#and how his ability to bypass the barrier can be useful in emergencies

[sleepyorchidmonster]

When Chen'ya sneaked into Heartslabyul one too many times in a single week, leaving chaos in his wake, Riddle decided that enough was enough.

And that's how Riddle spent the next few months attempting to figure out just how Chen'ya was bypassing the magical barrier, considering this a security risk for the entire school (and his sanity).

His scoured the entirety of the barrier's perimeter, then took to the skies, looking for any possible breaches. Nothing out of the ordinary.

He used his most powerful spells to test the barrier's strenght, going as far as to ask Malleus for assistance (in exchange for an invitation to an unbirthday party, of course). All it did was confirm that it takes A LOT for the barrier to weaken, and everyone would've known if that were to happen, even if only because of the sheer amount of magic used.

He asked for the specifics of the spell, how does the barrier identify students and staff members, could someone just steal an student ID to enter the school? Nope, it's directly tied to the Mirror.

Therefore, the logical conclusion is that, just like Elisa and the fairies, Chen'ya is an exception to the rule. And a menace to society.

There's a fairly detailed document with all of Riddle's research on that topic, Crowley even used it as that year's security report for the barrier (it spent a good decade or so without much maintenace, so it's nice to know it's still working as intended).

[gftimelord]

Greetings!

I am Dr. Stanford Pines, you may call me 'Ford' or simply 'Doctor'. I suppose it is about time I explore the World Wide Web, or the 'Internet'. There is much I still have to learn and figure out since returning to this dimension.

It seems I have fallen quite out of touch for the most part during the thirty years I was gone. It's frankly very impressive and jarring to see how so much has changed so I might take some time for me to properly adjust but I digress.

I travel through plenty of dimensions with my brother Stanley quite often to further my research. Nothing we can't handle now that Cipher is out of the picture so I will continue adventuring and learning.

I am glad to be of acquaintance to you all!

Ad astra per aspera

- Dr. Stanford Pines

OOC: HAHA- Here's a Ford blog because I genuinely couldn't help myself. My main blog is @matrixbearer2024! This Stanford Pines is very similar to the timelords from the Doctor Who franchise but other than that he's still pretty much the same. I'll mostly have him set post-weirdmageddon but I'm open to shifting whichever point in time for questions or RPs, have fun everyone!

P.S. Down below are insights to his character and inventory for anyone interested or planning to interact with him!

Doc's inventory:

Modified Sonic Screwdriver

Rift Manipulation: Creates and stabilizes interdimensional rifts using doors as conduits.

Wood Manipulation: Can interact with wooden objects, allowing for unlocking, modifying, or opening them.

Lock Picking: Can unlock doors and secure mechanisms electronically.

Repair Capabilities: Repairs mechanical devices, machinery, and certain types of technology.

Environmental Scanning: Gathers environmental data, hazards, such as toxins, radiation, or other dangers, detecting anomalies, and analyzing energy signatures.

Data Analysis: Capable of analyzing data from various sources and providing real-time feedback, which can be especially useful in scientific or technical situations.

Communication Device: Interfaces with various technologies for sending and receiving signals.

Universal Translator: Translates languages in real time, enabling communication across the multiverse.

Communications Device: Functions as a communicator to contact other beings or devices across dimensions.

Energy Emission and Manipulation: Emits energy pulses to create barriers, distract enemies, or manipulate technology as well as manipulating energy sources, allowing it to overload systems or temporarily disable them.

Holographic Projection: Can create holographic displays for visualization of data, theories, or environments.

Lock Picking: Bypasses and unlocks physical and digital security systems.

Thermal Regulation: Measures and adjusts temperature in different environments.

Frequency Manipulation: Disrupts or enhances certain technologies by emitting sounds at specific frequencies.

Medical Functions: Provides advanced diagnostics and medical support, which is due to Doc’s preparedness(paranoia) for unforeseen events. (e.g. scanning for vital signs, diseases, and medical conditions; performing rudimentary medical diagnostics and suggest treatments; minor surgical procedures, such as suturing wounds; administering certain medications or injections in emergencies)

Forcefield Manipulation: Can activate and control protective barriers or shields, adding a layer of defense in dangerous situations.

Data Storage & Retrieval: Stores information and interacts with databases, making it a powerful tool for research.

Manipulation of Atoms: Using the power of the infinity die, Doc’s sonic screwdriver can manipulate the energy within atoms of entities that have a tangible, alterable form. This ability allows him to rearrange or shift the physical properties of objects or beings.

Weaponized Function: Can shoot energy blasts, though this function was originally designed as a laser for electronic tinkering.

Time Manipulation: Has limited abilities to manipulate time within a localized area, such as slowing down or speeding up the perception of time for specific objects or people.

Emergency Beacon: Can emit distress signals to call for help or alert allies in emergencies.

Multi-Purpose Tool: Serves as a general tool for tinkering, adjusting mechanisms, and solving puzzles, which aligns with Doc's analytical nature and creativity.

Repair Box

Immortality: A set of nanobots that constantly repairs and heals injuries, rendering Doc functionally immortal. While he cannot die from age or illness, fatal wounds can still kill him.

Healing Factor: Non-fatal wounds heal rapidly, which allow the Doctor to recover quickly from injuries that would otherwise incapacitate others.

Phantom Pain: He experiences phantom pain from time to time, a side effect of the repair box, which sometimes immobilizes him during particularly bad days.

Journal & Pen

Eidetic Memory: While Doc has a photographic memory, he carries a journal where he records his travels, discoveries, and reflections. This is partly an emotional release and partly a way to process the things he can never forget.

Personal Reflections: His journal also contains musings, sketches, and insights into his more philosophical thoughts, which he tends to keep private.

Zygon Force Field Device

Personal Shield: A portable device that creates a personal force field around the doctor which protects him from the worst injuries in moments of danger.

Camouflage: For a temporary time, the advanced zygon technology refracts and manipulates light to turn Doc invisible to the naked eye. This can be activated and disabled manually.

Limited Durability: Though powerful, the forcefield can only take so much damage at a time before it needs to recharge.

Advanced Medical Kit

Comprehensive: This kit contains emergency medical supplies, medications, and advanced tools for situations where the repair box might not immediately be enough. The doctor’s paranoia drives him to always be prepared.

Multiverse Map

Hand-drawn: A rough sketch and collection of dimensions he’s visited or studied, filled with notes about potential dangers and anomalies.

OOC: Does Doc carry a phone with him? Nope! Thinks it's something redundant because of his sonic being able to act as a communicator at a rudimentary level. Granted, you're not going to get stellar audio or video quality from something like that, but it works throughout the multiverse so Doc doesn't bother. If you plan on having an OC or other character meet him through this route, it could be as a transmission to his sonic!

Doc's Appearance:

Since the time he received the repair box, Doc has been biologically frozen in a state where his physical body remains in its 40s.

Doc is standing tall at 6'2", no different from most iterations of his canon counterparts.

His coat the the same as the one he already uses in post-canon gravity falls, that hasn't changed aesthetically.

The doctor sports a suit because if he's going to kick butt might as well do it in style, he also switches between neck-ties and bow-ties because bow-ties are cool.

He wears sneakers instead of his boots since those had worn down and broken sometime during his travels and sneakers are just generally easier to replace.

Underneath all his dress-up though he's covered in scars from past battles and his old tattoos that he'd never had the time to get rid of.

His glasses still have a crack in them, mostly because he couldn't be bothered to get a new pair of bifocals anyway.

Always clean shaven, yes he still shaves his face with fire that has never changed.

Key Quotes About Doc:

"You don't need to look like a monster to be one."

"HAHAHAHA- I just SNOGGED Madame de Pompadour!"

"ALLONS-Y!"

"This apple sucks I hate apples-"

"Laptop. Gimme!"

"Who da man?! ..... Oh, well I'm never saying that again."

"Immortality isn't living forever that's not what it feels like. Immortality is everybody else dying because you can't."

"Goodness is not goodness that seeks advantage. Good is good in the deepest pit without hope, without witness, without reward. Virtue is only virtue in extremis."

"Sometimes the only choices you have are bad ones, but you still have to choose."

"The day you lose someone isn't the worst. At least you've got something to do. It's all the days they stay dead."

"Pain is a gift. Without the capacity for pain we can't feel the hurt we inflict."

"There's a lot of things you need to get across this universe. Warp drive, wormhole refractors. You know the thing you need most of all? You need a hand to hold."

"Love is not an emotion. It's a promise."

"The universe is big. It’s vast and complicated and ridiculous. And sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles."

"Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It’s not the time that matters, it’s the person."

"I’m the doctor, and I save people."

"First thing’s first, but not necessarily in that order."

"You want weapons? We're in a library! Books! Best weapons in the world!"

"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint— it’s more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly… time-y wimey… stuff."

"I’m about to do something very clever and a tiny bit against the rules of the multiverse. It’s important that I’m properly dressed."

"Arrogance can trip you up.”

"Do what I do: Hold tight and pretend it’s a plan!"

"You’ll find that it’s a very small universe when I’m angry with you."

See the bowtie? I wear it and I don’t care. That’s why it’s cool."

"Big flashy things have my name written all over them. Well… not yet. Give me time and a crayon."

"Never cruel or cowardly. Never give up, never give in.”

"Rest is for the weary, sleep is for the dead.”

"You don’t want to take over the universe. You wouldn’t know what to do with it beyond shout at it."

"Never be certain of anything. It’s a sign of weakness."

"Courage isn’t just a matter of not being frightened, you know. It’s being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway."

“Why do humans never do as they’re told? Someone should replace you all with robots. No, on second thought, they shouldn’t, bad idea.”

"You know, the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common: they don’t alter their views to fit the facts; they alter the facts to fit their views.”

[miloucomehome]

Thoughts, feelings, theories and assessments (esp. the 02 kids and adventure kids’ relationships) before the premiere of the final chapter

This sort of morphed from a short thread on Twitter with some friends a while back and it was as if a lightbulb went off in my head. There might be some holes and here and there, but hear me out (It’s long. I’m so sorry. Go make tea, a snack and come back and read)

First: If you haven’t already, rewatch the first 5 movies. It’s well worth it.

This post contains spoilers for Parts 1 through 5. No spoilers from the advance screenings of Part 6 are in this post. (I’m a spoilerphobe with tri of perhaps the highest order)

So here’s a few things:

All 12 of them seeing each other at once was not a regular thing. It wasn’t in 02 for the Adventure kids, that’s for sure and each episode showed this early on.

Them not being in daily communication for days or weeks was probably normal too given how things may have become for them as Chosen. They had no reason to worry--there was peace. Everyone was busy and had their lives

Whatever the 02 kids encountered prior to Part 1, it may have occurred swiftly. In other theories I’ve tried to come up with, this is one thing I think is a strong possibility. There’s been theories floated that maybe Maki deliberately sent them there because they were the active team, but what if in an emergency with no way to directly communicate, in desperation the 02 kids were sucked into the situation out of a sense of  duty and urgency?

Say in an emergency, Gennai (good) urgently tries to get a hold of the Chosen--anyone they can get--and they discover that communications have been hampered. They try and try and get a hold of the 02 kids first. Not all at once, but maybe somehow Ken, Daisuke, Iori and Miyako were able to link up. Maybe even Iori and Miyako suggested they try and get Takeru and Hikari, but they can't--time is of the essence and their help is needed post haste so they leave...and end up in an unwinnable situation.

While faced with this, the kids try to message for help as one by one--Imperialdramon, Hawkmon and Armadimon’s evolutions--are taken out, but they realize their message can't get through much like how Takeru's D-Terminal couldn't send messages in Part 4. (Maybe related: Koushiro notes he can’t get a hold of Gennai in Part 4) They're stuck with no way out nor way to call home and before they can run and seek shelter, they're all taken out (image of the final panning shot)

Due to the state of their relationship and not being in constant communication with one another, their “non-responsiveness” hasn't raised flags yet given the timeline of the films and ever-evolving and rapidly changing priorities. It could be in Part 6, albeit a bit late, they will realize they need them and *thats* when things click. I’ll concede that there is a bit of explaining to do on this point whether it’s a friendship question, or that “External Forces” (Homeostasis, the Agency, Mysterious Man, the World/Digital World) are at play.

(More after the jump!)

The 02 kids are missing because of an event out of their control that we can see from the opening act of Part 1: Reunion.

What happened before that dramatic moment is where my theory comes in.

We know from Takeru in Reunion that the Digital Gate has been closed for a while and even though the Adv kids are in the Digital World right now, they got there through unconventional means which bypassed that block. Let’s assume that when the Digital Gate closed, for whatever reason, it was after a period of extended peace in the Digital World--Gennai (the real one) decided that they should let him and the Agents take care of fixing it and let them relax. After all, they had defeated BelialVandemon and Oikawa became an extra barrier for the safety of the Digital World, there wasn’t any need to be worried.

Over time, maybe during this peace, the 02 kids and Adv kids find themselves in a kind of “retirement” or hiatus from their duties as Chosen. They’re not rushing to intercept trouble or prevent anyone from taking over the Digital World or being summoned by the Sovereign Digimon to reinforce the barrier between the Worlds so they all aren’t really needed at the time.

It’s very in-character for Gennai to tell the kids to take it easy. I could see him not having any reason to be concerned. “We don’t get together as much as we used to anymore”

I strongly believe Koushiro’s line in Part 1 wasn’t just a cute reference to Our War Game--where they were hampered by the fact that they could not communicate to assemble everyone, handicapping them at the start versus Diablomon--but actually a comment on the current state of their relationship between the 12 of them.

Perhaps in a similar way to Our War Game, the 2nd original film, the kids slowly settle into “normal” routines and “normal” lifestyles as Jr and Sr High School students. Perhaps as a result of this state, the Adventure kids and 02 kids aren’t really communicating or seeing each other as much--not because they’re no longer friends, but simply because there is no reason to. They’re not having hush-hush meetings in the computer lab nor strategizing at Koushiro’s apartment over the latest Digital World developments. They drift apart somewhat, but, they’re still in touch. Life is good for all involved from 2003 onward.

Joe and Miyako being in their respective final years of High School and Jr High are likely becoming consumed by their studies (but Joe isn’t quite at the stage we see him at in Part 2) everyone is leading their own lives waiting until the day they’re called again (though not expecting). Rewatching Part 1, you can see that Taichi wasn’t terribly aware of Yamato’s band activities. It’s played as a normal conversation for laughs, but I’d say it’s another way the story demonstrates how little they hang out compared to before.

I think we can safely assume their relationship is in the state it’s in is close but not I-know-every-detail-of-your-day level. After the events of Part 2: Decision/Determination, Hikari and Takeru go and try to find out what’s going on--no one answers at the Ichijouji residence (Empty? They could be out for the day (or town) and Ken is busy himself given they may not be aware of his daily activities), Takeru fires off a text to Daisuke and presumably the others. Had things not escalated as much in Part 3, they probably would’ve had more time to sleuth around and investigate and take notice of the flags, but then the infection and Meicrackmon took priority. Had this had their undivided attention, I’m sure the story would have had them speak to the older Chosen to note they couldn’t get a hold of the other four. 

(What I also find curiously interesting is that Daigo is also aware in Part 3 that the 02 kids are missing. Whatever his implication is in the events that led to their status, it’ll be interesting to learn the extent of what he knew. Given how crushed he was by the fact Maki was lying point blank to Yamato and to himself, I wouldn’t be surprised at this point if all he knew was they had lost communication with them, not that they had been ambushed)

Closed Gate = Closed Communications

We know from a few things in Part 3: Confession that, granted we are seeing a post-reboot DW, communication between the Digital World and Real World seems to be hampered as seen when Takeru tries to use his D-Terminal to message Maki but the message doesn’t go through. We could chalk this up to it being a reboot bug, but what if this ��lack of reception” had been around the time when the Gates remained closed? Now wouldn’t that cause problems if any of them made it into the Digital in an emergency through unconventional means but had no ability to communicate back for help? If this had been the case, neither of them would know this was a problem. Keep this point in mind.

Something occurs suddenly in the Digital World. Maybe only the 02 kids, or only Daisuke, Iori, Miyako and Ken, are able to get to a Gate. They get there, try to get a handle on the situation they’re facing only to be up against something they couldn’t fathom even keeping at bay. Maybe the Gate was closed,(maybe those screens we see in the canyon in Part 4 were Gates that were out of service) so somehow they go in through an unconventional method, but when they get there and things escalate too quickly. Even though they may have sent messages for help...maybe they were never able to send at all.

What also occurred to me is that Meicoomon’s nature distorts with digital communications. Would its existence in the Digital World have begun a slow corrosion of digital infrastructure there? (That is: The Gate, the D3s’ Gate opening abilities, D-Terminal/Digital communication between the Real and Digital World) We can also see from Part 3 onwards that access to the Digital World is currently only being done through the distortions.

The Role of  the 02 Kids in the Final Film

Difficult to pin, but I have confidence (blind?) that we are not in for a repeat of the role of the Adventure kids during the events of Movie 3 (Hurricane Touchdown), granted there are similarities to tri.: Missing kids, a tamer with the burden of caring for a Digimon partner gone berserk who harms/kidnaps one team. In fact, I truly believe that Miyako, Daisuke, Iori and Ken are key to unlocking Omegamon Merciful Mode, like how Imperialdramon Paladin Mode was unlocked by a sacrifice, of sorts, by a heavily damaged Omegamon in Movie 4, Diablomon Strikes Back. Maybe Imperialdramon FM will reappear and sacrifice part of itself to unlock Merciful Mode, then all the kids will unlock or power the new blade it wields.

I am also Team They Will Speak (or Some Will Speak) and not Team Brief Cameo. ;;;;;

Final comment -- Regarding one scene from Part 1:

This might be random but, hear me out--Much of the thinking surrounding this opening shot with Taichi is that he was maybe feeling guilty for something, but what if it was nostalgia? Koushiro did mention that they all don’t get together or talk much anymore.

What if not only that, but what of Taichi’s scene --when coupled with his vague comment to Daigo (as teacher) about going to see some friends often but not anymore--wasn’t just about the Digimon, but just...everyone? The other Adventure kids and the 02 kids included. Peacetime and an unexpectedly long one without their Digimon and without being wound up in something with his friends….what does one do but reflect on “happier” times when in times of trouble, they were with their friends almost every day?

Everyone’s going on growing up and here he is struck with a strong sense of wanting to return to the “Good ol days” with everyone, maybe. It’s probably possible he believes that going back to that would assuage his worries a little about changes..

We’ll see what happens in the final chapter of this wonderful series on Saturday!

[ericvick]

'The Squad' pushes Biden to cancel student debt — here's how they'd personally benefit

The four progressive congresswomen known as “The Squad” have been some of the most vocal advocates pushing President-elect Joe Biden to cancel student loan debt during his first 100 days in office — and would be among dozens of members of Congress to financially benefit from such a policy.

Fifty-nine members of Congress reported owing student loans in their latest financial disclosures published last year, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. Collectively, the 59 lawmakers with student loan debt owe at least $2.4 million.

Both Ocasio-Cortez and Omar reported owing between $15,001 and $50,000 in student loans (federal lawmakers report a range for their finances, but not exact amounts), while Tlaib reported owing between $50,001 and $100,000 in law school loans.

Representatives for the three congresswomen did not respond to a FOX Business request for comment.

SCHUMER CALLS ON BIDEN TO CANCEL STUDENT LOAN DEBT WITH EXECUTIVE ORDER

Ocasio-Cortez, who graduated from Boston University, has frequently spoken about her financial struggles before she started receiving her congressional salary of $174,000 a year. In 2019, the progressive firebrand, then 29, made a student loan payment during a House Committee on Financial Services hearing.

“I looked at my balance, and it is $20,237.16,” she said at the time. “I just made a payment that took me down to $19,000, so I feel really accomplished right now.”

Omar, who graduated from North Dakota State University, has also discussed being a “millennial with student debt.”

“I know the cost barriers to education is unacceptable especially when compared to the tax breaks we give to the wealthy,” she tweeted in August 2018. “Debt-forgiveness and tuition-free college is an investment in our students, our people, and our economy.”

The congresswomen are among a bevy of progressive voices urging Biden to use executive action and cancel student loan debt, which has doubled over the past decade, nearing a staggering $1.7 trillion.

Story continues

“Student loan forgiveness is good, actually,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Monday. “We should also push for tuition-free public colleges to avoid this huge debt bubble from financially decimating ppl every generation. It’s one of the easiest progressive policies to ‘pay for,’ w/ multiple avenues from a Wall St transaction tax to an ultra-wealth tax to cover it.”

WARREN URGES BIDEN TO BYPASS CONGRESS AND CANCEL STUDENT LOAN DEBT

Ocasio-Cortez previously introduced legislation alongside Omar, as well as Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., that would eliminate tuition and fees at all public four-year colleges and universities, and eliminate all $1.6 trillion in student loan debt for 45 million Americans. The proposal would be paid for by a tax on Wall Street speculation, with a 0.5% fee on stock trades; 0.1% bond fee and 0.005% fee on derivatives.

And in March, Omar and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., introduced the Student Debt Emergency Relief Act, which would cancel at least $30,000 in student loan debt for each borrower as part of a coronavirus pandemic relief measure.

“Student debt cancelation will ensure an equitable economic recovery from COVID-19, jumpstart our economy & close the racial wealth gap,” Pressley (who has not reported owing any student loan debt) tweeted Monday.

About one in six American adults owes money on federal student loan debt, which is the largest amount of non-mortgage debt in the U.S. It has been cited as a major hindrance in people’s “economic life” by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have urged Biden to bypass Congress and cancel billions of dollars in student loan debt with an executive order during his first year in office.

BIDEN PLEDGES TO HIKE TAXES ON AMERICANS EARNING MORE THAN $400K

Schumer said that Biden could use existing executive authority under the Higher Education Act to order the Department of Education to “modify, compromise, waive or release” student loans. He estimated it would provide total forgiveness to more than 75% of borrowers and partial forgiveness for more than 95%.

“Biden-Harris can cancel billions of dollars in student loan debt, giving tens of millions of Americans an immediate financial boost and helping to close the racial wealth gap,” Warren tweeted last week, referring to both the incoming commander-in-chief and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. “This is the single most effective executive action available for a massive economic stimulus.”

Such sweeping executive action would almost certainly face a legal challenge, and it’s unclear whether it could survive. Critics have argued that using such power exceeds the president’s authority granted by Congress. Canceling student loan debt would also add to the nation’s already-ballooning national deficit, which totaled a record $3.1 trillion for the 2020 fiscal year.

Experts have said that Biden’s ability to follow through on his agenda, including canceling student loan debt, could be severely limited if the GOP retains control of the Senate, a battle that hinges on two January runoff races in Georgia. Democrats would need to win both races to secure a 50-50 tie; in that scenario, Harris could cast a tie-breaking vote to move the Democratic agenda forward.

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[fandomverseofanthony]

AIDEN DARROW/RUIN

Info Real Name: Aiden Darrow Alias: Ruin Relatives: James Darrow (father, deceased); Alicia Darrow (mother); Ruin (symbiote) Affiliation: Temporary ally of Spider-man Base of Operations: New York, New York Status Alignment: Good Identity: Secret Identity Citizenship: American Martial Status: Single Occupation: Vigilante Characteristics Gender: Male Height: 6' 2” Weight: 210lbs Eyes: Brown Hair: Short, Brown Unusual Feature: N/A Origin Origin: Fully bonded with symbiote Universe: Earth-616 Place of Birth: New York, New York Power Grid (Scale 1-7) Intelligence: 4 Strength: 5 Speed: 3 Durability: 6 Energy Projection: 2 Fighting Skills: 4

Powers Black Symbiotic Costume: Ruin can stick to walls, can change his appearance to any form of clothing, armor, or appearance; and also has unlimited webbing, which takes on a more black tendril form in his case. Unlike most symbiotes, Ruin can't form weapons from his limbs, but he does possess the ability to create numerous tendrils, of varying sizes, that can stretch out to several feet away. Ruin also seems to have some sort of quick-healing ability like his predecessors. Given the fact that the symbiote had fully bonded to Aiden, and the sheer force of will that he commands, the symbiote's durability seems to surpass that of most of it's siblings and predecessors. In addition, Ruin is completely immune to sonic attacks, but is still affected by extreme heat to some degree. This too is likely due to the full bonding process.   Superhuman Strength: He possesses vast superhuman strength, able to lift between 60 to 90 tons at a time.   Superhuman Speed: He can move or run at speeds greater than any normal human being, capable of even catching up to most automobiles on foot.   Superhuman Stamina: He can fully exert himself for at least 36 hours until fatigue impairs him.   Superhuman Agility: His agility is superior to any normal human being   Superhuman Reflexes: His reflexes are superior to any normal human being, capable of dodging many forms of attack (including firearms) if he is aware of the attack and is far enough away.   Superhuman Durability: He is much more resistant to injury than many other symbiotes, but still is weak to extreme heat to a minor degree. The tissue the symbiote is composed of renders Aiden's body much harder and much more resistant to physical injury than the body of an ordinary human. Aiden can withstand high caliber bullets, great impact forces, powerful energy blasts, and falls from great heights without sustaining physical injury. He is durable enough that he can withstand multiple barrages of high caliber weapons such as machine guns from close range, completely unscathed. He can withstand blows from some superhuman beings and be relatively unharmed. He also possesses an extreme resistance to pain, and seems to feel it only to a certain extent.   Genetic Memory: The symbiote possesses some limited psychic ability, making it capable of obtaining information from its host and memories from Venom's previous hosts.   Symbiote Detection: The symbiote is also capable of psychically detecting others of its kind, however with effort this ability can be blocked.   ESP (Spider-Sense): Aiden is also granted an extrasensory ability similar to Spider-Man’s spider-sense. This response is not as complicated as Spider-Man’s inherent sense since the alien costume can detect danger from every direction and conduct Aiden in plenty of time. It's a lot more efficient than Spider-Man’s spider-sense because it is more simplified to where the danger is.   Immunity to Spider-man's Spider Sense: Due to Spider-man being a host to the main symbiote, Aiden is able to bypass Spider-man's spider-sense.   Constituent-Matter Generation: Ruin can also use the same substance comprising the symbiote in the form of tendril-like matter. This can be used offensively as a form of attack, or defensively to create a barrier between Ruin or the attacker, or even be used to restrain them.   Constituent-Matter Manipulation: Although Ruin can't manipulate his mass on command or form weapons from appendages, he can change the amount and/or size of the tendrils that he can create. Ruin can instead forgo this process to create a single tendril that can instead travel a great distance.   Accelerated Healing Factor: The symbiote is capable of healing injuries in the host at a faster rate than normal human healing allows. The symbiote is even capable of healing injuries and illness that current human medical care cannot, such as cancer.   Camouflage Capabilities: The symbiote is capable of mimicking the appearance of any form of clothing, armor, or appearance. Unlike many other symbiotes, however, it can't blend into its surroundings or take on the physical appearance of anyone else.   Wall Crawling: Much like Spider-man, Ruin has the ability to cling to virtually any surface. He can rapidly crawl, walk, or run across even slick/wet surfaces.   Webbing Generation: Ruin can project his matter into a powerful, organic web-like substance similar to the webbing Spider-man has. He typically uses this webbing to swing from one point to the next, or as a means of immobilizing someone. The webbing is incredibly strong. Abilities   Indomitable Will: Aiden has a strong Force of Will, completely free of evil and temptation. Although conflicted at first, and nearly taken over by the symbiote, Aiden was able to regain control and keep it. Remembering his fallen father’s words, and the advice that Spider-man had given, there is almost nothing that could overcome him mentally when he is determined. Weaknesses   Heat: Although Ruin is completely immune to sonic attacks, he is still affected by extreme heat, but to a much lesser degree than other symbiotes.   Total Symbiote Bonding: Aiden and Ruin are as one. Although this isn't exactly a weakness, if anyone was able to find a way to separate the symbiote from Aiden, the process would gravely injure or even kill both of them.

History

Early Life

Aiden Darrow grew up as part of a busy blue-collar family. His father, James Darrow, was a hard-working mechanic, while his mother, Alicia Darrow, was a detective for the NYPD, known and respected throughout the neighborhood for her efforts to help take down the various crime syndicates infesting New York.

Most of Aiden’s youth was spent with his father at the shop, learning the value of hard work and dedication to one’s craft. His mother spent a lot of her time working cases, but was always there for him when he needed her most. She taught him the importance of justice and determination, in an imperfect world, and that although the system typically works, sometimes matters had to be taken into your own hands. This resonated with him, sometimes leading to trouble, as he would get into fights with bullies, defending other kids.

This led to many defeats at first, coming home with busted lips, black eyes, and other assorted bumps and bruises. Although Aiden’s parents did not agree with one another on his extracurricular activities, they at least came to terms with each other, to teach him how to defend himself. His father taught him aspects of street fighting and that anything goes in a fight, along with precise strikes and takedowns from his mother. Although he promised his father to cut down on the fighting, he rarely lost ever since.

All things considered, Aiden’s life was turning out well. He excelled in his classes and even managed to win the heart of the girl next door, Gabriela Catalan. Birth of Ruin After many years had passed, with Aiden now in his mid 20s, he was in college and living in his own apartment. He would frequently stop by his old home to visit his mother and father, when either of them were around. He worried about his mother, considering her work helped put Wilson Fisk behind bars. Such concern, however, ended up with good reason.

Wilson Fisk had returned to New York to “settle old business”. To send a message to anyone who would dare cross him again, Fisk ordered a hit on everyone that was once and currently was in a position of power within his own organization, along with those responsible for his incarceration and exile. Unfortunately, this included Alicia Darrow, whom Fisk believed was responsible for discovering and turning over financial documentation, and other key evidence, that assisted Matt Murdock the numerous times that the two have crossed paths in court. Aiden returned home to the sight of police cars and emergency vehicles parked outside of his home. Gabriela was crying hysterically in front of the house, and insisted that he not go inside. He rushed in anyways, only to be stopped by a police officer, who explained the situation. His father and mother were gunned down in cold blood, leaving the police to suspect Fisk, but with no real evidence to back up the claims. His father died during the drive-by, but his mother was left in critical condition. He shoved past the officer to be at his mother’s side, as she was being rushed into an ambulance. Overwhelmed with grief, anger, and confusion, Aiden left as the paramedics drove away, to sort out his thoughts. Gabriela tried to console him but he apologized and refused, insisting that he needed to be left alone. Walking down the streets of New York, Aiden was still trying to take in everything that had transpired. Not paying attention, Aiden was thrown back by the force of the nearby shelter being destroyed. Brushing off the debris and regaining his footing, he was shocked to see two monstrous creatures in a frenzied battle. Venom and Anti-Venom were trading blows, as Spider-man was caught in the middle. With Spider-man's assistance, Anti-Venom managed to use his power to burn away the Venom Symbiote from Mac Gargan, but a part of the symbiote split and slid away. After the mayhem was resolved by Spider-man, Aiden's focus returned to Fisk, as his anger only began to fester and grow inside of him. Aiden rightfully blamed Fisk for his father's death and mother’s current state, and he planned on getting revenge, one way or another.

Still weak and drawn by such strong emotions, the symbiote that had split from Gargan followed Aiden as, he made a detour down the alleyway. Waiting until both were out of view, the symbiote attached itself to Aiden, engulfing him, and causing him to momentarily blackout Upon regaining consciousness, Aiden held more power than he could possibly comprehend. He heard a voice creeping in the back of his mind. The symbiote knew Aiden's history upon bonding, and shared knowledge of Venom’s previous hosts as well. It offered to assist him in his plot for revenge. Aiden questioned the entity’s motives, having seen what it is capable of and what Venom has done to its previous hosts, to which it responded that it simply fed off of the raw emotions and adrenaline that Aiden was giving off, and that the actions of each host was of their own free will. Aiden was unsure of this new “partnership” at first, knowing there would likely be no turning back, but the symbiote amplified his hatred for Fisk and clouded his judgment, without him realizing it. He agreed to remain bonded to the symbiote, at least until his parents were avenged. Using his newly gained web-slinging ability and increased agility, Aiden searched the streets for any criminal activity, in hopes of finding leads on Fisk's location. After brutally beating the information out of various criminals, Aiden gained the information he was looking for and headed straight for his target.

Exacting Revenge on Kingpin Feeling the rush from incapacitating numerous guards, Aiden crashed through the doors of the top floor of the high-rise, still in symbiote form. Fisk was caught by surprise, but was more confused than anything. Fisk mistook Aiden for Eddie Brock, commenting on the lack of bulk while callously joking about Brock's cancer apparently getting the best of him. Aiden forcefully explained that he had no idea who Brock was and that he was there on behalf of his parents, only to assault Fisk before there was a chance for him to retort. Much to Aiden's surprise, Fisk fought back with incredible force. Knowing that such strikes would have likely snapped bones otherwise, Aiden was thankful that the symbiote's power decreased any damage done considerably. Aiden eventually gained the upper hand, grabbing Fisk by the throat and lifting him up off of the ground. The symbiote peeled away from Aiden's face to reveal himself to Fisk. While slowly squeezing ever tighter around Fisk's throat, he explained that he had come for Fisk, to make him pay for all that he had done, with his life. Even though Fisk was in a lot of pain, barely able to breathe, he was able to muster up enough air to taunt Aiden further. At this point the symbiote snapped back into place, but this time its form was different. Growing slightly in bulk and size, a fiendish maw filled with razor sharp teeth had appeared, extending its jaw until it was almost large enough to engulf Fisk's head.

Without warning, Aiden was bombarded with several pulses of high-frequency sonic waves, ripping the symbiote from him before it could bite down. The symbiote slithered away, leaving him exposed. Fisk took advantage of the situation and continued his assault, beating Aiden to a pulp, while explaining that he was not an idiot. The room had contingencies in place to deal with most heroes, and villains, including symbiotes.

Fisk dragged Aiden’s broken body across the floor, lifting him up to stare him in the eyes one last time. He wanted Aiden to know that not only was he going to die but, for his actions, Fisk would ensure that his henchmen would finish off his mother, and kill anyone else close to him. As Aiden was tossed through the window, the symbiote quickly latched onto him as he fell, protecting him the from the impact of the fall, that otherwise would have killed him. While Fisk presumed Aiden’s death, the symbiote went into overdrive, healing his wounds.

Aiden awoke moments later, to realize he had bonded with the symbiote once again. The same voice could be heard, but was much more faint than before. The symbiote explained that it had repaired most of the damage to Aiden’s body, but it was unable to fix the internal bleeding, in its current state. The process of Aiden’s regeneration left the symbiote very weak, and on the verge of death itself. The only way for both of them to survive would be to fully bond with one another.

Again, Aiden was hesitant, unsure of what consequences fully bonding with the symbiote would have. The symbiote explained that the two would become one, with Aiden being in full control of his body and mind, along with all of the powers and abilities it had to offer, while the symbiote shared his lifeforce and experiences, as it is unable to live without a host anyways.

With the choice being fully bonding or death, Aiden accepted the symbiotes offer. The symbiote immediately grew in strength, mending what damage was left, and saving Aiden and the symbiote’s life in turn. Despite still recovering from the fight and the process of bonding, there was no time to rest, as Aiden remembered Fisk’s promise. Unsure of where Gabriela might be, he focused on saving his mother first.

Arriving near the hospital, the symbiote shifted itself into casual clothing, allowing Aiden to enter the hospital without drawing any attention to himself. After finding out the location of his mother’s room, he also asked if anyone else had come to visit her, to which the attendant informed him that three men also requested to see her, a few minutes before he entered.

In a race against time, he quickly ran back outside and out of sight. Shifting back into his symbiote form, Aiden scaled the side of the building, until he reached the floor his mother was on. Peering in through the window, he saw the three hired guns taking position outside the door, their heads peeking out from both sides of it. As the first man entered, Aiden crashed through the window, hitting them with a blast of webbing, pinning them to the hallway wall. The other two came charging in, guns blazing, only for the bullets to be blocked by a barrier created by Aiden, while tendrils knocked the weapons from their hands and wrapped around them.

As the tendrils tightened their vice-like grip on the thugs, Aiden’s form began to change again, his rage making him become something more sinister and twisted. Just as he was about to squeeze the life out of the gunners, he heard his mother scream out in horror. It wasn’t the gunmen that frightened her though, it was Aiden. Looking into a nearby mirror, he saw the creature he had become, causing him to recoil. The two men passed out, but were still left alive. He looked back to his mother for a moment, and the terror on her face, before leaving back out of the window.

Aiden heard police sirens as he swung further and further away from the hospital, his form slowly returning back to normal. When he questioned the symbiote about what happened, it replied that it reacted to his strong negative emotions, and was not the one to be blamed. All it did was amplify the feelings, which was not something it truly had no control of, resulting in the change. Unhappy with the answer he received, he dropped the discussion for the moment, his thoughts returning Gabriela.

Checking Gabriela’s apartment first, Aiden got there just in time, as he watched two men, similar to the ones from the hospital attack, stop her from going inside. Right as they reached for their guns, he lept into action, only to be surprised that Gabriela was able to hold her own, disarming and knocking out her assailants. Unfortunately for Aiden, she also thought that he was with the attackers, and attempted to attack him as he landed right in front of her.

Each strike connected, but had little effect. Aiden caught one of her fists and pulled her into a deep embrace. Confusion turned into relief, as the symbiote pulled away from Aiden, revealing him to her. He apologized for what happened, blaming himself for it all, and promised to explain everything at a later time. He stated that he had to take care of a loose end first.

Swinging in through the same window he was thrown out of, Aiden swiftly dropkicked Fisk from his chair, sending him crashing into a nearby wall. Stunned to see that Aiden and the symbiote still lived, he quickly activated the pulse waves again, only for Aiden to laugh it off and explain that it had no effect on him anymore. Aiden warned Fisk that if he or anyone that works for him ever came after those close to him again, Aiden would tear Fisk limb from limb. Fisk charged Aiden, and the two fought once more, but the result was very much different than the last time.

Fisk was barely able to get back on his feet. Aiden’s form began to alter itself again, as he tackled and pinned Fisk to the ground. With one sickening thwack after another, Aiden relentlessly alternated strikes, almost losing himself in the flurry. It wasn’t until he was about to deal the finishing blow, that he stopped himself.

The symbiote questioned why Aiden didn’t kill Fisk, that this was exactly what he wanted. Talking to himself aloud, he agreed that he did wish for Fisk’s death, but it wouldn’t bring back his father, and would only make him just as bad as Fisk was. Remembering his father’s death, his hospitalized mother, and the attempt on his girlfriend’s life, however, caused the rage and hatred to well up again, only to be intensified by the symbiote. He felt his control over himself slipping, almost as if he was becoming someone else, something else.

Fighting with himself, Aiden was in disbelief as to what he had almost done. Fisk tried to capitalize on the moment, only to be shoved out of the window by Aiden, as he thrashed about. Luckily for Fisk, Spider-man had been tracking Aiden's path of destruction back to the tower, and managed to catch Fisk. After cracking wise about Fisk's weight, Spider-man was also surprised by the sight of yet another symbiote. Still not in complete control, along with the sight of Fisk still alive, set him off. He furiously charged Spider-man. Although Aiden was quick in his new form, Spider-man still had greater agility and a lot more experience over him. As they fought Spider-man questioned why Aiden wanted Fisk dead. Aiden yelled in protest, insisting that Spider-man would never understand losing someone close to him by the hands of a criminal. This caught Spider-man off guard just long enough for Aiden to slam him to the ground. Before Spider-man had a chance to respond, Aiden knocked him out cold. With Spider-man defeated, Aiden turned back to Fisk, only to be welcomed to the sight of various firearms, grenade launchers, and even rocket launchers. With only a few seconds to spare, Aiden jumped over to Spider-man, refusing to let anyone else die for his cause. Fisk and his henchman open fired, as the symbiote created a barrier to deflect the barrage. There was only so much heat and force it could endure from the rockets and grenades bombarding it. Aiden was forced out the window, Spider-man still in his grasp, as he fell once again from the top of the high-rise, everything faded to black.

Taking Control Lost in a sea of darkness, Aiden felt as if he was floating, only to slowly realize that he was within his own mind. The symbiote appeared before him, taking on the form of the costume that Aiden wore. It expressed its frustration with him, stating how the world would be better off without such scum like Wilson Fisk roaming the Earth. So many future lives would be saved had he finished him off, and how that is the right thing to do.

Disagreeing with the symbiote’s assessment, Aiden explained that the situation was more complex than that, and merely killing Fisk wouldn’t change things as drastically as it believed it would. Another villain would simply take his place. It was much better to leave him alive, but dismantle his operations, until Fisk’s power was diminished beyond the point of being able to do anyone harm, also rendering him incapable of using it to manipulate the justice system.

Although there was still anger and sorrow in his heart, having the conversation with the symbiote was providing Aiden with a moment of clarity, giving him a sense of relative peace, and freeing his mind from the shackles of his hatred and need for vengeance. He assured the symbiote that Fisk would pay for his crimes, but it would be done the right way. The way his mother would do it.

Aiden awoke in a test tube, to the concerned looks of the Fantastic Four and Spider-man. Seeing that Aiden had come to, Spider-man explained that he regained consciousness before the two hit the ground and brought them there. Spider-man also pointed out that Aiden could have easily left him there to die, but instead Aiden chose to help Spider-man, thus proving that he was capable of being heroic. Spider-man continued to explain the situation that led up to the present, to the Fantastic Four, stating that Aiden had left Fisk's building in “ruins”. The symbiote voiced its fondness of the name, and even Aiden agreed it had a nice ring to it. That's when Aiden had pointed out that his alias would be “Ruin” from now on.

Reed Richards turned away from the test results to address everyone in the room with the bad news. He informed them of what Aiden had already known, that the symbiote and Aiden had fully bonded on a cellular level, and are now as one. Although there is currently no known way of even attempting to separate the two, any such process would likely result in the death of both Aiden and the symbiote. Richards added that the symbiote was different in the way it was formed. It's genetic makeup was almost identical to that of Venom, instead of it simply being a symbiote offspring.

When Aiden explained how he first came into contact with it, Spider-man added that Anti-Venom had “cured” Gargan of the Venom symbiote. Richards came to the conclusion that the healing process must have caused a schism that created this new symbiote, rather than natural reproduction. The symbiote was in a sense a copy of Venom to some degree, and yet something new as well. This intrigued Richard's greatly, who insisted that Aiden stay for further testing, only for Aiden refused.

Richards allowed Aiden to leave, but stated that they would be keeping an eye on him in case he ever lost control of himself completely. Upon leaving, Spider-man stopped Aiden to speak with him. He stated that he was well aware what losing someone close to him to a criminal was like, and explained to Aiden that he was put in a very similar situation that he actually could have prevented. Upon facing the criminal Spider-man also wanted to take his revenge, but something that was said by the person he had lost stopped him from doing so. Aiden thanked Spider-man and headed back home.

Dark Reign

[TO BE ADDED]

Spider-Island

[TO BE ADDED]

[terryblount]

Control Review

What is Control? What makes Control different from other Remedy games? What does it mean to control? Is controlling enjoyable or just another meaningless task. Would you dare to control? Do you like power over others? Do you believe in destiny? Would you attempt to kill yourself for answers or power? Well… Remedy did and they’ve done it gloriously. So did I and so will you. It’s the only way through.

You are a worm though time. The thunder song distorts you. Happiness comes. White pearls, but yellow and red in the eye. Through a mirror, inverted is made right. Leave your insides by the door. Push the fingers through the surface into the wet. You’ve always been the new you. You want this to be true. We stand around while you dream. You can almost hear our words but you forget. This happens more and more now. You gave us the permission in your regulations. We wait in the stains. The word that describes this is redacted. Repeat the word. The name of the sound. It resonates in your house. After the song, time for applause. We build you till nothing remains. The egg cracks and the truth will emerge out of you. You are home. You remind us of home. You’ve taken your boss with your boss with you. All hair must be eaten. Under the conceptual reality behind this reality you must want these waves to drag you away. After the song, time for applause. This cliché is death out of time, breaking the first the second the third the fourth wall, fifth wall, floor; no floor: you fall! How do you say “insane”? Hurts to be happy. An ear worm is a tune you can’t stop humming in a dream: “baby baby baby yeah”. Just plastic. So, safe and nothing to worry about. Ha ha, funny. The last egg breaks now. The hole in your room is a hole in you. You came and we let you in through the hole in you. You have always been here, the only child. A copy of a copy of a copy. Orange peel. The picture is you holding the picture. When you hear this you will know you’re in new you. You want to listen. You want to dream. You want to smile. You want to hurt. You don’t want to be.

Welcome to the Federal Bureau of Control, hold on to your hats, this ride is gonna be nuts!

Story-telling for the Mentally Insane

Before I explain what the hell is going on with the psycho bumble above, let me throw some story over you. You play as Jesse Faden, who visits a building – named “The Oldest House” – of the Federal Bureau of Control (F.B.C.). Soon after your arrival, you find the Bureau director dead with the murder weapon right beside him. Instead of running out of the room in panic, Jesse picks the “service weapon” and attempts to blow her brains out. Instead of the weapon killing her, however, she becomes the director. Just like that Jesse Faden is the newly appointed director of the F.B.C. and all the hanging portraits of the director are swapped with her face.

“They call me the director, but that’s not me.”

Jess after everyone accepts her naturally as the new director.

If you guys played any of Remedy’s games before, you should know how it tends to create complex stories. This time, the story of its latest game even more complicated. Actually… it’s bat shit crazy. My favorite game is probably Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne and, in my opinion, the Max Payne games changed the third-person shooter landscape. Alan Wake was also pretty damn good; I loved its combat mechanics and its story was engaging. As for Quantum Break, there is only one thing to say… “mediocre” (insert Immortal Joe’s voice from Mad Max).

Only in this building an astray can be deadlier than a cigarette. Unless of course Riddick holds that astray.

The SCP Foundation

None of these stories can even scratch the story and lore of Control, which are balls to the wall insane. Control’s story is heavily inspired by the SCP Foundation (Secure, Contain, Protect). If you got some time to spend you should read some of their stuff as they are quite good. Basically “The SCP Foundation is a fictional organization documented by the web-based collaborative-fiction project of the same name”. The amount of stories is crazy and many of these little stories are exceptionally good.

When you are lost in the darkness, look for the light. It will guide you back, probably.

Jesse Faden the New Director of the Nuthouse

Jesse Faden is the only playable character, unfortunately, and let me tell you she is not that interesting. The voice actress is perfectly fine but her performance did not convince me, at all. Jesse has a very basic backstory and nothing in that story is convincing enough to make me believe how cool she is, especially when faced with the unknown scary and insane world she is in. In my opinion, she should be losing her mind from the second she arrived at the Bureau.

“A carousel horse, why kids stuff always so creepy?”

Jess trying to make sense of what the hell she’s actually seeing.

As I said, everything in “The Oldest House” is completely bonkers and Jesse’s behavior seems completely out of place. No sane person would react so logically in a situation like this. Do you remember Alan Wake? That guy was losing his marbles, as he should, in an incident which – compared to Control – feels like a walk in the park. Still, there were some rare and specific occasions when Jesse expressed her feelings by simply saying a “what the fuck”. Unfortunately, these parts are late in the game and also completely optional, so my point still stands.

What?!

Visuals & Controls

In case you don’t already know, I care very little about a game’s visuals. Thankfully John has already posted his performance analysis so I don’t really have to go into more technical details. I’ll just say that the game performs great on my system and that it looks pretty. I do not own an RTX card so I cannot comment on the ray tracing effects. But anyway, I had stable 60fps with everything on high and a couple of options like reflections on medium. I lowered those settings only because the visual difference did not justify the performance hit. Many players have reported several issues with the game, however it appears that I was lucky. The only issues I encountered was a teleport (which is not an obtainable skill) bug and an infinite loading screen, and both of them occurred only once.

Thankfully, the game’s controls were great. Imagine if a game called Control controlled badly. With a bit of remapping it plays wonderfully but why on God’s green earth there is no key for walking? Why oh why Remedy? An area movement restriction in specific locations, where you can bypass it with the sprint key, would be enough. Lastly, it’s unbelievable that there are no settings for motion blur and depth of field. Seriously now?

Hello Kevin! Ha ha ha! Seriously the lighting is amazing.

Audio, Music & Facial Animation

The audio in Control is superb on every level, and all sound effects have been masterfully implemented. Hell, I did not even get the usual audio glitches which I usually get from games by using earphones. The in-game music is minimal as you can only listen to music through radios or in a very specific room. There is only one scripted sequence with music and all the rest is ambient sounds with some very basic music tracks during fights. The voice acting is pretty good; not great, but good enough. Most of the voice actors are pretty convincing with some exceptions. One of these exception is Jesse; I really don’t like Jesse as I explained before. I like the facial animations overall but there were some dialogues, especially at the beginning, that didn’t impress me. On the other hand, Remedy emphasized Jesse’s lip movement to stand out, which looked really nice.

The Heart of the Game

The gameplay in Control is so – god – damn – good. Seriously, these kind of games are very rare these days. The only ones that come to my mind are Second Sight and, of course, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Those games did psychic powers justice but they got nothing on Control. Control is all about the gameplay, as all games should.

Is that an 8inch floppy disk? God damn I’m old. In case you didn’t know all videos in game are live-action. That’s how you utilize live-action footage. Do you hear me Quantum Break?

Mental Abilities & Destruction

You start with some basic abilities and along the way you get more and more (obviously by completing missions). There are several psychic abilities and some of them have secondary functions. The game features five such abilities; telekinesis, mind control, barrier (shield), melee (force push) and levitation. For example you can unlock an ability that lets you control two minds at the same time or move larger object like forklifts. You can literally grab and throw almost everything you see in the environment and even if there is nothing around you can still rip a concrete junk from the environment and throw it to someone’s face. It is so much fun. Now if I had to choose one power, that would be levitation. I loved levitating above the battlefield and raining destruction upon my enemies; it felt so satisfying. There is also a dash/evade ability (no roll thank god) but, sadly, it is not upgradable.

“Quack if you understand my words.”

Random Bureau agent contacting an interview with a subject.

Now regarding destruction… holy crap, it’s phenomenal. These might be the best destruction mechanics I have ever seen in a single player game. You can literally destroy almost everything and most destroyed objects stay there until you leave the area (something you rarely see in other games). Unfortunately, the bodies do disappear, however they disappear in a cool way. They do not vanish in a lame way as in other games, like Mass Effect: Andromeda for example. The bodies, kind of, evaporate and there is a believable reason behind that phenomenon. To be honest, I’d prefer if they stayed because without them you lose the feeling of success. At least the destroyed environments are still there to remind you what just happened.

Almost everything you break, stays broken. Even when you rip pieces from the floor.

Something I really loved in Control was dashing and watching everything around Jess getting pushed or destroyed by the “movement force“. When you hold an object with telekinesis you can see little pieces of the environment getting pulled in by the telekinesis force, which is super cool. Same goes for when levitating close to objects or structures.

The “Service Weapon”

Regarding the game’s arsenal, there is only one weapon and it is kinda of overkill since Jesse is already a weapon of annihilation. The “Service Weapon”, as it is called, is an Item of Power. These Items can only be used by specific individuals, like the director of the Bureau. Any other person who attempts to interact with such an item will most probably seize to exist in an instant. In the beginning, the weapon acts as a revolver. As you progress, though, you can give it other weapon forms with different characteristics.

“Yes yes, easy peasy!”

Ahti the janitor before sending Jess to lift the lock-down.

Just like the upgradable powers, the Service Weapon has five different forms; revolver, shotgun, machine gun, rifle and grenade launcher. While I tried all of them, I eventually settled on the machine gun and shotgun. Like I said, all of these are upgradable through weapon modifications and by crafting better versions of them. As such, the grenade launcher – for example – can be modified to have larger blast radius for instance. All mods have rarity levels and can be found in the game world. You can also craft mods but they are very expensive in rare resources and the same resources are used for upgrading the weapons.

Shooting Mechanics, Movement & Cover

If there is shooting involved, I always prefer playing in FPP (first person perspective). I am not a great fan of third person shooters, unless of course they are actually good. Thankfully, Control excels on this area, especially when there is no cover and the game pushes you to move around. All guns feel great and unique in terms of handling. If there was something I did not like, it was the shoulder swap; it’s different than what other games do and, unfortunately, it’s not that good. Still, and since this is not a slow paced shooter, I rarely used. And while there isn’t any cover system, you can still take cover and crouch behind things (you cannot “hug” a wall like Gears of War though).

I’ll give this guy the silver medal for his death expression, the gold was given to the guy with the busted radio in Resident Evil 2 Remake.

Standing still is not advisable, something that is also hinted during the loading screen tips. Enemies will rush you and they will use explosives in order to make you leg it. Of course you can play the game as you please. Personally, I used every tool in my disposal and tried to mix different powers which sometimes left me astound. The flow of the combat is amazing as you can shoot an enemy, dash and melee him, levitate and power slam to another, throw a forklift to someone else and use the shield to get some distance while you regain energy. All of these feel natural and blend in amazingly. Hats off to the people responsible for this combat system.

Perfect Balance with No Restrictions

Control does not have any ammunition for your weapon. Instead, every type of weapon has a fixed number of shots. The weapon recharges while not in use and if you use all shots there a slight time penalty (reloading). Same goes for your powers; there is only an energy gauge and nothing more. Just like the weapons, the energy bar replenishes while not using them and there is also a time penalty for using all your energy. The game is forcing you (in a good way) to use both your powers and weapons, without making it impossible to do as you please.

This is how the area map looks like. It can be confusing at the beginning, but you can open it while on the move.

Location (s), Exploration & Collectibles

There is only one location, “The Oldest House”. From start to finish you will be confined in that building. Of course this building is gigantic and you will venture into many different areas, where in many of them the rules of physics make no sense whatsoever. This might make the game a bit monotonous for some people but I did not mind that at all.

“I never liked flamingos, too..pink.”

Jess before facing the..latest pink epidemic

Exploring the federal building is fun and rewarding, even if the game never forces you to do so. There are tons of stuff to find and many of these are cleverly hidden away. There are even hidden places filled with easter eggs. You can find many collectibles that will give you a better insight into the game’s lore and you should probably read these if you want to understand what is going on. After all, the story is not straight forward and can be very complicated at times. Quite frankly these might be some of the most interesting collectibles I have ever read. I usually don’t like reading stuff when playing a game as I prefer something like audio logs. However, all it takes in Control is to read a couple of the documents; after that you will probably be hooked.

Side Missions, Enemies & A.I.

There are three types of side missions: missions given by specific characters, missions found by picking collectibles and ­time based missions with a random objective. None of these missions are mandatory; most of these missions are pretty basic, however, they give you the chance to obtain valuable resources. I did them all just because I couldn’t get enough of the combat. Now if you don’t fancy that, you can simply rush forward and only do the main missions. If you choose not to complete some of the side missions you might lose some important stuff. Some of these missions even hide a boss battle and believe me you will want to meet these “bosses”.

This is probably the creepiest thing I ever seen in a video game lately. Seriously it gave me goosebumps again while I was typing this. By the way this video was meant for children.

Speaking of bosses there are not many; if I remember correctly you only face one true boss in the main story but I do not want to give more details as we’ll be entering a “spoilers” area. The regular enemy (HISS) variation is not bad, but it could definitely be better. There is even one enemy who I did not manage to destroy no matter how hard I tried.

“Do you feel it? Something is coming.”

Jess getting the “feeling” while she walk into a dark corridor.

Remember that paranoid second paragraph of the review? Well, there are people floating all over the place, chanting that incantation all the frigging time. And I loved it. If you shoot they will stop for a second. If you shoot them, they will disappear but they will eventually re-appear. Whoever thought of that has my respect, because it changes the perspective and feeling of each room.

It think I run into Criss Angel’s family.

Unfortunately, the A.I. is nothing special. You can lure enemies in a corridor or you can bait them through corners. The A.I. is designed to challenge you when you are on the move. When things work as intended, the combat feels great. Still, the A. I. could be way more advanced than what we got.

Control

I will be honest; I adored this game even though it is not perfect. Jesse is totally unlikeable… at least until the very end. The voice acting is not always great and the facial animations of Jesse lack emotion, especially you compare them to Emily’s (except the first time you meet her; she is a bit creepy and not the good kind of creepy).

This is Emily and we really like her. We wish we could play her instead of Jesse.

The map is very Metroidvania and may not be very accessible to people that are not familiar with these type of games. There is also backtracking and I know that some of you hate that. Still, the good news here is that there is a fast travel mechanic. Moreover, you cannot manually save as the game saves automatically and every time you die you have to start over from the last checkpoint, which might be troublesome for some players. Lastly there is no difficulty levels and the game can be a bit hard at some points, especially if you haven’t upgraded your powers and weapons. On a side note, I would really love if they added a new game+ mode with increased difficulty in a future patch.

“Finally! No more quacking.”

Jess after she’s done with..it.

There are several things I did not fully explain or even mentioned in this review in order to avoid spoilers. There are many parts of the game that will probably surprise you or even leave you speechless, so I don’t want to take that away from you.

I also don’t know if you guys watched the promotional videos of the game but most gameplay videos did not represent the actual quality of the final game. My initial thought before playing the game was “god damn it this is gonna suck”. However, I am glad I was wrong because Control might be the best Remedy game to date.

Awesome weapon designs

Hundreds of collectables

Fitting music and sounds

Memorable boss battles

Superb psychic powers

Fluent combat system

Destruction & physics

Hours of exploration

Great performance

Compelling story

Interesting lore

Level design

Unlikable Protagonist

No difficulty setting

Some backtracking

No manual save

Map design

Exclusivity

                Computer Specs: CPU: i5 4440, GPU: Palit 1660Ti OC 6GB, RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X 16GB HDD: Crucial 275GB MX300, OS: Win7, 1080p

Playtime: 20+ hours total. That’s a guess by the way, since Epic’s launcher has no timer.

The post Control Review appeared first on DSOGaming.

Control Review published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[ralphlayton]

Wow Your Crowd: How Influencers and Media Integrations Can Add Pizzazz to Your Content Act

Some performers take the stage all by themselves, with no props or partners to lend support, and capture their audience with a riveting solo act. Hilarious standup comedy routines and enlightening TED Talks exemplify this ability in action.  As a content marketer, there are occasions where a well written piece will take off on its own, with no help required beyond a powerful message presented clearly. But more often, spicing things up with added elements of interactivity or visual pizzazz provides a necessary added boost in today’s busy digital environment. And incorporating the right strategic partners is a reliable way to increase your program’s reach and impact. When I attended my first Digital Summit Minneapolis two years ago, Seth Godin delivered the opening keynote. He employed a technique that still stands out in my mind to this day. Following a fairly brief monologue, he pulled out a plush cube toy and tossed it into the audience, encouraging the recipient to ask him a question and then throw it to anyone else around them in the crowd. This went on for about 30 minutes. With one ultra-simple prop, Seth brought freshness to the familiar and turned his audience into part of the show. This represents a broader goal for modern content marketers of all stripes, and one we can achieve digitally through various emerging tactics.  Plenty of other practitioners are mastering the art of elevating experiences through audience immersion today. Whether through props (multimedia, interactivity, augmented reality) or partnerships (influencers, user-generated content, co-creation), they add an extra flare that makes content irresistibly engaging. How? Ahead of Content Marketing World 2019, TopRank Marketing teamed up with Content Marketing Institute to create an insight-fueled interactive experience: The Greatest Content Marketing Show on Earth. One of the most vital topics covered — and one that will surely be a central focus at CMWorld 2019 — is picking the right props and partners to propel your content. Today we’ll touch on some key insights from those leading the way.

3 Pointers on Adding Punch to Your Content Act

#1 - Choose Influencers that Align with Your Strategy

Siegfried and Roy make the perfect pairing. So do Penn and Teller. But if you remixed those combinations, it probably wouldn’t work out so well. (Poor old Teller would be silently limping away from a performance covered in tiger scratches.) At TopRank Marketing, we obviously believe in the power of partnering with influencers. But in order for this strategy to pay dividends, you need to put serious thought and research into the selection process. It is essential to identify influencers who align with what you’re trying to do, have the relevant topical expertise, and will resonate with the audience you’re trying to reach. “Finding ideal influencers for impact means discovering those with on-topic credibility, the ability to publish, an engaged network and a willingness to share,” says our CEO Lee Odden. This collection of qualities is harder to find than you might think, but once you do, compelling collaboration awaits. It’s a mistake to base influencer selection solely on celebrity or star power. In many cases the most fitting partner will be someone with a smaller but more tightly attuned and aligned audience. Lee often says “everyone is influential about something,” and sometimes the most relevant thought leaders are living outside of the spotlight. For now. [bctt tweet="Brandividuals can drive awareness, subject matter experts can create engagement and customers who advocate can help inspire sales. @leeodden on #influencermarketing alignment #CMWorld " username="toprank"]

#2 - Put On an Eye-Catching Show 

In his extended interview with us, Andrew Davis had one overarching message for video marketers: show, don’t tell. We are often not doing enough to take advantage of this medium’s visual nature, he argues, and as such we’re leaving opportunities on the table.  “Instead of a talking head or another interview, how can you SHOW me?” he asks. “Spend more time shooting the rest of the story and immediately, you'll take your videos from drab to show-stopping.”  Bringing a TV producer’s mindset to the discipline, Andrew advocates for shooting plenty of B-roll footage that you can intercut with your main narrative to keep the action moving throughout. This applies beyond video content, as well; we should always be looking for ways to catch a viewer’s eyes, even (especially?) when dealing with written text. Don’t forget about the importance of sound, either. [bctt tweet="You shouldn't forget about the soundtrack for your video … sound effects and music go a long way to making video that works. @DrewDavisHere on #videomarketing #CMWorld" username="toprank"] Delivering a high-quality, visually interesting video production doesn’t necessarily require deep expertise or a lofty budget. As we wrote last year in offering up video marketing tips for beginners, your efforts will benefit from proper preparation, creative use of resources, practice, and purpose.  

#3 - Appeal to Audience Emotions

The most effective way to create a memorable experience for your audience is to engage them emotionally. There are many different ways to approach this — through humor, suspense, sadness, etc. — but the bottom line is that you need to make them feel something.   Annie Granatstein, who runs WP BrandStudio for the Washington Post, is at the frontline of emotionally connective content. With a purpose of elevating experiential storytelling through diverse multimedia integration and other emerging technologies, BrandStudio is a model for modern marketers everywhere. “One example is an investigative multimedia feature covering the opioid crisis for Optum, blending emotional videos and evocative imagery with interactive infographics to educate our audience on the epidemic and solutions,” she says. You can explore that experience here. As content marketers, we have a vast assortment of tools and tech at our fingertips, and they can bring our initiatives to life in unprecedented ways. It’s all about choosing the right ones for what you’re trying to accomplish. As you weigh the merits of techniques like motion graphics, 360-degree experiences, augmented reality, and photo tours — all mainstays in the BrandStudio mix — think always about which will be most effective for building those crucial emotional connections. [bctt tweet="Multimedia and interactivity are in our wheelhouse at WP BrandStudio for driving engagement with our stories. @anniegranat on building emotional connections with content #CMWorld" username="toprank"] By striking the intersection of influencers, visual appeal, and interactivity via technologies like VR, we can bypass the barriers of traditionally dry verticals and earn emotional investment from our audience, as Lee discussed earlier this year at B2B Marketing Exchange:

Enter the Era of Integrated Content Experiences

As Seth Godin remarked in his aforementioned Digital Summit keynote, “When a system changes, the people who come out ahead are the people who change.”  Content marketing is changing. The bar has been raised when it comes to engaging our audiences in an era of attention deficits and content saturation. Building meaningful emotional connections by integrating the right influencers, multimedia, and interactive elements presents the key to delighting audiences and driving action.  You’ll learn plenty more about the changing content landscape at Content Marketing World 2019 when the curtains open on Sept. 3, 2019 in Cleveland. Before then, you can find plenty more guidance on taking your programs to the next level in our interactive experience, The Greatest Content Marketing Show on Earth.

The post Wow Your Crowd: How Influencers and Media Integrations Can Add Pizzazz to Your Content Act appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Wow Your Crowd: How Influencers and Media Integrations Can Add Pizzazz to Your Content Act published first on yhttps://improfitninja.blogspot.com/

[samuelpboswell]

Wow Your Crowd: How Influencers and Media Integrations Can Add Pizzazz to Your Content Act

Some performers take the stage all by themselves, with no props or partners to lend support, and capture their audience with a riveting solo act. Hilarious standup comedy routines and enlightening TED Talks exemplify this ability in action.  As a content marketer, there are occasions where a well written piece will take off on its own, with no help required beyond a powerful message presented clearly. But more often, spicing things up with added elements of interactivity or visual pizzazz provides a necessary added boost in today’s busy digital environment. And incorporating the right strategic partners is a reliable way to increase your program’s reach and impact. When I attended my first Digital Summit Minneapolis two years ago, Seth Godin delivered the opening keynote. He employed a technique that still stands out in my mind to this day. Following a fairly brief monologue, he pulled out a plush cube toy and tossed it into the audience, encouraging the recipient to ask him a question and then throw it to anyone else around them in the crowd. This went on for about 30 minutes. With one ultra-simple prop, Seth brought freshness to the familiar and turned his audience into part of the show. This represents a broader goal for modern content marketers of all stripes, and one we can achieve digitally through various emerging tactics.  Plenty of other practitioners are mastering the art of elevating experiences through audience immersion today. Whether through props (multimedia, interactivity, augmented reality) or partnerships (influencers, user-generated content, co-creation), they add an extra flare that makes content irresistibly engaging. How? Ahead of Content Marketing World 2019, TopRank Marketing teamed up with Content Marketing Institute to create an insight-fueled interactive experience: The Greatest Content Marketing Show on Earth. One of the most vital topics covered — and one that will surely be a central focus at CMWorld 2019 — is picking the right props and partners to propel your content. Today we’ll touch on some key insights from those leading the way.

3 Pointers on Adding Punch to Your Content Act

#1 - Choose Influencers that Align with Your Strategy

Siegfried and Roy make the perfect pairing. So do Penn and Teller. But if you remixed those combinations, it probably wouldn’t work out so well. (Poor old Teller would be silently limping away from a performance covered in tiger scratches.) At TopRank Marketing, we obviously believe in the power of partnering with influencers. But in order for this strategy to pay dividends, you need to put serious thought and research into the selection process. It is essential to identify influencers who align with what you’re trying to do, have the relevant topical expertise, and will resonate with the audience you’re trying to reach. “Finding ideal influencers for impact means discovering those with on-topic credibility, the ability to publish, an engaged network and a willingness to share,” says our CEO Lee Odden. This collection of qualities is harder to find than you might think, but once you do, compelling collaboration awaits. It’s a mistake to base influencer selection solely on celebrity or star power. In many cases the most fitting partner will be someone with a smaller but more tightly attuned and aligned audience. Lee often says “everyone is influential about something,” and sometimes the most relevant thought leaders are living outside of the spotlight. For now. [bctt tweet="Brandividuals can drive awareness, subject matter experts can create engagement and customers who advocate can help inspire sales. @leeodden on #influencermarketing alignment #CMWorld " username="toprank"]

#2 - Put On an Eye-Catching Show 

In his extended interview with us, Andrew Davis had one overarching message for video marketers: show, don’t tell. We are often not doing enough to take advantage of this medium’s visual nature, he argues, and as such we’re leaving opportunities on the table.  “Instead of a talking head or another interview, how can you SHOW me?” he asks. “Spend more time shooting the rest of the story and immediately, you'll take your videos from drab to show-stopping.”  Bringing a TV producer’s mindset to the discipline, Andrew advocates for shooting plenty of B-roll footage that you can intercut with your main narrative to keep the action moving throughout. This applies beyond video content, as well; we should always be looking for ways to catch a viewer’s eyes, even (especially?) when dealing with written text. Don’t forget about the importance of sound, either. [bctt tweet="You shouldn't forget about the soundtrack for your video … sound effects and music go a long way to making video that works. @DrewDavisHere on #videomarketing #CMWorld" username="toprank"] Delivering a high-quality, visually interesting video production doesn’t necessarily require deep expertise or a lofty budget. As we wrote last year in offering up video marketing tips for beginners, your efforts will benefit from proper preparation, creative use of resources, practice, and purpose.  

#3 - Appeal to Audience Emotions

The most effective way to create a memorable experience for your audience is to engage them emotionally. There are many different ways to approach this — through humor, suspense, sadness, etc. — but the bottom line is that you need to make them feel something.   Annie Granatstein, who runs WP BrandStudio for the Washington Post, is at the frontline of emotionally connective content. With a purpose of elevating experiential storytelling through diverse multimedia integration and other emerging technologies, BrandStudio is a model for modern marketers everywhere. “One example is an investigative multimedia feature covering the opioid crisis for Optum, blending emotional videos and evocative imagery with interactive infographics to educate our audience on the epidemic and solutions,” she says. You can explore that experience here. As content marketers, we have a vast assortment of tools and tech at our fingertips, and they can bring our initiatives to life in unprecedented ways. It’s all about choosing the right ones for what you’re trying to accomplish. As you weigh the merits of techniques like motion graphics, 360-degree experiences, augmented reality, and photo tours — all mainstays in the BrandStudio mix — think always about which will be most effective for building those crucial emotional connections. [bctt tweet="Multimedia and interactivity are in our wheelhouse at WP BrandStudio for driving engagement with our stories. @anniegranat on building emotional connections with content #CMWorld" username="toprank"] By striking the intersection of influencers, visual appeal, and interactivity via technologies like VR, we can bypass the barriers of traditionally dry verticals and earn emotional investment from our audience, as Lee discussed earlier this year at B2B Marketing Exchange:

Enter the Era of Integrated Content Experiences

As Seth Godin remarked in his aforementioned Digital Summit keynote, “When a system changes, the people who come out ahead are the people who change.”  Content marketing is changing. The bar has been raised when it comes to engaging our audiences in an era of attention deficits and content saturation. Building meaningful emotional connections by integrating the right influencers, multimedia, and interactive elements presents the key to delighting audiences and driving action.  You’ll learn plenty more about the changing content landscape at Content Marketing World 2019 when the curtains open on Sept. 3, 2019 in Cleveland. Before then, you can find plenty more guidance on taking your programs to the next level in our interactive experience, The Greatest Content Marketing Show on Earth.

The post Wow Your Crowd: How Influencers and Media Integrations Can Add Pizzazz to Your Content Act appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

from The SEO Advantages https://www.toprankblog.com/2019/08/how-add-pizzazz-content-marketing/

[actsoflancaster-blog]

Common Meditation Myths

By LaTasha Thomas, MS, LPC

Meditation is one of the most common ways one can practice a mindful lifestyle. However, misunderstanding sometimes prevents some from exploring this empirically tested tool with benefits, such as: reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression, improved concentration and memory, as well as an increased ability to emotionally regulate.

Do you feel that meditation is difficult? Do you wonder where you will find the time, in an already busy day, to meditate? Do you believe that meditation has to be spiritually or religious based?

If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, you may benefit from the following article, where common myths of meditation are discussed in further detail by Deepak Chopra, a world renowned Medical Doctor, author and mindfulness practitioner.

7 Myths of Meditation

By Deepak Chopra, M.D

In the past forty years, meditation has entered the mainstream of modern Western culture, prescribed by physicians and practiced by everyone from business executives, artists, and scientists to students, teachers, military personnel, and – on a promising note – politicians. Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan meditates every morning and has become a major advocate of mindfulness and meditation, as he describes in his book, A Mindful Nation: How a Simple Practice Can Help Us Reduce Stress, Improve Performance, and Recapture the American Spirit. Despite the growing popularity of meditation, prevailing misconceptions about the practice are a barrier that prevents many people from trying meditation and receiving its profound benefits for the body, mind, and spirit. Here are seven of the most common meditation myths dispelled.

Myth #1: Meditation is difficult.

Truth: This myth is rooted in the image of meditation as an esoteric practice reserved only for saints, holy men, and spiritual adepts. In reality, when you receive instruction from an experienced, knowledgeable teacher, meditation is easy and fun to learn. The techniques can be as simple as focusing on the breath or silently repeating a mantra. One reason why meditation may seem difficult is that we try too hard to concentrate, we're overly attached to results, or we’re not sure we are doing it right. In our experience at the Chopra Center, learning meditation from a qualified teacher is the best way to ensure that the process is enjoyable and you get the most from your practice. A teacher will help you understand what you’re experiencing, move past common roadblocks, and create a nourishing daily practice.

Myth #2: You have to quiet your mind in order to have a successful meditation practice.

Truth: This may be the number one myth about meditation and is the cause of many people giving up in frustration. Meditation isn’t about stopping our thoughts or trying to empty our mind – both of these approaches only create stress and more noisy internal chatter. We can’t stop or control our thoughts, but we can decide how much attention to give them. Although we can’t impose quiet on our mind, through meditation we can find the quiet that already exists in the space between our thoughts. Sometimes referred to as “the gap,” this space between thoughts is pure consciousness, pure silence, and pure peace. When we meditate, we use an object of attention, such as our breath, an image, or a mantra, which allows our mind to relax into this silent stream of awareness. When thoughts arise, as they inevitably will, we don’t need to judge them or try to push them away. Instead, we gently return our attention to our object of attention.In every meditation, there are moments, even if only microseconds, when the mind dips into the gap and experiences the refreshment of pure awareness. As you meditate on a regular basis, you will spend more and more time in this state of expanded awareness and silence.

Be assured that even if it feels like you have been thinking throughout your entire meditation, you are still receiving the benefits of your practice. You haven’t failed or wasted your time. When Chopra Center co-founder Dr. David Simon taught meditation, he would often tell students, “The thought I’m having thoughts may be the most important thought you have ever thought, because before you had that thought, you may not have even known you were having thoughts. You probably thought you were your thoughts.” Simply noticing that you are having thoughts is a breakthrough because it begins to shift your internal reference point from ego mind to witnessing awareness. As you become less identified with your thoughts and stories, you experience greater peace and open to new possibilities.

Myth #3: It takes years of dedicated practice to receive any benefits from meditation.

Truth: The benefits of meditation are both immediate and long-term. You can begin to experience benefits the first time you sit down to meditate and in the first few days of daily practice. Many scientific studies provide evidence that meditation has profound effects on the mind-body physiology within just weeks of practice. For example, a landmark study led by Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital found that as little as eight weeks of meditation not only helped people experience decreased anxiety and greater feelings of calm; it also produced growth in the areas of the brain associated with memory, empathy, sense of self, and stress regulation. At the Chopra Center, we commonly hear from new meditators who are able to sleep soundly for the first time in years after just a few days of daily meditation practice. Other common benefits of meditation include improved concentration, decreased blood pressure, and enhanced immune function. See the article Why Meditate? for more benefits of meditation.

Myth #4: Meditation is escapism.

Truth: The real purpose of meditation isn’t to tune out and get away from it all but to tune in and get in touch with your true Self – that eternal aspect of yourself that goes beyond all the ever-changing, external circumstances of your life. In meditation you dive below the mind’s churning surface, which tends to be filled with repetitive thoughts about the past and worries about the future, into the still point of pure consciousness. In this state of transcendent awareness, you let go of all the stories you’ve been telling yourself about who you are, what is limiting you, and where you fall short – and you experience the truth that your deepest Self is infinite and unbounded. As you practice on a regular basis, you cleanse the windows of perception and your clarity expands. While some people do try to use meditation as a form of escape – as a way to bypass unresolved emotional issues – this approach runs counter to all of the wisdom teachings about meditation and mindfulness. In fact, there are a variety of meditation techniques specifically developed to identify, mobilize and release stored emotional toxicity. If you are coping with emotional upset or trauma, we recommend that you work with a therapist who can help you safely explore and heal the pain of the past, allowing you to return to your natural state of wholeness and love.

Myth #5: I don’t have enough time to meditate.

Truth: There are busy, productive executives who have not missed a meditation in twenty-five years, and if you make meditation a priority, you will do it. If you feel like your schedule is too full, remember that even just a few minutes of meditation is better than none. We encourage you not to talk yourself out of meditating just because it’s a bit late or you feel too sleepy.

In life’s paradoxical way, when we spend time meditating on a regular basis, we actually have more time. When we meditate, we dip in and out of the timeless, spaceless realm of consciousness . . . the state of pure awareness that is the source of everything that manifests in the universe. Our breathing and heart rate slow down, our blood pressure lowers, and our body decreases the production of stress hormones and other chemicals that speed up the aging process and give us the subjective feeling that we are “running out of time.” In meditation, we are in a state of restful alertness that is extremely refreshing for the body and mind. As people stick with their meditation ritual, they notice that they are able to accomplish more while doing less. Instead of struggling so hard to achieve goals, they spend more and more time “in the flow” – aligned with universal intelligence that orchestrates everything.

Myth #6: Meditation is a spiritual or religious practice.

Truth: Meditation is a practice that takes us beyond the noisy chatter of the mind into a place of stillness and silence. It doesn’t require a specific spiritual belief, and many people of many different religions practice meditation without any conflict with their current religious beliefs. Some meditators have no particular religious beliefs or are atheist or agnostic. They meditate in order to experience inner quiet and the numerous physical and mental health benefits of the practice – including lowered blood pressure, stress reduction, and restful sleep. The original reason that Deepak Chopra began meditating was to help him stop smoking. Meditation helps us to enrich our lives. It enables us to enjoy whatever we do in our lives more fully and happily – whether that is playing sports, taking care of our children, or advancing in our career.

Myth #7: I’m supposed to have transcendent experiences in meditation.

Truth: Some people are disappointed when they don’t experience visions, see colors, levitate, hear a choir of angels, or glimpse enlightenment when they meditate. Although we can have a variety of wonderful experiences when we meditate, including feelings of bliss and oneness, these aren’t the purpose of the practice. The real benefits of meditation are what happens in the other hours of the day when we’re going about our daily lives. When we emerge from our meditation session, we carry some of the stillness and silence of our practice with us, allowing us to be more creative, compassionate, centered, and loving to ourselves and everyone we encounter.

Retrieved from

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/meditation-myths_b_2823629?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

[gamerszone2019-blog]

Steel Circus: Everything You Need To Know

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/steel-circus-everything-you-need-to-know/

Steel Circus: Everything You Need To Know

Take a hero shooter such as Overwatch, mix it with a souped-up version of the sport of handball, and you have all of the basic ingredients required to make Steel Circus; a three-on-three multiplayer sports game that revolves around larger-than-life heroes and their diverse special abilities. Created by indie developer Iron Mountain Interactive, and publisher Oasis Games, Steel Circus is another addition to the growing list of recent future sports games, joining the likes of Rocket League and Disc Jam in their revitalization of a genre that was previously popular back in the early 90s.

Steel Circus imagines a future where our sporting heroes (called Champions) are made up of the likes of a stereotypical ginger Scotsman with a mechanical bagpipe, a robotic businessman who can bend reality, and a futuristic paladin who enjoys chucking her massive shield at people’s foreheads, among other eccentric characters. Each Champion’s objective is simple: work together in teams of three to score more points than the opposition by throwing a ball into a modestly-sized goal. When you factor in all of their special abilities, however, this becomes more difficult than it sounds.

Look at our Scottish pal as an example; he can use his robotic fist to slam down on the ground, knocking back and damaging any opposition players caught in the blast, while his bagpipes allow him to play a traditional warsong that discourages opponents, limiting their movement speed. Each Champion has two special abilities of their own, and choosing when and how to use them comprises a significant part of the strategy inherent in Steel Circus matches. Abilities are generally used in defense and in support of one of your teammates when they have the ball. When in possession of the ball yourself, the only course of action is to pass, shoot, or utilize a handy spin move to dodge out of harm’s way. This creates an environment where the person on the ball feels vulnerable, encouraging teamwork to bypass the opposition, and elevating those with a higher skill level.

Passing and shooting are both handled with manual aiming, so Steel Circus displays a useful reticle beneath your chosen Champion to give you a good idea of where the ball will go once it’s left your hands. On the defensive side, beyond using your abilities to disrupt the opposition, you can also get close to other players and tackle them to win the ball back. There’s also the option to sprint, but this pulls from a stamina meter so you will have to decide when the best time to use it is. Character selection factors into this, too, as each Champion has different attributes for power, speed, and sprint. As the meta evolves and more characters are introduced, there are sure to be those who emerge as specialists in particular roles, even if no such thing is defined by the game itself. You might, for instance, prefer to stay back and protect your own goal with a Champion like Cap-X02, a small robot who can deploy a barrier to block the ball and other players, or focus on using Ellika’s shield toss to damage and eventually knock out opposition players.

Health is something you do have to take into consideration. Sustain enough damage and you’ll be KO’d for a short time, giving the other team an advantage, much like a power play does in hockey. Although there’s no accounting for the unpredictability Steel Circus sometimes showcases. The ball physics are terrific, and pinball bumpers in each arena are designed to create chaos. There’s definitely a tangible skill level, though, which should separate the best from the rest. Learning how to play Steel Circus is relatively straightforward, but even in these early stages particular players can stand out due to their capacity to think outside the box and use their Champion’s abilities in innovative ways.

Steel Circus’ early stages are promising so far. Now available in Early Access on Steam.

Source : Gamesport

[aawarning-blog]

New Post has been published on AAW

New Post has been published on http://www.anamericanwarning.com/2017/10/manny-gomez-msnbc/

Former FBI agent Manny Gomez Ruins Credibility on MSNBC

Former FBI agent Manny Gomez was a guest on MSNBC on Monday night. On that show, he claimed that hunters use suppressors (silencers) so that deer cannot hear the gunshots. Yes… he really said that. Here’s the quote.

“Sportsmen, hunters would make an argument that they need that so that their target, whether it’s a deer, etc. don’t hear the shot.”

Let me just say that his credibility as an FBI agent is now in question because that is seriously one of the dumbest things I have ever heard in my life. As a hunter, I can promise you that the last thing a hunter is worried about is whether or not the pray hears the shot. I have to wonder if Gomez was being paid to say such idiotic things. I honestly feel sorry for him. Unfortunately, the idiocy didn’t stop there. Gomez continued the conversation by saying…

“but numerous other sportsmen have shot from muskets–when the founding fathers started the Second Amendment–up until now successfully killed game animals without the use of a silencer.”

Let me just clarify a few things for everyone. To begin with, the Second Amendment has NOTHING TO DO with sportsmen. It’s not about hunting and it’s not about sport shooting either. So anytime some talking head like Gomez decides to discuss the Second Amendment as though they just want to restrict the bad-guys and protect the sportsman, understand that you are dealing with a Class-A moron with a very dangerous agenda.

If you are going to pull anything from this article, let it be this. Silencers are not “silent”. They simply do not mask the sonic crack created by the bullet exceeding the sound barrier. Granted, some bullets don’t exceed that point, but those are not the type of rounds we are talking about here. That being said, I will admit that silencers do change the sound enough that most people probably wouldn’t recognize it as a gunshot but there is still a loud noise.

Clearly there is some confusion here. The reasons that silencers are a benefit are because they reduce the risk of hearing damage and disorientation in close quarters and they reduce recoil which reduces fatigue on the shooter. Sure, there are some military applications that are advantageous as well (such as flash suppression) but to generalize a silencer as “silent” and “military only” is crazy.

I’m not going to address the downside of silencers in this article, it’s not the point. Regardless, I know various media organizations are talking about how a silencer would make it easier for a mass shooter with a fully automatic weapon to remain hidden. That’s just not true. Plus, firing a weapon equipped with a silencer on full auto for too long would more than likely cause the silencer to melt or bend. That’s just dangerous. In fact, let me show you a video to help demonstrate the point. Also, as you watch it… notice how NOT SILENT it is.

True, that is an extreme example but I think effectively demonstrates what I wanted it to. I wish the idiocy stopped there, but it didn’t. The next couple sentences out of the mouth of Mr. Gomez simply made him look even more ridiculous and it destroyed not only his credibility, but the credibility of the news program he was on. Here’s the quote.

“So where does this logical progression? Uh… Are we going to legalize grenades next, because sportsmen need uh… chain or the averages to be on their side… more? Uh… it it… it seems to me we are heading in the wrong direction. The conversation should be what to do about the assault weapons that are killing our population at an alarming rate.”

You would think it would be obvious by now but I guess “logic” is selective. Unfortunately, in this case, it has completely bypassed Mr. Gomez. Let me go ahead and square this one away as well.

Assault weapons are not killing our population at an alarming rate. Comparatively, doctors are killing our population at an alarming rate and of course, nobody seems to be talking about that. Fast food too for that matter yet there is a fast food joint on just about every corner. Even if you wanted to focus on guns alone, assault weapons are still not even close. What bothers me about his statement is that this “former FBI agent” somehow forgot that an assault weapon is nothing more than a tool and that the REAL danger is the person behind the trigger. FBI guys wield assault rifles too ya know? And the last I checked, it takes a PERSON to shoot a firearm. Perhaps if we didn’t waste our time trying to demonize rifles, we could catch some of the criminals actually using for them for messed up purposes – like in Chicago, where hundreds are being slayed with firearms each year in their anti-gun city. Let me guess… that’s different.

Speaking of which, and as I have made abundantly clear several times before (statistically or otherwise), these mass shootings would simply not happen near as often if we were not creating so many “gun-free zones”. If you create a perfect place for a mass shooting to happen, you shouldn’t be surprised when a mass shooting occurs. If you restrict the ability for good people to intervene, you shouldn’t be surprised when nobody is there is to stop it. When you replace a safe and free culture with a dangerous and restrictive one, the results simply shouldn’t shock you. How is that for logic?

So let me answer his question about legalizing grenades. Why not? They wouldn’t be allowed for hunting purposes anyway. Come to think of it, a sportsman probably wouldn’t want to use it for hunting either because it wouldn’t leave much of a trophy. So why not legalize it? It might actually help further the entire point of the Second Amendment since that’s what all these talking heads continue to pretend to care about. Of course, in order to understand that perspective, you would actually have to understand the purpose of the Amendment.

I wrote about this extensively in my book RELOADED, but the Second Amendment states clearly that a well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. That’s it. That’s all it says. It doesn’t say anything about hunting or sport shooting. It doesn’t say anything about type, caliber or abilities either.

“Bear” means “(of a person) carry”; meaning you have the ability to carry it on you. That is the ONLY restriction. Furthermore, not only does the Second Amendment state that someone can carry their weapons on their person, but it also states that this shall not be violated. Yet… somehow, this is violated all of the time by people who have sworn an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution.

Let me make something clear. By definition, a militia is a citizen army; a military organization formed by local citizens to serve in times of emergencies, who are not a part of any regular armed forces to include the Army, the Air force, the Marines, the Navy, the Coast Guard or National Guard. This means that weapons, uniforms, training, equipment, etc., are not provided by either the state or the federal government. Instead, they are provided solely by the citizen seeking participation in the militia. This means Citizens must have access to military style arms, equipment, etc., to participate in the militia since these things are not provided by the state or the federal government and because these citizens are still tasked with protecting the state. Understand that the “militia” was not given the right to bear arms. Instead, it is “the right of the people to keep and carry arms” as clearly stated in the Amendment.

Make no mistake that the Second Amendment was meant to protect people from their government. To even bring up sporting purposes is clear misdirection and contortion. Understand that the idea that the military gets the monopoly on “carryable” military style weapons is asinine. The idea that government has the ability to restrict the people from obtaining such weapons is equally asinine. That’s like saying rape is illegal but that the rapist can somehow dictate the level or degree to which their victims can fight back during their rape.

It’s beyond ridiculous. As for Mr. Gomez… I’ll just say that I will sleep better at night knowing that he’s a FORMER FBI agent. Here is the video of the segment in question.