#Phase 2 campaign

[kyreniacommentator]

BRS News: VISIT BY UK PARLIAMENTARIANS

Introduction by Chris Elliott…. We are sharing for our readers who are seeking the latest facts and information with the approval of the British Residents Society, news recently provided by them to their members on 12th February 2024, and it’s sad to see that some people on social media love to start denigrating the efforts are others and try to encourage others to do the same. Would these…

[wolfwarrior142]

I finally finished The Final Shape campaign. I was taking my sweet time to really savor it, and I'm glad I did.

It made me cry so much. The whole campaign was made with so much love, but especially those last cutscenes. They were just beautiful and so much love and adoration was put into them. A little bittersweet, but also so amazing and beautiful. The last mission was also very fun and kind of emotional too with a bunch of different well-loved characters joining in.

I've been playing Destiny for over 7 years, since end of March 2017. I've played through all of D1 and D2 with my same character I made all the way back then, with her design never changing from that day. Still remember that first day all those years ago.

And I was a fan of Destiny from the very beginning since I grew up with Halo starting at 11 years old. The Law of the Jungle has been my favorite poem since my early teens, and from the second I saw the Destiny trailer with that in it, and I knew I was hooked. That trailer still makes me feel so much. And the only reason I didn't play Destiny from the very start is because I didn't have my own console to play it on for a few years, but my brother played it from the beginning and I watched him a lot (but he didn't let me make my own character on my own account on his Xbox cuz he's an ass...he's the one that got me into videogames starting with Halo, at least let me try Destiny).

Can't find the right words to describe the kind of emotions I'm feeling rn, after playing the game this long. And after finishing the game with the same character I made from the start, design never changed, from all those years ago, Cerys-8. And with her ghost, Pepin, having the same shell and shader since the first D2 Dawning.

The whole campaign was emotional in the best way. And those last cutscenes....beautiful. Just beautiful. Amazing. All of them made me cry so much, even the artistic one that features all the characters just doing their thing now. And the New Vanguard and the Young Wolf, looking over the City they saved, filled with humans and eliksni and cabal allies, all in one. Protected for now, for the first time in ages. Safe. Happy.

Don't touch me right now I'm so emotional. The beginning of the Red War campaign also made me insanely emotional and is actually the reason why I thought to name Cerys and Pepin anyway, and this is making me even more emotional. I love this so, so much.

[boyfeminism]

a deck of Malrique fortune cards--the Heart

upright: success, ambition, good fortune, changes

reversed: destruction, stagnation, failure, stubbornness

[whataduck]

*Looks at all of your newest rbs*

Someone has started playing ultrakill, haven't they? /lh

Hdghfgdj indeed! It's very fun

Think I started playing it at the end of March and now it has me in a death grip lol. Apologies to everyone who had to suffer through ultrakill flooding their dash, there will be more. In the future

[starlightartemis]

If I play my cards right (read: study my ass off), i should be free from uni just in time to hop onto the field campaign to release 2 rehabilitated eagles

[krispiecake]

Okay, without trying to take away from the joy we are feeling, we must stay vigilant. This ceasefire deal is 3 phases, the first is a 42 day pause for hostage exchange which is set to start on SUNDAY, as long as Netanyahu’s cabinet signs off on it. The IOF is not expected to fully retreat from Gaza, but stay to ‘mandated zones’. Palestinians are meant to be able to return to their homes, but with Israeli soldiers still there, this is not a guarantee. The 600 aid trucks a day into Gaza during this 42 day phase 1 is still not enough.

THIS IS NOT OVER. We do not know the details of phase 2 and 3, and nothing has been agreed for these phases in writing. We must not get complacent in this moment of respite. Please, do not stop fighting. This is not over until every Palestinian can return home, until the occupation is gone, until all of Palestine is free.

Keep protesting and campaigning, keep donating because aid organisations need all the help they can get, especially in the next 6 weeks, and it might be the only window people get to evacuate. This is a step in the right direction, but it is not over.

sources: 1 , 2

[ancientmyrddin]

thinking about the boss encounter in the campaign i'm running while also being like "hmm, khotun had three phases...."

[but-iamabidisaster-blog]

Ok so I have an NPC in my DnD game that is inspired by Albedo and our latest convo went like this.

Albedo: Please be gentle, I am nothing but a frail man(he died and got revived a few hours prior)

My character, carrying him bridal style:Don't worry, you fucking twink(last part was under their breath)

Albedo: What did you say?

My character: Don't worry I'll carry you, you're sick after all

Albedo: That's what I thought

[dandelionsresilience]

Good News - July 22-28

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my new(ly repurposed) Patreon!

1. Four new cheetah cubs born in Saudi Arabia after 40 years of extinction

“[T]he discovery of mummified cheetahs in caves […] which ranged in age from 4,000 to as recent as 120 years, proved that the animals […] once called [Saudi Arabia] home. The realisation kick-started the country’s Cheetah Conservation Program to bring back the cats to their historic Arabian range. […] Dr Mohammed Qurban, CEO of the NCW, said: […] “This motivates us to continue our efforts to restore and reintroduce cheetahs, guided by an integrated strategy designed in accordance with best international practices.””

2. In sub-Saharan Africa, ‘forgotten’ foods could boost climate resilience, nutrition

“[A study published in PNAS] examined “forgotten” crops that may help make sub-Saharan food systems more resilient, and more nutritious, as climate change makes it harder to grow [current staple crops.] [… The study identified 138 indigenous] food crops that were “relatively underresearched, underutilized, or underpromoted in an African context,” but which have the nutrient content and growing stability to support healthy diets and local economies in the region. […] In Eswatini, van Zonneveld and the World Vegetable Center are working with schools to introduce hardy, underutilized vegetables to their gardens, which have typically only grown beans and maize.”

3. Here's how $4 billion in government money is being spent to reduce climate pollution

“[New Orleans was awarded] nearly $50 million to help pay for installing solar on low to middle income homes [… and] plans to green up underserved areas with trees and build out its lackluster bike lane system to provide an alternative to cars. […] In Utah, $75 million will fund several measures from expanding electric vehicles to reducing methane emissions from oil and gas production. [… A] coalition of states led by North Carolina will look to store carbon in lands used for agriculture as well as natural places like wetlands, with more than $400 million. [… This funding is] “providing investments in communities, new jobs, cost savings for everyday Americans, improved air quality, … better health outcomes.””

4. From doom scrolling to hope scrolling: this week’s big Democratic vibe shift

“[Democrats] have been on an emotional rollercoaster for the past few weeks: from grim determination as Biden fought to hang on to his push for a second term, to outright exuberance after he stepped aside and Harris launched her campaign. […] In less than a week, the Harris campaign raised record-breaking sums and signed up more than 100,000 new volunteers[….] This honeymoon phase will end, said Democratic strategist Guy Cecil, warning the election will be a close race, despite this newfound exuberance in his party. [… But v]oters are saying they are excited to vote for Harris and not just against Trump. That’s new.”

5. Biodegradable luminescent polymers show promise for reducing electronic waste

“[A team of scientists discovered that a certain] chemical enables the recycling of [luminescent polymers] while maintaining high light-emitting functions. […] At the end of life, this new polymer can be degraded under either mild acidic conditions (near the pH of stomach acid) or relatively low heat treatment (> 410 F). The resulting materials can be isolated and remade into new materials for future applications. […] The researchers predict this new polymer can be applied to existing technologies, such as displays and medical imaging, and enable new applications […] such as cell phones and computer screens with continued testing.”

6. World’s Biggest Dam Removal Project to Open 420 Miles of Salmon Habitat this Fall

“Reconnecting the river will help salmon and steelhead populations survive a warming climate and [natural disasters….] In the long term, dam removal will significantly improve water quality in the Klamath. “Algae problems in the reservoirs behind the dams were so bad that the water was dangerous for contact […] and not drinkable,” says Fluvial Geomorphologist Brian Cluer. [… The project] will begin to reverse decades of habitat degradation, allow threatened salmon species to be resilient in the face of climate change, and restore tribal connections to their traditional food source.”

7. Biden-Harris Administration Awards $45.1 Million to Expand Mental Health and Substance Use Services Across the Lifespan

““Be it fostering wellness in young people, caring for the unhoused, facilitating treatment and more, this funding directly supports the needs of our neighbors,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. [The funding also supports] recovery and reentry services to adults in the criminal justice system who have a substance use disorder[… and clinics which] serve anyone who asks for help for mental health or substance use, regardless of their ability to pay.”

8. The World’s Rarest Crow Will Soon Fly Free on Maui

“[… In] the latest attempt to establish a wild crow population, biologists will investigate if this species can thrive on Maui, an island where it may have never lived before. Translocations outside of a species’ known historical range are rare in conservation work, but for a bird on the brink of extinction, it’s a necessary experiment: Scientists believe the crows will be safer from predators in a new locale—a main reason that past reintroduction attempts failed. […] As the release date approaches, the crows have already undergone extensive preparation for life in the wild. […] “We try to give them the respect that you would give if you were caring for someone’s elder.””

9. An optimist’s guide to the EV battery mining challenge

““Battery minerals have a tremendous benefit over oil, and that’s that you can reuse them.” [… T]he report’s authors found there’s evidence to suggest that [improvements in technology] and recycling have already helped limit demand for battery minerals in spite of this rapid growth — and that further improvements can reduce it even more. [… They] envision a scenario in which new mining for battery materials can basically stop by 2050, as battery recycling meets demand. In this fully realized circular battery economy, the world must extract a total of 125 million tons of battery minerals — a sum that, while hefty, is actually 17 times smaller than the oil currently harvested every year to fuel road transport.”

10. Peekaboo! A baby tree kangaroo debuts at the Bronx Zoo

“The tiny Matschie’s tree kangaroo […] was the third of its kind born at the Bronx Zoo since 2008. [… A] Bronx Zoo spokesperson said that the kangaroo's birth was significant for the network of zoos that aims to preserve genetic diversity among endangered animals. "It's a small population and because of that births are not very common," said Jessica Moody, curator of primates and small mammals at the Bronx Zoo[, …] adding that baby tree kangaroos are “possibly one of the cutest animals to have ever lived. They look like stuffed animals, it's amazing.””

July 15-21 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[egg-roll-729]

I actually really liked how our final encounter with Calus went down. The way that, as we strip him of his armor and defenses, we’re tearing down his bravado at the same time, until all that’s left is his desperation and vanity. The way that the first phase of the fight has all the spectacle, all explosions and boasting (and bloviating, of course), and as we hit the home stretch, and the music swells and Calus’s life pool ticks down for one last time, I get the impression that this isn’t the glorious conclusion to some destined rivalry, or some bitter quest for revenge, it’s just Calus lashing out because of his loneliness and obsession, and the Guardian and their allies, especially Caiatl, doing what they must in order to keep Neomuna, the Traveler, and Earth safe.

To take a break from this week's awfulness, I wanted to tag in on Calus in LF. As you deftly laid out, it's perfect for his character & his relationships with the Witness & Caiatl. It shows him as vain & pathetic. But that's precisely why it fails *as a game villain*. He needs to be scary & powerful for our final battle, but it was just sad to me. A sad little man, unloved & desperate. Compared to Sav, Oryx etc it's a big emotional difference. What do you think from the angle of *game* villain?

Oh that's an interesting question, no worries!

Honestly, it really depends on what type of a villain people expect or prefer. I can see why some would prefer a villain to not be this way or at least if they didn't know all the details. I personally really love villains like this; villains who have put themselves into a path that led them to being just sad, abandoned, lonely and desperate people, despite being given options and a way out, multiple times. But their refusal to accept change is what ultimately led them to their fate.

Calus fits this really well! There's definitely a tragedy to him and his life as a whole. This doesn't really bring the same sort of joy over his defeat as it would be to defeat someone who is villainous in a different way so I can understand why people would feel off for killing him. But personally I believe that Lightfall's whole theme fits this with Calus. He was a sad little man, who rejected everything to overcome his problems and grief and instead chose the simpler path, unlike us; we worked through our grief and took the more difficult way but ultimately more rewarding. It's the primary dichotomy between the way of Light and the way of Darkness. The Witness is also important to consider here because the Witness looks for these types of people in particular for manipulation. A sad little man like Calus was overjoyed to meet the Witness, ages ago. The Witness played with that aspect of him and promised him everything he wanted; most of all, to be important and to be seen.

And in truth, he simply wasn't. He was being used, as all who side with the Witness are. With the whole setup of loss at the end of Lightfall, yeah; his defeat didn't feel as triumphant as it would've been if he'd been different. I believe that was intended. It definitely gave me more of a sense of relief that we put him to rest, rather than triumph. The Witness does that to people. You're kinda glad that you're putting those irreversibly manipulated by it out of their misery. It's also reflected with Caiatl who was basically just tired of it all and just wanted to know if it's done.

I'd even say that Oryx was a similarly tragic figure, though not exactly in the same way. Oryx was also manipulated and he struggled with his doubts all of his life. And when he finally came to attack us, he was literally just a father struck with grief over losing his child. He was more of an imminent threat to the solar system of course, so there was more triumph in defeating him. His story was also much more obscure overall (given how D1 did lore). To a lot of people, Oryx was just a scary monster that arrived to kill everyone. But once you know the background (and especially now with the full scope of it and the role of the Witness in shaping the Hive into who they are), I believe that he is also one of those villains that are ultimately just tragic people. I know Oryx is like that to me.

So yeah, I think this is a really interesting perspective to consider. I still think that this does work for villains, it's just not something that everyone equally enjoys. An expectation for villains is that we should feel good for ending them. But Destiny in general has given us many questions about that over the years; Uldren is a perfect example. He was also painted as a villain, but even back then (and especially now with Crow post-Haunted), I genuinely felt like crap for what we did to him. And that was kinda baked into Forsaken as well; our revenge rampage was never meant to be heroic. There was no real glory or justice in it.

This is definitely something that not everyone will perceive the same way and that not everyone will equally enjoy, especially when considering what the expectations are going into it.

[kyreniacommentator]

BRS News: LOBBYING CAMPAIGN AND UK PARLIAMENTARIANS VISIT

We are sharing for readers who are seeking the latest facts and information with the approval of the BRS, news recently provided by the British Residents’ Society to their members on 7th January 2024.. Continue reading Untitled

[ezrazone]

15k has been raised on chuffed!! Have we hit the goal for the evacuation this week?

Yes!!!!! We are in the critical phase of the fundraiser now that evacuation is actually tenable, and the donations that come in now will decide whether or not people check out once they mistakenly believe the family no longer needs support. Our full target is still $40,000 to pay for Manal's life-saving hysterectomy in New Cairo and for the treatment of Mohamed's wounds and Sarah's illness. As of today, though, December 10th 2024 -- by some small miracle -- we have indeed hit our short-term goal and Mohamed is now able to register himself and his two remaining children to join their mother Manal when she is transported to Egypt. This is a tremendous relief and Mohamed shares his gratitude with everyone who has made this possible. Please check out the FAQ I have set up for more details of the Al Manasra family's situation. I am hesitant to count any of our chickens until the family is 1) actually completely registered, since these donations only reach Mohamed $3,500 at a time and 2) actually evacuated! and then 3) that Manal receives the treatment she needs once they safely make it to Egypt. Both the hospital director and the recent delegation from Jordan has agreed that Manal evacuation must happen as quickly as possible due to her deteriorating health, although we are prevented from sharing a concrete date because the occupation controls the crossings and everyone should know by now how the occupation behaves. The irony of this Palestinian family being forced to pay for private hospital services while American taxpayer money funds single-payer healthcare for Israeli citizens as well as the bombs dropped on Gaza cannot be understated. Manal would not be put at the top of the evacuation list unless there was a high likelihood agreed upon by doctors that she can make a full recovery in Egypt. This remains the family's lifeline. Please remember that the last minute holiday gifts market is still open through the 14th! Artist submissions are back open today due popular demand + original offerings selling out. Tap below for the market and the artist submission form if you'd like to offer something! Share with your networks! Tell people they can get amazing stuff from you by donating to the Al Manasra family campaign!

I've just listed FOUR slots for high-detail traditional portrait commissions of film & television characters! Find me in the marketplace by searching my name or handle. the Al Manasra family is vetted #192 here by El-Shab Hussein and Nablusi.

read more of my posts and comics about the Al Manasra family here.

you can alternatively donate to Mohamed’s still-active GOFUNDME page if you have an issue with Chuffed.

mohamed’s Tumblr page is @save-mohamed-family

[toaarcan]

I'm not wading into CR God Discourse this week, shit seems especially angry this time around and I've made my thoughts on that pretty clear already (no, the needle hasn't moved any). But man... I do not vibe with Predathos as an individual at all.

Like, the fights themselves were fantastic. Possessed Imogen was great, Imogen's escape leading to it turning into a more monstrous form was great, its evolution into an N64 "Head and Hands" monster for Phase 2 was great, and the fight in E120 was immaculate, I had so much fun watching it.

But man does Predathos itself, as an entity, disappoint.

Like, we have this eldritch monster from beyond all living memory, that's been imprisoned for thousands of years. It's been trying to find a way out ever since then. But all it does once it does get out is roar and attack things. Its characterisation can be summed up with "Hungy."

The campaign's earlier episodes present it as a terrible, horrifying thing, that the gods and primordials united to imprison. Its presence created the Ruidians, not by artifice but because being in its presence heavily mutated everything on the moon. They used to be regular Exandrian mortals and now they're not! And when Ludinus first made contact with it, it destroyed and permanently blighted an entire city. But apparently now it's no danger at all to anyone else. The Primordials were just doing the gods a favour by imprisoning it, I guess.

And the way it's been presented in these last two episodes is just inconsistent between story and gameplay. "It doesn't see mortals, it only sees the gods" but it has no issues having a full two-phase boss battle with a group of mortals, where it makes strategic and deliberate moves against them. "The Ruiner flees at the mere sight of it within Imogen, and the gods and all their celestial creations are helpless against it" but Braius can smite it and the Matron's boons can turn the tide and the Arch Heart's bottled Meteor Swarm is used to kill it.

Gameplay!Predathos can see mortals well enough to fight them, and has no trouble eating them. Lore!Predathos can't see them at all, and only wants to eat the gods. Gameplay!Predathos can be blasted with divine power and divine weapons and divine magic and it will be beaten. Lore!Predathos is totally immune to divine anything.

Predathos doesn't feel like a coherent character design for a game, it feels like a plot device designed to result in the exact end-stage scenario of E120. The gods can't fight it, so they and their followers have to do whatever BH says, because the alternative is them dying anyway. It has no desire to eat mortals so that there's no negative consequences to releasing it, just ignore Molaesmyr and how dramatically it's mutated the Ruidians (reshaping pre-existing life is only bad if the gods do it I guess). But none of this factors into the actual fight with it, where it has no problems seeing and eating mortals, and it can't no-sell divine power. And the fight was fun as hell, but Predathos' mechanics as an RPG Final Boss Monster do not reflect Predathos' in-lore role as the consequence-free invincible deicide machine.

[blackpearlblast]

[ID: a graphic titled: "Help Ezzideen & his Family to Evacuate Gaza" the background of the graphic depicts the rubble of destroyed buildings. the contents of the graphic outline 5 steps.

1: First Step Achieved: Thanks to Your Support! We are thrilled to announce that, with your invaluable assistance, we have successfully raised the first €5,000! This amount has enabled us to register Ezzideen's mother with Hala Company in Egypt for evacuation. We are deeply grateful for your support in reaching this pivotal milestone.

2: Our Current Mission: Support for Mazen. Our focus now shifts towards gathering €2,500 to register Mazen, a 12-year-old family member, to evacuate alongside his mother. Every contribution brings us closer to ensuring their safety and reunion.

3: For Abeer: Our subsequent goal is to raise €5,000 to register Abeer, Ezzideen's sister, for evacuation. Your continued support is crucial in helping us secure her passage.

4: For Ezzideen's Father: We aim to collect another €5,000 to facilitate the registration of Ezzideen's father. This effort is vital for the family's hope of being together again.

5: Final Goal: Hassan and Ezzideen: The last phase of our campaign requires us to gather €10,000. This sum will cover the registration of Hassan (Ezzideen's brother) and Ezzideen himself. Achieving this goal means bringing the entire family to safety, a feat only possible with your generosity and support.

Your support is just a click away. Please visit our GoFundMe page to make a donation: https://gofund.me/8c4d61ac Every contribution brings Ezzideen's family one step closer to safety. Thank you for your generosity and support. end ID]

an outline of ezzideen and his family's evacuation plan. we are currently on step 2, raising money for mazen to register for evacuation! reminder that as of the time of making this post, we are matching donations to ezzideen's campaign! learn about that below!

[swordscleric]

I'm only halfway through the second phase of Predathos (which, to be clear is an incredible vibe for a bossfight, love a good head & hands/multitarget-same-entity boss) but I cannot shake the feeling of disappointment and just dissatisfaction I have had with this campaign that definitely started with Dusk/Yu, got followed up handily with the first Delilah/Sun Tree fight and then has been unfortunately reinforced with every discussion surrounding the Prime Deities since Hearthdell. This campaign is fascinating to pick apart, I have been really enjoying pulling apart why it isn't working compared to C1 or C2. But as much as I'm having fun dissecting where the worldbuilding has led to the current weaknesses in the gods' argument or reading other people's incisive commentary on the lack of personalities on the Ruby Vanguard's end, the "girlfailure" nonsense, etc etc, man do I wish this campaign was better than it is.

There are so many avenues of improvement -

Matt telling everyone to prep and write characters for this campaign instead of a C2-esque character-focused campaign.

Matt working religious organisations into the world properly.

The cast engaging with Marquet as a genuine location rather than set-dressing.

Otohan, Ozo and the rest of the Vanguard having more than "*insert snappy line here*" for their personalities.

No Delilah.

Bell's Hells having an iota of curiosity for anything outside of their own selves, including but not limited to: the gods, religious worship, the Elemental Titans and why they were sundered, how the people of Exandria feel about the gods, Vasselheim and its role in suppressing information about Predathos, Ludinus Da'Leth's plan and how it would still break the world if they did it in his place

I don't know why all of this fell into place in the way that it did, but it did. We can endlessly speculate why - the cast resting on their laurels after C2, not having enough time between the animated shows and Daggerheart and Candela Obscura and, and, and - but at the end of the day I really do hope that whatever form the final campaign wrap-up takes, they burn the damn questions asking the cast "what if the world was made of pudding and this character and this character kissed?" and instead pick questions that get them to introspect for a potential Campaign 4. Otherwise I don't know what will happen, but it sure as hell won't be Mighty Nein part 2: Issylra Boogaloo.

[ginalongillustrations]

Vox Machina

I'm done. Holy shit y'all I'm fucking done (barring Tary and the several NPCs I wanna do)

Made all seven of these while going through the campaign and I just finished the campaign a few days ago and I'm in that mourning phase that I don't get anymore story with these characters who I couldn't help but come to love with all their strengths and weaknesses.

The prints look so amazing side by side. I'm happy that I got to make all these while the inspiration lasted.

Now watch me go back and just watch through campaign 1 again instead of campaign 2 because I'm I am going to miss these characters too much. I know campaign 2 is super beloved and I'm sure I'll get there eventually, but for now.. I mourn.. and admire these prints on my wall.

Also, to the random person in my tiktok comments when they saw me watching ep 4 in the background of a video while painting Anakin. That I would love Vax and Percy the most because it would be similar to Anakin and I laughed it off... you were half right, because Vax is so Anakin coded in the ways I adore Anakin and it was fate I was going to love Vax and adore him and all his rights and wrongs.