#Invincible Shield Review

[stylized-corpse]

The new Judas Priest album fucking RULES. These guys never miss these days.

[rockartfashion]

Album of the Month -JUDAS PRIEST - Masterful "Invincible Shield" -Review

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA if I left a bad review on a book I haven’t purchased?

(📚📖 to find later)

I’m an audiobook narrator professionally. I do most of my work via independent contracting with a production company. NOTE: they are NOT a publishing house. They do not provide editors/betas/etc for the text, they focus on turning (usually self published) books into audiobooks and marketing those audiobooks.

Most of the books I record with them are great, and I have a lot of fun reading good books! But…some of the books I’ve read for them have been. REALLY. REALLY. bad. Like I personally would have stopped reading within the first few pages bad if it wasn’t literally my job to read the words out loud.

I’m currently reading a book for them that makes me want to tear my hair out. The writing is boring, badly paced, and repetitive. None of the characters are likeable, and the relationships are shallow, the combat is boring, there are no stakes, etc etc. To give you an idea, the main character is the type of kid who on the playground would insist he had a mega super invincibility shield so you couldn’t touch him, but he also had a mega super invincibility shield breaking sword if you decided you wanted a shield too. And the narrative REWARDS HIM for acting that way.

I’ve never left a review on any of the books I’ve narrated before, but this one…i am seriously considering writing a review to try and warn people away from this book.

A few things to consider, though:

1: i am not being paid royalty share from the book, i get a flat rate based on the number of hours in the final audiobook. But as far as I know, the author only starts making money from producing this audiobook once the production company makes back the money they paid me for making it.

2: i would review anonymously/under a fake name and only on the book product page, not the product page for the audiobook version.

3: if an audiobook does not sell, then it is most likely I will not be obligated to continue recording the rest of the series (and it IS a series. At least three books are out as of now. I am currently slated to record them all, provided the audiobook sells decently)

4: the book currently has ~250 reviews already, and a 4.7/5 rating (how???? get some fucking standards), so it’s not like I’m leaving a 1 star review on something that only has 6 reviews.

I don’t think that one bad review would tank the whole series, but I do feel like leaving bad reviews on a product I didn’t even buy might be a dick move, especially if the author’s pay for this book relies on it selling well. But on the other hand, his book sucks and people should know that.

I wouldn’t be leaving a “0 stars: this sucks” review, I’d want to make it comprehensive and detailed. But I’d also feel bad about that because I’m sure the author reads his reviews, and even though his book sucks shit, i don’t want to like…make someone lose their passion to write? But ALSO if you’re making people pay $16 for the book and/or $40 for the audiobook, maybe the book should be fucking good? Idk.

So, tumblr, WIBTA?

[iamthekaijuking]

A Review of Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon

I just finished up my 13th play through (this is the most I’ve ever replayed a video game), and I know I’m technically reviewing this game but there isn’t really anything I can say that hasn’t been said.

The controls and movement is smooth, and while there’s a learning curve it’s incredibly satisfying. Boosting requires you to manage your energy. It can be depleted, but will also recharge after a few seconds. But in the incredibly explosive combat of AC6, every second counts. Energy weapons also requires further energy management. Different generators can make things easier, and different thrusters can determine how you move and how much boosting uses up your energy. But you also need to worry about weight management on your AC. Your legs can determine how much you can carry as well as how you move. Ultimately you’ll need to spend time looking at stats and testing things out in the garage, but that’s part of the draw of Armored Core. Fine tuning your mech.

Combat is hectic and fast, feeling more like dogfights than anything. Both parties are pelting and trying to outmaneuver each other in a hope to stagger their opponents and get a chance to deal massive damage. Unlike in soulsborne games, there is no invincibility frames in AC6, so dodging is used to dart away from incoming damage and mitigate it, not negate it. You’ll also have different “core expansions” which can give you shields, cover, or an extra means of damaging enemies.

Every part has some use, and while there are weapons that are obviously The Metatm and you can get through a lot of missions with whatever build you feel really comfortable in, different situations will reward different things and you’d be surprised at how satisfying it is when replaying missions to bring different weapons and set ups directly catered to the task. Every weapon has at least one situational use. Fighting in an open space with no roof? Vertical missiles. Enclosed space? Grenades or napalm. Opponents have pulse shields? Use pulse guns to destroy the shields. Also use flamethrowers, songbirds, and the wheelchair tanktreads on the “Escort The Weaponized Mining Ship” mission you will thank me.

The customization and image making system is incredibly freeing and allows for a ton of self expression. It’s incredibly fun. You’ve probably seen some funny looking mechs circulating through the internet in the last year.

Ultimately, the game wants you to experiment with different builds, and even allows you to save up to 160 presets, gives you the presets of every enemy AC you’ll encounter in the story, and even allows you to download up to 40 builds that other players have uploaded online (sadly only on the same platform as you though).

As far as music goes, it’s super good. Fromsoft pretty consistently delivers, but the Armored Core soundtrack is different from their lineup from the past decade. Fitting of a SciFi setting, the AC6 soundtrack features heavy use of synths and droning sounds. There are some exceptions of course. It’s not EDM music (I doubt anyone is breaking it to Coral Guardian or C Weapon) but it’s probably somewhere within Techno.

As for the setting, it’s somewhat par for the course with Armored Core and to an extent the mecha genre itself. A hypercapitalist world where the average person has few rights, the ultra rich wage wars, and mass murder is not only entirely acceptable but is in fact encouraged if it turns a profit. Uniquely though, hyper-industrialization is a thing as well, and the landscape is peppered with inconceivably massive sprawling megastructures that can reach into the sky. There are some firsts for Armored Core as well. The series usually takes place on earth or places importance on its (always) ruined state. In 6 though, earth is completely out of the picture; it’s not important. Instead the game takes place on Rubicon 3, which is… somewhere in the galaxy. Interstellar travel is commonplace and for the first time in Armored Core, sapient aliens appear.

For themes, there’s always a feeling of isolation (as is normal for the franchise), but a not insignificant amount of attention is given to the idea, and importance, of choice and human will. There is importance to your decisions and the human will to live and desire to be free is a strong one, and ultimately you are in charge of your destiny and what you want to do.

All in all, 10/10 game. Please play it and make the funniest mechs ever.

[banannabethchase]

Adam finally takes that damned Chemistry midterm, and he finds himself in an unexpected conversation. Twice.

~

The final chapter! This fic ended up being surprisingly close to my heart and I am sending hugs to everybody who reads, kudos'd, and commented.

Thank you for reading this story and enjoying it with me. For some reason, this iteration of Mox and Hangman really got to me and compelled me to write them. I'm glad I did.

Mini playlist: Happier - Bastille All I Need Is You - The Click Five Paint You Wings - All Time Low Trouble - Twice I'm Only Me When I'm With You - Taylor Swift

Here's the Spotify playlist link if you would like to listen! Love, hugs, and HangMox!

~

Midterms, Adam thinks, are designed by the devil. Tomorrow is Thursday, the Chemistry test, and he’s less anxious than he was before the weekend spent wrestling and studying. Now, though, he has to force Mox and Eddie to go to a different end of the school to make sure he can get some final cramming in.

“But we had so much fun studying last night,” Mox had said, turning those puppy dog eyes on him.

“That was not studying,” Adam insisted. “That was blowjobs on the couch next to the study guide.”

Mox shrugged, grinning a little dirty. “And I’m down to study with you any time you want.”

Adam shakes his head, taking himself back to the present. He passed his AP Human Geography test despite him and Mox spending much of their study time naked, and his AP English in class essay. Now he’s face down in his Chemistry and French reviews during his lunch block, shoveling a mediocre sandwich in his face while he practices balancing equations and conjugating irregular verbs in French copies of Chronicles of Narnia.

He almost doesn’t notice it when somebody walks up to his table.

“Hi.”

Adam raises his head slowly. He’s still not used to lacking the curtain of hair he’s used as a shield for the past few years, so he meets the speaker’s eyes sooner than he expects.

“Um,” he says, locking eyes with Kenny. “Yeah. Hi.”

“Can I sit?” He looks nervous. Kenny look nervous.

Adam decides to be nice, and nods. “Yeah, course.”

Kenny settles fidgeting with his necklace. “I, uh, I wanted to apologize.”

“What?” He doesn’t mean to be rude. He really doesn’t. But he can’t stop. Kenny Omega doesn't apologize. The Kenny he knew always took on any moment and tossed it to the side, went silent when asked a question he wasn't willing to address. 

Kenny, to his credit, nods and smiles tightly. “That’s the response I deserve, I think. I’m sorry, specifically for being such a piece of shit after that one championship game, but also for, well. For not paying attention when you needed help.” He inches his hand near to where Adam’s rests on the table. But he doesn’t touch. “Adam, you didn’t deserve what I did to you.”

His first instinct, Adam realizes, is to lash out. To tell Kenny all the horrible things he’s thought about him in the past few months, make Kenny feel some of the shame that had been sitting in Adam’s belly since they lost that game, but it’s not there anymore. It’s transformed, settling in his stomach as something else. “I – I’m not sure what to say,” is what he settles for. “For what it’s worth, though, I wasn’t peaches and cream either.”

Kenny’s face crumples into something desperate. “God, I missed those weird things you’d say.” It’s kind. It’s not mockery – it’s memory.

“Unfortunately, you’d been right,” Adam says, and he edges his own hand, a little closer to Kenny’s. But still not touching. “I’d been drinking, hiding stuff in my water bottles.” He takes a deep breath, and confesses what he’d been holding for so long. That’s what the shame had turned into: accountability. “I was drunk for that game. That’s why we lost.”

Kenny, to his shock, shakes his head. “We lost because we, as a team, stopped communicating. I was the captain, and, god, your boyfriend" He pauses, squeezing his eyes shut. "I should – I should have seen all the problems, and I didn’t.” He runs one hand through his hair, but the other doesn’t move from its space devastatingly close to Adam’s. “I think we all fucked up, and I took it out on you." He's quiet for a moment. It reminds Adam, strangely, of his horses right before he opens the gate. Ready to rush out, let go, open the stride and run free. "And I was a coward, and didn’t tell Nick or Matt the truth, even when it hurt you.” He looks Adam dead in the eye. “I’m sorry.”

Adam sits with it, the apology and the truth that’s haunted him for months now. “Thank you,” he almost whispers. “And I’m sorry.”

Kenny’s fingertips close the gap, and something in Adam’s body sparks. Kenny is familiar, but so different than he used to be. It’s tantalizing, intimidating, impossible to ignore. He’d forgotten what being so close to Kenny felt like. And it’s so, so different from Mox. “I’m sorry, too.”

“You already said that.”

Kenny shrugs, his smile growing earnest, honest. Open. It’s the most beautiful Adam’s seen him in over a year. “I thought I might owe you more than one.” He looks down at their hands, and his eyes widen. “Oh. Um.”

“No, it’s okay!” Adam says. “You’re good.”

“I don’t,” Kenny says, “I, um, know you’re dating Jon Moxley –”

“It’s not exclusive,” Adam blurts out. He freezes. “I mean, not that -”

“I get – no, I understand, right?” Kenny laughs, a little panicked. “Yeah. I don’t – I’m not here to, like, get in your way or anything. I just know you need – deserved – an apology.” He pats the back of Adam’s hand gently, then moves away, rubbing at the top of his legs. “Blaming you was easy. But it was also wrong.”

Adam nods, wondering how to say everything else, how to apologize for not talking to Kenny. For not knowing how to ask for help. For letting the team down. He doesn’t know. He really, really doesn’t know.

Kenny gives him a strange little smile, then pushes his chair back. “I, uh, I’m currently skipping AP English, which is a felony, if you ask Mrs. Nguyen, so I better get going.” He stands, and shoots Adam another one of those devastating smiles. “I’ll see you around, okay?”

Adam nods, smiling back. “Yeah. See you around.”

He can’t get his face back to normal until after his study block and midway through his Chemistry review class, where Alex keeps kicking him under the table whenever he zones out. He does not know what he did to earn the love of these DND nerds, but he’ll do anything to keep it.

While balancing equations, Alex leans over. “What’s got you so zoned out?”

“Nothing,” Adam lies, unable to contain his smile through it.

“You have sex with Moxley in the wings of the theater again?” he whisper.

“No, dumbass.”

“Didn’t think so,” Alex says, nodding knowingly. “You look different when you have a Moxley moment. Last time I saw this…” His eyes widen. “Oh, shit.”

“Shut up,” Adam says, wishing again he had his long hair to hid the way his entire head turns red, “shut up. Do your stupid Chemistry practice.”

“If he hurts you, Silver and I will kill him,” Alex says earnestly.

~

His French test goes well, and he, finally, feels like he may be able to pull off a passing grade on the Chemistry test tomorrow. He lets himself think about just how he may celebrate tomorrow afternoon with Mox, when he sees him waiting at his truck. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Adam says. “You – is everything okay?”

Mox nods. “Yeah. I’m good.” He eyes Adam. “Are you?”

Adam nods, slowly. “Yeah. What’s wrong? You look weird.”

“I heard you ran into Kenny,” Mox says. He’s scuffing the bottom of his shoe against the ground.

Ah. That. “Yeah,” Adam says. “I did.”

Mox lifts his head. His eyes, to Adam’s shock, are red. “You guys getting back together, then?”

Immediately, Adam shakes his head. “No. Why – did somebody say we were?”

“Rumors,” Mox says.

Adam steps closer to him. “Are – are you freaking out about it or something?”

“I just don’t want to lose you!” Mox practically yells. Adam only flinches a little bit. Mox’s hands are shaking as he shoves them back in his pockets. “He’s your Eddie, and you’ve never done the whole more than one person, and that’s fine, but if you’re gonna go back to him, I need…I need to know, okay, because I think I can survive losing you, but…” He trails off, and when he looks back to Adam, he’s crying. Jon Moxley is crying. “But I gotta know, Cowboy. I gotta know if you’re choosing him.”

Adam feels the pieces of Mox shatter and collapse around him. To his surprise, the words come easily. He doesn't even have to pause to unscramble them from his mind; they're just there. “I’m choosing you,” Adam says, and he puts his hand under Mox’s chin, lifting it gently. “Hey. Even if he and I get back together, which isn’t even in the plan right now, I still choose you.” He smiles as hard, as meaningful, as he can. He doesn’t want to be the reason Mox looks like this. “Hey. Come on.” He waits until Mox looks up, meets his eyes. “I’m gonna keep you, okay?”

Mox is shaking a little bit, won’t meet Adam’s eyes. “You might not.”

“I will,” Adam promises. It might be too big, to earnest, too much for high school. But he shuts up that part of his mind. He’s not worried about what happens next. He only cares about who he has right now. “Mox, I want you.” Mox clenches his fists so tightly it looks like it hurts until Adam grabs them in his hands. “That’s not gonna change.”

Mox rests his forehead against Adam’s, but his eyes are still closed. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure,” Adam insists. “Kenny doesn’t – he doesn’t get to have all of me anymore. If he wants me back, he’s gonna have to learn to share.” He lets out a little laugh. “To be honest, I don’t know if he’d be able to.”

Mox nods, then leans in, burying his face into Adam’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around Adam like a lifeline. Adam’s not used to being the strong one, not used to being the anchor for somebody else. But he holds Mox, and he feels right.

“You guys okay?” Eddie pops up over Mox’s shoulder. He’s covered in wood shavings – he must have had his Woodworking final today.

Adam smiles, as gently as he can. “Yeah. I ran into Kenny today and…” He shrugs.

Eddie’s eyes immediately go hard. “Did you break his heart?” Adam wants to pretend he isn’t flooded with fear. “I swear, if you –”

“No, Eddie,” Mox says, lifting his head up. “I panicked.”

Eddie relaxes, and a knowing smile spreads across his face. “Oh, sweetheart,” he says, voice a little teasing, “you thought he was gonna leave you.”

“Shut up,” Mox says, diving back into Adam’s shoulder.

“He done this before?” Adam asks, running his hand up and down Mox’s back as he sighs against Adam’s shirt.

Eddie nods. “Sometimes he forgets he’s stuck with me forever.”

“Not stuck,” Mox mumbles into Adam’s shoulder.

“What’d he say?”

“He said he’s not stuck,” Adam translates. “So, probably, he’s being sappy.”

“I’m not being sappy.” Mox pulls himself to standing, changes his posture. His eyes are still red, though. He rolls his shoulders. “I’m fine.”

“You’re a sap,” Eddie corrects, pulling him in for a rough kiss to the side of the head. Adam realizes that there’s so much of Eddie in Mox – in the mannerisms, in the word choice, in everything. He likes it that way. “Alright, Cowboy, where are we headed?”

“I have to pass my chem test tomorrow, so I can drop you both off at home and then I’m off.”

Mox shrugs. “I mean,” he says, “I could help you study.”

“Oh, god, no,” Eddie groans. “He tries that on you, too?”

“Yep,” Adam says. “Does he do the thing where he tries to look over your shoulder and,” he throws up finger quotes, “accidentally gives you a hickey?”

Eddie barks out a laugh, and Mox yells, “Stop talking about me like I’m not right here!”

The conversation lasts the whole drive.

~

Adam wakes up half an hour before his alarm from a bad dream, hands shaking and cold. He’d dreamt he failed the chemistry test so badly he got kicked out of school and became professional clown.

He’s afraid of clowns.

Fumbling, he reaches for his phone in the dark and checks to see Mox’s late night text. you got this cowboy.

He relaxes, and falls back against the pillows. He’s too wired to sleep, but he mentally reviews the material, to the point where he gives up on resting and jumps in the shower.

He probably shouldn’t, but, when he’s on his way out the door, he calls Mox.

“Zup?” comes Mox’s gravely sleep voice. It sends something fizzy through Adam. “You ‘kay?”

“Yeah! I’m good. I just, uh, I woke up early. I was wondering if you would want me to pick you up?”

There’s some rustling. “Yeah, I can – yeah. You feeling okay?” Something thuds. “Ow. Are you stressing out about your test?”

“Had a bad dream,” Adam says, grabbing a muffin before he puts on his jacket. “Freaked out. Saw your text and I was cool.”

“Aw,” Mox says, “you love me.”

“You love me too, asshole,” Adam says into the phone, grinning. “I’ll be by your place around fifteen, twenty minutes. Sound good?”

“Yup,” Mox says, “see you soon.”

And, because as much as he doesn’t want to admit it, Adam’s a sap, he hangs up with a, “Love you.”

Adam bops along to something saccharine sweet from a Happy playlist on Spotify, and sings along to all the songs, even the ones he doesn’t know.

He pulls into Mox’s driveway, where he’s leaning against the house with a cigarette in his mouth, looking exhausted. “Hey, stranger.”

“No,” Mox says, opening the car door. “Too tired. Can’t appreciate you being cute.” He exhales away from the door and throws the cigarette to the ground, stomping it out with his boot. “Give me, like, five minutes.”

“That’s fine,” Adam says. He just turns the music up louder, laughing as Mox whines. He stops at the Dunkin’ near the school as an apology, though, and gets Mox the sweetest, grossest latte ever, so he thinks he’s in the clear.

“You ready for that Chem test?” Mox asks, going for another sip of his monstrosity.

“I think so.” He pauses. “I hope so.” He fidgets with his seatbelt, suddenly too tight.

“Well, I have that block off, since it’s my free period. So text me when you’re done and I’ll meet up with you.” He shoots Adam the biggest smile he’s seen, and Adam thinks he may be able to pull this off.

He strides into school, Mox by his side, and gives him a kiss in front of the door to the testing room.

“You got this, Cowboy,” Mox says, half smile on his lips. “Go lasso that test or whatever.”

“I’m – I live on a farm, not a ranch!”

“Same difference!” Mox calls over his shoulder, but he blows Adam a kiss, and that does more than enough.

~

He hands in the test and practically bolts out of the testing room. Adam walks down the hallway, feeling lighter than air, the weight on his shoulders gone. He passed it. He knows he passed it. Somehow, he’s figured out how this stupid subject works, how to balance equations and when to use Avogadro’s number. He’s going to pass this stupid class.

The excitement deflates a little when he turns a corner, and there is Matt Jackson. He's standing, arms crossed, at Adam’s locker, alone.

“Oh,” Adam says. “Hi.”

Matt offers him a strained little smile. “Hey,” he says, voice soft. “I – are you busy?”

Adam shakes his head. He wants to say something, find the words to make this moment feel less like nails on chalkboard, but nothing's there.

Matt’s gaze skips over his face, like he’s trying to meet his eyes and can’t. “Can we talk?”

Adam nods, and the two of them make their way down the stairs and out the door. Adam notices that Matt deliberately does not stop at the soccer championship memorial bench from their freshman year of high school, and continues to the one in memory of a girl who died of cancer a few years ago. “So,” Matt says, “I assume you’ve heard the news about playoffs.”

Adam nods, finding himself strongly involved in the goings on of his hands. “Yeah. Um. Mox, actually told me.”

“About Mox,” Matt says, “are you, like, serious with him?”

“I’d say so.” They’re quiet again. Adam doesn’t like it. “Any reason you’re asking about him?”

Matt nods. “I talked to Kenny. About the last time we – you and me, I mean – ran into each other.” Adam risks a glance toward Matt, to see him head down, pulling at the ends of his hair. “He kind of, well, he didn’t lie, exactly. But he kind of skipped around the truth and let me make my assumptions.” He finally lifts his gaze. “I always thought you left us – him. Um, left Kenny. After the game.” He scuffs his shoes on the ground, something Adam’s never seen him do. “He never corrected me.”

Adam lets it sink in. Kenny, heartbroken in two ways, unsure of how to hold onto the last pieces of the Elite and Baller Club he has. Matt, unwilling to see Kenny in anything other than the glow of victory. Nick, frantically trying to hold together the last of the Baller Club that still lived.

And Adam, crying alone in his bedroom with a beer in his hand and an ache in his heart.

“Is he mad?” Adam asks. “He didn’t – doesn’t seem mad.”

“He’s not,” Matt answers. “He’s happy for you, I think. He doesn’t really talk about it.” He looks up. “We, actually, don’t talk like we used to. Like we did with you.” It feels like Adam's been hit by a train, but Matt keeps going.  “I think you were what made us work, Adam,” Matt says. He doesn’t look up. “Our team – the whole Baller Club – when the pressure was on, we sort of fell apart without you.” He rubs at his eyes. Adam can’t see if he’s crying. “It shouldn’t have taken until you were gone to realize you meant that much to us.” He looks up at Adam, and they're quiet for a moment. Adam still doesn't look directly at Matt, settling for studying the strange pattern on the shoulder of his shirt. “We messed up pretty big, didn’t we?”

Adam nods, slowly. “I think we all messed up.” He finally meets Matt’s bright, brown eyes. Neither of them break eye contact this time. “I’m sorry.”

A little tear builds in Matt’s eye and slides down his cheek. “I’m sorry, too. I should – I knew something was wrong, that day, but I was so focused on winning I just…” He trails off, squeezing his eyes shut, the tears following tracks down his face. “I forgot that you guys are what mattered.”

Adam makes a judgement call and leans in, pulling Matt in for a hug. He feels the tears he’s been trying to ignore for months build and fall, build and fall. Matt holds him back, tightly, and buries his face in Adam’s shoulder. He can feel the tears soak into his shirt, can feel Matt’s little gasps against shirt as he pretends he’s not crying.

“I’m sorry,” Adam says, gripping Matt harder. His hair still smells the same, and feels the same, still soft and silky.

“I’m sorry,” Matt mumbles against Adam’s shirt. He pulls away, wiping at his face. “I was so effing awful to you.”

Adam shrugs. “You thought I’d abandoned you guys. I get it.” And, because he can be a dick, too, he has to add, "But screaming that at me in the middle of the parking lot when I had a concussion did feel a little much."

Matt winces. “I can’t believe I did that, now. I really made a scene that day.”

“You did,” Adam says, gently. “But, I guess, I understand why you did it now. I get it.”

Matt nods. “Well,” he kicks at the ground again. His Jordans are messed up as hell – it’s unlike Matt Jackson to allow his shoes to look rough. “Since our season’s over, you want to, I don’t know, hang out sometime? All of us, like we used to?”

“Not like we used to,” Adam says, but he keeps talking before Matt’s face can fall, “but I actually have an idea.”

~

“What the fuck is a Beholder and how is it killing me this fast?!” Kenny yells. He’s looking back and forth between Uno and Adam. “How do I kill it?”

“Gotta ask nicely to see if we can defeat it,” Adam says. “Also, roll.”

Kenny gets a four. “Am I dead?”

“That depends,” John says, turning to Mox. “This Beholder is weak against the powers of the unicorn you rescued, but the unicorn will have to willingly give its tears." He raises an eyebrow. "And it can only do that with the permission of its master. Will you give it permission?”

Adam feels prickly as he watches Mox and Kenny lock eyes. Kenny, throwing his hair over his shoulder, trying to make himself admit he needs help. Mox, grinning, unwilling to give it without being asked. It’s the past and the present colliding, and it’s weird.

“What do you think, Halfling Cowboy?” Mox asks, nudging Adam’s shoulder. “You think we should save the human wizard?”

“You’re a human, too!” Nick says. He ka-caws again.

“Yes, Nicholas, we all know you’re a bird man, can you shut up so we can see if our only wizard is going to live?” Matt says. He’s practically bouncing on his toes, standing at the edge of the table. “C’mon, Mox, we can all survive if you let us use your unicorn.”

“It’s all up to my boyfriend, here,” Mox says, wrapping an arm around Adam’s shoulders. “Come on, halfling, what do you say?”

“Stop making me make decisions,” Adam says, “you possessive assholes. Of course we’re using the unicorn tears to destroy the Beholder and save Kenny, what kind of dickwad do you think I am?”

The game continues with this same energy, devolving into Nick exclusively communicating with various bird noises. Matt resorts to tackling him behind the table after he ka-caws while Matt is rolling and gets a three. Adam laughs harder than he remembers doing in a while, burying his face in Mox’s chest while John and Eddie berate them all for behaving like children. Even Stu and Uno, who have managed to break away and go on their own little quest involving saving the town, are having fun. At least, Adam thinks so. Neither of them have spoken outside of their characters the whole time.

“Can I use my connection with the fey kingdom to invade a different supernatural world?” Alan asks, frowning at the board. “Because I think we could get the giants on our side if we can get close enough and let Kenny’s mind control powers work.”

“I like the way you think,” Kenny says, leaning in closer. "That would give us enough power against the incoming Beholders."

“You can’t recruit another race to mind control giants,” John says, shaking his head. He pulls in Alex, and they whisper.

“Absolutely not,” Alex says. "That goes against the rules."

Mox scoffs. “You can’t talk. You’re dead.”

Alex glares at Mox. “And you’re a mediocre healer. Bite me.”

Adam snickers into his hand, and, when he turns his head, he locks eyes with Kenny. His smile is soft and kind, and Adam returns it. It doesn’t ache. Not anymore.

~

“Get in the car,” Adam says, grabbing Mox by the waist and shoving him. “Eddie, help me with your boyfriend.”

“Oh, he’s my boyfriend when he’s being a little shit,” Eddie says, rolling his eyes. “Typical.”

“He’s both of your boyfriend, and also right here,” Mox says. He shoves his hand in Adam’s back pocket, squeezing.

“Quit getting handsy and get your ass in my truck,” Adam says, and he pretends the way Mox’s hands find their way up under his shirt doesn’t make him shiver and hope for what happens next.

Mox shoots him a grin as he tries to slide into the front seat, but Eddie grabs him around the waist and pulls him out. “Not this time, Moxie,” Eddie says. “Backseat, bitch.”

Adam ignores the whining from Mox and slides into the driver’s seat. Eddie is laughing about something Mox is saying, head thrown back.

“I’m just saying, you’re not the one dating Adam, so I should get to sit next to him.”

“How about you get behind him,” Eddie says, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Oh, god,” Adam says, and he feels the blush hit him.

Eddie and Mox laugh at him as he buckles, and it feels warm and safe, like sunshine on a Saturday morning. “You two are the fucking worst,” Adam grumbles, grinning.

“You love me,” Mox says, pressing a kiss to Adam’s head. The hair is slowly growing back in, with the littlest curl at the end of each strand. “Admit it.”

“I do,” Adam says. “I really, really do.”

[chaoticgremlinwholikescheese]

A Snowy Trip

Eddie and Chris have lived in LA for several years. In this time, they've explored much of what California has to offer. They've gone to Disneyland, the beaches, San Francisco, and more. Yet in all these years they've never gone to the mountains. This was never a big deal. At least, until Buck found out. He was absolutely flabbergasted.

"You guys have never been to the mountains? You're telling me that in all these years, you've never been to Lake Tahoe?"

"I don't know. We've just never thought about it."

"Have you ever seen snow?"

"I lived in Texas, Buck. Not the Sahara desert."

"I have to take you guys to Tahoe. We'll make a vacation of it!"

Eddie wants to say no. But Chris has always wanted to go to the mountains, and he could really use a good vacation...

"I have a couple of days of vacation saved up."

"Perfect! I'll start planning!"

And plan Buck did. He read all sorts of articles, combed through countless reviews, researched the best places to go. While he did that, Eddie invested in the proper snow gear. He may have overdone it a bit, but he doesn't want him or his kid to have frostbite. They both settled on a date, and prepped everything else. When they told Chris, he was ecstatic. He was bouncing with excitement for days.

The drive was long. Eddie and Buck took turns driving. Buck drove the most, since he actually enjoys it. Plus Eddie always gets sleepy in cars. Something about the rocking lulls him to sleep. They passed the time by playing games, listening to music, and talking. Buck put on some Disney songs. They all sang along, much to the chagrin of cars around them. They were very loud and very off key.

They stopped for In-N-Out on the way. Chris got a strawberry milkshake like usual. They munched away as they discussed who the strongest Marvel hero is.

"It has to be Captain Marvel. I mean, she's basically a human nova," Buck argues.

"I'm partial towards Captain America. He's human, but that serum made him pretty much invincible. Plus he's got more determination than any of the others."

"His shield is the size of a dinner plate, Eddie."

"Actually," Chris pipes in, "The most powerful superhero is Squirrel Girl. She's defeated pretty much every major villain. She's stronger than Thanos. She also speaks to squirrels, which is pretty cool."

"There's a squirrel girl? And I've never heard of her? I love squirrels!" Buck mutters. It's true, Buck is a big fan of squirrels. Whenever he sees a squirrel, he excitedly announces it to everyone around him. The enthusiasm over seeing a fairly common animal never wavers. Eddie thinks it's adorable, but he'll never admit that.

When they finally reached the mountains, Chris was practically exploding with excitement. He was staring at all the snow in wonder. It occured to Eddie that Chris probably doesn't remember snow so well, since they left Texas when he was young. Chris starts listing off things they have to do. Sledding, snow ball fights, building a snowman, and more. Buck vows that they'll do every single one.

They pull into a small driveway in front of a cabin. It's rustic, like something out of a book. Eddie gingerly steps out of the car. He expects there to be ice, but the driveway is salted.

"I made sure they salted it before we came. I didn't want to risk Chris slipping," Buck supplies.

It's a small gesture, yet it means so much. Buck always looks out for Chris. Eddie wants to kiss him silly, but he restrains himself. He won't risk potentially ruining the vacation before it's even started. He won't risk losing Buck. He pushes all that away to focus on unloading the truck.

The inside of the cabin is beautiful. There's a small kitchen off to the side. There's a large wooden bookshelf up against the far wall, filled with books and games. A soft couch sits in front of a stone fireplace. There's framed paintings and photos hung on the walls. It has a family feel to it. It's perfect.

"Buck, this is amazing."

"Only the best for the Diazes," He chuckles.

Chris has his own little room. There's a twin bed covered in piles of blankets. Chris immediately starts unpacking his stuff so that he can go play in the snow. Buck and Eddie head to their room. Buck stops in the doorway. Eddie peeks over his shoulder. There's only one bed.

"I'm so sorry, the website said there were two beds in here. I can take the couch," Buck rambles.

"It's fine. We can share. Nothing we haven't done before."

It's true. During COVID they shared Buck's bed in his loft. And the nights where the nightmares get to bad, they end up in the same bed. Or when one is injured and the other needs to keep an eye on them. It's a comfort for both of them.

"Are you sure? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"It's okay. Really. C'mon, let's unpack. Chris is dying to go outside."

READ THE REST ON AO3

[servrz]

anyways, i've decided to turn my little patch review thing into a full-fledged series. who knows, maybe i'll start turning them into youtube videos! it would be a fun series of content to make. with this patch being an entire new season, this review will be REALLY long, but mid-season patches should be much shorter since they have less content overall. well, i've stalled long enough! so, without further ado...

stevie's siege review - operation twin shells (y9s3)

the third season of rainbow six siege's ninth year, named operation twin shells, is slated to release on tuesday, september 10th, 2024. after reading through the patch notes, watching the reveal, playing around with things on the test server, and jerking off to clips of the 2020 six invitational, i've prepared a review for the wonderful community of siegeheads out there. it should tell you about all the major changes and additions to expect, how they affect the landscape of the game, and whether i personally believe it's good or not (which is actually completely objective because my opinion is the only right one). so, here we go!

new operator

the first part of the new season's review is, of course, the new operator. a crippled defender hailing from the olive oil capital of the world, the greek goddess skopos enters the fray, despite being paralyzed from the waist down. lore-wise, she is a legendary former rainbow operator, and is rejoining the ranks of their program.

so let's address the two big questions right now: first of all, i do NOT hate disabled people. in fact, i'm really glad we're seeing even more diverse representation in siege's portfolio of operators, it's a really cool and creative addition to the game. any jokes i make are entirely for comedic effect and made in good humor.

now with that being said, the answer to the second question is no, we will NOT be able to zoom around the map on her electronic wheelchair, meaning she is unfortunately not going to be the game's first 5-speed operator. instead, she will be a 2 speed, 2 armor defender. now, you might be confused. "how is this possible? if we can't zip around on her mariokart, does she just crawl around? does another operator have to give her a piggyback ride? even then, how the fuck is she a 2-speed if she's completely immobile?" well, silly, the answer should be obvious, especially given the tactical and completely realistic military theme of the game: she has two fucking robots that she can switch control of at will.

that's right, stephanie hawking over here is the first siege operator that isn't even on the MAP. she's remotely controlling her robots and using them to conduct a military operation from the taco bell 4 miles down the road. theability to hot-swap control between the robots is one of the most unique and innovative mechanics in siege's history, and a new gun in skopos's hands-- or rather, her robots' lifeless, metallic claws-- may prove to be one of the best weapons in the defensive arsenal.

skopos's unique ability is two v10 pantheon shells, a pair of robots with a couple of greek names that i'll never remember. i'm just gonna refer to them as beep and boop. one robot is controlled at a time, while the inactive shell crouches down and basically has a deployable shield in front of it. skopos's robots are as close to teleportation as we can get in siege: you can switch control between these robots at will, which is a pretty quick process but not instantaneous. the inactive shell is not invincible, and if it's killed, skopos is simply stuck using the active shell. if skopos's active robot is killed, she is considered dead for the round, and cannot control the inactive robot. so anyone who thought that skopos would give you a second life, i hope you're sorely disappointed.

skopos's loadout is incredibly limited, but packs some good firepower. she is stuck with only one primary and one secondary, with the primary being the brand-new pcx-33 assault rifle. this weapon is all around very similar to vigil's k1a, in terms of damage, fire rate, recoil, and everything. her sole secondary is the oft-recycled p229 pistol, while her two options of secondary utility are impact grenades and proximity alarms. despite having two completely separate robots in two different physical locations, ammunition and gadgets are shared amongst beep and boop. while it's not exactly realistic, it's best for balancing purposes.

overall, skopos's ability brings a new dimension to the game that we haven't seen before, since it pretty much facilitates teleportation from one side of the map to the other. i think this ability, if used properly, is gonna be CRAZY EFFECTIVE in the roam and flank game. if skopos is deep roaming and she gets caught in a bind, not only does she have impacts to attempt an escape, but she can always fall back on her other robot. pinned by a couple of attackers? huddle back into a corner and switch control from beep to boop. even if beep gets destroyed, you're STILL ALIVE, and that's the most valuable part of it all. now, let's say for a second that beep didn't get destroyed. as boop, you're holding site, and the attackers are starting to get close and pressure their way in. you have the option to switch back to beep, and if the attackers didn't properly account for that possibility, you can come from behind and stab them in the back. hell, if you're still on the roam, the inactive shell can STILL be a big help in the form of a deployable shield. it'll likely take a lot of practice and a good understanding of the robot-switching mechanic to really nail skopos down, but i can see her becoming a very effective operator in the right situation and in a smart player's hands. now, she can be countered in a variety of ways. brava has a unique interaction with the shells, which can lead to some dire consequences if skopos doesn't deal with it. the inactive shell can also be taken care of in a variety of ways, other than being shot directly-- explosives, and claymores in particular, have proven to be a very formidable foe of a hibernating beep or boop. caution when placing and switching between the shells, along with good teamplay and communication, is going to be the key to maximizing skopos's potential. with her ability aside, the pcx is also a very strong weapon, i compared it to the k1a earlier. it's basically that gun with more manageable recoil, as if the k1a wasn't a great and relatively easy-to-control weapon already. i have a feeling that we're gonna see some adjustments to the pcx in the form of nerfs down the line, but as of right now, it's a very good weapon-- one of the best on the defensive side of the ball. skopos as a whole is a very mobile character that can provide a lot of value, especially as a deep roamer or late-round flanker. she comes across to me as an easy to learn, hard to master operator that's going to take players a decent amount of practice and understanding to use in the most effective way. once people start to get her mechanics down, however, she should become one of the stronger roaming defenders in the current landscape of siege.

siege cup

ohhhh, baby. it's FINALLY HERE. after nine years without a competitive tournament baked into the game itself, ubisoft is getting the ball rolling on the siege cup. there have been plenty of ways to compete in a siege tourney throughout the years. faceit, esl, playstation's tournament system, and other services have been hubs of competitive siege over the years, and many of them were supported by ubisoft in a variety of ways. but the process of playing comp-style siege is being streamlined, and soon, every five stack that meets the siege cup's requirements will be able to participate in a biweekly bracket for siege supremacy.

now, the siege cup is being launched in its beta-- for at least this season, it will only be available for pc players that either sign up and get accepted for beta access, or have a teammate who has done so. which makes sense, since a console version would likely be harder to monitor and make changes to. so console players, don't blow your load just yet. keep that edge streak going for a little while longer, the siege cup should be cumming coming to you soon.

as previously stated, the siege cup will be open to teams of five. no four stacks with a random, no solo queueing-- you need a five stack to participate. furthermore, in order to create a team, you need to sign up and get accepted for siege cup beta access on the ubisoft website. only the creator of a team has to get accepted for your stack to play-- people without beta access can join said team. however, every player has to meet a few basic criteria to participate: at least clearance level 50, and "have played more than 10 ranked matches prior to the tournament." whether this means 10 ranked matches ever, or 10 ranked matches this season, or 10 ranked matches within a certain time threshold, i couldn't tell you for sure.

the siege cup is skill-based, meaning that your team will be matched up against teams of a similar level. so if you completely suck, you'll be matched up against other shitters, while good players will be in the cracked lobbies. i sure hope smurfing doesn't end up ruining this thing (it inevitably will).

with the siege cup comes a new currency: competitive coins. you can earn these by participating in the cup and playing ranked. at least in the siege cup, the amount of competitive coins you get is relative to your team's performance and placement. these coins can be used to get competitive packs, also earned from playing the siege cup and ranked, and can also be used to unlock specific items from the new competitive pack collection. based on the phrasing on the ubisoft website, it seems like the competitive collection will change with each new season.

balancing and designer's notes

now, onto the designer's notes, which detail all of the changes that are on the way to existing content in the vast game of siege.

starting with the win delta graphs, the only thing that stands out to me like a sore thumb is that solis has TANKED. her pick rate is so far down, it surprises me even with the nerfs (MORE OF WHICH ARE COMING. WILL TALK ABOUT THEM LATER)

now, the balancing changes were summed up in the operation patch notes as follows:

Dokkaebi Dokkaebi starts with 0 Logic Bomb charges that fill over time up to 2 charges maximum. Nokk Nokk's Hel Presence Reduction only depletes when the ability protects them from being viewed by observation tools. The time to refill has been increased. Solis SPEC-IO Electro-Sensor only detects electronic devices in the central view, and a function called Overclock replaces the scan to reveal the identity of detected devices. Overclock has limited uses, can't be turned off, and alerts nearby enemy Observation Tools of Solis' presence. Proximity Alarm Proximity Alarm no longer grants score points after being triggered. Claymore Claymores now instantly explode instead of after a short delay.

dokkaebi change is good overall, i just feel it's not enough. and they acknowledged that-- "we've decided to focus on a more substantial change - one that addresses most of the existing issues and frustrations - for a future patch." the whole gaining-calls-over-time thing is definitely a step in the right direction, but not an insanely drastic change that could end up being completely overkill *ahem SOLIS ahem*. i like what they're doing, i just feel like more is going to need to be done down the line.

i am not really a fan of the nokk changes. half the identity of her gadget was the noise reduction, and now they're deciding to "move away from the silent approach" or whatever the fuck they said. ok..? if you don't want her to be able to SILENTLY sneak up on enemies, why not just make her QUIETER then? she doesn't have to be completely silent for her to be stealthy, just make her quieter than a standard operator. i think that's a good middle ground. the problem with her gadget was not that it wasn't good enough at evading surveillance tools, the beef that everyone had with it was the REMOVAL OF THE NOISE REDUCTION. these changes are trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist. either way, i feel like the changes they made are pretty mid. doesn't do much to make me want to play nokk again.

they said that the fmg's recoil was being reduced, and to be fair, the fmg-9 is a pretty decent part of what makes nokk mediocre at best. she doesn't have a lot of firepower at her disposal, and the fmg has been underwhelming for many seasons now. on paper, a recoil reduction should help-- but after trying it out on the test server, it doesn't feel like they changed the recoil AT ALL. it is virtually IDENTICAL to the fmg recoil on the live build. if they're not gonna make significant changes to the fmg, then i think it's time to expand nokk's loadout. the gun sucks, and ubisoft refuses to do anything to make it adequate. the six-12 is fun to play, but as an attacker, nokk should have a viable full-auto option. and it's not like doing something to the fmg would impact another operator, it isn't used by any smoke player with a pulse and at least three functioning brain cells. please, just give nokk another fucking primary at this point.

solis... oh, solis. look what they've done to you. as if "phase one" of the nerfs wasn't enough, they've gone and put the nail in the coffin with this one. for those who are unaware, i'll try to concisely debrief you on the changes that are being made to solis this upcoming season, sparing some detail since it's a bit complicated-- her gadget is basically being completely redesigned. the purpose remains the same, but the functionality is completely backwards. the center rounded rectangle area is now the only part of the screen that detects gadgets when the spec-io is active, and solis will no longer know exactly what gadget she is looking at. in order to identify that a gadget is a thermite charge or a zero cam or otherwise, she will need to use the scan-- which is now called "overclock." she can "overclock" three times a round, starting with one charge and gaining one every 25 seconds. additionally, any observation tools inside of solis's scanner range will be notified that she has detected the camera via "overclock." there are a few other things, but that's the gist of it. first of all, i will NOT call it fucking "overclock." it is SCAN, it has always been SCAN, and it will ALWAYS BE SCAN. second of all, this is just flat-out stupid. the first round of nerfs were seen as EXCESSIVE, and they STILL decide to go through with the second round. that's bullshit. but yeah, this is it. solis is cooked, rip solis, it was fun while it lasted. her fall from grace will be studied by scholars years down the line, and will forever remain etched into the memories of siege's stinky player base.

i don't really have a particular opinion on the removal of the claymore delay. i mean, on one hand, it does give a small boost to the largely-underpowered attacking side, so that's a plus. but i also feel like baiting a claymore was a skill, and although it was tough to nail down, people who took the time to learn it should be able to utilize it in an effort to get around a claymore. but i don't really care either way. it's one of those changes that i don't feel strongly about and i'm not gonna complain about, it just kinda... is. yknow?

the removal of prox alarm points is just 110% sensible lmao. the prox/nitro combo on sentry was absolutely lethal, but took no effort and/or risk to really pull off. it was too easy of a strat to find a ton of success with, and now you have to put a little more effort into making it go right. basically, it's not just a braindead strategy that ends in an easy kill anymore. just all around a pretty common sense change that i don't think any real siege player will complain about.

the final change of this patch is the one that i'm sure you'd expect me to be the most upset about: the r4-c nerf. so, i'm just gonna keep it a hundred with you-- i don't really care. not something you thought you'd hear out of me, but it's true, i don't mind this r4-c nerf. "but why, steve? you're the champion of that gun, you take more pride in your r4-c black ice then you would your firstborn child. why don't you care about the nerf?" and the answer to that is quite simply that they could have done much worse. look at the win delta, ash's win rate is middle-of-the-road, but she STILL has the highest pick rate of any attacking operator. it's been that way for a while, i believe. personally, i think that points more to the fact that there aren't any other entry operators that can be used as a similarly effective alternative to ash, but ubisoft has traditionally viewed it as ash being "overpowered." instead of creating new entry fraggers or buffing underwhelming entry operators to reel in ash's pick rate, it seems typical of ubisoft to nerf her. we've seen it in the past-- they took the acog from her r4-c. then, they nerfed its recoil MULTIPLE TIMES, to the point that it became impractical and unusable. even though they did plenty more to ash, the r4-c nerfs ran her into the GROUND for a very, very long time. only in recent years has she seen a resurgence, largely due to the recoil readjustments that happened in operation brutal swarm. so ubisoft could have done anything to the r4-c, including a dreaded recoil nerf. i've always said that if they need to nerf that gun, they should either take its acog away again or reduce the mag size like they did with jager. hell, if they need to nerf ash as a whole, make her a two speed! i'm fine with that. but overall, i'm just glad that they decided to go with a magazine reduction instead of the lazy and likely overkill route of the dreaded recoil increase. as an ash player, i will accept this change.

other changes

there is a variety of other, smaller changes this season that don't really fall into any of the major categories i've outlined for y'all.

the versus ai playlist is apparently in its "2.0" phase, which just means that you can play as the defenders now. similar to the start of the ai playlist, when you would only play against one team of the same five defenders, the ai attacker operator pool is limited to five attackers. ubisoft seems committed to improving the ai playlist in the long run, however, so i'd imagine that it will expand very soon. the playlist will function basically identically to a casual match, switching between the attackers and defenders every two rounds. i think this is good for the newer players of the game, i'm glad to see that the devs are committed to onboarding to build the future generation of siegeheads.

while you queue for a match, you can now practice your aim and recoil control in the shooting range. it's a simple quality of life change that i'm sure a lot of people will enjoy. i personally don't mind just sitting and waiting, i usually scroll through twitter or something while i'm in a queue. i'll probably continue to do just that, since i warm up with a t-hunt beforehand anyway (i refuse to call it training grounds), but i understand that lots of folks will probably put it to use. it's a simple, but objectively good change that i think a decent chunk of the community will smile about.

there's a new after action report screen! instead of just showing player cards, the post-game screen will display 3d models of your team's operators, and each player will be given some sort of accolade, reminiscent of a csgo post-match screen. the xp and rank screen is also more intuitive and informative. personally, i'm not really a fan of the after action screen because it reminds me more of a crappy mobile game than a triple-a first person shooter. this might be just me, though, as people seem to like it quite a bit. it is admittedly a refreshing new look, and does give the post-match sequence a bit more personality.

drones are getting a cool little ability, a temporary speed boost. this aims to make drones more mobile and allow them to escape the defenders' sight quicker, increasing their survivability. it's a good change, which i think is a solid little buff to the attacking side, which is relatively weak when you compare it to the defenders.

ubisoft is implementing a new anti-toxicity measure regarding reverse friendly fire. instead of deactivating rff automatically when a player revives a teammate that they downed, a vote will be held to forgive said player or stick them with rff for the remainder of the match. the little toxic prick inside of me is gonna miss being able to teamkill mic-spamming assholes with relative ease, but i know it's a good change for the game's health and toxicity issues overall.

a small quality of life change that made me smirk: there is a button to mark all new locker items as seen, so you can get rid of the annoying yellow dot with ease. i love it.

there are a couple graphics changes coming to the game, the first of which i absolutely love (and i'm sure a lot of people will too): there will be an option to disable motion blur. i HATE motion blur in comp shooters and other competitive games, just because it impedes vision. even if disabling motion blur only gives me a very slight visual advantage, i will take it. and given how a lot of siege players can get pretty nitpicky about performance and visual advantages, i'd think that many people will be following suit and getting rid of the blur. they also did something i'm actually really pissed off about-- directx 12 is the new graphics api for siege, with directx 11 remaining an option. this isn't inherently bad, but they also decided to throw vulkan in the can. i won't get into the technical stuff regarding this change, just know that i liked vulkan and i'm mad that it's gone.

the final change i'd like to touch on, they've added built-in 1v1 playlists in the custom game menu. you can choose a short or long match, which end when a player wins 4 or 8 rounds, respectively. i think it's just a nice, convenient addition for people that wanna have a little fun with their friends or "prove their superiority" against some random shit talker. i put that in quotations because 1v1's aren't really a test of siege skill, but that's a conversation for another time. good change!

final impressions

overall, i think this season looks solid. skopos adds a new dimension to the game that should become very effective if used properly. the siege cup, if executed properly, should become an amazing competitive experience that's conveniently built into the game. i look forward to participating in it and seeing the competitive environment it creates. where i'm torn, however, is at the balancing changes. the dokk nerf is a small step towards where she needs to be, but a great step nonetheless, and i think it shows restraint and proves that ubisoft can nerf operators without ruining them entirely. the prox alarm change is good, the claymore change can be viewed as a net positive. hell, i'd even argue that the r4-c mag reduction is a good thing. but there are a few really shitty decisions, most notably ROUND FUCKING TWO of the solis nerfs. the nokk changes are pretty dogshit too, and the fmg alterations do absolutely nothing to improve the gun. the changes cover the whole spectrum in my opinion, ranging from very good to very bad. the cute little quality of life changes and additions should make things more convenient and easy to use, as well as add some pizzazz to the game to keep it interesting. no matter what, i feel like twin shells is going to be a really interesting season. whether that is a good or bad kind of interesting remains to be seen. i'm excited nonetheless, and can't wait to see you guys in the queue!

[digital288]

Life Insurance for Parents: Protecting Your Family's Future

As children, we often view our parents as superheroes – invincible figures who shield us from life's storms. But as we grow older, the reality sets in: our parents are human, and just like anyone else, they are not immune to life's uncertainties. This is where life insurance for parents becomes a vital tool for safeguarding your family's financial well-being in the event of their passing.

Why Life Insurance for Parents Matters

The loss of a parent is an emotionally devastating experience. But the financial burden it can create can be equally crippling. Here's why considering life insurance for your parents is a wise and thoughtful decision:

Financial Security: A life insurance policy for your parents can provide a lump sum payout upon their passing. This money can be used to cover immediate expenses like funeral costs, outstanding debts, or medical bills. It can also serve as a financial cushion for surviving spouses or siblings who may rely on your parents' income.

Maintaining Your Lifestyle: If your parents contribute financially to your household or support your education, life insurance can help bridge that gap. The death benefit can ensure your current lifestyle or educational goals are not significantly impacted by their loss.

Peace of Mind for Everyone: Knowing your family is protected financially during a difficult time can bring immense peace of mind. It allows you to focus on grieving and supporting each other without the added stress of financial worries.

Determining the Right Coverage Amount

The ideal life insurance coverage for your parents depends on several factors. Here's what to consider when deciding on an appropriate amount:

Outstanding Debts: Include any outstanding mortgages, student loans, or car loans your parents might have. The insurance payout should be enough to clear these debts and prevent them from becoming a burden on surviving family members.

Funeral and Burial Costs: Factor in the average cost of funerals and burials in your area.

Income Replacement: If your parents contribute to your household financially or support your education, calculate the loss of their income over a set period (e.g., remaining college years) and factor that amount into the coverage.

Standard of Living: If your parents help support surviving spouses or siblings, determine the amount needed to maintain their current standard of living for a specific period.

Strategies for Making it Happen

Conversations about life insurance with your parents can be delicate. Here are some tips to navigate the discussion:

Focus on the Benefits: Frame the conversation as a way to ensure everyone's financial security and peace of mind. Highlight how the policy protects them and benefits the whole family.

Start Early: The younger and healthier your parents are, the lower the insurance premiums will be. Discussing life insurance while they're still relatively young makes good financial sense.

Consider Sharing Costs : If the insurance premium is a concern, explore options for sharing the cost with siblings or other beneficiaries who would benefit from the payout.

Explore Options Together: Do your research beforehand and present different life insurance options that might suit your parents' needs and budget.

Additional Considerations

Health Conditions: Pre-existing health conditions may affect your parents' eligibility for life insurance, or increase the premium cost.

Term vs. Whole Life: Term life insurance provides coverage for a specific period (e.g., 20 years) at a lower premium. Whole life insurance offers lifelong coverage and accumulates a cash value, but typically comes with a higher premium. Consider your parents' age, needs, and budget when choosing a policy type.

Review Regularly: Life circumstances change. Regularly review and adjust your parents' life insurance policy to ensure it reflects their current financial situation and your family's needs.

Life insurance for parents is an act of love and responsibility. By planning for the unexpected, you can ensure your family remains financially secure even during a difficult time. Remember, open communication, careful planning, and exploring different options will help you find the right life insurance policy to protect your loved ones.

[cavedwellermusic]

Judas Priest – Invincible Shield (2024)

Tom Hanno of Tom's Reviews looks at Invincible Shield, the powerful new album from UK heavy metal legends Judas Priest, released March 8th on Epic Records.

What do you think of first when you hear the name Judas Priest? My immediate thoughts are of leather and spikes, hard hitting riffs that have only gotten heavier with time, the vocals of the one and only Metal God, Rob Halford, and the pulverizing drum work of Scott Travis. I would also venture a guess that many of you thought the same, or at least something fairly similar. The good news for those of us that love their music is that these Birmingham based Heavy Metal Warriors have returned with yet another outstanding release on Invincible Shield, which is available now!!!!

Read Tom's full review and listen to the album at the link below:

[petnews2day]

PREMIERE: Snake Mountain // Everliving

New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/W07Sk

PREMIERE: Snake Mountain // Everliving

Australian melodic tech death band Snake Mountain are set to release their latest single and clip for Everliving on March 27 and Hysteria have the exclusive premiere! MORE: NECK DEEP: Rating: 8 Middle Fingers REVIEWS: BLOOM: Maybe In Another Life // BANKS ARCADE: DEATH 2 // MANNEQUIN PUSSY: I Got Heaven // JUDAS PRIEST: Invincible Shield This release is perfectly timed to show their fans exactly what they […]

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[mikeladano]

REVIEW: Judas Priest - Invincible Shield (2024 Deluxe with bonus tracks)

JUDAS PRIEST – Invincible Shield (2024 Epic Deluxe with bonus tracks) I don’t usually write “first impressions” reviews, because I like the albums to have time to sink in, and to consider my opinions. I’ll break some rules this time. Invincible Shield tops Firepower and could be the best Priest album since Defenders.  Or maybe even before that… The highlights are many and the riffs are strong. …

[tilesdesign]

Ceramic Coating in Noida Sector 12: Unveiling the Ultimate Car Care Solution

Introduction to Ceramic Coating

In the world of vehicle care, the ceramic coating has emerged as a progressive answer, presenting motors with an unparalleled defense against the harsh elements of the surroundings. This advanced protective layer isn't only luxurious but a necessity, in particular for car owners in the ceramic coating in Noida sector 12 seeking to hold the pristine appearance in their automobiles.

Benefits of Ceramic Coating in Noida Sector 12

Enhanced Protection Against Environmental Factors

Noida Sector 12, like other places, exposes automobiles to various environmental factors that can affect their paint over time. The ceramic coating acts as a shield, imparting improved protection against UV rays, chook droppings, tree sap, and different contaminants.

Long-lasting Shine and Aesthetic Appeal

One of the primary motives car lovers choose ceramic coating is the enduring shine it imparts to the car's surface. Unlike traditional waxing, the ceramic coating offers a long-lasting and smooth finish that stands the check of time.

Resistance to Chemical Stains and Contaminants

Ceramic coating creates a hydrophobic floor, which means it repels water and forestalls the formation of water spots. Additionally, it gives resistance to chemical stains, making it easier to smooth off dust, bugs, and different contaminants.

Choosing the Right Ceramic Coating Service in Noida Sector 12

Researching Local Options

Selecting the proper ceramic coating provided by the ceramic coating in Noida Sector 12 begins with thorough research. Identify neighborhood companies, thinking about factors such as revel in, reputation, and purchaser remarks.

Checking Reviews and Testimonials

Delve into reviews and testimonials from previous clients. This step offers precious insights into the great service and the delight degrees of customers who've already experienced ceramic coating.

Comparing Pricing and Packages

While fees ought to now not be the only determinant, comparing pricing and packages among one-of-a-kind ceramic coating in Noida sector 12 helps in making a knowledgeable decision based totally on price range and favored services.

Understanding the Ceramic Coating Process

Surface Preparation

Before making use of a ceramic coating, thorough surface education is crucial. This involves cleaning, decontaminating, and sometimes even polishing the car's surface to ensure the finest adhesion.

Application of Ceramic Coating

The utility of ceramic coating is meticulous. The liquid coating is frivolously applied to the car's surface, growing a chemical bond with the manufacturing unit paint.

Curing and Final Inspection

After application, the ceramic coating calls for a curing period. This curing technique allows the protecting layer to bond efficiently. A final inspection ensures the coating is flippantly implemented, presenting an ideal end.

Myths and Facts About Ceramic Coating

Dispelling Common Misconceptions

There are numerous myths surrounding ceramic coating, such as it being a remedy-enthusiastic about paint harm. It's crucial to dispel those misconceptions and set practical expectations. The ceramic coating does provide great protection, but it is no longer an invincible guard against all sorts of damage.

Realistic Expectations for Ceramic Coating

Understanding what ceramic coating can and cannot do is crucial. While it affords brilliant safety towards environmental elements and complements the vehicle's appearance, it might not make your car scratch-proof or proof against extreme influences.

DIY vs. Professional Ceramic Coating

Pros and Cons of Do-It-Yourself Kits

Do-It-Yourself (DIY) ceramic coating kits are to be had, but they arrive with their very own set of execs and cons. While they may be greater finances-pleasant, the utility technique calls for precision and knowledge. DIY kits are probably suitable for small contact-ups, however, for comprehensive coverage, professional services are advocated.

Advantages of Professional Ceramic Coating Services

Professional ceramic coating offerings offer a stage of know-how and precision that DIY kits frequently lack. Trained technicians make certain thorough utility and expert-grade products commonly provide longer-lasting and extra powerful safety.

Maintenance Tips for Ceramic Coated Surfaces

Gentle Cleaning Techniques

To keep the integrity of the ceramic coating, it's important to adopt mild cleansing techniques. Avoid abrasive brushes or harsh chemicals, as these can compromise the coating. Stick to microfiber cloths and pH-impartial cleaning merchandise for top-of-the-line consequences.

Avoiding Harsh Chemicals

Certain chemicals, like acidic or abrasive cleaners, can harm the ceramic coating. Regularly washing the automobile with a mild cleaning soap and water answer enables save you the accumulation of contaminants without harming the protecting layer.

[shineaddicts]

Discover How Ceramic Coating In Atlanta Keeps Your Vehicles Spotless

Your car isn't just a mode of transportation. it's a reflection of your personality and style. We all want our vehicles to shine, turn heads, and withstand the test of time. That's where ceramic coating comes into play, and in the bustling city of Atlanta, it's not just a service, it's a game-changer.

In this blog, let us learn the benefits of ceramic coating in Atlanta and how it makes our vehicles look clean and how to find best ceramic coating services near us.

Why Ceramic Coating Is Important For Our Vehicles ?

Ceramic coating transforms your car into a shielded masterpiece. Defending against sun, rain, and contaminants, it preserves your paint's brilliance for years. Enjoy easy cleaning as dirt slides off effortlessly, and minor scratches become less daunting. 

This durable solution isn't just about looks, it simplifies maintenance, enhances aesthetics, and even preserves resale value. Consider it an investment in your car's longevity, ensuring it remains a head-turner on Atlanta's streets. Ceramic coating in Atlanta is the secret to a protected, effortlessly stunning ride.

Benefits Of Ceramic Coating In Atlanta 

1. Weather Warrior 

Shielding your car from Atlanta's sun and rain, ceramic coating acts like a protective armour, preventing damage and fading.

2. Effortless Cleaning 

Bid farewell to stubborn dirt. Ceramic coating makes cleaning a breeze, as grime slides off easily, ensuring your car stays effortlessly spotless.

3. Long-Lasting Brilliance 

Unlike regular waxes, ceramic coating keeps your car shining for years, eliminating the need for frequent touch-ups.

4. Scratch Defense 

While it won't make your car invincible, ceramic coating minimizes the impact of minor scratches, keeping your vehicle looking sleek.

5. Resale Value Booster 

Investing in ceramic coating pays off, maintaining your car's resale value by preserving its aesthetic appeal.

6. Simplified Maintenance 

In Atlanta's busy life, ceramic coating reduces the need for constant upkeep, letting you enjoy your ride without constant worry.

How To Find The Best Ceramic Coating In Atlanta ?

1. Ask Around 

Talk to friends, family, or coworkers in Atlanta. Recommendations from people you trust can lead you to reliable ceramic coating services.

2. Check Online Reviews 

Explore online platforms for reviews on different ceramic coating providers in Atlanta. Look for consistent positive feedback and customer satisfaction.

3. Local Car Enthusiast Groups 

Join local car clubs or online groups. Enthusiasts often share their experiences and can recommend reputable ceramic coating specialists.

4. Visit Websites 

Check the websites of potential ceramic coating services. Look for clear information, service details, and before-and-after pictures of their work.

5. In-Person Consultation 

Visit the shop if possible. A face-to-face meeting allows you to assess their professionalism, discuss your needs, and get a feel for their expertise.

6. Ask About Products Used 

Inquire about the ceramic coating products they use. High-quality brands indicate a commitment to providing durable and effective coatings.

7. Compare Prices 

While cost shouldn't be the sole factor, compare prices among different providers. Ensure the quoted price aligns with the services offered.

Conclusion 

Choosing ceramic coating in Atlanta for your car is more than a protective measure. it's an investment in lasting brilliance. Shielding your vehicle from the city's weather whims, ensuring effortless cleaning, and standing guard against scratches, ceramic coating is your car's secret to staying stunning. 

Experience the magic of our ceramic coating services at ShineAddictz Auto Detailing in Atlanta. We're not just about protection, we're about unlocking a shine that lasts. Contact us to say goodbye to constant upkeep and hello to a car that gleams effortlessly on the vibrant streets of the city.

[ensumo-mart]

Email Security Exploration: Guide to DMARC Reports and Beyond

In the vast landscape of digital communication, fortifying your email security is no longer a choice but a necessity. Join us on an expedition through the intricate realm of DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) reports – the guardian of your domain's sanctity against phishing and cyber threats. 🌐📧🛡️

Navigating the DMARC Citadel

Embark on a journey into the heart of DMARC, a formidable fortress shielding your domain from the rising tide of phishing scams and cybercrimes. Understand the pivotal role DMARC plays in ensuring your emails are not just messages but trusted emissaries from your domain. 🏰📬

DMARC: Sentinel of Email Authenticity

Delve into the significance of authenticating emails in the digital age. Explore how DMARC acts as a vigilant sentinel, protecting users from phishing attacks, fostering trust with customers, and boosting email deliverability. Uncover the power of genuine communication. 🔒📩

Deciphering the Code: Inside DMARC Reports

Unlock the mysteries concealed within DMARC reports, presented in the enigmatic XML format. From metadata to policy application, become fluent in interpreting the wealth of information these reports offer. Equip yourself with the skills to monitor and optimize your email ecosystem. 🕵️‍♂️📊

Strategies for Email Deliverability Mastery

Your emails deserve the spotlight, not the shadows of spam folders. Learn the art of leveraging DMARC policies to maximize email deliverability. Safeguard your sender reputation, engage with your audience, and witness the success of your email campaigns soar to new heights. 📈📧

DMARC in Marketing Alchemy

Witness the transformation of DMARC from a security protocol into a potent catalyst for marketing success. Elevate your email open rates, enhance your sender reputation, and craft marketing strategies that resonate with your audience. Unleash the alchemy of DMARC in your marketing endeavors. 🚀📈

Crafting the Invincible DMARC Policy

Forge an impregnable DMARC policy that not only shields your domain against cyber threats but also optimizes email delivery. Navigate the delicate balance between security and accessibility, gradually enforcing policies to secure your domain's reputation. ⚖️🔒

Ready to elevate your email security, authenticity, and deliverability? 🚀 Embark on this comprehensive guide, and let DMARC be your beacon in the ever-evolving digital landscape. 🔐📧🌐

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[gertlushgaming]

Flashback 2 Review (PlayStation 5)

For this Flashback 2 Review, In the 22nd century, the United Worlds extends throughout the Solar System, but this tranquillity is threatened by the Morph invasion led by the fearsome General Lazarus. In search of his lifelong friend Ian, Conrad B. Hart dives once again into an action-packed adventure full of twists, turns, and revelations with the help of his allies and AI-powered weapon A.I.S.H.A.

Flashback 2 Review Pros:

- Decent graphics. - 7.38GB download size. - Platinum trophy. - 5 save slots. - Controller settings - can rebind controls. - 2.5D action-platformer gameplay. - Tutorial pop-ups as you play. - In-game cutscenes are a mix of character portraits and art with background animations. - Fully voiced main character. - Puzzle elements throughout. - Aisha is your Ai sidekick who helps with tutorials and explains elements of the story. - Traveling around the locations is done via a bike and you drive on a freeway and ring-road coming off at your location. - Traveling between areas is done via the rail system. - A bright neon futuristic landscape is full of bright colors and dark underbelly. - Twin stick shooter controls for the combat which is guns and melee when up close. - Stealth mechanic. - You can fast-forward and skip cutscenes and interactions. - Take on jobs from the job board to earn credits. - Mech-fighting mini-games can appear. - Medikits are littered around and enemies have a chance to drop them. - A hacking mini-game is a sliding puzzle where you make icons meet each other. - Special glasses allow you to see through walls and this is generally used in a puzzle or locked door capacity. - Fast easy d-pad up control for Medikits. - You have a dash and a shield to use for defense. - Enemies will have a meter above their heads to help gauge if they see you. - Great looking locations. - The world feels alive with people going about their business. - Find powerful upgrades for your weapons. - The lighting helps elevate the atmosphere, especially in the darker parts. - Interact with posters and find lore and propaganda leaflets around the world. - Clear interface. - The d-pad is used for action shortcuts. - Save point terminals can be found around the world. - Multiple choice questioning. - Changing the frequency in your headset analyzer scanner will show different nodes and cabling. Flashback 2 Review Cons: - The bright neon colors bleed into each other and in places like the highway, it makes reading the signs and seeing traffic really difficult. - No actual game settings. - The camera cannot be controlled and in these areas, it can be hard to maneuver and go downstairs and enter doors. - The stealth is completely broken as enemies get alerted to you when in stealth and moving out of sight. Any noise is instant and all the enemies know exactly where you are. - Enemy shots are ridiculously accurate. - Had a few instances of being shot through the wall and environment. - Having melee work when you press shoot closely to an enemy is a nightmare when surrounded. - Takes so long to get going with many of the quests just being fetch quests. - Save points sometimes tell you the game is saved and sometimes it doesn't. - Conrad (your character) is often rude and sarcastic which is grating but he just doesn't act like you expect. - Many times I've had characters get stuck on the world or they just keep running into an invisible wall. - Combat is more guesswork and luck than skill. - At times an enemy encounter finishes once you kill all enemies and then this big hive thing (which is Invincible until you kill all enemies) and enemies have a knack of disappearing or being back several screens. - Enemies' health seems to be made up with some being easy and some just being absolute bullet sponges. - The tutorial side of things is very weak and doesn't really help a whole lot. - No Colourblind or accessibility options. Related Post: Dungeons 4 Review (PlayStation 5) Flashback 2: Official website. Developer: Paul Cuisset and  Microids Publisher: Microids Store Links - PlayStation Read the full article