wishfulwonderer

[wishfulwonderer]

For 15 years, Team Fortress 2 has stood as a bastion to the casual shooter scene. As the rest of the world moved on to competitive this and competitive that, TF2 remained a simple and safe place to run around like morons shooting one another with hapless abandon.

It brings people together. It put me in a team of 9 as their engineer in Highlander (one of each class per team) and introduced me to friendships I'll hold for a lifetime. It brought nine random dudes across the globe together, and when our spy lost his fight with depression, it made us realize just how blessed we were to know him and take solace in knowing that the memories he left with us would stand, even if he was gone. That he would be loved and missed.

More recently it's brought friends I've known my whole life back into frame, giving us stuff to do together and room to hang out and just be ourselves. Talking about gameplay and matches could take me hours and I'd cover no ground not already tread. What I would instead like to talk about is this community. We've fought tooth and nail to keep the fire lit under this game long after Valve left it to rot. WE kept it alive. YOU kept it alive.

[Pic by u/alex8508 LINK > https://www.reddit.com/r/tf2/comments/uy4nin/my_contribution_to_savetf2/ ]

If you asked me now what I'd do if I could go back and change about TF2.

Not one damn thing.

Not Valve, not the hackers, not the bots, none of it. What has happened has happened and it was an awful downpour, but it brought us all together. We poured memes onto reddit over localization file updates, cried at the loss of Rick May, and cheered when Robin Atkin Downes heard our MEDIC call and came running! We're here, right now crying out our love into the void because we love this damn game so much.

Close to 50 million people around the globe have played this game over 15 years of ups and downs. TF2 holds a special place in the world of gaming, and has earned every ounce of love and respect laid upon it.

Content creators, modders, weapon designers, map makers, competitive professionals, entire other game communities all coming together today, May 26th, just to show the world how much we love this game in the small hope it wont fall on the same deaf ears. Today we celebrate what we love!

It's true I wouldn't change it's past, but now is the chance to carve out the future. Hear us Valve! We are your customers, your players, your loyal fans. Lets shout it from the rooftops! #SAVETF2

[wishfulwonderer]

Dave Prowse, the legendary physical form of Darth Vader, has passed...

Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020

Gone at 85.

Prowse went on to make his film debut in 1967 James Bond spoof Casino Royale playing Frankenstein's Creature, a part he was asked to play again in two films from the iconic Hammer film series, 1970's Horror Of Frankenstein and 1974's Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell.

He also regularly featured on cult series such as The Saint, Space 1999 and Doctor Who, in which he was cast as a minotaur in the 1972 episode The Time Monster. He even became Christopher Reeve's personal trainer for the physical demands of his role as Superman.

Prowse was invited to audition for the roles of both Darth Vader and Chewbacca in 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope later choosing Vader over Chewbacca because "you always remember the bad guys".

With the success of Star Wars, Prowse became a regular on the fan circuit and attended conventions around the world for almost 40 years, but he was rumored to have later fallen out with director Lucas and was banned from official events in 2010.

Despite the enduring clamor for Star Wars, the actor always maintained that playing the Green Cross Code Man, which he first portrayed in 1975, was the "best job I ever had". Green Cross became the face of British road safety for more than a decade, known for the catchphrase "Stop, look and listen".

Leave it to THE Darth Vader to prove the adage, "You either have a short career as the hero, or act long enough to see yourself become the villain."

Brought up in Bristol, he spent his later years living in Croydon "a loving husband, father and grandfather".

May the Force be with you, always. July 1, 1935 -  Nov. 29, 2020

[wishfulwonderer]

Consider the Following: Conceptual Engineer changes and my slow decline into madness, part deux.

 This’ll be a short one, so sit back in your rancho-relaxos and...

So it turns out that with the coming of my ideas also came findings similar to my ideas in the form of digging through code. The recordings of all these finds can be found below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKMI7aXyXrw  SPY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrMbktr-yAU  ENGINEER\

Valve News Network does as fantastic of a job here as he does on most of his video’s so show him some love if you can!

That second video is super important to me, only because there is a portion where using the PDA to change your dispenser and teleporter could have been implemented. Good times.

This also shows some of the ideas I brought up (mini dispenser) and new ones I HADN’T thought of (catapult, speed pad) and shows that is the direction they were going. So now I guess here is hoping that eventually happens. Gaben knows we need it.

[wishfulwonderer]

Consider the Following: Conceptual Engineer changes and my slow decline into madness.

So I've been playing for awhile, almost nine years and most of that time has been maining Engineer. I love him, he's this complicated balancing act of construction, resource management, placement, area denial, team transportation, and constant vicious spy checking. Now going forward into this barren update wasteland I'd like to bring up my thoughts on the possible Spy vs Engineer Update that never was.

In addition I'll showcase some workshop creations that I both enjoy and visualize my intended ideas. Of course check those guys out and give them bid YES to be part of TF2!

I'll pretty much be covering the Engineer part of it, but if any spies would like to chime in down in the comments or even make your own post, by all means please. Just because your a devilish Frenchman doesn't mean I don't respect ya.

Important to note before I begin that when I cast these ideas into the void, I don't know if they'll be balanced or not. I'm just throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks.

Now onto the main event. Grab your Gamer Fuel and Doritos, sit back, relax and...

So lets step in with the biggest change I’ve had on my mind for a long while.

- The PDA becomes the changing factor for your building loadout

This has been an idea I've ruminated on since the gunslinger's first appearance. Why would the wrench change the gear, when it's the PDA that handles buildings normally? What I propose is a set of different PDAs that change what gear you have just as the Gunslinger changes your sentry.

This doesn't necessarily mean moving the Gunslinger's change to a PDA, maybe the wrench can dictate the Sentry gun and the PDA just effects the other buildings. Or maybe move it all, whichever is more balanced.

- Building variety

The bottom line is there need to be more buildings for Engineer in TF2. I love Engineer, I've played him since orange box on my console into PC for like six years and now I just want more for him.

Give me a fast deploying, non-upgradable dispenser like the mini-sentry.

Give me a slow recharging teleporter that only builds an entrance, but people teleport to MY LOCATION.

Give me a PDA that makes all my buildings take like 20% less damage, but everything can only go to lvl 2. Imagine the sick building models all covered in kick ass armor like THIS

Give me a Cannon Sentry that hits like a truck but takes forever to fire again so pushing on it when my team is dead is easy.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=5860

Give me utility replacements for my buildings, if they came up with some creative stuff I'd absolutely run a sentryless or dispencerless Engineer.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=21057

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=109919233

How about a PDA that turns your dispenser and sentry into the same building? It doesn't fire at enemies, but instead FIRES AMMO BOXES AT YOUR TEAM FOR RANGED RESUPPLY!

- War Paint, Unusual Effects, and Skins can be applied to the PDA, which then also transfer the buildings.

Maybe this one is asking to much, but could you imagine rounding a corner to see a level 3 Professional Strange Cloudy Moon Ghost Town Sentry? How about a Strange Isotope Balloonicorn Sentry? Shut up and TAKE MY MONEY.

- New Weapons Firstly for this section, Uncle Dane has got me covered. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zplSFTJgPdY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB7e-EXjbqA

If those aren’t enough? How about a double barrel shotgun?

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=7350

Or maybe a cowboy style rifle firing slugs so we can finally fight at medium range? 

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1571718515

The point is, we need more variety for the Engineer. I believe Spy and Engineer both have the least class items in the game. We could use a little boost and these are just some of the ideas I’ve seen or come up with. Here’s to hoping we land something like these eventually.

~ Graybard

[wishfulwonderer]

Just...

Perfection

[wishfulwonderer]

Stan Lee, co-founder of Marvel Comics and legend has passed today...

Monday, Nov. 12, 2018

Gone at 95.

Born Stanley Martin Lieber on Dec. 28, 1922, in New York City, Lee started his career as an office assistant at Timely Comics in 1939. As a teen, Lee said he was working odd jobs to help his parents pay the bills, when he heard about the position.

Beginning in the 1960s, Lee in conjunction with the artistic machismo Jack Kirby, gave his comics life and personality. Until then, comic book headliners like those of DC Comics were square and well-adjusted, but Stan's heroes had human foibles and hang-ups; Peter Parker/Spider-Man, for example, fretted about his dandruff and was confused about dating and their evildoers were a mess of psychological complexity.

The importance of his works can't be understated. I grew up reaching for the oldest comics in the pile to fill my days, not with television, but with Spiderman, the X-men, and Thor. Marvel as a whole was... is a lifelong obsession of mine.

Jack Kirby and Stan's creations were beloved by millions of readers for decades before becoming a multibillion-dollar movie empire that dominated box offices in the 21st century. He spanned the globe with unforgettable names and the love they put into their craft is what will make their creations immortal.

You taught me to stand up for what was right, to be a better me tomorrow than yesterday and that with great power comes the greatest responsibility.

And now another titan falls.

We will never forget you Stan. Dec. 28, 1922 -  Nov. 12, 2018

[wishfulwonderer]

Consider the Kitty...

This is a rough one to write. I’m not sure really where to begin, so I’ll take a random step and then just pile into what I have to say.

So THIS

...is Rumble.

She’s a sweet cat, if not a bit pointy. My good friend/ roommate has had her for a little over a year now and in that time I’ve also gotten attached to her (as one does to poof-balls of fuzz).

(SHE’S SO CUTE I WANNA DIE!)

We all call her Nugget, because when my roommate Cody first got her, she was so small she fit into the palm of his hand and she looked like a little chicken nugget.

The “she/her” honorific is more of a guideline as what we’ve always used rather than hard facts, as we found early on that she is actually a Hermaphroditic cat. (she has de lady-balls).

So why I am here is due to a situation that has developed with little Nugget. So since around early winter last year our house has been drowning in a monsoon of flees. Flee bombs, flee baths, anti-flee everything and we’re still not free of the little monsters.

Because of the flees she got worms. And because of the worms her kidney’s became overtaxed... and are failing. That’s the one among many possible other issue we’re aware of.

We don’t yet know if Nugget’s gonna be okay. Cody’s not even sure if he has the savings to pay for her treatment. I don’t want Nugget to die and so I’ll help, but I’m also broke. So as much as it stings my pride to ask for help, my pride is a small cost to save Rumble.

(Yes Nugget! Praise the machine spirit! Praise the Omnissiah!)

I wont beg or plead, merely hope that just a few people who see this will reach out and give us a helping hand. Anything and everything helps.

The gofundme is here -> https://www.gofundme.com/kitten039s-hospital-bills

And to everyone who simply read this far and gave us even these moments of your time. Thank you.

[wishfulwonderer]

Reunited

So there isn’t much to theorize right now, at least not enough for a full Consider the Following. So I decided that I might as well show you something to pass the time, especially with a possible hiatus on the horizon.

So here is a bunch of shots I preferred from “Reunited”.

WARNING! THIS IS SPOILER HEAVY WARNING FOR “REUNITED”! ———————– ———————– ———————– ———————– SPOILERY SPEELERS SPOILS! You were warned! ———————– ———————– ———————– ———————–

Now just look how cute this bunch is here with all their fancy dress up clothes all coming out to support their two friends that also make a third friend and THAT’S SO CUUUUUTE!

JUST LOOK AT UM!

Me for most of this wedding...

Now that is a style I can get behind, look at just the synced up design in their fusion clothes!

Not sure what Ronaldo is saying here, but Bismuth’s face is either one of confusion at his stupidity or confusion at how he knows so much about armor craft.

I mean who knows right? Ronaldo might actually know his stuff... Nah...

And Then here comes the friggin Diamonds to crash the party, gotta go smashing the place up thinking that disturbing the cluster will just end this fight but NOPE.

BAM!

HERE COMES CLUSTER TO THROW YOU INTO THE WORST HURTLOCKER OF YO LIFE! GIVE YOU THE OLD RAZZLE DAZZLE!

LAAAAAAAAPIIIIIIIIIIS! Yes I dislike what you did before, but your character growth has been good and I did miss you. And what an entrance! Girl was made for the dramatic.

AGRICULTURE RAINS FROM ABOVE!

JUUUUST LOOOOK AAAAT THEEEEEEEEM! YOU’RE ALL DORKS AND WE LOVE YOU!

I’ve felt worse... Than like six thousand years of grieving a close family member?

GOOD GREEN GREMLINS! LAPIS WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT MIRROR?

They are, in fact, the Crystal Gems. Battle stances and all.

Cluster Bro is good to go.

PERIDOT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

So here is where I’d like to state rather than screencap the beautiful scenes leading up to Steven talking the Diamonds down, cause like holy crap. There is no one shot or reasonable number of shots I could have taken that would fit on this post.

High notes are how his barely passing through all of them fills them with the weight if his whole heart. They change so drastically when he’s around and even the slightest touch gives them so much hope.

And then seeing the impact of that on the Diamonds! His heart is so powerful it stops the diamonds dead in their tracks. These scenes, in short order and along with examining Blue Diamond’s powers, explain why he’s so lovable to everyone around him. He exudes an aura of his pure love for everyone and everything he meets!

And then HIS AURA EXPLODES AT THE END LIKE BLUE’S LAMENT BUT INSTEAD WITH ALL THE LOVE IN HIS HEART!

AND NOW WE HAVE THE TURNING POINT! THE FUTURE IS NOOOOOW!

And now we have to wait for the hiatus to be over... ;~;

And with some fan cohesion and a lot of memes, we’ll get there. The long dark cometh, and we must stand as one to reach its zenith!

[wishfulwonderer]

At least you’re out of the bathroom Peri

Im SoPROUD OF YOUu

[wishfulwonderer]

SHE’S BACK!

SHE’S BACK! BISMUTH IS BACK! SHE’S BACK YEEEEEEEEEEEAAH!

Oh yeah, and some decent Peridot too. :D

[wishfulwonderer]

Ruby’s signature...

SHE WAS GONNA SIGN GARNET! YOU CAN JUST SEE T HE G! ;~;

[wishfulwonderer]

John Bain aka TotalBiscuit, passed away today...

From “WoW Radio” to “WTF is...”, Shoutcraft to Co-optional Podcast, his content stretched over a plethora of game genres and his fan base numbered in the millions. He was a pillar among many communities, a titan of the gaming industry, and a hero to aspiring content creators everywhere.

Why does the world have to take some of the best people?

Best regards to his family, and may he forever live on in our hearts. May forever his legacy be an example to reviewers everywhere, that to stand up for your belief in what is right and consumer friendly is more powerful than any coin they could ever offer.

May his heaven be made of perfect clarity monitors that run at 1000 fps with option sliders of the finest caliber.

Also fuck cancer, may it die in a dumpster fire explosion.

[wishfulwonderer]

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING

Nerding Out Corner - A Single Pale Rose

SPOILERS! BE CAREFUL!

———————– ———————–  ———————–  ———————–  SPOILERS! You were warned. ———————–  ———————–  ———————–  ———————–

So here we are at last, after all this time and many hiatus’ (including a rather large hiatus of my own) we’ve arrived in Theory to Reality Central, population ROSEISREALLYPINKDIAMONDOMG.

So this long awaited post, I would like to go back and take a look at the oldest theory in the SU fandom. This will be short post, but I will try to pack in all I can to get your gears turning!

So please take this time to sit back, relax, and...

~Rose Quartz is Pink Diamond:

I always knew something was fishy about that quartz! Having un-quartz-like powers, her obsession with Humans that was shared with Pink Diamond (ie the human zoo), and so on. The answers finally come crashing out in the most high tension episode in the series so far IMO.

I don’t blame Rose... Pink... whoever for the deception, I completely understand. She wanted to live in a world where the overbearing authority of their culture was demolished in favor of gems expressing themselves to live and learn and love.

What kind of movement could she even have built when one of the very idols of oppression she stood against also led the charge to freedom? She made the mask of Rose, a Quartz soldier, the very definition of the cookie cutter in their society that would instead break that mold and defy that system. Someone that stood for the common Gem and move mountains to free those oppressed. That’s an idea ladies and gents, and ideas have this nasty habit of never saying die.

Remember that in many ways Pink was always Rose, she wore it all out on her sleeve, and didn’t want to think of herself as a Diamond anymore. She took up that persona to set everyone free, herself included. Rose Quartz was an idea Pink Diamond wanted to believe in. The dream that other gems would become like Rose, the belief that a lone Quartz soldier could change the world, to show Diamonds were not unstoppable, to set them all free.

And because of this falsehood, look how far they’ve come.

And sure we’ve had strife and hardship...

But that is what makes us grow...

And defy what others make and we perceive as the status quo...

She brought us here.

He brought us here.

Never forget that. 

===============================================

LIGHTNING ROUND

-So does this mean Steven will eventually develop the power to give commands that gems are unable to disobey?

-Is Steven going to end up growing to full Diamond size one day? Like attack of the 50 food Steven?

-And... does this mean the diamonds are Steven’s aunts?

Credits:

The elbow grease put into the long game on this show is ASTOUNDING and I cannot credit the crewniverse more for the work they’ve put into this show! Thank you Lady Sucrose for all you’ve done and may you all have a million peaceful years and all the praise in the universe.

[wishfulwonderer]

98% of the SU Fandom:

The 2% who believed in that certain theory:

[wishfulwonderer]

GODS AND KINGS I KNEW IT!

IKNEWIT IKNEWIT I KNEW SHE WAS WHO I THOUGHT SHE WAS PLAYING AS A GEM PLAYING ANOTHER GEM DISGUISED AS ANOTHER GEM DANG IT PEARL IKNEWIT I KNEW IT I KNEW IT YEEEEEEEEEEES!

[wishfulwonderer]

The motion to repeal Net Neutrality has been passed in a 3-2 vote

Before everyone losses their shit, I will like to urge everyone to talk a deep breath and focus on the following:

1: This cannot go into immediate effect.

2: There is still many issues that WILL be addressed by the Congress, Supreme Court, and many other government officials have a current say in the false comments, stolen idenities, denial of public hearings, and many other issues that the FCC did not address.

3: CALL. YOUR. OFFICALS. Do NOT give up, just because the vote has passed, don’t you DARE stop. Make this shit go front-page, make some NOISE.

DO. NOT. STOP.

[wishfulwonderer]

LETS WAKE UP AND GET TO WORK PEOPLE!

The FCC sided with Comcast and decided to let ISPs censor the internet. The Internet needs to stop this from happening: http://cms.fightforthefuture.org/tellfcc/

Last Wednesday, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler announced a proposal for new rules that would allow for a “ fast lane” of Internet traffic for content providers who are willing (and able) to pay a fee. [1] The proposal reverses the FCC’s previous commitment to net neutrality and open internet and allows ISP’s like Comcast or Verizon to slow down and censor services that don’t pay the toll.

We have to be totally honest, this situation is seriously grim. But there is still hope. The FCC already knows that the Internet community wants net neutrality, but they think they can put their spin on these new rules and sneak them through. If we can prove them wrong right now with a massive public outcry, we can literally save the Internet once again.

We need to stop the FCC now. Big business groups are already ramping up lobbying efforts with the FCC in swarms since Wednesday’s announcement in support of censoring the open Internet and to ensure this dangerous proposal moves forward. [2]

This is a critical moment. In the last few weeks more than 65,000 people have taken action with us. Can you help us get to 80,000 by the end of the day today?

[1] Gautham Nagesh. “FCC to Propose New ‘Net Neutrality’ Rules”. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304518704579519963416350296

[2] Edward Wyatt. Edward Wyatt. “Lobbying Efforts Intensify After F.C.C. Tries 3rd Time on Net Neutrality” http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/25/business/lobbying-efforts-intensify-after-fcc-tries-3rd-time-on-net-neutrality.html?hpw&rref=politics

  - Fight For The Future