Bloons tower defense 3 pre hacked unlimited ammo

Created A CyberPunk Dystopian Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Novel Set In The Year 2124 In Los Angeles

2024.05.19 20:11 thatmozzie_ Created A CyberPunk Dystopian Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Novel Set In The Year 2124 In Los Angeles

Created A CyberPunk Dystopian Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Novel Set In The Year 2124 In Los Angeles
I was inspired after reading experience creating his own world, so I decided to give it a shot. I wanted to create a sort of interactive choose-your-own-adventure cyberpunk story set in 2124 Los Angeles. I prompted ChatGPT to essentially create a story and world that revolves around common themes within a typical CyberPunk setting such as rampant crime, corrupt cops and politicians, massive drug usage, mega-corporations out of control, poverty, and technology blurring the lines between humanity. One of my favorite video games lately of all time is CyberPunk 2077, so I just wanted to create something similar that I could experience and live through in a different interactive way while also testing out ChatGPT out of boredom. Here are some of the results from the simulation. I'll denote "USER INPUT" as anything I wrote or input, and "CHAT GPT" anytime it outputs anything.
Rules: I will use minimal intervention / altering and mainly allow the program to pretty much lead me through the story barring any world-breaking narratives or plots:
  • CHATGPT:

Setting: Los Angeles, 2124

General Environment

  • Skyline: The skyline is dominated by towering skyscrapers, neon signs, and massive holographic advertisements. The upper levels house the wealthy elite and powerful corporations, while the lower levels are grimy, chaotic, and densely populated.
  • Streets: The streets are teeming with life at all hours. Neon lights and electronic billboards illuminate the darkness, casting a perpetual artificial glow. The air is thick with pollution, making clean air a luxury.
  • Architecture: Buildings are a mix of high-tech designs with futuristic materials and dilapidated structures. Graffiti covers many walls, and it's not uncommon to see makeshift shelters and slums in the shadow of corporate headquarters.
  • Technology: Advanced technology is integrated into everyday life. People have cybernetic enhancements, AI assistants, and immersive virtual reality systems. However, the gap between those who can afford cutting-edge tech and those who can't is vast.

Society

  • Crime and Law Enforcement: Crime is rampant. Gang wars and turf battles are common. The police are corrupt, often working for the highest bidder, whether it's a corporation or a crime syndicate. Justice is a commodity, and the wealthy can buy their way out of trouble.
  • Economy: The economy is dominated by a few mega-corporations that control everything from food and water to security and healthcare. Small businesses struggle to survive. Basic necessities are expensive, and clean water is a luxury.
  • Culture: The culture is a blend of hedonism and despair. Nightclubs, brothels, and underground fight clubs offer temporary escape from harsh realities. Art and music are heavily influenced by the cyberpunk aesthetic, with neon colors, dark themes, and digital elements.

Key Locations

  • The Underground: A labyrinth of tunnels, abandoned subway stations, and hidden passages used by criminals, hackers, and those avoiding the authorities. This is where Zoe feels most at home.
  • Corporate Towers: Massive skyscrapers where powerful corporations operate. They are heavily guarded, both physically and digitally, but hold valuable data and resources for skilled netrunners like Zoe.
  • Black Markets: Hidden marketplaces where anything can be bought or sold, from illegal tech and drugs to human organs and stolen data. Zoe frequents these markets to find jobs and acquire tools for her hacks.

Main Character: Zoe

Background

  • Early Life: Zoe grew up on the streets, learning to fend for herself from a young age. She quickly became skilled at navigating the dangerous urban environment and developed a talent for hacking and stealth.
  • Skills and Abilities: Zoe is a netrunner, capable of hacking into secure systems using her neural augmentations. She is also proficient with small arms and knives, and excels in stealth, disguise, acting, and manipulation.
  • Personality: Zoe is resourceful, intelligent, and determined. She has a sharp wit and a knack for thinking on her feet. While she can be cynical and distrusting, she also has a strong sense of loyalty to those she cares about.

Appearance

  • Height and Build: Zoe stands at 5'6" with a slim, athletic build. Her frame allows her to move quickly and silently.
  • Features: She has sharp features, piercing eyes, and a distinctive look that she can easily alter with makeup and disguises. Her hair is usually styled in a practical yet edgy way, fitting the cyberpunk aesthetic.
  • Augmentations: Zoe has several cybernetic enhancements, including neural implants for hacking, enhanced vision, and a subdermal interface for interacting with digital systems.

Plot Elements

Conflict

  • Corporate Rivalries: The mega-corporations are constantly vying for power, using any means necessary to sabotage their rivals. Zoe often finds herself caught in the crossfire, hired by one corporation to hack another.
  • Underground Power Struggles: Crime syndicates and gangs are in a constant state of flux, battling for control of territory and resources. Zoe's connections to these groups provide her with both opportunities and dangers.
  • Personal Stakes: Zoe's ultimate goal is to uncover the truth behind her parents' mysterious deaths, which she believes were orchestrated by one of the powerful corporations. This quest drives many of her actions and decisions.

Themes

  • Humanity vs. Technology: The story explores the tension between human identity and technological augmentation. Zoe struggles with maintaining her humanity as she becomes more reliant on her cybernetic enhancements.
  • Survival and Loyalty: In a world where trust is scarce and betrayal is common, Zoe must navigate complex relationships and alliances. Her loyalty to her friends and allies is both a strength and a vulnerability.
  • Power and Corruption: The pervasive corruption in both the corporate and criminal worlds serves as a backdrop for Zoe's journey. She constantly grapples with the moral complexities of her actions and their consequences.
Lets create some additional characters to the story and more world building, starting with her childhood best friend. He's trustworthy, loveable character type. Strong, loyal to a fault, pure, but also an amazing fighter and can be mean to those that do him or his family wrong as quick as any common thug on the streets. What should his name be?
  • CHATGPT
Let's name Zoe's childhood best friend Lucas. Here's a detailed character profile and additional world-building elements:

Character Profile: Lucas

Name: Lucas "Luc" Raines

Background:

  • Age: 20
  • Height: 6'2"
  • Build: Muscular and athletic
  • Appearance: Lucas has short, dark hair and piercing blue eyes. His face is usually adorned with a friendly smile, but he can turn fierce in an instant when provoked. He has several tattoos, each symbolizing different aspects of his life and struggles.
  • Personality: Lucas is trustworthy and lovable, known for his unwavering loyalty and pure heart. Despite the harsh realities of their world, he maintains a strong moral compass. He's always ready to stand up for his friends and protect those he cares about, even if it means getting his hands dirty.

Skills and Abilities:

  • Combat: Lucas is an exceptional fighter, trained in various martial arts and street fighting techniques. His strength and combat skills make him a formidable opponent.
  • Loyalty: His loyalty to Zoe and their close-knit group of friends is unshakeable. He would go to great lengths to ensure their safety and well-being.
  • Strategic Thinking: While Lucas may come across as a brawler, he's also a strategic thinker, able to plan and execute complex operations when needed.

Relationships:

  • Zoe: Lucas and Zoe have been best friends since childhood. They share a deep bond, built on years of mutual trust and shared experiences. Lucas is fiercely protective of Zoe and often acts as her guardian in dangerous situations.
  • Family: Lucas has a younger sister whom he cares for deeply. His parents were victims of corporate exploitation, fueling his disdain for the mega-corporations that dominate their world.

Additional World-Building Elements:

Key Factions:

  1. The Vanguard Syndicate:
    • Overview: A powerful crime syndicate that controls much of the underground economy in Los Angeles. They deal in everything from illegal augmentations to black-market goods.
    • Leader: Damien "The Viper" Valdez, a ruthless and cunning leader known for his strategic mind and brutal enforcement tactics.
    • Conflict: The Vanguard Syndicate often hires netrunners like Zoe for high-risk hacking jobs, while also clashing with rival gangs and corporations.
  2. NeoCore Corporation:
    • Overview: One of the largest and most influential mega-corporations in the city. They specialize in advanced cybernetic enhancements, AI development, and data security.
    • Public Image: NeoCore presents itself as a benevolent entity, promising technological advancements and prosperity. However, beneath the surface, they are involved in unethical experiments and corporate espionage.
    • Objective: They are always seeking to expand their influence and eliminate any threats to their dominance, making them a constant antagonist in the story.

Key Locations:

  1. The Neon District:
    • Description: The heart of the city's nightlife, filled with clubs, bars, and entertainment venues. It's a place where people go to forget their troubles, at least for a while.
    • Atmosphere: The district is always buzzing with energy, illuminated by neon lights and holographic advertisements. It's a haven for both thrill-seekers and those looking to make shady deals.
    • Significance: This is where Zoe and her friends often gather, blending in with the crowds and keeping their ears to the ground for potential jobs.
  2. The Wastes:
    • Description: The outskirts of the city, where pollution and neglect have turned the landscape into a desolate wasteland. The Wastes are home to the city's poorest residents, who live in makeshift shelters and struggle to survive.
    • Danger: The area is lawless, ruled by scavengers and rogue gangs. It's a place where only the strong or well-armed dare to venture.
    • Connection: Zoe occasionally visits the Wastes to help those in need or to hide from the authorities when necessary.
  3. The Vault:
    • Description: An underground bunker and safe haven for netrunners. It's a hidden, secure location equipped with the latest hacking tools and technology.
    • Community: The Vault is a tight-knit community of hackers and tech enthusiasts who share information, resources, and protection.
    • Importance: This is where Zoe refines her skills, plans her heists, and collaborates with other netrunners on large-scale operations.

Plot Hooks and Story Arcs:

  1. The Heist:
    • Synopsis: Zoe and Lucas are hired by a mysterious client to infiltrate a NeoCore facility and steal valuable data. The heist requires meticulous planning and flawless execution, with high stakes and unexpected twists.
    • Challenges: They must navigate through tight security, betrayals, and unforeseen dangers. The job tests their skills and loyalty to each other.
  2. The Rescue:
    • Synopsis: Lucas's younger sister is kidnapped by a rival gang seeking leverage against him. Zoe and Lucas must track down the kidnappers and rescue her before it's too late.
    • Emotional Stakes: This mission is deeply personal for Lucas, and his rage and determination drive the story forward. Zoe must balance her tactical mind with supporting her friend through this ordeal.
  3. The Conspiracy:
    • Synopsis: Zoe uncovers clues about her parents' deaths, leading her to a massive conspiracy involving NeoCore and the Vanguard Syndicate. As she digs deeper, she realizes the scale of corruption and danger she faces.
    • Revelations: The story arc delves into Zoe's past, her parents' secrets, and the true extent of corporate manipulation. It sets the stage for a climactic showdown against the forces that have shaped her life.
These elements add depth to your story, creating a vivid and engaging world for Zoe and her companions.
  • USER INPUT
Can you generate an image in an anime/cyberpunk style reminiscant of the style of Ghost In The Shell. Generate our main character Zoe
  • CHAPTGPT
ZOE
  • USER INPUT
let's develop more scenes and characters as well. It would be interesting to have a sort of old underground father type figure to both Zoe and Lucas, someone not related to them but someone that took them in to the underground at a young age and taught them everything they know. He looks after them like family, but he is also a criminal type in the underground world so a mix of good to them, but can be evil to others. Feel free to create other interesting characters and scenes / locations / etc as well
  • CHATGPT

New Character: Marcus "Iron Hand" Kane

Role: Father Figure to Zoe and Lucas
Background:
  • Age: 55
  • Height: 6'0"
  • Build: Stocky and strong, with a presence that commands respect
  • Appearance: Marcus has a rugged, weathered face with deep-set eyes that have seen the worst of the city. His hair is a mix of grey and black, often tied back. His most distinctive feature is his cybernetic right arm, known as the "Iron Hand," which is both a powerful weapon and a symbol of his status in the underground.
  • Personality: Marcus is a complex character, blending kindness and brutality. To Zoe and Lucas, he is a protective and caring father figure, offering wisdom, guidance, and training. To others, he is a feared criminal, ruthless in his dealings and unwavering in his pursuit of power.
  • Skills and Abilities: Marcus is a master tactician, skilled in combat and cyber warfare. His "Iron Hand" cybernetic arm has multiple functionalities, including enhanced strength, weapon capabilities, and hacking tools. He is also a shrewd negotiator and leader.
History:
  • Marcus took in Zoe and Lucas when they were just children, recognizing their potential and providing them with a home in the underground. He trained them in survival, hacking, and combat, instilling in them the skills they needed to thrive in the harsh realities of their world.
  • He has a dark past, having been involved in numerous criminal activities and power struggles. Despite his ruthless nature, he has a strong sense of loyalty to those he considers family.

Additional Characters:

1. Lila "Viper" Santos
  • Role: Underground Information Broker
  • Age: 28
  • Appearance: Lila is a striking figure with sharp, green eyes and sleek black hair. She has a slender build and often dresses in stylish, high-tech attire. Her cybernetic enhancements include a neural interface that allows her to access and process vast amounts of information quickly.
  • Personality: Lila is cunning, resourceful, and always a step ahead. She has a network of informants and is known for her ability to find out anything about anyone. Despite her aloof demeanor, she has a soft spot for Zoe and Lucas, often providing them with critical information.
  • Skills: Expert in data retrieval, espionage, and manipulation. Her cybernetic enhancements give her an edge in accessing secure networks and uncovering secrets.
2. Riko "Ghost" Tanaka
  • Role: Elite Netrunner and Rival
  • Age: 22
  • Appearance: Riko is an enigmatic figure with short, spiky white hair and cybernetic eyes that glow faintly blue. He has a lean, agile build and is known for his stealth and speed.
  • Personality: Riko is a lone wolf, fiercely independent and highly competitive. He respects Zoe's skills but also sees her as a rival. He is driven by a desire to be the best netrunner in the city.
  • Skills: Master hacker with advanced cybernetic enhancements that allow him to move through digital networks undetected. He is also skilled in parkour and close-quarters combat.

New Locations:

1. The Hub
  • Description: The Hub is a massive underground complex that serves as the central meeting place for the city's netrunners and tech enthusiasts. It's filled with advanced tech, servers, and hacking terminals. The atmosphere is a blend of chaos and order, with people constantly exchanging information and working on new projects.
  • Significance: This is where Zoe and Lucas often go to gather information, meet contacts, and plan their operations. The Hub is also a place of relative safety, where violence is strictly forbidden.
2. The Sprawl
  • Description: A sprawling slum area on the outskirts of the city, characterized by makeshift shelters, narrow alleys, and rampant poverty. Despite its dire conditions, the Sprawl is a vibrant community where people band together to survive.
  • Atmosphere: The Sprawl is always bustling with activity, from street vendors selling homemade goods to children playing amidst the ruins. It's a place of both danger and resilience, where the inhabitants have learned to adapt to their harsh environment.
  • Connection: Zoe often visits the Sprawl to help those in need and to stay connected with her roots. It's also a place where she can move around relatively unnoticed.
3. NeoCore Headquarters
  • Description: A towering skyscraper in the heart of the city, NeoCore's headquarters is a symbol of corporate power and technological advancement. The building is sleek and modern, with state-of-the-art security systems and heavily guarded entrances.
  • Significance: NeoCore Headquarters is often the target of Zoe's hacking missions, as it houses valuable data and cutting-edge tech. The building's imposing presence is a constant reminder of the corporation's influence over the city.

New Scenes:

1. The Heist
  • Setting: NeoCore Headquarters
  • Description: Zoe and Lucas undertake a daring heist to steal critical data from NeoCore. The scene is filled with tension as they navigate through tight security, avoid detection, and hack into the corporation's mainframe.
  • Key Moments: Zoe uses her hacking skills to disable security systems, while Lucas provides physical protection and deals with any guards they encounter. The heist culminates in a high-stakes escape, with the duo narrowly avoiding capture.
2. The Rescue
  • Setting: The Sprawl
  • Description: Lucas's younger sister is kidnapped by a rival gang, and Zoe and Lucas must infiltrate the gang's hideout in the Sprawl to rescue her. The scene showcases the gritty, dangerous environment of the slums and the close-quarters combat skills of the protagonists.
  • Key Moments: The rescue mission is fraught with challenges, from navigating the labyrinthine alleys of the Sprawl to engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat with gang members. The scene highlights Lucas's protective nature and Zoe's quick thinking.
3. The Confrontation
  • Setting: The Hub
  • Description: Tensions rise as Riko "Ghost" Tanaka confronts Zoe, accusing her of stealing a job from him. The scene is set in the bustling environment of the Hub, with onlookers gathering to watch the showdown.
  • Key Moments: The confrontation escalates into a heated argument, showcasing the rivalry between Zoe and Riko. Despite their differences, the scene hints at a potential alliance in the face of a greater threat.
  • USER INPUT
can you create images in the same style as the original image for the new Characters Marcus Iron Hand, Lila Viper Santos, and Riko Ghost Tanaka, Lucas, etc? Also generate additional images of some of the new locations etc separately.
LUCAS
MARCUS \"IRON HAND\"
RIKO \"GHOST\" TANAKA
LILA \"VIPER\" SANTOS
THE HUB
THE SPAWL
NEOCORE HEADQUARTERS
  • USER INPUT
Awesome. Lets start the story now. The story begins with Zoe waking up on a typical Saturday late morning. Friday night was a big night celebrating her childhood friends birthday drinking and partying at their favorite club. She wakes up with a slight hangover and is hungry. she notices several missed calls and messages
  • CHATGPT

Scene: Zoe's Apartment - Late Saturday Morning

The dim light filtering through the grime-covered windows of Zoe's apartment barely illuminates the cluttered room. The remnants of last night's celebration are scattered everywhere—empty bottles, discarded clothes, and the faint hum of old electronic music playing in the background. Zoe groans and sits up in bed, rubbing her temples to ease the throbbing in her head.

Narration:

Narrator: Zoe squinted at the holographic display, her vision still slightly blurry. The notifications were a mix of urgent messages and missed calls, each vying for her attention. She quickly scanned through them, her fingers moving with practiced ease over the interface.
Zoe: (mumbling to herself) "Great, just what I need. More problems to deal with..."
She swings her legs over the edge of the bed, stretching and wincing at the persistent hangover. With a sigh, she picks up her cybernetic arm from the nightstand and attaches it, feeling the familiar click as it integrates with her neural network. She taps her wristband, bringing up the missed messages and calls.

Dialogue:

Zoe: (talking to herself) "Let's see... job offers, updates from the underground... and what's this? 'Urgent Opportunity – High Reward.' Sounds promising."
Her stomach growls, reminding her of her hunger. She heads to the small kitchenette, grabbing a protein bar and some instant coffee. As she munches on her makeshift breakfast, she taps the message to read the details.
Zoe: (reading aloud) "High-risk, high-reward job, requiring a skilled netrunner. Substantial payout. Meet at The Hub tonight. Perfect."
Her thoughts are interrupted by a knock at the door. She frowns, not expecting visitors this early. Cautiously, she approaches and peers through the peephole. Recognizing the familiar figure on the other side, she relaxes and opens the door.
Lucas: (with a grin) "Morning, sunshine. You look like hell."
Zoe: (rolling her eyes) "Thanks, Lucas. You’re a real charmer. Come in."
Lucas steps inside, looking as rugged as ever with his scruff and tattoos. He drops a bag on the table and takes a seat.
Lucas: "I brought breakfast. Figured you’d need it after last night."
Zoe: "You’re a lifesaver. So, what’s up?"
Lucas: "Got a tip about a job. Sounds like it could be worth our while. But first, you need to get your head straight. Eat up and let’s talk."
They share a quick meal, discussing the potential job and catching up on recent events in the underground.

Choice Point 1: Zoe's Response to the Job Offer

Option A: Agree immediately and start planning. Option B: Ask for more details and express caution. Option C: Refuse the job and suggest looking for something safer.
Please choose an option by typing "Option A," "Option B," or "Option C."
  • USER INPUT
Option B
  • CHATGPT

Choice: Option B - Ask for More Details and Express Caution

Zoe: (taking a sip of her coffee) "Hold on, Lucas. Before we jump in headfirst, I need to know more about this job. What exactly are we dealing with here?"
Lucas: (nodding) "Fair enough. It's a high-stakes heist at NeoCore Headquarters. Our client wants us to steal some sensitive data from their secure servers. The payout is massive, but so are the risks. We'll need to get past top-tier security, both physical and digital."
Zoe: (raising an eyebrow) "NeoCore, huh? That place is a fortress. Who's the client?"
Lucas: "No name, just an anonymous contact. But they seem legit. They've provided detailed blueprints and security protocols. Still, I get it if you’re hesitant. This one's big."

Choice Point 2: Zoe's Next Action

Option A: Accept the job but suggest taking extra precautions and planning thoroughly. Option B: Contact Marcus "Iron Hand" Kane for his advice and see if he has any additional information or support. Option C: Investigate the client further to ensure their legitimacy before making a decision.
That's all i have so far but this was a super cool way to pass some time on a Sunday. I am considering starting a parallel story similar to this but a horror-survival one, similar to something like the original Silent Hill etc.
What do you guys think - Anyone interested in seeing how this develops?!
submitted by thatmozzie_ to ChatGPT [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 19:55 Mizzno [H] Games [W] Cornucopia, Headbangers: Rhythm Royale, art of rally, Games (Listed Below), Steam Gift Cards

N.B.: I'm mainly looking for the games listed in the title and at the bottom of the thread. Feel free to post other offers, but if I haven't responded to your comment(s) by my next posting, I likely wasn't able to find a trade that interested me.
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For sale (for Steam Gift Cards or gifted Steam Wallet balance):
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For trade:
*signifies that a game is tentatively up for trade, assuming I buy the bundle
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WANT:
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IGS Rep Page: https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/ti26nz/mizznos_igs_rep_page/
submitted by Mizzno to indiegameswap [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 19:28 uninterestingpeach WOTC L/I AI manip help - how can I get out of this mess?

So I got myself into this mess by sneaking around - objective is to hack an object, and I had the stealth insertion sitrep, so timers are stopped until I break concealment. By the time I got myself into the position I wanted... I have two pods (dangerous enemies - 3 stun lancers & MEC, less dangerous - 1 sectoid, 1 purifier) grouped up into a single bunch, and so alpha strike from concealment is not going to work..
I have unlimited time to reposition myself, question is how to I get these two pods to ungroup?
https://preview.redd.it/73ei83jt3f1d1.png?width=2562&format=png&auto=webp&s=a2720eb37bf0713a9471dab7cc79cb42c91cae64
submitted by uninterestingpeach to XCOM2 [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 19:19 Arzantyt Progressive build ?

Well I can't come up with anything like that, guess the game isn't designed for that but maybe some of you know some strategies ?
By progressive build I mean something that gets stronger the longer the game lasts.
I got few ideas if you want a point of reference:
Anty-Tank spam, I got into a defense mission with 3 guys with that stratagem + me, we also got recoilless riffles and at the end of the game we had so many missiles we were shooting the smallest bugs with them.
Mines, mines and more mines, yeah they may be trash and have great TK potential, but just imagine 8 mine stratagems being dropped all the time, the minefield would get massive, just bring something for Bile Titans / Tanks, and don't step on them haha.
Supply pack spam, well, if everyone gets a supply pack, at some point you will have more ammo than you could ever spend, then just get 2 guys to aim and reload a recoilless riffle and make it look like a machinegun lol.
Any other crazy ideas ?
submitted by Arzantyt to Helldivers [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 19:06 DTG_Bot [D2] Daily Reset Thread [2024-05-19]

Daily Modifiers

Vanguard Ops

Dares of Eternity

Onslaught: Playlist

Riven's Lair

The Coil

Seasonal

Legend/Master Lost Sector

Exotic armor drop (if solo): Helmet

Scavenger's Den: Legend

  • Legend Difficulty: Locked Equipment, Extra Shields
  • Champions: [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload
  • Threat: [Solar] Solar
  • Shields: [Arc] Arc
  • Modifiers: Scorched Earth

Scavenger's Den: Master

  • Legend Difficulty: Locked Equipment, Extra Shields
  • Champions: [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload
  • Threat: [Solar] Solar
  • Shields: [Arc] Arc
  • Modifiers: Scorched Earth

Misc

  • Terminal Overload: Límíng Harbor Weapon: Synchronic Roulette (Submachine Gun)
  • The Wellspring: Defend Weapon: Tarnation (Grenade Launcher)
  • Altars of Sorrow Weapon: Heretic (Rocket Launcher)

Guns & Materials

Banshee's Featured Weapons

Name Type Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Masterwork
Cold Denial Kinetic Pulse Rifle Arrowhead Brake // Full Bore Armor-Piercing Rounds // Ricochet Rounds Grave Robber Multikill Clip Tier 2: Stability
Code Duello Heavy Rocket Launcher Volatile Launch // Hard Launch Black Powder // Impact Casing Auto-Loading Holster Unrelenting Tier 2: Blast Radius
Vulpecula Kinetic Hand Cannon Corkscrew Rifling // Fluted Barrel Steady Rounds // Flared Magwell Outlaw Multikill Clip Tier 2: Reload Speed
Lunulata-4b Kinetic Combat Bow Natural String // Polymer String Carbon Arrow Shaft // Compact Arrow Shaft Ensemble Adrenaline Junkie Tier 4: Target Acquisition
Aurvandil FR6 Kinetic Fusion Rifle Corkscrew Rifling // Polygonal Rifling Particle Repeater // Projection Fuse Hip-Fire Grip Demolitionist Tier 2: Stability
Note: Fixed perks on weapons are not displayed

Master Rahool's Material Exchange

  • Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Legendary Shards)
  • Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Dark Fragment)
  • Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Phantasmal Fragment)
  • Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 25 Herealways Piece)
  • Enhancement Prism (1 for 10 Enhancement Core & 10000 Glimmer)
  • Ascendant Shard (1 for 10 Enhancement Prism & 50000 Glimmer)
  • Ascendant Alloy (1 for 10 Enhancement Prism & 50000 Glimmer)

Bounties

Commander Zavala, Vanguard
Name Description Requirement Reward
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades Defeat combatants with grenades. Defeating them in Vanguard playlists grants additional progress. 20 [Grenade] Grenade XP+
Rocketing to Prominence Defeat combatants with Heavy ammo. Rocket Launcher final blows in Vanguard playlists grant additional progress. 20 [Rocket Launcher] Rocket Launcher XP+
In Their Face Defeat combatants with Special ammo. Shotgun final blows in Vanguard playlists grant additional progress. 20 [Shotgun] Shotgun XP+
Rapid Combustion Defeat combatants in Vanguard playlists with Solar abilities. Defeating scorched combatants and detonating ignitions grants additional progress. 50 [Solar] Solar ability XP+
Lord Shaxx, Crucible
Name Description Requirement Reward
Sparring Grounds Complete matches in any Crucible playlist. 2 Crucible matches XP+
Calm Like a Bomb Defeat opponents with Solar ignition damage. 1 [Solar] Solar ignition XP+
Area of Effect Defeat opponents with grenades. 1 [Grenade] Grenade XP+
In the Zone In Control, capture zones. 3 Zones XP+
Saint-14, Trials of Osiris
Name Description Requirement Reward
Orbs of Lit As a fireteam, defeat opponents using grenade final blows in Trials of Osiris. 5 [Grenade] Grenade XP+
Lane Plinker As a fireteam, defeat opponents using Scout Rifle final blows in Trials of Osiris. 20 [Scout Rifle] Scout Rifle XP+
Katake's Retribution As a fireteam, defeat opponents using Fusion Rifle final blows in Trials of Osiris. 15 [Fusion Rifle] Fusion Rifle XP+
Voidswept Precipice As a fireteam, defeat opponents with Void weapon final blows in Trials of Osiris. 20 [Void] Void weapon XP+
The Drifter, Gambit
Name Description Requirement Reward
Sun Charred Use Solar abilities to defeat enemies in Gambit. Defeated Guardians are worth extra points. 15 [Solar] Solar ability XP+
Envoy While It Lasts Defeat Primeval envoys during Gambit matches. 2 Envoys XP+
Final Ploy Defeat combatants with finisher final blows. 5 Finisher XP+
Like Kindling Use Solar ignition to defeat targets in Gambit. Defeating Guardians grants more progress. 10 [Solar] Solar ignition XP+
Banshee-44, Gunsmith
Name Description Requirement Reward
Bow Calibration Calibrate Bows against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision final blows and against opposing Guardians. 100 [Bow] Bow XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Sidearm Calibration Calibrate Sidearms against any target. Earn bonus progress against targets at close range and opposing Guardians. 100 [Sidearm] Sidearm XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Machine Gun Calibration Calibrate Machine Guns against any target. Earn bonus progress against opposing Guardians and for additional targets defeated without reloading. 100 [Machine Gun] Machine Gun XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Kinetic Calibration Calibrate Kinetic weapons against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision and against opposing Guardians. 100 Kinetic weapon XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Nimbus, Neomuna
Name Description Requirement Reward
Snipers of Myth In Neomuna, defeat combatants with precision final blows. Vex combatants grant additional progress. 60 [Headshot] Precision XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Finish Majeure In Neomuna, defeat combatants with finishers. Powerful combatants grant additional progress. 10 Finisher XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Energetic Havoc In Neomuna, defeat combatants with Energy weapons. 25 Energy weapon XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Terminal Rewards Open chests after completing Terminal Overload. 3 Chests opened 1 Terminal Overload Key & 50 Neomuna Rank & XP+
Lord Shaxx, Hall of Champions
Name Description Requirement Reward
Onslaught Defender Deploy and upgrade defenses in Onslaught. 30 Defenses completed 1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Riven's Chosen Successfully clear a pathway in Riven's Lair. 1 Lair Pathway 1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Shoot Out Defeat targets with Hand Cannons. Combatants in Onslaught and Guardians are worth more. 100 [Hand Cannon] Hand Cannon 1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Fallen Down On The Job Defeat Fallen. Those defeated in Onslaught are worth more. 100 Fallen 1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Spirit of Riven, H.E.L.M.
Name Description Requirement Reward
Will of the People Complete public events in the Dreaming City. Heroic completions are worth more. 6 Public events XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Rapid Lair Defense Rapidly defeat combatants. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil are worth more. 60 Rapidly defeated XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Dragon's Sting Defeat targets with Bows or Hand Cannons. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil and Guardians are worth more. 30 [Bow] or [Hand Cannon] defeats XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Dragonflame Defeat targets with Solar or Stasis damage. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil and Guardians are worth more. 30 [Solar] or [Stasis] defeats XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Never forget what has been lost. While the API protests have concluded, Reddit remains hostile to its users as their IPO looms in the horizon. More information can be found here.
submitted by DTG_Bot to LowSodiumDestiny [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 19:06 DTG_Bot [D2] Daily Reset Thread [2024-05-19]

Daily Modifiers

Vanguard Ops

Dares of Eternity

Onslaught: Playlist

Riven's Lair

The Coil

Seasonal

Legend/Master Lost Sector

Exotic armor drop (if solo): Helmet

Scavenger's Den: Legend

  • Legend Difficulty: Locked Equipment, Extra Shields
  • Champions: [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload
  • Threat: [Solar] Solar
  • Shields: [Arc] Arc
  • Modifiers: Scorched Earth

Scavenger's Den: Master

  • Legend Difficulty: Locked Equipment, Extra Shields
  • Champions: [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload
  • Threat: [Solar] Solar
  • Shields: [Arc] Arc
  • Modifiers: Scorched Earth

Misc

  • Terminal Overload: Límíng Harbor Weapon: Synchronic Roulette (Submachine Gun)
  • The Wellspring: Defend Weapon: Tarnation (Grenade Launcher)
  • Altars of Sorrow Weapon: Heretic (Rocket Launcher)

Guns & Materials

Banshee's Featured Weapons

Name Type Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Masterwork
Cold Denial Kinetic Pulse Rifle Arrowhead Brake // Full Bore Armor-Piercing Rounds // Ricochet Rounds Grave Robber Multikill Clip Tier 2: Stability
Code Duello Heavy Rocket Launcher Volatile Launch // Hard Launch Black Powder // Impact Casing Auto-Loading Holster Unrelenting Tier 2: Blast Radius
Vulpecula Kinetic Hand Cannon Corkscrew Rifling // Fluted Barrel Steady Rounds // Flared Magwell Outlaw Multikill Clip Tier 2: Reload Speed
Lunulata-4b Kinetic Combat Bow Natural String // Polymer String Carbon Arrow Shaft // Compact Arrow Shaft Ensemble Adrenaline Junkie Tier 4: Target Acquisition
Aurvandil FR6 Kinetic Fusion Rifle Corkscrew Rifling // Polygonal Rifling Particle Repeater // Projection Fuse Hip-Fire Grip Demolitionist Tier 2: Stability
Note: Fixed perks on weapons are not displayed

Master Rahool's Material Exchange

  • Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Legendary Shards)
  • Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Dark Fragment)
  • Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Phantasmal Fragment)
  • Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 25 Herealways Piece)
  • Enhancement Prism (1 for 10 Enhancement Core & 10000 Glimmer)
  • Ascendant Shard (1 for 10 Enhancement Prism & 50000 Glimmer)
  • Ascendant Alloy (1 for 10 Enhancement Prism & 50000 Glimmer)

Bounties

Commander Zavala, Vanguard
Name Description Requirement Reward
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades Defeat combatants with grenades. Defeating them in Vanguard playlists grants additional progress. 20 [Grenade] Grenade XP+
Rocketing to Prominence Defeat combatants with Heavy ammo. Rocket Launcher final blows in Vanguard playlists grant additional progress. 20 [Rocket Launcher] Rocket Launcher XP+
In Their Face Defeat combatants with Special ammo. Shotgun final blows in Vanguard playlists grant additional progress. 20 [Shotgun] Shotgun XP+
Rapid Combustion Defeat combatants in Vanguard playlists with Solar abilities. Defeating scorched combatants and detonating ignitions grants additional progress. 50 [Solar] Solar ability XP+
Lord Shaxx, Crucible
Name Description Requirement Reward
Sparring Grounds Complete matches in any Crucible playlist. 2 Crucible matches XP+
Calm Like a Bomb Defeat opponents with Solar ignition damage. 1 [Solar] Solar ignition XP+
Area of Effect Defeat opponents with grenades. 1 [Grenade] Grenade XP+
In the Zone In Control, capture zones. 3 Zones XP+
Saint-14, Trials of Osiris
Name Description Requirement Reward
Orbs of Lit As a fireteam, defeat opponents using grenade final blows in Trials of Osiris. 5 [Grenade] Grenade XP+
Lane Plinker As a fireteam, defeat opponents using Scout Rifle final blows in Trials of Osiris. 20 [Scout Rifle] Scout Rifle XP+
Katake's Retribution As a fireteam, defeat opponents using Fusion Rifle final blows in Trials of Osiris. 15 [Fusion Rifle] Fusion Rifle XP+
Voidswept Precipice As a fireteam, defeat opponents with Void weapon final blows in Trials of Osiris. 20 [Void] Void weapon XP+
The Drifter, Gambit
Name Description Requirement Reward
Sun Charred Use Solar abilities to defeat enemies in Gambit. Defeated Guardians are worth extra points. 15 [Solar] Solar ability XP+
Envoy While It Lasts Defeat Primeval envoys during Gambit matches. 2 Envoys XP+
Final Ploy Defeat combatants with finisher final blows. 5 Finisher XP+
Like Kindling Use Solar ignition to defeat targets in Gambit. Defeating Guardians grants more progress. 10 [Solar] Solar ignition XP+
Banshee-44, Gunsmith
Name Description Requirement Reward
Bow Calibration Calibrate Bows against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision final blows and against opposing Guardians. 100 [Bow] Bow XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Sidearm Calibration Calibrate Sidearms against any target. Earn bonus progress against targets at close range and opposing Guardians. 100 [Sidearm] Sidearm XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Machine Gun Calibration Calibrate Machine Guns against any target. Earn bonus progress against opposing Guardians and for additional targets defeated without reloading. 100 [Machine Gun] Machine Gun XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Kinetic Calibration Calibrate Kinetic weapons against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision and against opposing Guardians. 100 Kinetic weapon XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Nimbus, Neomuna
Name Description Requirement Reward
Snipers of Myth In Neomuna, defeat combatants with precision final blows. Vex combatants grant additional progress. 60 [Headshot] Precision XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Finish Majeure In Neomuna, defeat combatants with finishers. Powerful combatants grant additional progress. 10 Finisher XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Energetic Havoc In Neomuna, defeat combatants with Energy weapons. 25 Energy weapon XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Terminal Rewards Open chests after completing Terminal Overload. 3 Chests opened 1 Terminal Overload Key & 50 Neomuna Rank & XP+
Lord Shaxx, Hall of Champions
Name Description Requirement Reward
Onslaught Defender Deploy and upgrade defenses in Onslaught. 30 Defenses completed 1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Riven's Chosen Successfully clear a pathway in Riven's Lair. 1 Lair Pathway 1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Shoot Out Defeat targets with Hand Cannons. Combatants in Onslaught and Guardians are worth more. 100 [Hand Cannon] Hand Cannon 1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Fallen Down On The Job Defeat Fallen. Those defeated in Onslaught are worth more. 100 Fallen 1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Spirit of Riven, H.E.L.M.
Name Description Requirement Reward
Will of the People Complete public events in the Dreaming City. Heroic completions are worth more. 6 Public events XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Rapid Lair Defense Rapidly defeat combatants. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil are worth more. 60 Rapidly defeated XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Dragon's Sting Defeat targets with Bows or Hand Cannons. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil and Guardians are worth more. 30 [Bow] or [Hand Cannon] defeats XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Dragonflame Defeat targets with Solar or Stasis damage. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil and Guardians are worth more. 30 [Solar] or [Stasis] defeats XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Never forget what has been lost. While the API protests have concluded, Reddit remains hostile to its users as their IPO looms in the horizon. More information can be found here.
submitted by DTG_Bot to DestinyTheGame [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 19:00 TheRafty6 Suggestions for Future DLC/Content

Disclaimer, I love this game and haven't played anything like this in a long time; these are my suggestions for adjustments/future content if the Devs decide to continue developing and releasing future content. I'm very satisfied with the game ending with how it does and how the game is currently but wanted to add some ideas and thoughts I had.
Mutant should be a mix of different V Bloods traits but are random on each use, since there isn't a way to capture them as a prisoner it would make them a lot more appealing to fight oveuse their blood
I'm not sure if it's just my server, but the Boss Pendants/Shards are basically useless, unless everyone is out of base doing V bloods/farming they are just shiny trophies as I never see them used. If they are even used it's just a beacon for them to get ganked and not even worth the price of having one. Having them as the buffs was my preferred reward as it makes raiding worth it, but I think it should be adjusted. Even suggesting a binding effect where the players can't remove them without death (but doesn't force the ultimate to be locked on the player), but instead of pendant they could be something else like a helmet/cape (and even having an option to remove it and it would respawn at the according boss).
Frog form is kind of worthless imo, only times needed are for caves and if you aren't using them it feels pointless to use. Would be cool to make a more pvp/pve based form
The Colosseum should have a event/prize similarly to the rift to promote PVP, maybe giving a shard that reduces durability loss on death and an option to track players similarly to V blood.
There should be a Tier 3 for Rifts/Events - Where it's a multiple bosses on the normal orbs or even a Raid boss to make things more interesting/challenging, would help give more endgame content. especially if there's loot associated but not sure how they can add that unless they move the legendries/Unique to those.
Would be cool for a mechanic to reduce the blood pool of an enemy, sort of like a bleed to make the current Mutant blood worth as well
Another layer to the game could be dungeons/mazes/puzzles and even allowing basses to have defense towers or traps
Alternative Gameplay
I had an idea that there could be a way to spawn as a Vampire Hunte"good guy" that plays the role of hunting down and trying to eradicate Vampires, they would hunt a lot of similar bosses but have a few different traits, like not burning in sunlight but maybe decreased vision at night? other magic types like: Holy Magic / Silver Magic / Nightmare Magic / Sun/Fire Magic / Love Magic (charms, etc)
Ideas for some of the magic mentioned above, they can give debuffs similarly to the in game debuffs already existing, maybe even stacking buffs/debuffs for silver, damage over time magic (different to ignite/fire), etc
They can also have a mechanic to recruit NPCs, just like the slaves that defend bases to help them hunt vampires/bosses; they can also consume blood too but with a debuff/sickness or some other prayeblessing mechanic instead of blood
Realms/Areas
These could be a new area that travels to another map/region by boat from silver light hills
Nightmare realm - allows options for sleep mechanics/other realm travel/cool monsters/trippy and unique area
Holy City - silver light hills only has a couple areas of holy radiation but this could be a full town to dedicated and focuses on research/destroying vampires/evil. But this could be annoying in terms of holy radiation, so just an Idea
Desert or even Jungle - allows for different bosses/mobs/content - already a swamp but could be alternative/more ideas
Hell/Heaven - Very generic but this would just be another layer of power level with obvious bosses/content if they wanted to keep expanding
Boss Suggestions
Cthulhu
Geralt from Witcher
Dragons - alternative places for shards so they aren't directly on gameplay progression bosses
Mirrored Boss, basically the player but uses all spells - similar to the Elden Ring Boss
Nightmares
Devil/Angel/God bosses
submitted by TheRafty6 to vrising [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 18:28 godfeelling [H] Many Humble (Spyro, Fable, Battleborn) [W] Wishlist (Mafia, Death Stranding, Outer Worlds)

My Barter: https://barter.vg1177/
My steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/calatetone/
Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/wishlist/id/calatetone/
[Have]
[WANT]
submitted by godfeelling to SteamGameSwap [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 17:35 agelessandevergreen Finally, it is done

Finally, it is done
https://preview.redd.it/bu74az37je1d1.png?width=2880&format=png&auto=webp&s=14a0f8c8568b14aadd431f972ff383e50e5ded2a
Thanks in great part to the advice I received on my losing post, I have finally beaten the game with Engi B on Hard. In the end it was a smooth cruise to victory against the flagship but my anxiety was high for the entire run given just how close I got to victory last time only to spiral in phase 3. This was a great run, tense, fun, down to the wire in some ways (you can't see but I had no more drone parts left, just enough in phase 3 for my hack, a combat to help take down the super shield, and a defense to mitigate missiles) and abundant in riches in other ways (one of the BL2s was a free drop, and before I traded it out for the Halberd I had a free Pike). The key to victory here was just hanging out in Phase 1 for a while, because with a Hack on Shields, the missile weapon destroyed, and 4 fires continuously burning in the shield room, the best play was to just wait as the flagship's crew killed themselves by milling about in and out of the shield room. Zero boarders in phase 3 made all the difference, especially considering crew drops were not plentiful this run, in fact every crew except the envoy I had to buy!
submitted by agelessandevergreen to ftlgame [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 17:18 TheBlackGatsby100 Kleavor Tera Type? Reg G VGC Doubles

Hi guys, sorry had to re-upload this post because I accident put the title as reg f when I was referring to reg G.
I’m finalising my kleavor for reg G and wondering how best to tera my kleavor. I have nailed it down to these two types:
  1. Ghost because
  2. I can be immune to fake out, set my stones and not get one shot by one of the moves I’m weak too pre tera.
  3. defensive Tera with not many weaknesses -There is no other mon in the team weak to ghost or weak to ghost after Tera.
  4. Dark because
  5. I run night slash so can be used as an offensive Tera. (See below for more context of why I use night slash)
  6. Nice defensive typing against psyspam and prankster
  7. However dark is weak to fairy and I already have 3 mon weak to fairy pre Tera and another 1 weak to fairy after Tera meaning potential I could take 4 mons into the game who are weak to fairy.
All things considered what do you reckon?
View Poll
submitted by TheBlackGatsby100 to VGC [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 17:06 Sbenny_Official Wonka's World of Candy - Match 3 v1.77.2935 - Unlimited Moves Hack (updated)

submitted by Sbenny_Official to SbennyOfficial [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 16:16 xrdriver Flight Sim PC Help

I haven't built a PC in more than 5 years so I am completely out of the loop. I need help with what components to buy please. My dad's current (5-10 year old) PC won't power on and he wants to get a new system instead of fixing the old one.
1. What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games (ex: resolution, FPS, settings) or programs you will be using.
I need to build a new PC for my 75 year old father. He uses a PC for internet/email and MS Flight Simulator. All he really wants/needs is to be able to play FS at/near max resolution. He doesn't need a ton of HD capacity.
2. What is your maximum PRE-TAX budget before rebates and shipping?
$1500-$2000 including monitor.
3. When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.
Immediately
4. What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ex: toweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)
Tower is required but I'd like to upgrade to a new monitor if it fits in the budget.
5. If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? How old are they? Brands and models are appreciated.
Keyboard and mouse.
6. Will you be overclocking (ex: CPU/GPU/RAM)? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line?
I am open to overclocking but I'd prefer not to for this PC
7. Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSDs, mass HDDs, Wi-Fi / Bluetooth, VR, VirtualLink, tensor cores, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc.)
Wi-Fi is required.
8. Do you have any specific case preferences (ex: mITX/mATX/mid-towefull-tower sizes, styles, colours, window or not, LED lighting, etc.), or a particular color theme preference for the components?
No preference
9. Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? Note: some post-secondary students can get Windows 10 for free at OnTheHub or through their school's IT software distribution department.
No
10. Will you be upgrading this PC in the future (ie: will you swap out better parts later on or will you build an entirely new tower later)? If so, when?
No
11. Do you have a brand preference? (ex: AMD/Intel for CPUs, AMD/NVIDIA for video cards, etc.)
No
12. What are the specs of your old PC / laptop? Do you want to see if it can be upgraded instead? If so, paste its build from PCPartPicker here.
None
13. Extra info or particulars:
I had been looking at one of the AMD 7600 packages on Canada Computers and adding a RTX 4060 :/
submitted by xrdriver to bapccanada [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 16:00 BrodogIsMyName Frontier Fantasy - Chap 39

[First] [Previous] [Next]
Edited by WaveOfWire
- - - - -
Two days… It had been two days that Tracy had gone to sleep while Harrison was working, only to come back in the morning to see him still in the workshop. She knew he was damn productive, sure, but that really couldn’t be healthy. Apparently, it had something to do with the weird bowl of orange… soup… that Cera gave him. No way was it just caffeine; any amount of the stuff would have been filtered out of his system by now. He mentioned a tingling feeling too…
Damn, she did not know enough about drugs to even start assuming what that massive alien had Harrison fucked up on. At least the scanner said he was ‘fine’—if you ignore the other glaring issues the machine brought up. Plus, he said he didn’t mind it. Either way, he managed to complete the weaving component and a few other electrical backbones of the fabricator last night, so the project was practically done, and after seeing the engineer work himself half to death, she was dead-set on finishing it.
She was currently tits-deep into the upper manufacturing portion of the towering machine. It took a tall step-stool—on top of the nearby desk—for her to push her small shoulders through the even smaller access panels high on the everything-printer. It was difficult to fit her torso in, but she managed, holding a flashlight between her teeth as she fiddled with a stubborn series of mechanical ‘hands.’ Nothing new. The situation reminded her of the ‘shop back on Mars; it had the same ever-present scent of copper and industrial sealant. All that was missing was her dad’s ancient tunes blasting through some shitty speakers… Hold on…
The modular component in her grip was successfully attached with a resonating thock. Tracy squirmed out of the dim wire-filled crevice, trying her best to not rip her only tank-top on any bolts or corners, and getting a face-full of the bright flood-lights illuminating the workshop. She scowled and blocked out the searing light with a hand, but she was a bit too late to avoid going half-blind.
“Are the mechanical manipulators in?” Harrison grunted, poking his head out underneath the printer’s floor-adjacent maintenance hatch. She looked down at him as she tried to blink off the spots in her vision. His hair was messy, barely kept in line by his habit of combing through it with his fingers. The areas around his eyes were dark and sunken… Guess that’s what two all-nighters did to a man. He’d be seeing the hat man or start hallucinating if he didn’t get any sleep soon… but then again, the two of them were so close to finishing the fabricator…
“You bet.” She gave him a thumbs up, slamming the panel cover closed. “Feel free to test it.”
He nodded and slid back underneath the machine. “Gotcha”
She gently stepped off the stool and slid off the side of the desk, stretching herself out. If her piss-poor sitting posture or her tank-top puppies hadn’t already fucked her spine up, bending over backward to build this fabricator sure as hell would. She sat down next to the panel where Harrison resided, resting her back against the fabrication tower. Her excited voice broke the muffled noises of the engineer’s work. “So… Harrison?”
“Hmm—”
“—Mind if I play some music?”
The sounds from the hatch stopped, followed by his muffled, shocked tone echoing from beneath the fabricator. “You have music!?”
She smirked at seeing the expression on his face when his head popped out again. “I sure do… Did you seriously not download any to your data pad?”
He slipped out from beneath the fabricator fully, huffing as he took a knee beside her. The scent of melded rubber, wire, and his liquid labor reached her nose not-so-unpleasantly. “You would not believe how much of a pain it is to repair an entire barracks without it… So, yeah, I didn’t.”
“Sooooooooo, whatcha wanna listen to? I’ve got almost everything on here—besides the super niche, of course.” She pulled her data pad out, swiping to the massive music folder
“You wouldn’t like the kinda music I listen to; It’s ancient.”
She gave him a lighthearted, annoyed glare. “Welcome to the club… Now what’ll it be?”
“It’s Old Earth kind of ancient… but alright” He looked up at the ceiling in thought, lips pursed. “Do you have anything from Styx or Sweet?”
She stared at him incredulously, her smirk turning into a fully-fledged smile. “Oh my God. You are an absolute dork! You actually listen to Golden Age music?”
His brows raised, accusatory. “And you somehow know exactly who those bands were and what age of Old Earth music they came from?”
She smugly leaned in closer. “That’s because I’m just as much of a nerd with that kinda music as you apparently are.” She quickly looked upward, addressing the workshop AI. “Sebas, connect nearby speakers to my data pad’s audio.” Tracy elbowed the engineer lightly as the PA system chirped its affirmation. “Now, Mr. Golden Age music, which albums do ya want me to queue up?”
- - - - -
The two of them listened to music for hours, tossing on songs they liked as they came to mind while they worked. Harrison had a ton of recommendations that spanned all over the Golden Ages and some twenty-first century classics. She didn’t even know half of them, but she was vibing either way, adding on her own taste by intermingling some older rock tracks and newer electronic beats. The playlist was steadily built up as the day went on. Thank God her dad showed her a vast array of tunes; she might not have been able to keep up with the engineer if her old man hadn't.
It made the work go by so fast, their conversations blurring as they jumped from topic to topic. They discussed whatever came to mind—old hobbies, old jobs, and old interests. A lot was left behind in Sol… At least she knew that the only other human on the planet was more interesting than a soulless workaholic. It turned out that he was a pretty big history buff, and he apparently read a lot about the colonization of the Sol system and the various wars of independence thereafter. Curious, she asked where the interest stemmed from, and he explained that his grandfather was an admiral in the Slavic-Europan deep-ice submarine fleet, which explained how Harrison’s mother was able to afford to immigrate to Mars from Europa.
He could also play an acoustic guitar, and, unfortunately for Tracy, he wasn’t even the slightest bit interested in printing one out, citing that it was a waste of time and material that would be better used elsewhere. That didn’t stop her from writing a note on her data pad to do so later, though. She hadn’t seen someone play one of those in years—the last time was probably in some old music video from the early twenty-second century. What a shame. She would have liked to hear some of the Europan songs his grandmother taught him.
On the bright side, the man seemed to take an interest in her odd hobbies. He brought up the folder of 3D models that she accidentally uploaded to the inter-module system and asked where she got the inspiration for what was in it. Boy, was he not ready for her ‘WarHalberd40k’ lore dump. Props to the guy for not standing up and leaving the workshop throughout her rambling. He even asked questions about the different factions and their weapons, which she was more than happy to talk about.
She also ended up going over the other franchises and hobbies she was interested in, such as robotics and the like. The only interruptions to their chat were the occasional Akula or Craftsman asking for insight regarding the various tasks he had allotted to them, or Shar coming in to check up on Harrison between guard shifts.
The new dynamic of the group was pretty interesting, to say the least. Tracy hadn’t been out to interact with the whole lot of Malkrin, but she definitely noticed how they treated the engineer. They’d started to look up to him in a way ever since he started showing off technology. In a little over two days, the man had shown them that he could provide the materials for a brick house, fine clothing—especially by the alien’s standards—armor, and delicious food. That wasn’t even mentioning the other benefits the technician heard a few of the ‘banished’ talking about over their meals: heating, electric lights, and other assorted machines.
She’d be feeling pretty happy about herself if she was in his position, having so many look up to him and be grateful at the same time. He seemed to view it a lot more robotically, however, only striving to get the basics done. Luckily for him, his basics were their luxury.
That wasn’t all there was to the topic; the engineer lamented about how the colony was going through food just as quickly as materials. The meals weren’t the direct issue he had, more that he had to start focusing on long-term resource harvesting rather than directly preparing for a literal horde of monsters—which wasn’t exactly ideal. It was a good thing that they just so happened to take on an influx of Malkrin then…
Either way, they finally finished the ‘totally legal modification’ for the fabricator, meaning they could at least partially address the latter half of his worries. The whole process of ripping out an old printer and replacing the parts for a new one felt a lot easier than she imagined… even if it took her at least forty-eight hours to complete it… with help from Harrison. Maybe that was why it felt so easy… She supposed the colony overseers didn’t choose the man for no reason, so his skills made sense.
“So… what do we want to print out first?” Tracy questioned, having finished testing the last major component.
The engineer stretched his arms up into the air and rotated his shoulders, then pulled back the desk’s chair and took a seat. “I’ve had just one thing in mind since the start of this whole project.”
Her brows raised in a mix of excitement and curiosity. She leaned forward, looking at the computer monitor from over his shoulder. “Oh? What’s that, then?”
A smirk formed along his cheek, the computer mouse rapidly clicking through the blueprint folder. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about what kind of firearm we need since I started dabbling in belt-fed weapon systems.” He opened one final file, a short loading bar preceding the exploded assembly view of… “An M2 Browning machine gun. It’s more than powerful enough to kill in one shot, while also being capable of fully-automatic fire, with a capacity of however many rounds we want in a belt-box.”
“Uh…huh…” She gave a skeptical nod and took a step back, not exactly sold on the idea. “It looks ancient. It’s kinetic, right? Why aren’t we using energy-based weapons? Don’t we have a gunpowder shortage coming up?”
He moved his chair off to the side to look back at her. “We just can’t; Simple as. We’ll need who knows how many more AI cores before we can get started on that level of equipment, Trace,” he huffed, returning his gaze to the specifications of the firearm. “This isn’t the most ‘modern’ weapon we can make, but its twenty-first century counterpart helps with an improved design… somewhat. And, as I said before, it should be more than capable of killing a bug in one shot, so Shar can just tap-fire it to save ammunition.”
Her head tilted quizzically. “Shar?”
“Yup,” he returned confidently. “It’s the perfect weapon for her.”
She raised a brow. “How so?”
He held his hand up, counting his reasons on his fingers. “She’s always on the front line with a shield, she can absolutely handle the weight and recoil, her four arms make reloading it simple, plus she’ll need something with range and power that isn’t a spear. So, why not? And, if for some reason, she doesn’t want to use it, we can just convert it into a turret—which is something I was planning on doing anyways with however more M2s we print out later.”
“I doubt she’ll say no to any gun you give her,” Tracy chuckled while shaking her head, inadvertently causing her bangs to cover her eyes.
“Fair enough,” he conceded with a bob of his head. “What do you think, then? What kinda weapons do you have in mind?”
She reapplied her goggles into an impromptu hairband, feeling a smirk cross her face. “Thought you’d never ask. What purpose do we need these guns to fulfill? Hordes I’m guessing?”
“That’s the idea, yeah. That doesn’t mean they all need to be machine guns, though.” He tapped the belt-fed shotgun beside him.
“Well, lemme see what we’re working with first.” She suddenly stepped forward, leaning over Harrison’s seat to access the keyboard and mouse. Her arms briefly rubbed against him, forcing him to roll his chair backward. She suppressed a giggle at seeing his incredulous frown.
Her eyes quickly traced the hundreds of individual files, clicking through all sorts of folders, each arranged from pre-twenty-first century ‘antiques,’ to more modern iterations of kinetics and particle weaponry. There was… a lot on there—almost too much to reasonably comb through. Why? Did the colony overseers just say ‘fuck it’ and put whatever they could find on here? Were they expecting the pioneers to make a museum of everything?
She sighed, standing up straight and facing Harrison. “Y’know, I’m actually impressed you managed to find that M2-whatever in there…”
He shifted in his seat, resting an elbow on the desk. “Yup, there’s a lot. I’m almost tempted to just make several of those machine guns and just call it a day, but I feel like that’d be too much of a strain on resources, no?”
“I don’t really know enough about how you fight those spider-crab things, or how to get more gunpowder, so… maybe?” She shrugged, biting her cheek in contemplation. “You might just wanna make a few smaller caliber weapons… like, uh… those old kinetic service rifles. If your pump-action shotgun works fine, I’m sure some normal guns would work just fine for now, right?”
He hardily gripped his firearm, hauling it up to his lap. “Depends on what you mean by ‘smaller caliber.’ The whole reason why the KS-23 here works—” he pulled out a massive shell from the ammo belt, displaying it on his palm. “—is because the twenty-three-millimeter round has enough energy transfer to mess up any bug's shell and insides. I’d say the smallest rounds we could use would be point-two-forty-three caliber to get any similar results.”
Brief flickers of grungy orange shells and gnashing teeth marred Tracy’s sight. She forcibly suppressed them, distracting herself with dry humor and a strained laugh. “Guess those fuckers can really take a punch, huh?”
He shook his head somberly. “I couldn’t imagine going up against them without a gun… Anyway, I like your idea of a standard rifle for now. Then, when we have some product lines up, we can go a little more in depth into personal weapons.”
“So are you gonna take one?” She hopped up on the desk, letting her legs swing off the side.
“Don’t think so, no. I’ll stick with my shotty.” The internals of the heavily modified weapon rattled as he held it up and inspected it. “Doesn’t mean I’ll keep it as is. I’m thinking of printing a laser aiming module so I can point-fire it accurately, and maybe a melee-oriented muzzle brake or a lighter chassis to reduce weight… Not sure though.”
She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees, her cheeks in her palms. “Melee-oriented? Oooooh, like a chain-sword or something?”
His short chuckle coerced a smirk to her face. “No, not like that. More something to use as a bludgeoning tool. Right before the blood-moon, I ended up getting just as much use out of this shotgun as a hammer than as a… well, a shotgun.”
“That’s pretty fuckin’ metal. So are you just gonna make the barrel into a giant bayonet?”
He nodded. “Not exactly a bayonet, but something more like a door-breaching break.”
A short silence settled on their conversation, the faint sounds of the fabricator’s hum and distant woodwork coming to light. Right, there was an outside world… She’d been too caught up talking to Harrison for however many hours it had been. She wondered how successful the fisherwomen were in collecting, and how things had been for the others working on the wood storage shack. Maybe it was already completed? The sun peered through the cargo bay door, proving that it was only about midday. What else would they work on today?
“Hey,” she ventured.
“Hm?” the engineer hummed, his eyes focused on the monitor beside the technician.
She scooted closer to his keyboard. “What’re we doing after this?”
“What do you mean?”
She leaned backward, propping herself up on two hands. “Project wise; what’s the next big thing?”
“Uhmmm…” he muttered, interacting with the computer for a few more seconds before finally meeting her gaze. “Well, I’ve just allocated the fabricator to print out the M2, three FALs—wood furniture, of course—then there’s the magazines and ammunition, so we’ve got a lot of time to kill. The next big thing is definitely going to be metal procurement, and— Oh, right!” Harrison stopped mid-sentence, reaching into his backpack and pulling out several finger-sized metallic cubes, a sudden fire in his eyes. “Okay, so a while ago, during an encounter with three colossi, Shar and Akula found a cave with some ‘surface’ metal deposits. I took a piece off to analyze, but never got the chance to until last night. Anyway, we don’t have any machines to examine the ore, so I made use of the recycler and broke it down to its baser components.”
She nodded along, seeing where he was going with his explanation. “I’m guessing those shiny cubes are the metals from the ore?”
“Sure is. So, as it turns out, we have a pretty damn close supply of not only iron, but also, zinc, sulfur, and a small amount of cadmium. I talked with Sebas about it and did a little research. We believe it’s something akin to sphalerite, given its composition and looks, which implies it’s a sedimentary exhalative deposit. That means there must have been some volcanic…”
Harrison continued talking about underwater deposits and ancient rock formations, bringing up some theories brought forward by the now 4-AI-core-powered Sebas, delving into the current land mass’ history and possible ore output. A lot of it went over the tradewoman’s head, but she still listened intently… Honestly, she could have listened to the man talk about finding metals for hours. It was sort of like the podcasts she used to listen to while completing colonist training, but even more personal and somehow easier to get lost in…
“…find some other minerals further down like silver, but it also might be an active lava zone. Again, these are all theories and this world could just throw the fundamentals of geology away as it does for physics. Anyway, sorry for going on for so long about that, just thought it’d be important for getting some metals in the future.”
“No, no,” Tracy assured, alleviating him of concern with a wave of her hand. “If there’s anything the colony overseers emphasized, it was farming and mineral acquisition. Don’t worry.” She smiled, pointing a thumb to herself. “I just wanna know how I can help.”
“Actually, I’ve a few things only you can do. I’d like to make use of your impressive drone-making expertise for a few applications, if you don’t mind.”
The task of keeping eye contact slipped into an impossible feat in the span of a singular second, planting a pang of embarrassment on her reddened face, forcing her to inspect her fidgeting hands. “I-I wouldn’t say ‘impressive’… b-but what do you have in mind?”
She could see him raise a brow out of the corner of her vision. “Well, after what you’ve shown me with the reconnaissance flyers, I’d like your help in setting up a more permanent ‘net’ of them to scour the meadow and parts of the nearby forest to look out for any approaching hordes. I don’t want to be snuck up on… again…”
‘Again.’
She noted his small frown and sunken eyes, both a little more exaggerated than they already were. It wasn’t like she’d deny his request, but the pangs of empathy over their shared situation all but solidified her resolve. It was the least she could do. She could help him. She would help him.
The technician exhaled slowly, taking on a more serious and understanding tone than before. “I… can do that. For sure. What else?”
“I appreciate it.” He gave a wane smile. “I’ll help you with whatever you need for the project. For the other drones, I’m thinking about a small exploration vehicle to map out caves around us and mark any minerals, as well as a submersible to look for potassium deposits in the ocean.”
“So… search bots?” She crossed her arms, confidence growing; those were her specialty. “Depending on how long the fabricators take and what kind of base drones are in the blueprint folders, I should be able to get those done in no time. All I need to know are the search cues for potassium and how many drones you want.”
He quickly shuffled a few folders on the computer, turning the monitor for her to see some scientific documents with various images and walls upon walls of text. “There’re plenty of resources for that on here for what to look for, and there’s always Sebas, so feel free to ask him since he can just sort through the data for you anyway. If you can, I’d like it if you could focus on the submersible after the reconnaissance drones.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll be right on it, then.” She gave him a thumbs up, slipping off his desk and toward her own.
“I’ll bring you lunch in a bit. Imma go check on the others,” he called.
Her stomach grumbled at the mention, her head turning to give him an appreciative smile. “Oh! Thanks!”
\= = = = =
Avian creatures chirped from their perches in the trees nearby. The wind softly rustled red leaves as grass gently gave way to calculated footfalls. A warm sun laid its light on Shar’khee’s neck. It was surprisingly pleasant, were one to take the time to notice. The mainland was a confusing place for the paladin, with its disparate representations of nature contrasting so heavily. Some days were filled with blood and ravenous beasts, while others were left within the domain of simplicity and beauty. She was content to have the latter, yet it felt like a facade veiling the former—a soft exterior covering the maliciously spiked interior. Never could she leave herself to carelessness, no matter how welcoming it might be.
Hence why she worked to ensure the safety of the star-sent’s castles and their inhabitants, her days largely spent patrolling for any roaming swarms that may wish to cause them harm. She typically used the routine to think, but today offered little in the way of solitude. This time, she was accompanied by the previously banished guardswoman, and was tasked with instructing the new one, though the specifics of what such lessons should entail were vague. Still, Shar’khee did all that she could so as not to disappoint Harrison, so she could only attempt to meet his expectations of her.
She told the yellow-skinned female of the threats that the settlement faced, how one was to defeat them, and what to expect from the beasts. The guardswoman was directed to practice her form with the spear in both thrusts and throwing for some time afterward, proving herself to be well-built. Such was expected of her profession after all.
It was pleasing to have another capable of patrolling the settlement’s outskirts for swarms, as it would greatly impact how effectively the colony could react to such a threat. If her routine was to suffer for the colony’s well-being, she was happy to show the new one her patrol route and note what to look out for.
The guardswoman was not a perfect student, however. Shar’khee never addressed it directly, but the yellow-skinned female obviously discredited the danger posed by the abhorrent, not-so-subtly shrugging off any warnings.
…That was until they stumbled upon the ‘hyena-boars,’ as Harrison called them.
The beasts resided in a clearing not too far from the castles, carelessly meandering across the sea of tall grass. Shar’khee quickly crouched, dragging the guardswoman down with her. Once she assessed that the creatures were not an imminent danger, she decided it would be an excellent opportunity to show the new one how to properly engage a threat. She was about to propose the idea, yet her speech was silenced just as swiftly.
Orange flashes darted through the trees around the glade. Taloned feet and gnashing teeth tore across the ground toward the unsuspecting beasts at the center. It was much too late for them. They were slow. Surrounded. Unaware. It was as quick as it was vicious, the forest’s reds turning a deeper crimson hue in a moment's notice underneath the abhorrent’s brutality.
Gangly monstrosities gnawed and ripped at the dead creatures, brief glimpses of raw flesh and white bone protruding from the small spaces between the clumped-up beasts. Repulsive wet splatters of blood and gore overlapped the calm noises of the forest, the grisly scene serenaded by the softest of nature’s symphonies. It was a sickening juxtaposition.
Shar’khee bit back the unease and steeled herself. They were within twenty paces—close enough to smell the abhorrent’s vile stench of rot and bile, yet far enough so as not to be noticed. She briefly considered backing away and retreating, her focus bouncing between the different avenues of escape, or how to cover her footst—
Crack.
Several sets of feral, eyeless maws snapped in their direction, the blood dripping off freshly dampened teeth. The guardswoman gasped, Shar’khee’s gaze following to see the mistake: a singular broken branch crinkled as a yellow-colored foot raised off the splintering twig.
The paladin exhaled sharply and smoothly stood up, brandishing two spears and her shield. Her glare settled on the still crouching guardswoman. “You are to stay behind my shield and let them appr—ch. Rem—ber what I have told you. Aim for their maws when you thrust y—r lance.”
The other female nodded, shakily pulling out her own weapons with unsteady placement hampering her grip. There was an obvious nervousness to her gaze. Hesitance. That would not do.
Shar’khee faced the prowling abhorrent her knuckles shifting hue as she prepared for their advance, for there was no chance that they wouldn’t. True to her experience, the stalking turned to a gallop with several clicks of grotesque tongues, the swarm bolting toward her as one. She snarled and slammed her bulwark into the ground, letting the approaching beasts skewer themselves amongst its spikes.
There were only ten—a paltry amount. She had defended against magnitudes more, and yet she still stood. What is more, they were mindless. Uncoordinated. They would be but stains in the cloth she used to clean her armor. Perhaps, if they were fortunate, they might leave a furrow in her shield to remember them by. Her arms tensed as the first leapt.
One by one, the abhorrent fell, their repulsive green blood splattering under her thrusts. Each awaiting corpse tore across the grove’s grass, lunging to their deaths with gaping maws and unfeeling hunger, yet she did not yield. Their shells were crushed by her shield and impaled by her Goddess-blessed spears, becoming but one more smear across their surface. Ten motionless lumps lay before her, seeping their ichor into the soil, none having passed the barrier she became. Dead, just as the Creator intended. She remained vigilant for a few moments longer, watching for any more of the disgusting creatures.
None showed themselves, finally allowing blood to flow to her fingers once again. The shield’s heavy presence weighed down her back, the blood flicked off of her spears before she returned them to their place.
“Are y–u well?” Shar’khee addressed the frozen Malkrin, wiping away the splatter on her bracers. The guardswoman stared at the small pile of deceased creatures, her heavy breaths and widened eyes moving from the spear from her singular kill. The paladin huffed. “We are fort—ate that there were so few.”
“F-Few? God help us…” Her horrified, stunned gaze slowly met the paladin’s. “Y-You said there were hundreds on the crimson nights? H-How do you… They were s-so fast.”*
”As I h–ve warned,” Shar’khee affirmed.
“You are a paladin! You all exaggerate your feats… I thought it was just a facade!”
“I have no r—son to lie,” she returned tersely, shrugging off the insult to her station and shaking her head. “The mainl—d is far more dangerous than ten gnash—g beasts; more so than that of your island hamlet. Pick yourself up. We m—t inform the others of this incursion.”
The yellow-skinned female snarled, furrowing her brows at the ground in frustration. At whom…? Shar’khee? Herself? Regardless, the female promptly gathered her composure, pushing air through clenched jaws. A step forward had her feet splash in the small pool of blood, the Malkrin nodding toward the paladin to continue back to the castles.
“…for the village.”
Shar’khee paused in her stride and faced her, frowning at the determination and anger leaking through the intent. “W—t was that?”
Her question was returned with honesty, a huffed voice marred by vexation. “Paladin, how am I to defend my village-mates as I am now?”
“‘As you are now?’ What do you m—n?”
The guardswoman stared down at her spear, wood creaking under her grip. “I have faltered before what you deem a paltry threat, and the thought of an even greater one sows dread deep within my bones. I wish… I wish to be better prepared to defend those of my village. I cannot help but see their faces on those of the furred creature in the clearing, and yet, even if I am so close, I am just as unable to protect them.”
Shar’khee stared down the yellow female, a long gaze taking in a rare showing of sincerity. “Y—r fears are one we all share, new one. Do not be ashamed of them. All t—t matters is that you do not let them rem—n mere fear, but make them your strength. So tell me, do you wish to impr—e? To ensure they do not fall while you are support—g them?”
The yellow-skinned female released a shuddering breath that bled off the worst of her indecision, a newly invoked flame flaring within her visage. “I do, paladin. I seek to protect and to be of use.”
“Then, if you wish to make y—rself resilient in the face of all that opposes us, it would be my undertak—g to forge you anew. Fortunately, Harrison has ordered such already, and his guidance shall prove ever useful, should you pursue it.”
The guardswoman shuffled in place at the star-sent’s mention, her eyes slipping downwards. “He is of a great many resources, but I would rather receive your teachings than those of a craftsman… or that of a male, deity-sent he might be.”
She placed a palm on the female’s shoulder. “He is far more than you might ever k—w. Regardless of if you ac—pt his guidance, I commend your conviction. However—” Her hand gripped tighter, though not enough to instill hostility. “—understand that you are protecting more than just your vi—age-mates.”
The new one nodded, staring up at the paladin with stallwart resolve. “Of course. I shall be in your tutelage, then.”
Shar’khee smiled. “T—n let us begin.”
\= = = = =
Akula was becoming increasingly certain that she knew how her parents once felt. The green-skinned fisherwoman was currently rotating between the many tasks placed upon her, guiding the newcomers through the minutia of their tasks so they might live up to the potential Harrison saw within them. She was gratified to have her own talents recognized by the Creator, but it also placed a great many responsibilities in her talons. Of course, she handled each new addition with finesse befitting her heritage, never once balking from the increasing demands. If anything, she felt validated; it was required of her as a female anyway, was it not? The more feminine-appropriate labor and management one undertakes, the higher authority they were granted.
It began with a simple assignment to oversee the chef’s introduction to the star-sent’s provided cooking appliances. As fascinating and convenient as utilities were, she held no interest in preparing any more food than she already had, but teaching another to operate the machines would alleviate such requirements of her. She reluctantly accepted the task when it was proposed, especially considering the fact that Harrison was much too busy with his other projects to bother with something as benign as cooking. His work was more valuable elsewhere.
The task itself went well, and the pink-skinned chef was quick to pick up on the use of the various kitchen devices, as well as the smoker. A grin had grown when she considered the possibility of all males understanding such domestic things readily, yet her mirth at removing the masculine job required of her was short-lived. Despite the newly initiated Malkrin’s success, Harrison had Akula frequently return to oversee the numerous cooking operations being conducted. That was in tandem with the back-to-back fishing trips made by both herself and the newly acquired females.
…Which was something else the green-skinned cycle-worshipper was ordered to oversee.
She had left the chef to his devices after producing another batch of partially seasoned meals, returning to the Creator with hopes of a break. He applauded her efforts with a nod and tersely spoken appreciation, then quickly pushed two spearguns into her hand and directed her to the ocean, where the twins were ‘working with jack shit,’ as the busy male said. She was to give the fisherwomen the tools and make sure they were used properly, and offer additional assistance in acquiring ‘enough fish to have us fed for a little bit.’
So, she left to complete the given task, feeling somewhat appreciative that her speargun was of superior quality to those she would be delivering—the newcomers were only afforded the lesser, roped-bolt version. It was only natural that she was in possession of their greatest assets, of course; the star-sent saw her as the only one capable of wielding such fantastic ammunition, showing trust that was rightfully placed in her. That did not mean the gray-skinned females were unsatisfied with their own gifts, however. The twins were swiftly caught up on the ‘manual of arms’ and sent to work, somehow managing to keep up with Akula in spite of their land-based origins. The two were fast enough to outpace the cycle-worshipper in sheer speed, but their lack of numerous winters spent traversing deeper waters meant they required frequent rests, breaking the ocean’s surface after every third captured fish or so.
Still, she had to appreciate their dedication to their task. They never complained about Akula pushing them further to reach the star-sent’s vague objective. Such a task was entrusted to her—and by proxy, the other two—and thus it would be completed, no matter how much her comfortable bed… couch called her tiring muscles.
The group of three hauled net after full net of fresh meat to the chef—and sewist, who later joined him—forcing him to relegate much of the catch to long-term storage as the kitchen simply could not deal with the surplus. At least three-quarters of the fish were put to slow cook in the now Malkrin-sized smoker. The craftsman had upgraded it with a kit provided by Harrison, who had recycled much of the dining room and workshop furniture to accommodate it. The Creator’s showcased urgency to gather materials was clearly not unfounded… It was admirable how he used what little he had left to ensure food would not be scarce. Additionally, the apparatus exuded an excellent scent for all the survivors to enjoy, the earthy aroma drawing in some of the other Malkrin for their breaks or meals.
Those were not the end of the cycle-worshiper’s tasks, however. She was also required to report on Shar’khee’s progress in training the guardswoman—helping to recycle the small swarm of abhorrent they cleared earlier—as well as the wood storage building’s progress. Indeed, she was advising and assisting however and wherever applicable. To say she was seen all around the settlement would be an understatement.
Nevertheless, she was appreciative to see her efforts bearing fruit by sundown. The processing of their meals from sea to plate was quite efficient, and those that Akula taught were now well-practiced in their duties. The twin fisherwomen dove from wave to wave, bringing fish back to the barracks, where the cook and sewist swiftly worked to transfer the meat to pans and smoker hooks alike. Then, the remnants of the Sea Goddess’ aquatic gifts would be subsequently recycled and given purpose anew as biofuel or perhaps future fertilizer.
The endless onslaught of duties and responsibilities had enlightened her, in a way. She could see where Harrison came from now; having a working project go from one point to another without input nor difficulty was a sight to behold, and it made her swell with pride. It was a surmountable feat to teach the barbaric ground-worshippers to do something properly.
…Well, they were not horrible Malkrin, so perhaps simply calling them ‘uninitiated’ was a more apt descriptor…
No matter the tribulations faced, and no matter how draining her new authority might be, her rest at the end of the day would be one that was well-earned, and it would be had with a sense of satisfaction. She deserved it, and perhaps that extended to the rest of the settlement as well.
- - - - -
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Next time on Total Drama Anomaly Island - Mine! Mine! Mine!
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2024.05.19 15:38 Zephxan A full out fallout farming game : Survival apocalyptique farming sim

~Player always get better or cooler reward for helping other~
Player race - fiver options for customization
Ghoul
No radiation damage + slow regeneration + npc more mefiant and discrimination
Glowing ghoul =
No radiation damage + slow regeneration + npc shoot on sight need to convinced them you’re sane
Super mutant =
No radiation damage + Npc are scared and treat you like an idiot and discriminate
Synthétique =
The compount will hunt you down eventually
Human = no malus or bonus

Character background :
Ghoul / glowing ghoul : Old ghoul ; new ghoul ; vault
Human : Vault ; settler ; brotherhood ; institute
Super mutant: amnesiac
Synthétique : Railroad ; Mister handy (Miss nanny) Old, new, vault.
START
New arrivant decided to etablished themselves in an old farm close to the local town and become farmer.
First objectif :
- rebuilt home by scavenging in delapited town

Mechanics

Upgrade house by collecting enough scavenging material (metal, stone, tape, glue, etc…) and paid the town entrepreneur to do so.
Possibility to upgrade town by the same way : drinkable water ; defense ; radio tower ; museum ; school ; etc…
Defend home from wild attack (animal, raiders, super mutant, ect…) with gun and eventually autonomous turrets (later game) and engage mercenary to defed (late game). The more the player amass money, the more frequent the attack will be.
Scavenger will gossip about big event and some minor event that occurred in the settlement that you participated in.
Settlement gestion :
Thirst gestion.
Can recolt skin, meat (and bones?) of wild animal.
Can recolt material, used to very used weapond, (rarely) health item, (meat and corpse body parts?) on intelligent humanoïds ennemy
Carrying can either be by weight of the item or by the number of item player can carry.

Farming

Season : Spring (middle season) ; Summer (high season) ; Automn (middle season) ; Winter (low season)
Tool: Hoe ; Scynthe ; Watering can ; Pickaxe hamme
Base crop value vs transform product :
Spring : -- ++
Summer : --- +++
Automn : ++ --
Winter : +++ ---

Can sell crop and other to nearest settlement (help with settlement relationship at first) or to traveling marchant.
The river close to your home have fish in it. It take two day for fish to repopulate. If seasonal fish have all be take out, it will take two years
Can raise different mutated animal. Sell them to the town for meat (or kill them and sell them yourself ?) or keep them alive for animal product. (Animal have life span?)
Transform product : Wine ; beer ; jelly ; dried spice,meat, fish ; cheese ; mayo ; butter
Farm building :
- Wind mill
Crop seed that can be found in the town :
Seed you can buy for traveling marchants :
( - Flower and house plant seed ? (Aloes??))

Fight

No power armor for the player :(
Can buy stimpack and radaway from settlement healer or from scavenger in the town (for a more expensive price). When reach high enough relationship with healer, he will give you the recipe for both. The only way to regain life and get rid of radiation (sleep and food don’t heal). (Sickness (malus) if health too low for too long?)
Gain radiation by drinking
The main fight zone of the game is the town. In the edge : house, a small commerce (tiny to small dungeon) ; Closer to the center: Office, appartement (small to medium dungeon) ; Center : Commercial center, sky scrapper, (subway?) (normal to big dungeon.
Some raiders and some synth will drop their weapons and beg for their life if the health is low enough. Spare enough of them and you will receive letter from either : the minuteman ; the brotherhood or the railroad to thank you for sending more recruit their way. Two or three will regularly visit town.

Relationship

Can get a dog as a perm. Companion (can choose race?) (Can breed you dog and gitf puppy to the settlement?)
Npc relationship possible bonus :
- Discount (from marchant)
- Recipe
- Special cut scene
- (Sometime) help on the farm
Some npc love receving gift other will be inconfortable with it. But after (wedding?) no adverse reaction to receive gift.
MAX : 2 gift a week
Might meet some settler in the edge of the town, scavenging like you.
Cause of relationship decay :
There’s a vault “near” the settlement. Gain their trust by doing quest (# depend on race of the player). Once they trust you and when you become mayor, they will become full allied and allow circulation between their vault and the settlement.
Romanceable npc
- # Ghoul
- 1 Traveling npc
Special romance
- Mysterious stranger (need 10 Luck and insert condition)
Will randomly pop out of your house and pop back in. Will tell you about a lone wanderer, courrier or vault survivor he helped. Will come to your help in combat with baby in hand (if kid in the game)
Rival ? Date ?
If there’s kid in the game
Player will be able to have two kids. (Hatchling deathclaw will count as one if in a relationship with Deathclaw).
If player or spouse can’t have a kid (Super mutant ; ghoul ; Synth); player will get a quest about a raider camp in town. Discover all prisoner are dead except one human baby hidden by the body of his dead mother.
Quest reward : Congradulation you are a parent :D
If player can have kid; if spouse is a women, player will have to catter to their wife food craving (nothing with rare item) or face a penality in the relationship. If player is a women ; Malus in health, energy, slower deplacement and carrying capacity decrease the more and more the pregnancy advance. New choice of answer : pissed as fuck and hormonal. Spouse will insist to become a companion until end of pregnancy
Kid will go to school (town upgrade) for three day, help on the farm for three other and have a free day.

Stats

Strenght : carrying capacity (?) ; combat ; energy ; health ; defense
Perception : detect ennemy ; scavenging ; npc interraction
Endurence : health ; energy ; resistance
Charisma : batter ; persuasion ; Npc weariness ; # limit of resident npc in settlement
Intelligence : crafting farm upgrade (fertilizer ; spinkler) ; used weapon fixing
Agility : sneak ; weapon ; defense
Luck : loot quality ; gambling (?) ; crit chance (max starting points : 5)

Skill

Tree skill style possibility : Path of exile ; Outer world
Farming: Tilling - Watering
Fight: Heavy weapons- Light weapons- Melee
Defence : Dodge - Block
Stealth: Sneak- Lockpick - Hack
Endurance : Poison resistance - Radiation resistance - Thirst resistance
Persuasion: Batter - Intimidation - Persuation (?)
Scavenging : Deconstruct - Descerning eyes
Thinkering : Crafting - Engineering - Medecine
(Upgrade skill to upgrade stat? Once you upgrade a skill enough, it allow you to upgrade the stat?)

Quest :
Attempt murder on the player by the mayor once town upgrade and settler relationship high enough. Scare that they would lose their place to you to engage mercenary or try to poison you to keep their place. Force the mercenary to tell you who paid them or find a note on one of them or talk to the mayor after the attack (will be surprise to see you alive). You can :
- Bring him to justice and let the settler decide of his fate. (Will be possible to talk to him in prison)
- Execute him (will have to prove to the settler that this was auto-defense. Lose some relationship with settler)
Result : Become mayor next election!
Raides have created a camp close to the settlement. Remove them. Player will find two npc in cage. You can :
-Help them out
-Kill them inside the cage
Result :

You’ve find a mister handy (or miss nanny) in the town. Why not fix them?
Result : They will propose you to help you on the farm. Accept and they’ll start working the day after. Refuse and they’ll becom settler. (Possibility to make them synth when relationship high enough?)

Find a sorry scene : deadraiders; a dead deathclaw; a nest with two crushed egg a one intact egg. You can :
-Hatch the egg
Result :

The river close to your house is drying. Discover the reason. The river goes into a cavern and to a lake.
Result : new fish
There’s a thirsthy and hungry homeless man at the edge of the settlement. You can :
-Give him food and water for a week
-Let him there
-kill him
Result :
-They get back on their feet and eventually open an inn in town. Will sometime offer you free drink an talk to you about stranger he hepled by following your exemple.
-They will slowly die an talk with more and more difficulty. (Which led to kill him)
-Burry him and make a small tomb or let him root there. Will get eaten by wild animal.

Guiding an injured npc to the town
Result :??

The settlement don’t have enough food for the winter and ask for your help. You can :
Result :

Help to defend the settlement (before settlement defense upgrande)
Result :??

The scientist of the vault ## think they can help you rediscover old world crop see.
Result : new seeds :D

End game quest :
The vault now trust you enough to tell you about the G.E.C.K.S. The received one that ended up defective and never received the second. They want you to go to the vault building in the center of the town and see if you can find any information about it. Vault tower will be the most difficult dungeon in the game. Beat it to find that the G.E.C.K.S was sent to a second vault that was either unfinished or an experimentation. Go the the vault ## to discover that the G.E.C.K.S had taken some damage from bad condition and bad storage. Get all the item to fix it and either fix it yourself (no money cost) or ask to a vault scientist to fix it (+++ money cost)
Result : The map surrounding your house, the vault and the town will become more and more green with beautiful tree (Process will take ### day or month or years)
submitted by Zephxan to gameideas [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 15:30 xiaolii [H] Lots of Games [W] Trade for Games or Paypal (EU)

Last Updated List: 19/05/2024
 
I'm primarily looking to trade for games from my wishlist, otherwise I am also open to selling them. I am not interested in games I already have and all games I'm getting are for me and activated on my own account. Other than that feel free to offer your list of Steam games and something I may not have and fulfills my criteria I could/would be willing to trade for it/them.
If you're either trading or buying please state the game(s) you are interested in and your offer (game(s)/list/price).
 
Info:
 
I kindly ask of you is to be reasonable when making offers to make it a fair trade for both of us.
Let's have a good exchange/trade!
 
List of games:
submitted by xiaolii to GameTrade [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 15:30 xiaolii [H] Lots of Games [W] Trade for Games or Paypal (EU)

Last Updated List: 19/05/2024
 
I'm primarily looking to trade for games from my wishlist, otherwise I am also open to selling them. I am not interested in games I already have and all games I'm getting are for me and activated on my own account. Other than that feel free to offer your list of Steam games and something I may not have and fulfills my criteria I could/would be willing to trade for it/them.
If you're either trading or buying please state the game(s) you are interested in and your offer (game(s)/list/price).
 
Info:
 
I kindly ask of you is to be reasonable when making offers to make it a fair trade for both of us.
Let's have a good exchange/trade!
 
List of games:
submitted by xiaolii to indiegameswap [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 15:01 aznpersuazion My Top 5 Restaurants in South Florida/Miami Area..

Wanted to share my top 5 recommendation list. Having lived here for about 30 years, here are the best spots to visit, whether you're traveling or a local. I've included a range of options from cheap eats to fine dining.
  1. Chef Tally's - I've binge eaten at least 50+ jamaican restaurants, and while this isn't your typical traditional jamaican spot, this is hands down one of my favorite places in south Florida. I dream about the chicken here. It's always a candidate for my "what should I eat this weekend" thoughts.
  2. Mila Sunday Brunch - $95 for all you can eat cinco jota jamon iberico, black caviar, and a ton of other creatively prepared dishes. I've had a few of the other brunchs in south florida, like edge, novikov, etc. but this one gets the thumbs up because they actually have more unique spreads and appetizers. Pro tip, they have a cheese wheel pasta and mojito station outside. Did I mention the price includes unlimited champagne and rose?
  3. Palacio de los Jugos - this is a staple of south florida cuisine. I might get some flack for having this on my list, but amongst all the cuban and latin spots I've been to across Hialeah and Miami, I always find myself back here grabbing a meal for like $7 and juice for $3!
  4. Stubborn Seed - I haven't gone since they've gotten their Michelin Star, but I used to frequent this place. What sets the tasting menu at stubborn seed apart in my opinion is the almagamation of dish pacing, food sourcing/creativity, and lineup of ingredients. I don't think there's a singular dish that really sets this restaurant apart from the rest of the modern fine dining options, but more so a extremely well presented and curated dining experience.
  5. Anita Gelato. This spot recently opened in Aventura coming from NYC. It's not a super traditional italian/argentiniam gelato, but the flavor combinations are the best I've ever had. And it's not too sweet. My favorite ice cream/froyo/gelato spot amongst the hundreds I've been to in SoFlo.
Honorable mention goes to Kaeru Sushi for bringing great quality japanese food for an affordable price.* A little extra. South Florida has EXCELLENT latin american food(peruvian, argentinian, columbian, etc.), mediterranean, israeli/jewish delis, italian, caribbean, and much more. I highly recommend checking out any of the above cuisines. DM me if you'd like any specific recommendations.
​
**If you found any of this helpful, please consider using a referral link. You get additional sign up and welcome bonuses. Signing up and using Rakuten for cash back is free!*\*
​
submitted by aznpersuazion to travelfooddiaries [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 14:38 qiumo_talk 「苦难诗社：灰熊2024赛季总结」Grizzlies 2023-24 Season Summary: The Tortured Poets Department

「苦难诗社：灰熊2024赛季总结」Grizzlies 2023-24 Season Summary: The Tortured Poets Department
写在最前：这是我在2024年4月19日写的文章。那天我最爱的艺术家霉霉发表了专辑TTPD，其中文译名为”苦难诗社“，我认为非常契合灰熊本赛季的主题。
Written first: This is an article I wrote on April 19, 2024. That day, my favorite artist Taylor Swift released the album TTPD. I think it fits the Grizzlies' theme of this season very well.
考虑到原文篇幅较长，所以我只会在这里发布英文版。如果你感兴趣，可以去我的微博看中文版：
Considering the length of the original article, I will only post the English version here. If you are interested, you can go to my Weibo to see the Chinese version.
-
Remember the names of these 33 warriors.
​
https://preview.redd.it/05zsptapld1d1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=5c9193aa7b5e49cee95cd2727c30aa4a5b4f9b79
After three hard-fought quarters against the Nuggets, the Grizzlies eventually lost.
Much like most of the season’s games, they displayed convincing moments. Whenever the opponent attempted to push the game into a decisive depth, TJ would call a timely timeout to catch a breath and then immediately launch a counterattack. If you were an unfamiliar fan tuning in during the final moments of many games, you’d be puzzled: who are these guys? How are they tying the score against Joker, JT, Bron, and AD? But most of the time, effort couldn’t beat talent.
No worries, I was just as surprised as you. But after watching the Grizzlies' final game of the season in the early morning, I took a deep breath as the fleeting memories of the past six months flashed before my eyes like a slideshow, and I understood them.
This is the Grizzlies' second-lowest win rate season in the past 15 years. They had 33 players wear the jersey, missed 578 games due to injury, and used 51 different starting lineups (all NBA records). Even one of the league’s loudest home courts, FedEx Forum, often had many empty seats for most of the season.
"For just $2, you can see Timmy Allen, Jack White, and Zavier Simpson play live!"
This isn’t a joke. On April 9, facing the Spurs at home, all three played at least 25 minutes. They limited Rookie of the Year Wemby to 18 points on 19 shots but were still dominated on the boards by Sandro Mamukelashvili and lost the game.
Despite several key players coming and going, last season the Grizzlies boasted the league's best home record (35-6), but this season they only won nine games at home. After back-to-back home losses to the Blazers (who finished last in the West with 21 wins but beat the Grizzlies three times) on March 2, GG Jackson admitted postgame:
"You see your fans leaving with like 8 minutes left in the game, that really sticks us as players. They want to come see us play. And that's kind of like them slapping us in our faces like, 'We don't want to see you play.' We've got to change that."
I understand these people. This has been a season full of hardship for players, coaches, management, the team, fans, and the city. From before the season, we were devastated by unprecedented injuries. Anyone still paying attention to this team is a true Grizzlies fan. Special credit to the players and coaching staff—by January, the season had already lost its meaning. The basketball gods didn’t favor them despite Ja’s season-ending injury but instead brought more injuries. Yet, even so, they fought on and never gave up. I don’t recall any game being "surrendered"—no matter how few players were left, they gave it their all on the floor.
https://preview.redd.it/godn2cysld1d1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=88a5a76c9627381d1ec46d31f5875dfa10b2957c
My favorite artist Taylor Swift released her 11th album, "The Tortured Poets Department," today, and I’m willing to call the 2024 Grizzlies "The Tortured Players Department"—injured, pained, struggling, liberated, relieved, and then filled with hope.
I don’t know how fans will remember and evaluate this most painful season in NBA history ten years from now—but while the memories are still fresh, I’ll do it now.
​

Two Black Swans

​
If we set the start of a season as the day after playoff elimination, then as early as last May, shadows had already enveloped the team. Like me, Morant wasn’t good at live streaming, and for the second time, he brandished a gun in a car. When I got the news, I was packing for a trip to Guangzhou the next day and nearly tore a basketball sock in half.
Opinions on the Smart trade were generally positive, and Raymon and I were full of praise for GG and Slaw Dawg’s Summer League performances on the Chinese Grizzlies podcast. Missing Morant for 25 games meant we couldn’t secure home-court advantage like the past two years, but securing a play-in spot seemed reasonable. In an open Western Conference, all it took was a lucky playoff matchup, and a full-strength team could still achieve something.
Then Stevo was out for the season.
Unlike Morant's short-term impact on the record, this was a heavy blow to all remaining hope. I dejectedly said:
"No matter what, they can’t play like last year or even the year before, and they can’t find another Adams through trade or signing. The Grizzlies’ new season hasn’t even started, but it might already be over."
At this point, it was just three days before the season opener. The appearance of two black swans cast a shadow over the season before it even began.
​

Finding Joy in Suffering

​
The Grizzlies' first 25 games were like me trying to stand on a balance ball in the gym for the first time—standing seemed not too difficult, but whenever I tried to squat, my legs started shaking uncontrollably, and most of the time, I fell off.
After five straight losses, the Grizzlies quickly signed the overlooked Biyombo and then played some decent games, but the injury wave followed one after another. At the most extreme, the Grizzlies had to use their paper-thin fourth point guard—Jacob Gilyard, who should have shined in the G League—a player about my height and weight because Ja, Smart, and Rose were all injured.
https://preview.redd.it/zmk62bq3md1d1.png?width=1600&format=png&auto=webp&s=4ee1bbd1eda0ba13c4715fcf15391b5fdc67de32
To be fair, the Grizzlies showed resilience at that time. Facing the "BIG4 Clippers," the Grizzlies won their second game of the season on the road. Gilyard (6+5+3+3) held his own against Harden (11+4+3); against a full-strength Celtics, Aldama put up 28+12+6 and almost pulled off an upset; Bane dropped 49 points to lead a comeback win over the Pistons, scoring in the fourth quarter as much as Cunningham, Bojan, Duren, and Ivey combined.
The Grizzlies could keep up with most paper-strong teams and even come back from 15-20 points down but usually lost in the final moments. Bane took on an overwhelming offensive load, being the only consistent scorer, three-point shooter, and transition player, but he mostly held up; JJJ was often forced to play the five, which he disliked, making both offense and defense awkward and inefficient. As for the untested young players, they rarely held the ball securely in the fourth quarter.
With a 6-19 record, second-to-last in the West, trailing the play-in zone by more than five games; Bane’s performance was the team’s lone standout, determining both the floor and ceiling; aside from JJJ, Aldama, and Roddy, almost no one was healthy. The Grizzlies’ net rating still ranked higher than their record, their defensive efficiency remained in the top ten, but they couldn’t score.
​

A Brief Spring

​
December 20—just an ordinary game day, but Grizzlies fans had been waiting almost four months. The Pelicans, with their formidable build, weren’t an ideal opponent after a long layoff, but Morant loved such games. He probed in the first two quarters and then started showcasing his signature gliding layups and near-basket floaters in the third. He almost blew past every defender, gesturing "too small" to Alvarado, laying it up over defensive player Herbert Jones. On the final play, he drove from the backcourt, bypassed the screen, and floated a shot over Jones, Murphy, and Daniels—off the backboard, into the basket, buzzer beater.
This was Morant’s first career buzzer-beater. Interestingly, after the shot, even the Grizzlies players on the court paused for a second before realizing they had won, with Bane even freezing at the three-point line.
I understand Bane. In the first 25 games, the Grizzlies didn’t have such clutch play; this was a moment where a superstar wielded his superpower.
https://preview.redd.it/ivoxez05md1d1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=88313b44ea6967be3578b9d99f8eadcbd450a207
Morant posted the highest points for a player returning after missing more than 25 games in history, but more thrilling for fans was that the Grizzlies truly became competitive. They quickly won four in a row, beating the hot Haliburton, Trae, and Wemby, and winning twice against the Pelicans on the road. Bane and JJJ were in great form, and Smart’s fourth-quarter lockdown on Ingram was impressive.
With the return of injured players, we began to calculate and discuss the Grizzlies' playoff prospects. Morant caught the flu and missed one game, played poorly in the next two—nothing to say as I was also down with the flu—recovered, and then convincingly defeated Bron and AD’s Lakers on the road. Smart scored 29 points (including a ton of threes), Morant’s scattered scoring and assists, JJJ turned into Curry, and Bane turned the arena into a library with a series of off-the-dribble threes in the fourth quarter. After the game, Nemo and JJJ sat on the scorer’s table for an ESPN interview: "You’re making a playoff push, what’s your plan?"
https://preview.redd.it/mddc8fv8md1d1.png?width=2182&format=png&auto=webp&s=865924dab3881c277783c53a5f40acf1a53504b3
Jaren smiled lightly, and Nemo said, "Keep playing like this, 48 minutes of relentless effort every night, execute our signature defense, move the ball, and everyone being on point. Tonight, we had many guys scoring 20+, like Z. Keep this up, and we’ll be dangerous."
We didn’t see Nemo play again; a few days later, he was diagnosed with a torn labrum and was out for the season; two games later, Smart dislocated his finger and was out for the season; another two games, Bane went down, and the season was over.
​

The Dawn

​
Just two weeks after hope reignited, it was extinguished. What was left to see this season? I believe every Grizzlies fan asked themselves this question. At this point, you have to appreciate the basketball gods; when they close one door, they really do open another.
——Back on December 1, with no one available, TJ put Vince Williams into the rotation. As last year’s 47th pick, his rookie year saw no meaningful time, mainly playing in the G League. In the limited effective game sample, we considered him a wing “shooter” who couldn’t handle the ball or defend well—he hadn’t even shot well in Summer League.
In his first effective NBA game, Vince scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, adding nine rebounds. He stayed on in the fourth quarter, impressively defending Irving. The Grizzlies secured their fifth win of the season.
Ten days later, facing the Mavericks again, this time he had to guard Luka, averaging 34 points. No one expected him to complete the task, nor should he, but he did great—the Grizzlies almost erased a 17-point deficit, forcing Luka to 4-of-12 shooting in the second half. They even exchanged trash talk during the game, but after the game, Luka said:
"I think he’s a great defender."
When Luka Doncic calls you a "great" defender, you must be a "very, very, very great" defender.
https://preview.redd.it/6jn2grnbmd1d1.png?width=1919&format=png&auto=webp&s=566c59c5549e34a61c450230a88500215b38de49
Vince started the next game. Although he had some ups and downs briefly after Morant’s return, he quickly adjusted. He scored 19+9 against the Suns’ big three, limiting Durant; next time facing Luka, he won again (Luka 9-of-21); he scored 24+7 against the Warriors, winning, and in the win over the Heat, he outperformed Butler (25 points, JB 15 points).
Just as we were marveling at his offensive and defensive performances, his pre-All-Star break streak showed us even more potential.
Starting from February 8 against the Bulls, he averaged 14+7+8+2 steals over five consecutive games, including an 18+12+7 performance against Lillard/Giannis’ Bucks. He limited Lillard to 7-of-21 shooting and helped disrupt Lillard’s three-point attempt in the final moments.
What, Vince can also moonlight as a point guard?
The Grizzlies converted his contract in January to a three-year, $7.9 million deal with an option. Considering his versatility and level of play, this contract is so low it’s almost insulting. But if you think that’s exaggerated, wait, there’s more.
https://preview.redd.it/wjpaxgqcmd1d1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=0352543f4be22abad934a7d796e6968d91e40156
——When GG Jackson was drafted, few Grizzlies fans who knew about him were optimistic. Their reasons were solid: GG wasn’t even 19 when drafted, too young; he skipped a grade to play a dismal season at South Carolina, shooting 38%, looking like a chucker; he had publicly criticized teammates, posing a locker room cancer risk.
These might be true, but I only learned about him after he was drafted—watching him tearfully talk to ZK on a call, watching his college highlight reels showcasing his versatile offensive skills and confidence, his enviable physique, these on-court aspects captivated me. I followed his performance throughout Summer League, and his smooth catch-and-shoot and diligent defensive footwork made me even more optimistic about his future.
At the time, I was probably the only one publicly praising him. I voiced my support in every platform I had—podcasts, Weibo, even the comment section of the pay raise public account: Check out GG! He has a chance to enter the rotation!
For the first half of the season, he barely played, putting up numbers in the G League. On January 13, 2024, with Nemo, Bane, and Smart all out, TJ had no choice but to put GG into the rotation, giving him 27 minutes.
In his first effective NBA game, GG scored 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting; the next game against the Warriors, 23 points. He became the second-youngest in history to score 20+ in consecutive games, only behind Bron—TNT’s crew warmly greeted him on national television:
Shaq: "I have nothing to say; I just want to congratulate you: now people know who you are."
https://preview.redd.it/a22gjp4emd1d1.png?width=2248&format=png&auto=webp&s=1a59bc946a230ddb2108716ff9253ecc05c6592f
GG looked both excited and nervous, reminding me of my freshman year. This is the genuine reaction of a kid this age when they’ve done something remarkable and are publicly praised for it.
This wasn’t the last time. With Vince injured, GG became my sole motivation to watch the last third of the season. In 42 effective games, he averaged 16.4 points and 4.5 rebounds, hitting 36% of his shots, averaging 2.4 three-pointers per game. He scored 20+ in 12 games, 30+ in three, and posted 44+12 against a full-strength Nuggets in the final game.
If GG had entered the rotation earlier, could he have made the All-Rookie First Team? Quite possibly, as he’s a natural scorer who excels in big moments and national broadcasts (how rare is this for the youngest player in the league?). His other contributions in games were limited, but considering the Grizzlies’ environment, their league-worst offense, the pressure he faced, and the difficulty of his scoring might have been greatly underestimated.
GG dropped 31 points against a full-strength Lakers, almost the only player able to initiate scoring, making a top-five play dunk over Rui Hachimura. How many All-Rookie votes will he get?
https://preview.redd.it/7obss9rfmd1d1.png?width=1600&format=png&auto=webp&s=dbe5d862cf5b5ca1ace44b70eabd533933563b5d
Two experts stood with me: ESPN’s Bobby Marks placed GG in his All-Rookie Second Team a week ago, and The Ringer’s Bill Simmons said he would vote GG for Rookie of the Year in a podcast two days ago. Regardless, GG has earned respect.
And for Grizzlies fans, even better news is that the team converted his contract to a four-year, $8.5 million deal with a fourth-year team option in February. As a Reddit Grizzlies fan put it, "This is Pippen contract level theft."
Vince and GG, two second-round picks, played convincingly in ways no one expected. The Grizzlies have locked them in on affordable long-term contracts for at least three years, and they will undoubtedly be key rotation or even starting players for the Grizzlies next season—what did the Grizzlies trade to acquire them? Zero.
​

Praying to the Basketball Gods

​
Though Grizzlies fans' moods might be 1,000 times better than three months ago, this remains a completely wasted season. For a young team that matched up against the champions two years ago, this isn’t good. The Grizzlies still have plenty of draft picks, but their salary cap is tight. Their core 3 is still young and talented, but two other young core teams—at least the Timberwolves and Thunder—are ready. The Grizzlies are nowhere near their position two years ago.
But this "wasted" season allowed them to eliminate many wrong options and secure several key players. Even if the offseason only brings an average starting center, their roster strength is very, very solid (I don’t think any current team could consistently beat a healthy 2024 Grizzlies). They maintained high defensive levels, forced turnovers, and blocks with many non-NBA players, and they possess better three-point shooting than the past two years. They can replicate the 2022 season's performance, and that’s a conservative estimate.
https://preview.redd.it/xxiop63hmd1d1.png?width=1440&format=png&auto=webp&s=951528875c8ab351023e1f588ad3837f4c0d6661
But can they stay healthy? In 2022, Dillon played only 32 games and was out of sorts in the playoffs, with Morant also injured midway; in 2023, key players were in and out, losing inside reserves to the Lakers in a seven-game upset; this year, the entire team suffered the worst injury wave in NBA history. Like the Clippers in recent years, injuries are the easiest topic to discuss without being wrong because no one can control them, and they always happen.
So, I can only pray to the basketball gods: it can’t get worse than this. I desperately want to see a fully healthy Morant-Bane-Jaren Grizzlies team play a playoff series, even if they are easily beaten by a better team. I don’t want to look back years later and be left with a pile of "what ifs."
submitted by qiumo_talk to memphisgrizzlies [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 14:34 xcomdaddy A report from a botched commander honestman run on 1.1.

Hello dearest devs and fellow commanders!
I played the 1.1. and really loved it! I particularly liked the removal of templar shields and the now unlimited combat protocol, among other things. Because of my little children, I finished the run only a week ago and discovered 1.2. is out now! So excited to try it soon!
I tried a commander honestman and was doing totally OK on the tactical side but blew the strategic layer and failed (closely) the first Chosen avenger defense. Yes, I should probably try the setting with the different difficulties on the tactical and strategic level. So I disabled the avatar timer and finished the game after enduring like 5 more chosen avenger defenses. For the record, I only "disabled" honestman for the chosen avenger defenses and even nailed the last one without casualties in honestman mode.
So I collected a bunch of observations and bugs (some possibly already fixed in 1.2.) which I would like to share.
BUGS (or features?): - I was able to start doing covert actions (at least one) without a resistance ring - 2 lvl 1 liberation missions of the same type spawned simultaneously in the same sector - the evac area on the roof of structures was unreachable for mecs (twice). Had to compromise it - in covert extraction missions (and maybe others too) the soldier scoring a kill somehow gets loot out of range (from a previous kill elsewhere) - very common crash at the use of skirmisher grapple - I used the skirmisher grapple, then dashed to a chest in the fog and the fog at the destination stayed! - I got 2 sullys killed and a third one came up for recruitment (I recruited him)? - on multiple occasions, Fuse cost 1 action and then was available again immediately (on the same turn without CD) - after a reload, the sharpshooter could not perform a snap shot on a rocketeer, but could perform a snap shot on a vanguard - the Purifier flamethrower attack does not trigger bladestorm? - I skipped a supply defense mission and the supply resistance operatives were gone (as intended), and all the rest lost all abilities - A "Hack workstation" mission with indefinite duration spawned - very often, the Submenus on the "HR menu" on the avenger (soldiers etc.) disappeared and wouldn't come back unless you save and reload - a Subcoiler costs more than a coil rifle - on many occasions, Arcwave was hitting targets not in the line of attack - the Insanity description says it stuns the target - the Captured soldiers come back fully equipped after being rescued?!? nice, but doesn't make sense - Hyperreactive pupils triggered without a previous missed shot on a purifier - a very funny way of easily beating the first stage of the chosen stronghold without any casualties (not that it is difficult as is): The reaper detects units beyond closed doors. The team blocks the doors with their bodies so that the aliens can't open them. Then the psi op with bastion and null lance starts picking the aliens off one by one. They activate, but since the squad is inaccessible, deactivate again. The only problem came from an archon's blazing pinions or the andromedon's acid bomb (in both cases, squad is immune bc of bastion), which they fittingly launch through the walls as well - without other actions from other enemy units - an escaping enemy unit from a destroyed pod rejoins another pod in the fog, then scatters again on contact when the pod moves into LOS the same enemy turn - a Shield wall granted me 5 armour
QUESTIONS: - Is it possible for faceless disguised as resistance operatives to act as soldiers (e.g. armed and shooting) on missions and later be uncovered (on rendezvous missions)? - Is it possible to get an invasion in the only region you control? if failed or skipped, is this a gameover? - the Assassin can blind the spark? but why, this kind of doesn't make sense?
SUGGESTIONS: - on regular Avenger defense, reinforcements arrive randomly and not by seniority, and since the equipment is never enough, the reinforcements are always with tier 1 stuff, making them kind of useless. this was not a problem in vanilla, where all equipment was upgraded automatically. Is it possible to change this somehow? - on the chosen Avenger defense, there are no reinforcements. this really does not make sense, this being the hardest kind of mission in the game. Like the A team is getting railed and the rest are biting their nails and doing nothing? - can missions with Drone wrecks be made available more commonly in the beginning? In my experience this is the rarest wreck in the game, always preventing me from researching robotics - I really thought the RNG produced a disproportionate amount of missions "free captive resistance ops" which are quite useless after around midgame - I assume the chryssalides "wandering about" programming is designed for maps with civilians. why are they wandering about on maps without civilians or just running away from the squad ? not that I really need more crazy suicidal stun lancer-style chryssalids, but isn't this kind of pointless?
I hope this is still useful. And thank you for your feedback!
Come on, Bluemajere, give it to me!
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2024.05.19 14:08 Yurii_S_Kh Monotheism, Part 3: Islam

Monotheism, Part 3: Islam
Islam: Origins
Jibril (Gabriel) appears before Mohammed, drawing
The religion of the Law, which for 15 centuries prepared the chosen people for the coming into the world of the its Savior, the Incarnate Lord Jesus Christ, preceded New Testament religion. According to the Holy Apostle Paul, "the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ" (Gal. 3:24). It was all in all only "a shadow of good things to come" (Heb. 10:1). When the Savior came into the world, Old Testament religion had fulfilled its purpose. Our Lord Jesus Christ revealed to us the mystery of the Heavenly Kingdom and established the New Covenant, which was foretold by the prophet Jeremiah. "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Jer. 31:31-33).
Man was redeemed from original sin and its consequences by the voluntary death on the Cross of Jesus Christ as Savior of the World. He entered into an entirely new period in terms of his relationship with God in comparison with the Old Testament: instead of the law, there was a free condition of sonship and grace. Man received new means for achieving the ideal set for him of moral perfection as a necessary condition for salvation.
Islam, having arisen in Arabia in the seventh century, appeared as the religion of the law six centuries after the God of the chosen people of the religion of the Law fulfilled its purpose.
The difference between the Old Testament religion of the Law and Islam is not only that the latter emerged more than two thousand years after God gave on Mount Sinai the Ten Commandments and other precepts that governed life for the chosen people. The most important difference is that the Law of Moses has a Divine source. The book of Exodus gives a narrative of the majestic Epiphany. "And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up" (Exod. 19:17-20).
The founder of Islam, however, did not have a Divine revelation.
How did Islam arise? We read about this in the Hadith “Al-Jamii al-Sahih”. A mysterious being began to visit Mohammed. He slept in a cave on the slope of Mount Hira. On the night of the 24th of the month of Ramadan in year 610 someone appeared to him in human form. This event is considered the beginning of Islam. This story about it is from the Sunnah: “[A]n angel appeared to him and bade him 'READ!' 'I am no reader!' Mohammed replied in great trepidation, whereon the angel shook him violently and again bade him read. This was repeated three times, when the angel uttered the five verses that commence the 96th chapter: 'READ! in the name of thy Lord, who did create—who did create man from congealed blood. READ! for thy Lord is the most generous.’” Mohammed puzzled over whether a demon or angel visited him. He confided his experiences in his wife Khadijah. I will introduce more of the story of Mohammed's biography, generally accepted by Muslims: “She said to the messenger of God, ‘O son of my uncle, are you able to tell me about your visitant, when he comes to you?’ He replied that he could, and she asked him to tell her when he came. So when Gabriel came to him, as he was wont the apostle said to Khadija, ‘This is Gabriel who has just come to me.’ ‘Get up, O son of my uncle,’ she said, ‘and sit by my left thigh.’ The apostle did so, and she said, ‘Can you see him?’ ‘Yes,’ he said. She said, ‘Then turn round and sit on my right thigh.’ He did so, and she said, ‘Can you see him?’ When he said that he could she asked him to move and sit in her lap. When he had done this she again asked if he could see him, and when he said yes, she disclosed her form and cast aside her veil while the apostle was sitting in her lap. Then she said, ‘Can you see him?’ And he replied, ‘No.’ She said, ‘O son of my uncle, rejoice and be of good heart, by God he is an angel and not a satan’” (Ibn Hisham, Biography of the Prophet Muhammad).
It is surprising how easily and, gently speaking, naively this question, which in the spiritual realm is a question of life or death, had been answered with the help of a woman. Before all else, an Angel is a bodiless being, and for his sight there are no actual barriers: one can see through even clothes. Clothes hide nudity only from the eyes of man. Even so, the body of man in and of itself is not something perverse or shameful. It is a creation of God. The lust of man is sinful as well as is carnal desire, but not the body. In paradise the progenitors were naked and were not ashamed (see Gen. 2:25). The nature of an Angel is inviolate. They are alien to passions of man. But if this was a demon, then he could easily resort to trickery. Knowing how they tested him, he especially would be able to take leave of himself, so that they would take him for an Angel.
The attitude of Islam towards the Bible
Islam emerged as something syncretic out of several sources: ancient Arabic cults, Judaism, Christianity, Hanifism (a pre-Islamic monotheistic movement in Arabia) and Mazdaism (an ancient Iranian religion). There is no doubt that the Old Testament holy books and the Gospel had an influence on the formation of Islam. In the Quran many people and events from biblical history are mentioned. However, these stories are presented completely arbitrarily and inaccurately.
According to the Quran, man was created from water. "It is He Who has created man from water: Then has He established relationships of lineage and marriage: for thy Lord has power (over all things)" (25:54). In another surah, it says: "Proclaim! (or read!) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood" (96:1-2). In another part it speaks about clay, "He created man from sounding clay like unto pottery" (55:14).
In contrast to the Bible, the Quran does not say that man was created in the image and likeness of God. This discrepancy is most profound. With God's image and likeness, man is summoned to commune directly with his Creator. He can become one with the Lord. This is not so in Islam.
The book of Genesis tells the story of how the entire family of the patriarch Noah (in Arabic, Nuh) was saved in the Ark. The Quran speaks about the death of Noah's son: "So the Ark floated with them on the waves (towering) like mountains, and Noah called out to his son, who had separated himself (from the rest): ‘O my son! Embark with us, and be not with the unbelievers!’ The son replied: ‘I will betake myself to some mountain: it will save me from the water.’ Noah said: ‘This day nothing can save, from the command of Allah, any but those on whom He hath mercy!’ And the waves came between them, and the son was among those overwhelmed in the Flood" (11:42-43). Another surah tells it somewhat differently: "(Remember) Noah, when he cried (to Us) aforetime: We listened to his (prayer) and delivered him and his family from great distress" (21:76).
There is no need to provide more examples. In the Quran, things are especially distorted when discussing New Testament events. Here the differences are purely fundamental. The Incarnation, the Crucifixion on Golgotha, and the Resurrection are all denied. Even the event of the Nativity of Christ, known to the whole world, is described very strangely. It is alleged that Maryam retreated to a faraway place and gave birth to a Son under palms (19:23). In this surah, called Maryam, She is called the "sister of Harun," i.e. Aaron. He indeed had a sister named Miriam, but she lived 15 centuries before the Nativity of Christ.
Probably due to so great a number of errors and distortions, many representatives of Islam, in order to escape from this quandary, allege that the modern Holy Scripture of Christians has been distorted (a circumstance known as tahrif). Immediately, the question arises: what evidence do they provide? There is no evidence. Characteristically, the view of Muslims toward the Bible has undergone significant change over the course of several centuries. Early Islamic writers such as al-Tabari and ar-Razi believed that the distortion comes down to tahrif bi'al ma'ni, i.e. the corruption of the meaning without changing the text. However, later authors such as Ibn Hazm and Al-Biruni introduced the idea of tahrif bi’al-lafz, i.e. the corruption of the text itself. At that, both of these positions have been preserved to the present day. Thus, the level of acceptance among Muslims of the Bible depends on one's understanding of tahrif. The very existence of these fundamentally different positions indicates that there is no concrete evidence.
It is impossible to ignore one interesting feature of the attitude that representatives of Islam have toward the Biblical text. In that they do not have their own "undistorted" biblical text, they cite our canonical text as undistorted. However, when they need to support a point, for example, negative examples from the life of Banu Isra'il (the children of Israel) with a reference to parts that do not conform to Islam, they proclaim the text to be distorted.
Muslims allege that the New Testament (Injil), which the Quran refers to positively, is not in fact the current four Gospels. We have already said that they do not provide any evidence. The falsehood of the accusation that Christians distorted the Scriptures stems from the internal inconsistencies of the very Islamic authors who wrote on this theme. According to the Quran, the New Testament was originally a true, sacred text. "And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah" (5:46). In another section: "Say: ‘O People of the Book! ye have no ground to stand upon unless ye stand fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord.’ It is the revelation that cometh to thee from thy Lord, that increaseth in most of them their obstinate rebellion and blasphemy" (5:68). This excerpt clearly demonstrates that the Quran itself does not speak of the distorted Scripture, but about "rebellion and blasphemy" related to misunderstanding.
There is one part of the Quran (10:94) which is very problematic for Islamic commentators: "If thou wert in doubt as to what We have revealed unto thee, then ask those who have been reading the Book from before thee: the Truth hath indeed come to thee from thy Lord: so be in no wise of those in doubt." This ayat refers the Muslim "in doubt" to the authority of the biblical Holy Scripture. Abdul-Haqq writes: “The learned doctors of Islam are sadly embarrassed by this verse, referring the prophet as it does to the people of the Book who would solve his doubts” (Abdul-Haqq, A. A. (1980). Sharing Your Faith With A Muslim. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers. As cited in Geisler, N.L. (1999). Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group). According to the logic of this verse, the biblical Scripture was undistorted in the 7th century at the time of the Quran's creation. Then one must recognize that the current text is also correct, since we use manuscripts written over several centuries prior to the Quran.
Textual criticism of the New Testament has achieved outstanding breakthroughs in the 20th century. Currently, there are over 2,328 manuscripts and manuscript fragments in Greek, coming to us from the first three centuries of Christianity. The most ancient New Testament manuscript, a part of the Gospel of John 18:31-33, 37-38, is the Rylands Library Papyrus P52, dated 117-138 in the era of the reign of emperor Hadrian. Adolf Deissmann acknowledges the possibility of the emergence of this papyrus even under the reign of Emperor Trajan (98-117). It is preserved in Manchester. Another ancient New Testament manuscript is the Papyrus Bodmer, P75. The 102 surviving pages contain the texts of the Gospels of Luke and John. "The editors, Victor Martin and Rodolphe Kasser, date this copy to between 175 and 225 A.D. It is thus the earliest surviving known copy of the Gospel according to Luke available today and one of the earliest of the Gospel according to John" (Bruce M. Metzger. The Text of the New Testament. p. 58). This precious manuscript is located in Geneva.
Uncial script on parchment: leather codices with uncial script, (in Latin uncia means inch) letters without sharp corners and broken lines. This script is distinguished by its great refinement and precision. Each letter is disconnected. There are 362 uncial manuscripts of the New Testament. The most ancient of these codices (Codex Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, and Alexandrinus) have already been mentioned.
Scholars complemented this impressive collection of ancient New Testament manuscripts with the New Testament text, which consisted of 36,286 excerpts of the Holy Scripture of the New Testament found in the works of the holy fathers and teachers of the Church from the first through fourth centuries. This text is lacking only 11 verses.
Scholars of textual criticism in the 20th century did a tremendous job on the collation of all—several thousands of—New Testament manuscripts and identified all textual discrepancies caused by scribal error. An evaluation and typologization was performed. Precise criteria for determining a correct variant were established. For those familiar with this rigorous scientific work, it is obvious that allegations of the distortion of the current holy text of the New Testament are unfounded. In terms of the number of ancient manuscripts and the brevity of time separating the earliest surviving text from the original, no one work of antiquity can be compared with the New Testament.
Accusations that the Bible's text is distorted are puzzling. How could it actually have been done? How could Christians and Hebrews have come together to do this? Everyone knows the degree of their mutual [doctrinal—Ed.] alienation. And yet both Christians and Jews use one and the same canonical text of the Old Testament. Furthermore, the entire New Testament was preserved in the Chester Beatty Papyri, composed in approximately 250 A.D.
It is inconceivable to accept that under the conditions that existed in Christian society, hundreds of exemplars of the New Testament text were miscopied for the purpose of distortion.
On the Monotheism of Islam
Historians and religious scholars regard the three "Abrahamic" religions, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, as monotheistic religions. For the researcher, the doctrinal principles that representatives of each of these three religions formulate are sufficient. However, on a theological level, the insufficiency of such a formal approach becomes clear. Monotheism is a necessary but not sufficient condition for true religion. Only a religion that has Divine revelation as a source has the true and spiritually accurate doctrine concerning God. Christianity not only maintains that God is the living, absolute source, "the only true God" (John 17:3; 1 Thes. 1:9; cf. John 5:20), but also teaches thoroughly and in depth of the nature of God as without beginning, without end, and of a perfect Spirit. The chief characteristic of the Divine nature is love. "God is love" (1 John 4:16). These words of the apostle contain the principal idea of the New Testament as the good news of salvation. The ineffable goodness of God created the world. The Lord housed man in paradise. Even after the Fall, God continued to love mankind. The greatness of God's love was revealed when the incarnate God died a most agonizing death for us. Christians know from not only the Holy Scripture, but also through the power of spiritual experience, that God is all-knowing and all-wise. The apostle says: "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Heb. 4:13).
God knows not only all that has happened, and all that is, but he has also perfect knowledge of the future. The mirror of the supreme Wisdom of God is the universe which He created, astounding man with its extraordinary complexity, beauty, and harmony. God demonstrates his ineffable Wisdom also in the dispensation of our salvation. "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out" (Rom. 11:33).
True religion is not limited by the demand of worship for the Creator. Its ultimate goal is the spiritual unity of man with God. The Savior speaks about this in a prayer to his Father before his suffering on the cross: "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us" (John 17:21).
From the aforementioned characteristics of the Divine follows the concept of true, Christian monotheism. There can be only one all-powerful and all-just God.
The concept of God in Islam does not have a source of divine revelation. It developed on the basis of ancient Arabic religion. The word “Allah” was used in the polytheistic pantheon of Arabs to denote “God”: Allah (al - the definite article; ilah - god). Among the pagan Arabs, prior to their adoption of Islam, Allah was the supreme lunar deity, worshipped in north and central Arabia. The father of Muhammed, who was a pagan, was named Abdullah ("Servant of Allah").
In pre-Islamic times, the crescent moon was the symbol of the worship of the moon-god among the Arabs. This is confirmed by archeological evidence. The crescent moon was carried over as the main symbol of Islam.
Arabs of the Syrian desert called the wife of Allah as Al-lāt, and in the south of central Arabia, Al-‘Uzzá. In other areas of Arabia, they, along with Manat, were worshipped as the daughters of Allah. This genetic trail was preserved in the Quran. There is mention of this in the 53rd surah: "Have ye seen Lāt, and ‘Uzzā, and another, the third (goddess), Manāt? What! For you the male sex, and for Him, the female? Behold, such would be indeed a division most unfair!" (53:19-22).
In Islam, Allah is a created religious image by the human consciousness. He does not express the real almighty divine personhood. Consequently, monotheism in Islam is imagined. In a number of places in the Quran, he is endowed with intrinsically human characteristics and traits. Allah says:
  • "Those who reject Our signs, We shall soon cast into the fire: as often as their skins are roasted through, We shall change them for fresh skins, that they may taste the penalty" (4:56);
  • "...There is no help Except from God, the Exalted, the Wise: that He might cut off a fringe of the Unbelievers or expose them to infamy, and they should then be turned back, frustrated of their purpose: (3: 126–127);
  • "The Hypocrites—they think they are over-reaching God, but He will over-reach them" (4:142);
  • "And (the unbelievers) plotted and planned, and God too planned, and the best of planners is God" (3:54);
  • “Many are the Jinns and men we have made for Hell: they have hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle,—nay more misguided: for they are heedless (of warning)” (7:179).
What a great difference! Christianity teaches that God "will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4), while Islam maintains that Allah created many people for Gehenna.
The idea of monotheism, (tawhid, from the verb wahhada—to reckon something as one) was formulated in the Quran in several surahs. For example, in the 16th surah, "The Bee": "For We assuredly sent amongst every people an apostle, (with the Command), "serve God, and eschew evil" (16:36). In the terminology of the sharia, anything people worship except for Allah is "taghut". Since Islam does not know of direct revelation, nor the holy Manifestation of God to the world, nor the unification of man with God on the foundation of love, its monotheism is imagined, formalistic and abstract, requiring not that man change himself or his way of life, but only worship and daily prayer.
Hieromonk Job (Gumerov)
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2024.05.19 13:18 pillowcase-of-eels [Music] Emilie Autumn's Asylum, pt. 6 – High-concept musician responds to online criticism by waging successful attrition war against her own fanbase

🪞
Welcome back to the Asylum write-up, where we explore the decade-long slow-motion car crash that is the Emilie Autumn fandom.
Sorry this installment took so long to upload! Just a heads-up, I may take some time to deliver the last one too – these posts take forever to format on Reddit's finicky-ass editor, and my dumb real life is currently keeping me from precious Internet time. Thank you for your patience! You have my word that everyone who pre-ordered the final installment will receive a PERSONAL, HANDWRITTEN letter autographed and illustrated by me, a list of the snacks I consumed while composing this write-up, some exclusive behind-the-scenes secrets, and a pony.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4.1 – Part 4.2 Part 5
Places, everyone This is a test Throw your stones Do your damage Your worst, and your best (...) And if I had a dollar For every time I repented the sin And commit the same crime I'd be sitting on top of the world today (“God Help Me”, 2006🎵)
Quick recap of where we left off. First, there were five to ten halcyon years of pleasant and meaningful interactions between EA and her blossoming fanbase, prominently by way of her official forum. Then, circa 2009-2010, EA's online presence shifted towards sudden anger outbursts, ban-hammering, and an increasingly top-down communication style.
This created a sort of primordial rift within the fanbase, between those who supported EA's right to speak her mind and regulate her own fan spaces however she pleased – and those who thought that her reactions were rude and inappropriate (at best), and that even fan spaces should allow for reasonable, non-abusive criticism of the artist.
Between a poorly-handled book release (see Part 3), the controversial (Part 2) or dubiously true (Part 4) contents of said book, and serious shade from various former collaborators (Part 5), more and more fans had pressing thoughts about EA's work ethic and choices. EA attempted damage control through drastic forum rules that made it virtually impossible to voice any “serious” critical opinion. It didn't work, of course: instead of squashing the mutiny, she created a schism.
Critical fans and active haters started congregating on unofficial platforms.

“WITH MUFFINS LIKE THIS, WHO NEEDS ENEMIES?”: TROLL LIKE A GIRL

So here we were, the early 2010s. The official forum (which had about 700 members in 2006, if you recall) was now thousands-strong, reaching just over 12,000 registered users in 2012 – not all of them active, but still. In terms of sheer numbers and content creation, the party was POPPIN'... but increasingly in parts of the Asylum that escaped EA's jurisdiction, such as Tumblr, where they could speak their mind freely.
You play the victim very well You've built your self-indulgent hell You wanted someone to understand you Well, be careful what you wish for, because I do (“I Know Where You Sleep”, 2006🎵)
In one wing of Asylum Tumblr, a smattering of call-out blogs emerged, which laid out EA's various lies, faux pas, shitty takes, and general deep-seated terribleness in detailed timelines and screenshots (or, short of that, long-winded bullet points). While many such blogs framed it as “serious” whistleblowing and did their best to remain as fact-based and neutral as they could, there was some genuine disgust, animosity and creepiness towards EA on that side of Tumblr; for some ex-fans, “exposing the truth” was mostly justify obsessive hatred, prying and verbal abuse. Some, for instance, felt the bizarre need to side with EA's mother in their estrangement. (One user, with the URL “emilyautumnfischkopf”, argued in a serious and down-to-earth tone - but with zero sources - that EA's upbringing had been nothing but peaceful and supportive until she ungratefully kicked her loving family to the curb for no reason at all. They were later revealed 🔍 to have an alternate handle as “eaisalyingcunt”.)
Either way, through these blogs, a number of potential drama bombs that had mostly flown under the radar were dredged up from over the years – some of which were hard to ignore, even for supportive fans. Where to begin?
There was that nonsense in-joke song, captured twice on camera during the 2009 tour (to very little outrage, at the time), crassly called “Manatee Retard”📺. Or EA's scathing response, in print, to a wheelchair user who found it insensitive that she used a bedazzled wheelchair as a prop to do sexy acrobatics on stage. (“Your offence taken at my hard-won self-acceptance proves that I indeed have something to fight against”, she wrote). Spoken word tracks where she made trivializing knock-knock jokes about serious mental illnesses she didn't have, like schizophrenia and OCD. Multiple instances of calling Britney Spears a “bimbo” and a “Hollywood fucked-up”, resentfully claiming that she only shaved her head because she was “hopped up on drugs” and certainly not because she was “bipolar”, a word the press liked to wield as an insult anyway. (“That's almost like calling someone a retard!” Yeah, heaven forbid.) The meanest, most distasteful paragraphs in the book. Basically everything problematic EA had ever said or written.📝 In retrospect, it had been a long time coming, but it was a lot to take in – and certainly more off-putting, even to less emotionally invested fans, than silly lies about her age and last name.
In another wing of Asylum Tumblr, some fans had had it up to here and just wanted to have fun. 🎵 If Plague Rats had learned one valuable lesson from EA, it was how to crack a joke in the face of absurd tragedy – and the general state of the EA fandom certainly warranted a few.
In 2012, Fight Like a Girl was released. After six long years, three of which had been peaceful, the Opheliac era was officially over. The new album and ensuing tour confirmed that the Asylum had entered a process of glamorous Broadway-style militarization. 🎵📺
The mood board was “Roman general meets Vegas showgirl meets Victorian street urchin”.🪞 The color palette was, to naysayers, “musty pink and rotten, stale piss yellow”. 🐀 The keyword was “REVENGE” (through the power of... self-expression! sorority! brutal assault with rusty medical implements!). The chorus of the title song had an intriguing run-on line about getting “revenge on the world, or at least 49% of the people in it” 🎵 – which seemed like an awful lot, and was widely interpreted (to cheers, boos, or uncomfortable sighs) as a misandrist jab at literally all men on Earth.
The show was essentially a demo version of the musical, in that the setlist vaguely reflected the order of events in the story – but prior reading was essential in order to get what the hell was going on on stage. This one Broadway reviewer had not perused the literature before seeing the show 🔍, and hated: the set, the choreography, the skits, the plot, the lyrics, the music, the concept. (Seriously, you should read the review. It's not even my show and I feel like quitting show business.)
Pre-show VIP encounters, now violin-free, were lorded over by EA's new manager🐀, whose official title was “Asylum Headmistress”. (Interesting choice – she sounds fun!) The swag bags were less substantial than before, and the “greet” part of the meet-and-greet was rarely more than a quick hug and photo op.
On Twitter, EA continued to embrace her “I am very badass” fronting attitude...
Often wonder if cyberbullies r aware they’re fucking w/ a girl who’s BFs w/ maker of the SAW films & is marrying a knife-throwing scorpion. (🐀📝)
...and her taste for needlessly inflammatory statements. About an aisle sign in a supermarket:
If this does not infuriate you, then you're a fucking potato.
(Again with the confounding crypto-ableism, EA! 🔍) She also went through a phase of raging against Lady Gaga 📝, who had stolen her idea of using a wheelchair on stage as an able-bodied woman. 🔍 That failed to convince anyone that she wasn't the histrionic diva that haters made her out to be.
Spurred on by EA's rallying cries and “us vs them” mentality, loyalists turned the white-knighting up to 11. On Twitter, some Plague Rats got into cat fights with Lady Gaga's Little Monsters (what a time to be alive). Others tried to balance out the Tumblr negativity with initiatives like “Spreading a Plague of Love” – a “positive-only” confession blog, whose extreme fangirling, comically drastic rules and hyper-defensive tone📝 did not debunk the increasingly popular notion that “true Plague Rats” were a bunch of authoritarian and hopelessly brainwashed fanatics.
EA truthers and other anti-fans started lashing out at anyone who dared express any positive opinion of EA, solidifying claims that the backlash against EA was just a conspiracy of bitter, hysterical bullies.
All this to say: every passing day brought new reasons for fans to get mad at EA and each other, and everyone in the Asylum was in need of a laugh. It's not easy having a good time.🦠
Leading up to Fight Like a Girl and in the years that followed, user-submission-based meme blogs took off, most notably “Spreading a Plague of Lulz / Troll Like a Girl”. A lot of the early submissions were absurdist humor and toothless, cheezburger-Impact memes (a style that was, oddly, already dated at the time). Those often originated in good fun, and from loyal fans, on the official forum. But there was also true snark, satirizing EA's questionable ethics, outrageous claims, and easily spoofed artistic gimmicks. A new slang of Asylumspeak emerged: Glittertits (slight NSFW), GAGA!!, EA Gusta and all its memeface variants, Get outta mah house!, Are You Suffering?, Fight Like A Goat, [Random celebrity] copied EA (a subgenre in its own right), ...
Most of the “trolling” was directed at unrepentant bootlickers and, to a lesser extent, red-in-the-face haters and creeps. Meme blogs would post joke comments under “serious” or gushing submissions on Wayward Victorian Confessions, and taunt loyalist accounts by tagging them in their posts. When a few people complained on WVC that almost all of the Bloody Crumpets to date had been thin white able-bodied women, and a few fans responded by sharing their dream-casts for a more diverse line-up, the blog was flooded for days with confessions that “X should be a Crumpet” (candidates included RuPaul, Mitt Romney, Nicki Minaj, EA's therapist, and the WVC admins). Farcical shenanigans like that.
Ah, but some people will always cross the line, won't they. EA threads popped up on merciless, bully-friendly snark platforms like Lolcow, Pretty Ugly Little Liar, and Encyclopedia Dramatica. Snarkers with a mean streak and obsessive haters mingled in some of the more aggressive, 4-chan-spirited retaliation against EA – which would be called “brigading” in modern parlance. This included flooding EA's Goodreads page with one-star reviews (see part 4), repeatedly editing her Wikipedia page to include her legal name and birth year, and ensuring that Googling said name would bring up current pictures of her.
All of this compounded agitation fragmented the once-united fandom beyond recognition.🦠 Through substantial disagreements among fans, personal bickerings, layers upon layers of inscrutable in-jokes, and cross-platform telephone games, the Asylum morphed into a booby-trapped Escher room.
Satire blogs were taken in earnest. Earnest fan blogs scanned as satire. Memes would get called out as abuse. Appreciation without attached criticism would get mocked as bootlicking. Obvious jokes made by EA would be taken at face value. One divisive confession could trigger days and days of debate, to the point that WVC eventually banned confessions in response to other confessions. New waves of infighting created a confusing web of rival sub-factions🐀, each accusing the others of being toxic, cliquish, and delusional.
The shared fantasy was broken, the collective vision had crumbled, no onez was speaking the same language anymore. Fans would jump down the throat of other fans who held almost identical views about EA, except for that one thing she said or did that one time. Everyone had differing thoughts on what should or shouldn't acceptable to discuss, question, excuse, make fun of.
War is hell.

SCORCHED EARTH SHENANIGANS: HONEY, I SHRUNK THE ASYLUM

Would you tear my castle down Stone by stone And let the wind run through my windows Till there was nothing left But a battered rose? (“Castle Down”, 2003🎵)
Haters vs sycophants is not really the kind of conflict where one side can come out on top (if you're participating, you've already lost). But in the long tug-of-war between “grassroots” and “EA-sponsored” fan spaces, the ultimate winner is obvious – in that the former is gasping in agony, a shriveled husk of its former glory, while the latter... is non-existent. This is due in no small part to EA's tendency, like the Czars of old, to settle conflicts by setting Moscow on fire.🔍)
That's not entirely fair: unlike EA, the czar only did it that once.
By early 2013, as EA was gearing up for her third Fight Like a Girl tour at the end of the year, the official forum was... not as lively as it once had been. Not just because of the stifling rules and disgruntlement towards EA, or because EA herself hadn't really posted anything on there in years; the Internet was also changing, and forums in general were fast becoming passé.
This made it difficult for EA to create a safe space where she could talk to fans, and fans could talk to and about her, in a way she deemed suitable (ie, a space she could gate-keep and regulate enough to keep it completely free from negative criticism). Social media was a minefield; she still posted regularly, but didn't interact very much. So EA and the Headmistress came up with a way to filter out the unbelievers: an official fan club📝, aptly called the “Asylum Army”, with a $100 entry price.
Joining the AA came with a dog tag, a sew-on patch, and a lifetime membership certificate signed by EA and – for some reason – the Headmistress. (Unlike EA's best friend and sound engineer back in the forum's heyday, I don't think fans ever really embraced the FLAG-era manager as part of the Asylum in-group. She came across more as a coordinator / businessperson / adult chaperone, at best.🐀) So, slightly better goodies than you'd get by joining the other AA 🔍 ... but not by much. The main appeal was that members would have access to exclusive content, special merch, giveaways, early bird tickets for future shows, and regular video chats with EA.
The concept itself drew a fair amount of criticism, as you can imagine. Between the name🐀, the price, and the inherent gatekeeping of a pay-to-join fanclub, many balked at the monetizing of a concept that had once (like, three years back) been significantly more DIY, grassroots, and inclusive. 📝🐀
Then again, many also longed for a positive, drama-free space where fans could just be fans. And while the creation of the AA was generally recognized as a quick cashgrab, a lot of people were surprisingly cool with it. EA was trying to finance her dream musical, after all – although a number of fans wished she had gone about raising funds in a less sketchy way.
So around 400 fans shelled out (which, according to the Headmistress📝, “basically cover[ed] the cost of running the fanclub itself – keeping the database up, website, etc.”). Enough for a close-knit, but sizable community. But already, there was a conflict of interest: a high fanclub entry fee essentially demands that you pledge loyalty to the artist over loyalty to your fellow fans, who wish to join but can't afford to. Sharing, caring, and ensuring no one felt left out were some of the more positive values cultivated in the fandom... but leaking exclusive content would surely piss off other paying members🐀, and make EA feel betrayed all over again. (And she had barely just started to mellow out on social media!)
...But then again, this is the internet. After the first month of secret AA drops (lyric sheets, some photoshoot outtakes – nothing too juicy, really), there were, yes, some leaks. EA was predictably miffed, and retaliated by... ghosting the fanclub for weeks at a time in its first few months of existence (great look!). She eventually found the “solution” to her problem, by providing something you couldn't right-click-save (and which had been part of the promised perks to begin with): live interaction.
Over webcam, she was her usual in-person bubbly, charming, funny self. Everyone seemingly had a good time during the fanclub video chat, and this gave people faith and hope.
There were a few more events, giveaways, etc. As promised, ahead of the fall 2013 tour (the last one to date, it would turn out), AA members got priority access to show tickets and VIP bundles. The latter were much pricier than before, and only included soundcheck, a photo-op, and three goodies: a tin of loose-leaf tea, a signed printer-paper setlist, and a small flag that said “F.L.A.G.”.🔍 Some stuff continued to leak – but, as some of the outlaws pointed out (scroll down to the Disqus comments), they were mostly relaying information that was relevant to the entire fanbase, such as updates about ongoing projects (the dragged-out recording of the audiobook, for one).
In early 2014, lifetime memberships were closed, and replaced with monthly, quarterly and yearly subscription tiers. Bizarrely, you ended up paying $3 more per month if you bought a $99 yearly subscription📝 – but it did include the patch, dog tag, and piece of paper!
Sometimes I kind of want to be part of the cool kids and register to the Asylum Army. Then I remember how it came about, what you could get for the same price a couple years ago, how the whole thing was and is handled, and that I won’t support any of this bullshit. (And then I roll around naked in all the money I’m saving.) (🐀)
Still, a number of fans rejoiced at the affordable monthly option, and joined – if not for the exclusive content and merch (which were... okay, but not much to write home about), then for the friendly, drama-free exchanges with an artist they actually did love, in spite of all the frustration.
For the still-too-poor or still-undecided, there was always the forum! It wasn't as active as it used to be, but a few die-hards still managed to keep the lights on... until, inevitably, Someone Did Something and Ruined Everything. (Once again: EA's wrath is spectacular, but rarely completely unprovoked.) The incident features one notable figure in the Asylum community. Let's call him the Collector.
OK, so maybe you remember the meme I linked to in Part 4, with Christian Grey and the ginormous EA hoard. Well, that's the Collector's collection. The “Violin” promo that I called the "Holy Grail of the fandom" in the same paragraph? Also his. The handwritten lyrics that went for $940? Guess who won that auction. Over the years, the Collector had probably spent five figures on EA merch and shows, and although that fact was a little unsettling, he was a very active, easy-going, and generally well-liked fixture of the fandom.
One day in 2012, shortly after the Headmistress had replaced EA's old Chicago BFF as main forum admin, the Collector's account got banned or restricted over something dumb. When the ban wasn't lifted as quickly as he hoped, he took it... the way one takes things when one is unhealthily invested: he started spamming Headmistress and the mod team with increasingly rambling and abusive emails (lost to time, probably for the best). When that didn't work quickly enough, he tried a different route.
One of the many auctions that the Collector had won, some years prior, was EA's old iPod Touch📝 – which contained all of her favorite tunes and, buried somewhere in the data cache... a phone number. Which the Collector tried calling. And wouldn't you know it: EA picked up. She congratulated him on his sleuthing skills, listened patiently as he made his case, apologized for any distress caused by the unfair account restriction, and then they got married.
Kidding! She freaked the fuck out, hung up, and banned him for life from the forum and all EA shows and events.
After his ban, the Collector allegedly still tried to attend at least one VIP pre-show (one source in the comments says he was allowed to buy some merch, refunded for his ticket, and escorted out). He joined the Reform forum to bitch about EA and try to rally people to his cause, possibly made revenge posts about her on darker snark forums, and continued to hound the Asylum mod team. So in June 2014, EA came up with a radical and unexpected fix to the Collector problem.
The official Asylum Fan Forum has been shut down permanently. I have personally paid thousands of dollars each year to keep the forum safe and secure for you ... Unfortunately, the forum has not been kept safe and secure for me, a truth which disappoints me greatly, instead becoming a place where people who have physically threatened myself and my staff prey upon forum members, pressuring them to contact me and my staff on their behalf. If the gullible wish to humor my stalkers (who live in their parent’s basement at age 30 something) and thus put me in danger, they may do it on their own dime. They may also fuck off, because stupidity can kill, and I won’t be your victim. To those who enjoyed the forum, you know who to thank for its closure. (“On the closing of the Asylum Forum”)
Voilà! This is how a decade-long archive of shared history ends: not with a bang, but with a dirty delete and a sod-off communiqué.
The obliteration of the forum took everyone by surprise...
I was actually on the forum when it was taken down. I was navigating between posts and when I went to click on a different board, an error message came up. I honestly cried a little, I'm not ashamed to say. (WVC admin on Reddit, 2024)
...and I do mean everyone:
Chicago BFF / ex-admin, the next morning: Whoa, EA forum shut down? Ex-mod: It turns out that if someone spends enough years actively “waging war” to destroy what they can’t have, eventually they’ll be successful. * eye roll * Not even mods got prior warning. Just all the sudden, poof, gone. BFF: Really? She did not let the moderators know?! This is sounding worse and worse. Uggh. I’m so sorry. Such a loss. (...) Ok, threats are serious, but why not just put it in archive mode so no one can post? (...) Sad. I shall light a candle in the forum's honor. (Facebook posts; scroll down for screenshots)
It was a gut punch, especially for people who had poured countless hours into the community, or could have used some prior warning to save years of their own writing from the role-playing threads. One last chance to take a look around the place that had meant so much to so many.
From the wording of the announcement of closing the forum and a number of other things, it sometimes seems like EA doesn't like her fans much. :/ (🐀)
Three months after the forum was nuked, Battered Rose (a venerable EA fansite, which had been around since the Enchant era and had one of the most complete EA galleries online) announced that it was shutting down too.📝 The admin, who had also been a long-time forum mod, cited a lack of “time, energy, passion, or money” to keep the website going... and being upset at the sudden disappearance of the forum. It was, truly, the end of an era for the Asylum.
...Well, no point in living in the past. For those who could afford it, and still wanted to talk to/about EA after that (not everyone did 🐀), there was always the Asylum Army fanclub!
Over the summer of 2014, EA held regular live chats and Q&A's, and... many attendees really enjoyed them, and thought the AA was well worth the money after all. She also quietly parted ways with the much poo-pooed Headmistress around that time.
Just spent over 4 hours giggling, drinking tea and playing guessing games in chat with EA and other Asylum Army members ... No griping, no downers, just lots of fun. I think I like the way the ‘new fandom’ is going and now I’m really glad I finally decided to join the Army. (September 4, 2014🐀; Battered Rose had closed the day before)
The forum was lost forever, but perhaps that was a chance for a fresh start. Could this fanclub thing really be the Asylum Renaissance that fans had been longing for?
...I have come today to a very difficult but necessary decision, and that is to discontinue the Emilie Autumn Official Fanclub. The site itself, and the community chatroom, will remain open to you indefinitely, but I will no longer be making updates to the site. (Newsletter, September 8, 2014📝)
...Never mind, then.
Turns out the fanclub had been the Headmistress' idea all along. EA had been reluctant from the start, and although she really enjoyed the live chats with a safe community of people “who are there for the right reasons”, she couldn't overcome her fundamental discomfort with the concept. Lifetime and regular members would receive a bunch of digital downloads and a -35% coupon on the Asylum Emporium for their troubles. EA said she would definitely pop back once in a while for live chats, for free, just for fun, but to my knowledge, she never did.
And so the most devoted fans were left standing in the rain...
She is happy, she made it. She is fulfilling her dreams, found love and happiness after all the pain. I understand that she now doesn’t need “us” anymore ... That doesn’t change the fact she broke my heart with taking the Asylum Army and the forum from me. Yet, I am happy for her. (🐀)
...while naysayers pointed and laughed, Nelson-style.🦠
I don’t feel sorry at all for the people that paid for the Asylum Army fan club. Most of them knew that EA is an atrocious business woman and has broken many promises before. In fact, I laugh at them. They seriously thought that EA would actually stay consistent with this? (🐀)

EVERYTHING MUST GO: THE ASYLUM WHOLESALE

EA fans were left without an “official” home for about three years. This gave them plenty of time to be annoyed at EA for: not releasing the audiobook on time, not materializing any new project for a while... and the new sin of peddling random, ridiculously marked-up AliBaba jewelry as “merch” on her official store. Think faux-antique cameo pendants and $30 Big Ben rings (...because the Asylum story is set in London, get it?).
The whole accessories section looks like a tacky overpriced English souvenir shop. (🐀)
The fanbase lost a lost of steam in those in-between years, because there wasn't much to stick around for. As evidenced by the positive reception of the AA live chats, even in the midst of unresolved drama, out-loud interactions in a friendly environment have always been EA's saving grace. Considering the amount of online hate, there are shockingly few accounts of bad IRL encounters with EA: most people say that in live conversation, she comes across as a fun, warm, and genuinely sweet person. Some report that their negative opinion shifted after meeting her.
But there were no chats or live shows anymore. There was only social media, where she ignored questions and vague-posted about overdue projects – and the newsletter📝, which was all saccharine love-bombing to promote bland dropshipped trinkets. For fans who remembered the handcrafted merch (and two-way communication) of the early years, it was a bitter pill to swallow.

CONTINUED IN COMMENTS

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submitted by pillowcase-of-eels to HobbyDrama [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 12:37 Hour_Training_832 Legit Shiny Wishmkr Jirachi using ACE and RNG to find!

Legit Shiny Wishmkr Jirachi using ACE and RNG to find!
Hey Everyone,
Right now I’m on a journey to try and get as many Legendary and mythical Pokemon as I can that are currently locked behind the 3DS wall outside of paywalled Pokemon Go. I have already Completed Pokemon Blue to obtain a Shiny Mew, and Pokemon Silver to get a Shiny Celebi, however now it was time to tackle Pokemon Emerald to get a Shiny Deoxys and Jirachi!
Shiny WISHMKR Jirachi :)
To do any of this, I have to start a fresh copy of Pokemon Emerald so I can RNG all of my encounters. If you are unfamiliar with them, please check out I'm a Blissey, or Papa Jefe to get familiar, but I’m sure most people are atleast semi familiar in this subreddit. They can explain it way better than I can since this is the first time I have ever RNG’d anything in a game.
I chose Pokemon Emerald for a couple reasons, firstly, because it has all of the legendaries in it, and access to Deoxys on birth Island, and secondly, because unlike Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, Pokemon emerald starts on advance or seed 0 everytime you start it up, so it’s very easy to identify how many advances (time) the game needs to hit a shiny frame, since each PID and SID combination has a certain amount of shiny spreads that are available to them in a given game. This means, through normal shiny hunting means, Pokemon Emerald is probably one of the worst games to shiny hunt in, but from an RNG standpoint, it's one of the best!
Video Version of this here - https://youtu.be/kJFrerrjL6s?si=9lOn46Ex-0thskSv
ACE SET UP
There are 2 pokemon in the game that fit perfectly for what we need to get done, first I need a Ralts to trade for a Seedot in Rustboro city named Dots, and then a Volbeat for Pluses the Plusle in Fortree city. Once I have those I need to make clean backups using the battle tower cloning glitch in case I mess up, which is the main reason I had to do the whole game before starting on this glitch! Once I have all the clones set up it's time to start Prepping for Dekamark!
Creating the Dekamark - Go Beyond Pluses Ultra!
Papa Jefe’s video covers all the differences between each version of emerald, so what you need to do might be slightly different, since I’m playing an english copy of Emerald I EV train my Dots with 17 HP EV’s and 6 Attack EV’s and deleted all of Plusles moves besides growl using the move deleter. Once I have done that, I’m ready to initiate the glitch, I clone several copies of the changed Pokemon and put them in box two in a specific orientation that increases your success rate of getting a working glitch egg Pokemon. These are the following.
Plusle slots:
13, 15, 17, 19, 21
Seedot slots:
14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24
I now give my Shuppet 2 HP ups, because I need it's HP to be odd (if you do this you might only need 1, HP just needs to be odd) Then I went to Route 101 to catch a low level Pokemon, put it in my party with Shuppet, and a flying type Pokemon. This is where I save to make sure if anything gets messed up there is an easy reset point.
After fainting the low level Pokemon on my team, I use curse with Shuppet to bring its HP to 1, now it's time to deposit my flying type Pokemon and use a pomeg berry on my shuppet. Since I’ve used two HP Up’s on this Pokemon once I use a pomeg berry it actually brings shuppet’s HP value below zero.
With this done I engage into a battle, check the summary of a Pokemon, try the switch Pokemon hold up on the dpad for 5 seconds to go into the games memory cache to alter data that is going to allow me to get the glitched Pokemon egg. Once complete I go back to the battle screen and try to run, but it says I’ve fainted and returns me to the pokemon center, with a quick check of the now corrupted eggs that were plusle and dots before the glitch, I can see if it worked, unfortunately I had all bad eggs, I had to run this part about 7 times to get the Egg that I needed, a hatchable egg, named Dots in a Nestball.
Once I found the egg I take an uncorrupted clone of Dots and put it in box 10 slot 19 thanks to Slepnir - https://pastebin.comSleipnir17 I then use a simple code to hatch the Decamark egg without the game crashing. Turning the dots into a glitched Decamark pokemon (this is dicey because you cannot hover over it, there's a couple more steps I needed to do, I needed to catch a Pokemon and name it x♂zN6FFxC and place this pokemon into Box 10 slot 20 next to the Decamark. Then exit the box and save, booting the game back up, and using another of Slepnir’s codes to finally have a stable Pokemon that we can use to execute code from anywhere! I also at this point used the E-Shark code generator to create a pokemon from nothing, and then turn it into an exit bootstrap Pokemon with another eshark code so that I can execute codes using 13 boxes instead of 14 boxes. https://e-sh4rk.github.io/CodeGeneratoindex.html
Now that I have a working glitch pokemon, it was time to hunt Jirachi… But how the heck was I actually going to get Jirachi? This Pokemon only has 9 Shiny frames that are legitimate - https://www.irccloud.com/pastebin/rdxEbTm4/ and anything outside of that would be flagged as hacked or illegal.. So now the Journey starts for obtaining a complete legitimate Jirachi.
I start by changing my Trainer ID to the ID that Wishmkr Jirachi has to be by using Esharks code generator to make a box spread that changes my ID to the desired number 20043, once thats complete I now have to change my Secret ID to 0 which is the required Secret ID spread for a legitimate Wishmkr. We have to check to see if this works however, so before I do the change I catch a Pokemon and Nickname it KFC, change the SID by using Eshark Codes Generator again with my glitch Pokemon. Then go to the name rater to see if it allows me to change its nickname, and thankfully it didn’t so we were successful changing Our Secret ID. Now there was only one thing left to do. Change our Actual name to Wishmkr. We can do this by using Slepnir’s Box code which changes our name to whatever we enter into box 5. Use our Dekamark glitch pokemon again and now I am the WishMkr! (you will need to you use Wayback machine with Slepnir’s Pastebin 3 otherwise you will not be able to view it)
With all of my prepwork is done, It was time to finally start hunting a Jirachi.. So I use a box code to create a custom outbreak of Jirachi on any route that I want. I very quickly head over to the route I spawned the mass outbreak on, and encounter a Wurmple… Well that didn’t work, so I found another Massive mass outbreak code to use, but the pokemon only spawn on Mirage Island, So I firstly need to spawn Jirachi’s on Mirage Island. And then with one more code I finally spawned Mirage island, now I just needed to see if it worked.. I flew to
Pacifidlog town and thankfully Mirage island had spawned, I just needed to see if Jirachi’s outbreak had worked this time, and Thankfully it had!
Now I just needed to find the PID of a Legitimate Shiny Wishmkr Jirachi, I looked for 12hrs but couldn’t find a legitimate Pokemon with the correct PID that would work for Jirachi.. So what do I do, was I screwed? Shiny Wishmkr Jirachi was the only reason I even started down the path for Gen 3…all the other Pokemon besides Deoxys can really be caught in newer games…. things were not looking good.
Then I found a Reddit post about someone performing this glitch as well that solved my issue... Essentially the spread I was looking for didn’t exist. I needed to use a Synchronize Pokémon with the nature I was looking for, which happened to be serious, and use method 1 in PokeFinder. I also needed to use the PID to IV calculator and then after doing this I FINALLY found the right PID for a legitimate shiny WISHMKR Jirachi…
Word of advice, if you plan on doing this, don’t do it the way I did, because the only thing that separates Wynaut, which is the Pokemon we switched out Jirachi for in the mass outbreak for, is the level the Pokemon spawns at, so I couldn’t tell if I was 1 frame off, or 100 frames off. I would use Eshark’s code to change the species of the pokemon that is the correct PID like Cooked Fish meat did, or just freeze the frame on the seed before and then use sweet scent to get your encounter… .
Thankfully after riding the struggle bus for about another 8 hrs hunting this Pokemon I finally found a shiny! And even though this was a struggle, it was super satisfying to see shiny Jirachi show up on our screen, as this Pokemon at this point had taken about 60 hrs to see…
Now there was only one problem left…this Pokemon still shows its caught in the wrong game, Shiny Wishmakr Jirachi can only come from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, Thankfully using a Eshark generator code to change the pokemon’s encounter data to make it be from the correct game. Now the Jirachi shows it was encountered in Littleroot town at level 5, and with a quick change back to my Original Trainer ID and Secret ID This Wishmkr Jirachi shows it was encountered in a fateful encounter, which is the flag this Pokemon needs to have to be considered a legitimate Pokemon.
The Last Step!
I needed to check to see if this Pokemon was actually considered Legal in PKhex, since PKhex apparently has better legitimacy checks then Pokemon does, and thankfully after porting in my save file I can see that I have finally created a Shiny WISHMKR Jirachi, that was encountered in fateful encounter in Pokemon Ruby.
I’ve done a lot of shiny hunts, legal shiny hunts. And I have to say that RNGing this Shiny Jirachi was one of the most difficult things I’ve attempted. Partially because I did it the hard way, but also because the Pokemon isn’t supposed to be easy to obtain. I was so thankful to finally snag this! With this complete I did some more competitive hunting and beat Japanese emerald to send a legit shiny mew up to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet as well.
I believe there is only one more game I can so like I did this game, which I am super excited about completing in the near future!
submitted by Hour_Training_832 to pokemonrng [link] [comments]

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