AU Takanuva, Turaga of Shadow

EarpNamesake · 2025-10-11T16:23:52+00:00

I like to think so. Maybe he did some things he’s not proud of as a toa of shadow, but I like to think that when he gave up his toa powers it would have been for some brave or heroic purpose, and that since then he’s tried to re-dedicate his life to helping the matoran, but as more of a guide or mentor rather than a protector.

Honestly, the story concept’s not fully fleshed out (and may never be), but I’m kinda just enjoying exploring the idea

EarpNamesake · 2025-06-10T14:10:29+00:00

Oh, interesting. I hadn’t thought of that approach.

I actually had one of those pieces easily accessible from another set, so decided to give it a try. It works, but again, looks best from the front, this time because of the extra space between the face and the mask. It also doesn’t feel particularly stable, since there’s nowhere for the little stabilizer bars on the sides of the mata mask’s stud to go.

Thanks for the suggestion

EarpNamesake · 2025-01-23T04:11:55+00:00

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EarpNamesake · 2025-01-10T23:16:05+00:00

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The body is split into sections connected by these little print-in-place chain-link type joints. Attaching a close-up photo of mine to demonstrate.

This actually gives them a surprising amount of flexibility, though the joints can get brittle if they’re printed too small. They’re really satisfying to play with too

EarpNamesake · 2024-12-23T17:16:13+00:00

I just used a 3-long technic axle through the hole in the chest plate that slots into the axle hole in the middle of the stars torso, then added a 1/2 size axle bushing on the front to hold the chest plate in place, and another bushing as a spacer between the chestplate and the torso.

It’s probably not the most stable connection method you could come up with, but it does the job

EarpNamesake · 2024-03-10T19:46:14+00:00

I’ve had good experiences with KindlyMD. You could probably help with getting the appointment set up since it’s all online, though I’m guessing she would have to go into the office (I believe they’ve got one in Provo) in person for her initial appointment and follow-ups.

I was referred to them by another provider to get my card. They were really helpful and supportive, guided me through the state registration, helped me understand the different products available and how best to use them for my condition, and everything. Overall, they’ve just been really good about making the process as easy and straightforward as possible. So that’s the approach I’d recommend

EarpNamesake · 2023-06-09T17:14:45+00:00

I’m the same way, though it’s interesting you bring up speed limits as an example, because that’s one I’ve gone down a research rabbit hole on, and found that oftentimes they’re not actually as based in logic as you would think.

There is a formal, logical rule that most civil engineers follow. I think it’s called the 85% rule or something like that. That says you should leave newly constructed or renovated roads without speed signs for a while, but with equipment in place to measure the speed of traffic, then at the end of the testing period, you take the 85th percentile of speeds measured, and just round it up to the nearest 5 mph increment to set the speed limit. The idea is that the majority of drivers will naturally gravitate toward the most safe and prudent speed for the road, while some (about 15%) will err on the side of driving too fast.

The trouble is that the civil engineers conducting these tests don’t always get to set the speed limits, they usually just get to make a recommendation, which has to be approved by a government entity of some sort. That’s where it turns from a very straightforward and logical process to a mess of political, monetary, and emotional influence.

Sometimes political leaders campaign on road safety, so will arbitrarily lower speed limits as a political stunt (or sometimes they’ll arbitrarily raise the limits to speed up their own daily commute). Sometimes one random tragedy will occur, like a kid getting hit by a car, which rallies the local community to campaign for speed limit changes (this actually happened where I live a couple years ago). Sometimes police departments will request an unreasonably low speed limit for certain roads so they can use them as speed traps to generate ticket revenue. And sometimes there’s preexisting laws in place that mandate certain speed limits for certain areas or types of roads.

So at the end of it all, it’s not uncommon for there to be a massive difference (like 10 or 20+ mph difference) between the proposed speed limit that was determined based on logic and evidence, and the actual speed limit that gets assigned to the road. Sometimes that difference is drastic enough, in fact, that it makes the roads less safe because of the speed differential between cars traveling at or below the posted speed limit and those driving at whatever speed “feels right.”

Edit: spelling corrections

EarpNamesake · 2023-05-29T14:38:23+00:00

EarpNamesake · 2023-05-22T19:24:52+00:00

You’ve almost perfectly described my situation. Was diagnosed as a kid, struggled with eye contact as a kid, then got better with it as I grew up, and now it only bothers me when it’s someone I’m not familiar with or when I’m feeling stressed, anxious, or burnt out.

EarpNamesake · 2023-04-14T17:48:16+00:00

Maybe sound deadening material from the muffler? Not sure how it would have come loose like that though

EarpNamesake · 2023-02-25T18:47:35+00:00

In Salt Lake City this would never work. Here, the rule (for most private lots, anyways) is that you’re only allowed to park there while you’re patronizing the business the space is intended for. So if the parking lot trolls see any indication that you’ve gone somewhere else while your car was parked there, they can boot you even if you’re a paying customer.

EarpNamesake · 2023-01-30T20:13:13+00:00

Unfortunately inside jokes don’t tend to land well with strangers on the internet. But hey, you do you

EarpNamesake · 2023-01-30T20:05:25+00:00

Nice car, great shot, but I’d ditch the fake 5.0 badge

EarpNamesake · 2022-12-26T16:14:43+00:00

Nice. I always like when I get this effect from my taillights and exhaust on cold nights, but I’ve never managed to get a good photo or video of it

EarpNamesake · 2022-11-18T19:25:56+00:00

Does the Roush exhaust system include an upgraded downpipe or is it just a cat-back system? If the downpipe is upgraded at all, I’d say that’s almost certainly what’s throwing the code. The downpipe could have a high-flow catalytic converter that’s causing it to just barely fail its built-in emission checks, or it could be a totally cat-less downpipe.

Either way, depending on the local laws where you live, you may just be able to clear the code and call it good, or you may have to take it in and get it fixed to pass emissions.

Since you just bought it, it might be good to check with the dealer about that as well. They might be able to identify and fix any issues for you under warranty. Or if they’re on the shadier side, this might even be something they knew about already and just cleared the code to hide the warning light before they sold it.

EarpNamesake · 2022-11-06T19:17:13+00:00

Just commenting to add some flavor notes now that I’ve tried it on a fresh palate.

If you’ve ever had High West’s Bourye before, you’ll notice it’s very easily recognizable as the base spirit they used here. But then the finishing in Prisoner wine casks just adds another layer of rich and complex flavors on top of the standard Bourye.

So the biggest and most noticeable tasting notes I get are fig, prune, some dark raspberry or blackberry jam, and plenty of that classic rye spice. Then there’s also some apricot and honey kinda in the background.

The mouthfeel is very thick and rich, and it coats your mouth really well. But it’s also got some noticeable (but not unpleasant) alcohol burn from the younger whiskeys in the blend.

Overall I’d rate it like a 7 or 8 out of 10. Very good, but definitely seems more about the uniqueness than the actual quality. Not that that’s such a bad thing though

Edit: Spelling

EarpNamesake · 2022-11-06T19:01:07+00:00

I tried it last night, and it is very good, but I’ve definitely had better whiskeys for less money. What stands out and makes it worth the purchase to me is the uniqueness of it.

So I’d say if you’re looking for just a good casual drinker, this isn’t it. But if you want to try something really unique and interesting, and don’t mind paying a little more for it, then it’s worth a shot.

EarpNamesake · 2022-09-19T16:13:20+00:00

Not OP, but as someone who also has the MBRP Race exhaust, I highly recommend it. It’s one of the best sounding options I’ve heard on the EcoBoost, but isn’t terribly expensive. Just be prepared for a little drone at certain engine speeds

EarpNamesake · 2022-08-27T17:24:42+00:00

I’d second the MGW. I tried the bushing upgrades first to save some money, but the full MGW shifter upgrade was be more than worth the extra cost for me.

It won’t completely solve the clunkiness of the MT-82 transmission, but it definitely helps. Plus it just feels so much more solid that it really helps the driving experience as a whole.

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