Hi everyone,
I know that "what is the best campaign" is probably a recurrent question, but mine is a little more specific and I feel like personnal feedbacks would be of better help ^^'
I am about to finish mastering Skull & Shackles and both me and my players had a great time with personal quests based on their background that I added to the campaign with a mix of tampering with the official scenario and completely made-up parts .
I ran them in a similar fashion with some videogames companion's quest (think Mass effect or the Owlcat games) a lot of small details, 2-3 small dedicated sections and a big final. S&S was a great setup for this as they had a lot of freedom regarding both travel and time. So this lead to my question:
"Outside of Skull & Shackles, what campaigns are great setting for allocating or integrating personnal quest for the players ? Since, in some of them, time is not running short and/or travels are very linear."
Thanks in advances for your answers :D

Have - Steam gifts (ROW, unrestricted, if you can't see the game in my inventory, it is still available, so add me for the trade)

Game name	Price	Notes	Stock	Game Status
3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures	offers			Gift
A Valley Without Wind 1 & 2	1 TOD Ticket			Gift
Aerena - Clash of Champions	1 TOD Ticket			Gift
Age of Empires Legacy Bundle	25 keys			Gift
Agricultural Simulator 2011: Extended Edition	2 keys			Gift
AirMech 2	1 TOD Ticket			Gift
Alpha Prime	1 TOD Ticket			Gift
Amnesia Memories	3 keys			Gift
Arena Wars 2	1 TOD Ticket			Gift
Awesomenauts Power Pack	1 TOD Ticket		subID 36025	Gift
Back to the Future The Game	25 keys	removed game	subID 6970	Gift
Barbie Dreamhouse Party	400 keys	removed game		Gift
Battle Los Angeles	offers	removed game	subID 11488	Gift
Borderless Gaming	5 keys			Gift
Broken Age	2 keys			Gift
Call of Duty World at War	25 keys			Gift
Castle of Illusion	3 keys			Gift
Circuits	2 keys			Gift
Cities XL 2012	15 keys	removed game		Gift
Clive Barker's Jericho	40 keys	removed game	subID 531	Gift
Commandos Pack	2 keys			Gift
Crusader Kings II Collection	5 keys		subID 26483	Gift
Deadpool + Merc with a Map Pack DLC	500 keys	removed game	28777 + 29453	Gift
Deathgarden BLOODHARVEST	4 keys			Gift
Defy Gravity Extended	1 TOD Ticket			Gift
Demigod	1 TOD Ticket			Gift
Deus Ex Game of the Year Edition	2 keys			Gift
DiRT 2	50 keys	removed game	subID 14293	Gift
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Don't Starve Soundtrack	5 keys			Gift
Droplitz (Holiday Sale 2011 Gift)	offers	removed game	subID 12638	Gift
Ducati World Championship	2 keys			Gift
Dungeon Defenders	3 keys			Gift
E.Y.E Divine Cybermancy	2 keys			Gift
Euro Truck Simulator 2	4 keys			Gift
F1 2011	offers	removed game	subID 11620	Gift
F1 2011	offers	removed game	subID 12677	Gift
F1 2012	offers	removed game		Gift
Faerie Solitaire	2 keys			Gift
Farming Simulator 2013 Titanium Edition	9 keys			Gift
Fast and Furious Showdown	30 keys	removed game	subID 27803	Gift
Football Manager 2014	20 keys	removed game	subID 30274	Giftable copy/add me
Fortified	1 TOD Ticket			Steam key/add me
FUEL	offers	removed game	subID 1878	Gift
Ghostbusters The Videogame	offers	removed game	subID 1693	Gift
Grid	offers	removed game		Gift
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Hero Academy - Tribe Pack - Hatless Gift	4 keys			Gift
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Iesabel	2 keys			Gift
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Insecticide Part 1	1 TOD Ticket			Gift
Iron Storm	6 keys			Gift
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Kerbal Space Program	10 keys			Gift
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Legendary	2 keys			Gift
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Lucius	2 keys			Gift
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Maelstrom The Battle for Earth Begins	3 keys			Gift
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Medieval Engineers	1 TOD Ticket			Gift
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Middle Earth Shadow of Mordor Season Pass	4 keys	removed game	subID 51210	Gift
Mirror's Edge	4 keys			Gift
Mount & Blade Complete	6 keys		subID 38003	Gift
Move or Die	2 keys			Gift
NASCAR The Game 2013	45 keys	removed game	subID 28448	Gift
Natural Selection 2	2 keys			Gift
NBA 2K16 Michael Jordan Edition	offers	removed game	subID 73028	Gift
Nexuiz	2 keys			Gift
Nikopol Secrets of the Immortals	3 keys			Gift
Painkiller Hell & Damnation	2 keys			Gift
Paradox Grand Strategy Collection	6 keys			Gift
PAYDAY 2 Gage Weapon Pack 02	1 TOD Ticket			Gift
PAYDAY 2 The Goat Simulator Heist	3 keys			Gift
Pinball FX3 - Star Wars Pinball	5 keys			Gift
PlayWay's Sim Bundle	5 keys		subID 51669	Gift
Please Hold	50 keys		subID 92974	Gift
Post Apocalyptic Mayhem	1 TOD Ticket			Gift
Pro Cycling Manager 2012	offers	removed game	subID 15175	Gift
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Pro Cycling Manager 2014	6 keys			Gift
Punch Club	3 keys			Gift
Puzzle Dimension	2 keys			Gift
Ratz Instagib	2 keys			Gift
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Roogoo	2 keys			Gift
Rush Bros	2 keys			Gift
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Bundle	10 keys			Gift
Saints Row IV - Child's Play Pack	1 TOD Ticket	removed game	subID 35488	Gift
Section 8 Prejudice	offers	removed game	subID 11106	Gift
Shannon Tweed's Attack Of The Groupies	2 keys			Gift
Shogun 2 Fall of the Samurai Collection	10 keys		subID 17095	Gift
Sins of a Dark Age Early Access Gift	2 keys			Gift
STAR WARS Empire at War Gold Pack	7 keys			Gift
SteamWorld Dig	1 TOD Ticket			Steam key/add me
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Super Meat Boy	3 keys			Gift
Super Meat Boy Soundtrack	offers	removed game	subID 12323	Gift
Super Monday Night Combat	1 TOD Ticket			Gift
Team Fortress 2	15 keys			Gift
Test Drive Unlimited 2	offers	removed game	subID 12636	Gift
The Amazing Spider-Man	offers	removed game		Gift
The Amazing Spider-Man - All DLC Bundle	offers	removed game		Gift
The Bureau XCOM Declassified	5 keys			Gift
The Desolate Hope	2 keys			Gift
The Holiday Express	4 keys		subID 35154	Gift
Incredible Adventures Van Helsing	4 keys			Gift
Incredible Adventures Van Helsing Arcane	1 key			Gift
Incredible Adventures Van Helsing Blue Blood	1 key			Gift
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The Bureau: XCOM Declassified	6 keys			Gift
The Lord of the Rings Online Helm’s Deep Base	offers	removed game	subID 32781	Gift
The Lord of the Rings Online Quad Pack	offers	removed game	subID 32775	Gift
The Lord of the Rings Online Steely Dawn Pack	offers	removed game	subID 18483	Gift
The Political Machine (2012)	offers	removed game		Gift
The Ship	1 TOD Ticket			Gift
The Sims 3 Diesel Stuff	10 keys			Gift
The Sims 3 Generations	10 keys			Gift
The Sims 3 Pets	10 keys			Gift
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The Walking Dead Survival Instinct + Herd DLC	40 keys	removed game	26399 + 27013	Gift
The Wolf Among Us	7 keys			Gift
theHunter Primal	offers	removed game		Gift
Total War Master Collection Sept 2014	15 keys		subID 51362	Gift
Train Simulator 2013 - Trains vs Zombies 2	10 keys			Gift
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Uncrowded	offers	removed game	subID 67613	Gift
Unreal Tournament 2004 Editor's Choice Edition	offers	removed game		Gift
Velvet Assassin	3 keys			Gift
Watch_Dogs Complete	20 keys			Gift
What's under your blanket !?	offers	removed game	subID 89803	Gift
Who Wants to be a Junior Millionaire	offers	removed game	subID 26732	Gift
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Who Wants to be a Millionaire Video Games	offers	removed game	subID 15611	Gift
Winter Voices Episode 1 Those who have no name	2 keys		subID 6648	Gift
World Basketball Manager 2010	2 keys			Gift
Xcinerator	3 keys			Gift
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Z1 Battle Royale	3 keys		subID 90424	Gift
Zombie Driver HD	2 keys			Gift
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Want:

• Offers with TF2 keys are preferred
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Sending Trade Offers
Trade offer link: https://steamcommunity.com/tradeoffenew/?partner=99041861&token=oT95zjCo
Steam inventory: https://steamcommunity.com/id/routemasteinventory#753_1
Inventory listing by TradeStarter

Hello everyone! I hope you all loved watching this MCC as much as I did!
You may remember that in early January, I made A post which ranked all 26 of the MCCs that PeteZahHutt had participated in based on his performance, ranging from the least good, to the most good.
My opinions in that post remain pretty much the same two months down the road, nothing has really changed how I view any of them. What has changed though, is that MCC has come back, and Pete was in it, making that list obsolete! So I thought it would be fun to come back and see where his MCC29 performance fits in with respect to the others that he's done over the years.
DISCLAIMER [again]: I love PeteZahHutt, he's my favorite MCC player, and as with the last post, I am ranking these purely out of respect for who he is as a content creator and Minecraft player. I am not detracting from how insanely cracked he is (or anyone else for that matter).
If you haven't read that previous post, I recommend giving it a read for a more in depth analysis and my reasoning for these, but this was how I ranked the MCCs that Pete's been in last time (top = best, bottom = least good):

1. MCC 7
2. MCC 14
3. MCC 17
4. MCC 3
5. MCC 5
6. MCC 26
7. MCC 12
8. MCC 6
9. MCC 8
10. MCC 10
11. MCC 13
12. MCC 25
13. MCC 2
14. MCC 22
15. MCC 21
16. MCC 1
17. MCC 4
18. MCC 28
19. MCC 9
20. MCC 23
21. MCC 19
22. MCC 20
23. MCC 16
24. MCC 18
25. MCC All Stars
26. MCC 15

So, now for the all-important question: where does MCC 29 fit in?
As you all know, in this MCC Pete was on lime with team-mates KaraCorvus, Seapeekay, and SolidarityGaming.
In my opinion this tournament is among his top 10 best MCCs so far, and a big reason for why that is the case actually stems from his common "weaknesses" that he struggled with in 2022. Team comms and PVP were both a big step up this time around, especially with an impressive 9-kill-run in Sky Battle on Pete's part, and effective communication which led to his team placing 2nd in Battle Box and not completely falling apart in Grid Runners. Pete also maintained a more than impressive resolve with movement games, especially with an incredible near-victory on Journey in Rocket Spleef Rush, and somehow soaring to new heights on Terra Swoop Force in TGTTOS (not to mention 5/6 top 10s once more there). As with MCC 13, Ace Race was an unfortunate mishap, but there isn't as much tilt this time around, simply a lack of practice with tridents and route-studying (also...confusing the red boost with a green boost, but we'll gloss over that). Were it not for Grid Runners Pete could have taken 1st individual, which would be a great way to start 2023!
As for where it specifically ranks for me, I'd place it in 10th, between MCC 10 and MCC 8. Unlike MCC 10, MCC 29 has far less handholding, with a much stronger player roster and less favorable game order which for me makes it more impressive, but unlike MCC 8, it doesn't necessarily carry that "wow" factor in his absolute best moments, it's just more consistently great than anything rather than a huge victory that other players keep making note of.
So that's Pete's MCC 29 for you! Let me know what you think, and of course I want to say that this is just my opinion and you're free to disagree if you're so inclined :) Have a great day!

Two nights ago, my sister told me that her boyfriend will hang out with us and she will let me know the time. I put my alarm at 5pm just in case because that's usually when we meet.
Yesterday morning, still no reply from my sister so I just go on with my day and continue with my classes. After class, I unintentionally fell asleep (around 1pm) and woke up to my alarm at 5pm. I wake up to angry texts from my sister (who still didn't give me a time) yelling at me for not being active on my phone. I told her I slept accidentally and she didn't give me a time so I couldn't put an earlier alarm. She said I should've reminded her but I asked her why would she expect that from me. Then she just keeps repeating herself in a very demeaning way. I really felt like she was attacking me with how much she blamed me. She brings up how she doesn't want to see me anymore like how my dad doesn't want to see me. my dad recently had a leg surgery and i facetimed him and always ask if he's doing better but i didn't visit because that house literally haunts me (im in a foster home bc of that environment + family issues). i had a huge meltdown. i told her that i couldn't believe she would use that against me after all that i confided in her about my trauma. then she disregards that completely, continues to blame me for a "lack of communication" so I block her.
Today morning, my mom asked me about what happened and why my sister didn't come to see me. i told her everything. she basically said its both our faults. later she said shes glad my sister finally has a bf
Today night, i messaged her boyfriend a short message about how yesterday, my sister and i got into a fight and i apologize that i exposed their relationship. he later tells me that i shouldve just said sorry to her and been empathetic to her. that she mustve felt like she was the only one communicating because she was organizing it. and that i took it too far by exposing them because it feels like i just did that to prove a point. then i tell him the following:

1. I did my best based on the lack of info i had and put an alarm at 5pm
2. i can't be sorry for something i'm not aware of; i can't be sorry for an expectation i didn't know was put on me (expectation to remind her)
3. why should i care about not exposing my sister when she was explosively attacking me (not first time either) and emotionally manipulated me (with the dad comment) just to make me feel bad? i don't need to respect her wishes if she doesn't respect my humanity. respect is a two way street.
4. how am i suppose to be empathetic when she is being so explosive and attacking me with blames? fight is a trauma response and the only thing i did in that moment was defend myself. i could've been empathetic if she communicated better, but she didn't so i communicated accordingly
5. she took the responsibility of letting me know when he will be available. I did not FORCE her to do that. that does NOT require my input, she did NOT ask for my input, and i am not a mind reader to tell if she WANTS a reminder.

My dad doesn't really have a stance, but he is hoping we forgive each other and make up. my friend validated me and said that its unreasonable for me to always be on my phone and shift my schedule according to her last minute texts. my children's aid worker said how its really toxic of how explosive and verbally aggressive she becomes over smaller issues that can be communicated better. my counsellor is not free to talk yet
i'm just really tired over this situation. but i also feel a lot of hurt and shame. it hurts my sister would bring up my dad's comment for no other reason than to actually hurt me (because the convo had nothing to do with him). and she has been explosive and verbally aggressive in the past fights i had with her and i told her that i'm not ok with her doing that to me, especially when i didn't do anything wrong. i hate how when she acts like this, i feel so small and voiceless like i did when i was a kid. i hate how i feel like im screaming for someone to understand me but no one is hearing me. and i do feel bad that i exposed her relationship but also i don't owe it to myself to cover what happened to my mom when i've been so belittled and disrespected. it's always "well she wouldn't have done that to" but never considering everything else she did to me that lead me to "snitch" on her. yes it is her boyfriend calling me a snitch
im unable to see my mom or receive groceries atm because my sister is the one with a car to help me with all those things. im always grateful for those things she does to me. but i really hate how it feels like shes just flexing her power because whenever we're in a fight, she won't come for a week or two until i apologize, and i wouldn't be able to see my mom or have food. thankfully my cas worker is helping me with getting to a food bank so i dont have to rely on my sister anymore. i will just be very active on facetime for the time being to stay connected with my parents
if it is fine, i am also wondering if this situation makes me the ass-hole because i'm getting very mixed messages

ok so I know it's the base damage of a weapon that dictates the xp gained for stuff like one and two handed skills, my issue is what is better for archery, the highest base damage bow I have is dragon bone and arrow is dragon bone too, but is that the best or should I use the weakest like iron arrows and a long bow, or would zephyr or the shadow bow work to? I also heard that cross bows are pretty handy for this too but same there strongest or weakest and do I use the normal or enhanced versions of said weapons?

I had a heard a lot about this album and i already knew about Sunny Khan Durrani from La Haasil (which i consider a top 10 level dhh song) and Taaray. So while working on my practical file, i played all 3 of his albums in order. Now i didn't really fw Khabbarnaama apart from a couple of tracks and couple of parts here and there. Aetizaaz was a major step up and i really liked it but what blew me away was The Butterfly Effect which made me want to write about it coz apart from a comment or two on the best albums posts, no one was really talking about it.
The cover art shows a butterfly, obviously referencing the butterfly effect the album's theme is based on. The monochrome look matches with the dark tones of the album, similar to his previous album Aetizaaz. In the background, i ain't sure if that's a flower or broken glass. I used to think it's glass but ab lagraha hai it might be a flower.
The intro track, Distant Storms, talks about the butterfly effect, perhaps to fill in those who don't know what it is. The production and his voice sets a dark tone which continues in the rest of the album. The storm and thunder in the background really makes the listener feel like they are in for a dark ride. Really good intro.
Chup Raho 's hook is pretty catchy and the first verse talking about the old generation and figures of authority looking down and trying to dominate the youth is pretty solid. But what absolutely blew me the fuck away was the second part about the teacher blackmailing the girl. I had to stop whatever i was doing because i was absolutely stunned. The loud rough voice of the verse followed by the almost polite tone towards the chorus sent shivers down my spine. This song was the one which made me think that this might really be an actual GOATed album.
Kalakaar aur Dunya is easily one of the best storytelling songs in dhh. The song talks about (from what i understood that is, coz most of the albums in dhh don't have their lyrics released) Sunny and another guy in his class who shared a similar work in school (related to singing or poetry ig?) and though the other guy was better in studying and stuff, skd won some sort of award which the other guy felt that he deserved. After a fight between the two, a few months later, the guy scored less (i am not sure if i heard it right) leading to his parents's divorce and him committing suicide. The song talks about how the world is always against an artist and the pressure they face. Recently, my friend's friend's cousin comitted suicide because of his father's death and the pressure from MBBS. I think i heard this album the next day after that incident, which made me feel the end of the story much more intensely. A great track, arguably on par with storytelling tracks like Balli aur mein though i would still put the latter above.
Mandir Masjid talks about the animosity between the two religions and countries. I feel that the song gives a strong message about how in this obsession to protect our own religion, people from both the sides have forgotten that the other side is still human. Strip away a person's religion and country, and we are not so different really, and that's one of the parts i really liked about the song. I have seen firsthand extremists from both sides and the rising sentiments against each other. The rich and powerful people throw us against eachother while they profit on the blood of the middle class and poor. The song touches on all these topics in an excellent way. Though the end gets a bit repetitive but it's not that major of an issue, perhaps a nitpick. A wonderful song which if people actually listen to, it might lead to a brighter future for this country.
Koi Gila Nahi is a track i have listened to many times before i actually listened to the album. This song has the most replay value from all the songs in this album. SKD talks about how others around him are running for fame and money, sacrificing their art. He talks about the pressures on him and the struggles he goes through inside his own head. I love the production on this song. Though the other songs might have a better message or lyrics than this, it's still the one i listen to the most.
Pas E Parda means behind the curtains. The song talks about the backstage of the industry, how artists have power over their fans and how despite having thousands of fans, an artist still feels alone when he needs support. The hook is sung by Mooroo, feels somber and deep (i ain't talking about lyrically deep, or the voice. I am bad at explaining stuff but it feels deep, perhaps it's the production), i like it. It's a good song, but perhaps my least favorite excluding the intro and outro. I do feel that it's gonna grow on me, especially the hook which i already like a lot.
The outro, Anjaam starts with a line by Sunny, where he says that the butterfly has already flapped it's wings, now the storm is inevitable. Maybe he's referencing to his album, but i didnt really get what he's referring to so if someone else did, they can share it. The rest of the song is just beats. The production of this song and album as a whole is excellent, Sunny is a real good producer for sure. This song is mesmerizing af.
The Butterfly Effect is easily one of the best albums in dhh out there. The melancholic tone from start to finish, something he continues on from Aetizaaz, is beautiful. The stories in these songs send chills down the listeners. Sunny Khan Durrani is easily one of the best poets in the game. I am looking forward to his next album. The intro track just dropped today which I'm gonna listen to after writing this review.
The album is underrated af and deserves a lot more views. If even a couple of people check it out after reading this post I'd be glad.
The Butterfly Effect - Spotify

Hi so I’m really into losing matches! Or rather I enjoy losing with mons I like or strategies that I think are either original or just fun/gimmicky over winning without being creative/original
Right now I’m fixated on trying to make a gravity team that will at least win some of the time
Only gravity setters I can find are blissey line, wigglytuff, bronzong, sandy shocks, and stonjourner.
Which Mon would be the most successful at this??
I’ve used stonjourner quite a bit for power spot/wide guard utility in the past and gravity would make stone edge a solid 4th spot incase of taunt and ston’s 125 base attack is fine
Obviously not wigglytuff?
Shocks maybe but I’ve never used it and think it looks stupid. Imagine making magnezone so cool (and canonically ancient already, right?) and then just being like fuck it, if we make magnezone really stupid looking instead and ground type will you stop complaining that zone doesn’t get levitate?
Blissey/Chansey is blissey/chansey but what other moves besides protect/softboiled would optimize it for setting grav?
I’ve never used bronzong either so I’m open to any reason why it might be the best choice
When home hits I think I would probably go with clefable for follow me/wish/moonblast/gravity I think unless that’s inferior to a set from a mon above
As far as the rest of the team I’m thinking garchomp, lucario, abomasnow (blizz+leafstorm) bombirdier, and something that make use of thunder or zap cannon
Thoughts on this mental diarrhea I just subjected you all to???

When I first began questioning my religion 20ish years ago, I was very interested in finding out the historical truth of what Jesus really said. Catholic, Evangelical, JW, Anglican, etc people all believed vastly different things. Their had to be some way to know the truth without relying on what your parents taught. Many redditors seem to have/had the same questions. Hopefully providing this info will help someone else.
History of course is not a hard science. Ideally, a large number of disinterested sources which corroborate without collaberating leads to near certainty. Otherwise, we use the best evidence we have. The following is meant to be objective, the consensus of the experts in the field. If something is disputed by a sizable minority of experts, I've added a qualifier ("probably"). Please offer corrections, or subjective discussions, in the comments.
I. Historical Background. We're talking about the area around the Mediterranean Sea in the first few centuries CE. Moral people followed the rules of society and liberty was not yet a concept. Women were the inferior property of men, slaves were naturally to obey their masters, the poor and rich both had roles assigned at birth. Those who rebelled against social norms were often murdered. Vast majority were polytheist, small minority were Jews who only worshipped one god. Vast majority (>90-95%) were illiterate. Those who wanted a copy of a writing copied it by hand themselves (or via a trained slave) on their own time. Writing was done on papyrus scrolls without spaces,capitals, or punctuation. Those copying texts often changed the original either by accident or to suit their own purpose.
In 63 BCE the Romans took over the Jewish city of Judea. Many sects of Jews which each had their own ideas how to best follow the OT Law. Pharisees focused on literal, Sadducees were wealthy/powerful priests focused on temple, Essanes believed in keeping to themselves. Many also apocalyptic, including John the Baptist, believed God had let Devil rule world which is why sickness/death/wafamine were everywhere. But any day now God would annoint one or more human messiah's(Greek translation-Christ) to become a powerful priest/king and rule God's kingdom on Earth where everyone would come back to life and there'd be no more hardship.
II. Life of Jesus (The first 50 years of Christianity.) 30 CE Jesus is crucified- based only on the Bible itself. There are no physical evidence or first hand accounts of Jesus. There are misattributions or frauds but no first hand stories of his disciples either. There are though only a handful of accounts of anyone who lived/died at the time/place.
Likely Jesus=Yeshua was born as a poor Jew in the small town of Nazareth (northern Palestine.) A working class "tekton"(construction worker) he followed John the Baptist then later became a teacher to Jews in rural Galilee. Possibly taught that the apocalypse was immenent and that all should follow the heart of the Torah, to love God/neighbors. Associated with poosick. Traveled to Jerusalem for passover, created a disturbance in the Temple. One of his followers handed him over to Saducees who handed him to Roman governor Pilate for conspiracy against Rome (calling himself the Jewish King.) Pilate ordered him crucified like any other political troublemaker.
Disciples were perhaps briefly distraught by reality that their king was killed as a criminal. But soon began spreading stories orally in Aramaic that Jesus was annointed after death and resurrected after crucifixion.
50 CE- Paul dictates his genuine letters to scribes in Greek: Gal, Romans, 1 Cor, 2 Cor, Philemon, Philippians, and 1 Thess. Tells how he was a Jewish Pharisee who persecuted Christians (maybe because the idea that the mighty Jewish king was actually a poor crucified criminal was blasphemous.) Had a revelation, met PeteCephas and Jesus' brother James. Is now certain the rapture is coming during his lifetime. Disagrees with disciples who think salvation just for Jews- Gentiles, women, poor, slaves, all who behave themselves to be saved.
66-70 CE- Judean Jews rebel against Rome, lose, Temple is destroyed.
III. First Gospels written (70-90 CE)
Most likely Mark written first, original ends at 16:8.
Then a lost sayings Gospel known as "Quelle/Q". Matthew, Luke and Thomas written later based on Q.
All of the above written in Greek. First surviving copies from 250CE or later, Papyrus 45 esp. P52 and 90 have few sentences of Jesus' trial with Pilate now found in John 18 dated to 150 CE. P104 has a parable from Q dated to 150CE.
IV. Historical Sources that Christians exist in 1st Century
93CE Josephus wites history of Jews starting with Adam/Eve. Writes that in 66CE James, the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, was stoned.Antiquity of the Jews book 20 ch 9 Earlier book 18 passage either partly or completely forged.
100 CE- Papius of Hierapolis mentions Mark, sayings gospel, and Luke/Acts. Survives only as quoted by later Church fathers.
c. 100 CE Two early Church teachings the Didache and 1 Clement
112 CE Pliny the Younger discusses Christians with emporer Trajan in Letter 10
115 CE Historian Tacitus writes in the Annals about Christians, who worship a Christ, put to death under Pontius Pilate during Tiberius' reign.
V. Christianity Split Into Large Branches (2nd & 3rd Century)
Many sects splintered off which each had their believers, rituals, and wrote their own texts. To oversimplify- A) Ebionites believed Jesus was a man adopted as God's son at either his baptism or death. Only observant Jews can be Christian. Followed Matthew's Gospel which portrays Jesus exactly like OT prophets. (Virgin birth possibly created as Greek speaking author misunderstood Isaiah's prophecy.)
B) Marcionites/Docetics believed Jesus was really the true God, and OT God was false. Used Luke which portrays Jesus as completely divine. Also Gospel of Peter.
C) Gnostics believed salvation found in hidden knowledge of Jesus' teachings. Most likely believed world created by a lesser demon of OT and true God is hidden. Many are seperationists-believe Jesus was a fusion of man and God- and follow Mark (Spirit enters Jesus at baptism and leaves him on cross.) Likely also used Thomas. Later wrote Phillip, Mary, James, Gospel of Truth, Apocryphon of John, etc)
d) Pre-Catholic Orthodox. This is the group that won so we have the most evidence of. Believed in martyrdom since death of Jesus important. Starting with Iraneus in 180 CE write mountains against heretics. Ironically, some beliefs of each early Church father (Iraneus,Tertullian, Hippolytus, Origen) later decided to be heretical. The slurs used against "heretics" were most likely false, as they contradict the discovered Gnostic texts.
In Against Heresies iii Iraneus writes that John's Gospel was specifically written (after 100CE) to counter the claim that Jesus was a different God from that who created the world. Notice how John's is the only Gospel to firmly claim Jesus to be God (and the only God at that.)
IV. Catholicism Established 4th c Emporer Constantine legalized Christianity in 320CE. As the orthodox group held the most power they were able to establish their beliefs via the Nicene Creed in 325CE, other branches became heretical and illegal. 350 CE- Codex Sinaiticus our oldest nearly complete NT dated, close to modern version. 381- Council of Constantinople irons out concept of trinity.
Further reading This is mostly based off my notes of the NT scholar Bart Ehrman's books, especially misquoting Jesus, although I did try to be objective.
Read the current Bible here NRSV most accurate English.
The Gnostic writings can be found here
The 70ish papyri fragments we have can be viewed here for those who can read konic Greek.
TLDR
Nothing was written during Jesus' life or by his followers. Jesus wasn't considered a god at all until 100 CE. Much less the only god. The concept of the Trinity and that our bible is only accurate version is from the 4th century-over 300 years later.

Clan Requirements: Townhall 13+ Disc required
⭐️TL;DR: Pretty relaxed, just serious about leagues and clan games! And having disc makes it that much easier to communicate 🫡
Hello all! Looking for a clan that’s active and pretty social? Then we’re the clan for you! We’re a US based, (mostly) English speaking clan, with all of us being adults and we all tend to be on a lot and talk a good amount (there’s still some of us who are a bit shy tho). We max clan games pretty quickly, war twice a week (usually, it is subject to change) unless leagues/Raid weekend is coming up ,then we won’t war. we take Leagues seriously! Regular wars are fine too but for leagues we just ask to have your heroes up, pretty much it 😅 if you’re wondering who to attack in wars/leagues, Just attack your mirror, or if they’re too strong coordinate with someone to switch! We’re serious when we need to be but at the same time have fun! Cause that’s what it’s all about right? Also, having disc is a must because it allows us to communicate and help each other out as well; from switching targets to asking for donations. Please have disc!
🔥 Now for our competitive people in regards to leagues! If you’d like to be on the starting lineup, we are asking for very RELIABLE people (won’t miss an attack), we won’t kick you for missing an attack but you will be swapped out.🔥
Sounds like it’s for you? Come join!
Hope to see you with us!

Hey all! I’m a current freshman at the University of Maryland where I am studying Computer Science. A unique aspect of our degree program is that we are required to take 12 credits in a separate department ( 300 to 400 level) to utilize the interdisciplinary nature of computer science.
I am broadly interested in bioinformatics and am currently doing research in structural bioinformatics. I would like to do a PhD in computer science and then work as a research scientist or research engineer in industry doing ML/bioinformatics work. If that doesn’t work out I think being a software engineer at a biotech company could also be fulfilling.
I am considering three different options for my secondary concentration and I was hoping to get some advice over which selection of courses would best suit my career goals.
Math/Stat
For this I would take:
MATH 405 - Linear Algebra (proof-based, already took introductory lin alg)
MATH 401 - Applications of Linear Algebra (incidence matrices, directed graphs, finite Markov chains are a few course topics)
STAT 401 - Applied Probability and Statistics II
MATH 4xx - not sure could do Number Theory, Advanced Calculus, Sampling Theory)
This seems to be the most logical as the Math background would help with AI and ML and it seems it is the hardest to learn on my own.
Bio
For this I would take:
BSCI 222 - Principles of Genetics (pre req)
BSCI 370 - Principles of Evolution (DNA protein and genome evolution)
BSCI 410 - Molecular Genetics (molecular basis of gene structure and function)
BSCI 426 - Human Genetics (focuses of specific human genetic topics using primary research papers) BSCI 379 - Undergraduate Research (already completed, my PI is in the Bio department).
(all these Bio courses have Orgo as a prerequisite which I took last semester, so i assume they will go into the underlying chemistry and not just be memorizing terms like in intro bio)
My main question would be is this collection of bio courses something that would help me in my career? Specifically would being able to see the larger scope of the computational work I do be sufficient reason to choose this pathway?
Philosophy
This may be a weird one. One of the things I have discovered about college is that you don’t actually have to register for the class to still attend its lectures. I have been doing this for CMSC 701 our computational genomics class and I have been learning a ton doing this. I think this is a very effective way to learn content but not gain mastery over content where I think actually taking the course is necessary.
Doing the philosophy pathway in my opinion would enable me to audit both math and bio classes that I see necessary but what would show up on my transcript is just random philosophy classes. While it may sound crazy I think I am actually leaning towards doing the philosophy pathway as I have a genuine interest in philosophy and it would enable me to audit relatively more classes since I would have more free time.
Which pathway would you guys think is the most beneficial to pursue? My apologies for the long-winded post, I appreciate any help a lot!!

Hey Clashers 👋, I have multiple accounts of Townhall 12 13 & 15 Let me know if you're interested. Thank you

Warning: I accidentally wrote a whole ass essay 😅
So now that we have Kaveh's birthday reveal, it turns out his birthday is July 9, and he's a Cancer :)
A lot of people were expecting him to be a Leo because of his keychain (which I guess we now know is just a cute Kshahrewar reference) and him having a lot of Leo qualities. But I can definitely see how Kaveh fits Cancer better. Because (a) Leo was such a popular guess, (b) I'm a Leo, and (c) I have Kaveh brainrot, in this post I'll be comparing the two signs, which have plenty of overlap but certain key differences that I think push Kaveh more towards Cancer than Leo. And feel free to use this thread to share any other astrology insights, or compare him to a different sign!
Btw I don't seriously put stock in astrology, but I still like to indulge in humoring the idea when it does happen to fit people's personalities. So while this analysis ended up being more detailed than I expected, it's just for fun! If you think astrology is stupid, look away. Anyway.
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Analysis
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Although there is a lot of overlap between these two emotional signs, Kaveh being a Cancer must mean certain parts of his personality are more defining aspects to his character than others, such as being hyper emotional and sensitive, intensely loving and devoted to the people he cares about, and moody (he's had mood swings in like every appearance so far lol). Both signs can be kind, caring, empathetic, generous, and loyal, but Kaveh probably values things like "heart/love" and "home/loved ones" more extremely. Considering he is an architect, had a joint project that resulted in being gifted a house, and an important part of his character is being Alhaitham's roommate (whether you like that about him or not), the theme of "home" shines through here. Even the Palace of Alcazarzaray is not just a building but Dori's home. Additionally, water signs are also usually more associated with creativity, so this matches the emphasis on his artistry.
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Relationship with others
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Btw any references to Alhaitham are not based on shipping but because it's safe to assume that Kaveh and Alhaitham still consider each other important and involved in their respective lives despite their current confusing relationship status.
Both signs are generous, but Cancers are supposed to be even more altruistic and selfless, ready and willing to put their needs second. Cancers are also very protective, which we can see with Kaveh worrying over Alhaitham and the Traveler after the former's SQ, asking if they're ok as well as masking some of his concern by nagging about the books when he said Alhaitham should have stayed at home. I think it's safe to interpret the statement as being protective in a way, since he basically said "if only Alhaitham stayed at home (with me), then he would have stayed out of (been protected from) trouble!" I think this caring and protective nature also manifests in the importance he places on social welfare and taking care of other people in need, even at his own expense.
Kaveh is also more secretive about things, which is a Cancer and not Leo trait. This stems from being more uncertain and insecure plus sensitive to criticism (also major Cancer traits). His drip marketing says he is "deathly afraid" his secrets will get out. Leos' egos can be wounded but they usually have enough self-assurance to restore it themselves, while Cancers are more fragile to other people's opinions. Kaveh recognizes his own positive qualities, but is still easily provoked by Alhaitham's jabs and will ruminate on any anxieties. Leos also tend to have a more dominating personality, but I don't see that in Kaveh. He's just noisy but not dominating.
Again both signs are naturally giving and will be among the first to assist you, but they ask for help differently. A huge way Kaveh doesn't fit being a Leo is that he shamelessly asks Alhaitham to pay for his drinks even when he still owes rent. It's a lot harder to convince a Leo to ask for and accept help; relying on others will rarely be a Leo's first or even second option, even if you're close with them. But when a Cancer has a close bond with someone, then they will freely ask for help and can even become dependent on people if they're not careful. Kaveh might be embarrassed about being broke, but he seems to have no qualms with being spoiled by Alhaitham.
Both signs need attention from their loved ones, but a neglected Leo would sulk and suffeendure in silence. Whereas Kaveh is more clingy and demanding of attention when he doesn't receive it. Cancers may be softhearted but can also be more spiteful and vindictive (Kaveh readily calling out Alhaitham's negative qualities and phrasing it in a toxic way; Kaveh refusing his share of the house after their fallout). But the softheartedness will still shine through in the end, as long as they still care about you (again, Kaveh worrying over Alhaitham immediately after having just put him on blast).
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Relationship with work
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Work-wise, Leos bask and thrive in the spotlight of their success. Even though they care about others, they can still end up being a little self-absorbed. I'm sure everyone enjoys a certain level of validation, but Leos are supposedly better equipped to being the center of attention and admiration. We can assume that Kaveh feels some conflict over being so renowned and idolized. For one, that reputation and the accompanying expectations makes the burden of his secret bankruptcy even heavier. And two, Kaveh said so himself that he doesn't like the Akademiya pressuring people by labeling them as geniuses. And Alhaitham's introduction for him in the drip marketing repeats how Kaveh thinks reputation and talent can be a burden. We see this sentiment reinforced twice, so I think it's safe to infer Kaveh wrestles with these feelings himself.
Kaveh has fame and titles, but we're told in his drip marketing that it's just a byproduct of his work, which means it's not as important to him to be renowned for it. He has pride in his work because he pours his heart into it, not because he's driven by a desire to build his reputation or garner widespread admiration. Not saying Leos necessarily want fame, but a stereotypical Leo quality is being able to feed off recognition and attention, not feel repelled by it.
When it comes to work ethic, Cancers are very diligent and devoted to their work, especially if they gain self-satisfaction from it. Leos can work hard when they have a goal in mind but are also prone to laziness, while Cancers have a more consistent and dependable work ethic. I think Leos have less consistency unless they are fueled by a certain ambition. Kaveh's dedication to working hard seems more stable.
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Final thoughts
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Kaveh may be a Cancer, but he still has some overlap with Leos and probably other signs too. After all, this isn't Astrology Impact, so he has a more complex personality that won't perfectly match every element of his sign. But again, I can see how Cancer might be the best fit if you had to choose one, depending on which parts of his personality are meant to be more central to his character. After all, Childe is another Cancer with a pretty different personality, but some of the most defining parts of his personality align with his sign: his devotion to his family, hardcore loyalty to the Tsaritsa, the secrets he needed to guard in Liyue AQ and from Teucer, being a reliable and diligent worker, and him being one of the kinder Harbingers to his subordinates.
Of course, we can't be sure of how much Hoyo considered Kaveh's sign when deciding on his birthday/personality. And also astrology certainly doesn't define and limit people's personalities, especially in real life. But since Kaveh is just a fictional character, him being meant have some compatibility with his sign isn't farfetched, especially because astrology in Teyvat is real, in its own way.

Hi everyone. I am trying to understand and find the best suitabke POE security camera for my new house. I will have 6 cameras covering the house around. I need your help to which model should i get. There are a lot of models out there and i am confused. The cost of each camera i want to be under 100 euros/usd. Can you recommend any model based on your experience?

Hi clashers 👋, I have multiple accounts for Townhall 12,13&15 max Let me know if you're interested. Thank you

I spend much of my morning watching Coda and my ratlings working on Rocky’s ring, though I do check in on Violet, too. I’m trying to not get impatient and rush her, especially after Rezlar saying I’ve been growing way faster than other dungeons.
 
She’s actually sending centipede expeditions to scout the area before she expands, being cautious. To be fair, I don’t know what will happen with the scythemaw eggs in the area when she expands. They scythemaws proper are delvers, so would they become Residents? Dwellers? Delvers? I think Tarl said the townsfolk would become Residents if I expanded… or did he say Dwellers? I’d think Dwellers, since Residents seem a bit more connected.
 
Violet doesn’t seem too concerned about them, though, and seems more like someone looking to buy a house, and wanting to make sure they don’t discover the pipes are garbage or something. Whatever the eggs do, I just have to be patient and not push her too hard. She’ll get there.
 
Around noon, I feel familiar feet, with an unfamiliar set joining them. I smile to myself as I see Freddie and Rhonda, along with Fiona and Lucas, as well as an elf who feels familiar, but I can’t quite place him. I don’t need to send Teemo to go say hi, as he’s already on his way.
 
The kids are looking eager to do some delving, while the new elf is looking a bit nervous, but doing his best to hide it as Rhonda points at the porch.
 
“And there’s the notice board and the quests from the aranea!”
 
“We should get a quest. It’ll be a good way to help him get used to how Thedeim works,” points out Freddie. Teemo walks out from under the porch and grins as he sees the new elf.
 
“You guys snagged a newbie, eh?”
 
The kids look a little confused at the term, and the elf blushes a bit in embarrassment, so Teemo continues. “Nothing wrong with it. Everyone has to start somewhere. And with these two, you’ll be just fine.”
 
“He’ll be a great help to us, too,” points out Freddie. “He’s a fencer. We’ve been missing a good damage dealer.”
 
“Could have fooled me and the Boss. You kids can pull out some serious hurt when you need to.”
 
Rhonda waves that off. “We have to do a team up attack to do most of that kind of stuff. I only beat Rocky that one time because I tripped him up and basically made him hit himself.”
 
The elf’s eyes widen at that, as does Teemo’s grin. “You think the new guy could go toe to toe with Rocky?”
 
Freddie and Rhonda exchange a look, before Freddie shrugs. “We haven’t really seen him in action yet. I think the three of us together could at least give him a proper challenge.”
 
Teemo is definitely enjoying the poor elf’s misery at that idea. “What’s your name, anyway? Sorry about talking about you like you’re not here. Freddie, Rhonda, Lucas and Fiona are friends of Thedeim, and any friend of theirs is a friend of his.”
 
He looks even more terrified at that thought, but Rhonda and Freddie smile and motion for him to introduce himself, so he tries to steel his courage. “I’m Re- er… Larrez. Uh… just Larrez,” he manages, tripping over his words a bit.
 
Teemo eases up on him a bit at that and nods. “I’m Teemo, Thedeim’s Voice. Just Teemo’s fine, heh. Anyway, you kids were looking for a quest?” he asks of the whole group, and everyone, even Larrez, nods. “There should be one to do something down in Violet. You kids could take that one and take the long way. You know, show him the ropes and what all the Boss has to offer, maybe introduce him to a few of the other scions.”
 
“Is Rocky available for a sparring match?” asks Freddie, clearly wanting to actually test if he’s right about how they’ll fare.
 
“Eh… kinda. The Boss is working on a new arena for him. The big lug won’t say no, of course, but he might be a bit distracted by the call of his new ring.”
 
Freddie looks interested at that, and Rhonda speaks up. “Maybe we’ll just stop by to say hello, then. I’d love to learn more magic from him, too, but I wouldn’t want to interrupt.”
 
Teemo shrugs. “I don’t think he’ll mind if you drop in. Anyway, I’ll let you get to it. It was nice to meet you for the first time, Larrez. Just take it slow and learn to work together, and you’ll all be fine.” Larrez pales at Teemo’s exit, which makes me certain I’ve seen him before, but I still can’t place him. Teemo chuckles as he heads down a shortcut, and I decide to keep watching the young party as they look over the quests.
 
As they peruse the hanging pieces of wood, Rhonda speaks up. “Oh, this reminds me!” She levels a finger at both Freddie and Larrez. “You two should get a gathering skill!” Larrez looks confused, while Freddie looks thoughtful.
 
“We probably should, yeah. I don’t think I’m interested in any crafting skills of my own, but gathering could be useful. What do you think, Larrez?”
 
The elf, still looking a bit uncomfortable after having talked with Teemo, slowly nods. “It… would probably be smart, yes. I do not know if I would be any good at a crafting skill, but gathering is a good way to supplement adventuring income.” He gets a little more confident as he speaks, and I can practically see him reading it out of some book or another on adventuring.
 
“Anything stick out to you two?” asks Rhonda, excited her suggestion is getting followed through on. Freddie shrugs.
 
“I think the classic for a paladin would be mining or maybe lumberjacking. I even have an axe. But… neither really sounds that interesting to me. Larrez?”
 
“Um… I have always been intrigued by mining,” he admits, to the curious looks of his party. After a few moments, he continues. “It just seems… relaxing? Slow and methodical, nobody around to bother you while you work?”
 
Freddie nods at that. “You could even take up smelting to turn your ore into ingots. It’s not the most glamorous crafting job, but there’s no shortage of demand for metals.”
 
Larrez looks relieved for the support, and is even bold enough to ask his own question. “And you, Freddie? If not mining or lumberjacking, what gathering skill would you like to pursue?”
 
Freddie considers as his eyes wander the quests, before he picks one. “Field dressing is interesting. There’s a lot of magic in the herbs Rhonda gathers, but there’s also a lot of stuff in the things we fight, too. If nothing else, most skins and hides are worth something to a tanner. And… maybe cooking as a crafting skill.” He chuckles as he nods to himself, and smirks at Rhonda. “If we’re going to be a party, someone should learn to cook. Alchemy doesn’t count.”
 
She sticks her tongue out at him. “Alchemy soup totally counts,” she says with mock seriousness, before giggling and not arguing the point. She grabs a quest plaque to gather mushrooms in Violet, and Freddie shows his to skin three cave bunnies.
 
“How about you? Violet doesn’t have any mining nodes… I think, but Thedeim has ones all over in the tunnels and caverns,” says the goblin.
 
“I… do not have a pick,” admits the elf, but Rhonda doesn’t accept that excuse.
 
“We can get one from a ratling. Or, if they don’t want to let us have one, you can use your water affinity to erode the rock and get some ore, right?”
 
“...in theory?”
 
“Great! Then grab a mining quest, and we’ll give you the grand tour of Thedeim!”
 
He reaches out and takes a quest to mine some tin, then looks confused as he looks over at what the other two accepted. “Why do your quests say Violet?”
 
“Ah,” says Freddie, realizing they haven’t been explaining things very well, and motions for Larrez to follow him off the porch. “Violet is another dungeon, one pretty deep down. Thedeim found her and has taken her as his protege.”
 
His eyes widen in concern. “Another fast-developing dungeon!?”
 
Rhonda giggles and shakes her head. “Nah, she’s a lot more mild than Thedeim is, at least as far as Freddie and I can tell. Though she was kinda stuck behind the scythemaws for a while, so there wasn’t much expanding she could really do anyway.”
 
“But now the tunnel horrors are gone,” points out Larrez, still looking worried. Freddie smiles.
 
“Sure, but she’s still young, and Mr Tarl says she’s still acting like it. Thedeim is helping guide her and giving her advice, but if she was like him, she would have expanded as soon as the maws were gone. I’m pretty sure she still hasn’t.”
 
“She’s also looking like she’ll be a toybox,” points out Rhonda as they round the house and head for the simple herbalism nodes. Her quest might be for mushrooms in Violet, but the simple herbs seem to be a base for a lot of things, so might as well get some on the way.
 
“A deep toybox,” emphasizes Freddie. “Apparently, most deep dungeons are belligerent at best. If she keeps this up, the Dungeoneers will probably expand their guild here to ensure she’s safe and happy. The kind of resources she could provide could end up putting Fourdock on the map, even if Thedeim wasn’t here. With him here…”
 
Larrez sighs and I finally recognize him as he speaks. “With them both, the Mayor is going to have his hands full.”
 
 
< [Next>]
 
 
Cover art Want moar? Discord is a thing! I now have a Patreon for monthly donations, and I have a Ko-fi for one-off donations. Patreons can read up to three chapters ahead, and also get a few other special perks as well. Thank you again to everyone who is reading!

We’re in early conversations,” Pureval said. “We are losing out on national and international events because of our lack of a world-class, modern arena. We need to talk about whether we want an arena, the feasibility of an arena, where the arena would go and then make a decision based on that. We’re in a very early visioning stage about what the structure of those conversations will look like.”
Asked whether the city would help pay for a study, Pureval said, “I do think that it’s important if a study is to move forward, for the city to invest some resources because it will be used to help elected officials and decision makers to make the best decision possible.”
“A study might make sense. Others have talked about the arena. I am not committed to the arena in any certain place or any certain time,” Driehaus said. Driehaus added people should understand a new arena is “a long-term vision, not a short-term vision, unless there is financing coming in from somewhere else.”
Source: Cincinnati Business Courier
So this seems like everyone is in agreement that a new arena is a necessity but the priority of when/where to build it is certainly up for debate.
Edit: not sure why it added a politics tag but this was not supposed to be political lol

Hey all! I’m a current freshman at the University of Maryland where I am studying Computer Science. A unique aspect of our degree program is that we are required to take 12 credits in a separate department ( 300 to 400 level) to utilize the interdisciplinary nature of computer science.
I am broadly interested in bioinformatics and am currently doing research in structural bioinformatics. I would like to do a PhD in computer science and then work as a research scientist or research engineer in industry doing ML/bioinformatics work. If that doesn’t work out I think being a software engineer at a biotech company could also be fulfilling.
I am considering three different options for my secondary concentration and I was hoping to get some advice over which selection of courses would best suit my career goals.
Math/Stat
For this I would take:
MATH 405 - Linear Algebra (proof-based, already took introductory lin alg)
MATH 401 - Applications of Linear Algebra (incidence matrices, directed graphs, finite Markov chains are a few course topics)
STAT 401 - Applied Probability and Statistics II
MATH 4xx - not sure could do Number Theory, Advanced Calculus, Sampling Theory)
This seems to be the most logical as the Math background would help with AI and ML and it seems it is the hardest to learn on my own.
Bio
For this I would take:
BSCI 222 - Principles of Genetics (pre req)
BSCI 370 - Principles of Evolution (DNA protein and genome evolution)
BSCI 410 - Molecular Genetics (molecular basis of gene structure and function)
BSCI 426 - Human Genetics (focuses of specific human genetic topics using primary research papers) BSCI 379 - Undergraduate Research (already completed, my PI is in the Bio department).
(all these Bio courses have Orgo I as a prerequisite which I took last semester, so i assume they will go into the underlying chemistry and not just be memorizing terms like in intro bio)
My main question would be is this collection of bio courses something that would help me in my career? Specifically would being able to see the larger scope of the computational work I do be sufficient reason to choose this pathway?
Philosophy
This may be a weird one. One of the things I have discovered about college is that you don’t actually have to register for the class to still attend its lectures. I have been doing this for CMSC 701 our computational genomics class and I have been learning a ton doing this. I think this is a very effective way to learn content but not gain mastery over content where I think actually taking the course is necessary.
Doing the philosophy pathway in my opinion would enable me to audit both math and bio classes that I see necessary but what would show up on my transcript is just random philosophy classes. While it may sound crazy I think I am actually leaning towards doing the philosophy pathway as I have a genuine interest in philosophy and it would enable me to audit relatively more classes since I would have more free time.
Which pathway would you guys think is the most beneficial to pursue? My apologies for the long-winded post, I appreciate any help a lot!!

I'm thinking about throwing an in-person tournament to foster the community in my local area. I have some questions about how best to run the tournament, specifically related to what format would be best. I know the mode will be 150cc, smart steering is off, no computers, and all vehicle options will be available, but:

• How many races is ideal per round? I figure at least two, but four might be more fair.
• Is it better to make the tournament single elimination or double? I tend to like double elimination tournaments, but if there are as many as four races per round I figure that's enough to mitigate fluke losses and I worry that double elimination will make the tournament take up more time than it needs to.
• What items should be available? I see that normal items is popular and I like that for a low-tier tournament where players who don't play a lot should have a shot at winning. But I'd prefer for it to be a purer test of skill and I was thinking of at least removing Blue shells, bullet bills, and lightning bolts to remove some of the rubber-banding stuff.
• What tracks should be available? I have access to all the DLC tracks myself, but would it be better to limit it to tracks from the base game for people who haven't invested in the others? Also, are there any tracks that should be removed from the pool for any reason?
• Should tracks be chosen randomly? Or chosen by the players? Or chosen by the moderators in advance?
• Any other things I should probably take into consideration?

•1•
Aniyah paused by a tree that was bigger than all the rest. It was obviously very old. The leaves of its branches were a pretty teal color and were shaped like the diamonds in a deck of playing cars. She couldn't say exactly why, but this tree gave her a slight sense of comfort. In these woods--especially with the black curtain hanging over the sky--comfort was a rare commodity. She found comfort in this tree, oddly enough, and also in her new weapon. Windchine; Blade of the Paragon. She supposed she was the Paragon of the Weaver now. Whatever that meant. She knew the words, because they kept echoing throughout her thoughts, but she had only a faint idea of their meaning. She wasn't totally clueless. She'd picked up on the fact that the Weaver was a God, or something close to it. She'd intuited that Paragon was some kind of title, bestowed by the Weaver. It meant she was sort of like a knight. Beyond these things however, she didn't have much to go on. She'd always just known things she had no way of knowing. Sometimes, she knew things she had no business knowing, as Momma would have said. She wasn't psychic. Far from it. She just got gut feelings about things, that usually turned out to be right. Like the ones underneath. She'd picked up on all of that, without any real reason to pick up on it.
She was picking up on something now. Something involving the others back at the clearing.
But she was still piecing all of that together. She didn't have enough to go on yet, to have any complete, fully formed thought.
That wouldn't come until a bit later...
What came in that moment, was the subtle soothing nature of the very old tree before her. Comfort really was a rare commodity here, but aside from the tree and the scimitar, there was one more source of comfort for her, currently. The weird little jellyfish thing. It was bobbing along in the air a few feet from the tree. It hadn't left her side since bringing her the weapon. Like the tree--like Windchime--it granted her a small degree of comfort. She didn't know where the jellyfish had got the weapon, but she had an idea that even the jellyfish didn't know where it had come from. Maybe the old man had something to do with it. The one who kept the Keys. The Custodian.
She bitterly wished she'd thought to grab Mr. Brownie when she took off running from the skinless man.
The skinless man...
Now there was something she hadn't got any gut feelings about. Except for fear, that was. She knew to be fearful of the man, but that was all. She'd dealt with monsters her whole life. They'd shown up out the blue, or she'd shown up to them. Like in that Long Room. Something about the skinless man was different though. Something about him wasn't like the other monsters. He wasn't one of her monsters, she knew that much at least. She could also tell he didn't have anything to do with the ones underneath, or the grasshopper people. He wasn't connected to The Jailer.
The only intuitive feeling Aniyah had concerning the skinless man, was that he was connected to something a whole lot worse. What that something might have a been however, she had no clue.
Aniyah didn't have a sheath, or swordbelt. The scimitar hadn't come with a scabbard. As a result, she was forced to hold the weapon in her hand, since she had nowhere to stow it. The blade was as long as her arm, and curved--almost like a banana--but was only sharp on one side. This allowed her to rest the blunt edge in the crook of her shoulder, carrying it the way she'd seen lumberjacks sometimes carry their axes in old movies; with her elbow bent, and the blade sticking out behind her as if it were a compass needle that only pointed in the opposite direction from where she was facing.
With Windchine in this position, she leaned sideways against the old tree--feeling its rough bark against her skin. A soft breeze gently blew against her face, bringing with it the scents of nature. The blackness of the sky didn't seem to match the pleasantness of the wind or the earthy smells of the woods around her. Nor did the stillness. There were a few insects buzzing someplace nearby, but mostly it was quiet. It was almost tranquil, in fact. She knew that somewhere in these same woods, chaos was happening. Hell on Earth (or, Hell on In-Between, she supposed). But all of that seemed so distant. So removed from her in that moment, in this private patch of wilderness.
Part of her wanted to go charging off toward the battle, so she could save Eddie the Gnome, and Prioress Qaya, and the others. Yet, at the same time, another part of her wanted to just lie down right here and take a nice long nap. Another part still--a deeper part--briefly broached the topic of Amy. She shattered this thought into a million little pieces and scattered them in the wind. She wouldn't... no... she couldn't deal with that right now. Not yet. Soon, she would have to. But not just yet.
These contradicting parts were really all the same part. The part that didn't want to admit she was hopelessly lost. She had no dang idea where to go.
Aniyah looked up at the weird little jellyfish thing. She whispered, "Wonder how far it is, to get back to Eddie Money and the others?"
The jellyfish couldn't understand her. Duh. It was a floating jellyfish. How could it?
Except... for a moment, Aniyah thought maybe the thing did understand. And after another few seconds, she knew for sure it did.
The jellyfish flashed a soft green color. Once, then twice. To Aniyah, it was almost like it was saying: "Beep-beep!"
"What does that mean, Jellybean?" she asked, laughing at how goofy she probably sounded.
The jellyfish strobed green again. Just once this time. Then, it slowly began to float away.
"Hold up a minute. Where you goin'?" She stopped leaning against the tree and stood up straight.
The jellyfished froze for a second, beeped green once more, then started off again.
"Ohhh, okay. I see. You leading the way? Well okay then." Aniyah smiled in spite of herself.
She followed behind the jellyfish. Together, they made their way through the darkened woods. Hopefully, to rejoin the others...
•2•
"I've never been in this part of the city before," Flower-Seed admitted. "I didn't even realize there was so much down here. I knew there were older parts of Locist Spire that were here before the Jikk, and that most of it was under the city, but I didn't expect there to be all of... this." He looked around, pausing briefly to admire the elaborate architecture around him. "I mean... Gods. There's actually streets down here. And structures. Not to mention these sculptures and platforms. It's breathtaking. It's almost like an entire settlement encased in a mausoleum. A sort of... civilization time capsule."
Quijj gave only a noncommittal grunt in response.
The two of them walked side-by-side along a wide street paved in stone. So much was stonework, or marble. The craftsmanship that went into all of it was something even modern Artisians likely couldn't replicate. Large sections of the old city were in ruins, but those that remained mostly intact made Flower-Seed feel as if he'd traveled back in time. If they'd had the sky overhead instead of a cavern roof, he could have easily imagined being in the center of a bustling metropolis.
They strode by a towering sculpture made to resemble some sort of animal Flower-Seed couldn't identify. It certainly wasn't any kind of insect, or Insectoid. It had four legs and a tail, plus a large round head. It was as intriguing as it was beautiful.
Cave crickets were softly singing in the nooks and crannies. The distant sound of dripping water played constant accompaniment to the hollow resonance of this subterranean wonderland.
They turned down what had once been a side street, with Flower-Seed leading the way. Up ahead, a cavern wall blocked their advance. There was a place where the wall had been broken, creating an opening just big enough for them to squeeze through.
On the other side, they came upon a ledge overlooking a sprawling cavern. There were more ledges--some, only narrow slabs of stone reminiscent of catwalks; others, much wider, holding half-ruined structures--high up along the cavern walls. And in the center, sitting like an island in the dark sea of darkness, was a sprawling marble platform. The platform was surrounded on all sides by crags and trenches so deep Flower-Seed couldn't see their bottom. There was a naturally formed staircase of stone leading from the platform to another opening. This was most likely the main entrance to this chamber. Flower-Seed realized now that he and Quijj had taken an alternate route to get here, than the others had.
Yes. There were others. A lot of them, from the looks of it.
On the marble platform below, rows of tents and even a makeshift gazebo had been set up. As Flower-Seed's eyes adjusted, he began to make out the robes of Advisors; the armor of Spire Knights and Spire Watch. There were excited, panicked voices echoing throughout the cave. Some sort of commotion was going on.
"I had no idea any of this was here," Flower-Seed whispered.
Quijj gave him a strange look.
"Don't ask how I knew where to go, or how to get here. I just... did."
Quijj nodded, but said nothing.
From the platform, someone yelled: "Arrest the traitor!"
"Ah, shit," Flower-Seed said. He was no longer bothering to keep his voice at a whisper. The figures gathered below had broken into something close to a frenzy. "They must be talking about the Councilor." He looked at Quijj with a serious expression. "We have to get her out of here. I'm not exactly the biggest fan of our government, but something really bad is going on down here. I got... visions. I saw Spire Knights with their minds corrupted by parasites. Whoever attacked the city... they've infected some of the officials. We have to do something. If we're ever going to rebuild... we need Jikk like Councilor Lemma. She's one of the good ones."
Quijj grunted in agreement. "Alright. Let's do it."
"What's the plan?" Flower-Seed asked, suddenly nervous. He felt a bit silly asking Quijj what the plan was, considering the elderly tavern keeper had just been following his lead up this point. Now that they were here, Flower-Seed didn't have the slightest idea what he was going to do. Or even what he could do. He couldn't fight a trained Spire Knight. Let alone an entire company of them. He'd only get himself killed!
Fortunately (and to Flower-Seed's great relief), Quijj said: "Just wait here. And get ready to run. Like you've never ran before."
"Alright. I think I can do that much, at least."
Quijj nodded. He drew his odd-looking weapon, and leapt down from the ledge; spreading his wings as he did this to glide over to the platform. Just as the old tavern keep came to a landing, Flower-Seed saw two armored Knights seize Councilor Lemma by the arms, and pull her to the ground. One of the Advisors screamed.
Shit! his mind cursed. Come on, Quijj. You gotta do something! And fast!
•3•
There was a particular knock at the hidden door to the Navigator's study. Three heavy raps, a pause, then two sets of four bangs; the coded knock he'd taught to the mercenary leader. The corners of Drokin the Navigator's mouth--little more than soft tissue on either side of his pointed beak--sagged slightly, in a parody of a frown. He shot a glance over to the wall-mounted clock above his desk. It was only Ef'tat-Half-Wane. The merc shouldn't have made it to this part of Barkstone Barony, for at least another three Shecks.
Drokin cast a suspicious eye toward the opposite end of the room. He reached beneath his desk, unfastening the blade he hid there. It was always good to have a backup weapon. The talon-like claws of his hand instinctively found the pommel of his rapier. "Enter!" he called to the door.
There was a hefty creaking sound as a considerable portion of the wall was pushed inward, revealing both the false rock of the door's opposite side, and the midday sunlight beyond the study. The light was much too bright for Drokin's eyes, after spending so much time inside the chamber under the Arcas Rune lamps. For a moment, he had to squint in order to get a decent view of his visitor. The moment Drokin saw the figure entering his study, his claws tightened on the handle of his weapon.
The one who appeared through the doorway was not the merc leader Rave the Ravager. Not by a long shot. The stranger was a Jagged Fields Nerthran, just as Rave was, but this was where their similarities ended. Rave was of slightly larger than average size for an adult male member of the mothfolk race. The Nerthran before Drokin was the antithesis of average (or "slightly" for that matter). He was enormous; much larger than seemed natural. If one of his crew mates had told Drokin about seeing a Nerthran the size of this one, Drokin would have labeled them an exaggerator at best, a boldfaced liar at worst. He certainly wouldn't have believed mothmen could grow this large, if he weren't seeing the proof of that very thing with his own two eyes.
"Where is Rave? Who are you?" Drokin demanded.
The giant mothman slowly stepped inside the study and creaked the door shut behind him. He did not answer.
"I asked you a question. Where is--"
In a baritone voice that was almost pleasing to the ear, the mothman said: "Would you Sky Pirates send your Captain on every minor mission, or simple errand? I am Master Rave's deliverer. I am called Nollo."
A peculiar name for such a hulking creature as this, the Navigator mused.
When Drokin didn't initially respond, 'Nollo' added: "I have the Relic you wanted." He held up a black rectangular case, almost like the kind a Bard might use for protecting a musical instrument.
Drokin thought this over a moment, studying the towering mothman carefully. He felt almost like he was looking up at a living statue. One of the great big ones that lined the streets of the grand cities of Roshuka, or populated the ruins of Jyyrvesk's Old Country. Even the hulk's features were oversized, as if they needed to compensate for the massive face to which they were attached. This 'Nollo' somewhat unsettled Drokin. The self-proclaimed "deliverer" had a long, slender mouth that didn't quite seem to want to close all the way. This gave the mothman an almost moronic appearance; a dimwitted face with the mouth of a drooling imbecile. Combined with his considerable size, it would have been easy to dismiss this Nerthran as a buffoon. Even the title "deliverer" played into this impression. And he seemed to have a permanent glazed over quality about his eyes. However, Drokin saw what lurked beneath the surface. When he looked beyond these things, the Navigator could detect a cold, calculating intelligence in the mothman's eyes. Upon closer inspection, the glazed over quality didn't strike the Navigator as entirely organic. It struck him as purposeful, practiced--part of a kind of disguise.
Nollo was a mothman with the soul of a spider...
As these things dawned on Drokin, the unsettled feeling he'd had since this mothman's appearance turned to something bordering on outright fear. The Navigator had been all across the Lesser and Greater Reaches. He'd seen some horrid things. Something about this stranger was different, however. There was something not quite Insectoid in his eyes; not quite Of This Pocket Realm, as the Captain was want to say. Drokin had never believed in the concept of evil. Not in the same way the Old Scrolls talked about it, as least. But now--here in his study, confronted by the figure before him--when he looked into those eyes, evil was all Drokin saw.
"You... have the Horn?" Drokin asked, trying to sound casual. His heart was beating at three times it's normal tempo. He slowly reached for the Link Orb. Calling out to Captain Heekan may have been the only chance he had left. "Let me get you the coin I promise then."
"Stop," said Nollo. "Put your hand down."
Drokin paused. The tips of his claws were just inches from the Orb. If he were quick about it, he could snatch the thing up in a microsecond. The Navigator was quick. He was a trained fighter, afterall. But... he knew intuitively he would not be quick enough.
"I beg your pardon?" Drokin said, trying and failing to keep some air of authority in his tone.
Nollo laughed. It was not a pleasant sound. "There was never going to be any coin, was there? You think Master Rave wouldn't sniff out such an obvious con? You really aren't familiar with the Stonewing Pillar Mercenaries are you? We are not some low-level ratcatchers."
Drokin said nothing for a moment. At last, he sighed. He allowed his training to replace his fear. It took quite a lot of effort, but he managed. When his heart had returned to something closer to a natural beat, he leveled his avian eyes at the mothman. He dropped his hand, but brought it down to his rapier. He drew the weapon, but made no move to strike.
Through the end of his closed beak, Drokin growled: "Alright, asshole. Just what are you after?"
Nollo laughed again. He flipped open the brass latches on the black case he held, opened it. Inside, wasn't any Relic. That had been a lie. The black velvet lined interior of the case held a single object: a large throwing knife. Nollo removed the blade and let the case fall to the floor. "I'll need every piece of coin you have here. And anything else of value."
Drokin raised his rapier. "All our treasures are on the ship." He sighed, deciding to fess up. "I don't have anything here. You were right. I planned on taking the Horn and not paying. But I am obviously not getting what I wanted. There is no coin here for you to get what you want. Why don't we just call this an impasse? We both walk away, no better off... but no worse for wear than we were before. What do you say?"
Nollo shook his massive head. It was like seeing a boulder pivot atop a living column. "You think you can plot to take out our leader, and live to tell the tale? You're even more stupid than you look."
Now, Drokin was getting angry. "Do you have any idea who you're fucking with? You can't stand against our entire crew. We're the Hawkblood Pirates. You think Captain Heekan will just sit by and let you--"
The knife was buried in Drokin's windpipe, before he ever saw the mothman throw it. For someone so massive, Rollo had a dexterity and speed that were virtually unrivaled. There was a soft clang as Drokin's rapier fell to the floor; a soft gurgling sound as he began to choke on his own blood. He gasped for air his lungs couldn't find; his hands clawing at his throat to pull free a blade that wouldn't budge.
Drokin the Navigator fell to the floor with a hollow thud, knocking his chair over in the process. The last thing his dying mind registered before he lost consciousness was the sight of Rollo the mothman standing over him, whispering: "You Sky Pirates never should have come to the Wilden Green."
Then, Drokin was fading. Fading, fading.
Fading.
Fading from the mortal world, and headed for that Great Beyond...
•4•
Eyes. So many eyes. Staring. Watching.
Abominations. Wretched perversions of nature. Black-tongued things. Slime things. Things with many, many eyes.
Many. Many. Eyes.
Vellnoth! It was awful!
Zoocher slipped through a whirlwind of swirling shadows. He sank into quicksand of blackness. His mind shattered, then reformed. Shattered, then reformed. The world became a pane of glass which broke into a million, billion, trillion little pieces. He reached out, desperately trying to pick the pieces up, to put them back together.
It was no use.
Horrors. Eyes. Looking. Looking at me. Through me. Seeing me. Seeing all.
SEEING.
Zoocher rocked himself back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. There was dirt and grass beneath him. He was curled up into a ball, hugging his knees against his chest. Yet, these things were just background details. This was just his surroundings, and his physical body. His mind was somewhere else--perhaps, in another patch of dirt, slowly turning to mud. No. Not mud. Quicksand.
Sinking. He was sinking. Sinking, and slipping away. Slipping off into that Forever Night.
White Staircase?
No. He saw no White Staircase. Perhaps, only the Black Steps awaited him after all the awful things he'd done in life.
Only... there were no Black Steps, either.
Because he wasn't dead. Not yet, at least.
He was alive, but he was not living. Not in the normal sense.
Eyes. Watching. Looking. Seeing. Viewing. Glimpsing.
STARING.
GODS. OH GODS. OH VELLNOTH PLEASE!
No mercy for him. No Gods coming to save him. Only horrors.
He'd been in that terrible place, in that terrible room for what had felt like centuries.
Now he was back in the woods. But not all of him. He'd left some essential part of himself back there, back in that terrible place.
And now, he'd never get that part back. It was lost to him. For good. Forever.
Zoocher leaned over and vomited yellow bile onto the grass. His head was swimming. He slowly stood up. As he stood, everything fell away. Everything. His entire being. His essence. His all. His whole.
Zoocher? No. There was no Zoocher anymore.
Maybe there never had been.
Certainly, there would never be a Zoocher again.
Shattered.
Zoocher was shattered and lost. Gone. Now, Zoocher was no more. Forever departed.
He felt something warm and wet run down his legs. He'd urinated on himself without realizing it. This did not bother him. This meant nothing. He took a step forward and vomited onto his vest. This too meant nothing.
He stripped off his armor, his undergarments, his weapons. He kicked off his boots. To one side of the pile he'd made with his belongings, there were a set of bootprints in the dirt. He turned in the opposite direction, and started walking. He didn't know where he was going. He only knew he needed to walk.
Visions winked in and out of his mind. He continued walking, muttering to himself all the while. He spoke of everything, of nothing. He asked questions without answer. He gave answers to questions no one had asked.
Those eyes. They were burned into his brain. No. His brain was a burn. A scorchmark, littered with eyes. Staring. Watching. Waiting?
He walked on. Walking through the woods, to nowhere. Walking. Muttering. Thinking of eyes and Slime things.
It was a long time before he stopped.
•5•
There were two astounding sights, which presented themselves consecutively before him. In over two decades serving as one of the Hawkblood's top Assault Commanders, he had never seen anything more incredible than the Black Pyramid. That was, right up until the moment he saw the entire Pyramid vanish right before his eyes. If anything could be even more incredible than seeing the Pyramid; suddenly not seeing the Pyramid would have to be it.
Commander Ramses blinked several times, as if he were unable to trust what his eyes were showing him. The airspace beyond the windshield of his Glider Pod now showed only a sea of nothing, save for the Sky Gods higher up in the atmosphere.
"What the fuck? Where did it go?" he muttered to the empty cockpit.
The Glider Pods were designed to resemble plump black ravens. Ramses's Glider was slightly larger than the others in the fleet, as his was the Pod that carried most of the Big Weapons. Currently, they were in a V formation like actual birds; twelve in Ramses's group, twelve more in Commander Paulo's group that would have been approaching the Pyramid from behind; another twelve coming in from the right, making up Commander Gichi's group. The Gyff had their own Gliders, fashioned from wooden planks and some unknown material Ramses had never seen before. The Gyff ships looked a lot like the Gyff themselves; like long slender walking sticks. Their ships cut through the air like wooden missiles, lined up in a near row.
Ramses slapped the control panel, activating the Com-Cube. "Am I seeing things? Have I lost my mind?"
"No." It was the voice of Commander Gichi. She sounded uncharacteristically shaken. "The damn thing went POOF. Just like that."
The Gyff leading the stickbug group (his name was Kloom, if Ramses's memory served him) chimed in. "What do we do now? Will it reappear, you think?"
Ramses smacked the controls again, this time out of frustration. He said, "Somebody better get the Captain on the--"
"Already here," said the voice of Captain Heekan.
"You been listening this whole time?" Gichi asked.
"No. I just came on. Now listen. Everyone. Listen very closely. The Pyramid isn't in the valley anymore, but all is not lost. We will track it down. I already know where they took it."
Ramses gaped at this. "What? Captain... how could you already know all of that? It just vanished, only a few ticks ago."
Gichi made a soft gasping sound. "Captain. No. Tell me you didn't use it."
"I had to," Captain Heekan said with remorse. "The Mirror is too valuable a tool for us not to utilize it. And if ever there were a time when we needed it, it would be now."
"How many years did it take off your life?" Gichi asked hesitantly.
After a pause, Heekan said, "It doesn't matter. We're getting sidetracked here. There is a lot more going on than we realized. There are agents of not one, but two of the 5 Pharoahs here in the Wilden Green Valley, as we speak."
"What?" it was Gichi and Kloom in unison.
Commander Paulo broke his silence. "Which other Pharoah are we talking about?"
Heekan said, "Aside from Camaria the Butcher who we already knew about (it was one of her Scarabs that took the Pyramid), there's some of the Necromancer's men here too."
"The Necromancer?" Ramses said in disbelief. "The right hand man of Dowlmad the Deathless?" Ramses felt a cold chill run up his spine. "You're not telling me he is here in this valley, are you?"
"The Necromancer himself? No. Just some of his underlings. The Skinless Men, they're called."
Gichi asked, "Are they really all after the Pyramid and the Artifacts? I can't imagine two of the 5 Pharoahs would expend resources just for the stuff we're after. Aside for the Black Pyramid. But even still... something seems off here."
"Well," said Heekan. "That's because something is off. There are bigger forces at work here than we ever realized. Sure, they were after the Pyramid and the Divine Battery. But those are more like... party favors, to them."
Ramsese shook his head. "I already don't like how this sounds." The open sky outside his Glider suddenly felt less like empty airspace, and more like an endless abyss. One glance at the Sky Gods floating higher in the heavens strengthened this feeling, causing the commander to shudder as another chill ran up his back.
Captain Heekan said, "Then you really won't like what I'm about to tell you."
As it turned out, the Captain was absolutely right. Ramses really didn't like it one bit. None of them did.
•••
And Commander Ramses was not the only one who was told things they didn't like. While he was listening to his Captain's words with growing unease, elsewhere in the Wilden Green Valley, a certain Ranger was receiving a rather ominous warning...
•••
•6•
Deep within the bowels of the Reverse Tower. In the Domain of the Being known as O'Faxx.
Ranger Lexington stood atop the large boulder, surrounded by a sea of sludge. The putrid aroma of this place once more assaulted his senses, while his boots sank into the slick, squicky growth coating the boulder. Lexington's dragonfly-like features hid his discomfort. Outwardly, he appeared as stoic--as unshakeable--as always. At least, until he spoiled the effect with a knowing smirk.
To the bubbling muck, he called out: "So, you decided to help out afterall?"
There was no response.
Lexington's smirk faded. He bowed his head slightly. "It's alright. You don't have to speak. I only wish your assistance had been enough. That way Burlap wouldn't have had to give his life the way he did."
O'Faxx did not emerge from the murky depths.
Lexington would have sighed had the air quality in here not been so abhorrent. "Anyway, I just wanted to thank you. I will find a way to reward you."
Although O'Faxx remained beneath the muck, his voice echoed inside the Ranger's mind. "My actions were not on your behalf. Your ignorance betrays you, Overseer."
Lexington cocked his head to one side. "If you say so." He shrugged. "Some guys just can't accept a thank you, I guess."
"You have yet to understand. I helped you, to destroy you. None of you know yet what you are unleashing. I did not see the truth before, but the truth has now presented itself to me. The Gods wish to assemble the 12 and bring about the White Clock Consortion. Fools. They don't yet realize with the advent of the White Clock, the Black Clock follows. Those numbers shall count down their destruction. I looked into the destiny of the mortals you have placed so much faith in. I saw what they will bring about. They are one of the Four Winds that will blow upon the Door of Doom. One of them is a Paige of the Necronomicon."
"What does that mean? Quit speaking in riddles."
"There's a storm coming, Overseer. A storm that will wash away the world. This one, and all others. I haven't helped you. I've only helped the first few raindrops, so they might better form within the dark clouds hanging over this Pocket Realm. And in the wake of that rain? The thunder shall soon roll."
A storm coming. Four Winds that will blow upon the Doors of Destruction. Thunder.
These things made no sense to the Ranger. One thing was clear however; whatever O'Faxx's words meant, Lexington didn't like the sound of any of it.
•7•
There's a particular way Advisors and nobleJikk cry out when something disrupts their normal routine. It's a breathy sort of shriek, like someone emptying their lungs before they faint. Many of the High Advisors were voicing this exact variety of shriek now, as High Knight Pyx ordered his Spire Knights to arrest Lemma.
Temporary Councilor E'Shesh (to her credit) tried to block the path of the Knights. She was shoved out of the way, hard enough to cause the poor she-Jikk to tumble over onto the hard marble surface of the platform.
Then, underneath the makeshift gazebo, pandemonium set in. The stress of the attack on the city had already pushed everyone toward the brink of panic. This new development made them all leap right over the edge, falling right into the place people (Jikk, or otherwise) always fall in times like this one.
Lemma didn't run. She stood her ground, glowering at Pyx and Councilor Tholke; glaring as if she could knock some sense into them with her gaze alone. Of course, this was a futile endeavor. The Knights were upon here a moment later. Strong arms seized her, throwing her to the ground. Then, oddly enough, even stronger arms were lifting her from the floor. She stared down the Knights arresting her, but the expressions they gave her in return were not those of hardened Knights doing their duty. They were the expressions of Jikk who'd been caught completely off guard.
As she was lifted even higher, Lemma finally realized it wasn't the Knights who currently held her. It was someone else.
"What... who... what's going on?" she cried weakly.
She was being carried away by... one of the local tavern keepers?
"What's happening? What are you doing?" she demanded.
"She's getting away!" someone shouted.
"After her!" a Spire Knight ordered.
All at once, the Knights were airborne, in pursuit. The air was alive with the sound of buzzing wings, the shuffling and frantic falls of boots, and so much shouting. Lemma dangled over seemingly bottomless trenches and crumbling remnants of the City That Once Was.
The tavern keeper, in all this time, had only explained himself with a single grunt. Now, he was using his free arm to aim some kind of weapon at the Knights.
"No," Lemma pleaded. "Don't kill them. They're only doing their duty."
"Stun-shot," said the elderly tavern keeper. The words came an instant before his weapon discharged and the air behind them exploded in brilliant blue electricity. There was a loud series of crackling sounds, as the small-scale controlled lightning tore through each of the Knights. As if an invisible net had ensnared them, the Knights all froze in midair a moment, before their wings slowed to a standstill. They began to plummet down to the darkness below.
The tavern keeper voiced a soft grunt of regret.
"You can say that again," Lemma scolded. "The shot may have stunned them, but the fall will surely do a whole lot more. What's the meaning of this? Are you kidnapping me?"
The tavern keeper shook his head. "Behind you," he said. They climbed higher, closing in on the stone wall of the spacious cavern.
Lemma craned her neck to look back at the platform. What she saw horrified her. Hight Knight Pyx and Councilor Tholke. Even from this far away, she could see that their eyes appeared to have ruptured. From the vacant holes where their eyes had been, large fat yellow worms as long as sword blades were spilling out onto the platform. Each worm slapped down onto the marble, then immediately began to grow in size. Within mere seconds, each one grew to the size of a Field Roamer pup. And they only continued getting bigger.
The Advsiors and officials broke into a stampede, making for the platform's only exit; the flight of stone steps leading up to the passageway before street level.
"Gods," Lemma whispered. "We have to seal off the exit. We can't let those... those things make it up to the city."
But based on the ever-increasing size of the worms, and their ever-growing numbers, she feared it might already be too late.
"Hurry! Come on!" someone shouted, just ahead.
Lemma turned toward the sound of the voice. She saw a Jikk standing atop a stone ledge, high up on the cavern wall. She didn't recognize him.
A second later, the tavern keeper brought her down to a gentle landing on the ledge beside the unfamiliar Jikk. She eyed them both suspiciously. "Just what is going on? And who is this?"
"My name is Flower-Seed. And we've got to get the fuck out of here, Councilor."
The tavern keeper asked, "How can we seal it off?"
Lemma thought for a moment. "You came through there?" She pointed to the large gap behind Flower-Seed.
"We did," said the tavern keeper.
"Then we might be able to beat the worms to the surface. There's a secret tunnel in the cave ceiling, a little further on. Come on. We have to get to the statue of Kylo the Great, up in the Cobbler's District. There's a hidden lever inside. I know the code to turn it. It will seal off the Old City. It's our only chance."
"Then let's get moving," said Flower-Seed.
The tavern keeper only grunted his agreement.
Together, the three of them took off at a sprint. There truly wasn't a single moment to spare...
•8•
Rave spotted the figures below, standing patiently beside a gnarled, leafless gatortree. He came to a landing, just a few yards from them. Eight pairs of cold, dark eyes peered out from eight fleshless humanoid faces, considering him with an alien species of indifference.
A long black case was tucked beneath Rave's right arm. In his left hand, he clutched his Rune Stone expectantly. Any moment now, Nollo would be giving him the word that the deed was done. Any moment now. Rave had an internal clock that kept near perfect timing when it came to things like murder.
Sure enough, the Rune Stone began to grow warmer to Rave's touch.
Nollo's voice came through the Stone. "Boss?"
Rave grinned with what remained of his ruined mouth. "It's done?"
"It's done," Nollo confirmed.
"Good. I'd expect nothing less. You know where I'll be?"
"Yes, sire. I'll see you there shorly."
Rave didn't bother giving a final response. He put the Stone away and took the black case into his hands. The Skinless Men only watched him patiently.
Rave approached the figures beneath the gnarled tree. This was a remote region of Jikkellia's borderlands, where the high grasses gave way to miles of mostly barren dirt and rock. The gatortree stood out, in that it was one of the few trees on the visible landscape here. Just over the horizon, was the large mountain where a certain group of outsiders were rumored to have crashed in a small rowing vessel recently.
Rave waited for one of the skinless men to speak first. When none did, he said: "A lot of people wanted this Horn. You just so happened to be the only ones offering more than coin." This was a half-truth. The Sky Pirates had spoken of coin, but had in reality, offered only betrayal. "I've kept up my end. Now, I expect you to keep yours."
Rave's mind calculated dozens of ways he could slaughter each of these figures, should they show any sign of aggression. It was just how his brain operated. He plotted ways to thwart threats that hadn't even been presented yet. In this line of business, you had to stay twelve moves ahead.
Right on time, Rave's reinforcements arrived. He'd been doing these kinds of deals for far too long to ever go by himself. Even if he did feel confident enough in his abilities that he wasn't weary of the figures before him. Even in a 1 v. 8 duel to the death, he was certain he'd have the upper hand.
Four mothmen mercs landed just behind Rave--keeping their distance but standing at the ready. Rave didn't so much as glance at them. He casually stepped away from his foot soldiers and moved closer to the Skinless Men. "So, how about it? You said you had a way to get us out of this valley. Is that still true?"
One of the figures (there was really no way for Rave to tell the apart, as they all looked like carbon copies of each other) nodded. "We represent Pharoah Dowlmad. Pharoah Dowlmad always keeps his word. Give us the Black Horn and we shall give you freedom from this place."
Rave said nothing a moment. At last, he nodded. "Alright. I'll take you at your word." He slowly held out the case, offering it to one of the figures. The skinless man eagerly accepted the Artifact. He lifted the lid and removed the item inside, handing it to one of the others.
The Black Horn of the Olde Music looked like the hollowed-out horn of some bovine creature, like those Rave had seen sketched in old tomes. Aside from the fact it was black as obsidian, of course. There was a silver mouthpiece banded around the narrow end. That was all there was to the object. All in all, it was rather unimpressive looking by Artifact standards.
The other man examined it for several seconds, before deciding he was satisfied. He nodded back to the first man who took the Horn and returned it to its case.
"So," Rave said, taking on a tone of casual conversation while feigning ignorance. "What does that thing do, anyhow?"
The Skinless Men only regarded him coldly.
Rave nodded, flashing a half grin. "Fair enough. Now... as for your part of the bargain?"
"Yes," said the man holding the case. "You want your entire company to leave this valley? Return to us when you are all together. Some of us will remain here in this spot. We will give you three sunrises after sundown today. If you aren't here by then, we cannot wait any longer."
"We'll return long before then," Rave said.
There didn't seem to be anything more to say. He turned and motioned to the other mercs. "Let's head out. We'll regroup with the others and get everything underway."

So a little background first. I'm in capital equipment selling to private-sector medical. I am a one-man-army, lead-gen to install and even some training. I'm the ONLY p-club rep in the company that has no help. No team. No jr reps / "SDR" etc.
I am dropping the ball on a lot of follow up and my long-term pipeline is just languishing. It's frustrating that I'm missing opportunities with current clients simply because I do not have an efficient means to keep in touch and monitor it. We have SF but it's fairly basic, we don't have any of the geo plugins and no capability to text and sync a lot of our touches. We do have outlook integration but that seems more a hassle than an asset.
Currently have Calendly set up for online booking with geographical calendars based on my travel.
HOW doe's one put together a "tech stack" based on needs? There's tons of stuff out there and it seems like zapier can tie a lot of it together but I basically need to be able to speak to a human and tell them exactly what I need to accomplish and be recommended the best combination of tools.