apocalyptic wastelands for Furiosa, the epic origin story of the eponymous heroine (now played by Anya Taylor-Joy), premiering on Friday. As the follow-up to one of the greatest action films ever made, it’s hard to overstate the hype for Furiosa, and that was before word got out about a showstopping 15-minute sequence that required nearly 200 stuntpeople and took 78 days to shoot. While Furiosa will have its own distinct flavor, as is true of every Mad Max movie, there’s one thing that unites these projects: intense, jaw-dropping scenes of vehicular mayhem. And what better way to honor the franchise than by celebrating what it does best?
Ahead of Furiosa’s release, we’ve put together our definitive ranking of the best car chases in cinema. There weren’t any strict rules in place, other than capping the list at 20—mostly for my own sanity—and limiting every franchise to one entry. (Apologies to Fury Road’s kickass predecessor The Road Warrior.) We also won’t discriminate against scenes that feature motorbikes, so long as cars (and/or trucks) remain part of the equation. As for what, exactly, constitutes a good car chase? Like list making, it’s bound to be subjective, but I tend to gravitate toward two key elements: the skill of the stuntwork on display and the ways in which a filmmaker conveys the action in relation to the story. (Also, the less CGI, the better.) Buckle up, ’cause we’re not wasting any time shifting into high gear.

20. Quantum of Solace (2008)

There have been some memorable car chases in the James Bond franchise: the first sequence featuring the iconic Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger, the corkscrew jump in The Man With the Golden Gun, the Lotus Esprit submarine in The Spy Who Loved Me. But I’m going with a somewhat controversial pick here: Quantum of Solace. There are many issues with Quantum of Solace—namely, it was one of the most high-profile blockbusters affected by the 2007-08 writers strike—but its opening scene isn’t one of them. Picking up right where Casino Royale left off, we find Bond (Daniel Craig) evading henchmen through the narrow roads around Italy’s Lake Garda. The frenetic, furious chase mirrors Bond’s sense of anguish after losing Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), the woman he opened his heart to, and his relentless quest for answers. It’s a thrilling tone-setter for Quantum of Solace and one that doesn’t overstay its welcome, capped off by Bond sending his final pursuers flying off a cliff:
If we’re being honest, though, it feels like James Bond has yet to create a franchise-defining car chase. Perhaps that’s a mission the newest 007, whoever it ends up being, can undertake.

19. Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation (2015)

The Mission: Impossible franchise is no stranger to electrifying chase scenes, the best of which find Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt working up his heart rate. When it comes to action behind the wheel, though, Fallout tends to dominate the discussion—even on this very website. But I think the vehicular chase in Rogue Nation is being slept on. What we have is effectively two sequences for the price of one: The first finds Hunt pursuing Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) by car through the narrow streets of Casablanca alongside some nefarious henchmen; the second sees him continue the chase outside the city on motorbike. (Adding to the chaos: Hunt had only just been resuscitated, and he’s clearly not all there.) In terms of death-defying stunts for the audience’s entertainment, a helmetless Cruise taking corners like a MotoGP racer is child’s play compared to his other exploits, but the actor’s authentic reaction to scraping his knee on the road underlines that there’s no one else in Hollywood doing it like him:
We’ll be sure to update this ranking if and when Cruise does something even more dangerous down the road, pun unintended.

18. Vanishing Point (1971)

A movie that counts the likes of Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino among its biggest fans, Vanishing Point is the first of a few entries on this ranking that’s essentially one extended car chase. The film stars Barry Newman as Kowalski, a man tasked with delivering a Dodge Challenger T 440 Magnum from Colorado to California while eluding police across four states. One of Kowalski’s most memorable run-ins comes when a guy driving a Jaguar E-Type convertible challenges him to an impromptu race. Incredibly, we’re expected to believe the man in the Jag comes out of this crash in one piece:
Vanishing Point might not boast the impressive production values of other movies on this list, but considering Tarantino would go on to feature a white Challenger in Death Proof, its influence in the car cinema canon is undeniable.

17. Fast Five (2011)

Let’s face it, Fast & Furious has seen better days. Some believe the franchise’s dip in quality coincided with the death of Paul Walker; others are dismayed by the pivot from street racing to absurd feats of superherodom—emphasis on the Dom. Perhaps it’s a bit of both, but the very best movie in the series, Fast Five, manages to strike the perfect balance: It’s a relatively grounded heist thriller that nevertheless takes the franchise to ridiculous new heights. After Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew steal $100 million from a Brazilian kingpin, they drag the entire bank vault holding the money through the streets of Rio de Janeiro, all while being pursued by authorities. It’s a delightfully destructive sequence that does untold damage to Rio’s infrastructure and features some of the most bone-crunching crashes committed to film:
If the Fast franchise is going to break out of its recent slump, it would do well to remember that there’s nothing better than letting its heroes live their lives a quarter mile at a time—no detours to outer space required.

16. The Blues Brothers (1980)

A good car chase isn’t reserved just for action flicks: Comedies can get in on the act, too. In The Blues Brothers, starring the recurring Saturday Night Live characters played by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, the beloved bandmates must prevent the foreclosure of the orphanage where they were raised by scrounging together $5,000. Naturally, that’s easier said than done: Along the way, the Blues Brothers draw the attention of neo-Nazis, a country-and-western band, and local police. While The Blues Brothers has amusing gags and musical numbers, its chase sequences with the Brothers behind the wheel of a 1974 Dodge Monaco are what really steal the show—and none are better than a climactic pursuit across Chicago. More than 60 old police cars were used in the film, some of which are wrecked in a comically over-the-top pileup:
The sheer scale of The Blues Brothers’ final set piece is commendable in and of itself—as is the movie’s commitment to treating real-life cars like a bunch of Hot Wheels.

15. Baby Driver (2017)

For good and for ill, Edgar Wright’s movies exude an abundance of style, and Baby Driver is no exception. Baby Driver is centered on a clever gimmick: The action works in tandem with its soundtrack because the film’s protagonist, Baby (Ansel Elgort), suffers from tinnitus and constantly plays music to drown out the ringing. When everything’s clicking into place, Baby Driver feels like a supersized series of music videos, and nothing hits quite like its opening sequence. Baby acts as the getaway driver for a bank robbery while listening to the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion’s “Bellbottoms.” The ensuing chase works around rhythms of the song, as if Baby’s Subaru WRX were the star of its own dance number. Take nothing away from the actual driving, either, which puts the rally car to good use:
Baby Driver’s gimmick stretches a little thin by the end, but it’s hard to deny the crowd-pleasing power of Wright’s film when it’s firing on all cylinders.

14. The Raid 2 (2014)

With a trio of kickass Indonesian martial arts films under his belt, Gareth Evans has established himself as one of the most exciting action directors on the planet—someone who seems most in his element staging positively brutal hand-to-hand combat. In The Raid 2, however, Evans also brought his signature brand of carnage to the road. While there’s some cleverly executed close-quarters fighting within the confines of an SUV, courtesy of Iko Uwais’s hard-hitting protagonist, what really cements this sequence’s greatness are the moments when Evans turns the cars into an extension of the characters’ fists:
This belongs in an entirely new category of combat: car fights. There are so many action scenes in The Raid 2 worth writing home about—the kitchen showdown is an all-timer—but the fact that Evans casually tossed in an unforgettable car chase shows why he’s one of one.

13. The Driver (1978)

I’ll say this for Walter Hill’s The Driver: It sure lives up to its title. In this stripped-down thriller—one where none of the characters have a name—we follow the Driver (Ryan O’Neal), a getaway driver who has become a thorn in the side of the LAPD. In the film’s best scene, we see its taciturn protagonist living up to his reputation. With the Driver behind the wheel of a 1974 Ford Galaxie, a cat-and-mouse game unfolds when a handful of police cars are hot on his tail. What I love about this sequence is the pared-down nature of it all: The Driver outwits the cops as much as he outraces them. (Though, ironically, that wasn’t entirely by design: As Hill later explained, an accident on the last night of shooting meant they had to cobble together what had already been filmed.) Frankly, you’d never know the difference from the finished article:
If the general vibes of The Driver seem familiar, that’s because it was a major inspiration for Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive, which just so happened to feature an unnamed protagonist (Ryan Gosling) evading police through the streets of Los Angeles.

12. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

The shaky-cam style of the Bourne franchise isn’t for everyone—just ask John Woo—but credit where it’s due: These movies know how to deliver a good chase scene. (A friendly reminder that The Bourne Legacy is an underrated gem with an awesome motorbike sequence to boot.) But there’s one Bourne chase that stands above the rest: the Moscow getaway in The Bourne Supremacy. After being wounded by the Russian assassin Kirill (Karl Urban), Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) hijacks a taxi, with both the police and Kirill in hot pursuit. This isn’t the kind of sequence that lingers on any one shot; instead, what makes it work is the frenetic nature of the editing, which allows the viewer to feel like they’re in Bourne’s fight-or-flight headspace:
If I’m being honest, I’m usually one of those people who doesn’t like the Bourne movies’ shaky-cam style, but when it’s executed with such craftsmanship, you can’t help but get caught up in its adrenaline-pumping power.

11. The Seven-Ups (1973)

Philip D’Antoni was the producer of two movies featuring Hall of Fame car chases, Bullitt and The French Connection, the latter of which won him an Oscar for Best Picture. And with his lone directorial feature, The Seven-Ups, D’Antoni sought to craft an iconic sequence of his own. The film stars Roy Scheider as NYPD detective Buddy Mannuci (elite Italian American name; I can practically smell the gabagool), who commands a unit handling major felony cases that lead to seven-plus-year prison sentences; that’s why they’re known as the Seven-Ups. Midway through the movie, when one of the team members is killed by two shooters who flee the scene, Buddy chases after them. The 10-minute sequence, which starts in the Upper West Side before moving out of the city, is thrillingly immersive, alternating between close-ups of the characters and wider shots of all the damage they’ve caused. But the chase’s defining moment comes right at the end, when Buddy narrowly avoids a grisly death:
The sequence isn’t quite at the level of Bullitt or The French Connection—very few are—but D’Antoni still manages to leave an unmistakable imprint on the car chase canon.

10. Death Proof (2007)

If you ask Quentin Tarantino, Death Proof, his knowingly trashy tribute to exploitation cinema, is the worst movie he’s ever made. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot to admire about the film, which honors the unsung heroes of Hollywood: stunt performers. The first half of Death Proof follows three female friends who cross paths with Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell), a misogynistic serial killer who takes them out in his “death-proof” Chevy Nova. Fourteen months later, a group that includes stuntwoman Zoë Bell, playing herself, also lands on Mike’s radar. As Bell and her friends test out a ’70s Challenger, she performs a “ship’s mast” stunt, clinging onto the hood of the car with fastening belts. Unfortunately, when Mike pursues the women, it puts Bell in a precarious situation. Most of the entries on this list celebrate some next-level driving skills, but Death Proof’s inclusion is all about Bell pulling off one of the wildest stunts you’ll ever see. She’s quite literally hanging on for dear life:
If the Academy handed out Oscars to stunt performers—and let’s hope it does happen one day—Bell would’ve won in a landslide.

9. To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

William Friedkin was already responsible for an all-time great car chase in The French Connection (more on that later), but the filmmaker made a commendable bid to outdo himself with To Live and Die in L.A. In this neo-noir thriller, Secret Service agent Richard Chance (William L. Petersen) is hell-bent on arresting an expert counterfeiter, Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe), who kills Chance’s partner days before his retirement. To capture Masters, Chance and his new partner, John Vukovich (John Pankow), attempt to steal $50,000 from a jewelry buyer for an undercover operation. The sting goes bad when the buyer, who is later revealed to be an undercover FBI agent, is killed and a group of gunmen goes after Chance and Vukovich. It’s a clever inversion of the usual car chase formula—this time, it’s the lawmen running away from the criminals. The outside-the-box thinking extends to the film’s most astonishing stretch, in which Chance evades the gunmen by driving into oncoming traffic:
The fact that Friedkin shot the chase at the end of filming—in case anything disastrous happened to the actors—underscores just how risky the endeavor was. The pulse-pounding results speak for themselves.

8. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

The Matrix sequels have never been held in high esteem, but I’m ready to live my truth: The Matrix Reloaded fucking rules. (If anyone’s got a problem with this take, file your complaints with the Architect.) What’s more, the film happens to boast the finest action set piece of the franchise: the highway chase. After Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) free the Keymaker (Randall Duk Kim), a program capable of creating shortcuts within the Matrix, they’re pursued by the Twins (Neil and Adrian Rayment). Morpheus once warned that going on the freeway was “suicide,” and it doesn’t take long to see why: The chase draws the attention of several Agents, who repeatedly take over the bodies of other drivers on the road. The scene is the best of both worlds: There’s some incredible stuntwork on display, including when Moss weaves around on a Ducati, and CGI augments some feats of superhuman strength. But the most jaw-dropping aspect of the sequence is how it came together, as the production spent $2.5 million to construct its own highway (!) on California’s Alameda Island. If that weren’t unique enough, I’m pretty sure Reloaded is also the only movie in existence in which a katana takes out an SUV:
The Matrix remains the Wachowskis’ masterpiece, but don’t get it twisted: The filmmakers were still cooking with gas in the sequel.

7. Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)

Size isn’t everything, but for H. B. Halicki, who produced, wrote, directed, and starred in Gone in 60 Seconds, it’s certainly part of the package. The indie action flick follows Maindrian Pace (Halicki), a Los Angeles insurance investigator who has a lucrative side hustle jacking high-end cars. The plot kicks into motion when a South American drug lord enlists Pace to nab 48 cars within five days in exchange for $400,000. Of course, Gone in 60 Seconds is best known for what happens after Pace is caught stealing a 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1, when he leads police on a chase that lasts a whopping 40 minutes. (More than 90 cars were destroyed in the process.) Halicki, for his part, did all the driving himself, including a spectacular jump off a makeshift ramp of crashed cars:
While Halicki wound up making a few more indies after Gone in 60 Seconds, he died in an accident on the set of its sequel. His legacy as a do-it-all daredevil, however, lives on.

6. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Long before James Cameron immersed himself in the world of Pandora, he was a pioneer of state-of-the-art visual effects. Case in point: Terminator 2: Judgment Day is credited for having the first CGI character in a blockbuster, the T-1000 (Robert Patrick), a killing machine composed of a futuristic liquid metal. But Cameron also understood that the CGI of that era shouldn’t be the main attraction: It worked best as a complement to the practical effects, as seen in Judgment Day’s epic viaduct chase. When the T-1000 tracks down a young John Connor (Edward Furlong) in a shopping mall, he’s saved at the last minute by the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), giving John a chance to escape on his dirt bike. As the T-1000 gives chase, the David and Goliath vibes between man and machine are further epitomized by the T-1000’s commandeering of a truck. The sequence already has a terrifying sense of urgency, but it hits another level when the T-1000 crashes through the viaduct like the Kool-Aid Man:
Big Jim is still revolutionizing what can be achieved with visual effects in the Avatar franchise, and while I cherish those movies, nothing beats his old-school showmanship.

5. Duel (1971)

The feature-length debut of Steven Spielberg—perhaps you’ve heard of him—the TV movie Duel is essentially one extended chase sequence between salesman David Mann (Dennis Weaver) and a sinister trucker determined to drive him off the road. I’ve attached a clip from the ending of the film, but that doesn’t do Duel justice. What cements this movie’s greatness is how it sustains an unbearable level of tension across its 90-minute running time—with a budget under $500,000, no less. Spielberg’s masterstroke is never once showing us the other driver, anthropomorphizing the truck itself as a monster. (You can see a lot of similarities with how he would build suspense in Jaws.) When Mann finally gets the upper hand, tricking his adversary into driving off a cliff, it feels like you can breathe again:
Spielberg would move on to bigger and better things after Duel, but considering how much the director accomplished with so little, you can’t help but wonder what else he could conjure up with limited resources.

4. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Like Duel, Fury Road is basically one long car chase—the difference is Miller got to work with a blockbuster budget, and made every cent of it count. It’s hard to pick a single standout sequence in Fury Road, but if I had to choose, I’d go with the first attack on the War Rig after Furiosa (Charlize Theron) flees with the wives of Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Here’s why: Think back to when you saw Fury Road for the first time, before you fully grasped the vehicular carnage that was in store. And then stuff like this kept happening:
To quote Steven Soderbergh’s thoughts on Fury Road: “I don’t understand how they’re not still shooting that film and I don’t understand how hundreds of people aren’t dead.” Whether or not Miller manages to one-up the action in Furiosa, the director is already in the pantheon.

3. The French Connection (1971)

We return to the Friedkin-verse for what may be his best film, The French Connection, the crime thriller based on Robin Moore’s 1969 nonfiction book of the same name. The story concerns two NYPD detectives, Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy “Cloudy” Russo (Roy Scheider), and their tireless pursuit of a French heroin smuggler. But while there’s plenty to admire about how The French Connection illustrates the thin line between police and criminals, its greatest claim to fame is its car chase. After Popeye narrowly survives a sniper attack, he goes after the shooter, who escapes on an elevated train. The ensuing sequence is true daredevil filmmaking that Friedkin shot without permits, leading to real crashes with New Yorkers that made the final cut. But Friedkin’s finest touch was mounting a camera to the front of the car, making the audience feel like they’re part of the action:
My Ringer colleague Justin Sayles believes The French Connection’s chase should’ve landed at no. 1, and I’m sure many folks will agree with him. Being the only film on this list to win Best Picture, however, is a solid consolation prize.

2. Bullitt (1968)

When it comes to modern car chases, all roads lead back to Bullitt. A Dad Cinema classic, the film stars Steve McQueen as Frank Bullitt, a San Francisco detective who pursues a group of mobsters after a key witness is killed in protective custody. In his search for answers, Bullitt realizes he’s being tailed by a couple of hitmen, and then turns the tables on them. From there, the chase is on. Aside from McQueen doing most of his own stunts behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang GT 390 Fastback, what’s so impressive about the sequence is how timeless it is. Even the little imperfections, like hubcaps repeatedly coming off the wheels, work to the film’s advantage, stressing just how much these drivers are living on a razor’s edge. It’s been more than 50 years since Bullitt revolutionized the car chase, and yet few movies since have felt like they’re pushing the envelope to such an exhilarating degree:
That the car driven by McQueen was recently sold at auction for $3.74 million, a then-record price for a Mustang, underlines Bullitt’s enduring legacy.

1. Ronin (1998)

“If I’m going to do a car chase,” filmmaker John Frankenheimer said in an interview with the American Society of Cinematographers, “I’m going to do a car chase that’s going to make somebody think about whether or not they want to do another one!” Boy, did he ever. In Frankenheimer’s late-career masterpiece, Ronin, the director actually incorporated several chases, but it’s the climactic sequence that stands alone as the greatest ever filmed. The movie concerns an international group of mercenaries who are hired to steal a mysterious briefcase; a series of double-crosses and double-bluffs ensue. But for the final chase, all you need to know is that Sam (Robert De Niro), a mercenary with ties to the CIA, is in pursuit of Deirdre (Natascha McElhone), an IRA operative in possession of the case. Winding through the streets and tunnels of Paris, what’s most striking is just how fluid it all feels. You’re completely engrossed in the chase’s forward momentum, captured from every conceivable angle; a symphony of controlled chaos. The driving styles even reflect the characters: Deirdre is reckless and impulsive, while Sam remains calm and controlled.
There are many worthy car chases in this ranking, but in my view, Ronin takes pole position. And while I can’t imagine a movie ever topping what Frankenheimer achieved, I’d love nothing more than to be proved wrong.
submitted by Shagrrotten to IMDbFilmGeneral [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 16:56 CDown01 Eagles Peak pt.8

Previous Part
By the time I’d woke up bright and early at 4 A.M., Rocco had amassed an impressive pile of pilfered food in the corner of the tepee. He was just dragging in a turkey leg when I saw him, must’ve been at it all night form the looks of it.
“Rocco, what the hell!”
I shouted, waving my hands at the pile of food he’d brought in.
“I told you to stay out of trouble, lay low. This is… not that!”
I complained, trying to think of how I’d talk my way out of this if anyone asked about the missing food. Rocco simply responded by shrugging, turning around, and diving face first into the mountain of food. I was annoyed at the moment but then I got to thinking. If Rocco stole all that and no one saw him what else could he do without being noticed?
“Hey… hey Rocco no-one saw you stealing all this right?”
I asked, grabbing his tail and dragging him out of the food mountain.
“WHATS DA BIG IDEA!”
He protested, flailing around as I held him in the air by his tail before regaining his composure and adding.
“I’m a profesional, of course I didn’t get seen. Why?! Did someone say something!?
Rocco shot his head from side to side, like he would find someone listening or critiquing his heist. All the movement causing him to spin slowly, still dangling from his tail.
“No, I was just thinking, as long as your out here I could have a job for you.”
I said, setting him down as he answered,
“Whad’ya mean? Spit it out!”
with his classic charm.
“I mean, I want you to sneak into that blonde guy’s tepee. The one with the shitty attitude, Brooke I think his name was. Just see if you can find anything in there.”
I could see Rocco’s interest was peaked but he still had one last all to predictable question.
“What’s in it for me?”
“You keep whatever you find in there no questions asked.”
Before the words even left fully my lips Rocco cried, “DEAL” and sprinted out of the tepee on all fours, leaving me alone.
I wasn’t really sure what the process was now, was Shaoni going to come get us or did she expect us to meet her in the coliseum? I’d never been part of anything like this before, I had no idea what the attendance policy was like. So, lacking anything better to do, I walked down into the mines and waited in the coliseum. It was obvious they were’t really ready for us yet. A few of Shaoni’s people were down there placing cactus looking things into five carved wooden bowls on the floor. Five bowls, five people in these trials so those had to have something to do with us. I looked around the room, trying to find Shaoni. She wasn’t up on her perch like yesterday and she certainly wasn’t part of the small group setting up those bowls. I felt a little different about her now that we’d had a chance to talk. Before I’d been afraid of her, and for good reason, but she seemed to want the opposite of that. Maybe not from me specifically but in general. Although, how could you not be scared of someone who could turn into a giant bird and seemed to consistently be the cause of freak storms. There was a lot of power to her but she didn’t want people to be afraid of it, she wanted respect. I’m sure there was more to her that I hadn’t heard but I certainly was going to hear anything new here.
Seeing as I was still apparently early, I decided not to wear out my welcome in the coliseum. I made my way back out of the mines and settled down back at that canvas tent with the huge table. It was again filled with food that had come from nowhere in particular, probably set up by more of Shaoni’s people. As if to confirm my suspicion, the bandaged man Bianca had stabbed earlier emerged from the camp, walking towards me with a platter of bacon. He starred daggers at me as he placed the platter at the table but didn’t say anything. I was almost tempted to apologize on Bianca’s behalf but I got the sense that wouldn’t be a great idea. Not long after I saw two of the others approaching.
“… Sure, but for some glorified tent it’s still pretty comfortable.”
Brooke said to Katrina who looked thoroughly uninterested in what he had to say.
Brooke wore a… purple suit that made him look like some stereotypical version of a pimp. I couldn’t think of any reason he’d wear that out here, at least no-one would mistake him from anyone else, that ’s for sure. Katrina wore an equally confusing getup, a blue tank top and jeans that made her look kinda like the girl from those tomb raider games. It was about 50 degrees out and probably wasn’t going to get much warmer. If she wanted to freeze, so be it. I gave a slight nod to them as they sat down across from me. Katrina still eyeing Brooke with an expression that begged for him not to open his mouth again.
I couldn’t stop staring at her, no not like that, I was staring at her belt where a holster sat,
“You like it?”
She asked, noticing the staring that I should’ve been trying harder to hide, drawing the handgun from the holster on her hip.
“Beretta M9 semi-automatic pistol, my father’s service pistol actually. Always served me well, so I always keep it on me, well almost always.”
She said with a wink, checking the gun and pulling back its slide. I wasn’t all that familiar with guns but I distinctly saw her flip the safety off. Which had a profound effect on my nerves considering I was staring down its barrel.
“They let you keep that around here? I would’ve thought they take that from you.”
I asked incredulously, still eyeing the gun she had pointed at me.
“I hid it on me yesterday, if they have an issue with it they can try and take it from me. I’m not doing anything like this without some kind of insurance. They get me and Luke or nothing at all.”
She retorted, spinning the gun back into her holster and turning the safety back on with a practiced hand. “Oh that’s cute, she named it” I thought sarcastically as my nerves settled, a loaded gun no longer pointed directly at my face.
“I’m not sure Shaoni would let you leave, even if you wanted to.”
“Oh please! She wouldn’t dare lay a finger on me or she’d have bigger problems coming her way.”
Katrina laughed, throwing her hand back in seemingly genuine amusement. She really didn’t have a care about the Thunderbird? I found that hard to believe.
“So what do you do anyways then? If you’re so sure she wouldn’t touch you.”
I asked incredulously. This seemed to grab her attention as she immediately snapped her head down, locking eyes with me and barking,
“That’s a need to know thing and you don’t.”
Before returning her attention to the food on the table and ignoring me. She was military, that was probably a safe assumption.
Brooke had been listening in to our conversation as he ate. After Katrina snapped at me he finally spoke up.
“So hang on, you came all the way out here with no insurance, no protection? Does anyone even know you’re out here?”
I briefly thought about Rocco, he wasn’t great insurance but he sure came cheap. I hadn’t stopped to think about preparing anything to bring out here with me. I just stupidly assumed everyone was on the same page as me, an unprepared fish out of water.
“No, I guess not.”
I responded, a little shaken at the realization that everyone here was probably more prepared than me.
“You must be stupid or have balls of steel to do something like that.”
Brooke told me, reaching over the table to clap me on the shoulder. I didn’t know if this really was the Brooke Bianca told me about or not but I really did not like this guy. We ate the rest of our breakfast in silence. John and Robert never showed up but I guessed they were down in the mines helping set everything up. I guess being a participate in the trials didn’t exempt Shaoni's followers from having to help get ready for them.
Apparently my guess was right because Robert and John were both already in the coliseum when the three of us arrived. Shaoni was once again up on the balcony and all of the people that had been there earlier were gone. I could clearly see what was in the five bowls now. It was some kind of small cactus thing with a white-pink flower at the top. I’d never seen anything like it before but it did seem a little out of place.
“This is your first trial, the trial of morals. This trial is meant to show us where your morals lie through visions of the past and beyond. Sometimes the plant has a mind of its own though so I don’t expect anyone will have the same experience. Some may not even serve the purpose of the trial but the vision is more important than anything I hoped to learn.”
Shaoni spoke like an announcer from above us.
“There is a plant there for each of you, peyote plants that I had grow for just this occasion. Each of you will eat one of the plants and they will give you visions. You will walk among the spirits and they will show you what you need to see.”
Shaoni finished, like she hadn’t just asked us to take hallucinogenics in an unfamiliar environment surrounded by people we didn’t really trust. I wasn’t a huge fan of being here when I was in control of my faculties but while experiencing a vision, oh no, fat chance. Then again it wasn’t like I had all that much of a choice, I realized just before I opened my mouth to protest.
“Fine but what does that tell you about us? Sure we can go get high for you here but it doesn’t really help anyone.”
Brooke spoke up, taking his usual disrespectful tone with Shaoni.
“I have my ways of knowing, but this experiences is for you. It should tell you more about yourself than it will tell me but I assure you, I will learn something.”
An annoyed but composed Shaoni responded. With that she turned and left us to our task.
“So does anyone want to go first?”
Katrina asked, putting a finger to her nose, inviting anyone else to go first.
“Not so fast sweetcheeks, I don’t trust any of you so how about you take the first crack at it?”
Brooke pointedly suggested. I think Katrina wanted to throw a haymaker at his face right then but I stepped in first.
“What if we all did it at once? Then no one is waiting around and I highly doubt she would let anyone come down here and do anything to us if these trials are that important to her.”
I reasoned, pointing up at the balcony Shaoni had been standing on.
“I still don’t like it but I can live with that, I agree everyone at once like… what’s your name?”
“Keith”
“Everyone at once like Keith said.”
Commanded Katrina, looking everyone in the eye and daring them to challenge her. I didn’t know what she did before coming here but whatever it was gave her a glare even Shaoni would be proud of. No-one hesitated to walk up to their respective bowls and take a bite of the strange pinkish flower at the top of the cactus.
The effects weren’t immediate, John just ate his flower then knelt by his bowl, eyes closed waiting for the vision to come. Robert leaned against the wall looking at his watch, seemingly judging the time before it took effect.
“It’s not my first time with peyote, I’ll probably stay up a little longer than you guys.”
Brooke bragged to the room, taking a seat by his bowl as Katrina and I did the same.
Poetically, Brooke was actually the first of us to go down for the count. I had to resit the urge to stand up and kick the crumpled up purple ball that was formerly Brooke. I don’t think anyone would have stopped me, heck the way Katrina was glaring at him this morning she might’ve joined in. But given what came next it was probably a good idea I didn’t stand. All of a sudden the room began flashing different colors, orange then brown then blue. I felt like I was falling but I hadn’t moved. Eventually a sensation came over me, like I had stood up but I was acutely aware of the fact that my body was really lying on the floor of the coliseum. As my vision cleared I started to recognize things, sights and sounds of a hospital room. It would seem my vision had started by bringing me back to my father.
I inched through the hospital room, sure of what I’d see on the other side of the thin curtain. A heart monitor beeped, just the same as the first and last time I’d been in this room. I saw my father, splayed across the bed no different than the only time I’d been in this room. I’ve always maintained that my family life was generally normal, anything that lay outside of that box of normality could be attributed to my father. He was never what I’d call a good person. Sure, he was never aggressive towards me but it didn't really count for anything. You could tell he never really wanted me. What he did to my mother, that was another story. He came home drunk almost every night and she end up with a black eye or worse at least once a week. Unfortunately for us he had a good job, he paid the bills and my mother and I couldn’t really support ourselves on our own back then. Worse still my mother always told me she put up with it for my sake when I asked her about it. That meant I always felt partially responsible every time I heard a fist meet skin in the room below mine.
My father had ended up in this bed by way of a drunk driving incident. Funnily enough it wasn’t actually his fault. He just so happened to be in the wrong intersection at the wrong time when a box truck plowed right into him. The accident left him with severe brain and spinal damage. It was a sick joke he survived, not a miracle. He’d be on life support from now on. I could’ve made him pay for everything he did with the simple tug of a cable. The only reason I didn’t was that the owner of the company that employed the box truck driver offered to pay all his medical bills. He must not have looked to closely because my fathers insurance was covering all of it. But every week a hefty check came in the mail anyways. As long as he was alive and in that hospital bed, me and my mother could live comfortably. It wasn’t really the right thing to do but I figured it was what my mother deserved after years of putting up with his abuse.
The heart monitor’s shrill beeping focused me back to the situation. I stood over my father’s body, the old urge to just pull the plug washing over me again.
“It would be so easy. Mom’s fine now, you’re managing, why do you still need him?”
I thought to myself, toying with the idea as another voice spoke in my head, Shaoni’s voice.
“He’s earned it, he ruined years of your mother’s life, Its only fair he pay a price for what he did.”
I looked around for the source of her voice but I saw nothing, maybe I was just hearing things, it was just a vision after all right? I looked down to see I was now on the opposite side of the bed, hand reaching toward the cord that powered the life support. Time seemed to move at a crawl, was this really the best option? He was probably solely responsible for the distance between my mother and I, he beat her so many times. Some of the blame for it even sat on my shouldres, would killing him take that away? Could I live with myself if I did this? Knowing I took the easy way out at his expense. No… I couldn’t, it would make me just as bad as him. It just wasn’t right I shouldn’t be the one to decide if he dies. Besides, whatever sliver of sentience remained in him deserved to watch as he shriveled and died in his own way, in some ways that was far worse but he didn’t deserve an easy way out either. The room spun as I made my choice and pulled my hand back from the plug. Sending my vision spiraling as my body collapsed to the cold hospital floor. When I finally fought my way through my spinning vision and back to my feet I was somewhere else. I was in Imalone and if I had to guess it was the night I first saw Shaoni.
I was somewhere in the town square where I got chained into the wooden monstrosity the cultists had made. Shaoni was circling in the sky so I guess I was watching this memory from outside of myself. I was made absolutely sure of this when I saw myself being carried out of the old rotting bar. I watched as the situation played out exactly as I remembered it. Right up until Shaoni landed and came to speak with the one masked cultist. What had been gibberish to me before was suddenly crystal clear english.
“What IS this! You think this is right!? This is what you think I stand for, human sacrifice?!”
Shaoni shouted with such intensity and force I jumped back, looking for a place to take cover.
“Brother Aaron foretold your approach, this outsider wandered in so we thought he would make an excellent gift to you.”
The masked cultist answered, missing the point entirely as Shaoni’s eyes flashed with fury.
“There will be a sacrifice alright, a price must be paid for everything you’ve done here. You have no understanding of what I stand for, You’ve spit in the face of it in fact and for that, each and every one of you will make a sacrifice. Release that poor boy, NOW!”
Shaoni commanded the cultists with a voice so stern I almost ran to try and free the trapped version of myself. None of them budged, they didn’t even seem to realize what kind of danger they were in. Shaoni strode past them over to me where she offered me her all to familiar deal. I was stunned, I never stopped to think that she fully intended to let me go either way. Sure, now I knew that these guys weren’t her usual followers. I still never thought she came here intending to wipe them out. I didn’t really have a chance to dwell on it. Before I knew it Shaoni was transforming again causing a tornado to appear in the middle of town as lightning struck around the area like machine gun fire. As the wall of wind rain and lighting reached me I felt a familiar falling sensation and blacked out again.
When I came to I was back on the cave floor again. I wasn’t sure if I was still in a vision until I felt a sharp kick to my side.
“Oh… that felt… very real. Oh god why?”
I groaned as I looked up at the smirking Katrina.
“He’s awake, that’s everyone then.”
She called out to the rest of the group who were all standing around me. She and the others walked off in the direction of the exit, leaving me there on the floor. With nothing better to do I followed them out. Outside the full moon had shown itself, bathing the camp in shimmering moonlight. Shaoni walked up to greet all of us who’d just collectively decided to just go outside.
“You’ve all made it through it would seem, I hope your experiences weren’t to unpleasant.”
Brooke charged straight past her, I could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. Obviously he’d seen something he didn’t like while he was under the influence of that plant. Katrina seemed completely unaffected, marching by Shaoni filled with the same confidence she had when I first saw her. Robert and John seemed completely unaffected by whatever they had seen but something told me they might be used to it. Me, I wasn’t doing so great. I wasn’t all that pleased about revisiting my father and all those old memories and whatever that flower was called had really done a number on me. I weakly waved to Shaoni as I walked by, just trying to focus on walking straight. She didn’t seem to surprised that none of us wanted to talk to her. She didn’t say anything to us as we all quietly sat and ate. I didn’t like the silence, it felt like everyone was just waiting for something to happen but no-one had any idea what. So I got up and headed back to my tepee, maybe Rocco had turned something up on Brooke.
Rocco was waiting for me atop his mountain of food when I got back.
“I found somethin yous might be interested in”
He said triumphantly, waving around a polaroid photo he had clutched in his paw.
“Give that to me!”
I snapped, ripping it right out of his paw.
“Well someones in a mood.”
“Getting drugged will do that to you.”
I snapped as Rocco stared at me, paws on his hips like he was about to give me attitude.
“I’m sorry My heads still just spinning from… well everything today.”
I sighed, holding my head in one hand as I shook it. Apologizing to a raccoon, my life really was something wasn’t it? I looked down to the picture enemy hand and immediately ice shot through my veins. It was a picture of Bianca taken not too long ago by the looks of it. She was walking back into her house in the photo and it looked like it was taken from a passing car. The photo itself isn’t what really concerned me though, the message written on the back did that. “What you seek can be found in the town of Eagles Peak”, the note read in a singsongy way. I’d never seen Shaoni’s handwriting but given the circumstances I was sure that’s what I was looking at.
I looked up at Rocco who looked more serious than I’d ever seen him.
“Now I don’t know what happened to that girl but somethin’ hurt her before we knew her. If that’s the somethin’ that did, and I’m guessin’ it is lookin’ atcha’. I say we should hurt em’ back.”
Rocco told me with cold steel in his voice. It was weird, hearing him speak without a hint of a joke or over exaggerated movement. We finally found something that the little menace to society could focus on, something… productive.
“My hands are tied, I don’t think anyone here would take kindly to me just attacking someone. Besides, look at him, he’s taller and obviously stringer than me. I’m just a scrawny guy who’s way out of his element, I don’t want a fight. Just… keep an eye on him, maybe we can find something to turn the others against him?”
It wasn’t the answer Rocco was looking for, that’s for sure. He deflated at my words, I’m sure he wanted to go in guns blazing and confront Brooke with what we thought we knew. That wasn’t really going to be an option here, even if it was I’d rather not do that.
“Oh, one more thing, Don’t let Brooke go back into town if he tries to leave, I don’t care how you do it just don’t let him leave.”
I added as an evil grin crossed Rocco’s face.
“Aye’ aye’ captain!”
He cried, raising a paw to his head and saluting me.
Just then I heard someone knocking, no rustling? Screwing around with the front flap to the tepee trying to get my attention. I opened it only to see, “Shaoni?”
“I wanted to ask about the visions today, I’ve talked to everyone else but I couldn’t find you so I guessed you’d be at… is that a raccoon?”
Shaoni stopped, seeing Rocco frozen mid step behind me as he tried and failed to run before she saw him. Realizing he’d been seen Rocco twirled around and in a way only he could announced,
“Whatcha’ think you were looking at Pocahontas?”
“Oh? It talks as well?”
Shaoni said, somewhere between bewildered and bemused as she looked between me and the mouthy Raccoon.
“Course I talk! I thought you woulda’ seen somethin’ like that when you were busy painting with all the colors of the wind!”
Rocco yelled back at her. I wasn’t sure if he was actually offended by Shaoni’s questions, or just deliberately trying to be a nuisance, probably the second thing. I whirled around and glared at Rocco, holding my finger to my mouth in an attempt to shut him up. For once he actually listened.
“I… sorry about him, he’s always like that, part of his charm you know.”
I said with a shrug and a nervous chuckle. Shaoni shook her head dismissively and continued.
“Did you see anything in the cave that you wanted to talk about?”
She asked me, now sounding a little annoyed. I thought back to my father and that hospital room, I wasn’t really ready to talk about that with anyone just yet. But I did have some new questions about how I got into this whole mess in the first place.
“You said back in Imalone you saved me because I realized there was a price for being saved. That wasn’t really it though was it? I saw it again, I could understand you this time. You were going to save me regardless. So why mark me Shaoni? Why did you really bring me here?!”
I said, my voice raising outside of my control as I spoke. I had to finally admit to myself that I was sick and tired of being dragged around in the dark. I was suddenly furious and I didn’t care who it was standing in front of me, I wanted an answer.
“Those men were ruining my name, they thought they were following the Thunderbird but it was just some idea of me they had come up with. They used me to justify their horrid actions and I came to put a stop to it. You were there and when I offered you a deal you didn’t fight it. That’s why I marked you.”
Shaoni spoke quickly, like she wanted to avoid the subject, all but turning around and leaving right then.
“Bullshit! I want an answer Shaoni, a real answer!”
I yelled at her, my fury taking full control of me. Shaoni was silent for a minute, when she finally spoke she looked down, never meeting my eyes as she softly said.
“You remind me of someone from a long time ago. They were blind to the way of things at first, an outsider even. In time though, he became what bound our people together as one family. I don’t have a better answer for you than that. I wasn’t sure I should’ve chosen you at first, I had a feeling that day and I followed it. What you’ve done since you’ve got here, how you’ve handled learning what little you know about the world of the supernatural. Those things are what tell me I made the right choice.”
As she walked away I thought I saw tears reflecting in the moonlight shown on her face. As I settled down I swore I heard soft sobs, echoing across the camp long into the night.
submitted by CDown01 to AllureStories [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 16:54 MLomas92 (Run and Bun) Is Brawly possible with this box?

Advice needed please!
Trying out a nuzlocke-esque* play through of Run and Bun. I'm relatively new to nuzlocking but have done some on vanilla games in the past, this is my first try out of an ultra-hard ROM hack.
I've got through the early game split deathless, and with some good mons in tow, but I've been stuck on a decent plan for Brawly and just can't see a way through. No catch on Togedemaru or Vivilon means I don't really have a decent answer, and I expect the only consistent solution involves a sack or two.
Particularly tricky is the retaliate/eject button on Lopunny, and Hitmontop's pursuit locking me in.
The best I've got so far goes something along these lines:
Team = Exeggcute / Ponyta / Monferno / Lombre / Diggersby / SLOT FREE
I still have my rare candy and two heart scales to invest. Potentially could get bounce on Diggersby @ level 22, but the calcs suggest it doesn't particularly help. Chewtle evolves into Dreadnaw but that also doesn't really solve the Hitmontop/Scraggy issues.
I've attached my showdown script with the full box.
Am I missing something? If anyone has any useful advice for this fight in general, or simply thinks I just need to brace to go back to the truck then that would be really helpful!
Thanks
Exeggcute @ Oran Berry Ability: Chlorophyll Level: 21 Rash Nature IVs: 7 HP / 9 Atk / 22 Def / 30 SpA / 24 SpD / 6 Spe - Bullet Seed - Confusion - Sleep Powder - Psybeam Diggersby @ Oran Berry Ability: Cheek Pouch Level: 21 Relaxed Nature IVs: 16 HP / 17 Atk / 17 Def / 30 SpA / 3 SpD / 31 Spe - Take Down - Mud Shot - Dig - Double Kick Monferno @ Oran Berry Ability: Vital Spirit Level: 21 Lonely Nature IVs: 31 HP / 31 Atk / 18 Def / 14 SpA / 23 SpD / 31 Spe - Flame Wheel - Low Sweep - Fire Spin - Mach Punch Ponyta Ability: Flame Body Level: 21 Hasty Nature IVs: 22 HP / 3 Atk / 31 Def / 7 SpA / 26 SpD / 20 Spe - Flame Wheel - Stomp - Bounce - Ember Seadra @ Oran Berry Ability: Sniper Level: 21 Naughty Nature IVs: 26 HP / 24 Atk / 4 Def / 0 SpA / 10 SpD / 13 Spe - Bubble Beam - Smokescreen - Clear Smog - Twister Lombre @ Oran Berry Ability: Swift Swim Level: 21 Hasty Nature IVs: 10 HP / 6 Atk / 21 Def / 1 SpA / 16 SpD / 12 Spe - Fake Out - Natural Gift - Mega Drain - Bubble Beam Nosepass Ability: Sturdy Level: 21 Lonely Nature IVs: 26 HP / 1 Atk / 22 Def / 10 SpA / 24 SpD / 18 Spe - Thunder Wave - Spark - Ancient Power - Rock Throw Tentacool Ability: Liquid Ooze Level: 21 Lax Nature IVs: 15 HP / 23 Atk / 31 Def / 20 SpA / 3 SpD / 30 Spe - Poison Sting - Water Pulse - Confuse Ray - Acid Buizel Ability: Water Veil Level: 21 Adamant Nature IVs: 21 HP / 24 Atk / 21 Def / 13 SpA / 9 SpD / 20 Spe - Aqua Jet - Sonic Boom - Water Pulse - Fake Out Hitmonlee Ability: Reckless Level: 21 Gentle Nature IVs: 18 HP / 23 Atk / 30 Def / 23 SpA / 29 SpD / 13 Spe - Tackle - Double Kick - Fake Out - Foresight Fletchinder Ability: Flame Body Level: 21 Bashful Nature IVs: 25 HP / 14 Atk / 3 Def / 28 SpA / 19 SpD / 12 Spe - Flame Charge - Growl - Quick Attack - Aerial Ace Yanma Ability: Compound Eyes Level: 21 Impish Nature IVs: 5 HP / 11 Atk / 4 Def / 3 SpA / 5 SpD / 23 Spe - Bug Bite - Air Cutter - Detect - Quick Attack Cufant Ability: Sheer Force Level: 21 Careful Nature IVs: 19 HP / 18 Atk / 21 Def / 1 SpA / 29 SpD / 21 Spe - Stomp - Bulldoze - Rock Throw - Rock Smash Palpitoad Ability: Poison Touch Level: 21 Adamant Nature IVs: 18 HP / 19 Atk / 23 Def / 6 SpA / 10 SpD / 29 Spe - Bubble - Mud Shot - Mud-Slap - Bubble Beam Chewtle Ability: Strong Jaw Level: 21 Hardy Nature IVs: 15 HP / 18 Atk / 10 Def / 14 SpA / 29 SpD / 14 Spe - Headbutt - Water Pulse - Bite - Ice Fang Eelektrik Ability: Levitate Level: 21 Mild Nature IVs: 18 HP / 9 Atk / 12 Def / 22 SpA / 17 SpD / 27 Spe - Thunder Wave - Spark - Shock Wave - Crunch
\By nuzlocke esque I mean I keep to the core principles (e.g. one mon per area/route, faint = death etc.) but I'll be pretty liberal in clausing away misplays. This is for fun not glory!*
submitted by MLomas92 to nuzlocke [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 16:54 Ryandunham98 Doctor Who Season 1 + Special

Hi guys I wanted to share my seasons of Doctor Who if I was Showrunner so here is my first as of right now I have 11, I hope you enjoy the episodes and let me know your thoughts on season 1
Ep 1 - Rebirth Of The Doctor - The Doctor has just regenerated & crashed landed on Earth & is still recovering from the regeneration as she meets two new friends Ellie Young & Michael Summers, However the regeneration energy gets the attention of The Sontarans who are planning to create new Sontarans with regeneration energy, And The Doctor is unable to use The TARDIS as it is still repairing itself
Ep 2 - System Error - The Doctor & her friends land on a spaceship which is crashing into a moon with the ship's AI called A.M.Y being hacked by a unknown source which has gone rogue which has caused the Incoming threat plus causing chaos on the ship
Ep 3 - Bug Infection (Part 1) - The Doctor & her friends return to Earth after strange reports for higher amounts of insects attacks, So when investigating they found that a alien bug bacteria called Vinia Galpus has affected all insects by making more aggressive & increased toxicity in venom/poisons, it can affect insects by growing then to huge sizes & the bacteria is also growing a giant insect
Ep 4 - Bug Invasion (Part 2) - The bacteria has begun to spread further across the Earth & the bacteria has grown a giant insect which is leading the Invasion, So the Doctor has to make a antidote to stop the bacteria, However the bacteria is also conscious & is fighting back against the antidote
Ep 5 - Welcome To The Games - The Doctor & her friends visit the planet Soca, However found the planet has been taken over by a game show which is using civilians to entertain the host & is hurting the civilians & the host is an old enemy The Celestial Toymaker & he forced The TARDIS to land on Soca for round 2 of games for The Doctor
Ep 6 - The Timeless Knight - The Doctor & her friends visit London 1877 after The TARDIS detects alien technology, However there is a Timeless Knight who are paid mercenaries with powerful armour & weapons plus have the ability to time travel, The Doctor must get the technology first
Ep 7 - Lake Tanganyika - The Doctor & her friends visit Lake Tanganyika in South Africa & after an alien landed in the lake so after an investigate, they learn that it is a Surfer Wraith that a create rift & landed on Earth to grain all of the water until they is none left
Ep 8 - The Golden Age - The Doctor & her friends visit France 1946 after reports of people going missing so they investigate before learning that a alien species known as The Oro have been taking people & turning then into gold to do experiments, The Oro are made of solid gold with high intelligence
Ep 9 - The Midnight Sun (Part 1) - The Doctor has noticed strange activity with Earth's sun so they investigate before finding a hidden lab where someone has been doing illegally experiments on Earth sun, That person is The Master who was the one who hired The Timeless Knight
Ep 10 - Hell On Earth (Part 2 Finale) - The Master has finished his machine which will freeze Earth sun & will cause chaos on Earth so Ellie & Michael look for help, While The Doctor & The Master must battle again
Special - Christmas With The Judoon - So after The Doctor stopped the Master & saved Earth, The Master is arrested by The Judoon for illegally experiments however The Master tries to escape prison so The Doctor & her friends must team with Judoon to stop him escaping
Season Arc - With The Doctor getting used to her new body thoughout the season The Doctor finds herself in a series of linked connections, With the AI being hacked, The alien bacteria, Someone paid The Timeless Knight & The Oro experiments all being linked to The Master
Cast Kristian Tonteri-Young - The Doctor (16) Ruby Stokes - Ellie Young Tyger Drew-Honey - Micheal Summers Sean Pertwee - The Master
submitted by Ryandunham98 to doctorwho [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 16:50 Ill-Construction-899 How my “simulation” brain works, im also high so this is to the bone

My brain developed quite late, the youngest memories I have, i only might have two i can remember before 10 years old but i can only associate them with feeling, like for example i might have been about 6 and i told my speech therapist that my father yelled at me for writing the T wrong and lost his temper by making me feel he was threatening me because i had tears in my eyes. I can remember it to great detail if i look at a person and feel it, when i get high enough i can figure out everything, and there isn’t much but a blur to any side, its stopping us because it was meant to be made like that, we are discouraged of finding out whatever our future is as the past doesn’t exist, present is all we have and the moment we find it out we could be snapped off our world without milliseconds. We just make egotistical rules and create distractions as most of them know, all we have is now, and this will be their only chance in this lifetime, in a way consciousness isn’t real (quite literally) and we’re just imagining and experiencing random thoughts because it’s empty, it’s nothing that floats out its never that can react except for your body because it was simulated that way, nature was meant to melt with everything it is and ever will be and we can’t stop that. Who knows, we might have a parting the Red Sea and that god has always been leading someone that could bend the present universe to bury the highest aligations and protests. Long story short, this is what i wrote the last time i got high
I watch myself like a bystander, knowing what im doing and feeling guilty for it because I know I could’ve done better but im usually present in my character, that’s how my game goes in this installation of a universe
Feelings my feelings and figuring out what life was about. Since we were all once hunting and focusing on our feeling for instinct by listening to footsteps and trusting your gut and mind. We no longer have the instinct for these type things because we have been forced to shift our minds to experience the world like it should’ve began. Now, these feelings have shifted into these intensely small and fuzzy version of it by putting it into things we call society and politeness, we have turned unnatural and tamed into ourselves with the upsetting news that we will forever have trust issues, because that is our new instinct, messing with our brains by forming actual words and creating standards that have shaped us into what we call “phases” as we learned about the human body and its purposes, our curiousity has brought us here, but that doesn’t mean that the universe will give us a pass, we’re most definitely getting tickled with asteroids straight from Jupiter and even Neptune
submitted by Ill-Construction-899 to SimulationTheory [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 16:50 bushydaffodil54 My Inner Minnesotan

There is a cultural trauma for Minnesota sports fans. I notice it in every person I talk to. There is a fear in hopping on the bandwagon. There is a hesitation to feel hopeful. Every time we have a lead I think of 1998, 2004, 2009. The worst wolves fans are the ones that talk shit in the forums cause it feels like they’re cursing us further. The first lesson I learned in sports growing up was to be quiet until the game was over, hell until the season was over in the off chance you might lose in devastating fashion.
We’ve had our fair share of sports suffering and we’ve been trained to always be on edge. Games 3 & 4 opened up these same wounds. The first half of game 7 did so as well. I couldn’t watch on Sunday. I was a ball of anxiety telling myself I didn’t care anyway, but I kept feeling the tug to go check.
And then the comeback. What an amazing experience it was. These wolves are different. And my body doesn’t know what to do about it. I’m torn and hesitant, but hopeful and also am grateful just to have seen these guys make it as far as they have. And they’ve now given me more and more of a reason to not give up even when it’s gross to watch.
It’s a weird feeling isn’t it? 🤞🤞
submitted by bushydaffodil54 to timberwolves [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 16:48 zak-bagans-stan-acct The Lantern Game

When I was 16 (in 2004), my family visited my Aunt and Uncle with their kids in Buffalo, NY. After a few days, we headed to Eden, NY, where my grandfather had a cottage. Even though he passed away when I was young, we always called it Grandpa's cottage because he built it with his own hands. My Aunt inherited it because she lived close by, while we were from New Jersey. My grandma had died from lung cancer before I was born, and both of my grandparents had their ashes spread on the cottage property. The cottage was nestled on about 80 acres of woods, dotted with small fish ponds and open fields. It was a place filled with memories of swimming in Eighteenmile Creek, exploring the woods, bbq'n, having bonfires, and fishing.
At night, my three cousins and my sisters would camp in tents outside the cottage in one of the open fields. We played a game called the Lantern Game, invented by my cousin, let's call him Timmy. We used a battery-powered lantern that we kept outside our tents for bathroom trips. The game was simple: 1 person would take the lantern into the deep woods, place it on the ground, and then return. The next person would go into the woods, find the lantern, and carry it further before returning. The last one brave enough to fetch the lantern and bring it back won the game. We had a few flashlights at the treeline, and the distant sound of voices was our guide back.
Being one of the younger cousins, I usually quit after my 1st or 2nd turn, but that year, at 16, I was determined to prove myself, especially to my two older sisters. Timmy and his older brother, Jimmy, were legends at the Lantern Game. They would disappear into the woods for 15 or 20 minutes before returning, and Timmy or Jimmy always won.
One night, it came down to me, my oldest sister, and Timmy and Jimmy. Just before my turn, Jimmy warned me to watch out for Grandma and Grandpa. I brushed it off, trying to act cool, but once I was in the woods, fear gripped me. My heart pounded as I thought of my grandpa, who I remembered as a kind man, but now as a dead rotting body lurching behind me. My grandma was just a name and a face in an old photograph to me.
I was about 3 football fields deep into the woods, struggling to find the lantern. I kept hearing noises, my mind racing. Suddenly, goosebumps covered my body, and I felt an electric charge. I couldn't hear my family anymore. Instead, I saw a small shack with a dim light inside about 30 feet away, something I had never seen before. I froze, thinking I might have wandered onto someone else's property, but it didn't make sense since this was my Grandpa's property. The shack looked run-down, like something from a horror story. Time seemed to stop. I saw a wooden chair in front of the door. I told myself not to move. I didn’t see or hear any movement from inside, but the light being on told me someone was there.
After what felt like a long time, I gathered the courage to run. I bolted back to the treeline, my senses heightened. I ran as fast as I could, dodging trees until I saw the flashlights of my cousins and sisters. I told them about the shack. We decided to go back together to find it, but it wasn't there. Even in the daylight, with my Uncle leading the search, we found nothing. To this day, I have no idea what happened. We've walk this way to get to Eighteen Mile Creek so we know the land pretty well. I saw the shack, clear as day, with that dim light on. My best guess is that my mind conjured it up, a memory born of panic of my dead grandfather while playing that stupid game. Though, I have no idea why it was a shack.
I've only shared this story in intimate settings. It still unsettles me (I’m in my 30’s) because I know I saw that shack. Now, it's part of our family's folklore about Grandpa's cottage.
submitted by zak-bagans-stan-acct to Glitch_in_the_Matrix [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 16:37 Internal_Break_7289 my roblox doesnt work propely

i checked my logs and this is what it said:
2024-05-21T14:08:00.829Z,0.829604,3f68,6 [FLog::Output] Loading AppSettings.xml from C:\Users\apina\AppData\Local\Roblox\Versions\version-d8aa63d3654646d0\AppSettings.xml
2024-05-21T14:08:00.868Z,0.868627,3f68,6,Info [FLog::UpdateController] UpdateController: versionQueryUrl: https://clientsettingscdn.roblox.com/v2/client-version/WindowsPlayer
2024-05-21T14:08:00.868Z,0.868627,3f68,6,Info [FLog::UpdateController] WindowsUpdateController: updaterFullPath: C:\Users\apina\AppData\Local\Roblox\Versions\version-d8aa63d3654646d0\RobloxPlayerInstaller.exe
2024-05-21T14:08:00.869Z,0.869627,2f98,6,Info [FLog::UpdateController] Update thread: started with protStr
2024-05-21T14:08:00.869Z,0.869627,2f98,6,Info [FLog::UpdateController] Checking if updater exists at C:\Users\apina\AppData\Local\Roblox\Versions\version-d8aa63d3654646d0\RobloxPlayerInstaller.exe. Returning true
2024-05-21T14:08:01.107Z,1.107141,2f98,6,Debug [FLog::UpdateController] version response: {"version":"0.625.0.6250509","clientVersionUpload":"version-d8aa63d3654646d0","bootstrapperVersion":"1, 6, 0, 6250509"}
2024-05-21T14:08:01.107Z,1.107141,2f98,6,Info [FLog::UpdateController] Update thread: isUpdateRequired FALSE
2024-05-21T14:08:01.246Z,1.246241,3f68,6 [FLog::Output] Settings Date header was Tue, 21 May 2024 14:07:58 GMT
2024-05-21T14:08:01.246Z,1.246241,3f68,6 [FLog::Output] Settings Date timestamp is 1716300478
2024-05-21T14:08:01.293Z,1.293436,3f68,6 [FLog::ClientRunInfo] RobloxGitHash: d2f995026f4963b40bd37e1eada84a7698834d8f
2024-05-21T14:08:01.294Z,1.294434,3f68,6 [FLog::ClientRunInfo] The base url is http://www.roblox.com/
2024-05-21T14:08:01.294Z,1.294434,3f68,6 [FLog::ClientRunInfo] The channel is production
2024-05-21T14:08:01.319Z,1.319400,3f68,6 [FLog::Output] *******
** Validated reflection database in 7.988976 ms, found 4934 entries with the following skipped: 0 enums, 0 properties, 0 functions, 0 events, 0 callbacks, 0 classes.
*******
2024-05-21T14:08:01.321Z,1.321397,3f68,6 [FLog::Output] setAssetFolder content
2024-05-21T14:08:01.323Z,1.323394,3f68,6 [FLog::Output] setExtraAssetFolder C:/Users\apina\AppData\Local\Roblox\Versions\version-d8aa63d3654646d0\ExtraContent
2024-05-21T14:08:01.324Z,1.324393,3f68,6 [FLog::Output] DUAR is on.
2024-05-21T14:08:01.740Z,1.740090,3f68,6 [FLog::WindowsLuaApp] (Win-AuthToken) loadAuthTokenFromDisk:
2024-05-21T14:08:01.756Z,1.756106,3f68,6 [FLog::LogWin32BTId] LogWin32BTId, App, cookie Native => Engine set RBXEventTrackerV2 as CreateDate=05/17/2024 08:16:06&rbxid=2260091992&browserid=1715786824685022
2024-05-21T14:08:01.756Z,1.756106,3f68,6 [FLog::LogWin32BTId] LogWin32BTId, App, local launch, localBtid is 1715786824685022
2024-05-21T14:08:01.781Z,1.781344,3f68,6 [FLog::WindowsLuaApp] StartupController finished starting: stage = 2, BTID = 1715786824685022, upgradeStatus = 3.
2024-05-21T14:08:01.781Z,1.781344,3f68,6 [FLog::LogWin32BTId] LogWin32BTId, App, after initialize the websiteBTId is -1, and localBtid is 1715786824685022
2024-05-21T14:08:01.781Z,1.781344,3f68,6 [FLog::WindowsLuaApp] (Win-AuthToken) saveAuthTokenToDisk:size:1317.
2024-05-21T14:08:01.781Z,1.781344,3f68,6 [FLog::LogWin32BTId] LogWin32BTId, App, cookie Engine => Native set RBXEventTrackerV2 as CreateDate=05/17/2024 08:16:06&rbxid=2260091992&browserid=1715786824685022
2024-05-21T14:08:02.204Z,2.204281,3f68,6 [FLog::Warning] UserAgentString Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; Trident/7.0; rv:11.0) like GeckoRoblox/WinInetRobloxApp/0.625.0.6250509 (GlobalDist; RobloxDirectDownload) is set
2024-05-21T14:08:02.204Z,2.204281,3f68,6 [FLog::WindowsLuaApp] (Win-AuthToken) loadAuthTokenFromDisk:
2024-05-21T14:08:02.205Z,2.205284,3f68,6 [FLog::LogWin32BTId] LogWin32BTId, App, cookie Native => Engine set RBXEventTrackerV2 as CreateDate=05/17/2024 08:16:06&rbxid=2260091992&browserid=1715786824685022
2024-05-21T14:08:03.424Z,3.424384,3f68,6 [FLog::WindowsLuaApp] Set WebView linking marshaller
2024-05-21T14:08:03.425Z,3.425377,3f68,6 [FLog::SingleSurfaceApp] initializeWithAppStarter
2024-05-21T14:08:03.425Z,3.425377,3f68,6 [FLog::SingleSurfaceApp] initializeSingleton
2024-05-21T14:08:03.426Z,3.426371,3f68,6 [FLog::Output] Evaluating deferred inferred crashes
2024-05-21T14:08:03.433Z,3.433326,3f68,6 [FLog::SingleSurfaceApp] setStage: (stage:Native)
2024-05-21T14:08:03.433Z,3.433326,3f68,6 [FLog::SingleSurfaceApp] instantiate controllers
2024-05-21T14:08:03.433Z,3.433326,3f68,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] SurfaceController[_:1]::SurfaceController, count: 1
2024-05-21T14:08:03.433Z,3.433326,3f68,6 [FLog::WindowsLuaApp] Launching univeral app in-app
2024-05-21T14:08:03.434Z,3.434320,3f68,6 [FLog::SingleSurfaceApp] initializeLuaAppWithLoggedInUser: (stage:Native).
2024-05-21T14:08:03.434Z,3.434320,3f68,6 [FLog::SingleSurfaceApp] applyLocale
2024-05-21T14:08:03.436Z,3.436307,3f68,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] OTAPollingEnabled set to: false
2024-05-21T14:08:03.436Z,3.436307,3f68,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] [_DataModelPatch] Load configs for user key: app:774642265928349735
2024-05-21T14:08:03.438Z,3.438294,3f68,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] [_DataModelPatch] Retrieving patch
2024-05-21T14:08:03.438Z,3.438294,3f68,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] getCachedPatch DataModelPatchConfig : type=1, assetId=5345954812, assetVersion=8905, maxAppVersion=625, localAssetURI=rbxasset://models/DataModelPatch/DataModelPatch.rbxm
2024-05-21T14:08:03.438Z,3.438294,3f68,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] getCachedPatch : numAttempts=10
2024-05-21T14:08:03.439Z,3.439288,3f68,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] getCachedPatch : contentId=rbxasset://models/DataModelPatch/DataModelPatch.rbxm
2024-05-21T14:08:03.439Z,3.439288,3f68,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] getCachedPatch : get patch from content provider for Model
2024-05-21T14:08:03.439Z,3.439288,3f68,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] deserializeAndVerifyPatch with blake3
2024-05-21T14:08:03.806Z,3.806711,0e6c,6 [FLog::Output] Studio D3D9 GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
2024-05-21T14:08:03.806Z,3.806711,0e6c,6 [FLog::Output] Studio D3D9 GPU: Vendor 10de Device 13c0
2024-05-21T14:08:03.806Z,3.806711,0e6c,6 [FLog::Output] Studio D3D9 Driver: nvldumdx.dll 31.0.15.5222
2024-05-21T14:08:04.169Z,4.169836,0e6c,6 [FLog::Output] ESGamePerfMonitor GPU: Vendor 000010de Device 000013c0
2024-05-21T14:08:04.169Z,4.169836,0e6c,6 [FLog::Output] ESGamePerfMonitor GPU: SubSys 111610de Revision 000000a1
2024-05-21T14:08:04.169Z,4.169836,0e6c,6 [FLog::Output] ESGamePerfMonitor GPU: DedicatedVidMem 4237033472 DedicatedSysMem 0 SharedSystemMemory 8556070912
2024-05-21T14:08:04.171Z,4.171831,0e6c,6,Info [FLog::CrashReportLog] added file C:\Users\apina\AppData\Local\Roblox\logs\0.625.0.6250509_20240521T140800Z_Player_01CC2_last.log as attachment 0.625.0.6250509_20240521T140800Z_Player_01CC2_last.log
2024-05-21T14:08:04.216Z,4.216707,46f8,6 [FLog::Output] Info: DataModel Loading rbxasset://places/Mobile.rbxl
2024-05-21T14:08:04.231Z,4.231666,3f68,6 [FLog::SingleSurfaceApp] setStage: (stage:InitializedLuaApp)
2024-05-21T14:08:04.231Z,4.231666,3f68,6 [FLog::SingleSurfaceApp] startLuaApp: (stage:InitializedLuaApp).
2024-05-21T14:08:04.231Z,4.231666,3f68,6 [FLog::SingleSurfaceApp] returnToLuaApp: (stage:InitializedLuaApp).
2024-05-21T14:08:04.231Z,4.231666,3f68,6 [FLog::SingleSurfaceApp] returnToLuaApp: ... disable videoRecorder.
2024-05-21T14:08:04.231Z,4.231666,3f68,6 [FLog::SingleSurfaceApp] returnToLuaAppInternal: ... App has been initialized, returning from game.
2024-05-21T14:08:04.231Z,4.231666,3f68,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] [_:1]::replaceDataModel: (stage:0, window = 0xd0800) [tid:0x29f7d577540]
2024-05-21T14:08:04.495Z,4.495785,46f8,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] [discovery-ota] Load configs for user key: user:2260486916
2024-05-21T14:08:04.496Z,4.496782,46f8,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] [discovery-ota] Retrieving patch
2024-05-21T14:08:04.496Z,4.496782,46f8,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] getCachedPatch DataModelPatchConfig : type=1, assetId=16639814581, assetVersion=145, maxAppVersion=625, localAssetURI=
2024-05-21T14:08:04.817Z,4.817729,46f8,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] [discovery-ota] Update OTA config
2024-05-21T14:08:04.864Z,4.864590,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] D3D11 Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
2024-05-21T14:08:04.864Z,4.864590,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] D3D11 Adapter: Vendor 10de Device 13c0 VRAM 4040 RAM 8159
2024-05-21T14:08:04.864Z,4.864590,3f68,6 [channel] Caps: ThreadSafe 0 Framebuffer 1 FpFramebuffer 1 Shaders 1 Compute 1 Instancing 1 PerInstanceStream 1 ConstBuffers 1
2024-05-21T14:08:04.864Z,4.864590,3f68,6 [channel] Caps: Framebuffer: MRT 8 MSAA 8 Stencil 1
2024-05-21T14:08:04.864Z,4.864590,3f68,6 [channel] Caps: Framebuffer: Depth16 1 Depth24 1 DepthFloat 1 DepthClamp 1
2024-05-21T14:08:04.864Z,4.864590,3f68,6 [channel] Caps: Border Color 1
2024-05-21T14:08:04.864Z,4.864590,3f68,6 [channel] Caps: Texture: RGB10A2 1 RG11B10F 1 R16I 1
2024-05-21T14:08:04.864Z,4.864590,3f68,6 [channel] Caps: Texture: DXT 1 PVR 0 ETC1 0 ETC2 0 Half 1
2024-05-21T14:08:04.864Z,4.864590,3f68,6 [channel] Caps: Texture: 3D 1 Array 1 Depth 1 MSAA 1 MSAAFP16 0
2024-05-21T14:08:04.864Z,4.864590,3f68,6 [channel] Caps: Texture: NPOT 1 PartialMips 1 CubeMipGen 1 CubeFramebuffer 1
2024-05-21T14:08:04.865Z,4.865587,3f68,6 [channel] Caps: Texture: Size 16384 Units 32 VertexUnits 16
2024-05-21T14:08:04.865Z,4.865587,3f68,6 [channel] Caps: ConstantBufferSize 65536
2024-05-21T14:08:04.865Z,4.865587,3f68,6 [channel] Caps: isAppleGPU 0
2024-05-21T14:08:04.865Z,4.865587,3f68,6 [channel] Caps: 32bIdx 1 Memoryless 0
2024-05-21T14:08:04.865Z,4.865587,3f68,6 [channel] Caps: ColorBGR 0 RTFlip 0 MinusOneToOneDepth 0
2024-05-21T14:08:04.901Z,4.901476,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] Video memory size: 2147483648
2024-05-21T14:08:04.967Z,4.967358,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] Loaded 848 shaders from pack d3d11 variant default (4507676 bytes)
2024-05-21T14:08:04.967Z,4.967358,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] Compiled 597 shaders in 64 ms
2024-05-21T14:08:04.971Z,4.971385,2124,6 [FLog::WindowsLuaApp] Application did receive notification, type(APP_READY, 10), data(PlatformAccountRouter)
2024-05-21T14:08:05.000Z,5.000584,1478,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] [discovery-ota] Update OTA succeeded: {"SchemaVersion":"1","CanaryUserIds":[],"CanaryPercentage":0}
2024-05-21T14:08:05.000Z,5.000584,1478,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] [discovery-ota] Update OTA config not deployed
2024-05-21T14:08:05.027Z,5.027769,0a48,6 [FLog::WindowsLuaApp] Application did receive notification, type(APP_READY, 10), data(Startup)
2024-05-21T14:08:05.033Z,5.033810,0a48,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] [_DataModelPatch] Update OTA config
2024-05-21T14:08:05.038Z,5.038844,3f68,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] SurfaceController::disableVR
2024-05-21T14:08:05.038Z,5.038844,3f68,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] SurfaceController[_:1]::initialize view(0000029F25AAB2A0)
2024-05-21T14:08:05.038Z,5.038844,3f68,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] SurfaceController[_:1]::start dataModel(0000029F1E5424B0)
2024-05-21T14:08:05.038Z,5.038844,3f68,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] SurfaceController::RenderJob[_:1]::RenderJob
2024-05-21T14:08:05.038Z,5.038844,3f68,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] SurfaceController[_:1]::run dataModel(0000029F1E5424B0)
2024-05-21T14:08:05.039Z,5.039851,0a48,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] SurfaceController::RenderJob::stepDataModelJob: No DM yet. Continue...
2024-05-21T14:08:05.039Z,5.039851,3f68,6 [FLog::SingleSurfaceApp] setStage: (stage:LuaApp)
2024-05-21T14:08:05.039Z,5.039851,3f68,6 [FLog::SingleSurfaceApp] userDidLogin
2024-05-21T14:08:05.039Z,5.039851,3f68,6 [FLog::SingleSurfaceApp] applyLocale
2024-05-21T14:08:05.042Z,5.042871,0834,6 [FLog::Output] Begin machine id check
2024-05-21T14:08:05.044Z,5.044885,46f8,6,Info [FLog::CrashReportLog] Set hang detection to: true
2024-05-21T14:08:05.044Z,5.044885,3f68,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] SurfaceController::RenderJob::scheduleRender: No data model. Bind workspace now...
2024-05-21T14:08:05.121Z,5.121855,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] LayeredClothingMode updated: LC=1 HSR=1
2024-05-21T14:08:05.121Z,5.121855,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] Future is bright shadows
2024-05-21T14:08:05.128Z,5.128837,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] SmoothCluster::initSolidTextures()
2024-05-21T14:08:05.129Z,5.129834,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] Terrain TextureArray 512x512, arraySize: 36, mip: 10
2024-05-21T14:08:05.135Z,5.135818,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] SceneManager: resizing main targets to 808x607
2024-05-21T14:08:05.321Z,5.321296,1478,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] [_DataModelPatch] Update OTA succeeded: {"SchemaVersion":"1","CanaryUserIds":[],"CanaryPercentage":0}
2024-05-21T14:08:05.321Z,5.321296,1478,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] [_DataModelPatch] Update OTA config not deployed
2024-05-21T14:08:05.860Z,5.860782,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] SceneManager: resizing main targets to 1920x1009
2024-05-21T14:08:05.869Z,5.869757,0a48,6 [FLog::WindowsLuaApp] Application did receive notification, type(APP_READY, 10), data(Home)
2024-05-21T14:08:05.869Z,5.869757,0a48,6 [FLog::WindowsLuaApp] Application did receive notification, type(APP_READY, 10), data(RootSwitchNavigator)
2024-05-21T14:08:06.025Z,6.025307,46f8,6 [FLog::WindowsLuaApp] Application did receive notification, type(DID_LOG_IN, 28), data({"username":"joonuska8","membershipType":4,"isUnder13":true,"countryCode":"FI","userId":2260486916,"displayName":"JonskuZ10"})
2024-05-21T14:08:06.033Z,6.033284,3f68,6 [FLog::WindowsLuaApp] (Win-AuthToken) saveAuthTokenToDisk:size:1317.
2024-05-21T14:08:06.033Z,6.033284,3f68,6 [FLog::LogWin32BTId] LogWin32BTId, App, cookie Engine => Native set RBXEventTrackerV2 as CreateDate=05/17/2024 08:16:06&rbxid=2260091992&browserid=1715786824685022
2024-05-21T14:08:06.036Z,6.036275,3f68,6 [DFLog::SignalRCoreError] ID: 1 Disconnected - stop() called
2024-05-21T14:08:13.503Z,13.503502,46f8,6 [FLog::WindowsLuaApp] Application did receive notification, type(APP_READY, 10), data(ExperienceDetail)
2024-05-21T14:08:13.863Z,13.863633,1478,12 [DFLog::HttpTraceError] HttpResponse(#209 0000029F37DB3E70) time:154.0ms (net:153.4ms callback:0.0ms timeInRetryQueue:0.0ms)status:403 Forbidden bodySize:145 url:{ "https://games.roblox.com/v1/games/4827815098/social-links/list" } ip:128.116.44.3 external:0 numberOfTimesRetried:0
2024-05-21T14:08:13.864Z,13.864635,2124,6 [FLog::Warning] Warning: HTTP error url:`https://games.roblox.com/v1/games/4827815098/social-links/list\`
2024-05-21T14:08:13.864Z,13.864635,2124,6 [FLog::Warning] Warning: HTTP error code:`403`
2024-05-21T14:08:13.864Z,13.864635,2124,6 [FLog::Warning] Warning: HTTP error body:`{"errors":[{"code":3,"message":"Only users who are over twelve years of age may view social links.","userFacingMessage":"Something went wrong"}]}`
2024-05-21T14:08:13.881Z,13.881659,46f8,6 [FLog::Warning] Warning: Unhandled Promise rejection:
table: 0x346dea18df26c33d
CoreGui.RobloxGui.Modules.LuaApp.Thunks.Games.ApiFetchGameSocialLinks:19
CorePackages.Packages._Index.Rodux.Rodux.makeThunkMiddleware:18
CorePackages.Packages._Index.Rodux.Rodux.makeThunkMiddleware:17
CorePackages.Packages._Index.Rodux.Rodux.Store:116
CoreGui.RobloxGui.Modules.LuaApp.Thunks.Games.FetchGameDetailsPageData:95 function startSecondClassFetchPromises
CoreGui.RobloxGui.Modules.LuaApp.Thunks.Games.FetchGameDetailsPageData:184
CorePackages.Packages._Index.Promise340.Promise340:175 function runExecutor
CorePackages.Packages._Index.Promise340.Promise340:184
2024-05-21T14:08:15.303Z,15.303412,2124,6 [FLog::WindowsLuaApp] Application did receive notification, type(APP_READY, 10), data(GenericWebPage)
2024-05-21T14:08:15.364Z,15.364557,385c,6 [FLog::WindowsLuaApp] WebProtocol OpenBrowser
2024-05-21T14:08:19.149Z,19.149271,3f68,6 [FLog::SingleSurfaceApp] launchUGCGame: (stage:LuaApp).
2024-05-21T14:08:19.149Z,19.149271,3f68,6 [FLog::SingleSurfaceApp] launchUGCGameInternal
2024-05-21T14:08:19.150Z,19.150272,3f68,6 [FLog::SingleSurfaceApp] applyLocale
2024-05-21T14:08:19.155Z,19.155279,3f68,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] [_DataModelPatch] Retrieving patch
2024-05-21T14:08:19.155Z,19.155279,3f68,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] getCachedPatch DataModelPatchConfig : type=1, assetId=5345954812, assetVersion=8905, maxAppVersion=625, localAssetURI=rbxasset://models/DataModelPatch/DataModelPatch.rbxm
2024-05-21T14:08:19.155Z,19.155279,3f68,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] getCachedPatch : numAttempts=10
2024-05-21T14:08:19.155Z,19.155279,3f68,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] getCachedPatch : contentId=rbxasset://models/DataModelPatch/DataModelPatch.rbxm
2024-05-21T14:08:19.155Z,19.155279,3f68,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] getCachedPatch : get patch from content provider for Model
2024-05-21T14:08:19.156Z,19.156281,3f68,100 [FLog::DataModelPatchConfigurer] deserializeAndVerifyPatch with blake3
2024-05-21T14:08:19.161Z,19.161741,2124,6 [FLog::WindowsLuaApp] Application did receive notification, type(APP_READY, 10), data(ExperienceDetail)
2024-05-21T14:08:19.627Z,19.627350,3f68,6,Info [FLog::Audio] OutputDevice 0: Kaiuttimet (Razer Kraken V3 X) [USB] 48000/2
2024-05-21T14:08:19.652Z,19.652264,3f68,6 [FLog::Audio] InputDevice 0: Microphone (Razer Kraken V3 X)({{7a43ddc8-ecbf-4f13-9e9dd1d28a8b15a1}}) 48000/2/4
2024-05-21T14:08:19.652Z,19.652264,3f68,6 [FLog::Audio] InputDevice 1: Mikrofoni (Steam Streaming Microphone)({{15617781-f46e-4b6d-9ebb182fafecb69e}}) 44100/1/4
2024-05-21T14:08:19.669Z,19.669367,3f68,6 [FLog::VIPTeleport] new DM, after gameLoadedSignal connect
2024-05-21T14:08:19.676Z,19.676414,3f68,6 [FLog::UGCGameController] UGCGameController, initialized DataModel(0000029F38921970)
2024-05-21T14:08:19.676Z,19.676414,3f68,6 [FLog::GameJoinUtil] GameJoinUtil::joinGame
2024-05-21T14:08:19.677Z,19.677422,3f68,6 [FLog::GameJoinUtil] GameJoinUtil::joinGamePostPrivateServer: URL: https://gamejoin.roblox.com/v1/join-private-game BODY: {"placeId":13928941253,"gameJoinAttemptId":"4809a4e1-5e03-4d11-8214-9499d0958a19","accessCode":"a7d6eee6-4293-4665-9a3a-ff3040b2dddc"}
2024-05-21T14:08:19.677Z,19.677422,385c,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] SurfaceController::enableVR
2024-05-21T14:08:19.677Z,19.677422,3f68,6 [FLog::GameJoinUtil] GameJoinUtil::makePlaceLauncherRequest: requestCount: 0, url: https://gamejoin.roblox.com/v1/join-private-game.
2024-05-21T14:08:19.677Z,19.677422,3f68,6 [FLog::GameJoinUtil] Delaying request by 0.00 seconds
2024-05-21T14:08:19.678Z,19.678429,3f68,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] [_:1]::replaceDataModel: (stage:3, window = 0xd0800) [tid:0x29f7d577540]
2024-05-21T14:08:19.678Z,19.678429,3f68,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] SurfaceController[_:1]::pause dataModel(0000029F1E5424B0), view(0000029F25AAB2A0), destroyView:0.
2024-05-21T14:08:19.678Z,19.678429,3f68,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] stop
2024-05-21T14:08:19.678Z,19.678429,3f68,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] drainRenderingJobs
2024-05-21T14:08:19.680Z,19.680443,3f68,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] SurfaceController::RenderJob[_:1]::~RenderJob
2024-05-21T14:08:19.696Z,19.696554,3f68,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] SurfaceController[_:1]::start dataModel(0000029F38921970)
2024-05-21T14:08:19.696Z,19.696554,3f68,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] SurfaceController::RenderJob[_:2]::RenderJob
2024-05-21T14:08:19.696Z,19.696554,3f68,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] SurfaceController[_:1]::run dataModel(0000029F38921970)
2024-05-21T14:08:19.696Z,19.696554,3f68,6 [FLog::SingleSurfaceApp] setStage: (stage:UGCGame)
2024-05-21T14:08:19.758Z,19.758978,385c,6 [FLog::UGCGameController] Game Scripts are loaded
2024-05-21T14:08:19.758Z,19.758978,385c,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] SurfaceController::RenderJob::stepDataModelJob: No DM yet. Continue...
2024-05-21T14:08:19.759Z,19.759975,3f68,6 [FLog::SurfaceController] SurfaceController::RenderJob::scheduleRender: No data model. Bind workspace now...
2024-05-21T14:08:20.140Z,20.140045,2124,6 [FLog::GameJoinUtil] GameJoinUtil::makePlaceLauncherRequest, response:
{"jobId":"c5785430-a54d-462f-9d21-f12d254df339","status":2,"statusData":null,"joinScriptUrl":"https://assetgame.roblox.com/Game/Join.ashx?ticketVersion=2&ticket={\\"UserId\\"%3a2260486916%2c\\"UserName\\"%3a\\"joonuska8\\"%2c\\"DisplayName\\"%3a\\"JonskuZ10\\"%2c\\"CharacterFetchUrl\\"%3a\\"https%3a%2f%2fapi.roblox.com%2fv1.1%2favatar-fetch%2f%3fplaceId%3d13928941253%26userId%3d2260486916\\"%2c\\"GameId\\"%3a\\"c5785430-a54d-462f-9d21-f12d254df339\\"%2c\\"PlaceId\\"%3a13928941253%2c\\"UniverseId\\"%3a4827815098%2c\\"ServerId\\"%3a1047938%2c\\"ServerPort\\"%3a60803%2c\\"IsTeleport\\"%3afalse%2c\\"FollowUserId\\"%3anull%2c\\"TimeStamp\\"%3a\\"05%2f21%2f2024+14%3a08%3a17\\"%2c\\"CharacterAppearanceId\\"%3a2260486916%2c\\"AlternateName\\"%3anull%2c\\"JoinTypeId\\"%3a4%2c\\"MatchmakingDecisionId\\"%3anull%2c\\"GameJoinMetadata\\"%3a{\\"JoinSource\\"%3a0%2c\\"RequestType\\"%3a1%2c\\"MatchmakingDecisionId\\"%3a\\"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000\\"%2
2024-05-21T14:08:20.140Z,20.140045,2124,6 [FLog::GameJoinUtil] Game join succeeded.
2024-05-21T14:08:20.140Z,20.140045,2124,6 [FLog::GameJoinUtil] GameJoinUtil::processing join parameters
2024-05-21T14:08:20.141Z,20.141043,2124,7 [FLog::Network] NetworkClient:Create
2024-05-21T14:08:20.142Z,20.142040,2124,10 [DFLog::KeyRing] Parsed config created at: 11:59 4/1/2024.
2024-05-21T14:08:20.145Z,20.145037,2124,6 [FLog::Output] AnalyticsSessionId is 0f0560f6-633c-4931-ba8a-455dadb87ce7.
2024-05-21T14:08:20.146Z,20.146034,2124,6 [FLog::Output] ! Joining game 'c5785430-a54d-462f-9d21-f12d254df339' place 13928941253 at 10.17.7.155
2024-05-21T14:08:20.146Z,20.146034,2124,6 [FLog::GameJoinLoadTime] Report game_join_loadtime: placeid:13928941253, join_time:0.99978098400089976394, universeid:4827815098, referral_page:GameDetailPageJSHybridEvent, sid:0f0560f6-633c-4931-ba8a-455dadb87ce7, clienttime:1716300499.8559999466, userid:2260486916,
2024-05-21T14:08:20.149Z,20.149029,2124,7 [FLog::Network] Client will attempt to connect following server endpoints with threadSleepTime(-1)
2024-05-21T14:08:20.149Z,20.149029,2124,7 [FLog::Network] UDMUX Address = 128.116.21.33, Port = 60803 RCC Server Address = 10.17.7.155, Port = 60803
2024-05-21T14:08:20.150Z,20.150028,2124,7 [FLog::Network] binding socket on inaddr_any:0
2024-05-21T14:08:20.162Z,20.162868,2124,6 [FLog::Output] Connecting to UDMUX server 128.116.21.33:60803, and RCC server 10.17.7.155:60803
2024-05-21T14:08:20.362Z,20.362783,46f8,6 [FLog::Output] Connection accepted from 128.116.21.3360803
2024-05-21T14:08:20.365Z,20.365788,46f8,7 [FLog::Network] serverId: 128.116.21.3360803
2024-05-21T14:08:20.366Z,20.366791,46f8,7 [FLog::Network] Replicator created for player 128.116.21.3360803
2024-05-21T14:08:20.366Z,20.366791,46f8,7 [FLog::Network] Replicator created: 0000029F50335670
2024-05-21T14:08:20.694Z,20.694845,2124,7 [FLog::Network] Time taken to initialize schema = 12.483300 ms
2024-05-21T14:08:20.696Z,20.696840,2124,7 [FLog::Network] Assigned peer id = 4
2024-05-21T14:08:20.697Z,20.697836,2124,7 [FLog::Network] Join snapshot timer: 1.500500
2024-05-21T14:08:23.614Z,23.614683,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] SmoothCluster::initSolidTextures()
2024-05-21T14:08:23.614Z,23.614683,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] Terrain TextureArray 512x512, arraySize: 36, mip: 10
2024-05-21T14:08:24.203Z,24.203489,1cac,6 [FLog::Error] Asset (Image) "https://assetdelivery.roblox.com/v1/asset?id=0" load failed in Workspace.Map.Map.BossZone.BossIslandsDECO.Boss8Deco.BossDec.bossshrimp.Shrimp.Body.Part.Mesh.TextureId: Request failed
2024-05-21T14:08:26.452Z,26.452301,46f8,6 [FLog::Warning] Warning: Infinite yield possible on 'RobloxReplicatedStorage:WaitForChild("RequestDeviceCameraCFrame")'
2024-05-21T14:08:26.452Z,26.452301,46f8,6 [FLog::Output] Info: Stack Begin
2024-05-21T14:08:26.452Z,26.452301,46f8,6 [FLog::Output] Info: Script 'CoreGui.RobloxGui.CoreScripts/PlayerView', Line 5
2024-05-21T14:08:26.452Z,26.452301,46f8,6 [FLog::Output] Info: Stack End
2024-05-21T14:08:36.058Z,36.058613,385c,6 [FLog::VIPTeleport] made it to inside gameLoadedSignal without teleportParams
2024-05-21T14:08:36.072Z,36.072498,385c,6 [FLog::Output] Server RobloxGitHash: d2f995026f4963b40bd37e1eada84a7698834d8f
2024-05-21T14:08:36.072Z,36.072498,385c,6 [FLog::Output] Server Prefix: 0.625.0.6250509_20240521T140601Z_RCC_16ba8
2024-05-21T14:08:36.073Z,36.073490,385c,6 [FLog::VIPTeleport] create! we were able to get the vip on client: a7d6eee6-4293-4665-9a3a-ff3040b2dddc placeid: 13928941253
2024-05-21T14:08:37.018Z,37.018616,385c,6,Info [FLog::VoiceChatLogs] [C:\buildAgent\work\ci_ninja_client-x64_git\Client\App\v8datamodel\src\VoiceChatService.cpp:L497] VoiceChatService::IsVoiceEnabledForUserIdAsync caching new value: false
2024-05-21T14:08:59.514Z,59.514191,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] SceneManager: resizing main targets to 1920x1009
2024-05-21T14:09:02.015Z,62.015125,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] SceneManager: resizing main targets to 1920x1009
2024-05-21T14:09:04.512Z,64.512604,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] SceneManager: resizing main targets to 1920x1009
2024-05-21T14:10:01.557Z,121.557869,1478,6 [FLog::Output] Settings Date header was Tue, 21 May 2024 14:09:59 GMT
2024-05-21T14:10:01.557Z,121.557869,1478,6 [FLog::Output] Settings Date timestamp is 1716300599
2024-05-21T14:10:21.329Z,141.329895,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:10:26.329Z,146.329269,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:10:31.329Z,151.329605,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:10:36.328Z,156.328629,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:10:36.355Z,156.355270,1478,6 [DFLog::SignalRCoreError] ID: 1 Disconnected - Websocket closed
2024-05-21T14:10:41.329Z,161.329422,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:10:46.330Z,166.330185,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:10:51.328Z,171.328995,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:10:56.329Z,176.329788,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:11:01.330Z,181.330475,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:11:06.330Z,186.330658,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:11:11.330Z,191.330292,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:11:16.331Z,196.331696,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:11:21.331Z,201.331482,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:11:26.331Z,206.331696,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:11:31.330Z,211.330429,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:11:36.331Z,216.331345,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:11:41.331Z,221.331284,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:11:46.332Z,226.332275,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:11:51.331Z,231.331390,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:11:56.331Z,236.331772,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:12:01.332Z,241.332123,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
2024-05-21T14:12:01.760Z,241.760773,1478,6 [FLog::Output] Settings Date header was Tue, 21 May 2024 14:11:59 GMT
2024-05-21T14:12:01.761Z,241.761780,1478,6 [FLog::Output] Settings Date timestamp is 1716300719
2024-05-21T14:12:06.332Z,246.332657,3f68,6 [FLog::Graphics] WARNING: D3D Frame query timed out, has device hung?
specs:
gtx 980
i3-9100F
16 gb ram ddr4
please help.
submitted by Internal_Break_7289 to RobloxHelp [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 16:27 Joris-truly So, I had this great Immersive Simulation moment recently...

...in Sons of the Forest. I know, I personally don't count this as an ImmSim either. Its structure is more akin to a Metroidvania with its bog-standard survival mechanics. However, its AI system is rather robust, reactive, and hard to read, making it very engaging as an immersive simulation.
The moment that wowed me: I stumbled upon a cannibal camp. My current playstyle was de-escalation—no combat. But one of the villagers came at me pretty violently. They threw rocks from afar, and one came up pretty close. It rattled me a bit, so I fired my gun and shot him directly in the head. He dropped to the ground immediately.
What surprised me the most was its underlying NPC simulation. A woman came running out, screaming. At first, I thought it was towards me, but she ran to the body of the guy I shot. She kneeled down and started to cry. After that, I heard another guy screaming, and a bit further away, I saw a big guy with a club coming towards me. But he stopped and walked to the body. The woman ran away. The big brute picked up the body and checked it. I immediately ran back to my camp. It didn't end there though.
Back at my camp, I started to go to sleep, but I woke up from a deep scream coming from the forest. I shined my flashlight towards the sound, and there he was—the big guy I met at the cannibal camp, still holding the body of the guy I shot in the head. Out of nowhere, he threw the dead body towards me. Reflexively, I shot the brute in the head, and he dropped down too.
After that moment, nothing like that ever happened again in the game. It felt like a reactive, magical experience that only a few games have made me feel, Deus Ex (2000) being one of them. I personally don't vibe with the Tamagotchi-style survival games, with their lack of meaningful reactivity other than checklisting and maintenance, but this specific moment was on another level entirely. Anyway, just wanted to share this moment.
submitted by Joris-truly to ImmersiveSim [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 16:22 Spidey007 [Dragon Ball Z/MCU: Final Arc] The Janemba Saga- Gohan’s Ascension

To note, this is a continuation of the sagas I wrote that took place after the Cell Saga. The two sagas were written with inspiration taken from MCU Peter Parker's arcs in Far from Home and No Way Home. The goal was to develop Son Gohan into a proper lead for the show. If you'd like to check them out, here are the links!
Bojack (Far From Home) Saga: https://www.reddit.com/fixingmovies/s/sK5zOnJ0oU
Broly (No Way Home) Saga: https://www.reddit.com/fixingmovies/s/R3sGOqdbIv
There are many things I find wrong in the Buu saga:
  1. Goku coming back: This derails the narrative tremendously as he snatches back the torch from Gohan. He's going to play a role, but he will stay dead.
  2. Gohan's writing: In canon, we ended up with a rusty, goofy, badly written character who lost all the development from the previous sagas. He became a useless disappointment and did not uphold his role as a protector of the earth. This won't go anywhere near that direction.
  3. SSJ3 and fusions: These elements were unnecessary as they did nothing to solve the plot and only provided fluff. This can be introduced in Super, but that's another story.
  4. Goten and Trunks SSJ: I wasn't a fan of how they easily transformed, treating it as an easy power-up. Here, it will be earned.
What I want to do here is combine the Buu saga with Fusion Reborn. For that movie, there are tons of elements at play that can be used to make the grand finale of Dragon Ball Z, more grand. The goal here is to increase the stakes, trim all the unnecessary fat, give everyone a chance to shine, and keep the main focus on Gohan. I also want to replace Buu with Janemba, as I find him much more threatening due to his unique abilities which would be perfect to challenge Gohan. It's also here that we avoid the rinse-and-repeat problem that came with Buu and his many forms.

Without further ado, here is the...... Janemba Saga!

Seven years have passed since the climactic battle against Broly. Gohan, now a young adult, has diligently pursued a delicate balance between his studies and training. During this time, he has honed his Super Saiyan 2 form and significantly elevated his combat skills. However, he deliberately restrains his power, refusing to succumb to the depths of his inner rage. Gohan believes that his technical prowess alone will suffice, opting to suppress the primal fury within him. Despite his reservations, Gohan attends a prestigious private school on an academic scholarship, alongside his steadfast companion Videl and their circle of friends. Gohan has embraced the responsibility of preserving peace on Earth as a valiant hero, adopting the mantle of Saiyaman. His suit has undergone a sleek redesign, shedding the theatrical poses in favor of a more streamlined appearance. Functioning as a dynamic duo reminiscent of Superman and Batman, Gohan and Videl tackle the city's crime wave together. Videl, having mastered her ki abilities under the tutelage of Piccolo, has grown stronger over the years. Glimpses of their everyday lives reveal the struggles of Gohan as he endeavors to balance the demands of school, training, and personal relationships. Amidst the challenges, he harbors a subtle resentment towards his duty, as it often encroaches upon his cherished personal time. Nevertheless, Gohan persists, fueled by his unwavering determination to live up to his father's legacy.
However, the tranquil facade is shattered when a harrowing turn of events unfolds. The narrative transitions to an otherworldly realm, distinctly separate from Earth. A mysterious figure cloaked in darkness materializes, none other than the malevolent wizard Babidi. Harnessing the unholy power of dark magic, Babidi establishes a sinister connection with his loyal minion Dabura, the King of the Demon Realm. United in their nefarious purpose, they orchestrate an audacious invasion of Otherworld, intent on freeing the formidable demon Janemba. Ages ago, Janemba had been sealed away in this celestial realm by the Supreme Kais. Babidi's malevolent ambition revolves around shrouding the universe in eternal darkness. To achieve this nightmarish vision, he plans to infect the denizens of Earth using the insidious Majin spell, thereby expanding his dominion across countless planets.
In the midst of this burgeoning chaos, Gohan, disguised as Saiyaman, finds himself investigating a peculiar incident involving the possession of one of his dearest friends. Videl, resolute and fearless, engages in a fierce battle against the malevolent puppeteer controlling Sharpner. With unwavering confidence, she urges Gohan to let her confront the threat alone. Sharpner, his strength unnaturally augmented, puts up a formidable resistance, but Videl's experience enables her to subdue him without resorting to fatal measures. As Sharpner awakens from his trance, Gohan seeks answers regarding the enigmatic force that had seized control of his friend. Sharpner reveals that a voice called Babidi had whispered malevolent commands into his mind. Armed with this critical information, Gohan summons Vegeta and Piccolo to join him in unraveling the unfolding crisis, embarking on a journey towards the epicenter of the ominous power emanating from a series of potent and wicked ki signatures, ultimately leading them to Babidi and Dabura.
Meanwhile, Earth becomes a battleground, besieged by an onslaught of resurrected zombies, soldiers, and former villains who once terrorized its populace. Though the trio finds themselves torn between aiding their beleaguered planet and confronting the imminent threat directly before them, they know their immediate priority lies in thwarting Babidi's scheme. Distracting them with his grandiose monologue, Babidi probes their minds, seeking susceptible individuals to manipulate. Initially targeting Vegeta, Babidi redirects his attention toward Piccolo, sensing his inherent duality as a being born of both good and evil. With a combination of Babidi's insidious spell and the lingering malevolence of Piccolo Daimao, the Namekian warrior struggles to resist the overwhelming influence. His powers surge exponentially beyond their previous limitations, clouding his judgment and driving him to confront his former student, Gohan. Amidst the shock of this unforeseen twist, Gohan assumes the responsibility of awakening Piccolo from his trance-like state, determined to restore his mentor's clarity. As the battle rages on, they sense a tremor that reverberates throughout the planet, an unmistakable ki signature brimming with icy coldness, signifying the presence of a singular entity—Janemba.
Bracing himself for the impending clash with this malevolent force, Gohan prepares to face Janemba head-on, while Piccolo embarks on a personal mission to neutralize Babidi. Meanwhile, Vegeta remains locked in a fierce struggle against Dabura, the Prince of Saiyans confronting the King of the Demon Realm. The confrontation unfolds with brutal intensity, and Vegeta finds himself teetering on the edge of defeat. Sensing his adversary's advantage, Dabura unleashes a legion of demons to tip the scales further in his favor. Pushed to his limits, Vegeta fights valiantly, but the odds appear insurmountable. Dabura, consumed by arrogance, revels in his imminent triumph, announcing his intention to unleash the full might of the demon horde upon Earth. Faced with the dire consequences of such a cataclysm, Vegeta musters every ounce of desperation within him. In a moment of self-sacrifice, he unleashes a devastating attack upon Dabura and his minions. The resulting explosion weakens Babidi's forces, repels the encroaching Demon Realm, and safeguards their dimension from untold chaos and devastation.
(Note: I wanted to keep Vegeta's sacrifice but make it matter and count. In canon, it didn't stop Buu, and he sent himself into cold oblivion on a lie. Here, he makes a difference in the long run and has a definitive redemptive moment. )
Startled by the sudden disappearance of Vegeta's powerful ki, Trunks defies the protests of his comrades on the Lookout and rushes towards the chaotic battleground. His heart pounds with trepidation as he races through the smoke-filled air, only to be confronted with the lifeless body of his father lying motionless on the ground. Overwhelmed by a torrent of despair and seething rage, Trunks' trembling hands reach out to shake his father awake, his desperate pleas echoing through the desolate landscape. But his efforts prove futile, and a profound sense of loss engulfs him.
In the midst of this heart-wrenching moment, a surge of raw energy courses through Trunks' veins, igniting a transformation that surpasses the boundaries of his mortal self. Radiating an aura of vibrant golden light, Trunks ascends to the legendary state of the Super Saiyan. His eyes ablaze with determination and fury, he is now ready to face the battle that lies ahead.The scene shifts, revealing the remaining Z-Fighters locked in a perilous struggle against hordes of relentless zombies. Fatigue weighs heavily upon their weary bodies as they fend off the relentless onslaught. Suddenly, a streak of intense power streaks across the sky, and Trunks descends before his comrades, newly transformed and brimming with indomitable strength. A burst of energy erupts from his fingertips, shattering a ki blast launched by one of the zombies, diverting it harmlessly away. In the eyes of his adversaries, astonishment mingles with mockery as they behold the sight of a mere child standing before them.Unfazed by their taunting laughter, Trunks addresses his comrades with unwavering resolve. He declares that he will shoulder the burden of the battle, vowing that not a single life will be lost on this day. With unparalleled speed and precision, he charges towards the encroaching horde, obliterating each zombie with astonishing ease. Their forces crumble beneath the might of his wrath, and the battlefield is transformed into a graveyard of defeated foes.As the last of the zombies falls, Trunks relinquishes his Super Saiyan form, his energy spent and body drained. Collapsing to the ground, he succumbs to exhaustion, his breathing ragged and labored. In this moment of vulnerability, Yamcha, recognizing the young warrior's valor, rushes to his side and gently lifts him from the battlefield, cradling his battered form with utmost care.
(Note: Kid Trunks' transformation is a direct reference to when Future Trunks found Gohan dead after the battle with the androids, and then he transformed. )
While this tumultuous event unfolded, the responsibility of safeguarding the Lookout fell upon the young shoulders of Goten. As time passed, a sudden intrusion disrupted the tranquility of the platform, as a malevolent henchman, infused with the dark power of King Cold, materialized before him. Though momentarily shaken, Goten summoned his courage and engaged in a valiant struggle against his formidable adversary.Initially, it appeared that Goten held his ground admirably, skillfully countering the attacks launched by the nefarious duo of Salza and Dore. However, their sinister coordination gradually began to overpower the young warrior. In a devastating display of force, Salza executed a malicious kick that sent Goten hurtling towards the precipice of the Lookout, teetering on the brink of unconsciousness.
Witnessing her son's battered and vulnerable state, Chi-Chi, consumed by a mixture of horror and fury, lunged at Salza in a desperate attempt to defend her child. Yet, her efforts proved futile as Salza callously seized her by the throat, mercilessly constricting the life from her. From his weakened position, Goten, wide-eyed and mouth agape, struggled to remain conscious, his mind besieged by the conflicting emotions of impending death and the weight of disappointment.
In that critical moment, he closed his eyes, his teeth sinking into his lip until blood stained his mouth. His trembling hands clenched into tight fists. And then, something within him snapped, unleashing a primal force that lay dormant within.Goten vanished, replaced by an embodiment of unbridled rage. Transformed into a Super Saiyan, his furious aura radiated with an intensity that defied comprehension. With a surge of unrestrained power, he propelled himself towards Salza, obliterating his malevolent foe with a devastating blast that eradicated him from existence. Undeterred by the remaining henchmen who sought to avenge their fallen comrade, Goten engaged them with a newfound ferocity.In a breathtaking display of combat prowess, it took mere moments for Goten to dispatch his adversaries, consigning them to the depths of the afterlife. Unaware of his mother's watchful gaze, Chi-Chi bore witness to the astonishing transformation of her once-innocent son, her heart filled with awe at the unfathomable power he now wielded.
(Note: This is a reference to when Superman had attacked Zod for attacking Martha in Man of Steel. With this, Goten is able to break out of his shell and experience some development. I also did not want Chi-Chi to die, but to have it be close. This way, she can witness firsthand her son fighting to avenge her and realizing that his saiyan blood kicked in to save them all, which would lead to some development towards her accepting that they have the natural power to fight, but also protect. )
Simultaneously, amidst the chaos, Piccolo found himself embroiled in a fierce battle of magic. His objective was to shatter the impenetrable barrier erected by his adversary, Babidi, to halt the relentless proliferation of Majin-infused beings. The odds were stacked against him, but with unwavering determination, Piccolo summoned the strength to rupture the barrier, ultimately delivering a fatal blow to Babidi. In doing so, he succeeded in halting the insidious spread of the Majin curse.Meanwhile, Gohan, driven by an overwhelming surge of power in his Super Saiyan 2 form, charged headlong at the formidable Fat Janemba, intent on swiftly ending the confrontation. Displaying remarkable valor, Gohan engaged his adversary with all his might, momentarily gaining the upper hand in fleeting bursts of fury. However, Janemba's energy continued to surge unabated, gradually overpowering Gohan and relegating him to a defensive stance.With the battle reaching its climax, Janemba unleashed a devastating onslaught aimed at obliterating the planet. In a desperate bid to protect all that he held dear, Gohan fearlessly interposed himself between Janemba's lethal assault and the world, extending his arms wide as he summoned the last vestiges of his ki to create a resolute energy shield. The technique demanded one final act of defiance, compelling Gohan to redirect the unleashed energy back towards Janemba, propelling the malevolent entity backward and teetering on the precipice of annihilation. Yet, the maneuver exacted a heavy toll on Gohan, leaving him grievously injured and drained of consciousness, hurtling through the sky and crashing deep into the untamed wilderness.
(Note: This maneuver is a mix of what Gohan did against Broly in Movie 10, and what Future Gohan did in his last battle against the androids.)
Subsequently, Supreme Kai, recognizing the dire condition of the young warrior, transported Gohan to the realm of the Kais. As Gohan gradually regained consciousness, he found himself surrounded by the presence of Supreme Kai, Kibito, and his father, Son Goku. Unbeknownst to Gohan, while the realms beyond had been engulfed in pandemonium, Goku had valiantly sought to subdue numerous formidable adversaries, most notably Broly. Upon learning of Gohan's presence on that distant planet, Goku implored for the opportunity to visit his son, a request that was granted amidst the bittersweet reunion.During their heartfelt meeting, they shared the weight of overseeing the turmoil ravaging Earth, realizing that Janemba still lingered, amassing the remnants of malevolent ki left unvanquished. Panic washed over Gohan as he urgently expressed his need to return to Earth, but his pleas were met with cautionary words from his loved ones. They acknowledged his unpreparedness to face Janemba anew, warning of the potential consequences should he engage the foe prematurely. Supreme Kai disclosed his true intention in bringing Gohan to this realm—to unlock the dormant power lying dormant within him. However, the process demanded a profound reconciliation of Gohan's dual nature as both human and Saiyan. To initiate this transformative ritual, Gohan would be immersed in a meditative trance within the sacred confines of a cascading waterfall, which would serve as a mirror reflecting his true self. Only then would he embark upon the arduous journey of unlocking his latent potential, fully aware that failure could result in dire consequences, even death.
Nervously, Gohan steeled himself for the imminent trial, drawing strength from the unwavering support of his father. With resolute determination, he approached the cascading waterfall, where Supreme Kai initiated the trance, enveloping Gohan in an ethereal aura of introspection.As the ritual commenced, Gohan's gaze fixated grimly upon vivid recollections of his past battles, struggling to reconcile the moments when he had succumbed to his own wrath. Before long, a projection materialized, representing his suppressed Saiyan essence—a separate entity demanding to be acknowledged. A tumultuous clash ensued between the two facets of Gohan's being, with the young warrior faltering in his attempts to gain the upper hand, for each surge of anger only fueled his other self. Finally, a profound realization washed over Gohan, piercing through the haze of conflict. He ceased resisting and, instead, extended a hand of acceptance and understanding to his Saiyan counterpart, embracing the essence of his true nature. In that transformative instant, the boundaries dissolved, merging into a harmonious unity. Gohan's eyes fluttered open as he awakened from the trance, reborn in his newfound Ultimate Form, his essence finally whole and indomitable.
(Note: Yes, this is a direct reference to Naruto obtaining true mastery of his nine tails form in Shippuden. I did not like Gohan's canon mystic ritual because it did not feel earned. He just sat around for a long time doing nothing and gained nothing from it. I wanted to fix that. So here, he went through a more direct ritual at the risk of death to be able to unlock his true abilities. )
In the midst of these events, Trunks and Goten find themselves under the tutelage of Piccolo within the formidable Hyperbolic Time Chamber. News reaches Piccolo that Gohan is undergoing a transformative process to unlock his latent potential, but the looming return of Janemba threatens to disrupt their plans. Exiting the chamber, Trunks and Goten emerge stronger than ever, having mastered their Super Saiyan forms and honed their teamwork to near perfection, compensating for their inherent power limitations.As Janemba crosses paths with them, the clash erupts in a spectacular display of martial prowess. Individually, they stand little chance against the overwhelming might of Janemba, but when united, a different narrative unfolds. Their combined efforts aim to sustain the battle long enough, providing Gohan with the precious time he needs to complete his ritual. Piccolo assumes leadership, valiantly holding his ground, although it becomes increasingly evident that Janemba possesses a distinct advantage. Piccolo strategically diverts Janemba's attention, creating openings for Goten and Trunks to launch coordinated assaults that vex their adversary, even if their impact is minimal. Nonetheless, every second counts.
In a fateful turn of events, Janemba unleashes an assault that overwhelms Piccolo, incapacitating him and leaving only Goten and Trunks to face the malevolent entity. Swift as a phantom, Janemba materializes in front of Trunks, delivering a devastating blow to his abdomen, leaving Goten as the lone defender. Standing tall, Goten defiantly assumes a battle stance, mustering his courage. However, before Janemba can unleash a devastating attack upon him, an unknown figure delivers a powerful kick to Janemba's head, hurtling him towards the distant mountains.
The camera pans, revealing the figure to be none other than Gohan, resplendent in his newfound form.
(Note: This entrance directly mirrors that of Future Gohan when he was about to begin his final battle against the Androids!)
A wave of elation washes over Goten as he beholds the return of his beloved elder brother, while Trunks and Piccolo visibly exhale with relief. Gohan and Piccolo exchange a brief but meaningful exchange, Gohan acknowledging his newfound strength while Piccolo recognizes that Gohan has ascended to an entirely different echelon. Janemba regains his footing, reemerging before them, demanding their attention and focus. Gohan asserts that he will confront Janemba directly, urging the others to evacuate. Though reluctant, Piccolo and the young warriors comply, dispersing to various parts of the world to address the chaos that plagues their surroundings.
With an air of fury, Janemba charges at Gohan, his fist extended menacingly. Yet Gohan intercepts the attack, seizing Janemba's fist in a vice-like grip, and in a flash of teleportation, they are transported to the dreaded realm of H.F.I.L. (Home For Infinite Losers).
(Note: I have Gohan teleport Janemba because at least this way their battle will not damage Earth. Also we will assume Gohan has figured out some sort of Instant Transmission movement like Goku.)
The eyes of Earth's denizens, the Kais, and the denizens of the Otherworld are fixated on this pivotal moment, the culmination of a battle that will determine the fate of the universe. And so, the clash commences, a cataclysmic struggle that echoes through the very fabric of existence.
In a breathtaking display of power, Gohan initially dominates the battle, effortlessly overpowering Janemba with his newfound might. However, the tables turn when Janemba unveils unexpected abilities: space-time manipulation and a formidable sword. Gohan is caught off guard, unsure of how to counter such unorthodox tactics. Desperation and frustration consume him, causing his control over his own power to slip away.Amidst the chaos, Gohan experiences a moment of revelation, a surge of understanding regarding his opponent's abilities. He realizes that in order to anticipate Janemba's next move, he must heighten his senses by channeling his ki, allowing for precise timing and swift reactions. With this newfound clarity, Gohan regains his composure, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Seizing an opportunity, Janemba materializes before him, poised to strike with his sword. Yet, in a stunning display of strength, Gohan catches the blade with both hands, shattering it into pieces.
The tide of the battle begins to shift, albeit slightly, in Gohan's favor. Frustrated and bewildered, Janemba exclaims, "Just what...are you?!" Gohan responds with unwavering resolve, proclaiming, "I am the hope of the universe. I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace. I am the protector of the innocent. I am the light in the darkness. I am truth. Ally to good! Nightmare to you!"
(Note: I'm taking Goku's dubbed speech against Frieza and repurposing it for Gohan. As he's inherently more the justice-driven hero archetype rather than the fighting maniac that is Goku, it makes more sense. We'll just assume Goku gave Frieza the manga version of his speech. This is also the most pivotal moment of Gohan's journey as he comes to terms with being a protector. Throughout the show, he's been struggling between his desire to be a scholar and his responsibility to be a hero. That dubbed speech is exactly the moment that Gohan's arc comes full circle. Here, he finally embraces what he was always meant to be..... the hero.)
With renewed determination, Gohan launches various assaults in a bid to defeat his formidable adversary. However, his attacks fail to inflict lasting damage, and Gohan himself begins to exhaust his ki. It is then that he realizes the true nature of Janemba's existence—he is an embodiment of pure evil ki, unlike any opponent Gohan has faced before. A desperate plan takes shape in Gohan's mind. Mentally reaching out to his friends and even Videl, he calls upon them to gather their ki, reminiscent of the Spirit Bomb technique. Initially, only the Z-Fighters respond, but their combined energy proves insufficient.As Gohan valiantly defends against Janemba's onslaught, he mentally pleads with the people of Earth to lend their aid. Uncertainty and doubt cast a shadow over the crowd until Hercule steps forward, berating them for refusing to support the man who once saved them during the Cell Games. Revealing the truth of Gohan's identity as the Delivery Boy turned hero, the tide of public opinion shifts. People extend their hands, offering their energy to their savior. Shocked by the sudden turn of events, Gohan is relieved by the surge of ki coursing through him, providing a momentary opening to kick Janemba away. The collective assistance grants Gohan a substantial reservoir of energy, which he then summons forth, infusing it with the very essence of his soul—a daring and perilous maneuver.
Driven to his breaking point, a furious Janemba ascends into the sky, conjuring a colossal sphere of malevolent ki capable of obliterating the entire universe. Gohan remains calm, his gaze fixed upon the impending cataclysm. With unwavering resolve, he declares, "This is the end for you, Janemba." Closing his eyes, Gohan raises his left hand above his head, conjuring a radiant sphere of rainbow light. Seizing the opportunity, Janemba hurls his devastating attack towards Gohan. Sensing the imminent danger, Gohan's eyes snap open as he crushes the ball of energy in his palm. Swiftly pivoting, he hurls the fragmented energy towards the oncoming attack, effortlessly piercing through it, and hurtling towards Janemba, finally eradicating the universe's peril once and for all.
(Note: This is the same technique as Kid Buu's Planet Burst move, the one that destroyed Earth. I also repurposed Gogeta's stardust breaker technique for Gohan as I feel it makes sense for him to have it. It also makes him stand out from Goku even more in this case.)
As the dust settles, Gohan maintains his energy long enough to witness Janemba's demise. A triumphant smirk graces his face as he remarks, "Heh, looks like I finally did it." Exhausted, he collapses to the ground, almost completely drained. The onlookers erupt into joyous cheers, celebrating Gohan's hard-fought victory. Supreme Kai teleports Gohan from the depths of H.F.I.L back to Earth, specifically to the Lookout, where his family and friends eagerly await his return. In a heartwarming scene, Gohan is enveloped in embraces and expressions of relief. It is here, amidst the warmth of their loved ones, that Gohan and Videl share their first kiss—a tender moment of connection and celebration.Meanwhile, the Dragon Balls work their magic, rectifying the chaos caused by Babidi's dark influence. The majority of those who perished are revived, yet there are exceptions, including Vegeta. Accepting his fate and determined to atone for his past deeds, Vegeta expresses his desire to continue growing stronger in the afterlife, entrusting the protection of his family to his son. Tearfully, Trunks vows to make his father proud, with Goten stepping forward to support his friend in this emotional moment. Fond farewells are exchanged as everyone prepares to return to their respective homes.
Gohan and Goten engage in a heartfelt conversation, their bond as brothers strengthening. However, their exchange is interrupted by Chi-Chi, who unexpectedly interrupts their conversation. To their astonishment, she expresses pride in their valiant efforts to safeguard the world, finally relenting and granting them permission to train and protect. The three embrace, their family united and resolute.In a different realm, Vegeta stands before King Yemma, awaiting judgment. To his surprise, he is granted an Otherworldly body, a result of Goku's recommendation and Vegeta's ultimate sacrifice that tipped the scales of justice. With this second chance, Vegeta is granted the opportunity to train ceaselessly and, more importantly, to settle his unfinished business with Goku. The final scene between Goku and Vegeta unfolds, their fists colliding in a charged confrontation, their image freezing .( mirroring the intensity of Rocky and Apollo in Rocky III, leaving their ultimate showdown to the imagination.)
A decade passes, marked by a time skip. Tien and Krillin have established their own martial arts schools, dedicated to passing on their unique styles to the next generation. Goten and Trunks, under the tutelage of Piccolo, diligently train to harness their extraordinary powers. Gohan, now a respected scholar, has married Videl, and together they have a daughter. At home, Videl imparts the basics of combat to their daughter, Pan. Gohan, having just finished delivering a lecture on energy at the university, senses a disturbance reverberating across the planet. Instinctively, he rushes to the rooftop, pressing a button on his wrist. In an instant, he transforms into his iconic Saiyaman costume, soaring into the horizon with a mischievous grin. He breaks through the fourth wall, symbolizing his unwavering resolve to protect and inspire.
The screen fades to black.
The End.
There we have it! My final wrap-up of the MCU Peter ParkeGohan development journey! Honestly, I did have thoughts of just going straight into revising the Buu arc, but I felt there was more to be done before that. Gohan needed to go through the development I gave him in my two written arcs as there were lessons there that shaped him.
I also felt that a trained Gohan, who is naturally intellectual, would be a perfect antagonist in Janemba. He had to learn to outsmart him, and not just have it be a straight-up slugfest.
What do you guys think? Share your thoughts below!
u/fatherandyriley
u/dgenerationmc
submitted by Spidey007 to fixingmovies [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 16:22 ElectronicVariety604 A destiny 2 experience:

Hey those enemies are awfully far away, I’m gunna snipe them off.
GUARDIAN DOWN
Hey that was a prime engram that dropped I need that
GUARDIAN DOWN
Finally cleared that awful room. What’s up with the shielded yellow bar? Is that an ogre?
GUARDIAN DOWN
OK so I just jump to that platform then the door…
GUARDIAN DOWN
I hate this F@cking game with every breath in my body. I can’t wait to play it after work
GUARDIAN DOWN
submitted by ElectronicVariety604 to DestinyTheGame [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 16:17 NAWA-Film Unreal Engine + VRoid - Recording Face Animation with LiveLink

I use Vroid characters in Unreal Engine and it works great for the most part. I have a huge problem with recording the face performance of a Vroid character though.
I managed to connect a Vroid to LiveLink but the face animation works only in game mode, or simulate mode and not in editor. I also can't record the face animation to the take recorder to later animate the body separately from the lips/eyes etc.
Do anyone here have a solution for that? I understand that it's kind of a niche question as Vroid characters are probably not mainstream.
I'm trying to make my own short anime story but it's hard when I can't record the lips/face animations to be opened in Level Sequence later on.
I will be grateful for any help I can get.
submitted by NAWA-Film to unrealengine [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 16:11 DMonstrative Not This Time Giants…

Not This Time Giants…
Over my dead body am I letting the Giants beat the Pats in the Bowl if I’m the coach… But of course it was the closest Retro Bowl probably ever for me in Extreme… Scored that game winning TD with 10 seconds left.. A first half fumble and second half pick made it interesting lol.
submitted by DMonstrative to RetroBowl [link] [comments]

http://activeproperty.pl/