Tali'Thread vas Clan Zorah nar BSN 6.0

[Raga]

I don't travel a lot anymore but I have a Southwest Rapid Rewards card. It's good but if you want enough points to travel every year you have to actively work to maximize points usage. Unless you spend like thousands and thousands of dollars a month, points don't just seamlessly accrue at a rate that translates to "free flight to Europe" every year or whatever.

One thing I used to do is take online surveys and redeem them for airline miles. You don't even need a card to do that. You can get around 500 points month doing that, but you have to be willing to do like 15-20 minutes of surveys a day. There is also some program for most of these where if you use your card at certain restaurants you get double points, but you have to explicitly activate this feature. There's also usually partnerships with various utilities where if you switch to a certain power provider you get points. I used to get points just for paying my electric bill as one example.

[TheHawkster]

Speaking of traveling, I'll be traveling to The Netherlands on the first week of September

It'll be my first time traveling since my last travel in 2014, so I am a bit anxious about it

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1ARRMUobNU

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDK9CCI5KWA

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVeTrWPQByU

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z88PtaDq3l0

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW10Ne1K9g8

[TTTX]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZLaAjJFClg&index=13&list=WL

Well this guy is bigger scumbag then first suspected.

[Raga]

For people here who like to read, what would you say is your favorite sci-fi/fantasy novel/series that is somewhat unknown? So not like LotR or Star Wars or ASoIaF or Harry Potter and so on.

[SciFlyBoy]

I don't travel a lot anymore but I have a Southwest Rapid Rewards card...

The deal Delta is handing out right now is 60,000 miles for spending $2000 on qualified expenses in your first three months. (usual rate is $10,000 for first $500 spent). No yearly fee for basic card and first year is no fee with a $95 yearly fee after that for Gold, which has free first checked bag, priority boarding and pay with miles services, etc. Basic card looks best for per, personally. But I like the other options you mentioned as well.

[SciFlyBoy]

For people here who like to read, what would you say is your favorite sci-fi/fantasy novel/series that is somewhat unknown? So not like LotR or Star Wars or ASoIaF or Harry Potter and so on.

I read one Robert Heinlein book (Starship Troopers) but I hear he did lot's of others as well. I've always wanted to read Ray Bradbury's work, I'm sure there are great sci-fi stories there.

edit: did some research, Bradbury wrote 'The Martian Chronicles' and 'The Illustrated Man', to stick with your original intent of finding series to read. Those these are more collections of short stories.

[Raga]

I don't travel a lot anymore but I have a Southwest Rapid Rewards card...

The deal Delta is handing out right now is 60,000 miles for spending $2000 on qualified expenses in your first three months. (usual rate is $10,000 for first $500 spent). No yearly fee for basic card and first year is no fee with a $95 yearly fee after that for Gold, which has free first checked bag, priority boarding and pay with miles services, etc. Basic card looks best for per, personally. But I like the other options you mentioned as well.

They are pretty similar for the most part. The reason I went with Southwest is because I mostly fly domestically and they consistently have the cheapest domestic flights that aren't those discount airlines where you are basically flying as cattle (Spirit).

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq-jq8OFrSU

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FEgeuGsmzQ

[Dragaros]

https://youtu.be/pDf4J42Otbo

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDEgFbBNDqk

Surf's up

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlyuSwRSVHU

Sic itur ad astra

[SciFlyBoy]

Sic itur ad astra

What is this, the Polish space program? Launching a rocket to the Sun, at night?

(Shout out to the long dead and forgotten Polish jokes from the late 90's)

[magnuskn]

For people here who like to read, what would you say is your favorite sci-fi/fantasy novel/series that is somewhat unknown? So not like LotR or Star Wars or ASoIaF or Harry Potter and so on.

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher are way on top of everything else. It's urban fantasy and it's great. The first three books are already pretty good, but a bit rough around the edges. With the fourth book the series takes off and gets even better with every following novel.

His first book in a steampunk series, The Aeronauts Windlass, is also very good. He has at least two more books planned, up to nine books in total if the series sells well.

The Honor Harrington series by David Weber is pretty good, if you like space battles.

If you like Warhammer 40k, but can't take the setting seriously outside of a parody, then I recommend the Ciaphas Cain - Hero of the Imperium book series, by Sandy Mitchell. Think Blackadder in the 40k universe.

If you can still get them, the BattleTech novels by Michael Stackpole are really pretty good. Also, the three BattleTech books by Victor Milan are also excellent. Not the one novel he wrote for the MechWarrior series, though.

As for Fantasy, the Fortress Draconis series by Michael Stackpole was also very good.

Another recommendation would be the His Majesty's Dragon series by Naomi Novik. Think dragons in the napoleonic era.

Another recommendation are the Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. Three books out, more to come.

That's the stuff off the top of my head. If you go only for one, take the Dresden Files.

[Raga]

Another recommendation would be the His Majesty's Dragon series by Naomi Novik. Think dragons in the napoleonic era.

I *love* this series. My avatar is actually some fanart of Temeraire.

Honor Harrington didn't do much for me. I liked the character but the like 20 page-long descriptions of nav lances and ship maneuvers and whatnot was a bit much.

I read the first book in The Stormlight Archive but I'm going to wait till he's done with that series before I finish it because I don't want to have to reread something that massive every few years. I actually liked Mistborn better. I just read the first novel in that series and I'll finish it.

I've heard of The Dresden Files and I tried the first book a long time ago but I didn't get past the first couple of chapters. However I've heard so many people say it's the best thing ever that I keep thinking I should probably give it another try and the fact that you say it gets better in later books means I probably will go back and try it.

[Rune]

-

[Vol]

Speaking of traveling, I'll be traveling to The Netherlands on the first week of September

It'll be my first time traveling since my last travel in 2014, so I am a bit anxious about it

My grandmother recently went there to meet her remaining family. Said it all was fantastic.

Though I assume you're going to Amsterdam.

[Sinekein]

For people here who like to read, what would you say is your favorite sci-fi/fantasy novel/series that is somewhat unknown? So not like LotR or Star Wars or ASoIaF or Harry Potter and so on.

The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold is absolutely fantastic and easily my favorite sci-fi novel series. It was recommended to me by a book seller when I said that I liked Mass Effect.

It's well-written, the characters are absolutely fantastic, the books wildly vary in tone and theme - you have a handful of short stories and some door stoppers, you have light-hearted comedy and rather dark settings, some are spy thrillers while some are adventure, or space-battles centered, and one is even closer to Vaudeville/romance (and is my favorite) - and the universe that is created is extremely interesting to discover.

The only advice I would get is to start with the Young Miles stories (The Warrior's Apprentice, Mountains of Mourning, The Vor Game) which star a young Miles Vorkosigan, as they are the best way to get into the universe. Then, when you're done with that, either continue with other Miles stories, or try the prequels which center around his parents Cordelia and Aral.

If you like Warhammer 40k, but can't take the setting seriously outside of a parody, then I recommend the Ciaphas Cain - Hero of the Imperium book series, by Sandy Mitchell. Think Blackadder in the 40k universe.

Another recommendation would be the His Majesty's Dragon series by Naomi Novik. Think dragons in the napoleonic era.

Agreed with both. I don't usually like W40K novels - they are too serious for my taste while I consider the universe to be too dark to be taken seriously - but Ciaphas Cain is the exception.

Other favorites of mine, mostly fantasy as this is the genre I read the most, are the Liveship Traders saga by Robin Hobb and the Gentlemen Bastards one by Scott Lynch (which would be better if he didn't make GRRM look like a superfast writer, but eh).

[Azint]

https://youtu.be/pDf4J42Otbo

I'm actually delighted by this. It could potentially lead to more Blizzard titles landing on the Switch, and god knows Nintendo needs third-party support as another leg in the long-term. I played Diablo 3 for the first time last summer, and I'm a bit ashamed to admit how late I am, but I enjoyed and played the hell out of it for that entire summer, and it along with Heroes of the Storm became my gateway to Blizzard as a whole.

[Raga]

Other favorites of mine, mostly fantasy as this is the genre I read the most, are the Liveship Traders saga by Robin Hobb and the Gentlemen Bastards one by Scott Lynch (which would be better if he didn't make GRRM look like a superfast writer, but eh).

Gentleman Bastards is another of my favorite series, but I'll add Vorkosigan Saga to my list. I just got a new boss who is not an unreasonable hardass, unlike my last boss who would not let us listen to music or books or whatever while we work. I have been ploughing through my backlog of books because I get to listen to them for hours a day now so I'm actively hunting up some new stuff to add to the list.

[Sinekein]

Speaking of, tome 4 of Locke Lamora's adventures might not be too far removed. Maybe. Because Lynch is currently working on some side-projects, which might indicate The Thorn of Emberlain is pretty much completed.

Now, whether it will be out after or before Winds of Winter is the million-dollar question.

[Raga]

I have more patience with Lynch, who suffers from depression and a bunch of medical issues apparently. As far as I can tell, GRRM not finishing the Winds of Winter boils down to "I don't wanna!"

[TTTX]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKhn2nglqzU

[Mazder]

ARGH why is it whenever I want reference I don't find the ones I need, but when I don't look they're too numerous for me to record!!!

[TheHawkster]

Speaking of traveling, I'll be traveling to The Netherlands on the first week of September

It'll be my first time traveling since my last travel in 2014, so I am a bit anxious about it

My grandmother recently went there to meet her remaining family. Said it all was fantastic.

Though I assume you're going to Amsterdam.

You're obviously correct, but its not just Amsterdam. I also plan to visit Eindhoven as well.

Its a week long trip with my older brother, so gotta make the most of it while we can

[TLock]

For people here who like to read, what would you say is your favorite sci-fi/fantasy novel/series that is somewhat unknown? So not like LotR or Star Wars or ASoIaF or Harry Potter and so on.

Two fantasy series that I enjoyed that I thought I would never enjoy are the Original Moth trilogy and the Cycle of Arawn. The former has a bit of a romance element on a war background, and the latter is takes a bit long to get into but it centers more of a coming of age of sorts and how things change over time.

[Vol]

I have more patience with Lynch, who suffers from depression and a bunch of medical issues apparently. As far as I can tell, GRRM not finishing the Winds of Winter boils down to "I don't wanna!"

It seems to be a bit more that he doesn't have the passion or ability to really finish out his magnum opus in the way he wants. Which you can reduce down, "I dun wanna," but I like to give the man some credit for the good work he did.

You're obviously correct, but its not just Amsterdam. I also plan to visit Eindhoven as well.

Its a week long trip with my older brother, so gotta make the most of it while we can

I've never actually been, but as far as I hear, it's a land of tall, lean people who ride bikes everywhere, plus Amsterdam. So live it up! And if you see any of my distant family, tell them I said hi.

[Dragaros]

snip

[Dragaros]

It seems to be a bit more that he doesn't have the passion or ability to really finish out his magnum opus in the way he wants. Which you can reduce down, "I dun wanna," but I like to give the man some credit for the good work he did.

You think he's waiting to see what the reaction is to the final season of the show, or writer's block?

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_syMgoskpY

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrPGQrNa-LY

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlYxHDxF5fk

[Dragaros]

[Dragaros]

[Dragaros]

[Dragaros]

Sakamoto on Metroid: Samus Returns’ development, final boss, Switch, more

"Sakamoto says the biggest challenge was overcoming the reputation of previous entries in the series and fans’ memories of them."

///

”Smashboards.com News: How Fans Brought Back K. Rool”

Amusing, if true.

[SciFlyBoy]

I finished Twilight Princess. Great game. One question though, why does Midna shatter the mirror at the very end, after saying that keeping it open will allow them to continue seeing each other? Is it because she loves Link, but has a duty to rule her people?

[TheodoricFriede]

I finished Twilight Princess. Great game. One question though, why does Midna shatter the mirror at the very end, after saying that keeping it open will allow them to continue seeing each other? Is it because she loves Link, but has a duty to rule her people?

Because the gods really, REALLY hate the Twilight Realm. They are literally the descendants of some magic users who spurned them. Hence the perpetual twilight thing/powerful magic.

The Legend of Zelda gods are very fickle, and kind of assholes. Im pretty sure the reason Zelda has the goddess Hylia's blood at all was because it was a Prometheus situation, and Hylia was cased out. Consider the fact that they gave Ganon his piece of Triforce just as they gave it to Link and Zelda. I think Ocarina even refers to this as a "cosmic joke".

So basically it was more that it was an affront to the gods that the portal existed at all, and Midna decided that it was in everyone best interests to remove it altogether.

[Raga]

For people here who like to read, what would you say is your favorite sci-fi/fantasy novel/series that is somewhat unknown? So not like LotR or Star Wars or ASoIaF or Harry Potter and so on.

Two fantasy series that I enjoyed that I thought I would never enjoy are the Original Moth trilogy and the Cycle of Arawn. The former has a bit of a romance element on a war background, and the latter is takes a bit long to get into but it centers more of a coming of age of sorts and how things change over time.

The Cycle of Arawn popped up in my Audible recommendations a while back, and I noticed that it was narrated by the same guy who narrates another series I really like and who does a fantastic job. I'll be sure to go back and look at it.

[Dragaros]

I finished Twilight Princess. Great game. One question though, why does Midna shatter the mirror at the very end, after saying that keeping it open will allow them to continue seeing each other? Is it because she loves Link, but has a duty to rule her people?

You can interpret it in many ways.

Midna says at the end "Light and shadow can't mix". Leaving the two planes of existence open to each other invites trouble. And evils from both realities could effect the other. Another Zant could plague Hyrule in the future, and Ganondorf or another evil force from Hyrule could plague the Twilight Realm in the future.

She might have felt her duty to her people was greater than her personal desires, and asking Link to come along and give up his life and responsibilities in Hyrule would be selfish, as would abandoning her responsibilities and staying in Hyrule would be selfish. Shattering the mirror would leave no room for temptation for both of them.

Its been a long time since I played TP, so I may be remembering this wrong, but I think I one point Midna says she now believes the Gods were right to banish her ancestors, as they were messing around with some truly abominable magics and had no respect for Hyrule, the Sacred Realm, or the Triforce, which they tried to dominate. She might feel like her people deserve to stay there, either because they've changed so much during their time in the Twilight Realm or as payment for their hubris, or having seen Hyrule and its then current civilizations first hand, she feels like her people have no place there anymore and any attempts to change that would only bring disaster as the world has moved on.

There's dozens of theories out there you can read on fan sites.

Because the gods really, REALLY hate the Twilight Realm. They are literally the descendants of some magic users who spurned them. Hence the perpetual twilight thing/powerful magic.

The Legend of Zelda gods are very fickle, and kind of assholes. Im pretty sure the reason Zelda has the goddess Hylia's blood at all was because it was a Prometheus situation, and Hylia was cased out. Consider the fact that they gave Ganon his piece of Triforce just as they gave it to Link and Zelda. I think Ocarina even refers to this as a "cosmic joke".

So basically it was more that it was an affront to the gods that the portal existed at all, and Midna decided that it was in everyone best interests to remove it altogether.

I never saw it that way TBH.

Din, Nayru, & Farore are far and away the strongest of the divine beings in the Zelda universe, much greater than the lesser gods such as Valoo and Jabun, but they are also the most distant and rather aloof, preferring to have a hands off approach. They rarely intervene and get involved. And when they do, its usually through agents such as the Sages, the Light Spirits, or various demigods who interpret their will as best they can. Banishing the ancestors of the Twili for their abominable crimes and flooding Hyrule to stop Ganondorf's ultimate victory (because as you know there was no reincarnated Hero in the Adult timeline to stop him when he returned because OoT Link went back to the Child timeline which is why WW Link had to prove and earn his Hero status as a worthy successor) are two rare exceptions where they acted openly and directly. They seem to care more about Hyrule as a whole. Like, they're forces of good, or at least balance, but because of their vast, cosmic, timeless perspectives, their definition of good may be different from what a mortal's is. So if they come across as a little dickish sometimes, its because of their alien way of thinking and different priorities, not because they're deliberately cruel or malicious.

The Twilight Realm was built to be a cosmic prison for evil beings who threatened the Gods' works. The Sages used the Twilight Portal for centuries as part of their sacred duties. Midna breaking the mirror ends that original purpose for good.

Hylia, being one of the lesser gods, and because she was close to the action and on the ground so to speak, had a closer understanding and affection for the mortals and wanted to help them directly, eventually culminating in her giving up her divinity to be reincarnated among them. I never saw anything that indicated she'd been punished or kicked out the heavens by Din, Nayru, & Farore, unless I'm forgetting something.

I always saw the cosmic joke thing as being that the Triforce is a multiversal singularity, so that an action that effects it in one timeline echoes out to the others. Like, the Gods didn't hand out the Triforce pieces to Ganondorf, Link, and Zelda in TP; the pieces went to them of their own accord. Even though Ganondorf was prevented from reaching the Sacred Realm and getting the Triforce of Power in the Child Timeline because OoT Link ratted him out to Zelda and the King of Hyrule, because his future/alternate self did in the Adult Timeline, the Triforce was still divided, and flew to the persons who best embodied their aspects, without their knowledge until dire circumstance activated them: in the case of Link, being engulfed by Twilight, and for Ganondorf, being executed by the Sages. Zelda's probably activated when Zant invaded.

Questions worth asking are: is Ganondorf the chosen holder of the Triforce of Power because his sheer hunger for power and impressive strength/magic just makes him the best candidate, or was he selected by Din personally to have a special bond with it? And if selected, was it because she was giving him an alternative to escape his demonic heritage since he's the primary manifestation/reincarnation of Demise's curse as well as offer a solution to help his people who suffered in the desert (and he just happened to reject that path and Din regrets her choice), or because a force of evil or destruction is needed to shake things up every now and then as part of some enigmatic cosmic balance, like a forest fire clearing away old and dead trees to make room for new growth?

[Vol]

You think he's waiting to see what the reaction is to the final season of the show, or writer's block?

He knows how he wants the story to end, how it turns out for everyone, but my impression is that moving all the pieces so they get there has become a hopelessly snarled mess. Like the problem he had with Dany in Meereen. Now he needs her to get back into the city, meet Victarion, Tyrion, and more, solve the war, resolve the entire plotline there, tame her dragons again, load up everyone on her side, get to Westoros, and then do whatever she's going to do there. While everyone else does their shit too, of which a great deal intersects with other people, and needs to all be chronologically worked out.

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orWCjfUcBTI


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uuRYszZvxo

[Dragaros]

"Back at AdeptiCon, we revealed Sisters of Battle were coming in (if the Emperor wills it) 2019. We know you guys have been anticipating this release for years, and we want to assure you that Sisters of Battle are in the best possible hands."



"After 12 years, more than 50 books and loads of short stories and audio dramas, the Horus Heresy series is coming to an end, making way for the Siege of Terra – a new set of books that will follow the greatest conflict mankind has ever known in more detail than ever before. The final book of the Horus Heresy series before the siege will be The Buried Dagger – a tale of betrayal, woe and the final, tragic collapse of the Death Guard. This moment has been a pivotal and iconic part of Horus Heresy lore for decades, and we’re incredibly excited to finally hear the full story."

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i7HMPpxB-Y

[Dragaros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muzeGsrYpnQ