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Well, *I* bought a Subaru Crosstrek 2.5L. ...did look at others with similar sizing/shape but just like 23 years ago, Subaru is seemingly only co. making cars like I want. I'm no speed/sportster driver but I cannot go back to the 1.5L type cars or whatever, especially w/an Automatic. And I hate trunks. ...unlike 23 years ago, we just wrote a check. 🥳 ...I'm going to hate all the computer crap of modern cars but oh well times are what they are. At least this one still has a manual parking brake, ffs. ...most importantly, the sales dude was a tall geeky fellow who saw my Pillars of Eternity t-shirt and thus we were talking games, tech, and gpu shortages during waiting moments.

Legend of Galactic Heroes 1-7 (the original series from the 80s/90s) I was looking forward to this and I am not disappointed. This is a really good Sci-Fi. I will include some minor spoilers here and anything more serious I will hide. The story takes place near the year 3600, with humanity divided into two nations: the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance. The Alliance was founded by fugitives from the empire that left 270 years before the events in the series. The “rebels”, as the empire calls them, escaped to a system far away, in another arm of the galaxy, and since they restablished contact with the empire, they have been continuously at war, for 150 years. This is the map shown in the anime (no spoilers): This one looks better, but I don't know if it is official. It does seem to be from before the remake: The battles: They are interesting and fast paced. They are heavily based on fleet formations and surprising the enemy. I’m not sure why they can surprise each other though, since there is no explanations about the FTL system, how far their sensors can see or the distances involved. Bigger spoilers below: The characters: There are a lot of characters here. And since most of them wear the same military uniforms, it is easy to confuse who is who sometimes. But they seem to be complex enough based on what I have seen so far. Btw, the image above calls the empire “Reich” and I saw a non spoiler review implying that they may be like the nazi. But they don’t seem to be that bad, at least not for now. They are an authoritarian regime with the privileged nobility and everyone has german names, but they don’t appear to go beyond that. They do have a bad taste for uniforms though, which looks a lot like the nazi: There is also an independent “City-State”, Phezzan, located in a very strategic position, one of the only two routes connecting the main powers. Their leader looks like a Bond villain and Lex Luthor. I’m sure he won’t cause any troubles. Nothing to see here.

Death Trash got a playable demo.

I didn't call your thread garbage. I called the greater issue of culture wars garbage, and asked why you believed that that particular story merited its own thread outside of the politics thread -- for which no adequate answer was given. Regardless I did not take any action as the thread did not break any rules per se. As I recall, you admitted that you had fundamentally misunderstood your own story and admitted it could have been posted in the politics thread in the first place. And that's as far as I'm willing to take take this tangent about moderation in public. Any further questions, please take them to PM.

Recap by the driver of the robbery video I link a while back.

I'm still going to wait for the Ultimate FF7-Remake, Remastered, 8K/RT/DLSS PC edition that will have all of them (however many that ends up being - 3? 4? who knows?) in one package for ... 🤔 ... $149? I might still be alive then.

I could use one of those. I have a 3-day buyer's remorse policy to return the Crosstrek ($250 extra!) if I want, maybe I should.... Sadly I can barely stand all the microchip car stuff, I don't think I'm ready to consider a plugin/special fuel car even as a town-about. I looked that one up tho - it's a nice sporty looking thing, sweet. That weird pale blue color isn't what I would've picked but up here all the car lots are almost empty. Like, only a few buyable ones, period. If you ordered something it probably won't arrive for a few months, we felt rushed because of that. >.> We went to the lot, looked, left, came back 90 minutes later, test drove (only one they had left) ... and just as we sat down to buy, another rep wanted to know if our rep had the key for the thing because someone outside wanted to buy it. HAHA we got there first. Also: "Why do all the lights/headlights come on when I just want to unlock the door?" "Why is there a screen message of "Drift Lane" (or something like that) when I'm on a straightaway and am not drifting?" "Why is there a LED letter in the rear view mirror?" "I hate this backup camera/screen that flashes distractedly on automatically in reverse, can I turn that off" *press keyfob to lock doors* *reach out to door handle to make sure it's locked* "Why is the side view mirror lighting up and the door is unlocked?" (repeat a few times) ..."oh, maybe it's keyfob proximity." ... I had to put the keyfob on the kitchen table and walk back out to check if it was actually locked. Better really trust that keyfob to do its thing.... ...I do like not needing a key to start the engine, but that means the keyfob has to be tossed somewhere vs. hanging off the ignition. ...also, can I whinge that having to wait something like 12+ seconds for the power seat to finish slllowwwllyy moving the seat forward to where I want it (hubby has long legs...) is really annoying vs. a manual lever where I can scoot it forward in about 1 second?

Ok, I bought a Toyota Mirai. First new car I have ever owned and it is fancy. There was a ton of incentives to make it affordable, but I still walked out twice, so I think I got them down to a decent price. Actually the haggling is mostly over how much my trade-in is worth.

Waiting for lunch to be served

Don't get me wrong I like the concept of the Haze Biome and understand why there would be some fog; however, it's just kinda weird that despite wearing a mask with goggles, the fog is just as thick. For me personally, I have trouble seeing in the fog and often find myself exploded or attacked on, all because I couldn't see an enemy coming from diagonally in front of me. (Also an additional off-topic note, when I found the last Juice-Bow in the haze, I did not get the mutation. Idk if that's a bug or not...) Anyway my pitch is to allow the gas mask to reduce the thickness of the fog a bit to make things a little more clearer. Maybe even give an armor set that can do so? (Tho if there was an armor set, a good set bonus should be poison immunity of all kinds)

I'll root for the Bucks against the Hawks, Sixers, and Clippers. I'll root against them if they face the Suns. Sorry @Bartimaeus

I'm rooting for them but so prepping for disappointment

The downfall of traditional movie posters is pretty despicable. There are many older movies whose conceptual poster(s) gave off such specific vibes and themes that they immediately interested me in watching them, and they were very often surprisingly accurate and true to that, making the artistry even more impressive. Sadly, even on the rare occasion I see art in a poster for something new(er), the artistry seems to simply no longer be there as it used to be. Oh well.

Like a third of the time, it looks like they have it and could go the distance; one of the other thirds they look like they're an 8th seed that only just barely qualified off of a play-in game; the last third they don't even look like a professional basketball team. I don't know exactly what I'm watching, but it surely does not inspire confidence.

Weight works differently on a flat Earth. I'm happy to see the Suns take game 1. If they play every other day, I can't see CP3 back any sooner than game 5 or 6. Hopefully Devin Booker & Co. can hold the fort until then.

I made a Kind Wayfarer's Paladin with very similar stats. Using Bloody Slaughter and Strange Mercy he's really good at getting killing blows and pumping out healing to the party. I plan to pick up mourning gloves and i'm still looking for other items that might give either bonuses on kill or bonuses against low health enemies to help secure the final blows.

They start as mid game challenges (you can also do some at quite low levels with some decent tactics) and slowly become more difficult. With the expansions there are other places to get bounties which are really difficult. If you manage to do the early ones at low levels it's quite a boost in XP and item quality.

I really love the 50s sci-fi and creature feature style posters: It's too bad we don't get posters like this much any more.

@BruceVC am admitted not sure how to dispel your confusion. the above quoted material were your worst case scenario of the fantasized prosecution o' folks for expressing antigovernmental ideology, a hobgoblin gd conjured outta the internet ether with the help o' an obscure journalist and a red sharpie pen. you were also angered by putin's transparent whataboutism regarding january 6. russia declares opposition groups extremist and dangerous and then uses such as an excuse to imprison protesters and prevent anybody even tangential related to the extremist group in question from running for elected office in russia. according to putin is ok though, 'cause look at the chaos o' january 6 and see how the US jailed and prosecuted those individuals bringing their complaints to the Capitol on january 6. cringeworthy, and bruce agreed putin's actions and excuses regarding russian protesters were unjustified. nevertheless, when barr and trump were engaged in illegal behavior o' suppression, you defended them. barr and trump claimed their authority arose from the fact the protesters, as a group, were engaged in seditious behavior, anti-governmental behavior. blm and antifa were dangerous extremist groups. however, the individuals whisked away in unmarked vans and imprisoned were not subject to any probable cause findings and there were no warrants issued for their arrests. the American Citizens in portland and elsewhere, denied right to counsel and due process, were not committing crimes when they were treated much like russian protesters, and all too frequent subjected to similar levels o' violence and thuggery as part o' their apprehension and detention. the crime the folks whisked away by nameless agents in the dead o' night were guilty of was associating with blm. how do we know this? 'cause none of 'em were actually charged with crimes. you defended such actions as reasonable, 'cause blm and antifa, in your mind is dangerous. you didn't need proof that the persons denied basic Constitutional rights by trump and barr's stormtroopers actual committed crimes because, according to barr and trump, they were affiliated with blm. during the summer your were defending the same argument as putin made at his presser and you don't realize it or are purposeful ignoring. for putin, the denial o' basic freedoms and rights is okie dokie 'cause the people being prevented from running for office or who were detained during the recent widespread protests in russia were affiliated with dangerous extremist organizations. is exact same argument made by barr, trump (and bruce) during the summer when it were blm protesters who were being arrested w/o due process o' law. again, barr used sedition laws to claim he had authority to carry out his illegal suppression. blm and antifa, and anybody barr or trump claimed were affiliated with those undeserving o' basic rights o' every other American Citizen. but again, the proverbial cherry on top is, given an opportunity to imagine a "worse case scenario" o' the government denying freedoms and rights 'cause a person or group embraces the wrong ideology, you latch onto blm... as the source o' oppression. is something broken, and am not certain how to fix. HA! Good Fun!

For whats its worth, Nestle is a Swiss company, but the US branch is probably the only part of the giant multi-headed monster it is, they could at least try to drag to court (when in the US).

no. the article is a bit misleading. the ruling in the case in question were extreme narrow, and it looks like five (at least) Justices is agreeing that US corporations may be sued under the ATS (alien tort statute), but the particular case in question did not present a justiciable cause o' action. in this specific case, a us corporation (nestlé) bought product from private farms operating in the ivory coast, private owned farms not owned or operated by the us corporation. ats is old law btw. 1789. might need to be updated to recognize how corporations should not be allowed to avoid responsibility just 'cause they is only tangential involved in wrongdoing or if they maybe knowingly traffic with nogoodniks but do not explicit engage in the tortious behavior from which plaintiffs seek recovery. the Court simple recognized the judiciary lacks authority to create new causes o' action, but again, multiple Justices, in a concurring opinion, made it extreme clear that US corporations is not able to avoid legal responsibility just 'cause wrongdoing happens beyond the borders o' the US. however, because is not the US, Congress needs to create authority to sue and the ats current has a few gaps in coverage. is another situation where Congress needs fix a problem. don't hold your breath waiting. HA! Good Fun!

LC, that's a fierce looking car. Pictures of mine will have to wait. They didn't have my color in stock (charcoal) so I have a loaner for the time being. The Mirai definitely feels futuristic. It has all the sensors and self parking stuff. Plus it has butt coolers, which was great on a hot day. I also hear I may need to fight people at the hydrogen stations to fill it up, so very Mad Max futuristic.

Feel like driving the future?

Yes. Once you have multiple lashes going from eternal devotion, turning wheel and hylea's talons you'll find that the forbidden fist attack will often one shot squishies and mobs, and even take satisfying chunks out of the health pool of tougher foes (which is diminished via being enfeebled).

I get my fix of that in the political threads. It was an absolute power move. Stardust Crusaders really does step up in a lot of ways. @InsaneCommander

This looks gorgeous. I felt like watching it as soon as I saw this image. But then I saw the other image.😥 I binge watched AoT's first 2-3 seasons, so I don't remember very well what happens on each one, it is just one thing for me. I didn't care that much for the monologues, but I felt really annoyed by how much they delayed I swore I wouldn't watch any more Picard. But I confess I'm interested. I'm going to hate it anyway. Finally started Legend of Galactic Heroes. I'll post my impressions later.

It does, you just need to crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women beforehand.

I certainly wouldn't believe what they say, in the religious sense, and they clearly have a particular political position to impress upon. (with such things it's usually a question of how much you can independently verify, and for intelligence leaks that isn't much, usually not even whether they were genuine leaks let alone genuine information being leaked. There have been persistent rumours of high level defections, but that's been the case for a year+, we know (more or less) that the Chinese rolled up the CIA network in China... but anything apart from that needs more than just an anonymous source who may or may not exist. There's also the question of sources gilding the lily, like the infamous Curveball of 'mobile Iraqi CW labs' infamy, and why a leaker would chose that site to leak to when they'd have to know that many would dismiss the information based on who was saying it. More or less wait and see, if the defector exists and is giving the information stated others will start getting leaks soon or (some of) the information would be shared with the public)

I absolutely think that choice and reactivity is important, but for me how interesting those choices are is more important that how many they are or how much unique content they have. For example there is a big central conflict between two factions in BG3 and I feel there is a right way to proceed. There are few other ways one can handle the situation, but those others are **** paths - and not selfish ****, as if: I am screwing other people over, but it benefits me. Just yolo ****. I intentionally created an evil rogue character, and most of the time I couldn't justify following the evil path.

Well it's amusing to a certain generation...

If you're looking for a Melee Priest, both Berath and Wael can be great options. Multiclassing with Fighter or Monk would give you strong synergies and stellar Melee power, I would probably go more with Fighter for survivability in Solo (especially if doing Berath as Wael has more defensive spells built in). But a Monk gives very strong active and passive abilities/bonuses that complement spellcasting very well too. I think from an RP POV, Berath/Fighter can give you a strong Death Knight type of feel. There was a nice thread below about it, and it's been discussed in other threads if you're willing to search the forum. I think the suggestion to use Morning Star as primary weapon + the summoned Berath weapon could work really well. Or stick to 2H swords, there is a nice one that you can forge early and that looks and feels quite Berath-y. You will keep cheese to a relative minimum that way. There are indeed lots of more or less legitimate ways to break the game in Deadfire . One of the strongest cheese you can use as a priest is Barring Death Door paired with things that prolong effects (Wizard's Wall of Draining, Salvation of Time). This particular thing is not an exploit or a bug, just some nice cheese. Final thoughts: For Fighter, you may go no-subclass or maybe Unbroken. Devoted is very good and appealing, but very restrictive for a first playthrough. For Monk I could see Forbidden Fist, Nalpazca, of course Helwalker is super strong but also very squishy (maybe then Helwalker-Wael). with a Priest/Fighter or Priest/Monk you will Solo Veteran very well, if you aren't very familiar with the game mechanics maybe Upscaled will be a bit too punishing for a first playthrough, especially because Deadfire's difficulty is very front-loaded (i.e. the first island). Being a new player who wants to Solo, I would personally start on Normal and increase the difficulty as I go when I feel confident and too strong for Normal. You will solo all the critical path and the vast majority of the optional content, but if you want to have the potential tools to do absolutely every optional fight that the game has to throw at you while Soloing, Priest/Bloodmage would be stronger (one of the strongest power playing combo that people use to beat The Ultimate). Just my 2 cents. Have fun!

@Ansalon I would say that these lists are amazing for reasons that were not intended. I am relatively new to the forum (at least as active contributor), but this is the first time I see the informative gear lists like these outside of wikis AND they come with short descriptions. Clearly a lot of effort went into making these. I'd say due to the game being so mechanically reach, it would be very difficult to rank gear for all builds in general. What would be INCREDIBLY AMAZING is compiling all these tier lists into one general neutral gear reference compendium post. Value of this to newcomers to the game would go through the roof. I am on my 5th or 6th (if we get all partials into one) play-through and was searching for the best Solo tank weapon for over an how due to gamepedia pages devouring my 16GB of Ram like is was a free fairy cake in the middle of Walmart. List like that would have pointed me in the right direction right away though Lists are good: look at how well Boeroer's class compendium list is doing - it's pinned and everything. At worst Build builders can copy-paste these links into their guides, so that poor sods like me could access Gnipon Prudanesko and Waharai Poraragwa pages by clicking links and not typing items names in google