Latest Episode S08 Ep 01 Rotary-Wing Aviation in LSCO w/LTC Blanton & LTC Fuscellero
Past Episodes S01 Ep 01 What is JRTC & The Evolution of Training w/BG David Gardner S02 Ep 01 Meet Task Force Thunderbolt, 79th IBCT (CA ARNG) w/COL Lau S02 Ep 02 Meet the Devil Brigade (1/82 ABN) w/COL Kleisner S11 Ep 01 Meet the Army’s Premier OPFOR & Common Myths of Geronimo w/LTC Fitzgerald
Podcast: https://thecrucible-thejrtcexperience.podbean.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCrucible-TheJRTCExperience
Understanding the podcasts under 'The Crucible' umbrella S01) The Leader's Laboratory -Where leaders discuss some of the lessons learned from their experience at JRTC.
S02) If I would have only known - Candid conversations with leaders -Where leaders at all echelons discuss some of the things they would have liked to have known or prepared for prior to their rotation.
S03) Lightfighter Lessons -Focused on infantry tactics w/ special emphasis on light, airborne, & air assault formations.
S04) Scout Out -Devoted to the cavalry squadrons out there.
S05) Beans, Bullets, Band-Aids, Batteries, Water, & Fuel -All the things that sustain & maintain the fight.
S06) Sappers Up...Into the Breach -Those combat engineer elements that facilitate the mobility & survivability of the force.
S07) Joint Fires Discussions -Fire support across air, land, maritime, space, and cyber domains.
S08) Aviator's Corner -All things rotary & fixed-wing aviation as well as unmanned aerial systems.4
S09) Got Comms? -Communications across all the various spectrums.
S10) Out-thinking the Enemy -The full gambit that is military intelligence.
S11) Conversations with the Enemy -How the OPFOR prepares for fighting US units using opposition tactics.
S12) The JIIMs of JRTC: Working with our Unified Action Partners -How the Army prepares for the joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational environment.

JRTC #army #podcast #armyofficer

Latest Episode S08 Ep 01 Rotary-Wing Aviation in LSCO w/LTC Blanton & LTC Fuscellero
Past Episodes S01 Ep 01 What is JRTC & The Evolution of Training w/BG David Gardner
S02 Ep 01 Meet Task Force Thunderbolt, 79th IBCT (CA ARNG) w/COL Lau
S02 Ep 02 Meet the Devil Brigade (1/82 ABN) w/COL Kleisner
S11 Ep 01 Meet the Army’s Premier OPFOR & Common Myths of Geronimo w/LTC Fitzgerald
Podcast: https://thecrucible-thejrtcexperience.podbean.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCrucible-TheJRTCExperience
Understanding the podcasts under 'The Crucible' umbrella S01) The Leader's Laboratory -Where leaders discuss some of the lessons learned from their experience at JRTC.
S02) If I would have only known - Candid conversations with leaders -Where leaders at all echelons discuss some of the things they would have liked to have known or prepared for prior to their rotation.
S03) Lightfighter Lessons -Focused on infantry tactics w/ special emphasis on light, airborne, & air assault formations.
S04) Scout Out -Devoted to the cavalry squadrons out there.
S05) Beans, Bullets, Band-Aids, Batteries, Water, & Fuel -All the things that sustain & maintain the fight.
S06) Sappers Up...Into the Breach -Those combat engineer elements that facilitate the mobility & survivability of the force.
S07) Joint Fires Discussions -Fire support across air, land, maritime, space, and cyber domains.
S08) Aviator's Corner -All things rotary & fixed-wing aviation as well as unmanned aerial systems.4
S09) Got Comms? -Communications across all the various spectrums.
S10) Out-thinking the Enemy -The full gambit that is military intelligence.
S11) Conversations with the Enemy -How the OPFOR prepares for fighting US units using opposition tactics.
S12) The JIIMs of JRTC: Working with our Unified Action Partners -How the Army prepares for the joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational environment.

JRTC #army #podcast #armyofficer

Addressing Ask Riot: Classic Mode

https://nexus.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/2017/05/ask-riot-classic-mode/
This post was made six years ago by then Design Director Ghostcrawler. He left his position around one year later to work on the Riot MMO, and has since recently left the company altogether.
Ghostcrawler's response essentially came down to "it isn't super easy and probably isn't worth the effort."
To my knowledge, this is the first and last direct information we've ever been given on the subject.

So... is it worth the effort?

Monetarily speaking? Probably. Old League means "fresh" League. Champions, skins, and rune pages would all need to be bought anew (Riot Points). Runes would need to be farmed out once again (IP Boosts). Accounts would need to be releveled to 30 to participate in ranked (XP Boosts). There was no Hextech Crafting to get these items for free, everything you wanted; you bought.
And all of this content already exists. The investment burden is solely on making the old game work on modern tech.

Isn't it just nostalgia and rose-tinted goggles?

In modern gaming community terms? No.
But if we look at the actual definition of nostalgia...

nostalgia: a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.

...yes!
I started playing League during Cassiopeia's release in December 2010/January 2011. I've played through its highs and lows. The game has evolved and, regardless if you feel it is for better or worse, League is largely unrecognizable from what it once was. I do long for past League. I am nostalgic. But I'm not blinded by the past. I had the absolute pleasure of playing my favorite game again somewhat recently.

Chronoshift

https://devtrackers.gg/leagueoflegends/p/6500f79a-announcing-the-chronoshift-project-a-way-to-play-old-versions-of-league-of-legends
Chronoshift was an invite-only League of Legends private server based on patch, if I recall correctly, V1.0.0.126 (Xerath release, towards the end of Season 1). It had a fully functional client and game: Summoner's Rift, Twisted Treeline (original), Proving Grounds (tutorial), champions, runes, masteries, summoner spells... It was simply old League. And it was amazing. That is, until Riot told them that the uh... "Chronobreak" was coming.
Chronoshift was served legal notice by Riot in Summer 2021 and was forced to shutdown. While we don't know the full story of what happened afterwards, we do know that on at least one occasion Riot demanded the developers hand over the code used for Chronoshift. This lead many to hope that the shutdown could, eventually, lead to an official classic League of Legends server. Sound familiar?

Nostalrius

If you're familiar with the history of Classic World of Warcraft, you might know the name Nostalrius. Much like Chronoshift, Nostalrius was a WoW private server that was ultimately shutdown by Blizzard and sparked the biggest movement for and development of a classic server for World of Warcraft that is still majorly popular four years later.

RuneScape

Just including this here as one of the biggest classic games to ever release. In fact, I'm pretty sure that OSRS has overtaken the main game in popularity.

But what version of "classic" is classic?

That's the great part, it doesn't really matter. There wasn't a single, lone patch that changed League into the fast-paced, action game it is today. It happened slowly over years' worth of patches. Something from pre-ranked League? What about season 1? Season 2? Sure! Why not?
Every patch in League's history can be scrutinized for certain balance decisions or champion introductions. This isn't unique to old League - it still happens today in the live game. There are always balance outliers.
It's best to focus on "how did the game state feel overall" rather than "which version of Jax was less miserable to play against."

#Changes? #Nochanges?

For simplicity, #nochanges. Release the game as it was.
If Riot wanted to eventually go the OSRS route and do player voting afterwards, that's on them.

But Kassadin! LeBlanc! Xin Zhao! Twisted Fate! Jax! XYZ!

These champions in the states that you experienced/read about online did not coexist.
And as mentioned above, every patch in League's history (including live League) can be criticized for one reason or another.

Conclusion

I feel that it is time for a Classic League of Legends server. What do you all think?

Hello y'all!
Recently, one Twitter user made me aware that Steam Deck could be used for reading mangas (Not the brightest discovery, but I was shocked since I never thought about that xD)! If you do own any big touchscreen device, you could 100% skip it, because as we know it, SD don't have biggest and greatest screens on this planet. But in my case, it is the only big enough unit that I own. So here is my method and workarounds to create the simplest environment to just sit and read.
We will be working only on Desktop mode, if you opened it at least once you're qualified enough for every of those steps. If you didn't, you will be once you try it! Steam Button > Power > Switch to Desktop
In the Discover "app store" on the task bar, you need to search for Komikku. It's beautiful and smooth GTK app, it supports multiple sources from the web and local ones. From my limited research, it comes as the current best Linux comic/manga client available. But it comes with one big handicap. It cannot rotate the image. On the default screen rotation, you can only read in vertical mode, so it's far from comfortable experience. The developer doesn't feel like having this option is necessary, so here we are, forced to go into system options and rotate the screen manually, so we can use the whole screen real estate and resolution.
UNLESS!
Now we will set up custom shortcuts (KDE Plasma doesn't come with keyboard shortcuts to rotate the screen like Windows has) and assign them to SD back buttons.
!!! Remember that SD screen is rotated by default! Its “normal” mode is being a horizontal display appearing to be rotated to the right. When we type in Terminal >normal< we mean rotated irl, then >right< would mean “normal” to us, the users. Try to not get confused! !!!
Open System Settings. Click Shortcuts (they are almost at the top, but you can search for them), and then Custom Shortcuts.
In the second box from the left (under the list of some build in actions [not sure, don't care]) click Edit and then New > Global Shortcut > Command/URL
Then we're in the third box. We can skip Comment section, it's just for us if we want to type something to remember, better just name shortcut appropriately. In the Trigger section, we need to type our shortcut. In my configuration, I decided to stick with the Windows convention, but it could be hard to hold 3 keys simultaneously without a physical keyboard connected, so you do you. So, for example, you could use Ctrl+Alt+Down(arrow)
As an Action type xrandr --output eDP --rotate right
This ^ will rotate the display to the normal vertical position
Then add a second shortcut the same way but use a different keys combination, for example, Ctrl+Alt+Right(arrow), and as an Action set xrandr --output eDP --rotate normal
This ^ will rotate the display to the right (horizontal)
And for the final piece, we will use totally not broken Steam Controller Desktop Configuration!
Open Steam still in Desktop mode, then open Settings, Controller tab and click into DESKTOP CONFIGURATION button. As at the time of writing this post, this will open the old school Big Picture tab. Using this Reddit post as a reference, all you need to do is assign those new made shortcuts to the back buttons, clicking the appropriate boxes. BUT remember to click TOGGLE MULTI-BUTTON ON under virtual keyboard representation. FUN FACT, this will only show up while using a real mouse, or taping the screen with your fingers. Touchpads won't work in this window xD
In my case Ctrl+Alt+Down(arrow) went into L4 button - this is resetting screen to the vertical position.
Ctrl+Alt+Right(arrow) went into L5 button - this is rotating the screen to the horizontal, comic/manga reading position.
That is all, happy reading!
I will update this post when one of those happen:

1. Komikku dev will add view rotation to the reading options, we wouldn't be here because of that, for better and for worse. Nonetheless, I want to say thank you, for creating and maintain this awesome app!
   
2. KDE will add their own shortcuts to rotate the screen.
   
3. Valve will fix/replace this broken mess of a Desktop mode configuration.
   

Sorry for a weird grammar here and there, I'm not a native English speaker and wanted to feed this text to GPT-3, so it would retouch some bugs, but got lazy so... ya know!

The "we're not dead" chapter from u/eruwenn and I. No promises on how fast the next chapter arrives, but it is underway.
First / Prev / Next ------------------------------
Sam Jakobs strode through the lobby of Umgrol Tower with all but one of his most trusted friends. Black suits slipped through the crowd; much like a shark’s fin through waves, they simply parted without a ripple of effort. Faces were grim, eyes focused, and a tension sat on their combined shoulders like a weight they all knew too well.
“I could make an excuse,” Duong offered, deciding to try and break the mood. “No need for you to attend this meeting in person.”
“It’s fine,” former Colonel Jakobs answered with a resigned sigh.
“But, shouldn’t you be with Britney?” Lopez attempted to change his mind with an appeal to his emotions. “She was looking forward to taking you on a roller coaster.”
“I’m doing this for Britney,” the loving father replied without hesitation.
“Avoiding conflict is a good lesson,” Jabari offered his advice.
“True.” Sam conceded the point.
“Knowin’ how to punch a Wachoto so their heart fails is also a good lesson,” Snake said drily.
“Also true,” the group’s leader said, allowing himself a brief chuckle.
“Sam!” Lopez struck his shoulder with the back of her open hand. “Don’t even joke-”
“We’re not killing Hopper’s replacement,” Sam confirmed, allowing himself an almost imperceptible shrug. “Not today, anyway.”
The small ripple of laughter that had passed between them had helped alleviate some of the tension that had been building. Duong paused as one of the tower assistants came jogging up to them, and he held up a hand to stop the others. As the young man approached, the terror was visible in his face. "Your order, Sir." He held up a white box from Pierre's, large enough to require both hands to hold, and instead of saluting he simply bowed his head and extended the package towards them.
“Thank you,” Sam replied, accepting the box and tucking it under his arm. He saw the others staring in confusion. “A gift,” he explained.
“From you…” Jabari said slowly. “To?”
“Did Choco make an exploding cake?” Duong jokingly asked.
“Another exploding cake,” Jabari clarified. “There was that thing in the Whethan Sector.”
Elevator doors opened, and their conversation fell silent as they entered, only to start up again once it began to move.
Jabari had found that humorous antics, or the mere memory of them, often eased tension before combat. He tried the interrupted tactic again. "Remember that time he stole a light cruiser from the Odesza Fundamentalists?" After a brief pause to allow the memories to flow, he added, "What happened to that thing, anyhow?"
“Who knows,” Duong hastily replied, nudging his large friend in the side and nodding to the camera watching them. “Lot of stuff goes missing in war, you know-”
“Cameras are off, dumbass,” Choco’s voice came in over their earpieces.
“Better safe than sorry,” the handsome man replied, flashing a smile to their Erinal in the machine, and began fixing up his hair in the reflection of the camera lens. The elevator stopped, and the conversation paused with practiced precision as the doors parted. The black suits marched silently through the underground military base of Umgrol Tower basement level three, eventually reaching a set of secure doors. Two black armoured soldiers stood either side.
“Death’s Head?” Snake muttered the question to the others, nodding to the unmoving men and the smooth black mirror that made up the face of their helmets. “I thought we were playing nice with the locals?”
“Purely for the new general’s personal security.” Choco supplied the answer over their secure comms channel, as they passed into the room beyond. “Seems he’s the nervous type.” He slurped loudly on something, causing the others to wince at the noise. “Can’t figure why, ha.”
A dozen more of the faceless sets of black armour waited in the room, weapons ready. Near them stood full body scanners, as well as deep, metal trays.
“Weapons,” one of the Death’s Head Dragoons said, gesturing to the waiting receptacles.
The War Rats glanced at each other, smiled, and began unbuttoning their suit jackets. Things began to be deposited at an alarming frequency by everyone present, aside from one. Sam shook his head at the others as he held his box of confections. “I thought I said unarmed?” he asked.
“This is unarmed,” Snake replied, tossing a sixth knife into the tray.
“Oh, you meant unarmed unarmed.” Jabari’s deep voice was full of humour, and he failed to stifle his rumbling laughter as he tossed a large, brightly-coloured grenade into his tray.
The closest guard flinched at the sight of the explosive, and immediately asked, “Is that an Oracle?” He took several steps back, despite knowing that the explosive could vaporise several floors of even this reinforced building. Something whose very name spoke of being a message from god, a literal invite to hell. “Isn’t owning one of those a war crime?”
“In Triumvirate space, sure,” the big man answered, shrugging off the obvious obfuscation. “No local laws are being broken. Besides, I’ve been working on making a better version.“ He smiled at his reflection in the man’s visor. “This one lacks the wow factor.”
Two of the other guards were muttering back and forth, clearly nervous, and Sam stepped in to ask, “Do we have a problem?”
“Err...” One of the indistinguishable soldiers glanced nervously at Lopez, who had stepped through the scanner. "Her arm, Sir. It's been augmented with-"
"You want me to take my arm off?" Lopez laughed, well-acquainted with the multiple warnings her Choco-manufactured appendage had set off. "I guess you really did mean unarmed unarmed.
Sam took control of the situation, his voice calm and even. “We’re all on the same team here. General Midysus requested this meeting himself.” He gestured back towards the door. “I can head up to my office, and he can-”
“It’s fine,” Maria gently interrupted, reaching up to start unfastening her shirt so she could remove the artificial limb. “No me importa, we just need to-”
“No.” Sam’s voice was iron, an infinitesimal amount of the rage that was brewing inside him seeping into that singular syllable. “I care.” His eyes had not left the dragoon who had made the request, and they took a faltering step backwards. “My men brought weapons, which I will punish them for later” -his subordinates grimaced at those words- “but, bad jokes aside, we are allies.” He turned to look at the elevator doors, then asked, “Unless you would like to alter the terms of our agreement?”
In response to his words the elevator doors slid open.
Duong was swept up in the moment, and he leaned in close to one of the dragoon’s. “That’s right. Los-”
“Let’s go,” Sam commanded, and his group straightened, following him through the now open doors.
“Sorry,” the others began as the doors closed.
“I’m not so-” Snake began before being elbowed roughly by Lopez’s metal arm. “Damn it, that hurt.”
“Can we all focus?” Sam's reminder was audibly weary. "Remember why you're here," he said.
"To stop you from killing him," Duong swiftly answered. It was most certainly not a recreational outing they were on.
“Exactly,” the colonel answered, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles were white.
Jabari looked at the group gathered, and muttered, “We should have brought more people.”
“Numbers never stopped him before,” Maria said, leaning in close and using her non-metal shoulder to lean into Sam. “We just need to keep reminding him of the reason he chose peace.”
“Speaking of which,” Choco’s voice cut in over the comm’s channel, “guess how many kids threw up on the bumper cars?”
-------------------------------------
Haruki Sasaki stood in front of a large cartoonish castle, talking with several members of the park staff. They were gathered on a wide drawbridge over a moat, in which many waterfowl of different colours and sizes swam. The crenellated wall was tall, boasting minarets at all four corners, and an impressive keep at the centre. Flags and banners of an eye-searing myriad of hues flapped colourfully in the breeze. As the wind slowed down, the colours suddenly shifted, becoming an even mix of red and blue. It was historically inaccurate, strategically flawed, and the children had all loved it.
“All of the suits are working correctly?” the tailored lawyer asked, maintaining fixed eye contact with a pale and perspiring park worker in an orange jumpsuit. “I want them to enjoy this more than they did the bumper cars.”
“The enjoyment comes from the acceleration, and sudden deceleration,” the sweaty lead park engineer began. “It is very fine tuned, and the intra-species variation in tolerances is something we need to work on.”
“Kids get sick.” A junior worker shrugged off the issue. “That’s why we have the cleaner bots, and disinfectant hoses.”
“Brian… we’ve talked about this,” the lead engineer warned her underling. “If a Gr’darian was to vomit on a Peil, during their mating season, what would happen?”
“Errr..” Brian paused, having no idea what the answer might be. “Failed mating season?” he guessed.
“No!?” Her angry response contained both shock at his flippancy, and incense at his poor knowledge base. “How many times have I told you to study the secretions of the gelatinous races? Combining those two xeno bodily fluids would create chlorine gas, do I have to remind you why that is a bad thing?” Barry hung his head in shame, his long blonde hair covering his increasingly red face. “My apologies, Sir,” the lead engineer said as she returned her attention to the man in the immaculate black suit. She held up her thumb and forefinger with the slenderest of gaps between them. "I am this close -- this close! -- to shipping him back to Disneymoon seven. A few cycles of repairing the Star Wars Lightsaber Academy animatronics would serve him right.”
“We don’t have either of those species present, Ms. Bizhan,” the lawyer was relieved to point out, feeling a small hint of sympathy for the now cowering Brian. “And we are getting a lot of useful information, which is the purpose of this park.”
“Most definitely.” The head engineer nodded emphatically, adding, “And please, call me Fariba.” She pulled a small tablet from a large pocket on her leg, quickly skimming her notes. “In addition to the expected biology-based observations, we've definitely found several potentially lucrative markets to expand into.”
Haruki nodded. “The Triumvirate will find a way to make you their prey,” he murmured. “Physically or economically.”
“Preferably the latter,” Fariba said with a well-practised smile. “But we must know our enemies better than we know our friends, even if we don’t know which of them will choose which path.” She tapped her tablet once more. “They were all shocked that we could manufacture inertial dampeners small enough to fit in the bumper cars, so we can open up a lot of trade with that minor technology.” She used her thumb to point over her shoulder without looking back. “With those we deem our friends, of course. Helping them get a step ahead of those who choose to be more resistant.”
“Resistance is futile,” Brian added with a grin, having spent an entire summer assembling Borg animatronics for a Trekkie battle arena experience.
“Ignore him,” Fariba quickly said, flapping a hand behind her back to shoo the junior engineer away. “I can assure you, the full dive VR suits are calibrated to the lowest tolerance levels known for each species.” Her sweet smile was pasted onto her face once more. “You will have nothing but positive things to report to Mr Jakobs, I assure you.”
“Of course,” Haruki nodded, realising all eyes were on him, and they were afraid. “I take responsibility for the earlier incident, I should not have allowed them to follow a Britney diet.” He saw them visibly relax, and continued, “I will make sure to monitor their food intake more carefully.” He stepped to one side, and began walking into the castle, giving a polite bow of his head. “I’ll go to the observation room, and see how they’re getting on.”
“They’re still being scanned,” the head engineer answered swiftly, wanting to prove her usefulness. “The match will begin once they’re all ready.”
“Fine, fine,” the lawyer replied, waving over his shoulder as he left them standing on the drawbridge. His swift stride carried him through the portcullis, and away from the engineers.
Fariba let out a huge sigh of relief, and she sagged like a deflated balloon animal found a week after a birthday party. This physical response was soundlessly mirrored throughout the group, except for their newest member. The head engineer rounded on Brian, glaring furiously. “What the hell were you thinking?” she demanded. “You don’t make jokes around people like that!”
“Lawyers?” the slightly slower member of the group innocently asked.
“No. Not lawyers,” Fariba replied sarcastically, waving her hand yet again and dismissing the rest of her team. “Well actually, you shouldn’t make jokes around the Triumvirate lawyers either, but especially not around that lawyer.” She leaned in close, and lowered her voice to barely a whisper. “You served?” she asked, although his presence here meant the answer was a foregone conclusion.
“Thirty-Seventh Avionic Engineer Battalion,” he rattled off his unit immediately, standing a little straighter. “Assigned the Illustrious, maintaining the X-7 Raptors, and the old Higgins Orbital Landers.”
“Well even a wrench bender from Ol’Lusty should have heard of the War Rats.” She eyed his youthful face, waiting for the moment things fell into place.
“Pfft,” he derisively scoffed, rolling his eyes. “It may be that I was sent to requisition clear black paint, and I went without question. I might also have spent two hours at the quartermaster's station when I was ordered by the rest of my team to requisition a Long Stand." He shook his shaggy blonde head in disbelief at his earlier naivety. "But, I never fell for those stories." His claim was punctuated with a guffaw of contempt. "Pure propaganda, to keep the systems in line. There's no way that even half the shit they're supposed to have done could be true.”
Fariba’s eyes were wide. Her mouth opened and closed several times as she stared into the stupidity of his youth. “Why don’t you go home for the day,” she gently instructed him, deciding that someone who could stand next to a shark, and not see its teeth, was not a person who should be around apex predators.
—-----------------------------
“It tickles,” Fah’Zi squeaked as he walked through the full body scanner.
“It’s reading your skeletal and muscular structure, and mapping your neural paths,” Penny explained. “Completely harmless, and necessary for the synapse translators to perform correctly.”
“And we just lie in the pods,” Pu’Sha hesitantly asked, looking over to the devices plugged into the wall. “And then we’ll be in the game?”
“Exactly.” The tower assistant was pleased they were paying attention.
There was a vibration felt in everyone’s bones, and Britney replied to Ung, “You’re not allowed to have them at home.”
“That’s right.” Though Penny hadn’t understood the question, the response made the enquiry clear. “Full-dive VR is heavily restricted, due to its highly addictive nature.” Always keen to add context to a rule, so that it was seen as protective rather than punishing, she elaborated; “A long time ago there was a group called the Neo-Utopian Transitioners, who believed humanity’s future was inside the machine. They fully embraced the virtual world, leaving behind automated systems to take care of the world around them." She took a deep breath, rapidly deciding on the best way to end the tale for these school children. "It... didn't end well. To prevent any future mishaps, the Triumvirate set up a strict regulatory body.”
“This thing’s dangerous?” Inaue asked. The small red Yaou was prodding the machine with his prehensile tail. “And you want us to get in there?”
“The machines are perfectly safe,” Britney replied. Choco had told her all about the N.U.T.’s, when he showed her his highly illegal home VR setup. “They just took it too far. Hooked themselves up to life-support systems, and fully lived in their own world.” She smirked as only a child about to reveal a disgusting factoid could. “Even had tubes to remove-”
“Nobody needs all the details,” Penny interrupted.
“I do,” Fah’Zi insisted.
“Fine,” the mischievous young girl relented, skipping the poop-shoot joke for Penny's sake even though the gag was one of Choco's favourites. "Everything worked fine for a long time, and eventually people stopped going round to check on them.”
“Unfortunately,” Penny interjected, once again taking over the narration of this tragic tale, “with everyone in their own world, nobody was performing basic maintenance. The bioreactor tasked with producing many of their key proteins had been running for decades without issue, but a forced update added advertisements, as well as something called a Captcha to stop them and run the program as intended. There was nobody to select which squares contained traffic lights, and so the bioreactor was effectively disabled.”
“I don’t understand many of the things you just said,” Mike249 said, putting into words what was on the mind of all of the students present.
“They starved while pigging out on imaginary food,” Britney bluntly blurted out, as if this was the worst thing imaginable. “Inside their utopia people started going crazy, then vanishing.”
“Prolonged life in VR requires a medical team to bring you out,” the older human explained. “So they were stuck. Unable to escape. Not knowing why their friends, and family, were acting increasingly bizarrely.”
“What the j’rak?” the green-skinned Zilithian, Todd, exclaimed, looking at the pod and then to the humans who were now suggesting they enter this device for fun.
“Humans have to eat very regularly,” Pu’Sha explained to the newer members of their group who had not spent a great deal of time around Britney. “Without food they become less rational, and aggressive. They even have a special word, hangry, and you don’t want to deal with a hangry human.” She spoke with a very serious tone, as if this single piece of advice was a vital life lesson. Finally, with even greater emphasis, she added, “Always keep your human adequately fed.”
“I’m not a pet,” Britney argued. Realising the advice actually worked in her favour she also added, “But, it’s not a bad rule.”
“So, what happened to the V.R. people,” Mike249 asked, a trembling in his voice accompanied the sagging of his worried antennae. “Were they rescued?”
“Unfortunately not,” Penny gently informed him. “It was actually many years before anyone even noticed.”
“Years?” Aekara whimpered.
“How did nobody notice,” Fah’Zi asked incredulously, thinking practically about dead bodies. “Wouldn’t they notice the smell?”
“People died,” the tufty-tailed Emsalio, Li Gorblek, began. “And nobody noticed?” She seemed angry on behalf of these forgotten strangers of another race. “How many?”
“Seventeen billion,” Haruki answered her, as he entered the room. “They had dedicated their entire world to their Neo-Utopia.” He lowered his voice, to make sure they were listening. “Starvation does strange things to our people. Even our brain chemistry alters, and this eventually disconnected them from their VR… forcibly. The shock of reality was enough to kill the lucky ones. The unlucky ones were trapped in their withered, dying bodies. Locked in their pods until they died. Rejecting the real world, and those who lived in it, meant that there was nobody to save them. There’s an important lesson for all of you.”
“Don’t get in that thing,” Inaue guessed, retracting their red tail from the pod it had been prodding.
“Everything in moderation,” Aekara murmured.
“Have a back-up protein thingy,” Fah’Zi said, his hand raised excitedly, hoping to get praise from his senior Sirius comrade.
Britney repeated the mantra Choco had drummed into her as he recounted the story in gruesome detail. “Don’t allow updates on essential equipment without a qualified engineer present. Oh, and VR lovin’ ain’t real lovin’.” She quoted her Erinal teacher directly.
“Not sure that last part is relevant,” Penny said, her cheeks flushing red. “Anyway…” She raised the lid on the first VR pod. “Who’s going first?”
All of the students took a step back, except for two. Britney immediately leapt into the pod. Ung also moved towards the next pod, having a burning passion for human video games.
“Come on,” the energetic blonde human encouraged. “You’re not scared are you?” Her taunts were enough to get Fah’Zi and Li to start moving.
Pu’Sha looked over to where the human in the suit was observing them, and she sighed. Scary stories and indulgent food aside, the humans would never put them in danger. “Fine,” she said, stepping forward. “Come on, Mike249,” she called, waving him to the pod beside hers. “And you, Aekara.” The Verg was already clambering inside her pod when she looked at the nervous newcomers. “You scared to do something the Bubbles are doing?” she asked, taking a cue from Britney in provoking them.
“Never,” the large grey Runuck – Fraskar – grunted, taking a cautious step forward. He turned and glared at the others from the non-bubble classes. “Get in, let’s put them in their place.”
“Oh?” Britney’s eyes glinted happily. “You want to play teams?” She smiled happily. “Fine by me. Six vs six. O.G.’s against Newbies.”
“If you include Ung, there are seven of us,” Mike249 politely corrected his fearless, if forgetful, leader. “Pu’Sha, Aekara, Fah’Zi, Kenra, you and I.” He held up a claw for each name, demonstrating to the human how that added up. “I could join the others? I am always happy to make new friends.”
“Fine,” the human agreed, though she was annoyed to have lost one of her teammates.
There came a high level vibration, accompanied by thunderous drumming; Ung was clapping her hands excitedly. She was on Britney's team! The vibrations continued as the Da descended a reinforced set of stairs and clambered into an enlarged pod that had been sunk into the ground.
The small human listened carefully to her guildmate, then shook her head. "No, this is definitely not a friendly match," the O.G. leader said. Her eyes locked on to Li's fierce gaze and held steady.
—------------------------------
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Next

Previous Posts:
Lucina <- Recommend reading at least the first bit for the context of this analysis if you haven't already.
Lyn
Ike
Byleth
Sigurd

The Crux of Fate

Potential Available Emblems: Lucina, Lyn, Ike, Byleth, Eirika, Leif, Sigurd
Potential completed paralogues: Lucina, Lyn, Ike, Byleth, Sigurd
Referenced Map: Fates Chapter 6, Revelation version
Recommended Level: Advanced Class Level 7
In an attempt to stay as neutral as possible, like calling back Chapter 11 in 3H, Engage's Fates callback is the pivotal chapter that begins whichever route/game you're deciding to play with the Revelation version giving them the excuse to make all of the Fates Royals into enemies. Thematically speaking, I think this is a good choice. This is the chapter where Corrin makes their biggest choice that will determine their actions for the rest of the story. Imo, it's also Fates' high point from a writing perspective before the story quality generally careens off a cliff.
The original map is relatively straightforward. You are tasked with defeating the Hoshidan and Nohrian commanders within 5 turns. Given the relatively short turn limit and that this is literally the first unique map of the game, there isn't anything too complex. The most notably feature is the Dragon Vein to Corrin's left across the river which will drain the entire central river when activated which is practically required to beat the map in time. I honestly kinda like this since it teaches the player that Corrin (in their base class) can walk across water tiles without strictly telling them that. With a simple enough foundation, there's lots of potential for Engage to expand upon.
As with all of the other Emblem paralogues, Engage's version of the map has a Defeat Boss objective with Corrin standing in the middle of the central bridge to the south. To her left and right are the stand ins for the Nohrian and Hoshidan families, each with a set of gold drops. On a slight tangent, I do like her specific position as a symbol that bridges Hoshido and Nohr together(in Revelation anyway). Because there is no Dragon Vein to dry up the river, you must navigate your non-flier forces across the bridge to the east and circle your way down to fight the Hoshidan Royal family before taking on the Nohrian Royal family and Corrin herself. When you start the map though, Alear will specifically highlight Corrin's ability to change the terrain, hinting at a future gimmick which I'll talk about later. As you progress through the map, reinforcements from both sides will slowly stream in.
I do want to take a moment to talk a bit about the Fates Royals stand ins, because I do like that a bit of thought was put into them. Starting with the Nohrians, the Mage Knight representing Leo is pretty standard, but the Royal Knight representing Elise has upped the ante by including a Silence and Physic staff in addition to her standard healing staff. The Wyvern Knight representing Camilla wields a Hurricane Axe as a small nod to the magical nature of her base Malig Knight class and the Paladin representing Xander has Swordbreaker, likely as a nod to his rivalry with Ryoma. It is a bit odd though that he is given a Blade, a weapon that can't double, in combination with the breaker skill. With the Hoshidans, the Griffon Knight representing Hinoka and Sniper representing Takumi are pretty standard and the High Priest representing Sakura mirrors "Elises" inventory, also having a Silence and Physic staff. The Swordmaster representing Ryoma wields a Levin Sword which is doing it's best Raijinto cosplay which I thought was hilarious. Neither "Sakura" nor "Elise" have weapons to attack with which is appropriate since their unpromoted classes in Fates couldn't attack either. I want to bring attention to the Fates Royals because they have a small "gimmick" compared to the original map. In Revelation, they were pretty much set dressing as they would never actually move unless you entered their attack range which would realistically never happen. However in Engage once you initiate combat with a Royal or Corrin, any Royal that cannot immediately fight your units will begin to make their way towards Corrin to "protect" her. This is important because, in my experience, once they are within her general area they won't move again until Corrin herself starts moving. So when does Corrin start moving? Remember how Alear talks about Corrin's terrain changing abilities when the map starts? Around turn 7 or 8(I don't remember which exactly), Corrin will spawn a huge fireball which will completely dry up the central river, as a fun nod to the Dragon Vein which had the same effect. Once the river is dried up, Corrin will begin approaching your units, dropping puddles along the way to make approaching her more difficult. Corrin isn't too threatening on her own but can absolutely cripple one or a group of your units if you allow her to initiate on them much like she does as an Emblem Ring. You'll also want to keep in mind that as a Dragon herself, she'll have +1 range on Torrential Roar which can catch one of your squishier units out if you aren't careful. Pair Up will also make her immune to Chain Attacks which is somewhat scary, but like Sigurd she's not the strongest enemy phase fighter out there.
While I do think that this paralogue is mechanically and thematically sound for the most part, there is one thing that really bothers me and I don't know if it should. The developers specifically made Alear remark on Corrin's terrain changing abilities as soon as the map begins even stating that "she could change things at any time"(paraphrasing here). From this, I expected terrain modification to play a much bigger part of the map, but it just kinda doesn't. The only really notable terrain change is the fireball that dries up the central river and based on that, it's clear that the terrain changing doesn't necessarily have to play by the rules. The only terrains that show up are puddles and flames(in a roundabout way). I personally think it would've been alot more interesting if they toned down the stats of the generics just a tad and creatively used her terrains to make up the difference. Imagine if she spawned vines under her allies for a turn to prevent them from being broken or made the mages a bit tankier for the turn with stone pillars. Fog could double as a movement constrictor and a way for the generics to approach easier or as a way to encourage the use of terrain ignoring effect of Mystical units. Throwing up an ice wall to disrupt the player's movement seems like an obvious obstacle. I don't think that there's anything super wrong with Corrin's paralogue, it just feels mechanically uninspiring. Corrin is such a unique Emblem and her main gimmick is hardly utilized.
On the more pedantic side of things, the Swordmasters on the left(Nohrian) side should be Heroes. In Fates, Swordmaster was a Hoshido exclusive class while their closest Nohrian equivalent were Heroes. Paladin reinforcements also shouldn't spawn in from the right side as that was a Nohrian exclusive class. Thieves could've made more sense as they're Engage's closest equivalent to Ninjas which was an enemy that you had to face on the original map.
Overall, I think Corrin's paralogue is just fine. It gets the job done well enough, I just think it does so in the most boring way possible. I think her pre and post battle dialogues with Alear are nice though.
Next up: Eirika's Paralogue, The Azure Twin.

​
I have been noticing, especially in the last few weeks, many people here are asking about dealing with procrastination or having a hard time with motivation in and of itself. So I thought about putting together some info/experience I've found working that may help.
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What is procrastination and how was it considered before?

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The word “procrastinate” comes from the Latin “procrastinare”, which means to delay until tomorrow. This becomes a problem when that decision comes with short and long-term negative consequences.
Procrastination has usually been seen as a time-management problem: we can't get organized enough or disciplined enough to create and carry out plans for whatever it is we want to accomplish. However, this misses the mark in many aspects because many people have reported that getting better at creating detailed plans has helped very little with their problem. That's because it's most likely an emotional issue not a cognitive/rational one.
Here is an article that explain this idea in more detail. Pychyl doesn't see it as a time-management issue, but as an incapacity in handling our emotions and impulses to avoid a plethora of negative feelings like boredom, anxiety, guilt, resentment and anguish.
And so procrastination becomes an attempt at bettering our emotional state, even by the slightest margin. That's why much spend that time not doing something that's "productive" but watching YouTube videos, reels, mobile games, TV shows, etc. Activities that give a quick but usually shallow fix. And so this can generally turn chronic if obligations get pushed more and more and more.
Procrastination can show up in different aspects in our lives: work, school, house chores, healthy routines, etc. From putting off an assignment to starting the gym later.
It's not about what we choose to do with our time; it's about the emotions we choose to avoid.
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Procrastination, an escaping mechanism for emotions or a lack of "fuel" by an impoverished emotional system?

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My patients usually had at least one of these two issues as the main reason for their procrastination:
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1. Escaping as a defense mechanism

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Somewhere in their life, the person learned that escaping helps them survive situations and avoid bothersome emotions and situations, and that has stuck until now. Maybe they had a traumatic episode happen earlier or were discouraged about being emotional or just felt that they didn't have the emotional tools and mastery necessary for facing whatever they needed.
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And so, they escape in different ways: dissociating from emotions and emotional situations (which also impacts memory and makes them forgetful), taking up vices that force their attention somewhere else (from videogames to sex to substances), or hyper-controlling everything around them and disappearing from places and relationships where they don't feel like they have complete control over what's happening. Here is a study talking about the supression of emotions and procrastination
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2) Lack of motivation by an impoverished emotional system
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Others report feeling no motivation to do stuff or not having a strong enough drive to go through what they consider somewhat tricky tasks. This means that even if they are very good at organizing their schedule and setting time for obligations, they don't have the necessary pull to go through. This is usually an expression of an untrained emotional system.
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In this study, there's talk about two areas of the brain that relate to each other and take part in task setting: the amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex or ACC. The first (located in the limbic system, the brain area dealing with emotionality) sends signals to the second one (located in the newer, rational part of the brain), which regulates what to do with that information. If we see procrastination as a time-optimization issue, we should only focus on the ACC, as problems here will funnel the energy received in time-wasteful activities.
However, if people report a lack of motivation, it usually doesn't have to do with the ACC. No matter how good it is in regulating activities, the person won't feel the drive to do so if it barely gets any energy to regulate. The problem usually lies in an underdeveloped amygdala and surrounding areas. Because that part of the brain hasn't received much use throughout someone's life, their neural connections are very poor and superficial leading to low amounts of motivation. By exercising these areas like you would when learning any other skill (playing an instrument, dancing, math problems, etc.), the connections will get stronger and eventually lead to larger amounts of motivational energy.
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And so, if someone were to have one of these issues, what could be helpful?
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How to reduce procrastination via emotional training and management.

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Now that we know the possible causes, I'll share some exercises that have been useful with my patients and the idea behind each of them.
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• Mindfulness

Many probably have already heard or tried some variant of these exercises. Still, the specific point here is to focus on breathing and the sensations going around the body instead of putting more energy into thoughts. If someone doesn't have a significantly developed emotional system, it's likely they are overusing their thinking part to the point of not being able to stop (when wanting to sleep, when wanting to focus on an activity, ruminating possible conflicts, etc.). This exercise allows putting brakes in our thinking.
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• Re-living previous emotional situations

To start signaling the brain that creating better neural connections in our emotional areas is good, we need to use them. Daily if possible. So sit comfortably in a quiet place and recall with your eyes closed a situation that made you a bit emotional (not a very moving or extreme scenario), like ranking up in a videogame or having had to search for your keys for 15 minutes straight. Focus on how much that situation sucked/was great/etc. and see what shows up in your body. Every emotion affects our body, and learning what each one does to you and learning to recognize those sensations, is extremely effective.
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• Body, a segue into emotions

Whenever you feel difficulty feeling a particular emotion, pay attention to whatever it's doing to your body. If you feel your legs restless, your hand getting tighter, your teeth clenching. And then try to exaggerate that sensation: move your legs harder than they were moving already, clench your hands with more strength for a few seconds, and try to feel as if you were connecting to your emotions by letting your body really express that. This is often the extra step that is needed for the floodgates to open and the emotion to surge through. If it doesn't, it's good training as it keeps signaling our brain that this is very important.
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To conclude, these exercises don't have to be technical or perfect, as emotions don't follow the same logic that our thoughts do. So if they don't make logical sense or don't feel super concrete, that's the point; we are learning something that requires being abstract (I have seen overly rational people have trouble with them in the beginning because of this very same thing so don't worry).
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Hopefully, it's clear enough that it helps if someone is having this issue, and I'm looking forward to any experiences or information you came across that may complement this post. Cheers.

I heard ICE works close to them? What job position works doing that?

CHICAGO is 12-3 ATS (8.7 Units) in road games after 2 or more consecutive overs over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 7-0 Over (7 Units) in home games playing with 2 days rest in the current season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 10-1 ATS (8.9 Units) after failing to cover 4 or 5 of their last 6 against the spread in the current season.
Doc Rivers is 75-50 ATS (20 Units) after 1 or more consecutive unders (Coach of PHILADELPHIA)
CLEVELAND is 10-1 ATS (8.9 Units) in home games versus poor pressure defensive teams - forcing <=13 turnovers/game in the current ...
ATLANTA is 12-4 ATS (7.6 Units) on Friday nights in the current season.
BOSTON is 10-1 ATS (8.9 Units) in home games after having won 4 of their last 5 games in the current season.
LA LAKERS are 16-32 ATS (-19.2 Units) after a win by 10 points or more in the last 3 seasons.

so many of my friends and classmates don’t eat lunch sometimes. i first noticed one of my 3 person friend group, A just ate something from the school cafe we have such as bread not actual food. i didn’t rly care but then my other friend B (mind u this is a 3-person friend group) just stopped eating lunch altogether which i think caused A to completely stop too.
so i moved to eat with another bigger friend group (of 8+) while they continued to go around not eating by themselves (A&B). after some time B claimed to me that i abandoned both A and B and ran to the other group and that i don’t eat lunch with them anymore. the reason was bc if i were to get my food they would wait with me in the line but then when i get it and sit down they will go to their own cafe line while leaving me eating by myself. by the time they get their tiny snack, i’m already done eating. i found that eating with them was the same thing as just eating by myself. but i felt guilty and started eating with A and B anyways again.
after some time, i got tired and when B got COVID and had to miss a week of school i started just eating with the other larger friend group bc A has other friends to hang out with as well and she clearly didn’t mind. now i have increased my friend group and they overlap in some ways (basically 3 different friend groups overlapping with some other mutual friends included).
theres also C who seems to have lost so much weight since her last school that her ring could easily fall off if she does light exercise. at first i thought it was just because but after i asked she would say i don’t have time to eat. or i have to study instead. (i love C though except the food part). and then recently she felt comfortable enough to tell me that she thinks she might have an ed but in the nicest way possible. C is not really a problem it just adds another person.
D, does not have an ed but she is aware that i am one of the only ppl in the friend group who also eats consistently. therefore she often looks for me and asks “you’re gonna eat right?” to me before anyone else knowing i would say yes. she’s also vegan which makes her diet not as nutritious and she’s also a tri-seasonal athlete which doesn’t help me from comparing myself. D also gets perfect grades but cries, and stresses when she doesn’t get the highest mark.
E. I love E as well she’s someone i’ve found recently that i can hopefully confide more with just not about this topic. she’s very hard working and often skips lunch to study.
The biggest problem is B. whenever i don’t feel like eating she makes comments saying “oh YOU’RE not gonna eat? omg what is happening are you okay?” but then is very derogatory and dismissive when i tell her she should get food with me. however, recently she has just been completely stealing half of my food. i paid for it with my money and she doesn’t get her own claiming she’s not hungry. usually friends will take like 1-3 bits but she stays with me and basically just shares my food that i paid for. she doesn’t even say anything. she enjoys it and always making comments saying stolen food is the best tasting. (no i can’t cut her off i don’t have much time left to spend with her anyways and it would cause so much unnecessary drama cause she also had a victim complex so it wouldn’t go well for me)
it just makes me so upset and triggered with my dad also constantly offering me food items as ways to show his affection which i think is stupid. whenever i’m mad, “want some food?” “is there any food you want” at 11 pm, “omg how are you already full i’m so hungry” “are you hungry? (me: no) oh i am because i haven’t had a single meal today bc i was too busy.” and then my grandparents are always trying to feed me food i hâte while saying “no it’s good! it’s made out of ____” as if suddenly those words will make me like an item of food i never liked? my grandparents and dad are very conservative asians as well so then when i decline if they literally give m a side eye or put the food forcefully on my plate.
it’s just so tiring to have so many ppl around me (basically all close friends) have a bad relationship with food. because of my grandparents and parents i might have an ed where i can’t stop eating. because my friends leave a lot of food, i always feel the need to finish it instead of them which would conclude in eating approximately 2-3 meals for lunch. i’ve cut down on doing this and trying so hard by just finish eating and leaving first. it’s kind of working but it’s just SO FRUSTRATING.
i don’t even know what i’m supposed to do when someone tells me they’re not eating anymore. “no, eat!” ? they won’t, they don’t care what i say. “ok” what if they think i don’t care about them.
i also don’t really expect an answer or advice from any of you guys either, i just wanted to write it out somewhere. thanks :)

Palm Beach, FL – March 30, 2023 – FinancialNewsMedia.com News Commentary – The Military UAV Drone market just keeps expanding with seemingly no end in sight! The growing use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the defense and security industry for several applications such as surveying, mapping, transportation, combat operations, and monitoring will fuel the demand for military UAVs in the coming years. The rise in defense expenditure of various countries to procure modernized & technologically advanced military drones/UAVs for intensified combat capability is expected to support market growth across the globe. The adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is modernizing military drone technologies by picking targets autonomously with precision. A report from Fortune Business Insights projects that the global military drone market size was valued at USD 10.25 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow from USD 11.73 billion in 2022 to USD 30.86 billion by 2029, exhibiting a CAGR of 14.82% during the forecast period. The report said: “Drone technology has witnessed strong growth in the past years due to continuous research & development and innovation enhancing the capabilities. The numerous drones are incorporated with modern sensors, LiDAR, GNSS, high-tech cameras, and thermal, and infrared imaging systems. The most advanced drones are equipped with multiple sensor systems such as communication intelligence sensors, and air-to-air missiles, and a global system for mobile communication (GSM). Active companies in the markets this week include: EHang Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:EH), Epazz, Inc. (OTCPK:EPAZ), Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS), Mobilicom Limited (NASDAQ:MOB), Raytheon Technologies (NYSE:RTX).
Fortune Business Insights continued: “Nowadays, the most advanced unmanned aerial vehicles can carry several payloads attached to large sensors and internal weapons bay. Artificial intelligence (AI) is being adopted commercially for autonomous flight systems for high-altitude military UAVs. This is expected to predict well for the global military drone market growth in the forthcoming years. The weapon payload includes missile and guided bomb units. The air force, navy, army, and other security agencies have been using unmanned aerial vehicles for applications such as transportation and logistics for the past few years. The increase in demand for logistics and transportation is projected to fuel the market growth in the coming years.”
Epazz, Inc. (OTCPK:EPAZ) BREAKING NEWS: Epazz Holdings: ZenaDrone, Inc. 1000 AI Predictive Received a Letter of Support from the US Air Force for Drone Cargo Delivery and Intent to Use ZenaDrone 1000 Platform- Epazz Inc., a mission-critical provider of drone technology, blockchain mobile apps and cloud-based business software solutions, announced this week that ZenaDrone, Inc. received a letter of support from U.S. Air Force to use ZenaDrone 1000 for drone cargo delivery, which includes blood transport. ZenaDrone is invited to work with the U.S. Air Force at an overseas base to test the ZenaDrone 1000 platform under battlefield conditions. ZenaDrone will be assigned a team from the base to conduct the test.
Over the past couple of months, ZenaDrone 1000 has been presented and showcased in front of the U.S. military. The company has been getting traction from the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army. This test will be the first time ZenaDrone will be actively used in a military environment. Additionally, the test allows ZenaDrone to move to Technology Readiness Level 7 (TRL). “Technology readiness levels (TRLs) are methods for estimating the maturity of technologies during the acquisition phase of a program. TLR’s are measured on a scale of 1 to 9 with 9 being the most mature technology.”
ZenaDrone is now qualified to submit a Phase II SBIR grant for external funding of this cargo delivery solution. Phase II SBIR grants are generally up to $1.2 million for a two-year period and a nondilutive source of funding. This will be the second direct to Phase II project for ZenaDrone 1000.
CEO Shaun Passley, Ph.D., said, “We are excited to see ZenaDrone 1000 the subject of so much attention in multiple military branches. The Air Force clearly sees value in this platform and is pushing the envelope of new testing to find out the extent of its capabilities. We are anxious to receive critical feedback from the Air Force as we transition to mass production operations. We are currently in the process of evaluating a number of suitable sites while balancing the potential commercial uses. We also hope shareholders see how we are trying to move the technology forward through the use of nondilutive funding sources.” CONTINUED… Read these full press releases and more news for Epazz at: https://www.epazz.com/press-room/
Other recent developments in the markets of note include
EHang Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:EH), the world’s leading autonomous aerial vehicle (“AAV”) technology platform company, recently announced that its EH216 passenger-grade AAV has completed its first passenger-carrying autonomous flight demonstration within Japan, which also marks the first passenger-carrying flight for an autonomous eVTOL aircraft in Japan. Today, the EH216 flew with two passengers and no pilot onboard for a trip along the stunningly beautiful coastline of Tanoura Beach in Oita city, under the approval of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (“MLIT”) of Japan.
Sato Kiichiro, Mayor of Oita, Oita Prefecture, Japan, attended the event and delivered a speech saying, “Last July, EH216 completed its Japan’s first point-to-point trial flight in Oita, receiving overwhelming responses. Today, EH216 takes on the challenge of passenger-carrying flight here, and I am very pleased to witness this moment. I hope that today’s passenger-carrying flight test will accelerate autonomous aerial vehicles to take a further step toward practical use cases, so that this industry full of opportunities could be in full swing.”
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS), a Technology Company in the Defense, National Security and Global Markets and industry-leading provider of high-performance, jet-powered unmanned aerial systems, recently announced that it is further increasing its UK-based capability by the addition of key, seasoned engineering and programme/project management personnel highly experienced in jet UAS / Drone systems.
Stacey Rock, President of the Kratos Turbine Technology Division, said, “This strategic and tactical decision and action we have taken helps position Kratos to be a part of key uncrewed aircraft system programs here in the UK and abroad. We’re excited about this expansion and strengthening of our technical and programme team in this rapidly growing global defence focus arena. Joining us and supplementing the team are two experienced defence personnel who, between them, have 50+ years of successful complex programme delivery experience within the uncrewed systems arena and an unrivalled understanding of the development and delivery of uncrewed aerial systems.”
Mobilicom Limited (NASDAQ: MOB), a provider of cybersecurity and robust solutions for drones and robotics, recently announced that it has been selected to represent the uncrewed autonomous systems (UAS) industry at the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International’s (AUVSI) Hill Day in Washington DC on March 22, 2023. Mobilicom is a member of the AUVSI Cybersecurity Working Group.

Flame Keeper

Genre: Action / Roguelike
Players: 1
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Review:
(Note: Review code provided by the kind folks at Untold Tales)
Flame Keeper is an Isometric Action game with Roguelike elements released on PC and Nintendo Switch in 2023. In this game, players take control of Ignis, an anthropomorphic piece of flaming coal tasked with heading out into a dark wilderness filled with malicious creatures and feeding pyres to take back the world from the forces of literal darkness.
Given the role that fire, light, and darkness play in this game, it will likely come as no surprise to hear that the lighting is decent in this game, though it’s nothing truly extraordinary, with some fairly detailed environments with a slightly-cartoony look to them. This is backed by a cinematic-style instrumental soundtrack that works well for giving a note of drama to the game. Overall, there’s nothing especially impressive here, but for a $12 game, this looks pretty good.
A standard run in Flame Keeper has players heading into a series of randomly-generated levels where you start at a flaming pyre and must collect lamps to surround the pyre, and then fuel those lamps. Everything is powered by fire in this game, which makes for some interesting choices you’ll have to make - you need to use fire to unlock the lamps before returning them to the pyre, you need to use fire to feed those lamps once you do, and you need to use fire to open any treasure chests you come across. The thing is, fire is also your life force, so you need to be careful not to give up too much, or risk getting snuffed out entirely by the next enemy you fight.
While clever in theory, this becomes tedious in practice - you’ll need to be going back and forth between sources of fire and things you need to fuel, with a difficult enough enemy encounter meaning that you may have to seek additional fuel sources, and in turn risk more battles that could further reduce your health, and so on. Yet, you have a maximum amount of fire you can store on your person (er, on your coal?), and any others are left laying around, usually to be picked up by scrounging scavengers. So it’s not like you can load up a good haul of the stuff, and every time you leave some laying on the ground it feels like a waste of a resource you’ll need later.
It’s not that fire is limited in supply - over time, the game replenishes both trees that you can bash to get more of the stuff (in this game, fire literally does grow on trees) as well as the enemies you fight, which sometimes drop it when defeated... but this just means that you’ll never truly clear an area and you’ll constantly be fighting your way through enemies. You could just run past them, but that means they’ll swarm you when you reach the spot you need to get to. Oh, and you won’t get much depth from the combat here. Expect a lot of button-mashing.
To the game’s credit, it does something a bit different every few levels or so to shake things up, with what serves as boss battles in the form of a Tower Defense section where you must defend a flaming pot from oncoming monsters, but can once again spend some of your own fire to power various traps surrounding the pot. It’s a wonderful concept, but it unfortunately still suffers from the game’s repetitive combat and the constant feeling of grinding permeating the game.
The one other element you can look to for some relief from this grind is the game’s Roguelike elements, where you can spend resources in between runs to gain permanent upgrades to your power and abilities. This is helpful, but unfortunately the progression here feels a bit slow, and there aren’t nearly as many options as I’d like.
Overall, despite its flaws, I still like Flame Keeper. It has an appealing aesthetic and some of its core concepts are intriguing. Unfortunately, those same core concepts turn the game into a grind-heavy ordeal that doesn’t quite fulfill its fiery promise. If you enjoy Action Roguelikes and this game’s presentation appeals to you, you may find it worth giving a try. However, I think there are better alternatives out there, even if they don’t have quite the same mix of elements as this game.
tl;dr – Flame Keeper is an Isometric Action Game with Roguelike elements where players take the role of an anthropomorphic piece of flaming coal fighting dark creatures and trying to return flame to massive pyres. There are some interesting ideas at the heart of this game, such as a system where players must use their own life force, fire, as a currency to unlock progress. However, these interesting elements usually just make for more tedium as you grind to refill your fire over and over again. This game isn’t without its charms, but you have better options within the genre.

Grade: C

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With the coming of S4 Blizz will no longer force a decay on our visible SR at the start of a new season, but MMR decay is still a time based thing. If you leave the game for an extended period of time your hidden rank MMR will start to decay.
That being said....
Remember that your SR has already changed with every win or loss in real time, it's just not been updated for you to see. So if you're trying to camp a rank; lets say Master 5 in my case, and wins or losses you got after getting to your rank have been calculated. If you're on a 2 win / 14 loss card thinking you're gonna camp that rank for the comp points and title... Think again.
Even one loss after getting your rank can derank you as you can't see if your on the 3500 or 3599 mark. If you're just barely scraping by at 3517, that one loss will drop you back to Diamond 1 even if you can't see it.... It's already happened.
It's not SR decay, you just lost matches.

Hello all,
I am finally having the money and time to focus finally into my machine.
It seems now i can't enjoy my games at Ultra setting anymore, and now that i'm playing on a 4k screens it's even worse. So i'm ready to changei f it's a necessity, my whole setup.
I believed on of my biggest issue is my CPU, i'm almost full with my SSD and my case is half broken.
I don't have budget limitation, so at this point, I don't know if it's better that i'm waiting for new generations/new products or It's good now to improve it without wasting too much money on something that I would like to change anytime soon.
Kind Regards o/
This is my current setup below
PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor	€183.85 @ Megekko
Motherboard	Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE ATX AM4 Motherboard	-
Memory	Kingston HyperX Fury 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory	-
Storage	PNY CS1030 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive	€59.95 @ Azerty
Video Card	Zotac GAMING AMP GeForce RTX 2080 8 GB Video Card	-
Case	Fractal Design Define R5 ATX Mid Tower Case	€124.78 @ Amazon Netherlands
Power Supply	SeaSonic FOCUS GX 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	€133.85 @ Azerty
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	€502.43
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-03-31 15:45 CEST+0200

Buy a few , get a discount! Paypal ok
13 hours secret soldiers 4K Vudu/ITunes - 5
21 bridges 4K Itunes - 4
22 Jump Street HD MA - 4
Adventures of Tintin HD Vudu split - 3
Aladdin HD GP split - 3
Aladdin (live action) HD GP split - 3
Alien Covenant 4K Itunes(will port) - 5
All eyez on me HD Itunes - 3
Amazing Spiderman HD MA - 4
American Hustle HD MA - 4
American reunion HD Itunes(will port) - 4
Anchorman 2 HD Vudu - 4
Anna 4K Vudu/Itunes - 5
Antman 4K Itunes(will port) - 5
Arrival HD Vudu split - 2
The Artist (2011) HD MA - 5
Atomic Blonde 4K Itunes(will port) - 5
Avengers Endgame 4K MA - 5
Avengers Age of Ultron HD GP split - 3
Avengers Infinity War 4K Itunes(will port to MA) split - 5
Bad moms HD MA - 3
Battleship HD MA - 4
Beauty and the beast 1991 HD GP split - 3
Beauty and the beast 2017 HD GP split - 3
Belfast HD MA - 5
Big Hero 6 4K MA - 6
Birdman HD MA - 5
Black Panther Wakanda Forever HD GP split - 3
Black Panther 4K Itunes(will port) - 5
Black widow HD MA - 4
Blue Jasmine HD MA - 4
Bohemian rhapsody HD MA - 4
Bourne legacy HD MA - 3
The Boy (2016) HD MA - 3
Bridesmaids HD Itunes(will port) - 4
Bullet train HD MA - 4
Bumblebee (transformers movie) 4K Vudu - 5
By the sea HD MA - 4
Cabin in the woods 4K Vudu/Itunes - 5
Call me by your name HD MA - 5
Call of the Wild (2020) HD MA - 3
Captain America first avenger 4K ITunes(will port) - 5
Captain Fantastic HD MA - 5
Captain Marvel 4K Itunes(will port) split - 5
Captain Phillips HD MA - 4
Cars 3 HD GP split - 3
The Choice (2016) HD Vudu split - 3
Clerks 3 4K Itunes/HD Vudu - 6
Coco HD GP split - 2
Crimson Peak HD Itunes(will port) - 4
Cry Macho HD MA - 4
Cruella 4K MA - 6, HD MA - 4
Dawn of the planet of apes 4K Itunes (will port) - 5
Deadpool 4K MA - 5
Death on the Nile 4K MA - 6
Deepwater horizon 4K Itunes - 5
Dirty Grandpa HD Vudu/Itunes - 4
Divergent HD Vudu split - 3
Doctor Strange 4K MA - 5
Dr Strange 2 multiverse 4K MA - 5
Do the right thing 4K Itunes(will port) - 5
The doorman 4K Itunes/hd Vudu - 5
Dora and Lost City of Gold 4K Itunes/HD Vudu - 6
Dracula untold 4K Itunes/HD vudu - 4
Draft Day HD Vudu - 3
Dredd HD vudu - 3
The Duff HD Vudu - 4
Dumbo (2019) HD GP split - 3
Dying of the light HD Vudu - 4
Earth girls are easy HD Vudu - 4
Elysium HD MA - 3
Ender's game 4K Itunes/HD Vudu - 4
Equilibrium(Christian Bale) HD Vudu - 5
E.T. 4K Itunes(will port) - 5
Eternals 4K MA - 6
Ex Machina HD Vudu - 4
Fall 4K Itunes/hd Vudu - 7
Fantastic Mr Fox HD MA - 5
F9 fast&furious HD MA - 4
Fast and furious 6 HD MA - 2
Fate of the furious 4K MA - 5
Fences 4K Itunes - 5
50 shades of grey HD MA - 3
50 shades darker HD MA - 3
Florence foster jenkins HD Itunes/Vudu - 3
Forever purge HD MA - 4
Fortress: snipers eye 4K Itunes/HD Vudu - 5
Free guy HD MA - 3
Frozen HD GP split - $2
Fury HD MA - 4
Gemini man 4K Vudu/Itunes - 5
The gentlemen 4K Itunes - 5
Ghost in the shell (2017) 4k Itunes/HD vudu - 5
Ghostbusters 2 HD MA - 3
Ghostbusters : answer the call (2016) HD MA - 3
Girl on the train HD MA - 3
Godzilla 2014 HD MA - 4
Gone girl 4K Itunes(will port) or HD MA - 5
Grand Budapest Hotel HD MA - 4
The Greatest showman HD MA - 4
Green Knight 4K Vudu - 5
Guilt trip HD Itunes - 3
Guardians of Galaxy 4K Itunes(will port) - 5
Guardians of galaxy Vol 2 HD GP split - $3
Hell or high water, wind river, sicario HD Vudu - 6
Hell or high water 4K Itunes - 4
Highlander 4K Vudu - 5
Hitman's wife's bodyguard 4K Vudu/Itunes - 5
Hitman's bodyguard + hitman's wife's bodyguard 4K Vudu - 8
Hocus Pocus HD GP split - 3
Holiday Inn HD MA - 4
Homefront (Statham) HD MA - 4
Hustlers 4K Itunes - 5
I, Frankenstein HD Vudu/Itunes - 3
Inception HD MA - 3
Incredibles 2 4K MA - 6
Inferno HD MA - 4
Inside Out HD GP split - 3
Interstellar 4K Itunes/Vudu - 5
Iron Man 3 HD GP split - 3
John Wick 4K Vudu/Itunes - 5
John Wick 1&2 HD Vudu - 5
Judy (2019 Rene Zellweger) 4K Itunes - 5
Jungle Book (2016) HD GP split - 3
Jungle Cruise HD GP split - 3
Juno SD Itunes(will port) - 2
Jurassic Park 4K MA - 5
Jurassic Park 3 4K Itunes(will port) - 5
Jurassic Park Lost World HD MA - 3
Kingsman Secret Service 4K Itunes(will port) - 4
Legend of Tarzan 4K MA - 5, HD MA - 4
Les Miserables HD MA - 3
Let’s be cops 4K Itunes(will port) - 5
Life (2017) HD MA - 4
Life of Pi 4K Itunes(will port) - 5
Lightyear 4K MA - 6, HD MA - 4
Lion King (1994) HD GP split - 3
Lion King (live action) 4K MA - 5
Little mermaid HD GP split - 3
Logan 4K Itunes(will port) - 5
Logan Lucky 4K Itunes(will port) - 4
Lone Ranger HD MA - 4
Lone survivor 4K Itunes(will port) - 4
Looper HD MA - 4
Love actually HD MA - 5
Maleficent HD GP split - $3
The Martian 4K Itunes(will port) - 4
The Martian Extended edition HD MA - 4
Mary poppins HD MA - 4
Matrix 4-movies HD MA - 12
M3gan HD MA (includes unrated) - 8
Megan Leavey HD MA - 3
Mickey & Minnie Classic shorts HD MA split - 6
Mile 22 4K Itunes - 4
Mission Impossible 1,2,3 4K Vudu/Itunes - 6 each
Mr Holmes HD Vudu - 4
Mulan (live action) HD GP split - 3
Murder on the Orient express(2017) HD MA - 4
Night in the museum: Secret of the Tomb 4K Itunes(will port) - 5
Noah HD Vudu split- 3
No time to die 4K Itunes - 5
Now you see me HD Vudu - 3
Oblivion 4K Itunes(will port) - 4
The Old Way 4K Itunes/hd Vudu - 8
Oz the great and powerful HD MA - 3
Paranorman HD Itunes - 5
Parasite HD MA - 4
Pearl HD Vudu - 7
Perks of being a wallflower HD Vudu - 3
Phantom thread HD MA - 4
Pitch perfect 4K Itunes(will port) - 4
Pitch perfect 2 4K Itunes(will port) - 4
Planes trains and automobiles 4K Itunes/HD Vudu - 5
Playing with Fire HD Vudu - 3
Pompeii HD MA - 4
Precious cargo(Bruce Willis) SD Vudu - 2
Predator (1987) HD MA - 4
Psycho HD MA - 3
The purge 4K MA - 5
Quantum of solace HD Vudu - 3
Queen and Slim HD MA - 4
Quiet Place 4K Vudu/Itunes - 5
Raid 2 HD MA - 5, SD MA - 1
Rambo: First blood part 2 4K Itunes/HD Vudu - 4
Rambo Last blood 4K Itunes/HD Vudu - 5
Rear window HD MA - 3
Reasonable doubt HD Vudu - 3.50
Red 2 4K Itunes - 4
Reservoir Dogs 4K ITunes - 5
Resident evil: retribution HD MA - 4
Respect 4K Itunes - 5
The Revenant 4K Itunes(will port) - 5
Rocketman HD Vudu split - 2
Ron's gone wrong HD GP split - 3
Safe (Statham) HD Vudu split - 3
Safe house HD MA - 4
Sausage party HD MA - 5
Scarface 4K Itunes(will port) - 5
Scott Pilgrim vs World HD MA - 3
Scorpion King 3 HD MA - 5
Scream 2 4K Itunes/HD Vudu - 7
Seriously Red HD Vudu - 8
Sex tape SD - 1.50
Shape of water HD MA - 4
Shaun of the dead HD MA - 3
Sherlock Holmes: Game of shadows HD MA - 3
Sicario 4K Itunes/Vudu - 4
Snow White and the seven dwarves HD MA - 5
Snow White and huntsman HD MA - 4
Soul HD MA - 4
Southpaw HD Vudu - 4
Space Jam New Legacy 4K MA - 5
Spartacus (1960) HD MA - 3
The Spectacular Now SD Vudu - 2
Spectre 4K Itunes - 5
Spiderman HD MA - 4
Spiderman 2(plus ext) HD MA - 4
Spiderman Into the spiderverse HD MA - 5
Spiderman homecoming HD MA - 3
Split HD MA - 4
Star Wars A New Hope 4K MA - 7
Star Wars Return of the Jedi HD GP - 4
Star Wars Revenge of the Sith 4K MA - 7
Star Wars Last Jedi 4K MA - 6
Star Wars the Force Awakens 4K ITunes(will port) - 4
Straight out of Compton HD MA - 4
Suicide Squad (2016) HD MA - 3
Super 8 4K Itunes - 5
Taken 2 HD MA - 4
Ted unrated HD MA - 3
Ted 2 unrated HD MA - 3
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) 4K Itunes/hd vudu - 4
Terminator 2 4K Vudu/Itunes - 5
Terminator Genysis HD Vudu split - 2
Thor Love and Thunder HD MA - 4
Thor HD GP split - 3
Thor Ragnarok 4K Itunes (will port to MA) split - 5
Thor Dark World HD GP split - 3
Tinker Bell and the legend of Neverbeast HD GP split - 3
Top Gun (1986) 4K Itunes - 5
Total recall (1990) 4K Vudu/Itunes - 5
Toy Story 4 4K Itunes(will port) split - 5
Toy Story 4 HD GP split - 3
Trainwreck HD Itunes(will port) - 3
Transformers 4 Age of extinction 4K Itunes /hd vudu - 4
Turning Red HD MA - 4
Underwater(Kristen Stewart) HD MA - 5
Valerian and city of thousand planets HD Vudu - 4
Venom 4K MA - 5, HD MA - 4
Vice (Bruce Willis) HD Vudu - 4
Wakanda forever HD GP split - 3
Warm bodies SD Vudu - 1
West Side Story 4K MA - 5, HD GP - 3
West Side Story HD GP split - 3
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot HD Vudu/Itunes - 4
The Witch HD Vudu - 4
Wolf of wall street 4K Itunes /hd vudu - 5
World war Z HD Itunes/Vudu - 4
X Men days of future past 4K Itunes(will port) - 5
Zero dark thirty HD MA - 3
TV shows:
11.22.63 S1 HD Vudu - 8
10 days in the Valley S1 HD Vudu - 7
Ballers S2 HD Vudu split - 6
Boardwalk Empire S1,2,3 HD GP split - 5 each
Game of Thrones Seasons 1-7 HD GP split - 19
Game of Thrones HD GP split S1,2,4, - $3 each
Game of Thrones S3 HD Itunes split - 4
Ghosts S1 HD Vudu - 9
Strike Back S1 HD GP split - 7
Veep S2 HD GP split - 5
White Queen S1 HD Vudu - 8
.
Sony Pictures Movies Anywhere reward - 4.50, current options:
Moneyball (2011) in 4K
A Knight's Tale (2001)
The Animal (2001)
The Professional (1994) in 4K
La Bamba (1987)
Butterflies Are Free (1972)
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009)
Reign Over Me (2007)
Are We Done Yet? (2007))
Universal Pictures Movies Anywhere reward - 3.50 , current options:
Role Models
Shaun of the Dead (4K)
Race
Out of Sight
the Mummy (4K)
Mamma Mia! (4K)
Hot Fuzz (4K)
Evan Almighty
Dumb and Dumber To
Blue Crush
BASEketball
Fried Green Tomatoes
Paypal ok

List of all Nintendo Switch titles currently on sale with Metacritic score 65+:
M: Matches Previous Low
L: Lowest Historical Price

Title	% Off	Price	Metacritic	End Date	Historical
Super Mario Odyssey	33%	$39.99	97	4/8
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe	33%	$39.99	92	4/8	M
INSIDE	90%	$1.99	91	4/10	M
Retro City Rampage DX	60%	$5.99	91	4/6	M
SteamWorld Heist: Ultimate Edition	75%	$4.99	91	4/19
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury	33%	$39.99	89	4/8	M
Super Mario Maker 2	33%	$39.99	88	4/8
SteamWorld Dig 2	70%	$5.99	88	4/19
DoDonPachi Resurrection	30%	$13.99	87	4/17	M
Katamari Damacy REROLL	75%	$7.49	87	4/3
QUAKE	60%	$3.99	87	4/18	M
Rogue Legacy 2	15%	$21.24	87	4/5	L
Trine 2: Complete Story	75%	$4.24	87	4/14	M
Steve Jackson's Sorcery!	50%	$12.49	86	4/11	L
The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero	20%	$31.99	86	18 hours	M
Disgaea 4 Complete+	60%	$19.99	85	18 hours
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle	50%	$19.99	85	4/6
Monster Train First Class	50%	$14.99	85	4/3	M
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout	50%	$29.99	84	4/12	M
Beacon Pines	20%	$15.99	84	4/6	M
Danmaku Unlimited 3	50%	$4.99	84	4/13
ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights	45%	$13.74	84	18 hours	L
Lonely Mountains: Downhill	50%	$9.99	84	4/19	M
Mushihimesama	30%	$13.99	84	4/17	M
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim	60%	$23.99	84	4/18	L
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III	50%	$29.99	84	18 hours
Citizen Sleeper	30%	$13.99	83	4/6	M
DOOM (1993)	60%	$1.99	83	4/18
Flipping Death	80%	$3.99	83	4/19	M
LIMBO	80%	$1.99	83	4/10	M
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch	80%	$9.99	83	4/3	M
OlliOlli: Switch Stance	50%	$7.49	83	4/3
Reventure	50%	$3.99	83	4/7
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition	84%	$7.99	83	4/3	M
Yomawari: Lost in the Dark	25%	$29.99	83	18 hours	M
Espgaluda II	30%	$13.99	82	4/17	M
Fuga: Melodies of Steel	40%	$23.99	82	4/10	M
Horace	60%	$5.99	82	4/20
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Donkey Kong Adventure	50%	$7.49	82	4/6
Terraria	50%	$14.99	82	4/20	M
Disgaea 5 Complete	50%	$19.99	81	18 hours	M
DOOM 3	60%	$3.99	81	4/18
Genesis Noir	60%	$5.99	81	4/6	M
Okinawa Rush	80%	$3.99	81	4/11	L
Paradise Killer	60%	$7.99	81	4/6	M
Railbound	20%	$10.39	81	4/17	L
SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech	65%	$8.74	81	4/19
Super One More Jump	72%	$1.99	81	4/12
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV	50%	$29.99	81	18 hours	M
Winds Of Change	60%	$7.99	81	4/10	L
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe	33%	$39.99	80	4/8
ABZÛ	65%	$6.99	80	4/20
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy	50%	$29.99	80	4/12	M
BIT.TRIP FLUX	60%	$1.99	80	4/6	M
DOOM Eternal	67%	$13.19	80	4/18	L
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth	25%	$14.99	80	4/11	L
Mr. DRILLER DrillLand	80%	$5.99	80	4/3	L
Rogue Legacy	87%	$2.02	80	4/5	L
Saviors of Sapphire Wings / Stranger of Sword City Revisited	40%	$29.99	80	18 hours	M
This War of Mine: Complete Edition	95%	$1.99	80	4/18	M
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince	75%	$7.49	80	4/14
Agent A: A puzzle in disguise	90%	$1.99	79	4/15
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons	75%	$3.74	79	4/20
DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods - Part One	60%	$7.99	79	4/18	M
DOOM	75%	$9.99	79	4/18	M
FRAMED Collection	80%	$1.99	79	4/6	M
Indivisible	75%	$7.49	79	4/20	M
The Touryst	30%	$13.99	79	4/14
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus	85%	$5.99	79	4/18	M
ATOMIK: RunGunJumpGun	50%	$3.99	78	4/3
BIT.TRIP RUNNER	60%	$1.99	78	4/6	M
BLUE REFLECTION: Second Light	40%	$35.99	78	4/12
Boomerang Fu	87%	$1.99	78	4/20	M
Curse of the Dead Gods	50%	$9.99	78	18 hours	M
Death Squared	85%	$2.24	78	4/12
FAR: Changing Tides	60%	$7.99	78	4/13	L
Full Metal Furies	90%	$1.99	78	4/5	L
Haven	50%	$12.49	78	4/3
In Other Waters	70%	$4.49	78	4/6	M
Journey to the Savage Planet	60%	$11.99	78	4/20
Mortal Kombat 11	80%	$9.99	78	4/10	M
Murder by Numbers	70%	$4.49	78	4/11	M
SNK 40th ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION	50%	$19.99	78	18 hours	M
Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun!	50%	$24.99	78	4/3
Wavetale	20%	$23.99	78	4/19	M
Digimon Survive	30%	$41.99	77	4/3
Goodbye Deponia	90%	$1.99	77	4/3	M
Grow: Song of The Evertree	40%	$14.99	77	4/20	M
MouseCraft	80%	$1.99	77	4/10	M
My Memory of Us	80%	$2.99	77	4/10
Northgard	72%	$9.79	77	4/3
Swordship	30%	$13.99	77	4/19	M
BIT.TRIP CORE	60%	$1.99	76	4/6	M
BRIGANDINE The Legend of Runersia	50%	$24.99	76	4/13	M
Disgaea 1 Complete	60%	$19.99	76	18 hours
DOOM 64	60%	$1.99	76	4/18	M
.hack//G.U. Last Recode	50%	$24.99	76	4/3	M
Langrisser I & II	65%	$17.49	76	18 hours	M
Last Day of June	75%	$4.99	76	4/20	M
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2	80%	$5.99	76	4/10
Masters of Anima	70%	$2.09	76	18 hours	M
Once Upon a Jester	30%	$10.49	76	4/10	L
Pode	50%	$12.49	76	4/13	M
Sky Rogue	50%	$9.99	76	4/3
SuperEpic: The Entertainment War	88%	$2.15	76	4/20
The Caligula Effect 2	40%	$29.99	76	18 hours	M
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox	50%	$29.99	76	18 hours	M
Battle Axe	75%	$7.49	75	4/20	M
Black Future '88	90%	$1.99	75	4/3	L
Crysis Remastered Trilogy	45%	$27.49	75	4/10	M
Cursed to Golf	25%	$14.99	75	4/19	M
Death Come True	30%	$11.19	75	4/13	M
DORAEMON STORY OF SEASONS	70%	$14.99	75	4/3
DRAGON BALL Xenoverse 2	85%	$7.49	75	4/3	M
Dungeon of the Endless	80%	$3.99	75	4/10	M
Final Vendetta	50%	$12.47	75	4/20	M
Jurassic World Evolution: Complete Edition	65%	$20.99	75	4/13
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk	60%	$19.99	75	18 hours
LEGO DC Super-Villains	85%	$8.99	75	4/10
Miles & Kilo	75%	$1.99	75	4/6
RAILGRADE	25%	$14.99	75	4/11	L
Shakedown: Hawaii	60%	$7.99	75	4/6
Silence	90%	$1.99	75	4/3	M
SteamWorld Dig	75%	$2.49	75	4/19
Superliminal	50%	$9.99	75	4/4	M
Very Very Valet	67%	$4.99	75	4/10	M
We. The Revolution	75%	$4.99	75	4/20
Alder's Blood: Definitive Edition	70%	$5.99	74	4/11
BIT.TRIP VOID	60%	$1.99	74	4/6	M
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night	60%	$15.99	74	4/20
Darkwood	50%	$7.49	74	4/10
Frogun	30%	$10.49	74	4/20	M
Furi	65%	$6.99	74	4/3
GOD EATER 3	85%	$8.99	74	4/3	M
Neo Cab	80%	$3.99	74	4/6	M
Portal Knights	65%	$6.99	74	4/20	M
Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2: Makai Kingdom: Reclaimed and Rebound / ZHP: Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman	25%	$29.99	74	18 hours	M
RPG Time: The Legend of Wright	47%	$15.99	74	18 hours	L
Semblance	50%	$4.99	74	4/3
Stick It to The Man	80%	$2.39	74	4/19	M
Super Mutant Alien Assault	80%	$1.99	74	4/6	M
The Alliance Alive HD Remastered	65%	$17.49	74	18 hours	M
The Letter: A Horror Visual Novel	50%	$9.99	74	4/14	M
Tokyo Dark – Remembrance –	70%	$5.99	74	4/19	M
void tRrLM(); //Void Terrarium	60%	$9.99	74	18 hours	M
Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes	66%	$5.09	74	4/10
Astronite	30%	$10.49	73	4/13	L
ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree	40%	$8.99	73	4/13	L
BIT.TRIP BEAT	60%	$1.99	73	4/6	M
Cinders	80%	$3.99	73	4/10
EARTHLOCK	80%	$5.98	73	4/7
Ghostrunner	60%	$11.99	73	4/20
John Wick Hex	50%	$9.99	73	4/3
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood	80%	$2.99	73	4/7
Muse Dash	15%	$25.49	73	4/3
No Longer Home	60%	$5.99	73	4/6	M
Pumpkin Jack	60%	$11.99	73	4/13	M
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Super Arcade Football	30%	$6.99	72	4/5
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Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 3: La Pucelle: Ragnarok / Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure	25%	$29.99	71	18 hours	M
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LEGO The Incredibles	85%	$8.99	65	4/10	M
TOHU	50%	$7.49	65	4/11	M

This is just kind of a one-off opinion/thought that I wanted to put out and share with the community. This battle season is the first time I've gotten into tanking through PvP battles, and I've gotta say, I'm having WAY more actual fun (and exponentially more rewards) doing it this way than I ever did actually trying to win/progress legitimately.
I've played this game (with some large time gaps here and there) since literally day one (technically day -1 since there was that like, Australian app file you could use to install it early the night before it released everywhere else, anyone remember that?), and the battle league has always just been kinda "that aspect of the game that I don't really engage with." Like, I had/have a competitive team, and had done some battles here and there (like when tasks called for it), but it was always just fighting against whatever the meta was at that time, or battling teams of legendaries, or just, all that crap that made it feel more like a slough than anything enjoyable.
Tanking though, it's made this part of the game something I actually look forward to doing. I've done my 25 daily battles every day since the start of this season, and spent a good chunk of the recent battle day doing more of the same. The reward system Niantic has set-up just isn't great, and feels more punishing to those who don't want to spend their time optimizing their team than just enjoying battling/PvP. But now, with so much less (basically zero sometimes) effort, I've hit rank 20 (a thing I never would have done before), get a ton of stardust and rewards, and receive some (kinda mediocre, honestly) encounters daily.
So yeah, TL;DR: Tanking in Battle League is better than the original system ever was.

After one week using Luba, I send you my my problems, questions et suggestions :
Configuration : - Version Android : 10 - Version application : 1.5.4 - Version de l'appareil : 1.6.2.210
Photos were sent to [email protected]

• I have configured 6 adjacent mowing areas: I have to redraw some beds. To avoid having to reprogram the mowing area, I decided to create different and adjacent areas. A point that seems important to me for the problems and questions that follow.

Problems and questions: 1. Luba does not mow the edges. I only observed edge mowing when I defined the first area and asked Luba to mow it. I think I have a lead that I submit to you: it seems to me that the application turns OFF the cut at the limits if we go back to modifying the planning of the tone zone just to visualize what has been set. I am attaching some before and after pictures of the programming of a mowing task. Screenshot_20230330-223415_Mammotion.jpg: Settings app Screenshot_20230330-223557_Mammotion.jpg: switch to modification to view the parameters.

1. Mowing task settings: Are the custom settings set correctly per task? When I want to go back to visualization on the task, I don't see what I had configured just before.
   
2. Deleting a mowing task: All tasks disappeared when I requested to delete a specific task. Then the application notifies "exception from the navigation system" at 11:32 p.m., one hour after the task was deleted (maybe no link, I'll let you judge). Screenshot_20230331-111256_Mammotion.jpg I switched off Luba, removed and replaced the key, then switched on Luba: a mowing task came back. The others may reappear in a few moments.
   
3. Luba spins around when changing adjacent areas to return to his charging base or looking for his way. This digs into the earth and pulls out the grass, drawing a circle on the ground. The zones being adjacent, it does not seem useful to me to define connection paths, if this is the solution currently to prevent Luba from turning on itself. Can we avoid this defect? What solution to implement?
   
4. The Luba fail to cross the area. What would be the cause? Screenshot_20230328-204200_Unable to cross area 1.jpg Screenshot_20230328-204200_Unable to cross area 2.jpg
   
5. App release on Android does not always happen. I have to force close the app.
   

Proposals: 1. Push notifications from Luba in the app 2. Ask Luba to mow the edge of forbidden areas. possibly a configuration option. 3. Being able to suspend a task. Postpones its execution to the next scheduled schedule. Objective: postpone the tone for a weather reason or an exceptional context without having to cancel it completely.
I also forward my comments via reddit.
Thank you in advance for your answers.

[<< First] [< Previous] [Next >]
​
Synopsis:
Juliette Contzen is a lazy, good-for-nothing princess. Overshadowed by her siblings, she's left with little to do but nap, read … and occasionally cut the falling raindrops with her sword. Spotted one day by an astonished adventurer, he insists on grading Juliette's swordsmanship, then promptly has a mental breakdown at the result.
Soon after, Juliette is given the news that her kingdom is on the brink of bankruptcy. At threat of being married off, the lazy princess vows to do whatever it takes to maintain her current lifestyle, and taking matters into her own hands, escapes in the middle of the night in order to restore her kingdom's finances.
Tags: Comedy, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Copious Ohohohohos.
​
Chapter 19: Awakened Stone
“Oh my.”
My eyes opened wide.
A stone golem!
A huge, lumbering creature, covered from head to … well, no, it didn't have toes, but it was still covered in seaweed, arcana crystals and what appeared to be common earthworms!
A hulking creature of legend. These were the famous protectors of treasures and ruins. A powerful and durable enemy dressed in a granite exterior, and a favoured foe of swashbuckling heroes and their band of gallant vagabonds.
A problem, then.
I was no swashbuckling hero.
And between Coppelia's excited expression as she jumped and clapped on the spot as if she were watching a trained gryphon being showcased at a circus, and the alchemist's stunned horror as she fiddled with the pouches by her waist, I was left with the distinct impression that all of us were out of our intended roles here.
“A stone golem!” said Coppelia, her bubbly voice filled with admiration. “How wonderful! See how the shine reflects off its pulverising arms? And that reinforced torso? It could shake off the blow from a [Fireball] as easily as a mountain shrugs off a raindrop. And to think that it could have been lying here, dormant for centuries! Neither time nor monotony erodes its capabilities. This here is engineering at nature's finest. I mean, I even consider them to be distant cousins!”
“Is … Is that so?”
I had to spend a moment to process that. Did a clockwork doll and a stone golem truly share any similarities in their construction? As far as I knew, one was entirely mechanical while the other was magical.
Perhaps all constructs possessed a shared fraternity?
If so, did that mean I couldn't rely on Coppelia's brutish strength to do away with what was, by all accounts, a high level foe which struck fear into even the hearts of veteran adventurers?
A troublesome predicament. While I didn't condone her general impudence in denying my frequent requests, it was rather uncouth to ask her to punch her cousin. At least not until it first made a slanderous remark about her character.
“Juliette, I suggest aiming for the knees!” she said, beaming with delight. “Their weight is a burden on their legs, and so their joints are especially vulnerable. In short, fight dirty! Go low!”
“W-What is this! Isn't that your cousin?!”
Coppelia shrugged.
“He never showed up to my birthday party.”
BrrrRRrruuuuuuummmmmmmmmmm.
I steadied my feet as cracks began to form in the bedrock.
Water from the central basin splashed over, flinging not only onto my precious boots, but also my leggings as well. To my horror, some of the water which crashed over slid back into the pool, leaving a trail of mucus behind as it went.
I shuddered with despair as I considered the amount of soap needed to cleanse myself of water slimes, then remembered I had to stop the source of this bellowing first.
The stone golem sent a crashing step towards me, dust and debris flying in its wake as this moving mountain trundled slowly onwards.
Flight was possible, but not if I wanted to secure the full breadth of riches that this chamber had to offer. Arcana crystals, a fully bloomed starflower, and, yes, I'm sure someone would be in the market for fresh seaweed, too!
A princess does not leave money on the table!
I readied myself, holding Starlight Grace aloft as I took in the hulking frame of the stone golem.
I was no swordswoman, but I didn't have to be to defeat a foe such as this! Overwhelming confidence and a callous disregard for collateral damage were the most important things to defeating even the most famed of monsters—my treasonous aunts and uncles. What were stone golems, compared to the plots in the night that my extended family dreamed in their bat-laden castles?
That's why, I wouldn't mess around!
It was time to—
“I-I-It's okay! I got this!”
Hmm?
Glancing to the side, I saw the alchemist holding a green coloured bottle in both hands.
Raising it over her shoulder, she took stock of the giant creature in front of her, aimed and ... threw!
I watched with my heart in my mouth as the vial flew through the air, its contents bubbling viciously in its glass container.
The stone golem's head turned with alarming speed, but could do nothing against Maria … Marina's unexpected attack! It failed to raise its lumbering arms in time to shield itself against the alchemical concoction as it proceeded to shatter harmlessly onto the ground barely inches in front of the young woman.
She blinked, then watched as the green liquid spilled onto the bedrock, vanishing as it melted through the ground like lava tearing through snow.
“Oh,” she said. “I forgot I was very bad at throwing.”
BrrrRRrruuuuuUUuuuuuUuuummmmmmmmmm.
Its attention now wholly turned to the alchemist, the stone golem let out another thundering bellow before slamming what counted as a foot towards her.
And then another. Then another.
There was no hint of that lumbering slowness as it emerged from its cleft in the wall. Instead, the stone golem accelerated its movements as it committed to each step, quite literally shaking off the dirt and dust that caked the shining granite which comprised its true form.
“Move away!” I ordered the young woman, whose eyes were wide at the sad results of her throw. “You cannot die until you first evaluate the cost of the starflower! Allow me to handle this! Get far away from this chamber!”
I paused.
“But not too far,” I quickly added. “Strangler crabs will not hesitate to earn their namesake. In fact, if you have any more of those green vials on hand, I suggest you have them at the ready. Threaten to boil them in a lemon and clarified butter sauce, and if they continue to approach you despite that, utilise what alchemical concoctions you have available.”
BBBrrRRrrRRrruuuuumuUUuuuuuUuUuuUuummmmmmmmmm.
I was forced to hop away as my left boot suddenly found itself shorn of any ground to stand on. The entire chamber rocked perilously, shards of jagged rock falling from the ceiling as the earth threatened to collapse below and above me.
This was bad!
True, I'd acted a bit confidently despite the fact I had no right to. But this was actually quite bad! If the ceiling broke, no amount of divine intervention could save me from the tons of soil that resided above. I'd die! Or worse, live and look like a peasant!
“Excuse me!” I said, raising my voice at the stunned woman. “Did you not hear me? I said … no, I command you to move!”
At my second set of instructions, the alchemist finally snapped out of her stupor and moved—only to immediately stumble over the newly formed cracks in the ground.
She fell with a small cry, then lay rooted with a look of utter fear as she watched the approaching behemoth. Far from obeying my express commands, her feet simply brushed against the earth as though she'd forgotten how to stand.
All the while, the stone golem sauntered forwards, each foot dragging the other with even greater force. In moments, it'd have nothing left to crush but the prone body of the defenceless alchemist.
I was horrified.
This alchemist was a skilled tradeswoman! The foundation to which our kingdom's economy relied upon! I could not condone the death of anyone whose worth had yet to be squeezed dry by the hands of our treasury!
Thus, I did what I had to.
Taking a deep breath, I sprang to action, brandishing Starlight Grace in my hand as I leaped towards the direction of Coppelia, who was sniffing at the seaweed on the wall.
“Coppelia! Rescue the useless shopkeeper!”
She glanced at the woman in question, then at the stone golem.
“Hmm. Well, he did miss my birthday. I'll take suggestions. But no promises.”
“Toss her like a pillow!”
“Okie~”
The girl smiled, gave a thumbs-up, then gracefully jumped towards the prone figure on the floor. With only a yelp of resistance, the alchemist was picked up by the ankles and promptly swung into the pool of water plus added slimes.
“W-W-What?! Noo .. noooooooooooo!!”
She screamed as she flew, the noise echoing even after she landed head first into the centre of the water body. Her feet remained upright for a few terrifying moments before her head swapped places, water dripping down her soaked hair and brows as she coughed frantically.
Coppelia placed her hands on her waist in satisfaction. I looked at her in horror.
“C-Coppelia! You cannot swing an injured person into a basin of water!”
“Hmm? Why not? The stone golem can't get her there. They don't swim.”
“Injured people cannot swim either! I require her to drown in debt, not water!”
Coppelia tilted her head slightly, then looked at the woman wildly flailing her arms upon the surface of the water. Her chin continually dipped beneath the surface, bubbles streaming forth whenever she failed to lift her head over the water.
The clockwork doll waited a few seconds before saying anything, clearly observing whether or not the victim of her throw was actually drowning or not.
“Eh. She'll be fine.”
BBBrrRRrrRRrruuuuuUmmmMmmuUUuuuuuUuUuuUuummmmmmmmmm.
“Hiiee!”
I let out an unseemly noise as I dodged an entire section of the ceiling attempting to decapitate me. The stone golem's thundering bellow was so boisterous that I could feel it rattling in my bones.
I turned to the monster whose fury was now aimed towards us.
Though it was said that magical creatures lacked the intelligence of their flesh and blood compatriots, that did not mean they were without instinct or emotion. Even a rock, it seemed, could feel rage.
I looked up, spying the obvious cracks in the ceiling. A wonderful assist for the Miner's Guild when they started tearing through the earth. But not one I appreciated while I was still under it.
The next rumble it emitted would be the last.
“So, would you like me to take a swing at the thing?” asked Coppelia, rotating her shoulders and loosening whatever cogs there were. “By the way, I don't normally do that. Punching things, I mean. I know you think I do, but I don't. It's just that this thing looks tough and I'm curious what'll happen if—”
I held out my palm. Coppelia had a far more important task than defeating this powerful foe.
“No, that will not be necessary. Do not put yourself in harm's way until I bid it. I require you to be in good shape to carry me. I refuse to tread through the vile contents of that stream again.”
“I'm not carrying you.” Coppelia paused. “I'll swing you, though. I wasn't really trying the first time. Should I?”
“No.”
Coppelia blew up her cheeks in disappointment. She quickly regained her enthusiasm when I turned towards our adversary. But I had little choice in the matter.
It was now running towards us.
Brwoom. Brwoom. Brwoom. Brwoom.
Or well, perhaps lightly jogging was more accurate.
Even so, as though emboldened by its own rumbling, the stone golem did away with the last of its ponderous movements and came hurtling forth with all the speed of a rolling boulder … on a very slight decline.
“Remember, go for the knees!” said Coppelia, as she heartily skipped away. “Not just now, but in general. Nobody ever expects it.”
I nodded. It was a sure enough tactic, especially for a foe such as this. I hadn't any magic to pierce the stone golem's natural armour.
But I had Starlight Grace. And that was close enough.
All it took was a precision strike at the correct weakness!
It wouldn't be that simple, of course, even with the enchanted blade. Yet a thin crack clearly existed between its upper and lower legs. They were two separate shards of rock that moved in conjunction with the magic that powered it. But even magic could be pierced, cut and severed. Maybe.
The stone golem brought one of its great, pulverising arms up as I brandished my sword. It didn't slow to strike, instead continuing to hurtle towards us.
And that's when I saw my chance.
How could I not?
After all—
I had all the time in the world.
Because for each step that the stone golem took towards me, this lumbering giant simply … slowed down.
Even with its form in full motion, the creature's movements shuddered to a crawl as lethargic as a slug beneath the summer sun.
For a moment, all I could do was blink in puzzlement at this rapid deceleration. But then the facts became clear.
Why, this stone golem had likely been encased here for years, perhaps centuries! Naturally, there would be repercussions if it suddenly decided to break out into a sprint. Whatever magic powered it was likely old and withering. Awakening was itself a feat. Running? That was clearly beyond it!
I wouldn't let this chance pass. If it was on its last legs, then I could help ensure that it stayed that way!
I pushed off where I was, circling around the stone golem as it made to swing at me. I might or might not have stumbled over a pebble as well, but that doesn't matter. Because after locating the thin groove joining its legs together, I easily thrust Starlight Grace into the gap.
The moment I did—
Brwooph.
The stone golem's movements returned.
The leg that I'd struck buckled, and its entire frame came crashing down into the ground at a pace that far exceeded its slow approach. The sudden momentum shift shocked me, and I had to raise my sword to stop my face from being pelted by the earth and dirt.
In that instant, I feared the ground would give way. A crater now served as the stone golem's home, with slimy, mucus-like water now seeping through to fill up. I hopped away from the peril to my boots.
A moment later, I came to realise that the stone golem was still the thing I should be concerned about.
Despite its heavy landing, its huge arms pummelled into the earth, then began to lift itself out of the crater. The leg that had been struck by my sword was clearly damaged and failed to properly move, but the other had no issue, rising on its knee with purposeful, if laborious movements.
I was stunned.
Here I thought the stone golem was on its last charge, and yet it was now managing to right itself. Did this mean it had some alternative energy source to draw from? Was I simply fortunate when it decided to slow itself for my benefit?
Or could it be ...
“Of … Of course! The arcana crystals!”
I wanted to chide myself for not realising sooner.
It was so obvious!
The arcana crystals that littered its body along with the earthworms and the strings of seaweed. They were the primary reagent for mana potions. The lifeblood from which mages continued to function long after coffee had finished working.
Somehow … the stone golem must be drawing energy from them!
I smiled brilliantly.
In that case, there was only one thing for it!
“Ohhohoho … you have my admiration, Sir Stone Golem. But to duel me in the dance of death is to invite your own demise. How foolish, to think you could best someone as overwhelmingly capable as I.”
The stone golem paused in its struggling. For a moment, it turned its faceless head at me, as if to gape with disbelief at my denouncement of its pitiful attempt at murder.
I paid its complaints no heed.
Instead, I held up my sword over my shoulder, the hilt delicately poised between my fingers as though to write with it. This was the position I held Starlight Grace in when using it for its most unique function—
Reading my books beneath my duvet while pretending I was asleep!
“It appears you have a fondness for arcana crystals. If so, allow me to offer you a buffet to fully quench your appetite! Mysteries gather unto me, these are the truths revealed in the starlight. Poetry Form, 4th Stance. [Reading Light]!”
For a moment, Starlight Grace merely wobbled in my hand.
And then—out came the light of the heavens.
Here it was! The ultimate technique in cost-effective lighting! For those nights where it wasn't sufficient to merely light up the page I was reading, but also to scour the depths of my wardrobe, cabinets and the space beneath my bed for my dropped belongings!
When I required it, my entire room was lit up as if a lighthouse was beaming directly into the window!
Originally designed as an aid to my late night poetry writing sessions, [Reading Light] was now an invaluable tool to ensure that my hairbrushes, bookmarkers and stationary never went missing in the corners of my bedroom again!
The effects were immediate.
The chamber filled with enough light to drown out the sun. The seaweeds on the walls instantly puffed up, their dull, green exterior flourishing into the colour of summer grass, while a strangler crab that'd been inching into the chamber broke its pincers trying to burrow into the ground.
More pertinently, each and every arcana crystal on—and inside—the stone golem became ablaze with light. These fragile crystals were never transported without extensive cover. Overexposure risked their degradation. Even more than that resulted in their destruction.
For a few seconds, the stone golem looked as though it was aglow with the light of a thousand fireflies as each and every arcana crystal simultaneously ignited. They burned brightly even as [Reading Light] faded.
Up until the moment they violently exploded.
“Hiiee?!”
For the second time in quick succession, I was forced into an unseemly noise as Starlight Grace swept out to smack away the hundreds of small pieces of stone shards to fly towards me.
All that remained when the cloud of debris dispersed was a plume of smoke, the sound of hissing fragments and the sight of a large magical core, the crystallised heart which fuelled the golem's movement.
Nothing else remained of the stone behemoth.
I prodded at the magical core with my sword, shocked at the efficacy of my impromptu idea. My plan was to weaken it, or at least remove its source of magical energy. I didn't know arcana crystals reacted so violently to sudden light!
“M-My! To think it'd be … so weak to my [Reading Light]! Of course, I expected nothing less. What a foolish creature, to think it could challenge the power of the stars.”
The effects of the arcana crystals' overexposure to Starlight Grace's light was astonishing. I'd only witnessed similar effects once before as part of my mineralogy studies of the kingdom's resources, and that had been a tiny fragment of a particularly inert crystal.
The effects of so many reacting so fiercely was, as far as I knew, undocumented. Were these arcana crystals unique? Yet another amendment I'd need to add for the Miner's Guild to consider. I had no doubt they'd find a way to draw a profit from this. And I was eager for the results.
In any case, the chamber had been cleared!
Success!
“Ooh ... that wasn't bad at all,” said Coppelia, not even needing to balance herself as she landed gracefully beside me like a trained acrobat. “The next family gathering's going to be awkward. How do I explain that a reading light just made my uncle explode?”
“That was your uncle?!”
“Not anymore.” She joined me in poking at the remaining fragments with her shoe. “Don't worry. He was always a fan of theatrics. Going out with a bang is how he'd want to go. It was really pretty!”
“D-Do you think so?”
I smiled with pride.
In truth, it was difficult for me to take all the credit when it was my sword which clearly did all the work. It was likely also due to the chamber's total darkness that allowed the light to shine even brighter. Even a child holding Starlight Grace could surely have achieved the same result.
“I mean, most people just use a candle to read.”
“Well, they should be gifted an enchanted sword too, then.”
“Mmh, they're pretty dumb, aren't they?”
Behind us, the sound of ragged breathing caught my attention.
I turned around to see the sight of the alchemist, looking utterly pitiful as she climbed out of the basin of water. Her clothes and hazelnut hair were drenched in whatever life had made their home in there. She gave a squeeze of her apron, the water dripping out being instantly replenished by the water dripping down from her hair.
Then, she sneezed.
“Ughhhh … that was … that was … awful … uuuuuuuu ...”
I nodded. It was. But her flight into the pool of water was a worthy cause. That her face wasn't melting was proof that the slimes which inhabited that water were not of the toxic variety. A useful note I'd also need to convey to the Miner's Guild.
“Your starflower is ready,” I said, pointing towards the crevasse where the floral jewel shone. “All in all, a worthy use of my time. I look forward to seeing the results of your alchemy.”
The woman gave a glum nod. She glanced at the wreckage of the stone golem, then let out a depressed sigh.
Her eyes never once wandered to the prize waiting for her at the end of the chamber.
“The starflower … of course. Ugh. Does this water never end … ?”
“There'll be opportunities to dry yourself on the surface. I suggest you harvest the petals you require so we can leave with haste. Much needs to be done to remedy the Withering above.”
“Yes, yes,” she said, her voice frustrated as she squeezed the apron dry. Her index finger twitched noticeably. “The Withering. Unfortunately, there's one additional ingredient that I also need, which I don't think I'll be able to find here. Ugh, I despise getting wet ...”
“What ingredient?” I asked, refusing to climb back down for a return trip. “If it can be located nearby, then I'll not object to rendering out my services once more. As you can see, I'm highly proficient in everything I do.”
The woman didn't immediately answer. She looked at her sore palms in much the same way I did the first time I planted an apple tree seedling. Namely, while wondering why I wasn't ordering my servants to do it instead.
“It's not a question of location, but planning,” she said, repeatedly flicking the water from her hands. “You need not worry. It's something I can attain myself.”
Suddenly, Coppelia gave a lovely smile, then chimed in with a clap.
“Wait, wait, wait—let me guess!”
“Hmm?”
The young woman looked up, clearly not expecting an answer.
“Is it … the soul of a heroine?”
Silence pervaded the chamber as Coppelia finished her query with a bat of her eyelashes. Only the dripping of water from the young woman's drenched figure could be heard spoiling the newly induced quiet.
Her expression was frozen, still locked in the look of mild frustration she wore as she wrung the apron dry. And yet her hands no longer moved.
“Gotcha!” Coppelia snapped her fingers, then pointed straight at the young woman with a triumphant smile. “Marina Lainsfont, was it? You have my book.”
The soft sound of dripping water was the woman's only response.
After a few moments, she sighed and stood up straight.
“I hate water.”
Then—
Her hands burst into flames.
​
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