#the last quote was a modified version of the original quote | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

weirdmarioenemies · 9 months

Text

Name: Now or Never!

Game: Splatoon Series et al

Hi :3 Mod Cat Flopter here. I was too busy sleeping in a sunbeam to post until now, but I’m here with an oddball.

Now or Never! is an iconic song by the band Squid Squad, one of the first popular rock bands in the Splatoon world! Now or Never plays in the last minute of a Turf War in all three Splatoon games, as well as at other times in other forms.

The first hint of Now or Never! that world saw was at E3 2014, a weird boogie that helped show off Splatoon (for the Wii U console!!)

The Beta version of Now or Never! is unavailable in a clean quality. Most of the footage has ink flying everywhere! However, one intrepid fan recreated the sound on youtube :3

The original track goes for even more of a hard rock sound than the final Now or Never! This song REALLY tells you to Ink or Sink down the rankings, and Splattack the enemy to win! However, it doesn't quite sound like a Squid Squad song to me, with a lack of their trademark vocalist and the synthesizers Splatoon is known for. Overall, I like the finished Now or Never! betta, but the changes have me Kracken Up!

The finished Now or Never! by Squid Squad, which debuted in Splatoon 1, is such an iconic piece of Splatoon that it's hard to imagine the game without it.

The track is high energy and establishes lots and lots and lots of Splatoon's sound, from the rock influences, to the synths, to the inklish vocals and the energy! To quote a cool video, it's loud, bold, and Booyah! (please imagine a guitar riff!) I'm just a little guy and I don't know music theory so please watch this video instead https://youtu.be/38h8eudzy7k

it's only 11 Now or Never!s long, it's a good use of your time.

Squid Squad is soooo creative for soming up with this song all on their own :3

Next is the Squid Sisters’ splatfest cover of Now or Never!

With more of a Jpop feel, the Squid Sisters change up the sound immensely, going for MORE synths and a BUBBLEGUM feel! It’s so cool. I bet the original creators of Now or Never! Were so happy when they heard this cover by a famous band!!

The next iteration is a slightly altered live performance by the Squid SIsters from 2016!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxkKUbNnXKE&t=326s

The song is modified to be extended in this version, although i have to say- too much of a good thing :c. The new sections that aren’t just a loop of the original song are interesting evolutions, but they’re sadly a small part of the performance.

Next up is an era shift! The Splatoon 2 Global Testfire (2017) had its own version of Now or Never! This came with a shift in bands and an overall higher push for Splatoon marketing within other Nintendo games, such as Super Smash Brothers Ultimate and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe! Its so cool that Squid Squad let Wet Floor cover their original song, and I'm excited to tell you about it!

With an obvious and notable shift in vocals, the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire Now or Never! also brings a shift in energy from the Squid Squad version, slowing the song down and bridging the gap between the Squid Squad and Wet Floor versions of the song. It adds even more synths to the composition, pushing it towards a western poppy feel over the rock and jpop versions of Splatoon 1.

And here’s the finished version!

It pulls back on the synths to pre-splatoon 1 levels and boosts the crowd section, adding in a ska feel. The classic guitar and drum kit are even more prominent here than in the Squid Squad version, which has both benefits and drawbacks. For one, the Splatoon sound is a fusion of both rock and synths, so scaling it back to more conventional instruments for the genre it’s aiming for is to the game’s detriment. On the other, my cat flopther (father cat flopter) has made me a big fan of classic rock all my life, so I can’t be too mad at moving Now or Never! In that direction.

On the other hand, Off the Hook’s version of Now or Never is…

Oh. Oh no.

It’s the same issue I have with the other version of Now or Never! In Splatoon 2, but it’s also I think a bad song for Off the Hook. Sorry to fans of lesbianism everywhere, but this just doesn’t sound like an Off the Hook song to me, and although the bubblegummy synth composition works for a Japanese pop band like the Squid SIsters, it doesn’t quite vibe for an American hip-hop, as well as pulling back on Splatoon’s unique sound. The brassy sound at the very beginning is cool, though, and the homage to Marina's inspriation is nice!

Although I’ve been speaking in timeline order up to now, I have to admit something.

I skipped two (2!) Now or Never!s. Actually, I skipped one Bouyant Bougie and I’m going to talk about Ebb and Flow as well in this section.

Being a story mode song, Buoyant Boogie appeared before the Splatfest exclusive Off the Hook Now or Never! on day 1.

Buoyant Boogie is a Now or Never!; it samples the Squid Sisters’ Now or Never! and even includes backwards vocals from Callie, hinting at her story mode fate, which is cool. :3 The song additionally only lasts one minute before looping. Also, Turquoise October ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

In Octo Expansion, the final battle is a Turf War on the NILS statue. For two minutes, Fly Octo Fly plays, then at one minute remaining, it transitions into Ebb and Flow. At the time, many people called this a Now or Never!

However, Ebb and Flow is NOT a Now or Never!. It’s an Ebb and Flow. Although it’s cool symbolically, it’s its own song and Off the Hook doesn’t need to be bound by tradition!! THEY GET TO MAKE THEIR OWN COOL MUSIC OK!!

sorry none of these videos are available btw

Okay so next is the first not a Splatoon game Now or Never!, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017)’s Now or Never!

This song plays on the Urchin Underpass battle stage when one minute is left in the match. Interestingly, this is the only Now or Never that is shorter than a minute- The Final Lap jingle takes up four seconds, so the song itself is sped up to accommodate. It’s modeled after Squid Squad’s Now or Never, which is fitting for a Splatoon 1 exclusive stage!

In fact, it feels like a lot of appearances of Now or Never! are almost identical to Squid Squad’s Now or Never!. Here are the rest of them:

Tetris 99 (2019)’s Splatoon Theme’s “10 players left” music

Wait, that’s it?

Yeah! Surprisingly, Now or Never! Is usually remixed. Even though Squid Squad’s iconic and original cover of the song is the most popular, most appearances pay tribute to them instead of keeping their sound 100% the same. Take Super Smash Brothers Ultimate’s Now or Never for example. It’s worse than the original! I’m not even going to pretend to link to it! It’s bad!

The Splattack cover, though, is fresh and new! A jazzy, big band vibe that samples Now or Never! in the same jazzy style. Although it’s far from my favorite Now or Never! it’s something new, something that I’d be excited to see in a Splatoon game. Perhaps an Ink Theory cover? Regardless, it’s an interesting evolution of this Strange Splatoon Entity.

Meanwhile, the The Super Smash Brothers Ultimate remix of Now or Never! itself is……….

….

…

bad.

it’s so bad

Sorry, Spikey, do I have to talk about this?

“Yes, Sorry Mod Cat Flopter! You said you wanted to talk about all versions of Now or Never!”

Ok, fine :(

I will continue not even pretending to link this. It’s so bad. zero tension. only nominally a Now or Never!. An infinite Now or Never! would be a good thing, you would think.

Next is the Taiko no Tatsujin Switch Splatoon 2 Medley. A compilation of two original Wet Floor songs (Rip Entry and Turf Master) and their Now or Never! cover. It starts about a minute into the song, not a minute from the end, strangely enough! It’s the middle song of the three!

Off the Hook Live! at Polymanga 2018 This is one of the BEST versions of this song. Take a listen for yourself: https://youtu.be/-i9GTp3Mp30

With the Squid Sisters and live band members here, they use ACTUAL INSTRUMENTS along with the synths, the Splatoon style that I love so much. With a fresh new intro to the song and lots of extensions that continue to ramp up tension, this version of the Squid Sisters’ classic is the height of this song in my opinion!! it’s sooooooo gooooood!! The record scratches in the beginning to lead into the song itself, the electric guitar, the DRUMS!! that kick in at around thirty seconds in. Pearl dabs. THIS is how you extend Now or Never! to four minutes.

Okay, now the SPLATOON 2 FINAL FEST CHAOS VS ORDER NOW OR NEVER!

A second collaboration between Off the Hook and the Squid Sisters, this Now or Never! takes after the Off the Hook cover of the Squid Sisters’ cover of the Squid Squad cover, with both bands providing vocals. With the Squid Sisters here, this version of Off the Hook’s cover is… less bad. Not as good as the other way around, but still better than before. I like it when squids sing :)

Fast-forward three years to Splatoon 3! The third game in the series had, fittingly, three versions of Now or Never! At launch.

First of all, the Deep Cut cover. This chaotic cultural fusion combines the Brazilian, Middle-Eastern, Indian, and classic Japanese influences of the three members of Deep Cut! I’m only one of those things, so I will not comment on how well they pulled this off! All I know is that I really like this song, and that Shiver and Frye are lesbians as fuck. The same guy from before has a video on this one too! I’ll link that instead of posting a not available image. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ebqBmL53UQ

Now! Wham!

Flashback to when I posted about the Infinite Now Or Never in Smash Ultimate!

This one IS an infinite Now or Never! The Tableturf 3 turns remaining theme is a modified infinite Now or Never! In the Tableturf sound style, with Onward! cutting in multiple times through the song. If Now or Never! represents the Turf Warring denizens of the Surface, and Onward! represents the octarian army, this tune is perfect for the Splatlands, where both live in Harmony (tee hee! Get it? :3) and have for generations. Pretty cool if you ask me!

Last but certainly not least, but certainly not last-

C-Side’s Now or Never!

While writing this post (this has taken a long time!) New information came to light! Beika, the lead of C-Side, has claimed to be the first creator of Now or Never! THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING!!!! And it makes perfect sense! C-Side’s Now or Never! Is pure rock, a decision that sets it apart from other Splatoon music, which always involve synths!! This perfectly reflects the change in setting from the trendy high tech big city to the grungy desert! It’s SO GOOD!! Not the best Now or Never! (I do prefer Splatoon’s unique style!) But it’s hard to beat the original! But it’s also easy to beat the original! I love you C Side!!!!

Okay, this has been Mod Cat Flopter, Logging Off! :3 see you next week!!

p.s. ichiya is a stupid bastard

#mod cat flopter #splatoon #mario entities #now or never

65 notes · View notes

magentagalaxies · 6 months

Text

Kids in the Archive: Episode 2

the long-awaited follow up to my kids in the archive series, where i highlight the original scripts i have uncovered from iconic kids in the hall sketches and showcase the changes between script and screen.

Previous Episodes: Episode 1 - armada finale ("do we make it?")

today we're traveling all the way back to S1E8 for the classic Fran & Gordon sketch The Vacation.

fran & gordon, and the entire wilson family for that matter, have always been some of my favorite recurring characters mostly because Fran is my own mother's favorite KITH character. even before I started watching the show myself, I remember her quoting the "salty ham" sketch to me as a kid, and since kids in the hall has become such a part of our lives she often compares herself to fran with her own quaint mom mannerisms. my personal favorite fran & gordon sketch is the one where their son gets caught trying to steal gordon's wallet in the middle of the night, though i loved their reappearance in the revival season too.

The Opening

this sketch is fairly faithful to its script in the opening, with the only major difference being fran's outfit in the description. this is understandable, as the outfit in the sketch still captures a similar vibe and contrasts nicely with the orange-and-yellow color scheme of the kitchen itself. otherwise, only small phrases are substituted likely for pacing.

The Extra Wilson Family Lore

the only major deviation between these two versions of the sketch is a page of dialogue between fran and gordon which takes place before it's revealed brian didn't come home the previous night

once again, i can assume this exchange was cut for the purpose of pacing since the sketch is already on the longer end of kith scenes, and while there aren't any jokes i'm devastated to have missed, i do love how all of this added info is so in-character that of course this is something else they'd have in mind preparing for their vacation. however, the addition of this page does modify our understanding of fran's behavior: in the show version, her obsessive checking of the stove seems to be a coping mechanism consciously made so she can wait to see if brian walks in before she leaves. in the script, though, she doesn't remember this fact until gordon mentions her son directly. this implies that while the stove behavior was still motivated by brian, it was likely subconscious, or perhaps she is like this every time she travels.

The Ending

unlike our previous entry, this script does not include an extra ending beat, and instead ends a beat earlier with this line:

however, that might not be the case. most scripts i've found have the word "(FADE)" after the last line signifying the sketch is done, and this page instead ends with the stage direction above. it's entirely possible there's a page of this script i do not have in my possession, but for now this script does not include the final punchline of gordon's schedule having alotted time for a family blowout.

overall, this is one of the more faithful script-to-screen adaptations in my kith collection, likely because it was a table read script, while the armada script was a rough draft. while i was in toronto last time, bruce taught me that there was a different font and formatting used depending on which stage of development a script was in, with rough drafts, table read scripts, and shooting scripts all present. this script was at a stage where the writer(s) would be sharing it with the rest of the troupe, but other jokes could still easily be slotted in. my favorite jokes of this sketch, "why don't you just cut out my heart and put it in the bird feeder!" and "well, if you do get drunk, do it in the basement so you won't fall down the stairs" are nowhere to be found, but the general structure is as sturdy as the wilson family matriarch

#kids in the archive #time for a jessay #kids in the hall #scott thompson #kith #bruce mcculloch #90s vintage #sketch comedy #script to screen

14 notes · View notes

incarnateirony · 2 years

Note

I know I shouldn't, but I'm really curious about the bullshit this guy Pat says and I would like to have a look at his twitter, what is his twitter account? You talk about him often but many times I don't get it because it's all out of context to me (like your last post with the picture from TW trailer, what happens there?)

shooting an answer before work. Pat uses some variant Of TeamFreeWillTwoPointO on every platform like tfwtwopointo etc. Don't let the name fool you, it fooled many for years, he's a jared stan that does everything he can to minimize and stomp down jensen and other successes and greatly inflate and dramatize Jared's successes. It's a mix of propaganda account and wanna-be leaker

Things Pat has argued with me on saying "his sources" told him:

My statement about the ending: order of death, roadhouse reunion, etc. Pat mocked this not coming true. Radio silence when Dabb clarified the original ending, which Pat never had access to, only the late omitted one. I'd say that was more than his version where he was talking about "a battle for Dean's soul" I sent someone to correct him on that he never picked up on.

THAT anything was omitted. He rabidly denied it and acted like it was in tact, not WANTING to admit a considerably modified finale. Then, the script came. This is why he worked so hard WITH. KELIOS. AND. CO. to try to get the script to have control of it. They spent 5K, we spent 25, and ultimately, well. You know. [Omitted.]

I wrote a post about Jensen having a hard time letting go and moving on. Many posts, actually. The first came the December after the finale, when I "speculated", attached to that phrase, that he was working on something to help his character resolution--the Mary and John details didn't come for several more months as the decided/accepted/inked pitch/deal. Roughly 2 months before the Deadline leak and mantrum day. And, for many months, I reminded people that Jensen had a hard time Letting Go and Moving On in associated contexts I was trying to inform people on. Pat went out of his way to argue with this and call me wrong and projecting, and then Jensen used the phrases verbatim, almost like I might have been quoting him BTS or something IDK!!! Either way, he brushed that under the rug.

I released the pilot script. Pat screamed up and down that his sources said it was fake, totes real CM sources. I know who, that person tried to argue with me too. I knew they were wrong, cuz they couldn't even begin to wrap their heads around why I knew they were wrong. Radio silence since filming and the trailer. Hell my *pinned post* was an effort of explaining like they were five what kind of script it was and what, if any, changes happened. And I mean, give it a skim. Look at filming and the trailer. Tada.

His own friend rings were among the people screaming for SEASONS, until the bitter, awakening end, that Berens had no Destiel intention, or even claimed he supported Wincest, because they had no idea of all the BTS intel about the man or his open secrets of conversations abroad on favorites and intent. He has no concept who anyone is, who they know and are close with, or what these social crossengagements come from. They didn't LIKE the idea that Berens was gunning for Destiel all along, and they denied it, and Pat amplified it. And [gestures at everything] now they're real pressed realizing either he's back, or in the very least, he's boning the showrunner, and might have a teensy little bit of consulting influence.

Now he's out here pitching arguments nobody did. People are out here pointing out the Mise en Scene similarity to purgatory, from gamma lighting to afterlife elements to dean's wardrobe but the goddamn SECOND Pat realized that mise en scene and wardrobe directly anchored Dean to 15.04 and 15.09 specifically, the latter as afterlife fodder, he's losing his mind. "IT'S NOT HAPPENING IN PURGATORY STUPIDS" no shit sherlock we're talking about concepts, story vibes and mise en scene do you fucking understand what this is in your lil peanut brain, pat.

He loves to wave MY SOURCES MY SOURCES MY SOURCES then finally one day when he got pressed he cracked and admitted his source was legit "I have a friend in LA" and "my brother's cousin's boyfriend's best friend worked on a show adjacent to misha once" no I'm not fucking kidding, these are this dude's idea of sources. His only better one is one I use as a tertiary intel source because she's just crawled up from fandom, limited contact, limited perspective, limited development insight, and a LOT of other reasons making her intel complicated to parse.

He tries DESPERATELY to echo me, in some futile attempt to pretend "anyone can do what Min does!!" like he tries to spec unannounced actors and stuff and misses the mark EVERY TIME because he does NOT know this industry, he does NOT know how to qualify leads, and he does NOT know how to keep his media muggle thoughts and biases out of coloring in the information he gets.

So yeah. That's Pat.

He's pressed af and looking to swing against the very obvious patterns going on here. IDK why he thinks that'll change the result.

This man is goddamn OBSESSED with arguing with everything I release, and ALWAYS buries it resultingly making an ass out of himself. He wants real, real bad how to figure out how to do what I do or how to have what I have and my god will he throw his daily temper tantrums to display it.

More often than not, Pat's "intel" is a small whisper of accurate information that means very little without context, that he then appends violently wrong opinions all over to the point the original whisper is unintelligible from itself, leading to him putting out giant editorialization and opinion pieces and trying to call them Inside Information. When not a soul that's worth a damn has ever sat down and talked with him. Promise.

I don't know if he's aware he's doing it, but that's his weakness every time. He can't sort out his wants, dreams, dislikes and fan ambitions from when he does get a nublet of information and decides to figure out how that nublet of information fits into his world view, rather than finding accessory information to understand the world that information exists in and how it interacts with, yknow, reality.

Because in a way, it does feel like Him and His have some sort of derealization going on. Like if they argue and do enough backflips and brush enough failures under the rug, that if they argue REAL HARD and wish on their ring of INFINITE WISHES, reality will change the result for them, and I'm sorry, no matter how many dumb posts Pat, Pathyrn or loljackles (don't get me started on the "pre successful actor" that argued against global industry decline and then whipped it out when walker was failing in 18-35, incorrectly) publish, that's not how it works.

None of these folks actually have a building understanding of what IS, just a million things they want to scream it isn't, whether or not it's coherent, related to the information at hand or resonant with common sense resulting. They have NO fuckin spec, much less ACTUAL INFORMATION, on where this shit IS heading, they're just actively pissing themselves day-in-day-out screaming "NO!!!!"

If Pat put in like. Five minutes. Five minutes of not wanting to argue with something he doesn't like. Five minutes of applying, to me even, the same sort of pattern solving he SHOULD be, but never does, with his "info". That if he put together all the posts in all the world that he wiped out embarrassed on, and me being more accurate than his supposed CM source I told was wrong to their face, and all the other information I'm putting out around it ahead of the curve like actors and writers he can't keep up with that like. He could kinda. Figure out what's happening here. And stop embarrassing himself.

But he won't.

Read between the FUCKING lines, pat.

I'm out here leaking shit as far as episode 3 and these ding dongs still can't wrap their heads around the pilot.

So how about you pack this in your pipe and smoke it: the team not only fully intends to address the confession in this property, but are holding open discourse on the when, where, how, considering the potential accordion nature of the show for a few years.

He's gonna call me a liar. I'm gonna not care. Because it's happening.

It's one of the primary arcs that need to be adjusted to the show arcs if there's an accordion. I need everyone that doesn't like this to start wrapping their fucking grey matter around it right now. It doesn't matter if you like it. The people creating it, Jensen included, do, and have it on the priority plot list

I rarely state my info this directly as much as weaved through supposed theories with some public facing receipts. But fuck it. I'm gonna say it outright and it needs to be said.

jensen isn't who you think he is, Pat2 and lolj. Like. I can not emphasize that enough. Jensen. Is not who you little lot think he is. I'm not saying this... blindly or parasocially as some kind of fan. I'm just sitting here saucer eyed that you haven't figured out what's happening here yet. Even just from your outside views looking in pretending you understand it Inside. Like. There's a certain point I gotta raise my brow and ask what psychic block there is to pretend not to see it even public facing. Much LESS things said behind closed doors. Many of which you have argued with my posts on. Such as Let Go and Move on. Which is honestly, something YALL need to do. He's not what you want him to be any more than Berens was what you wanted him to be all those many years you screamed in denial only to get a gay pie to the face

dumb fuck arguing with my posts basically arguing with jensen or thompson the last year as pre-release of later statements from them because they can't cope that they're real people and not narrative toys for Pat to play with on tumblr.

ok?

ok.

cool.

bye.

#mildew #supernatural #the winchesters

47 notes · View notes

biki-hates-blizzard · 10 months

Text

Cosmic Forces / Magical Arts

You might not believe me, but I really meant--last post--to do what I'll be setting out to do in this post.

Establishing the great cosmic forces--and subsequently, magical arts derived from them--in the universe that is WarCraft. I did mention them, briefly:

Light, Void; Life, Death; Order, Disorder.

Predictably as fuck, Blizzard attaches morality to these. Very quickly. In fact, the morality they use is present in all their games--even if they tease you with little tidbits about how there MIGHT be a little nuance present.

I won't insult you with describing these moralities, but I will offer you the honor of not being forced into a corner. These moralities? We're throwing them out.

We ARE, however, going to keep the descriptions given to the forms of magic derived from these cosmic forces. Not for the implication of what is good or what is evil, but because I'm an edge-lord who loves calling myself a master of unholy arts--and I'm sure there are plenty who would do the same, without strictly proclaiming themselves to be bitches.

LIGHT : Holy Magic VOID : Shadow Magic

LIFE : Nature Magic DEATH : Death Magic (Although they call it Necromancy)

ORDER : Domination Magic (Although they call it Arcane) DISORDER: Eldritch Magic (Although they call it Fel)

Now, the wiki speaks of how there is a...suspected...m y s t e r i o u s seventh cosmic power. The ULTIMATE COSMIC POWER, stronger and harder and longer than all the others!

Before I unveil their version, and my version, of the seventh cosmic power--I would like to point out that each of these energies are supposed to originate upon a plane of existence unique to them. So whatever in the cosmic funky-fuck could there be that is greater and more phenomenally phenomenal than those six?!

Well, they say math.

I say fuck that.

They've already given us a seventh cosmic force, from the very fucking beginning! It has its own planes and everything! But, just like the tragedy of the Draenei accidentally getting retconned because they forgot the Eredar existed... They've once again proven that drinking or smoking is the only thing their people do.

What is it?

E l e m e n t s.

Elemental Magic.

Elemental Planes--Fire, Air, Water, Earth.

Now, you might also be asking where "Spirit" magic falls. And I say that's a good point. So let's make some corrections up above, shall we?

ELEMENTAL MAGIC

🜍 ORDER : Domination Magic, from the plane of the "Celestial Aether." Also sometimes called Holy Magic, by priests.

🜁 AIR : Aeromancy, from the plane of "Skywall." 🜂 FIRE : Pyromancy, from the plane of "Firelands." ✡ LIFE / DEATH : Spirit Magic, from the Mortal Plane. 🜄 WATER : Hydromancy, from the plane of "Abyssal Maw." 🜃 EARTH : Geomancy, from the plane of "Deepholm."

🜏 DISORDER : Shadow Magic, from the plane of the "Twisting Nether." Also sometimes called Unholy Magic, by priests.

ARCANE MAGIC

Now...you'll probably notice something's missing here. "Arcane" magic. Well, I've redefined that. See, most elements have a capacity to combine--and it's what one does with them that defines them as moral or immoral; which, in further elaboration, is a state imposed by societies and cultures and religions...not the magic itself.

So where does Arcane magic come in?

Well, in examining the things attributed to Arcane magic in the setting--I've concluded it's the blending of either ORDER or DISORDER (Chaos) with the natural behaviors of things present in the universe. For example, there's a quote in the wiki in which Medivh--espoused as sorcerer supreme--reveals that the difference between elemental fire and fire conjured by a practitioner of magic...is that the exertion of mana upon heat in the air produced a flame.

Arcane Magic is the use of Order or Chaos to modify and/or affect the natural energies of a plane. Those natural energies are...

Kinetic Energy, the Power of Motion

Spectric Energy, the Power of Light

Thermic Energy, the Power of Heat

Gravic Energy, the Power of Gravity

Organic Energy, the Power of Flesh

Sonic Energy, the Power of Sound

Magnetic Energy, the Power of Magnetism

Chemic Energy, the Power of Chemistry

Radic Energy, the Power of Radiation (Decay, to the uninformed.)

Psychic Energy, the Power of Thought

Chronic Energy, the Power of Time

Ambic Energy, the Power of Space

Schools of Magic / Elemental Synergy

I mentioned combining elements. Yes, that's how you get the varying schools of magic. Let's examine those.

Going forward, however, allow me to introduce a few terms for your vocabulary--terms I'll be using in the rewrites. Noble Elements, Primal Elements, and Basic Elements or Synergic Elements.

--Noble Elements - These are elements which cannot quite exist in a pure form within the universe, at least outside of their respective planes; Order, Spirit, and Disorder. Note, now, however...that because living things originate upon the Mortal Plane--which is also the elemental plane of spirit--pure Spirit will be perceptible to characters within the story, and referred to as Mana.

--Primal Elements - These are elements which do not really have a...mental compatibility with mortal minds; Fire, Air, Earth, and Water.

--Basic Elements - Refer to any of these seven elements which are uncombined.

--Synergic or Alloy Elements - These are the results of two basic elements joining to create something which is and is not Primal nor Noble.

Schools of Primal Magic Known collectively as...Elementalist Magic.

We have our basics, and then we have our alloys. The mastery of two forms of elemental magic allows one to get into the practice of a combined form--we know this ought to exist in the setting, because we have seen elementals formed of combined energies. Here's our list:

Basics: --Fire (Pyro Magia) --Water (Hydro Magia) --Earth (Geo Magia) --Air (Aero Magia)

Dual Alloy Elements: --Sand; Air/Earth (Ammo Magia) --Ice; Air/Water (Cryo Magia) --Lightning; Air/Fire (Electro Magia) --Mud; Earth/Water (Laspi Magia) --Lava; Earth/Fire (Lava Magia) --Steam; Water/Fire (Atmos Magia)

Triumvirate Alloy Elements: --Azoth; Air/Earth/Water (Ermis Magia) --Acid; Air/Water/Fire (Oxy Magia) --Brimstone; Air/Earth/Fire (Theio Magia) --Crystal; Earth/Fire/Water (Litho Magia)

"Complete" Elemental Alloy: --Star / Plasma; Air/Earth/Water/Fire (Astra Magia)

Schools of Noble Magic Known collectively as...Spirit Magic.

We next address the schools of magic as derived of the noble elements, which--in the esteem they are held to by scholars, priests, and the like...are not actually ever really referred to as elements; but as godly and divine forces.

The mage, often scorned for their viewpoints, finds no real difference to exist between the noble elements and the primal elements--and this is why mages tend to prefer a degree of isolation from the greater majority of the world. This can be called the conflict of intellectualism vs spirituality, which is a highly popular writing angle not often touched upon by Blizzard. For obvious reasons.

We'll get to those in the Americanism section of those massive post.

For now:

Basics: --Spirit Magic; the Power of Communion On its own, Spirit Magic is a system which permits communication with the energies of living things and nonliving things--which, due to the nature of the elemental planes, do have their own sense of soul. --Domination Magic; the Power of Control Most invaluable to those who partake the practice of summoning, the power of control primarily exploits binding and commanding. --Shadow Magic; the Power of Warp Perceived to be monstrous, for the ways it changes what it is infused with; the power of warp is the power of change--it alters and reforges the things it touches, typically in a nightmarish manner.

Alloys: --Life Magic; Domination/Spirit Also called nature magic by some, though this will very quickly piss off any priests "of the light" by insinuating in any way that sentient creatures are not somehow superior to nature--despite the very same principles having application. --Death Magic; Shadow/Spirit Also called necromancy. This is the power of warping the spirit and commanding death. It's largely considered abominable. --Arcane Magic; Noble Elements + Primal Elements This is covered above, already, in the Arcane Magic section.

The Americanism

Now, you might be thinking that I've left something out here. Or, rather, a fair few somethings out. Let's first address the most glaring, American thing about Blizzard's version of these magical powers: their principles are all very Baptist.

I would've said "Christian," but anyone who has spent any amount of time in the US can immediately determine that this country has a very warped form of Christianity--which places most focus on trying to utilize it as a form of hate and control rather than as a religion, willfully and blasphemously eschewing their holy book's lessons in favor of made-up shit that justifies spewing hate, abuse, and frankly awful things.

Fire is actually kind of an important thing, for example, in many forms of Christianity. Considered holy, even.

Here, it's just associated with evil--and in fact, the Firelands are considered basically an evil dimension. Light is, of course, the most important and wonderful and holy and correct of all elements--and anything the "Light" says is wrong, is evil and awful and horrible. Blizzard establishes this as an objective morality.

Keep that in mind, going forward, because it's going to come up...A LOT. You literally cannot have Americanism without this utterly awful corruption of religion as the underlying motivator for everything. Chiefly...that you cannot question it, as that would simply be heresy. You're not allowed to understand anything--because that would be going against faith.

But faith sounds an awful lot like totalitarian obedience whenever the WASPs talk about it.

Now let's get to the..."missing" schools of magic.

Druidism. Voodoo. Shamanism.

So, I have a massive fucking problem with the use of these three things as...schools of magic. Why? Because they're religions, they're not toys.

Using them is exactly the same as something like "Quickly, Medivh--use your Jewry to destroy the orcs!"

This becomes a lot more awful when you realize that those three "schools of magic" come from what Blizzard portrays as rather...primitive cultures. As if any form of religion besides the obligatory pseudo-Christian is primitive, backwards, or uncivilized.

Worse...is the way Voodoo is treated and portrayed. As is typical of absolutely any form of faith practiced by persons of remotely African flavor (although, to most WASPs, basically anything that any person of color does--Shamanism and Druidism appear in ancient European traditions, to an extent)...it is immediately regarded as an evil thing. It takes control of your mind maaaaan, and it's got a funky beat involved! Here come the afro demons! Aaaaah--hide yo womens!

Fuck you.

Fuck that.

Fuck Blizzard.

#ao3 #fantasy #fantasy magic #worldbuilding #warcraft au #warcraft fanfiction

2 notes · View notes

amicidomenicani · 1 year

Text

Question Dear Father Angelo, I have some questions to ask you. I would like to know why, with the new translation by CEI (Italian Episcopal Conference, t.n.), the last part of John 3, 13 was removed, the one saying “The Son of Man who is in heaven”. As in the Holy Scripture nothing should be removed or added, I don’t understand the reason for this choice. Mine is not meant to be a provocative question, I just would like to better understand . Thank you for your availability. E. Answer by the priest Dear E., 1. What you point out is true, and it is surprising that the edition of the Jerusalem Bible in Italian omits without any explanation the words that you have quoted. 2. The verse of John 3:13 reported by the CEI translation is the following: "No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.". 3. The translation of the Vulgate, on the other hand, writes: "No one has ever gone up to heaven, except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven". 4. The text of the Jerusalem Bible in French, which is the original of this edition, contains the Vulgate translation and therefore also the expression "the Son of Man, who is in heaven". At the bottom of the text there is the following note: "who is in heaven is omitted from the codes S, B and by many witnesses, especially Egyptians". 5. A biblical scholar Giuseppe Segalla, in the commentary on the Gospel of John edited by the Pauline editions, reports the long text, namely: "No one has ever ascended to heaven, except he who descended from heaven, the Son of man, who is in heaven”, even if in the meantime the official translation of the CEI was already in force. 6. At the bottom he writes: “ “The Son of man, who is in heaven”. The shorter form: “the Son of man” has much older external evidence in its favor.” And he cites various ancient codices and documents. However, he notes: “But they all come from the same Egyptian tradition. The longer form bears the testimony of different textual traditions; it is also modified in other codes, which omit "who is" or transform it into the imperfect "was"; all this denotes the difficulty of the sentence itself, certainly considered original. Finally, the long form seems to be required by the rhythm, as it results in three well-balanced verses”. The other two well-balanced verses he refers to are those in verses 11 and 12. G. Segalla's note seems to me well documented, and therefore authoritative. 7. The TOB, the edited Bible of the Franciscans, reports the short text and then adds as a note: “Many non Alexandrian manuscripts, versions and fathers add “who is in heaven”. 8. In my opinion, the reasons for adopting the longer text, the one of the Vulgate, are superior to those against. In a note, it could have been written that in some codes the words "who is in heaven" are not present. I bless you, I wish you well and I remember you in prayer. Father Angelo

0 notes

xceltecseo · 1 year

Text

WordPress 6.1 New Features that come with the Updated Version

Recent WordPress updates attempt to enhance the content management system's reliability, effectiveness, and user experience. The initial roadmap for WordPress 6.1, released by Matas Ventura from the core development team in early June 2022, covered the main areas of work scheduled for release on this day, November 1, 2022.

As Phase 3 of the Gutenberg roadmap approaches, Ventura noted at the time, "The theme of the release will be to improve the experiences presented in 5.9 and 6.0, integrate the numerous flows into more cohesive and rewarding experiences for users, maintainers, and extenders, and solve certain functional gaps.

Areas Focused on while developing the WordPress 6.1

Five important development areas were listed in the original roadmap that the executive from the core development team provided.

editor for templates

constructing using patterns

global trends

blocks and design equipment

Wider adoptions and themes

Template Editor

Thanks to modifications, the template editor was able to let users explore, see, and update the layout of their website with little to no knowledge of the underlying code. With the intention of harmonising the user interfaces of the template editor and post editor, modifications to the editor make it simpler to distinguish between global components like templates, template pieces, and styles.

Building With Patterns

The potential of block patterns was highlighted in the "Building with Patterns" article, which arrived relatively later in the WordPress 6.0 development cycle. The development team was keen to fully exploit this potential. Patterns could be at the centre of the creative experience for regular users thanks to WordPress 6.1's feature. For block types and custom post types, patterns could be altered. It was predicted that efforts would be made to better the block locking process and handle stored patterns.

Global Styles

The WordPress core development team's ongoing global styles plan includes updates to the main interface and user experience, the styles variations panel, web font and typography customization, cross-block components, per-block styles and supports, and block style variants.

Blocks and Design Tools

The global styles interface would advance, and support for restrictions, privileges, and curated presets would be improved. The 6.1 release should give users control over web fonts, offer responsive typography, and improve the blocks toolkit in order to boost consistency, dependability, and user satisfaction.

Themes and Wider Adoption

The group would address issues with the current legacy themes' sluggish adoption of technologies like template components. It would think about how to swap themes, how to use new style and template possibilities, as well as whether it would be practical to have more people have access to themes. modifying json.

New Features in WordPress 6.1

Let’s get started exploring WordPress 6.1’s Official Features.

Release Candidate 1 became available on October 11. Since Beta 3, about 100 issues had been handled, and more than 2,000 updates and bug fixes had been made since the release of WordPress 6.0 in May 2022. It was the culmination of a tremendous lot of collaboration. Release Candidate 2 was made available on October 18, followed by Release Candidate 3 on October 25, Release Candidate 4 on October 25, and Release Candidate 5 on October 28.

The Third and last Major WordPress release of the year is version 6.1. The Following is New :

New Features for End-Users:

There are 10 different style options included with the new default theme.

more design tools that are applicable to more building blocks.

a more comprehensive and enhanced template experience, offering a variety of templates.

more experience with document settings

blocks for quote and list have been improved, and inner blocks are now supported.

strong placeholders for various blocks.

improvements and improvements to the modal interface.

For easier menu administration, use fallbacks and automatic navigation block selection.

All inner blocks will have locking settings applied with a single click.

improvements to the block theme discovery process.

Updates on accessibility, including the resolution of more than 60 tickets.

Performance improvements with the resolution of over 25 tickets.

New Features for Developers:

the decision to strengthen any theme with appearance tools.

alterations to the fashion code.

Beginning patterns can exist for any post type.

Evolution of the layout options, with a new limited option and the ability to disable layout options.

techniques for locking down content to make more curated choices.

The availability of query loop blocks has been improved.

Permit the use of block-based template elements in conventional themes.

Theme.json's data can be filtered.

Enhanced responsiveness can be provided by using fluid typography.

the ability to change internal elements of blocks, such buttons, headers, or captions.

WordPress Development Services We Offer:

Over 150 projects have been worked on and successfully finished by our team of experienced professionals. The following services are included in the whole WordPress site solution offered by XcelTec:

WordPress web development and design services

installing, customising, altering, maintaining, and updating a WordPress theme.

WordPress re-platforming

WordPress performance enhancement.

Shop with Woo.

Integration of a payment gateway.

Development and customisation of plugins.

Are you looking for a WordPress development company or WordPress development services?

The ideal option for you if you're looking for a WordPress development company is XcelTec Interactive Pvt. Ltd. Professional and reputable WordPress developers work with XcelTec. Our team is skilled in managing various projects and giving you the best support in the business. Hire our business for your ongoing or forthcoming WordPress projects.

Visit to explore more on WordPress 6.1 New Features that come with the Updated Version

Get in touch with us for more!

Email us at:- [email protected]

#WordPress 6.1 #WordPress web solution #WordPress web design #web development services #WordPress development company #WordPress developers

1 note · View note

servtrust · 2 years

Text

Abridge sentences

Abridge sentences manual#

Abridge sentences free#

Find more ways to say abridged, along with related words, antonyms and example phrases at, the world's most trusted free thesaurus. (made shorter) abrégé adj adjectif: modifie un nom. adjective An abridged book or play has been made shorter by removing some parts of it. The children read the novel i - All were interviewed… I think the abridger did Cleese a favor, there. Power controlled or abridged is almost always the rival and enemy of that power by which it is controlled or abridged. Sentence with the word abridged Some, in the true spirit of the poor Publican, were kneeling at a considerable distance, just within view of the cross, to which they hardly lifted their eyes others, whose penance was originally lighter, or its term abridged by frequent visits to this place, had approached the cross more nearly, and with greater signs of satisfaction. The Lives of the Seven Bishops followed in 1866 - after a longer interval, part of which was employed in producing an abridged version of her Queens of England. : The novelist, like every other artist, must abridge and select. En général, seule la forme au masculin singulier est donnée. No state could abridge those privileges or immunities, or deny any person due process or the equal protection of the law. It is based on the immense Arabic dictionary of Hadji Khalfa, of which indeed it is largely an abridged translation, but it also contains the substance of a vast number of other Arabic and Turkish compilations and manuscripts. The work was very much used (mention is made of an abridged edition) by Pliny the elder, Asconius Pedianus (the commentator on Cicero), Nonius, and the philologists. Of this an abridged edition by the name of Ornithologisches Taschenbuch appeared in 18, with a supplement in 1 812 while between 18 a fuller edition of the original was issued. This is an abridged version of her new novel. This is an abridged statement verified by the church itself. cogent criticism comes from Mr Anthony Murphy and is contained in abridged form in his comment in the present volume. armistice day is abridged from an article in Peace News, 7 November 1936. abridged reprint of UNION JACK issue 243 DRINK! abridged from an article in Peace News, 7 November 1936. This story must be abridg Abridge in a sentence | abridge example sentences Ah! Here are many translated example sentences containing "ABRIDGED" - english-spanish translations and search engine for english translations. In the first volume of this treatise Plucker introduced for the first time the method of abridged notation which has become one of the characteristic features of modern analytical geometry (see Geometry, Analytical). The Chalet Books, slightly abridged, are being reissued in the Armada series. Example sentences with the word abridged.

Abridge sentences manual#

Gaume's Manual for Confessors, abridged and "adapted to the use of the English Church.". He was the author of an alphabetical lexicon, chiefly of poetical words, abridged from the great lexicon (llEpi yXcovv(7w) of Pamphilus of Alexandria (fl. An abridged German translation has been made by G. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. 20 examples: An abridged version of this lecture is presented below. Abridged quotes from YourDictionary: Master Gascoigne is not to bee abridged of his deserved esteeme, who first beate the path to that perfection which … 5. Scott and Hillary agreed to abridge their story, leaving out some of the more frightening details so … 3. L'élaboration du présent rapport périodique abrég é, qui couvre en gros la période de 25 ans, allant de 1982 à 2002, n'a pas été tâche facile. There are 6 example sentences for abridged. 1234) abridged the whole work, usually with judgment, but sometimes too hastily. It was an abridged version, excluding any mention of last night's session at Lydia's apartment but detailing the missing bones and Dean's suspicion concerning Billy Langstrom's death. Till recently it was known only in an abridged Armenian version which was translated into French by V. (other editions 1834, 1836, &c.), and an abridged edition by W.

#Abridge sentences

0 notes

left-4-dead-2-wallhack-adqy · 2 years

Text

Left 4 Dead 2 Cheats List | download

💾 ►►► DOWNLOAD FILE 🔥🔥🔥 You last visited: Today at Originally Posted by landa Originally Posted by wolsp. U shown a picture from neutralX material hack If u want common infected a different color than special infected.. But u can choose one of my old material hacks.. Originally Posted by wanghua9. Thank you. Is there any hack wich you can get admin rights? Speedhack is for VAC undetected?? Originally Posted by bezhodnotenia. It seems it works on and off. Sometimes it loads ingame, sometimes it doesn't. I've even tried going to addons, unchecking, rechecking, works sometimes, just not others. Great hack, just inconsistent. Any possible solutions or reasoning's as to why this may be? Which hack version do u use? Does the hack number match to your l4d2 vesion? Can u use the hack in singleplayer? The time now is User Name: Password: Remember Me? Register for your free account! Forgot your password? Recent Entries. Best Entries. Best Blogs. Search Blogs. Page 3 of Last ». Quote: Originally Posted by landa Modify the. Quote: Originally Posted by wolsp can u include it in your program? Quote: Originally Posted by landa U shown a picture from neutralX material hack Quote: Originally Posted by wanghua9 um Quote: Originally Posted by bezhodnotenia "!!!! Is this working for Multiplayer? Similar Threads. Zahle bis zu 20 Euro. Bei leute unter Post wird auf jedenfall ein MM benutzt.

1 note · View note

tw08 · 2 years

Text

Idea #1/Final Idea

This new project focuses around the theme of ‘Randomization’. and with this new theme I wanted to go with a new approach. most of my projects have been focusing on a 3d approach with the exception of my first game “Onion jump” and other game “GenZ”. This time I want to go back to 2d with a top down style Gambling game. This idea is heavily inspired from the popular show, Kakegurui, which is an anime all about a prestigious school where your gambling skills determine your worth

In this show there is a game shown in chapters 10-16 in the manga (or ep 6-7 in the show) called the ESP game. the name derives from the cards that are used in the game called Zener cards, which were used by Karl Zener to try and determine Extrasensory Perception (ESP) within individuals. The game requires at least 3 people, a deck of these cards, and 2 revolvers to play. 2 of these people are the players, while the third is the “Dealer”.

To quote the WIKI, “ The game is played with Zener cards. The players have to guess the order of the cards chosen by the dealer, gaining one point for every correct card. It is played in two different rooms: a room where the dealer chooses the cards, and a second room where the players gamble. The rooms are soundproof and are only connected by cameras. A monitor in the dealer's room shows the players as they play the game, while the monitor in the other room only shows the dealer's hands and cards. Before the showdown, each player has to load their gun. They can load any number of bullets they want, with a maximum of six. Then, the players insert their guns in a box so that they are unable to distinguish them. After the showdown, the winner chooses a random gun and presses the trigger a number of times corresponding to the differences between each player's points. The gun may shoot or not, depending on the number of bullets that were originally loaded”. the game is actually a merger of 2 games, 1 being the placement of the cards and the second being a modified version of Russian roulette.

To expand on this idea, there will not be a limit on how many rounds can be played, the game will only end once a player has been “shot”. this could take from as little as a minute to as long as an hour which is what I love about this game, you don't know how long you will last so even the amount of time you play the game is also completely random. My hope is that I can get 3 people to play either locally or through different computers so that cheating can be absolutely minimized, because no game of chance can ever be completely random.

Zener cards

0 notes

karlsencrosby3 · 2 years

Text

Adidas X Prada Re

In case of partial shipments, delivery prices will be charged solely once. Your buy will be shipped in environmentally friendly packaging, or you can opt for our signature yellow packaging at no further value. We gladly accept returns within 30 days of receipt free of charge. Further data may be present in our Terms and Conditions. At Mytheresa we at all times try to search out environmentally pleasant options for a luxurious buying experience. wikipedia belt On the very same day that Cher’s MAC marketing campaign with Saweetie launched, the actress, musician, and Twitter favourite unveiled a second advert with Ugg. Titled “Feel ____,” the marketing campaign is part of an ongoing brand collection that may function other cultural leaders and pop-culture icons in ads to come. The high quality clothing, accessories, footwear, and of course bags, has ensured Prada is an established leading fashion brand across the globe. 1stDibs presents an extraordinary vary of authentic Prada belts. Customers who are fascinated on this designer might also discover Valentino's work interesting, Ralph Lauren and Alexander McQueen. Find designer Prada belts from top boutiques around the globe on 1stDibs, classic and haute couture. On 1stDibs, the price for this stuff starts at $113 and tops out at $1,685, while the typical work can sell for $425.. Similarly, Paige Mycoskie, founder and president of L.A.-based Aviator Nation, is a snowboarder. Arriving in a monochrome theme, each bit is highlighted with the luxurious house’s triangle logo. Silhouettes embody a small belt bag, shoulder bag, tote, backpack and duffle bag. One of the world's most prestigious trend brands, Prada is an Italian fashion home. New innovations in recycled and recyclable fabrics—making one thing new from one thing that already exists—is one of the better methods we’ve obtained to confront the problem of worldwide textile waste. 2019 saw Prada introduce its unique, new regenerated Re-Nylon material — a textile obtained via the recycling and purification strategy of plastic waste collected from our oceans, fishing nets, and textile fiber waste. This yr Prada is not only celebrating this but also its love of expertise. Teaming up with adidas’ unparalleled sportswear heritage, both brands unveil an extensive, new collection, diving into ready-to-wear and equipment for the very first time. In this new step of the collaboration, Prada has remodeled the long-lasting Adidas Originals Forum silhouette, both in the excessive and low version, by way of the utilization of the Re-Nylon textile. Real-time last sale information for U.S. stock quotes reflect trades reported through Nasdaq solely. Intraday data delayed no less than quarter-hour or per exchange necessities. The report supplies a detailed evaluation of the market by highlighting data on different features which include drivers, restraints, opportunities, and threats. This info might help stakeholders to make appropriate choices earlier than investing. Over the course of the partnership, we’ve hung out collaboratively reinterpreting every other’s iconic practical and aesthetic codes. If you enjoy our content, please add us to your adblocker's whitelist. We’re anticipating the Prada x adidas collection to release in the coming weeks. Take a better look above and expect the Prada x adidas collaboration to release on January thirteen at stores worldwide and on-line. Start filling it by clicking "add to media cart" button and share your cart with as many associates or colleagues as you like for them to immediately download your content. If your buy from a Harry Rosen retailer or harryrosen.com isn’t fairly right or you’ve merely modified your mind, you might return it for a refund inside 30 days from delivery. The coveted Pradidas lineup makes use of Prada’s sustainable Re-Nylon material as the bottom, with adidas’ iconic Three Stripes taking up tracksuits, jackets, tops, bucket hats and baggage. The black-and-white items are highlighted with the Italian trend house’s signature triangle brand, in addition to chrome zipper detailing throughout. prada belt women Demonstrating this partnership’s commitment to innovation, the adidas for Prada Re-Nylon collection reimagines luxury sportswear through a extra sustainable lens. For the primary time within the collaboration’s history, this collection includes ready-to-wear, accessories, and bags, in addition to elevated takes on the adidas Forum High and Low silhouettes. Prada was founded in 1913 as a small leather-based items shop that rapidly gained a status for its luxurious Made in Italy high quality. Rugged woven leather, statement-making branded buckles and daring bursts of colour combine for this range of Prada belts. These outfit-defining pieces will add timeless gentlemanly type to any work or play ensemble. For ready-to-wear and equipment, Prada reworks some its own signature pieces in its Re-Nylon material with the addition of Adidas branding. The collection features a tracksuit, sweater, hooded jacket, and bucket hat. From Chanel classics to Hermès icons – discover wanted treasures in your collection. This product isn't available for purchase in your region. Please contact our customer care staff for more information. Please remember that we can't ship to submit workplace bins.

#replica prada belt #prada belt #prada belt men #prada fur belt #prada belts #prada belt women

0 notes

lazyduchess · 2 years

Text

[TS2] Huge Lots Mod (120x120)

big boyyyy....

Overview

This is a WIP mod that increases the lot size limit in TS2 from 60x60 to 120x120, as seen on Castaway Stories.

The information below is included in a README file in the zip as the installation is pretty non-standard for a mod.

Installation and Download under the cut.

Download

SFS / Patreon

Source Code

Installation

If you're a Sims2RPC user, copy the HugeLotsTS2.asi file into your (Sims 2 Mansion & Garden Installation Folder)/TSBin/mods folder. For example, C:/Origin Games/The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection/Fun with Pets/SP9/TSBin/mods.

Otherwise, copy both the HugeLotsTS2.asi and dsound.dll files into your TSBin directory (not mods)

You NEED a cracked version of the Mansion & Garden executable (Sims2EP9.exe) for the mod to work.

If you're using RPC/Sims2RPC, stick to the classic lot imposter quality setting while using this mod.

Inside of the "Lot Templates" folder are premade empty Residential lots with the new sizes. You can install these with the package editor or Clean Installer.

Copy the "Downloads" folder into your Documents/EA Games/The Sims 2 folder. The filename of the package has a bunch of z's at the end in order to load last, it might conflict with some shader mods.

Navigate to your (Basegame Install Folder)/TSData/Res/Lights and open the "Lighting.txt" file with Notepad.

(e.g. C:/Origin Games/The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection/Double Deluxe/Base/TSData/Res/Lights)

Look for the "seti floorTextureSize 512" line (without the quotes) and replace it with "seti floorTextureSize 1024"

That's it! You're ready to place one of the lot templates in any of your hoods. Or, if you would like to have more control over the size, included in the "Mootilda's LotAdjuster" folder is a modified version of LotAdjuster without the 60x60 size limit.

I recommend going into Graphics Settings in-game and turning "Snow on Ground" Off, as with lots that are bigger than normal snow can get horribly glitchy and render the game pretty unplayable.

Known Issues

Lot imposter generation is not yet complete - floors for multi story lots get incorrectly mapped.

The snow issue mentioned above. Pretty critical.

#sims 2 #ts2 #mod #originalmod #download #huge lots

336 notes · View notes

tyrantisterror · 3 years

Link

I did a four part series of trivia posts when ATOM Volume 1: Tyrantis Walks Among Us! came out, and that was pretty fun! You can see that set of trivia posts here if you’d like. I thought it’d be fun to do another now that ATOM Volume 2: Tyrantis Roams the Earth! is out - just one this time, because a lot of the trivia I talked about with Volume 1 still applies.

I’m gonna divide this into two sections: non-spoiler trivia, for things that really don’t give a lot of plot points away, and spoiler trivia, for things that DO give away major plot points. I recommend not reading the spoiler trivia until after you’ve read Tyrantis Roams the Earth!, for obvious reasons, and will put the spoiler trivia under a cut.

Ok, let’s go!

- So if you read ATOM Volume 1, you probably noticed that the book is split not only into chapters, but “episodes,” which consist of four chapters a piece. It’s kind of a nod to how the series owes a great deal of its DNA to various monster of the week shows, with Godzilla: the Series and The Godzilla Power Hour being obvious influences. It also allowed me to pepper in some illustrations and cheesy b-movie style titles into each volume.

- The first “episode” of Volume 2, Tyrantis in Tokyo, pays explicit homage to the giant monster movies of Japan, perhaps even moreso than the chapters that came before it. Given how much Japanese media influenced ATOM - from tokusatsu like the Godzilla, Gamera, and Ultraman franchises to anime like Digimon and Evangelion (hell, the title of this episode itself is a tip of the hat to Tenchi Muyo by way of one of its spinoffs) - it kind of felt obligatory that Tyrantis visit Japan and pay his respects.

- Tyrantis in Tokyo also fits in a tribute to another staple of Atomic Age pop culture: Rock and Roll.

- Kutulusca, the giant cephalopod that appears in Tyrantis in Tokyo, is one of the oldest kaiju in this series, dating back to the first iteration of Tyrantis’s story that I put to paper back in 2001 or so. It’s changed a lot since then, but its fight with Tyrantis goes more or less the way it originally did.

- Old Meg, the giant placoderm/shark, and Nastadyne, the bipedal beetle, both owe their existence directly to Deviantart’s Godzilla fandom. Old Meg originated as a dunkleosteus monster I submitted to a “create a Godzilla kaiju” contest held by Matt Frank, while Nastadyne is based on a Megalon redesign I made during the “redesign all the Godzilla kaiju” phase of DA’s kaiju fandom.

- The second episode, Tyrantis vs. the Red Menace, gets dark as we visit the USSR, which had enough REAL horror with atomic power in its history to make creature features seem a bit defanged by comparison. It’s probably the episode with the strongest horror elements - ATOM’s always been influenced by Resident Evil, and this is probably where that influence shows the most strongly.

- It also features the first fully robotic mecha in the series, the mighty Herakoschei! Its name is a combination of “Heracles” and “Koschei the Deathless,” with the former part being added by its Russian creators to make it seem a bit more international as they offer it to the U.N. in hopes of gaining aid for a very extreme kaiju problem they’ve developed.

- Most of Tyrantis vs. the Red Menace takes place in the Siberian Monster Zone. Its name is a reference to the Lawless Monster Zone in Ultraman, which is such a cool fucking name I wish that I wish I could go back in time and steal it.

- The next episode, Tyrantis’s Revenge, is... full of spoilers, so we’ll move on for now.

- The penultimate episode, Tyrantis vs. the Martian Monsters, is a love letter to MANY different sci-fi stories that involve life on Mars, though the most prominent of them is of course The War of The Worlds (one of my top 3 favorite books) and its various adaptations. From its tentacles sapient martians, the tripodal leader of the titular monsters whose name includes the word “ulla” which is uttered by said sapient martians, the plant monster made of red vines, the cylinder-shaped spacecraft the Martian monsters are sent to earth on, the copper-skinned stingray-esque flying martian who shoots lasers from its tail, and the fact that every chapter title in this episode is a quote from the book, the H.G. Wells influence is STRONG.

- The final episode, Invasion from Beyond!, is shamelessly inspired by Destroy All Monsters, although there’s a dash of “To Serve Men,” Godzilla vs. Monster Zero, and The Day the Earth Stood Still mixed in as well. It’s also sort of a tribute to my first “published” bit of a kaiju fiction - a rewrite of Destroy All Monsters that included EVERY Godzilla monster that had appeared at the time, which my middle school self wrote back in 2002 or so for Kaiju Headquarters, a kaiju fansite I’m not sure exists anymore. Invasion from Beyond! is just as ambitious (but hopefully better executed) as my DAM Remake, with dozens upon dozens of different kaiju duking it out, earthlings vs. aliens.

- There were three different documents I made to outline the final battle of Invasion from Beyond! It’s the largest episode of the series so far and more than half of it is that fucking fight. My inner child is pleased, though, so hopefully you will be too.

Ok, that’s all I can share without spoilers. READER BEWARE WHAT FOLLOWS BELOW THE CUT!

JUST MAKING SURE you know that SPOILERS will follow from here on out. Read at your own peril! YOU WERE WARNED!

(I’m gonna start with lighter ones just in case you scrolled too far and want to turn back)

- There’s a number of explicit Spielberg homages in ATOM Volume 2, from a “we need a bigger boat” joke during a chase with a giant shark to the fact that Invasion from Beyond! opens with a group of people flying to an island of monsters to review whether or not it should get more funding.

- When Tyrantis appears in the first chapter, I snuck in modified lyrics of The Godzilla Power Hour’s theme song. “Up from the depths”... “several stories high”... “breathing fire”... “its head in the sky”... Tyrantis! Tyrantis! Tyrantis!

- The two rock bands in Tyrantis in Tokyo have real life inspirations ala Gwen Valentine, albeit a bit more muddled than hers. The Cashews are inspired by The Peanuts (see what I did there), while The Thunder Lizards are a mix of The Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Buddy Holly, and the Big Bopper. I wanted The Thunder Lizards to be more akin to the myth of a famous rock and roll band than the reality - less the real Beatles and more the Yellow Submarine cartoon version of them.

- The song The Thunder Lizards write for Tyrantis was written to fit the tune of “The Godzilla March” from Godzilla vs. Gigan, though ideally if someone made an actual song of it it would be its own song. I got the idea from Over the Garden Wall, which used the Christmas song “O Holy Night” as a a starting point for “Come Wayward Souls.”

- Perry Martin, UNNO reporter and peer of Henry Robertson, is a nod to Raymond Burr, with his name being a combination of two of Burr’s most famous roles: Perry Mason, and Steve Martin from Godzilla King of the Monsters (1956).

- Dr. Rinko Tsuburaya is a few homages in one. Her name comes from Rinko Kikuchi (who played Mako Mori in Pacific Rim), while her last name is obviously in homage of Eiji Tsuburaya. Her being the daughter of an esteemed scientist is inspired by Emiko Yamane from the original Gojira.

- Nastadyne’s Burning Justice mode is named after a similar super mode from various Transformers cartoons, though it’s more directly inspired by the Shining/Burning Finger super move from G Gundam.

- Martians sending kaiju to different planets via shooting them out of cannons (with or without cylinder spaceships around them) is another War of the Worlds shoutout. So is martians living on Venus after their homeworld was made uninhabitable, actually.

- Kurokame’s vocalizations are described as wails in explicit homage to Gamera. His name can be translated as either “black tortoise” (a reference to the mythical guardian beast Genbu, which can also be construed as a Gamera reference thanks to Gamera: Advent of Irys implying Gamera and Genbu are one and the same) or a portmanteau of the Japanese words for crocodile and turtle - “crocturtle.”

- Burodon’s name is just a mangling of “burrow down.” It also sounds vaguely like Baragon, who Burodon is loosely inspired by. AND, since Burodon is sort of a knockoff/modified Baragon, that kinda makes him a reference to various monsters in Ultraman!

- The final battle of Tyrantis in Tokyo is sort of a hybrid of the finales of Ghidorah the 3 Headed Monster and Destroy All Monsters.

- The Japanese kaiju teaching Tyrantis the art of throwing rocks at your enemies is both a joke on the prominence of rock throwing in Japanese kaiju fights AND the tired trope of an American hero learning secret martial arts from a Japanese mentor ala Batman, Iron Fist, etc. In this case, the secret martial art is throwing rocks at people.

- When introduced to Herakoschei and its pilot, we are told that the strain of piloting this early mecha is so intense that many pilots have died in the process, with the current one passing out on more than few occasions. This is of course a Pacific Rim homage - sadly, no one invents drifting.

- Herakoschei’s design is a loose homage to Robby the Robot and Cherno Alpha, because big boxy robots are cool.

- The Writhing Flesh and ESPECIALLY Pathogen are both hugely influenced by Resident Evil and The Thing. Giant body horror piles of raw flesh, tendrils, mismatched mouths and limbs may be a bit outside the main era of monster design ATOM homages, but they fit the themes and bring a nice contrast.

- I came up with Pathogen long before Corona but MAN it definitely feels different in 2021 to have a giant monster whose name is a synonym for disease driving other creatures crazy in a quarantine zone than it did when I plotted out the story in 2016.

- The chapter title “Hello, Old Foes” is a riff on “Goodbye, Old Friend”

- Minerva, the kaiju-fied clone of Dr. Lerna, is meant to be an homage to Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, which is a genuinely good giant monster flick. I am sure many of you will also believe I included her because I’m a pervert whose into tall women, but you’d be wrong! I included the seven foot tall Russian mecha pilot Ludmilla Portnova because I’m a pervert whose into tall women. Minerva’s inclusion was just coincidental, I swear!

- Since Promythigor is a play on the archetypal ape kaiju to contrast Tyrantis as a play on the archetypal fire-breathing reptile kaiju, their fight has a lot of nods to King Kong movies. Promythigor attempts the famous jaw-snap maneuver of Kong (with less success), J.C. Clark paraphrases the “brute force vs. a thinking animal” line from the King Kong vs. Godzilla American cut, and Tyrantis slides down a mountain to knock Promythigor off his feet in a reversal of Kong doing the same in King Kong vs. Godzilla.

- Tyrantis sliding down a mountain on his tail doubles as a Godzilla vs. Megalon homage.

- Though Promythigor is the archetypal Ape and Tyrantis the archetypal Fire-Breathing Reptile, I think it’s fun to note that in some ways, Promythigor is the Godzilla equivalent in their matchup, and Tyrantis the Kong. Promythigor has a slight size advantage, was scarred by humans performing unethical weapons technology, and is associated with violent explosions. Tyrantis is a good-at-heart prehistoric beast who humanized in part by his unlikely friendship with a human woman.

- Of course, in the context of the famous quote from the American cut of King Kong vs. Godzilla, they remain in their archetypal lanes. Promythigor is the more intelligent of the two (though not necessarily wiser), and Tyrantis is in many ways a brute reptile. Their battle is a rebuttal of sorts to the assertion that Kong is the “better” animal because he is closer to human. Promythigor’s near human creativity and emotions don’t make him the kinder/more benevolent monster, but instead fuel a very self-centered and destructive attitude that makes him the far more dangerous threat. On the other hand, Tyrantis, who is less intelligent, limited in communication with others by his reptilian mindset and instincts, and simple in his thoughts and desires, is nonetheless a sweet creature that is easily dealt with when others consider his animal needs and mindset. There’s a quote from Hellboy I love that probably sums up all of my writing thus far: “To be other than human does not mean the same as being less,” and that’s what the matchup between these two in particular tries to illustrate: the “less” human Tyrantis is nonetheless more benign than the “more” human Promythigor.

- Kraydi the psychic lizard began life as a soft sculpture I made of the Canyon Krayt Dragon from The Wildlife of Star Wars. The sculpture didn’t look much like the illustration, but I liked how it came out, and so I made it an original monster named Kraydi (see what I did there). Figuring out an explanation for that name in ATOM’s world was possibly the most difficult kaiju naming task in the series, but it worked out in the end.

- Kraydi and Promythigor having psychic powers is a result of my time on Godzilla fan forums in my middle school years. Most of the forums had OC kaiju battle tournaments, and SO many of those kaiju had a wide array of beam weapons and psychic powers just to win the tournaments by beam-spamming and mind controlling their foes into oblivion. There’s a special kind of rage you get when your original creation is beaten by “Fire Godzilla” because he has a genius level intellect and the power of unstoppable telekinesis. Kraydi began as (and still is I suppose) my attempt to do a psychic kaiju well, while Promythigor’s villainy being tied to psychic powers being forced on him is sort of my passive aggressive commentary on people foisting powers on a monster without any real thematic reason for them.

- Henry Robertson and Dr. Praetorius chewing out the laziness of people giving kaiju completely unaltered names of mythic beasts will probably be seen as a jab at the Monsterverse and/or the numerous writers in the kaiju OC scene who do the same, but it’s ACTUALLY a jab at my past self, who had DOZENS of kaiju whose names were just Greek mythological figures verbatim. There are dozens of kaiju named Hydra, Scylla, Charybdis, Chimera, etc., past me, try to make the names stand out! Oh wait you did. I mean, don’t pat yourself on the back too much, you still went with “Mothmanud” as a canon name and never came up with something better, but, like, good on ya for trying I guess.

- Dr. Praetorius takes his name from the evil mad scientis in Bride of Frankenstein, who basically has all the wicked traits that Universal’s Frankenstein downplayed in their take on Dr. Frankenstein. Ironically, ATOM’s Dr. Praetorius is a bit less evil than his fellow mad scientists in ATOM. I really like how his character turned out, he surprised me.

- Isaac Rossum, the pilot of the USA mecha Atomoton, is named for Isaac Aasimov, whose robot stories are to robot fiction what Lord of the Rings is to high fantasy. His last name is a reference to Rossum’s Universal Robots, which is where the word “robot” came from.

- The unfortunate pilots of MechaTyrantis in ATOM Volumes 1 and 2 are all nods to Jurassic Park. John Ludlow = John Hammond and Peter Ludlow, Ian Grant = Ian Malcolm and Alan Grant, Dennis Dodgson = Dennis Nedry and Lewis Dodgson.

- A good way to pitch Invasion from Beyond! would be “what if the staff and monsters were able to fight back when the Kilaaks tried to take over Monsterland?”

- Ok, here’s a fun joke that no one will get but me because it requires a very specific chain of logic based on some obscure and loosely connected nerd bullshit. There’s a rocker in ATOM’s universe named Sebastian Haff, right? One of his songs, “Darling Let’s Shimmy,” is referenced right before a mothmanud larva emerges from the ground in both ATOM Vol. 1 and 2. Ok, so, in the Bubba Hotep, an aging Elvis impersonator named Sebastian Haff claims he is actually the real Elvis Presley, having changed places with the real Sebastian Haff as a sort of Prince and the Pauper deal that went wrong. Got that? Ok, so, in UFO folklore, a common joke is the theory that Elvis didn’t die, but was rather abducted by aliens (or he actually WAS an alien the whole time - the whole “Elvis didn’t die, he just went home” joke in Men in Black is a good example of this). Ok? Ok. So, in ATOM’s universe, we can surmise that their equivalent of Elvis, whose name is Sebastian Haff, WAS abducted by aliens, and that his song “Darling Let’s Shimmy” is subconsciously influenced by his repressed memories from his time aboard the Beyonder spaceships, which is why it accidentally awoke a Mothmanud larva in Volume 1. There’s a lot of bullshit jokes I put into ATOM, but this is perhaps the bullshittiest of them all.

- One of the most common bits of feedback on ATOM Volume 1 I got was “I kept waiting for something to eat Brick Rockwell, he’s such an asshole.” And I had to smile and go, “Oh, yeah, guess he never got his, huh?” the whole time without letting on that he was going to die here all along!

- Dr. Lerna and Brick Rockwell’s nature as foils to each other is probably most apparent in Invasion from Beyond!, where both are given fairly similar situations - a nonhuman approaches them with a solution to a global crisis - and react to it very differently. I worry that some people may think they both made the same choice and got different results, and that that’s hypocrisy on my part, but I hope I wrote it so you can see how their choices and situations actually differ in key ways, and why their decisions, while similar on the surface, are ultimately very different, and thus result in almost opposite outcomes.

- So, when I planned out this book in 2016, I swear I didn’t know about the Orca from 2019′s Godzilla King of the Monsters. Having the plot hang around Dr. Lerna deciding whether or not to use a sonic device to rouse all the kaiju to save the earth was not INTENDED to be a Monsterverse reference - it came about from me looking at Pathfinder’s take on kaiju, who are all explicitly influenceable by music, and thinking, “Oh, wow, music and songs DO have a major connection with kaiju in a lot of media, I should do something with that.” Whem KOTM came out a few days after Volume 1 came out I realized I was kinda fucked here, because the comparison was definitely going to be made, but I’d also set this all up already and you can’t just change suddenly to avoid looking like a copy cat and make a good story, so... I dunno, I leaned into it a bit, but it is what it is.

- While most people will probably think they’re a reference to the Reptoids of UFO folklore, the Reptodites are more inspired by the Dinosapien of speculative evolution fame and, even morso, by the Reptites from Chrono Trigger. Me wanting to avoid the “lizard people control the government” conspiracy theory trope is one of the main reasons why Reptodites have this non-interference clause with humanity.

- Lieutenant Gray is a bunch of different humanoid aliens rolled into one - a little Hopskinville goblin, a little classic gray, a little this one weird alien with five-fingered zygodactyl hands, etc.

- There’s some Beyonder Mecha in this volume that are basically kaiju-fied versions of the Flatwoods Monster. The species that built them ALSO engineered the Mothmanuds, because connecting Mothman and the Flatwoods Monster is fun!

- Pleprah is, obviously, a one-eyed one-horned flying purple people eater.

- Tyrantis’s brush with death, in addition to being so very anime, was inspired by my dad outlining how mythic heroes often have to travel to the underworld/land of the dead before they can finish their journey. It’s one of the plot points that I’ve had planned for this series since middle school.

- I’m sure some will view it as hackneyed and corny, but as a person who’s battled with depression for decades, having Tyrantis’s choice to live be the big heroic turn of the finale was very important to me. Tyrantis incorporates elements of a lot of imaginary friends I made as a kid, and in many ways he’s kind of the face of my more positive side in my head. He’s been telling me to choose to live for a while, and while maybe to an outsider it may seem hackneyed, it’s just... very Tyrantis. He chooses life and kindness in the face of pain and struggle. That’s Tyrantis.

- Tyrantis’s powered up form is called “Hyper Mode,” which is another Gundam reference. Originally it was a lot gaudier and involved him turning gold like a fuckin’ Super Saiyan. I opted for something a little more toned down here.

- Also, speaking of KOTM references, I decided to make Hyper Mode Tyrantis’s final duel with Pathogen be a sort of foil to Burning Godzilla’s final bout with Ghidorah in KOTM. Instead of ravaging the city, Hyper Tyrantis’s pulse of energy rejuvenates his fallen allies, and as a result he is “crowned” not out of fear for his supremacy in the wake of killing a powerful enemy, but in gratitude for his kindness. See? Leaning into it!

- And now I can finally reveal that Yamaneon is ATOM’s equivalent of The Monolith Monsters - that is, a kaiju that is also a mineral. I took the “strange continuously growing rock” thing in a very different direction, though, as unlike The Monolith Monsters, Yamaneon is actually alive.

- At various points in the pre-writing process, either Promythigor, MechaTyrantis, or both were going to die fighting Pathogen. I ultimately decided to let them both live, with MechaTyrantis even getting his flesh and blood body back, because I think it’s more interesting and thematically consistent that way. They get a chance to heal their wounds by changing their ways.

- The Great Beyonder and Dorazor both almost didn’t make the cut, as I felt they didn’t have the same pull as villains that Pathogen, Promythigor, and MechaTyrantis did. But then I thought that could actually be the gag - build them up as the final boss, only to have Pathogen take their crown. I want to explore post-face turn Dorazor a bit more, though. We’ll have to see about that in a later volume.

- Volumes 1 and 2 make up what I call “The Ballad of Tyrantis Arc” for ATOM. I call it that because Tyrantis’s storyline in these two volumes was patterend after Chivalric ballads like Yvain the Knight of the Lion. Tyrantis, a heroic warrior who is kind but dumb of ass, learns of strange goings on outside his home and investigates. During his journey into the unknown he falls in love with a powerful woman, whose favor he tries to win. Through happenstance he is separated from his love and, distraught, wanders around fighting various foes to prove his worth, before finally returning to his love a better hero. Invasion from Beyond! could even be seen as a sort of Morte d’Artur, with Tyrantis and a bunch of other kaiju heroes (including Nastadyne and Kemlasulla, who are built up as Hero Kaiju of Another Story) take part in a huge battle that threatens their idealic kingdom (of monsters).

- Volume 2 isn’t the end of ATOM, but it’s designed to work as an ending if you want to tap out here. As a reader I feel a definitive ending is important, but as a writer I’m always tempted to revisit my beloved characters, so I feel giving closure while leaving a few doors open for possible future adventures is a good compromise between these positions. There will be more ATOM stories, some (but not all!) following Tyrantis and Dr. Lerna, but if you want to know that Tyrantis and Dr. Lerna get an ending and the resolution to their arcs such a thing promises, here you go. An ending, if not THE END.

#The Atomic Time of Monsters #A.T.O.M. Trivia

23 notes · View notes

wetsteve3 · 3 years

Photo

REG DEARDEN’S SUPERCHARGED VINCENT 1949 VINCENT BLACK LIGHTNING FRAME NO. RC4436 ENGINE NO. F10AB/1C/2536

Sold for £ 221,500 (US$ 304,687) inc. premium Following a glorious era throughout the 1920s period very few British motorcycles were mechanically capable of contesting the rarefied world of Record Breaking. Since WWII the most frequent choice of machine for the Blue Riband of Motorcycling has been Vincent’s 1000cc Black Lightning. Vincent is undoubtedly revered as Britain’s most cherished medium-volume manufacturer but, having begun in 1928, and started manufacture at Stevenage (Herts), regularly producing several hundred machines each year, it was to universal disappointment the firm ceased trading in 1955. However, when arguably at their peak during the late 1940s, the American rider Rollie Free – formidable former Indian racer, and renowned for his hatred of Harleys – gained the World Speed Record at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, USA, for Un-Streamlined Machines on Fuel. This was achieved in September 1947 on a much-modified version of the 50-degree ohv vee twin. The Vincent was owned by John Edgar and, by arrangement, had been especially prepared at the factory. Famously, those last few mph of the Record attempt had proven elusive until Free stripped down to his bathing trunks, whereupon, he thundered through the traps at the magic two-way average speed of 150.31 mph. This important Record saw Vincent’s contemporary advertising proclaim they made the World’s Fastest Standard Motorcycle. And, very soon there after, the firm were prompted to introduce the Black Lightning model, incorporating a similar engine specification to that of the Edgar/Free prototype. Priced in excess of £400 it was easily Britain’s most expensive motorcycle. Is it any surprise, perhaps, but barely 30 examples were ever produced and sold. Today, a Black Lightning is categorically acclaimed as the Holy Grail of post war motorcycles.

By its very nature Record Breaking is traditionally the most demanding of arenas. The roll call of contestants with a realistic chance of success has never extended beyond the resourceful few. However in 1949 The Motor Cycle, Britain’s leading 2-wheel publication, offered a Trophy, plus a generous £500 prize [more than the price of a new ’Lightning] for the first successful all-British attempt on the absolute World Speed Record, for which full streamlining was clearly a necessary requirement. The Record had been held since 1937 by BMW at 173.54 mph. Inspired by the Blue Un’s offer Reg Dearden, a popular high profile m/c dealer at Chorlton-cum-Hardy [Manchester], purchased a Black Lightning direct from the factory, expressly for the purpose. There was a widely held belief in those days that the guarantee for reaching these targeted speeds was most easily achieved by the fitment of a supercharger. In early 1950, therefore, Reg returned the bike to Stevenage for the retro fitting of a purpose-built Shorrocks ’charger, together with the necessary but complex “plumbing” system, which was fed via an outsize S.U. carburetor and float chamber. Other mandatory tasks included an extension of the gearbox and engine main shafts, the making of a special clutch contained by specially cast alloy casings, fabrication of a dramatically re-shaped ex Grey Flash fuel tank and, in order to correctly install the supercharger within the chassis, the main frame, engine plates, and swinging arm were strengthened-and-lengthened” by about 6 inches. The work was undertaken under the personal supervision of Phil Vincent, MD, with advice and assistance from George Brown and various other luminaries constantly involved at the Stevenage factory. Press reports of the time quote Dearden’s subsequent claims to the effect that every individual part on the bike was virtually now “one-off”, simultaneously admitting in a rueful mode how the work had cost him several thousand pounds! The work in fact proved such a massive undertaking that it took the factory until mid-July to complete.

Public appearances of the Vincent, thereafter, were infrequent, inasmuch the next reported sighting of the now supercharged Vincent was as part of a spectacular display in a branch of Kings of Oxford, whose 20-odd shops were owned by Stan Hailwood [Mike’s father], an old friend of Dearden. Reg himself, meanwhile, was enjoying a close relationship with Norton over an arrangement that entailed the entering and supporting of a posse of promising young riders to compete in the Isle of Man TT and elsewhere, riding the Bracebridge Street machines. At any one time Dearden had at least 20 Manx Norton competitors “on his books”, a program that continued for many seasons, undoubtedly consuming an immense amount of time and concentration on his part. It is probably this reason, along with the news in 1951 that NSU had now upped the Speed Record to 180.29 mph, which caused the modified Vincent to lay dormant until 1953, when it was briefly announced in the technical press that the intended rider for the Record attempt – presumably at Bonneville – would be Les Graham [father of Stuart]. Les was already 500cc World Champion, and had been assisted by Dearden in his early career. Sadly, he was fatally injured in the 1953 Senior TT, causing yet another delay and a possible reduction in enthusiasm for the Record Breaking project. Even so there are some recorded instances of the bike in use. It was timed at Pendine Sands at 150 mph, but ran its bottom end. Following this setback it was further modified at the Stevenage factory, whose tester briefly rode the machine, fitted with silencers, on the public highway. Reg, too, apparently tried a series of straight-line Burn Outs, using “slave” tyres. And, in a letter to Classic Bike dated April 1992, Ireland’s Vincent agent, Harry Lindsey confirms how he too once rode the bike on an undisclosed aerodrome strip, although his all too brief “blast” was swiftly curtailed due to engine shaft failure.

The setting by NSU, in 1956, of a new Speed record at Bonneville, at 211.40 mph, seemed somehow to rekindle Dearden’s interest, for it was reported he would now fly the bike to the Salt Flats – although no rider was specified – in his own Cessna airplane, for one last serious attempt. Yet again it came to nought when the CAA refused to certify the aircraft concerned for this particular mode of transportation! The Vincent thus stayed unused and neglected at Dearden’s premises over the next decade, until it was eventually sold to Eric Biddle, a publican friend, in 1970. Biddle never used the machine, but sold it on to Michael Manning, a scientist, who lived in Pennsylvania, USA. In 1977 Manning took the Supercharged Vincent to a Vincent Owners Club Rally in Canada, where it was ridden over a short distance but, after returning to his home in Philadelphia, it again remained in storage until acquired in 1987 by the present owner, a passionate collector and user of Vincents, from Texas.

The vendor’s association with the Stevenage product is a profound and lifelong relationship. As a true aficionado he knows instinctively if a Vincent needs restoring, or when sympathetic preservation is the better route. In the case of the Dearden Vincent he’s applied the latter philosophy. After his purchase, and following a gentle re-commission, he was struck by the machine’s obvious originality. Considered alongside its minimal Running Time, over a period of sixty years, this originality creates something that is utterly unrivalled. During the last 20 years the vendor confirms that the bike has been run on several occasions. The resultant racket emitted by those huge open pipes, he claims, resembles no other. In 1999 the well-known UK photojournalist Mick Duckworth sampled the Vincent on a remote Texas highway for a 7-page feature in Classic Bike. The generous terrain allowed Mick sufficient space, and enough time, for familiarization. After reaching a speed close to 100 mph in bottom he bravely engaged second gear…at which point he suddenly remembered exactly what a precious artefact he was astride. The test ride concluded happily, however, with the owner stating, “You’ve probably ridden this Vincent further than anyone in living memory!”

The historic Black Lightning reposes in all its visual potential, slightly oily, yet with its original HT leads and the OE Avon tyres first fitted at Stevenage so long ago; even the rims’ black factory paint remains in place. Original low usage Black Lightnings are rare, supercharged ’Lightnings rarer still. This one is unique

10 notes · View notes