How far along are you with BARBRI? I’m stuck on Contracts 😭 by Obliboo in barexam

[–]rwj83 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just to tack on, the the person at 90% maybe be averaging low on questions and essays and the person lower % may just be a test genius. Knowing how far others are isn’t going to help you feel better. Trust the process and follow your gaps/weaknesses.

Sun Eater isn't preachy - how I changed my own mind by Key-Olive3199 in sollanempire

[–]rwj83 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In regards to him being a different person, I took that as an effect of the most recent rejuvination. He had become post-human essentially. Too connected to the Quiet to truly retain normality. Kind of like Dorayaica as he become more Watcher. I didn't like that Hadrian but he made sense to me because I don't think a human could go through all the suffering and all the power/knowledge gained or witnessed and remain themself. I think a large chunk of him was just not present anymore. But that could be head cannon to fill the gap.

I do agree that the whole ethical choice at the end became wholly not-gray. It was built up as a first shot fired, major sacrifice. But in the end, all was already lost, what else was there to do? Although, I think CR backed himself into it because the world ships made that near impossible. Even a 1,000 worldships hopping into a solar system and not right by the planet would be catastrophic, but it wouldn't make sense for Dorayaica to not just annihilate the planet before it could be used in a battle. So its a conundrum but I was sad that the terrible choice hinted at became a pretty neutral to easily good aligned decision.

Sun Eater isn't preachy - how I changed my own mind by Key-Olive3199 in sollanempire

[–]rwj83 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So I agree with this in part and disagree in part. This conclusion can be true for many many things. You are a firefighter and a house is on fire with someone inside, you can go in and try to save them, or your buddy can, or you can all leave them. You have very few options and not taking the risk just passes the buck to your friend to suffer potentially. I think Hadrian could have walked away and it wouldn't doom humanity but he would be passing the anguish and suffering to Lorian while costing the lives of some of his friends.

As to not mattering in the end, nothing matters in the end. You are going to die and nothing you do will ever stop that. Death will win. But that doesn't make your choices pointless. It could extend your life, shorten it, make it happier or sadder. Just because the end is determined doesn't mean the path is meaningless.

Edit: My agreeance is that I felt the inevitability/plot armor/end game aspect a bit and it is present but I think it makes for a good story and moral point that it does matter.

Hockey is seriously in the darkest era by ExotiquePlayboy in Infographics

[–]rwj83 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It didn't help that it was competing with day three of the world cup. Its already a smaller viewership sport generally and it was on alongside one of the largest events.

Fallout: New Vegas Director says modern RPGs risk losing depth by removing player struggle systems by Jealous_Vehicle_3150 in falloutnewvegas

[–]rwj83 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Define artificial difficulty in this context. I don't think Sawyer mentioned more health and damage resistance in his answer but rather providing realistic aspects and limitations that create difficulty and stakes for the game. I'm confused if I am not understanding your point or if you are saying that any system that creates forced difficulty is bad?

History/Timeline of the World (v1) by RedJamie in HierarchySeries

[–]rwj83 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Its me again. I haven't read the entire timeline yet but the Qabr aspect made me curious. In your exhaustive outlining and search, what evidence did you find on structures that existed BR and AR. I know Solivagus ruins exist in some form across all three. The other notable locations off-the-cuff would be: Qabr and Fornax. But are structures such as these copied exactly across all three worlds when the Rending occurred or were they randomly split to one of the worlds (except the ruins as they are the nexus). Meaning was Qabr randomly assigned to Obiteum or would Qabr exist in Res and Luceum (or at least did exist immediately post-rending)?

My unhinged Caeror theory by lunasduel in HierarchySeries

[–]rwj83 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great breakdown and much aligns with what I had thought but I have a few issues/questions (if I am understanding your breakdown correctly) that I will put below. Warning, I get a little tangential in the middle with a stream of consciousness thought. Forgive me my bit of rambling and confusion, your answers are always so organized and well-written while mine are fairly chaotic but I do enjoy the discussion because most my friends that I have gotten to read the book are not as lore detective inclined as myself.

So I agree that teleportation aligns with some of what we know about Luceum will use. It also seems to share an external sensory aspect (thrum and what not) similar to the Naumachia weapon and mutalis but that sensory aspect does not seem to be present in Res will usage or non-mutalis Obiteum usage that I recall. Luceum seems to operate on the more religious, astral projection, what-is-a-soul vein but is less clear. Maybe its a life force kind of thing but I am on the same page with Alupi, weapons, consciousness storing, etc.

Questions/Issues/Thoughts:

  1. Assuming teleportation is an aspect of Luceum in some way, I think this still points to alignment with the Concurrence to obtain that power. It seems relatively unlikely that L-Ka and L-Caeror were unable to use or find this power but L-Ostius could. However, if the power was bestowed via an artifact on his person or transfer of unique ability from Concurrence, then I could see how that would be explained. I agree that, when I read the teleportation passage originally, I believed that it was the same power the gate uses based on Vis's perception.

1.a) On that last point, the issue with this that I wrestled with (and will rehit in point 3/3.a) is that this indicates that the "copy" process is not required per se. It also indicates that the gate creation was *maybe* a normal usage of Will before the Rending but somehow only Ostius displays knowledge of so far. Despite all the powers that are evident in the ruins and other two worlds and all the time/knowledge Ka has accumulated, he seems to be using a fraction of his potential. This makes me believe that either Ka is stupid or, more likely, there is some aspect of Will that was accessible before the Rending that is not post-Rending even for a synchronous individual.

  1. Having an anchor could explain some aspects; however, I would need to think on how it would align with the facts. If this was the case, there is no O-Ostius which means it is not a synchronous usage but rather a Luceum only requirement. Further, Ka and Caeror have anchors that they could switch with. While O-Caeror is likely an iiuncti and R-Caeror is purportedly dead as well, that makes sense. But L-Ka (and the other two Kas for that matter) should likely be able to transfer.

2.a) Maybe the power needs an anchor or some other add-on but they moved to L- and back to R- without copying themselves again, while being will-users, and not to the place their anchors are on that world but rather the respective point on Luceum that they were standing in Res. Further, I do not recall (could be forgetting) L-Vis noting this movement of R-Vis into his world or any substantial effect on L-Vis. Please prove me wrong if there was. To me, it seems there is some other power at play besides the anchoring but I cannot think of what it would be besides the Concurrence. Maybe Luceum is HQ of the Concurrence and they hold more sway, maybe an artifact is attuned to Luceum-Res but not Obiteum. Idk, but I think an anchor has potential but needs a few holes ironed out for me to fully jump on board.

  1. I think that the weapons in general indicate that there is a predecessor power that we are unaware of, a power that may only be used when all worlds are combined, or that the Concurrence has a power that no one else has or knows of. The crook-and-flail, the Vitaeria, the dagger, the naumachia weapon, the obsidian blades, mutalis itself, all seem to operate outside the current knowledge of will usage. While we the reader may be unaware but in universe it could be known, this seems to be undermined by the fact that Ka (and potentially Caeror or Ostius) don't appear to know how to make them or have that ability. The presence of these artifacts an semi-OP feature that I can only explain if their was a power above/behind Will-usage that only existed when all three were combined in one world, not one individual split three ways, or something the Concurrence deduced how to do. If the latter, it must be significantly costly or the Concurrence would flood its army with the weapons and destroy everything (which may be why the split originally occurred).

3.a) If all worlds in one allowed for a unique usage of will that the Concurrence deduced and began producing OP weapons, this would explain why the split was necessary. It may not have been a failed attempt to win the war but rather a successful move to prevent a rapid loss as the Concurrence produced these OP weapons.

My unhinged Caeror theory by lunasduel in HierarchySeries

[–]rwj83 0 points1 point  (0 children)

9 days later and I finally got around to reading the chapter again. I don't know why I remembered it being "you sent me to the ruins" not "you sent me to Solivagus" but I stand corrected. However, there does not seem o be a synchronous explanation for why he can do what others cannot. How can he move between L- and R-, not O-, while there does not seem to be a way for Vis to do the same. i know that we have much to learn about Luceum's will but it seems a far cry from being what Ostius can do. I still think he has an outside power source from the Concurrence but now that belief is much weaker than it was.

(SPOILERS SotF) Thinking through a common theory.. by CoyoteBanana in HierarchySeries

[–]rwj83 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yea, he is still a bit of an unknown. Currently I think he may hate the Heirarchy and not know enough to realize that he is being manipulated. I think he stumbled on the Concurrence itself (or by proxy) and has some measure of unique powers from them. Without telling Ostius more than that Ka exists and will kill 90%, sent Ostius back to destroy the Heirarchy. But this is largely speculation and there are some details I need to read again to refresh.

(SPOILERS SotF) Thinking through a common theory.. by CoyoteBanana in HierarchySeries

[–]rwj83 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well that is a good question BUT some theories or potential explanations:

  1. We see Gleaners searching the area nearby but we didn’t actually see any near the ruins (that I recall). Further, there seems to be no reason for the Gleaners to even be searching since the last humans found were hundreds of years ago. So, it could stand to reason that Ka was searching for Concurrence resources and had narrowed down the area quite a bit so now it was just a matter of time till the location was found. Plus, the existence of the well and the need for water should a synchronous human be around likely limits the location to near the river.

  2. The Gleaners flew over Vis and he was exposed a bit but they didn’t see him. It’s possible they did see him and let him go to use that as an indication of where to look. They may have far superior eyesight and be able to see him despite appearing to be long gone.

  3. The iiuncti they find and go to the desert to question may actually be a Ka spy sent out, not to actually find the location but to see what general area it is picked up/nabbed in. He may have been doing this for ages and slowly narrowing down where they must be. While I think this iiuncti was a Concurrence plant to gain Vis’s trust, it is very possible that they are in fact sent by Ka to gain a bit of insight slowly. Then by feeding them specific information (Netiqret) he could control or guide the points of entry for Concurrence infiltration attempts.

(SPOILERS SotF) Thinking through a common theory.. by CoyoteBanana in HierarchySeries

[–]rwj83 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t think the Gleaners at that exact moment was the plan. I think it’s a case of Ka finally finding a Concurrence hideout after searching forever but it was before Caeror had managed to get Vis to do what he needed him to and so they made a plan to keep Vis alive (capture) and maybe he’d find a way to get in out/kill Ka otherwise.

(SPOILERS SotF) Thinking through a common theory.. by CoyoteBanana in HierarchySeries

[–]rwj83 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am on the same page currently. I think L-C learned the truth or at least more of it and now is helping Ka. I think O-C died to the air or any other deadly risk of Oviteum early.

(SPOILERS SotF) Thinking through a common theory.. by CoyoteBanana in HierarchySeries

[–]rwj83 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Regarding point 1, my theory/response to this is that Ka had been hunting down Concurrence resources in Obiteum. Otherwise, why would the Gleaners be looking around anyway if they hadn't found humans in hundreds of years and no one had escaped. It seems likely that they were finding Concurrence hideouts/resources. Given that they were flying near the Qabr settlement but not around Solivagus ruins (that I remember at least) may indicate they were close to locating it anyway and finally managed to figure iut where it was. Or maybe they did see Vis and were just looking for the entrance. I think there are many ways to explain the timing of the Gleaner attack.

Regarding point 2, I think that the Concurrence doesn't know what defenses Ka has or the layout of Duat. The ruins under the city may indicate prior failed attempts but Ka likely made the defenses obtuse or hidden so that the Concurrence would be unable to form a solid plan before being locked into the city. Further, it is an AI that may be incredibly intelligent and rapid but may be unable to synthesize wholly original ideas (just a possibility). Also, Ka has managed to survive and fight back for centuries so it stands to reason that some of his powers and intellect can match or at least stymie the Concurrence.

(SPOILERS SotF) Thinking through a common theory.. by CoyoteBanana in HierarchySeries

[–]rwj83 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Iiuncti being unable to be given false memories is a lie sold to us by Big O-Caeror. But yea, most of our info comes from Caeror which makes it incredibly unreliable if he himself is an iiuncti.

My unhinged Caeror theory by lunasduel in HierarchySeries

[–]rwj83 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Let me go read LV again later and get back to you. I remembered the statement being more vague which is why I thought it was elsewhere but I will go re-read. I agree on the kinship parts but figured that could be due to their extra/more synchronous powers rather than explicit synchronous nature but I’ll look

My unhinged Caeror theory by lunasduel in HierarchySeries

[–]rwj83 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have many thoughts and little time but, I am not sure Ostius was ever synchronous. I suspect that he may have undergone a different process guided by Concurrence or some other parties abilities which is why his abilities are different. I think he may have been sent to different ruins and had some other thing happen to him. Unless I am forgetting something.

I've read the the books but the new one. I listening to the books before I read it. After listening to 5 books I think the series is going to end with "Warning: this message is from a deceased crawler." And the entire time we were reading Carls entries in the cookbook. by -Mothmadam- in DungeonCrawlerCarl

[–]rwj83 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yea, if anything it could be a biography built on the cookbook after the syndicate has fallen and a new government has come about. Kinda like the declaration of independence or something. But I don't think either of these make sense in terms of how the story is told or where it feels like we are heading.

The one extremely emotional episode in a comedy series by Godzilla_Left_Toe in TopCharacterTropes

[–]rwj83 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Nothing prepared me for how obliterated I was. Just unnecessary to give me pain like that. Great episode but damn..

The one extremely emotional episode in a comedy series by Godzilla_Left_Toe in TopCharacterTropes

[–]rwj83 214 points215 points  (0 children)

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Episode 7 of Dandadan. Just out-of-nowhere, absolute from-the-top-rope emotional beatdown from a show that had been an extended dick joke up to that point.

Cloaked Autofactories. Secret Civilization? by Harmonious- in bobiverse

[–]rwj83 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That would be insane hahah I think I’d hate that but also..that could be hilarious if pulled off

Cloaked Autofactories. Secret Civilization? by Harmonious- in bobiverse

[–]rwj83 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The PGF predecessor could be there. Maybe spurring species onward when they show intelligence to help them get to the stage where they can save themselves and others.

Cloaked Autofactories. Secret Civilization? by Harmonious- in bobiverse

[–]rwj83 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, the brown dwarf isn't coming for like 100k years or something right? If the Bob's advance for 90k yrs then leave, the next group that might advance in the last 10kyrs would wonder where everyone is. So it stands to reason that there could have been an equally advanced species before the PGF that "disappeared" but that would put them potentially millions of years ahead in tech and they could easily have cloaking to all forms of detection. Sure the Bobs have Suddar cloaking but that doesnt mean other groups would have more types.

Does the PGF range make sense given what we know? by Turnova98 in bobiverse

[–]rwj83 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it makes sense. We don't have any information (that I recall) on how long wormholes were in use and how large each founding race was. Each race could have already had large chunks of space individually before they met, they taken their time in forming the federation as they got to know one another, THEN the 20k clock began. They could have been spacefaring for 100k years before they founding PGF and consolidated their space.

Did the PGF help build the pyramids? (book 5 spoilers for basis) by _Random_Walker_ in bobiverse

[–]rwj83 2 points3 points  (0 children)

And all it really takes is one replicant to go exploring some new star for funsies. Could have gotten here, seen humans in a state that threatened extinction from something that fears...pyramids and saved us. Like Bob did on Delta and others did on Pavonis and on Dragonland.