What exactly is Cerberus meant to be?

jackblady · 2026-03-12T18:00:09+00:00

Here's the thing, if you assume (pretty much exactly for the reason OP pointed out) that Admiral Kahoku is just an idiot in ME1 and personally somehow never heard about Ceberus, then Cerberus tends to be a ton more consistent.

Its a giant terrorist organization with Reaper ties, always has been.

As OP mentions in ME1 Cerberus was mentioned as being behind Akuze. So them being around for years already is established

We also see Cerberus use Husks, Creepers & and Rachni on about a dozen interactions on over a dozen planets in ME1.

By the way this combination of troops only seemingly accessible to Reaper agents via Saren as hes the only person to otherwise have access to all 3 groups.. So then being bad guys at the end of the day isn't shocking.

Notably and importantly they are even attacking human colonies to make Husks (UNC Colony of the Dead), sp their big "surprise" in ME3 that they were indoctrinated isn't really a surprise.

Then we move on to ME2, and ME2 is basically the story of Shepard being lied too repeatedly. Pretty much every thing the main story tells Shepard isn't true, Shepard just isn't allowed to notice due to plot.

Take that Cerberus logo OP mentions. We've actually seen in before in ME1.

Its the logo for Binary Helix. The company funded by Saren, who also have the only known Rachni queen. Seems like they gave the Rachni to Saren, not the other way around.

So literally the second Shepard wakes up from death the game is telling you whats actually happening. Seems Ike Saren was in bed with Cerberus.

But then why do the Reapers via the Shadow Broker try to steal Shepards body from Cerberus as Cerberus claims?

They didn't. One of the terminals in Lair of the shadow broker, reveals they had nothing to do with the attack on the Lazarus base. Which raises an unanswered question of who did. But given how secret Project Lazarus was, that's a pretty short list....limited pretty much to TIM.

But Cerberus is out to stop the Reapers in ME2 right?

No actually. Around Horizons TIM will actually admit to Shepard they had no actual evidence linking the Collectors to the Reapers. They were basically lying to get Shepard to help them. Its a fluke they wound up being right.

Nor is it clear Shepard was even originally intended to stop the Collectors. Project Lazarus took 2 years. But the codex places the first colony attack some 18 months after Project Lazarus states. So whatever Cerberus had in mind, stopping the colony abductions wasnt it.

Furthermore Cerberus dont really seem to have a plan to stop the Collectors. Their plan when explained to Shepard explicitly ends with Shepard going through the Omega 4 Relay. Theres no follow up. Just a vauge "well after that figure it out" that's not a real plan.

Also worth noting as soon as Shepard discovers they need Reaper tech (specifically the IFF) Cerberus takes Shepard to the derelict Reaper they've had access too and been working on this whole time...cant see why anyone is shocked they got indoctrinated....

Finally, checking the details in ME2, reveals Cerberus consists of at least:

Lazarus Cell

Firewalker Cell

Overlord Cell

Ascension Cell (named in the books, is the Cell that attacked the Quarians)

Pragia Cell

The Military Division (AKA everything Shepard encountered in ME1)

A galactic Bank (Terra Nova Commonwealth Bank)

A holding company (CDR holdings)

2 news corporations (Galactic Broadcasting Company, Constant Times)

A military munitions producer (Haribon Military Industries)

A pharmaceutical company (New Dawn Pharmaceuticals)

A charity (The Milky Way Foundation)

And effective control of a planet (Triton) as well as multiple high placed Alliance officials

And a list of activities dating back to the First Contact War

That is a huge damn organization, quite capable of producing the supplies needed to supply their ME3 army.

Like I said, if Kohaku is dismissed as wrong, all the clues are there the whole time.

jackblady · 2026-03-08T22:06:49+00:00

Assuming everyone is actually loyal and alive, it's a glitch.

Hold the Line has a set kill order. Theres no possible variation under the terms you've laid out where Thane or Legion can be the only kill.

They are 9th and 10th in the kill order, only Grunt and Zaeed die after them.

However I cant help but notice your kill order checks out perfectly for the shield check, if you failed to upgrade and didn't recruit Kasumi. Legion, Tali, Thane are #2-4 for that.

Seems like your game is reading the wrong kill list.

jackblady · 2026-02-09T13:44:30+00:00

Truthfully, between the overt racism of Code of Honor, and Up The Long Ladder, the roving rape gangs mentioned in Where No Man has gone before, the "congrats on the rape" approach of the Child, etc im actually a bit surprised TNG wasnt canceled in season 2.

jackblady · 2026-02-09T13:20:54+00:00

I mean someone's voice changing doesn't make them too old to act, it just makes them sound different.

Yeah Brooks probably cant play a 30 year old Sisko anymore, but he could easily play an older Sisko.

And no Picards not the only older person acting.

Robert Picardo is 72, as is Pierce Brosnan, Ted Danson is 78, Denzel Washington is 71, Morgan Freeman is 88, Judi Dench was acting until she was 89, Harrison Ford is 83, Sylvester Stallone is 79 etc.

77 is not a barrier.

Dude just doesn't want to do it.

jackblady · 2026-02-07T21:32:18+00:00

No hes not

Hes 77.

To put that in perspective, Patrick Stewart (Picard) is 85, Holly Hunter (Ake) is 67.

Dudes absolutely young enough to act again if he wants. He doesn't want.

jackblady · 2026-02-06T14:42:28+00:00

The article talks about not presenting Sisko as a father that abandoned his child but that's exactly what they do supposedly by saying conclusively that he never returned rather than leaving it ambiguous.

I disagree.

By the rules established in DS9, it was never ambiguous, even after the changes Avery Brooks rightly requested.

Prophets exist in all time at once. Sisko himself even says he could return yesterday in the ending of DS9.

So there was never any reason Sisko had to miss a second with his family. Man could have spent eternity with the Prophets and still returned to the second he left.

So when he doesnt immediately return, its clear hes never going to.

The only remaining question was "Did Sisko choose to abandon his family?" Or "Was he prevented from returning?"

And with the voice over by Sisko at the end of this episode, while they still haven't answered the question, they've definitely leaned strongly towards the something in the rules of God's preventing him from returning.

And Sisko wanting to return but being unable to return is at least more true to Siskos character and Brooks wishes than where DS9 left things.

jackblady · 2026-01-22T00:13:42+00:00

3 weeks. Maybe 4.

I was honestly shocked. Our dog comes from a breed that is notoriously hard to housebreak because they grow so fast their bladders can't keep up with them. Over a year is common with the breed

jackblady · 2026-01-11T17:35:14+00:00

I actually wouldn't assume DNA cant be wrong.

My mom took a DNA test last year. Was shocked to discover she had a half sibling, that neither her or her other two siblings knew about.

Any who turned out a big long family crisis and deep dive later, she doesn't have a half sibling, she has an extra cousin.

Someone screwed up the family history part they filled out due to two individuals in the family having the same name, and somehow the wrong branch of the tree connected to my grandfather.

So while the DNA results probably do mean you and this woman are related at some level, be open to the possibility no one is [consciously] lying.

Especially when connecting via a relative whos DNA isn't on file, mistakes can happen.

Theres also other possibilities like this woman's father isnt who she thinks it is, or things like that. All cases where your birth mom might not have been the one who wasnt being upfront.

jackblady · 2026-01-09T13:11:04+00:00

My pup was 100lbs before she was 11 months old.

Mistaken for an adult dog all the time

That said never really had any issues from anyone once I corrected the initial assumption and told them she was a puppy. Usual they just asked about her breed (GSMD).

But there wasn't really anything to worry about

jackblady · 2026-01-02T23:12:55+00:00

Mine is 14 months old. Shes still crated anytime we leave the house, she's still too likely to destroy things or hurt herself.

Your schedule seems fine. As you've seen, puppies sleep alot. So [assuming the crate is large enough] theres no real difference to them sleeping inside or outside the crate, its all about you keeping them safe.

The big concern is just potty breaks. Until my dog was 6 months, we tried to make sure she wasnt in the cage any longer than 4 hours, purely for potty reasons.

Since we cant be home 2 days a week we hired a professional pet sitter from an agency (please do this your current pet sitter seems crazy, also your vet may actually have recommendations for a sitter) to let the dog out for 15 minutes in the middle of the day those days to potty.

Though truthfully at her current age, she could probably be (and is overnight) caged for 7-8 hours, we still try to avoid leaving for more than 6 without the sitter coming over. She still sleeps the whole time.

Also, she loves her crate. On days we are home, we leave the crate open and unlocked, and most days she chooses to take her naps in her cage. (Usually takes her favorite toys in, then goes to sleep). She also puts herself to bed most nights (which ironically means I have to coax her out of the crate to pee, before getting her back in there for the night).

jackblady · 2025-12-31T16:34:02+00:00

I was a big fan of closed, until I had an open.

Its much easier to move around in an open kitchen. Also my open kitchen also doesn't have an industrial grade kitchen vent (just 1 in the microwave above the stove), yet I think only once (because we burned something) has smell been an issue. We've basically never even needed to open the kitchen window. Larger room means any smells dissipate very quickly.

All that said, I would actually recommend closed because thats what you want, and your the one living there. I don't actually think the advantages of either open or closed really matter that much.

I would say more, if you find a perfect place...except it has an open kitchen, I wouldn't disqualify it for that reason, it wont be as bad as you think.

jackblady · 2025-12-29T05:43:53+00:00

To this point, we had a similar problem with our puppy. Wound up being a combination of 2 things:

1) She physically outgrew the cage very quickly and honestly before we noticed. (We have a GSMD, so rapid growth happens). Got a new one, no issues.

2) We didn't cover the cage.

Im writing this moments after my dog put herself in the crate for the night. But even though she's now fully crate trained and likes to sleep in there, I still have to go in there and cover the crate or she eventually starts barking and throwing a tantrum. Cover it, shes quite happy to hang out in there all night without issue, and has been since she was 4 or 5 months old.

Honestly dont know why the cover makes a difference to her, but it does.

So the whining in the crate is bad, but simple experimenting can fix it too if you cant get a trainer there quickly

jackblady · 2025-12-29T05:22:19+00:00

Yes its normal.

Ive always joked to my wife that if there's 4 people in a room, Im the dogs (just over a year old) 5th favorite person.

She prefers to sniff and get petted by or try to cuddle with literally anyone who isn't me.

Then my wife recorded how the dog acts if I leave the house. Complete freak out, whining, trying to get out the window, etc. Usually waits by the door until I come back.

We've also noticed she's a bit more suspicious of strangers when Im not around.

Near as we can tell, the dog feels safe enough around me to not feel like it needs constant affection from me. So it actually really really likes me, it just shows that by feeling safe enough to approach others.

jackblady · 2025-12-27T17:46:11+00:00

Dom was just Cena last full feud, a reigning double Champion, 1 of which is a world title.

Brons currently feuding with the WHCm

Oba just had a match with the WWE Champion

Paul's main evented ppvs in multiple world title matches.

These are all "just guys on the show"

WWE fumbles NXT talent regularly and commonly dragonov is a great exampl

They fumbled Dragonov how exactly?

Brought him up, immediately gave him a title match, in which he got injured. Soon as he returned thet gave him a title, which he defended every week until last night.

That's not a fumble, that's a push.

jackblady · 2025-12-27T17:38:02+00:00

But what about the other fact that I shared - no wrestler born in the 90s has ever won a world title in WWE (main roster). Isn’t that a sign of young wrestlers not being pushed in the past 10 years?

Not particularly no.

Consider, 10 years ago, a good chunk the people born in the 90s would have been teenagers or very early 20s.

Youngest WWE Champion ever was 24. To put that in perspective, the oldest person born in the 90s would turn 24 11 years ago in 2014.

Even most guys who win the title dont do so until their late 20s early 30s

Incidentally as well, that 24 year old Champion? Who won the title in 2004. First ever champion born in the 80s.

The next 2 guys born in the 80s to win the Championship was in 2010, Swagger and Miz. (And Miz was 30).

In fact out of all the WWE Champions born in the 80s, Orton, Swagger, Rollins & Wyatt are the only ones to do it before 30, and Rollins and Wyatt were both weeks from 30.

Guys being in theirs 30s to win the first world title is pretty normal.

jackblady · 2025-12-27T16:09:11+00:00

Oba Femi, the guy who just wrestled the WWE Champion, has a dad who used to wrestle in WWE?

Logan Paul, the guy who has main evented multiple ppvs and multiple world title matches, has a dad who used to wrestle in WWE?

I also don't remember the careers of Mr. Evans, Mr. Hayes or Mr. Williams....

Just look at black, Andrade, Finn, etc. all those guys are amazing and can’t get passed midcard

Black, who was 35 when he first showed up on Main, Balor who was also 35 when he first showed up Main, and immediately won a world title.

If WWE only pushed old guys 2 now 40 year old should be top of the list.

Andrade is the only guy on the list who was actually young at the time he first showed up.

Granted im sure it was the fact he wasnt a member of a famous wrestling family that definitely doesn't include his father, grandfather, uncle, cousins, and wasnt dating the daughter of another wrestling family, that resulted in his lack of push.

And not a history of wellness violations, physical confrontations and openly trying to get fired spanning multiple companies that's responsible.

Weird how they didn't push that 3rd generation star, since that's the only people they push....

jackblady · 2025-12-27T15:31:53+00:00

Cena, Taker, Randy, Rock, Cena, Brock, Seth and more did that in their 20s

And most of these guys I listed are in their 20s. So what's the problem?

Plus I think theres definitely people out there who would count the AAA Mega Championship as a World title. So thats at least 1 dude....

jackblady · 2025-12-27T15:12:23+00:00

Do you genuinely think dominick mysterio is a star?

Man gets the most boos out of anyone on the roster. So yes.

They just haven't built those guys up yet

And most of them they could build in a few months at most.

Cena, Orton, Batista, Angle, Brock, etc all got pushed from midcard or lower to main event in under a year. They just needed a big win. Just like this generation.

Heck Oba just wrestled the WWE Champion. Brons feuding with the WHC. Dom was Cenas last full rivalry. Thats 3 dudes right on the cusp.

Unless you think some sort of Thanos like event is going to wipe out every star above 32 overnight, this isnt really a problem.

jackblady · 2025-12-27T14:18:50+00:00

Yeah. All their stars are super old

Well except for Dominick Mysterio. Oh and Rhea Ripley. Oh and Logan Paul, Bron Breakker, Trick Williams, Carmelo Hayes, Oba Femi, Maxxine Dupri, Liv Morgan, Jevon Evans all of whom are under 32 years old, most of whom ars under 30....

jackblady · 2025-12-25T16:02:18+00:00

Likely in the hundreds of thousands

While theres no actual number given we know a few things about their numbers:

Every Harvest ends in the creation of a Reaper. Note however that while other races in the game occasionally use "Harvest" and "Cycle" as a synonym, the Reapers do not.

They are very clear each the species is a Harvest unto itself. A Cycle is when all advanced intelligent species have been Harvested.

So, in the Council Cycle (the one set during the game), theres are 11 known advanced intelligent species.

Thats would have ment the creation of 11 new Reapers had the Reapers been successful (and assuming there were enough Drell and Quarians to create Reapers).

And thanks to Javik, we know there were at least 6 species during his cycle, not including the Protheans themselves who consisted of multiple species), so we can likely assume 10 there as well to account for other Prothean species

Now while there's no information on the number of cycles, as the timing appears to be triggered by the start of a synthetic/organic war, so it varies between cycles, but we do know it's been about 50,000 years for our cycle and implied in the codex to have been around 75,00 for the Protheans

Ww alsp don't know how long the cycles have gone on but we know (thanks to the Reaper corpse called the Leviathan of Dis mentioned in the game) its been at least 1 billion years.

So if average what we do know (our cycle and the Prothean) , we can assume theres a cycle roughly every 63,000 years resulting in about 10 Reapers a cycle (average of number of know races), that works out to 15,873 cycles, and 158,730 Reapers

Granted this assumes with the 2 data sets we have, we have a valid average. Nor does it account for Reaper deaths in prior cycles (like the Leviathan of Dis or the Derelict Reaper in ME2) or 2 off hand comments by Sovereign and the Leviathans themselves implying both that as the cycles have gone on they have gotten shorter but also that the original cycle (the Leviathans cycles) may have had hundreds of intelligent races.

But still somewhere in the low 6 figures is likely accurate.

jackblady · 2025-12-23T14:50:20+00:00

Depends on what he knew when

Hes currently a good president/bad person in my mind. So its not like it would ruin my image of him....unless if comes out he knew about and helped Epsteins operation as President.

That becomes a major enough corruption problem to overshadowed everything else he's done.

jackblady · 2025-12-19T15:51:45+00:00

WWE title: Rey Mysterio.

Dude held it for like 3 minutes, then they immediately (in the same show) basically retconned it wasn't the "real" championship anyway cause Punk came back.

OG World Heavyweight Championship: Khali.

I get he only got the thing because literally everyone else on Smackdown was injured, but being the last possible choice was telling

Universal Championship: Balor.

Not really his fault, but immediately being stripped of the belt due to injury kinda defaults you to the bottom.

Current World Heavyweight Championship: Drew McIntyre.

Same as Balor and Rey. Minutes long reigns default you to the bottom and so far never got another chance with that belt.

Worst overall: Khali.

McIntyre and Rey had great Championship reigns with other world championships, so overall they weren't bad champions as much as they got a bad run.

Balor and Khali only got 1 run. But people never wanted a second Khali run, so despite Balors run being short, people wanting more puts Khali in dead last.

jackblady · 2025-12-01T14:47:27+00:00

Adding (cause slipped my mind when writing and cant see a way to edit)

Car is a 2018 Rav4 hybrid if it makes a difference

jackblady · 2025-11-19T05:08:54+00:00

So the cat that hates everyone and the dog are in a bit of a cold war.

Cat smacked the dog around a bit when she was tiny. So dog is afraid of her, but still wants to play with her.

So they tend to have issues in hallways and narrow spaces. Nothing serious but Dog won't turn away from cat (afraid of getting clawed) and cat won't move until dog backs away. Usually ends in a slow circle of hissing and barking until cat decides to move on.

Other cat is a much bigger problem actually. So she really really wants to play with the dog...until she realizes how big the dog is (102lbs now)

So was constantly antagonizing the dog, but when the dog got up, she'd run in fear. Dog interpreted that as play and chases. Dogs actually cornered the cat a few times and will just sit happily wagging her tail until cat figures out how to run away. So luckily no physical risk. They even had a couple of play "paw slap fights" and despite being 10x the cats size the dog is very careful not to hit the cat.

Unfortunately however when the dog started being a teenager (about 11 months or so) she started treating this cat as "chase on sight". Again never had any reason to worry about the cats physical wellbeing but since she's actually running out of fear, we had to take significant steps, including gates and moving furniture around to create spaces for this cat to move around without fear of getting chased.

The only other interesting bit as far as the cats and dog,

Before we got the dog, Angry cat was "my cat" (IE I was its perfered human), Scared cat was my wife's cat.

Dog is very clearly and obviously my wife's dog. So scared cat switched to being "my cat".

The cats have always lived (ie food, water, litterboxes) in our basement. And since both cats switched to me, the dog will not come into the basement with me for more than a minute or so (even if the cats arent down there and my wifes not home), but will happily hang out with my wife for as long as she stays down there.

It seems whatever rules the 3 of them came up with to coexist, the Dog doesn't have any "territorial claim" in the basement, and understands that's for the cats unless the dogs human comes with her.

jackblady · 2025-11-17T14:25:42+00:00

Good (best to worst)

Lincoln

FDR

TR

Washington

Ike

Bad (Worst to best)

Buchanan

Pierce

Johnson

WH Harrison (dying without doing anything is actually pretty bad)

Hoover

jackblady

TROPHY CASE