#supergiant feeding us so good

[pockykierra]

HADES 2 SPOILERS KINDA BUT-

oooooh my god OOOOOH my god oh my god OOOOOOOOOOHHHHH MY god oh my

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

New SpaceTime out Monday....

SpaceTime 20240401 Series 27 Episode 40

Strong magnetic fields at the edge of Milky Way’s supermassive black hole

A new image from the Event Horizon Telescope has uncovered strong organised magnetic fields spiralling around the edge of Sagittarius A* the supermassive black hole at the centre of our Milky Way Galaxy.

New studies show blue supergiant stars can be formed through stellar mergers

A new study has found that some of the brightest, hottest, and most luminous stars in the universe are created by the merger of two smaller stars.

Peering Into the Tendrils of a distant galaxy

The Webb space telescope has provided astronomers with a new view of a spectacular star forming region called NGC-604 deep inside the Triangulum Galaxy M-33.

Moscow sends a new crew to the International Space Station

A Russian Soyuz capsule has safely docked to the International Space Station as it flew 420 kilometres above the planet.

The Science Report

How spending less time sitting could help reduce blood pressure in people over 60.

Scientists map the genome of sugarcane.

It’s true, today’s music really isn’t as good as that back in the olden days.

Skeptics guide to why people believe in astrology

SpaceTime covers the latest news in astronomy & space sciences.

The show is available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Apple Podcasts (itunes), Stitcher, Google Podcast, Pocketcasts, SoundCloud, Bitez.com, YouTube, your favourite podcast download provider, and from www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com

SpaceTime is also broadcast through the National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio and on both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

SpaceTime daily news blog: http://spacetimewithstuartgary.tumblr.com/

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SpaceTime -- A brief history

SpaceTime is Australia’s most popular and respected astronomy and space science news program – averaging over two million downloads every year. We’re also number five in the United States.  The show reports on the latest stories and discoveries making news in astronomy, space flight, and science.  SpaceTime features weekly interviews with leading Australian scientists about their research.  The show began life in 1995 as ‘StarStuff’ on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) NewsRadio network.  Award winning investigative reporter Stuart Gary created the program during more than fifteen years as NewsRadio’s evening anchor and Science Editor.  Gary’s always loved science. He studied astronomy at university and was invited to undertake a PHD in astrophysics, but instead focused on his career in journalism and radio broadcasting. He worked as an announcer and music DJ in commercial radio, before becoming a journalist and eventually joining ABC News and Current Affairs. Later, Gary became part of the team that set up ABC NewsRadio and was one of its first presenters. When asked to put his science background to use, Gary developed StarStuff which he wrote, produced and hosted, consistently achieving 9 per cent of the national Australian radio audience based on the ABC’s Nielsen ratings survey figures for the five major Australian metro markets: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.  The StarStuff podcast was published on line by ABC Science -- achieving over 1.3 million downloads annually.  However, after some 20 years, the show finally wrapped up in December 2015 following ABC funding cuts, and a redirection of available finances to increase sports and horse racing coverage.  Rather than continue with the ABC, Gary resigned so that he could keep the show going independently.  StarStuff was rebranded as “SpaceTime”, with the first episode being broadcast in February 2016.  Over the years, SpaceTime has grown, more than doubling its former ABC audience numbers and expanding to include new segments such as the Science Report -- which provides a wrap of general science news, weekly skeptical science features, special reports looking at the latest computer and technology news, and Skywatch – which provides a monthly guide to the night skies. The show is published three times weekly (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and available from the United States National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio, and through both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

[croakings]

after 30 escape attempts i now feel like i'm qualified to have Opinions on hades game supergiant so.

WHY IS EVERYONE SO MEAN TO HYPNOS i love hypnos. for my first like 15 runs or so he's the only person i gave nectar to. i told my sibling this and got hit with "what the fuck is wrong with you he doesn't even give you anything" HE GIVES ME JOY.

and also his wallet. which is hysterical to me. HE JUST GIVES YOU HIS WALLET..... who could hate this guy. i ASK you

i do actually given that understand why his mom is like "uh,,,, hypnos has,, Things, and i'm ignoring him for the foreseeable future," but in his defense that is such a fucking funny thing to do. everything he does is such an incredible fucking choice. clown rights!!!!

i should mention i didn't bother checking what anything at all does or even is so i was collecting like basically nothing as i went along if i could help it. i was like "well that all seems like nonsense and a waste of time" and let me tell you. it wasn't

i like meg because i love mean people and i deeply respect how skilled she is in delivering as many low blows as she can think of but i DO wish her character design didn't include like, super saturated orange and magenta and lavender. i'm so sorry queen that's so ugly,,, you deserve better

dusa is cute but her voice hurts my ears. and i feel like they should have let her be mean. if i were her i would be at least a LITTLE mean

@ achilles you are my dad. boogie woogie woogie

@ hades fuck u. you are NOT my dad. especially with that boss fight. what the hell man. talk about a cowabummer it is OUTSIDE...... it should be a snowball fight. if it must be at all

also i was expecting theseus to be a lot worse speaking of bosses. i have more trouble with the stupid hydra i gotta be honest he's only got me like, once

orpheus is such a bizarre little gremlin man i was audibly like NO WAY when i finally checked what gemstones do and he showed up (yeah i didn't look until i had. the diamond. lmao). i support him stick it to the man king

on the topic of weird little gremlin men. NO ONE TOLD ME THANATOS WAS SO INCREDIBLY BITCHY,,,,,,, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WAS EXPECTING BUT NOT THAT. he's so funny i love thanatos also. if i could insert any item in the game it would be one of those megaphones with preprogrammed sounds and the button duct taped down on it so it just keeps blasting THATS MY BEST FRIEND every time he or hypnos shows up.

artemis is so cool it's a shame her boons Fucking Suck

dionysis athena and ares are definitely my top three gift pals. zues n hermes n aphrodite are all very close seconds because i only like them if i have some particular hammer upgrades also usually

i forgot to mention i'm like exclusively using the bow. i have everything else unlocked but like. she's the most bang for ur buck. to me

i also forgot to mention that charon is also incredibly fucking funny to me what the hell is nyx feeding her kids. they all rule so hard. he's just straight up smuggling. the question isn't who will let him it's who will stop him. and the answer is absolutely no one. he hustles so good it forms diplomatic relations i'm obsessed with him

i dislike demeter i'm revoking the bitchy rights card for her. banned blocked and reported she is not welcome in the club. her boons are also mid at best so far

i feel like i'm forgetting things even though this is super long. patroclus is great. eurydice is the BEST. i'm minorly suspicious of nyx. i hate poseidon he sucks.

OH ZAGREUS he rules too. adhd king, card carrying member of the bitchy club, rip for the parent situation. bisexual fuckup representation i support him also.

pretty game, great writing great music. the voice actors all went so hard. it's also nice how much effort they put into trying to keep things from getting too repetitive. it would probably be more successful with me if i used like, any of the other weapons at all

OH AND! i have been informed you can get stuffed animals. 10/10 no notes i understand why this game is so popular. true love IS giving someone your treasured little guy. vessel of your heart. hades game understands me i can't wait for something terrible to happen there is no way any of this ends well

[kevinbikes]

Playing through it a second time, hades is such a well designed game.

The first three boss fights each teach you something for the final boss fight so you can combine your knowledge from them to make it easier. The furies teach you that there's sort of a rhythm to boss combat, the boss does an attack, then stands still and that's your time to strike. The hydra teaches you that boss projectiles can do things after a countdown - in the hydra's case they become normal enemies, in the final boss's case they produce a large shockwave. Asterius teaches you that bosses can be relentless in their attack patterns and it's still possible to hit them when they over commit to a big attack. Theseus teaches you about the spear spin that is telegraphed that the last boss does.

And then there's what the zones and the enemies in them teach you. Tartarus, being the first zone teaches you the basics - traps exist and they can hurt both you and enemies, enemies are generally large so you'll do backstabs all the time on accident so you notice that they do more damage, the attacks are more telegraphed than enemies in later zones. Asphodel teaches you one very important thing: dashes can be used to cover distance without taking damage. If you somehow got through tartarus without knowing it, the game forces you to learn it by crossing lava. This lesson also carries over to the harder to avoid attacks in the zone. Elysium pretty much turns all of the previous lessons up to 11. It also has a very important lesson to impart to the players with the enemies: projectiles can be destroyed by attacking them - this is basically the only way to deal with the butterfly balls. It also forces you to learn about backstabs with the shield guys, which is a lesson you apply in the Theseus fight at the end of the zone. The temple teaches you 2 things. The first is that you can be inflicted with status effects, nearly every enemy in the place can poison you - an important part of the final boss fight (and technically applicable with Theseus if he gets a god that can do it, ares can inflict doom on you, for instance, just like with the boons you get from ares). Some enemies in earlier zones that do status effects *only* show up once you've made it through here like the arm guys in tartarus that can hold you in place. The second thing the area teaches is you is risk-reward management. You can get the thing to progress after 1 or 2 rooms if you're lucky, but you can also get the rewards from other rooms if you want to risk it. It's often not a good idea to since it can drain your health before you get to the final boss.

And it tells you basically all of these things without a word of dialog or tutorial text.

I also love the drip feed of story content and mechanical rewards the game gives you to incentivize you to do another run. Definitely a game that understands how to keep you playing.

Overall just a really polished product considering how fucking tiny supergiant games is. This game was made by a studio with somewhere around 25 employees and it plays better than most AAA games in recent years.

[meili-sheep]

I'll be honest, Genshin is really bad at utilizing their characters in a story. They have a lot of characters but they are not used in the story all that much. Ex: Diluc has a large network and he knows a lot about the fatui. Yet, he only wants the traveler once about the Fatui. He also has travel to all 7 nations.He's one of our most powerful allies, one of the most important characters to the plot.

So I am a big Patreon of gameplay and the story should be mixed in you can see this in my favorite games Bioshock Undertale and really anything from Supergiant Games. These are games where that use the format of being a video game to mess with gameplay and story.

And Genshin suffers quite a bit from a few things. But the main point I'm gonna work on is.

It's trying to be too big.

There is the thing when you want to have a big expansive universe, and you want to contemplate on life. You need to tightly manage what you tell the player and what you leave out. And Genshin has a bad habit of expanding on the wrong things. Like the player is smart they can figure out most things on their own they don't need certain things hand feed to them. So in trying to be an expansive world, it's just making a bunch of loose threads.

Ideal this would mean focusing the story on its characters.

Like why do you think Liyue and Mondstadt were the best story-wise? Because they had a solid focus on the characters and a simple baseline story, and then, as we explored, we learned more And while I didn't like Inazuma, I did enough of who the story of Enkanomiya was handled. as it was all stuff that you wouldn't need to understand the main story but an area where you could learn more about the world.

And Sumura is better but honestly? Still not as strong because it's trying to do too much. I won't do it in too much detail as the area isn't finished but still. That explains why the quests felt so long-winded yet so rushed.

Now honestly. A lot of the story could be fixed by... it just not being a gacha game. But they HAD SUCH A GOOD CHANCE WITH THE WANDER, AND THEY PISSED IT WAY.

like they honestly had a chance to make me like him. And they made me hate him more.

Ugh.

But The same goes for Diluc The wander, and a lot of characters. Because the story is more focused on its world, it loses sight of the people in that world. Which I would argue are more valuable in bringing that world alive.

[tearasshouse]

Vidya ramblings pt 3B

Previous list here.

Onwards and upwards to the B-tier games. I guess its a good sign that we have so much to play, and that the general bar for quality has risen so much year on year, such that B-tier games would easily slot into my A-tier list in a slower year, or C-tier games slotting into B-tier for that matter. I have to deliberately go looking for chaff these days, is what I’m saying. “B-tier games” sound worse than what they actually mean on my list: those I had very few qualms about, or their strengths were enough to compensate for their shortcomings and I generally looked forward to firing them up instead of doing so out of my completionist’s sick, demented obligation. So! Pat yourselves on the back, game devs.

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (N3DS)

I’m not an FE mark by any means, but when I’m looking for something to play on a Nintendo platform (3DS is the only one I own), FE games are invariably among the scant handful of their franchises I turn towards. Awakening was my first FE, so as a latter day entrant I have to judge all future games by that metric. I wouldn’t outright call Echoes the better game, although it is a better game in many aspects. The “feet on the ground” dungeon exploration is a nice addition; the art is absolutely gorgeous, the soundtrack is stellar, and despite not having the romances or pair-up feature, the combat was solid, even if the maps and objectives are very rote and frankly dull. The cast was very enjoyable, and plot well, it’s typical dragons and destiny and royalty will save the day, blah blah vanilla FE storytelling. It was a nice distraction in the early months of the pandemic, but I might have to give the edge to Awakening here. I am looking forward to playing all 3 routes of Fates sometime this year or the next though.

Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)

Finally, I hear you groan, an actual 2020 release. Certainly the most lavish remake I’ve played since... RE2? I should have more nostalgia for this game, as the OG was technically my first JRPG and I’d spent an entire summer on it, with my friend’s PSX copy and his strategy guide laid out in front of me. But, I went into this with hype in check and nostalgia completely dulled, maybe because I actually am just a dried up, withered out old fart with a prune for a heart? Anyway, game is pretty good, there isn’t much to say about it that others haven’t already gushed over or criticized to death. I will say though that it’s been a while since a game’s difficulty tuning and mechanics absolutely kicked my ass. You need to learn the combat system in this or you won’t get very far, certainly not on Hard Mode anyway. I’m a bit wary about the 2nd and 3rd (possibly 4th?) entries in this project. Just how will they re-interpret the world map? How are they possibly going to tie everything up? How much of the OG game will be cut or reconfigured, and how much will be filler? Will we have to sit through more of those interminable “slide through narrow crevices to mask our shit loading times” sections? Will the environment textures actually load up properly? 

Hades (EGS)

Yeah, it’s a Supergiant joint, and I’m a mark for Greek mythology, what more do you need? The only reason it’s on a lower rung here, and it’s not a fault of the game so much as what I look for in games. I’m just not much of an arcade-style, score attacker or rogue/rogue-lite player. If I wanted creative re-use of assets with super high replayability, I’ll go for a MP shooter, or an immersive sim. All that is to say that the game is rather short and repetitive (by design), and the drip-feed of story, character development, unlocks or trying out new builds and personal challenges just doesn’t do it for me. What is here is quality, through and through without a doubt and the whole 31 hours it took me to do my first clear (again, one and done - that’s all for me) were just good old fashion gaming fun.

Death Mark (PS Vita)

Vita means life! This game gets the dubious distinction of being the last physical Vita game I’ll ever buy (I was as surprised as you you must be, mhm!). The only reason it’s on the B-tier list and not the lower rung is a testament to its successfully creeping me out from beginning to end. Which is saying something, because it’s a typical horror story of urban legends manifest as hauntings and curses, done as a very low budget VN fashion. If you’re used to VNs with more QoL features like in ye olde Steins;Gates or some such, well, you’ll be quite disappointed here. No text logs, no touch controls, extreme reuse of very limited assets, etc. I understand that the dev, Experience are uhm, experienced DRPG makers, and that influence is certainly felt in the “boss battles” here, though they are somewhat clunky and use adventure game logic, which is to say not very logical or poorly explained. This is also on Steam, Switch and PS4 so... go forth and acquire.

Gravity Rush Remastered (PS4)

Unlike Tearaway Unfolded, I will say that the PS4 version is the way to go with superior controls, performance, visual fidelity, etc. You lose nothing by going to the big screen. Still one of the most charming things Sony has put out, and like it’s successor, it’s still a somewhat underbaked game. The definition of a cult classic or a B-tier perennial, simply swimming in well-earned 7s. This would rate higher (while still within the B-tier) had it not been my 3rd time going through this, but newcomers will be treated to something fresh and special. Anytime I get to shill for Gravity Rush is an opportunity I will gladly take.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (PS4)

The very definition of a B-tier game in my books! Well crafted and big budgeted enough by the task masters, technicians and actors at Naughty Dog to garner a guaranteed spot here. Again, I don’t mean to sound backhanded, but it’s really hard to truly love something this big, with this much broad appeal and craftsmanship. It really is everything that’s right (and wrong) with Sony’s (Western) first party output this past generation. I was slackjawed during the Madagascar car chase, touched during the dramatic moments between Nate and crew, the flashback sequences with Young Nathan were done really well (again, walking sim sections one and all), and UC4 reminded us about why pirate adventures are awesome (themes of obsession and seeking treasure at your own peril be damned). Crushing Mode in this one is truly diabolical (in the not satisfying, simply die-lots way), while the MP is... okay? Forgettable for the whole hour I devoted to it.

SOMA (Steam)

A downer of a sci-fi tale about post-humanism (or transhumanism?), deceptively snuck within a fairly spooky horror thriller. It’s made by the Swedes behind the Amnesia games, partly set in a curious recreation of my hometown of Toronto, about an average dude going through some pretty extraordinary circumstances, and none of it is treated with extraordinariness. It’s definitely a muted affair, and contributes to that grounded, depressing tone. Yeah the human race is long dead and the few consciousnesses left alive are going to live out the rest of their existences in virtual reality until the batteries run out, so what? Get to it, Simon. Smart and logical spatial puzzles underpin the walking sim aspect of the game, and though there’s the slight survival horror/stealth element, I played on Safe Mode cos I could only imagine how frustrating it would be to die to those things. Check it out, it’s great, but it’s not for everyone and in a pinch I wouldn’t want to play something like this, which is why it ends up here in the B-tier.

[hino-of-the-dawn]

Supergiant Secret Santa

Surprise @jodaaariel , I was your Secret Santa for this year! You asked for a fic about the Archjustice post-exile and the Reader doing some Rites together, and I did my best to deliver.

- The blackwagon is far quieter without a good handful of the Nightwings, but the Reader doesn't find the silence unsettling. In fact it's a comfort; each moment of precious time spent without sound a sign that their friends have made it home, back to the Commonwealth where the revolution has taken place, and the new Sahrian Empire has come into power.

"Honestly Reader, how can you stand such cramped quarters?"

Well it's quieter, but not silent. The Reader sets down the book they're tending to and slowly gets to their feet, feeling their aching bones protest as they shuffle from their chair to the sleeping quarters. There stands the Archjustice- Former Archjustice, seeing as he'd been stripped of all his titles by Volfred in the revolution before being cast downriver. He looks quite different outside of his golden robe and mask, with short blonde hair and a patchwork jumpsuit that does not suit him at all.

Calmly, the Reader comments that the quarters are not cramped, and that Brighton (a name they stress much to the annoyance of the man) must be too stuck up and pampered to deal with 'commoner quarters', relishing in the irritation that Brighton wears.

He crosses his arms. "That is not the issue," he says, although it is. Being cast down twice does not do the body any favours, and the corruption that the Downside brings to Nomads and Moontouched seems to have come back in full force, greeting Brighton with slightly sharper nails and the beginning of horns in little less than two months. "There's just too many beds packed together."

It is not the first time Brighton has stayed in the wagon, the Reader reminds him, clambering into their own little bed. There's enough room for them and for a shelf of knick-knacks left behind by their fellow Nightwings. They continue, explaining that in time, he will have to get used to such small spaces.

"It's undignified," Brighton complains. The reader informs Brighton that his mother is undignified, much to the surprise of the man.

"I'll have you know that your father is undignified, Reader!" he shouts back for lack of a better insult. The Reader has kept their name under lock and key, and it seems with the amount of Exiles the Commonwealth was turning out, Brighton has forgotten theirs. They like to use it to their advantage.

Before their argument can go any further, the blackwagon lurches to a halt. Brighton groans, having only just settled down in his quarters. "Are we there already?"

It seems so, the Reader says as they hop to their feet. It's not a smooth action, but it happens. They say they're going to feed the Imps, and go look for Barker. Brighton merely hums in acknowledgement.

The ladder to the Imps is rickety and narrow, but the Reader manages just fine. They have a small bag of feed to give them, and as they reach for it, Brighton enters the common area.

They call out to him, asking what he's doing. Above them the Imps are getting impatient, so they make sure to dish out some food while also trying to keep their attention on Brighton.

He doesn't answer them. Instead he stands by the Beyonder Orb, his hand set atop it. Whatever conversation he's having is quiet, enough so that even the Reader can't hear it, nor can they sense anything that Sandra is radiating.

As they finish feeding the Imps, Brighton finishes his conversation. "She's just as bitter as ever," he grumbles as the Reader passes them by, looking for their Raiments. Ever since the Rites had finished for good and Barker had started up his own mockery, the Reader had taken every chance they could to participate. They weren't good at it by any stretch of the word, but their attempts earned cheers from the spectators.

Pulling the Raiments off the wall, they turn to Brighton and ask if he will be participating.

Brighton scoffs. "Of course," he answers, taking another set from the wall and holding them close. "I was a champion back in my time. Earned my own freedom, even without the help of..." he trails off, the words heavy on his tongue.

As the Reader dons their robes, they look to Brighton and ask a question they have had for a long time. Did he see it happen? Did he see Erisa push Oralech from the Shimmer-pool.

He slips the robes over his head and doesn't answer, covering his face with the mask of a Nomad as he steps out into the dusty plains of the Jomuer Valley. After a moment, the Reader follows after him.

The heat that usually assaulted the valley is gone under the moonlight, but the humid, thick air is still present. Despite it, there's a decent crowd around the Cairn of Ha'ub as chairs are filled and empty spaces are taken up by those who prefer to stand. Blackwagons are parked around the area, with some exiles choosing to sit atop them for a better view of the field.

The Reader wonders what Tariq and Celeste would think of their commodification of a once-sacred place. This particular site doesn't mean much to the Reader, but they do not enjoy playing on the Ridge of Gol, nor atop Mount Alodiel.

"I can't believe that Barker defiled such a place," Brighton grumbles, startling the Reader. He's right beside them now, having somehow appeared without a sound. "Anyway Reader, I suppose we must find a third for our team, and mayhaps a Reader. Although, considering the name you chose, you might be our best fit."

It's a surprise, so much so that the Reader laughs. They state their surprise at Brighton permitting them to read for him, which makes Brighton sigh. "You were an excellent Reader, one I had thought to be my successor. If someone has to boss me around, I would prefer it be you."

That's oddly flattering of him. It's the closest thing the Reader will get to a compliment anyway. They don't say that aloud however, and instead motion for Brighton to join them as they look for two more to join their Triumvirate. There are still some Nightwings in the Downside, but they have their own lives to attend to, and the Reader doesn't try to bring them to these False Rites unless they're asked.

Finding two others for their Triumvirate is easy enough. There's a small handful of hopefuls who attend the False Rites as backup players, ready to make a team if nobody shows up, or to fill a space if someone is lacking players, much like the Nightwings are.

Soon enough, Brighton finds himself with a Wyrm and a Cur on his team. They won't be big scorers on their own, but their speed might make up for that, he supposes. "Surprised you didn't opt for a Demon, Reader."

Looking over their copy of the Book of Rites, the Reader quips that Brighton's build still falls into that of a Nomad. Just a very slow one.

He bristles at the comment. "That's rude."

The Reader raises an eyebrow, face not obscured by a mask. They say that hypocrisy isn't smiled upon in the Downside, and Brighton sighs but doesn't answer.

Their conversation has no time to continue as Barker's voice rings out over the masses. He stands atop one of Shax Six-Shoulder's many ribs, looking down on the field. "Alright kids, we're ready to go! Our teams tonight are veterans, so lemme hear you all howl!"

A cacophonous sound rises up, startling Brighton. The Reader bites their lip to hold back a laugh.

"With the blue pyre, we have our Nightwings!" Barker motioned to the pyre; a hoop with blue streamers that danced in the air, reaching up towards the Sahrian Union. Brighton stood front and center, with his two new comrades at his side. The Reader stood on one side of the field, giving them a nod of encouragement.

The crowd cheered for the Nightwings, falling silent as Barker continued his announcement. "On the other side with the pink flame, we have The Chastity!"

Once again the crowd came to life as The Chastity appeared. Their team consisted of a Nomad, a Sap, and a Harp. They played without a Reader, which in most cases meant they had a Reader on their team.

Brighton gave the opposing team a once-over, turning his gaze to the Reader a moment later. He would trust their judgment and gave them a nod, signifying that fact.

"Are we ready to go? When the Orb hits the ground, we're on!"

A cur standing on the sidelines opposite the Reader readied the Orb; a glass orb purchased from the store Bertrude had once operated, which meant it was almost impossible to shatter. The cur looked to both teams carefully before tossing it into the field.

All eyes fell on the orb as it fell in a perfect arc, hitting the dusty ground with a thump. Barker howled, and the Reader raised their voice, ready to shout their commands.

As it turns out, Brighton is rather good at the Rites. The Reader's word is law in the Rites, but without the forceful guiding of the Reader overriding the free will of the Exiles, some of the moves Brighton makes precede the Reader's own decisions.

The Nightwing's Cur passes the ball to Brighton, who catches it without any effort. His motions are fluid as he dodges the thick weighted ribbons thrown at him to represent a cast aura, and the hoops attached to the Exiles which represent presence. It's like a dance, and the Reader finds themselves invested in each of his steps.

They call out for Brighton to plunge into the flame, but before the core of their sentence can get there, he casts the orb into their Pyre, netting them twenty points. "The Nightwings score first! Just like the old days, hey boys?" Barker's voice rings out over the field and the remaining members of the Dissidents all howl in glee.

With the ball in the hoop, the Chastity and Nightwings return to their respective sides, and the Reader waves Brighton over. As he approaches, they raise their voice to shout over the howling and hollering of Barker's crew, explaining that Brighton should have leapt into the Pyre.

"What, and leave us disadvantaged for the next turn? They weren't even close!" Brighton answers with crossed arms. The Reader shakes their head, explaining that the Chastity's Sap had a Sapling nearby, and that it could have taken him out if he wasn't careful. Brighton removes his mask. "But I was careful. I'm not a bumbling idiot like your Nightwings."

Irritated, the Reader covers their face. Brighton should behave, they say, which makes Brighton scowl. "You should make better decisions with your Triumvirate," he says forcefully. "Maybe then they wouldn't feel Banishment Sickness as much as they did."

Taken aback by his bluntness, the Reader states that Brighton agreed to let them read for him, and Brighton laughs. "You didn't tell me you could play with a Reader in the team, did you?" His gaze is critical, but the Reader does not flinch under it. "Maybe if you did-"

"Excuse me mates."

Barker appears beside them, causing the Reader and Brighton to put their arguments on hold. "As much as I like a good fight, we got some Rites here t'conclude. If you wanna throw hands after, then you'd better tell me and I'll have payouts ready." There's a smile that shows Barker is genuine, which makes the Reader and Brighton sigh.

"We'll talk about this later," Brighton says, sliding his mask back on. "Don't make any stupid decisions."

The Reader nods, and kindly informs Brighton that every decision he makes is stupid, so surely hearing their advice is a step in the right direction.

Barker snickers and trots off to find his betting table.

[teaandgames]

The Teacup Awards (2018)

So, the cruise liner of time has set sail and crashed into the iceberg of inevitability and with it has sunk the year of 2018. I would normally say something about what happened this year but in truth, it flashed by so fast that I can barely remember half of it. I checked my archive for this year and I swear I don’t remember the entire first quarter. But hey, at least we had a few gaming scandals to keep us going.

As usual, I’m going to be using games that I’ve reviewed this year, regardless of release date. I’m also adding a new award because it’s not like these things are physical. I could add in an award for best horse bollocks if I liked, as long as I could make a tea pun out of it. Red Dead 2 would win it, by the way.

The ‘Tea Up My Nose’ Award For Scariest Game

Runner up - Lust For Darkness

I had a lot of problems with Lust For Darkness but it deserves the runner up spot for taking the Lovecraft inspiration and running with it. It didn’t slow things down with investigations and chatter, but threw us head first into a cult. It quickly steps things up as it takes us on a wild ride through murderous orgies and otherworldly hellscapes. There’s little in the way of censorship here too, which adds to the fear factor. While the actual game part of Lust For Darkness is lacking, as an experience it delivers some definitely creepy notes.

Winner - SIMULACRA

I wasn’t expecting SIMULACRA to be quite as smooth as it is. When I saw the concept, I was expecting it to be little more than just a gimmick, which would be quickly dropped in favour of more traditional horror fare. I’m happy to say that I was entirely wrong on that front. SIMULACRA ends as it starts, with you sitting in your living room tapping on a phone screen. It goes to show the power of modern smartphones, in a way. You can influence other people’s lives without taking off your dressing gown.

Of course, in the case of SIMULACRA there’s something else that’s influencing you. Some mysterious force behind the screen that has done something, though you’re not entirely sure what, to the missing girl, Anna. This is the main source of fear for SIMULACRA, the knowledge that Anna’s disappearance may not be straight forward. At first, you’re worried that you’re talking to a murderer or kidnapper - and that you might be next - but by the end you’re worried about something much worse.

What helps is the decent writing when it comes to your two main conversation partners - Taylor and Greg. They are each very distinct from each other, while still talking like normal people. If you can ignore the fact that they continue talking to you even though you have a missing girl’s phone, that is. The plot unfolds naturally into a pretty damn creepy climax. In a year that didn’t really have a knock-out horror game, in my eyes, SIMULACRA really stood out for me.

The ‘Folded Corner’ Award For Best Writing

Runner Up - West of Loathing

I have a bad habit of thinking that serious writing can be the only form of ‘good’ writing, whatever that means, but West of Loathing has shaken that. Its writing is silly but genuinely funny, which is hard to convey with a game that has no voice acting. There were many moments where the writing caused me to burst into laughter. It’s one long stream of jokes, without dipping into obnoxiousness too often. For making me laugh, West of Loathing definitely deserves some commendation.

Winner - Pyre

I knew Pyre was going to win this award about halfway through playing it. The entire space-basketball gameplay is there to feed the writing, creating a story about characters banding together in a desperate attempt to free themselves. It’s a story about friendship growing through adversity, with the bittersweet knowledge that it’s all going to break to pieces by the end. Some people won’t be able to leave and, as the central figure of the group, it falls to us to make the hard decisions.

It’s especially hard because of how well written the other characters are. In fact, I don’t think there was a single character I actively disliked and it didn’t commit the sin of making the characters all lovey-dovey towards each other either. There’s quiet animosity in the group, mainly down to old rivalries, but they don’t let it get in the way of the big escape plan at the heart of it all. Some of the characters here have wings, others are strange wyrm things, but they’re all acting very human at the end of the day.

Which is more than just decent writing, it’s what ties the entire game together and the main reason why I like Pyre most out of Supergiant Games’ catalogue. The writing is more than just set dressing and that’s why I knew it would be winning this award, come what may.

The ‘Head Nod’ Award For Best Soundtrack

Runner up - Bastion

With three Supergiant Games’ titles this year, it was inevitable that one of them was going to end up in this section. Darren Korb has consistently knocked it out of the park with all of his OSTs, but I think it’s Bastion that sticks me with me the most. It’s the one I keep coming back to, with songs like Setting Sail, Coming Home being just as powerful in-game as out. Bastion was quite an emotionally charged game towards the end and I don’t think it would have quite the punch if it weren’t for the score.

Winner - Octopath Traveler

Slightly bending the rules here, as I haven’t really written about Octopath Traveler other than a casual mention, but when I saw it got snubbed at the game awards in favour of Red Dead 2, I had to speak up. Octopath’s score is phenomenal, bringing in a wide range of different instruments to make each location feel unique. Octopath has a fairly broad map, so you can appreciate the amount of effort that goes in.

My favourite song, by far, is the song for the Sunlands, the desert region. It captures the atmosphere perfectly and makes trekking across the desert a lot more fun. It’s bouncy and joyful. Compare that to the Frostlands song, which is a little more sombre but also beautiful, and the Highlands, which is a bit more regal. The songs go some way to capturing the spirit of the place. That’s just an opinion, of course, but having spent over a hundred hours in Octopath, they really began to feel homely.

The battle music is perhaps less appealing, if only because it’s heard so many times and often interrupts the superior location tracks. That said, the boss fight songs are fantastic and really get the blood pumping. As Octopath is stuffed to bursting with boss fights, that makes the overall package worth listening to.

The ‘Finest China’ Award For Best Looking Game

Runner Up - Pyre

I haven’t played many games this year that have looked particularly ‘arty’, which is why I’ve had to change this award. It took me quite a while to decide who would be the Runner Up but I settled on Pyre when I remembered the overworld. It looks almost like a rolling painting, with each part of the world being visually distinct. Couple that with the skeletal remains of the Titans everywhere and you have a landscape that is as haunting as it is beautiful. The bright, celestial basketball fields are just icing on a good looking cake.

Winner - A Hat in Time

I’m a self-confessed lover of Pixel Art, so normally this award would be going to be one of them. But when I booted up A Hat in Time for the first time, I was in love with how happy everything looked. The girl’s spaceship looks actually comfortable and homey. It’s not stuffed with gun-metal grey and flickering lights. It’s a nice place to me. Then, when she is sucked out of the window (don’t ask), she is dropped on to an equally happy planet.

A Hat in Time makes sure to use a wide range of colours in its worlds, from the bright blues of the mafia jackets to the deep purples used in the creepy woods level. My favourite level that, by the way, right down to the design of the main boss, who forces the young lass to sign a contract under pain of death. This strong design runs throughout, though the actual main boss is a girl with a mustache. You can decide for yourself if that’s good design or not.

Either way, the bright, cartoon like graphics combine well with the sense of innocent fun and made A Hat in Time really stand out against others in its genre.

The ‘Chiseled Chin’ Award For Best Action Game

Runner Up - Wolfenstein: The New Colossus

I have two strong memories of Wolfenstein: The New Colossus (which goes to show how bad my memory is, really). The first is the moment where it totally jumped the shark, and BJ was basically turned into an even more ripped Frankenstein's monster, and the second is several moments where I equipped double shotguns. It was a risky move, as I couldn’t really aim, but I could shred the entire room in front of me. The guns feel powerful and the enemies react appropriately. While there are a few problems with it, those double shotguns feel damn good to use.

Winner - Sniper Elite 4

Sniper Elite 4 was absolutely the surprise of the year for me. I had played Sniper Elite V2 and didn’t really enjoy it. The sniping was fun but I was repeatedly put into positions where I had to use my sidearms and they really weren’t satisfying. The AI was dumb and I gave up about halfway through. I went into Sniper Elite 4 expecting more of the same. Instead, I got giant levels to roam around in and a damn good sniper rifle.

The larger levels meant that I used my sniper rifle above everything else, as I could just hide in a bush and pick off half the nazis in the area. The kill cam made it all the sweeter, as I got to see my bullets eviscerating the insides of my chosen target. You’d think it would get old but it’s the perfect reward for a shot that’s taken you a good while to set up. Couple that with the fairly easy-to-learn stealth system, and you have a nice little action game.

It does fall back on the side-arms from time to time but that’s usually only when you’ve cocked up. Even then, it’s not too bad as the fairly low health means the sidearms are just to get some space. Spray and pray then run away. If you can ignore the fairly absent story and character writing, Sniper Elite 4 is a damned good action game and a definite high note for the series.

The ‘Properly Brewed’ Award For Best Revisited Game

Runner up - TimeShift

I was very down on TimeShift in my Revisited, for good reason, but I wanted to give it a spot here because it’s one of those games that has stuck in my mind. That central mechanic, the ability to stop, slow and rewind time, is a brilliant one. It’s used in a decent way in puzzles and it’s great fun in the combat. The shooting itself is a load of old cobblers but being able to stop time, shotgun blast your frozen enemies and then watch them all get launched away is good fun that will persist throughout time itself.

Winner - Mad Father

Mad Father was completely out of left field for me. The only game I’d played like it was a brief spell of Ib, which I did for the halloween week back in 2017. I was skeptical at first, not sure how a game like that could scare anyone, but I ended up enjoying my time with it. It seemed free from the usual conventions of horror games and was free to be as weird and freaky as it wanted. After that first taste, I went to one I knew people liked: Mad Father.

It too was pretty free from constraints, able to tell a fairly sickening story rather effectively. A little girl is rather rudely woken up by a bunch of corpses stumbling around the house and they seem to have it out for her dad. Which is understandable, given that her dad is a colossal nutcase, who’s going around cutting people open for his own ends. So when the house gets cursed, his victims are naturally going to have something to say about it.

The top down viewpoint means that Mad Father can’t really resort to jumpscares to get this across. There are a few of them, as is standard, but they don’t really hit home as much as a first person game would. Instead, we have to rely on the unsavoury storyline and setting, as well as the constant reminder of death, to set the scene. Mad Father is grotesque and a damned good example of the genre.

The ‘Unwanted Sugar’ Award For Biggest Disappointment

Runner up - Super Fancy Pants Adventure

A lot of games this year have had something disappointing about them. That is the nature of the medium after all, you’re not gonna please everyone. Super Fancy Pants Adventure, however, was a rarity in that the disappointment overshadowed the whole game. It had satisfying running physics but that’s about where the excitement ended. It was crushingly easy, with boring enemies, and ended abruptly with a ‘To be Continued’. A cheap, insulting way to end a product we’ve paid for.

Winner - Dead Rising 4

Oh boy. I went into Dead Rising 4 really not knowing what to expect. I had played a good chunk of the original Dead Rising and enjoyed my time with it. The reliance on escort quests is a bit of a negative factor but the killing of the zombies was fun and the whole game had a brutal sense to it. The zombies took a bit of work to kill, for one. I didn’t get that sense in Dead Rising 4; I got the sense that they were just big sacks of blood waiting to be burst.

The problem is that zombies can’t really carry a game by themselves. They are the eternal background characters, there to give the world a sense of destroyed humanity but without the personality to do anything more. You could, in this situation, reflect that back on your main characters. But Frank West is a wisecracking dickhead, so that doesn’t really work. Instead, they got around it by forcing us into chains of gunfights with generic thugs.

Couple that with the loss of the timer, Dead Rising’s key unique mechanic, and you have a fairly humdrum game. It even, somehow, uses too many zombies, something I didn’t realise was possible. But it uses them to absolutely fill it’s bare overworld, making running through the horde on the back of a combine harvester feel like the daily commute to work.

The ‘Rate Your Server’ Award For Best And Worst Developer

Best - Team Cherry

Hollow Knight was my game of the year last year for many good reasons. It being fun, for one. But it was also a fairly beefy game and the enjoyment came from discovering new things, as you grew stronger and expanded your arsenal. On top of this already expansive content base, Team Cherry committed to three free DLC packs. The first two came out in 2017, with another early on in 2018, and even then that wasn’t enough. They released a further update in March of this year. Again, for free.

Now this shouldn’t be the standard for developers. People have got to eat after all. But the fact that Team Cherry care enough about their game - and by extension the people playing it - that they will make four free content updates (one more than they originally announced) is heartening. Some people make games for profit but I feel like this was a passion project for Team Cherry. I think it’s time to move on from Hollow Knight now, but I’m excited for whatever they choose to do next.

Worst - Bethesda Softworks

Now I’ve not played Fallout 76. So this isn’t going to me talking about the mechanics or any sort of review elements, this is merely going to be about the launch. Which is one of the worst launches I’ve seen in a long, long time. The absolute nadir of the chaos was the fact that they leaked customer data via support tickets, which is one of the one of the worst things a company can do. Society seems to be moving towards a ‘Matrix-by-Proxy’ scenario, where we don’t need to be plugged in because all of ourselves is online anyway.

Giving that information away, therefore, is pretty reprehensive. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, of course, with the iceberg being full of nylon bags and re-used Skyrim code. For a big company like Bethesda to do this sort of thing is baffling; borderline insulting. It’s like they believe themselves to be a rich man throwing coins to the poor. Give them any old tat and refuse to apologise. It’s already bad enough that they’re building their games on a creaky old engine. For attitude alone, Bethesda deserves to be here.

The ‘Golden Teapot’ Award For Best Game

Runner Up - A Hat in Time

After being fairly disappointed in Yooka-Laylee last year, I was in the market for a decent 3D platformer. I had heard vaguely good things about A Hat in Time but it kind of passed me by until it came through a Humble Monthly Bundle. I went in not knowing what to expect and it absolutely blew me away. Right from the start, seeing an impossibly adorable little girl in a top hat bouncing around on a comfortable looking spaceship, I knew this was going to be a fun game. And it was, with a host of different worlds to explore.

I played through A Hat in Time with a big smile on my face. It’s not the hardest game in the world but it was one of the few games this year that I looked forward to playing while I was at work. Tight controls, with an actually responsive camera and some great graphics to go along with it. Multiple worlds, each thematically distinct - from a mafia-controlled town to acting in a train heist film. You never knew what it was going to do next. The Golden Teapot was incredibly tight this year and it only just missed out on the top spot.

Winner - Hand of Fate 2

When I was looking back through all of the games I played this year, I realised that there was one that really kept my attention from start to finish and that was Hand of Fate 2. I remember going to work and thinking about what my next move would be; how I would tackle challenges that I’d previously failed. If a game can exist outside of actually playing it, then you must be on to something. The thirty-seven hours i’ve got on it goes to show you something about it too.

I think the main attraction is down to the core mechanic. Blending together a card game with a dungeon crawler is pretty inspired, I don’t think it’s been done too often - at least not in this way. Card games have been blended with damn near everything at this point but Hand of Fate 2 has had some time to make sure it’s buttery smooth. The best decision was to have the dealer there facing you, insulting you while you play. Nothing makes me work harder than wanting to rub my success in the face of a diseased arsehole.

Combine that with a fairly sizeable amount of content, without devolving down into grind (much), and you’ve got yourself a great package. It has a few problems - the combat becoming fairly repetitive and an awful final boss amongst others - but that core mechanic gripped me so much. It adds the perfect element of RNG to the otherwise structured campaign, making each run through fresh. Which helps in a certain level that’s just down to chance. We’ll ignore that one.

As I said before, the Golden Teapot was hotly contested and this spot changed multiple times before I finally committed it to paper. Pyre was going to be here, but it can only win so many awards. Mario Odyssey was off in the corner of my eye too. But in the end, there was only one game that captured my attention so much. And that was Hand of Fate 2. A game from 2017. Whoops.

Well that’s another year done and dusted. I’ve already got my eye on some juicy games to play for 2019, so you can expect me to be sticking around. I hope you all had a good Christmas and New years. I’ll see you all next week when we get back to normality!

[phantom-le6]

Episode Reviews - Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1 (1 of 6)

Well, it’s taken a little while longer than I’d originally planned, but at last I’ve started working my way through the episodes of my Blu-ray collection of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the first of a number of series I will be hoping to tackle in my TV show backlog.  For those who haven’t ready any of my TV show reviews from when I used to post them on Facebook notes, the lay out is very similar to what I do for film reviews.  I usually do one disc’s worth of episode per article (every show I review is one I own on DVD or Blu-ray), and within that, I post a synopsis of the episode’s plot, followed by my review of that episode.  So, if you’ve never watched a certain series and want to skip the plots, or you know the episode from its title alone, just skip the sections headed as ‘plot’ and go straight to the review.

So, now that you know how this is all going to go, let’s warp our way into those first few episodes of TNG’s first season. Reviews, engage…

Episodes 1 & 2: Encounter at Farpoint

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

In 2364, the new flagship of the United Federation of Planets, Starfleet's USS Enterprise, travels to the planet Deneb IV for its maiden voyage. Enterprise is to open relations with the simple Bandi people who have somehow been able to tap immense energy reserves and construct Farpoint Station, much to the surprise of the Federation. En route, the Enterprise is met by an omnipotent being who identifies himself as Q, a member of the Q Continuum. Q, appearing a grand inquisitor from Earth’s post-nuclear age, declares that humanity is being put on trial. A suggestion from Captain Picard results in Q deciding that their actions in their upcoming mission will be used to judge their worthiness and determine their fate as a race. Before letting the ship resume its course, Q warns Captain Picard that he is destined to fail. 

As the Enterprise arrives, the crew members explore the offerings of Farpoint Station and establish relations with their Bandi host, Groppler Zorn. The crew becomes suspicious when items they desire seem to appear out of nowhere moments later, and are unable to identify the power source that feeds the station. Deanna Troi, an empath, senses a being with powerful yet despairing emotions nearby, and the crew discover a strange labyrinth beneath the station, but Zorn does not offer an explanation. As the Enterprise crew continues its explorations, a large unknown alien craft enters orbit and begins to fire upon the old Bandi settlement near Farpoint Station, and abducts Zorn. Before Picard orders the ship's phasers to be fired at the craft, Q appears to remind him of humanity's trial and prompts Picard to send an away team to the alien craft. The away team discovers the craft has passages similar to those under Farpoint and they are able to free Zorn. Their actions cause the alien craft to transform into a jellyfish-like space creature, and Picard is able to deduce the mystery of Farpoint Station. He confirms with the apologetic Zorn that the Bandi found a similar lifeform injured on their planet and, while attempting to care for it, they also exploited its ability to synthesize matter to create Farpoint Station. The creature now in orbit is trying to help free its mate by attacking those who hold it captive. 

Though Q goads Picard into using violence, Picard refuses, instead ordering the Enterprise to fire a vivifying energy beam onto Farpoint after the station is evacuated. The beam allows the land-bound creature to transform back into its jellyfish-like form, and it flies into orbit to join its fellow being. As the crew watches the reunion of the alien creatures, Q reluctantly tells Picard that they have succeeded in their test, but hints that they will meet again.

Review:

As someone born a couple of years before this show first aired, I missed this pilot and much of the earlier seasons in their original appearance, only getting to see anything of the show in the early-to-mid-1990’s when my family first got Sky TV and I watched some of the later episodes and re-runs of some earlier episodes on Sky 1.  Thank goodness for those being my introduction to the show, because as pilot episodes go, this one isn’t great.  Granted, very few pilots are ever completely brilliant because the show is starting out anew and will take a while to establish what it is, and there’s no guarantee how long that will take.  For some shows, it could be a matter of only a few episodes, such as The West Wing or Friends, whereas others might be more like the Simpsons and M*A*S*H, taking more than just their first season to really find themselves.

 The biggest problem this pilot has is a lack of exposition to explain what the show is really about.  Ok, we’re on a starship crewed mainly by humans, travelling the galaxy to explore what’s out there, but that’s all you get.  That might be sufficient for people who were versed in the franchise of Star Trek from the three-season long original series and the various films it spawned, but what about new audience members?  Other shows have made similar assumptions that everyone will know what their show is about based on existing media, and for me it always spoils the pilot.  In my view, the only good pilot assumes at least its audience will know nothing about what the show will be about and will tailor at least half its content to educating them in that era, with the rest of the content being about placating the existing fanbase if the show is continuing a franchise or adapting it from another medium.

The episode is also plagued by some poor character interactions, especially Picard’s over-the-top anger at Wesley for no good reason, Troi’s over-the-top whining when she’s in empath-mode, and the less said about Tasha Yar’s histrionics in front of Q during the fake trial set-up the better.  Really, it’s down to the performances of Riker, Data, Wesley’s mother Dr Beverly Crusher, Geordi and Worf to elevate the episode to decent, and for Q to be the better guest character than Zorn.  This episode is also where Colm Meaney makes his debut as Miles O’Brien, who would spend several seasons as a secondary recurring character in TNG before making the switch to spin-off series Deep Space Nine (which I reviewed some years ago on Facebook) as a series regular.

There’s not much depth or real issue exploration in this episode, we don’t really learn what Star Fleet is or what it represents (the words Yar uses during her court-room meltdown before being thankfully frozen), and really all we do get is some basic character introduction and a Trek show that starts off more on impulse, or at least low warp.  Overall score for this combined episode is about 6 out of 10, and I’m probably being a bit charitable at that.

Episode 3: The Naked Now

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

The crew of the Enterprise travels to rendezvous with the SS Tsiolkovsky, a science vessel monitoring the collapse of a supergiant star. During a long-range comm exchange, the Enterprise crew are shocked to hear what sounds like a sudden hull breach about the Tsiolkovsky. After the Enterprise secures the Tsiolkovsky via tractor beam, an away team consisting of Commander Riker, Lt. Yar, Lt. Commander Data and Lt. La Forge beams over.  They find the crew frozen to death in various stages of dress and undress, including one who was taking a shower fully clad, and whose frozen body falls into La Forge's hands.

Captain Picard orders Dr Crusher to perform full medical examinations of the away team on their return, and the doctor finds La Forge sweating profusely and complaining about the temperature. She orders him to stay in sickbay but he wanders out while she is studying his test results, and makes his way to the quarters of Crusher's son, Wesley. Unaware of La Forge's condition, Wesley shows him a portable tractor beam device and La Forge places an encouraging hand on his shoulder. Meanwhile, acting on a hunch by Riker, who had read a book on past starships named "Enterprise" that included an event involving illness and showering fully dressed, Data locates a historical record identifying the ailment as similar to one encountered by Captain Kirk's USS Enterprise. La Forge returns to sickbay, where D. Crusher quickly becomes concerned when she realizes that the infection is spread by physical contact. Much of the ship's crew comes under the influence of the ailment, including Data, who engages in a sexual encounter with Yar. Dr Crusher, struggling against the effects of the ailment, finds the original antidote documented by Kirk's Enterprise to be ineffective, and begins devising a new version of it.

Now infected, Wesley uses a digital sample of Captain Picard's voice to lure key engineering crew-members away from the engineering deck. He erects a force field around the area with his tractor beam device and assumes control of the ship. He allows Mr Shimoda, one of the engineers who is acting in a childlike manner, into the force field. Shimoda manages to remove all of the isolinear chips from the engine control station and plays with them like toys. As the supergiant star collapses, a fragment is blown into a direct impact course with the two Federation ships, and without the chips in place, they cannot move out of its way. Chief Engineer MacDougal manages to disable Wesley's force field, and Data is sent to replace the chips. He reports that he will not have enough time. Wesley reverses the ship's tractor beam, repelling the Enterprise off the Tsiolkovsky, giving themselves the necessary additional seconds for Data to replace the chips enabling the ship to move out of the way. The crew is cured of the ailment, and Picard partially credits Wesley for helping to prevent a disaster.

Review:

Not only is this Trek at its worst, but it’s actually based on an original series episode with pretty much the exact same core plot; some random configuration of water molecules making an Enterprise crew act like the Trek equivalent of chavvy idiots getting plastered on a night out. It’s an appallingly bad concept, especially when Picard’s closing dialogue suggests the whole thing was meant to be about some kind of exploration of temptation.  News flash, folks, but the episode is an abysmal failure in the exploration of that issue.  To be successful, you’d have to give the crew the option about whether or not to give in to temptation sober.  The crew of the Enterprise doesn’t have a choice here because it’s some weird combination of water molecules acting like an infection that causes drunken-like behaviour.  As such, their judgement is impaired against their will, so the point is lost.

The episode is also stupidly sexist in how the infection presents; while more of the men just have a harder time thinking, get morose or go child-like and silly, all three female main cast members throw themselves on the blokes like randy strippers.  Tasha Yar sleeps her way through various minor male crew members before seducing Data, Troi seeks out Riker to try for a mind-grope, and Dr Crusher tries it on with Picard.  How Roddenbury (who was still alive and producing Trek at this point) allowed such antiquated sexist tripe into the supposedly equality-minded Trek utopia, I have no idea.  Given that the show improved in this and related areas when he stepped away from the show, however, I’m wondering if maybe he was somehow part of the problem.

All in all, this episode is something you only watch so you can get what few references there may be to it in later episodes of the series as a whole.  I give it a very low 2 out of 10.

Episode 4: Code of Honor

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

The Enterprise arrives at the planet Ligon II to acquire a vaccine needed to combat an outbreak of Anchilles fever on Styris IV. The crew, possessing little information on the Ligonian culture, finds it follows strict customs of status similar to ancient China. Specifically, while the men in their culture rule society, the land itself is controlled by the women. Lutan, the Ligonian leader, transports up to the Enterprise to provide a sample of the vaccine, and is impressed by Lt. Tasha Yar's status as head of security. Yar further demonstrates her aikido skills against a holographic opponent for Lutan on the holodeck. After a tour of the ship, Lutan and the Ligonians abduct Yar as they transport back to the surface. Captain Jean-Luc Picard demands that Lutan return Yar, considering the kidnapping an act of war, but receives no response from the planet. After consultation with his officers, Picard is informed that Lutan took Yar in a "counting coup" as a show of heroism. Picard contacts Lutan in a more peaceful manner, who grants permission for the Enterprise crew to beam down to the planet and promises to return Yar after a banquet in his honor.

Lutan announces at the banquet that he wishes to make Yar his "First one", surprising not only the Enterprise crew but also Yareena who was already Lutan's "First one." Yareena challenges Yar to a fight to the death to claim back the position. When Picard objects to the fight, Lutan refuses to give the Enterprise the rest of the vaccine unless Yar participates. The crew investigates the combat ritual and find that the weapons used are coated with a lethal poison, and also that it is Yareena's wealth to which Lutan owes his position. Picard prepares to have Yar beamed to the Enterprise should she be harmed in the battle. As the match progresses, both Yareena and Yar are equally skilled, but Yar eventually lands a strike on Yareena. Yar quickly covers Yareena and orders the transport of both of them to the Enterprise against the demands of Lutan. Aboard the ship, Dr. Beverly Crusher reaches Yareena moments after death, but is able to counteract the poison and revive the woman's body. When Lutan demands to know the fate of Yareena, Crusher reveals that Yareena died, thus ceding the match to Yar and breaking the "first one" bond. Yareena is now free to select a new mate; she chooses Hagon, one of Lutan's bodyguards, and effectively strips Lutan of his position of power and makes him her "Second One". Hagon lets Yar go and gives the Enterprise their full supply of vaccine.

Review:

This episode wasn’t very well received by the cast and crew that had to make it, and I can certainly see why.  The Ligonian race is based on African tribal stereotypes that become obvious as a result of the race being played by Black actors, giving the episode an air of racism that is completely inappropriate to the Trek franchise as a whole.  According to Wikipedia, some reviewers have claimed that this issue would not have been seen if the actors had all be white and used the same dialogue.  Frankly if the Ligonians had been played by white actors, you’d have had a very early example of cultural appropriation, which is also a form of racism and again inappropriate to Trek.

The episode is also plagued by efforts to try and emulate the original series instead of being its own entity, with the final fight scene near the end really looking too much like a 1960’s throwback rather than fitting into any kind of 1980’s-made Trek.  Only the hints of the budding Data-La Forge friendship really make the episode worth a watch, especially since Picard stops himself in the middle of an explanation about the Prime Directive.  With that in, we might have had delayed compensation for the lack of exposition in the pilot, but instead…nothing.

Frankly, without fan support and the show being syndicated rather than controlled by a network, I’m pretty sure this episode or the previous one would have killed TNG in its infancy.  I’m just lucky that I know the show would later make itself into something worth watching, so I’m ok holding out hope for better episodes as I work my way along.  I just the rest of season 1 doesn’t have too many more of these stinker episodes in store. For me, Code of Honour again only warrants 2 out of 10.

[ndragoon]

Finally gave Hades a try, and I'm glad I did. It's the quality of what you expect from Supergiant Games.

Good voice acting, the characters actually have character. The controls are really good and responsive, and when you go down it feels like it's because you did something stupid rather than just some cheapshot BS that came from nowhere with the intention to outright kill you.

Plus, the encounters you go through are actually pretty fun, even if some types of enemies tend to be aggravating to fight against...but that's more because of my limitations rather than because of bad design.

Each arena is differently shaped, with their own blend of traps and hazards. There are no instant death pitfalls, they stop you from just walking right on over and if your dash can't carry you to the other side, it is no different than dashing into a wall.

The choice of weapons is...interesting. It's one of those "something for everyone" sorts of deals where there is just about anything for your playstyle. So far, my favorite is the shield that can knock enemies away with a basic shield bash, or you can hold the button to block (as in a real no-damage block...yes, I'm just as surprised) and charge up a bull rush.

Sometimes you pick up different perks that the various gods give you. Each one gives you different effects for just about everything you can do. Want your cast to turn into a cloud that stuns all enemies for 5 seconds? Want to deal a delayed chunk of damage when you strike and enemy? Want to zap enemies with lightning every time you dash? It's all possible! My favorite was playing with the sword, and releasing a Shockwave and chain lightning every time I swung it. Got me REALLY far, but then the first boss was rough so I sadly died.

And as for bosses? It's not like most games out there nowadays. The first boss is a handful, but is designed with the limitations of the controls in mind. AoEs pop up and you have to dodge or be impaled with a blood spear. After a certain point, she starts turning into a short-term bullethell that is easy enough to dodge, as long as you pay attention. There are adds, but they don't actually feel like an unnecessary addition or overbearing. It's actually pretty comfortable as long as you manage your priorities depending on who is doing what and when.

The part I like most, though, is that everything but money is kept between runs. You get gems to add chambers to your runs, like a healing fountain with no enemies. You get ichor, which you give to get gear that gives balanced passives. There are these shadow droplets that you feed to your mirror to increase certain aspects between runs. Keys are used to unlock more of these aspects or to unlock weapons. Some other stuff exists that they hint at, but I simply haven't progressed enough to actually find out what all else is out there.

Overall, it's definitely worth the $25 in an era of $70 games, and gives you way more to play and work towards than most of the AAA games nowadays.

[webpostingpro-blog]

New Post has been published on Webpostingpro

New Post has been published on https://webpostingpro.com/ms-dhoni-breaks-the-internet-by-showing-off-dance-moves-on-instagram/

MS Dhoni Breaks The Internet By Showing Off Dance Moves On Instagram

You have visible MS Dhoni dance down the tune to break bowlers out of the park. But how often have you visible Captain Cool set the dance floor on the hearth? Here’s your threat.

MS Dhoni took to Instagram to the percentage a video where he is seen shaking a leg with teammate Ben Stokes and Ajinkya Rahane. He’s not most effective left Growing Pune Supergiant games in awe But all and sundry around the world.

Before the begin of the Indian Choicest League, MS Dhoni turned into eliminated as captain of the RPS franchise. His substitute changed into Steve Smith, who led them to their first victory of the season against Mumbai Indians.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni – Traces of Arrogance

After India didn’t win the third take a look at in opposition to New Zealand at Wellington Dhoni stated abnormal matters in defending himself or his selections. He stated that extra 70-80 runs supply his bowler’s extra scope to assault. This is opposite to commonplace good judgment. The less the target the extra self-assurance you display on your bowlers. Putting a humanly impossible target of over 600 runs makes the court cases a mere ritual. The time you lose inside the procedure adds to the competition’s resolve to stop the suit.

No group in check Cricket history ever efficiently chased more than 418 runs in the last innings. India created history in 1976 at Port of Spain once they won the third check against West Indies efficaciously chasing a huge 403 runs within the fourth innings. within the New Zealand grounds, the final innings largest run chases were a whole lot lesser than that. At the Wellington pitch, the winning run chases inside the fourth innings had been much less than even 300.

Dhoni once more said that he predicted to get the new Zealand all out in 110-

120 overs and so he did now not hassle a whole lot approximately the climate component. How on the planet could one count on the competition to cave in as per his wish? You just can not afford to be overconfident or complacent in a game of cricket.

And, those utterances from a captain who’s replete with plentiful nice vibes and absolutely the maximum a hit one to steer group India. Fulfillment in cricket ends in tremendous riches and for that reason hype is created and hype ends in an entire lot of bad characteristics such as arrogance. And, this leads to a possible painful decline like we’ve seen in the case of Saurav Ganguly.

Arrogance is the last element that cricket lovers could need Dhoni to domesticate.

His high-quality power is doing wonders to a crew that becomes used to play broadly speaking safe video games and try to save or lose matches in place of trying to win.

MS Dhoni is the first-rate possible aspect to take place to Indian cricket and he’s something to be handled with utmost care. His nice body language and attacking cricket have to pass on undeterred to take India to the pinnacle.

Chinmay Chakravarty is an expert specialized in the innovative subject with over a long time of enjoying in journalistic writing, media co-ordination, movie script writing, movie dubbing, movie & video making, management of international film festivals and editing of books & journals. Talented in imparting professional offerings in those related fields. Currently working in Mumbai Doordarshan as a News Editor.

Porter’s Five Forces Model And Internet Competition

online Porter’s 5 Forces Model, in my opinion, the opposition has expanded average as a result of the internet and e-Trade. The net and IT has made it feasible to both cognizance on the pinnacle and backside online and a market percentage is accelerated and fees are reduced. Many products and services exist just online, primary agencies have long past online to effectively increase the brick and mortar businesses, and the gambling on-line is all the manner to edges of our on-online, anyplace this is. We are able to further examine this stepping thru all 5 forces.

Client strength is better whilst consumers have greater choices.

Businesses are pressured to feature value to their services and products to get loyalty. Many loyalty applications consist of extraordinary services that customers demand . clients need to remedy their troubles and often they are greater a hit than on-phone. Also, we see net savvy Agencies bobbing up providing more valuable items and offerings at decrease charges. Now with the advent of eBay, many people are assuming roles as drop shippers. Individuals could have a thriving enterprise selling goods of large companies while not having to carry stock.

Supplier energy is better whilst consumers have fewer selections from whom to buy

As noted in advance, drop transport has extended a number of providers available. All a man or woman has to do is form and settlement to sell products for the company. The company looks after all the logistics. The equal is true of pals programs that Amazon.Com and Google.Com offer. associates permit a webmaster to earn cash through recommending merchandise from others. This will increase Provider services.

Chance of replacement services or products is high when there are many product options. This is special than having many suppliers. Examples of alternatives are exchanging emblem names, substituting credit score card abilities, and looking at higher values from less expensive resources. The internet allows this with the “global economy”. I’m able to replacement my product by means of buying from agencies remote places wherein exertions, services and products are inexpensive but of similar exceptional.

The danger of new entrants is excessive when it is simple for brand spanking new opposition to go into the marketplace

Well, what have we been talking about? Now, small operations can open shop with less than $10.00 per online month and make loads of money. As ingenious as people are, there are continually possibilities to do enhance a services or products or just create and sell something new. Lately, many new entrants have made even extra cash authoring Ebooks that inform others the way to do what they did. Competition amongst competitors is high when competition is more excessive within industries.

Bookstores and catalog groups are the first-rate instances

Amazon.Com and Barnesandnoble.Com are very competitive. However, there are many Also smaller niche affiliate bookstores that once combined take a lot of market shares. They offer even more competition. However, each predominant bookstores have used IT to create the fee for his or her customers. These values include friends programs, ease of fee and shipping and many, many others.

The net offers avenues of competition to existing companies and possibilities for start-ups. Now Agencies can enter the market with few boundaries to entry. Porter’s 5 Forces Model can help display the attractiveness of starting your commercial enterprise. A commercial enterprise man or woman ought to use the Version to pick out opposition, make a plan, and enforce the method.

To Instagram or Not? How to Use Social Media to Your Advantage in Modeling

Maintain everything moderately, inclusive of your social media posts. Publish pix naturally and usually Hold connecting along with your audience. Explicit exact values which include gratitude by using thanking your fans for compliments.

Gain fans and follow influential models yourself

Aside from collecting your vital statistics, top and weight etcetera, businesses and scooters are increasingly more looking at your media presence, your likes, and fans. There isn’t a selected variety but of course greater the merrier. It signifies your capacity to market yourself, and your enchantment to the common folks, or audience. With that said, social media best gives a delivered benefit, and you still have to impress all through your interviews and casting calls. Find out extra approximately how you can ace your casting call.

Walk the communicate and comply with influential models yourself inclusive of Adrian Lima and Gisele Bundchen who frequently Put up their version photos and replace their social media money owed. Following such humans may also provide your ability model corporations an experience of your interest in fashion and modeling. Take caution that these excessive-profile models have an exceptional dynamic from you and if you are nevertheless new or low key on social media your use of it have to be strategically applicable on your function. Do now not simply replica the pinnacle fashions style complete sale. Even though it by no means hurts to analyze from the first-rate, models have to take the positives and practice them such that it fits our unique network as it should be.

Include social media, but continue to be a mystery too

There are a few high profile fashions that remain low-key on social media. Kate Moss is one such instance; she is press-shy and never takes snapshots in public. Publish essential images, however, remember to constantly Preserve the thriller. Do now not Maintain spamming posts; hold a few restraint to your posting. You virtually need to avoid the effect of disturbing your fans by way of constantly acting anywhere on their social media feed,

Specifically, if you posting matters which can be less crucial like cat or food snapshots. supply some days destroy and periods between posts, and do not forget much less is greater. If you have not anything properly don’t Put up it. Most significantly, staying low also means lesser possibilities to make offensive posts. With the intention to upward thrust up the ladder of social media enchantment, it is critical posts are nicely excellent checked and that which keeps enthusiasts and followers, therefore maintaining your enchantment for a longer time period.

[junker-town]

The Indian cricket auction is the cruelest and most brilliant free agency in sports

Professional sports in the US have free agency. Soccer has the transfer window. Meanwhile, the Indian Premier League cricket has the IPL Auction, and it’s the strangest, cruelest and most brilliant event in professional sports.

This is an actual, live, paddle-in-the-air auction where players are sold to the highest bidder. Each team can use its remaining budget (what we’d call a salary cap) to buy new players, and if a player is cut or released they will enter the following year’s auction pool. This leads to bizarre scenarios where a player could be making millions, then forced to accept a pittance if bidding for them is weak in the following year — and they can’t say no to the team that bought them, unless they want to leave the IPL.

There were 352 players up for auction over the weekend and the vast majority of them didn’t sell. There was good reason for this, and, like the whole event it’s because the IPL is bizarre.

What made 2017 weirder than usual?

The IPL auction operates under a 10-year cycle. This means that every 10 years every single player is released into free agency and can be bought by the highest bidder. The cycle begins again in 2018, meaning that everyone in the 2017 auction would be a one-year rental before being out of their contract and back into the 2018 auction.

It was widely believed that there wouldn’t be much spending, since every player would be a rental — but then there was Ben Stokes. The British all-rounder (meaning he can bat and bowl) was the marquee name in 2017. Bidding opened at INR 2 crore (approximately $300,000 USD) and swelled to INR 14.5 crore (approximately $2.16 million) when the bidding was over.

Perhaps the best part of this video is watching the owner of the Rising Pune Supergiants react when he realizes how much his team overpayed for Stokes on a one-year rental. He’s in the middle of the table.

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.

“Reverse bidding” is a thing, and it’s so cruel.

Let’s say you’re a decent player, but not a superstar. It’s not likely there will be a feeding frenzy over you, so teams can put in a “reverse bid.” This means teams are starting the bidding below your base cost. So you’re literally watching teams see how little they can pay you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

2018 is going to be buckwild.

Not only is every player put in free agency, but two teams will be back from expulsion after the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were banned from the league for two years for match fixing. So every single player will be up for bid, there are more teams that ever and everyone will be hungry to win.

The best part is that this isn’t even really about winning cricket games. The auction is a chance for India’s ultra-wealthy to show each other up in public by busting out the checkbooks. The whole thing is friggin beautiful.

Should we adopt a player auction in the US?

Hell no. It’s horrible for every single player involved. That doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate it from afar.

[webpostingpro-blog]

New Post has been published on Webpostingpro

New Post has been published on https://webpostingpro.com/ms-dhoni-breaks-the-internet-by-showing-off-dance-moves-on-instagram/

MS Dhoni Breaks The Internet By Showing Off Dance Moves On Instagram

You have visible MS Dhoni dance down the tune to break bowlers out of the park. But how often have you visible Captain Cool set the dance floor on the hearth? Here’s your threat.

MS Dhoni took to Instagram to the percentage a video where he is seen shaking a leg with teammate Ben Stokes and Ajinkya Rahane. He’s not most effective left Growing Pune Supergiant games in awe But all and sundry around the world.

Before the begin of the Indian Choicest League, MS Dhoni turned into eliminated as captain of the RPS franchise. His substitute changed into Steve Smith, who led them to their first victory of the season against Mumbai Indians.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni – Traces of Arrogance

After India didn’t win the third take a look at in opposition to New Zealand at Wellington Dhoni stated abnormal matters in defending himself or his selections. He stated that extra 70-80 runs supply his bowler’s extra scope to assault. This is opposite to commonplace good judgment. The less the target the extra self-assurance you display on your bowlers. Putting a humanly impossible target of over 600 runs makes the court cases a mere ritual. The time you lose inside the procedure adds to the competition’s resolve to stop the suit.

No group in check Cricket history ever efficiently chased more than 418 runs in the last innings. India created history in 1976 at Port of Spain once they won the third check against West Indies efficaciously chasing a huge 403 runs within the fourth innings. within the New Zealand grounds, the final innings largest run chases were a whole lot lesser than that. At the Wellington pitch, the winning run chases inside the fourth innings had been much less than even 300.

Dhoni once more said that he predicted to get the new Zealand all out in 110-

120 overs and so he did now not hassle a whole lot approximately the climate component. How on the planet could one count on the competition to cave in as per his wish? You just can not afford to be overconfident or complacent in a game of cricket.

And, those utterances from a captain who’s replete with plentiful nice vibes and absolutely the maximum a hit one to steer group India. Fulfillment in cricket ends in tremendous riches and for that reason hype is created and hype ends in an entire lot of bad characteristics such as arrogance. And, this leads to a possible painful decline like we’ve seen in the case of Saurav Ganguly.

Arrogance is the last element that cricket lovers could need Dhoni to domesticate.

His high-quality power is doing wonders to a crew that becomes used to play broadly speaking safe video games and try to save or lose matches in place of trying to win.

MS Dhoni is the first-rate possible aspect to take place to Indian cricket and he’s something to be handled with utmost care. His nice body language and attacking cricket have to pass on undeterred to take India to the pinnacle.

Chinmay Chakravarty is an expert specialized in the innovative subject with over a long time of enjoying in journalistic writing, media co-ordination, movie script writing, movie dubbing, movie & video making, management of international film festivals and editing of books & journals. Talented in imparting professional offerings in those related fields. Currently working in Mumbai Doordarshan as a News Editor.

Porter’s Five Forces Model And Internet Competition

online Porter’s 5 Forces Model, in my opinion, the opposition has expanded average as a result of the internet and e-Trade. The net and IT has made it feasible to both cognizance on the pinnacle and backside online and a market percentage is accelerated and fees are reduced. Many products and services exist just online, primary agencies have long past online to effectively increase the brick and mortar businesses, and the gambling on-line is all the manner to edges of our on-online, anyplace this is. We are able to further examine this stepping thru all 5 forces.

Client strength is better whilst consumers have greater choices.

Businesses are pressured to feature value to their services and products to get loyalty. Many loyalty applications consist of extraordinary services that customers demand . clients need to remedy their troubles and often they are greater a hit than on-phone. Also, we see net savvy Agencies bobbing up providing more valuable items and offerings at decrease charges. Now with the advent of eBay, many people are assuming roles as drop shippers. Individuals could have a thriving enterprise selling goods of large companies while not having to carry stock.

Supplier energy is better whilst consumers have fewer selections from whom to buy

As noted in advance, drop transport has extended a number of providers available. All a man or woman has to do is form and settlement to sell products for the company. The company looks after all the logistics. The equal is true of pals programs that Amazon.Com and Google.Com offer. associates permit a webmaster to earn cash through recommending merchandise from others. This will increase Provider services.

Chance of replacement services or products is high when there are many product options. This is special than having many suppliers. Examples of alternatives are exchanging emblem names, substituting credit score card abilities, and looking at higher values from less expensive resources. The internet allows this with the “global economy”. I’m able to replacement my product by means of buying from agencies remote places wherein exertions, services and products are inexpensive but of similar exceptional.

The danger of new entrants is excessive when it is simple for brand spanking new opposition to go into the marketplace

Well, what have we been talking about? Now, small operations can open shop with less than $10.00 per online month and make loads of money. As ingenious as people are, there are continually possibilities to do enhance a services or products or just create and sell something new. Lately, many new entrants have made even extra cash authoring Ebooks that inform others the way to do what they did. Competition amongst competitors is high when competition is more excessive within industries.

Bookstores and catalog groups are the first-rate instances

Amazon.Com and Barnesandnoble.Com are very competitive. However, there are many Also smaller niche affiliate bookstores that once combined take a lot of market shares. They offer even more competition. However, each predominant bookstores have used IT to create the fee for his or her customers. These values include friends programs, ease of fee and shipping and many, many others.

The net offers avenues of competition to existing companies and possibilities for start-ups. Now Agencies can enter the market with few boundaries to entry. Porter’s 5 Forces Model can help display the attractiveness of starting your commercial enterprise. A commercial enterprise man or woman ought to use the Version to pick out opposition, make a plan, and enforce the method.

To Instagram or Not? How to Use Social Media to Your Advantage in Modeling

Maintain everything moderately, inclusive of your social media posts. Publish pix naturally and usually Hold connecting along with your audience. Explicit exact values which include gratitude by using thanking your fans for compliments.

Gain fans and follow influential models yourself

Aside from collecting your vital statistics, top and weight etcetera, businesses and scooters are increasingly more looking at your media presence, your likes, and fans. There isn’t a selected variety but of course greater the merrier. It signifies your capacity to market yourself, and your enchantment to the common folks, or audience. With that said, social media best gives a delivered benefit, and you still have to impress all through your interviews and casting calls. Find out extra approximately how you can ace your casting call.

Walk the communicate and comply with influential models yourself inclusive of Adrian Lima and Gisele Bundchen who frequently Put up their version photos and replace their social media money owed. Following such humans may also provide your ability model corporations an experience of your interest in fashion and modeling. Take caution that these excessive-profile models have an exceptional dynamic from you and if you are nevertheless new or low key on social media your use of it have to be strategically applicable on your function. Do now not simply replica the pinnacle fashions style complete sale. Even though it by no means hurts to analyze from the first-rate, models have to take the positives and practice them such that it fits our unique network as it should be.

Include social media, but continue to be a mystery too

There are a few high profile fashions that remain low-key on social media. Kate Moss is one such instance; she is press-shy and never takes snapshots in public. Publish essential images, however, remember to constantly Preserve the thriller. Do now not Maintain spamming posts; hold a few restraint to your posting. You virtually need to avoid the effect of disturbing your fans by way of constantly acting anywhere on their social media feed,

Specifically, if you posting matters which can be less crucial like cat or food snapshots. supply some days destroy and periods between posts, and do not forget much less is greater. If you have not anything properly don’t Put up it. Most significantly, staying low also means lesser possibilities to make offensive posts. With the intention to upward thrust up the ladder of social media enchantment, it is critical posts are nicely excellent checked and that which keeps enthusiasts and followers, therefore maintaining your enchantment for a longer time period.