Bomb party rings
DOOT DOOT DERBY
2014.03.31 07:29 Niroq DOOT DOOT DERBY
2023.04.28 23:22 bethcabforcutie BombPartyGossip
A place to gossip and snark about Bomb Party Huns
2011.09.22 17:56 eagleapex Stop MLM schemes from draining your friends dry.
Multi Level Marketing (MLM) schemes are a drain on our society. Its participants either build the pyramid taller, or get squashed by it.
2023.05.29 16:24 RobertSKeene [The Primeval Apocalypse] - Chapter Seventy-One (collaboration with u/hydrael)
![[The Primeval Apocalypse] - Chapter Seventy-One (collaboration with u/hydrael)](https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/7AOGL30S9uHMz7tGUK1wtgMbXOXvU76Tn_Lkqc777pc.jpg "[The Primeval Apocalypse] - Chapter Seventy-One (collaboration with u/hydrael)") | submitted by RobertSKeene to redditserials [link] [comments] The Primeval Apocalypse by Alex Raizman and Robert Keene Start here (Prologue) Previous *** Author's note: Some days I just sit here and stare at the Author's Note section, unsure of what to write. I've already been editing for the past few hours, and so my brain is shot. Caffeine, please work harder. *** It had only been a handful of days since Noaich and I had hit the Mandrill town, but a surprising amount of the damage done had been repaired. Most of the buildings towards the edges of town had been fixed up or rebuilt. There were still a few damaged or flattened buildings farther in, though many had been crudely patched with cloth curtains. My senses easily detected which ones had been abandoned during repairs, and which ones were still intact enough to house their occupants, even if the damage was still present from some monster blasting through the walls. This late into the afternoon, many of the Mandrills were in their homes, but there was a group still working in the middle of town. Of all the damage I’d done, no building had been so obliterated as the stable. And with everyone’s living arrangements sorted, it was the most important building to get back up and secure. The pen outside of it would only contain what few drug-addled mounts and livestock they had left for so long. About eight or nine Mandrills were working feverishly to get the building back up before nightfall. I tried not to freak out when I saw the alpha near at hand, ferrying cut lumber from the crafters to the work site. Despite the above-it-all behavior he’d shown last time, he wasn’t so proud as to neglect helping, even if the task that was needed was just a strong back to haul materials. It was almost respectable behavior for a leader, if it wasn’t terrifying to think that he was going to be at the center of this fight once it began. I conveyed all that to Rachel from our final staging spot just outside the ring of farms around the town. She looked at the others and pointed at two members in particular. “Peter, Yara,” she said, pointing to the mage and the woman with the iron-banded club, “get ready.” The two split off, Peter moving with the scout Emma to the left side of the group—where her stealth aura could still cover the raid crew, but where the pair of them could duck away quickly when combat broke out. Yara moved to the back, giving Liz a protective pat on the back to try and calm the anxious archer. At the same time, Rachel moved to the front. The rest of the group formed around her the same way they had when we were making our approach on the cerebtyrannus. “In position,” Rachel said. With a firm gesture, the group headed straight for the town. The cover of Emma’s cloak couldn’t hold forever. But like my Hide In Plain Sight ability, it got us pretty far. We swarmed past the front line of guards stationed around the town by approaching in a blind spot, and got halfway to the stable before encountering a guard patrol. There were only three Mandrills, and so when one of them managed to check against someone’s stealth and win, they didn’t try and fight. Instead, they howled in alarm, their voices shrill and panicked. “Now!” Rachel snapped. “Move!” Peter and Emma broke off from the group. The mage was a bit clumsy, but Emma caught his first stumble and turned it into a springing sprint, getting the pair of them clear of us before putting her cloak back up over the pair of them. Everyone else charged forward as one, though Yara and Liz fell back, trailing behind even Big Sam who still covered the rear. We burst out into the clearing around the stable. The workers were already scrambling to get away. I could sense every guard in town converging on the stables now, moving in response to the increasingly noisy hoots of alarm. The only fighting force ready and waiting to oppose us were a half-dozen anxious guards, with the Alpha approaching from behind their shaky line. “We can take him,” Rachel said quietly. I could tell that she was hungry for the win. She might never have another chance to engage with the alpha as cleanly as she could right now. And even now he wasn’t such an imposing figure. Clearly the oldest Mandrill in the camp, with a slight limp to his gait, and unarmed, too. “It’s not part of the plan,” I said quickly. “We have to stick together.” “If we get spread out, it’s all for nothing,” she said, pressing her lips together in a tight line, remembering my warning back in town. “And getting baited to run forward is spreading us out.” “Until we see The Big One, the plan is everything,” I confirmed. “Together, then,” Rachel ordered, and the group advanced at a more measured pace than the breakneck charge she no doubt wanted. The Mandrill line seemed about to break before our numbers, but the alpha stepped up beside them. His presence visibly bolstered their resolve. And as the remaining guards grew closer, they seemed more willing to fight. I could even sense this town’s queen approaching from the west, leading a large enough group of guards to be a threat to us. Rachel adjusted her position to meet the alpha head-on. Right before the fight began she let loose with her two shout buffs, and then added a third yipping war cry that instead applied a debuff to the Mandrills, slightly shaking their confidence. I wasn’t sure what the effect was, but there wasn’t time to stop and ask. The frontline of Rachel’s fighters smashed into the Mandrills. As soon as they did, I instructed Noaich to Howl, spreading the buff to the whole party. I wanted to pop Enrage as well, but I held myself back. If this fight was going to drag on, we were going to need to stagger our buffs. One overwhelming blow wasn’t going to be what won this battle. Not yet, anyway. With the stacked buffs, our frontline put the Mandrill line on the back foot immediately. The two shield-bearing tanks at the front were near-indomitable, their boosted dodge, block, and parry skills keeping them ahead of the Mandrill’s attacks. The attacks from those behind them were fast and furious as well, defeating their defenses thanks to Rachel’s shout, and dishing out tremendous damage thanks to Noaich’s Howl. The Mandrill line almost crumbled. But it held. Because the alpha held. Rachel’s giant cleaver swept in with tremendous speed, the increased skill making the weapon blur even to my heightened senses. For a brief instant, it looked like she was going to cleave the alpha in half at the waist before he even knew he was in a fight. But his bare hands came up with speed that was outright blinding. One moment his hands were at his sides, and the next, one palm was planted on the side of Rachel’s blade, guiding it up and around his body. The other hand reached out and smashed into the center of her chest, the impact loudly rattling her armor and sending her staggering back. As the alpha held his position, he snarled and I could see the wounds on the other Mandrills closing as fast as our fighters could open them. The pain of being struck again and again was a blow to their morale, but physically, they stayed upright. They held, stopping our advance. I stepped up into the breach when Rachel fell back. I felt a magical force bolster me as one of the mages in our backline focused his efforts on me, giving me a buff to my DEX and AGI stats. Combined with Rachel’s buffs, it let me send my weapons flying in a fearsome web of blades. The unarmed alpha’s hands moved just as fast as mine. He swatted away my blades as fast as I could swing them, but unlike Rachel, I had two blades, and it occupied both of his hands. He couldn’t just swat me away with a spare moment, not unless he wanted to take a deep cut in exchange. He had to hold the line. “Come on,” I said, grinning in his face. “You’ve gotta be able to do better than this, can’t you?” The alpha was shocked at my ability to communicate. That momentary hesitation was all the opening I needed to cut across his forearm with the blade of my new axe, leaving a deep and bloody cut. My foe recovered quickly, slapping my next attack away, but that one strike was all I needed. My attack speed was increased by the blow, and so my next attack was much faster. I left a smaller cut across his palm when he tried to block me again. And then another cut on his shoulder. “You send a team to hit us when you’re not prepared for a team to hit you?” I admonished, grinning all the wider. “Seems irresponsible. A failure of leadership, I’d say.” I gained a step of ground. The elder Mandrill took a step back under the fury of my assault and the insults I flung at his face, and when he fell back, the line beside him started to panic. Even as he was healing their wounds, his own were weakening him. If things didn’t change I was going to take him out with a thousand cuts. The alpha took a desperate gamble to try and turn the fight, planting one foot firmly and rearing back to kick me away without dropping his guard. He didn’t even realize the opening he was handing me. Noaich surged forward, slipping under my wide stance to clamp his jaws down on the alpha’s planted back leg. “Have a nice trip,” I remarked, offering a mock salute. I jumped back to let Noaich hurl himself into a roll. Against every Mandrill we’d come against so far, the attack was a guaranteed kill. I assumed it would take my companion out of the fight for a while to be busy blending the alpha until liquefied, but I had no reason to expect what happened next. The alpha did get slammed into the ground on his face with bone-crushing force. But as he flipped, rotating around Noaich’s center of gravity, his hands and free leg caught himself on the next spin. His muscles tensed, and in a brief show of force, he turned Noaich’s momentum against himself, kicking up and over himself. My companion lost his grip on the alpha’s leg and was sent flying through the air, slamming noisily through the wooden wall of a nearby building. As the alpha returned to his feet, his earlier limp was a little more pronounced. And along with all the damage I’d added to him, he was looking a little rough. Even though he’d shaken off Noaich’s attack, there was still an opening and I surged forward. As long as I had my attack speed boost from my new axe I could— Rachel grabbed my shoulder and yanked, pulling me off-balance. I couldn’t catch myself and slammed into her. I was about to protest when the purpose of her interruption became crystal clear. A huge lump of fur, muscle, and claw slammed into the ground between me and the alpha like a meteor. If not for Rachel’s interference, I would have been flattened. There was a deep growl of rage at being denied its target. The Big One. The beast raised its head and glared at me with its strangely human-like eyes, baring its big square teeth at me in a mad rictus. It was an uncomfortable reminder of what had happened to me the last time I’d been unable to keep those teeth from chomping down on me. I didn’t have time to think. I had to move. The monster lunged, mouth open and slavering for another bite of me. |
2023.05.29 16:08 Mohana_Mahal Mohana Mini Hall Banquet Halls Best Party Halls in Chennai - Mohana Mahal
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2023.05.29 15:59 Maqdis3 For those of you who are feeling sorry for the members of r/Turkey...
Remember that these people:
- Openly called for Syrians to be forcibly deported, even when they risked being tortured and killed by the Assad regime. Many supported videos of violent attacks against Syrians in their comments, even against women and children.
- Constantly describe Arabs, Afghans, Pakistanis, Kurds etc as parasites, sub-humans, uncivilized, r*pists etc. The irony of course is that many in Europe see Turks the same way but its hard to reason with people with room temperature IQ that generalizations are a bad thing.
- Vehemently supported Israel during their attacks on Gaza for the sole reason that the Palestinians are Arab. Never mind that Israel is objectively wrong in the conflict and killed hundreds of civilians with their bombs, being Arab was enough for them to deserve being killed.
- Said that the survivors of the earthquake earlier this year should have been buried underneath the rubble because they voted for Erdogan.
- Abused the rescuers during the earthquake because they would say "Allahu Akbar" after saving someone.
- Insult Islam and Muslims on a daily basis, saying things like "I wish Abu Jahal had won" and abusing women wearing headscarfs.
- Support violent coups to remove their democratically elected government.
Of course not everyone on the sub-reddit subscribes to these views but these are the majority that are upvoted. If you don't believe me then have a look through the comments yourself.
There's a reason why Erdogan won, his election win would have been impossible in almost any other country. High inflation, refugee crisis, multiple wars, terror attacks, united opposition coalition of disparate ideologies, millions of new Gen Z voters and Western media bias and blanket support for the opposition (who they described as Gandhi, despite him going full 1943 Goebbels on refugees and immigrants). All on top of him being the incumbent for 20 years - in most countries people want change after a few years because they blame the government for all of their ills.
Yes Erdogan and his AK Party have made Turkey a strong international player and can boast great achievements such as huge economic growth (third highest in real terms after India and China since 2001), massive infrastructure projects, home grown defense industry (like the Bayraktar drones) and have put end to the coups and killings that plagued the country before. But one of the major reasons people still vote for Erdogan is because they remember the oppression under the previous CHP governments. Muslims in Turkey were constantly harassed, attacked, insulted. Women wearing the headscarf were arrested and humiliated. Many were imprisoned and killed for daring to speak up against the so called secular dictatorships.
The Muslims in Turkey remember these times very well and never want to back to these dark days. And Turkey has many devout and practicing Muslims, despite the 17 year old edgy Kemalists in Turkey always screeching that "wE aRe sEKKÜÜlaERR, wE ARe nOt ARapp!!". The fact that the country keeps electing Erdogan during high turnout elections is evidence for this. Even Kilicdaroglu asked for forgiveness for the past actions of the secularists, even going as far as proposing to make the right to wear a headscarf a part of the constitution and introducing an Islamic party in his coalition. He did this because he knows how Turkish voters feel and knows that they will get hammered if they continued the old CHP policies of persecuting Muslims.
Ultimately, Muslims in Turkey still did not trust the opposition and can you blame them when you see how the Turks in Turkey behave? They hide behind a veil of "secularism" when they don't even understand the meaning of the word and are in fact anti-Islam. They show their true colours in that subreddit and would be happy to adopt the CCP model in Xinjiang, in which their Turkic brothers and sisters are imprisoned in concentration camps for reading the Quran and having a beard.
Also, the people in that sub-reddit make probably the worst argument I have ever heard, which is that Muslim countries are bad because of Sharia and Turkey is great because of secularism. The level of stupidity in this argument is honestly so bad that I don't even know where to start.
submitted by Maqdis3 to AskMiddleEast [link] [comments]
- Openly called for Syrians to be forcibly deported, even when they risked being tortured and killed by the Assad regime. Many supported videos of violent attacks against Syrians in their comments, even against women and children.
- Constantly describe Arabs, Afghans, Pakistanis, Kurds etc as parasites, sub-humans, uncivilized, r*pists etc. The irony of course is that many in Europe see Turks the same way but its hard to reason with people with room temperature IQ that generalizations are a bad thing.
- Vehemently supported Israel during their attacks on Gaza for the sole reason that the Palestinians are Arab. Never mind that Israel is objectively wrong in the conflict and killed hundreds of civilians with their bombs, being Arab was enough for them to deserve being killed.
- Said that the survivors of the earthquake earlier this year should have been buried underneath the rubble because they voted for Erdogan.
- Abused the rescuers during the earthquake because they would say "Allahu Akbar" after saving someone.
- Insult Islam and Muslims on a daily basis, saying things like "I wish Abu Jahal had won" and abusing women wearing headscarfs.
- Support violent coups to remove their democratically elected government.
Of course not everyone on the sub-reddit subscribes to these views but these are the majority that are upvoted. If you don't believe me then have a look through the comments yourself.
There's a reason why Erdogan won, his election win would have been impossible in almost any other country. High inflation, refugee crisis, multiple wars, terror attacks, united opposition coalition of disparate ideologies, millions of new Gen Z voters and Western media bias and blanket support for the opposition (who they described as Gandhi, despite him going full 1943 Goebbels on refugees and immigrants). All on top of him being the incumbent for 20 years - in most countries people want change after a few years because they blame the government for all of their ills.
Yes Erdogan and his AK Party have made Turkey a strong international player and can boast great achievements such as huge economic growth (third highest in real terms after India and China since 2001), massive infrastructure projects, home grown defense industry (like the Bayraktar drones) and have put end to the coups and killings that plagued the country before. But one of the major reasons people still vote for Erdogan is because they remember the oppression under the previous CHP governments. Muslims in Turkey were constantly harassed, attacked, insulted. Women wearing the headscarf were arrested and humiliated. Many were imprisoned and killed for daring to speak up against the so called secular dictatorships.
The Muslims in Turkey remember these times very well and never want to back to these dark days. And Turkey has many devout and practicing Muslims, despite the 17 year old edgy Kemalists in Turkey always screeching that "wE aRe sEKKÜÜlaERR, wE ARe nOt ARapp!!". The fact that the country keeps electing Erdogan during high turnout elections is evidence for this. Even Kilicdaroglu asked for forgiveness for the past actions of the secularists, even going as far as proposing to make the right to wear a headscarf a part of the constitution and introducing an Islamic party in his coalition. He did this because he knows how Turkish voters feel and knows that they will get hammered if they continued the old CHP policies of persecuting Muslims.
Ultimately, Muslims in Turkey still did not trust the opposition and can you blame them when you see how the Turks in Turkey behave? They hide behind a veil of "secularism" when they don't even understand the meaning of the word and are in fact anti-Islam. They show their true colours in that subreddit and would be happy to adopt the CCP model in Xinjiang, in which their Turkic brothers and sisters are imprisoned in concentration camps for reading the Quran and having a beard.
Also, the people in that sub-reddit make probably the worst argument I have ever heard, which is that Muslim countries are bad because of Sharia and Turkey is great because of secularism. The level of stupidity in this argument is honestly so bad that I don't even know where to start.
2023.05.29 15:53 CalicoIda Highschool of the Dead... with guns.
Seeing how I was downvoted in the last post with the characters getting perks, now I will make quotes of the characters getting guns. There are two types of guns that I think would do well, wall guns and box guns. There will be seperate quotes for each weapon or type of weapon depending on the character and we will do this in character order. Depending on the size of the map, the box will move every few guns made when someone gets a teddy bear. Now remember, this is the Jingle to the Mystery Box.
Takashi Komura
"Well an over under Shotgun, don't see if this can be much help?" Purchasing the Olympia
"At least I can try to figure out what to do with this, I think Rei has a better idea than me." Pruchasing the M14
"Something to keep me light on my feet, might be running back and forth to get more ammo for this." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Well a Pump action, wait wasn't this supposed to have a scope?" Pruchasing the Stakeout
"Well if my legs want to, I guess I can keep running or ditch one of these." Pruchasing the Mp5k, MP40 or AK74U
"A little boy with his favorite toy!" Purchasing the M16
"Explosive barricades, might come handy in a pinch." Purchasing Claymores
"Restocked and ready for more!" Purchasing grenades
"Wait why is there a knife digging into my inventory space?" Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"Well sensing something happy that this box will give me. I would take my chances." Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"AUG more like AUG-SOME!" Getting the AUG from the box
"Wow this must be heavy, I don't think I want to develop problems from carrying this thing for too long." Getting a light machine gun from the box
"Time to blow some heads off!" Getting a Shotgun from the box
"Fighting me up close isn't fair, and now I get a SNIPER RIFLE?!?" Getting a Sniper from the box
"Now the entire crowd will have to see what someone like me has in store!" Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"Don't know if this would be much use?" Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"God why are you so cruel some times?!" Getting a Pistol from the box
"Don't know if its one or two?" Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"Wait what is this supposed to do again?" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"Wow this should be interesting." Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"Just you and me my fuzzy pal, now lets go kill some zombies." Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Hey box! FUCK YOU!" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Kohta Hirano
"A shotgun with the highway in its barrels, I can't see if this would cause an accident." Purchasing the Olympia
"Hey this used to be my favorite gun to get from the wall." Pruchasing the M14 or MP40
"Ammo count is low and the rate of fire isn't going to help." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Well if they want to get up close and personal, I'm ready for them." Pruchasing the Stakeout
"Hey looks like I got something light and portable. Time to watch this kid run." Purchasing the Mp5K or AK74U
"This is a little off balance... wait doesn't this thing come with an underbarrel grenade launcher?" Purchasing the M16
"Now I want to be careful as this might trip someone up." Purchasing Claymores
"Well now I don't need to wait between rounds to get more grenades." Purchasing grenades
"I think this thing was useful for the first ten rounds, why did it have to become obsolete?" Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"Well me and my friends would always bet 950 on the Mystery Box." Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"Well someone could say I am happy." Getting the Commando from the box
"Time to go full Rambo on the zombies." *Laughs* Getting a light machine gun from the box
"I bet there is one where you can dual weld a Shotgun." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"Do you really think I need to be across the map for the perfect shot?" Getting a Sniper from the box
"No refunds from this party cannon zombies." Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"What am I supposed to do with this? Go down?" Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"I try my best to accept everything I can get in life but this something I don't want to take." Getting a Pistol from the box
"Akimbo with these things? This could be interesting." Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"This brings back fun memories!" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"This looks... odd... I bet it can be useful." Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"I remember I wasn't fond of that mister monkey." Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Why did someone like me have to roll that dreaded teddy bear?" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Rei Miyamoto
"I am happy and ready to fight!" Purchasing the Olympia
"Wee! This is my favorite rifle!" Pruchasing the M14
"I wish I could hold another one of these with my other hand." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
*Laughs* "Look at this pitful thing, it was very expensive if we aren't to pay for its upkeep!" Pruchasing the Stakeout
"One two three four, these guns are in my... how does it go again?" Purchasing the Mp5k, MP40 or AK74U
"I don't like the mechanics of this gun." Purchasing the M16
"I completely forgot what these did again." Purchasing Claymores
"Strapping extra explosives to my body is a good idea? Right?" Purchasing Grenades
"Well time to stab and slice them to ribbons! Ribbons for Takashi." Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"Well if someone says fortune could make a lady like me smile, this could mean first love." Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"A nice cushion for my chest." Getting the FN FAL from the box
"I would definitely lay down and mount this thing to my body." Getting a light machine gun from the box
"Birds, seeds, slugs, deer. This has it all." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"Definitely reminds me of the scope of my rifle. I want to mount it to the M14." Getting a Sniper from the box
"Definitely want to take down the horde with this." Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"Gah I don't like using knives up close." Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"Why do you hate me box?" Getting a Pistol from the box
"Hooray! This makes me very happy!" Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"This is... MINE!" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"Wee! This weapon would look to be a lot of fun." Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"A fuzzy little friend for someone like me." Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Where are you going box, did you dump me or something? Do you not like me?" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Saya Takagi
"Argh, I'm not a fan of double barrels." Purchasing the Olympia
"Who wants to reform the M14 Gang?" Purchasing the M14
"A little gun but it should have a deadly output of lead!" Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Time to make their little heads go... boom!" Purchasing the Stakeout
"Something to keep my time occupied with their moans as they collapse to my feet." Purchasing the Mp5K or AK74U
"The MP40! WUNDERBAR!!" Purchasing the MP40
"A three round burst of... DEATH!" *Laughs maniacally.* Purchasing the M16
"Time to see their legs shatter into a hundred pieces!" Purchasing Claymores
"This makes a girl like me very happy." Purchasing grenades
"I don't know who Jim Bowie was but he must have been BIG and LONG and SHARP!" Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"Something like this would make someone as crazy as me but I want to hear them scream while they fall to my knees!" Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"Seeing something as strange as Kraut magic that makes the zombies go pop will make me smile with glee!" Gertting the G11 from the box
"So much lead, so much death!" Getting a light machine gun from the box
"So much fun in these tiny little shells." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"An excellent engineering piece... for zombie on the stage with me at the balcony seat." Getting a Sniper from the box
"I will be drowning in all of their body parts!" Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"The surgeon's favorite tool. Ze Doktor is in!" Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"A doctor's tools are numerous but this is one I wouldn't use." Getting a Pistol from the box
"Oh wow! Time to use these to harvest their organs!" Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"Glowing green balls are my favorite tools to perform an amputation. TO THE LEGS!" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"Blowing them away with infinite damage isn't as fun as painstakingly taking them apart with finite damage." Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"My little monkey friend. Shall we go kill the hordes of the undead. YES VE SHALL!" Getting monkey bombs from the box
"All right fine! If you don't want to keep my medicine in check then you are fired!" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Saeko Busujima
"A good gun to start us off. Wait why does it have to be a shotgun?" Purchasing the Olympia
"Now this is something a warrior's desires should be taken into consideration." Purchasing the M14
"Nice and feather light. Divine wind would sweep over me." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Why would I need a shotgun? Shouldn't I be slicing and dicing instead of blasting holes into them?" Purchasing the Stakeout
"They say a true honorable warrior's kit is full of useful tools. This should satisfy my needs." Purchasing the Mp5k, MP40 or AK74U
"This thing should be full auto right? I am not one of a controlled bursts." Purchasing the M16
"Land mines for the honorable warrior to protect herself. This should be interesting." Purchasing Claymores
"I am glad to be restocked. I wouldn't have many ways to keep myself in fighting condition." Purchasing Grenades
"Now this is an honorable weapon to killing the zombies with." Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"A warrior's basic tool to fighting the undead, I lust for the blood to be spilled!" Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"This is considered the best of the best. I would certainly have to make do and keep fighting." Getting a Galil from the box
"A warrior has to be nimble to fight. This is too heavy for my tastes." Getting a light machine gun from the box
"Eh... not my favorite." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"I can't do much with this, I am no coward." Getting a Sniper from the box
"Can be exciting, can be not. To be fierce or not to be is my question." Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"Oh look two knives. I am pretty excited to see this." Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"It turns out the wretched box doesn't recognize my honor." Getting a Pistol from the box
"It's not like having two guns pleases me. I can barely control even one." Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"Can this... device... be of any use for a warrior like me?" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"The warrior is now invincible!" Getting the wonder weapon of the map
*Chuckling* "The Emperor would be amused!" Getting monkey bombs from the box
"You wretched teddy bear. You bring all misfortunes to the entire group!" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Shizuka Marikawa
"Why do I always have to make the wrong choice and get the shotgun early?" Purchasing the Olympia
"A brutal way of dismembering them piece by piece. Wait it's my job to help patch them together?" Purcashing the M14
"Definitely a side arm I want to keep as a back up. I wish there were more automatics like this." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Takashi would like this to be used as a medicine dispenser." Purchasing the Stakeout
"Something that requires two hands to hold. It's like taking Zeke for his walks." Purchasing the Mp5k, MP40 or AK74U
"I wish I had one of these in Rika's weapon locker." Purchasing the M16
"Be careful and don't drop them." Purchasing Claymores
"Well I needed more of these like a shopping list." Purchasing Grenades.
"A cooking utensil for using it on them." Purchasing the Bowie Knife.
"Standard with every shipment." Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"This weapon wants to make me G16GL3." Getting the Famas from the box
"Concealing something as big as this makes it hard to carry at least I'm big enough to carry it without problems." Getting a light machine gun from the box
"They often say fun things come in small packages those packages are the ammo." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"I wouldn't be so useful if I was so far away." Getting a Sniper from the box
"Boom boom time!" Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"I heard this thing is excellent to bring downed team mates back from the grave. Now time to wait for someone to need my help." Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"This gun doesn't bring much joy to me." Getting a Pistol from the box
"Two pistols? I don't know what to say." Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"Wait what does a nurse with a strange weapon like this is supposed to do again?" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"I guess we seemed to have luck on our side no?" Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"Aww he's so cute. I want one of these in my office." Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Wait you're leaving? Okay have a nice day box." Getting a teddy bear from the box
Alice Maresato
"Why would there be a gang with this gun, it's not good for anything." Purchasing the Olympia
"A beautiful piece of machinery, maybe good for points." Purcashing the M14
"This will get expensive in the long run, I do not suggest purchasing." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"I can see this being helpful getting rid of that one zombie in front of me." Purachasing the Stakeout.
"Come baby we do the 59, eh?" Purchasing the Mp5k or MP40
"I can declare that this is my favorite gun from the wall." Purachasing the AK74U
"Second best to put them down in a controlled manner." Purchasing the M16
"I will surround myself in these to form a barricade, they won't be able to reach me!" Purchasing Claymores
"Well I would always fall in love with Semtex grenades as they just stick to them like glue." Purchasing Grenades.
"EEEK! I knife almost the size of me!" Purchasing the Bowie Knife.
"Well there isn't a rifle that I don't like. I would like them all." Getting an Assault Rifle from the box
"Okay guys I'm all set up until round 35." Getting a Galil from the box.
"Hey the box really loves me!" Getting the Spectre from the box
"I... can't... carry... this!" Getting a light machine gun from the box
"Time to blast some holes in those stiffs. I definitely want to see them fall." Getting a shotgun from the box.
"I can't tell if the AK74U, Galil, Spectre is now my favorie because this has outranked them all... probably not. I still love the Spectre." Getting a SPAS-12 from the box
"Hello beautiful I will cock you gently." Getting a Sniper from the box
"Is it really safe for me to use this? I definitely want them to explode." Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"I feel I want to immediately trade this for another gun." Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"Well gun you did it, you made Alice cry!" Getting a Pistol from the box
"Two guns is better than one and one is better than... what?" Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"My old friend, shall we kill some zombies? Yes Alice yes we shall!" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"They will see what they will fear from a little girl such as myself!" Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"I would prefer Gersch Device or Matryoshka Dolls over this monkey!" Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Hey guys, the box disappeared, what... what are we going to do?" Getting a teddy bear from the box
What more quotes should I make? I definitely have had some fun making this as this would explain more about the characters in how I wrote them. I would like to hear your suggestions.
submitted by CalicoIda to HighSchoolOfTheDead [link] [comments]
Takashi Komura
"Well an over under Shotgun, don't see if this can be much help?" Purchasing the Olympia
"At least I can try to figure out what to do with this, I think Rei has a better idea than me." Pruchasing the M14
"Something to keep me light on my feet, might be running back and forth to get more ammo for this." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Well a Pump action, wait wasn't this supposed to have a scope?" Pruchasing the Stakeout
"Well if my legs want to, I guess I can keep running or ditch one of these." Pruchasing the Mp5k, MP40 or AK74U
"A little boy with his favorite toy!" Purchasing the M16
"Explosive barricades, might come handy in a pinch." Purchasing Claymores
"Restocked and ready for more!" Purchasing grenades
"Wait why is there a knife digging into my inventory space?" Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"Well sensing something happy that this box will give me. I would take my chances." Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"AUG more like AUG-SOME!" Getting the AUG from the box
"Wow this must be heavy, I don't think I want to develop problems from carrying this thing for too long." Getting a light machine gun from the box
"Time to blow some heads off!" Getting a Shotgun from the box
"Fighting me up close isn't fair, and now I get a SNIPER RIFLE?!?" Getting a Sniper from the box
"Now the entire crowd will have to see what someone like me has in store!" Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"Don't know if this would be much use?" Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"God why are you so cruel some times?!" Getting a Pistol from the box
"Don't know if its one or two?" Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"Wait what is this supposed to do again?" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"Wow this should be interesting." Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"Just you and me my fuzzy pal, now lets go kill some zombies." Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Hey box! FUCK YOU!" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Kohta Hirano
"A shotgun with the highway in its barrels, I can't see if this would cause an accident." Purchasing the Olympia
"Hey this used to be my favorite gun to get from the wall." Pruchasing the M14 or MP40
"Ammo count is low and the rate of fire isn't going to help." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Well if they want to get up close and personal, I'm ready for them." Pruchasing the Stakeout
"Hey looks like I got something light and portable. Time to watch this kid run." Purchasing the Mp5K or AK74U
"This is a little off balance... wait doesn't this thing come with an underbarrel grenade launcher?" Purchasing the M16
"Now I want to be careful as this might trip someone up." Purchasing Claymores
"Well now I don't need to wait between rounds to get more grenades." Purchasing grenades
"I think this thing was useful for the first ten rounds, why did it have to become obsolete?" Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"Well me and my friends would always bet 950 on the Mystery Box." Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"Well someone could say I am happy." Getting the Commando from the box
"Time to go full Rambo on the zombies." *Laughs* Getting a light machine gun from the box
"I bet there is one where you can dual weld a Shotgun." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"Do you really think I need to be across the map for the perfect shot?" Getting a Sniper from the box
"No refunds from this party cannon zombies." Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"What am I supposed to do with this? Go down?" Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"I try my best to accept everything I can get in life but this something I don't want to take." Getting a Pistol from the box
"Akimbo with these things? This could be interesting." Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"This brings back fun memories!" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"This looks... odd... I bet it can be useful." Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"I remember I wasn't fond of that mister monkey." Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Why did someone like me have to roll that dreaded teddy bear?" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Rei Miyamoto
"I am happy and ready to fight!" Purchasing the Olympia
"Wee! This is my favorite rifle!" Pruchasing the M14
"I wish I could hold another one of these with my other hand." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
*Laughs* "Look at this pitful thing, it was very expensive if we aren't to pay for its upkeep!" Pruchasing the Stakeout
"One two three four, these guns are in my... how does it go again?" Purchasing the Mp5k, MP40 or AK74U
"I don't like the mechanics of this gun." Purchasing the M16
"I completely forgot what these did again." Purchasing Claymores
"Strapping extra explosives to my body is a good idea? Right?" Purchasing Grenades
"Well time to stab and slice them to ribbons! Ribbons for Takashi." Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"Well if someone says fortune could make a lady like me smile, this could mean first love." Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"A nice cushion for my chest." Getting the FN FAL from the box
"I would definitely lay down and mount this thing to my body." Getting a light machine gun from the box
"Birds, seeds, slugs, deer. This has it all." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"Definitely reminds me of the scope of my rifle. I want to mount it to the M14." Getting a Sniper from the box
"Definitely want to take down the horde with this." Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"Gah I don't like using knives up close." Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"Why do you hate me box?" Getting a Pistol from the box
"Hooray! This makes me very happy!" Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"This is... MINE!" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"Wee! This weapon would look to be a lot of fun." Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"A fuzzy little friend for someone like me." Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Where are you going box, did you dump me or something? Do you not like me?" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Saya Takagi
"Argh, I'm not a fan of double barrels." Purchasing the Olympia
"Who wants to reform the M14 Gang?" Purchasing the M14
"A little gun but it should have a deadly output of lead!" Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Time to make their little heads go... boom!" Purchasing the Stakeout
"Something to keep my time occupied with their moans as they collapse to my feet." Purchasing the Mp5K or AK74U
"The MP40! WUNDERBAR!!" Purchasing the MP40
"A three round burst of... DEATH!" *Laughs maniacally.* Purchasing the M16
"Time to see their legs shatter into a hundred pieces!" Purchasing Claymores
"This makes a girl like me very happy." Purchasing grenades
"I don't know who Jim Bowie was but he must have been BIG and LONG and SHARP!" Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"Something like this would make someone as crazy as me but I want to hear them scream while they fall to my knees!" Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"Seeing something as strange as Kraut magic that makes the zombies go pop will make me smile with glee!" Gertting the G11 from the box
"So much lead, so much death!" Getting a light machine gun from the box
"So much fun in these tiny little shells." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"An excellent engineering piece... for zombie on the stage with me at the balcony seat." Getting a Sniper from the box
"I will be drowning in all of their body parts!" Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"The surgeon's favorite tool. Ze Doktor is in!" Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"A doctor's tools are numerous but this is one I wouldn't use." Getting a Pistol from the box
"Oh wow! Time to use these to harvest their organs!" Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"Glowing green balls are my favorite tools to perform an amputation. TO THE LEGS!" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"Blowing them away with infinite damage isn't as fun as painstakingly taking them apart with finite damage." Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"My little monkey friend. Shall we go kill the hordes of the undead. YES VE SHALL!" Getting monkey bombs from the box
"All right fine! If you don't want to keep my medicine in check then you are fired!" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Saeko Busujima
"A good gun to start us off. Wait why does it have to be a shotgun?" Purchasing the Olympia
"Now this is something a warrior's desires should be taken into consideration." Purchasing the M14
"Nice and feather light. Divine wind would sweep over me." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Why would I need a shotgun? Shouldn't I be slicing and dicing instead of blasting holes into them?" Purchasing the Stakeout
"They say a true honorable warrior's kit is full of useful tools. This should satisfy my needs." Purchasing the Mp5k, MP40 or AK74U
"This thing should be full auto right? I am not one of a controlled bursts." Purchasing the M16
"Land mines for the honorable warrior to protect herself. This should be interesting." Purchasing Claymores
"I am glad to be restocked. I wouldn't have many ways to keep myself in fighting condition." Purchasing Grenades
"Now this is an honorable weapon to killing the zombies with." Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"A warrior's basic tool to fighting the undead, I lust for the blood to be spilled!" Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"This is considered the best of the best. I would certainly have to make do and keep fighting." Getting a Galil from the box
"A warrior has to be nimble to fight. This is too heavy for my tastes." Getting a light machine gun from the box
"Eh... not my favorite." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"I can't do much with this, I am no coward." Getting a Sniper from the box
"Can be exciting, can be not. To be fierce or not to be is my question." Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"Oh look two knives. I am pretty excited to see this." Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"It turns out the wretched box doesn't recognize my honor." Getting a Pistol from the box
"It's not like having two guns pleases me. I can barely control even one." Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"Can this... device... be of any use for a warrior like me?" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"The warrior is now invincible!" Getting the wonder weapon of the map
*Chuckling* "The Emperor would be amused!" Getting monkey bombs from the box
"You wretched teddy bear. You bring all misfortunes to the entire group!" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Shizuka Marikawa
"Why do I always have to make the wrong choice and get the shotgun early?" Purchasing the Olympia
"A brutal way of dismembering them piece by piece. Wait it's my job to help patch them together?" Purcashing the M14
"Definitely a side arm I want to keep as a back up. I wish there were more automatics like this." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Takashi would like this to be used as a medicine dispenser." Purchasing the Stakeout
"Something that requires two hands to hold. It's like taking Zeke for his walks." Purchasing the Mp5k, MP40 or AK74U
"I wish I had one of these in Rika's weapon locker." Purchasing the M16
"Be careful and don't drop them." Purchasing Claymores
"Well I needed more of these like a shopping list." Purchasing Grenades.
"A cooking utensil for using it on them." Purchasing the Bowie Knife.
"Standard with every shipment." Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"This weapon wants to make me G16GL3." Getting the Famas from the box
"Concealing something as big as this makes it hard to carry at least I'm big enough to carry it without problems." Getting a light machine gun from the box
"They often say fun things come in small packages those packages are the ammo." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"I wouldn't be so useful if I was so far away." Getting a Sniper from the box
"Boom boom time!" Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"I heard this thing is excellent to bring downed team mates back from the grave. Now time to wait for someone to need my help." Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"This gun doesn't bring much joy to me." Getting a Pistol from the box
"Two pistols? I don't know what to say." Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"Wait what does a nurse with a strange weapon like this is supposed to do again?" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"I guess we seemed to have luck on our side no?" Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"Aww he's so cute. I want one of these in my office." Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Wait you're leaving? Okay have a nice day box." Getting a teddy bear from the box
Alice Maresato
"Why would there be a gang with this gun, it's not good for anything." Purchasing the Olympia
"A beautiful piece of machinery, maybe good for points." Purcashing the M14
"This will get expensive in the long run, I do not suggest purchasing." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"I can see this being helpful getting rid of that one zombie in front of me." Purachasing the Stakeout.
"Come baby we do the 59, eh?" Purchasing the Mp5k or MP40
"I can declare that this is my favorite gun from the wall." Purachasing the AK74U
"Second best to put them down in a controlled manner." Purchasing the M16
"I will surround myself in these to form a barricade, they won't be able to reach me!" Purchasing Claymores
"Well I would always fall in love with Semtex grenades as they just stick to them like glue." Purchasing Grenades.
"EEEK! I knife almost the size of me!" Purchasing the Bowie Knife.
"Well there isn't a rifle that I don't like. I would like them all." Getting an Assault Rifle from the box
"Okay guys I'm all set up until round 35." Getting a Galil from the box.
"Hey the box really loves me!" Getting the Spectre from the box
"I... can't... carry... this!" Getting a light machine gun from the box
"Time to blast some holes in those stiffs. I definitely want to see them fall." Getting a shotgun from the box.
"I can't tell if the AK74U, Galil, Spectre is now my favorie because this has outranked them all... probably not. I still love the Spectre." Getting a SPAS-12 from the box
"Hello beautiful I will cock you gently." Getting a Sniper from the box
"Is it really safe for me to use this? I definitely want them to explode." Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"I feel I want to immediately trade this for another gun." Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"Well gun you did it, you made Alice cry!" Getting a Pistol from the box
"Two guns is better than one and one is better than... what?" Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"My old friend, shall we kill some zombies? Yes Alice yes we shall!" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"They will see what they will fear from a little girl such as myself!" Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"I would prefer Gersch Device or Matryoshka Dolls over this monkey!" Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Hey guys, the box disappeared, what... what are we going to do?" Getting a teddy bear from the box
What more quotes should I make? I definitely have had some fun making this as this would explain more about the characters in how I wrote them. I would like to hear your suggestions.
2023.05.29 15:50 Ethereal_Stars_7 Flight of the War Witch: Part 023: Patron of the Arts
Part 1 of the Evil That Lies Within arc begins.
[Previous] Part 022 [Next]
<==--------===-=-===--------==>
/- - Flight of the War Witch - - \
\ =>>>>><0> 023 <0><<<<<= /
\ - - - Patron of the Arts - - - /
=----=====----=
Voice Log Entry number: 81-3, Timestamp: 02-15 (estimated (guesstimated)(aintgotacluestimated))
Bit into the -second- year here. Yeah. Still getting used to that. Think I am going to just start counting days as they pass here rather than doing the mental gymnastics needed to convert fifty hour days and two-hundred day seasons into Earth days and years. A 'season' here being about four-hundred and sixteen days long. Give or take a few days. Considering everything else on this world is artificial - I have a feeling the variance in the season timing is intentional and probably oscillates. Not enough pattern data yet to know for sure.
Still no handle on why time feels... compressed here? I have settled into a sleep schedule of about sixteen of the twenty-five hour night - and it feels like a restful eight hours. The dragon folk tend to sleep twenty hours. I use the extra time to practice with my magic sword. My MAGIC SWORD! yeaaaaaah!
This Grand Bazaar is so fun! It is like an enormous ren-fair if ren-fairs were into greeco-roman fashions. Speaking of. Baroness Clade was all ga-ga over some new dresses from the outer ring of the gathering. These were pretty interesting as the floor length skirts billowed out. This was pulled off by weaving the whole thing from wire mesh instead of chain-mail. Or used metal struts connected to a belt to give the garment shape. Just more example of how their textiles diverged from ours due to the radically different materials on hand. No mammals, no wool, a ridiculous abundance of metals. Oh yeah. And freaking magic.
I have to keep reminding myself that this is all on an enormous scale. It takes me about three hours to walk the outer ring. (oh-so much longer because we are window-shopping...) My walk speed is forty-eight kph. So yeah. Its big. And this thing lasts a ten-day. Though the tenth day is when alot of folk start packing up. Some far earlier if they sold out their wares quicker.
Found out what the wigs are made from. Dragon hair. Found a stall selling wigs and turns out dragons with nice hair use a hair growth spell to grow it out and harvest it regularly. Can not do it frequently. Something about needing time to replenish. But it is a business here for dragons who like other hair colors.
If you are willing to hang around a few days there are crafters and brewers who can whip up during the event some basic magic items. Mostly little widgets that do not do a whole lot. Or quick-craft stuff like arrows with basic targeting enhancement enchantments. Potions can be gotten in a day. I nabbed a few "Healing Potions" because they should work on my nominally organic parts. Least that was what I expected. Guess what? That's right. I'm WRONG! Kinda-sorta... Its Complex!!!
We swung around the Druid section of the magic ring at Ghinda's request and got the lowdown on the problems of fixing me up as it had apparently unbeknownst to me, been prying on her mind ever since we met. She would prod me now and then at the keep to do some 'tests', but never said what for?
This for...
She had been talking at length with one of the higher ups in the rankings of nature lovers. This guy looked ancient! Yet strong at the same time. My chest and veins felt a little tingly near him. Guessing that was the more plant based parts of me responding? In any case he was blood red and had these curly corkscrew horns like a ram. Rings everywhere! Fingers, horns, tail. Don't wanna know where else! And holding this staff that was like twenty meters tall! Wood. Like a whole tree. Topped with a turquoise orb and an, ahem, orbiting ring of, er, rings with different elements in the rings where a finger would go. Standard Earth, Air, Fire, Water. But between those were Magma, Smoke, Ice (how'd he get that even???), and Mud. Really impressive looking. The length of the staff was carved with arcane runes and banded in gold. Guy really liked his ring motif huh?
So first glance at me is that dismissive "Fuck off technology." attitude and I'm like "ooooh Imma gonna -show- him somethin!"
But then he does a double-take and starts to look at me funny. Like he is looking -through- me, inside me?
Then he starts to get excited.
Then really excited.
Then -oh fuck! What did I do this time?- excited.
Turns out he could clearly sense all the plant-life inside me comprising my life support systems. A fifteen meter tall enclosed micro-ecology. He was just ooohing and ahhing at the near perfect balance of my internal workins. And so an hour or more passed while I tried to explain in fantasy terms the incredible effort that went into the CyberDyne project and the botanist who made the breakthrough in sealed life support systems. They read it all as a neo-Druid creating a self sustaining eco-system. Something Druids of this world consider a work of art or a religious experience in a way. Due to how the whole world is in a way just that. Self contained and perpetual.
He was really interested in the mini forest that makes up my lungs. Probably because they are not of this world and at a guess are pinging his nature sense. He asked me if he could get a clipping. And I said "Not on the first date."
He got all purple in the face and then laughed and laughed.
So he confirmed that basic healing incantations like [Balm of Life] will kinda-sorta work on me. But due to my, ahem, Golem nature and my botanic parts, I'd get more oomph from a simple [Repair] incantation for my cybernetics and [Botanica's Blessing] for my plant based systems. A healing potion was going to do me little good then - and would be only a -third- as effective. argh! ah well. I can use it in the others in an emergency. Stuff makes triage look like leeches and poultices. hmph. Magic.
From all this I did though get some advice. Mainly to look up a Master of Alchemy to whip up some specialized healing draughts. Cost a bit more. But better than needing the magic equivalent of a Pit Crew to heal me up. Not like I intend to get perforated again. But with these Coalition jokers out there. I have a bad feeling I am going to be in the eye of the storm. Least they pointed me at someone here to talk to about that.
Noon will be dinner with the local nobility. The Baroness suggested I dress well so I guess I will be stowing the Regalia and going formal. Good thing packed the clothes for this. Kinda nervous. Aside from meeting the mayor of Dynamiton City, I have never really had to deal with the higher ups.
Forescout Valkyria signing out.
=----=====----=
Valkyria, with much assistance from Roscida, disengaged her Regalia and a few plates to slim down to a less aggressive profile. Then her ward helped her to get dressed and don her wig. Together they met up with Dasos and she resupplied more goggles to sell and for the morning the Gorgon swapped out with the Ki-rin girl so Dasos could do a little shopping herself.
Wandering the stalls and merchants she was updated on the sales of the goodies and stoning potions. "huh, more sold than I expected?"
Dasos nodded while munching on a glazed tyra leg as she walked beside the War Witch. "The Grand Bazaar is an opportune time to sell and spread word. And word is spreading."
She glanced sidelong at the Gorgon. "Feels good to be making a difference?"
This got an emphatic nodding. "Very much so. The look on peoples faces. Especially the expressions when learning the low cost. After thousands upon thousands of days we are not shunned and driven off."
"In time the cure will be found and you all can go back to living normal lives."
Dasos was keen to buy a new dress for herself after a lifetime of living in rags and whatever they could scrounge or steal. Well the metal equivalent of rags. Dragon clothing was very durable overall.
-<>-
As noon rolled around they saw the Gorgon back to her stall and Roscida joined Valkyria in meeting Baroness Clade at the castle gates. The structure was tremendous and some of the taller minarets reached high into the sky perhaps a quarter of a kilometer. The gate guards were armored and looked alot like silver versions of Valkyria. Though without the stiff wing covers. Each was armed with a huge halberd, a pole arm some twenty meters long with a spike pointing upwards, an axe head facing forward and a hook facing back.
Baroness Clade did the introductions and then they were escorted inside by an attendant and Valkyria got to gawk at the decorations, all on a cyclopean scale. Fifteen meter tall statuary adorned some halls. tapestries and stained glass windows were common and there were quite a few paintings. The elder Clade encouraged the guide to elaborate on some of the depictions.
"Here is show the mounted battle of the Phantom Swamps some two-hundred thousand days past."
The white and gold cyborg ran a quick calculation and figured that to be over a thousand years ago by Earth time. "So you even domesticated a thunder lizard?" She was looking at the huge diplodocus that was being ridden like an elephant and was about as large.
"The diplo in the center? Yes. They are native to the great swamps of the lowlands. A few daring souls have trained them for war. But they are difficult to manage. Bron are even harder to tame and for reasons unknown once every few seasons a bull will ascend the plateaus and go on a rampage until either driven off or put down." So explained the attendant.
Valkyria studied this for a time, taking into account the gigantic scale of this battle depicted. Spells were flying, knights with glowing weapons were cleaving into each-other, and a pair of trebuchets mounted on the diplodocus were lobbing stones at some sort wall of earth some mage had called up. The painting had tiny little details in it down to links in armor and little fine inscriptions on weapons and standards. "Who are they fighting? Looks formidable? Are those a pair of Golems? I see hinged joints?" she questioned.
"Indeed m'lady. Ta Matia tis Mageías, The Eyes of Vraja, were a mageocrocy that formed formed around a renowned vraja college of Solomonari to the west between here and the Ki-rin lands. They grew in power and then began expanding. They employed Golems and Elementals in large numbers and were a force to be reckoned with. The painting depicts the final battle on the borders of what would become the Principalities." pointed out the attendant.
"So what became of them?"
Baroness Clade answered that. "Everyone turning against them and internal fraction caused the eventual collapse as they suffered a series of defeats after some initial victories. A faction within the Eye was against violence and secretly aided the unified people opposing the expansion and so inside and out the cracks formed. Finally they could take no more and sued for peace when they realized the horrible loss of knowledge that was happening as one after another fell. They reorganized and police themselves rigorously now as a true college of study and wisdom. That was all some half a million days ago."
The War Witch gawked as she did some calculations. Over two-thousand eight-hundred Earth years ago. "And it is still going today?"
A nod from the elder dragoness. "Indeed. I myself studied there for six-thousand days and graduated well in my class."
Valkyria did not comment on needing to go to magic school for thirty-five years before getting out was a bit mind blowing. "Seems all that study payed off!"
"Twas not that long. Curricula has advanced since those early days. Back then one was expected to study for a full ten-thousand says!" the Solomanari waved it off as if decades meant little in the greater scheme.
This got the cybernetic human in a draconic looking variable frame to wondering just how long these people lived. Something she would have to ask later. She had some clues already based on the ages of Roscida and the younger Clade, which reminded her. "So will Clade and the Baron be arriving in two days?"
"Correct. My husband and daughter wish to do some shopping while the event is close."
After that they met up with Princess Lykofos. This woman was tall and a rich royal purple with blue scale trim. She was dressed in an ebony gown set with hundreds of diamonds so it looked like a starry night twinkling as she moved. Her long hair was a night blue with a streak of lighter blue like a comet trailing down one side. "Ahh. So this is the mysterious stranger I have heard so much about in so short a span?" she addressed the War Witch with a pleasant rumbly voice.
"That is probably me if it is something weird yea, M'lady." she replied.
The Princess' smile grew. "I would not call selflessly aiding the people of the land weird Lady Valkyria. You have performed a deed long thought impossible in bringing back to us our brethren thought forever lost. That alone is worthy of high praise. I also hear you were instrumental in completing my cousin's elemental collection, yes?"
Valkyria looked from one to the other questioningly. "Cousin? So you two are related?"
Baroness and Princess shared a laugh. "Oh indeed. Though Procidens here takes more after her seaside blood while I take more after our inland kin." she then walked along with the group and plied the cybernetic visitor with questions. "I observed you on the streets yesterday. But you were much bulkier and not dressed?"
"Yes. I removed my Regalia as it is cumbersome for formal affairs."
That got a smile from the Princess. "We have lost a few chairs to knights insisting on attending in full dress armor. So your mercy upon my furniture is appreciated!" Glancing at the figure of the strange being she asked. "I understand that you are lost and far from home, with no hope of ever returning. Let me assure you on behalf of the Principalities of the Comet as a Princess of my realm that you are more than welcome in our lands. I wish only that you might have seen us in less troubling times..."
"I would like to think the same if one of you ever ended up in my world. And sadly I am no stranger to troubling times back home. It is how I became as you see me now." So replied the War Witch in thanks to her gracious benefactors. Then she was treated to a lavish dinner and various deserts afterwards. The main course were various soups, some meat stock and some vegetable, all with tyra egg mixed in like a sort of egg-drop soup. Then there were roast uta in some sort of glaze and seasoning with no Earth equivalent. It was faintly sweet. A rarity for dragon cuisine she had learned over the course of her stay. Sugar producing plants were rare in the qualities needed to make it even remotely viable. So she guessed what she was tasting was probably honey.
This got her musing as to what sorts of bugs were in the environment. But she had thus far held off on that question. She certainly had not seen any other than a little flitting thing she guessed was a dragonfly the size of an Earth eagle. A speck at her scale; and butterflies, or the prehistoric equivalents of, with bright single colors in stripes rather than patterns. The wing edges were flat rather than rounded.
As usual she got some amusement from the reactions to her eating. "So how bad has the Coalition been in the last season? I hear the realms bordering on the Coalition have had a few incursions. But nothing big since that ambush on Clade?"
Princess Lykofos nodded contemplatively. "Not officially no. But there have been two attacks deeper into the Principalities that were not made public."
"To keep the enemy guessing what happened to the squads?"
"Correct. Your case was impossible to keep quiet on. That and it was agreed that the nature of your advent would perplex and confound the Coalition well and good. The various Princes and Princesses have been quietly deflecting inquiries about you ever since. And keeping abreast of who is asking these questions. We have designated you a War Witch, though it is rather obvious your nature and incantations function outside the norm. Obvious to those of us with a broader knowledge of the mystic arts."
Valkyria nodded between tossing trees dipped in some manner of broccoli-esque sauce into her maw and munching. "Figured that would be the case really. Trying to mesh what I can do with what you people can had been a challenge to put it mildly." she admitted.
"We appreciate the effort on out behalf. Were I pressed to classify you, based on the information thus far gathered, I would probably lean to that of the Fusillade. An as yet rare outgrowth of Artifice focused on long range strikes. Alchemists are another calling that is much better known due to it's utility." so described the Princess.
"I will stick to War Witch for now to keep the enemy guessing" so smiled slyly said War Witch while taking a bite from a uta drumstick. After that she tried some pie which was remotely similar in flavor to a lemon meringue pie. Made from a thick rinded fruit called a citron. They were about the size of grapes to her and looked like yellow fragment grenades. The actual usable part was the size of a pea inside. "Somewhere on Earth an agriculturist is having fits over the quantities needed to eat round here." she chuckled. Apparently the rinds were fed to styra as they loved it.
After dinner the party retreated to sealed chambers with guards posted round. The Princess sat down in a comfy looking chair and her demeanor got notably more serious. "Now for the more pressing matter we invited you to visit today. There has been a death at the Grand Bazaar."
Baroness Clade looked concerned. "Another?"
Princess Lykofos nodded solemnly. "Another inventor of enchanted items."
This seemed to be an ongoing thing so the white and gold dragoness asked. "I take it that this is one of several? How many?"
"Six thus far. All crafters working on some new wonder. All found dead of what appear to be natural causes. But their inventions missing and soon to show up in Coalition hands. This can not be coincidence. We have tried communing with the spirits of the dead. But to date none have ever seen their slayer and thusly can not place name to this mysterious spy in our midst. We would like to ask if you can assist us in any way with this mystery. Perhaps someone outside the problem can uncover a clue we are missing?" The Princess then laid out the six assumed murders so far.
"The first was several seasons ago. About one-thousand days. An inventor working on a repeating ballistia was found dead in his home and the prototype missing. less than a season later the Coalition is being armed with a new repeating ballistia. The shape is different. But the function and timing are suspect." she sighed and then continued. "Next was a craftsman who was working to produce a more refined healing draught. Found dead and the formula gone. We suspect the Coalition is now issuing it to their soldiers. Third was a friend of mine that I had patroned for years. She was working on a new armor enchantment for the Lightning Knights. Found hanged in her bedroom. Apparent suicide. I -know- better. Tellingly. We questioned her spirit and she remembered nothing of that and was as perplexed as we were. This invention has not yet surfaced in the Coalition to our knowledge. The next three have each coincided with a Grand Bazaar and yesterday we found another crafter dead. No vraja residue and incantations to detect poisons showed nothing. His creation is missing."
"Is the body still on hand?" asked the War Witch.
"Yes. Though we checked thoroughly." replied the Princess. "Also the Ruling Prince sent us an investigator who has been following the case since the second occurrence. He is here now. We wished to speak to you alone before bringing them in."
"If vraja showed no traces then we have to think outside the box. And working with a professional would be a boon I bet. They know vraja?"
The purple and blue dragoness bowed her head and so they retreated to the castles equivalent of a morgue. "Yes they are a practitioner of the arts. "We checked for signs of covert violence. Assassination is rare, but not unheard uf in some less reputable kingdoms."
Here she was introduced to a male red dragon with black scale trim. He looked curiously at Valkyria as she looked over the body laid out on a stone slab pending last rites or other arrangements. "M'lady. I was not expecting you to come down so late." he deferred to the Princess.
Valkyria took some samples and ran some basic tests with her onboard analysis systems. These were not medical grade. But she took some readings anyhow just in case something showed up. "No foreign elements in the blood. But there is an elevated carbon trade in the lungs. hmmmmm." She redid her tests and focused them as an idea began to percolate to the fore. "Has anyone tried contacting the spirit since you have that option?"
"Not yet. It is a taxing incantation and requires five special candles to perform. We have some in stock but supply is limited and the dead tend not to answer exactly coherently. And you can not use the incantation on a spirit again till many days have passed." so explained the red dragon.
"Got it. Makes sense then. Lets see. Here's the results on the test and... ah-hah. Well I can save you some candles."
"Oh?" Both the Princess and the Baroness asked as one.
"Exotic tallow fume traces in the lungs. Someone used that communicate with the dead incantation ahead of you. Maybe to prevent you from finding out something? Or just waste limited resources?" explained the mechanical visitor.
The investigator nodded thoughtfully. "Though that does not explain the lack of clues as to cause of death?"
"Right. But we know from this that the spy is versed in the arts and is using it to cover their tracks. huh. Question. Would an incantation to cure poison work on a corpse? And would it leave any traces of vraja?" she asked thoughtfully.
"A [Counter Poison] incantation would leave faint traces of vraja in the system."
"Ok. Are there any incantations that mask vraja presence?" she followed up.
This surprised the gathered practitioners of the art. "Why no? How would that even work? To use vraja to conceal vraja. That would leave traces itself."
"Would it though?" mused the cyborg. Then she waved it off. "Just a thought. Was there any vraja trace found on the one that hung herself?"
"Why... no there was not?" and a dawning horror of realization shone in the Princess' eyes. "You mean..."
The War Witch looked down at the cadaver and then to those gathered.
"Yeah. Your spy is an inventor too."
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/- - Flight of the War Witch - - \
\ =>>>>><0> 023 <0><<<<<= /
\ - - - Patron of the Arts - - - /
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Voice Log Entry number: 81-3, Timestamp: 02-15 (estimated (guesstimated)(aintgotacluestimated))
Bit into the -second- year here. Yeah. Still getting used to that. Think I am going to just start counting days as they pass here rather than doing the mental gymnastics needed to convert fifty hour days and two-hundred day seasons into Earth days and years. A 'season' here being about four-hundred and sixteen days long. Give or take a few days. Considering everything else on this world is artificial - I have a feeling the variance in the season timing is intentional and probably oscillates. Not enough pattern data yet to know for sure.
Still no handle on why time feels... compressed here? I have settled into a sleep schedule of about sixteen of the twenty-five hour night - and it feels like a restful eight hours. The dragon folk tend to sleep twenty hours. I use the extra time to practice with my magic sword. My MAGIC SWORD! yeaaaaaah!
This Grand Bazaar is so fun! It is like an enormous ren-fair if ren-fairs were into greeco-roman fashions. Speaking of. Baroness Clade was all ga-ga over some new dresses from the outer ring of the gathering. These were pretty interesting as the floor length skirts billowed out. This was pulled off by weaving the whole thing from wire mesh instead of chain-mail. Or used metal struts connected to a belt to give the garment shape. Just more example of how their textiles diverged from ours due to the radically different materials on hand. No mammals, no wool, a ridiculous abundance of metals. Oh yeah. And freaking magic.
I have to keep reminding myself that this is all on an enormous scale. It takes me about three hours to walk the outer ring. (oh-so much longer because we are window-shopping...) My walk speed is forty-eight kph. So yeah. Its big. And this thing lasts a ten-day. Though the tenth day is when alot of folk start packing up. Some far earlier if they sold out their wares quicker.
Found out what the wigs are made from. Dragon hair. Found a stall selling wigs and turns out dragons with nice hair use a hair growth spell to grow it out and harvest it regularly. Can not do it frequently. Something about needing time to replenish. But it is a business here for dragons who like other hair colors.
If you are willing to hang around a few days there are crafters and brewers who can whip up during the event some basic magic items. Mostly little widgets that do not do a whole lot. Or quick-craft stuff like arrows with basic targeting enhancement enchantments. Potions can be gotten in a day. I nabbed a few "Healing Potions" because they should work on my nominally organic parts. Least that was what I expected. Guess what? That's right. I'm WRONG! Kinda-sorta... Its Complex!!!
We swung around the Druid section of the magic ring at Ghinda's request and got the lowdown on the problems of fixing me up as it had apparently unbeknownst to me, been prying on her mind ever since we met. She would prod me now and then at the keep to do some 'tests', but never said what for?
This for...
She had been talking at length with one of the higher ups in the rankings of nature lovers. This guy looked ancient! Yet strong at the same time. My chest and veins felt a little tingly near him. Guessing that was the more plant based parts of me responding? In any case he was blood red and had these curly corkscrew horns like a ram. Rings everywhere! Fingers, horns, tail. Don't wanna know where else! And holding this staff that was like twenty meters tall! Wood. Like a whole tree. Topped with a turquoise orb and an, ahem, orbiting ring of, er, rings with different elements in the rings where a finger would go. Standard Earth, Air, Fire, Water. But between those were Magma, Smoke, Ice (how'd he get that even???), and Mud. Really impressive looking. The length of the staff was carved with arcane runes and banded in gold. Guy really liked his ring motif huh?
So first glance at me is that dismissive "Fuck off technology." attitude and I'm like "ooooh Imma gonna -show- him somethin!"
But then he does a double-take and starts to look at me funny. Like he is looking -through- me, inside me?
Then he starts to get excited.
Then really excited.
Then -oh fuck! What did I do this time?- excited.
Turns out he could clearly sense all the plant-life inside me comprising my life support systems. A fifteen meter tall enclosed micro-ecology. He was just ooohing and ahhing at the near perfect balance of my internal workins. And so an hour or more passed while I tried to explain in fantasy terms the incredible effort that went into the CyberDyne project and the botanist who made the breakthrough in sealed life support systems. They read it all as a neo-Druid creating a self sustaining eco-system. Something Druids of this world consider a work of art or a religious experience in a way. Due to how the whole world is in a way just that. Self contained and perpetual.
He was really interested in the mini forest that makes up my lungs. Probably because they are not of this world and at a guess are pinging his nature sense. He asked me if he could get a clipping. And I said "Not on the first date."
He got all purple in the face and then laughed and laughed.
So he confirmed that basic healing incantations like [Balm of Life] will kinda-sorta work on me. But due to my, ahem, Golem nature and my botanic parts, I'd get more oomph from a simple [Repair] incantation for my cybernetics and [Botanica's Blessing] for my plant based systems. A healing potion was going to do me little good then - and would be only a -third- as effective. argh! ah well. I can use it in the others in an emergency. Stuff makes triage look like leeches and poultices. hmph. Magic.
From all this I did though get some advice. Mainly to look up a Master of Alchemy to whip up some specialized healing draughts. Cost a bit more. But better than needing the magic equivalent of a Pit Crew to heal me up. Not like I intend to get perforated again. But with these Coalition jokers out there. I have a bad feeling I am going to be in the eye of the storm. Least they pointed me at someone here to talk to about that.
Noon will be dinner with the local nobility. The Baroness suggested I dress well so I guess I will be stowing the Regalia and going formal. Good thing packed the clothes for this. Kinda nervous. Aside from meeting the mayor of Dynamiton City, I have never really had to deal with the higher ups.
Forescout Valkyria signing out.
=----=====----=
Valkyria, with much assistance from Roscida, disengaged her Regalia and a few plates to slim down to a less aggressive profile. Then her ward helped her to get dressed and don her wig. Together they met up with Dasos and she resupplied more goggles to sell and for the morning the Gorgon swapped out with the Ki-rin girl so Dasos could do a little shopping herself.
Wandering the stalls and merchants she was updated on the sales of the goodies and stoning potions. "huh, more sold than I expected?"
Dasos nodded while munching on a glazed tyra leg as she walked beside the War Witch. "The Grand Bazaar is an opportune time to sell and spread word. And word is spreading."
She glanced sidelong at the Gorgon. "Feels good to be making a difference?"
This got an emphatic nodding. "Very much so. The look on peoples faces. Especially the expressions when learning the low cost. After thousands upon thousands of days we are not shunned and driven off."
"In time the cure will be found and you all can go back to living normal lives."
Dasos was keen to buy a new dress for herself after a lifetime of living in rags and whatever they could scrounge or steal. Well the metal equivalent of rags. Dragon clothing was very durable overall.
-<>-
As noon rolled around they saw the Gorgon back to her stall and Roscida joined Valkyria in meeting Baroness Clade at the castle gates. The structure was tremendous and some of the taller minarets reached high into the sky perhaps a quarter of a kilometer. The gate guards were armored and looked alot like silver versions of Valkyria. Though without the stiff wing covers. Each was armed with a huge halberd, a pole arm some twenty meters long with a spike pointing upwards, an axe head facing forward and a hook facing back.
Baroness Clade did the introductions and then they were escorted inside by an attendant and Valkyria got to gawk at the decorations, all on a cyclopean scale. Fifteen meter tall statuary adorned some halls. tapestries and stained glass windows were common and there were quite a few paintings. The elder Clade encouraged the guide to elaborate on some of the depictions.
"Here is show the mounted battle of the Phantom Swamps some two-hundred thousand days past."
The white and gold cyborg ran a quick calculation and figured that to be over a thousand years ago by Earth time. "So you even domesticated a thunder lizard?" She was looking at the huge diplodocus that was being ridden like an elephant and was about as large.
"The diplo in the center? Yes. They are native to the great swamps of the lowlands. A few daring souls have trained them for war. But they are difficult to manage. Bron are even harder to tame and for reasons unknown once every few seasons a bull will ascend the plateaus and go on a rampage until either driven off or put down." So explained the attendant.
Valkyria studied this for a time, taking into account the gigantic scale of this battle depicted. Spells were flying, knights with glowing weapons were cleaving into each-other, and a pair of trebuchets mounted on the diplodocus were lobbing stones at some sort wall of earth some mage had called up. The painting had tiny little details in it down to links in armor and little fine inscriptions on weapons and standards. "Who are they fighting? Looks formidable? Are those a pair of Golems? I see hinged joints?" she questioned.
"Indeed m'lady. Ta Matia tis Mageías, The Eyes of Vraja, were a mageocrocy that formed formed around a renowned vraja college of Solomonari to the west between here and the Ki-rin lands. They grew in power and then began expanding. They employed Golems and Elementals in large numbers and were a force to be reckoned with. The painting depicts the final battle on the borders of what would become the Principalities." pointed out the attendant.
"So what became of them?"
Baroness Clade answered that. "Everyone turning against them and internal fraction caused the eventual collapse as they suffered a series of defeats after some initial victories. A faction within the Eye was against violence and secretly aided the unified people opposing the expansion and so inside and out the cracks formed. Finally they could take no more and sued for peace when they realized the horrible loss of knowledge that was happening as one after another fell. They reorganized and police themselves rigorously now as a true college of study and wisdom. That was all some half a million days ago."
The War Witch gawked as she did some calculations. Over two-thousand eight-hundred Earth years ago. "And it is still going today?"
A nod from the elder dragoness. "Indeed. I myself studied there for six-thousand days and graduated well in my class."
Valkyria did not comment on needing to go to magic school for thirty-five years before getting out was a bit mind blowing. "Seems all that study payed off!"
"Twas not that long. Curricula has advanced since those early days. Back then one was expected to study for a full ten-thousand says!" the Solomanari waved it off as if decades meant little in the greater scheme.
This got the cybernetic human in a draconic looking variable frame to wondering just how long these people lived. Something she would have to ask later. She had some clues already based on the ages of Roscida and the younger Clade, which reminded her. "So will Clade and the Baron be arriving in two days?"
"Correct. My husband and daughter wish to do some shopping while the event is close."
After that they met up with Princess Lykofos. This woman was tall and a rich royal purple with blue scale trim. She was dressed in an ebony gown set with hundreds of diamonds so it looked like a starry night twinkling as she moved. Her long hair was a night blue with a streak of lighter blue like a comet trailing down one side. "Ahh. So this is the mysterious stranger I have heard so much about in so short a span?" she addressed the War Witch with a pleasant rumbly voice.
"That is probably me if it is something weird yea, M'lady." she replied.
The Princess' smile grew. "I would not call selflessly aiding the people of the land weird Lady Valkyria. You have performed a deed long thought impossible in bringing back to us our brethren thought forever lost. That alone is worthy of high praise. I also hear you were instrumental in completing my cousin's elemental collection, yes?"
Valkyria looked from one to the other questioningly. "Cousin? So you two are related?"
Baroness and Princess shared a laugh. "Oh indeed. Though Procidens here takes more after her seaside blood while I take more after our inland kin." she then walked along with the group and plied the cybernetic visitor with questions. "I observed you on the streets yesterday. But you were much bulkier and not dressed?"
"Yes. I removed my Regalia as it is cumbersome for formal affairs."
That got a smile from the Princess. "We have lost a few chairs to knights insisting on attending in full dress armor. So your mercy upon my furniture is appreciated!" Glancing at the figure of the strange being she asked. "I understand that you are lost and far from home, with no hope of ever returning. Let me assure you on behalf of the Principalities of the Comet as a Princess of my realm that you are more than welcome in our lands. I wish only that you might have seen us in less troubling times..."
"I would like to think the same if one of you ever ended up in my world. And sadly I am no stranger to troubling times back home. It is how I became as you see me now." So replied the War Witch in thanks to her gracious benefactors. Then she was treated to a lavish dinner and various deserts afterwards. The main course were various soups, some meat stock and some vegetable, all with tyra egg mixed in like a sort of egg-drop soup. Then there were roast uta in some sort of glaze and seasoning with no Earth equivalent. It was faintly sweet. A rarity for dragon cuisine she had learned over the course of her stay. Sugar producing plants were rare in the qualities needed to make it even remotely viable. So she guessed what she was tasting was probably honey.
This got her musing as to what sorts of bugs were in the environment. But she had thus far held off on that question. She certainly had not seen any other than a little flitting thing she guessed was a dragonfly the size of an Earth eagle. A speck at her scale; and butterflies, or the prehistoric equivalents of, with bright single colors in stripes rather than patterns. The wing edges were flat rather than rounded.
As usual she got some amusement from the reactions to her eating. "So how bad has the Coalition been in the last season? I hear the realms bordering on the Coalition have had a few incursions. But nothing big since that ambush on Clade?"
Princess Lykofos nodded contemplatively. "Not officially no. But there have been two attacks deeper into the Principalities that were not made public."
"To keep the enemy guessing what happened to the squads?"
"Correct. Your case was impossible to keep quiet on. That and it was agreed that the nature of your advent would perplex and confound the Coalition well and good. The various Princes and Princesses have been quietly deflecting inquiries about you ever since. And keeping abreast of who is asking these questions. We have designated you a War Witch, though it is rather obvious your nature and incantations function outside the norm. Obvious to those of us with a broader knowledge of the mystic arts."
Valkyria nodded between tossing trees dipped in some manner of broccoli-esque sauce into her maw and munching. "Figured that would be the case really. Trying to mesh what I can do with what you people can had been a challenge to put it mildly." she admitted.
"We appreciate the effort on out behalf. Were I pressed to classify you, based on the information thus far gathered, I would probably lean to that of the Fusillade. An as yet rare outgrowth of Artifice focused on long range strikes. Alchemists are another calling that is much better known due to it's utility." so described the Princess.
"I will stick to War Witch for now to keep the enemy guessing" so smiled slyly said War Witch while taking a bite from a uta drumstick. After that she tried some pie which was remotely similar in flavor to a lemon meringue pie. Made from a thick rinded fruit called a citron. They were about the size of grapes to her and looked like yellow fragment grenades. The actual usable part was the size of a pea inside. "Somewhere on Earth an agriculturist is having fits over the quantities needed to eat round here." she chuckled. Apparently the rinds were fed to styra as they loved it.
After dinner the party retreated to sealed chambers with guards posted round. The Princess sat down in a comfy looking chair and her demeanor got notably more serious. "Now for the more pressing matter we invited you to visit today. There has been a death at the Grand Bazaar."
Baroness Clade looked concerned. "Another?"
Princess Lykofos nodded solemnly. "Another inventor of enchanted items."
This seemed to be an ongoing thing so the white and gold dragoness asked. "I take it that this is one of several? How many?"
"Six thus far. All crafters working on some new wonder. All found dead of what appear to be natural causes. But their inventions missing and soon to show up in Coalition hands. This can not be coincidence. We have tried communing with the spirits of the dead. But to date none have ever seen their slayer and thusly can not place name to this mysterious spy in our midst. We would like to ask if you can assist us in any way with this mystery. Perhaps someone outside the problem can uncover a clue we are missing?" The Princess then laid out the six assumed murders so far.
"The first was several seasons ago. About one-thousand days. An inventor working on a repeating ballistia was found dead in his home and the prototype missing. less than a season later the Coalition is being armed with a new repeating ballistia. The shape is different. But the function and timing are suspect." she sighed and then continued. "Next was a craftsman who was working to produce a more refined healing draught. Found dead and the formula gone. We suspect the Coalition is now issuing it to their soldiers. Third was a friend of mine that I had patroned for years. She was working on a new armor enchantment for the Lightning Knights. Found hanged in her bedroom. Apparent suicide. I -know- better. Tellingly. We questioned her spirit and she remembered nothing of that and was as perplexed as we were. This invention has not yet surfaced in the Coalition to our knowledge. The next three have each coincided with a Grand Bazaar and yesterday we found another crafter dead. No vraja residue and incantations to detect poisons showed nothing. His creation is missing."
"Is the body still on hand?" asked the War Witch.
"Yes. Though we checked thoroughly." replied the Princess. "Also the Ruling Prince sent us an investigator who has been following the case since the second occurrence. He is here now. We wished to speak to you alone before bringing them in."
"If vraja showed no traces then we have to think outside the box. And working with a professional would be a boon I bet. They know vraja?"
The purple and blue dragoness bowed her head and so they retreated to the castles equivalent of a morgue. "Yes they are a practitioner of the arts. "We checked for signs of covert violence. Assassination is rare, but not unheard uf in some less reputable kingdoms."
Here she was introduced to a male red dragon with black scale trim. He looked curiously at Valkyria as she looked over the body laid out on a stone slab pending last rites or other arrangements. "M'lady. I was not expecting you to come down so late." he deferred to the Princess.
Valkyria took some samples and ran some basic tests with her onboard analysis systems. These were not medical grade. But she took some readings anyhow just in case something showed up. "No foreign elements in the blood. But there is an elevated carbon trade in the lungs. hmmmmm." She redid her tests and focused them as an idea began to percolate to the fore. "Has anyone tried contacting the spirit since you have that option?"
"Not yet. It is a taxing incantation and requires five special candles to perform. We have some in stock but supply is limited and the dead tend not to answer exactly coherently. And you can not use the incantation on a spirit again till many days have passed." so explained the red dragon.
"Got it. Makes sense then. Lets see. Here's the results on the test and... ah-hah. Well I can save you some candles."
"Oh?" Both the Princess and the Baroness asked as one.
"Exotic tallow fume traces in the lungs. Someone used that communicate with the dead incantation ahead of you. Maybe to prevent you from finding out something? Or just waste limited resources?" explained the mechanical visitor.
The investigator nodded thoughtfully. "Though that does not explain the lack of clues as to cause of death?"
"Right. But we know from this that the spy is versed in the arts and is using it to cover their tracks. huh. Question. Would an incantation to cure poison work on a corpse? And would it leave any traces of vraja?" she asked thoughtfully.
"A [Counter Poison] incantation would leave faint traces of vraja in the system."
"Ok. Are there any incantations that mask vraja presence?" she followed up.
This surprised the gathered practitioners of the art. "Why no? How would that even work? To use vraja to conceal vraja. That would leave traces itself."
"Would it though?" mused the cyborg. Then she waved it off. "Just a thought. Was there any vraja trace found on the one that hung herself?"
"Why... no there was not?" and a dawning horror of realization shone in the Princess' eyes. "You mean..."
The War Witch looked down at the cadaver and then to those gathered.
"Yeah. Your spy is an inventor too."
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2023.05.29 15:11 Big-Mathematician540 Would anyone be able to advice me concerning me wanting to complain about human rights abuses to the ECHR? (Concerning police abuse.) Finland
In 2021, I was was detained by the police for cannabis possession and small time growing. I thought I might get off with them just a fine then and there, but they detained me. As they detained me, they assured me I could take my medication with me, as long they were in the original packaging and I had a prescription.
I wasn't too worried, as I had trust in the Finnish police.
After being put in a cell, I was still pretty calm, and took a nap. After a few hours, they came in and told my detention was being changed to arrest. I asked why, and only received a blunt "we've already told you." I started ringing the bell, to ask for information, and at least to know my rights.
They ignored me, got annoyed, and placed me in isolation. They denied me my prescription medication. I got very distressed, and... went psychotic, to be honest. I demanded medical care and my medication. All was ignored, with flimsy excuses.
I ended up staying up for three days, without eating anything, harming myself with a make-shift shank I made out of hard cardboard of a juice box. I eat my pinky to get it to bleed properly, and drew over 300 words on the cell walls. I ate nothing for three days. They took away the thin mattress there was, and gave me no blanket. I did not know how long they could keep me there. The lights were constantly on, and the guard would taunt me from time to time, through the loudspeaker. They even cut off the water to the cell for hours, until I managed to yell about my congenital kidney issue and the illegality of not having water provided to me. After three days, the arresting officer came in, and asked "whether I'm ready to behave and tell them everything".
I did, to get out, as I didn't know my rights.
Afterwards, I made complaints about their behaviour, quoting laws. I made a "freedom of information" request, based on the law for "personal register" that any surveillance constitutes. I never got a reply, even though I got an automated email saying they had received it.
They didn't even investigate it, dismissing all of those things. I complained to the ombudsman in Finland, who also disregarded every complaint. I made another one. And another. I provided doctor's statements about the condition I'd been in after release. I still have deep scars on my wrists, after two years. There's still a complaint going on the supreme court about them having blocked me from filming them during the time they confiscated my growing equipment. The last reply I got from the national ombudsman said that they may start an investigation into the actions of the guard who taunted me. I haven't heard anything since, and that was early this year.
I would like to lodge a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights, but they say "all domestic justice processes must have been expended." I think I have, but I don't know if there's still something going on relating to the actions of the guard.
I don't know if I can still lodge a formal complaint to the ECHR.
Could anyone advice me? I'm afraid that there's gonna be no recourse for me, and the parties responsible for clearly breaking laws will never face any consequences.
Please, help me if you can. I'm desperate, and I'm afraid I may be too late to to file the complaint.
Thank you in advance. (And if I'm ignorant or come off as self-pitying or something, please don't mock me, I'm not exactly in the best situation to face dissappointment and mocking.)
submitted by Big-Mathematician540 to LegalAdviceEurope [link] [comments]
I wasn't too worried, as I had trust in the Finnish police.
After being put in a cell, I was still pretty calm, and took a nap. After a few hours, they came in and told my detention was being changed to arrest. I asked why, and only received a blunt "we've already told you." I started ringing the bell, to ask for information, and at least to know my rights.
They ignored me, got annoyed, and placed me in isolation. They denied me my prescription medication. I got very distressed, and... went psychotic, to be honest. I demanded medical care and my medication. All was ignored, with flimsy excuses.
I ended up staying up for three days, without eating anything, harming myself with a make-shift shank I made out of hard cardboard of a juice box. I eat my pinky to get it to bleed properly, and drew over 300 words on the cell walls. I ate nothing for three days. They took away the thin mattress there was, and gave me no blanket. I did not know how long they could keep me there. The lights were constantly on, and the guard would taunt me from time to time, through the loudspeaker. They even cut off the water to the cell for hours, until I managed to yell about my congenital kidney issue and the illegality of not having water provided to me. After three days, the arresting officer came in, and asked "whether I'm ready to behave and tell them everything".
I did, to get out, as I didn't know my rights.
Afterwards, I made complaints about their behaviour, quoting laws. I made a "freedom of information" request, based on the law for "personal register" that any surveillance constitutes. I never got a reply, even though I got an automated email saying they had received it.
They didn't even investigate it, dismissing all of those things. I complained to the ombudsman in Finland, who also disregarded every complaint. I made another one. And another. I provided doctor's statements about the condition I'd been in after release. I still have deep scars on my wrists, after two years. There's still a complaint going on the supreme court about them having blocked me from filming them during the time they confiscated my growing equipment. The last reply I got from the national ombudsman said that they may start an investigation into the actions of the guard who taunted me. I haven't heard anything since, and that was early this year.
I would like to lodge a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights, but they say "all domestic justice processes must have been expended." I think I have, but I don't know if there's still something going on relating to the actions of the guard.
I don't know if I can still lodge a formal complaint to the ECHR.
Could anyone advice me? I'm afraid that there's gonna be no recourse for me, and the parties responsible for clearly breaking laws will never face any consequences.
Please, help me if you can. I'm desperate, and I'm afraid I may be too late to to file the complaint.
Thank you in advance. (And if I'm ignorant or come off as self-pitying or something, please don't mock me, I'm not exactly in the best situation to face dissappointment and mocking.)
2023.05.29 15:06 SmoogGod Struggling to trust one player.
Heya fellas; so, I've been thinking about this for a while and wanted some second opinions.
I've been DMing for the same group for around 2~ years now, and it's been great! We've had 5 people there consistently for a long time, but that 6th slot's always been a bit hard to keep filled, be it due to scheduling or clashing personalities--
Well, we brought someone in six months ago and they seemed fine, and got along with folks well! He joined my Sunday game but, when a slot opened in my Tuesday group around two months into knowing him, he wanted to join it.
But as a DM, I haven't been able to trust them. We play over Discord and the player, before they joined the game fully, wanted to watch the session before he jumped in. That was fine with me! The session ended with the party coming upon a powerful being in the setting. They didn't fight her, but it was expected they might, and his character would be joining them for it next session.
After the game, we're all talking - a friend and I are streaming Elden Ring for people, another is streaming some art, and this new player is streaming himself playing Chess.
However, the conversation wrapped back to Arasta eventually, with people discussing fighting her. And this new player, forgetting he was on live stream, opened up D&D Beyond and looked over the monster's stat block. I didn't see this at the time, but two of my friends did - however, they felt awkward ratting him out at the time and instead messaged me about it the next day.
I had a talk with him about it and he didn't really have an excuse, just said he wasn't a metagamer - however, since then, I haven't been able to trust him. Whenever I have the party fight anything, and say 'they use x spell', he immediately looks up that spell. If I have them fight a Dragon and homebrew it so it's a Dex Save instead of a Con Save on its breath, then there'll be a pregnant pause after I say 'dex save', before he says 'not con?' - I wouldn't question it if not for the fact he's looked up stat blocks before, and there's just a long enough pause after I ask for a dex save before his clarification that it has me suspicious. He's not a DM, and never has been, so I doubt he knows monster stat blocks inside and out.
As I said, I really struggle to trust this player, and it's compounded by the fact he's a very argumentative rules lawyer. Our group does little PVP battle royales when the feeling hits and whenever he asks to do it nowadays, no-one wants to do it with him, but are happy to do it with others. The players themselves say they don't have much of a problem with him, but they understand why I'm frustrated. The issues he presents aren't ones players have to deal with, but are things I have to handle, for the most part.
I've talked with him about these issues before and he says quite often he's going to change, but old habits die hard, and I've not noticed any marked change in how he acts. It's gotten to the point where I struggle to talk to him, as I really am just frustrated.
However, I don't want to keep that sixth slot nebulous, I want to get it hammered down with someone solid since the rest of the group deserves to have that stability, so I've really been going back and forth about whether or not to remove him. Have any of you had players like this, where their behavior isn't so bad that you can justify outright removing them, but it's a struggle to keep them on all the same?
submitted by SmoogGod to DnD [link] [comments]
I've been DMing for the same group for around 2~ years now, and it's been great! We've had 5 people there consistently for a long time, but that 6th slot's always been a bit hard to keep filled, be it due to scheduling or clashing personalities--
Well, we brought someone in six months ago and they seemed fine, and got along with folks well! He joined my Sunday game but, when a slot opened in my Tuesday group around two months into knowing him, he wanted to join it.
But as a DM, I haven't been able to trust them. We play over Discord and the player, before they joined the game fully, wanted to watch the session before he jumped in. That was fine with me! The session ended with the party coming upon a powerful being in the setting. They didn't fight her, but it was expected they might, and his character would be joining them for it next session.
After the game, we're all talking - a friend and I are streaming Elden Ring for people, another is streaming some art, and this new player is streaming himself playing Chess.
However, the conversation wrapped back to Arasta eventually, with people discussing fighting her. And this new player, forgetting he was on live stream, opened up D&D Beyond and looked over the monster's stat block. I didn't see this at the time, but two of my friends did - however, they felt awkward ratting him out at the time and instead messaged me about it the next day.
I had a talk with him about it and he didn't really have an excuse, just said he wasn't a metagamer - however, since then, I haven't been able to trust him. Whenever I have the party fight anything, and say 'they use x spell', he immediately looks up that spell. If I have them fight a Dragon and homebrew it so it's a Dex Save instead of a Con Save on its breath, then there'll be a pregnant pause after I say 'dex save', before he says 'not con?' - I wouldn't question it if not for the fact he's looked up stat blocks before, and there's just a long enough pause after I ask for a dex save before his clarification that it has me suspicious. He's not a DM, and never has been, so I doubt he knows monster stat blocks inside and out.
As I said, I really struggle to trust this player, and it's compounded by the fact he's a very argumentative rules lawyer. Our group does little PVP battle royales when the feeling hits and whenever he asks to do it nowadays, no-one wants to do it with him, but are happy to do it with others. The players themselves say they don't have much of a problem with him, but they understand why I'm frustrated. The issues he presents aren't ones players have to deal with, but are things I have to handle, for the most part.
I've talked with him about these issues before and he says quite often he's going to change, but old habits die hard, and I've not noticed any marked change in how he acts. It's gotten to the point where I struggle to talk to him, as I really am just frustrated.
However, I don't want to keep that sixth slot nebulous, I want to get it hammered down with someone solid since the rest of the group deserves to have that stability, so I've really been going back and forth about whether or not to remove him. Have any of you had players like this, where their behavior isn't so bad that you can justify outright removing them, but it's a struggle to keep them on all the same?
2023.05.29 15:04 Tjmoores tradeposting™
Part 1: Meakpuj
Waves rippled gently through the knotted mass of branches, rocking the boats of the Twaiptšroþan boats. One could tell the tide was high, for the corals further out to sea barely caused the waves to break - at low tide they poked though the foam they caused, creating whirlpools between the spikes. In the village overlooking the small strait between Meakpuj and Nyæŋpuj, among the air-drying fish and the clamour of ducks and turkeys, Šţrooŋ looked out over the coast. Having just returned from a successful fishing trip out into the bay, she took a moment to consider the world in which she lived before preparing her freshly caught meal. She often wondered about the world that lay beyond the shores of the island upon she lived... Why travel beyond when the waters here were so rich? Thanks to the dzneapuakt jwič hooks, she needn't even enter the water to get a meal for her family! It was as simple as adding a small amount of meat to the end, and leaving them dangling off the edge of her boat. "What a life", Šţrooŋ thought to herself, as she turned to prepare her meal.As Šţrooŋ returned home, so did her partner, Mwiav. Mwiav had spent his day in a rather less relaxing manner, digging into the higher lands for the best jwič. His haul today wasn't perfect, but he had built up quite a collection both for himself and to trade to the Nyæŋšroþ, who visted so often at this time of year. The Nyæŋšroþ visiting was a celebratory affair, as they brought with them pyaivz jwič, which could be mixed with xab jwič to produce far better dzneapuakt jwič than burning xab jwič alone. They had even come up with a quite ingenious technique where a mix of pyaivz jwič and xab jwič would be cooked into a liquid form with dzneapuakt čræð, which burnt for a second time far better than ordinary logs, then poured into special devices to produce many replicas of a single item, vastly reducing the amount of work needed to produce any item they needed. Not only did the Nyæŋšroþ bring pyaivz jwič, but also fruits the likes of which Mwiav had never seen growing on Meakpuj, spices and what they called dvziaţ, a firey drink which was far more impressive than anything produced locally. Where these things came from Mwiav did not know, for surely they could not be fished, mined or foraged just a few miles away?
As Mwiav continued contemplating, he saw some specks gradually turn through dots into boats on the horizon. These were no mere fishing vessels, the Meakšroþ seldom strayed that far from the shore lest they get carried away by the currents, and the Nyæŋšroþ rarely fished, and definitely not in these quantities. He called out his family and made his way down to the shore with their arms filled with xab jwič, the closer he got the more Meakšroþ he saw joining him in his journey. He knew these visitors - he had seen these men many times before, and he knew exactly what what they wanted.
As the boats got closer Mwiav could practically feel the dvziat warming his throat. He didn't recognise any of the faces, but then again he rarely did. Different visitors would come regularly, seemingly as and when they needed xab jwič, so not recognising a face was nothing out of the ordinary. What took Mwiav by surprise was the way they spoke. The Nyæŋšroþ had always spoken in a funny sort of way... Mwiav never really had issues understanding what they were saying, but some words they used were surely made up, and their accent had a strange sort of breathiness to it, and the rythmn of their speech was almost that of a song. These visitors, however, were different. It was almost as if someone had taken a description of the ways Nyæŋšroþ talked and took it to the extreme, and many of the words they used were far removed from anything even the Nyæŋšroþ would say. Mwiav could see into their boats, at the pots which looked just like the ones the Nyæŋšroþ kept their dvziaţ in, and the clumps of pyaivz jwič which looked no different to the once Mwiav had seen many times before. Surely these people were interested in their xab jwič, just as the Nyæŋšroþ had been?
After some back and forth, each sentence being half lost and half understood, a consensus was reached. Mwiav was confused, for these men were offering far more, at least in terms of dvziaţ, in exchange for his xab jwič than the Nyæŋšroþ ever did! With both men smiling, and Mwiav helping to load up the boat of the man he had agreed to exchange his xab jwič with, the man made a comment to Mwiav. Mwiav didn't understand the full comment, but what he thought he heard was something along the lines of "fust šustuč pyeitsupt šwiaţ psoaŋ xeip ǰeaţ", "I think your prostitute looks promiscuous". Mwiav gave the man a confused look, who then repeated himself - "fust šustč pyeitsupt šwiaţ psoaŋ xeip ǰeaţ". As he completed the sentence, the man gestured clearly at Šţrooŋ. How dare the man insult his wife like this? Was it customary to conclude trade deals with slander where this man was from?
In a fit of rage, Mwiav lifted his hand and slapped the man in the face. The man looked up at Mwiav in disgust as blood began to trickle out of his nose. As the Meakšroþ around Mwiav and the traders talking to them began to notice the commotion, all hell broke loose. The Meakšroþ knew they had the numbers advantage, and began chasing the retreating visitors out to sea, attacking them with whatever they could carry. Oars were smashed against peoples' heads, and rocks were thrown at the traders as they scurried back to their boats. As rocks thudded against the hulls, they rowed away from Meakpuj, never to be seen again.
For the rest of his life, Mwiav pondered upon that day. Why had these men come with their attractive deals, only to insult his wife upon their completion? Why had he only seen them once, surely they couldn't have travelled far in those boats? The older he got, the more Mwiav grew to accept that there are some things that we will just never know.
Part 2: Dzoagvrin
The traders of the Dzoagšroþ had long heard of another island beyond Nyæŋpuj, both in rumours passed down from generations, and in conversations with the Nyæŋšroþ when trading for xweipz - they often asked where the xweipz of such purity came from, to which the Nyæŋšroþ would reply "an island further beyond here". As Pwæð got older, he grew more curious about this island beyond... The boats of the Nyæŋšroþ weren't any better than his, so surely they wouldn't have to travel too much further to reach the origin of the xweipz? And wouldn't the xweipz found there be more pure than anything that had been through the Nyæŋšroþ? It only made sense for them to keep the best for himself.As the quieter farming months came around in Dzoagvrin, Pwæð brought together some friends whom he had previously voyaged across the narrow strait to Nyæŋpuj. At daybreak, they rowed out across the strait as they had many times before, however this time as they approached the coast they did not continue on to land, but instead they rowed east. The coastline continued almost arrow straight for miles, the dense mangrove forest blurring the lines between shore and sea, however eventually the coast began to curve around to the south. With the curve came the first sign of hills for a while, as opposed to the almost endless flatness that eastern Nyæŋpuj had shown so far, however these hills weren't lined with fields like the western hills were... Instead they were covered in a thick mat of forest, barring the occasional fallen tree, with animals calling so loud Pwæð might have thought they were on the boat with him had he not checked his cargo so thoroughly before leaving.
Pwæð was exhausted after rowing for most of the morning, especially after dealing with the rougher waves around the easternmost point of the cape. He split a few loaves of dzæd with his fellow traders and drank some dvzub before continuing onwards, this time heading in a southwesterly direction, away from the coast. Almost an hour went by before they sighted land, however at long last they saw some hills and treetops peeking over the horizon - was this the fabled xweipzpuj?
As the boats got closer to shore, Pwæð saw a break in the mangrove in the form of a sandy beach, which already had some boats pulled up onto it. Above the boats were a crowd of people, all holding... something... Pwæð was too far away to make it out. Were these defenders, here to attack the Dzoagšroþ and keep them away from their land, or were they traders who somehow foretold their arrival eagerly awaiting them? Pwæð's heart raced as knew he would find out in just a few short minutes. Pwæð thought he could make out women and children amongst those crowded down on the beach; surely this could only mean that this was a welcoming party?
Upon reaching the shore, Pwæð's hopes that this was a trading party were confirmed. Each member of the crowd held some highly pure looking raw xweipz, or highly tasty looking šţyaið kwiin, and all sorts of goods inbetween. Pwæð announced loudly to the crowd "I want to buy your xweipz", only to be looked at as if these people had never heard a man talk before. He gestured, pointing to himself on "I" and the tin nodules the crowd were holding on "xweipz". This got a response, Pwæð thought it sounded affirmative but it was hard to tell through the downright odd speech of these odd people, who talked like some sort of an extreme caricature of the Nyæŋšroþ - harsh, monotone and using all sorts of basic words such as "dark grey rocks"... Had they never thought to just call the rocks by their actual name, xweipz, before?
Looking around, Pwæð could clearly tell that these people were backwards and likely stupid. There were no terraces to be seen on the hills further inland, and while their boats looked sturdier than those from Nyæŋpuj or Dzoagvrin, why did they need so many boats when they clearly didn't travel to trade? He began talking in a very oversimplified manner, with a bunch of gestures. "I want dark grey rocks.", he said, pointing at the xweipz. "I give blue-green rocks and spice juice". This clearly got a response to the man he was talking to, who gestured to his family to bring over more xweipz. Knowing the man was clearly stupid, Pwæð offered a rock bottom price. H didn't even offer all the goods he had brought - these backwards people were lucky that he wasn't just taking it from them. Of course, this was accepted. "Pure xweipz for this cheap, and just a few extra hours of travel? This island must have been sent as a reward from the stars", Pwæð thought to himself as he loaded his spoils into his boat.
Once all the xweipz was loaded, Pwæð turned to the man he had just fleeced. Still giddy from getting such a good deal, and a little tipsy from all the dvzub he had drunk on the way over, he said "šustuč mruupt čyeapz, fust šustuč pyeitsupt šwiaţ psoaŋ xeip ǰeaţ" - "you are a lucky man, I think your wife looks very pretty". The man looked confused, so Pwæð repeated himself: "fust šustuč pyeitsupt šwiaţ psoaŋ xeip ǰeaţ". For seemingly no reason, this threw the man into a fit of rage. Pwæð felt a ringing in his ears and a stinging on his skin as a hand smashed into his face. He wasn't quite sure what happened next, but he did know there was a chorus of shouts from the group on the beach, as oars and rocks began to be pelted at the delegation, cowering back to their boats.
As the minutes passed of Pwæð and his friends rowing out to sea, it became clear that they were not being followed. Phew. Blood lined the bottom of Pwæð's boat, and he began to feel more and more dizzy as the group approached the cape, with its angry, towering waves. The tide was lower now than it had been earler, which forced the group to row slightly beyond the reef, in the rougher sea. As Pwæð's boat rocked side to side, he worried about how his sensation had gone from dizzy, to sick, to ----. As he was thinking, a huge wave had come in and swept the boat clean over, dumping Pwæð and his cargo of xweipz into the ocean. His ears ringing more than ever, Pwæð tried to swim up to the surface, but it was no use - the current was pulling him down. As he kicked upwards with all his might, he saw shadows approaching beneath the waves. He looked at the cloud of blood coming from his upturned boat, and screamed in desperation. There was nothing he could do.
end.
Key translations (Meakpuj dialect)
Meakpuj: the middle island with tin Nyæŋpuj: the northernmost island -šroþ: -people dzneapuakt: burn-PL-Indef-Gno (dzneap: burn) pyaivz: blue-green xab: dark grey jwič: rock/ore čræð: wood/log pyeitsupt: prostitute-F (pyeits: prostitute) psoaŋ: promiscuousKey translations (Dzoagvrin dialect)
Nyæŋpuj: the northernmost island Dzoagvrin: the highlands/mainland dvziaţ: spiced wine xweipz: tin dzæd: corn bread dvzub: corn beer pyeitsupt: spouse-F (pyeits: spouse) psoaŋ: pretty šţyaið kwiin: salty fish with funny tasting salt2023.05.29 14:42 J-Runner Apple Watch Exercise Only Issue and Move Ring
Hey all,
Need a little help here figuring out the fitness app. I currently am marathon training and only use my ultra when I exercise. I recently realized that when I remove the watch the fitness app is not counting steps taken with just my iPhone towards the move ring progress. From what I briefly read, it seems I need to create a workout using a third party app for those steps to count. Is there a way around this? I was assuming the iPhone would automatically pickup the movement taking place after the watch is removed, but I guess not. TIA
submitted by J-Runner to AppleWatch [link] [comments]
Need a little help here figuring out the fitness app. I currently am marathon training and only use my ultra when I exercise. I recently realized that when I remove the watch the fitness app is not counting steps taken with just my iPhone towards the move ring progress. From what I briefly read, it seems I need to create a workout using a third party app for those steps to count. Is there a way around this? I was assuming the iPhone would automatically pickup the movement taking place after the watch is removed, but I guess not. TIA
2023.05.29 14:33 Ok_Dimension_4707 This Memorial Day, here are some 1941 Uncle Sam cards for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines
 | submitted by Ok_Dimension_4707 to CoffeeAndACard [link] [comments] |
2023.05.29 14:25 7sendeee [Mongolia] [H] Gameboy games, PS2 games, PS2 accessories and PS2 console [W] sell in bundle($500) + shipping
Selling stuff for surgery money.
●
Gameboy Advance:
Zelda minish cap - $65
Reign of fire - $8
Over the hedge - $5
Scooby doo 1and2 - $8
Crash and Spyro superpack - $12
Super mario advance - $15
Woody woodpecker CC5 - $18
Donkey kong country 2 - $20
Sonic advance 3 - $20
Meet the robinsons - $5
Castleween - $6
Madden 06 - $6
chicken little - $5
Jungle book - $6
Crash nitro kart - $10
mario party advance - $30
super mario bros 3 - $20
Spongebob 2in1 - $15
Mario and Luigi superstar saga, over the hedge, finding nemo, lion king, and 4 more games - $60
Gameboy color:
tetris 15$
●
-Note
The last bundle of games doesn't have their pictures and all of the games doesn't have their boxes. All of them + the tetris for ($150 + shipping)
Playstation:
Original Playstation 2 with vertical stand - $70
Playstation 2 original controller black - $25 each
Playstation 2 controller blue - $15 each
Playstation 2 memory card 8MB - $10 each
Playstation 2 EyeToy camera - $15
Playstation 2 multiplayer adapter - $30
Playstation Portable 2000 - $50
Half-life - $10
Tokyo xtreme racer zero - $10
Okami - $15
Pro evolusion soccer 5 - $3
The incredibles - $10
Robot warlords - $4
Disney's peter pan - $5
Madagascar - $10
Sly 2 - $25
Spongebob squarepants movin with friends - $5
Ratchet and clank 2 - $12
Terminator 3 - $4
The chronicles of narnia - $3
Offroad extreme - $3
Jak 3 - $7
Rollercoaster world - $3
Kya dark lineage - $12
Eyetoy: play - $3
Tom and jerry - $20
Resident evil 4 - $15
SSX - $4
Shrek 2 - $3
Medal of honor rising sun - $7
Ratchet and clank 3 - $10
Lord of the rings return of the king - $11
Rayman 3 - $4
Spider man 2 - $5
I-Ninja - $15
Dragon's lair - $20
Shinobi - $25
The hulk - $5
Men in black II - $4
Prince of persia - $4
Harry potter - $7
Ephemeral Fantasia - $30
●
-Note
The PSP doesn't have a battery due to me putting it separately in a different place and couldn't finding it. All of the games are for the PS2. Everything listed here are all PAL version. All of them for ($400 + shipping)
●
Can get everything for $500 + shipping
●
Pics:
https://imgur.com/a/bdyR02Y
submitted by 7sendeee to GameSale [link] [comments]
●
Gameboy Advance:
Zelda minish cap - $65
Reign of fire - $8
Over the hedge - $5
Scooby doo 1and2 - $8
Crash and Spyro superpack - $12
Super mario advance - $15
Woody woodpecker CC5 - $18
Donkey kong country 2 - $20
Sonic advance 3 - $20
Meet the robinsons - $5
Castleween - $6
Madden 06 - $6
chicken little - $5
Jungle book - $6
Crash nitro kart - $10
mario party advance - $30
super mario bros 3 - $20
Spongebob 2in1 - $15
Mario and Luigi superstar saga, over the hedge, finding nemo, lion king, and 4 more games - $60
Gameboy color:
tetris 15$
●
-Note
The last bundle of games doesn't have their pictures and all of the games doesn't have their boxes. All of them + the tetris for ($150 + shipping)
Playstation:
Original Playstation 2 with vertical stand - $70
Playstation 2 original controller black - $25 each
Playstation 2 controller blue - $15 each
Playstation 2 memory card 8MB - $10 each
Playstation 2 EyeToy camera - $15
Playstation 2 multiplayer adapter - $30
Playstation Portable 2000 - $50
Half-life - $10
Tokyo xtreme racer zero - $10
Okami - $15
Pro evolusion soccer 5 - $3
The incredibles - $10
Robot warlords - $4
Disney's peter pan - $5
Madagascar - $10
Sly 2 - $25
Spongebob squarepants movin with friends - $5
Ratchet and clank 2 - $12
Terminator 3 - $4
The chronicles of narnia - $3
Offroad extreme - $3
Jak 3 - $7
Rollercoaster world - $3
Kya dark lineage - $12
Eyetoy: play - $3
Tom and jerry - $20
Resident evil 4 - $15
SSX - $4
Shrek 2 - $3
Medal of honor rising sun - $7
Ratchet and clank 3 - $10
Lord of the rings return of the king - $11
Rayman 3 - $4
Spider man 2 - $5
I-Ninja - $15
Dragon's lair - $20
Shinobi - $25
The hulk - $5
Men in black II - $4
Prince of persia - $4
Harry potter - $7
Ephemeral Fantasia - $30
●
-Note
The PSP doesn't have a battery due to me putting it separately in a different place and couldn't finding it. All of the games are for the PS2. Everything listed here are all PAL version. All of them for ($400 + shipping)
●
Can get everything for $500 + shipping
●
Pics:
https://imgur.com/a/bdyR02Y
2023.05.29 14:02 dreftzg [Daily News] TAG Heuer Gives The New Monaco A Skeleton Dial, Aquastar Revives Their First Dive Watch With The Model 60, De Bethune Shrinks Their New DB28XS And Alpina Has A Very Interesting Startimer Pilot
It's Monday and I have a bone to pick with TAG Heuer. They announced their new watch right as I clicked publish on the news update. I guess you're already caught up on it.
TAG Heuer Releases A Trio Of New Monacos With Skeleton Dials Ahead Of The Big Race
Hey, thanks a lot TAG! The exact second I sent out the Friday edition of It’s About Time they decided to announce a new watch. And not just any watch, that I would be cool with waiting until Monday to write about it. It is a trio of new and very different TAG Heuer Monaco Skeleton Chronographs, one of the first times they put a skeleton dial in the Monaco, but it’s also a release that coincides with the Monaco F1 Grand Prix. So here I am, writing about it after the race is over.
Never mind, it’s still a nice watch. Excluding the V4 editions that had a different case and was driven by belts, a unique piece in carbon made for Only Watch 2021, and the very exclusive “Riviera” edition, TAG Heuer has never made a production Monaco with a skeleton dial. And looking at these watches, it looks to have been a mistake on TAG’s part as the watches really do look fantastic.
The base dimensions of the watch remain the same - 39mm wide and 14.7mm thick, but not much else is the same. The case in the skeleton model is made out of sandblasted titanium to make it much lighter. While I see why some people would want that, I adore the weight of the original model. You know when you are wearing one.
TAG calls this watch a skeleton, I described it as a skeleton but it, in fact, is not actually a skeleton watch. It would more appropriately be described as an openworked Monaco, as it has a partial dial that reveals a slightly reworked movement. But even as such it looks great - all sharp lines and angles. The watch comes in three editions - Original Blue with an untreated titanium case, blue dial, white and red accents and a blue strap; Racing Red, an untreated case, black dial with red and white accents and a black strap; and Turquoise, with a black DLC coated case, a black strap, a black dial with turquoise-coloured accents and sub-dials, a colour also being sported on the column wheel and rotor.
Inside is the familiar Calibre Heuer 02 with some slight improvements, with an 80 hour power reserve. Apart from the colors, all the straps are the same, a mix of rubber and leather with a titanium folding clasp.
All three are part of the regular collection and are not limited. The Original Blue and Racing Red editions are priced at CHF 10,500, and the DLC-coated Turquoise edition at CHF 11,000.
2/
Aquastar Revives Their First Dive Watch With The Model 60, The Most Classic Of Skin Divers With A Great Price
We are in the golden age of brand revivals. Aquastar, for example, was founded in the early 60s in Geneva by Frédéric Robert, a diver, sailor, pilot, mathematician and watchmaker after Robert took over his fathers watchmaking business JeanRichard. Over the next ten years, Rober filed a number of patents that are still relevant today, like inner rotating bezels, multiple dive decompression bezels, a new crown sealing system and the friction bezel ring…
When Robert retired, the brand was bought and sold by a number of companies and ended up being revived in 2020 by Rick Marei, who is known for building up Doxa to the powerhouse it is today. And ever since then they have been putting out fire releases. Their newest one is the Aquastar Model 60, which brings back the brand’s first-ever diver with modern specs.
All of the modern releases from Aquastar have been based on the Deepstar, but the Model 60 gets a completely new case. It’s based on the original Model 60, introduced in 1957 as JeanRichard7s first diver with a water resistance rating of 100 meters, and it was seemingly the earliest watch to use a skin-diver-style case. The Model 60 is also famous for being worn by Don Walsh to the bottom of the Mariana Trench while inside the Trieste submersible.
The stainless steel case of the Model 60 measures 37mm wide, 47mm lug-to-lug, 11mm thick and with a 19mm lug spacing. Speaking of the lugs, the watch comes on a tropic strap and can be had with an optional beads-of-rice bracelet with a safety clasp, or a nylon strap. Water resistance is 200 meters, and the sunburst-finished steel bezel is bidirectional.
The dial is what you would expect from a vintage diver - black with printed white minute track and hour markers, filled with “Old Radium” Super-LumiNova. The hands are the same as the Deepstar aside from the addition of a central seconds hand with a lume pip. Inside the watch is the La Joux-Perret G100, which features a 68-hour power reserve and is adjusted to four positions.
The Aquastar Model 60 will be a regular production model for the brand, and will not be limited. The Model 60 will start at $990 and rise to $1,290 at some point. The bracelet will cost an extra $159. Also the first 100 buyers will get a liquid-filled compass that can be attached to either a Tropic or nylon strap. However, considering the amount of press this watch has gotten over the weekend, I imagine they sold the first 100 already.
3/
The New And More Compact De Bethune DB28XS Starry Seas Is An Ode To Calm Seas
De Bethune watches are really something very special. The DB28 line especially. The floating lugs, delta-shaped bridge and crown at noon all give it a very futuristic look while remaining supremely elegant. The newly introduced DB28X Starry Seas takes all of these traits and gives them a huge makeover, despite looking practically the same - it shrinks it down radically to 39mm and gives it a beautifully serene blue dial with a world-first random guilloché pattern designed to evoke a starry sea.
The DB28XS is not only the smallest model in De Bethune’s family but inherits the slimmer, more stylised profile of the DB28XP models. With its diameter of 38.7mm (down from almost 43mm of the DB28) and thickness of 7.4mm, this petite newcomer is small and slim but also light, thanks to the polished titanium case.
The dial, which relies on a heat-blued titanium base that De Bethune has become known for, is decorated with the world’s first random guilloché pattern invented by De Bethune. Whether this means that De Bethune invented a random guilloché pattern or whether it is the fact that De Bethune has applied a random guiloché pattern to a blued titanium base needs clarifying. But there’s no denying that it’s a beautiful dial, as the wavy pattern is interrupted with sprinklings of white gold that mimic stars. A silver-plated rounded chapter ring bearing transferred Arabic numerals for hours and a blue dotted minute track frames the wavy dial. Time is indicated by two custom-made and hand-polished titanium openworked hands.
The watch comes on a supple dark blue alligator leather strap with light blue top stitching and a titanium pin buckle. De Bethune have not said whether this will be a limited model or when it will be available, but it’s expected to retail for CHF 77,000, excluding taxes.
4/
Alpina Has A Very Interesting Startimer Pilot Heritage Manufacture
Alpina is really starting to annoy me. I don’t want to take them seriously, on account of the name they share with the people that make my skis, and I’m not a huge fan of a number of their watches. But every now and again, they release a watch that’s just so great… Wait until you read all the specs and the price of the newly introduced Aplina Startimer Pilot Heritage Manufacture, an attractive vintage-inspired pilot’s watch.
The barrel-shaped case measures 42×40.75mm and lacks traditional lugs, with the strap going deep into the brushed case, with a crown at 4 o’clock. The dial is splendidly simple, with a deep blue color, a white minute track and beige luminescent hour markers. The rectangular hour and minute hands get the same beige lume. You can get it on a very vintage brown calf leather strap with white stitching.
But what’s really special is what’s inside the watch. A number of Alpina watches have had third party movements, but this one gets the AL-709 in-house calibre, an automatic movement presented in a becoming golden hue. Visible via an exhibition caseback, the movement at first glance resembles a manual movement due to its oscillating mass sharing the same golden tones as the automatic device bridge and mainplate. Subtle graining, blue screws and perlage are all augmenting the model’s overall appeal.
But what makes it even more special is the availability of 188 pieces and the price - just €2,850. And now this presents me with a question. This is obviously a very attractive watch - it looks great, has a good size, has an in house movement and does not break the bank, while still being limited which should, in theory, increase its desirability. I only now found out about the watch from the article in Escapement. In fact, this has been available since January. Why hasn’t it sold out yet? Is it just not attractive enough? Is it the name? It can’t be the value for money, or am I mistaken?
5/
Respected Independent Watchmaker Andreas Strehler Launches New Brand And Watch With The Strehler Sirna
Andreas Strehler is one of those watchmakers that is a leader among independent watchmakers and for good reason. He has mastered everything from fabrication to finishing, but then would not budge from the polarising design of his watches that many argue kept a lot of customers from him. And I love when someone is so stubborn. To be clear, his previous watches were not ugly monstrosities. They were elegant timepieces marked by a distinctive papillon, or “butterfly”, movement architecture and resulting cushion-shaped case, and Strehler has become known as the independent watchmaker’s watchmaker, having developed the HMC 341 perpetual calendar movement for H. Moser & Cie and the Dragon Lever escapement for Precision Engineering.
Stehler has now decided to expand to a wider audience and has launched a new brand known simply as Strehler, which aims to reach a wider audience with more accessible designs and prices. The brand’s opening act is the Sirna, named after the town of Sirnach in northeastern Switzerland where the manufacture is based.
At launch, the Sirna is offered in a single reference that features an elegantly proportioned, 40 mm steel case with a concave case band and ergonomically formed lugs. The crown is inlaid with a blue titanium disk that features Mr. Strehler’s signature Papillon logo. The patterned dial is also titanium, anodised in a beautiful blue. Designed by Eric Giroud, each dial is machined and laser-engraved before being individually hand polished.
But what’s really special is what’s inside - the in-house SA-30 movement that has some of the highest quality finishings at this price point. For example, the movement has an in-house gold rotor and ball-bearing rotor mount. Most brands, even those in the so-called “Holy Trinity”, typically outsource the production of rotors to a specialist.
The architecture of this 30mm calibre stands out with a series of circles for the bridges and the openworked rotor that match the curvature of the case. The large, free-sprung balance beats at 21,600 vibrations/hour and boasts 60 hours of power reserve. The decoration of this movement is refined, with hand-chamfered bevels, circular Geneva stripes, graining and circular-grained wheels, all channelling the movement’s elaborate design.
The Strehler Sirna comes on a supple brown calfskin strap with off-white stitching. The steel pin buckle is engraved with the brand’s logo. The price is set at CHF 20,000 (excl. taxes), which seems fair for an “independent watch” of this level. The watch is not a limited edition, but the production capacity is expected to be around 30 to 50 watches per year maximum.
-------------------------------------------------------------
A review of the Shinola Duck the brand’s light-duty, entry-level diver-style watch
2/
Hands-on with the Maen Brooklyn 36 — an unusual panda with a champagne twist
-------------------------------------------------------------
The Sofia II sits somewhere between a dressy and sporty piece, and Axia has sized it accordingly. The diameter of 40.5mm and lug-to-lug length of just under 48mm is a good fit on my 17.75cm (7″) wrist. It perhaps looks even larger than that due to the all-dial design and large polished lug facets. The combination of titanium, a thickness of 10.5mm, and lug tips sitting slightly lower than the case back all help the watch to sit securely and wear comfortably. But this leads to another dichotomy.
-------------------------------------------------------------
People loved the PRX giveaway! That's why I'm doing a new one. This time, we're giving away three Seiko Alpinists in that lovely green. The giveaway will be ending at the end of the month, so head on over to the newsletter before Wednesday, midnight CET if you would like to enter.
If you would like to receive some additional watch-adjacent content, as well as this news overview, every morning Monday-Friday in the form of a newsletter feel free to subscribe. However, there is absolutely no need for you to subscribe, as all the news from the newsletter is posted here. It is only if you want to receive a couple of daily links that are not strictly watch-related and want to get this news overview in your inbox.
submitted by dreftzg to Watches [link] [comments]
What's new
1/TAG Heuer Releases A Trio Of New Monacos With Skeleton Dials Ahead Of The Big Race
Hey, thanks a lot TAG! The exact second I sent out the Friday edition of It’s About Time they decided to announce a new watch. And not just any watch, that I would be cool with waiting until Monday to write about it. It is a trio of new and very different TAG Heuer Monaco Skeleton Chronographs, one of the first times they put a skeleton dial in the Monaco, but it’s also a release that coincides with the Monaco F1 Grand Prix. So here I am, writing about it after the race is over.
Never mind, it’s still a nice watch. Excluding the V4 editions that had a different case and was driven by belts, a unique piece in carbon made for Only Watch 2021, and the very exclusive “Riviera” edition, TAG Heuer has never made a production Monaco with a skeleton dial. And looking at these watches, it looks to have been a mistake on TAG’s part as the watches really do look fantastic.
The base dimensions of the watch remain the same - 39mm wide and 14.7mm thick, but not much else is the same. The case in the skeleton model is made out of sandblasted titanium to make it much lighter. While I see why some people would want that, I adore the weight of the original model. You know when you are wearing one.
TAG calls this watch a skeleton, I described it as a skeleton but it, in fact, is not actually a skeleton watch. It would more appropriately be described as an openworked Monaco, as it has a partial dial that reveals a slightly reworked movement. But even as such it looks great - all sharp lines and angles. The watch comes in three editions - Original Blue with an untreated titanium case, blue dial, white and red accents and a blue strap; Racing Red, an untreated case, black dial with red and white accents and a black strap; and Turquoise, with a black DLC coated case, a black strap, a black dial with turquoise-coloured accents and sub-dials, a colour also being sported on the column wheel and rotor.
Inside is the familiar Calibre Heuer 02 with some slight improvements, with an 80 hour power reserve. Apart from the colors, all the straps are the same, a mix of rubber and leather with a titanium folding clasp.
All three are part of the regular collection and are not limited. The Original Blue and Racing Red editions are priced at CHF 10,500, and the DLC-coated Turquoise edition at CHF 11,000.
2/
Aquastar Revives Their First Dive Watch With The Model 60, The Most Classic Of Skin Divers With A Great Price
We are in the golden age of brand revivals. Aquastar, for example, was founded in the early 60s in Geneva by Frédéric Robert, a diver, sailor, pilot, mathematician and watchmaker after Robert took over his fathers watchmaking business JeanRichard. Over the next ten years, Rober filed a number of patents that are still relevant today, like inner rotating bezels, multiple dive decompression bezels, a new crown sealing system and the friction bezel ring…
When Robert retired, the brand was bought and sold by a number of companies and ended up being revived in 2020 by Rick Marei, who is known for building up Doxa to the powerhouse it is today. And ever since then they have been putting out fire releases. Their newest one is the Aquastar Model 60, which brings back the brand’s first-ever diver with modern specs.
All of the modern releases from Aquastar have been based on the Deepstar, but the Model 60 gets a completely new case. It’s based on the original Model 60, introduced in 1957 as JeanRichard7s first diver with a water resistance rating of 100 meters, and it was seemingly the earliest watch to use a skin-diver-style case. The Model 60 is also famous for being worn by Don Walsh to the bottom of the Mariana Trench while inside the Trieste submersible.
The stainless steel case of the Model 60 measures 37mm wide, 47mm lug-to-lug, 11mm thick and with a 19mm lug spacing. Speaking of the lugs, the watch comes on a tropic strap and can be had with an optional beads-of-rice bracelet with a safety clasp, or a nylon strap. Water resistance is 200 meters, and the sunburst-finished steel bezel is bidirectional.
The dial is what you would expect from a vintage diver - black with printed white minute track and hour markers, filled with “Old Radium” Super-LumiNova. The hands are the same as the Deepstar aside from the addition of a central seconds hand with a lume pip. Inside the watch is the La Joux-Perret G100, which features a 68-hour power reserve and is adjusted to four positions.
The Aquastar Model 60 will be a regular production model for the brand, and will not be limited. The Model 60 will start at $990 and rise to $1,290 at some point. The bracelet will cost an extra $159. Also the first 100 buyers will get a liquid-filled compass that can be attached to either a Tropic or nylon strap. However, considering the amount of press this watch has gotten over the weekend, I imagine they sold the first 100 already.
3/
The New And More Compact De Bethune DB28XS Starry Seas Is An Ode To Calm Seas
De Bethune watches are really something very special. The DB28 line especially. The floating lugs, delta-shaped bridge and crown at noon all give it a very futuristic look while remaining supremely elegant. The newly introduced DB28X Starry Seas takes all of these traits and gives them a huge makeover, despite looking practically the same - it shrinks it down radically to 39mm and gives it a beautifully serene blue dial with a world-first random guilloché pattern designed to evoke a starry sea.
The DB28XS is not only the smallest model in De Bethune’s family but inherits the slimmer, more stylised profile of the DB28XP models. With its diameter of 38.7mm (down from almost 43mm of the DB28) and thickness of 7.4mm, this petite newcomer is small and slim but also light, thanks to the polished titanium case.
The dial, which relies on a heat-blued titanium base that De Bethune has become known for, is decorated with the world’s first random guilloché pattern invented by De Bethune. Whether this means that De Bethune invented a random guilloché pattern or whether it is the fact that De Bethune has applied a random guiloché pattern to a blued titanium base needs clarifying. But there’s no denying that it’s a beautiful dial, as the wavy pattern is interrupted with sprinklings of white gold that mimic stars. A silver-plated rounded chapter ring bearing transferred Arabic numerals for hours and a blue dotted minute track frames the wavy dial. Time is indicated by two custom-made and hand-polished titanium openworked hands.
The watch comes on a supple dark blue alligator leather strap with light blue top stitching and a titanium pin buckle. De Bethune have not said whether this will be a limited model or when it will be available, but it’s expected to retail for CHF 77,000, excluding taxes.
4/
Alpina Has A Very Interesting Startimer Pilot Heritage Manufacture
Alpina is really starting to annoy me. I don’t want to take them seriously, on account of the name they share with the people that make my skis, and I’m not a huge fan of a number of their watches. But every now and again, they release a watch that’s just so great… Wait until you read all the specs and the price of the newly introduced Aplina Startimer Pilot Heritage Manufacture, an attractive vintage-inspired pilot’s watch.
The barrel-shaped case measures 42×40.75mm and lacks traditional lugs, with the strap going deep into the brushed case, with a crown at 4 o’clock. The dial is splendidly simple, with a deep blue color, a white minute track and beige luminescent hour markers. The rectangular hour and minute hands get the same beige lume. You can get it on a very vintage brown calf leather strap with white stitching.
But what’s really special is what’s inside the watch. A number of Alpina watches have had third party movements, but this one gets the AL-709 in-house calibre, an automatic movement presented in a becoming golden hue. Visible via an exhibition caseback, the movement at first glance resembles a manual movement due to its oscillating mass sharing the same golden tones as the automatic device bridge and mainplate. Subtle graining, blue screws and perlage are all augmenting the model’s overall appeal.
But what makes it even more special is the availability of 188 pieces and the price - just €2,850. And now this presents me with a question. This is obviously a very attractive watch - it looks great, has a good size, has an in house movement and does not break the bank, while still being limited which should, in theory, increase its desirability. I only now found out about the watch from the article in Escapement. In fact, this has been available since January. Why hasn’t it sold out yet? Is it just not attractive enough? Is it the name? It can’t be the value for money, or am I mistaken?
5/
Respected Independent Watchmaker Andreas Strehler Launches New Brand And Watch With The Strehler Sirna
Andreas Strehler is one of those watchmakers that is a leader among independent watchmakers and for good reason. He has mastered everything from fabrication to finishing, but then would not budge from the polarising design of his watches that many argue kept a lot of customers from him. And I love when someone is so stubborn. To be clear, his previous watches were not ugly monstrosities. They were elegant timepieces marked by a distinctive papillon, or “butterfly”, movement architecture and resulting cushion-shaped case, and Strehler has become known as the independent watchmaker’s watchmaker, having developed the HMC 341 perpetual calendar movement for H. Moser & Cie and the Dragon Lever escapement for Precision Engineering.
Stehler has now decided to expand to a wider audience and has launched a new brand known simply as Strehler, which aims to reach a wider audience with more accessible designs and prices. The brand’s opening act is the Sirna, named after the town of Sirnach in northeastern Switzerland where the manufacture is based.
At launch, the Sirna is offered in a single reference that features an elegantly proportioned, 40 mm steel case with a concave case band and ergonomically formed lugs. The crown is inlaid with a blue titanium disk that features Mr. Strehler’s signature Papillon logo. The patterned dial is also titanium, anodised in a beautiful blue. Designed by Eric Giroud, each dial is machined and laser-engraved before being individually hand polished.
But what’s really special is what’s inside - the in-house SA-30 movement that has some of the highest quality finishings at this price point. For example, the movement has an in-house gold rotor and ball-bearing rotor mount. Most brands, even those in the so-called “Holy Trinity”, typically outsource the production of rotors to a specialist.
The architecture of this 30mm calibre stands out with a series of circles for the bridges and the openworked rotor that match the curvature of the case. The large, free-sprung balance beats at 21,600 vibrations/hour and boasts 60 hours of power reserve. The decoration of this movement is refined, with hand-chamfered bevels, circular Geneva stripes, graining and circular-grained wheels, all channelling the movement’s elaborate design.
The Strehler Sirna comes on a supple brown calfskin strap with off-white stitching. The steel pin buckle is engraved with the brand’s logo. The price is set at CHF 20,000 (excl. taxes), which seems fair for an “independent watch” of this level. The watch is not a limited edition, but the production capacity is expected to be around 30 to 50 watches per year maximum.
-------------------------------------------------------------
On hand - a selection of reviews
1/A review of the Shinola Duck the brand’s light-duty, entry-level diver-style watch
2/
Hands-on with the Maen Brooklyn 36 — an unusual panda with a champagne twist
-------------------------------------------------------------
Watch Worthy - A look at an offbeat, less known watch you might actually like
The Sofia II from Axia Time — high style with some substanceThe Sofia II sits somewhere between a dressy and sporty piece, and Axia has sized it accordingly. The diameter of 40.5mm and lug-to-lug length of just under 48mm is a good fit on my 17.75cm (7″) wrist. It perhaps looks even larger than that due to the all-dial design and large polished lug facets. The combination of titanium, a thickness of 10.5mm, and lug tips sitting slightly lower than the case back all help the watch to sit securely and wear comfortably. But this leads to another dichotomy.
-------------------------------------------------------------
People loved the PRX giveaway! That's why I'm doing a new one. This time, we're giving away three Seiko Alpinists in that lovely green. The giveaway will be ending at the end of the month, so head on over to the newsletter before Wednesday, midnight CET if you would like to enter.
If you would like to receive some additional watch-adjacent content, as well as this news overview, every morning Monday-Friday in the form of a newsletter feel free to subscribe. However, there is absolutely no need for you to subscribe, as all the news from the newsletter is posted here. It is only if you want to receive a couple of daily links that are not strictly watch-related and want to get this news overview in your inbox.
2023.05.29 14:01 LiveEmu8969 Update- My fiancé left me 3 weeks before our wedding
First of all, thank you for all the Dm’s and comments on my first post. I had a lot to process the last couple of days. However, I had a chance to talk more with my ex fiancé. Short recap for those who didnt read OG post, my fiancé left me 3 weeks before our wedding by moving out while I was at work and leaving me a note saying he didn’t want to get married.
At first, he refused to meet me face to face saying he didnt owe me anymore explanations and that he didnt want me to change his mind. Then finally he met with me. He said that he left the way that he did because he had exams he needed to focus on that he was worried if he said he wanted to leave earlier, it would have started a fight which he couldn’t handle or wanted to deal with at the time. He said he left while I was at work so that I wouldn’t have a chance to try to “convince” him to stay or change his mind. I asked him why he proposed in the first place then if he had no intention of going thru with the wedding. And he said because he thought in the year and a half long engagement, he could talk himself into marrying me. That he wasn’t prepared to lose me and wanted to keep me happy but as the date got closer, he realized it was real and couldn’t do it. So essentially just proposed to placate me and not have me bringing it up anymore. He said he at least gave me the “experience” of planning a wedding.
Why not just talk about it then? Why not have just told me he didn’t feel ready? I just feel like I have to vent now that I am in the angry and hurt phase. I do feel like I made the mistake of “pressuring” him to propose constantly but its because he would always say “im not sure if I ever want to get married ever” or he would put a timeline that he was going to propose by and the timeline would come and go and he would not propose. He took me to look at engagement rings, bought one, returned it without me knowing and when I found out, we ended up going back together to get another one because I was furious.
The proposal was a disaster in itself as he procrastinated planning it and ultimately had me plan it. The day before he proposed, he went to a gala (which he didnt invite me to), he said he was going to network only and would only be there for a little. He ended up not coming home until 11am the next day and saying its because he wanted to drink with his friends and if I had been there I wouldn’t have let him. Then he came home saying he was suppose to be proposing but maybe shouldnt now because we had a fight (THAT HE CAUSED). He dangled a proposal to me for 3 years!! When if thats not what he wanted, he should have just said. Not leave 3 weeks before the wedding while im at work and leave me a note!! Yet these “fights” and him not feeling like he could do what he wanted was the reasons he claimed he did what he did.
He painted me out to be a demon to our friends and his family, like I’m the crazy one. I would only act crazy because I was provoked. He would never invite me out with his friends or work parties or school events. He’d say its because in the past I may have gotten mad at something or it felt like it was tense so instead he chose to go alone and leave me so he could do what he wanted. I admit that there had been times I over reacted and lost my temper at thing but it was because of an accumulation of things. He would lie and say he was going to work and instead stay out late with his friends drinking. He would turn off his phone if he didnt want to handle conflict or if I was starting to get upset about something. And sometimes not even come home to avoid the conflict. He said his lies are justified because he felt if he told me the truth, id get mad so he felt he couldnt communicate with me but id get mad because he would LIE!! Please, make it make sense. You cant do whatever you want in a relationship as if you are single and then say that im acting irrationally when I get mad at the way you are acting.
I stayed with him no matter the lies, no matter how many nights crying. No matter how I felt, I knew I loved him and wanted to work it out so badly. I was not perfect at all but all I wanted was him to communicate at the level he stopped a long time ago. I guess I was always scared of him leaving, and so I pushed for commitment when maybe I should have just let things flow and we would have been happier. But on the other hand, maybe he never wanted to be serious ever and just would have stayed for convenience if I never pushed for more. I sound so crazy right now but even venting all this I’m crying because I still want to make it work but how??? Why?? What is wrong with me?? I am really losing my mind.
Edit: I am 26 and he is 35, together 5 years
submitted by LiveEmu8969 to offmychest [link] [comments]
At first, he refused to meet me face to face saying he didnt owe me anymore explanations and that he didnt want me to change his mind. Then finally he met with me. He said that he left the way that he did because he had exams he needed to focus on that he was worried if he said he wanted to leave earlier, it would have started a fight which he couldn’t handle or wanted to deal with at the time. He said he left while I was at work so that I wouldn’t have a chance to try to “convince” him to stay or change his mind. I asked him why he proposed in the first place then if he had no intention of going thru with the wedding. And he said because he thought in the year and a half long engagement, he could talk himself into marrying me. That he wasn’t prepared to lose me and wanted to keep me happy but as the date got closer, he realized it was real and couldn’t do it. So essentially just proposed to placate me and not have me bringing it up anymore. He said he at least gave me the “experience” of planning a wedding.
Why not just talk about it then? Why not have just told me he didn’t feel ready? I just feel like I have to vent now that I am in the angry and hurt phase. I do feel like I made the mistake of “pressuring” him to propose constantly but its because he would always say “im not sure if I ever want to get married ever” or he would put a timeline that he was going to propose by and the timeline would come and go and he would not propose. He took me to look at engagement rings, bought one, returned it without me knowing and when I found out, we ended up going back together to get another one because I was furious.
The proposal was a disaster in itself as he procrastinated planning it and ultimately had me plan it. The day before he proposed, he went to a gala (which he didnt invite me to), he said he was going to network only and would only be there for a little. He ended up not coming home until 11am the next day and saying its because he wanted to drink with his friends and if I had been there I wouldn’t have let him. Then he came home saying he was suppose to be proposing but maybe shouldnt now because we had a fight (THAT HE CAUSED). He dangled a proposal to me for 3 years!! When if thats not what he wanted, he should have just said. Not leave 3 weeks before the wedding while im at work and leave me a note!! Yet these “fights” and him not feeling like he could do what he wanted was the reasons he claimed he did what he did.
He painted me out to be a demon to our friends and his family, like I’m the crazy one. I would only act crazy because I was provoked. He would never invite me out with his friends or work parties or school events. He’d say its because in the past I may have gotten mad at something or it felt like it was tense so instead he chose to go alone and leave me so he could do what he wanted. I admit that there had been times I over reacted and lost my temper at thing but it was because of an accumulation of things. He would lie and say he was going to work and instead stay out late with his friends drinking. He would turn off his phone if he didnt want to handle conflict or if I was starting to get upset about something. And sometimes not even come home to avoid the conflict. He said his lies are justified because he felt if he told me the truth, id get mad so he felt he couldnt communicate with me but id get mad because he would LIE!! Please, make it make sense. You cant do whatever you want in a relationship as if you are single and then say that im acting irrationally when I get mad at the way you are acting.
I stayed with him no matter the lies, no matter how many nights crying. No matter how I felt, I knew I loved him and wanted to work it out so badly. I was not perfect at all but all I wanted was him to communicate at the level he stopped a long time ago. I guess I was always scared of him leaving, and so I pushed for commitment when maybe I should have just let things flow and we would have been happier. But on the other hand, maybe he never wanted to be serious ever and just would have stayed for convenience if I never pushed for more. I sound so crazy right now but even venting all this I’m crying because I still want to make it work but how??? Why?? What is wrong with me?? I am really losing my mind.
Edit: I am 26 and he is 35, together 5 years
2023.05.29 13:57 Odpea Primitive fun oneshot(probably)
Thank you to u/Far_masterpiece_7739 for proofreading and suggesting edits
this is my first story on NoP and hopefully my first good one, excuse the dates, i just put the date i went to the fair i describe in the story and put it in the year the main story takes place, for reference this is meant to be before the bombs dropped.
Memory transcription subject:Talik, Venlil exchange program participant
Date[Standardised human time]:13.05.2136
As My exchange partner and I stepped out of his house and into his car I was quite unenthused about where we were going. We were headed to a steam fair, yes an actual real life steam fair, this is something a yotul would enjoy, and I was no mere uplift.
[2 hours later]
It took half a spheking paw to get here, ugh, at least it was a chance to listen to more of that wonderful, though oddly named, human music, of the metal genre, my current favourite song being full circle by Five finger death punch, an odd and very predatory name, but it seems the same is true for a lot of human music. As we pulled into the seemingly random field there was an old man, in what my human had told me was a hi vis jacket, making strange hand gestures at us that my human somehow understood, we drove into another field, this one full of semi orderly rows of many different types of cars, we then got out and walked through the long grass towards a green booth of some kind in front of a small also green bridge, there were two middle aged human women in the booth, after my human paid £10 we were allowed in, at first it was less than impressive to our left was a man in an oddly coloured suit and purple top hat on a large stage, in front of us was a large empty area fenced off with rope, and many older vehicles were off to our left along with some “bouncy castles'' as my human had explained to me before and several stalls selling various items.
We went over to the left, past the stage and several food stands that smelled absolutely incredible, we made our way to a large horizontal wheel that suspended five other horizontal wheels that each had three sets of seats suspended from them, my human decided this would be a good way to “break me into it”, I decided against pointing out the very predatory language, and agreed to go on, my human gave the ride operator £3 and we both got on, my human being the bigger of the two of us had to sit next to the padded wall likely to reduce the effects of inertia, after a short wait for it to fill up, the ride started to play some music and slowly spin each the top one spinning the opposite direction to the others, the ride slowly got faster and after about a minute the operator announced, over the PA of the ride,that it was “time for turbo mode” and to “squish your partner”, and so I did, I allowed myself to slide across and bump into him at speed, I hit him harder than I intended, and apologised, he said nothing and simply pushed against the centrifugal force pushing us into the padded wall and moved us both to the opposite side of the cart, and laughed saying that he barely felt my impact “of course you didn’t, you have the most messed up physiology I have ever seen” I laughed out smiling in spite of myself.
After the ride stopped we moved past a giant vertical wheel, that my human called a Ferris wheel, and a large tower with a slide running around the outside, called a helter skelter my human said, and on to what my human said was one of his favorite rides ever, the swinging boats, from where we stood they looked quite tame, something was wrong, my human was an “Adrenaline junkie” as he and several of his friends had called him, meaning two rectangular boxes with seats in them just hanging there was clearly not all there was to the first steam powered ride I had seen at this steam fair, as we ascended the stairs to get on I saw an old man in amongst many valves, levers and gauges, my human paid the man £3 and one other person was on the ride with us, we were at one end and she was at the other, she smiled at us and laughed at my concerned face after my human gave some obscure hand sign, I should really learn the human hand, face and head language, just then I noticed a sign that read “all riders do so at their own risk” I was now very worried, I didn’t say anything though as I knew that my human would never intentionally endanger me, just then an ear peircing screeching sound started, causing me to Jump in fright, we were then told to hold onto the netting behind us and put our feet on the bench in front of us, then the box we were in started to swing, and I realised what they would do, after about [20 seconds] we were swinging so far that the box, or boat as my human had corrected me several times now, went from horizontal to vertical, with every swing, my human and the other one on the ride were smiling and laughing with each other while i firmly closed my eyes, my human noticed my discomfort and spoke, as softly as he could to be heard over the sound of the rushing air, comforting me and making sure i was ok, and trying to lighten the mood with a small joke here and there, eventually I felt brave enough to open my eyes and see the open sky on the other side of the netting, then we swung back and i was looking down at the human female smiling comfortingly at me, then i felt the air rushing in my face as we swung back and i couldn't help but bleat in surprise, this caused both humans to “awww” simultaneously quickly followed by the human female saying “jinx” and them both laughing, this time i joined in too.
About a minute later we were off of the ride and i felt like the ground was moving under me for a few seconds after i got off, right next to the boats was a small booth with several confectionaries on the rear wall and several very old looking weapons on the counter, there was a human mother helping their child to aim one of them at the confectionaries and then a small pop was heard as a cork flew from the end of the weapon and i saw a small pink cuboid with a green being called a dragon(that looked like if someone recoloured an Arxur and made it more square) on it, labelled “CHEWITS” fall backwards off its shelf, the woman running the stall then collected the tube from the trough at the bottom and passed it to the child who ran off happily, with his mother in tow. My human decided to challenge me at this game, I foolishly accepted and quickly wasted £15 of my human's money to only glance at a very large tin of biscuits, my human on the other hand had hit all bar 1 shot and we now had several boxes of confectionery.
The next ride we went on was called “THE SUPER SKID CARS” according to the sign above the ride entrance. My visual translator had a hard time with that one due to the very odd font. My human said he used to love riding these with his mum when he was a child, and that he was somewhat surprised such an old machine was still in service, (frankly I was surprised any of these machines were still in service at all). My human told me that these were a precursor to “waltzers” and said that based on my reaction to the boats it may be for the best if i watched first, i agreed, as my human was about to get on, he saw one of his friends, she was called Summer and she was a very lovely person, once you got past her shell of self loathing depression and their exchange partner, Janak was her name, after the two of them had hugged, we collectively decided that the humans should go on and we would watch to decide if we wanted to join them the second time, so my human and Summer went on together, the ride worked by a large central wheel spinning with several carts facing inward being pulled around by it, with a break pedal that would slow the cart enough that it would rotate about its hinge to the point that it was facing the direction it was traveling, when you then let go of the break it would fling the cart around at high speed to face the other way and repeat, all the while a human song was being played quite loudly, the one playing while our humans were on was dancing in the moonlight, our humans were singing along, and quite loudly, until the ride sped up causing summer to scream slightly and then laugh with me,Janak and my human , as they were flung so hard that they bounced back and forth several times, this continued for a little while more with Summer squealing in delight at every swing, my human singing and laughing along all the while.
After summer got off we all walked back around to the food stalls, where Janak and I had the leaves of a lovely vegetable called a lettuce, according to Summer, slices of a purple vegetable with white stripes in rings through it, called a red onion, according to summer, this prompted me to ask why it was called a red onion if it was purple and white, both humans looked at me and laughed at that, before my human said “sometimes human names are very on the nose, and other times, not so much, don’t worry about it.”, all while laughing, our meal was then wrapped in a thin-ish flat disk of strayu, I asked how humans had strayu in large enough quantities to sell like this, so soon after meeting us, this caused summer and Janak to laugh and my human to look confused, Janak explained that the humans had many different types of strayu, called bread apparently, and that they developed it independently and much, much earlier on in their cultural evolution than us, he also said that it tasted, different, not necessarily bad, but definitely not the same. The humans had chosen a bratwurst hot dog each from a german food stall, run by the british catering company, whilst mine and Janak’s was from a greek stall, also run by the british catering company.
After eating we went up to the stalls to the right of the entrance, where, my human bought a new wallet, and I bought several human confectionaries, at the end, there were several very primitive cloth tents, with people walking around in clothes that were very clearly not of this century, and they all carried weapons, such as knives, swords and axes. My human got quite excited at this and went over to speak with a group wearing helmets, chainmail and animal skins with jewellery woven into it, they had a table full of axes and swords with shields around it and spears poking out of the ground nearby, one of them holding a Dane axe!, after a lengthy conversation with a few of them we walked away with a card containing contact information, so that my human could join their re-enactment group. The central area was now host to two humans on motorbikes performing stunts and various tricks, while an announcer spoke to the crowd, as we walked down the backside of the central ring and towards the boats again we saw several small and quite slow steam engines making their way in our general direction, after we passed them I saw a dog, a truly fearsome beast tied to the front of a colossal steam engine, with, what i assumed to be the engine’s owner nearby talking to a woman with another dog, after we passed them we decided to have a go at the plate smash stand, Janak, summer and myself did terribly but my human hit every shot bar one, then we kept on moving, Janak and I had decided to go on the “THE SUPER SKID CARS'' with our respective humans. IT WAS A HUGE SPECKING MISTAKE!!!! A few seconds in, I was clinging to my human’s arm crying, he was holding me, softly stroking my head and speaking soothingly to me. About a minute in, i was able to open my eyes and sit there, still clinging to my human, as he continued to hold me, i noticed that he too seemed to be on the verge of tears, although i suspected for a different reason, after a while i got used to the speed, and asked my human to start swinging us, he did and i screamed in delight, it was so much fun, we sung along to a song i don't know the name of and moved so fast, i could feel my stomachs shift and shake around inside my body, after the ride finished i was so high on adrenaline that i felt like i could do anything, the same could not be said for Jamak, he looked utterly petrified and on the verge of throwing up. We returned to the shooting area and this time we only spent £5 each and i missed every shot, but it was fun, my human only got a tube of CHEWITS this time, but we still had fun, we then made our way back to the ferris wheel, we all went on and once we reached the top we stopped and i thought that something was wrong, until i looked down, now i'm braver than most venlil but this height was insane, however i now knew why we had stopped, a man and his son were getting on, however as i leaned back it caused our seating pod to rock back and forth, this made me freeze in terror as i pictured us falling and going splat on the ground below, and then we were moving again, and then we were on the ground, but we were still moving and then we were high in the air again, after this cycle of up and down had repeated another three times we finally got off, my whole body quivering with the after effects of terror, Jamak was clinging onto Summer’s arm and refused to let go as she lugged him around.
We made our way back to the boats and we all decided to go on, all except Jamak of course, at least he had let go of summer by now, this time i kept my eyes open the whole time and several of the other humans on board were screaming in delight, it was hilarious, my human, summer and i were all laughing, and as the boat slowed down, my human let go of the netting and put his feet back down, then the operator told him to put them back up and to keep holding on, so he put his hands up to hold on again and as he went to put his feet back up, the boat sped up again leading to my human hanging vertically and as we came back down, summer an i tried to hold him in place and check to see if he was ok, but he just wouldn't stop laughing, after the ride had stopped and we had gotten off, he finally stopped, and loudly exclaimed “DID YOU SEE THAT, IT WAS FUCKING AWESOME, HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!” this prompted summer to loudly exclaim “suicidal cunt, your going to give me a heart attack one of these days!”, this caused him to chuckle again and say “you’re one to talk aren’t you? And I'm way more likely to have a heart attack than you, genetic disorders, remember?”This went on until we reached the car parking field, where we went our separate ways, i was buzzing the whole way home as we listened to even more music and chatted, once we arrived home my tiredness hit me like a stampeding mazic and i fell face first onto the sofa.
When I woke up my human had bought me a glass of apple juice and was sitting next to me with one of his dogs on his lap, the large German shepherd Labrador cross breed, named Leela. She was huffing happily as my human rubbed her stomach. It had taken quite a while to warm up to the large and loud beast, but now she was a brilliant addition to my little herd and I can't imagine living without her here.
“Thank you, for the day out, it was wonderful, and I’m sorry for the way I acted about it this morning.”
“That’s fine, I had fun, and it seems you did too, that’s all that matters, that we both had fun.”
“You're the best friend a venlil could ask for, you know that right? I love spending time with you Oscar, even if you don’t love me, just know that I love you…. sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Hey, hey” Oscar said, softly, as I started to cry. “Just because I’m aromantic, doesn’t mean I can’t feel love, just not romance, I still love you, just platonically, now come and give me a hug, you silly sheep!” He said happily.
“I'm not a sheep, you stupid ape!” I responded jokingly, feigning indignation.
“I love you oscar”
“I love you too, Talik, now let’s get some dinner, we have to go back to work tomorrow.” and with that he stood up, finished his apple juice and walked into the kitchen.
submitted by Odpea to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]
this is my first story on NoP and hopefully my first good one, excuse the dates, i just put the date i went to the fair i describe in the story and put it in the year the main story takes place, for reference this is meant to be before the bombs dropped.
Memory transcription subject:Talik, Venlil exchange program participant
Date[Standardised human time]:13.05.2136
As My exchange partner and I stepped out of his house and into his car I was quite unenthused about where we were going. We were headed to a steam fair, yes an actual real life steam fair, this is something a yotul would enjoy, and I was no mere uplift.
[2 hours later]
It took half a spheking paw to get here, ugh, at least it was a chance to listen to more of that wonderful, though oddly named, human music, of the metal genre, my current favourite song being full circle by Five finger death punch, an odd and very predatory name, but it seems the same is true for a lot of human music. As we pulled into the seemingly random field there was an old man, in what my human had told me was a hi vis jacket, making strange hand gestures at us that my human somehow understood, we drove into another field, this one full of semi orderly rows of many different types of cars, we then got out and walked through the long grass towards a green booth of some kind in front of a small also green bridge, there were two middle aged human women in the booth, after my human paid £10 we were allowed in, at first it was less than impressive to our left was a man in an oddly coloured suit and purple top hat on a large stage, in front of us was a large empty area fenced off with rope, and many older vehicles were off to our left along with some “bouncy castles'' as my human had explained to me before and several stalls selling various items.
We went over to the left, past the stage and several food stands that smelled absolutely incredible, we made our way to a large horizontal wheel that suspended five other horizontal wheels that each had three sets of seats suspended from them, my human decided this would be a good way to “break me into it”, I decided against pointing out the very predatory language, and agreed to go on, my human gave the ride operator £3 and we both got on, my human being the bigger of the two of us had to sit next to the padded wall likely to reduce the effects of inertia, after a short wait for it to fill up, the ride started to play some music and slowly spin each the top one spinning the opposite direction to the others, the ride slowly got faster and after about a minute the operator announced, over the PA of the ride,that it was “time for turbo mode” and to “squish your partner”, and so I did, I allowed myself to slide across and bump into him at speed, I hit him harder than I intended, and apologised, he said nothing and simply pushed against the centrifugal force pushing us into the padded wall and moved us both to the opposite side of the cart, and laughed saying that he barely felt my impact “of course you didn’t, you have the most messed up physiology I have ever seen” I laughed out smiling in spite of myself.
After the ride stopped we moved past a giant vertical wheel, that my human called a Ferris wheel, and a large tower with a slide running around the outside, called a helter skelter my human said, and on to what my human said was one of his favorite rides ever, the swinging boats, from where we stood they looked quite tame, something was wrong, my human was an “Adrenaline junkie” as he and several of his friends had called him, meaning two rectangular boxes with seats in them just hanging there was clearly not all there was to the first steam powered ride I had seen at this steam fair, as we ascended the stairs to get on I saw an old man in amongst many valves, levers and gauges, my human paid the man £3 and one other person was on the ride with us, we were at one end and she was at the other, she smiled at us and laughed at my concerned face after my human gave some obscure hand sign, I should really learn the human hand, face and head language, just then I noticed a sign that read “all riders do so at their own risk” I was now very worried, I didn’t say anything though as I knew that my human would never intentionally endanger me, just then an ear peircing screeching sound started, causing me to Jump in fright, we were then told to hold onto the netting behind us and put our feet on the bench in front of us, then the box we were in started to swing, and I realised what they would do, after about [20 seconds] we were swinging so far that the box, or boat as my human had corrected me several times now, went from horizontal to vertical, with every swing, my human and the other one on the ride were smiling and laughing with each other while i firmly closed my eyes, my human noticed my discomfort and spoke, as softly as he could to be heard over the sound of the rushing air, comforting me and making sure i was ok, and trying to lighten the mood with a small joke here and there, eventually I felt brave enough to open my eyes and see the open sky on the other side of the netting, then we swung back and i was looking down at the human female smiling comfortingly at me, then i felt the air rushing in my face as we swung back and i couldn't help but bleat in surprise, this caused both humans to “awww” simultaneously quickly followed by the human female saying “jinx” and them both laughing, this time i joined in too.
About a minute later we were off of the ride and i felt like the ground was moving under me for a few seconds after i got off, right next to the boats was a small booth with several confectionaries on the rear wall and several very old looking weapons on the counter, there was a human mother helping their child to aim one of them at the confectionaries and then a small pop was heard as a cork flew from the end of the weapon and i saw a small pink cuboid with a green being called a dragon(that looked like if someone recoloured an Arxur and made it more square) on it, labelled “CHEWITS” fall backwards off its shelf, the woman running the stall then collected the tube from the trough at the bottom and passed it to the child who ran off happily, with his mother in tow. My human decided to challenge me at this game, I foolishly accepted and quickly wasted £15 of my human's money to only glance at a very large tin of biscuits, my human on the other hand had hit all bar 1 shot and we now had several boxes of confectionery.
The next ride we went on was called “THE SUPER SKID CARS” according to the sign above the ride entrance. My visual translator had a hard time with that one due to the very odd font. My human said he used to love riding these with his mum when he was a child, and that he was somewhat surprised such an old machine was still in service, (frankly I was surprised any of these machines were still in service at all). My human told me that these were a precursor to “waltzers” and said that based on my reaction to the boats it may be for the best if i watched first, i agreed, as my human was about to get on, he saw one of his friends, she was called Summer and she was a very lovely person, once you got past her shell of self loathing depression and their exchange partner, Janak was her name, after the two of them had hugged, we collectively decided that the humans should go on and we would watch to decide if we wanted to join them the second time, so my human and Summer went on together, the ride worked by a large central wheel spinning with several carts facing inward being pulled around by it, with a break pedal that would slow the cart enough that it would rotate about its hinge to the point that it was facing the direction it was traveling, when you then let go of the break it would fling the cart around at high speed to face the other way and repeat, all the while a human song was being played quite loudly, the one playing while our humans were on was dancing in the moonlight, our humans were singing along, and quite loudly, until the ride sped up causing summer to scream slightly and then laugh with me,Janak and my human , as they were flung so hard that they bounced back and forth several times, this continued for a little while more with Summer squealing in delight at every swing, my human singing and laughing along all the while.
After summer got off we all walked back around to the food stalls, where Janak and I had the leaves of a lovely vegetable called a lettuce, according to Summer, slices of a purple vegetable with white stripes in rings through it, called a red onion, according to summer, this prompted me to ask why it was called a red onion if it was purple and white, both humans looked at me and laughed at that, before my human said “sometimes human names are very on the nose, and other times, not so much, don’t worry about it.”, all while laughing, our meal was then wrapped in a thin-ish flat disk of strayu, I asked how humans had strayu in large enough quantities to sell like this, so soon after meeting us, this caused summer and Janak to laugh and my human to look confused, Janak explained that the humans had many different types of strayu, called bread apparently, and that they developed it independently and much, much earlier on in their cultural evolution than us, he also said that it tasted, different, not necessarily bad, but definitely not the same. The humans had chosen a bratwurst hot dog each from a german food stall, run by the british catering company, whilst mine and Janak’s was from a greek stall, also run by the british catering company.
After eating we went up to the stalls to the right of the entrance, where, my human bought a new wallet, and I bought several human confectionaries, at the end, there were several very primitive cloth tents, with people walking around in clothes that were very clearly not of this century, and they all carried weapons, such as knives, swords and axes. My human got quite excited at this and went over to speak with a group wearing helmets, chainmail and animal skins with jewellery woven into it, they had a table full of axes and swords with shields around it and spears poking out of the ground nearby, one of them holding a Dane axe!, after a lengthy conversation with a few of them we walked away with a card containing contact information, so that my human could join their re-enactment group. The central area was now host to two humans on motorbikes performing stunts and various tricks, while an announcer spoke to the crowd, as we walked down the backside of the central ring and towards the boats again we saw several small and quite slow steam engines making their way in our general direction, after we passed them I saw a dog, a truly fearsome beast tied to the front of a colossal steam engine, with, what i assumed to be the engine’s owner nearby talking to a woman with another dog, after we passed them we decided to have a go at the plate smash stand, Janak, summer and myself did terribly but my human hit every shot bar one, then we kept on moving, Janak and I had decided to go on the “THE SUPER SKID CARS'' with our respective humans. IT WAS A HUGE SPECKING MISTAKE!!!! A few seconds in, I was clinging to my human’s arm crying, he was holding me, softly stroking my head and speaking soothingly to me. About a minute in, i was able to open my eyes and sit there, still clinging to my human, as he continued to hold me, i noticed that he too seemed to be on the verge of tears, although i suspected for a different reason, after a while i got used to the speed, and asked my human to start swinging us, he did and i screamed in delight, it was so much fun, we sung along to a song i don't know the name of and moved so fast, i could feel my stomachs shift and shake around inside my body, after the ride finished i was so high on adrenaline that i felt like i could do anything, the same could not be said for Jamak, he looked utterly petrified and on the verge of throwing up. We returned to the shooting area and this time we only spent £5 each and i missed every shot, but it was fun, my human only got a tube of CHEWITS this time, but we still had fun, we then made our way back to the ferris wheel, we all went on and once we reached the top we stopped and i thought that something was wrong, until i looked down, now i'm braver than most venlil but this height was insane, however i now knew why we had stopped, a man and his son were getting on, however as i leaned back it caused our seating pod to rock back and forth, this made me freeze in terror as i pictured us falling and going splat on the ground below, and then we were moving again, and then we were on the ground, but we were still moving and then we were high in the air again, after this cycle of up and down had repeated another three times we finally got off, my whole body quivering with the after effects of terror, Jamak was clinging onto Summer’s arm and refused to let go as she lugged him around.
We made our way back to the boats and we all decided to go on, all except Jamak of course, at least he had let go of summer by now, this time i kept my eyes open the whole time and several of the other humans on board were screaming in delight, it was hilarious, my human, summer and i were all laughing, and as the boat slowed down, my human let go of the netting and put his feet back down, then the operator told him to put them back up and to keep holding on, so he put his hands up to hold on again and as he went to put his feet back up, the boat sped up again leading to my human hanging vertically and as we came back down, summer an i tried to hold him in place and check to see if he was ok, but he just wouldn't stop laughing, after the ride had stopped and we had gotten off, he finally stopped, and loudly exclaimed “DID YOU SEE THAT, IT WAS FUCKING AWESOME, HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!” this prompted summer to loudly exclaim “suicidal cunt, your going to give me a heart attack one of these days!”, this caused him to chuckle again and say “you’re one to talk aren’t you? And I'm way more likely to have a heart attack than you, genetic disorders, remember?”This went on until we reached the car parking field, where we went our separate ways, i was buzzing the whole way home as we listened to even more music and chatted, once we arrived home my tiredness hit me like a stampeding mazic and i fell face first onto the sofa.
When I woke up my human had bought me a glass of apple juice and was sitting next to me with one of his dogs on his lap, the large German shepherd Labrador cross breed, named Leela. She was huffing happily as my human rubbed her stomach. It had taken quite a while to warm up to the large and loud beast, but now she was a brilliant addition to my little herd and I can't imagine living without her here.
“Thank you, for the day out, it was wonderful, and I’m sorry for the way I acted about it this morning.”
“That’s fine, I had fun, and it seems you did too, that’s all that matters, that we both had fun.”
“You're the best friend a venlil could ask for, you know that right? I love spending time with you Oscar, even if you don’t love me, just know that I love you…. sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Hey, hey” Oscar said, softly, as I started to cry. “Just because I’m aromantic, doesn’t mean I can’t feel love, just not romance, I still love you, just platonically, now come and give me a hug, you silly sheep!” He said happily.
“I'm not a sheep, you stupid ape!” I responded jokingly, feigning indignation.
“I love you oscar”
“I love you too, Talik, now let’s get some dinner, we have to go back to work tomorrow.” and with that he stood up, finished his apple juice and walked into the kitchen.
2023.05.29 13:46 Targatay Current mouse doesn't work but other mice work fine on my pc
I was trying to play Elden Ring but every time i moved my mouse it caused huge fps drop. So I searched for a solution. I came across this reddit post. From which i decided to change the mouse polling rate. I couldn't find a program specifically made for my mouse so i find a third party one from github. I did everything it said in the correct order but my mouse doesn't work anymore. When i connect it to the pc, its lights turn on for about 10 seconds then go back off. Other mice work fine. it is just this one i tried on.
submitted by Targatay to techsupport [link] [comments]
2023.05.29 13:33 greece666 Discussion of "The Battle of Algiers"
"The Battle of Algiers" is a critically acclaimed faux documentary inspired by “cinéma vérité” and directed by Gillo Pontecorvo. Released in 1966, it depicts a crucial phase in the Algerian War of Independence (1954-7). The film portrays events such as the FLN's (Front de Libération Nationale) bombings, assassinations, and the French military's efforts to suppress the insurgency.
The film received the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1966 and was nominated for three Oscars (Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Foreign Language Film). Over the years, it has continued to earn accolades, including being listed among the greatest films of all time by publications such as Sight & Sound and The New York Times. Edward Said famously claimed that “The Battle of Algiers” and “Queimada” (1969), Pontecorvo's next film, were the two greatest political films ever made. They indubitably paved the way for films such as Costa-Gavras “Z” and Theo Angelopoulos’s “Days of “36”.
The film was released a mere four years after the end of the Algerian War of Independence; it immediately became a subject of fierce controversy in France. The French government, under the conservative President Charles de Gaulle, was not supportive of the film due to its critical portrayal of French colonialism; as a result when Pontecorvo won the Golden Lion in Venice, the French delegation left in protest and the film was not screened in France until 1971. Even then, death threats by nationalists deterred cinema owners, and it was only through pressure from Louis Malle and other intellectuals that the film was eventually shown in French cinema.
The film portrays the profound repercussions that arise from challenging popular will through colonial means, such as military force and institutional discrimination. "The Battle of Algiers" emerges directly from the liberation movement it vividly captures. Following Algeria's independence in 1962, former fedayee (guerrilla) and captive of the French, Saadi Yaceft, approached Pontecorvo to adapt his memoirs into a film. The authenticity of the film’s foundation helped it to exude a striking realism rarely seen in political movies. The film's mournful tone and journalistic approach enabled Pontecorvo to reconstruct events on a grand scale, capturing the essence of the urban landscape of Algiers while also depicting intimate moments of ordinary people.
What adds to the power of the film is its ability to maintain a balanced and impassioned perspective by addressing the concerns of both sides of the war. The French colonel, who himself fought against the Nazis during the resistance, wonders why some intellectuals and the artists of France side with the Algerian rebels. However, there was a time when the colonel did not have to question why the Germans were unwelcome in his own country.
In Pontecorvo’s own words: "So many critics see “The Battle of Algiers” as propaganda, but in the scenes of death, the same religious music accompanies both the French and Arab bombings. I am on the side of the Arabs, but I feel compassion for the French even if historically they were at fault. I do not say the French were bad, only that they were wrong. [...] My subject is the sadness and laceration that the birth of a nation means in our time.” Undoubtedly, Pontecorvo, an Italian Jew who had previously been affiliated with the communist party and had fought as a partisan during World War II, did not garner favor among conservative circles.
Pontecorvo intricately wove together the technical aspects of the film, utilizing handheld cameras and black and white cinematography to convey an immediacy that plunges viewers into the heart of the conflict. The film's stark urban landscapes and the raw emotions etched on the faces of its characters are expertly framed, thanks to the cinematography of Marcello Gatti.
Gatti, the film's cinematographer, bore a leftist ideology and had endured imprisonment under Mussolini's dictatorship for defacing a portrait of Mussolini. With consummate skill, he adeptly captured the raw and captivating ambiance of the urban conflict portrayed in the film. His remarkable ability to navigate the labyrinthine, serpentine streets of Algiers and aptly depict the fervor of the clashes between the FLN and the French military heightened the film's tension.
Pontecorvo's approach to working with amateur actors is equally noteworthy. The performances of actors like Saadi Yacef, the aforementioned former FLN leader who portrays himself, are captivating in their authenticity. Pontecorvo's mastery in bestowing the film with the appearance of newsreel and documentary was so profound that American releases bore a disclaimer stating that "not one foot" of actual newsreel footage was utilized.
Jean Martin, a French actor who had only a modest number of screen credits to his name, was carefully selected by Pontecorvo to be the sole professional actor in the film, chosen for his relative obscurity and professional expertise. In his interactions with untrained performers, Martin occasionally faced challenges stemming from the disparity in experience. Pontecorvo, on the other hand, expressed apprehension regarding potential disparities in acting styles and their potential impact on the film's overall coherence. Nevertheless, Martin ultimately delivered a commanding portrayal as Colonel Mathieu, exuding the chilling resolve of the French military and effectively capturing the complexities of the conflict and the moral ambiguity surrounding the actions of the French military.
Indeed, Colonel Mathieu is the key figure of the movie and a complex anti-hero. Tasked by the French government with suppressing the Algerian uprising, he epitomizes the archetype of a resilient and seasoned professional soldier. Having earned his stripes as a veteran of the French Resistance, Mathieu exudes an unwavering demeanor devoid of any trace of irony. The film's most remarkable sequence revolves around Mathieu's commanding presence as he leads a triumphant parade along Algiers' main street. His intentions are twofold: to reassure loyal citizens of the French army's might in quashing the terrorists and to confront the terrorists themselves. With an air of casual ease, he radiates unwavering confidence, fully immersed in the spectacle he has orchestrated. Bathed in a dance of alternating shadows and sunlight, skillfully captured by Pontecorvo's masterful utilization of natural light, Mathieu's countenance becomes an indispensable component of the film's "newsreel" aesthetic.
Possibly the most cherished trivia about the movie is that it was screened at the Pentagon in 2003, prior to the invasion of Iraq. American generals were captivated by the film's unwavering candor in delving into subjects such as counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency, and the contentious employment of torture as a means of gathering information. General David Petraeus, who held command of the 101st Airborne Division at the time, lauded the film for its portrayal of the intricate complexities entailed in urban warfare and counterinsurgency. While this screening undoubtedly revitalized the film's iconic status, it appears that the attending officers failed to fully absorb Pontecorvo's profound insights, as evidenced by the course of the war in Iraq. Perhaps a revisiting of the film is in order for them.
"The Battle of Algiers" offers a cinematic odyssey that reaches far beyond its portrayal of the Algerian war. Its profound impact transcends the boundaries of that particular conflict, embracing a universal frame of reference that allows audiences to connect it to any war or struggle. The film's resonance stems from its profound ability to delve into timeless truths about the human condition and the harrowing ramifications of armed conflict, solidifying its status as a film of enduring relevance.
Pontecorvo's film has become such a powerful symbolic representation of the Algerian struggle that the untold stories of grassroots resistance can sometimes fade into the background, lost in obscurity. I'd like to suggest two more films which lack the laurels and recognition of the “Battle of Algiers” but shed light to lesser known aspects of the anti-colonial struggle in North Africa: “The Chronicle of the Years of Fire” and “The Lion of the Desert” (infamously funded by Libya's Colonel Gaddafy). If you're open to exploring movies that challenge your perspectives and offer historical insights, these two could be an interesting choice.
“The Chronicle of the Years of Fire” is an Algerian movie by Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina that won the Palme d’ Or in 1975: it shows the conflict through the eyes of a peasant while carefully depicting tribal life on the mountains of Algeria. “The Lion of the Desert” is an epic historical film directed by Moustapha Akkad with an impressive array of Hollywood stars, portraying the true story of Omar Mukhtar, a Bedouin leader who fought against Italian forces during the Italian colonization of Libya in the 1930s.
If interested in further discussing this film, you can join our Zoom discussion this Friday: https://www.meetup.com/the-toronto-philosophy-meetup/events/293060025/
submitted by greece666 to TrueFilm [link] [comments]
The film received the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1966 and was nominated for three Oscars (Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Foreign Language Film). Over the years, it has continued to earn accolades, including being listed among the greatest films of all time by publications such as Sight & Sound and The New York Times. Edward Said famously claimed that “The Battle of Algiers” and “Queimada” (1969), Pontecorvo's next film, were the two greatest political films ever made. They indubitably paved the way for films such as Costa-Gavras “Z” and Theo Angelopoulos’s “Days of “36”.
The film was released a mere four years after the end of the Algerian War of Independence; it immediately became a subject of fierce controversy in France. The French government, under the conservative President Charles de Gaulle, was not supportive of the film due to its critical portrayal of French colonialism; as a result when Pontecorvo won the Golden Lion in Venice, the French delegation left in protest and the film was not screened in France until 1971. Even then, death threats by nationalists deterred cinema owners, and it was only through pressure from Louis Malle and other intellectuals that the film was eventually shown in French cinema.
The film portrays the profound repercussions that arise from challenging popular will through colonial means, such as military force and institutional discrimination. "The Battle of Algiers" emerges directly from the liberation movement it vividly captures. Following Algeria's independence in 1962, former fedayee (guerrilla) and captive of the French, Saadi Yaceft, approached Pontecorvo to adapt his memoirs into a film. The authenticity of the film’s foundation helped it to exude a striking realism rarely seen in political movies. The film's mournful tone and journalistic approach enabled Pontecorvo to reconstruct events on a grand scale, capturing the essence of the urban landscape of Algiers while also depicting intimate moments of ordinary people.
What adds to the power of the film is its ability to maintain a balanced and impassioned perspective by addressing the concerns of both sides of the war. The French colonel, who himself fought against the Nazis during the resistance, wonders why some intellectuals and the artists of France side with the Algerian rebels. However, there was a time when the colonel did not have to question why the Germans were unwelcome in his own country.
In Pontecorvo’s own words: "So many critics see “The Battle of Algiers” as propaganda, but in the scenes of death, the same religious music accompanies both the French and Arab bombings. I am on the side of the Arabs, but I feel compassion for the French even if historically they were at fault. I do not say the French were bad, only that they were wrong. [...] My subject is the sadness and laceration that the birth of a nation means in our time.” Undoubtedly, Pontecorvo, an Italian Jew who had previously been affiliated with the communist party and had fought as a partisan during World War II, did not garner favor among conservative circles.
Pontecorvo intricately wove together the technical aspects of the film, utilizing handheld cameras and black and white cinematography to convey an immediacy that plunges viewers into the heart of the conflict. The film's stark urban landscapes and the raw emotions etched on the faces of its characters are expertly framed, thanks to the cinematography of Marcello Gatti.
Gatti, the film's cinematographer, bore a leftist ideology and had endured imprisonment under Mussolini's dictatorship for defacing a portrait of Mussolini. With consummate skill, he adeptly captured the raw and captivating ambiance of the urban conflict portrayed in the film. His remarkable ability to navigate the labyrinthine, serpentine streets of Algiers and aptly depict the fervor of the clashes between the FLN and the French military heightened the film's tension.
Pontecorvo's approach to working with amateur actors is equally noteworthy. The performances of actors like Saadi Yacef, the aforementioned former FLN leader who portrays himself, are captivating in their authenticity. Pontecorvo's mastery in bestowing the film with the appearance of newsreel and documentary was so profound that American releases bore a disclaimer stating that "not one foot" of actual newsreel footage was utilized.
Jean Martin, a French actor who had only a modest number of screen credits to his name, was carefully selected by Pontecorvo to be the sole professional actor in the film, chosen for his relative obscurity and professional expertise. In his interactions with untrained performers, Martin occasionally faced challenges stemming from the disparity in experience. Pontecorvo, on the other hand, expressed apprehension regarding potential disparities in acting styles and their potential impact on the film's overall coherence. Nevertheless, Martin ultimately delivered a commanding portrayal as Colonel Mathieu, exuding the chilling resolve of the French military and effectively capturing the complexities of the conflict and the moral ambiguity surrounding the actions of the French military.
Indeed, Colonel Mathieu is the key figure of the movie and a complex anti-hero. Tasked by the French government with suppressing the Algerian uprising, he epitomizes the archetype of a resilient and seasoned professional soldier. Having earned his stripes as a veteran of the French Resistance, Mathieu exudes an unwavering demeanor devoid of any trace of irony. The film's most remarkable sequence revolves around Mathieu's commanding presence as he leads a triumphant parade along Algiers' main street. His intentions are twofold: to reassure loyal citizens of the French army's might in quashing the terrorists and to confront the terrorists themselves. With an air of casual ease, he radiates unwavering confidence, fully immersed in the spectacle he has orchestrated. Bathed in a dance of alternating shadows and sunlight, skillfully captured by Pontecorvo's masterful utilization of natural light, Mathieu's countenance becomes an indispensable component of the film's "newsreel" aesthetic.
Possibly the most cherished trivia about the movie is that it was screened at the Pentagon in 2003, prior to the invasion of Iraq. American generals were captivated by the film's unwavering candor in delving into subjects such as counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency, and the contentious employment of torture as a means of gathering information. General David Petraeus, who held command of the 101st Airborne Division at the time, lauded the film for its portrayal of the intricate complexities entailed in urban warfare and counterinsurgency. While this screening undoubtedly revitalized the film's iconic status, it appears that the attending officers failed to fully absorb Pontecorvo's profound insights, as evidenced by the course of the war in Iraq. Perhaps a revisiting of the film is in order for them.
"The Battle of Algiers" offers a cinematic odyssey that reaches far beyond its portrayal of the Algerian war. Its profound impact transcends the boundaries of that particular conflict, embracing a universal frame of reference that allows audiences to connect it to any war or struggle. The film's resonance stems from its profound ability to delve into timeless truths about the human condition and the harrowing ramifications of armed conflict, solidifying its status as a film of enduring relevance.
Pontecorvo's film has become such a powerful symbolic representation of the Algerian struggle that the untold stories of grassroots resistance can sometimes fade into the background, lost in obscurity. I'd like to suggest two more films which lack the laurels and recognition of the “Battle of Algiers” but shed light to lesser known aspects of the anti-colonial struggle in North Africa: “The Chronicle of the Years of Fire” and “The Lion of the Desert” (infamously funded by Libya's Colonel Gaddafy). If you're open to exploring movies that challenge your perspectives and offer historical insights, these two could be an interesting choice.
“The Chronicle of the Years of Fire” is an Algerian movie by Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina that won the Palme d’ Or in 1975: it shows the conflict through the eyes of a peasant while carefully depicting tribal life on the mountains of Algeria. “The Lion of the Desert” is an epic historical film directed by Moustapha Akkad with an impressive array of Hollywood stars, portraying the true story of Omar Mukhtar, a Bedouin leader who fought against Italian forces during the Italian colonization of Libya in the 1930s.
If interested in further discussing this film, you can join our Zoom discussion this Friday: https://www.meetup.com/the-toronto-philosophy-meetup/events/293060025/
2023.05.29 13:20 Black_Hazard_YABEI Tentative Plot Preview of my Amourshipping fic (Pokemon A/S) Version 1.1
Fanfic name: Pokemon A(sh)/S(erena)
--------------------Continuity and Placement-----------------
After 1 years of MPM Epsiode 11
For Liko and Roy: Somewhere After Pokemon Horizon Epsiode 6-8 and it's subject to change
--------------------Character settings--------------------
Main Cast: XY Gang (Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie) + OG Gang (Misty, Brock) + Gary Oak
Everyone will receive the Mega Evolution
Gary Oak become Professor before the fic starts.
Dawn become Top Coordinator before the fic starts.
May and Dawn will become Serena's rival.
Chloe is May, Dawn and Serena's apprentice
Pokemon Master scaling from best to worst: Ash >>>> Leon > all 6 Masters
Pokemon Coordinator scaling from best to worst : Dawn = May >< Serena > Chloe > Miette > Drew = Zoey
Pokemon Performer scaling from best to worst :Serena > May > Dawn > Aria > Chloe > Miette> Jessie
--------------------Change from Anime in this fanfic--------------------
-Ash:
-While Bond Transformation is exclusive to Greninja in anime ,in this fanfic bond transformation can also be accessed if the Trainer have unusual high relationship with their Kalos Starter (might subject to change in future) such as Serena-Delphox and Clemont-Chesnaut
-Serena will slowly become a better battler than anime counterpart (become as strong as Clemont) , joining battle way more often and will even features with several back-to-back action with Ash
-Clemont's Chespin will evolve to Chesnaught because of some Lab accident which also blow up the Prism Tower(lol!)
-Up to 6 on hand Pokemon Limit still applys here, but can use some device to replace members in their party as they wish before entering battle, and it can be bypassed by simply befriend with other pokemon rather than caught them in pokeball
-Introduce various of team finisher move which will not be considered as one of the "4 moves"
-4 moves limit are still applies here, but trainers can bypass it by create their very own charge move on their pokemon
-Trainers can use all 6 pokemon at the same time
-Features tons of OC enemy, pokemon or the antagionist that are neither Pokemon nor Humans.
-Bonnie will become part of the team instead of Tagalong Kid and use squishy to help saves the day more often.
-Clemont will become more successful Scientist because he now got the more competent assistant (Clembot MKIII and his Chesnaught)
--------------------Miscellaneous--------------------
Everyone will have their official age +1, except Ash who is still stucking at 10 years old (There'll be the story arc which explains why Ash was still 10 years old)
Team rocket trio will be sent to jail at ending of Team Rocket Arc because I feels like they're superfluous in the fanfic. But they might return if I can make use of them and appears as reformed person because they're not entirely bad person I think
Liko and Roy will appear as side characters
Greninja will be actively used, but there'll be few chapter where Ash didn't bring his greninja in his party
Almost everyone will get Mega evolution
Serena will move to Pallet Town and live with Ash, while Clemont, Bonnie and Meyer will temporary living with Ash as well
Calem will appears in this fanfic as cameo alongside with Serena's Game counterpart) , who will appears with Anime Serena at the same time. Calem
--------------------Arc 1: The dream begins and reunion (ep 1-6)--------------------
Type: Storytelling, Action, Romance, Amour
Ash recieved the invite that will makes him reunite with his girlfriend, but he must deal with the plant from giant rock which will eventually not only makes him reunite with his girlfriend, but also reassamble the entire XY cast and makes the story looks like XY sequel (lol!)
Episode 1: Story begins with Ash saw the nightmare where the world being destroyed and even Arceus unable to do anything about it. Then Ash wake up and he just realized that he was invited to see the Pokemon Contest final (Serena Vs Aria) in Kalos, but when Ash went to Kalos, he saw his Greninja being unconscious because of being overworked for cutting wood so many years non stop without taking any break (Lol!)
Episode 2: It's only 1 hours before Pokemon Contest final starts, Ash had sent his Greninja into Pokemon center. Meanwhile Bonnie and Clemont calls Ash that the plant from Giant Rock had nearing the Luminse City. Ash and Lucario attempt to sense where's the source of those plant are but unable to. Meanwhile at this time, Greninja had been fully recovered and returns to Ash!
Episode 3: Greninja had been recovered! With Greninja's help, Ash was finally able to find the source of the Giant Rock- on underground. Clemont used the newly devloped drill to make the tunnel so that Ash (with Pikachu, Lucario and Greninja), Clemont (with Luxray) and Bonnie (With squishy) will able to reach the underground and saw the core of those plants. With the combined effort of Pikachu, Lucario, Greninja, Luxray and Squishy, they was able to destroy the core and stopping the Giant Rock plant once and for all.
Episode 4: After the Giant Rock Plant Core had been Destroyed, Ash had found that the Pokemon Contest final had already begin. Ash was tried to reach Pokemon Contest as soon as possible. At first, Aria's excellent Contest skills makes Serena begin to self-doubt if she could made it, but Ash was eventally managed to arrives and cheers Serena, allowing Serena to unlock Bond Transformation on Her Delphox to become Serena-Delphox and become Kalos Queen (Yes, I made her Kalos Queen that early because I have struggle to write Pokemon Contest chapters)
Episode 5: At last, Ash and Serena had finally reunion! To celebrating Serena become Kalos Queen, Ash was going to buy the new clothes for Serena as suprise gift so that Serena can put her Blue Ribbon back on her chest, but Ash have struggle to do so because Ash know nothing about clothing style, but thanks to Diantha's help, Ash was eventally able to find the clothes that fits Serena and fits her Blue Ribbon.
Episode 6: Ash and Serena say goodbye to Miette, Diantha and May and moved to Pallet town. But at the next day, they found themselves had been trapped inside the crowd as both are now become the celebrity and all of the billboard had their own face! Diantha will teach Ash and Serena must find the way to move around in public
--------------------Clemont single chapter (ep 7)--------------------
Type: Storytelling, Action, Humor
I made this chapter so that I can give Clemont bond transformation form
Episode 7: Clemont was devloping the devloution device which allows the Pokemon to devolve if they accidentally evolved against their will. However, like most of Clemont's device, his devlution device went malfunction and begin to explode and accidentally fully evolved his Chespin into Chesnaught as well! Everyone was managed to escape, but the explosion was so huge that it blows half of the Prism Tower, leaving them homeless and have to temporary move to Pallet town to live with Ash until the Prism Tower had been fully restored. Meanwhile, Xerosic managed escaped from jail and separated Clemont from Bonnie and Meyer. Xerosic's power protector easily overpowers all of his pokemon and his chesnaught! Xerosic was teasing that Clemont's science is terrible, but Clemont determination that the science was supposed to be used for justice allows his chesnaught to unlock the bond transformation to become Clemont-chesnaught, allowing Clemont to defeat Xerosic and sent Xerosic back to jail. Unfortunately, Xerosic was managed to damage the Prism Tower which forcing Clemont, Bonnie and Meyer to living in Ash's house temporarily until the Prism Tower had been rebuilt.
--------------------Ash pidgeot single chapter (ep 8)--------------------
Type: Action
Despite Ash's pidgeot had officially returned to Ash, it's another questions of how long can his pidgeot live with his trainer.....
Episode 8: Tons of Fearow had invaded and caused the huge chaos in Pallet town and steals Serena's blue ribbon! Ash's Pidgeot had found that those Fearow are came from Viridian Forest. Ever since Pidgeot had reunited with Ash, those Fearow had rapidly reproduce, quickly take over the Viridian Forest and begin to spread out of nowhere! Those Fearow demands Ash's Pidgeot in exchange for those Pidgey and Pidgeotto's life and the Blue Ribbon. Ash and Pidgeot arrived Viridian Forest but those Pidgey and Pidgeotto told them not to leave his Pidgeot here because they thinks that the Pidgeot was belong to Ash and Ash refuse to leave his Pidgeot here. Those Fearow now attempt to hurt those Pidgey and Pidgeotto and ate the Blue Ribbon! Ash Mega Evolved his Pidgeot to fight against those Fearow but being slowly outnumbered by those Fearow. On the verge of Ash's Pidgeot's defeat, those Pidgey and Pidgetto had evolved into Pidgeot and helps Ash's Pidgeot to defeat those Fearow and give Ash back the Blue Ribbon, ending those Fearow's threat once and for all! Ash and his Pidgeot was bid farewell to those Pidgeot and give the Blue Ribbon back to Serena, now Ash's Pidgeot can live with Ash forever!
--------------------Arc 3: Team Rocket invasion (ep 9-17)--------------------
Type: Action
XY/XYZ cast had finally reassambled! But let's not forget about that they must deal with the very first and longest lasting villain organization-Team Rocket!
Epsiode 9: Gary had reunited with Ash, where former had become the Pokemon Professor. Gary brings Ash and Serena to visit the extension of Professor Oak's laboratory (Clemont and Bonnie was here too!). Meanwhile, Giovanni had arrived the laboratory and defeated Professor Oak. Gary came out and fight against Giovanni once again and.....lose once again. Meanwhile, the Team Rocket Grunts kidnapped Professor Oak while they're battling and Giovanni had left the laboratory!
Epsiode 10: Giovanni kidnapped Professor Oak to Team Rocket base to make Professor Oak works for him. Ash and Gary was thinking about how to save Giovanni. Meanwhile, the Team Rocket trio appears once again and attempt to steal his Pikachu, but Misty and Brock arrives and saves Ash's Pikachu. Ash respond with a heavy heart as Ash aware that this might be their last time to prepare for trouble as Ash had decided to destroy Team Rocket once and for all (Yes, he feels sympathy for those Team Rocket Trio because he aware that Team Rocket Trio have heart) and Ash's pikachu sent Team Rocket Trio flying once again like usual!
Epsiode 11: Thanks to Clemont's science, Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary was able to track down the location of Team Rocket base. Clemont gives Ash the device which allows Ash to freely switch his Pokemon party anywhere and anytime. Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary went to Team Rocket base while leaving Serena, Clemont and Bonnie at Ash's house. Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary charging towards Team Rocket Base and begin the final battle against Team Rocket!
Epsiode 12: Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary fight against thousands of Team Rocket Grunts who "Welcomed" them. But they slowly outnumbered by those Team Rocket Grunts and they realized that those Team Rocket Grunts are here to buying Giovanni's time! Misty and Brock decided to stay here and clean the road for Ash and Gary to reach Team Rocket Base! Meanwhile, Professor Oak had been tied into the chair which extract his knowledge about the pokemon.
Epsiode 13: Ash and Gary was finally managed to find Giovanni and Professor Oak. Giovanni transfer his consciousness into the Armored Mewtwo (this Mewtwo is different from the first movie one and it's nothing more than Giovanni's new body) while Gary was going to save Professor Oak. Serena, Clemont and Bonnie saw the news about Ash is fighting Armored Mewtwo and decided to head to Team Rocket base together with the help of met Korrina, Alain and Diantha. Meanwhile, Ash had been defeated by Giovanni and being tied outside the Team Rocket base!
Epsiode 14: Clemont, Bonnie and Serena met Korrina, Alain and Diantha to rescue Ash, but being interrupted by the artifical pokemon army. Meanwhile Giovanni was about to end Ash's life, but being stopped by Gary. Inside Ash's mental world, Aaron was teaching Ash to master Aura power. After Ash mastered the Aura power, Ash breaks free with his newly mastered Aura power and team up with Gary to fight against Giovanni.
Epsiode 15: Thanks to Ash and Gary's excellent teamwork, in addition of Ash's mastered Aura power, Giovanni had been easily defeated and Giovanni's mewtwo armor had been teared apart. At the same time, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Korrina, Alain and Diantha had defeated al of the grunts and artifical pokemon army and reunited with Ash and Gary. Meanwhile, Giovanni still refused to give up, he used the knowledge that being extracted from Professor Oak to create the gigantic ultimate pokemon called Chimera. Giovanni insert his consciousness into Chimera and razed half of Pallet Town into ground!
Epsiode 16: Despite the combined effort of Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Korrina, Alain and Diantha, Chimera was proven too much for those heroes to handle! Chimera then begin to cover the entire sky with the black smoke which will slowly turns all pokemon all over the world into shadow pokemon! Seems there's nothing to stop him, the real mewtwo appears and helps those hero to fight against Chimera. Meanwhile, Ash's Greninja was managed to use his extrasensory to emulate almost all of Pokemon moveset while his Lucario's aura power had been enchanced which allows his Lucario to create the spirit bomb sized aura sphere. Ash, his pikachu, Greninja and Lucario eventally able to blown Chimera to pieces and sent Giovanni's consciousness back to his human body. Ash came in front of Giovanni and about to kills him with Aura sphere, but Serena, and later the newly arrived Team Rocket Trio pleding Ash not to. Following Giovanni, Team Rocket Trio and rest of Team Rocket member being arrested, Team Rocket had finally being taken down for good. Korrina, Alain and Diantha say goodbye to Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie as Korrina, Alain and Diantha head back to Kalos. Ash and Team Rocket Trio made the promise that they'll be travel together once the Team Rocket Trio served their sentence
Epsiode 17: Few days after Team Rocket being taken down, Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie made the celebration for that.
--------------------Arc 4: Ash being dense shell (ep 18-20)--------------------
Type: Storytelling, Action, character building, emotion
The world had back to it's peace following the shut down of Team Rocket. However, Ash's dense shell kick in ane he'll will learn the the hard way about what will happen for being dense shell
Epsiode 18: Ever since Ash become much stronger since the Team Rocket fight, he begin to become arrogant and addicted in Pokemon Battle! (Yes, typical dense shell Ash for ya) He begin to refuse other people's help and even end up having Quarrel with Serena! Ash ragequit his house and being attacked by Damian, who is looking for revenge of his charamder's betrayal. Despite Ash become lot stronger since they last met, Damian's newly obtained Psychic power and his Charizards army (Mega charizard X and Y, Gigantmaxed Charizard and Shadow Charizard that Damian created with his Psychic power) was proven even more ahead of Ash and defeats Ash! Meanwhile, Ash's rage towards Damian had results his Pikachu unleashed the large energy which not only quickly defeats Damian, but also create the huge hole on ground and become berserk!
Epsiode 19: Being humiliated by Damian and having his pikachu went berserk, Ash had slowly realized that he's only care about Pokemon and become megalomaniac had corrupted his bond with pikachu! He begin to feels sorry about how he treat his friends especially Serena. Ash was later apogoized to Serena and his friends and slowly reconcile with each other and discuss how to bring his pikachu back to control. With the combined effort of Serena and his friends, Ash was eventually able to bring his pikachu back to sense.
Episode 20: Those evil Malamar had finally returned to present and attempt to brainwash Ash and Serena once again, but Clemont used his creation. Ash and Serena was quickly blows those evil Malamar into ashes but the energy crystals absorbs those evil Malamar's body and activated and quickly defeated all of their pokemon except Pikachu. That energy crystals attempt to shoot laser on Serena and Ash attempt to run in front of that laser to protect Serena, which results Ash's feelings resonance with pikachu which makes his pikachu utilized that power once again to create the deadly new move for pikachu: Ragnerok! However, the power of Ragnerok had makes Ash and Pikachu unconscious for a while.
--------------------Arc 5-Serena's upgrade (21-22)--------------------
Type: Action, character building, passion, emotion
Seeing that Ash unconscious, Serena learned that she need to learn self defense so that she wont end up become damsel in distress when her boyfriend isn't present
Epsiode 21: Seeing that Ash end up unconscious for saving her, Serena decided to become stronger so that the same tragic won't happen again. Serena had found Bonnie to train with Bonnie's squishy. Because Serena was never joined the real battle before, Serena was not able to land any single hit on Squishy 10% form even with the combined effort of all her 3 pokemon + having her Delphox , then Serena realized that the only way to makes her stronger battler is to use what she already good at-Pokemon Performer. By using her pokemon performing skills into combat, she was finally able to defeat Squishy's 10% form.
Episode 22 (WIP): Serena will get Absol which will helps her in combat and will be used on Contest too
--------------------Single Pokeshipping chapter (ep 23)--------------------
Type: Story telling, Action
Misty must find the balance between traveling with Ash and her gym.
Episode 23: Misty had been tired of her having to do all three jobs from her 3 Irresponsible sisters, which making her leave her gym behind and went to Ash's house. Ash was suprised how Misty would willing to give up her gym for that Meanwhile, Damian hijacked Misty's gym and kidnapped Daisy, Lily, and Violet, to demands Misty in exchange her gym and her sisters. Ash and Misty worked together to defeat Damian and saved all 3. Misty's 3 sisters apogoized for over-reliance the gym operation to Misty alone and promised Misty that they'll become more responsible for their gyms. Misty give her gym back to her sisters and says goodbye to them.
--------------------------------------Planned Future story Arc:--------------------------------------
Pokemon Contest Arc (Mittie vs Serena) or:
Wallce Cup Arc(May vs Dawn, Chloe vs May, Chloe vs Dawn, Dawn vs Serena) or:
countine the romance amour with Ash arc: (Should I? But I really suck at writing those)
--------------------------------------Oizys Arc (adopted from this one shot): --------------------------------------
Type: Action, Deconstruction Fic, drama, passion, Original Story, Fantasy, Meta
Warning: Starting at this Arc, the typical Amour and even anime Pokemon logic will be thrown out the window and replaced with the original plot that you might not asked for!
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC and filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion! If you want something closer to Pokemon Anime, skip to Paldea Arc.
Ash teachs Goh how to take care of Pokemon, but Goh's dark side came to manifest as its own entirely separate, physical entity called Oizys, Goh's evil counterpart who is the psychopath pokemon hunter (a parody of many chinese amourshipping fic features with Goh as antagionist), Goh was paralyzed with fear after witnessing his evil counterpart's cruelty and end up in coma for a while. Oizys steal all Serena's pokemon, all Ash's ace (including his Greninja) and almost managed to steal his pikachu but his pikachu managed to free all of Ash's ace and Serena's pokemon, Ash and Serena got the upper hand and defeats Oizys, but Ash being posessed by Oizys in front of Serena's eyes and defeated almost every single Ash's traveling partner, all 7 Pokemon Masters , Gary Oak and Serena. But Serena was eventally managed to free Ash from Oizys control. After defeating Oizys, Goh finally wake up and learned the harsh lesson about how to take care of his pokemon.
--------------------------------------gossip Arc (adopted from this one shot): --------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Break Fourth Wall, humor
Warning: Another original plot which full of ridiculousness, filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break sans Action. Please watch at your discretion! If you want something closer to Pokemon Anime, skip to Paldea Arc.
Ash and Serena must find a way to debunk various of the fake news (like Liko is Ash and Serena's daughter) that damaging their reputations and free Liko from being cyberbullied. In addition, they'll also met Nemona for first time who will later join Ash's team.
--------------------------------------"Shipping War" Arc (adopted from This one shot): --------------------------------------
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC and filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion! If you want something closer to Pokemon Anime, skip to Paldea Arc.
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Break Fourth Wall, humor
The giant blue bird had makes Serena and Misty , all Ash's female travel companion and even all humans in pokemon kills each other until there's only 1 left against their will! Ash was able to free all of his friend before any tragic happens but that giant blue bird absorbed Serena and begin to spread all over the world! The only way to save Serena is to have Ash insert the feelings toward Serena into the water shuriken to open the hole out of Twitter's physical body so that Ash can save Serena.
--------------------------------------Ash's 10 years old truth Arc Prequel (adopted from this one shot**):**--------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Amour, Break Fourth Wall, romance, character building, Action
Warning: Another original plot which full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC, filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break! Please watch at your discretion! If you want something closer to Pokemon Anime, skip to Paldea Arc.
After Ash and Serena discovered the truth about Ash's being cursed with eternal 10 years old which might potentially eventally wipe away his character development and revert him back to the 10 years old stupid dense shell like in Uvona, Ash and Serena got psychological shadow and escape from reality by living in their own dream and refuse to wake up. However, Ash and Serena would eventually overcome their fear and . It'll also features with the cameo appearance of Calem and Game Serena.
--------------------------------------Fanfic Flashback Special Single Epsiode--------------------------------------
Type: Crossover, Flashback
After Calem being freed from Camel's possessing, Ash, Serena, Calem and Serena (Game) will meet each other and share their life experience before sending Calem and Serena (Game) back to their own universe.
--------------------------------------Paldea Arc: --------------------------------------
Type: Adventure, Humor, amour
Finally the story Arc that closer to Pokemon Anime rather than those edgy fourth wall break meta fic bullshit!
Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Misty, Brock, Gary (Should I put Goh and Chloe as well?) will go to Paldea to travel, they'll meet Roy , Liko and Friede for first time and Nemona will join Ash's team. They'll later met Steven and receive the Tera Orb which allows them to Terastalize their pokemon. Ash will got 2 new) Pokemon) in this Arc, might consider to give Misty Quaxly in this Arc.
Warning: Starting at this Arc, the typical Amour and even anime Pokemon logic will be thrown out the window and replaced with the original plot that you might not asked for!
--------------------------------------Tobias Arc:--------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Amour, Break Fourth Wall, romance, Amour, character building, Action
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC and filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion!
Tobias was revealed to be the "Ash's dream crusher", so strong that not even the combined effort of 7 Pokemon Master can stop him! This Arc features with the return and the final battle against Oizys and Damian.
--------------------------------------Ash's 10 years old Arc: --------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, Original Story, Amour, Break Fourth Wall, romance, Humor
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC and filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion!
Last Story Arc where Ash is still 10 years old
Ash finally defeated Tobias, but Ash's 10 years old curse had finally reverted Ash back to the tough dense shell. Ash's friend and Serena must find the way to break that curse to stop Ash from being 10 years old and bring the mature Ash back.
--------------------------------------Oshi no Ko crossoveIdol industry dark truth Arc:--------------------------------------
Type: crossover, drama, Break Fourth Wall, Humor
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, heavy irony, fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion!
Ash finally grown up! Serena was being invited to went to Japan for the performance but eventually rejected after she discovered the shocking, ugly truth of the idol industry in Japan. Officer Jenny gives the secret mission for Ash, Team Rocket Trio (served their sentence), Latias and Team Rocket Trio's Ditto will camouflage as Serena, Dawn, May and Chloe to sneak into those idol industry and debunk the dirty act in idol industry in Japan, while the real Serena, Dawn, May and Chloe will appeals to her fans all over the world to boycott such dirty act in idol industry in Japan.
--------------------------------------TBA Arc--------------------------------------
submitted by Black_Hazard_YABEI to u/Black_Hazard_YABEI [link] [comments]
--------------------Continuity and Placement-----------------
After 1 years of MPM Epsiode 11
For Liko and Roy: Somewhere After Pokemon Horizon Epsiode 6-8 and it's subject to change
--------------------Character settings--------------------
Main Cast: XY Gang (Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie) + OG Gang (Misty, Brock) + Gary Oak
Everyone will receive the Mega Evolution
Gary Oak become Professor before the fic starts.
Dawn become Top Coordinator before the fic starts.
May and Dawn will become Serena's rival.
Chloe is May, Dawn and Serena's apprentice
Pokemon Master scaling from best to worst: Ash >>>> Leon > all 6 Masters
Pokemon Coordinator scaling from best to worst : Dawn = May >< Serena > Chloe > Miette > Drew = Zoey
Pokemon Performer scaling from best to worst :Serena > May > Dawn > Aria > Chloe > Miette> Jessie
--------------------Change from Anime in this fanfic--------------------
-Ash:
- become smarter and more mature at beginning, but still a dense shell (slowly breaks)
- Use Aura and his superhuman strength very often
- Regularly use his old pokemon and keep switching his party except Pikachu, because in this fanfic, Ash want to spent more time with their old pokemon. However, as the times comes by, Any non Pikachu Pokemon that Ash have (including his greninja) will be slowly replaced by the Paldea Pokemon like Armarouge and Cyclizar
-While Bond Transformation is exclusive to Greninja in anime ,in this fanfic bond transformation can also be accessed if the Trainer have unusual high relationship with their Kalos Starter (might subject to change in future) such as Serena-Delphox and Clemont-Chesnaut
-Serena will slowly become a better battler than anime counterpart (become as strong as Clemont) , joining battle way more often and will even features with several back-to-back action with Ash
-Clemont's Chespin will evolve to Chesnaught because of some Lab accident which also blow up the Prism Tower(lol!)
-Up to 6 on hand Pokemon Limit still applys here, but can use some device to replace members in their party as they wish before entering battle, and it can be bypassed by simply befriend with other pokemon rather than caught them in pokeball
-Introduce various of team finisher move which will not be considered as one of the "4 moves"
-4 moves limit are still applies here, but trainers can bypass it by create their very own charge move on their pokemon
-Trainers can use all 6 pokemon at the same time
-Features tons of OC enemy, pokemon or the antagionist that are neither Pokemon nor Humans.
-Bonnie will become part of the team instead of Tagalong Kid and use squishy to help saves the day more often.
-Clemont will become more successful Scientist because he now got the more competent assistant (Clembot MKIII and his Chesnaught)
--------------------Miscellaneous--------------------
Everyone will have their official age +1, except Ash who is still stucking at 10 years old (There'll be the story arc which explains why Ash was still 10 years old)
Team rocket trio will be sent to jail at ending of Team Rocket Arc because I feels like they're superfluous in the fanfic. But they might return if I can make use of them and appears as reformed person because they're not entirely bad person I think
Liko and Roy will appear as side characters
Greninja will be actively used, but there'll be few chapter where Ash didn't bring his greninja in his party
Almost everyone will get Mega evolution
Serena will move to Pallet Town and live with Ash, while Clemont, Bonnie and Meyer will temporary living with Ash as well
Calem will appears in this fanfic as cameo alongside with Serena's Game counterpart) , who will appears with Anime Serena at the same time. Calem
--------------------Arc 1: The dream begins and reunion (ep 1-6)--------------------
Type: Storytelling, Action, Romance, Amour
Ash recieved the invite that will makes him reunite with his girlfriend, but he must deal with the plant from giant rock which will eventually not only makes him reunite with his girlfriend, but also reassamble the entire XY cast and makes the story looks like XY sequel (lol!)
Episode 1: Story begins with Ash saw the nightmare where the world being destroyed and even Arceus unable to do anything about it. Then Ash wake up and he just realized that he was invited to see the Pokemon Contest final (Serena Vs Aria) in Kalos, but when Ash went to Kalos, he saw his Greninja being unconscious because of being overworked for cutting wood so many years non stop without taking any break (Lol!)
Episode 2: It's only 1 hours before Pokemon Contest final starts, Ash had sent his Greninja into Pokemon center. Meanwhile Bonnie and Clemont calls Ash that the plant from Giant Rock had nearing the Luminse City. Ash and Lucario attempt to sense where's the source of those plant are but unable to. Meanwhile at this time, Greninja had been fully recovered and returns to Ash!
Episode 3: Greninja had been recovered! With Greninja's help, Ash was finally able to find the source of the Giant Rock- on underground. Clemont used the newly devloped drill to make the tunnel so that Ash (with Pikachu, Lucario and Greninja), Clemont (with Luxray) and Bonnie (With squishy) will able to reach the underground and saw the core of those plants. With the combined effort of Pikachu, Lucario, Greninja, Luxray and Squishy, they was able to destroy the core and stopping the Giant Rock plant once and for all.
Episode 4: After the Giant Rock Plant Core had been Destroyed, Ash had found that the Pokemon Contest final had already begin. Ash was tried to reach Pokemon Contest as soon as possible. At first, Aria's excellent Contest skills makes Serena begin to self-doubt if she could made it, but Ash was eventally managed to arrives and cheers Serena, allowing Serena to unlock Bond Transformation on Her Delphox to become Serena-Delphox and become Kalos Queen (Yes, I made her Kalos Queen that early because I have struggle to write Pokemon Contest chapters)
Episode 5: At last, Ash and Serena had finally reunion! To celebrating Serena become Kalos Queen, Ash was going to buy the new clothes for Serena as suprise gift so that Serena can put her Blue Ribbon back on her chest, but Ash have struggle to do so because Ash know nothing about clothing style, but thanks to Diantha's help, Ash was eventally able to find the clothes that fits Serena and fits her Blue Ribbon.
Episode 6: Ash and Serena say goodbye to Miette, Diantha and May and moved to Pallet town. But at the next day, they found themselves had been trapped inside the crowd as both are now become the celebrity and all of the billboard had their own face! Diantha will teach Ash and Serena must find the way to move around in public
--------------------Clemont single chapter (ep 7)--------------------
Type: Storytelling, Action, Humor
I made this chapter so that I can give Clemont bond transformation form
Episode 7: Clemont was devloping the devloution device which allows the Pokemon to devolve if they accidentally evolved against their will. However, like most of Clemont's device, his devlution device went malfunction and begin to explode and accidentally fully evolved his Chespin into Chesnaught as well! Everyone was managed to escape, but the explosion was so huge that it blows half of the Prism Tower, leaving them homeless and have to temporary move to Pallet town to live with Ash until the Prism Tower had been fully restored. Meanwhile, Xerosic managed escaped from jail and separated Clemont from Bonnie and Meyer. Xerosic's power protector easily overpowers all of his pokemon and his chesnaught! Xerosic was teasing that Clemont's science is terrible, but Clemont determination that the science was supposed to be used for justice allows his chesnaught to unlock the bond transformation to become Clemont-chesnaught, allowing Clemont to defeat Xerosic and sent Xerosic back to jail. Unfortunately, Xerosic was managed to damage the Prism Tower which forcing Clemont, Bonnie and Meyer to living in Ash's house temporarily until the Prism Tower had been rebuilt.
--------------------Ash pidgeot single chapter (ep 8)--------------------
Type: Action
Despite Ash's pidgeot had officially returned to Ash, it's another questions of how long can his pidgeot live with his trainer.....
Episode 8: Tons of Fearow had invaded and caused the huge chaos in Pallet town and steals Serena's blue ribbon! Ash's Pidgeot had found that those Fearow are came from Viridian Forest. Ever since Pidgeot had reunited with Ash, those Fearow had rapidly reproduce, quickly take over the Viridian Forest and begin to spread out of nowhere! Those Fearow demands Ash's Pidgeot in exchange for those Pidgey and Pidgeotto's life and the Blue Ribbon. Ash and Pidgeot arrived Viridian Forest but those Pidgey and Pidgeotto told them not to leave his Pidgeot here because they thinks that the Pidgeot was belong to Ash and Ash refuse to leave his Pidgeot here. Those Fearow now attempt to hurt those Pidgey and Pidgeotto and ate the Blue Ribbon! Ash Mega Evolved his Pidgeot to fight against those Fearow but being slowly outnumbered by those Fearow. On the verge of Ash's Pidgeot's defeat, those Pidgey and Pidgetto had evolved into Pidgeot and helps Ash's Pidgeot to defeat those Fearow and give Ash back the Blue Ribbon, ending those Fearow's threat once and for all! Ash and his Pidgeot was bid farewell to those Pidgeot and give the Blue Ribbon back to Serena, now Ash's Pidgeot can live with Ash forever!
--------------------Arc 3: Team Rocket invasion (ep 9-17)--------------------
Type: Action
XY/XYZ cast had finally reassambled! But let's not forget about that they must deal with the very first and longest lasting villain organization-Team Rocket!
Epsiode 9: Gary had reunited with Ash, where former had become the Pokemon Professor. Gary brings Ash and Serena to visit the extension of Professor Oak's laboratory (Clemont and Bonnie was here too!). Meanwhile, Giovanni had arrived the laboratory and defeated Professor Oak. Gary came out and fight against Giovanni once again and.....lose once again. Meanwhile, the Team Rocket Grunts kidnapped Professor Oak while they're battling and Giovanni had left the laboratory!
Epsiode 10: Giovanni kidnapped Professor Oak to Team Rocket base to make Professor Oak works for him. Ash and Gary was thinking about how to save Giovanni. Meanwhile, the Team Rocket trio appears once again and attempt to steal his Pikachu, but Misty and Brock arrives and saves Ash's Pikachu. Ash respond with a heavy heart as Ash aware that this might be their last time to prepare for trouble as Ash had decided to destroy Team Rocket once and for all (Yes, he feels sympathy for those Team Rocket Trio because he aware that Team Rocket Trio have heart) and Ash's pikachu sent Team Rocket Trio flying once again like usual!
Epsiode 11: Thanks to Clemont's science, Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary was able to track down the location of Team Rocket base. Clemont gives Ash the device which allows Ash to freely switch his Pokemon party anywhere and anytime. Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary went to Team Rocket base while leaving Serena, Clemont and Bonnie at Ash's house. Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary charging towards Team Rocket Base and begin the final battle against Team Rocket!
Epsiode 12: Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary fight against thousands of Team Rocket Grunts who "Welcomed" them. But they slowly outnumbered by those Team Rocket Grunts and they realized that those Team Rocket Grunts are here to buying Giovanni's time! Misty and Brock decided to stay here and clean the road for Ash and Gary to reach Team Rocket Base! Meanwhile, Professor Oak had been tied into the chair which extract his knowledge about the pokemon.
Epsiode 13: Ash and Gary was finally managed to find Giovanni and Professor Oak. Giovanni transfer his consciousness into the Armored Mewtwo (this Mewtwo is different from the first movie one and it's nothing more than Giovanni's new body) while Gary was going to save Professor Oak. Serena, Clemont and Bonnie saw the news about Ash is fighting Armored Mewtwo and decided to head to Team Rocket base together with the help of met Korrina, Alain and Diantha. Meanwhile, Ash had been defeated by Giovanni and being tied outside the Team Rocket base!
Epsiode 14: Clemont, Bonnie and Serena met Korrina, Alain and Diantha to rescue Ash, but being interrupted by the artifical pokemon army. Meanwhile Giovanni was about to end Ash's life, but being stopped by Gary. Inside Ash's mental world, Aaron was teaching Ash to master Aura power. After Ash mastered the Aura power, Ash breaks free with his newly mastered Aura power and team up with Gary to fight against Giovanni.
Epsiode 15: Thanks to Ash and Gary's excellent teamwork, in addition of Ash's mastered Aura power, Giovanni had been easily defeated and Giovanni's mewtwo armor had been teared apart. At the same time, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Korrina, Alain and Diantha had defeated al of the grunts and artifical pokemon army and reunited with Ash and Gary. Meanwhile, Giovanni still refused to give up, he used the knowledge that being extracted from Professor Oak to create the gigantic ultimate pokemon called Chimera. Giovanni insert his consciousness into Chimera and razed half of Pallet Town into ground!
Epsiode 16: Despite the combined effort of Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Korrina, Alain and Diantha, Chimera was proven too much for those heroes to handle! Chimera then begin to cover the entire sky with the black smoke which will slowly turns all pokemon all over the world into shadow pokemon! Seems there's nothing to stop him, the real mewtwo appears and helps those hero to fight against Chimera. Meanwhile, Ash's Greninja was managed to use his extrasensory to emulate almost all of Pokemon moveset while his Lucario's aura power had been enchanced which allows his Lucario to create the spirit bomb sized aura sphere. Ash, his pikachu, Greninja and Lucario eventally able to blown Chimera to pieces and sent Giovanni's consciousness back to his human body. Ash came in front of Giovanni and about to kills him with Aura sphere, but Serena, and later the newly arrived Team Rocket Trio pleding Ash not to. Following Giovanni, Team Rocket Trio and rest of Team Rocket member being arrested, Team Rocket had finally being taken down for good. Korrina, Alain and Diantha say goodbye to Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie as Korrina, Alain and Diantha head back to Kalos. Ash and Team Rocket Trio made the promise that they'll be travel together once the Team Rocket Trio served their sentence
Epsiode 17: Few days after Team Rocket being taken down, Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie made the celebration for that.
--------------------Arc 4: Ash being dense shell (ep 18-20)--------------------
Type: Storytelling, Action, character building, emotion
The world had back to it's peace following the shut down of Team Rocket. However, Ash's dense shell kick in ane he'll will learn the the hard way about what will happen for being dense shell
Epsiode 18: Ever since Ash become much stronger since the Team Rocket fight, he begin to become arrogant and addicted in Pokemon Battle! (Yes, typical dense shell Ash for ya) He begin to refuse other people's help and even end up having Quarrel with Serena! Ash ragequit his house and being attacked by Damian, who is looking for revenge of his charamder's betrayal. Despite Ash become lot stronger since they last met, Damian's newly obtained Psychic power and his Charizards army (Mega charizard X and Y, Gigantmaxed Charizard and Shadow Charizard that Damian created with his Psychic power) was proven even more ahead of Ash and defeats Ash! Meanwhile, Ash's rage towards Damian had results his Pikachu unleashed the large energy which not only quickly defeats Damian, but also create the huge hole on ground and become berserk!
Epsiode 19: Being humiliated by Damian and having his pikachu went berserk, Ash had slowly realized that he's only care about Pokemon and become megalomaniac had corrupted his bond with pikachu! He begin to feels sorry about how he treat his friends especially Serena. Ash was later apogoized to Serena and his friends and slowly reconcile with each other and discuss how to bring his pikachu back to control. With the combined effort of Serena and his friends, Ash was eventually able to bring his pikachu back to sense.
Episode 20: Those evil Malamar had finally returned to present and attempt to brainwash Ash and Serena once again, but Clemont used his creation. Ash and Serena was quickly blows those evil Malamar into ashes but the energy crystals absorbs those evil Malamar's body and activated and quickly defeated all of their pokemon except Pikachu. That energy crystals attempt to shoot laser on Serena and Ash attempt to run in front of that laser to protect Serena, which results Ash's feelings resonance with pikachu which makes his pikachu utilized that power once again to create the deadly new move for pikachu: Ragnerok! However, the power of Ragnerok had makes Ash and Pikachu unconscious for a while.
--------------------Arc 5-Serena's upgrade (21-22)--------------------
Type: Action, character building, passion, emotion
Seeing that Ash unconscious, Serena learned that she need to learn self defense so that she wont end up become damsel in distress when her boyfriend isn't present
Epsiode 21: Seeing that Ash end up unconscious for saving her, Serena decided to become stronger so that the same tragic won't happen again. Serena had found Bonnie to train with Bonnie's squishy. Because Serena was never joined the real battle before, Serena was not able to land any single hit on Squishy 10% form even with the combined effort of all her 3 pokemon + having her Delphox , then Serena realized that the only way to makes her stronger battler is to use what she already good at-Pokemon Performer. By using her pokemon performing skills into combat, she was finally able to defeat Squishy's 10% form.
Episode 22 (WIP): Serena will get Absol which will helps her in combat and will be used on Contest too
--------------------Single Pokeshipping chapter (ep 23)--------------------
Type: Story telling, Action
Misty must find the balance between traveling with Ash and her gym.
Episode 23: Misty had been tired of her having to do all three jobs from her 3 Irresponsible sisters, which making her leave her gym behind and went to Ash's house. Ash was suprised how Misty would willing to give up her gym for that Meanwhile, Damian hijacked Misty's gym and kidnapped Daisy, Lily, and Violet, to demands Misty in exchange her gym and her sisters. Ash and Misty worked together to defeat Damian and saved all 3. Misty's 3 sisters apogoized for over-reliance the gym operation to Misty alone and promised Misty that they'll become more responsible for their gyms. Misty give her gym back to her sisters and says goodbye to them.
--------------------------------------Planned Future story Arc:--------------------------------------
--------------------------------------Oizys Arc (adopted from this one shot): --------------------------------------
Type: Action, Deconstruction Fic, drama, passion, Original Story, Fantasy, Meta
Warning: Starting at this Arc, the typical Amour and even anime Pokemon logic will be thrown out the window and replaced with the original plot that you might not asked for!
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC and filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion! If you want something closer to Pokemon Anime, skip to Paldea Arc.
Ash teachs Goh how to take care of Pokemon, but Goh's dark side came to manifest as its own entirely separate, physical entity called Oizys, Goh's evil counterpart who is the psychopath pokemon hunter (a parody of many chinese amourshipping fic features with Goh as antagionist), Goh was paralyzed with fear after witnessing his evil counterpart's cruelty and end up in coma for a while. Oizys steal all Serena's pokemon, all Ash's ace (including his Greninja) and almost managed to steal his pikachu but his pikachu managed to free all of Ash's ace and Serena's pokemon, Ash and Serena got the upper hand and defeats Oizys, but Ash being posessed by Oizys in front of Serena's eyes and defeated almost every single Ash's traveling partner, all 7 Pokemon Masters , Gary Oak and Serena. But Serena was eventally managed to free Ash from Oizys control. After defeating Oizys, Goh finally wake up and learned the harsh lesson about how to take care of his pokemon.
--------------------------------------gossip Arc (adopted from this one shot): --------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Break Fourth Wall, humor
Warning: Another original plot which full of ridiculousness, filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break sans Action. Please watch at your discretion! If you want something closer to Pokemon Anime, skip to Paldea Arc.
Ash and Serena must find a way to debunk various of the fake news (like Liko is Ash and Serena's daughter) that damaging their reputations and free Liko from being cyberbullied. In addition, they'll also met Nemona for first time who will later join Ash's team.
--------------------------------------"Shipping War" Arc (adopted from This one shot): --------------------------------------
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC and filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion! If you want something closer to Pokemon Anime, skip to Paldea Arc.
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Break Fourth Wall, humor
The giant blue bird had makes Serena and Misty , all Ash's female travel companion and even all humans in pokemon kills each other until there's only 1 left against their will! Ash was able to free all of his friend before any tragic happens but that giant blue bird absorbed Serena and begin to spread all over the world! The only way to save Serena is to have Ash insert the feelings toward Serena into the water shuriken to open the hole out of Twitter's physical body so that Ash can save Serena.
--------------------------------------Ash's 10 years old truth Arc Prequel (adopted from this one shot**):**--------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Amour, Break Fourth Wall, romance, character building, Action
Warning: Another original plot which full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC, filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break! Please watch at your discretion! If you want something closer to Pokemon Anime, skip to Paldea Arc.
After Ash and Serena discovered the truth about Ash's being cursed with eternal 10 years old which might potentially eventally wipe away his character development and revert him back to the 10 years old stupid dense shell like in Uvona, Ash and Serena got psychological shadow and escape from reality by living in their own dream and refuse to wake up. However, Ash and Serena would eventually overcome their fear and . It'll also features with the cameo appearance of Calem and Game Serena.
--------------------------------------Fanfic Flashback Special Single Epsiode--------------------------------------
Type: Crossover, Flashback
After Calem being freed from Camel's possessing, Ash, Serena, Calem and Serena (Game) will meet each other and share their life experience before sending Calem and Serena (Game) back to their own universe.
--------------------------------------Paldea Arc: --------------------------------------
Type: Adventure, Humor, amour
Finally the story Arc that closer to Pokemon Anime rather than those edgy fourth wall break meta fic bullshit!
Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Misty, Brock, Gary (Should I put Goh and Chloe as well?) will go to Paldea to travel, they'll meet Roy , Liko and Friede for first time and Nemona will join Ash's team. They'll later met Steven and receive the Tera Orb which allows them to Terastalize their pokemon. Ash will got 2 new) Pokemon) in this Arc, might consider to give Misty Quaxly in this Arc.
Warning: Starting at this Arc, the typical Amour and even anime Pokemon logic will be thrown out the window and replaced with the original plot that you might not asked for!
--------------------------------------Tobias Arc:--------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Amour, Break Fourth Wall, romance, Amour, character building, Action
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC and filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion!
Tobias was revealed to be the "Ash's dream crusher", so strong that not even the combined effort of 7 Pokemon Master can stop him! This Arc features with the return and the final battle against Oizys and Damian.
--------------------------------------Ash's 10 years old Arc: --------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, Original Story, Amour, Break Fourth Wall, romance, Humor
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC and filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion!
Last Story Arc where Ash is still 10 years old
Ash finally defeated Tobias, but Ash's 10 years old curse had finally reverted Ash back to the tough dense shell. Ash's friend and Serena must find the way to break that curse to stop Ash from being 10 years old and bring the mature Ash back.
--------------------------------------Oshi no Ko crossoveIdol industry dark truth Arc:--------------------------------------
Type: crossover, drama, Break Fourth Wall, Humor
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, heavy irony, fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion!
Ash finally grown up! Serena was being invited to went to Japan for the performance but eventually rejected after she discovered the shocking, ugly truth of the idol industry in Japan. Officer Jenny gives the secret mission for Ash, Team Rocket Trio (served their sentence), Latias and Team Rocket Trio's Ditto will camouflage as Serena, Dawn, May and Chloe to sneak into those idol industry and debunk the dirty act in idol industry in Japan, while the real Serena, Dawn, May and Chloe will appeals to her fans all over the world to boycott such dirty act in idol industry in Japan.
--------------------------------------TBA Arc--------------------------------------
2023.05.29 13:02 mybigbigheart 土耳其这大选真看不懂，伊斯坦布尔和安卡拉居然都让反对派获胜了，而且沿海发达地区基本都是反对派占上风，感觉这个投票不像是假的
 | submitted by mybigbigheart to Youmo [link] [comments] |
2023.05.29 12:59 mybigbigheart 土耳其这大选真看不懂，伊斯坦布尔和安卡拉居然都让反对派获胜了，而且沿海发达地区基本都是反对派占上风，感觉这个投票像是真的
 | submitted by mybigbigheart to real_China_irl [link] [comments] |
2023.05.29 12:39 jim_o_reddit Three Spears in Digital is Broken - in a Bad Way
I rewrote my post because the feedback was it was too long. Okay - here it is shortened for brevity.
I don't like Three Spears in its typical configuration because of what I see as design flaws:
submitted by jim_o_reddit to Gloomhaven [link] [comments]
I don't like Three Spears in its typical configuration because of what I see as design flaws:
- You shouldn't have to nerf your perks or intentionally fail Battle Goals just to use refresh
- If you don't, then Advantage is more of a penalty by overriding your Refreshes
- I think its usability in different configurations like Tank are undone by its mostly middling to high initiative. The Melee cards are nice (Heavy Club!) but not that great.
- The support cards are nice but you can't use many of them because of the small hand size. I am not a support person as well.
- If you don't like constant grubbing for cash, this is not the build for you. You need a lot of money to afford your lifestyle.
- Not a fan of the Infinite Combo.
- Use Proficiency as your immediate burn. Use Reinforced Steel for the Initiative and the bottom which is excellent.
- Focus on AOE, not Advantage. Use the Bomb and get Reforge to bring it back as many times as possible. With Catastrophic Bomb, this should cycle you around to a few Refreshes.
- Go with Cloak of Pockets and as many consumable attack items as you can. Put the Hawk Helmet on your head and get that back with long rests if you need them. Later you can turn on Reinforced Steel and keep that coming back.
- Stand in the back and your lower initiatives will keep the bad guys off you while you blow them away at a distance.
- Best of all - this build is cheap. Other than Major Power Potion, most things can be picked up for under 25 gp.
2023.05.29 11:57 whitejaguar [H] Spider-Man, F1 2011/2012, Watch_Dogs & removed games [W] TF2 keys, Bulk offers
Have - Steam gifts (ROW, unrestricted, if you can't see the game in my inventory, it is still available, so add me for the trade)
Want:
Trade offer link: https://steamcommunity.com/tradeoffenew/?partner=99041861&token=oT95zjCo
Steam inventory: https://steamcommunity.com/id/routemasteinventory#753_1
submitted by whitejaguar to SteamGameSwap [link] [comments]
| Game name | Price | Notes | Stock | Game Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borderless Gaming | 5 keys | Gift | ||
| Call of Duty World at War | 25 keys | Gift | ||
| Droplitz | offers | removed game | subID 12638 | Gift |
| F1 2011 | offers | removed game | subID 11620 | Gift |
| F1 2011 | offers | removed game | subID 12677 | Gift |
| F1 2012 | offers | removed game | Gift | |
| Faerie Solitaire | 2 keys | Gift | ||
| Fortified | 1 TOD Ticket | Steam key/add me | ||
| Hero Academy - Tribe Pack - Hatless Gift | 4 keys | Gift | ||
| Hitman Collection (ROW) | 12 keys | subID 49903 | Gift | |
| Iron Warriors T - 72 Tank Command | 2 keys | Gift | ||
| Lucius | 2 keys | Gift | ||
| Mount & Blade Complete | 6 keys | subID 38003 | Gift | |
| NASCAR The Game 2013 | 45 keys | removed game | subID 28448 | Gift |
| PAYDAY 2 Gage Weapon Pack 02 | 1 TOD Ticket | Gift | ||
| PlayWay's Sim Bundle | 1 keys | subID 51669 | Gift | |
| Pro Cycling Manager 2012 | offers | removed game | subID 15175 | Gift |
| Pro Cycling Manager 2013 | offers | removed game | subID 28407 | Gift |
| Pro Cycling Manager 2014 | 6 keys | Gift | ||
| S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Bundle | 10 keys | Gift | ||
| Saints Row IV - Child's Play Pack | 1 TOD Ticket | removed game | subID 35488 | Gift |
| Shannon Tweed's Attack Of The Groupies | 2 keys | Gift | ||
| Shogun 2 Fall of the Samurai Collection | 10 keys | subID 17095 | Gift | |
| SteamWorld Dig | 1 TOD Ticket | Steam key/add me | ||
| The Amazing Spider-Man | 300 keys | removed game | Gift | |
| The Holiday Express | 4 keys | subID 35154 | Gift | |
| The Lord of the Rings Online Helm’s Deep Base | offers | removed game | subID 32781 | Gift |
| The Lord of the Rings Online Quad Pack | offers | removed game | subID 32775 | Gift |
| The Lord of the Rings Online Steely Dawn Pack | offers | removed game | subID 18483 | Gift |
| The Sims 3 Diesel Stuff | 10 keys | Gift | ||
| The Sims 3 Generations | 10 keys | Gift | ||
| Watch_Dogs Complete | 25 keys | Gift | ||
| Your Doodles Are Bugged! | offers | removed game | subID 8256 | Gift |
- Offers with TF2 keys are preferred
- CSGO skins
- Regarding Tether offers, buyer goes first and covers the transaction fees
- Please DO NOT offer game codes, Humble links, Origin, Uplay codes and 3rd party accounts.
Trade offer link: https://steamcommunity.com/tradeoffenew/?partner=99041861&token=oT95zjCo
Steam inventory: https://steamcommunity.com/id/routemasteinventory#753_1
2023.05.29 11:34 Fuzzywinks101 Anyone know where to get the other Unit for Mini Zhuang Zi or is this the only one we get from rewards?
 | I have 2 units each for other Awakening materials and wanted to keep 1 of each (bug maxed ones) so wondering how to get the other Zhuang Zi unit unless this is the only one we get from rewards. submitted by Fuzzywinks101 to crash_fever [link] [comments] Thank you |