#their offense seems to be solid if not elite

[cementcornfield]

i feel like this is about to be such a weird game lmao

[packernet]

New Post has been published on https://www.packernet.com/blog/2024/02/07/twists-and-turns-the-packers-defensive-coordinator-search/

Twists and Turns: The Packers' Defensive Coordinator Search

When the Green Bay Packers began their search for a new defensive coordinator, they quickly identified Ejiro Evero from the Carolina Panthers as a top candidate. Evero had previously worked with the Packers in 2016 and had even interviewed for the same position in 2021, showing mutual interest. It seemed likely that he would be chosen to replace the departed Joe Barry. However, due to his existing contract, the Panthers prevented the Packers from interviewing Evero. With this key option off the table, Green Bay had to explore other possibilities.

In North Carolina, sports betting on the Panthers has gained popularity since North Carolina sports betting apps were introduced. Now fans can easily place bets on Panthers games and player performances using their phones. This increased engagement has made watching Panthers games even more thrilling for local fans. Additionally, it offers more opportunities for analysis and discussions about how well the Panthers defense performs each week.

No stone unturned

According to a report, initially, the team offered Baltimore Ravens linebackers coach Zach Orr an opportunity with Green Bay. Despite being regarded as a rising defensive talent in the league, Orr declined this offer. This was an early setback for the Packers as they highly valued Orr’s experience both as a player and coach of linebackers. His decision to stay with Baltimore forced Green Bay to reevaluate their options.

After ruling out Evero and facing Orr’s lack of interest, the Packers shifted their focus to the college ranks and conducted interviews with several talented defensive minds. Eventually, they settled on Jeff Hafley, former head coach of Boston College. Hafley brings with him a solid defensive background from both the collegiate and NFL levels. He has previously excelled in coordinating defenses at Ohio State and with the San Francisco 49ers. His proven ability to elevate defense played a significant role in his selection for the job.

Defense must improve

Hafley faces pressure to quickly revamp the Packers defense, which ranked 27th in yards allowed last season. The team struggled notably against the run and was unable to generate enough turnovers. However, Hafley’s versatile scheme provides flexibility in countering opposing offenses while making use of dynamic pass rushers like Rashan Gary. Additionally, with Jaire Alexander, an elite cornerback returning from injury, Hafley inherits valuable pieces that can contribute to significant improvement.

The search for a defensive coordinator by the Packers revealed the intricate dynamics involved in hiring coaches within the NFL. Contractual limitations prevented them from securing their top choice in Evero, who likely would have accepted had it not been for Carolina’s interference. An initial offer made to Orr also fell through before identifying Hafley as another promising option worth considering. Although he wasn’t initially their first choice, Hafley now has an opportunity to reshape the Packers defense into an exceptional unit.

The involvement of head coach Matt LaFleur in the hiring process, rather than GM Brian Gutekunst, shows a strong collaboration within the Packers leadership to find the right fit for an important position. This indicates that the organization is dedicated to aligning its vision.

4-3 defense coming to Green Bay

Hafley’s success depends on his ability to swiftly implement his strategies and make the most of the talented players already in Green Bay. He may choose to retain certain assistants, like experienced defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery, to facilitate a smooth transition. Additionally, Hafley needs to establish a connection with his star players in order to gain their support. Their skills as playmakers are crucial for executing his game plans.

In general, Green Bay faced obstacles along the way when appointing their new defensive leader. If Hafley can fulfill his considerable potential, despite these challenges, it will be considered a successful search. One that helped elevate the Packers defense back to championship caliber. With Aaron Rodgers still performing at his best, there is a sense of urgency for Hafley’s strategies and play-calling to yield fast results. Only time will reveal if this promising coordinator can deliver on that promise in his first NFL role leading a defense.

There is significant pressure on Hafley and the defensive unit to make rapid progress this season.

Packers supporters are well aware that even slight enhancements to their defense could propel Green Bay into the ranks of legitimate Super Bowl contenders once more. With a history of stumbling in championship games, a capable defense might finally be the key that propels this talented roster towards securing another Lombardi Trophy.

[theanticool]

Saw a discussion online about what makes a good MMA gym. One of the points made was don't judge a gym by its champions but judge a gym by it's mid-tier fighters and how they perform. What do you think makes a good gym? What good mma gyms are good today?

I agree with that. Sometimes you just have elite athletes who are smart and would have figured things out with experience, though I do think bad coaches can absolutely burn out elite talent (Edmond).

1) A good healthy training environment. Like, they understand when to hard spar, when to touch spar, when to not spar etc.

2) Fundamentals! Are the fighters coming out of that gym educated? They understand not only how the technical aspects of fighting (don’t throw yourself out of position punching, how to defend takedown, etc) but their fighters understand HOW to win fights, if you get me. A great example of a school that teaches great “technical fundamentals” but not “fight fundamentals” is Tiger Schulmann’s (Jimmie Rivera, Uriah Hall, Lyman Good, etc.) All those guys had solid fundamental kickboxing games. No glaring holes. But they lacked the strategic mindfulness to enforce their games when met with opponents who were not intimidated by the singular first level of offense. Poor cage craft, etc.

3) Good cornering. It comes in many forms. Sometimes fighters need technical advice (I don’t care what anyone says, T Witmann telling Rose to plant her feet against Andrade in the rematch saved her from taking an L). Sometimes, it’s a pep talk (Leon-Usman 2). More often than not, it’s a mix. This also goes hand and hand with good game-planning/structuring of training.

I’m being really broad because gyms have different strengths. Some gyms attract great talent that bounce off one another and sharpen them. Others are good building fighters from the ground up (Serra-Longo). Some are good at giving guys tools to lengthen the prime of their careers. Some are masterful at game planning (Team Nurmagomedov/Serra-Longo). others are just great at preparing guys to go out there and die for the W (Chute Box). There are quite a few I’m looking at sideways nowadays (Jackson-Winks, Tristar, etc). So on and so on.

I like Fortis. They seem to be building a really solid roster of guys who have good fundamentals. You got your huge camps like ATT which are still turning out big time fighters. MMA Lab is a gym that turns out over-performers. Way more to say but I’m at work.

[bopinion]

2023 / 06

Aperçu of the Week:

"We wanted the best, but it came as usual."

(Viktor Chernomyrdin, former Russian prime minister, in 1993)

Bad News of the Week:

The image of the "People's Democratic Republic" of North Korea is often described as Stone Age communism. While the majority of the population suffers from extreme poverty and, in some cases, famine, Kim Yong Un stages himself as a monarch and operates a strange cult of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, which he sees as life insurance for his own despotic regime. All of this is done under the eyes of China, a protective power that is difficult to understand, and in distinction from the economically successful brother nation of South Korea.

For a long time, North Korea existed like a country on another planet. Hardly any information penetrated to the outside or the inside, the communicative isolation seemed perfect, the media control total. This still works internally, but in recent months it is the World Wide Web, of all places, on whose map the country is no longer a blank spot. On the one hand, North Korea operates extremely successful hacker cohorts who, in addition to various espionage and disinformation campaigns, also managed to collect at least $1.2 billion in cryptocurrency through online fraud and data extortion. In other words, a concretely lucrative business that flushes foreign currency into the state coffers.

What is unclear, however, is the objective of what is currently the second notable North Korean Internet phenomenon: an apparently broad-based social media offensive. In a series of channels, which according to CNN are new and have been astonishingly successful in a short time, the country is staging itself as a pleasant home for seemingly normal teenagers. Who speak perfect English with a British accent. Who, for example, enjoy popsicles and love to read Harry Potter. Only the former is hardly available and the latter is even officially banned. Why is this done? Good question.

The videos "look like a well-prepared play" scripted by the North Korean government, said Park Seong-cheol, a researcher at the Database Centre for North Korean Human Rights. The scenes shown from the alleged everyday life of youngsters are not completely fake, but staged. For example, there is a water park, a movie theater and an amusement park in Pyongyang. Only these facilities are reserved for an elite class of party officials, military officers and government employees. Like the Internet access these strange influencers use - just like the smartphones that aren't actually available. What's the point when, according to the CIA fact book, only 26% of the population even has electricity? It would be nice if the North Korean tourist office, which wants to open the country's borders to international tourism, were behind this.

More likely, however, it is a red herring. With which the regime wants to influence the current narrative: North Korea is not an isolated country that could attack its neighbors and the United States with nuclear weapons. But rather an ordinary East Asian country where ordinary people like you and me live ordinary lives. Combined with the recent spate of missile launch tests, the latest expansion of the Nyŏngbyŏn nuclear facility documented with satellite imagery, and a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) unveiled just last Wednesday at the 75th anniversary of the founding of the armed forces, this leaves a queasy feeling.

Good News of the Week:

Probably the death toll of 28,000 from the earthquake in the Turkish-Syrian border region is out of date by the time I post this. The worst series of quakes since scientific records began has devastated an area where nearly 20 million people live. And as events unfold, a whole series of negative findings are coming to light.

The Turkish government is not implementing the regulations that actually apply to buildings in the latently earthquake-prone region. Neither Syria's ruler Bashar al-Assad nor the rebels in the north of the country are allowing solid disaster relief by foreign forces. Enemy nations cannot be stopped from attacking each other even in this situation. Even in the Near East, there are sub-zero temperatures at this time of year. And the Kurds remain constantly the biggest loosers of them all anyway.

Fortunately, many humanitarian highlights are also showing up in the face of adversity. For example, even Sweden, reviled by Erdogan, is sending aid workers to eastern Anatolia. So is the beleaguered Ukraine, which surely would have been admitted a different set of priorities. And those that don't have appropriately equipped aid workers, like the United Arab Emirates, are opening their wallets. And every day there are - still! - improbable miracles, such as the rescue of a heavily pregnant woman who was rescued yesterday after 115 hours under rubble.

What somehow makes one optimistic despite the terrible circumstances is humanity. When people stand by each other in times of need, even though the religion they believe in actually dictates enmity. When official requirements are suspended in order to allow family members who have become homeless to travel to their relatives in Germany, for example. Or when the international community thinks not only about the current rescue, but also about reconstruction afterwards - the EU has already announced a donor conference for those affected.

Even the self-proclaimed crown of creation, which likes to define itself in terms of greed, resentment, jealousy or hatred, is capable of empathy. It's nice that the term "humanity" still has a positive connotation. Even though we so often seem to go out of our way to change that. The heart is probably more than just a blood-pumping muscle after all. And conscience more than a transmission in the synapses of the brain.

Personal happy moment of the week:

I broke a bottle of red wine while shopping the other day. And moistened various purchases in the carrier bag. I noticed most of it and was able to clean and dry it. That the red wine also flowed into a box of cigarillos, I did not even notice. Not until I wanted to smoke one and had a damp, soft stem in my hand. So I put the box open on the heater in the office. And discovered two pleasant side effects of my mishap: the smell of red wine and tobacco at work has an comfortable calming effect. And the taste of the cigarillos gets a pleasant additional flavor. From that perspective, I was able to profitably recycle some of the spilled red wine.

I couldn't care less...

...whether the former head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Hans-Georg Maaßen, who is increasingly conspicuous for his racist and conspiracy-theory tones, can be officially expelled from the conservative CDU. Or whether the high good of freedom of speech also protects him within the party from accountability for his unspeakable statements. The fact that an obviously extreme right-winger could rise as a political official to become the head of the most important authority for upholding the state of lawfulness, of all things, weighs considerably more heavily and calls for more consequences than which membership card he carries around with him.

As I write this...

...I'm drinking a beer not even five hours after I got up today. A tough week in many ways takes its toll. And I tackle the challenge of relaxing Bavarian style.

Post Scriptum

In the German capital Berlin, the House of Representatives will be newly elected today - as a repeat election. This is because the regional election that took place in the fall of 2021 parallel to the federal election was declared invalid by the Administrative Court due to numerous mishaps - from ballots running hout to polling stations closing too late. Realpolitically less relevant, since no result of the election would change e.g. the majority conditions in the Bundesrat, is a look on Berlin nevertheless interesting. On the one hand, out of sarcasm, since this debacle also fits perfectly with the prejudice that simply nothing works in this city. On the other hand, out of curiosity, since in the end every conceivable party constellation is indeed possible. The extent of my tendency toward the former will depend on the first projection in less than an hour on the latter.

[hadesoftheladies]

here's the attention you asked for, bestie.

it's so funny how you're lecturing me about my "favorite washed up elite" (who's still racking in checks because harry potter has been in vogue every single fucking year since it got out and will be more relevant than you for years to come, i reckon) when your identity is the direct result of a marketing campaign. also, i'd love some sources for half this bullshit. but i'll spare you the work. given your diatribe, i doubt you could pull it off, so i'll assist.

people who actually read for themselves know that half of your claims about JKR are false, lol. everything to do with trans politics regarding jkr is just y'all reaching. and yes, i did read what she wrote about the holocaust. it's not as drastic as you banshees are making it sound.

Speedrun!

Claim: JK Rowling is friends with Matt Walsh. False!

Claim: JK Rowling is friends with Kellie-Jay Keen. Ambiguous! (She has agreed with Kellie-Jay Keen on several issues and advocated for her based on false allegations about nazism concerning Kellie-Jay Keen. Men-rights activists made shit up about her endorsing nazi salutes at her women's campaign. also, JK Rowling has agreed with many people whose politics she does not wholly endorse, like matt walsh. agreeing with someone on an opinion or fact, does not mean you agree with their politics.)

Claim: JK Rowling denies the Holocaust. False! (For proof, see this thread. JK Rowling does not DENY that the Holocaust happened, but that trans people were specifically targeted by the Nazis. Some argue that this makes her a Holocaust denier based on some German article, but I find the term muddies the water. It can be an offense, a grievous one, to deny the Nazis did something when they did, but calling JKR a Holocaust denier makes people think she doesn't believe the Holocaust happened when she absolutely does.

Additionally, the topic as to whether trans people were explicitly targeted by Nazis has had a fair share of scholarly debate.

She also denies that they burned trans books. Unfortunately for her, she is wrong. Transvestites WERE targeted by the Nazis, not as brutally as Jewish or Roma people, but they likely experienced harassment, not much is known and I have found no solid numbers. It most definitely didn't happen on the same scale as what gay, lesbian, Jewish or Roma people were suffering through--and why would it, transvestites weren't a large population, also i have found no record of transvestites being forced to wear pink triangles, like homosexual men were--, though gay men and transvestites seemed to get more leniency if they were "Aryan." )

Claim: JK Rowling directly funds government suppression. (Which government? Source? I'll make an assumption and guess that you're referring to her 1 million pound donation to the Better Together anti-Scottish independence campaign? Yes, she has. But she respects the opinions of those who disagree with her on the subject. She's also donated to the Labour Party, which is more centre-left politically.)

Claim: JK Rowling harasses the same groups Nazis target. (What groups? Source?)

Claim: JK Rowling has financially supported groups that repress Scotland's right to independence. True! (She also voted "No!" on Scottish independence.)

Claim: JK Rowling is gunning to be a Neo-Nazi. False! (She has not expressed any explicit Nazi views! Please tap the source to see what Nazi views actually are! JK Rowling has been explicitly leftist in her politics and anti-racist.)

Claim: JK Rowling is a fascist. False! (She does not identify as fascist and does not have any explicit fascist views. Unlike the people burning and trying to ban her books, which contain very little of her politics.)

i don't worship JKR, i don't even agree with a good chunk of her politics. especially when it comes to her sympathy for israel. she's a millionaire white woman, and i am a born and raised african middle-class girl. we won't have many politics in common. but unlike you, i don't need to be misogynistic in order to disagree with a woman. resorting to misogyny, racism or homophobia just because you hate someone is still misogyny, racism and homophobia. i wouldn't call a transperson the "t-word" even though i don't profess their gender faith. because i recognize that using the "t-word" on a trans-identified person that's done or said disgusting things like, idk, andrea long chu or hunter schaffer, saying that word will still hurt trans-identified people who didn't do or say those horrible things unnecessarily.

see what i did there? i read things up for myself, added sources from people i disagreed with politically, discussed the valid history of people who i disagree with without resorting to dehumanizing language, and called out the celebrity you claimed i "worship" with sources while refuting you!

class dismissed.

now fuck off you rancid misogynist and go back to sniveling about how righteous you are to your echo chamber.

[sallerlord]

Guardians of Justice: Unveiling the Top-Tier Tactics of the Best Criminal Defense Attorneys | Saller, Lord, Ernstberger & Insley

Introduction:

In the complex realm of criminal law, the role of a defense attorney is paramount in ensuring justice is served. The best criminal defense attorney are akin to guardians of justice, employing a diverse array of top-tier tactics to defend their clients against accusations. In the intricate realm of criminal law, the formidable team at Saller, Lord, Ernstberger & Insley stands as the epitome of legal prowess. These seasoned attorneys serve as steadfast guardians of justice, employing a diverse array of top-tier tactics to defend their clients against accusations.

1. Thorough Case Analysis:

The foundation of any successful defense strategy lies in a comprehensive analysis of the case. Elite defense attorneys leave no stone unturned, meticulously examining evidence, witness testimonies, and legal precedents. This careful scrutiny enables them to identify loopholes, inconsistencies, or constitutional violations that may be crucial in building a robust defense.

2. Effective Communication:

The ability to articulate persuasively is a hallmark of a top-tier defense attorney. From negotiating plea deals to presenting compelling arguments in court, effective communication skills are indispensable. The best criminal defense attorneys have a knack for crafting a narrative that resonates with judges and juries, emphasizing key points that can sway opinions in favor of their clients.

3. Legal Expertise and Specialization:

Mastery of the law is a non-negotiable quality for exceptional defense attorneys. Beyond a general understanding of criminal law, many specialize in specific areas such as white-collar crime, drug offenses, or violent crimes. This specialization allows them to delve deeper into the nuances of their chosen field, offering clients a higher level of expertise.

4. Vigorous Advocacy:

Fearless advocacy is a distinguishing trait of the finest criminal defense attorneys. They ardently champion their clients' rights, challenging evidence, questioning witnesses, and contesting legal procedures. This tenacious approach can make a significant impact on the outcome of a case, especially in situations where the odds may seem insurmountable.

5. Building Strong Relationships

:

Establishing solid relationships with clients, investigators, and experts is crucial for a successful defense. The best attorneys cultivate trust and open communication with their clients, ensuring a clear understanding of the case details. Additionally, they collaborate with skilled investigators and experts to strengthen their defense strategy, leveraging a network of professionals to benefit their clients.

Conclusion:

As guardians of justice, the best criminal lawyer employs a combination of legal acumen, strategic thinking, and interpersonal skills to safeguard the rights of those accused. By delving into the intricacies of their craft, these elite professionals navigate the complexities of the legal system with finesse, ensuring that justice prevails for their clients.

[packernet]

New Post has been published on https://www.packernet.com/blog/2023/09/19/bad-and-good-expectation-management/

Bad and good-expectation management

This one felt like a real squandered opportunity. And yet, I wasn’t as frustrated as I’ve been after other close defeats. The youth of this team, and key injuries against Atlanta, are reframing my expectations.

The bad

Two dropped first-half interceptions did not help. But the run defense was the real issue, because it wasn’t a run defense at all. Diagnosing why is complex. As always, Joe Barry is an easy target. There were no in-game adjustments, or, if there were, they failed. In terms of run stopping, the Packers lack a dominant nose tackle which they back with very questionable safeties putting too much pressure on their linebackers. This defense is built for pass defense. They need to find a way to handle run focused teams, or this won’t be the last we see of this tactic.

Rookie phenom Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier may be the best running back tandem in the league, which is an explanation, not an excuse. The domination was stark. Atlanta ran 32 more plays the Green Bay and dominated time of possession. This is a recipe for a defense caving late. A key ingredient in that recipe is a short-handed offense doing nothing but 3-and-out in the 4th quarter. There is blame to go around.

David Bakhtiari being inactive for this game is curious. The Packers revealed little to validate speculation and rumors that he won’t play on turf. If that’s the case, it’s not sustainable.

Lastly, AJ Dillon is not a starting running back. The performance drop-off from Aaron Jones to Dillon is dramatic. When you’re, supposedly, a 245 pound “sledgehammer,” you need to be high percentage converting 3rd or 4th short, Dillon is not. Even worse, he trips or stumbles more than any running back I can recall. It’s clear the Jonathan Taylor trade rumor was not a fluke.

The good

As good as the 2022 draft class appears to be with Watson, Tom, Walker, Wyatt and Doubs, early reviews suggest the 2023 draft may be even better. Nearly all of them showed up Sunday. Lukas Van Ness and Luke Musgrave could someday reach elite status at their positions. Jayden Reed, Dontavion Wicks, Anders Carlson and Carrington Valentine look like solid starting caliber contributors. Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden and Tucker Kraft all seem like guys that could be solid contributors. If those early reviews hold, this team has a great foundation.

Jordan Love continues to look good, not yet great. His accuracy and deep ball still need work, as does his game management and attention to detail. Two games into his first season as starter he has 6 TD throws and no picks, hard to argue with that. He does not look like a bust.

The offensive line continues to be a strength. The run blocking needs to be better. But for a team missing it’s top two starters for all or most of the game that was an impressive performance and gives hope for the future.

Expectations barometer

AJ Dillon’s value to the offense, David Bakhtiari’s availability to play or be a trade target and ongoing doubt about Joe Barry as defensive coordinator are clouds on the horizon. Still, there’s a lot to like about this team.

[secondary-analog-interface]

lmao paige isn’t going to leave uconn in 3 years if 1, she doesn’t win. bueckers is a winner, i highly doubt she’d be okay with leaving uconn 1) without a ring, 2) im almost certain her friendship w azzi would entice her to stay another year and leave with her after azzis 3rd. 2, if she keeps getting those huge nil deals while injured (sets her up further down the line and protects her in case of a wnba injury where they suspend her contract) and 3, paige considered minnesota before committing to uconn. she could’ve hometown heroed it in college but opted to go to uconn, im almost certain as much as she loves minnesota she’ll stop there later on in her wnba journey. plus, an athletes ego is a huge thing, as humble as she tends to be, she’s gunning for that #1 pick. back to back serious injuries are going to cause (slight) concern and probably open up wiggle room for clark to be considered a #1 pick if iowa does well and wiggles into an elite 8, final 4 spot. plus, reece doesn’t seem like the type to tank to me. collier came back to play w syl, is collier going to sit all of next year? they’ve still got solid pieces next year where even without syl they’ll probably be gunning for a late playoff spot.

(sorry i just find it weird to assume teams LIKE tanking and would opt to tank given the opportunity, minny is not one of those teams given the contracts to powers, mcbride, achonwa and collier. even if they trade all of them and burn it down for bueckers then what? you’ve got a shit situation for a rookie to be in)

((also i just realized one could point to how the sparks happened post cambage but that roster was disastrous from the start as a sparks fan, very little attention paid to defense and v little cohesion offensively plus all the scandals plus although i think nneka is better than napheesa the sparks roster was worse (take away the names, the players aren’t that great) and going from derek fucking fisher, professional bag fumbler, to fred williams and a shittier bench equals the sparks results))

the powers, mcbride, and achonwa contracts are TRAGIC. and that's coming from someone who's a pretty big kmac fan. i hope they can find a way to dump the achonwa contract. usually you can only afford to carry one bad contract like that.

but yeah they won't be tanking prior to the season starting. you get halfway through and you suck? sure, start being a little more cautious with injuries and stuff like that. but they're not going to have a shitty off-season intentionally, in hopes of getting a player that they can't even guarantee. (we all know indiana will still have the best odds).

it doesn't matter if paige is from minnesota if you have no control over where you fall in the lottery and who the teams ahead of you want to take. and reeve won't want to miss the playoffs twice in a row, that doesn't make it attractive for free agents.

[mattpoitrass7thgoal]

McAvoy and Mike has always been a solid pairing, like yes I like McGryz together and they are elite but mike and Charlie seem to work great together too and their combined offensive power is great and compliments each other well

[aaluminiumas]

Die for Me

あなたこそが “ 海賊王 ” に なる男

Lukewarm blood gushed out from the deep wounds. Ripping apart huge chunks of flesh and feeling the solidity of a bone inside, Monet genuinely relished her superiority savoring every note of the harrowing, blood-curdling shriek the woman in her deadly embrace emitted.

That Marine girl was no good at all; her tactics may not be exactly lame or useless, nor did she lack fervor or courage, but she turned out to be too modest and polite to attack – and also feeble. While the Marines claimed to have implemented a variety of brand-new top-notch techniques that would improve fighting skills of nearly any novice, they tended to send weaklings barely able to resist a simple scuffle, let alone serious combat with high ranks such as her or Caesar. This one wasn’t an exception to the rule: though promoted, Tashigi proved her disability to be on the offensive, thus confirming Monet’s expectations and dispelling the illusion of power Smoker had successfully created earlier.

“I adore it when you yell so desperately,” the Harpy muttered nonchalantly in the unctuous voice, her lips smeared with blood. “So I might break your scapula just for fun. My fangs can go through bone like butter. What a lovely day we are having, aren’t we?.. Care to brighten it further?”

Monet’s viselike grip tightened, and a bone cracked; Tashigi’s scream of utter anguish pierced the chaos and turmoil. In a moment, the woman limped in the Harpy’s wings. This last shrill seemed to have deserted her internally, leaving little to no stamina to stand up for herself and resist the throes shooting through her fragile body. The Harpy, though, felt no remorse or contrition. Quite on the contrary, she yielded into the perverse pleasure of being in charge – her well-nurtured sadistic inclinations and proclivities could finally splurge and flourish. Normally, it was Doflamingo whose hatred of the Marines came unwrapped. He was always in command; he was always aware of the potential threat and danger that could strike at any given moment, and now she could defend him from this invasion without an innuendo on his part. He had protected her in the past, bestowed a shelter, and took care of her younger sister—

“Enough.”

A low voice, hardly louder than Tashigi’s shallow breath muffled all the sounds, including explosions and the clash in the distant rooms. A swordsman with cold resolution in the single eye stood there, unmoving, his face serious, yet completely unreadable.

Monet’s fine features contorted in a lopsided smirk, her head withdrawing from Tashigi’s injured shoulder. Spoiled by pride, the swordsman didn’t seem to see a worthy opponent in her. Good for him, she thought. The Marine’s death would be on his hands – after all, he couldn’t compare to one of the best soldiers among the Donquixotes.

“I said enough,” he growled quietly, advancing and raising his katana, the silver eye narrowing. “Didn’t you hear?”

“She shouted too loudly. Should I shut her up?” Monet’s voice remained vaguely flirtatious, her antics jaunty, but the swordsman betrayed no emotion whatsoever. Instead, without a single warning, he pivoted forward, sword at the ready. Prancing at superhuman speed, the man neatly cut her in half – her logia powers weren’t a mere obstacle to him or his blade.

“I’m a Logia, you fool,” Monet spat with a haughty grin, “You think I’m scared?”

That fact alone contributed to her arrogance and hoity-toity attitude. While the majority of the Donquixote Family had to satisfy themselves with commonplace and hackneyed Paramecias, she got lucky – Doflamingo brought in a Logia fruit, the rarest type, and presented it to her. He might have intended to give it to Vergo, who hadn’t joined the number of the fruit-eaters and preferred to use his innate physical force. At any rate, such thoughts barely intruded on her mind: Doflamingo, the Young Master she worshipped, literally made her a gift desired by many. And what a scenery it was: he called in a meeting, ordered his favorite delicacies, thus forcing the whole city to cook for him, and sprawled across his improvised throne. Trebol, giggling under his breath, Diamante with his ever-lasting smirk, the imperturbable Pica, Vergo with the rigorous mien… Well, she was never part of the elite – nor did she plan to climb higher. The seat beside Doflamingo’s feet seemed comfortable enough to occupy – this position turned her into a valuable asset, who caught all the messages and orders intoned in a low, seductive voice. Despite that, the Young Master did not banish her – he remained seated, asking her to tell them all about her first murder – committed with a taste.

Logia powers made the bearer almost invincible, and Monet, a proficient user, trained by the best, especially by Vergo, knew what she was worth.

“I’m a Logia,” the Harpy repeated, the blizzard howling louder. “It doesn’t hurt me.”

“We’ll see,” came the answer.

Not even looking at her, the man grabbed the wounded woman and hurried to the exit, while Monet, absolutely dumbfounded, discovered that she could not get together. What appeared to be a single cut turned out to be a series of swift swishes in the air that slashed her snow-made body in a split second with the power that significantly surpassed her own. The result unfolded in slow motion: the more time went, the more it hurt; paralyzed, she listlessly perused the gashes opening in her skin – the man had inflicted much more damage than she had initially anticipated.

Furious, lacerated by what seemed to be a hundred blades, Monet yelled – and realized that it caused another wound to splay. The flesh got torn apart somewhere in her stomach and sent an impetus to the lungs prompting another incision to dehisce. The blood spurted up and flushed out from her mouth, staining the green shirt. Coughing, gagging, and covering her lips with a defective wing that had also been slit and now painted vermillion, the Harpy leaned over a gigantic machine with a red button on its panel. Half-conscious, she stared at it – it certainly was a way out. If she pushes it, the whole island will go up in flames. Nobody survived, case closed. Nobody discovers the dirty scheme Vergo had initiated in the Marine to abduct kids; nobody learns about the dubious experiments of the ambiguous nature performed by Caesar. Nobody connects Young Master – her Young Master – to the helter-skelter in the lab, nobody–

Her consciousness drifted away; small lacerations proved to be even worse than the deeper ones – blood didn’t stop from dripping, and she couldn’t control the amount she had lost. Falling to the ground, quivering, Monet twitched her wings in a fruitless attempt to maintain balance. It was overkill, anyway, at least she deemed so. Her wounds were fatal; she very well understood that she was a goner – but it was still in her power to prevent future events from happening.

Suddenly, Monet heard the quiet mumbling of a snail. Caesar, concerned about Joker’s supervision and unremitting control (the notion he strongly believed but which wasn’t true to the fact: Doflamingo, after Monet’s infiltration, called every once in a while, just to give the man heebie-jeebies, in case he felt lazy), installed snails everywhere, each equipped with a unique number. Only Joker could have access to them – no one else would be able to call here, the sanctum sanctorum of the lab.

The injured wing reached for the receiver, then twitched and fell. Trembling, the Harpy moaned in agony, choked on the blood, and made a feeble attempt to get up. Didn’t work; her face contorted in pure anguish. Invincible, trained, fortified by a number of experiments conducted under Doflamingo’s supervision, she never expected a failure. Especially a failure like this.

The snail kept grumbling, Monet whimpered; struggling to stand up, the Harpy felt a million needles skewering into her body, avulsing the thinnest and the tiniest blood vessels. She had to be slow not to disturb the veins that still remained intact. Making a superhuman effort, Monet propped herself up, her chest heaving, her wings jittered ever so slightly.  Panting, leaning over the tremendous apparatus towering over her, the Harpy managed to answer the call.

“Monet?” called a low, mellifluous voice coming from a snail. “Monet, do you read?”

“Yes, Young Master,” she mustered her shattered self to respond.

“I do not have the slightest idea what is happening right now,” he drawled pensively, “But it is certainly far from the plan I have drawn up.”

“They– they snatched Caesar.”

Doflamingo paused, pondering over her words. That loudmouth fool, calling himself a genius, failed to kick the teenager’s ass and let himself get captured by a bunch of mere kids playing real pirates. It had been funny to hear that that Strawhat Luffy defeated Sir Crocodile, one of the most feared and infamous warlords; after all, Doflamingo shook hands with the man and knew exactly what his weaknesses were, but Caesar Clown was another thing. First off, he claimed himself to be a brilliant scientist, and, in fact, he had managed to synthesize a drug that made children comparable to giants in force and probably in size. Furthermore, he used his earlier formulae and calculations, retrieved the readouts of the past experiments to create artificial Devil Fruits. So, he clearly was not a complete idiot. However, he employed none of his ingenious tricks to kill the annoying brat on sight when he had the opportunity.  Too bad the factory couldn’t work without his involvement – otherwise, Doflamingo himself would’ve got disposed of Caesar as well.

“Monet,” he finally spoke, his voice dropping down a notch. “You were loyal to me.”

“Till the end, Young Master,” she muttered, her voice not louder than a susurrus of wind.

“Die for me.” He commanded coolly, his eyes staring into space unwinkingly. “Monet, die for me and send this place to hell. Take them all along with you.”

“Yes, Young Master. I will do as you please.”

Her lips, covered with blood and gore, stretched in a gentle smile addressed to no one in particular. He cared about her. He wanted her to perform this last task for him, in the name of his future achievements and accomplishments, and she would not let him down.

She raised her wing, slightly quavering, preparing to hit the red button. Exuding a quiet hum, the Harpy lowered it – and gasped, immediately falling onto the ground with a loud, heavy thump.

“Monet?.. Monet, what’s happened? Monet, can you hear me?..”

She uttered a wheezing sound, and her visage froze in a rictus of death.

[nemrut]

Epic Seven / Re: Zero Collab Units

So, a lot of units were revealed. Three five-star collab units and five three star regular units, and it is amusing to me that the three-star units are creating more buzz.

Since I am not a big Re: Zero fan, I am also more drawn to the three-star heroes, although, I have to say, the collab units seem solid so far.

Personally, I am mostly drawn to Emilia as of now, at least on paper, simply for her more offense oriented Soul Weaver kit. From what I remember, her kit doesn't really seem to work thematically for her all that much, or to her in show capabilities, but it works for the game.

So, Emilia. Her S1 gives healing based on her own max health to the ally with the lowest health. That's solid. Nothing too special but solid. Makes counter viable on her, similar to Destina only without the potential cleanse from the EE. With the right artifact, she can either heal one target with the same effect twice or heal two different units at once.

Her S2 is her best skill. It dispells two debuffs from an ally, gives increased attack for two turns and increases their CR by 40%. It also increases her own CR by 25%. With mola, the CR on the target can increase to 50% and it is on a two turn CD. SB also heals the target unit for ten souls. That's one packed skill. Can be used for cleavers or units like Straze or LQC or any other offensive unit with no atk buff who is a bit slower than her.

Her S3 cleanses two debuffs from her whole team, heals them and gives a two turn barrier. Nothing amazing but respectable.

So, all in all, she doesn't bring any new skills or abilities on the table. I will probably give her Ray's equipment and call it a day. She is a typical cleanser soul weaver where one should focus on speed, ER, HP and Def in that order. She is still very solid and I would personally benefit because I have no cleanser who provides and atk buff and cr push at the same time. I think she is also better than ML Kawarick even though they have similar kits, lol. But anyone who already has one built could probably pass on her but dunno, she has better animation and her ER imprint does make things easier.

Her artifact is interesting, in that it gives a flat ER of 15% on top of healing an ally once a turn for what I assume is 15% with no copies at plus 15. It serves her well, but of course, soul weaver artifacts are good across the board and all of them can work there.

While her S1 might allow for a counter set, I do think speed/ER set is the way to go. You want her fast enough to use her S2 or S3, depending on the situation and she has to go before the rest of your team. She doesn't even care that much whether she goes before the enemy or not. If she goes after, she cleanses their debuffs, if now, she just uses the S2 and starts an attack with your cleaver or damage dealer. She is definitely going to be useful.

Rem is more interesting in that she is getting new abilities, but that also makes her a bit harder to predict.

Her S1 can defense break the enemy. 35% odds without mola and 50% with mola. If she is in demon mode, she attacks twice.

Her S2 is her weird new stuff. When anybody dies, she cleanes all debuffs on herself and activates Demon Mode for two turns. This can only happen once every 5 turns so, basically, in pvp/rta that means it can only happen once in a fight. Demon Mode means that she is immune to debuffs, it cannot be stripped and the debuffs she applies ignore ER.

When an ally is attacked, she has a 15% chance to counterattack with iron strike. In turn, iron strike attacks all enemies, decreases their buff durations and makes them unhealable for 1 turn. It also says that iron strike takes priority over counterattacks with basic skills, so that means she counterattacks with Iron Strike instead of her S1. Molas increase her counterattack chance to 20%

Her S3 gives herself an attack buff and aoe attacks all enemies and decreases their hit chance for two turns and increases her own CR by 50%.

Her artifact increases crit chance by 15% and whenever somebody dies, it gives the user a CR push between 12 and 24%. Not sure how much CR push that is for +15 without any copies.

Artifact is meh, tbh. I guess it can be useful, but dunno if I would give her that.

Team imprint is health and on her self it is plus crit chance which would make it easier to go for dps build but have fun getting several copies of her with three collab heroes and artifacts plus summer Iseria and her artifact around the corner.

So, what about Rem? Her kit is interesting at least. She needs for someone to die before she starts going crazy which is somewhat fitting. That means she probably doesn't want to go first if one wants to take advantage of the ignores ER thing. In fact, one can build her with no effectiveness at all, which makes things at least a bit easier. That said, she seems to be a lot more gear hungry than Emilia was in order to use her effectively.

For her S2 condition to activate she needs to be teamed up with an ally who is rather fast and can snipe at least one enemy unit before she takes a turn, in which case one can get away with a bit less bulk. Still, I do think one wants to build Rem as tanky as possible, as she should remain on the field for as long as possible and hit the enemy team with Iron Strike and attack twice with her S1.

So, I am unsure how she would interact with a counter set. Does the sentence "Iron Strike takes priority over a counterattack with a basic skill" refer to all counterattacks she makes or only those which are facilitated by her S2? If only her S2, I would probably go for a bulk and damage with medium speed. So, speed or atk sets. If it refers to all counter-attacks, maybe go with counter. I think one can give her Champion's trophy and hope for stuns on top of everything, although her skill makes it clear that the ignores ER effect does not apply to artifacts, so enemies might resist there, especially if there is no effectiveness on her otherwise.

All in all, I can see two options with her builds: Either go for dmg or go for debuffs. Either way, she wants to stay on the field for as long as possible to counterattack as much as possible. She should be fun, but I don't know how good she will work.

Think will have to sit on her kit for a while longer. I could also see the cockroach approach with her, where you accept that the one person dying is on your own team and hope Rem can turn things around afterwards. If the one dying is on their team, you are kinda wasting the self cleanse but then again, planning for someone on your team to die is not a great strategy, even if you have a reviver on your team. That said, maybe she works really, really well with Arby, who should count for the team death thing. I don't know, it seems fun at least.

Last and maybe least is Ram. She is a mage, gives her team health with imprint or effectiveness to herself.

Her S1 attacks one enemy and has a 60% chance (75% with mola) to decrease attack for 1 turn. If she is buffed, it reaches 100%. Soul Burn allows her to attack all enemies for ten souls.

S2 is a passive and increases her own Atk by 30% and reduces the effect of CR debuffs on her by 80% (100% with mola).

S3 attacks the enemy and inflicts def break on them for two turns and gives herself Greater Attack Buff (also called GAB in case you heard a youtuber say it and didn't know what they meant)

Her artifact increases her ATK by 15% and decreases dmg suffered by elite or boss monsters by 15% at +15.

So, I'll be honest, she seems a bit underwhelming. Her S1 is aptly titled How Boring. because it is a very boring skill. Decrease Attack is not useless, by any means, but it is also not that great. A possible aoe on her S1 with ten souls can be useful against enemies hiding in stealth, but there are better options. Her passive is interesting at least, since it means she can't really be pushed back, and she has a lot of atk. That said, her S3 is okay, but also not great.

With her artifact, she seems more of a pve unit, but she also should be useful in pvp. Like, with 30% atk from her s2, 15% atk from her artifact and GAB on herself, alongside a decent attack set, or a speed set with good atk, that should translate into a lot of dmg with her basic attack, especially if it can be a potential aoe with only ten souls. She can also be paired up with Lilias who benefits from her high attack to cleave, especially if she goes after her and there is someone def broken there.

Could build her with no crit chance and crit dmg in order to get her speed and atk as high as possible, or a bit less of both and go for a more traditional damage dealer for pvp.

As for pve, I don't know, maybe expedition? She could def break for Banshee, but so can a milllion other units. I don't know if she is useful after that, but can't imagine her replacing Baiken there. Also find it hard to believe that someone wouldn't have Leo or Bellona or kluri or any other def breaker for that, so can't see how she is good for wyvern. If she had been ice or fire, I would say good for either one of those two hunts, but banshee might be the one hunt her skill-set is ill-equipped for. Might be overlooking something, though.

So yeah, those were the collab units and artifacts. Seems solid enough, I like Emilia and Rem seems interesting enough. A bit meh on Ram.

Still, the three stars seems more exiting, oddly enough.

[dani-the-mark]

AEW Dynamite 9/1/21 Review

FTR vs Santana and Ortiz

Good to see ya, guys.

They busted the door down here. Solid start, high energy, slick transitions, a couple of messy spots, but seemed high-risk high-reward. Chicago is eating this up, and I can tell this is going to be a great crowd

CM Punk Promo

He’s passionate here and used his time wisely. 2.0s attack was surprising, but Darby’s defense of punk was even more so. They respect each other so much. It was also nice to hear Sting will taking a back seat to let the light shine on them.

Tony Schiavone interviews MJF

I mean, he is not completely wrong but he says it is the most venomous delivery you hat him anyway.

Orange Cassidy vs Jack Evans

Hardy gets kicked out immediately. Is a ref doing his job well? Surprise surprise. These two put a lot of energy in. My half complaints are that the hold switch was goofy and went on maybe a bit too long. Also, the finish happened maybe too fast, but I didn’t mind matt getting some revenge time.

I did love the reaction to Juggle express, just so pure.

Jim Ross interviews Chris Jericho

I love him and his barbeque sauce. The crowd singing louder than the music, the real feeling behind Jericho’s words. I have chills and I am stressed. Seeing him so emotional and It’s scaring me into thinking he’s going to lose Sunday.

Regardless, Chicago is Jericho

Brian Cage vs Powerhouse Hobbs

I looked down for one minute and arms are swinging. These are two thick-strength guys, and it’s hard for them to not be impressive. It felt like no one cared, which is fair because so much has already happened. Both had solid power, but I feel they were given too much time.

Paul White Segment

Big man beats up a gaggle of small men. Good to see nothing has changed for Mr. White. Billy Gunn and QT lashing out at him were so genuinely painful to watch. I just want to hug him.

Penelope Ford vs Tay Conti

Tay has a point to prove here, you can see that in her face here. I loved the submission trade and Anna Jay’s interjection. I liked the match overall, but I don’t think it deserved the, granted very weak, “this is awesome” chant.

Jungle Express and Lucha Bros vs The Elite

A quadruple superkick? Jungle boy transitioning a not-so-great powerbomb to a multiperson offense? The use of match partners ar projectiles? Maybe too many pin breaks? The post-match attack and use of the cage? All Priceless.

[laundryandtaxes]

Hi Julia, I'm gonna push back on your post re: nyc. I grew up in another city in New York State and moved to the city at 17 for work, never going to college. I've lived in three different boroughs, and never held a lease, just for context. I think the divide of "native New Yorker" vs "transplant" is in many ways created as a way of sewing division and doesn't reflect that in every strongly-rooted ethnic group, immigrant or otherwise, there is a certain amount of coming and going. For me, every generation of my fam has come here to live for a time since immigrating, despite moving to the south or Midwest. That's super common for my ethnicity and common in many other groups here.

Many if not most of my friends who grew up here have nuanced views on this, and when it gets down to it see it beyond a binary of "native vs nonnative". I think that viewing it as a binary isn't particularly useful. There are definitely alienated internal migrants and people who move to join elite communties, but most of my friends who grew up here have lived elsewhere for a time, and if there have family or ethnic community here aren't weird about it.

This model of discourse doesnt usually talk about the strongly rooted elite/borgeiouse here, and many people who migrate to NYC internally do it for social and economic reasons. Particularly pre-pandemic, the gay and ballroom scenes were massive draws, and jobs in certain industries are concentrated here. Wealthy residents are catered to, and certain type of internal migrant/wealthy expat/wealthy immigrant is definitely catered to by legislation that favors gentrification and has made the city a playground for the rich. The city has intentionally eroded public housing, but it remains that a higher percentage of residents live in public housing, rent controlled apartments well-below market value or recieve housing subsidies here than nearly any other city in the country. People will get on public housing and section 8 waiting lists and leave the city or even country. To be here and to stay here is very tenuous for many multigenerational residents. Regardless, migration and immigrantion have been part of NYC since it began having a distinct culture towards the 1820's. Culture and social creation has never been the exclusive domain of people born here, and NYC is what it is because of born-residents, immigrants, internal migrants and being a center of cultural and social community that draws people from around the world. If it was just one of these things it wouldn't be NYC.

NYC is a place that feels disconnected from the (rest of) the USA and I think that the politicization of desire to be here will have implications exacerbated by the pandemic.

Re: nyc again:

Many wealthy people leave nyc because there isn't a great bang for your buck in the same way as other parts of the country. It's honestly a shitty and expensive place for the rich lmao.

And many poor/working class people come here bc of enviable renters protections, higher wages, and special education for disabled kids. In particular people come from within the eastern seaboard, New England and south for all of these things.

Thank you for another perspective! I am not from New York myself, so my perception of the city comes largely from the accounts of friends who are from NYC, and media, but just like with anywhere you can’t get a complete picture of what a place is like based on those two things.

I will say that a lot of what you’ve said here strongly contradicts my idea of what the city is like, some of which is based on personal experience. I considered a move to NYC at some point with an ex girlfriend (which, holy shit thank goodness that didn’t work out) and I have to say that in particular the idea of NYC as a place with “enviable renters protections [and] higher wages” specifically doesn’t square with what I saw when I researched those two things. Wages in NYC for work that doesn’t require degrees didn’t look good at all, and as far as renter’s protections go, my current understanding is that rent control is awesome but that landlords regularly engage in tenant harassment to pressure rent controlled tenants out of units and the city does almost nothing about it. The second is based more on recent articles I read and news pieces I watched about NYC, but the last time I looked at wages in NYC I was extremely unimpressed given the cost of housing alone, and when I was running the numbers for myself (this was maybe 2015ish) I came away not understanding how anyone could possibly afford to live in the city unless they 1) made a ton of money, in order to afford the outstanding rents, or 2) got into a rent-controlled apartment, which it seemed it was not easy to do unless you knew someone, like I did at the time, who was basically going to tell their landlord to hand you the lease. Obviously I’m not saying you’re wrong, just that I am very surprised to hear that anyone thinks of NYC as a place with genuinely solid rent protections and good wages, because the last time I looked it really did not seem like either of those was the case. If that is the case, that’s awesome and I am very glad to hear it. The story I was told by friends was largely one of intense, almost unbearable pressure from gentrification and jobs not paying nearly enough for the cost of living and being actively displaced by people who came to the city with an absurd amount of money to spend. So if that isn’t actually the case, that’s very very good news because I kind of had what I THINK of as contemporary NYC built up in my head as this horror story of the worst things that could happen to a city.

I also am not intimately familiar with the culture of NYC, but I have to say that I don’t think I agree with the idea that ‘ "native New Yorker" vs "transplant" is in many ways created as a way of sewing division’ because I don’t think that concept is unique at all to NYC- I certainly have a lot of a specific kind of pride in having been born and raised in Chicago, I and most other Chicagoans consider it genuinely offensive and rude when people who grew up in suburbs nearby tell people they are from Chicago, I and most other Chicagoans see ourselves, I would say, as a particular breed of people who share a particular kind of roots in this place, and I don’t think that pride is harmful or bad in any way. I would never tell someone that moving here is an evil thing to do- I consider roughly 10 years of residency to grant you the right to refer to yourself as a Chicagoan and not just a Chicago resident lol- or say that transplants to Chicago are categorically bad people. Half of that is just stupid cultural stuff, really, and shouldn’t be taken very seriously. But I don’t think the concept itself is bad. I have a fundamentally different relationship to Chicago than someone who grew up anywhere else and moved here, no matter how long they moved here, and I don’t think it is harmful at all to be open about and proud of that. I would never make the claim that transplants haven’t made massive contributions to the city, and I would assume most native New Yorkers wouldn’t make that claim about transplants to NYC.

Thank you for sharing your personal understanding of the situation there, and I am very surprised to hear that the proportion of residents in NYC who live in public or rent controlled housing is quite high, and glad to hear it. As needlessly aggressive as Chicagoans (myself included) can be when “New York” is even uttered aloud, I obviously have a lot of real respect for the city and I am glad to hear that it hasn’t just been mostly ruined in the way I had imagined it. This is a good lesson in taking any media you see about a place whose name will get clicks/engagement just by virtue of the aura of the place (New York, Chicago, San Francisco, etc) with several grains of salt. If I was only familiar with Chicago through media I’d think it was some super dangerous place when it definitely isn’t categorically. 

[samuraiisms]

The Land of Iron: Pokemon AU

While the rest of the world may enjoy a plethora of fair and foul weather, the Land of Iron remains a constant; the icy landscape having become a veritable breeding ground for some of the most powerful Pokemon Trainers in the world. Aside from their dogged Gym Leaders and top notch Elite Four, they are also the only participating country in the March of Valor; a gauntlet of Pokemon Battles where a Trainer must fight with their team, one Trainer after the next, until the entire team has fainted.

Will you forge a stronger destiny here?

The First Gym: Tokeru Town

The Ground-Type Gym rests in the gateway of the Land of Iron, and the area is about as warm as the Land of Iron could possibly get for being trapped in eternal winter. Urakaku is its Gym Leader, the staunchly stubborn samurai governor of Tokeru Town and guardian to the gates. In fact, outsiders to the Land of Iron may not participate in the Gym Challenge without his permission, and later admission, to his Gym. Urakaku’s partner Pokemon Gastrodon also helps the samurai in protecting and continuing the farming community surrounding Tokeru Town.

Second Gym: Kariudo Village

A small town in the high forests where the road splits towards the East and West, Kariudo Village is a prolific ground for hunters of Pokemon. With some of the biggest variety of Pokemon types in their Black Forest, a wanderer will have nothing but luck whether they proceed East or West in finding new partners. The Dark Type Gym, resting in the depths of its sacred ground to Hoori, the God of the Hunt. The Gym Leader Hohohemi is not only a master collector of all types of rare Pokemon, but also a devious strategist and Trainer. With his wily Mightyena at his side, he’ll hunt down any quarry.

Third Gym: Iwahachi Town

To the East, where the mountains become steep and mining becomes more commonplace, you’ll find a rocky village built in the mountainside in the remains of old mines. Though rough on the outside, within lies an artful community dedicated to the mining of precious iron, the country’s namesake, and has many beautiful rock gardens. The Rock Type Gym, run by the elderly Kenshin, is a test of time. Laying in the center of the mountain, battered by an icy waterfall, Kenshin earns his endurance throughout the ages with his partner Stonjourner. If the weight is too heavy to bear, Kenshin may be more than you can handle!

Fourth Gym: The Iron Capital

The bustling Capital is the largest city in the Land of Iron, home of the daimyo and the illustrous Fighting-Type Gym. If you don’t get swept up shopping, you can tour the Iron Daimyo’s glorious palace, and even join in friendly duels for his amusement. The Daimyo pays well for energetic battles and many samurai Trainers set out to impress him. Harder to impress than even the daimyo, is the Fighting Gym Leader Otomo. Known as the Dragon Fist, this boiling pot of power and fury has sent many Gym Challenge hopefuls scrambling for cover. When his beloved partner Urshifu faces you, you’ll feel the Dragon’s rage!

Fifth Gym: Furin Village

A small, quiet village in the West, it sits atop a beautiful snow capped mountain range, and has some of the best views in the Land of Iron. It’s also no easy climb for those wishing to challenge the Normal-Type Gym, as the mountain is dangerous steep and swarming with aggressive Flying Pokemon who will swoop in out of nowhere. Gym Leader Masamune, the quiet, collected master Trainer, is reported to know all the secrets to maximizing even the weakest Pokemon’s full potential. Though Normal-Type Pokemon often pale in comparison to others, his powerful partner Staraptor is no laughing matter.

Sixth Gym: Sei-an City

A beautiful holiday getaway for the Land of Iron, Sei-an City rests atop a large lake, and is the home of many artisans. The home of the revered Ice Gym, Seian is easy to approach on foot, as the lake is frozen almost year round. Though you will have not trouble getting to the city, or finding fun souvenirs and artistic trinkets, you will be less capable of getting past Gym Leader Okisuke. The Gym Leader is known as the biggest obstacle for those wishing to continue travel in the West, and with a powerful Pokemon like Glaceon at his side, it’s no wonder. He’ll freeze you solid!

Seventh Gym: Kiken Heights

So close to the end you can see the Elite Four from its ice-tipped towers, Kiken Heights is a military town and complex with building so tall they have to be bolted to the mountains to keep them from swaying in the icy wind. The home of the Flying-Type Gym, Kiken Heights has tested the mettle of many samurai Trainers with a fear of falling. The only women in the Gym Challenge, twin Gym Leaders Tsumichiko and Jumichiko await at the tallest twin towers and duel their opponents from a distant pedastal in the sky. Each of their beloved Oricorio will leave you battered and speechless, and maybe with more than your fair share of vertigo!

Eight Gym: Tatomi Village

Despite being the home of the last Gym before the Elite Four, Tatomi Village is naught but a simple woodcutting village with thick forests and beautiful serenity and peace. This is less a place for adventure than it is for settling down after a long journey, but resist the urge to rest your heels for long. General Mifune, the Steel-Type Gym Leader and one of the strongest Trainers in the Land of Iron, awaits as both teacher and master to all who challenge him. Having taught and groomed several other Gym Leaders before, he and his Bisharp have stood the test of time again and again, and their defeat is an admission to one of the highest honors available.

Elite Four:

The Iron Road is one of the most brutal landscapes in the country, not only peppered with Trainers hoping to make it up the summit of the Mountain of Three Wolves, but also with icy slopes that will send any overly confident trainer sliding back to the beginning. And even then you must reckon with the mountain’s guardian, a powerful Pokemon that is said to be the guardian deity of the Land of Iron.

Elite Four Kusanagi: Grass Type

In his chamber, beset by large fresh pines, Kusanagi awaits as the Grass-Pokemon Master of the Elite Four. A woodcutter and natural conservationist of the Land of Iron, he has worked diligently to preserve the land’s natural beauty and wildlife through his conservation efforts. His Chesnaught has been with him since he was a boy, and makes him no walk in the park.

Elite Four Murasame: Poison Type

Though he has a scary face and a room full of incense burners surrounded by a pit of liquid tar, Murasame is shockingly casual, and a former incense merchant who ended up going on a Pokemon journey of his own. Though he gets a bad rep for his Pokemon Type, he claims that within every poison is an antidote, a medicine, and he has no regrets. Neither should he, his partner Nidoking will shut down any offenses against him in rapid time.

Elite Four Kawako: Water Type

While the room is flooded by crisp, clean spring water, it is also surrounded by ice, the melting glaciers. The refined, quiet Kawako rests here as mistress of the Water-Type Pokemon, a former resident of Sei-an City and an elegant dancing master as well. Though the land is perpetually covered in ice and snow, Kawako reminds the world of the purity of their water, and of their bond to the earth. Indeed, for her Politoed is not just a water conservationist, but a wily Pokemon to beat.

Elite Four Narukami: Electric Type

A ground impaled with swords is a dangerous place to play when a lightning storm brews above. With the room occasionally lit up with violent lightning, it’s no wonder Narukami’s challenge is one of the most gripping and unnerving ones to date. A fierce warrior and trainer, Narukami cares for nothing more than strength and improvement through training. And few are ready to disagree with his outlook. His partner Luxray has silenced more than its fair share of Trainers who thought they could cross him.

The March of Valor:

To those who have challenged the Elite Four, win or lose, they earn a place in the March of Valor. Arguably it’s the most difficult challenge in the world; competitors fight in a gauntlet of battles with their full team and limited healing items until at last each one is defeated. Though the fighting seems to go one forever, the challenge ends when a Trainer manages to defeat 100 challengers in a row, to which they receive the highest honor and decoration to any Pokemon warrior there is.

With the medal presented upon beating the March of Valor, a Trainer may visit any place he or she pleases in the Land of Iron, even into restricted areas containing the nesting grounds of dangerous Pokemon.

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Death Servitor Lore Pt 1

A response to this post about Death Servitors: this is not an exhaustive reference because it does not go into those deliberately created by Herzog, but it does pretty much cover those ‘traditional’ types of Death Servitor

There is more than one type of Death Servitor (aka Deadpool, Dead Servant, Dead Waiter):

Type one: Undead Zombie Deadpool, Awakened by Dragonkind with a special Word Spirit (EX Skill):

The rain splashed on Menek's face, drenching his hair. He and the Chinese man were less than half a foot apart, staring at each other's eyes, and the Yatcan long knife penetrated the opponent completely under Menek's all-out sprint, together with his solid metal armor. But this terrible penetrating injury was not fatal. The Chinese man's pupils were full of indifference and his hands held Menek's blade with great strength. 

The knife should go through the opponents heart, but the slightest heartbeat cannot be detected on the handle. 

"Deadpool!" 

Menek whispered, "It's a pity you can't be studied as a living body... you are already dead."Menek slowly drew the long  knife from the dead servants heart, letting the dead servant kneel at his feet, the flame reflecting the dead servant's body on the knife. The rain washed Menek's long knife and washed away the black blood from it. The silent north western Chinese men, a group of dead waiters, gathered from all around, surrounded the burning companions, silently revealed the sharp blades in their hands and untied their black ponchos

.Anjou: "My question is, who suggested to the Qing government to use the dragon "undead" as a force? Those who attack us? Those who can awaken Deadpool must have the same dragon blood as us.""...At the same time they transported a batch of deadpools of dragon blood to Hambug, and awakened them in Germany with the power of a Word Spirit"

Dragon Raja Prequel -- Wings of Mourning

Overwhelming fear suddenly surrounded Chu Zihang. He glanced at the speedometer at 120 kilometers per hour. Who can chase this Maybach on the elevated road while reaching out and knocking on the door?

The knock on the door rushed up, not alone, but three, five -- more and more figures gathered outside the car. They were covered with the rain water and stared at Chu Zihang condescendingly. A dazzling silver light came in from outside the window, illuminating the  pale faces of Chu Zihang and the man (his father). The man turned to look at Chu Zihang, trying his best to suppress the tremor in his voice, "Don't be afraid... son!"

The knock on the door turned into a harsh sound of a sharp object scratching on the steel and glass. Chu Zihang thought that it was the nails of the shadows.

The speed reached 180 kilometers per hour within a few seconds and it was still going on, because they could not get rid of those shadows. Mercury-silver light came in from all directions, and there were so many dark shadows surrounding the Maybach in the light. Standing silently like a group of death gods surrounding the bed of the dying. They opened their eyes together and their golden pupils were as bright as a torch.

Dragon Raja Two:  The Mourning Eyes

Type Two: Over threshold Hybrids turned Dragon Servants, called by dragons and oppose the the Secret party (Examples would likely include Mai Sakatoku, Enxi Su, and Renata (Zero)) Willing to die for their dragon Masters

Anjou: "The dragon gene is very special. Once the proportion exceeds 50% the dragon gene has the ability to change the human part of the gene. For this extremely aggressive gene, the human gene is inferior. After the dragon genes are revised again and again, eventually the hybrid will becomes very close to pure blood, the human part will be swallowed, and the dragon part will become more awakened.

Mingfei: "The result will become a pure blood dragon?"

Anjou: "It's infinitely close, but its never reachable. The principal sighed. "The Deadpool is also a sad race. They want to be pure bred, but they are different from real dragons. The true pure bred dragons are only ancient dragons. The ancient dragons regard these people as servants and drive them, but they don't recognize them. They look very much like humans and they are hard to be noticed in the crowd. Some of them have extremely long lifespans because of their blood. The purebred dragons will select some people from them. Transforming their bodies, making them between life and death. They hide their identities among generations of humans, waiting for the dragon kings to recover and prepare to meet them. In fact. They are our toughest enemies, as long as we are fully prepared, it is not difficult to kill a dragon king who is about to recover, but once the Deadpool interfere in the process, it will be very dangerous."

Menek: "Why? It is not easy for you to control the spirit of words like this. No matter how pure your blood is, it is not the ancient first generation or second generation dragon race, so you will be drained to death." Menek stepped back slowly, he did not expect his opponent to suddenly show a desperate offensive posture. This way of releasing power was poised to squeeze his opponent dry. He doesn't care about those deadpools. With Viscount Charlotte's flint lock and his Atcan long knife, the top elites of the secret party gather together. Deadpool does not have enough combat power without a leader and he has seriously injured the leader

.... "You say in Chinese you are 'burning the forest down to hunt?" Meneck said as he looked around, the dead waiters also approached at the same time, their bodies began to change, and their hands were stacked with scales, sharp as awls. The iron blue claws replaced the original hands. They seemed to be besieged by a pack of wolves, and the pack of wolves looked forward to the fresh meat.

"Because I can't go back to China, I knew before I set off that I have only one mission here, and you know it." The woman's (deadpool's) voice revolved with the storm, as if she rushed down from the sky carrying a majestic God.

"Dragon Raja Prequel -- Wings of Mourning

"But Rest assured, your dragon bloodline ratio does not exceed 50% and more than 50% of the students will not be admitted. Although their potential is far beyond ordinary people, the dragon bloodline will slowly assimilate them into dragon followers." Professor Guderian said.

Dragon Raja Book 1: Dawn of Fire

Type Three: Dragon Temple/Tomb Guardians (AKA Corpse Guard)

"Things in the legend. The corpses of dragons will not be corrupted for many years after death. The dragons use alchemy to concoct the corpses of their own kind and use them as guardians of the city. This is a forbidden technique, until the time of the ancient Egypt. The corpses of pharoahs and nobles were reprocessed with this technique in an attempt to make them immortal but they were only able to preserve the corpses, but failed to preserve the activity of nerves and muscles, so they could not create real walking corpses." Caesar said, "If this is a dragon city, the corpse must be buried vertically in the middle of the foundation, the blood of the embryo woke them up! Damn it! Some one must have done this deliberately. The Lenin rushed into the ruins with the embryo to activate this Ancient city!"

Chu Zihang saw from the observation window below, scarlet water mist gushing from the ground of the ruins, and the dragon blood flowing under the ruins filled the ground, and slender living creatures crawled out of the cracks in the ground. The cracks envelope these baby's after birth. Their bodies glowed with a metallic luster, and their pupils were ferocious golden. Because they were sleeping for too long, they could not get up, crawling on the seabed, twisting their slender lower body. But the body, after being nourished by the dragon blood immediately recovered its ancient strength,. They leaped suddenly, swinging their long tails and floating up quickly. "Snake tail... human body." Chu Zihang said softly, "These are not purebred dragon, they were also hybrids before when they were alive. This is not a dragon city, but it was built by the ancestors of today's hybrids!"

Dragon Raja III: Black Moon Tide

To be continued.....

[ratac1d]

AFK Arena Tips, Tricks, and Heroes for the Abyssal Expedition

The Abyssal campaign was pretty fun. It was an entirely different occasion, with various procedures, groups, and managers. There was a great deal to take in, and every little thing about it was new to the point that not many had a smart thought of how to beat it until two or three days.

Luckily, that was the first. Like they evidently state about nurturing, it's just terrifying the first run through on the grounds that you don't have the foggiest idea what you're doing. Thus, we have the experience, and luckily, we'll have a genuine responsibility from all players (on the off chance that you do the precious stone enlistment thing), so this time it will be incredible.

Anyway, for what reason am I making this post? All things considered, there's a great deal of ground to cover in this occasion. It's a misuse of endurance to utilize your full LB meta group in a powerless spot, and luckily, you don't need to! Here are a few hints, stunts, and saints I'd recommend executing into your techniques:

1. Use as hardly any saints as conceivable in a battle.

In deep, there's an endurance meter for each saint. They start off with 60 energy and gain 4 consistently. Most fights require 12 energy from each legend required to begin, and you get some back by beating the stage with certain conditions. One star on the off chance that you beat it, a star if no one kicks the bucket in the fight, and a star on the off chance that you win inside 30 seconds of the beginning. Each star you acquire gives both of you energy back, which means you can net a deficiency of just six energy.

Be that as it may, here's an interesting point: you could utilize four legends in a fight to get three stars on a fight, or utilize one saint to two-star it (in the event that you win a performance, the base is two stars since you'd lose on the off chance that somebody kicked the bucket). Without a doubt, the four saints lose less energy independently, however you'll generally lose 24 energy, rather than losing 8 by soloing it. Particularly if it's a saint you wouldn't regularly use in a group comp in any case, it's very justified, despite any trouble to solo it at whatever point you can. (Except if it requires 3 legends to one star when you realize you can three-star with five, at that point it's a deficiency of 30 energy in any case.)

2. (modified) Have a solid list from the beginning.

A significant piece of this occasion is the honored embodiment. It tends to be utilized to purchase relics, which buff legends in various branches. (More on branches in another tip.) Blessed quintessence is obtained from taking out towns, towns, and urban communities. Notwithstanding, the underlying buffs from the tree (regarding HP, atk, def) presumably won't sufficiently be to quickly begin running your Elite+ and Legendary saints.

Accordingly, my recommendation is utilize your acceptable saints at a high rising except if A, they as of now work at lower climbs (Mehira for instance) or B, they're a manager executioner (like Cecilia or Saurus). At that point, when the branches begin arriving at lv 2 or 3 when the detail buffs make climbs practically inconsequential, you can begin turning out with the E+ young men.

Fundamentally, attempt to plan what saints you put in your list so you can limit energy use and augment results (grimy deeds done bargain basement, I needed to). You just get 10-25 saints relying upon your position, so pick shrewdly!

3. Construct your branches, particularly the ones you use.

Much the same as in the ordinary game, the Abyssal campaign has a tree, with branches that buff the saints in them. In contrast to the customary game, be that as it may, each branch is great (if you don't mind buff mage branch). You won't turn out badly in building any of them, so attempt to organize the branch you have numerous legends in, and on the off chance that you have any saints in it, buff the officer branch too (likely the best one of the five). In any case, you'll most likely need to overhaul each branch for journeys, and it's simply a smart thought to do that in any case. That is to say, it isn't so costly, so what do you need to lose?

4. Facilitate with the civilian army and construct common trust.

This occasion is certainly not an independent occasion. You'll presumably be separated from everyone else for the main day or two, however attempt to associate with different players as fast as could be expected under the circumstances. Since players that are associated can assault anyplace associated with a common like, your gathering will advance route quicker than if there were 70 lines made a beeline for the last chief.

On a comparative note, you'll likely need to collaborate with another person to take out your first towns and urban communities since they're so troublesome. Simply know that the individual who murders the last adversary involves the region that was all in all battled for, so make certain to inquire as to whether they need it before you kill it after another gathering was at that point attempting to take it. That is simply mean. Have the activity to help other people before they help you, it will pay off over the long haul since you'll have the option to rapidly trust everyone around you. I realize that seems like some sort of kindergarten educator stuff to state (no offense to any kindergarten instructors out there), however it's actual, it caused me out so much the last time and made the occasion more fun.

So those were the principle tips and deceives I needed to discuss, presently for some saints I utilized that were great:

Orthros Icon

1. Orthros–obviously they're revamping the tank branch (presumably in light of the number of individuals griped about Orthros), however I figured that on the off chance that you can't beat em, join em! He was truly tanky last time; even at L+, he was killing it! Likely in light of the fact that risings don't make a difference that much yet whatever.

Fundamentally, Orthros has an aloof capacity where he gets more max HP until he's at 150% of his base, at that point mends 3% of his HP consistently. That doesn't seem as though a great deal, yet since he has 1.5 occasions his maximum HP, it's more similar to 4.5% of his HP every second. The tank branch at that point expanded HP regen by half, which means he was mending practically 7% of his HP every second. That, alongside his ult, which let him recuperate even in halted time, made him practically unkillable except if you had silly blasted harm or Ferael/Oden. Talking about…

Oden Icon

2. Oden–another instance of "in the event that you can't beat em, join em." When he was on the foe side, he truly screwed with your group. He moves legends into one another, takes their energy, and does gigantic AoE harm, particularly when he gets his eyes opened.

Clearly, that implies you can gain by it by utilizing him in your group! Consolidate him with another AoE unit (like perhaps Skriath or… no not going to make reference to him), and you have a wombo combo, dynamic couple, um… torment train, energy pick up, Bruce Wayne. (what am I sayn'?)

Warek Ascended

3. Warek–so you think about mission Warek? Better believe it, he kinda sucks to battle against, and you know why. However, imagine a scenario where I revealed to you that he could do that for you.

Warek on your side with overhauled may is a beast. Envision him in the mission, yet about twice as great and can solo an adversary group with no issue (so fundamentally envision him twice as great, he could as of now devastate me). This Madlad can be utilized at any climb in view of the base detail buff, yet clearly, he will improve a SI and stuff. That is to say, you're presumably previously utilizing him for supervisor battles, you should mess around with him somewhere else.

Estrilda Ascended

4. Estrilda–she's likely the legend that is polished the third-most by the powerful tree. Where Warek was a unit, Estrilda is a super unit, with all the AoE she bargains and the existence siphon she gains from the tree. Once more, you're presumably utilizing her as of now, yet she can without much of a stretch performance battles on the off chance that you need to rapidly move to certain urban communities or a chief.

Rigby Icon

5. Rigby–(Quick aside here, I will let you folks realize that Rigby is my #1 legend in the game. I use him a great deal, so I know a ton about what he can do.) If saints like Warek and Estrilda picked up great buffs from the might branch, Rigby turns into a beast with it. Envision a saint with 90% harm decrease, more than 150 scurry, and huge loads of life siphon when he's at low HP. As far as I might be concerned, that is the meaning of OP, and you'll certainly observe it on the off chance that you use him. He can likewise harm supervisors, not exactly Saurus level yet at the same time strong generally speaking.

That is pretty much all I need to state on this. I will likely refresh this post as I experience the occasion for the subsequent time, regardless of whether to add more tips and deceives or to share some offbeat legends that my gathering has had accomplishment with. I trust this is a decent first guide, I plan on adding more here!

Read more about Abyssal Expedition here.