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insightful posts from selected insightful redditors
2010.07.05 20:45 insightful posts from selected insightful redditors
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2023.06.01 00:41 twing1_ Suggestion to Bridge the Gap Between Unyielding and Full Health Builds
TL;DR:
Unyielding builds provide too great a benefit relative to their full health counterparts. This build type is so popular that it is killing build diversity and homogenizing the gameplay experience.
Unyielding builds should not be nerfed, but other build types (full health) should be made more viable.
In order to do this, the benefits that a point into a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stat provides should suffer from diminishing returns, so that the first 15 points into the attribute provide a far greater benefit than any other point after the 15 point threshold is hit.
My suggested values would be multiplying the benefit each point in a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. provides by a factor of 1.5x the current value for the first 15 points in that attribute, and a factor of 0.5x the current value for any additional points in that attribute beyond the 15 point threshold. This would result in sizeable buff to the benefits that the first 15 points in a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute provides, no noticeable difference at a value of exactly 30 points into a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute, and a slight nerf to the benefits provided by S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes at values of 31+. 30 points was used as a breakeven point, as that value stands as the "standard maximum" for a build taking advantage of maxing out a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute (15) and also maxing out their unyielding armor (+3 S.P.E.C.I.A.L. x 5 = 15).
Example:
Currently, every point in LCK increases crit refill by 1.5%.
As you can see from the example above, this proposed change will do wonders in bridging the gap between the viability of full health builds and their unyielding counterparts, without severely punishing the unyielding playstyle.
Observation:
Almost every end-game level player runs an unyielding build with 80% of their health bar being taken up by radiation.
Why is this happening?
Under the current S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute calculations, the unyielding armor effect provides far too great a QoL bonus to pass up. For those that do not know, someone wearing 5 pieces of unyielding armor at <20% health will receive a bonus of +15 points into every S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute except for endurance, effectively granting them the equivalent bonus granted by maxing out every single one of their S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes, that also stacks on top of their currently selected S.P.E.C.I.A.L. distribution.
Why is this problematic?
The bonuses these unyielding builds provide are problematic because they are nearly too great to pass up. This is evidenced by their extreme and over-popularity. When one particular build type takes over the "META", it is a surefire indicator that a rebalance is needed. Furthermore, when such a large population of the player base is running a single build type, it decreases build diversity and homogenizes gameplay, resulting in economical imbalance and, truth be told, a less interesting gameplay experience overall.
Are unyielding builds themselves the problem?
In the objective sense, no. These unyielding builds are not "breaking the game" by any means. No part of them feel like they are allotted too much of a power budget. While they do perform better in combat situations and pull higher damage numbers than their full health counterparts, this is offset by the risk of death inherent in being limited to <20% of their health bar. Additionally, these types of builds are not pulling damage numbers so great that they are allowing players to skip or break any of the game's mechanics in their entirety. The idea of "high risk, high reward" has always been intriguing, and the benefits provided are balanced out by the increase in risk.
If unyielding builds themselves are not overperforming, then what is the problem?
The problem lies within the inadequacy of every other build type available. The opportunity cost of running any build that is not unyielding, and thus not taking advantage of the effectively doubled max S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes is too great to consider running a non-unyielding build.
So what can be done?
The perfect solution would be to leave the unyielding power budget relatively unchanged, while at he same time increasing the power budget of their non-unyielding counterparts. This can easily be accomplished by introducing the concept of diminishing returns to S.P.E.C.I.A.L attributes.
What is the concept of diminishing returns?
Diminishing returns is the idea that the more you invest into something, you will receive less benefit from each additional increment of investment. This concept is widely used in video games to prevent imbalances in gameplay. Incorporating this idea into Fallout 76 and S.P.E.C.I.A.L attributes would be relatively simple, and can easily be demonstrated by example.
Lets take LCK and its affected stat, critical refill, as an example. The way the current system works is that 1 point spent in LCK increases critical refill by 1.5%. It does not matter how many points you have already invested in LCK, the benefit that one additional point in LCK provides will always be 1.5% critical refill.
Under the concept of diminishing returns, the first 10 points in LCK could increase critical refill by 1.5% per point. From 11 LCK onward, the benefit that each additional point in LCK provides could decrease to an improvement of only 1% critical refill. It could continue this way up until 20 LCK, and then from 21 LCK onward the benefit that each point in LCK provides could decrease to 0.5% crit refill, and so on.
This is a very simple example, but the concept is sound. Allowing earlier investments to be more impactful on gameplay than later investments bridges the gap between certain bulids by front-loading the power budget of an attribute, yet still promotes additional investment in that attribute to accumulate greater amounts of statistical power.
How do we balance this?
Because there is nothing inherently wrong with the unyielding build and it is not objectively overpowered, I believe this can serve as a good starting point for balance. Because full unyielding provides +15 S.P.E.C.I.A.L, and this can be stacked on top of the base max of 15 S.P.E.C.I.A.L, a total of 30 points into a S.P.E.C.I.A.L attribute should be targeted as balanced, with lesser amounts of S.P.E.C.I.A.L investment requiring a sizeable buff and greater amounts of S.P.E.C.I.A.L investment requiring a slight nerf. The absolute simplest way of doing this would be by simply taking half of the benefit provided by points 16-30 into a S.P.E.C.I.A.L attribute and incorporating it into the benefit provided by the first 15 points into a S.P.E.C.I.A.L attribute. In mathematical terms, it would mean multiplying the current benefit provided by the first 15 points in a S.P.E.C.I.A.L attribute by 1.5x, and multiplying the current benefit provided by any additional point after 15 in a S.P.E.C.I.A.L attribute by 0.5x.
Lets use the example of LCK and critical refill again.
Under the current system, every point in LCK increases critical refill by a static 1.5%, with 5% base at 0 LCK. Under this system, the following are certain LCK value thresholds and their corresponding critical refill value:
What would the impact on gameplay be?
On paper, this change seems to do a good job at bringing non-unyielding builds a bit more up to speed with their unyielding counterparts. The power gap between the two standard maximums (15 for non-unyielding, and 30 for unyielding) has dropped considerably, from a difference of 22.5% critical refill to a difference of only 11.25% critical refill. This accomplishes exactly what we intended. But how does this change actually affect in-game mechanics?
On a META build running critical savvy, a threshold of 27.5% critical refill is required to crit once every 3 shots, and a threshold of 55% critical refill is required to crit once every other shot.
Under the current system, 15 LCK is required to crit once every 3 shots, while under the new system only 10 LCK is required to meet this threshold. This helps out non-unyielding builds a lot.
Similarly, under the current system, 34 LCK is required to crit once every other shot, or 24 LCK with a 15 crit refill legendary weapon equipped. Under the proposed system, 37 LCK is required to crit once every other shot, or only 17 LCK with a 15 crit refill legendary weapon equipped. At this threshold, again full health builds are buffed (requiring only 17 LCK + crit refill legendary vs 24 LCK + crit refill legendary) with unyielding builds receiving only a slight nerf (requiring 37 LCK vs 34 LCK).
This is a lot more balanced, and goes far to close the gap between unyielding and non-unyielding builds. Although the example used was examining the LCK S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute, the same would be applied to all S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes with similar results.
Conclusion:
Adopting this system of diminishing S.P.E.C.I.A.L. returned, or a system like it, would go leaps and bounds toward closing the gap between unyielding builds and their non-unyielding counterparts, without severely nerfing the unyielding playstyle. If this change is implemented, build types of all varieties would receive an increase in viability, which would promote build diversity and strengthen the game. Additionally, this change will still leave room for unyielding builds as a niche build for min-maxers who want to maximize their stats to their fullest potential. The results of the change would surely be a decrease, but not complete elimination, of the unyielding player base and an increase in full health builds. I believe this to be a very easy and practical solution to one of the games biggest points of imbalance, but I am eager to hear from others what they think as well.
Feel free to comment, criticize, critique, or troll as you see fit.
submitted by twing1_ to fo76 [link] [comments]
Unyielding builds provide too great a benefit relative to their full health counterparts. This build type is so popular that it is killing build diversity and homogenizing the gameplay experience.
Unyielding builds should not be nerfed, but other build types (full health) should be made more viable.
In order to do this, the benefits that a point into a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stat provides should suffer from diminishing returns, so that the first 15 points into the attribute provide a far greater benefit than any other point after the 15 point threshold is hit.
My suggested values would be multiplying the benefit each point in a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. provides by a factor of 1.5x the current value for the first 15 points in that attribute, and a factor of 0.5x the current value for any additional points in that attribute beyond the 15 point threshold. This would result in sizeable buff to the benefits that the first 15 points in a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute provides, no noticeable difference at a value of exactly 30 points into a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute, and a slight nerf to the benefits provided by S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes at values of 31+. 30 points was used as a breakeven point, as that value stands as the "standard maximum" for a build taking advantage of maxing out a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute (15) and also maxing out their unyielding armor (+3 S.P.E.C.I.A.L. x 5 = 15).
Example:
Currently, every point in LCK increases crit refill by 1.5%.
- At 15 LCK, crit refill = 27.5% (15x1.5% + 5% base)
- At 30 LCK, crit refill = 50% (30x1.5% + 5% base)
- At 40 LCK, crit refill = 65% (40x1.5% + 5% base)
- At 15 LCK, crit refill = 38.75% (15x2.25% + 5% base) [Net change of +11.25%]
- At 30 LCK, crit refill = 50% (15x2.25% + 15x.75% + 5% base) [No change]
- At 40 LCK, crit refill = 57.5% (15x2.25% + 25x.75% + 5% base) [Net change of -7.5%]
As you can see from the example above, this proposed change will do wonders in bridging the gap between the viability of full health builds and their unyielding counterparts, without severely punishing the unyielding playstyle.
Observation:
Almost every end-game level player runs an unyielding build with 80% of their health bar being taken up by radiation.
Why is this happening?
Under the current S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute calculations, the unyielding armor effect provides far too great a QoL bonus to pass up. For those that do not know, someone wearing 5 pieces of unyielding armor at <20% health will receive a bonus of +15 points into every S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute except for endurance, effectively granting them the equivalent bonus granted by maxing out every single one of their S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes, that also stacks on top of their currently selected S.P.E.C.I.A.L. distribution.
Why is this problematic?
The bonuses these unyielding builds provide are problematic because they are nearly too great to pass up. This is evidenced by their extreme and over-popularity. When one particular build type takes over the "META", it is a surefire indicator that a rebalance is needed. Furthermore, when such a large population of the player base is running a single build type, it decreases build diversity and homogenizes gameplay, resulting in economical imbalance and, truth be told, a less interesting gameplay experience overall.
Are unyielding builds themselves the problem?
In the objective sense, no. These unyielding builds are not "breaking the game" by any means. No part of them feel like they are allotted too much of a power budget. While they do perform better in combat situations and pull higher damage numbers than their full health counterparts, this is offset by the risk of death inherent in being limited to <20% of their health bar. Additionally, these types of builds are not pulling damage numbers so great that they are allowing players to skip or break any of the game's mechanics in their entirety. The idea of "high risk, high reward" has always been intriguing, and the benefits provided are balanced out by the increase in risk.
If unyielding builds themselves are not overperforming, then what is the problem?
The problem lies within the inadequacy of every other build type available. The opportunity cost of running any build that is not unyielding, and thus not taking advantage of the effectively doubled max S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes is too great to consider running a non-unyielding build.
So what can be done?
The perfect solution would be to leave the unyielding power budget relatively unchanged, while at he same time increasing the power budget of their non-unyielding counterparts. This can easily be accomplished by introducing the concept of diminishing returns to S.P.E.C.I.A.L attributes.
What is the concept of diminishing returns?
Diminishing returns is the idea that the more you invest into something, you will receive less benefit from each additional increment of investment. This concept is widely used in video games to prevent imbalances in gameplay. Incorporating this idea into Fallout 76 and S.P.E.C.I.A.L attributes would be relatively simple, and can easily be demonstrated by example.
Lets take LCK and its affected stat, critical refill, as an example. The way the current system works is that 1 point spent in LCK increases critical refill by 1.5%. It does not matter how many points you have already invested in LCK, the benefit that one additional point in LCK provides will always be 1.5% critical refill.
Under the concept of diminishing returns, the first 10 points in LCK could increase critical refill by 1.5% per point. From 11 LCK onward, the benefit that each additional point in LCK provides could decrease to an improvement of only 1% critical refill. It could continue this way up until 20 LCK, and then from 21 LCK onward the benefit that each point in LCK provides could decrease to 0.5% crit refill, and so on.
This is a very simple example, but the concept is sound. Allowing earlier investments to be more impactful on gameplay than later investments bridges the gap between certain bulids by front-loading the power budget of an attribute, yet still promotes additional investment in that attribute to accumulate greater amounts of statistical power.
How do we balance this?
Because there is nothing inherently wrong with the unyielding build and it is not objectively overpowered, I believe this can serve as a good starting point for balance. Because full unyielding provides +15 S.P.E.C.I.A.L, and this can be stacked on top of the base max of 15 S.P.E.C.I.A.L, a total of 30 points into a S.P.E.C.I.A.L attribute should be targeted as balanced, with lesser amounts of S.P.E.C.I.A.L investment requiring a sizeable buff and greater amounts of S.P.E.C.I.A.L investment requiring a slight nerf. The absolute simplest way of doing this would be by simply taking half of the benefit provided by points 16-30 into a S.P.E.C.I.A.L attribute and incorporating it into the benefit provided by the first 15 points into a S.P.E.C.I.A.L attribute. In mathematical terms, it would mean multiplying the current benefit provided by the first 15 points in a S.P.E.C.I.A.L attribute by 1.5x, and multiplying the current benefit provided by any additional point after 15 in a S.P.E.C.I.A.L attribute by 0.5x.
Lets use the example of LCK and critical refill again.
Under the current system, every point in LCK increases critical refill by a static 1.5%, with 5% base at 0 LCK. Under this system, the following are certain LCK value thresholds and their corresponding critical refill value:
- At 15 LCK, crit refill = 27.5% (15x1.5% + 5% base)
- At 30 LCK, crit refill = 50% (30x1.5% + 5% base)
- At 40 LCK, crit refill = 65% (40x1.5% + 5% base)
- At 15 LCK, crit refill = 38.75% (15x2.25% + 5% base) [Net change of +11.25%]
- At 30 LCK, crit refill = 50% (15x2.25% + 15x.75% + 5% base) [No change]
- At 40 LCK, crit refill = 57.5% (15x2.25% + 25x.75% + 5% base) [Net change of -7.5%]
What would the impact on gameplay be?
On paper, this change seems to do a good job at bringing non-unyielding builds a bit more up to speed with their unyielding counterparts. The power gap between the two standard maximums (15 for non-unyielding, and 30 for unyielding) has dropped considerably, from a difference of 22.5% critical refill to a difference of only 11.25% critical refill. This accomplishes exactly what we intended. But how does this change actually affect in-game mechanics?
On a META build running critical savvy, a threshold of 27.5% critical refill is required to crit once every 3 shots, and a threshold of 55% critical refill is required to crit once every other shot.
Under the current system, 15 LCK is required to crit once every 3 shots, while under the new system only 10 LCK is required to meet this threshold. This helps out non-unyielding builds a lot.
Similarly, under the current system, 34 LCK is required to crit once every other shot, or 24 LCK with a 15 crit refill legendary weapon equipped. Under the proposed system, 37 LCK is required to crit once every other shot, or only 17 LCK with a 15 crit refill legendary weapon equipped. At this threshold, again full health builds are buffed (requiring only 17 LCK + crit refill legendary vs 24 LCK + crit refill legendary) with unyielding builds receiving only a slight nerf (requiring 37 LCK vs 34 LCK).
This is a lot more balanced, and goes far to close the gap between unyielding and non-unyielding builds. Although the example used was examining the LCK S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute, the same would be applied to all S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes with similar results.
Conclusion:
Adopting this system of diminishing S.P.E.C.I.A.L. returned, or a system like it, would go leaps and bounds toward closing the gap between unyielding builds and their non-unyielding counterparts, without severely nerfing the unyielding playstyle. If this change is implemented, build types of all varieties would receive an increase in viability, which would promote build diversity and strengthen the game. Additionally, this change will still leave room for unyielding builds as a niche build for min-maxers who want to maximize their stats to their fullest potential. The results of the change would surely be a decrease, but not complete elimination, of the unyielding player base and an increase in full health builds. I believe this to be a very easy and practical solution to one of the games biggest points of imbalance, but I am eager to hear from others what they think as well.
Feel free to comment, criticize, critique, or troll as you see fit.
2023.06.01 00:37 AlbertoRomGar Open Source AI Is Not Winning. Incumbents Are
After the "Google has no moat" document was leaked, there's been a widespread conviction that open-source AI is thriving and has become a real threat to Google, OpenAI, and Microsoft.
I don't think the last part is true for one reason: If winning the AI race is a matter of reaching the largest number of users, incumbents don’t have competition at all. Google and Microsoft have huge deep moats. Not just money. Not just talent. Not just resources, influence, and power. All that too, but their true moat is that they design, build, manufacture, and sell the products we use.
Microsoft has turbocharged Bing and Edge, 365, and now Windows. Google has enhanced Search and Workspace (including Gmail and Docs). Incumbents in other areas are doing the same. Adobe Firefly, now powering Generative Fill on Photoshop, is a clear example on the image generation front. On the hardware side, Nvidia—the undisputed leader—has optimized its top-notch H100 for LM inference.
The innovator’s dilemma portrays incumbents as beatable: Challengers with a solid will to pursue risky innovation could, under the right circumstances, overthrow them. But let’s be frank here; we’re not living under those ideal conditions: generative AI happens to fit perfectly with the suites of products that Google and Microsoft and Adobe and Nvidia already offer. They create the very substrate on which generative AI is implemented.
Even if Google and Microsoft were to open-source their best AI and allow the open-source community to flourish on top of freely-shared innovation, they’d still keep the moat of all moats: That who creates and sells the goods owns the world. The open-source community doesn't have a chance. Sadly, generative AI is slowly becoming an add-on to the incumbents' hegemony.
If you liked this post, I write in-depth analyses for my weekly newsletter, The Algorithmic Bridge.
submitted by AlbertoRomGar to ArtificialInteligence [link] [comments]
I don't think the last part is true for one reason: If winning the AI race is a matter of reaching the largest number of users, incumbents don’t have competition at all. Google and Microsoft have huge deep moats. Not just money. Not just talent. Not just resources, influence, and power. All that too, but their true moat is that they design, build, manufacture, and sell the products we use.
Microsoft has turbocharged Bing and Edge, 365, and now Windows. Google has enhanced Search and Workspace (including Gmail and Docs). Incumbents in other areas are doing the same. Adobe Firefly, now powering Generative Fill on Photoshop, is a clear example on the image generation front. On the hardware side, Nvidia—the undisputed leader—has optimized its top-notch H100 for LM inference.
The innovator’s dilemma portrays incumbents as beatable: Challengers with a solid will to pursue risky innovation could, under the right circumstances, overthrow them. But let’s be frank here; we’re not living under those ideal conditions: generative AI happens to fit perfectly with the suites of products that Google and Microsoft and Adobe and Nvidia already offer. They create the very substrate on which generative AI is implemented.
Even if Google and Microsoft were to open-source their best AI and allow the open-source community to flourish on top of freely-shared innovation, they’d still keep the moat of all moats: That who creates and sells the goods owns the world. The open-source community doesn't have a chance. Sadly, generative AI is slowly becoming an add-on to the incumbents' hegemony.
If you liked this post, I write in-depth analyses for my weekly newsletter, The Algorithmic Bridge.
2023.06.01 00:32 AlbertoRomGar Open Source AI Is Not Winning. Incumbents Are
After the "Google has no moat" document was leaked, there's been a widespread conviction that open-source AI is thriving and has become a real threat to Google, OpenAI, and Microsoft.
I don't think the last part is true for one reason: If winning the AI race is a matter of reaching the largest number of users, incumbents don’t have competition at all. Google and Microsoft have huge deep moats. Not just money. Not just talent. Not just resources, influence, and power. All that too, but their true moat is that they design, build, manufacture, and sell the products we use.
Microsoft has turbocharged Bing and Edge, 365, and now Windows. Google has enhanced Search and Workspace (including Gmail and Docs). Incumbents in other areas are doing the same. Adobe Firefly, now powering Generative Fill on Photoshop, is a clear example on the image generation front. On the hardware side, Nvidia—the undisputed leader—has optimized its top-notch H100 for LM inference.
The innovator’s dilemma portrays incumbents as beatable: Challengers with a solid will to pursue risky innovation could, under the right circumstances, overthrow them. But let’s be frank here; we’re not living under those ideal conditions: generative AI happens to fit perfectly with the suites of products that Google and Microsoft and Adobe and Nvidia already offer. They create the very substrate on which generative AI is implemented.
Even if Google and Microsoft were to open-source their best AI and allow the open-source community to flourish on top of freely-shared innovation, they’d still keep the moat of all moats: That who creates and sells the goods owns the world. The open-source community doesn't have a chance. Sadly, generative AI is slowly becoming an add-on to the incumbents' hegemony.
If you liked this post, I write in-depth analyses for my weekly newsletter, The Algorithmic Bridge.
submitted by AlbertoRomGar to OpenAI [link] [comments]
I don't think the last part is true for one reason: If winning the AI race is a matter of reaching the largest number of users, incumbents don’t have competition at all. Google and Microsoft have huge deep moats. Not just money. Not just talent. Not just resources, influence, and power. All that too, but their true moat is that they design, build, manufacture, and sell the products we use.
Microsoft has turbocharged Bing and Edge, 365, and now Windows. Google has enhanced Search and Workspace (including Gmail and Docs). Incumbents in other areas are doing the same. Adobe Firefly, now powering Generative Fill on Photoshop, is a clear example on the image generation front. On the hardware side, Nvidia—the undisputed leader—has optimized its top-notch H100 for LM inference.
The innovator’s dilemma portrays incumbents as beatable: Challengers with a solid will to pursue risky innovation could, under the right circumstances, overthrow them. But let’s be frank here; we’re not living under those ideal conditions: generative AI happens to fit perfectly with the suites of products that Google and Microsoft and Adobe and Nvidia already offer. They create the very substrate on which generative AI is implemented.
Even if Google and Microsoft were to open-source their best AI and allow the open-source community to flourish on top of freely-shared innovation, they’d still keep the moat of all moats: That who creates and sells the goods owns the world. The open-source community doesn't have a chance. Sadly, generative AI is slowly becoming an add-on to the incumbents' hegemony.
If you liked this post, I write in-depth analyses for my weekly newsletter, The Algorithmic Bridge.
2023.06.01 00:28 AlbertoRomGar Open Source AI Is Not Winning. Incumbents Are
After the "Google has no moat" document was leaked, there's been a widespread conviction that open-source AI is thriving and has become a real threat to Google, OpenAI, and Microsoft.
I don't think the last part is true for one reason: If winning the AI race is a matter of reaching the largest number of users, incumbents don’t have competition at all. Google and Microsoft have huge deep moats. Not just money. Not just talent. Not just resources, influence, and power. All that too, but their true moat is that they design, build, manufacture, and sell the products we use.
Microsoft has turbocharged Bing and Edge, 365, and now Windows. Google has enhanced Search and Workspace (including Gmail and Docs). Incumbents in other areas are doing the same. Adobe Firefly, now powering Generative Fill on Photoshop, is a clear example on the image generation front. On the hardware side, Nvidia—the undisputed leader—has optimized its top-notch H100 for LM inference.
The innovator’s dilemma portrays incumbents as beatable: Challengers with a solid will to pursue risky innovation could, under the right circumstances, overthrow them. But let’s be frank here; we’re not living under those ideal conditions: generative AI happens to fit perfectly with the suites of products that Google and Microsoft and Adobe and Nvidia already offer. They create the very substrate on which generative AI is implemented.
Even if Google and Microsoft were to open-source their best AI and allow the open-source community to flourish on top of freely-shared innovation, they’d still keep the moat of all moats: That who creates and sells the goods owns the world. The open-source community doesn't have a chance. Sadly, generative AI is slowly becoming an add-on to the incumbents' hegemony.
If you liked this post, I write in-depth analyses for my weekly newsletter, The Algorithmic Bridge.
submitted by AlbertoRomGar to ChatGPT [link] [comments]
I don't think the last part is true for one reason: If winning the AI race is a matter of reaching the largest number of users, incumbents don’t have competition at all. Google and Microsoft have huge deep moats. Not just money. Not just talent. Not just resources, influence, and power. All that too, but their true moat is that they design, build, manufacture, and sell the products we use.
Microsoft has turbocharged Bing and Edge, 365, and now Windows. Google has enhanced Search and Workspace (including Gmail and Docs). Incumbents in other areas are doing the same. Adobe Firefly, now powering Generative Fill on Photoshop, is a clear example on the image generation front. On the hardware side, Nvidia—the undisputed leader—has optimized its top-notch H100 for LM inference.
The innovator’s dilemma portrays incumbents as beatable: Challengers with a solid will to pursue risky innovation could, under the right circumstances, overthrow them. But let’s be frank here; we’re not living under those ideal conditions: generative AI happens to fit perfectly with the suites of products that Google and Microsoft and Adobe and Nvidia already offer. They create the very substrate on which generative AI is implemented.
Even if Google and Microsoft were to open-source their best AI and allow the open-source community to flourish on top of freely-shared innovation, they’d still keep the moat of all moats: That who creates and sells the goods owns the world. The open-source community doesn't have a chance. Sadly, generative AI is slowly becoming an add-on to the incumbents' hegemony.
If you liked this post, I write in-depth analyses for my weekly newsletter, The Algorithmic Bridge.
2023.06.01 00:26 weslehh What to get for my second credit card?
I'm looking to get a second credit card since I've just had my Discover card for the past 9 years and for some reason, haven't really thought about taking advantage of getting a new one. Interest won't ever be an issue since I will always pay my balance every statement.
CREDIT PROFILE
Any help would be greatly appreciated! I'll try to answer and questions in case I missed anything.
submitted by weslehh to CreditCards [link] [comments]
CREDIT PROFILE
- Current credit cards you are the primary account holder of: Discover It - $9,000 limit - Feb 2014 opening date
- FICO Scores with source: 793 (TransUnion)
- Oldest credit card account age with you as primary name on the account: 9 years
- Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 6 months: 0
- Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 12 months: 0
- Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 24 months: 0
- Annual income $: $70,000
- OK with category-specific cards?: Yes
- OK with rotating category cards?: Yes (not ideal, but I'll take it)
- Estimate average monthly spend in the categories below. Only include what you can pay by credit card.
- Dining $: $100
- Groceries $: $350 at Walmart (Publix is also an option so that's prob an additional $50-100 a month if I had to guess, though it's considered a grocery store while Walmart isn't iirc and immediately next to my apt complex)
- Gas $: $30 (Walmart is an option, but not sure if it's even worth mentioning because of how little my gas expenses are)
- Travel $: $30~ (don't travel a ton right now, so just tossed a guesstimate)
- Do you plan on using this card abroad for a significant length of time (study abroad, digital nomad, expat, extended travel)?: No
- Any other categories (examples: phone/internet, insurance) or stores (example: Amazon) with significant, regular credit card spend (the more you specify, the better): $200~ utilities/internet, not a regular spender
- Any other significant, regular credit card spend you didn't include above?: No
- Can you pay rent by credit card? If yes, list rent amount and if there's a fee for paying by credit card: Yes, I believe it's a 2.5% fee by credit card
Any help would be greatly appreciated! I'll try to answer and questions in case I missed anything.
2023.05.31 23:56 BuscadorDaVerdade Does it really understand arithmetic concepts?
I was wondering how it did calculations. While the answer to what is 2+2 occurs in the data it was trained on countless times, it's unlikely that the answer to what is 5346457345+24895734 does too.
I asked it to see if it knew itself enough to answer this question. The answer was not what I expected and I don't know if it's truthful. I didn't know it could actually understand anything. Can it?
The chat is pasted below.
Me: I know that you're able to do simple calculations. Does that feature rely solely on LLM training or do you have special code to handle that?
submitted by BuscadorDaVerdade to ChatGPT [link] [comments]
I asked it to see if it knew itself enough to answer this question. The answer was not what I expected and I don't know if it's truthful. I didn't know it could actually understand anything. Can it?
The chat is pasted below.
Me: I know that you're able to do simple calculations. Does that feature rely solely on LLM training or do you have special code to handle that?
It: The ability to perform simple calculations is a built-in capability of the underlying language model training of ChatGPT, rather than relying on specific additional code. The model has been trained on a wide range of text data, including various mathematical concepts, and it can leverage that knowledge to understand and perform basic arithmetic calculations. However, it's important to note that the primary focus of ChatGPT is on generating human-like text and providing conversational responses, so its mathematical abilities are limited to basic calculations and may not always be perfectly accurate or comprehensive.Me: What do you mean above by built-in capability? Isn't that specialized code?
It: Apologies for any confusion caused. When I say that the ability to perform calculations is a built-in capability, I mean that it is a feature that is inherent to the language model's training. It does not rely on additional specialized code specifically designed for calculations.Me: From what I understand, training on text data treats each word as a token, which comes from a finite set. Arithmetic operations are performed on numbers, which there are infinitely many. As an LLM you work by completing text. How does having been trained on textual data allow you to generalize the finite knowledge gained from it to operations on arbitrary numbers?
During the training process, the language model learns patterns and structures from a diverse range of texts, including mathematical concepts and examples. Through this exposure, it gains a basic understanding of arithmetic operations and can apply that understanding to perform simple calculations.
While there may be specialized code or algorithms for performing complex mathematical operations, the basic arithmetic calculations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) that ChatGPT can handle are part of its inherent capabilities resulting from training on a wide variety of text data.
It: You are correct that language models like ChatGPT operate on discrete tokens, and the training process treats each word or token as a discrete unit. Arithmetic operations, on the other hand, involve manipulating continuous numerical values.
The way language models generalize their knowledge of arithmetic operations is by learning patterns and relationships within the training data. While the training data may not explicitly contain every possible number combination, it does include a wide range of examples and mathematical concepts that provide a foundation for understanding arithmetic operations.
By observing patterns and relationships in the text data, the language model can learn how arithmetic operations work and generalize that knowledge to perform calculations on numbers it has not explicitly seen during training. This generalization is based on the model's ability to understand the underlying principles of arithmetic, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
It's important to note that the model's ability to perform arithmetic operations is limited to basic calculations and may not always be perfect or comprehensive. For complex mathematical calculations or specialized operations, it is generally more reliable to rely on dedicated mathematical libraries or tools.
2023.05.31 23:52 sleeping0dragon Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society Review
 | submitted by sleeping0dragon to JRPG [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/n3r5stu82a3b1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=a9ff4d34bea9fe0aca10e55f0ab1317e4e80b78c KEY NOTES
In 2016, Nippon Ichi Software (NIS) released the DRPG, Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk. Despite what I believe is NIS' first attempt at a DRPG, the game was quite solid and enjoyable with an unusual heavy story focus for a DRPG. The game didn't sell many copies at first, but has since sold a decent amount. 4 years later, a sequel titled Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society was released (an additional 3 more years for a western release). STORY Galleria's story begins with a young girl named Eureka who had just arrived at Galleria Manor. Despite being part of nobility, her family's financial situation was dire so she sought employment at Galleria Manor. The employer was an old woman named Madame Marta who was looking for someone great at "searching" for things. Marta is a witch tasked by Galleria Manor's owner to search for special treasures in a labyrinth below the manor. The problem is that not just anybody can explore the labyrinth. Any live human will die trying to return from it. To remedy that issue, Marta summoned a Wandering Spirit using Eureka as a medium. The Wandering Spirit is able to control puppets to explore and combat the monsters in the labyrinth. Despite what Eureka had initially assumed, she now found herself helping out with the treasure search in the mysterious vast labyrinth. https://preview.redd.it/tw901u5d2a3b1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=6c5419f6727e619a7fc0372f4996dafee8a52fbb Galleria's story is unusually presented since despite spending the vast majority of game time within the labyrinth and dungeons, most of the story actually occurs in the outside world. Reaching specific checkpoints in the dungeons will trigger a new cutscene in the outside world and advance the story. You have to leave the dungeon to view the cutscenes. The cutscenes are not always directly related to the triggering checkpoints however. This creates a certain disconnect with the story and what goes on within the dungeons. This is actually something that's seen in Refrain as well although that game had notable story content in the dungeons too. Early on, the story appears to be directionless, but all of the random story bits will converge together into intense moments as more of the mystery gets revealed. It does however start off slow since the first major story event doesn't happened until about 30 hours into the game when it goes from 0 to 100 in a span of minutes. Galleria has a number of exciting moments, but there's also a lot of mundane moments in between. It may be difficult to keep the same level of interest throughout, but it's worth pushing through for the interesting plot twists and revelations. One aspect of Refrain's story that left a strong impression on people were the many surprising dark and disturbing moments it had. Galleria has many dark moments as well, but there aren't many that I would call disturbing. Uneasy at times, but overall, a lot more tolerable and easier to sit through in compared to Refrain. Of course, there are still humorous and comedic moments throughout to lighten the mood. https://preview.redd.it/t3zrqn2i2a3b1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=c1083d5455d5d6af5c23e2de5946d34cba82e078 In comparison to the two Labyrinth games, I think Refrain had the more memorable and stronger story of the two. Especially when it came to the dungeon stories which made the overall story package more interesting. With that said, Galleria's story was still an enjoyable experience for me and some of its narrative is quite ambitious. It's worth noting that Galleria takes place in the same universe as not only Refrain, but also the two "The Witch and the Hundred Knight" games. Fortunately, you don't need any prior knowledge of those games to understand Galleria. CHARACTERS Galleria has a large assortment of characters. The main core group of characters are well developed and interesting. They are also likable too for the most part which contrasts with Refrain where there's less likable characters. One issue with Galleria is that there are many side characters that don't contribute much to the plot and are just there. Then there's some more story relevant characters who don't get enough screentime to properly develop those characters. As for Eureka, she is a lovable and kind person who despite being raised in nobility, enjoys doing household chores. She can be a bit of an airhead at times though. https://preview.redd.it/0zmlg8sl2a3b1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=7d33e5b78786f48b8dbcf8a2fe12ea90ecd89a83 The other member of the treasure seeking duo is Marta. Unlike Dronya in Refrain, Marta is quite kind to her assistant and comes off as much more likable in comparison. Overall, nearly of the characters have layers to their characters and you won't be able to really know and understand them early on. MUSIC NIS Veteran Tenpei Sato returns to compose Galleria's soundtrack. The soundtrack is similar to Refrain where instead of Sato's usual bombastic style found in the Disgaea games, the songs here are more subdued. With Galleria, the only time where the soundtrack gets particularly intense are during some boss fights. While the music overall fit well with the game's tone and style and sounds nice in general, the songs don't really stick out much for me. Outside of the game, it's difficult to recall specific tracks at times. GRAPHICS AND ART DIRECTION The graphics and artstyle in Galleria haven't changed much from Refrain. The character portraits during the Visual Novel style cutscenes are nice to look at and come with various different expressions. The backgrounds are surprisingly beautiful and detailed at times. The dungeons don't really stand out much and the textures are not very detailed, but the issues weren't very noticeable for me most of the time. The monsters in the dungeons have good variety and not only do their models look good, they have decent animation during battle as well. Being a DRPG, the animations aren't anything sophisticated, but the idle movements look great compared to other DRPGs where the enemy sprites are static or in the case of 3D models, just don't look all that great. Overall, Galleria is one of the most beautiful looking DRPG I've seen. GAMEPLAY Other than the notable story emphasis, Galleria shines with its gameplay. The gameplay loop with the dungeon exploration is fun. The battles are solid and and there's a deep layer of customization. DUNGEON EXPLORATION Galleria has seen a few changes and additions to dungeon exploration compared to Refrain. Before, there weren't many dungeon exploration option or mechanics to deal with. Falling off a ledge is as bad as it gets there, but that is easily avoidable. Poison floors make up the other major obstacle and trap. Galleria now has invisible floor panels, pitfalls, underwater traversal, long distance jumping, fake walls, swamp water and something like an enclosed miasma space. The game gives you options to deal with all of them making the dungeon traversal more interesting and keeping it from being annoying and frustrating compared to some other DRPGs out there. One new good dungeon skill is the Fog cloak that not only negates swamp water damage, but also makes you invisible to enemies for a set amount of turns. Many of the dungeon skills are unlocked at various points of the story and requires mana to actually purchase the abilities in the Witch Petitions. https://preview.redd.it/1mjcby4s2a3b1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=d84debfe4616594afa8626e59d147812109a6e60 In regards to enemies, they appear as floating giant eyeballs on the screen called Enemy Symbols. Touching them will trigger a battle so there's no random battles in the game. The Purple eyeballs are the powerful monsters that roam the area. They are generally best avoided until later in the game. The Enemy Symbols move as you move like a turn based scenario. With such a system, you can plan and avoid certain Enemy Symbols by doing some simple calculations. Avoiding the normal red symbols can be difficult at times due to their random movements, but purple symbols move in an orderly way so they can be easily avoided The wall break ability returns in Galleria which allows you to break down most walls and open up new paths or create shortcuts. It's a unique mechanic that I don't recall ever seeing in another DRPG before or at least as commonly used here. The wall break ability and other dungeon abilities make use of Reinforce Points. The starting value is 100 when you dive into a dungeon, but gets deducted base on your current Pact points (more on this later). Reinforce is an important resource not just for exploration, but also provides various benefits during combat. You can acquire more Reinforce Points by finding mana bubbles and mana stuck on walls. With the exception of walls with the \"red\" symbol, broken walls will be fixed to normal once you leave the dungeon The dungeon structures are well crafted like a puzzle. There are floors with many staircases that connect to various parts of the dungeons. Oftentimes, exploring the dungeons is not straightforward and requires careful thinking on how to proceed. Jumping down pitfalls (and taking damage) might sometimes be needed to reach new areas. Although, there are also more straightforward parts to them. One of the more simpler dungeon floors in the game Overall, the dungeon exploration and the structure of the dungeons are very good and are decently large in size. That said, I do find myself missing the thematic dungeons that Refrain had. Each dungeon felt like a completely new world populated with actual characters at times so they felt more interesting compared to Galleria's dungeons which felt more in-line as a single dungeon. The designs are less visually appealing in comparison. The dungeons in Galleria also lack notable story events too. New to Galleria are the randomly generated dungeons. There's a few of these in the game and they are all pretty similar to each other. Each floor is small in scale compared to the static dungeons, but they do make progressing much easier. The goal is to reach the staircase to the next floor and finding them isn't nearly as complicated as progressing in the other dungeons. This makes the experience not as interesting, but these dungeons are great if you just want to farm for new equipment and going through areas that are a bit more dynamic than static dungeons. CUSTOMIZATION Galleria has a surprisingly large amount of customization for the puppet party members. The customization options during creation includes, voice options, character portraits, the dominant hand, lucky number, favorite item, personality trait, stat growth to emphasize primary stats or a more balance growth, and a general stance to emphasize more power in place of defense and health. You can also pick a learnable starting skill right off the bat too. The options that don't affect stats directly tend to play a role in resonating with your other characters during battle. https://preview.redd.it/qsck1ktr3a3b1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=a235e05152bb7e4df77f1353610e3be28cbe9443 There are a decent amount of classes (Facets) in the game totaling twelve. All of them have Alternate Facets that are similar at its core, but have different skills, stat growths and weapon proficiencies which makes the total amount of classes much more than just twelve. With the exception of the 4 special Facets, each Facet has a female counterpart in the bottom row One of Galleria and even Refrain's standout mechanic are the very large party size. The battle party (Brigade) consists of up to five Covens which are sort of like small squads. Each Coven can fit up to three attackers during battle and up to five more in the support slots. Those in the support slots don't normally actively participate in battle (other than followup attacks), but they do provide various passive effects to the Coven's attackers. Some support slots have passive effects just for filling the slot while other times, a character might have a "support skill" that is in effect only as a supporter role. Therefore, you can manage up to 40 characters to provide some use during battles. For those that like to manage a large amount of characters, this is a rare treat. https://preview.redd.it/zhw8l3r34a3b1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=7ca8ffda5382e4128407c528540fe72b0b865e2c Unfortunately, you can't just start adding 40 characters to the brigade right away. The number of open slots for both attackers and supports depends on the Pact. Before you can add any characters to a Coven, it needs a specific Pact item which provides the number of open slots, the Donum (spells) available for it and the various stat and effect bonuses each slot has. Having a full 40 character brigade won't be available until much later in the game. A Coven's maxed DP (Donum Points) is based on the combined attackers' maxed DP in the Coven. A full powered Brigade As developers of Disgaea, it wasn't any surprise that NIS added extensive leveling and grinding mechanics. While the max level is technically 99, you can transfer a puppet's soul and reincarnate them into another puppet body. Their level resets back to 1 when that happens, but they will gain more stats on level up than before. The amount of stats gained are determined by their "Soul Clarity". Soul transfers will increase the Soul Clarity amount and the amount increase is depended on the puppet's level when it did the transfer. It doesn't mean that the game is as grindy either. I rarely "grinded" when completing "everything" in the game. https://preview.redd.it/1z1pw8ig4a3b1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=0c2c03a771f409e7dec4c7c573813e4fb2f3d28f Skill inheriting is a bit different than in Refrain. For Galleria, puppets keep all of the skills they learn, but only a certain number of them can be turned on depending on the skill cost. This allows for easier creation of builds by carrying over all of the skills you have learned. Turning each skill off and on is simply done in the camp menu. It's important to note that skills are mostly passive ones. Only a few characters learn Donum spells which are otherwise only available based on the Pact you have equipped. COMBAT Like many DRPGs, the combat system is a turn based one. Despite the possible 15 attackers available during battles, you don't issue individual commands to each member normally. You only issue commands to each Coven so that one command will apply to all of the attackers in the Coven. You can however give orders to individuals for one turn by spending one Reinforce point which opens up additional options such as item usage and equipment change. https://preview.redd.it/hn4nt0fl4a3b1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=b3c3d1717d57773086e0aaac3d15046de9930442 The battle sequence doesn't start until all commands are given. When that happens, your characters and the enemies' turns are queued together with the fastest characters/enemies acting first. https://preview.redd.it/vcv9c7bo4a3b1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=e383241ebc72b52ec2a27bd39558e14e5ca75462 Both characters and enemies have a stun gauge which if depleted, they will be unable to act for one turn. The Special Gore Hits return which are like super critical damages. Gore Hits on the party members mean a body part is destroyed thus rendering the equipment on that part null. If you were very unfortunate that the head is destroyed, the puppet is permanently KO'd until you repair them back in the outside world. New to Galleria are the Liberation gauge and skills. Each Coven has a Liberation gauge that fills up during battle from attacking and receiving damage. Once it is completely filled, the Coven has accessed to the Liberation skill that is based on the Pact. The skills are varied and includes an attack that damages a whole group of enemies, stat buffs or healing. On the Normal difficulty, many battles aren't difficult so auto battle can clear the majority of fights. That's assuming that party members' equipment and stats are at least up to speed. Bosses and also the Purple Powerful Enemies will be more challenging so that it requires more player attention and the use of buffs/debuffs. FINAL REMARKS Labyrinth of Galleria is a solid followup to Labyrinth of Refrain and improved on the gameplay in many ways. There are more dungeon mechanics, more Facets to use, and an easier to use skill inheritance system. While the story and the lack of story in dungeons aren't as strong as Refrain, it is still had an enjoyable one with many twists and turns. Galleria does benefit on having more likable characters as well. While there is an emphasis on the story, the vast majority of the game time is spent going through dungeons. Combat is on the easy side for most of the game, but some bosses can be quite challenging. Galleria overall is a very lengthy game that can take more than 90 hours just to complete all of the story and is rich in content. The random generated dungeons can add more game time for those that just want to farm for good equipment. For those new to the Labyrinth games, Galleria is a good starting place considering that the connections with Refrain are very minor for the most part. |
2023.05.31 23:44 Vegetable_Look_4021 St. Lynoxburg Underground System (Fictional) (Current)
 | submitted by Vegetable_Look_4021 to TransitDiagrams [link] [comments] |
2023.05.31 23:42 Legitimate-Weird-461 What is a good travel card for our scenario?
Looking for a travel card for my wife and I to use. I travel for work a few times a year, and we travel internationally around once a year plus one or two domestic trips.
Top priorities: * Since we’d like to use this card internationally it being a visa seems to make sense * No foreign transaction fees and travel (rental car, flight) insurance. * Low/No AF
Medium Priority: * Rewards (points/miles)
Low Priority: * Lounge access * Precheck/global entry reimbursement (I get precheck through work, and we recently got my wife precheck).
We basically never use ubereats/doordash if that makes a difference. Anyone have suggestions for cards that might be a good fit here?
CREDIT PROFILE
submitted by Legitimate-Weird-461 to CreditCards [link] [comments]
Top priorities: * Since we’d like to use this card internationally it being a visa seems to make sense * No foreign transaction fees and travel (rental car, flight) insurance. * Low/No AF
Medium Priority: * Rewards (points/miles)
Low Priority: * Lounge access * Precheck/global entry reimbursement (I get precheck through work, and we recently got my wife precheck).
We basically never use ubereats/doordash if that makes a difference. Anyone have suggestions for cards that might be a good fit here?
CREDIT PROFILE
- Current credit cards you are the primary account holder of: (list cards, limits, opening date): OpenSky Secured Card ($750 limit, 02/01/2016), Discover It card ($3100, 03/21/2018), AmEx Blue Cash Preferred ($31500, 10/19/2020)
- FICO Scores with source (see note on FICO score sources below): Transunion 797 (from discover card portal)
- Oldest credit card account age with you as primary name on the account: 7 years
- Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 6 months: 0
- Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 12 months: 0
- Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 24 months: 0
- Annual income $: 120,000
- OK with category-specific cards?: maybe - we have the amex for the grocery cash back (our biggest category), so mostly looking for a card for travel purchases.
- OK with rotating category cards?: Prefer consistent travel rewards
- Estimate average monthly spend in the categories below. Only include what you can pay by credit card.
- Dining $: 700
- Groceries $: 400
- Gas $: 150
- Travel $: $1250 (personal), $1250 (business, reimbursed)
- Do you plan on using this card abroad for a significant length of time (study abroad, digital nomad, expat, extended travel)?: on the order of a week or two per year
- Can you pay rent by credit card? If yes, list rent amount and if there's a fee for paying by credit card: no
- Current member of Amazon Prime?: yes
- Current Verizon postpaid customer?: no
- Current member of Costco or Sam's Club? No
- Currently paying $13.99/month or more for Disney Bundle (Disney+ / Hulu / EPSN+) or other Hulu services? No
- Current member of Chase, US Bank or any other big bank?: Ally
- Active US military?: no
- Are you open to Business Cards?: (these are an option if you have any kind of side gig, such as selling on eBay or Etsy): no
- What's the purpose of your next card (choose ONE)?: travel rewards
- If you answered "travel rewards", do you have a preferred airline and/or hotel chain? Delta & Marriott, but not tied to them (usually have to go with the cheapest option for work, and often looking for cheapest option for personal travel over brand-loyalty)
- Do you have any cards you've been looking at? Chase sapphire line seems to be a popular suggestion, but the rewards system seems complicated?
2023.05.31 23:38 Vast-Listen1457 030 The Not-Immortal Blacksmith – Travels
Apologizes for being so late. Explanation at the bottom.
Maxwell stared out the small window in the war room while he waited for the generals and other officers to arrive. The dome had dimmed to the point that you could see through it, and he watched as the demonic army set up camp less than a mile from the city. When the last straggler entered and sat, the general in charge started the meeting. Why am I even here? I don’t add anything besides my fighting and base knowledge of magic. Whatever.
The meeting ended with the decision being made to defend at the wall, and only send out mounted troops when the enemy showed a weakness. Pretty standard fare for defending a city. He made his way out of the room, not stopping to chat with anyone and went for a walk in the now recovering city.
He was sitting on a park bench, randomly tossing seeds to a small flock of birds when his messaging stone started to vibrate. He removed the stone from his pocket and swiped his finger across the smooth face, “Hello?”
“Ah, the heretic. Just who I wanted to speak too.” The voice on the other end said. “I am general xxx of the demon army---”
Max ended the call, swiping across the stone again. “Idiots.” He grumbled. “I wasn’t born yesterday.”
The stone vibrated again. He answered. “WHAT?”
“The same voice as before spoke again. “We need to talk.”
“Make it fast.” Max growled. “I’m busy.”
“Very well. I want you to kill the demon lord.” Ochalz said in a level voice.
“You…You what?” Max stuttered into the stone.
“He needs to die.” Ochalz replied. “He will force me to throw my troops into your void forsaken wall. The number of unneeded deaths will be high. I need him gone.”
Mas took a deep breath to calm his nerves, “What’s in it for us?”
“Upon his death, we will cease all hostilities for a total of ten years.” Ochalz said.
“Twenty-five, no less, and you will retreat to the demon wastes.” Max responded.
“Very well. Twenty-five years.” Ochalz said, “And we will move to the aptly named demon wastes.”
“How do I know I can trust you?” Max asked.
“You don’t. But I give you my personal assurances, and all the information I have on that lard filled bastard.” Ochalz responded.
“Good enough.” Max smiled. “Tell me everything.
*-*-*
Grendel Repute sat on the back of the wagon as it progressed down the snow-covered road. What to do. What to do. He absentmindedly scratched the cat that Brandywine had left in his care when she and the others had left. “So, cat, what should we do today? No one will dice with me anymore. Especially after they finally caught me cheating.” The cat flopped onto its side and purred at him. “Maybe we should… No. Perhaps? No. What do you think?”
The cat gently captured his left hand in its paws and brought it closer to lick and nibble on.
“I suppose we could eat something, but lunch isn’t for another hour or so.” Grendel said in response to the nibbles. “Maybe we could raid the sweets jar?”
*-*-*
Max had gathered up his usual suspects in his rooms. “Demon general Ochalz has asked that we assassinate the demon lord.”
The room went silent.
“Yeah. I was surprised too.” Max said into the silence. “I have a bunch of notes here,” he waved to a stack of papers, “with all of the information Ochalz could give me.”
The next several hours were spent going over the notes.
*-*-*
Cookies in hand, Grendel sat once again on the back of the wagon, cat purring on his lap. “Okay. We have a communication stone from Prince Lancil. We have snow. We have cookies… Now what?”
“Meow” said the cat.
“Exactly.” Grendel replied.
*-*-*
Gilip, Capital of Demonia.
53rd of Anael, First month of Snow.
2290 years since the New Gods came.
We have almost a thousand miles to travel to get to the demon lord’s lair. We will be traveling the demon wastes through ice and snow. While the demons will not be “thick and heavy” due to their army being here, they will still be around. Little else thrives out there.
There is a “breed” of “Horse” that has been mostly tamed that will survive the travel, but with my track record with half demonic beasts, I worry there will be problems.
Bri has refused to stay behind, claiming that “the place of a wife is with her husband”. Who am I to argue?
The gang’s all here, we leave tomorrow at dusk.
54th of Anael.
Dusk.
The wind is cold, blowing the powdery snow across the plain as we departed. The heroes, Brandywine and Bri are all well covered in winter traveling clothes. The trunk is tied to my back.
55th of Anael,
We got five miles through the wind and snow last night. No demons were spotted. Today we should make about ten more. I keep forgetting how much I hate walking in snow, it gets everywhere.
Plains of Demonia.
1st of Arah, Second month of Snow.
2291 years since the new gods came.
Midwinter was last night, and we did not celebrate. Travel was more important. We made just over ten miles today, giving us a total of twenty-five miles. I believe it is around twenty points below freezing* as we set up camp tonight. We are all sharing one small tent to conserve heat. The wind is whipping across the gently rolling plain at speed. Tomorrow we may be snow blind.
Our current path will bring us to Ghostward, another one hundred twenty miles or so. Twelve days. We will rest for a couple nights there, and hopefully be able to procure ‘Horses’ that can deal with the weather.
3rd of Arah.
The wind and snow were too much today, we made it three miles. It is a blizzard. I hope we aren’t snow bound for too long. Only 38 miles so far.
6th of Arah.
We got nearly two feet of snow, but the wind has slowed. Tomorrow, we will dig ourselves out and continue on our way.
-
Magni stared at the snow, and smiled to himself. It’s like home. Just without the mountains. He held back a tear as he thought back to his lost home, the people, his wife and children, and then let the tears loose.
-
10th of Arah.
We continue our march. I don’t understand how Magni can smile and whistle through this. Maybe he really is part bear as Nomvula claims? I don’t know, he kind of does look like one…
Around eighty miles, halfway there. Seventy left.
13th of Arah.
Elk. A herd of elk. Being chased by a small pack of worgs. The worgs ate there fill and ignored us. I’m anidiot gods forsaken MORON! We could have ridden worgs if I hadn’t wanted to avoid the “going away” ceremony that would have been thrown for us. Too late now.
14th of Arah.
We spotted a demon patrol today. They ignored us.
*-*-*
Grendel stared at the boring snow once again. “Now what do we do, cat?”
“Mrow?” The cat replied.
“Me either.” Grendel said. “Maybe we can use Lancil’s stone and try to sell someone a bridge?”
*-*-*
Demon General Ochalz sat on his camp chair, and smiled. “The Heretic is well on his way now? Excellent. Once that worthless idiot is dead, we will make a place for ourselves in the wastes, and prepare.”
*That would be -20c, or -10f.
Original - First - Previous - Next
- - - - - - - -
Where to begin, where to begin?
I don't generally talk about it, but I have some mental health issues, and the last couple of months have been hard. The weather changes are tough in spring, causing my SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) to go into overdrive. The ADHA has been bouncing me around, and my Bi-Polar disorder has been at an all time low. All said and done? This has been a sucky as hell spring.
To top things off, Monday I stubbed my big toe so hard that i separated the nail from the nail bed. 0/10, do not recommend.
The high points have been being published in the anthology (thanks to everyone who backed it!!!!!) and seeing Wind Rose in concert. Even those two haven't really left much of a dent in my psyche.
Anyway, my kid is almost out of school for the year, and at least isn't failing any classes. And next weekend I will be attending a reunion for year one and two of the NCCC program (I was in year one! That was a blast!!!) and I'm looking forward to that, and the writing convention two weeks after that. Those two should break me out of this blue period.
Take care of yourselves. Don't kidnap midgets. Get the candy first. Don't drive full speed into the dust storm. Look both ways at the train crossing. Avoid the sewer clowns unless you are well armed. Giant robots will make you go squish. When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is NOT your friend. Help each other out.
Donation box time.
Shakes donation box:
Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/vastlisten1457
Patreon https://www.patreon.com/VastListen1457
PS. I haven't forgotten to send out the prizes, that will be this weekend, as soon as the new merch is up. Please forgive the wait.
submitted by Vast-Listen1457 to HFY [link] [comments]
Maxwell stared out the small window in the war room while he waited for the generals and other officers to arrive. The dome had dimmed to the point that you could see through it, and he watched as the demonic army set up camp less than a mile from the city. When the last straggler entered and sat, the general in charge started the meeting. Why am I even here? I don’t add anything besides my fighting and base knowledge of magic. Whatever.
The meeting ended with the decision being made to defend at the wall, and only send out mounted troops when the enemy showed a weakness. Pretty standard fare for defending a city. He made his way out of the room, not stopping to chat with anyone and went for a walk in the now recovering city.
He was sitting on a park bench, randomly tossing seeds to a small flock of birds when his messaging stone started to vibrate. He removed the stone from his pocket and swiped his finger across the smooth face, “Hello?”
“Ah, the heretic. Just who I wanted to speak too.” The voice on the other end said. “I am general xxx of the demon army---”
Max ended the call, swiping across the stone again. “Idiots.” He grumbled. “I wasn’t born yesterday.”
The stone vibrated again. He answered. “WHAT?”
“The same voice as before spoke again. “We need to talk.”
“Make it fast.” Max growled. “I’m busy.”
“Very well. I want you to kill the demon lord.” Ochalz said in a level voice.
“You…You what?” Max stuttered into the stone.
“He needs to die.” Ochalz replied. “He will force me to throw my troops into your void forsaken wall. The number of unneeded deaths will be high. I need him gone.”
Mas took a deep breath to calm his nerves, “What’s in it for us?”
“Upon his death, we will cease all hostilities for a total of ten years.” Ochalz said.
“Twenty-five, no less, and you will retreat to the demon wastes.” Max responded.
“Very well. Twenty-five years.” Ochalz said, “And we will move to the aptly named demon wastes.”
“How do I know I can trust you?” Max asked.
“You don’t. But I give you my personal assurances, and all the information I have on that lard filled bastard.” Ochalz responded.
“Good enough.” Max smiled. “Tell me everything.
*-*-*
Grendel Repute sat on the back of the wagon as it progressed down the snow-covered road. What to do. What to do. He absentmindedly scratched the cat that Brandywine had left in his care when she and the others had left. “So, cat, what should we do today? No one will dice with me anymore. Especially after they finally caught me cheating.” The cat flopped onto its side and purred at him. “Maybe we should… No. Perhaps? No. What do you think?”
The cat gently captured his left hand in its paws and brought it closer to lick and nibble on.
“I suppose we could eat something, but lunch isn’t for another hour or so.” Grendel said in response to the nibbles. “Maybe we could raid the sweets jar?”
*-*-*
Max had gathered up his usual suspects in his rooms. “Demon general Ochalz has asked that we assassinate the demon lord.”
The room went silent.
“Yeah. I was surprised too.” Max said into the silence. “I have a bunch of notes here,” he waved to a stack of papers, “with all of the information Ochalz could give me.”
The next several hours were spent going over the notes.
*-*-*
Cookies in hand, Grendel sat once again on the back of the wagon, cat purring on his lap. “Okay. We have a communication stone from Prince Lancil. We have snow. We have cookies… Now what?”
“Meow” said the cat.
“Exactly.” Grendel replied.
*-*-*
Gilip, Capital of Demonia.
53rd of Anael, First month of Snow.
2290 years since the New Gods came.
We have almost a thousand miles to travel to get to the demon lord’s lair. We will be traveling the demon wastes through ice and snow. While the demons will not be “thick and heavy” due to their army being here, they will still be around. Little else thrives out there.
There is a “breed” of “Horse” that has been mostly tamed that will survive the travel, but with my track record with half demonic beasts, I worry there will be problems.
Bri has refused to stay behind, claiming that “the place of a wife is with her husband”. Who am I to argue?
The gang’s all here, we leave tomorrow at dusk.
54th of Anael.
Dusk.
The wind is cold, blowing the powdery snow across the plain as we departed. The heroes, Brandywine and Bri are all well covered in winter traveling clothes. The trunk is tied to my back.
55th of Anael,
We got five miles through the wind and snow last night. No demons were spotted. Today we should make about ten more. I keep forgetting how much I hate walking in snow, it gets everywhere.
Plains of Demonia.
1st of Arah, Second month of Snow.
2291 years since the new gods came.
Midwinter was last night, and we did not celebrate. Travel was more important. We made just over ten miles today, giving us a total of twenty-five miles. I believe it is around twenty points below freezing* as we set up camp tonight. We are all sharing one small tent to conserve heat. The wind is whipping across the gently rolling plain at speed. Tomorrow we may be snow blind.
Our current path will bring us to Ghostward, another one hundred twenty miles or so. Twelve days. We will rest for a couple nights there, and hopefully be able to procure ‘Horses’ that can deal with the weather.
3rd of Arah.
The wind and snow were too much today, we made it three miles. It is a blizzard. I hope we aren’t snow bound for too long. Only 38 miles so far.
6th of Arah.
We got nearly two feet of snow, but the wind has slowed. Tomorrow, we will dig ourselves out and continue on our way.
-
Magni stared at the snow, and smiled to himself. It’s like home. Just without the mountains. He held back a tear as he thought back to his lost home, the people, his wife and children, and then let the tears loose.
-
10th of Arah.
We continue our march. I don’t understand how Magni can smile and whistle through this. Maybe he really is part bear as Nomvula claims? I don’t know, he kind of does look like one…
Around eighty miles, halfway there. Seventy left.
13th of Arah.
Elk. A herd of elk. Being chased by a small pack of worgs. The worgs ate there fill and ignored us. I’m an
14th of Arah.
We spotted a demon patrol today. They ignored us.
*-*-*
Grendel stared at the boring snow once again. “Now what do we do, cat?”
“Mrow?” The cat replied.
“Me either.” Grendel said. “Maybe we can use Lancil’s stone and try to sell someone a bridge?”
*-*-*
Demon General Ochalz sat on his camp chair, and smiled. “The Heretic is well on his way now? Excellent. Once that worthless idiot is dead, we will make a place for ourselves in the wastes, and prepare.”
*That would be -20c, or -10f.
Original - First - Previous - Next
- - - - - - - -
Where to begin, where to begin?
I don't generally talk about it, but I have some mental health issues, and the last couple of months have been hard. The weather changes are tough in spring, causing my SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) to go into overdrive. The ADHA has been bouncing me around, and my Bi-Polar disorder has been at an all time low. All said and done? This has been a sucky as hell spring.
To top things off, Monday I stubbed my big toe so hard that i separated the nail from the nail bed. 0/10, do not recommend.
The high points have been being published in the anthology (thanks to everyone who backed it!!!!!) and seeing Wind Rose in concert. Even those two haven't really left much of a dent in my psyche.
Anyway, my kid is almost out of school for the year, and at least isn't failing any classes. And next weekend I will be attending a reunion for year one and two of the NCCC program (I was in year one! That was a blast!!!) and I'm looking forward to that, and the writing convention two weeks after that. Those two should break me out of this blue period.
Take care of yourselves. Don't kidnap midgets. Get the candy first. Don't drive full speed into the dust storm. Look both ways at the train crossing. Avoid the sewer clowns unless you are well armed. Giant robots will make you go squish. When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is NOT your friend. Help each other out.
Donation box time.
Shakes donation box:
Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/vastlisten1457
Patreon https://www.patreon.com/VastListen1457
PS. I haven't forgotten to send out the prizes, that will be this weekend, as soon as the new merch is up. Please forgive the wait.
2023.05.31 23:27 NinesInSpace Maxed out the Primary Key
So I've got a twenty year old database here. It's in SQL Server now, but before that it was just in access. Back in the day, that Access database would assign primary keys randomly. Then the system was migrated to SQL Server which uses the rather sane approach of incrementing the new primary keys.
And now it's finally happened, my [tMiscellaneousTransactionLineItem] table has a primary key at 2147863647 (the max value possible). There, of course, is tons of space still available in the database, but it doesn't know that. All the available numbers are far below allowable value.
How should I go about fixing this? I'm thinking I should make sure there's a TRIGGER in place to cascade updates, and then iterate through every item and give them new keys starting from 1.
But I'm not great with SQL, so I'm looking for any help on this you can give.
Thanks
EDIT: Just for kicks and giggles, I ran through the database to figure out some extra details. The random number that had been generated that caused this was 2147477838 (Just 5333 entries from the max value). There are a total of 21692 entries in the database altogether. That entry was made on 2013-06-20.
submitted by NinesInSpace to SQL [link] [comments]
And now it's finally happened, my [tMiscellaneousTransactionLineItem] table has a primary key at 2147863647 (the max value possible). There, of course, is tons of space still available in the database, but it doesn't know that. All the available numbers are far below allowable value.
How should I go about fixing this? I'm thinking I should make sure there's a TRIGGER in place to cascade updates, and then iterate through every item and give them new keys starting from 1.
But I'm not great with SQL, so I'm looking for any help on this you can give.
Thanks
EDIT: Just for kicks and giggles, I ran through the database to figure out some extra details. The random number that had been generated that caused this was 2147477838 (Just 5333 entries from the max value). There are a total of 21692 entries in the database altogether. That entry was made on 2013-06-20.
2023.05.31 23:24 crua9 How a hardware wallet works
 | Due to the drama a lot of people are coming out of the wood works spouting off wrong info on how hardware wallets work on it's fundamental level. submitted by crua9 to CryptoCurrency [link] [comments] How it SHOULD work no matter the type:
Single chain vs multi-chain wallet:So I seen some argument about single chain wallets are better than multi-chain because they don't come with the security vulnerabilities like a multi-chain.The TLDR, this is BS on the front of it. The only reason why it can be true is with a single chain if someone steals the seed, they will only have access to the 1 type of crypto. Where with multi-chain they can access a bunch of types. Think of it like you having 1 key for your house vs having a separate key for every door of your house. In theory a key per door is safer. But it is far far far far more unrealistic and far less friendly. It is extremely unlikely someone will even get access to your seed if properly kept anyways. All the other things like social engineering is the same risk level. A multi-chain wallet uses a mater private key to make all the other private keys. The master key is generated from a seed phrase that you create when you set up your wallet. The interesting thing is the seed phrase you get only refers to the master key, and all the crypto wallets it makes will have a different seed phrase. Like if you use your multi-chain wallet seed phrase on a single chain even if the multi-chain supported it. It's EXTREMELY likely it will generate a new wallet. A single chain only deals with 1 chain and 1 private key. Now this isn't a perfect system. In theory it is possible for someone to guess or just by luck get the private keys you have when they generate their private keys. But the likely is EXTREMELY low. The number of possible private keys is so large that it’s virtually impossible for two people to generate the same one. For example, Bitcoin uses 256-bit private keys, which means there are 2^256 possible keys. That’s roughly equivalent to the number of atoms in the observable universe. SecurityThe point of a hardware wallet is you need to have the device in hand in order to do anything with your crypto. Now that problem is, can a firmware or the right push make it possible for the hardware wallet to expose your master key in any way? A good diagram on this comes from https://twitter.com/hosseeb/status/1658740448947765250 https://preview.redd.it/9wu4mxirx93b1.png?width=1346&format=png&auto=webp&s=85c16d5f3e2ee889df638c228ad2b58e4630c30b In this you can see the following happens.
Note at the bottom firmware updates can't change the SE code. Not all devices have this, and this is why having a good community around open source projects is great. But there is many hardware wallets that have this. But when you have hardware wallets with bad firmware or they aren't really that secure https://preview.redd.it/0fl1aoryy93b1.png?width=1348&format=png&auto=webp&s=524a2e5625ed64b5c2a73e1d7150cb54027d05c2 As you can see there could be code that pushes for the device to send whatever info. So it's not only important to have a hardware wallet, and to have it opensource. But understand the hardware part of the hardware wallet. Like if this is even technically possible. It is also important to make sure the open source community is active or at least tools like AI are scanning the code to make sure nothing bad is in the updates. EDIT: I forgot to add 1 key detail. Air gap wallets use QR codes to get the data and send it. Some might see that and think they are safe from getting the master key exported. The problem is, you have no idea what the QR code is saying just from looking at it. In theory you if the app knew what to look for in the QR code, knew what to send, and the device had bad firmware on it. Then in theory you can trick the device to sending the private keys. This is given it doesn't have security which prevents a given chip with the keys from being updated so it can't export your keys. Air gap only really protects from a man in the middle attack. For example something between the metamask and the hardware wallet changing the info midway. This is extremely rare, and I'm sure most can think of ways to get a virus to hide say metamask QR code and displays a hackers QR code. But again, that would be extremely rare and extremely complicated. The one advantage it does have over other types is during the firmware process the hardware wallet can't send out the keys because it is air gapped, and it makes a man in the middle attack on the firmware almost impossible. |
2023.05.31 23:20 Space51_ It's been a month since I posted my progress here. So here's an update :)
 | Hi there! I remember last month I posted a few screenshots showing my progress and after a few days I decided to join this subreddit. Some days ago someone commented on that post what was my current progress... so here is it. submitted by Space51_ to BusinessEmpireRichman [link] [comments] I'm going all in for the banks and stocks. My plan is to make another holding company and then buy the remaining stocks. As you can see I bought all collectibles + NFT and islands (in fact irl I'm a collector lol). Plus, should I sell the construction company? What do you think? Feel free to leave any advice :) |
2023.05.31 23:18 amoguzy Should I get the chase freedom flex?
Hello, I am a 20 year old college student,
My Experian FICO score is 760.
Reported income is $15000. Rent $0
All of my cards are geared around cashback, as I'm not travelling much yet.
here are my current cards (I am not an AU on any cards):
- Capital One QuickSilver - $600 CL, $300 SL- opened March 2021
Discover It Student - $3300 CL, $1500 SL - opened July 2021
Capital One SavorOne - $3000 CL , $3000 SL - opened July 2022
Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards $2500 CL, $1000 SL - Opened July 2022
Apple Card $2500 CL , $2500 SL - Opened May 2023
* Oldest credit card account age with you as primary name on the account: 2 years and 2 months
* Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 6 months: 1
* Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 12 months: 3
* Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 24 months: 4
* Annual income $: Reported $15,000 (averaged out over things like internships, selling goods online, etc)
I opened the Chase App and saw that I'm guaranteed approval for the Chase Freedom Unlimited and Chase Freedom Flex at a starting limit of $3000. Also have a bunch of other "guaranteed approvals" like for the CSP and CSR, but they don't actually show the limit (probably because income requirements are more stringent). I am thinking of getting the CFF, but 6 credit cards sounds like alot to handle, but I have autopay enabled on everything anyways, and my credit utilization is always less than 10 percent, and sometimes I game the score by paying off early so I only get a 1 percent utilization. Also I'm worried that my credit score will tank once both the Apple Card and the CFF hit my credit report. (Decreasing my average age of accounts), since I'm planning to apply for off-campus renting for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Background info:
The capital one quicksilver is my first card and was originally a Journey Student, and is essentially useless to me now with the Apple Card being my 2 percent card (I have never used physical cards nor had the need to). But I'll keep it open. The Apple Card is also useful for paying with installments (I use this feature not because I can't afford what I purchase, but it allows you to essentially keep more of your money compounding in savings or investments interest-free.)
The discover it student is nice for the revolving 5% cashback categories, and I'm thinking of the CFF for its 5% cashback categories as well. I also saw that Chase also has limited time offers with some retailers that I actually shop at, which can give as high as 20% back in addition to the credit card rewards, (and the CFF has a $200 SUB for spending only $500)
I rarely use the SavorOne and only got it because it comes with MC World Elite perks. The main charge I push on it is YouTube Premium, which counts as entertainment, but this could also be pushed on the CCR ( I have it on online shopping). Other than that, I guess it's nice I get a bit of extra cash from ordering takeout or buying stuff from the vending machines.
The BOA CCR is the online shopping card. Funny thing is that right after I got approved for the apple card, they auto-CLI'd me to match the apple card's CL. The BOA credit limit wasn't high enough to take advantage of the cashback on one of the new M2 Pro Macbook Pros, plus it's limited to $1500 per month.
submitted by amoguzy to CreditCards [link] [comments]
My Experian FICO score is 760.
Reported income is $15000. Rent $0
All of my cards are geared around cashback, as I'm not travelling much yet.
here are my current cards (I am not an AU on any cards):
- Capital One QuickSilver - $600 CL, $300 SL- opened March 2021
Discover It Student - $3300 CL, $1500 SL - opened July 2021
Capital One SavorOne - $3000 CL , $3000 SL - opened July 2022
Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards $2500 CL, $1000 SL - Opened July 2022
Apple Card $2500 CL , $2500 SL - Opened May 2023
* Oldest credit card account age with you as primary name on the account: 2 years and 2 months
* Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 6 months: 1
* Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 12 months: 3
* Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 24 months: 4
* Annual income $: Reported $15,000 (averaged out over things like internships, selling goods online, etc)
I opened the Chase App and saw that I'm guaranteed approval for the Chase Freedom Unlimited and Chase Freedom Flex at a starting limit of $3000. Also have a bunch of other "guaranteed approvals" like for the CSP and CSR, but they don't actually show the limit (probably because income requirements are more stringent). I am thinking of getting the CFF, but 6 credit cards sounds like alot to handle, but I have autopay enabled on everything anyways, and my credit utilization is always less than 10 percent, and sometimes I game the score by paying off early so I only get a 1 percent utilization. Also I'm worried that my credit score will tank once both the Apple Card and the CFF hit my credit report. (Decreasing my average age of accounts), since I'm planning to apply for off-campus renting for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Background info:
The capital one quicksilver is my first card and was originally a Journey Student, and is essentially useless to me now with the Apple Card being my 2 percent card (I have never used physical cards nor had the need to). But I'll keep it open. The Apple Card is also useful for paying with installments (I use this feature not because I can't afford what I purchase, but it allows you to essentially keep more of your money compounding in savings or investments interest-free.)
The discover it student is nice for the revolving 5% cashback categories, and I'm thinking of the CFF for its 5% cashback categories as well. I also saw that Chase also has limited time offers with some retailers that I actually shop at, which can give as high as 20% back in addition to the credit card rewards, (and the CFF has a $200 SUB for spending only $500)
I rarely use the SavorOne and only got it because it comes with MC World Elite perks. The main charge I push on it is YouTube Premium, which counts as entertainment, but this could also be pushed on the CCR ( I have it on online shopping). Other than that, I guess it's nice I get a bit of extra cash from ordering takeout or buying stuff from the vending machines.
The BOA CCR is the online shopping card. Funny thing is that right after I got approved for the apple card, they auto-CLI'd me to match the apple card's CL. The BOA credit limit wasn't high enough to take advantage of the cashback on one of the new M2 Pro Macbook Pros, plus it's limited to $1500 per month.
2023.05.31 23:06 NYEHSPAGHETTIMASTER I PLAYED UNDERTALE AND I AM REGURGITATING THE KNOWLEDGE BACK TO YOU 3!!
I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO SAY HERE! NYEH HEH HEH!
I HAVE OPENED THE GAME, SKIPPED THE STORY, AND PRESSED CONTINUE! AND I AM IN THE CHECKPOINT ROOM! AND MY FIRST INSTINCT, IS TO GO BACK TO SNOWDIN TOWN AND GET THE RIBBON OUT OF THE BOX! I MUST LOOK THE BEST FOR MY DATE WITH GAME ME! I PUT THE RIBBON ON AND COME BACK TO GAME ME! THE GAME IS VERY ACCURATE, AND DOES THE SAME JOKE THAT I DID WHEN I DATED FRISK! AND THEN I ENTER MY HOUSE!
I INSPECT SANS' PET ROCK, UNFORTUNATELY I CANNOT FEED IT! BUT IT'S FINE, IT HAS FOOD ALREADY! I GO UPSTAIRS AND INSPECT THE VERY MEANINGFUL PAINTING! BUT I ALREADY KNOW ABOUT EVERYTHING IN MY HOUSE, AS IT'S MY HOUSE, AND I ENTER MY ROOM! AND IT'S LIKE LOOKING AT REAL LIFE! JUST WITH NO FLOWERY, LESS ACTION FIGURES, AND MY BED ISN'T A REAL CAR! JUST HOW I REMEMBER IT USED TO LOOK! BUT ENOUGH TOMFOOLERY, IT'S TIME TO START THE DATE FOR REAL!
I ENTER THE DATE, AND ACCIDENTALLY PRESS C, WHICH BRINGS THE DATING HUD OUT EARLY! WHICH IS PROBABLY A GOOD THING! BUT NOW IT'S TIME FOR STEP TWO! GAME ME ASKS ME OUT ON A DATE, AND I SAY YES! TIME FOR PART THREE!! GAME ME HAS NOTICED MY RIBBON, AND ACCUSES ME OF ALWAYS WANTING TO DATE HIM!! WHICH IS ONLY PARTIALLY TRUE! SO I SAY NO! AND LIKE THE COOL DUDE GAME ME IS, HE FINDS A WAY TO MAKE IT SUPER ROMANTIC AND COOL!! AND MY DATING POWER RISES!
GAME ME PUTS ON HIS COOL DUDE OUTFIT, WHICH IS VERY HANDSOME! I GIVE MYSELF A GENUINE COMPLIMENT, AND MY DATING POWER RISES ONCE MORE! HOWEVER, I HAVE FORGOTTEN ONE SMALL THING! I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE HIDDEN POWER BEHIND THE OUTFIT (EXCEPT I ACTUALLY DO) AND THUS, MY COMPLIMENT IS INVALID! OH NO!! HOWEVER WILL I GET OUT OF THIS ONE, I PONDER! BUT BY SEER LUCK, I ACCIDENTALLY MOVE DIRECTLY UP TO THE HAT AND COMPLETELY UNINTENTIONALLY PRESS Z! AND WOWIE, I'VE FOUND THE SECRET PRESENT!
I OPEN THE PRESENT, AND GAME ME ASKS IF I KNOW WHAT IT IS! AND OF COURSE I DO! INSIDE THAT PRESENT IS THE FINEST SPAGHETTI MEAL THE UNDERGROUND HAS EVER SEEN! HAND-CRAFTED IN THE LAND OF MY KITCHEN, A DANGEROUS AND SPECTACULAR PLACE WHERE ONLY THE BRAVEST CHEF WARRIORS DARE ENTER! AND I WOULD EAT IT! HOWEVER, FLOWERY SAYS I SHOULD LET GAME ME HAVE IT INSTEAD, AND SO I DO! AND I DEFEAT GAME ME IN DATING!
WOWIE! I HAVE FORGETTEN HOW AWKWARD THIS ACTUALLY WAS! I DIDN'T NEED THE REMINDER, BUT I'M THANKFUL FOR IT ANYWAY! I HAVE OBTAINED MY PHONE NUMBER, AND NOW I CAN CALL GAME ME WHENEVER I WISH! NYEH HEH HEH! WHAT A NOT THAT GREAT TIME!
I RE-ENTER THE CHECKPOINT ROOM, AND GET FILLED WITH DETERMINATION FROM THE SOUND OF RUSHING WATER, AND SAVE THE GAME! THEN, I TALK TO MONSTER KID! WHO HAS SNUCK AWAY FROM SNOWDIN TO COME VISIT "HER", WHOM I AM ASSUMING TO BE UNDYNE! AND I THEN TALK TO THE ECHO FLOWER EXPLAINER PERSON, AND THE ECHO FLOWER! AND LASTLY, I TALK WITH SANS, WHO INVITES ME TO GRILLBY'S TO TAKE A BREAK FROM JUST STANDING AT HIS STATION DOING NOTHING! UNFORTUNATELY SANS, I HAVE STANDARDS, AND GRILLBY'S DOESN'T MEET THOSE STANDARDS (SORRY GRILLBY), SO I SHALL DECLINE THAT OFFER! AND THEN, I ENTER THE NEXT ROOM!
I FIND THE BOX, AND GRAB MY MANDANNA OUT OF THERE! AND I WALK ACROSS UNDYNE'S "PUZZLE", BUT FLOWERY TELLS ME TO GO BACK AND GO INSIDE THE WATERFALL! AND SO I DO, AND THERE IT IS! THE OLD TUTU! BACK TO THE BOX WITH YOU, MANLY BANDANNA! AND THEN, I ENTER THE NEXT ROOM!
OH WOW! WHAT A VERY ACCURATE MEETING BETWEEN UNDYNE AND GAME ME, THAT I HAVE LIVED THROUGH! THIS GAME HAS GOTTEN FRIGHTENINGLY GOOD AT BEING ACCURATE! GAME ME TRIES TO CONVINCE UNDYNE NOT TO KILL ME! BUT ALAS, UNDYNE DOESN'T LISTEN TO GAME ME'S PERFECT REASONING! I TRY TO ESCAPE, BUT UNDYNE NOTICES ME, AND PREPARES TO THROW A SPEAR!! THANKFULLY, THE GRASS HAS SAVED ME! SO I ESCAPE THE GRASS, AND SO DOES MONSTER KID, WHO HAS BEEN FOLLOWING ME I GUESS! AND THEY FALL OVER! WHICH SUCKS TO SEE! I STAY DETERMINED DESPITE THE FEELINGS OF DREAD, AND SAVE THE GAME! AND THEN I ENTER THE NEXT ROOM!
AH, A PUZZLE! THIS SHALL BE EASY! ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I'VE DONE THIS PUZZLE TO GET TO UNDYNE'S HOUSE BEFORE! BUT I SOLVE THE PUZZLE WITH EASE, AND ENTER THE NEXT ROOM! BUT BEFORE I CAN GET TOO FAR, AN AARON ATTACKS! I DECIDE TO FLEX ON IT, FOR I AM VERY GREAT! AND HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO SO! BUT AARON FLEXES BACK, AND BOTH OUR ATTACK INCREASES!! AND I GET HIT! I FLEX ONCE MORE, AND ONCE MORE, AND THEN AARON FLIES OUT OF THE ROOM? BUT ANYWAY, I HAVE SOLVED THE OTHER PUZZLE, AND GET A CALL FROM GAME ME. WHO IS ASKING WHAT I AM WEARING! I TELL GAME ME I AM IN FACT WEARING A DUSTY TUTU, BUT INCASE THE GAME IS GOING TO GO HOW I THINK IT'S GOING TO GO, I SHALL SWITCH BACK TO THE MANLY BANDANNA, AND I ESCAPE TO THE NEXT ROOM!
IT'S THE WISHING ROOM! I WISH THAT I WAS TALKING TO GAME ME! AND WOWIE, IT'S COMING TRUE!! AND NOW, I AM TALKING TO ALL THE ECHO FLOWERS IN THE ROOM! I TRY TO TALK TO THE SECOND ONE, BUT WOSHUA APPEARS! I ASK IT TO CLEAN ME, THEN GET HIT 4 TIMES! BUT DON'T WORRY, BECAUSE I TOUCHED THE GREEN PROJECTILES! AND I HAVE HEALED IN THE OVERWORLD, SO IT IS FINE! I TALK TO ALL THE ECHO FLOWERS, LISTENING TO ALL THEIR STORIES TO TELL! SOME WISHING TO SEE REAL STARS, SOME TALKING ABOUT REAL STARS, ONE TALKING ABOUT THE HOROSCOPE! BUT AFTER TALKING TO ALL THE ECHO FLOWERS, I ENTER TO NEXT ROOM!
IN THIS ROOM, THERE ARE SIGNS ABOUT THE WAR! I WONDER WHY THE HUMANS ATTACKED US? I'M SURE THEY HAD A VERY REASONABLE AND UNDERSTANDABLE EXPLAINATION! BUT THAT QUESTION IS ANSWERED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY! THEY WERE SCARED THE MONSTERS WOULD TRY TO TAKE THEIR SOUL! THAT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN! MONSTERS ARE KIND AND GOOD! AND NOT MURDEROUS AND SCARY! BUT I FINISH READING, AND GO ONTO THE NEXT AREA!
AND UNDYNE THROWS A SPEAR AT ME!! I MUST HELP FRISK TO ESCAPE UNDYNE'S WRATH! I RUN AS FAST AS THE GAME ALLOWS ME TO, AND GET HIT ONCE! BUT I ESCAPE TO SOME GRASS! AND MONSTER KID HAS SAVED ME BY SOMEHOW GETTING IN FRONT OF ME, AND UNDYNE RETREATS BACK TO WHEREVER SHE WENT! MONSTER KID IS SUPER EXCITED ABOUT UNDYNE TOUCHING THEM, WHICH IS COMPLETELY UNDERSTANDABLE! BUT YOU SHOULD PROBABLY WASH YOUR FACE. AND ALSO PLEASE STOP FALLING ON IT!! BUT, THE CHASE IS OVER, AND I CAN RESUME MY ADVENTURE!
I ENTER THE NEXT ROOM, AND IT'S THE MOUSE AGAIN! AND SOME CRYSTALIZED CHEESE! I GET FILLED WITH DETERMINATION FROM THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THE MOUSE MAY ONE DAY EXTRACT THE CHEESE FROM THE CRYSTAL, AND SAVE THE GAME! THEN I INTERACT WITH THE MOUSE, AND MOVE ON!
OH LOOK, IT'S SANS! WITH HIS TELESCOPE! I'VE BEEN DENYING MY BROTHER A LITTLE TOO MUCH I FEEL, SO I'LL DO THIS ONE THING! OH BUT OF COURSE IT'S A PRANK! AND NOW FRISK HAS PINK EYE! I GO UP, AND FIND THE NICE CREAM MAN!! AND I BUY ANOTHER TWO NICE CREAMS, SINCE I USED ONE TO HEAL EARLIER! I ALSO READ THE SIGN, AND PONDER WHAT IT COULD POSSIBLY MEAN! BUT FLOWERY GETS BORED AND TELLS ME TO MOVE ALONG! I GO BACK DOWN, AND TALK TO THE STAR MAN! AND I GO RIGHT, AND I SEE THE BIRD THAT CARRIES PEOPLE OVER THE DISPROPORTIONATELY SMALL GAP! I WAVE IT HELLO AND GOODBYE, AND CONTINUE MOVING ON!
WOWIE, SO MANY ECHO FLOWERS! I'M SURE THE WISH ISN'T STUPID, STRANGER! AS I AM WALKING LEFT, I GET ATTACKED BY TWO MOLDSMALS! SO I FLIRT WITH ONE, IMITATE THE OTHER, AND SPARE THEM BOTH! I CONTINUE MOVING LEFT, BUT THERE'S NOTHING BUT A BUSH IN HERE! SO I GRAB THE BALLET SHOES THAT WERE IN THE BUSH THAT FLOWERY TOLD ME ABOUT, AND THEN I INSPECT THEM! 7 WPN AT?! HOW DEADLY! I DON'T NEED THIS, BUT LITTERING IS BAD AS I HAVE LEARNED FROM THE TOY KNIFE, SO I SHALL GO PUT THIS IN MY BOX! I GO DOWN, AND GET A CALL FROM GAME ME!! BUT OH NO! THE GAME HAS OUTSMARTED ME!!! GAME ME HAS TOLD UNDYNE WHAT I AM WEARING, AND SHE HAS ALREADY SEEN ME WEARING IT! CURSES!! I WILL JUST HAVE TO THINK AHEAD! I WILL GO PUT THE TUTU BACK ON! BUT ON MY WAY TO THE BOX, I GET ATTACKED BY ANOTHER WOSHUA! I GET CLEANED, SPARE THEM, PUT ON THE TUTU, PUT THE MANDANNA BACK IN THE BOX, AND GO BACK DOWN! BUT I GET ATTACKED BY WOSHUA AND AARON! I ASK TO BE CLEANED BY WOSHUA, AND THE WATER IS BLUE THIS TIME, HOW EASY FOR ME! I SPARE WOSHUA, FLEX WITH AARON, AND MOVE ON!
I FINALLY ENTER THE NEXT ROOM, AND IT'S ONIONSAN! WE HAVE A NICE CONVERSATION AS I WALK INTO THE NEXT ROOM, AND I BUMP INTO SHYREN! I SHALL HUM WITH SHYREN! AND I CONTINUE TO HUM, AND SANS IS SELLING TICKETS MADE OF TOILET PAPER, BECAUSE OF COURSE HE IS! I CONTINUE HUMMING! AND THIS IS THE FINAL HUM! THIS HAS BEEN A VERY FUN BATTLE! BUT I MUST EMBARK ON MY JOURNEY! SO I GO RIGHT, AND SEE THE STATUE BEING RAINED ON! SO OF COURSE, I GET AN UMBRELLA AND GIVE IT TO THE STATUE, AND A MUSIC BOX STARTS PLAYING! WHAT A COOL SONG THAT FLOWERY DOESN'T WANT TO STOP LISTENING TO! BUT HE HAS AN UPGRADED VERSION IN HIS MIXTAPE, SO I DON'T GET WHY HE- OH WAIT NO NEVERMIND THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE SKY! OKAY NOW HE'S TELLING ME TO GO BACK AND GO UP, AND THERE'S A PIANO HERE! I THINK I UNDERSTAND THE PUZZLE! AFTER A COUPLE ATTEMPTS, I FINALLY COMPLETE THE PUZZLE! IT'S TIME TO CLAIM MY REWARD! BUT I'M CARRYING TOO MANY DOGS. SO I- WAIT WHAT?!
GAH!! CURSE THAT MEDDLING CANINE!!! IT STOLE MY LEGENDARY ARTIFACT! OH WELL, IT'S FINE! I GUESS I DON'T NEED IT! I SHALL CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD! AND I HAVE MET UP WITH MONSTER KID, WHO IS FOLLOWING ME, SINCE THEY DON'T HAVE AN UMBRELLA! AND THEY TELL ME A COOL STORY ABOUT HOW ASGORE WENT TO SCHOOL AND TAUGHT THEM ABOUT RESPONSIBILITY AND SUCH! AND THEN WE VIEW THE CASTLE TOGETHER! AND THEN THERE'S A LEDGE THAT BLOCKS OUR PATH! CURSES! BUT THANKFULLY, MK HAS DECIDED TO SACRIFICE THEIR ADVENTURE FOR MY ADVENTURE'S SAKE! WHAT A HERO! I'M SURE THIS WON'T BE THE LAST I SEE OF THEM!
I CONTINUE READING ABOUT THE WAR, AND OUR TRAGIC TALE, AND THEN I CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD! BUT UNDYNE WANTS TO ATTACK ME ONCE AGAIN!!! I RUN AWAY, AND GET STUCK AT DEAD ENDS SEVERAL TIMES! BUT THANKFULLY, I HAVE ESCAPED WITH MY LIFE, AND WITHOUT GETTING HIT! BECAUSE I AM JUST GREAT THAT WAY! I TRY WALKING BACK TO FIND A WAY OUT, BUT UNDYNE SHOWS UP!! AND I AM CORNERED! OH NO!! BUT, SHE JUST... DESTROYS THE BRIDGE? THAT SEEMS A BIT COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE. GOOD FOR ME HOWEVER! AND NOW, I'M BEING SAVED BY SOMEONE??
FLOWERY TOLD ME HE HAS TO DO SOMETHING, AND I CAN JUST KEEP PLAYING WITHOUT HIM! STRANGE, BUT OKAY! WHEN MY VISION HAS RETURNED, THERE WAS NO ONE THERE. STRANGE, I GUESS IT WAS A DREAM! BUT NOW I AM IN THE DUMP! THAT MEANS I'M CLOSE TO UNDYNE'S HOUSE! I GET FILLED WITH DETERMINATION FROM THE ENDLESS CYCLE OF VERY WORTHY NOT WORTHLESS AT ALL GARBAGE, AND SAVE THE GAME! I FIND SOME ASTRONAUT FOOD, AND DECIDE TO TAKE IT! I INSPECT IT, AND LEARN IT HEALS 21HP! THERE'S ANOTHER ONE, BUT I SHALL LEAVE IT FOR SOMEONE ELSE! AND I FIND A TRAINING DUMMY, AND I DECIDE TO TRAIN WITH IT! BUT FRISK FEELS BAD. I SHALL LEAVE IT ALONE THEN! BUT THEN, IT GETS ANGRY AT ME!! I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS ALIVE! WELL, NOT REALLY ALIVE, BECAUSE IT'S A GHOST, BUT I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS A NORMAL TRAINING DUMMY!!! AND THEY'RE MAD AT ME FOR SAYING SOMETHING TO THE DUMMY IN THE RUINS!? WHAT DID FRISK SAY, THE NARRATOR DIDN'T DESCRIBE ANYTHING!!!
BUT NOW I AM IN BATTLE! I TRY TO TALK THEM OUT OF THIS, BUT THEY DON'T SEEM MUCH FOR CONVERSATION, OH NO!! BUT MY ACCIDENT, I HIT MAD DUMMY WITH THEIR MAGIC BULLETS, AND THEY REACT IN PAIN! THEY THREATEN TO TAKE FRISK'S SOUL, WHICH WILL NOT BE HAPPENING! NOT ON MY WATCH! AND I ACCIDENTALLY ATTACK THEM AGAIN!! OH NO! I KEEP TRYING TO TALK, BUT IT'S NOT WORKING! MAYBE IT'S LIKE TORIEL WHERE I HAVE TO SPARE OVER AND OVER?? THEY KEEP FLYING INTO THEIR OWN BULLETS! I'M TRYING NOT TO HIT THEM!!! OKAY, SPARING THEM'S NOT WORKING. MAYBE I SHOULD KEEP TRYING TO SPARE THEM! I KEEP SPARING AND TALKING, AND ACCIDENTALLY HITTING MAD DUMMY! BUT IT'S NOT WORKING!!! I REFUSE TO FIGHT, THERE'S A WAY TO SPARE THEM, I JUST KNOW IT! IF ONLY FLOWERY WERE HERE, HE'D KNOW WHAT TO DO!
EVENTUALLY, MAD DUMMY GETS TIRED OF GETTING HIT OVER AND OVER, WHICH I APOLOGIZE FOR! OR I WOULD, IF I COULD. BUT NOW ALL THE MAGIC DUMMY BULLET THROWERS ARE FIRED!! THIS IS ALL JUST INCONVENIENT FOR EVERYONE, SO I THINK WE SHOULD STOP! BUT MAD DUMMY DISAGREES! NOW I HAVE TO DODGE THE HOMING MISSILES! I STILL DON'T KNOW HOW TO SPARE THEM. MAYBE I SHOULD TRY FIGHTING, BUT THEN INTENTIONALLY MISSING? GAH! IT'S NOT WORKING!! MAYBE IT'S LIKE MY FIGHT WHERE THEY'LL SHOW MERCY ON THEIR OWN! I'LL TRY WAITING IT OUT THEN!
AND I WAS RIGHT! I'VE BEATEN THE FINAL ATTACK! NYEH HEH HEH! BUT THE MUSIC HASN'T STOPPED. AH! A KNIFE!! IT WAS JUST ONE THOUGH. I THINK I'VE WON! WAIT, NO! NOW I'M STUCK HERE! CURSE YOU, TURN BASED COMBAT SYSTEM!! OR NOT. WOWIE! NAPSTABLOOK SAVED THE DAY, ALBEIT ACCIDENTALLY, THEY STIL SAVED THE DAY! AND NOW I AM GOING TO VISIT THEIR HOUSE! I GET FILLED WITH DETERMINATION AND TRANQUILITY, AND SAVE THE GAME! AND BEFORE I VISIT NAPSTABLOOK, I SHALL VISIT THE BIRD THAT CARRIES PEOPLE OVER THE DISPROPORTIONATELY SMALL GAP! AFTER DANCING WITH THE BIRD, I VISIT NAPSTABLOOK, AND LISTEN TO THEIR INCREDIBLE MUSIC, AND THEN I LEAVE! AND FLOWERY HAS RETURNED! HOORAY! AND I SHALL PLAY THUNDERSNAIL TO CELEBRATE! AND I GOT SECOND PLACE!! CONGRATULATIONS, YELLOW SNAIL! IT THINKS IT WON, SO ACT LIKE I WON FIRST TO MAKE IT HAPPY! HOORAY!! AND NOW, I MOVE ON!
AND I HAVE REACHED GERSON'S SHOP! I ONLY HAVE ROOM FOR ONE ITEM, SO I SHALL BUY A CRAB APPLE! AND I TALK TO GERSON FOR A BIT, AND THEN I LEAVE! AND I READ MORE ABOUT THE WAR! AND THEN I AM ON THE MUSHROOM BRIDGE PUZZLE, AND FLOWERY WANTS ME TO GO TO THE TEMMIE VILLAGE! AND SO I DO! WHAT A STRANGE PLACE! AND AFTER SOME HANGING OUT, AND SELLING ITEMS TO TEMMIE, I ENCOUNTER TWO MOLDSMALS! I FLIRT WITH ONE, IMITATE THE OTHER, BUT IT WAS MOLDBYGG IN DISGUISE!! I TRY HUGGING MOLDBYGG, BUT THAT JUST SLOWS ME DOWN! SO I UNHUG INSTEAD, AND I CAN SPARE THEM! I GET HIT, AND THEN I SPARE THEM! AND I AM NOW AT 4HP, SO I SHOULD DEFINITELY HEAL! ANOTHER NICE CREAM FOR ME! AND THEN I ENTER THE NEXT ROOM!
AND IT'S THE LANTERN MAZE! I NEVER REALLY LIKED THIS PLACE. THE CRYSTALS ARE PRETTY THOUGH! ON MY WAY TO THE NEXT ROOM, I GET ATTACKED MY WOSHUA AND AARON! FLEX WITH AARON UNTIL HE FLIES AWAY, GET CLEANED, AND WIN THE BATTLE! AND ON MY WAY I SHALL BE! AND I HAVE ARRIVED IN A DARK AREA! I FIND AN ECHO FLOWER, AND UNDYNE SHOWS UP OUT OF NOWHERE!! BUT THANKFULLY, BEFORE UNDYNE CAN STEAL FRISK'S SOUL, MK SHOWS UP AND SAVES ME ONCE AGAIN! UNDYNE DRAGS MK AWAY, AND I AM FREE TO ESCAPE ONCE MORE!
I AM NOW ON A BRIDGE, AND MK HAS ESCAPED UNDYNE! AND MK NOW KNOWS THAT FRISK IS HUMAN! BUT NOW WE'RE ENEMIES! OH NO! MK WANTS ME TO SAY SOMETHING MEAN SO THEY CAN HATE ME, BUT I REFUSE! MK IS GOING HOME, BUT THEN THEY TRIP AND FALL!!! AND UNDYNE SHOWS UP AT THE SAME TIME! AND I SHALL SAVE MONSTER KID FROM FALLING! MONSTER KID MAKES UNDYNE RETREAT, AND THEN THEY RUN BACK HOME! AND I SHALL CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD!!
AND THERE'S UNDYNE AGAIN! AND SHE'S NOT LETTING ME ESCAPE THIS TIME! SHE DOESN'T LIKE HOW I'M BEING KIND TO THE MONSTERS FOR SOME REASON? BUT SHE'S KIND TO THEM TOO! SO, I GUESS SHE JUST SAID THAT TO MAKE ME FEEL BAD ABOUT MYSELF?? WELL, IT DIDN'T WORK UNDYNE! I GET FILLED WITH DETERMINATION FROM THE HOWLING WIND, AND DECIDE I AM READY TO FACE UNDYNE!
I TRY TO PLEAD WITH UNDYNE, BUT NOTHING HAPPENS! AND I HAVE BLOCKED THE SPEARS! I TRY PLEADING ONCE MORE, AND NOTHING HAPPENS! AND I KEEP DOING THIS, UNTIL UNDYNE TURNS FRISK'S SOUL BACK TO NORMAL! AND IF THE GAME IS ACCURATE AGAIN, I SHOULD HAVE THE OPTION TO FLEE! WHICH I DO! ESCAPE! BUT UNDYNE CATCHES UP WITH HER INCREDIBLE SPEED, AND TURNS ME GREEN AGAIN!
I START SPARING HER INSTEAD, SINCE PLEADING WON'T WORK. UNDYNE ALMOST TRICKS ME, BUT I KEEP UP MY NO-HIT STREAK! I'M ALREADY USED TO BEING GREEN! NYEH HEH HEH! BUT TWO ATTACKS LATER, AND I GET HIT TWICE! BUT I AM NOW RED AGAIN, SO TO THE OVERWORLD WITH ME! SHE CATCHES ME AGAIN AND I AM GREEN ONCE MORE! AND THEN UNDYNE USES HER YELLOW SPEAR! OH NO!! THE YELLOW ONES ALWAYS CONFUSE ME. I SHOULD SURVIVE THOUGH! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AFTER ALL! EVEN IF I ONLY HAVE 14HP, THAT'S HIGH HP FOR FRISK'S STANDARDS! I GO BACK TO PLEADING, STILL NOTHING! BUT EVENTUALLY, SOMETHING HAPPENS! AND HER ATTACKS GET LESS EXTREME! NYEH HEH! I GET HIT AGAIN, BUT I'M STILL ALIVE! AND ANOTHER TWO ATTACKS LATER, AND I AM RED AGAIN! FREEDOM!! AND THEN GAME ME CALLS! OH WOW, WHAT A TIME TO ASK ABOUT BEING UNDYNE'S FRIEND! WELL, HOPEFULLY THAT WAS INACCURATE TIMING! BUT NO MATTER, I WILL VISIT UNDYNE NEXT TIME I PLAY! BUT FOR NOW, I SHALL CONTINUE RUNNING FOR FRISK'S LIFE! AND THEN I MAKE IT TO HOTLAND, WITH A SLEEPING SANS! BUT IT DISTRACTED UNDYNE FOR A MOMENT, SO I GUESS I'LL ALLOW IT!
OH NO! UNDYNE HAS COLLAPSED ON THE BRIDGE OVER LAVA! THANKFULLY, THERE'S A WATER COOLER RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, WHICH SHOULD BE FIRE, BUT I DON'T HAVE TIME TO THINK ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW! I SHALL GIVE UNDYNE THE WATER! AND SHE HAS WALKED AWAY. OH WELL! I'M SAFE! I GET FILLED WITH DETERMINATION FROM THE LABORATORY'S PLACEMENT, AND SAVE THE GAME! AND I SHALL CONTINUE PLAYING TOMORROW!! BECAUSE I NEED TO GET MY BONES TO STOP RATTLING! AND FLOWERY'S SHAKING, DESPITE HIM INSISTING THAT HE'S NOT! SO! WE SHALL SEE! NEXT TIME! WE SEE YOU! NEXT TIME ON I PLAYED UNDERTALE AND I AM REGURGITATING THE KNOWLEDGE BACK TO YOU!!
-NYEHFULLY YOURS, PAPYRUS AND FLOWERY
submitted by NYEHSPAGHETTIMASTER to u/NYEHSPAGHETTIMASTER [link] [comments]
I HAVE OPENED THE GAME, SKIPPED THE STORY, AND PRESSED CONTINUE! AND I AM IN THE CHECKPOINT ROOM! AND MY FIRST INSTINCT, IS TO GO BACK TO SNOWDIN TOWN AND GET THE RIBBON OUT OF THE BOX! I MUST LOOK THE BEST FOR MY DATE WITH GAME ME! I PUT THE RIBBON ON AND COME BACK TO GAME ME! THE GAME IS VERY ACCURATE, AND DOES THE SAME JOKE THAT I DID WHEN I DATED FRISK! AND THEN I ENTER MY HOUSE!
I INSPECT SANS' PET ROCK, UNFORTUNATELY I CANNOT FEED IT! BUT IT'S FINE, IT HAS FOOD ALREADY! I GO UPSTAIRS AND INSPECT THE VERY MEANINGFUL PAINTING! BUT I ALREADY KNOW ABOUT EVERYTHING IN MY HOUSE, AS IT'S MY HOUSE, AND I ENTER MY ROOM! AND IT'S LIKE LOOKING AT REAL LIFE! JUST WITH NO FLOWERY, LESS ACTION FIGURES, AND MY BED ISN'T A REAL CAR! JUST HOW I REMEMBER IT USED TO LOOK! BUT ENOUGH TOMFOOLERY, IT'S TIME TO START THE DATE FOR REAL!
I ENTER THE DATE, AND ACCIDENTALLY PRESS C, WHICH BRINGS THE DATING HUD OUT EARLY! WHICH IS PROBABLY A GOOD THING! BUT NOW IT'S TIME FOR STEP TWO! GAME ME ASKS ME OUT ON A DATE, AND I SAY YES! TIME FOR PART THREE!! GAME ME HAS NOTICED MY RIBBON, AND ACCUSES ME OF ALWAYS WANTING TO DATE HIM!! WHICH IS ONLY PARTIALLY TRUE! SO I SAY NO! AND LIKE THE COOL DUDE GAME ME IS, HE FINDS A WAY TO MAKE IT SUPER ROMANTIC AND COOL!! AND MY DATING POWER RISES!
GAME ME PUTS ON HIS COOL DUDE OUTFIT, WHICH IS VERY HANDSOME! I GIVE MYSELF A GENUINE COMPLIMENT, AND MY DATING POWER RISES ONCE MORE! HOWEVER, I HAVE FORGOTTEN ONE SMALL THING! I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE HIDDEN POWER BEHIND THE OUTFIT (EXCEPT I ACTUALLY DO) AND THUS, MY COMPLIMENT IS INVALID! OH NO!! HOWEVER WILL I GET OUT OF THIS ONE, I PONDER! BUT BY SEER LUCK, I ACCIDENTALLY MOVE DIRECTLY UP TO THE HAT AND COMPLETELY UNINTENTIONALLY PRESS Z! AND WOWIE, I'VE FOUND THE SECRET PRESENT!
I OPEN THE PRESENT, AND GAME ME ASKS IF I KNOW WHAT IT IS! AND OF COURSE I DO! INSIDE THAT PRESENT IS THE FINEST SPAGHETTI MEAL THE UNDERGROUND HAS EVER SEEN! HAND-CRAFTED IN THE LAND OF MY KITCHEN, A DANGEROUS AND SPECTACULAR PLACE WHERE ONLY THE BRAVEST CHEF WARRIORS DARE ENTER! AND I WOULD EAT IT! HOWEVER, FLOWERY SAYS I SHOULD LET GAME ME HAVE IT INSTEAD, AND SO I DO! AND I DEFEAT GAME ME IN DATING!
WOWIE! I HAVE FORGETTEN HOW AWKWARD THIS ACTUALLY WAS! I DIDN'T NEED THE REMINDER, BUT I'M THANKFUL FOR IT ANYWAY! I HAVE OBTAINED MY PHONE NUMBER, AND NOW I CAN CALL GAME ME WHENEVER I WISH! NYEH HEH HEH! WHAT A NOT THAT GREAT TIME!
I RE-ENTER THE CHECKPOINT ROOM, AND GET FILLED WITH DETERMINATION FROM THE SOUND OF RUSHING WATER, AND SAVE THE GAME! THEN, I TALK TO MONSTER KID! WHO HAS SNUCK AWAY FROM SNOWDIN TO COME VISIT "HER", WHOM I AM ASSUMING TO BE UNDYNE! AND I THEN TALK TO THE ECHO FLOWER EXPLAINER PERSON, AND THE ECHO FLOWER! AND LASTLY, I TALK WITH SANS, WHO INVITES ME TO GRILLBY'S TO TAKE A BREAK FROM JUST STANDING AT HIS STATION DOING NOTHING! UNFORTUNATELY SANS, I HAVE STANDARDS, AND GRILLBY'S DOESN'T MEET THOSE STANDARDS (SORRY GRILLBY), SO I SHALL DECLINE THAT OFFER! AND THEN, I ENTER THE NEXT ROOM!
I FIND THE BOX, AND GRAB MY MANDANNA OUT OF THERE! AND I WALK ACROSS UNDYNE'S "PUZZLE", BUT FLOWERY TELLS ME TO GO BACK AND GO INSIDE THE WATERFALL! AND SO I DO, AND THERE IT IS! THE OLD TUTU! BACK TO THE BOX WITH YOU, MANLY BANDANNA! AND THEN, I ENTER THE NEXT ROOM!
OH WOW! WHAT A VERY ACCURATE MEETING BETWEEN UNDYNE AND GAME ME, THAT I HAVE LIVED THROUGH! THIS GAME HAS GOTTEN FRIGHTENINGLY GOOD AT BEING ACCURATE! GAME ME TRIES TO CONVINCE UNDYNE NOT TO KILL ME! BUT ALAS, UNDYNE DOESN'T LISTEN TO GAME ME'S PERFECT REASONING! I TRY TO ESCAPE, BUT UNDYNE NOTICES ME, AND PREPARES TO THROW A SPEAR!! THANKFULLY, THE GRASS HAS SAVED ME! SO I ESCAPE THE GRASS, AND SO DOES MONSTER KID, WHO HAS BEEN FOLLOWING ME I GUESS! AND THEY FALL OVER! WHICH SUCKS TO SEE! I STAY DETERMINED DESPITE THE FEELINGS OF DREAD, AND SAVE THE GAME! AND THEN I ENTER THE NEXT ROOM!
AH, A PUZZLE! THIS SHALL BE EASY! ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I'VE DONE THIS PUZZLE TO GET TO UNDYNE'S HOUSE BEFORE! BUT I SOLVE THE PUZZLE WITH EASE, AND ENTER THE NEXT ROOM! BUT BEFORE I CAN GET TOO FAR, AN AARON ATTACKS! I DECIDE TO FLEX ON IT, FOR I AM VERY GREAT! AND HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO SO! BUT AARON FLEXES BACK, AND BOTH OUR ATTACK INCREASES!! AND I GET HIT! I FLEX ONCE MORE, AND ONCE MORE, AND THEN AARON FLIES OUT OF THE ROOM? BUT ANYWAY, I HAVE SOLVED THE OTHER PUZZLE, AND GET A CALL FROM GAME ME. WHO IS ASKING WHAT I AM WEARING! I TELL GAME ME I AM IN FACT WEARING A DUSTY TUTU, BUT INCASE THE GAME IS GOING TO GO HOW I THINK IT'S GOING TO GO, I SHALL SWITCH BACK TO THE MANLY BANDANNA, AND I ESCAPE TO THE NEXT ROOM!
IT'S THE WISHING ROOM! I WISH THAT I WAS TALKING TO GAME ME! AND WOWIE, IT'S COMING TRUE!! AND NOW, I AM TALKING TO ALL THE ECHO FLOWERS IN THE ROOM! I TRY TO TALK TO THE SECOND ONE, BUT WOSHUA APPEARS! I ASK IT TO CLEAN ME, THEN GET HIT 4 TIMES! BUT DON'T WORRY, BECAUSE I TOUCHED THE GREEN PROJECTILES! AND I HAVE HEALED IN THE OVERWORLD, SO IT IS FINE! I TALK TO ALL THE ECHO FLOWERS, LISTENING TO ALL THEIR STORIES TO TELL! SOME WISHING TO SEE REAL STARS, SOME TALKING ABOUT REAL STARS, ONE TALKING ABOUT THE HOROSCOPE! BUT AFTER TALKING TO ALL THE ECHO FLOWERS, I ENTER TO NEXT ROOM!
IN THIS ROOM, THERE ARE SIGNS ABOUT THE WAR! I WONDER WHY THE HUMANS ATTACKED US? I'M SURE THEY HAD A VERY REASONABLE AND UNDERSTANDABLE EXPLAINATION! BUT THAT QUESTION IS ANSWERED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY! THEY WERE SCARED THE MONSTERS WOULD TRY TO TAKE THEIR SOUL! THAT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN! MONSTERS ARE KIND AND GOOD! AND NOT MURDEROUS AND SCARY! BUT I FINISH READING, AND GO ONTO THE NEXT AREA!
AND UNDYNE THROWS A SPEAR AT ME!! I MUST HELP FRISK TO ESCAPE UNDYNE'S WRATH! I RUN AS FAST AS THE GAME ALLOWS ME TO, AND GET HIT ONCE! BUT I ESCAPE TO SOME GRASS! AND MONSTER KID HAS SAVED ME BY SOMEHOW GETTING IN FRONT OF ME, AND UNDYNE RETREATS BACK TO WHEREVER SHE WENT! MONSTER KID IS SUPER EXCITED ABOUT UNDYNE TOUCHING THEM, WHICH IS COMPLETELY UNDERSTANDABLE! BUT YOU SHOULD PROBABLY WASH YOUR FACE. AND ALSO PLEASE STOP FALLING ON IT!! BUT, THE CHASE IS OVER, AND I CAN RESUME MY ADVENTURE!
I ENTER THE NEXT ROOM, AND IT'S THE MOUSE AGAIN! AND SOME CRYSTALIZED CHEESE! I GET FILLED WITH DETERMINATION FROM THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THE MOUSE MAY ONE DAY EXTRACT THE CHEESE FROM THE CRYSTAL, AND SAVE THE GAME! THEN I INTERACT WITH THE MOUSE, AND MOVE ON!
OH LOOK, IT'S SANS! WITH HIS TELESCOPE! I'VE BEEN DENYING MY BROTHER A LITTLE TOO MUCH I FEEL, SO I'LL DO THIS ONE THING! OH BUT OF COURSE IT'S A PRANK! AND NOW FRISK HAS PINK EYE! I GO UP, AND FIND THE NICE CREAM MAN!! AND I BUY ANOTHER TWO NICE CREAMS, SINCE I USED ONE TO HEAL EARLIER! I ALSO READ THE SIGN, AND PONDER WHAT IT COULD POSSIBLY MEAN! BUT FLOWERY GETS BORED AND TELLS ME TO MOVE ALONG! I GO BACK DOWN, AND TALK TO THE STAR MAN! AND I GO RIGHT, AND I SEE THE BIRD THAT CARRIES PEOPLE OVER THE DISPROPORTIONATELY SMALL GAP! I WAVE IT HELLO AND GOODBYE, AND CONTINUE MOVING ON!
WOWIE, SO MANY ECHO FLOWERS! I'M SURE THE WISH ISN'T STUPID, STRANGER! AS I AM WALKING LEFT, I GET ATTACKED BY TWO MOLDSMALS! SO I FLIRT WITH ONE, IMITATE THE OTHER, AND SPARE THEM BOTH! I CONTINUE MOVING LEFT, BUT THERE'S NOTHING BUT A BUSH IN HERE! SO I GRAB THE BALLET SHOES THAT WERE IN THE BUSH THAT FLOWERY TOLD ME ABOUT, AND THEN I INSPECT THEM! 7 WPN AT?! HOW DEADLY! I DON'T NEED THIS, BUT LITTERING IS BAD AS I HAVE LEARNED FROM THE TOY KNIFE, SO I SHALL GO PUT THIS IN MY BOX! I GO DOWN, AND GET A CALL FROM GAME ME!! BUT OH NO! THE GAME HAS OUTSMARTED ME!!! GAME ME HAS TOLD UNDYNE WHAT I AM WEARING, AND SHE HAS ALREADY SEEN ME WEARING IT! CURSES!! I WILL JUST HAVE TO THINK AHEAD! I WILL GO PUT THE TUTU BACK ON! BUT ON MY WAY TO THE BOX, I GET ATTACKED BY ANOTHER WOSHUA! I GET CLEANED, SPARE THEM, PUT ON THE TUTU, PUT THE MANDANNA BACK IN THE BOX, AND GO BACK DOWN! BUT I GET ATTACKED BY WOSHUA AND AARON! I ASK TO BE CLEANED BY WOSHUA, AND THE WATER IS BLUE THIS TIME, HOW EASY FOR ME! I SPARE WOSHUA, FLEX WITH AARON, AND MOVE ON!
I FINALLY ENTER THE NEXT ROOM, AND IT'S ONIONSAN! WE HAVE A NICE CONVERSATION AS I WALK INTO THE NEXT ROOM, AND I BUMP INTO SHYREN! I SHALL HUM WITH SHYREN! AND I CONTINUE TO HUM, AND SANS IS SELLING TICKETS MADE OF TOILET PAPER, BECAUSE OF COURSE HE IS! I CONTINUE HUMMING! AND THIS IS THE FINAL HUM! THIS HAS BEEN A VERY FUN BATTLE! BUT I MUST EMBARK ON MY JOURNEY! SO I GO RIGHT, AND SEE THE STATUE BEING RAINED ON! SO OF COURSE, I GET AN UMBRELLA AND GIVE IT TO THE STATUE, AND A MUSIC BOX STARTS PLAYING! WHAT A COOL SONG THAT FLOWERY DOESN'T WANT TO STOP LISTENING TO! BUT HE HAS AN UPGRADED VERSION IN HIS MIXTAPE, SO I DON'T GET WHY HE- OH WAIT NO NEVERMIND THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE SKY! OKAY NOW HE'S TELLING ME TO GO BACK AND GO UP, AND THERE'S A PIANO HERE! I THINK I UNDERSTAND THE PUZZLE! AFTER A COUPLE ATTEMPTS, I FINALLY COMPLETE THE PUZZLE! IT'S TIME TO CLAIM MY REWARD! BUT I'M CARRYING TOO MANY DOGS. SO I- WAIT WHAT?!
GAH!! CURSE THAT MEDDLING CANINE!!! IT STOLE MY LEGENDARY ARTIFACT! OH WELL, IT'S FINE! I GUESS I DON'T NEED IT! I SHALL CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD! AND I HAVE MET UP WITH MONSTER KID, WHO IS FOLLOWING ME, SINCE THEY DON'T HAVE AN UMBRELLA! AND THEY TELL ME A COOL STORY ABOUT HOW ASGORE WENT TO SCHOOL AND TAUGHT THEM ABOUT RESPONSIBILITY AND SUCH! AND THEN WE VIEW THE CASTLE TOGETHER! AND THEN THERE'S A LEDGE THAT BLOCKS OUR PATH! CURSES! BUT THANKFULLY, MK HAS DECIDED TO SACRIFICE THEIR ADVENTURE FOR MY ADVENTURE'S SAKE! WHAT A HERO! I'M SURE THIS WON'T BE THE LAST I SEE OF THEM!
I CONTINUE READING ABOUT THE WAR, AND OUR TRAGIC TALE, AND THEN I CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD! BUT UNDYNE WANTS TO ATTACK ME ONCE AGAIN!!! I RUN AWAY, AND GET STUCK AT DEAD ENDS SEVERAL TIMES! BUT THANKFULLY, I HAVE ESCAPED WITH MY LIFE, AND WITHOUT GETTING HIT! BECAUSE I AM JUST GREAT THAT WAY! I TRY WALKING BACK TO FIND A WAY OUT, BUT UNDYNE SHOWS UP!! AND I AM CORNERED! OH NO!! BUT, SHE JUST... DESTROYS THE BRIDGE? THAT SEEMS A BIT COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE. GOOD FOR ME HOWEVER! AND NOW, I'M BEING SAVED BY SOMEONE??
FLOWERY TOLD ME HE HAS TO DO SOMETHING, AND I CAN JUST KEEP PLAYING WITHOUT HIM! STRANGE, BUT OKAY! WHEN MY VISION HAS RETURNED, THERE WAS NO ONE THERE. STRANGE, I GUESS IT WAS A DREAM! BUT NOW I AM IN THE DUMP! THAT MEANS I'M CLOSE TO UNDYNE'S HOUSE! I GET FILLED WITH DETERMINATION FROM THE ENDLESS CYCLE OF VERY WORTHY NOT WORTHLESS AT ALL GARBAGE, AND SAVE THE GAME! I FIND SOME ASTRONAUT FOOD, AND DECIDE TO TAKE IT! I INSPECT IT, AND LEARN IT HEALS 21HP! THERE'S ANOTHER ONE, BUT I SHALL LEAVE IT FOR SOMEONE ELSE! AND I FIND A TRAINING DUMMY, AND I DECIDE TO TRAIN WITH IT! BUT FRISK FEELS BAD. I SHALL LEAVE IT ALONE THEN! BUT THEN, IT GETS ANGRY AT ME!! I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS ALIVE! WELL, NOT REALLY ALIVE, BECAUSE IT'S A GHOST, BUT I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS A NORMAL TRAINING DUMMY!!! AND THEY'RE MAD AT ME FOR SAYING SOMETHING TO THE DUMMY IN THE RUINS!? WHAT DID FRISK SAY, THE NARRATOR DIDN'T DESCRIBE ANYTHING!!!
BUT NOW I AM IN BATTLE! I TRY TO TALK THEM OUT OF THIS, BUT THEY DON'T SEEM MUCH FOR CONVERSATION, OH NO!! BUT MY ACCIDENT, I HIT MAD DUMMY WITH THEIR MAGIC BULLETS, AND THEY REACT IN PAIN! THEY THREATEN TO TAKE FRISK'S SOUL, WHICH WILL NOT BE HAPPENING! NOT ON MY WATCH! AND I ACCIDENTALLY ATTACK THEM AGAIN!! OH NO! I KEEP TRYING TO TALK, BUT IT'S NOT WORKING! MAYBE IT'S LIKE TORIEL WHERE I HAVE TO SPARE OVER AND OVER?? THEY KEEP FLYING INTO THEIR OWN BULLETS! I'M TRYING NOT TO HIT THEM!!! OKAY, SPARING THEM'S NOT WORKING. MAYBE I SHOULD KEEP TRYING TO SPARE THEM! I KEEP SPARING AND TALKING, AND ACCIDENTALLY HITTING MAD DUMMY! BUT IT'S NOT WORKING!!! I REFUSE TO FIGHT, THERE'S A WAY TO SPARE THEM, I JUST KNOW IT! IF ONLY FLOWERY WERE HERE, HE'D KNOW WHAT TO DO!
EVENTUALLY, MAD DUMMY GETS TIRED OF GETTING HIT OVER AND OVER, WHICH I APOLOGIZE FOR! OR I WOULD, IF I COULD. BUT NOW ALL THE MAGIC DUMMY BULLET THROWERS ARE FIRED!! THIS IS ALL JUST INCONVENIENT FOR EVERYONE, SO I THINK WE SHOULD STOP! BUT MAD DUMMY DISAGREES! NOW I HAVE TO DODGE THE HOMING MISSILES! I STILL DON'T KNOW HOW TO SPARE THEM. MAYBE I SHOULD TRY FIGHTING, BUT THEN INTENTIONALLY MISSING? GAH! IT'S NOT WORKING!! MAYBE IT'S LIKE MY FIGHT WHERE THEY'LL SHOW MERCY ON THEIR OWN! I'LL TRY WAITING IT OUT THEN!
AND I WAS RIGHT! I'VE BEATEN THE FINAL ATTACK! NYEH HEH HEH! BUT THE MUSIC HASN'T STOPPED. AH! A KNIFE!! IT WAS JUST ONE THOUGH. I THINK I'VE WON! WAIT, NO! NOW I'M STUCK HERE! CURSE YOU, TURN BASED COMBAT SYSTEM!! OR NOT. WOWIE! NAPSTABLOOK SAVED THE DAY, ALBEIT ACCIDENTALLY, THEY STIL SAVED THE DAY! AND NOW I AM GOING TO VISIT THEIR HOUSE! I GET FILLED WITH DETERMINATION AND TRANQUILITY, AND SAVE THE GAME! AND BEFORE I VISIT NAPSTABLOOK, I SHALL VISIT THE BIRD THAT CARRIES PEOPLE OVER THE DISPROPORTIONATELY SMALL GAP! AFTER DANCING WITH THE BIRD, I VISIT NAPSTABLOOK, AND LISTEN TO THEIR INCREDIBLE MUSIC, AND THEN I LEAVE! AND FLOWERY HAS RETURNED! HOORAY! AND I SHALL PLAY THUNDERSNAIL TO CELEBRATE! AND I GOT SECOND PLACE!! CONGRATULATIONS, YELLOW SNAIL! IT THINKS IT WON, SO ACT LIKE I WON FIRST TO MAKE IT HAPPY! HOORAY!! AND NOW, I MOVE ON!
AND I HAVE REACHED GERSON'S SHOP! I ONLY HAVE ROOM FOR ONE ITEM, SO I SHALL BUY A CRAB APPLE! AND I TALK TO GERSON FOR A BIT, AND THEN I LEAVE! AND I READ MORE ABOUT THE WAR! AND THEN I AM ON THE MUSHROOM BRIDGE PUZZLE, AND FLOWERY WANTS ME TO GO TO THE TEMMIE VILLAGE! AND SO I DO! WHAT A STRANGE PLACE! AND AFTER SOME HANGING OUT, AND SELLING ITEMS TO TEMMIE, I ENCOUNTER TWO MOLDSMALS! I FLIRT WITH ONE, IMITATE THE OTHER, BUT IT WAS MOLDBYGG IN DISGUISE!! I TRY HUGGING MOLDBYGG, BUT THAT JUST SLOWS ME DOWN! SO I UNHUG INSTEAD, AND I CAN SPARE THEM! I GET HIT, AND THEN I SPARE THEM! AND I AM NOW AT 4HP, SO I SHOULD DEFINITELY HEAL! ANOTHER NICE CREAM FOR ME! AND THEN I ENTER THE NEXT ROOM!
AND IT'S THE LANTERN MAZE! I NEVER REALLY LIKED THIS PLACE. THE CRYSTALS ARE PRETTY THOUGH! ON MY WAY TO THE NEXT ROOM, I GET ATTACKED MY WOSHUA AND AARON! FLEX WITH AARON UNTIL HE FLIES AWAY, GET CLEANED, AND WIN THE BATTLE! AND ON MY WAY I SHALL BE! AND I HAVE ARRIVED IN A DARK AREA! I FIND AN ECHO FLOWER, AND UNDYNE SHOWS UP OUT OF NOWHERE!! BUT THANKFULLY, BEFORE UNDYNE CAN STEAL FRISK'S SOUL, MK SHOWS UP AND SAVES ME ONCE AGAIN! UNDYNE DRAGS MK AWAY, AND I AM FREE TO ESCAPE ONCE MORE!
I AM NOW ON A BRIDGE, AND MK HAS ESCAPED UNDYNE! AND MK NOW KNOWS THAT FRISK IS HUMAN! BUT NOW WE'RE ENEMIES! OH NO! MK WANTS ME TO SAY SOMETHING MEAN SO THEY CAN HATE ME, BUT I REFUSE! MK IS GOING HOME, BUT THEN THEY TRIP AND FALL!!! AND UNDYNE SHOWS UP AT THE SAME TIME! AND I SHALL SAVE MONSTER KID FROM FALLING! MONSTER KID MAKES UNDYNE RETREAT, AND THEN THEY RUN BACK HOME! AND I SHALL CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD!!
AND THERE'S UNDYNE AGAIN! AND SHE'S NOT LETTING ME ESCAPE THIS TIME! SHE DOESN'T LIKE HOW I'M BEING KIND TO THE MONSTERS FOR SOME REASON? BUT SHE'S KIND TO THEM TOO! SO, I GUESS SHE JUST SAID THAT TO MAKE ME FEEL BAD ABOUT MYSELF?? WELL, IT DIDN'T WORK UNDYNE! I GET FILLED WITH DETERMINATION FROM THE HOWLING WIND, AND DECIDE I AM READY TO FACE UNDYNE!
I TRY TO PLEAD WITH UNDYNE, BUT NOTHING HAPPENS! AND I HAVE BLOCKED THE SPEARS! I TRY PLEADING ONCE MORE, AND NOTHING HAPPENS! AND I KEEP DOING THIS, UNTIL UNDYNE TURNS FRISK'S SOUL BACK TO NORMAL! AND IF THE GAME IS ACCURATE AGAIN, I SHOULD HAVE THE OPTION TO FLEE! WHICH I DO! ESCAPE! BUT UNDYNE CATCHES UP WITH HER INCREDIBLE SPEED, AND TURNS ME GREEN AGAIN!
I START SPARING HER INSTEAD, SINCE PLEADING WON'T WORK. UNDYNE ALMOST TRICKS ME, BUT I KEEP UP MY NO-HIT STREAK! I'M ALREADY USED TO BEING GREEN! NYEH HEH HEH! BUT TWO ATTACKS LATER, AND I GET HIT TWICE! BUT I AM NOW RED AGAIN, SO TO THE OVERWORLD WITH ME! SHE CATCHES ME AGAIN AND I AM GREEN ONCE MORE! AND THEN UNDYNE USES HER YELLOW SPEAR! OH NO!! THE YELLOW ONES ALWAYS CONFUSE ME. I SHOULD SURVIVE THOUGH! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AFTER ALL! EVEN IF I ONLY HAVE 14HP, THAT'S HIGH HP FOR FRISK'S STANDARDS! I GO BACK TO PLEADING, STILL NOTHING! BUT EVENTUALLY, SOMETHING HAPPENS! AND HER ATTACKS GET LESS EXTREME! NYEH HEH! I GET HIT AGAIN, BUT I'M STILL ALIVE! AND ANOTHER TWO ATTACKS LATER, AND I AM RED AGAIN! FREEDOM!! AND THEN GAME ME CALLS! OH WOW, WHAT A TIME TO ASK ABOUT BEING UNDYNE'S FRIEND! WELL, HOPEFULLY THAT WAS INACCURATE TIMING! BUT NO MATTER, I WILL VISIT UNDYNE NEXT TIME I PLAY! BUT FOR NOW, I SHALL CONTINUE RUNNING FOR FRISK'S LIFE! AND THEN I MAKE IT TO HOTLAND, WITH A SLEEPING SANS! BUT IT DISTRACTED UNDYNE FOR A MOMENT, SO I GUESS I'LL ALLOW IT!
OH NO! UNDYNE HAS COLLAPSED ON THE BRIDGE OVER LAVA! THANKFULLY, THERE'S A WATER COOLER RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, WHICH SHOULD BE FIRE, BUT I DON'T HAVE TIME TO THINK ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW! I SHALL GIVE UNDYNE THE WATER! AND SHE HAS WALKED AWAY. OH WELL! I'M SAFE! I GET FILLED WITH DETERMINATION FROM THE LABORATORY'S PLACEMENT, AND SAVE THE GAME! AND I SHALL CONTINUE PLAYING TOMORROW!! BECAUSE I NEED TO GET MY BONES TO STOP RATTLING! AND FLOWERY'S SHAKING, DESPITE HIM INSISTING THAT HE'S NOT! SO! WE SHALL SEE! NEXT TIME! WE SEE YOU! NEXT TIME ON I PLAYED UNDERTALE AND I AM REGURGITATING THE KNOWLEDGE BACK TO YOU!!
-NYEHFULLY YOURS, PAPYRUS AND FLOWERY
2023.05.31 22:37 AslandusTheLaster Deadman
Original prompt: [WP] You're a misunderstood necromancer, with a passion for dance. You resorted to necromancy because you could never find a crew passionate or flexible enough to match your choreography. (link)
I approached the gate to the cemetery, my group at my back. Naturally, said gate was locked. Alas, it seemed my dreams would have to sit by the wayside, forgotten by history and unappreciated by the world.
Just kidding. I gave a sharp whistle, and the necromantic abomination behind me reached out with six of its twenty arms. Six that didn't have eyes on the palms, I hoped. Fixing those bad boys was always a pain in the butt. Regardless, the Mass of Flesh tore the gates off easily and tossed them to the side to let us enter.
"Thanks, MOF. I'll see if I can give you a snazzy new ability next time you need a tune-up," I said, stepping through the gate. Every time we had an obstacle like this, it only served to vindicate my decision to experiment on the corpses of those bandits that had attacked me when I had just started out.
As we got closer to the mausoleum at the center of the graveyard, I slammed directly into a massive wall of magical force. Theoretically I could tear it down, but that would expend most of my magic...
"Hmph. Matilda? Do you see a way through this?" I asked.
The translucent young woman floating behind me drifted up and examined the wall. Being an ethereal being, she had a much easier time seeing the magic at work than the rest of us did. She quickly turned toward a pair of tall headstones and floated between them, showing what seemed to be a deliberate gap left in the wall.
"Over here," she said. Her voice was a soft whisper, barely louder than the rustling of leaves. It always made me a little sad, mainly because she would probably still have her flesh if I had managed to rescue her from those cultists before they sacrificed her. Oh well, as my necromancy mentor always said: Waste not, want not.
"Right, thanks Matty. Let's go, everyone," I said, leading the others through the gap and toward the concrete building.
The mausoleum looked to be locked, but I could vaguely hear someone shouting from behind it. As we rounded the building, the lich standing atop a raised coffin came into view. It was seemingly giving a speech to a group of low level undead, mostly skeletons and zombies, that were probably too brain-dead to properly understand him.
"Tonight! The village of Dungraith shall fall, and our ranks shall swell! Tomorrow! The Town of Orlin! Then! The world shall fall! A new order shall be made! They will discover the peace of death, then the unity of undeath!" the lich said.
The crowd around him didn't react at all, so I started clapping instead. The lich jumped at the sound, turning to face us.
"Adventurers? Hah! You're too late! I, Jeremeus, great harbinger of Thalryx, have already amassed a mighty army! Soon the age of undeath shall cast its shade upon the world!" he said, waving his arms over the assembled horde of shambling corpses.
"Cool. I mean, not cool, Thalryx is a prick, but you seem fine. The name's Gunwald. This is Matilda, that's MOF," I said, gesturing to my followers as I spoke. I finally turned to the last member of our group, a female orcish vampire. "And this gal is Kilgore. Together, we are DEADMAN!"
On the last word, I struck a pose and the others stared blankly at me. In hindsight, maybe zombies weren't so bad, at least they had an excuse for their bad reaction times.
"Guys, you were supposed to strike the chord when I said that. You know, like we practiced," I said.
"You come before me with a mere four people? When you meet the king in the afterlife, be sure to tell him he should have sent more men!" Jeremeus said, making a visible effort to ignore my attempted introduction.
"No, no, we're a band. Matilda's on vocals, I do the choreography, MOF plays percussion, Kilgore's our bassist," I said, the others pulling out their instruments as I spoke. "And we are DEADMAN!"
That time, they actually responded. Matilda let loose a death metal scream, MOF slammed on one of his cymbals, and Kilgore plucked a note off her bass.
"Much better. Now then, we're in the market for a new guitarist, and you seem like just the chap for the job," I said.
"This is a farce. I am the forebear of a new age! I am no guitarist!" he said.
"Perhaps I was unclear," I said. I raised my hand up and snapped my fingers, casting Claim Undead over the entire crowd. All the lesser undead turned to face Jeremeus. "I am offering you a friendly invitation to join our band. You should accept before it becomes less friendly and less inviting."
The lich looked around, but I could see he still had some determination in his eyes. Well, stubbornness, determination implied he'd have some chance of victory.
"Uh, you should really listen. I used to have 3 fledgling vampires and a dozen thralls under my wing. Used to. I wasn't on board with joining either and, well..." Kilgore said.
"Hey now, the groupies are still alive. They're back at camp, as alive as they day I graced your castle, busily preparing soup for us to politely pretend to eat," I said.
"They're thralls, not groupies. The implications of the terms are much different, please stop calling them groupies," Kilgore said.
"Well, as I was saying, the groupies are back at camp, safe and sound... Or as safe and sound as they were under Kilgore's wing anyway," I said. "The whole 'being used as blood cattle' thing makes it rather hard to say they're properly safe."
"I have a medical need for blood, if I didn't get it from willing donors I'd have to take it from-" Kilgore began shouting. She was cut off by Jeremeus yelling over her.
"Are you people out of your minds?!?!?! You're having this argument here, surrounded by my army, in front of my face!" Jeremeus said. He turned and looked around at the zombies and skeletons encircling us all. "What are you dipwits waiting for? Attack!"
Jeremeus pointed at us, giving the order to his former underlings. None of them moved.
"What? I said attack!" he repeated, pointing more aggressively.
"I don't think he's caught on yet," I said. I began snapping rhythmically. The horde around us began snapping in time as well, following my example. MOF and Kilgore took the hint and started playing along to the beat.
"So here we are, boy, upon this hallowed ground. Thought you'd bring along an army, maybe sack a nearby town?" I sang. Matilda floated around behind me offering backup vocals, though the only discernible words she offered were just repetitions of the last part of each line.
"That just isn't how it works, son, not now, before or ever. If you wanna make a change, you've got to be a bit more clever!" I sang, spinning around and pointing at Jeremeus.
"So trust me on this one, boy, this cycle's old as time. Because violence, it solves nothing, and hist'ry tends to rhyme," I sang, snapping in time again as I walked toward Jeremeus, cuing the others to adjust the beat. The horde around us closed in as well, still snapping in time.
"Believe me now, lad, this is something I would know! I've been marching 'round for decades, through heat and rain and sn-" I said, then went silent as Jeremeus smacked me across the face with the metal scepter he was carrying.
"Gunner!" Matilda shouted, interrupting her vocalizing. I held up a finger to her, before shoving my jaw back into place. It was a minor injury to begin with, and my natural regeneration fixed the damage that was there in seconds.
"I'm fine, Matty," I said. "That was rather rude, Jeremeus."
I grabbed the lich by the neck and smashed him into a gravestone, dragging his face along the rough surface. He managed to get a hand on my arm and pulled away, stumbling and falling onto his back in front of the horde.
"Wait, wait! Did she say Gunner?" Jeremeus asked.
"Uh... no?" Matilda said, her voice a slight whimper.
"No, no... It makes too much sense... All the talk of seeing this before... Gunwald... Gunner Wal- Gunner Walden!" he said, piecing the deception together. If blood still pumped through his veins, that would've been about the point that he went pale.
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.
"Sorry..." Matilda whispered into my ear.
"So are we still planning to recruit this jackass or does he get out of joining the idiot brigade since he nearly took your jaw off?" Kilgore asked.
"Quiet! Do you have any idea who you're talking to? It's the Emperor of Death!" Jeremeus said, somewhat fumbling his words.
"I don't think you've earned that nickname yet, jackass," Kilgore said to the lich.
"What? No, not me! Your boss!" he responded, pointing at me. Kilgore looked at me for a moment, then back at Jeremeus.
"I refuse to believe anyone who would go by 'Emperor' would be caught dead in sequined leather," Kilgore said.
Jeremeus ignored her and turned to me. Then he asked, "Aren't you supposed to be dead? I mean, you rally together an army beyond numbers, crush every military force in your way, take down multiple kingdoms..."
"...Kill untold numbers of innocents, destroy large amounts of infrastructure that never got put back together quite right, set back the rights and public perception of the undead by a few centuries, yes. Apparently two hundred years wasn't long enough for people to forget me, but I've got to at least fix my own mistakes," I said.
"...But now you're here? Managing a band?" Jeremeus asked.
"Yes. So what do you think about joining now?" I asked flatly.
"Absolutely! Uh... I don't actually know anything about music, but I'm sure I can learn," Jeremeus said.
"That's the spirit. MOF? Do you have the guitar?" I asked.
MOF reached up to the basket on its back and pulled out the instrument, handing it to the new recruit.
"I'm sure Kilgore can teach you the basics, we've got a performance next week in Orlin," I said.
"Orlin? That might be... problematic," he said.
"Why?" I asked.
"I already sent them my declaration of war," he said.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed.
"...Fantastic," I said. Good or bad, this was definitely going to be a memorable concert.
submitted by AslandusTheLaster to AslandusTheLaster [link] [comments]
Just kidding. I gave a sharp whistle, and the necromantic abomination behind me reached out with six of its twenty arms. Six that didn't have eyes on the palms, I hoped. Fixing those bad boys was always a pain in the butt. Regardless, the Mass of Flesh tore the gates off easily and tossed them to the side to let us enter.
"Thanks, MOF. I'll see if I can give you a snazzy new ability next time you need a tune-up," I said, stepping through the gate. Every time we had an obstacle like this, it only served to vindicate my decision to experiment on the corpses of those bandits that had attacked me when I had just started out.
As we got closer to the mausoleum at the center of the graveyard, I slammed directly into a massive wall of magical force. Theoretically I could tear it down, but that would expend most of my magic...
"Hmph. Matilda? Do you see a way through this?" I asked.
The translucent young woman floating behind me drifted up and examined the wall. Being an ethereal being, she had a much easier time seeing the magic at work than the rest of us did. She quickly turned toward a pair of tall headstones and floated between them, showing what seemed to be a deliberate gap left in the wall.
"Over here," she said. Her voice was a soft whisper, barely louder than the rustling of leaves. It always made me a little sad, mainly because she would probably still have her flesh if I had managed to rescue her from those cultists before they sacrificed her. Oh well, as my necromancy mentor always said: Waste not, want not.
"Right, thanks Matty. Let's go, everyone," I said, leading the others through the gap and toward the concrete building.
The mausoleum looked to be locked, but I could vaguely hear someone shouting from behind it. As we rounded the building, the lich standing atop a raised coffin came into view. It was seemingly giving a speech to a group of low level undead, mostly skeletons and zombies, that were probably too brain-dead to properly understand him.
"Tonight! The village of Dungraith shall fall, and our ranks shall swell! Tomorrow! The Town of Orlin! Then! The world shall fall! A new order shall be made! They will discover the peace of death, then the unity of undeath!" the lich said.
The crowd around him didn't react at all, so I started clapping instead. The lich jumped at the sound, turning to face us.
"Adventurers? Hah! You're too late! I, Jeremeus, great harbinger of Thalryx, have already amassed a mighty army! Soon the age of undeath shall cast its shade upon the world!" he said, waving his arms over the assembled horde of shambling corpses.
"Cool. I mean, not cool, Thalryx is a prick, but you seem fine. The name's Gunwald. This is Matilda, that's MOF," I said, gesturing to my followers as I spoke. I finally turned to the last member of our group, a female orcish vampire. "And this gal is Kilgore. Together, we are DEADMAN!"
On the last word, I struck a pose and the others stared blankly at me. In hindsight, maybe zombies weren't so bad, at least they had an excuse for their bad reaction times.
"Guys, you were supposed to strike the chord when I said that. You know, like we practiced," I said.
"You come before me with a mere four people? When you meet the king in the afterlife, be sure to tell him he should have sent more men!" Jeremeus said, making a visible effort to ignore my attempted introduction.
"No, no, we're a band. Matilda's on vocals, I do the choreography, MOF plays percussion, Kilgore's our bassist," I said, the others pulling out their instruments as I spoke. "And we are DEADMAN!"
That time, they actually responded. Matilda let loose a death metal scream, MOF slammed on one of his cymbals, and Kilgore plucked a note off her bass.
"Much better. Now then, we're in the market for a new guitarist, and you seem like just the chap for the job," I said.
"This is a farce. I am the forebear of a new age! I am no guitarist!" he said.
"Perhaps I was unclear," I said. I raised my hand up and snapped my fingers, casting Claim Undead over the entire crowd. All the lesser undead turned to face Jeremeus. "I am offering you a friendly invitation to join our band. You should accept before it becomes less friendly and less inviting."
The lich looked around, but I could see he still had some determination in his eyes. Well, stubbornness, determination implied he'd have some chance of victory.
"Uh, you should really listen. I used to have 3 fledgling vampires and a dozen thralls under my wing. Used to. I wasn't on board with joining either and, well..." Kilgore said.
"Hey now, the groupies are still alive. They're back at camp, as alive as they day I graced your castle, busily preparing soup for us to politely pretend to eat," I said.
"They're thralls, not groupies. The implications of the terms are much different, please stop calling them groupies," Kilgore said.
"Well, as I was saying, the groupies are back at camp, safe and sound... Or as safe and sound as they were under Kilgore's wing anyway," I said. "The whole 'being used as blood cattle' thing makes it rather hard to say they're properly safe."
"I have a medical need for blood, if I didn't get it from willing donors I'd have to take it from-" Kilgore began shouting. She was cut off by Jeremeus yelling over her.
"Are you people out of your minds?!?!?! You're having this argument here, surrounded by my army, in front of my face!" Jeremeus said. He turned and looked around at the zombies and skeletons encircling us all. "What are you dipwits waiting for? Attack!"
Jeremeus pointed at us, giving the order to his former underlings. None of them moved.
"What? I said attack!" he repeated, pointing more aggressively.
"I don't think he's caught on yet," I said. I began snapping rhythmically. The horde around us began snapping in time as well, following my example. MOF and Kilgore took the hint and started playing along to the beat.
"So here we are, boy, upon this hallowed ground. Thought you'd bring along an army, maybe sack a nearby town?" I sang. Matilda floated around behind me offering backup vocals, though the only discernible words she offered were just repetitions of the last part of each line.
"That just isn't how it works, son, not now, before or ever. If you wanna make a change, you've got to be a bit more clever!" I sang, spinning around and pointing at Jeremeus.
"So trust me on this one, boy, this cycle's old as time. Because violence, it solves nothing, and hist'ry tends to rhyme," I sang, snapping in time again as I walked toward Jeremeus, cuing the others to adjust the beat. The horde around us closed in as well, still snapping in time.
"Believe me now, lad, this is something I would know! I've been marching 'round for decades, through heat and rain and sn-" I said, then went silent as Jeremeus smacked me across the face with the metal scepter he was carrying.
"Gunner!" Matilda shouted, interrupting her vocalizing. I held up a finger to her, before shoving my jaw back into place. It was a minor injury to begin with, and my natural regeneration fixed the damage that was there in seconds.
"I'm fine, Matty," I said. "That was rather rude, Jeremeus."
I grabbed the lich by the neck and smashed him into a gravestone, dragging his face along the rough surface. He managed to get a hand on my arm and pulled away, stumbling and falling onto his back in front of the horde.
"Wait, wait! Did she say Gunner?" Jeremeus asked.
"Uh... no?" Matilda said, her voice a slight whimper.
"No, no... It makes too much sense... All the talk of seeing this before... Gunwald... Gunner Wal- Gunner Walden!" he said, piecing the deception together. If blood still pumped through his veins, that would've been about the point that he went pale.
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.
"Sorry..." Matilda whispered into my ear.
"So are we still planning to recruit this jackass or does he get out of joining the idiot brigade since he nearly took your jaw off?" Kilgore asked.
"Quiet! Do you have any idea who you're talking to? It's the Emperor of Death!" Jeremeus said, somewhat fumbling his words.
"I don't think you've earned that nickname yet, jackass," Kilgore said to the lich.
"What? No, not me! Your boss!" he responded, pointing at me. Kilgore looked at me for a moment, then back at Jeremeus.
"I refuse to believe anyone who would go by 'Emperor' would be caught dead in sequined leather," Kilgore said.
Jeremeus ignored her and turned to me. Then he asked, "Aren't you supposed to be dead? I mean, you rally together an army beyond numbers, crush every military force in your way, take down multiple kingdoms..."
"...Kill untold numbers of innocents, destroy large amounts of infrastructure that never got put back together quite right, set back the rights and public perception of the undead by a few centuries, yes. Apparently two hundred years wasn't long enough for people to forget me, but I've got to at least fix my own mistakes," I said.
"...But now you're here? Managing a band?" Jeremeus asked.
"Yes. So what do you think about joining now?" I asked flatly.
"Absolutely! Uh... I don't actually know anything about music, but I'm sure I can learn," Jeremeus said.
"That's the spirit. MOF? Do you have the guitar?" I asked.
MOF reached up to the basket on its back and pulled out the instrument, handing it to the new recruit.
"I'm sure Kilgore can teach you the basics, we've got a performance next week in Orlin," I said.
"Orlin? That might be... problematic," he said.
"Why?" I asked.
"I already sent them my declaration of war," he said.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed.
"...Fantastic," I said. Good or bad, this was definitely going to be a memorable concert.
2023.05.31 22:36 AbsolutusVirtus [NM] Louis Vuitton Damier Graphite Josh Backpack - 100 spots at $18.50/ea with NO spot limit.
| Item Name: | Louis Vuitton Damier Graphite Josh Backpack |
|---|---|
| Price: | $1,850.00 |
| # of Spots: | 100 @ $18.50/Spot |
| Price Justification: | Sold for $3,030.00 |
| Price Justification: | Sold for $2,386.00 |
| Price Justification: | Sold for $2,200.00 |
| Call spots? | Y |
| Spot limit per person? | No |
| Location/Country: | CANADA |
| Will ship international? | USA/CANADA/INTL (Shipping rules apply) |
| Timestamp/pics: | Album + Timestamp |
| Escrow: | I am for WillSvg |
| Description: | Here for raffle we have a Louis Vuitton Josh backpack in the black damier canvas. The bag features dual padded shoulder straps, silver-tone hardware, single zip pocket at front, three compartments inside and a zip closure at top. The bag comes as is. The item has been worn but is in good condition, normal wear. No flaws such as scratches and holes on the bag |
PayPal Info: [REDACTED]
Tip BlobAndHisBoy
Number of vacant slots: 0
Number of unpaid users: 0
Number of unpaid slots: 0
This slot list is created and updated by The EDC Raffle Tool by BlobAndHisBoy.
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2023.05.31 22:29 OldRuskiNoir My 2,800%+ Goldfind Barb. I think I can hit 3000% if I get lucky finding a few more items.
tl:dr - https://www.projectdiablo2.com/armory/builds/6477acccf9bb8c0539607518
Run stats:
Typically stacking GF on a merc and yourself to reach the 3500-4k% range and then singing sweet lullabies to the council is the go to. I find that play style boring and wanted to be doing the killing.
The following is my progression of items to get to where I am now:
Switch 1&2:
Selling gold and map Orbs. Gambling is also an option but I haven't had any success after having spent about 100million gold gambling on rings and ammys with nothing to really show for it. If you want to go that route, up to you. I didn't find any success in it. I created a Google Sheet that helps keep track of your runes, their value, gold sale, and orb prices to make sure you are making a profit while undercutting the going rates for these items.
submitted by OldRuskiNoir to ProjectDiablo2 [link] [comments]
Run stats:
- A really bad run will get me 450k, these runs happen like 1:30
- A normal run will be 900k-1mil, these runs happen like 1:1.5
- A great run will be 1.3-1.7mil, these runs happen like 1:50
- Runs take 0:50-0:55 from the moment I join the game to leaving.
Nerd stuff below
I played a few different toons last season and had fun. This season I decided to go after something unique that I had never done before. A gold find barb. I have attempted to make these in the past and failed pretty abysmally. But doing this season as a min/max gold farming exclusive has been really fun, up to this point.Typically stacking GF on a merc and yourself to reach the 3500-4k% range and then singing sweet lullabies to the council is the go to. I find that play style boring and wanted to be doing the killing.
The following is my progression of items to get to where I am now:
Gear
Helm:- Early - Immortal King's Will: Max of 67% GF: In the beginning using an IK helm with 60%+ GF with 2x Lem is a solid option until you can get the late game. These helms are cheap and often free if you are following through a map, they have very little value to a majority of the player base. However due to corruptions not rolling +GF% on helms it falls off pretty quickly with a max of 167% with 2x Lem.
- Late - Crown of Thieves: Max of 100% GF: The late game COT with a 3socket is BIS. It gives you LL, Dex, Life, Fire Rez(good for council) and 80-100% gold find. This item will cost you a bit more, I have seen 3OS COT going for 1.25-1.75. However clean COT go for a few WSS to Pul. It might be cheaper to buy them and slam yourself. Up to you. With 3OS you will get an additional 150% GF bringing the helm on the low end to 230% to 250% on the high end.
- Early - Wealth Runeword: Max of 300% GF: Needing only 3 common runes and some armor that you likely have found already you can get great GF/MF armor for cheap. Wealth gives 300% GF and 100% MF in addition to Dex and MAEK. I found a downside being low defense as there is no ED. If you find some SUP armor with 15% ed, I would recommend using that.
- Late - Goldskin: Max of 200% GF: This armor with 3OS is easily BIS for my build, maybe others as well. Goldskin has +35 res and 200% GF. With 3x Lem this brings you to 50% more than Wealth and gives more def and all res. Switching to Goldskin was the best move I made during this adventure.
- Early/Late - Goldwrap: Max of 80% GF: The Goldwrap is a great all around GF belt. Unless Bountiful Crafting gets a change to add GF that exceeds 80% GF in future seasons, Goldwrap is BIS. However finding a perfect Goldwrap with a perfect 100% GF slam is going to be a bit harder. I wish you luck looking for this item, but only after I get one for myself.
- Early/Late - Chance guards: Max of 200% GF: Again, another staple of MF/GF in D2 the Chance Guards. Just like the Goldwrap, unless Bountiful Crafting gets a change Chancies will be the BIS. Glove corruptions give a max of 100% GF which gives a possibility of 300% gloves. That with the +2 MAEK and small amount of MF, these are the best option.
- Early - Infernostride: Max of 70% GF: A classic in D2 is the Infernostride. These come with Fire/Max res, 30% FRW, and a Blaze proc which gives CBF while active. With the possibility of 100% GF slam we're looking at the potential of 170% GF. These are great boots and cheap when clean. Maybe you can get lucky with a slam of your own.
- Late - Unique: Max of 80% GF: Finding decent GF unique boots that have FRW, FHR, and res is going to cost you a little bit but can get you a max of 180% GF. However like other niche items people will either never think to slam them or charsi them. You might get lucky and find someone selling boots in the 150-160 range for cheap. I was not so fortunate.
- Early - Metalgrid: Max of 0% GF: Metalgrid was my early ammy honestly anything that helps keep you alive will work, found one with a low range ~60% GF for really cheap and helped a lot with suitability. This item gives you golem mastery points as well as points to iron golem.
- Late - Mara's Kaleidoscope: Max of 0% GF: Mara's Kaleidoscope is a great all around ammy and with +skills and +all res. Finding one with a 80% gold find slam isn't too difficult and it is typically seen as undesirable making it a bit more affordable. With a slam possibility of +100% GF this is a great mid/late game ammy.
- GG - Crafted/Unique: Max of 80% GF: Unique/Crafted is the BIS. Finding this item or making it yourself is going to be a mountain to overcome. For my build this is my only source of Mana Leech which makes me need a +2 barb skills, +%mana leech, Gold find Mod, and a gold find slam.
- Early - Dwarf Star: Max of 100% GF: The (Dwarf Star)[https://wiki.projectdiablo2.com/wiki/Rings#Dwarf_Star] is another standard D2 GF ring. In addition to its 100% GF, it has fire absorb, life, and +% blocking. Early game this will be the primary source for mana leech. Finding one with 4-6%ML is vital until you can replace your ammy with something that has mana leech.
- Late - Dwarf Star: Max of 100% GF: After you have gotten a +2 barb skill ammy with +%ML you can find a DS that has a high Ring corruption for an additional 40-80%, ideally looking for something in the 70%+ range and high fire absorb.
- Bul-Kathos' Death Band: Max of 0% GF: Because we are doing the damage ourselves finding a high ED and PDR BK set ring is optimal. Getting a 70%+ GF slam on it as well is important to us. Again this isn't a popular build so these rings are pretty cheap. If you can find a +%ML BK set ring you can get the +GF Dwarf Star earlier.
- Bul-Kathos'_Tribal_Guardian: Max GF of 0%: The Tribal Guardian is the first set weapon in the Bul-Kathos set and can slam with up to 5 Sockets. With 5 Lem's in this you add 375% GF.
- Bul-Kathos' Sacred Charge: Max GF of 0%: The Sacred Charge is the second set weapon in the Bul-Kathos set and can slam with up to 6 sockets. With 6 Lem's in this you add 450% GF.
Switch 1&2:
- Blade of Ali-Baba: Max GF 2.5%/level: Most builds center around these weapons with 3 sockets and filled with Lem's. I have opted to go with Ist's and use them for horking. Added benefit if you can find them with a 20-30% MF slam. On switch these will bring me up to ~640% MF. Currently I am sitting at ~420%(nice). This has gotten me a number of Rainbow Facets(none perfect yet) and has paid for most of what I have bought already.
Mercenary
Merc:- A5 with Might aura and a weapon that procs amp. I give them my old lower quality GF gear and don't really worry about them, just keep them alive. Their sole purpose is might and breaking phys immunity.
Inventory
Charms:- Finding a Torch and Anni with good +all res is important. High Vit is nice as well. Grand charms should be made up of Max/40% GF GC's and a Gheed's with 15% vend and high GF. I found a perfect one on the trade site. The rest of my stash is filled with various 9-10% GF 3max SC's. I am still short on a few more Max/GF charms.
Wealth
Shopping:- This should be done with Edge Runeword which gives me 15% off vendor prices
- Gheed's which gives another 10-15% vendor price reduction
- A new item this season, the Kadala's Heirloom which gives 5-10% vendor reduced price. If you are some how able to get all of these items perfect you will get a 50% discount on vendor prices.
Selling gold and map Orbs. Gambling is also an option but I haven't had any success after having spent about 100million gold gambling on rings and ammys with nothing to really show for it. If you want to go that route, up to you. I didn't find any success in it. I created a Google Sheet that helps keep track of your runes, their value, gold sale, and orb prices to make sure you are making a profit while undercutting the going rates for these items.
2023.05.31 22:27 TutterEaston Which Episode 1 is the Best? - A Living World Retrospective
The Living World format has come to an end for the foreseeable future with the studio's pursuit of semi-annual expansions and quarterly releases. I've been around since the launch of Guild Wars 2 and some of my fondest memories are from logging in on Living World release days. Today I'd like to do a retrospective on the first episodes of each season to see how they compare and hold up to each other. I'll be ranking the episodes from lowest to highest and considering the totality of that release's content. I have replayed all of these episodes this week in order to make sure my perception on each of them is refreshed.
Without further ado, let's begin!
#5: Flame and Frost (Season 1)
The relaunch of Season 1 was a welcome and necessary addition. It helps to bridge the gap that used to make entering Season 2 after the Personal Story jarring. However, Season 1 is a bit jarring in and of itself as the story (taking place after Zhaitan's death) does not transition well from the core game. This first episode is non-offensive, serving as an introduction to Rox and Braham, but it offers no new map and the only non-story content it adds are Molten Alliance events in Core Tyria that were previously lost to history. Still, the relaunch saw the release of the Aetherblade Hideout CM, which helps to add much needed group content to pad out this otherwise narrow episode.
#4: Gates of Maguuma (Season 2):
While Flame and Frost struggles to form a bridge between the Personal Story and the Commander's next adventures, Gates of Maguuma gives you a clear sense of direction from the start: what is the truth behind the fall of the Zephyrites? Where is the Master of Peace going? We also start to learn more about Scarlet's past, which helps round out the villain we learn little about before defeating her in Season 1. This also was before the Commander had received open world voice acting as a content standard in HoT, so the player's role feels a bit more passive than in future episodes. This release came in a much different release cycle than future seasons, with the next episode premiering exactly two weeks later. As a result, the content is a bit lighter than most other releases, featuring only the Prospect Valley segment of Dry Top and some new armotrinkets.
#3: Out of the Shadows (Season 3):
Out of the Shadows had a lot of heavy lifting to do. The game was being heavily criticized for the lack of living world content before and after the launch of Heart of Thorns. HoT itself was criticized for having a rather narrow story and lacking an epilogue. Luckily, Out of the Shadows begins with a funeral for Eir—to give that missing closure to the events of HoT—and helps slowly introduce us to the coming White Mantle threat that comes to a head in Season 3. Bloodstone Fen is a vertically engaging map that creates a number of unbound magic skills for player use while gliding, and the episode's mastery, Counter Magic, was one of the first instances of Open World players being encouraged to use the Special Action key. The Chaos Isles fractal and revamps to the Swamp Fractal, Snowblind Fractal, and Infusion systems revitalized the struggling Fractals and drew in formerly disgruntled players. While the map isn't as large as modern ones and doesn't contain a large meta comparable to HoT or future LW seasons, it stands as one of the most unique maps in the game to this day.
#2: Prologue: Bound by Blood (The Icebrood Saga):
To date, I believe that Bound by Blood is the most successful story pivot that GW2 has ever achieved. Season 4 ends with Kralkatorrik's defeat and Aurene's ascension and without any hint of a future threat. This first episode would have the task of introducing our next villain(s) and following up on the incredibly high quality standard set by Season 4. Tensions are established over the rise of Aurene as an Elder Dragon and Kralk's defeat—the Charr's closest Elder Dragon threat— leads Bangar and his Blood Legion to set their sights on a new war. Of all the first episodes of Living World, the story presented here is my favorite and it is an absolute joy to play from start to finish. The new characters are interesting and engage with Tyria's history in a way I wish was more common for the game. Where this release falls short of first place is in its other content. Grothmar Valley is a lovely map and the 4 mini-metas keep the area relaxed but with activities to do for those sticking around. It strikes a good balance but does not introduce a mastery or any notable features, a bit disappointing after Season 4 concludes with the Skyscale and its associated masteries. The Shiverpeaks Pass Strike Mission lacks challenge but is a good intro to 10-man content for players who have never experienced 10-man content before. Had this episode gone the extra mile and included a CM for the strike mission, a new feature, or both, it may have been able to better compete with first place....
#1: Daybreak (Season 4):
This is the golden "triple release," the only time, to date, that GW2 has released a raid wing, a fractal, and a Living World Release all at the same time. Daybreak also has a long story, complete with story-only locations for extra cinematic value, and its map, the Domain of Istan, contains two meta events and lots of beautiful scenery. The mastery basically just lets you pick up Volatile Magic, which is a bit boring. The Twilight Oasis fractal and the Hall of Chains raid are both high quality, heart-pumping experiences, though. Daybreak seems to have it all with the Astral/Stellar weapons, the Domain of Istan's content, the 5-man and 10-man instanced content, the Binding of Ipos, and tons of polish (Fahranur, lore book UI, Fractal polish, etc), this episode takes the cake as the best opening to a living world season. Kralkatorrik and Palawa Joko being the main villains of the season makes perfect sense given the state the story is left in after PoF. Though I do not find the story being told quite as engaging as Bound By Blood, there is no doubt the release makes up for it in sheer quantity of content.
What do you value in a Living World episode? Do you have a different "Episode 1" ranking? Let me know what your favorite "Episode 1" is and why!
submitted by TutterEaston to Guildwars2 [link] [comments]
Without further ado, let's begin!
#5: Flame and Frost (Season 1)
The relaunch of Season 1 was a welcome and necessary addition. It helps to bridge the gap that used to make entering Season 2 after the Personal Story jarring. However, Season 1 is a bit jarring in and of itself as the story (taking place after Zhaitan's death) does not transition well from the core game. This first episode is non-offensive, serving as an introduction to Rox and Braham, but it offers no new map and the only non-story content it adds are Molten Alliance events in Core Tyria that were previously lost to history. Still, the relaunch saw the release of the Aetherblade Hideout CM, which helps to add much needed group content to pad out this otherwise narrow episode.
#4: Gates of Maguuma (Season 2):
While Flame and Frost struggles to form a bridge between the Personal Story and the Commander's next adventures, Gates of Maguuma gives you a clear sense of direction from the start: what is the truth behind the fall of the Zephyrites? Where is the Master of Peace going? We also start to learn more about Scarlet's past, which helps round out the villain we learn little about before defeating her in Season 1. This also was before the Commander had received open world voice acting as a content standard in HoT, so the player's role feels a bit more passive than in future episodes. This release came in a much different release cycle than future seasons, with the next episode premiering exactly two weeks later. As a result, the content is a bit lighter than most other releases, featuring only the Prospect Valley segment of Dry Top and some new armotrinkets.
#3: Out of the Shadows (Season 3):
Out of the Shadows had a lot of heavy lifting to do. The game was being heavily criticized for the lack of living world content before and after the launch of Heart of Thorns. HoT itself was criticized for having a rather narrow story and lacking an epilogue. Luckily, Out of the Shadows begins with a funeral for Eir—to give that missing closure to the events of HoT—and helps slowly introduce us to the coming White Mantle threat that comes to a head in Season 3. Bloodstone Fen is a vertically engaging map that creates a number of unbound magic skills for player use while gliding, and the episode's mastery, Counter Magic, was one of the first instances of Open World players being encouraged to use the Special Action key. The Chaos Isles fractal and revamps to the Swamp Fractal, Snowblind Fractal, and Infusion systems revitalized the struggling Fractals and drew in formerly disgruntled players. While the map isn't as large as modern ones and doesn't contain a large meta comparable to HoT or future LW seasons, it stands as one of the most unique maps in the game to this day.
#2: Prologue: Bound by Blood (The Icebrood Saga):
To date, I believe that Bound by Blood is the most successful story pivot that GW2 has ever achieved. Season 4 ends with Kralkatorrik's defeat and Aurene's ascension and without any hint of a future threat. This first episode would have the task of introducing our next villain(s) and following up on the incredibly high quality standard set by Season 4. Tensions are established over the rise of Aurene as an Elder Dragon and Kralk's defeat—the Charr's closest Elder Dragon threat— leads Bangar and his Blood Legion to set their sights on a new war. Of all the first episodes of Living World, the story presented here is my favorite and it is an absolute joy to play from start to finish. The new characters are interesting and engage with Tyria's history in a way I wish was more common for the game. Where this release falls short of first place is in its other content. Grothmar Valley is a lovely map and the 4 mini-metas keep the area relaxed but with activities to do for those sticking around. It strikes a good balance but does not introduce a mastery or any notable features, a bit disappointing after Season 4 concludes with the Skyscale and its associated masteries. The Shiverpeaks Pass Strike Mission lacks challenge but is a good intro to 10-man content for players who have never experienced 10-man content before. Had this episode gone the extra mile and included a CM for the strike mission, a new feature, or both, it may have been able to better compete with first place....
#1: Daybreak (Season 4):
This is the golden "triple release," the only time, to date, that GW2 has released a raid wing, a fractal, and a Living World Release all at the same time. Daybreak also has a long story, complete with story-only locations for extra cinematic value, and its map, the Domain of Istan, contains two meta events and lots of beautiful scenery. The mastery basically just lets you pick up Volatile Magic, which is a bit boring. The Twilight Oasis fractal and the Hall of Chains raid are both high quality, heart-pumping experiences, though. Daybreak seems to have it all with the Astral/Stellar weapons, the Domain of Istan's content, the 5-man and 10-man instanced content, the Binding of Ipos, and tons of polish (Fahranur, lore book UI, Fractal polish, etc), this episode takes the cake as the best opening to a living world season. Kralkatorrik and Palawa Joko being the main villains of the season makes perfect sense given the state the story is left in after PoF. Though I do not find the story being told quite as engaging as Bound By Blood, there is no doubt the release makes up for it in sheer quantity of content.
What do you value in a Living World episode? Do you have a different "Episode 1" ranking? Let me know what your favorite "Episode 1" is and why!
2023.05.31 21:34 countingfoxes All His Angels Are Starving - Chapter 3
First / Previous
Jenny stared in disbelief at the hatchet in her hand. It felt real. It existed. And it only existed because she thought it into being. It had cost energy, and she had a sneaking suspicion that the only way to get more energy was through killing, but it was still satisfying to have created something with her mind.
“How did you do that?” asked Susan. She touched the flat side of the metal with her fingertip.
“That system thing,” said Jenny. “Inside our head. I killed that… thing, and it gave me Energy that I used to make this.”
Susan’s eyes went wide. She stared at Jenny, their faces very close. Then she gasped. “It says you’re level 2!”
“Oh, yeah.” Pulling up her stats again, Jenny focused and figured the best place for her two stat points was power. As soon as the numbers shifted, she felt the slightest change in her arms and legs, and she climbed to her feet. Her head spun and, as Susan watched, she twirled the hatchet and moved her arm.
The hatchet felt light in her hand. She pictured splitting an angel’s head open like wood. Gruesome, but at least she wasn’t defenseless. And she could keep getting stronger by killing them?
Jenny quickly explained to Susan what she’d figured out about the system. How getting the first kill would give her a lot of Energy to use.
This felt like a survival game. The Survival Challenge has been issued. Jenny shuddered. She didn’t look at the angel or Mrs. Rivera’s body. Their English classroom was a mess from the earthquake and the mad rush to escape, but if there were more angels out there, then there was no point in staying here.
She thought of Oliver. He was just a little kid. An idiot sure, who followed her around everywhere and seemed to always want attention, but he was just a kid. All the freshmen were. Hell, she was a senior, but she was just a kid too.
“I have to go find my brother,” she said.
Susan used the desk to pull herself up. Her legs were still shaking, and Jenny tried not to look at the wet stain on her tights. They were both covered in much worse now.
What would be waiting for them out there? The thought of seeing another angel made Jenny want to throw up.
“Survival challenge,” said Susan quietly. “Does that mean we have to either fight or die?”
Jenny didn’t know what to say. “It kind of feels like a Battle Royale game. Except with zombie angels.”
Susan wiped her eyes, smearing blood over her cheeks. “Yeah,” she said. Then she took a deep breath and walked over to the angel and picked up the bloodied hole puncher Jenny used to kill it. “I guess we don’t have a choice.”
“I’ll watch your back and you watch mine?” asked Jenny. It was something they’d say to each other when gaming online.
Susan nodded. “Let’s do this,” she said. There was a determined look on her face, even though she was trembling.
Jenny made her way to the door and looked out the glass window. The hall was dim, lit only by the same sickly white glow of the void. There was nobody out there, nothing stirring, and Jenny turned the knob slowly. She stuck her head outside.
Their classroom was at the end of the hall, furthest from the stairwell. Bodies lined the floor; bloody streaks covered the wall. Jenny swallowed the bile that had risen to her throat. She spotted another angel down the hall beside the blue double doors that separated the English department. It was hunched over someone.
She shut the door and pressed her forehead against it. There was no time to think. No time to process. Those creatures were out there and Oliver, if he was still alive, was in danger. He was still her primary goal, and if she wanted to get stronger, she’d have to fight those creatures regardless.
The shocked look on Oliver’s face from this morning when Jenny had blamed him for not taking out the trash was fresh on her mind. Her heart constricted with guilt and terror.
“What’s out there?” whispered Susan who’d come up behind her.
“There’s another one down the hall,” said Jenny, not opening her eyes. “And there are… bodies.”
The hole puncher rattled in Susan’s hands. She’d almost dropped it. She didn’t say anything.
A part of Jenny hoped that if they waited just a bit, the angel would move on. But that was delaying the inevitable. There had to be lots of those creatures if so many people were already dead. How many people were left?
Susan followed closely, the two of them taking light careful steps and trying not to look at the students lying still on the floor.
They could see the angel up ahead. There wasn’t a message relaying its name and level. Jenny assumed they had to get closer for that. Susan grabbed Jenny’s arm. She let out a small cry and pointed.
It was Harry Kim, the boy who’d sat behind Jenny in English all year. Now he was lying on his side with chunks missing from his face and arm. His eyes were wide open.
“Don’t look,” whispered Jenny, squeezing Susan’s hand. They moved closer to the angel, and the message appeared.
The angel turned, blood dripping off its face as it opened its mouth and let the girl’s body fall to the floor. It blinked, cocking its head. With a screech, the angel barreled towards them, galloping on all fours.
It was terrifying to watch something almost human move like that, but Jenny pushed Susan to the side and held up her hatchet with both hands. She was going to swing it like a bat.
The angel leaped as soon as it was close enough. Jenny shut her eyes and swung.
The impact was nothing like chopping wood. It felt more like cutting through a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The hatchet sliced through the angel with ease, and it collapsed to the floor, howling.
Jenny watched it wriggling, its side cut open by her hatchet. Guts and dark blood leaked from the gash, and she stepped away, wanting to retch.
Hissing madly, the angel crawled towards Susan who’d dropped to her knees. She was shaking like mad. Jenny was about to attack again when Susan raised the hole puncher over her head, holding it with both hands. The angel reached for her legs, and she slammed the hole puncher down. It connected with the angel’s skull with a resounding crack.
Now that the blood wasn’t pounding her ears, Jenny could hear faint screaming. Was it from the floors below? Or just beyond the double doors?
The angel lay lifeless and still. Susan leaned back and rested her head on the wall. “I got the bonus. I leveled up.”
“You can get a weapon now,” said Jenny. Her hatchet was covered in blood and slime. She wiped it on her sweater, then shivered in disgust. “Maybe something sharp. I already tried making a gun but we need more energy for that.”
“A knife?” asked Susan. “Or should I get something like yours?”
“What are you familiar with?”
“Okay,” said Susan. “I think I’ve got it.” She shut her eyes and her brows furrowed in concentration.
Jenny kept glancing down the hall. She half expected another angel or something to burst out of a classroom. But it was unsettlingly quiet.
A moment later, the same golden light as before appeared in Susan’s hands. Strands of the light coiled and formed what looked like a stick. Jenny thought for a second she’d chosen a hatchet as well, but no sharp metal face appeared. Instead, it looked like a black baton.
“What is that?” Jenny asked, stepping over the angel to get a closer look.
“A cattle prod,” said Susan in a low voice as she inspected it. “It cost 85 but it looks exactly like the one my granddad had on his farm.” She stood up and tried it out. There was an electric crackling noise, and she switched it off, looking perplexed. “It’s not supposed to make a sound.”
She jabbed the air again. And again it made that sharp static cracking as it moved through the air.
“I’ve never seen one before,” said Jenny, wondering how effective it would be against an angel. They’d probably find out soon enough.
“My parents would take me every summer,” she said, switching it off and holding it. “I’d sneak out to the barn and fight… bad guys with this.”
“Bad guys?” Jenny pictured a younger Susan swinging the prod through the air and keeping her family safe from invisible enemies. How did she manage to be so cute even in the depths of hell?
Susan was blushing. “I’d never use it on a cow…” She clicked it on and then off. “It’s crazy how it smells the same when you butcher an animal.” She motioned towards the angel on the floor.
Its guts had leaked out with so much blood that some of it had reached Jenny’s boots. Looking at all of it made her feel even sicker, and the stench of decay and insides wasn’t helping.
“Seven hundred and two,” whispered Susan.
Jenny didn’t have to ask to know what that number meant. It hadn’t been that long since this survival challenge had started. Dread wrapped its cold sharp claws around her chest and squeezed. She grabbed Susan’s hand, feeling like she had to say something. “Thank you for not leaving me in that room.”
Susan blinked, her eyes watery. “If I’d left, I’d probably be…”
“Doesn’t matter,” said Jenny firmly. “If you left, we’d both be dead right now. But since we’re together… I don’t know. I feel like…” She took a deep breath. Prom felt so silly and stupid and far away. “I feel like we can do this.”
“Me too,” said Susan. She tried to smile but it looked more like a grimace.
“Let’s just pretend it’s a new game we’re trying out,” said Jenny. “A horror game and we only have one life. But we’re a duo.”
Susan shut her eyes and nodded. “I hate horror.”
“Same,” said Jenny.
“Okay. Where’s your brother?”
“His geometry class was downstairs.” Jenny swallowed hard. “He might still be in his room or…” “We’ll find him,” said Susan. Then she straightened her back and took a deep breath. It was something she always did when she wanted to focus. “Alright. I’ll stop whining. Let’s go find your brother and anyone else we can help.”
Holding her cattle prod like a sword, she marched over to the double doors and looked through the little glass circular window each door had.
Jenny wondered if Susan was also thinking about their other friends. Their teachers. Their classmates. She tried not to think about Harry or the girl whose neck that angel had been sucking on.
She hoped there were others who’d figured out how to use the system. Maybe if they could find a group, they could fight back. But what had the system said? The victor shall be rewarded.
Did that mean there would only be one victor? Would this survival challenge last until one human was left? Jenny squeezed her hatchet. She wanted to pray, but she didn’t even know what to pray to anymore. It looked like she’d managed to give Susan some courage. Now if only she could give herself some too.
submitted by countingfoxes to HFY [link] [comments]
First / Previous
Jenny stared in disbelief at the hatchet in her hand. It felt real. It existed. And it only existed because she thought it into being. It had cost energy, and she had a sneaking suspicion that the only way to get more energy was through killing, but it was still satisfying to have created something with her mind.
“How did you do that?” asked Susan. She touched the flat side of the metal with her fingertip.
“That system thing,” said Jenny. “Inside our head. I killed that… thing, and it gave me Energy that I used to make this.”
Susan’s eyes went wide. She stared at Jenny, their faces very close. Then she gasped. “It says you’re level 2!”
“Oh, yeah.” Pulling up her stats again, Jenny focused and figured the best place for her two stat points was power. As soon as the numbers shifted, she felt the slightest change in her arms and legs, and she climbed to her feet. Her head spun and, as Susan watched, she twirled the hatchet and moved her arm.
The hatchet felt light in her hand. She pictured splitting an angel’s head open like wood. Gruesome, but at least she wasn’t defenseless. And she could keep getting stronger by killing them?
Jenny quickly explained to Susan what she’d figured out about the system. How getting the first kill would give her a lot of Energy to use.
This felt like a survival game. The Survival Challenge has been issued. Jenny shuddered. She didn’t look at the angel or Mrs. Rivera’s body. Their English classroom was a mess from the earthquake and the mad rush to escape, but if there were more angels out there, then there was no point in staying here.
She thought of Oliver. He was just a little kid. An idiot sure, who followed her around everywhere and seemed to always want attention, but he was just a kid. All the freshmen were. Hell, she was a senior, but she was just a kid too.
“I have to go find my brother,” she said.
Susan used the desk to pull herself up. Her legs were still shaking, and Jenny tried not to look at the wet stain on her tights. They were both covered in much worse now.
What would be waiting for them out there? The thought of seeing another angel made Jenny want to throw up.
“Survival challenge,” said Susan quietly. “Does that mean we have to either fight or die?”
Jenny didn’t know what to say. “It kind of feels like a Battle Royale game. Except with zombie angels.”
Susan wiped her eyes, smearing blood over her cheeks. “Yeah,” she said. Then she took a deep breath and walked over to the angel and picked up the bloodied hole puncher Jenny used to kill it. “I guess we don’t have a choice.”
“I’ll watch your back and you watch mine?” asked Jenny. It was something they’d say to each other when gaming online.
Susan nodded. “Let’s do this,” she said. There was a determined look on her face, even though she was trembling.
Jenny made her way to the door and looked out the glass window. The hall was dim, lit only by the same sickly white glow of the void. There was nobody out there, nothing stirring, and Jenny turned the knob slowly. She stuck her head outside.
Their classroom was at the end of the hall, furthest from the stairwell. Bodies lined the floor; bloody streaks covered the wall. Jenny swallowed the bile that had risen to her throat. She spotted another angel down the hall beside the blue double doors that separated the English department. It was hunched over someone.
She shut the door and pressed her forehead against it. There was no time to think. No time to process. Those creatures were out there and Oliver, if he was still alive, was in danger. He was still her primary goal, and if she wanted to get stronger, she’d have to fight those creatures regardless.
The shocked look on Oliver’s face from this morning when Jenny had blamed him for not taking out the trash was fresh on her mind. Her heart constricted with guilt and terror.
“What’s out there?” whispered Susan who’d come up behind her.
“There’s another one down the hall,” said Jenny, not opening her eyes. “And there are… bodies.”
The hole puncher rattled in Susan’s hands. She’d almost dropped it. She didn’t say anything.
A part of Jenny hoped that if they waited just a bit, the angel would move on. But that was delaying the inevitable. There had to be lots of those creatures if so many people were already dead. How many people were left?
Human Population remaining: 765“Fuck,” whispered Jenny. She’d just wanted to graduate, move out of here, and begin her life somewhere far away. She pulled the door open and stepped into the hallway before she could chicken out.
Susan followed closely, the two of them taking light careful steps and trying not to look at the students lying still on the floor.
They could see the angel up ahead. There wasn’t a message relaying its name and level. Jenny assumed they had to get closer for that. Susan grabbed Jenny’s arm. She let out a small cry and pointed.
It was Harry Kim, the boy who’d sat behind Jenny in English all year. Now he was lying on his side with chunks missing from his face and arm. His eyes were wide open.
“Don’t look,” whispered Jenny, squeezing Susan’s hand. They moved closer to the angel, and the message appeared.
Tarnished Angel (Level 3)This one looked male. Just as emaciated as the one they’d already fought, but it had brown hair and wider shoulders. It was chewing on a girl with her neck in its mouth, her body raised off the floor, hanging limp. A loud sucking noise filled the hall, and Susan cried out. Then she clapped her hand over her mouth.
The angel turned, blood dripping off its face as it opened its mouth and let the girl’s body fall to the floor. It blinked, cocking its head. With a screech, the angel barreled towards them, galloping on all fours.
It was terrifying to watch something almost human move like that, but Jenny pushed Susan to the side and held up her hatchet with both hands. She was going to swing it like a bat.
The angel leaped as soon as it was close enough. Jenny shut her eyes and swung.
The impact was nothing like chopping wood. It felt more like cutting through a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The hatchet sliced through the angel with ease, and it collapsed to the floor, howling.
Jenny watched it wriggling, its side cut open by her hatchet. Guts and dark blood leaked from the gash, and she stepped away, wanting to retch.
Hissing madly, the angel crawled towards Susan who’d dropped to her knees. She was shaking like mad. Jenny was about to attack again when Susan raised the hole puncher over her head, holding it with both hands. The angel reached for her legs, and she slammed the hole puncher down. It connected with the angel’s skull with a resounding crack.
You’ve defeated Tarnished Angel (Level 3)The messages appeared in Jenny’s head even though Susan had been the one to finish it off. So they must have shared experience, but it seemed like she got the same amount of energy for the kill.
Experience has been awarded
+10 Energy
Now that the blood wasn’t pounding her ears, Jenny could hear faint screaming. Was it from the floors below? Or just beyond the double doors?
The angel lay lifeless and still. Susan leaned back and rested her head on the wall. “I got the bonus. I leveled up.”
“You can get a weapon now,” said Jenny. Her hatchet was covered in blood and slime. She wiped it on her sweater, then shivered in disgust. “Maybe something sharp. I already tried making a gun but we need more energy for that.”
“A knife?” asked Susan. “Or should I get something like yours?”
“What are you familiar with?”
“Okay,” said Susan. “I think I’ve got it.” She shut her eyes and her brows furrowed in concentration.
Jenny kept glancing down the hall. She half expected another angel or something to burst out of a classroom. But it was unsettlingly quiet.
A moment later, the same golden light as before appeared in Susan’s hands. Strands of the light coiled and formed what looked like a stick. Jenny thought for a second she’d chosen a hatchet as well, but no sharp metal face appeared. Instead, it looked like a black baton.
“What is that?” Jenny asked, stepping over the angel to get a closer look.
“A cattle prod,” said Susan in a low voice as she inspected it. “It cost 85 but it looks exactly like the one my granddad had on his farm.” She stood up and tried it out. There was an electric crackling noise, and she switched it off, looking perplexed. “It’s not supposed to make a sound.”
She jabbed the air again. And again it made that sharp static cracking as it moved through the air.
“I’ve never seen one before,” said Jenny, wondering how effective it would be against an angel. They’d probably find out soon enough.
“My parents would take me every summer,” she said, switching it off and holding it. “I’d sneak out to the barn and fight… bad guys with this.”
“Bad guys?” Jenny pictured a younger Susan swinging the prod through the air and keeping her family safe from invisible enemies. How did she manage to be so cute even in the depths of hell?
Susan was blushing. “I’d never use it on a cow…” She clicked it on and then off. “It’s crazy how it smells the same when you butcher an animal.” She motioned towards the angel on the floor.
Its guts had leaked out with so much blood that some of it had reached Jenny’s boots. Looking at all of it made her feel even sicker, and the stench of decay and insides wasn’t helping.
“Seven hundred and two,” whispered Susan.
Jenny didn’t have to ask to know what that number meant. It hadn’t been that long since this survival challenge had started. Dread wrapped its cold sharp claws around her chest and squeezed. She grabbed Susan’s hand, feeling like she had to say something. “Thank you for not leaving me in that room.”
Susan blinked, her eyes watery. “If I’d left, I’d probably be…”
“Doesn’t matter,” said Jenny firmly. “If you left, we’d both be dead right now. But since we’re together… I don’t know. I feel like…” She took a deep breath. Prom felt so silly and stupid and far away. “I feel like we can do this.”
“Me too,” said Susan. She tried to smile but it looked more like a grimace.
“Let’s just pretend it’s a new game we’re trying out,” said Jenny. “A horror game and we only have one life. But we’re a duo.”
Susan shut her eyes and nodded. “I hate horror.”
“Same,” said Jenny.
“Okay. Where’s your brother?”
“His geometry class was downstairs.” Jenny swallowed hard. “He might still be in his room or…” “We’ll find him,” said Susan. Then she straightened her back and took a deep breath. It was something she always did when she wanted to focus. “Alright. I’ll stop whining. Let’s go find your brother and anyone else we can help.”
Holding her cattle prod like a sword, she marched over to the double doors and looked through the little glass circular window each door had.
Jenny wondered if Susan was also thinking about their other friends. Their teachers. Their classmates. She tried not to think about Harry or the girl whose neck that angel had been sucking on.
She hoped there were others who’d figured out how to use the system. Maybe if they could find a group, they could fight back. But what had the system said? The victor shall be rewarded.
Did that mean there would only be one victor? Would this survival challenge last until one human was left? Jenny squeezed her hatchet. She wanted to pray, but she didn’t even know what to pray to anymore. It looked like she’d managed to give Susan some courage. Now if only she could give herself some too.
2023.05.31 21:30 mcm8279 [Picard 3x10 International Reviews] Zukunftia.de (Germany): "In general, it's all so terribly under-complex ...Exciting perspectives on Picard's character can be removed here. Here you only learn something about yourself if you only knew roughly which species you belong to beforehand./ Worf=Data?"
Link (German Only):
https://www.zukunftia.de/10706/star-trek-picard-3-10-the-last-generation/
(One of the bigger German Sci-Fi-Websites that goes for a more "satirical" approach in its content)
Daniel Klapowski (editor-in-chief) on 3x10 ("The Last Generation"):
Quotes:
"[...]
Via Google Translate (not all puns will hit home in English here):
– On the positive side, I have to say that quite a lot HAPPENED. The times when you could omit entire episodes (I'm guessing 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, the super number is 5) are at least over. One is almost grateful that at least all world cities are now switched to the target radar (Paderborn - Locked. Sim City - Locked).
Even if it's the clumsiest version of the threat... Motto: "Half the galaxy will be destroyed. And the other half can no longer find craftsmen.”
- The big Jack storyarc was more of a bus ticket to the Crashtest Wall destination. What exactly did Mister Laberkopf suffer from that made him urgently need to join the collective? Too few fathers in life? Are all other half-orphans also at risk for Hitler beards and Stalin mustaches? Sure, the darkness on unheated submarines gets on your nerves, as does life as a first-aid kit smuggler on Tetanus Prime. But did he choose all of that himself?
And we ignore his hints about the oh-so-bad world and humanity at this point. Experts would say: "Drug adjusted to the wrong antidepressant" or "Go to Risa in the sun. Change your mind!”…
Furthermore, one senses in Picard's big speech in the Waber-Borg matrix that the authors didn't really know what to sell the son as a CONCRETE alternative program. ("Hey, at least I became a Starfleet captain! And because there was no money, I didn't have to pay taxes!")
If you look at it quite intellectually and not motivationally, even less remains. Because the fact that Jack decides to join the Borg because it was "ordained" before he was born has as much to do with personal responsibility as the late Benjamin Sisko did with leaving the church!
And how did his son cause the "change of my life" at Picard? The relationship wasn't that bad either ("Drinking on the holodeck?" - "Must be! The expiry date on the schnapps hologram is about to expire!"). A straw doll in a bald cap, a twitching fetus or Picard's dog might have had similar effects here from the Impact? Is the mere existence of a DNA copycat enough for your own life to suddenly appear fulfilled? Or is it just the basic instinct (= one's own genes have to be passed on), which also ensures that OUR parents constantly annoy us with the desire to have grandchildren? ("Will you make us a child, son?" - "But I'm gay, I lost both testicles in a wildebeest attack and live in a terraced house near Chernobyl!" - "Oh, don't be so rude. We want diapers on Saturdays exchange!")
Exciting perspectives on Picard's character can be removed here. Here you only learn something about yourself if you only knew roughly which species you belong to beforehand. Since Star Trek was already much further!
[...]
– Seven wants to resign, no longer interested in Starfleet. Everything so exhausting. And yes, by that she means almost the ENTIRE year after her career as a cynical murderous bride. But stop! The late Shaw recommended her for captain on a note. And since, as is well known, he has to decide ALONE (the calm personified - and sooo rational between his crazy failures), Tuvok has to implement it now. The plot pusher column knows neither closed doors nor defensive gestures from the thinking viewer.
– Raffi also enjoys poetry album wishes on her Samsung tablet (“Humanity saved! Best mommy!”), while Worf learns after decades among people that there are also tears of joy. Are you sure his character wasn't confused with early Data? I'm only asking because he has 4 letters in his name?
– Data’s therapy session left me rather scratching my head… What was new for him now? Probably not feelings. And his new body didn't look to me from the schematics like something to grow a new kidney? The fact that Troi was also rather bored from the session ("Hey, I'll just write directly to the WhatsApp team in the meantime!") should be funny, but it was derogatory. So for ALL characters now. Even the incoming Riker blasphemed at the same time. But interesting how it seems to be going on in Kurtzman's Writer's Rooms...?
The end of Jack's new ship seems so...natural. But different from what you think...
"Of course" the TITAN is simply renamed "Enterprise G". At that tempo, we're through the alphabet before I've even checked the visual differences between F and G. And my knowledge gap regarding the ending(?) of E?
"Of course" Seven is now reunited with Raffi - on the bridge. lucky! The admiral in charge almost turned off when assigning people from the "Black List" to the "White List" or even to the "All other 30,000 Starfleet Officers" list! But the timely receipt of bribes helped him maneuver.
"Of course" Jack doesn't know when he starts work whether he's going to translate alien languages (he can do more than a dozen; probably not such a great genius?), operate the console or act as the captain's advisor. "Of course" he becomes the latter. With their 25-30(?) years, EVERYONE can certainly still pull something out of it in terms of wisdom?
"Of course," Picard didn't know about the ship renaming beforehand. "Of course" the usual 25-year-olds are there again and "of course" the first target (although mentioned as a joke) is the star system "M'Talas". Haha, because of showrunner Matalas! Checked?!
With so much undeserved humility, according to my fanfiction die, I appoint Matalas to be... (*clack, roll*) er... Grand Admiral with a particularly large p*n*s. Hey, I actually expected more...? (*check dice*)
The poker round was okay at the end. But only because they probably just let everyone do it without a script while the 19 producers were faded in. Perhaps the biggest challenge here was not calling each other by the wrong name ("Brent...uh...Data, give me a card!"). Especially since 80% of the scene only looks beautiful because of the OLD music anyway - so you don't create anything new again.
Yes, "new"... It's that thing the producers smeared these protective pentagrams on the wall of the house against.
The scene after the credits was particularly embarrassing: "Huhu, Jack, it's me, your half-broken (S)godfather Q!" "Oh, deeeer. But shouldn't you be tooot?" (see season 2) "Pfff... you mortals always with your storylines established 10 episodes ago with your sense of time..." "Okaaay? But humanity isn't on trial anymore, is it?" (see season 2) "Yeah right. But now in connection with Picard. But DUUU will of course be tested until the doctor and the escape room operator come, harhar!
Puuuh... We're getting to a point on the Kurtzman/Matalas thing where I'd rather have toilet paper rolls on the car. Or rotten eggs on the house wall. THIS is just annoying.
We don't need to talk seriously about the fact that all of this takes a window seat next to the toilet flush in the dramaturgy junk shop? Including the artificial spaceship scenes, where you have to resort to a meticulous texture analysis, since an artistic/dramaturgical evaluation is actually out of the question.
Speaking of dramaturgy and deeper meaning: "Star Trek 8" talked about humanity in an entertaining way (Data!), about revenge (Picard), about the need to somehow integrate individuality into a collective (Borgqueen), about life plans and predestination (Dr. Cochrane doesn't want a statue be), etc
All of that has disappeared here...
– The Borgqueen is lonely and assumes OTHERS are too. Which in Jack's case is only because he was "held" behind a frosted glass pane as an aspirin smuggler - see the very first scene in 3.01... So the mom with the shotgun seemed to be the biggest problem to me?
– Jack feels euphoric in the collective and no longer lonely. However, his acting in the intermediate world suggests that he gets small needles pushed into his calves by the Borg - which would then also explain the constant crying. The transition between "joy through assimilation" and "Picard convinces with calendar sayings" was too quick anyway.
– One could also have discussed what constitutes a life worth living in the first place. The fact that the collapsing Borg Queen after years (?) in the extractor hood still dreams of her strong prince ("But only deeen Eineeen! Without the chosen one, loneliness doesn't go away.") Instead of maybe raving about euthanasia, is worth discussing anyway.
– The interaction with the founders, who also (!) have a collective of thoughts, could also have been complex. Couldn't the ten masked Hansel around Vadic have been installed THERE?
- That it was easier to "beam healthy" the Borg victims at the end (was it great fun organizing that for dozens of ships?) and "collect" the shapeshifters who appeared on the platform, enraptured from all earthly existence then I almost don't care. 2 episodes MORE on the subject, THAT would have been worse.
In general, it's all so terribly under-complex that I can almost see Rick Berman in front of me, stretching his hands to the sky and yelling "What happened to my Werrrrk?!" If you still had to juggle Romulans, Cardassians, Klingons, Bajorans, Founders, Jem'Hadar and umpteen other interests in DS9, all ships were taken over here - and done.
Vulcans and other (Federation) naval units - with telephones - don't even seem to exist in the wildest author's dreams anymore. But this spongy and forgetful quality runs through all areas anyway. The title alone: "The Last Generation" is what it says there. Why the "last"? Isn't there any more? What about Jack, who should/could extend Picard's era? And Captain Seven?
"The Old Generation" would have been a better fit, but probably didn't come across as respectful and/or understated enough. A worry that Kurtzman/Matalas can safely ditch after this season's action.
[...]
And honestly... For THIS resolution of the previous 9 episodes (= Borgqueen ONLY wants to assimilate Picard's son + assimilate as always) I would even coyly put toilet paper and sanitary napkins on the relay box at Amazon - so that no one laughs at me at the checkout."
Daniel Klapowski, Zukunftia.de
submitted by mcm8279 to trektalk [link] [comments]
https://www.zukunftia.de/10706/star-trek-picard-3-10-the-last-generation/
(One of the bigger German Sci-Fi-Websites that goes for a more "satirical" approach in its content)
Daniel Klapowski (editor-in-chief) on 3x10 ("The Last Generation"):
Quotes:
"[...]
Via Google Translate (not all puns will hit home in English here):
– On the positive side, I have to say that quite a lot HAPPENED. The times when you could omit entire episodes (I'm guessing 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, the super number is 5) are at least over. One is almost grateful that at least all world cities are now switched to the target radar (Paderborn - Locked. Sim City - Locked).
Even if it's the clumsiest version of the threat... Motto: "Half the galaxy will be destroyed. And the other half can no longer find craftsmen.”
- The big Jack storyarc was more of a bus ticket to the Crashtest Wall destination. What exactly did Mister Laberkopf suffer from that made him urgently need to join the collective? Too few fathers in life? Are all other half-orphans also at risk for Hitler beards and Stalin mustaches? Sure, the darkness on unheated submarines gets on your nerves, as does life as a first-aid kit smuggler on Tetanus Prime. But did he choose all of that himself?
And we ignore his hints about the oh-so-bad world and humanity at this point. Experts would say: "Drug adjusted to the wrong antidepressant" or "Go to Risa in the sun. Change your mind!”…
Furthermore, one senses in Picard's big speech in the Waber-Borg matrix that the authors didn't really know what to sell the son as a CONCRETE alternative program. ("Hey, at least I became a Starfleet captain! And because there was no money, I didn't have to pay taxes!")
If you look at it quite intellectually and not motivationally, even less remains. Because the fact that Jack decides to join the Borg because it was "ordained" before he was born has as much to do with personal responsibility as the late Benjamin Sisko did with leaving the church!
And how did his son cause the "change of my life" at Picard? The relationship wasn't that bad either ("Drinking on the holodeck?" - "Must be! The expiry date on the schnapps hologram is about to expire!"). A straw doll in a bald cap, a twitching fetus or Picard's dog might have had similar effects here from the Impact? Is the mere existence of a DNA copycat enough for your own life to suddenly appear fulfilled? Or is it just the basic instinct (= one's own genes have to be passed on), which also ensures that OUR parents constantly annoy us with the desire to have grandchildren? ("Will you make us a child, son?" - "But I'm gay, I lost both testicles in a wildebeest attack and live in a terraced house near Chernobyl!" - "Oh, don't be so rude. We want diapers on Saturdays exchange!")
Exciting perspectives on Picard's character can be removed here. Here you only learn something about yourself if you only knew roughly which species you belong to beforehand. Since Star Trek was already much further!
[...]
– Seven wants to resign, no longer interested in Starfleet. Everything so exhausting. And yes, by that she means almost the ENTIRE year after her career as a cynical murderous bride. But stop! The late Shaw recommended her for captain on a note. And since, as is well known, he has to decide ALONE (the calm personified - and sooo rational between his crazy failures), Tuvok has to implement it now. The plot pusher column knows neither closed doors nor defensive gestures from the thinking viewer.
– Raffi also enjoys poetry album wishes on her Samsung tablet (“Humanity saved! Best mommy!”), while Worf learns after decades among people that there are also tears of joy. Are you sure his character wasn't confused with early Data? I'm only asking because he has 4 letters in his name?
– Data’s therapy session left me rather scratching my head… What was new for him now? Probably not feelings. And his new body didn't look to me from the schematics like something to grow a new kidney? The fact that Troi was also rather bored from the session ("Hey, I'll just write directly to the WhatsApp team in the meantime!") should be funny, but it was derogatory. So for ALL characters now. Even the incoming Riker blasphemed at the same time. But interesting how it seems to be going on in Kurtzman's Writer's Rooms...?
The end of Jack's new ship seems so...natural. But different from what you think...
"Of course" the TITAN is simply renamed "Enterprise G". At that tempo, we're through the alphabet before I've even checked the visual differences between F and G. And my knowledge gap regarding the ending(?) of E?
"Of course" Seven is now reunited with Raffi - on the bridge. lucky! The admiral in charge almost turned off when assigning people from the "Black List" to the "White List" or even to the "All other 30,000 Starfleet Officers" list! But the timely receipt of bribes helped him maneuver.
"Of course" Jack doesn't know when he starts work whether he's going to translate alien languages (he can do more than a dozen; probably not such a great genius?), operate the console or act as the captain's advisor. "Of course" he becomes the latter. With their 25-30(?) years, EVERYONE can certainly still pull something out of it in terms of wisdom?
"Of course," Picard didn't know about the ship renaming beforehand. "Of course" the usual 25-year-olds are there again and "of course" the first target (although mentioned as a joke) is the star system "M'Talas". Haha, because of showrunner Matalas! Checked?!
With so much undeserved humility, according to my fanfiction die, I appoint Matalas to be... (*clack, roll*) er... Grand Admiral with a particularly large p*n*s. Hey, I actually expected more...? (*check dice*)
The poker round was okay at the end. But only because they probably just let everyone do it without a script while the 19 producers were faded in. Perhaps the biggest challenge here was not calling each other by the wrong name ("Brent...uh...Data, give me a card!"). Especially since 80% of the scene only looks beautiful because of the OLD music anyway - so you don't create anything new again.
Yes, "new"... It's that thing the producers smeared these protective pentagrams on the wall of the house against.
The scene after the credits was particularly embarrassing: "Huhu, Jack, it's me, your half-broken (S)godfather Q!" "Oh, deeeer. But shouldn't you be tooot?" (see season 2) "Pfff... you mortals always with your storylines established 10 episodes ago with your sense of time..." "Okaaay? But humanity isn't on trial anymore, is it?" (see season 2) "Yeah right. But now in connection with Picard. But DUUU will of course be tested until the doctor and the escape room operator come, harhar!
Puuuh... We're getting to a point on the Kurtzman/Matalas thing where I'd rather have toilet paper rolls on the car. Or rotten eggs on the house wall. THIS is just annoying.
We don't need to talk seriously about the fact that all of this takes a window seat next to the toilet flush in the dramaturgy junk shop? Including the artificial spaceship scenes, where you have to resort to a meticulous texture analysis, since an artistic/dramaturgical evaluation is actually out of the question.
Speaking of dramaturgy and deeper meaning: "Star Trek 8" talked about humanity in an entertaining way (Data!), about revenge (Picard), about the need to somehow integrate individuality into a collective (Borgqueen), about life plans and predestination (Dr. Cochrane doesn't want a statue be), etc
All of that has disappeared here...
– The Borgqueen is lonely and assumes OTHERS are too. Which in Jack's case is only because he was "held" behind a frosted glass pane as an aspirin smuggler - see the very first scene in 3.01... So the mom with the shotgun seemed to be the biggest problem to me?
– Jack feels euphoric in the collective and no longer lonely. However, his acting in the intermediate world suggests that he gets small needles pushed into his calves by the Borg - which would then also explain the constant crying. The transition between "joy through assimilation" and "Picard convinces with calendar sayings" was too quick anyway.
– One could also have discussed what constitutes a life worth living in the first place. The fact that the collapsing Borg Queen after years (?) in the extractor hood still dreams of her strong prince ("But only deeen Eineeen! Without the chosen one, loneliness doesn't go away.") Instead of maybe raving about euthanasia, is worth discussing anyway.
– The interaction with the founders, who also (!) have a collective of thoughts, could also have been complex. Couldn't the ten masked Hansel around Vadic have been installed THERE?
- That it was easier to "beam healthy" the Borg victims at the end (was it great fun organizing that for dozens of ships?) and "collect" the shapeshifters who appeared on the platform, enraptured from all earthly existence then I almost don't care. 2 episodes MORE on the subject, THAT would have been worse.
In general, it's all so terribly under-complex that I can almost see Rick Berman in front of me, stretching his hands to the sky and yelling "What happened to my Werrrrk?!" If you still had to juggle Romulans, Cardassians, Klingons, Bajorans, Founders, Jem'Hadar and umpteen other interests in DS9, all ships were taken over here - and done.
Vulcans and other (Federation) naval units - with telephones - don't even seem to exist in the wildest author's dreams anymore. But this spongy and forgetful quality runs through all areas anyway. The title alone: "The Last Generation" is what it says there. Why the "last"? Isn't there any more? What about Jack, who should/could extend Picard's era? And Captain Seven?
"The Old Generation" would have been a better fit, but probably didn't come across as respectful and/or understated enough. A worry that Kurtzman/Matalas can safely ditch after this season's action.
[...]
And honestly... For THIS resolution of the previous 9 episodes (= Borgqueen ONLY wants to assimilate Picard's son + assimilate as always) I would even coyly put toilet paper and sanitary napkins on the relay box at Amazon - so that no one laughs at me at the checkout."
Daniel Klapowski, Zukunftia.de
2023.05.31 21:20 clootch1 Universal Media Announces AI-Powered Universal Streams Platform
Universal Media Group Inc. (OTC: UMGP) ("UMGP"), an emerging producer and distributor of short and long-form celebrity-based reality content, is pleased to announce the ongoing development of its new streaming platform, “Universal Streams.” In a groundbreaking move for the entertainment industry, the tool will be a state-of-the-art AI-based SVOD (Subscription Video on Demand) platform. The introduction of AI technology into the realm of SVOD platforms represents a significant leap forward in the quest to enhance the user and creator's experience. Universal Media Group wants to use the power of AI to bridge the gap between creators and viewers.
Universal Streams is designed to understand and adapt to individual user preferences, providing personalized recommendations and content suggestions. By leveraging the power of artificial intelligence, the platform aims to offer a more tailored and engaging viewing experience for each user. It is determined to provide advanced Universal Streams Studio tools to help creators from ideation to distribution.
Universal Streams has a creator-focused business model and has removed many barriers creators face when producing and monetizing their content. We are very excited to have teamed up with one of the industry's most innovative technology partners to build and support Universal Streams.
Our team has also expanded to include industry professionals with decades of experience, including with Disney, MGM, Sony, and Paramount. Our expanding team enables us to expand our reach and partner with some of the industry giants providing added value for our productions as well as those by our independent creators. More details regarding our growing distribution network will follow.
Currently listed on the OTC Pink Market (UMGP), Universal Media is in the process of up-listing to the OTCQB. This is in anticipation of our submittal of a listing application to the NASDAQ by the end of our 2023-2024 fiscal year. More to follow.
About Universal Media Group
Universal Media Group (UMGP) is a publicly traded Digital Media Production company. Universal creates an eclectic array of content, including national television network celebrity programming, streaming financial news, and opinion shows. The company will continue to pursue strategic business investments, partnerships, and acquisitions that will ultimately increase profitability and expand the company's reach, focus, and portfolio of business assets.
For further information, visit: https://UMGP.com
Media Details:
Company Name: Universal Media Group
Contact Phone Number: 561.908.3333
Contact Email Address: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
Address: 1199 S Federal Hwy, Suite 111, Boca Raton, Fl 33432
Safe Harbor Statement:
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements as predictions, projections, or references to future events, expectations, possibilities, or similar. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot give any assurance that its expectations will be attained due to several variable factors. Factors or events that could cause results to differ may emerge, and the Company can't predict all of them. Some of these risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to general economic and business conditions, effects of continued geopolitical unrest and regional conflicts, customer order patterns, changes in consumer trends, and various other factors beyond the Company’s control. Although the Company intends to provide public updates, it undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise, except as required by law.
Contact Details
Universal Media Group
[[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
Company Website
https://umgp.com/
View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/universal-media-announces-ai-powered-universal-streams-platform-529656401
submitted by clootch1 to smallstreetbets [link] [comments]
Universal Streams is designed to understand and adapt to individual user preferences, providing personalized recommendations and content suggestions. By leveraging the power of artificial intelligence, the platform aims to offer a more tailored and engaging viewing experience for each user. It is determined to provide advanced Universal Streams Studio tools to help creators from ideation to distribution.
Universal Streams has a creator-focused business model and has removed many barriers creators face when producing and monetizing their content. We are very excited to have teamed up with one of the industry's most innovative technology partners to build and support Universal Streams.
Our team has also expanded to include industry professionals with decades of experience, including with Disney, MGM, Sony, and Paramount. Our expanding team enables us to expand our reach and partner with some of the industry giants providing added value for our productions as well as those by our independent creators. More details regarding our growing distribution network will follow.
Currently listed on the OTC Pink Market (UMGP), Universal Media is in the process of up-listing to the OTCQB. This is in anticipation of our submittal of a listing application to the NASDAQ by the end of our 2023-2024 fiscal year. More to follow.
About Universal Media Group
Universal Media Group (UMGP) is a publicly traded Digital Media Production company. Universal creates an eclectic array of content, including national television network celebrity programming, streaming financial news, and opinion shows. The company will continue to pursue strategic business investments, partnerships, and acquisitions that will ultimately increase profitability and expand the company's reach, focus, and portfolio of business assets.
For further information, visit: https://UMGP.com
Media Details:
Company Name: Universal Media Group
Contact Phone Number: 561.908.3333
Contact Email Address: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
Address: 1199 S Federal Hwy, Suite 111, Boca Raton, Fl 33432
Safe Harbor Statement:
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements as predictions, projections, or references to future events, expectations, possibilities, or similar. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot give any assurance that its expectations will be attained due to several variable factors. Factors or events that could cause results to differ may emerge, and the Company can't predict all of them. Some of these risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to general economic and business conditions, effects of continued geopolitical unrest and regional conflicts, customer order patterns, changes in consumer trends, and various other factors beyond the Company’s control. Although the Company intends to provide public updates, it undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise, except as required by law.
Contact Details
Universal Media Group
[[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
Company Website
https://umgp.com/
View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/universal-media-announces-ai-powered-universal-streams-platform-529656401