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Victor sat at his kitchen table and stared at the tablet in his hand as he blew on his morning coffee. It had been a busy week, setting up areas for construction with enough room for the nano-forge, then using it to build auto-factories to build more mining drones and more forge spiders to gather more resources and clear out more areas.
Thus far he had Ingot Storage 1 complete and the forge spiders pathed to bring back and sort them. Then Hydroponics 1 was complete, the auto-farmers were programmed and with any luck in about six weeks he’d have wheat, oats, barley, corn, beans, rice, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, okra, mushrooms, squash, and many more fruits and vegetables.
Today he was working on Meat Lab 1. Set up was pretty straight forward, the equipment and power were in place, and the specimens were brought from dimensional storage to the grow labs, it was just the pathing necessary to cultivate, harvest and can the meats. His budget was limited here, he had chicken, beef, and pork cultures, and that was it.
Who would have thought his life savings, his parents life savings, and the sale of his ancestral home still couldn’t get him everything he wanted to start a new life on a colony world? He tapped his tablet a few more times before he was satisfied with the pathing, he pretty much copied it over from Hydro 1, they both canned the food in the end anyways.
He then checked on his mining drones, they were busy little beavers, and had found a remarkable amount of usable materials. More than even the satellite estimated for this location, he sent a few of them two days ago to cut a shaft down to the petroleum reserves, it appears that they had indeed succeeded in locating it.
He brought up the auto-factories that he had built from the nano-forge, numbers three and seven were idle, so he started constructing hauler drones to pump the raw petroleum into their internal tanks and then bring them up to Storage 1, where they can unload into new tanks. This will solve my plastics issue… I hope.
Yup, everything was going smoothly. Even if he never made it back to the empire, at least here he could have a little piece of it, with all the modern conveniences he was used to. “Screw living in places like Wuzhen. They didn’t even have indoor plumbing!” He muttered as his attention was brought to a notification on his tablet. INTRUDER ALERT. ____________ Pan ran as though her life depended on it. Well, actually it did, for the instinctive Ox-Kin that were chasing her would kill and eat her if she were caught. Being Rabbit-Kin her small and agile frame allowed her speed and maneuverability, but the Ox-Kin instinctuals didn’t have to run around trees, they could just push them aside!
Her wagon and all her goods were lost, she was dirty and scared. There was a clearing up ahead and her heart dropped, nowhere to hide, and the stream would slow her down, she was trapped now! She frantically looked from left to right as she continued to run, looking for some way out as the Ox-Kin roared behind her tearing up the ground as their razor sharp hoofs slammed into the ground.
She heard a sound as if there were thunderstorm raging, but it did not end, it simply got louder. She looked up in time to see a black figure on wings of fire plunge towards the ground. She didn’t stop, if it would distract the instinctuals then she would use it to her advantage and hopefully escape this terrible fate.
Suddenly she heard a sound as if someone were rubbing the rim of a meditation bowl, only hundreds of times louder, then screams of pain, several thuds, and then silence. She turned her head to see the black figure stand upright and to her astonishment, all the Ox-Kin were down.
No, not down, dead. Cut in half, obviously in mid gallop for the halves of their bodies were separated by meters. She slowed to take in the strange figure, its helmet magically disappeared behind him, showing a foreign face with short cropped black hair and eyes she had only seen on portraits of the Eternal Empress. _____________ “It’s ok, they’re all dead now. Waste of good beef if you ask me, but it’s a little too close to cannibalism for me. Had enough corpo-starch in the guard to last me a lifetime.” He said as she stopped to take a breath. He slowly started walking over to her.
Pan backed up, rather involuntarily, as this man had just slaughtered half a dozen instinctual Ox-Kin in the blink of an eye.
“Whoa, calm down, not gonna hurt you. Just want to ask you a few questions, I’m Victor by the way, what’s your name?” He asked, hands out to show he meant no harm.
Pan finally caught enough wind to take her hands off her thighs and straighten up, one of her bunny ears fell across her face, a sign of how exhausted she truly was. “I’m… Pan… Sorry, still trying to catch my breath.”
The strange man cocked his head to the side and she noticed it wasn’t just a helm he had been wearing, At first she thought he was wearing all black clothing, but it was actually armor, very intricate armor. “Are you a cultivator? I’ve never seen a male cultivator before.”
Victor chuckled, “I’ve been getting that a lot lately. The answer is… complicated. Now, about those questions. Shall we walk back to your home while I ask?”
Pan shook her head, “The only home I had was my wagon. I was a trader who bought and sold goods. The instinctuals destroyed it while I was gathering water. I heard my Ox bellow and when I came up from the stream it was being eaten, the wagon destroyed, my wares nothing more than shredded trash.” She looked down and started to cry as the realization that she had just lost everything took hold.
Victor put on his officers face, oh boy. Here come the water works. “Shh, calm down, it’s only a wagon. It’s a thing, and things can be replaced.”
She looked up to him and lowered her hands, “Perhaps to a powerful cultivator, but I am but a lowly peasant girl. I will have to sell my self on the streets to eat now!” She buried her face back into her hands and wailed.
“Oh for Emperors sakes!” Victor thought as he scooped the small woman up in his arms. This prompted a sharp “Eeek!” From her as he activated his jump jets. _____________ Pan was terrified. Rabbit-Kin were not made for flying. The strange cultivator had scooped her up in his arms as though she were a small child and launched them into the air. She tried to scream, but the air screeching by her face seemed to carry the noise away. Though she doubted anyone could have heard over fire erupting from his wings.
Suddenly they landed and she was set down. She looked around and saw they were on a ledge, far up the mountain where the Ox-Kin had chased her. The ledge had a metal rail all the way around it but she saw no way to reach it other than flight.
The strange man must have brought his helmet back up before they launched into the air, because he had it up now. He turned to the mountain and it split open before him! After retracting his helm he simply said, “Follow me, since you don’t have a home, I’ll bring you to mine.”
She followed him into the mountain, expecting it to be dark and cold, but to her surprise it was warm and light shown down from the ceiling as if it were daylight! The walls were smooth stone, and after a few meters in the mountain closed behind them, only it seemed to do it twice, once inside and once outside.
She continued to walk until they came to a strange door with a wheel in the center. The cultivator spun the wheel and opened the metal door. She had never seen so much worked metal in all her days. Even the blacksmith shops lacked the amount, or skill she saw here.
After she entered into a small chamber, Victor closed the door behind them and walked to a strange outcropping on the wall and turned around. The armor up close was neither new nor perfect, she saw dints and dings, and scorch marks in places. Then she jumped back as it split in half and Victor stepped out in nothing more than short pants covering his man-hood.
She blushed and diverted her eyes, but not before noticing the rippling muscles, scar tissue, and little round metal discs at regular intervals all over his body. He covered himself with a very plush white robe and slippers before opening another door that was identical to the first. “Should I wear slippers as well, Master Cultivator?”
Victor looked back, “That won’t be necessary, the cleaning drones will handle any mess we cause.” Pan pondered on what a drone was. A servant perhaps? Was that why he brought me here, to be one of his servants? Or was it something else? Oh no, she mentioned having to sell herself, did he expect her to be one of his mistresses? She wouldn’t be opposed, for he was a handsome man, but what kin was he?
She almost missed what was said next. “This is my humble abode, you’re welcome to stay here for a time while I get my bearings on this land.” Victor said as he walked over to the table and picked up a piece of see-through glass. Magical runes and pictures flared into existence as he tapped at it before setting it back down.
Pan could barely speak. This place was what she would expect in the Imperial palace. There was no kang, or open fire, but it was the perfect temperature and humidity. She saw a large couch, tables, chairs, cabinets of wood, a countertop with a strange steel bowl and what looked as if it were a well pump above it.
The back wall had multiple doors, the two that were open showed one to be a bed room, with a huge bed, the other was tiled with a white chair, it almost looked like a throne? How strange she thought as she peered into the room to see a chamber of fogged glass also inside the room.
Victor noticed her curiosity, “That is the bathroom. Come here, I’ll show you.”
Pan followed Victor into the bathroom as he demonstrated the toilet, explaining rather embarrassingly how it worked and how to use it, he then showed her the glass chamber with the odd steel handles.
“This one is hot, and this one is cold, you turn them both on until you get the temperature just right to clean yourself. On the wall there is liquid soap, shampoo, and conditioner, though I keep my hair close, so the conditioner wouldn’t be as necessary as say someone with your long hair.” He explained.
Pan was shocked as the saw the stream of water pouring from the wall. What manner of magic was this? “I have never seen a male cultivator, but it is known they are master craftsmen, can you all create such magical wonders?”
Victor shrugged, “No idea, I’ve never met another, uh, male cultivator.”
Pan considered, “Could I, maybe use this chamber to clean up? This mornings activities have left me a little soiled.”
Victor nodded, “Of course.” He reached into a small cabinet and produced a large piece of fluffy cloth and placed it on another steel rail outside the chamber. Before placing a smaller version of it inside the chamber on a rack. Finally he reached back into the cabinet and produced a robe much like he was wearing and placed it on a hook behind the door.
He then pointed to the small one inside the chamber, “That is a wash cloth to clean yourself with the soap, use the shampoo here on your hair, and then after rinsing it out, rub the conditioner in and let it sit a bit before finally rinsing it out. Then dry yourself off with this towel, and put on the robe I placed on the door.”
Pan nodded, “What will you do with my clothes after I remove them?”
Victor sniffed “Probably burn them.” He thought to himself. “I will provide you with clothes to lounge around the house.” He turned around and closed the door behind him.
Pan used the ‘toilet’ surprised at its efficiency to clean itself with water before turning on the water stream and adjusting the knobs until it was pleasant. She took to cleaning herself with gusto, for she had never had such luxury. Even the tubs at the inns she could sometimes visit were not this nice.
She heard the door open, and through the smoked glass she could see that Victor seemed to be gathering her things from the floor and leaving behind something on the ‘toilet’. After getting herself more clean that she thought she ever had in her entire life she sighed and decided she needed to get out.
After fiddling with the knobs and nearly freezing herself before turning them the proper way she reached out and grabbed the ‘towel’ and found it did an amazing job of drying her. Afterwards she tied the cloth up in her hair, careful not to get her ears and examined the clothes he brought her.
There was an article of clothing like what he wore, the short pants, but smaller, and tighter. She assumed it was for the same purpose and put it on, then she found a soft pair of pants, like men would wear, but of much finer and softer material. Finally, there was a form fitting shirt that she found left little to the imagination, but she had little choice to but to put it on. Finally there were thick, luxurious slippers on the floor and the robe on the back of the door.
She came out of the bathroom to find him at the strange counter, cooking. “A man who cooks for a woman? I know he is a foreigner, but I have never heard of this happening.” She thought as he waved her to the large table.
“I missed breakfast this morning, your little tussle with the Ox-Kin ladies kind of put it on hold, have you eaten?” He asked.
Pan felt the hunger pains when he asked as she shook her head.
He chuckled as he continued his work, “No, I guess you didn’t get a chance to eat this morning either.
How do you like your eggs?”
Pan was confused, “Um, I prefer them cooked?”
Victor looked back before saying, “Scrambled it is then.”
After a few minutes and some toiling around the cupboards he dropped off a huge plate in front of her. “Normally I’d let the auto-cook prepare the food, but since I’m getting everything up and running at the moment it’s missing a lot of ingredients. So, I worked with what I had, scrambled eggs, bacon, grits, and toast.”
She stared down at her plate, it mostly looked familiar, but the white porridge was a bit different. He handed her strange utensils before pushing two strange bottles with seasonings in them with holes punched in the top. She watched as he used the utensils to eat, and attempted to do the same.
The spoon was easy, she had used those for soup, but the tiny pitch fork and knife were difficult. Victor noticed this and stood up, went to a cabinet and pulled out a drawer and brought back metal chop sticks.
Pan stared at them, they were perhaps brass, possibly even gold, her mouth dropped, these utensils would have been worth more than her wagon! Victor looked up from his food, “Is everything ok? Is there something wrong with the chopsticks?”
Pan hurriedly put the chopsticks to work grabbing up the slivers of pork. “No, no. This lowly peasant girl was merely in amazement at the quality of the utensils.”
Victor nodded as he watched her eyes go round with amazement after chewing on the bacon. Before she dug into the eggs and tried the grits, deciding they needed the seasonings, which she found was salt and a form of pepper, she nodded before cleaning her plate.
Victor sat back, his own plate clean, “Now that’s a healthy appetite, I wasn’t sure a girl your size could finish a plate like that.”
Pan flushed, a bit embarrassed, “It was no doubt due to your cooking expertise. But I still don’t know why you brought me here.”
Victor stood and took her plate and utensils and opened a strange metal door under the counter and placed them into a metal chamber before closing it back. “You said you were a traveling merchant, which means you go places and hear things. I’m new here and have questions. Therefore we can help each other.”
He ushered Pan to the plush couch and sat down, she took the time to pull her hair out of the towel and he took it from her and went into the ‘bathroom’ a strange name as there was no bathtub inside it and returned to sit at the opposite side of the couch.
Pan let him sit before asking, “Ok, you have questions, what do you want to know?”
Victor took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking, “Why do you have rabbit ears? Why do people in the villages have monkey tails or goats eyes? And what the hell is up with these instinctuals that are more animal that people?” _______________ It had been hours and Pan was actually feeling mentally drained. The man before her was not a cultivator. Whatever he was, she doubted many cultivators except the Empress could hope to match him. The more he showed her, the more she was certain his powers were unlimited. She didn’t know whether to bow in awe, or run in terror.
Not from this plane of existence is how he put it. Meaning from the realm of the divinities maybe? She did not know for sure.
“So, this Eternal Empress came along a few thousand years ago, united the lands, built a wall and a government, and now uses her armies and cultivator sects to maintain law and order across her lands?” He asked.
Pan nodded, “Yes, before her we were broken into tribes that warred against one another constantly.”
Victor paced in front of her, “So she is immortal, like me. That’s good and bad, good in that she may have the knowledge to get me home. Bad, that she could see me as a threat and has tons of resources.” He suddenly stopped pacing. “I’m hungry, are you hungry?”
Pan was not going to say no to a free meal, as she literally had nothing to her name now. Not even her clothes. “I could eat master… er Victor.”
He started off to the ‘kitchen’ and opened the top to the large metal door and produced a round item wrapped in flexible glass? Or was it cloth that looked like glass? “Victor is fine, I’m going to make a Pizza, I doubt you’ve ever had one, but trust me, they’re great.”
As he worked they continued the questions, “So cultivators are broken up into sects, each one with its own goals and agendas, but all loyal to the Empress?”
Pan nodded, “Yes, and then the Iron Legions are armored mortals who keep the peace throughout the empire, although none of the towns around here are large enough to boast a garrison.”
The metal and glass hinged door was opened and the round cake like object that was placed on a pan was put into it and the door closed. “Ok, twenty minutes and we eat. So tell me, what kin is the Empress?”
Pan looked confused, “The Empress is the Empress, she has no kin.”
Victor wiped his hands on a small dish towel, “So you are rabbit-kin, I’ve met tiger-kin and boar-kin, and others, but she has no kin?”
Pan made a sudden connection, “No, she is like you. She has no kin.”
Victor dropped the dish towel on the counter, “So she’s human.” ________________ “Curse that damnable Victor Cane!” Mei swore as she and Xiang pushed the wagon to free it from the mud once more as the Ox pulling it simply lacked the strength to free it.
Xiang looked to her sect sister, “My my, Mei.” She chuckled at her own word play. “If I didn’t know better I’d say you were getting fixated on the male.”
Mei stared daggers at her companion, she knew she could feel the killing intent, but as they were both second tier, it did little. “The male was aloof, arrogant, cared nothing for face, and ignored me on the battlefield!”
Xiang grinned even more as she climbed aboard the wagon and took the reins. “Don’t think the rest of your sisters haven’t noticed the way you talk about him, you cover your interest with complaint, but it is a thin sheet.”
Mei reached down to her left hand, “He put his hand on mine in the Inn before he flew away on wings of fire. He was trying to comfort me on the loss of our sisters.”
Xiang turned her head sharply, “You didn’t put that in your report, this is the first any of us have heard of it.”
Mei sighed, “I don’t know what to think of it. Male cultivators are so rare, just seeing one outside of the the sect inner circles is a rarity. Most of us never get to even speak to a male cultivator unless we ascend to a high tier within the sect, making us worthy of being in their presence. I wanted to cherish it.”
Xiang smiled as she looked back to the ox before snapping the reins, “I would cherish it too, this is a hard life, mortal men would break in our embrace, but a cultivator male would not. He was a good looking man for a foreigner too.”
Mei shuddered, “That he is, even if a bit rugged, he is evidently a soldier after all.”
Xiangs mischievous grin was back, “I knew it, you were pining over this Victor!”
Mei’s killing intent was definitely felt by Xiang this time as she laughed uproariously at her friends discomfort.
“Fear not my OLDER sister, for in one passing of the moon we will be in the Celestial City and you can deliver your prize to the Empress. I am sure after this you will get to see your handsome soldier again. That is, if the Empress doesn’t take him as her own.” Xiang sang the last part with glee.
Mei stopped glaring, “You don’t think she would do that do you?” She asked.
Xiang laughed so hard she almost fell off the wagon.

Getting tired of this, too. I keep the toilet in the living room, because I have those things in the doors to stop insects and mosquitos from getting in, and cat can't go out all the time and I want her to have access to the toilet all the time. So yeah it's in the living room. So that means each time, I have to carry the toilet to the balcony, place it on a chair because my back and knees hurt a lot, make a mess at the balcony, and then carry it back inside.
The thing is the toilet is heavy, which led to the toilet's top and only handle breaking. A piece of the side broke, too. I've spilled the litter on the floor 3 times. So now I have to carry it holding it from the down side, which makes it heavier and harder. I'm sure it wouldn't have broken if I didn't have to move it around twice a day.
Twice a day is necessary, I've found. Sometimes more. Cat has a habit of pushing all of the litter on the back, so the front remains empty and then just pees where there is no litter. Which makes it more smelly and a mess to clean.
I'm so tired of the litter and I don't know how it's possible people mention cleaning it only once in two days etc.

Hey, so recently I’ve (19F) been questioning my sexuality. It’s been a long journey trying to figure out my identity but recently I’ve been alternating between bi and straight. The last time I had a crush on a real girl was almost two years ago. I had a girlfriend in the past who did terrible things to me, which have also affected my sexuality but i won’t get into that. More recently, I had a boyfriend so I know for sure I’m attracted to men. My most recent female crushes have all been fictional, and I was wondering if I would still count as bi or if i’m lying to myself. It’s just been so long since I’ve been interested in an existing person, especially girls. Any opinions are very much appreciated!!

I just discovered this reddit and now it's like "yay finally a place to vent and throw the tea about this moron" -
So I worked at a local community bank for 6 years up until this past December. I genuinely enjoyed my job for 4 years...and then Dumb Moron was hired on as our manager. Dumb Moron never did her own work, dated and flirted with multiple customers - every break up caused them to close accounts and leave, and made up her own rules regarding PTO and the like.
I was written out for early maternity on bed rest in November 2022, due to having a high risk pregnancy. She was very obviously bothered by this and tried her best my entire last 4 hours there to convince me to not go on bed rest - let's be real it was because I was one of the supervisors who did the work she left. December 2022 we welcomed Baby Boy #2 and all was good...for exactly 24 hours in the hospital. The morning after I had my son, on two hours of sleep at 7 in the morning I got a phone call from a local number I didn't have stored in my phone - my son has a liver issue we have been following and half dead me answered thinking it would be the specialist. It was Dumb Moron, I barely said hello on the phone when I answered it because she rushed to say, and I quote, "Someone told me you had the baby they saw on Facebook, congrats, so when are you coming back?" - the audacity. I quit on the spot, and then immediately called HR and left a voicemail with them. The head of HR called me back and then I immediately forwarded everything about her I documented in my email to them. I don't know what became of her, but I 100% hope she got fired. That was just the final straw for me. Here's an example of things she's done over the 2 years I worked for her:

1. Harassed and Guilted employees who had to call out or schedule PTO. Why? "For not being team players"/ once called off due to my 3 year old throwing up with a fever and couldn't find a sitter - she told me I would have to come in anyway, and I told her fine I'll bring him with and he can puke on the floor. She backed off, but it never stopped her.
2. Told her staff in both branches to "pick all your PTO days ahead of time but in seniority order - don't let people surprise you with things I won't approve any other requested days unless everyone has their days picked at least 5 months in advance"
3. Absolutely nothing except sit in her office crying about her boyfriends loudly on the phone, also fought in the parking lot in front of clients with said boyfriends.
4. Blame her supervisors for account mistakes that she herself made while opening.
5. Look up employee accounts and give employees lectures on their spending habits.
6. Plan and simple, just being a bitch. Talked downt to us and yelled for being "not good enough", "not smart enough" - blamed us for everything when she was the cause of the mistakes. Made us do things out of our pay range and position. Just constant anxiety.

I must say although now I work a part time job a couple days a week, and things are tighter than when I worked full time - the calm I feel is insane compared to when I worked for her.

Hi! I’ll be living in Granada for the next two months and am looking for places were I can relax and or have some nice baked goods on my days off from work. Do any of you know any places with good vibes and good food were I can visit during my time there? I have already tried Kathy’s and The Garden Cafe so maybe some options other than that. Thank you so much in advance!

I met a girl a few years ago and went on a few dates with her. We got on really well (or at least that’s what it felt like to me) but nothing much happened and we eventually stopped talking for one reason or another.
Fast forward to this week, I suddenly get a message from her and since then we’ve been talking everyday. We plan to meet at some point and I can honestly say this is the happiest I’ve been in a while. I almost forgot what it felt like and I’m really starting to like her. She is amazing and we have a lot in common.
But yesterday I feel I may have messed things up. We got onto the subject of past dates with other people over the time we hadn’t talked. We both said the first time we spoke a couple years ago we were both looking for something serious and after she said that she still is, I said I was too. I tried to suggest we could maybe try again, thinking that might be the reason she messaged me again in the first place.
After I said that it feels like something has changed and I think I may have blown it. Messages are getting shorter and I’m starting to get stuck in my own head. I can’t stop thinking I may have overstepped asking her about trying again.
For context, between when we last talked and now, I was diagnosed late with autism (it was kind of a no brainer with stuff I struggle with) and I feel that might play a factor in miss reading the situation. I also haven’t figured out how to tell her yet.
I know also it might too soon for both of us to think about a potential relationship out of this and it definitely is, but I’m starting to like her and I’m feeling nervous a lot and finding it hard to switch my brain off.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I’m just not sure how to figure any of this out and I don’t want to blow a second chance with this amazing girl

Specs:
MAC M1 PRO 16GB 10coreGPU 512ssd
OSX ventura 13.4
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First I tried this method:https://www.reddit.com/macgaming/comments/14307be/diablo_iv_on_m2_max_using_macos_sonoma_and_game/
Then this one: https://www.outcoldman.com/en/archive/2023/06/07/playing-diablo-4-on-macos/
I managed to get D4 running last night, and even played for about 10 mins before I went to bed.
Then this morning I could not get anything to run. The battle.net launcher takes 25-30 mins to open (if even does)
Then I tried https://www.reddit.com/macgaming/comments/143ae4f/comment/jnfav4a/?context=3 This install method, now everything is so fucked. lol
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I have no idea how or what I broke and at what step, but I think from what I gather is at some point my game installed into a Z drive (?idk where tf that came from) when viewing in the wine64 explorer and I have 4 program file folders on my c drive in there. The game itself is located on the mac side, with nothing point wine to actual game anymore. I went through and troubleshot for hours, and FINALLY got Battle.net to launch again. But now no luck launching anything.
Question: If I want to restart the entire process, how would I delete all files and configs from the botched setup I performed? Now I have like 100gb of files (between the games & all the files downloaded via terminal, and I have no idea where they exist on my system and how to get rid of them (lol).
Second quesiton: Is there a way to create a second user profile or someting where I can install the sonoma beta in a clean enviroment on the same system? Like have two boot disk within the main partition (or is this ill-advised)
I will pay someone 100$ if they can remote in (or guide me) to this mess up and get d4 to boot (lol)
my brain is too smooth for this shit bro, I just need my dopamine hits from loot drops in D4:P

Hello !
After some research, I found this two. I read a lot about it and from what I understand :
*Imaging is the precision from where the sound come from
*Soundstage is the distance where you can hear it
Is that correct ?
So, k702 looks like to have the best soundstage while hd560s have the best imaging .... This is where I'm lost haha.
Is there a headset who can do both ( if it's in the same price range as those two i won't mind looking for it ) ? If not which one should I looking for first ? Imaging or soundstage ?
I'm mostly gaming ( fps / mmo / h&s etc )
I have a G6 https://fr.creative.com/p/sound-blastesound-blasterx-g6
Thanks for your help !

Hark kept his boots.
The standard footwear for the Kings infantry was not built with comfort in mind. Hark supposed he would be spending a fair amount of time walking, if not running, from bounty hunters once his brother set the price for his head. Torvinad had chosen a dark green hooded tunic and tanned leather jerkin when selecting the gear for his new personal guard. Assassins hoods paired with light armor and a rapier were not an uncommon choice. High nobility often employed former assassins as their personal guardsmen. The impression it gave to any potential threat was that neither poison nor stealth would be their ally.
Hark donned his new identity and a smile curved up the corner of his mouth as he examined his reflection in a polished bronze shield. He and Torvinad had used the shield as children to apply warpaint for their games, and now a stranger was staring back at him from under that deep hood. He looked like a common Tenari assassin. A man who would not look out of place skulking in the shadows.
Hello Private Winnik, Hark thought.
It suddenly struck Hark what this amount of preparation meant. He looked at his cousin. Torvinad was cautiously sniffing at the mouth of a bottle he had retrieved from the crate and uncorked. He never believed I did it, Hark thought. He came here ready to risk his life to help me escape.
Hark stood up straight and saluted. "Private Winnik, reporting for duty, Fleet Commander Torvinad," he said. Torvinad spit out a mouthful of wine, then smiled and saluted. "Ack," he said, wiping his mouth. "Can't believe we drank this swill. At ease, Private Winnik." Torvinad put down the bottle, then dusted himself off and started for the exit. "Come now, lad! We're late! The Dockmaster will have my hide." Hark had to reach deep down to keep himself from laughing at the thought of his cousin speaking to his subordinates that way. If this persona was going to stick, he had to play the part.
Torvinad led them out of the tunnels and through the commons toward the industrial district and the port beyond. Hark kept his head low to hide his distinct eyes. He was incredulous at how invisible he was to the people milling about. While many were eager to catch the attention of the Fleet Commander, not one of them spared so much as a glance for him.
They arrived at the dock and Torvinads previous assessment about the Dockmaster was in stark contrast to the reality. The man sat in his booth with a thousand yard stare. His face was as white as a sheet. Only one interceptor remained docked nearby. "All right there, Dockmaster?" Torvinad prodded gently. The man met his eyes. "You're late, Fleet Commander. Your men left at the crowns command." Torvinad raised an eyebrow. "All my men?" The Dockmaster shook his head. "Two remained. They're waiting onboard your ship with reinforcements from up top. Nasty lot, those ones. I pity whatever quarry you've been sent to hunt."
Hark counted six men in total, not counting himself and his cousin. Two were evidently loyal to Torvinad, but the presence of the four unknown soldiers gave Hark a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. They set out from Violus. The entire city seemed surrounded by interceptors. Torvinad opened his sealed fleet orders, read them, then put them back in his jacket. "What's our heading, Commander?" The helmsman asked. "South, toward Goalan," Torvinad barked out. A stillness spread amongst the crew.
"We pass over the sea of green."

I know these are the two probably most pitted against each other so I’ve read a handful of comparison reviews, but I’m so torn. I got the APM because I love the apple ecosystem and was tired of my old headphones not switching well between devices. I WFH so seamless integration between my phone and laptop is really ideal. I have a Macbook for work so thought the APM would be the best choice (plus a bunch of other reasons - quality, look, etc).
So it was really tragic when I discovered that you have to use the same Apple ID among all devices to seamlessly change between them. I’m not allowed to sign into my personal Apple ID at work, so I was really bummed by the fact I won’t be able to do this. I thought maybe they’d be able to just do it using multipoint bluetooth connection since pretty much all headphones have had that for the last 5+ years. But Apple doesn’t do that, probably to promote their ecosystem ig.
So I ordered the Sony’s and am really torn. They’re super light and comfortable and seal really well, better than APM. I think the touch controls are really cool and it seems to have a lot of fun features like Spotify Tap, pausing your music when you start talking, changing modes based on activity and location, and a few others. And they were $215 cheaper.
The pros for the Sonys are pretty good, but it’s sorta been a dream to own APM. I’m a full blown Apple groupie. I drank the Koolaid. I love them.
APM sound and look great. The goal was to have these work well with my work laptop, but also I have an iPad and will eventually have a personal Mac or Macbook so can use the seamless integration feature with those.
I know that was a lot of info so if you’ve read to here you’re a trooper. If anyone has any experience with these two or just has any insight into which one they’d choose, I’d love to hear. Is there another really cool feature of either than I’m not considering and should? I have both in my possession rn and really struggling to choose.

https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/forge-update-overview-season4
Header Image ^[Imgur]
Forge will be getting a slew of new updates when Season 4: Infection lands on June 20. Ranging from placeable water to beautiful new Forerunner objects and brand-new mode logic, Forge’s ability to create new experiences is only getting better. These additions, along with some quality-of-life updates and bug fixes, mean there’s never been a better time to start building.
There’s a lot to cover with this update, so let’s dive right into it!

New Objects

Static Water Plane

For the first time in Halo's history, Forge will be receiving a placeable and scalable water object. This static water plane, which is meant to help Forgers art up their creations, will provide an entirely new way to add detail and character to every map.
Before & After on Chasm
A screenshot of Chasm in Forge with the entire center filled with water. ^[Imgur]
Beyond Season 4, we plan on continuing to expand Forge’s water objects with a dynamic volume as well.

Forerunner Object Palette Additions

The visually stunning Forerunner object palette will be getting even more pieces with Season 4. A plethora of new objects and decals - of varying shapes and use cases - will be available for Forgers to use however they see fit. Whether you want to build structures that would reflect the power of the Forerunner ecumene at its peak or create fun-filled custom games, these beautiful objects will now be in your hands in short order.
New Forerunner objects displayed on a Forge canvas. ^[Imgur]

Universal Blocker Object

We currently have very specific types of blocker objects such as Player Blockers, Projectile Blockers, Vehicle Blockers, One Way Blockers, and Team Blockers in Halo Infinite. While this granularity has been extremely valuable, players have had to use multiple blocker objects to smooth out surfaces or add containment on their maps. With Season 4, we’ll be adding a new set of Universal Blockers which will block Players, Vehicles, and Projectiles. This new object type should help speed up a map’s polish phase while also reducing the budget overhead in those situations.

MINIGAME MODE

Minigame, a brand-new game mode in Halo Infinite, will allow creators to build modes from scratch. Much like Halo 5's Minigame mode, this mode contains no underlying game logic and gives Forgers complete control of making the mode they desire.
Along with Minigame’s release, we are excited to be introducing Generic Game Mode Objects to Forge. These objects are decoupled from any mode logic, meaning players will be able to place and script experiences without being tied to a particular mode. Want to capture a hill in a CTF game? Want to gain vampire traits whenever you hit someone with an Oddball in a Slayer match? Want to score points for hurling a ball through an Area Monitor in Last Spartan Standing? We've got you covered.
The three objects you'll have access to in Season 4 are:

• Generic Capture Zone
• Generic Skull
• Generic Ball

New Generic Game Mode Objects displayed on Launch Site. ^[Imgur]
To complement the new mode and Forge objects, scripting via Node Graph will receive a few quality-of-life nodes to make common scripting tasks a little easier. Many of these nodes were requested by members of the Forge community and we were happy to get them included with the launch of Minigame.
In addition to the ~25 nodes associated with the Generic Game Mode objects, here are the new quality of life nodes being added to Node Graph:

• “Get Object By Label” - Make Object Lists without using Object References
• “Get Is Game Mode” - Run logic only in certain game modes
• “Increment Number Variable” – An easier way to Get, Add, and Set advanced number variables
• “Toggle Boolean Variable” – An easer way to Get, Branch, and Set advanced boolean variables
• “Boolean NOT” - Negate a boolean variable. By popular demand.
• “Global Custom Event, Async” – Run custom events asynchronously
• “Stopwatch” nodes – the ability to create, start, pause, and reset timers from any point in script. Stopwatches will be able to trigger other scripts based on how much time has elapsed.

A screenshot showing off Spartans doing silly activities from popular Halo minigames. ^[Imgur]
All of these additions combined mean that when Season 4 launches, Forge will be able to build entirely new modes that combine multiple mode objectives into a single cohesive and entirely unique experience.

Budget Improvements

We’ve also heard the community feedback about wanting to have the various aspects of a map’s budget communicated effectively. We want to ensure creators can take full advantage of each system’s budget, understand it more clearly, and ultimately maximize Forge’s potential.
A screenshot of updated Forge Budget UI. ^[Imgur]
As seen in the image above, the new budget categories will be broken down as follows:

Global Simulation

• The overall cost of entities networked by the game, including dynamic objects, projectiles, units, actions, etc.
• Dev Note: Some global systems like Audio, Stats, and Player Networking will reserve simulation memory when the game starts so they always have bandwidth regardless of what's happening on the map.

Forge Simulation

• The overall cost of Forge specific entities, including dynamic and static objects, prefabs, user strings, Node Graph elements, etc.

Object Limits

• Dynamic
• Total
• Vehicles
• FX Count
• Reflection Volumes
• Movers
  • Dev Note: These are specially marked objects that animate/move before all other objects and can have specialized physics interactions with players. Mover objects will be added to Forge in a future update.
• Animations
• Physics
• Collision
• Static
• Total

Node Graph

• Total: The total % of Node Graph content currently contributing to Simulation Memory.

Scripting Budget

• Each script brain has limits on how many nodes and node connections it can contain. (128 Nodes, 512 connections)

Run Time Budget

The Run Time Budget, shown in Forge Play mode, will switch to showing the runtime budget that is the fullest at any given moment. When runtime budgets are exceeded, the engine stops creating more instances of that type of entity.
Run Time Budget Categories:

• Navpoints
• Objectives
• Managed Objects (objects spawned during play but not part of the map, like weapons, equipment, grenades, etc.)

VFX Improvements

As hinted at in our recent Spartan Chatter episode with Forge Lead Designer, Michael Schorr, the VFX system will also see improvements.
In Season 4, VFX objects—such as placeable fires and explosions—will be able to be scaled to your desired size. These VFX objects are also getting two high-requested toggles to help ensure Forgers can use them in various ways. The new Damage and Audio output options for these VFX objects mean that they don’t always need to deal damage or play sound effects, that can now be determined directly by the map maker themselves.
VFX Scaling
A fire VFX object placed at default size on Deadlock. ^[Imgur]

Quality of Life Updates

We’ve also been working hard to bring additional quality of life (QoL) updates to your existing workflows. One update that will help players art up their maps even faster is that material changes will now affect all objects within a prefab. Previously, only the parent of the prefab would have its material changed, but now this bulk change should help convert a prefab into the desired look even faster.
Another QoL improvement is tied to the asset management side of Forge. Now, when saving a new version of a Forge map in the pause menu, players will be able to add a custom note for that version. This is extremely helpful for documenting changes made during a Forge session, especially when looking at a map’s version history. We expect this to help with personal projects as well as larger group efforts that have multiple collaborators.
Beyond these core additions, improvements, and quality of life updates though, there will also be many bug fixes coming with Season 4. Issues reported to the team via the Halo Support site are shared directly with the Forge team and prioritized based on severity and frequency. If you run into any issues, be sure to submit a ticket so that the team can investigate appropriately.
The full list of bug fixes will be provided in our Season 4 Patch Notes, which will be found at aka.ms/HaloInfiniteUpdate, when the update goes live on June 20.
Thank you for your continued support and constructive feedback on all things Forge. Please do not stop sharing your feature requests and bug reports (and everything in between) with us. We built this tool for you, and we want to make sure it’s something you can enjoy—whether you’re Forging or playing experiences created in Forge.
We’re excited to place all of these new and improved Forge tools in your hands shortly and we look forward to seeing what you can create in Season 4 on June 20.
This post was made by a script written and maintained by the Halo mod team to automatically post blogs from Halo Waypoint. If you notice any issues with the text output or think this was posted by mistake, please message the mods.

32 and have been struggling since with my mental health since I was 14. About 10 years I just started getting sick all the time, most mornings and I used to wake up get sick for an hour or and go about my day. The past year it has gotten unbearable I’ve been to several doctors and the ER dozens of time’s but nobody has been able to tell me what I’m dealing with. I’m in a toxic relationship, I can’t find a job and I worry that even if I do find one that I’ll just lose it because of my health. My wife has been the one supporting me for the last 6 months which she is awesome for, we just make each other happy anymore and she deserves better. I’m just ready to throw in the towel. All my effort has been for nil and I’m in exactly the same place I was at when I was 20 and I don’t want to do it anymore just to end up miserable everyday. I’m waiting to tie up the last of my current affairs. I told my wife I was going to move out after I sell something last night, so she can at least pay rent and I can get a full tank of gas. I going to move out my stuff and then I’m going to drive to the desert and say goodbye. I hope it doesn’t take long to sell, it’s all I’ve been thinking about for weeks and I’m just ready.

This post features further information on Update 5 and helps to open up a new quest line. Please do not read unless you wish to know more about 'the forgetting' storyline introduced in this update.
Once you've completed your quest to the dark castle, to save the forgotten, and have returned to Dream light Valley, don't forget to return to the dark castle. You'll be able to access it using the portal Merlin created next to the Plaza wishing well. As you enter the dark castle, step on the white square down by the first door. You'll be teleported to the second floor where you will find 'The Orb of Unity'. This is the final orb for the valley. Return to Dreamlight Valley and place this in the pillar on Dazzle Beach, besides skull rock. From there, let the story will continue...
In the comments below, I will include some information on the next quest 'Between A Skull Rock And A Hard Place Quest'.

I guess this is going to be a controversial opinion, but I'll share it.
I really like this subreddit because this is where I find a lot of Muslims with whom I share more common grounds than traditional conservative Muslims. I would say on almost everything, except one or two handful topics. And the topic of homosexuality (act of homosexuality) is one of them. I don’t believe that gay sex is permissible in Islam which a lot of people here seem to believe. No, I don’t condone violence or believe that people should be killled or harmed, but at the same time I don’t believe that the act of homosexuality is allowed in Islam. And I looked at the opinions of some of the most promoted scholars here, like Dr Khaled Abou El Fadl, Dr Shabir Ally, Mufti Abu Layth and all of them actually hold this opinion. That sexual intercourse between two people of the same gender is haram. I've looked into some of the arguments of the other side that say it is permissible but I don’t find it convincing.
I don't intend to start debate with anyone on this topic here in this post (if I wanted to debate, I would have gone to the megathread), but because it seemed to me that this is one of the few points where I disagree with a lot of people on this subreddit despite agreeing on almost everything else, I thought I should tell this to you guys. I don’t believe having feelings for someone of the same sex is prohibited, but it’s the sexual intercourse that's prohibited. Also, I wouldn’t call anyone a kafir here for having that other opinion, you follow what you find convincing, but if you ask me then I would say that I personally am not convinced by the arguments of the other side.

Hey guys. I live in the Atkins Hall/ River Towers estate. A couple of times a summer we can hear a rock concert in what seems to be a stately-ish home next to us. I’m here 6 years and have heard it I reckon every year. Apparently, it’s an invite only thing. I crept up the drive one evening to be met with anti trespassing signs which is fair enough so didn’t go any further. The entrance to the house is on Lee road and looks completely inconspicuous. An acquaintance of mine said he was at a gig there, randomly approached by a man on Grand Parade who handed him an invite.
Has anyone ever been? What’s the story there. Seems like a mad event where sick and twisted things take place. I want in.

Deuteronomy 28:15-68

But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
"The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me. The Lord will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. The Lord will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish. And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. The Lord will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed.
“The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. And your dead body shall be food for all birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one to frighten them away. The Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt, and with tumours and scabs and itch, of which you cannot be healed. The Lord will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of mind, and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind grope in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. And you shall be only oppressed and robbed continually, and there shall be no one to help you. You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall ravish her. You shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it. You shall plant a vineyard, but you shall not enjoy its fruit. Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat any of it. Your donkey shall be seized before your face, but shall not be restored to you. Your sheep shall be given to your enemies, but there shall be no one to help you. Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, while your eyes look on and fail with longing for them all day long, but you shall be helpless. A nation that you have not known shall eat up the fruit of your ground and of all your labours, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually, so that you are driven mad by the sights that your eyes see. The Lord will strike you on the knees and on the legs with grievous boils of which you cannot be healed, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head.
“The Lord will bring you and your king whom you set over you to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known. And there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone. And you shall become a horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where the Lord will lead you away. You shall carry much seed into the field and shall gather in little, for the locust shall consume it. You shall plant vineyards and dress them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes, for the worm shall eat them. You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil, for your olives shall drop off. You shall father sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours, for they shall go into captivity. The cricket shall possess all your trees and the fruit of your ground. The sojourner who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, and you shall not lend to him. He shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.
“All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you. They shall be a sign and a wonder against you and your offspring forever. Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you. The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand, a hard-faced nation who shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young. It shall eat the offspring of your cattle and the fruit of your ground, until you are destroyed; it also shall not leave you grain, wine, or oil, the increase of your herds or the young of your flock, until they have caused you to perish.
“They shall besiege you in all your towns, until your high and fortified walls, in which you trusted, come down throughout all your land. And they shall besiege you in all your towns throughout all your land, which the Lord your God has given you. And you shall eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of your sons and daughters, whom the Lord your God has given you, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemies shall distress you. The man who is the most tender and refined among you will begrudge food to his brother, to the wife he embraces, and to the last of the children whom he has left, so that he will not give to any of them any of the flesh of his children whom he is eating, because he has nothing else left, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy shall distress you in all your towns. The most tender and refined woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because she is so delicate and tender, will begrudge to the husband she embraces, to her son and to her daughter, her afterbirth that comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears, because lacking everything she will eat them secretly, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy shall distress you in your towns.
“If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God, then the Lord will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting. And he will bring upon you again all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. Every sickness also and every affliction that is not recorded in the book of this law, the Lord will bring upon you, until you are destroyed. Whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, you shall be left few in number, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God. And as the Lord took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the Lord will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you. And you shall be plucked off the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
“And the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. And among these nations you shall find no respite, and there shall be no resting place for the sole of your foot, but the Lord will give you there a trembling heart and failing eyes and a languishing soul. Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life. In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and at evening you shall say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see. And the Lord will bring you back in ships to Egypt, a journey that I promised that you should never make again; and there you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer.”

Basically the title. I’ve never travelled more than an hour at a time with LO. 5 hours isn’t all that crazy, but it will be the first long trip. Baby and I going with my sister and mom to visit family out of state. I will be driving, and my mom will be riding with us for at least a bit (sister driving separately).
What I have thought of so far: - Drive 2 hours, take a 1.5-2.5 hour break - Keep the diaper bag handy for stops
And that’s literally all I can think of! I’m debating leaving at 5am, so baby sleeps the first two hours (usual wake up is 7am) and then will be awake when we stop. Other option is to leave at 9am at the start of baby’s first of two naps. Wake windows are 2/3/4 at the moment, and we just transitioned to that schedule this past week.
TIA!

as a kid i remember playing some final fantasy games in a mobile phone (nokia e72). maybe if you know which ff are supported in this phone.
i think they are pre ff5 but i dont remember any specifics of what i played. i only remember there were "warriors of light" or smth in 1 of them. i could also switch between many kinds of jobs. had 4 or + chatacters. there was icy country or place in one of them.
i think i played 2 different final fantasy games back them. i cant figure out which ones i played back then.
ig it is a little confusing but if you know.. please lemme know too 😅 thanks