Gromnir

deadfire xoti ends in much different places depending on how interact with the character. if there were to be a poe3, is hard to imagine bringing back xoti as a full companion, though we would applaud the effort. would be functional writing two different characters and no pallegina gymnastics would be satisfactory in creating a unified startpoint equal plausible for campy-psychotic xoti to share with her mirror-universe twin. would be fantastic if obsidian took the effort to keep both xotis as companions, but given her lack o' popularity we don't see as likely. ... at this point it might be more than a bit presumptuous to assume a poe3 into existence. moot. HA! Good Fun!

am thinking much o' the xoti hate is baggage folks bring to the character rather than anything wrong with the character. is not poor written. xoti is one o' the characters who has potential for real change. the opportunity for growth is admitted binary, but is nevertheless drastic and meaningful. xoti also makes for an intriguing contrast to durance. equal zealot, but unlike the betrayed priest o' magran, the disciple o' gaun from deadfire is... sunny, at least initial. is no hidden agenda or attempts to manipulate. is no secrets. whatever hypocrisy in xoti is inherent in the teachings o' her faith, 'cause she lives honest and genuine and cheerful in spite o' following a god of reaping. oh, and she is prophetic accurate. when eothas comes back, his behavior is different. sure, is same old eothas, but he is a metaphorical God of Reaping even if he ain't one in fact. where he goes, he leaves a trail o' soulless husks behind and his ultimate plan has the kith o' eora facing a season o' harvest wherein the wheat will be separated from the chaff. the thing is, a whole lotta folks who play crpgs who do not like organized religion and who has been brought up in a world where faith is a dirty word. religious people is at best naive and obtuse, and at worst dangerous fanatics, yes? and yeah, the injection o' a healthy dose o' oklahoma makes xoti seem a bit ridiculous nevertheless, in spite o' being genuine and pleasant, xoti is the companion who folks most likely instant dislike. 'cause she is religious? is a shame. those pro-life, midwestern bible thumpers xzar seems to dislike, is 'mongst the most generous people you will ever meet. while they may be against abortion and won't listen to arguments to the contrary, those yokels would also be the folks most likely to take a pregnant teen mother into their home, no questions asked, and give her a place to sleep and food to eat, 'cause such is the christian thing to do. yeah, there is hypocrites pretending to be christian and those folks deserve scorn, but many (most?) is the cliché salt o' the earth which the current generation is in increasing short supply. most o' the would-be existentialists don't seem to realize when nietzsche observed, "god is dead," it were a lament. xoti were written to challenge. am thinking it is telling that a companion who has legit and rare gameplay value and is nice engenders such dislike. HA! Good Fun! ps full disclosure, xoti grated on Gromnir nerves for same reasons she likely annoys others. zealotry. saccharine-sweet. hillbilly. nevertheless, am able to see the value in the character and am recognizing our annoyance is more a flaw in our character and not in hers.

so long, and thanks for all the fish. HA! Good Fun!

halfway through first mistborn novel is as far as we ever got with sanderson. weren't sooper terrible, but characters were theatrical, predictable and flat. were set up as a series, and we couldn't see our self reading another thousand or so pages o' same characters. the guy is prolific and popular, so clear he is doing something right. perhaps we didn't give him enough o' a chance, but we don't actual regret stopping halfway through first mistborn. with dark materials becoming the new hbo epic fantasy series following got, perhaps gd gives pullman's books a try. can be the snooty know-it-all at the water cooler on monday morning who infrequent slips in an observation 'bout how books did such-n'-such different than the tv episode. HA! Good Fun!

the other sandbox pathfinder adventure path were skull and shackles, which were kinda what we were hoping deadfire would be. obsidian coulda' taken much inspiration from pathfinder's pirates, not least of which were the free sails regatta and neil spicer's island. unfortunate for owlcat, obsidian just did pirates. carrion crown might be a good option, and one shady would find inherent intriguing. vampires. well, not just vampires, but all the traditional gothic horror stuff. the thing is, we believe carrion crown were paizo's best effort towards making non-combat gameplay central to an ap. could achieve many/most goals w/o combat. regardless, gots the werewolves and vampires and even frankenstein stuff which some people like and also has unique non-combat opportunities owlcat would no doubt screw every which way so as to make Gromnir regret ever suggesting carrion crown. win-win, no? HA! Good Fun!

a year or so remote, we watched video o' entrance examinees for west point. for pushups, showed a 2-minute time limit, but had to maintain 4-point contact during 2-minutes: only hands and feet touching ground. prospect could "rest" by pausing and kinda arching back upwards. if knees or elbows touched ground, time were called. not certain if am giving a decent visual. HA! Good Fun!

kingdom building were what set the kingmaker adventure path apart from other pathfinder ap. unfortunate, the kingdom building as implemented by owlcat were more 'bout frustration and annoyance than anything else. anybody willing to suffer kingmaker ee and provide feedback 'bout real changes made to kingdom building will enjoy our genuine and heartfelt thanks. HA! Good Fun! ps as disappointed as we were with owlcat's kingmaker, am hoping they make a second pathfinder game. sure, kingmaker were a buggy mess, but there were obvious potential. would be disappointed if kingmaker were a one-off.

gonna indulge (relative) uncharacteristic brevity. improvement: combat mechanics with a specific nod to shift towards per-encounter as 'posed to resting. regression: lack of thematic focus, particularly 'mongst companion stories. poe had a unified theme and all companion stories reinforced the common theme. poe storytelling total were greater than sum o' parts. converse, deadfire were all over the freaking map. back to largely thematic insular companion stories and a critical path narrative which answered no great questions 'cause it asked none. HA! Good Fun!

does anybody know what the service academy physical fitness requirements is? am not talking entrance requirements, but rather those pf standards for those already accepted. am assuming cadets and plebes gotta maintain a basic level o' fitness. the reason am asking is 'cause we saw a picture o' folks 'bout to graduate from west point and we were kinda startled by the number o' folks who look like they had enjoyed far more jelly donuts than had private pyle. sure, marine boot camp is a different situation, but am recalling touring annapolis, west point and the air force academy during the late 80s and every cadet and plebe we met, regardless o' gender, appeared to be in peak physical condition. anybody know what is pf standards at academies or if standards have changed in recent times? am genuine kinda curious as we were a bit embarrassed by the prevalence o' doughy cadets 'bout to graduate from west point. HA! Good Fun!

can only imagine the collective statewide stroke which would befall alabama if nick saban, as a matter o' conscience, announced he would cease all coaching activities until the new abortion law were repealed or declared unconstitutional. HA! Good Fun!

horrible. just terrible. 'course, the chinese had already agreed to make numerous changes to law and had in fact already passed some such legislation in 2018. substantial edits to China's pre existing agreement to make changes you suggest never happen prompted the newest rounds o' tariffs. and yeah, give Chinese power to investigate and impose tariffs on US for violation o' the agreement were widely criticized. oh, wait. ktchong didn't get that far into his reading 'bout the deal? both US and China has power to determine when the other party has failed to meet substance o' the agreement and to impose punishments for such violations. buying US goods in greater amounts were considered a non-issue until recent tariffs. china were already buying more. were recent tariffs which had US farmers needing tens o' billions o' dollars in support 'cause China abandoned US sources in retaliation for tariffs. nevertheless, get the agreement codified in chinese law were gonna be tough, and were a seeming insurmountable hurdle from the outset. chinese wanted codification to come in the form o' regulatory and administrative actions. problem is, the chinese has shown little reluctance in changing regulatory and administrative actions at whim. "dew on a summer rose" ephemeral has been previous minor agreements. given how chinese has weaponized trade in past decade, is no reason to believe the chinese were serious 'bout adhering to agreement any longer than were clear advantageous to them. from the start, this whole deal appeared more theatrical than anything. both xi and trump saw opportunities for gain by playing at agreement? china's 11th hour edits pulled back the curtain on their intentions, but trying to determine what motivates trump in this little drama remains elusive. recent difficulties with china has had US companies looking for sources outside china and this trade war will no doubt accelerate such movement away from shanghai and beijing, but such seems far too long-range for trump. regardless, as to the enumerated list... *snort* HA! Good Fun!

well, as this new incarnation is the now requisite musical episode found in series HA! Good Fun!

pallegina only makes sense complete insulated from poe. as such you must mean deadfire pallegina's devotion makes sense, 'cause in poe1, she were able to consider a greater good beyond the Ducs. infact, she might even eventual go off and join the kind wayfarers who obviously welcomed her following her disgrace and exile by the Ducs. nevertheless, with the kind wayfarer end, pallegina felt like an outsider (insert sad-face emoji) and eventual groveled her way back into the Duc's good graces after a few years, a fate she blames on the watcher. pallegina's devotion in poe were to the Ducs, but more important were dedication to ideals. the paladin made a choice knowing the likely consequences. the possibility she would choose to betray the trust o' the Ducs were specific written into poe. kind wayfarer pallegina, after suffering a couple years o' loneliness, came to regret her choice and her devotion to right and justice. poe2 pallegina, embracing the zealotry o' a convert, abases herself before the Ducs and then becomes the Republic devotee you describe. blame the gods. blame the watcher. bah. the Ducs are the one's who exiled pallegina for doing what she believed were right, for following the code she were taught by the Republics, but is the Ducs to whom she crawls seeking salvation and mercy. ... is nothing wrong with writing pallegina as an overt contempt-worthy lickspittle. woulda' been intriguing if josh did such. instead, he writes pallegina as one confident in her honor in spite o' fact she is clear an irresponsible hypocrite. josh took conflict outta the character. amputated the potential for growth. worst deadfire companion. HA! Good Fun!

for the star trek fans (who may already know) and anybody else curious 'bout origins of mary sue label. The Women Who Coined the Term 'Mary Sue' “Science fiction fandom, in general, was like 80 percent men,” Ferraro ballparks. “'Star Trek' fandom was the exact opposite; at least 75 percent women.” had no idea. HA! Good Fun!

constantine? am admitting it would be kinda kewl, though am s'posing he looks a bit too much like emo-edér. tough part would be deciding if the trench is khaki or ecru. HA! Good Fun!

the real lesson from this: it is almost always better to order the larger pizza, regardless o' the s'posed deal offered on a medium or small. HA! Good Fun!

fyi, if you wanna pass the patriotism portion o' civics test which would be part o' trump's new immigration plan, you would need know washington's farewell address or jefferson's letter to the danbury baptist association. not familiar with jefferson's letter? is maybe a few thousand americans who is gonna recognize name w/o context. is where jefferson introduces the "wall of separation" language into the constitutional lexicon. https://usconstitution.net/jeffwall.html the wall were, for the most part, abandoned in 1947. is some few who hold to hard line drawn by jefferson, but most on the Court, particularly textualists who is often identified as "conservative" or right leaning, adopted less severe readings. vast majority read establishment as admoning preferential treatment for religious groups. those in la may wonder why 'round christmas there is dozens o' different religious displays on the la courthouse lawn... or maybe you don't wonder. regardless, reason is 'cause current popular reading o' establishment clause makes so if a nativity display is ok'd by State, then menorah, statues o' baphomet and the kwanzaa bot also deserve space. is also a few, such as clarence thomas, who claim the establishment is mere a prohibition on the fed from creating a state church. ironic, but has been right-leaning religious groups who is the most common and ardent opponents o' wall of separation. want private religious schools to benefit from a voucher program? wall o' separation is language gonna be used by opponents. HA! Good Fun!

gd has been more than a little self-contradictory lately. talks specific 'bout what pete can and cannot do... then says he ain't speaking 'bout what pete as a presidential candidate "can not" do. is confusing. nevertheless, am doubtful even he would suggest those evil democrats, bent on changing history (a scenario made more plausible by pete dinner comments) would attempt such bold changes. the cries o' anguish over changes in history rare revolve 'round the kinda stuff you speak o'. date of gettysburg? text of magna carta? no, the stuff getting changed is the details and the conclusions historians draw from accepted facts. in the south, for example, history books has had a tendency to teach the causes o' the civil war different than in the north and the rest o' the planet. is not southern history books changing names and dates o' established events. nevertheless, the history o' the civil war is considerable different based on the authorship, regardless o' consistency o' established facts. were robert e. lee a great man? dunno. is not really a history question. he were an effective general (though have suggested elsewhere how south woulda' benefited if longstreet were in charge) but greatness ain't necessarily a matter o' selected uniform accepted facts and dates and events. dunno. am not sure what gd means as he is kinda all over the map, but am doubting he would suggest even the unholy democrats who "a lot of people" are worried 'bout is trying to change fundamental stuff you reference as history. HA! Good Fun!

our reading comprehension and memory is the problem for gd. you clear misinterpreted and/or misattributed pete comments. you then pointed out your " a lot of people" silliness, remarking how the knightmare fantasies were more believable 'cause o' comments like pete's dinner comments? oh, and your self defeating defense is problematic precise 'cause o' our reading comprehension. private groups and communities who is made happy by changing name from jefferson to ________ is stupid and ill considered, while siding with folks who is made happy by current flags and statues is obvious the course o' wisdom? unless gd actual is arguing the name changes in indiana were done unilateral and w/o support o' members and voters... which would be a wacky assumption. as with your curious discriminating libertarian views, you keep trying to have both ways. am knowing you indulge in hyperbole, and you clear didn't bother to read pete comments before commenting, but are you genuine gonna fight this? HA! good Fun!

as an aside, gd should know very well that history gets rewritten all the time. history is art more than science. read confused and conflicting first hand accounts o' civil war battles and events then figure out how historians decided historical truth. why not endeavour to correct mistakes which is plentiful in accepted history? is no sin in rewriting history. it is a sin to rewrite religious dogma. so let's not treat history like bible or koran or talmud, eh? HA! Good Fun!

bang on the table 'bout individual liberty, right up until folks use their liberty to do stuff you do not like? but hey, "a lot of people" worry 'bout the comedic slippery slope o' nightmares spawned 'cause a private group is exercising their liberty rights. change name of a dinner is one step closer to complete tyranny. patrick henry's ghost weeps for your soul. HA! Good Fun!

isn't quite the "take his name off everything" as breitbart and fox suggests. question were specific 'bout jackson and jefferson dinners. regardless, is a democratic process kinda thing. is nothing particularly holy or sacred 'bout jefferson and tendency to deify a few o' the founders is, we believe, a mistake. is few founders who were not deeply flawed. they should be honored and applauded for their accomplishments, but shouldn't be un american or un patriotic to question whether such men as jefferson deserve the place o' honor they got. some local school district decides, democratic, to change name o' thomas jefferson middle school to bronson pinchot safe learning collective? so what? dinners? if pete suggests bulldozing monticello or jack hammering images o' jefferson off every fed building, am thinking we got a problem with pete, but dinners? 'tween the extremes is gonna be a grey area where democratic process should get to decide what is and ain't appropriate insofar as continued glorification o' jefferson is warranted, no? HA! Good Fun! ps so is clear, is absolute no reason for gd, as a libertarian, to be concerned with a private group o' folks changing the name o' their dinner. am assuming he agreed, so we didn't even bother to address. if a private group in indiana changes name o' a dinner or building or statue they own or provide, then there is Zero government interest to be concerned 'bout... 'less amounts to fighting words or child pr0n, or a couple other extreme limited situations which is so unlikely as to be non-factors in the real world. is only a real issue if is state owned or provided.

thanks for input. that said, am looking for "neutral oil" alternatives. olive oils is decided not neutral. many o' the neutral oils have short shelf lives. sunflower and safflower is notorious and will go bad quick unless stored special. example: sunflower has a proclaimed shelf life o' two years, but what the sunflower industry folks don't often mention is how such is attainable only at low temps (40F) and in a container with no extra air. am living in an area where summer temps is frequent 'bove 100F, and am using ac less than most o' our neighbors. am suspecting our pantry is not the ideal cool and dry place one might expect. have avoided grapeseed for cooking 'cause o' the fatty acids created when heat is applied. might give it a try for applications w/o heat but where neutral is demanded. am curious how gd stores sunflower, or if he goes through fast enough such that storing is a non factor. have used in past and lasts us three or four months 'fore we begin to notice early onset rancid. am considering avocado oil for meat cooking 'cause o' high smoke point, but now that am on a fixed income we should probable be more frugal. HA! Good Fun!

have been avoiding this thread 'cause o' spoilers, so hbo's adaptation o' phillip pullman works may have already been mentioned. apologies in advance if am repeating. books were fantastic even if the movie adaptation soured more than a few on pullman's homage to milton. the series were marketed to kids, but were nothing childish 'bout the books. series is on Gromnir's list o' best fantasy w/o any need to qualify as kid's fare. almost as much as gaiman and pratchett's good omens, am looking forward to at least first episodes o' his dark materials. HA! Good Fun!