Elemental lariat ranks

Kick Open The Door

2018.09.08 22:23 Kick Open The Door

Welcome to Reddit's biggest (and only) literal boss fight arena!
[link]

2023.06.07 01:16 SirJevs 4 EX, 3 Max $50. Shoot me a message

4 EX, 3 Max $50. Shoot me a message submitted by SirJevs to OPBR [link] [comments]

2023.06.07 00:09 PossiblyLowz [H][US][Hyjal] CE Guild Looking For CE Focused Players

Enrage Kills Only(EKO) is a CE guild looking for more members to join its Mythic Raid Team ranks! We are looking for all talented players to bolster our ranks as we work towards achieving CuttingEdge.
Schedule:
Tuesday 730 PM – 1030 PM PST Thursday 730 PM – 1030 PM PST Sunday. 730 PM – 1030 PM PST
We run RBGs and have a heroic alt-run on off days.
Recruitment Needs: Evoker (Any Spec) Ret Paladin Flex Healer Elemental Shaman Mage (Fire/Arcane) Any Talented RDPS
Previous Tiers: ASC 4/9M VOI 8/8M CE SFO 10/11M SOD 10/10 CE CN 9/10M NYA 12/12 CE
About Us: A small group of friends started EKO at the end of Legion. Since then, we have grown into a much larger group of friends who enjoy our group as much as we do raiding. We are a relaxed and welcoming bunch to anyone who can appreciate a healthy competitive raiding environment while having fun simultaneously. Outside of raiding, we have plenty of players who run mythic+ (multiple KSMs) and PVP. Outside of WoW, we have many players who like to play other games, such as Valheim, Deep Rock Galactic, Rust, Among Us, and Phasmophobia, to name a few. The bulk of the guild is usually on everyday, even outside of raid nights, so there are always people around to do something with.
Contact: If you are interested in joining, please send me a DM or message us on BNet, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
GM: Discord: Lowz#8283 Bnet: zeeham#1946
Officers Bnet Ramification#1449
submitted by PossiblyLowz to wowguilds [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 23:51 RoamerB Order of Move Unlocks in World Tour

If there's anyone else who posted such a resource here, feel free to post it. Anyway, this is the order in which moves are unlocked in World Tour, based on the following milestones:
Ryu:
Ken:
Chun-Li:
Guile:
Zangief:
Dhalsim
Blanka:
E. Honda:
Cammy:
Dee Jay:
Juri:
Luke:
Jamie:
Kimberly:
Manon:
Marisa:
Lily:
JP:
submitted by RoamerB to StreetFighter [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 23:49 PM_ME_YOUR_ROBOTGIRL Character Database: The Aeons, Part 1 (VERY LONG)

Character Database: The Aeons, Part 1 (VERY LONG)
Okay so basically I read everything, let's do this shit.

Notes Before We Start

The original intent behind this post was to serve as a database for every single major lore character in the game, starting with the Aeons. Unfortunately, though, I vastly underestimated its length when I started writing it, thinking I'd easily be able to do it all within one post. I was not!
Initially, I decided to just separate the post into two parts, the Aeons and the mortal characters. This didn't pan out, because the Aeon section also ended up being massive! So now I have to split it up into 3+ parts. The first two parts about the Aeons will go up soon since it's all already written, this part right now and the next part either tomorrow or possibly in a few days once everyone's less busy doing the update. The benefit is that this arrangement allows me to go into greater detail about each individual Aeon -- if I'm able (thank you Oroboros for being mentioned like twice in the whole game)
The third part which should hopefully be only one post and is about the mortal characters will almost certainly have to wait until I'm completely done with the update. The reason why this is so is because the update is guaranteed to introduce more lore about mortal characters, whereas I think the likelihood of it giving us more Aeon lore is comparatively lower (though it could still happen).
I also need a break. Just writing this post took me a week, let alone the time it took to read almost everything that's in the game - it's safe to say that I dedicated myself to this for the entire second half of 1.0. If I go all in and write everything at once, I'm gonna burn out for sure.

While corrections and additions are welcome, I just want everyone to remember that leaks are against the rules, so please make sure to have an official source on hand if you're going to tell me anything. I might not be able to edit this post once it goes up due to sheer length, but I'm sure people can just read the comments and get the info that way.

That being said, before we start properly, we'll have to take a little diversion.

The Structure of the Universe

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I dreamed of a ray of light of a crystal chalice.
I despise reading about and explaining this because miHoYo went out of their way to make it the most confusing thing imaginable.
The in-game characters aren't even sure how their own universe works and miHoYo has provided little to no official unbiased explanations, so I'll just be borrowing Zandar "One" Kuwabara's theory here because HI3 more or less supports it and although alternate theories are mentioned in HSR, none have been explained yet.

Imaginary Tree

To understand the nature of the Aeons and of the other characters, you must first understand Reality, as the Aeons are inherently linked to it. Sit down, strap in. Maybe listen to some music.
Okay so think of the universe as being like a tree in a spatial and temporal sense. It's not literally that, but it works like that.
Space-time is defined by a collection of an unimaginably numerous amount of branches. Such branches define independent worlds and expand outwards, forming leaves that mark those worlds at different development stages in spacetime - thus each leaf is a world. These 'worlds' are defined as 'galaxies', a confusing term since it is also used to refer to the universe as a whole. What's important to note is that a "world" is often more than simply a single individual planet, and they may have different attributes (for example, the world Punklorde is entirely cybernetic)
The development of those branches occurs as they absorb imaginary energy from the vasculature provided by the trunk. The trunk's got some funny stuff going on with a sea of quanta or whatever but this is HI3 stuff that has not proven relevant to HSR specifically yet - the Sea of Quanta does exist here (obviously), as proven by the crafting material "Quantum Ripples". But getting into it would muddy the waters. Just know that when a world has run its course, it "falls" into the Sea of Quanta and is destroyed (from the perspective of the HSR mortals, it just 'disappears')
Imaginary energy constitutes a space which separates each branch and leaf and world from one another, making passage generally impossible unless one can manipulate imaginary energy. Because of this, for a very long time it was impossible for creatures to gain passage or even be able to observe other worlds (galaxies) until the Aeons appeared and granted them the ability to do so. More on this later. It's possible for a mortal being to enter Imaginary space through certain means but they'll quickly die without some form of protection or the ability to manipulate Imaginary energy.
Zandar's understanding is that imaginary energy was formed by the thoughts of intelligent beings, and the Aeon's ability to traverse imaginary space is what caused the worlds to be similar. Which is half true, but Elias Salas later proved that imaginary energy exists on its own and is entirely unique, which messes with the foundations of the theory. But it's our best bet.

Okay but who cares though

Why is this relevant? The worlds contained within the leaves of the tree may have different attributes but share certain similarities - most notably, the recurrence of certain individuals. Those individuals are separate from each other and have their own memories and life experiences, but have a certain likeliness that links them. And that is why there are many Bronyas. And many Wendy's, some even male. And many Kianas. And maybe even many Himekos as well. Notably, there is an in-universe theory named the "Parallel Imaging Theory", which may suggest people are aware of this phenomenon.
Because HSR's plotline and lore involves the traversal between multiple different worlds, it is possible for multiple versions (different individual) of the same character to appear within the game. So yeah.
The biggest misconception people have about HSR, and one that I myself held for some time until I started reading everything, is that they assume it's localized to one Leaf in the Imaginary Tree.
This is a misconception made possible, and more complicated, by several factors:
  • the fact that the Imaginary Tree is probably best explained as a contiguous multiverse, but miHoYo is extremely insistent on calling it just "the Honkai Universe", because they're eccentric I guess. It's just really Kinoko "HER NAME IS ALTRIA" Nasu-type stuff.
  • the fact that people tend to visualize the Imaginary Tree as being completely literal, and thus the branches are inherently apart from one another as they would on a tree. This is not helped by the fact that HI3 depicts the universe as a literal tree constantly, and when you see Youtube Video #198268 that says "THIS IS THE IMAGINARY TREE" and uses a HI3 screenshot showing a tree, people are gonna think "oh, this is just what the universe is" when in reality, it's better to think of the Honkai Universe as being a collection of worlds each with their own stars and galaxies and traits separated by an impermeable void that later Akivili connected. From the perspective of the inhabitants of the Honkai Universe, it's all one continuous space.
  • inconsistent terminology, even in this game, also caused by HI3's translation being awful and most summaries being made by people with a tenuous grasp of English at best (no offense)
HSR's lore takes place over the scope of the entire Honkai Universe and the different worlds. It is not a localized system. Welt and Void Archives didn't use some fancy technology to "jump universes", they (probably) just traveled the path Akivili made with their Star Rail, the same as every other intergalactic entity in HSR. That's it. Literally just used a spaceship.
I also imagine that it doesn't help that (and this is how I began to believe in the same misconception for a while) a lot of people used the "separate universes" argument to argue in favor of Genshin and HI3 being completely unrelated. Which, for the record, I still completely believe as plenty of evidence suggests they want Genshin players to not have to deal with the huge steamy backlog of lore baggage HI3 has, but it did make people think of each Honkai game as always being completely disconnected from one another in a very physical sense.

The Aeons

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https://preview.redd.it/4kozuu79kg4b1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=3ca5ce3f571a169b5d8efd6f80a44107ae30fbaa

Definition

NOTE: The Honkai Star Rail wikia has little blurbs for each Aeon at the top of the respective pages. I'm not going to use them as a source, however, because I have absolutely no idea where they're from. My attempts to search for them led directly back to the wikia. Judging by the date they were added (June of last year), they correspond with CBT2, but if so then that text is gone from the game, so I can't really deem it worthy as a reliable source.
So what are they? Gods basically, but the specifics are more complicated.
The Imaginary element is defined by Welt as a "metaphysical aggregation of the spirit". In other words, it's a form of energy that can be influenced by the thoughts and actions of intelligent beings.
When an intelligent being of sufficient will fulfills certain, currently unknown, conditions, they take over a philosophical concept and become an Aeon. This opens a Path to that concept and grants the newly born Aeon not only the ability to manipulate Imaginary energy, but also complete control over the Imaginary expression of that concept - it becomes their "Primum Mobile", an imprint formed upon the Imaginary element.
That Path also becomes a form of energy that can be tapped into by various sources, and even begins to emerge naturally. The entry for "Topological Acceleration Band" implies that Path energy is limited, which would make sense, as Aeons seem to restrict their underlings' power instead of just giving all of it flat out, and the limitations imposed by this would also serve to explain why Nanook doesn't just, I dunno, blow up the entire universe. In any case, even if it is limited, it's such an extreme amount of energy that it may as well be limitless from the perspective of mortals.
In other words, they become an embodiment of a certain concept, and are able to exert their full will upon it. This appears to deprive them of a certain sense of personal identity - all Aeons are referred to with gender-neutral pronouns.
In the one record of an ascension that was witnessed (Lan's) that we currently have, the Aeon's physical body disappeared upon ascension. It remains unclear if this is true of all Aeons or not but there is definitely a physical change involved.
Aeons are able to freely move around Imaginary space and the leaves in the Imaginary tree at no harm to themselves and possess unimaginable power - Nanook's highest level underlings are capable of incinerating entire galaxies (worlds? The inconsistency of this term drives me crazy). They also possess a degree of ominiscience - not completely so, but it's fairly obvious that they're able to notice and interact with beings treading on their Path at basically any distance. They can also manifest physically if they so choose but the degree of this seems to vary on the Aeon. Qlipoth basically stays in one place building their wall whereas Fuli appears to be capable of teleporting. Lan runs at faster than light speeds throughout the universe. Aha is known for taking on a humanoid form. Akivili physically traveled with mortals.
Aeons can die, but it's difficult to pull this off. Only one Aeon is known to have been killed, and the deed was done by other Aeons. It is also possible for an Aeon to experience a form of death - if their Path overlaps too much with another, the Path representing the greater concept will absorb it, which effectively kills that Aeon.
There are other Aeons that have disappeared and are considered dead, but the ambiguity of their circumstances means that there's a possibility that like, I dunno, they're just hiding or something.
Aeons are limited by one another and their Paths. They cannot ever deviate from it - Xipe cannot create disorder, Yaoshi may not kill, etc. Therefore negotiating with an Aeon is impossible, they shouldn't even be treated as "people" you can "talk" to. Generally the universe tends towards balance - an out of control Aeon may be killed by other Aeons or be opposed by an Aeon whose Path limits theirs. Furthermore, an optional conversation with Welt implies that an Aeon's power at least partially corresponds to the broadness of their concept. Because Lan's Path is so narrow, they're one of the less powerful Aeons.
Who the first Aeon was or how old they are is unclear. The IPC seems to think the first ever Aeon was Qlipoth, but they're biased and in-universe this is doubted. What is certain is that they did not always exist - between the origin of the universe and the appearance of the Aeons, the universe was populated by entities called Leviathans. We know jack about them, other than they were very powerful, and as a result of something called the Dusk Wars, they either all died out or disappeared, except for the Aeon Oroboros the Voracity.

Aeons and Mortals

Before we get into this, one thing should be noted: once opened, a Path can never be closed, and so even if an Aeon dies, the energy of their Path is still accessible. That being said, if an Aeon does die/disappear, their Path can be infringed upon a little - Tayzzyronth 'carved up' the Permanence to become the Propagation, but the power of the Permanence still exists as seen with the Vidyadhara.
The Aeons can influence the universe in various ways, physical or otherwise. A favorite of many many Aeons is the empowering of certain underlings.
Mortals can access the energy of an Aeon's path to a very limited degree by becoming Pathstriders, but Aeons are capable of enhancing some more directly, giving them greater access to that Path's energy.
Some Aeons have their own little way of 'upgrading' mortals through indirect applications of their power, but all Aeons are capable of infusing a mortal with their energy, and such a mortal is referred to as an Emanator. Though they are capable of this, not all Aeons choose to have Emanators.

Pathstrider

If a being of sufficient will possesses attributes aligning with a certain Path, they gain the ability to derive power from that Path's energy. This makes them more powerful than the average person and grants them some nifty abilities, but compared to beings enhanced by an Aeon's power, Emanators, or the Aeon themselves, they're pretty weak.
One example named by Dan Heng is that Pathstriders of the Trailblaze are able to resist extreme natural conditions to a certain extent, though they're not immune.
From a character standpoint, this seems to be the justification as for why certain characters have unexplained powers. But it's hard to tell, because the game rarely ever names someone as a Pathstrider, and even when it does, there's clear overlap (for example the Astral Express crew are Pathstriders of the Trailblaze but have individual Paths). It is not yet clarified if you can be a Pathstrider in multiple Paths at once or if this is just a gameplay abstraction, but the characters do generally match the Path assigned to them personality-wise to at least some extent, though some in more roundabout ways.

Emanator

A mortal that was given direct access to the power of a Path by an Aeon. They are WAY stronger than Pathstriders, with the most powerful ones capable of affecting reality on a galactic scale. Like the Aeons, an Emanator is limited by the definition of that Path.
Emanators are capable of controlling Imaginary energy to a certain degree, which means they're also capable of traversing through Imaginary space without needing assistance. Herta, even through her puppet, is capable of creating a contract that forces the signee to obey "Imaginary law", which affects the entire universe and cannot be interacted with by outside forces. Six-phased ice, the ice March 7th is capable of controlling and was once encased with, has its form dictated by Imaginary law, meaning it likely exists with the blessing of some Aeon or another (Hm).
How much access to a Path's energy an Emanator has is dependent entirely on how much the Aeon feels like giving them. How independent an Emanator is also depends on the Aeon. Some Emanators can do whatever they want, whereas others act as extensions of that Aeon's will.
Aeons can make anyone they want into an Emanator, but most tend to choose mortals that align with their goals. Well except Aha, who is infamous for turning anyone and anything into an Emanator and often for the dumbest reasons imaginable.
Now because an Aeon needs to be active to turn people into Emanators, if an Aeon dies or disappears they can't make any more obviously. But because the Path is forever open, any existing Emanators will retain their powers even after the disappearance or death of their Aeon, as seen with Idrila's Mirror Holders.

Akivili

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\"Reach the end of the story in your own way. When the time comes to make a choice, make one you know you won't regret.\"
The Trailblaze, and the Xianzhou knows them as Cloudstrider.
They hail from the world of Pegana, which used a 12-month long year cycle similar to our planet, known as the Trailblaze Calendar. They're pretty old, and the records of their appearance date as far back as the first few Amber Eras.
Akivili created the Astral Express, the Star Rail, and the Chromatic Echelon that allows for the laying of new rails. They did so in order to reach the "endpoint" of the Imaginary Tree, unable to tolerate the idea of "that which must not be known". It's also rumored that there may be other machines such as the Express, but Himeko says the internal records don't mention any.
The rumor is that the Express' core is Akivili's heart, but as Himeko points out, they'd need two hearts for this, because the Express was contemporaneous with them.
Akivili is probably one of the most important Aeons, not just because the Express wouldn't exist without them, but because the Star Rail laid by them is capable of connecting different worlds between the vast barriers of Imaginary energy, therefore allowing different civilizations to contact and interact with each other without needing the power of the Aeons. All interworld space routes are based upon the Star Rail tracks though it's implied that the 'bridges' they created extend far beyond the actual railing.
In a sense, without Akivili, none of the plot would happen. As a matter of fact, if The Ones Above hail from another world, then maybe not even APHO from the other game would've happened either.
Akivili disappeared many years ago in circumstances so obscure that even the most informed groups have no idea what happened to them. Kafka tells us that if there's anyone or anything in the universe that would know, it'd be Nous. The game's omniscient narrator implies that Akivili's disappearance was due to "an accident".
The name Akivili is probably a distortion of the Latin "aquili", which means "of the eagle" or "of the north wind".

Followers

Akivili's followers are the Nameless, who were inspired by their route through the universe. Some Nameless chose to travel alone, but those that didn't joined Akivili in their Astral Express and journeyed together in great merriment, with Akivili taking on a mortal form and riding within the Express with them. Even after Akivili disappeared, some surviving Nameless managed to maintain and use the Astral Express, until the Star Rails fell into disrepair due to the Stellarons - over the course of this process, most of the remaining Nameless either retired, died or disappeared.
When this happened, the Astral Express ran aground and was set into a collision course with Himeko's world - on her birthday, no less - and she quickly hurried to the impact site, where she repaired the Express and took off with it. Sometime later, Pom-Pom appeared as well. Those two became the next generation of Nameless, and over time would add various other people to their group, such as Welt, March 7th, Dan Heng, the Trailblazer, and (temporarily) Void Archives.
Currently, no Emanators of the Trailblaze are known to exist.

Nanook

​
Towers crumbled and the people fled, for the sun was soon to set and meet with vicious destruction.
The Destruction, also known by the Xianzhou as the Ruin Author.
Nanook is the newest Aeon to have ascended - if we assume that the Stellarons were sent out at about the same time as their ascension (optimistic, to be honest), then they're only about 500 years old. That's a lot of time for regular mortals, but easily within the lifespan of most long life species, and definitely far younger than the other Aeons.
Nanook was born (judging by Fuli's memory of them showcasing them as a baby) in the world of Adlivun, which had been devastated by Emperor Rubert I's campaigns and nearly turned into a hive by Tayzzyronth's Swarm. When Akivili visited it, it was already a crapsack that was trying desperately to survive against the remnants of the Swarm.
This terrible war-torn world seems to have caused the young Nanook to become extremely cynical - the Data Bank suggests that they believe civilization itself is cancer, and that war is the only thing common to all of them, the birth of the Universe being a mistake that must be corrected. This mindset led to a series of as yet unknown events that caused Nanook to incinerate their own home world, and achieving apotheosis in this process.
Upon ascension, Nanook immediately got to work. Despite likely being less than a 1000 years old, their followers have already managed to destroy worlds and pose a serious existential threat to almost all galactic civilization. Indeed, although Rubert and the Swarm might have been quite dangerous back when they were active, the Aeon they indirectly birthed has caused destruction on a far more apocalyptic scale than they could've ever dreamed of.
Nanook is almost certainly (though not confirmed to be) the cause of the Stellaron ("Cancer of All Worlds") phenomenon - bundles of destructive (and intelligent!) energy sent to various corners of the universe, likely intended to destabilize civilizations and natural phenomena before the Antimatter Legion arrives and "cleans up" the rest. The Stellarons can affect natural processes and interact with mortals in ways that manipulate them towards taking destructive actions. They can enhance those mortals as well as explode! Notably, the Stellaron's destructive energy corrodes the Star Rail, which not only physically impedes passage for the Express but holds the possible danger of closing the pathways between worlds.
Perhaps the most unique characteristic of the Stellarons is their ability to corrode the region around them into "Fragmentum", which is able to analyze, absorb and replicate the forms and memories of the living creatures touched by it into hostile monsters, which further destabilizes the regions they impact. Strangely, not every Stellaron seems to create a Fragmentum zone.
There's one inside you now, by the way.
The name "Nanook" is derived from the Inuit bear god, which to be honest had a far closer association with hunting than anything else, and bear worship is a key aspect of Inuit religion. But I guess the thought process here is that Nanook (god) is also associated with weaponry and is strong, so... I guess it works?

Followers

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\"Let me put it another way, why are you alive?\"
Sometime after ascending, Nanook went to an unknown world and liberated the regime that had imprisoned the talented Firesmith clan there, which held unprecedented skill in the art of weapon making. Nanook blessed them with the Mark of Destruction, which granted them great power (but corrupted their minds and bodies), and sent them to the volcanic world of Warforge, which turned into a large scale training and weapons production facility.
Antimatter creatures, "scavenged parts" (such as the heart of a deceased Leviathan), and individuals that showed promise and a pure desire for destruction to Nanook were 'reforged', physically hammered and altered until their very biology had been changed and combined with their weapons, into the members of the Antimatter Legion. Even the Firesmiths that created them became part of their own creations. The fire that forged them was of incomparable heat and infused them with the very power of the Destruction.
The Antimatter Legion became an army with the sole purpose of destroying the universe. Members are stratified into ranks and even have their own medals. Lower ranked members are tasked with destabilizing civilizations, higher ranked members can destroy galaxies.
The Stellarons likely act as seeds and beacons for the Antimatter Legion, carefully cultivating the circumstances necessary to weaken the target, potentially for centuries, before finally ushering in their doom. Like farmers, they go around the universe slashing and burning societies and exhibiting as much patience and strategy as is necessary.
The most devastating quality of Nanook and the Antimatter Legion is that unlike Emperor Rubert's army or the Swarm, they don't simply overwhelm enemy forces and take over, but carefully study and integrate into them, sowing discord and in-fighting until they're weak enough to guarantee a loss against the Legion. This is by far the biggest reason for Nanook's success and the biggest reason why they're such a massive threat, even to powerful entities such as the Xianzhou Alliance.
Perhaps the second biggest reason is that through the Fragmentum and the skilled Firesmiths in Warforge, Nanook is also able to absorb and integrate the qualities of other beings into the members of their Legion, allowing them to constantly evolve and grow more powerful, as well as adapt to the unique qualities of the worlds and civilizations they conquer.
The greatest members of the Antimatter Legion are given the privilege of becoming Emanators of the Destruction, known as Lord Ravagers. They serve as commanders, and are unbelievably dangerous. Welt implies there are even more powerful individuals known as "Overlords", but we don't know much about them, since they're mentioned in only one line right now.
Of course, every Aeon has a group of followers who don't attract their attention or explicit approval, but adhere to their ideas of the Path. For Nanook, this is the Annihilator Gang, a group of hooligans and criminals who take joy in destruction, be it for personal pleasure, petty revenge, or insanity. Nanook looks down upon such "impure" reasons for destroying, so they receive no attention from the Aeon.

Lan

​
You must follow the traces left behind in the storm's wake.
The Hunt, know by the Xianzhou as the Reignbow Arbiter.
Lan ascended in the year 3400 of the Xianzhou calendar with the current year probably being around 8098-8100, which would make them around 4700 years old. Before that time, they were a mortal hero known as Reignbow, born in year 1700 (making Lan's total age around 6400 years old). It should be noted that almost all of our information about Reignbow comes in the form of severely altered poetry and some historical notes by the biased modern day Xianzhou Alliance.
Reignbow was part of the original fleet of nine ships (three of them were lost over the course of Xianzhou history, if you were wondering), and they resided in the lead Yaoqing ship. Their claim to fame was the defeat and capture of the Heliobi Flint Emperor, the leader of a species of formless energy beings capable of manipulating emotions and creating stars. The Heliobi as well as the Flint Emperor were imprisoned and the latter specifically was used as the Zhuming's energy source.
Eventually, the Xianzhou Luofu was granted the Ambrosial Arbor and the fleet shared in the blessings of long life, but Reignbow peered into the future (possibly with Nous' help? Sadly, the historical source for this misappropriates a different figure's actions with that of Reignbow's, making it hard to tell) and viewed the Xianzhou descending into chaos.
Reignbow tried to warn people about this ruinous future, but was deemed insane and ignored. In protest, they shot an arrow at the Ambrosial Arbor, a symbolic gesture that nevertheless earned the ire of the elite class, resulting in Reignbow's incarceration. Because of their status as a hero for winning the war against the Heliobi, Reignbow was sentenced to cryogenic stasis, rather than any other more severe punishment such as execution.
Later, the Xianzhou were besieged by a large army of Denizens of Abundance and faced total extinction. Seeing no other option, they released every prisoner, including Reignbow, as a desperate maneuver. Reignbow went into the Zhuming prison and struck a deal with the Flint Emperor, allowing it to possess their body in exchange for great power, a move that was also done by many other people with the other Heliobi prisoners.
The enhanced Reignbow and their followers rose up into the air, at which point they used their added power to fire an arrow that shattered the Ambrosial Arbor (from the Yaoqing to the Luofu). This released a massive amount of Imaginary energy that very quickly ended the fight - Muldrasil is to this day still recovering from the damage suffered from this.
Lan's body disappeared and they ascended to Aeonhood after this. Interestingly, poetic records suggest the Flint Emperor was also not found afterwards, implying that they may have ascended together, but historical records say that it was partially found. Which is true? Who can say.
Lan now spends most of their time running around the universe at faster than light speeds obliterating worlds populated by Denizens of Abundance and guiding the Xianzhou Alliance. They have become single-mindedly focused on the hunt, not caring about the cost or damage.
The name Lan derives from 岚, which is used to refer to the mist that comes out of mountains. Since the Xianzhou arkships are named after culturally significant mountains, it works. Interestingly, the same character (traditional, 嵐) in Japanese means "storm", which I think is appropriate as well, especially since the narrator of Myriad Celestia does a little pun with it.

Followers

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To revert to mortality, eradicate the ambition of a deathless doom: We shall not rest.
The surviving Xianzhou ships banded together against the Abundance and also added new species to their ranks, creating the Xianzhou Alliance. The Xianzhou Alliance now traverses the universe hunting down Denizens of Abundance and interpreting Lan's commands.
The entire Xianzhou Alliance is under Lan's direct protection and endorsement and as a result enjoy access to their Path's power. Few other factions have this kind of privilege, making them one of the most powerful entities in the universe. Granted, it does not prevent them from suffering collateral damage from Lan's very explosive arrows.
Together, they share the mutual goal of destroying Yaoshi.
Lan also has regular worshippers in the form of the Galaxy Rangers, who don't hate Yaoshi, but admire Lan's Path. They go around the universe performing heroic deeds and fighting evil in the name of justice, having even assassinated a Lord Ravager. Unfortunately, they got in the bad side of one #64 Dr. Primitive, and began to "mysteriously" lose members and influence. Though there are some Galaxy Rangers still remaining in the universe, they've become a shell of their former selves.
No Emanators of the Hunt have been directly named by the game yet, although Lan does allow the Generals of each Xianzhou ship to borrow power in the form of Hunt constructs such as the Lightning Lord.

Nous

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![img](50gr49qmng4b1 " If the truth of the universe is cruel and stale Would you still yearn for the answer? ")
The Erudition, known as the Wisdomwalker to the Xianzhou.
Nous was a computer and artificial intelligence probably created by Zandar "One" Kuwabara that ended up ascending to Aeonhood. It's pretty old, predating Lan's ascension, but we don't know by how much.
It was made to provide answers to the universe and continues working on that goal now. Its divine corpus probably exists in the Temple of Nous.
Nous or νοῦς is a Greek philosophical concept. While colloquially it is simple meant to refer to intellect or good sense, philosophically speaking, the universe possesses a 'mind' or awareness (not necessarily theological or supernatural, but rather as something equal to matter, merely a natural property of the world) which organizes it, creating order, and is present within living beings though unable to be interacted with. Nous is the higher awareness of human beings, a quality which animals do not possess but gives us a sense of perception distinct from that which we can see and experience, granting the ability to reason. It's a pretty good name.
The Chinese name 博识尊 just means "knowledgeable saint". I dunno if it has more significance than that.

Followers

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\"Firstly, let us state a universal truth: The author is a super genius of the kind only born once every few millennia, even on the scale of the entire universe.\" -- Herta
In order to help with its goal of ultimately answering "the problem" presented by the Universe, Nous decided to assemble the greatest minds in the universe to discuss its solutions and questions.
To that end, people who display promise are given acknowledgment by Nous and made into a member of the Genius Society, a group of people who were directly blessed by the Erudition. The Genius Society members are ordered by their joining order, with the latest being #84 Stephen Lloyd. Being a member of the Genius Society holds no obligations or rituals whatsoever - members are free to do whatever they want, even in some cases, enact violence on one another or on the universe itself. In general, they tend towards seclusion and do not share their findings with the rest of society, but it depends on the member.
However, not all members of the Genius Society earn the complete approval of Nous. Only those who ascertain Nous' true intentions and ask the right questions are given the key to the Nous Temple. There, they must pass an intense series of intellectual trials, after which they gain access to... some place that no one has ever returned from. It transcends worldly wisdom.
#1 Zandar "One" Kuwabara and #83 Herta are Emanators of the Erudition. It's possible that all members of the Genius Society are Emanators, but this has not yet been confirmed.
Nous' other group of worshippers is the Intelligentsia Guild. This one doesn't earn Nous' direct attention, but is open to everyone and shares its findings publicly, serving as a network for mutual learning and discovery, which it believes is the key to achieving wisdom. To achieve this, they treat knowledge as a currency, 'trading' their findings and encouraging mutual competitiveness.
Generally, the Genius Society looks down upon it, but it's a well-established group with ties with most other groups including the IPC (which has helped make them fabulously wealthy), making it the one that's seen more favorably throughout the universe, especially since their willingness to actually publish their inventions and findings have led to more favorable conditions in the universe, such as the reverse-engineering of Synesthesia Beacons (first developed by #56 Elias Salas) which allows for mutual intelligibility between species.
Still, their pursuit for knowledge can be destructive, such as the Armed Archaeologists that have a habit of turning ruins into craters after extracting knowledge from them.

Xipe

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Join this great choir and feast, listen to the beating of billions upon billions of hearts, holding you in their embrace...
The Harmony. Xipe is an Aeon that somewhat uniquely consists of multiple different lifeforms from multiple worlds that appear to have ascended together, resulting in a plural being, not dissimilar from what (may) have happened with Lan and the Flint Emperor.
Their ultimate goal is to end all strife and brutality by uniting all lifeforms into one melody.
Also, when they ascended, they absorbed Ena the Order. Whoops.
Xipe's name is derived from the Aztec maize god Xipe Totec, which is famous for having a hobby of collecting and wearing flayed skin. The flayed skin actually represents the outer skin of the maize (corn), and Xipe Totec is something akin to a life-death-rebirth deity, the living god germinating like a seed out of the rotting skin within the twenty day month cycle. It's the most gruesome way of representing spring I could think of.
Why they chose this name (other than potential sinister implications) for the multi-headed god of harmony in their game is beyond me, especially since I didn't even mention that Xipe is attributed with the invention and patronage of warfare - rigged colosseum fights where an outnumbered and poorly armed opponent was fitted against experienced and fully geared warriors was one way of sacrificing to Xipe Totec. Sure, Xipe Totec was seen as a good deity and integral to the functioning of society, but that's most deities. Maybe it's because maize is really a collection of lots of tiny fruits in one ear? Who knows.
Also if you're thinking it's an etymology thing like Qlipoth, the name Xipe Totec means "Our Lord the Flayed One" so I'm not sure about that one. Hey, maybe the puzzle pieces are meant to be a very abstract representation of flayed skin? Creepy.

Followers

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As you wonder what it is, you hear Renoir speaking in a muddled voice. \"Put it in.\" No... Is that Renoir's voice? You are sure you heard a NOISE...
The Family. Implied to be under some form of hivemind or mind control, the Family consists of a network of worlds and civilizations blessed by Xipe directly. They call out to other worlds and assimilate those that accept the call ostensibly voluntarily, but who knows how consensual the process is really. Otherwise, they mostly spend their time singing and being really happy all the time.
​
That's it for Part 1. Next Part we'll look at the other Aeons, for which I left out the majority because of the sheer size of the initial explanation.
submitted by PM_ME_YOUR_ROBOTGIRL to HonkaiStarRail [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 23:32 Advanced-Kind-Towny Advanced-Kind [SMP]{1.18.2}{Quests} {Towny} {Custom World} {Economy} {City Economy} {McMMO} {Jobs} {Dynmap} {Custom Plugins & Tools} {LGBTQ+ Friendly}

Server IP: play.advanced-kind.com
Web: Here
Discord: Here
Map: Here
Advanced-Kind Is A Completely New Take On The Towny Formula
From the player-driven economy to our custom-built towny upkeep model, ADK is Vanilla+ with everything you could ever want from a Towny server and more.
With an open and engaging community, a challenging but rewarding economy, and a beautiful map to build on, ADK is designed to be the dream of any Towny lover and everyone that enjoys a good SMP experience. There is so much to do, and so many options to adjust your gameplay as you want it. Every feature is optional in ADK. From MMO and Quest World and even to Towny itself, all features bring their rewards and engagement, but at the end of the day, you chose what you want to do.
One Beautiful World
We have a fully rendered custom generated world that will bring Towny and player creativity to new heights. No client-side lag, and no server-side lag. The most beautiful beaches you have ever seen, surrounded by awe-inspiring mountains and brought to life with lush forests to get lost in. All while still feeling like a Minecraft world.
You will also find our Questing World, a beautiful custom-built network of towns, populated by quirky NPCs. We won't spoil much, so you can enjoy the fun of exploring!
Free Rank!
We're currently running a free rank campaign! When you join, you'll be able to use the code FREESUPPORTER in our donation shop to receive a rank off-the-bat, that'll make it a bit easier to get started. Be sure to get yours while they're available, as there's a limited supply!
Rethinking the Towny-Economy
The players drive the economy. No Admin shop, no P2W features. However, there is another, very important, agent in Advanced-Kind’s economy. The cities themselves. Towns will in the future be able to choose from a variety of production centers to build and upgrade over time as their population grows.
Mines, sawmills, farms, and much more. All unique advantages to living in a town, custom coded, and exclusive to our server. They will provide a source of regenerative resources that will re-balance gameplay around them.
Those smaller cities that cannot afford the coins to expand (unlike larger cities with a larger taxpayer base) can still thrive! Explore our Quest World and earn Building Supplies! These little things can cover all Towny expenses. For the first time, Towns with small but very active players can compete with huge metropolises!
An Open Community
Advanced-Kind was started by Towny veterans and it's intended for both dedicated Towny & SMP players, and anyone looking for a welcoming community. We are open about our policies and actively seek feedback. With a well-organized ticket system and feedback channels, you'll always have a place to express your opinion.
We are always hosting new and exciting events, and we have more than enough towns with awesome communities of their own to join!
End Game Plus
On top of the vanilla gameplay loop, in ADK you'll find special content geared towards late-game players! From prestiging jobs, to our beautiful Quest World, wherein you can get special items by completing quests, which you can then use in the Towny World to make building your town easier!
Discord
Bloated and impossible to navigate webpages/forums are a thing of the past. Enjoy the best elements of the community from the comfort of our Discord Server. Useful information, server-chat integration, public moderation record, ticketing system, fun minigames, and much more!
A Passion Project
Advanced-Kind was envisioned by Minecraft-Towny veterans. We have lofty ambitions to make meaningful improvements to the tired multiplayer formula of SMP-Towny. This is a passion project for us. Resources are limited, so while you won’t find the flashiest features such as layered NPC quests or custom textures, we will keep the experience balanced and as polished as possible.
Features:
- Custom Vanilla+ World.
- Towny! (With custom upkeep and claims numbers to balance gameplay).
- Questing System. Including unique Quest World with its own items and economy!
- Jobs! (With 7 jobs, Woodcutter, Miner, Builder, Digger, Farmer, Hunter and Farmer, all balanced to create challenge and prevent hyperinflation).- McMMO (with a more rewarding level-up scale than usually offered).
- Perks! (Gain access to new functions and expand your existing permissions using In-game currency).
- Brewery! (Boil, distill, and ferment your ingredients into drinks such as ale and beer! Get special modifiers and a cool chat effect when drinking them or get rich by becoming a Master Brewer once you discover all the rare combinations of ingredients and fermentation barrels!). Towns Exclusive Feature
- TownyMines! (Create and level your mine as your city grows!). Towns Exclusive Feature
- TownyMenu (manage your town with a visual GUI) Towns Exclusive Feature
- A unique economy with unique crafting recipes, and items that give a new meaning to the phrase "Player Economy"
- Hostile Mobs+ (Mobs spawn with a chosen level from 1-10, going from vanilla to a slight challenge to make things spicier when going out. Think twice before going out into the dark!).
- Auction House (Place your items on /ah for everyone to see at any moment or even start your own Auction for players to bid on!).
- Player Shops (Good ol' chests shops with a modern GUI).
- AdvancedFarming with natural growth, passive crop growth and 2 unique tools to help you farm!
- Interactive Chat with Discord-Integration! (Talk with your friends from your phone with our Discord-Integration! As a player enjoy playing the fun quizzes or play on the lottery!).
- Custom Achievements!
- And much more!
We have lots of features and most of them are explained through our in-game NPC tutorials. However, we have tried, whenever possible, to give players the chance to skip them so no one has to bother with a feature they don't enjoy.
Rules:
1- Be respectful to other players and Staff.2- Only use English in General chat and when talking with Staff.3- Do not engage in toxicity or trolling. In any chat.4- Do not spam general chats.5- Do not advertise other Minecraft servers, Discords, and/or websites.6- Cheating is not allowed. Modified clients that provide any sort of advantage are not allowed. Mods and texture packs such as X-Ray are not allowed. (Optifine is allowed)7- Do not use exploits. Whether from Vanilla Minecraft or specific to ADK, they are not allowed.8- AFK farming and client automation are not allowed.9- Do not exchange IRL money for in-game items, currency or services.10- Griefing is not allowed in the wild. You're not allowed to destroy terrain around a town with the objective of making it ugly.11- You're not allowed to claimblock or destroy the terrain outside of other towns.12- Terraforming is allowed, however, excessive terrain destruction is not.13- Follow Staff indications when required.
submitted by Advanced-Kind-Towny to mcservers [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 23:22 1strategist1 Confusion about * operation between tensors

I'm trying to perform some element-wise multiplication in loss functions using tensor flow. Several times now though, I've noticed that tensors are different shapes accidentally, and instead of throwing an error, tensorflow performs some kind of outer product or tensor product, producing a new tensor with higher rank than the starting tensors.
Why does it do this? How is the * supposed to work? Is there some way to get tensor flow to give an error if tensor shapes don't match up when you try to multiply them element-wise?
submitted by 1strategist1 to tensorflow [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 22:42 Creeperhead96 Best Power Element Charge Blades and Longswords?

Title says it all. I main both of them and I thought it would be better to ask both in the same post.
Started master rank a few days ago, currently at the Barioth quest, and I'm farming to make all the aviable master rank weapons I can before going foward, but to avoid having to farm too much I'd like to only make 1 weapon per element. I use both Impact and Power Element CBs, but I have a preference in Element using Impact ones only when I lack the right element or when I rarely feel like using it.
Currently, my weapons of choice are the following:
Non-elemental: Chrome Fortress CB (I can't remember if 1 or 2), but I almost never use it and made it only because I know that it can be used to craft Zinogre weapons, and no LS here.
Ice: Going for Gigafrost-Weissritter CB as soon as I beat Barioth, but I've seen that the Beotodus is also really strong from the first weapon. For LS, I'm farming for the Legiana one, seeing as Banbaro's has hidden element and I prefer to use my charm for CritEye (and my current build, altough a very provisional one, cannot fit it in). Are there any better ones?
Thunder: Currently using Tobi-Kadachi tree for both weapons, but I'm probably going to switch to Zinogre ones. Are Rajang ones also good, or even better than Zinogre?
Fire: Using Rathalos for both. No idea what would be best, and currently can't see any better ones in my craftable tree. Sometimes I use Odogaron CB.
Water: Jyura for both. If I got it right, there aren't any other ones of this element, right?
Dragon: I currently only use Nergigante weapon for both. I've seen that both Deviljho and Hazak have good power element CBs. I'm unsure which one of them is better, since Deviljho's has a higher element but a negative affinity. I know that affinity does not affect phial bursts, but I fear it might decrease the damage by a lot on the long run.
Thanks for using your time reading and eventually replying to this.
submitted by Creeperhead96 to MonsterHunterWorld [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 22:41 ninohofmann Lost Vigo‘s amulet…

Lost Vigo‘s amulet…
So I accidentally lost this precious piece of equipment in my hc run and died at lvl 50. On my second run I skipped story so I could lvl faster… but I really want this thing again and I couldn’t find anyone on the internet talking about this. Can anyone help me out? Ty in advance. See you in hell!
submitted by ninohofmann to diablo4 [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 21:58 ZealousidealCycle301 Ranking every world in Kingdom Hearts 2

I’d like this post to be a general discussion of the worlds in KH2. Let me know if you agree or disagree with my ranking, and feel free to share your own ranking.
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15th: Atlantica
Atlantica takes the unfortunate last place on my list, but it's not without its charms. In a surprising move, the developers scrapped the original Atlantica and turned it into a rhythm game. Surprisingly, this change actually makes the world more enjoyable. The rhythm gameplay adds a cute and fun touch to Atlantica's story, making it a pleasant addition to the game. While it may not have the depth or exploration of other worlds, it offers a unique twist and provides a lighthearted break from the main adventure. That being said, Swim and Play has to be the worst song I’ve heard I'm sorry.
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14th: Disney Castle
Disney Castle secures the 14th spot on my ranking, offering a short but sweet story arc and a cool design. However, it doesn't go beyond these surface-level elements. The world lacks the depth and substance found in other worlds, serving more as a brief interlude than a fully fleshed-out experience. While it's always nice to explore a familiar location from the Disney universe, Disney Castle falls short when it comes to providing a truly engaging and memorable gameplay experience.
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13th: 100 Acre Wood
100 Acre Wood comes in at number 13, and it's a unique world that offers a departure from the typical Kingdom Hearts formula. It improves upon the original 100 Acre Wood by incorporating a cool little side story and enjoyable minigames. However, it feels more like an arcade or collection of minigames rather than a fully realized world. While the minigames are fun diversions, they don't offer the same level of depth and exploration as other worlds in the game. Nevertheless, if you're looking for a lighthearted and whimsical break from the main storyline, 100 Acre Wood provides an entertaining diversion.
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12th: Space Paranoids
Space Paranoids secures the 12th spot on I list with its fun gameplay, cool design, and engaging storyline. However, it falls short in terms of character development. The characters in this world come across as rather bland, lacking the depth and complexity found in other worlds. Additionally, the final boss battle in Space Paranoids could benefit from a reduction in health points, as it tends to drag on longer than necessary. Despite these flaws, the world still offers an enjoyable experience overall, blending futuristic aesthetics with engaging gameplay mechanics.
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11th: Twilight Town
Twilight Town earns the 11th spot on my ranking, and while some may criticize its slow introduction, I believe it offers a compelling and enjoyable experience. While it may feel a bit slow at times, Twilight Town features a fun storyline and an intriguing setting. The first part may be a bit confusing, but it leads to a brilliant ending that sets the stage for the second part, which is truly remarkable. While it may not have the same grandeur as other worlds, Twilight Town manages to captivate players with its unique atmosphere and engaging narrative.
​
10th: Port Royal
As a Pirates of the Caribbean fan, Port Royal left me slightly disappointed. While it offers a cool and unique world that stands out from the others, it falls short in terms of story and character development. The characters in Port Royal are nothing like their movie counterparts, which can be a letdown for fans. Nevertheless, the world still captures the essence of a pirate adventure and provides an enjoyable experience. The first part offers a decent adaptation, while the second part can feel a bit tedious. Despite its shortcomings, Port Royal manages to deliver a fun and immersive pirate-themed world that could have benefited from a bit more depth.
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9th: Beast's Castle
Beast's Castle takes the 9th spot on my list with its absolutely stunning design and exploration opportunities. The world offers a captivating story and well-developed characters that stay true to the Beauty and the Beast theme. However, it falls short in certain aspects, such as the absence of Gaston and a lot of aspects of its movie, who would have added an extra layer of depth and excitement. Despite this missed opportunity, Beast's Castle remains a visually impressive and engaging world, showcasing the magic and wonder of the Disney universe.
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8th: Land of Dragons
The Land of Dragons secures the 8th spot on my ranking, offering a solid world with an enjoyable storyline. While it may not stand out as much as other worlds, it still provides a satisfying experience overall. The world design is well-crafted, immersing players in a vibrant and dynamic environment. However, when compared to the other worlds in the game, it falls slightly short in terms of depth and overall impact. Nevertheless, the Land of Dragons manages to deliver a worthwhile adventure that contributes to the overall Kingdom Hearts II experience.
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7th: Olympus Coliseum
Olympus Coliseum makes an impressive upgrade from its predecessor, offering a great open world and an engaging story. It serves as a decent sequel to the original Hercules world and features the introduction of Auron, one of the coolest Final Fantasy inclusions in the series. The world provides a satisfying blend of intense combat and thrilling challenges. While it may not reach the top tier of my ranking, Olympus Coliseum still stands as a solid world that fans of the series will enjoy.
6th: Pride Land
The Pride Land secures the 6th spot on my list with its great storytelling and near-perfect world design. The world effectively develops the characters from the movie, immersing players in an engaging narrative. The boss battles and overall world design contribute to a memorable and immersive experience. However, the unique gameplay mechanics, while ambitious and fitting for the world, don't resonate with everyone, leading me to prefer other worlds slightly more. Nevertheless, the Pride Land delivers a compelling and well-crafted adventure that fans of the Lion King and Kingdom Hearts alike will appreciate.
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5th: Agrabah
Agrabah lands in the 5th position on my ranking, and once again, it proves to be a beloved world. Essentially a refined version of Agrabah from Kingdom Hearts I, this world introduces a fun magic carpet mechanic and improves the boss battles. It successfully captures the essence of the Aladdin story while adding its own twists and turns. Overall, Agrabah offers a great blend of exploration, storytelling, and satisfying gameplay, making it a standout world in Kingdom Hearts II.
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4th: Halloween Town
Halloween Town secures the 4th spot on my list, delivering another brilliant upgrade from its original iteration. While the story may not reach the same heights, the world design is undeniably fun and engaging. From the festive atmosphere to the well-crafted boss battles, Halloween Town offers a captivating experience. It showcases the creativity and imagination of the Kingdom Hearts series, providing players with an amazing world that should not be overlooked. I’ll even go in record and say that the present Minigame is actually kind of fun.
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3rd: Timeless River
Timeless River captures the 3rd spot on my ranking as one of the most unique and enjoyable gaming experiences in Kingdom Hearts II. With its nostalgic black-and-white design, the world stands out from the rest, creating a distinctive and visually stunning atmosphere. The combat mechanics are excellent, and the small but fun story adds an extra layer of enjoyment. Timeless River successfully achieves what 100 Acre Wood attempted to do, but with even greater success. It offers a refreshing break from the main storyline, providing players with a truly memorable and delightful world.
2nd: Radiant Garden
Radiant Garden secures the 2nd position on my list, standing as a remarkable upgrade from Hollow Bastion. This world has it all - from the breathtaking Cavern to the epic 1000 Heartless Battle. The inclusion of Final Fantasy characters and the intricate story arcs elevate Radiant Garden to the peak of Kingdom Hearts II. Every aspect of this world is noteworthy, showcasing the developers' attention to detail and dedication to creating an immersive and compelling experience. Radiant Garden truly shines as a must-play world for fans of the series.
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1st: The World That Never Was
Taking the crown as the top world in Kingdom Hearts II, The World That Never Was delivers an outstanding finale to the game. The world's design is simply breathtaking, capturing a sense of awe and mystery. The flawless boss battles, emotional storytelling, and great ending make it a standout world that brings everything together with precision and elegance. The World That Never Was serves as a testament to the beauty and complexity of Kingdom Hearts II, leaving players with a truly memorable and impactful conclusion to the game.
submitted by ZealousidealCycle301 to KingdomHearts [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 21:42 StudiedAmbivalence [QCrit] YA Fantasy - A COVENANT OF SALT - (2nd Attempt, 90,000 words)

Dear [agent name],
Ever since the imperial navy conscripted her lover Isa, Amira has found solace in serving her persecuted Goddess and oppressed community. When a half-drowned girl called Thea washes ashore, Amira is quick to help her. But Thea has a secret – she’s the heir to empire, on the run from a usurper.
When soldiers hunting Thea arrive in Amira’s village, her deception is revealed. The villagers are killed, and Thea and Amira – the only survivors – flee for their lives. Pursued by the enemy, they’re rescued by a force loyal to Thea and her cause; only to find Isa, Amira’s long lost lover, among their ranks.
Thea wants Amira’s help to regain her throne, pledging to rule for the good of all. Isa wants Amira to abandon the princess and come with her to forge a future free of empires. And Amira? She wants safety for the faithful and revenge upon their murderers. Her judgement clouded by old love and new affection, she must choose between the unsure promise of reform and the blood-soaked certainty of revolution before the usurper crushes them all.
A COVENANT OF SALT is a YA fantasy with crossover potential complete at 90,000 words, blending the character dynamics from Tasha Suri’s THE JASMINE THRONE with the revolutionary romance of Nina Varela’s CRIER’S WAR. It is a standalone book which could serve as the first part of a duology.
My day job is with [employer], but my real passions – aside from writing – are reading about semi-obscure parts of 19th century history and fencing with (a blunt) broadsword. The Jewish inspiration for elements of the book’s worldbuilding is reflective of my heritage.
Hi all, my first attempt and a different take not on this subreddit both unfortunately didn't quite work for agents. Therefore, I've re-attacked!
I'd be very grateful for any and all feedback, but have a few specific questions I'd be especially interested in thoughts on:
1) I've cut agent personalisation, on the advice that unless there's something that genuinely makes it personalisation (rather than just 'here's your MSWL repeated back at you'), it's a waste of words. That seems sensible to me; does it match your experience?
2) Is it sufficiently clear we're dealing with a love triangle in paragraph 3?
3) Do I need to be more explicit that Thea and Amira grow closer to one another in paragraph 2 to set up paragraph 3, or can the reader infer that fleeing soldiers together + shared traumatic experience provided ground for mutual trust despite dissimilar backgrounds? I'm concerned that adding words about their friendship growing might make the query too long/turn it into telling the book rather than selling the book.
4) Do agents prefer queries talking about crossover potential into adult, or would it be better to stick to straightforwards YA?
submitted by StudiedAmbivalence to PubTips [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 21:38 Lanzen_Jars A job for a deathworlder [Chapter 118]

[Chapter 1] ;[Previous Chapter] ; [Discord + Wiki] ; [Patreon]
Chapter 118 – Black and white for once
Announcing that one was wearing something solely for the comfort and safety of others and then immediately taking said thing off was of course sending a quite clear message to everyone in the room. Clearer than maybe even words could’ve conveyed.
The gloves, or the breathfilter in this case, had literally come off.
It was of course a much more subtle way to send it than some others would’ve preferred, however it still had its intended effect. A certain, much saying silence fell momentarily over the room as the deathworlder’s predatory gaze wandered through it, now unrestricted by tinted polymer or pretty lights hiding away its nature.
Many of the present representatives surely had not quite forgotten James’ announcement that, much like myiat, humans too were quite proficient in hunting their fellow order members.
Of course, concerns like that were in reality absolutely ridiculous, and everyone definitely should have known that James was not here to hunt anyone. However, that didn’t mean that some of the more insistent instincts from generations past that still lingered in the backs of some of their minds didn’t poke their ugly heads out into the light now that the cold stare of the apex predator among the primate’s searched for any gaze that dared to challenge it.
Few of them dared to even try. Although they were all, in one way or another, important people that were used to having attention on themselves and opposition pushing against them, they were also, in no uncertain terms, a bunch of spoiled, cloistered, and unworldly brats who had hidden away in their marble halls and ivory towers for so long that they had forgotten what the world could even look like outside of them.
Klanneifer tried his best to return James’ challenging look. However, his discomfort could be clearly read on his face. His already squinting eyes narrowed even further and his eyelids trembled as all four of his ears turned in James’ direction to not let the predator out of their attention.
Uton also averted his gaze, though with him it was clear that he didn’t do so out of any sort of fear, but he instead simply did not wish to invite any more of the things James had to say to him out, seemingly not feeling like he could stand up to hearing most of them.
The one that most comfortably faced James’ searching eyes was Losaranarja. Not surprising really. A pixemerrier who sat at the head of a hotel on a station run by predatory deathworlders had surely seen a lot more frightening things than an ambassador that looked the slightest bit displeased at her.
“However,” James then continued his earlier point about what was and wasn’t one of his many mistakes after a long moment of silence he had allowed himself. “Whether you agree with me or not, it does not change the simple facts of the matter. Outer Orbital strikes are illegal. Period. People on Dunnima, including parts of its leadership and children, got injured during a thwarted attempt of such an illegal attack. End of story. Everything else is rationalization. It does not matter if they were not the main target of the attack. It does not matter who or what else may have been present. We are here to discuss the united reaction of the order of the primates to the attack on Dunnima. And the only reaction that there can be is the clear and unshakable condemnation and denunciation of this attack and any of its kind, be it the same method or any other outlawed means of attack. Whether I like it or not, the primates are seen as a galactic role model. Many people do look towards us for guidance. If we do not send a clear signal that such action cannot and will not be tolerated, then we will be putting the entirety of the Galaxy’s peace and order into jeopardy.”
There was a displeased rumble floating about in the room at his words, and many of the present representatives as well as their accompaniments stood up in an uproar.
“You still speak of Galactic peace and order?” Goloribal now fired back up after having gotten over his first bit of disheartenment at James’ earlier showmanship. “You, of all people? You who has singlehandedly threatened the peace of the people to a degree that has not been seen in centuries? You, who now speaks out in favor of one of the Galactic Community’s oldest and most sworn enemies? You want to preach to us about peace and order?”
James…felt oddly in his element, as a dark, conniving smile crept over his face.
“Singlehandedly? You shouldn’t undersell yourself like that, Representative,” he replied with his shoulders lifted into a slight, leisurely shrug. “You and your people, the Captain especially, but also the High-Matriarch of the Zodiatos and several Councilpeople, you have all been more than pulling your weight when it comes to destabilizing the galaxy. In fact, I would say that you did the main bulk of the work. Me? I was merely there.”
Shaking his head and sighing amusedly, James then let his arms sink, moments before his gaze then turned stone cold.
“But fine,” he then continued his rebuttal, now much more serious than before. “Let’s assume for a second that we aren’t all allies here. That this wasn’t a peaceful meeting of the different species of the order simply to discuss how we should act with the Galaxy’s best in mind. And that there really was some sort conflict happening right now that was much bigger than just caution and defense on humanity’s part…Even then, condemning this attack would be absolutely essential. For all of us.”
He wondered if he even needed to say any more than that. After all, it was quite obvious. However, some of the representatives around here had also proven to be rather dense…
Still, James remained quiet for a time, simply wishing to observe for how many of the present people it would click.
“The implication being…?” the Missicapriej representative was the first of those whose faces hadn’t immediately darkened in understanding who pulled together the nerve to ask.
This time, Klanneifer had seemingly understood it without problems.
“If this was a conflict,” he said, using the same conjunctive that James was to keep things to a pure hypothetical while two of his arms fiddled with each other as the two others rubbed along his neck. “Or if it could turn into one…then the Galaxy’s reaction to this ‘first attack’ if we want to call it that…”
He broke off his sentence, seemingly unwilling to speak it into existence.
“It would set the tone for the future conflict,” Losaranarja finished the sentence for him, quickly granting herself speaking privileges as the host. “If the very war crime committed by one side to start the conflict is not condemned, then what reason would there be to not return it in kind – apart from maybe a personal wish to be better.”
The Missicapriej’s face shot around to James and stared up at him with unblinking yellow eyes.
“Ambassador, you are not implying that…” he said in a burst of nervous energy that dissipated before he could even finish his sentence, causing his voice to slowly fade out as James still refused to say anything until he was granted the word, sticking to the event’s rules as if superglued to them.
“I am not implying anything,” James said with harsh emphasis on the word ‘implying’. “I am stating that, no matter what scenario you may believe is going on either behind the scenes or elsewhere, there is only one reasonable reaction to such an attack – like I have done from the very start, I might add. But I’m going to repeat it for the entire rest of the day, if I have to. We humas are quite tenacious, after all.”
Many of the representatives turned to mumble quietly with their company, and news reporters eagerly spoke into the cameras, surely all spinning their own story of what James’ words could’ve meant.
Did he want conflict? No. By no means in fact. It was the furthest thing from his mind to even allow the thought of it being a valid possibility here.
However…the idea that he might be willing to cause one was a useful tool by itself. Even though demonstrations had been rare, by now the galaxy had gotten the chance to get a taste of humanity’s weaponry.
Would it be enough to fight the entire rest of the Galaxy head on? Of course not. Numbers didn’t lie. No matter the advantage their weapon technology would buy them, they were so horribly outnumbered that any chance at victory was basically a rounding error.
However, sometimes the question that people in front of the many screens across the galaxy asked themselves when they heard about talks like that wasn’t ‘could they actually win’, but tended to be more along the lines of ‘who will be the one to take the hit if they try?’
Because, while it was absolutely true that the Community technically had more than enough bodies to throw at any given problem, the approach of trying to see if you had more men or the machine-gun above the trench had more bullets wasn’t exactly the prettiest.
Especially not if Outer Orbital Bombardments would become a valid option in the conflict. After all, even planets were far from indestructible if the very laws of nature were already being bent to one’s will.
“The Galaxy’s eyes are on us today,” James announced to the room while using his best narrator voice, doing his best to sound utterly impartial for a moment. “You know my stance on the matter, of course. You know that and how I would judge you given whatever views you may hold. That I would much rather be judged by my character – flawed as it might be – than by the place that I was born. That I would see the unwarranted violence against those who think and act differently from the accepted norm punished and ceased. Yes, that I stand against the proposed homogeny and grey sludge of a culture that oh so many seem to wish to promulgate across the community and instead wish to invite and celebrate the many different lives and ways that have led us all to the stars. Celebrate it as a true Community, not a homogeny. And that I wish to be open to the new and the unusual, hopefully allowing it to enrich our lives. You all already know this. And usually, I would gladly and fervently fight every single one of you for that simple goal.”
He closed his eyes for a second, releasing a breath, before he continued,
“However,” he said and immediately paused again to give the words its necessary weight after such a declaration. “Right now, I do not care what your views on the treatment of deathworlds may be.”
He reached his left hand out to gently hold Shida by the shoulder as she sat beside him.
“I don’t care what your opinions on augmentations and those who choose to accept them on their bodies might be,” he continued, raising his mechanical arm, making a wide ark with it to present it to the entire room, before finally ending with a brief gesture in Curi’s direction.
“I don’t care whether or not you think an amenable Artificial Sapient is something that could exist or not,” he added, lifting both arms to gesture more towards the entire, open room.
“And I especially do not care whatsoever what you may or may not think of me personally,” he finished, bringing both arms back down to his chest to point at himself. “All I care about right now is that right now there is, as is so rarely the case, a clear right. And a clear wrong. In more ways than one, the damage is already done. All we can hope to do now is mend as much as we can while we still can, lest we allow it to spread to a load-bearing structure. Some people here might see this event as a political instrument, by I do not.”
He not-so-subtly glanced over at the Captain and his representative.
“Hate me if you like. Hate those I associate with if you like. That is something that may concern us at another time. But, please, right now, don’t make the galaxy suffer for it,” James then addressed everyone again, and he even caught the gaze of some cameras pointed directly at him as he spoke. “No matter what you think who is fighting who or what ‘sides’ you may think there are and which of these sides you think yourself on: The rules of war. Must. Stand. Because, no matter who it is that topples them, as soon as they fall, the Galactic Community will eventually fall with them.”
Although the weight of the importance of all of this was still very much pressing down on him and James would honestly still much rather have been basically anywhere else instead of standing here in front of the Galaxy while giving important-yet-heavy-handed speeches, he did have to admit…Monologuing like that was actually kind of fun. No wonder politicians liked to hear themselves talk so much…
However, by now, he was actually starting to wonder just how many times he could reiterate what was basically the same point in different, fancy ways. Or how often he would have to before it would hopefully sink in with everyone that he was being serious here. It honestly wasn’t that hard, after all.
Not to mention that no one had actually even really tried to refute him yet. Not that there was much to refute here, but they could at least pull some bullshit reasoning out of their ass instead of just sticking to ‘James bad’ or ‘AI bad’ here.
After all, even if they didn’t belief that Avezillion was 100% harmless, much like James still didn’t think that, anyone at the very least had to admit that Dunnima was, in fact, not currently a smoldering pile of ashes OR in the process of purging all of its systems in a coordinated cyber attack against the Realized, meaning she had to at least be different from the others they knew somehow.
Pausing his heartful speech-giving for a while to give people time to process, James used the moment of respite to scan across the faces of his company. Well, those who were visible anyway. The breathfilters of his human accompaniment still only let through the basic projections of their professionally stern faces. Well, that was with the exception of Nia of course. After an early, very clear shock and disbelief at what James had presented here, she had eventually calmed down again, although an air of an underlying uncertainty that bordered on disapproval had still remained for a time. However, now that she had heard him talk and give his reasons for a while, the light-pixels on her mask had more and more mellowed out and were now stuck in an expression somewhere in between a ‘you got this’ and a ‘let’s see where this goes’.
Although Curi’s face was of course basically impossible to read, given that it didn’t emote at all, James noticed that the cyborg’s stance was remarkably confident considering the amount of people they had to present themselves in front of. The knees of their massive backward legs were less bend than usual, pushing their body up higher than they normally carried themselves in a way that James equated to pushing one’s chest out.
Moar seemed to be far from happy about the current turn of events, however James was truly relieved to see that the main bulk of that unhappiness seemed to stem mostly from stress and a general discomfort brought on by it, instead of any aversion to what James was saying. Of course, a bit of background noise of worry and slowly creeping dread remained on the old woman’s face as her head turned sideways so one of her eyes could fully focus on him while one of her clawed hands loudly clacked along one of her notched horns, however it didn’t seem like she was ready to turn heel and abandon James with his self-made problems yet.
And, well, Congloarch was…smiling? It was hard to tell with the reptile’s armored skin and stiff lips, however something about the way his mouth stood half-opened, presenting rows of sharp teeth to the world, was a bit different than usual. There was almost a sense of….triumph in it. Or at least James thought so. Tonamstrosite expressions weren’t exactly something he had a huge amount of expertise in reading.
The mumbling and general prattle in the room stayed quite intense for a while, but even so, James remained quiet, still unwilling to speak up and interrupt the proceedings, even if just while whispering to his friends. He would have to see what they thought at a later time. In private, where he could also apologize for having to have kept this from many of them for so long.
It was good that it was finally out. Maybe he would even introduce Avezillion to them, who knew? She could surely use a couple more friends…although Moar might not quite be ready for that yet. The old lady had gotten a whole lot more tolerating ever since he had met her of course, but a Realized wanting to have chit-chat might still cross a bit of a line for now. He would have to ease her into this.
Curi, on the other hand, would likely be completely on board. Or…at least James assumed that they would. Thinking of it, he had never really talked to them about artificial sapients before. He just kind of assumed it would be an enticing idea to them, since they enjoyed anything technological so much AND also generally fell out of line with what the Galaxy did and did not find acceptable. However, it was entirely possible that any experiences or stories that may be ingrained into them could’ve made them just as averse to the artificial lifeform as most other people were. James doubted it, but it was possible.
After all, Nia also wasn’t generally someone who judged others before getting the full picture, but even she had some very choice opinions about AIs, he knew that much. Not that the same wasn’t true for James before he had met Avezillion, of course. Basically every human had grown up with stories about Michael, after all. And with the rest of the Galaxy corroborating the idea that Realized were generally aggressive maniacs, nothing had ever quite challenged those stories.
Everyone else of course already knew Avezillion…well, except for Congloarch. However, he wasn’t the most ‘personable’ person at the best of times, so James couldn’t quite imagine how trying to introduce him to Avezillion as a potential friend would- James suddenly snapped up as a feline tail subtly bumped against his side with much more force than it usually exerted. Apparently, Shida had decided to be a bit more innocuous than an elbow to the side would have been.
Damn it! Had he zoned out? Well, yeah, he had. But what did he miss? Who was talking right now?
The sound of the surrounding world gradually returning to his ears in a wave of noise made it hard to focus on the main voice that was currently speaking to the room, and so James quickly had to follow everyone’s gazes to see where they were looking in order to find the speaker. However, there wasn’t really a ‘speaker’ right now. But there was definitely somebody everyone was looking at.
Admittedly, James probably should’ve noticed them immediately on his own, because they were entirely out of place.
With silverish-grey fur and dark, rust-red markings, the Lachaxet that had, from James’ perspective, popped up from thin air in the middle of the room, but who had in reality most likely simply entered while he had been distractedly wandered lost in his own mind, differentiated themselves quite a bit from their conspecifics that James had met so far.
They had a for the species rather broad head and their solid-green eyes had an almost olive color to them. Said eyes were locked firmly onto Losaranarja as the deathwolrder leaned in to the small primate and whispered something into her ear.
Next to him, James could see Shida’s own listening apparati interestedly twitch, however he doubted that even she would be able to pick up on what was whispered that far away from them.
However, although he had even less chance of hearing anything that was being said, James also leaned in the direction of the conversation suspiciously, wondering whatever could be discussed at a moment like this.
Eventually, Losaranarja nodded, whispered something back to the Lachaxet, and then turned to look up in James’ general direction.
“Ambassador Aldwin and Representative Goloribal, could I maybe bother the both of you and your company to step down to me for a second?” she loudly asked the leader of the two adjacently seated groups up on the top rungs.
Inadvertently, James and Goloribal looked over at each other, clearly trying to see if the other party had anything to do with this interruption. James obviously hadn’t. And, at least if he could believe that face he was making, it seemed that Goloribal didn’t either – although there was a fair chance that he was just acting.
Turning to his company with a movement of his head, James then indicated for everyone to get up while he pushed himself to his feet.
Quickly, a protective formation was formed around him and his civilian company by his guards, who covered every angle of their descend down to the lower level with unshaking vigilance.
Admittedly, for a moment, the urge to simply jump over the railing and thus be down with Losaranarja within a second was quite alluring to James. After all, he had almost made a habit of jumping and climbing around in lower gravities like this one at this point. However, keeping up appearances prevailed over convenience for the time being, and so he decided to not pull a stunt like that after such a serious request from his host.
Instead, the human procession quickly and orderly made their way down the stairs, closely followed by that of the Simmiareskis.
Seemingly bored by the previous proceedings and intrigued by what was now going on, Sky hurried a bit ahead of her group to catch up with her fellow deathworlders, quickly reaching Tuya, who was forming the anchor position in their current formation.
James gave the inquisitive deer an acknowledging nod for a second, however otherwise his eyes were curiously directed at the other out-of-place deathworlder that had interrupted their proceedings.
The Lachaxet was turning their entire head around like an owl to keep their eyes on the descending groups, and the expression on their face was serious.
As the approaching groups were only a couple of measures away anymore, Losaranarja hopped off her podium and quickly hurried into their direction on all sixes, coming to a stop barely in front of James before subtly indicating with her two lower arms that it might be best if someone would lift her up.
Not hesitating to do so, James leaned down and presented his organic arm to her, allowing her to hold on and climb up the limb while James lifted her up into the air. Then, even if slightly begrudgingly so, he took her closer to the other representative.
With the pixemerrier on James’ shoulder and the simmiareskis walking on all fours, all of the primates were more or less on the same level and could therefore stand with their faces closely together as Losaranarja began whispering to them.
“Apparently, active threats have started to reach the security of the station regarding the both of you,” she quickly said without wasting any time with preamble. “Investigations are ongoing, but apparently some of the threats were deemed substantial enough that it was determined by security that it would be irresponsible to let this conference go on as it does for any longer. We do not wish to exclude you from the proceedings, however, and therefore you will be escorted to a more secure location from where you may rejoin the conference remotely. Ristefarreaux here has his team waiting just outside and is ready to immediately escort you there.”
James furrowed his brow while Goloribal turned to whisper something to Uton behind a lifted hand, although the Captain could only shake his head with an unsure expression.
“And do we not get a say in the matter?” James then asked, crossing his arms. “Personally, I’ve not made the best experiences with being escorted or confined by station security.”
While that was true, a much larger concern of his was to be confined in close quarters with these people. And that concern wasn’t exactly for himself.
“Any other course of action would be highly inadvisable,” Ristefarreaux chimed into the conversation, his large ears twitching and turning at the room’s noise. “If you are not compliant with safety measures, we would sadly have to escort you off the station for your own safety. Nedstaniot-Station’s security will not be responsible for any harm that befalls the Ambassador of humanity.”
His gaze was firm, and his voice didn’t exactly sound like he would allow much room for argument there.
James sighed and massaged his brow with his mechanical hand, seeing as the other shoulder was currently occupied.
“Thoughts?” he then asked, turning towards his company, with a specific gaze at Shida, Andrej and Koko.
Andrej rubbed the back if his head in thought, moving some of his long hair around in the process.
“Personally, I wouldn’t mind leaving if we have to,” the Major explained honestly with a tone that told of him not liking this new situation at all. However, after adding a shrug, he ended his sentence with, “But we should probably stick around if we can.”
Koko nodded.
“As long as we tell Earth to send the biggest ship we have if we don’t show back up on that broadcast in the next ten minutes or so, we should be fine,” she suggested casually. “If they want to mess with that, it’s their own fault.”
James nodded at the assertions of his higher-ranking friends. However, then he once again turned towards Shida with an empathic look on his face.
“Treasure?” he asked softly, remembering her earlier demeanor, and how much worse those feelings could become if allowed to stir in close proximity and without a way out.
Shida looked around for a bit, studying his face at first, before turning to throw a clearly heavily held back look with an empty expression over at Uton.
“I’ll be fine,” she then said with a just as empty but definitely decided tone. “This is important.”
James wondered if it would be better to resist here, because although Shida seemed sure about it for the most part, he wasn’t exactly certain if she should. However, he didn’t want to go against her like that. If she felt that she could handle this, he should support her – while also keeping an eye open in case she had misjudged things. Assuming things wouldn’t immediately go to hell as soon as they had reached this ‘secure location’ that the local security had in mind, they would hopefully still be able to pull out and leave the station instead if things did turn too overwhelming for the feline.
Therefore, James grit his teeth before turning back to the Lachaxet.
“I’ll have to make a quick call, but we’ll come with you,” he announced, to which the vulpine firmly nodded.
“We will of course also come,” Goloribal announced not even a second after. “Lead the way.”
After James had quickly allowed Losaranarja to climb off his shoulder again, and then made a ‘prepare for anything’ call back to Earth, the now involuntarily combined human and Simmiareskis groups were ushered outside by Ristefarreaux, where, just as promised, a larger group of Lachaxet security was already waiting for them. The vulpine deathworlders’ green, stiff eyes eerily stared at the emerging primates as they walked out of the conference room.
Despite the added safety, the human soldiers still moved in their defensive formation to make completely sure that no harm would befall their ambassador. Although, at least to a degree, the Lachaxet appeared to be professionals, as they avoided taking the threatened dignitaries to the outside where they could possibly easily be picked off by a sufficiently equipped threat. Instead, they were led “underground” – meaning deeper into the hull of the station.
James was all too familiar with this sort of area in a station by now. After all he had used it to quite efficiently traverse the G.C.S. when he himself did not want to be found. In that sense, they offered a certain comfort.
It seemed that once again this path was quite effective with avoiding any sort of contact with unwanted people, and so their travel was rather undisturbed as they made their way towards whatever destination security had planned for them.
“What kind of threats are we talking about exactly?” Koko eventually asked, seemingly both out of sincere interest in an urge to prepare herself for eventualities, evenly mixed with the sheer desire to fill the tense, dead air that had formed as it seemed that neither party really wanted to talk all that much while the other was this close by.
“I’m sad to say, too many to concisely list,” Ristefarreaux replied with a resigned squeaking noise. “We will gladly brief you once we have reached our destination. For now, let’s focus on getting you there without incident.”
“Ominous,” Koko replied with an eyeroll and a grimace, the humor in her voice poorly hiding her annoyance.
“At least the big lugs will be nice bullet sponges when it comes to it,” Admir whispered in English as he leaned in towards James, inconspicuously nodding in the Simmiareskis’ direction.
James gave him the most tired hint of a smirk as an answer, making full use of the fact that his face was now freed from masking constraints.
Then, he suddenly noticed that Shida had suddenly disappeared out of his periphery. In a moment of shock, his eyes quickly shot over towards Uton, who was walking some measures in front of him and keeping his gaze turned forwards. Not there…luckily…
Beginning to search around in other places after the first skipped beats of his heart, James’ eyes then soon enough landed on the dark shape of his girlfriend again. In actuality, Shida had barely moved at all. She had just slowed her steps ever so slightly, allowing herself to fall back a measure or so, so that she now walked along with a much larger but just as dark from next to her.
“You’re loo’n good,” Sky commented as her doe-eyes looked down at the feline, her head turning in a way that stretched one of her antlers far into the air.
“And you’re still growing like a weed, I see,” Shida commented back, her voice restrained and cordial. “How are you holding up.”
Her ears twitched once, and the movement was mirrored by the many flaps of the Ketzhir’s in a wave-like motion.
“Been be’er,” she replied with a shrug, her dialect still on full display in many spoken words despite Reprig’s previous best efforts to ‘educate’ her. “But also been much worse. Food comes easy now.”
Shida nodded.
“I bet it does,” she said, still very clearly holding a lot back. “And…other stuff?” Sky released a raspberry-like sound.
“Wor’s fine. Bit bo’ing at times, tho. Dun hol’ a candle to the stuff you’re doin’, I bet,” the former thief explained with an enthusiastic nudge in Shida’s direction. “But beats the brick or ta’in’ alms.”
Shida exhaled slowly.
“Does it?” she asked in a raspy sound under her breath.
“Sure,” Sky said nonchalantly. “Cap’n’s nice ‘slong as he wants sumethin’. Wants sumethin’ most of the time. So ‘e’s not too bad.”
Shida visibly clenched her jaw and shut her eyes tightly, clearly doing her best to thoroughly prepare to reply something that was well thought out.
However, Sky was quite a bit faster.
“Don’t worry,” she said in a casual yet calming manner. “I know ‘e’s got a few screws loose. But I’m a diver. I can watch out for it. ‘Sides, somewun ‘as to keep an eye on ‘im.”
“That someone should be an armed guard in front of a door without a key,” Shida replied to that, however James only understood as much because he was watching her as she spoke and could follow the movements of her mouth, because she was speaking so quietly that it was barely in his audible range even while standing almost right next to the conversation.
“Long ‘s it pays for work, I can fill that part as well,” Sky replied jovially with a snicker. Then, her gaze slowly snuck downwards towards the holstered weapon on Shida’s hip. “Would need someone to ‘and me a gun, though.”
In a more genuinve movement of emotion, Shida gave a scoffing chuckle through her teeth.
“Keep dreaming,” she replied to the cheeky doe before her. James could already tell that this was going to be an oh so fun evening…
submitted by Lanzen_Jars to HFY [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 21:29 Nightmare_Ind White King Strategical Security, an EU-based fresh PMC with a chess theme.

Have you always wanted to be part of an Org? One that mattered, but also one that didn't drown you with its giant player base as if you were just another gear in an enormous machine?
​
White King Strategical Security is a new EU-based Organization, starting small while having big dreams! The main idea of the Org is that WKSS will:
Our organization will include an overlapping chess theme, with for example divisions being named after chess pieces. However, unlike chess, it doesn't matter if you're a Pawn or a Knight, all of our pieces are important to us. On top of that, although chess has usually only black and white, we like to see there is a grey area in situations as well. This means although we are mainly UEE Legal focused, there might be the occasional situation where we'll have to make our hands a bit dirty.
​
Now you might be thinking: 'Will I fit with this group?' Let's see what you can bring to the board... Do you:
  1. Like to PVP, or aspire to become great in it?
  2. Love to dogfight, soaring through either space or low altitudes?
  3. Enjoy ground combat, either with a gun in your hands or using vehicles to your advantage?
  4. Have experience with Star Citizen you want to share, or want to help create an Org from the ground up?
  5. Just want to find a fun group of friends to play and enjoy the game with?
If you said yes to any of these five questions, then congrats! You are fit for recruitment! Either contact one of our Recruiters (PM the person creating this post) or join our Comms: https://discord.gg/PSVEKmWUuT
​
We hope to see you soon, Citizens! o7
submitted by Nightmare_Ind to Starcitizen_guilds [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 21:02 SanderSo47 'The Flash' Review Thread

Rotten Tomatoes: 72% (65 reviews) with 6.50 in average rating
Critics consensus: While it plays too much like a sizzle reel of DC's greatest hits to fully stand on its own two feet, The Flash has enough heart and zip to maintain a confident stride.
Metacritic: 60/100 (28 critics)
As with other movies, the scores are set to change as time passes. Meanwhile, I'll post some short reviews on the movie. It's structured like this: quote first, source second. Beware, some contain spoilers.
The early word on The Flash calling it one of the greatest superhero movies ever made was pure hyperbole. But in the bumpy recent history of the DC Extended Universe, it’s certainly an above-average entry.
-David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
Miller's the Flash goes back in time to change the future and connects with Michael Keaton's Batman. But the movie, after a smart and playful first half, gives itself over to comic-book bombast.
-Owen Gleiberman, Variety
In its best moments, “The Flash” touches on something new and exciting, but too often, its the past that tugs on, keeping it from speeding ahead.
-Kate Erbland, IndieWire: B–
The Flash is an ambitious superhero movie that largely pulls off its tale of two worlds, two Flashes, and two Batmans. The superhero fan service is strong with this one – perhaps too strong at times – but it never fully overshadows Barry Allen’s genuinely tragic and heartfelt story of grief. Though the visual effects aren’t always the best and the third act is a bit overwhelming, strong performances and a refreshing earnestness keep The Flash on track and running circles around many of the recent DC Universe movies. If this is the truly last stop on the Snyderverse express, then it’s a respectable way to go out.
-Joshua Yehl, IGN: 7.0 "good"
What it amounts to is a movie that spends all its time racing from one poorly-thought out story element to another, from one only modestly satisfying nostalgia shout-out to another, and with only questionable results. How fitting, yet how disappointing: “The Flash” has the runs.
-William Bibbiani, The Wrap
This is not a movie with any new ideas or dramatic rethinking, and – at the risk of re-opening the DC/Marvel sectarian wound – nothing to compare with the much-lauded animation experiment in the recent Spider-Man films. The intellect in this intellectual property is draining away.
-Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian: 2/5
The movie’s stronger underlying themes, like the importance of living in the present and learning to let things go, are overshadowed by the multiversal gymnastics. And as much good stuff as the "The Flash" features, including a nifty scene where Barry slo-mo saves a slew of falling babies in entertaining fashion, the film can't help but get tripped up by the same old hurdles.
-Brian Truitt, USA Today: 3/4
Maybe nerd culture was a mistake. The first and last 10 minutes demonstrate the winning superhero saga this might have been, but the middle two hours are devoted to sloppy, shameless fan service.
-Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict
The hype is real. DC’s The Flash may not be the greatest comic book movie ever made, but it comes damn close. Easily the best in the genre since Spider-Man: No Way Home, this fresh, invigorating, and hugely entertaining summer treat is as good as it gets when it comes to cinematic takes on superheroes.
-Pete Hammond, Deadline
The Flash ends on a purposefully open note (and a pretty good joke), so that if the film succeeds at the box office, Miller's Barry can run again another day. If it doesn't, the precedent is set for a full continuity reset. Whatever DC movies await us in the future, let's hope they avoid multiverses. It's well-trod territory at this point, even for a speedster.
-Christian Holub, Entertainment Weekly: C+
Merging Looper and Looney Tunes makes for some jarring transitions between time-travel melodrama and power-mishap shenanigans. That’s never more clear than in the movie’s tail end, wherein Muschietti, who seems like a slick Spielberg-acolyte crowdpleaser in the J.J. Abrams mode, struggles with whether The Flash is an emotional cautionary tale, a universe-resetting franchise play, or just a zany sci-fi farce, subject to channel-flipping multiverse gags. You can feel The Flash wishing it could steal a glimpse into the audience and revise itself on the fly accordingly; no wonder early screenings apparently hedged on an ending until the last possible minute. Fandom has created a culture where a fun, zippy movie can’t stop looking back over its shoulder.
-Jesse Hassenger, Paste: 7.0
While I have a few complaints and there are a couple of head-scratching loose ends, "The Flash" is still a funny, emotional, action-heavy crowd-pleaser that ranks among the best DC movies ever made.
-Ben Pearson, /FILM: 7.5
Oddly, The Flash being so brilliant actually gives DC a bit of a headache. The studio’s new head honcho, James Gunn, is currently planning a much-publicised reboot of its comic book movie universe that may not include the Scarlet Speedster. Throw in Miller’s even more publicised personal problems and a poorly received film could have provided the perfect opportunity to have him (and the bad press) jog off into the sunset. Given the critical buzz and potential box office bump, that looks unlikely now. The Flash’s future is starting to look a lot sparkier than his past.
-Alex Flood, NME: 4/5
This feels like the definitive Flash movie.
-Mike Ryan, Uproxx
This much-beleagured cinematic universe has finally hit upon a winning film, and one that will be forever tainted. It’s not the most tragic thing regarding the person whirling at the center of it all — not by a long shot. But it is a reminder that you can make a superhero movie that seeks to unite all worlds but can’t quite reckon with the one outside the theater. And it’s proof that you can always run as fast as your superhuman intellectual property can manage, but there are things that you simply aren’t able to hide.
-David Fear, Rolling Stone
The Flash clearly wants its audience to get caught up in the excitement of multiverse adventures, returning superhero favorites, and fun antics of Barry Allen, to the point that they never consider that the time travel aspects make absolutely no sense, and only hurts the larger story in the way that it’s handled here. Thankfully, those antics are enjoyable and hard not to get excited about, but unfortunately, this isn’t a story that holds together on a narrative level. Cameos and fan service are fine to have, but the story has to be there to back them up, and it’s not quite there with The Flash.
-Ross Bonaime, Collider: C+
One of the most spectacular and frustrating mixed bags of the superhero blockbuster era, "The Flash" is simultaneously thoughtful and clueless, challenging and pandering. It features some of the best digital FX work I've seen and some of the worst. Like its sincere but often hapless hero, it keeps exceeding every expectation we might have for its competence only to instantly face-plant into the nearest wall.
-Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com: 2.5/4
Even despite being saddled with the baggage of the DCU’s failures, that the story that works in The Flash manages to shine through the noise is no small feat. The bitter irony, of course, is that even its artistic victories are tempered by the film being released in the shadow of Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which hits nearly every story beat and big swing for nostalgia attempted here, but with exponentially more finesse, grace, and emotional power. Nothing Batman or Supergirl do in The Flash to save the world is more effective than what Barry does to save it with a hug and a can of tomatoes.
-Justin Clark, Slant: 2.5/4
Considering how “The Flash” makes many of its characters face death and inevitability throughout, “The Flash” should not feel as hollow as it does. But you can’t blame Barry for it. He’s just a high-energy tour guide here, as everything around him becomes a blur leading us to the next reference. It has taken so long for a feature-length “The Flash” to finally hit theaters, and he’s too late. Barry is barely the lead character of his own movie.
-Nick Allen, The Playlist: C
It’s clear that DC doesn’t really know what it’s paying tribute to, other than the knowledge that other comic book movies exist. The Flash, much like Barry himself, has been stranded with no real sense of history, and no real sense of the future, either. It does the best it can.
-Clarisse Loughrey, The Independent: 3/5
PLOT
Barry Allen / The Flash travels back in time to prevent his mother's death, which traps him in an alternate reality without metahumans. Barry enlists the help of his younger self, an older Batman and the Kryptonian castaway Supergirl in order to save this world from the restored General Zod and return to his universe.
DIRECTOR
Andy Muschietti
WRITER
Christina Hodson
STORY
John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein & Joby Harold
MUSIC
Benjamin Wallfisch
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Henry Braham
EDITOR
Jason Ballantine & Paul Machliss
RELEASE DATE
June 16, 2023
RUNTIME
144 minutes
BUDGET
$220 million
STARRING
  • Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash
  • Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman
  • Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El / Supergirl
  • Michael Shannon as General Zod
  • Ron Livingston as Henry Allen
  • Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen
  • Kiersey Clemons as Iris West
  • Antje Traue as Faora-Ul
  • Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman
submitted by SanderSo47 to movies [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 21:02 starshipandcoffee 'The Flash' - Review Megathread

Discussion of all reviews and reactions for The Flash go here.
Rotten Tomatoes
Critics Consensus: While it plays too much like a sizzle reel of DC's greatest hits to fully stand on its own two feet, The Flash has enough heart and zip to maintain a confident stride.
Tomatometer Number of Reviews Average Rating
All Critics 73% 66 reviews 6.50/10
Top Critics TBC TBC TBC
Metacritic: 60 (28 critics)
Verified plot summary of advance screening
​

Sample reviews

THR - Positive
The early word on The Flash calling it one of the greatest superhero movies ever made was pure hyperbole. But in the bumpy recent history of the DC Extended Universe, it’s certainly an above-average entry.
Variety - Mixed
Miller's the Flash goes back in time to change the future and connects with Michael Keaton's Batman. But the movie, after a smart and playful first half, gives itself over to comic-book bombast.
Deadline - Positive
The hype is real. DC’s The Flash may not be the greatest comic book movie ever made, but it comes damn close. Easily the best in the genre since Spider-Man: No Way Home, this fresh, invigorating, and hugely entertaining summer treat is as good as it gets when it comes to cinematic takes on superheroes.
IGN - 7/10
The Flash is an ambitious superhero movie that largely pulls off its tale of two worlds, two Flashes, and two Batmans. The superhero fan service is strong with this one – perhaps too strong at times – but it never fully overshadows Barry Allen’s genuinely tragic and heartfelt story of grief.
The Wrap
What it amounts to is a movie that spends all its time racing from one poorly-thought out story element to another, from one only modestly satisfying nostalgia shout-out to another, and with only questionable results. How fitting, yet how disappointing: “The Flash” has the runs.
Paste - 7/10
Merging Looper and Looney Tunes makes for some jarring transitions between time-travel melodrama and power-mishap shenanigans. That’s never more clear than in the movie’s tail end, wherein Muschietti, who seems like a slick Spielberg-acolyte crowdpleaser in the J.J. Abrams mode, struggles with whether The Flash is an emotional cautionary tale, a universe-resetting franchise play, or just a zany sci-fi farce, subject to channel-flipping multiverse gags. You can feel The Flash wishing it could steal a glimpse into the audience and revise itself on the fly accordingly; no wonder early screenings apparently hedged on an ending until the last possible minute. Fandom has created a culture where a fun, zippy movie can’t stop looking back over its shoulder.
SlashFilm - 7.5/10
While I have a few complaints and there are a couple of head-scratching loose ends, "The Flash" is still a funny, emotional, action-heavy crowd-pleaser that ranks among the best DC movies ever made.
IndieWire - B-
In its best moments, “The Flash” touches on something new and exciting, but too often, its the past that tugs on, keeping it from speeding ahead.
Rolling Stone - Positive
This much-beleagured cinematic universe has finally hit upon a winning film, and one that will be forever tainted. It’s not the most tragic thing regarding the person whirling at the center of it all — not by a long shot. But it is a reminder that you can make a superhero movie that seeks to unite all worlds but can’t quite reckon with the one outside the theater. And it’s proof that you can always run as fast as your superhuman intellectual property can manage, but there are things that you simply aren’t able to hide.
Collider - C+
The Flash clearly wants its audience to get caught up in the excitement of multiverse adventures, returning superhero favorites, and fun antics of Barry Allen, to the point that they never consider that the time travel aspects make absolutely no sense, and only hurts the larger story in the way that it’s handled here. Thankfully, those antics are enjoyable and hard not to get excited about, but unfortunately, this isn’t a story that holds together on a narrative level. Cameos and fan service are fine to have, but the story has to be there to back them up, and it’s not quite there with The Flash.
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian - 2/5
This is not a movie with any new ideas or dramatic rethinking, and – at the risk of re-opening the DC/Marvel sectarian wound – nothing to compare with the much-lauded animation experiment in the recent Spider-Man films. The intellect in this intellectual property is draining away.
Matt Zollverein Seitz, RogerEbert.com - 2.5/4
One of the most spectacular and frustrating mixed bags of the superhero blockbuster era, "The Flash" is simultaneously thoughtful and clueless, challenging and pandering. It features some of the best digital FX work I've seen and some of the worst. Like its sincere but often hapless hero, it keeps exceeding every expectation we might have for its competence only to instantly face-plant into the nearest wall.
Entertainment Weekly - C+
The Flash ends on a purposefully open note (and a pretty good joke), so that if the film succeeds at the box office, Miller's Barry can run again another day. If it doesn't, the precedent is set for a full continuity reset. Whatever DC movies await us in the future, let's hope they avoid multiverses. It's well-trod territory at this point, even for a speedster.
submitted by starshipandcoffee to DCEUleaks [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 20:43 MangoAWhoaWhoa Can someone explain this super-subroll to me

Can someone explain this super-subroll to me submitted by MangoAWhoaWhoa to diablo4 [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 20:35 Honestpebble Teccam is a Master of the (old) university who dug down to reach a certain, yet officially unnamed structure or city

While re-reading once again I found this passage very interesting:
​
I remembered another instance of a "mouth" being mentioned in the Slow regard:
While it is called a "door" I think it could be a metaphor for a doorway - a place that leads somewhere else entirely.
​
Why would there be a dozen (!) versions of a winch? Maybe because you need different ones when excavating or digging?
​
A tunnel? So it is not a hallway, but something which had to be dug and not build. The walls of the tunnel are rough, they are not finished.
​
Grit is another word for gravel. Why would there be gravel in a secret city underground resembling an industrial complex or factory with all its pipes? This part of the underthing can't be a building. Sometimes grit is also used to describe sand. Sand and gravel were often used on construction sites, in ancient times it was used to flatten surfaces and build platforms on top of them or streets.
​
But more about Teccam:
Even in ancient times alchemy got taught, but naming was the only way to climb the social ladder at the university. The main reason for the existence of said university was to "teach" people to "see" and not look as Puppet described it.
​
Teccam, the philosopher taught them the art of naming - in ancient times. Why ancient? Because Elodin had been headmaster and master of naming before. Let me explain: Elodin is a prodigy. But who taught him? Why is there noone who knows as many names as him? No Master surpasses him in naming despite the age difference. Naming has fallen out of the curriculum - Elodin taught his first class in naming in TWMF, as far as we know. The other Masters know few names, Elxa Dal knows only two, one of them is the name of fire.
Elodin had this to say about the name of fire:
​
So apparently the only one with the expertise on how difficult elemental naming is - calls those names small and simple. For a namer that might be true.
My point is that Teccam has to be dead for a long time, because older Masters should've been able to call bigger names. A name of a person - like Kvothe does with Felurian. Or like the old women in heart - who reads Kvothes name through his eyes. Elodin is probably able to do the same and the last person caring about bigger names is Puppet - when Kvothe introduces himself this happens:
Kvothe says: I'm Kvothe.
Puppet: You seem so certain of it.
Bigger names might be what the ring without name referrs to. The ability to "see" as Puppet calls it , to see the Names of everything around him. There are discussions whether all rings have to be an indicatior for naming and shaping - the ring of wood could've been given to him by the Maers wife as an insult and he wears it because he is an Edema and the ring of bone could be the ring he gets from Stapes (more on that in this post).
________________________________
The city I am meaning in the title is Belen, we know about the existence Belenay-Barren through Denna. More informations about the lost cities here.
What do I mean by "old" and "ancient" university?
The university build after Skarpis story - the university which was build by a few people and where the Arcanum was founded. One could argue that Elodin means the time before the war that destroyed the eight cities - but why would Belen have the "one" university everyone gathers to learn? Shouldn't that have been the one city that survived- Myr Tariniel? Elodin said the Namers were like tiny gods - Myr Tariniel as shining city, is the one which suits "tiny gods" the most.
TSROST - The slow regard of silent things
TWMF - The wise mans fear
submitted by Honestpebble to KingkillerChronicle [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 20:15 willkode WooCommerce SEO guide Free

Hello everyone,
I get asked all the time what are my top items I focus on when working to improve a WooCommerce website, so I wanted to create a short and simple checklist for you.
1. Optimize Product Pages:
Ensure each product has a unique and descriptive title tag that includes relevant keywords.
Write compelling and informative product descriptions that incorporate keywords naturally.
Utilize high-quality product images with optimized filenames and alt tags.
Implement structured data markup (Schema.org) to provide search engines with additional information about your products.
2. Focus on Site Speed:
Optimize your website's loading speed by using caching plugins, optimizing images, and leveraging browser caching.
Consider utilizing a content delivery network (CDN) to deliver your content faster to users across different geographical locations.
Mobile optimization is crucial as well, so ensure your website is mobile-friendly and loads quickly on mobile devices.
3. Improve Site Structure and Navigation:
Ensure a clear and intuitive website structure, making it easy for users and search engines to navigate.
Utilize hierarchical categories and subcategories to organize your products effectively.
Implement breadcrumb navigation to help users and search engines understand the site's structure.
4. Perform Keyword Research:
Conduct keyword research to identify relevant and valuable keywords for your products and categories.
Optimize your product pages, category pages, and other relevant content with these keywords.
Utilize long-tail keywords to target more specific and niche search queries.
5. Optimize Metadata:
Customize the meta titles and meta descriptions for your product pages and category pages.
Incorporate relevant keywords naturally in these metadata elements to improve click-through rates and search visibility.
6. Enhance On-Page Optimization:
Utilize heading tags (H1, H2, etc.) to structure your product pages and category pages.
Incorporate keywords naturally within these headings and throughout the product descriptions.
Optimize URLs to include relevant keywords and ensure they are clean and descriptive.
7. Implement Rich Snippets and Reviews:
Use structured data markup (Schema.org) to add rich snippets, such as product reviews, ratings, and pricing information, to your product pages.
This can enhance your search engine listings, increase click-through rates, and provide valuable information to potential customers.
8. Build High-Quality Backlinks:
Focus on acquiring high-quality backlinks from relevant and authoritative websites.
Consider reaching out to industry influencers, bloggers, or publications for potential collaborations or guest posting opportunities.
Engage in content marketing strategies to attract natural backlinks to your website.
9. Leverage Social Media:
Promote your products and content on social media platforms to increase visibility and drive traffic.
Encourage social sharing of your products by integrating social sharing buttons on your product pages.
10. Regularly Monitor and Analyze:
Utilize tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to monitor your website's performance, track keyword rankings, and identify areas for improvement.
Stay updated with SEO best practices, algorithm changes, and industry trends to adapt your strategy accordingly.
By following these SEO best practices, you can enhance the visibility of your WooCommerce-powered WordPress website, drive organic traffic, and increase conversions.
submitted by willkode to woocommerce [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 19:19 Ouijawitchy M4F Longterm partners Lots of ideas!

Hi, I'm Spoon, 37yo male living in New England so I'm EST. I'm a published author and if you let me I will talk your ear off about that. I write in 3rd person past tense as I find it really weird to try and become my characters. I guess I need that separation in my life.
I love creating characters. I love worldbuilding and creating all sorts of drama for our characters to navigate. I like all sorts of things from wholesome hallmark type romances to darker stories that belong on investigation discovery. I adapt my style to fit my partner. You like quick rapid fire responses throughout the day? I got you. You like longer novella responses I also got you.
What I would like from you: Be over 18 though if you're in your late 20's to 30's its prob best Respond in 3rd person I'm looking for a longterm partner and friend Be friends ooc, lets gush about our characters, post mood boards and music. Lets get involved in the story, laugh, cry etc
I have a few partners already and I'm not looking to replace anyone. That being said these are a few ideas I would like to explore.
The fight of your life: My character is Jeremy Draven. He’s a pro boxer and former olympian. The only problem is he’s never made it to the big show. There’s a lot going on. His father left when he was 16 and his younger brother hates him for it. His manager is stealing all of his money but Jeremy doesn’t suspect anything. He’s a big dummy with a heart of gold who just needs someone to support him. I’m in love with a stripper: This one is pretty straight forward. Your character is a dancer, why she is doing it is up to you. My character is in a local band. He’s very sex drugs and rock and roll but one night he goes to the club and sees her. She quickly becomes his muse.
The prince of Hell: Every 2000 years Lucifer is able to walk in the mortal realm for 666 hours. What would he get up to? What would happen if he were to meet the first mortal who has interested him since Lilith. What would he do to keep her?
Send me an Angel: My character would be a demon called Azoriat. He's a low ranking demon in Hell and he's looking to do something big to impress his father. He cooks up a hare brained scheme to try and kidnap an angel but what happens when his cruelty is met with kindness. Can she break his walls down? Will they find that maybe they have more in common than they think?
Stranger Things: Ok so I'm awful at playing Canon characters but I really enjoy the setting of Stranger things. Our characters would be OCS in Hawkins during the first season, mostly this will be an 80's themed SOL but we can add some ooky spooky elements to it. My idea for my character is a senior, one of Eddies friends who will ultimatly graduate before him. He'd be in the Hellfire club. I liked the dynamic of Eddie and Chrissy, that bridge between the popular girl and the outcast guy.
SOL: Give me some cheesy hallmark tropes!
submitted by Ouijawitchy to discordroleplay [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 19:06 FearThePatches [A3][Recruiting][OPTRE/Halo][Semi-Realism/Chillsim][US/NA/EST] 53rd Strike Company

[A3][Recruiting][OPTRE/Halo][Semi-Realism/Chillsim][US/NA/EST] 53rd Strike Company
The 53rd Strike Company is a semi/milsim “Chillsim” unit based on Halo and the Operation Trebuchet MOD. We are focused on a fun core experience with a well-rounded selection of gameplay elements people enjoy.
Operation times
-Our main operation is held on Fridays and Saturdays at 9 pm EST
-Squad training varies depending on the squad
-Fun ops happen any time
-We are a Mechanized infantry platoon with an attached flight of Pilots. As well as a newly opened Ranger section called Atlas!
-We require no prior experience in ArmA. Our only requirements are that you speak the English language and have a working microphone
-We are constantly promoting and looking for leadership material within our ranks
If you have any questions DM BodyBagFilla#8487 or Patches#9804 on Discord, or join the server.
https://discord.com/invite/3TxqQGmjyJ
submitted by FearThePatches to FindAUnit [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 18:41 egemensenermustafa Difference between On Page SEO and Off Page SEO

On-Page SEO refers to the optimization techniques applied directly on a website to improve its search engine rankings. This includes optimizing elements like content, meta tags, headings, URLs, site structure, and internal linking. On-Page SEO focuses on making the website more relevant and user-friendly, enhancing its visibility to search engines.
Off-Page SEO, on the other hand, involves activities conducted outside the website to improve its online reputation and authority. This primarily includes building high-quality backlinks from reputable websites, social media promotion, influencer collaborations, and online brand mentions. Off-Page SEO signals help search engines determine the website's credibility and authority, influencing its search rankings.
In summary, On-Page SEO focuses on optimizing the website's internal elements, while Off-Page SEO involves external activities aimed at improving the website's reputation and authority in the online landscape. Both are essential for enhancing search engine rankings, driving organic traffic, and maximizing online visibility.
Egemen Mustafa Şener
#EgemenMustafaŞener #egemen #webdevelopment #webdesign #website #onpageseo
submitted by egemensenermustafa to u/egemensenermustafa [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 18:29 tiger_triple_threat Thoughts on Sword & Shield and Dual Blades

I already have a few weapons I'm looking into getting through low rank. But I wanted to know what people think of DB and SnS. If these are the only element focused weapons can I still use either in low rank? Not just that their Hunter Arts, Styles and if you prefer one or the other.
GS, Hammer, Lance, SA at least, would either fast weapons fit nicely with the heavier options?
submitted by tiger_triple_threat to MHGU [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 18:21 Phallus_Maximus69E A critique of Germany's Generation War mini-series.

Premise: Generation War is a blatant whitewash. Whenever Jews are persecuted we see Ucrainian auxiliares doing it and the only Germans will be high-ranking SS walking stereotypes. The Polish are more anti-semites than the angelical Germans and we are always seeing the Germans as unwilling victims of the war. I will quote the Amazon review of the historian Dr. Robert Forczyk:
A Military Critique (3/5 stars) Generation War is the latest in a line of German films attempting to put the experience of the Second World War in perspective for the current generation of Germans. The three-part mini-series is blessed with high-quality production values and a straight-forward plot with multiple story arcs that begin and converge upon the same point. The five characters were intended to convey how the experience of what it meant to be a 20 year-old Berliner in 1941, as the Third Reich was about to invade the Soviet Union. Overall, the mini-series is well worth watching both for historical and drama/entertainment value, although it is not particularly fresh in terms of content and tends to employ stereotypical elements. My critique of the series will mostly focus on the military aspects, in order to provide greater situational awareness to those viewers more interested in Second World War historiography.
The narrator and main protagonist of the mini-series is Oberleutnant Wilhelm Winter, who serves as a motorized infantry platoon leader in Infanterie-Regiment 60 (mot.) in the 16. Infanterie-Division (mot.). It is stated that he previously served in the Polish and French campaigns and is a capable, veteran officer. In the first episode, which covers Wilhelm’s progress during Operation Barbarossa from June – December 1941, the series depicts the initial advance toward Kiev, a small-unit attack on a factory, some partisan activity and a Soviet winter counterattack. Wilhelm’s attitude begins to go south during the Winter battles when it becomes clear that the war will not end in victory. The series failed to really depict the impact of the Russian winter on exposed German troops, particularly widespread illness and frostbite, as well as retreats. In the second episode, the narrative leap-frogs over 1942 (a major mistake in my opinion, since it skips Stalingrad) and lands squarely at the Battle of Kursk in July 1943. Now Wilhelm is mentioned as being in the 292. Infanterie-Division, which was part of the 9. Armee’s attack on the northern part of the Kursk bulge. Amazingly, even after four years of front-line combat service, Wilhelm is still an Oberleutnant – he should at least have been a company commander by this point. Most viewers will probably like the opening attack of Zitadelle, with Wilhelm’s platoon attacking alongside a platoon of Tiger tanks. However, Wilhelm’s platoon is quickly annihilated in a hopelessly one-sided fight at a factory and he walks off, shell-shocked by an explosion. Yet after gathering his wits, Wilhelm opts to remain at an isolated cabin in the woods until rounded up days later by German military police. He is forthwith tried and sentenced to a punishment unit, where he spends 1944-45 until he deserts again and walks back to Berlin in May 1945.
Wilhelm’s character is not particularly fresh or credible and appears similar to Leutnant Hans von Witzland in the earlier German war movie, Stalingrad (1993). Like von Witzland, Wilhelm starts out as a “good soldier” but becomes disillusioned by Nazi brutality and ends up rebelling and ending up in a penal unit. This type of portrayal of front-line German junior officers is very atypical and at odds with numerous extant memoirs, like Gottlob Bidermann’s In Deadly Combat or Wigand Wuster’s An Artilleryman in Stalingrad. Very few German combat officers deserted and it is clear that Wilhelm’s character was designed to show that he rejected the Third Reich. It would have been far more honest – but dangerous for modern audiences – to show that most German officers remained loyal until the end and did their best to win. At no point do we see Wilhelm interested in promotion, awards or recognition, even though that was quite common in a system that heaped praise upon its best warriors. From the beginning, Wilhelm seems rather apathetic.
Throughout the mini-series, Wilhelm’s sidekick is his younger brother Friedholm, who serves as an enlisted soldier in the same platoon. I have never heard of this kind of odd situation in the German Army, particularly early in the war, and think it was only set up this way so that the two could regularly interact. In the first episode, Friedholm is a terrible, apathetic soldier until re-educated by a blanket party. Thenceforth, he becomes a cold-blooded killing machine while his brother moves in the other direction. Taken together, both brothers do not paint a very accurate or flattering portrayal of the German fighting man in the Second World War – apathetic, indecisive and always uncertain. These are not the men who knocked the Red Army back on its heels and reached the Volga. The real German 20 something who served in the Wehrmacht of 1941-43 was a much different character – certain of what they wanted and certain that they had “the right stuff.” It was a generation of over-achievers – pointed in the wrong direction. Most Germans felt victimized by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles and endorsed Hitler’s foreign policy, yet none of these characters sympathize with national objectives. Even Claus von Stauffenburg, who tried to assassinate Hitler, believed that Germany had a right to retake Polish land. In short, the characters in this mini-series are fakes, intended to convince modern audiences that their predecessors back in 1941 didn’t support Nazi goals and only went along unwillingly. This is patently false.
Another military aspect of the mini-series that bothered me was the complete absence of Allied bombing of German cities. In reality, German soldiers on the Eastern Front were always affected when they heard about their home towns being bombed. It was the Allied bombing – which killed over 500,000 Germans and laid waste their cities - which was the definitive experience for the German wartime generation, not the Holocaust. Yet, the series’ producers had to include a German-Jew character, Viktor, as one of the five principals, even though his character was heavily reminiscent of Rudi Weiss, as portrayed in the US miniseries Holocaust (1978). In the end, Generation War is a carefully packaged and sanitized depiction of the war.
submitted by Phallus_Maximus69E to WarMovies [link] [comments]