Remove dashing diva glaze
Thinkware Q800 Pro to U3000 upgrade
2023.06.05 01:22 crosswithyou Thinkware Q800 Pro to U3000 upgrade
Hey all.
I've decided to upgrade my Q800 Pro to the new U3000 and the launch special bundle with the iVolt Xtra battery pack for $800 seemed like a decent deal, especially since I did kind of want a battery pack due to having short commutes that don't charge my car battery enough for longer parking mode. Still a bit more than I would have liked to spend but whatever; it'll be nice to have decent length parking mode again.
Anyway, according to this post, it doesn't seem like the cabling for the Q800 Pro and U3000 are compatible. Would I be able to just use an adapter like this to continue using the existing cables already installed in my car? Is 2.4A enough to power the cameras?
My current camera is mounted on the driver side, and I've got one of those huge safety radar housing thingies behind the rear view mirror which makes it impossible to mount the camera exactly in the center. I see that the U3000 has the micro SD card slot on the right side, so if mounted on the driver side, it would not be possible to remove the card unless you either mount the camera away from the radar housing, or take the camera off the mount before removing the card. The review at PC World mentions that the camera slides left to get it off the mount which makes it sound like it shouldn't be hard to remove if mounted on the driver side. (The Q800 Pro slides to the right, iirc, which always made it a little difficult to remove.) Anyone have experience with a driver-side mounted camera where the card slot is on the right side of the camera? I do wish they kept it top loading like with the Q800 Pro.
For those of you who street park, how is the parking mode with regards to tons of clips? We have a lot of cars that come down the street where I live and I don't really want to have like a hundred parking mode clips. Would it just be better to do time-lapse recording rather than motion detection in that case? I know the U3000 has the built-in radar module and it'd be nice be able to put that to use and have extended parking mode, but I wonder if all the cars going by would just continuously trip the motion detection, even if the radar setting is set to something like 1 meter.
If you would rather have better video of license plates, would you opt for 2K quality and 60 fps with the bitrate at 30 Mb/s? What are the recommended settings for having better chances of catching clearer license plates?
Feel free to discuss anything else about the U3000 here. I would like to hear others' thoughts on the camera, but if you're just going to say "you should have gotten blah blah blah instead" then please kindly hold onto those thoughts. I know there are other cheaper options out there but Thinkware has been pretty good for me over the years, so this is my choice.
submitted by crosswithyou to Dashcam [link] [comments]
I've decided to upgrade my Q800 Pro to the new U3000 and the launch special bundle with the iVolt Xtra battery pack for $800 seemed like a decent deal, especially since I did kind of want a battery pack due to having short commutes that don't charge my car battery enough for longer parking mode. Still a bit more than I would have liked to spend but whatever; it'll be nice to have decent length parking mode again.
Anyway, according to this post, it doesn't seem like the cabling for the Q800 Pro and U3000 are compatible. Would I be able to just use an adapter like this to continue using the existing cables already installed in my car? Is 2.4A enough to power the cameras?
My current camera is mounted on the driver side, and I've got one of those huge safety radar housing thingies behind the rear view mirror which makes it impossible to mount the camera exactly in the center. I see that the U3000 has the micro SD card slot on the right side, so if mounted on the driver side, it would not be possible to remove the card unless you either mount the camera away from the radar housing, or take the camera off the mount before removing the card. The review at PC World mentions that the camera slides left to get it off the mount which makes it sound like it shouldn't be hard to remove if mounted on the driver side. (The Q800 Pro slides to the right, iirc, which always made it a little difficult to remove.) Anyone have experience with a driver-side mounted camera where the card slot is on the right side of the camera? I do wish they kept it top loading like with the Q800 Pro.
For those of you who street park, how is the parking mode with regards to tons of clips? We have a lot of cars that come down the street where I live and I don't really want to have like a hundred parking mode clips. Would it just be better to do time-lapse recording rather than motion detection in that case? I know the U3000 has the built-in radar module and it'd be nice be able to put that to use and have extended parking mode, but I wonder if all the cars going by would just continuously trip the motion detection, even if the radar setting is set to something like 1 meter.
If you would rather have better video of license plates, would you opt for 2K quality and 60 fps with the bitrate at 30 Mb/s? What are the recommended settings for having better chances of catching clearer license plates?
Feel free to discuss anything else about the U3000 here. I would like to hear others' thoughts on the camera, but if you're just going to say "you should have gotten blah blah blah instead" then please kindly hold onto those thoughts. I know there are other cheaper options out there but Thinkware has been pretty good for me over the years, so this is my choice.
2023.06.04 23:34 Z0mbi5 Laptop for learning cybersecurity/programming (Lithuania)
**LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE**
* **Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US:**
1700€
* **Are you open to refurbs/used?**
No
* **How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life?**
* **How important is weight and thinness to you?**
Important as I'm going to want to carry it around.
* **Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A.**
14" or 15,6" at most, but the keyboard should be centered without numpad (like in macbooks for example)
* **Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run.**
No
* **If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want?**
-fill here, remove dashes-
* **Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)?**
Good input devices, build quality, matte screen, has to work good with linux.
* **Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion.**
I need a laptop for learning programming/cybersecurity and I'm going to be dual-booting windows and linux.
submitted by Z0mbi5 to SuggestALaptop [link] [comments]
* **Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US:**
1700€
* **Are you open to refurbs/used?**
No
* **How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life?**
- Performance
- Battery life
- Build quality,
- Form factor
* **How important is weight and thinness to you?**
Important as I'm going to want to carry it around.
* **Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A.**
14" or 15,6" at most, but the keyboard should be centered without numpad (like in macbooks for example)
* **Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run.**
No
* **If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want?**
-fill here, remove dashes-
* **Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)?**
Good input devices, build quality, matte screen, has to work good with linux.
* **Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion.**
I need a laptop for learning programming/cybersecurity and I'm going to be dual-booting windows and linux.
2023.06.04 23:09 chaserz22 Large order/Catering question
I've been driving doordash for several months now and I have my own catering bag. I want to be able to do the Large ordeCatering. But Door dash says there are enough people in my area. How do people lose their status for large orders?
I'm told I have to wait because there's plenty of people in my area or territory that have large orde catering ability so I have to wait. How do people disqualify or get removed from the current list so I can start getting these opportunities?
I know a couple people that didn't dash for several months, and then when they went back out they still had the large order ability.
submitted by chaserz22 to doordash [link] [comments]
I'm told I have to wait because there's plenty of people in my area or territory that have large orde catering ability so I have to wait. How do people disqualify or get removed from the current list so I can start getting these opportunities?
I know a couple people that didn't dash for several months, and then when they went back out they still had the large order ability.
2023.06.04 21:00 _queuequeue_ Has anyone noticed these really bad pottery blog articles on the internet?
I have been taking ceramics classes for a few years, so I am not a total beginner but I still have a lot to learn. I recently fired a piece painted with underglaze that turned out wrong in color. Since it's a tiny piece, I wondered if I could sand the glaze off and paint with acrylic, so I googled "how to remove glaze from pottery." This was the second link that came up:
https://potteryhow.com/how-to-remove-glaze-from-pottery/
And it seems totally incorrect? It suggests using boiling water, lemon juice or acetone to remove glaze. The writing style also reminds me a lot of ChatGPT. I am not the most experienced with ceramics so I don't know if everything is incorrect, but it seems to me that people are just generating bad content with AI to... I don't know, get clicks?
Here is the third link that came up from Google:
https://potteryclassess.com/how-to-remove-glaze-from-pottery/
I'm wondering if anyone has noticed these articles come up, and if they have recommendations for how to find reliable sources? It's especially troubling that these articles are so prominently featured on Google because it makes it very hard to acquire accurate information. On that note, does anyone have tips for what I am trying to do, which is sanding glaze off and painting with acrylic? It is a decorative piece so I was thinking of just getting the basic acrylic paint from the local art store.
submitted by _queuequeue_ to Pottery [link] [comments]
https://potteryhow.com/how-to-remove-glaze-from-pottery/
And it seems totally incorrect? It suggests using boiling water, lemon juice or acetone to remove glaze. The writing style also reminds me a lot of ChatGPT. I am not the most experienced with ceramics so I don't know if everything is incorrect, but it seems to me that people are just generating bad content with AI to... I don't know, get clicks?
Here is the third link that came up from Google:
https://potteryclassess.com/how-to-remove-glaze-from-pottery/
I'm wondering if anyone has noticed these articles come up, and if they have recommendations for how to find reliable sources? It's especially troubling that these articles are so prominently featured on Google because it makes it very hard to acquire accurate information. On that note, does anyone have tips for what I am trying to do, which is sanding glaze off and painting with acrylic? It is a decorative piece so I was thinking of just getting the basic acrylic paint from the local art store.
2023.06.04 20:56 RedSkyInTheMornin ROTP v1.04 bugs/enhancements
 | I've been playing ROTP v1.04 since last fall, and it's great. I have found a few bugs and thought of several enhancements. I've emailed this list to Ray Fowler just now (with a .zip of the save files which reddit won't let me post here, but I am attaching the screenshots mentioned below). submitted by RedSkyInTheMornin to rotp [link] [comments] Most of these things aren't very impactful, except for B9, IMO. Is there a mod that just fixes bugs ? Thanks ! Also, I'm not much of a reddit user; this is my first post, so sorry if I'm making any newbie mistakes. Remnants of the Precursors v1.04 Bugs: B0. In the ROTP_Manual_v1_04.pdf - Table 10.5: Heavy Fusion Beam says 4-16 damage, but game Tech tree says 4-30 damage. - Table 10.5: Heavy Phasor says 5-20 damage, but game Tech tree says 5-40 damage. - In-game "Graviton Beam" description says "beam capable of rendering ships to pieces". It should be "rending" instead of "rendering". B1. "Continue Game" doesn't load the most recent save, it loads the most recent auto-save file. Justification: I save my game several times in-between turns, especially from the middle-game onwards, so I must remember to do "Load Game" vs "Continue Game" to pick up where I left off. I think this is counter-intuitive. It may be mentioned in the documentation somewhere, but it should probably load the most recent saved game. Estimated difficulty to change (or fix): "Medium" B2A. Colonies screen Shipyard refresh bug. - Goto the Colonies view, select the Ecology View tab (or the Industry View tab). - Exit to the main map, select a system that's producing a ship (or make a system start producing a different ship). - Goto the Colonies view, select the Military View tab. The system you were just in is selected, but its Shipyard field is blank (or shows a partial ship name). When you select another system in the grid, the Shipyard field that was incorrect now refreshes with the correct data. Estimated difficulty to fix: "Medium" B2B. Technology Discovery % boxes along left/bottom corner refresh problem If you adjust systems' tech output so that it affects the arrival time of a technology, the 6 technology discovery boxes don't seem to update to the correct value until after you go to the Tech screen and come back to the main screen. B3. Colony has the same name as a system with no colonizable planets. - I've got a colony named "New Kekule" in the New Buffon Nebula, and there's a system with no planets of the same name to its SW about 29.4 ly. (Screenshot: "bug_2_kekule_systems.jpg", Save game file: "Mentaran4_679_two_NewKekule_systems.rotp".) B4A. Cryslonoid ships don't get slowed down by nebulas. If this is a feature, it should be documented, but it seems like a bug. Although they can colonize any type of planet because of their biology, they doesn't seem to explain how their space travel technology (which is the same as the other races) ignores nebulae slowness. [ see "Mentaran5_722_cryslonoid_ships_nebula.rotp" ] B4B. Cryslonoid ships immediately upgrade their engines to a new warp speed as soon as it is learned. B5A. The user choices for the range area display (on the left upper button menu, the concentric blue circles icon) are - background-stars-OFF/range-circles-OFF - background-stars-OFF/range-circles-ON - background-stars-ON/range-circles-ON - background-stars-ON/range-circles-OFF However, each time you restart the game, it defaults to background-stars-ON/range-circles-ON, instead of the option the user had selected during the last game session. This option should be saved as a game setting option somewhere, and not in a save game file. B5B. The user choices for the ship/transport course dashed-line display (on the left upper button menu, the concentric white circles icon) are - friendly-unit-course-lines-OFF/enemy-unit-course-lines-OFF - friendly-unit-course-lines-ON/enemy-unit-course-lines-ON - friendly-unit-course-lines-ON/enemy-unit-course-lines-OFF However, each time you restart the game, it defaults to friendly-unit-course-lines-ON/enemy-unit-course-lines-OFF, instead of the option you had selected during your last game session. This option should be saved as a game setting option somewhere, and not in a save game file. B6. I was designing a ship and picking an armor for it, and it gave me a weird crash (screenshot: "recent_rotp_2023_02_24.jpg", save file: "recent_2023_02_24.rotp") It's only had that crash that one time. B7. I when I discovered Advanced Space Scanner, it started showing me a list of many dozens of newly discovered planets. The "Close" button was covered up by the planet display screen (see the screenshot "AdvancedSpaceScanner_planet_list_dlg_bug_underlap_turn_705.jpg" and the saved game file "Mentaran8_704_AdvSpaceScanner_bug.rotp" for the end of the previous turn). As a workaround, I discovered that the "Esc" key dismisses this discovered planet dialog. B8/E8. When a system has a stargate, in the main map view, the system window shows the system name with a swirl icon to the upper left of the planet image, indicating it has the stargate. This swirl icon is missing in the same view in the Colonies screen when that system is selected. I would consider this a minor bug. Enhancement: Add a column for stargate in the Colonies screen, maybe under the Military View tab. B9/E9. Bug in invasion code about hand weapons I think there's a bug in the ground troop battle system. When being invaded by the Altairi (load the save file "Mentaran12_730_.rotp" from year 730 and poke "Next Year", then see the battle in year 731, with the battle screenshot "mentar12_731_altairi_invade_ion_rifle.jpg"), the screen shows that I have Fusion Rifle, and the Altairi have Ion Rifle, but when I invaded an Altairi world a few turns before (and also the turn after - load save game file "Mentaran12_731_.rotp" and advance to the next year to see the battle in year 732), it showed that both of us have Fusion Rifle and my men get slaughtered. In year 731, looking at the Races/Intelligency screen for the Altairi, it shows they have Fusion Rifle (see screenshot "mentar12_731_altairi_intelligence_shows_fusion_rifle.jpg"). In a previous game (which I stupidly didn't save the files for): I invaded a planet with troops, and the battle screen said I had hand phasors, but at the time I had superior plasma rifle technology that I had acquired at least a few turns before. See the screenshots "battle_shows_hand_phasors.jpg" and "tech_shows_plasma_rifle.jpg". Enhancement: I think an explicit list of the +NN modifiers for every ground battle enhancement would be nice on the Race/Military screen, perhaps displayed below where it currently shows the total +XX number. Enhancements: E1. On the Colonies screen, add a way to jump to the selected colony on the main star map. Justification: If you have a lot of star systems, it's really tedious to scroll around the map to find the system you're looking for. Suggested implementation: In the upper right corner area with the name of the system and the planet picture, add a "Jump to System" button that immediately exits the Colonies screen and takes you back to the main star map, with that selected system in the middle of the screen. Or, just make poking on the system's name text in that upper right area do the jump, instead of a button (but that's less obvious). Also, make this button still work when already on the main map screen, in case you've selected a system and scrolled around but don't know which direction to scroll the map back to that system. Estimated difficulty to implement: "Easy" E2. Star map incoming population overage color change For star systems' incoming population lines, change the color to something other than green if the incoming population is too large for that system, and population will be lost upon arrival. Justification: It's not good to lose population because you overlooked a link in a grand chain migration master plan. Suggested implementation: The current color is green, so keep that color if the population will fit in the system. Red color indicates inbound enemies, so keep that red. Yellow is also a movement line color already, so for friendly overpopulation moves, I suggest displaying them in the hot pink color, to draw attention to them. Ideally, this would take into account that system's growth/decline for the time it takes the population to arrive. For attacking invasions, it would probably not take into account battle casualty calculations, but just let you know that some of the population will be killed off unless they first die in battle. Also, if multiple populations are arriving at such an overfed system, each one would be displayed in that special color. Estimated difficulty to implement: "Medium" E3. When colonizing a star system where there is more than one type of colony ship that can build the colony, list each different usable ship design and ask the user which colony ship to expend. Estimated difficulty to implement: "Medium" E4. Main map, system name tag changes: Change it from the current Vesalius Pop 83 Fac 216 Base 2 to also show the max pop, max factories, and ship production (with ship production limit prefix, as in the Colonies' Shipyard column): Vesalius Pop 83/85 Fac 216/255 Base 2 3 Dreadnought Estimated difficulty to implement: "Medium" E5. Colonies screen, add "maximum population", "maximum production", and "incoming population" columns Justification: I'd like to sort on the maximum pop and maximum production columns, so I can find the systems I need to build mega-ships. There's a "Capacity" column that I don't know if it means population or production or what. I'd also like to see which systems have population that's scheduled to arrive. Suggested implementation: - Remove the "Capacity" column (or leave it, but maybe explain it) - Change "Population" to "Pop" to save room - Add a "Max Pop" column, to the right of "Pop" - Add a "Inc Pop" column, to the right of "Max Pop" (this value is displayed in the "too much incoming population" color if it's too much for the system to hold) - Add a "Max Prod" column, to the right of "Prod" Estimated difficulty to implement: "Medium" E6. Map screen, toggle display of enemy range/extended range borders and enemy colonizable systems, based on intelligence reports for that enemy Justification: It would be great to see which stars the computer opponents can get to, and which ones they can't, when planning which planets to colonize. Suggested implementation: - Add some sort of array of Enemy Overlay buttons on the main map screen. If you turned on Enemy 3's overlay, it would show Enemy 3's known border (based on their known systems) and extended border (as a non-filled in outline in the Enemy 3 color), and any uncolonized systems capable of settling by Enemy 3 would be circled in the Enemy 3 color. - The player could toggle each enemy's overlay button independently of the others, so that any/none could be on at the same time. Estimated difficulty to implement: "Medium" E7. Tech screen, add "Equalize Outcomes" button The existing "Equalize Allocations" button will equalize the funding to all of the non-locked categories by simplifying dividing the total research amount by the number of non-locked categories. It would be great if there were another button that would set the levels for the non-locked categories so that their research would be done at about the same time. Suggested implementation: For example, if I want the Computers/Battle Comp III, Force Fields/Class 3, and Weapons/NeutronPellotGun all to finish about the same time, I could lock down the other fields (Construction, Planetology, Propulsion) and poke the "Equalize Outcomes" button, and it would fund those 3 categories so that they would each have their bubbles filled on about the same turn. Yes, it couldn't be perfect, but something in the same plus/minus 1 turn ballpark arrival target would be great. Justification: I'm doing the same thing now manually with a calculator, so this would get rid of that drudgery. Estimated difficulty to implement: "Medium" E8. Main map, shrink "Next Year" button and/or add optional confirmation: Justification: Several times I have accidentally poked on the "Next Year" button when I was intending just to un-select the current system/fleet. Suggested implementations: - Shrink the "Next Year" button down to being just big enough to contain its text, and put a blank area (or mini-map, see below) next to it: Estimated difficulty to implement: "Medium" E9. "Current game settings" info screen: It would be great to be able to see the settings that were used to create the current game: size of galaxy, number of opponents, difficulty, and all the settings for the game options. Justification: When I'm close to finishing a game, I start thinking about what settings to use for the next game, but I can't remember what the settings were for the current game as a basis to go by for setting up the next one. Suggested implementation: Add another option to the "Game" screen, or to the Game / Settings screen with this info. Estimated difficulty to implement: "Medium" E10. "Hall of Fame / Hall of Shame" screen: Add a screen that records the end of games that are played to the actual end, either to victory or defeat, and indicate that, along with all the game settings that were used. Justification: It would be nice to see a log of my performances on various different game settings. Suggested implementation: Add a "Hall of Victory" (or other name) option to the "Game" screen, that is a new page with this info. Estimated difficulty to implement: "Medium" E11. Battle map turn counters On the space battle map, show the number of rounds of combat so far, and the number of rounds remaining in the battle. Justification: I like to batter the planet's population down with my warships. As long as you keep one stack of the enemy ships alive, you can batter the planet as long as you wish, until the maximum number of battle rounds is reached. Right now, you have no idea of knowing when that will occur, so if you ignore killing the last enemy spaceships, you will be repulsed from the system after the battle is over. An elapsed rounds/remaining rounds display would alleviate that. Suggested implementation: Shrink the size of the buttons along the bottom of the screen, and add an unclickable text display of "Battle rounds: XX/YY" that updates each round. Estimated difficulty to implement: "Medium" E12A. Galactic thumbnail view on the main star map Have a Civilization 4-like mini-map on the main star map, to show what portion of the galaxy is currently in view. Justification: For larger maps, it would be great to know what area of the galaxy is being viewed, at a glance. Suggested implementation: On the bottom right, make the "Next Year" button just big enough for its text (yes, it's more letters in other languages), move it to the far right, and put the galactic thumbnail next to it on the left, such as: ________________________ [*] Next thumbnail shows the selected star near Tech Year the top left of galaxy; a rectangle ____________________ shows the galaxy subset in the display now ________________________ [ ] Next thumbnail shows the selected star near Tech * Year the center left of galaxy; a rectangle ____________________ shows the galaxy subset in the display now; the selected planet is not in the current view, the user needs to scroll down to see it The entire galaxy would be shown (shrunk down as much as necessary); on large maps, the stars might be less than one pixel each, so maybe just show the globular colored areas for each race, and have one point (very bright white) that represents the location of the selected system within the galaxy. There's also a rectangle showing the currently displayed subset of the galaxy shown in the main window. This would work in the same fashion as the mini-map in Civilization 4. Estimated difficulty to implement: "Hard" E12B. Galactic thumbnail view in the Colonies screen Justification: I really need to know where in the galaxy each star is in order to know how to set the values for it. Implementation: This is the same as the thumbnail view on the main star map, minus the inner bounding rectangle. Also, note that here in the Colonies screen, the "Exit" button is on the left of the mini-map, not the right. This positioning is important, as it conditions the user to poke to the left of the star map to exit, and will make it more distinct from the "Next Year" button on the main map screen. ___________________ Treasury * thumbnail shows the selected star near xxx BC [Exit] the top left of galaxy ________________ Estimated difficulty to implement: "Hard" E13. On the "Races/Intelligence" tab, the technologies that the player and selected alien species both have are shown in black text, and the techs that only the selected alien has are shown in yellow text. Many of these are obsolete technologies for the player, so it would be great if these techs would be displayed in a non-yellow color, perhaps gray or white, signifying that the alien species does not hold that tech as an advantage over the player. E14. On the "Races/Status" tab, it shows the bar graphs for the percentages of the player's planets vs. the other known races' planets. It would good to also display the actual number of each of the other races planets (which the player can work out with simple algebra from that information, but that's not usually considered "fun", so let the computer do it). E15. It would be great if the Space Amoeba and Space Crystal would appear on the main map as moving entities (like an enemy ship) so you could track the progress of their arrival to their next target system. E16. On the Colonies screen, the Star Gate binary property should be a sortable column. E17. For the F2/F3, F5/F6, F7/F8, F9/F10, F11/F12 buttons, it would be great if instead of immediately jumping the map to the new location, it would scroll the map so the user would have some indication of where the new item is located relative to the previous one. The scroll speed would need to be not too fast, but not too slow either. Maybe there could also be a checkbox to toggle the new scrolling behavior vs. the existing jump behavior. bug_2_kekule_systems.jpg battle_shows_hand_phasors.jpg tech_shows_plasma_rifle.jpg recent_rotp_2023_02_24.jpg AdvancedSpaceScanner_planet_list_dlg_bug_underlap_turn_705.jpg mentar12_731_altairi_invade_ion_rifle.jpg mentar12_731_altairi_intelligence_shows_fusion_rifle.jpg mentar12_732_altairi_invaded_fusion_rifle.jpg |
2023.06.04 20:40 ThisIsThatThingBot Dash trim removal tool. Could have been left by a mechanic, window tint shop, etc. [...]
![Dash trim removal tool. Could have been left by a mechanic, window tint shop, etc. [...]](https://preview.redd.it/htoqqof6q14b1.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=2aa27d8e19baee6724dfdef85c42df933635a7ae "Dash trim removal tool. Could have been left by a mechanic, window tint shop, etc. [...]") | submitted by ThisIsThatThingBot to thisisthatthing [link] [comments] |
2023.06.04 20:33 330pmcq614 Warning about Columbus Car Audio Learn from me!
TL;DR: Went to Columbus Car Audio to get a window tint for my used Mercedes E350. Despite an initial inspection, they missed a factory tint which cost an extra $200 to remove (that they did waive, which was nice) and in the process, ruined my rear defroster - something they didn't warn me could happen. The original quote of $650 didn't include windshield or doors, adding another $350 for the windshield and $30 for each door. End result? I paid double the original quote. Despite decent work on the tint, communication and transparency were severely lacking. If you're in Columbus and need a window tint, you might want to avoid these guys, especially if your car has its own quirks.
Hey everyone, buckle up for a wild ride I just had with Columbus Car Audio. Googled: “Best window tint Columbus” and ended up here. I'm putting this cautionary tale out there so everyone can learn from my lesson.
Backstory: I own a slightly sun-damaged used Mercedes E350. She’s not as pretty as she once was, but she’s mine. After seeing the dash worsen already this Spring, I thought, "Why not save the peeling dashboard with a window tint?" So I looked up a few places, found Columbus Car Audio, and saw their pretty solid online reviews. Filled in their web form and started chatting with a rep.
Took the car in a week early for an inspection for them to check out a dodgy speaker and give me a proper quote for the tint job. They had this $100 appointment hold thing I paid for and I was thinking, "All's good so far".
Fast forward to the appointment day (Wednesday), they still hadn't given me a final quote. Not wanting to miss my chance at an appointment, I took the car in and the rep walked me through the tinting stuff and ceramic upgrade I chose. Everything seemed cool except for this vague mention of potential extra charges on my way out after signing the quote. Red flags, anyone?
So, come Wednesday evening, they rang me saying they had goofed up. Apparently, my car had a factory tint that needed removing – an extra $200. They'd missed this earlier, but I thought, "What the heck, let's just get this done. I already dropped it off."
Come Thursday, I get another call and voicemail, this time they accidentally ruined my rear defroster while removing the old tint. The rep explained this was extremely common and out of their control. I was frustrated because at no point during the process had they explained that was a possibility and told her that, so she offered to waive the tint removal fee. The $200 savings there was a small consolation, but things just kept snowballing. They also doubled their quote for the speaker check later that day, so I told them let’s stop the bleeding and I’ll just pick it up tomorrow.
I was away for work and with the way airlines have been lately I didn’t trust I’d land before they closed, so I asked my brother to grab the keys for me. Little did I know they'd invoice him double the original quote when he paid with my card. All in all:
Removing rear tint killed my rear defroster (which they never warned could happen) The original quote ($650) didn’t include the windshield or any doors The windshield itself cost me an extra $350, which I’d asked for from the start Each door was a surprise $30
At the end of the day, I know I messed up. I was too quick to trust and too slow to question something I knew nothing about. But I hope my ordeal can save someone else a future headache (and wallet ache, jesus christ). For what it's worth, the tint job doesn't look bad, aside from the defroster residue they left on my rear windshield. (see photo)
Columbus Car Audio folks, no hard feelings, but your communication on your services and their risks sucks. If I knew about the factory tint and risks earlier, I would have bailed out. Springing all these surprises midway through ain't cool.
I was hoping for the best window tint in Columbus, but after what I experienced, that can’t be from here. Especially if your ride has any quirks. Save yourself the trouble!
submitted by 330pmcq614 to Columbus [link] [comments]
Hey everyone, buckle up for a wild ride I just had with Columbus Car Audio. Googled: “Best window tint Columbus” and ended up here. I'm putting this cautionary tale out there so everyone can learn from my lesson.
Backstory: I own a slightly sun-damaged used Mercedes E350. She’s not as pretty as she once was, but she’s mine. After seeing the dash worsen already this Spring, I thought, "Why not save the peeling dashboard with a window tint?" So I looked up a few places, found Columbus Car Audio, and saw their pretty solid online reviews. Filled in their web form and started chatting with a rep.
Took the car in a week early for an inspection for them to check out a dodgy speaker and give me a proper quote for the tint job. They had this $100 appointment hold thing I paid for and I was thinking, "All's good so far".
Fast forward to the appointment day (Wednesday), they still hadn't given me a final quote. Not wanting to miss my chance at an appointment, I took the car in and the rep walked me through the tinting stuff and ceramic upgrade I chose. Everything seemed cool except for this vague mention of potential extra charges on my way out after signing the quote. Red flags, anyone?
So, come Wednesday evening, they rang me saying they had goofed up. Apparently, my car had a factory tint that needed removing – an extra $200. They'd missed this earlier, but I thought, "What the heck, let's just get this done. I already dropped it off."
Come Thursday, I get another call and voicemail, this time they accidentally ruined my rear defroster while removing the old tint. The rep explained this was extremely common and out of their control. I was frustrated because at no point during the process had they explained that was a possibility and told her that, so she offered to waive the tint removal fee. The $200 savings there was a small consolation, but things just kept snowballing. They also doubled their quote for the speaker check later that day, so I told them let’s stop the bleeding and I’ll just pick it up tomorrow.
I was away for work and with the way airlines have been lately I didn’t trust I’d land before they closed, so I asked my brother to grab the keys for me. Little did I know they'd invoice him double the original quote when he paid with my card. All in all:
Removing rear tint killed my rear defroster (which they never warned could happen) The original quote ($650) didn’t include the windshield or any doors The windshield itself cost me an extra $350, which I’d asked for from the start Each door was a surprise $30
At the end of the day, I know I messed up. I was too quick to trust and too slow to question something I knew nothing about. But I hope my ordeal can save someone else a future headache (and wallet ache, jesus christ). For what it's worth, the tint job doesn't look bad, aside from the defroster residue they left on my rear windshield. (see photo)
Columbus Car Audio folks, no hard feelings, but your communication on your services and their risks sucks. If I knew about the factory tint and risks earlier, I would have bailed out. Springing all these surprises midway through ain't cool.
I was hoping for the best window tint in Columbus, but after what I experienced, that can’t be from here. Especially if your ride has any quirks. Save yourself the trouble!
2023.06.04 19:01 Individual-Love-3379 Nail haul
 | submitted by Individual-Love-3379 to u/Individual-Love-3379 [link] [comments] |
2023.06.04 18:25 noodles92 Anyone else ever have this happen?
 | I kept getting this message over and over and the app kept pausing my dash but I wasn’t receiving any of the orders. So frustrating. submitted by noodles92 to doordash_drivers [link] [comments] |
2023.06.04 17:45 grierks Hedge Knight, Chapter 32
First / Previous / Next
Helbram stared at the image of his father, the initial ache in his heart fading the longer his eyes rested on him. His father was never a cruel nor cold man, but the warmth that was present in the image’s face was… strange, unfitting for the man that Helbram had grown up with. Familial longing was replaced by caution of the unknown, and he felt his skin grow warm as anger started to boil at the pit of his stomach.
The man raised his hands, “I see this image upsets you. My apologies,” he said, his voice light, ringing with the sounds of vibrating steel.
The image faded from his sight, leaving him alone in the darkness.
“What image would you prefer then?” the voice said, now echoing throughout the void.
“I would have you take no guise,” Helbram said. He took a cursory look around him, unable to discern a source for the voice, “My memories are my own, and I will not have you wear their skin in some attempt to appease me.”
A laugh rang through the darkness, ringing like a bell, “A man of conviction, that I can respect.”
A mote of silver light appeared before Helbram, growing until it took the shape of a humanoid figure. The light faded, leaving behind a figure clad in silver armor. A winged helmet obscured the figure’s head for a moment, but it soon reached up and removed it, revealing the face of a man. Given the man’s features, Helbram could tell that he was a human, but the man’s skin was a stark white, with silver eyes that brimmed with the sheen of silver light. There was a chiseled look to his face, with his sharp, well defined jaw that was quirked from the man’s confident smile. He was tall and broad shouldered, both slightly wider and taller than Helbram himself, which gave him a natural air of intimidation that blended with the raw power that radiated from his body. His armor was of an ancient make, a blend of chainmail and plate to cover his body, yet the runes engraved onto the plate and shape of the armor itself was far curvier than anything he’d seen before, emphasizing the man’s physique as opposed to the usual bulky armor that Helbram himself would wear.
It eventually dawned on him that he had seen the armor before, in the murals that sat above the Sword.
“So what are you, the Sword or the man that wielded it?” Helbram asked.
The man cradled his helmet right above his hip and bowed, “Sadly, my previous master has long passed from this world. Consider this form a gesture of respect to him,” he looked up to Helbram with a kind smile, “and to you.”
Helbram’s eyes narrowed, “I am not sure I’m entirely pleased to receive respect that I have not earned.”
The Sword stood upright, “Oh but you have. I have borne witness to many men who have tried to prove their worth to me, and most have been found wanting.”
“Aside from me and two others,” Helbram said.
The silver-clad man nodded, “Yes, how brimming with potential must this age be to have three such worthy individuals,” he stepped towards Helbram, who kept his distance, “but even with such a bounty of strength one must stand above them all, and I believe that you are the one to do it.”
Helbram sighed, “Then why the test? Would it not have been more expedient to have Sophia come speak to me sooner?”
The Sword’s face grew grim, “That, I am afraid, was due to urgency.”
Helbram regarded the silver haired man with a flat expression, “Explain.”
The Sword started to pace, “The murals in my shrine tell the tale of a man that made the ultimate sacrifice to defeat a great evil,” he motioned to himself, “this man, which I am sure you are well aware of, but I am afraid that despite his efforts, that very same evil remains.”
Helbram crossed his arms, “Does this evil have a name?”
“There is no direct translation from the Ancient Tongue, I am afraid, but for the purposes of giving it an identity let us call it Malice, shall we?”
Helbram nodded, but frowned, “If you were aware of its continued existence then why did you not provide warning of it beforehand?”
A sorrowful expression pulled down at The Sword’s silver eyes, “Malice has always been… subtle with its touch. That is how it began, you see. Not as the overwhelming force it eventually was, but as a subtle, insidious entity with a grasp deft enough to escape even my awareness. I had thought it gone… until I felt its corrosive nature once again.”
“Thus the test.”
The pale skinned man gave a brief nod, “Precisely. Even with three worthy candidates, it is vital that I be wielded by one who was both brave enough and competent enough to face the emerging darkness.”
Helbram’s frown deepened, “So you set them off on a test without telling them what the opponent was.”
The Sword regarded him with a blank expression, “It was a test of knowledge in addition to bravery.”
“Yes, which is why you sent a young man who has not had a lick of experience in combat against a Troll,” Helbram’s eyes narrowed, “And an opportunist, waiting until her target was weakened to strike.”
The Sword tilted his head, “What are you insinuating?”
Helbram shrugged, “If you were to choose a weilder that would help you fight off a great evil, I imagine you would have someone of more… experience and prone to self sacrifice in mind.”
“You possess such experience, do you not? And from what I can tell, your purpose for going into those woods was to save, not to slay. Such actions require a certain amount of self sacrifice,” The Sword smiled at him, “Such actions are those of a Hero.”
Helbram’s eye twitched, “Flattery will get you nowhere with me.”
“I merely speak the truth,” the sword explained, “It would be rather pointless of me to show such interest in you if it was a lie, would it not?” he motioned towards his own body, “I have been held in the possession of the finest of heroes, wieldied in battles against foes that have matched that same caliber. I know talent when I see it, feel it, and within you I sense that very same potential.”
“Do not speak to me of potential!” Helbram snapped. He let silence settle between them before rubbing his eyes and sighing, “I have spoken enough of it for a lifetime today.”
The Sword looked at him, eyes alight with curiosity, “You are very guarded when it comes to speaking of such things, though the more that I look into your memories the more I can see why…”
Helbram opened his mouth to respond, but as he did he felt his body lurch, like whatever he was standing on was pulled from under him. His vision went white as he stumbled forward, and as it returned the first thing he noticed was that he was staring at his hands.
They were covered in blood.
The pain that flared from his palms told him that it was from wounds of his own, but as he made to move them closer to examine them he found that he could not do so. His hands remained still, trembling as blood trickled down from torn skin and calluses, caking the dirt that covered them in a mess of crusted mud. He made to move them again, but stopped himself when he realized that he was again bearing witness to another memory.
One that he did not wish to recall.
He could not see his face, but the size of his hands were the same as they were in the present, possessing a softness to them that had long faded from his touch. He was an adult in this memory, a fact that only confirmed the worst for him.
He was back in the training ring in front of his house. The sky was red with the fading light of the evening sun, draped over the rock that stood in front of him. Thin lines marred its surface, countless scratches that added a shade of paleness to its darkened grain. Scattered around the rock were bits of broken metal, remnants of the swords that had been dashed upon the rock.
He heaved with each breath, eyes still focused upon the rock as his vision blurred from the sweat that fell over his eyes from his brow. He wiped his eyes with his forearm, fleeing a slight sting to them, which he ignored as he knelt down, grasping at the sword that lay at his feet. Its blade was chipped up and down its profile, but still held the vague semblance of a weapon. His hands stung as they wrapped around the handle, blood beading between his fingertips as he gripped the sword with all of his might.
The blade shook as Helbram held it in front of him, slipping into the remnants of a stance that had broken from the fatigue long ago. He tried to keep himself still, but no matter how much he tried to focus the sword continued to tremble. He reared the blade back and roared, slamming the sword into the rock.
It struck stone with a weak grinding sound that sent shivers down his spine, but still he hefted the weapon back up and struck the stone again, leaving another thin scratch across its surface.
Helbram wanted to close his eyes, but the memory did not let him. Instead he could only watch himself hit the rock over and over, feeling each shock that shivered up his hands, feeling the pain in his palms flaring as more of its skin began to tear. Still his memory self continued, striking the stone in a trance, and he could feel each desperate attempt to reach for Ether that was not there… was never there.
The pace of his swings increased, each time the grating of metal against rock cutting deeper and deeper into his mind. All attempts to reach for any Ether that he desired were abandoned, and in a chorus of rage filled yells Helbram kept striking the rock. He saw nothing but his target, felt nothing aside from the increasingly pathetic desire for the stone to yield to his attacks, a desperate attempt to run from a truth that clawed at his back.
The sword was nothing more than twisted metal when the light of the sun had faded, leaving only the pale light of a new moon sky to illuminate his surroundings. He rested his head against the rock, beating it with his bloodied fist. He eventually stopped, letting his hand rest against the stone, shivering from the cold that started to chill the sweat on his skin.
He grit his teeth and stood up, hefting the warped sword into the air with a final cry before bringing it down.
Only for his hands to be stopped as his father caught them.
“Helbram stop!”
But he didn’t, he fought his father’s grip as hard as he could, but it was to no avail. The sword was pulled from his hands with ease and thrown to the side, and when Helbram still made to break from the hold his father grabbed his arms and pinned them at his sides. In his tired state, Helbram could not fight it, and was only able to shake in place.
“Deep breaths son,” his father said, “you need to center yourself.”
“What good does that do?!” Helbram yelled. He fell to his knees, his vision blurring as he felt tears start to pool in his eyes, “What good does any of this do?”
His father looked at him with sad eyes, “Helbram, I -”
“I have tried, and tried, and tried,” Helbram said in a trembling voice, “but still it meant nothing in the end. When the time came to prove myself, it was all for naught. Still was I lacking, still I remain lacking, and no matter what I do it does not matter,” he looked down at his bloodied hands, clenching them until the sting of his torn flesh dulled the aching in his heart, “It will never matter, and try as I might to run from this truth, there is no escaping it. It is hopeless.”
The grip around his arms tightened, “It is not hopeless.”
Helbram looked up, meeting his father’s eyes and seeing the steel behind them.
“It was not for naught,” he said, “your efforts will be recognized, this I swear.”
Helbram’s vision went white, and when it returned, he was back in the void, the Sword still standing in front of him wearing the guise of the hero.
He rubbed his brow, “If you mean to convince me with visions of the past, then that was a poor choice.”
The Sword shook his head, “No, I was merely showing you the source of my understanding. Years of effort, bearing no fruit, no results. While I cannot fathom the frustration that may cause, I know that such things are not easy to deal with.”
Helbram sighed, “Do you now? I suppose that you know what happened after that little embarrassment?” He looked at the Sword, a sad smile pulling at his lips, “My father set out, seeking items, elixirs that could cure my condition. For months at a time would he disappear, marked by new scars, new wounds that told me the danger that he exposed himself to, all for my sake, all while I sat still. Time warped, with days feeling like months and months feeling like days, taking any possible cure from my father, feeling just a small spark of hope when it looked like things could be different,” he snorted, “a habit that I have been unable to shake.”
His jaw clenched, “I grew to hate it. Despite my father’s intentions I could only get angrier with each new failure. I would lash out, curse him for giving me hope only to sink back into despair once more. Yet still he left, still he would try.”
He closed his eyes as his vision blurred.
“One day, when he returned, he collapsed before he could even get through the door. Poison was in his veins, its effects slowed enough by the Ether he possessed to allow him to make his way back home,” he let go of a breathe that he wasn’t aware that he held, “With the aid of my grandfather, he recovered, but it took weeks, and each night the poison would wrack through his body.”
He clenched his fists, “I can still hear his screams, his cries as he felt pains I cannot even begin to fathom. All because his son wanted to be stronger, all because of me.”
Helbram took in a deep breath and sighed, “And so I would relieve my father of that burden. When I confirmed that the worst had passed and that he was on the mend, I left. I would not have my father suffer for my own deficiencies. If I was going to chase a dream that would never come true, then I should be the one to bear all its consequences.”
He looked back at the Sword, “So yes, it had been hard to deal with such frustrations, but for some reason that escapes me, I cannot help but continue on this fruitless endeavor.”
The Sword stepped towards him, “Your efforts have not been wasted.”
Helbram frowned at him, but let the Sword continue.
“It is true, the power that is within you is stagnant, unable to be wielded by yourself,” he explained, “but, that does not mean it has not grown.”
Helbram looked at him with questioning eyes, “Explain.”
“Refer to what I have said before, that you possess the greatest potential of all those I have seen. The power that you have trained, nurtured despite your limitations is merely dormant, waiting for a catalyst to awaken. Fifteen years of effort, your efforts, your father’s efforts, they have not been in vain.”
Before Helbram could object, the Sword grabbed his arm.
Fire lanced through his body, a burning sensation that, for a moment, was intense enough that he felt a chill over his skin for a brief moment. The sensation faded and his body felt… light, almost weightless as gooseflesh trailed down his arms. He felt more… aware of his body. The Sword’s chosen form looked more defined in his eyes, the silver glow in his eyes focused into streaks of silver that danced along his irises, the runes along his armor easier to read, though he still did not know what they meant.
More than that was the awareness of the power that suffused through him. It pulsed with each beat of his heart, a rush of strength that made him tremble the more that he felt it. A sword had appeared in his hands, brimming with a soft blue light that suffused the entire length of the blade. It was Ether… his Ether.
“This is no falsehood,” the Sword said, “this is but a spark of the power that lies within you, the result of your training, your father’s aid, just waiting to be awakened,” he placed his other hand on Helbram’s shoulder, “This is why I say that you possess the most potential, for it is the truth. You just need something to awaken it,” his voice grew soft, “I can be the one to do so.”
Helbram could not look up, the sensation of the power that ran through him entrancing his every sense. He felt his vision blur, but only slightly as he could see through the tears more clearly.
It was there, it was really there.
“Take hold, Helbram,” The Sword said, “Pull me from the tree and awaken the power that lies within, the power that you deserve, that you have earned.”
With those words, the void disappeared, leaving Helbram in front of the tree once again, his hand still on the handle of the Sword. Gone was the sensation of power that ran through him, leaving only a phantom of its traces, a sense of longing left in its wake.
He stared at the blade, its silver glint dull in comparison to the brilliance that was held in the Sword’s previous guise. He felt his hands tremble, the memory of that power fresh in his mind. His grip around the handle tightened, and he could feel the muscles in his arm tense up unconsciously.
It was right there, the key that would awaken his strength.
Fifteen years of effort, all waiting to be stirred from a long slumber.
His arm flexed, he felt the blade start to slide.
The air around him trembled as a wave of emotion washed over him. Sadness, confusion… rage that threatened to pull the very breath from his lungs. He knew this sensation, knew its source.
And it was only confirmed as a roar ripped through the air.
First / Previous / Next
Author's Note: We finally have the Sword and Helbram actually talk! This arc is all about delving into parts of Helbram's mind and I think this was a good way to expose such things about the character. Its a bit shorter, but I didn't want to include anything here that would take away from what the chapter was focusing on. Let me know how I did!
If you wish to read ahead and gain access to the audiobook version of this story, consider supporting me on Patreon. If you want to leave a donation, here is my Ko-fi. More than any of that though, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and have yourself a very wonderful day! :)
submitted by grierks to HFY [link] [comments]
Helbram stared at the image of his father, the initial ache in his heart fading the longer his eyes rested on him. His father was never a cruel nor cold man, but the warmth that was present in the image’s face was… strange, unfitting for the man that Helbram had grown up with. Familial longing was replaced by caution of the unknown, and he felt his skin grow warm as anger started to boil at the pit of his stomach.
The man raised his hands, “I see this image upsets you. My apologies,” he said, his voice light, ringing with the sounds of vibrating steel.
The image faded from his sight, leaving him alone in the darkness.
“What image would you prefer then?” the voice said, now echoing throughout the void.
“I would have you take no guise,” Helbram said. He took a cursory look around him, unable to discern a source for the voice, “My memories are my own, and I will not have you wear their skin in some attempt to appease me.”
A laugh rang through the darkness, ringing like a bell, “A man of conviction, that I can respect.”
A mote of silver light appeared before Helbram, growing until it took the shape of a humanoid figure. The light faded, leaving behind a figure clad in silver armor. A winged helmet obscured the figure’s head for a moment, but it soon reached up and removed it, revealing the face of a man. Given the man’s features, Helbram could tell that he was a human, but the man’s skin was a stark white, with silver eyes that brimmed with the sheen of silver light. There was a chiseled look to his face, with his sharp, well defined jaw that was quirked from the man’s confident smile. He was tall and broad shouldered, both slightly wider and taller than Helbram himself, which gave him a natural air of intimidation that blended with the raw power that radiated from his body. His armor was of an ancient make, a blend of chainmail and plate to cover his body, yet the runes engraved onto the plate and shape of the armor itself was far curvier than anything he’d seen before, emphasizing the man’s physique as opposed to the usual bulky armor that Helbram himself would wear.
It eventually dawned on him that he had seen the armor before, in the murals that sat above the Sword.
“So what are you, the Sword or the man that wielded it?” Helbram asked.
The man cradled his helmet right above his hip and bowed, “Sadly, my previous master has long passed from this world. Consider this form a gesture of respect to him,” he looked up to Helbram with a kind smile, “and to you.”
Helbram’s eyes narrowed, “I am not sure I’m entirely pleased to receive respect that I have not earned.”
The Sword stood upright, “Oh but you have. I have borne witness to many men who have tried to prove their worth to me, and most have been found wanting.”
“Aside from me and two others,” Helbram said.
The silver-clad man nodded, “Yes, how brimming with potential must this age be to have three such worthy individuals,” he stepped towards Helbram, who kept his distance, “but even with such a bounty of strength one must stand above them all, and I believe that you are the one to do it.”
Helbram sighed, “Then why the test? Would it not have been more expedient to have Sophia come speak to me sooner?”
The Sword’s face grew grim, “That, I am afraid, was due to urgency.”
Helbram regarded the silver haired man with a flat expression, “Explain.”
The Sword started to pace, “The murals in my shrine tell the tale of a man that made the ultimate sacrifice to defeat a great evil,” he motioned to himself, “this man, which I am sure you are well aware of, but I am afraid that despite his efforts, that very same evil remains.”
Helbram crossed his arms, “Does this evil have a name?”
“There is no direct translation from the Ancient Tongue, I am afraid, but for the purposes of giving it an identity let us call it Malice, shall we?”
Helbram nodded, but frowned, “If you were aware of its continued existence then why did you not provide warning of it beforehand?”
A sorrowful expression pulled down at The Sword’s silver eyes, “Malice has always been… subtle with its touch. That is how it began, you see. Not as the overwhelming force it eventually was, but as a subtle, insidious entity with a grasp deft enough to escape even my awareness. I had thought it gone… until I felt its corrosive nature once again.”
“Thus the test.”
The pale skinned man gave a brief nod, “Precisely. Even with three worthy candidates, it is vital that I be wielded by one who was both brave enough and competent enough to face the emerging darkness.”
Helbram’s frown deepened, “So you set them off on a test without telling them what the opponent was.”
The Sword regarded him with a blank expression, “It was a test of knowledge in addition to bravery.”
“Yes, which is why you sent a young man who has not had a lick of experience in combat against a Troll,” Helbram’s eyes narrowed, “And an opportunist, waiting until her target was weakened to strike.”
The Sword tilted his head, “What are you insinuating?”
Helbram shrugged, “If you were to choose a weilder that would help you fight off a great evil, I imagine you would have someone of more… experience and prone to self sacrifice in mind.”
“You possess such experience, do you not? And from what I can tell, your purpose for going into those woods was to save, not to slay. Such actions require a certain amount of self sacrifice,” The Sword smiled at him, “Such actions are those of a Hero.”
Helbram’s eye twitched, “Flattery will get you nowhere with me.”
“I merely speak the truth,” the sword explained, “It would be rather pointless of me to show such interest in you if it was a lie, would it not?” he motioned towards his own body, “I have been held in the possession of the finest of heroes, wieldied in battles against foes that have matched that same caliber. I know talent when I see it, feel it, and within you I sense that very same potential.”
“Do not speak to me of potential!” Helbram snapped. He let silence settle between them before rubbing his eyes and sighing, “I have spoken enough of it for a lifetime today.”
The Sword looked at him, eyes alight with curiosity, “You are very guarded when it comes to speaking of such things, though the more that I look into your memories the more I can see why…”
Helbram opened his mouth to respond, but as he did he felt his body lurch, like whatever he was standing on was pulled from under him. His vision went white as he stumbled forward, and as it returned the first thing he noticed was that he was staring at his hands.
They were covered in blood.
The pain that flared from his palms told him that it was from wounds of his own, but as he made to move them closer to examine them he found that he could not do so. His hands remained still, trembling as blood trickled down from torn skin and calluses, caking the dirt that covered them in a mess of crusted mud. He made to move them again, but stopped himself when he realized that he was again bearing witness to another memory.
One that he did not wish to recall.
He could not see his face, but the size of his hands were the same as they were in the present, possessing a softness to them that had long faded from his touch. He was an adult in this memory, a fact that only confirmed the worst for him.
He was back in the training ring in front of his house. The sky was red with the fading light of the evening sun, draped over the rock that stood in front of him. Thin lines marred its surface, countless scratches that added a shade of paleness to its darkened grain. Scattered around the rock were bits of broken metal, remnants of the swords that had been dashed upon the rock.
He heaved with each breath, eyes still focused upon the rock as his vision blurred from the sweat that fell over his eyes from his brow. He wiped his eyes with his forearm, fleeing a slight sting to them, which he ignored as he knelt down, grasping at the sword that lay at his feet. Its blade was chipped up and down its profile, but still held the vague semblance of a weapon. His hands stung as they wrapped around the handle, blood beading between his fingertips as he gripped the sword with all of his might.
The blade shook as Helbram held it in front of him, slipping into the remnants of a stance that had broken from the fatigue long ago. He tried to keep himself still, but no matter how much he tried to focus the sword continued to tremble. He reared the blade back and roared, slamming the sword into the rock.
It struck stone with a weak grinding sound that sent shivers down his spine, but still he hefted the weapon back up and struck the stone again, leaving another thin scratch across its surface.
Helbram wanted to close his eyes, but the memory did not let him. Instead he could only watch himself hit the rock over and over, feeling each shock that shivered up his hands, feeling the pain in his palms flaring as more of its skin began to tear. Still his memory self continued, striking the stone in a trance, and he could feel each desperate attempt to reach for Ether that was not there… was never there.
The pace of his swings increased, each time the grating of metal against rock cutting deeper and deeper into his mind. All attempts to reach for any Ether that he desired were abandoned, and in a chorus of rage filled yells Helbram kept striking the rock. He saw nothing but his target, felt nothing aside from the increasingly pathetic desire for the stone to yield to his attacks, a desperate attempt to run from a truth that clawed at his back.
The sword was nothing more than twisted metal when the light of the sun had faded, leaving only the pale light of a new moon sky to illuminate his surroundings. He rested his head against the rock, beating it with his bloodied fist. He eventually stopped, letting his hand rest against the stone, shivering from the cold that started to chill the sweat on his skin.
He grit his teeth and stood up, hefting the warped sword into the air with a final cry before bringing it down.
Only for his hands to be stopped as his father caught them.
“Helbram stop!”
But he didn’t, he fought his father’s grip as hard as he could, but it was to no avail. The sword was pulled from his hands with ease and thrown to the side, and when Helbram still made to break from the hold his father grabbed his arms and pinned them at his sides. In his tired state, Helbram could not fight it, and was only able to shake in place.
“Deep breaths son,” his father said, “you need to center yourself.”
“What good does that do?!” Helbram yelled. He fell to his knees, his vision blurring as he felt tears start to pool in his eyes, “What good does any of this do?”
His father looked at him with sad eyes, “Helbram, I -”
“I have tried, and tried, and tried,” Helbram said in a trembling voice, “but still it meant nothing in the end. When the time came to prove myself, it was all for naught. Still was I lacking, still I remain lacking, and no matter what I do it does not matter,” he looked down at his bloodied hands, clenching them until the sting of his torn flesh dulled the aching in his heart, “It will never matter, and try as I might to run from this truth, there is no escaping it. It is hopeless.”
The grip around his arms tightened, “It is not hopeless.”
Helbram looked up, meeting his father’s eyes and seeing the steel behind them.
“It was not for naught,” he said, “your efforts will be recognized, this I swear.”
Helbram’s vision went white, and when it returned, he was back in the void, the Sword still standing in front of him wearing the guise of the hero.
He rubbed his brow, “If you mean to convince me with visions of the past, then that was a poor choice.”
The Sword shook his head, “No, I was merely showing you the source of my understanding. Years of effort, bearing no fruit, no results. While I cannot fathom the frustration that may cause, I know that such things are not easy to deal with.”
Helbram sighed, “Do you now? I suppose that you know what happened after that little embarrassment?” He looked at the Sword, a sad smile pulling at his lips, “My father set out, seeking items, elixirs that could cure my condition. For months at a time would he disappear, marked by new scars, new wounds that told me the danger that he exposed himself to, all for my sake, all while I sat still. Time warped, with days feeling like months and months feeling like days, taking any possible cure from my father, feeling just a small spark of hope when it looked like things could be different,” he snorted, “a habit that I have been unable to shake.”
His jaw clenched, “I grew to hate it. Despite my father’s intentions I could only get angrier with each new failure. I would lash out, curse him for giving me hope only to sink back into despair once more. Yet still he left, still he would try.”
He closed his eyes as his vision blurred.
“One day, when he returned, he collapsed before he could even get through the door. Poison was in his veins, its effects slowed enough by the Ether he possessed to allow him to make his way back home,” he let go of a breathe that he wasn’t aware that he held, “With the aid of my grandfather, he recovered, but it took weeks, and each night the poison would wrack through his body.”
He clenched his fists, “I can still hear his screams, his cries as he felt pains I cannot even begin to fathom. All because his son wanted to be stronger, all because of me.”
Helbram took in a deep breath and sighed, “And so I would relieve my father of that burden. When I confirmed that the worst had passed and that he was on the mend, I left. I would not have my father suffer for my own deficiencies. If I was going to chase a dream that would never come true, then I should be the one to bear all its consequences.”
He looked back at the Sword, “So yes, it had been hard to deal with such frustrations, but for some reason that escapes me, I cannot help but continue on this fruitless endeavor.”
The Sword stepped towards him, “Your efforts have not been wasted.”
Helbram frowned at him, but let the Sword continue.
“It is true, the power that is within you is stagnant, unable to be wielded by yourself,” he explained, “but, that does not mean it has not grown.”
Helbram looked at him with questioning eyes, “Explain.”
“Refer to what I have said before, that you possess the greatest potential of all those I have seen. The power that you have trained, nurtured despite your limitations is merely dormant, waiting for a catalyst to awaken. Fifteen years of effort, your efforts, your father’s efforts, they have not been in vain.”
Before Helbram could object, the Sword grabbed his arm.
Fire lanced through his body, a burning sensation that, for a moment, was intense enough that he felt a chill over his skin for a brief moment. The sensation faded and his body felt… light, almost weightless as gooseflesh trailed down his arms. He felt more… aware of his body. The Sword’s chosen form looked more defined in his eyes, the silver glow in his eyes focused into streaks of silver that danced along his irises, the runes along his armor easier to read, though he still did not know what they meant.
More than that was the awareness of the power that suffused through him. It pulsed with each beat of his heart, a rush of strength that made him tremble the more that he felt it. A sword had appeared in his hands, brimming with a soft blue light that suffused the entire length of the blade. It was Ether… his Ether.
“This is no falsehood,” the Sword said, “this is but a spark of the power that lies within you, the result of your training, your father’s aid, just waiting to be awakened,” he placed his other hand on Helbram’s shoulder, “This is why I say that you possess the most potential, for it is the truth. You just need something to awaken it,” his voice grew soft, “I can be the one to do so.”
Helbram could not look up, the sensation of the power that ran through him entrancing his every sense. He felt his vision blur, but only slightly as he could see through the tears more clearly.
It was there, it was really there.
“Take hold, Helbram,” The Sword said, “Pull me from the tree and awaken the power that lies within, the power that you deserve, that you have earned.”
With those words, the void disappeared, leaving Helbram in front of the tree once again, his hand still on the handle of the Sword. Gone was the sensation of power that ran through him, leaving only a phantom of its traces, a sense of longing left in its wake.
He stared at the blade, its silver glint dull in comparison to the brilliance that was held in the Sword’s previous guise. He felt his hands tremble, the memory of that power fresh in his mind. His grip around the handle tightened, and he could feel the muscles in his arm tense up unconsciously.
It was right there, the key that would awaken his strength.
Fifteen years of effort, all waiting to be stirred from a long slumber.
His arm flexed, he felt the blade start to slide.
The air around him trembled as a wave of emotion washed over him. Sadness, confusion… rage that threatened to pull the very breath from his lungs. He knew this sensation, knew its source.
And it was only confirmed as a roar ripped through the air.
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Author's Note: We finally have the Sword and Helbram actually talk! This arc is all about delving into parts of Helbram's mind and I think this was a good way to expose such things about the character. Its a bit shorter, but I didn't want to include anything here that would take away from what the chapter was focusing on. Let me know how I did!
If you wish to read ahead and gain access to the audiobook version of this story, consider supporting me on Patreon. If you want to leave a donation, here is my Ko-fi. More than any of that though, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and have yourself a very wonderful day! :)
2023.06.04 16:44 I-am-the-Peel (Spoilers Extended) A Character Analysis of Varys, the fake and lying eunuch
Apologies for the length and lateness of this post, past few months have been quite chaotic and haven't had much access to the internet, I dunno when I'll be back on this sub again after this so until then, more posts from me will be a Dream for Spring Summer (probably)
Over the years I've read a great many theories about the character of Varys, his motivations, his scheming throughout the series and his endgame, but none of them have ever truly sat well with me for how much his character feels simplified. He is one of ASOIAF's most complex characters who I still believe we haven't entirely cracked yet, and I for one still believe even after writing this post up and reflecting on it, there's still some of his character that I haven't figured out.
However, I want to propose an alternative character analysis to the character of Varys, one that drifts away from the more common take on his character - Varys is not a eunuch or a friend of Tyrion Lannister, and has spent his entire life lying about his manhood to deter anyone from thinking that he could father any children, so that fAegon, his true son, would always be protected while hiding.
Let us begin by breaking down each of the lies that define his character.
First, the lie that he was castrated as a young slave and had his manhood thrown into a fire by 'a certain man', which resulted in the fire turning magically blue and 'a voice' speaking out to Varys.
Illyrio, the same man who praised R'hllor, a God that Varys despises;
It makes little sense that Varys would entertain the company of those who worship R'hllor or magical forms of fire, if Varys truly is traumatised by what seemingly happened to him as a slave child by fire.
As well as Illyrio, this is apparent in Aerys II, who would regularly burn people in the throne room with wildfire, in the presence of Varys;
But it makes a lot more sense that Varys actually never had a problem with R'hllor or wildfire, and instead chose to encourage Aerys' paranoia so that he would always both seem useful to Aerys and be on good relations with him, to solidify his position of power on the Small Council, given that he was just a young foreign man in Westeros and wholly dependent on Aerys' support to maintain his standing in King's Landing.
The second lie of Varys' character that I wish to tackle is his apparent concern for the wellbeing of children;
However, we later learn in the series that Aegon seemingly survived and was swapped with a tanner's child, bought by Varys and swapped with Aegon, so that this bought child could be sacrificed to the Lannisters, who Varys presumed would want to kill Rhaegar's children;
The first red flag of this story is the idea that Varys, a former slave child who abhors slavery, would willingly buy another man's young child. Also pay attention to the mention of 'Arbor gold', which has been well documented on this sub for years for how its always a signal of lies, as individuals like Littlefinger mention it in passing whenever they are telling a lie.
The second red flag is the idea that Varys, someone who seemingly abhors the murder and suffering of innocent children, would willingly sacrifice an innocent young child and allow them to be murdered just to spare another, more valuable child. The idea that Varys would also take Elia's child away from her, either willingly or unwillingly on her part, is also questionable.
The third red flag is why Varys chose only to switch Aegon with another child, and not do the same for Rhaenys. Having two imposter Targaryen children raised to believe they are Targaryens could've helped to support their claims, build them up as a rival power in Westeros and also provide a backup option for Varys incase fAegon didn't survive his childhood.
The final red flag is the idea that Varys was able to foresee how the Rebellion was going to end, accurately guessed that Rhaegar's children would be murdered by the Lannisters, knew where and when to find Elia and her children, be able to remove one of her children away from her without anyone knowing, and knew that one of Tywin's men would kill the children so brutally that next to no one would be able to recognise them - the idea story is built on a series of flimsy conveniences and incredible predictive abilities on Varys' part.
If Varys truly cared so much about the protection and well-being of children, he would not have willingly bought and sacrificed an innocent child to be sacrificed in exchange for Aegon's survival, nor would he have abandoned Rhaenys to her fate if he could have prevented it. This means either Varys truly doesn't give a damn about the wellbeing of children and just lies to the likes of Ned and Tyrion about it, or that the entire story about Aegon being swapped with a tanner's child is a lie like some fans believe, or that both stories are lies muddled together to make it more difficult to discern the truth.
Perhaps the truth of Varys' lies is best exposed in this often cited excerpt from ACOK, a conversation between him and Tyrion about the infamous "Shadow on the Wall" riddle;
I however believe that Varys is talking about himself.
Varys was once a very small man when he came to King's Landing at Aerys' calling for him to join the Small Council. He was seen as a young ex-slave, without a lordship or house of his own, weak and powerless. But overtime, through his manipulation of Aerys, encouraging his paranoia and own self-inflicted downfall, Varys cast a very large shadow over the empire of House Targaryen in Westeros, and destroyed it forever. What Varys says here to Tyrion is a very veiled threat that he can be dangerous to Tyrion if he underestimates Varys.
Tyrion however, in his arrogance, believes that Varys is referring to him, being a "very small man" and begins considering him a friend.
This is the third and final lie of Varys' character that I wish to dissect here - the lie that he is a friend or useful ally of sorts to Tyrion.
The idea of Varys betraying Tyrion's trust and working against him is first presented to us by Cersei, when she lets slip that Varys informed her of Tyrion's plan to send the Hound into battle at the Battle of the Blackwater;
There are frequent moments throughout the series in which Varys alludes to knowing key information and deliberately withholding it from Tyrion even if it may benefit Tyrion, including who ordered Mandon Moore to kill Tyrion;
On the matter of Varys' choosing to support the Lannisters or Stannis, Varys once again tries to confuse Tyrion with riddles and not directly answer the question;
However, like with Cersei and Tyrion, Varys needs to tell those on the Small Council a certain amount of secretive information in order to gain their trust and support, including Stannis. That Varys even chooses to give a deeper and more unsettling laugh about the matter is another example of him openly laughing about his treachery in Tyrion's face and Tyrion not realising it.
When Tyrion almost stumbles upon this ruse and Varys realises that his laugh was too deep and questionable, Varys tries to brush it off by saying its harder to keep a secret secret if so many people are investigating it, and insists that there were so many of Robert's bastards to find for Stannis to figure out the truth on his own. But again, this last statement from Varys is littered with half-truths.
Varys insists it is hard to keep deceiving King Robert about the truth of his children's true parentage, and even harder to keep deceiving the truth from those who are deliberately looking for the truth and wanting to find it. This in itself is a reference to his believe that Stannis was always power-hungry for the Iron Throne, and was just looking for an excuse to try to claim it for himself as Robert's true heir, regardless of whether or not Cersei's children were Robert's or not.
But his own comment about "betraying a secret I have held for so long" is a direct allusion to fAegon's existence, and his determination not to reveal the truth of his existence to anyone, including Tyrion.
Even when Tyrion rides with Illyrio and Jon Connington's entourage in ADWD, Tyrion is only led to believe that they are going to support Daenerys' claim for the Iron Throne, and has to work out for himself that fAegon is actually Aegon and the one Varys and Illyrio wish to crown;
This likely angers Varys, and is the reason why Varys no longer affectionately calls Tyrion by his name or by '"lord" and instead refers to him as "the imp" in ADWD's epilogue, a term that Varys knows Tyrion hates;
Varys never considered Tyrion a friend or ally in ASOIAF and was just using him, another lie that he tells throughout the series, and by the end of ADWD, he hates Tyrion for his scheming and knowing too much information than Varys wished him to know.
But there is a bigger telling point about how much Varys uses Tyrion, and a more ground-breaking twist in the narrative that reflects both how much Varys underestimates Tyrion and how much Varys never cared for him;
In ASOS, Varys didn't tell Tyrion how to reach the Tower of the Hand to go and kill Tywin. Varys told him this key information so that Tyrion could go and kill Shae instead, who Varys considered a greater threat to him.
Shae is one of the few, perhaps the only, people in ASOIAF to see through Varys' disguises;
Wearing disguises is a very important part of Varys' many schemes, including visiting Ned Stark in the Black Cells as the gaoler Rugen;
It is also fundamentally not in Varys' interest for Tyrion to kill Tywin, as keeping Tywin alive for now would ensure the Dornish would have someone to rise up and seek vengeance against for Elia's murder. As readers are shown in AFFC and ADWD Dornish chapters, the Martells are divided and frankly confused about how to seek vengeance for Elia's murder now that Tywin, Gregor and Armory Lorch - the three men involved in her murder - are now dead. **If Tywin had lived, Varys could've played on the Dornish thirst for vengeance against him and had fAegon promise them it in exchange for their support, something which they likely would've agreed to.
So by this point in the post, we've explored some of the key lies of Varys' character to know for sure what he is not;
Well, Varys is not a eunuch, and in fact fAegon's true father by blood. Varys has deliberately spent his life lying about being a eunuch in order to discourage people from the truth that he is the father of fAegon by Illyrio’s sister, and wants to control the Iron Throne through fAegon.
Recall Varys' conversation with Tyrion in ACOK that I previously cited earlier;
Varys was never castrated and he is not bald. He deliberately shaves his head to hide his true parentage and lies about being a eunuch to discourage people from believing that he is capable of fathering a child, a child with Blackfyre blood that he wishes to sit on the Iron Throne, a secret that Varys has cared for and kept so long.
The last time we see Varys in ADWD, he finally begins to tell the truth about fAegon's existence, and when he does, and speaks about the son he loves, he begins to speak in his real, deeper and non-emasculated voice;**
TLDR:
Varys is not a eunuch but instead the father of fAegon, a secret he has spent his life protecting, and a lie he has spent his life telling to better protect his son.
Varys does not hate R'hllor or those who worship magical flames, his entire story about his manhood being sacrificed to flames is a lie he tells to gain Tyrion's trust in their efforts to defeat Stannis in ACOK. Varys is close friends with Illyrio, a man who praises R'hllor, and spent the early parts of his life encouraging Aerys to feed innocent people to the flames of wildfire.
Varys does not hate the suffering of innocent children, he was prepared to buy an innocent child from a man and sacrifice him in order to protect the "real" Aegon, he was prepared to abandon Rhaenys to her brutal death even if he could have saved her too and prepared to send Viserys and Daenerys into a doomed invasion of Westeros that would've led to their deaths just to make fAegon appear a more heroic saviour compared to them.
Varys was never a friend or ally to Tyrion but instead was using him ever since they first met. He has repeatedly withheld important information from him such as who hired Mandon Moore to kill Tyrion and how Stannis figured out the truth about Cersei's children, and on frequent occasions has nearly openly laughed in Tyrion's face at both his misfortune and the information Varys withheld from him. Varys also manipulated Tyrion into killing Shae so that she would not expose Varys' identity as Rugen and didn't trust Tyrion with the information about fAegon's existence, something that Tyrion had to figure out himself. Varys also talks lowly of Tyrion at the end of ADWD as a "conniving Imp" which reflects Varys' true feelings about Tyrion.
Varys has spent his life shaving his hair and lying about being a eunuch to discourage anyone from believing he could father fAegon and better protect him, so that fAegon could one day take the Iron Throne, and cast a very large shadow over the Targaryen Empire forever.
Thanks for reading, if you enjoyed this theory be sure to read some of my other theories below;
All the signs that Tywin directly gave the Mountain the order to badly mistreat Elia Martell
The Father Rhaegaer, the Son Jon and the Holy Ghost Ghost, religious symbolism
Mance Rayder is a servant of the Others
Leyton Hightower is the Lord of Light and Malora the Mad Maid is Quaithe
2022 archive of ASOIAF theories available at the bottom of this post
submitted by I-am-the-Peel to asoiaf [link] [comments]
Over the years I've read a great many theories about the character of Varys, his motivations, his scheming throughout the series and his endgame, but none of them have ever truly sat well with me for how much his character feels simplified. He is one of ASOIAF's most complex characters who I still believe we haven't entirely cracked yet, and I for one still believe even after writing this post up and reflecting on it, there's still some of his character that I haven't figured out.
However, I want to propose an alternative character analysis to the character of Varys, one that drifts away from the more common take on his character - Varys is not a eunuch or a friend of Tyrion Lannister, and has spent his entire life lying about his manhood to deter anyone from thinking that he could father any children, so that fAegon, his true son, would always be protected while hiding.
Let us begin by breaking down each of the lies that define his character.
First, the lie that he was castrated as a young slave and had his manhood thrown into a fire by 'a certain man', which resulted in the fire turning magically blue and 'a voice' speaking out to Varys.
"One day at Myr, a certain man came to our folly. After the performance, he made an offer for me that my master found too tempting to refuse. I was in terror. I feared the man meant to use me as I had heard men used small boys, but in truth the only part of me he had need of was my manhood. He gave me a potion that made me powerless to move or speak, yet did nothing to dull my senses. With a long hooked blade, he sliced me root and stem, chanting all the while. I watched him burn my manly parts on a brazier. The flames turned blue, and I heard a voice answer his call, though I did not understand the words they spoke. "The mummers had sailed by the time he was done with me. Once I had served his purpose, the man had no further interest in me, so he put me out. When I asked him what I should do now, he answered that he supposed I should die. To spite him, I resolved to live. I begged, I stole, and I sold what parts of my body still remained to me. Soon I was as good a thief as any in Myr, and when I was older I learned that often the contents of a man's letters are more valuable than the contents of his purse. "Yet I still dream of that night, my lord. Not of the sorcerer, nor his blade, nor even the way my manhood shriveled as it burned. I dream of the voice. The voice from the flames. Was it a god, a demon, some conjurer's trick? I could not tell you, and I know all the tricks. All I can say for a certainty is that he called it, and it answered, and since that day I have hated magic and all those who practice it. If Lord Stannis is one such, I mean to see him dead." - ACOK - TYRION XNow there is much from this excerpt to raise complaints and questions about Varys' story;
- There are no known instances of individuals being mutilated and having their mutilated parts being sacrificed in the flames for the sake of blood magic or appeasing R'hllor. Individuals have often been sacrificed to the flames, but sacrificed in their whole bodies.
- The details of how Varys was mutilated and that he was able to survive is unbelievable, and even more unbelievable that he went on to live as an orphan on the streets after this horrific ordeal with little to no medical treatment. Varys' simple claim that he "resolved to live" is very vague.
- Varys can remember this mystic and mysterious voice, but not what it send or what the words sounded like. Melisandre claims to hear the voices of R'hllor in the flames and voices could be heard from Drogo's tent when Mirri Maz Duhr was performing her blood magic, but these voices are only heard by the sorcerers, and not the victims. By all accounts, Varys should not have been able to hear these voices, if part of himself was fed to the flames.
"How many days until we reach the river?" he asked Illyrio that evening. "At this pace, your queen's dragons will be larger than Aegon's three before I can lay eyes upon them." "Would it were so. A large dragon is more fearsome than a small one." The magister shrugged. "Much as it would please me to welcome Queen Daenerys to Volantis, I must rely on you and Griff for that. I can serve her best in Pentos, smoothing the way for her return. So long as I am with you, though … well, an old fat man must have his comforts, yes? Come, drink a cup of wine." - ADWD - TYRION IIIllyrio is Varys' best friend and closest confidant, who he works with to protect Daenerys for much of her life and is willing to crown her as Queen alongside fAegon even though she has magical fire-breathing dragons that Varys, a victim of magical flames, would despise.
Illyrio, the same man who praised R'hllor, a God that Varys despises;
Her brother was waiting in the cool of the entry hall, seated on the edge of the pool, his hand trailing in the water. He rose when she appeared and looked her over critically. "Stand there," he told her. "Turn around. Yes. Good. You look …" "Regal," Magister Illyrio said, stepping through an archway. He moved with surprising delicacy for such a massive man. Beneath loose garments of flame-colored silk, rolls of fat jiggled as he walked. Gemstones glittered on every finger, and his man had oiled his forked yellow beard until it shone like real gold. "May the Lord of Light shower you with blessings on this most fortunate day, Princess Daenerys," the magister said as he took her hand. He bowed his head, showing a thin glimpse of crooked yellow teeth through the gold of his beard. "She is a vision, Your Grace, a vision," he told her brother. "Drogo will be enraptured." - AGOT - DAENERYS INeither Viserys or Daenerys were followers of R'hllor at this point, or surrounded by any followers, meaning Illyrio didn't need to bring up this form of prayer to R'hllor unless it was genuine or near genuine on his own part.
It makes little sense that Varys would entertain the company of those who worship R'hllor or magical forms of fire, if Varys truly is traumatised by what seemingly happened to him as a slave child by fire.
As well as Illyrio, this is apparent in Aerys II, who would regularly burn people in the throne room with wildfire, in the presence of Varys;
Frustrated, Aerys turned to the Wisdoms of the ancient Guild of Alchemists, who knew the secret of producing the volatile jade green substance known as wildfire, said to be a close cousin to dragonflame. The pyromancers became a regular fixture at his court as the king's fascination with fire grew. By 280 AC, Aerys II had taken to burning traitors, murderers, and plotters, rather than hanging or beheading them. The king seemed to take great pleasure in these fiery executions, which were presided over by Wisdom Rossart, the grand master of the Guild of Alchemists...so much so that he granted Rossart the title of Lord and gave him a seat upon the small council. - TWOIAF - THE TARGARYEN KINGS - AERYS IINot only would Varys be present to witness these burnings, but Varys even encouraged Aerys to burn other individuals suspected of treachery, and fuelled both Aerys' paranoia and bloodlust;
He floated in heat, in memory. "After dancing griffins lost the Battle of the Bells, Aerys exiled him." Why am I telling this absurd ugly child? "He had finally realized that Robert was no mere outlaw lord to be crushed at whim, but the greatest threat House Targaryen had faced since Daemon Blackfyre. The king reminded Lewyn Martell gracelessly that he held Elia and sent him to take command of the ten thousand Dornishmen coming up the kingsroad. Jon Darry and Barristan Selmy rode to Stoney Sept to rally what they could of griffins' men, and Prince Rhaegar returned from the south and persuaded his father to swallow his pride and summon my father. But no raven returned from Casterly Rock, and that made the king even more afraid. He saw traitors everywhere, and Varys was always there to point out any he might have missed. So His Grace commanded his alchemists to place caches of wildfire all over King's Landing. Beneath Baelor's Sept and the hovels of Flea Bottom, under stables and storehouses, at all seven gates, even in the cellars of the Red Keep itself. - ASOS - JAIME VVarys developed a reputation for egging on Aerys' paranoia and encouraging him to execute apparent traitors by fire, so much so that people like Barristan lay chief blame for Aerys' downfall into madness on Varys for exploiting it;
"It is not a question of wanting. The throne is mine, as Robert's heir. That is law. After me, it must pass to my daughter, unless Selyse should finally give me a son." He ran three fingers lightly down the table, over the layers of smooth hard varnish, dark with age. "I am king. Wants do not enter into it. I have a duty to my daughter. To the realm. Even to Robert. He loved me but little, I know, yet he was my brother. The Lannister woman gave him horns and made a motley fool of him. She may have murdered him as well, as she murdered Jon Arryn and Ned Stark. For such crimes there must be justice. Starting with Cersei and her abominations. But only starting. I mean to scour that court clean. As Robert should have done, after the Trident. Ser Barristan once told me that the rot in King Aerys's reign began with Varys. The eunuch should never have been pardoned. No more than the Kingslayer. At the least, Robert should have stripped the white cloak from Jaime and sent him to the Wall, as Lord Stark urged. He listened to Jon Arryn instead. I was still at Storm's End, under siege and unconsulted." He turned abruptly, to give Davos a hard shrewd look. "The truth, now. Why did you wish to murder Lady Melisandre?" - ASOS - DAVOS IVIt makes very little sense that Varys, a eunuch who seemingly hates worshippers of R'hllor and pyromancers for burning people and sacrificing his manhood to the flames as a child, would be best friends with a man who praises R'hllor or encourage his previous King to burn several people, many of whom were likely innocent of the claims of treachery put against them.
But it makes a lot more sense that Varys actually never had a problem with R'hllor or wildfire, and instead chose to encourage Aerys' paranoia so that he would always both seem useful to Aerys and be on good relations with him, to solidify his position of power on the Small Council, given that he was just a young foreign man in Westeros and wholly dependent on Aerys' support to maintain his standing in King's Landing.
The second lie of Varys' character that I wish to tackle is his apparent concern for the wellbeing of children;
"No," Ned pleaded, his voice cracking. "Varys, gods have mercy, do as you like with me, but leave my daughter out of your schemes. Sansa's no more than a child." "Rhaenys was a child too. Prince Rhaegar's daughter. A precious little thing, younger than your girls. She had a small black kitten she called Balerion, did you know? I always wondered what happened to him. Rhaenys liked to pretend he was the true Balerion, the Black Dread of old, but I imagine the Lannisters taught her the difference between a kitten and a dragon quick enough, the day they broke down her door." Varys gave a long weary sigh, the sigh of a man who carried all the sadness of the world in a sack upon his shoulders. "The High Septon once told me that as we sin, so do we suffer. If that's true, Lord Eddard, tell me … why is it always the innocents who suffer most, when you high lords play your game of thrones? Ponder it, if you would, while you wait upon the queen. And spare a thought for this as well: The next visitor who calls on you could bring you bread and cheese and the milk of the poppy for your pain … or he could bring you Sansa's head. - AGOT - EDDARD XVVarys shows apparent disgust at the murders of Rhaegar's children, Rhaenys and Aegon, at the end of Robert's Rebellion, and the way in which they were brutally murdered.
However, we later learn in the series that Aegon seemingly survived and was swapped with a tanner's child, bought by Varys and swapped with Aegon, so that this bought child could be sacrificed to the Lannisters, who Varys presumed would want to kill Rhaegar's children;
"A true friend, our Lord Connington. He must be, to remain so fiercely loyal to the grandson of the king who took his lands and titles and sent him into exile. A pity about that. Elsewise Prince Rhaegar's friend might have been on hand when my father sacked King's Landing, to save Prince Rhaegar's precious little son from getting his royal brains dashed out against a wall." The lad flushed. "That was not me. I told you. That was some tanner's son from Pisswater Bend whose mother died birthing him. His father sold him to Lord Varys for a jug of Arbor gold. He had other sons but had never tasted Arbor gold. Varys gave the Pisswater boy to my lady mother and carried me away." "Aye." Tyrion moved his elephants. "And when the pisswater prince was safely dead, the eunuch smuggled you across the narrow sea to his fat friend the cheesemonger, who hid you on a poleboat and found an exile lord willing to call himself your father. It does make for a splendid story, and the singers will make much of your escape once you take the Iron Throne … assuming that our fair Daenerys takes you for her consort." - ADWD - TYRION VIThis entire "splendid story" as Tyrion calls it, is full of inconsistencies and unbelievable acts.
The first red flag of this story is the idea that Varys, a former slave child who abhors slavery, would willingly buy another man's young child. Also pay attention to the mention of 'Arbor gold', which has been well documented on this sub for years for how its always a signal of lies, as individuals like Littlefinger mention it in passing whenever they are telling a lie.
The second red flag is the idea that Varys, someone who seemingly abhors the murder and suffering of innocent children, would willingly sacrifice an innocent young child and allow them to be murdered just to spare another, more valuable child. The idea that Varys would also take Elia's child away from her, either willingly or unwillingly on her part, is also questionable.
The third red flag is why Varys chose only to switch Aegon with another child, and not do the same for Rhaenys. Having two imposter Targaryen children raised to believe they are Targaryens could've helped to support their claims, build them up as a rival power in Westeros and also provide a backup option for Varys incase fAegon didn't survive his childhood.
The final red flag is the idea that Varys was able to foresee how the Rebellion was going to end, accurately guessed that Rhaegar's children would be murdered by the Lannisters, knew where and when to find Elia and her children, be able to remove one of her children away from her without anyone knowing, and knew that one of Tywin's men would kill the children so brutally that next to no one would be able to recognise them - the idea story is built on a series of flimsy conveniences and incredible predictive abilities on Varys' part.
If Varys truly cared so much about the protection and well-being of children, he would not have willingly bought and sacrificed an innocent child to be sacrificed in exchange for Aegon's survival, nor would he have abandoned Rhaenys to her fate if he could have prevented it. This means either Varys truly doesn't give a damn about the wellbeing of children and just lies to the likes of Ned and Tyrion about it, or that the entire story about Aegon being swapped with a tanner's child is a lie like some fans believe, or that both stories are lies muddled together to make it more difficult to discern the truth.
Perhaps the truth of Varys' lies is best exposed in this often cited excerpt from ACOK, a conversation between him and Tyrion about the infamous "Shadow on the Wall" riddle;
Varys smiled. "Here, then. Power resides where men believe it resides. No more and no less.""So power is a mummer's trick?" "A shadow on the wall," Varys murmured, "yet shadows can kill. And ofttimes a very small man can cast a very large shadow." Tyrion smiled. "Lord Varys, I am growing strangely fond of you. I may kill you yet, but I think I'd feel sad about it." - ACOK - TYRION IIThe question of who Varys refers to in this conversation has been debated for years on this sub. Some believe that Varys was alluding to fAegon, that if people believe he is the real Aegon then he will have power, even if he doesn't truly have power as a common non-Targaryen child. Others have suggested Varys was alluding to Littlefinger, who was once a young small man who rose very high in King's Landing and cast a large shadow over the realm by starting the WotFk through his schemes.
I however believe that Varys is talking about himself.
Varys was once a very small man when he came to King's Landing at Aerys' calling for him to join the Small Council. He was seen as a young ex-slave, without a lordship or house of his own, weak and powerless. But overtime, through his manipulation of Aerys, encouraging his paranoia and own self-inflicted downfall, Varys cast a very large shadow over the empire of House Targaryen in Westeros, and destroyed it forever. What Varys says here to Tyrion is a very veiled threat that he can be dangerous to Tyrion if he underestimates Varys.
Tyrion however, in his arrogance, believes that Varys is referring to him, being a "very small man" and begins considering him a friend.
This is the third and final lie of Varys' character that I wish to dissect here - the lie that he is a friend or useful ally of sorts to Tyrion.
The idea of Varys betraying Tyrion's trust and working against him is first presented to us by Cersei, when she lets slip that Varys informed her of Tyrion's plan to send the Hound into battle at the Battle of the Blackwater;
"Varys says so." The swan was too rich for his taste. A line appeared on Cersei's pale white brow, between those lovely eyes. "You put too much trust in that eunuch." "He serves me well." "Or so he'd have you believe. You think you're the only one he whispers secrets to? He gives each of us just enough to convince us that we'd be helpless without him. He played the same game with me, when I first wed Robert. For years, I was convinced I had no truer friend at court, but now . . ." She studied his face for a moment. "He says you mean to take the Hound from Joffrey." - ACOK - TYRION XIIOn a first read, we are quick to dismiss Cersei's claims for how much she is built up as an antagonistic and untrustworthy character, but in later understanding her motives in her own POV chapters, we realise there may be an inkling of truth in her claims. In the case of the Hound, Varys has no reason to inform her of Tyrion's plan, however innocent and insignificant in the grand game of thrones they may be, other than to maintain some level of trust with her and to invoke conflict between the Lannister siblings, which benefits Varys.
There are frequent moments throughout the series in which Varys alludes to knowing key information and deliberately withholding it from Tyrion even if it may benefit Tyrion, including who ordered Mandon Moore to kill Tyrion;
Bronn had turned up all he could on Ser Mandon, but no doubt Varys knew a deal more . . . should he choose to share it. "The man seems to have been quite friendless," Tyrion said carefully. "Sadly," said Varys, "oh, sadly. You might find some kin if you turned over enough stones back in the Vale, but here . . . Lord Arryn brought him to King's Landing and Robert gave him his white cloak, but neither loved him much, I fear. Nor was he the sort the smallfolk cheer in tourneys, despite his undoubted prowess. Why, even his brothers of the Kingsguard never warmed to him. Ser Barristan was once heard to say that the man had no friend but his sword and no life but duty . . . but you know, I do not think Selmy meant it altogether as praise. Which is queer when you consider it, is it not? Those are the very qualities we seek in our Kingsguard, it could be said—men who live not for themselves, but for their king. By those lights, our brave Ser Mandon was the perfect white knight. And he died as a knight of the Kingsguard ought, with sword in hand, defending one of the king's own blood." The eunuch gave him a slimy smile and watched him sharply. Trying to murder one of the king's own blood, you mean. Tyrion wondered if Varys knew rather more than he was saying. - ASOS - TYRION IIWhen Tyrion presses Varys for information about Mandon, Varys deliberately skims over Mandon's life and offers vague beliefs about the perfect Kingsguard to try and derail Tyrion's line of questioning, and when Varys pretends not to have known about Mandon trying to kill Tyrion, he watches Tyrion "sharply" to try and gather how much Tyrion himself knows, whether or not Tyrion will seek retribution for it from the anger on his face, and almost openly mocks him for the smile he gives. Tyrion briefly considers the idea that Varys is deliberately holding information back from him, but chooses instead to talk about other matters, which is what Varys wanted.
On the matter of Varys' choosing to support the Lannisters or Stannis, Varys once again tries to confuse Tyrion with riddles and not directly answer the question;
"He accuses my brother and sister of incest. I wonder how he came by that suspicion." "Perhaps he read a book and looked at the color of a bastard's hair, as Ned Stark did, and Jon Arryn before him. Or perhaps someone whispered it in his ear." The eunuch's laugh was not his usual giggle, but deeper and more throaty. "Someone like you, perchance?" "Am I suspected? It was not me." "If it had been, would you admit it?" "No. But why should I betray a secret I have kept so long? It is one thing to deceive a king, and quite another to hide from the cricket in the rushes and the little bird in the chimney. Besides, the bastards were there for all to see." - ACOK - TYRION IIIWe know for certain that Varys didn't want the WotFK to start so soon or for the truth of Cersei's children to come out in AGOT because he wanted more time for Viserys' forces to grow in strength and come closer to Westeros in order to invade, either to take the throne for themselves or be the ones to kill the beloved Robert Baratheon and paint themselves as villainous usurpers to make fAegon more heroic and not taint him with Robert's blood on his hands.
However, like with Cersei and Tyrion, Varys needs to tell those on the Small Council a certain amount of secretive information in order to gain their trust and support, including Stannis. That Varys even chooses to give a deeper and more unsettling laugh about the matter is another example of him openly laughing about his treachery in Tyrion's face and Tyrion not realising it.
When Tyrion almost stumbles upon this ruse and Varys realises that his laugh was too deep and questionable, Varys tries to brush it off by saying its harder to keep a secret secret if so many people are investigating it, and insists that there were so many of Robert's bastards to find for Stannis to figure out the truth on his own. But again, this last statement from Varys is littered with half-truths.
Varys insists it is hard to keep deceiving King Robert about the truth of his children's true parentage, and even harder to keep deceiving the truth from those who are deliberately looking for the truth and wanting to find it. This in itself is a reference to his believe that Stannis was always power-hungry for the Iron Throne, and was just looking for an excuse to try to claim it for himself as Robert's true heir, regardless of whether or not Cersei's children were Robert's or not.
But his own comment about "betraying a secret I have held for so long" is a direct allusion to fAegon's existence, and his determination not to reveal the truth of his existence to anyone, including Tyrion.
Even when Tyrion rides with Illyrio and Jon Connington's entourage in ADWD, Tyrion is only led to believe that they are going to support Daenerys' claim for the Iron Throne, and has to work out for himself that fAegon is actually Aegon and the one Varys and Illyrio wish to crown;
Young Griff hesitated. "Lannister? Your father—" "—is dead. At my hand. If it please Your Grace to call me Yollo or Hugor, so be it, but know that I was born Tyrion of House Lannister, trueborn son of Tywin and Joanna, both of whom I slew. Men will tell you that I am a kingslayer, a kinslayer, and a liar, and all of that is true … but then, we are a company of liars, are we not? Take your feigned father. Griff, is it?" The dwarf sniggered. "You should thank the gods that Varys the Spider is a part of this plot of yours. Griff would not have fooled the cockless wonder for an instant, no more than it did me. No lord, my lordship says, no knight. And I'm no dwarf. Just saying a thing does not make it true. Who better to raise Prince Rhaegar's infant son than Prince Rhaegar's dear friend Jon Connington, once Lord of Griffin's Roost and Hand of the King?" "Be quiet." Griff's voice was uneasy. - ADWD - TYRION VAfter Tyrion works out the truth and manipulates both fAegon and Jon Connington into riding for Westeros instead of joining forces with Daenerys, he disappears and goes off to seek her out.
This likely angers Varys, and is the reason why Varys no longer affectionately calls Tyrion by his name or by '"lord" and instead refers to him as "the imp" in ADWD's epilogue, a term that Varys knows Tyrion hates;
Ser Kevan tried to rise, but the strength had left him. He could not feel his legs. "I thought the crossbow fitting. You shared so much with Lord Tywin, why not that? Your niece will think the Tyrells had you murdered, mayhaps with the connivance of the Imp. The Tyrells will suspect her. Someone somewhere will find a way to blame the Dornishmen. Doubt, division, and mistrust will eat the very ground beneath your boy king, whilst Aegon raises his banner above Storm's End and the lords of the realm gather round him." "Aegon?" For a moment he did not understand. Then he remembered. A babe swaddled in a crimson cloak, the cloth stained with his blood and brains. "Dead. He's dead." - ADWD - EPILOGUEVarys chooses to frame Tyrion for Kevan's murder, **deliberately and intentionally further putting his life in danger by Cersei's wrath, already knowing that Tyrion has a large bounty on his head because of her, and talks lowly of Tyrion by calling him an "Imp" and referring to his "connivance" in a very scorned tone.
Varys never considered Tyrion a friend or ally in ASOIAF and was just using him, another lie that he tells throughout the series, and by the end of ADWD, he hates Tyrion for his scheming and knowing too much information than Varys wished him to know.
But there is a bigger telling point about how much Varys uses Tyrion, and a more ground-breaking twist in the narrative that reflects both how much Varys underestimates Tyrion and how much Varys never cared for him;
In ASOS, Varys didn't tell Tyrion how to reach the Tower of the Hand to go and kill Tywin. Varys told him this key information so that Tyrion could go and kill Shae instead, who Varys considered a greater threat to him.
Shae is one of the few, perhaps the only, people in ASOIAF to see through Varys' disguises;
A whiff of something rank made him turn his head. Shae stood in the door behind him, dressed in the silvery robe he'd given her. I loved a maid as white as winter, with moonglow in her hair. Behind her stood one of the begging brothers, a portly man in filthy patched robes, his bare feet crusty with dirt, a bowl hung about his neck on a leather thong where a septon would have worn a crystal. The smell of him would have gagged a rat. "Lord Varys has come to see you," Shae announced. The begging brother blinked at her, astonished. Tyrion laughed. "To be sure. How is it you knew him when I did not?" She shrugged. "It's still him. Only dressed different." - ACOK - TYRION XThis catches Varys off guard, and any chance of seeing him being angry or looking threatened is waved away from the reader when Tyrion laughs it off and turns his attention again to his paramour Shae.
Wearing disguises is a very important part of Varys' many schemes, including visiting Ned Stark in the Black Cells as the gaoler Rugen;
"Wine," a voice answered. It was not the rat-faced man; this gaoler was stouter, shorter, though he wore the same leather half cape and spiked steel cap. "Drink, Lord Eddard." He thrust a wineskin into Ned's hands. The voice was strangely familiar, yet it took Ned Stark a moment to place it. "Varys?" he said groggily when it came. He touched the man's face. "I'm not … not dreaming this. You're here." The eunuch's plump cheeks were covered with a dark stubble of beard. Ned felt the coarse hair with his fingers. Varys had transformed himself into a grizzled turnkey, reeking of sweat and sour wine. "How did you … what sort of magician are you?" - AGOT - EDDARD XVHis disguise as Rugen is very important to Varys' plans after Tyrion's disappearance from King's Landing, as Varys seeks to frame Rugen as a Tyrell puppet who broke Tyrion from imprisonment on the Tyrells' behalf, to sow division and further paranoia between Cersei and the Tyrells;
Gold, yes, but the moment Cersei took it she could tell that it was wrong. Too small, she thought, too thin. The coin was old and worn. On one side was a king's face in profile, on the other side the imprint of a hand. "This is no dragon," she said. "No," Qyburn agreed. "It dates from before the Conquest, Your Grace. The king is Garth the Twelfth, and the hand is the sigil of House Gardener." Of Highgarden. Cersei closed her hand around the coin. What treachery is this? Mace Tyrell had been one of Tyrion's judges, and had called loudly for his death. Was that some ploy? Could he have been plotting with the Imp all the while, conspiring at Father's death? With Tywin Lannister in his grave, Lord Tyrell was an obvious choice to be King's Hand, but even so . . . "You will not speak of this with anyone," she commanded. - AFFC - CERSEI IIBut this ploy to incite conflict between the Lannisters and Tyrells would have failed if Shae had lived, as she had seen through Varys' disguises and could've warned Cersei of it, something which Varys could not allow, especially given that he considered her one of Cersei's pawns after Tyrion's trial.
It is also fundamentally not in Varys' interest for Tyrion to kill Tywin, as keeping Tywin alive for now would ensure the Dornish would have someone to rise up and seek vengeance against for Elia's murder. As readers are shown in AFFC and ADWD Dornish chapters, the Martells are divided and frankly confused about how to seek vengeance for Elia's murder now that Tywin, Gregor and Armory Lorch - the three men involved in her murder - are now dead. **If Tywin had lived, Varys could've played on the Dornish thirst for vengeance against him and had fAegon promise them it in exchange for their support, something which they likely would've agreed to.
So by this point in the post, we've explored some of the key lies of Varys' character to know for sure what he is not;
- He is not the victim of slavery or a sacrificial victim to magical fires, nor does he abhor those who worship R'hllor or magical flames
- He does not hate the killing and suffering of innocent children, and has actually sought to profit from it in the past
- He has never been a friend or ally to Tyrion Lannister but has instead used him, and even manipulated him into killing Shae to protect one of Varys' own future schemes
Well, Varys is not a eunuch, and in fact fAegon's true father by blood. Varys has deliberately spent his life lying about being a eunuch in order to discourage people from the truth that he is the father of fAegon by Illyrio’s sister, and wants to control the Iron Throne through fAegon.
Recall Varys' conversation with Tyrion in ACOK that I previously cited earlier;
"He accuses my brother and sister of incest. I wonder how he came by that suspicion." "Perhaps he read a book and looked at the color of a bastard's hair, as Ned Stark did, and Jon Arryn before him. Or perhaps someone whispered it in his ear." The eunuch's laugh was not his usual giggle, but deeper and more throaty. "Someone like you, perchance?" "Am I suspected? It was not me." "If it had been, would you admit it?" "No. But why should I betray a secret I have kept so long? It is one thing to deceive a king, and quite another to hide from the cricket in the rushes and the little bird in the chimney. Besides, the bastards were there for all to see." - ACOK - TYRION III"Why should I betray a secret I have kept so long?" is the biggest hint towards fAegon's existence and Varys' own true motivations in the entire series. Varys makes this spur of the moment claim after being caught off guard by Tyrion and doesn't think it through before saying it and letting Tyrion realise there is more to him.
Varys was never castrated and he is not bald. He deliberately shaves his head to hide his true parentage and lies about being a eunuch to discourage people from believing that he is capable of fathering a child, a child with Blackfyre blood that he wishes to sit on the Iron Throne, a secret that Varys has cared for and kept so long.
The last time we see Varys in ADWD, he finally begins to tell the truth about fAegon's existence, and when he does, and speaks about the son he loves, he begins to speak in his real, deeper and non-emasculated voice;**
"Aegon?" For a moment he did not understand. Then he remembered. A babe swaddled in a crimson cloak, the cloth stained with his blood and brains. "Dead. He's dead." "No." The eunuch's voice seemed deeper. "He is here. Aegon has been shaped for rule since before he could walk. He has been trained in arms, as befits a knight to be, but that was not the end of his education. He reads and writes, he speaks several tongues, he has studied history and law and poetry. A septa has instructed him in the mysteries of the Faith since he was old enough to understand them. He has lived with fisherfolk, worked with his hands, swum in rivers and mended nets and learned to wash his own clothes at need. He can fish and cook and bind up a wound, he knows what it is like to be hungry, to be hunted, to be afraid. Tommen has been taught that kingship is his right. Aegon knows that kingship is his duty, that a king must put his people first, and live and rule for them." - ADWD - EPILOGUEThis is who Varys truly is - not a eunuch, not a victim of slavery or castration, not a man who weeps for the suffering of children, not a friend of Tyrion Lannister, but a loving father who wishes to cast a very large shadow over the greatest empire the world of ASOIAF has ever known.
TLDR:
Varys is not a eunuch but instead the father of fAegon, a secret he has spent his life protecting, and a lie he has spent his life telling to better protect his son.
Varys does not hate R'hllor or those who worship magical flames, his entire story about his manhood being sacrificed to flames is a lie he tells to gain Tyrion's trust in their efforts to defeat Stannis in ACOK. Varys is close friends with Illyrio, a man who praises R'hllor, and spent the early parts of his life encouraging Aerys to feed innocent people to the flames of wildfire.
Varys does not hate the suffering of innocent children, he was prepared to buy an innocent child from a man and sacrifice him in order to protect the "real" Aegon, he was prepared to abandon Rhaenys to her brutal death even if he could have saved her too and prepared to send Viserys and Daenerys into a doomed invasion of Westeros that would've led to their deaths just to make fAegon appear a more heroic saviour compared to them.
Varys was never a friend or ally to Tyrion but instead was using him ever since they first met. He has repeatedly withheld important information from him such as who hired Mandon Moore to kill Tyrion and how Stannis figured out the truth about Cersei's children, and on frequent occasions has nearly openly laughed in Tyrion's face at both his misfortune and the information Varys withheld from him. Varys also manipulated Tyrion into killing Shae so that she would not expose Varys' identity as Rugen and didn't trust Tyrion with the information about fAegon's existence, something that Tyrion had to figure out himself. Varys also talks lowly of Tyrion at the end of ADWD as a "conniving Imp" which reflects Varys' true feelings about Tyrion.
Varys has spent his life shaving his hair and lying about being a eunuch to discourage anyone from believing he could father fAegon and better protect him, so that fAegon could one day take the Iron Throne, and cast a very large shadow over the Targaryen Empire forever.
Thanks for reading, if you enjoyed this theory be sure to read some of my other theories below;
All the signs that Tywin directly gave the Mountain the order to badly mistreat Elia Martell
The Father Rhaegaer, the Son Jon and the Holy Ghost Ghost, religious symbolism
Mance Rayder is a servant of the Others
Leyton Hightower is the Lord of Light and Malora the Mad Maid is Quaithe
2022 archive of ASOIAF theories available at the bottom of this post
2023.06.04 16:34 07AudiS6V10 Just a small job
 | Now that I know where to start and finish, the rest of it shouldn't take so long. submitted by 07AudiS6V10 to AutoDetailing [link] [comments] Green Scotch bright, sand 800, 1000, 2000, and Finish Polish with Megs Mirror Glaze 110 on a Griots garage fast finishing pad. I did a small section with the Megs swirl remover, but it just was not worth the extra time. https://preview.redd.it/wq0duo5kh04b1.jpg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b52f3012f36f443f37b146fa65d4169f845327cc |
2023.06.04 16:24 L3ftyk03 (WTT) 2015 Honda CRF250L
Time Stamp <- also photos
2015 Honda CRF250L with 7796 miles.
I bought this bike with the intent to go off-roading in the pine barrens with my brother, but then had a kid and now having another… so on the chopping block it goes..
Accessories on the bike: - FMF Power Core exhaust and FMF Power Bomb header -JD Jetting fuel tunner -RaceTech .50kg front spring (new fork seals from all balls racing and Spectro Gold 85/150 5w fork oil when this was installed on both shocks) -EBC clutch plates & heavy duty springs (replaces and removes the judder plate) -Flatland racing skid plate -Kemi Moto luggage rack -Fender eliminator w/ LED tail light and turn signals -Tusk wrap around aluminum hand guards with built in turn signals -LED turn signal flasher relay -LED headlight -Blue Sea 12v plug with 3D printed holder next to dash -Michelin Anakee Wild front and rear tire (approximately 100-150 miles on them) -13 tooth front sprocket -EVAP canister and lines removed and plugged off (original parts included in box should you wish to reinstall them) -Moose racing handle bar
Only issue the bike has is that the stickers I put on it are peeling.. I didn’t read the directions to apply heat after they have been put on to set them, rather then stretch with heat like I did…
Willing to meet up within reasonable distance.
Looking for PVS14 as partial trade.
TV: $4,400 SV: $4,200
My apologies I will edit post to include, but SE PA 19525. Willing to meet within few hours drive…
submitted by L3ftyk03 to GunAccessoriesForSale [link] [comments]
2015 Honda CRF250L with 7796 miles.
I bought this bike with the intent to go off-roading in the pine barrens with my brother, but then had a kid and now having another… so on the chopping block it goes..
Accessories on the bike: - FMF Power Core exhaust and FMF Power Bomb header -JD Jetting fuel tunner -RaceTech .50kg front spring (new fork seals from all balls racing and Spectro Gold 85/150 5w fork oil when this was installed on both shocks) -EBC clutch plates & heavy duty springs (replaces and removes the judder plate) -Flatland racing skid plate -Kemi Moto luggage rack -Fender eliminator w/ LED tail light and turn signals -Tusk wrap around aluminum hand guards with built in turn signals -LED turn signal flasher relay -LED headlight -Blue Sea 12v plug with 3D printed holder next to dash -Michelin Anakee Wild front and rear tire (approximately 100-150 miles on them) -13 tooth front sprocket -EVAP canister and lines removed and plugged off (original parts included in box should you wish to reinstall them) -Moose racing handle bar
Only issue the bike has is that the stickers I put on it are peeling.. I didn’t read the directions to apply heat after they have been put on to set them, rather then stretch with heat like I did…
Willing to meet up within reasonable distance.
Looking for PVS14 as partial trade.
TV: $4,400 SV: $4,200
My apologies I will edit post to include, but SE PA 19525. Willing to meet within few hours drive…
2023.06.04 13:49 Ok_Ice_4326 Fuck me...
So I've had crohns 20 years now, I've gotta say, I absolutely despise it, My Gastroenterologist, who is one of the best the uk has to offer, once told me it's rare to have it as aggressively as I have. I've had every suitable drug in their arsenal and it did nothing, I had one op to cut out some small gut, it came back, I had another op, to cut out abit more, it came back, a few years passed of trying various drugs, nothing seems to quell its progression. I then tried to get on a trial treatment, but the doctors in charge of that said I wasn't strong enough to go through it (this was during a massive three year flare up) I eventually lost half my body weight dropping to a measly 9stone. By this point, I was hallucinating due to malnourishment, I was eventually taken back into hospital when under emergency hospital circumstances, I had my entire large intestine removed. The surgeon later told me, it was dropping to bits in his hands as he's taking it out. I've been left with a permanent ileostomy.
The last 24 hrs have been hell again, I ate something yesterday which my body really didn't like. Its sent me dashing to the toilet at its 6 hour peak, about every 10-15 minutes. I've lost a stone I weight and not feel completely washed out, drained, dizzy and cant see straight. I hate my life because of this fucking disease.
Update... im now waiting to hear back from 111, looks like there's a fair old chance I'll be having a stay with the NHS tonight... 😖🔫
submitted by Ok_Ice_4326 to CrohnsDisease [link] [comments]
The last 24 hrs have been hell again, I ate something yesterday which my body really didn't like. Its sent me dashing to the toilet at its 6 hour peak, about every 10-15 minutes. I've lost a stone I weight and not feel completely washed out, drained, dizzy and cant see straight. I hate my life because of this fucking disease.
Update... im now waiting to hear back from 111, looks like there's a fair old chance I'll be having a stay with the NHS tonight... 😖🔫
2023.06.04 13:13 TabulaRasa5678 It's a stupid question, but I won't know if I don't ask... oil change?
I haven't changed my own oil in over two decades. After a couple of mishaps, I'm beginning to not trust some techs to drive (or try to drive) my beautiful car that has a MT. I would assume that changing the oil has not changed in 20 years, but there may be some new tips/tricks. My car is a 2015 Honda Accord EX-L V6, six-speed MT.
Off-topic: I don't trust jack stands, so I'm going to invest in some car ramps. I can't believe that they sell them in plastic. You would think if you're going to put 1 3/4 tons above you, you'd pony up the extra $20 - $30 for the steel ones.
Thank you to everyone that answers. Most of you have been great in giving help and/or your opinion on my subjects that I've asked about.
submitted by TabulaRasa5678 to MechanicAdvice [link] [comments]
- Start car to normal operating temperature, turn off car
- Put pan under crankcase, use 17 mm wrench to loosen plug
- Drain oil completely, replace pressure washer with a new one, replace plug, tighten slightly
- Using oil wrench, remove oil filter, check to make sure gasket didn't stick to the case
- Drain oil from filter, replace filter after lubing the seal/gasket, tighten slightly
- Add 4.5 quarts 0W-20 synthetic detergent oil (API seal)
- Check the dipstick, run engine for 3 minutes, turn off and recheck dipstick
- Cycle through function button on dash to oil level, hold button until display flashes, let go, hold button again and number should go back to 100%
- Done.
Off-topic: I don't trust jack stands, so I'm going to invest in some car ramps. I can't believe that they sell them in plastic. You would think if you're going to put 1 3/4 tons above you, you'd pony up the extra $20 - $30 for the steel ones.
Thank you to everyone that answers. Most of you have been great in giving help and/or your opinion on my subjects that I've asked about.
2023.06.04 12:31 LaticusLad Time Marches Ever Onward
(Sentences or phrases bordered with bracket [ ] symbols indicate inner monologue!)Thank you u/SpacePaladin15 for creating this wonderful universe!
The Marching of Time
(Next)
Memory transcription subject: James Willik, Human historian
Date [standardized human time]: July 13, 2165
In my life, I’ve learned the depths to which tyrants will go to keep their power. After the war against the Federation, almost everyone had. For centuries, the Federation had lied, manipulated, stolen, murdered, done anything no matter the moral cost, to keep its citizens in its grasp, to stay in control. But they made one fatal mistake, one misstep that would loosen their hold on their slaves just long enough for someone to step in and challenge them. That mistake was angering Mankind.
When the dust had settled and the bullets had stopped flying, the UN found treasure troves of stolen knowledge all across the home-systems of the founders of the Federation, the Kolshians and Farsul. Endless libraries of atrocities done and culture stolen, of memories erased and lives destroyed. So much irreversible damage done just to keep their people locked in mental chains.
This is why early in life I decided to become a historian. I wanted to uncover and reintroduce the cultures, ideas, and truths that the Federation had wanted to burn to ash. At the age of 19, I was accepted into the then newly opened Meiers Institute of Knowledge. MIK was named after the former leader of the UN, a man who was described as compassionate and caring by nearly everyone who met him, said to be a hero. The MIK was built to let those ideas blossom forth, by providing unrestricted knowledge and education to anyone that wanted it.
During my time at MIK, because of the instruction and guidance provided by my teachers, my distrust of non-humans slowly faded. I made friends and learned things I would remember for the rest of my days. Several years later I reluctantly left the college that had become my home with a doctorate in history.
I’m now 31 years old, and several days ago I received a message from the UN Office of the Historian, stating that I and several others had been invited to the new capitol building on Aafa for a special job offering.
<<>>
As I wake, I notice how cold I feel.[Had I left the window open last night?] I think to myself. I rub my eyes and grab for my blanket, only managing to grab a handful of cloth from my shirt. I open my eyes to properly aim for the blanket this time only to witness an empty room.
No… That isn’t the correct way to describe it…This isn’t an empty room, this is the lack of a room. All around me is nothing but darkness.
I try to lift myself off my bed only to realize there is nothing beneath me. I’m the only matter that I can see in this void.
[What the fuck. What the fuck!?]
I begin panicking as my brain fully switches on, only now am I fully awake and aware of my situation. I flail my limbs around, trying to turn myself around to no avail as I float through the emptiness. I try to take in a breath only to inhale nothing. Vivid memories of nearly drowning at a vacation by the beach fill my mind. The space in my brain is packed full of questions by now.
[Wha- what the hell is happening? Where’s the air? How am I alive? Is this a dream?]
I begin calming down, wildly flailing my arms and legs is going to do nothing for me. A glow begins illuminating the backside of my arms, heating them like warm sunlight. I try to turn around, somehow managing to do so this time.
Light sears itself into my very soul as I stare forward at the object before me. I am seated at the edge of a star, its radiance beaming itself onto me as if it is some divine judge weighing the sins of my heart. Tendrils of superheated plasma ripple around it, like arms through water, effortlessly keeping the orb afloat.
A thunderous whisper echoes through the twisting and winding corridors of my mind. Paradoxically seeming both deafening and silent simultaneously. It is in a language I have never heard before and yet I understand the message all the same.
“Find us. We await.”
<<>>
For the second time today, I wake up. This time I am in my warm bed in my home on Venlil Prime. The memory of the star does not fade away, as the imagery in my dreams usually do.
I stretch and drag my legs off the side of the bed, acclimating my eyes to the ever-present twilight of the Venlil homeworld. I grab a picture frame holding an old photo of me and my parents off my bedside table. Their smiles warming me slightly. I hug the picture-frame into my chest. It’s been 3 years but I still miss them every day. “I wish you were still here, so much. I hope I made you proud.”
I perform my daily routine and get myself tidy before putting on my clothes. Today is the day that the UN is sending a ship to pick me up. I've gotta look my best if I’m gonna be meeting such important people. I walk through the main hallway of my house, glancing at the art adorning the walls as I pass by. Ever since the knowledge that the Federation has been performing cultural genocide for centuries became public, the market for historians and other professions tasked with discovering the past sky-rocketed. Despite the high pay though, my house was relatively small. A bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room, and some various utility and storage rooms was all I needed. I didn’t need a fancy living-space, that wasn’t what made me happy. What made me happy was the work I was doing for the people of the Coalition. Bringing back art and stories from ancient times, reintroducing species to a past and culture that they could be proud of. THAT was what fueled me.
I looked at my holopad and realized I only had 15 minutes before my ship arrived at the spaceport. I hurriedly filled a reusable cup with coffee and rushed out the door, no time for breakfast. I hopped in my car, buckled my seatbelt, turned my key, and backed out of the driveway onto the street, speeding down the road as fast as the anti-grav engine in my car would allow me. There is no way I’m missing an opportunity like this.
As I drove, the spaceport came into view. It towered above all the buildings surrounding it, making them seem miniscule in comparison. Ships swarmed around the structure like bees around a hive, loading and unloading cargo and passengers alike.
5 minutes.
I drew into a parking space in the underground garage. Removing my key and deactivating my vehicle. I slammed the door shut perhaps a little too hard and locked the doors with my keyfob as I sprinted towards the elevators to the top of the port. It took the lift around 50 seconds to travel nearly 300 stories into the sky. I bolted out of the barely opened doors, startling a Venlil couple and nearly knocking over an older looking man wearing a suit. I blurted out an apology and quickly said I was late before dashing off, the man looking more confused than annoyed.
I took a quick look at my holopad. 2 minutes. As I ran, I glanced at the signage on the walls. 587 588 589 560! I made my way into the hangar, straightening out my tie as I walked through the doors. I tried to hide how out of breath I was, these suits were not made for running. The ship was sleek and quite large, undoubtedly suited for luxury purposes, the UN did not spare any expense for its guests it seemed.
I walked up the boarding ramp and as the airlock opened, a man stood there to greet me. He was an older gentleman, slightly taller than me. He smiled and outstretched his hand. “Hello, I take it that you’re James! The ship is ready for you to depart. My name is Harold and I’ll be your attendant for the flight. ”He spoke enthusiastically with a southern drawl. I grasped the man’s hand and shook it. “I hope I didn’t take too long to arrive.” “Don’t worry son, you’re fine. It’ll take a couple days to reach Aafa so make yourself comfortable, down the hall behind me is the bar, lounge, and eating area, and further down are the sleeping quarters with accompanying bathrooms. ”Before I could respond, Harold spoke again. “There’ll be another passenger onboard, allow me to take you to them.”
The man stepped aside and followed as I walked down the hall to the lounge. The room was quite large, filled with expensive looking furniture and art. To my right was a small dining table and beyond that a kitchen. I looked to my left and felt my heart skip a beat as I locked eyes with a small Venlil with speckled white wool and orange eyes. She stared back, looking equally shocked.
“Lemva?”
(Next)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________This is my first time posting on here, any advice on story-presentation or formatting is welcome!
submitted by LaticusLad to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]
The Marching of Time
(
Memory transcription subject: James Willik, Human historian
Date [standardized human time]: July 13, 2165
In my life, I’ve learned the depths to which tyrants will go to keep their power. After the war against the Federation, almost everyone had. For centuries, the Federation had lied, manipulated, stolen, murdered, done anything no matter the moral cost, to keep its citizens in its grasp, to stay in control. But they made one fatal mistake, one misstep that would loosen their hold on their slaves just long enough for someone to step in and challenge them. That mistake was angering Mankind.
When the dust had settled and the bullets had stopped flying, the UN found treasure troves of stolen knowledge all across the home-systems of the founders of the Federation, the Kolshians and Farsul. Endless libraries of atrocities done and culture stolen, of memories erased and lives destroyed. So much irreversible damage done just to keep their people locked in mental chains.
This is why early in life I decided to become a historian. I wanted to uncover and reintroduce the cultures, ideas, and truths that the Federation had wanted to burn to ash. At the age of 19, I was accepted into the then newly opened Meiers Institute of Knowledge. MIK was named after the former leader of the UN, a man who was described as compassionate and caring by nearly everyone who met him, said to be a hero. The MIK was built to let those ideas blossom forth, by providing unrestricted knowledge and education to anyone that wanted it.
During my time at MIK, because of the instruction and guidance provided by my teachers, my distrust of non-humans slowly faded. I made friends and learned things I would remember for the rest of my days. Several years later I reluctantly left the college that had become my home with a doctorate in history.
I’m now 31 years old, and several days ago I received a message from the UN Office of the Historian, stating that I and several others had been invited to the new capitol building on Aafa for a special job offering.
<<>>
As I wake, I notice how cold I feel.[Had I left the window open last night?] I think to myself. I rub my eyes and grab for my blanket, only managing to grab a handful of cloth from my shirt. I open my eyes to properly aim for the blanket this time only to witness an empty room.
No… That isn’t the correct way to describe it…This isn’t an empty room, this is the lack of a room. All around me is nothing but darkness.
I try to lift myself off my bed only to realize there is nothing beneath me. I’m the only matter that I can see in this void.
[What the fuck. What the fuck!?]
I begin panicking as my brain fully switches on, only now am I fully awake and aware of my situation. I flail my limbs around, trying to turn myself around to no avail as I float through the emptiness. I try to take in a breath only to inhale nothing. Vivid memories of nearly drowning at a vacation by the beach fill my mind. The space in my brain is packed full of questions by now.
[Wha- what the hell is happening? Where’s the air? How am I alive? Is this a dream?]
I begin calming down, wildly flailing my arms and legs is going to do nothing for me. A glow begins illuminating the backside of my arms, heating them like warm sunlight. I try to turn around, somehow managing to do so this time.
Light sears itself into my very soul as I stare forward at the object before me. I am seated at the edge of a star, its radiance beaming itself onto me as if it is some divine judge weighing the sins of my heart. Tendrils of superheated plasma ripple around it, like arms through water, effortlessly keeping the orb afloat.
A thunderous whisper echoes through the twisting and winding corridors of my mind. Paradoxically seeming both deafening and silent simultaneously. It is in a language I have never heard before and yet I understand the message all the same.
“Find us. We await.”
<<>>
For the second time today, I wake up. This time I am in my warm bed in my home on Venlil Prime. The memory of the star does not fade away, as the imagery in my dreams usually do.
I stretch and drag my legs off the side of the bed, acclimating my eyes to the ever-present twilight of the Venlil homeworld. I grab a picture frame holding an old photo of me and my parents off my bedside table. Their smiles warming me slightly. I hug the picture-frame into my chest. It’s been 3 years but I still miss them every day. “I wish you were still here, so much. I hope I made you proud.”
I perform my daily routine and get myself tidy before putting on my clothes. Today is the day that the UN is sending a ship to pick me up. I've gotta look my best if I’m gonna be meeting such important people. I walk through the main hallway of my house, glancing at the art adorning the walls as I pass by. Ever since the knowledge that the Federation has been performing cultural genocide for centuries became public, the market for historians and other professions tasked with discovering the past sky-rocketed. Despite the high pay though, my house was relatively small. A bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room, and some various utility and storage rooms was all I needed. I didn’t need a fancy living-space, that wasn’t what made me happy. What made me happy was the work I was doing for the people of the Coalition. Bringing back art and stories from ancient times, reintroducing species to a past and culture that they could be proud of. THAT was what fueled me.
I looked at my holopad and realized I only had 15 minutes before my ship arrived at the spaceport. I hurriedly filled a reusable cup with coffee and rushed out the door, no time for breakfast. I hopped in my car, buckled my seatbelt, turned my key, and backed out of the driveway onto the street, speeding down the road as fast as the anti-grav engine in my car would allow me. There is no way I’m missing an opportunity like this.
As I drove, the spaceport came into view. It towered above all the buildings surrounding it, making them seem miniscule in comparison. Ships swarmed around the structure like bees around a hive, loading and unloading cargo and passengers alike.
5 minutes.
I drew into a parking space in the underground garage. Removing my key and deactivating my vehicle. I slammed the door shut perhaps a little too hard and locked the doors with my keyfob as I sprinted towards the elevators to the top of the port. It took the lift around 50 seconds to travel nearly 300 stories into the sky. I bolted out of the barely opened doors, startling a Venlil couple and nearly knocking over an older looking man wearing a suit. I blurted out an apology and quickly said I was late before dashing off, the man looking more confused than annoyed.
I took a quick look at my holopad. 2 minutes. As I ran, I glanced at the signage on the walls. 587 588 589 560! I made my way into the hangar, straightening out my tie as I walked through the doors. I tried to hide how out of breath I was, these suits were not made for running. The ship was sleek and quite large, undoubtedly suited for luxury purposes, the UN did not spare any expense for its guests it seemed.
I walked up the boarding ramp and as the airlock opened, a man stood there to greet me. He was an older gentleman, slightly taller than me. He smiled and outstretched his hand. “Hello, I take it that you’re James! The ship is ready for you to depart. My name is Harold and I’ll be your attendant for the flight. ”He spoke enthusiastically with a southern drawl. I grasped the man’s hand and shook it. “I hope I didn’t take too long to arrive.” “Don’t worry son, you’re fine. It’ll take a couple days to reach Aafa so make yourself comfortable, down the hall behind me is the bar, lounge, and eating area, and further down are the sleeping quarters with accompanying bathrooms. ”Before I could respond, Harold spoke again. “There’ll be another passenger onboard, allow me to take you to them.”
The man stepped aside and followed as I walked down the hall to the lounge. The room was quite large, filled with expensive looking furniture and art. To my right was a small dining table and beyond that a kitchen. I looked to my left and felt my heart skip a beat as I locked eyes with a small Venlil with speckled white wool and orange eyes. She stared back, looking equally shocked.
“Lemva?”
(
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________This is my first time posting on here, any advice on story-presentation or formatting is welcome!
2023.06.04 09:00 sandemande The choice of oil/fat in seasoning
Hi,
I inherited a cast iron pan from my grandmother I while back. It has been laying in the cupboard, waiting to be used, unfortunately. Recently, I decided to try and cook some stuff on it. Steaks work well, come out with a nice "crust" with medium rare insides. Anyway, I wasn't happy with the seasoning of the pan. Everytime I cooked on the pan, I had to apply a slight dash of oil for the pan in order to prevent even the fattiest foods from sticking. And it's not like the pan is super hot. I kept the thing on low-medium heat while cooking.
To solve the issue, I researched the seasoning process. While doing so, I stumbled upon the FAQ in this subreddit, which has a link to a seasoning process, here. I tried to follow this process, but in lack of what our overseas friends call "Crisco", I used generic rapeseed oil that I use to cook food with. Yes, rapeseed, not grapeseed oil. I believe this also known as canola oil in the US. Anyway, a after a few rounds, the seasoning looked fine (surface like a mirror), but really didn't hold. Tried cooking eggs with it, only to find that the egg protein formed a layer of its own on the pan. This lead to intense scrubbing and cleaning, which did nothing to de-egg the pan. I stuck the thing to a barbecue on full blast to burn the stuff from the pan and to facilitate easier removal of the egg gunk. Great success, but scrubbing seemed to remove some of the seasoning. So, I plan to start the seasoning process again. This time I will probably strip the pan down to metal before doing so.
I think the choice of oil maybe to blame here. In an effort to demystify the meaning of the word "Crisco", I tried Googling this Crisco thing and ran into various oils of the Crisco brand. The choice is overwhelming. In addition, there is something called Crisco vegetable shortening, which is a solid fat of some sort. I do seem to recall that grandma used pork fat to care for the pan, which is also a solid fat. Then again, the FAQ clearly states that they are using Crisco brand oil, clearly not a solid type of fat. Could someone please shed some light on the fat type they are using and explicitly state which type of Crisco (is it canola oil, vegetable oil or shortening or what?) you are using for seasoning. I'm situated in North Europe, so Crisco is in short supply. An alternative can probably be found but just need to know the type first. Thanks and sorry for the long post!
submitted by sandemande to castiron [link] [comments]
I inherited a cast iron pan from my grandmother I while back. It has been laying in the cupboard, waiting to be used, unfortunately. Recently, I decided to try and cook some stuff on it. Steaks work well, come out with a nice "crust" with medium rare insides. Anyway, I wasn't happy with the seasoning of the pan. Everytime I cooked on the pan, I had to apply a slight dash of oil for the pan in order to prevent even the fattiest foods from sticking. And it's not like the pan is super hot. I kept the thing on low-medium heat while cooking.
To solve the issue, I researched the seasoning process. While doing so, I stumbled upon the FAQ in this subreddit, which has a link to a seasoning process, here. I tried to follow this process, but in lack of what our overseas friends call "Crisco", I used generic rapeseed oil that I use to cook food with. Yes, rapeseed, not grapeseed oil. I believe this also known as canola oil in the US. Anyway, a after a few rounds, the seasoning looked fine (surface like a mirror), but really didn't hold. Tried cooking eggs with it, only to find that the egg protein formed a layer of its own on the pan. This lead to intense scrubbing and cleaning, which did nothing to de-egg the pan. I stuck the thing to a barbecue on full blast to burn the stuff from the pan and to facilitate easier removal of the egg gunk. Great success, but scrubbing seemed to remove some of the seasoning. So, I plan to start the seasoning process again. This time I will probably strip the pan down to metal before doing so.
I think the choice of oil maybe to blame here. In an effort to demystify the meaning of the word "Crisco", I tried Googling this Crisco thing and ran into various oils of the Crisco brand. The choice is overwhelming. In addition, there is something called Crisco vegetable shortening, which is a solid fat of some sort. I do seem to recall that grandma used pork fat to care for the pan, which is also a solid fat. Then again, the FAQ clearly states that they are using Crisco brand oil, clearly not a solid type of fat. Could someone please shed some light on the fat type they are using and explicitly state which type of Crisco (is it canola oil, vegetable oil or shortening or what?) you are using for seasoning. I'm situated in North Europe, so Crisco is in short supply. An alternative can probably be found but just need to know the type first. Thanks and sorry for the long post!
2023.06.04 06:55 RLMJackS Feel like I finally earned membership here...
A couple of years ago, I inherited the bike that my dad rode with me and my little brother while we were young kids. Piece by piece I have upgraded small things because I didn't want to change its character. Today I was wandering through REI and found clipless pedals and shoes in my size for far cheaper than they should be. So I finally pulled the trigger and decided to upgrade.
After a decidedly far too long attempt at removing the original pedals sold new with the bike 30 something years ago, I managed to install the new ones. Taking it out of my apartment, I felt like I had at least somewhat left the ranks of those who at least feel like they don't belong here.
Got it to the road, and decided that I should probably practice releasing from clip ins. Approximately 14 microseconds after I successfully got my first foot truly clipped into the bike, I tottered over onto the side that was clipped in. This was in front of my own, my neighbor's, my landlords, and several dash cams. While I am physically in a small amount of pain, I feel as if I may possibly have finally "earned my wings"
Please feel free to lecture me on the ways in which I should improve, but also know that my very first clipped in ride was to the local brewery / recreation Area.
submitted by RLMJackS to cycling [link] [comments]
After a decidedly far too long attempt at removing the original pedals sold new with the bike 30 something years ago, I managed to install the new ones. Taking it out of my apartment, I felt like I had at least somewhat left the ranks of those who at least feel like they don't belong here.
Got it to the road, and decided that I should probably practice releasing from clip ins. Approximately 14 microseconds after I successfully got my first foot truly clipped into the bike, I tottered over onto the side that was clipped in. This was in front of my own, my neighbor's, my landlords, and several dash cams. While I am physically in a small amount of pain, I feel as if I may possibly have finally "earned my wings"
Please feel free to lecture me on the ways in which I should improve, but also know that my very first clipped in ride was to the local brewery / recreation Area.
2023.06.04 04:53 risk71 Prius gurus? Wannabe mech stumped
2010 Prius. Very rough idle. Codes P0016 P0340 P0403 P3190 Back story: Car was running fine, then, one day it started running like it was missing terribly, warning light, check engine, etc.
It ran similar to this event before and we figured out it was the egr cooler fully plugged, and EGR valve.These were replaced. Car ran fine for a while.
Then we had a head gasket issue. We replaced the head gasket. Car ran fine for a while.
Brings us to current event. Driving fine then terrible running, shaking, dash lights up, won't run. This was six months ago. It has sat since then. At the time, the codes were related to the timing/crank and cam sensors being out of sync.
I assumed that the chain, which had never been replaced as far as we know (bought used about 50k ago) either was stretched, the tensioner was bad or possibly slipped a tooth etc.
So, this past week I did the timing chain. New Toyota OEM chain, guides, tensioner, timing sprockets, oil sprockets, oil pump chain. The works.
When disassembling the crank timing oil chain sprocket was found broken right at the keyway. The chain was essentially holding it in place. One the chain was removed it just fell.off The crank sensor timing plate behind it, they keyway was all hammered and the timing sensor plate was sloppy on the crank because the keyway was hammered. This is something I have never seen, granted I've only done about a dozen timing belts and chains in the last 30 years, so I have very limited experience.
Anyway, I ordered a new sensor plate from Toyota. I had the new sprocket already. I assembled everything. Ensuring that the cams and crank were timed correctly, then before putting the covers back on permanently, I spun it by hand and ensured that the crank pulley/dampener and timing marks on the cam sprockets all lined up as they were supposed to. All looked great, so I put it all back together.
Car batteries were dead. Of course from sitting so long. Put a jump pack on it and then turned the car on.
It started. Ran and purred like a kitten for about 10 seconds then started running like it was missing terribly. Shaking etc.
I put it in neutral and it idled fine. Wouldn't increase RPM because the check engine lights and etc all can back on, but it idled in neutral great! Put it in drive with foot on the brake and it started the violent sharing and stumbling, back to neutral, and it idled fine. Back to park and it started shaking and stumbling again.
Shut it off. Cleared the codes.
Started it again. Same behavior as before. Starts. And runs like great for about 10 seconds, then suddenly it doesn't't know what time it is... in neutral, purrs like it's supposed to, into park and shakes and misses like before.
Initially when I saw the broken sprocket and sloppy crank sensor plate, I thought that may have been the reason this all started. The crank sensor couldn't consistently pick up the timing and confused everything else. Now Part of me thinks that this violent shaking and stumbling may have been what broke the sprocket and allowed the key way for the sensor to get sloppy.
So here I am. With the codes above showing.
Could the ECM be bad? What else could be the issue? The oil drained had no coolant. The coolant had no oil.
I need help for further diagnosis.. I am pretty handy.. I know enough to get my self in trouble.. as you can see.
Is there something I can do without tearing down the timing chain cover again?
Edited .. added the below info. I have found that the 12v battery will not hold a charge so I think it was only starting under the power of the jump pack and not the battery. Once the 60 seconds of "start engine" power from the jump pack, times out. The motor dies. Of course in neutral the traction battery does not charge and I can't keep it running in park because of the violent shaking. Could it be just really weak spark? Would the spark voltage required change from park to neutral? It seems so odd that neutral seems to run fine but park/drive no Bueno..
submitted by risk71 to MechanicAdvice [link] [comments]
It ran similar to this event before and we figured out it was the egr cooler fully plugged, and EGR valve.These were replaced. Car ran fine for a while.
Then we had a head gasket issue. We replaced the head gasket. Car ran fine for a while.
Brings us to current event. Driving fine then terrible running, shaking, dash lights up, won't run. This was six months ago. It has sat since then. At the time, the codes were related to the timing/crank and cam sensors being out of sync.
I assumed that the chain, which had never been replaced as far as we know (bought used about 50k ago) either was stretched, the tensioner was bad or possibly slipped a tooth etc.
So, this past week I did the timing chain. New Toyota OEM chain, guides, tensioner, timing sprockets, oil sprockets, oil pump chain. The works.
When disassembling the crank timing oil chain sprocket was found broken right at the keyway. The chain was essentially holding it in place. One the chain was removed it just fell.off The crank sensor timing plate behind it, they keyway was all hammered and the timing sensor plate was sloppy on the crank because the keyway was hammered. This is something I have never seen, granted I've only done about a dozen timing belts and chains in the last 30 years, so I have very limited experience.
Anyway, I ordered a new sensor plate from Toyota. I had the new sprocket already. I assembled everything. Ensuring that the cams and crank were timed correctly, then before putting the covers back on permanently, I spun it by hand and ensured that the crank pulley/dampener and timing marks on the cam sprockets all lined up as they were supposed to. All looked great, so I put it all back together.
Car batteries were dead. Of course from sitting so long. Put a jump pack on it and then turned the car on.
It started. Ran and purred like a kitten for about 10 seconds then started running like it was missing terribly. Shaking etc.
I put it in neutral and it idled fine. Wouldn't increase RPM because the check engine lights and etc all can back on, but it idled in neutral great! Put it in drive with foot on the brake and it started the violent sharing and stumbling, back to neutral, and it idled fine. Back to park and it started shaking and stumbling again.
Shut it off. Cleared the codes.
Started it again. Same behavior as before. Starts. And runs like great for about 10 seconds, then suddenly it doesn't't know what time it is... in neutral, purrs like it's supposed to, into park and shakes and misses like before.
Initially when I saw the broken sprocket and sloppy crank sensor plate, I thought that may have been the reason this all started. The crank sensor couldn't consistently pick up the timing and confused everything else. Now Part of me thinks that this violent shaking and stumbling may have been what broke the sprocket and allowed the key way for the sensor to get sloppy.
So here I am. With the codes above showing.
Could the ECM be bad? What else could be the issue? The oil drained had no coolant. The coolant had no oil.
I need help for further diagnosis.. I am pretty handy.. I know enough to get my self in trouble.. as you can see.
Is there something I can do without tearing down the timing chain cover again?
Edited .. added the below info. I have found that the 12v battery will not hold a charge so I think it was only starting under the power of the jump pack and not the battery. Once the 60 seconds of "start engine" power from the jump pack, times out. The motor dies. Of course in neutral the traction battery does not charge and I can't keep it running in park because of the violent shaking. Could it be just really weak spark? Would the spark voltage required change from park to neutral? It seems so odd that neutral seems to run fine but park/drive no Bueno..
2023.06.04 04:23 Present_Farmer7042 Vel'koz Return to Midlane Rework Shower Thoughts
I am new to vel'koz, love playing him a lot. Obviously, I'm a hella noob so take what I say with a grain of salt. I know you've probably seen a billion posts with ideas for reworks for this champion because riot prefers anime chicks over a tentacle monster with a orbital laser, but I figured I would share mine. As much as I love the champion, he has some major flaws that many in the artillery mage subclass share. He is squishy with few options for escape and self-peel and in the current high mobility flashy combo meta, he doesn't seem all that great. At least not in midlane. While playing him as a support is good, I feel like the eye of the void shouldn't run around protecting a puny human with a bow. So, I feel like a few changes could make a difference.
Studying your opponent to bypass their resistances and hinder their recovery is very thematic. Basically, the more you hit the opponent, the less effective their MR and sustain is. This allows poke start of an artillery mage to be more effective as it can't simply be walked off with a healing pot as easily provided you can continuously poke them. I removed the damage spike, as bypassing resistance with true damage is effective damage buff in and of itself.
EDITS: Some folks brought up some cool stuff I've decided to add them in.
submitted by Present_Farmer7042 to Velkoz [link] [comments]
- Alter his passive. His passive is weird and heavily reliant on landing a multi skill shot ability combo with a long rotation that is very unlikely to happen if your opponent is even half proficient at dodging, so I decided to go a different route.
Studying your opponent to bypass their resistances and hinder their recovery is very thematic. Basically, the more you hit the opponent, the less effective their MR and sustain is. This allows poke start of an artillery mage to be more effective as it can't simply be walked off with a healing pot as easily provided you can continuously poke them. I removed the damage spike, as bypassing resistance with true damage is effective damage buff in and of itself.
- Alter his W ability, void rift, and allow it to ground champions on hit for a 1 second interval. What this does is give vel increased counterplay against mobile assassins with multiple dodges, if you are good at playing him and can anticipate a dash or flash you can stop them and perhaps retaliate to keep them from jumping onto you and oneshotting. This increases your self-peel and allows you a slight survivability boost.It also gives sticking power to hinder enemy champs trying to escape your combo. Besides, who wouldn't be grounded after stepping into a rift in reality. Also, increase W width slightly to make the combo slightly easier.
- Decrease the base cooldown of his E ability from 16 to 10 seconds. Seeing as his E is his primary self-peel and defensive tool, he needs it up more often to be viable in the current meta. Also, shorten its travel time so that it is more forgiving to land. Make it not a projectile and increase knock up to 1 second.
- Due to the new passive overhaul, the ult, retaining the same damage, will simply apply three stacks of the passive on hit rather than all the other stuff it attempted to achieve. Give the ult a slight range increase as well. Also give the ult a small shield scaling with bonus mana or CDR or something and make it uninterruptible by cc kinda like aatrox Q.
- Lastly, increase his auto attack range from 525 to 600, so that he can more reliably use it to extend his passive without instantly getting into one shot range. Maybe decrease any AD scaling to make it more balanced.
- Increase Q missile speed slightly. Have two Q's back to back proc the fully stacked passive like azzapp suggested. I also think that when the Splits off the splitting pieces should go through minions. This allows you to have an impact when your opponent simply decides to hide behind waves even if it's very trigonometry dependent.
EDITS: Some folks brought up some cool stuff I've decided to add them in.
2023.06.04 04:15 Nitrotetrazole "Cleaning" the Lok-1 Megacorp/Rival framework suggestion.
A tiny annoyance of mine that i've always felt wasn't right. The vanilla appearance of the lok1 is very and appropriately slap-dash, down to a little clumsily bolted plate right above the ejection port on the left side.
But that plate is still there on the Megacorp and the Rival framework, frameworks that are supposed to look "clean" and streamlined. It's especially garish with the Megacorp version since it's all blocky and sterile except for that one bolted plate.
I think that tiny plate should be removed on those frameworks so it's more fitting.
submitted by Nitrotetrazole to DeepRockGalactic [link] [comments]
But that plate is still there on the Megacorp and the Rival framework, frameworks that are supposed to look "clean" and streamlined. It's especially garish with the Megacorp version since it's all blocky and sterile except for that one bolted plate.
I think that tiny plate should be removed on those frameworks so it's more fitting.
2023.06.04 04:15 zharkos Am I missing something?
How are people getting any enjoyment out of this game? It feels like a mobile tier cash grab with very little to actually do beyond shitty minute long world events at a chance to get a legendary.
Every dungeon is exactly the same, locked door that requires 2 keys on either side and then one of 3 whole boss types at the end. Tired of the khazra demon? Too bad idiot that's the only boss we made. If you thought elden ring areas and bosses were copy pasted you haven't seen a thing kiddo, Diablo 4 doesn't have a unique bone in it's body
Every overworld area is exactly the same, with almost the exact same enemy types in every zone. Outside of fractured peaks those fucking garbage bees that slow you are everywhere, ice clan spearmen chucking their life savings at you are everywhere, and that fucking ghetto lich enemy that has three whole recolors to try and trick you into thinking it's different
World events are extremely repetitive and only occupy you for a handful of seconds at best. Hope you liked killing those channelers or standing on the blood pedestals in EVERY zone
Main story bosses have exactly 0 mechanics. With Astaroth if you just dash out of his fire breath he legitimately doesn't do anything
Builds are extremely limited and feel less explored than ESO of all things. Why can I have more than 4 moves learned if I can only have 4 moves? Why can I swap moves in combat if there isn't a loadout system? I don't want to play menu hero or respec every 30 seconds because my aoe build is worthless single target and vice versa
Even if you try to experiment with builds you can't really go far unless you've already amassed every legendary in the game. Every rogue build aside from twisting blades is WORTHLESS unless you get 3-4 legendaries to support it, and then even if you DO get those legendaries sometimes they lock you into requiring TWO moves of your FOUR to work. Sorry idiot you need both shadow imbuement AND frost imbuement if you want to play with this effect, which means you actually only have 2 damaging moves since both of THOSE moves just enhance your existing ones
Outside of the 3-4 side "questlines" every side quest has less depth than a world quest in wow. Line of dialogue, pick up a rock or kill an elite, get a bag of herbs. Even the questlines that pretend to have a story give fuck all for rewards compared to the shitty jar of souls you see every 10 seconds
The customization is more barebones than games released on the ps2. Why even bother having customization when every hairstyle is shit both aesthetically and graphically? I'd rather have no customization than 3 face options that look near identical. Same thing with the dye system, you have 8 palettes and 4 look like variations of your 4 year old daughter's paint palette when she gets bored and mixes every color together
The music is okay i guess but it suffers in the same way that wow does where it's all just background ambience noise. When I'm fighting demons in the plains I don't want slow violin solo #572315 to put me to sleep
The scaling is complete garbage. It's cool that you can drop in and out with your friends whenever but it seems to be completely random as to whether or not enemy damage and health goes up or down. I'll drop in on my girlfriend's playthrough from time to time and everything will either one shot me or do 0 damage per hit. I'm assuming the scaling is relative to the amount of players in the zone but I can't confirm it. Then you have the level scaling where if you want to do the side content in the first zone you'll be almost level FIFTY before act 2
Why is this an always online mmo? Playing with my 2-4 is cool but nobody wanted weekly massive world bosses in diablo where you can't actually tell what the fuck is happening just because of the sheer amount of bodies. Also oopies we loaded you into a shard where every enemy on the map was killed by another player so the overworld is even emptier than it was before, and it was pretty empty before. Don't forget that if you just afk on a spot where an event pops up someone else can complete it and you'll get full credit even if you don't actually hit anything. You don't even need a bot to farm exp and gear in this because the game is already an afk farm!
There are still dozens on dozens of minor bugs that came from the first beta to live and the second beta to live. Oops you entered a portal and now none of your buttons work. Oops you can't properly preview your transmog because the colors loaded wrong. Oops the entire NA east server is down and you can't manually select to swap so you have to use a vpn. Oops this rare npc cloned itself 4000 times
The first preview of what balance changes look like is unsettling. Outright removing a stat and legendary effect for a class instead of even attempting to make it less overwhelming. This is something blizzard did in Battle for Azeroth with azerite gear and I figured they had learned nobody wants to learn their build and items will be gone or worthless in a week
Lucky hit is a garbage stat that doesn't need to exist. It is literally just extra words to tell you that your procs have a lower chance to proc. There's no reason every item and move needs to have it's own proc rate to proc the proc
Why does adding a legendary effect from the codex cost so much? I assumed the intent behind the codex was to make leveling alt classes easier but it can cost up to 30 crystals which are a rare drop from dismantling yellow items. My alt isn't exactly going to get that right away and by the time he does he'll have said legendary already
Why is renown locked to beating the campaign? Why am I allowed to fully complete everything in the zone if you're going to lock the reward for doing that until later? Having a level cap is okay but it would've just made more sense to lock some of the side content behind levels instead. If you're going to give me rewards for the side content, why are they fucking timegated?
Why is there crafting if it's going to be shittier than digimon world next order? What's the point of picking up shitty ores on the ground when I can get 3x those materials from salvaging a single piece of gear? Why is there such a limited pool of resources when each one has almost no uses?
Why are there even vendors in game? The cost of items is stupid high relative to the actual level of power they give you. After level 30 you'll probably have a legendary in every slot because of how fast the drop rates ramp up, but you want me to drop 200k gold on a ring that's a 0.1% damage upgrade ONLY IF I UPGRADE IT TO LEGENDARY MYSELF AFTERWARD
What's the point of common items and "uncommon" blue items? You barely use them levels 1-5 and then you almost exclusively see yellow items from that point on. You could've removed these tiers and nothing would've been lost. It's not a slow upgrade where you go from unenchanted gear to legendaries, you IMMEDIATELY throw statless gear into the dumpster and forget it exists. Gear rotates WAY too fast even once you get legendaries
Why does every class "benefit" from every stat? I don't want strength or intelligence on a rogue, 40 strength giving me 0.001% energy regen doesn't do ANYTHING relative to a single point of dexterity. Oh just reroll the stat then! Well stat rerolling is also expensive as fuck early and there's one stat per piece you can't actually reroll, usually the stdex/int stat. Don't forget if you do reroll it it's guaranteed the next drop you get will be better anyway
The cash shop. Hoooooooly shit the cash shop. You're asking me for 70 dollars for the game, and then 20 dollars for early access and the battle pass, and you have the fucking AUDACITY to advertise garbage ass fucking gear set cosmetics for an upwards of $25??? One of the druid sets was used in an early gameplay footage demo and you made it a fucking CASH SHOP ITEM? MOST OF THEM DON'T EVEN LOOK GOOD
Why is mounting locked so far in the story? Why are there only horses as mounts in a game about demons and angels? The entire level is scaled so you can do most side content in any order you want but you can't get the best way to travel until too late to matter. By the time it's unlocked you have every fast travel point anyway and since there's no penalty to using town portals there's no reason to have a mount
Why is moving in this game so awkward? Who thought that the button to move should be the same button to attack? Hope you didn't want to run past a single big enemy as a melee because you just fucking magnetized to it. Also if you're holding down the mouse on an enemy when it goes invisible or teleports you just go to the spot it'll show up before it's even there. Kinda pointless to make it teleport or go invisible then yeah? On the opposite hand bosses like Asteroth have such shitty hitboxes that you can be "targeting" him, and under him, but somehow not in range to melee. I imagine this is a little better on controllers at least though
Why do silent chests exist when they're super rare and give fuck all relative to the jar of souls event next to it or just buying a piece outright from the orbol vendor?
Why is there only one type of treasure goblin and why does it seem like most of the time they don't actually drop anything? Forget bad drops I'm talking straight NO drops. You'd think with how far diablo 3 came later in it's life we'd have at least a LITTLE variance
I really wanted to like this game but holy literal actual shit what the FUCK is this garbage? I'd rather go play fucking immortal
I ask again, HOW are you enjoying this slop? Have you just never played a video game before? Do you only get 20 minutes a day so the repetition is less obvious? Are you stupid?
What happened?
submitted by zharkos to diablo4 [link] [comments]
Every dungeon is exactly the same, locked door that requires 2 keys on either side and then one of 3 whole boss types at the end. Tired of the khazra demon? Too bad idiot that's the only boss we made. If you thought elden ring areas and bosses were copy pasted you haven't seen a thing kiddo, Diablo 4 doesn't have a unique bone in it's body
Every overworld area is exactly the same, with almost the exact same enemy types in every zone. Outside of fractured peaks those fucking garbage bees that slow you are everywhere, ice clan spearmen chucking their life savings at you are everywhere, and that fucking ghetto lich enemy that has three whole recolors to try and trick you into thinking it's different
World events are extremely repetitive and only occupy you for a handful of seconds at best. Hope you liked killing those channelers or standing on the blood pedestals in EVERY zone
Main story bosses have exactly 0 mechanics. With Astaroth if you just dash out of his fire breath he legitimately doesn't do anything
Builds are extremely limited and feel less explored than ESO of all things. Why can I have more than 4 moves learned if I can only have 4 moves? Why can I swap moves in combat if there isn't a loadout system? I don't want to play menu hero or respec every 30 seconds because my aoe build is worthless single target and vice versa
Even if you try to experiment with builds you can't really go far unless you've already amassed every legendary in the game. Every rogue build aside from twisting blades is WORTHLESS unless you get 3-4 legendaries to support it, and then even if you DO get those legendaries sometimes they lock you into requiring TWO moves of your FOUR to work. Sorry idiot you need both shadow imbuement AND frost imbuement if you want to play with this effect, which means you actually only have 2 damaging moves since both of THOSE moves just enhance your existing ones
Outside of the 3-4 side "questlines" every side quest has less depth than a world quest in wow. Line of dialogue, pick up a rock or kill an elite, get a bag of herbs. Even the questlines that pretend to have a story give fuck all for rewards compared to the shitty jar of souls you see every 10 seconds
The customization is more barebones than games released on the ps2. Why even bother having customization when every hairstyle is shit both aesthetically and graphically? I'd rather have no customization than 3 face options that look near identical. Same thing with the dye system, you have 8 palettes and 4 look like variations of your 4 year old daughter's paint palette when she gets bored and mixes every color together
The music is okay i guess but it suffers in the same way that wow does where it's all just background ambience noise. When I'm fighting demons in the plains I don't want slow violin solo #572315 to put me to sleep
The scaling is complete garbage. It's cool that you can drop in and out with your friends whenever but it seems to be completely random as to whether or not enemy damage and health goes up or down. I'll drop in on my girlfriend's playthrough from time to time and everything will either one shot me or do 0 damage per hit. I'm assuming the scaling is relative to the amount of players in the zone but I can't confirm it. Then you have the level scaling where if you want to do the side content in the first zone you'll be almost level FIFTY before act 2
Why is this an always online mmo? Playing with my 2-4 is cool but nobody wanted weekly massive world bosses in diablo where you can't actually tell what the fuck is happening just because of the sheer amount of bodies. Also oopies we loaded you into a shard where every enemy on the map was killed by another player so the overworld is even emptier than it was before, and it was pretty empty before. Don't forget that if you just afk on a spot where an event pops up someone else can complete it and you'll get full credit even if you don't actually hit anything. You don't even need a bot to farm exp and gear in this because the game is already an afk farm!
There are still dozens on dozens of minor bugs that came from the first beta to live and the second beta to live. Oops you entered a portal and now none of your buttons work. Oops you can't properly preview your transmog because the colors loaded wrong. Oops the entire NA east server is down and you can't manually select to swap so you have to use a vpn. Oops this rare npc cloned itself 4000 times
The first preview of what balance changes look like is unsettling. Outright removing a stat and legendary effect for a class instead of even attempting to make it less overwhelming. This is something blizzard did in Battle for Azeroth with azerite gear and I figured they had learned nobody wants to learn their build and items will be gone or worthless in a week
Lucky hit is a garbage stat that doesn't need to exist. It is literally just extra words to tell you that your procs have a lower chance to proc. There's no reason every item and move needs to have it's own proc rate to proc the proc
Why does adding a legendary effect from the codex cost so much? I assumed the intent behind the codex was to make leveling alt classes easier but it can cost up to 30 crystals which are a rare drop from dismantling yellow items. My alt isn't exactly going to get that right away and by the time he does he'll have said legendary already
Why is renown locked to beating the campaign? Why am I allowed to fully complete everything in the zone if you're going to lock the reward for doing that until later? Having a level cap is okay but it would've just made more sense to lock some of the side content behind levels instead. If you're going to give me rewards for the side content, why are they fucking timegated?
Why is there crafting if it's going to be shittier than digimon world next order? What's the point of picking up shitty ores on the ground when I can get 3x those materials from salvaging a single piece of gear? Why is there such a limited pool of resources when each one has almost no uses?
Why are there even vendors in game? The cost of items is stupid high relative to the actual level of power they give you. After level 30 you'll probably have a legendary in every slot because of how fast the drop rates ramp up, but you want me to drop 200k gold on a ring that's a 0.1% damage upgrade ONLY IF I UPGRADE IT TO LEGENDARY MYSELF AFTERWARD
What's the point of common items and "uncommon" blue items? You barely use them levels 1-5 and then you almost exclusively see yellow items from that point on. You could've removed these tiers and nothing would've been lost. It's not a slow upgrade where you go from unenchanted gear to legendaries, you IMMEDIATELY throw statless gear into the dumpster and forget it exists. Gear rotates WAY too fast even once you get legendaries
Why does every class "benefit" from every stat? I don't want strength or intelligence on a rogue, 40 strength giving me 0.001% energy regen doesn't do ANYTHING relative to a single point of dexterity. Oh just reroll the stat then! Well stat rerolling is also expensive as fuck early and there's one stat per piece you can't actually reroll, usually the stdex/int stat. Don't forget if you do reroll it it's guaranteed the next drop you get will be better anyway
The cash shop. Hoooooooly shit the cash shop. You're asking me for 70 dollars for the game, and then 20 dollars for early access and the battle pass, and you have the fucking AUDACITY to advertise garbage ass fucking gear set cosmetics for an upwards of $25??? One of the druid sets was used in an early gameplay footage demo and you made it a fucking CASH SHOP ITEM? MOST OF THEM DON'T EVEN LOOK GOOD
Why is mounting locked so far in the story? Why are there only horses as mounts in a game about demons and angels? The entire level is scaled so you can do most side content in any order you want but you can't get the best way to travel until too late to matter. By the time it's unlocked you have every fast travel point anyway and since there's no penalty to using town portals there's no reason to have a mount
Why is moving in this game so awkward? Who thought that the button to move should be the same button to attack? Hope you didn't want to run past a single big enemy as a melee because you just fucking magnetized to it. Also if you're holding down the mouse on an enemy when it goes invisible or teleports you just go to the spot it'll show up before it's even there. Kinda pointless to make it teleport or go invisible then yeah? On the opposite hand bosses like Asteroth have such shitty hitboxes that you can be "targeting" him, and under him, but somehow not in range to melee. I imagine this is a little better on controllers at least though
Why do silent chests exist when they're super rare and give fuck all relative to the jar of souls event next to it or just buying a piece outright from the orbol vendor?
Why is there only one type of treasure goblin and why does it seem like most of the time they don't actually drop anything? Forget bad drops I'm talking straight NO drops. You'd think with how far diablo 3 came later in it's life we'd have at least a LITTLE variance
I really wanted to like this game but holy literal actual shit what the FUCK is this garbage? I'd rather go play fucking immortal
I ask again, HOW are you enjoying this slop? Have you just never played a video game before? Do you only get 20 minutes a day so the repetition is less obvious? Are you stupid?
What happened?