#VMS Integration

[tekwissen]

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[abitcaughtinthemiddle]

Listen- do these BH/M9/VM mission preparing episodes feel like fan service? Yes, yes absolutely.

But I am a fan and I am being serviced

[simplifyworkforce]

Top 50 Leadership Interview Questions to Ask Candidates (simplifyvms.com)

Discover the top 50 leadership interview questions to assess candidates' skills, decision-making, and management style. Perfect for finding the right leader for your team.

[virtualizationhowto]

VMware vSphere 8.0 Update 2 New Features and Download

VMware vSphere 8.0 Update 2 New Features and Download @vexpert #vmwarecommunities #vSphere8Update2Features #vGPUDefragmentationInDRS #QualityOfServiceForGPUWorkloads #vSphereVMHardwareVersion21 #NVMEDiskSupportInVSphere #SupervisorClusterDeployments

VMware consistently showcases its commitment to innovation when it comes to staying at the forefront of technology. In a recent technical overview, we were guided by Fai La Molari, Senior Technical Marketing Architect at VMware, on the latest advancements and enhancements in vSphere Plus for cloud-connected services and vSphere 8 update 2. Here’s a glimpse into VMware vSphere 8.0 Update 2 new…

[aspiringsophrosyne]

TLOVM, Group Dynamics and Theming

One thing about TLOVM that I’ve seen CR fans bothered by is that the Vox Machina of the show is more tight-knit co-workers than a family.

Here’s the thing: in the stream, aren't Vox Machina more tight-knit co-workers than family?

Most of Vox Machina are oil and water. They don’t blend. They’re individual archetypes: the box in the basement full of old action figures from different TV shows.

Does that mean the stream didn't have incredible gags and heartfelt talks between various pairs in the group? Nope. Does that mean at the end of the Campaign we didn't get a group of people willing to literally go to hell and back for each other? Also nope.

Just...well...did they have the varied yet consistent character dynamics that later groups did? At the very least, to the same degree?

Scanlan and Keyleth would absolutely die for each other...but what would they talk about?

On that score, TLOVM isn't that disloyal to the original.

And that's not a knock on Vox Machina or their campaign! It’s just how Critical Role has evolved. What did the stream have going into Campaign 2 that it didn’t beforehand? Hindsight, which let them build the Nein (and later the Hells) differently. It let the players mold their characters—and Matt his story—around a cohesive theme.

Something Campaign 1—as great as it was—didn’t start with.

However, going into TLOVM, the CRew had hindsight, didn’t they? Couldn’t they have found commonalities between characters and built Animated Vox Machina around a theme like CR did with their successors? And then use that to integrate a wider range of interparty interactions?

I’m an unprofessional doofus operating far away from the pressures, time constraints, and demands of professional scriptwriting…. but I’ll take a crack at it:

Becoming the Mask, You Are Better Than You Think You Are, and Dare to be Badass.

(Light spoilers for TLOVM from here on out.)

Concept: we meet our protagonists right after they’ve saved Uriel and defeated the Glabrazu. The show builds VM up to be these strong, competent, heroic, unparalleled heroes who just saved the kingdom. But as soon as VM’s alone…

“They think we’re heroes!! We just stumbled ass backward into all this by accident! The fuck do we do now!?”

(Basically, take the Rocks Fall Everyone Dies sequence from the start of the first episode, apply it nonlethally to VM and draw it out a little more.)

What they hear from this point on: “The Briarwoods are evil? Well, surely heroes such as you can put a stop to whatever wickedness they’re committing, right?” And then later: “You saved the kingdom and defeated the Briarwoods; surely you can take care of these four dragons, right?”

The overall story: a gaggle of rag-tag fuckups who are mistaken for heroes must keep pretending to be the real thing, and in the process become the real thing.

Go full The Road to El Dorado in this bitch.

Imposter syndrome and perceived inadequacy work beautifully as a common thread for multiple members:

Percy was never supposed to lead.

Vex and Vax are considered mistakes.

Pike’s family has an unsavory past.

Grog was the runt that was left for dead.

Keyleth’s trying to pass the test her mother failed.

Scanlan is the odd one out, bursting with almost undeserved bravado… until Kaylie shows up. Then it’s a question of, can this gnome, who’s only ever been good at putting on a show, learn emotional sincerity?

No matter how disparate the members of Vox Machina may be, what does this guarantee? That they all have one thing in common. They all come from vastly different backgrounds and have vastly different perspectives, but what can they all commiserate over?

Not feeling good enough.

This, in turn, makes it easier to bring in gags from the stream and build on less prominent intergroup relationships.

And this was the Nein’s advantage. As crazily different as each member was, what did they have in common? They all struggled with identity and self-image. This allowed them to form sub-groups that had unique dynamics distinct from the Nein's overall group dynamic. Character pairs could bond over that commonality.

What do we get, taking this tack with the show? We don't just give Vox Machina that same advantage, we give it from the opposite angle. TLOVM’s story is now about living up to heroic expectations to Become The Mask. This is a fabulous lead into a potential Nein series, because their story is about dropping the mask and Being Yourself.

What does this do? As both series come out, it highlights the contrast between groups and makes for a real one-two-punch.

And as a nice little bonus...

This could've brought in some real-life subtext. A joy unique to Campaign 1 is watching the cast look around at each other throughout and go “Holy shit, we can go that hard?”

Marisha’s tree dream, Taliesin’s No Mercy Percy, Liam’s speech when Vax was at the mercy of the Briarwoods…all these moments and more had everyone at the table speechless, picking up on their potential; starting to imagine how hard they could go with these characters.

And the idea of Vox Machina themselves learning to take that same leap of faith, I feel, would’ve been really cool.

[shorthaltsjester]

while vox machina reading percy’s letter is something i would love to see in tlovm i doubt it will make an appearance just for hard to fit in reasons, but that said i do really like that they’re integrating a lot of the inner work of percy that we get insight on through that letter in his words and actions thus far. his words at the end of ep 6 when he says “i’ve worried these hands would always carry the stain of evil. but, perhaps i can finally scour them clean in ripley’s blood” were ones that immediately stood out as an echo to his post-mortem words in the letter. because while it is a banger of a line, it’s in response to vex raising concern that this is just vengeance in different clothes, and percy doesn’t really assuage that well by explaining that he thinks he’ll cleanse himself of evil by dousing himself in blood. in the letter he writes “i traded the world’s safety for the belief that i could murder my way to peace, that if i could be a greater horror, it would bring my family back. once this lie was shattered, i scrambled to find a solution, to make a deal, to undo my mistakes and balance the scales. i now understand there are no scales. there is no redemption, and no ledger that judges me good or evil.” which i really see in the fluctuating attitude we see with percy given the adjustment of pre-[redacted] perc’ahlia where percy is happy and sees a future unfolding as he’s let go of his vengeance but this spectre of his past and his choices keeps interrupting it in the guise of ripley & orthax, leading to us getting to see him talk about building a future in whitestone and wrangling with the fact that — as it exists now — his legacy is one he views as solely of death and destruction and failing those close to him (which. god the fact that the hot tub scene and the destruction of whitestone are the same episode is insane but. percy having just been told by vax that he thought percy attracted danger and the reminder that he was the cause of vex’s death and then in the rubble of whitestone castle thinking he’d have to beg vex to join him as if she hasn’t been fully ride or die for him since before vm arrived in whitestone for the first time. obsessed with a couple where they both think they’re bad omens and both view each other as one of the best things that could’ve happened to them).

one of my favourite things about percy’s character arc in terms of looking at it as a narrative has always been the dismissal of ‘redemption’; not because he hasn’t done horrible things, but because redemption is irrelevant to the fact that percy does survive and he does move forward and that he cannot undo the past; neither to stop himself from making the world worse with his weapons nor to save his family from destruction — all of which would be true whether or not he was sufficiently redeemed. i am sad (though i very much understand why percy’s visit with the raven queen wasn’t included in the show) that we don’t get the scene of percy being confronted with the brokenness of mortaldom when the raven queen tells him he (and every mortal) is broken and scrambling both in front of her and with his actions after because he is a self-proclaimed fixer. because that conversation brings about the reality that there are things that cannot, will not, and should not be fixed. and percy takes that seriously, and commits himself, shed of a notion that he is determined solely by gods or his past, to looking forward. and though we don’t get the gods aspect of it in the show, we do get his conversation with vex in front of the fire, telling her he finds himself excited to feel possibility for the first time (while also extending a place for her in that possibility with him which . head in hands. a future he had cheaply sold away) and that he looks forward to building something instead of destroying. that vex reminded him days earlier to forgive himself while he was tinkering at a desk with a model clock tower resting on it. i have my critiques of tlovm but i do think they’re doing truly phenomenal work with retelling percy’s story in particular and i’m psyched to see where the rest of this season takes that as they deal with ripley, whatever version of glintshore we may see, and the ramifications for the person percy becomes after.

[crtakespropogandist]

CR 3 finale dump pt. 3 - Putting my finger on it

I enjoyed the campaign while I was watching it for the most part, because the cast's antics and chemistry always make me smile. But I invariably engaged the most during the tie-ins and cameos bringing back the PCs and NPCs from previous campaigns, and I couldn't summon the same investment for this one. I was ruminating on why that was, and here is what I came up with:

Campaign 3 didn't "work" like the other two because the characters, the plot, and the setting were not integrated. Matt had an epic storyline in mind that could dramatically change Exandria. He also had two lovingly designed settings, Marquet and Ruidus, the fruits of great collaborative labor that he wanted to show off. Finally, he wanted to let his friends have total control in conceptualizing their characters. The result is that the players and Matt seemed really afraid of stepping on each other's (and the other creatives') toes, and the narrative hurt for it.

Character hooks led away from the plot and setting. Setting hooks led away from the plot and characters. Plot hooks led away from the setting and characters. The cast ultimately had to follow the plot, leaving PCs uninvested and locations underutilized along with all their resident NPCs. Freaking Vox Machina had stronger relationships with Marquesian NPCs.

Yet Matt was still discouraged from taking time away from exploring new places and meeting new people for a deeper dive on Delilah Briarwood. Why didn't Ludinus give Tal'Dorei a heads up when the Briarwoods became fugitives? Did he help them in exchange for residuum? Did they steal his obsessive research on the Matron's ritual for Vecna to use? Maybe Jiana Hexum knows something abou...oop BH left Jrusar and forgot all about her. Matt was also discouraged from leaving shiny new Marquet any earlier for Aeor 2: Electric Boogaloo, which left FCG high and dry. The self-imposed balance between the three key story elements was impossible to maintain in a satisfactory way.

VM and M9 are native to their campaigns' respective continents (except my boy Tary ofc), and the plot evolved organically from personal stakes intrinsic to those settings. Moments like "I am no friend to the empire" and "It's Lady Vex'ahlia" are off the table when the party is Oops! All Transients. The worst irony is that Matt undermined the players' autonomy by unilaterally deciding that Caleb and Beau utterly fumbled the task Liam and Marisha set them to in their C2 epilogues. Liam's frustration at the Key scene was palpable. My fellow viewers who only hopped aboard on Campaign 3 can get weirdly defensive against C2's "encroachment" and C2 enjoyers (also fellows of mine) wishing it would "encroach" more. Ludinus was introduced in C2. The ruins of Aeor and Molaesmyr are in Wildemount. Dunamancy is centralized in Wildemount. The Nein spent time in Aeor, in Uthodurn, in the Dynasty. The Nein have gods. What experiments did Ludinus conduct in Vergessen? What are the specifics about what Ludinus did in Molaesmyr, what he's done throughout his life of scheming? It's pretty safe to guess that the Nein would have found out given another chance. Could you imagine how Campaign 2 might have panned out if Beau and Caleb reeeaaally grilled Demid Sunlash and followed up on where he went? (Also Ruidusborn!Essek would have made so much sense I'm vibrating) (Also also d'ya think Eadwulf was always supposed to be a real Matron follower, or could he have been set up as a Paragon's Call/Vanguard type reporting to Ludinus?)

Even as someone introduced to the stream via BH, I can't help but agree with Beau's "Why not us?" comments. Why not give the Wildemount party the Wildemount BBEG? Why not give Bell's Hells the kind of story that encourages them to be little NPC-coded freaks pushing each other's big red buttons just to see what happens? Why not give Marquet a party that calls it home?

The answer is because we got this instead, and I'm kinda sad about it. If BH gets animated, that show is a lost cause if some fundamental changes aren't made.

[sunskate]

Not the most important reaction to today but Scott or Tessa would never have come back with another partner. I know loyalty is undervalued in today’s world. I get Laurence wanting to continue. Idk it’s just all so slimy.

the main reason this pairing isn't being welcomed is its association with someone we're not naming. that's a big issue i don't want to go into here

but the other parts - not all relationships are supposed to last forever. i think personal integrity is more important than loyalty, if loyalty means staying with something that's run its course. i think you should treat each other well and with honesty, but i don't think moving on is necessarily a bad thing. we don't know what happened between Gabi and Guillaume. but at least from the outside, they haven't seemed warm with each other in many years. we don't know who stopped wanting to skate with whom

for VM, that's the relationship to each other and to skating they had, that they didn't want to consider competing with other partners, and their partnership is admirable in many ways, but it doesn't mean another team has failed somehow if they're different

i know the sandbag story has come to represent his loyalty, but according to their own book, he didn't speak to her during that time and caused terrible pain and damage to their relationship. i think there's more there that they've kept private that happened, especially because they did stuff in public that contradicts their book. but if they'd communicated more clearly at some key points along the way they wouldn't have had such a painful breakdown in 2018/19, to the point i think there are still misunderstandings that have never been resolved, just kind of pushed down

[alwaysyouuuuuu]

So i was thinking about your Wolfstar Marvel AU again (it should pay rent with how much it's spinning around my head) and like,,,, Sirius not having any kind of closure about Remus,,, he doesn't know what happened to him, they never found a body or any traces of him and then he was pronounced dead and Sirius just. Doesn't know. He doesn't even know why they took Remus in the first place. And he probably feels guilty about it too (bc ofc he would!!!). Just, the lack of closure of it all, the big question mark haunting him, up until 70+ years later when he's face-to-face with Remus again (I'm loving it)

Hi hi hi!!!! 💕💕💕 Thank you so much for the ask! I am so happy we both find it consuming haha and I agree. AU needs to start paying me hourly wages for just how much it keeps me up and wondering at night. I would be in tears and at the end of my wit, if I had to do just part of this research in school (I was not into history or any literature for school, and that's putting it mildly.) and now I do this willingly lol.

You know one of those, "I'm so glad you asked"- *7 hour long vm* memes? I fear this will end up like that. Bear with me.

Before we get into that, I'll clear up some background? So Remus was first taken along with a lot of their troop (ambush?), and they were partially injected (plot reasons plot reasons!! I feel like you can guess why!!) and the Sirius and co rescued them etc etc. And then Remus was targeted specifically.

So before the permafrost, I feel the situation was very bad for Sirius. For one, he would have agreed to the Serum in the first place because Remus was in captivity (also for the war effort, of course, but to Sirius, at that point there really was no room for question which may have been there otherwise), and then he got Remus back. Just to lose him again.

And then, to the Military and almost everyone else, Hope and Lyall Lupin lost a son, but Sirius Black lost a fellow soldier. He lost a comrade. Sure, they were friends, so him being vengeful is believable, to an extent. And no one really gets the blank look in his eyes, after.

I believe there was a quote that went like, "Should you lose a spouse/partner, there is a shared understanding of the relationship, but when you lose a friend, there's no tangible evidence, no widely acknowledged way to mourn."

Except, for Sirius, he did lose his partner, love of his life and dearest friend of so many years. And no one understands. Maybe James and Lily know, but it is the 40s. Realistically, they are quiet about it at best. For him it is both, and all the more painful. And he doesn't get exactly why Remus was targeted either. Remus was at an integral position in the OSS, unusual for his age, recruited at the very beginning, one of the sharpest minds, so it could have been that. And god, he was cold blooded when he got to fighting. But of course, he cannot shake the feeling that it was because of him.

So, in that time, the days he spent looking for Remus with James and Lily, (which really wasn't much, they would not have been allowed to!) he is partially cynical. Not to the point of self-blaming but enough to self-destruct. James tries to get him out of it, but Lily grits her teeth. She doesn't say much, because she understands, I believe, how much at that point he just wants it to end.

*BAM* permafrost.

After he gains consciousness, he would have blanked out for a while, because what even is this? But he doesn't, because after the first few excruciating minutes, when the blood is pounding in his chest, looking at every flash of light, every building and car that look unnatural, really, the first thing he processes is Moody telling him that the War is over. Good, at least something went well, he thinks.

They tell him many soldiers were rescued, because that's the first thing he asks. After it sinks in, he wants to hope, and maybe he does. Because this is real, he can see it. As outlandish as it is, he is in the future. If this can be real, how foolish would it be to hope that maybe Remus made it too? He would be old, and he would have lived his life. Maybe with someone else, and that's okay. If he gets to see him one more time, Jesus, it's okay.

They tell him what happened with HYDRA and his family. They tell him about James Potter and how he revolutionized weapons, they tell him about Lily Potter, who later went on to join the NSA. God, he gets fucking giddy hearing all of that, because it worked out. For someone, it did. For James and Lily, it did. He wants to meet Harry.

And he starts to have a nagging thought, because with how they speak of and to him, maybe they would have mentioned his known childhood friend. And Remus was known to his own credit.

So he asks, slowly about one Remus Lupin?

And lo and behold. They know of him of course, of course, he was Captain America's best friend. But nothing was known of him post war.

He tries to hold his face and nods, but Moody gives him a strange look. Tells him that he'll look into it for him. He tamps it down, though, there is no point in a wishful fantasy. He would have begged Moody if required, but there really is no point. And he doesn't think he can open his mouth without saying something incriminating.

Moody offers him the initiative, of course, but they tell him to take a breath, see the world, find himself first. And he does, he takes a few days. But then he gets time to think about it, to mull things over, to reevaluate his last choices. When he is trying to ease into the new world, he is busy, things are overwhelming. But once he gets home, he spirals. He remembers how panicky he had been during the first rescue mission. He had been desperate. And what if that clued them in? There were others in the OSS. So why just Remus?

It had to be him.

So he throws himself into missions, trains hard, exhausts himself so doesn't have to think. He does what he's always been doing, he helps SHIELD and doesn't question much, because he is still processing. Some things stick out but one can only handle so much, yeah? Besides, James and Lily were the co-founders.

He finds out. Well. Many things about his past and it's just so much (I'll stop or this itself will spiral to 3k.)

I feel he's quite mercurial at times in these days. Unsettled, but he keeps going. He drinks sometimes, gets shit faced. Those days are increasing, really.

Then he meets Elena.

And there is something striking about her. Such a young girl, and he can see it in her eyes that she has seen a lot. Too much. He sees himself in her. And he is protective. He is maybe a little taken aback. Because she seems so much... like an old soul.

And Elena is drawn to him too. She opens up, slowly, slowly, which she doesn't normally. But he is fiery. Like her. And they mostly have the same stances. She doesn't speak of her childhood, and so he doesn't ask. She does mention she had a dad, and though seemingly not for long, she remembers her name from him.

She seeks out his company and it soothes something in him. I feel he's a little more settled? With time? I mean it's hard to pity yourself when there is someone dragging you out to bowl and join soccer clubs, when that someone is a loner too. Even though thinking of Remus' hurts a little more each day, because he feels that Elena and Remus would get along so well. Man she even fights like him.

So when he sees Remus again, it is whiplash of the worst kind. Remus is just there. Because it is Remus and it is not, and he is standing there just staring because this Remus even fights the same. And he sees Elena standing frozen there, and it suddenly hits him that she looks... like Remus.

Except for her eyes and it is like he is watching everything from afar. All he can do try to hold Remus back. Until Neville flies them away.

Because what has his life come to?

Elena is not responding. She is not even looking at him. And Sirius is thinking a thousand miles an hour. I think he'd find out everything he can about whoever this Winter Soldier is.

Before they finally bring R in for questioning I feel S would be overcome with guilty and longing and a lot of painful confusion, really.

And mostly, Sirius is guilt ridden. Remus was in there, with them doing who knows what to him, for 70 years? He never deserved that. Sirius was outwardly rebellious. It was his family helping fund HYDRA. And then there's Elena. Is Elena Remus'? Because how in the world did Remus manage to have a kid while he was trapped in a facility?

There is something really cool about her name. if you look closely.

Outside of his blackouts, Remus solely spoke Russian to everyone around him for 70 years right? So it seems logical that's what he'd speak to elena in that environment, mind controlled half the time etc, before they were separated (she was like. 7) and he'd find it a little difficult to slip into English again, or that's what Elena thinks. So when he demands to meet her first, she storms in, defensive stance (Sirius is standing right outside by the way) but Remus just blinks. Because they said it was Elena Chernova. But it's not. It's Helena Black.

And Sirius just. Dies a little.

Basically. He is spiralling.

So is this, so I'll stop here.

Based on this post. + snippet.

[bananathebookworm]

I'm a little curious whether we're going to even see Tary in the animated series.

With the way season 3 ended I can see a world where they skip over his stuff entirely simply because he wasn't actually around for anything integral to the Vecna story. While Tary was with VM, they did some personal growth things for various characters, but then took a year long break before diving in to Vecna and Scanlan returned shortly after.

It seems like they've set up that year long break pretty well at the end of season 3. Though it also could've been because they weren't guaranteed a season 4 and had to leave things on a note that would feel reasonably concluded.

[pocketgalaxies]

still trying to wrap my head around keyleth's "i trust orym and orym trusts you so i trust you." bc when she said that my first instinct was disappointment, i think? or at least wishing it was a little different.

i think it would've been so much more meaningful to imogen if keyleth just said "i trust you." to have someone trust her and her integrity, not just bc of the company she keeps but because of her. and to hear that from keyleth, someone that imogen has come to respect a lot. i also think keyleth would be keenly aware of those things – if there's anything i'm sure she's learned over the years, it's that her words have immense weight. this is absolutely one of the reasons she pauses so much when she talks (both a marisha-ism as well as a character moment!)

so i guess i just wonder if keyleth actually doesn't trust imogen enough yet and has to filter it through orym, just enough to give imogen the confidence and validation she desperately needs but not so much that it's a falsification or overinflation? would she lie about trusting imogen in order to instill confidence in her, i want to say probably not? but it could probably go either way and would be heavily dependent on what she's experienced in the last 30 years – what is keyleth's relationship with telling white lies and keeping little secrets, after a few decades as the voice of the tempest? it's easy to imagine that it's changed, but also perhaps remaining honest is something keyleth has come to greatly value. tbh i don't think this was particularly explored in c1, and vm did deceive quite frequently, but never in the role of Mentor to a younger, more naive adventuring party like bh

i do love the follow-up of "i see a lot of myself in you" bc the parallels were there all along and i just never noticed them. young women who grew up in a publicly broken family with the weight of their destiny becoming progressively heavier on their shoulders. unimaginable, overwhelming power coursing through them as they explore a foreign and vast world. questioning every single decision they make along the way. the responsibility of the fate of the world frequently, unrelentingly, falling to them for reasons completely out of their control. not knowing anything but knowing they love their companions and knowing they want to do good. not knowing at all what good is anymore. still striving for it regardless.

it does make me lean more toward yes keyleth does trust imogen, because keyleth knows that imogen does not trust herself but keyleth can recognize that she can be trusted, because keyleth was the same way and she turned out okay. if anyone would understand the simultaneously terrifying but also unquestionable reliability of a truly good person trying to survive in a harsh world, it would be keyleth. but then why didn't she say so! and also i just personally would like to think that keyleth does trust imogen after seeing all that she's sacrificed and the level of dedication she's demonstrated over the last several months. but maybe that's just my bias after seeing every little bit of anguish and anxiety that imogen has experienced, and it's very hard to tell/remember how much of that has actually been perceived by keyleth. but also to see herself in imogen would suggest that she's seen at least some of it?

anyway i'm driving myself crazy. but i wish she could've told imogen she trusts her, and idk what stopped her. :(

[ludinusdaleth]

a travesty ive barely posted meta for artagan here when anyone who knows me knows ive written universes about him. so, a bit to ponder on:

something interesting about artagan - and by extension many fae in cr in general - is how thoroughly he's defined by selfishness as the core value of a fae, when we are shown time & again even before artagan gets his redemption arc that that isnt true.

now, arti is selfish. hes the definition of lust, & sloth, & sheer debauchery. he'd rather sit back than help even his favorite little tiefling (at first - more on that later). he would rather abandon his followers to an island that would destroy their memory than attempt to lead them.

but.

he planned for his followers to land on rumblecusp because to him, a fae, losing memories was completely Insignificant - and he literally did some of their paperwork to help them along, and did the work to ensure travelercon left them with each other. he was benevolent enough to vm their first meeting, showing incredible patience despite their disregard for him. he saved vex from drowning. he chose to befriend jester after seeing her be hurt by lord sharpe's son. he comforted jester when he could, when he never needed to. this is all before The Travelercon Kick, before he agreed to help the m9 into the feywild & shift time for them for no price, before he helped jester battle trent/omentis and made sure his spells did not hurt innocent bystanders.

this isnt some garuntee that he, pre-jester, was any saint. but what sticks out to me is how much the trait of selfishness is vastly applied to him. not only does sehanine's angel refer to him as a selfish creature twice, but he refers to himself that way the episode before. it is as if he has endless history with being called that, as if he is the most vile creature by virtue of being an archfey, and he made peace with that, leaned into that until jester walked into his life.

which always leads, in my head, to thinking about the fae of this show in general. they are so vastly blanketed as dangerous. and some are. but the more you analyze it the more you see how it's less integral to their being, and more what they accept they are. if youre seen as a monster, and whimsy is inherent to you, you will play the role to see what happens (i see this in characters like ira immensely). we see the younger generation of fae raised away from these generalizations - fearne & morrighan - break the stereotype near entirely. sure, fearne picks pockets and loves her friends lowkey possessively - but weve seen time & again how thats playful, and gives way to so much selflessness she's falling apart at the seams, only just now telling the party her fears. and morrighan shows no possessiveness at all, being shy & near subservient as a waitress. they are living proof that a fae's worst traits are a matter of nurture.

watching artagan is watching some of his peak fae-court upbringing begin to break down by exposure to a different world. i always recall how both he & ira hiss at the feywild for its contradictions, its rules when it's a land built for free wills - which implies the fae are not let to be themselves, but have their culture shaped by courts so strict they wont even let fae leave to exandria. the worst ideas about them begin to shatter the more cr tells us how fae society has fallen into something like an oil slick into an ocean - literal imagery used by athion & yu. the fae's free existence has been polluted.

artagan was our first example of all of that. and how it's possible to become better.

[simplifyworkforce]

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VMS Providers: Enhancing Workforce Management 

A Vendor Management System (VMS) is a crucial tool for businesses that rely on a contingent workforce. VMS providers offer platforms that help organizations manage their external talent, from recruitment to offboarding. These systems provide visibility into workforce activities, ensuring that businesses can track performance, maintain compliance, and optimize their use of contingent labor. 

Working with a VMS provider allows companies to centralize their workforce management, making it easier to oversee all aspects of vendor relationships. This centralized approach not only improves efficiency but also reduces the risk of errors and non-compliance, which can be costly in the long run. By integrating VMS solutions into their operations, businesses can stay agile and responsive in a competitive market. 

Supply Chain Management Software: Driving Operational Excellence 

Supply chain management is a complex process that requires precise coordination and control. Supply chain management software offers businesses the tools they need to monitor, manage, and optimize every aspect of their supply chains. From inventory management to logistics, these software solutions provide real-time insights that help businesses make informed decisions and respond quickly to changes. 

Integrating a VMS with supply chain management software further enhances operational efficiency. By linking workforce management with supply chain activities, businesses can ensure that they have the right people in the right place at the right time. This alignment reduces delays, improves productivity, and ultimately leads to better business outcomes. 

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[talonabraxas]

“Tonatiuh, the Verb of San Juan, the Logos or creator of the universe, with its triangular tongue of fire, is the golden child of sexual alchemy, the spiritual sun at midnight, the eagle that rises and soars, the resplendent dragon of wisdom, and it is represented by the star that gives us life, light and heat. Decorated by the Nahualts, it appears in glory at the very center of the Stone of the Sun”. -Samael Aun Weor – The Secret Doctrine of Anahuac.

Tonatiuh, God of the Sun Talon Abraxas

In each and every corner of the world, mankind has strived to give tangible representations to personify the great realities of the spirit. It should not amaze us that the Incas, Mayas, Aztecs, Egyptians, etc. resembled the sun with the universal spirit of life in an attempt to relate its physical and spiritual characteristics. In this way, they taught others about the greatness of that which is intangible. Undoubtedly the sun has been, is, and will be the means to allow the world to understand what truly is the Spirit of the Being within each one of us. Just like the physical sun imparts life, light and warmth, our Being gives us spiritual life, wisdom and wishes to learn that which is mystical.

Among the Aztecs, the God of the Sun was called Tonatiuh (Tona = the maker of the sun and heat, tiuth = to go). In universal Gnosticism, is it the Being or the Spirit the one who imparts life, and at the same time, the sun is the symbol each aspirant should manifest within: to create the sun is to integrate oneself with the Being.

The God of the Sun, Tonatiuh, is represented in the microcosm by the Intimate, the most spiritual element within each man and woman. In the macrocosm he is the Solar Logos or the Divinity. Either one will trigger our impulse towards the self-realization of our Being, using as its means awakening that is both mystical and spiritual.

In Nahuan culture, as in others, the Sun was the symbol of the Father, the eternal Masculine Principle; the Moon, the mother or the eternal Divine Feminine Principle, and Venus, the symbol of the Celestial Child. Tonatiuh, the God of the Sun, is the incarnation and expression of the fire that comes from the heavens. Tonatiuh is the representation of the divine aspects and itself explains the creation of all that exists.

The wise Aztecs of Anahuac gave the creator both: masculine and feminine form. The creator in its masculine aspect was called Ometecuhtli (ome = two, tecuhtli = Lord), and the divine feminine principle Omecihuatl (ome = two, cihuatl = Lady). They are the Lord and the Lady, God and Goddess of Duality. On this aspect, VM

Samael Aun Weor states:

“The face of Tonatiuh in the Aztec calendar is the face of Ometecuhtli-Omecihatl, Lord and Lady of duality, God of life, of love and generation.”

“Enclosed by two concentric circles, around which are four squares within two other concentric circles (the unmanifested absolute: Ipalnemohuani), encompass it all: the feline claws of Quetzalcoatl ripping human hearts, the Sun of Wind or 4 Ehecatl, the Sun of Fire or 4 Quiahuitl, the Sun of Water or 4 Atl, the Sun of Jaguar or 4 Ocelot and the Sun of Movement or 4 Olin, the East and the West, the North and the South, the twenty days of the month, etc.”

“This explains why the Nahuans venerated the Sun and the dual significance the numbers had for them.”

Samael Aun Weor – Aztec Christic Magic, Monogram No. 8

Tonatuih’s crown or Xiuhitzolli represents the Ancient of Days, the Kaballistic Kether, the three aspects of divinity: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Logoic triangle of the Hebrews.

Each man has its own particular ray, resplendent in all its glory and might in the world of the ineffable Gods; the golden ray, the Being of our Being, the internal Christ of each man. It is the Sephirotic crown of the cabbalists, the Crown of Life. “Be faithful till thy death (says the Holy One), and I shall give thee the Crown of Life”. (Revelations 2:10).

We will find all the attributes of divinity wisely expressed in their artistic forms by the wise of Anahuac, as we can tell from the date of Two Canes in its crown. The number 2 (both circles) represent the feminine and masculine aspects of divinity.

“Ometecuhtli-Omecihuatl, Lord and Lady of duality. “Ome”: two; “Tecuhtli”: Lord. “Ome”: two; “Cihuatl”: Lady. From this divine dual principle, masculine and feminine, emanated the Universe. This God-Goddess had four sons, the four Tezcatlipocas: Xipotec, the red one; Tezcatlipoca, the black one; Quetzalcoatl, the white one; Hizilopochtli, the blue one.”

“From this divine and indivisible binary were born the four colors of the four races that populate the Earth. Ometecuhtli has the presence of the Cosmis Christ. The Nahuas represented him with a beautifully adorned tunic and a stone phallus, symbol of light. Omecihuatl has all the presence of the Cosmic Virgin.”

“The Nahuas represented her with a beautiful blue mantle…”

“He is Huehueteotl, the Ancient God, father of the gods and father of men. She is Tonantzín, our beloved Mother.”

Samael Aun Weor – Aztec Christic Magic, Monograph No. 10

The three eagle feathers of the symbol of the cane, or Acatl, together with the pearl, represent the Greek TETRAGRAMMATON, the holy FOUR, symbol of the Trinity plus that which is unmanifested.

In ancient times the hair was directly related to the creative energies, similar to what we have seen in the myth of Sampson and Delilah on the Hebrew kabala.

The wrinkles around his eyes allegorize the wisdom we should reach by awakening our consciousness in our daily living. Among the Aztecs, the maximum authority was represented by a council of elders, who had dedicated their lives to the elimination of their egocentric interests.

The eyes of the God of the Sun are the eyes of the Internal Father, who sees all, who is always vigilant to that which we think, do and feel.

In the nose or Yacaxihuitl we find a wise combination between the breath that imparts life and the work with the masculine and feminine forces, as we see three eagle feathers on each side. The number 6 (3 feathers on each side) represents the crossing of these forces.

The Borgia Codex mentions the ritual of the perforation of the nose. This ritual is intimately related to the science of sexual transmutation through breaths, breathing and respiration.

The Solar Logos emanates all its creative might to this world and then collects it transmuted, to impart himself life. In a similar manner, the human being should imitate this process.

The tongue in shape of a blade or Tecpatl, is the verb, the word, the Logos, the power the verb has manifested in all that has been created. Curiously, we find in the tongue an eye, symbol of psychological self-observation, showing the necessity of being attentive to what we say, as the verb carries extensive responsibility. In addition, we find a claw that shows the power of the word. With the word we can bless or damn, aid or cause suffering. This shows us the sacrifice the initiate must undergo to ensure the right use of the word. The word has the power to create, which is why it is necessary to develop self-observation as well as a sense of responsibility in its use. We need to learn when to speak and when to be silent.

“In the beginning it was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. This was in the beginning with God. All things by Him were created, and without Him none of what is would be. In Him was life, and life was the Light of men.”

St. John, 1:1-4, Bible of Casiodoro de Reyna, 1569.

In the Chalchihuitl (precious stones) we see six jades forming Tonatiuh’s collar. These symbolize the virtues of the soul: tenacity, patience, willpower, altruism, philanthropy, love… all acquired through the destruction of the undesirable psychological aggregates we carry within.

In his ears or Xiuhnacochtli we see that from the shape of the circle emanates an adornment of three eagle feathers. The circle is a symbol of eternity, the unknown absolute, that which the Greek referred to as Agnostos Theos (the unknowable God which cannot be defined). In Sanscrit it is known as Sat (That). From that which has no name emanates the trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and as a result, the Holy Four: the Tetragrammaton.

The ears show by themselves the need to listen to that which is spiritual, to closing our ears to blasphemy, damnation, prejudices and all unsubstantial words of the ego, but to place our attention in the Voice of the Silence, the Wisdom of our Father.

“Ears with large pendants show the need to learn to listen, to place our attention to wisdom.”

Samael Aun Weor – Mayan Mysteries

[positronzz]

LS/ARA 005 Splintercat

The LS/ARA 005 Splintercat is an all purpose, all range, artillery platform. In its standard configuration, it is equipped with: E.N.D.R Lance 3x - Local-range Vector Manipulation Device. Normally configured to "Rotate". This exerts a horrific force on nearby matter, causing misalignment of its internal motion vectors. Without V-Insulation, survival is impossible.

This attack strains the powersupply of the machine, and Extended Newtonian Dynamics (E.N.D. Physics) dictates that the same force is applied to the manipulator. Wear, and, in extreme cases, spontaneous and violent self-destruction of the manipulator core, may result from excessive output.

Using this weapon, as well as firing the Local Shore cannons also causes enormous physical recoil on the Splintercat. Too much for even its hexapodal form to withstand. Therefore, an integral Manipulator distributes force into the surrounding environment, usually resulting in a completely flat, compacted region of ground around the mech after a few attacks. "Local Shore" E.N.D.R Cannon 3x -Ultra-Extended Range VMD launcher. Hurls a VM Core at a target with a pre-programmed "vector storm" attack pattern that violently shears everything in range.

The E.N.D.R Cannon is capable of launching projectiles at hypersonic speeds, this means that it is essentially impossible to dodge. Anywhere on the planet is a potential target. Even Low Orbit is not entirely safe. This fact gives the ultra-range Enhanced Newtonian Dynamics Rotator Cannon its name. E.N.D.S. Shield 1x An extraordinarily heavy shield containing an E.N.D. supressor that causes a spontaneous N-Crush Reaction in any hostile E.N.D. Manipulator. This makes the LS/ARA an incredibly hard target.

I have lots more details to share about this fine lady, but they will come when she's more finished. Hope you've enjoyed skimming over this!

[cringefaecompilation]

Like honestly if you look at the way the first two campaigns went, it shouldn’t be a surprise that this world-shaking threat has emerged. With characters that might have started out feeling like the NPCs of true heroes’ stories. With VM they were the archetypal heroes. Two of them were THE leaders of their homeland. They were celebrated publicly and we’ve seen their ongoing, massive impact on the world. The MN were unmoored antiheroes who fucked around in the shadows. Their name was put forth for a multifaceted mission to help stop Ludinus and the Vanguard to virtual crickets because no one has heard of them. Now you’ve got this group of people who are basically nobodies but who care so much about keeping one guy from deciding the fate of the world. These guys are all intrinsically connected to wildly different facets of what Ludinus has been fucking with for hundreds of years but easily could have ignored the call; which, let’s be real is what the Nein did for much of their story until Ludinus was revealed to be connected to Trent. These people crafted characters that are so deep and developed and flawed but all some people can do is complain that this story isn’t a carbon copy of C2? We all want balance, and for the Hells to have a break, but if I see one more YouTube video about if C3 is worth watching that’s just 20 minutes of some straight white guy talking about how much they loved the Mighty Nein I might lose it.

well, uh... it's not so much "oh, people just want this story to be exactly like campaign 2!" as much as it is "people are pushing forward the exact same argument that campaign 3 sucks because it's not character-centric over and over and it's getting frustrating"

which is a fully fine opinion to have, it's just when the campaign is treated like it is objectively bad because it's not character-centric is when it upsets me. we have a great story here and a lot of interesting stuff to focus on that affect how we see the world and the characters feel more integrated in it than ever but oops! i guess it sucks because we don't have The Hero's Journey and The Chosen Ones or A Ragtag Group of Misfits Found Family that mess around and have cutesy conversations with each other while ignoring the all the fucked up conventions of their world as Just The Way It Is!

(and it gets worse when the message gets spread that the characters have no personal stakes in the plot asides imogen and are only doing it for the sake of being altruistic little NPCs which um. lol. lmao even. wasn't aware having empathy was a negative trait)

tl;dr how it feels reading bad faith criticism of campaign 3