#Plus our Defense was on fire this game

[neonnerd17]

like?????

Is this allowed????

WHY THE FUCK WERE DAN AND PHIL AT MY SCHOOLS FOOTBALL GAME (and why didn't anybody tell meeee)

[felassan]

New today on DA:TV from Game Informer, 'Breaking Down Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Classes And Factions':

"Breaking Down Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Classes And Factions by Wesley LeBlanc on Jun 25, 2024 at 02:00 PM "As part of the character creation process for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, players will have to select both a class for their player-controlled Rook and a faction. After customizing much of your Rook's body, including things like a Qunari's horn type and material, for example, with the hundreds of options available in Veilguard, it will be time to pick said class.  [embedded link to DA:TV reveal trailer] There are three classes to choose from: Rogue, Mage, and Warrior. As the names suggest, each features a unique combat system and plays differently as a result. Though you’ll be performing things like light and heavy attacks using the same buttons, what those attacks do varies based on your class. For example, a sword-and-shield Warrior can hip-fire or aim their shield to throw it like Captain America, whereas a Mage can use that same button to throw out magical ranged attacks – read more about the combat of Veilguard in Game Informer's exclusive feature here. Plus, as you spec out these classes and unlock their individual specializations, the differences will only grow even more stark.  - The Rogue has access to three specializations. The Duelist is the fastest of the three, with two blades for rapid strikes; the Saboteur uses tricks and traps; and the Veil Ranger is purely range, sniping enemies from afar with a bow. - The Mage can utilize necromancy with the Death Caller specialization; Evokers wield fire, ice, and lightning; and the Spellblade uses magic-infused melee attacks. - The Warrior can become a Reaper, which uses night blades to steal life and risk death to gain unnatural abilities; a Slayer, a simple but strong two-handed weapons expert; or the Champion, a tactical defense fighter. While these specializations don't matter upfront – you class into them via the skill trees you progress through the game – it's nice to see the potential of each class before you choose it."

"For the penultimate step of the character creator, at least during the demo BioWare shows me, players select a faction. The Grey Wardens return, joined by other returning favorites and new additions like the Antivan Crows, the Mourn Watch, the Shadow Dragons, the pirate-themed Lords of Fortune, which is what I chose in my demo for the current Game Informer cover story, and the Veil Jumpers. Each faction has unique casual wear, which is worn in specific cutscenes when the character isn't donning armor, and three unique traits. The Lords of Fortune, for example, gain additional reputation with this particular faction, have increased damage versus mercenaries, and perform takedowns on enemies with slightly less effort. Veilguard game director Corinne Busche says this faction selection, which ties into your character's backstory, determines who your Rook was before, how they met Varric, why they travel with Varric instead of their faction, and more. "The message of The Veilguard is you're not saving the world on your own – you need your companions, but you also need these factions, these other groups in the world," creative director John Epler tells me. "You help them, they help you now.""

"He says BioWare wanted to avoid the trope of needing to gather 200 random resources or objects before helping you save the world. Instead, the team aimed to create factions that want to help you but have realistic challenges and problems in front of them so that narratively, it makes sense why you help them in return for their help when the time comes.  "Gameplay-wise – each of our classes has a specialization, and each of them is tied to a faction," Epler continues. "But beyond that, each faction has a [companion] as well as [people we're calling agents, ancillarily] who exist as the faces of these factions. We didn't want to just say, 'Here's the Grey Wardens, go deal with them.' We wanted characters within that faction who are sympathetic, who you can see and become the face of the faction, so that even if there are moments where the faction as a whole may be on the outs with you, these characters are still with you; they've still got your back."  [old version of this paragraph] If you find yourself unhappy with your lineage or your class, you can change them using the Mirror of Transformation, found in the main Veilguard hub, The Lighthouse. You can also change your Rook's visual appearance there, too." [new version of this paragraph] If you want to make changes to your character's physical appearance, you can do that with the Mirror of Transformation, found in the main Veilguard hub, The Lighthouse. However, class, lineage, and identity are locked in and cannot be changed after you select them in the game's character creator. [Editor's Note: This article previously stated players can change their physical appearance, class, lineage, and identity using the Mirror of Transformation. That is incorrect as class, lineage, and identity are locked after you first select those. The article has been updated to reflect that, and Game Informer apologizes for any confusion this mistake may have caused.] For more about the game, including exclusive details, interviews, video features, and more, click the Dragon Age: The Veilguard hub button below."

[source]

[stormbreaker101]

Music(ology) headcanons! Part 2

My friend @klaraflamez and I have been writing a shared story based upon the wizard101 AUs we made independently. Things go somewhat off the rails, and so these headcanons that we made for Music absolutely do not work for canon, which is part of why I'm making this post separate.

An overview of our AUs:

In both Corrupted Spiral (my AU) and the Cleaved AU (Klara's), the Spiral learned so heavily on its dependency upon its Wizard that it led to the Wizards' demises. In CS, before Arc 4 could properly begin, Nora lashed out in fury, sick of being Nothing but a title and weapon, and abandons the Spiral. In Cleaved, Scarlet was killed in the final fight of Lemuria, a 1v8, abandoned and alone because the Spiral assumed she would have handled it.

The main characters of the next generation after the two Wizards (~0-5 years after Nora's departure and 25 years after Scarlet's death) each realize that even though they're not The Wizard, they still have a duty to serve the good of the Spiral.

Overall there's a major theme of destiny and responsibility not falling on just one person's shoulders. The Wizard is not the only Paradox, and the primordial magics of Light, Shadow, and Music are no longer reserved for the Wizard and the gods. They become proper schools, integrated with the other ten (7 playable schools + 3 Astrals).

I've written and come up with spells for the Music school, as one of the characters I'm writing ends up as the Scion of Music, while Klara's writing the revamped Shadow and Light schools because her OCs become the Scions for those.

More details on Music as its own school in CCSAU (both lorewise and mechanicswise because i am gamerpilled), and all the spells themselves plus their explanations (where I derived inspiration from) are under the cut!

Music is the magic of creation. 'Outgoing' mechanics are the name of the game. It is a major hitter like Fire and Storm, but also has access to heals like the more defensive Life magic that came from the Song of Creation. Music's greatest weakness is that it is a major glass cannon, with no spells in its repertoire able to mitigate incoming damage.

The reason Music is tied to Fire and Storm alongside Life lorewise is because the Scion of Music first studied Fire and Storm magic alongside Musicology, before Music was its own school. Our Scion shaped Music as much as Music shaped him.

Now onto the spells themselves!

MAINLINE (primarily ATTACKING) SPELLS:

1 pip - Lyrebird - 90-130 damage. Based on the lyre instrument, and also a nod to Lyra, the fanon Music school tree in the Cleaved AU.

2 pip - Trombun - 220-260 damage. A pun on trombone and bunny.

3 pip - Earworm - 500 damage over 3 turns. Colloquially, earworms are catchy bits of song that just stay in your head and WON'T GET OUT, which is the inspiration for making this spell a pesky overtime. Also, taken from the Earworm/Brainworm mobs in Empyrea.

4 pip - Melodeer -  465-525, + 20% heal OR damage blade to self. Melody + deer. Here we begin to see some utility and niche poke its way into spells so that they're not plain and pure damage. Also, just to balance Music against the other 'hitter' schools a little bit more, it doesn't get a 4-pip AoE.

5 pip - Volta Bracken - 400 damage AND 400 health to self. A reference to volta brackets (an element in musical notation), with language nodding at Storm and Life magic (volt as in electricity, bracken as in a kind of plant). Yes this spell is an objectively better version of Beary Surprise. I hate Beary Surprise so much why is the bear both anthro and nude. why does he fucking smile like that. why can i see the whites of his eyes. WHY THE HUG?

6 pip - Resonance - 525-610 damage + remove all blades on 1 target. A single-target version of Myth's dreaded Earthquake.

7 pip - Horschestra - 700 damage to all enemies. Your classic 7-pip AOE. Horse + Orchestra, taken from a song in the Homestuck OST because it made me laugh tbh.

8 pip - Revivace - 1200 Heal to all allies. Name derived from Revive (synonym of Rebirth) and Vivace (musical mood). Meant to be a parallel to Life’s Rebirth spell, since Bartleby is the closest thing to a Music school tree in CS. However Rebirth gives an absorb-shield, which counts as temporary HP even if the spell heals someone to full, while Revivace has no extra defense.

9 pip - Crescendo! -  100 damage turn 1, then a DoT for 200, 300, then 400 damage, to all enemies. Crescendo is a musical term for "get gradually louder"

10 pip (Azteca) - Ceramic Drake - 1000 damage to 1 target, then 625 damage to all enemies over 3 rounds. The first of Music's spells that take on aesthetics derived from the world they're learned in. It takes inspiration from the tlapitzalli, an Aztec flute-like instrument made of ceramic.

5 pip + Shadow (Darkmoor) - Rehubution - 810 damage + 25% Music trap to all enemies. The spell's name comes from the word Retribution and the rehu, an instrument made by the Māori of Aotearoa. All of the canon Darkmoor spells are actually Khrysalis themed, and @chrono101 (now deactivated) made a really cool post about how the Hoppers had Aotearoan references that I remembered while coming up with this post. The effect in combat is derived from Fire from Above before it was nerfed and then slaughtered.

6 pip + Shadow (Polaris) - Luphilymn - 1260 damage, +1 turn to Damage over Times (DoTs) on enemy and +1 turn to Heal over Times (HoTs) on self. Luphilim + Hymn.

4 pip + Shadow (Mirage) - Spirit of the Groove - 900 damage, divided between targets (like all other Mirage spells). This spell is less a reference to something Miragian, and more a nod to a character who had a major impact on the Scion of Music's development. Ceramic Drake, Luphilhymn, and the upcoming spells of Ramalong and Jungle Drum Jam also are nods to characters that the Scion of Music was greatly supported by.

X-pip + Shadow (Karamelle) - Ramalong - 220 damage per pip. A blend of sing-along and the candy rams. This spell is an X-pip because there are a handful of songs/lullabies about counting sheep. Count your pips up!

6 pip + Shadow (Lemuria) - Jungle Drum Jam - 850 damage to all enemies, +40% Music blade AND +40% heal blade to self. Taken from this once-off moment in Lemuria where Bantam says that he and the Koolakamba just casually use advanced musicology for the sake of boogieing.

The effect is taken DIRECTLY from the far superior path of the Life Lemuria spell, Lord of the Jungle, before KI nerfed it to bits. I am so fucking mad about the nerf. I fucking liked having a decent shadow AoE on my Life and now it's useless again. <- had to get my gamer rage out sorry.

1 pip + Fire pip + Storm pip (Novus) - Tempo Inferno - 800 damage, gambit 1 blade into a DoT for 500 over 4 turns, gambit 1 trap into a HoT for 500 HP over 4 turns. Tempo refers to the speed of a musical piece, and both pieces of this spell's name are nods to Storm and Fire as well (Temp- for tempest, Storm's most iconic spell, Inferno for fire). This spell would also hold visual reference to that one sidequest about how clocks don't work on Novus.

1 pip + Death pip + Myth pip (Wallaru) - Crab Grave - 575 damage to all enemies. A reference to the extinct Juggernaut crabs of Wallaru, the still living Tasmanian giant crab, and the legendary Crab Rave meme. Given that all of the Wallaru spells' archmastery pips are the ones backwards from the Novus spells' pips, it made sense to make Crab Grave's pips the roshambo opposite to Tempo Inferno's. Myth is the roshambo opposite of Storm, and Death is the roshambo opposite of Fire. Don't believe me on Death and Fire? Look at how Balance's Novus gear has 3 variants that pair Ice-Life, Storm-Myth, and Fire-Death as its archschools. No I don't know why the Balance Wallaru spell is Death-Storm instead of Death-Fire I don't get it <- gamer raging again.

UTILITY SPELLS:

There are some utility spells that every school gets access to, simply changed per school: the basic Blade and Trap and Shield are simply named Music Blade, Music Trap, and Music Shield, because they're standardized for all the schools (Except Ice Shield, which is actually Snow Shield, for whatever reason?). Though, to put a wrinkle into things and keep with Music's theming as hyper-outgoing, Music Trap is the only ward spell (a spell that affects incoming damage rather than outgoing) that Music gets permanent access to. Music Shield would be TC only. Traps get special treatment because of Maulwurf von Trap existing. I like the guy don't @ me.

Then there's the utility spells that are just about the same for each school but with unique names. These include:

the 2 pip damage bubble - Circle of Fifths, after an important element in music theory. +25% damage to all outgoing Music spells AND +25% to all outgoing Music heals (the boost to healing alongside damage is unique to Music. Life gets Circle of Thorns (+25% damage) and Sanctuary (+60% healing) as two different bubbles.)

the 4-pip critical and pierce bubble - Acoustic Arena, +15% Music critical and +20% Music pierce.

the dispel - Mute

the Taunt/Pacify - Soloist, Taunts the enemy for 2 turns, making you the only target they can hit. Yes, having a glass cannon school gain taunt is a bit poor in game design, typically you want your glass cannons to have some form of Pacify so that they're not killed as quickly, but thematically Music becoming a loud center of attention makes more sense to me.

the complementary triad shield - Eclipse Shield, -70% incoming Light and Shadow damage. The parallel to Storm's Thermic Shield (-70% Fire and Ice) or Death's Dream Shield (-70% Life and Myth). Like Music Shield, because this spell is both a staple piece of utility that every school should have access to and a defensive ward that goes against Music's school identity, it would only exist as a treasure card.

The level 75 minion from The Professor - Baronness Webberfeld - 5 pips, summon a minion of Music. She is a reference to Baronness Elberfeld, a minor character from the Sound of Music. Because I had to get a reference to that in. Because I am normal about Maulwurf von Trap and his source media.

And then we get to the unique utility spells, the gimmicks that gives Music its identity in-game or give it thematic support.

Tune Up - 0 pips, +20% accuracy to the next outgoing Music spell. A parallel to Storm's Lightning Strike (which back in my day only gave +10% accuracy, not +25%). Music spells have a base accuracy of 70% like Storm, so the accuracy buff would be greatly needed at lower levels.

Bangsnap! - 2 pips, Confuse or stun each enemy for 1 turn.

Gurdy-hurdy - 3 pips, Confuse or stun each enemy for 2 turns.

Bangsnap and Gurdyhurdy go together, I'm thinking of them being from the Grizzleheim and Wintertusk spell quests at level 35 and 55. Bang snaps are small explosives that only release a loud sound but do no damage. Gurdy-hurdy is a reference to another in-game moment.

(The hurdy-gurdy, un-reversed, is a kind of musical instrument.)

And, yep! Myth is no longer the only school with the Confusion mechanic! Yippee! (I can hear the gamerbro players scream.) This is because before Music became a standalone school in CCSAU, Klara had the idea that, the way some Wizard101 spells are musicological despite not being in the school of Music, some Pirate101 abilities are inherently musicological as well, namely Blast of Discord.

And this is an ability that our Scion of Music was able to learn before Music became an independent school, so rather than take that ability away from him, we decided to incorporate it into Music's entire repertoire.

Leitmotif - 2 pips, 305 HP to 1 target, then 305 more HP 3 turns later. A leitmotif is a snippet of a musical melody that comes back later in a piece or in another piece (Toby Fox, one of my favorite composers, uses leitmotifs to the MAX.)

Sonatyr - 4 pip, 650 Health + 30% Healing Blade to all. Satyr + Sonata. Does less health than Life's Satyr because I don't want to completely upstage Life, but giving an extra blade to everyone is useful. It buffs every healer, and would count for any blade-based gambits/secondary effects.

Adagio - 1 pip, +1 turn to a HoT on an ally or to a DoT on an enemy. Adagio means for a piece of music to slow down.

Allegro - 1 pip, -1 turn to a HoT on an enemy or to a DoT on an ally. Allegro means for a piece of music to speed up.

Adagio and Allegro are spells that go together. If they were to be implemented in-game, I'd have them be learned at the same time. Having a spell that does different things depending on whether it's on an ally or enemy is really interesting to me, though it would be a pain in the ass to code.

Encore - 5 pips, force your target to cast the same spell for the next 2 turns. Encore, of course, means "to play again". Taken directly from Pokemon because why not?

Baton Pass - X pips, give your blades to an ally, universal and at half-value, (1 pip per blade). Also derived from Pokemon because why not? The half-value gimmick comes from Bantam's cheat of "I'll be taking that, thanks!" Where he replaces a blade you cast on someone else with a universal blade of half value. The devs intended that cheat to be annoying and discourage buffing one player to the max, but it's actually a REALLY HANDY mechanic when used correctly. The half-value blade would count as a unique blade that therefore stacks with whatever other blades your ally has.

Perfect Pitch - 1 pip, +20% accuracy to all allies. Perfect pitch is defined as the ability to tell exactly what note(s) a sound is without any reference. This spell would be copy-pasted over from Life, and also derived from the Pirate101 abilities Call to Arms and Esprit de Corps, which both boost your team's accuracy. (Esprit also gives dodge, a stat that I cannot find any way to translate into Wizard101 that wouldn't be a defensive ward, which Music does not do). The animations for those two powers feature musical instruments (a drum and a trumpet), which makes it feel very musicological to me and therefore fitting for Music itself.

Fortissimo! - 2 pips, +15% Critical chance to all allies. Fortissimo is music speak for "BE FUCKING LOUD!" This spell is derived from the Pirate101 abilities Discipline and Enduring Discipline, which (are supposed to) give +5% and +10% critical chance to all allies. (I have heard that the abilities that purely increase critical chance rather than another stat simply don't work because Pirate101's code is made out of silly string, but that's besides the point). There are very few spells that affect critical, so it's a niche that Music could fill in if it wanted to.

This probably isn't even enough utility, Wizard101 has a SURPRISING amount of spells it throws at you. It's such an in-depth game. I love it. I am normal about Wizard101.

Also, Klara was absolutely AMAZING and drew some of the spells!

[bookishwenchmeltha]

Sifki2024 Playlist

@sifkiweek Okay, so, I have never posted a playlist to Tumblr before, and I'm hoping this works right. If not, my apologies in advance.

This jumps all over in terms of time (they've been alive a thousand years plus, so there are a lot of valid options!), genre (Cole Porter to NIN to Dolly Parton to Springsteen), and connection (unhealthy relationship, childhood sweethearts, pining, madness, and a little nod to Sif as goddess of the harvest via Sting). I hope you enjoy it. :)

“Gone” – U2 You're taking steps that make you feel dizzy Then you get to like the way it feels. You hurt yourself you hurt your lover Then you discover What you thought was freedom is just greed.

“The Old Ways” – Loreena McKennitt As we cast our gaze on the tumbling sea A vision came o'er me Of thundering hooves and beating wings In clouds above Turning to go as you call out my name Like a bird in a cage spreading its wings to fly "The old ways are lost, " you sang as you flew And I wondered why.

“A Matter of Trust” – Billy Joel Some love is just a lie of the heart The cold remains of what began with a passionate start And they may not want it to end But it will it's just a question of when I've lived long enough to have learned The closer you get to the fire, the more you get burned But that won't happen to us 'Cause it's always been a matter of trust

“Here You Come Again” – Dolly Parton Here you come again Just when I'm about to make it work without you You look into my eyes and light those dreamy eyes And pretty soon I'm wondering how I came to doubt you All you gotta do is smile that smile And there go all my defenses Just leave it up to you and in a little while You're messing up my mind and filling up my senses

“You’re So Vain” – Carly Simon You had me several years ago when I was still quite naive Well you said that we made such a pretty pair and that you would never leave But you gave away the things you loved And one of them was me

“You’re No Good” – Linda Ronstadt Feelin' better now that we're through Feelin' better, 'cause I'm over you I learned my lesson, it left a scar Now I see how you really are

“He’s a Pirate” – Klaus Badelt (Pirates of the Caribbean)

“Cold” – Annie Lennox Time it may take us but God only knows How I've paid for those things in the past Dying is easy it's living that scares me to death, ooh, yeah I could be so content hearing the sound of your breath, ooh, yeah

“Charade” – Henry Mancini When we played our charade We were like children posing Playing at games, acting out names Guessing the parts we played

“Truly Madly Deeply” – Savage Garden I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, be everything that you need I'll love you more with every breath, truly, madly, deeply do

“Torn” – Natalie Imbruglia Well, you couldn’t be that man I adored. You don’t seem to know Seem to care what your heart is for But I don’t know him anymore. There’s nothing where he used to lie. My conversation has run dry. That’s what’s going on. Nothing’s fine, I’m torn, I’m all out of faith.

“Secret Garden” – Bruce Springsteen She’ll let you in her heart If you got a hammer and a vise, But into her secret garden, don’t think twice. You’ve gone a million miles, How far’d you get To that place that you can’t remember And you can’t forget?

“Something to Save” – George Michael We're moving further from heaven And closer to the deep blue sea 'Cause I have no secrets from you And I have nothing left to hide And I'm open to all your questions Why can't you reach inside like I have Like I have for you And all these games that you play Don't tell me how a man should be

“Come Undone” – Duran Duran Words, playing me deja vu Like a radio tune, I swear I've heard before Chill, is it something real? Or the magic I'm feeding off your fingers Lost, in a snow filled sky We'll make it alright to come undone

“Fields of Gold” – Sting See the west wind move like a lover’s soul Upon the fields of barley Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth Among the fields of gold I never made promises lightly And there have been some that I've broken But I swear in the days still left We'll walk in fields of gold

“Found Out about You” – Gin Blossoms Is there a line that I could write That's sad enough to make you cry? And all the lines you wrote to me were lies Months roll past the love that you struck dead Did you love me only in my head?

“Possession” – Sarah McLachlan Through this world I stumble, So many times betrayed, Trying to find an honest word, To find the truth enslaved. You speak to me in riddles And you speak to me in rhymes. My body aches to breathe your breath, Your words keep me alive.

“Everything You Want” – Vertical Horizon You howl and listen, Listen and wait for the Echoes of angels who won't return. He's everything you want, He's everything you need, He's everything inside of you That you wish you could be. He says all the right things At exactly the right time, But he means nothing to you And you don't know why.

“Days of Wine and Roses” – Cassandra Wilson The days of wine and roses Laugh and run away Like a child at play Through a meadowland toward a closing door A door marked “nevermore” That wasn’t there before. The lonely night discloses Just a passing breeze Filled with memories Of the golden smile that introduced me to The days of wind and roses and you

“Night and Day” – Billie Holiday Night day you are the one Only you ‘neath the moon and under the sun. Whether near to me or far, It’s no matter, darling, where you are I think of you night and day.

“Demon Seed” – Nine Inch Nails It keeps growing And I can feel it breathe I have been trying To behave myself

“Two Princes” – Spin Doctors Marry him or marry me. I'm the one that loves you baby can't you see? I ain't got no future or a family tree, But I know what a prince and lover ought to be, I know what a prince and lover ought to be.

“The Sweetest Taboo” - Sade If I tell you, if I tell you now Will you keep on, will you keep on loving me? If I tell you, if I tell you how I feel Will you keep on bringing out the best in? You give me, you give me the sweetest taboo.

[asolverssolution]

Chapter 3: 0 To 100

"You didn't tell me you was gonna wait here!" Uzi yelled, taking away my focus and making me lose my highest streak on Flappy Drone (2,311). I sigh and shut the game off to look at her. "I had nothing else to do!" I state, putting my arms up defensively. Uzi seems to not care and groan regardless. "We need to get moving anyway." She mutters, going to the keypad. I give her a deadpan expression. "Then what is the problem of me waiting here if it saves time?" I ask. Uzi doesn't answer and puts the master key up to the scanner, opening the giant metal doors. She walks without a word to the next one and reaches to do it again, but a voice makes us both freeze. "What are you two doing?" A Russian accent asks. Thank god for my audio translation software, I think to myself. I turn and see it is Doll, one of our classmates. "We are, uh-" Uzi begins, unsure of how to cover up her plan. I sigh and think as fast as I can.

"We're going to test the gun outside the gates to avoid another mishap." I explain. Doll looks me in the eyes for a moment, the red feeling like it's piercing my cyan. Her look softens for a moment before looking at Uzi with the same harsh glare. "Be careful. Last thing this District needs is to save you two." She states. I nod in response. "Be careful, Ava." She states, walking away. "Hey, I'm here too!" Uzi screeches, but Doll doesn't care and continues to walk away. "Oh, bite me!" She yells, Doll not reacting as she walks out of sight. Uzi groans and slams the master key against the scanner, opening up the second door. WDF Guardsmen are standing at attention, rifles slung against their shoulders. We both simply give them nods and walk out. It isn't uncommon for Drones to want to walk out every so often.

Uzi instantly begins to go left, which I follow. The snow is even worse then the last time I was out, with sheets of ice mixed in. I constantly have to move my fingers to avoid frost damage. After about half an hour of walking, we finally come across the Junkyard. There, thousands of bodies of slain Drones and inventions of war lay. The First Conflict only lasted a year, but caused enough damage to fill nearly 5 square kilometers with scrap. I look toward Uzi, who is already showing signs of nervousness. I sigh and lead the way into the heap. "What are we looking for?" I ask as we begin to look around. "A 7.8 millimeter jack." She answers. I nod and begin to help her dig. It felt like a long time before we got past the fresh bodies (we are not gonna question who or what did it) and to the machinery. I begin to pick apart old phones and tech, each jack only turning up 3.5 and 4.0 millimeters. I then hear Uzi yell, "Thank Robo-Jesus!"

I turn and see her begin to attach a 7.8 millimeter jack to a cord. After doing so, she plugs it into what seems to be a speaker. "We came out here- To have your gun have a speaker?" I ask, annoyed. "Technically! The reasoning is it overloads due to how much energy it builds up. The speaker reduces the energy, making it take longer, therefore more time to decide to fire or not! Plus- Beats during a fight is handy!" She rambles. As she continues to go into detail, I smile and stare. She is very dedicated to her invention, like anything she does, and it shows with each word. I realize she is staring at me and I snap back into reality. "What?" I ask, blinking confusedly. "I asked if you was okay." She states, eyeing me worriedly. "Oh, I'm fine, don't worry!" I reassure her, waving my hands frantically. She gives a small smile and nods- Which is interrupted by a giant thud. I unholster my pistol and aim towards the noise. Uzi slowly raises her railgun.

"Whose there!?" I call out, keeping an eye on the noise. Slowly, a Drone with a wide smile leans from around the debris and I freeze. "J..." I whisper. She begins to move out from the cover, two claw arms extended. "Uzi- Run." I say quietly. She looks at me, confused. "I said run!" I yelled, firing several rounds off toward J. As J slices them as I expected they would, Uzi runs past me, climbing up the debris. J quickly dashes toward me- Just for another Drone to land onto her. I hear her yell and toss the Drone off, who I recognize as N. Aside from clothing, those two have barely changed, I think to myself. I look back and see Uzi is still climbing, meaning I can't escape yet. J snaps their attention to me. "It has been awhile, Ava." J says sinisterly. I try to hold my composure. I don't know why I am shocked- If I remember her, she should remember me, my thoughts rationalize. "Yes it has." I state solemnly.

"Cyn has been so worried." J continues, stepping closer. N also stands, the X on his face letting me know he is not in control. Not like J. I aim at her while eyeing the both of them. "I'm sure she has." I retort. I need to keep my sentences short and sweet. "Of course she has. Why else would she be scouring the planet for you." J says with a purr. I look at her confused, feeling myself falter a bit. I hear a yelp and turn to see V holding onto Uzi, who looks terrified. "Whoa, let Uzi go!" I yell, unsure of who to aim at. "You come quietly, we drop her right here and now. I'll even be nice and not tell Cyn about her." J states.

Looks like I got a call to make- What's the right choice!?

[lafortis]

you are locked in a large room with pope francis. the room is empty except for a single pistol on a table in the middle of the room. you and francis are both about a one second running distance from the gun, but you are also both a one second running distance to a door behind you, which will lead you out of the room to safety. you have no way of knowing pope francis's intentions.

how do you proceed in this situation?

Well considering we're both equidistant from two points (well, assuming you've given us equal distance regardless of our respective speeds, which like, you do measure it in seconds not ft/meters but whatever), we should also likely be close enough for me to just put Pope Francis in a perfect rear naked choke, neutralizing all possible threats (but we don't have to be, I think our possible locations are a line straight out from the midpoint between the two objects)

But if CQC isn't an option, game theory states that I run for the gun, because if I have it then he can't, and then hey, free gun. You didn't specify what happens if we arrive at the same time so I'm gonna assume worst case scenario neither of us gets the gun and we both are kinda weirded out that the other one got the gun, making this a sort of prisoners dilemma, but I'm still gonna snitch because honestly I don't trust Jesuits. However you didn't say we had to commit to one, so if he does anything besides go for gun, I can just pocket the gun and also leave, free gun. And if we both go for it, I'll, idk, put him in a perfect rear naked choke again because he's like 95 and I doubt his old shitty Argentinian frame can really beat me in a Gun Wrestle

Another option if we're exactly beside eachother is put a foot out to trip him in the direction of the gun, a purely defensive strategy that weeds out oppositional aggression but doesn't necessarily raise their hostility if they also have peaceful intentions, but we don't technically have to be beside eachother

The best play of course, assuming fear of retribution by the law upon exiting the room, is to simply run, because there's no way his shitty old Jesuit hands can bring the gun to bear and aim it at you exactly concurrently with you exiting the room via the door, or indeed draw a bead on you thru the wall once you're out of LOS (assuming they're shitty american walls you could feasibly shoot thru) so I feel like I'm safe at that point (plus fatality from small arms fire is like 20% anyway)

[roninkairi]

And Now For Something, Completely Different...

Weapons in the Metaverse

Futaba: I was thinking about something that's been bugging me. Our weapons become real in the Cognitive world because they are seen as a threat, right?

Morgana: Yeah, they are.

Futaba: Akechi uses beam swords and a laser pistol to fight, and they are perceived as real. So...

Morgana: I think I have an idea where this is going.

Futaba: Hey Ren, can you talk to Iwai? I need him to get something special for me.

LATER IN MEMENTOS...

(Joker, Skull, Queen and Mona are facing off against the Reaper)

Morgana: I told you we were hanging around this level too long!

Skull: It couldn't be helped! There were too many treasure chests this time around! Plus we had to talk with Jose!

Queen: Lets just focus on getting rid of the Reaper.

Joker: Good call.

Queen: Joker, we need you to boost our defense, while Skull and I focus on--(a humming sound is heard behind them) Umm, what just got switched on?

Oracle's Voice: Guys, GET BACK!!!

(From behind them, a proton stream is fired and hits the Reaper hard as Oracle steps forward, wearing a proton pack and firing a blast from her particle thrower)

Oracle: How's a billion bolts of pure proton energy feel, sucker?!!

Skull: What the fu--IT'S WORKING?!!

Mona: I'm just as shocked as you.

Queen: Let's not question this---HIT 'EM WITH EVERYTHING YOU GOT!!!

(A few moments later...)

Skull: Out of all the things that you could pick...you went with THAT? What was that anyway? And why not a blaster from a game?

Oracle: Well the BFG9000 was too big for me to carry, and Iwai already had several models for sale so...

Mona: Can we discuss this later? Fox is still trying to sketch that explosion of the Reaper while we're speaking.

Fox: It was quite a magnificent display. I wonder if Iwai can provide me with one as well.

Joker: No. I don't want to risk any of us crossing the streams.

Queen: Especially Skull.

Skull: Why? What would be so bad about that?

Oracle: Think of it as the equivalent of getting caught peeping at Queen, Noir and Panther in the hot springs multiplied by 1000.

Skull: (face goes pale) Never mind. Forget I asked.

BONUS SCENE:

(The team confronts Akechi inside of Shido's Palace, and Akechi finally reveals his true self)

Akechi: COME, LOKI!!!! I will kill you...crush you...DESTROY YOU!!! Teammates are nothing but TRASH!!! (Loki is summoned before them.)

Joker: Come forth...GOZER!!!

Akechi: ...wait I'm sorry, did you say---(Joker removes his mask and Gozer appears before him, eyes glowing red)

Oracle: Ohh. I like where this is going.

Akechi: You think that weak looking piece of crap can stand with me?!!

Gozer: Are you...a GOD?

Akechi: No.

Oracle: Wrong answer, pancake lad.

Gozer: Then...DIE!! (Gozer raises it's arms and unleashes a very heavy barrage of energy, striking both Akechi and Loki so hard, they are both launched and embedded into the walls of the ship.)

Skull: Dude...always say YES.

[chopper-writing-stuff]

Monty: Hall

Trigger: Húxiān, Jaeger, settle a little tiff that Count and I are having.

Count: Let’s be honest, Trigger, it’s not a tiff, it’s a row.

Trigger: And now it’s a scene.

Jaeger: It’s okay, Captain, we don’t want to get involved in your personal life.

Trigger: It’s not personal, it’s a game tactic.

Jaeger: Ah-huh…

Húxiān: Pass.

Count: Trigger and I had dinner together last night for the first time in two weeks, thanks to the new Free Erusea uprising.

Trigger: and Count thought it would be fun to spoil our date with an inane loadout choice to which his answer is wrong.

Jaeger: Enough foreplay, let’s get to the action.

Trigger: It’s the “Land Battleship fight dilemma”. Imagine you’re on a ground attack mission. There are both ground and air targets-

Count: You’re telling it wrong. There are both ground and air targets. You get rid of them. The base personnel boards two land battleships. You can destroy them by doing multiple passes and stripping them of their defenses or one-shot them with special weapons, available to only a few planes and taking up space for other special weapons. Should you do the mission with Anti-Ship Missiles? No.

Trigger: Yes!

Count: It’s simple reasoning.

Trigger: It doesn’t make sense to go with anything else. Land battleships take ages to sink, you equip ASMs and it’s over in seconds.

Count: That section is quicker, but you don’t have the optimal loadout for the first one. It goes faster if you invest in multi-lock air to ground missiles plus something for the air. We’ve been over this eight times.

Trigger: Seven times. Now you can’t even do simple addition.

Jaeger: Count is right.

Trigger: You’re fired.

Jaeger: What!?

Húxiān: Ha!

Jaeger: Good evening, captain.

Trigger: No, it’s not. I haven’t slept, because I’ve been going over that stupid problem. Now I finally understand Count’s side.

Húxiān: Cool, so it’s all better and I never have to hear about land battleships ever again?

Trigger: Quite the opposite. I know better than ever how incorrect he is.

/yesterday/

Trigger: It’s not slower if you pick Chimera.

Count: Do I have to teach you how to use UGBS?

Trigger: I don’t know, do I have to teach you how to use STDM?

Count: Do I have to teach you how to use URMB?

Trigger: Do I have to teach you how to use GUN?

/now/

Trigger: Now, if you excuse me, pilots, I need to leave him a snide voicemail about turning on the game.

Húxiān: Okay, we have to explain this thing to Trigger to save their relationship.

Jaeger: And you laughed at me when I took a day off to play flight games with my son.

Húxiān: ‘Cause you said you were going to play HAWX.

Jaeger: That’s what we played! It was cool.

Húxiān: It was not. Anyway, it’s not about the loadout. They haven’t had time for themselves because of the uprising. They just need to bone.

Jaeger: What? Gross! Húxiān, those are our idols!

Jaeger: I mean… That’s not what I think. Captain Idol is just my boss.

Húxiān: Wow.

Trigger: Is everything okay, Jaeger?

Jaeger: Nevermind. I’m teaching my hero Project: Wingman!

Jaeger: No, I lost my ring.

Trigger: Did you see where it went?

Jaeger: Actually… It's guarded by these model land battleships. Why don’t you pick a fighter to tackle them?

Trigger: Are you trying to Project: Wingman me? It’s unbelievable. I don’t need Project: Wingman ruining my place of work when Project: Wingman has already ruined my home life.

Húxiān: Come on, Trigger, the game isn’t the problem. The uprising is keeping you and Count apart. You two just need to bone.

Trigger: What did you say?

Jaeger: Don’t say it again.

Húxiān: I said you two need to bone.

Trigger: How… dare you, Strider Four, I am your Superior OFFICER!

/5 minutes later/

Trigger: Bone!

/20 minutes later/

Trigger: What happens in my bedroom, Lieutenant, is none of your business.

/40 minutes later/

Trigger: BONE!?

/1 hour later/

Trigger: Don’t ever speak to me like that again.

Jaeger: Why did you do that?

Jaeger: Oh, Trigger, I know you don’t want to talk about Project: Wingman, but I did contact a developer-

Húxiān: Dude was pent up. Now he knows. Problem solved.

Trigger: No need, Jaeger. It’s all good.

Húxiān: So the fight with Count is over?

Trigger: Yep.

Jaeger: Because you understand the game now?

Trigger: Nope.

Húxiān: Because you guys-

Trigger: Yep!

[over-the-time-flow]

Killer the Butcher (yes, he is named like a sonic character), second-in-command in Gaizok's army, laughs at the foolish humans for waging war amongst themselves as usual, as everyone watches on in shock. Why and how are they alive? Their mothership should have been destroyed alongside the Zambot 3... all Butcher is willing to share is that even though they did lose that battle, the god of Gaizok gave them another chance.

Amuro: "Impossible... so Uchuuta and Keiko died for nothing...?"

Amuro's shock serves only as amusement for Butcher, who mocks him for being so worried about one or two lost lives, when he wages wars that take thousands. From Butcher's point of view, there's no difference between Gaizok, the UNE or Neo Zeon.

This pushes Amuro over the edge, and the only response he can muster is barely contained rage. This is a rather rare occurrence for Amuro, even in SRW.

We pass turn, as everyone had their moves used up cleaning up the remaining Neo Zeon soldiers (btw, had we waited another turn, Butcher would have appeared and all the Zeon soldiers would have retreated) and could no longer move.

On their turn, the Gaizok's Mechaboosts inch ever closer. In this game, Mechaboosts aren't really threatening post-movement, but they have lots of HP and Armor, and their pre-movement attacks tend to hit hard and have a lot of range. This applies a thousandfold to Tracid (Trashidd? Tolashiddo? Whatever, the tank-looking one)

Casting Focus for safety, i move Raul on up and take aim at a Tracid. It's gonna be very important for us to watch Raul and Chan's positioning from now on.

Raul has no trouble hitting or evading this thing.

Chan, meanwhile, is in a delicate position. Her HP's in the red thanks to some overzealous Support Defenses in the first half of the chapter, and though she has a full tank of Spirit Points, i'm not willing to part with any of them because i'll need them later. Support defense should be able to protect her well enough, so my main worry is attacking this turn. It'd be nice to get her another kill to further raise her Will, but if she doesn't kill whatever she aims for in one shot, it'll hit her back and destroy the BWS, which would be a huge problem for our purposes...

It's at around this point that i recall i gave her a repair kit, which eases a lot of our worries.

I place Amuro on the empty spot to the north of where i plan to place Chan, so that once she moves, she'll get the Love boost.

Though she obviously doesn't kill this full health enemy in one shot, i have her weaken it now that survival is no longer such a pressing worry. Plus, at this range, the long-range combatant Tracid can only counter with its weakest move, so even the rather fragile Re-GZ can power through it.

I move the Ra Cailum up to provide Raul Support Defense if needed, and it grazes a Mechaboost while it's at it. Not for nearly enough to even be worth notice, however. Then, i move Hathaway two tiles up to shoot at a mechaboost from the safety of the asteroids tile, with Kayra's powerful Incom support to boot.

Well, it worked, but it took a lot from Hathaway. We'll have to be extra careful this enemy turn. I have Kayra cast Indomitable for safety and aim for the Mechaboost next to her.

Not only does it deal sizeable damage, she manages to dodge the counterattack, meaning Indomitable is still live. I brace myself for a rocky enemy turn where most enemies will be aiming for Kayra...

...But instead, most enemies aim for Amuro and Bright! And when a Doyozler carelessly fires missiles at Amuro, we get to see...

The Shoot Down animation! Just as stylish as ever.

The Bandok moves closer to us, and with that it's our turn. The Bandok is butcher's "mothership", shaped like a Dogu. It's incredibly tanky, can hit decently hard, and has a MAP attack (rather rare for enemies in R). But the most annoying part about it is Butcher. Butcher is a huge coward, and SRW makes sure to always adapt this by making him a retreating boss, and he nearly always has cool goodies that we want, on top of a nice cash money Funds payout for shooting him down. As such, it's our duty to find a way to stop him in his tracks.

[stereax]

If you still want questions, who do you think made the best moves so far this off-season? And what do you think fitzy was on when talking about Akira yesterday?

I always always ALWAYS love questions :)

Under the read more!

Best moves in the offseason:

Generally, the idea this offseason is don't bet the farm. The cap is going to jump next year. Wait it out. Here are my picks for top GMs:

- Fitz (Devils). Toffoli for Shango and-a-third (the third he got from Sevo's sign and trade)? Meier 8x8.8? Bratter 8x7.875? Even the small acquisitions like Colin Miller (for a fucking FIFTH!) are great. Pinching pennies and trading only expendable pieces. Yeah, I'm a homer, so what?

- Zito (Panthers). There was a need (defense), he addressed it. Mikkola, Rodrigues, even Lorentz and Stolarz. Didn't blow the bank and got what needed to be done done.

- Davidson (Blackhawks). Yes, fuck the Hawks for being racist and for the Beach scandal, but you gotta give it to Davidson, who maneuvered to acquire a bunch of vets from cap-strapped teams for next to nothing and sign them to short-term deals for Bedard to learn from. Foligno, Hall, Perry, all for a single seventh??? Oh, and they drafted Bedard. That helps too.

---

As for what Fitzy's on... I assume speed.

Okay, so the goalie sitch: Vitek is confirmed in the NHL. We need one more NHL goalie, plus one goalie we can call up in case of injury (ideally two).

Akira is really young for an NHL goalie - he's just turned 22 recently, and, among NHL goalies, only one has had more than 10 starts in 22-23 and is under 22. That's Spencer Knight, who's 21. You do have some young goalies who are rising prospects, such as Levi (also 21), Dostal (22), Sogaard (22), UPL (23), Kochetkov (23).

What sets Akira apart is his high save% compared to them. In 22-23, Knight had a .901, Levi had a .901, Dostal had a .901, Sogaard had a .889, UPL had a .891, even Kochetkov, rising goalie phenom, "only" had a .909. Akira had a .922. StatMuse shows this percentage as fourth in the ENTIRE NHL (for 15+ games played), only behind Vezina winner Ullmark, Gustavsson, and Sorokin. Also reassuring - he posted a .921 in the playoffs (an astounding .950 in the first round... and a less-than-stellar .874 in the second).

That being said, Akira has a low sample size to pull from. In 21-22, our Year of the Seven Goalies, he lost every game he played and posted a .833. And goalies, as we are all aware, are voodoo. It's entirely possible that he regresses back to a .850 player. Do I think it's going to happen? Haha no. But still.

Kochetkov is set for another year of third-stringing behind Andersen and Raanta. Fitz might want something similar for Akira, trying to bring Hellebuyck in without giving up Vanecek and attempting to roll Helle/VV this year - I find this relatively implausible because of our cap situation plus the idea that Helle would be mentoring Schmid if anything. The other option is he's looking for a free agent goalie (Stalock? Jones?) for a one-year contract to act as a stopgap. Remember, Nico Daws is injured until Christmas and likely won't be performing well until February. Kallgren is fourth-string, realistically. The issue with a free agent second goalie is that it would likely force Vitek to make many more starts - and his quality begins to decline after game 40 or so. This is why Devils fans are mostly all advocating for Akira and VV to be the starting tandem. We just need a good third-stringer for injuries. I heard Nashville is accepting calls on Askarov...

One last note - Akira also has a "fuck this shit carry time" factor, where he generally plays ten times better when someone else playing in net before him fucks it up (see: Blackwood game 82, Vitek against the Rangers). It's a real thing. Who knows if Fitz isn't simply trying to light a fire under Akira to train even harder this offseason.

[alienducky]

I am once again over thinking things and getting ramble-y about them, and this time it's the Fire Emblem Three Houses Academy Gronder fight, and also a little on traveling

We see in the cut scene that we have more or less a small army of generic NPC's for each house. Which is fine, makes sense, we are recreating an actual war. The students are learning how to be army officers and effectively direct others, we need them to have people to boss about. Besides their personal battalions

There's also Rhea and Seteth and a bunch of random Seiros guards standing at the top of a cliff watching the battle...

Actually I'm going to get sidetracked a moment, because wtf is up with that cliff they stand on? Pretty sure Bergliez territory, aka the bread basket of Fodlan, is "a fertile area near the Airmid River that is well-suited for agriculture". Giant fucking cliffs are not generally conducive to plant farming. Sheep or goat farming, sure. But not crops like wheat. And watching the scene again, there's pretty steep cliffs to the north as well, and I just... Sigh. I know Bergliez is a big territory and probably has multiple terrain types in it, but given what we see in the Houses scene, it's difficult to imagine the majority is nice and flat and plough-able and this is the only cliffy bit. I think I almost prefer the Hopes version of the map...? Actually that's pretty hilly too, though I don't immediately remember background cliffs. Do remember someone saying the Alliance are nice for not torching fields as they left, so maybe this fight area is the one odd spot surrounded by fields? Eh. The game has dragons. Guess I can live with fucked up geography.

Anyway. Back to my original points.

First part is the three colour armies. Who are they? Does each country send some of their own soldiers to help with the mock battle, temporarily lowering their own defenses? Or are they all Serios knights getting to play dress up for the day, meaning a huge chunk of the church army is here? Or are they even the other house students, since we see hundreds of those wandering around, and in Hopes we meet people who say they were in our class/year at the academy (which leads me down a tangent of how I think the academy works, but I can talk about that if anyone's interested). And how long have the houses had to get to know these people, to learn quirks and go over orders and strategies and sneaky plans? Or is it a "You won't always know who you're commanding in a war, tell these people you've never met before what to do in the next five minutes"?

Secondly, there really is a fair few people here for the fight. I'd say at least 100 per colour. At least. And they all had to somehow get there. And we know the students and Seiros lot at least had to come from the Monastery, and the route they take goes through the Alliance and across the bridge at Myrddin. And I could work out the specifics of how long that would take thanks to the amazing sevarix-blogs doing some pretty neat maths, but I'm going to generalise and say several days to get there, and then several days to get back. Because that's definitely not a "there and back in a day" trip. And you lose time setting up and breaking down camps when you travel, especially for that many people.

Which means they're going to clog up the roads. Like. A lot. There's several hundred people all plodding along with their mounts, plus probably supply wagons and healers and other assorted people not involved in actual fighting. This whole thing has got to be so annoying for anyone who lives along the route and needs to use the road while they're on it. Because the procession of people and mounts and vehicles is gonna be long and bulky and noisy, and generally speaking Fodlan roads dont look that great. I can easily imagine any merchant caravans going the opposite way being "encouraged" to move off the road so they can all get past so Rhea isn't inconvenienced

(Though I admit, that's just my take on the Church people. I think Rhea would probably be pretty cool about it, and not want others inconvenienced on her behalf. Her cultfollowers though? Icky)

OR

Or is long distance large group warping a thing that Rhea allows for this yearly event, and possibly the weekend missions where we go to bloody Sreng (which is a whole other thing, because when we go kill bandits do we go through Faerghus, or up to Derdriu and hop on a boat? I have so many questions), but conveniently isn't available post time skip when we need to move our army around? Or maybe it is, since there's no other logical reason to come back to Garreg Mach each month when we'd just need to immediately turn around and leave again

[prettyhennytea]

Irish Take on the Cardinal: A College Football Showdown

We've got a thrilling college football matchup on our hands: Notre Dame vs Stanford.

The Irish are coming into this game with a strong defense and a solid offense, led by Riley Leonard and Jeremiyah Love. They've been dominating their opponents, and their home-field advantage is a major plus.

Stanford, on the other hand, has been struggling. Their offense hasn't been firing on all cylinders, and their defense has been giving up a lot of points.

While Stanford might be a tough opponent, Notre Dame's talent and momentum give them a clear edge. It's going to be a great game, but I'm predicting a victory for the Fighting Irish.

So, grab your favorite drink, pour yourself a glass of your go-to blend, and enjoy this exciting football showdown!

Pretty Henny Week 7 CFB Pick...Notre Dame Will Take the Win!!

Catch the game: Saturday, October 12, 2024 3:30PM

[redwineconversation]

now that I'm grown, I'm scared of ghosts (Fleury - Lyon Postgame Thoughts)

Plus side: we won by a comfortable margin.

Downside: literally everything else.

It's impossible to have watched that game and come away with any degree of confidence. It was a win, sure, but it was ugly as fuck and if we're being frank, paints a pretty bleak picture of the future. So let's talk our way through the issues.

Before I rip into the team, we need to talk about the state of the pitch because I am an equal opportunity hater. It was appalling and that Lyon walked away with no (obvious?) longterm injury is quite frankly a miracle. The French Federation cannot be bragging about how they have revamped the league while having teams play on a pitch like Fleury's. By the end it looked closer to a carpet design than actual grass.

Pitches in conditions like that aren't going to encourage players to play in the league and they're not going to encourage broadcasters to broadcast the games. This is something that needs to be fixed, urgently at that. It was ugly to look at and it was ugly to play on. No one, absolutely no one, enjoyed it.

So let's move on to the game itself.

Lyon's mentality, which used to be such a strong defining characteristic of the team, was absolutely shocking this evening. To have conceded in the opening seconds not just in the first half but also in the second half is just unacceptable for a team of this alleged caliber. They have played games before. In what world should they have switched off so easily? This isn't their first time playing in a new league against an unfamiliar opponent. They aren't amateurs even if the beginning of each half begs the contrary.

The defense wasn't ball watching on the goals which actually makes it even worse. If they were ball watching then they were jut being lazy. Instead they were unprepared and disoriented and got rightfully punished for it. People will argue that it's expected since the defense isn't used to playing in a 3-4-3.

Fine. But they shouldn't be playing in a 3-4-3 anyway.

The system doesn't work when you have the outside backs that Lyon does. Svava and Carpenter both like to break forward and be part of the attack because that's simply how Lyon plays. But in order for the 3-4-3 to properly work you need the defense to sit back the entire game. A 3-4-3 with two outside backs like Carpenter becomes more of a 1-2-4-3 and that leaves the goal incredibly exposed.

If Fleury were able to score two quick goals, imagine what teams with a bigger fire power (PSG, Paris FC) will do to that defense. The system just simply doesn't work with the defenders Lyon has.

Well, the remaining players. Gilles shouldn't have played 90 mins considering she missed the entirety of preseason due to injury. While I will celebrate Montemurro protecting my mental health by not starting Sylla and Sangare, we're back to the real problem: Gilles played because the other option was worse, and the other option was worse because Kang/Ponsot/Montemurro collectively decided that losing Mbock was acceptable because they would give academy kids playing time instead.

Twist and turn it all you want, but academy kids are not on par with Mbock. If only we had a third experienced CB who could have perhaps stepped up and played instead ...

I've ripped on Marozsan so much in the past. I still think we should sell her and I still think she's unnecessary expensive dead weight. BUT I am also not to proud to give credit where credit is due. She has been playing well lately and seems to have remembered that cardio will not, in fact, actually kill her. I'm not sure who was more surprised when Marozsan ran back and did a good defensive slide tackle, myself or the Fleury player. I don't think Marozsan's defensive efforts were necessary in a scouting report. Canal Plus also had interesting speculations about why Marozsan sat on the bench so much last season but that's something we can discuss privately.

The midfield overall was pretty meh. Van de Donk didn't play well but didn't play badly either, but definitely could have done better. I am perplexed at her fucking nutcase stans on Instagram who do not seem to understand that a player can be subbed around the 60th minute for rotation purposes and not because of injury. She is a player who wasn't playing an outstanding game and has openly spoken about burnout. There is nothing shocking or concerning about her being subbed around the 60th minute unless you a deranged parasocial freak.

Horan actually played better than I was expecting. I'm a bit like ??? at some people's willingness to vilify her. Like, she's not in my list of Top 20 players I like, but there seems to be a real interest in putting her down lately while conveniently forgetting both what she has accomplished on the field and other players who have made much more controversial decisions but seem to get a pass because of a bunch of reasons (association with Love Island FC being one of them). Anyway, it's fine, beef with whomever you want, not gonna tell you not to, but is Horan really the most unlikeable player in the world? Like, really?

Damaris was a bit meh at the beginning, was sloppy and careless for Fleury's first goal, but actually got into the game more and seemed to become more interested in the outcome of the game as it went on. Her assist was really good. Just sucks we're going to lose her for several weeks/months at one point in the season as is tradition.

Dumornay has got to learn to control her frustration better. It's frustrating as a fan because when Dumornay keeps her head down and does her job, she's really good at it and is fun to watch. But then she starts being fouled or calls going against her or whatever and she starts committing unnecessary fouls. I'm not fond of the argument "she's young and is still learning." No. Cut that shit out and focus on your job. Which she did in this game.

Canal Plus ripped into Chawinga a fair amount as well and some I think was a bit out of line and some I agree with. Is Lyon a more "technical" team than PSG? I'm not super convinced about that. I think in terms of passing and ball possession, they're not that different from each other. So I don't buy the argument she struggled because she isn't used to being on a technical team. PSG has very good technical players, this isn't the first time she would have been around quick passing.

I do agree she was making sloppy mistakes. There was a moment when she was trying to control the ball and then just kicked out of bounds from 20 cms away for a Fleury throw. She also didn't really have a go at the Fleury defense which we know from her PSG days she can do. Now again, I'll concede she is playing with a new team, but she has played in the league before and she has played against Fleury before. There wasn't really a whole lot of new if you think about it.

Diani woke up as the game went on. Scored, could have done better, have seen her ghost so I know what that looks like and this wasn't it. It'll be interesting to see what her form looks like as the season progresses.

And going back to Endler - I expected better from her. I know she is probably used to sleep watching her way through league games so she is going to be in for a rude awakening if Montemurro continues with this 3-4-3 formation. Before Endler had a stellar backline in front of her. Now she doesn't really have one at all.

Tl:dr version: this game did nothing to make me feel better about how the rest of the season is going to go.

[moriartiguns]

Discover the Power of 277 SIG Fury and 458 SOCOM for Your Rifle 

Choosing the right cartridge for your AR rifle is crucial to getting the performance you need. Two popular options among shooters are the 277 SIG Fury and 458 SOCOM. Each of these cartridges has unique strengths, making them ideal for different types of shooting. In this article, we'll break down what makes the 277 SIG Fury and 458 SOCOM stand out, helping you decide which one is right for your next rifle build. 

What Makes the 277 SIG Fury Special? 

The 277 SIG Fury is a cutting-edge cartridge developed by SIG Sauer. Originally designed for military use, this cartridge is known for its high pressure and exceptional power. Its hybrid case design allows it to handle much higher pressures than most other cartridges, leading to higher speeds and more energy when the bullet hits its target. 

One of the main benefits of the 277 SIG Fury is its excellent performance at long distances. Thanks to its high velocity and flat trajectory, it’s perfect for precision shooting and hunting. Whether you’re targeting game at long range or aiming for accuracy in shooting sports, the 277 SIG Fury gives you the power and precision you need. 

Another great thing about the 277 SIG Fury is its versatility. It works with AR-10 platform rifles, so you can easily build or upgrade your rifle with this powerful cartridge. If you want a round that delivers top performance in various situations, the 277 SIG Fury is a strong choice. 

At Moriarti Armaments, we offer a range of 277 SIG Fury components and upper assemblies. Whether you’re starting a new rifle build or improving an existing one, our selection of 277 SIG Fury products ensures you have everything you need. 

Why Choose the 458 SOCOM? 

While the 277 SIG Fury is great for long-range shooting, the 458 SOCOM is designed for situations where you need serious stopping power at shorter distances. The 458 SOCOM is a heavy-duty cartridge that packs a punch, making it ideal for hunting large game or for tactical situations where you need to stop a target quickly and effectively. 

The 458 SOCOM was created to offer big power in the AR-15 platform. This means you can upgrade your AR-15 to handle larger rounds without needing to switch to a bigger rifle. The 458 SOCOM can fire heavy bullets—ranging from 250 to 600 grains—at lower speeds, which results in deep penetration and a powerful impact. 

One of the key benefits of the 458 SOCOM is its flexibility. It’s great for hunting big game like hogs and deer, and it’s also a reliable choice for home defense. Plus, it works with standard AR-15 magazines (with some modifications), making it a convenient option for those who want to add more power to their AR-15 without a complete overhaul. 

At Moriarti Armaments, we offer a variety of 458 SOCOM upper assemblies and related products. Our 458 SOCOM components are designed to give you the performance and reliability you need for any situation. 

Which Should You Choose: 277 SIG Fury or 458 SOCOM? 

Deciding between the 277 SIG Fury and 458 SOCOM depends on what you need from your rifle. If you’re looking for a cartridge that offers long-range accuracy and high speed, the 277 SIG Fury is a great option. It’s perfect for hunters and precision shooters who need a versatile, powerful round. 

If you need maximum stopping power at shorter ranges, the 458 SOCOM is the way to go. It’s ideal for hunting big game or for tactical situations where you need a reliable and powerful shot. The 458 SOCOM also offers the convenience of using it with your AR-15 platform, making it easy to upgrade your rifle for more power. 

Get Started with Moriarti Armaments 

Ready to upgrade your rifle? Check out the selection of 277 SIG Fury and 458 SOCOM products at Moriarti Armaments. Whether you’re building a new rifle or upgrading your current one, our high-quality components will help you get the performance you need. 

Visit Moriarti Armaments to find the 277 SIG Fury or 458 SOCOM parts you need and start building the rifle that’s perfect for you. With our top-notch products, you’ll be ready for any shooting challenge. 

[jcmarchi]

Breaking Down Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Classes And Factions

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/breaking-down-dragon-age-the-veilguards-classes-and-factions/

Breaking Down Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Classes And Factions

As part of the character creation process for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, players will have to select both a class for their player-controlled Rook and a faction. After customizing much of your Rook’s body, including things like a Qunari’s horn type and material, for example, with the hundreds of options available in Veilguard, it will be time to pick said class. 

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There are three classes to choose from: Rogue, Mage, and Warrior. As the names suggest, each features a unique combat system and plays differently as a result. Though you’ll be performing things like light and heavy attacks using the same buttons, what those attacks do varies based on your class. For example, a sword-and-shield Warrior can hip-fire or aim their shield to throw it like Captain America, whereas a Mage can use that same button to throw out magical ranged attacks – read more about the combat of Veilguard in Game Informer’s exclusive feature here. Plus, as you spec out these classes and unlock their individual specializations, the differences will only grow even more stark. 

The Rogue has access to three specializations. The Duelist is the fastest of the three, with two blades for rapid strikes; the Saboteur uses tricks and traps; and the Veil Ranger is purely range, sniping enemies from afar with a bow.

The Mage can utilize necromancy with the Death Caller specialization; Evokers wield fire, ice, and lightning; and the Spellblade uses magic-infused melee attacks.

The Warrior can become a Reaper, which uses night blades to steal life and risk death to gain unnatural abilities; a Slayer, a simple but strong two-handed weapons expert; or the Champion, a tactical defense fighter.

While these specializations don’t matter upfront – you class into them via the skill trees you progress through the game – it’s nice to see the potential of each class before you choose it. 

For the penultimate step of the character creator, at least during the demo BioWare shows me, players select a faction. The Grey Wardens return, joined by other returning favorites and new additions like the Antivan Crows, the Mourn Watch, the Shadow Dragons, the pirate-themed Lords of Fortune, which is what I chose in my demo for the current Game Informer cover story, and the Veil Jumpers.

Each faction has unique casual wear, which is worn in specific cutscenes when the character isn’t donning armor, and three unique traits. The Lords of Fortune, for example, gain additional reputation with this particular faction, have increased damage versus mercenaries, and perform takedowns on enemies with slightly less effort. Veilguard game director Corinne Busche says this faction selection, which ties into your character’s backstory, determines who your Rook was before, how they met Varric, why they travel with Varric instead of their faction, and more.

“The message of The Veilguard is you’re not saving the world on your own – you need your companions, but you also need these factions, these other groups in the world,” creative director John Epler tells me. “You help them, they help you now.”

He says BioWare wanted to avoid the trope of needing to gather 200 random resources or objects before helping you save the world. Instead, the team aimed to create factions that want to help you but have realistic challenges and problems in front of them so that narratively, it makes sense why you help them in return for their help when the time comes. 

“Gameplay-wise – each of our classes has a specialization, and each of them is tied to a faction,” Epler continues. “But beyond that, each faction has a [companion] as well as [people we’re calling agents, ancillarily] who exist as the faces of these factions. We didn’t want to just say, ‘Here’s the Grey Wardens, go deal with them.’ We wanted characters within that faction who are sympathetic, who you can see and become the face of the faction, so that even if there are moments where the faction as a whole may be on the outs with you, these characters are still with you; they’ve still got your back.” 

If you find yourself unhappy with your lineage or your class, you can change them using the Mirror of Transformation, found in the main Veilguard hub, The Lighthouse. You can also change your Rook’s visual appearance there, too. 

For more about the game, including exclusive details, interviews, video features, and more, click the Dragon Age: The Veilguard hub button below. 

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Stellar Blade: Unpredictable Odyssey

Stellar Blade is finally here, and if you thought the demo was fire, wait until you grab the full game from Shift Up. They're swinging for the fences like Babe Ruth with this one, calling their shot for Game of the Year! Oh, and don't forget to cop some Xbox games to keep the gaming party going strong. And yeah, you heard me right—Stellar Blade is lit on the PlayStation 5, with gameplay that hooks you and a story that hits you in the feels. Even with some old-school vibes, it's still next-gen goodness that had me hooked from the jump. If you haven’t checked out the demo, you're missing out. It's just a taste of what's to come in the full game. Picture this: humanity gets wrecked by the Naytiba and we bounce to space for safety. But now, we're back for revenge, led by Eve and her crew. Things go sideways real quick, leaving Eve to clean up the mess on the post-war streets of Eidos-7, infested by those nasty creatures. So where's humanity been hiding? We got whooped on Earth, so we jetted to space to start over. But now it's payback time! There are still some humans left on Earth, who need our help. Allies like Adam and his trusty drone point us in the right direction, but in this messed-up world, trust no one and expect surprises as the story unfolds. The game doesn’t waste time with intros—it throws you straight into the action. Stellar Blade is a third-person action-adventure where you level up Eve's skills as you go, from fighting to survival and beyond. It's like a Grade-B Blockbuster but in the best way possible. And Eve? She's just too cool for words.

Stellar Blade: Grounded Fury

When you look at Stellar Blade compared to other games, it’s like Bayonetta meets NieR: Automata, especially with both heroines rocking those body suits to the max. And hey, while you're at it, why not score some PS5 games to keep the gaming vibes lit? Plus, you’ve got the character designs from the legendary Korean artist Kim Hyung Tae (you know, from Blade & Soul), who nails that badass vibe perfectly. And Eve? She’s a sight to behold, rocking different nano suits that showcase her femininity as she kicks butt and takes names in her quest to reclaim the world. But don’t go thinking Stellar Blade is just a mindless button masher. Nah, there’s some serious strategy involved, and not just with the big boss battles. Like they say, the best defense is a good offense, and that rings true here. You gotta block, parry, and dodge like a pro, and as Eve levels up, she gets access to more weapons and moves to keep things interesting. Combat in Stellar Blade is diverse, with Eve pulling off acrobatic moves and slicing through enemies like a boss. Each enemy has its own strengths and weaknesses, and you gotta exploit those weaknesses to win. It’s serious business, way more grounded than Bayonetta, and it definitely gives off some Devil May Cry vibes. But make no mistake, Stellar Blade stands on its own with its flawless combat system.

Stellar Blade: Immersive Mastery

Visually, Stellar Blade is straight-up next-gen, with its massive open worlds and realistic post-apocalyptic vibe from the alien invasion. The level design is spot-on, sucking you into this intense and sometimes downright scary atmosphere. Characters like Eve and her crew look dope, and even the thousands of enemies you face are well-crafted as you hack and slash your way through. You can even tweak the graphics for more detail or smoother gameplay, depending on your vibe. And yeah, the game supports haptic feedback, and it runs like a dream on the PlayStation Portal.

Stellar Blade: Demo Dive

The audio is just as impressive. You can take things up a notch with Tempest 3D, immersing yourself even more in the universe with surround sound. The voice acting might be a bit cheesy at times, but it fits the characters and the world perfectly. And the sounds of this messed-up planet, from the background noises to the terrifying roars of the creatures you face, add to the whole experience. And don’t even get me started on the soundtrack—it pumps up the action and hits you right in the feels. Seriously, grab some headphones or earbuds for the full effect. If you’re on the fence, check out the demo for Stellar Blade. But if you’re after a challenging yet rewarding third-person action game, this one hits the spot. It’s probably gonna be Game of the Year, no doubt about it!