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Synopsis:
Juliette Contzen is a lazy, good-for-nothing princess. Overshadowed by her siblings, she's left with little to do but nap, read … and occasionally cut the falling raindrops with her sword. Spotted one day by an astonished adventurer, he insists on grading Juliette's swordsmanship, then promptly has a mental breakdown at the result.
Soon after, Juliette is given the news that her kingdom is on the brink of bankruptcy. At threat of being married off, the lazy princess vows to do whatever it takes to maintain her current lifestyle, and taking matters into her own hands, escapes in the middle of the night in order to restore her kingdom's finances.
Tags: Comedy, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Copious Ohohohohos.
​
Chapter 25: Daily Grind
I found Apple chewing at the door handle to the alchemy shop. He raised his head when he saw me, snorted, then went back to chewing the wood.
I shooed him away, then gave him the last apple from the saddlebags instead.
Today had been a productive day for the both of us. I'd done away with miscreants and mages both, and he'd done away with everything green in a large circle around where he was tied up. Given enough time, I was certain he would have chewed through the door handle as well, and then the door itself.
It would have been marvellously useful. We needed to go through it.
Coppelia and I had unfinished business here. Officially requisitioning Apple back into my employ as my noble, if rather slow steed was a must. But so was ensuring that any evidence of Marina Lainsfont's crimes was secured, as well as hints on where she could have gone.
Neither of us expected to find Marina in the shop itself. But it was the abode of a powerful mage. And that meant the possibility of unforeseen danger.
We'd need to be respectful of potential traps, and that meant discretion.
“[Coppelia Kick]!”
Prooowwph.
Thus, the door to her shop flew inside as Coppelia roundhouse kicked it with a smile.
“What happened to discretion?!” I said, aghast at the damage it could have caused Coppelia's shoes. They were the nicest things she owned. “You said you were going to check the door for traps!”
“I did check the door for traps!”
“Then why is it now on the floor?!”
“There are two ways to check for traps. The dumb way and the Coppelia way. Dumb people cast counterspells and fiddle with locks until eventually, their spells and fancy hands fail one time and they blow up. Poof! If I kick the door down, then there's nothing to open and nothing to trigger.”
“You don't need to say the Coppelia way. You can just say wanton violence.”
“It works, though!” Coppelia stuck her leg past the doorway, paused, then skipped inside while pretending she hadn't just waited to see if she blew up. “And besides, it was a door. What are doors for if not to kick down?”
I raised an eyebrow. I also didn't walk in after her.
“Your library doesn't have any doors, does it?”
“Not anymore, no,” she said cheerfully. “Coming in?”
I waited five seconds for any explosions to occur, then followed after her. If Marina Lainsfont had planted a trap to detonate after more than five seconds, then she deserved her victory.
Inside, I was now experiencing my first act of breaking and entering a private property. Regardless of the criminal status of the owner, this was still trespass.
Luckily, laws didn't apply to me!
As a princess, any property was my own should I deem it to be. I could name a bench in the middle of a city as my private abode and anyone who sat on it would be charged with lèse-majesté. But while the option was available to me, it was problematic since I was currently masterfully incognito.
Fortunately, that problem had just solved itself.
I wasn't just here as a princess. True, I was 99% here as a princess as anything less would make me irredeemable in my own eyes. But I was also here as a newly inducted adventurer. And while that 1% meant shame and disappointment on my family name and royal heritage, it did come with a useful advantage.
Namely, that if anyone asked me why I was committing a host of minor offences, I could direct all liability onto the Adventurer's Guild!
Ohohohoho! Those fools! I'd bleed them and their reputation dry! It wasn't often I had the opportunity to plan the demise of the Adventurer's Guild, but now that I did, I took it with gusto.
I would brazenly ignore the law as usual, but now it would be the guild and not my family that were the target of the peasantry's vitriol!
My carefully constructed plan to diminish the Adventurer's Guild in the eyes of the people was taking shape. And it'd start with the ruckus Coppelia and I caused as we made our way through the narrow shop.
“The odour has become more pungent,” I noted, wrinkling my nose as I eyed the ingredients on the walls. “I thought it would become more bearable without anything green or purple or skull shaped simmering in the background.”
“Actually, I think that simmering helped overpower our senses so much that everything just became warm and hazy. Without it, we get everything as it is. Natural and raw and full of wholesome goodness.”
“I think I preferred it when it was an alarming miasma.”
“Get used to it. Adventurers dig around all the worst smelling places. That's where all the lost cats are.”
And that's where all the lost cats will stay.
Ohoho … unfortunately for our feline friends, I wasn't a cat person. I was a me person. And I cherished myself and my sense of personal hygiene dearly!
“I'll remind you that I'm an adventurer in name alone. Rest assured that any task I complete is for my own benefit, and that the Adventure's Guild is merely a fund to draw from.”
“By finding lost cats, right? I mean, they must have a huge fund for that.”
“Then it simply means there will be plenty of wide-eyed adventurers who are willing to degrade themselves with such menial tasks.”
Coppelia ceased her stooping around just to grin at me.
“And I bet they'll climb the ranks way faster than you because of it. How terrible would that be, huh? You might be F-rank forever!”
I winced.
F-rank! The … The indignity of it! The sooner the Adventurer's Guild were removed as a force in this kingdom, the better! And it had nothing to do with the sheer absurdity of the rank I'd received!
“I have no care for the arbitrary ranking system of the Adventurer's Guild,” I said, valiantly keeping the shame at bay. “Both you and I have more pressing matters to attend to than rescuing cats.”
Why, even the thought of doing a single commission which wasn't related to saving the kingdom filled me with horror. I would rather shame myself by returning to the Royal Villa with my head cowed than do anything to risk normalising fetching lost pets. That was for people like … what was his name?
Something Oddwell. The strange adventurer who'd dropped on his knees to beg for my time.
Rising through the ranks concerned people like him, not me. I was no commoner who saw prestige in adventuring through the wilderness for plaudits. Rather, to be viewed as an adventurer was abject humiliation! Who would become a wanderer of cellars and sewers if they had the acumen to seek fame and fortune through wit and diplomacy?
“I'm almost a little jealous, you know?” said Coppelia, her hands ransacking through bags, drawers and shelves. She wasn't even looking at what she pulled out. “If I wasn't an assistant librarian, I'd definitely want to see what all the fuss concerning adventuring is about.”
“Only the unimaginative fuss about adventuring. For me, this is a financial transaction. Nothing more.”
“Ooh! Who's buying what?”
“I'll sell an iota of my time as I tear down a notice for solving a kingdom-wide calamity, and in return, the guild will spill out its coffers for my assistance.”
Coppelia let out a laugh. It stopped as soon as she pulled out the strangely shaped skull from a barrel. Then she put on a huge grin as she started playing with its eye sockets.
“A reluctant adventurer,” she mused. “First time I've heard about that. I thought every wealthy girl and boy wanted to become one. You know, to get away from your stifling duties and horrendous expectations?”
I hid my smile behind my hand.
Ohohoho … my fair clockwork maiden, how little she knew!
I was not my siblings, cursed to trade smiles with the firstborn sons of mere barons as though they were worth a morsel of our time! No, my responsibilities were far more important! And gratifying!
“If you must know, I happen to be extremely fond of my duties. My orchard is the pride of my life.”
“Okay, well, I don't know what your duties are, but I'm already pretty sure they're different to what most other people do. Even the rich ones.”
Well, naturally!
I was a princess. Only my sisters could compare to me. And even amongst ourselves, none of us shared the same passions. Clarise was enamoured with her inventions and her observatory, while Florella was joyfully causing strife wherever men gazed at her.
Neither of them were quite as normal or level-headed as I was. But I cherished them nonetheless.
Suddenly, Coppelia's expression took on a serious hue.
“I don't know what you're thinking, but I feel strongly that I disagree with it.”
“E-Excuse me! Please don't claim to know what I'm thinking! That's a realm of insight and constant philosophy which would beguile the minds of all others!”
She stood up, blew some dust and dead things from herself, then purposefully eyed my idle hands.
“Is it because your mind's busy that I'm the only one looking for stuff?”
“You barrel through belongings with such disregard and nonchalance. I was enamoured. I believe you have what it takes to become an adventurer, should you ever choose to adopt the profession.”
She laughed at that. I wasn't sure why. That wasn't a joke.
“Saving kingdoms sounds like a pain. But if I finished my reading list and was a bit bored, sure, I'll do what you're doing. You know, the super embarrassing F-ranked thing.”
I gave a flick of my hair in response, resolutely standing still and not helping to sweep my hands through all these … rotting objects.
“A means to an end. Nothing more.”
“It might actually be useful, though? As an adventurer, you get more than crowns. You get information, too. That's important. The Adventurer's Guild is a useful tool. It's one of the first places I asked around in when looking for my book.”
I turned to look at Coppelia, my mouth wide.
Of … Of course!
This is why she was my future handmaiden!
The Adventurer's Guild was more than a bag of crowns! They had assets at their disposal beyond merely coin. Why, they parasited themselves not just in Tirea, but almost every other nation as well—including our neighbours to the east and south.
That meant this was an opportunity to weed out every last drop of information I could about Granholtz, Weinstadt and the Sands. What courtly information could I glean about the Grand Duchess's designs? How lost was the Royal House of Carx to revolt? Where next did the Dune King turn his golden knights and golden eyes?
Knowing how indispensable I'd become, the guild would surely bend over backwards to accommodate my every request!
Indeed, I could make use of this!
“Zilch here,” said Coppelia. “Want to look in the back with me or just stare open mouthed at how graceful I look while tearing through stuff?”
She did a spin for fun, tossing up a bundle of dried petals and herbs as she did so. I closed my mouth, then remembered I still needed to reply.
“You may look. If you still can't find anything, then endeavour to retrieve anything rare and expensive and stuff it in Apple's saddlebags. We've a great deal of expenses to cover and little time to be picky.”
“Rob everything!” Coppelia pumped her fist in the air. “Indiscriminate looting! Fill our pockets! Let's gooo~!”
I went to the counter, then began scouring it for crowns.
Rifling through drawers to expand on my personal funds was certainly a novel experience. But despite Coppelia's assertions, this wasn't robbery or looting or pocket filling. No, no, not at all.
Ohohohoho …. why, this was merely adventuring.
​
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Every time i go into red dead online my game loads perfectly and im in but when I open my menu, the game either crashes, or gives me "Rockstar needs your help
We have encountered an unrecoverable error which we are actively searching for information on. Can we have your permission to upload a complete snapshot of the game state that will help us fix this problem?
The upload process will take several minutes, depending on your connection speed. No progress will be displayed during the upload. The game will exit when the upload is complete".
If I say yes or no the game crashes im on x box one its like this on every profile

The 2024 eclipse is one year and one week out. I'm looking at weather along the path to make the best plan. Of course, all this info is available in historical data but that's not how my brain works.
We made a great last minute plan for the 2017 in South Carolina.
This year we have a self-contained van conversion so we're don't need to reserve the one perfect spot. We can just finalize plans a week or two out based on weather.
Love to hear how others are planning for this.

Hello,this is my first using Simsettlement 2.So far - loving the mod, but there's a problem whenever I switch to Workshop mode on the settlement. Which would be Gray Garden in this case. The game would freeze for a few second and then crash to desktop.What I've tried so far:- Create a new save and redo my action -> still crash- Validating game's file integrity on steam -> no change- uses LOOT and Vortex to sort the plugins and update Master's List -> still crash
I did some google search and most result tends to go toward Simsettlement Blog and Wikia (but those weren't really specific to my case - that being that CTD happens when approaching the settlement, which is not a problem for me. I can go to the settlement just fine. But when I switch to building mode, it crashes(
so I thought I'd post for solution on reddit first before asking directly on the blog. If there's official Discord server, I'd love to join and ask there directly as well.

Here is my Modlist 0 0 Fallout4.esm 1 1 DLCRobot.esm 2 2 DLCworkshop01.esm 3 3 DLCCoast.esm 4 4 DLCworkshop02.esm 5 5 DLCworkshop03.esm 6 6 DLCNukaWorld.esm 7 7 Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch.esp 8 8 ArmorKeywords.esm 9 9 WorkshopFramework.esm 10 a XDI.esm 11 b HUDFramework.esm 12 c TacticalReload.esm 13 d SettlementKeywords.esm 14 e SS2.esm 15 f SS2_XPAC_Chapter2.esm 254 FE 0 BerettaM9FS.esl 16 10 Unique NPCs.esp 17 11 NPC_Movement.esp 18 12 BetterSettlers.esp 19 13 Unique NPCs FarHarbor.esp 20 14 Unique NPCs_SpecialSettlers_All.esp 21 15 LooksMenu Customization Compendium.esp 22 16 LooksMenu.esp 23 17 Reverb and Ambiance Overhaul.esp 24 18 Vivid Weathers - FO4.esp 25 19 SS2Extended.esp 26 1a Vivid Weathers - FO4 - Quest.esp 27 1b W.A.T.Minutemen.esp 28 1c Backpacks of the Commonwealth.esp 29 1d SettlerRenaming-Indicators.esp 30 1e EferasShoulderBag.esp 31 1f DarkerNights.esp 32 20 DarkerNightsDetection.esp 33 21 Pip-Boy Flashlight.esp 254 FE 1 SS2_DLCSettlerPatch.esp 34 22 CombinedArmsNV.esp 35 23 CombinedArmsEXPack.esp 36 24 EG7.esp 37 25 SigMCX.esp 38 26 QBZ191.esp 39 27 1CAS_ServiceRifle.esp 40 28 P90.esp 41 29 CazadorML.esp 42 2a ehtyeci_MPX.esp 43 2b Ak5C.esp 44 2c Tec-9.esp 45 2d F4NVServiceRifleRedux.esp 46 2e MK18.esp 47 2f WattzLaserGun.esp 48 30 Wana_SA58.esp 49 31 AER15.esp 50 32 FO4 NPCs Travel.esp 51 33 Tacoduck'sLoreFriendlyArmorPack.esp 52 34 SteyrAUGnv.esp 53 35 RU556.esp 54 36 Escape from Boston - Springfield M14.esp 55 37 M2Agency.esp 56 38 MWM4.esp 57 39 ImiUzi.esp 58 3a M203.esp 59 3b HsProduktVhs2.esp 60 3c AK74M.esp 61 3d GS Benelli M3S90.esp 62 3e M&P 2.0.esp 63 3f MTs255.esp 64 40 FN-FAL.esp 65 41 AKMnv.esp 254 FE 2 Kedr.esp 66 42 HaxRPG7.esp 67 43 HuntingShotgun.esp 68 44 Glock19x.esp 69 45 BullpupBozar.esp 254 FE 3 Modern Weapon Replacer - Combined Arms - Barret M82A1 - Hunting Rifles.esp 70 46 SPTFIRE-ALLDLC.esp 71 47 FnScar.esp 72 48 SkibsWeapons-REDUX.esp 73 49 AtomicRadio.esp 74 4a AQUILA.esp 75 4b MP7.esp 76 4c HK_MP5.esp 77 4d GIAT_FAMAS.esp 78 4e G36Complex.esp 79 4f HK_UMP.esp 80 50 M1A.esp 81 51 KrissVector.esp 254 FE 4 TEC9.esp 82 52 Quad_Fusillade.esp 254 FE 5 Modern Weapon Replacer - Combined Arms - Desert Eagle - .44 Revolvers.esp 254 FE 6 Modern Weapon Replacer - Combined Arms - M9A1 - Gamma Guns.esp 254 FE 7 Modern Weapon Replacer - Personal Minigun - Miniguns.esp 254 FE 8 Modern Weapon Replacer - Sig Sauer MPX - Submachine Guns.esp 254 FE 9 Modern Weapon Replacer - WH-Mk.19 Shrike - Gatling Lasers.esp 83 53 Vivid Weathers - FO4 - Far Harbor.esp 84 54 Vivid Weathers - Natural Bright.esp 85 55 Vivid Weathers - Nuka World.esp 86 56 3dscopes-fnfal.esp 254 FE a Modern Weapon Replacer - RPG-7V2 - Missile Launchers.esp 254 FE b Modern Weapon Replacer - Hunting Shotgun - Double Barrel Shotguns.esp 87 57 3dscopes-m1a.esp 88 58 3dscopes-replacer-aug.esp 89 59 3dscopes-replacer-bullpupbozar.esp 90 5a 3dscopes-replacer.esp 91 5b 3dscopes-replacer-servicerifle.esp 92 5c AX50.esp 93 5d HRP_Mk23.esp 94 5e FOrigin12.esp 95 5f SV-98.esp 96 60 3dscopes-replacer-sv98.esp 97 61 3dscopes-replacer-wattz.esp 98 62 Quad_Accelerator.esp 254 FE c Energy Weapon Replacer - Accelerator - Plasma Guns.esp 254 FE d Energy Weapon Replacer - Rheinmetall EG-7 Energiegewehr - Gauss Rifles.esp 254 FE e Energy Weapon Replacer - Wattz Laser Gun - Laser Guns.esp 254 FE f Modern Weapon Replacer - AK74M - Handmade Rifles.esp 254 FE 10 Modern Weapon Replacer - Ak5C - Combat Rifles.esp 254 FE 11 Modern Weapon Replacer - AnotherOne TEC-9 - Pipe Revolvers.esp 254 FE 12 Modern Weapon Replacer - Bullpup Bozar - Lever Action Rifles.esp 254 FE 13 Modern Weapon Replacer - FN SCAR-H - Radium Rifles.esp 254 FE 14 Modern Weapon Replacer - MP7 - Pipe Bolt Action.esp 99 63 3dscopes-ru556.esp 100 64 Companion Infinite Ammo.esp 101 65 LongerPowerLines3x.esp 102 66 OWR_CraftableDecor.esp 103 67 OWR.esp 104 68 OWR_CraftableDecor_CW.esp 105 69 OWR_CraftableDecor_CW_SKEPatch.esp 106 6a OWR_CraftableDecor_SKEPatch.esp 107 6b BetterSettlersNoLollygagging.esp 108 6c CBBE.esp 109 6d Nexus_PMC.esp 254 FE 15 CROSS_CoA.esp 110 6e WastelandCodex.esp 254 FE 16 Vivid Fallout - All in One - Best Choice.esp 111 6f K9TacticalHarness.esp 112 70 ImmersiveVendors.esp 113 71 MC_clothespack.esp 114 72 PMC_extended.esp 254 FE 17 Modern Weapon Replacer - Cazador Missile Launcher - Fat Man.esp 115 73 Scopes.esp 116 74 P90NPC.esp 117 75 OWR_SKEPatch.esp 118 76 RAO - OWR patch.esp 254 FE 18 Modern Weapon Replacer - GIAT FAMAS - Institute Guns.esp 254 FE 19 Modern Weapon Replacer - Springfield Armory M1A - Laser Muskets.esp 254 FE 1a Modern Weapon Replacer - Agency Arms Benelli M2 - Combat Shotguns.esp 119 77 MP-412.esp 120 78 McMillanCS5.esp 121 79 ManualReload.esp 254 FE 1b Modern Weapon Replacer - HK Mark 23 SOCOM - Deliverer.esp 254 FE 1c Modern Weapon Replacer - MP5 Complex - Pipe Guns.esp 254 FE 1d Modern Weapon Replacer - AKM Complex - Assault Rifles.esp 122 7a WD_44.esp 123 7b RSh-12.esp 124 7c PL-14.esp 125 7d Penetration Framework.esp 126 7e Quad_RAWLauncher.esp 127 7f P220.esp 128 80 3dscopes-wmsr.esp 129 81 GS Beretta PX4.esp 254 FE 1e Modern Weapon Replacer - Beretta PX4 Storm - 10mm Pistols.esp 130 82 BetterSettlersCleanFacePack.esp 131 83 BetterSettlersMortalSoldiersPack.esp 132 84 BetterSettlersMortalPack.esp SS2_XDI Patch.esp 

In my BIOS I don't see the option to select USB in the boot menu. I only see one option: "windows boot manager".
My computer is new (Acer Aspire 5) so I must not be the only one with this issue... Maybe it's worth noting that my laptop only has USB 3.0 ports.
Has anyone here had this issue before, and if yes how did yousolved it?

Welcome back to Part 2, of my rewrite of Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this time, we discuss the films of 2021, since the shows have already been rewritten.

Black Widow:

The Plot: Since Black Widow is a prequel to Infinity War and Endgame, it's best to leave this film canon in my own timeline to avoid contradictions in the timeline. Especially because Phase 1-3 still happened in my canon.
Also, I think the female Taskmaster has potential, and we can get the more comic accurate version in the future, along with the existing Antonia Drekov version. We will cross that road when we reach The Thunderbolts.

Shang Chi: Legends of the Ten Rings

The Plot: This film would stay exactly the same, aside from the title change. I would cut down the humor, but the movie would stay the same in my MCU continuity.

Eternals:

The Plot: Druig takes Ikaris's place throughout my version, to be more comic accurate, since he was the one who betrayed The Eternals in the comics. Aside from that, here is the synopsis of my rewrite of The Eternals film.
Act-1: In 5000 BC, a strike team of Eternals, Ajak, Sersi, Ikaris, Kingo, Sprite, Phastos, Makkari, Druig, Gilgamesh, and Thena are sent by the Celestial Arishem to Earth on their starship, the Domo, to exterminate the invasive Deviants.
I'd keep the opening action sequence of The Eternals fighting The Deviants on the shore of an island.
Throughout the centuries, the Eternals continue to relocate to other growing civilizations and defend them from the Deviants, although they are barred by Arishem from interfering with human conflicts to allow them to evolve naturally. Two Eternals, Sersi and Druig, would develop a close relationship over the centuries, eventually becoming a married couple.
As for other relationships between The Eternals:
Ikaris develops feelings for Thena, during this time. The two are good friends and often are a duo during confrontations with The Deviants.
Druig is close with Makkari, and they sometimes play pranks on the humans together. Makkari even has unrequited feelings for Druig.
Ajak is the mother of The Eternals, she is keeping everyone rational and in check and comforts them in times of distress.
Phastos is constantly coming up with new technology and is often extremely critical of himself and his creations.
Ikaris and Druig are cousins, however they often bud heads and are prone to fighting each other, which often have to be broken up by Ajak.
Sprite is the kid of the group. Thena is always looking for a fight. Gilgamesh is the gentle giant. Makkari is quiet and shy. Kingo is very dramatic and theatrical.
The last Deviants left on Earth are killed in combat by The Eternals, in 1521. The Eternal-Deviant War was now in it's final days.
Also in 1521, the Spanish invasion on the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan ran concurrently with an attack from the last of the Deviants. While fighting and killing them off, Thena's Mahd Wy'ry causes her to momentarily turn on her allies, only to be stopped by Gilgamesh.
The Prime Eternal, Ajak, offers to cure Thena's affliction at the cost of her memories, but Gilgamesh volunteers to look over her, conceding with the possibility that she may have to be killed if she turns again. Druig, frustrated with how the Eternals have been abstaining from human affairs, deserts them to end the Spanish conflict himself. With the Deviants (seemingly) eradicated on Earth, Ajak releases the Eternals to go their separate ways. (That's why The Eternals didn't help The Avengers and were absent during Infinity War or Endgame)
In the years after 1521, Druig would completely abandon Sersi as the other Eternals await their return to Olympia. In the present day, Sersi and Sprite live together in London, she is now in a sexual relationship with a human, Dane Whitman who works at the Natural History Museum.
(Dane will later become The Black Knight, and even an Avengers and Midnight Sons member, like in the comics)
After Sersi's partner, Druig, left her centuries earlier. When the trio are attacked by the Deviant Kro, Druig arrives, firing a torrent of lightning at the deviant and chases the creature away. The three Eternals travel to South Dakota to reunite with their leader, Ajak, only to find her dead. Sersi is posthumously chosen by Ajak as her successor, granting her the ability to communicate with Arishem.
They approach Kingo as he shoots a new Bollywood film, who is hesitant to leave his life of stardom and rejoin the Eternals. He gives in when he learns about Ajak's death, alongside additional encouragement from his valet Karun Patel, who also tags alongside them to film a documentary for Kingo.
The group locates Gilgamesh and Thena in an outpost in Australia as the latter's Wy'ry resurfaces due to a recent Deviant attack. After examining Thena's artwork she had painted during her constant episodes of Wy'ry, which visualized memories of planetary destructions in the distant past.
Sersi learns that the mission of the Eternals was actually to prepare Earth for the Emergence. Arishem explains that, for millions of years, he has been planting the seeds of Celestials inside planets where the energy from large populations allows new Celestials to be born.
The Deviants were sent to destroy the apex predators of each planet to ensure the development of intelligent life, but when the Deviants evolved and began hunting the planets' native populations, Arishem created the Eternals to counter them. With The Avengers reversing The Snap, Earth has reached the necessary population for the birth of the Celestials, Tiamut, which will result in Earth's destruction.
So basically, The Eternals were androids that were deployed onto Earth to protect the humans, unaware that they were also defending a seed that would spawn the new Celestial Tiamut the Communicator once the population quota of intelligent life was achieved.
When that happens, the Emergence would commence, resulting in the destruction of the planet and the birth of said Celestial, which would allow for new life and galaxies to form. Afterwards, the memories of the Eternals would be taken from them and studied by Arishem to make way for their next planetary mission.
However, my rewrite depicts The Celestials as neutral beings, they focus primarily on seeding life and the evolution of the lower species in the universe.
I'd have Arishem also state that there are other groups of Eternals in the universe, guarding planets for The Celestials to burst out of the planet's surface.
(We'll see some more Eternals appear in the sequel, so that line will have some payoff, later on)
Appalled with the true meaning of their existence, Sersi informs the others. Together, they realize that Thena's mental affliction was the result of a botched memory wipe after a previous Emergence.
Act-2: To delay the Emergence, the Eternals reconvene. At Ikaris's residence in the Amazon rainforest. It's revealed that over the next five hundred years, Ikaris founded and managed to run a community that saw him as a god, within the Peruvian Amazonia.
Ikaris started a settlement and managed a peaceful lifestyle off the shores of Lake Junin, running a camp composed of farmers, woodworkers, and fishermen, among others. Ikaris had a wife named Margo Damian, but she passed away of old age. She had a striking resemblance to Thena. Her death left Ikaris in a depressed state and reluctant to help his old friends and cousin, wishing to be left alone in peace.
(That's a reference to the comics, where Margo Damian was Ikaris's love interest, but was killed by The Deviants, but in My MCU, she dies more peacefully)
They are attacked by a troop of Deviants. Kingo, Druig and Sersi are ambushed and viciously attacked by them, but she uses her powers to transmute one into a tree, much to everyone’s surprise.
Druig hypnotizes one of the deviants, distracting it long enough for him to electrocute it into submission. The deviant explodes, killing it. Kingo was barely able to repel one of them which was attacking Sersi. As he was able to hold his own against the Deviants, Kingo noticed that Patel was still filming to have some action sequences, and instructed Sprite to take him to safety.
Ikaris has a change of heart, seeing the village getting destroyed and he fights against a deviant, like in the actual movie, just to showcase his powerset of flight, superhuman strength and heat vision. Ikaris gets the upper hand on the deviant and burns it alive with his heat vision, killing him.
As Thena begins to fall insane yet again, Gilgamesh rushes to her side. However, this allows the Deviant leader Kro to attack him and absorb his powers, gaining a humanoid figure, intelligible speech, and his memories. Gilgamesh dies in Thena's arms.
Before he passes away, Gilgamesh successfully gets Thena to remember who she is. However, Thena would still have her mental illness, albeit she can control it better. The rest of the Eternals mourn the loss of their strongest member with a burial.
Druig proclaims that he is not powerful enough to affect a Celestial, so they head to Chicago to seek out Phastos, who had long abandoned mankind and his technological ambitions after his technology was used to create the atomic bomb. However, he has newfound hope for humanity after finding a new life with his husband and son.
(Yes, Phastos is still gay in my version of the film. Stay mad, Homophobes)
He initially refuses to leave his family, but relents after Ben convinces him to fight for Jack's future. Phastos proposes the Uni-Mind, a connection between all the Eternals that would give Druig enough power to put Tiamut to sleep with his mind-control powers.
Heading to Iraq, The Eternals retrieve the Domo from an archaeological site and find Makkari residing in the ship. As they all are imbued with infinite cosmic energy, Phastos proposes they channel their energy into Druig and form a Uni-Mind so that he can take control of the Celestial and stop the Emergence.
Act-3: However, not everyone is onboard with the plan, with Druig being the primary dissident. When Kingo pledges to remain alongside Druig up until the end, he recalls his last encounter with Ajak six days prior.
Druig, after The Eternals split up, was an agent for The KGB in Russia. He was also mind controlling humans for his amusement. (Similar to his comic counterpart)
She informs Druig that although the Blip brought the Emergence closer to reality, the heroics of the Avengers inspired her to doubt Arishem for the first time.
(I'd have The X-Gene and Mutants be mentioned by Ajak as an experiment done on Earth by the Celestials, like in the comics. This alludes to The X-Men and other Mutant characters being a huge deal in the future)
However, Druig remains a firm and loyal believer in Arishem, Druig mind controls and takes Ajak to a town in Alaska, where the Deviants trapped in ice were resurfacing due to global warming associated with the Emergence. He pushes her into the path of Kro, who absorbs her life force, killing her, and the deviant gains her regenerative powers. Druig takes Ajak's body back home before breaking down over what he had done. As electricity furiously flies across the field.
Sersi senses the commencement of the Emergence, prompting Phastos to send Makkari out and find Tiamut, who is at a volcanic island in the Indian Ocean. Ikaris deduced Druig's role in Ajak's death, and Sersi learns he was made aware of their true mission by Ajak centuries ago.
Druig argues that it is their duty as Eternals to protect the Celestial cycle of life so that the universe may continue to exist. When Kingo threatens to attack Druig, Sprite decides to leave with him. As he does not want to face Arishem but wishes not to fight his friends, Kingo also departs along with Karun.
Thena convinces Sersi to continue Ajak's mission as her successor and prevent the Emergence from eliminating all of mankind. To facilitate the Uni-Mind, Phastos takes Sersi's communication sphere and disassembles it to construct bracelets for the other Eternals to wear.
Sprite joins Druig due to her unrequited love for him while Kingo chooses to get up and leave. Makkari locates the place of the Emergence, an active volcano in the Indian Ocean, where Druig and Sprite attempt to stop them.
At the island, Sersi, Thena and Makkari lend their energy to Ikaris and allow him to connect with Tiamut, but Druig electrocutes and blasts him into a hole and destroys the Domo. Determining that Sersi's matter transmutation powers are their last chance to stop the Emergence, Makkari, Thena and Phastos confront Druig to give her cover.
I'd keep the same battle that Ikaris gave The Other Eternals in the finished film. However, it's instead with Druig, who uses electricity and mind control, instead of heat vision. However, he can still fly during the battle though.
A devastated and rageful Makkari wailed as she saw this and sought to seek revenge for Druig betraying her, since they were close friends. Makkari rushed towards Druig dodged several of his lighting blasts and gained the upper-hand in fighting him with her super speed.
However, Makkari quickly lost as her fight pattern was recognized by Druig and he grabbed her by the neck and electrocuted her chest, wounding her. Thena and Phastos were able to battle Druig for some time. Kingo even returns with a change of heart, and he brought over twin katanas, to help out against Druig.
(This is to make Kingo more accurate to his comic counterpart, who is Japanese and uses katana blades)
Kingo deflects Druig's lightning back into his face, with his two twin katanas, similar to the move that Rey did to Palpatine in The Rise Of Skywalker. Kingo even lands a few slashes to Druig's torso, and blasts him with a giant energy ball, which collides with Druig's electricity, causing a massive explosion.
However, Druig comes out of the smoke and electrocutes Kingo, sending him flying backwards and taking him out of the fight and he almost tortures and kills him with his electricity.
However, Druig is interrupted by Kro, who attacks the Eternals and nearly kills Makkari, but Phastos knocks him into a cave where Thena follows him into to get some revenge for Gilgamesh's death.
Sprite projects an illusion of Ajak to distract Sersi before jabbing her with a dagger. As she is constantly mocked for her childlike stature, Sprite envies Sersi for being able to live a full life among humans, hoping that the Emergence's aftermath would allow her to be reborn as a full-sized lifeform.
Ikaris recovers and punches Sprite out, but he is unable to utilize his powers against Tiamut again, forcing Sersi to face it alone as the Celestial begins to rise from Earth’s crust.
Kro impersonates Gilgamesh and attempts to take over Thena's mind, but she is able to resist him and kills the Deviant by slicing him in half. Phastos manages to restrain Druig and prevent him from using his powers momentarily, but he eventually breaks free, using his cosmic flame to incinerate his restraints and flies away to stop Sersi.
Sersi instead attempts to turn him into marble. Druig breaks free of his restraints and goes to kill Sersi, but finds himself unable to due to his love for her. Both he and Sprite join with the others in the Uni-Mind and Sersi gains enough power to turn Tiamut into marble. Guilt-ridden, Druig flies into the Sun. At Sprite's request, Sersi uses the remaining energy from the Uni-Mind to turn Sprite into a human, ending her permanent childlike state. However, I would make it clear that Sprite still has her powers, she just will age like a normal human.
Thena, Ikaris, and Makkari depart on the Domo to find Eternals on other planets and warn them of the Emergences while Sersi, Phastos, Sprite and Kingo remain on Earth.
Whitman professes his love for Sersi and is about to reveal a secret about his family history when she, Phastos, Sprite, and Kingo are lifted into space by Arishem. Displeased with their treason, Arishem says he will spare humanity if the Eternals' memories show that humans are worthy of living. Vowing to return for judgment, he takes the trio with him into a singularity. (That sets up a sequel)
Post Credit Scenes: Ikaris, Makkari, and Thena track that Sersi, Phastos, Sprite and Kingo have been kidnapped, and they are tracking where Arishem is headed, since Celestials aren't exactly sneaky. However, Starfox and Pip The Troll have come to help them on their little rescue mission.
Dane Whitman, inside his castle, pulls out his inherited Black Knight armor and Ebony Blade. However, a voice appears saying "You sure you want to touch that, Mr. Whitman".
Blade, The Vampire Hunter, himself approaches Dane, which sets up the Blade reboot.
Sersi, Kingo, Sprite and Phastos, are captured by Arshem, and he shows the clones of Druig, Gilgamesh and Ajak. This sets up the dead Eternals having replacement versions of them in the sequel.
All of The Eternals are all androids, created in the World Forge after all. The Celestials can simply create more of the exact same Eternal.

Spder-Man: No Way Home:

No Way Home would stay the same. This film is almost perfect. I would use "The More Fun Stuff Cut" as the definitive version of the story that happened in universe.
Post Credit Scenes: Tom Hardy's Venom still leaves a piece of The Symbiote behind, before he is sent back to his universe.
(There will also be an MCU variants of Eddie Brock, Gwen Stacy, and Norman Osborn, and a few other characters in my college trilogy)

It was so simple yet so well done, everything was just one click away, and it was all visually consistent. I don't like this new UI at all... the buttons are so vibrant and the red/blue combination is not it for me, it has multiple inconsistencies (e.g. ESC menu still has the old design) and it's so unnecessarily cluttered.
I understand that this is to accommodate for the future mobile port, but I hope Riot finds a middle ground between the two UIs.

Hi!!
I'm willing to get an used 3DS and found one online at a nice price. The seller told me it has Twilight Menu, so I'd like to know what I should do once I put my hands on this console as it has all the old account stuff like saves, e-mail, settings. Is there any way to fully delete the old stuff? I've heard that doing a factory reset will delete Twilight Menu (and other hacks) and it even has a chance to brick the console, so I'd like know other less invasive suggestions on how to remove any traces of the old owner.
Thanks!!

What is this?

This is a weekly crowdfunding roundup of new projects launched last week and projects that end the coming week.
Expect new lists every Sunday between 00:00 and 23:59 CEST
The criteria for the lists are as follows:

Ending soon

• Sorted by number of backers
  
• Kickstarter projects ending in the next 7 days, that have at least 100 backers (or marked as "Project we love" by Kickstarter), will have reached more than estimated 95% of their goal by their deadline and passed the filters:
  
  • No DnD books
  • No zines
  • No 3D printing
  • No dice sets
  • No magazines
  • No shirts
  • No playmats
  • No furniture
  • No events
• Gamefound projects ending in the next 7 days, that will have reached more than estimated 95% of their goal by their deadline and passed the above filters.
  
• (beta) Backerkit Crowdfunding projects ending in the next 7 days, that will have reached more than estimated 95% of their goal by their deadline and have a matching BGG page.
  

Newly launched

• Sorted by number of backers
  
• Kickstarter projects launched in the last 7 days, that have had at least average 15 backers per day, have at least 100 backers or is marked as "Project we love" by Kickstarter and passed the filters (see above).
  
• Gamefound projects launched in the last 7 days and passed the filters (see above).
  
• (beta) Backerkit Crowdfunding projects launched in the last 7 days and have a matching BGG page.
  

Notable filtered projects

• Filtered projects from above lists that have more than 1000 backers.

Tags

🎉: Staff pick/featured
💰: Funded
🔥: More than average 200 backers/day
🌱: Creator's first project
🌳: Creator's >5th project
🔄: Money back guarantee (Read more)

FAQ

I live in Bolivia/Canada/Costa Rica/USA, why are you posting on a Saturday?!
Because I'm writing this from Europe in the future where it's already Sunday. Timezones be crazy.
Why are there a bunch of non-board games in the board game list?
Because the Tabletop games category on Kickstarter includes anything remotely related to board games and sometimes things slip through my filters.
Why is this future award winning board game and literal saviour of humanity missing from your list?
Sometimes my filters get a bit overzealous and discard actually valid projects. If you feel something is missing for this reason, leave a comment and I'll add it (maybe).
Can I donate all my money to you?
No
Can you help me promote my game?
Please no. I make lists. Nothing more.
Your list is full of errors and now my printer is out of cyan and won't print!
Indeed, this fine piece of code runs purely on thoughts and prayers, so anything can happen. Leave a comment and I'll see what I can do.

Ending soon (16)

Name	Description	Backers	Pledged	Ends	Information	Tags	BGG
Townsfolk Tussle: Foul Neighbors and Odd Jobs	This vintage coop boss-battler is back with 2 new expansions and a reprint!	6804	$846,246.00 (846%) in 19 days	2023-04-07	Kickstarter 2‑5 players age 14+ 40-200 min.	🎉💰🔥	BGG
Sentinels of the Multiverse: Disparation Expansion	This new expansion to the hit cooperative comic book card game Sentinels of the Multiverse explores the heroes, villains, and environments of the Multiverse — those who travel through it, those who have been touched by its vast impossibilities, and tho...	4571	$383,911.00 (960%) in 27 days	2023-04-06	Backerkit 1‑5 players	💰	BGG
Maladum: Dungeons of Enveron	The long-awaited fantasy dungeon crawler from Battle Systems, set in beautiful 3D terrain suitable for D&D and other RPGs.	3996	£607,481.49 (1215%) in 18 days	2023-04-06	Kickstarter 1‑6 players age 14+ 45-120 min.	🎉💰🔥🌳	BGG
The Hunt	September 1939: the commander of the Admiral Graf Spee receives the order to sink as many British freight ships as possible in the South Atlantic. The objective is to intercept the ships crossing the Atlantic and prevent supplies from reaching the UK and other destinations.The plan seems to work i…	1770	€43,717.00 (364%) in 18 days	2023-04-04	Gamefound 2 players age 10+ 25-45 min. Card Game Wargame	💰	BGG
The Secret Cabal Gaming Podcast is Going Hog Wild in 2023!	The Cabal Founders are back in action and exploding into 2023 with more weekly tabletop gaming podcasts and more!	1465	$87,418.50 (219%) in 18 days	2023-04-08	Kickstarter	💰🌳
D.E.I. - Divide Et Impera (Expansion & Reprint)	D.E.I. - Divide et Impera is a competitive game based on the conquest of resources, set in a world devastated by a new Ice Age.	1003	€134,394.00 (336%) in 5 days	2023-04-07	Gamefound 2‑4 players age 14+ 60-90 min. Area Control	💰🔥🌱	BGG
Double Trouble: Memory Card Game	Memory-testing card game with disquieting images. Play to halt your inevitable decline.	933	$32,660.00 (6532%) in 23 days	2023-04-03	Kickstarter	🎉💰🌳
Transperceneige, le jeu	Prenez le contrôle du Transperceneige dans ce jeu semi-coopératif asymétrique pour 3 à 5 joueurs !	809	€63,785.00 (425%) in 19 days	2023-04-06	Kickstarter 3‑5 players age 14+ 120 min.	💰	BGG
Marrakesh Essential Edition	Experience Marrakesh in the new Essential Edition!	525	$69,717.00 (697%) in 12 days	2023-04-04	Kickstarter 2‑4 players age 14+ 120 min.	💰🌳	BGG
Dreams of Yesterday	Curate museum exhibits that can change the world and save the future, one artifact at a time, in this microgame by Heather O’Neill illustrated by Beth Sobel	302	$7,188.00 (248%) in 13 days	2023-04-06	Backerkit 1‑3 players age 8+ 20-30 min.	💰	BGG
Revolt - Card Game	A card game with hidden teams, deduction and discovery	254	$9,682.00 (129%) in 23 days	2023-04-08	Kickstarter	💰🌱
Pocket Rails	A Fast Card Game for 2-4 players where you draft Rail Road Shares into your Portfolio as well as the Rail Yard for everyone to score.	202	$4,793.00 (39942%) in 12 days	2023-04-03	Kickstarter 2‑4 players 10-15 min.	💰🌳	BGG
What's That One...	A very oddly worded trivia game.	177	$7,320.00 (183%) in 27 days	2023-04-05	Kickstarter	💰
Carom Mini Golf	A board game simulation of miniature golf, with a twist!	158	$6,047.00 (1209%) in 31 days	⚠️ 2023-04-02	Kickstarter 1‑6 players age 7+ 15-45 min.	💰🌱	BGG
Interstellar TCG - Into The Void	Interstellar is a 1v1 experience where travelers, creatures, and intergalactic beings alike, battle for superiority amongst the stars	133	$74,838.89 (935%) in 45 days	2023-04-03	Kickstarter 1‑6 players age 14+ 60-240 min.	💰🌱	BGG
Puffin Rush | An Arctic Animal Adventure Game	A fun family game of chance and tactics for ages 5+	111	£2,015.00 (134%) in 26 days	2023-04-06	Kickstarter	💰🌱

New this week (19)

Name	Description	Backers	Pledged	Ends	Information	Tags	BGG
The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era	An epic 1-4 player cooperative adventure spanning the entire world of Tamriel.	8043	$2,466,588.59 (3289%) in 5 days	2023-04-22	Gamefound 1‑4 players age 14+ 60-240 min. Dice Game Cooperative	🎉💰🔥	BGG
Dungeon Saga Origins – The Game of Classic Fantasy Adventure	Thrill your family and friends with an entertaining dungeon crawler full of beautiful miniatures, immersive art, and fast-paced action.	1750	£186,825.00 (374%) in 3 days	2023-04-15	Kickstarter 1‑5 players age 10+ 45-90 min.	💰🔥🌳	BGG
The Last Kingdom Board Game	A strategy game of war and politics for 2-5 players by John D Clair. Based on the hit Netflix show The Last Kingdom. DESTINY IS ALL!	1075	$55,811.00 (186%) in 5 days	2023-04-15	Kickstarter 2‑5 players age 14+ 60-150 min.	🎉💰🔥🌳	BGG
D.E.I. - Divide Et Impera (Expansion & Reprint)	D.E.I. - Divide et Impera is a competitive game based on the conquest of resources, set in a world devastated by a new Ice Age.	1003	€134,394.00 (336%) in 5 days	2023-04-07	Gamefound 2‑4 players age 14+ 60-90 min. Area Control	💰🔥🌱	BGG
Tír na nÓg: Between Worlds	In the Irish myth cycles, the land of Tír na nÓg is the realm of the Otherworld, the place where the Fairies lived and heroes visited on quests. It was a place just outside the realm of man, off to the west, where there was no illness or death or time, but only happiness and beauty. The golden path …	558	$20,750.86 (115%) in 5 days	2023-04-14	Gamefound 1‑5 players 45 min. Card Game	💰🌱
Crown of Ash	Crown of Ash is a game of warring necromancers for 1 - 4 players, combining worker placement and area control to test players' resolve!	509	£27,065.00 (271%) in 5 days	2023-04-20	Kickstarter 1‑4 players age 14+ 60-120 min.	🎉💰🌱	BGG
エーテルグライダー / ETHER GLIDER	宇宙商人となって銀河で一番の大金持ちになろう！ 科学と魔術の満ちたスペースオペラ、ボードゲーム「エーテルグライダー」の製作プロジェクトです。 This project is only available in Japan.	380	¥4,124,259 (412%) in 4 days	2023-04-30	Kickstarter	💰
The Thinning Veil Relaunch	Adventure game & dungeon crawler dark fantasy inspired by Celtic myth. Malefic beings are slipping through the Veil to prey on us all!	373	£57,902.00 (48%) in 5 days	2023-04-19	Kickstarter 1‑4 players age 14+ 60-300 min.		BGG
Cozy Juicy Real	Deeper connections disguised as a board game – for friends, family and complete strangers.	366	$18,065.00 (213%) in 5 days	2023-04-27	Kickstarter 3‑8 players age 14+ 60-120 min.	🎉💰🌱	BGG
Passengers	Enter Limbo and join us for a supernatural social deduction game. Plan, investigate and bluff to help your team to victory!	144	€5,009.00 (167%) in 5 days	2023-04-19	Kickstarter 4‑8 players age 12+ 30-50 min.	🎉💰🌳	BGG
Nuns with Nunchucks: And Other Controversial Combatants	A battle card game where you to try to take over the world with an army of hilarious combatants!	128	$4,003.00 (67%) in 5 days	2023-04-27	Kickstarter 2‑4 players age 16+ 20 min.		BGG
Chemical Overload	Toxin levels are rising in this 1-4 player unique twist on deckbuilding, where experimentation is key to become the master alchemist!	126	$10,209.00 (51%) in 5 days	2023-04-27	Kickstarter 1‑4 players age 10+ 45-75 min.	🌱	BGG
My Precious! - Single Card Game	Steal the ring and keep it in your possession for several turns in a row! Single card game.	116	MX$18,118.80 (453%) in 5 days	2023-04-18	Kickstarter 4‑8 players age 10+ 5-20 min.	💰	BGG
Monster Crown Trading Card Game	Gather a gang of Monsters, and use incredible depths of strategy to bring your friends to their knees, in the Monster Crown TCG!	107	$15,562.00 (52%) in 5 days	2023-04-27	Kickstarter	🌱
HOTSHOTS - You Bring The Heat, We Bring The Fun	The rapid-fire trivia game with spicy shots and even spicier dares!	92	$5,017.00 (25%) in 5 days	2023-04-27	Kickstarter	🌱
Dysturbia: Your customizable Escape Game experience	Run your own detective agency in the Escape Game universe of Dysturbia!	90	€7,241.00 (29%) in 4 days	2023-04-20	Kickstarter	🌳
Caged In: MMA Card Combat	Caged In is a fast-paced 2 player fighting game that has players squaring off in MMA combat. Fighters will choose from four unique styles and try to knock each other out, submit each other, or impress the judges for a decision. Caged In is perfect for those who like games that are simple to learn an…	89	$4,411.37 (29%) in 4 days	2023-04-29	Gamefound 1‑2 players age 10+ 15-30 min. Card Game	🌱	BGG
One Page Expedition	Explore unknown lands in this beautiful roll & write game. Choose wisely your camp locations to win in this print and play board game.	88	€595.00 (298%) in 4 days	2023-04-18	Kickstarter	💰🌱
Stack It Kitten!	When the floor is lava 🔥 but lava is actually water 🌊 and you are a cat 😺!	20	€528.00 (10%) in 1 days	2023-05-01	Kickstarter	🌱

Notable filtered projects (4)

Name	Description	Backers	Pledged	Ends	Information	Tags	BGG
The Walking Dead Universe Roleplaying Game	Tell your own story in The Walking Dead Universe in the official roleplaying game from AMC Networks and Free League Publishing.	5432	SEK 5,264,851.01 (2106%) in 19 days	2023-04-05	Kickstarter	🎉💰🔥🌳
L'Arsene's Ledger of Treasures and Trinkets - A DnD 5e Tome	400+ pages of Heliana-compatible craftable magic items that grow with your players! Fuel your hoarding addiction!	3732	$469,375.00 (2347%) in 5 days	2023-04-28	Kickstarter	🎉💰🔥
Swords & Wizardry Complete Revised Rulebook	A tabletop RPG (TTRPG) using the rules of Original Dungeons & Dragons circa 1978. Light, easy-to-learn rules for a lifetime of play!	1382	$77,897.00 (7790%) in 5 days	2023-04-25	Kickstarter	💰🔥
HELLPIERCERS: TACTICAL HARROWING ACTION	HELL IS A PRISON. BREAK ITS BARS. Tactical Hell-slaying action with base building, overwhelming build options, and map based strategy.	1023	$49,720.69 (171%) in 24 days	2023-04-08	Kickstarter	💰🌳

I’m looking to replace my aluminum front door with a wooden one. I live in South Florida and I know that the humidity plays a role in how the door will hold up, but I’m sure people in Florida still have wooden doors? I had one growing up and we never had an issue with it. In fact, I don’t think we ever replaced it. One of the companies that I called for a quote told me that no one buys wooden exterior doors anymore because they rot. Thoughts?

Astronomical prices put Olympic tickets out of reach
The sky-high price of tickets will mean attending key events at the Brisbane Olympics will be unaffordable for many Australians, according to Olympic boss John Coates.
Des Houghton 6 min read March 31, 2023 - 9:00PM
The new concept of dynamic pricing for events is “no excuse for ripping of Parisians who want to see events in their city.” Guests on #WorldThisWeek share views on the high price of tickets for sporting events like the Olympics and concerts, stressing the importance of inclusivity and accessibility to culture for all. Olympic powerbroker John Coates admits most Queenslanders will not be able to afford tickets to key events at the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games.
When asked if prices to watch finals of the athletics at the Gabba or swimming at Brisbane Arena would be prohibitively expensive he said: “Correct.”
Seats at the opening and closing ceremonies would be at a premium, too.
Straight-talking Coates, the vice-president of the International Olympic Committee, said the IOC had to be “hard-headed” and steep prices were inevitable.
His comments follow uproar in Europe over prices to next year’s Paris Olympics with family tickets running to thousands of dollars and tickets to athletics and swimming finals about $3000 a double – if you are lucky enough to get them.
Coates said spectators had to pay the price for the international trend towards smaller Olympic stadiums that offered fewer seats at higher prices.
Andrew Liveris (left) and John Coates at the announcement of the CEO of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Cindy Hook (centre). Picture: Richard Walker Andrew Liveris (left) and John Coates at the announcement of the CEO of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Cindy Hook (centre). Picture: Richard Walker “That’s the trade-off for not having to spend as much money on venues that may not be used afterwards,” Coates said.
“You can’t justify building large venues that aren’t going to be utilized afterwards.”
Coates is up front in admitting he has no answer to soaring Olympic admission prices.
“There is no avoiding this,” he said. “The size of the venues was coming down at the direction of the IOC because we don’t want to see white elephants left behind afterwards.
“So as a consequence of that is there will be less seats available for the punters at those events (held in the main stadia).’’
Coates, one of the most influential figures in world sport, sits on the Brisbane organising committee, OCOG, and as IOC vice-president serves on the IOC’s Games Optimisation Group.
He backs the selection of the Gabba as the site for Brisbane’s main Olympic arena and says the benefits will be continue for decades after the Games are over.
While the Sydney Olympic stadium offered seating for 115,000 spectators, Brisbane will offer 50,000 at the revitalised Gabba, 8000 more than currently available for cricket and AFL matches.
It’s too early to predict the prices of seats in Brisbane, but if Paris is any guide, they will be astronomical.
Australia will send a strong team to next year’s Paris Games, which will run from July 26 to August 11. The Paralympics will follow from August 28 to September 8.
Sports fans had to go into a ballot in Paris for the right to buy the first batch of 3.25 million tickets. “Winners expressed joy when their names came out of the hat, then dismay at finding that they had to buy tickets for three separate events at up to EUR 690 ($1121) each,” Adam Sage wrote in The Times.
“It led to athletics fans buying tickets for sports such as weightlifting and volleyball too, with the overall cost often topping EUR 1,000 ($1624) for a family.
“It’s completely crazy,” Florent Lamour, who works for the French Tennis Federation, said. “For me, it’s quite simply inaccessible. As a sports fan I find it very disappointing.”
Paris organisers say there will still be thousands of tickets to minor sports for EUR 50 ($81). But critics say the organisers have broken a promise to make the games accessible to all.
Coates blames poor planning for cost blow-outs at the Gabba.
“I don’t think enough thought had gone into the scoping of that before the decision was taken. But I still support the decision.
“While there has been a blowout at the Gabba its proximity to cross-river rail made it a very (good) venue.
“And if you want to get the first cricket Test back and if you want to look after the AFL it needed to be done. Brisbane needed it. You were being left behind by the other cities; left behind by Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth in terms of cricket alone.”
He said ticket prices were high because organisers had to balance their budgets.
“Paris has been hit by the war in Ukraine and it has been affected by inflation,” he said.
“I won’t put a figure on how much over their original budget they are, but they can’t just go back to government and say you have to pick up the tab because of these other factors.
“The (organising committee) will have to try to balance it themselves, as will we.”
He said in Sydney and in London the IOC softened the blow for families by offering free seats to schoolkids at rowing events.
Coates said the London model of an independent Games delivery authority was not necessary for Brisbane 2032.
He backed the Deloitte report recommending a collective of government departments carry out the work.
The revitalisation of Woolloongabba will include an active travel corridor to South Bank and the CBD. The revitalisation of Woolloongabba will include an active travel corridor to South Bank and the CBD. “For Brisbane we don’t need to acquire sites or appropriate sites and, take control of them like London and Sydney had to,” he said.
“The Gabba and the site for Brisbane Arena (at Roma St) are already in government ownership.’’
And many others were under the control of councils.
He said there were some proposed venues on the Sunshine Coast and at Moreton Bay the government “didn’t own at the moment”.
He added: “There is not going to be any difficulties in appropriating land.
“Even the two main venues, the Gabba and the Brisbane Arena, are in what’s called Priority Development Areas and they are managed already by an entity called Economic Development Queensland and it’s got all the powers an (independent) authority would have to appropriate any adjoining land or other land you might need.” The IOC would monitor Brisbane’s progress, Coates said.
“The Olympic people (will) come in and say, ok, yes, we understand the Gabba is for cricket and for AFL but please in your scoping make sure you fulfil these requirements of World Athletics to run Olympic athletics. Please make sure your scoping includes all the IOC requirements for ceremonies.
“All of that stuff is being provided. The swimming details are being provided and it can be managed by these existing government departments who have got authority-type powers if they need them.”
Coates said he knew his position was in contrast to that of Sir David Higgins, the Queenslander knighted for delivering the 2012 London Olympics infrastructure a year early and $1bn under budget.
Higgins was critical of the decision by Annastacia Palaszczuk to run the delivery authority.
“It’s not going to work, is it,” said Sir David Higgins.
Higgins said planning had to be done at arm’s length from the government with bipartisan political support. And the taxpayer who had to pay for it had to be told what was happening every step of the way.
Sir David said he saw no signs of this happening in Queensland.
“You’ve got to have a clear brief, proper governance and an independent board so that it can work with the various sporting bodies and the IOC,’’ he said.
Moreton Bay Indoor Sport Centre planned for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games. “I think what is happening in Brisbane at the moment is a bit of a challenge.’’
Coates disagreed. He said there was no need “to set another bureaucracy”.
He pointed to the Sydney Olympic model.
“Do you know who ran everything there? Michael Knight. One man. Michael Knight was Minister for the Olympics and chair of the SOCOG (the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games).
“Michael was the minister responsible to Parliament.’’
Coates said Steven Miles, as Minister Assisting the Premier on Olympic Infrastructure, and Sports Minister Stirling Hinchliffe would likewise have to answer to Parliament for their decisions.
Coates said the Opposition also “had the protection of the Organising committee” including president Andrew Liveris, CEO Cindy Hook, a former Deloitte executive – “and their people and me if needs be.’’
“This will make it very transparent, absolutely.”
He said the work towards Brisbane 2032, “we call it B2032” was well underway.
“The IOC is already getting briefings monthly from B2032 on all these things,” he said.
“The IOC will have people here all the time.”
Would they be watching over the State Government departments?
“Yes,” said Coates.
“I am absolutely satisfied these projects will be completed before the Games and that they will meet the Olympic requirements.
“That’s what our objective is.’’

Part 1: https://www.reddit.com/nosleep/comments/11yvdle/i_had_an_uncle_with_thirteen_fingers_there_were/
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Ahead of me, there was an opening in the massive chamber. The darkness parted way to reveal what looked like a nest. Ancient tomes had been torn into pieces, the scraps of paper and leather bindings forming a circular hollow ten feet wide. I heard subtle movement within, like someone walking on crisp autumn leaves. Moving slowly, I approached the nest, soft light glowing from an unknown source that seemed to emanate from the walls, ceiling and floor.
Within the center of the nest, I saw what looked like dozens of leeches slithering over each other, writhing and twisting in a pile. But these were far larger than any leeches I had ever seen back home. Each one looked like it had to be at least a foot long, black and shining, with tiny, oval eyes on stalks that all turned towards me at the same time. They gave off a low, hissing sound, others joining in a murmuring susurration that sent chills running up and down my spine. The nest itself seemed to be held together with some sort of mucus, splinters of wood and shreds of paper connected by a phlegmy, pale-yellow substance.
Echoes rang out in the chamber. Something massive moved far off in the darkness, but the acoustics made it impossible to tell which direction it came from or how close it really was. The leeches moved at once, agitated and wriggling faster as the noise echoed back and forth, and underneath them, I saw a human body. I gasped in horror.
It was an old man. He appeared to be dead, his eyes shut tightly. Countless holes had been drilled into his skin, letting rivulets of blood run down his body from each of them. I inched closer, trying to get a better look.
That was when he inhaled a deep, shuddering breath, his eyes looking back and forth randomly, yet apparently seeing nothing. With a shaky exhalation, I backed away quickly, starting to cry. It crossed my mind that I should go into the nest and try to save him, if he even could be saved. His lips were a cyanotic blue, his fingernails and toenails also turning a purplish-blue color. He breathed deeper and faster, coughing and gasping, and then stopped again, his eyes turning glassy as he stared up at the ceiling. This continued for a minute or two, his breathing starting and stopping, and then his head fell to the side, his eyes left open and staring as his last grating breath exited his lungs. The leeches swarmed all over his corpse. Without a look backwards, I ran deeper into the chamber.
Doors had begun to appear on both sides of the wall as the chamber went deeper into nowhere. I ran over to a cluster of them, looking from one to the other. They all had the same beautiful mahogany wood, but on each, a different symbol had been cast.
The one in front of me showed a single green eye, dripping blood that constantly pooled on the floor underneath the door. The one ten feet to the left of it showed a little ship on some blue waves. The one far to the right showed a massive pyramid. I froze, not knowing which, if any, I should open.
The choice was taken away from me when I heard that same hissing sound behind me that the tentacled-monster had made before. I glanced back and saw it slithering towards me, less than twenty feet away, opening its jaw as it closed in. Without thinking, I opened the door with the bloody eye on it, slamming it shut behind me. Seconds later, I heard something heavy thud into it. I saw that, on this side at least, there were heavy metal deadbolts near the handle. I began to feel something trying to turn the handle on the other side.
I was only a small boy, weighing maybe 65 pounds soaking wet, but I pulled back against the handle with all of it. I felt the door starting to open slightly, as if the creature was just testing the handle, figuring out how it worked. Covered in sweat now, I pulled back harder, flicking the deadbolt and letting go of the handle as soon as it clicked into place. The handle swung wildly to the right and left as the thing on the other side violently twisted it, but I ignored it, backing slowly away. I hadn’t even seen where I was.
The door shuddered as something heavy landed against it on the other side. This repeated over and over. Running away, I heard the splintering of wood.
I looked around and realized I was in some kind of castle. Beautiful stonework surrounded me on all sides, covered by banners with the symbol of the sickly, bleeding eye. I had taken the dagger out and was holding it pointed directly in front of me when I heard the first boards of the door fall inwards behind me. Turning to glance one last time at the entrance, I saw tentacles with fanged suckers began to shoot through, searching for prey. At that point, I ran blindly ahead.
My footfalls sent echoes across the castle chamber. I ran past an antechamber and a set of dozens of marble stairs inlaid with silver and gold that must have cost a fortune. Ahead of me, I saw a door of thick wood, covered with criss-crossing strips of iron to reinforce it. Gasping for air, I ran through the threshold and immediately slammed the door behind me. The door was able to be locked from the inside with an ancient-looking deadbolt. It clicked into place, and outside, all I heard was silence.
I turned and realized I was in a giant library. Bookshelves rose to the ceiling thirty feet above me, and each one was completely full of ancient tomes. I recognized some of them as being similar to the books on the desk when I first entered Golgotha, and I wondered who was bringing them out there- or why.
A beautiful oak desk sat near the far wall. It had a book open on it, surrounded by trinkets and oddities. One of these was a globe, but the continents on it were all wrong. They showed a world where all the continents were smashed together, and on the other side of the globe was a massive ocean.
The book had opened to a random page in the first chapter. Peering down, I saw it was written in English.
“The secretion of the Golgoths,” it stated, “is used to feed their young. While the larvae of the Golgoths are able to live on meat or blood from any animal or human, they are not able to develop into adults without the secretion laid over the nest by a female.
“The secretion appears as a yellowish, gelatinous material covering the nests of the Golgaths. Recent tests have shown that it has various substances unknown on Earth. Among these are alien growth hormones, certain neurotransmitters not found in any natural terrestrial lifeform, and…” At that moment, something smashed into the door- hard. It held, but some of the wood had cracked. The iron reinforcements did a good job of holding it together, however. I kept reading farther down the page.
“When this secretion is given to human beings, it acts as a psychoactive drug. Studies have shown it increases reaction time ten-fold, as well as increasing the speed and strength of those who take it. Beyond these potential beneficial side effects, however, loom the adverse ones.
“The secretion is a known mutagen, able to alter the DNA of those who take it. The offspring of those previously or currently addicted to the secretion have shown numerous effects, including an increased number of toes and fingers, an increased risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and, in rare cases, multiple heads or bodies fused together. Some have also shown beneficial effects, including an increased healing rate, higher IQs and, very rarely, psychic phenomena.
“The secretion is also physically addictive, with a euphoric rush that has been described by many subjects as ‘orgasmic’ with an instantaneous rush, releasing far more dopamine than commonly abused recreational drugs such as heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine…”
The entire time, that monster, which according to the book I was reading was called a Golgath, kept smashing its body against the door. I should have ran rather than standing there reading, but I felt like whatever this book contained was important, perhaps even vital for my survival. And yet the forcefulness and violence the Golgath exhibited was astounding. No human could have damaged such a door by sheer brute strength, but this one creature had already caused the wood to splinter and the iron reinforcements to bend inwards. I knew I couldn’t stay here forever. I grabbed the book, closing it and shoving the thin volume into the back of my pants underneath my belt, taking my shirt and covering it up.
I looked around the room frantically, finding a small servant’s door on the far side of it, hidden in the corner. I ran for it as the main entrance door came down with a crash. Flinging it open, I flew through it.
Multiple people worked there, cooking and preparing tea and coffee and other drinks. They all looked up at me in shock and surprise as I sprinted through the kitchen. It smelled absolutely delectable, like ginger, peppermint, fresh bread, bacon, pastrami and green tea, and my stomach growled. I realized it had been a long time since I had eaten or drank anything. I wished I could stop and grab something off the counters on my way, but I heard the Golgath close behind me.
The yells of the kitchen staff at seeing an unknown boy turned to horrified screams as the monster slithered in. Disengaging its jaw, it allowed its dozens of tentacles to spring out at once, whipping around in a frenzy. I saw one pick a chef up by his leg, dangling him upside down in the air. Another tentacle went for his jugular vein, biting into him and releasing a spray of blood as it began to feed. I kept running, knowing that I would be next if I didn’t get out of there.
The kitchen connected to a huge dining chamber, a bare table long enough to hold forty or fifty people set up in the middle. And standing on top of it, I saw another Golgoth. It slithered forward towards me. A second one was coming through the main entrance to the dining hall, and the one in the kitchen behind me must have been nearly done feeding, as the screaming of the kitchen staff had all ceased.
They began to close in on me. I shut my eyes tight, tears of horror and panic slipping past my eyelids, waiting for the end and hoping it would be quick and relatively painless. And then, just when I assumed everything was lost, a voice came from the front entrance of the dining chamber.
“Now, now, what’s the meaning of this?” an angry male voice yelled. “Who’s letting all these Golgaths in?” I opened my eyes. The three Golgaths, which were all less than twenty feet away from me now, turned their black, reptilian heads towards the newcomer in unison.
The man was a disturbing sight. He had on black robes and carried a heavy walking stick with an iridescent, shimmering quartz crystal on top. His hood was pulled back, and I saw his eyes were gone. They looked like they had been cut out, the eyelids stitched back together over the empty sockets. His face was a map of old scars, his nose half-missing and oozing pus. His jaw looked like it had been repeatedly broken and healed without being set properly. Blood trickled down his face from his empty eye sockets, continuously dripping onto the floor. Even though there was no possible way he could have seen me in that condition, his face was pointed at me, as if he were staring directly at me.
The three Golgaths all hissed at him. Ignoring me, they all went at him at once, slithering and sending out their worm-like tentacles. The stench of the Golgaths as they all clustered together was putrid and overwhelming, reminding me of rotten eggs and starter fluid.
Almost lazily, he raised his thick wooden staff and began to swing it in an arc, back and forth. The nearest Golgath ignored it, jumping for him anyway. Fire swelled from the crystal, shooting out in clusters at the Golgath’s face and tentacles. I smelled burning meat, and it began to wail, its shriek deafening me, sounding more and more like a tornado siren as it rose to a crescendo. I tried to cover my ears as I ran back the way I had come.
I grabbed a few fresh rolls off the counter in the kitchen as I went, stuffing them in my mouth. They were delicious. It was the first food I had had in what felt like forever, and already I felt a small burst of energy from them. Then I saw the corpses of the kitchen staff, still bleeding on the floor. They looked like they had been sucked dry, their faces sunken, dozens of round slices on each of their bodies. None moved or breathed. I wanted to stop and cry then, but I forced myself to keep going, knowing I would end up just like them if I didn’t get out of this place.
Suddenly, an idea came to me. I headed back towards the nest I had seen, the one with all the Golgath larvae feasting on the dead body. The cries of the robed man and the shrieking of the Golgaths followed me out of the castle. I burst through the shattered remnants of the door with the eye on it and knelt down over the nest.
The larvae started to slither towards me. I heard more hissing from multiple directions all around me, and realized that there might be hundreds or thousands of adult monstrosities in this chamber. My only hope, at least as I saw it, was to take any advantage I could get.
I grabbed a handful of the yellowish secretions from the corner of the nest, forcing it in my mouth and down my throat before I could change my mind.

What an amazing campaign this has been so far, and what amazing candidates this Conservative and Unionist Party have put forward - aren't we lucky to have so many tories putting themselves forward to represent their local areas? I for one have been blown away by the support that I've got so far in the Sussex and East Surrey constituency, and I am looking forward to getting out and about even more on the doorstep to spread my message of a new revitalised Conservative Party who are fighting for you. Together we can make a difference and begin to plan for tomorrow.
That is why I am please to be speaking to you say from the stunning South Downs National Park, a stunning 1,627 square kilometre national park which we in the Conservatives have fought hard to protect over the years - but not only this, we have worked hard to put the environment and the green economy at the centre of our party's, and our country's, thinking. Look at our manifesto for example in this election - we have put the climate emergency front and centre; we are in a climate emergency right now and everything that we do should be looking to protect our nation from the threats that the emergency presents. There are so many risks posed by it, risks that we must overcome, and that is exactly what a Conservative Party Government will do. We must take steps to further reduce our carbon footprint and push for net-zero - we must go further than this as well, and push for a net-negative result to ensure that we are going above and beyond to make up for our historical emissions. We have a plan for this - a plan for tomorrow.
So vote for a party that takes you and your future seriously in this election - vote for me and for the Conservatives and together we can make a difference.

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I think we can all agree that LoR is very, bery generous. Most likely even too generous.
We can see the budget cuts here and there already, which makes me a bit worried. Normally i would blame suits for that but in LoR's case ... They probably didnt push enough for monetization.
Dont get me wrong - I dont want LoR to be a F2P nightmare like Snap or Hearthstone is, but there are other ways to allow us to spent money. I would like to list a few things that could be done to make it more profitable for Riot and allow it to get a higher budget again. If anyone has more ideas i would really like it if you list them as well!
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- Make alternate Art from skins match other cards in the deck. What i mean by that is that its very weird that Worldbreaker Elise summons her Worldbreaker Spiderling, but if you use Vile Feast, while you have the Elise skin enabled, you just gain the vanilla version. It always kinda turned me away from using a skin and i bet im not the only one. It seems like a easy enough fix to do as well.
- Give skins some interesting summon animation or sell them seperatly to use them for any Champion. This could give us another layer of cosmetics we can buy for our decks. What if my Asol card actually flew from the sky instead of just dropping on the board? Or (my future) Skarner just burries out of my board? I would buy one in a heartbeat!
- Give us "Legendary Guardians" that transform if a certain condition is met. A Warwick that that goes into "Hunting mode" when the enemy Nexus has 10 or less HP, some shuriman guy that ascends when your champion levels up or you countdown the sundisk or Von Yipp that gets his Catastrophe suit once you play X different cards this game. Maybe even a small rammus who hides in his shell while the enemy has the attack token. There are a ton of possibilities and would be very popular IMO.
- Sell us cool borders with maybe another price tier with animated borders. Currently we can already buy Icons, but we cannot decorate them outside of our Ranked Border. I would love to be able to have some Hallowed Mist flowing around my Gwen Icon. Others might enjoy some electricity running around their Jayce. This even one of the less expensive cosmetic addition to make.
- Sell us "SFX Skins". That idea floats around since the game launched. One of the primary examples was a Thermo Beam that actualy shot a leaser from above like the card art showed. I was sceptic of this at first cuz that could incentivice Riot to take out a costum animation and sell it back to us, but if they made different animation for cards that already have one or for iconic cards that dont have an animation (Vile Feast) then i would actully encourage that!
- Add "Finisher Animations" like TFT has. Obviously TFT gets more usage out of their animation since you should be able to win at least some rounds per game there, but i think it could a good addition as another cosmetic layer to spend your money on. Ziggs throwing his W to the Nexus to make it explode like he does to Turrets in LoL? It could be tricky to implement bc people would have to wait for maybe a second longer at the end of the game.
- Add borders other than Prismatics. You dont even have to give them out for free. Maybe make one to earn once a blue moon, but currently prismatics are very boring. I would love to add "Ruined Branches" to my Maokai/Snapvine deck. Or Noxus-like walls around my cards. Maybe even sell animated once for a higher price.
This one is less of an addition and more like a change thats entirely subjective - Increase the price of the Battle Pass and the value it contains and split the PoC BP and the regular BP. I dont buy the Battle Passes reguarly bc i think they just arent worth it. The Skins are cool, so are the additional cards you gain through the chests or just straight up 3 copies of smt. But PoC fragments? PoC relics? Prismatic chest are kinda worthless as well. And i feel like they fill more and more of the BP. This really kills the value for anyone that doesnt play both PvP and PoC cuz the rewards really dont overlap in any way. You dont need shards or relics in PvP and you dont need the cards or skins in PoC. Its very parasitic in nature.
As i already mentioned - i would love to see your suggestion and what your opinion about that matter is.

I used to play this game like 7 or so years ago on my iPod. I remember one of the puzzles was that you had to shake the device to bring up the “undo typing” menu. All the puzzles were like that, I also remember a puzzle where you had to turn on the flashlight. Pretty sure the game was free and had a minimalist, flat-colour art style. Thanks

Coming up on a month til the sequel, and it's gotten me in the mood to play through BotW again just to sate my excitement for the new game. I'm excited for the sequel because so much of what made BotW fun to me is carrying over and is being combined with a ton of new stuff to do and other new gameplay. So far, its looking not to different and not too similar to BotW. But similar to BotW at all is a good thing imo. Because of all of the things the game does right. So, I personally am happy to see so many features return. While playing it recently, I've been kind of reflecting in the back of my mind all the things that make BotW so much fun for me.
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Exploration and sidequesting are rewarded
This is probably my favourite thing about the game. Thinking back to my first Zelda game - Zelda II - I grew up on the NES & SNES titles. LA was there, too lol - My favourite part of those as a kid was finding secrets because I wandered off and stumbled on it. My curiosity was rewarded, and I think that's what made it so much fun. I'll never forget wandering off to Lake Hylia in ALttP and - after getting my ass handed to me several times - stumbling on the ice rod. It was pretty much the one thing that kept me coming back because the main quest didn't really keep my interest for long. The thing about sidequesting in BotW is that they expanded it far beyond what I ever thought was possible. And it's made for one of the most memorable Zelda experiences in my life.
I struggled early on with weapons. I fought a lot so I broke my swords and bows quite a bit. This is actually usually my playstyle in any Zelda game. I like to fight enemies and get better at it. In Zelda II, I leveled up so high before visiting the temples that it made them easier than I thought they'd be - because I did nothing but explore around. In BotW, I never actually ran out of any weapons because every time I ventured off somewhere off the beaten path, I'd either find a weapon, a shrine with a weapon, or more enemies with good weapons. The world never felt empty, there was always something to do or something to find. Its been a while since I've been in an overworld that had so much to do and pretty much the first time there's been one that has THIS much to do. It actually made it hard to find a stopping point. Because I'd see something I wanted to check out, and either my way there would be so busy or once I got there I'd see something else that piqued my interest.
I went into the Korok Forest not knowing there would be a requirement to pull the Master Sword. But because I wandered around so much and stumbled on so many shrines, I actually got it on my first try. Found out a couple wks later on miiverse from somebody that I had the bare minimum of what was required to get it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the game rewards people who venture out and do things off the beaten path. I got the sword after only one divine beast (I was on my way to my 2nd). And I could've gotten it without having visited any of the four "main" areas. But its just the fact that this is possible, you know?
Puts the "legend" in "legend of zelda"
The stories in the games I grew up in were mainly in the manual, and they made it seem like such epics that endured the ages. I think I've missed that angle from Zelda games. I think a lot of the later games tried too hard to have a plot tied to the player's actions rather than one tied to epic legends of the struggle of good vs evil. But that's what I like so much about BotW. They brought it back and make it a part of the world you play in. And they kind of play on two different ones, 100yrs ago and 10,000yrs ago. Even little things like the guy in the jungle stable talking about why the dual peaks are the way they are or the description mentioning the "warlike tribe from Faron" and the associated ruins.
I still remember when I first went to a stable in the northwest and talked with a woman who told me about ruins that were covered in darkness. And after a couple more days, I found it. But I had more fun with the legend than I did the ruins themselves for this very reason.
One of my favourites is the legend of the lord of the mountain. It starts with a description in the compendium. Then you can see a collection of plants from different regions all growing in one area and an apple orchard with farming tools, and a campsite nearby. And at the foot of the mountain is the ruins of a sage's temple. It's so subtle, yet so mind blowing.
There are even things that aren't really canon that I can play around with in my head. They give me a lot to work with. Like how in TWW the rito came from Zora. So, I like to think they came from them here too. I like to think that the time when they first founded their society on the reservoir, they were coming from Labrynna and achieved their goal of finding a new place to live as they said in OoA; but they didn't all travel together. Another group of the same Zora ventured out before they knew the reservoir was discovered and found themselves in an arid place, and tried their best to stay near water - more particularly lake totori; but they struggled in the arid environment and, over time, evolved into the rito. Again, not canon, but it's fun to think about.
Not centered around the main quest
Okay, it is technically centered around the main quest because it tells us to beat Ganon. But what I mean is that there is a ton in the game that isn't required and is either just as fun or more fun than what you do on the beaten path. It's such a beloved feature to me because it reminds me of the Zelda games I grew up with. Yeah, the only way to progress in Zelda II is complete temples, but you can improve Link's abilities simply by wandering around and fighting enemies or finding secret point bags. In Zelda I, you can get a lot of items just by fighting enemies, getting rich, and buying them. Sure, you can't get what you could call the "main" items of the game, but there's still a lot you can do without entering dungeons.
When I left the plateau, I went straight south first from Oman Au. I wanted to see the ocean. But then, I ended up in the jungle. Being in the jungle so early in the game was how I learnt to get good with the controls, I needed to in order to survive lol - it was one of the most interesting areas in the whole game to me. And the beautiful part of that is that the area isn't necessary at all to any part of the story or main objective. It's just there to be interesting. And for me personally, it was there as an extra challenge.
The same goes for Hebra. Not even necessary to go there. But I went through the region to get to the rito divine beast. And I hadn't been to the desert. So, not only did I not have the rito set yet to bear the cold, but I also didn't even know the snowboots existed. And by this point in the game for me, the enemies had upgraded to black. I was short on resources too so making elixirs/meals was still very limited for me. I had to completely change my combat strategy because of how much slower I was, and so I could avoid getting frozen. Needless to say, I got beat up a lot lol - but it made for a memorable experience.
Which is funny, the two least relevant regions in the game ended up becoming among the most memorable for me. In many other later Zelda games, areas like that don't even have anything to entertain yourself with so you kind of have to move on to a relevant place. In the earliest games, every area has something - an enemy to fight or a secret to find; so it wasn't much of a problem there. It seems like the BotW team got into Miyamoto's 1980s mindset and made the world as full of stuff as they possibly could with just stuff to stumble on.
Interacting with the world
I know it's kind of a cliche to praise BotW's physics and stuff but I can't just not mention it. Maybe I'm just easily entertained but all of the little details with interacting with the game world occupied a lot of my attention in my first 200hrs or so, though I still bask in a lot of them to this day. Even little things like being able to punt the stal skulls or having metal weapons gets you struck by lightning.
Slipping while climbing in the rain was shown off on the E3 treehouse thing, and I was so excited for it. It really did feel like they put a ton of care and detail into how the world works. Throughout my first playthough, I spent a lot of time figuring out ways to climb in the rain. Since I spent a lot of time in the jungle early on, I quickly found out that if you climb those tall trees with the huge leaves over them, it's still dry; and that you can use them to get high up and jump over to the cliff walls and climb the rest of the way. It was little things like this that made a big impact on me playing BotW.
The option to turn off help and other functions
One thing that really put me off was my first time playing OoT. My biggest gripe was navi, and it remains my biggest problem with the game to this day. It was so offputting to me because it wasn't like that in the Zelda series until that point. Tips in Zelda I or II were pretty much in the manual, and I never read those. In ALttP, once you get past tutorial castle the tips are optional via those squares on the walls that I ignored entirely during my time with the game. But ignoring navi wasn't a possibility. Being forced to have the game hold my hand throughout was frustrating and to this day makes me hesitant to replay OoT. It's one of many reasons I prefer 2D Zelda to 3D, although TMC has some of that too. TP & SS are two games I have yet to replay for similar reasons. Way too much handholding, but also too linear.
That's why when I found out you can turn off the waypoints and other stuff, I was relieved beyond ALL comprehension. No more being stopped to be told how to open a door, no more having to listen to a monologue about my next objective after finishing a main quest, no more being stopped to be asked if I'm sure I want to fight a boss or something. Nope. I can freely do what I want, when I want. The devs assume I know how to press A and how to read. And that feels good. Not only that, I'm not held back from exploring or getting myself into trouble at any point. I can just... play the game. That was something I sorely missed from games past.
I honestly didn't quite like using the champions' powers, they feel too cheat-y for my taste. I actually went into the start menu after I first obtained Mipha's Prayer and I was actually surprised I could turn it "off" so that I didn't get revived automatically if I happened to get myself killed (which I did, a lot - especially after I went to Hebra for the first time) and I couldn't help but feel super grateful for that option if I didn't wanna play that way. And that's the neat thing about freedom in BotW, it goes beyond the gameworld and lets the player have freedom in general. I will never be not-happy about the option to change the language. The engrish dub nearly ruined the cutscenes. I think they updated for the option somewhere halfway through my adventure. And I am forever grateful for that addition.
Honestly can't wait to see what else is in store for this new game. Even from what little they've shown us, I've been able to tell 2 things: That there are so many new things that I'll never get bored through completing the game and that the game did not deviate so far from BotW that it will lack what made the open air concept so fun in the first place. I can't wait!

Hi all,
I'm (23M) planning on traveling travelling through the UK/England by train for just under a week. I'm going to visit York and travelling back south over a couple of days, but I'm not sure what other places to visit. I'm looking for one or two cities to spend 1-2 days there.
So far I've been looking at Manchester or Birmingham, but also smaller cities like Bristol or Cambridge. As I don't have much experience travelling in the UK, I'm having a hard time deciding where to go.
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
(P.S. I'm saving Edinburgh and/or the rest of Scotland for another trip in the future)

For RetroArch is one or more cfg files?
I just updated Garlic from 1.3.3 to 1.3.9 and I forgot to copy old cfg and I lost all my settings for Fast Forward in GBA Games on mGBA core (in game Menu + X), now I can't use x6 Fast Forward on mGBA core, I dont know what settings was before, I had not only Fast Forward changed, maybe V-Sync turned off too...
GBA Games (for example hacked Pokemon Orange Islands) before update work well without glithes on mGBA core from Recent Games (not by RetroArch "app"), Fast Forward x4 or x6 on Underclocked battery - (one minus)" work well too.
I moved mGBA core from cores folder and my GBA games (From main screen/Recent Games, not by RetroArch menu) works now on gpsp core, Fast Rewind works also too. It's playable but not great.

1. But how to Force use gpsp core in GBA games without messing in files?
   
2. Is there any video/text tutorial for explained RetroArch settings for RG35xx?
   
3. What are best Settings for smooth Fast Forward in GBA Games?
   

Thanks!