After I bought Machine age the dlc appears to be incompatible with one of my mods. I lose all machine premade empires and when I select a machine portrait for my custom empire I just get a error (like when you make an improper selection in the race creator if you select a mammal portrait and the machine intelligence government) saying "Machine:". I am going through the process of turning off mods to see which is causing problems but was hoping on of you had the same problem and found a solution.
EDIT: It was the mod "A Deadly Tempest" which has not updated to 3.12 as of now. Leaving this up incase other people are searching on google.
MODLIST
Full Tiny Outliner
Stellaris Music Expansion Pack
SpaceAmbient Music - Vol. I
Improved Leaders View (UI)
Lana's Industrial Emblems
Starsector Emblems
Emblems for Random Empires, Volume 01
Emblems for Random Empires, Volume 02
Emblems for Random Empires, Volume 03
Emblems for Random Empires, Volume 04
Emblems for Random Empires, Volume 05
Emblems for Random Empires, Volume 06
Emblems for Random Empires, Volume 07
Emblems for Random Empires, Volume 08
Emblems for Random Empires, Volume 09
Emblems for Random Empires, Volume 10
Emblems for Random Empires, Volume 11
Emblems for Random Empires, Volume 12
Emblems for Random Empires, Volume 13
Emblems for Random Empires, Volume 14
Emblems for Random Empires, Volume 15
Emblems for Random Empires, Volume 16
Cybrxkhan's Assortment of Namelists for Stellaris
The Culture Names List
More Federation Names
War Name Variety (3.0)
Metropolitan Advisor
Isaac Arthur Advisor
Xeno Biodiversity
LabRats Fixed
LabRats: Use Vanilla Phenotypes
Avali Animated Portrait 0.5.4² (for 3.12)
Colourful and Dimorphism Pack 3.12
Portrait Trigger Pack - Core
Prosperous Dissolution
Amazing Space Battles
Smarter Hyper Relays: Improved AI (shrimpAI)
Master of Orion: Alkari Shipset
Master of Orion: Antaran Shipset
Master of Orion: Bulrathi Shipset
Master of Orion: Darlok Shipset
Master of Orion: Elerian Shipset
Master of Orion: Gnolam Shipset
Master of Orion: Guardian Shipset
Master of Orion: Human Shipset
Master of Orion: Klackon Shipset
Master of Orion: Meklar Shipset
Master of Orion: Mrrshan Shipset
Master of Orion: Pirate Shipset
Master of Orion: Psilon Shipset
Master of Orion: Sakkra Shipset
Master of Orion: Silicoid Shipset
Master of Orion: Terran Shipset
Master of Orion: Trilarian Shipset
[Salvaged+]Marauders & Menacing Remodeled
Cardassian Shipset
Machine Shipset
Lord of Rigel: Human Shipset
Kugelraumer Shipset
Narn Shipset
Kurogane 2.0
Gray Tempest Shipset
Solarpunk
VLS for Stellaris
Earth Force Shipset
! Immersive Energy Shield
Ai, Use Custom Shipsets!
Planetary Diversity
Planetary Diversity - Unique Worlds
Planetary Diversity - More Arcologies
Planetary Diversity - Exotic Worlds
Planetary Diversity - Gaia Worlds
Planetary Diversity - Ascension Worlds
Planetary Diversity - Vanilla Replacements
Planetary Diversity - Planet View
City World Flavour - Compatibility Patch
Real Space 3.9
Real Space - System Scale
Planetary Diversity Habitats + Real Space System Scale Patch
STP - Planetary Diversity 2K
STPBetterArcologiesPD2K
Eras of Earth
Guilli's Planet Modifiers and Features
Ethics and Civics Classic 3.12
No Ethics Spawn Bias
No Ethics Spawn Bias for Ethics & Civics Classic (3.7.x)
[3.12] Empires Expanded
[3.12] The Crimson Throng #MODJAM2022
Real Space - The Infestation
Visable Planetary Shields
Visual Planetary Shields System Scaling Patch
Civil Wars
City World Flavour
Fatherland: Colonial Empires
Fatherland: Frontier Worlds
Forgotten Empires 3.12
A Deadly Tempest [3.11.☠]
Ancient Empire 1.9 [Stellaris 3.12]
Doorway Expanded
Shroud Rising [3.4]
Shroud Rising [3.12] Patch
Archaeology Story Pack 3.12
Expanded Mods Base
Extra Events 3.12 Continued
Military Enhancements [Events Only]
Expanded Espionage and Diplomacy
More Primitives
Under Siege
Cross Border Trade
Viable Feudalism and Imperialism - Empire Federation
Galactic Bank - FunEFork
Planetary Mega Engineering
Nylux's Immortal Leaders
Fleet Transfer Mod
Ruler Level System
Superstates
DarkSpace
! Immersive Beautiful Universe !
IBU quadrant addon
! Immersive Loading Screens
! The Merger of Rules 3.12
!!Universal Modifier Patch (3.12.*)
!!!Universal Resource Patch [2.4+]

“How could he escape?!” Achaicus shouted as he paced his office. His brow was creased and his nose scrunched into a crinkle with his sneer.
“I don’t know,” Markos responded with a careless shrug, “He was hardly in any condition to move, someone must have helped him.”
“What if he revenanted? Are you certain the injuries you inflicted weren’t enough to kill him?”
“I’m quite sure. His vitals were stable and there was nothing in the room for him to revenant himself with,” our cousin assured calmly.
My brother was practically pulling his hair out. So far only a handful of people knew of Mercurissen’s ‘escape’ and I sat restlessly in the corner waiting for them to come to some kind of conclusion. All I could think was that I hadn’t secured the room well enough to hold the little vanir, and if he woke, he could escape in earnest.
“Mercury is occupying Dunkel, and we have no leverage!” my brother continued, agitated.
“Weren’t you the one who wanted simply to kill him?” Markos pointed out, earning himself a glare.
“We can still leverage a body.”
“And you can do the same thing with a non-existent body.”
“Not if he shows back up!”
They argued as guilt threatened to drown me.
“What are your thoughts, Nathaniel? You’re awfully quiet about this,” Markos asked bemused.
“I don’t know what you want me to say. It’s obvious someone helped him. Perhaps one of our humans are compromised? Or one of our own guards. Mercurissen promised amnesty to any who chose to swear loyalty to his father, maybe someone believed him.”
“Nonsense, none have returned from the outer borders,” Achaicus muttered, swallowing the last of the wine from his glass in one gulp.
“I can’t see any other way for him to have disappeared,” I lied easily.
We had spent days since then searching the grounds and, unsurprisingly, found no trace of the vanir. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if anyone found out I had him. Looking at my brother now, I’m not sure he would survive the knowledge that I was the one betraying them… He would probably implode.
I excused myself from dinner early, taking with me a heaped plate of food with a secondary plate hidden under the first, and went directly to my chambers. However I returned to find the room immediately empty. The Vanir was not where I had left him, nor was he anywhere in sight and my heart began to race as I set the food down to search.
A thousand sparkling ornaments sat undisturbed from their places and the balcony doors were still firmly locked. The bathroom was empty and nothing had been broken. But the items on my desk were disturbed and a pocket knife sat out in the open. Had he somehow revenanted and escaped?
With cold sweat beginning to form on my brow I approached the bed, stepping around it cautiously. The tethering spell was still in place and I followed the length of it with my eyes. It curved across the floor and disappeared under the bed skirting.
Perplexed, I crouched to lift the fabric aside and to my surprise that was where he was. Mercurissen had squished himself under the bed and was curled with his back facing me so that the rest of the room was in his line of sight. His chest rose and fell gently, he must’ve fallen asleep waiting.
The relief left me breathless, before irritation set in. What did he think he was doing? I took hold of his ankle and pulled him from under the bed. He didn’t notice immediately, he must have been more deeply asleep than I’d thought, but panicked for a moment when the sensation of movement at last woke him.
He tensed and his eyes were momentarily feral before panic calmed to mild apprehension as he gave up. Giving no further resistance, he allowed his body to go limp as I dragged him out, stopping only once he was at my feet. His hair brushed against the floor, and he balled himself up, expecting the worst.
“Why were you under there?” I demanded firmly.
“I heard someone come into your room,” he responded with mild agitation.
“So you hid under the bed like a child.”
He scowled, “Where else was I supposed to hide?”
“Who came in?”
“I don’t know, a human girl with white hair.”
Calla, Markos’s pet, I thought and my blood froze, “Did she see you?” I asked urgently but he scoffed.
“In this clutter?”
The ice in my veins dissolved into hot irritation, “You’d best be careful how you talk to me you little brat,” I muttered, annoyed.
“You told me not to let anyone see me, so I didn’t. What more do you want?” He remarked, beginning to sit up, however I forced him back down.
Holding both of his wrists against his chest with one hand, “Keep your sharp tongue under check.”
The Vanir glared back at me, “Let me go,” he muttered, struggling for only a moment before deciding it was pointless and diverting his gaze to the side, “You’re hurting me…”
The statement surprised me, and I let him go with a small scoff, “You’re perfectly fine.”
“Whatever…” he murmured, stubbornly deciding to remain on the floor exactly where I had left him.
He was like a petulant child acting out and I couldn’t explain why he bothered me so much. Almost everything he said pissed me off and I made an effort to calm. “I brought you some food,” I announced instead.
His brow creased slightly as he looked over to me, “…You brought me food..?” he asked with softer uncertainty as he sat up.
“Yes,” I answered bluntly. I had divided the one overfilled plate over the two and offered one to him.
“Why…?”
“You said you forget to eat when you’re fighting, and I know you haven’t eaten since you got here.”
“…Oh.. I..” he murmured awkwardly.
“It’s not poisoned,” I teased.
I sat on the bed above him and his expression then was difficult. Something between a sneer and what almost seemed to be regret. He sat with the plate I had handed him, but he made no move to eat it.
“What? You don’t believe me?” I mused, “if I wanted to kill you, poison would be the last way I would do it.”
“It’s not that…”
“Then what?”
“I don’t eat meat…” he explained, looking away awkwardly.
“Pardon?”
“I said I don’t eat human meat,” he repeated, louder, and for a moment I couldn’t find the words.
“The Son of Mercury, merciless killer of the Fae, doesn’t eat meat?”
The vanir’s cheeks turned crimson with embarrassment, and he turned away “..Whatever, just kill me and get it over with-”
Mercurissen stopped short and his eyes widened as I reached over, taking the meat from his plate and replacing it with a bunch of grapes from mine without a word.
The flush colouration in his cheeks darkened as he looked up at me bewildered, “I- you-? Why?” He demanded, shocked.
“You didn’t let me starve, it would be rude of me not to repay the debt. Just make sure you eat slowly.”
“…That’s not a debt you have to repay…” he mumbled, but I dismissed him.
“Be quiet and eat.” I told him firmly, but after a moment couldn’t help myself and asked, “You didn’t want to eat with your family because that whole banquet was mostly meat?”
Mercurissen fidgeted uncomfortably, “My father doesn’t like it much that I don’t eat it. So I hate it when he asks me to eat with him because I know I’ll have to.”
“You would eat something you don’t like if he asked, but you wouldn’t let me starve?”
He paused as he thought about how to explain, “No… it’s more that I think it’s unfair… I do everything he asks, even when I don’t want to, and I would have let you starve because of it… but I asked him to stay, and he didn’t. He didn’t even bother to tell me when he was leaving, or where he was going…”
“You really didn’t know his plans?”
“No.. he doesn’t often tell me anything.”
I considered for a moment, if he truly hadn’t known where Mercury was going, then he likely didn’t know about Dunkel and that absolved us both of some guilt. Without thinking, I rested my hand on his head to play with his hair idly, “So you disregarded him out of spite?”
Mercurissen froze momentarily under my touch before relaxing again, “…No, I just decided not to do something I didn’t want to do for him, when he couldn’t do the same for me…”
“You didn’t want to let me starve?” I asked tentatively and he turned back to look at me.
“Why would I? Who actually wants to watch someone starve?” He asked pointedly.
I regarded him as I considered the question, “I thought all Vanir enjoyed watching others suffer,” I stated at last. He didn’t answer, and after a delay I chose to continue, “You shouldn’t do anything your father asks of you that you don’t want to do.”
“I am my fathers ‘perfect’ son… Everything he wants is what I should want.”
“Your father has left you to die,” I told him sedately.
A brief look of confusion crossed his face, before he seemed to understand, “He responded to your treaty offer…?”
“…Yes.”
“I told you he wouldn’t agree…” he murmured, focusing his gaze downward to the plate in his lap. His father had abandoned him, and Mercurissen was unsurprised. I suppose he understood the consequences.
We sat in silence for a long time. He had by then stopped eating and instead rolled one of the grapes back and forth over the ceramic surface until he eventually spoke again.
“…Eiríkr…” he murmured almost inaudibly.
“..Pardon?” I asked, unsure.
“My name is Eiríkr… Eric in the common tongue,” he explained softly.
I waited frozen in place, “Why are you telling me now?”
“…I don’t know…”
“You’re not afraid of me using it against you?”
The vanir gave a humorless laugh, “What else could you possibly do to me now?”
I sighed to myself, I suppose he had a point, “Eiríkr… finish eating your food.” I ordered softly, pushing his head down as I stood.
Eric gave a small sound of annoyance, patting his hair back into place before asking more quietly, “...Why are you doing this?” He mumbled, keeping his gaze low. There was confusion in his sapphire eyes, as if his own name was foreign to him, or perhaps he was simply trying to understand the situation.
“Because I want something,” I answered plainly.
***
In the following days the castle remained on high alert and Eiríkr slowly healed. His bruises faded and the hollowness of his limbs filled out with the exception of his left leg. Unfortunately, as he regained his strength he also became increasingly annoying.
At night he was supposed to sleep on the daybed, but I woke each morning to find him on my bed far away toward the edge. I chose to ignore that. The little brat was stubborn and trying to argue with him was almost pointless. Besides that, he couldn’t do any harm.
During the day I spent my time pretending to search the castle grounds. Achaicus was more anxious with each passing hour and my guilt grew. I wanted to tell him that everything was under control and that he need not worry, but I knew he wouldn’t allow me to keep Eiríkr if he knew.
What made the situation worse was the annoyingly close eye Markos kept. He watched me with unsettling interest, as if he knew something and it sparked some mild paranoia. Was there some way he could have found out? And if so, why hadn’t he said anything yet?
“You’ve been very dutiful with your paperwork of late,” Markos commented as he entered my office. It was unusual that he should deliver the infirmary reports personally, and I was immediately suspicious.
“Have I? Perhaps I should ignore it again,” I responded with disinterest.
“Is there any particular reason you’ve taken such a sudden interest in documentation?” he continued unfazed.
“No.”
“You’ve also been attending meals at the appropriate time.”
“Markos, what do you want?” I asked with a sigh.
The truth was if I fulfilled all my duties on time and made appearances where I was supposed to, there were less reasons for others to come looking for me. Which in turn meant I was less likely to be caught harboring a prisoner.
“Oh nothing, I’m simply making an observation,” he smiled and I glared.
“Leave.”
“As you wish,” he agreed, giving a mock bow and I threw a book in his general direction. It landed beside him and he chuckled to himself, “Temper, temper~”
“Go harass someone else.”
Markos left without further delay and I sighed deeply. If that man suspected something, he would keep pressing it until he found what he wanted to know. In ordinary circumstances he would have been the person I could confide in, but I didn’t know how he would react to this and I didn’t want him telling Achaicus.
Eiríkr had broken the tethering spell some days prior, and we had stern words about it, but since then he had begun to wander about the room freely. Choosing also to fill his time with petty tributes to his dislike of captivity. As a result, I commonly returned to chaos in my room.
He rearranged some of my collection, ‘neatening’ it after he claimed it blocked the pathways. Placed books back in the shelving, making me lose my page in several of them, and moved my crystals around.
“Stop touching everything,” I growled, fed up when I realized he had thrown out dozens of the half empty soap bottles in the bathroom.
“I haven’t touched anything,” he lied casually and I turned to glare at him. Eric was sitting on the floor beside the balcony doors. It looked like he had been asleep under the curtains in the sunlight and he yawned, rubbing his eyes, although still looked tired.
“I’m not a fool. I can clearly see you’ve moved things.”
“Some stuff fell- oh…” he stopped as I leaned over him.
“Don’t lie to me.”
“…What does it matter… it’s all junk anyway.” He grumbled quieter and my blood pressure began to rise.
“None of it's junk!”
“Please, I bet you don’t even remember where half of this stuff came from!”
“I know where everything came from, and everything has its own place, so stop messing with it.”
“You’re a hoarder, you know that?”
It took everything I had not to smite him, “Don’t. Touch. Anything else.” I repeated firmly.
Eric exhaled annoyed, “Fine.”
“Good.”
“But I don’t know what else you expect me to do,” he added and I pinched the bridge of my nose exasperated. Did he have a ‘less annoying’ setting?
“I expect you to wait patiently and recover. Read a book or something.”
“I don’t know how to read,” he retorted flatly.
I hesitated, too taken aback to respond, did he expect me to believe that? “You can’t read?” I repeated back to him, dumbfounded.
“I can read the runes for spells.”
“But you can’t read words on a page?”
“Not English ones, or whatever Fae language that is in those books.”
“You’re lying,” I decided at last and he laughed.
“Why would I lie about something like that? I was only taught how to read runes by my parents, we don’t value literature all that much. My father has books in his study, but not even half as many as you have in here, and I’ve never seen him read them.”
“How old are you again?”
“Seventy-nine.”
“You’ve had that long, and you can’t read? Even humans learn in a few years.”
“It wasn't important to know.”
I smiled just slightly, “I bet that made snooping around hard.”
“Why do you think I kept moving your books around?”
I laughed, maybe he wasn't’ lying after all. “What do you know, Mercuries ‘perfect’ son is an illiterate~” I purred smugly.
“At least I'm not a hoarder.”
“No, but you are sentenced to death,” I reminded him unkindly, and he was at last quiet. “I’m going to bathe. Just sit still and wait.”
“…Could you help me up first?” he mumbled softly and I felt mild guilt. Maybe I shouldn’t have antagonized him that way.
Without another word I offered my arm and helped pull him to his feet.
“Thanks...”
I ignored that, telling him instead, “I was late to dinner today, so I brought you some pastries instead. Eat, if you want.”
He hesitated, surprised, glancing over to where I had set down the plate for today, “Nathaniel…”
“Don’t tell me you’re allergic to pastry?” I groaned, I suppose I shouldn’t have been shocked, he was fussy about everything.
“No… I just, ah, thank you. Will you stay and eat with me?” The request caught me off guard and I paused, I hadn’t intended to- “Don’t think about it, just agree,” he continued interrupting my thoughts.
“...Fine,” I muttered carefully. I couldn’t see the harm.
Eric smiled like a coy child tempting someone into something they wanted, and I almost regretted giving in. However, eating with him wasn’t unpleasant. We spoke some, and he ate slowly.
“I didn’t mean to upset you… before,” he commented gently.
“Pardon?” I responded with suspicion.
“I’m saying I’m sorry… for putting your books away…” he paused, giving a taunting smile as he continued, “...and moving some of your junk.”
“It’s not junk,” I repeated exasperatedly, and he laughed. It was a soft, unexpected sound that caught me off guard, “What are you laughing at?”
“You're getting defensive of inanimate objects, but you think I’m the fussy one.”
“You’re insufferable,” I muttered, standing to go, but as I did so Eric took hold of my arm again, “What do you want now? Let go.”
“You don’t need to bathe.”
“Excuse me?”
“You smell good still, actually, maybe even a little bit better than you did this morning… and you’re not dirty. Stay, talk to me a little while longer?”
I shook my head in disbelief, “Let go of me.”
He held firm and I swallowed hard. I wasn't sure anyone had wanted my company with such determination before and some part of me relished in it.
“…You’ve never told me what’s wrong with your leg,” I changed the topic, but made no further move to leave and he looked uncomfortable.
“It doesn’t work since you broke the spell maintaining it, obviously.”
“But why does it need a spell at all?”
“Does it matter?”
“If I’m asking, I expect an answer.”
Eric delayed, “…It got damaged in a revenant when I was a child.”
“I wasn’t aware Vanir could get hurt revenanting,” I commented simply. If he thought he could lie to me he was mistaken. However he didn’t elaborate so I continued, “Why haven’t you rewritten the spell by now? It’s not as if you don’t have the time.”
“If I could, I would, it’s not that easy. I don’t remember most of it, and you erased the anchor point.. besides… it wasn’t a perfect spell.”
“I’m not going to apologize.”
He gave a small irritated sound, “I wasn’t asking you to, you bastard. But I hope you realize if I can’t walk, I can’t train you, so this stupid little idea of yours isn’t going to work.”
“If you can’t train me, remind me: why am I keeping you alive?”
It wasn’t a serious question as it wasn’t a problem I didn’t have a solution for. However it was enough to shake him and he watched me with a wary caution. “Can I go bathe now?” I mused and he let go with a snort of disgust.
NEXT CHAPTER (available on patreon)
Chapter List

So I built a new computer two months ago. It ran smoothly until last week.

• Windows 11 Pro
• NZXT H6 Flow Case Dual Chamber Mid Tower
• Corsair HX 1500i PSU
• Asus ProArt Z790-creator WiFi
• Intel i9 14900k
• Kingston Fury Renegade RGB ddr5-6400 bk c32 sc 48gb
• ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 White Edition OC
• Samsung 990 PRO 2TB
• Corsair iCue Link H150i RGB
• Corsair iCue Link QX 120 RGB

Just followed the instructions as I went along with the setup and installation process. (Asus A.I overclock, with the default settings for that.) XMP on/off makes no difference to the issues, but it is on. 6000, 1.35v. Tried 6400, 1.4v, no difference.

• First I started getting random "access violation" errors while browsing (on all browsers), then random bsods, for various reasons. (Ntfs.sys, nvlddmkm.sys, and a few other I can't remember)
• RGB lighting is acting weird. Especially on my keyboard. (Random flashing/colours/F1 highlighted)
• Mouse must sometimes be re-inserted

Tried some fixes

• Updated chipset and BIOS, issue persisted.
• Tried updating Nvidia drivers, install failed.
• Tried updating Windows, update failed.
  
• Ran Prime95, three cores consistently shows an error, after 5 minutes.
  
• Ran WIN Mem diagnostic, no issues found.
  
• Ran MemTest86 for 8 hours, passed with 0 errors.
  
• Tried a Windows reset (kept personal files) issues persisted. (But now it's even worse because I can't install NVIDIA drivers...)
  

Tried the Intel Baseline settings. No difference.
I have no clue what to do next... There are similar cases with other 14900Ks, so I'm guessing that the CPU is the issue. Not sure how to further diagnose the RAM.
I use the machine for work (Rendering, music production, A.I stuff), heavy on GPU/VRAM, CPU, and RAM. Weather's been warmer, so I'm afraid that the CPU might have taken a hit.
Are there other tests I can do? What SHOULD I do?

Two months ago, I built a new computer. It ran smoothly until last week.

• Windows 11 Pro
• NZXT H6 Flow Case Dual Chamber Mid Tower
• Corsair HX 1500i PSU
• Asus ProArt Z790-creator WiFi
• Intel i9 14900k
• Kingston Fury Renegade RGB ddr5-6400 bk c32 sc 48gb
• ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 White Edition OC
• Samsung 990 PRO 2TB
• Corsair iCue Link H150i RGB
• Corsair iCue Link QX 120 RGB

Just followed the instructions as I went along with the setup and installation process. (Asus A.I overclock, with the default settings for that.) XMP on/off makes no difference to the issues, but it is on. 6000, 1.35v. Tried 6400, 1.4v, no difference.

• First I started getting random "access violation" errors while browsing (on all browsers), then random bsods, for various reasons. (Ntfs.sys, nvlddmkm.sys, and a few other I can't remember)
• RGB lighting is acting weird. Especially on my keyboard. (Random flashing/colours/F1 highlighted)

Tried some fixes

• Updated chipset and BIOS, issue persisted.
• Tried updating Nvidia drivers, install failed.
• Tried updating Windows, update failed.
  
• Ran Prime95, three cores consistently shows an error, after 5 minutes .
  
• Ran WIN Mem diagnostic, no issues found.
  
• Ran MemTest86 for 8 hours, passed with 0 errors.
  
• Tried a Windows reset (kept personal files) issues persisted. (But now it's even worse because I can't install NVIDIA drivers...)
  

I have no clue what to do next... Is it the CPU? (There are similar cases with other 14900Ks) Not sure how to further diagnose the RAM.
I use the machine for work (Rendering, music production, A.I stuff), heavy on GPU/VRAM, CPU, and RAM. Weather's been warmer, so I'm afraid that the CPU might have fried a bit.
Are there other tests I can do? What SHOULD I do?

I've had this monitor for 2 years now and am still trying to figure out the best damn settings lol.
Recently someone suggested running firmware update and running these settings in the comments here https://www.reddit.com/ultrawidemasterrace/comments/186capa/aw3423dwf_settings/?share_id=GBM-3moO-E0GV-U-4tzBx
I am on AW3423DW NOT AW3423DWF not sure if that matters a whole lot?
Anyways using their profile settings and keeping Windows 11 HDR on, I was getting really blurry just ugly non brightish looking games.
I turned HDR off in Win 11 and the game suddenly looks beautifully bright and colourful.
They suggested creator mode, which I created, but when in game the creator mode just disabled? So in game I switched to MOBA/RTS and the game looks far more colourful and beautiful now.
I'm very confused still what the best mode and settings are with this monitor right now.
I also have Nvidia HDR installed now which is a pretty recent software, are there any other changes to be made alongside it?

ULTRAKILL Weapon Colour:
Revolver: Rose Gold Revolver
1: R100 G55 B60 M50
2: R90 G50 B55 M50
3: R100 G100 B100 M50
Made as more of a novelty item, not made for warfare or to kill. During humanity’s extinction event, human and machine engineers would modify whatever they can get hold of, so they made this revolver into a more practical weapon. However, after humanity has died out, and machines started cannibalising each other for blood, machine engineers were wiped out by other machines who were more adapted to killing, leaving only a finite amount of weapons for scavengers and scrapheads to fight over.
Slab Revolver: Titanium Trigger
1: R55 G50 B60 M50
2: R45 G40 B50 M50
3: R10 G5 B15 M50
Primarily made of titanium, this revolver is extremely strong and lightweight. However, due to the cost of making a gun out of titanium, it was not mass manufactured during the 200 year war or for hell excursions. One issue with titanium though, it isn’t as conductive to heat when compared to other metals or alloys such as steel, meaning it would be extremely hot if fired for a long time, not like any machine would complain however.
Shotgun: Midas’ Blessing
1: R100 G60 B15 M50
2: R100 G60 B15 M50
3: R100 G60 B15 M50
Even though king Midas had learnt his lesson in life, washing away his wish of turning whatever he touched into gold to save his daughter, heaven wasn’t as forgiving. During his time in Greed, Midas was once again cursed with the ability to turn whatever he touches into gold, making his punishment of lifting rocks up humanity’s monuments even more impossible. Bitter, Midas’ fury grew, and when asked by Sisyphus to join his insurrection, he gladly accepted. Being one of the stronger husks due to his influence in life, he was powerful, and fought tooth and nail during the sisyphean insurrection, though, to no avail, and he was struck down. During one of humanity’s hell excursions, they would find the corpse of king Midas, where they would find out that his corpse still retained the ability to whatever he touched into gold, this is how this shotgun came to be, as one of humanity’s experiments with the corpse. Magically, the shotgun retained its ability to function and shoot, and was kept for further study. Finally, as humans died and machines fought, this shotgun would fall into the hands of scavengers, fighting over whatever weapon they can take hold of.
Jackhammer: Daedalus Machine
1: R100 G100 B100 M15
2: R100 G10 B10 M0
3: R100 G10 B10 M0
After being imprisoned in the labyrinth of his own design in the first ring of Violence for killing his nephew, Daedalus sought for a way out. Daedalus made this machine out of mechanical parts, marble and wax to dig his way through the walls of the labyrinth. However, right before he found the exit, he was spotted by the minotaur, who, blinded by a pure, red rage, tore him apart to be turned into a mannequin by hell. How ironic, how the creator was defeated by the creation, and how the minotaur, eyes fogged by rage, destroyed its only way out of its prison.
Nailgun: Bloodforged Fury
1: R0 G0 B0 M15
2: R100 G25 B0 M100
3: R60 G60 B60 M15
After mankind’s metallic machines of war killed billions of humans and now are venturing into hell, the gods of Olympus blamed Hephaestus, the god of forgery and metal for the demise of humanity, and he was cast into the depths of hell. Vengeful, Hephaestus would continue his craft of weaponry, such as this one, to help supply his children of steel as an act of rebellion to the gods who wronged him. However, as Hephaestus tried to embrace the machines of humanity, expecting to be greeted with gratitude and love, the machines, starving of blood, would tear Hephaestus apart mercilessly instead.
Sawgun: Sisyphean Scourge
1: R100 G75 B25 M50
2: R100 G15 B10 M0
3: R100 G15 B10 M0
When Gabriel cut off the head of Sisyphus during his insurrection, Sisyphus’ army of husks had lost their leader. Some husks ran, some kept fighting, and some surrendered. The angels relentlessly hunted down the rest of the husks, all but those who had surrendered, whom they terribly mutilated, but kept alive to continue their punishment. Some surviving husks were greatly saddened by the loss of their leader, so they tried to memorialise their leader by bringing tributes to the room where Sisyphus’ corpse lies. The husks brought weapons of war to the resting ground of their beloved warlord, one of them was a heavily modified crossbow, kept up to date in mechanics and stylized to suit.
Railcannon: Heaven Piercer
1: R100 G100 B100 M15
2: R0 G0 B0 M15
3: R100 G80 B25 M100
A handheld generator that harnesses the dying lights of a past fallen angel. The light of the father is hard to take hold of, no angels have ever been defeated in combat by husks or demons, but the light of fallen angels will grow weak, eventually, they will be consumed by the creatures of hell. In one of mankind’s hell excursions, they managed to capture the light of a dead fallen angel, harnessing its energy for study. However, during humanity’s extinction event, one of the humans became desperate enough to use the angelic light as fuel for a railcannon, changing its appearance in the process, but in the end, to no avail.
Rocket Launcher: Idolised Tidebreaker
1: R100 G95 B90 M0
2: R100 G70 B30 M50
3: R100 G100 B100 M15
The ferrymen are among some of the most intelligent husks, capable of teaching and learning information, knowledgeable of advanced technology, especially the ones that died during or after the 200 year war. Though that knowledge of technology may have seemed useless in hell, it certainly was helpful when humans, and eventually machines delve into the layers of hell, giving the ferrymen ample amounts of scrap metal to work with. One of the machines once brought a rocket launcher into the ocean styx, which the ferrymen took notice of, especially its ability to sail through the water quickly and gracefully. The ferrymen passed down these rocket launchers to others across generations, some of them modified to be more in line with their style and beliefs.

[Request] [Minecraft] [Free] Tiktok Cape
Minecraft is running an event for reaching 15 years since release, it comes with a few limited-edition capes for both, java edition and bedrock edition players along with some character creator items for bedrock.. :D
I would really like the TikTok cape. I like the the way it looks, i am a fan favourite of glitch styled game content. My current character theme is going along side the colour theme of this cape thats bring given away so having this cape would fit in well.
I am unable to get the code myself as tiktok is banned in my country, i have attempted to change my region with vpns and making new accounts set in different counties which havent worked. This is why im requesting a code for the cape if possible.
To get the code you just have to watch a TikTok Minecraft live streamer in your region with drops enabled for 3 minutes, or comment "Minecraft", depending on what the task to receive the code is. then you should be able to click claim to receive the code. There will be a icon in the top left which you can click on if the streamer has drops enabled.
If you are abe to claim the code and either dont play minecraft or already have the cape would it be possible to let me have if? Im aware that everyone is asking currently so if its not possible its allright.
Thank you for your time and help :)

Will offer multiple games if needed. Games with * means very positive games, worth a look.
Beacon Pines
There Is No Light
Children of Silentown
Oaken
Snowtopia
Autonauts vs Piratebots
Deceive Inc.
Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?
Hot Brass
Arcade Paradise
Tin Can
Agent in Depth
Alchemist's Castle
Among Us
Armello
Army Men RTS
Assault Suit Leynos
Backbone
Battlecruisers
Blade Assault
Blood And Zombies
Brawlout
Builder Simulator
Cats in Time
Chicka Wars Chicken Meat
CivCity: Rome
Click and Slay
Concept Destruction
Corridor Z
Cosmonautica
Crayon Physics Deluxe
Dagon - The Eldritch Box DLC
Dead Age
Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
Death Squared
Demon Turf
Detached: Non-VR Edition
Double Cross
Doughlings: Arcade
Doughlings: Invasion
Draw Slasher
Drawful 2
Due Process
El Hijo
Eldest Souls
Emily is Away <3
Encased
Epic Chef
ETERNAL THREADS
Farming Simulator 17
Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash Rescue
First Class Trouble
Five Dates
Fling to the Finish
Forged Battalion
Fortissimo FA INTL Ver
Founders' Fortune
Fun with Ragdolls: The Game
GameGuru Classic
Garfield Kart - Furious Racing
Gloria Victis
Go Home Dinosaurs!
Going Under
Golf Gang*
Guilty Gear X2 #Reload*
Guns & Fishes
Guts and Glory
Hack 'n' Slash + Soundtrack (& Spacebase GIFT)
Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition
Heart Fragment - Book Two: Belief Fragments (Shannon & Lana)
Hellbound
HERO'S HOUR
Hexologic
Hidden & Dangerous 2: Courage Under Fire
Hidden & Dangerous: Action Pack
Hokko Life
Honey, I Joined a Cult
Hyper Gunsport
I’m not a Monster
Internet Cafe Simulator
Interplanetary: Enhanced Edition
Iron Danger
Izmir: An Independence Simulator
Joggernauts
JYDGE
Killsquad
Kraken Academy!!
Labirinto 2
Lawn Mowing Simulator
Legend of Keepers
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Don't Dry
Let Them Come*
Little Orpheus
Lust for Darkness
Lust from Beyond: M Edition
Maid of Sker
Mainlining
MEEPLE STATION
Meow Express
Merchant of the Skies
MirrorMoon EP
Monaco
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Moon Hunters
Morbid: The Seven Acolytes
Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021
NecroWorm
NeuroVoider
Neverinth
Neverout
Non-Stop Raiders
Of Orcs And Men
Orbital Racer
Out of Reach: Treasure Royale
Outward - The Soroboreans DLC
Override
Overture
Ozymandias
Partial Control
Pathfinders: Memories
Pathway
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
PGA TOUR 2K21 (may keep)
Pilgrims
Pill Baby
Pixplode
Planet TD
PlataGO!
PowerBeatsVR
Project Chemistry
Project Nimbus: Complete Edition
Propagation VR - Co-op
Pumped BMX +
Quadrata
Radio Commander
Railroad Corporation
Railroad Tycoon 3
Rebel Galaxy
Rebound Dodgeball Evolved
Re-Legion
Remnants of Naezith
Resident Evil Revelations (may keep)
Resident Evil Revelations 2 - Episode 1: Penal Colony
RIOT - Civil Unrest
Roarr! Jurassic Edition
Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos
ROGUE LORDS
RPG Maker VX
Rym 9000
Sakura Alien
Sakura Knight
Sakura Knight 2
Sakura Knight 3
Sakura MMO
Sakura MMO 2
Sakura MMO 3
Sakura MMO Extra
Sakura Succubus
Sakura Succubus 2
Sakura Succubus 3
Sakura Succubus 4
Sakura Succubus 5
Sakura Succubus 6
Sakura Swim Club
SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell
Shady Part of Me
Shing!
Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate
Sid Meier's Railroads!
Siege Survival: Gloria Victis
Slinger VR
Smile For Me
Sorcerer King: Rivals
Soul Searching
Soulblight
Space Crew: Legendary Edition
Spellcaster University
Spirit Hunter: Death Mark
Stacking
Starpoint Gemini Warlords
Strider*
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
Sunlight
Super Chicken Catchers
Super Magbot
Surviving the Aftermath (may keep)
Sword Legacy Omen
SYMMETRY
TaniNani
Telefrag VR
The Amazing American Circus
The Beast Inside
The Deed II
The Golf Club 2019 Featuring PGA TOUR
The Invisible Hand
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante (may keep)
The Serpent Rogue
The USB Stick Found in the Grass
Ticket to Ride
Tools Up!
Townsmen - A Kingdom Rebuilt
Traffic Jams
Train Station Renovation
Treasure Hunter Simulator
Underland: The Climb
UnMetal*
Vanishing Realms
War for the Overworld
WARSAW
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine
White Noise 2
Worms Rumble
WRC 7
WWE 2K BATTLEGROUNDS
XCOM 2
X-COM: Complete Pack (including X-COM: UFO Defense + X-COM: Apocalypse + X-COM: Enforcer + X-COM: Interceptor + X-COM: Terror from the Deep)
XEL
X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack (including X-Morph: Defense + X-Morph: Defense - European Assault + X-Morph: Defense - Survival Of The Fittest + X-Morph: Defense - Last Bastion)
V: Rings of Saturn
Rebel Inc: Escalation
Spirit Of The Island
Lords and Villeins
A Juggler's Tale
Mr. Prepper
Mad Max
MORTAL KOMBAT XL
Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate Edition
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor GOTY
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition
Injustice 2 Legendary Edition
Batman™: Arkham Knight Premium Edition
Batman™: Arkham Asylum GOTY Edition
Batman™: Arkham City GOTY Edition
Batman™: Arkham Origins
Katamari Damacy REROLL (May keep)
PAC-MAN MUSEUM+
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes (May keep, only good offers)
Rebel Inc: Escalation
Spirit Of The Island
Lords and Villeins
A Juggler's Tale
Mr. Prepper
Beacon Pines
There Is No Light
Children of Silentown
Oaken
Snowtopia
Metal: Hellsinger (May keep, only good offers)
Non-STEAM
DOOM 64 (Bethesda.net)
Command & Conquer Remastered Collection (ORIGIN key)
Liberated (GOG key)
STAR WARS: Squadrons (Origin)
Wanderlust Travel Stories (GOG key)
Software
Ashampoo Photo Optimizer 7
GameMaker Studio 2 Creator 12 Months
Music Maker EDM Edition
Pathfinder Second Edition Core Rulebook and Starfinder Core Rulebook
Polygon Farm, Polygon City, and Polygon Prototype
GameDev.tv
Complete Unity 3D Developer
Zenva Academy
Intro to Game Development with Unity
Region is NA
My REPs: 202 successful trades, 0 dispute.

Will offer multiple games if needed. Games with * means very positive games, worth a look.
Beacon Pines
There Is No Light
Children of Silentown
Oaken
Snowtopia
Autonauts vs Piratebots
Deceive Inc.
Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?
Hot Brass
Arcade Paradise
Tin Can
Agent in Depth
Alchemist's Castle
Among Us
Armello
Army Men RTS
Assault Suit Leynos
Backbone
Battlecruisers
Blade Assault
Blood And Zombies
Brawlout
Builder Simulator
Cats in Time
Chicka Wars Chicken Meat
CivCity: Rome
Click and Slay
Concept Destruction
Corridor Z
Cosmonautica
Crayon Physics Deluxe
Dagon - The Eldritch Box DLC
Dead Age
Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
Death Squared
Demon Turf
Detached: Non-VR Edition
Double Cross
Doughlings: Arcade
Doughlings: Invasion
Draw Slasher
Drawful 2
Due Process
El Hijo
Eldest Souls
Emily is Away <3
Encased
Epic Chef
ETERNAL THREADS
Farming Simulator 17
Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash Rescue
First Class Trouble
Five Dates
Fling to the Finish
Forged Battalion
Fortissimo FA INTL Ver
Founders' Fortune
Fun with Ragdolls: The Game
GameGuru Classic
Garfield Kart - Furious Racing
Gloria Victis
Go Home Dinosaurs!
Going Under
Golf Gang*
Guilty Gear X2 #Reload*
Guns & Fishes
Guts and Glory
Hack 'n' Slash + Soundtrack (& Spacebase GIFT)
Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition
Heart Fragment - Book Two: Belief Fragments (Shannon & Lana)
Hellbound
HERO'S HOUR
Hexologic
Hidden & Dangerous 2: Courage Under Fire
Hidden & Dangerous: Action Pack
Hokko Life
Honey, I Joined a Cult
Hyper Gunsport
I’m not a Monster
Internet Cafe Simulator
Interplanetary: Enhanced Edition
Iron Danger
Izmir: An Independence Simulator
Joggernauts
JYDGE
Killsquad
Kraken Academy!!
Labirinto 2
Lawn Mowing Simulator
Legend of Keepers
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Don't Dry
Let Them Come*
Little Orpheus
Lust for Darkness
Lust from Beyond: M Edition
Maid of Sker
Mainlining
MEEPLE STATION
Meow Express
Merchant of the Skies
MirrorMoon EP
Monaco
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Moon Hunters
Morbid: The Seven Acolytes
Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021
NecroWorm
NeuroVoider
Neverinth
Neverout
Non-Stop Raiders
Of Orcs And Men
Orbital Racer
Out of Reach: Treasure Royale
Outward - The Soroboreans DLC
Override
Overture
Ozymandias
Partial Control
Pathfinders: Memories
Pathway
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
PGA TOUR 2K21 (may keep)
Pilgrims
Pill Baby
Pixplode
Planet TD
PlataGO!
PowerBeatsVR
Project Chemistry
Project Nimbus: Complete Edition
Propagation VR - Co-op
Pumped BMX +
Quadrata
Radio Commander
Railroad Corporation
Railroad Tycoon 3
Rebel Galaxy
Rebound Dodgeball Evolved
Re-Legion
Remnants of Naezith
Resident Evil Revelations (may keep)
Resident Evil Revelations 2 - Episode 1: Penal Colony
RIOT - Civil Unrest
Roarr! Jurassic Edition
Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos
ROGUE LORDS
RPG Maker VX
Rym 9000
Sakura Alien
Sakura Knight
Sakura Knight 2
Sakura Knight 3
Sakura MMO
Sakura MMO 2
Sakura MMO 3
Sakura MMO Extra
Sakura Succubus
Sakura Succubus 2
Sakura Succubus 3
Sakura Succubus 4
Sakura Succubus 5
Sakura Succubus 6
Sakura Swim Club
SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell
Shady Part of Me
Shing!
Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate
Sid Meier's Railroads!
Siege Survival: Gloria Victis
Slinger VR
Smile For Me
Sorcerer King: Rivals
Soul Searching
Soulblight
Space Crew: Legendary Edition
Spellcaster University
Spirit Hunter: Death Mark
Stacking
Starpoint Gemini Warlords
Strider*
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
Sunlight
Super Chicken Catchers
Super Magbot
Surviving the Aftermath (may keep)
Sword Legacy Omen
SYMMETRY
TaniNani
Telefrag VR
The Amazing American Circus
The Beast Inside
The Deed II
The Golf Club 2019 Featuring PGA TOUR
The Invisible Hand
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante (may keep)
The Serpent Rogue
The USB Stick Found in the Grass
Ticket to Ride
Tools Up!
Townsmen - A Kingdom Rebuilt
Traffic Jams
Train Station Renovation
Treasure Hunter Simulator
Underland: The Climb
UnMetal*
Vanishing Realms
War for the Overworld
WARSAW
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine
White Noise 2
Worms Rumble
WRC 7
WWE 2K BATTLEGROUNDS
XCOM 2
X-COM: Complete Pack (including X-COM: UFO Defense + X-COM: Apocalypse + X-COM: Enforcer + X-COM: Interceptor + X-COM: Terror from the Deep)
XEL
X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack (including X-Morph: Defense + X-Morph: Defense - European Assault + X-Morph: Defense - Survival Of The Fittest + X-Morph: Defense - Last Bastion)
V: Rings of Saturn
Rebel Inc: Escalation
Spirit Of The Island
Lords and Villeins
A Juggler's Tale
Mr. Prepper
Mad Max
MORTAL KOMBAT XL
Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate Edition
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor GOTY
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition
Injustice 2 Legendary Edition
Batman™: Arkham Knight Premium Edition
Batman™: Arkham Asylum GOTY Edition
Batman™: Arkham City GOTY Edition
Batman™: Arkham Origins
Katamari Damacy REROLL (May keep)
PAC-MAN MUSEUM+
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes (May keep, only good offers)
Rebel Inc: Escalation
Spirit Of The Island
Lords and Villeins
A Juggler's Tale
Mr. Prepper
Beacon Pines
There Is No Light
Children of Silentown
Oaken
Snowtopia
Metal: Hellsinger (May keep, only good offers)
Non-STEAM
DOOM 64 (Bethesda.net)
Command & Conquer Remastered Collection (ORIGIN key)
Liberated (GOG key)
STAR WARS: Squadrons (Origin)
Wanderlust Travel Stories (GOG key)
Software
Ashampoo Photo Optimizer 7
GameMaker Studio 2 Creator 12 Months
Music Maker EDM Edition
Pathfinder Second Edition Core Rulebook and Starfinder Core Rulebook
Polygon Farm, Polygon City, and Polygon Prototype
GameDev.tv
Complete Unity 3D Developer
Zenva Academy
Intro to Game Development with Unity
Region is NA
My REPs: 202 successful trades, 0 dispute.

-First- -Previous- -Next (on Patreon)-
—————————
Hello again! This batch of chapters is looking pretty spicy, and I'm really excited to share them with you! Not really much else to say, tbh, other than that I'm once again really thankful for all of your patience and understanding when it comes to my upload schedule. I know it's tough sometimes to drop in and out of stories like this, and even worse to see the last upload date for a story you like being "100 days ago," but we're still making our way there slowly! Besides, the most tender dishes are the ones that boil slowly~
As always, I hope you enjoy reading! :D
—————————
Fanart: The Brightest Star in the Night Sky, by u/Frostedscales
—————————
Thank you to Philodox on discord for proofreading and editing RfD.
Thank you to Pampanope on reddit for the cover art.
—————————
​
Memory Transcript Subject: Sylvan, Venlil Citizen
Date: [Standardized Human Time]: December 13, 2136
​
“Everything’s good to go over here, Kenta! How about you?”
“Fine on my end too boss! Though I still don’t know how to feel about how I’ve arranged the sandwiche– err… sylvanas. Cucumber salad next to blueberry? They kind of don’t match…”
“I already told you a million times, they look fine!”
“You sure…?”
“I’m sure! Now are you ready to start this thing?”
“Ready!”
“Then let’s go!”
I shut the door to the kitchen, making sure that I had not left anything behind that would be needed for the day, then began wheeling out the final cart of amenities. As I rolled it down the wooden floor of my emptied out diner, one long serving tray jostled back and forth across the surface top.
I looked down to recap my inventory. A motley of sylvanas cleanly cut into triangles lay in an ornate pattern atop a decorative bed of raw ipsom grain stalks, spiraling around the edges of the plate as it creeped its way closer to the center. The sylvanas were split into clear groups based not only on their filling, but of the colour of that filling as well, creating a literal rainbow of flavours to choose from. By all means, it was an absolutely marvelous display of art; a visual performance that I had no idea could be captured in something like a dish to be served at such a quaint event. Kenta, however, seemed to still be worrying over it.
Despite it apparently being part of the name according to my translator, the Terran fruit named “blueberry” was actually a deep shade of indigo rather than blue, especially when crushed into a form of jam. As a result, lacking any blue to connect the various green options of our rainbow to that of the very limited indigo, Kenta had ended up spending much too long worrying over such a minute detail.
‘What a dummy…’ I thought back to myself with a slight chuckle. ‘I guess he’s worrying about this just as much as I am.’
Hardly two or three steps remained between the food cart and the diner’s entrance. Hastily, I jogged up to the front door to prop it open. However, when I went to turn the handle, I felt it give way without even the slightest push. Someone was pulling it from the other side, causing me to be yanked forward and stumble. Looking up, I saw the rusty figure of Fehnel standing impatiently in the doorway.
“You almost done in here, Sylvan?” she asked in a hurried breath. “Here, let me help you with that.”
Before hearing my response, Fehnel had already grabbed ahold on the cart and began pulling it outside without delay. I let go and didn’t attempt to stop her, knowing full well the farm woman was likely much stronger than I. In a blur, she was already far from the door, and I began jogging after her in an attempt to keep up.
Just as the day before, the Inverter was powered on and running perfectly. The metal pylon let out a slight, continuous hum as it projected an energetic beam from its center, which split at the apex around the height of the Lackadaisy and fell down in a parabolic curve, creating a tangible anti-gravity field in its wake.
Just outside the field, it became immediately clear just how necessary this piece of advanced Federation technology was. Beyond the radiant dome, a thick rain riddled the sky and drowned the world it fell unto. A harsh wind howled and distant thunder roared, which combined with the rain to push against the field to no avail. Within, where so many confectionaries, decorations, and other preparations had been so carefully placed, not even the paw of Solgalick could disrupt us.
“You know this would be goin’ a lot faster if I could jus’ start grabbin’ the food ma’self,” Fehnel commented in a tone too preoccupied to be annoyed.
As I ran after the hauling Yotul, I tried to say, “Fehnel, I’d really appreciate it if you would–”
“I know, I know,” she interrupted back, seemingly distant. “You want me to ‘not go into the diner during the event.’ Listen Sylvan, I get that Kahnta back there is a fainter, but don’t you think that this is a tad extreme? We’re on a tight schedule here, y’know?”
“I know… it’s just kind of a golden rule. I can’t stress to you enough how important it is that nobody does so much as peak in there,” I reiterated as I jogged alongside the speeding Yotul. “And don’t worry. Once everything starts, then you can feel free to socialize and spend the day with your daughter. I’ll take care of restocking the food.”
“I suppose that’s awful nice of ya,” Fehnel breathed out. “Sure you won’t be tirin’ yourself out, hun?”
I shrugged. “Eh. How fast could people possibly eat? It’ll be fine.”
“Careful there. Don’t wanna be sprintin’ before your legs catch up,” Fehnel chuckled. “But I’m plenty thankful for the confidence. I’ll try to hold ya to your word.”
As we moved, I was able to take a brief second to look around. I began to marvel at how far the event had come since its initial inception. And under such short time restrictions as well! Through a combination of both the Lacakdaisy’s furniture, as well as a number of decorations that I had rented, we had ended up with something that I had truly considered exemplary. In traditional Venlil style, a forest of various greenery had been set out in a colourful array of paw-crafted pots and other containers. Small bushels, flowers, a few overhanging trees, and other vegetation stood proudly within. From each, incandescent ornaments of various hues emerged in a bright and brazen display. All of which combined to transform the normally secluded street atmosphere into one that was truly cozy, if not just the slightest bit packed within the bubble. In accordance with one of Fehnel’s initial requests, we had even arranged for a small wooden stage to be brought in, which fit neatly against… something that I would rather not look at…
Of course, decorations aside, one of the most enrapturing displays was that of the food itself. Positioned at various places all around the event’s area, tables upon tables of buffet items had been laid out. It was a marvelous display on all fronts. From the generously sized serving bowls of pasta, plates of still steaming gyoza, and the diverse types and variations of strayu laid in motley rows all throughout, the feast was like a colourful microcosm of everything Kenta and I had been working towards.
But what was even more impressive were all the new additions Kenta had made. Just as expected, my wayward chef had taken the original request and spun it on its tail, seemingly pulling no stops when it came to expanding our already diverse arrangement. From end to end, small, round discs of strayu called “Danishes” lay against each other down the side of one of the tables. Most impressively, the center of each had been filled in with various hues of jam, in a similar style to that of the sylvanas that I was currently wheeling towards it.
On the other side of the same table, a sundry of embellished wooden bowls sat parallel, each filled with various kinds of Venlilian-style salads. I had taken the time to teach him such recipes a good while back, but while at first these seemed to be rather unostentatious, a quick look revealed that Kenta had added his own twist to the otherwise typical mix of local produce. Tossed about each salad were dozens of small strayu cubes called “Croutons,” each baked until crisp and crunchy. What’s more, if the olfactory receptor in my mouth didn’t deceive me, I had even picked up the heavenly aroma of something Kenta had only introduced to me recently as “Garlic,” which had clearly been infused into the cubes.
On another table, steaming crocks of both soups and stews had been laid out for guests to self serve. But in lieu of a bowl, Kenta had elected to do something truly unique. It had taken me a moment to process his idea at first, but hollowed out husks of rotund strayu loaves had been left out for guests to grab, in which they were supposed to fill the “bread bowls” – as Kenta had called them – with the soup and eat them as normal. This even came with the advantage of being able to tear off small pieces of the now soup-soaked strayu, allowing one to enjoy the taste of both simultaneously. This idea, I had soon realized, would be the hardest to explain to any confused guests that might happen by.
As we approached the soup table, Fehnel and I began loading up the cart-full of sylvanas we had brought over onto a free area. We placed them right next to one other new recipe that Kenta had decided to share. A simple display of thinly cut slices of crunchy, lightly seasoned strayu, with a bright red sauce readied next to it that I instantly recognized as being the product of tomatoes mixed with oil. According to Kenta, these “Bruschetta” were a simple, yet simultaneously alluring appetizer, which would do well to pair with the soup he had stirred up.
Once the sylvanas had been laid out, Fehnel felt the urge to ask, “Is that the last of it?”
“Yes, for now,” I replied, absentmindedly stretching my back. “This’ll cover the initial rush of hungry people, I assume. But Kahnta’s already busy working on seconds.”
“Gotta say Sylvan, this is quite the impressive spread,” Fehnel said with a quick, delighted wag of the tail. “Y’know… When I asked for somethin’ new, I wasn’t expectin’ Kahnta over there to whip up so much.”
“Oh this isn’t the new dish you asked for,” I answered flatly. “That’s still being worked on.”
Fehnel froze solid, only her ears remaining seemingly automotive as they slowly shifted towards me. “Wait… what?
“Yeah all of this is just the appetizer according to Kahnta,” I explained, messing with a few arrant sylvanas that had broken symmetry. “There’s going to be one more plate of food that should be coming out shortly. And then dessert after that.”
“That’s… surely somethin’...” was all Fehnel could say. She opened her mouth as if to continue her train of thought, only to have something else pull her attention away.
Peering out into the stormy weather of the darkened town, an eye-catchingly large herd of people were making their way towards the bright dome that sketched our event’s area. Silhouettes of familiar patrons and wayward newcomers alike huddled under their umbrellas. All the while, an excited murmur hummed throughout the air, despite the noise of the rain around them. The guests were here, and they seemed excited.
I peered down at a small data pad. “Oh, second-sun already? Looks like we just barely made it on time.”
Fehnel simply wagged in acknowledgment, still the slightest bit flabbergasted.
I nudged her side, which seemed to knock her out of her trance. “Want to go greet them?”
Taking one look at me, then peering back at the ensemble of strange and alien foods behind her, one of Fehnel’s ears flicked a little. Then, she did the tail equivalent of a Human shrug, letting out a pleased chuckle. Whatever had been on her mind was apparently pushed to the side for now. “Heh, of course hun. Let’s treat ‘em to somethin’ special.”
With a newfound kick in her already hastened step, Fehnel began to proudly jog over towards the approaching crowd. By now, we could already begin to make out some faces, each looking more curious than the last.
In addition to the Brachistochrone Inverter itself, Jeela had also taken the liberty to have a reception area installed in the form of a metallic tunnel about the width of three Venlil. The tunnel seemed to fold and bend the anti-gravity energy around it, allowing for people to easily enter the repulsion field without having to tread through a torrent of redirected rainwater. Additionally, a series of hooks alongside the interior of the tunnel also served as a convenient area for the storage of umbrellas and coats, which our guests quickly began making use of the moment they started funneling through.
Fehnel and I stood at the side of the entrance, welcoming in guest after guest with the appropriate propriety. At first, many of them were stymied in their step, staring in awe at the sanctuary-like atmosphere that had been created in the middle of the street. But almost as soon as they got their bearings, most realigned their immediate priorities, and subsequently made a beeline for the buffet tables. That’s what they were here for, after all. Hopefully they’d come to appreciate the actual reason Fehnel was hosting this event soon enough.
As we busied ourselves, the voices of many excited guests made themselves audible.
“I’ve been looking forward to this!”
“Look at the decorations!”
“I feel like I’m in the Capital!”
“Are you sure all of this is free?”
“The ad said it was! Either way, I need to try some of this!”
Fehnel and I watched in delight as the crowd began to form around the tables, a number of plates I had left out disappearing as fast as the eye could blink. However, it was clear that a majority of the attention received had been focussed solely on the more familiar menu items already offered by the Lackadaisy.
“Think they’re gonna touch any of the new stuff?” Fehnel idly commented, her attention still fixed on the crowd. “It’d be a shame if any of it goes to waste.”
“Oh they will,” I answered without hesitation. “Just give them a moment. They’ll be all over it soon enough.”
Fehnel laughed. “You sound awful confident, don’tcha?”
“Oh please, this is hardly the first time I’ve served some wacky new thing to my customers,” I answered back with a chuckle of my own. “If anything, at this point I’d say I’m quite the expert. Just watch. You’ll see.”
Like clockwork, my precognitive claim had been proven true mere moments later. Some soul amongst the table’s crowd had seemingly been more curious than the rest, and ended up taste-testing one of the bruschetta. It was hard to make out from this distance, but if I had to guess, her ears had perked up and her eyes had widened in surprise. What was made clear, however, was their opinion of the new food, because only a few moments later could their voice be heard.
“You have got to try some of this stuff!” she practically yelled at anyone who would listen. “It tastes like the red stuff that’s on the pasta, but like… even stronger! It’s so good I feel like I died and am one with the Stars already!”
Like a Farsul unto a library, the crowd collectively swiveled their ears and began to gravitate towards the bruschetta with eager eyes. A few more voices piped up in glee, each more delighted than the last as paw after paw descended on the strayu until there was nothing scarce of crumbs left.
‘Guess that’ll be the first thing I’ll need to restock,’ I thought with a passive wave of the tail, before a sudden realization crept into my mind. ‘Ugh… Kenta and I might be busier today than I thought…’
It wasn’t long before the elation of trying something new, mixed with the sudden and devastating lack of bruschetta, had urged our party guests to move on to the other, never before seen options that laid out to fill their fancy. All at once, the wall of wool and fluff had spread out the slightest bit as fresher waters were explored. Plates were filled with various salads, despite the unfamiliar bits of crunchy strayu inside raising some skeptical ears. Helping after helping of the technicolour pastries were reached for as well, with the sylvanas not lasting much longer after that. And most impressively, it seemed that people had quickly begun to figure out the concept of Kenta’s cute “bread bowl” idea as well, even without instruction.
That last turn of events had actually caught me the slightest bit off guard. For the bread bowls being quite possibly the most unique aspect of the event – well, that I knew of – I found myself rather impressed by how fast people were getting the hang of it. Sure, it meant that I wouldn’t have to bother myself with having to go around explaining it to everybody, but in my eyes, there was a bit more to it than that. Perhaps it was a case of grasping at straws, but for the briefest moment, it made me wonder whether or not Humanity’s ideas had been affecting my people more than I had realized. Perhaps, if only in the slightest, Kenta had been opening their minds to more unique ideas than I had given him credit for. Without the slightest bit of hesitancy, the partygoers did well to experiment with more than the obvious, quickly wrapping their minds around something completely new and extraordinary.
I exhaled a short-breathed snicker, shaking the thought out of my head. ‘Calm down there, Sylvan. It’s just some soup and a piece of strayu shaped like a bowl. No need to get all philosophical about it. Still, I guess them figuring it out saves me some time. Good, cause it looks like I already need to start stocking the next round…’
I moved to grab my cart so that I could head back inside, only to have Fehnel call out and grab my attention instead.
“Sylvan, hun,” she began. “Before you go makin’ yourself scarce. I think there’s somethin’ about this here party that you haven’t explained yet.”
My head turned out to face her. “Hm?”
“Now, don’t get me wrong… What you did here is great and all. By all means, whenever it is that Kadew decides to show up here with that date of hers, I’m sure she’ll start coming around to the idea of my peoples’ Runnin’ Day. But…”
I now realized that Fehnel was completely focussed on something off in the distance.
“Oh,” I replied. “That…”
I had done well to ignore it up until this point. In fact, if I tried hard enough, I was even able to keep it completely hidden from my peripheral. But the truth was, no matter where I went or what I did to distract myself, there was no denying that it was there – that She was there.
At the opposite end of the dome, an onyx terror lurked over the ignorant, complacent masses. Its wicked enormity great, and the pressure about it even greater. The form it took was terrifying. An alien pose, unknown to the mind, originated from a people feared by many. Its peering eyes descended as domineering malevolence. And from its onyx chassis, a message rang clear as a day personally forged by Solgalick themself: Even if I couldn’t see her; if I shielded herself from my sight all day… No matter what, She could always see me.
“I’m gonna be honest Sylvan, I did not take you as someone that had a thing for Magister Jeela.”
I shot back quicker than a bolt of lighting. “I DO NOT HAVE A ‘THING’ FOR–” before stopping myself short.
Luckily, my voice had not been noticed among the now loud, chattering crowd about us. Which was good. I was pretty sure that my voice had cracked into an almost childishly high pitch. Taking a deep breath, I yanked my composure back, and stuffed an air of professionalism back into my voice yet again.
“I a-appologize…” I mumbled out, my head shrinking between my shoulders.
“No worries!” Fehnel replied. She couldn’t help but let a few chuckles pour into her voice. “I was just teasin’ is all. But seriously, you’re gonna have to whip up a pretty darn good explanation… Else I’m boutta start thinkin’ that what I just said was true.”
I took a deep breath, which soon shifted into a long-winded sigh. “Listen… It was part of the deal, alright? I’m not proud of it, but it’s there now, and unless you’ve got a herd of Mazic heavylifters at the beck and call, I can’t get rid of it.”
“Part of the deal?” Fehnel repeated.
“It’s my end of the bargain for us being able to have this Inverter during the event. And no, before you ask, it was not worth it,” I explained.
I could do nothing but feel immense shame for the inconvenience. To have something so overbearing, so shamelessly grandstanding placed in the middle of what was supposed to be a quaint event about cross-cultural understanding… It was beyond disrespectful to Fehnel’s original request. It took something that the poor woman had been planning for who knew how long, and brutally morphed it into a shadow of its former self. Into nothing but an ego trip for a politician that probably already surrounded themselves with weed biters and paw lickers.
“Listen…” I said, lowering both my tail and ears in respect. “Fehnel, I apologize profusely for allowing that thing to be placed here. I should have put my paw down and just hosted the event inside like we planned. But it’s too late now. I’m really sorry…”
But to my surprise, Fehnel had not been paying attention to my display of humility. Instead, her focus was still on that of the statue.
“I think it looks neat!” she said in a cheery tone.
“Y-you do?” I mumbled back.
“Well yeah!” She wagged her tail to assure me. “Sure it’s a bit, err… unconventional… But I think it’s got quite a bit of charm to it!”
“That’s… one way of saying it…”
“Besides, it might not be the worst thing to have somethin’ from the Magisters here with us,” Fehnel continued to think out loud. “Sorta gives this whole event a kinda official feel, y’know? Like it’s lettin’ everyone here know that the Yotul have got just as much right bein’ under the same heedin’ ears of the Governor as anyone else. Sure, dependin’ on where you are and who you ask, that may or may not be a good thing. But it at least means it’s harder to ignore us now. Heck, might even convince some of the people ‘round here to open up a little to the other parts of us.”
“Well… so long as you’re happy with it, I suppose?” I worded awkwardly.
If I had been completely honest with myself, I was expecting the slightest bit more… Well, I wasn’t sure. Perhaps anger? Annoyance? Unrelenting grief that invariably led to locking yourself in a closet, crying? But there was no sign of that in the rusty Yotul’s eyes. As she stared up at the onyx marvel, I couldn’t help but feel as though there was no sign of the negativity I had anticipated in the slightest. Instead, all that remained was that of a solemn pride. Maybe she was lying to herself. Like it was some sort of coping mechanism that helped her work around this unwelcome development in her plans. But regardless, the end result remained. And I was left feeling relieved at being able to avoid yet another hurdle.
‘Fehnel really knows how to look at the optimistic side of things, I guess… Good. I could really use some more of that around here.’
“Feel free to run along now, Sylvan,” she said, waving me a satisfied flick of the tail. “I’ll keep waitin’ here so I can greet the other guests. And I do hope you and Kahnta can bring out the main course whenever it’s ready. I wanna make sure everything’s ready to blow Kadew’s fur off whenever she decides to get here.”
I had to force myself not to flash a Human smile in return. She and the rest of the partygoers had no idea what was coming. And to a certain extent, neither did I. He did mention he had some sort of “surprise” coming, after all. But I always trusted Kenta for his word, and knowing what my chef was capable of, it never occurred to me once that it wouldn’t live up to the expectations. In fact, I was counting on him to exceed them.
I turned around and headed back to the kitchen. It was time to get the real party started.
—————————
​
-First- -Previous- -Next (on Patreon)-

-First- -Previous- -Next (on Patreon)-
—————————
Hello again! This batch of chapters is looking pretty spicy, and I'm really excited to share them with you! Not really much else to say, tbh, other than that I'm once again really thankful for all of your patience and understanding when it comes to my upload schedule. I know it's tough sometimes to drop in and out of stories like this, and even worse to see the last upload date for a story you like being "100 days ago," but we're still making our way there slowly! Besides, the most tender dishes are the ones that boil slowly~
As always, I hope you enjoy reading! :D
—————————
Fanart: The Brightest Star in the Night Sky, by u/Frostedscales
—————————
Note: This is a Fanfic of the Nature of Predators series by u/Spacepaladin15, that is being reposted from the NatureofPredators sub. Please support the original content.
Thank you to Philodox on discord for proofreading and editing RfD.
Thank you to Pampanope on reddit for the cover art.
—————————
​
Memory Transcript Subject: Sylvan, Venlil Citizen
Date: [Standardized Human Time]: December 13, 2136
​
“Everything’s good to go over here, Kenta! How about you?”
“Fine on my end too boss! Though I still don’t know how to feel about how I’ve arranged the sandwiche– err… sylvanas. Cucumber salad next to blueberry? They kind of don’t match…”
“I already told you a million times, they look fine!”
“You sure…?”
“I’m sure! Now are you ready to start this thing?”
“Ready!”
“Then let’s go!”
I shut the door to the kitchen, making sure that I had not left anything behind that would be needed for the day, then began wheeling out the final cart of amenities. As I rolled it down the wooden floor of my emptied out diner, one long serving tray jostled back and forth across the surface top.
I looked down to recap my inventory. A motley of sylvanas cleanly cut into triangles lay in an ornate pattern atop a decorative bed of raw ipsom grain stalks, spiraling around the edges of the plate as it creeped its way closer to the center. The sylvanas were split into clear groups based not only on their filling, but of the colour of that filling as well, creating a literal rainbow of flavours to choose from. By all means, it was an absolutely marvelous display of art; a visual performance that I had no idea could be captured in something like a dish to be served at such a quaint event. Kenta, however, seemed to still be worrying over it.
Despite it apparently being part of the name according to my translator, the Terran fruit named “blueberry” was actually a deep shade of indigo rather than blue, especially when crushed into a form of jam. As a result, lacking any blue to connect the various green options of our rainbow to that of the very limited indigo, Kenta had ended up spending much too long worrying over such a minute detail.
‘What a dummy…’ I thought back to myself with a slight chuckle. ‘I guess he’s worrying about this just as much as I am.’
Hardly two or three steps remained between the food cart and the diner’s entrance. Hastily, I jogged up to the front door to prop it open. However, when I went to turn the handle, I felt it give way without even the slightest push. Someone was pulling it from the other side, causing me to be yanked forward and stumble. Looking up, I saw the rusty figure of Fehnel standing impatiently in the doorway.
“You almost done in here, Sylvan?” she asked in a hurried breath. “Here, let me help you with that.”
Before hearing my response, Fehnel had already grabbed ahold on the cart and began pulling it outside without delay. I let go and didn’t attempt to stop her, knowing full well the farm woman was likely much stronger than I. In a blur, she was already far from the door, and I began jogging after her in an attempt to keep up.
Just as the day before, the Inverter was powered on and running perfectly. The metal pylon let out a slight, continuous hum as it projected an energetic beam from its center, which split at the apex around the height of the Lackadaisy and fell down in a parabolic curve, creating a tangible anti-gravity field in its wake.
Just outside the field, it became immediately clear just how necessary this piece of advanced Federation technology was. Beyond the radiant dome, a thick rain riddled the sky and drowned the world it fell unto. A harsh wind howled and distant thunder roared, which combined with the rain to push against the field to no avail. Within, where so many confectionaries, decorations, and other preparations had been so carefully placed, not even the paw of Solgalick could disrupt us.
“You know this would be goin’ a lot faster if I could jus’ start grabbin’ the food ma’self,” Fehnel commented in a tone too preoccupied to be annoyed.
As I ran after the hauling Yotul, I tried to say, “Fehnel, I’d really appreciate it if you would–”
“I know, I know,” she interrupted back, seemingly distant. “You want me to ‘not go into the diner during the event.’ Listen Sylvan, I get that Kahnta back there is a fainter, but don’t you think that this is a tad extreme? We’re on a tight schedule here, y’know?”
“I know… it’s just kind of a golden rule. I can’t stress to you enough how important it is that nobody does so much as peak in there,” I reiterated as I jogged alongside the speeding Yotul. “And don’t worry. Once everything starts, then you can feel free to socialize and spend the day with your daughter. I’ll take care of restocking the food.”
“I suppose that’s awful nice of ya,” Fehnel breathed out. “Sure you won’t be tirin’ yourself out, hun?”
I shrugged. “Eh. How fast could people possibly eat? It’ll be fine.”
“Careful there. Don’t wanna be sprintin’ before your legs catch up,” Fehnel chuckled. “But I’m plenty thankful for the confidence. I’ll try to hold ya to your word.”
As we moved, I was able to take a brief second to look around. I began to marvel at how far the event had come since its initial inception. And under such short time restrictions as well! Through a combination of both the Lacakdaisy’s furniture, as well as a number of decorations that I had rented, we had ended up with something that I had truly considered exemplary. In traditional Venlil style, a forest of various greenery had been set out in a colourful array of paw-crafted pots and other containers. Small bushels, flowers, a few overhanging trees, and other vegetation stood proudly within. From each, incandescent ornaments of various hues emerged in a bright and brazen display. All of which combined to transform the normally secluded street atmosphere into one that was truly cozy, if not just the slightest bit packed within the bubble. In accordance with one of Fehnel’s initial requests, we had even arranged for a small wooden stage to be brought in, which fit neatly against… something that I would rather not look at…
Of course, decorations aside, one of the most enrapturing displays was that of the food itself. Positioned at various places all around the event’s area, tables upon tables of buffet items had been laid out. It was a marvelous display on all fronts. From the generously sized serving bowls of pasta, plates of still steaming gyoza, and the diverse types and variations of strayu laid in motley rows all throughout, the feast was like a colourful microcosm of everything Kenta and I had been working towards.
But what was even more impressive were all the new additions Kenta had made. Just as expected, my wayward chef had taken the original request and spun it on its tail, seemingly pulling no stops when it came to expanding our already diverse arrangement. From end to end, small, round discs of strayu called “Danishes” lay against each other down the side of one of the tables. Most impressively, the center of each had been filled in with various hues of jam, in a similar style to that of the sylvanas that I was currently wheeling towards it.
On the other side of the same table, a sundry of embellished wooden bowls sat parallel, each filled with various kinds of Venlilian-style salads. I had taken the time to teach him such recipes a good while back, but while at first these seemed to be rather unostentatious, a quick look revealed that Kenta had added his own twist to the otherwise typical mix of local produce. Tossed about each salad were dozens of small strayu cubes called “Croutons,” each baked until crisp and crunchy. What’s more, if the olfactory receptor in my mouth didn’t deceive me, I had even picked up the heavenly aroma of something Kenta had only introduced to me recently as “Garlic,” which had clearly been infused into the cubes.
On another table, steaming crocks of both soups and stews had been laid out for guests to self serve. But in lieu of a bowl, Kenta had elected to do something truly unique. It had taken me a moment to process his idea at first, but hollowed out husks of rotund strayu loaves had been left out for guests to grab, in which they were supposed to fill the “bread bowls” – as Kenta had called them – with the soup and eat them as normal. This even came with the advantage of being able to tear off small pieces of the now soup-soaked strayu, allowing one to enjoy the taste of both simultaneously. This idea, I had soon realized, would be the hardest to explain to any confused guests that might happen by.
As we approached the soup table, Fehnel and I began loading up the cart-full of sylvanas we had brought over onto a free area. We placed them right next to one other new recipe that Kenta had decided to share. A simple display of thinly cut slices of crunchy, lightly seasoned strayu, with a bright red sauce readied next to it that I instantly recognized as being the product of tomatoes mixed with oil. According to Kenta, these “Bruschetta” were a simple, yet simultaneously alluring appetizer, which would do well to pair with the soup he had stirred up.
Once the sylvanas had been laid out, Fehnel felt the urge to ask, “Is that the last of it?”
“Yes, for now,” I replied, absentmindedly stretching my back. “This’ll cover the initial rush of hungry people, I assume. But Kahnta’s already busy working on seconds.”
“Gotta say Sylvan, this is quite the impressive spread,” Fehnel said with a quick, delighted wag of the tail. “Y’know… When I asked for somethin’ new, I wasn’t expectin’ Kahnta over there to whip up so much.”
“Oh this isn’t the new dish you asked for,” I answered flatly. “That’s still being worked on.”
Fehnel froze solid, only her ears remaining seemingly automotive as they slowly shifted towards me. “Wait… what?
“Yeah all of this is just the appetizer according to Kahnta,” I explained, messing with a few arrant sylvanas that had broken symmetry. “There’s going to be one more plate of food that should be coming out shortly. And then dessert after that.”
“That’s… surely somethin’...” was all Fehnel could say. She opened her mouth as if to continue her train of thought, only to have something else pull her attention away.
Peering out into the stormy weather of the darkened town, an eye-catchingly large herd of people were making their way towards the bright dome that sketched our event’s area. Silhouettes of familiar patrons and wayward newcomers alike huddled under their umbrellas. All the while, an excited murmur hummed throughout the air, despite the noise of the rain around them. The guests were here, and they seemed excited.
I peered down at a small data pad. “Oh, second-sun already? Looks like we just barely made it on time.”
Fehnel simply wagged in acknowledgment, still the slightest bit flabbergasted.
I nudged her side, which seemed to knock her out of her trance. “Want to go greet them?”
Taking one look at me, then peering back at the ensemble of strange and alien foods behind her, one of Fehnel’s ears flicked a little. Then, she did the tail equivalent of a Human shrug, letting out a pleased chuckle. Whatever had been on her mind was apparently pushed to the side for now. “Heh, of course hun. Let’s treat ‘em to somethin’ special.”
With a newfound kick in her already hastened step, Fehnel began to proudly jog over towards the approaching crowd. By now, we could already begin to make out some faces, each looking more curious than the last.
In addition to the Brachistochrone Inverter itself, Jeela had also taken the liberty to have a reception area installed in the form of a metallic tunnel about the width of three Venlil. The tunnel seemed to fold and bend the anti-gravity energy around it, allowing for people to easily enter the repulsion field without having to tread through a torrent of redirected rainwater. Additionally, a series of hooks alongside the interior of the tunnel also served as a convenient area for the storage of umbrellas and coats, which our guests quickly began making use of the moment they started funneling through.
Fehnel and I stood at the side of the entrance, welcoming in guest after guest with the appropriate propriety. At first, many of them were stymied in their step, staring in awe at the sanctuary-like atmosphere that had been created in the middle of the street. But almost as soon as they got their bearings, most realigned their immediate priorities, and subsequently made a beeline for the buffet tables. That’s what they were here for, after all. Hopefully they’d come to appreciate the actual reason Fehnel was hosting this event soon enough.
As we busied ourselves, the voices of many excited guests made themselves audible.
“I’ve been looking forward to this!”
“Look at the decorations!”
“I feel like I’m in the Capital!”
“Are you sure all of this is free?”
“The ad said it was! Either way, I need to try some of this!”
Fehnel and I watched in delight as the crowd began to form around the tables, a number of plates I had left out disappearing as fast as the eye could blink. However, it was clear that a majority of the attention received had been focussed solely on the more familiar menu items already offered by the Lackadaisy.
“Think they’re gonna touch any of the new stuff?” Fehnel idly commented, her attention still fixed on the crowd. “It’d be a shame if any of it goes to waste.”
“Oh they will,” I answered without hesitation. “Just give them a moment. They’ll be all over it soon enough.”
Fehnel laughed. “You sound awful confident, don’tcha?”
“Oh please, this is hardly the first time I’ve served some wacky new thing to my customers,” I answered back with a chuckle of my own. “If anything, at this point I’d say I’m quite the expert. Just watch. You’ll see.”
Like clockwork, my precognitive claim had been proven true mere moments later. Some soul amongst the table’s crowd had seemingly been more curious than the rest, and ended up taste-testing one of the bruschetta. It was hard to make out from this distance, but if I had to guess, her ears had perked up and her eyes had widened in surprise. What was made clear, however, was their opinion of the new food, because only a few moments later could their voice be heard.
“You have got to try some of this stuff!” she practically yelled at anyone who would listen. “It tastes like the red stuff that’s on the pasta, but like… even stronger! It’s so good I feel like I died and am one with the Stars already!”
Like a Farsul unto a library, the crowd collectively swiveled their ears and began to gravitate towards the bruschetta with eager eyes. A few more voices piped up in glee, each more delighted than the last as paw after paw descended on the strayu until there was nothing scarce of crumbs left.
‘Guess that’ll be the first thing I’ll need to restock,’ I thought with a passive wave of the tail, before a sudden realization crept into my mind. ‘Ugh… Kenta and I might be busier today than I thought…’
It wasn’t long before the elation of trying something new, mixed with the sudden and devastating lack of bruschetta, had urged our party guests to move on to the other, never before seen options that laid out to fill their fancy. All at once, the wall of wool and fluff had spread out the slightest bit as fresher waters were explored. Plates were filled with various salads, despite the unfamiliar bits of crunchy strayu inside raising some skeptical ears. Helping after helping of the technicolour pastries were reached for as well, with the sylvanas not lasting much longer after that. And most impressively, it seemed that people had quickly begun to figure out the concept of Kenta’s cute “bread bowl” idea as well, even without instruction.
That last turn of events had actually caught me the slightest bit off guard. For the bread bowls being quite possibly the most unique aspect of the event – well, that I knew of – I found myself rather impressed by how fast people were getting the hang of it. Sure, it meant that I wouldn’t have to bother myself with having to go around explaining it to everybody, but in my eyes, there was a bit more to it than that. Perhaps it was a case of grasping at straws, but for the briefest moment, it made me wonder whether or not Humanity’s ideas had been affecting my people more than I had realized. Perhaps, if only in the slightest, Kenta had been opening their minds to more unique ideas than I had given him credit for. Without the slightest bit of hesitancy, the partygoers did well to experiment with more than the obvious, quickly wrapping their minds around something completely new and extraordinary.
I exhaled a short-breathed snicker, shaking the thought out of my head. ‘Calm down there, Sylvan. It’s just some soup and a piece of strayu shaped like a bowl. No need to get all philosophical about it. Still, I guess them figuring it out saves me some time. Good, cause it looks like I already need to start stocking the next round…’
I moved to grab my cart so that I could head back inside, only to have Fehnel call out and grab my attention instead.
“Sylvan, hun,” she began. “Before you go makin’ yourself scarce. I think there’s somethin’ about this here party that you haven’t explained yet.”
My head turned out to face her. “Hm?”
“Now, don’t get me wrong… What you did here is great and all. By all means, whenever it is that Kadew decides to show up here with that date of hers, I’m sure she’ll start coming around to the idea of my peoples’ Runnin’ Day. But…”
I now realized that Fehnel was completely focussed on something off in the distance.
“Oh,” I replied. “That…”
I had done well to ignore it up until this point. In fact, if I tried hard enough, I was even able to keep it completely hidden from my peripheral. But the truth was, no matter where I went or what I did to distract myself, there was no denying that it was there – that She was there.
At the opposite end of the dome, an onyx terror lurked over the ignorant, complacent masses. Its wicked enormity great, and the pressure about it even greater. The form it took was terrifying. An alien pose, unknown to the mind, originated from a people feared by many. Its peering eyes descended as domineering malevolence. And from its onyx chassis, a message rang clear as a day personally forged by Solgalick themself: Even if I couldn’t see her; if I shielded herself from my sight all day… No matter what, She could always see me.
“I’m gonna be honest Sylvan, I did not take you as someone that had a thing for Magister Jeela.”
I shot back quicker than a bolt of lighting. “I DO NOT HAVE A ‘THING’ FOR–” before stopping myself short.
Luckily, my voice had not been noticed among the now loud, chattering crowd about us. Which was good. I was pretty sure that my voice had cracked into an almost childishly high pitch. Taking a deep breath, I yanked my composure back, and stuffed an air of professionalism back into my voice yet again.
“I a-appologize…” I mumbled out, my head shrinking between my shoulders.
“No worries!” Fehnel replied. She couldn’t help but let a few chuckles pour into her voice. “I was just teasin’ is all. But seriously, you’re gonna have to whip up a pretty darn good explanation… Else I’m boutta start thinkin’ that what I just said was true.”
I took a deep breath, which soon shifted into a long-winded sigh. “Listen… It was part of the deal, alright? I’m not proud of it, but it’s there now, and unless you’ve got a herd of Mazic heavylifters at the beck and call, I can’t get rid of it.”
“Part of the deal?” Fehnel repeated.
“It’s my end of the bargain for us being able to have this Inverter during the event. And no, before you ask, it was not worth it,” I explained.
I could do nothing but feel immense shame for the inconvenience. To have something so overbearing, so shamelessly grandstanding placed in the middle of what was supposed to be a quaint event about cross-cultural understanding… It was beyond disrespectful to Fehnel’s original request. It took something that the poor woman had been planning for who knew how long, and brutally morphed it into a shadow of its former self. Into nothing but an ego trip for a politician that probably already surrounded themselves with weed biters and paw lickers.
“Listen…” I said, lowering both my tail and ears in respect. “Fehnel, I apologize profusely for allowing that thing to be placed here. I should have put my paw down and just hosted the event inside like we planned. But it’s too late now. I’m really sorry…”
But to my surprise, Fehnel had not been paying attention to my display of humility. Instead, her focus was still on that of the statue.
“I think it looks neat!” she said in a cheery tone.
“Y-you do?” I mumbled back.
“Well yeah!” She wagged her tail to assure me. “Sure it’s a bit, err… unconventional… But I think it’s got quite a bit of charm to it!”
“That’s… one way of saying it…”
“Besides, it might not be the worst thing to have somethin’ from the Magisters here with us,” Fehnel continued to think out loud. “Sorta gives this whole event a kinda official feel, y’know? Like it’s lettin’ everyone here know that the Yotul have got just as much right bein’ under the same heedin’ ears of the Governor as anyone else. Sure, dependin’ on where you are and who you ask, that may or may not be a good thing. But it at least means it’s harder to ignore us now. Heck, might even convince some of the people ‘round here to open up a little to the other parts of us.”
“Well… so long as you’re happy with it, I suppose?” I worded awkwardly.
If I had been completely honest with myself, I was expecting the slightest bit more… Well, I wasn’t sure. Perhaps anger? Annoyance? Unrelenting grief that invariably led to locking yourself in a closet, crying? But there was no sign of that in the rusty Yotul’s eyes. As she stared up at the onyx marvel, I couldn’t help but feel as though there was no sign of the negativity I had anticipated in the slightest. Instead, all that remained was that of a solemn pride. Maybe she was lying to herself. Like it was some sort of coping mechanism that helped her work around this unwelcome development in her plans. But regardless, the end result remained. And I was left feeling relieved at being able to avoid yet another hurdle.
‘Fehnel really knows how to look at the optimistic side of things, I guess… Good. I could really use some more of that around here.’
“Feel free to run along now, Sylvan,” she said, waving me a satisfied flick of the tail. “I’ll keep waitin’ here so I can greet the other guests. And I do hope you and Kahnta can bring out the main course whenever it’s ready. I wanna make sure everything’s ready to blow Kadew’s fur off whenever she decides to get here.”
I had to force myself not to flash a Human smile in return. She and the rest of the partygoers had no idea what was coming. And to a certain extent, neither did I. He did mention he had some sort of “surprise” coming, after all. But I always trusted Kenta for his word, and knowing what my chef was capable of, it never occurred to me once that it wouldn’t live up to the expectations. In fact, I was counting on him to exceed them.
I turned around and headed back to the kitchen. It was time to get the real party started.
—————————
​
-First- -Previous- -Next (on Patreon)-

Minecraft is running an event for reaching 15 years since release, it comes with a few limited-edition capes for both, java edition and bedrock edition players along with some character creator items for bedrock..
I would really like the TikTok cape. I like the the way it looks, i am a fan favourite of glitch styled game content. My current character theme is going along side the colour theme of this cape thats bring given away so having this cape would fit in well.
I am unable to get the code myself as my region is locked for some unknown reason (Australia), i have attempted to change my region with vpns and making new accounts set in different counties which havent worked. This is why im requesting a code for the cape if possible.
To get the code you just have to watch a TikTok Minecraft live streamer in your region with drops enabled for 3 minutes, or comment "Minecraft", depending on what the task to receive the code is. then you should be able to click claim to receive the code. There will be a icon in the top left which you can click on if the streamer has drops enabled.
If you are abe to claim the code and either dont play minecraft or already have the cape would it be possible to let me have if? Im aware that everyone is asking currently so if its not possible its allright.
Thank you!

I remember years ago there used to be this thing where YouTube videos would have ‘tabs’ that would pop up on the screen. They would have any type of message put up on the screen by the video creator and the only way to get rid of them was a little x on the top right corner of each tab or box. However sometimes they’d only flash up on the screen and the only way to see them would be to pause the video at the right time. They could be any colour as well. They only seemed to exist on videos watched on PC or computers.

I'm finding the black stock bits on my bike really lame, but the weird sort of matte/muted oil slick colour (officially called galactic 'n black) on the Cube Flying Circus is making it really hard for me to decide on a colour scheme to work towards as far as stem, bars, and pedals (maybe eventually wheels and hubs, too). I added a picture for reference, but the product page's 360° view shows off the colour better than a picture.
I feel like a combo of a dark green and purple/pink might be good, but then it might look like a Joker theme, and I'm not about that life. I also like the idea of chrome, especially since seeing the Title AH1 chrome colourway — looks super sick. The obvious choice seems to be oil slick, but I have an unreasonable hatred for oil slick anodising, unfortunately.
Any ideas from the hivemind?
From the product page. The most accurate representation I could get of the colour in one pic.
https://preview.redd.it/98w5w111r01d1.jpg?width=4415&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=652d158f273b045e74b8ea5f850f821198ed11d1
Already want to replace the seat with something like an Odyssey Bloom BMX seat.

Introduction
Someone reading this book may wonder what sort of audience is being targeted here. They may also be confused as to what the endgame is behind such a book. The aim of this book is to parallel the different religious & mystic traditions & connect them to the tropes that we find near death experiences propagate. They often are reconnecting us with what ancient texts have said but in the modern secular world where materialism is the norm we have become numb to the meanings & impact behind such text. These texts are often considered archaic & primitive. Unable to contribute much to the modern world they may only be useful in prayer chants.
Thus I aim here to revitalise the spirit of these traditions and connect them to what many call the modern day scriptures. The study of near death experiences, neuroscience, consciousness & other paranormal phenomena.
The endgame of the mystic is to connect, achieve union, knowledge and self growth. Thus by approaching all these texts and the various evolving thought that emerged from it, we can explore the parallels and connections that bridge the gap between traditions. The beauty of mysticism and perennial philosophy is the freedom it offers in interpretation.
This book doesn't focus on the question of whether scriptures are divinely inspired, man made tools written for sociological and political agendas or some sort of corrupted divinity. That discussion is a debate that will never end. Rather the focus here is on the possible wisdom & theological beliefs which parallel and mesh together well in forming a higher meaning & connection to the divine. Whether it be a higher power, an all pervading source or a metaphysical truth. You aren’t required to literally believe the divinity of these texts. A simple level of curiosity & intrigue is sufficient.
However one may contend that it is easy to parallel traditions when they are in harmony but when they differ they directly contradict rendering these connections meaningless and superficial. Therein lies the limitations of this book. Therefore the following concepts won’t be discussed in here. These are mainly :

• Unverifiable supernatural claims such as ancient miracles for instance Moses parting the sea, Jesus walking on water, resurrecting etc. For someone expecting this book to be a source of evidence for a specific religion it unfortunately won’t be. However there are multiple correlations and connections and these may act as subtle signs of evidence for a specific faith or multiple of them.
  
• Reconciling contradictions between belief systems and scriptures. For example whether the Divine is a trinity or a unity. Whether a certain sage was superior to another. For instance comparing the personality of Jesus with Muhammad, whether the Bible is morally perfect or not & a plethora of other beliefs that may not agree with one another. The book simply assumes they all are imperfect systems.
  
• The scientific debate on whether NDEs are classified as hallucinations or genuine supernatural occurrences. Whilst an interesting topic in itself, it is out of the scope of this book with many other books discussing the science behind ndes. However when necessary nde claims will be contrasted with naturalistic explanations.
  

The primary focus is in following a don't throw the baby out with the bathwater approach. Some may also contend that this book follows a shopping cart style of cherrypicking from texts and discarding beliefs from texts one subjectively finds inappropriate. To this I would simply say that the approach here is one of finding the parallels that align well together and acknowledging when a belief doesn't align well. Not necessarily a pick and choose system. An approach I would call the rational mystic.
The rational mystic is one who is simply open to what may be beyond their senses. They may be mystically inclined, fascinated and open to the plethora of supernatural ideas. However they will not blindly believe any and all beliefs. They will discern using rational faculties what of mysticism is most compatible with reality, what the data or evidence shows & what is more probable than not. I believe people of all beliefs or no beliefs can fit this definition. Whether you identify by a religion, as spiritual but not religious, non religious, atheist, deist or agnostic. Thus a skeptic or believer may able to gain an appreciation for these belief systems.
This book dives into the verses and parallels of ancient texts such as the Old Testament, Gospels, Quran, Hadith, Bhagwad Gita, Dhammapada, Tao Te Ching & Gathas of Zoroaster. Other older parallels such as from Vedic India, Ancient Egypt, Greece & Mesopotamia may be referenced.
Alongside that are the testimonies of NDEs and how they may parallel or differ to these texts. This book also attempts to provide commentary on major philosophical themes & elaborate on various exegesis, mystical traditions such as Kaballah, Sufism, Advaita Vedanta, Neoplatonism & Chinese thought. Since mysticism is ultimately about experience it relevant and useful to enhance these discussions by contrasts to various scientific ideas, philosophy & pop culture.
NDE Filter Methodology
One of the problems with ndes is the fact that they are subjective experiences which we cannot objectively verify or replicate. This makes them a weaker form of evidence compared to empirical studies which can replicate the results. These present a challenge. An individual nde may therefore be subject to embellishment, fabrications & delusions. Therefore in picking our choice of NDEs here we can only look at ndes as a whole in terms of statistical patterns that form. This is the methodology used in NDE literature by various academics including neuroscientists & philosophers researching the phenomenon.
To elaborate we therefore will discard testimonies that appear embellished with fantastical details. These fantastical details may also be subjective from person to person. Calling an otherworldly journey fantastical is simply irony. However in following the certain patterns that appear cross culturally in ndes it is much easier to identify reports that are considered fantastical. The following tropes appear the most across multiple nde studies.

• Out of Body Experience
• Tunnel of Light
• Meeting deceased relatives or unknown beings
• Perceiving a highly luminous pervading light
• Feelings of absolute peace, comfort & love
• Arriving at an otherworldly place ie a meadow, garden etc.
• Life Review
• Border of no return
• Pluralistic message about love & wisdom

There are of course other concepts that ndes reference which appear from time to time. These allow ndes to be flexible and not rigid experiences. After all no two nde experiences are the same. However using these motifs listed we can filter through unreliable ndes. These include

• NDE reports that are highly coloured with religious fundamentalist tropes particularly tropes promoting an exclusivist attitude to religion.
• NDEs that appear too detailed, fantastical & unrestricted appearing more like a science fiction or fantasy novel. For example nde claims of multiple lives on other planets or large scale prophecies & apocalyptic predictions & generally things that differ wildly from the core themes
• NDEs that talk too much about one specific spiritual concept, portraying themselves as special, prophets or mediums turning their nde into a narcissistic or monetary agenda through spiritual coaching, multiple books etc.

Finally one may say that the chapters of this book attempt to hint at the veracity of a religion & this book is a subtle attempt to proselytize that faith. I will reiterate that this book isnt trying to prove any specific religion. There may be subtle signs from one faith that fit better with the nde phenomenon than others. The following theories I would say explain these subtle signs. I leave it up to the reader to decide what they feel is the best explanation.

• Universal Divine Theory : This is the idea that prophets, mystics & sages from different cultures have been inspired through revelation from the same source & this explains the shared insights of a religion & ndes.
  
• Mystic Wisdom Theory : This simply means that certain religious writers and founders were simply wise spiritual men, mystically inclined honing on their intuition & knowledge.
  
• Intertextuality Theory : Each new religious founder simply built of older religious ideas assimilating it into their theologies.
  

Whilst these theories may suggest a subtle spark of corresponding truths, generally NDEs dont explicitly point to any religion. Some say its simply the case that a Christian will see Jesus, a Muslim will see Allah, A Jew sees Yahweh & a Hindu sees Krishna. This of course is not entirely true. The portion of ndes that claim to see Jesus form a minority & interestingly they too dont point at specific doctrines. NDE experiencers may simply describe a sentient light they perceive to be God. This being doesnt tell anybody that I am Yahweh or Allah. Experiencers will say that religious texts fall short of describing this being. It is beyond what people are taught in religion.
Those who are familiar with NDE reports and studies will know that NDEs tend to be very religion agnostic and at best subtly imply a religious correlation but rarely do we find massive amounts of nde reports cross culturally presenting exclusivist dogmas such as follow holy book x or you will burn, believe Jesus died for your sin or you will burn for eternity. When an nde does present this its seen as a red flag since this doesn't occur with the majority of other ndes. The most we have are subtle religious correlations. However NDEs do present us with certain philosophical dilemmas when it comes to religion.

• If NDEs are vague about religion how are we to interpret these religions ? Are we to see them as man made socio-cultural constructs ? Are we to see them as inspired by God but limited to their time ? Are we to see them as partially divine partially man made scriptures ?
  
• If NDEs prove that religions are man made we must ask what purpose the creator has behind the nde. If the creator has allowed man made cultures to negatively influence and control the world throughout history and has not intervened or communicated with humanity one must wonder what point there is in a nde being a message in the 21st century. So on one hand the NDE presents us with a deistic God who doesnt intervene and let false religions begin and on the other hand the God of the NDE seems very personal, involved in human lives, keeps tracks, feels love and joy for humans etc
  
• If one, many or all religions are truly divinely inspired why do NDES never directly point to this ? NDEs seem more concerned in lessons but not in pointing people to a religion.
  

Some may ask what difference does it make that it doesnt point to a religion. if anything NDEs show us that God is far beyond the narrow confines of religions. It makes an immense difference when we factor the fact that religions have influenced entire cultures and civilisations in good and bad ways. Religions have been used to wage war, cause destruction, control the masses, brainwash, confuse and build fear into the human subconscious. And on the good side religions have given hope to the world that suffering isnt in vain, that life has meaning & that justice and ultimate happiness exists.
For alot of people the need to connect to the transcendental is insatiable and religion provides a whole structure of beliefs that one can organise themselves on. For some this is very restricting and enforces a cultural dogma on to everyone. They may prefer a shopping cart version of religion where they take whats good for them and discard what they disagree on. For others they prefer to deny all religious concepts as dogma and cultural beliefs. One could argue that humans need the cultural clothing of customs and traditions to keep their lives going, something which they can use to relate with to the divine. Not everyone can believe in an abstract deity that they cannot conceive of in the absence of symbols such as scriptures.
Religious texts provide at the very least a gateway to which one can relate through stories of heroes, morals and metaphors of the divine. Of course none of this leads us to whether said divine being has revealed these texts, whether they are inspired but corrupted by man or fully man made. These symbols act as aids in feeling like we have a piece of the divine soul with us thus giving comfort and hope. Thus whilst some have no need for religions, for the masses religions have immense value.
So why dont NDEs prove religion ?
There are no clear answers to this (unless somebody has an nde and asks whoever they speak with to tell them in specifics what religion is from God and whats not) all we can do is speculate. The ndes that do ask or do mention a scripture are so few that we cannot form any conclusion on this.

• The simplest answer is that all religions are man made for good or bad intentions but this would of course lead us to the philosophical deist dilemma.
• Perhaps the NDEs message focuses on the lessons and ideals itself and sees scriptures and religions as redundant (even if there is a divine hand behind some) After all these are mainly symbols and cannot compare to a direct mystical experience (something fundamentalists struggle with)
• Perhaps an attempt to promote any specific faith would lead to an assumption that the nde message is about exclusivist salvation and leading to the worship of scriptures/religions (something fundamentalists struggle with)
• Perhaps this proves that religions are limited to their century and context and that we should only look to them for the universal timeless message they offer not the specifics. After all all major scriptures teach the core values that NDEs have revitalised ie love, mercy, kindness etc

Do NDEs support materialism or not ?
While the aim of this book isnt to debate the afterlife or brain hypothesis, I will say that at the time of this being written, my view on ndes is to say that I consider them a plausible source of evidence towards consciousness surviving death & the afterlife existing. This view of mine may change in time towards either side. The following are some reasons I would argue for them being plausible.
1 Veridical NDEs : Numerous NDES report out of body experiences including witnessing of events in an environment when this should not be possible. More than 100+ veridical cases have been documented. Not to mention veridical cases from across different countries which further strengthens the case. We would have to be radically skeptical to consider all of these testimonies fabricated.
2 Lucid narrative : NDERS experience a highly lucid narrative that usually doesn't end in the middle or chaotically unlike dreams or hallucinations. Their ndes tend to be structured with a beginning, middle and end where they are either told, know or are sucked back into the body. This is quite a strange experience compared to delirium, delusions, hallucinations etc.
3 Deceased Relatives : Most NDES claim to see deceased relatives rather than alive people supporting the afterlife hypothesis. We should expect a mixed cocktail of alive & deceased people appearing in ndes if this was a case of dreams or hallucinations. The population that do claim to see a mixed group of alive and deceased is quite a small proportion of total ndes.
4 Intuitive Reality : NDERS are very convinced that they are in a hyper real reality that makes this world seem black and white, like a dream/illusion as some would say. They are intuitively convinced they are in something real the way we might be talking in person, as opposed to it being just a dream. In one study its believed that nders brain recollect their nde as if it's a real world memory.
5 ESP claims : NDERS may perceive no time at all, may experience a life review such that they can feel the feelings of others and recall memories long forgotten. They may feel like they intuitively know things without needing to learn. Some may report greater vision and detail than waking life, ability to hear thoughts, instantaneously appear, be in two places at once or pass through solid walls.
5 Religious Expectations : NDES often may contradict the beliefs of many Christians, Atheists and Muslims who have varying beliefs about the afterlife. Some may be surprised to experience the things they see & are particularly surprised at the ESP abilities as these are not predicted by religions. Particularly interesting are religious conservative ndes with more exclusivist beliefs who are surprised and end up becoming more pluralist and liberal.
6 Clinical Death Scenario : The best NDE studies focus on scenarios whereby the person undergoes cardiac arrest and thus clinical death. At this time a person has no heartbeat, no breathing, dilated pupils, no light reflex, no gag reflex and EEG reading of little to no brain activity. This is consistent with unconsciousness as no blood and oxygen can fully reach the brain. Furthermore the fact that most undergoing clinical death dont report any experiences means NDEs are odd occurrences & consciousness should not occur.
7 Transformation : NDERS often are transformed in their beliefs with less to no fear of death, detachment from the material, more interest in altruism and spirituality and are impacted by their NDE for decades, remembering it far more than a hallucination or dream. They see it as the most important experience of their life.
8 Double edged sword : The fact that not everyone has an nde may support the idea of nde being more than brain activity. After all if the nde simply was some evolutionary dying mechanism we would expect everybody to have one. This point could also support naturalistic hypothesis (See below)
However there is still uncertainty regarding the nde phenomenon and further data, & studies are required to build a case that is greater than just plausible. These are some opposing reasons to consider doubt in them valid
1 Embellishment : NDEs are unverifiable and therefore we cannot verify which ndes are authentic or which ndes are embellished over time with the nders own thoughts, interpretations or exaggerations. This makes it easier for fabrications and frauds to claim an nde experience.
2 Brain Activity : Since NDES happen during clinical death or unconscious states where a persons brain can be returned to living we cannot be sure that there isnt some deeper brain activity that causes an nde. We also cant be sure than an nde isnt happening in the window where cerebral blood flow hasnt ceased or in the window where CPR leads back to cerebral blood flow. EEG machines also have certain limitations such that they cannot detect deeper brain regions due to the skulls electrical resistance. EEG spikes may occur due to muscle twitches & electrical noise which can often make it harder to differentiate whether this is due to the NDE or not.
3 Cultural/Religious Contradictions : If we keep an open mind, its entirely possible that a Western nde could see Jesus, an Indian nde see Buddha or an Indian nde see Jesus & a Western nde see Buddha. It seems this can be reconciled by the idea that ndes are customized to fit what comforts people subconsciously. Japanese NDEs for example see a bridge/river symbolizing journey to another world, Westerners a portal/tunnel. Westerners relate best to Jesus, Easterners to other figures. However some ndes provide conflicting metaphysical views. This can be an issue with some ndes if nde 1 says they were told to keep reincarnating until they reach nirvana, nde 2 says something more fitting to abrahamic faith. nde 3 says hell doesnt exist and nde 4 says they saw hell realms.
4 Double edged Sword : This point can be argued for ndes (See above) but also against ndes. Only a small percentage 10-20% of those under cardiac arrest are said to have experienced an nde. This point leaves questions as to why aren't all people experiencing an nde. Should we not expect a larger proportion say more than half of people to experience an nde ? If there is a realm beyond the material should we not expect every person to experience an nde. A low proportion may mean that the nde is some sort of brain anomaly. We only have speculations as to why all dont get an nde.
5 Future Science : Current materialistic explanations may be inadequate to explain ndes but this doesnt mean that future understanding of the brain may not yield a new theory/explanation that explains it away. Thus it remains a potential argument.
All of these points are worthy discussions on their own and can be found in various other valuable books. The above points are simply a valuable framework by which the reader may be able to take away what they value out of this book. Everything written is simply my own research into the subject & I always advise people to take it with a grain of salt unless it makes rational sense to you & appeals to your intuition.
Diving into the depths
Spirituality & mysticism can be thought of as two sides of the same coin with philosophy the ring that runs the circumference of the coin. While spirituality deals with the human aspects such as soul, spirit, ego, morality & purpose, mysticism deals with the divine aspects of things such as essences, attributes, metaphors, realities, realms, entities, space, time, substances etc. We aim to dive into the following themes in this book.
The Divine Source : Everything relevant to defining the higher power & source of existence including essences & attributes.

Consciousness & Spirit : Everything relevant to the nature of consciousness, qualia, perceptions, the spirit & soul.
Reality : Everything relevant to the nature of perception, illusion, concepts, space, time, substances, modes, forms & realities.
Spirituality & Purpose : Everything relevant to the nature of human meaning, objectives, purpose & suffering.
Morality : Everything relevant to values, ideals, ethics & morals.
Knowledge & Truth : Everything relevant to the nature of seeking truth, seeking knowledge & attaining wisdom. These include concepts such as beliefs, truths, axioms, speculations, nature of inspirations & revelations.
Awakening & Dark night of Soul : Everything relevant to the nature of materialism, spiritual awakening, seeking inner peace, anxieties, depression, remorse, angst & layers of the psyche.
Divine Sorrow : Everything relevant to the nature of the eschatological souls corruption, redemption, purification, punishment, divine justice & mercy including modes & forms.
Divine Bliss : Everything relevant to the nature of the souls destiny, ultimate peace, happiness, bliss & divine love including modes & forms.

I’ve been following Ben’s work since 2016, when I was in first year of college. I remember the first time I stumbled across Wolves. It was the background music of a YT video of a BMX cyclist. The rest as they is history.
Over the past 8 years, I’ve been through lots of ups and downs. I’ve lost friends, I have made regretful decisions, I have been through a breakup and I’ve been through extreme loneliness and anxiety. But Ben’s music has always given me hope. It’s been the hand which has muscled me out of a bottomless pit.
Ben is a rather unknown artist here in India, and not a lot of people know of him. This makes him even more special for me. Over the years, I have shared his music with a lot of people, trying to make them feel what I’ve felt through his music. It’s surreal. It’s transcendental.
Tomorrow, I see him in living colours. Tomorrow I meet Ben Howard. Tomorrow my dream comes true.
“Has the world gone mad? Or is it me?”