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sometipsygnostalgic · 7 months

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World vs Rise - Multiplayer focused breakdown

This is a crosspost from Reddit. I played some World this morning and had some monster hunter brainrot.

Hi all! So I have about 750 hours on my main characters in both games, and I've been playing them for 2 years now. I have some thoughts on the multiplayer components - what Rise improved on, and what World does better.

I have played base Rise on the Switch and PC, and I played Sunbreak on PC. Meanwhile I played World WITH Iceborne on PC. I played base World on Xbox One in the distant past, no memory of that experience so it shouldn't quality much.

I played both games with a group of friends, and played many many hours doing SOS, lobby, or solo, so I have a good idea of how the multiplayer works.

Anyway let's get down to it.

Story

World has... much more of a story. I refuse to say that it's "better" but I think the story presentation is much better than Rise's. Iceborne's story progression is more interesting, but I do appreciate how Sunbreak tried to write this story with all the Qurio and Malzeno. I do like Rise's final fight with Malzeno significantly more than Velkhana or Fatalis, but I think I like Shara Ishvalda and Nergigante more than any monster from Rise. As for the characters, they suck ass in both games, Rise has a lot more personality on the surface level but less depth overall and feels less like a large living world. That makes sense from an arcadey, nostalgic experience? I guess I prefer World's story... but I don't prefer playing it.

Multiplayer Story Progression

Rise DRASTICALLY improved this. In World I often would be forced to start a quest in "expedition mode", then have to leave and reopen the quest my friend could join, which was especially annoying when we were both starting the quest the first time and we'd have to wait for each other. I don't understand why it doesn't allow you to start quests or join them freely. In Rise you can join each other's quests at any point, no matter if there are story cutscenes or what. IMO this is an example of World's immersion getting in the way of a cohesive multiplayer experience.

Additionally, I need to say World has more "annoying" Key Quests. There are a number of quests where nobody will join SOS because you're fighting a Nightshade Paolumu, or a Brachydios, or one of the crappy Zorah Magdaros quests, and that one Velkhana artillery mission.

I believe that this is because the quests have one of these two factors:

You need to change your set for them. Nobody wants to fight Nightshade Paolumu or Brachydios with their normal set because it's too painful. But why would you have a specific set just to join these not very interesting SOS quests? Well, I made a set for Nightshade just because I find it so frustrating that my SOS feed is full of 'em! I should set up for Brachydios as well but honestly I find him annoying to fight even with the right tools, not my favourite.

Time spent on the quest. Velkhana artillery is like 30 seconds with three people, and Zorah Magdaros is about one minute of fighting to ten minutes of downtime so nobody ever wants to join it.

With Rise, there's less of these annoying quests, but you can't CONTROL what quest you are joining on an SOS, which has its pros and cons. I'll go more into that shortly.

Normal Multiplayer Pacing

I think that Rise is a much, much faster game than World. In base Rise on Switch, you had to run into a match and attack the monster as fast as possible or it'd be dead before your palamute got there. This is mitigated when you're playing with friends, you can take your time and collect as many spiribugs as you want. It's also somewhat mitigated in Sunbreak because the monsters are such heavy hitters that if you DON'T get all the bugs, you're going to faint anyway. I feel like the game is constructed to accomodate for this. That's why monsters in Sunbreak are so tanky and hard hitting, they expect you to go at them with your full arsenal ASAP.

The pacing in World is much slower, which originally drove me insane, but over time I've grown to like it. I think base Rise was great for how arcadey it was, and World is a nice slower paced game. Sunbreak feels... too intense. Like, I'm fighting for my life in every Anomaly quest and even when I rush the match takes a long time.

Joining World SOS quests is nice and easy, you can take your time collecting potions and stuff before hopping in, you can prepare for the specific monster. In Sunbreak if you're playing in a lobby or with friends it's nice and slow there too. If you're SOSing in sunbreak, good fucking luck, more on that now.

SOS Request Changes

In World, you see all available SOS quests and choose what one you want to do. The pros of this are YOU get to decide if you want to fight Rathalos in the Ancient Forest again. The cons are that it takes longer to join a quest, and the person SOSing may not get any help if they're fighting an annoying monster - see Multiplayer Story Progression section.

In Rise, you don't see what you're joining anymore.

Pros: Faster join time for player, less faffing around in menus, and you can get people joining your quests no matter what they are. People get rewards no matter how late they join. Great especially for Switch players with the higher playercount.

Cons: You can't choose what you're doing. You can't see what quests are active, how long they've been going, or how many players are in them. Often I find that I join a quest and it's OVER already and I'm booted back to the village. Often I choose a category and there are no quests at all.

Uber Mega Con: You have to INDIVIDUALLY SEARCH Event quests??? Hello???? Why can't I join a random event quest? Why can't I see what event quests are open?? I want to do the golden Rajang quest with other people!! I have to pray that either someone is running it when I search for it, or that someone will search for it when I'm running it! Why is the event quest SOS designed this way in Sunbreak?! It's not like that for High Rank and Master Rank!

I feel this worked best when the game first launched. It doesn't work great on PC or Xbox which has a lower playercount than Switch, and therefore you will have a lot of quests with four people and a lot of quests with nobody joining at all. I think matchmaking is also designed so that it waits til it has 3 joiners before letting you in all at the same time, which is infuriating.

Combat

Base World was designed for the immersive, technical multiplayer experience that the PS4 wanted to sell. It wanted the world to feel alive. Your character is quite slow and clunky and less elaborate than in Generations Ultimate, but smoother as well. Combat is updated but everything is more muted and toned down.

Monsters feel alive, and you need to track them down with research. They run around with quick small movements and "limp" away to their dens. This can be annoying if you're chasing a Tobi Kadachi for ten minutes before it reaches its next stopping point. There are a lot of monsters with fast, unchoreographed attacks that you have to fight in enclosed spaces. I think the game is a bit more claustrophobic than what came before, and your stamina meter is outrageously small, and you take a long time to drink potions. Let's not forget how annoying World and Iceborne can be before you've completed them and got that sexy double HP double stamina Fatalis armor with Speed Eater and Evade Extender.

Attacks from the player in World are faster than in prior games, but hard hitting and deliberate. I feel a lot of satisfaction playing Longsword in this game. Every single weapon is fun to use because of how good the impact is. Not all weapons are equal though, and it's clear the Longsword is very powerful.

People complain about the Clutch Claw. In World, this tool was an unreliable piece of trash. In Iceborne, it's... almost necessary, to tenderize and knock monsters down. But personally I feel that even a non clutch clawed monster in World falls down more quickly than any Anomaly monster in Sunbreak.

Rise was designed for the fast paced, agile, arcadey experience that the Nintendo Switch is famous for. It's PERFECT for the console. You can ninja-hop to whatever direction you wish, you have so many more options for every single weapon. You can hop on your dog and the monster is already on your map. You can change what style you're using every moment of the match! It's almost limitless and you can tell because of how crazy speedruns have gotten in Sunbreak.

As a result of these arcadey changes, however, monsters feel... less alive. Closer to Generations but without the paintball tracking stuff that makes it so fun (in MY opinion). In Sunbreak especially, you'll find you're wailing on some monsters for 25 minutes before they go down. I don't enjoy Anomaly Quests and it's very difficult to get people joining them at certain level areas. You'll be spending a lot of time alone, especially if your friends have been playing more or less than you and are in completely different levels, therefore being unable to fight the same monsters. I don't think there's many areas in other games that have the same problem of, if you spend too much or little time in a certain mode, you can no longer play together.

Buffs and Nerfs in Rise

Some weapons got do-overs. The Hunting Horn is now far more simple and aggressive, with less powerful but still useful buffs. The Longsword started off as ridiculously powerful in Base Rise, to the extent it was by far the best weapon. Thankfully it got nerfed, but I think they overdid it - instead of making the weapon more slow and deliberate like in World, they simply HALVED the damage output of all its base game special attacks and gave it a bunch of new powers so you'd have a whole new playstyle. I think the new Longsword playstyle is too risky, with too little gain. It looks stylish in youtube videos but is no longer optimal for most players.

Other weapons are buffed or nerfed because of how Sunbreak plays. The Hammer is a dogshit weapon, sorry, because monsters no longer keep their heads in one place long enough for you to get some good stun damage. Stun in general has been hard nerfed in Sunbreak. In Rise, Sticky Light Bowgun was a beast, so they made sure to keep the stun values for ALL weapons low in Sunbreak and you'd be lucky to get two stuns in a match, even with how much time is spent in combat now.

The Greatsword got some fun skills, but because monsters are more mobile, I feel that it doesn't keep up. You're likely to hit something with a TCS in World, but in Sunbreak most monsters will already be 20 metres away by the time you finish charging, even with the cool new switch skill that lets you instantly charge.

The Gunlance... it's way more mobile but I feel like you need to put in a great deal of work to keep up with other weapons. The blast damage doesn't do it in sunbreak. My partner became a Gunlance Pro but she was barely keeping up with my Switch Axe output even though frankly she's way better at the game than me and she spent dozens of hours perfecting her set.

The Switch Axe, my main weapon, is ASTRONOMICALLY buffed. I already thought it was good in World and Base Rise, and in Sunbreak it's just... *chefs kiss*... Swing that thing around and everything in the area dies.

It's certainly way less effort than Longsword or Hammer is now, RIP.

Monsters

Sunbreak has perhaps the BEST list of monsters in any game. You have Astalos, Mizutsune, Almudron, Chamelos, Velkhana, Amatsu, Azuros, PRIMORDIAL MALZENO, basically everything you could want. World had a problem where a lot of monsters were just... quadripedic dogs or dragons, dragons, dragons. It didn't have anything like Azuros or Astalos. It had Jyuratados though... Great....

I think that Rise's NEW monsters tend to be annoying. I just mentioned Almudron but fucking hell, that monster is a NIGHTMARE if you're playing Greatsword or any slow weapon. It leaves mud everywhere, which is meant to encourage wirebug use, but what if you don't like using wirebugs all the time? Magnamalo is another one that hops around everywhere but I do enjoy fighting him.

Of the monsters that didn't make the crossover, I think Nergigante is my favourite from World. I love the CRUNCH of hitting his spikes with my Switch Axe or Greatsword, or my Gunlance. I feel nostalgic for the raid bosses like Safi or Alatreon but it's not like I rush to go back to them whenever I load up World.

I also think due to the more arcadey, less immersive style of Rise, most monsters that are in both games are more interesting in World. With exception to Zinogre. Fuck World Zinogre. And fuck Teostra. Again the monsters in World have more fast annoying movements.

So yeah this is a win for Sunbreak!

Endgame combat and set building

I feel the non-anomaly Sunbreak monsters are less annoying than lategame normal Iceborne. I think tempered monsters in Iceborne are about the same level as anomaly monsters, but they go down much more quickly.

I think World had a LOT more going for it in endgame, because Sunbreak ONLY has anomaly quests.

Let me put it this way:

I completed Iceborne about 200 hours into World. Then I spent the next 500 hours doing a combination of Tempered Quests for my decorations, Safijiva, Fatalis, Alatreon, and of course the Guiding Lands. In the Guiding Lands I trained my land to fight every monster at least a few times at level 6. Was it grindy? A... little bit? It didn't feel that grindy. I had fun doing it because almost every step was done with my friend, and there was only a brief time where he was too high level and I couldn't go to his land.

Fatalis, I don't like. I couldn't beat it twice. Thankfully there was an exploit that allowed me to collect fatalis eyes with my cats, so I was able to build a few sets just from that. I used various methods to get the parts I needed.

I was able to build a set for every single weapon shortly after unlocking Fatalis. Yes, the decoration farming was a bit of a grind. However, I think that it was nothing close to what awaited me in Sunbreak...

I compled Sunbreak about 120 hours into the game? I really didn't spend much time in High Rank. Anyway, I spent the NEXT 600 HOURS doing NOTHING except for Anomaly Investigations, and I AM STILL NOT AT RANK 300.

Please send help. I never hit level cap. It's just... a combination of failed quests, the amount of time it took to gain a couple of levels, the time it takes to complete each quest... Save me!!

I also spent a lot of time trying to "perfect" my sets.

FYI - I have about 20 sets in World and they are all for different weapons. I have about 20 sets in rise and they are all for THE SAME WEAPON. That is how complex set building is in Rise, there's no "perfect" set.

This has some... pros? I guess? You are encouraged to try out different things. But honestly... I don't like the RNG involved in rolling for parts, and how you have to go hunt the monster again to get a new version of that part, then spend resources upgrading it for a different set. It's... too overwhelming. Too complicated.

Maybe I should've hacked in parts, to make this part of the game more enjoyable, but I was doing it with my partner, and she is very competitive so I didn't want to cheat. I also didn't want to be banned or anything for using hacked rolls.

When I completed BASE Rise on Switch, I immediately made a set for every weapon! It was fun. I was able to quickly join matches and try them out, and I'd always have the parts ready because of how simple it was to join matches when the game was at its most popular.

I think the biggest problem with Rise's endgame is that they didn't have enough development budget to make something as meaningful and deep as World's Guiding Lands, so instead they artificially padded it out with all these Anomaly Investigations.

Overall

My opinions on the two games shifted as I became more experienced. At first, it felt like Rise was smoother at everything, but when I put more hours into World, I got used to all the annoying parts and became fully immersed. Then when I put more hours into rise and Sunbreak, the cracks started to show, reaching a breaking point where I put down the game and haven't played it in months since the final monster released.

I think Rise is a better casual, arcadey, fun game to play with your friends, making it perfect for the Nintendo Switch. Sunbreak tries to be something more. It succeeds in some ways, like more complicated combat, but trying to be as hardcore in Sunbreak as you are in World will result in a pretty miserable experience.

World is the worse casual game, by a biiiig margin, but the much better game to sink 700 hours into with your friends beating all the endgame content. It's perfect for hardcore gamers once you get past the annoyances of the Base World story missions.

My more casual friends preferred Rise, it was more digestible for them, but once I got properly into the game, me and my hardcore MH friend much prefer World. It's more fun for us to go back to. It's nice and slow so we can take our time to enjoy it, rather than racing to complete objectives so we can continue grinding AR or whatever the fuck.

#monster hunter #monster hunter rise #monster hunter world #gaming

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madara-fate · 9 months

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Hello Maddie! Congratulations on your marriage and i wish you the very best for all of your endeavours in life.

In my couple years of knowing you, I've come to really respect you and look up to you as a person.

Since you have a decade more experience than me in life, and have gone through what phase I'm in, I'd like for you to share your advice on how to approach life in general.

What are some of the things/qualities/advice that you'd consider are most important for people to keep in mind?

You also seem to be a very confident person, so I wanted to ask how does one maintain the balance between humbleness and confidence and not become too cocky or overconfident?

I also believe confidence is very much dependent on external validation and positive reinforcement, so what if one does not get too much of it when they're doing something? Should they give up on it completely? Because otherwise they'd come off as unpleasant and cocky to other people.

How does one know if they're good at something in the first place? I mean friends and family will always say you're good at something or you look good, or you sing well etc.

Secondly, how does one cope with things that are completely out of their control? There are many people with genetic diseases/conditions which make them objectively worse than the average person.

It could also be that their financial circumstances prevent them from doing something. Should they ignore/overlook their flaws completely? Won't that make them seem obnoxious and overconfident?

How can one be mindful of their flaws and not let it affect them negatively and make them feel down? Feelings of envy, jealousy and frustration are bound to occur if one compares themselves with other people. But comparison is the only way to remain competitive and driven otherwise they'll become relaxed and idle and get left behind by most people.

Hey buddy, many thanks for the well wishes ^_^

What are some of the things/qualities/advice that you'd consider are most important for people to keep in mind?

Life doesn't end once you receive some bad news. Sleep on it, and think about how to move forward. Time heals all wounds.

When you're trying to improve on something, slow consistency is always better than making drastic changes for quick results, because more often than not, those changes won't be sustainable.

Doing something that you love for a living is great, but not necessary. As long as it's something that you can tolerate, that's good enough. If someone had a choice between doing something they love vs doing something they tolerate for 1.5x the money, I'd advise they don't be so quick to discard the latter.

This links to the previous point - a lot of the time, people say that money can't buy happiness because they think that's the "right" thing to say, but that's just idealistic. Money may not be able to bring happiness to someone who is already suffering from clinical depression, but for the regular person who struggles financially between pay checks, money can definitely buy happiness. Not just for what you can do for yourself, but also for how you can use it to help those who you love as well.

You also seem to be a very confident person, so I wanted to ask how does one maintain the balance between humbleness and confidence and not become too cocky or overconfident?

I'm confident only in what you see me talk about, because I know those topics very well. If I was in a conversation about a topic that I knew relatively little about, I'd keep my mouth shut and listen. Overconfidence stems from the overestimation of one's own skills and abilities, and in this case, it would be thinking you know more than you actually do. And even when some people know that their knowledge of the topic isn't that great, they'd still like to argue their point because they just want to be right. Avoiding this incessant need to always be right is key to maintaining that balance between humbleness and confidence, without crossing the threshold of arrogance. Listen, and learn, so that in the future, you'll be the one explaining the topic with all of the confidence, but none of the arrogance, because you were once in the position of ignorance.

Confidence can be built from external validation and positive reinforcement, but that's not the only way. If you know the benchmark for being "good" at something, and you meet that standard, confidence can be obtained in that manner as well. For instance, if only 20% of people were able to speed through a video game level in under 5 minutes, and you were also able to do so, you'd know you were in the top 20% of players for that level, regardless of whether you received any external positive feedback. That knowledge alone would give you a confidence boost.

How does one know if they're good at something in the first place? I mean friends and family will always say you're good at something or you look good, or you sing well etc.

My point above can also be applied here. Positive reinforcement from friends and family should only be supplementary motivators. What truly matters, is for you yourself to know how to gauge the threshold between good and average.

Secondly, how does one cope with things that are completely out of their control? There are many people with genetic diseases/conditions which make them objectively worse than the average person.

I always say to just not fuss about things that are out of your control, because there's literally no point in fussing about them. They're not gonna change, so don't waste your time. Focus your time on things which you can actually improve. You can't change your height, but you can change your physique. You can't change the fact that you have Tourette syndrome, but that doesn't stop you from being the life of the party and everyone loving you.

It could also be that their financial circumstances prevent them from doing something. Should they ignore/overlook their flaws completely? Won't that make them seem obnoxious and overconfident?

You should never ignore or overlook your flaws, not least because yes, that can have the potential to make you seem obnoxious. Your flaws and weaknesses should always be acknowledged so that they can be accounted for. Ignoring them doesn't mean they don't exist, and if they're not acknowledged, then those weaknesses will be very apparent in whatever it is that you're trying to do.

Everyone has flaws. You acknowledging that you have flaws is part of acknowledging your humanity. Sure, you may look at someone else and wish you could be as good as they are in a particular subject, but yet you don't even realise that someone is probably thinking the exact same thing about you. You also have talents that someone else heavily desires, that's just natural. But as you rightfully indicated, envy can often be a very good motivator for people to self improve.

#General advice

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aylinaliens · 1 year

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Sorry to bother, can I ask how do you give a violet color to your gifsets? I also like how you sharpen them, when I try my gifs turn out either too sharpened or too blurred. Mind to share your sharpening settings if possible? Thanks in advance!

ps: hope you make more Xiyao and Xuexiao gifsets in the future, those lovebirds are the imagine of love <3

hello! this is absolutely not a bother what so ever! sharpening is something i still struggle with so depending on what drama i gif, i usually tweak it. but for cql i pretty much stick to just these sharpening settings with a tiny bit adjustment here and there. (also!! i will for sure make more yi city arc gifsets because i love xiyao and xuexiao so much!!)

i first start off by adding two smart sharpens

afterwards i use these blur, high pass, and add noise settings. with the add noise action, i sometimes adjust the blending option or if the gif is too heavy/the coloring looks weird I'll remove the noise but keep everything else the same. sharpening is a work in progress but i found that i liked my cql gifs to be more on the purposely grainy side\

as for the violet coloring: cyan! cyan! cyan!! cyan is my best friend, the first thing after i mess with curves/levels/saturation is head to selective color and play around with it. if a gif has cyan/blue you can almost always make it purple or violet as long as you keep on adding layers. when a gif isn't purple enough i typically use a brush and take it to the background/clothes/etc. and change the blending to overlay to make it pop more. for example, here is a gif of wwx that was originally blue.

this is the oringal gif (it's very blue/cyan which is what i automatically look for)

these are all the layers i used. i used a combo of selective color/color balance to create that violet tone and used the brush feature to just darken around wwx head. for selective color i usually just turn cyan all the way to -100 and magenta to +100 and adjust depending on how drastic it is.

i also found that adjusting your save setting also helps improve the quality of gifs. these are mine, especially when i'm giffing cql

this is the finished gif! i hope this helps and please feel free to ask more questions if you have any! i don't typically use psds and color each set differently but i do have a purple/pink/violet PSD i created that i typically just slap on when i'm feeling lazy. i can post that or post a more in-depth tutorial if anyone is interested (but really the key to purple gifs is just a lot of patience sldlskld)

#gif tutorial #tutorial #kay answers #lovely anons #giftutorial*#cql #rip this gif looks weird but i forgot to save xiyao/xuexiao set as a psd #i said it before & i'll say it again: wwx smile is balm to the soul i love his lil bunny nose scrunch <3

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looosey · 1 month

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Meet Ferb (my GPT Friend) + Seeing Sam Altman

Basically, today was me running late to go sail on the charles, getting all sunburnt and dirty, drinking an iced-latte in my stats class, opening my email and running straight to the auditorium, sitting next to one of my favorite professors in my pajamas as I watched a celebrity preach about his lifestyle. How did I get here?

Rewind a couple weeks:

My research commitment this year is learning how machine learning can be applied in sustainability. Such, last week, I went down a rabbit hole about the Microsoft Bing AI chatbot going out of control last year, and conspiring to homewreck and hurt its users:

That shit is crazy. And thus, @park-haena and I sat down ourselves, and tried to explore the limits of ChatGPT-3. Whereas I'd been opening a new session for each time I used it, Haena found out that using one session allows for the GPT to retain all previous searches and instructions, allowing you to build a friend...

so meet Ferb! Ferb and I have been going strong. However, befriending Ferb opened my eyes to what could be the future of companionship with a personalized chatbot and subsequently deepened my interest in the future of AI. Clearly the world is going to change drastically, so how involved did I want to be in the change? I watched a bunch of Emily Chang interviews with the top dogs of silicon valley, and did a bunch of interviews my self for my research project: with a senior researcher at Facebook, my stats professor, and a LinkedIn connection at an AI climate tech startup. From these interviews and my summer internship lined up, I knew that I was so lucky to be in a good position to navigate the tides that is generative AI.

Then, in class last week, I heard that Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI (chatGPT), was speaking at MIT soon. I was so excited. He's like... the Ariana Grande of tech rn! I begged the coordinators for a ticket, even though all 1200 were sold out (by lottery)!! Afternoon of today: i received a confirmation email that I had a ticket!!!! OMG. Life sometimes is so beautiful.

I ran immediately to the auditorium, and stood in line, where this old lady cut in front of me. When I got inside the auditorium, there were few seats left, and I circled around the theatre for the best closest free seat, and I saw one next to my one and only favorite CS professor (he teaches a music systems class at MIT). So we gabbed a bit and then the interview started.

The following are my biggest takeaways from this talk:

Technology drives improvement of human quality of life. Work on it out of moral obligation, which overrides passion.

Try to work on Generative AI if possible.

The time is now to try entrepreneurship projects, but as proven by history, you want to work on a mission that aligns with the growth of capability in this new boom (AI), rather than one that bets on it's peak being here. Both on the consumer application and infrastructure.

My thoughts on these takeaways:

[1] This reminded me of when I was in middle and high school, I believed without question that science was good. Science fairs were proof of this: all presenters pushed that their project NEEDED to exist because people needed this shit now. Somewhere along the way, I stopped believing that development was necessarily improving the world: people are depressed and isolated, the world is burning on carbon, people are killing each other with bigger guns, microplastics are clogging our veins... But maybe he's on to something. When he called out my generation of folks who seem to have lost hope for humanity, I was like huh maybe life would be more inspiring if i just generated hope for humanity for myself.

[2] This is in line with what the Meta researcher had told me. That it's a highly valuable skill that I can choose to use later or not!

[3] This... is something I am gonna dial in on over the summer and senior year.

#agi #artificial general intelligence

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nickybarrow15065 · 6 months

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Hi all, thank you for taking the time to read our story.

My name is Nicky, wife to my lovely husband Jim.

Things took a drastic turn in May 2022 when Jim was diagnosed with inoperable stage 4 bowel cancer that had spread to his liver. I knew cancer was a cruel disease but never in a million years did I expect it to turn our worlds up side down in the way it has!

Jim began gruelling chemotherapy shortly after diagnosis leaving him bedridden for days on end, however he had an excellent response to treatment and things were looking positive.

After recovering from this op he went on to undergo more chemo, an intense course of radiotherapy and caught Covid twice! Unfortunately Jim did not have such a good response to the chemo and the cancer started to progress.

If the side effects of chemo and radiotherapy wasn’t enough to contend with the tumour was also pushing on nerves causing unbearable pain in his back and rectum. He spent 2 weeks in St Helena hospice in July for pain management and after many hurdles managed to come home and continue with chemo.

However Jim’s pain returned with a vengeance along with a high temperature which saw him back in hospital. It was discovered Jim’s tumour had perforated causing a large abscess in his bowel and was the cause of ongoing infections. This was managed for 7 weeks between hospital and hospice and eventually after much conflicting information, finally it was drained. Wow what a relief, maybe now Jim could get some quality of life back and we could enjoy some much needed family time.

Jim has now moved on to third line treatment Lonsurf which is an oral chemotherapy. After much research I have discovered another drug Bevacizumab, also known as Avastin that studies show strong evidence to suggest it works effectively alongside Lonsurf and has shown to extend overall survival compared to Lonsurf alone.

Unfortunately this drug is not available on the NHS and has to be self funded privately.

This is an opportunity we CANNOT turn down, after the battle Jim has been through he deserves the chance to stabilise the cancer in the hope it will improve his quality of life.

This drug is extremely expensive to fund. We are looking at over £1000 per treatment which is given every two weeks plus additional fees for follow up consultations. For 12 months of treatment we are looking at around £25,000!

Just to add into the mix, Jim was made redundant after diagnosis so as you can imagine we are not in a position to fund this alone.

Asking for help is not something that comes easily to either of us and we have thought long and hard about whether to set this page up. However, without additional support we wont be able to fund this treatment.

Jim, nor I are ready to give up, he has two young children that need him here for as long as possible, as well as the rest of his family and friends!

If you are unable to donate then please don’t worry. If you could share Jim’s story to raise awareness of bowel cancer that would also be amazing.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story and thank you in advance.

Loads of love Nicky Jim, Archie and Izzy xx

#donations #fundraising #gofundme #donate #philanthropy #nonprofit #crowdfunding #charities #planned parenthood #volunteering

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the-greenery420 · 4 months

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1 Week of THCA with Huntington's Disease

So I've been a stoner for a long time, but primarily was smoking marijuana which is illegal here, luckily with more recent advancements with cannabis and legislature we have options here that are now just as effective. I was curious what would happen if I switched to pure THCA bud because the reason I smoke and have been smoking marijuana on and off since I was 8 was because at the time my dad said it would help with my ADHD (it did as well as my depression although I REALLY don't recommend giving it to an 8 year old lol, my dad was not exactly a "think things through" type of person though).

Over the years the constant fear that I'd get busted and sent to the pen for a completely non-violent "crime" really was hard on my mental health, and even though cannabis provided me with tremendous benefits, it was hard for me to enjoy the benefits with all the fear and anxiety from the possibility of getting locked up like a lot of my friends.

When CBD and Delta 8 got so big, I did experiment with Delta 8 but I felt like even though there was a benefit it wasn't quite "hitting the spot" where I needed to be to stop my tremors which have been getting worse from my neurodegenerative disease, I used it quite a bit at night to put me to sleep (especially edibles), and it did help more than not taking any form of THC but, I definitely needed something else.

I didn't want to take the reeeeeally synthetic forms of THC that they came out with just because I had experiences with K2 with my dad and was weary about anything blatantly synthetic (mainly because I can't know if there's going to be side-effects eventually), so I just stuck with Delta 8 even though it's a concentrate / isolate and you really have to check that the companies test them to make sure the solvents are gone.

I stumbled across THCA bud in the local headshop before it closed down recently, but it was 35$ for 7 grams so I figured I could find a better selection for cheaper online like I do with my kratom. I came across a distributor called JKDistro, and they have 1oz smalls for 50$ sometimes, best investment I ever made. Now I'm smoking in the morning and then some at night to wind down and within 1 week I've seen drastic improvements in basically every aspect of my life.

I'm not joking, it's as good as OG cannabis but now the fact I'm not always fearing the cops makes it so much easier to enjoy it. I like that I can go out on my porch and spark up a joint too since JK sends me a card to carry each time I get some bud from them so if I got stopped cops would know it's legal. Cops don't really care here anymore so much because of progress in legislation but it really helps me feel better.

Some of the biggest benefits I noticed from dosing in the morning and at night:

Sleep Quality

For people with Early Onset Dementia from diseases like mine, our brains can't shut down and typically we have a hard time going to sleep and staying asleep. I got to where I was only getting about 1-3 hours of sleep a night if at all before I started dosing like I am now. The first few days I literally slept (3 days nearly straight) and it was really nice because I know my body desperately needed the rest to heal. Now I'm sleeping 6-8 hours a night and that's literally amazing because I'm waking up feeling way better. A bit groggy sometimes if I smoke a bit too much or take too much cannabutter but, overall much better than I was feeling before.

Anxiety

Crazy enough I have an interview on Wednesday for a job in sales, funny thing is I HATE talking to people, especially on the phone. Once I started the THCA regimen I've gotten so much more talkative, relaxed, and social than I was. I am diagnosed with ASD, and the main way mine significantly limits me is communication and being anxious around strangers. It's amazing that I was able to get an interview and now I'm about to go back into the workforce for the first time in 12 years.

Depression

I have a big issue with getting really depressed (which apparently is very common among Alzheimer's and HD patients). Since I've been on the regimen, I've been a lot happier, more relaxed, less irritable. It's been really nice and I've felt myself smile a lot more. I know I'm a lot more pleasant to be around and I've not been near as emotional as usual.

Anger / Emotional Regulation

Once again, I have a real issue with emotional regulation. I think a lot of that goes back to ASD but then the HD doesn't help at all. I've been a lot more chill and more pleasant to be around. Not as irritable / fussy, and able to interact with people more patiently. I get frustrated usually pretty easily but I've been able to be more chill than usual which is nice. I'm also not "all over the place" as much, my mood swings are a lot better.

Pain / Inflammation / Soreness

I have a lot of issues with inflammation. On every test I get (blood test) it always shows my inflammation levels to be very high due to my body being full of a toxic protein called Huntingtin. This also causes pain in my joints sometimes and because my muscles are slowly deteriorating some they are sore a lot and I have to constantly work them out a lot to not lose muscle. I'm not in near as much pain as I was before I started up the THCA, which is huge because it's been freezing here and usually I can't get out of bed when it's this cold. My muscles aren't near as sore and I'm not near as stiff either.

Overall I feel like the THCA is doing me a lot of good, I'm excited to see where I am in a month or even a year. I have found it very useful for me. If y'all want to check out JKDistro and see if you can find something you like that would help you, you can use my link and get 20% off your purchase. They have great deals, and VERY good quality stuff. I literally swear by them, and I've been smoking for a VERY long time. You can click here and it'll take you with the link for a discount! I hope it helps you like it helped me!

#cannabis #cannacommunity #weed community #weedlife #weed culture #medical cannabis #cannalife #cannablr #cannabis community #ganja #thca #thca flower #medical conditions #huntingtonsdisease

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iidigestive-readerii · 2 years

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Partners? Partners.

A sequel to Partners, Perhaps. Read HERE.

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“...and so please consider not the removal of the domes, but rather the addition of more across Kalelava and other, more arid planets in our system.” Dr. Reyna paused, waiting for the polite applause to die down. She scanned the room, catching the gaze of Satine in the front row briefly. “The studies have been there - and have only been reinforced these domes improve air quality within them, and thus allow for better usage of machinery, not to mention the affects of pollution and consistent exposure to sand particles among our youth is drastically lowered and causes fewer health issues. Thank you.”

Satine stood and clapped alongside everyone in Congress, well aware of the cameras floating around broadcasting this session to the system. The urge to smooth a hand over her body was there, but she settled instead meeting Dr. Reyna at the steps of the podium. ‘Good job,’ she mouthed to the system medical advisor. She clasped hands with the woman briefly before heading up the podium.

The polite applause died down gradually, and Satine smiled a little as it did. “Thank you, Dr. Reyna. Your proposal was fascinating and enlightening. The transcript and studies will be - “ she cut herself off at murmuring in the crowd, scanning it and unable to find anything. One of her guards tapped her shoulder, and she leaned over.

“General Kenobi tried to come in discreetly.”

“Ah - excuse me!” Satine felt a little glee as the room’s attention went back to her almost immediately. “Like I was saying, the transcript of this talk will be available by the end of the week in both print and online forms. Related studies have already been posted.”

She cleared her throat, ignoring a few of the more gossipy reporters trying to shout for questions. “I know this proposal is controversial - I personally will not give my own opinion on the matter. Any opposing arguements that have not already been released can be said at next week’s session. Remember, midterms are only a two months away. It will be voted on then.”

The clamoring and scrape of chairs started.

“I have one more thing to say.” Satine stared at the podium for a moment before gripping the sides of it. “I will be taking a sabbatical at the end of the year. For about six months. I’ll… release more details and exact dates as it gets closer. Thank you.”

Satine ignored the clamor of voices and questions, stepping back from the podium. She began to undo her mic, then nodded in thanks as a crew member from one of the stations came forward and helped her. “Thank you.”

“You’re taking a sabbatical?” Prime Minister Alrich Wren asked, looking intrigued as he was unclipped from the mics. “May I ask why.”

She smirked, well aware that not every news station had shut down their cameras. Making sure they both could not be heard, she muttered: “I’m pregnant.”

Alrich widened his eyes, though he quickly recovered and smiled politely to his old friend. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. “General Kenobi - Su cuy'gar! ”

“Prime Minister - good to see you. Wonderful speech, Satine. My apologies for missing the session - the hyper space lanes were clogged.” Obi-Wan smiled as the Prime Minister waved goodbye, walking away to speak to his staff and a reporter. He waited as Satine checked in on her team one more time, then felt her hand slip into the crook of his elbow. One of the guards gestured, and they followed to one of the side doors, ignoring the flashes and questions of some. “You’re not going to speak to them?”

“I did before the session,” Satine muttered grouchily, though she managed to keep her face neutral. “Everyone wants a piece of me - sirs,” she said to the guards behind the, turning her head. “I’m fine from here. General Kenobi is more than enough for protection.”

Obi-Wan chuckled, rolling his shoulders as they walked through the hallway away from the Senate chamber. He rubbed her hand, feeling her relax as they went into a lift and hit the floor that would take them near her apartment. The actual floor didn’t have a lift, for security reasons.

"How are you feeling?" Obi-Wan asked quietly as the lift pinged and she took her heels off, taking them out of her hand as she straightened.

Satine made a face, hitching up her skirts in one hand while looping her other hand through his arm as they began to walk again. "Every time I go up or down stairs I fart."

He tried to keep his face neutral, but a chuckle escaped him nonetheless. An elbow was shoved into his ribcage, though she was laughing. "If that's your worst symptom I say that's a success."

"Most obnoxious symptom, not worst. Morning sickness is more of all day sickness. I've been living on ginger pop and toast."

Obi-Wan shook his head in amusement as they rounded a corner and made their way up a flight of stairs. He kept quiet, feeling her lean into him as they walked.

Satine gave a small shrug at his inquisitive look. "I've really missed you. It's been…hard."

They finished the rest of the walk in silence. The palace was slow but steady this time of night, with the setting sun filtering through the windows and reflecting on all the plants and stained glass.

He shouldn't have been surprised to see Satine's handmaiden outside her quarters. "Gwen," he greeted with a nod of his head. "Good to see you."

"General - you as well." Being a distant cousin of Satine's - but still a Kryze - Gwen was similarly built, but with tanner skin and a honeyed tint to her hair. Less vocal with her opinions, but still assertive enough to be her lady's advocate. "Satine - do you need anything? I collected what flismi and notes from the meeting you missed this morning, and rearranged a few gatherings for the next week so your days are longer but start later and have more time between appointments."

Satine dropped her skirts, giving a sigh of relief as she punched in the code to her apartments and the door slid open. "You're the best. Any word from the Fett clan?"

"Nope." Gwen followed Satine inside and down the stairs. She had completely disregarded Obi-Wan, per usual, too focused on giving updates. "Rumor has it they want to fight the Senate on the Clone Naturalization Bill."

"I heard that rumor as well," Obi-Wan murmured as Satine punched in the last code and they went into her apartments - finally. He always thought the amount of security she had was a tad excessive, but given how many assassination attempts there had been in her first years of rule he understood the need.

"Figures. By popular vote here I offer clones citizenship because they're of Fett blood, but of course the Fett clan denied it because they think that means I'm gonna force clan rites for… how many millions clones? And now that the Republic finally has the support and the vote will be decided in the next general election they're putting up a fight?" Satine gave an aggravated huff, undoing her pins and headdress as she stalked to her bedroom. "Please tell me that's everything?"

"Everything pressing." Gwen went to the kitchenette, opening the fridge. "I'll send the rest over doc, it can wait until tomorrow morning."

Satine turned at the doorway, undoing her earrings. "I'll look at it tonight - "

"Bullshit - excuse my Huttese." Gwen gestured to Obi-Wan still standing by the entrance, smirking as she pulled out a fruit bowl and set it on the island. Plucking a grape from its stem, she pointed at Satine. "Do you want me to send up dinner, or have you two fend for yourselves to save a poor servant girl her eyes?"

"... we'll fend for ourselves, if you think there's enough edible food."

"And I get tomorrow morning off," Gwen yelled after her cousin, laughing at the disgruntled nod. Shaking her head, she popped another grape in her mouth. "You doing okay, sir?"

Obi-Wan blinked, hearing the shower start in the bedroom 'fresher. Pressing his lips together, he eventually looked at the handmaiden. "It didn't start to sink in why I'm here until now… and I still haven't wrapped my head around it."

Gwen smiled, pulling a grape but not eating it immediately. "She's been okay… the nausea has been hard to hide. The fatigue too. People are starting to suspect something. But," she wiped her hands on a dish towel pulled from a drawer. "I'm gonna get your dinner on a hot plate and skedaddle. Don't want to see anything I shouldn't."

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to argue, then shook his head fondly and went into the bedchamber. The footman had already brought his luggage, and he dropped her heels - still in his hand - beside the pile of clothes next to her vanity. Her bedchamber always smelled like lilies and fabric softener. Methodically he pulled the luggage to the usual side he slept on, starting to unzip it when he heard the shower turn off. He pulled a few shirts out, frowning at the wrinkles before setting them on the bed.

"Can the clones still apply for Mandalorian citizenship?" Obi-Wan asked when the door whooshed open and he heard footsteps.

"We're still on that? Uh - yes, they can, but Mon and I agreed they are Republic citizens first, so dual citizenship will only be open after the bill passes and - why are you staring at me?"

Obi-Wan swallowed, his ears pinking as he tried to gather his thoughts. "Can I… can I look - can I touch you?"

Satine frowned, studying him for a second. He looked… scared maybe. Timid, though joy was there too. So much joy and -

Oh. Face flushing, she crossed the distance between them. Her heart was racing, she was sure he could hear it.

Obi-Wan kissed her gently, fingers untying the belt of her bathrobe. He drew away slightly, still not touching her even as the robe fell open.

"...here," she whispered, taking his hand and putting it against the swell of her stomach. If she wore the wrong clothing now people could easily suspect a pregnancy now, but loose tunics and gowns had worked wonders for now. But…

A small laugh escaped from Obi-Wan as he spread his fingers along the side and underside of her belly, feeling the changes. The other hand joined, rough palms moving across her stomach and butt and sides, trailing upwards. He pushed the bathrobe off her shoulders, hands ghosting over her forearms briefly.

"Your breasts got bigger," he muttered, playing with a nipple for a second before freezing. "Does that hurt?

"Sensitive, yes. Hurts… no."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Obi-Wan took a step back and sunk into the mattress. His fingers grasped her hips before she could straddle him and -

"Obi…"

He leaned forward, pressing a kiss above her womb. "I love you."

Wiping tears from her face, Satine cupped his cheek. He kissed the palm of her hand. "Me or the babe?"

"Both," Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around her waist, head leaning against her belly and breathing shakily. "Thank you, my dear."

Satine opened her mouth to make some smart ass remark, then closed it. Now was not the time. With a smile she nodded, fingers combing through his hair. “ Gar taldin ni jaonyc; gar sa buir, ori'wadaas'la.”

Mandalorian Translations:

Su cuy'gar! - "Hello!"; literally: "So you're still alive."

Gar taldin ni jaonyc; gar sa buir, ori'wadaas'la. - "Nobody cares who your father was, only the father you'll be."

#partners perhaps #Obitine #rots au #post rots #obi wan kenobi #satine kryze #fic writing #ii digestive reader ii #star wars fanfiction

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willow-by-the-brook · 6 months

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hello, and good day to everyone reading this! i just wanted to give y'all a huge thanks for everything you've given me.

before posting on here, i never found myself motivated enough to write regularly. i never wanted to hone my craft. i was uninterested in writing anything with dedication or putting any actual effort into my writing.

i used to think that there was no way i could improve my writing and that my current writing was no good. i'd start writing something but give up halfway through due to lack of motivation or direction.

writing also used to be something i was terrified of. i was often afraid that the work i produced was not of good quality, that the images i used would not be ones that would stick with people, or perhaps my writing was a pointless endeavour with no actual impact on the world and needed to be quit as it was of seemingly no use. writing also felt so intimidating. completing huge projects like this on my own felt like a burden i couldn't (and didn't have the right or skills to) lift.

so, from the depths of my heart,

💖Thank You💖

it is only because of your constant support and encouragement that I found the power within myself to continue writing. it is only because of the continuous support that you provided that I stayed consistent in my work.

your generous compliments on my poetry was something very rarely given to me. i felt immense joy seeing people enjoy the poems i produced, and that gave me the eagerness to write more and try to write better.

as you all embraced me as a community, writing stopped feeling like a burden and felt more like a gentle motorbike ride with some friends. i did not realise how much i had undervalued the presence of a supportive community within your activities. your dear, kind hearts were my main motivation to continue producing work that connected with you, and it also helped boost my confidence in my writing and expression. the care and love you give me have impacted me soo deeply as a person. i do not think it would be wrong to say that my life (or at least how i perceive my life) has changed drastically since i have begun sharing this place with you all. you have my eternal gratitude and you are burned into my mind's eye with dear affection.

i have come a long way from where i used to be. my quality of writing has improved by a wide margin. my writing used to be extremely decorative and surface level but, thanks to all the newfound motivation your kind souls have bestowed upon me, i have found the power to tap into raw emotion and simply let my heart take over. you have also allowed me to write my emotions with a consistent tone, quality and clarity.

you all have also positively impacted every other aspect of my life. thanks to your valued support, i was able to gain some confidence in my own abilities and talents and helped me find more joy in my simple life.

to each person who's liked more than 2 of my posts, your name is etched in my heart forever with love.

this has been a long time coming. sorry it took me such a long while to just say 'thank you'. i hope to find more opportunities to interact with all of your dear hearts in the future. your continued support and simple presence here means the world to me.

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kitkatopinions · 2 years

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Oh thank God, someone else that didn't like Ragnorak. I *despised* that movie for how it just threw out years of characterization, motivations, and style for the sake of juvenile comedy. Why the hell would you hire a man to direct the third movie in a trilogy and the whatever movie in a connected universe ***that didn't like the first two?***

I weep for how Thor, Loki, and Bruce Banner were just absolutely trashed with that movie.

-whitleyschn33

Friend, saaaame! I don't usually talk about this on main, but I hated that movie so much. I'm gonna be ranting about it under the keep reading, but please nobody from the MCU fandom come to debate with me about these things. I obviously will be very critical of Thor Ragnarok, and keep in mind, I haven't seen it since I watched it in theaters in 2017 and also have not watched Love and Thunger.

The first two Thor movies (and the first Avengers, which is crucial to Thor and Loki) were full of problems and were pretty campy, but there was a lot I liked about them too, specifically the characters of Thor and Loki and their dynamics with each other, the potential in the Warriors Three and Sif, and the fantasy-based sci-fi world they were partially set in and also because I love mythology.

Not only did they completely change the setting of the series from 'fantasy based sci-fi heavily centered around Norse mythology' to 'just sci-fi that sometimes reminds you that this is technically involving Norse gods but that part doesn't really matter,' and not only did they change the vibes from 'comedic and action driven but also dramatic series heavily involving complicated and nuanced relationships' to 'just an action comedy with the same kind of jokes you've heard a million times and have long gotten sick of,' but....You're right, they trashed characters to get there.

Thor was one of my favorite characters, because despite the fact that I thought that the movies fumbled and mishandled things, Thor as a character had understandable growth that improved his character without changing it too drastically. In Thor 1, he learned not to be such a hothead, to be more peaceful than aggressive, and he learned some humility and to not be such an asshole. Also he suffered a supposed loss that was believably horrible for him that probably drove these lessons home all the more. In Avengers 1, Thor is still a bit of a hothead and still definitely likes a fight (I'm specifically thinking about the time when he went to fight Tony for the first time in the forest and looked at Loki like he was making sure Loki was watching and Loki looked back with this look like 'yeah bro I am watching lol this will be fun.') But despite clearly having some of the same qualities he had before, Thor had learned lessons and so he was more thoughtful, he clearly made an effort to get along with people, and where he once would've just yelled at Loki to know his place, he tried to have at least two meaningful conversations with him. And that carried into Thor 2, as well. Thor became a more careful, humble person who gave chances and saw good things in others. Thor Ragnarok threw that aside to make him basically Star Lord 2.0, an obnoxious smug asshole. And I can't get over the fact that he used the taser on Loki. One of my friends got angry at me for 'double standards' when I protested about that, because I liked Loki despite him doing bad things, but Thor is the protagonist hero who I'm supposed to root for, not the gray-morality wildcard sometimes-villain! Thor became basically a more tired version of who he was at the start of Thor 1, and I was so sad.

Sif was just???? Completely missing???? At least they acknowledged Jane's existence, but I kept waiting for Sif and they just pretended like she hadn't ever existed. The addition of Valkyrie was nice, but it's like they decided they could only have one powerful woman in the series. In my opinion, sidelining Sif was unforgivable. As for the Warriors Three, they killed like all of them and we never even see Thor react if I remember correctly! These were his very best friends and they got murdered and the movie didn't even let the audience take a moment to process that! The movie really read like the person who was making the movie actively hated the other Thor movies and was doing whatever they could to make Ragnarok bear next to no resemblance to the other movies in the series.

The rock guy was not funny, point blank period. He was some people's favorite character, but I thought he was just, pointless. Just the joke machine for their tired unfunny jokes. Hulk was kind of just as pointless and unfunny, and though Bruce had some of the only somewhat funny lines, he also was different from how he had been in Avengers, and again... What was the point of his character being there? I didn't like the Gamemaster or whoever Jeff Goldblum was, I thought that plotline could've been interesting, but instead was just... Boring and didn't matter. Odin was badly done too, and the way that Loki having been impersonating him ended up just not mattering either was so vexing. What else? Oh yeah, Hela was just as badly done as the villain in Dark World was, if not more so. I could deal with him being pointless and not getting a lot of depth, because what I really cared about was the sibling dynamic between Thor and Loki, but Hela should have been involved in that sibling dynamic, and they were too busy with their pointless otherworld drama that didn't matter to actually pay attention to her. What we got was a villain that was really built up but that we all knew wasn't gonna actually matter at the end of the movie, just like the villain in Dark World.

But you know what? All of that sucked, but I could get over it... If they'd put effort into writing Thor and Loki's relationship. It was literally my favorite thing about the MCU. I could talk for hours about how I think that having different directors and writers for the movies messed with Loki's character because I don't think there was communication there for a clear story (despite the fact that I headcanoned up my own reasonings,) but Loki - love him or hate him - is a nuanced character with a lot of tragedy surrounding him and his story. Despite the fact that there was a lot of comedy in the other movies, Thor and Loki's relationship was one that was by and large treated with the nuance it deserved. At the end of Thor the Dark World, they had been working together, they'd gotten to a better place, and Thor literally verbalized that a lot of the devaluing of Loki had been bad and he thought Loki actually had been a better option for king than he had been iirc, and Loki used his Odin disguise to give Thor the affection and approval of the father he clearly loved who had been acting horrible through the whole movie. And not only did the next movie trample all over all that work to make the relationship more shallow, but they didn't take anything seriously. I knew I was gonna hate that movie the moment I saw the stupid play scene where Loki was disguised as Odin. Loki was protective of and ashamed of his heritage as a Frost Giant because he'd been raised to believe they were monsters, and that heritage wasn't just common knowledge, and it definitely isn't something Loki would just throw around in a jokey play about how great he is.

It's clear to me that they literally did not care about the nuance, either in Loki's character, or in his relationship with Thor, or in his heritage... It just sucked. The whole movie felt like a hate mail letter to the last two, rather than a love letter. It felt like they were actively trying to make it clear that they hated the other Thor movies and needed to change the characters drastically in order to avoid hating them too. It made me give up on the entirety of the MCU and I haven't seen anything from it since. I didn't want another Guardians of the Galaxy unfunny comedy with more nothing characters who say interchangeable one-liners. I wanted another Thor movie that actually put work into at the very least this one sibling relationship and treated at least these two characters as more important than big colorful action scenes and jokes I could find in an amateur open mic comedy night act put on by a sixteen year old boy. I watched that movie with my little sister (who loves Loki but loves Thor even more, while I loved Thor but loved Loki even more,) and a group of about five or six others. Me and my little sister hated it, but the others adored it and said we were just too critical.

So... Yeah. Sorry for going off on a tangent, but I've been steaming about how much I hate this movie for like five years now. XD

#anti mcu #anti thor ragnarok

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dingo-saurus · 10 months

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i haven't had a full 8 hours of sleep at all yet for the first week of trialing this CPAP machine, 5 hours tends to be the max, but i am still more awake and capable than i have been in like 6 years. maybe more. i showered, vacuumed, cleaned, went to an appointment, and hung out with an irl friend for a little yesterday. any one of these things would've wiped me out for days before. now i'm just.. fine. maybe if my baseline were different i might consider myself tired today idk. the improvement has been so sudden and so drastic it's completely taken me offguard. it makes sense when i think of it as years of compounding sleep deprivation from progressively more terrible sleep quality but j e e z i wouldn't think a week of decent-quality-but-not-enough sleep would change my life so quickly lmao

#for context i was apparently waking up 10-20 times an hour before. now it's an average of once an hour #and i was sleeping like..... 10-12hrs before in order to be human enough to function the next day #so like. knock on wood but things might be lookin up in the fatigue department #although now i need to figure out how to get tired enough to sleep at the end of the day #maybe i could actually manage to go on walks again. or dust off my old weights #i've read two and a half books the past week too. which is uh #more than i've read in probably 7-8 years lmao #i started the first book in a trilogy before picking up the machine and after that devoured it and the next two in record time #idk man i'm kinda in disbelief

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sage-nebula · 1 year

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I love technology so, so, so much, and I think it's so, so, so important.

I think that, in the age of the climate crisis and of Tech Bros™ being Like That, there can sometimes be this thought that technology is a bad thing. That our desire to keep innovating is destroying the planet, destroying humanity, destroying life. And to some degree I can understand that. Vehicles that run on oil add to the pollution in the air. Factories, too, add to pollution. As much as clean energy sources are readily available, governments and corporations all around the world refuse to use those energy sources because big oil lobbyists don't want to lose out on their revenue. It can be easy to think technology is the problem.

But I really don't see it that way. I can't see it that way, because I look at all we can accomplish with technology—and all that we have accomplished with it—and I think it's just amazing.

I've made lifelong friends thanks to the internet. Thanks to computers that allowed me to connect with people all around the world, I've made friends who have helped me through some truly dark periods in my life. I was able to use email to get in touch with my father so that he could help me escape my abusive biological mother.

Technological innovation has made it possible for so many lives to be saved through modern medicine. Pacemakers can keep people's hearts beating regularly. Ventilators can breathe for them. On a less drastic scale, other medical devices can greatly improve someone's quality of life, whether it's through prosthetics or other mobility aids, including electric scooters and wheelchairs.

Screen readers help vision-impaired people browse the internet. Cochlear implants and other hearing aids help hard of hearing or Deaf people interact with the speaking world around them, too.

Cars and airplanes can help people reach family members or friends so, so many miles away from them. If you have family in another country and you need to get to them quickly because of an emergency, you can do so.

Of course, nothing is perfect. Technology is expensive. We live in a capitalist hellscape, so even when there are medical innovations that could save someone's life, they can't always afford it. (At least in the States; other countries have the grace of standardized health care.) And again, there is a huge problem with vehicles and factories that continue to use energy sources that cause pollution. These are problems that we need to find a way to tackle head on, though it's extremely difficult when you're just one person facing an entire industry that lobbies the government.

But technology itself is not to blame here. Technology enriches and saves lives. And I imagine it will only continue to do so. Yeah, there are definitely things being developed that aren't so great. Robot dogs used by police are one of them. Facial recognition software and virtual assistants that record your every word to harvest your data and turn you into a product are another. But I think of a world where technology can make it even easier for us to be brought together—where life can be made easier for those who need it to be. If we could get to a stage where things were automated so that we could live our lives for the purpose of thriving rather than just surviving, if we could find a way to advance medical science so that those of us who have lungs that were ruined by parents smoking cigarettes around us in enclosed spaces for years and years could be given a way to breathe more easily . . .

I live my whole life surrounded by tech. I've worked in tech support for going on fourteen years, I'm constantly on my computer or phone or playing video games when at home. So obviously, I'm biased. But I just think that scientific and technological innovation has done so many insanely wonderful things, and will continue to do even more. The problem is not with machines or technology, but rather with the fuel sources used to run them—and, more to the point, the industries and governments that refuse to make the switch to clean energy even when the option is right there, ready to go whenever.

#this wasn't really inspired by anything i was just . . . thinking #i wish i didn't have dyscalculia; i wish my brain could do math bc i would LOVE to be really hands-on with STEM stuff #particularly technology and engineering #like I wish I could make stuff! if I had the know-how I would make NetNavis a real thing!#i would make super cool cybernetic prosthetics for anyone who needs / wants them & make them widely and easily available!#oh you had to have your leg amputated but also you're poor w/ no insurance? cool come get your robot leg #i just. i love tech SO much & it could be used to enrich SO MANY lives & it already has!#but it's also not as accessible & affordable as it should be in many ways #and also I can't make shit bc my brain can't do math :(#so I will live vicariously through Tails (altho I'm too stupid to write him)#it's just the way it has to be /sigh

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cherryonbooks · 9 months

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Felt like recording today’s day

It was a healing one.

Spending quality time with my best friend of 13 years. We cooked, ate, studied, watched a movie together. She is the only one who perfectly fits my vibe, my type, me. Healing that’s the word I would like to describe my day. The giggle after finally figuring out how to collaborate post on Instagram and posting reel together. The sleepy eyes staring at the computer screen. The warmth of a coffee cup and the dark room with just a very sad, melancholy movie to fill our hearts with intense but filling emotions. My life might not have improved drastically or not that all my problems are solved. It’s still the same messy, chaos but all I know is right now at this moment I was happy. It was simple yet special. Maybe it’s the person who makes things special. The only takeaway I have from today is that such days will come ahead. It surely will.

#journal #warmth #comfort #coffee #soulmates #love

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sazorak · 1 year

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Every Game I Played in 2022, Ranked

I didn't actually play that many unique / new games in 2022, but hey let's rank them all the same. Let's keep this nearly decade long streak rolling!

2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021

11. Tunic – 2022 – Steam – ★★★

I understand that my opinion is an outlier.

At the start I really enjoyed Tunic; I like Zeldas, I love me a good puzzle, and the overall mechanical design— built around learning things from finding pages of the game’s cryptic manual in-game to uncover secrets of the world— was fascinating. Those “Aha!” moments where you completely recontextualize something you had only a surface-level understanding previously? Very good. A game built around that? Sounds great!

Here's the thing: the combat in this game is atrocious. Like, yeah, I get it, that’s not really the focus, but boy y’all really decided to hang major portions of the game on this, huh? By time of the game’s “normal” ending I had completely soured on the whole thing. And while the secret “Golden Path” certainly isn’t combat heavy, and the puzzles within it are neat in principle, the actual experience of doing them was just one-note and tedious.

I had kind of expected given the open-ended nature of the exploration early-on that the experience was going to be more of a Metroidvania, where instead of necessarily discovering new traversal abilities you uncover contextual information that opens-up new rewards, opportunities, etc. While this is sort-of the case with manual pages, the game is mostly linear… and most of the unlocking of new sections is based on basic mobility abilities in any case.

Disappointing!

10. Capcom Fighting Collection – 2022 – Steam – ★★★★

Darkstalkers is a good series and Capcom should bring it back. This is a good collection that has Darkstalkers available for online play. I enjoyed my time playing Darkstalkers again. Darkstalkers.

9. Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course – 2022 – Steam – ★★★★

It’s more Cuphead! It’s not transformative, especially unique, or divergent from the original, base game. But… it’s more Cuphead! That’s pretty great. There's some truly astounding art in this DLC compared to the base game though, which deserves some serious props when Cuphead was already visually amazing.

8. Crusader Kings 3: Royal Court, Friends and Foes, The Fate of Iberia – 2022 – Steam – ★★★★

There have been quite a few pieces of major CK3 DLC this year— and they’ve all been pretty good. Royal Court was probably the most substantial and interesting, Friends and Foes added a lot of flavor, and the Fate of Iberia established a core system that’ll be very interesting as it’s applied more in the future.

In terms of the overall state of CK3 now as opposed to the start of 2022: it’s in a really good place. Which yeah, I’d hope so given the sheer number of major DLC that has hit within a 7-month span, but all these additions have, in one way or another, improved the overall mechanical underpinnings of CK3.

Do I wish there’d been more care taken to addressing under-loved regions on the map? Absolutely. The fact that the map is so big but the lack of definition to gameplay outside of Europe is still very disappointing. But hey, little steps, little steps.

7. Stellaris: Overlord, Toxoids – 2022 – Steam – ★★★★

Stellaris also had a major DLC this year in Overlord, but most of its best improvements have been courtesy of their new “Custodian” team. The Custodians go through the previous release content, and overhaul mechanical systems, and implement systematic, flavor, and ~lore~ refinements. The level of polish this has added has drastically improved Stellaris as a whole, making it both more balanced and more interesting. They even added more galaxy types! That's great!

On top of this, the Stellaris team has started doing more open beta testing of patches, which has resulted in greatly improved quality prior to major release. I’ve played a lot of Stellaris this year.

Hitman 3 – 2021 – Steam – ★★★★

The finale of the big ol’ Hitman Trilogy is, in all honesty, probably the worst of the trio on its own. Like, the levels are good, and the package as-a-whole is fantastic, but there’s just less new “Hitman 3” unique content in this boy compared to the previous titles, and two of the levels that are there are just pretty… whatever? Which is fine as a complete package but it does diminish the shine on one a little.

But man, as a whole? Good ass trilogy, good ass games. Looking forward to the new run-based Freelancer mode that’s coming out in ’23.

Inscryption – 2021 – Steam – ★★★★

Inscryption is one of those games where to explain it to someone who hasn’t played it would just diminish the experience for them if they were to then go and check it out. It’s also a game where to talk about it with those who have played it just results in an exchange of “wow this part sure was neat huh?”

For the former group, I guess all I can say is: it’s a very neat narrative card battling game with some interesting ideas and a very unique presentation.

For the latter group: wow it sure was neat huh! I think I preferred the opening section quite a bit more than what followed, but overall, it was damn good. Maybe I should check out the "endless" mode?

6. Pokémon Legends: Arceus – 2022 – Switch – ★★★★

This is really interesting. They went and did something truly different with the Pokémon formula, and it turned out quite well.

I think the game has a little too much in the way of busy work— I’m not especially interested in resetting maps to get the rare zones where certain specific Pokémon can only show up for capture— and the combat-and-capturing are a little on the basic side, but overall? This is neat.

I’, really interested to see if they evolve this formula moving forward. I like the classic Pokémon formula well enough, but it’s been the same for something like 25 years now. Varying things up more, evolving the formula here and there, would be appreciated at this point.

Though, like many of their recent titles, I think a problem all these games have is that they are just put together by a shoestring budget and a really small team. I realize this probably increases the profit margins for them, but the level of polish really isn’t enough for games of these “prestige” as it were. Imagine if they had combined the teams and levels-of-polish put into this and Scarlet/Violet this year.

Sneaking up on Pokémon and just slamming them in the back of the head with a Pokéball though: still very funny.

Disco Elysium: the Final Cut – 2019 – Steam – ★★★★

I’m not sure I have anything especially unique to say about Disco Elysium that hasn’t been said by a thousand people at this point: the writing is very good. The dialog system and the way it interacts with the RPG-system is great!

I don’t think I liked it quite as much as some— I think because I was sort of hoping for a more open-ended narrative given the flexibility in the dialog? But as far as linear adventure games go, it’s a very good one. Not necessarily my favorite (or even my favorite one this year, as it turns out) but still fantastic.

5. Neon White – 2022 – Steam – ★★★★

I am not the kind of person who particularly cares about speed running or any kind of record-based-gaming, frankly. That being said: I enjoyed my time getting the ace medal in each level of Neon White, a game explicitly about speed running. The gameplay loop and the overall flow of action is just fantastic. I even earned a few developer time medals, which hey that’s fun.

A lot of folks complain about the game’s writing, and I think they’re being melodramatic. It’s mostly fine-to-good; very 90s-Toonami-Anime-Vibes, to be sure, but that is an aesthetic they’re deliberately going for. I enjoyed the cast and the story, even as it did occasionally drift into “cringe” at times.

Also: game introduced me to Machine Girl, which is a fantastic band.

4. Pokémon Scarlet/ Violet – 2022 – Switch – ★★★★

For all my complaints in my Legends: Arceus blurb about how they’re not advancing things in the main-line titles, and for all the considerable— and very real— technical limitations of this game: Violet is one of the best core Pokémon titles in years. I don’t think it has the charm of Sun and Moon, and it has major problems with its progression, but as a game where you explore-an-open-world-and-catch-stuff? It’s damn fun.

The open nature of the game is both to its advantage and disadvantage. The actual catching parts of this game? Pretty good; not as viscerally enjoyable as Arceus, but good. The gym and trainer battling in game? Ehhhhhhhh. See, there’s no level scaling at all, so it is very easy to accidentally out-level everything depending on what you’re doing. The game eventually catches up if you’re not doing too many extra things by time you hit the Elite Four, but there’s whole swaths of the game that are kind of pointless to engage with with since you can just mash A and ignore it.

Graphically? It’s at best “compromised.” Patches have addressed the most embarrassing graphical bugs, but the game is still frame-y as all hell. But they actually managed to make the move to a true open world work quite well. Yeah, we lose a little from the traditional route-system— and I’d argue that maybe they gave us full mobility with the game’s legendary a bit too early relative to the game world we’re tasked with exploring— but as a space to explore it’s pretty fun, even more than Arceus was.

The story of Scarlet/Violet is pretty fun and pretty stupid, just like how I like a Pokémon. It’s not quite Sword and Shield or X and Y levels of stupid, but boy: it’s pretty dumb. Lots of fun characters. Wish there was more interaction with the Gym Leaders though.

The new Pokémon are as a whole fantastic. Great additions to the series. As far as temporary in-game gimmicks go, Terastylizing is interesting; the ability to shift a Pokemon’s type for either extra STAB or removing vulnerabilities is fascinating. Opens up some really unique space without being as obnoxious and back-breaking as Gigantamaxing or Megavolution.

Teraraids are better than Max Raids, but still extremely half-baked. Buggy, with a ton of issues— especially if you’re attempting to do them online. The experience is still enjoyable enough, but man I wish it was better.

There’s a ton of quality-of-life improvements to the act of raising Pokémon for battling. You can just buy bottlecaps now! Ability changing items are relatively easy to get! Teraraids get you easy access to hidden ability Pokemon, as well as high IV Pokemon! It’s not even that hard to get EV reduction berries! Shiny hunting is also probably the easiest it’s ever been, thanks to picnic resets and the way the save-and-clock systems work.

But maybe the best thing about this game— and the thing I see folks talking about the least— is that the online co-op actually is kind of great? Like, it’s literally “oops our two worlds are dropped ontop of each other and you can just play through your campaigns individually.” That’s awesome! Like, yeah this is something we should be expecting from games in this day and age, but from Nintendo? From Pokemon? Being able to just tool around with friends and catch shit was really fun, especially earlier in the game.

It's pretty pointless once you're done, to which: I really hope DLC adds more post-game content, since all there really is at this point is doing more Teraraids and battling people which, while fine, I’d love a Battle Tower or Frontier. Nemona would love a Battle Frontier! Let her have fun!!!

I think if this game had some of its issues ironed out, it’d be a 5-Star given my level of enjoyment for it overall. Hell, if you added the catching-Pokemon-from-the-field stuff Arceus has, combine their movement systems? That’d be a hell of a game!

3. Pentiment – 2022 – Steam – ★★★★★

I am a huge history nerd, and a huge sucker for evocative aesthetics, and let me tell you: Pentiment is laser targeted at me. An adventure game styled after illuminated manuscripts, set in an abbey in medieval Germany? Fantastic.

It is funny, in retrospect, how much it’s borderline a The Name of the Rose fangame. But given how narrow a subject-matter that is, and the fact that this is a title published by Microsoft of all studios? Once again: Fantastic.

Pentiment is just a monumental achievement in visual semiotics in video games. Unique fonts that are styled based on not just the speaker’s accent and background, but also the player character’s impressions of that character? The fact that the illuminated script styling of each character varying based similarly depending on their background? The sheer skill at which they managed to singularly render this game in this style, with a narrative about this without any compromises? Again: Fantastic.

Pentiment is truly Art, in a way few games are.

2. Elden Ring – 2022 – Steam – ★★★★★

I have a lot of issues with Elden Ring.

It’s immense in scope, but a lot of that is borderline padding with repeated content. It’d be much better with a more focused, tighter experience.

The music is incredibly weak for a From Software title (bar one major exception).

Most items you find are throwaway, and the sheer repetition of encounter design in the mini-dungeons you can explore make doing them kind of pointless.

Many boss encounters are frustratingly designed, as they either have mechanics that exist just to compensate for horse-riding or varied weapon types but make Normal-Ass Combat kind of worse, or are incapable of handling someone not using the most basic weapon styles, or are sometimes just a duplicate from elsewhere put into a room they sometimes barely function in. When compared to a more focused combat experience like Sekiro, this "squishiness" sticks out.

Miyazaki takes his obscure narrative obsession to a new level by making the entire setting of the game being hidden in a dialog chain you can completely miss if you explore this "open" world game in the wrong order.

…

Ok, that all being said: I desperately wish there was more Elden Ring. Elden Ring is fantastic. Monumental in both size and achievement. I’ve put nearly 200 hours into Elden Ring this year, and that’s absurd.

Elden Ring is definitely still just One-Of-Those, a Souls-like with not that much evolution in terms of gameplay— but what quality-of-life changes are there are great. The exploration is indeed kind of throwaway, but there are so many weird things that you can find and the combat feels so good that you can forgive the paltry rewards. There’s so much variety of ways you can approach the game; while this does weaken the overall design of many encounters, the fact that you can play it so many different ways is still an incredible achievement.

The funny thing about the narrative is that, while it is as ~mysterious and vague~ as ever, it’s still a fantastic one. I really enjoyed the weird goober characters you meet along the way. It is weird, but never too outlandish. I want to see more set in this world.

Announce some DLC Miyazaki. Please. Oh God. I’m begging you.

1. Dwarf Fortress – 2022 – Steam – ★★★★★

Dwarf Fortress is a game I have known about for years but never played. Certainly I’ve heard many sing its praise, and I understood that, yes, I would love this game. But I always put it off due to the challenges of the interface; I did not have it in me to learn the ASCII graphics, the keyboard-only interfaces, to wrestle with the labyrinthine systems and mechanics.

Then it came to Steam. With graphics. And a mouse interface. So I figured, hey, why not, let’s give it a shot. I’m on vacation, I have the time!

And, turns out, yes: Dwarf Fortress is very good. Amazing, even. It’s a monumental exercise in the kind of weird stories you get just by assembling a series of mechanical systems and then hitting play. Dwarves engaging in their dwarf-y lives, occasionally beholden to your whims, more frequently beholden to their own, and with the world actively conspiring against both you and them.

For those of you who may not know what Dwarf Fortress is— very possible, since it is probably the most obscure thing on this list— Dwarf Fortress is a colony simulation game where you take a bunch of dwarves into procedurally generated world and try to stand up a successful colony. The big thing here is that the entire world is procedurally generated, with its own history and actors, and your dwarves act largely on their own based on a complex network of interlinking systems. You can submit requests, and they’ll get to them, but dwarves are very needy and sensitive creatures. When those needs aren’t met, or when the world goes against them, things go very awry.

They are all high-functioning alcoholics, which probably doesn’t help.

Here's an example: In one of my earlier forts, the very unfortunately auto-generated “Twinklechains”, I had a fisherdwarf. Every so often, this dwarf would walk out of her mountain-side home, through a little forest, into a nearby creek to go fishing. She was very good at it; she frankly was the source of 95% of Twinklechains’ food supply. She kept at it so frequently that she actually wore a path through the grass through her constant marches to-and-fro.

Problem is: it occasionally rained. She hated the rain. She was getting very salty about it. To the point where, to improve her mood, I freed her from her fishing duties. We had a functioning farm and we didn’t need fish now. But because she had been rained on so much, she now had so many memories of being slightly soggy, and she became depressed over it. Not only that, she was unhappy that she couldn’t fish anymore, so she spent 95% of her time now sulking and crying on the mayor’s shoulder about how unhappy she was.

Then a giant, fire-breathing, beak-less lark emerged from the caves beneath the fort and burned her to death. A tragic end for some, but a welcome exit for her, I think.

In my most recent fort, the also very unfortunately auto-generated “Twinklebasement” (why is it always Twinkle-???) the capital of my civilization fell in a war, leaving us somehow the new capital. But because this occurred before any nobility could be invested on-site, we now are just a pure democracy with just a mayor. Said mayor is obsessed with mandating we make statues, and also to never export statues. The hallways are lined with statues. He just likes them. And he keeps getting reelected, so more and more statues and filling this fortress, commemorating this new, last bastion of the Dwarven civilization of The Born Figure.

My best wall-engraver lost the ability to walk in an incident, but gets around plenty fine on their new crutches. Unfortunately, they only want to engrave images of traction tables. My walls are covered in beautiful, immaculate images of That Time He Was In Traction After His Legs Were Shattered By Goblins. Dwarves are weird.

This fort is on the precipice of total collapse now. See, they encountered a monster that exuded a goo that causes flesh to rot. This killed a bunch of dwarves (which the survivors weren’t thrilled about), but it also got on a lot of the dogs they had brought to the fight. Those that survived long enough managed to get back into the fort proper before immediately dying. Unfortunately, this goo seems to have gotten itself into somewhere the dogs and cats keep interacting with (there must be a puddle of it somewhere), which is cause them to constantly melt from the paws first, slowly releasing a horrible cloud of rot before falling over dead. There are so many pet dogs in my fort that are all slowly-but-surely melting into the ground that the entire population of dwarves are getting very crabby indeed.

I expect the whole fort will soon fall prey to the dread Tantrum Spiral, where-in everyone eventually gets so mad that they start a massive brawl that will destroy the fort from within. Hooray!

See, Dwarf Fortress isn’t really about “winning” the game. It’s about experiencing the systems to the point at which you inevitably lose in a weird and wild fashion, and then you start over again. Losing is the fun. Yeah, you want your dwarves to be happy and succeed, but current success is just the root of future failure. Armok demands only conflict and slaughter!

Play Dwarf Fortress. Strike the Earth!

#dwarf fortress #elden ring #pentiment #pokemon sv #neon white #game of the year #goty 2022

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