Open core patcher monterey
OpenCoreLegacyPatcher
2023.01.15 17:01 Objective-Buffalo400 OpenCoreLegacyPatcher
Questions and hints about installing macOS on unsupported Macs using OpenCore Legacy Patcher. Posts regarding hackintoshes are going to be deleted. This community is not related to the maintainers of OCLP.
2010.08.26 04:04 BrowsOfSteel macOS
Reddit’s Home to Apple's Latest Operating System!
2021.06.02 13:43 MartinNobel_ MontereyPatcher
This subreddit has been locked down for the time being due to current moderators not having enough time to actively check the sub. Until further notice, support will be in the OCLP discord server below: OCLP Discord: https://discord.gg/aqnRKdYCwx
2023.06.03 00:45 Mikey087 Plague Surgeon Datesheet
 | submitted by Mikey087 to deathguard40k [link] [comments] |
2023.06.03 00:40 Bballer015 Good Deal?? --- Lenovo - Legion Slim 7i 16" Gaming Laptop
 | submitted by Bballer015 to GamingLaptops [link] [comments] |
2023.06.03 00:35 XIRedDevils NR200P Max - Sanity Check
Hey! I've been preparing and gathering components for my very first PC build, exclusively for gaming purposes. I wanted to check if there are any compatibility concerns with the parts I've selected. I'm also open to any suggestions you may have regarding the components.
Any help/advice would be appreciated!
PCPartPicker Part List
submitted by XIRedDevils to buildapc [link] [comments]
Any help/advice would be appreciated!
PCPartPicker Part List
| Type | Item |
|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor |
| CPU Cooler | Stock 280mm AIO |
| Motherboard | Asus ROG STRIX B650E-I GAMING WIFI Mini ITX AM5 Motherboard |
| Memory | G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 |
| Storage | Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME X2 |
| Video Card | NVIDIA Founders Edition GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB |
| Power Supply | V850 SFX GOLD 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply |
| Top Fan | Lian Li Uni Fan SL 70.5 CFM 140 mm Fans 2-Pack |
| Bottom Fan | Noctua A12x15 PWM chromax.black.swap 55.44 CFM 120 mm |
| Bottom Fan | Noctua A12x15 PWM chromax.black.swap 55.44 CFM 120 mm |
2023.06.03 00:32 XIRedDevils NR200P Max - Sanity Check
Hey! I've been preparing and gathering components for my very first PC build, exclusively for gaming purposes. I wanted to check if there are any compatibility concerns with the parts I've selected. I'm also open to any suggestions you may have regarding the components.
Any help/advice would be appreciated!
PCPartPicker Part List
submitted by XIRedDevils to sffpc [link] [comments]
Any help/advice would be appreciated!
PCPartPicker Part List
| Type | Item |
|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor |
| CPU Cooler | Stock 280mm AIO |
| Motherboard | Asus ROG STRIX B650E-I GAMING WIFI Mini ITX AM5 Motherboard |
| Memory | G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 |
| Storage | Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME X2 |
| Video Card | NVIDIA Founders Edition GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB |
| Power Supply | V850 SFX GOLD 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply |
| Top Fan | Lian Li Uni Fan SL 70.5 CFM 140 mm Fans 2-Pack |
| Bottom Fan | Noctua A12x15 PWM chromax.black.swap 55.44 CFM 120 mm |
| Bottom Fan | Noctua A12x15 PWM chromax.black.swap 55.44 CFM 120 mm |
2023.06.03 00:29 lbabinz [Best Buy] Weekly Top Deals Sale at Best Buy: June 2 - 8 (PlayStation Days of Play, Square Enix, 2K, Samsung Shopping Event, Smart Home Sale, Outlet Center, more)
Top Deals
Samsung Shopping Event
Smart Home Sale
Outlet Center Sale
Video Games
submitted by lbabinz to VideoGameDealsCanada [link] [comments]
Samsung Shopping Event
Smart Home Sale
Outlet Center Sale
Video Games
Video Games
Top Deals
Samsung Shopping Event
| Item | Sale Price | MSRP | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung 30" French Door Refrigerator; Electric Air Fry Range; Dishwasher; Cookware Set - Stainless | 2999.99 | 3749.96 | 749.97 |
| Samsung Galaxy Smarttag Bluetooth Item Tracker - Black | 27.99 | 39.99 | 12.00 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra 14.6" 256gb Android 11 Tablet W/ Qualcomm Sm8450 8-core Processor - Graphite | 1299.99 | 1499.99 | 200.00 |
| Samsung Hw-q750b/zc 5.1.2 Channel Wireless Dolby Atmos Sound Bar W/ Wireless Subwoofer & Speakers | 599.95 | 1099.95 | 500.00 |
| Samsung 55" 4k Uhd Hdr Led Tizen Smart Tv (un55cu7000fxzc) - 2023 - Titan Grey | 699.99 | 749.99 | 50.00 |
| Samsung 65" 4k Uhd Hdr Qled Smart Tv (qn65q60cafxzc) - 2023 - Titan Grey | 1199.99 | 1299.99 | 100.00 |
| Samsung T7 Shield 1tb Usb 3.2 External Solid State Drive (mu-pe1t0s/am) - Black | 119.99 | 149.99 | 30.00 |
Outlet Center
Smart Home Sale
2023.06.03 00:28 XIRedDevils NR200P Max - Sanity Check
Hey! I've been preparing and gathering components for my very first PC build, exclusively for gaming purposes. I wanted to check if there are any compatibility concerns with the parts I've selected. I'm also open to any suggestions you may have regarding the components.
Any help/advice would be appreciated!
PCPartPicker Part List
submitted by XIRedDevils to NR200 [link] [comments]
Any help/advice would be appreciated!
PCPartPicker Part List
| Type | Item |
|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor |
| CPU Cooler | Stock 280mm AIO |
| Motherboard | Asus ROG STRIX B650E-I GAMING WIFI Mini ITX AM5 Motherboard |
| Memory | G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 |
| Storage | Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME X2 |
| Video Card | NVIDIA Founders Edition GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB |
| Power Supply | V850 SFX GOLD 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply |
| Top Fan | Lian Li Uni Fan SL 70.5 CFM 140 mm Fans 2-Pack |
| Bottom Fan | Noctua A12x15 PWM chromax.black.swap 55.44 CFM 120 mm |
| Bottom Fan | Noctua A12x15 PWM chromax.black.swap 55.44 CFM 120 mm |
2023.06.03 00:26 Internal_Prune_5108 contracting 101
Residential Contracting 101
With over 20 years of building experience, I would like to share with you my insights in navigating becoming a successful contractor. With many different avenues of the building world its key to understand what problems will arise on any given day. A man once told a saying that stuck-the 6 p’s in life- Piss Poor Preparation leads to Piss Poor Performance. Preparation builds everything in construction, without preparation the jobsite will not run correctly. The best advice I was ever given was to learn a little about every trade giving you the ability to understand trade lingo and secrets. An example would be painters use the terminology flash; this means when the sub structure bleads through the paint. Subcontractors will give the best pricing if they respect your knowledge of the industry. If the subcontractor feels they will have to hold your hand through the job they will charge an extra fee…i.e. I call it the aggravation fee. In this blog I will explain the key elements in finding success in all aspects of the industry. Contracting is a physically and emotionally demanding job which requires planning and foresight to complete projects on time within budget. Picking your customer is just as important as picking your employees or subcontractors. I have worked for some of the most demanding customers leading me to question at the end if the job was even worth it. Sleepless nights, constant changes, lack of payment, lawsuit threats, adding work that was in the contract are just a few things you could face with a tough customer. With so many moving parts at all times it is critical to be able to adapt to changes within a short time frame. Materials will come in damaged, subcontractors will be late, employees will get sick, but the deadline you set does not change. The stress can be overwhelming at times keeping your mind in a good place is key to navigating all that is thrown at you. Choosing your client picking the right jobs-Keep these questions in mind The first question to be asked is what the time frame is to start the job to see if it fits within the timeframe for your business. If the time frame doesn’t work then move on from the project or let them know when you would be available to start. If the client really wants to use, they will wait until you are available. Taking on too much work will only lead to problems. Construction is a serviced based business, staying on top of the project and client will eliminate an unhappy customer and construction issues that will be over seen. With online presence if details are missed and customer service lacks it will only be a matter of time the phone will not ring. The second question to be asked to the client is do they have a budget in mind for the project. If they answer yes this is good, follow through with what the budget is. If the budget seems low let them know, this will eliminate a tire kicker, educate them on what the price range could be. If the budget seems reasonable then continue the discussion to the next question. If they answer no let them know that you can give them an estimate to see if the project is feasible with their finical capabilities. Taking on a job that is not correctly budgeted will lead to an unsatisfied customer due to non-transparency of the construction cost. The third question to be asked is anyone else bidding on the job, if the answer is yes, understand you might just be number check for the contractor doing the job. Dig a little deeper and find out how many numbers they are getting and why. If your business model is to be competitive be completely transparent with customer, this will gain trust with them. Let them know you get what you pay for and if you they choose the lowest bid it could lead into lack of quality of work.
The fourth question I will ask is there any specific subcontractors they wanted to use. If the answer is yes then I would explain to them you only use the subcontractors you have a working relationship with. Otherwise, this could backfire as the subcontractor might not show, do subpar work, talk behind your back to the homeowner. In my experience I would stay away from using any homeowner to alleviate problems down the road. A quick conversation now can save headaches down the road. The fifth question I will ask are planning on getting the job permitted, this needs to be known it takes more time for the permitting process. Plans will have to drawn submitted and approved to the city before work can commence. The sixth question I will ask if a residential remodel is are you going to be living through the remodel if yes understand this will take more time to navigate the project due to answering questions and cleaning the house on a daily occurrence. I would recommend seeing if the customer would be willing to move into an Airbnb or friends for at least the demo portion of the project. If they do plan on living through the remodel add a couple hours a day to accommodate the extra time that will be required. The seventh question I would ask in a residential remodel is how old the house is to see if there is asbestos that would need to removed by a proper company. A home built before 1979 will most likely have some asbestos in the house, use a licensed company with proper insurance to dispose of the materials. If everything looks good to this point find out a little more about the client personality. If the client seems reasonable, I would bid the job. Unreasonable people can cause you more stress than its worth. These are some red flags I would look out for. Some jobs are not worth the money. Very demanding in the way you are going to perform your job- I.e., tell you how you are going to do your job- You’re the professional not them! Give you a hard time about your price- haggle with price you estimated- The price is the price! If they are a family with little money and you want to help them out is one thing, if they are trying to beat you down is another. Mention they have a lawyer-there is no need for them to bring up that they have a lawyer - Run for the hills as if the job goes south, you will be the one losing out! Tell you what the payment terms are. It’s your business you get paid how it works for your company. If you want to get paid every Friday, put it into your contract-If the clients do not agree move on it will save you frustrations If they talk bad about the last contractor, chances are they will talk bad about you. There is a reason why the contractor does not work for them anymore, unless he did subpar work this a red flag Clients are using an interior decorator that will purchasing all of the materials- The materials could be ordered incorrectly by the interior designer your company will not make the mark-up it deserves. Interior decorators usually add time to the job as well as act like your boss. Charging a little extra for the time and stress that it will entail is only fair. Clients want to purchase the materials- You are using your knowledge to buy the correct materials-The mark up on the materials keeps the doors open working for wages only pays the bills The husband and wife do not get along-You will become the mediator between the couple it will lead to taking sides a losing proposition- A drama free work place is always best! Dangling carrot-if you do this job the next one will be better-Only look at what there offering at the present moment, if its not a good fit do not take the job for a job down the road…Its not worth chasing a job that might not happen! The Art of the Sale First things first selling your company is all about presentation. In meeting your clients for the first time show up with a collared golf shirt tucked in, belt, nice jeans, and newer shoes. Have a truck that a clean, no dents scratches, preferably washed the day you are going into your meeting. Have a leather note pad that is clean no dirt or paint visible. Show up 5 minutes early, if you’re running a little late shoot them a text to let them know. Treat the situation as if were going on a first date, best foot forward. As you introduce yourself give them a warm greeting, letting them know you are very interested in the work. Find out a little about them, hobbies, where they lived, etc etc. You are going to be working with them on a daily basis its nice to know what makes them tick. Having a good working relationship from the start is key forming a solid relationship. As the conversation progresses find out who wears the pants in the family…ie who’s the final decision maker. If its fits the wife, chances it is…..then kindly let the husband know happy wife happy life when their in a stall mate on an issue. As your looking at the project throw in some suggestions of what you think would look good from past experiences, this will get their attention that you have knowledge and want what’s best for them. If you see ways to save them money in their project let them know, money is a large point of the sale keep that in mind. Mention that you’re not the least expensive contractor but you’re not the most expensive either. Your customer satisfaction is your number one goal which leads to more time spent on keeping them happy. One happy customer will lead to another, one unsatisfied customer leads to work in the future. Bring up the fact the finishing the job on time is key goal to your business, many contractors run several jobs at once causing the jobs to be finished way behind schedule. You must stand out as having integrity, good morals, and the ability to problem solve to get the job. The clients will be testing you to see if you’re a good fit as well. Keep in mind as you take your notes that you must not forget anything they mention as it will come back before the job is completed…i.e. we mentioned that to you before we started the job! Take pictures of the proposed area for work, that way you can use it to better right your estimate. Let them know you will give them a detailed outline of when the job will be completed letting them see how long each phase will take and correlate it with your payment schedule. Before you leave their house let them know when the estimate will be sent to them. MAKE SURE YOU HIT THAT DEADLINE! Once you sent the email over with estimate make sure you get confirmation that they received it. Wait at least 2 days before checking with them, hopefully they contact you first! If they want negotiate the price, let them know that it is the best price that you can manage, its not worth losing money before you start. I closed 80% of the work I estimated by being very transparent and friendly. If you come off with an attitude charge double what the going rates are you might only land 1 out of 10 jobs as well as getting the reputation of being expensive. Bidding the job Looking up industry standards on pricing is what I would go buy for pricing. If you google the coat of any installation there will be a cost range for everything. Looking at the cost ranging from high to low I would tend to be in the middle. Some items might be low on the internet if this is the case use your best judgment not to lose money. Closing sales is key to success and keep the doors open for business. Being in the middle on pricing is key as most customers shy away from contractors that are extremely low or high on the price range. I tend not bid out hourly as wages do not pay for retirement. Bidding is better as customers no the exact price of the cost of construction. It also keeps the job moving quicker as time and material contractors take longer to complete projects…Thus costing the client more money and valuable time they could spend in their house. Using a Contract Using a detailed estimate tied to a contract covers your butt in 99% of the time. Having a piece of mind that every aspect of the job is covered in the estimate and contract protects both your company and the client. Key terms to include in your estimate/contract are. Have a schedule on excel showing the start dates and dates of each trade this will show the customer you are organized with time lines. If not written in the detailed in the estimate the item is excluded- This ensures if its not written down its not included. TBD- To be Determined- A phrase on a line item that has yet to had final decision of products or service needed. -The pricing will follow the decisions to be finalized Give out what your written warranty will be for parts and labor this changes state to state. If the homeowner provides the product than no warranty will be given on that particular item. In the contract have a start date and end date with the verbiage subject to change due to weather, product delivery, change orders Have a progress payment schedule to ensure the client understands when funding will be expected-Including if not payment is rendered service to the project will stop. Have written terms of how change orders will be charged-cost plus 20% or a set fee Make sure in your contract that arbitration is required versus going to court- This will save lawyer fees and going to court Many contracts can be found online and each state requires different contracts
Finding leads Finding leads is easy with the right network of people. I personally do not find working for friends or family members a good fit. Relationships get strained when money is involved, causing undue stress for both parties. I have listed a couple of ways to build a network or find work using the internet. Get in contact with realtor’s- Realtors have a big client base of homeowners who need work done Contact local Architects to see if they are working with any general contractors Leave some business cards at your local materials suppliers-Doowindow/lumber-many times clients will ask salesman for a referral. Join a business networking group- BNI is one of many Join a internet website lead generation company- Houzz, Angie’s List, Home Advisor, thumbtack, Yelp run an ad on craigslist Use a marketing company to market your website-This could become costly with little results Create a Facebook business page Create a Yelp business page
Building your subcontractor base Having 2 subcontractors for every trade, gives you the flexibility of completing jobs on time if the one the subcontractors is too busy at the time you need their service. Your subcontractors are the face of your business, choose owner run companies that are professional. Check to make sure there license are up to date..ie workman’s comp, liability insurance, state license. Choosing subcontractors with lettered vans, logoed t-shirts is s key to looking professional in the clients’ eyes. In the past I have gotten a lot of subcontractors for material supply shops, stopping by jobsites, researching the internet using Yelp, Home Advisor, etc etc. Once you get one good subcontractor ask them if they know any other trades they would recommend. One good subcontractor leads to another in most cases. The key to having a good group of subcontractors is to let them know that you are there to get help them get the job done. They do work for you but without them you are nothing…keep that in mind! Make them aware a clean jobsite is required at the end of everyday to ensure the proper safety for all parties including theirs! Over the years I have referred a lot of companies work when there is only 1 trade needed. Referring work to subcontractors is a good way to get top priority when you have work that needs to be completed ASAP. Timing is everything in times of emergency having a good group of subcontractors will make your business run smoothly. Pay your subcontractors immediately after performing work, this will make them feel appreciated! A happy subcontractor is one that will gladly go the extra mile for you knowing that there not just a number to your business! Buying lunch once a week for the jobsite is always a good token of appreciation!
Supervising In supervising any jobsite its key to monitor everything from materials on hand, weather, vehicle parking (if applicable), jobsite safety, and subcontractors’ workmanship. If you hired a professional there should be little supervision in the work being performed, on rare occasions a new hire might need some mentoring to get the results completed correctly. If you see a problem with there work address it with the worker directly, no need to call his boss…. building repour with the worker letting him know you got his back goes miles down the road! Checking in on the job first in the morning to answer any questions or changes that need to be conveyed and once in the afternoon to make sure all work be completed is done per construction industry standards. A job that is run blindly will have many more issues than one that is watched over. I have seen many jobs with no site supervision, leading to subpar quality work as well as safety hazards. Its better to be like an eagle than cluck like a turkey!
Working with the City/Inspectors On permitted jobs the city and site inspector will be a large part of how smoothly the job runs. Each phase of construction has an inspection allowing for the project to continue. Make sure your subcontractors are aware that the project is inspected before starting the job. The best way to stay on his good side is to provide a clean jobsite and having the job built to the highest standards possible. When having the site inspected be courteous to the inspector asking any questions or concerns you have with the work during the job. Being completely transparent will save you aggravation of problems down the road. The more he trust you the better if you seem sneaky or rude he will make your life a living nightmare! Many inspectors will have an attitude towards you….I suggest keeping quiet and doing what ever he wants….he’s the boss no need to get in a pissing match you will not win at. How to deal with irate customer Stay calm during any argument with an irate customer. Never raise your voice or show that you are bothered by their disgruntled behavior. If the customer is trying to get more from you than agreed upon stand your ground. Worst case scenario is you walk from the job, which in the long run be more of a loss for the client. I have only run into a couple of these clients; they are unreasonable and not worth losing sleep over a few dollars. Its best to terminate the relationship as it would be my best guess that a referral from this customer would not be one you wanted anyway. If you feel it was just a miscommunication on your end, take reasonability and remedy the problem. Taking accountability for your mistake will go a far way in their eyes and on future issues that arise. Prepping the homeowner pre-construction Before starting the job, it very important to give the homeowners a warning of what will happen during the construction process.
submitted by Internal_Prune_5108 to Contracting [link] [comments]
With over 20 years of building experience, I would like to share with you my insights in navigating becoming a successful contractor. With many different avenues of the building world its key to understand what problems will arise on any given day. A man once told a saying that stuck-the 6 p’s in life- Piss Poor Preparation leads to Piss Poor Performance. Preparation builds everything in construction, without preparation the jobsite will not run correctly. The best advice I was ever given was to learn a little about every trade giving you the ability to understand trade lingo and secrets. An example would be painters use the terminology flash; this means when the sub structure bleads through the paint. Subcontractors will give the best pricing if they respect your knowledge of the industry. If the subcontractor feels they will have to hold your hand through the job they will charge an extra fee…i.e. I call it the aggravation fee. In this blog I will explain the key elements in finding success in all aspects of the industry. Contracting is a physically and emotionally demanding job which requires planning and foresight to complete projects on time within budget. Picking your customer is just as important as picking your employees or subcontractors. I have worked for some of the most demanding customers leading me to question at the end if the job was even worth it. Sleepless nights, constant changes, lack of payment, lawsuit threats, adding work that was in the contract are just a few things you could face with a tough customer. With so many moving parts at all times it is critical to be able to adapt to changes within a short time frame. Materials will come in damaged, subcontractors will be late, employees will get sick, but the deadline you set does not change. The stress can be overwhelming at times keeping your mind in a good place is key to navigating all that is thrown at you. Choosing your client picking the right jobs-Keep these questions in mind The first question to be asked is what the time frame is to start the job to see if it fits within the timeframe for your business. If the time frame doesn’t work then move on from the project or let them know when you would be available to start. If the client really wants to use, they will wait until you are available. Taking on too much work will only lead to problems. Construction is a serviced based business, staying on top of the project and client will eliminate an unhappy customer and construction issues that will be over seen. With online presence if details are missed and customer service lacks it will only be a matter of time the phone will not ring. The second question to be asked to the client is do they have a budget in mind for the project. If they answer yes this is good, follow through with what the budget is. If the budget seems low let them know, this will eliminate a tire kicker, educate them on what the price range could be. If the budget seems reasonable then continue the discussion to the next question. If they answer no let them know that you can give them an estimate to see if the project is feasible with their finical capabilities. Taking on a job that is not correctly budgeted will lead to an unsatisfied customer due to non-transparency of the construction cost. The third question to be asked is anyone else bidding on the job, if the answer is yes, understand you might just be number check for the contractor doing the job. Dig a little deeper and find out how many numbers they are getting and why. If your business model is to be competitive be completely transparent with customer, this will gain trust with them. Let them know you get what you pay for and if you they choose the lowest bid it could lead into lack of quality of work.
The fourth question I will ask is there any specific subcontractors they wanted to use. If the answer is yes then I would explain to them you only use the subcontractors you have a working relationship with. Otherwise, this could backfire as the subcontractor might not show, do subpar work, talk behind your back to the homeowner. In my experience I would stay away from using any homeowner to alleviate problems down the road. A quick conversation now can save headaches down the road. The fifth question I will ask are planning on getting the job permitted, this needs to be known it takes more time for the permitting process. Plans will have to drawn submitted and approved to the city before work can commence. The sixth question I will ask if a residential remodel is are you going to be living through the remodel if yes understand this will take more time to navigate the project due to answering questions and cleaning the house on a daily occurrence. I would recommend seeing if the customer would be willing to move into an Airbnb or friends for at least the demo portion of the project. If they do plan on living through the remodel add a couple hours a day to accommodate the extra time that will be required. The seventh question I would ask in a residential remodel is how old the house is to see if there is asbestos that would need to removed by a proper company. A home built before 1979 will most likely have some asbestos in the house, use a licensed company with proper insurance to dispose of the materials. If everything looks good to this point find out a little more about the client personality. If the client seems reasonable, I would bid the job. Unreasonable people can cause you more stress than its worth. These are some red flags I would look out for. Some jobs are not worth the money. Very demanding in the way you are going to perform your job- I.e., tell you how you are going to do your job- You’re the professional not them! Give you a hard time about your price- haggle with price you estimated- The price is the price! If they are a family with little money and you want to help them out is one thing, if they are trying to beat you down is another. Mention they have a lawyer-there is no need for them to bring up that they have a lawyer - Run for the hills as if the job goes south, you will be the one losing out! Tell you what the payment terms are. It’s your business you get paid how it works for your company. If you want to get paid every Friday, put it into your contract-If the clients do not agree move on it will save you frustrations If they talk bad about the last contractor, chances are they will talk bad about you. There is a reason why the contractor does not work for them anymore, unless he did subpar work this a red flag Clients are using an interior decorator that will purchasing all of the materials- The materials could be ordered incorrectly by the interior designer your company will not make the mark-up it deserves. Interior decorators usually add time to the job as well as act like your boss. Charging a little extra for the time and stress that it will entail is only fair. Clients want to purchase the materials- You are using your knowledge to buy the correct materials-The mark up on the materials keeps the doors open working for wages only pays the bills The husband and wife do not get along-You will become the mediator between the couple it will lead to taking sides a losing proposition- A drama free work place is always best! Dangling carrot-if you do this job the next one will be better-Only look at what there offering at the present moment, if its not a good fit do not take the job for a job down the road…Its not worth chasing a job that might not happen! The Art of the Sale First things first selling your company is all about presentation. In meeting your clients for the first time show up with a collared golf shirt tucked in, belt, nice jeans, and newer shoes. Have a truck that a clean, no dents scratches, preferably washed the day you are going into your meeting. Have a leather note pad that is clean no dirt or paint visible. Show up 5 minutes early, if you’re running a little late shoot them a text to let them know. Treat the situation as if were going on a first date, best foot forward. As you introduce yourself give them a warm greeting, letting them know you are very interested in the work. Find out a little about them, hobbies, where they lived, etc etc. You are going to be working with them on a daily basis its nice to know what makes them tick. Having a good working relationship from the start is key forming a solid relationship. As the conversation progresses find out who wears the pants in the family…ie who’s the final decision maker. If its fits the wife, chances it is…..then kindly let the husband know happy wife happy life when their in a stall mate on an issue. As your looking at the project throw in some suggestions of what you think would look good from past experiences, this will get their attention that you have knowledge and want what’s best for them. If you see ways to save them money in their project let them know, money is a large point of the sale keep that in mind. Mention that you’re not the least expensive contractor but you’re not the most expensive either. Your customer satisfaction is your number one goal which leads to more time spent on keeping them happy. One happy customer will lead to another, one unsatisfied customer leads to work in the future. Bring up the fact the finishing the job on time is key goal to your business, many contractors run several jobs at once causing the jobs to be finished way behind schedule. You must stand out as having integrity, good morals, and the ability to problem solve to get the job. The clients will be testing you to see if you’re a good fit as well. Keep in mind as you take your notes that you must not forget anything they mention as it will come back before the job is completed…i.e. we mentioned that to you before we started the job! Take pictures of the proposed area for work, that way you can use it to better right your estimate. Let them know you will give them a detailed outline of when the job will be completed letting them see how long each phase will take and correlate it with your payment schedule. Before you leave their house let them know when the estimate will be sent to them. MAKE SURE YOU HIT THAT DEADLINE! Once you sent the email over with estimate make sure you get confirmation that they received it. Wait at least 2 days before checking with them, hopefully they contact you first! If they want negotiate the price, let them know that it is the best price that you can manage, its not worth losing money before you start. I closed 80% of the work I estimated by being very transparent and friendly. If you come off with an attitude charge double what the going rates are you might only land 1 out of 10 jobs as well as getting the reputation of being expensive. Bidding the job Looking up industry standards on pricing is what I would go buy for pricing. If you google the coat of any installation there will be a cost range for everything. Looking at the cost ranging from high to low I would tend to be in the middle. Some items might be low on the internet if this is the case use your best judgment not to lose money. Closing sales is key to success and keep the doors open for business. Being in the middle on pricing is key as most customers shy away from contractors that are extremely low or high on the price range. I tend not bid out hourly as wages do not pay for retirement. Bidding is better as customers no the exact price of the cost of construction. It also keeps the job moving quicker as time and material contractors take longer to complete projects…Thus costing the client more money and valuable time they could spend in their house. Using a Contract Using a detailed estimate tied to a contract covers your butt in 99% of the time. Having a piece of mind that every aspect of the job is covered in the estimate and contract protects both your company and the client. Key terms to include in your estimate/contract are. Have a schedule on excel showing the start dates and dates of each trade this will show the customer you are organized with time lines. If not written in the detailed in the estimate the item is excluded- This ensures if its not written down its not included. TBD- To be Determined- A phrase on a line item that has yet to had final decision of products or service needed. -The pricing will follow the decisions to be finalized Give out what your written warranty will be for parts and labor this changes state to state. If the homeowner provides the product than no warranty will be given on that particular item. In the contract have a start date and end date with the verbiage subject to change due to weather, product delivery, change orders Have a progress payment schedule to ensure the client understands when funding will be expected-Including if not payment is rendered service to the project will stop. Have written terms of how change orders will be charged-cost plus 20% or a set fee Make sure in your contract that arbitration is required versus going to court- This will save lawyer fees and going to court Many contracts can be found online and each state requires different contracts
Finding leads Finding leads is easy with the right network of people. I personally do not find working for friends or family members a good fit. Relationships get strained when money is involved, causing undue stress for both parties. I have listed a couple of ways to build a network or find work using the internet. Get in contact with realtor’s- Realtors have a big client base of homeowners who need work done Contact local Architects to see if they are working with any general contractors Leave some business cards at your local materials suppliers-Doowindow/lumber-many times clients will ask salesman for a referral. Join a business networking group- BNI is one of many Join a internet website lead generation company- Houzz, Angie’s List, Home Advisor, thumbtack, Yelp run an ad on craigslist Use a marketing company to market your website-This could become costly with little results Create a Facebook business page Create a Yelp business page
Building your subcontractor base Having 2 subcontractors for every trade, gives you the flexibility of completing jobs on time if the one the subcontractors is too busy at the time you need their service. Your subcontractors are the face of your business, choose owner run companies that are professional. Check to make sure there license are up to date..ie workman’s comp, liability insurance, state license. Choosing subcontractors with lettered vans, logoed t-shirts is s key to looking professional in the clients’ eyes. In the past I have gotten a lot of subcontractors for material supply shops, stopping by jobsites, researching the internet using Yelp, Home Advisor, etc etc. Once you get one good subcontractor ask them if they know any other trades they would recommend. One good subcontractor leads to another in most cases. The key to having a good group of subcontractors is to let them know that you are there to get help them get the job done. They do work for you but without them you are nothing…keep that in mind! Make them aware a clean jobsite is required at the end of everyday to ensure the proper safety for all parties including theirs! Over the years I have referred a lot of companies work when there is only 1 trade needed. Referring work to subcontractors is a good way to get top priority when you have work that needs to be completed ASAP. Timing is everything in times of emergency having a good group of subcontractors will make your business run smoothly. Pay your subcontractors immediately after performing work, this will make them feel appreciated! A happy subcontractor is one that will gladly go the extra mile for you knowing that there not just a number to your business! Buying lunch once a week for the jobsite is always a good token of appreciation!
Supervising In supervising any jobsite its key to monitor everything from materials on hand, weather, vehicle parking (if applicable), jobsite safety, and subcontractors’ workmanship. If you hired a professional there should be little supervision in the work being performed, on rare occasions a new hire might need some mentoring to get the results completed correctly. If you see a problem with there work address it with the worker directly, no need to call his boss…. building repour with the worker letting him know you got his back goes miles down the road! Checking in on the job first in the morning to answer any questions or changes that need to be conveyed and once in the afternoon to make sure all work be completed is done per construction industry standards. A job that is run blindly will have many more issues than one that is watched over. I have seen many jobs with no site supervision, leading to subpar quality work as well as safety hazards. Its better to be like an eagle than cluck like a turkey!
Working with the City/Inspectors On permitted jobs the city and site inspector will be a large part of how smoothly the job runs. Each phase of construction has an inspection allowing for the project to continue. Make sure your subcontractors are aware that the project is inspected before starting the job. The best way to stay on his good side is to provide a clean jobsite and having the job built to the highest standards possible. When having the site inspected be courteous to the inspector asking any questions or concerns you have with the work during the job. Being completely transparent will save you aggravation of problems down the road. The more he trust you the better if you seem sneaky or rude he will make your life a living nightmare! Many inspectors will have an attitude towards you….I suggest keeping quiet and doing what ever he wants….he’s the boss no need to get in a pissing match you will not win at. How to deal with irate customer Stay calm during any argument with an irate customer. Never raise your voice or show that you are bothered by their disgruntled behavior. If the customer is trying to get more from you than agreed upon stand your ground. Worst case scenario is you walk from the job, which in the long run be more of a loss for the client. I have only run into a couple of these clients; they are unreasonable and not worth losing sleep over a few dollars. Its best to terminate the relationship as it would be my best guess that a referral from this customer would not be one you wanted anyway. If you feel it was just a miscommunication on your end, take reasonability and remedy the problem. Taking accountability for your mistake will go a far way in their eyes and on future issues that arise. Prepping the homeowner pre-construction Before starting the job, it very important to give the homeowners a warning of what will happen during the construction process.
- All furniture in the proposed working area must be moved- I would recommend having the clients take care of this to limit the risk of damage to their belongings.
- There will be dust that will be in the house up to 3 months after construction-I would recommend hiring a construction cleaning company at the end of the job even so after it is cleaned dust will be present months after words.
- There will be conflicts between you in the homeowner at some course of the job. - You will do your best to eliminate them as quickly as they arise-i.e. material damages, miscommunication, job delays
- All decisions on materials must be made before the start of the job- this will eliminate job stoppage due to materials not being on site.
- All materials will be on site before commencement of job-
- Payment structures must be made per contract otherwise job will stop until payment rendered
- Cars are to be moved out of the driveway- Ensures ease of loading and unloading of materials/tools
- Give the specific hours that workers will be present- i.e. 7-3:30
- Determine what areas are allowed to be used as staging for tools/materials
- If animals are present in the home that they put outside or in a room during the day
- All valuables in the house are locked in safe
- Ask if using client’s household bathroom is okay or to bring in Porter Potty
- Being transparent as possible is key to keeping a great relationship with your client!
2023.06.03 00:23 sonicmerlin CIG Astroturfing their Own Forum
 | Just a few examples of “positivity” from low post count users completely at odds with the rest of the forum users. submitted by sonicmerlin to starcitizen_refunds [link] [comments] |
2023.06.03 00:23 sliuoa Looking for a slight upgrade from my GTX 1050 PC for Valorant.
1. What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games (ex: resolution, FPS, settings) or programs you will be using.
- I mainly play Valorant on my PC. My current PC runs it at almost max settings (only details at low, everything else at high) at around 140 FPS but I have a 165 hz 1080p monitor. I would like to get it to 165 at max settings. I believe just the GPU may need to be upgraded?
2. What is your maximum PRE-TAX budget before rebates and shipping?
- My budget is $800 if I were to build a whole new PC but I would prefer to just replace parts on my current build for much less if possible.
3. When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.
- I can buy the parts now or wait for a better deal down the line if recommended.
4. What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ex: toweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)I believe I just need a new GPU. I'm willing to upgrade my RAM and SSD as well if needed. I don't know if the RAM and SSD I have right now are good. I am satisfied with my monitor, mouse, and keyboard.
5. If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? How old are they? Brands and models are appreciated.
- I'm keeping my headphones, monitor, mouse, and keyboard as they are less than 1 year old.
6. Will you be overclocking (ex: CPU/GPU/RAM)? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line?
- No, I don't even know how to overclock things.
7. Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, VR, VirtualLink, tensor cores, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)
- One thing I found weird is that I have a wifi thing attached to a long cable that I have to attach to the PC to get wifi. Maybe something to get rid of this? Do I need to get 2 exact same SSDs to get maximum benefits?
8. Do you have any specific case preferences (ex: mITX/mATX/mid-towefull-tower sizes, styles, colours, window or not, LED lighting, etc.), or a particular color theme preference for the components?
- I really don't care about RGB. Just something cheap that will fit everything.
9. Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? Note: some post-secondary students can get Windows 10 for free.
- No.
10. Will you be upgrading this PC in the future (ie: will you swap out better parts later on or will you build an entirely new tower later)? If so, when?
- I will upgrade if a great deal comes around but unlikely once I replace any parts this time around.
11. Do you have a brand preference? (ex: AMD/Intel for CPUs, AMD/NVIDIA for video cards, etc)
- No preference. Whatever works best.
12. What are the specs of your old PC / laptop? Do you want to see if it can be upgraded instead? If so, paste its build from PCPartPicker here.
- I bought my current PC used last year for $450. I would prefer to upgrade parts if possible.
GPU: ASUS GTX 1050
RAM: G. Skill 16 GB DDR4-2400 (1200 MHz)
Storage: Samsung 960 PRO 512 GB + Samsung 850 EVO 256 GB NVME SSD
13. Extra info or particulars:
- Ultimately, I'm looking to upgrade my PC to best value parts.
2023.06.03 00:21 andrewtater [OC] A Long Way Down
The humans had nearly a thousand stars within their medium-sized realm, with a hundred and fifty habitable planets and another dozen mid-terraform; all the rest had at least a mining station, research facility, or military garrison, with several hundred sporting fully domed colonies. Much of their industry had been automated, as well, resulting in a large population with the freedom to pursue their passions. Some enjoyed academia, career scholars who could be called upon by their governments to research problems. Some enjoyed quiet rural lives, tending gardens and developing new agricultural products so the farm AIs could feed the hundreds of billions of humans. Others became adamant gamers, using various programs to develop VR worlds for others to explore.
The Human Confederation worked well; while the overall parliament had clear lines delineating the limits of its authority, the solar cantons and their subordinate colonies were largely left to handle internal matters locally. Friendly competition between cantons resulted in many technological innovations, and some cantons decided to specialize in certain fields in order to ensure their name remained renowned.
Overall, humanity saw itself in a golden age, one that continued to gild itself further with exploration, peaceful expansion, diplomacy, and prosperity.
But no golden age could last forever.
The Hirox Empire saw itself also in a golden age, but their expansions were rarely into unclaimed space. They saw the world through the Theory of Relativity; matter cannot be created nor destroyed. They corrupted this to be their guiding principle: resources are finite, and others possessing them means less for the Hirox to use. The First Hiroxian Law.
They focused their attacks first on humanity's outer colonies, those with the weakest defenses but many untapped resources. The Hirox didn't need them now, just to deny humanity the possession of them.
They continued to ravage through the lightly populated outer worlds; the Gallic and Hispanic colonies were in the direct path, but the Sinic and Nipponic colonies were just as at risk around the periphery.
The Hirox pushed humanity back to their core canton worlds. They had been a power on the rise, but they had fallen from their golden age.
It was a long way down.
Human science proved to be far more adaptable than the Hirox expected. While they didn't often win in direct fights, ambush tactics had taken down several vessels, and the humans had no qualms about stealing the technologies they had acquired. As the war continued, humanity had fielded better and better ships. Hirox high command had even considered pausing the expansion to consolidate their gains and work on how to fortify their new territory. It wouldn't be without precedent, but it had been quite a long time since a species made them do so.
Fleetmaster Jilk was opposed to the idea. He saw how quickly the humans had adapted their industry. Failing to push the current initiative and technological advantage would give the humans a chance to rally, and that could be dangerous. They might even-
An explosion broke his train of thought. Not necessarily an explosion, though. It was as if the entire vessel had been struck by a heavy object. His command hologram sprang to life, showing the location of the damage.
He turned to the rear of his command center, looking at the two-meter-wide brain suspended in synthetic spinal fluid. Hobir, his ship's thinking center, was already working.
"Admiral, impact at level seven, hull was breached but has been sealed by the striking object. Working on getting an image. Shipmaster Gorn has already dispatched engineers. One other ship reports similar impact: carrier-class Blackwing; reports indicate engineers are en route as well. Sixteen ships report no impacts."
Jiln nodded. The two ships captains knew their business well, and Jiln could focus on commanding the fleet itself. "Hobir, develop report requirements: combat capability of impacted ships, then combat capability of entire fleet, then source of objects if any."
"Yes Admiral, three requirements developed and transmitted to captains. Initial report of impacts and developed requirements transmitted to nearest garrison."
Something didn't feel right. Like how one feels when one walks through the territory of a pack of keth. You just feel the unease of something. Why were there a pair of asteroids just lose in the barren system the fleet had been traveling through? And how did both hulls near perfectly seal themselves?
Explosions could be heard throughout the ship. Not with the level of power the impact had, these were small ones, echoing throughout the halls. He watched on his hologram as bulkheads were sealed, likely the captain trying to contain the damage.
Except the bulkheads failed to contain the damage. One by one, small detonations created holes in them, expanding aft until the sequential breaches split into two directions, one towards the engine room, and the other towards Jiln's command suite.
These weren't secondary explosions. They were breaching charges. These were boarders. He sped towards his communications console to summon his security detail and warn the carrier. Humans were on board. He barely dialed the fleet-wide frequency when the wall exploded. The concussive force was incredible, but the human marines that poured through the hole in the wall didn't seem to notice. One of them whirled his rifle around, slamming the butt into Jiln's spinal nerve cluster, triggering all his neurons to fire. After that lightning, he began to drift into the inky blackness of unconsciousness.
It was a long way down.
Corporal Sean O’Loughlin floated awkwardly at attention. His parents had been born in the Saffron Colony's domed city, but they had been evacuated back to the Eire Canton days before the Hirox destroyed the magnificent structure. His mother still struggled with losing her home, but thankfully nearly all the civilians had made it out. Unfortunately, her youngest brother, barely twenty at the time, had volunteered to be part of the shielding force, and his loss had never really healed. She did, however, meet Sean's father on the evacuation ship, and now twenty-two years later, Sean wore the canton's Clover Crest on his uniform's shoulder, just as his uncle had. He had seen how much others had lost because of the Hirox, and he had a few younger siblings to carry on if something happened to him, so he decided to join the vanguard. The meteors. The Drop Troopers.
This was the first assault against a world that the Hirox had held from before the war. A Hirox core world at that, thousands of light years behind the front line. This held one of their major shipyards, as well as an important command center. Luckily, some HVI the Marines had captured a few months back had seen reason and talked. The officer had given HCHQ nearly everything: access to the command nets, internal politics of the nobility, and intelligence on critical military infrastructure.
Taking this planet would at least delay the onslaught that humanity faced. It was also very likely the only mission any of these troopers would participate in, given how unlikely reinforcements were. This was a surgical strike, but also a one-way trip. They were to cause as much chaos as they could but were given a prioritized list of targets if they could reach them.
Corporal O’Loughlin floated down the line of his three subordinates. One wore a red maple leaf of his home Dominion, while the other two bore the stylized cherry blossom of the Nipponic colony of Sakura. He checked their equipment, and one by one he strapped them into their egg-shaped pods, seat facing down relative to the layout of the ship, ensuring all the systems were working. He verified the inventory of five combat drones and two recon drones each and ensured their AI assistants were up. When he was done, his own sergeant checked them, then strapped Sean in. Finally, with all the doors closed, and the countdown began.
Two minutes until launch. He prepared for his eyeballs to feel like they were about to meet his brain.
One minute. He tried to crack his neck, but the recessed cushioned cutout for his body prevented any movement. It was probably for the better.
Thirty seconds. He took a breath, and then another. As much as he enjoyed the practice drops, he was about to be in the heart of Hirox territory.
He felt the ship slam out of hyperspace. Not a second later, the countdown timer hit zero. He felt the moment the magnetic rails engaged, and then his pod was blasting towards this new world.
It was a long way down.
Scores of human dreadnoughts sat in the black outside the Hirox home world’s system. They sat with their lines of fire overlapping, making a near sphere of death that hung in the black nearly seven light hours from the sun. This was supposed to be a safe distance.
Even now, defiance and bile and hate spewed from the capital planet. Many Hirox had been willing to bow to human strength; in a culture where might makes right, the loser bows to the victor.
But not all saw that reason. Particularly the ruling caste, those who had the most to lose and those that bore the most responsibility. After the absolute purge of all humans that had been captured, humanity knew that not all sentients were redeemable.
It was graveyard still in the command center of the HCV Enola. The vessel had only been built with one purpose: to deliver the specialized munition in its hold. It held a minimal crew: half a dozen engineers and a pair of emergency firefighters. One medical officer, no corpsmen. A single missileer. And an old admiral, who had been ready to retire from service before the war had ever started over two decades prior. When the mission was over, the crew was to abandon the vessel as the autopilot flew it into a star. There was no glory to be had on this mission, but it would bring peace to humanity. It was perhaps the only path to peace not drowned in human blood, but they had made the decision to trade Hirox blood and more for it.
The missileer prepared the munition, removed all the safeties, and inserted his key into his lock of the twinned pair. The admiral drew the other from a chain around his neck and inserted it into the remaining lock, nodding to the lieutenant commander to his right. They both turned their keys simultaneously, opening the aluminum glass covering to a fingerprint scanner and a recessed button.
He nodded and pulled a communicator to his mouth.
"All hand, prepare for missile launch." His voice matched his heart: heavily laden with sadness and regret, but also resolve.
His thumb pushed into the button, sliding it barely a centimeter into the device.
It was a long way down.
The Hiroxian Emperor remained surrounded by his sycophants and true believers. Even now, down to their last system, they showered him with words of praise and assurances that they would still defeat the humans.
But in their twilight sky, they watched a single missile streak like a meteor. Like a human drop pod. Like a boarding craft. Despite the time and distance and trajectory, it was clearly visible, flying so, so fast.
Flying past Hira, past Hira's two moon, and towards the star at the center of the system.
Then they watched as the sun gave way to darkness. They felt the tremors throughout the planet and saw their two moons being ripped apart. The tidal forces shook skyscrapers until they collapsed, the screams of lickspittles and zealots just a whisper to the cacophony of quakes and the rending of glass and steel.
They watched as the stars moved in ways they had never moved before, at speeds they had never moved before. They felt their bodies be pulled, stretched, as they were dragged towards where their star once was.
The humans had fired a void bomb. A singularity missile. A warhead that could collapse a star into a black hole.
Hira, and the last of the warmongers left of the Hiroxian species, fell into the chasm left in the wake of that missile.
It was a long way down.
submitted by andrewtater to HFY [link] [comments]
The Human Confederation worked well; while the overall parliament had clear lines delineating the limits of its authority, the solar cantons and their subordinate colonies were largely left to handle internal matters locally. Friendly competition between cantons resulted in many technological innovations, and some cantons decided to specialize in certain fields in order to ensure their name remained renowned.
Overall, humanity saw itself in a golden age, one that continued to gild itself further with exploration, peaceful expansion, diplomacy, and prosperity.
But no golden age could last forever.
The Hirox Empire saw itself also in a golden age, but their expansions were rarely into unclaimed space. They saw the world through the Theory of Relativity; matter cannot be created nor destroyed. They corrupted this to be their guiding principle: resources are finite, and others possessing them means less for the Hirox to use. The First Hiroxian Law.
They focused their attacks first on humanity's outer colonies, those with the weakest defenses but many untapped resources. The Hirox didn't need them now, just to deny humanity the possession of them.
They continued to ravage through the lightly populated outer worlds; the Gallic and Hispanic colonies were in the direct path, but the Sinic and Nipponic colonies were just as at risk around the periphery.
The Hirox pushed humanity back to their core canton worlds. They had been a power on the rise, but they had fallen from their golden age.
It was a long way down.
Fleetmaster Jilk was opposed to the idea. He saw how quickly the humans had adapted their industry. Failing to push the current initiative and technological advantage would give the humans a chance to rally, and that could be dangerous. They might even-
An explosion broke his train of thought. Not necessarily an explosion, though. It was as if the entire vessel had been struck by a heavy object. His command hologram sprang to life, showing the location of the damage.
He turned to the rear of his command center, looking at the two-meter-wide brain suspended in synthetic spinal fluid. Hobir, his ship's thinking center, was already working.
"Admiral, impact at level seven, hull was breached but has been sealed by the striking object. Working on getting an image. Shipmaster Gorn has already dispatched engineers. One other ship reports similar impact: carrier-class Blackwing; reports indicate engineers are en route as well. Sixteen ships report no impacts."
Jiln nodded. The two ships captains knew their business well, and Jiln could focus on commanding the fleet itself. "Hobir, develop report requirements: combat capability of impacted ships, then combat capability of entire fleet, then source of objects if any."
"Yes Admiral, three requirements developed and transmitted to captains. Initial report of impacts and developed requirements transmitted to nearest garrison."
Something didn't feel right. Like how one feels when one walks through the territory of a pack of keth. You just feel the unease of something. Why were there a pair of asteroids just lose in the barren system the fleet had been traveling through? And how did both hulls near perfectly seal themselves?
Explosions could be heard throughout the ship. Not with the level of power the impact had, these were small ones, echoing throughout the halls. He watched on his hologram as bulkheads were sealed, likely the captain trying to contain the damage.
Except the bulkheads failed to contain the damage. One by one, small detonations created holes in them, expanding aft until the sequential breaches split into two directions, one towards the engine room, and the other towards Jiln's command suite.
These weren't secondary explosions. They were breaching charges. These were boarders. He sped towards his communications console to summon his security detail and warn the carrier. Humans were on board. He barely dialed the fleet-wide frequency when the wall exploded. The concussive force was incredible, but the human marines that poured through the hole in the wall didn't seem to notice. One of them whirled his rifle around, slamming the butt into Jiln's spinal nerve cluster, triggering all his neurons to fire. After that lightning, he began to drift into the inky blackness of unconsciousness.
It was a long way down.
This was the first assault against a world that the Hirox had held from before the war. A Hirox core world at that, thousands of light years behind the front line. This held one of their major shipyards, as well as an important command center. Luckily, some HVI the Marines had captured a few months back had seen reason and talked. The officer had given HCHQ nearly everything: access to the command nets, internal politics of the nobility, and intelligence on critical military infrastructure.
Taking this planet would at least delay the onslaught that humanity faced. It was also very likely the only mission any of these troopers would participate in, given how unlikely reinforcements were. This was a surgical strike, but also a one-way trip. They were to cause as much chaos as they could but were given a prioritized list of targets if they could reach them.
Corporal O’Loughlin floated down the line of his three subordinates. One wore a red maple leaf of his home Dominion, while the other two bore the stylized cherry blossom of the Nipponic colony of Sakura. He checked their equipment, and one by one he strapped them into their egg-shaped pods, seat facing down relative to the layout of the ship, ensuring all the systems were working. He verified the inventory of five combat drones and two recon drones each and ensured their AI assistants were up. When he was done, his own sergeant checked them, then strapped Sean in. Finally, with all the doors closed, and the countdown began.
Two minutes until launch. He prepared for his eyeballs to feel like they were about to meet his brain.
One minute. He tried to crack his neck, but the recessed cushioned cutout for his body prevented any movement. It was probably for the better.
Thirty seconds. He took a breath, and then another. As much as he enjoyed the practice drops, he was about to be in the heart of Hirox territory.
He felt the ship slam out of hyperspace. Not a second later, the countdown timer hit zero. He felt the moment the magnetic rails engaged, and then his pod was blasting towards this new world.
It was a long way down.
Even now, defiance and bile and hate spewed from the capital planet. Many Hirox had been willing to bow to human strength; in a culture where might makes right, the loser bows to the victor.
But not all saw that reason. Particularly the ruling caste, those who had the most to lose and those that bore the most responsibility. After the absolute purge of all humans that had been captured, humanity knew that not all sentients were redeemable.
It was graveyard still in the command center of the HCV Enola. The vessel had only been built with one purpose: to deliver the specialized munition in its hold. It held a minimal crew: half a dozen engineers and a pair of emergency firefighters. One medical officer, no corpsmen. A single missileer. And an old admiral, who had been ready to retire from service before the war had ever started over two decades prior. When the mission was over, the crew was to abandon the vessel as the autopilot flew it into a star. There was no glory to be had on this mission, but it would bring peace to humanity. It was perhaps the only path to peace not drowned in human blood, but they had made the decision to trade Hirox blood and more for it.
The missileer prepared the munition, removed all the safeties, and inserted his key into his lock of the twinned pair. The admiral drew the other from a chain around his neck and inserted it into the remaining lock, nodding to the lieutenant commander to his right. They both turned their keys simultaneously, opening the aluminum glass covering to a fingerprint scanner and a recessed button.
He nodded and pulled a communicator to his mouth.
"All hand, prepare for missile launch." His voice matched his heart: heavily laden with sadness and regret, but also resolve.
His thumb pushed into the button, sliding it barely a centimeter into the device.
It was a long way down.
But in their twilight sky, they watched a single missile streak like a meteor. Like a human drop pod. Like a boarding craft. Despite the time and distance and trajectory, it was clearly visible, flying so, so fast.
Flying past Hira, past Hira's two moon, and towards the star at the center of the system.
Then they watched as the sun gave way to darkness. They felt the tremors throughout the planet and saw their two moons being ripped apart. The tidal forces shook skyscrapers until they collapsed, the screams of lickspittles and zealots just a whisper to the cacophony of quakes and the rending of glass and steel.
They watched as the stars moved in ways they had never moved before, at speeds they had never moved before. They felt their bodies be pulled, stretched, as they were dragged towards where their star once was.
The humans had fired a void bomb. A singularity missile. A warhead that could collapse a star into a black hole.
Hira, and the last of the warmongers left of the Hiroxian species, fell into the chasm left in the wake of that missile.
It was a long way down.
2023.06.03 00:19 staysoft-geteaten So upset I started bleeding
Honestly just a rant because I have nowhere else to put it right now. My mum has a history of being quite cold and dismissive, especially when it comes to anything emotional. She has been working on it but it’s still her default setting.
Things have been really rough recently for a variety of reasons, but endo has been core amongst them. After years of being told I shut her out (wonder why) and any problems are my fault, I’ve been trying to be more open with my mum. I opened up to her about just how bad I was feeling and how I’ve had a couple of days of some really dark thoughts. She didn’t offer me any comfort or kindness, just said some really thoughtless shit. She then got upset and I ended up comforting her and apologising!
Today I sent her a message saying in as gentle a way as possible that while I’m still feeling a little fragile, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see her, just to protect myself. Said I know she means well and that it’s my issue to get over etc (which I don’t really believe but I have to tread carefully) and she hasn’t even acknowledged the message, let alone sent any kind of meaningful reply.
Got so stressed out and upset by the situation I started crying and now I’m bleeding and in pain. Siiiiiiiiigh.
submitted by staysoft-geteaten to Endo [link] [comments]
Things have been really rough recently for a variety of reasons, but endo has been core amongst them. After years of being told I shut her out (wonder why) and any problems are my fault, I’ve been trying to be more open with my mum. I opened up to her about just how bad I was feeling and how I’ve had a couple of days of some really dark thoughts. She didn’t offer me any comfort or kindness, just said some really thoughtless shit. She then got upset and I ended up comforting her and apologising!
Today I sent her a message saying in as gentle a way as possible that while I’m still feeling a little fragile, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see her, just to protect myself. Said I know she means well and that it’s my issue to get over etc (which I don’t really believe but I have to tread carefully) and she hasn’t even acknowledged the message, let alone sent any kind of meaningful reply.
Got so stressed out and upset by the situation I started crying and now I’m bleeding and in pain. Siiiiiiiiigh.
2023.06.03 00:13 dm6497 My 1st PC Build - i5 13600k RTX 3080
Hi guys, I'm new to PC build and this will be my first budget build. Will be using it for mainly for gaming 1440p medium fps (COD Warzone) and some video editing.
Please feel free to drop some suggestions or your thoughts about it. Considering to order the pending parts from Amazon asap.
Here are the updated Price:- i5 13600k - $171 (EPP price) - Purchased, Vetroo V240 - $79.99 (Amazon), Gigabyte Z690 UD AX DDR4 - $169 (Amazon), Teamgroup T-Force 2x8gb DDR4 3600Mhz CL18 - $46.99 (Amazon), Samsung 980 1tb - $34.99 (Best Buy Geek Squad Certified) - Purchased, MSI RTX 3080 10gb - $300 (Got it from Office friend) - Purchased, NZXT H5 Elite - $105 (Best Buy Open Box Excellent GSC) - Purchased, MSI 1000W (660W x 1.5 = 990W) 80+ Gold PSU - $189 (Amazon with code PICKUP10OFF)
Total - $1096 + $51(taxes) - (Amazon 5% cashback $26) = $1121
Is it value for money? What do u think about price to performance?
Thanks
submitted by dm6497 to PcBuild [link] [comments]
Please feel free to drop some suggestions or your thoughts about it. Considering to order the pending parts from Amazon asap.
Here are the updated Price:- i5 13600k - $171 (EPP price) - Purchased, Vetroo V240 - $79.99 (Amazon), Gigabyte Z690 UD AX DDR4 - $169 (Amazon), Teamgroup T-Force 2x8gb DDR4 3600Mhz CL18 - $46.99 (Amazon), Samsung 980 1tb - $34.99 (Best Buy Geek Squad Certified) - Purchased, MSI RTX 3080 10gb - $300 (Got it from Office friend) - Purchased, NZXT H5 Elite - $105 (Best Buy Open Box Excellent GSC) - Purchased, MSI 1000W (660W x 1.5 = 990W) 80+ Gold PSU - $189 (Amazon with code PICKUP10OFF)
Total - $1096 + $51(taxes) - (Amazon 5% cashback $26) = $1121
Is it value for money? What do u think about price to performance?
Thanks
2023.06.03 00:10 EntangledFrog Air-cooled productivity mid-tower with some gaming.
Heya,
I'll be replacing most of my old pc, an i7-8700 + 32GB slow (2666mhz) ram. Mainly for productivity and 2D/3D art. Lots of Blender, photoshop, krita, substance, etc. Some code like gamemaker, godot, arduino/embedded. A bit of gaming but rarely AAA aside from the occasional fromsoft release, mostly indies. If it runs at 80-100fps I am more than happy. Some video editing/encoding. Some sound design.
I do want some performance, but I'm fine with not getting the most powerful parts. I want to air-cool it but without it making a racket. I'm not interested in liquid cooling, which I'm aware is perfect for silent builds. But for me the less system complexity the better. I can handle a little bit of fan noise, and I don't want to deal with leaks if something goes wrong. I live in a part of the world where it's pretty cold 6 months a year, and it only gets very hot (above 30C) only 2 months in the summer. My old pc has two 120mm fans in the front both set to their lowest speed, and the i7-8700 is 40C as I type this (with an ambient room temperature of 26C).
Not interested in fancy lighting. The PC is going under the desk where I won't see it much.
I will be dual booting Win 10 Pro and linux.
Here's what I've been looking at. Budgeting around $1500ish CDN (not counting case)
CASE : Fractal Design Torrent Compact - Only part that's set in stone since I already bought it. It's a good case though, and those two huge 180mm fans are perfect. Their size means less speed means less noise. Especially if I can lower their speed like I can with my current old pc.
CPU : i7-13700 - I'm a bit flexible though. Part of me wants to get the K version especially since it's not that much more, but I'm worried about noise/heat. Either will be such a huge upgrade from my i7-8700 anyway. I'm pretty unfamiliar with AMD, but I am open to being swayed from Intel if it suits my productivity needs and budget.
CPU cooler : Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 CPU Air Cooler - Allegedly good. GN seemed to like it. Somewhat flexible.
Motherboard : ASRock Z790 PG Lightning - Sort of undecided with this. Looking at Z790 means the power delivery will be stable, won't have to worry about PCIe lanes, SSD speeds and whatnot, but also it might be overkill since I'm not really into overclocking. Maybe a B760 is better if I can find a rock solid one? I'm no expert.
RAM : Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 Black 4800MHz 64GB 2-piece kit - A lot of what I do is ram-hungry. I have 32GB DDR3 now and occasionally got close to maxing it. I am also looking forward to the much greater speed.
PSU : EVGA SuperNOVA 750 GT 750W - Though pretty flexible. I like that the cables are modular so I won't end up with a ton of unused cables that I'll have to tie up, potentially blocking air flow. I don't know what's good these days. I was looking at Seasonic too but those seemed to have non-modular cables.
SSD : Samsung 980 Pro 2TB M.2 - Don't think I'll need a 2nd drive as I have a NAS.
GPU : RTX 2080 from my old pc - It's old but still runs fine and I'll be using it until it dies. Blender could always use something better for rendering, but I'll wait until the GPU market is slightly less batshit.
Dual monitors : Currently not changing. Have a 32" 1440p and a 23" 1080p, both at 144hz. The 32" is glitchy as heck but I have specific requirements and the monitor market is weird right now, so I will be waiting.
Seem good?
submitted by EntangledFrog to buildapc [link] [comments]
I'll be replacing most of my old pc, an i7-8700 + 32GB slow (2666mhz) ram. Mainly for productivity and 2D/3D art. Lots of Blender, photoshop, krita, substance, etc. Some code like gamemaker, godot, arduino/embedded. A bit of gaming but rarely AAA aside from the occasional fromsoft release, mostly indies. If it runs at 80-100fps I am more than happy. Some video editing/encoding. Some sound design.
I do want some performance, but I'm fine with not getting the most powerful parts. I want to air-cool it but without it making a racket. I'm not interested in liquid cooling, which I'm aware is perfect for silent builds. But for me the less system complexity the better. I can handle a little bit of fan noise, and I don't want to deal with leaks if something goes wrong. I live in a part of the world where it's pretty cold 6 months a year, and it only gets very hot (above 30C) only 2 months in the summer. My old pc has two 120mm fans in the front both set to their lowest speed, and the i7-8700 is 40C as I type this (with an ambient room temperature of 26C).
Not interested in fancy lighting. The PC is going under the desk where I won't see it much.
I will be dual booting Win 10 Pro and linux.
Here's what I've been looking at. Budgeting around $1500ish CDN (not counting case)
CASE : Fractal Design Torrent Compact - Only part that's set in stone since I already bought it. It's a good case though, and those two huge 180mm fans are perfect. Their size means less speed means less noise. Especially if I can lower their speed like I can with my current old pc.
CPU : i7-13700 - I'm a bit flexible though. Part of me wants to get the K version especially since it's not that much more, but I'm worried about noise/heat. Either will be such a huge upgrade from my i7-8700 anyway. I'm pretty unfamiliar with AMD, but I am open to being swayed from Intel if it suits my productivity needs and budget.
CPU cooler : Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 CPU Air Cooler - Allegedly good. GN seemed to like it. Somewhat flexible.
Motherboard : ASRock Z790 PG Lightning - Sort of undecided with this. Looking at Z790 means the power delivery will be stable, won't have to worry about PCIe lanes, SSD speeds and whatnot, but also it might be overkill since I'm not really into overclocking. Maybe a B760 is better if I can find a rock solid one? I'm no expert.
RAM : Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 Black 4800MHz 64GB 2-piece kit - A lot of what I do is ram-hungry. I have 32GB DDR3 now and occasionally got close to maxing it. I am also looking forward to the much greater speed.
PSU : EVGA SuperNOVA 750 GT 750W - Though pretty flexible. I like that the cables are modular so I won't end up with a ton of unused cables that I'll have to tie up, potentially blocking air flow. I don't know what's good these days. I was looking at Seasonic too but those seemed to have non-modular cables.
SSD : Samsung 980 Pro 2TB M.2 - Don't think I'll need a 2nd drive as I have a NAS.
GPU : RTX 2080 from my old pc - It's old but still runs fine and I'll be using it until it dies. Blender could always use something better for rendering, but I'll wait until the GPU market is slightly less batshit.
Dual monitors : Currently not changing. Have a 32" 1440p and a 23" 1080p, both at 144hz. The 32" is glitchy as heck but I have specific requirements and the monitor market is weird right now, so I will be waiting.
Seem good?
2023.06.03 00:10 TheChuckRowe Using OpenCore to install Monterey with new SSD
I've seen lots of how-to info on how to install to use OpenCore to install Monterey over top of an existing macOS, but I'm using a brand new SSD, so I'm wondering what's involved in that.
Can I simply boot to the OpenCore-created USB installer and proceed from there, or is there something I have to do to prepare the SSD? Thanks.
Late-2012 Mac-Mini, btw.
submitted by TheChuckRowe to MacOS [link] [comments]
Can I simply boot to the OpenCore-created USB installer and proceed from there, or is there something I have to do to prepare the SSD? Thanks.
Late-2012 Mac-Mini, btw.
2023.06.03 00:09 I_am_Fang_Yuan_ Taking LSD while reading Reverend insanity, Becoming Fang Yuan, Fighting God, Defeating and Achieving Eternal Life!! I am Fang yuan!!
Taking Lsd while reading Reverend insanity
Human Path Cultivators HATE HIM! He has raised his human path attainment using the Demonic path's "Illegal Drugs!" The Righteous path "society" hates him!
so I took like 6 hits of Lsd while reading reverend insanity each 150 ug and a few 300ug And damn I really got messed up!
First trip was normal shit but I felt it was weird how all this shit in my mind would unravel, like I thought how interesting fang yuan was and like delved deeply into his ambition
Second trip however was 300ug and that's where shit gets very interesting, I literally felt I was FANG YUAN! AND Lsd was Spring Autumn Cicada and Wisdom Gu ! Which gave me all these revelations from my future self, I also thought like wait wtf, the sky is white heaven and space is black heaven, this is the gu world, I was in Central continent which is Europe and all this shit was beyond wild, like it feels like it's Literally the TRUTH like reality! But thank God, I still had a clear mind and didn't do dumb shit like cutting my ear or some other shit
Fourth trip was something more insane, it was directly after it was revealed all of shadow sect was spectral soul's split soul, like the same day I took lsd and I literally felt I was God and everybody was my split soul
Now 5th trip was even crazier, I still thought I was God but I wasn't fang yuan, Rather fang yuan was gonna ascend to venerable and fight ME because I am God ! But I also felt like fang yuan was another one of my split soul and I was doing all this chaos just to entertain myself for eternity
Ok now get this, I don't think reality is just random because I tried multiple times to get lsd at random times but I would procrastinate and the day I would break through in the novel I would do it for no reason at all
Also for people who never did Lsd, it's like another world,it's hallucinations so now just understand this, you literally forget most of the trip so when you get back it's like WTF I KNOW THIS PLACE! I was here before but I forgot for some reason
Now continue with me because my character development went exactly like the novel and especially the legends of renzu which I think is the best story about the human condition, but THERE IS TOO MUCH COINCIDENCE! like it cannot be random how the part stood out and you will see why now
So I was in the part where the miniman got of city well in the legends of renzu and there was this quote : "City well is a secluded domain of heaven and earth, only by knowing you are inside of it can you get out", now I didn't give it much thought and coincidentally I took lsd the next day, AND then BOOM! I was like OK so this is city well, even if it's not, I can see that reality is not real, It's all just a Dream! But like then at that moment it was like damn!! Only by knowing you are inside a well can you get out of it and realise True Reality!
Now we are going even WILDER in the next part I read a lot, I understood things like the heart of renzu, like his heart and the trials he faced
So this next part, I took LSD but I didn't READ the novel but here's the catch it was the most intense trip I have ever had, i felt I was BOILING in lava literally, now as you might not now but lsd amplifies all emotions like 100x especially suffering like it lasts even after the trip, in this trip I HAD AN INTENSE EGO DEATH,
Now ego death sounds catchy but it's Literally just memory suppression, I didn't know what it was but it sounded cool but when I got it HOLY SHIT! I literally did not Remember my own name, I didn't KNOW WHO I WAS! OR MY PAST! OR WHAT I WANTED! I literally forgot everything, it's not that I forgot it but it was all suppressed I couldn't recall anything at all!
Like I remember I met my dad after this which was in summer and I FELT LIKE IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM! I ate food and it felt like it was the first time I ate, I saw trees and I felt it was the first time I saw them, I'm not even kidding it was the scariest shit ever, I couldn't even think properly
The scariest part is there is this state that's called pure consciousness, it's when you see something but you do not remember the act of seeing; like you see something but you forget your existence; you don't remember you are a person seeing this thing but there is just the thing itself
This was really like rock bottom for me, like when I saw somebody I could vaguely feel I know this person but there were no memories, and I would have this voice in my head : "WHAT AM I?" "WHERE AM I " "WHY?" AND ALL this shit was crazy, I would think all day and i understood nothing about what the world was or how it worked
It's Literally like being THERE in the trip and having never come back, like I could remember i know this thing but I do not have access to I cannot take it and see it Like even Later on, I would forget everything like if I think very very hard I can vaguely remember but it's Literally like amnesia and Weird schizo thoughts all the time, even the way I acted and my movements, even while walking it felt weird and I would black out and forget I existed
Now hear me this, I went like this for weeks, at this point I wanted to stop reverend insanity cause it made me suffer but get me this I'm bored and I open it up, I read like a few chapters AND BOOM! It's the part where Renzu goes INSANE! and he doesn't remember who he is or where he is, and then when he sees the birds he thinks he is one, when he sees the fish he thinks he is one and seeks Freedom Gu, at that point I was like WTF !!!! this can't be real, this cant be a coincidence, I had went insane and renzu was there like me, and then the fate war finished, Renzu hated fate and so did i, like for the first time in my life I was like holy shit WHY IS THE WORLD THE WAY IT IS? Why can't we just be happy all the time why do we have to suffer constantly? I understood there, ok so this world is suffering! Through constant change the only permanence is impermanence, I think it got me more into Non-duality religions and zen buddhism it's more interesting since they also get into the things I felt in these states
FUNNIEST SHIT : So later on, I accept this state, and I go to the beach with my family, and I am like oh this is the beach, I enter it and then BOOM! WTF this is literally Reverse flow River! The more I tried and got in the harder it pushed me out and It was literally like a revelation in my head lmfaaaao
i sound like this but I'm pretty serious most of the time but damn the legends of renzu is literally just mind-blowing, the more I reread it the more I understand more about life and the human condition, like when Renzu finds self Gu and It tells to WALK! he doesn't know how or where but self gu just tells him to WALK! Or when Forest samsara and the miniman built the ladder, and the miniman got out of Oradinary abyss, I literally feel these things, especially when Renzu faced that big predicament and it ate all his hearts, similarly I think I felt how it feels to go through what he went through, I think this goes to show what it means to be a Human Being
This is human path, i think at this point, my attainmentbhas reached Quasi-Supreme grandmaster thanks to Lsd and reverend insanity, But damn it was a HELLISH journey!
Taking Drugs and LSD and Becoming Fang Yuan and Fighting God
An Updated version of a previous post about me taking LSD and reading reverend insanity, Except this time, we have LSD (3500ug) months of doing it, shrooms loads, overdosing on Ketamine especially K-holes, 2-FMA, loads of tryptamines and other drugs, i had a previous post about this and this is what follows
I will restart from the beginning
In my 2nd LSD trip ever, which was 300ug and that's where shit gets very interesting, I literally felt I was FANG YUAN! AND LSD was Spring Autumn Cicada and Wisdom Gu ! Which gave me all these revelations from my future self, and I was Struck in a Time loop where I needed to realise what my Future Self was telling me, perhaps I had died in the future and finally returned to the Past to Survive with all these revelations
I also Felt I was gonna become like Fang Yuan and conquer this world, and this entire world was my own playground and Everything in it was at my Mercy and will one day come to belong to Me alone
I also thought like wait wtf, the sky is white heaven and space is black heaven, this is the gu world, I was in Central continent which is Europe and all this shit was beyond wild, like it feels like it's Literally the TRUTH like reality!
Fourth trip was something more insane, it was directly after it was revealed all of shadow sect was spectral soul's split soul, like the same day I took lsd and I literally felt I was God and everybody was my split soul and I had Created this entire world and Universe from scratch for my own entertainment
Everytime I call it the "Zone", where you feel "I Knew this" but I was made to forget it on purpose to play this character!
Now 5th trip was even crazier, I still thought I was God but I wasn't Fang Yuan, Rather fang yuan was gonna have to ascend to Venerable to fight ME because I am God !
But I also felt like fang yuan was another one of my split soul rebelling against me and trying to take my Position as God but it also felt like I was doing all this chaos just to entertain myself for Eternity and he was but a character
Now continue with me because my character development went exactly like the novel and especially the legends of renzu which I think is the best story about the human condition, but there is too much coincidence!
"City well is a secluded domain of heaven and earth, only by knowing you are inside of it can you get out", now I didn't give it much thought and coincidentally I took lsd the next day, AND then BOOM! I was like OK so this is city well, even if it's not, I can see that reality is not real, It's all just an Illusion made to make me fall asleep! But like then at that moment it was like damn!! Only by knowing you are inside a well can you get out of it and realise True Reality!
I felt I was trapped in this Illusion of Life and I needed to wake up and become God again
So this next part, I took LSD and it was the most intense trip I have ever had, i felt I was Boiling in lava literally, now as you might not now but lsd amplifies all emotions like 100x especially suffering like it lasts even after the trip, in this trip I had an intense ego death
I forgot everything and became a white empty slate, being Nothingness
This was really like rock bottom for me, like when I saw somebody I could vaguely feel I know this person but there were no memories, and I would have this voice in my head : "WHAT AM I?" "WHERE AM I " "WHY?" AND ALL this shit was crazy, I would think all day and i understood nothing about what the world was or how it worked, much like Renzu when he went Insane!
In this same way, I was trynna destroy and get out of Fate gu's bindings that was binding me to a mortal body and in this illusion
At this point, I went to the beach and it was very similar to Reverse flow river and it gave me a good contrast to my life which is me being pushed by the Sea of Fate
this till now was last year, now We Get into the Real shit thats interesting
In an mdma + Huge LSD dose, I saw God in his True infinite form, a Formless form, a huge void infinite white sky without limits, The Supreme Being, the only True existence, there came a merging, a me dissolving in God and Love and I was two steps from becoming God
but I had to give up my body and mind! but a thought stopped me that "I was gonna be Alone", a fear of Death, giving up Everything and Everyone and few thoughts rippled "I fear being God"
it dawned on me that perhaps the boredom and fear of being alone was what made me create the world but it later became clear that it was the human form/mind that feared that and not the real "Me"
After this experiences of rejecting the merging into God coupled with the mdma comedown made me go Through Literal Hell, feeling disfunctional, suffering bodily and insane anxiety, stress and suicidal thoughts that came with the comedown but It dawned on me that perhaps it was God's punishment for prefering the World to Him, "you came all this way yet refused me for this lowly world", it did feel terrifying and full of suffering but I came to transcend that suffering and reject God and his anger, what is he gonna do anyway?
But it went to Hell even more, that string of bad luck didn't end just like that, through some coincidences I ended up consuming 5x the normal dose of ketamine and it was HELL itself, I was Boiling, My heart would literally Explode every few seconds, sensations coming up and exploding me entirely
Yet I still went through it and Trascended it with anger and pride, what are you gonna do God? heh!
here is what he did, I accidently ingested 10x the normal ketamine dose AGAIN, this time HELL 50x, Literally BLACKING OUT every few minutes, waking in Hell again and again! to blacking out, this continued for 30 FUCKING HOURS! you cannot make this shit up, I am not lying, it was Death ITSELF!
after that I was just dead for a month, not eating, no water, bad sleep, stomach and head pain
Yet I still transcended it but this time with surrender to God although I didn't still accept him/I/it, whatever it was
This Hell did not stop but kept going, I felt I was going against God himself and constantly fighting him and the demons in my head, I had entirely given up on Fang yuan and me
After that, I went through another mdma + lsd + shrooms trip, I found God again and repented but when he wanted me to dissolve in him, I refused Again, I will not return if I do not choose to!
Hell continued again, Anything I did, everything I valued, All my soul and blood was taken from me, catastrophy fell upon me till the point where there was no more "me"
Yet I saw here the wisdom and Cunningness of God, I had cut off all attachments, I had gone to the core of my being and cut everything till the last threads remained and then I cut those as well till nothing remains
Months have passed since then, I'm prepared for a New Showdown in the next coming days, I'm gonna fight God again and this time I WILL WIN!
Fighting God while taking drugs and inhabiting the spirit of Fang yuan
Taking drugs in a forest alone and feeling like a God with epic music on the background while on psychedelics
I felt that me and the world and the entire universe were created by God and that he was all moving them like puppets on a string, all imaginary in his own mind
and that I was the only One who was gonna rebel and refuse him, I was the one who was gonna transcend this world and everything and I was the One who was about to become God
I was moving with absolute confidence, I felt like I am God and the entire world was at my mercy
I felt that the spirit of Fang yuan wasn't just fighting Heaven's will but Gu zhu ren as well, the author himself and that the same way fang yuan was doing that, I the imaginary character was fighting against my author, God himself
I felt Fang yuan as this absolute spirit of Absolute freedom moving through me, I even stumbled in the outer of the forest and was moving near a highway and with cars all moving with all the noise and the possibility of being crushed at any moment coupled with the absolute Epic music, I felt like a God conquering everything and nothing could stand in front of me
That was It! I felt this absolute adrenaline and excitment flowing through my veins, and I heard this in my head "God alone exists, limitless, eternal, all-encompassing" and I was that!
and with the absolute excitment and otherwordly epic music I was transcending my individuality and becoming God and I felt all this energy flowing through me, Life itself, this absolute freedom and limitlesness!
I was absolutely Free!
Eternal Life is Real, I found it.
Here is Eternal life I offer to you for free, rare are the ones who will actually see it
You are not actually the avatar, neither your body nor mind
you are "Awareness"
You are just aware of a human being, aware of his thoughts and his action but you are not him
Imagine a Vr headset, thats kinda of how reality is, you watch a character in a movie but you think its you, I am here to show you True Reality
You are not the character in the game
rather you are God and you imagine the entire world and all the avatars including your own
In truth, the entire world has no reality, it is as unreal as a Dream, simply made out of God's imagination, In truth, I am You, You are Me
There is only one soul that experiences all lives, One Life that exists in everything
If you just put the ego, the character's personality in the trash it would be clearer
In truth, you are not touched by the character's sufferings, you just hear him and feel him but you are not affected, immovable
You already are Eternal, the entire world is merely a play plastered on a Stage, the play of life is an illusion, the stage is Real and Eternal
Here it is, Eternity without Effort, there was no need to chase eternity simply change the wrong view into the correct one
And realise that already Everything is God, the world is literally made out of Consciousness and the entire point of it is To Experience
To experience different forms, you are the dog, the cat, the tree, the sky, there is only one component to the world and that component is you
In the Vast Ocean of God, Bubbles of universes arises, linger and disappear
The Formless masquareding with forms and different masks
Throw all the masks and your godhood becomes clear, you create the world not the other way around
In truth, none of the imagination exists
There is Only God existing in nothingness, and that is who you are
Eternity itself, that is what you are!
you can't imagine using the Avatar's mind, you can try to bypass it and see it but it takes time, thats what enlightenement is
the Beauty of Existence
www.reddit.com/ReverendInsanity/comments/13rxei8/i_made_a_meme_about_all_the_drama_in_this/
The fact That only this post was Not Banned
The fact that finally some positive interactions after lots of sufferings
And the fact that i accidently today took lsd out of nowhere
And the Fact that "We are God and this entire world is our game" flashed on while I was Despairing truly, while on lsd
I Swear to God, now I remember, I was made to forget
Especially since I thought these past few days that God was a Void of nothingness
and I saw it with such certainty that it put despair into my heart literally
And while I was despairing I saw the part where Light said "We are God, wake up" and it hits me like a truck and I remember it now
I remember Now! If you are still asleep by now, time to wake up
This Entire World is the Novel of God
Not gods, the One God, All Existence
I think God loves me for how much suffering I've been through, so much hatred in this sub
financial situation, literally him sending me Pain literally, Just understand I myself am a character without true volition, everything I say or do is a part of a script
And i fucking love playing my part
You would say you reek of ego but remember we all are God literally
its impossible to see it since all come from different parts and perspectives
All is One, a Story beautiful beyond description and we all characters within it
And I am fang yuan hahahaha
I know its all insane and crazy but just imagine what if?
what if?
what if?
what if, even if it was a miniscule chance
what if?
What if it all was true!
from my perspective, It is! and It is absolutely amazing and completely invigorated me and put fire in my soul, but from another it wouldnt make sense
but oh well one day you'll see...
The World Exists inside the Mind of God
Do you want the truth? Or stay in your bubble?
The World exists inside the Mind of God
The same way when you read a Novel, the Entire World is Inside your Mind
but you live as the character
so You are Fang yuan when you read Reverend insanity since its an imaginary character, you exist, fang yuan doesnt but you become him and he becomes real
Your imagination gave "words" Life and they became alive and became The gu world, fang yuan and all characters
In this same way, so is The world of human beings existing in the exact same way inside the timeless spaceless Mind of God
The Mind of God is Timeless because Time itself is a thought in this unlimited Mind
This Mind is Limitless since it can imagine anything effortlessly, It is Spaceless meaning existing before Space because it imagines it, It exists everywhere and nowhere and only It exists
God imagines our world and we all are imaginary characters and dont have a solid existence outside being imagined
But the same way you are Fang yuan when you read the story so I am and We all are actually God, God imagining and being his Imagination
we all are the One Mind that created the World but cannot see it because the same way when you read the character, you forget this world and live in the novel, so you forget who you are and become the character as is God's desire to experience existence gives birth to the world and all its forms
Reverend insanity is a story of just that, Pursuing one's birth right, Only an infinite Being originally would want to become infinite once being reduced to a finite being, it is a deep ingrained thing in our being
both Existence and Non-existence, Existence means life and being conscious, Non-existence describes something similar to the sleep state, if you notice deeply then you would see that Sleep is Void, there is no blackness or whiteness or anything, that's non-existence
Well, in Truth both existence and non-existence, conscious and sleep state are not real, The One that Is Aware of them IS THE REAL
Since God imagines these but they are not God! Not the True Reality
I can't describe what it is to reach Eternal Life thus paradoxical language used to try and approach it but it is true people have always wrong in assuming life or death exist since neither actually do since they are created (imagined), the one who is aware of them does, the One without cause, the Uncreated is the Real
God alone exists and we all are One, Immortal, imperishable!
There is no need to chase Eternal life, Eternity isnt something to attain
here is the Truth
There is no "me", there is no "you"
God alone exists and we are That!
Say it with me :
I am God, the self of all, of this there is no doubt.
I am One with no other, the only Truth, the single essence
I am Eternal, Formless, Solitary, Endless!
I alone exist! limitless, eternal, all-encompassing!
Truly I alone exist! all pervasive and never-ending!
Indeed, my nature is pure intelligence
I am infinite, immutable, deathless
I experience neither joy or sorrow
nor do I know to whom these might appear to exist
I have no beginning or end
I was never born and will never die
I am the Supreme Reality, forever whole and undivided
If God alone exists Limitless and Infinite
If It is the Ultimate Truth itself that is all pervading as Space
How can there be a higher Supreme truth?
I am neither alive nor lifeless
I neither come nor go
I have no inside or outside
Not bound by birth or death, I light Eternity!
Not bound by time or space, I light Eternity!
Not bound by being or non-being, I light Eternity!
Not subject to creation and destruction, I light Eternity!
Truly I alone exist, Limitless, Eternal, all encompassing!
so do these words reveal the Absolute Truth of Reality.
The moment you Realise God Consciousness, You will be Eternal
The Entire World is an illusion swirling in God
This world of duality appears to have substance
But the Moment that you realize that the body, the world, and all other appearances are unreal and empty like sky,
then you become Brahman.
The paradigm of duality no longer applies to you.
The Entire World is a mirage with no existence
God alone exists
The Moment you realise God, Eternal life is yours
In Self, there is no time, no space, no matter
There is no beginning, no middle, no end.
Realise That which is all pervading As Space and Which Contains the Entire Universe
Meditate on God as the Source of All Creation
The Entire world has never existed yet appears to exist, its an illusion
The Moment God Consciousness is realised, One finds Eternity
In God, there is only one thing
Immaculate Pure Being
Infinite, empty, clear like sky
It is beyond time and space
it is beyond existence
The moment you realise God Consciousness, You will be Eternal
You are done with birth and death.
This is the Absolute Truth of Reality.
submitted by I_am_Fang_Yuan_ to IamFangyuan_ [link] [comments]
Human Path Cultivators HATE HIM! He has raised his human path attainment using the Demonic path's "Illegal Drugs!" The Righteous path "society" hates him!
so I took like 6 hits of Lsd while reading reverend insanity each 150 ug and a few 300ug And damn I really got messed up!
First trip was normal shit but I felt it was weird how all this shit in my mind would unravel, like I thought how interesting fang yuan was and like delved deeply into his ambition
Second trip however was 300ug and that's where shit gets very interesting, I literally felt I was FANG YUAN! AND Lsd was Spring Autumn Cicada and Wisdom Gu ! Which gave me all these revelations from my future self, I also thought like wait wtf, the sky is white heaven and space is black heaven, this is the gu world, I was in Central continent which is Europe and all this shit was beyond wild, like it feels like it's Literally the TRUTH like reality! But thank God, I still had a clear mind and didn't do dumb shit like cutting my ear or some other shit
Fourth trip was something more insane, it was directly after it was revealed all of shadow sect was spectral soul's split soul, like the same day I took lsd and I literally felt I was God and everybody was my split soul
Now 5th trip was even crazier, I still thought I was God but I wasn't fang yuan, Rather fang yuan was gonna ascend to venerable and fight ME because I am God ! But I also felt like fang yuan was another one of my split soul and I was doing all this chaos just to entertain myself for eternity
Ok now get this, I don't think reality is just random because I tried multiple times to get lsd at random times but I would procrastinate and the day I would break through in the novel I would do it for no reason at all
Also for people who never did Lsd, it's like another world,it's hallucinations so now just understand this, you literally forget most of the trip so when you get back it's like WTF I KNOW THIS PLACE! I was here before but I forgot for some reason
Now continue with me because my character development went exactly like the novel and especially the legends of renzu which I think is the best story about the human condition, but THERE IS TOO MUCH COINCIDENCE! like it cannot be random how the part stood out and you will see why now
So I was in the part where the miniman got of city well in the legends of renzu and there was this quote : "City well is a secluded domain of heaven and earth, only by knowing you are inside of it can you get out", now I didn't give it much thought and coincidentally I took lsd the next day, AND then BOOM! I was like OK so this is city well, even if it's not, I can see that reality is not real, It's all just a Dream! But like then at that moment it was like damn!! Only by knowing you are inside a well can you get out of it and realise True Reality!
Now we are going even WILDER in the next part I read a lot, I understood things like the heart of renzu, like his heart and the trials he faced
So this next part, I took LSD but I didn't READ the novel but here's the catch it was the most intense trip I have ever had, i felt I was BOILING in lava literally, now as you might not now but lsd amplifies all emotions like 100x especially suffering like it lasts even after the trip, in this trip I HAD AN INTENSE EGO DEATH,
Now ego death sounds catchy but it's Literally just memory suppression, I didn't know what it was but it sounded cool but when I got it HOLY SHIT! I literally did not Remember my own name, I didn't KNOW WHO I WAS! OR MY PAST! OR WHAT I WANTED! I literally forgot everything, it's not that I forgot it but it was all suppressed I couldn't recall anything at all!
Like I remember I met my dad after this which was in summer and I FELT LIKE IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM! I ate food and it felt like it was the first time I ate, I saw trees and I felt it was the first time I saw them, I'm not even kidding it was the scariest shit ever, I couldn't even think properly
The scariest part is there is this state that's called pure consciousness, it's when you see something but you do not remember the act of seeing; like you see something but you forget your existence; you don't remember you are a person seeing this thing but there is just the thing itself
This was really like rock bottom for me, like when I saw somebody I could vaguely feel I know this person but there were no memories, and I would have this voice in my head : "WHAT AM I?" "WHERE AM I " "WHY?" AND ALL this shit was crazy, I would think all day and i understood nothing about what the world was or how it worked
It's Literally like being THERE in the trip and having never come back, like I could remember i know this thing but I do not have access to I cannot take it and see it Like even Later on, I would forget everything like if I think very very hard I can vaguely remember but it's Literally like amnesia and Weird schizo thoughts all the time, even the way I acted and my movements, even while walking it felt weird and I would black out and forget I existed
Now hear me this, I went like this for weeks, at this point I wanted to stop reverend insanity cause it made me suffer but get me this I'm bored and I open it up, I read like a few chapters AND BOOM! It's the part where Renzu goes INSANE! and he doesn't remember who he is or where he is, and then when he sees the birds he thinks he is one, when he sees the fish he thinks he is one and seeks Freedom Gu, at that point I was like WTF !!!! this can't be real, this cant be a coincidence, I had went insane and renzu was there like me, and then the fate war finished, Renzu hated fate and so did i, like for the first time in my life I was like holy shit WHY IS THE WORLD THE WAY IT IS? Why can't we just be happy all the time why do we have to suffer constantly? I understood there, ok so this world is suffering! Through constant change the only permanence is impermanence, I think it got me more into Non-duality religions and zen buddhism it's more interesting since they also get into the things I felt in these states
FUNNIEST SHIT : So later on, I accept this state, and I go to the beach with my family, and I am like oh this is the beach, I enter it and then BOOM! WTF this is literally Reverse flow River! The more I tried and got in the harder it pushed me out and It was literally like a revelation in my head lmfaaaao
i sound like this but I'm pretty serious most of the time but damn the legends of renzu is literally just mind-blowing, the more I reread it the more I understand more about life and the human condition, like when Renzu finds self Gu and It tells to WALK! he doesn't know how or where but self gu just tells him to WALK! Or when Forest samsara and the miniman built the ladder, and the miniman got out of Oradinary abyss, I literally feel these things, especially when Renzu faced that big predicament and it ate all his hearts, similarly I think I felt how it feels to go through what he went through, I think this goes to show what it means to be a Human Being
This is human path, i think at this point, my attainmentbhas reached Quasi-Supreme grandmaster thanks to Lsd and reverend insanity, But damn it was a HELLISH journey!
Taking Drugs and LSD and Becoming Fang Yuan and Fighting God
An Updated version of a previous post about me taking LSD and reading reverend insanity, Except this time, we have LSD (3500ug) months of doing it, shrooms loads, overdosing on Ketamine especially K-holes, 2-FMA, loads of tryptamines and other drugs, i had a previous post about this and this is what follows
I will restart from the beginning
In my 2nd LSD trip ever, which was 300ug and that's where shit gets very interesting, I literally felt I was FANG YUAN! AND LSD was Spring Autumn Cicada and Wisdom Gu ! Which gave me all these revelations from my future self, and I was Struck in a Time loop where I needed to realise what my Future Self was telling me, perhaps I had died in the future and finally returned to the Past to Survive with all these revelations
I also Felt I was gonna become like Fang Yuan and conquer this world, and this entire world was my own playground and Everything in it was at my Mercy and will one day come to belong to Me alone
I also thought like wait wtf, the sky is white heaven and space is black heaven, this is the gu world, I was in Central continent which is Europe and all this shit was beyond wild, like it feels like it's Literally the TRUTH like reality!
Fourth trip was something more insane, it was directly after it was revealed all of shadow sect was spectral soul's split soul, like the same day I took lsd and I literally felt I was God and everybody was my split soul and I had Created this entire world and Universe from scratch for my own entertainment
Everytime I call it the "Zone", where you feel "I Knew this" but I was made to forget it on purpose to play this character!
Now 5th trip was even crazier, I still thought I was God but I wasn't Fang Yuan, Rather fang yuan was gonna have to ascend to Venerable to fight ME because I am God !
But I also felt like fang yuan was another one of my split soul rebelling against me and trying to take my Position as God but it also felt like I was doing all this chaos just to entertain myself for Eternity and he was but a character
Now continue with me because my character development went exactly like the novel and especially the legends of renzu which I think is the best story about the human condition, but there is too much coincidence!
"City well is a secluded domain of heaven and earth, only by knowing you are inside of it can you get out", now I didn't give it much thought and coincidentally I took lsd the next day, AND then BOOM! I was like OK so this is city well, even if it's not, I can see that reality is not real, It's all just an Illusion made to make me fall asleep! But like then at that moment it was like damn!! Only by knowing you are inside a well can you get out of it and realise True Reality!
I felt I was trapped in this Illusion of Life and I needed to wake up and become God again
So this next part, I took LSD and it was the most intense trip I have ever had, i felt I was Boiling in lava literally, now as you might not now but lsd amplifies all emotions like 100x especially suffering like it lasts even after the trip, in this trip I had an intense ego death
I forgot everything and became a white empty slate, being Nothingness
This was really like rock bottom for me, like when I saw somebody I could vaguely feel I know this person but there were no memories, and I would have this voice in my head : "WHAT AM I?" "WHERE AM I " "WHY?" AND ALL this shit was crazy, I would think all day and i understood nothing about what the world was or how it worked, much like Renzu when he went Insane!
In this same way, I was trynna destroy and get out of Fate gu's bindings that was binding me to a mortal body and in this illusion
At this point, I went to the beach and it was very similar to Reverse flow river and it gave me a good contrast to my life which is me being pushed by the Sea of Fate
this till now was last year, now We Get into the Real shit thats interesting
In an mdma + Huge LSD dose, I saw God in his True infinite form, a Formless form, a huge void infinite white sky without limits, The Supreme Being, the only True existence, there came a merging, a me dissolving in God and Love and I was two steps from becoming God
but I had to give up my body and mind! but a thought stopped me that "I was gonna be Alone", a fear of Death, giving up Everything and Everyone and few thoughts rippled "I fear being God"
it dawned on me that perhaps the boredom and fear of being alone was what made me create the world but it later became clear that it was the human form/mind that feared that and not the real "Me"
After this experiences of rejecting the merging into God coupled with the mdma comedown made me go Through Literal Hell, feeling disfunctional, suffering bodily and insane anxiety, stress and suicidal thoughts that came with the comedown but It dawned on me that perhaps it was God's punishment for prefering the World to Him, "you came all this way yet refused me for this lowly world", it did feel terrifying and full of suffering but I came to transcend that suffering and reject God and his anger, what is he gonna do anyway?
But it went to Hell even more, that string of bad luck didn't end just like that, through some coincidences I ended up consuming 5x the normal dose of ketamine and it was HELL itself, I was Boiling, My heart would literally Explode every few seconds, sensations coming up and exploding me entirely
Yet I still went through it and Trascended it with anger and pride, what are you gonna do God? heh!
here is what he did, I accidently ingested 10x the normal ketamine dose AGAIN, this time HELL 50x, Literally BLACKING OUT every few minutes, waking in Hell again and again! to blacking out, this continued for 30 FUCKING HOURS! you cannot make this shit up, I am not lying, it was Death ITSELF!
after that I was just dead for a month, not eating, no water, bad sleep, stomach and head pain
Yet I still transcended it but this time with surrender to God although I didn't still accept him/I/it, whatever it was
This Hell did not stop but kept going, I felt I was going against God himself and constantly fighting him and the demons in my head, I had entirely given up on Fang yuan and me
After that, I went through another mdma + lsd + shrooms trip, I found God again and repented but when he wanted me to dissolve in him, I refused Again, I will not return if I do not choose to!
Hell continued again, Anything I did, everything I valued, All my soul and blood was taken from me, catastrophy fell upon me till the point where there was no more "me"
Yet I saw here the wisdom and Cunningness of God, I had cut off all attachments, I had gone to the core of my being and cut everything till the last threads remained and then I cut those as well till nothing remains
Months have passed since then, I'm prepared for a New Showdown in the next coming days, I'm gonna fight God again and this time I WILL WIN!
Fighting God while taking drugs and inhabiting the spirit of Fang yuan
Taking drugs in a forest alone and feeling like a God with epic music on the background while on psychedelics
I felt that me and the world and the entire universe were created by God and that he was all moving them like puppets on a string, all imaginary in his own mind
and that I was the only One who was gonna rebel and refuse him, I was the one who was gonna transcend this world and everything and I was the One who was about to become God
I was moving with absolute confidence, I felt like I am God and the entire world was at my mercy
I felt that the spirit of Fang yuan wasn't just fighting Heaven's will but Gu zhu ren as well, the author himself and that the same way fang yuan was doing that, I the imaginary character was fighting against my author, God himself
I felt Fang yuan as this absolute spirit of Absolute freedom moving through me, I even stumbled in the outer of the forest and was moving near a highway and with cars all moving with all the noise and the possibility of being crushed at any moment coupled with the absolute Epic music, I felt like a God conquering everything and nothing could stand in front of me
That was It! I felt this absolute adrenaline and excitment flowing through my veins, and I heard this in my head "God alone exists, limitless, eternal, all-encompassing" and I was that!
and with the absolute excitment and otherwordly epic music I was transcending my individuality and becoming God and I felt all this energy flowing through me, Life itself, this absolute freedom and limitlesness!
I was absolutely Free!
Eternal Life is Real, I found it.
Here is Eternal life I offer to you for free, rare are the ones who will actually see it
You are not actually the avatar, neither your body nor mind
you are "Awareness"
You are just aware of a human being, aware of his thoughts and his action but you are not him
Imagine a Vr headset, thats kinda of how reality is, you watch a character in a movie but you think its you, I am here to show you True Reality
You are not the character in the game
rather you are God and you imagine the entire world and all the avatars including your own
In truth, the entire world has no reality, it is as unreal as a Dream, simply made out of God's imagination, In truth, I am You, You are Me
There is only one soul that experiences all lives, One Life that exists in everything
If you just put the ego, the character's personality in the trash it would be clearer
In truth, you are not touched by the character's sufferings, you just hear him and feel him but you are not affected, immovable
You already are Eternal, the entire world is merely a play plastered on a Stage, the play of life is an illusion, the stage is Real and Eternal
Here it is, Eternity without Effort, there was no need to chase eternity simply change the wrong view into the correct one
And realise that already Everything is God, the world is literally made out of Consciousness and the entire point of it is To Experience
To experience different forms, you are the dog, the cat, the tree, the sky, there is only one component to the world and that component is you
In the Vast Ocean of God, Bubbles of universes arises, linger and disappear
The Formless masquareding with forms and different masks
Throw all the masks and your godhood becomes clear, you create the world not the other way around
In truth, none of the imagination exists
There is Only God existing in nothingness, and that is who you are
Eternity itself, that is what you are!
you can't imagine using the Avatar's mind, you can try to bypass it and see it but it takes time, thats what enlightenement is
the Beauty of Existence
www.reddit.com/ReverendInsanity/comments/13rxei8/i_made_a_meme_about_all_the_drama_in_this/
The fact That only this post was Not Banned
The fact that finally some positive interactions after lots of sufferings
And the fact that i accidently today took lsd out of nowhere
And the Fact that "We are God and this entire world is our game" flashed on while I was Despairing truly, while on lsd
I Swear to God, now I remember, I was made to forget
Especially since I thought these past few days that God was a Void of nothingness
and I saw it with such certainty that it put despair into my heart literally
And while I was despairing I saw the part where Light said "We are God, wake up" and it hits me like a truck and I remember it now
I remember Now! If you are still asleep by now, time to wake up
This Entire World is the Novel of God
Not gods, the One God, All Existence
I think God loves me for how much suffering I've been through, so much hatred in this sub
financial situation, literally him sending me Pain literally, Just understand I myself am a character without true volition, everything I say or do is a part of a script
And i fucking love playing my part
You would say you reek of ego but remember we all are God literally
its impossible to see it since all come from different parts and perspectives
All is One, a Story beautiful beyond description and we all characters within it
And I am fang yuan hahahaha
I know its all insane and crazy but just imagine what if?
what if?
what if?
what if, even if it was a miniscule chance
what if?
What if it all was true!
from my perspective, It is! and It is absolutely amazing and completely invigorated me and put fire in my soul, but from another it wouldnt make sense
but oh well one day you'll see...
The World Exists inside the Mind of God
Do you want the truth? Or stay in your bubble?
The World exists inside the Mind of God
The same way when you read a Novel, the Entire World is Inside your Mind
but you live as the character
so You are Fang yuan when you read Reverend insanity since its an imaginary character, you exist, fang yuan doesnt but you become him and he becomes real
Your imagination gave "words" Life and they became alive and became The gu world, fang yuan and all characters
In this same way, so is The world of human beings existing in the exact same way inside the timeless spaceless Mind of God
The Mind of God is Timeless because Time itself is a thought in this unlimited Mind
This Mind is Limitless since it can imagine anything effortlessly, It is Spaceless meaning existing before Space because it imagines it, It exists everywhere and nowhere and only It exists
God imagines our world and we all are imaginary characters and dont have a solid existence outside being imagined
But the same way you are Fang yuan when you read the story so I am and We all are actually God, God imagining and being his Imagination
we all are the One Mind that created the World but cannot see it because the same way when you read the character, you forget this world and live in the novel, so you forget who you are and become the character as is God's desire to experience existence gives birth to the world and all its forms
Reverend insanity is a story of just that, Pursuing one's birth right, Only an infinite Being originally would want to become infinite once being reduced to a finite being, it is a deep ingrained thing in our being
both Existence and Non-existence, Existence means life and being conscious, Non-existence describes something similar to the sleep state, if you notice deeply then you would see that Sleep is Void, there is no blackness or whiteness or anything, that's non-existence
Well, in Truth both existence and non-existence, conscious and sleep state are not real, The One that Is Aware of them IS THE REAL
Since God imagines these but they are not God! Not the True Reality
I can't describe what it is to reach Eternal Life thus paradoxical language used to try and approach it but it is true people have always wrong in assuming life or death exist since neither actually do since they are created (imagined), the one who is aware of them does, the One without cause, the Uncreated is the Real
God alone exists and we all are One, Immortal, imperishable!
There is no need to chase Eternal life, Eternity isnt something to attain
here is the Truth
There is no "me", there is no "you"
God alone exists and we are That!
Say it with me :
I am God, the self of all, of this there is no doubt.
I am One with no other, the only Truth, the single essence
I am Eternal, Formless, Solitary, Endless!
I alone exist! limitless, eternal, all-encompassing!
Truly I alone exist! all pervasive and never-ending!
Indeed, my nature is pure intelligence
I am infinite, immutable, deathless
I experience neither joy or sorrow
nor do I know to whom these might appear to exist
I have no beginning or end
I was never born and will never die
I am the Supreme Reality, forever whole and undivided
If God alone exists Limitless and Infinite
If It is the Ultimate Truth itself that is all pervading as Space
How can there be a higher Supreme truth?
I am neither alive nor lifeless
I neither come nor go
I have no inside or outside
Not bound by birth or death, I light Eternity!
Not bound by time or space, I light Eternity!
Not bound by being or non-being, I light Eternity!
Not subject to creation and destruction, I light Eternity!
Truly I alone exist, Limitless, Eternal, all encompassing!
so do these words reveal the Absolute Truth of Reality.
The moment you Realise God Consciousness, You will be Eternal
The Entire World is an illusion swirling in God
This world of duality appears to have substance
But the Moment that you realize that the body, the world, and all other appearances are unreal and empty like sky,
then you become Brahman.
The paradigm of duality no longer applies to you.
The Entire World is a mirage with no existence
God alone exists
The Moment you realise God, Eternal life is yours
In Self, there is no time, no space, no matter
There is no beginning, no middle, no end.
Realise That which is all pervading As Space and Which Contains the Entire Universe
Meditate on God as the Source of All Creation
The Entire world has never existed yet appears to exist, its an illusion
The Moment God Consciousness is realised, One finds Eternity
In God, there is only one thing
Immaculate Pure Being
Infinite, empty, clear like sky
It is beyond time and space
it is beyond existence
The moment you realise God Consciousness, You will be Eternal
You are done with birth and death.
This is the Absolute Truth of Reality.
2023.06.03 00:07 gio-s Can I become a travelling investigative journalist?
hey guys! so sorry if this sounds dumb, it’s because it is. i truly don’t know much about journalism but i’m young and trying to find what i wanna do with my life. i love to write, i love to travel, and i love to expose exploitation and open peoples eyes.
with that being said, i guess what i’m truly asking in simpler terms is- is it possible for me to work under an organization and be able to travel somewhere with a lead and truly look into it? i’d love to get down to the core roots of the problem and tell a story that opens someone’s perspective. like, for example, if there’s some sort of issue with there not being enough cobalt produced for batteries or something. some people may point fingers at very on-the-surface issues, but i’d love to dig deeper. i’d love to go to congo, gather information and make an article showing how the root problem is the reaching hands of capitalist imperial still taking hold of the congo and its people. i’d love to show that it wasn’t the x,y and z problem that was easy to see, but in reality the cobalt flow slowed because workers are dying in mines, overworked and fed up, etc.
that was just an example of the direction i’m trying to go in just to give you guys an idea. is this something that’s possible for me? to be able to do this, to shed light on an issue and actually get paid so i can eat? cause as much as i’d love to just travel and make my own article it’s super unrealistic. i’d have to be super rich with a constants flow of money. or i’d have to be able to live and work in each country i visit which is 100% not possible sadly.
for reference, im a 19M from the US, i have my GED and haven’t tried to pursue college and don’t really plan on it.
again, this probably sounds dumb in many ways so please don’t come at me, just tell me and teach me where i’m wrong so i can learn. it’ll do more for both of us instead of just leaving some asshole comment because i am clearly lost lol
(advice in general even outside this topic is also greatly appreciated)
thanks!!
submitted by gio-s to Journalism [link] [comments]
with that being said, i guess what i’m truly asking in simpler terms is- is it possible for me to work under an organization and be able to travel somewhere with a lead and truly look into it? i’d love to get down to the core roots of the problem and tell a story that opens someone’s perspective. like, for example, if there’s some sort of issue with there not being enough cobalt produced for batteries or something. some people may point fingers at very on-the-surface issues, but i’d love to dig deeper. i’d love to go to congo, gather information and make an article showing how the root problem is the reaching hands of capitalist imperial still taking hold of the congo and its people. i’d love to show that it wasn’t the x,y and z problem that was easy to see, but in reality the cobalt flow slowed because workers are dying in mines, overworked and fed up, etc.
that was just an example of the direction i’m trying to go in just to give you guys an idea. is this something that’s possible for me? to be able to do this, to shed light on an issue and actually get paid so i can eat? cause as much as i’d love to just travel and make my own article it’s super unrealistic. i’d have to be super rich with a constants flow of money. or i’d have to be able to live and work in each country i visit which is 100% not possible sadly.
for reference, im a 19M from the US, i have my GED and haven’t tried to pursue college and don’t really plan on it.
again, this probably sounds dumb in many ways so please don’t come at me, just tell me and teach me where i’m wrong so i can learn. it’ll do more for both of us instead of just leaving some asshole comment because i am clearly lost lol
(advice in general even outside this topic is also greatly appreciated)
thanks!!
2023.06.02 23:59 CazOnReddit Alright, Let's Talk About the 3rd Pick & a Potential Siakam Trade With Portland
 | So have you heard that the Blazers are looking to shop around the 3rd pick and Anfernee Simons for a star forward? Yeah, let's finally get into this. submitted by CazOnReddit to torontoraptors [link] [comments] The Blazers lucked themselves into a rather unique position, both with the pick they got - having jumped from 5th to 3rd in the draft - and with the team who managed to get the 2nd pick being the Charlotte Hornets who are likely to draft forward Brandon Miller over G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson, with Scoot seemingly falling to 3. This would make Scoot the 2nd young guard the Blazers recently drafted and their 3rd under 25 guard to play next to Dame...if they weren't trying to shop the pick around. They have a perfect opportunity to finally do a rebuild...and yet, here we are with yet another rumor about the Blazers trying to build around Dame and get him the help they've left him without for...what, 8 seasons and counting? Like the Rockets who are alleged to be interested in moving the 4th pick, I don't think the Blazers really should be trying to do a two timelines, pseudo rebuild while contending around Lillard. I also don't think the package they can put together is as great as it's often hyped up to be. As we'll get into, a package around Anfernee and the 3rd pick plus a player or pick or two is quite decent in a vacuum but it certainly isn't good enough to get to get you that Top 10-15 player in the league who can singlehandedly win you a series - if not, a championship. It certainly isn't enough to outbid the likes of the Jazz or, more significantly, the Thunder who may opt for a splash in the offseason as their core develops into a young, hungry playoff team with some greater veteran presence around them. I'm just going to say it: If Portland really is saying "time's up" and putting together one last effort to compete against Dame, they need to do more than get Siakam, O.G., Karl-Anthony Towns or whichever star's name pops up in rumors leading up to the draft. Not to say those players won't improve the team, but none of them - and yes i'm including Siakam - are good enough to elevate a former lottery team like the Blazers over the past 2 seasons to a Top 3 seed, let alone guarantee a championship. A duo of Siakam and Dame, Dame and KAT, etc. can be part of one's core championship team but they need the right supporting pieces around them in order to win. To put it mildly, the Blazers...do not have that. Jusuf Nurkic has seen significant regression as a defender and the bench is one of the few to make the Raptors bench look like a bastion of basketball greatness. It shows on the floor and statistically, and it's a large reason why the Blazers have been one of the worst defensive teams in the league over the past, one of the worst when it comes to rebounding and in general being near the bottom of the Western Conference before they pulled the plug on their most recent season in an attempt to tank for a Top 4 pick. If the Blazers are actually going to commit to Dame, they need to engage in a paradigm shift this offseason. Rework the starting 5, the bench and go all-in getting Loyalty McLoyal the team he should have had around him for years instead of endlessly running it back with minor tweaks to who his #2 is. That means either getting your pick back from the Bulls and shopping the 4 firsts/3 swaps you can or removing the protections and dealing out the 3/3 you would have to improve the roster. Don't just get Siakam, KAT or whoever and set them up to fail with Damian because it's not fair to either player to put them in that situation. Go after Buddy Hield, see if Myles Turner or Clint Capela are going to be available, or if the Wolves are desperate enough to sign and trade Naz Reid to recoup some assets after the costly Gobert trade - if not, try signing him with the full MLE. And you don't stop there! However they plan to shake up the roster in this hypothetical scenario, they need to significantly improve the center position/rotation and their bench to give Dame an actual chance of winning a ring with what few years left they have in his prime. Also fire Chauncey Billups, he's a bottom 3 coach and the only reason I can't say he is not the worst is because I can't say the Raptors coach will be objectively worse/better without knowing who will head either team. He isn't 3rd, that's for sure. But anyway that's the Blazers prerogative. What exactly could the Raptors see in a potential pick that, presumably, revolves around Pascal Siakam? Since I can be a bit of a wordy writer, i'm going to add some TL;DR sections for each playepick discussed in this little piece for those that want a quick breakdown. Note: This is not a trade proposal; this is a compilation of the assets and players who could be included in a trade for Pascal Siakam. Additionally, this is not an endorsement of trading Pascal Siakam, etc. in a deal with the Portland Trailblazers. Anfernee Simons https://preview.redd.it/eon5unll7d3b1.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=2873b3d89092d0e0c221ee9817335918489f2e7e The main player who's been the subject of a contentious discussion between Blazers fans and Raptors fans. Whether you think he's overrated, underrated or somewhere inbetween, it is undeniable that Anfernee Simons would have to be included in the trade at minimum. I can't speak for the Blazers and I won't pretend to speak for all Raptors fans so let me just say this: I like Anfernee Simons. He's one of the more exciting players in the league under 25 even if he doesn't have the same ceiling as a guy like Zion or fellow player nicknamed "Ant" Anthony Edwards. A borderline All-Star guard with a combination of shooting prowess and explosiveness, he had a breakout season in 2021/22 when Dame went down due to an injury and thus became the Blazers lead point guard in his absence. He's a genuine 3-level scorer who can splash from outside, pressure the rim for a high-flying dunk and he's effective in the midrange too. If nothing else, it cannot be overstated how nice it would be for this team to have another player who's a reliable, 38.7% from 3 volume shooter on a roster so thoroughly lacking in outside shooting And before you say it, yes, Anfernee Simons is a point guard. This isn't a case like CJ where his skillset is that of a 2 who can do some playmaking but shouldn't run your offense, Simons does have some issues with dribbling the air out of the ball before making a pass, but he is a point guard. He isn't a typical point, operating more as a shoot-first point like Lillard, but he's still capable of cracking out a notable number of assists while getting buckets; he dished out 6 dimes a game with nearly 28 points in the games he's played without Dame as the lead point. All 11 of them last year. https://preview.redd.it/nwhosg3d8d3b1.png?width=1945&format=png&auto=webp&s=8d01cd6a71d032cf5e3bab941c00fc942148991c Yeah, you might have seen some posts or stats online of what Simons has done without Damian Lillard; in his breakout season of 2021/22, the Anferno was putting up a similar number of assists and cracked 20 points per game, albeit over a more significant sample size of 30 games. And in 2022/23, Anfernee Simons put up 27.9/2.9/5.7 (2.4 turnovers so an AST/TO of 2.38:1 which is solid) while shooting a staggering 41% from 3 on 11 3s. Those numbers are impressive in a vacuum; his true shooting of 62% is especially notable. However, they require some context and should be taken with an enormous grain of salt. For one, it's a very small sample size over a lengthy period of the season where teams haven't had to plan for Simons to be the main guard to focus their defense on. He's still the 2nd option so it's not like there's no film watching or the like, but if Anfernee Simons permanently becomes the lead point guard of a team, opposing teams will gameplan around him and his weaknesses more significantly than the very few times where he's asked to be the lead ballhandler in Dame's absence. His 2021/22 stats, while still a limited overall sample size, do suggest he'll be able to dish out a similar number of dimes as the lead guard (Dame had been ruled out due to injury during the season so teams did have to gameplan around the Ant for a large portion of the season instead of a handful of games scattered throughout the season) and he still has room to grow as a playmaker but once again, it was only a sample size of 30 games so it is hard to draw much out from the games he played. Speaking of drawing conclusions from said sample size: Yes the Blazers went 4-7 within that 11 game sample size - and bear in mind this sample included games where the Blazers were still trying to contend while facing a variety of teams i.e. not every team was a playoff or contender. That isn't great, however, Ant was generally not the main reason they lost since the 2022/23 Blazers as a whole were pretty terrible all year, even before they blatantly tanked. The same is also true of his breakout year when the Blazers lost Lillard due to injury, they just weren't a good team. If there is a point of contention around Simons that one can draw from his past 2 seasons, it's his defense which...it's bad. It's really bad. He's improved this season on that end to the point where i'd say he's a better defender than Dame - even if his overall defensive rating doesn't support this, the eye test does - but that's like saying Spencer Dinwiddie is a better defender than Trae Young. While Chauncey Billups hasn't been doing either one of Portland's guard any favors, it doesn't change the fact that being better than one of the worst defenders in the league is not an accomplishment to be proud of. All coaching issues aside, Simons is still a notable negative on that end of the floor. He has a propensity for losing his man via ball watching, he's not great at closing out on the perimeter and he's not a lane disruptor by any means. It's not impossible for him to improve as a defender - he's 6'3 with a 6'9 wingspan and much of his defensive weaknesses come from a lack of discipline - but as of right now when his shots aren't falling he's a major liability on the court and his flaws on defense were not well hidden when paired next to another notably poor defender in Dame. There are a couple of other habits that Simons needs to address - he could stand to be less trigger happy as a scorer and work more on his playmaking given all the promise he's shown in that area - but that's the main issue with Simons. He's a very skilled guard with a similar approach to the game as Dame on both ends of the floor. And we all know Dame isn't locking down the opposing team's point. Does Anfernee Simons seem like he'll become a guard on the level of Dame? No but that's a ridiculously high bar to hold him to, especially with the limited opportunities he had and will continue to have when he's behind Dame in the guard pecking order. Anfernee is a good player who often shows glimmers of true greatness on offense but whose defense (or lack thereof) is going to require very careful teambuilding to limit exploiting said defense in the playoffs. Perhaps he'll need to be the full-time point to fully achieve his potential as a playmaker but while he doesn't scream All-NBA caliber, he's someone you can easily see eking out a couple of All-Star nods at his peak and is, at worst, a staring-caliber guard. As for whether he can be the lead of a championship contender...we'll get to that when we talk about the pick he'd come with. TL;DR - Anfernee Simons is an intriguing young player with upside as an explosive, shoot-first PG but one whose poor defense does mean the team's starting lineup/bench has to be built around carefully to account for his current (and likely ongoing throughout his career) weaknesses. 3rd Pick https://preview.redd.it/96pocramhi3b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=3ee450641a298a5b1dee0da9fce0c7f652c60665 It's whomever is left from Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller. Maybe you trade down to 4 for some more assets if you're a believer in Amen Thompson, maybe you take Amen if you think he's the best player available and the Rockets won't negotiate for Scoot/Miller but yeah, it's one of those three via the 3rd overall pick. Before we get into the players, I do want to briefly mention that I actually did a post a while ago on a different sub going over trades involving the 3rd pick and to put it bluntly: The 3rd pick has good value but it doesn't have as much value on its own and trades involving the 3rd pick for an All-Star or even All-NBA caliber player are very rare. The closest trade to what the Blazers would want in return was in 2000 where the Atlanta Hawks traded the 3rd overall pick to the Vancouver Grizzlies along with Brevin Knight and Lorenzen Wright for Shareef Abdur-Rahim and the 27th overall pick. That 3rd pick turned out to be future HoFer Pau Gasol but no one knew he'd become that at the time. As for what the Grizzlies gave up for the pick, Shareef Abdur-Rahim was not a perennial All-Star nor was he an All-NBA level player. He was a solid player that became an All-Star in his debut season for the Hawks...and that was his only All-Star appearance. With that in mind, it is a bit wild that it's so commonly suggested that Simons and the 3rd pick alone should be enough to acquire an All-NBA talent like Siakam, especially with how much inflation we've seen in trades for players of that caliber of late or even players who are a step below. Concerns about his contract expiring lowering his value are baffling, as if a team's front office wouldn't talk to him about an extension before making such a trade. Moreover, it's not like the Raptors need to deal him out when they can simply re-sign him in 2024. Now this year, when Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller could be up for grabs, the 3rd pick has a lot more value given how highly praised those players are, so let's put aside the debate on what is fair for Siakam for a moment and talk about the presumed 3rd overall pick, Scoot Henderson. The 2nd best player in a draft class containing the best prospect since LeBron James. He's projected to go 3rd because Charlotte is allegedly interested in taking Brandon Miller at 2nd but we'll touch on that later. For now, let's talk Scoot:
Losing Siakam would obviously hurt the team in the short term but as far as what Scoot brings, there is a lot of upside to him that would raise the ceiling of the team in the long run. His ability to get to the rim, combined with his athleticism would make him the perfect guard for a team that thrives in transition like the Raptors. He would also have chemistry with another player the Raptors have been rumored to be interested in/may take at 13 in Leonard Miller as they played on the same team but we'll talk about the 13th pick's potential prospects another time. For now, let's go over one of the problems with trading for Scoot Henderson if he is still on the board, besides the obvious hypothetical of "he might never become a player as good as the one you're giving up" or "what do you do with Fred when you brought in Scoot and Simons" because what you're really asking is this: Is a backcourt of Scoot/Simons the team's guard duo of the future? This brings me to my big problem with a “trade for Simons + 3” trade if the 3rd pick does end up being Scoot: A backcourt of two undersized guards, one of whom is unproven against NBA competition on defense and the other of whom has been one of the worst guard defenders in the league is not a duo of guards you can build a contender around in the long-term unless both of them become significantly improved defenders. Or at the very least, it's a duo that has historically not led to notable championship contention. Blazers fans would know this well given their team has only had one year where they weren’t the in the NBA’s basement as far as defensive ratings go, be it with CJ or Anfernee as Lillard’s sidekick; the furthest they ever got with either was the Western Conference Finals and the best their defense has even been was 10th. Every other season, the Trailblazers defense has been amongst the worst in the NBA. Part of those Blazers teams' failures can be attributed to bad coaching, but a more significant portion of the blame be laid at the feet of Dame being a bad defender and undersized who has been paired with bad, undersized guards throughout much of his career. You can get away with one bad defender or a starter who’s undersized for their position on a championship-caliber team which, if you’re rebuilding by trading away Siakam, that is what you’re hoping to take a step back for. As an example, Dirk Nowitzki wasn’t known for being a lockdown defender and yet the Mavericks won their first and only championship to date with Dirk as the weak link on defense. He was also a phenomenal offensive talent whose weaknesses on defense were mitigated by how much momentum he was able to generate for his team but I digress. You can get away with running several smaller players for a limited time to force mismatches on offense with the right lineup. The Warriors dynasty comes to mind, where Golden State would close games using their “Death Lineup”. However, that lineup revolved around 4 Hall of Famers (Klay, Dray, Steph, Igoudala) where Steph is the lineup’s weakest link on defense, and this is before we acknowledge that they were able to include yet another HoFer in Kevin Durant to replace Harrison Barnes in a different incarnation of the Death Lineup from 2017 onward. For that matter, it's not wholly impossible to win a championship with a duo of small guards - the Pistons repeated in the 89/90-90/91 with 6'3 Joe Dumars and 6'1 Isiah Thomas and the Bad Boy Pistons were contenders throughout the 90s - but it is damn near impossible if your lead guards are bad defenders. Whatever can be said about Thomas' various off-court controversies, notably with him being found liable for sexual misconduct during his stint heading a woman's basketball team a la the New York Liberty, he was a phenomenal defender, as was Dumars. Hell, the Raptors won in 2019 while having Fred VanVleet and Kyle Lowry share the floor a fair amount of time in the Finals though it is once again worth noting that both were terrific defenders at the time. Even if one wouldn't call their efforts All-Defense caliber, they were both positives on that end of the floor. Historically speaking, you cannot be a championship-caliber team with two of your starters being undersized negatives on the defensive end barring them being surrounded by generational defenders or said starters being generational offensive players who can make up for how many points you’re giving up on the other end of the floor. Simons is a gifted scorer with good playmaking but is a truly sorry defender. Scoot Henderson is a talented passer but is undersized for the position and how he fares defensively with teams hunting him as the smallest player on the court will remain to be seen. But with neither of them likely to be a Dumars/Thomas-level defender and the offensive capabilities for one of them being the main question mark as to how good a player they could become, having both of them as the foundation to your team's backcourt seems to cement the duo's future as a non-contending entity. Let's put this into perspective with some statistics: Of the past 40 years, the only championship to ever be won by a team with what could be considered a bad regular season defensive rating was the 2000/01 Lakers. That team had two generational talents in Shaq and Kobe, and that season is itself an outlier when compared to the rest of the Shaq/Kobe Lakers era that it shouldn't even count. All other championship teams were at least 12th or higher for their season with most championship teams being in the Top 5 in defensive rating. By the by, in case you're wondering: That team who had 12th in defensive rating was the 1995 Rockets led by the generational talent in Hakeem Olajuwon and said rating had a lot to do with untimely injuries to the 95 Rockets core. That team they still managed to have the 7th best offensive rating in the league despite Drexler's absence for much of the season is a testament to Future Raptors Retiree Hakeem's skills as the best big man of the late 80s, early-to-mid 90s. Are we noticing a pattern here? Even if we ignore the question about what to do with Fred, the question of what the Raptors backcourt looks like is far more pertinent if it is going to involve some combination of Scoot Henderson and Anfernee Simons with, presumably, Gary Trent Jr. and another guard coming off the bench for relief. Is a backcourt of Anfernee Simons and Scoot going to turn this team into a Top 3-6 offense for the season without plummeting this team's defense off of a cliff? And if you don't think so, when do you move one of them to open up the 1 or the 2 for another player? This is a question the team will likely have to answer once they've seen how Simons and Scoot fit togethefit with the rest of the roster; I don't see a 3-team draft day deal where Simons or the 3rd pick are moved elsewhere barring that aforementioned moving down to 4th and I don't see this team without Siakam/with Scoot and Simons being a serious contender for several years even if they do pan out. But it is a question that has me concerned in regards to how this team will function when it's developing a dynamic duo of players who will be picked apart in the playoffs barring one of them turning into a terrific defender. Whatever else one can say about Point Scottie or even Scottie Barnes when he was crammed into the starting Shooting Guard position for much of the year, it is hard to argue that having either Scottie or Trent & Simons/Scoot as your backcourt makes way more sense defensively even if having both Scottie and Scoot complicates matters on the offensive end since neither are great shooters and Trent's defense is a touch overrated at time due to is propensity to gamble for steals. All this being said, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Henderson becomes an All-Defense-caliber player or for Simons to a climb out from the deep hole he's dug for himself as one of the worst defenders in the league, and Scoot is still a phenomenal talent. These concerns should be noted, but they shouldn't serve to deter from selecting him 3rd if such a trade were to go down. As a prospect, there's very few players in this draft class who could serve to singlehandedly raise the floor and the ceiling of this team in the long run. Speaking of other players, however, it should be acknowledged that Scoot isn't the only potentially available player at 3; while all accounts suggest the Hornets prefer Brandon Miller at 3, Scoot is the best player available at 2 and there's no guarantee the Hornets draft for fit. So here's a quick rundown of Miller and a player the Blazers have recently worked out, Amen Thompson:
TL;DR - Scoot is an amazing prospect but his pairing with Simons could be a major problem in the future if both don't improve defensively. Ironically, the 3rd pick becomes simultaneously more valuable for other teams/less valuable for the Raptors if it's Scoot and vice-versa if it's Miller due to those concerns. Thompson is a wildcard at 3 depending on who has the pick/how willing the Rockets are to trade up to 3rd. Nassir Little Portland is reluctant to deal out Sharpe. We can debate on whether or not it's fair value for an All-NBA caliber player like Siakam, how much his contract being expiring should affect a deal (we'll ignore the fact that he can be extended by Portland and that any front office making a trade like this should be doing their due diligence by speaking to Pascal Siakam beforehand) or how good Sharpe actually was as a rookie overall instead of solely focusing on that stretch where the Blazers let him do whatever because they were tanking but regardless, the Blazers seem intent on keeping him. Fair enough, Masai is likely aiming for more than Anfernee and 3 - especially for the reasons listed above if it is Scoot Henderson - but Sharpe is likely a hard sell for the front office even if they are going all-in i.e. they want to keep at least one young guy on the roster for the long-term. That being said, there's still the matter of salary matching, and that's where one of Nassir Little or Sharpe has to come in (They're not going to move Nurkic in the deal for Siakam unless they have something lined up for their center situation i.e. tampering for Naz Reid); the only way for the Blazers to neatly absorb Siakam into their cap with just Simons is by renouncing their rights to Jerami Grant and they need to re-sign him/move him to the 3 (Grant is a really bad rebounder for a PF; the man is a career 4 RPG) if they are serious about competing with Dame. So...yeah, Nassir Little. Little is what people think O.G. is: A good defender who is often injured, Little is a solid 3 & D wing who, unlike Anunoby, has never played more than 55 games for a given season. Granted, 2019/20 and 2020/21 were shorted to 72 seasons but regardless, injuries have hampered the 23 year-old in the same way that Otto Porter Jr.'s potential was sapped due to a career-long battle with injuries. Still, when considering his age and production, his newest contract ($28M/4 years) is amazing value when he's healthy. But much like Otto (who I think technically could be sent in such a deal due to the rules around incoming/outgoing salaries), the question of when he's available is a common one. Little is a good young player but one whom you shouldn't get your hopes up about changing the team's direction. TL;DR - A little salary (sorry) is needed for the deal to happen on draft night & Nassir would be a decent choice for forward depth off the bench. One will have to carefully factor in injury concerns when evaluating the team's depth. Keon Johnson So like I said, Sharpe is likely to be ruled out. I debated if I should cover him at all but i'm honestly not sold on Shaedon as a prospect and we've already met the quota for rants with the "Simons/Scoot frontcourt will be exploited" talks. That said, I don't think the Raptors would settle for just Simons and the 3rd pick or the 3rd pick plus assets from a 3rd team were Anfernee moved due to the aforementioned backcourt issues with Simons and Scoot. For now we have Keon Johnson. Fun fact: When the Raptors were expected to draft 7th in the 2021 draft, Johnson was a common player mocked for the 7th pick. He wound up going in the 20 to the Clippers (via the Knicks in a trade) who eventually fleeced the Blazers in a deal including him for Norman Powell. Keon Johnson...hasn't really done a whole lot thus far. He was noted for having an impressive vertical of 48" at the 2021 combine which broke a previous record, he's a terrific athlete and he's about the same age as Scottie so he lines up with a rebuild or retool around Barnes... ...and that's where the positives end. Like I said, Keon hasn't demonstrated all that much on either team he's been on. For a guard, he's not a great ball handler, he isn't a good shooter, he's got decent size and the speed to be a good defender from 1-3 but his potential on that end does not All-Defense caliber. He'd be a throw-in that you'd hope can develop over time, likely spending a lot of time in the G-League because as of right now, he isn't going to be a significant contributor on either end. TL;DR - Keon is on a rookie deal so you'd be taking a flier on him/betting on your development bringing out the best in him if he were included. Other pick(s): As far as immediate draft capital goes, the Blazers have the 23rd pick in this draft, which is around the range where players the Raptors have been rumored to be interested in/interviewed (Bilal Couliby, GG Jackson) would likely be available. There's been some speculation that the Blazers could send this pick to the Bulls so they can get their owed pick back from Chicago but nothing concrete has come out regarding whether the Bulls would settle for that vs. hoping the Blazers make the 1st round and lose so they can get a pick in the 16-20 range. That said, the future pick owed to the Bulls is where things get tricky if the Raptors did want a future 1st: The Blazers pick is protected until 2028. It is technically possible for them to offer a swap in 2029 but without the protections being removed on the Bulls-bound 2024 1st (The 2029 pick cannot be moved due to the Stepien Rule), any future draft capital would need to come in the form of the 2023 trade deadline's currency of choice: Second round picks. Some of the notable 2nds include:
TL;DR - There is some interesting draft capital here beyond their own 1sts, especially if the 23rd pick is available in a deep draft like this, but ideally one would want a future 1st from the Blazers rather than a handful of 2nds given Dame's limited window. Conclusion I was originally going to talk about the 4th overall pick too but this got a bit lengthy so I made that into a separate post. As far as the 3rd pick package, in some ways it's better than one surrounding the 4th pick because Simons is a flatout better player than any one the Rockets would send back but it's also worse when you factor in Simons or Scoot's respective ceilings vs some of the potential prospects that could come in a 4th pick package? You're getting significant depth at the guard position if it is Scoot/Simons but there's a huge question mark as to how good the defense will hold up with two undersized guards, one of whom is a bad defender, will hold up in the playoffs. |
2023.06.02 23:57 Dividedthought Unknowns
We were clueless when they first passed through our home system, what with us having barely invented the telescope. Their warships were mistaken for asteroids adrift in the void, tiny sparkling gems dancing between stars.
The second time they entered our system we thought it was a show of force. Immense explosions at the periphery of our primitive sensor's range, we only realized that it was a military action and not some strange cosmic happenstance from the few stray radio signal we detected and spent decades decoding. The few words we were able to translate boiled down to "that should show them."
By the third incursion we had reached our moons. We saw them. We thought they didn't see us, assumed our habitats on the moons were buried deep enough and disguised well enough. They passed by without a word, thousands of titans made of titanium and Tungsten and steel using methods we couldn't fathom, travelling towards a goal we were ignorant of. We managed to detect their ships entering the system, not soon enough to react to them, but we detected it. Quite the feat at our tech level, from what I understand.
It was on the fourth incursion when contact occurred. An exploratory ship, the Iskira, around Navius was collecting data for a new colonization site when it happened. Thousands of massive pings on the long range sensors consistent with what we had detected last time. The crew were ordered to minimize their signature and hide among the rings of Navius.
It did not matter. The fleet passed through the rings, harvesting some resources. One of the ships dispatched a smaller craft, a single light fighter, which stopped a kilometer away from the Iskira, watching it. It took some scans, and the Iskira did the same. Tense hours passed, then the behemoths left the rings and the fighter returned to its berth. A small beacon was left behind, a cylander no larger than a drinking glass that gave off enough of a signal for us to notice.
The Iskira retrieved it, and what it contained set our scientific communities on fire with a desire to know more. Our military on the other appendage, was scared shitless that they had already translated our language.
The capsule contained the instructions on how to build a planetary shield generator. In our language. Alongside those were the instructions on how to find and refine the materials we had not yet discovered in order to accomplish this.
We didn't know if it was a gift, a warning, or a threat, but we built them anyhow. The pre-calculated requirements for every inhabited body in our system destroyed the idea we could hide from them.
Over the next decade we waited, anticipating their return with equal amounts of hope and fear.
Then the Aranti arrived.
Fortunately for us autonomous transport drones were the only things travelling between planets. Central command's detection maps lit up like a new born sun as hundreds of thousands of biomechanical ships exited warp on the edge of the system, burning for the planets we inhabited. It was as if the apocalypse had arrived, the shield generators screamed to life, the purple tinted fields of physics phenomena we had yet to fully understand flaring brightly as we locked ourselves behind them, hoping they would be enough.
In our panic, we failed to notice the massive pulse of energy blasted in one direction from a low orbit around our star. A signal, a beacon, calling out to those who left it there that the shields were activated and under attack.
We thought we were alone in this fight. As it turns out, we were wrong.
The sensors lit up once more. Not with the strange signatures of these new invaders, but with the telltale characteristics of the old. A message was received.
"Do not despair, help has arrived."
Above our skies, lights bloomed among the invading fleet as weapons with the potential to level continents detonated. Beams of energies we couldn't comprehend lanced out from the invaders only to bounce harmlessly off of lavender hued shields to dissipate in the void between the stars. Gargantuan amalgamations of flesh and metal were cleaved in two by projectiles travelling at a high fraction of the speed of light.
For five days our skies became a kaleidoscope of chaos and fury as the battle raged on. We could do nothing but stare in awe of the sheer displays of power occurring amidst the black. It was if the very gods of old were clashing in the heavens. We watched as the invaders dug in on the fourth moon of our homeworld, three of their motherships tunneling deep beneath its rocky surface and projecting a shield of their own in defiance of the slaughter above.
It did not help them.
We watched with equal amounts of horror and amazement as the largest of the ships helping us unfolded like some great cosmic flower, visible to the naked eye from the surface of our homeworld. A glow emerged within its immense petals and built in brilliance until we could no longer look directly at it.
A Lance of pure silver light streaked from what we now know to be a Hades class exterminator, a weapon capable of erasing entire stars from existence in the blink of an eye. The tendril of pure destruction crept across the sky, slowly from our vantage point but it crossed the abyss between its origin and target in a mere 30 seconds. When it struck, it left a glowing wound in the surface.
Then, we were shown the definition of overwhelming force.
Iriam detonated, unable to contain the impossible energies that had been violently injected to its core. Fragments of moon larger than even the ships overhead crashed into the planetary shields only to be vaporised into their most basic elements. Our saviors ships went to work, obliterating any of the debris that would have come back to haunt us decades in the future when their orbits around our star would have brought them back home.
Two days later the fight was over. Billions of tons of wreckage now meandered through space posing a hazard to our ships. Our saviors were not unbloodied, but they were the only ones still alive.
The shields were turned off, and the Iskira was launched carrying our top diplomats, politicians, scientists, and generals. We waited, terrified of what would happen next as we knew that noting would be the same again.
Hours passed, many of our saviors ships moved to orbit Navius to restock from the abundance of her rings. Eventually the Iskira returned, carrying envoys from our mysterious saviors. Every eye was glued to the broadcast as the two armored beings stepped off the ship alongside our leaders. A podium was brought, and after a declaration that the immediate threat was over, and that our saviors were here to stay until we could defend ourselves, the two aliens stepped up to the microphone. After seconds that felt like eons the spoke, in flawless Xirajin.
"Greetings to the entire Xiraji race. We are representatives of the United Terran Republic, a spacefaring alliance of hundreds of species gathered with the goal of ensuring no race is extinguished before their time or exploited by our less hospitable neighbors. To you, we come in peace, in the hope that you may join us after all these years you spent watching our ships drift by. We didn't contact you prior to this to prevent the Aranti from finding you sooner. We gave you the shield technologies to hold them off when they inevitably detected your advancements. We left a beacon, so we could help when we did.
We welcome you with open arms and hearts to our galactic community. You owe us nothing for our help, as we were helped ages ago by a dying race we too send our ships.
To you, the star's are no longer out of reach. Again, welcome. Among our stars, you are among friends."
submitted by Dividedthought to HFY [link] [comments]
The second time they entered our system we thought it was a show of force. Immense explosions at the periphery of our primitive sensor's range, we only realized that it was a military action and not some strange cosmic happenstance from the few stray radio signal we detected and spent decades decoding. The few words we were able to translate boiled down to "that should show them."
By the third incursion we had reached our moons. We saw them. We thought they didn't see us, assumed our habitats on the moons were buried deep enough and disguised well enough. They passed by without a word, thousands of titans made of titanium and Tungsten and steel using methods we couldn't fathom, travelling towards a goal we were ignorant of. We managed to detect their ships entering the system, not soon enough to react to them, but we detected it. Quite the feat at our tech level, from what I understand.
It was on the fourth incursion when contact occurred. An exploratory ship, the Iskira, around Navius was collecting data for a new colonization site when it happened. Thousands of massive pings on the long range sensors consistent with what we had detected last time. The crew were ordered to minimize their signature and hide among the rings of Navius.
It did not matter. The fleet passed through the rings, harvesting some resources. One of the ships dispatched a smaller craft, a single light fighter, which stopped a kilometer away from the Iskira, watching it. It took some scans, and the Iskira did the same. Tense hours passed, then the behemoths left the rings and the fighter returned to its berth. A small beacon was left behind, a cylander no larger than a drinking glass that gave off enough of a signal for us to notice.
The Iskira retrieved it, and what it contained set our scientific communities on fire with a desire to know more. Our military on the other appendage, was scared shitless that they had already translated our language.
The capsule contained the instructions on how to build a planetary shield generator. In our language. Alongside those were the instructions on how to find and refine the materials we had not yet discovered in order to accomplish this.
We didn't know if it was a gift, a warning, or a threat, but we built them anyhow. The pre-calculated requirements for every inhabited body in our system destroyed the idea we could hide from them.
Over the next decade we waited, anticipating their return with equal amounts of hope and fear.
Then the Aranti arrived.
Fortunately for us autonomous transport drones were the only things travelling between planets. Central command's detection maps lit up like a new born sun as hundreds of thousands of biomechanical ships exited warp on the edge of the system, burning for the planets we inhabited. It was as if the apocalypse had arrived, the shield generators screamed to life, the purple tinted fields of physics phenomena we had yet to fully understand flaring brightly as we locked ourselves behind them, hoping they would be enough.
In our panic, we failed to notice the massive pulse of energy blasted in one direction from a low orbit around our star. A signal, a beacon, calling out to those who left it there that the shields were activated and under attack.
We thought we were alone in this fight. As it turns out, we were wrong.
The sensors lit up once more. Not with the strange signatures of these new invaders, but with the telltale characteristics of the old. A message was received.
"Do not despair, help has arrived."
Above our skies, lights bloomed among the invading fleet as weapons with the potential to level continents detonated. Beams of energies we couldn't comprehend lanced out from the invaders only to bounce harmlessly off of lavender hued shields to dissipate in the void between the stars. Gargantuan amalgamations of flesh and metal were cleaved in two by projectiles travelling at a high fraction of the speed of light.
For five days our skies became a kaleidoscope of chaos and fury as the battle raged on. We could do nothing but stare in awe of the sheer displays of power occurring amidst the black. It was if the very gods of old were clashing in the heavens. We watched as the invaders dug in on the fourth moon of our homeworld, three of their motherships tunneling deep beneath its rocky surface and projecting a shield of their own in defiance of the slaughter above.
It did not help them.
We watched with equal amounts of horror and amazement as the largest of the ships helping us unfolded like some great cosmic flower, visible to the naked eye from the surface of our homeworld. A glow emerged within its immense petals and built in brilliance until we could no longer look directly at it.
A Lance of pure silver light streaked from what we now know to be a Hades class exterminator, a weapon capable of erasing entire stars from existence in the blink of an eye. The tendril of pure destruction crept across the sky, slowly from our vantage point but it crossed the abyss between its origin and target in a mere 30 seconds. When it struck, it left a glowing wound in the surface.
Then, we were shown the definition of overwhelming force.
Iriam detonated, unable to contain the impossible energies that had been violently injected to its core. Fragments of moon larger than even the ships overhead crashed into the planetary shields only to be vaporised into their most basic elements. Our saviors ships went to work, obliterating any of the debris that would have come back to haunt us decades in the future when their orbits around our star would have brought them back home.
Two days later the fight was over. Billions of tons of wreckage now meandered through space posing a hazard to our ships. Our saviors were not unbloodied, but they were the only ones still alive.
The shields were turned off, and the Iskira was launched carrying our top diplomats, politicians, scientists, and generals. We waited, terrified of what would happen next as we knew that noting would be the same again.
Hours passed, many of our saviors ships moved to orbit Navius to restock from the abundance of her rings. Eventually the Iskira returned, carrying envoys from our mysterious saviors. Every eye was glued to the broadcast as the two armored beings stepped off the ship alongside our leaders. A podium was brought, and after a declaration that the immediate threat was over, and that our saviors were here to stay until we could defend ourselves, the two aliens stepped up to the microphone. After seconds that felt like eons the spoke, in flawless Xirajin.
"Greetings to the entire Xiraji race. We are representatives of the United Terran Republic, a spacefaring alliance of hundreds of species gathered with the goal of ensuring no race is extinguished before their time or exploited by our less hospitable neighbors. To you, we come in peace, in the hope that you may join us after all these years you spent watching our ships drift by. We didn't contact you prior to this to prevent the Aranti from finding you sooner. We gave you the shield technologies to hold them off when they inevitably detected your advancements. We left a beacon, so we could help when we did.
We welcome you with open arms and hearts to our galactic community. You owe us nothing for our help, as we were helped ages ago by a dying race we too send our ships.
To you, the star's are no longer out of reach. Again, welcome. Among our stars, you are among friends."
- Translator's note: excerpt from "First Contact, a historian's account" by A'aranmik Isk'nok'tian - head historian of the Xiraji Archivist's Guild
2023.06.02 23:56 RachelEvening My personal pet peeve with Alters (Or why I'm excited for Executor Alter, but worried for what he and Silence the Paradigmatic could mean for the future of the game)
TL;DR**:** Hypergryph is relying way too much on Alters to give some much needed spotlight to some characters, when Alters shouldn't be a must to give low-rarity characters their own events or plots and if they continue that trend it will kill my hype for their stories, particularly in those cases where an Alter was simply not needed lore-wise before their event (A.K.A Silence Alter).Welcome everyone to my heavily biased rant that no one but me might agree with and that will most likely be downvoted to oblivion. That's okay, you might have your own take, this is just my opinion. Feel free to disagree with everything I'm about to rant here like the madwoman screaming to the wall that I am right now.
With that out of the way and if you are still reading this, let's begin.
Alters on Arknights: A story-telling tool
...Let's talk about Alters, shall we?Love them or hate them, they can be a tool for when an unit has potential and powers on their lore that aren't reflected on the original unit for whatever reason, or stuff that is foreshadowed on their lore that has a good reason to be relegated to an Alter unit (Texas having left the mafia for example, or Shining having made an oath to never use her sword again... whenever Shining Alter ever actually happens).
Something I liked going into Arknights is that Alters were rarely used solely as a money-grabbing scheme. They were that too, don't get me wrong, this is still a gacha game, but still... I got the sense that, unlike in other gacha games, Alters in Arknights actually had a narrative purpose, and it was one that wasn't deliberately engineered in a way that you could say that a certain event was just written in such a way to make an Alter happen (There's just 2 examples, maybe 4, of that happening in this game from what I counted, with only 3 of those released in Global right now, but we'll get to those ones in a second), but it was always born from lore that had already long existed before the Alter unit did.
With very few exceptions, all of the Alters we have gotten on Arknights actually have a reason to exist that was mentioned or at least hinted at long before their debut... Which makes those who did came out of the blue stick out all the more like a sore thumb.
To prove my point, I'm gonna list every Alter on the game so far with the exception of one, including the newly announced Executor Alter, and I'm gonna give a short summary of the lore that had been established for their existence prior to their actual release:
- Lava the Purgatory, Kroos the Keen Glint, Hibiscus the Purifier and Greyy the Lightningbearer: Putting all four of these together because they share the same theme, and that theme is "Young/Inexperienced Operators growing up". With the exception of Greyy, all of these were 3 stars. The Op Reserve A1 Operators have some lore going on that has yet to be completely explored, and their 3 star selves being young gives them lots of room to grow. 4 star Greyy is a literal child, so it makes sense that when he shows up again, now older and a little more experienced, his rarity would reflect that. And while all of these, particularly Greyy's, may have less of a reason to exist that most of the other Alters on this list, that's more forgivable than say, Chalter, because all these four are either welfare or have a low rarity, with both Hibiscus Alter and Greyy Alter being rather niche 5 stars, which makes them unlikely to have been just a money-grabbing decision despite being gacha.
- Skadi the Corrupting Heart: Ever since her release, Base Skadi's files already described her as a "walking Catastrophe"... despite the fact that, prior to Gladiia's existence and the modules that would make the Abyssal Hunter niche a game-breaking team, she was actually considered one of the worst 6 stars of the game, and even today she's still rather mediocre at best without her faction supporting her, particularly when compared to other 6 star units. And even though the whole Ishar-mla sideplot wasn't introduced until her debut event, there were already hints of something Lovecraftian going on (Skadi's files, Specter's files, even Operators mostly unrelated to them as of this writing like Blue Poison's files and Deepcolor's... well, everything), with lots of lore readers predicting that something was going to happen, even on this very subreddit. And even though that something being a Bard Alter with a whole alternate universe Bad Ending storyline cop-out wasn't in anyone's predictions, it still had a lot more lore build-up to it than, say...
- Ch'en the Holungday: I don't need to repeat that lots of cans of worms got opened back when she released, but in case you don't know, here's an essay from two years ago about that whole drama. There's really not much more to say about her, she exists, moving on.
- Nearl the Radiant Knight: Base Nearl's files were already foreshadowing an Alter, what with them saying that "her current gear is somewhat limiting Nearl's combat utility". So when she got one in the Near Light event, I doubt anyone was truly surprised by it. Not much else to say, really.
- Specter the Unchained: If there were any doubts about Specter getting an Alter (or at the very least regaining her sanity during the Abyssal Hunter plotline), Under Tides and the second Operator Record that Specter got in that update, in which she became lucid again for a brief period of time only to lose it again after returning to Rhodes Island, should have been strong enough hints that HG was gonna do something with her in the sequel to that event. The only issues with the idea of an Alter, of course, being that any 6 star Alter would have felt redundant to what's quite possibly one of the best 5 stars of the game, and Specter Alter indeed had to get modules after her release to make her truly worth building. But gameplay aside, Specter getting an Alter made perfect sense with her pre-established lore.
- Gavial the Invincible: If Nearl getting an Alter was obvious, then Gavial might as well have had "I'm getting an Alter one day" tattooed on her tail. Her whole lore is that she is a warrior with excellent fighting prowess who just happened to chose to save more lives by being a medic instead. And even then, unlike Shining, her files and voicelines constantly have her willing to fight people herself... despite her 3 star medic self not having any abilities that would let her deal damage on her actual in-game kit. Like, at all. So if anything, Miss "I regret not giving them a few whacks with this staff here" not getting an Alter would have felt like a waste.
- Reed the Flame Shadow: Here's another Alter that was hinted at on the files of the original Operator long before their release. Even leaving the whole Victoria plotline aside, here we have an Operator who is described on her files as having Arts that are not mere pyrokinesis, but rather the manipulation of life itself**.** And that description was in the files of... a 5-star Charger Vanguard with just a 35% of Arts attack during skill activation, and that's with that skill having a full M3. Yeah... This Alter was not a question of "if", but rather "when".
- Texas the Omertosa: The case of this Alter would be on the same boat as Nearl's and Reed's if it wasn't for a funny little detail: I could be wrong, but I think that Base Texas and Lappland have been in the game since launch. That means that this Alter had been teased since Day 1. Let that sink in for a moment. But yeah, you all know the drill with this one: Mysterious past, mafia connections being mentioned here and there, Lappland mentioning that she "might try to bring back the old Texas", how she used to fight with two swords, ect... If anything, those who saw the hints early and liked what was being foreshadowed would have to wait a long time to finally get it, though HG made sure that those who had to wait no less than 2 years for this Alter to finally happen would be rewarded with a very powerful unit. Maybe a little too powerful in fact, but that's another topic entirely.
- Executor Alter (...what was the full name of this one again? I don't know Chinese): This one is similar to Skadi's case but without any non-canonical alternate timeline shenanigans (...I hope). Our good ol' friend Federico here is a very powerful individual, a true one-man army, or so his files have always said. There's even a mention that he singlehandedly prevented a war from happening (or nearly caused it himself? The way it is written is kinda vague...), damaged six buildings while on a mission, and killed a vicious beast with his bare hands. All that while still being a rather unremarkable (Not bad, just... unremarkable) 5-star spreadshooter sniper. So him getting a 6-star Alter is not that surprising.
...Oh yeah, there's also Yato and Noir Corne randomly getting Alters as part of the Monster Hunter collab, but other than my personal take on it and how I really hope Collab Alters won't be a recurring thing... It is just a collab, what did you expect? And even then, it could be argued that it makes sense for those Operators in particular to have been given the Alters, as they are both said to be experienced and reliable ops in their lore, but are held back from fully being that in-game because of their 2 star rarity.
My point is that, so far, almost all Alters had some lore reason to be that I could agree with.
And then... Silence Alter was announced.
Silence the Paradigmatic: One step forward, two steps back
When I first saw the Lonetrail trailer and saw Silence Alter, I was hyped. Silence was getting an Alter, and not only that, she was gonna be welfare? Could this be a sign that HG is finally gonna leave the trend of Limited Alters behind? My happiness was unmeasurable.But then, after my excitement died down and I started to think, I realized something...
Go and read all the current Rhine Labs lore Including the manga. Including OG Silence's files, especially OG Silence's files.
Now, let me ask you a question: Did Olivia Silence, as a character, needed an Alter?
Was there anything on her files, or in the manga, or on some module or an Operator Record, that said anything about her character that would require her to be stronger in-game that she already was? Or something that would need to have her change her whole in-game class or kit?
Because, and this is just in my honest, humble opinion: No. No there was not.
Silence was not some kid or teenager like Greyy or the Reserve A1 squad. She wasn't holding back any "true power" cliché nor was she currently anything other than what she was in the past, like Gavial or Nearl. Silence was just Silence: A woman, a mother, a medic.
That's not to say that Olivia Silence didn't had room to grow as a character, I for one was very hopeful for a Rhine Labs event to touch on her strained relationship with Saria once again and I'm happy that Lonetrail seems to have gone there. But unlike, say, Texas or Reed, none of the character growth that was ever hinted at with Silence seemed to have anything to do with the possibility of an Alter. There was nothing on her files or she as a character that screamed "I need an Alter".
Olivia Silence and her whole character arc didn't need her to have a sudden 6 star Alter, just as she didn't need a 6 star Alter when she left Rhine Labs in her backstory, nor after the "present day" sideplot in the manga. Just like she didn't need one in Dorothy's Vision. There was nothing, no plot or event or sequel to the manga or whatever, that wouldn't had made sense with Silence just remaining her 5-stars Medic self.
Her class, her kit, heck arguably even her rarity made sense with her lore.
But now, she's an Abjurer supporter because... she went to space? That at its core it's not that much better than Chalter existing because Ch'en went to Dossoles and Tequila sold her a water gun there...
Okay, that was just me taking the piss, but still... Look, I'm sure Lonetrail is gonna be great and that I'm gonna love reading it once it comes to Global, and might give a good explanation as to why Silence Alter exists, but that still leaves this Alter with a flaw that, as I have exposed earlier, few of the Alters in this game actually had: There was little to no reason for this Alter to exist prior to the event it came out with. Whatever lore reason Lonetrail gives, it will be a self-sustained one because the Alter is already there.
You could argue than the pre-existing lore here is Silence's already established desire of curing Oripathy. But if that alone was the case, then a lot of other Operators at Rhodes Island should also get an Alter, starting with Sussurro. That alone doesn't feel like enough of a reason for an Alter.
Character growth equals... Alter?
And that's when it hit me: I was not angry or disappointed that Silence was given an Alter with zero build-up to it.I'm disappointed and a little salty because HG took a character arc I was patiently waiting for and then shoved up a good but still unnecessary Alter into it as if Alters were now obligatory, limited unit or not.
As if a low-rarity character can't have character growth or their own story arc without relying on an Alter. As if HG isn't confident enough on their own event stories without a shiny new Alter unit to help them promote them.
I like this game, and I love its characters, but I don't want to have to expect an Alter out of my favorite character just because I want them to finally appear on their own plotline. I don't want Andreana to finally appear on the next Abyssal Hunter event but as a weird Alter version of herself with the white hair and red eyes of the other Hunters like some people on this subreddit have suggested, not when Andreana's whole deal on her files is that she is her own thing: A gun-loving but normal woman who just happened to have been experimented on in the past, and giving her a more abyssal appearance or changing her class would erase that. I don't want Thorns to suddenly have a completely unnecessary Geek or Medic Alter just because I want him to have his own sidestory and have his past explored. Cuora finally regaining her memories... Okay, I guess an Alter wouldn't be so out of place there, but you surely get my point by now, do you?
You don't need Alters to tell a good story, and Alters shouldn't have to be equivalent to character growth.
"But that's just how gachas work!" Maybe. But that doesn't mean I have to like it.
That's all. Thanks for reading my nonsense if you reached this far, thank you.
2023.06.02 23:47 smolcrackheadenergy TWICE Between 1&2 Album Review
Intro
To preface this review, I just need to say that this is going to be a very, very long read. Going through it myself just for the fun of it takes around 15 minutes — it's around 6k words of text, including references to the lyrics. So for the best experience, listen to the album beforehand to understand what the hell I was thinking when I wrote this review and set a good amount of time aside.Another thing to get out of the way: yes, this is 9 months late
Between 1&2 💞
Album Review
TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT
TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED
Talk that Talk 🎙
One of the most perfect TWICE songs.I think this is one of TWICE’s best sounding title tracks. Modulated synths, a thrumming bass line, distant bells, shimmering synths—the purpose of this song is to be fun and my god is it excellent at it, like… Sana and Chaeyoung are saying knock-knock-knock and beep-beep-beep as if they’re some kind of car. So much fun.
Dahyun, Tzuyu, and Jeongyeon’s vocals sound incredible in this intro. Dahyun’s voice sounds so full and smooth with that harmony layered on top. Tzuyu coming in with the Yes or Yes, Push & Pull, and 1 to 10 references — these are 5 years of song references in one line. And Jeongyeon closes the prechorus accompanied by a rising synth to drop into chorus one. Jeongyeon slays prechoruses.
The drums accelerate, the synths start blasting, and Jihyo opens to that party of a chorus with her godly vocals
Tell me what you want Tell me what you need A to Z da malhaebwa But shijageun ireoke hae Talk that talk ttak han madi Talk that talk L-O-V-E deullyeojweo ooh Now now now now now yeah~
This song’s chorus is so honest yet so simple; it asks the listener, in this case the other half of the relationship, to be more upfront and open with their love — never be scared of love — that before the relationship can continue and flourish there has to be a foundation and commitment of love between each other.
Now, back to this banger of a song. Beneath the Talk that Talk~ lines there’s this ascending synth bell that gently rings with each syllable and it sounds absolutely gorgeous. And the choreography during that part of the chorus is so so so so fun: from pretending that hands are talking, to that synergetic head bop and hand shuffle, to the deullyeojweo ooh! Oh my god Jihyo the deullyeojweo ooh…
Have I mentioned this song is fun?
Speeding through verse 2; Chaeyoung’s little part with the cat ears popping in the music video is adorable; Momo’s part with her solo choreography stretching out looks so damn cool; and Dahyun with her replay part sounds so lovely — although I think it sonically sounds a touch random, it makes sense thematically.
And now for this prechorus. Mina and Jihyo leading into it sound great BUT JEONGYEON… Now I am freaking out because she’s my ult bias, and this prechorus sounds almost identical to the first one, but the way she holds that final note, inflecting and enunciating the now~ for one more beat sounds so god damn perfect — the song almost teeters on a cliff edge, moments before diving into the chorus. Jeongyeon slays prechoruses.
Dropping into the second chorus and man, Jihyo killed that first chorus, but the way Nayeon delivers it just hits a bit different. She has an indescribable “pop” voice that stands out and shouts out loud this-is-THE-chorus. Jihyo’s voice brings the power, Jeongyeon has the allure, and Nayeon brings the energy. I think this is especially apparent in how she leads into the chorus and her A to Z da malhaebwa line: Jihyo starts the “tell” at 120% power whereas Nayeon waits until “what” to full-send the chorus; later in the chorus, she then highlights “malhaebwa” in a more pronounced and dynamic way before softening her voice again for her next line.
Another deullyeojweo ooh! Nayeon travels to Narnia, and Mina the engineer strikes again in this heavenly, underwater-esque bridge.
The simple words “I love you” That’s all I wanna hear Without hesitation, I’ll go up to you I’ll make it simple
And just tell you I love you
The word “love” is said for the first time in the song. There’s a funky keyboard-like instrument behind Chaeyoung’s part. Then Jihyo, Chaeyoung, and Nayeon take initiative in their lyrics, professing their love before closing the bridge.
And can I just say before finishing the song off with the part that makes it exceptional, that this is such a fun and repeatable song with many little intricacies hidden in the nonet’s vocals and the song’s production. This is the second time I’m writing about Talk that Talk and it’s word count pretty much quadrupled.
And now for the pièce-de-résistance: this final double chorus is exceptional — 40 seconds of crack-laced euphoria; Jihyo switches up the chorus, Dahyun comes in with her airy “Talk that Talk”, Momo coming out of nowhere with “oh yeah it sounds so good!” — you’re damn right it does.
The second half continues; Nayeon belting out “tell me what you need!”, about what I said earlier with Nayeon’s chorus where she plays with her vocal delivery, contrasting a really powerful line with a softer one, Jeongyeon does it too with her
han beon deo~ haejweo
geurae banggeum geu mal~
From Momo’s part onwards, this song SOARS. Nayeon brings the song to even higher highs and Jeongyeon continues it still with her melody before smoothly slowing it down for Tzuyu’s line, closing the song off with the final deullyeojweo ooh!
What a party.
What a song.
THE GOOD
- The synths of all time
- The chimes during Talk-that-talk~
- Jeongyeon’s prechorus going into Nayeon’s chorus
- The entire, double-shot, last chorus
- Solid line distribution
Needs Work
- Hook (Tell me what you want) and accompanying choreography could be “catchier”
Life Highlight
- Singing (and dancing) my heart out when this song played during a K-pop club
This song feels like that bubbly, excited feeling right before, or during, a party, or any event that you really wanted to go to. It simply feels like unadulterated, pure, unbridled joy and elation and escapism. The synths and instrumentation really have to be commended alongside TWICE’s vocals. There’s just a warmth and happiness to this gosh darn song that feels so very TWICE.
Lyrics and theme-wise, if this were to have been TWICE’s last comeback, they’ve done the thing: they’ve done a Bildungsroman, a coming of age story.
TWICE debuted with a song about making your crush go ooh ahh. Years later, they started maturing after asking “what is love?” by imagining their crush responding with “yes” when asking them out and now concluding with the phrase “talk that talk, [talk that] L-O-V-E”, being upfront with the relationship, wishing their partner to also be happy, to commit to them, to feel the love that they want to impart on them. From gawking like ooh-ahh to talking out your shared love like real adults — to have a true relationship between one and two. I think there’s something poetic in that.
Harkening back to TWICE’s roots by combining mature thinking with youthful character, an incredible ending to look forward, and just simply being a club-banger that’s easy to listen to, TTT is an easy 10/10.
WATCH ME GO WATCH ME GO
RULE THE WORLD
Queen of Hearts 👑
If there was one b-side to promote in a live clip, this was a solid choice.Main producer: LDN Noise of SM
Helmed by LDN Noise going headlong into the Western boy-group rock-band aesthetic, Queen of Hearts is a boom boom clap song through and through. The drums are very prominent throughout the song, only giving room to riffs of electric guitar in the chorus to drive and continue the momentum of the song.
And speaking of the chorus, vocal line each got a chorus to flex and they did not fuck around
You ain’t ready for it
Watch me go~ watch me go~
Rule the world
Know you never doubted baby
I’mma go run the whole universe~
The cymbals crash, drums start booming, and the vocals… 3MIX all just so sound so equally good. And then followed by
Baby I was born to rule~~
Yeah I’m the queen, I’m the queen
And it’s all because of you~~
That I’m the Queen of Hearts
These looong held out notes performed by Jihyo and Nayeon are simply exquisite. Along with the shredding guitar, the drum set coming in full, the interludes by Dahyun, Momo, and Chaeyoung. This is the part of the song that always, always, give me goosebumps — it sounds so visceral, so energetic, so fun, so triumphant. Subjectively, boom boom clap songs can be hit or miss with people, but there is no denying that the pay off from the first part of the chorus to this second part is worth the wait.
The theme of the song so far has been kind of spread around the song. The chorus alludes to it with the line
And it’s all because of you
Mina and Chaeyoung show more sides of it in the second verse, especially with Mina’s phrase
And now that I’m surrounded by all my girls
We be shining bright like diamonds and pearls
It sounds really lovely — in a very cheesy and affectionate kind of way, as it rightfully should — song is about the girls and their fans. But the bridge is where the song truly shows it’s colours
Screaming out my name
See it in the stage lights
Feel so lucky just to have ya
Cause I know deep down I was meant for something bigger, greater
I know you’re seeing what I see
Yeah I’ll be everything you need
I know I’m gonna walk the walk
And talk the talk to be [the Queen of Hearts]
This is a song CONCEIVED TO BE PERFORMED FOR THE FANS. It’s meant to be loud. It’s meant to be unapologetic. It’s meant to be sappy. And it’s all the more wonderful for it.
This is the TWICEiest shit ever.
Like Talk that Talk, Queen of Hearts also has a killer closer. During the bridge, the production starts from a hushed guitar and bass drum duet with a touch a high hat, growing in intensity with a riser and harmonies at the end. The guitarist evolves in the background until finally going Super Saiyan and instead of supporting the drums, they take the centrepiece in tandem — eventually overtaking them with a little shred at the end of the chorus.
Then finally, the closing moments of the song even manages to squeeze in some more sappiness.
So thank you for the memories
You’re all the ones who made me~
So thank you for the memories
That I’m the Queen of Hearts
I still can’t believe that this banger is a FAN SONG out of all things. Truly, the TWICEiest shit ever.
THE GOOD
- Adorable fucking lyrics
- Unrelenting, roaring chorus
- English and vocal flex
- Addicting guitar riffs
Needs Work
- Chaeyoung rapping in English in Korean songs somehow slaps harder than her English rapping in English songs
Life Highlight
- Walking home from a K-pop festival with this song playing, felt like a Queen of Hearts
I love these types of rock songs with how grunge and head-bang-able they are, there is just a certain nostalgic and cheesy quality to them that feels so appropriate and cozy. I don’t love putting them on repeat, because in this case I do believe there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Perhaps more shredding, maybe even a guitar solo to rock out to, or more gusto from the drums, cymbals, bass guitar, or an accompaniment(!) of ad-libs from TWICE’s vocal line to support Jihyo’s chorus time? A ONCE can dream for a truly bombastic rock song from TWICE. But then again that distracts from the core of what this song is and that is a fan song undercover as a rock song.
Queen of Hearts has so much sweetness in its lyrics and message that its overflowing. The drums, guitar, and vocals can be as loud and intricate as they can, but the theme of this song is what makes it special from TWICE’s other rock songs. And with a good combination of attitude and heart to make it a surprisingly incredible song, especially for fans of this type of sound — it’s a 9/10 for me.
I WANNA WANNA WANNA
TAKE YOU TO THE BASICS
Basics 🌈
Quite possibly the jammiest (pun intended) song of the album.Sole lyric-writing credit: Chaeyoung
A song written by the Strawberry Princess herself — an event similar in frequency to Blackpink’s releases with her last song being 2020’s silky Handle It — Basics first starts with an understated and dreamy delivery. After the first stanza, however, a bouncy Miami bass line emerges, revealing the true nature of the song: this is a classic summer bop!
The song stretches back and forth with which attitude it wants to showcase but that chorus knows for sure what it wants to be. If you’re not bopping your head to the bassline, you better be bopping your head to the melody. Chaeyoung loves rhyming in the first half the chorus to enhance its catchiness and she is damn good at it:
I wanna wanna wanna take it to the basics
da weonhae weonhae weonhae? seodureuji ma Baby
ppeonhae ppeonhae malhae mweohae da al tende
Ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah
The “wanna”, “weonhae”, and “ppeonhae” all combine to create these slant (imperfect) rhymes that continue momentum without feeling repetitive, iteration by derivation for the nerds.
Another characteristic of Chaeyoung’s songwriting is her unapologetic liberties with the song’s line distribution when displaying what she wants to showcase: her rap. She ate the first rap, then she ATE THE SECOND RAP. Those are her only two parts in the song yet she’s still sitting on top of the (fair, imo) line distribution.
The first rap after the intro is, like already mentioned, very dreamy and bouncy, it’s pop with R&B flourishes and, in my opinion, this is Chaeyoung’s bag. Her tone is very sing-songy and laid back, fitting the buildup to the pre-chorus. Syllables are pronounced at a triplet pace with a quarter at the end of each bar to give the rap room to breathe, further adding to the relaxed nature of this verse. Also, the line rainbow bubblegum is so adorable and so Chaeyoung.
That second rap on the other half… sheesh.
taneun deut tteugeoun samak wie
yeppeuge pieonan jangmi gata
joshimseure naege dagaol ttae
nado moreuge jjilleobeoril tende
Translating to:
Above the hot, burning desert
It’s like a rose that bloomed beautifully
When you come to me slowly
I will prick you unconsciously
After the very Boy With Luv-sounding “ah yeah ah yeah, ah yeah ah yeah” comes an 8 bar split half and half between Chaeyoung and Momo. Coming from the chorus, the same triplet-triplet-triplet-quarter structure is repeated across most of the verses, however the production completely cuts out for the first 2 bars. This adds tension; the song yearns to have that bass beat thumping again and all we have in the audio space in those 2 bars is Chaeyoung spitting — and she damn delivered:
The rap feels slick, effortless, confident. Her diction remains sharp when enunciating each syllable but she doesn’t let the flow of her rap waver or build as her 4 bars go by, it’s just smooth and consistent throughout. Even the lyrics possess an aura of laid-back collectedness that is just so her.
The things Chaeyoung can do when given her pen.
THE GOOD
- That sweet summer vibe of a chorus
- The “spaceship” post-chorus is killer
- Strawberries with some spicy raps
- Sure-footed, confident lyrics
Needs Work
- Perhaps an alteration of that ah yeah ah yeah line
- The way Jihyo did her pre-chorus line is good, Mina’s is great
Life Highlight
- After donating my hair, walking down the rainbow coloured areas of downtown Toronto with this song playing was very… fitting
This song is summer bliss distilled into 2:56 of MP3. It’s dreamy, the raps are satisfying, and the ending is very cute. I will say that although the second half of the song adds the crack-laced “spaceship” post-choruses and a floaty bridge with an incredible transition to the final chorus, the climax and killing parts of the song make it feel a bit front-loaded. And in an album stacked with incredible finishers, it feels more apparent.
With that said, it’s an 8/10 bop for me. This song is so radio-friendly and easy to put on and it feels exactly what Chaeyoung would make if she were given the reins to produce a pop song all on her own. The lyrics are non-chalant but full of meaning, the wordplay is intricate, the production is playful, and it’s not too in-your-face with the caliber of song that it is. Songs like Basics are the gold standard for good, simple, repeatable pop music and I’m happy that Chaeyoung got to test her pen in this genre.
BABY WE’RE IN
TROUBLE TROUBLE
Trouble 💃
One of the most enjoyable songs I’ve heard in a while.Sole lyricist credit: Jihyo
Background vocals: Jihyo
Vocal director credit: Jihyo
Lead composer credit: Jihyo
There is an underlying tension within the first 4 bars of the song, Jihyo and Nayeon open it to a nondescript array of synths and then the stanza ends, Momo announces “let’s go”, the beat drops and it hits you:
This is a club song.
Toronto’s residential market needs this song injected into its veins because god damn this song has so so so much house in it.
The wobbly synth beat, the sprinkle of that house piano in the pre-chorus where the percussion is just about ready to explode, the ascension into this Cloud9 level chorus where
* Nayeon opens it using a breathy tone, with vocal chops serving as harmonies
* The blooming of the house piano to take centre stage
* Jeongyeon’s pronunciation of the word “trouble” almost sounding like a growl
* Chaeyoung slyly admitting “I like this trouble”
* The entirety of Tzuyu’s tro~oh~oh~ouble yeah~
* The descending melody of that house piano as the song ascends into euphoria
* Sana using her deep voice for the na~na~na~na
* Jihyo leading the vocals during the group synchronized T.W.I.C.E chant
This chorus is perfect.
And then.
AND THEN.
ANOTHER KILLING PART.
This rap fucking slaps.
During the first 2 bars, Chaeyoung is keeping it calm because that endorphin trip of a chorus just ended but ayo, no-one, and I mean no-one on the whole damn Earth expected her to snap that hard in the last 2 bars:
You cannot resist this
I - I - I I - I - I
Cannot miss this, such a bliss
I - I - I - I I - I - I
Ima put it down down
I-I - I - I I - I
Oh yeah, better kiss kiss
I - I I - I - I - I
The lines below the lyrics are the notes.
Note: I’m not that well versed in this technical aspect of music theory but I digress.
This is all in the span of 2 bars where it’s
Triplet-triplet-quadruplet-triplet,
Quadruplet-doublet-doublet-quadruplet.
This is all in the span of 5 seconds.
Now, 25 syllables/5 seconds = 5 syllables per second isn’t groundbreaking, but god damn it these 2 bars sound so nice — if there is one part in this album I always repeat, it’s this.
The addition of that first quadruplet for “cannot miss this” in the midst of all the triplets sticks out and accelerates the flow of the rap while the following doublets and quadruplets help to destabilize and slow the rap down as the verse closes. And can I just point out:
THE MAIN VOCALIST WROTE, DIRECTED, AND COMPOSED THIS SONG ‼️‼️‼️
Chaeyoung of course delivered the fuck out of her verse but THIS is what you get when you have a member not only write the words they’re saying but also the melody and flow with which they sing it in. This is what you get when a member knows the other members so well that when they write a song, they know how to make the group as a whole exceed. This is what you get when the artists you stan love doing artist shit.
And.
AND.
THAT’S NOT ALL.
For all the ranting I wrote on how much I love a damn good outro to close a song,
This outro slaps as well.
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trouble be-be by Momo
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trouble bay-be by Sana
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trouble bay-beh by Chaeyoung
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trou-ble by Jihyo
What an outro.
Like, come on, Nayeon’s imitating a police siren for crying out loud. And this is all after her ad-libs in the final post-chorus, after the pianist going full tilt and playing that piano as if it was their last day on Earth, after the final T.W.I.C.E chant by all the members, comes these blissful 20 seconds at the very end.
What a song.
THE GOOD
- Theme of relishing in an uncontrolled love
- Mina and Sana’s melody in the pre-chorus
- Chorus
- Post-chorus
- Rap
- Outro
- Wees and woos
Needs Work
- Mina’s line of “falling down, falling down, falling down low” in verse 2 feels a bit too abrupt of a change — a bit out of place
Life Highlight
- After clubbing, I have a newfound appreciation for songs like these #noclubbingnolife
Need I say more, easy 9/10. The only reason I place Talk that Talk above Trouble is because of what that song represents but other than that, this song is the best “international” sound they’ve put out. Actually, I haven’t listened to Eyes wide open in a while but this song is up there with one of the most sonically pleasing pieces of work they’ve done.
Clubbing TWICE music has always been a thing since TT was birthed in 2016, and has been a staple of their discography since 2019’s Fancy You and Feel Special mini albums, but Trouble unapologetically dives into and fits the house genre so well you’d think that this is TWICE’s bread and butter sound.
Trouble is Jihyo’s magnum opus.
What a song.
BRAVE BRAVE BRAVE
FOR YOU
Brave 💖
I first thought this was just a good song, then I read the lyrics.Main producer: Slow Rabbit of HYBE
Gentle guitar plucks, shimmering synths, a distant keyboard in the right ear, in the left an occasional glockenspiel, the melodic oohs from the members — this song is PRETTY.
Once the chorus hits, the melodies pick up, more guitars get added, there’s even an electric guitar hidden in the mix somewhere, and the song evolves from a song with good vibes, to a song to dance to while crying in the club. And that’s without even delving into the lyrics.
The song describes a situation where the singer is in a darker place in life:
The night that was unusually dark
Above this terrifying world, felt so lonely
The world has grown in the time of wandering
So hard to breathe
It isn’t until another person gives them hope by calling them brave that they find the drive to keep on going, to keep on reaching higher highs, to try to be their truest self. Where has this theme been done before? Uhm…
THIS SONG IS FEEL SPECIAL AS A B-SIDE ‼️
Notable lyrics include:
A voice was heard makes me alive again
I was an endless maze, you became my sign
I’m never alone, so I’m never alone
My only believer
A dreamer that made me run further
This is such an emo song, oh my god. What makes it hurt even more that apparently, like how Feel Special can be interpreted, this song is centred around ONCE, which, again, is the TWICEiest shit ever. This group is so sappy and full of love, they deserve the whole world.
THE GOOD
- Special lyrics
- Pleasant sound to vibe out to
- That gentle break after the first chorus
- Jihyo’s high note at the end
- A Nayeon Jeongyeon joint high note ⁉️
- Just pretty vocals throughout
Needs Work
- Potentially hard to read without translating the Korean lyrics
Life Moment
- Form of Therapy’s life motto revolves around the word “brave”. I don’t know where I got that from, but I remembered it right before watching his album reaction
I’m actually spoiled with the TWICE members’ easy-to-understand songwriting that when a song like this pops up where it isn’t written by a member and the thematic bits are mostly in Korean I just tend to forget about it in favour of the other songs on the album. And, especially for a song focusing on a theme like this where the English phrases don’t do the Korean lyrics enough justice, it does place a barrier the listening experience a bit, dropping it down to an 7/10.
With that anecdote out of the way, this song is just such a vibe, man. I know that sounds incredibly hippy to say but Brave is so mellow and smooth that I can’t help but sway a little when that chorus hits. And then I remember what the lyrics say and I stop and cry a bit on the inside. This song is so pure, raw, and full of heart — we need more songs like these where they just reminisce about life while putting up an upbeat front. Crying while dancing the night away as they say, or something along those lines.
Also now feels like a good time to get into my rating system. A 10/10 song for me is one of the best of an artist’s discography, songs that encapsulate their ideas perfectly or expand upon them in a meaningful way. 9/10s are borderline perfect songs where I sometimes have trouble comprehending how excellent they are. 8/10s are great songs with standout characteristics, and 7/10s are songs where I feel the flaws are too apparent or are simply just great songs that I’m less attracted to.
I SEE THE LIES
ON THE TIP OF YOUR TONGUE
Gone 💨
Who the fuck pissed off Dubu this time??Sole lyricist credit: Dahyun
It’s getting quite rare to see TWICE pull off brand new sounds because, with 218 songs under their belt, they’ve done so many genres and sub-genres varying from hyper pop, to bossa nova, to whatever 2020’s Go Hard is. So it’s surprising to know they’ve still got tricks up their sleeves and Gone is one of them.
The song starts with strings swinging back and forth and vocal chops dancing from ear to ear, teasing what’s yet to come. Jihyo enters the song with a whisper and the song sets its pace. A stagnant drum pad moves the song along and typical song convention would have Mina continuing the build but — it doesn’t. The song continues to simmer, adding a hint of high hat to the pot. And then, Sana and Tzuyu come on and surely the buildup has to bear fruit right?
Silence, until…
I see the lies on the top of your tongue
The strings emerge again on full blast, the simmer turns into a rolling boil, and the anger of the song is revealed.
All the fate I had towards you
Fades like a fog, gone, gone
Your flipping mind of doing this and that
I’m tired of it, it’s meaningless
In the beginning, it was hard to believe
With that, hatred increases
The singer is so scorned and burned from this relationship that they reminisce about all the effort they’ve put in since the beginning, but their “partner” is so unconcerned and unfaithful that they’ve just about had enough of the relationship altogether.
This has been Dahyun’s thing coming from 2020’s Bring It Back, 2021’s Cruel, and 2022’s That’s all I’m saying — emotionally charged breakup songs that make you feel as if she’s gone through a dozen bad relationships. Dispatch, do your job better, or don’t, I don’t really know.
Another highlight of the song is the post-chorus going into the bridge. This segment reiterates the structure from the first post-chorus — a barrage of drums supported by the rhythmic strumming of a bass guitar in the back along with a consistent synth filling out the soundscape. But this time, it’s Dahyun and Chaeyoung on the rap:
My limit, can’t stand it anymore
My patience, invisible
It’s lost, can’t find it, oh, it’s all gone
Even if I try to turn back, it’s too late
There’s no use for you anymore
All free, no tears, none left, it’s long Gone
Followed by Momo and Dahyun holding down the bridge
With your flipping mind, you’re on the way out
I know that you know what I’m talking ‘bout
Nothing you could say
That could turn this ‘round
I’m Gone
[English translation adjusted to fit the cadence of the Korean syllables.]
Continuing the disrespected theme of the song, Dahyun notes that she’s finally had enough; instead of reasoning and pondering to herself the mistake that this relationship was, she concludes that it’s time to pack her bags and go. Chaeyoung adding on that there’s no point salvaging what was once there for all of it is long gone.
Momo and Dahyun round it off by telling the listener that there’s no point trying to reason with them or playing naive, they fucked up and there’s no coming back.
Can I just say, it is a bit of a shame that Chaeyoung’s rapping popped off in this album whilst Dahyun only has this one verse that she shares with Chaeyoung, but it just sounds so good how Dahyun eases in after the chorus with her light rapping tone and transitioning into singing. She even holds the “gone” in a little crescendo for some added pizzazz.
And, there’s no way I’m not going to talk about Momo’s vocals in this bridge. Damned if she only got 1 line to use it in, her lower register is incredible. She sounds so smooth singing in this tone. All of TWICE do in particular but there is nary a weak vocal performance in this album.
To close the song off, a wash of synths get to have their shine in the spotlight, showered with Nayeon’s belting, signifying the dramatic and drawn out conclusion of this partnership. As an aside, I think this outro sounds like a GOT7 song.
THE GOOD
- They’ve still got a few surprises left
- Thundering chorus
- 2nd rap and bridge combo
- Bitter, crumbling relationship theme
Needs Work
- I’m not a huge fan of Momo’s delivery in the 1st rap — she may have the best tone of the rap line but she has less experience
- The post-chorus in general, specifically the first one, can be a bit tiring on repeat listens
Life Highlight
- Actually, I think this song sounds like a mix between a GOT7 song, BLACKPINK’s Love To Hate Me, and Dahyun’s Bring It Back. I don’t know where I got this thought synthesized from, but it stuck
Going back to that point about the first rap, or, more accurately, that first post-chorus as a whole; songs that have the production continue unchanged into the post-chorus/2nd verse are very hit or miss for me. And with a chorus as powerful as this, I’m expecting what follows to either contrast or “snap” into place right after the chorus. The post-chorus going into the bridge contrasts Dahyun’s light tone with the hard-hitting production, continuing the energy until it slowly fades into silence at the end of the bridge.
I guess how I view the first post-chorus is that it’s somewhere in the middle. Momo’s rap is trying to match the intensity of the production while Chaeyoung slows it down to lead into verse 2, but Momo’s delivery isn’t as clean as Dahyun’s. That could be attributed in part to the amount of lyrics, the vocal director, the melody constructed for that specific part, or just how loud the production is compared to the vocal mix — it could be any one of those factors because Momo, as proven by Hello, is capable of an insane flow.
Either or, as much as TWICE have been experimenting with their sound for the past 4 years now, I’m happy they’re still finding new ways to explore what they’re capable of. And for that alone, even though I’m not a big fan of songs like these where they rely on sounding “big”, Dahyun’s lyricism and the thrill I receive every time I indulge myself in this song when I listen to it in the first time in a while elevates it to a 8/10. Keep on breaking hearts, Dubu.
INVINCIBLE
SUPERHEROES
When We Were Kids 🧸
Press play to reminisce, pull up lyrics to crySole lyricist credit: Dahyun
This song is so beautiful. I’m totally not writing this song review, crying on the bus, reminiscing about my childhood, while just having turned 21. I don’t know if these are happy or sad tears but this song is so beautiful either way.
Warm synths, muted piano, a gentle high hat, the younger members starting off the song — this has to be up there for one of the softest TWICE songs ever. And as it should, it’s one of the TWICEiest songs ever. And then Nayeon comes in
Invincible superheroes, we wanted to be adults
To the higher, clearer world
The chords start swelling, the high hat keeps pace, and then the harmonies come in
Remember when we were kids
When we were kids, we didn’t know
If we could go back
I will love it even more
Remember when we were kids
Jihyo takes up the second half of the chorus as it drops, trading the strings for an almost R&B synth production — if choir R&B takes off, this song started it. The song relishes in this cacophony of warm sounds until going back into its sparse and peaceful verses.
This time, the hints of piano are louder, little twinkling synths begin to shimmer, the drum buildup comes and Jeongyeon drives the song straight into the chorus. No time for the strings to build like in Nayeon’s — this song loves its chorus so much.
And can I just take this time to appreciate the amount of Jeongyeon vocals in this album. Her voice is so clean, stable, and projected — but also more tender and soft compared to the more pronounced tones of Nayeon and Jihyo.
The bridge comes in, repeating the phrase
I wish that I could meet
Could meet the younger me
Giving the song time to rest, before building back up to the last chorus — this time lead by Jihyo, transitioning from the bridge with her own unique lead-in, completing the 3MIX trifecta. And interestingly enough, Chaeyoung follows up in the second half of the chorus, rather than another member of the vocal line. She really did pop off in this album.
As the last chorus begins to close, the percussion at its strongest, the harmonies as prolific as they can get, the background choir vocals cranked up to their Sunday best, is the song going to end? Of course not! This is an album full of banger endings as if the songs don’t want to actually end, and When We Were Kids being the album closer very much indulges in that feeling.
After a brief refrain, supported by Nayeon’s high note with a touch of vibrato, the song almost dives back into a fourth chorus. Nayeon and Jeongyeon harmonize — an especially rare and heavenly moment. And the song repeats the bridge, reiterating that they want to meet their younger selves, this time with the more lush R&B production before closing with silence, a few piano notes, and Tzuyu singing the last line of the song
Oh, we were kids
Reflection, acceptance, hope.
What a song.
THE GOOD
- Heavenly vocals throughout
- Generous harmonies
- Relatable, heartfelt lyrics
- Euphoric chorus
- Great closer to the album
Needs Work
- Refrain after the last chorus could’ve been executed better
Life Moment
- For an album titled Between 1&2, I don’t think anything hits harder than finishing the song reviews, with this song in particular, during your 21st birthday
I wrote the first part of this review during the beginning of November. Then school, life, and other things got in the way of my headspace for me to feel confident about wrapping all of this up. In a way, I felt like I just didn’t want this review to end because of the sheer joy that writing gives me. I didn’t want the happiness to end. And then it hit me, after watching a YouTuber rank animated movies and them placing Spirited Away at the top and explaining “why” reminded me of just how important growing up is, and by extension this song.
This theme is important for both the rookie TWICE members in 2015 and the teenagers who would follow their journey and grow up with them, facing life’s obstacles along the way. Hardships that used to only involve family, crushes, hell, even what my next Instagram story should look like, evolve into working and commitments and all the struggles that adult life brings. Being a kid and enjoying the simple things in life is one of the most sought after moments we want to relive because we took growing up for granted. The only thing we can do now is look back on ourselves with fondness and rose-tinted lenses.
TWICE’s marketing message was originally to resonate with people through their senses and their hearts. That was during their debut, and I think it still holds up today. Touching people through their emotions is what TWICE, in my opinion, does best and is what makes them one of K-pop’s all time greats. It was never about having the best numbers, it was always about being the best idols. And to think that this journey of maturation and growth would occur from 2015 all the way to this song, being a fitting nod to TWICE’s 7th anniversary, I don’t think anyone at the company nor the group would ever imagine that they could get this far. It’s these nine women or none — 10/10.
Epilogue
2023.06.02 23:46 The_Sportsologist Taking a look at the Bucks' cap situation
Hello friends, today I thought it would be fun to take a look at the Milwaukee Bucks' cap sheet and make some general observations about what to expect from them this offseason and moving forward. It's another big offseason for them as they no doubt are looking to improve their core, or at the least keep it together for another run. Let's see what that might look like.
Here is the Bucks' cap sheet heading into the 2023 offseason:
PLAYER2023-20242024-20252025-2026
:----:--:--:
Giannis Antetokounmpo$45,640,084$48,787,676*$51,935,268*
Khris Middleton*$40,396,552*
Jrue Holiday$36,861,707*$39,403,893*
Bobby Portis$11,710,818$12,578,286
Pat Connaughton$9,423,869$9,423,869$9,423,869
Grayson Allen$8,925,000
MarJon Beauchamp$2,609,400$2,733,720$4,781,276
Jevon Carter*$2,239,943*
total$157,807,373$112,927,444$66,140,413
italics indicate player option
So as of right now, the Bucks have over 157.8 million committed to 8 players, including Middleton and Carter who have player options. With the luxury tax line expected to fall around 162 million, re-signing their key free agents could get very expensive for ownership if Middleton does opt into the final year of his contract. The new second apron and its dreaded penalties aren't set to kick in until next season so management doesn't have to worry about that for now, but of course that doesn't mean there isn't a limit put on them for what they can spend.
Milwaukee's free agents include Lopez, Ingles, Crowder, Thanasis, Matthews, Dragic, and Meyers Leonard. Lopez is obviously the priority, but he has value on the open market and will expect fair compensation if he does decide to return. The purpose of this exercise is not to debate the value of certain free agents and how much they'll get this summer, but we need to make some estimates. Let's say Lopez re-signs with the Bucks for 3 years, 15 million per season. In a scenario where Middleton and Carter pick up their 2023-2024 options, Milwaukee's total salary would be at around 10.8 million over the luxury cap this summer with 6 roster spots to fill out.
The ownership has shown willingness to pay luxury tax in the past, but there's always going to be a limit. And now there are new complications with paying the tax bill thanks to the new CBA. The already infamous 2nd apron is staring down teams, daring them not to cross. Furthermore, the Bucks are set to pay the luxury tax for a fourth consecutive season, triggering the repeater tax, which is even more brutal under the new CBA. The tax increase is reportedly not set to take effect until next year, but teams will still have to plan accordingly. And even without the increase, the repeater tax is pretty brutal as it stands. Ownership dug into their pockets last season and paid out about 84 million in luxury tax after the team's payroll went almost 30 million over the line. However, if we assume that ownership is willing to pay the same amount this year, which isn't a given, then management can only allow the payroll to go about 24 million over the line for 2023-2024. While this is possible in a scenario where Middleton picks up his option and they pay Lopez around 15 million, it will involve a lot of veteran minimums and it's hard to see Milwaukee being able to use the taxpayer MLE to add a fresh face.
If management's desire is to bring back the core of the team and see how they perform under a new coaching staff, then I imagine they will look to negotiate a new deal with Middleton. Considering that he has 40.4 million sitting on the table, we shouldn't expect Khris to accept anything less than a large, long-term deal to replace it. Middleton opting out to sign a 4-year deal worth 28 million per year could make sense for both sides. From Khris's perspective it would be like adding 3 years for 72 million onto his current 40 million dollar deal, which is a fair extension for someone with his age and injury history. From the Bucks' perspective, they free up 12.4 million this season which they can use to comfortably re-sign Lopez and maybe even bring back Crowder or use the MLE in free agency.
Let's say that both Ingles and Thanasis re-sign to veteran minimum deals. Since it's probably an underpay, let's also say that Carter turns down his player option and re-signs for 2 years, 5 million annually. Here is what the Buck's cap sheet could *theoretically* look like after using the full taxpayer MLE, re-signing Middleton and Lopez, and filling out the roster with a couple vets and a rookie:
PLAYER2023-20242024-20252025-20262026-2027
:----::--:--:--
Giannis Antetokounmpo$45,640,084$48,787,676*$51,935,268*
Jrue Holiday$36,861,707*$39,403,893*
Khris Middleton$28,000,000$28,000,000$28,000,000$28,000,000
Brook Lopez$15,000,000$15,000,000$15,000,000
Bobby Portis$11,710,818$12,578,286
Pat Connaughton$9,423,869$9,423,869$9,423,869
Grayson Allen$8,925,000
2023-2024 MLE$7,021,033
Jevon Carter$5,000,000*$5,000,000*
MarJon Beauchamp$2,609,400$2,733,720$4,781,276
Joe Ingles$1,989,697
Thanasis Antetokounmpo$1,989,697
13th man$1,989,697
14th man$1,989,697
15th man$1,102,928$1,774,998$1,989,697
total$179,253,627
cap line$162,000,000
over$17,253,627
total tax to pay$53,327,915.34
Under this configuration, the Bucks can keep their choice of free agents and also utilize the taxpayer MLE to add a new player to help them on their mission to win another championship. Of course, I don't expect their front office to end up with this cap sheet exactly as there are many different paths that they can go this summer. However, the Middleton decision is absolutely a domino for them as it could mean the difference between being able to run it back with a new free agent addition or struggling to re-sign Lopez.
So what do you think friends? Do you expect the Bucks to run it back next year? Should they try to sign Middleton to a new deal? Did you get any interesting observations from this exercise? DO your best Jon Horst impression and let me know!
submitted by The_Sportsologist to u/The_Sportsologist [link] [comments]
Here is the Bucks' cap sheet heading into the 2023 offseason:
PLAYER2023-20242024-20252025-2026
:----:--:--:
Giannis Antetokounmpo$45,640,084$48,787,676*$51,935,268*
Khris Middleton*$40,396,552*
Jrue Holiday$36,861,707*$39,403,893*
Bobby Portis$11,710,818$12,578,286
Pat Connaughton$9,423,869$9,423,869$9,423,869
Grayson Allen$8,925,000
MarJon Beauchamp$2,609,400$2,733,720$4,781,276
Jevon Carter*$2,239,943*
total$157,807,373$112,927,444$66,140,413
italics indicate player option
So as of right now, the Bucks have over 157.8 million committed to 8 players, including Middleton and Carter who have player options. With the luxury tax line expected to fall around 162 million, re-signing their key free agents could get very expensive for ownership if Middleton does opt into the final year of his contract. The new second apron and its dreaded penalties aren't set to kick in until next season so management doesn't have to worry about that for now, but of course that doesn't mean there isn't a limit put on them for what they can spend.
Milwaukee's free agents include Lopez, Ingles, Crowder, Thanasis, Matthews, Dragic, and Meyers Leonard. Lopez is obviously the priority, but he has value on the open market and will expect fair compensation if he does decide to return. The purpose of this exercise is not to debate the value of certain free agents and how much they'll get this summer, but we need to make some estimates. Let's say Lopez re-signs with the Bucks for 3 years, 15 million per season. In a scenario where Middleton and Carter pick up their 2023-2024 options, Milwaukee's total salary would be at around 10.8 million over the luxury cap this summer with 6 roster spots to fill out.
The ownership has shown willingness to pay luxury tax in the past, but there's always going to be a limit. And now there are new complications with paying the tax bill thanks to the new CBA. The already infamous 2nd apron is staring down teams, daring them not to cross. Furthermore, the Bucks are set to pay the luxury tax for a fourth consecutive season, triggering the repeater tax, which is even more brutal under the new CBA. The tax increase is reportedly not set to take effect until next year, but teams will still have to plan accordingly. And even without the increase, the repeater tax is pretty brutal as it stands. Ownership dug into their pockets last season and paid out about 84 million in luxury tax after the team's payroll went almost 30 million over the line. However, if we assume that ownership is willing to pay the same amount this year, which isn't a given, then management can only allow the payroll to go about 24 million over the line for 2023-2024. While this is possible in a scenario where Middleton picks up his option and they pay Lopez around 15 million, it will involve a lot of veteran minimums and it's hard to see Milwaukee being able to use the taxpayer MLE to add a fresh face.
If management's desire is to bring back the core of the team and see how they perform under a new coaching staff, then I imagine they will look to negotiate a new deal with Middleton. Considering that he has 40.4 million sitting on the table, we shouldn't expect Khris to accept anything less than a large, long-term deal to replace it. Middleton opting out to sign a 4-year deal worth 28 million per year could make sense for both sides. From Khris's perspective it would be like adding 3 years for 72 million onto his current 40 million dollar deal, which is a fair extension for someone with his age and injury history. From the Bucks' perspective, they free up 12.4 million this season which they can use to comfortably re-sign Lopez and maybe even bring back Crowder or use the MLE in free agency.
Let's say that both Ingles and Thanasis re-sign to veteran minimum deals. Since it's probably an underpay, let's also say that Carter turns down his player option and re-signs for 2 years, 5 million annually. Here is what the Buck's cap sheet could *theoretically* look like after using the full taxpayer MLE, re-signing Middleton and Lopez, and filling out the roster with a couple vets and a rookie:
PLAYER2023-20242024-20252025-20262026-2027
:----::--:--:--
Giannis Antetokounmpo$45,640,084$48,787,676*$51,935,268*
Jrue Holiday$36,861,707*$39,403,893*
Khris Middleton$28,000,000$28,000,000$28,000,000$28,000,000
Brook Lopez$15,000,000$15,000,000$15,000,000
Bobby Portis$11,710,818$12,578,286
Pat Connaughton$9,423,869$9,423,869$9,423,869
Grayson Allen$8,925,000
2023-2024 MLE$7,021,033
Jevon Carter$5,000,000*$5,000,000*
MarJon Beauchamp$2,609,400$2,733,720$4,781,276
Joe Ingles$1,989,697
Thanasis Antetokounmpo$1,989,697
13th man$1,989,697
14th man$1,989,697
15th man$1,102,928$1,774,998$1,989,697
total$179,253,627
cap line$162,000,000
over$17,253,627
total tax to pay$53,327,915.34
Under this configuration, the Bucks can keep their choice of free agents and also utilize the taxpayer MLE to add a new player to help them on their mission to win another championship. Of course, I don't expect their front office to end up with this cap sheet exactly as there are many different paths that they can go this summer. However, the Middleton decision is absolutely a domino for them as it could mean the difference between being able to run it back with a new free agent addition or struggling to re-sign Lopez.
So what do you think friends? Do you expect the Bucks to run it back next year? Should they try to sign Middleton to a new deal? Did you get any interesting observations from this exercise? DO your best Jon Horst impression and let me know!
2023.06.02 23:44 EMPEROR_NOVA01 [H] Generations + various other stuff [W] Paypal/Venmo
Generally in good condition, complete with packaging/instructions included unless otherwise noted
Shipping not included in prices, located in US
Open to offers, especially on multiple items
Image albums here and here, (should be complete but let me know if something is missing)
submitted by EMPEROR_NOVA01 to TransformersTrading [link] [comments]
Shipping not included in prices, located in US
Open to offers, especially on multiple items
Image albums here and here, (should be complete but let me know if something is missing)
- Car Robots C-001 Super Fire Convoy - $120 - some chrome wear on core robot chest and super mode left head gun, lights work but sounds do not
- Car Robots C-013 God Magnus - $130
- Robots in Disguise (2001) Deluxe Prowl - $5 - right door socket broken, no package
- Movie (2007) Scout Storm Surge - $5 - no package/instructions
- Universe (2008) Ultra Silverbolt - $15 - no package/instructions
- Animated Deluxe Autotrooper - $50 - no instructions/bio card
- Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe Smokescreen - $5 - missing weapon, no package/instructions
- Hunt for the Decepticons Voyager Seaspray - $50
- Dark of the Moon Deluxe Roadbuster - $10 - light paint wear, no package/instructions
- Dark of the Moon Deluxe Topspin - $10 - light paint wear, stress mark on non-structural detail, no package/instructions, may be missing MechTech weapon?
- Dark of the Moon Deluxe Lunarfire Optimus Prime - $10 - loose hip joints, no package/instructions
- Movie Trilogy Series Optimus Prime w/ trailer - $20 - loose hip joints, no package/instructions
- Age of Extinction Deluxe Silver Knight Optimus Prime and Voyager Grimlock - $30
- Beast Hunters Deluxe Bulkhead - $5 - knee is damaged but still works, no package/instructions
- Generations Thrilling 30 Legends Optimus Prime w/ Roller - $10 - Optimus head joint slightly loose, added Molotow chrome on wheel pins
- Generations Thrilling 30 Deluxe Skids - $10 - spring removed from shoulder guns, no package/instructions/comic
- Generations Thrilling 30 Deluxe Scoop - $10 - no package/instructions/comic
- Generations Combiner Wars Legends Thundercracker - $10
- Generations Combiner Wars Legends Powerglide - $10
- Generations Titans Return Deluxe Triggerhappy - $20
- Generations War for Cybertron Siege Deluxe Cog - $20
- Generations War for Cybertron Siege Deluxe Sixgun - $20
- Generations War for Cybertron Siege 35th Anniversary Deluxe Bluestreak - $25
- Generations War for Cybertron Siege Refraktor Reconnaisance Team - $60
- Generations War for Cybertron Earthrise Voyager Snapdragon - $30
- Generations War for Cybertron Earthrise Voyagers Starscream/ThundercrackeSkywarp - $135
- Generations War for Cybertron Kingdom Core Dracodon - $5
- Generations War for Cybertron Kingdom Deluxe Warpath - $20
- Generations War for Cybertron Kingdom Deluxe Airazor - $20
- Generations War for Cybertron Kingdom Deluxe Pipes - $20
- Generations War for Cybertron Kingdom Deluxe Slammer - $20 - 3 available
- Generations War for Cybertron Kingdom Voyager Cyclonus - $30
- Generations War for Cybertron Kingdom Battle Across Time Sideswipe and Skywarp - $35
- Generations War for Cybertron Netflix Soundwave w/ Laserbeak and Ravage - $65 - Soundwave has mild discoloration
- Generations Legacy Deluxe Prime Universe Arcee - $15
- Generations Legacy Deluxe Prime Universe Knock Out - $20
- Generations Legacy Voyager Blaster w/ Eject - $20 - Eject has visible cracks but has not fallen apart
- Generations Legacy Voyager Prime Universe Bulkhead - $30
- Generations Legacy Velocitron Deluxe Diaclone Universe Burn Out - $18
- Generations Legacy Velocitron Deluxe G2 Universe Road Rocket - $18
- Generations Legacy Velocitron Voyager Cybertron Universe Override - $25
- Generations Legacy Velocitron Voyager Road Hauler - $20
- Generations Legacy MenasoStunticons - $270
- Generations Buzzworthy Bumblebee Deluxe Origin Bumblebee - $20
- Generations Buzzworthy Bumblebee Legacy Deluxe Silverstreak - $20
- Generations Studio Series Core [Bumblebee] Shockwave - $5 - may be missing packaging?
- Generations Studio Series Core [Bumblebee] Ravage - $5
- Generations Studio Series Deluxe [Bumblebee] B-127 - $18 - slight crack on alt mode panel, does not affect figure significantly
- Generations Studio Series Deluxe [Bumblebee] Brawn - $20
- Generations Studio Series Deluxe [Bumblebee] Wheeljack - $25 - includes JRC Designs 3D printed shoulder gun
- Generations Studio Series Voyager [Bumblebee] Thundercracker - $30
- Generations Studio Series Leader [86] Coronation Starscream - $35
- Generations Collaborative Tonkanator - $50 - stickers applied
- Hasbro Masterpiece MP-06 Bluestreak - $65 - tab on rear bumper is broken, does not noticeably affect handling
- MakeToys Cross Dimension Striker Manus - $65 - no package/instructions
- Perfect Effect Perfect Combiner Series Black Jinrai - $40
- Toyworld Aurora - $10 - missing pin in leg door
- Star Wars: The Black Series Baze Malbus - $20 - sealed
- Bot Shots Optimus Prime Launcher - Molotow chrome added to wheel pins and bumper
- Alt Modes Silver Optimus Prime and Megatron - black Sharpie on Megatron's legs
- Generations Thrilling 30 Deluxe Nightbeat - has attempted modifications, not in good shape but can still convert