Best western fort myers waterfront
Feel the Buffalove
2008.05.27 21:28 Feel the Buffalove
This sub is dedicated to all things Buffalo & Western New York.
2023.06.10 18:43 jhnbsomerscz4gm Does anyone have Western Digital coupon codes?
Find the Western Digital Promo Code 2023
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submitted by jhnbsomerscz4gm to BestPromoCode [link] [comments]
Western Digital Discount & Promo Codes - Save Big On Your Next Purchase! Unlock unbeatable discounts with our exclusive coupon codes and discover the best deals today!
2023.06.10 18:39 SlamDunkista Could the French have been able to hold the recaptured positions with waves of bayonet counterattacks in Dien Bien Phu? Or even defensively? Assuming they lack the training to do so, could a force as aggressive and skilled at CQC as the Imperial Japanese have done so?
As someone who has been reading into all phases of the Vietnam Wars for a decade (including have read most of the essentials beginners stuff such as Bernard Fall's writings and the books America's Longest War and A Bright Shining Lie)...........
Having gotten into the war between Japan and China, I am amazed that there were similar situations to Dien Bien Phu where the Japanese were not only fighting against the high ground and surrounded in some cases but were even on the defensive, sometimes against American aid in bombings and artillery attacks against much higher number of forces.
The Japanese would survive......... By doing full out bayonet charges! Breaking out of the encirclement in a disciplined retreat or even outright defeating Chinese forces despite the Chinese holding the high ground and using artillery, vehicles, and even direct bombings from American planes........ In some cases in the same exact environment of a mountain with the low ground in a bowl like Dien Bien Phu.
The Japanese too would defeat European forces holding high ground (though not necessarily bowls in a low valley) during WW2 partially because of an all out bayonet attack combined with support from heavy gunners, artillery, vehicles, etc. Even against the America, their trench system did include mass counter attacks that sometimes succeeded in stopping marine advancement for enough time period for gameplans like newer tunnels to be built.
Indeed the French would often recapture important positions but be forced to abandon it due to lack of weapon supplies to hold it long enough to matter and the VietMinh would recapture it. The basic pattern was wait for air supplies for more ammo to recapture the fortress again from the VietMinh and attempt to hold the same recaptured places but end up abandoning again due to lacking ammo. The places they'd do the capture and abandon pattern were essential because they often were some of the easiest places to resupply by airdrop.
Eventually a combination of too high casualties and the fact French planes dropping resupplies getting shotdown and thus decreasing the already strained resupply system efficiency even more decided the siege.
The French would be sitting ducks each time they recapture the positions just hoping for the next parachute drop of ammo. Its an interesting thing to learn while casualties cut down on French numbers in these counterattacking units during the wait, what really pushed the French back and forced them to retreat was the VietMinh counterattacks............ A fair number consisting of troops who did bayonet charge in an attempt to copy World War 1 tactics. The French actually would hold off these attacks even with dwindling ammo before retreating. Its not even the VietMinh attempts at combined arms that ultimately pushed the French soldiers back from these positions but in the end its the report of mass VietMinh with bayonets attacking when they ran out of ammo that led to retreat.
I bring the less details up because the Japanese were infamous for being terrible at resupply in WW2..... Yet even in isolated fortresses that were bombed by supreme American airpower and bombarded by horrible amounts of American artillery and well-armed American soldiers with superior guns including a crap ton of some of the best heavy machine guns at the time and a coupleof tanks..............................................
These fortresses would take so much longer than expected even against an already dwindling supply stocks for Japanese soldiers. What would happen as marines and later even army soldiers tried to attack these trenches en mass in traditional firepower tactics of the time suddenly Japanese soldiers would counter attack and the superiority of the Imperial Japanese Army in close combat would end up pushing marines away.
Even in cases where the Japanese just stuck still sitting in their trenches and bunkers, when Americans attacked en wave.... Despite their preference for using guns to clear lines of trenches via flank and shoot in which a few American soldiers run across in the trenches while shooting...... Japanese soldiers even when taken by surprise would defend these trenches with bayonet and knives.
Their insane aggressiveness and far better skill with knives and bayonets (not to mention some were even using swords) had pushed back and even killed American marines and soldiers armed with Thompsons and other machine guns specifically for the purposes of clearing trenches. And the Americans had not choice but to clear many trenches one by one with soldiers entering it and clearing it by running the line trenches had.......
Because Japanese soldiers were both too well-dug in as well as too stubborn to abandon the trenches not to mention they were skilled with protective measures against artillery and air bombings...........
This is not even counting the Japanese use of tricks that shocked American soldiers such as how extensive their trench system was, the tunnels built to travel around, entire Japanese units pretending to be dead and suddenly stabbing American soldiers sent to start a clearing of each trenchline, and Japanese soldiers who by their fanaticism had the first few men bear so many bullets but closed in enough to kill the first American in line of his squad the clearing attempt (which allows the rest of the Japanese soldiers who ran out of ammo to quickly follow through and kill the rest of the surprised American trench clearing squad in close quarters).
I mean its obvious the VietMinh was doing the same mass wave tactics of World War 1 where Allies soldiers would attempt to take enemy trenches by fighting in melee............
I know Dien Bien Phu had many differences from the typical Japanese defenses such as lack of tunnels and the trenches being poorly dug and structures being made out of weak wood and having terrible architectural stability.......... Which was why so many positions fell so quickly in the first day............ And the French were too in-grained with modern Western firepower tactics and many units weren't that trained in hand to hand............
But would the French, if they didn't become so picky about sticking to Western squad fire tactics, been more successfully at counterattacking? Or at least last long enough in holding positions for it to make a difference? If not that than at least extend the battle by weeks or even a month (possibly even 2 or 3)?
If not the French, could the Imperial Japanese Army have done so in Dien Bien Phu in the same exact circumstances at the start (same defensive structures, airfield destroyed, enemy holds high ground, etc)? Japan's soldiers were insane in putting themselves in DBP like situations yet extending it 3X-4X even sometimes 5X longer than what Western generals expected and even surprising the Japanese high command's projection! Even sometimes ultimately winning esp in China........... With a surprising number won by bayonet counterattacks!
Some of these defensive battles didn't even have the infamous Japanese tunnel systems and superb entrenchments but were last minute efforts similar to how the French high command planned DBP turning it into a fortress out of the blue!
submitted by SlamDunkista to Frenchhistorymemes [link] [comments]
Having gotten into the war between Japan and China, I am amazed that there were similar situations to Dien Bien Phu where the Japanese were not only fighting against the high ground and surrounded in some cases but were even on the defensive, sometimes against American aid in bombings and artillery attacks against much higher number of forces.
The Japanese would survive......... By doing full out bayonet charges! Breaking out of the encirclement in a disciplined retreat or even outright defeating Chinese forces despite the Chinese holding the high ground and using artillery, vehicles, and even direct bombings from American planes........ In some cases in the same exact environment of a mountain with the low ground in a bowl like Dien Bien Phu.
The Japanese too would defeat European forces holding high ground (though not necessarily bowls in a low valley) during WW2 partially because of an all out bayonet attack combined with support from heavy gunners, artillery, vehicles, etc. Even against the America, their trench system did include mass counter attacks that sometimes succeeded in stopping marine advancement for enough time period for gameplans like newer tunnels to be built.
Indeed the French would often recapture important positions but be forced to abandon it due to lack of weapon supplies to hold it long enough to matter and the VietMinh would recapture it. The basic pattern was wait for air supplies for more ammo to recapture the fortress again from the VietMinh and attempt to hold the same recaptured places but end up abandoning again due to lacking ammo. The places they'd do the capture and abandon pattern were essential because they often were some of the easiest places to resupply by airdrop.
Eventually a combination of too high casualties and the fact French planes dropping resupplies getting shotdown and thus decreasing the already strained resupply system efficiency even more decided the siege.
The French would be sitting ducks each time they recapture the positions just hoping for the next parachute drop of ammo. Its an interesting thing to learn while casualties cut down on French numbers in these counterattacking units during the wait, what really pushed the French back and forced them to retreat was the VietMinh counterattacks............ A fair number consisting of troops who did bayonet charge in an attempt to copy World War 1 tactics. The French actually would hold off these attacks even with dwindling ammo before retreating. Its not even the VietMinh attempts at combined arms that ultimately pushed the French soldiers back from these positions but in the end its the report of mass VietMinh with bayonets attacking when they ran out of ammo that led to retreat.
I bring the less details up because the Japanese were infamous for being terrible at resupply in WW2..... Yet even in isolated fortresses that were bombed by supreme American airpower and bombarded by horrible amounts of American artillery and well-armed American soldiers with superior guns including a crap ton of some of the best heavy machine guns at the time and a coupleof tanks..............................................
These fortresses would take so much longer than expected even against an already dwindling supply stocks for Japanese soldiers. What would happen as marines and later even army soldiers tried to attack these trenches en mass in traditional firepower tactics of the time suddenly Japanese soldiers would counter attack and the superiority of the Imperial Japanese Army in close combat would end up pushing marines away.
Even in cases where the Japanese just stuck still sitting in their trenches and bunkers, when Americans attacked en wave.... Despite their preference for using guns to clear lines of trenches via flank and shoot in which a few American soldiers run across in the trenches while shooting...... Japanese soldiers even when taken by surprise would defend these trenches with bayonet and knives.
Their insane aggressiveness and far better skill with knives and bayonets (not to mention some were even using swords) had pushed back and even killed American marines and soldiers armed with Thompsons and other machine guns specifically for the purposes of clearing trenches. And the Americans had not choice but to clear many trenches one by one with soldiers entering it and clearing it by running the line trenches had.......
Because Japanese soldiers were both too well-dug in as well as too stubborn to abandon the trenches not to mention they were skilled with protective measures against artillery and air bombings...........
This is not even counting the Japanese use of tricks that shocked American soldiers such as how extensive their trench system was, the tunnels built to travel around, entire Japanese units pretending to be dead and suddenly stabbing American soldiers sent to start a clearing of each trenchline, and Japanese soldiers who by their fanaticism had the first few men bear so many bullets but closed in enough to kill the first American in line of his squad the clearing attempt (which allows the rest of the Japanese soldiers who ran out of ammo to quickly follow through and kill the rest of the surprised American trench clearing squad in close quarters).
I mean its obvious the VietMinh was doing the same mass wave tactics of World War 1 where Allies soldiers would attempt to take enemy trenches by fighting in melee............
I know Dien Bien Phu had many differences from the typical Japanese defenses such as lack of tunnels and the trenches being poorly dug and structures being made out of weak wood and having terrible architectural stability.......... Which was why so many positions fell so quickly in the first day............ And the French were too in-grained with modern Western firepower tactics and many units weren't that trained in hand to hand............
But would the French, if they didn't become so picky about sticking to Western squad fire tactics, been more successfully at counterattacking? Or at least last long enough in holding positions for it to make a difference? If not that than at least extend the battle by weeks or even a month (possibly even 2 or 3)?
If not the French, could the Imperial Japanese Army have done so in Dien Bien Phu in the same exact circumstances at the start (same defensive structures, airfield destroyed, enemy holds high ground, etc)? Japan's soldiers were insane in putting themselves in DBP like situations yet extending it 3X-4X even sometimes 5X longer than what Western generals expected and even surprising the Japanese high command's projection! Even sometimes ultimately winning esp in China........... With a surprising number won by bayonet counterattacks!
Some of these defensive battles didn't even have the infamous Japanese tunnel systems and superb entrenchments but were last minute efforts similar to how the French high command planned DBP turning it into a fortress out of the blue!
2023.06.10 18:30 fliintq What should I do with my cooling? (Building my first Gaming PC - 6095 XT with i5-13600KF)
I'm building my first gaming PC. I'm pairing the 6095 XT with the i5-13600KF. I want to know how I should approach cooling for my whole PC. Is air cooling enough for my build? Or do I need to install a liquid cooler. I'm interested to hear what is this best option for me. I also want to know how many case fans I should aim to have, considering both the size of my case and the temperatures of my build. I'm open to changing my case choice.
Here is my build underneath, any other suggestions/upgrades are appreciated. Reminding you that this is my first time building a gaming PC so I would favor easy installation. I aim to play any game at 1440p with over 100 fps. My monitor will be over 144Hz. Thank you.
PCPartPicker Part List
submitted by fliintq to pcmasterrace [link] [comments]
Here is my build underneath, any other suggestions/upgrades are appreciated. Reminding you that this is my first time building a gaming PC so I would favor easy installation. I aim to play any game at 1440p with over 100 fps. My monitor will be over 144Hz. Thank you.
PCPartPicker Part List
2023.06.10 18:23 munimunichiro Is it unreasonable to break up over ideology?
I just broke up with my boyfriend of 8 months. (For context we're both in our late twenties and we're in a western European country). I decided to break up because I'm a leftist and he is right wing. For eight months I tried to make peace with these differences, but I just can't.
When we first got together he told me that some time ago (max 2 years) he supported my country's far right party, but that now he doesn't anymore and he is just a normal right-wing.
But I can see that he still has certain ideas. For example, he is quite racist with north Africans, which he openly admits and he knows that racism is wrong, but he says that he can't help it because he has had terrible experiences with people from there.
He also has some homophobic ideas, but like, he is not an outright "I hate f*ggs" homophobe. But he does think that LGBT sexual education and that stuff shouldn't be discussed in school because "it might affect the children". Apart from that he is fine with us, since I am bi and I think one of his best friends is too.
Also something that bothers me a lot and that many people think that is ridiculous is the difference in our economic views. Being a leftist, I'm all for public services, Healthcare, education, etc, and I think the government should protect those services and invest more in them. However he as a right-wing thinks that a privatized model would be better for the economy of the country.
I have tried to explain to him my point of view about racism, about the LGBT stuff, about the economy, and he is always respectful of my ideas but just doesn't agree, especially on economics. On the other stuff sometimes he has conceded and told me I was right but I suspect he just tells me that to appease me.
I feel really bad right now and I miss him so much and I kinda regret breaking up. I just think that it would never work out, but at the same time I keep having doubts. I don't know if I did the right thing. Plus he is actually a very good boyfriend, he is very attentive and affectionate and when he learned about my past sexual trauma he was very respectful and treated me very well. But I just don't think I can do this anymore. I think about our relationship in the future and I don't see our arguments getting any better. Plus if we marry or have children what about the way of raising them? What about the way of managing our finances? I don't think it's good to have to argue for everything.
And, no matter if he tells me that he supports me and my rights etc, if he still votes for the right, even the moderate right party, isn't he voting directly against my rights and well-being?
Am I in the wrong here? Am I just being intolerant to his ideas? Should I try harder? Should I change my mentality? I just don't know what to do.
EDIT: I just want to clarify that he has never ever asked me to change my ways or my opinions, and he thinks that if you're in love with someone, the political aspect is secundary. Can you really separate personality from their ideas? I just can't seem to do that.
submitted by munimunichiro to TwoXChromosomes [link] [comments]
When we first got together he told me that some time ago (max 2 years) he supported my country's far right party, but that now he doesn't anymore and he is just a normal right-wing.
But I can see that he still has certain ideas. For example, he is quite racist with north Africans, which he openly admits and he knows that racism is wrong, but he says that he can't help it because he has had terrible experiences with people from there.
He also has some homophobic ideas, but like, he is not an outright "I hate f*ggs" homophobe. But he does think that LGBT sexual education and that stuff shouldn't be discussed in school because "it might affect the children". Apart from that he is fine with us, since I am bi and I think one of his best friends is too.
Also something that bothers me a lot and that many people think that is ridiculous is the difference in our economic views. Being a leftist, I'm all for public services, Healthcare, education, etc, and I think the government should protect those services and invest more in them. However he as a right-wing thinks that a privatized model would be better for the economy of the country.
I have tried to explain to him my point of view about racism, about the LGBT stuff, about the economy, and he is always respectful of my ideas but just doesn't agree, especially on economics. On the other stuff sometimes he has conceded and told me I was right but I suspect he just tells me that to appease me.
I feel really bad right now and I miss him so much and I kinda regret breaking up. I just think that it would never work out, but at the same time I keep having doubts. I don't know if I did the right thing. Plus he is actually a very good boyfriend, he is very attentive and affectionate and when he learned about my past sexual trauma he was very respectful and treated me very well. But I just don't think I can do this anymore. I think about our relationship in the future and I don't see our arguments getting any better. Plus if we marry or have children what about the way of raising them? What about the way of managing our finances? I don't think it's good to have to argue for everything.
And, no matter if he tells me that he supports me and my rights etc, if he still votes for the right, even the moderate right party, isn't he voting directly against my rights and well-being?
Am I in the wrong here? Am I just being intolerant to his ideas? Should I try harder? Should I change my mentality? I just don't know what to do.
EDIT: I just want to clarify that he has never ever asked me to change my ways or my opinions, and he thinks that if you're in love with someone, the political aspect is secundary. Can you really separate personality from their ideas? I just can't seem to do that.
2023.06.10 18:20 Big_idea_005 Monroe County John & Jane Doe (1975)
This is a case I'd come across on NamUs a while back before it was added to Doe Network in April last year and it hasn't gotten a lot of attention.
On March 15, 1975, the badly beaten and dismembered bodies of a man and a woman were found in the bushes 400 feet from Loop Road, officially County Road 94, 5 miles south of the Tamiami Trail in the Big Cypress Swamp of Monroe County, Florida. Both had been fatally beaten with a blunt object, cut in half, placed into 4 green garbage bags, and then the garbage bags were put into 4 unmarked canvas duffel bags. Their hands were missing, likely to prevent fingerprinting. The man was bound with a cord, and the woman was handcuffed (they were cheap Japanese-made handcuffs), both then being murdered "execution style". Both had been dead for 4 weeks by the time of discovery.
The man was white, 40-50 years old, 5'10" (estimated), 145-150 lbs. (145 lbs. estimated per NamUs), with reddish brown hair and possibly a beard. His eye color could not be determined. The woman was also white, 30-40 years old, 5'4" (estimated), 120-130 lbs. (125 lbs. estimated per NamUs), with light brown or blond hair. Her eye color was also undetermined. Neither had any distinguishing marks or features; the man was edentulous with healed-over gums, and the woman's teeth showed a lack of care in later years although she had extensive dental work done prior.
The man was wearing a white "Catalina" size M knit shirt and size 32 khaki or green L.L. Bean shorts with another label (store label per Doe Network) "Yodel Britches". The woman was wearing a white "Dunofold, Inc." v-neck athletic shirt with a red, white, and blue ribbed collar, a small black and gold eagle embossed on the left front, and a store label for Stan Smith in Mohawk, NY, size medium baggy white muslin calf-length pants, and red knee-high socks. Neither had any underwear or shoes.
The status of their DNA is unknown, and their fingerprints are not available due to their hands having been removed.
Investigators believe the couple were originally from the Northeast based on their clothes and possibly hippies due to their lack of underwear. The clothes definitely seem definitely northeastern to me but the lack of underwear alone doesn't point me towards them having been hippies.
As with many cases found in the Everglades and Big Cypress, there's a good chance they were killed in the urban areas along the East Coast (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, etc.) and then driven inland to hide their bodies although the West Coast (Naples, Fort Myers, etc.) shouldn't be ruled out either. (This isn't explicitly stated anywhere I've seen, but based on similar cases this is likely what I think happened.) Loop Road itself goes through the southern end of Big Cypress National Preserve and, to my understanding, doesn't see a lot of traffic apart from park visitors and hikers going to the Florida Trail, the southern end of which is directly on the road. Loop Road is also unpaved and some areas can get difficult to drive through with weather.
There are no exclusions for the man, but 2 for the woman: Pamela Nater (1966) and Brenda Lefler (1974).
Any ideas or theories on who they were, why they were killed, or who could've done it? Leave a comment if so.
Male: Doe Network/NamUs
Female: Doe Network/NamUs
submitted by Big_idea_005 to gratefuldoe [link] [comments]
On March 15, 1975, the badly beaten and dismembered bodies of a man and a woman were found in the bushes 400 feet from Loop Road, officially County Road 94, 5 miles south of the Tamiami Trail in the Big Cypress Swamp of Monroe County, Florida. Both had been fatally beaten with a blunt object, cut in half, placed into 4 green garbage bags, and then the garbage bags were put into 4 unmarked canvas duffel bags. Their hands were missing, likely to prevent fingerprinting. The man was bound with a cord, and the woman was handcuffed (they were cheap Japanese-made handcuffs), both then being murdered "execution style". Both had been dead for 4 weeks by the time of discovery.
The man was white, 40-50 years old, 5'10" (estimated), 145-150 lbs. (145 lbs. estimated per NamUs), with reddish brown hair and possibly a beard. His eye color could not be determined. The woman was also white, 30-40 years old, 5'4" (estimated), 120-130 lbs. (125 lbs. estimated per NamUs), with light brown or blond hair. Her eye color was also undetermined. Neither had any distinguishing marks or features; the man was edentulous with healed-over gums, and the woman's teeth showed a lack of care in later years although she had extensive dental work done prior.
The man was wearing a white "Catalina" size M knit shirt and size 32 khaki or green L.L. Bean shorts with another label (store label per Doe Network) "Yodel Britches". The woman was wearing a white "Dunofold, Inc." v-neck athletic shirt with a red, white, and blue ribbed collar, a small black and gold eagle embossed on the left front, and a store label for Stan Smith in Mohawk, NY, size medium baggy white muslin calf-length pants, and red knee-high socks. Neither had any underwear or shoes.
The status of their DNA is unknown, and their fingerprints are not available due to their hands having been removed.
Investigators believe the couple were originally from the Northeast based on their clothes and possibly hippies due to their lack of underwear. The clothes definitely seem definitely northeastern to me but the lack of underwear alone doesn't point me towards them having been hippies.
As with many cases found in the Everglades and Big Cypress, there's a good chance they were killed in the urban areas along the East Coast (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, etc.) and then driven inland to hide their bodies although the West Coast (Naples, Fort Myers, etc.) shouldn't be ruled out either. (This isn't explicitly stated anywhere I've seen, but based on similar cases this is likely what I think happened.) Loop Road itself goes through the southern end of Big Cypress National Preserve and, to my understanding, doesn't see a lot of traffic apart from park visitors and hikers going to the Florida Trail, the southern end of which is directly on the road. Loop Road is also unpaved and some areas can get difficult to drive through with weather.
There are no exclusions for the man, but 2 for the woman: Pamela Nater (1966) and Brenda Lefler (1974).
Any ideas or theories on who they were, why they were killed, or who could've done it? Leave a comment if so.
Male: Doe Network/NamUs
Female: Doe Network/NamUs
2023.06.10 18:04 captainofindecision My dog threw three of these up! What are they?
 | Hi everyone! First time poster, occasional lurker. submitted by captainofindecision to whatsthisplant [link] [comments] We did contact our vet, who said to monitor his behavior, but they had no idea what it was and neither do we. Our best guess is that he got into something out in the yard when we weren’t looking, but we’re pretty aware of the plants that are out there (multiple acres) and do watch him fairly close when he’s out there. and this one is baffling. We live in western Oregon. The outside skin is tough, the inside has a pit like thing, but upon digging through it, it is not a pit—just a mass. The dog has throw up three of these and they look exactly the same. I guess I should provide the caveat that we’re not sure 100% that it’s a plant, but we have nothing around the house that could explain what it is, so I thought I’d try here. Thanks for any insight you can provide! |
2023.06.10 17:43 New_AccountNew_Start 35/M/UK - Retired, Law degree, very opinionated, I can get some mileage out of pretty much any topic you'd like to chat about.
First off I'm retired because I inherited money and it's enough to last out my lifetime. I didn't actually do a real job and work until I got a gold watch or anything. ;)
Might sound great but just remember I'm the sole surviving member of my family, everything just funneled to me. If you have a loving family you're a richer person than I will ever be.
I honestly did the law degree just for fun and in case I ever need to fall back on a job, and I'm looking into going to university again at some point soon.
With my mental health issues and lack of a support network life is sometimes a bit of a struggle, I spend my days mostly watching YouTube and reading up about random things online, keeping fit, playing video games, etc. I spend a lot of time on the internet and I'm a bit too fond of distractions.
I have dreams to write a book and create a video game, which I'm sort of working on. Progress is slow but I have plenty of ideas.
I'm looking make a close long-term friend, and I really enjoy calls so building up to those would be ideal.
When it comes to chatting to people on here, people tend to find me engaging at first because I'm smart but I rub them up the wrong way quickly. I have a bunch of extremely controversial opinions and I just can't help but let people know them. I'm not going to agree with people just to be polite.
I'll list a few. Myers Briggs personality types are silly, SSRIs are questionable at best, Breaking Bad is lame, identity politics are stupid, Elon Musk is a conman (even Shkreli is cooler), Jordan Peterson and Joe Rogan are stupid, Netflix is trashy, Beavis and Butt-head was one of the most sharply written shows, 100 gecs are awesome, Noam Chomsky is the smartest man alive, narrative fiction can never outdo sports for drama, MF DOOM was the greatest rapper ever, TED Talks are rubbish (except Sam Hyde), Rocko's Modern Life is the best animated show ever, 90s Eurodance is amazing, and modern life is some kind of cognitive dissonance simulator.
I love chatting to people from all walks of life and all different schools of thought. Free to tell me if you strongly disagree with any of the above, I've found you can learn the most from people who don't think the same as you.
Feel free to pick me up on any of these, or ask me what I think about any topic you would like to discuss! Or just say hi, whatever works. Haha.
submitted by New_AccountNew_Start to MakeNewFriendsHere [link] [comments]
Might sound great but just remember I'm the sole surviving member of my family, everything just funneled to me. If you have a loving family you're a richer person than I will ever be.
I honestly did the law degree just for fun and in case I ever need to fall back on a job, and I'm looking into going to university again at some point soon.
With my mental health issues and lack of a support network life is sometimes a bit of a struggle, I spend my days mostly watching YouTube and reading up about random things online, keeping fit, playing video games, etc. I spend a lot of time on the internet and I'm a bit too fond of distractions.
I have dreams to write a book and create a video game, which I'm sort of working on. Progress is slow but I have plenty of ideas.
I'm looking make a close long-term friend, and I really enjoy calls so building up to those would be ideal.
When it comes to chatting to people on here, people tend to find me engaging at first because I'm smart but I rub them up the wrong way quickly. I have a bunch of extremely controversial opinions and I just can't help but let people know them. I'm not going to agree with people just to be polite.
I'll list a few. Myers Briggs personality types are silly, SSRIs are questionable at best, Breaking Bad is lame, identity politics are stupid, Elon Musk is a conman (even Shkreli is cooler), Jordan Peterson and Joe Rogan are stupid, Netflix is trashy, Beavis and Butt-head was one of the most sharply written shows, 100 gecs are awesome, Noam Chomsky is the smartest man alive, narrative fiction can never outdo sports for drama, MF DOOM was the greatest rapper ever, TED Talks are rubbish (except Sam Hyde), Rocko's Modern Life is the best animated show ever, 90s Eurodance is amazing, and modern life is some kind of cognitive dissonance simulator.
I love chatting to people from all walks of life and all different schools of thought. Free to tell me if you strongly disagree with any of the above, I've found you can learn the most from people who don't think the same as you.
Feel free to pick me up on any of these, or ask me what I think about any topic you would like to discuss! Or just say hi, whatever works. Haha.
2023.06.10 17:30 Shagrrotten So, what’s the next FG Movie Tournament?
Hey FG, what should the next tournament be? For those that are new, or just don’t remember, so far we have had:
Action Movie Tournament - won by Terminator 2
Sci-fi Movie Tournament - won by Alien
Horror Movie Tournament - won by The Shining
Animated Movie Tournament - won by Spirited Away
Comedy Movie Tournament - won by The Big Lebowski
Non-English Language Movie Tournament - won by Seven Samurai
We have had nominations before for Crime, Documentary, Western, Romance, Drama, and just recently an idea came up to do best of the decades tournaments (one for the 1920’s, 1930’s, up until the 2020’s). Obviously that would be like 11 tournaments worth of tournaments but would mean that movies from the 1920’s weren’t going up against movies from the 2020’s and would maybe get a fairer shake against their contemporaries.
So, what do you think, FG? Where should we go next?
submitted by Shagrrotten to IMDbFilmGeneral [link] [comments]
Action Movie Tournament - won by Terminator 2
Sci-fi Movie Tournament - won by Alien
Horror Movie Tournament - won by The Shining
Animated Movie Tournament - won by Spirited Away
Comedy Movie Tournament - won by The Big Lebowski
Non-English Language Movie Tournament - won by Seven Samurai
We have had nominations before for Crime, Documentary, Western, Romance, Drama, and just recently an idea came up to do best of the decades tournaments (one for the 1920’s, 1930’s, up until the 2020’s). Obviously that would be like 11 tournaments worth of tournaments but would mean that movies from the 1920’s weren’t going up against movies from the 2020’s and would maybe get a fairer shake against their contemporaries.
So, what do you think, FG? Where should we go next?
2023.06.10 17:29 Old-Pomegranate17 Expiration Dates for Flower.
I have visited more than half a dozen Med Dispensaries in Central and Western Maine in the last 2 months and find that they ALL will sell you their best, juiciest bud along side with old flower that has lost ALL of it's beneficial terps and resin. I suppose inventory doesn't move as we imagine and the budtender or OWNER is forced I keep a straight face while they sell you garbage. I worked for decades in a small health food store and I removed old and expired merchandise regularly to prevent disappointing the customers. Are the budtenders unaware of the nasty inconsistency of their inventories? Have they no pride in their product? There is no embarrassment for taking your money for trash? It's especially frustrating because you know that somewhere in their stock is something fresh and potent, but it's left up to you to make the gamble. One would hope after decades of scoring weed illegally that legal weed would be a blessing, but regarding quality it's just as risky to buy as street weed was 30 years ago. Also, I have purchased Sun Grown which was nearly a year old that was more potent and seemingly fresher than a top-tier indoor flower sold in the same establishment. How is it that some flower keeps wonderfully while other stock is brick-hard and bone-dry? Keeping bud sealed fresh is not a difficult science. I am led to believe that some measure of a VISIBLE expiration date is necessary for flower in Maine’s Med Cannabis industry and screw those of you that present Grade A weed along side garbage.
submitted by Old-Pomegranate17 to mainetrees [link] [comments]
2023.06.10 17:25 Seamoose_Art Wasteland (Fallout x NoP)
Heads up! This story is both unpolished and unfinished, and posted here only for the sake of not letting my work go entirely to waste. If you want to continue the story yourself, feel free to do so.
Credit for The Nature of Predators goes to u/spacepaladin15.
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Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: September, 2136)
At first, we assumed it to be an Arxur weapon, but we had plenty of time to get a more detailed look at the object intersecting our FTL trajectory. A mass of energy, far more than a star could emit, yet giving off no light. Gravitational pull was intense, but completely wrong for a black hole. Maybe the remains of a massive warp core accident? Whatever it was, it was directly in our path.
We had ample time before our collision, and nothing we could do. Our course was set, and escape vessels couldn’t be launched during an FTL jump. All that was left was to wait, and pray for a mercifully quick death that we all knew was unlikely. We built our starships to withstand direct assault from Arxur warships. Our deaths would be both inevitable and slow.
I was away from the refugee’s quarters, on the bridge. I couldn’t bear to watch pups cry in terror, as their parents tried hopelessly to ease their fear. The bridge was only marginally better. Some of the crew were facing their imminent death with stoicism. Many were praying. Many were crying. I don’t remember what I was doing when it hit, but I was probably crying too.
Then… then…
Pain, agonizing and blinding pain. No screaming. No noise at all. Silence, darkness, death.
Movement. But I couldn’t possibly move myself. Was I carried?
My first coherent memories started taking shape next to a fire. I couldn’t see, but the warmth and crackling were unmistakable. I tried to move, only to find myself unmoving. Was I in the wreckage of the ship? I felt no pain. Was I already dead?
“Hey, look who’s finally back in the land of the living. Can you hear me?”
A human. The species that started this whole mess. That attacked our cradle, let the Arxur find an easy target. That taunted us with their “Evacuation” cattle roundups. The disgusting mockery of a voice washed over me, tainting my very soul.
That fire must be to roast my flesh. Does it want my fear, before it kills me? It won’t get a single goddamn word, not so much as a noise.
“You… damn, he must still be out of it. Maybe another stimpak..?”
Cli-hsssss. A stabbing pain in my arm, followed by… relief? My arm twitched slightly, but I couldn’t manage anything more. A rushing sound filled my ears, overpowering the growl on my left until it bore me away to unconsciousness.
—
I woke up on a bed, staring at what must’ve been the ceiling, though all I could see was vague rust-brown shapes in the distance. My body still refused to move. And yet still, somehow, so little pain. Was my nervous system destroyed?
No. Hunger. Brutal, snarling hunger stabbed through my stomach like a dagger. I made a weak noise, remembered where I was, and rapidly forced silence. If it knows I’m awake, it’ll torture me until it lets me die…
“Oh! You— you’re awake again! Can you hear me?”
Don’t make a noise. It might lose interest.
“...No. Dammit. It’s going to starve if it doesn’t fully wake up soon… I can’t afford all these meds for much longer anyway. I’ll just have to… leave this here for it. Maybe it’ll wake again while I’m out.”
And just like that, a rush of movement and it was gone. It worked! I lived… I lived, just so I could starve…
By the graces of the protector. Food. I could smell food, just inches to my right. Can I move to pick it up? Can I move my jaw to eat?
Is it a trap? The human must be trying to fatten me up. Or maybe it didn’t leave at all, and is just waiting in the shadows to see if I take the bait. Or… maybe…
Fuck it. I was already good as dead, I could at least die full. I tried moving my arm, but to no avail. My other arm was no better. Maybe I could move my head?
The world shifted around me, a nauseating whirl of muted colors. But that meant my head could move. I could move… the food was still just barely out of reach. I can almost taste it… it’s so close to my nose…
I let out a weak cry of frustration. I couldn’t help myself. Did the human intend for this torture? The frustration became rage, filling my body like a white-hot star until I—
Trembling, my claw grasped the food. Rage and hunger animated my arm, pushing it forward. Whatever this was, it was soft. It smelled heavenly. I brought it up to my face. My vision was just recovered enough to make out its form; a strayu-like pillow drizzled with a sweet glaze. I tore into it like an animal, barely even tasting. I must not have eaten in days.
Gone in seconds, and the hunger was barely sated. But it was enough energy to force movement with. Slowly, unsteadily, I rose to a sitting position. The world threatened to shift away from under me, but I held, trying to get my bearings.
I’m in… some sort of shack. Bare, rusted sheet metal on the walls; clearly an improvised structure. Other than that oddity, the room was surprisingly normal. No blood dripping from cages, no hunting trophies on the walls. A torn up carpet, a beaten-up table and chair, some cabinets, all illuminated by soft rays of light pouring in from a window over the table. And right next to my little mattress… is that more food? Some sort of orange vegetable. Like the sweet strayu, I ate without even tasting.
Much better. I was still starving, but only metaphorically. I could even move my other arm, though my legs were entirely numb and refused to cooperate no matter how much I pushed them. Could I escape by dragging my body with my arms?
No. I was still too weak. I had to count on the human fattening me up a bit more before I could make a break for it.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Memory Recovery Subject: Nathan Dunne, sole survivor of Vault 111
Date: December 13th, 2287
Just a hair to the right… and… Now. The interloper, a feral dog that had wandered onto the property, dropped without a sound.
I couldn’t afford to attract any attention, so I’d hastily slapped together a silencer for my pipe revolver. An old oil filter, just small enough to not obstruct the scope I’d hastily tied to the top. The gun looked ridiculous, but it got the job done silently. If I attracted any visitors, my alien guest was as good as dead. Nearly a week after finding it, and it still wasn’t waking up consistently.
Now’s not the time for thought. Focus. Now.
The second dog also dropped. The alpha of the pack still hadn’t noticed anything, a miracle. I lined up one last shot… pulled the trigger, and finally let myself breath. That was way too close. Every day without the fence finished was another day of silent stress.
Putting up a fence was easy enough, but putting up a fence QUIETLY was nightmarishly slow work, constantly punctuated by hiding from any would-be visitors. But these dogs had wandered onto the property without even seeing me. Could they smell the alien? I knew Dogmeat could track injuries from a far greater distance…
Fence should've been up yesterday. Back to work.
I’m running out of barbed wire. And screws. And boards. Can I afford another expedition? What if Dogmeat can’t defend him? Not a chance in hell I’m risking any other group learning about this… although Mama Murphy probably knows anyway, doesn’t she. Maybe the Minutemen can—
No. I can’t risk it. I’ll have to improvise. Maybe I can set up a Tesla arc as defense and leave to raid Sunshine Tidings. Rusted metal sheets don’t make for the best walls, but better than nothing.
The sun was still high, so I had some time if I hurried. As I began gathering supplies, a thought crossed my mind. A Tesla arc was better than nothing, and Dogmeat was formidable enough, but… surely if the alien was in serious danger, it could use some self defense. Those spikes weren’t gonna cut it. Maybe that bastard Kellogg’s old .44 would finally get some use?
I grabbed the .44 revolver, a spare arc trap I’d salvaged from Fort Hagan, and some tools. It would have to do. There was already power hooked up to the shack for heating, so wiring the—
The food’s gone.
Dogmeat didn’t eat carrots, so I knew there was only one culprit. The alien must’ve woken up while I was working. It was back asleep now, but at least it got something down. It wouldn’t starve. Thank god.
…right. If it can wake up, this trap is probably more dangerous to it than any invader. I walked back over to the shed, stowed the Tesla arc and tools, and grabbed a handful of vegetables and a water canteen. If it could stomach food, it needed to start putting on weight now to make up for lost time. This would be a start, at least.
I set the food and water on the table (taking care not to break the digital chimera I’d already laid there), and the gun beside the bed. I knew it could reach to there, without a doubt. Maybe toss in a handful more bullets, too; it’s not like I’d ever be able to make myself use the damn thing. I gave one last glance at the alien curled up on a bare mattress before closing the door and setting out.
—
Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: Unknown)
Help me. Kay-ut. Ki-ra. Protector. Anyone. It’s right there.
When I heard the human coming, I faked sleep hoping it wouldn’t check. As seconds passed, that hope grew thinner and thinner. Clearly, it could see the food was gone. Not that it needed to figure anything out; it could probably see through my deception just looking at me. Ki-yu, trickster; please, let this work. Let me live a moment longer. Noises all around me. Was it laying out torturous weaponry? Was it getting ready to gut me?
Protector. Please. I don’t want to die.
The noise around me stopped. Had the gods heard my prayers? I dared not check; if the human was still there, and I so much as opened an eye, I was dead. But death failed to claim me, and more noises failed to appear, until I finally worked up the courage to take advantage of my blessing and open my eyes.
The human was gone. I was alive. One more look around the room, to make sure it hadn’t—
A gun. A human weapon, close enough to grab. And ammo…
I knew humans were masters at trapping, at deceiving; such was their nature. I stared at the gun, trying to figure out what the trap was.
But I was tired, and hungry, and every sense told me that this wasn’t a trap, but a loaded gun. An answer to my prayers for safety. I couldn’t hold myself back anymore. I picked it up. It felt solid and weighty in my hands, lending some sense of security to the otherwise hopeless situation. Emboldened, I tried to rise to my feet again.
If I grabbed some of the furniture and stood on my good leg, I could just about stay upright without pain. That would have to do for now. Maybe I could use something in this room as a crutch. A leg of the table might do nicely, if I could—
Food. More food, all over the table. A sprawl of alien vegetables, including that orange one I had earlier. A metal jug, probably filled with water. And… is that a translator?
Curiosity overpowered both my hunger and my fear. On closer inspection, it was indeed a translator, one of the older dedicated units. Wired into… some sort of metal armband with a green flickering screen. The craftsmanship was shoddy; some parts were literally held together with insulated tape. Still, it appeared to be powered on and functional.
If I wasn’t in so much danger… I’d love to get a better look at what the human did with this thing. To wire Federation tech directly into one of their devices, and make it work…
My attention drifted back to the bounty laid out on the table before me. It could all be poisoned, but I’d already eaten the human’s food; what harm could it do to be full?
—
Sweeter than the orange one, but not as filling. Kind of mushy. Now no longer starving, I began to savor my meal slightly more. The green fruit was next, the one nearly the size of my skull. Upon breaking open the shell, it turned out to be pinkish red inside, and so juicy that I didn’t even need the water in the jug.
Bitter, but strangely satisfying. Next was a massive purple flower, which I could only guess was supposed to be food as well. The taste was unpleasant, but it felt bizarrely good to eat. Maybe a medicinal herb?
Why would the human give me a medicinal herb?
I’d been circling around the question for some time now. Why the food? Why the gun? Why the lack of gutting? Even if those supposed “empathy tests” weren’t faked, our species were at war! Did it not know?
Well-fed prey made for better-tasting prey, but a gun did not feed. A translator did not feed. Did it really want to talk to me? I weighed my options.
Option 1: Run. Impossible to do in my current state. Even with a large head start, even with uninjured legs, humans were nothing if not persistent; my odds were not all too favorable. And where would I go, anyway?
Option 2: Hide. Impossible to do in any state. Humans were perceptive and cunning. Nothing short of divine protection would hide me. And again, where would I go afterwards?
Option 3: Fight. I had a loaded gun, but for all I knew it was only there to lure me into a false sense of security. And besides, did I really expect to outfight a predator?
Option 4: Talk. It wasn’t likely, but maybe the human would have some sympathy (or at least fake some sympathy to keep up appearances). I was already injured, and it hadn’t torn me apart already; it clearly had something else in mind. Maybe the translator was involved in its “Something else”?
I didn’t… like that last option, but it seemed a hair better than shooting on sight when the human came back. Maybe I was forsaking the protection of the gods, forsaking my fellow Gojid. But none of the options were without risk, and I had to try something bold if I wanted to survive.
A noise from outside roused me from my thoughts. It’s coming. Time to make your choice.
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Memory Recovery Subject: Nathan Dunne, sole survivor of Vault 111
Date: December 13th, 2287
Halfway through the outbound trip, I realized I’d forgotten my pip-boy at camp. I’d taken both off, while working on wiring in that translator to the spare one from Vault 81. Having no way of assessing potential injuries simply would not do.
Halfway through the return trip, I realized I’d brought Dogmeat with me instead of leaving him to guard. I managed to make myself move a little faster. That .44 was no guarantee of safety, not if the alien simply couldn’t get up.
Once back, I could at least be sure that nothing happened. No blue blood seeping through the shack’s foundation. I grabbed the pip-boy, ordered Dogmeat to patrol, and prepared to leave before the daylight faded.
That’s a bit cold, isn’t it? Leaving without even checking on your guest?
I was leaving so I could build a fence for its protection, but… a quick check couldn’t hurt. Just to make sure nothing happened, right? Yeah. Sure. I had the time. Though maybe barging straight in wasn’t the brightest idea, not when I had just given it a revolver.
I knocked twice, and tried to lower my voice to a more soothing register. I had no idea if my hacked-together translator abomination would work, so tone was key. Before I could even speak, I heard a wild scrambling from the inside.
“Don’t— please don’t k-kill me, human, I’ll… I’ll do anything.”
…I guess I should be glad the translator worked? What the hell was that?
“I’m not gonna hurt you. I promise. Is it OK with you if I come inside?”
“I… Y-Yes.”
I gave Dogmeat a strong look to stay back, and cracked open the door. The terrified sniveling over the translator couldn’t have prepared me for what met my gaze.
A few weeks ago, I’d heard a heart-wrenching noise while poking around the edge of the glowing sea; a lone radstag doe, torn literally in half by a deathclaw. The beast was scared off by an approaching Vertibird, leaving the doe to wail helplessly until I put it out of its misery.
I had nothing else I could compare the alien to. It was shaking like an aspen leaf, eyes screwed shut and body curled up against the wall. The gun was still technically in its hand (claw?), but pointed at nothing. Just looking at the thing made me feel helpless.
But I brought it back from the brink of death. Soothing terror would surely be easier than saving its life.
—
Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: Unknown)
Protector. Please, give me strength. It’s… It’s going to…
No. It just wants to talk. Rania, get a hold of yourself.
I cracked open an eye. Tears largely blinded me from the horrifying details of the predator, but the human still towered over me, casting an engulfing shadow over my weakened form. It was all I could do to not further embarrass myself with incoherent pleading.
It seemed to take notice of my fear, crouching down to roughly eye level.
“You’re OK. I’m not going to hurt you, no matter what. What’s your name?”
“R-Rania.” I forced another eye open. The human had moved itself to a chair. Soft daylight illuminated a pair of forward-facing eyes, but no predatory scowl. It had an expression which could be mistaken for solemn sympathy on another species. But it had no reason not to be sincere. There was no other audience, nor anything I could do to escape. Could it really be concerned?
“Rania. My name is Nate. Can you tell me… what you are?”
“Just Nate? I— I thought humans had two names.”
“Oh, uhh… Nathan Dunne. I just go by Nate.”
I noticed a distinct look of confusion engulf the human’s face. Actually, I started to notice a lot of things. It wasn’t just the building and translator that were so clearly improvised. It— Nate’s armor was clearly not standard-issue anything. Nor the weapon on his side, some sort of pistol made seemingly from scrap.
He didn’t look like a UN soldier, nor a civilian of any type. And… just now… did he ask what I was? How could he not know?
“I’m a… I’m a G—Gojid. Does that mean anything to you?”
He shook his head, which even I knew was a human gesture for no. “Not as such. I might need to work out some issues with the translator, though, so don't count on it meaning—”
“The Federation? The cradle? Venlil? Arxur? UN?”
A bizarre shudder passed through Nate. “I know about the UN, though I can’t imagine how they’re relevant now… and no to the rest.”
“I can’t imagine how they’re relevant”!? What the hell could that mean?
“What— what does the UN mean to you?”
Again, that shudder, like a shadow cast over his soul. “They were a global group, trying to keep international peace. When the first Resource wars sparked… they collapsed like a house of cards. 2052. I was 12. After that, it…” he trailed off, before forcing himself to speak. “It all went to hell. As you can see.”
I couldn’t speak for shock. Predators were deceitful by their nature, yet I knew in my heart his words were sincere. It was plain as day, etched across his face. And if so… What the hell? What the hell!? What was any of that?
“As you can see? What do you mean?”
“Can you walk?”
Should I reveal my weakness? I don’t see any way he couldn’t notice my condition by now, so maybe I can get some sympathy for it?
“I… no, I don’t think so…”
“Then I can carry you outside. If you want, I mean. You’ll see what I meant by ‘went to hell’ real quickly.”
He’d have to… oh Protector, if he chose to carry me to slaughter, there’d be nothing I could do. But by this point, my fear was starting to wear thin from weariness. Curiosity was slowly taking the upper hand.
“S-show me.”
And just like that, the world moved out from under me. Instinctively, I grasped the human’s artificial pelt like a pup clinging to its mother. Light flooded my still tearstained eyes. I blinked them clear, and looked out on the world.
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Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: Unknown)
Was this Earth? This couldn’t be Earth. Earth was green, wasn’t it?
Yellow foliage, grey trees. A soft blue sky, intermittently broken up by concrete highways that towered towards the clouds. And on the horizon, the mammoth corpse of a city, a metal carcass that dominated the skyline.
No green. No life. Not even wind. The whole scene was eerily still, seemingly frozen in time.
Unable to make sense of the wider world, my attention drifted closer. A ring of ramshackle fencing, a larger building that I might mistake for a house. An ancient hand-worked water pump. A plot of vegetables. A beast with glistening fangs, bounding towards—
“Dogmeat, no. Stay.”
Somehow, impossibly, the beast heeded the command, slowing down enough for me to get a better look at my imminent demise. Long brown fur with black markings, a swishing tail, a red fabric tied around its neck. Forward-facing eyes gleaming with hideous intelligence. It sat down, tilting its head and letting out a shrill whine.
“You still haven’t met Dogmeat yet, have you— Rania? Rania!”
I couldn’t breathe. It was looking straight at me. I thought the human was terrifying, but this thing made it look harmless. Did Nate not realize the danger he was in?
“N— No! Please… don’t let it…”
“It’s not going to hurt you either. You’re OK. Breathe.” Nate turned slightly, shielding the beast from view. “Here. We can go back inside if he scares you too much.” I managed to choke out an affirmation, and felt darkness overtake me as we rushed back into the relative safety of the shack. The door clicked shut, sealing the beast outside.
“Rania, talk to me. Can you breathe?”
“Please… please don’t feed me to it…”
Nate’s eyes went wide, and his hand rose to cover his mouth. I didn’t know much human body language (aside from the vicious snarl they called a smile), but shock was a constant across almost every species. His eyes cast around the room wildly, his breathing becoming erratic before he managed to regain control.
“Rania, I— I’m not going to feed you to him. You— listen, I won’t even let him in. It’s safe here.” He clearly had something else to say, and silently struggled with the words for a moment before finding his phrasing. “Can you tell me why you’re so scared? What happened before I found you?”
The words took several moments to consciously register, but their effect was immediate. If Nate was trying to startle me out of my fear, he couldn’t have done a better job. When I spoke, it was with startling clarity as fear was replaced by near-indignant confusion.
“How could I not be scared? You’re predators. Even if… even if you really don’t want to kill me, seeing injured prey must be a powerful temptation to your instincts, no? Not to mention the invasion of the cradle; even if you do have empathy, why try to save an enemy species?”
A few moments of stillness, and then I mimicked his previous motion of shock as I realized what I’d done. If he somehow didn’t know the situation with the Gojid before, he did now. Even prey empathy didn’t extend to their sworn enemies. My stupid thoughtless rambling meant I was good as dead.
“Rania.” Nate’s words were slow, soft, and measured. “I don’t know where you come from or what the situation is out… up there. But I can promise you this.” He tapped my shoulder, snapping me out of my terrified reverie and forcing me to pay full attention. “I’m never going to hurt you. I’ll keep it safe here, as long as it takes for you to heal. You can hold me to that.”
“Safe… even safe from that monster..?”
Nate looked deeply hurt, but quickly covered it up with his previous expression of concern. “Yes. I wish I could prove to you that my dog is friendly, but… if he scares you that much, I’ll find somewhere else for him.”
He stole a glance out the window, before turning back to me. “Listen. I need to get some supplies for the fence while there’s still light. I’ll take Dogmeat with me. Do you know how to use this?” He gestured towards the gun, still sitting where I’d carelessly let it slip from my claws minutes earlier.
“Y-yes.”
Apparently seeing straight through my lie, he bent down to show me. “Here, you just need to pull back the hammer. Finger over the trigger, and line up these sights on your target. Only pull the trigger when you know you have your shot.”
Nate stood up, putting one hand on the door before remembering something. “If you start hurting, you can use this.” He set a syringe down on the table. “Just stab wherever it hurts. The pack’ll do the rest for you. I’ll be back at sundown.”
And just like that, he was gone.
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Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: Unknown)
For a while, I just sat there, gun in hand and mind slowly dissolving from all the new information weighing it down. But boredom is a powerful thing, and even injured as I was, restlessness started to take hold.
With the beast gone, and gun in hand, I started convincing myself that it might be a good idea to get another look at the land. I needed to know what I had to work with in case… something happened. And I swore I saw a vegetable garden earlier. Curiosity was getting the better of me.
I tested my legs again. One was sore, but shockingly capable. The other was still burning when I applied pressure, and swaddled in bandages. I didn’t particularly feel like knowing what was under there. One leg would have to do. I didn’t need my legs to shoot, after all.
Cautiously, without making a sound, I cracked the door open. Nobody was out there. I took one shaky step. Then another. Inch by silent sore inch, I made my way over to the “house”.
Like everything out here, it was a rough-hewn heap of rusted metal and thick planks of wood. On closer inspection, however, some care had clearly been put into making it insulated. The windows even had glass (albeit covered in dust), rather than the screen mesh in my shack. This must be where the human lives.
What could Nate be hiding from me?
My curiosity burned brighter than the pain in my leg as I ambled towards the door. Unlocked. I peeked inside.
Thick layers of carpet. A fireplace on the wall, a couple paintings. A mattress much better-maintained than mine, pushed up under one of the windows.
No blood dripping from cages. No hunting trophies on the walls. No indication that this was the lair of a predator. If not for the construction materials, it could be mistaken for a house back on the cradle. It even has refrigeration and lights, without a functional power grid. I guess that predatory cunning comes in handy.
I already knew what the fridge must be filled with. I made the decision not to look. It’d be better if Nate didn’t know I was here, and that’d be pretty hard to hide with vomit all over his carpet. I couldn’t stop myself from looking in one of the cabinets, though. The thing was stuffed with cans of food, nearly full to bursting. Some were clearly homemade, some looked like they’d been excavated from the dirt. Maybe they had been.
My good leg was starting to ache, cutting my exploration short. With no small hesitation, I forced myself back outside, back to the shack where I could rest up a bit.
—
I was only steps away from the door when a horrifying sight stopped me in my tracks. Dead animals, three of them. Sickly looking things, but recognizably the same species as that ‘Dogmeat’. I couldn’t look away. Was Nate hunting before I woke up? I stepped closer, morbid curiosity dowsing my pain. I don’t see any bite marks. And… predators don’t eat other predators.
Did he kill them to protect me?
Humans were apex predators on their planet. It couldn’t have been self-defense. Nor could it have been hunger, if he’d just left them to rot. So… what other reasons would he have to fight?
I looked closer, my eyes meeting a series of glassy stares. Two of them looked literally skin and bones, but the third looked a lot like Dogmeat. Mouth closed, eyes staring up at the sky unseeing. I almost felt bad for it.
“I wish I could prove to you that my dog is friendly, but… if he scares you that much, I’ll find somewhere else for him.”
Did Nate feel any conflict, having to shoot them on my behalf? Was he going to shoot Dogmeat too, just to ease my fears? He clearly cared about the beast, but if he thought “keeping me safe” meant…
No. I wouldn’t let it come to that. I had to overcome my fear. If I wanted to survive, I needed to be stronger.
Reaching out to the body, arm trembling, I ran a claw down its side. It was soft… still warm, too. The thought that this predator had been alive so recently, only to be put down for my safety, managed to elicit a twinge of sorrow. That feeling, hold on to that. Force it through your fear.
My movements got bolder, even exploring the rows of sharp teeth hidden by a clenched jaw. And the soft fur on its underbelly… its long tail, which sat limp and unmoving on the dust. I could feel my fear begin to fade more and more with every second I sat next to the body of this predator.
Eventually, I forced myself to rise. As I walked back to my bed, I stole one last glance backwards. Instead of horrifying predators, all I saw was a family of three. That they had to die so I could live… the thought filled me with a strange sense of shame.
I couldn’t stand there forever. My poor legs wouldn’t allow it. Back to the bed, step by shaky step.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Memory Recovery Subject: Nathan Dunne, sole survivor of Vault 111
Date: December 13th, 2287
Hauling sheet metal was no easy task, even with the help of a dog. It was dark by the time I got home; I’d missed my appointment with the sunset by nearly half an hour.
Supplies stowed away, armor shed, weapons holstered. I rummaged around the fridge for a radstag fry I’d prepared a couple days ago. I didn’t have the energy to cook, and I still needed to check in with Rania. Dogmeat hovered around my ankles, performing his best puppy impression.
These might be the last meals you get to eat with him. I gave a few scraps for his unconvincing performance.
I knew the minutemen would take good care of him, and Valentine could make good use of his nose. But saying goodbye would be a challenge. He’d had my back practically since I escaped Vault 111, and casting him aside felt like nothing short of a betrayal.
The radstag felt like sawdust in my mouth. I tossed the rest of it to Dogmeat, who looked up quizzically rather than digging in. I knew he was wondering why I was being so generous all of a sudden, but I wasn’t ready to break the news to him yet.
—
“Is it OK with you if I come in?”
The voice responding sounded completely different. Still recognizably Rania, but without the terrified quivering I’d expected. “Yes. We need to talk.”
I slipped inside, taking care not to let out too much heat. The figure facing me, while again still undoubtedly Rania, was otherwise unrecognizable. Sitting up straight, unshaking, looking directly at me. A far cry from the poor creature I’d talked to when I left. He (he? I decided to assume it was male, given the voice from the translator) turned his head slightly to the side, leaving one eye to meet both of mine in what I assumed was an intense stare for a person with side-facing eyes.
“Nate.” Rania’s voice was thick with determination. “I’ve decided… I want to get used to Dogmeat. If he’s really as friendly as you say, you shouldn’t have to get rid of him just because of my fear.”
It was all I could do to suppress a full-bodied sigh of relief. If he’s on the fence on this decision, showing my joy would force his hand. I have to stay calm. “Can I ask why?”
“I, uh… I found the other predators. The feral ones. The ones you shot.”
Oh.
“And I… I don’t want you to have to do the same for him. It doesn’t…” The quivering returned in shades, but he continued. “Even if you meant ‘find somewhere else for him’ literally, you shouldn’t have to do that for my sake.”
“I…” I buried my face in my hands, trying to beat back tears. “Thank you. I couldn’t imagine having to… thank you. I can still keep him away from you if you’re scared. You shouldn’t have to live in fear.”
Rania shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Actually, I was thinking I should… you know, get used to him, not just tolerate him from a distance. Face my fear head-on. Just… not tonight, OK?”
For all that quivering, he’s a lot braver than I thought he’d be.
“Yeah. We can get something worked out later. Right now, you need to rest. I’m not just talking about tonight; you’re still injured. Best you can do right now is rest and eat. Which reminds me… The vegetables I brought you earlier. How were they? Any you really liked?”
“Oh, uhhh… yeah, the orange one was really nice. And that red mushy one wasn’t so pleasant; I could eat it anyway to get full, but I’d rather not. Why do you have so many vegetables, anyway?”
Why wouldn’t I? “What do you mean?”
“Well, I thought… predators eat flesh, right? Were you growing them for decoration? I mean… it was nice to see something green and growing out here, but that seems like a lot of effort!”
I couldn’t manage a verbal response to this. All I could give was a baffled stare, which Rania seemed to interpret as a threat.
“I— I didn’t mean to insult you—”
“No, no, it’s just…” I rubbed my eyes. Hauling sheet metal had sapped all my energy, but I couldn’t just let this slide. “I mean… humans aren’t obligate carnivores. Most predators aren’t; even deathclaws forage for mutfruit when they can. Or does the word ‘predator’ mean something else to you?”
It was Rania’s turn for a blank stare, and I began to wonder if I’d just said something insulting. He looked down, mumbling something the translator couldn’t catch, then turned his attention back. “I think we should talk about this later. I need to rest.”
I knew it was a flimsy excuse (I could practically see his mind overheating as he stared back into the ground), but he wasn’t exactly wrong. I bid my farewell with a solemn nod.
—
The moon cast a picturesque blue light through the windows, giving just enough illumination to fend off sleep. On its own, the meager light couldn’t fight off the exhaustion radiating through my muscles, but Rania’s bizarre outburst was also keeping me up.
Not knowing about the history of our planet was perfectly reasonable, given his alien identity. Being so scared of humans despite apparently knowing about them was strange, but nothing a bit of trauma couldn’t induce. But even schoolchildren knew the basics of the food chain, and I found it hard to believe that a space-faring alien race would be less knowledgeable about ecology than the local population of raiders. Even with no education at all, certain things were obvious by observation.
If nothing else, Rania was right about one thing. We will need to talk about this later.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[Continued in comments]
submitted by Seamoose_Art to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]
Credit for The Nature of Predators goes to u/spacepaladin15.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: September, 2136)
At first, we assumed it to be an Arxur weapon, but we had plenty of time to get a more detailed look at the object intersecting our FTL trajectory. A mass of energy, far more than a star could emit, yet giving off no light. Gravitational pull was intense, but completely wrong for a black hole. Maybe the remains of a massive warp core accident? Whatever it was, it was directly in our path.
We had ample time before our collision, and nothing we could do. Our course was set, and escape vessels couldn’t be launched during an FTL jump. All that was left was to wait, and pray for a mercifully quick death that we all knew was unlikely. We built our starships to withstand direct assault from Arxur warships. Our deaths would be both inevitable and slow.
I was away from the refugee’s quarters, on the bridge. I couldn’t bear to watch pups cry in terror, as their parents tried hopelessly to ease their fear. The bridge was only marginally better. Some of the crew were facing their imminent death with stoicism. Many were praying. Many were crying. I don’t remember what I was doing when it hit, but I was probably crying too.
Then… then…
Pain, agonizing and blinding pain. No screaming. No noise at all. Silence, darkness, death.
Movement. But I couldn’t possibly move myself. Was I carried?
My first coherent memories started taking shape next to a fire. I couldn’t see, but the warmth and crackling were unmistakable. I tried to move, only to find myself unmoving. Was I in the wreckage of the ship? I felt no pain. Was I already dead?
“Hey, look who’s finally back in the land of the living. Can you hear me?”
A human. The species that started this whole mess. That attacked our cradle, let the Arxur find an easy target. That taunted us with their “Evacuation” cattle roundups. The disgusting mockery of a voice washed over me, tainting my very soul.
That fire must be to roast my flesh. Does it want my fear, before it kills me? It won’t get a single goddamn word, not so much as a noise.
“You… damn, he must still be out of it. Maybe another stimpak..?”
Cli-hsssss. A stabbing pain in my arm, followed by… relief? My arm twitched slightly, but I couldn’t manage anything more. A rushing sound filled my ears, overpowering the growl on my left until it bore me away to unconsciousness.
—
I woke up on a bed, staring at what must’ve been the ceiling, though all I could see was vague rust-brown shapes in the distance. My body still refused to move. And yet still, somehow, so little pain. Was my nervous system destroyed?
No. Hunger. Brutal, snarling hunger stabbed through my stomach like a dagger. I made a weak noise, remembered where I was, and rapidly forced silence. If it knows I’m awake, it’ll torture me until it lets me die…
“Oh! You— you’re awake again! Can you hear me?”
Don’t make a noise. It might lose interest.
“...No. Dammit. It’s going to starve if it doesn’t fully wake up soon… I can’t afford all these meds for much longer anyway. I’ll just have to… leave this here for it. Maybe it’ll wake again while I’m out.”
And just like that, a rush of movement and it was gone. It worked! I lived… I lived, just so I could starve…
By the graces of the protector. Food. I could smell food, just inches to my right. Can I move to pick it up? Can I move my jaw to eat?
Is it a trap? The human must be trying to fatten me up. Or maybe it didn’t leave at all, and is just waiting in the shadows to see if I take the bait. Or… maybe…
Fuck it. I was already good as dead, I could at least die full. I tried moving my arm, but to no avail. My other arm was no better. Maybe I could move my head?
The world shifted around me, a nauseating whirl of muted colors. But that meant my head could move. I could move… the food was still just barely out of reach. I can almost taste it… it’s so close to my nose…
I let out a weak cry of frustration. I couldn’t help myself. Did the human intend for this torture? The frustration became rage, filling my body like a white-hot star until I—
Trembling, my claw grasped the food. Rage and hunger animated my arm, pushing it forward. Whatever this was, it was soft. It smelled heavenly. I brought it up to my face. My vision was just recovered enough to make out its form; a strayu-like pillow drizzled with a sweet glaze. I tore into it like an animal, barely even tasting. I must not have eaten in days.
Gone in seconds, and the hunger was barely sated. But it was enough energy to force movement with. Slowly, unsteadily, I rose to a sitting position. The world threatened to shift away from under me, but I held, trying to get my bearings.
I’m in… some sort of shack. Bare, rusted sheet metal on the walls; clearly an improvised structure. Other than that oddity, the room was surprisingly normal. No blood dripping from cages, no hunting trophies on the walls. A torn up carpet, a beaten-up table and chair, some cabinets, all illuminated by soft rays of light pouring in from a window over the table. And right next to my little mattress… is that more food? Some sort of orange vegetable. Like the sweet strayu, I ate without even tasting.
Much better. I was still starving, but only metaphorically. I could even move my other arm, though my legs were entirely numb and refused to cooperate no matter how much I pushed them. Could I escape by dragging my body with my arms?
No. I was still too weak. I had to count on the human fattening me up a bit more before I could make a break for it.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Memory Recovery Subject: Nathan Dunne, sole survivor of Vault 111
Date: December 13th, 2287
Just a hair to the right… and… Now. The interloper, a feral dog that had wandered onto the property, dropped without a sound.
I couldn’t afford to attract any attention, so I’d hastily slapped together a silencer for my pipe revolver. An old oil filter, just small enough to not obstruct the scope I’d hastily tied to the top. The gun looked ridiculous, but it got the job done silently. If I attracted any visitors, my alien guest was as good as dead. Nearly a week after finding it, and it still wasn’t waking up consistently.
Now’s not the time for thought. Focus. Now.
The second dog also dropped. The alpha of the pack still hadn’t noticed anything, a miracle. I lined up one last shot… pulled the trigger, and finally let myself breath. That was way too close. Every day without the fence finished was another day of silent stress.
Putting up a fence was easy enough, but putting up a fence QUIETLY was nightmarishly slow work, constantly punctuated by hiding from any would-be visitors. But these dogs had wandered onto the property without even seeing me. Could they smell the alien? I knew Dogmeat could track injuries from a far greater distance…
Fence should've been up yesterday. Back to work.
I’m running out of barbed wire. And screws. And boards. Can I afford another expedition? What if Dogmeat can’t defend him? Not a chance in hell I’m risking any other group learning about this… although Mama Murphy probably knows anyway, doesn’t she. Maybe the Minutemen can—
No. I can’t risk it. I’ll have to improvise. Maybe I can set up a Tesla arc as defense and leave to raid Sunshine Tidings. Rusted metal sheets don’t make for the best walls, but better than nothing.
The sun was still high, so I had some time if I hurried. As I began gathering supplies, a thought crossed my mind. A Tesla arc was better than nothing, and Dogmeat was formidable enough, but… surely if the alien was in serious danger, it could use some self defense. Those spikes weren’t gonna cut it. Maybe that bastard Kellogg’s old .44 would finally get some use?
I grabbed the .44 revolver, a spare arc trap I’d salvaged from Fort Hagan, and some tools. It would have to do. There was already power hooked up to the shack for heating, so wiring the—
The food’s gone.
Dogmeat didn’t eat carrots, so I knew there was only one culprit. The alien must’ve woken up while I was working. It was back asleep now, but at least it got something down. It wouldn’t starve. Thank god.
…right. If it can wake up, this trap is probably more dangerous to it than any invader. I walked back over to the shed, stowed the Tesla arc and tools, and grabbed a handful of vegetables and a water canteen. If it could stomach food, it needed to start putting on weight now to make up for lost time. This would be a start, at least.
I set the food and water on the table (taking care not to break the digital chimera I’d already laid there), and the gun beside the bed. I knew it could reach to there, without a doubt. Maybe toss in a handful more bullets, too; it’s not like I’d ever be able to make myself use the damn thing. I gave one last glance at the alien curled up on a bare mattress before closing the door and setting out.
—
Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: Unknown)
Help me. Kay-ut. Ki-ra. Protector. Anyone. It’s right there.
When I heard the human coming, I faked sleep hoping it wouldn’t check. As seconds passed, that hope grew thinner and thinner. Clearly, it could see the food was gone. Not that it needed to figure anything out; it could probably see through my deception just looking at me. Ki-yu, trickster; please, let this work. Let me live a moment longer. Noises all around me. Was it laying out torturous weaponry? Was it getting ready to gut me?
Protector. Please. I don’t want to die.
The noise around me stopped. Had the gods heard my prayers? I dared not check; if the human was still there, and I so much as opened an eye, I was dead. But death failed to claim me, and more noises failed to appear, until I finally worked up the courage to take advantage of my blessing and open my eyes.
The human was gone. I was alive. One more look around the room, to make sure it hadn’t—
A gun. A human weapon, close enough to grab. And ammo…
I knew humans were masters at trapping, at deceiving; such was their nature. I stared at the gun, trying to figure out what the trap was.
But I was tired, and hungry, and every sense told me that this wasn’t a trap, but a loaded gun. An answer to my prayers for safety. I couldn’t hold myself back anymore. I picked it up. It felt solid and weighty in my hands, lending some sense of security to the otherwise hopeless situation. Emboldened, I tried to rise to my feet again.
If I grabbed some of the furniture and stood on my good leg, I could just about stay upright without pain. That would have to do for now. Maybe I could use something in this room as a crutch. A leg of the table might do nicely, if I could—
Food. More food, all over the table. A sprawl of alien vegetables, including that orange one I had earlier. A metal jug, probably filled with water. And… is that a translator?
Curiosity overpowered both my hunger and my fear. On closer inspection, it was indeed a translator, one of the older dedicated units. Wired into… some sort of metal armband with a green flickering screen. The craftsmanship was shoddy; some parts were literally held together with insulated tape. Still, it appeared to be powered on and functional.
If I wasn’t in so much danger… I’d love to get a better look at what the human did with this thing. To wire Federation tech directly into one of their devices, and make it work…
My attention drifted back to the bounty laid out on the table before me. It could all be poisoned, but I’d already eaten the human’s food; what harm could it do to be full?
—
Sweeter than the orange one, but not as filling. Kind of mushy. Now no longer starving, I began to savor my meal slightly more. The green fruit was next, the one nearly the size of my skull. Upon breaking open the shell, it turned out to be pinkish red inside, and so juicy that I didn’t even need the water in the jug.
Bitter, but strangely satisfying. Next was a massive purple flower, which I could only guess was supposed to be food as well. The taste was unpleasant, but it felt bizarrely good to eat. Maybe a medicinal herb?
Why would the human give me a medicinal herb?
I’d been circling around the question for some time now. Why the food? Why the gun? Why the lack of gutting? Even if those supposed “empathy tests” weren’t faked, our species were at war! Did it not know?
Well-fed prey made for better-tasting prey, but a gun did not feed. A translator did not feed. Did it really want to talk to me? I weighed my options.
Option 1: Run. Impossible to do in my current state. Even with a large head start, even with uninjured legs, humans were nothing if not persistent; my odds were not all too favorable. And where would I go, anyway?
Option 2: Hide. Impossible to do in any state. Humans were perceptive and cunning. Nothing short of divine protection would hide me. And again, where would I go afterwards?
Option 3: Fight. I had a loaded gun, but for all I knew it was only there to lure me into a false sense of security. And besides, did I really expect to outfight a predator?
Option 4: Talk. It wasn’t likely, but maybe the human would have some sympathy (or at least fake some sympathy to keep up appearances). I was already injured, and it hadn’t torn me apart already; it clearly had something else in mind. Maybe the translator was involved in its “Something else”?
I didn’t… like that last option, but it seemed a hair better than shooting on sight when the human came back. Maybe I was forsaking the protection of the gods, forsaking my fellow Gojid. But none of the options were without risk, and I had to try something bold if I wanted to survive.
A noise from outside roused me from my thoughts. It’s coming. Time to make your choice.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Memory Recovery Subject: Nathan Dunne, sole survivor of Vault 111
Date: December 13th, 2287
Halfway through the outbound trip, I realized I’d forgotten my pip-boy at camp. I’d taken both off, while working on wiring in that translator to the spare one from Vault 81. Having no way of assessing potential injuries simply would not do.
Halfway through the return trip, I realized I’d brought Dogmeat with me instead of leaving him to guard. I managed to make myself move a little faster. That .44 was no guarantee of safety, not if the alien simply couldn’t get up.
Once back, I could at least be sure that nothing happened. No blue blood seeping through the shack’s foundation. I grabbed the pip-boy, ordered Dogmeat to patrol, and prepared to leave before the daylight faded.
That’s a bit cold, isn’t it? Leaving without even checking on your guest?
I was leaving so I could build a fence for its protection, but… a quick check couldn’t hurt. Just to make sure nothing happened, right? Yeah. Sure. I had the time. Though maybe barging straight in wasn’t the brightest idea, not when I had just given it a revolver.
I knocked twice, and tried to lower my voice to a more soothing register. I had no idea if my hacked-together translator abomination would work, so tone was key. Before I could even speak, I heard a wild scrambling from the inside.
“Don’t— please don’t k-kill me, human, I’ll… I’ll do anything.”
…I guess I should be glad the translator worked? What the hell was that?
“I’m not gonna hurt you. I promise. Is it OK with you if I come inside?”
“I… Y-Yes.”
I gave Dogmeat a strong look to stay back, and cracked open the door. The terrified sniveling over the translator couldn’t have prepared me for what met my gaze.
A few weeks ago, I’d heard a heart-wrenching noise while poking around the edge of the glowing sea; a lone radstag doe, torn literally in half by a deathclaw. The beast was scared off by an approaching Vertibird, leaving the doe to wail helplessly until I put it out of its misery.
I had nothing else I could compare the alien to. It was shaking like an aspen leaf, eyes screwed shut and body curled up against the wall. The gun was still technically in its hand (claw?), but pointed at nothing. Just looking at the thing made me feel helpless.
But I brought it back from the brink of death. Soothing terror would surely be easier than saving its life.
—
Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: Unknown)
Protector. Please, give me strength. It’s… It’s going to…
No. It just wants to talk. Rania, get a hold of yourself.
I cracked open an eye. Tears largely blinded me from the horrifying details of the predator, but the human still towered over me, casting an engulfing shadow over my weakened form. It was all I could do to not further embarrass myself with incoherent pleading.
It seemed to take notice of my fear, crouching down to roughly eye level.
“You’re OK. I’m not going to hurt you, no matter what. What’s your name?”
“R-Rania.” I forced another eye open. The human had moved itself to a chair. Soft daylight illuminated a pair of forward-facing eyes, but no predatory scowl. It had an expression which could be mistaken for solemn sympathy on another species. But it had no reason not to be sincere. There was no other audience, nor anything I could do to escape. Could it really be concerned?
“Rania. My name is Nate. Can you tell me… what you are?”
“Just Nate? I— I thought humans had two names.”
“Oh, uhh… Nathan Dunne. I just go by Nate.”
I noticed a distinct look of confusion engulf the human’s face. Actually, I started to notice a lot of things. It wasn’t just the building and translator that were so clearly improvised. It— Nate’s armor was clearly not standard-issue anything. Nor the weapon on his side, some sort of pistol made seemingly from scrap.
He didn’t look like a UN soldier, nor a civilian of any type. And… just now… did he ask what I was? How could he not know?
“I’m a… I’m a G—Gojid. Does that mean anything to you?”
He shook his head, which even I knew was a human gesture for no. “Not as such. I might need to work out some issues with the translator, though, so don't count on it meaning—”
“The Federation? The cradle? Venlil? Arxur? UN?”
A bizarre shudder passed through Nate. “I know about the UN, though I can’t imagine how they’re relevant now… and no to the rest.”
“I can’t imagine how they’re relevant”!? What the hell could that mean?
“What— what does the UN mean to you?”
Again, that shudder, like a shadow cast over his soul. “They were a global group, trying to keep international peace. When the first Resource wars sparked… they collapsed like a house of cards. 2052. I was 12. After that, it…” he trailed off, before forcing himself to speak. “It all went to hell. As you can see.”
I couldn’t speak for shock. Predators were deceitful by their nature, yet I knew in my heart his words were sincere. It was plain as day, etched across his face. And if so… What the hell? What the hell!? What was any of that?
“As you can see? What do you mean?”
“Can you walk?”
Should I reveal my weakness? I don’t see any way he couldn’t notice my condition by now, so maybe I can get some sympathy for it?
“I… no, I don’t think so…”
“Then I can carry you outside. If you want, I mean. You’ll see what I meant by ‘went to hell’ real quickly.”
He’d have to… oh Protector, if he chose to carry me to slaughter, there’d be nothing I could do. But by this point, my fear was starting to wear thin from weariness. Curiosity was slowly taking the upper hand.
“S-show me.”
And just like that, the world moved out from under me. Instinctively, I grasped the human’s artificial pelt like a pup clinging to its mother. Light flooded my still tearstained eyes. I blinked them clear, and looked out on the world.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: Unknown)
Was this Earth? This couldn’t be Earth. Earth was green, wasn’t it?
Yellow foliage, grey trees. A soft blue sky, intermittently broken up by concrete highways that towered towards the clouds. And on the horizon, the mammoth corpse of a city, a metal carcass that dominated the skyline.
No green. No life. Not even wind. The whole scene was eerily still, seemingly frozen in time.
Unable to make sense of the wider world, my attention drifted closer. A ring of ramshackle fencing, a larger building that I might mistake for a house. An ancient hand-worked water pump. A plot of vegetables. A beast with glistening fangs, bounding towards—
“Dogmeat, no. Stay.”
Somehow, impossibly, the beast heeded the command, slowing down enough for me to get a better look at my imminent demise. Long brown fur with black markings, a swishing tail, a red fabric tied around its neck. Forward-facing eyes gleaming with hideous intelligence. It sat down, tilting its head and letting out a shrill whine.
“You still haven’t met Dogmeat yet, have you— Rania? Rania!”
I couldn’t breathe. It was looking straight at me. I thought the human was terrifying, but this thing made it look harmless. Did Nate not realize the danger he was in?
“N— No! Please… don’t let it…”
“It’s not going to hurt you either. You’re OK. Breathe.” Nate turned slightly, shielding the beast from view. “Here. We can go back inside if he scares you too much.” I managed to choke out an affirmation, and felt darkness overtake me as we rushed back into the relative safety of the shack. The door clicked shut, sealing the beast outside.
“Rania, talk to me. Can you breathe?”
“Please… please don’t feed me to it…”
Nate’s eyes went wide, and his hand rose to cover his mouth. I didn’t know much human body language (aside from the vicious snarl they called a smile), but shock was a constant across almost every species. His eyes cast around the room wildly, his breathing becoming erratic before he managed to regain control.
“Rania, I— I’m not going to feed you to him. You— listen, I won’t even let him in. It’s safe here.” He clearly had something else to say, and silently struggled with the words for a moment before finding his phrasing. “Can you tell me why you’re so scared? What happened before I found you?”
The words took several moments to consciously register, but their effect was immediate. If Nate was trying to startle me out of my fear, he couldn’t have done a better job. When I spoke, it was with startling clarity as fear was replaced by near-indignant confusion.
“How could I not be scared? You’re predators. Even if… even if you really don’t want to kill me, seeing injured prey must be a powerful temptation to your instincts, no? Not to mention the invasion of the cradle; even if you do have empathy, why try to save an enemy species?”
A few moments of stillness, and then I mimicked his previous motion of shock as I realized what I’d done. If he somehow didn’t know the situation with the Gojid before, he did now. Even prey empathy didn’t extend to their sworn enemies. My stupid thoughtless rambling meant I was good as dead.
“Rania.” Nate’s words were slow, soft, and measured. “I don’t know where you come from or what the situation is out… up there. But I can promise you this.” He tapped my shoulder, snapping me out of my terrified reverie and forcing me to pay full attention. “I’m never going to hurt you. I’ll keep it safe here, as long as it takes for you to heal. You can hold me to that.”
“Safe… even safe from that monster..?”
Nate looked deeply hurt, but quickly covered it up with his previous expression of concern. “Yes. I wish I could prove to you that my dog is friendly, but… if he scares you that much, I’ll find somewhere else for him.”
He stole a glance out the window, before turning back to me. “Listen. I need to get some supplies for the fence while there’s still light. I’ll take Dogmeat with me. Do you know how to use this?” He gestured towards the gun, still sitting where I’d carelessly let it slip from my claws minutes earlier.
“Y-yes.”
Apparently seeing straight through my lie, he bent down to show me. “Here, you just need to pull back the hammer. Finger over the trigger, and line up these sights on your target. Only pull the trigger when you know you have your shot.”
Nate stood up, putting one hand on the door before remembering something. “If you start hurting, you can use this.” He set a syringe down on the table. “Just stab wherever it hurts. The pack’ll do the rest for you. I’ll be back at sundown.”
And just like that, he was gone.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: Unknown)
For a while, I just sat there, gun in hand and mind slowly dissolving from all the new information weighing it down. But boredom is a powerful thing, and even injured as I was, restlessness started to take hold.
With the beast gone, and gun in hand, I started convincing myself that it might be a good idea to get another look at the land. I needed to know what I had to work with in case… something happened. And I swore I saw a vegetable garden earlier. Curiosity was getting the better of me.
I tested my legs again. One was sore, but shockingly capable. The other was still burning when I applied pressure, and swaddled in bandages. I didn’t particularly feel like knowing what was under there. One leg would have to do. I didn’t need my legs to shoot, after all.
Cautiously, without making a sound, I cracked the door open. Nobody was out there. I took one shaky step. Then another. Inch by silent sore inch, I made my way over to the “house”.
Like everything out here, it was a rough-hewn heap of rusted metal and thick planks of wood. On closer inspection, however, some care had clearly been put into making it insulated. The windows even had glass (albeit covered in dust), rather than the screen mesh in my shack. This must be where the human lives.
What could Nate be hiding from me?
My curiosity burned brighter than the pain in my leg as I ambled towards the door. Unlocked. I peeked inside.
Thick layers of carpet. A fireplace on the wall, a couple paintings. A mattress much better-maintained than mine, pushed up under one of the windows.
No blood dripping from cages. No hunting trophies on the walls. No indication that this was the lair of a predator. If not for the construction materials, it could be mistaken for a house back on the cradle. It even has refrigeration and lights, without a functional power grid. I guess that predatory cunning comes in handy.
I already knew what the fridge must be filled with. I made the decision not to look. It’d be better if Nate didn’t know I was here, and that’d be pretty hard to hide with vomit all over his carpet. I couldn’t stop myself from looking in one of the cabinets, though. The thing was stuffed with cans of food, nearly full to bursting. Some were clearly homemade, some looked like they’d been excavated from the dirt. Maybe they had been.
My good leg was starting to ache, cutting my exploration short. With no small hesitation, I forced myself back outside, back to the shack where I could rest up a bit.
—
I was only steps away from the door when a horrifying sight stopped me in my tracks. Dead animals, three of them. Sickly looking things, but recognizably the same species as that ‘Dogmeat’. I couldn’t look away. Was Nate hunting before I woke up? I stepped closer, morbid curiosity dowsing my pain. I don’t see any bite marks. And… predators don’t eat other predators.
Did he kill them to protect me?
Humans were apex predators on their planet. It couldn’t have been self-defense. Nor could it have been hunger, if he’d just left them to rot. So… what other reasons would he have to fight?
I looked closer, my eyes meeting a series of glassy stares. Two of them looked literally skin and bones, but the third looked a lot like Dogmeat. Mouth closed, eyes staring up at the sky unseeing. I almost felt bad for it.
“I wish I could prove to you that my dog is friendly, but… if he scares you that much, I’ll find somewhere else for him.”
Did Nate feel any conflict, having to shoot them on my behalf? Was he going to shoot Dogmeat too, just to ease my fears? He clearly cared about the beast, but if he thought “keeping me safe” meant…
No. I wouldn’t let it come to that. I had to overcome my fear. If I wanted to survive, I needed to be stronger.
Reaching out to the body, arm trembling, I ran a claw down its side. It was soft… still warm, too. The thought that this predator had been alive so recently, only to be put down for my safety, managed to elicit a twinge of sorrow. That feeling, hold on to that. Force it through your fear.
My movements got bolder, even exploring the rows of sharp teeth hidden by a clenched jaw. And the soft fur on its underbelly… its long tail, which sat limp and unmoving on the dust. I could feel my fear begin to fade more and more with every second I sat next to the body of this predator.
Eventually, I forced myself to rise. As I walked back to my bed, I stole one last glance backwards. Instead of horrifying predators, all I saw was a family of three. That they had to die so I could live… the thought filled me with a strange sense of shame.
I couldn’t stand there forever. My poor legs wouldn’t allow it. Back to the bed, step by shaky step.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Memory Recovery Subject: Nathan Dunne, sole survivor of Vault 111
Date: December 13th, 2287
Hauling sheet metal was no easy task, even with the help of a dog. It was dark by the time I got home; I’d missed my appointment with the sunset by nearly half an hour.
Supplies stowed away, armor shed, weapons holstered. I rummaged around the fridge for a radstag fry I’d prepared a couple days ago. I didn’t have the energy to cook, and I still needed to check in with Rania. Dogmeat hovered around my ankles, performing his best puppy impression.
These might be the last meals you get to eat with him. I gave a few scraps for his unconvincing performance.
I knew the minutemen would take good care of him, and Valentine could make good use of his nose. But saying goodbye would be a challenge. He’d had my back practically since I escaped Vault 111, and casting him aside felt like nothing short of a betrayal.
The radstag felt like sawdust in my mouth. I tossed the rest of it to Dogmeat, who looked up quizzically rather than digging in. I knew he was wondering why I was being so generous all of a sudden, but I wasn’t ready to break the news to him yet.
—
“Is it OK with you if I come in?”
The voice responding sounded completely different. Still recognizably Rania, but without the terrified quivering I’d expected. “Yes. We need to talk.”
I slipped inside, taking care not to let out too much heat. The figure facing me, while again still undoubtedly Rania, was otherwise unrecognizable. Sitting up straight, unshaking, looking directly at me. A far cry from the poor creature I’d talked to when I left. He (he? I decided to assume it was male, given the voice from the translator) turned his head slightly to the side, leaving one eye to meet both of mine in what I assumed was an intense stare for a person with side-facing eyes.
“Nate.” Rania’s voice was thick with determination. “I’ve decided… I want to get used to Dogmeat. If he’s really as friendly as you say, you shouldn’t have to get rid of him just because of my fear.”
It was all I could do to suppress a full-bodied sigh of relief. If he’s on the fence on this decision, showing my joy would force his hand. I have to stay calm. “Can I ask why?”
“I, uh… I found the other predators. The feral ones. The ones you shot.”
Oh.
“And I… I don’t want you to have to do the same for him. It doesn’t…” The quivering returned in shades, but he continued. “Even if you meant ‘find somewhere else for him’ literally, you shouldn’t have to do that for my sake.”
“I…” I buried my face in my hands, trying to beat back tears. “Thank you. I couldn’t imagine having to… thank you. I can still keep him away from you if you’re scared. You shouldn’t have to live in fear.”
Rania shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Actually, I was thinking I should… you know, get used to him, not just tolerate him from a distance. Face my fear head-on. Just… not tonight, OK?”
For all that quivering, he’s a lot braver than I thought he’d be.
“Yeah. We can get something worked out later. Right now, you need to rest. I’m not just talking about tonight; you’re still injured. Best you can do right now is rest and eat. Which reminds me… The vegetables I brought you earlier. How were they? Any you really liked?”
“Oh, uhhh… yeah, the orange one was really nice. And that red mushy one wasn’t so pleasant; I could eat it anyway to get full, but I’d rather not. Why do you have so many vegetables, anyway?”
Why wouldn’t I? “What do you mean?”
“Well, I thought… predators eat flesh, right? Were you growing them for decoration? I mean… it was nice to see something green and growing out here, but that seems like a lot of effort!”
I couldn’t manage a verbal response to this. All I could give was a baffled stare, which Rania seemed to interpret as a threat.
“I— I didn’t mean to insult you—”
“No, no, it’s just…” I rubbed my eyes. Hauling sheet metal had sapped all my energy, but I couldn’t just let this slide. “I mean… humans aren’t obligate carnivores. Most predators aren’t; even deathclaws forage for mutfruit when they can. Or does the word ‘predator’ mean something else to you?”
It was Rania’s turn for a blank stare, and I began to wonder if I’d just said something insulting. He looked down, mumbling something the translator couldn’t catch, then turned his attention back. “I think we should talk about this later. I need to rest.”
I knew it was a flimsy excuse (I could practically see his mind overheating as he stared back into the ground), but he wasn’t exactly wrong. I bid my farewell with a solemn nod.
—
The moon cast a picturesque blue light through the windows, giving just enough illumination to fend off sleep. On its own, the meager light couldn’t fight off the exhaustion radiating through my muscles, but Rania’s bizarre outburst was also keeping me up.
Not knowing about the history of our planet was perfectly reasonable, given his alien identity. Being so scared of humans despite apparently knowing about them was strange, but nothing a bit of trauma couldn’t induce. But even schoolchildren knew the basics of the food chain, and I found it hard to believe that a space-faring alien race would be less knowledgeable about ecology than the local population of raiders. Even with no education at all, certain things were obvious by observation.
If nothing else, Rania was right about one thing. We will need to talk about this later.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[Continued in comments]
2023.06.10 17:25 wallywot Heydieles Fort Kill - Break Down of the worst Fortizar defense in the history of lowsec
Here are the Facts -
Snuffed + Big AB fielded a fleet of around 210.
3 Titans to hit the Fortizar. 162 Carriers, 20 Supers. Fax on field and obviously more incase shit got spicy.
https://br.evetools.org/b6484004f1852eb02378baab4 Battle Report showing the Sides.
Now, sure, it looks like we were barely outformed when you look at a battle report like that. 207 vs 372 doesnt look that staggering. Here is where the issue begins.
The defenders didnt kill anything but fighters... So you dont get to see every single defender, because they barely killed anything at all. The fortizar was Anti Cap fit, so the logical thing to do was hit it from range. Snuff cannot field 200 Subcaps with a couple fax and take on defenders, which numbered around 700.
Now you might be asking, "Wally, what do you mean 700, thats spin youre dumb."
Well here is the local scan as the fight took place. https://dscan.info/v/d25dd2ba6e93
The defenders, with a pretty sizeable fleet of subs, decided to batphone. That is fine, we know that people will batphone for help, that is what you do in eve. Goons and Init came (Not blue but friends?)
Frat came in bombers (lol idiots)
Brave came and barely outformed by Shadow Cartel (LMAO SUNESIS ARMY)
So here is what is sad. The fight took place with whoever the braindead FC of the TFI's. He decided the play was to warp to 160 carriers at 20, and shoot.... an archon? We bait tanked the archon to keep them on grid but that wasnt enough. They fed a handful of TFI and warped off.
What they should have done was wait for their batphones to arrive so they can coordinate and take out tagets togther. They didnt do that. The defenders wasted the time of 100 goons, 75 init, a bunch of brave and frat, and just.... left.
They left and i guess hoped some shit fit Nagas and KiKis could take on a carrier blob.
The defenders HAVE dreads, they have the capability of throwing down. They didnt do that. They just... left.
So while the TFI's warped off and docked or tethered, who knows, the Batphones decided "fuck this, we are going to try" and warped down to Carriers at 20. This obviously not the best idea, but we feel their frustration, so Tau AD decided to make their fleet quick and dropped SB carriers on them at zero and expedite their return trip. A bunch of kikis, who should have been there at the same time as TFI's, defanging carriers, decided to come in super late and land near the Nagas that were being SBd, luckily they warped off before AVDOT was able to get on top of them.
The fort died, all caps aligned to friendly citadel. We got off with ZERO issues, noone even tried to kill a straggler. That was it.
Im not sure what the Coalition of inbreds that defended the structure are called, but they should be called Test Coalition [VILY] because of how fast they failed.
GF I guess, next stop - All of SC citadels
submitted by wallywot to Eve [link] [comments]
Snuffed + Big AB fielded a fleet of around 210.
3 Titans to hit the Fortizar. 162 Carriers, 20 Supers. Fax on field and obviously more incase shit got spicy.
https://br.evetools.org/b6484004f1852eb02378baab4 Battle Report showing the Sides.
Now, sure, it looks like we were barely outformed when you look at a battle report like that. 207 vs 372 doesnt look that staggering. Here is where the issue begins.
The defenders didnt kill anything but fighters... So you dont get to see every single defender, because they barely killed anything at all. The fortizar was Anti Cap fit, so the logical thing to do was hit it from range. Snuff cannot field 200 Subcaps with a couple fax and take on defenders, which numbered around 700.
Now you might be asking, "Wally, what do you mean 700, thats spin youre dumb."
Well here is the local scan as the fight took place. https://dscan.info/v/d25dd2ba6e93
The defenders, with a pretty sizeable fleet of subs, decided to batphone. That is fine, we know that people will batphone for help, that is what you do in eve. Goons and Init came (Not blue but friends?)
Frat came in bombers (lol idiots)
Brave came and barely outformed by Shadow Cartel (LMAO SUNESIS ARMY)
So here is what is sad. The fight took place with whoever the braindead FC of the TFI's. He decided the play was to warp to 160 carriers at 20, and shoot.... an archon? We bait tanked the archon to keep them on grid but that wasnt enough. They fed a handful of TFI and warped off.
What they should have done was wait for their batphones to arrive so they can coordinate and take out tagets togther. They didnt do that. The defenders wasted the time of 100 goons, 75 init, a bunch of brave and frat, and just.... left.
They left and i guess hoped some shit fit Nagas and KiKis could take on a carrier blob.
The defenders HAVE dreads, they have the capability of throwing down. They didnt do that. They just... left.
So while the TFI's warped off and docked or tethered, who knows, the Batphones decided "fuck this, we are going to try" and warped down to Carriers at 20. This obviously not the best idea, but we feel their frustration, so Tau AD decided to make their fleet quick and dropped SB carriers on them at zero and expedite their return trip. A bunch of kikis, who should have been there at the same time as TFI's, defanging carriers, decided to come in super late and land near the Nagas that were being SBd, luckily they warped off before AVDOT was able to get on top of them.
The fort died, all caps aligned to friendly citadel. We got off with ZERO issues, noone even tried to kill a straggler. That was it.
Im not sure what the Coalition of inbreds that defended the structure are called, but they should be called Test Coalition [VILY] because of how fast they failed.
GF I guess, next stop - All of SC citadels
2023.06.10 17:22 Snoo53903 Tech Support in Naples Florida
ZoeSquad is your tech-savvy tech support company in Naples, Florida!#NaplesFl#Swfl#FortMyers
submitted by Snoo53903 to NaplesFlComputers [link] [comments]
2023.06.10 17:14 noctae-corvus Suggestions for 10 and 20 gallons?
(Reposting with clearer wording)
So my current enclosure plans leave me with a couple of spare enclosures and I'm trying to figure out what could comfortably live in there for the rest of its life..!
The enclosures are:
PS. I really don't mind if the enclosures are too small for anything. It could be years before these enclosures are used and I might decide to sell them in the end if I feel those resources are best spent elsewhere. Just trying to see if anything can be made out of them!
submitted by noctae-corvus to reptiles [link] [comments]
So my current enclosure plans leave me with a couple of spare enclosures and I'm trying to figure out what could comfortably live in there for the rest of its life..!
The enclosures are:
- Exo Terra 60x45x30cm (roughly 24x18x12 inches), 20 gallons according to Aqadvisor
- Another front-opening terrarium, 48x30x28cm (roughly 19x12x12 inches), equivalent to 10 gallons
PS. I really don't mind if the enclosures are too small for anything. It could be years before these enclosures are used and I might decide to sell them in the end if I feel those resources are best spent elsewhere. Just trying to see if anything can be made out of them!
2023.06.10 17:11 autotldr Zelenskyy says 'counteroffensive, defensive actions' taking place in Ukraine
This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 78%. (I'm a bot)
Summary Source FAQ Feedback Top keywords: Ukraine#1 Russian#2 Ukrainian#3 Saturday#4 force#5
Post found in /worldnews, /RussiaUkraineBriefing, /RussiaUkraineBriefing and /whatsnewtoday.
NOTICE: This thread is for discussing the submission topic. Please do not discuss the concept of the autotldr bot here.
submitted by autotldr to autotldr [link] [comments]
KYIV, Ukraine - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that counteroffensive and defensive actions were underway against Russian forces, asserting that his top commanders were in a "Positive" mindset as their troops engaged in intense fighting along the front line.
The Ukrainian leader, at a Kyiv news conference alongside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, responded to a question about Russian President Vladimir Putin's comment a day earlier that Ukraine's counteroffensive had started - and Ukrainian forces were taking "Significant losses."
Zelennsky said that "The counteroffensive, defensive actions are taking place in Ukraine. I will not speak about which stage or phase they are in."
Trudeau, the first foreign leader to visit Ukraine since devastating floods caused by a breach in a Dnieper River dam, offered up monetary, military and moral support for Ukraine.
On Saturday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says he wants to continue speaking with Putin - whose order for Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been criticized by many Western leaders - and plans to do so again "Soon." Scholz has spoken several times by phone with Putin since the invasion.
The chancellor said the basis for a "Fair peace" between Russia and Ukraine is the withdrawal of Russian troops.
Post found in /worldnews, /RussiaUkraineBriefing, /RussiaUkraineBriefing and /whatsnewtoday.
NOTICE: This thread is for discussing the submission topic. Please do not discuss the concept of the autotldr bot here.
2023.06.10 16:31 ctrl-alt-rage Best Gear Stat Priority for Druid?
I have been following build guides and have started getting my playstyle dialed in. I'm currently using a companion/landslide build that's super nasty - I've got all my gear with the appropriate aspects, but I Was curious - instead of waiting around for better legendary/unique items - what do you guys look for in rares that could be imprinted into a Legendary?
I know that DPS is good, etc. And I know for jewelry it's best to focus on resistances - But what stats for each gear slot should I be prioritizing?
For Weapons, Helm, Chest, etc? Stat level increases? Rank increases?
There are so many bonuses and I'm not 100% versed in refining Diablo builds so tweaking things isn't necessarily my forte.
Thanks in advance!
submitted by ctrl-alt-rage to diablo4 [link] [comments]
I know that DPS is good, etc. And I know for jewelry it's best to focus on resistances - But what stats for each gear slot should I be prioritizing?
For Weapons, Helm, Chest, etc? Stat level increases? Rank increases?
There are so many bonuses and I'm not 100% versed in refining Diablo builds so tweaking things isn't necessarily my forte.
Thanks in advance!
2023.06.10 16:20 Random_Trinidadian The First Contact War
Yea... I was there when the invasion began.
It was so long ago, yet I remember it like it was yesterday. Back then, we only had to worry about nuclear hell fire destroying out species. A result of mad men acting like children with the perverbial big red button. Yet despite this, we tried to live our lives the best way we could. Just trying to survive our own petty struggles that came with day to day life.
Back then, I was just a huble taxi driver, driving about my city, just trying to make a honest living. Iwas actually in my cab when I saw the first ships break through the clouds and begin their attack. I could still remember the screams of people when they began to open fire, destroying building as if they were nothing but toys.
I didn't even know how I was able to escape that blood bath, all I could remember was jumping into my car and hitting the gas as hard as I could. It was just all a big blur, I could see people running as the first ships landed and began to deploy their troops. That's when I saw them... Big ugly bastards dressed in black armor and carrying weapons ....weapons they used on the fleeing people as they tried to get away.
I guess I was one of the lucky ones, cause I was able to get away and didn't stop driving until I reached the mountains. For the first two days, I wondered around the Forrest. I was too afraid to sleep, as I feared what ever those things were would find me. I could hear jets and other aircraft flying overhead, but I could see them through the trees.
It was on my third day however, I ended up being discovered by a group of soldiers as I walked along the road. I guess I must had been more exhausted than I thought, cause the next thing I knew, I was waking up in a hospital bed inside of a large tent filled with doctors and patients.
I could see both soldiers and regular people being treated for various types of injuries. I could hear the sounds of helicopters and vehicles coming from outside, while doctors and nurses did what they could.
Eventually, I found out the true extent of what was going on and I have to admit, I could not believe what I was hearing. I think I even chuckled a bit when I was told that actual aliens were invading the planet. But I soon realized that was all too real, as I the camp I was now in was across a river from another city. A city that was now in complete ruin and was still burning.
Apparently, similar scenes we're taking place all over the world, as more and more ships landed and deployed troops. They... Who ever THEY were, never announced who they were, but it soon became clear to us this was not just an invasion, it was a extermination. As they killed everything and everyone in their way, even if they tried to escape.
Obviously, we were not to keen on becoming extinct and we fought back.... We fought back hard. The nuclear powers unleased their arsenal on the "Invaders", numerous mushroom clouds rising into the air as ballistic and cruise missiles found their targets. I guess that the invaders were not expecting such a a response, as their ships proved to be no match for our rather "Primitive" nuclear weapons. But the fighting continued and eventually, I would end up volunteering with a group calling itself the "15th Volunteer Regiment."
I became a gunner on a old Patton Tank, something that the army pulled out of storage as the war continued. I could remember the first battle I took part in, a small town somewhere in western Texas. We were to go in to releave a detachment of Mexican Soldiers who has been trying to retake the town for the last month.
I could remember when I saw one of the Alien Mech Suits appeared and began to open fire. I could also remember just how I felt when I saw the bastard burst into flames after taking a HEAT round to it's chest. I didn't feel anything for who or what ever had being sinsude that contraption, they were monsters for what they had done and they all deserved to die. It was also during that time that I finally got a good look at just who had invaded.... They looked just like us! But they were completely bald with some kind of tattoo pattern on their heads with impossibly pale skin and eyes that were nothing but whites. Yet we still did not know their name or what they called themselves.
Eventually, North America was cleared and my unit was then sent south to help in the fighting in those regions. Again, I saw the death and destruction the invades had caused. I saw entire towns filled with bodies, many of whom had wounds that suggested they were trying to run away when they were killed. We fought our way down and eventually linked up with the Brazilians and took part in the Battle of the Plate.
For Fives years, we continued to fight. Eventually making it to Africa, southern Europe, the Middle East and finally India. The 15th was there and were were all hell bent on making those bastards pay. By then, the suits in the lab had managed to reverse engineer some of the weapons we that were captured and we were now using tanks with large Lazer cannons, attack aircraft with used some kind of.... Anti-gravity engines, we even had mech suits of our own. But for the 15th, we still used the old Pattons and even a few T-72 we were able to acquire when some Nigerians joined our group.
Then.... Came the Battle of Rangoon.... The last major battle of the war. The invaders had set up some kind of base Intelligence believed to be their main operations center. Once again, al nuclear strike was used to soften their defences and we began to advance. We didn't beat the bastards.... We slaughtered them.
Mexico City... Caracas.... Largos.... Nice.... We remembered.... We remembered what we saw and what they did. We were not going to give them the luxury of Mercy... They were going to pay for what they did.
Five days of absolute hell... But eventually we took the command base and by extension, ended the war. The Rangoon Base was their last stronghold on the planet and we destroyed it. The war was won, but at a heavy cost.
Two billion people were dead, the atmosphere was now heavily irradiated due to the use of nuclear weapons. There was a very real fear of famine due farm land bring destroyed due to the fighting. The next twenty years following the war were not easy, but eventually were were able to rebuild and with the Technology the Invaders left behind. But.... We were not done....
We knew that it could only be a matter of time before they came back and we might not be so lucky. So we began to build up our militaries once again and untied them to form the United Earth Defence Forces. The ships were captured, the few they were, became the basis for a new Space Navy. We soon began to build ships of our own, build bases on other planets and designed new weapons. We never found out the name of our would be attackers, but my people will not soon forget them. We want to find them and show them the true consiquences of their actions.
"So why are you telling me this, ambassador?"
Ever since we became part of the Galactic community, my government have been trying to find out who had attacked us. So far, we have ether been meet with silence or some vauge legend.
"But what purpose would getting revenge serve at this point?"
You would not be saying that if what happened to my people, happened to yours. There is one thing you need to know about my people.... We don't like it when others bully us and we will do everything in our power to hit back at those who hurt us. So ... Will your people help us?
"You humans are driven too much by you emotions."
It what got us through the War and the many skirmishes with your people. Need I remind you who supported your government during your civil war? You owe us.
"And if my government refuses to help?"
It's in their best interest that they do. So will you help us?
"I... Will speak with them when I return home."
You do that... We will speak later.
submitted by Random_Trinidadian to HFY [link] [comments]
It was so long ago, yet I remember it like it was yesterday. Back then, we only had to worry about nuclear hell fire destroying out species. A result of mad men acting like children with the perverbial big red button. Yet despite this, we tried to live our lives the best way we could. Just trying to survive our own petty struggles that came with day to day life.
Back then, I was just a huble taxi driver, driving about my city, just trying to make a honest living. Iwas actually in my cab when I saw the first ships break through the clouds and begin their attack. I could still remember the screams of people when they began to open fire, destroying building as if they were nothing but toys.
I didn't even know how I was able to escape that blood bath, all I could remember was jumping into my car and hitting the gas as hard as I could. It was just all a big blur, I could see people running as the first ships landed and began to deploy their troops. That's when I saw them... Big ugly bastards dressed in black armor and carrying weapons ....weapons they used on the fleeing people as they tried to get away.
I guess I was one of the lucky ones, cause I was able to get away and didn't stop driving until I reached the mountains. For the first two days, I wondered around the Forrest. I was too afraid to sleep, as I feared what ever those things were would find me. I could hear jets and other aircraft flying overhead, but I could see them through the trees.
It was on my third day however, I ended up being discovered by a group of soldiers as I walked along the road. I guess I must had been more exhausted than I thought, cause the next thing I knew, I was waking up in a hospital bed inside of a large tent filled with doctors and patients.
I could see both soldiers and regular people being treated for various types of injuries. I could hear the sounds of helicopters and vehicles coming from outside, while doctors and nurses did what they could.
Eventually, I found out the true extent of what was going on and I have to admit, I could not believe what I was hearing. I think I even chuckled a bit when I was told that actual aliens were invading the planet. But I soon realized that was all too real, as I the camp I was now in was across a river from another city. A city that was now in complete ruin and was still burning.
Apparently, similar scenes we're taking place all over the world, as more and more ships landed and deployed troops. They... Who ever THEY were, never announced who they were, but it soon became clear to us this was not just an invasion, it was a extermination. As they killed everything and everyone in their way, even if they tried to escape.
Obviously, we were not to keen on becoming extinct and we fought back.... We fought back hard. The nuclear powers unleased their arsenal on the "Invaders", numerous mushroom clouds rising into the air as ballistic and cruise missiles found their targets. I guess that the invaders were not expecting such a a response, as their ships proved to be no match for our rather "Primitive" nuclear weapons. But the fighting continued and eventually, I would end up volunteering with a group calling itself the "15th Volunteer Regiment."
I became a gunner on a old Patton Tank, something that the army pulled out of storage as the war continued. I could remember the first battle I took part in, a small town somewhere in western Texas. We were to go in to releave a detachment of Mexican Soldiers who has been trying to retake the town for the last month.
I could remember when I saw one of the Alien Mech Suits appeared and began to open fire. I could also remember just how I felt when I saw the bastard burst into flames after taking a HEAT round to it's chest. I didn't feel anything for who or what ever had being sinsude that contraption, they were monsters for what they had done and they all deserved to die. It was also during that time that I finally got a good look at just who had invaded.... They looked just like us! But they were completely bald with some kind of tattoo pattern on their heads with impossibly pale skin and eyes that were nothing but whites. Yet we still did not know their name or what they called themselves.
Eventually, North America was cleared and my unit was then sent south to help in the fighting in those regions. Again, I saw the death and destruction the invades had caused. I saw entire towns filled with bodies, many of whom had wounds that suggested they were trying to run away when they were killed. We fought our way down and eventually linked up with the Brazilians and took part in the Battle of the Plate.
For Fives years, we continued to fight. Eventually making it to Africa, southern Europe, the Middle East and finally India. The 15th was there and were were all hell bent on making those bastards pay. By then, the suits in the lab had managed to reverse engineer some of the weapons we that were captured and we were now using tanks with large Lazer cannons, attack aircraft with used some kind of.... Anti-gravity engines, we even had mech suits of our own. But for the 15th, we still used the old Pattons and even a few T-72 we were able to acquire when some Nigerians joined our group.
Then.... Came the Battle of Rangoon.... The last major battle of the war. The invaders had set up some kind of base Intelligence believed to be their main operations center. Once again, al nuclear strike was used to soften their defences and we began to advance. We didn't beat the bastards.... We slaughtered them.
Mexico City... Caracas.... Largos.... Nice.... We remembered.... We remembered what we saw and what they did. We were not going to give them the luxury of Mercy... They were going to pay for what they did.
Five days of absolute hell... But eventually we took the command base and by extension, ended the war. The Rangoon Base was their last stronghold on the planet and we destroyed it. The war was won, but at a heavy cost.
Two billion people were dead, the atmosphere was now heavily irradiated due to the use of nuclear weapons. There was a very real fear of famine due farm land bring destroyed due to the fighting. The next twenty years following the war were not easy, but eventually were were able to rebuild and with the Technology the Invaders left behind. But.... We were not done....
We knew that it could only be a matter of time before they came back and we might not be so lucky. So we began to build up our militaries once again and untied them to form the United Earth Defence Forces. The ships were captured, the few they were, became the basis for a new Space Navy. We soon began to build ships of our own, build bases on other planets and designed new weapons. We never found out the name of our would be attackers, but my people will not soon forget them. We want to find them and show them the true consiquences of their actions.
"So why are you telling me this, ambassador?"
Ever since we became part of the Galactic community, my government have been trying to find out who had attacked us. So far, we have ether been meet with silence or some vauge legend.
"But what purpose would getting revenge serve at this point?"
You would not be saying that if what happened to my people, happened to yours. There is one thing you need to know about my people.... We don't like it when others bully us and we will do everything in our power to hit back at those who hurt us. So ... Will your people help us?
"You humans are driven too much by you emotions."
It what got us through the War and the many skirmishes with your people. Need I remind you who supported your government during your civil war? You owe us.
"And if my government refuses to help?"
It's in their best interest that they do. So will you help us?
"I... Will speak with them when I return home."
You do that... We will speak later.
2023.06.10 16:02 KathyanaH The best careers for your Myers Briggs Personality Type
 | Choosing the right career that goes well with your personality type will reward you in life in many ways. Some employers even ask about your MBTI type during an interview to see if you’d really suit the role. Here are some great career choices for you based on your personality type: submitted by KathyanaH to resumeguide [link] [comments] ESTJ - Finance, Business Management, Supervisor ESTP - Talent Agent, Mechanic, General Contractor, Sales ESFJ - Teacher, Social Worker, Health Care Administrator ESFP - Travel guide, Performer, Artist, Animal care ENTJ - Entrepreneur, Chief Executive Officer, ProduceDirector ENTP - Corporate Trainer, HR, Marketing, Sales, Consultant ENFJ - Counselor, Teacher, Social Worker, Public Relations ENFP - PerformeActor, Entrepreneur, Counselor, Writer ISTJ - Accountant, Auditor, Lawyer, Surgeon, Economist ISTP - Police/Detective, Computer Programmer, Engineer ISFJ - Nurse, Designer, Veterinarian, Dentist, Decorator ISFP - Artist, Photographer, Cosmetologist, Designer INTJ - Scientist, Military, Lawyer, Strategist, Computer Programmer INTP - University Professor, Technical Writer, Engineer, Scientist INFJ - Screenwriter, Blogger, Counselor, Life coach, Spiritual Guide INFP - Author, Counselor, Musician, Teacher, Life Coach https://preview.redd.it/7nmn1u3rpy4b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=30d48e0efbe65955e53aef8d72d0f3e93be23089 #resumewriter #resume #resumetips #resumewriting #resumehelp #resumeservices #jobsearch #resumedesign #coverletter #career #resumebuilder #cv #resumes #resumeadvice #careercoach #resumetemplate #jobs #careerdevelopment #careeradvice #careergoals #job #interviewtips #resumeservice #interview #careerchange #jobseekers #jobinterview #resumebuilding #resumereview #jobsearching |
2023.06.10 16:02 Timely-Elk8291 Trip report: Geezer first-timers--May 8-June 5. Last of 3 parts: Tokyo, Nikko, Kamakura
For independent western travelers, Japan demands more planning than, say, a trip through Europe. But the corresponding rewards are huge. And you absolutely don't need to hire a guide, so long as you do basic homework (which is half the fun of travel, anyway).
This is the last of three reports from our recent four-week journey, covering ten nights in Tokyo, one in Nikko and three in Kamakura.
HIGHLIGHTS
Tokyo--Nippon Professional Baseball at Tokyo Dome; May Grand Sumo tournament, Hamarikyu garden; Tuna auction
Nikko--Toshugo shrine
Kamakura--Sunset spectacle at a seaside park
TOKYO, Monday 5/22
For this 7-night leg, we chose Park Hotel Tokyo (the top floors of the Shiodome Media Tower; $208/night with breakfast). The lobby is on the 25th floor, requiring separate elevator rides to reach your room. Access to subways is a mixed bag (Shiodome Station is next door; more useful Shimbashi is a longer walk). There were far more Americans than our other hotels, and the ample breakfast buffet wasn't as fabulous, either (an admittedly high bar). On the other hand, the area teems with great, affordable places to eat. Our room had something we'd never experienced: a fog-free bathroom mirror (the new must-have!). And when we opened the curtains of our 28th floor room in the morning, there was Fuji in all her glory, an unforgettable vista. What more could you want?
TOKYO, Tuesday 5/23
Our first stop on a drizzly day was the Imperial Palace grounds, last of our highly recommended Imperial Household Agency tours. The adjacent East Garden, open to all, is worth seeing, too.
After lunch, we checked out the nearby National Museum of Modern Art. Kudos to management for allowing photography. The highlights room on the top floor is a great survey, and if you're short on time you could skip the rest, unless a special exhibition piques your interest.
We caught a fantastic show about Tokugawa Ieyasu at the private Mitsui Memorial Museum--the best single exhibition we saw. Unfortunately, it closes tomorrow, June 11; but that's a place you might keep an eye on.
TOKYO, Wednesday 5/24
We visited Senso-ji first thing. We liked it so much we went back a few nights later to see it lit up. Either way, it's a must.
Lunch was at Onigiri Asakusa Yadoroku, a welcoming place that's been dishing up made-to-order onigiri for almost 70 years. It's a Bib Gourmand. Show up just before 11 am to avoid a wait; otherwise, you'll be given a time to return for a seat.
We went to Tokyo Dome to catch a Yomiuri Giants game, stopping off first at the adjacent, very worthwhile, landscape garden, Koishikawa Korakuen (geezers over 65 half-price!). The game itself was a trip, much like an American football game, with non-stop chants by fans and on-field cheerleaders between innings. Our lower-deck seats, bought in advance from the team's website, cost under $35 each.
TOKYO, Thursday 5/25
Like other great cities, like New York or Paris, Tokyo is made for strolling. On this day, we were flaneurs, with stops along Omotesando, the tree-shaded fashion avenue that calls itself Harajuku Champs-Elysees, and hip Cat Street nearby. The area wakes up slowly, so consider a visit at midday or later.
Lunch was a pure pig-out (pun intended) at Tonkatsu Nanaido. Can't recommend it highly enough; the wait was a tolerable 30 minutes (dinner reservations possible). Try to ignore the health implications of tender pork, fried (extremely lightly) in pure lard. Pure heaven.
TOKYO, Friday 5/26
Meiji Shrine and garden got us going in the morning, and the Meiji Jingu Museum was well worth a stop.
We were somewhat ambivalent about sumo but bought advance tickets to the big May tournament because, well, when might we ever see sumo in person again? It turned out to be the surprise hit of the trip: a spectacle with deep historic roots, more engaging and suspenseful than we imagined. Advance online tickets are gettable; no middleman required.
TOKYO, Saturday 5/27
The Tokyo National Museum lives up to its reputation as the best in the country (at least the best we saw). We made repeated visits and still didn't see it all. And it's free for those of us over 70. One of our favorite items: a 1,500-year-old ceramic sculpture of sumo wrestlers and a judge. The museum's enlightened view toward photography means we'll always have our pictures to remind us of what we saw.
TOKYO, Sunday 5/28
We spent a relaxed Sunday morning at verdant Hamarikyu Gardens, a park that borders Tokyo Bay. The former playground of feudal shoguns is an urban oasis of water features and classic landscape design. You can happily spend a couple hours strolling its paths.
In the afternoon, we checked out Ginza's main drag, closed to vehicle traffic. We wish, though, that we'd known that Akihabara's Chuo-dori is also pedestrianized on Sunday afternoons.
NIKKO, Monday 5/29
We cabbed it to Asakusa Station and caught the Tobu Kegon express to Nikko. Light rain didn't stop us --or hundreds of other umbrella toters--from visiting glorious Toshugo Shrine. Far better, though, was our visit the next day. At 8:30 a.m., the shrine was essentially deserted; crowds started arriving at 9:30. That quiet morning hour was reason enough to have spent the night in Nikko. It also kept us ahead of the crowds at Rinnoji Temple and nearby Taiyuin and Futarasan Shrine, all well worth visiting.
Nikko Station Hotel Classic ($270, including excellent meals) was the most old-school place we stayed (They still put top sheets on the beds). Masking is requested, and at breakfast, guests are asked to don plastic gloves before going through the buffet line. The onsen in the basement was absolutely first-rate, as was our meticulously prepared tofu kaiseki dinner at the hotel restaurant.
TOKYO, Tuesday 5/30
For our third and final Tokyo stop, we chose the Ueno area and weren't disappointed. The well-run and sophisticated Nohga Hotel Ueno Tokyo ($217/night, including breakfast) is on a quiet street just a short walk from Ueno Station and park, with its many attractions.
TOKYO, Wednesday 5/31
We wandered through Yanesen, a traditional neighborhood sometimes described as a hidden gem, and began our end-of-trip shopping on mid-century Yanaka Ginza.
Lunch was at Inshotei, a lovely traditional restaurant in the heart of Ueno Park, booked online before our trip. 3.59 on Tabelog.
TOKYO, Thursday 6/1
Tuna! We initially took a pass on the early morning auction, discouraged by reviews on this sub and elsewhere that dismiss the relatively new Toyosu auction site as vastly inferior to the former one at Tsukiji market. But an old Japan hand persuaded us to give it a try. We're extremely happy we did. We were lucky enough to get tickets to the open-air observation platform and the experience became a trip highlight.
Up and out by cab before 4:30 a.m., we had about half an hour to watch and hear the action directly below us. It may not be Tsukiji, but it's the only Tokyo tuna auction you've got. I say go, especially if you can snag open-air gallery passes.
KAMAKURA, Friday 6/2
There weren't a lot of great choices for lodging in the coastal town of Kamakura (a day trip for Tokyo residents). We needed a quick getaway to Haneda Airport on Monday morning, and Hotel Metropolitan Kamakura, a JR East property, fit the bill. It was pricey ($292 per night with meals) but our room was spacious, even luxurious by Japanese standards, and smack in the middle of the action.
KAMAKURA, Saturday 6/3
I wondered, before leaving home, if we'd get templed-out, like other travelers do. It never happened, though torrential rainfall, spun from the remnants of Typhoon Mawar, tested us at the end. On the plus side, we had the Great Buddha and Hachimangu Shrine completely to ourselves; the downside was soaked clothing and shoes that would take time to dry out (fortunately, we brought extra pairs, and our collapsible umbrellas did the best they could).
By afternoon, the skies cleared and hundreds of surfers rushed to ride the storm-generated surf. We caught the action from the sands of Yuigahama Beach.
KAMAKURA, Sunday 6/4
Early, before other tourists arrived, we checked out Engakuji temple, but were helpless in the face of Sunday crowds at Meigetsuin temple, better known as Hydrangea Temple. The blossoms were exploding after the rain but visitors clogged the pathways. We fled to Kenchoji, totally empty by comparison, and had a final, restorative Zen moment in the peaceful garden behind the main hall.
Last stop of the tour, after one more omakase sushi dinner, was sunset at Inamuragasaki Park. We never expected what we found: a spectacular view of Fuji, the entire mountain outlined against a multi-colored sky, with pounding waves and a few hardcore surfers in the foreground.
It was a concluding surprise in a trip filled with them, a journey that greatly exceeded expectations. Four weeks turned out to be just about right for a couple of geezers. But it left lots of stuff on the cutting room floor, like Nagasaki, which I still want to see, and much more. Next time, maybe.
submitted by Timely-Elk8291 to JapanTravel [link] [comments]
This is the last of three reports from our recent four-week journey, covering ten nights in Tokyo, one in Nikko and three in Kamakura.
HIGHLIGHTS
Tokyo--Nippon Professional Baseball at Tokyo Dome; May Grand Sumo tournament, Hamarikyu garden; Tuna auction
Nikko--Toshugo shrine
Kamakura--Sunset spectacle at a seaside park
TOKYO, Monday 5/22
For this 7-night leg, we chose Park Hotel Tokyo (the top floors of the Shiodome Media Tower; $208/night with breakfast). The lobby is on the 25th floor, requiring separate elevator rides to reach your room. Access to subways is a mixed bag (Shiodome Station is next door; more useful Shimbashi is a longer walk). There were far more Americans than our other hotels, and the ample breakfast buffet wasn't as fabulous, either (an admittedly high bar). On the other hand, the area teems with great, affordable places to eat. Our room had something we'd never experienced: a fog-free bathroom mirror (the new must-have!). And when we opened the curtains of our 28th floor room in the morning, there was Fuji in all her glory, an unforgettable vista. What more could you want?
TOKYO, Tuesday 5/23
Our first stop on a drizzly day was the Imperial Palace grounds, last of our highly recommended Imperial Household Agency tours. The adjacent East Garden, open to all, is worth seeing, too.
After lunch, we checked out the nearby National Museum of Modern Art. Kudos to management for allowing photography. The highlights room on the top floor is a great survey, and if you're short on time you could skip the rest, unless a special exhibition piques your interest.
We caught a fantastic show about Tokugawa Ieyasu at the private Mitsui Memorial Museum--the best single exhibition we saw. Unfortunately, it closes tomorrow, June 11; but that's a place you might keep an eye on.
TOKYO, Wednesday 5/24
We visited Senso-ji first thing. We liked it so much we went back a few nights later to see it lit up. Either way, it's a must.
Lunch was at Onigiri Asakusa Yadoroku, a welcoming place that's been dishing up made-to-order onigiri for almost 70 years. It's a Bib Gourmand. Show up just before 11 am to avoid a wait; otherwise, you'll be given a time to return for a seat.
We went to Tokyo Dome to catch a Yomiuri Giants game, stopping off first at the adjacent, very worthwhile, landscape garden, Koishikawa Korakuen (geezers over 65 half-price!). The game itself was a trip, much like an American football game, with non-stop chants by fans and on-field cheerleaders between innings. Our lower-deck seats, bought in advance from the team's website, cost under $35 each.
TOKYO, Thursday 5/25
Like other great cities, like New York or Paris, Tokyo is made for strolling. On this day, we were flaneurs, with stops along Omotesando, the tree-shaded fashion avenue that calls itself Harajuku Champs-Elysees, and hip Cat Street nearby. The area wakes up slowly, so consider a visit at midday or later.
Lunch was a pure pig-out (pun intended) at Tonkatsu Nanaido. Can't recommend it highly enough; the wait was a tolerable 30 minutes (dinner reservations possible). Try to ignore the health implications of tender pork, fried (extremely lightly) in pure lard. Pure heaven.
TOKYO, Friday 5/26
Meiji Shrine and garden got us going in the morning, and the Meiji Jingu Museum was well worth a stop.
We were somewhat ambivalent about sumo but bought advance tickets to the big May tournament because, well, when might we ever see sumo in person again? It turned out to be the surprise hit of the trip: a spectacle with deep historic roots, more engaging and suspenseful than we imagined. Advance online tickets are gettable; no middleman required.
TOKYO, Saturday 5/27
The Tokyo National Museum lives up to its reputation as the best in the country (at least the best we saw). We made repeated visits and still didn't see it all. And it's free for those of us over 70. One of our favorite items: a 1,500-year-old ceramic sculpture of sumo wrestlers and a judge. The museum's enlightened view toward photography means we'll always have our pictures to remind us of what we saw.
TOKYO, Sunday 5/28
We spent a relaxed Sunday morning at verdant Hamarikyu Gardens, a park that borders Tokyo Bay. The former playground of feudal shoguns is an urban oasis of water features and classic landscape design. You can happily spend a couple hours strolling its paths.
In the afternoon, we checked out Ginza's main drag, closed to vehicle traffic. We wish, though, that we'd known that Akihabara's Chuo-dori is also pedestrianized on Sunday afternoons.
NIKKO, Monday 5/29
We cabbed it to Asakusa Station and caught the Tobu Kegon express to Nikko. Light rain didn't stop us --or hundreds of other umbrella toters--from visiting glorious Toshugo Shrine. Far better, though, was our visit the next day. At 8:30 a.m., the shrine was essentially deserted; crowds started arriving at 9:30. That quiet morning hour was reason enough to have spent the night in Nikko. It also kept us ahead of the crowds at Rinnoji Temple and nearby Taiyuin and Futarasan Shrine, all well worth visiting.
Nikko Station Hotel Classic ($270, including excellent meals) was the most old-school place we stayed (They still put top sheets on the beds). Masking is requested, and at breakfast, guests are asked to don plastic gloves before going through the buffet line. The onsen in the basement was absolutely first-rate, as was our meticulously prepared tofu kaiseki dinner at the hotel restaurant.
TOKYO, Tuesday 5/30
For our third and final Tokyo stop, we chose the Ueno area and weren't disappointed. The well-run and sophisticated Nohga Hotel Ueno Tokyo ($217/night, including breakfast) is on a quiet street just a short walk from Ueno Station and park, with its many attractions.
TOKYO, Wednesday 5/31
We wandered through Yanesen, a traditional neighborhood sometimes described as a hidden gem, and began our end-of-trip shopping on mid-century Yanaka Ginza.
Lunch was at Inshotei, a lovely traditional restaurant in the heart of Ueno Park, booked online before our trip. 3.59 on Tabelog.
TOKYO, Thursday 6/1
Tuna! We initially took a pass on the early morning auction, discouraged by reviews on this sub and elsewhere that dismiss the relatively new Toyosu auction site as vastly inferior to the former one at Tsukiji market. But an old Japan hand persuaded us to give it a try. We're extremely happy we did. We were lucky enough to get tickets to the open-air observation platform and the experience became a trip highlight.
Up and out by cab before 4:30 a.m., we had about half an hour to watch and hear the action directly below us. It may not be Tsukiji, but it's the only Tokyo tuna auction you've got. I say go, especially if you can snag open-air gallery passes.
KAMAKURA, Friday 6/2
There weren't a lot of great choices for lodging in the coastal town of Kamakura (a day trip for Tokyo residents). We needed a quick getaway to Haneda Airport on Monday morning, and Hotel Metropolitan Kamakura, a JR East property, fit the bill. It was pricey ($292 per night with meals) but our room was spacious, even luxurious by Japanese standards, and smack in the middle of the action.
KAMAKURA, Saturday 6/3
I wondered, before leaving home, if we'd get templed-out, like other travelers do. It never happened, though torrential rainfall, spun from the remnants of Typhoon Mawar, tested us at the end. On the plus side, we had the Great Buddha and Hachimangu Shrine completely to ourselves; the downside was soaked clothing and shoes that would take time to dry out (fortunately, we brought extra pairs, and our collapsible umbrellas did the best they could).
By afternoon, the skies cleared and hundreds of surfers rushed to ride the storm-generated surf. We caught the action from the sands of Yuigahama Beach.
KAMAKURA, Sunday 6/4
Early, before other tourists arrived, we checked out Engakuji temple, but were helpless in the face of Sunday crowds at Meigetsuin temple, better known as Hydrangea Temple. The blossoms were exploding after the rain but visitors clogged the pathways. We fled to Kenchoji, totally empty by comparison, and had a final, restorative Zen moment in the peaceful garden behind the main hall.
Last stop of the tour, after one more omakase sushi dinner, was sunset at Inamuragasaki Park. We never expected what we found: a spectacular view of Fuji, the entire mountain outlined against a multi-colored sky, with pounding waves and a few hardcore surfers in the foreground.
It was a concluding surprise in a trip filled with them, a journey that greatly exceeded expectations. Four weeks turned out to be just about right for a couple of geezers. But it left lots of stuff on the cutting room floor, like Nagasaki, which I still want to see, and much more. Next time, maybe.
2023.06.10 15:46 Independent-Fact-418 What are guys supposed to do to improve their situation realistically?
Modern dating and finding a relationship is frustrating for many guys, I think that much is obvious.
There is an argument that this is an online-phenomenon and that if you go out IRL you see plenty of people coupled up. I think this is misleading and does not tell the whole story. You are looking at surface level and not seeing the whole picture. They guy in the couple likely had a much longer and harder time dating in most cases.
There is also that recent study which predicts that by 2030, 45% of women will be single and much of it voluntary because they are not happy with the choices in single men. We could make the argument that this is a direct result of our culture's war on boys and masculinity with newer generations adopting this mindset and becoming more feminine and hence less attractive to women. It's like the recent post about the Tik Tok video with the liberal women lamenting their are no more masculine men who are not conservative. Feminism and liberal society created this situation and now they wonder why there aren't enough men they are attracted to.
So the study said that by 2030, 45% percent of women will be single, often by choice. I don't think most men signed up for that or want that but the simple fact is there will be less available women and the situation will continue to deteriorate. So, they try to look for solutions to improve their odds.
It seems that no matter what they do to improve their situation, it is met with criticism from women or the blue pilled.
I understand the criticism against red pill because much of it is toxic but it also teaches men to become better versions of themselves and it doesn't gaslight them into thinking women should be worshipped and that women prefer feminine men. It has a very realistic, practical and evidence based approach that often goes too far and ends up being manipulative and looks down on women. It's an imperfect solution without any discernible alternatives. You have to be willing to take from it what you think can help and avoid what is toxic.
Other guys become attracted to the notion of the Passport Bros and finding women overseas from older cultures who appreciate and are attracted to them as they are. Think about that recent study and how by 2030, 45% of women will be single and probably voluntarily so. The only logical solution if you want to find someone is to look elsewhere. Yet these men are ridiculed as losers who can't attract western women (when that has become nearly impossible) or they are seen as taking advantage of people in poorer countries.
Some guys chase younger women and age gap relationships and they are ridiculed as creeps and losers who should date their own age. Yet many older women who are single are single for a reason and they can be jaded, have lots of baggage, kids from other relationships and less joy for life that a young woman has. That's to say nothing of the fact that if you want children, the best option is a younger mother.
Some guys check out and decide the juice isn't worth the squeeze so they do their own thing. They spend time with their friends, hobbies, travel, etc. Unlike women who are voluntarily single who are called empowered for doing this, they are called losers who won't step up and put themselves out there.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the reason why men are met with resistance for trying to improve their situation is that it upsets the apple cart!
Women and I suppose the bluepilled, have a rather vested interest in things staying the same as they are because things are overwhelmingly in their favor. So any attempt at change from men is met with shaming language and resistance while not offering any solutions themselves other than to gaslight and pretend there is no problem.
submitted by Independent-Fact-418 to PurplePillDebate [link] [comments]
There is an argument that this is an online-phenomenon and that if you go out IRL you see plenty of people coupled up. I think this is misleading and does not tell the whole story. You are looking at surface level and not seeing the whole picture. They guy in the couple likely had a much longer and harder time dating in most cases.
There is also that recent study which predicts that by 2030, 45% of women will be single and much of it voluntary because they are not happy with the choices in single men. We could make the argument that this is a direct result of our culture's war on boys and masculinity with newer generations adopting this mindset and becoming more feminine and hence less attractive to women. It's like the recent post about the Tik Tok video with the liberal women lamenting their are no more masculine men who are not conservative. Feminism and liberal society created this situation and now they wonder why there aren't enough men they are attracted to.
So the study said that by 2030, 45% percent of women will be single, often by choice. I don't think most men signed up for that or want that but the simple fact is there will be less available women and the situation will continue to deteriorate. So, they try to look for solutions to improve their odds.
It seems that no matter what they do to improve their situation, it is met with criticism from women or the blue pilled.
I understand the criticism against red pill because much of it is toxic but it also teaches men to become better versions of themselves and it doesn't gaslight them into thinking women should be worshipped and that women prefer feminine men. It has a very realistic, practical and evidence based approach that often goes too far and ends up being manipulative and looks down on women. It's an imperfect solution without any discernible alternatives. You have to be willing to take from it what you think can help and avoid what is toxic.
Other guys become attracted to the notion of the Passport Bros and finding women overseas from older cultures who appreciate and are attracted to them as they are. Think about that recent study and how by 2030, 45% of women will be single and probably voluntarily so. The only logical solution if you want to find someone is to look elsewhere. Yet these men are ridiculed as losers who can't attract western women (when that has become nearly impossible) or they are seen as taking advantage of people in poorer countries.
Some guys chase younger women and age gap relationships and they are ridiculed as creeps and losers who should date their own age. Yet many older women who are single are single for a reason and they can be jaded, have lots of baggage, kids from other relationships and less joy for life that a young woman has. That's to say nothing of the fact that if you want children, the best option is a younger mother.
Some guys check out and decide the juice isn't worth the squeeze so they do their own thing. They spend time with their friends, hobbies, travel, etc. Unlike women who are voluntarily single who are called empowered for doing this, they are called losers who won't step up and put themselves out there.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the reason why men are met with resistance for trying to improve their situation is that it upsets the apple cart!
Women and I suppose the bluepilled, have a rather vested interest in things staying the same as they are because things are overwhelmingly in their favor. So any attempt at change from men is met with shaming language and resistance while not offering any solutions themselves other than to gaslight and pretend there is no problem.
2023.06.10 15:44 Famas_1234 The final update is here. Then, Let's make a verdict: are you satisfied with Sunbreak?
Intro
After base Rise which released on March 2021 on Switch and early 2022 on PC, Sunbreak was released in late June 2022 with new direction. The director is different, with inclusion of Frontier stuffs added in the game. This adds more variety of content with new features. Sunbreak is the game with most modern platforms present, ranging from PC (or Gamepass), portable consoles (Switch), and home consoles (Xbox Series, PS4/5).Retrospective: are you satisfied with MHRise?
At last, the final version has come on 8 June 2023 which is the version 16. That means it marks almost a year of title updates (TUs) which has 5 TUs + 1 bonus update. With that, various additions and improvements are added until the latest version. Several monsters -- new and returning -- are added, menu improvements, extensive post-game content, and more.
Of course, any game has their own pluses and minuses which is up to you to interpret. With that, I want to make evaluation and verdict about Sunbreak for you to have some thoughts and opinions for this expansion.
For categories, I divide the category into:
- Gameplay: weapon/buddy/follower combat design, equipment and skill design, quest design, level design, monster combat design
- Presentation: visual design, animation, audio design, soundtrack, story, and cutscenes
- Experience: user experience, controls, accessibility, performance, multiplayer
- Support: title updates, improvements
- Endgame: post-game content, grinding
1. Gameplay
Self explanatory. You play the game, right?...right?1a. Weapon combat design
Sunbreak introduced new switch skills and new feature: switch skill swap. The swap changes switch skills in two loadouts: red scroll and blue scroll. With this, players can switch their playstyle around switch skills. Moreover, new switch skills introduced make the combat flashier and more customizable than before. Other than that, these weapons get balance updates even prior title updates. Some playstyles get more balance changes so that the gameplay feels balanced than before.
- Which weapon do you main? Are you having fun with these new features?
- Which weapon gets the most/least benefits for these new skills?
- Which weapon is the most/least improved, balance wise?
- Which weapon convinces you to try more after getting these new features?
- What do you want to see more about these skills? Do you think these added skills will be implemented for the future games? (example: moves from switch skills will replace the some of the core movesets permanently for next game)
Buddies, such as Palico and Palamute, got new equipment and skills. This means they can now contribute more than before. More tools and gadgets added for expanding the game.
- What do you think about their new tools and abilities? Are they significant enough towards combat gameplay which makes you depend on them?
- Do you think those buddy skills will be implemented for the future?
- Should this buddy system be implemented for the future?
- Who's your favorite follower?
- Do you think followers should contribute more?
- Do you think followers should be implemented for next game?
- Which new endemic life do you think has the most/least benefit?
- Should this endemic life system be implemented for next game?
This is where it goes spicy. Equipment is the most crucial, meta-defining feature in the game.
For weapons, the stats are varied than before with additional trees. The ramp-up skills for weapons in Rise are changed into a decoration, called rampage decorations. This allows weapons to use rampage and one-off skills.
- Stat wise, do you think the weapons are balanced enough? What are the best/worst weapon trees?
- What do you think about the change from ramp-up skills into rampage decoration? Does it ease the customization more?
- Most/least favorite rampage skill to use?
- Do you think these lineup of armor skills are good or better than before?
- Most/least favorite armor skill to use?
- Most/least impactful armor skill so far?
- How is the balance of armor skills, whether it's for the stats or decoration level? Is is balanced enough?
1d. Quest and level design
For quests, the design remains the same, except now we got follower quests. These quests are specifically designed to delve more into certain followers. Other than that The quest design is improved for story purposes, meaning that we can understand more the story.
- What do you think about quest design that integrates more to a story?
- Some quests are presented once (example: afflicted Lunagaron story), meaning the set piece cannot be replayed again. What do you think about this decision?
- What do you think about follower quests and its progression? Does the reward worth the content?
- What do you think about those maps so far?
- Should they recreate more old maps?
- What should be the ideal size for a map? Horizontal vs vertical design?
- What do you think about heavy artillery in Sunbreak, since they are shown a bit limited? Should they implement them more?
- On heavy artillery, how would you design a level/quest/area with focus on that?
- Are the arenas good enough to play?
With introduction of Master Rank, monsters are getting harder with some movesets added and/or changed. New moves are trending at chip damage, multiple hits, or big hits. Some are faster to counter player counterattacks, aerials, blocking, and more. With this, it creates more challenge to hunt with these pace
- What do you think about the trends of monster combat design?
- Do you think these trends should exist in future game?
- Which monster is most/least improved from High Rank to Master Rank?
- Which Sunbreak monster is good enough for a combat? Is that also your favorite monster to fight against?
- Which monster feels the most faiunfair, even for the new ones?
- What do you think about wyvern riding moveset for new monsters?
- Which new monster is the most fun for wyvern riding?
- With endemic buffs like ruby/gold wirebug, which one do you prefer?
2. Presentation
Presentation is where players can experience the art direction of the game, including the visual and audio identity of the game2a. Visual design
After the eastern or let's say Japanese centric visual direction on base Rise, Sunbreak goes into rather "European" direction (at least east Europe centric?). We can see medieval style with some of the equipment, character design, and even monster designs. However, this feels different compared to western style used in old school MH (talk about MH1 and MH2). Those gens were truly darker in theming, but now it's vibrant, which can be a balance to old approach blended with fantasy feel
- What do you think about the shift of visual direction from Rise to Sunbreak?
- What do you think about the character, NPC, and equipment designs?
- What do you think about environmental designs especially the village and the areas?
- What do you think about monster designs in general?
- What do you think about these graphical update for returning contents such as monsters and areas? Does it still have the same charm as source material?
The animation is something MH doesn't miss for this kind of content. We can see the facial expressions during cutscenes (later discussed in 2e), new moves, better implemented animations on equipment design, monsters' animation, NPCs, and more. Moreover, some of these animations are motion captured, meaning that it can match realistic movement with creative freedom. While in final product feels faster, it's still realistic due to the capture
- What do you think about general animation design here?
- What would you like to see the animations forward?
Another thing about these cool arts are audios. Playing with sounds with choice of output options such as speakers/headphones/soundbars makes varying experiences. Besides that, audio designs for the game are getting more oomph, such as explosion sounds with enhanced bass and middles.
- First of all, what kind of audio output you usually play on? What do you hear, feel, and think about audio design on the game? Which audio preference do you choose in the options settings?
- What do you think about audio design in Sunbreak? What makes it different than Rise?
- Are there standouts for great audio design in Sunbreak (not limited to sound effects)?
Audios are something to hear, including the soundtrack (OST if you like abbreviations). OST direction in Rise were inspired with Japanese instruments, something that was mostly presented in MHP3rd. It added vocal choirs for each areas and monsters. In Sunbreak, the direction is different. There are more emphasis on classic instruments with fewer choir segments. As a tradeoff, the horns section is more frequent than before. That's no exception with returning OSTs such as Jungle music and monsters like Astalos, Seregios, Magalas, and more. They even invited the original composer to rearrange said monsters to give a faithful feel.
To give reference, Sunbreak OST directory is here. Also, I created the MH composer list
- What do you hear, feel, and think about the Sunbreak OSTs in general? What do you like from them? What are your favorite track(s)?
- What do you think about original composer rearranging some returning OSTs? Do you feel something different? Is it necessary to do?
- What kind of soundtrack direction do you want forward?
Story in MH is arguably not the kind of priority, mostly for the lores and stuffs. However, for Rise series, they are more emphasized, direct, and personal. This direction continues in Sunbreak, enhancing what's missing from Rise (minus Rampages). Characters are more expressive, including side characters who gives somewhat more important backstory. And of course, there are more character content. First, the follower quests which makes more character story. That also supported by their social media team who gives more further information about character story. Moreover, if you see the characters, their names are more personal and given rather than by title. For example: the name's Galleus vs Admiral
Cutscene design is no exception. While they are basically have focused direction as Rise, The experience is still good. You can feel the overall tension of the story.
- What do you think about the story so far? Does is more direct and "in your face" compared to older games?
- What story aspect that stands out for you, and what aspect that can be improved?
- How's the cutscene so far?
- What do you think about names which is now personal than being a title in previous games?
- Do you think they should emphasize more into the story in the future?
3. Experience
Experience is how players experience the game, such as how to access the game, how does it control and perform, and the multiplayer experience3a. Overall user interface and user experience
With UI and UX improvements, such as loadouts, equipment & talisman navigation, quest navigation, etc., the overall experience is improved from what's inside Rise. That applies in Rise version especially UX updates.
- What is the most improved aspect of the UI and UX in this game?
- How was the experience when you entered Sunbreak the first time? Did it overwhelm you?
- Is the tutorial popup helpful or at least improved, judging from the timing and how it's described in the game?
- What kind of UI and UX you want to see in the future?
Menu is the most vital part of MH, giving people information about what's up. In hunter's notes, unlike previous games, they've shown actual numbers and meters to inform the values. This is huge in meta aspect, making the fight easier to analyze such as hitzone values, weakness thresholds, and more. Another thing is the armor skill descriptions. There are some consistencies need to be desired such as when to show the numbers in description or not. For example: damage +10 vs (further) increases damage.
- What do you think about these menu information? Does it inform you enough, or do you want it more?
- Do you think they need to make descriptions more concise or verbose, or should they release more numbers in description?
In combat section, with introduction of switch skill swap, the controls become more complex. At least they have shown the UI for indicator, which is still a good thing. For PC, there are control improvements, even though there are some unfamiliarities transitioning from controller to keyboard and vice versa
- What do you play with? Does it play responsively?
- Optional: do you make the transition from one control to another? (example: controller to KbM)
- Switch users: do you feel different controlling in portable/docked mode?
- Does this game need full button remaps or at least button presets?
This has slightly different question than audio design in section 2. There are extensive audio controls in this game, including 3D audio. With this option, players can listen the direction of the sound
- How's the audio engineering? Is it well mixed?
- How's the 3D audio so far? Any differences compared to basic version?
Title, so I straight up ask
- For PC, optional: specify the main PC specs such as CPU, GPU, storage, RAM, VRAM. How does it perform in your PC? What are the most intensive performance so far? How's the driver update treat the performance? Is there a bottleneck so far?
- frame rate: 30, 60, 120, or unlimited fps?
- How's the booting time? Does it concern you?
- For home console: specify the console used. How's the performance so far?
- For switch: how's the performance on portable and docked mode? Are there changes on optimizations?
- In terms of graphics, where are the most beautiful scenes? (excluding cutscenes)
Multiplayer is one of the key features to experience in MH. Because of it, this time I put them in experience section. Although the experience is basically the same in Rise, there can be improvements, maybe a bit subtle, so I'll ask again
- How's the general experience of multiplayer in Sunbreak? Are there improvements compared to Rise?
- Do you think this is a good multiplayer quest design so far? Is there something that needs to be improved?
- What should be the better multiplayer system for MH? (doesn't need to be retrospective)
4. Support
4a. Title updatesTitle Update (TU) is the most vital part of the game given how to make the game long lasting until now. TUs come with bunch of stuffs, including but not limited to monsters, gimmick weapons, additional weapon balances, followers able to participate anomaly quests, new craftable decos, and more. In fact, besides updates, we get more QoL features and improvements based on the feedback to make more convenience.
- What's your opinion about the overall TU lineup for Sunbreak?
- Which TU feels significant content wise? Also, which TU is your favorite?
- What do you think about how they treated weapon balance prior updates?
- Is the QoL across the updates enough, mainly for UI and UX aspects, or is there something that needs to be addressed more?
- Does the performance stable enough to handle TUs?
- Does the TU make grinding easier over time?
Event quests are operated independent against TUs. As the name suggests, let's jump straight to questions:
- Do you like that the updates are independent against TUs?
- Downloadable quests vs scheduled event quests?
- Are you satisfied about the rewards after completing even quests??
5. Endgame
5a. Anomaly quests, monsters, and grindingAfter the final boss, there are anomaly quests that elevates the difficulty from the base version. Majority of monsters get afflicted with qurio parts to break with indications if some parts are broken, the player(s) passes the damage check which topples monster. Otherwise, monster unleashes large and stunning AoE damage which is kind of dangerous. Some may say it's akin to MHGen hyper monsters which has hyper parts needed to hit to increase hunter arts gauge. The rewards? You get afflicted materials.
However, anomaly quests and the rewards are not enough. They introduce anomaly investigations. This may be similar to MH4U endgame quest (disclaimer: I don't play MH4U). Anomaly investigation has the level system that needs to be increased to get better rewards with a increased difficulty. These rewards
- What do you think about anomaly quest design, and what about the rewards?
- What do you think about anomaly investigation design, and what about the rewards? Does the rewards worth the time to grind?
- In case of investigation. What is your usual time to beat the quest? How exhausting is the progress by grinding more? What do you think about its increased difficulty and the damage?
- What do you think about afflicted monsters gameplay? Is it well designed for its stats, mechanics and moveset?
- Favorite afflicted monster to fight?
- Which monster is the best/worst for anomaly quests?
- What do you think about risen elder dragon so far, whether for its difficulty, moveset, time to complete, etc?
- What's your usual completion time for risen quests? Does the reward worth the grind?
- By completing these anomaly quests with some level requirement, you can unlock a new decoration and craft it from those quest rewards. Therefore, there are variety of decorations as opposed to Rise. Is this system good enough to be implemented
As the reward for completing anomaly quests, you get items for augmenting equipment a bit further, particularly afflicted essences. Qurious armor takes the augmenting further, adding or trading skills so that the augmentations can be mixed.
- Whats your opinion about qurious crafting in general?
- How grindy is this in comparison to previous games' grindy sections (like MHW deco grind and others)?
- In terms of augmentation, do you like the fact you can have a tradeoff involving defense, slots, and skills?
- Do you think this augmentation is better implemented for next game? Or are there other suggestions for armor augments?
- Bonus: do you play without qurious armors this whole time? Because I do
Back in Rise, you can ramp up the weapons with rampage skills. Since Sunbreak, these upgrades are replaced by qurious weapon crafting. This features stat increases such as raw/elemental attack, sharpness and slot upgrade, and other upgrades like shell types. What makes them different compared to qurious armor crafting is this one's requirement is fixed and can minmax freely after you unlock what's desired. This system doesn't reward randomly like in armor. However, with this characteristics, the grind is real that you need to reach some of highest level of anomaly investigation
- What's your opinion on qurious weapon crafting in general?
- Do you think this kind of augmentation can be implemented for later games?
Hazard quests was introduced in late title updates. Currently, these quest is implemented for all monsters after accomplishing anomaly investigation level 300, event quests, or even hub quests. These quests introduces modified movesets for monsters and also increase their health. In practice, the rewards are title badges and more.
- What do you think about hazard quests so far? How's the difficulty of it?
- Does it worth the accomplishment?
Closing
This is a closing part of the post. MH Rise series has come into the end with Sunbreak final update. We don't know what will happen how for the mainline series goes, but this marks for 2 years of service including planned last event quests at 27 July 2023. I believe there are many community contribution through this series, ranging from fanarts to in depth meta guides.Last but not least, after these evaluations, it's time for the verdict.
The verdict: are you satisfied with Sunbreak?
Thank you---
Resources by OP:
2023.06.10 15:44 SceneNo2570 The way I see it, there are three portrayals of “The Shape” that are perfect. Or at least near perfect.
 | Throughout the runtime of the first film, we believe what Loomis has told us about Michael so far. He’s a human, a human without conscience, without sense of right and wrong, but still human in a physical sense with no reservations about indiscriminate killing. At the end of the film, Michael is shot six times off of a balcony and walks it off. This is when we realize Michael Myers is something else and that Loomis, a man who had spent the last fifteen years analyzing him, was wrong. The audience is left with an unclear answer as to what Michael Myers really is. We can only assume he’s a personification of senseless evil. This gives Myers his mystique and makes the first film the best example of his ambiguity. “Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers” shows us a boogeyman officially transcendent of any and all humanity. He’s a brutal sadist, a force to be reconned with. Arguably his most intimidating and relentless portrayal to date. In “Halloween 2018”, we are given an interpretation of Michael Myers with the same level of childlike curiosity as the first movie. He is playful, intelligent, agile, and creative. During the film he carves a human head like a Jack-o’-lantern and goes house to house executing various innocent people for his own enjoyment. He’s a damned relentless soul and a single minded killing machine. submitted by SceneNo2570 to Halloweenmovies [link] [comments] |
2023.06.10 15:34 Hanzoisbad Beyond Meat (BYND) DCF Analysis
INTRODUCTION:
BYND is a company that produces plant-based meat. It’s currently at its growth period having their IPO very recently in 2019. These couple years have been rough for BYND as it burns through cash to establish market share, faces negative net income and multiple health scares. Management’s plans for success are Price Parity with Animal protein, Enhancing Taste, Aroma and Texture to taste like Animal protein, Education on Misinformation + Health benefits of BYND and Plans to cut off fats such as Better Inventory management, Layoffs, Increased capital efficiency, Improve their operating expenditure situation.REVENUE:
TOTAL ADDRESSABLE MARKET
I’ve used a top-down approach when building my revenue model. I followed the revenue forecast of the meat industry [Plant based inclusive] (SOURCE)
%STAKE
The %stake of the market held by BYND changes to a small extent to avoid being too optimistic in my forecast. I used historic numbers when forecasting %stake.
COST
The general principle I took for forecasting Cost was following management’s guidance from 2023 Q1, their goal of “Sustainable growth” and focusing more on margins.
COGS
Initially, COGS is going to be lower from reduction in co-packing and overall headcount bringing production more in house.(SOURCE)
But going forward, COGS is going to be lower due to higher economies of scale. (SOURCE) Management has set forth that they plan to achieve price parity with animal protein by 2024, so the largest fall in COGS will appear in the first few years of forecast.
The moment price parity is achieved, I’d guess that it takes 2-3 years for BYND to reach close to the level of margins as the animal protein industry as BYND needs to sort out other issues e.g., how to more efficiently ship higher volume, Agriculture has ops. margins of 7.84% (SOURCE).
ADVERTISING
Advertising is going to slightly increase in the first few years of forecast. Management has stated that there is a lot of disinformation in the market and consumers are relatively unaware of the health benefits of BYND (SOURCE). So, management will scale up advertising efforts. Opting for less granularity I assume that advertising will remain the same as 2022.
SHIPPING
Opting for less granularity when forecasting Shipping, the cost of Shipping is constant for the past few years so Shipping is assumed to follow historic trends.
During the high growth period, BYND may be not ready to deal with larger volume of sales so I’d assume that cost of shipping slightly ticks upwards for the next 2-3 years before tending back down.
OVERALL
Margins of BYND will be higher than Animal protein due to cheaper production cost (SOURCE), e.g. Pea protein costs $5/kg whereas Animal protein costs $300/kg
NON-CASH ADJUSTMENT:
D&A and CapEX
Management has given out guidance that they want to get more capital efficient, so for the first few years of forecast I’d assume that BYND has net negative or close to net negative CapEX for the first few years. Onwards, as BYND develops better products and gets more widely recognized they will begin priming their net reinvestment for growth before tapering down for maturity.
Change in NWC
Management has given guidance that their inventory levels are quite high and they are planning on selling off, I’d assume that the first few years they are aggressively selling off inventory. But in the long run, they will have positive change in NWC as I believe they may require to hold some stock.
WACC:
COST OF EQUITY
RFR (1M Average) = 3.53%
4105.02 = [4.58% x 4105.02] x (1+5%) / (1+R) + ([4.58% x 4105.02] x (1+5%)) x (1+3.417%) / R - 3.417% / (1+R) ^2
R = 8.635%
ERP = 5.105%
Beta = 2.00 (SOURCE)
COE = 13.74%
COST OF DEBT
BYND has no credit rating, negative EBIT so no interest coverage ratio and no outstanding bond with a market YTM. So, the best proxy to use is book yield.
Interest expense = 3.966M
Total Interest-bearing Liability = 60.359M
COD = 6.57%
WEIGHTAGE
BYND has 1 billion worth of convertible bonds at conversion price of $206 per share, so it’s OTM.
Total liability = 1093.05M
Share price (1M Average) = $10.185
Shares O/S = 64094.52M
Market Value Equity = 737727.91M
%Equity = 99.8%
%Liability = 0.02%
Marginal Tax Rate = 21%
WACC = 13.71%
EFFICIENT WACC
The elevated WACC that BYND faces is only because it is a new company with an unproven business model and not yet enjoying the full extent of economies of scale. So, I’ve looked at the averages for the agriculture industry and assumed that BYND will tend towards these numbers as the business gets more efficient, COD remains constant.
Average Unlevered Beta = 0.91
Average D/E ratio = 33.87%
Average Levered Beta = 1.15
Average COE = 9.40%
Average WACC = 8.33%
R&D:
R&D
Historical data has to be reconciled as management treats R&D expenditure as an operating cost. This is inaccurate as R&D provides value for more than a year, so it should be capitalized. Assume R&D expenditure counted from 2017 onwards and it takes 6 years to develop a product. (SOURCE)
CONCLUSION:
I value BYND at $17.10 for my base case. BYND has a hidden pocket of value that most investors do not consider, their NOL carryforward. Even when we take a conservative view and only consider those that do not expire. Their NOL carryforward is still 738M. I believe that as countries turn to be more environmentally conscious BYND will be the first in line to profit. Even if environmental concern is out of the picture, plant protein has a huge potential to be significantly cheaper and even healthier than animal protein. The less privileged will be able to benefit from this, not having to pick between health and hunger.
DCF (BASE) : [SOURCE]
DCF (WORST) : [SOURCE]
DCF (BEST) : [SOURCE]
Revenue Model : [SOURCE]
Cost Model : [SOURCE]
QUESTIONS & POTENTIAL ERRORS:
1) How can BYND penetrate into Asia if most products are Westernized e.g., Burger patty?
2) BYND may not be able to achieve EOS as “The common plants used for protein in alternative meats, such as peas, are only being produced in a few countries” (SOURCE)
3) Given that I used book yield as a last resort, it may not necessarily give the most accurate representation for Cost of Debt.
4) Management may or may not tend towards the efficient wacc I’ve defined in my DCF for reasons such as they may not be able to cheaply do it or may not see a need to do so in general.