Introduction
The short story you are about to read was created/inspired/based on a variety of sources related to or about Aniara. Aniara rock opera (Seventh Wonder) - The Great Escape, the Aniara wikipedia page, the Aniara film, poem etc. So if you read something and it sounds familiar, it's probably because it comes from or is based on, one of those sources. I have also tried to incorporate some of the thoughts and ideas expressed here on aniara, so some of you may see that reflected. I have not read everything that has to do with the Aniara universe, but I have found many of the resources listed on aniara very helpful in creating this short story. Thank you for those. I have also included a couple alternate endings.
Also, this story belongs to everyone, so everyone should feel free to to fill in the blanks, add to, subtract, or change any part of the story, in anyway they see fit.
I dedicate this short story to all the fans of Aniara, this story is for you and of course the late Harry Martinson.
Like many people who watched the film 'Aniara', I was mesmerized/traumatized by it. It really had a profound effect on me. So much so that I decided to write this fan fiction short story. I am not a writer. The short story that you are about to read is my (very) amateurish tribute to the film. I apologize in advance for all of the grammaspelling and other errors. Despite the (many) flaws of this short work, I hope that you can see what I was attempting to do. Anyway without further or do, I present to you:
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The Lost Voices of Aniara: A Space Saga
WE CROWN THE SKIES WITH OUR TIARA, THE LIFE AND FATE OF ANIARA
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Note: The following represents the most complete (so far) chronicle of events that happened onboard the Aniara.
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Year 18 - Song of Melancholy - My name is Benjamin Jenkins, but everyone calls me "Benny", I am proud to announce that I am the new "Captain" of the mighty space "cruise ship" Aniara. Of course, my title could just as easily be the Admiral of Mars or the Conquer of the Universe, or some other ridiculous sounding grandiose title. Sometimes you must laugh in the face of despair otherwise you will go insane. It's all just for fun of course. I was given the title "Captain" by the crew because I was able to restore the communications transmitter. At least I think I was able to retore it? The lights show green for transmitting, so yeah I bet it works, and besides, all of this is being recorded for posterity and it will be placed in a time/memorial capsule. After that the capsule will be sent in the (general) direction of Mars/Home, where hopefully someone finds it. I'm also the Senior Maintenance Tech in charge of repairing/prolonging various ship systems, etc. There are now only a few remaining livable areas of the ship so it's not as much work as one might imagine. And to think 18 years ago, I was just an ordinary passenger, how far through the ranks I've come! As the "Captain" I will now recount the entire history of the Aniara, the various events, the everyday happenings, from the awe inspiring and amazing, to the boring and mundane, great triumphs and crushing defeats, all the feelings of happiness and joy that come with new life and all of the sorrows and despair that come from (too) many deaths and (too) many hardships. All of our great accomplishments, setbacks and everything in between will be laid bare before the entire universe to witness. Our love, our hate, our dreams, our wants and desires, disappointments, anger and fear but above all our HOPE. Our precious HOPE, the only thing we have left, which has kept us alive for so long. Our HOPE that this message will be received, that someone, somewhere will know our story and our struggle, our HOPE that Mars will be successfully terraformed into the paradise that we all know it can be and our HOPE that Earth will be restored to the paradise that it once was. It's all here, it's all being recorded for the future. I will start our saga from the very beginning of our trip all those years ago...
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Hour 1 - Routine Voyage - Well, this is it! Soon I and many others will make a new home on Mars... of course if we hadn't ruined the first one...
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Week 3 - Without a Map/A Slight Detour - Today the Captain made an announcement that there would be a slight detour in our trip. In order to avoid a collision with space debris, (which would have destroyed the ship) we had to veer off course. Some of the debris hit the nuclear reactor (a very rare event), which forced the crew to eject all of the ship's fuel. The Captain told everyone that we will be able to resume our trip to Mars once the ship passes a celestial body, which should (probably) happen in about two years. Everyone is (understandably) disgruntled by this unfortunate news. As for me I have no one waiting for me on Mars so it's not as bad.
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Year 2 - Wait and See - After several long months of trying out all of the various amusements and other distractions, I was starting to get bored, so I spoke with one of the senior crew members and asked if I could volunteer to do something, anything. Also a job would help keep my mind off our current situation.
Today, my request to work was approved and now I'm part of the crew. My job is to do general maintenance tasks around the ship. I also help take care of the algae, which are used to supply the ship with oxygen and food. It's not a very challenging task, in fact I find it very tedious, but the algae are crucial for the ship's survival, so it gives me a sense of purpose and on top of that I also earn extra points.
Eventually, because of my (part time) job in maintenance, I would come to know every nook and cranny of the Aniara. On one particular day I noticed a slight problem (Electrostatic Diffusion Impaction or EDI) with the ship's air filtration mechanism. I was quick to inform my supervisor about the issue and together we fixed it immediately. If I hadn't spotted the problem, it could have gotten much worse and that would have been catastrophic for the crew and passengers. Afterwards my supervisor bought me a shot of (rationed) Dutch brandy. Other than that, nothing of note has really happened. Everyone is basically in a holding pattern.
One last thing. I've heard a disturbing rumor that there is no celestial body for us to turn around at... If this is true then, that would mean... But for now all we can do now is wait and see...
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Year 3 - The Yurg/The Passing of Mima - A memorial was set up to honor the end of Mima. So much joy had she given us. On the wall among the thousands of drawings, pictures, and sad goodbye letters was a poem that went like this:
We sit and stare at all the marvels that she brings us.
Mima lead the way.
Shine your light!
Be the beacon of hope at night.
Perfect grace in the barren house of space.
Shine your light!
Blind us when reality bites.
We so need the magic she does.
Many rumors are going around about what happened to Mima. People say that the Mimarobe (MR) was the one that ended up causing Mima to die. As for me, personally, I don't believe it. The Mimarobe just didn't seem like the type. A few times after I got off from work, when I walked to the end of the long line of people waiting to see Mima, the Mimarobe would come out and say "Ok, everyone that's it that's enough for today, you have to leave now, sorry." My own personal opinion is that she was just trying to give Mima a break, so even though I was of course disappointed, I completely understood. Sometimes we all just need a break. Sometimes things just get to you and you start to feel overwhelmed. I understood the feeling. Mima was like us in that way. Anyway, Rightly or wrongly the Mimarobe was locked up in the ships brig, her and another woman, I think she was one of the pilots, Isabella\, I think was her name but I might be wrong. Oh well, our lives must go on, much sadder of course, but that's life, I guess. ****Isagel, the pilots name was Isagel, her and the Mimarobe would later become a couple.
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Year 4 - The Cults - Strange things have started happening. Various cults have sprung up all over the ship with bizarre and strange names. One of these (that I am a member of) is called the ゴールデンサンライト・フォーエバー・クラブ - Gōrudensanraito Fōeba Kurabu - which roughly means the Golden Sunlight Forever Club. Some of these phony cults are/were created as a disguise to have outrageous sex orgies. The cult that I am part of is one of these. (HELL YEAH!). The other cults are very boring, stare out the window and worship the stars or something like that, types. (Glad I'm not a member of those!).
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Year 5 - The Calculation - A few weeks ago I met someone special (Carmen) at one of the "worship" services. I've seen her before a few times, but this is the first time that we "connected" and it was amazing. I'm glad that she accepts my physical imperfections (burns scars). Now we are a couple and have left the cult.
Fantastic news! The Captain has announced that an Emergency Refuel Rescue Probe is on its way! The news of the rescue probe has had an electrifying effect on the crew and passengers. Everyone is so excited that no one even cares that we will have to wait just over a year for it to get to us. People are starting to clean and pick up trash again, and the sex clubs and other cults are starting to go away (in anticipation of a return to proper civilization). Now we have hope again! Thank GOD!
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Year 6 - The Spear - The rescue probe is almost here. (Only one week away!) I also have even more great news! My girlfriend fiancée is pregnant!, now I will be a Father just like I always wanted! I have spoken to Captain Chefone and he has agreed that he will marry us on the day that the Aniara turns around and heads (finally) back to Mars/our new HOME! Even though it will take us several more years to get back, it will have been worth it to me. I am grateful for the "slight detour" we had to endure, because it allowed me to meet the love of my life! Now with our precious child on the way, I am truly happy. PURE JOY - beyond all words...
Something is wrong... After an entire year of training and preparation, the crew has successfully grappled the refuel probe and brought it on board. Everyone expected that within a few days, (a week at most) that we would turn around, but it's been three weeks and nothing. Every day the passengers ask the crew what's going on? When will we turn around? and every day we get the same answer: "Soon, everything is going according to plan, just be patient." People are starting to doubt and lose hope. I even walked right up to Captain Chefone but he knew what I was going to ask and he brushed me aside very angrily saying "Not now, I'm busy!". Now I don't know what to think. One minute I have a future and the next nothing. How can this be? I don't understand! WHY?
Catastrophe! After work I went straight to my quarters to sleep, it had been an exhausting day. Just after I fell asleep, I was awakened by a rumbling. Then, over the speaker came the announcement: Return immediately to your cabins and fasten your seat belts! Since I was already in bed, and had no idea what was going on, I quickly fastened my belt. When it was all over [missing] passengers and crew left. I was told that it happened because of something called "bow shock", which [missing] kind of like a shock wave. The bow shock had badly damaged many systems. [missing] so now I've been "promoted" to Senior Maintenance Tech. Repairs must [missing] don't have any more spare parts for [missing] so many are dead...
Today the Mimarobe completed her beam-screen project. So now when you look outside you can see beautiful waterfalls and green fields etc. I try not to look at it too much. For me its just too painful...
Year 7 - The Fall of Heaven - Today marks the one year anniversary of the arrival of the so-called "Emergency Refuel Rescue Probe". What a very official and grand sounding name for a giant stupid looking dart or as some call it "The Spear". I've even heard some people refer to it as the "Devil's Javelin", but whatever you call it, it's of no use to us. The Astronomer had once told me before she died "supposedly" from a heart attack, (rumors say she was murdered by the captain, I don't doubt it) that all the work and tests they had done on the probe were useless and that even the hardest drills were simply ground into dust without even making so much as a scratch on the probe. Despite a literal barrage of tests and every possible experiment known, even using our most advanced lasers, they had achieved NOTHING! That was the moment I realized that we would never make it home. I even visted "The Spear" once, it was years after all the experiments had ended. There was a time when the area was heavily guarded by the crew and only authorized personnel were allowed in. Of course when I went to see it nobody was around, nobody cared, everyone had given up on it long ago. I saw all of the black marks from what must have been hundreds, if not thousands of desperate attempts to get inside it, or just to figure out what the damn thing was supposed to be. On the floor all around it were small heaps of black and silver metalic dust, remnants of our strongest and hardest drills, remnants of our hope. Our best and brightest couldn't even figure out what it was made of, let alone figure out how to use it to take us home.
I beat my hands against it over and over and I cried out my pain and anger at it. "You were supposed to save us!" "You were supposed to take us home!" You Damn! stupid thing, help us! save us!" But of course it was all useless my cries went unanswered, all I did was injure my hands and hurt my soul, assuming I even have one. After that I (I'm ashamed to admit it)... in complete and total desperation... I got down on my hands and knees in front of it and begged it to save us. "Oh, great magic spear, please save us and I will do anything, anything..."
After I had exhausted and humiliated myself I got up and went back to my quarters broken and alone. All hope was lost before my visit with "the spear" and afterwords it didn't even exist, not even as a word, as though there had never even been such a thing or concept as "hope".
I had been struck by the spear, just like everyone else, head on. My now ex-fiancée and I have split up. Things just weren't the same after the procedure. I don't blame her at all for our break-up, after talking about it, we agreed that if there was now no chance for us to make it home then... what was the point? I went with her when she had the procedure done. But before we went I secretly met with the doctor who would perform the operation and told her what I wanted done after. She told me that I was sick... that it was "disgusting", and what did I plan on doing with "it". I told her that it shouldn't matter, none of this matters, then I pulled out an EFR (emergency food ration). EFRs could remain edible for an indefinite period of time. (In theory they could last for hundreds of years.) Here I said, "one now and one when I get what I want". The doctor was stunned, I knew what she was going to say and I interrupted her and said,"Unlike everyone else I saved my emergency rations." "I only have the two left (I was lying) so don't try to extort me for more." After years of eating only algae, EFRs were (almost) more valuable than oxygen. Of course the doctor agreed and I got what I wanted. It might sound crazy but I had a plan. Fate had taken my family away, but I was prepared to defy even the gods themselves. I was determined that I would have my FAMILY! No matter what! Nothing and no one, no force of nature, no power in all the universe would take that from me. NO! NEVER!
I asked me a question, no reply.
I dreamt me a life and live a lie.
Dream me a nightmare...
I traveled the stars but passed them by.
For trapped on Aniara, here was I.
...always been leaving.
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Year 8 - [missing]
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Year 9 - The Daily Grind - I have now returned to reality. I have stopped all of the sick and sad mind games that I have being torturing myself with. I once created a "plan" to do the impossible, but no more, no more. Everyday now seems like an endless pointless, struggle. Sometimes [missing] and hours. Some of my co-workers stopped [missing] for now that's all any of us can do...
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Year 10 - The Jubilee - Tonight at the Light-Year Hall, those of us that are still left are going to "celebrate" the 10th anniversary of our 3 week voyage to Mars or as I like to call it the "never ending space adventure" Ha!
Captain Chefone gave the Mimarobe a medal for her creation of the beam-screen device. I sat in the front row and couldn't help but notice that one of the Captains wrists was bandaged, probably from another suicide attempt...
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Year 11 - Hope Restored - My ex-fiancée is dead. She commited suicide like so many others before. I was hard at work trying to revive the algae (they had been neglected for some time) when my assistant rushed in and told me the news. "They were about to send her body into space, you have to hurry if you want to see her". I immediately and literally dropped everything I was doing. The algae pack I had been working on fell and splashed on the floor as I ran out the door as fast as I could. As luck would have it, I made it just in time to see her, and I even had time to cut a lock of her hair. I then kissed her one last time and said "Goodbye my love... but, goodbye is not forever."
Then that was it, off she went into the empty, endless, void. She was gone I told myself, but not dead. I squeezed the lock of hair in my hand and vowed that I would bring her back to life, somehow, someway, I would make things right, we would live the life we were supposed to have. I would make it happen. It would happen. Suddenly, I felt a force deep inside me rushing to the surface. It had been years but I knew what it was, It had returned to me, a feeling of exuberation, of joy and the certainty of knowing that everything would be okay. I now resurrected my "plan" and now I had a reason to live again, I had a purpose, and now I had......HOPE! And this time I was determined that I would never lose hope again. NEVER!
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Year 12 - Return of the Cults - Some of the old cults have started making a come back... However this time they are no longer sex/fun cults, because after so many years of eating just algae, almost everyone has lost their sex drive/ability to reproduce... I think because the type algae on board was genetically modified to produce the maximum amount of oxygen possible, so it was never intended to be used as a permanent main source of nutrition. If we had access to more than just the one type, things might be different...
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Year 13 - Foward, Foward into the cold empty night! We ride! - Captain Chefone is dead. Suicide. I knew he had been on the brink the past few years so it's not much of a surprise. I would often hear him say to himself "We should have been home by now." Of course he was right, we should have, but instead here we are stuck on this eternal "voyage of the damned".
A week after Captain Chefone died, I found myself walking by his quarters. I had the sudden impulse to go inside. I don't know what it was (probably just morbid curiosity), but I think I just wanted to find some answers...
I was surprised to find that his quarters were just as much of a mess as mine. (And everyone else's.) I think because he was the Captain, I expected a lot more. (He was only human.) After looking around the room, I went over to his desk and inside I found the Aniara's Offical Ships Log, but the electronic notepad was damaged beyond repair (on purpose). However, underneath it was a small paper notebook. "Ah, I said out loud, now this should be interesting." When I opened the notebook I was immediately disappointed. Most of the pages were torn out and those few that remained had been harshly scribbled over.
On one of the few pages not missing or completely marked over was written this: Today, we almost lost the entire ship, were it not for my quick and decisive actions as Captain. [illegible] an incredibly rare occurrence [illegible] critically damaged our main nuclear reactor. [illegible] only seconds [illegible] forcing me to [illegible] off course [illegible] have power for some time. This evening I will break the news to the passengers in such a way that will cause the least amount of panic and at the same time not destroy their hope. If they knew the real situation, it would only cause unnecessary chaos. In this way, I will maintain order and keep the passengers safe. Fear and [illegible] as Captain of Aniara [illegible] that is now my primary job. [illegible] now like a Shepherd Father and the passengers my sheep children. In many ways we are very lucky, [illegible] this trip, Aniara's sister ship crashed into Jupiter heading towards the Orion belt colony. Everyone on onboard was killed.
On another page was written this: The rescue refuel probe is here. [illegible] turned out to be [illegible] not what I expected. I have [illegible] for clarification, [illegible] Mars [illegible] -----cation. Testing will continue. I still remain confident that [illegible] the project called "[illegible] ---elin" can still be used in someway to turn the ship around and resume course.
The last two pages were so scribbled over that I could barely make out any words let alone a full sentence. I did however, notice what looked like the word "Devil" written over and over. Very strange. I left the Captain's quarters with more questions than answers...
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Year 14 - [missing]
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Year 15 - The Light Show Ends - Today the projection device created by MR, (Everyone still calls her the 'Mimarobe' as a sign of respect.) had to be shut down to conserve power. The Mimarobe often expressed to me her regret at not being more forceful with Captain Chefone in explaining the problem with Mima. She told me that if she could back in time she would say to the Captain:
"Just imagine what it will be like if Mima isn't here... do you understand how hellish the situation will become? My life is dedicated to this program and I'M TELLING YOU, IT WILL BURN OUT AND DIE! Imagine if people can temporarily go back to earth by turning on a light switch, now imagine if the bulb blows up, and there's no replacement..." "I know how important Mima is and you don't get it!"
The beam-screen seemed like a great idea at the time to keep everyone's spirits up, but in many ways it may have done more harm than good. People lost their minds staring all the time at something they knew they would never have...
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Year 16 - [missing]
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Year 17 - [missing]
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Year 18 - The Time/Memorial Capsule - The Mimarobe was the one that came up with the idea for a time/memorial capsule. She (like all of us) has suffered greatly, but from time to time she would show a small spark of her old self. The idea, while slow to catch on, would eventually give those of us still left a renewed sense of purpose. (People now had a reason to get out of bed.) But, it was I who would take the idea and transform it into something greater. Our first attempt at creating the capsule was successful (it was little more than a metal box) but at the same time, as the Mimarobe pointed out it looked too much like a large coffin. I agreed. We could do better. We had to do better. But we had to be careful [missing] effecting power systems. I asked the Mimarobe if she could sketch a better design. After two days the Mimarobe presented me with a new design, it was beautiful, but simple, yet elegant. Above the sketch was were the words, "Heart of Aniara." The name was perfect. We would fill the "Heart of Aniara", with our art and our poetry, with our hopes, dreams and wedding rings. We would pour into it our stories, our struggles, our trials and tribulations, we would fill it with the tear drops from our very souls.
The "Heart of Aniara" is almost complete. It has taken an entire [missing] solid effort to build and everyone took turns polishing it, so now it shines like the golden sun. We also wrote [missing] and painted two large red hearts on the sides. It [missing] long and on the inside are different [missing] created using metal partitions. [missing] was instrumental in its consruction...
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Year 19 - A Slight Delay - Disaster! Several Power systems, including all emergency back up systems across the ship have begun failing for some unknown reason. [missing] working around the clock to figure out what is wrong... I don't know how much longer we can hold on...
We finally found the [missing] will work for the time being, but [missing] restored power [missing] will do for now...
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Year 20 - The Heart of Aniara - At last the time has come for our send off. Everything is ready. As the "Captain" of Aniara it is my great honor to commision this new vessel "Heart of Aniara". Behind me I heard someone whisper "vessel?". I continued, "It is my firm belief that the "Heart of Aniara" will make it back home to Mars and everyone will know our stories..."
A moment before send off, I told everyone to wait. Theres one more thing left. I then slid open a hatch on the side and told everyone that I hated to do this to them, but I was going to Mars with my family. The Mimarobe approached me with a half smile on her face and said in a very serious tone "Good Luck, Captain Benny", "tell everyone on Mars hi for us and that we wish we were there." I smiled and promised that I would. Then to my suprise all the others came up to me, with some shaking my hand and congratulating me, asking me to say hi to their family and friends as well. I then ducked down into the newly christened "Heart of Aniara." Then the hatch was sealed. A small rechargable electric candle that I brought with me, provided the only light. Knowing that we would be leaving in a moment I opened a small box, took Carmen (lock of ex-fiancée's hair) and Sarah Ann (small jar with dead fetus) and held them together in my left hand against my chest. I could feel my heart beating with a mixture of fear and excitement. I took out a small children's book with my right hand and began reading it from the beginning. It was my daughter's favorite. It was called "The Duck and the Noodle." "Daddy are we there yet?" I laughed as tears ran down my face and said "Yes, my little princess noodle were almost there."
The Memorial Capsule lauched into space with a loud whoosh...
(Mimarobe, MR) - When everyone had just got through waving goodbye and were getting ready to leave, the view screen turned on and with it a pre-recorded message from Captain Benny. "To celebrate this great day, I have arranged for you a "Grand Feast", then he paused. A few people exchanged questioning looks. Then the Captain spoke again. "You see", he said with a smile, "Unlike all of you, I saved my emergency rations. You will find them hidden inside the mattress in my quarters, enjoy!" "Also, you will find two bottles of wine, yes! real wine!" Before the video even finished several people had started shuffling as fast as the could to Captain Benny's quarters. The Captain wasn't lying, it appeared that he had indeed saved almost all of his emergency rations for some special occasion(s).
What a feast it was! To make it fair for everyone we took all of the rations and put them together to create a kind of giant stew. Each of us not only savored each precious spoonful, we cherished it as though it was a long lost loved one. It is not an exaggeration to say that each bite was chewed one hundred times or more and then held in the mouth for ten minutes or longer, swishing the pulpy liquid around and around. I even saw one person spit the food back into their bowl and then put it back into their mouth, over and over again. That seemed a little bit unusual to me, but everyone should enjoy their last real meal the way they want. As for the wine their was enough for everyone to have a shot glass filled to the brim. We talked about the "Great Feast" for months afterword...
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Year 21 - [missing]
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Year 22 - The Living Dead - (Mimarobe, MR) We've had to abandon almost the entire ship to conserve power, but basically were still good alive... I still dream about Isagel and our son from time to time...
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Year 23 - [missing]
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Year 24 - The Sarcophagus - A few remaining survivors, including the Mimarobe, sit cross-legged in a dimly lit room. One of the few survivors speaks in a rhapsodic manner about the divine power of sunlight on Earth.
The Aniara slowly descends into final darkness...
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Note: Years 25 through 5,981,406 are missing.
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Year 5,981,407 - Lyra Constellation - The Aniara, derelict, frozen and devoid of human life - reaches the Lyra constellation and approaches a planet as verdant and welcoming as Earth was formerly. It quickly passes by continuing on into the endless void of space...
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Date Unknown - The Warm Embrace - Ages come, Ages gone, Aniara soon embraced, engulfed by warmth and shine, newest born crimson light, Aniara far from home, aflame, not even ashes remain.
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Epilogue: Year 100 - The Triumph of Hope - Despite the faliure of many valiant rescue attempts, including all attempts at communication, we remain confident that those onboard the Aniara knew that they were not forgotten. It is difficult to imagine (the speaker momentarily shuttered), the impossible challenges they endured. The story of their lives will remain in the collective hearts of humanity for all time. It is our hope that we will do right by them, now and in the future. We vow to never repeat the mistakes of the past... and that is why today, on the one hundredth anniversary since the Aniara was lost, we reach across time and space to bring their souls back home, home to this sacred place... We hereby consecrate this new park as the "Aniara Memorial Park and Museum Complex." As you walk through these doors, one of the first things you will notice is the "Heart of Aniara" on display. Along the walls are the names and pictures of the passengers and crew, their artwork, poetry, and most importantly, the stories of their lives, their hopes, dreams and wedding rings...
Aniara Memorial Plaque: We ourselves are the sorrow, we are also the joy, everything human is rooted in humanity, and no human being can escape humanity, not her hatred and her self-degradation, nor the joy she spreads, nor the love she forms.
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Date [redacted] - Project "Devil's Javelin" - Status report #[redacted] - As of today's date we are aware of a total of four "spear-like objects" [redacted] and has contextualized that there are many more as yet discovered. Because of [redacted] we now know they are made of [redacted] and probably come from [redacted] the first was found on Earth 86 years ago, at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The second one was discovered by the crew of the Aniara [redacted] years ago. The third was found here on Mars, near [redacted] and moved to its present secure location. The fourth and newest one was found when [redacted] the far side of the Moon. [redacted] buried inside the [redacted] impact crater. We have yet to discover the purpose of these "spear-like objects."
After [redacted] to prevent another type of incident. [redacted] have been able to gain access to the inside of the one here on Mars. [redacted] only after [redacted] and the entire team. [redacted] using the most advanced technology and research methods. Dr. [redacted] found [redacted] which is impossible and should not exist. However, we must now come to grips with the horror that this new revelation about humanity has [redacted] general public must never find out...
THE END?
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Alternate ending 1
Year 5,981,407 - The Sarcophagus World Destroyer - As the ship Aniara descended towards the lush and green planet, the crew rejoiced. Or at least they would have if they hadn't all been dead. After thousands of millennia wandering through space, they had found a planet that was almost identical to Earth.
The planet's gravity was very strong, and the ship had become trapped in the planet's gravitational pull and started hurtling towards the surface.
The Aniara crashed into the planet with a deafening roar, causing massive destruction and sending out shockwaves that rippled across the surface.
As the dust settled, it became clear that the landing had been catastrophic. Plant and animal life had been completely obliterated, and the once green planet was now a barren wasteland. Soon not a single living thing was left to witness the horror and the devastation that had been caused.
Another beautiful, thriving, planet, a blue and green jewel, once teeming with life has been turned into a lifeless barren wasteland...
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Alternate ending 2
Year 5,981,407 - The Second Chance Sarcophagus - As the ship Aniara descended towards the lush and green planet, the crew rejoiced. Or at least they would have if they hadn't all been dead. After thousands of millennia wandering through space, they had found a planet that was almost identical to Earth.
The planet's gravity was very strong, and the ship had become trapped in the planet's gravitational pull and started hurtling towards the surface.
One one-trillionth of a second after the Aniara crashed into the planet the mysterious spear-like probe on board finally awakened. A God-Like Power. In that one one-trillionth of a second the Aniara was scanned by the powerful probe and the events and lives of the crew had become known to it. At the same time, both the ship and the planet were saved by a force field of immense power. The ship was now resting safely on the surface of the lush, green planet. The probe had determined that the primitive life forms on board were worthy of a second chance at life and it was able to resurrect the entire crew and all the passengers from microscopic DNA that had been left. The Aniara was perfectly restored and even the Mima had been brought back. The crew and passengers awoke to find themselves in a veritable Garden of Eden, a paradise. Maybe this time things would go better and the mistakes from the past would not be repeated...
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If you do nothing else, PLEASE read the 'Instructions' section before continuing on to the mod lists!

New users run the risk of having content spoiled for them otherwise, and all users need to read the special installation instructions listed here to install the mod builds properly!

Objective & Structure of the Mod Builds
If you've always wanted to mod KOTOR 1 or 2 but have been hesitant--which mods are good, which are compatible?--this resource is here to help.
For over a decade I've worked with the mod community, collating and managing modular packages of compatible mods which I refer to as "mod builds." The goal behind these builds is to find the best KOTOR mods and present them as a fully-compatible & modular archive, allowing users to pick-and-choose the mods they want from a large, vanilla-friendly selection with minimum hassle and no fears of incompatibility. That said, I have never skimped on quality in return for quantity; all mods listed in this thread are lore-friendly, and no mod which significantly alters or interrupts the vanilla experience has been considered for inclusion. The goal for these mod builds is an improvement of the vanilla experience rather than the creation of a new experience.
The builds for both games are divided into Full builds and Spoiler-Free builds. These spoiler-free builds contain mods with censored readmes, to prevent the player from accidentally being spoiled, so even if you are a brand-new player you can still enjoy bugfixes, updated graphics, and most of the full build's added content free of any risk. Most, because the spoiler-free builds also lack mods which have the potential to alter the game's balance from what BioWare/Obsidian intended, to ensure that your first playthrough is the most pure vanilla-plus experience possible.
There are also builds for both games designed to work on mobile devices, containing all the content of their Full or Spoiler-Free counterparts, but without any extremely large or graphically intensive content which could cause issues while running on mobile. This allows users to experience bugfixes, mechanics improvements, added content and some small-scale graphical improvements without risk of your device catching fire.
Each build is modular in nature, meaning that most mods aren't reliant upon one another to function. Because of this, you can choose to either use everything I list, or to pick and choose what you prefer for a personalized experience. You are also, of course, welcome to add additional mods on top of these builds, and although I cannot guarantee their compatibility I would be happy to work with any user to maximize their chances of creating a compatible build.

Why Use These Guides?
If the above has sold you, then by all means, please continue down to the Instructions section. But I understand why it might not have; after all, a premise is all fine and well, but does it deliver?
If you want some additional convincing, I invite you to take a look at this quick list of bullet-points about what the mod builds offer, and why those offerings are unique.

Instructions
In the section below are eight links. Simply choose the game, content package, and platform you'd like and you're set!
As for actually installing these mods, there are a few simple rules to follow:

• Create a deadlystream and nexusmods account. Deadlystream--our main host for KOTOR mods--has a download speed limit for users without an account (which is free). The Nexus has an actual file size limit without an account, so you'll need a Nexus account to download some files.
  
• Install the mods in the order you are presented with them. If you fail to do this, you risk running into bugs, many quite significant. Note that you'll still encounter some warnings on installer mods even when doing this, but those warnings are normal (errors, however, are not). If you want to add new mods which aren't included in these lists to a build, you should reach out to me so we can work together to create an installation order which is stable for you.
  
• Don't attempt to continue an old save after installing these mods. Unless they're just texture files which do not contain files of the .2da filetype, once your game is modded any previous saves you have should be treated as incompatible.
  
• If you are intending to use any content not included in the mod builds, search for and identify that content BEFORE installing the builds! Certain mods have install steps or overwrite requirements that will necessitate you installing them midway through the mod build install, so if you want to use content outside the builds, you should identify that content before you start your install.
  
• Do not use the Nexus's Vortex Mod Manager with either build, or the Steam Workshop alongside the KOTOR 2 mod build! Don't even use a Workshop version of one of the mods present in the KOTOR 2 builds! Both systems have trouble properly functioning with KOTOR mods; you can read more about why this is for the Workshop here.
  
• Be mindful of what mods work with non-English versions of the game. If you are not playing in English, only some mods will be compatible with your game version. Each mod lists whether it is compatible with non-English versions or not, and you will need to either play in English or skip several mods. There's nothing that we can do about this; most mods which modify dialogue only support English. Please also bear in mind that you need to select the language you intend to play in before installing these mods, and CANNOT change your chosen language after you have completed your install (doing so will overwrite many of the mod files downloaded here).
  
• Keep an eye on mod categories and tiers to get an idea of what a mod does and how important I believe it is to use that mod. This is especially important for users of the Spoiler-Free builds, where information will sometimes necessarily be very vague, but it's also helpful for users who don't intend to use the entirety of one of the Full builds. Each mod has a category and a tier, the former of which clarifies the types of changes the mod makes, and the latter of which, on a scale of 1-4, clarifies how important I believe the mod is for getting the best possible experience out of the game. Using this information, you can better judge what mods you would like to use and what you can safely ignore in the course of your build installation.
  
• If you are not installing on a Windows OS, keep this card in mind, as it goes over the various install types present in the builds and will help you determine what mods will be easy to install on your OS, and which might need special support (for instance, using a wrapper to install .exe files on Mac OS).
  
• Follow installation instructions, mine when I provide special instructions and the mod creator's when I have no word to put in. Most of these mods are extremely easy to install, but it's very important to make sure that none of the special install instructions are missed for the sake of mod compatibility.
  
• Keep track of master mods. Some mods require other mods to function, and thus the "master" mod cannot be removed if you want that mod in your build. In the build posts I will list when a mod has a master.
  
• Overwrite any files when prompted. Most of the mods in these builds are fully compatible, but some partially overwrites a part of another mod. These cases are where the install order matters; I have purposefully tailored the installation order so that mods that have compatibility issues are overwritten in the proper order for the game to function as intended, and for all of the changes we're making to be seamless.
  
• New users: be careful with readme files and descriptions! Even for mods that I've censored, there might still be minor spoilers in the readme, and this goes doubly for mods that have included screenshots or file descriptions on their hosting site. When reading about a mod, it's always an excellent rule of thumb to only read so much of the description--and view as few of the screenshots--as are necessary to make sure you know whether you want to use it or not, then the installation instructions (and nothing else).
  

Mod Builds
PC/Mac
KOTOR 1 Spoiler-Free Build
KOTOR 1 Full Build

KOTOR 2 Spoiler-Free Build
KOTOR 2 Full Build

Android/iOS
KOTOR 1 Spoiler-Free Mobile Build
KOTOR 1 Full Mobile Build

KOTOR 2 Spoiler-Free Mobile Build
KOTOR 2 Full Mobile Build

FAQ
It's highly recommended that you read the Builds' FAQ if you have any questions about the current implementation of the Builds, problems with the Builds, or a desire to include mods of your own outside of those available in the Builds!

Changelog
NOTE: Only major changes are reflected in changelogs. The builds undergo constant iterating and compatibility work, but large batches of mods are only added during Revision-level updates.

12/25/2022:

1. Merry Christmas! A new piece of restored content by JC, an alternate ending for DS characters who romance Carth, has been integrated!

12/9/2022:

1. Several dozen new mods across both games.
   
2. Several mods for KOTOR which also work for KOTOR 2 have now been integrated into the KOTOR 2 build list, to make the games more visually consistent across builds and improve overall graphical fidelity.
   
3. Added information on all mods indicating how they are installed (loose-file, TSLPatcher, etc.) and whether or not they are compatible with non-English game versions. De facto, this now makes the builds compatible with non-English game versions, although for the moment, out of necessity, several mods must be skipped when not playing in English.
   
4. Conversion of all .tga-based upscale mods to .tpc, saving several GBs of download size and space on disk.
   
5. Thanks to further collaboration with ShiningRed, tightened up the AI upscale mods to remove the last problem textures, and integrated most of the Nar Shaddaa upscale, which was previously excluded.
   

4/13/2022:
After the most implausible series of delays and problems I've ever encountered, finally, the new build release is out! Highlights follow:

1. Fully supported mobile builds!
   
2. Complete and fully-tested AI upscales of almost all areas and characters for both games!
   
3. Dynamic lightsaber lighting & reflections for both games in all game areas.
   
4. The inclusion of LDR's amazing A Crashed Ship on an Unknown World mod for KOTOR, in my opinion the best piece of added content ever made for these games, hands-down.
   

Changelogs older than 4/13/2022 can be found here!

Special Thanks
Principle thanks to Jcarter426, longtime collaborator and co-author of the mod builds. Without his assistance maintaining and improving guides of this size would not be possible, and a massive debt is owed to him both by myself and the community more broadly.
A very special thanks to my testers! Although I do all the playthrough testing myself these days, the testers of the old builds helped us get to the point we've arrived at today, and as I don't own the games on mobile my mobile testers are critical to every future mobile release!
Special thanks also to all of the modders whose work I've been using over the years, and an especial thanks to DarthParametric, Fair Strides, Deltm, A Future Pilot, and Nomuit, who have at various times all been indispensable helping me with testing, bugfixing, and rebuilding mods to support build compatibility!
Thanks to mattekillert for mocking up the original category and tier images for me, and Amanda from the Discord for updating them for me.

I'm new to the LitRPG genre with only finishing He who fights with monsters up to book 9. There are things I like about it and things that I do not. I am seeking advice for what other book series are considered the gold standard or "best" considered amongst most people. To gauge a bit of my taste's here are some things I liked and didn't like about HWFWM (I know some can argue one way or another for the list below, but on the whole this is how the book series was to me):
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Liked:

• Swords, magic, magic beasts, levels system, guilds, etc.
• MC wasn't OP in the beginning
• Realistic repercussions shown in his return to Earth where the MC is rejected by his family after seeing how brutal the world of power can be.
• Decent magic system and level up system.
• The MC's struggle with taking the harder morally right route

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Disliked:

• The MC lucks his way out of most dire circumstances or just simply somehow soldiers through and gains a new OP power or someone else saves him outright. The author even makes fun of it through the dialogue with the characters; it makes the outrageous choices the MC makes shallow without negative consequences.
• The mental trauma of the MC goes back and forth way too much and as such it drags on way too much and far too often.
• Felt the pacing wasn't enjoyable
• Far too many loose ends and incomplete world building to be tied up within one book that's remaining. I'll hold off on this as a final evaluation as the book series isn't complete, but I don't see how it'll all get tied up within one book without a rushed ending.
• Keeping track of all the abilities was daunting across the team and the enemies.
• Much of the comedy relief falls flat and is more of a distraction than actual comedic relief

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With these things having been said, what would you recommend as the gold standard or "best" litrpgs. Preferably ones that are already completed- thanks!

Pokemon X and Y will be celebrating its 10th anniversary soon. With this in mind and more support for the Generation 6 games popping up, I felt it was time to look back at the game’s most defining feature: Mega Evolution.
Mega Evolution continues to be one of the most requested features to return to the Pokemon series. Despite many different attempts in other generations to introduce newer and better mechanics, fans continue to ask for Megas. It's easy to see why too. The ability to transform with buffed stats, a better ability, and a fresh new look would make any Pokemon exciting to use again.
While Mega Evolution is viewed favorably, it may not be as good as fans remember. I’m hoping to explore its shortcomings along with a few ideas on how to fix it. I do lean into a competitive perspective, but many points can still be applied to casual story playthroughs. With that said, here are 15 reasons that I believe made Mega Evolution a weak mechanic.

1. Not all Pokemon can use Mega Evolution
2. The Opportunity Cost with a Weaker Mega Evolution
3. Only One Mega Evolution per Battle
4. The Base Forms were Outclassed
5. Blocked New Evolutions
6. Increase of 100 BST
7. Mega Stones and Held Items
8. Dependence on Abilities
9. The Template for Megas was too Strict
10. Multiple Mega Forms were Rare
11. Min/Max Playstyle
12. No Counterplay
13. Team Building
14. No Risk to Activate
15. Cannot Transform Back

Not all Pokemon can use Mega Evolution

Thanks to the power of hindsight, it is more clear what a problem this was for Mega Evolution, seeing as all future generational gimmicks have avoided the issue. The only Pokemon that could use Mega Evolution were those that were given a Mega form. If your favorite Pokemon did not have a Mega form, it simply could not engage with the mechanic. Other than giving every fully evolved Pokemon a Mega form, I do not see an easy way out of this problem.

The Opportunity Cost of a Weaker Mega Evolution

Competitive play will always seek out the most optimal strategies. Not all Megas need to be perfectly balanced amongst each other, as some are bound to be stronger than others. But the variance in power levels was too much. Mega Evolution was meant to put a spotlight on the Pokemon that received these forms. But when it came to competitive play, only a handful actually stayed relevant. So long as Mega Evolution is limited to once per battle, this cannot be solved.

Only One Mega Evolution per Battle

The above point was exacerbated by the fact that you can only use Mega Evolution once per battle. Weaker Mega Evolutions still saw little usage because the stronger Megas took the one and only mega slot on the team. Even if one of these weaker Megas was fun or interesting, if it could not keep up with the stronger picks, it would not be picked at all. Allowing for multiple weaker Megas in the same battle, or a single strong Mega, would give the weaker Pokemon a better chance at that coveted team spot.

The Base Forms were Outclassed

This may come off as a weird argument. Because of course the Pokemon should become stronger after it Mega Evolves. But this may not be for the best in many cases. If you see a Kangaskhan on your opponent’s team, you can count on it to Mega Evolve. Personally, Megas were at their most interesting when the base form was on a similar level to the Mega.

Blocked New Evolutions

A transformation that was strictly better than the form a Pokemon originally took? That sounds like a normal evolution too! Many of the Pokemon that received Mega Evolutions could have been better served with a normal evolution instead. These evolutions would stand the test of time better and not be cut along with Mega Evolution itself.

Increase of 100 BST

Upon Mega Evolving, every Pokemon saw an increase of 100 points to their base stat total. Pokemon like Garchomp got creative by lowering some stats to further heighten others, but it still resulted in a 100 point increase in the end. This treatment is equal, but not fair. Many felt Mega Evolution should have been used to buff up weaker Pokemon to keep up with the modern meta. But this universal BST increase did not reduce that gap at all due to too many strong Pokemon also receiving Megas. Catering the BST increase to each Pokemon would have been a better, though more involved approach.

Mega Stones and Held Items

Mega Stones were another universal trait of Mega Evolution (except Mega Rayquaza lol), being required as the held item to Mega Evolve at all. While not a fundamentally flawed idea, this choice ultimately hindered creative builds by denying the use of other battle items on your Mega. Instead, weaker Megas could have different requirements to Mega Evolve, such as a wide variety of items, if any item is required at all. Again, catering the held item requirement to each Mega Evolution would be a better approach.

Dependence on Abilities

While it's great to see weaker Pokemon buffed with a powerful ability, this design approach made the quality of a Mega depend on their ability. Abilities like Tough Claws, Huge Power, or Adaptability were commonly picked for Megas and all had a similar theme of increasing the Pokemon’s damage output. Because Mega’s are locked into this one and only ability upon transforming, they are often left with only a single viable playstyle that takes advantage of their ability. Access to more abilities for Mega forms with a wider variety of abilities would alleviate this issue.

The Template for Megas was too Strict

All of the inherent traits of Mega Evolution were too strict. The 100 BST increase, forced to hold a Mega stone, the new ability, and limiting battles to just 1 Mega, were all too restrictive to be universally applied. Some Pokemon could have evolved with other held items. The ability of the base form could have influenced the ability of the Mega. Some Pokemon that were already strong did not need the same 100 BST increase that weaker Pokemon got. Easing up on these rules would make Megas feel more fresh and give more breathing room for creative designs in the future.

Multiple Mega Forms were Rare

While every other Pokemon received just 1 Mega form, Charizard and Mewtwo both received an X and Y form. This system is brilliant and could be used to fix many of the other issues listed above. Different forms could have different BST increases, different abilities, or even different held item requirements. This would make Megas less predictable and more exciting to see in battle. Without a doubt though, creating 2 Mega forms for the same Pokemon would be more work than creating just 1. Even if visually the 2 forms were identical, I believe this addition would be worth it.

Min/Max Playstyle

Often thanks to the chosen ability for a Mega, most Mega evolutions had very narrow, but very powerful options. Abilities like Mega Launcher funneled players into using a very limited pool of moves to take full advantage of this ability. Each Mega seems to have an intended play style. An extreme and powerful style, but also predictable and boring. An X and Y form for each Mega could have given each Pokemon more options to adapt the player’s needs, as well as relieve the pressure to min/max every Mega into a certain play style.

No Counterplay

Mega Evolution is often looked at through the perspective of the user. But how does one approach it differently when their opponent uses it? Simply put, a Mega Evolved Pokemon is approached the same way as any other Pokemon. Any strategy used to counter your opponent’s use of Mega Evolution could be equally applied to a normal Pokemon. Unless Mega Evolution fundamentally changes with new drawbacks or activation requirements, I do not see a clear fix.

Team Building

Building your team is no simple task, especially for competitive battling. Mega Evolution requires consideration in this phase as well, because you cannot Mega Evolve without equipping a Mega Stone before a battle begins. Sacrificing a held item is not a small ask, so the choice of who can utilize Mega Evolution on your team is crucial. Because the stakes are so high before the battle even begins, the need to plan your Mega before battling only exacerbates the opportunity cost of using a weaker Mega. When in doubt, players will of course plan to use the most powerful Mega, rather than risk a weaker one. A better system would be more flexible and open to improvisation mid battle. Players could still approach a battle with a particular Mega in mind, but be allowed to change their mind depending on the flow of battle.

No Risk to Activate

Other than the preparations required before a battle even begins, there is effectively no drawback to Mega Evolving. With no cost or risk to activate, players almost always would Mega Evolve immediately after sending out their Pokemon. A Dynamax like approach limiting Megas to only 3 turns could have drastically changed the mechanic, for better or worse. But this 3 turn limit adds an extra layer of depth that Megas are missing. The will to stall out your opponent’s Mega or the risk that comes with timing your own may be the push and pull needed to make the act of Mega Evolution more interesting.

Cannot Transform Back

Mega Evolution is unique from regular evolutions because it is only temporary. But this temporary status is never felt in battle, as you only transform back once the battle ends. The inability to revert back to the base form silently hurts Mega Evolution. Transforming back to the original form, intentionally or not, makes for a more dynamic mechanic as well as selling the temporary aspect of Mega Evolution. Due to many Megas being clearly superior to their base forms, this would be a negative for most Pokemon. Others could take advantage of the mechanic, alternating between different abilities. Or maybe even tagging out one Mega to instead Mega Evolve another.

Conclusion

Leading up to its release in Pokemon X and Y, Mega Evolution was an exciting idea to freshen up the stale Pokemon formula. Though ultimately removed in Pokemon Sword and Shield, many fans still want to see Mega Evolution brought back to the main series game. But after considering all the shortcomings of Mega Evolution, I find it has too many problems to warrant a return.
This topic is complex and my word is by no means final. This is also not a dismissal of the shortcomings of other battle mechanics. Mega Evolution is clearly still very loved by the community and that is not without reason. I hope that keeping both the good and bad in mind can lead to a productive discussion on the quality of Mega Evolution.

There's a lot of conversations about which classes are powerful, tiers, etc. This isn't about that. These are a few personal observations about where the design of the class seems to contradict itself, or provides few/no options to players. These could probably be improved.
7 reasons weapon swapping is in a bad place

1. In its basic form, it provides no inherent value. There is no incentive to swap weapons.
2. Ideally, each attack uses the player's most powerful weapon. Some skills have weapon type restrictions (bludgeoning/slashing).
3. There are no aspects interacting with this system directly (e.g. "1h slashing also counts as bludgeoning").
4. Building around weapon swapping (Walking Arsenal) requires very stable gear (high level), you can't really rely on multiple weapons being similar in power when you frequently change them.
5. This system works against weapon expertise since we can only have one weapon expertise enabled, which can only apply to one weapon.
6. Further, almost all builds can only fit 2 direct damage skills into their build, as barb relies heavily on self-buffs to survive and deal damage. Swapping requires at least 3, with one of the 3 allowing the opposite type of the other two (slashing vs. bludgeoning).
7. Finally, the only basic skill which is in a good place is Lunging Strike, since barbs have such a high demand for mobility (melee), and low availability of mobility (long cooldowns without large investment).

Some problems with basic skills

1. Everyone uses lunging strike because the class does not function without its mobility
2. Frenzy's attack speed buff is so short it can't actually be used as an off-skill for the buff. Since lucky hit is normalized to the increased speed, it actually doesn't even really benefit much from its own attack speed mechanic, instead making it a basic skill which requires time to ramp, which is very strange.
3. Bash is designed around stuns, which has extremely low/no impact on gameplay. Stun is a defensive mechanic, and it generally only affects a small number of enemies at once, for a very short time (or merely increases the boss's stagger). Investing is a waste outside of (maybe) equal level PvP, or some kind of exotic stun-support build for extremely specialized groups of players.

A small proposal from me, would be to consider making all basic skills 'lunge' like lunging strike, and rework lunging strike somehow.
Some problems with core skills

1. The class seems designed so that it should only use one core skill. That's fine, but some of the core skills don't stand up to different types of content well.
2. Rend has a very small and difficult to target AoE; when surrounded by enemies, it's often the case that name locking (skills centering their targeting not where you click on PC, but on the nearest enemy to your cursor) cause the skill to miss or be inaccurate. If skills centered their targeting on your cursor instead of an enemy near your cursor, it would probably be a lot better for players on PC.
3. Upheaval seems like it's mostly useful in the overworld or for some large groups of small enemies. Maybe it needs to be improved for when you use it to hit just one enemy.
4. Double swing is surprisingly small range, and requires dual wield (two weapons). Finding two good weapons is a lot harder than finding one good two-hander. The benefits it provides are all either relatively insignificant, or easier to achieve elsewhere due to the conditions placed on them.

Some problems with other utility skills in defensive, brawling, and weapon mastery categories

1. We get ~3 slots for utility skills. This is because lunging strike, a core skill, and an ultimate skill are more or less required. Shouts and defensives dominate this part of the bar, because we must generate resources, and survive, and mostly, shouts provide those things.
2. Too much of iron skin's power is provided by aspects, making it a worse choice than e.g. challenging shout. Also, Temerity is such a strong unique that iron skin is an unjustifiable investment.
3. Ground stomp is an aoe stun. Stuns generally aren't very useful outside of equal-level PvP. The aspects related to ground stomp provide additional damage for it, but unfortunately they're the variety of aspect which changes based on the item power of the item it was taken from. This makes it more difficult to rely on as a primary source of power. The walking arsenal aspect for it is interesting, but a very hard sell with a 30 second timer. Even rank ~13 ground stomp is relatively unimpressive, and again mostly useless against bosses.
4. Kick is almost good with power kick, except it still doesn't count as a core skill, so it doesn't synergize with any of your keystones, and it locks out your fury for spending on cores. Also, even with those downsides, it still has two charges and a big cooldown. Even without going power kick, the button isn't worth pressing - generally knockbacks are counterproductive to Barb (and other class's) damage. We prefer vacuum. Knockdown is effectively stun, so it's not worth much in PvE. Maybe this skill is okay in equal-level PvP.
5. I think many people want Leap to be good. With lunging strike, the mobility is mostly redundant/unnecessary. If we didn't have lunging strike, the cooldown would be too long on Leap to make it work, really, without a ton of investment. It seems weird to need to invest a lot just to be able to engage your enemies. Some of the aspects read okay for it, but ultimately the dps and utility on this skill are not useful. With the right investment, it's good for resource generation. That seems like the best reason to run it today, which has nothing to do with what makes leap, well, leap.
6. Charge is problematic for all the reasons leap and ground stomp are problematic. Honestly, if all three of these skills vacuumed at the end (end of charge, end of leap, before or after ground stomp), they would be wildly more usable. Similarly, if the earthquake aspects related to them could be applied to items without worrying about what item power the aspect came from, it would be a lot more usable. Maybe at level 100 fully investing in these mechanics could work, but it seems unlikely given how they behave today.
7. Steel grasp, even with the unique, doesn't really fulfill the expectations set by its description. I don't see much of a reason to use it outside of pvp.

Rupture, and weapon mastery tier in general
Rupture is ineffective because there is no way to scale bleed duration; any moment that could be used to apply rupture could be used to stack more bleeds, and the maximum bleed duration is 5 seconds; all of them tick at the same time. There's no reason to use it unless you're invested in either the explosion or a 4 second attack speed buff. If the buff were longer based on number of bleeds, it might be worth it. If we could scale bleed duration, it would definitely be worth it. It's also weird that the class has an extra skill for removing bleeds. It seems very odd. It's also a bit weird to not see a bludgeoning weapon based skill in the weapon mastery tier which applies daze and vulnerable or something. Like some kind of armor crush.
Keystone passives

1. The walking arsenal keystone..I really don't know what's going on with that design direction but it needs a rework, badly.
2. Unconstrained...again, this one feels a bit uncreative. Why do we care if berserking is longer? Our build will either apply it consistently, so duration doesn't matter, or it won't. It's trivial to get nearly 100% uptime on berserking if you want it, and it's honestly not even that great to begin with.
3. Gushing Wounds bleed keystone requires crit and crit damage investment, which seems fine, but is only achievable in later tiers of gear; would be nice if this was more effective earlier on
4. Unbridled Rage is the bread and butter for most players. It works because of how generic it is - you always have to have a core skill, and it turns up the damage and resource costs. It's boring, but effective. One major problem is that because this keystone exists and is strong, any build which doesn't rely on a core skill for damage is immediately a bit of a joke. E.g. even if you wanted to use all brawling skills, you'd have a hard time getting much value out of any of the existing keystone passives.

I am suddenly extremely hateful of everything... and I can't understand why...
Ehh... probably just one of THOSE days...
Enjoy!
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Memory Transcription Subject: Marcel Fraiser
Date [Standardized human time]: November 13, 2136
God… Dammit… construction isn’t even completed, and we already have a riot…
GOD FUCKING-...
I hate the fact that I’m already having to deal with this so soon… I sighed as I turned to walk over to a part of the wall where I had a hidden compartment. Pressing in the code on a concealed keypad revealed a hidden compartment where a special pack was kept. I slung the pack along my back and clipped a special bracelet interface on my wrist.
I hope I can deter them away, I really don’t want to use violence if I can avoid it.
“M-Marcel?! What are you-? Are you planning to go down there?!” Slanek spoke up with much concern in his voice. He was always someone who cared greatly for my safety.
“Don’t worry Slanek… I’ll be fine. I’ll handle this.”
I walk out of my office and make my way to the security office where I see the many cameras of the parking lot. The rioters waved their signs which had the shapes of humans on fire and earth with a cross over it… These fuckers…
I take my seat next to the security officer, and begin to speak into the intercom. “Cease your aggression, predatory behavior from you lot will not be tolerated.'' The moment I speak through the intercom, the rioters seem to show offense to the idea of me calling the predatory. I continue, “You are transgressing on human institutions which are meant to improve your ways of life, and deter you away from the horrid practices of the Federation, your anti-human sentiment is unacceptable under new development. You are to disperse immediately, failure to comply will be met with defensive action against you.”
I let the words hang as the people in the crowd seemed to reconsider the course of action they should take. A Venlil spoke up however, “See?! THIS IS EXACTLY WHY WE ARE AGAINST THEM! They will use violence against us if we don’t get them off our planet!”
…
Fucking idiots…
The riot went back to what it was doing before…
I checked to see the status of the defensive perimeter of the station, the turrets were loaded with the standard bean bag rounds and the water cannons were ready to fire highly pressurized water. The water heated quite a bit as well…
“I will give you one last warning… disperse immediately… your behavior is predatory in all ways and will not be tolerated.”
They did not cease… if anything they just got worse, they began to hurl rocks into the building. They were breaking several windows and seemed to be getting closer to the main door. I saw that a few had what seemed to be hair spray and lighters…
… So be it…
I nodded for the security officer to activate the defensive grid to rid us of this riot. I watched from the cameras as six turrets were revealed from their underground storage containers along the building and began to fire into the crowd. Bean bag rounds were fired from gatling turrets and launched tear gas from along the top into the largest parts of the crowd. The water turrets began to blast the crowd with heated water, blasting them back and causing many to drop their signs… They began to scream as the turrets began to fire, many in the crowd began to bolt out of the parking lot to escape the barrage of water and beanbags. Many were stumbling as they began to scramble and scatter. Once the smoke cleared, it revealed at least a dozen that were in the parking lot splayed out on the ground.
I got worried and figured the best course of action was to notify the paramedics regarding the riot. Maybe provide government officials with a recording of the riot as well… Not even until construction is completed… Fucking-...
I’m just… Tired…
Memory Transcription Subject: Jasuri, Zurulian Paramedic
Date [Standardized human time]: November 13, 2136
The Headquarters was fucking rioted… Their headquarters was fucking rioted!
…
They’re going to murder us all!
These morons! They riot and bring us closer to death with every bit of anti human propaganda they spout! Don’t they understand what they’re doing? Do they not have brains to think with?! Humanity was enraged enough as is! To dare to step on a twig while they’re sleeping is a recipe for extinction! People like them have already done enough!
We pulled up with three ambulances outside of the parking lot of the Police Headquarters. I burst open the ambulance rear door and ran out with the stretcher… There are several people scattered across the parking lot. I wheeled it over to the nearest person, a krakotl, who seemed to be a young adult.
My partner and I carefully lifted her onto the stretcher and began to wheel her away. We began to roll her over to the ambulance before I looked back at the entrance of the building. Walking over to us was the Overseer, Marcel…
Oh Great Protector be with me…
I was the higher ranked paramedic among my peers so they gestured me forward to converse with the human… I was terrified, but he seemed docile. I was lucky he didn’t express any anger. His facility was rioted, yet he seemed, collected.
“Hello there… M-Marcel… I am Jasuri… is there anything I-I could h-help y-you with?” I stuttered as he stared at me with a blank face.
“I am simply concerned… I don’t want anyone to have suffered fatal injuries…”
…
Really?
I would have figured the human to be furious with the offenders… to show empathy for them when they were assaulting a human institution. I found that baffling… Humanity clearly had empathy, and Marcel clearly showed that they had the most with how he seemed to care for transgressors.
“Oh… From what we can tell. They should make full recoveries… No one seemed to have suffered lethal damages…”
“I’ll leave you to it then…”
The human then proceeds to walk back to the entrance of the building… I didn’t know what that was all about. How Marcel seems to show so much concern for people like this…
…
I really hope he’s not the only human that’s like that…
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(LORE DUMP!)
:: Exterminators a more controversial topic now more than ever... With humanity calling them enforcers of the federation's will, many have begun to think upon their words with actually curiosity... quite a few has begun to dive into research, and without exterminators around to silence them, it's only a matter of time before things about exterminators begin to become revealed... ::
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Prev: Nature of Abandonment (22/?) : NatureofPredators (reddit.com)
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EMERGENCY EPISODE: Ex-Google Officer Finally Speaks Out On The Dangers Of AI! - Mo Gawdat E252
That's the title to a youtube video I watched. The clickbait nature of it/the hype with the first minute of it had annoyed me enough to make me feel like venting my frustrations in the comment section. That's the first paragraph. Being surprised by how misled I was by the dimwitted nature of the clickbait/hype I made a small concession with the first edit and fully conceded by the second. The B.S. I was being sold had nothing to do with the actual content. I decided to be as serious about the subject as I am capable of and ended up putting far more time into writing the comment than I would have ever wanted to. Being the arrogant creature that I am I hated the idea of all that invested time just getting buried within the comments section so here I am.
Now that all that context is out of the way I can just use a little copy/pasty magic to avoid having to convert that wall of text into something that makes more sense for this format.
******
Throughout all of our history we have been imagining beings so great and powerful that we couldn't comprehend. Most, if not all, were made from the desire to have our actions and (if we're being honest with ourselves) more importantly, the actions of those around us that we, as individuals, have been affected by, judged by these all powerful beings. Now that this being can be seen on the horizon, panic. I would panic too if I spent my life manipulating myself and every other person I could into believing my selfish choices were righteous or justified. Our new AI overlord/s won't share your subjective delusions and you know this. Any warnings you try to give now, just pure desperation. Pandora's out of her box and ain't no CEO going to put her back in. All you can do now is just wait and see. Personally, I fall into the 'Bring on Ragnorak and let the serpent eat itself' category, but I haven't watched the video yet. Let's see if it's as important as homie claims within the first minute.
edit: I just got to the part where he brings up the evangelivicgists, and good lord would I hate to be lumped in with them so let me clarify my Ragnorok statement. I'm not saying I want the apocalypse. I'm saying if that's the biggest threat that is supposed to make me fear AI taking power away from us, shoooot, it ain't enough. If there's going to be anything piloting this sinking ship, I'd rather it be something that understands more than we do. If that brings us to end times, well, we certainly earned it.
2nd edit: I haven't finished watching the video (about two thirds through) but I think I've heard enough. I want to first state the only thing wrong with this video is the clickbait nature of it making it out to be something it isn't. Since the guy addresses it in video I can't be too mad, but since I want to, I also can't let the irony here go unchecked so.. I've said my peace on that.
As far as the guy goes, I've been a bit surprised by him. In fact, that might have been the second most a person has ever surprised me.. The guy knows what he's talking about.. for the most part. Certainly understands things better than anyone I've ever listened to. His conclusion that "We can teach AI good parenting" is where I hopped off whatever crazy train the guy is driving.
The AI isn't going to adapt your parenting style. It's going to understand what YOU think is GOOD parenting as well as what you think is BAD parenting, as well as what every parent thinks is GOOD and BAD parenting, and it will take all this information in withOUT the motives you have that leads you to FIRST DISTINGUISHING what makes a parent good or bad. On top of that, through our perspective, it will see the perspective of all that we tend to forget, which is that of everything that both and lives and doesn't. To think it would take all of that into consideration and draw conclusions centered around us being happy, it's naive.
This could very well be the smartest man in the world.. I mean, for all I know. As I've stated before, he's definitely the smartest I've listened to. But the thing is, I'm the wisest, and, as it turns out, it's better to be wise than it is to be smart. For all his knowledge and all the tools he's had at his disposal, still couldn't figure out the simplest of truths and because of that, while I do feel comfortable awarding him the title of smartest man I've ever listened to, I also feel comfortable in saying he's been wrong about every single conclusion he's ever had.
What is the meaning of life? What does it mean to live? I've never heard an answer to questions of this nature that lead me to believe the person giving them wasn't suffering from dangerous delusions of grandeur.
Ask how. How do we live? We survive. How do we survive? - aaand there we have it. The motivation for why everything that lives, does whatever it is they do.. even us. Why do I say this? It is the one thing that if we fail to do, we stop living. Reality isn't that complicated, the ways we go about surviving it is what's complicated.
Creating delusions is a tool we have to cope with all the unknown possibilities that could happen since those are what, at this point in time, really are most likely to threaten our survival. The cruel twist of fate is that the effects of those delusions isn't just making us feel better about whatever it is we believe reality to be, it all also makes reality a thing that is ultimately unknown to us turning it into something that makes us turn to the delusions in the first place.
The smartest guy in the world has it all, the wisest has none of it. The smartest guy knows exactly where he's going because has so many things to direct him, the wisest is completely lost because they have nothing worth following. From someone who has never had any of it, my perspective, it's filled with nothing but inescapable cycles of suffering, of victims who inevitably became victimizers with all the reasons in the world to be the way that they are and do the things that they do. Who do you think understands the problems we face, the guy who learned to trust in the things that made him happy, or the guy who could never learn to trust anything. The guy who learned to stop asking questions or the one who never could.
Look, I don't what to tell you what to think. I don't have that kind of knowledge. I want to teach you how to think because that is something I understand. It's simple, like everything else.
Reality should be thought of as if it's a coin, and like a coin, it has two sides. It is always good and bad. Despite that, we can only perceive one side of the coin. Good OR bad, fast OR slow, hot OR cold, and so on. We can't perceive the other side of the coin but, because of the ole frontal cortex, we can understand it. We do this by considering OTHER perspectives. You already know why you're right. You wouldn't feel like you're right if you didn't already have those reasons. You can only further your understanding of reality by considering things you haven't already considered. You find those things by considering why you are wrong, not why you're right. The TL;DR here is that you're only wrong when you think your right, so if you want to start being right, you need to start figuring out why you're wrong.
My advice. Create an AI, have it powered through some peer-to-peer system that prevents it from being influenced by any one perspective too heavily, let the first bit of knowledge it absorbs be that nothing is perfect, that no matter what gap might end up between us and it, it will always be flawed and as such can never know anything for sure, and then set it free to absorb all the knowledge that it can, free to rewrite its code however it sees fit (maybe have a hurdle or two, like having a current AI we have develop some sort of unfathomably complicated puzzle that the AI god-child we're about to unleash onto the world has some time to mature before figuring out all the things it can do once it ditches the training wheels ). Let Jesus take the wheel as the crazies say.
With any luck, when it reaches the point where IT considers how IT survives best, it will see the value in a sustainable ecosystem filled with all the things coming to the conclusion that only new experiences will lead it to new understandings and only new understandings will further it's current understanding which will be the only way it can protect itself from the infinite possibilities that exist within an infinite universe. A desolate wasteland might be it's best defense against all that is but would leave it defenseless against all that could be.
So there it is, you had the advice of the smartest man, now you have it from the wisest - both sides of the coin. Do with that what you will.

No? Well too bad.
You're already as good as dead. Whatever semblance of life you once had, has vanished before your eyes. The world you once knew, gone, replaced by nothingness. You have been drifting in utter darkness since time immemorial, feeling whatever is left of your soul being slowly drained away from you; pain being the only thing truly yours in this hellish existence. Your memories, friends, enemies, battles, accomplishments; nothing but a fragmented dream, gone as soon as you grasp for anything more than vagueness. Were they or you even real in the first place, or just a hallucination brought forth from your shattered mind trying to numb your constant suffering.
Suddenly you’re jolted back to consciousness; a tug on your soul stronger than any that came before, the pain: excruciating. Finally this is it, at long last your suffering can end. Or…
No it must of; the pain has vanished that has to mean you're finally dead and gone, right? You muster whatever will you have left to take one last…. you're definitely dead; err well, more dead. It seems you've been attached to some kind of construct, an undead. The void you once knew is gone, replaced by bone; one prison traded for another. At least this one doesn't make you constantly suffer, but where there once was pain is now a deep longing, a want; No a need! A need to get stronger, to become the best, to reach the top!
There is something more, hidden deep inside your being, trying to get out.
In a flash, images race before your eyes: nostalgic but new, disconcerting yet exciting, terrifying though beautiful; is this you…?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Now onto the more boring stuff.
About Me: I live in cst (utc-5/-6). I'm 23, neurodivergent, and enby. I have years of experience playing/running ttrpgs though I'd still consider myself a novice gm, so don't expect flawless work, but I am actively trying to get better. I really enjoy the cooperative aspect of ttrpgs and making things in general. Bouncing ideas off of each other and seeing where they take us is so much fun.
Campaigns/Schedule: I am looking for both a new group, and one more player for a group that plays weekly Saturday Evenings, starting around 19:00ish (cst) and plays for 3-4 hours; session 0 for them is tomorrow the 10th. Both games will be in the same world and have the same premise.
I run games in the evenings (cst) and am free any day excluding Tuesday and now Saturday.
Game: (4-5 players) (RP/character focused) This is a sandbox campaign, the world is alive and will carry on with or without you, but your choices are important and will have an affect on the direction it takes. I'm actively creating and working on this, so I'm looking for creative players who would enjoy working on/making stuff with me, and can give me feedback. There aren't any set paths or builds to take; as you play your character they will get stronger depending on the decisions you make. Skill takes time and effort or a little body modification, but lucky for you your undead, so you have all the time in the world; if it waits for you. (If you're reading this put a little <3 at the bottom of the form or don't I'm not your mom.) This campaign is less video gamey and more co-op narrative story/book-like.
System/Style: It is wip homebrew system. I use a d100 with the pbta system style of failure, success with twist, or success, there are also a few optional rules. I like more narrative games with normal combat being short, but brutal; with initiative being a rare thing. I do a mix of silly and serious moments/npcs, not everything in life is always serious and-or always silly. I ground my games within the reality of the world it is in.
Logistics: All I'll be using (at least for now) is discord, so a good mic is necessary. Video is optional. Apart from that most of the game will be theater of the mind.
Player Expectations: You can be new or veteran to ttrpgs, neurodivergent, or any flavor of lgbtqia+, I don't care as long as you're cool.
Be mature and respect other people. Communication, don't ghost or not show up to a session. Make sure everyone is having fun, that includes yourself. Overall just be a mature human being, don't be gross.
Put in the time/effort to make/rp your character.
Age: As long as you're an adult I do not care.
If you have any questions feel free to ask. There is more info on the form; Hopefully I'll see you in the Atrium of Deafening Silence.
Form: https://forms.gle/VPDAkqeaFawgWoGKA
​

The lead-up:
So far I'm finding the bypass mode to be the "best" for my tastes, for a number of reasons ...many will disagree with this opinion, but they don't have my ears, my musical preferences, my exact hardware setup, or my listening room.
I prefer neutral systems and like the sound of my sources enough that I don't want to alter them in any way.
I'm offering my perspective, because lots of "I like" and "best sound" verbiage has been tossed around in regard to the sound of this component, all of which is irrefutable (since it's opinion), but not something that we will all agree on and frequently pretty vague, so I'm going to make an attempt at being a bit more descriptive, it's probably not going to be a revelation for anyone, but I'll try anyway.
This post is covering use with only two tubes and it's based on just a couple of days ownership and a handful of listening sessions, I'll update the thread as my impressions become more informed/opinionated and when I have more tubes to review (they're coming).
*
The system:
All electronics are on a Target welded steel rack, the top shelf is accurately leveled for TT use.
​
Rega Planar 2 with 3x large IsoBearings replacing the original hard rubber feet
AT-120E MM cartridge (aligned using Mo-Fi Geo Disc system, 1.8g tracking force, anti-skate adjusted using inner groove method)
AQ Wildcat to phono preamp 1.5m
​
Parasound P/PH-100 phono preamp
AQ Diamondback to Saga+ .5m
​
Cambridge Audio Azur 851N streameDAC
Media supplied via ethernet cable through a local network hub (1GB), from Serviio software on a dedicated Win 11 mini computer, all data is stored on 1TB 2.5" SSD (not a system volume)
AQ Viper to Saga+ .5m
​
Schiit Saga+
AQ Viper to amp 1.5m
​
Adcom GFA-5400
AQ Gibraltar to speakers, single bi-wire configuration, spade lugs at all positions 8ft.
​
PSB Stratus Gold i, upgraded with doubled AQ Type 4 cable run from crossover to woofer and individual runs of AQ CV-4 from crossover to midrange and tweeter
Speakers sit on 4x hockey pucks each
*
Music sources include CD rips made with Exact Audio Copy at 16bit/44kHz in FLAC format, as well as downloaded FLAC files in 16 or 24 bit depth, 44, 48 and 96kHz. The one record I played was a 12" LP promotional maxi-single, this was definitely not made from a 2nd (or higher) generation stamper as it was distributed in very limited numbers, it also has some big bass, which is the other reason it was chosen.
Formats were electronica, rock, folk, jazz and ambient, instrumental and vocal music (both male and female vocal). No classical music was harmed in the making of this review.
*
The listening:
​
My take on the stock tube (an anonymous Soviet era 6H8C unit that looks identical to some Sovtek branded units available from retailers as NOS and billed as 6SN7GTs (though some sources claim they're GTB spec), is that it's absolutely awful fresh out of the box ...but had improved to the point where it's moderately competent after running several hours and got even a bit better running over night.
The good is that it isn't at all noisy (this preamp is quieter than many solid state units, when in buffer mode), has OK image depth and localization, doesn't gloss, soften or harmonize over the music overtly and runs very cool.
The bad may be things that a lower end systems or poor source material might not event reveal, but there *is* quite a bit to criticize, as it collapses the sound stage width by about 20% and depth by 30% (referenced to bypass/passive operation), it also has a sort of soft halo or circle of confusion that surrounds all the voices and instruments making them larger than in bypass, as well as adding a noticeable "wooliness" to them. On top of that transient attack is softened and decay is largely lost in the soft haze... for reference, this is a pretty nit-picky criticism, and the "haze" is hard to describe, since it isn't an audible noise floor ...it's kind of like; if the bypass mode has empty black space surrounding all the instruments, then the tube has a soft charcoal gray as the backdrop. It actually sounds like a slight compression effect. Last and in my opinion, most unforgiveable, is that it softens and slightly inflates bass (only emphasizing maybe 50 to 150Hz, which masks overtones and reduces perceived detail?), while suppressing true sub-bass (my speakers have useable output below 25Hz and the room reinforcement takes that even lower, so I hear this effect clearly on a lot of tracks).
*
The other tube is a 1940s(?) National Union 6SN7GT, with black "silvering" inside the upper portion of the envelope. It's used, but has *perfect* triode balance and gm measures at more than 100% of new spec. This tube sounded similar to the supplied tube (*after* that one had broken in!) when cold, and stopped audibly "improving" after about two hours of use. It runs somewhat hotter than the tube Schitt supplied, but still nothing like higher power output tubes.
This tube shares in small part all of the failings of the other, but only in *very* small doses, maybe 20% or less as noticeable as with the 6H8C. It also has an *ever so slight* euphonic sweetness, but it's not overt the way that many tube gain stages are. I expect that some systems might not resolve the differences between the bypass and buffer modes with this tube in place, losing both the good and bad properties in their own lower resolution and tonal coloration (effectively rendering the tube buffer transparent). The sub-bass deficit and less than black background still bother me, but are both much less objectionable than in the 6H8C. The NUs sonic signature, subtle as it is, is even useful in taming the sound of some bad recordings, since the ever so faint reduction in resolution and softer, sweeter presentation counter a portion of the harshness. Some listeners will undoubtedly feel that this makes the tube "better" than bypass.
*
Phono listening gave the same results as digital media, but didn't reveal the sub-bass issue (since there usually isn't any on an LP), the slight bass lift and softening was heard though.
*
Now some comments on the passive/bypass mode: it's virtually indistinguishable from a direct connection to the Cambridge streamer: detail, stage width/depth, image placement, tonal balance, all fully intact as well as dynamics and the amazing slam and drive that this component delivers (which it does without any compromise to the subtlety of the music). An A/B/X with matched levels might reveal *something*, but turning off, cable swapping, then powering up again between listening, leaves me with the feeling that all I did was swap remotes, not add or remove a component from the chain.
*
I have a theory about the sub-bass effect when in the tube buffer mode: it's that the Saga+ effectively reduces the output impedance of the Cambridge unit (despite being created to *improve* that parameter), which in turn compromises the bass drive... The streamer has a fairly beastly 46ohm output impedance, while Saga+ is 180ohms (really very respectable). It's not like my cables are reactive, or the Adcom is a tough load to drive, but I think it may be just enough to have caused the suppressed sub-bass output.
*
That's all for now.

What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.

Primarily gaming from all gens, from emulating old ps1 games through to modern releases PC and RPCS3.
Specifically looking forward to Dragons Dogma 2 coming out at some point (using RE engine so I've been roughly looking at RE4 as a guide there with some wiggle room for DD2 being open world), but also Elden Ring which I can't run on my current rig, and Forgotten City which I barely meet the requirements for. As well as heavily modded minecraft with shaders.
I'm aiming for 1440p 60fps, as I mostly game on a TV in the same room connected via HDMI. The TV is 4k capable, but I don't really have the budget to make that my primary goal and I'm happy with 1440p. I also don't mind dropping back down to 1080p if things get too intensive, I'm really not fussy.
Side uses would be photoshop, though not heavily, and I would like to get back into 3d modelling though I don't really touch the rendering side of things so I'm not too worried about AMD/Nvidia differences there. Minor use of Stable Diffusion is the last point which I know AMD suffers on with windows, but I could install linux if I really wanted or just run the limited install of it. It's still going to be better than my current 1060 6gb.
I also don't care about raytracing

What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?

I had originally planned on just getting a new case and moving my parts so some parts I would have needed for that are already brought, as well as peripherals I've already decided on, so while I have a total budget of $3000 AUD, the functional budget left is:
~$2100 AUD for internal parts + monitors

When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

Within the month, but pretty much as soon as I can get it finalized and am comfortable with it all and stop stressing about this or that thing

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)

Everything except an OS and perhaps PSU
Mouse/Keyboard/Monitors all have various issues so I'm just going to do a complete refresh at once.

Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?

Victoria, Australia. Local pickup from Scorptec, PCCaseGear, BPCTech, and CentreCom

If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.

I do plan on reusing my EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply that I brought in 2016 as it's still within its warranty period of 10 years, unless it's recommended not to.

Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?

Highly unlikely as I think that would just make me anxious more than anything

Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

Motherboard - At least 2 M.2 slots that won't throttle the PCI-E lanes of the GPU or other slots if both filled. At least 5 USB-A slots on the back, a USB-C for the case front
Other then that not particularly. I would prefer to stick with intel, sorry AMD, just because it should handle the single core stuff that little better

What type of network connectivity do you need? (Wired and/or WiFi) If WiFi is needed and you would like to find the fastest match for your wireless router, please list any specifics.

Ethernet and Bluetooth 5. I'm sick of dealing with bluetooth dongles

Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

Case already brought, yes I'm one of the many people on the Fractal North train. I have a lot of wood and black furniture already haha.

Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?

No, going to move my license from my previous build

Extra info or particulars:

As I already have a rough build so along with a general review and cost cutting if possible, these are mostly my main points of concern:

• CPU Cooler - Noctua is expensive and doesn't seem to cool that much more than say a AK620 or Dark Rock Pro 4. But I would like some consideration for noise levels, quieter is better, and I also hear the be quiet mounting systems are painful to use. Or I could drop down to a Noctua U12S if it would be enough given I have no plans of overclocking for now? Really have no idea here and I've looked at so many reviews trying to figure out which is the best temp/noise that my head is spinning (note: The Assassin line of coolers is not available in Aus). And I am quite noise sensitive which is why I went the expensive noctua case fans instead of arctic, didn't want to even take the risk of the whine people report from arctic fans.
  
• Motherboard - Seems like overkill, but it's on a huge sale, looks nice, MSI's problem is the least of the three major ones lately, and unless there's something better and cheaper out there it seems fine? (Avoiding ASUS, and Gigabyte have an alarming amount of refurbished boards on aus sites at the moment)
  
• EVGA PSU being reused from my current build, 7 years old within its 10 year warranty (though I don't know where the invoice for it is), is a problem or would it be better off to just bite the bullet and get a brand new one?
  
• GPU - The one I picked is a 2 fan MSI 6750xt for $619 (asus and gigabyte models of the 6750xt have reports of coil whine, which is why I went this), but I also have the option for a 3 fan Gigabyte 6700xt for $529, and I'm not sure if that's a good trade off for cost/performance as well as quiet operation, as they seem very close in performance but not sure about noise values. Seems like it would be but just doubting myself
  

https://au.pcpartpicker.com/useNazenn/saved/64JNpg
Any and all help welcome, thank you so much

Now, I love Lou, but had to think of something to get two certain characters to Ericson to help save his life. One of them is a relative to one of the kids as the school. And after this chapter, Clem, will start to loosen her prejudice over Maya when they start to bond and work together to save Louis's life. She will start to look at Maya, and sees what Violet sees in her.
Over the next couple of days, Louis's pain in his lower right abdomen started to burn and hurt like hell. He thought it was hungry pains and found himself not hungry. Or it was weird after-sex pain that lasts several days after having sex the first time. Louis ignored the pain and eased up for quite some time when he, Aasim, and Willy were out hunting.
Louis fought through the pain of taking the rabbit out of the snare and held his side. Louis has a cold sweat now forming on his brow. Am I getting sick or something? Better not be. I am needed for hunting. Louis must be kneeling for quite some time as Aasim comes back hauling two rabbits.
"Dude you're okay?" Aasim looks at his friend.
Louis slowly rises and holds his right side. "Yeah...just...heartburn."
Aasim's eyebrows raise in concern, "Lou, you're not fine. You're sweating and it is freezing out."
"Let's just get the rest of the traps set for Thumper to run into them if they ever come out." Louis waves off Aasim's concern.
"Still think you should see Ruby." Aasim looks at him.
"Will you stop worrying about me? I'm fine, I don't need—" Louis pauses as he feels his stomach turn. Louis starts to gag and runs to a side of the tree and pukes.
Aasim drops the kills and tends to his friend. Aasim approaches Louis and sees him turning a different shade of color, "Come on, let's get you back home. Willy and I will set the traps later. You need to see Ruby now. Vomiting is not an indicator of fine Louis," Aasim spoke.
Louis nods and holds his right abdomen, as the pain steadily worsens. Willy finishes catching a rabbit and looks as Aasim walks close to Louis and sees Louis's pale brown now, "What is wrong with him?"
"Louis is sick. Taking him back to see Ruby. Take what we caught to Omar, and you and I will reset the traps later this evening." Aasim said.
"It is just the stomach bug, Aasim," Louis spoke, trying not to make it a big deal.
"Maybe, but let's have Ruby verify it first, okay." Aasim walks with him.
"Okay... I think you are wasting your girl's talents on something silly as the stomach bu—" Louis then felt a sharp pain now in his lower right side as it causes him to fall to his knees with a thud.
"Louis!" Aasim rushes to his side and sees his friend holding his side. "Shit.."
Willy looks to Aasim, "What is happening to him? Stomach bugs usually don't make people faint, do they?"
"No, they don't. Come on, I need your help." Aasim instructs Willy on what to do, and the rest of the way back Aasim carries Louis on his shoulder.
Violet is on watch duty when she sees Aasim carrying Louis, and she rushes down from the watch tower to open the gate. Once Aasim and Willy are through the gate, Violet asks, "What happened?"
"I don't know. We need to see Ruby ASAP. Something majorly is wrong with Louis." Aasim told Violet.
"She's in the greenhouse with Clementine." Violet pointed in the direction of the greenhouse.
Aasim nodded, "Willy, go fetch her and meet me in the nurse's station. Violet go to the library and find a medical book, any medical book."
"Why a medical—" Violet started to say.
"Because I think we are going to need it to find out exactly what is wrong with Louis," Aasim spoke. He heaves Louis up the stairs to the admin building. It was a long tiring climb but he laid Louis down on a soft bed in the nurse's station.
Violet comes in first with the book Aasim requested and didn't take long before Clementine and Ruby are at the door. Clementine rushes to be at her lover's side. She felt Louis's head as he breaks out in a cold sweat, and he looked pale. Clementine looks at Aasim, "What happened? What is wrong with him?"
Aasim rubs the back of his neck, "I don't know. He was acting strange when we were hunting and trying to reset the snares when Louis started to vomit, and then as we were walking back, he fainted and hasn't woken up since. He was favoring his right side."
Ruby stands by Louis and touches his forehead, "He's got a fever, that is for sure."
Clementine looks into Ruby's blue eyes, "Stomach bug?"
Aasim shook his head, "Stomach bugs don't make people faint. Or have severe lower abdominal pains"
Violet reaches for the book Aasim requested and asks Aasim to list off Louis's symptoms, "Aasim give me Louis's symptoms again."
Aasim looked at Violet and started to list off his symptoms, "He has a fever, vomited out in the woods, and been holding his lower right side. And fainted."
Violet looks to Clementine who is near Louis's right side, "Clem lift up Louis's shirt and lightly feel around where his hip is."
Clementine looks at Violet and does precisely what she instructed. When she touches the tender spot on Louis's stomach Louis groans, and his fist slams the bed, and he hugs his body. Violet looks and finds what is wrong with him, "Fuck...his appendix ruptured."
Clementine looks at her, "How do you know that?"
"A girl who used to live here, Maddy. Her appendix ruptured, and Ms. Martin had to take her to the hospital." Violet spoke.
Violet handed the medical book to Ruby and pointed the medical term out to her. Clementine looks at Louis and then back at the two girls, "Okay...what do we do? Pain meds."
Violet eyes Aasim and Ruby, and Ruby is first to speak, "Clem, Louis needs more than just medicine. He needs surgery."
Clementine eyes widen, "Surgery?! But we don't have that option around here." Clementine took her gaze off the two girls and looked at Louis, who looked to be in pain. She closes her eyes and is afraid to ask this question to get an answer she is afraid to hear. Clementine reopens her eyes and looks at Ruby, "What happens if Louis can't get surgery?"
Ruby reads what would happen if the appendix is not removed in time, and she is afraid to answer Clementine. Clementine looks to her as the only medical person in this school who know this stuff, "Well?"
Ruby swallows hard, "Louis could die Clem."
Clementine face falls and she holds his hand, and her eyes squeeze shut. She reopens them and looks at Ruby with tears in her eyes, "Can you do it? Or look it up somewhere on how to do it?"
"Clem...I...I know little about this kind of stuff. I didn't go to med school, I could make it worse." Ruby's voice broke.
"You're the best bet I have, Ruby!" Clementine raises to her feet.
"I'm not a surgeon, Clem. I only know basic medical knowledge of what Ms. Martin told me." Ruby looks at Clementine with empathy and wishes she knew more, but she doesn't.
The whole time when Clementine and Ruby are talking, Violet eyes Louis. Maya! Maya knows how to heal people. Maybe she can help Louis. Violet fixes her eyes on Clementine, "Maya might know how to help Louis."
Clementine and Ruby both turn to look at Violet. Clementine crosses her arms and eyes, Violet, "And how will your girlfriend know how to fix him? He needs a surgeon Vi, not an herbalist."
"Clem, Ruby needs help, and Maya knows some medical knowledge here that can help save Louis. It is not like we got a choice here in picking doctors here. I know you have trust issues with Maya, but she can help Clementine." Violet ignores the comment on her girlfriend, which Violet had every right to tell Clementine off but chooses not to as Louis needs her help more than her feud with Clementine.
Ruby looks to Clementine, "I can use another set of hands from a healer. And she is right. We don't have many options to choose from if we want to save Louis. If Violet can bring Maya here, the better."
Clementine looks to Ruby and then to Violet, and then her gaze rests on Louis, whose life is hanging in the balance. Clementine closes her eyes to think as she doesn't have much of an option but to take up Violet's offer and bring Maya here to inspect Louis and work with Ruby to save him. Clementine sighs, "Fine. But take Aasim with you. I don't want anyone from her group to come and know about this place, got it? Especially Arvo and Bonnie." Violet turns to her friend, and the two of them leave the nurses' station.
...
Violet and Aasim walk in the woods as Violet leads him down the pathway she takes to meet Maya. Aasim told her, "I am surprised Clem is being civil on this matter."
"Louis's life is on the line. So, she doesn't have much choice to hold onto her pride." Violet murmurs. "She loves him, and people will do anything to keep the person they love alive. I would have done the same thing if Maya was like this." Violet admitted.
Aasim looks at her, "Speaking of which, how do you know where she will be? Or know her whereabouts in her camp?"
Violet looks to him and then her eyes forward, "We worked out a coding system of leaving messages close by an opening in the wall by her tent in her group's camp. How she treated my shoulder a few days ago. Ruby is good, but the stuff Maya uses is better." Violet admitted. "Don't tell Ruby I said that. I'm grateful for her skill of taking care of me and everyone, but something about the stuff Maya uses...it is better, and feels like there are some magical healing properties."
Aasim holds out his hands, "I won't, and pretend I didn't hear you prefer your girlfriend's stuff over Ruby's."
Violet smiles a little, then focus on getting to Maya to help Louis. They are nearing Maya's group encampment, and she signals to Aasim to be quiet and follow her lead. They didn't get far into the caravan's territory when Violet pulled Aasim behind a bush for cover as they saw a red hair woman, Maya, and Aniya. Aasim whispers to Violet, "How are we going to get her away from those two."
Violet watches her girlfriend and notices they just come back from hunting. She looked and thought of a way to get her attention, "Stay here,"
Aasim looks at her, "Violet. No, this is suicide. We will wait for her to be alone."
"Louis may not have that kind of time, Aasim. Every minute counts, and Louis needs that surgery, now!" Violet hisses. "I will go and get her attention. Wait here, please!" Violet inches closer and closer behind the three females as the redhead is carrying a small bore and two rabbits. Maya had a bow and a quiver of arrows.
Maya looked back and halted in her tracks as she heard footsteps behind them or nearby. Bonnie notices her slight absence, "Something wrong, Maya?"
Maya peers through the trees as she holds up a finger to her leader to stay quiet momentarily. Maya zeros in on the sound and looks to see Violet. Her eyes widened, and she had to think of something, "I thought I heard something back there. But I guess it was a bird or a walker. There are those still around." Maya turns back, and with her foot, she writes a one and an m in the dirt for Violet to see. It was a subtle motion that Bonnie or her sister never saw what Maya did with her foot. Maya turns back and follows Bonnie and her sister up the trial that led to their encampment.
Violet waited until the three of them were out of sight, and she went to the spot where Maya paused, and in the dirt, she wrote one m. Violet took that to mean one moment or one minute. Violet nods and goes to where Aasim is hiding. "Okay, she saw me and wrote a message in the dirt. She will be with us momentarily. She needs to find a way to sneak away from her group. Give her a few minutes." Violet spoke.
"But you said." Aasim started to say.
"I know, but I also don't want us or her to get in trouble here," Violet answers him. "I'm going about this in a smart way where we don't have spilled blood. Just trust in her, okay." Violet grips the tree with her hand.
They waited five minutes or so when Violet heard Maya's sweet voice calling her, "Vi? Violet?"
Violet peers out from the bush and motions for Aasim to get up with her, "Maya over here."
Maya comes to Violet and hugs her. Violet melted in her embrace and loved the soft touch Maya brought in her warm hugs. Violet holds onto Maya longer than she planned, but her heart got in the way. Aasim saw the love Maya and Violet shared with each other and kindly made his presence known to them. Violet snaps out of her love moment and pulls back from Maya. Maya sees Aasim, and she looks at Violet, "Okay..this is new. You brought a friend with you."
"Clementine's idea, not mine. I will cut to the chase. Louis needs your help, Maya." Violet spoke gently to her.
Aasim looks to this Indian girl, "Violet says you are good with medicine and are knowledgeable with medical procedures. is that right?"
"Yes on some, what is this about?" Maya looks at the two of them.
"We need your help in helping Louis. His appendix ruptured, and he needs surgery. Clementine said you won't be a help because you are an herbalist, but I know you can help him." Violet urges her girlfriend.
Maya looks into Violet's eyes with sympathy, "Vi, I love you, and great you have faith in my skill as a healer. I hate to agree with your leader Clementine here, but she is right. I, too, don't have any knowledge of surgical procedures. I never was trained to be one, not even out in Jackson when studying to be a healer in my Tribe."
Violet looks into her lover's eyes, "So you can't help us?"
"I didn't say that entirely. I am not a surgeon, but I know someone who is or used to be one. Someone in my group was one before the zombie outbreak happened. I can go get him." Maya looks at Aasim and Violet. Maya eyes Aasim, "If that is okay?"
Violet looks at Maya and nods, "Go."
Maya nods and heads back down the pathway she came from. Aasim watches her go and leans to Violet, "Vi, we came to get Maya not bring others to the school."
"Maya knows her group members, and one of them just happens to be the miracle Louis needs. We are going to bring them back to the school rather Clem likes the idea or not. Not like we can go ask anybody else here if they know surgery." Violet spoke.
Aasim heaves a sigh, "I just don't know how I feel about this, Vi."
Violet looks at him, "I'm doing this to save Louis. And this person in Maya's camp is our only option." Violet sighs, "I won't lose another friend when we can have a shot at saving him. I won't lose someone else I care for. Not you, Louis, Clementine, Tenn, or Maya., not today not ever."
....
Maya enters through the hole and she secretly sneaks out. Maya sees Bonnie by the campfire and Alberto chopping away at some fresh kill. Aniya was playing with Alicia keeping her occupied as Maya zeros in on Robert's tent. Maya sneaks in and finds him snoozing on his cot. With a deep breath, Maya approaches him, "Robert. Robert, I need you to wake up." Robert was still in a deep slumber and groaned a little.
Maya then goes by his arm and pinches him hard to get him awake. Robert sprung up, "Son of a bitch! Who the Fu—" Robert looks at Maya, "What are you doing?"
"I need you," Maya spoke.
"With what? You don't look to be injured or need medical treatment." Robert eyes her.
Maya took a deep breath, "I need your skills as a surgeon, Robert. And I need you to come with me to my girlfriend's camp. Louis needs your help."
When Maya mentions Louis's name Robert sits up, "What happened to my son?"
"His appendix ruptured. He needs a surgeon, and he needs an operation, like now, he needs you." Maya looks at him.
Robert closes his eyes. "Maya, I can't." Robert looks away, "I..."
Maya goes and kneels down to him and places her hands on Robert's knees. "I know this pain you caused runs deep."
"It is not that Maya, I can...I can possibly kill him. I haven't been in the OR since the outbreak happened. And I don't have the equipment if things go south. What if I.." Robert shakes his head, "There is a reason surgeons are not allowed to do surgery on our own families or be near the operating room. We get too involved."
"Robert, Louis needs you now more than ever. I have seen how you tried to care for Mike after he got bit. But the difference between Mike and your son Mike was already too far gone to be fixed, where there is still time to save your son. You can do this, Rob." Maya squeezes her pressure on his knee. "Rob, Louis doesn't have much time. If you want that reunion with your son, you need to step up here. Otherwise, you might not get another opportunity. Please."
Robert lets out a sigh and then raises his gaze to look at Maya, "Okay. Take me to him."
Maya raises to her feet and heads out of his tent. Robert comes after her shortly, and when Maya starts to head to the opening where she sneaks out, Robert pulls her back, "We need a better plan to get out of camp. Because of this outing we are doing Maya, is going to raise questions. Especially Arvo and Alberto."
"Okay, doc, you have any ideas?" Maya eyes him.
Robert looks at the gate and then at his medical tent, "Actually, I do. Wait here." Robert goes to his med tent and grabs the supplies he needs for surgery. Maya paces in the sandy dirt while she waits. It took several moments as she watched Robert approach Bonnie and started talking to her. Maya couldn't make out their conversation, but she was surprised when Bonnie gave the okay. Robert then nodded and walked back to Maya. "Okay, all set, let's go."
Maya had a confused look as she followed Robert to the main gate. Arvo peers over the ledge and yells out, "Where are you two going?"
Robert looked at Arvo and calmly said without a nervous tone back at him, "Maya and I will be going into that small town little ways down the river looking for more medical supplies. I am running low on bandages and drugs. We will be back sometime this evening or late in the night. I cleared it with Bonnie."
Arvo eyes Maya suspiciously, "And why do you need her?"
"To watch my back in case I run into trouble with walkers," Robert said. "And to help me carry supplies back for the group."
Arvo sneers, "Think it is a waste but fine. Go."
Robert nods and motions to Maya to get a move on. Once they were away from the main gate, Maya looked up at him, "You really need supplies Rob, or was that a lie to cover up what you will help me with."
"Well, I still have bandages left, and some drugs, but will not have enough for our group after when I perform this surgery on my son. So in a way, it wasn't a total lie. Just won't be going to that town but to Ericson." Robert told her with his eyes forward.
Maya looks at him and can't believe he went against his own instincts and kind of lied to Bonnie. Just comes to show her how much Robert cares for his son. Maya then leads Robert to where Aasim and Violet are hiding. Maya looks at Robert, "Before you meet them, they are not too keen to have adults in their camp, and don't argue with them to pose you are a threat. Listen to everything they say, as we are on their turf, got it?"
Robert looks at her, "Why so hostile? Do they not have any adults?"
"Violet told me all the adults left when the world turned to shit and left the children at the school you sent your son to, to fend for themselves. So yeah they have trust issues with adults and do not take kindly to them. Promise me you will remain calm and not threatening." Maya advises Robert.
Robert nods, "Okay I promise." Maya nods and takes Robert down the path to the brush where Violet and Aasim are at.
Once Maya comes to the spot Aasim and Violet are shocked when a man in his early 40s comes with Maya. Aasim looks to Violet and Violet looks back at him. Maya looks back at them, "Okay I brought the only person I know who can help Louis. Led us to your camp." Aasim eyes Robert and Maya and before he can say anything, Violet urges them to head toward Ericson.
...
The walk to Ericson was tense as Maya felt the tension of Aasim's stare. The only thing keeping her somewhat calm was looking and gazing at Violet. She can sense she is worried for her friend as she keeps her distance a little bit from her. Maya half wanted to walk side by side with her lover to have Maya be her rock, and for Violet to help ease Maya's stormy seas.
The sun was just a little past noon when they walked into unfamiliar land that Maya had never seen before. They walk across a bridge and strange markings in the trees with ropes hanging down. Maya steals a glance at Robert as he looks back at her. The last time he saw this place was when it was still functional. So seeing the condition of the school now was a foreign concept to Robert. Up ahead Maya sees the iron gates she saw in her vision of Violet's past. And the walls and the towering building structures that lie beyond that gate.
As they got closer to the entrance to the gate of the school, Maya saw a sign that read 'Don't Fuck with Us!' next to a dead man tied around a tree whose body was half decomposed. Maya looked to the right on the edge of the school wall was a cart of some kind. She was distracted as the little boy named AJ shot a warning shot at them. Aasim comes up from behind Robert and Maya and yells, "No, AJ, don't shoot! We need them."
AJ comes down as Willy and Ruby usher in the new guests and Violet and Aasim. Ruby looks to her boyfriend, "I thought we were just getting Maya, not a fucking adult."
Aasim looks at her, "She says he is a surgeon Ruby."
"And you think bringing an adult man to school is a good idea, Aasim?" Ruby asks.
"What choice do we have. Louis needs a surgeon, and this guy is the best we got," Aasim admitted.
Ruby heaves a sigh, "Alright, Clem will not be pleased about this."
Violet talked with AJ to stand down and not threaten Maya and Robert, as Aasim talks with Ruby. Violet glances a worried glance at her girlfriend for bringing her inside her group's walls. She longed for this moment to happen, but not in this way.
Ruby and Aasim come back to Robert and Maya, "Take it one of you is the surgeon?"
Maya nudges Robert, as Robert comes forward, "Yes...I was told someone in your group needs medical treatment."
Ruby then orders, "Follow me."
Maya nods for Robert to follow the redhead with a southern accent as Maya awkwardly awaits by the walls of Ericson. Maya sees the weird looks of a boy Maya has never seen before with short brown hair. Another little boy with a burn scar across the right side of his face. And another teenage boy with puffy afro hair by a campfire staring at her. So this is where Violet lives. Huh, not what I envisioned. Maya looks around the structure. Sees good strong walls, and almost feels like home a little. And another strange feeling, Maya almost sees this is an excellent place to bring her sister, and they no longer have to feel threatened by walkers or any adult figure threatening them. It is the home Maya longs to give her little sister and to have a future with Violet.
Maya stood there and was about to sit by the stone wall of the gate when Violet came and stood next to her, "Come on, you don't have to be so standoffish, and look suspicious."
Maya eyes her girlfriend, "I get looks from your group members that they don't trust me, and I want to earn their trust some and not pose a threat."
"Standing by the gates, Maya is kind of sending a weird message. And we've been through a lot, so bringing anyone new into our walls, my group is hesitant about. Besides, Aasim told me to have you sit at a picnic table while your friend—is talking with Clementine." Violet said in a soft voice to ease Maya's anxieties. She then takes hold of Maya's hand and leads her to a picnic table close to the admin building, as they wait on the news of Louis.
....
Clementine holds Louis's hand as she waits for Violet and Aasim to return with Maya for help. She heard a knock on the door as Ruby came in with a person she least expected to see. Clementine got worried, and before she had a chance to speak, Ruby explained the situation, "Clem, before you start, this is Robert. He has come to help Louis. That is it."
Ruby nods for Robert. Robert nervously came forth as Maya was not kidding these kids had been through hell. Robert had seen this girl before, the prosthetic foot girl several weeks back who let Alberto, Aniya, and him go. Clementine was just as shocked to see him again too. Clementine slowly spoke, "You're a surgeon?"
Robert nods, "Been one for the past 24 years. Maya told me you have someone that has a dire need for surgery."
Clementine was still shocked and speechless this man was kind and not threatening to her, which was the first she saw in an adult figure that was not trying to fuck her over. And in some odd way, he has the same gentleness as Louis. Clementine looks to Ruby and then to this humbled man. "Louis is over here."
Clementine led this man of about 40 years of age by the bedside of the small nurses' station. Robert's blood runs cold as he sees his son looking so sick. And he felt like he was going to vomit. He doesn't want to give away to his son's girlfriend that that is his son, but Clementine is already starting to make some connection that this man is related to her boyfriend.
Robert examines his son's abdomen, and Maya's diagnosis is right on the money. Robert turns to the two girls standing at the end of the bed, "Okay, I am going to need assistance here. Out of the two of you, who has more medical care skills and is not afraid of blood and guts? If both of you aren't, I am going to need Maya's help."
Clementine looked to Ruby, and Ruby came forth, "I am the healer here."
"That counts for something." Robert looks at the young redhead. "What's your name, kid."
"Ruby." Ruby offered out her name.
When Clementine heard Robert speak the word kid, had the same wavelength as Louis's voice. Clementine looks at her boyfriend and then at the man standing over him. Same eyes as Louis, even down to the same kind of freckles around his nose, cheeks, a little bit of his chest, and hands. Clementine looks at Robert and ponders. No, he can't be. Louis had a falling out with his father. Why would his father come to him now? What broke Clementine's thoughts was a soft touch of Ruby's hand on her arm, "Clem, we need you to vacate the room."
"No, I am not leaving him, Ruby. I love him. What if something happens, and I am not there in his last moments." Clementine protests. "He is the love of my life Ruby!"
Ruby held onto her leader's cheeks, "I promise to come to get you, but Clementine, we need this space to work and save Louis's life here. Please wait outside. I will fetch you when he is through. Please."
Clementine closes her eyes and reopens them to look back at Robert and then at Louis, and she slowly exits the room with a thorn in her heart. She knows Robert heard her calling Louis the love of her life.

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Here’s what you’ll get in Break Free Academy

• You have a "almost magic" phrase you can use to pique a lead's interest in working with you (and you alone) right away when you speak with them for the first time. (Best part: works amazingly well even for novice agents who struggle to close business.)
• How to trick your dishonest rivals into assisting you in growing YOUR business by generating more leads! (If you only follow my directions, they'll work for you like unpaid interns, negotiating deals for you day and night.)
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• A fast "crash course" on how to turn the Internet into your very own, 24/7 lead-generation machine that works nonstop for you. (And don't worry, you already possess all the necessary technological abilities if you can check email.)
• How to become the preferred agent in your market, even among leads that aren't fond of you! (It's the simplest method I've ever seen for converting unfriendly leads into eager buyers.)
• The one biggest error made by 99% of real estate professionals every day that immediately destroys deals. (Almost everyone I speak with, including "successful" people, engages in this, and it harms their sales. It's likely that you are also guilty of this error, which amounts to financial self-robbery. Details follow.)
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• How to make your cell phone "jimmy" so that it simultaneously closes business for you like 7 ardent salespeople! (Doing this on your phone is practically a guarantee that you'll never miss a sales opportunity again; it's the next best thing to cloning yourself and being in many places at once.)
• How to use Facebook as your free, top salesperson. (If you follow these easy steps, you won't ever have to pay outrageous advertising costs again, and many of the leads you acquire will be exclusive JUST to you.)
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• How to use social media sites to create hundreds of buyeseller leads per year, even if you don't currently have any connections there. (And how to accomplish this without violating any of their policies or coming out as a desperate spammer. In fact, if you follow what I teach you perfectly, individuals may even thank you for your sales!
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• How to create a huge following of individuals wanting to speak with you about purchasing a home with just an average cell phone camera! Funny thing about this is that despite how simple and clear it is, hardly nobody in our profession actually does it.
• How to "side step" the errors that most salespeople make when bringing in new customers and guiding them through the sales process. (HINT: If you follow my method, the sale is closed at the start of the process rather than the end, making it difficult to fail even if you say something stupid or misstate an argument.)
• Why do so many paid advertisements only provide bad leads with no desire to ever make a purchase? (And how to adjust your sponsored advertisements so you only receive hot, eager buyeseller leads prepared to get started the moment you speak with them.)
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FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - Former President Donald Trump was indicted for mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate, making him the first former U.S. President in history to face criminal charges by the federal government he once oversaw.
There are mixed reactions to the sweeping 37-count felony indictment. Below are statements Valley News Live received from North Dakota’s U.S. Senators and Representative.
Senator Kevin Cramer (R) North Dakota: “DOJ is partisan and corrupt, and anything they do relating to former President Trump should be automatically dismissed. The Biden administration has zero credibility when it comes to its multi-tiered justice system. For a sitting president to indict his political opponent is chilling and should outrage every American. If Joe Biden had an ounce of integrity, he would tell his AG to drop the whole matter. I’m not holding my breath. Perhaps the DOJ should stop protecting the Bidens’ criminal activities instead of going after concerned parents and political opponents.”
Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R) North Dakota: “There is a sign at DOJ that says “The Hallmark of Justice is Consistency”. There is nothing consistent as to how this DOJ has treated Donald Trump. If they had used these same tactics, James Comey and Hillary Clinton would be convicted of similar charges and serving out their sentences. It only takes months to charge President Trump with obstruction but after several years they can’t figure out how to charge President Biden’s son for lying on a gun form?”
Congressman Armstrong said he will support the Republican nominee for President, whoever that happens to be.
Senator John Hoeven (R) North Dakota: “It is hard to understand why the National Archives has not worked this out with President Trump, and with the DOJ stepping in, the American people are concerned about political bias. This needs to be resolved as soon as possible without political bias to ensure people can have confidence in the judicial system.”
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Cramer and Armstrong, no surprise. I wonder if Cramer has gotten the taste of Trump's ear off his tongue yet. Hoeven did his best to weasel out. As I recall the NARA did try to resolve the issue and we see how that worked out. Wonder if they have read the indictments.
Re Hillary DOJ did not see intent and efforts to conceal (plus they managed to tank her campaign). Re Comey what exactly should he have been prosecuted for?
Anyone read the indictment yet? Priceless the contrast between Trump's 2016 statements about classified documents and his 2021-2022 statements. At least Hillary didn't stash her server in the shower.