#turning on my queue with like 50+ things in it in case power does go out and im gone from the internet Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[s-ccaam-era-crepe]

ugh the snow is so pretty and nice rn but alsoooo 1ft of snow coming down all day is not nice </3

[brothermouzongaming]

E3 2019 overview

I wanted to take the time to look at and talk about some of the games we’re more than likely seeing at the conference. E3 is...dying and it’s misleading trailers don’t help, but despite this, the show is still important and at least gives us a little insight into what may come in games/tech. So let’s cross our fingers and dive in. I’ll be focussing more on main titles and not DLC and updates. Available footage will be linked in the corresponding title.

Avengers project (Crystal Dynamics/ Square Enix)

It feels like ages since the teaser for the Avengers project dropped. Since then I have been trying to keep my hopes high, I even thought it was canceled for a time when we heard literally nothing since that trailer. I know nothing about this game, but I just hope Crystal Dynamics and Square are treating something this big with the care it needs. The last thing Marvel, more importantly Disney, want is another Battlefront 2 situation on their hands. If Square can incorporate their over the top combat style to the Marvel universe, it could be amazing, incredible, invinci- okay I’ll stop.

Borderlands 3

Getting back into Borderlands just before the big press release was very serendipitous. Something about this made me even more excited for some of the additions coming like loot instancing, slide/mantle (finally), secondary fire weapons, more diverse and varied play spaces, and a lot more. So many of BL2 and the Pre-Sequel’s flaws are glaring with me having played them recently and to see the long-awaited title addressing these exact issues so comforting when I get to thinking about this next adventure into the wastes. It isn’t some massive leap forward or anything, it’s more Borderlands and there’s nothing wrong with that to me. Finally, an online optional looter shooter that isn’t some strange mmo lite, long live the king. Randy Pitchford is a weirdo but I’m not gonna hold that against the devs lol.

Cyberpunk 2077

This is more than likely going to be my game of the show. E3 is typically full of surprises and anything can happen but in all honesty, I just can’t see much coming close especially since we aren’t seeing Death Stranding (thattrailertho). I was literally giddy when they released the gameplay trailer that they showed press and influencers and the FPS RPG looked very good but not unrealistic. Recently it’s come out that the game is “pretty different” from that showcase and that statement interests me as much as it gives me pause. Regardless, we are going to be seeing more of this game with CDPR claiming they’ll have an even bigger presence than last year. I just hope that we get solid gameplay footage and not buzzwords and theatrical trailers.

CoD 2019

Black Ops 4 came out guns drawn and it really impressed at first. Since that time Activision has found a way to completely reverse the conversation around BO4 and where the franchise is headed/ is as a whole. Activision needs a win, and with this being their main and essentially only franchise it has to be big. The rumor is that it’s Modern Warfare 4 which would be a “soft reboot” if that is the case. If not this year then next, I’m surprised it’s even taken them this long so hopefully all this time will lead to something good. Honestly, I’m shocked we’re still getting annual releases of this game. I don’t forsee CoD lasting much longer and this tug at our nostalgia may be a sign of that. 

Destroy All Humans (THQ Nordic)

I spent so many hours with my friend Walter terrorizing the meat bags between the tools the game devs gave us and some gamer creativity that was a relatively new aspect of gaming compared to nowadays where player creativity is often an aspect of gameplay. THQ has reported something insane like 50+ games in development which...sounds like a stupid choice but if this is one of them it’s definitely going to get people’s heads turning. Can you imagine what they’ll be able to do with today’s tech? They don’t have to go crazy but then again for the sake of a concise vision but...maybe they should?

Dino Crisis (Capcom)

Let’s talk more about old ass games I’m completely shocked could be coming back. So in light of Capcom bringing back past titles and breathing new life into them, it is reported that Capcom is looking to bring back...Dino Crisis? I swear to god if they make Dino Crisis before Viewtiful Joe and Onimusha? POWER STONE ANYONE?? I’m more than willing to suspend my meh-ness because Capcom has proved that not only can they bring back an old game we love, but they can do it damn well. If this is true, then maybe there is hope for some of my favorite Capcom titles from the past but mother of god why Dino Crisis?

Doom Eternal

Doom 2016 was one of the best first-person shooters I’ve ever played. “Smooth as butter” isn’t something I would use to describe most games but god damn if that game wasn’t lubed up before they packaged it because it’s damn slick. So imagine the stiffy I got when that gameplay was dropped and mobility was increased. Can we talk about the grappling hook shotgun? The new demons and takedowns to dispatch said demons? God knows what else is under the hood for us to find out when it releases let alone when they talk about it during the conference. A more open level design in tandem with the conventional “kill room” here and there is gonna really spice up the combat especially if exploration is properly rewarded. Rage 2 was a disappointment but I do have hope this is gonna live up to the hype the way it did the first time.

Gears of War 5

Lawd Microsoft needs a win. This is quite clearly their attempt at a blockbuster event like God of War was for Sony. Everything about the trailer screams “Oscar bait but for games” and I hope they do the damn thing. Make me sad I don’t have an Xbox dammit! This could be a big step for Gears and could even lead it down a more character focussed design. The world of Gears of War is rich for a deeper explanation, and I know that isn’t what Gears is known for but I won’t be told that they can’t do both. It appears to be heavily cinematic though gameplay can be seen in the trailer above. It seems interesting and I hope they really make something worth owning an Xbox for. The fans deserve it.

Halo: Infinite

Did I say Microsoft needs a win from the software perspective? Cause they do. The Xbox One is fine, the One X is a huge step up and is the most powerful console but there are next to no exclusives for this console. Ya know, the reason why you buy a certain console outside of interface and services. What better way than to bring back the most successful franchise Microsoft has associated with. There’s talk of it having an open world which is jarring initially especially when the history of Halo is rich with environments that tell stories alongside the mid-range combat. If they can properly expand that baseline to fit an open world format, it’ll be amazing. Whether or not they can is the question.

Harry Potter: Magic Awakened

Warner Brothers does a great job of shooting themselves square in the foot. They just put on the finest shoes money can buy and BAM queue the red kool-aid fountain. Shadow of War is the pinnacle of such stupidity with the way the monetization completely bankrupted the integrity of the game. The brief footage that was up involved a third-person real-time action reminiscent of the original games. Warner Bros. jumped on the trailer takedown but it’s safe to say the cat is out of the bag and casting spells in the kitchen. This could be a unique adventure involving a custom character, it could involve something more directly related to the books. Anything is possible but if we heard about it this year it wouldn’t entirely surprise me.

My Friend Pedro

A twin stick shooter of a different kind. Imagine stranglehold but cartoony, John Wick but even more comic book like. It looks like the entire game is going to be centered around ballerina jumping through levels and enemies leaving every enemy in your wake riddled with bullets. It seems light, fun, and self-aware in it’s silliness which can lead to the most fun type of games.

Session

Oh boy, SKATE was my jam back in high school and if you’re anything like me you’ve been waiting for the next game/ literally anything like it to come along. Session appears to be that game, we weren’t told a lot when it was revealed so I’m hoping that E3 will lead to some more information on gameplay and ya know, a release date. 

Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order

Anthem is in shambles and in my opinion, it’s this year’s No Man’s Sky. Between the games they put out, and the Star Wars games they put out (or don’t put out depending on your perspective); this does not bode well at all. Respawn is working on the project and their track record is very good, but I can’t help but worry about what EA is planning. They always find a way to put their hand directly into a project and do exactly what needs to be done to ruin it. Sometimes that’s on the front end in development and planning or lack thereof, and sometimes it’s on the back end with moving devs to other projects/ not hold their devs to the post-launch promises they tend to make and not fulfill. This story of a padawan in hiding after Order 66 is ripe for gameplay development and storytelling. So long as Respawn has the vision and can execute, all we need is for EA to stay the fuck away and let them work. We’ll see.

honorable mentions: Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Vampire Bloodlines 2, From Soft and George R. R. Martin collab, Fable remake, Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad, Wolfenstein Young Blood, Afterparty, Beyond Good and Evil 2, Bleeding Edge (Ninja Theory’s new game), Last of Us 3 (v hype just not a lot of info)

[impivus]

very rushed very shit intro comin @ you all but here goes nothing ! i’m felix from the gmt tmz, i use he / him pronouns, and im gonna power nap any minute now because one thing you should know about me is that i’m eternally on the verge of passing out from minimum exertions during the day. this is my pain in the ass eunsu: not even going to sugar coat it - he’s the human personification of a headache dumpster fire all in one beefy package and i really don’t even blame your character if they just . ignore his presence because, me too !

under the cut there’s some information about him if you want to get to know more about him regardless. smash that mf heart if you want to plot.. and i will get to you ? sometime ? its an ambiguous promise but i keep them, discord is also an option so just ask if you’d prefer to plot on there. eun’s about is here but no plots as of yet because life is hard and We Cant all Have Everything 

aka im lazy 

* ☾ ✧ * º ━━ is that KIM JONGIN walking about ? nope ! that’s just EUN SU CHO. & i’ve been told that they work as a INFORMATION BROKER ! apparently, they are TWENTY FIVE ( 204 )  years old .  some people say they are a CISMALE, DEMON ! HE is very CULTIVATED & INTUATIVE but also DECIETFUL &  MENACING. i wonder if they are just as odd as the rest of us .  ⇢  SYNOPSIS. MBTI TYPE  /  entp, the debater ZODIAC SIGN  /  scorpio   ENNEAGRAM TYPE  /  7w8 KINSEY SCALE  /  3 MORAL ALIGNMENT /  chaotic evil / neutral HOGWARTS HOUSE / slytherin ⇢ AESTHETICS. 

goosebumps raised and feelings of growing dread, the dark corner of a room where light doesn’t reach, silver pocket - watches with dead batteries, the scratch of a record player needle, flares in the sky, bad ideas coming to life, half-assed clapping when it’s required, figures dancing within the shadows & a smile you shouldn’t trust . 

⇢ OVERVIEW

literally anybody: when are you free?  eun su: im forever imprisoned in my own personal hell so i am never truly "free" but i don't really have plans all next week except for monday

this is eun su, and will y’all believe me if i say he used to be a good egg before he turned into the rotten egg i’m presentin y’all with today ??  i kid u not.. bs free zone. he did once ..  have a hort  he was born to a cult of witches, his twin brother absorbing all the magic that was meant to be equally distributed between them in his mother’s womb, which pretty much left eunsu as the black sheep of the family. said cult had been living on a small, near enough desolated island for literal decades, entertaining themselves with magic, seeking out knowledge, observing the unassuming populace, and toying with other supernatural creatures who dared cross their paths. unfortunately for eunsu’s family, tragedy struck when one of his aunt’s tried to over throw the high priestess ( his mother ) in their coven. unyielding in her position and untouchable to the magic she was exposed to, her sister went about other ways to break the woman’s spirits, dabbling in black magic predominantly to achieve her goals. eunsu’s brother was, thus, cursed before he was even born with an incurable heart defect that would see him dead before he reached double figures. eunsu’s mother was broken not mourned over how much he missed out as on a child: but she mourned for the fact that he was the only child that harboured any magic in their veins, the only child that could’ve carried on their lineage.   queue entrance of eunsu and his Whats the Worst that Could Happen Attitude. being young and naive, thought he could’ve been able to solve it by himself, solve the issues and earn his mother’s lacking affections. eun had heard about dark vessels that could miraculously grant wishes through summonings. though he didn’t have magic in his veins he had a fire in his heart, and after all, demons cared not for who or what they fed from: so long as they appeased their hunger.  all it wanted in return was a good, pure soul, and that’s what the demon stole from him before it mended his twin brother’s heart, giving the boy a new lease of life that wasn’t intended for him from the start. pity that eunsu died before he got to the age of twenty, following a quick and hungry fever that overtook his frail body and too soon turned deadly. there was no surprise that, come judgement day, he was turned away at the gates of heaven, in exchange for becoming one of lucifer’s own.

as a result of being eternally cursed with immorality and a tainted soul, he's lived some hundred-odd years and is coping by making the current populace in jeonseoul suffer along with finding purpose in digging out the secrets of his past life, mayhaps trying to find the demon who cursed him.... which could definitely be a wc.. and strengthening his abilities as a demon.

his personality is a bit insufferable; eunsu keeps himself distant and cryptic, because he likes it that way. he's a real weirdo ( if u have ever watched hxh he’s hisoka.. THAT weird )  that's hard to forget: completely mischievous, dramatic, and malicious to boot. some days he's waxing poetic about the futility of having a sense of justice and the next he's using his demonic powers to make some innocent tourist think they're hallucinating as they attempt to walk into a steady flow of traffic. 

ultimately life's a game to him and bih.. he’s here to have fun ! he's outlived his actual family and friends ( well, aside from his brother who he barely remembers, prolly be a wc if anyone’s interested ) and he's not looking to get attached to anyone. it would be great to Die because it’s his forever Mood but he also gets furious if anyone tries to actually expel him for real - so he'll simply prod at the world and its people until he gets the reactions he wants.

fair warning: it is a pain to genuinely care about eunsu and not many people will wanna do it. he comes and goes into people's lives as he pleases, stops reaching out once he's bored and only ever grazes the surface of a relationship based on its worth or his curiosities, innocent ppl, cute ppl, etc are just gonna be eaten up by him then dropped. 

the people who will be closest to him are doubtlessly other demons ig ? but he also hates y’all too so.. don’t get too friendly like he’s not here to make friends he’s here to be Jeonseoul’s next top Demon. also since he died sumn like 200 years ago it’s possible some wizards / familiars knew of him and his coven, it’d be super interesting for someone to have known cute human eunsu in exchange for chaotic bastard demon eunsu 

⇢ MISCELLANEOUS

since he’s a young demon, his horns are small and his wings barely span about two inches above his shoulder bones, he got itty bitty bat wings lbr he’s kinda pissed abt it. there’s tattoos over his scars from clashing with other demons / hunters / angels, but his devil’s mark lining the back of his neck, performed by first demon who took his soul, has never faded away. 

he also works as an info broker, which ties in with the fact that he’s a contractual demon ! it's more of a hobby than a job, something he does for kicks and to restock his gambling money and alcohol money, but he offers a helping hand to solo clientele for private cases if need be, just remember to bring your negotiation skills because his manipulation skills are a1.

he's well-versed in witchcraft even if he can’t actually possess the abilities that actual witches can. while hardly the mentoring type, he could be convinced to equip people with his knowledge of latin, spells or dark magic they want if he's interested enough. then again he might decide to screw them over for kicks so ask him for favours with caution.

for someone who carries a ton of spite and secrets, he passes as an easygoing, casual literature major on the daily to disguise his true intentions. find him at the university pretending to be a student and failing miserably at it like edward’s thousand year old ass in twilight

he cheats at the casino with his demonic powers but does it infrequently enough to pass it as luck. play games with him at your own risk. casinos are one of his favourite places but he can really be found anywhere with ease but some other places he frequents are: beaches, libraries, museums, bars, etc !

he'll get on people's nerves, but getting him to care to the degree of hate is another story. living this long has numbed him; people don't surprise him anymore and he doesn't care to spend time thinking about others. the secret to getting him to turn deathly serious is as simple as telling him you can tell that he was once a good person - because the cheesy truth is he was. he just convinces himself that he's given up trying to remember his human life and finds it easier to live like he’s dead.. yknow which he is.

romance makes him queasy, he's a spiteful old bastard and the concept of sweet love rubs him 100% fictional. there's someone he fancied before he was cursed but i'll save you the story: that's a distant dream now.

he might quote romantic works or put some pretty words together but he's fake as Fuck. if he notices someone innocent and unsuspecting crushing on him they are in so much trouble. he'll kiss their hand then twirl them right off a cliff. corruption kink central right here laid ease

as of rn he’s trying to master how to teleport and shadow control but he really is like on level one and he’s got to get up to level 50 to achieve even a fifth of what these other demons can do 

edit: i totally forgot to include eunsu’s ‘demonic’ title after he was banished to the perils of hell. it’s ironically just saint, and he goes around using that bc it’s blasphemous and a big ole middle finger to god himself. nobody will know his real name, but if there’s an off chance that they do, that’s a massive threat to eunsu and he’ll get his Snipers on Scene

tl;dr: 

[annio7zephyer-blog]

Are Brands Tricking Us?

It is Econ 20A that teaches me how to think like an economist: I can now employ my in-class knowledge to address what used to confuse me a lot. I have realized that an economic phenomenon that seems to go against common sense must have a more profound lesson behind its superficial absurdity. Sometimes, it is right all those optimized choices that contribute to the eventual weird outcome. In this blog post I would like to share my personal thoughts about a fascinating economic scene in my daily life—how brands affect us as customers.

                          Case Study:CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice

Hardly can any young girl with a sweet mouth reject a cup of smooth Bubble Milk Tea whether in the hot summer days or on a chilling winter night. Bubble tea sellers expand their business with additional ingredients like red beans, puddings, grass jellies, chewy sago and coconut milk to boost the flavor. The most popular milk tea brand among Chinese young generation is called CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice, a booming beverage company from Taiwan that aims at providing professional and quality-oriented drinks to their customers.              

CoCo runs a large number of chain outlets in major cities across China. In my city, a strange comparison in the business downtown area aroused my interest: almost there are always a dozen of people waiting in front of each CoCo’s selling window; meanwhile, few pay a visit to a less familiar tea shop just next to it--usually the competitor charges quite similar goods at a much lower price. It seems that people prefer killing their time in the long queue rather than save their time and money. How come? What is the secret of CoCo’s strikingly high loyalty of customers in this monopolistic competitive market?

To figure out the answer, I decided to first conduct a blind tongue experiment. It was a sunny Saturday afternoon around 2:50, a low sales tide right before CoCo’s business reaches another small peak. Without waiting for long I soon grabbed a milk tea from CoCo and then one from its adjacent store. Then I bottled them into two identical sample cups and asked my sister, a loyal CoCo fan, to tell her favorite product from another. Unfortunately, she failed. Frankly speaking, there is only subtle difference between milk tea sold in different stores (either less sugar or more water) for their similar components and easy making processes—sometimes almost identical. Moreover, in CoCo’s neighbor store I could add as much jellies, puddings and red beans as I wanted for free, whereas I had to pay extra cents for them at CoCo.

My blind test echoes some critics’ argument against the brand names: they make consumers perceive misleading differences when the generic good is almost indistinguishable from the brand-name good. Therefore, a rational buyer should never purchase a drink from CoCo because he will have a higher opportunity cost. One of the ten principles is that people face trade-offs. The opportunity cost of a cup of CoCo milk tea includes both your money and waiting time. Without buying the drink you can choose to stay with your family during the precious 15 minutes or spend your saved money on an instructive book.

However, in reality things turn out to be on the opposite side: consumers simply stick to CoCo’s exclusive trademark. Now it was at 3:00p.m. and a regular long queue showed up. Then I interviewed a couple of buyers in line: why don’t you get a similar milk tea in another store that can be served immediately? Some old customers believed CoCo provided milk tea of the best flavor. Others claimed that they were worrying about potential health risks from the less famous seller. Two young ladies confessed that they took for granted to have a “CoCo” logo on their drinks. A new buyer said even though he had never tried its products, he trusted others’ choices and followed suit. Based on the results, we simplify the case by assuming that there are two groups of consumers: rational and less rational ones.

For the less rational ones, the negative effect of brand names does manifest its power. These buyers have a blind faith in the brand-name good. It seems that they will directly drink CoCo’s logo if possible. For rational buyers, however, the condition becomes more complicated to address. Remember that another principle of Economics is people respond to incentives. An incentive is something that induces a person to act. Because rational people make decisions by comparing costs and benefits, they respond to incentives (N. Gregory Mankiw, 7). In this case, what comes first is people’s increasing awareness of the quality of food. Indifferent to a luring low price, nowadays Chinese customers are willing to pay more to ensure what they eat and drink are healthy and authentic. This defends brand names as a win-win situation for both consumers and companies. First, now buyers have access to goods information when “quality cannot be easily judged in advance of purchase” (Textbook, 342). Second, companies have a higher incentive to maintain the quantity of their products for the reputation of their brand names. CoCo’s relatively high price actually contains an “insurance” fee to guarantee another cup of bubble tea is as good as the previous one. What people consume is not only the drink itself but also the value of CoCo’s logo—the producer’s promise. On the other hand, if CoCo fails to stick to its operating concepts of “Consistency and Continuity”, something disastrous will happen: complains from one customer will spread like fatal virus across his/her peers, and a small group of negative feedbacks will eventually snowball into a huge business failure. CoCo will lose much of its valuable reputation that it has build up with years of consistent qualities (the same case as McDonald’s). Another concern focuses on equality: the local tea store may choose to offer free butter biscuits to those who purchase a drink on one day, whereas customers who come the next day cannot enjoy the bonus. In addition, you may have a very tasty milk tea at one time and then quite an awful one at your second visit. Its quality and price of goods vary over time, which makes it hard to remain “faithful” buyers. By contrast, CoCo sells equivalent and consistent products across many cities, which enables the beverage company to seize customers’ loyalty.

I also noticed that CoCo’s chain stores clustered in such a high density that they seemed to compete for customers. A first glimpse drove me at a conclusion that CoCo had better minimize this internal consumption due to its limited resources (equipments and labors). However, with a second chew I recognized a possible inner logic: since CoCo has much confidence in a stable number of buyers, opening up an extra store equals expanding its influence against competitors. The more stores it opens, the less likely a potential customer will be attracted by other sellers. If you are surrounded by NINE “CoCo” and ONE somewhat unknown bubble tea seller, it is highly possible that you will end up with one from CoCo. The reason can be split into two parts: for one thing, your friends buy and recommend its drink to you; for the other, it is simply out of your unconscious “obedience” in response to CoCo’s constant penetration—once your eyes have been accustomed to the brand, it is natural for you to accept its goods. The only few strategies for other sellers to attract customers are either to lower their prices, cut their profits, or give bonus—like free bubbles and grass jellies. As long as CoCo’s business circle establishes, it is rather hard for another brand to enter and survive in that area—because CoCo’s fans will not agree! That may explain why several weeks later when I passed by the adjacent store, the former tea seller had been replaced by a brand new one, at the same location with a similar, low price.

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[ehealthy-diet-plan]

How Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s Massive Guess On COVID-19 Testing Helped Curb The Outbreak In New Mexico

  Michelle Lujan Grisham changed into competent for the coronavirus — or at least as competent as a governor may also be for an as soon as-in-a number of-generations pandemic to ravage each point of life in their state.

the former fitness secretary and U.S. Consultant from New Mexico who took over the state’s highest office in 2019 drew on her event coping with infectious ailments to get out in front of COVID-19. She declared a statewide health emergency on March 11th, when the simplest 4 situations had been verified, and hospitals have been offering free pressure-via testing at hospitals just two days later. As of early June, New Mexico has administered more tests per capita than each state however Rhode Island and big apple, a difference that has helped steer clear of the virus from spiraling out of control in what is not only one of the nation’s poorest states, however, one with an anemic hospital ability.

As an infection rates fell, some corporations in the state have been allowed to reopen with restrictions on might also sixteenth. “We’re going to demand in New Mexico that science ebook every decision we make,” Lujan Grisham observed right through a press briefing wherein she also stressed the magnitude of donning masks. “We don’t are looking to go backward and shut every little thing down.”

just as critical as early trying out turned into Lujan Grisham’s early recognition that she couldn’t rely on the federal govt. “I labored during the Trump administration as a member of Congress and become capable of seeing the things that labored and the issues that completely did not work, including the inconsistencies in getting valid assistance,” she explains over the phone to Rolling Stone. “I had that standpoint.”

The interview turned into one among a collection Rolling Stone carried out with governors throughout the month of can also about the challenges of leading during the pandemic (together with Washington State Governor Jay Inslee and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.) 

The interview was during an infrequent slice of free time for Lujan Grisham, automatically after one of her every day at 2 p.M. Coronavirus conferences. The conversation had been rescheduled from the old weekend so that she could see her household for the first time in well over a month. “COVID-19 is 190 percent of what I do daily,” she says. “That’s why these colossal crises are challenging because they’re on top of all of the different things every human has to be paying attention to when it comes to enhancing nice lifestyles and serving your ingredients.”

How was the assembly? I'm — foolishly, some would say — attempting to get these meetings all the way down to a half-hour. However, I maintain adding issues that I am looking to comprehend. They take about two hours. I arise thus far, now not simply on the stuff that we study day by day, however, we shift views. What am I lacking? How would I comprise it differently? How does 7-day versus 14-day modeling examine? What about via county? I need to now analyze commonplace times of restoration through inhabitants segments. Should you’re coping with problem-solving, you are looking to have as a great deal counsel as feasible. 

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In late February and early March, you didn’t have this wealth of statistics, and there have been way more unknowns than there at the moment are. What had been you relying on on again then if you happen to have been imposing lots of these restrictions earlier than the federal executive and lots of the rest of the nation were even acknowledging the severity of the virus? When I was secretary of health, we had a flu vaccine scarcity and some very difficult flu epidemic seasons. So I’m no stranger to the importance of any infectious disorder, and I understand the danger in a pandemic. You take an abundance of warning, even though you don’t comprehend everything that you just should be aware of. If there is no vaccine and no actual medication, then you improved to keep people from being in contact. I made quick and intensely extensive, decisive actions, telling Americans to dwell at home, closing colleges, and narrowing standard agencies. We quarantined Americans coming across borders for 14 days. We have been working on taking the temperatures of truckers coming out and in of the state and doing questionnaires about whether or not they had been symptomatic. We were aggressive on the entrance conclusion, and that I consider, unequivocally, it has paid off in the place the state is today.

Are you involved concerning the diploma to which the protests over the killing of George Floyd have pushed COVID-19 out of the information and should lead individuals to disregard taking the types of precautions you had been stressing for months? Americans standing shoulder-to-shoulder in parks and streets and out of doors public structures throughout the nation, even with rankings of them wearing masks, gifts an indisputable risk. I will be mindful of their anger and applaud their passion for justice. But I fret. We know the way effortlessly this virus can unfold — and we recognize protesters may contract the virus and elevate it unknowingly to their parents, grandparents, and different prone populations. We have to be aware we’re coping with this pressing public fitness disaster even at this second of countrywide reckoning. 

What turned into your response to Trump’s name with governors remaining week? What turned into going via your head as he stressed the deserve to “dominate” demonstrators? All I could think was that he was lifeless wrong and guidance the nation towards additional anger, mayhem, and violence. Dominance? That type of implicit support for escalating force is what received us to this element. Dominance is a police officer’s knee on the neck of a citizen. Batons and tear gas and flash-bangs are not the tools to deflect the anger of peaceable protesters. Legislation enforcement’s role right now is to give protection to the peaceable protesters and stop the small number of agitators from looting and escalating the circumstance. The president’s strategy, that excessive force is the simplest technique to address the anger and pain being expressed about extreme and unjust force, is incorrect.

one of the vital things New Mexico was, in fact, out in entrance of was trying out. Can you describe probably the most methods making trying out extensively accessible early contributed to tamping down the spread of the virus and your capacity to computer screen it? You need to understand where the virus is offering itself so that you can get individuals isolated instantly and in the reduction of basic transmission. Should you reduce transmission, you also in the reduction of what we call the density of prevalence of the virus in a group, and then you could take different moves. In case you can’t do checking out, you’re flying blind. Too many Americans are contaminated by the point you recognize you’ve bought a problem. And notwithstanding no state has adequate health care equipment to cope with a virulent disease, New Mexico, per capita, has half as an awful lot [infrastructure] as another state. If we get this wrong, individuals will die because they couldn't get fitness care. So I was clear about that.

The federal government becomes not clear in regards to the strategies they have been going to undertake, so I grew to become the testing expert. I truly did a listing of lab property. I knew exactly what number of gadgets we had. I learned what it took to get them calibrated to run the COVID look at various. I was clear about which COVID tests had been the most plausible and professional. I went to each brand at once. I called the CEOs and the executive members of the family Americans each day until I bought within the queue to get orders coming into New Mexico. We may hold expanding checking out as a result of I knew where my labs had been, I knew the place the devices have been, I knew what it takes to get it completed, and it put us in a more robust position.

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How has your inability to count on constant federal guide affected your ability to combat the pandemic? I knew it was going to be challenging. Loads of the federal secretaries don't have any govt experience, and a lot of them have no event in the environment that they’re asked to steer. The White House may also be responsive, however, the problem is that it’s hit and miss as a result of they don’t have a powerful federal design. They’ve obtained 50 different things they’re engaged on at a time for 50 diverse governors, which is why constituents aren’t getting what they need. It’s anything they’ve arguably gotten worse on, at a time after we want more facts, extra counsel, and extra self-belief because we are reopening and introducing possibility again into our communities. Here's when the federal executive, in reality, must be constant. The fact that they’re no longer is, in fact, a travesty. Frankly, I don’t see it getting more advantageous each time quickly.

New Mexico is likely one of the poorest states in the nation. To what extent have economic concerns factored into your determination-making? It’s extremely tough stability. The national noise is that you just ought to choose from public health and safety, and the financial system. I don’t trust that. I agree with in prudent determination making, because closing the economic climate can be worse over the lengthy haul. People are determined. Individuals have misplaced their companies and misplaced financial protection. When somebody will text me or name me and say, “Throw a bone to this business and open up a bit early,” that’s a political resolution, and I don’t make any political decisions about this virus. This virus is nonpartisan. It will assault you no matter the place you are or who you are. However people power me, and that I get it. I don’t dismiss that. The manner individuals are all feeling is credible. But I ought to seem on the facts to make these selections. 

The Navajo Nation has been hit in particular difficult. Why has the outbreak been so dangerous there? What are some of the challenges in fighting it from getting worse in these materials of the state you don’t truly have the same variety of jurisdiction over? I haven't any control over a sovereign nation. I don’t consider that I should still. I had a call with every tribal leader in the state in early March after we have been making all of these selections. I obtained on the cellphone and mentioned, “You have to shut down. You need to shut the casinos. You ought to shut your inns.” There’s lots of risk on account of their chapter government with layers of in fact advanced organizational programs. In their families, what is outstanding when it comes to caregiving — guide, pride, and faith — has developed into their Achilles Heel, as a result of they have got assorted generations residing in a single-family unit. There are too many households without operating water or electrical energy. They should travel as a way to get these primary resources. They don’t have enough health care. Their trying out changed into taking weeks to get returned.

I alerted the White condo that the possibility changed into excessive and that they need to do something differently. The federal government is in cost of their testing, in can charge of their elements, in can charge of their hospitals. It’s all federal. [In New Mexico,] 50 p.C and above — depending upon whether you look at mortality charges, of superb [COVID-19] case fees, or clinic quotes — are Native American situations. If you took out the Native American fine instances in New Mexico, we would have the lowest expense of transmission per capita in the country, using some distance. This turned into a complete failure of the federal executive.

what's being achieved to insulate the Navajo Nation and different vulnerable communities during the state in opposition t the results of the pandemic within the long run, above all when you consider that the lack of federal support? We have isolation facilities where we use accessible resources and can circulate you and your family, separate you into resort rooms, and ensure that you simply bought food, water, protection, and health care aid — and stream you if you get ill. What we tell Americans is that you should self-isolate unless you get you to examine effects lower back. In case you live in a city environment, that you could go appropriate home and also you’ve received water and electricity and take care of — the entire issues that you simply want. You’re going to get a solution in 24 hours at the most. In case you’re in Navajo Nation, you may now not get a solution for a week, and you should go out and get different substances. You may have a dialysis appointment or any variety of stuff you need to go to, yet you don’t have any guidance. Neither can we so that it will do the contact tracing. It’s horrific.

but I’ll inform you what: We’re going to come up with it. The Navajo Nation has been miraculous, and we’ve received a speedy response team with one of the crucial ideal scientific and medical docs in the country, all working together to think about how we can include it faster. If the federal executive can step up its online game, that’s splendid. But I have to function as if they’re now not going to. We ought to have all of those issues in the vicinity because we can’t tolerate losing one more lifestyle. Not one. We can’t have one more person get sick. We are able to have a further household be decimated by way of this virus. It is merciless, and unfair, and unjust. And we can do everything in our power to repair this.

[mysteryshelf]

SF & FANTASY WEEK - The Four Worlds

Welcome to

THE PULP AND MYSTERY SHELF SF and Fantasy Week!

DISCLAIMER: This content has been provided to THE PULP AND MYSTERY SHELF by Silver Dagger Book Tours. No compensation was received. This information required by the Federal Trade Commission.

Interview with the Author

What is something unique/quirky about you?

I’m a left-handed pescaterian and I love cooking and mixing drinks.

  Tell us something really interesting that’s happened to you!

When I was 15 I went on my first trip out of the country. I spent ten days in Panama City, Panama. I got to see historic sights like the Panama Canal, but the experience that stuck with me was visiting one of the native indian tribes. It took an hour long bus ride and from there a 45 minute canoe trip to the hill they lived on. The tribe welcomed the group with a traditional indian dance, they painted us with unique symbols and fed us. I’ve never had food so fresh and delicious in my life. The tribe didn’t wear clothes and in some cases the children ran around butt-naked, it took some getting used to, but no one was ashamed or embarrassed about it. They lived in tree houses, not the kind of tree houses we think of with walls and a roof, but basically a platform in a tree. Since they didn’t have lights, when it got dark outside we went to sleep and slept under the stars. It was one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve ever had and it made me feel close to the environment and nature.

  What are some of your pet peeves?

I don’t have too many, but one of them is when people make sweeping assumptions without doing research. I like to be open minded and understand there are differing perspectives and situations. Seeing things from different points of views helps me to become a better writer.

  What are your top 10 favorite books/authors?

I’m an avid book lover and read about 50 book a year, if not more. Some of my top favorites are:

  The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip

A Threat of Shadows by JA Andrews

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

When Tomorrow Calls Series by JT Lawrence

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

The HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The Legend of Eli Monpress by Rachel Aaron

The Redwall Series by Brian Jacques

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

  These are all books that inspire my writing. As you can tell, I read a wide variety of genres.

  What inspired you to write this book?

I love telling stories. The Four World Series is was inspired by my love of storytelling and also inspired by the games I played in my childhood. I grew up with 4 sisters, we are all quite close and enjoyed using our wild imaginations. I’ve noticed in reviews, reviewers often talk about my imagination and it honestly came from my childhood.

  I started writing The Five Warriors because I had a dream about a warrior, standing on the edge of a battlefield. He’d been through a lot and he stared out with relief. When I dreamed about him, I knew I had to write his story. His name is Marklus. The Five Warriors opens with him in prison.

  What can we expect from you in the future?

Currently, I’m working on the final novel in the Four Worlds Series. From there I have a couple of additional series that happen within the Four Worlds and about 20 standalones. All in all I have about 50 novels and novella in my queue and will be releasing them over the next 25-50 years, depending on how long it takes me to write them out. While the main genre I write is fantasy, I’ll dive into sci-fi, romance, thrillers, and other genres along the way.

  Do you have any “side stories” about the characters?

I do! I adore side stories and digging into some of the side characters to learn more about them, their histories and their motives. My first stand-alone with a side character is Myran. Myran tells the story about Eliesmore’s mother and why she behaves the way she does. It’s a dark fantasy novella, and I will release more like it in the upcoming years.

  What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I love seeing the characters come to life, it’s the best part of writing. They are good and bad, light and dark, they argue, have insane motives, stand up for each other and enjoy a good fight. They don’t always make the right choice, they make mistakes, but once you get to know them, you love them, despite how crazy and annoying they get. There will be characters you root for, and others you’ll want to choke out and remove from the book altogether. It’s a wild ride with these characters.

Tell us about your main characters- what makes them tick?

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

This might sound a bit odd but I’ve always considered myself a writer. I did not consider myself an author until my first book was published in 2015. Now, when I meet people and they ask me what I do, I tell them, I’m an author. It feels good.

  About the Books

The Five Warriors

The Four Worlds Series Book 1

by Angela J. Ford

Genre: Epic Dark Fantasy

“The characters were well-written and well-developed, the story was clear and enjoyable without being predictable, and there were a couple of evenings I stayed up later than I intended just so I could get to the end of a chapter. If you’re a fantasy fan, you’re going to LOVE this!” —Amazon review

What if…

your best friend started a rebellion in the middle of a war?

your lover awakened a deep evil and helped it grow?

your people were too cowardly to face a battle?

you stole an ancient power source?

you gambled with the fate of the world?

Join five powerful warriors each with a unique ability and magical weapons. Their quest is to discover where the transformed creatures are coming from and put a stop to it.

Along the way they run into treacherous immortals, sea monsters,

powerful beasts of the air and talking animals.

Each has their own reasoning for joining the quest, but one carries a deadly secret which just might be the destruction of them all.

“Angela’s imagination has brought these characters to life and the

worlds they live in.”

—Amazon review

Add to Goodreads

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The Blended Ones

The Four Worlds Series Book 2

Over 100 years after The Five Warriors saved the Western World, the Blended Ones have become a curse in the Eastern World. Beware the Blended Ones…

Phyllis and her 17 year old twin sister, Ilieus are Blended Ones. But Ilieus suffers from visions of darkness she is unable to discern. Forsaken by their parents the two cross the country in search of the Order of the Wise for help.

Cuthan the Charmer is mischievous enough to change anyone’s mind with a smile and a wink. Born into a family of treasure hunters, he s searching for the key to unlocking his dormant powers.

Pharengon the Horse Lord was born to be King. Young and inexperienced he

seeks a weapon to turn the tide of the war in his favor. But when his very own army betrays him, he will have to turn to the Lost Ones for assistance.

Caught in the fate of the Eastern World the youths destinies become twisted together in a frightful quest that will change the course of time. In the midst of their whirlwind adventure, they discover love, loss, and uncover the truth about who and what is behind the chaotic, spiraling events in the Eastern World.

This can be read as a stand alone novel

Add to Goodreads

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Eliesmore and the Green Stone

The Four Worlds Series Book 3

Changers have arisen, wreaking havoc as they harvest the world, searching

for the Green Stone. The South World sinks in despair, holding its breath, waiting for the One.

Eliesmore is a Blended One, growing up on the edge of the forest of the creatures of the wood. Young, headstrong, and inspired by magical rituals, he spends his time between his overprotective mother and sneaking out to dance with the wild things.

His courage is tested when Eliesmore discovers that he is the One who is meant to save the Four Worlds from the Changers. Unwilling to accept his fate, he turns his back on the prophecy and the futile quest to dissolve the Green Stone.

But Eliesmore will soon learn he cannot escape his destiny. Beset by creatures of the deep and hunted by servants of the Changers, Eliesmore finds his task will test the loyalty of his companions and help him answer the ultimate question:

Can he trust the immortals – or are they the reason the Changers

have come to power?

Add to Goodreads

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Myran

A Tale of the Four Worlds

Darkness has fallen in the South World, a land ruled by forces of evil and dark powers. Those who would resist live in hiding, hoping for the prophecy concerning the One to come true.

Born into a shadowed world Myran experiences her first loss when her parents are murdered before her eyes.

Adopted by the Green People she makes it her goal to hide from the woes of the world. As she grows older, she discovers her actions will birth the most significant change in all of the Four Worlds.

Recommended: Read this after reading “Eliesmore and the Green Stone”

Add to Goodreads

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo

Brought up as a bookworm and musician, Angela J. Ford began writing The Four Worlds Series—a fantasy series—at the age of twelve. The storyline of those books was largely based off of the imaginative games she played with her sisters.

Angela originally finished the series when she was sixteen. After college, Angela began to rewrite The Four Worlds Series, bringing it from a child’s daydream to an adventure young and old can enjoy. Since it is inspired by fairy tales, high magic, and epic fantasy, Angela knows you’ll enjoy your adventures within the Four Worlds.

If you happen to be in Nashville, you’ll most likely find her at a local coffee shop, enjoying a white chocolate mocha and furiously working on her next book. Make sure you say hello!

Website * Facebook * Facebook Group * Twitter * Instagram

Google + * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!

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SF & FANTASY WEEK – The Four Worlds was originally published on the Wordpress version of The Pulp and Mystery Shelf with Shannon Muir

[kendraunfiltered]

I Voted for Trump

*This was meant to have been posted quite awhile ago, but clearly got stuck in the queue*

I voted for Trump.  I haven’t really been on to advertise this statement too widely, because I didn’t see it as worth the hassle.  However, now, now I do.  I’ll say it again.  I voted for Donald J. trump.  #Imwithhim.  More to the point, and really what this post is about, is that I’m proud I voted for Trump.  I even voted for him in the Primaries.  Here’s the thing though...I could go onfor days about why I voted for him, and why I actually think he’ll do our country a world of good but instead, I would rather talk about the relief I feel at standing behind him from the beginning.

Relief isn’t even a strong enough word to express how I feel about what is going on in our country right now.  Giddiness comes closer, yet that is coupled with irritation, frustration and embarrassment.  Not embarrassment for my choices though, not because we’ve supposedly elected a racist, fascist, homophobic, misogynistic, she-man woman hater asshole.   But instead because of all the bullshit I’m witnessing.  You know what I’m talking about, I’m talking about the sulking, the whining, the temper tantrums, the name calling, the closed mindedness, the lack of respect, the bullying, the violence, and if we’re gonna throw it all out on the table here, the treason. 

Eight years ago when Obama was first elected president, and appointed Hilary Clinton as the Secretary of State, I had a sinking feeling he was going to be really bad for our country.   There were a lot of his political stances I didn’t agree with, but the two main reasons there were rocks in the pit of my stomach was Hillary’s new role, and the fact that despite what people will admit, we really probably voted him in because he was a charming black man.  What better way to prove to the world and ourselves that we are so frigging progressive.  Even when he wasn’t talking about it, race was his deep seeded main platform.  How are we going to eradicate racism in this country when it had just become our new podium?

Despite my feelings for Obama, however, I remember walking into my office the next morning after the election and being greeted by my very liberal officemate who refused to talk politics with me.  He was happy to that day though, because he had just won.  I remember him asking if I was going to be OK.  I looked at him like he was ridiculous and said “yes, of course.  So, we lost.  Obama is our president now, and I genuinely hope he does a good job.”  Then, I moved on with my life.

I moved on and watched as our national debt increased, our unemployment rate didn’t change, the household median income went down, the housing market went up, billions of dollars were spent on “green” initiatives which eventually went bankrupt, the percentage of Americans on food stamps went up almost 40%, taxes went up, even for folks who made below 250k annually, we alienated Israel, apologized to Islamists and terrorist groups for offending them, and signed off on Obamacare which consisted of 897 documents, totaling 20, 202 pages of regulations.*  And then, in 2012 we held another election, and we voted him in again.  I was admittedly, a little disappointed, but it’s not as though I thought Mitt Romney would solve all of our problems either.  So, I kept following what was going on, I kept going to work, I didn’t put on a safety pin, I didn’t cry, I didn’t un-friend people who voted for Obama…again.  I continued to try and have political discussions with those around me, most of whom resided on the left, and plenty of whom didn’t want to discuss politics with me.  They were afraid it would ruin our friendship.

So now, here we are, another 4 years, and many disasters later: Benghazi, Obamacare, more national debt, violence and racism running rampant in the media and the commuted sentence of Radley (err…Chelsea) Manning.*  Luckily, this time, the guy I wanted to win, actually won.  I’m thrilled.  I’m not going to pretend I like everything about Trump, of course I don’t.  However, I think he is exactly what our country needs right now.  Our country was dying, falling victim to years and years of politics slowly corrupting everything that once made America one of the greatest countries in the world.  I think, and genuinely hope that Trump starts to help us turn it around.  I don’t care that he has no filter, and says wildly inappropriate things.  I care about what he does; what he wants to do.  You, however, do not care about what might actually happen.  Instead, you care that you lost, and you are putting toddlers around the world to shame with your incessant whining and temper tantrums.  Not just that though, you’re terrified that because Trump is President, that there will be more violence, people will be mean spirited, closed minded and unaccepting.  It’s a real shame for you that you’re right, that is happening.  However, it’s not coming from the Trump supporters.  You’re doing it.  If you want anyone to listen to you and take you seriously, then have a conversation, allow people who disagree with you to speak and engage.  Instead, riots are breaking out where Trump supporters are being beaten, people are terminating friendships because someone has opposing views, the mudslinging and the nastiness that is coming directly from the mouths of Hillary supporters is absolutely appalling, and I’m embarrassed for you.There may or may not be any of you still reading this who oppose everything I’m saying, but in case you are, here’s what I would love for you to understand.  You are terrified right now because Trump just officially became our president.  Well, I know how you feel; I would have felt exactly the same way if Hillary had won.  The main difference in our feelings though is that you are afraid of Trump because he’s an ass who says a lot of things you fear he might act on.  I was afraid of Hillary because of the things she has already done, and subsequently terrified of what she might end up doing with even more power.For all of you who are “with her,” does it really not concern you that one of the most powerful people in the world has been so lax with our country’s security, that she has knowingly taken money from Middle Eastern nations who oppress women’s rights, that she stayed with Bill despite his many indiscretions, and not just stayed with him, but fought against the women he admitted to having affairs with, all to stay in power? So here we are, 24 hours into Trump’s presidency, and there are millions of women out there protesting.  Protesting what?  What are you looking to accomplish?  Women haven’t lost any rights!  In 1970 when women held a protest for civil rights, they were looking for something, they were fighting for something, something tangible, and ultimately, they got it.  You’re out there wearing vagina costumes and protesting to get something you already have. And just so we’re clear, you are not oppressed; not in this country.  If you want to see oppression, please go and spend some time in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Mali, Somalia.  Those are countries where women’s right barely exist, if at all.  I understand that we are not living in one of those countries, and I agree that you have every right to protest and speak out; but please, know what you’re looking to accomplish.  Also, try not to be too hypocritical.  If you’re pissed off because you think tolerance and understanding are going right out the window, then why are you only allowing people who see your side of view to protest with you?  If you’re protesting that women should have the right to decide what happens to their body, then why are you harassing the 50+ women who showed up in support of women to choose life?   I’m really sick of the hypocrisy we’re facing in this country.  

I honestly have no idea if President Trump will do a good job or not, but it won’t matter if we keep going the way we’re going.

[earthenthoughts]

The New Year's New Look: Post Patch 6.9, and Syndra.

The Crystal Ball is Wild and Dangerous

It is with no small distaste I look back upon my predictions and see how they have come to fruition. For the first time in many years, Syndra found herself thrust into the spotlight in a way that can only be described as 'damaging'. Clocking in a 97% ban rate at Worlds 2016, and earning the World Casters' bristling ire, her solo queue performance achieved around a 50-70% ban rate depending on any day's given temperament. Now, as we stand in the twilight of 2016, the world is looking pretty different for her.

My predictions back around August didn't play out as I thought they would, but ultimately did come true. Upon the landing of the Patch 6.9, Syndra's kit broke with a couple different bugs that would remain until Patch 6.12. Namely, her ultimate no longer detected spheres correctly, so if any of her abilities modified a sphere, there was about a 1-2 second window her ultimate wouldn't see the sphere. The net result, quite often was something like a 6 sphere ultimate only firing as a 4 or 3 sphere ultimate in turn. In all my time in playing her, it was the single most frustrating thing to deal with, and that's a pretty tall statement in over 5 years of League of Legends with her.

As Patch 6.12 landed, however, and these bugs were corrected, Syndra also received some AP ratio help, bumping her damage even further with the Patch 6.9 changes. This rode upon the back of many other different champions, many of which were the S-list and A-list competition she had to deal with, getting nerfed. The net result was a near meteoric rise to the top in competitive play and the world at large gleaning what would happen in a meta where Syndra is handed the queen's seat on a silver platter. This isn't entirely new to her, as Syndra's last rise to the top saw some stiff nerfs to her complete lane domination some years ago.

In the course of Patch 6.12 to Patch 6.24, much of the lukewarm reputation Syndra possessed was pretty much destroyed. Any notion of skill involvement disappeared as the roving bands of mob mentality paid their seasonal visit with her in their sights. I didn't really expect her to survive it any better than the rest, though I do find myself irritable nonetheless over the matter. My own personal misgivings aside, it was quite the useful learning experience, as it ever is, in watching how powerful public perception is. After all, when the man on the television preaching to you and millions of others that a champion has, "Absolutely no counter play", why wouldn't you believe him? Certainly not when no defense or counter argument is given in favor of the problem, of course.

  A New Year, and More Patches.

As we step out of the shadow 2016, and the clock turns over, the future is looking interesting for Syndra. The nerfs are on the horizon, and they aim at correcting what is arguably the biggest problem in her kit currently. Her W, Force of Will, is (as of the last PBE I looked at), being changed to something like this:

AP Ratio reverted to 0.7 from 0.8. Base damage reduced by 10 at all levels.

Old: Force of Will grabs 2 additional spheres near the target.

New: Force of Will now deals 20% bonus true damage.

The developers are fairly confident it will ship 'as is', but as ever, the Crystal Ball is dangerous. They may post something different tomorrow and explode this entire blog post like a destroyer in Battleship.

Notably, her new Q passive (+2 seconds to Dark Sphere life timers) and E changes (+0.1 AP, -2s base CD) are being retained. The rest of her kit, otherwise, remains untouched or considered as far as I'm aware. I find myself quite welcoming to these changes, as they will largely return Syndra to her prior playstyle and with easier-to-tune levers. An instrinic problem of the multisphere W is that it has no way to be balanced–your only recourse is to reduce the grab targets from 3 to 2, and this opens up other issues. The natural throw pattern would be a V-shape, which would ironically make it so awful to level you'd intentionally avoid it, as this would destroy her stun pattern. As a designer, you're forced to adjust it so one sphere is center mass and … where does the second go? Then you have to argue how it throws, and so on. As her kit is designed currently, the idea just opens more problems. Just looking at it can make a new problem appear out of thin air, seemingly.

Damage, however unimaginative it might be, is easy to tune. You make it go up or down, and if damage as a mechanic is undesired, you visit the project when you have more time. In this regard, although Syndra's W having a considerable amount of true damage (that's BONUS true damage, not a conversion. Her W overall has more damage), it's simple to change. From a gameplay perspective, it definitely empowers her skill route for W second max, as level 13 is when the mid-game/team fighting phase happens. Being true damage, she'll hammer all targets equally, though squishy ones will fear her W throw the most as they have less over all HP to absorb true damage with. Magic Resistance rushers, particularly those favoring Abyssal Scepter and Maw of Malmortius, will get stung pretty heavily by it and relieve some of Syndra's crippling issues with fighting those build paths until Void Staff is complete.

Her tank killing prowess will enjoy a slight increase, though out of all her targets, I imagine she'll still feel very cramped against them. Flat true damage is not necessarily an elegant way to kill tanks, but it does help.

The only problems I can foresee with this is squishy carry champions getting slammed particularly hard by Syndra's W sniping. However, lacking the multi-sphere throw now, she can no longer infinitely maintain her ultimate or a stun wall as large as a lane. Whether or not that's a fair trade off, time will tell, but if the true damage is a problem (in being too weak(?) or strong), a quick number change is all it needs. It is certainly a much better alternative to the multisphere mechanic and her original W passive.

  In Defense of the Multisphere Mechanic

I'll take this moment to kind of step aside and try to frame the vitrolic I have around this idea. So, standing in defiance of my past remarks, let's be a little different. On its own, the principle idea of manipulating multiple spheres with Syndra is a thematically interesting idea. It also has potential for zone control, power ramp, and everything her kit is based as an idea. As Syndra exists, however, it's inclusion destroyed safety levers many parts of her kit relied on to permit the power she has. Notably, her incredible team stunning and nuking power went from 'very timing sensitive' to 'whenever I want because I can'. The core idea itself can work, as experience has shown, merely not with the iteration Syndra herself currently exists in.

I feel that in a future VGU, or whenever the idea of a radical redesign for Syndra is in mind, it can be revisited. The concept of multiple sphere management is powerful enough you could redesign her whole kit with it in mind, and emphasize a lot of her unique strengths in the process. But, I fear it would be necessary to no longer consider Syndra a Burst Mage in that iteration. Her single target nuke ultimate as it is right now would not play nicely with that idea, so it would have to go. The multiple sphere ability (Force of Will, in this case) may even evolve into becoming her ultimate in such a world. Where it would go, or do, is a matter of speculation. You run the very real risk of making Syndra the best AOE nuke mage in the game, rather than a powerful single target problem remover. That's a wild ride of speculation and theory design I've played with for a while, but, no matter what, we'd have to fundamentally redefine a lot of who and what Syndra is.

So, the idea is good, the game just doesn't allow for it as it is. I'd be very curious to see how it'd play out on a theoritical design in testing with a bigger scope of work in mind, though.

  The World At Large

Assassins got their update and promptly fell on their face (except for LeBlanc, as always), as many of the current mage mid laners are quite comfortable against them. I'm honestly not certain if Assassins will find a happy existence, as their class entails a range of fundamental assertions that are problematic for the League of Legends environment. The largest one is the 'always losing until they're winning' one. Assassins do not have fallback mechanics in exchange for their incredible target selection and maneuverability. Thus, this means a stalwart defense and neutral farming playstyle can put them into a 'losing the game' position by just simply ignoring them. The onus to succeed is on the Assassin, and they must pursue an almost dangerously reckless degree of gameplay to stay relevant, then to win.

This in turn means player agency is a bit more suspect, as the Assassins are given–by design–the tools to out play, out manuever, and defeat their opponent. If they cannot do this reliably enough, they will simply never exist in professional League of Legends unless they're a wild card pick. Regular play will see them more convincingly, as skill and play style varies wildly there, but the class as a whole won't be regarded with some modicum of seriousness. I ponder if this is an issue of how League of Legends, as a game, is designed, and whether or not this problem can be answered by tuning the Assassins directly. Time will tell as Riot's attention goes to stepping down on the mage mid laners and giving a boost up to the Assassin class, and everyone gets to fight Fizz again(again).

Tanks are prowling around quite happily right now, and a fair number of other classes who shouldn't be, with the new Courage of the Colossus mastery. Word on the street is that will be getting slammed, so hopefully that draws that array back in line. Overall pleased with tanks having a menacing presence, though the damage available to them is brow raising. I suspect new mechanics unique to them would help give them more 'tank' and less 'tank by damage threat'. Reworking Taunt, for example, has interesting potential. Imagine if Taunt made it so a targeted enemy can only auto attack or use targeted abilities to the tank taunting them, but the target was normal otherwise (so no pseudo-stun lock mechanic). This means some of the existing tanks would either have to gain a Taunt effect, or some sort of item for them alone to use. It's one idea that comes to mind, anyway.

As is tradition, the entire jungle role is once again on fire as the new year of 2017 and Preseason 7 comes. The whole place is on fire, in a very literal way.

Bot lane is currently a whipping post as the ADC(marksman) role is finally contested after 7 years of League of Legends. That is, marksmen as a class are finding themselves constantly stepped on, smacked around, and new picks coming to contest their relevancy to the game. I find this particularly interesting to watch as, while I don't want a whole class to disappear, they're unique in that they have always 'been there'. The entire history of League of Legend metas is defined by 'Marksman+X', where X is the flavor of the month. It got to the point you had marksman in all 5 roles, though that got nerfed down. They maintain a presence in jungle and midlane, and the occasional terror pick arrives in toplane (to every top main's insatiable ire). To find a playing field open up where there are viable and desirable team compositions without marksman is a breath of fresh air in the potential of the game.

What the marksman bring to the table will still always be there, but I wonder if it will no longer be the mandatory must-have it has been. A team that could field no marksman, and make a dangerous yet viable choice in doing so, is not often considered nor held in any regard except 'I'm being trolled'. Mordekaiser as a marksman was arguably the first foray, however awkward, into this idea. The execution of that plan kind of exploded like a transformer on a power pole when the bristling hate mail came down the line … but still, it had merit in testing. Yasuo, amusingly, was somewhat envisioned as a potential marksman replacer, but he does every role. Now, we have Ziggs showing up in bot lane, not even as a marksman, but as a siege war waging machine whose unique strength is one of the few virtues the marksman class is built on. Where the marksman will end up after the dust has settled, I think, is a very telling point in how League of Legends could evolve.

If they're put back into their mandatory position, then it's reasonable to assume a degree of 'this is how it is, period'. If they're not mandatory, then it's reasonable to assume a greater degree of fluidity in design.

In what ways I can remember, I'd be historically inclined to say 'Riot will pursue a rigid method of design'. The ever changing balance team seems open to new approaches, though. I'm hopeful they'll experiment in this regard, though I live with an ever traumatic fear of what happened to Zyra, The Stolen Mage. Nonetheless, positive thoughts are better than anything else.

But, I'll be here, playing Syndra like I always do.

I'm a Syndra Main, not an OTP guys.

Seriously.

I'm serial.

staph calling me a one trick

The New Year’s New Look: Post Patch 6.9, and Syndra. was originally published on Earthen Thoughts