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2023.05.30 14:25 AlienNationSSB Alien-Nation Chapter 169: Jailbreak
All Chapters First Chapter of Alien-Nation Previous Chapter
Chapter summary: Vaughn liberates a bunch of people. Elias can't sleep and makes some decisions and receives a weird offer.
Chapter Art- Vaughn's Mask, a World War One Tanker Splatter Mask
A Leslie's Pool Supplies retail outlet made for a strange rally point for any group of people, even moreso now that the whole strip mall along what had been Concord Pike had long since closed. The stainless letters spelled the forgotten name of the shopping center, still proudly adorned the top of the diagram of blank signs ensured at least the brick obelisk was a conveniently obvious marker for the men to find and make preparations for assaulting the jail.
'Morningstar' squadron had swelled their cell's numbers to well over twenty by absorbing the miscellaneous fragments of other cells, whose skills were more generalized. The name carried over to the newly formed Strike Force by virtue of being both the largest and the lynchpin of the operation's success.
This was the largest force of the three organized groups they'd split into, each aiming to try and hit the larger jails along Route 202, the other two branches making a target list of their own. Vendetta had given them an extra half hour to at least get themselves close to in-position, but with only one shortwave had no way of knowing if they would coordinate their strike. He was a known element to everyone even if only by name. At least Elias's words stayed true; All seemed very familiar and well-practiced with their carried weaponry. More importantly, none contested his assigned leadership or questioned his orders.
Vaughn cradled the RPG he'd been given, eyeing the well-lit building just over the carefully landscaped hill. The last had been over a half hour ago. The box-mart across the old highway was the temporary headquarters of the repositioned Troop One, after the suburbs near Camp Death had been cleared, likely soon to be repositioned again. But the size of the old box-mart seemed to indicate several things, that it was largely indefensible, could contain a fair few prisoners, and by its proximity to Camp Death, could be useful to strike regardless.
The flow of traffic was unusually heavy for being well before the crack of dawn. Perhaps people were trying their luck getting up old 202 to try and reach the border that way, after having no luck along other closed border checkpoints. There was a feeling of self-consciousness in carrying heavy weapons out in the open along a suburban highway most had driven along during peacetime, the juxtaposition of old familiar environment and newly familiar activity showing just how much their lives had changed. Moreso as cars rolled along it like it was a Friday night of olde, the two lives- old and new, bumping shoulders for a moment.
"You ready?" He asked, snapping them back to the present.
Mutters of assent was good enough. Haltingly, everyone in the mishmashed strike team moved toward the precinct's bright lights, taking advantage of the long shadows and occasional noise of the passing cars.
It was an unassuming building, the repurposed garrison made out of some retail outlet built back in the turbulent seventies, all brick and little else but tiny glass doors, with not even windows for the occupants to know the impending violence had been approaching. What era will this be known as? Early Imperial? Resistance? Revolutionary? Wondered the teen, as he leveled it at the lobby. Good? Bad? Hell, I'm just the man with the gun.
Everyone levelled their weapons as once, and Vaughn held a hand high. "We're here to liberate the prison, not blow it sky high," he chuckled. It was hardly armored or reinforced- or at least, so it seemed to him. And if it was, then the Data Center had shown the virtue of striking the same spot with concentrated fire beat showering it with dispersed impacts.
At least the glass door looked normal enough. "Bump and grind, forward. Forward!" He hissed. "Aim at that- there- the front door." Easy enough for the homemade launcher to hit, and these were arguably of the lowest utility if things went sideways. Elias had taught him asset management well- it was a waste to throw your best equipment at a stationary target. While the design was tried-and-tested, Vaughn still took a few steps away.
The improvised launcher let out a metallic clunk, and with a surprisingly subdued noise and recoil the projectile was sent tumbling freely, end over end, the cap blown clean off the improvised launcher. A second later, the giant projectile more than made up for it as the round smashed through the glass door, taking the automatic door slightly off the rails and bowing slightly inward- before then blowing both them and a hail of glass fragments outward as the detonation went off inside the main lobby.
Someone in a security forces uniform staggered out.
"Infantrymen, Fire!" Vaughn roared to the infantrymen, most of Morningstar dutifully restraining themselves as a hail of bullets sprayed into the storefront and even stitched up the exterior brickwork. Clearly, some insurgents were better trained than others judging by the tracer rounds and slowly tapering off rounds.
"Advance and reload! Morningstar, spread out and cover!"
The smoke and dust was subdued, at least for now, and left them with a surprisingly clear view into the front entrance. Red streaks were painted up on the wall, black and grey of smoke-dusted debris mixed in like a spin-art collage.
The lobby's contents were an absolute shambles- everything set on a ledge had been knocked about, including the ledges and desks themselves. The security forces inside responded by charging out the main doors to follow just a second later.
A hail of gunfire met them, most of the armored troopers flinching reflexively, their armor plates overlapping and protecting their wearer. A few reflexively tried returning fire despite the harsh stings of rounds tugging on the mix of fabric, bulletproof weave, and shattering off the neosteel plate they wore. The gunfire never let up on those unfortunate few who had charged out from their cover, the complete lack of coordination, dissimilar reloading times from infantry with unequal amounts of time spent with their weapons. Effective equipment and enthusiasm was undercut by poor training, surprise, and total lack of a plan to counter being outnumbered. Morningstar, on the other hand, had the numbers, the angle, and the element of surprise.
One by one the Security Forces lay flat. Either they were dead, had the fight knocked out of them, or were trying to present as minimal target as they could while they lined up their own rifles to return fire. It was hard to say for certain what the intent was, but the outcome was little different. Round after round continued pouring into them from dozens of unevenly sized magazines, an RPG or two sending the bodies of any who tried opening fire tumbling, their limbs likely held on by the durable material underneath. When they landed, their bodies folded like misshapen laundry, pressed into unnatural shapes with the wearer still inside.
The whole front engagement was over in less than a minute. A pale, non-gauntleted hand waved frantically from behind a shattered brick front, red streaking down the fingers.
"Hold!" Vaughn shouted. "Identify!" The hand continued waving, and Vaughn shoved an unwitting volunteer forward to pull the man out from behind, to reveal a man in a stained tee shirt with a dazed expression and blood dripping from a series of scratches on his cheeks, cut in like a cat's claws had raked over them.
"Civilian!" Vaughn bellowed over his ringing ears. "Any others inside?"
The man shook his head and mouthed 'no,' his voice seemingly too hoarse- perhaps from having spent an untold amount of time screaming.
The man was wrong- there were, or at least 'had been' more security forces inside. A sudden blast and the tinkering of shrapnel caused Vaughn to duck, then charge forward, his improvised explosive launcher discarded, swinging his shotgun around from his back to rest in his hands. A Technical had tried to leave via a service bay exit, apparently not even managing to round the corner before an RPG wielded by a Morningstar veteran had upended the uparmored pickup as it pulled out.
A survivor crawled from the wreckage, and Vaughn sprinted forward, pressing the barrel against the shivering man's temple as he raised his empty hands. The wet splatter kicked high, and Vendetta checked for any other survivors, the smoking tip of his shotgun wafting grey in the fluorescent tubes of the old retail outlet.
The technicals were indeed tough, he noted, but the round seemed to have flown into a wheel well, bypassing the plating. No one else inside seemed to be moving- yet still, he made certain. There'd be no theatrics of announcing himself to an enemy who played dead by standing in the open and giving orders, letting them try and exact some measure of revenge, or gasping out some warning to the shil'vati. No, a strike was to be calculated, and that calculation was to be total.
Two minutes later and a clear picture of the aftermath had emerged. Over five hundred prisoners rescued from the cells, cramped together like sardines, hastily erected concrete laid in a grid backstopping a prefab prison. PVC pipes ran from room to room for toilets no less roughshod in their construction, set straight into the dirty linoleum. Quite a few of the prisoners were deafened somewhat. The skeleton crew of Security Forces personnel hadn't stood a chance- supposedly, most were out, working from some kind of list, or perhaps had finished their shift after a long day of throwing people into prison.
Vaughn gestured with the shotgun. "There's your exit, people. If you're still undecided about the Shil'vati, then this was your wake-up call. If you're still undecided about us, then I'm not sure what to tell you. We just risked our lives to save yours. You want to pay it back? You can either pay it forward by helping us with the next prison, or you can help the Emperor of Mankind. Blankets, food, water, soldiers, guns, ammo, whatever you've got that you think might help. He hasn't said it, but I reckon you all owe him, if you've got a decent bone in your body, you'll at least bring him something, offer to try and help. If you want, you can listen in on the radio for instructions, and if you haven't got a shortwave, I'll separate off a few from our strike squad who can fill you in and get you there, if you feel like chipping in on the war effort."
Vaughn lowered the shotgun, taking a shell off his bandoleer and loading it in to replace the one he'd fired.
"That went well," Parker remarked. "And not a bad speech. Short, to the point, and all that. Honestly, I wish I'd brought a whole crew. One for the close-up on that impact. But, uh, that execution..."
"Completely necessary," Vaughn snapped, irritatedly. "That guy was fatally wounded. Putting him out of his misery was an act of mercy. And you'll remember to narrate that, if you got that on film."
"Of course." Parker didn't deny where he'd been aiming the camera- saving Vaughn at least the headache of reviewing the footage, and then having to kill Parker, if it turned out he'd been lying.
"I'm starting to think of these jail cells as something more like a pinata full of prizes. Namely, insurgents and good PR," he muttered. Truth be told, he'd wanted more of a fight. Vaughn pulled the radio from his pocket, and sent out the broadcast. "Done here. 202 North has been cleared. About four fifty good to go in some sense of the word, though where's anyone's guess. Tried sending them your way, don't know if they'll take it. Another fifty will need medical treatment. No casualties on our end. Surprise was total. We've got pictures. No enemies taken prisoner."
Vendetta stared around the lobby, an idea slowly dawning on him.
"Hey! Hey hey hey! Snag armor off any of the ones that you can. Grab any goods that are stocked up, and arm up anyone who says they're headed to Camp Death with the weapons the guys had here. Come on, we can't stay too long here. You-" he pointed at a man who had held down the trigger on his rifle, spraying the building at full auto. "-You're fucking useless at fighting. Gather up the ones who are able and willing to fight, get them packed into a civilian-style police cruiser, and drive them on over to Camp Death. Everyone, help him load up. Get everything you can out of the Evidence lockers into the trunks- they can fit a lot, trust me, I'd know. Camp Death's going to need goodies. Come on, move, people, move!"
Morningstar Squadron had re-mustered on Vendetta.
"Alright, now what?" They almost seemed eager for more.
A smile crept across Vendetta's face, invisible to all as he pointed at the row of vehicle keys.
"I think it's time we hit 141 and a couple more," he muttered, pulling it off the hook. "Now...wheelman, shotgun, or turret?"
I couldn't sleep well on the cot that night. Though I noticed hours ticked by, every moment seemed to be spent tossing and turning. I even tried resting with the mask off, held in my hands, but the risk to my identity being discovered if anyone barged in caused me enough stress to worsen the situation. Eventually, I gave up, kicked the covers off and donned the mask again, making my rounds around the camp, trying to calm myself down by taking a midnight stroll. Instead, I felt eyes countless following me, and I had to force myself to stand tall for them. For the thousandth time, I thought of this as my Valley Forge.
As I patrolled, I could hear whispered prayers, muttered plans of action, and mercifully, snores. At least some were getting some sleep. I could see orange lights reflecting off the clouds from where I knew Wilmington lay. It seemed Vaughn was keeping busy, if indeed it was his handiwork.
A few shipment inspections and a routine update from a sentry later, and I felt caught up to speed. I noticed Radio from the corner of my eye, seemingly also unable to sleep.
I almost jumped a foot in the air when I felt the tap on my shoulder, only to find G-Man's mask staring into mine. How strange that such a haunting visage was a comfort to me.
"Hey. Can't sleep?" He sounded surprisingly serene. Or maybe it was just tired resignation. His hands seemed stuck in a familiar claw-like shape after holding the soldering iron for so long, and my fingers ached in sympathy. My mask's filters took much of the scent of smoke I could smell from the distant fires, but I was sure that if I wasn't wearing my mask that G-Man would smell faintly of molten silver solder. I'd wondered how we'd repaired and updated so many railguns so quickly. Now I knew what he'd put himself through.
"I can't," I confessed. "G-Man, I'm sorry what happened with your father. Hell of a birthday." I hadn't even had a chance to give him the present I'd bought him- a couple new filters, and vintage craftsman toolkit, 'from before they sold out,' as Verns had phrased it. The memory of his voice already felt distant, somehow.
"Wasn't your fault. Even if Town Hall wasn't your big idea to get them to retaliate, you know? Then they'd still have done something. But, uh, thanks for saying that. And thanks for trying to get dad out. I'll remember that." George said quietly, then the conversation ended when he turned away and went to the edge of the embankment. Just like that.
I could never quite get a read on him, but I wanted to respect his distance. Whatever he was feeling, he seemed to want to feel it alone, and to keep his own counsel on the matter.
I continued course toward Radio.
"Any word from Miskatonic?" I asked hopefully.
Radio offered a noncommittal shrug, then dropped it in a hurry, raising one hand to massage his chest. "They say 'this is your war,' but did ship us a small container."
"I saw."
I hadn't exactly expected them to line up alongside us in the trenches in their white coats, but I'd hoped they'd have had some kind of wonder drug or noxious gas we might deploy. Something toxic to the Shil'vati but not us. The best they'd given us so far were experimental bullets and toxic-tipped arrows and knives, the former of which supposedly could potentially the armor, if fired with enough force and impacted with a good angle. If true, then I supposed they might be moderately useful in an ambush, and they had helpfully included a pair of compound bows. I had conducted a pretty decent survey of the defense, but I hadn't thought to ask if any were experienced archers. I also couldn't imagine taking someone off a railgun, large caliber rifle, or even an old cannon to hand them a bow and arrow without feeling like I was somehow offering them an insult without equipping it myself, and there was better I could think to do with the remaining minutes before the Shil'vati would inevitably come looking than to practice.
They'd fallen out of favor for a reason, and it wasn't that the earliest guns outperformed bows.
They had also supplied a small cache of rifles that were more likely to pulverize than penetrate unless the armor had been compromised already. These were still appreciated, but hardly the game changer I wanted in return for all we'd sent them.
Then Radio leaned in, voice kept conspiratorially low. "They did, however, mention an exfiltration for you."
Sam had been right, I wouldn't get back anything close to the value of what I'd sent out. At least, not unless I was willing to abandon everything and everyone, to cut and run for my life. Such a decision would be the inglorious end of the revolution, spelling doom for everyone in it, and all of humanity's culture. I'd forever be remembered as a coward, if I was so lucky to be remembered at all.
"Well, I'm not going."
"Okay, but here's a real head-scratcher. Did you show them where Camp Death is? I've been careful not to broadcast our coordinates, and my little helpers haven't been talking with Miskatonic. And the person on the shortwave mentioned that the border would free up tomorrow morning, then mentioned the interstate right up against the back of our base as a meeting point. They said Last Exit Before Pennsylvania. That's right there." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "And I didn't mention broadcasting without a cat's paw or relay. I mean there's a chance they triangulated, but throwing together a plan that fast? Nah, man, they knew."
I searched my memory. "I'm certain that I didn't mention it to them...did Hex? She did that internship. No, wait, she got picked up and dropped off at Warehouse Base. Unless she mentioned something on the drive past? She said they were somewhere North." Now that Radio had mentioned it, I was left with a bit of a puzzle. How did they know? How much did they know about us?
"They had to have known somehow. And if they didn't know before and just figured our location out, then I bet you it's not long before the Shil'vati figure it out themselves and come sniffing," Radio resignedly threw a hand up. "Should we update the signal? Start directing people straight here?"
We had numbers, yes, but we could still do to take more in, especially if the fighting dragged on or casualties mounted higher than I projected. "How long until they're sure we're here?"
Radio yawned under his mask, the animated glass-plated mask he wore misinterpreting it with an ASCII shocked ":O" face. "We've been broadcasting all night, so, who knows?"
"Well, if it was just a signal they picked up on any random given day, how long would it typically take for the Shil'vati to muster a response?"
"Depends on the day." At my silent stare, he objected further. "They sometimes respond pretty fast to that sort of thing, but these aren't normal times, E. They used to come to check out wherever I broadcast from within an hour or two or two, but remember, they've kind of got their hands full right now thanks to Vendetta's jailbreaks. Plus, there's so many more signals." He checked the screen of his shortwave and chuckled, then lightly massaged his chest again. "I'm sure we've already gone way past."
"Alright. If we see anyone snooping around us, add our location to the broadcast. That way, anyone in the resistance or is sympathetic but isn't sure where Camp Death is can find their way here. In the meantime, though, I still think we're best not leaking it. At least with the sentries having set in the final claymores and outer defenses, we should be well-situated to ward off anything they throw at us."
"Maybe. Maybe not," George said from behind me, and I froze.
"Why not?"
He'd helped build this place. He'd know any weaknesses as well as his father.
"They might have cloaking tech, or some other means of infiltration," his voice was a dry rasp.
I shuddered thinking about it. "That's a good point," I muttered. "Assassination and recovery might be up their alley...except, I think they're terrified of what losing me might mean for their hostages."
"I'll be honest. I don't think she cares at this point," G-Man countered. I couldn't fault his gloomy disposition. I could just hope that he didn't want something bad to happen to us, to balance out that something bad had happened to him, from some weird sense of fairness.
"Yeah?"
"Think about it for a second. What happens if you die? Then what does that let her do if that happens?"
It was with a startle I realized he had a good point. Azraea had committed to a shocking all-in, something that would shake the political landscape and memories of countless denizens of the state. Months of carefully planned schemes involving carefully planned defensive patrols meant to reinforce one another, frustrate, and hinder our operations had culminated in us adapting, learning. We thought we had her beaten, especially when we destroyed her monitoring, data collection, and reporting asset in Something Else Square. Then she'd pulled something like this out of a hat, catching us totally flat-footed, rounding up who-knew how many of us before we could muster. What other assumptions had I made that were incorrect? Would she hold fire, if she knew where I was if it meant sparing the hostages? Or were they now just an 'acceptable, if regrettable' loss? When your opponent becomes unpredictable, issues arise, especially when you're counting on them to do certain things.
If it was, then I'd just done her work for her, and all of us would be dead the moment she figured out where we were, and at least the end would come faster than I knew it had arrived.
I realized I was staring up into the orange-lit cloudy night sky. I could voice none of this, not without undermining morale and potentially sparking a panic.
"If she was going to start bombarding the state, she'd have started already by now," I chuckled. "The borders are sealed, right? Why wait? Why bother trying to build some sense of dread? She's not a vampire who feeds on fear. I choose to not be afraid of what she may do. I instead intend to plan around it, to the extent that we can. Besides, if I die, what would the twins do to the hostages?"
George made a disappointed growl, his sore hands turning from awkward claws into shaking fists. "That may be the point. If the Twins do anything to the hostages in retaliation for your death, then maybe as long as she didn't pull the trigger, she thinks she'll be absolved of whatever damage their deaths mean to them."
I wasn't sure she thought that way. Heck, after months, the woman was still an absolute enigma to me. Governess Bal'shir, I understood- the flurry of speeches and photo-ops and handshakes at civic meetings with 'literally-who's-that' of 'what-community' had been carte blanche for us to grow. Ministriva was a lying snake, and once we pieced that together, I ripped her apart. But Azraea? What drove the Fleet Admiral to come down here? Duty. There wasn't any sort of hard policy she followed that I could tell, not that I knew Shil'vati military doctrine well, being an outsider such as I was. Perhaps it was the greater liberty afforded her of being both Governess and General that made it seem like her plans shifted and changed in ways that made it hard for me to keep up. Or maybe she was just at such a rank and in such a position of power to where she could make her judgment calls. If so, that begged the question: What was 'the line' for her? I had a feeling I'd somehow crossed it already. Probably Radio's tape of me fucking the Empress, if I was to be honest. Most unfair to be judged for something that hadn't been my decision, though I doubted an apology from either of us would amount to much.
I looked over to my Lieutenants. They'd helped carry me this far. I'd be foolish to ignore them now. What could I do to at least mitigate the risk that he was right, and there was someone looking to kill me, right here and now?
"Alright, fine, you've convinced me. Instruct the sentries to get the next dozen people who we intake to help patrol the inner perimeter, and to keep a watch for...well, I mean, a stealthy seven foot tall purple alien with giant tits?"
"Something invisible," George supplied.
"Alright, for anything shifting in the tall grasses that they can't immediately see- I can't really ask them to keep an eye out for something they can't see, can I?" I was suddenly too tired to think properly.
"I'll explain it," G-Man offered.
"And I'll get the sentries ready to take over the radio, explaining how it works, then I'll try heading to bed, too," Radio offered, and I realized that a yawn sounded very strange through a voice modulator- his ASCII helmet seemed to fritz out again for a second.
"I should change my sleeping quarters, too," I muttered. "They'll almost certainly check the command cabin for me, if they manage to enter. I'll pick a tunnel- uh...somewhere."
"Might be smart. Could be they'll try and take out the explosives shed, too. Make it look like an accident on our part, get rid of any hostages, and then get a free pass to exact vengeance on the state. Got anywhere in mind?"
I thought to myself. Where might be a good resting area? There were many tunnels that led to bunkers, firing outposts, and even to stowage areas. Any one of them might do in theory, but I knew of one that overlooked one of the two streams that ran along the side of Camp Death. I didn't want to situate myself either too low to where I was on the very front of the lines- why make an assassin's job even easier by putting myself on the perimeter, after all? But the creek should make a pleasant bit of white noise- and also get me away from the center shed. "Probably facing North, along Perkins run. G-Man, you look absolutely dead on your feet. Get some rest if you can, you've certainly done enough and gone through enough for today."
"There's...still things to do."
"There always will be. If the others are finished doing their repairs, lock the shed," I muttered. "I know the hostages are in there, so post a sentry or two there, too, to watch over the entrance. You're right that she may try some kind of underhanded tactic." It wouldn't do much if they decided to set charges against the side or something, and the subsequent explosion would be, in a word, 'cataclysmic'. "This was supposed to be a relaxing walk to help me rest..." I scratched at my chin under the mask, feeling the beginnings of the few scratchy hairs that had grown since I'd last shaved, and feeling the cool fresh air without the filter as the wind kicked up.
"Sorry," G-Man offered sheepishly. "I'll go tell 'em."
While he ambled off, I followed Radio back to his pile of equipment.
"Before we split then, one last thing."
"Yeah?" Radio asked.
"Have we recovered Verns?" I asked Radio. "Any word?"
"No, not that I've heard," Radio confessed. "Vendetta's been mostly quiet, I think to hide his heading from anyone who might be listening, but I know that he's struck at least three jails and counting. Some of the ones he's freed are trickling up to us here on foot, and it seems he and Morningstar are acting like a human wrecking ball. The troops are calling it Operation Smash-and-Grab."
"Smash-and-grab," I laughed, thinking of the pun. "I like it. Do we have a more recent headcount?"
"Sam said we've got enough to last about three days of continuous, round-the-clock fighting with the hundreds of people we have here. If we get a resupply run- well, I suppose it would depend upon how big a hole gets blasted in the encirclement. Or, well, something to that effect. Look, man, I'm 'Radio', not 'Telephone,' and I don't have the head for this logistics shit that you two do. You want to talk to Sam, you get the man on the radio yourself, or ask one of the Sentries I'm sticking here to manage the comms. Point being, you try and get hold of him. I'm done for the night."
I could have said something witty back, but it felt counterproductive, and would only delay the sleep I was now well overdue for.
"I've got an idea for an update. The ones Vendetta's letting loose? They can gather supplies and wait for the signal to reinforce, or to agitate, or can organize people into a more focused group, one that can punch through whatever blockade they try and form up. It'll also force the Shil'vati to not concentrate forces on our back door-" I pointed back at the interstate. "Even if they clear them out, the opportunity for us to encircle and destroy and then break out is too high for them to really try to do a mass deployment along our back." Sam was, I knew, something of a career criminal. Able to rub elbows with the worst elements of humanity. He was a facilitator, I knew, not really a leader. "Can you tell him-"
Radio was already fiddling with the dial. "Already on it," he muttered. "Lotta profit in looting, should be easy for him to steer people with that, or something. Get some sleep, E."
I went up to a sentry, requisitioned a sleeping bag someone had helpfully brought, went into a trench and told him where I'd be if I was needed. I waved to Radio, and crawled into the gunnery tunnel, almost stepping on another four people already laying in it. I loosened my laces, clutched my sheathed knife, and fell into a fitful sleep.
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Chapter summary: Vaughn liberates a bunch of people. Elias can't sleep and makes some decisions and receives a weird offer.
Chapter Art- Vaughn's Mask, a World War One Tanker Splatter Mask
Alien-Nation Chapter 169: Jailbreak
'Morningstar' squadron had swelled their cell's numbers to well over twenty by absorbing the miscellaneous fragments of other cells, whose skills were more generalized. The name carried over to the newly formed Strike Force by virtue of being both the largest and the lynchpin of the operation's success.
This was the largest force of the three organized groups they'd split into, each aiming to try and hit the larger jails along Route 202, the other two branches making a target list of their own. Vendetta had given them an extra half hour to at least get themselves close to in-position, but with only one shortwave had no way of knowing if they would coordinate their strike. He was a known element to everyone even if only by name. At least Elias's words stayed true; All seemed very familiar and well-practiced with their carried weaponry. More importantly, none contested his assigned leadership or questioned his orders.
Vaughn cradled the RPG he'd been given, eyeing the well-lit building just over the carefully landscaped hill. The last had been over a half hour ago. The box-mart across the old highway was the temporary headquarters of the repositioned Troop One, after the suburbs near Camp Death had been cleared, likely soon to be repositioned again. But the size of the old box-mart seemed to indicate several things, that it was largely indefensible, could contain a fair few prisoners, and by its proximity to Camp Death, could be useful to strike regardless.
The flow of traffic was unusually heavy for being well before the crack of dawn. Perhaps people were trying their luck getting up old 202 to try and reach the border that way, after having no luck along other closed border checkpoints. There was a feeling of self-consciousness in carrying heavy weapons out in the open along a suburban highway most had driven along during peacetime, the juxtaposition of old familiar environment and newly familiar activity showing just how much their lives had changed. Moreso as cars rolled along it like it was a Friday night of olde, the two lives- old and new, bumping shoulders for a moment.
"You ready?" He asked, snapping them back to the present.
Mutters of assent was good enough. Haltingly, everyone in the mishmashed strike team moved toward the precinct's bright lights, taking advantage of the long shadows and occasional noise of the passing cars.
It was an unassuming building, the repurposed garrison made out of some retail outlet built back in the turbulent seventies, all brick and little else but tiny glass doors, with not even windows for the occupants to know the impending violence had been approaching. What era will this be known as? Early Imperial? Resistance? Revolutionary? Wondered the teen, as he leveled it at the lobby. Good? Bad? Hell, I'm just the man with the gun.
Everyone levelled their weapons as once, and Vaughn held a hand high. "We're here to liberate the prison, not blow it sky high," he chuckled. It was hardly armored or reinforced- or at least, so it seemed to him. And if it was, then the Data Center had shown the virtue of striking the same spot with concentrated fire beat showering it with dispersed impacts.
At least the glass door looked normal enough. "Bump and grind, forward. Forward!" He hissed. "Aim at that- there- the front door." Easy enough for the homemade launcher to hit, and these were arguably of the lowest utility if things went sideways. Elias had taught him asset management well- it was a waste to throw your best equipment at a stationary target. While the design was tried-and-tested, Vaughn still took a few steps away.
The improvised launcher let out a metallic clunk, and with a surprisingly subdued noise and recoil the projectile was sent tumbling freely, end over end, the cap blown clean off the improvised launcher. A second later, the giant projectile more than made up for it as the round smashed through the glass door, taking the automatic door slightly off the rails and bowing slightly inward- before then blowing both them and a hail of glass fragments outward as the detonation went off inside the main lobby.
Someone in a security forces uniform staggered out.
"Infantrymen, Fire!" Vaughn roared to the infantrymen, most of Morningstar dutifully restraining themselves as a hail of bullets sprayed into the storefront and even stitched up the exterior brickwork. Clearly, some insurgents were better trained than others judging by the tracer rounds and slowly tapering off rounds.
"Advance and reload! Morningstar, spread out and cover!"
The smoke and dust was subdued, at least for now, and left them with a surprisingly clear view into the front entrance. Red streaks were painted up on the wall, black and grey of smoke-dusted debris mixed in like a spin-art collage.
The lobby's contents were an absolute shambles- everything set on a ledge had been knocked about, including the ledges and desks themselves. The security forces inside responded by charging out the main doors to follow just a second later.
A hail of gunfire met them, most of the armored troopers flinching reflexively, their armor plates overlapping and protecting their wearer. A few reflexively tried returning fire despite the harsh stings of rounds tugging on the mix of fabric, bulletproof weave, and shattering off the neosteel plate they wore. The gunfire never let up on those unfortunate few who had charged out from their cover, the complete lack of coordination, dissimilar reloading times from infantry with unequal amounts of time spent with their weapons. Effective equipment and enthusiasm was undercut by poor training, surprise, and total lack of a plan to counter being outnumbered. Morningstar, on the other hand, had the numbers, the angle, and the element of surprise.
One by one the Security Forces lay flat. Either they were dead, had the fight knocked out of them, or were trying to present as minimal target as they could while they lined up their own rifles to return fire. It was hard to say for certain what the intent was, but the outcome was little different. Round after round continued pouring into them from dozens of unevenly sized magazines, an RPG or two sending the bodies of any who tried opening fire tumbling, their limbs likely held on by the durable material underneath. When they landed, their bodies folded like misshapen laundry, pressed into unnatural shapes with the wearer still inside.
The whole front engagement was over in less than a minute. A pale, non-gauntleted hand waved frantically from behind a shattered brick front, red streaking down the fingers.
"Hold!" Vaughn shouted. "Identify!" The hand continued waving, and Vaughn shoved an unwitting volunteer forward to pull the man out from behind, to reveal a man in a stained tee shirt with a dazed expression and blood dripping from a series of scratches on his cheeks, cut in like a cat's claws had raked over them.
"Civilian!" Vaughn bellowed over his ringing ears. "Any others inside?"
The man shook his head and mouthed 'no,' his voice seemingly too hoarse- perhaps from having spent an untold amount of time screaming.
The man was wrong- there were, or at least 'had been' more security forces inside. A sudden blast and the tinkering of shrapnel caused Vaughn to duck, then charge forward, his improvised explosive launcher discarded, swinging his shotgun around from his back to rest in his hands. A Technical had tried to leave via a service bay exit, apparently not even managing to round the corner before an RPG wielded by a Morningstar veteran had upended the uparmored pickup as it pulled out.
A survivor crawled from the wreckage, and Vaughn sprinted forward, pressing the barrel against the shivering man's temple as he raised his empty hands. The wet splatter kicked high, and Vendetta checked for any other survivors, the smoking tip of his shotgun wafting grey in the fluorescent tubes of the old retail outlet.
The technicals were indeed tough, he noted, but the round seemed to have flown into a wheel well, bypassing the plating. No one else inside seemed to be moving- yet still, he made certain. There'd be no theatrics of announcing himself to an enemy who played dead by standing in the open and giving orders, letting them try and exact some measure of revenge, or gasping out some warning to the shil'vati. No, a strike was to be calculated, and that calculation was to be total.
Two minutes later and a clear picture of the aftermath had emerged. Over five hundred prisoners rescued from the cells, cramped together like sardines, hastily erected concrete laid in a grid backstopping a prefab prison. PVC pipes ran from room to room for toilets no less roughshod in their construction, set straight into the dirty linoleum. Quite a few of the prisoners were deafened somewhat. The skeleton crew of Security Forces personnel hadn't stood a chance- supposedly, most were out, working from some kind of list, or perhaps had finished their shift after a long day of throwing people into prison.
Vaughn gestured with the shotgun. "There's your exit, people. If you're still undecided about the Shil'vati, then this was your wake-up call. If you're still undecided about us, then I'm not sure what to tell you. We just risked our lives to save yours. You want to pay it back? You can either pay it forward by helping us with the next prison, or you can help the Emperor of Mankind. Blankets, food, water, soldiers, guns, ammo, whatever you've got that you think might help. He hasn't said it, but I reckon you all owe him, if you've got a decent bone in your body, you'll at least bring him something, offer to try and help. If you want, you can listen in on the radio for instructions, and if you haven't got a shortwave, I'll separate off a few from our strike squad who can fill you in and get you there, if you feel like chipping in on the war effort."
Vaughn lowered the shotgun, taking a shell off his bandoleer and loading it in to replace the one he'd fired.
"That went well," Parker remarked. "And not a bad speech. Short, to the point, and all that. Honestly, I wish I'd brought a whole crew. One for the close-up on that impact. But, uh, that execution..."
"Completely necessary," Vaughn snapped, irritatedly. "That guy was fatally wounded. Putting him out of his misery was an act of mercy. And you'll remember to narrate that, if you got that on film."
"Of course." Parker didn't deny where he'd been aiming the camera- saving Vaughn at least the headache of reviewing the footage, and then having to kill Parker, if it turned out he'd been lying.
"I'm starting to think of these jail cells as something more like a pinata full of prizes. Namely, insurgents and good PR," he muttered. Truth be told, he'd wanted more of a fight. Vaughn pulled the radio from his pocket, and sent out the broadcast. "Done here. 202 North has been cleared. About four fifty good to go in some sense of the word, though where's anyone's guess. Tried sending them your way, don't know if they'll take it. Another fifty will need medical treatment. No casualties on our end. Surprise was total. We've got pictures. No enemies taken prisoner."
Vendetta stared around the lobby, an idea slowly dawning on him.
"Hey! Hey hey hey! Snag armor off any of the ones that you can. Grab any goods that are stocked up, and arm up anyone who says they're headed to Camp Death with the weapons the guys had here. Come on, we can't stay too long here. You-" he pointed at a man who had held down the trigger on his rifle, spraying the building at full auto. "-You're fucking useless at fighting. Gather up the ones who are able and willing to fight, get them packed into a civilian-style police cruiser, and drive them on over to Camp Death. Everyone, help him load up. Get everything you can out of the Evidence lockers into the trunks- they can fit a lot, trust me, I'd know. Camp Death's going to need goodies. Come on, move, people, move!"
Morningstar Squadron had re-mustered on Vendetta.
"Alright, now what?" They almost seemed eager for more.
A smile crept across Vendetta's face, invisible to all as he pointed at the row of vehicle keys.
"I think it's time we hit 141 and a couple more," he muttered, pulling it off the hook. "Now...wheelman, shotgun, or turret?"
"Accidentally Cut Content"
[Author's Note: Hey Everyone. I made a really dumb mistake and included part of the next chapter in the previous one's end in my rush to get it out the door. So the first couple paragraphs will be a repeat, but this IS a new chapter. I even updated those first four or five paragraphs slightly.]I couldn't sleep well on the cot that night. Though I noticed hours ticked by, every moment seemed to be spent tossing and turning. I even tried resting with the mask off, held in my hands, but the risk to my identity being discovered if anyone barged in caused me enough stress to worsen the situation. Eventually, I gave up, kicked the covers off and donned the mask again, making my rounds around the camp, trying to calm myself down by taking a midnight stroll. Instead, I felt eyes countless following me, and I had to force myself to stand tall for them. For the thousandth time, I thought of this as my Valley Forge.
As I patrolled, I could hear whispered prayers, muttered plans of action, and mercifully, snores. At least some were getting some sleep. I could see orange lights reflecting off the clouds from where I knew Wilmington lay. It seemed Vaughn was keeping busy, if indeed it was his handiwork.
A few shipment inspections and a routine update from a sentry later, and I felt caught up to speed. I noticed Radio from the corner of my eye, seemingly also unable to sleep.
I almost jumped a foot in the air when I felt the tap on my shoulder, only to find G-Man's mask staring into mine. How strange that such a haunting visage was a comfort to me.
"Hey. Can't sleep?" He sounded surprisingly serene. Or maybe it was just tired resignation. His hands seemed stuck in a familiar claw-like shape after holding the soldering iron for so long, and my fingers ached in sympathy. My mask's filters took much of the scent of smoke I could smell from the distant fires, but I was sure that if I wasn't wearing my mask that G-Man would smell faintly of molten silver solder. I'd wondered how we'd repaired and updated so many railguns so quickly. Now I knew what he'd put himself through.
"I can't," I confessed. "G-Man, I'm sorry what happened with your father. Hell of a birthday." I hadn't even had a chance to give him the present I'd bought him- a couple new filters, and vintage craftsman toolkit, 'from before they sold out,' as Verns had phrased it. The memory of his voice already felt distant, somehow.
"Wasn't your fault. Even if Town Hall wasn't your big idea to get them to retaliate, you know? Then they'd still have done something. But, uh, thanks for saying that. And thanks for trying to get dad out. I'll remember that." George said quietly, then the conversation ended when he turned away and went to the edge of the embankment. Just like that.
I could never quite get a read on him, but I wanted to respect his distance. Whatever he was feeling, he seemed to want to feel it alone, and to keep his own counsel on the matter.
I continued course toward Radio.
"Any word from Miskatonic?" I asked hopefully.
Radio offered a noncommittal shrug, then dropped it in a hurry, raising one hand to massage his chest. "They say 'this is your war,' but did ship us a small container."
"I saw."
I hadn't exactly expected them to line up alongside us in the trenches in their white coats, but I'd hoped they'd have had some kind of wonder drug or noxious gas we might deploy. Something toxic to the Shil'vati but not us. The best they'd given us so far were experimental bullets and toxic-tipped arrows and knives, the former of which supposedly could potentially the armor, if fired with enough force and impacted with a good angle. If true, then I supposed they might be moderately useful in an ambush, and they had helpfully included a pair of compound bows. I had conducted a pretty decent survey of the defense, but I hadn't thought to ask if any were experienced archers. I also couldn't imagine taking someone off a railgun, large caliber rifle, or even an old cannon to hand them a bow and arrow without feeling like I was somehow offering them an insult without equipping it myself, and there was better I could think to do with the remaining minutes before the Shil'vati would inevitably come looking than to practice.
They'd fallen out of favor for a reason, and it wasn't that the earliest guns outperformed bows.
They had also supplied a small cache of rifles that were more likely to pulverize than penetrate unless the armor had been compromised already. These were still appreciated, but hardly the game changer I wanted in return for all we'd sent them.
Then Radio leaned in, voice kept conspiratorially low. "They did, however, mention an exfiltration for you."
Sam had been right, I wouldn't get back anything close to the value of what I'd sent out. At least, not unless I was willing to abandon everything and everyone, to cut and run for my life. Such a decision would be the inglorious end of the revolution, spelling doom for everyone in it, and all of humanity's culture. I'd forever be remembered as a coward, if I was so lucky to be remembered at all.
"Well, I'm not going."
"Okay, but here's a real head-scratcher. Did you show them where Camp Death is? I've been careful not to broadcast our coordinates, and my little helpers haven't been talking with Miskatonic. And the person on the shortwave mentioned that the border would free up tomorrow morning, then mentioned the interstate right up against the back of our base as a meeting point. They said Last Exit Before Pennsylvania. That's right there." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "And I didn't mention broadcasting without a cat's paw or relay. I mean there's a chance they triangulated, but throwing together a plan that fast? Nah, man, they knew."
I searched my memory. "I'm certain that I didn't mention it to them...did Hex? She did that internship. No, wait, she got picked up and dropped off at Warehouse Base. Unless she mentioned something on the drive past? She said they were somewhere North." Now that Radio had mentioned it, I was left with a bit of a puzzle. How did they know? How much did they know about us?
"They had to have known somehow. And if they didn't know before and just figured our location out, then I bet you it's not long before the Shil'vati figure it out themselves and come sniffing," Radio resignedly threw a hand up. "Should we update the signal? Start directing people straight here?"
We had numbers, yes, but we could still do to take more in, especially if the fighting dragged on or casualties mounted higher than I projected. "How long until they're sure we're here?"
Radio yawned under his mask, the animated glass-plated mask he wore misinterpreting it with an ASCII shocked ":O" face. "We've been broadcasting all night, so, who knows?"
"Well, if it was just a signal they picked up on any random given day, how long would it typically take for the Shil'vati to muster a response?"
"Depends on the day." At my silent stare, he objected further. "They sometimes respond pretty fast to that sort of thing, but these aren't normal times, E. They used to come to check out wherever I broadcast from within an hour or two or two, but remember, they've kind of got their hands full right now thanks to Vendetta's jailbreaks. Plus, there's so many more signals." He checked the screen of his shortwave and chuckled, then lightly massaged his chest again. "I'm sure we've already gone way past."
"Alright. If we see anyone snooping around us, add our location to the broadcast. That way, anyone in the resistance or is sympathetic but isn't sure where Camp Death is can find their way here. In the meantime, though, I still think we're best not leaking it. At least with the sentries having set in the final claymores and outer defenses, we should be well-situated to ward off anything they throw at us."
"Maybe. Maybe not," George said from behind me, and I froze.
"Why not?"
He'd helped build this place. He'd know any weaknesses as well as his father.
"They might have cloaking tech, or some other means of infiltration," his voice was a dry rasp.
I shuddered thinking about it. "That's a good point," I muttered. "Assassination and recovery might be up their alley...except, I think they're terrified of what losing me might mean for their hostages."
"I'll be honest. I don't think she cares at this point," G-Man countered. I couldn't fault his gloomy disposition. I could just hope that he didn't want something bad to happen to us, to balance out that something bad had happened to him, from some weird sense of fairness.
"Yeah?"
"Think about it for a second. What happens if you die? Then what does that let her do if that happens?"
It was with a startle I realized he had a good point. Azraea had committed to a shocking all-in, something that would shake the political landscape and memories of countless denizens of the state. Months of carefully planned schemes involving carefully planned defensive patrols meant to reinforce one another, frustrate, and hinder our operations had culminated in us adapting, learning. We thought we had her beaten, especially when we destroyed her monitoring, data collection, and reporting asset in Something Else Square. Then she'd pulled something like this out of a hat, catching us totally flat-footed, rounding up who-knew how many of us before we could muster. What other assumptions had I made that were incorrect? Would she hold fire, if she knew where I was if it meant sparing the hostages? Or were they now just an 'acceptable, if regrettable' loss? When your opponent becomes unpredictable, issues arise, especially when you're counting on them to do certain things.
If it was, then I'd just done her work for her, and all of us would be dead the moment she figured out where we were, and at least the end would come faster than I knew it had arrived.
I realized I was staring up into the orange-lit cloudy night sky. I could voice none of this, not without undermining morale and potentially sparking a panic.
"If she was going to start bombarding the state, she'd have started already by now," I chuckled. "The borders are sealed, right? Why wait? Why bother trying to build some sense of dread? She's not a vampire who feeds on fear. I choose to not be afraid of what she may do. I instead intend to plan around it, to the extent that we can. Besides, if I die, what would the twins do to the hostages?"
George made a disappointed growl, his sore hands turning from awkward claws into shaking fists. "That may be the point. If the Twins do anything to the hostages in retaliation for your death, then maybe as long as she didn't pull the trigger, she thinks she'll be absolved of whatever damage their deaths mean to them."
I wasn't sure she thought that way. Heck, after months, the woman was still an absolute enigma to me. Governess Bal'shir, I understood- the flurry of speeches and photo-ops and handshakes at civic meetings with 'literally-who's-that' of 'what-community' had been carte blanche for us to grow. Ministriva was a lying snake, and once we pieced that together, I ripped her apart. But Azraea? What drove the Fleet Admiral to come down here? Duty. There wasn't any sort of hard policy she followed that I could tell, not that I knew Shil'vati military doctrine well, being an outsider such as I was. Perhaps it was the greater liberty afforded her of being both Governess and General that made it seem like her plans shifted and changed in ways that made it hard for me to keep up. Or maybe she was just at such a rank and in such a position of power to where she could make her judgment calls. If so, that begged the question: What was 'the line' for her? I had a feeling I'd somehow crossed it already. Probably Radio's tape of me fucking the Empress, if I was to be honest. Most unfair to be judged for something that hadn't been my decision, though I doubted an apology from either of us would amount to much.
I looked over to my Lieutenants. They'd helped carry me this far. I'd be foolish to ignore them now. What could I do to at least mitigate the risk that he was right, and there was someone looking to kill me, right here and now?
"Alright, fine, you've convinced me. Instruct the sentries to get the next dozen people who we intake to help patrol the inner perimeter, and to keep a watch for...well, I mean, a stealthy seven foot tall purple alien with giant tits?"
"Something invisible," George supplied.
"Alright, for anything shifting in the tall grasses that they can't immediately see- I can't really ask them to keep an eye out for something they can't see, can I?" I was suddenly too tired to think properly.
"I'll explain it," G-Man offered.
"And I'll get the sentries ready to take over the radio, explaining how it works, then I'll try heading to bed, too," Radio offered, and I realized that a yawn sounded very strange through a voice modulator- his ASCII helmet seemed to fritz out again for a second.
"I should change my sleeping quarters, too," I muttered. "They'll almost certainly check the command cabin for me, if they manage to enter. I'll pick a tunnel- uh...somewhere."
"Might be smart. Could be they'll try and take out the explosives shed, too. Make it look like an accident on our part, get rid of any hostages, and then get a free pass to exact vengeance on the state. Got anywhere in mind?"
I thought to myself. Where might be a good resting area? There were many tunnels that led to bunkers, firing outposts, and even to stowage areas. Any one of them might do in theory, but I knew of one that overlooked one of the two streams that ran along the side of Camp Death. I didn't want to situate myself either too low to where I was on the very front of the lines- why make an assassin's job even easier by putting myself on the perimeter, after all? But the creek should make a pleasant bit of white noise- and also get me away from the center shed. "Probably facing North, along Perkins run. G-Man, you look absolutely dead on your feet. Get some rest if you can, you've certainly done enough and gone through enough for today."
"There's...still things to do."
"There always will be. If the others are finished doing their repairs, lock the shed," I muttered. "I know the hostages are in there, so post a sentry or two there, too, to watch over the entrance. You're right that she may try some kind of underhanded tactic." It wouldn't do much if they decided to set charges against the side or something, and the subsequent explosion would be, in a word, 'cataclysmic'. "This was supposed to be a relaxing walk to help me rest..." I scratched at my chin under the mask, feeling the beginnings of the few scratchy hairs that had grown since I'd last shaved, and feeling the cool fresh air without the filter as the wind kicked up.
"Sorry," G-Man offered sheepishly. "I'll go tell 'em."
While he ambled off, I followed Radio back to his pile of equipment.
"Before we split then, one last thing."
"Yeah?" Radio asked.
"Have we recovered Verns?" I asked Radio. "Any word?"
"No, not that I've heard," Radio confessed. "Vendetta's been mostly quiet, I think to hide his heading from anyone who might be listening, but I know that he's struck at least three jails and counting. Some of the ones he's freed are trickling up to us here on foot, and it seems he and Morningstar are acting like a human wrecking ball. The troops are calling it Operation Smash-and-Grab."
"Smash-and-grab," I laughed, thinking of the pun. "I like it. Do we have a more recent headcount?"
"Sam said we've got enough to last about three days of continuous, round-the-clock fighting with the hundreds of people we have here. If we get a resupply run- well, I suppose it would depend upon how big a hole gets blasted in the encirclement. Or, well, something to that effect. Look, man, I'm 'Radio', not 'Telephone,' and I don't have the head for this logistics shit that you two do. You want to talk to Sam, you get the man on the radio yourself, or ask one of the Sentries I'm sticking here to manage the comms. Point being, you try and get hold of him. I'm done for the night."
I could have said something witty back, but it felt counterproductive, and would only delay the sleep I was now well overdue for.
"I've got an idea for an update. The ones Vendetta's letting loose? They can gather supplies and wait for the signal to reinforce, or to agitate, or can organize people into a more focused group, one that can punch through whatever blockade they try and form up. It'll also force the Shil'vati to not concentrate forces on our back door-" I pointed back at the interstate. "Even if they clear them out, the opportunity for us to encircle and destroy and then break out is too high for them to really try to do a mass deployment along our back." Sam was, I knew, something of a career criminal. Able to rub elbows with the worst elements of humanity. He was a facilitator, I knew, not really a leader. "Can you tell him-"
Radio was already fiddling with the dial. "Already on it," he muttered. "Lotta profit in looting, should be easy for him to steer people with that, or something. Get some sleep, E."
I went up to a sentry, requisitioned a sleeping bag someone had helpfully brought, went into a trench and told him where I'd be if I was needed. I waved to Radio, and crawled into the gunnery tunnel, almost stepping on another four people already laying in it. I loosened my laces, clutched my sheathed knife, and fell into a fitful sleep.
Alien-Nation Discord Buy A Coffee for the Author
2023.05.30 08:12 PmMeYourFeels How do I configure the refind.conf and refind_linux.conf (and or config.yaml (for ZFSBootMenu)) files properly when installing Arch Linux with ZFS Native Encryption?
Hello,
As the title suggests, I am attempting to install OpenZFS with Native ZFS Encryption on a fresh installation of Arch Linux whilst utilizing rEFInd as my bootloader.
After carefully completing all the appropriate steps, exiting arch-chroot, unmounting all my ZFS datasets, exporting my ZFS pool, unmounting my ESP, powering off my system, and unplugging my USB containing my Arch Live ISO, I am greeted with the following error when I attempt to boot my system back up and boot into my fresh Arch Linux system with ZFS Native Encryption via selecting it on rEFInd:
What caught my attention was that there was an added back slash after "=" at "initrd=\boot\initramfs-linux.img'" on the last line, since the Arch Wiki (rEFInd 3.1.2 For manual boot stanzas) says to not use backslashes when adding initrd commands but I think this ok since it is from before I began manually entering the multiple initrd= without the initial backslash in the /boot/efi/EFI/refind/refind.conf file.
However, I tried editing it in the terminal pressing tab twice on the keyboard with no avail.
I made sure to incorporate the archzfs-linux-git, zfs-linux-git, zfs-linux-git-headers, zfs-utils-git packages into the Live Arch ISO when building the base system. Furthermore, I made sure that the Linux kernel and ZFS packages are compatible and supported with each other. I was trying this with 6.3.1 and 6.3.2 (I made sure no package was not newer than as of Sunday, 21 May 2029). I understand they released updated ZFS packages for 6.3.4 today (Monday, 29 May 2023), but I have not had the chance to give a try yet.
I am installing the system on a single Samsung 950 PRO NVMe SSD M.2 512 GB to get my feet wet with ZFS and comfortable enough before scaling up. I have two partitions, a 32-bit FAT 1G EF00 EFI System Partition mounted on /boot/efi, and the second BF00 partition utilizing the remaining 475.9G disk space for my ZFS Pool, zroot. I am utilizing ZFS Native Encryption on the second partition with the key saved in the the initramfs.
I am having difficulty setting up the correct and appropriate rEFInd configuration files: refind.conf which is located at /boot/efi/EFI/refind/refind.conf, and refind_linux.conf which is located at /boot/refind_linux.conf.
Here are my current configurations files for each respective rEFInd configuration file, respectively:
I also tried using the suggestions I found online here that suggested the following:
I incorporated the suggestion into my /boot/efi/EFI/refind/refind.conf file with the appropriate changes:
but it didn't help :( I tried other small tweaks in that configuration file but they also did not work. For example, instead of volume zroot, I tried entering volume Root-0-NVMe.
I was originally trying to use rEFInd as my exclusive bootloader and utilizing the ZFS drivers/binaries from here. The file I driver I downloaded is zfs_x64.efi. I saved the zfs_x64.efi driver in multiple locations before and after installing rEFInd via running the refind-install script, even though one location should have sufficed. I saved a copy of zfs_x64.efi in /usshare/refind/drivers_x64, /boot/efi/EFI/refind, /boot/efi/EFI/refind/drivers, /boot/efi/EFI/, /boot/efi/EFI/refind/tools, /boot/efi/EFI/refind/tools/drivers, /boot, and /boot/drivers. I may have saved copies in other locations, just in case, but it also did not help.
I would like to highlight that /boot is located within the ZFS natively encrypted zrootpool.
I am pretty sure that that I am doing something incorrectly with the configuration files for the rEFInd bootloader, but everything else should be correct. However, as I write this, I barely realized did I not use the following commands recommended from the "Usage" section from the aforementioned website where I downloaded the zfs_x64.efi driver file for rEFInd:
So this may be the problem, but I doubt it. I will try to enter the command next time I have access to my computer. The extra datasets involving /usr, /tmp, /srv, /opt, and /var may also be contributing my issues.
That said, after weeks of frustrating research and attempts of diagnosing the problem, I thought I would give ZFSBootMenu a try to see if it would fix all my issues, but it did not help either. As recommended by the Arch Wiki (Generate a ZFSBootMenu image), I set up my /etc/zfsbootmenu/config.yaml as thus:
I also try to incorporate some of the recommendations from the ZFSBootMenu wiki and also a different page on the wiki from the guide, but it was difficult to follow since Arch Linux utilizes mkinitcpio and not dracut.
Here is how I have my pacman.conf file:
nano /etc/pacman.conf:
My mkinitcpio.conf file:
In my /etc/fstab file, I commented out all my ZFS datasets, and simply left the line for my ESP uncommented, as follows:
Before, instead of /dev/disk/by-partlabel/EFI-0-NVMe, I had UUID=####-####.
Here is my zpool:
Here are my 48 ZFS Datasets:
I am not sure if the mountpoints I used for some are the ZFS datasets are appropriate and or are contributing to my issues of my bootloader not being able to detect my natively encrypted ZFS pool which holds my initramfs and vmlinuz-linux. Any suggestions would be welcomed. What is supposed to happen is that rEFInd should be automatically booting my natively ZFS encrypted Arch Linux system (if I don't select it first), prompt me to enter my password once before going forward with unlocking all my ZFS encrypted pool and datasets automatically and going forward with the typical boot process as if it were not encrypted.
I would like to highlight my original intention was to use rEFInd as my exclusive bootloader and not use ZFSBootMenu whatsoever. However, if I must use ZFSBootMenu in conjunction with rEFInd, then I will. I intend to to have this Samsung NVMe SSD M.2 512 GB 950 PRO dedicated to my Arch Linux (and other Linux systems) and utilize my second Samsung NVMe M.2 2 TB 980 PRO for Windows but boot it from rEFInd which is installed on my 950 PRO.
Any tips or suggestions would be well appreciated. I probably did something very dumb or some silly mistake.
Here are all the commands I used during my install of Arch Linux with ZFS Native Encryption on a single Samsung 950 PRO 512 GB NVMe M.2 SSD; I did my best to do things in a particular order such that there would be little to no conflicts:
Lastly, if it matters, here is my hardware:
Thank you for taking the time to read my wall of text. I have spent months researching and reading before I even considered attempting this project and or seeking help.
submitted by PmMeYourFeels to zfs [link] [comments]
As the title suggests, I am attempting to install OpenZFS with Native ZFS Encryption on a fresh installation of Arch Linux whilst utilizing rEFInd as my bootloader.
After carefully completing all the appropriate steps, exiting arch-chroot, unmounting all my ZFS datasets, exporting my ZFS pool, unmounting my ESP, powering off my system, and unplugging my USB containing my Arch Live ISO, I am greeted with the following error when I attempt to boot my system back up and boot into my fresh Arch Linux system with ZFS Native Encryption via selecting it on rEFInd:
Starting vmlinuz-linux Using load options 'zfs=zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith
cryptdevice=/dev/disk/by-partlabel/Root-0-NVMe:zroot
rw
add_efi_memmap
initrd=boot\intel-ucode.img
initrd=boot\initramfs-%v.img
initrd=etc\zfs\zroot.key
initrd=\boot\initramfs-linux.img'
Invalid loader file!
Error: Not found while loading vmlinuz-linux
** Hit and key to continue **
What caught my attention was that there was an added back slash after "=" at "initrd=\boot\initramfs-linux.img'" on the last line, since the Arch Wiki (rEFInd 3.1.2 For manual boot stanzas) says to not use backslashes when adding initrd commands but I think this ok since it is from before I began manually entering the multiple initrd= without the initial backslash in the /boot/efi/EFI/refind/refind.conf file.
However, I tried editing it in the terminal pressing tab twice on the keyboard with no avail.
I made sure to incorporate the archzfs-linux-git, zfs-linux-git, zfs-linux-git-headers, zfs-utils-git packages into the Live Arch ISO when building the base system. Furthermore, I made sure that the Linux kernel and ZFS packages are compatible and supported with each other. I was trying this with 6.3.1 and 6.3.2 (I made sure no package was not newer than as of Sunday, 21 May 2029). I understand they released updated ZFS packages for 6.3.4 today (Monday, 29 May 2023), but I have not had the chance to give a try yet.
I am installing the system on a single Samsung 950 PRO NVMe SSD M.2 512 GB to get my feet wet with ZFS and comfortable enough before scaling up. I have two partitions, a 32-bit FAT 1G EF00 EFI System Partition mounted on /boot/efi, and the second BF00 partition utilizing the remaining 475.9G disk space for my ZFS Pool, zroot. I am utilizing ZFS Native Encryption on the second partition with the key saved in the the initramfs.
I am having difficulty setting up the correct and appropriate rEFInd configuration files: refind.conf which is located at /boot/efi/EFI/refind/refind.conf, and refind_linux.conf which is located at /boot/refind_linux.conf.
Here are my current configurations files for each respective rEFInd configuration file, respectively:
- nano /boot/refind_linux.conf
"Boot with standard options" \ "zfs=zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith \ cryptdevice=/dev/disk/by-partlabel/Root-0-NVMe:zroot \ rw \ add_efi_memmap \ initrd=boot\intel-ucode.img \ initrd=boot\initramfs-%v.img \ initrd=etc\zfs\zroot.key loglevel=4"
- nano /boot/efi/EFI/refind/refind.conf
scanfor manual,nvme,zfs_keys scanfor_manual +zfs/*/*.efi scan_driver_dirs EFI/tools menuentry "Arch Linux" { icon /EFI/refind/icons/os_arch.png volume zroot loader /boot/vmlinuz-linux initrd /boot/initramfs-%v.img options "zfs=zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith \ cryptdevice=/dev/disk/by-partlabel/Root-0-NVMe:zroot \ rw \ add_efi_memmap \ initrd=boot\intel-ucode.img \ initrd=boot\initramfs-%v.img \ initrd=etc\zfs\zroot.key" }
I also tried using the suggestions I found online here that suggested the following:
Works for me:
$ cat /boot/refind_linux.conf "Boot with standard options" "dozfs=force root=ZFS=SSD/ROOT/Debian rw quiet splash vt.handoff=7" "Boot to single-user mode" "dozfs=force root=ZFS=SSD/ROOT/Debian rw quiet splash vt.handoff=7 single" "Boot with minimal options" "dozfs=force root=ZFS=SSD/ROOT/Debian rw"or in refind.conf manual stanza
menuentry "Akua Debian" { icon EFI/refind/icons/os_elementary.png volume ZFSROOT loader ROOT/Debian/@/vmlinuz initrd ROOT/Debian/@/initrd.img options "dozfs=force root=ZFS=SSD/ROOT/Debian rw quiet splash vt.handoff=7" }
I had to fiddle with the paths - since the actual root is ROOT/Debian ... but it wouldn't work if I didn't add the /@/ path component. Those paths are symlinks into boot/ (latest version of kernel and initrd).
zfs list ... SSD/ROOT 30.7G 61.7G 23K none SSD/ROOT/Debian 11.5G 61.7G 11.5G legacy SSD/ROOT/FreeBSD 949M 61.7G 949M /mnt/FreeBSD SSD/ROOT/Void 18.2G 61.7G 18.2G legacy ... # ls -l /boot/efi/EFI/refind/drivers_x64/ total 239 -rwx------ 1 root root 83222 Sep 16 18:13 btrfs_x64.efi -rwx------ 1 root root 69384 Sep 17 09:41 ext4_x64.efi -rwx------ 1 root root 90336 Apr 25 2018 zfs_x64.efi
Zpool's name is SSD ... ZFSROOT is the partition name set with gdisk (gptfdisk).
Hope this helps.
I incorporated the suggestion into my /boot/efi/EFI/refind/refind.conf file with the appropriate changes:
menuentry "Arch Linux" { icon /EFI/refind/icons/os_arch.png volume zroot loader sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith/@/vmlinuz-linux initrd sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith/@/initramfs-%v.img options "zfs=zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith \ cryptdevice=/dev/disk/by-partlabel/Root-0-NVMe:zroot \ rw \ add_efi_memmap \ initrd=boot\intel-ucode.img \ initrd=boot\initramfs-%v.img \ initrd=etc\zfs\zroot.key" } but it didn't help :( I tried other small tweaks in that configuration file but they also did not work. For example, instead of volume zroot, I tried entering volume Root-0-NVMe.
I was originally trying to use rEFInd as my exclusive bootloader and utilizing the ZFS drivers/binaries from here. The file I driver I downloaded is zfs_x64.efi. I saved the zfs_x64.efi driver in multiple locations before and after installing rEFInd via running the refind-install script, even though one location should have sufficed. I saved a copy of zfs_x64.efi in /usshare/refind/drivers_x64, /boot/efi/EFI/refind, /boot/efi/EFI/refind/drivers, /boot/efi/EFI/, /boot/efi/EFI/refind/tools, /boot/efi/EFI/refind/tools/drivers, /boot, and /boot/drivers. I may have saved copies in other locations, just in case, but it also did not help.
I would like to highlight that /boot is located within the ZFS natively encrypted zrootpool.
I am pretty sure that that I am doing something incorrectly with the configuration files for the rEFInd bootloader, but everything else should be correct. However, as I write this, I barely realized did I not use the following commands recommended from the "Usage" section from the aforementioned website where I downloaded the zfs_x64.efi driver file for rEFInd:
zfs_x64.efi map -r
So this may be the problem, but I doubt it. I will try to enter the command next time I have access to my computer. The extra datasets involving /usr, /tmp, /srv, /opt, and /var may also be contributing my issues.
That said, after weeks of frustrating research and attempts of diagnosing the problem, I thought I would give ZFSBootMenu a try to see if it would fix all my issues, but it did not help either. As recommended by the Arch Wiki (Generate a ZFSBootMenu image), I set up my /etc/zfsbootmenu/config.yaml as thus:
Global: ManageImages: true BootMountPoint: /boot/efi DracutConfDir: /etc/zfsbootmenu/dracut.conf.d PreHooksDir: /etc/zfsbootmenu/generate-zbm.pre.d PostHooksDir: /etc/zfsbootmenu/generate-zbm.post.d InitCPIO: true InitCPIOConfig: /etc/zfsbootmenu/mkinitcpio.conf Components: ImageDir: /boot/efi/EFI/zbm Versions: 3 Enabled: false syslinux: Config: /boot/syslinux/syslinux.cfg Enabled: false EFI: ImageDir: /boot/efi/EFI/zbm Versions: false Enabled: true Kernel: CommandLine: ro quiet loglevel=0
I also try to incorporate some of the recommendations from the ZFSBootMenu wiki and also a different page on the wiki from the guide, but it was difficult to follow since Arch Linux utilizes mkinitcpio and not dracut.
Here is how I have my pacman.conf file:
nano /etc/pacman.conf:
Color VerbosePkgList ParallelDownloads = 10 ILoveCandy [core] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [extra] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [community] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [multilib] [core] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [archzfs] SigLevel = Optional TrustAll Server = https://archzfs.com/$repo/$arch
My mkinitcpio.conf file:
MODULES=(usbhid \ xhci_hcd \ nvidia \ nvidia_modeset \ nvidia_uvm \ nvidia_drm) FILES=(/etc/zfs/zroot.key) HOOKS=(base \ udev \ autodetect \ modconf \ block \ keyboard \ keymap \ encrypt \ zfs \ usr \ filesystems \ fsck shutdown)
In my /etc/fstab file, I commented out all my ZFS datasets, and simply left the line for my ESP uncommented, as follows:
/dev/disk/by-partlabel/EFI-0-NVMe \ /boot/efi vfat \ rw,\ relatime,\ fmask=0022,\ codepage=437,\ iocharset=ascii,\ shortname=mixed,\ utf8,\ errors=remount-ro \ 0 2
Before, instead of /dev/disk/by-partlabel/EFI-0-NVMe, I had UUID=####-####.
Here is my zpool:
zpool create -f \ -o ashift=12 \ -O encryption=aes-256-gcm \ -O keylocation=file:///etc/zfs/zroot.key \ -O keyformat=passphrase \ -O pbkdf2iters=750000 \ -O acltype=posixacl \ -O relatime=on \ -O xattr=sa \ -O compression=lz4 \ -O checksum=sha512 \ -O dedup=sha512 \ -O normalization=formD \ -O dnodesize=auto \ -o autotrim=on \ -m none \ -R /mnt \ zroot \ /dev/disk/by-partlabel/Root-0-NVMe
Here are my 48 ZFS Datasets:
#1 zfs create -p \ -o mountpoint=none \ zroot/sys/arch-0 #2 zfs create -o mountpoint=none \ zroot/sys/arch-0/root #3 zfs create -o mountpoint=/ \ -o canmount=noauto \ zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith zfs mount zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith #4 zfs create -o mountpoint=none \ zroot/sys/arch-0/data #5 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home \ zroot/sys/arch-0/data/home #6 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/root \ zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith/root #7 VAR zfs create -o canmount=off \ -o mountpoint=/var \ -o refquota=35G \ zroot/sys/arch-0/var #8 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valog \ -o refquota=10G \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valog #9 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valog/audit \ -o quota=10G \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valog/audit #10 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valog/journal \ -o quota=10G \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valog/journal #11 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/vatmp \ -o quota=3G \ zroot/sys/arch-0/vatmp #12 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/vacache \ zroot/sys/arch-0/vacache #13 zfs create -o canmount=off \ -o mountpoint=/valib \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib #14 zfs create -o canmount=off \ -o mountpoint=/valib/systemd \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/systemd #15 zfs create -o canmount=on (?) \ -o mountpoint=/valib/systemd/coredump \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/systemd/coredump #16 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valib/libvirt \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/libvirt #17 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valib/docker \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/docker #18 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valib/mysql \ -o recordsize=8K \ -o primarycache=metadata \ -o logbias=throughput \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/mysql #19 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valib/mysql/data \ -o recordsize=8K \ -o primarycache=metadata \ -o logbias=throughput \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/mysql/data #20 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valib/mysql/log \ -o recordsize=8K \ -o primarycache=metadata \ -o logbias=throughput \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/mysql/log #21 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valib/postgresql \ -o recordsize=8K \ -o primarycache=metadata \ -o logbias=throughput \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/postgresql #22 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valib/postgresql/data \ -o recordsize=8K \ -o primarycache=metadata \ -o logbias=throughput \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/postgresql/data #23 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valib/postgresql/log \ -o recordsize=8K \ -o primarycache=metadata \ -o logbias=throughput \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/postgresql/log #24 TMP zfs create -o canmount=on (?) \ -o mountpoint=/tmp \ -o reservation=16G \ -o quota=18G \ -o sync=disabled \ -o setuid=off \ -o devices=off \ -o com.sun:auto-snapshot=false \ zroot/sys/arch-0/tmp #25 SRV zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/srv \ zroot/sys/arch-0/srv #26 OPT zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/opt \ zroot/sys/arch-0/opt #27 USR zfs create -o canmount=noauto (?) \ -o mountpoint=/usr \ -o reservation=8G \ -o quota=11G \ zroot/sys/arch-0/usr zfs mount zroot/sys/arch-0/usr #28 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/uslocal \ zroot/sys/arch-0/uslocal #29 zfs create -o canmount=on (?) \ -o mountpoint=/uslib \ zroot/sys/arch-0/uslib #30 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/ussrc \ zroot/sys/arch-0/ussrc #31 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/usshare \ zroot/sys/arch-0/usshare #32 HOME zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick \ zroot/sys/arch-0/data/home/youngroderick #33 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/local \ zroot/sys/arch-0/data/home/youngroderick/local #34 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/config \ zroot/sys/arch-0/data/home/youngroderick/config #35 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/cache \ zroot/sys/arch-0/data/home/youngroderick/cache #36 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/media \ -o recordsize=1M \ zroot/sys/arch-0/data/home/youngroderick/media #37 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/games \ -o recordsize=1M \ zroot/sys/arch-0/data/home/youngroderick/games # OPTIONAL DATASETS #38 zfs create -o mountpoint=none \ zroot/e #39 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/books \ zroot/e/books #40 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/computer \ zroot/e/computer #41 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/personal \ zroot/e/personal #42 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/images \ zroot/e/images #43 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/media \ zroot/e/media #44 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/university \ zroot/e/university #45 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/workspace \ zroot/e/workspace #46 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/work \ zroot/e/work #47 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/reference \ zroot/e/reference #48 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/other \ zroot/e/other
I am not sure if the mountpoints I used for some are the ZFS datasets are appropriate and or are contributing to my issues of my bootloader not being able to detect my natively encrypted ZFS pool which holds my initramfs and vmlinuz-linux. Any suggestions would be welcomed. What is supposed to happen is that rEFInd should be automatically booting my natively ZFS encrypted Arch Linux system (if I don't select it first), prompt me to enter my password once before going forward with unlocking all my ZFS encrypted pool and datasets automatically and going forward with the typical boot process as if it were not encrypted.
I would like to highlight my original intention was to use rEFInd as my exclusive bootloader and not use ZFSBootMenu whatsoever. However, if I must use ZFSBootMenu in conjunction with rEFInd, then I will. I intend to to have this Samsung NVMe SSD M.2 512 GB 950 PRO dedicated to my Arch Linux (and other Linux systems) and utilize my second Samsung NVMe M.2 2 TB 980 PRO for Windows but boot it from rEFInd which is installed on my 950 PRO.
Any tips or suggestions would be well appreciated. I probably did something very dumb or some silly mistake.
Here are all the commands I used during my install of Arch Linux with ZFS Native Encryption on a single Samsung 950 PRO 512 GB NVMe M.2 SSD; I did my best to do things in a particular order such that there would be little to no conflicts:
loadkeys es mount -o remount,size=7G /run/archiso/cowspace passwd enter and verify root passwd ip -c a nano /etc/pacman.conf Color VerbosePkgList ParallelDownloads = 10 ILoveCandy [core] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [extra] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [community] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [multilib] [core] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [archzfs] SigLevel = Optional TrustAll Server = https://archzfs.com/$repo/$arch :x timedatectl set-ntp true pacman-key --populate pacman-key --init pacman -Syu modprobe zfs echo $? pacman -S --needed openssh screen duf nvme-cli lsblk nvme list nvme format --ses=1 /dev/nvme0n1 status=progress dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/nvme0n1 bs=512 count=1 conv=notrunc status=progress fdisk -l /dev/nvme0 or parted -l /dev/nvme0 ls -l /dev/disk/by-id disk0=/dev/disk/by-id/nvme-Samsung_SSD_950_PRO_512GB_################ swapoff --all zpool labelclear -f $disk0 sgdisk --zap-all $disk0 sgdisk -n1:1M:+1G -t1:EF00 -c1:"EFI-0-NVMe" $disk0 sgdisk --zap-all lsblk ls -l /dev/disk/by-partlabel sgdisk -n2:0:0 -t2:BF00 -c2:"Root-0-NVMe" $disk0 lsblk ls -l /dev/disk/by-partlabel zpool labelclear -f /dev/disk/by-partlabel/EFI-0-NVMe zpool labelclear -f /dev/disk/by-partlabel/Root-0-NVMe mkdosfs -F 32 -s 1 -n EFI /dev/disk/by-partlabel/EFI-0-NVMe echo 'XxxBigDaddyRoderickWSmith69420!xXX' > /etc/zfs/zroot.key chmod 000 /etc/zfs/zroot.key Create ZFS Pool (See above) Create ZFS Datasets (See 48 above) zgenhostid $(hostid) chmod 700 /mnt/root chmod 1777 /mnt/tmp chmod 1777 /mnt/vatmp zpool set cachefile=/etc/zfs/zpool.cache zroot systemctl mask tmp.mount zfs umount -a zpool export zroot zpool import -d /dev/disk/by-id -R /mnt zroot -N zfs load-key zroot zfs mount zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith zfs mount zroot/sys/arch-0/usr zfs mount -a df -h zpool set bootfs=zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith zroot (?) mkdir -p /mnt/etc/zfs cp /etc/zfs/zpool.cache /mnt/etc/zfs/ zpool set cachefile=/etc/zfs/zpool.cache zroot cp /etc/zfs/zroot.key /mnt/etc/zfs cp /etc/hostid /mnt/etc cp /etc/resolv.conf /mnt/etc/ mkdir -p /mnt/boot/efi mount /dev/disk/by-partlabel/EFI-0-NVMe /mnt/boot/efi cd pacman -Syy pacstrap /mnt \ archzfs-linux-git \ b43-fwcutter \ base \ base-devel \ bash-completion \ broadcom-wl \ cryptsetup \ curl \ dhclient \ dhcpcd \ dkms \ dmidecode \ duf \ fwupd \ git \ grml-zsh-config \ intel-ucode \ iucode-tool \ lib32-nvidia-utils \ linux \ linux-atm \ linux-firmware \ linux-firmware-marvell \ linux-headers \ nano \ nvidia \ nvidia-dkms \ nvidia-utils \ openssh \ os-prober \ pacman-contrib \ refind \ screen \ sg3_utils \ sudo \ vim \ wget \ zfs-linux-git \ zfs-linux-git-headers \ zfs-utils-git \ zsh \ zsh-theme-powerlevel10k echo "UMASK=0077" > /etc/mkinitcpio.d/umask.conf lsinitcpio /boot/initramfs-linux.img grep zroot.key genfstab -U -p /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab zpool set bootfs=zroot/sys/arch-0/root/Root-0-NVMe zroot (again?) cp -r /etc/zfs-tools-driver /mnt/etc nano /mnt/etc/fstab Comment out everything except /boot/efi: /dev/disk/by-partlabel/EFI-0-NVMe \ /boot/efi vfat \ rw,\ relatime,\ fmask=0022,\ codepage=437,\ iocharset=ascii,\ shortname=mixed,\ utf8,\ errors=remount-ro \ 0 2 :x arch-chroot /mnt nano /etc/pacman.conf Color VerbosePkgList ParallelDownloads = 10 ILoveCandy [core] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [extra] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [community] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [multilib] [core] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [archzfs] SigLevel = Optional TrustAll Server = https://archzfs.com/$repo/$arch :x pacman -Syyu nano /etc/mkinitcpio.conf MODULES=(usbhid \ xhci_hcd \ nvidia \ nvidia_modeset \ nvidia_uvm \ nvidia_drm) FILES=(/etc/zfs/zroot.key) HOOKS=(base \ udev \ autodetect \ modconf \ block \ keyboard \ keymap \ zfs \ usr \ filesystems \ fsck shutdown) :x mkinitcpio -p linux zpool set cachefile=/etc/zfs/zpool.cache zroot (again, according to Arch Wiki?) refind-install (--path=/boot/efi (? add this extra tag, maybe?) # MAYBE: refind-install --usedefault /dev/nvme0n1p1 --alldrivers --no-scan ## Maybe change /dev/disk/by-partlabel/EFI-0-NVMe in lieu of /dev/nvme0n1p1 efibootmgr remove the necessary options via efibootmgr -b 1 -B efibootmgr -b 1 -B ## `-b 1` apply the change to boot option #1. ## `-B` the change to apply is to remove the boot option ls -l /dev/disk/by-partlabel efibootmgr -c -d /dev/nvme0n1 -p 1 -L "rEFInd (NVMe)" -l \\EFI\\refind\\refind_x64.efi efibootmgr -o #,#,#,#,# (reorder accordingly) cd cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /usshare/refind/drivers_x64 cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /boot/efi/EFI/refind cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /boot/efi/EFI/refind/drivers cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /boot/efi/EFI/ cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /boot/efi/EFI/tools cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /boot/efi/EFI/tools/drivers cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /boot/efi/ cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /boot/efi/drivers cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /boot/drivers cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /boot ls cd modprobe zfs echo $? nano /boot/refind_linux.conf "Boot with standard options" \ "zfs=zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith \ cryptdevice=/dev/disk/by-partlabel/Root-0-NVMe:zroot \ rw \ add_efi_memmap \ initrd=boot\intel-ucode.img \ initrd=boot\initramfs-%v.img \ initrd=etc\zfs\zroot.key loglevel=4" :x nano /boot/efi/EFI/refind/refind.conf menuentry "Arch Linux" { icon /EFI/refind/icons/os_arch.png volume Root-0-NVMe loader /boot/vmlinuz-linux initrd /boot/initramfs-%v.img options "zfs=zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith \ cryptdevice=/dev/disk/by-partlabel/Root-0-NVMe:zroot \ rw \ add_efi_memmap \ initrd=boot\intel-ucode.img \ initrd=boot\initramfs-%v.img \ initrd=etc\zfs\zroot.key" } ## Also add: scanfor manual,nvme,zfs_keys scanfor_manual +zfs/*/*.efi ## If any problems, remove this line ## scan_driver_dirs EFI/tools ## If any problems, remove this line ## timeout 10 :x pacman -Syu cat /etc/zfs/zroot.key ls -l /boot/initramfs-linux.img passwd enter and verify root passwd nano /etc/systemd/system/[email protected] [Unit] Description=Weekly zpool scrub on %i [Timer] OnCalendar=weekly AccuracySec=1h Persistent=true [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target :x nano /etc/systemd/system/[email protected] [Unit] Description=zpool scrub on %i [Service] Nice=19 IOSchedulingClass=idle KillSignal=SIGINT ExecStart=/usbin/zpool scrub %i [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target :x zpool status -t zroot zpool set autotrim=on zroot nano /etc/systemd/system/[email protected] [Unit] Description=Monthly zpool trim on %i [Timer] OnCalendar=monthly AccuracySec=1h Persistent=true [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target :x nano /etc/systemd/system/[email protected] [Unit] Description=zpool trim on %i [Service] Nice=19 IOSchedulingClass=idle KillSignal=SIGINT ExecStart=/usbin/zpool trim %i [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target :x mkdir -p /etc/zfs/zfs-list.cache ln -s /uslib/zfs/zed.d/history_event-zfs-list-cacher.sh /etc/zfs/zed.d systemctl enable \ zfs.target \ zfs-import-cache.service \ zfs-import.target \ zfs-import-scan (?) \ zfs-share \ zfs-zed.service \ [email protected] \ [email protected] systemctl start zfs-zed.service systemctl mask tmp.mount touch /etc/zfs/zfs-list.cache/zroot zgenhostid $(hostid) (again, according to Arch Wiki?) ## ("Check the contents of /etc/zfs/zfs-list.cache/. \ ## If it is empty, make sure that the zfs-zed.service \ ## is running and just change the canmount property \ ## of any of your ZFS filesystem by running: \ ## zfs set canmount=off zroot/fs1") pacman -Syu pacman -S --needed \ alsa-card-profiles \ alsa-firmware \ alsa-lib \ alsa-plugins \ alsa-utils \ acpid \ avahi \ bridge-utils \ dialog \ dnsmasq \ dnsutils \ dosfstools \ firewalld \ gvfs \ gvfs-smb \ haveged \ inetutils \ ipset \ iptables-nft \ mtools \ networkmanager \ network-manager-applet \ nfs-utils \ nss-mdns \ ntfs-3g \ pipewire \ pipewire-alsa \ pipewire-jack \ pipewire-pulse \ reflector \ rsync \ sof-firmware \ terminus-font \ tlp \ usb_modeswitch \ usbmuxd \ usbutils \ wireplumber \ wpa_supplicant \ xdg-user-dirs \ xdg-utils ln -sf /usshare/zoneinfo/America/Los_Angeles /etc/localtime hwclock --systohc nano /etc/locale.gen Uncomment en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8 Uncomment es_ES.UTF-8 UTF-8 :x locale-gen echo "KEYMAP=es" >> /etc/vconsole.conf echo "RWSmith" >> /etc/hostname nano /etc/hosts 127.0.0.1 [tab] [tab] localhost ::1 [tab] [tab] localhost 127.0.1.1 [tab] [tab] RWSmith.localdomain [tab] RWSmith :x useradd -mU -s \ /bin/zsh \ -G \ sys,\ log,\ network,\ floppy,\ scanner,\ power,\ rfkill,\ uucp,\ users,\ video,\ storage,\ plugdev,\ optical,\ lp,\ audio,\ wheel,\ adm,\ sudo \ youngroderick passwd youngroderick enter and confirm passwd cp -a /etc/skel/. /home/youngroderick chown -R youngroderick:youngroderick /home/descartes EDITOR=nano visudo Uncomment %wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL :x nano etc/xdg/reflectoreflector.conf --country US --protocol https --latest 5 --sort rate --save /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist mkdir /etc/zfs/zfs-list.cache (not needed, file already exists) touch /etc/zfs/zfs-list.cache/zroot (?) cat /etc/zfs/zfs-list.cache (Fix the paths to eliminate /mnt:) ? sed -Ei "s/mnt/?/" /etc/zfs/zfs-list.cache/* (?, I don't think I should or need to do this) systemctl enable \ acpid \ avahi-daemon \ firewalld.service \ fstrim.timer \ haveged.service \ NetworkManager \ reflector.timer \ rsyncd \ sshd \ systemd-timesyncd \ tlp \ usbmuxd \ systemctl disable dhcpcd.service exit cd / umount -l /mnt/boot/efi zfs umount -a zpool export zroot umount -a Lastly, if it matters, here is my hardware:
- ASUS RAMPAGE V EDITION 10 (X99) Motherboard
- Intel i7-6950X
- Corsair Vengeance LPX 128 GB DDR4 (NON-ECC)
- x2 ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1080 Ti OC
Thank you for taking the time to read my wall of text. I have spent months researching and reading before I even considered attempting this project and or seeking help.
2023.05.30 05:31 VerLoran New German Fighter
 | So in the CN anniversary stream this aircraft was announced. My understanding is that it’s going to be added to the gear lab in the near future, and so I figured I’d do some searching to maybe get a hint of what’s to come. submitted by VerLoran to AzureLane [link] [comments] To start off, the new plane is a SSR FW-190 so it’s most likely predecessor in the gear lab would be the SR Focke-Wulf 190 A-5 (Carrier-Based Prototype). That should make this a new fighter option putting it up against a whole variety of very good aircraft including the sea hornet, flying pancake, tiger cat, HVAR Hellcat, and the BF 109G to name a few. Moving on to a more detailed look, apparently this aircraft was a land based fighter with a role of bomber hunter. The FW 190 was selected for this role in large part due to its toughness and being a very good weapons platform. Considering it’s made it’s way to AL, it seems likely this aircraft will also get the (Carrier-Based Prototype) tag added after its name. The historical version was fitted out with a pair of MG 17 fuselage machine guns, 2 wing mounted 20 mm MG 151/20E machine guns, and 2 30mm MK 108 auto cannon mounted in underwing cannon pods. I found it hard to tell if the aircraft carried any bombs as they are noted to be an improved version of the FW 190 A series in a bomber hunter role. Several variants of the prior version the FW 190 A5 were equipped with a bomb or bombs of the 550 lb or lighter variety however those variants were specialized as night fighters. What made the FW 190 A6/R6 stand out from its earlier iterations was is use of 2 single use air to air rockets per aircraft. As a final note, one of the two articles I looked at notes that by the A6 variety the planes were beginning to become slower due to all the extra firepower. Taking a step back to the FW 190 A5, that aircraft has the highest Anti-Air dps and burst damage of any fighter in the game. It sits comfortably in 10th place for aircraft speed but is at the top rung of the 5 slowest reloading max rarity variants. The biggest downside of the aircraft is it’s total inability to damage any surface ship. With all that said, it seems to me that we are very soon to have a new top seat in Anti Air, possibly boasting rockets powerful enough to kill anything on screen with ease and with a speed that would keep them on screen for some time while that happens. In addition a high health pool seems possible allowing the magic eraser to keep on sweeping. The big questions for me now are how quick will it reload, and will it have any air to surface weapons? If there’s no Air to Surface capability, it’s a pretty open and shut case. The new plane won’t be junk, but it will be almost entirely useless. If it does have some AtS capacity then it may be worth using, but if the reload also isn’t any good then once again the plane seems likely to collect dust. As much as I want to believe this new plane will be a good usable addition, I have a feeling it won’t be. Sources 1 and 2. Thoughts? |
2023.05.29 22:06 JoelSnape An introduction to the Saturn Polar Configuration (for those who may be new to the subject)
 | In his groundbreaking book ‘The Saturn Myth’ (inspired by the work of Immanuel Velikovsky who has correspondence with Albert Einstein about his ideas) researcher David Talbott analyzed myths from ancient cultures around the world and found that they all described the same phenomenon surrounding Saturn. He found that symbolism for Saturn is the same throughout ancient Mesopotamia, India, Greece, the Americas, and Egypt — and as documented by ancient cultures, explains how there was once a celestial alignment involving Saturn that occurred thousands of years ago. Based on ancient accounts throughout the world, Talbott describes a period of “great upheaval” in celestial bodies, when Saturn, Venus, and Mars descended and aligned overhead Earth in a spectacular astronomical event dubbed the “Saturn Polar Configuration”. As Talbott says in ‘The Saturn Myth’: “[The Saturn Polar Configuration is] the idea based on comparative mythology, that the Earth was once in close proximity, or even a satellite of the planet Saturn”. During this celestial upheavel, Mars descended from its position in the sky and formed a connection or stairway to Saturn which became known by the ancients as the heaven-sustaining giant Atlas, Mount Olympus, and the Tower of Babel, inter alia. Various cultures around the world recorded this celestial stairway. For example, the Makirtare Indians of the Amazonian rainforest tell of a time where the hero Ahishama, identified as Mars, climbed a stairway to Heaven. The Mesopotamian god Nergal also climbed a stairway to Heaven and was identified as Mars. Talbott calls this stairway the “Cosmic Mountain”. There are various illustrations of how this alignment would have looked here. submitted by JoelSnape to SaturnStormCube [link] [comments] COSMIC MOUNTAIN TO SATURN During this time of celestial upheaval, Saturn and the other bodies that were aligned with it went through various configurations in the sky (see the documentary series ‘Discourses on an Alien Sky’) and at one point the light emanating from Venus behind Mars formed what appeared to be a pupil inside a triangle that Talbott associates with the All-Seeing-Eye. As Talbott explains in ‘The Saturn Myth’: “It’s impossible to pursue Saturn’s ancient image without encountering the paradise of Eden, the lost Atlantis, or the All-Seeing-Eye of heaven”. The Saturn Polar Configuration was mostly characterized by an 8-pointed star or 8-spoked wheel. Here is an image of Saturn holding an 8-spoked wheel (as shown in ‘Discourses on an Alien Sky’). The crescent under Saturn was morphed and anthropomorphized. The Saturn-crescent was morphed into wings — with the solar disc (Saturn) placed in the centre, such as with the Egyptian winged Kheper. Quote from ‘The Saturn Myth’: “Of the crescent in the primary images and ancient sources present these basic forms: The horns of the bull-god or the uplifted arms of the heaven-sustaining giant [such as Atlas]. The outstretched wings of the mother goddess (or winged god). But these same wings, or arms, constitute the great god’s sailing vessel [Saturn Ship] which in turn is depicted as two shining horns”. As Talbott points out in ‘The Saturn Myth’, the fundamental themes of Saturn imagery include the the Saturn Ship, the All-Seeing-Eye, the two sacred pillars of Heaven (morphed into the Hercules and Masonic pillars) — the two shining horns and uplifted arms of the heaven-sustaining giant which were all based on the same celestial alignment in the sky. https://preview.redd.it/66tfb9crav2b1.png?width=750&format=png&auto=webp&s=c2c9f5dd75b84ca829e00d094d5669d4d3482229 The 8-pointed star (as seen in the Saturn Polar Configuration and as shown above) is a symbol of Freemasonry. The Masonic image below has a circle inside the 8-pointed star (called the circumpunct — an ancient symbol of the Sun). In his book ‘Morals and Dogma’, 33 degree Freemason Albert Pike connects the ancient Sun to the All-Seeing-Eye and the Masonic Blazing Star, saying: “The Blazing Star has been regarded as an emblem of Omniscience, or the All-Seeing-Eye, which to the ancients was the Sun”. This is curious, because we know that the ancients considered Saturn to be the Sun — as explained by Talbott in ‘The Saturn Myth’. The Babylonians associated Saturn with the Sun (as “son of Shamash” and “star of Helios”) and the name for Saturn in Chaldean astronomy was Alap-Shamas, meaning “Star of the Sun”. In the article ‘Saturn as the Sun of Night in Ancient Eastern Tradition’, Peter James says, “attested in Mesopotamia and followed by the Greeks and Hindus, there’s a long-standing association with Saturn as the Sun”. Troy McLachlan, says, in his book ‘The Saturn Death Cult’: “The ancients did indeed see a Sun-like object residing in their skies — and that object was Saturn”. According to political scientist Alfred De Grazia in his book ‘Homo Schizo: Human Nature’, Isaac Vail (who was an amateur scientific theorist) connected the All-Seeing-Eye (which remember was the Masonic Blazing Star) to the Saturn Polar Configuration, saying: “The All-Seeing-Eye is one of the earliest and most nearly universal symbols. Isaac Vail believed that the primordial eye was the boreal opening from which Saturn on his throne looked down upon his domain”. The letter G in the image below takes the place of Venus in the Saturn Polar Configuration. 33 degree Freemason Arthur Waite quotes famous occultist Eliphas Levi telling us that the letter “G” stands for Venus (see his book ‘The Mysteries of Magic: A Digest of the Writings of Eliphas Levi’). https://preview.redd.it/6utnkyytav2b1.png?width=467&format=png&auto=webp&s=bf8ccc7bf37d0ddae3b5b4aa0285d8f2c64f859b Another instance of the 8-pointed star on a Freemason building in Lisbon: https://preview.redd.it/08azng1wav2b1.png?width=639&format=png&auto=webp&s=f512374111edcaf0ef5b48f2689ef9a910b87fd3 During the various configurations of the Saturn Polar Configuration that produced various visual characteristics, the smaller orb of Venus (and also at different times Mars which produced a darker dot as shown here from ‘Discourses on an Alien Sky’) appeared as a circumpunct that passed in front of the larger orb of Saturn. As Talbott explains in ‘The Saturn Myth’: “From one section of the world to another the planet-god’s worshippers drew pictures of the Saturnian Configuration and these pictures become the universal signs and symbols of antiquity. In the global lexicon of symbols, the most common images are the enclosed Sun ⊙ [the ancient Sun corresponding to Saturn according to Talbott] and the enclosed Sun cross ⊕. It appears that every ancient race revered these signs”. Author Dan Brown explains the circumpunct as follows: “In the idiom of symbology, there was one symbol [the circumpunct] that reigned supreme above all others. The oldest and most universal, this symbol fused all the ancient traditions in a single solitary image that represented the illumination of the Egyptian Sun-god, the triumph of alchemical gold, the wisdom of the Philosopher’s Stone, the purity of the Rosicrucian Rose, the moment of Creation, the All, the dominance of the astrological Sun, and the omniscient All-Seeing-Eye that hovered atop the unfinished pyramid”. According to Wikipedia: “Throughout history, the circumpunct has been all things to all people — it’s the Sun-god Ra, alchemical gold, and the All-Seeing-Eye”. In ‘The Saturn Myth’, Talbott identifies Ra as Saturn, saying: “One finds of interest an Egyptian ostrakon (1st century B.C.) cited by Franz Boll: The ostrakon identifies the planet Saturn as the great god Ra”. The circumpunct can be seen in Freemason artwork (as shown below). The image on the bottom right is an illustration of the Saturn Polar Configuration from the documentary ‘Symbols of an Alien Sky’ (with Venus as the luminous dot). https://preview.redd.it/8xsmwgezav2b1.png?width=750&format=png&auto=webp&s=adc33c03e84d3d3f973ccb9ff44d812cb8875516 The luminous U-shape created by the Saturn-crescent became morphed into pillars. Talbott says in ‘The Saturn Myth’ when explaining the twin-pillar or twin-peaked crescent of the Saturn Polar Configuration: “In all ancient myths of the lost paradise, the land of peace and plenty rests upon a cosmic pillar — “Earth’s highest mountain”. One of the peculiarities of the Mount is that it possesses two peaks, rising to the right and left of the central column. The Egyptian Mount of Glory (Khut) reveals two peaks between which rests the Aten or enclosed Sun 𓈌. Depicted by this sign are “the two great mountains on which Re appears”. And what is most interesting about the Egyptian symbol of the cleft peak 𓈋 is that it finds strikingly similar parallels in other lands. The Mesopotamian Sun-god rests upon a twin-peaked world mountain of identical form and the same dual mount occurs also in Mexico — here too revealing the Sun-god between the two peaks. In Hebrew and Muslim thought “the mountain of paradise is a double one” observes Wensinck. To the Hebrews Sinai, Ebol, and Gerezim were all conceived as images of a twin-peaked mountain, states Jeremias. In the primeval Tyre (paradise) according to the description of Nonnus, a “double rock” rises from the ocean. In its centre is an olive (the central Sun) which automatically emits fire, setting it in a perpetual blaze. The Syrian and Hittite great gods stand equally balanced upon two mountains. In the beginning, according to a central Asiatic legend related by Uno Holmberg, “there was only water, from which the two great mountains emerged”. From the central mount of Hindu cosmology rise two secondary peaks. Of course, the twin pillars of Hercules point to the same idea”. In his book ‘Mortal Jigsaw Puzzle’, Grieving Patriot says: “In ancient history, this twin pillar construct is also referred to as the pillars of Hercules, a gateway beyond which lay the path to enlightenment”. https://preview.redd.it/lvcvkrq2bv2b1.png?width=669&format=png&auto=webp&s=dc0fe919e01594a12065de19fe5ef2c278d62ec2 Notice the Saturn-crescent below which appears as two pillars: https://preview.redd.it/6x1zyhb5bv2b1.png?width=231&format=png&auto=webp&s=c2cf5fa59523763971c1545cfa46ee1b9887a9fe This same symbol is seen throughout the ancient world such as the Phoenician Tanit symbol where the Saturn-crescent has become fully morphed into pillars: https://preview.redd.it/6bus33k7bv2b1.png?width=220&format=png&auto=webp&s=c0fe6fd3b9553294d3fabfbb66cbb46885c86e25 The symbols above became the basis for Freemason Tracing Boards showing the Blazing Star placed between two pillars: https://preview.redd.it/478ni6s9bv2b1.png?width=430&format=png&auto=webp&s=096f861563619f6a8a60cd69bc57e87eaced8d8c In ‘The Saturn Myth’, Talbott corresponds the Saturn Polar Configuration to a gateway, saying: “The god “comes out” and “goes in” on the [Saturnian] mountaintop through the “gate”, but he accomplishes this without moving from his fixed abode”. Talbott also cites Coffin Text talking about how the Saturn Polar Configuration was a portal. The text reads: “I did four good deeds within the portal of the Mount of Glory. I made the four winds that every man might breathe”. Talbott explains that the sign 𓈌 is the Mount of Glory. This is the same sign given by Talbott for the Saturn Polar Configuration. Talbott expands on the idea that the Saturn Polar Configuration was a kind of gate in his article here in which he says: “One of the archetypal forms I had discussed involved the global myths and symbols of the “Chain of Arrows”, a theme inseparably connected to another archetype, the “Ladder of Heaven”. As the story was told, a great warrior launches arrows into the sky, each embedding itself in the one above to form a ladder or stairway to the land of the gods”. The Saturn Polar Configuration went through various configurations that produced various visual characteristics, but was mostly characterized by an 8-pointed star. The 8-pointed star was known as the “Cross of Ilu” or “Bab-Ilu” which means “Gate of God”. According to investigative mythologist William Henry, author of over 18 books in alternative science, the 8-pointed star represented a portal or a Gate of God, saying: “Wherever archaeologists discovered remains of the early Sumerian civilizations the symbol of the “Gate of the Gods” was prominently displayed. The Sumerians depicted this gate as an 8-pointed star”. Since the beginning of the written word, countless stories have begun by ripping holes in the fabric of reality and pulling their protagonists through. Portals date back to the oldest written text we have on record — the 4,000-year-old Sumerian tale Epic of Gilgamesh — in which the hero travels through a mountaintop portal to the land of the gods. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the hero travels to the gate of the Sun-god Shamash at the mountain of Mashu. The same 8-pointed star keyhole symbolism as the Saturn Polar Configuration is shown below on a Masonic stained-glass window: https://preview.redd.it/oow7tgmhbv2b1.png?width=445&format=png&auto=webp&s=3fb43f1b14b2c6588e39e2ecd93aa0255508e922 Even though the Saturn Polar Configuration corresponds to the Masonic image above of the Blazing Star between the pillars, it’s generally assumed that the Blazing Star between the Masonic pillars is Sirius — not Saturn or Venus. Masonic historian Henry Coil says: “But whether the Blazing Star refers to Saturn or the Sun or some other heavenly body is not ascertainable”. In his book ‘Myth, Magick, and Masonry’, Jaime Lamb connects the Masonic Blazing Star to Venus, saying: “The Blazing Star’s relationship to Venus (also anciently known as the Morning Star) may best be illustrated by the fact that it’s represented in the form of a pentagram. This significance comes primarily from the fact that Venus traces [a perfect pentagram across the sky every eight years when observed from Earth”]. The fact that the Masonic Blazing Star is also sometimes represented by an 8-pointed star (as shown in the image above) might also point towards it being Venus. The Mesopotamian goddess Inanna was worshipped as the embodiment of Venus and her symbol was the 8-pointed star. In the 1875 of ‘Freemason’s Monthly Volume 6’, we read: “Venus, whose orbit is within but on a level with our own… is the brilliant “Blazing Star” that heralds the rising or attends the setting Sun”. While some argue that the Masonic Blazing Star is Venus, some have suggested that it could be Jupiter. The ancient Greeks knew Jupiter as Phaethon (Φαέθων) meaning “Shining One” or “Blazing Star”. Whether the Masonic Blazing Star is Sirius, Saturn, Venus, Jupiter, Alcyone, Aldebaran, the Moon, or some other heavenly body, it’s acknowledged by some that Freemasons misguide people as to the true meaning of their symbols. For example, the prominent Freemason, Albert Pike, said in his book ‘Morals and Dogma’: “Part of the symbols are displayed there to the initiate, but he is intentionally misled by false interpretations. It’s not intended that he shall understand them; but it’s intended that he shall imagine that he understands them”. Part of the problem is that much of what Freemasons are doing is buried under layers of armour-clad secrecy so many strata deep that only archaeologists of the distant future will have any hope of disinterring any of these things. The Egyptian symbol of the Ankh was based on the Saturn Polar Configuration, as Talbott explains in ‘The Saturn Myth’, saying: “The Ankh (whose origins experts have long debated) is but a conventionalized image of the [Saturn] Polar Configuration”. In his book ‘Secret Societies: Revelations About Freemasons’, Philip Gardiner explains that the Ankh was seen as a gateway or portal into a higher dimension. Quote: “The Ankh is known as the Crux Ansata. It’s a simple T-cross, surmounted by an oval — called the Ru. The Ru is often seen as a gateway or portal to another dimension, such as Heaven. The Ankh therefore becomes the symbol of transition from one place to another. It outlived Egyptian domination and was widely used by the Christians as the [Latin] Cross”. As well as being linked to the Ankh, the Saturn Polar Configuration can be linked to other symbols, such as the symbol of the All-Seeing-Eye. Probably the most recognizable Masonic symbol is the All-Seeing-Eye, included in the architecture of the Great Seal of the U.S. Dollar Bill. Fixed within a triangle, the disembodied eye is surrounded by rays of light and rests upon an unfinished pyramid. The All-Seeing-Eye finds its roots in ancient Egypt as the Eye of Horus (or Ra) and can be traced back to the Saturn Polar Configuration. During the alignment of Saturn, Venus, and Mars, in their different configurations, they formed a triangle and 8-pointed star. Quote from ‘The Saturn Myth’: “Saturn wears the band as a golden girdle, collar or crown. He dwells in it as the pupil of the All-Seeing-Eye”. To see this All-Seeing-Eye alignment explained see ‘Discourses on an Alien Sky#5’. The image below is loosely how this would have looked. In his (co-authored) book ‘The Ark of Millions of Years’, physicist Alexander Agnew, who has published thousands of technical papers, says: “The portal into Heaven is marked by the All-Seeing-Eye”. So, could this be what the Saturn Polar Configuration essentially is, then? Some portal or gateway into Heaven? THE SATURN POLAR CONFIGURATION FROM ‘DISCOURSES ON AN ALIEN SKY’ This is likely the inspiration for the All-Seeing-Eye on the U.S. Dollar Bill. https://preview.redd.it/uwxl1cipbv2b1.png?width=641&format=png&auto=webp&s=f8f880f2d3343a38e88b941370f234ff869c1023 Some have suggested that the symbols on the U.S. Dollar Bill were created by Freemasons. After all, some of the Founding Fathers were apparently Freemasons (such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin) and the All-Seeing-Eye was ostensibly adopted by Freemasonry in 1797 and only 5 years later was adopted on the reverse-side of The Great Seal. Many believe that Freemasons are responsible for the eye-excruciatingly small image of the owl; a Masonic symbol for “knowledge”. So, what’s the goal of Freemasons, then? Assuming the All-Seeing-Eye on the U.S. Dollar Bill is a respresentation of the Saturn Polar Configuration, which Talbott has associated with the Tower of Babel, we then have a connection between Freemasons and the Tower of Babel. Indeed, some have suggested that the pyramid on the U.S. Dollar Bill is a representation of the Tower of Babel. According to researcher Jim Cornwell: “The pyramid on the Great Seal represents the unfinished Tower of Babel”. In his book ‘Antichrist Osiris: The History of the Luciferian Conspiracy’, Chris Relitz writes: “The unfinished [pyramid] seen on the American Dollar Bill may be a reference to the Tower of Babel”. According to Christopher Hodapp in his book ‘Freemason Symbols and Ceremonies For Dummies’: “Freemasonry’s legends claim that the group was descended from the great builders of the Old Testament — Noah’s Ark, the Tower of Babel, and King Solomon’s Temple”. Researcher Alexander Slade describes how Freemasons were possibly responsible for the Tower of Babel. Tentatively then, it would make sense if the goal of Freemasons was to recreate the Tower of Babel and reconnect Heaven with Earth. Below is an old Freemason Tracing Board showing the All-Seeing-Eye over a pillar, with the pillar likely representing the Cosmic Mountain: https://preview.redd.it/lf6u7dxwbv2b1.png?width=476&format=png&auto=webp&s=bfc01b8fd71b15fb116ec32fea46fbf6393fac64 The image below is a comparison between the Masonic Square and Compass (on the left) the Stargate logo (in the centre) and the Cosmic Mountain to Saturn and Venus (on the right) also called the “Saturn Polar Configuration”. The design of the Square and Compass corresponds to the configuration of Saturn, Venus, and the Cosmic Mountain, as seen in ‘Discourses on an Alien Sky’. In this interpretation, the circle at the apex of the Masonic Compass represents the Blazing Star and the triangular appearance of the Compass itself represents the Cosmic Mountain or pathway. https://preview.redd.it/f90wb6wzbv2b1.png?width=645&format=png&auto=webp&s=e26ff16f7d653d84831ce8f7e2af04a0c0d1077e The connection between Freemasonry and the Saturn Polar Configuration becomes more apparent when we compare the stained-glass painting above to the front cover of ‘The Saturn Myth’ book as shown here. |
2023.05.29 20:35 Bushpylot Pump / radiator Storage Question
I'm going to swap out my TT pump for a Aquacomputer. Sadly, I'll have to take a dremmel to the case to get it to fit right, but... sacrifices.
I'm not trashing the TT, it's still very usable. I may use it in another build. Once I get it out, rinsed with clear distilled water and dried, is there anything else I need to do to store it right? Using Koolance clear coolant btw. I figured I'd cap the openings, put it in a plastic bag and into the box of the new pump. What about radiators? There is a 280 that is coming out, though I have a twisted idea of installing that one too... Part of me has a weird idea of trying to cram all the water I can into this case; which is I did, I think I can get 2x140, 2x560, 1x280.... No one told me water was addictive!
Note: Going to be a fun project. Tower 900 case, 2x 560 Hardware Labs (removing a 280 and installing the second 560), and about 22 fans... I hate running wire! I'm going to print covers for the back-planes to use hard mounted QDC attachments, so I can remove parts without draining. I can also cut out the need for a drain as any of the QDCs can become a drain. I'm also using a LeakShield, which has an auto-fill and auto-burp setting. Giddy with excitement and fear... dreading the PC down-time
submitted by Bushpylot to watercooling [link] [comments]
I'm not trashing the TT, it's still very usable. I may use it in another build. Once I get it out, rinsed with clear distilled water and dried, is there anything else I need to do to store it right? Using Koolance clear coolant btw. I figured I'd cap the openings, put it in a plastic bag and into the box of the new pump. What about radiators? There is a 280 that is coming out, though I have a twisted idea of installing that one too... Part of me has a weird idea of trying to cram all the water I can into this case; which is I did, I think I can get 2x140, 2x560, 1x280.... No one told me water was addictive!
Note: Going to be a fun project. Tower 900 case, 2x 560 Hardware Labs (removing a 280 and installing the second 560), and about 22 fans... I hate running wire! I'm going to print covers for the back-planes to use hard mounted QDC attachments, so I can remove parts without draining. I can also cut out the need for a drain as any of the QDCs can become a drain. I'm also using a LeakShield, which has an auto-fill and auto-burp setting. Giddy with excitement and fear... dreading the PC down-time
2023.05.29 19:01 Able_Possession8736 A Comprehensive Guide to Pro Football Video Game Covers
Another Madden $70 re-skin is upon us, so let's take a moment to explore the history of all the people who have been featured on the cover of an pro football video game.
While the selection of the Madden cover athlete is now an event, there was a wild wild west period of football games from the 80s to the mid-2000s where anybody with a computer could and would build football games, with the selection of the cover being all over the place. Roger Craig was the first cover athlete in 1985 on NFL Challenge for MS-DOS. Madden's first game was in 1988, then by the mid-90s getting a cover athlete or spokesman for your football game was pretty standard.
I wanted to compile those games and covers based on this Wiki article (and a few that it was missing from that list) and see who was on the main cover of all of those games (some games were almost completely irrelevant, so I left them off this list). Some of these may have more alternates with other people, but I'll stick with the main cover.
*These are heavily boosted by John Madden being on 10 Madden covers
Obviously QBs dominate here, but I didn't realize how little defensive players have been on football game covers (9%), with none being on a cover since Richard Sherman in 2014. I'd love to see more defensive players on the Madden cover. Who would be the most likely defensive guy in the near future? Aaron Donald, TJ Watt, Nick Bosa, Myles Garrett, or Sauce Gardner?
If a team's player was not a lead on the cover or was not any identifiable player, I gave them a *
The Re-skins/Commanders?, Jags, Panthers, and Bills have appeared on a cover but never with an athlete as the lead or with a real person. Only the Texans have never appeared at all on the cover of any football video game. I'd say the Bills are most likely to get one next (Josh Allen), then the Jags (Trevor Lawrence), then the Panthers/Texans if either hits a home run with Young or Stroud. The Commanders have a long road ahead to getting a feature cover athlete, unless you ask Sam Howell who thinks he should be this year's Madden cover athlete.
Kordell Stewart, Daunte Culpepper, and Donovan McNabb (and possibly Lamar Jackson, still too early for him) are the only players with multiple appearances that are either not or are unlikely to make the Hall of Fame. McNabb is the only guy to appear in multiple covers in the same year. Also of note, 7 athletes were on a cover without ever making a pro bowl in their careers: Brad Muster, Pat Terrell, Gordon Laro, Chris Zorich, Albert Fontenot, William Floyd, and Peyton Hillis (Hillis was the only one to be the primary cover athlete).
I'll list all the games and their respective covers by their era below. I'll also attach some of my favorite covers from each era. If the cover person was a Hall of Famer, I'll mark them with a \). If they're very likely to make the HoF but they're not yet eligible, I'll mark them with a +
We didn't see the first cover athlete until 1985 with Roger Craig. They didn't really become standard until the early to mid-90s after Madden became a big selling point for the early Madden games. The dip in the last 2 decades is because there's just less games, so any generic football games will have a large effect.
1988: John Madden Football released on the Apple II, MS-DOS, and Commodore 64/128 (partly being developed by Bethesda), which was the beginning of the most dominant franchise in football video games. They featured no NFL teams due to a lack of an NFL license.
1991: Tecmo Super Bowl is probably still my personal favorite football video game. It's totally timeless, and if you pick the Raiders then you're a cheater.
2000: Madden 2001 started the tradition of having their games feature a cover athlete in this format, which consolidated into nearly everyone following this trend.
2001: Backyard Football 2002 was a more kid-friendly version of a football video game, and they also had other games for other professional sports. I definitely played this a lot on my old Windows Me computer, and Pablo Sanchez is a god.
2002: NFL Fever was Microsoft's foray into football video games on the original Xbox. All 3 of their games featured Peyton Manning as the cover athlete.
2002: NFL GameDay 2003 was 989 Sports' exclusive for Sony on the PlayStation platform.
2004: ESPN NFL 2K5 was the last great football game before the NFL exclusively gave their license to the EA. It was this game that definitely led to NFL's decision though, as they slashed their release price to an unheard of $20, which forced Madden 2004 to release at $30 instead of the typical $50. This pissed off the NFL, who decided to have less competition instead.
2006: NFL Head Coach was a new perspective on NFL Games where you play as the coach instead of the players. I enjoyed these although they could get a little boring.
2007: All Pro Football 2K8 was 2K's attempt at keeping the 2K football franchise alive without the coveted NFL license. They got three HoF players on the cover in Elway, Barry, and Rice, but not the actual license to any NFL team. This game received praise for its mechanics, but poor sales showed that a non-NFL licensed game would always struggle to make it.
2011: Madden 12 was maybe the last good Madden game. Also, Peyton Hillis. The only guy on a NFL football game cover to never make a Pro Bowl. This guy is an actual hero though, so good for him.
2019: Doug Flutie's Maximum Football was a mix of american and CFL football as another attempt at making a football game without the NFL license to poor results. They have announced a new game as a free to play title on new platforms, but no games in this franchise have released since 2020.
2020: Retro Bowl is a mobile game more in the style of Tecmo Super Bowl than Madden. It's probably the most successful non-Madden game since ESPN NFL 2K5, and it's pretty fun. People should definitely give this one a try since it's free to play on any mobile platform.
2022: Madden 23 gave the cover back to Madden for the first time since 1999 to honor the passing of the legend John Madden. Unfortunately the game inside the cover was crap, has been the style of Madden games for over a decade.
submitted by Able_Possession8736 to nflstreamlinks [link] [comments]
While the selection of the Madden cover athlete is now an event, there was a wild wild west period of football games from the 80s to the mid-2000s where anybody with a computer could and would build football games, with the selection of the cover being all over the place. Roger Craig was the first cover athlete in 1985 on NFL Challenge for MS-DOS. Madden's first game was in 1988, then by the mid-90s getting a cover athlete or spokesman for your football game was pretty standard.
I wanted to compile those games and covers based on this Wiki article (and a few that it was missing from that list) and see who was on the main cover of all of those games (some games were almost completely irrelevant, so I left them off this list). Some of these may have more alternates with other people, but I'll stick with the main cover.
Covers by Position
https://preview.redd.it/1dzua4o2hl2b1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=023c573335e64d21fccc937a44db0ae995510db6*These are heavily boosted by John Madden being on 10 Madden covers
Obviously QBs dominate here, but I didn't realize how little defensive players have been on football game covers (9%), with none being on a cover since Richard Sherman in 2014. I'd love to see more defensive players on the Madden cover. Who would be the most likely defensive guy in the near future? Aaron Donald, TJ Watt, Nick Bosa, Myles Garrett, or Sauce Gardner?
Covers by Team
https://preview.redd.it/8f29df4ygl2b1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=3b93f8a4ddb26b2cee1f6abd74652f44b7fbfdcbIf a team's player was not a lead on the cover or was not any identifiable player, I gave them a *
The Re-skins/Commanders?, Jags, Panthers, and Bills have appeared on a cover but never with an athlete as the lead or with a real person. Only the Texans have never appeared at all on the cover of any football video game. I'd say the Bills are most likely to get one next (Josh Allen), then the Jags (Trevor Lawrence), then the Panthers/Texans if either hits a home run with Young or Stroud. The Commanders have a long road ahead to getting a feature cover athlete, unless you ask Sam Howell who thinks he should be this year's Madden cover athlete.
Most Prolific Cover People
https://preview.redd.it/5axoymcakl2b1.png?width=2871&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=9ecf9c52cad0647d1572d2d9c85ebdef0dd277c3Kordell Stewart, Daunte Culpepper, and Donovan McNabb (and possibly Lamar Jackson, still too early for him) are the only players with multiple appearances that are either not or are unlikely to make the Hall of Fame. McNabb is the only guy to appear in multiple covers in the same year. Also of note, 7 athletes were on a cover without ever making a pro bowl in their careers: Brad Muster, Pat Terrell, Gordon Laro, Chris Zorich, Albert Fontenot, William Floyd, and Peyton Hillis (Hillis was the only one to be the primary cover athlete).
I'll list all the games and their respective covers by their era below. I'll also attach some of my favorite covers from each era. If the cover person was a Hall of Famer, I'll mark them with a \). If they're very likely to make the HoF but they're not yet eligible, I'll mark them with a +
Covers by Era
| Decade | # of Games | # of Games w/Cover Athletes | # of Cover Athletes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60s | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 70s | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 80s | 11 | 2 (18%) | 2 |
| 90s | 36 | 32 (89%) | 21 |
| 00s | 40 | 38 (95%) | 36 |
| 10s | 14 | 10 (71%) | 12 |
| 20s | 8 | 4 (50%) | 5 |
| Total | 114 | 86 (75%) | 76 |
The Early Days: 1965-1982
1978: Football! for the Magnavox Odyssey 2 was the first football video game with a cover, but obviously the cover athletes are generic.| Year | Game | Cover Athlete | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | FTBALL | NA | NA | NA |
| 1972 | Football (Magnavox) | NA | NA | NA |
| 1978 | Football! | Generic players | NA | NA |
| 1978 | Football (Atari) | Generic players | NA | NA |
| 1979 | NFL Football | Generic players | NA | NA |
| 1982 | Realsports: Football | Generic players | NA | NA |
The 2D Era: 1983-1996
1985: NFL Challenge was the first football game with a real cover athlete (Roger Craig). This was the original bar for realism in football simulation, to where it was used in a 1988 ESPN Program \"NFL Dream Season\" where they simulated the greatest teams of all time against each other.1988: John Madden Football released on the Apple II, MS-DOS, and Commodore 64/128 (partly being developed by Bethesda), which was the beginning of the most dominant franchise in football video games. They featured no NFL teams due to a lack of an NFL license.
1991: Tecmo Super Bowl is probably still my personal favorite football video game. It's totally timeless, and if you pick the Raiders then you're a cheater.
| Year | Game | Cover Athlete | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 10-Yard Fight | Generic Jersey | NA | NA |
| 1984 | Super Action Football | Generic player | NA | NA |
| 1985 | NFL Challenge | Roger Craig | 49ers | RB |
| 1987 | 4th & Inches | Generic players | NA | NA |
| 1987 | Tecmo Bowl | Generic players | NA | NA |
| 1988 | TV Sports: Football | Generic player | NA | NA |
| 1988 | John Madden Football ('88) | John Madden* | None | John Madden |
| 1989 | ABC Monday Night Football | Generic player | NA | NA |
| 1989 | NFL | Generic players | 49ers, Raiders, Oilers, Broncos, Re-skins | NA |
| 1989 | PlayMaker Football | Equipment | NA | NA |
| 1990 | Joe Montana Football | Joe Montana* | None | QB |
| 1990 | John Madden Football ('90) | John Madden* | None | John Madden |
| 1991 | John Madden Football II (or '92) | John Madden* | None | John Madden |
| 1991 | Tecmo Super Bowl | Generic player | NA | NA |
| 1992 | NFL Sports Talk Football '93 | Joe Montana* | 49ers | QB |
| 1992 | Front Page Sports Football | Generic players | NA | NA |
| 1993 | Capcom's MVP Football | Brad Muster | Bears | FB |
| 1993 | Madden NFL '94 | John Madden* | NA | HC/Announcer |
| 1993 | NFL Football '94 Starring Joe Montana | Joe Montana* | Chiefs | QB |
| 1993 | Mutant League Football | Mutant | NA | NA |
| 1994 | ESPN Sunday Night NFL | Chris Berman | NA | Announcer |
| 1994 | Madden NFL '95 | John Madden* | NA | John Madden |
| 1994 | Tecmo Super Bowl II: Special Edition | Generic player | Cowboys | NA |
| 1994 | Troy Aikman NFL Football | Troy Aikman* | Cowboys | QB |
| 1995 | Emmitt Smith Football | Emmitt Smith* | None | RB |
| 1995 | Madden NFL '96 | John Madden*, Pat Terrell, Gordon Laro | NA, Panthers, Jags | John Madden, DB, TE |
| 1995 | NFL Quarterback Club 96 | Steve Young*, Chris Zorich, Albert Fontenot | 49ers, Bears | QB, DL |
| 1995 | Sterling Sharpe: End 2 End | Sterling Sharpe | None | WR |
| 1995 | Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition | Generic players | Raiders, Bills | NA |
| 1995 | NFL GameDay | William Floyd | 49ers | FB |
| 1996 | Madden NFL 97 | John Madden* | NA | John Madden |
| 1996 | NFL '97 | Kordell Stewart | Steelers | QB |
| 1996 | NFL Quarterback Club 97 | Dan Marino* | Dolphins | QB |
| 1996 | NFL GameDay '97 | Daryl "Moose" Johnston | Cowboys | FB |
The Parity Era: 1997-2004
1997: NFL Blitz came from Midway studios and was a breath of fresh air for football games. They had mostly been stagnant trying to hone in on realistic simulation in 2D form, whereas Blitz came out in 3D and threw realism out the window. I definitely spent too much money on the arcade version of this game.2000: Madden 2001 started the tradition of having their games feature a cover athlete in this format, which consolidated into nearly everyone following this trend.
2001: Backyard Football 2002 was a more kid-friendly version of a football video game, and they also had other games for other professional sports. I definitely played this a lot on my old Windows Me computer, and Pablo Sanchez is a god.
2002: NFL Fever was Microsoft's foray into football video games on the original Xbox. All 3 of their games featured Peyton Manning as the cover athlete.
2002: NFL GameDay 2003 was 989 Sports' exclusive for Sony on the PlayStation platform.
2004: ESPN NFL 2K5 was the last great football game before the NFL exclusively gave their license to the EA. It was this game that definitely led to NFL's decision though, as they slashed their release price to an unheard of $20, which forced Madden 2004 to release at $30 instead of the typical $50. This pissed off the NFL, who decided to have less competition instead.
| Year | Game | Cover Athlete | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | NFL Blitz | Kordell Stewart | Steelers | QB |
| 1997 | NFL Quarterback Club 98 | Brett Favre* | Packers | QB |
| 1997 | NFL GameDay '98 | Jerome Bettis* | Steelers | RB |
| 1997 | Madden NFL 98 (64) | John Madden* | NA | John Madden |
| 1998 | NFL Xtreme | Mike Alstott | Bucs | FB |
| 1998 | NFL Quarterback Club 99 | Brett Favre* | Packers | QB |
| 1998 | NFL GameDay '99 | Terrell Davis* | Broncos | RB |
| 1998 | Madden NFL 99 | John Madden* | NA | John Madden |
| 1999 | NFL Xtreme 2 | John Randle* | Vikings | DL |
| 1999 | NFL Quarterback Club 2000 | Brett Favre* | Packers | QB |
| 1999 | NFL GameDay 2000 | Terrell Davis* | Broncos | RB |
| 1999 | NFL 2K | Randy Moss* | Vikings | WR |
| 1999 | Madden NFL 2000 | John Madden* | NA | John Madden |
| 1999 | Backyard Football | Steve Young)*, Jocinda Smith, Amir Khan | 49ers, Generic | QB |
| 2000 | NFL Quarterback Club 2001 | Brett Favre* | Packers | QB |
| 2000 | NFL GameDay 2001 | Marshall Faulk* | Rams | RB |
| 2000 | NFL 2K1 | Randy Moss* | Vikings | WR |
| 2000 | Madden NFL 2001 | Eddie George | Titans | RB |
| 2001 | NFL Quarterback Club 2002 | Brett Favre*, Rich Gannon | Packers, Raiders | QB |
| 2001 | NFL GameDay 2002 | Donovan McNabb | Eagles | QB |
| 2001 | NFL Fever 2002 | Peyton Manning* | Colts | QB |
| 2001 | NFL 2K2 | Randy Moss* | Vikings | WR |
| 2001 | Madden NFL 2002 | Daunte Culpepper | Vikings | QB |
| 2001 | Backyard Football 2002 | Drew Bledsoe or Donovan McNabb | Pats or Eagles | QB |
| 2001 | ESPN NFL PrimeTime 2002 | Edgerrin James* | Colts | RB |
| 2002 | NFL GameDay 2003 | Tom Brady+ | Pats | QB |
| 2002 | NFL Fever 2003 | Peyton Manning* | Colts | QB |
| 2002 | NFL 2K3 | Brian Urlacher* | Bears | LB |
| 2002 | Madden NFL 2003 | Marshall Faulk* | Rams | RB |
| 2003 | NFL GameDay 2004 | LaDainian Tomlinson* | Chargers | RB |
| 2003 | NFL Fever 2004 | Peyton Manning* | Colts | QB |
| 2003 | Madden NFL 2004 | Michael Vick | Falcons | QB |
| 2003 | ESPN NFL Football | Warren Sapp* | Bucs | DL |
| 2003 | Backyard Football 2004 | Jeff Garcia | 49ers | QB |
| 2004 | NFL GameDay 2005 | Derrick Brooks* | Bucs | LB |
| 2004 | Madden NFL 2005 | Ray Lewis* | Ravens | LB |
| 2004 | ESPN NFL 2K5 | Terrell Owens* | Eagles | WR |
| 2004 | NFL Street | Ricky Williams | Dolphins | RB |
The Madden Era: 2005-Present
2005: NFL Street 2 was the second in the NFL Street series as a kind of spiritual successor to NFL Blitz. EA tried to have some diversity in their football video games outside of the Madden franchise, so they had the short-lived Street franchise under \"EA BIG\"2006: NFL Head Coach was a new perspective on NFL Games where you play as the coach instead of the players. I enjoyed these although they could get a little boring.
2007: All Pro Football 2K8 was 2K's attempt at keeping the 2K football franchise alive without the coveted NFL license. They got three HoF players on the cover in Elway, Barry, and Rice, but not the actual license to any NFL team. This game received praise for its mechanics, but poor sales showed that a non-NFL licensed game would always struggle to make it.
2011: Madden 12 was maybe the last good Madden game. Also, Peyton Hillis. The only guy on a NFL football game cover to never make a Pro Bowl. This guy is an actual hero though, so good for him.
2019: Doug Flutie's Maximum Football was a mix of american and CFL football as another attempt at making a football game without the NFL license to poor results. They have announced a new game as a free to play title on new platforms, but no games in this franchise have released since 2020.
2020: Retro Bowl is a mobile game more in the style of Tecmo Super Bowl than Madden. It's probably the most successful non-Madden game since ESPN NFL 2K5, and it's pretty fun. People should definitely give this one a try since it's free to play on any mobile platform.
2022: Madden 23 gave the cover back to Madden for the first time since 1999 to honor the passing of the legend John Madden. Unfortunately the game inside the cover was crap, has been the style of Madden games for over a decade.
| Year | Game | Cover Athlete | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Madden NFL 06 | Donovan McNabb | Eagles | QB |
| 2005 | NFL Street 2 | Jeremy Shockey, Xzibit | Giants, Pimp My Ride | TE, Rapper |
| 2005 | Blitz: The League | Generic players | NA | NA |
| 2005 | Backyard Football 2006 | Daunte Culpepper | Vikings | QB |
| 2006 | Madden NFL 07 | Shaun Alexander | Seahawks | RB |
| 2006 | NFL Head Coach | Bill Cowher* | Steelers | HC |
| 2006 | NFL Street 3 | Chad Johnson | Bengals | WR |
| 2007 | Backyard Football '07 | Ben Roethlisberger+ | Steelers | QB |
| 2007 | Madden NFL 08 | Vince Young | Titans | QB |
| 2007 | All-Pro Football 2K8 | John Elway*, Barry Sanders*, Jerry Rice* | Generic | QB, RB, WR |
| 2007 | Backyard Football '08 | Tom Brady+ | Pats | QB |
| 2008 | NFL Tour | Shawne Merriman | Chargers | LB |
| 2008 | NFL Head Coach 09 | Tony Dungy* | Colts | HC |
| 2008 | Backyard Football '09 | Tom Brady+ | Pats | QB |
| 2009 | Madden NFL 10 | Troy Polamalu*, Larry Fitzgerald+ | Steelers, Cards | DB, WR |
| 2009 | Backyard Football '10 | Frank Gore+, Eli Manning+, Kurt Warner*, Peyton Manning*, Adrian Peterson+, Jason Witten+ | 49ers, Giants, Cards, Colts, Vikings, Cowboys | RB, QB, TE |
| 2010 | Quick Hit Football | Logo | NA | NA |
| 2010 | Madden NFL 11 | Drew Brees+ | Saints | QB |
| 2010 | Backbreaker | Generic player | NA | NA |
| 2011 | Madden NFL 12 | Peyton Hillis | Browns | RB |
| 2012 | Madden NFL 13 | Calvin Johnson* | Lions | WR |
| 2013 | Madden NFL 25 | Barry Sanders* or Adrian Peterson+ | Lions or Vikings | RB |
| 2014 | Madden NFL 15 | Richard Sherman+ | Seahawks | DB |
| 2015 | Madden NFL 16 | Odell Beckham Jr. | Giants | WR |
| 2016 | Madden NFL 17 | Rob Gronkowski+ | Pats | TE |
| 2016 | Axis Football 2016 | Generic player | NA | NA |
| 2017 | Madden NFL 18 | Tom Brady+ | Pats | QB |
| 2017 | Axis Football 17 | Generic player | NA | NA |
| 2018 | Madden NFL 19 | Antonio Brown+ | Steelers | WR |
| 2019 | Doug Flutie's Maximum Football 2019 | Doug Flutie | Generic (Stampeders) | QB |
| 2020 | Sunday Rivals | Helmet | NA | NA |
| 2020 | Retro Bowl | Generic player | NA | NA |
| 2020 | Legend Bowl | Silhouette | NA | NA |
| 2019 | Madden NFL 20 | Patrick Mahomes+ | Chiefs | QB |
| 2020 | Madden NFL 21 | Lamar Jackson | Ravens | QB |
| 2021 | Madden NFL 22 | Tom Brady+, Patrick Mahomes+ | Bucs, Chiefs | QB |
| 2022 | Madden NFL 23 | John Madden* | NA | John Madden |
| 2023 | NFL Pro Era | Lamar Jackson | Ravens | QB |
2023.05.29 15:53 CalicoIda Highschool of the Dead... with guns.
Seeing how I was downvoted in the last post with the characters getting perks, now I will make quotes of the characters getting guns. There are two types of guns that I think would do well, wall guns and box guns. There will be seperate quotes for each weapon or type of weapon depending on the character and we will do this in character order. Depending on the size of the map, the box will move every few guns made when someone gets a teddy bear. Now remember, this is the Jingle to the Mystery Box.
Takashi Komura
"Well an over under Shotgun, don't see if this can be much help?" Purchasing the Olympia
"At least I can try to figure out what to do with this, I think Rei has a better idea than me." Pruchasing the M14
"Something to keep me light on my feet, might be running back and forth to get more ammo for this." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Well a Pump action, wait wasn't this supposed to have a scope?" Pruchasing the Stakeout
"Well if my legs want to, I guess I can keep running or ditch one of these." Pruchasing the Mp5k, MP40 or AK74U
"A little boy with his favorite toy!" Purchasing the M16
"Explosive barricades, might come handy in a pinch." Purchasing Claymores
"Restocked and ready for more!" Purchasing grenades
"Wait why is there a knife digging into my inventory space?" Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"Well sensing something happy that this box will give me. I would take my chances." Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"AUG more like AUG-SOME!" Getting the AUG from the box
"Wow this must be heavy, I don't think I want to develop problems from carrying this thing for too long." Getting a light machine gun from the box
"Time to blow some heads off!" Getting a Shotgun from the box
"Fighting me up close isn't fair, and now I get a SNIPER RIFLE?!?" Getting a Sniper from the box
"Now the entire crowd will have to see what someone like me has in store!" Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"Don't know if this would be much use?" Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"God why are you so cruel some times?!" Getting a Pistol from the box
"Don't know if its one or two?" Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"Wait what is this supposed to do again?" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"Wow this should be interesting." Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"Just you and me my fuzzy pal, now lets go kill some zombies." Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Hey box! FUCK YOU!" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Kohta Hirano
"A shotgun with the highway in its barrels, I can't see if this would cause an accident." Purchasing the Olympia
"Hey this used to be my favorite gun to get from the wall." Pruchasing the M14 or MP40
"Ammo count is low and the rate of fire isn't going to help." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Well if they want to get up close and personal, I'm ready for them." Pruchasing the Stakeout
"Hey looks like I got something light and portable. Time to watch this kid run." Purchasing the Mp5K or AK74U
"This is a little off balance... wait doesn't this thing come with an underbarrel grenade launcher?" Purchasing the M16
"Now I want to be careful as this might trip someone up." Purchasing Claymores
"Well now I don't need to wait between rounds to get more grenades." Purchasing grenades
"I think this thing was useful for the first ten rounds, why did it have to become obsolete?" Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"Well me and my friends would always bet 950 on the Mystery Box." Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"Well someone could say I am happy." Getting the Commando from the box
"Time to go full Rambo on the zombies." *Laughs* Getting a light machine gun from the box
"I bet there is one where you can dual weld a Shotgun." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"Do you really think I need to be across the map for the perfect shot?" Getting a Sniper from the box
"No refunds from this party cannon zombies." Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"What am I supposed to do with this? Go down?" Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"I try my best to accept everything I can get in life but this something I don't want to take." Getting a Pistol from the box
"Akimbo with these things? This could be interesting." Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"This brings back fun memories!" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"This looks... odd... I bet it can be useful." Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"I remember I wasn't fond of that mister monkey." Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Why did someone like me have to roll that dreaded teddy bear?" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Rei Miyamoto
"I am happy and ready to fight!" Purchasing the Olympia
"Wee! This is my favorite rifle!" Pruchasing the M14
"I wish I could hold another one of these with my other hand." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
*Laughs* "Look at this pitful thing, it was very expensive if we aren't to pay for its upkeep!" Pruchasing the Stakeout
"One two three four, these guns are in my... how does it go again?" Purchasing the Mp5k, MP40 or AK74U
"I don't like the mechanics of this gun." Purchasing the M16
"I completely forgot what these did again." Purchasing Claymores
"Strapping extra explosives to my body is a good idea? Right?" Purchasing Grenades
"Well time to stab and slice them to ribbons! Ribbons for Takashi." Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"Well if someone says fortune could make a lady like me smile, this could mean first love." Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"A nice cushion for my chest." Getting the FN FAL from the box
"I would definitely lay down and mount this thing to my body." Getting a light machine gun from the box
"Birds, seeds, slugs, deer. This has it all." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"Definitely reminds me of the scope of my rifle. I want to mount it to the M14." Getting a Sniper from the box
"Definitely want to take down the horde with this." Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"Gah I don't like using knives up close." Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"Why do you hate me box?" Getting a Pistol from the box
"Hooray! This makes me very happy!" Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"This is... MINE!" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"Wee! This weapon would look to be a lot of fun." Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"A fuzzy little friend for someone like me." Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Where are you going box, did you dump me or something? Do you not like me?" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Saya Takagi
"Argh, I'm not a fan of double barrels." Purchasing the Olympia
"Who wants to reform the M14 Gang?" Purchasing the M14
"A little gun but it should have a deadly output of lead!" Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Time to make their little heads go... boom!" Purchasing the Stakeout
"Something to keep my time occupied with their moans as they collapse to my feet." Purchasing the Mp5K or AK74U
"The MP40! WUNDERBAR!!" Purchasing the MP40
"A three round burst of... DEATH!" *Laughs maniacally.* Purchasing the M16
"Time to see their legs shatter into a hundred pieces!" Purchasing Claymores
"This makes a girl like me very happy." Purchasing grenades
"I don't know who Jim Bowie was but he must have been BIG and LONG and SHARP!" Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"Something like this would make someone as crazy as me but I want to hear them scream while they fall to my knees!" Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"Seeing something as strange as Kraut magic that makes the zombies go pop will make me smile with glee!" Gertting the G11 from the box
"So much lead, so much death!" Getting a light machine gun from the box
"So much fun in these tiny little shells." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"An excellent engineering piece... for zombie on the stage with me at the balcony seat." Getting a Sniper from the box
"I will be drowning in all of their body parts!" Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"The surgeon's favorite tool. Ze Doktor is in!" Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"A doctor's tools are numerous but this is one I wouldn't use." Getting a Pistol from the box
"Oh wow! Time to use these to harvest their organs!" Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"Glowing green balls are my favorite tools to perform an amputation. TO THE LEGS!" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"Blowing them away with infinite damage isn't as fun as painstakingly taking them apart with finite damage." Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"My little monkey friend. Shall we go kill the hordes of the undead. YES VE SHALL!" Getting monkey bombs from the box
"All right fine! If you don't want to keep my medicine in check then you are fired!" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Saeko Busujima
"A good gun to start us off. Wait why does it have to be a shotgun?" Purchasing the Olympia
"Now this is something a warrior's desires should be taken into consideration." Purchasing the M14
"Nice and feather light. Divine wind would sweep over me." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Why would I need a shotgun? Shouldn't I be slicing and dicing instead of blasting holes into them?" Purchasing the Stakeout
"They say a true honorable warrior's kit is full of useful tools. This should satisfy my needs." Purchasing the Mp5k, MP40 or AK74U
"This thing should be full auto right? I am not one of a controlled bursts." Purchasing the M16
"Land mines for the honorable warrior to protect herself. This should be interesting." Purchasing Claymores
"I am glad to be restocked. I wouldn't have many ways to keep myself in fighting condition." Purchasing Grenades
"Now this is an honorable weapon to killing the zombies with." Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"A warrior's basic tool to fighting the undead, I lust for the blood to be spilled!" Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"This is considered the best of the best. I would certainly have to make do and keep fighting." Getting a Galil from the box
"A warrior has to be nimble to fight. This is too heavy for my tastes." Getting a light machine gun from the box
"Eh... not my favorite." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"I can't do much with this, I am no coward." Getting a Sniper from the box
"Can be exciting, can be not. To be fierce or not to be is my question." Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"Oh look two knives. I am pretty excited to see this." Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"It turns out the wretched box doesn't recognize my honor." Getting a Pistol from the box
"It's not like having two guns pleases me. I can barely control even one." Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"Can this... device... be of any use for a warrior like me?" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"The warrior is now invincible!" Getting the wonder weapon of the map
*Chuckling* "The Emperor would be amused!" Getting monkey bombs from the box
"You wretched teddy bear. You bring all misfortunes to the entire group!" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Shizuka Marikawa
"Why do I always have to make the wrong choice and get the shotgun early?" Purchasing the Olympia
"A brutal way of dismembering them piece by piece. Wait it's my job to help patch them together?" Purcashing the M14
"Definitely a side arm I want to keep as a back up. I wish there were more automatics like this." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Takashi would like this to be used as a medicine dispenser." Purchasing the Stakeout
"Something that requires two hands to hold. It's like taking Zeke for his walks." Purchasing the Mp5k, MP40 or AK74U
"I wish I had one of these in Rika's weapon locker." Purchasing the M16
"Be careful and don't drop them." Purchasing Claymores
"Well I needed more of these like a shopping list." Purchasing Grenades.
"A cooking utensil for using it on them." Purchasing the Bowie Knife.
"Standard with every shipment." Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"This weapon wants to make me G16GL3." Getting the Famas from the box
"Concealing something as big as this makes it hard to carry at least I'm big enough to carry it without problems." Getting a light machine gun from the box
"They often say fun things come in small packages those packages are the ammo." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"I wouldn't be so useful if I was so far away." Getting a Sniper from the box
"Boom boom time!" Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"I heard this thing is excellent to bring downed team mates back from the grave. Now time to wait for someone to need my help." Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"This gun doesn't bring much joy to me." Getting a Pistol from the box
"Two pistols? I don't know what to say." Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"Wait what does a nurse with a strange weapon like this is supposed to do again?" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"I guess we seemed to have luck on our side no?" Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"Aww he's so cute. I want one of these in my office." Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Wait you're leaving? Okay have a nice day box." Getting a teddy bear from the box
Alice Maresato
"Why would there be a gang with this gun, it's not good for anything." Purchasing the Olympia
"A beautiful piece of machinery, maybe good for points." Purcashing the M14
"This will get expensive in the long run, I do not suggest purchasing." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"I can see this being helpful getting rid of that one zombie in front of me." Purachasing the Stakeout.
"Come baby we do the 59, eh?" Purchasing the Mp5k or MP40
"I can declare that this is my favorite gun from the wall." Purachasing the AK74U
"Second best to put them down in a controlled manner." Purchasing the M16
"I will surround myself in these to form a barricade, they won't be able to reach me!" Purchasing Claymores
"Well I would always fall in love with Semtex grenades as they just stick to them like glue." Purchasing Grenades.
"EEEK! I knife almost the size of me!" Purchasing the Bowie Knife.
"Well there isn't a rifle that I don't like. I would like them all." Getting an Assault Rifle from the box
"Okay guys I'm all set up until round 35." Getting a Galil from the box.
"Hey the box really loves me!" Getting the Spectre from the box
"I... can't... carry... this!" Getting a light machine gun from the box
"Time to blast some holes in those stiffs. I definitely want to see them fall." Getting a shotgun from the box.
"I can't tell if the AK74U, Galil, Spectre is now my favorie because this has outranked them all... probably not. I still love the Spectre." Getting a SPAS-12 from the box
"Hello beautiful I will cock you gently." Getting a Sniper from the box
"Is it really safe for me to use this? I definitely want them to explode." Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"I feel I want to immediately trade this for another gun." Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"Well gun you did it, you made Alice cry!" Getting a Pistol from the box
"Two guns is better than one and one is better than... what?" Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"My old friend, shall we kill some zombies? Yes Alice yes we shall!" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"They will see what they will fear from a little girl such as myself!" Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"I would prefer Gersch Device or Matryoshka Dolls over this monkey!" Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Hey guys, the box disappeared, what... what are we going to do?" Getting a teddy bear from the box
What more quotes should I make? I definitely have had some fun making this as this would explain more about the characters in how I wrote them. I would like to hear your suggestions.
submitted by CalicoIda to HighSchoolOfTheDead [link] [comments]
Takashi Komura
"Well an over under Shotgun, don't see if this can be much help?" Purchasing the Olympia
"At least I can try to figure out what to do with this, I think Rei has a better idea than me." Pruchasing the M14
"Something to keep me light on my feet, might be running back and forth to get more ammo for this." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Well a Pump action, wait wasn't this supposed to have a scope?" Pruchasing the Stakeout
"Well if my legs want to, I guess I can keep running or ditch one of these." Pruchasing the Mp5k, MP40 or AK74U
"A little boy with his favorite toy!" Purchasing the M16
"Explosive barricades, might come handy in a pinch." Purchasing Claymores
"Restocked and ready for more!" Purchasing grenades
"Wait why is there a knife digging into my inventory space?" Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"Well sensing something happy that this box will give me. I would take my chances." Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"AUG more like AUG-SOME!" Getting the AUG from the box
"Wow this must be heavy, I don't think I want to develop problems from carrying this thing for too long." Getting a light machine gun from the box
"Time to blow some heads off!" Getting a Shotgun from the box
"Fighting me up close isn't fair, and now I get a SNIPER RIFLE?!?" Getting a Sniper from the box
"Now the entire crowd will have to see what someone like me has in store!" Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"Don't know if this would be much use?" Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"God why are you so cruel some times?!" Getting a Pistol from the box
"Don't know if its one or two?" Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"Wait what is this supposed to do again?" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"Wow this should be interesting." Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"Just you and me my fuzzy pal, now lets go kill some zombies." Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Hey box! FUCK YOU!" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Kohta Hirano
"A shotgun with the highway in its barrels, I can't see if this would cause an accident." Purchasing the Olympia
"Hey this used to be my favorite gun to get from the wall." Pruchasing the M14 or MP40
"Ammo count is low and the rate of fire isn't going to help." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Well if they want to get up close and personal, I'm ready for them." Pruchasing the Stakeout
"Hey looks like I got something light and portable. Time to watch this kid run." Purchasing the Mp5K or AK74U
"This is a little off balance... wait doesn't this thing come with an underbarrel grenade launcher?" Purchasing the M16
"Now I want to be careful as this might trip someone up." Purchasing Claymores
"Well now I don't need to wait between rounds to get more grenades." Purchasing grenades
"I think this thing was useful for the first ten rounds, why did it have to become obsolete?" Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"Well me and my friends would always bet 950 on the Mystery Box." Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"Well someone could say I am happy." Getting the Commando from the box
"Time to go full Rambo on the zombies." *Laughs* Getting a light machine gun from the box
"I bet there is one where you can dual weld a Shotgun." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"Do you really think I need to be across the map for the perfect shot?" Getting a Sniper from the box
"No refunds from this party cannon zombies." Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"What am I supposed to do with this? Go down?" Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"I try my best to accept everything I can get in life but this something I don't want to take." Getting a Pistol from the box
"Akimbo with these things? This could be interesting." Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"This brings back fun memories!" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"This looks... odd... I bet it can be useful." Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"I remember I wasn't fond of that mister monkey." Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Why did someone like me have to roll that dreaded teddy bear?" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Rei Miyamoto
"I am happy and ready to fight!" Purchasing the Olympia
"Wee! This is my favorite rifle!" Pruchasing the M14
"I wish I could hold another one of these with my other hand." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
*Laughs* "Look at this pitful thing, it was very expensive if we aren't to pay for its upkeep!" Pruchasing the Stakeout
"One two three four, these guns are in my... how does it go again?" Purchasing the Mp5k, MP40 or AK74U
"I don't like the mechanics of this gun." Purchasing the M16
"I completely forgot what these did again." Purchasing Claymores
"Strapping extra explosives to my body is a good idea? Right?" Purchasing Grenades
"Well time to stab and slice them to ribbons! Ribbons for Takashi." Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"Well if someone says fortune could make a lady like me smile, this could mean first love." Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"A nice cushion for my chest." Getting the FN FAL from the box
"I would definitely lay down and mount this thing to my body." Getting a light machine gun from the box
"Birds, seeds, slugs, deer. This has it all." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"Definitely reminds me of the scope of my rifle. I want to mount it to the M14." Getting a Sniper from the box
"Definitely want to take down the horde with this." Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"Gah I don't like using knives up close." Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"Why do you hate me box?" Getting a Pistol from the box
"Hooray! This makes me very happy!" Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"This is... MINE!" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"Wee! This weapon would look to be a lot of fun." Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"A fuzzy little friend for someone like me." Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Where are you going box, did you dump me or something? Do you not like me?" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Saya Takagi
"Argh, I'm not a fan of double barrels." Purchasing the Olympia
"Who wants to reform the M14 Gang?" Purchasing the M14
"A little gun but it should have a deadly output of lead!" Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Time to make their little heads go... boom!" Purchasing the Stakeout
"Something to keep my time occupied with their moans as they collapse to my feet." Purchasing the Mp5K or AK74U
"The MP40! WUNDERBAR!!" Purchasing the MP40
"A three round burst of... DEATH!" *Laughs maniacally.* Purchasing the M16
"Time to see their legs shatter into a hundred pieces!" Purchasing Claymores
"This makes a girl like me very happy." Purchasing grenades
"I don't know who Jim Bowie was but he must have been BIG and LONG and SHARP!" Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"Something like this would make someone as crazy as me but I want to hear them scream while they fall to my knees!" Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"Seeing something as strange as Kraut magic that makes the zombies go pop will make me smile with glee!" Gertting the G11 from the box
"So much lead, so much death!" Getting a light machine gun from the box
"So much fun in these tiny little shells." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"An excellent engineering piece... for zombie on the stage with me at the balcony seat." Getting a Sniper from the box
"I will be drowning in all of their body parts!" Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"The surgeon's favorite tool. Ze Doktor is in!" Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"A doctor's tools are numerous but this is one I wouldn't use." Getting a Pistol from the box
"Oh wow! Time to use these to harvest their organs!" Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"Glowing green balls are my favorite tools to perform an amputation. TO THE LEGS!" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"Blowing them away with infinite damage isn't as fun as painstakingly taking them apart with finite damage." Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"My little monkey friend. Shall we go kill the hordes of the undead. YES VE SHALL!" Getting monkey bombs from the box
"All right fine! If you don't want to keep my medicine in check then you are fired!" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Saeko Busujima
"A good gun to start us off. Wait why does it have to be a shotgun?" Purchasing the Olympia
"Now this is something a warrior's desires should be taken into consideration." Purchasing the M14
"Nice and feather light. Divine wind would sweep over me." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Why would I need a shotgun? Shouldn't I be slicing and dicing instead of blasting holes into them?" Purchasing the Stakeout
"They say a true honorable warrior's kit is full of useful tools. This should satisfy my needs." Purchasing the Mp5k, MP40 or AK74U
"This thing should be full auto right? I am not one of a controlled bursts." Purchasing the M16
"Land mines for the honorable warrior to protect herself. This should be interesting." Purchasing Claymores
"I am glad to be restocked. I wouldn't have many ways to keep myself in fighting condition." Purchasing Grenades
"Now this is an honorable weapon to killing the zombies with." Purchasing the Bowie Knife
"A warrior's basic tool to fighting the undead, I lust for the blood to be spilled!" Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"This is considered the best of the best. I would certainly have to make do and keep fighting." Getting a Galil from the box
"A warrior has to be nimble to fight. This is too heavy for my tastes." Getting a light machine gun from the box
"Eh... not my favorite." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"I can't do much with this, I am no coward." Getting a Sniper from the box
"Can be exciting, can be not. To be fierce or not to be is my question." Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"Oh look two knives. I am pretty excited to see this." Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"It turns out the wretched box doesn't recognize my honor." Getting a Pistol from the box
"It's not like having two guns pleases me. I can barely control even one." Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"Can this... device... be of any use for a warrior like me?" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"The warrior is now invincible!" Getting the wonder weapon of the map
*Chuckling* "The Emperor would be amused!" Getting monkey bombs from the box
"You wretched teddy bear. You bring all misfortunes to the entire group!" Getting a teddy bear from the box
Shizuka Marikawa
"Why do I always have to make the wrong choice and get the shotgun early?" Purchasing the Olympia
"A brutal way of dismembering them piece by piece. Wait it's my job to help patch them together?" Purcashing the M14
"Definitely a side arm I want to keep as a back up. I wish there were more automatics like this." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"Takashi would like this to be used as a medicine dispenser." Purchasing the Stakeout
"Something that requires two hands to hold. It's like taking Zeke for his walks." Purchasing the Mp5k, MP40 or AK74U
"I wish I had one of these in Rika's weapon locker." Purchasing the M16
"Be careful and don't drop them." Purchasing Claymores
"Well I needed more of these like a shopping list." Purchasing Grenades.
"A cooking utensil for using it on them." Purchasing the Bowie Knife.
"Standard with every shipment." Getting an Assault Rifle or Spectre from the box
"This weapon wants to make me G16GL3." Getting the Famas from the box
"Concealing something as big as this makes it hard to carry at least I'm big enough to carry it without problems." Getting a light machine gun from the box
"They often say fun things come in small packages those packages are the ammo." Getting a Shotgun from the box
"I wouldn't be so useful if I was so far away." Getting a Sniper from the box
"Boom boom time!" Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"I heard this thing is excellent to bring downed team mates back from the grave. Now time to wait for someone to need my help." Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"This gun doesn't bring much joy to me." Getting a Pistol from the box
"Two pistols? I don't know what to say." Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"Wait what does a nurse with a strange weapon like this is supposed to do again?" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"I guess we seemed to have luck on our side no?" Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"Aww he's so cute. I want one of these in my office." Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Wait you're leaving? Okay have a nice day box." Getting a teddy bear from the box
Alice Maresato
"Why would there be a gang with this gun, it's not good for anything." Purchasing the Olympia
"A beautiful piece of machinery, maybe good for points." Purcashing the M14
"This will get expensive in the long run, I do not suggest purchasing." Purchasing the MPL or PM63
"I can see this being helpful getting rid of that one zombie in front of me." Purachasing the Stakeout.
"Come baby we do the 59, eh?" Purchasing the Mp5k or MP40
"I can declare that this is my favorite gun from the wall." Purachasing the AK74U
"Second best to put them down in a controlled manner." Purchasing the M16
"I will surround myself in these to form a barricade, they won't be able to reach me!" Purchasing Claymores
"Well I would always fall in love with Semtex grenades as they just stick to them like glue." Purchasing Grenades.
"EEEK! I knife almost the size of me!" Purchasing the Bowie Knife.
"Well there isn't a rifle that I don't like. I would like them all." Getting an Assault Rifle from the box
"Okay guys I'm all set up until round 35." Getting a Galil from the box.
"Hey the box really loves me!" Getting the Spectre from the box
"I... can't... carry... this!" Getting a light machine gun from the box
"Time to blast some holes in those stiffs. I definitely want to see them fall." Getting a shotgun from the box.
"I can't tell if the AK74U, Galil, Spectre is now my favorie because this has outranked them all... probably not. I still love the Spectre." Getting a SPAS-12 from the box
"Hello beautiful I will cock you gently." Getting a Sniper from the box
"Is it really safe for me to use this? I definitely want them to explode." Getting an explosive weapon from the box
"I feel I want to immediately trade this for another gun." Getting the Ballistic Knife from the box
"Well gun you did it, you made Alice cry!" Getting a Pistol from the box
"Two guns is better than one and one is better than... what?" Getting dual wield pistols from the box
"My old friend, shall we kill some zombies? Yes Alice yes we shall!" Getting a Ray Gun from the box
"They will see what they will fear from a little girl such as myself!" Getting the wonder weapon of the map
"I would prefer Gersch Device or Matryoshka Dolls over this monkey!" Getting monkey bombs from the box
"Hey guys, the box disappeared, what... what are we going to do?" Getting a teddy bear from the box
What more quotes should I make? I definitely have had some fun making this as this would explain more about the characters in how I wrote them. I would like to hear your suggestions.
2023.05.29 12:17 Latter_Bother687 1980 Mount Saint Helens eruption victims
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2023.05.29 05:59 Determination7 An Outcast In Another World (Subtitle: Is 'Insanity' A Racial Trait?) [Fantasy, LitRPG] - Chapter 198 (Book 5 Chapter 24)
Author's Note:
Reddit was having issues when I posted the last chapter, so just in case anyone missed it, the previous chapter (197) starts here.
Also, the next chapter will come out a week from now, on June 5th.
--
Two Days Later
"AMBUSH!"
Rob's eyes snapped open. Panicked shouts were resounding from outside his tent. The first notion that popped into his sleep-addled mind was relief, as an ambush was preferable to the nightmare he'd been having. That sentiment lasted until a distant explosion obliterated the final remnants of his drowsiness, sending him and Keira sprinting out of their tent with weapons in hand.
Chaos awaited them outside. People weren't quite running around like chickens with their heads cut off, but it was close. While the coalition had known that a night attack was possible and prepared themselves accordingly, no one was ever truly ready to be assaulted with spells and Skills as they frolicked through dreamland. Arrows peppered the ground at their feet, the majority landing harmlessly away, although Rob spotted a few soldiers with fresh wounds seeping blood.
He spared a passing glance for the numerous banners the coalition had erected across their campsite. Each one was raised twenty feet high, decorated with lights in order to glow in the dark, and marked with wartime symbols indicating a desire to engage in peaceful negotiations. The Harpies answered by filling the banners with arrow holes and setting many of them on fire. Diplomacy's plan had been doomed from the start.
Kicking his brain into high gear, Rob activated Quick Thinking and sent Messages checking on Riardin's Rangers. His eyes traveled up towards the night sky, seeing a canvas of pure darkness broken up by stars and moonlight. It must have been the dead of midnight or close to it. Arrows were impossible to see coming before they'd already hit the ground, and the only indication of Harpies flying above were the shadows blotting out the stars every so often.
Thankfully, the coalition had planned for this. As if on cue, multiple orbs of brilliant light shot upwards, mages from each faction contributing to the effort. The orbs hung in the sky like floating lighthouses, banishing enough darkness to allow Rob to see what he was dealing with.
A resigned expletive slipped out of his mouth. There had to be at least four hundred of the fuckers up there, maybe five hundred, swarming like a colony of feathered bees. It was the worst-case scenario of what the coalition envisioned – Elnaril sending the maximum number of Harpies he could realistically field without leaving the capital undefended.
How am I supposed to fight them? Rob wondered, asking himself a recurring question that he'd never been able to answer. They can't kill me with piddly arrows and long-range spells, but my allies aren't so durable. Somehow I doubt they'll listen if I tell them to stop being cowards and come fight me in melee range.
All thoughts of attacking were swept aside when the Harpies began dropping a very different projectile towards the coalition base camp. Rob opened and closed his mouth several times, shock suffusing every cell in his body. He recalled the explosion that had awoken him, the moment now disturbingly re-contextualized.
The Harpies were airdropping crates of Firebombs.
"THAT'S COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT, YOU LITTLE SHITS!" Rob summoned his own crate from his Bound Items, tore open the cover, and grabbed a Firebomb in each hand. He activated Bulk Up for extra Strength and hurled Firebombs towards the falling crates with the best baseball throws he could muster. One, two, three, four, five, six – the crate's supply rapidly depleted as Rob threw again and again, trying to intercept as many payloads as possible, Keira following his lead. They were joined by coalition archer support, arrows sniping at crates that were out of reach.
Dozens of roaring explosions lit up the sky. While some of the crates had gotten through, most were turned to dust before they could hit the ground, reducing the Harpies' shock-and-awe tactic to an impromptu fireworks display.
Throwing Proficiency Level Increased! 6 → 7
Throwing Proficiency Level Increased! 7 → 8
"THAT'S RIGHT!" Rob whooped. "LEAVE THE KABOOMS TO THE EXPERTS!" He paused, then turned to Keira, looking abashed. "Um...was this my fault? Are they actually copying me?" Please don't tell me I accidentally advanced warfare by a century.
"We can ruminate on that later," Keira answered, skillfully dodging the question. "For now, we should focus on retaliating by any means available."
No sooner had the words left her mouth than a glowing yellow projectile shot up into the sky. Orn'tol's Chain Arrow nicked a Harpy on the edge of their wing – which was all it needed to begin the process. A tenth of a second later, the arrow veered to the right and struck a different Harpy in their stomach. It ripped out and through the other side, taking another ninety-degree turn to spear an unsuspecting Harpy in the back. And so it went, chaining from target-to-target with ruthless efficiency. By the end, twenty Harpies had been struck, eight of them falling out of the sky, unmoving.
Rob saluted the display. "Yeah, I don't have any ranged attacks on that level. I think we'd be better-off guarding the people who do."
They rushed over to where the Fiend mages resided, discovering the group huddled under cover, besieged by a stream of arrows and spells hammering down around them. Rob sent off a quick Message to Vul'to, then jumped in front of an icicle spell that would have gored a Fiend through her neck. "Sup."
"Lord Roy!" The Fiend's jubilation froze when she saw the icicle sticking out of Rob's shoulder. "Are–"
"No time for chitchat. If I cover you, can you fire back?"
After some thought, the mages nodded. Rob gave them a thumbs-up with his left hand and deflected an arrow with his right. He turned his full attention to the projectile storm raining from above, calculating which ones he'd be able to block and which ones he'd need to take on the chin.
The next few minutes became a blur of activity. Arrow. Skill. Arrow. Spell. Spell. Skill. Arrow. Arrow. It never ended. His slow walk towards Harpy Settlement #4 was proving to be an invaluable experience, because he wasn't sure if he could've kept up now without already knowing how to handle a barrage of small projectiles. Even Keira was struggling; while Danger Sense told her where she needed to move, it was reaching a point where she physically couldn't execute the motions fast enough. Rob would've expected the Harpies to lay off once they noticed that he was there to play defense, but if anything, they were attacking more fiercely than before.
Almost as if they held a grudge against him or something.
Outwardly, he was projecting the supreme confidence of a Leader. Inwardly, he was honestly starting to get a bit worried. While he'd only taken about 300 HP of damage, a different resource was beginning to wane: his Stamina. Quick Thinking consumed 3 Stamina for every second it was active. That combined with his constant movement was...tiring. He'd activated Second Wind to restore 35% of his Stamina, but unlike his Vitality-based abilities, this one had a cooldown of 24 hours. In a couple minutes, he might actually need to ask for a short break.
Was that the end of the world? No. Was it embarrassing? Potentially. Leaders weren't supposed to ask for breaks. At least, he thought they weren't. Elatrans could be weird about what constituted a good Leader. Rob was still figuring out when he was supposed to act like an invulnerable pillar versus when he was allowed to be a real person. I miss when I didn't have to care about this sort of thing.
His reputation was saved by Vul'to's timely arrival. The Soul Guardian burst onto the scene in a mad dash, skid to a halt, took a stance, activated Auto-Guard, and proceeded to swat away the Harpies' projectiles as if they were no more than gnats. "I will protect the mages from here on out," he calmly stated. Vul'to's movements flowed like water, his voice showing no sign of exertion as he spoke. "Put your efforts towards an offensive strike."
Rob suppressed a relieved sigh as he deactivated Quick Thinking. "For the record, when our Party inevitably complains about my risk-taking later, I'm going to say that both you and Keira signed off on a Rob Plan."
"You can't be serious," Keira blurted out, panting heavily as she rested. "Our enemies are in the sky. What scheme could you have possibly concocted that would put you at risk?"
Rob hesitated. He was distinctly aware of the mages listening in as they fired spells, devoting a portion of their brainpower to gathering gossip material. Anything he said here would reflect on his status as Leader. That included overly-casual speech and devising schemes that by all rights should get him a one-way ticket to the loony bin.
Then he remembered that allies were dying around him, and he stopped caring so much about what other people thought.
"My usual method for dealing with mobile enemies is Rampage spam," he began to explain. "That isn't viable here. I'd run out of MP long before I reached their altitude, and even if I somehow made it, what then? I can't dodge mid-air. They'd turn me into a pincushion. So here's what I was thinking..."
His explanation was brief. By the time he'd finished, the mages were staring at him with eyes wide as saucers. Keira merely nodded. "Very well. I'll accept it."
"No complaints?"
"You left yourself an escape route. That already makes this plan safer than most." She turned away, gesturing for him to follow. "Let's go find Malika. If I'm not mistaken, she'll be at Orn'tol's side."
It wasn't hard to locate her. They only needed to trace the empowered spells blasting upwards like rocket launchers. Rob did a rough headcount of the Harpies' numbers, estimating that, despite their ambush, the battle wasn't going well for them. Over forty had been felled by Malika's spells, Orn'tol's arrows, and the other coalition mages and archers. The Dwarven riflemen were also putting in work, gunshots echoing as Harpies were struck by blindingly fast projectiles they'd come entirely unprepared for, their race inducted into a new era of war with a baptism of lead and gunpowder.
Conversely, Rob would bet his life savings that not even fifteen coalition members had perished. While he didn't have any proof of this, he knew from experience that basic arrows and mediocre spells lost striking power when fired from a long range. And unlike the Harpies' army consisting of everyone-they-could-get, the coalition soldiers were the elite of each territory. They were tougher, stronger, and had access to superior healing magic. In this instance, quality trumped quantity.
Especially when the quality was so lopsided. As Rob ran, he saw a lightning spear shoot up towards the sky and explode into a ball of electricity, frying a dozen Harpies in an instant. Moments later, the surrounding air seemed to dry out, like a heat wave passing through, as moisture was collected into a towering plume of water. Once it was ready, the plume burst upwards and casually washed away another dozen Harpies as if they were drowned rats.
Sylpeiros and Cyraeneus. Ambush or no ambush, long range or close range – didn't matter. Leaders were terrifying in every scenario.
Rob found Malika and Orn'tol in good spirits. The siblings had a whole squad of Vanguards protecting them, like a pair of pint-sized siege cannons with ground support. "Rob!" Malika exclaimed, the instant she saw him. "MP Potions! Forthwith!"
In a flash of blue mana, he produced three Potions from Spatial Storage. "Your humble servant is here," he remarked, in a tone drier than the air.
"Only three Potions? Bah! Give me more!"
"Your humble servant has no wish to deal with an Archmage with a hangover."
Grumbling, she grabbed the Potions and chugged them like a frat boy on spring break. Rob rated her chugging prowess at a solid 7 out of 10, judging that – while she'd grown considerably – there was still room for improvement.
"Should..." Orn'tol started to say something, then thought better of it. Rob could guess what he was thinking. The boy was worried that they weren't being properly respectful of the situation, joking around in the middle of a warzone where allies were suffering. He'd likely come to the same conclusion as Rob: that letting Malika keep her morale up was more important. "Are we winning?" he instead asked.
"Easily," Rob affirmed. That was never in doubt. It would've taken something going catastrophically wrong for them to be in danger of losing. In reality, today's battle was just another leg in the extended marathon that the coalition was running. Rather than obsessing over a transient victory that was all but guaranteed, they needed to minimize casualties so that taking the Harpy capital was a feasible prospect. That meant being careful, guarding their back lines, and only attacking when it was safe.
Oh, and crushing the Harpies so that they wised up and retreated.
"I am...concerned," Orn'tol admitted. "The Harpies should have been aware of our strength. Yet by the end of this night, unless they soon retreat, their losses will mount in the hundreds. Why waste so much life?"
Rob narrowed his eyes at the sky. "Couple possibilities. Elnaril could be screwing around. Blights think that wasting life is absolutely hilarious. He is part Leader, though, so I can't imagine he'd be quite that frivolous with his resources. With that in mind, I don't think the Harpies are going to fight to the last man – they probably came here intending to thin our numbers and skedaddle. Severe losses would prevent us from being able to seize the capital. Their initial Firebomb barrage could've potentially done that on its own."
"And it failed."
"Sure did. Now they're stuck trying to do it the old-fashioned way." Rob shrugged. "They might have a backup plan. If so, we'll handle it, no worries." He faced Malika. "Speaking of plans, I've got one. Do you mind holding onto some MP for me?"
She opened her mouth to respond – then froze, her head turning sideways. Rob followed Malika's gaze towards the Gellin encampment, his brow furrowing at what he saw. All thirty Gellin were exiting their tents in near-perfect unison. They reminded Rob of a collection of wind-up animatronics, with movements that weren't entirely synchronized and robotic, yet also weren't dissimilar enough to appear fully lifelike. As the Gellin drifted forward, moonlight mixed with the light emanating from the mages' sun orbs, bathing them in an almost ethereal glow.
A small shiver crept up Rob's spine. He didn't know why, but something about the situation was giving him the heebie-jeebies. Maybe it was because he'd never seen a Gellin awake at this hour before. He'd gone on more than one midnight walk to clear his head after a bout of nightmares, and while he'd met the occasional Fiend, Dwarf, Elf, or Merfolk, the Gellin were always sequestered in their tents.
His shiver crawled up to the back of his neck, making its little hairs stand on end as a thrum of mana built within the Gellin. Even Rob's meager Sense Mana could feel it. Thirty Gellin had joined into three Mage Circles, linking their power, creating...something. A force. An aura. It lacked physical form, yet felt no less threatening than one of Sylpeiros' lightning spears.
The space above them seemed to shimmer, as if viewed through a lightly-smudged eyeglass. Virtually invisible if you weren't paying close attention.
Or if you were flying hundreds of feet in the air.
The Harpies didn't try to avoid it. They didn't even know it was there. Lightning spears and plumes of water were obvious. Flashy. The Gellins' something simply wafted upwards, like rising heat, until it reached the sky and engulfed a multitude of Harpies in a devouring fog.
Piercing screams cut through the din of warfare.
The affected Harpies reacted in different ways. Some went still as statues. Some writhed as if electrocuted. Some began attacking invisible enemies. But regardless of how they reacted, they all fell, and they all screamed.
Rob covered his ears. It was the worst sound he'd heard since Elnaril laughed at him through a Message Crystal. The battlefield didn't completely grind to a halt, but it definitely slowed, with both the attackers and defenders needing to process what the fuck just happened.
"Was that Mind Magic?" Malika whispered, her bravado gone and vanished.
"It appears so," Keira quietly answered.
"I...did not know it could do that."
"Neither did I."
After shaking his head to reset his thoughts, Rob stepped back from everyone, ensuring that he was out of their line of sight. Much as he wanted to take a breather, he couldn't. The Harpies were reeling – this was a perfect opportunity to execute his plan.
He just needed to finish the prepwork. Hefting his longsword, Rob turned it around and pointed it at his heart.
And paused.
My hands are shivering, he realized. Why are my hands shivering? I've done this before. He willed his hands to stay still, nearly snarling when they failed to cooperate. This is a waste of time. Don't be a fucking bitch, Rob. Just lie back and think of England.
Stab.
Stab.
Stab.
Lifesurge.
Living Bomb ready.
Rob used Spatial Storage to switch his clothes for an unbloodied ensemble, then tapped Malika on her shoulder. "Do you have enough MP for a big wind spell?"
She blinked, jolted out of her reverie. "Oh. Um, yes. Why?"
He told her of his plan. A broad grin split across her face, transitioning into an excited cackle. "You're a madman. Let's do that straight away."
As Malika charged her spell, Rob attached a Waymark point to the ground, then summoned the Dwarven Sheet Metal from his Bound Items. Keira, Orn'tol, and the Vanguards spread out to give them some space. The Vanguards were looking on in awe; Rob could only hope that they'd enjoy the show.
"We have to time this just right," he told Malika. "Fire the spell on three. Understand?" She nodded so hard that she probably gave herself whiplash. Rob placed his longsword in Storage, holding the Sheet Metal with both hands.
"One." Malika held onto her spell, ready to unleash the fury of an Archmage with a cause.
"Two." Rob leaped into the air, positioning the Sheet Metal under his feet like a surfboard.
"Three!"
A miniaturized tornado slammed into the Sheet Metal, propelling Rob up, up, and away. He lost his balance pretty much immediately, tumbling onto the Sheet as wind pressure buffeted him without mercy. His ascent skyward was so sudden and so jarring that he was actually surprised when he came face-to-face with a Harpy. The two of them exchanged bewildered stares. Rob felt tempted to say a variant of one of the classics, like 'You come here often?'
Then he remembered why he was there.
This was it. No going back. Justified or necessary or otherwise, once he activated Living Bomb, he will have spilled Harpy blood on Harpy soil. There was a sense of finality to it that almost made him hesitate.
Almost.
"I wish you'd stayed home," Rob muttered. The Harpy's survival instincts kicked in, his wings flapping in a hurry, yet it was already too late. You couldn't outrun a thought.
Living Bomb.
The world became obscured by flame, heat, and noise. Rob wasn't sure how many Harpies he'd caught in the blast radius, but the EXP infusing his soul informed him that it was more than a few. Without waiting, he cast Rampage to push himself out of the Bomb's center, then Waymarked to safety so that the Harpies couldn't take revenge after the Bomb faded. The Rampage movement was a necessity; he wasn't taking any chances that using Waymark while in the middle of the Bomb might somehow bring it back with him.
His feet now on solid ground, Rob was treated to an awe-inspiring spectacle. A colossal sphere of fire hung above, like the core of an angry sun, its surface twisting with unbridled energy. The sound it emitted was one long, continuous, ear-splitting explosion, as if the Bomb was a sentient creature noisily lamenting the ones who'd escaped its grasp. This was the first time Rob had seen his Skill from an outside perspective, and in that instant, he truly understood why it was so effective at shattering morale.
As it did now. Living Bomb rapidly faded, but by then the Harpies were already in retreat. The one-two punch of the Gellins' mind attack and a giant fuckoff explosion had doubled their casualties in a matter of seconds. Even if that combo hadn't broken their spirits, not withdrawing at this point would be tantamount to suicide.
Rob allowed his shoulders to relax as a collective sigh of relief passed through the coalition. Their battle was over. Victory was – Wait, what's up with that guy?
Relief gave way to confusion as they noticed a figure in the distance sprinting towards them. It was an...Elf? One of Sylpeiros' Scouts? As everyone watched, the Elf in question passed straight under the fleeing Harpies, neither faction looking at each other as they traveled in opposite directions. The sight was borderline surreal, adding another obstacle to the emotional gamut that Rob was still running. Maybe I can go to bed and pretend I didn't see anything.
Plausible deniability was taken from him a moment later, when the Elf got within range of the coalition's Heightened Senses and started bellowing at the top of his longs. "MONSTERS! PACK OF MONSTERS AND BEASTS! LEVEL 50 AND ABOVE!"
His declaration just left them more confused. There was no such thing as a pack of high-Leveled monsters roaming the surface of Elatra. At first Rob thought that a Dungeon had grown for too long and was beginning to overflow, but the truth ended up being far stranger.
"About...thirty...monsters and animals," the Elf Scout wheezed, once he'd gotten close and could speak in full sentences. "Coming this way. Some are...natural-born. Beasts who've lived for centuries. Others are monsters. Used Identify. Think they...were plucked from Dungeons."
Everyone glanced at Sylpeiros, an unspoken message in their eyes: "He's your Scout. You sort out this mess." The Seneschal put on a deep scowl, somehow managing to direct it at over a dozen people simultaneously. Once he was sure they'd received the full force of his ire, he composed his features and turned towards the exhausted Scout.
"While I don't doubt your words, what you've described is nonsensical. Setting aside how such an eclectic group of creatures was brought together...monsters and natural-born animals are hardly allies. They'd rip each other to pieces under normal circumstances. Animals from differing species would be at odds as well."
"I am merely reporting what I've seen. In one such example, I witnessed an enormous bat flying alongside a misshapen creature of mana that could only have been spawned within the depths of a high-Level Dungeon."
"Are the animals infected?" Rob asked. "This sort of thing happened back when The Village of Ixatan Forest was invaded. Animals got possessed by the Blight."
The Scout paused, searching through his memories – or rather, his log of system notifications. "Yes. An 'Infected' Status Effect appeared when I Identified the animals. Until you provided context, I was unaware of what that implied."
As Sylpeiros continued speaking with the Scout, Rob stopped to think, constructing a timeline of events. This pack of high-Level creatures couldn't have been assembled on short notice. It must've been years in the making, Elnaril searching Harpy territory with a fine-tooth comb, scooping up wildlife and plundering Dungeons.
Rob resisted the urge to shake his fist at the sky. When Kismet warned him that Elnaril had 'strong creatures' to use, it would've been nice to have some extra fucking details. Vague omnipotent asshole.
Anyway. Elnaril corrals his Pokemon, then prepares to ambush the coalition along with his Harpies. Except...the timing went wrong. Or maybe the position? Controlling that many powerful creatures couldn't be easy. Like attempting to drive thirty cars at the same time. It was probably why the coalition hadn't been ambushed until now – Elnaril was waiting for them to get closer. Regardless, the plan was likely supposed to be the Harpies attacking in tandem with the monsters...but the bombing run largely failed, and the monsters were late to the party.
Rob grimaced as he realized how much of the coalition's victory came down to blind luck. Elnaril's plan was unsuccessful due to logistical issues on his side, not because of any stratagem on the coalition's part. If the Harpies had successfully used their pets as distractions, unloading crates of Firebombs while high-Level creatures ran amok through the battlefield...
The coalition still would have won. But their casualties would've been enormous. Enough to make invading the capital untenable.
Everyone else came to the same conclusion as they listened to the Scout's tale. Sylpeiros remained silent for a time, looking more pensive than someone might expect from a Leader who'd just prevailed in battle. "We shall discuss areas of improvement at a later date," he said, sighing. "How long until the monsters arrive?"
"Roughly four minutes."
Sylpeiros drummed his fingers on his thigh. "While we could swarm the monsters with superior numbers, the vast majority of our soldiers are unsuited for combating enemies over Level 50. The monster will fall, but not before inflicting casualties. Instead, I propose that myself, Cyraeneus, and Riardin's Rangers go forth and hold the line. The rest of our soldiers will defend base camp, kept out of harm's way, firing projectiles at whichever beasts draw near."
He frowned. "Even so, thirty monsters above Level 50 aren't so easily repelled. They may be able to fly, or have carapaces that blunt conventional attacks. It would be best if the entire lot focuses on our group, but some will choose to bypass the front line in favor of assaulting the coalition base camp. Casualties are inevitable."
"No. They aren't."
Rob stepped forward, walking in the direction the Scout had come from. A familiar swell of anticipation built within him. "Counter-proposal. I go. Alone. You all stay and deal with whoever slips past."
Numerous opposing voices exploded in unison. Rob countered them with an explosion of his own, summoning a crate of Firebombs and chucking it into the distance. The faint BOOM bought him a moment of stunned silence.
"No bullshitting," he said, fixing them with an intent gaze. "You want to minimize casualties? This is how we do it. Base camp will be vulnerable without high-Level people to protect it. Hell, some of you might die if you try to 'hold the line' in the middle of an open field. It only takes one screwup to get your head bitten off, and the monsters outnumber us. But me?"
With a flourish, Rob summoned his longsword and activated Step of the Wind. "They. Can't. Kill. Me."
He was off before anyone could raise another protest. None of them followed, perhaps sensing something in his voice indicating that it would be a bad idea. Just as well – Rob would've physically thrown back anyone who tried.
No one else needed to risk their lives today.
It only took him three minutes of running at full speed to locate the monster stampede. They were impossible to miss; a menagerie of oversized animals and abominations with the strength to depopulate a city. For almost anyone else in Elatra, the sight would have filled them with the dread of someone who knew their death was imminent, and that they could do nothing to stop the reaper's scythe from swinging.
Rob waved. The monsters screeched when they saw him, letting out a symphony that could be graciously described as hideous. Music to my ears. Out of curiosity, he cast Identify on the first one in line to die.
Name: Lord of the Caves
Level: 57
Race: Blighted Bat
Status Effects: Infected, Thirsty
Description: An existence well above Ixatan's Lord of the Forest that nearly killed you three times over. Gee, I wonder what happens now that you're 70 Levels higher and with pent-up resentment towards big beasties? Play nice, Rob, or you'll break your toys.
"Sorry, but breaking them is the fun part." Inwardly, Rob sent thanks to Elnaril for delivering him a herd of acceptable targets to use as living stress balls. After the unpleasantness of being forced to kill his first non-Blighted Harpies, this was a golden opportunity to let loose – and he was going to make damn good use of it.
The monsters drew closer. Any second now, the carnage would commence. Elation and certainty mingled within him, letting him know that he was in his element. He emptied his mind of worries, soaking in the view. There were no war strategies, allied casualties, or moral quandaries to concern himself with.
Just him, and his prey.
Rampage. Rob flew upwards towards the Lord of the Caves. It was a freakish behemoth of a bat, its head as large as a man's body. The creature sank its fangs into Rob's torso, biting down as if four longswords were piercing through him, vital organs shredded to confetti.
637 Piercing Damage Sustained!
It tickled. Rob completed his swing, landing a direct hit on the Lord's head. He didn't activate any additional offensive abilities, because he didn't need to. Blood for Blood increased his damage based on his missing HP. Rampage highly increased the damage of his next attack. Headsman increased his damage by 25% when attacking an enemy's head. Bone Breaker doubled the damage he dealt to an enemy's bone structure.
With all those passive effects stacking onto each other, the bat's neck was almost severed in one clean stroke. Thanks to Lifesteal, Rob immediately recovered most of his lost HP, like nothing had ever happened. Despite the bat's head hanging by threads, it stubbornly clung to life for a few moments longer – but only a few.
Swordsmanship Level Increased! 9 → 10
One down. Plenty to go. Rob pivoted to the next-closest monster, a gargantuan bear that reminded him of an Ixatan beast that had caved his chest in, once upon a time. Emboldened by nostalgia, he put a bit more oomph into his next attack, stacking Rampage, Power Slash, and Imbue Vitality.
The bear's outer hide was abnormally tough, similar to a Vanguard's armor. That mattered up until the point Rob broke the skin, after which Imbue Vitality's quadruple damage effect savaged the beast from within, its insides reduced to crimson mush.
Level Increased! 84 → 85
5 Stat Points Gained!
BERSERKER Level Increased! 82 → 83
An apelike creature with distended arms leaped ahead of the rest of the pack, enormous hands wrapping around Rob before he could dodge. It let out a warbling bellow, squeezing down with enough pressure to bend steel. Rob's bones, durable as they were, started to crack.
Vitamin D(efense) Level Increased! 10 → 11
Cute. He flicked on the Flames of Vengeance, azure fire covering his body. A grin spread over Rob's face as the beast shrieked and let go. "No, no, we were having a moment. Don't hide from your emotions." Rampaging forward, he jumped on the ape's head and gave it a big ole' hug. The shrieks intensified, mighty fists pounding at his body, fracturing more bones in a desperate attempt to dislodge him.
It was all for naught. The ape's struggles slowed, then ceased, its brain cooked from the inside like spaghetti in a microwave.
Pyromania Level Increased! 2 → 3
The next one on the chopping block was an honest-to-god giant spider. Rob shivered as he summoned a crate of Firebombs and promptly Riardin Special'd the skittering menace into the hereafter. Arachnophobia's 300% damage bonus against spiders combined with Pyromania's 30% fire damage bonus – well, 40% now – meant that it lasted about two seconds before crumbling like a pile of chitinous kindling.
Good riddance. Monsters and abominations were one thing. Spiders...ugh.
Rob checked back the way he'd come from, narrowing his eyes when he saw that a couple monsters had skirted past him while he dealt with their friends. He chased after something that must've been birthed in a Dungeon on a bender, its body comprised of flying limbs and harsh edges that hurt to look at if he stared for too long.
The floating Picasso painting in monster form suddenly whirled around, aiming multiple sharpened points at Rob's head, neck, eyes, heart, and liver. It was a phenomenally well-executed attack that would have been the envy of any Combat Class user.
Unfortunately, Picasso had chosen the one target in the world that could turn lethality into a detriment. With a thought, Rob deactivated all of his defensive Skills, then activated Dauntless Reprisal, reflecting the damage of five grievous blows back onto the creature. It collapsed into itself, twitching on the ground, silently pleading for mercy as a longsword ended its suffering.
Swordsmanship Level Increased! 10 → 11
As Rob reactivated his defensive Skills and chose his next target, something in the monsters' attitudes shifted. Several of them went from stampeding ahead to turning towards him on a dime. Their movements were stiff and jerky, as if puppeteered by an unseen force.
"Hi Elnaril!" Rob twirled his longsword. "Hope you don't mind me Old Yeller-ing your pets here. I'm sad to say that you didn't train them prop–"
The creatures pounced in unison. Claws and fangs savaged Rob's from head to toe, tearing off limbs and pulling apart flesh. A good chunk of his body mass disappeared in seconds.
Platelet Party Level Increased! 20 → 21
1021 Combined Damage Sustained!
"Wow, that's a lot of damage." Rob grinned, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. "On an unrelated note, guess what Skill just came off cooldown?"
BOOM.
Level Increased! 85 → 86
5 Stat Points Gained!
BERSERKER Level Increased! 83 → 84
BERSERKER Level Increased! 84 → 85
Rob stood in the center of a crater. Living Bomb had ripped the ground open like scooping ice cream. He was once again back to full health, Lifesteal having converted 50% of the damage he'd dealt into HP.
And he'd dealt a lot of damage.
"It's like I said," he whispered, to nothing in particular. "They can't kill me. When I put my mind to it, I'm a better monster than they could ever hope to be."
The thought didn't distress him like it would have back home on Earth. It wasn't so bad, being a monster to monsters. Kept his friends alive, put food on the table...there were worse careers, he supposed.
Rob jumped out of the crater, searching for new targets. Living Bomb wasn't nearly large enough to take out all of them at once. He set his eyes on a fleeing wyvern and gave chase. As the gap closed, he checked his available Skills, and oh would you look at that, Imbue Vitality was off cooldown now.
Swordsmanship Level Increased! 11→ 12
One monster fell. Then another. Then another. Rob alternated his Skills, rotating between whatever abilities were available.
Swordsmanship Level Increased! 12→ 13
More creatures tried ganging up on him. It didn't work.
Platelet Party Level Increased! 21 → 22
Headsman! 4 → 5
He sliced and cut and Firebombed everything in his path.
Pyromania Level Increased! 3 → 4
Until eventually...
Level Increased! 86 → 87
5 Stat Points Gained!
BERSERKER Level Increased! 85 → 86
There was nothing left.
Rob found himself surrounded by a pile of mangled corpses. He tried counting to see if he could reach thirty, then gave up. Too many mixed-up body parts. It was likely that a couple monsters had gotten past him, so he'd just have to hope for the best.
His prayers were answered when he arrived back at base camp. A wide smile split across Rob's face as he counted a mere six monster corpses littered around the outskirts. They hadn't even gotten close. Most importantly, there wasn't a single allied corpse anywhere in sight.
Zero casualties.
Everyone was staring at him with various looks on their faces. Rob didn't bother trying to decipher all of them. They could think whatever they wanted to think – results were what mattered. The coalition may have lost some soldiers in the Harpy attack, but from the monster stampede?
Zero goddamn casualties.
Rob took a bow, then went straight for his tent. He wasn't going to find a better note to sleep on than this. His consciousness faded the moment he closed his eyes.
And the nightmares didn't dare to come for him.
--
Changes, Character Sheet, Skill List
Thanks for reading!
submitted by Determination7 to HFY [link] [comments]
Reddit was having issues when I posted the last chapter, so just in case anyone missed it, the previous chapter (197) starts here.
Also, the next chapter will come out a week from now, on June 5th.
--
Two Days Later
"AMBUSH!"
Rob's eyes snapped open. Panicked shouts were resounding from outside his tent. The first notion that popped into his sleep-addled mind was relief, as an ambush was preferable to the nightmare he'd been having. That sentiment lasted until a distant explosion obliterated the final remnants of his drowsiness, sending him and Keira sprinting out of their tent with weapons in hand.
Chaos awaited them outside. People weren't quite running around like chickens with their heads cut off, but it was close. While the coalition had known that a night attack was possible and prepared themselves accordingly, no one was ever truly ready to be assaulted with spells and Skills as they frolicked through dreamland. Arrows peppered the ground at their feet, the majority landing harmlessly away, although Rob spotted a few soldiers with fresh wounds seeping blood.
He spared a passing glance for the numerous banners the coalition had erected across their campsite. Each one was raised twenty feet high, decorated with lights in order to glow in the dark, and marked with wartime symbols indicating a desire to engage in peaceful negotiations. The Harpies answered by filling the banners with arrow holes and setting many of them on fire. Diplomacy's plan had been doomed from the start.
Kicking his brain into high gear, Rob activated Quick Thinking and sent Messages checking on Riardin's Rangers. His eyes traveled up towards the night sky, seeing a canvas of pure darkness broken up by stars and moonlight. It must have been the dead of midnight or close to it. Arrows were impossible to see coming before they'd already hit the ground, and the only indication of Harpies flying above were the shadows blotting out the stars every so often.
Thankfully, the coalition had planned for this. As if on cue, multiple orbs of brilliant light shot upwards, mages from each faction contributing to the effort. The orbs hung in the sky like floating lighthouses, banishing enough darkness to allow Rob to see what he was dealing with.
A resigned expletive slipped out of his mouth. There had to be at least four hundred of the fuckers up there, maybe five hundred, swarming like a colony of feathered bees. It was the worst-case scenario of what the coalition envisioned – Elnaril sending the maximum number of Harpies he could realistically field without leaving the capital undefended.
How am I supposed to fight them? Rob wondered, asking himself a recurring question that he'd never been able to answer. They can't kill me with piddly arrows and long-range spells, but my allies aren't so durable. Somehow I doubt they'll listen if I tell them to stop being cowards and come fight me in melee range.
All thoughts of attacking were swept aside when the Harpies began dropping a very different projectile towards the coalition base camp. Rob opened and closed his mouth several times, shock suffusing every cell in his body. He recalled the explosion that had awoken him, the moment now disturbingly re-contextualized.
The Harpies were airdropping crates of Firebombs.
"THAT'S COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT, YOU LITTLE SHITS!" Rob summoned his own crate from his Bound Items, tore open the cover, and grabbed a Firebomb in each hand. He activated Bulk Up for extra Strength and hurled Firebombs towards the falling crates with the best baseball throws he could muster. One, two, three, four, five, six – the crate's supply rapidly depleted as Rob threw again and again, trying to intercept as many payloads as possible, Keira following his lead. They were joined by coalition archer support, arrows sniping at crates that were out of reach.
Dozens of roaring explosions lit up the sky. While some of the crates had gotten through, most were turned to dust before they could hit the ground, reducing the Harpies' shock-and-awe tactic to an impromptu fireworks display.
Throwing Proficiency Level Increased! 6 → 7
Throwing Proficiency Level Increased! 7 → 8
"THAT'S RIGHT!" Rob whooped. "LEAVE THE KABOOMS TO THE EXPERTS!" He paused, then turned to Keira, looking abashed. "Um...was this my fault? Are they actually copying me?" Please don't tell me I accidentally advanced warfare by a century.
"We can ruminate on that later," Keira answered, skillfully dodging the question. "For now, we should focus on retaliating by any means available."
No sooner had the words left her mouth than a glowing yellow projectile shot up into the sky. Orn'tol's Chain Arrow nicked a Harpy on the edge of their wing – which was all it needed to begin the process. A tenth of a second later, the arrow veered to the right and struck a different Harpy in their stomach. It ripped out and through the other side, taking another ninety-degree turn to spear an unsuspecting Harpy in the back. And so it went, chaining from target-to-target with ruthless efficiency. By the end, twenty Harpies had been struck, eight of them falling out of the sky, unmoving.
Rob saluted the display. "Yeah, I don't have any ranged attacks on that level. I think we'd be better-off guarding the people who do."
They rushed over to where the Fiend mages resided, discovering the group huddled under cover, besieged by a stream of arrows and spells hammering down around them. Rob sent off a quick Message to Vul'to, then jumped in front of an icicle spell that would have gored a Fiend through her neck. "Sup."
"Lord Roy!" The Fiend's jubilation froze when she saw the icicle sticking out of Rob's shoulder. "Are–"
"No time for chitchat. If I cover you, can you fire back?"
After some thought, the mages nodded. Rob gave them a thumbs-up with his left hand and deflected an arrow with his right. He turned his full attention to the projectile storm raining from above, calculating which ones he'd be able to block and which ones he'd need to take on the chin.
The next few minutes became a blur of activity. Arrow. Skill. Arrow. Spell. Spell. Skill. Arrow. Arrow. It never ended. His slow walk towards Harpy Settlement #4 was proving to be an invaluable experience, because he wasn't sure if he could've kept up now without already knowing how to handle a barrage of small projectiles. Even Keira was struggling; while Danger Sense told her where she needed to move, it was reaching a point where she physically couldn't execute the motions fast enough. Rob would've expected the Harpies to lay off once they noticed that he was there to play defense, but if anything, they were attacking more fiercely than before.
Almost as if they held a grudge against him or something.
Outwardly, he was projecting the supreme confidence of a Leader. Inwardly, he was honestly starting to get a bit worried. While he'd only taken about 300 HP of damage, a different resource was beginning to wane: his Stamina. Quick Thinking consumed 3 Stamina for every second it was active. That combined with his constant movement was...tiring. He'd activated Second Wind to restore 35% of his Stamina, but unlike his Vitality-based abilities, this one had a cooldown of 24 hours. In a couple minutes, he might actually need to ask for a short break.
Was that the end of the world? No. Was it embarrassing? Potentially. Leaders weren't supposed to ask for breaks. At least, he thought they weren't. Elatrans could be weird about what constituted a good Leader. Rob was still figuring out when he was supposed to act like an invulnerable pillar versus when he was allowed to be a real person. I miss when I didn't have to care about this sort of thing.
His reputation was saved by Vul'to's timely arrival. The Soul Guardian burst onto the scene in a mad dash, skid to a halt, took a stance, activated Auto-Guard, and proceeded to swat away the Harpies' projectiles as if they were no more than gnats. "I will protect the mages from here on out," he calmly stated. Vul'to's movements flowed like water, his voice showing no sign of exertion as he spoke. "Put your efforts towards an offensive strike."
Rob suppressed a relieved sigh as he deactivated Quick Thinking. "For the record, when our Party inevitably complains about my risk-taking later, I'm going to say that both you and Keira signed off on a Rob Plan."
"You can't be serious," Keira blurted out, panting heavily as she rested. "Our enemies are in the sky. What scheme could you have possibly concocted that would put you at risk?"
Rob hesitated. He was distinctly aware of the mages listening in as they fired spells, devoting a portion of their brainpower to gathering gossip material. Anything he said here would reflect on his status as Leader. That included overly-casual speech and devising schemes that by all rights should get him a one-way ticket to the loony bin.
Then he remembered that allies were dying around him, and he stopped caring so much about what other people thought.
"My usual method for dealing with mobile enemies is Rampage spam," he began to explain. "That isn't viable here. I'd run out of MP long before I reached their altitude, and even if I somehow made it, what then? I can't dodge mid-air. They'd turn me into a pincushion. So here's what I was thinking..."
His explanation was brief. By the time he'd finished, the mages were staring at him with eyes wide as saucers. Keira merely nodded. "Very well. I'll accept it."
"No complaints?"
"You left yourself an escape route. That already makes this plan safer than most." She turned away, gesturing for him to follow. "Let's go find Malika. If I'm not mistaken, she'll be at Orn'tol's side."
It wasn't hard to locate her. They only needed to trace the empowered spells blasting upwards like rocket launchers. Rob did a rough headcount of the Harpies' numbers, estimating that, despite their ambush, the battle wasn't going well for them. Over forty had been felled by Malika's spells, Orn'tol's arrows, and the other coalition mages and archers. The Dwarven riflemen were also putting in work, gunshots echoing as Harpies were struck by blindingly fast projectiles they'd come entirely unprepared for, their race inducted into a new era of war with a baptism of lead and gunpowder.
Conversely, Rob would bet his life savings that not even fifteen coalition members had perished. While he didn't have any proof of this, he knew from experience that basic arrows and mediocre spells lost striking power when fired from a long range. And unlike the Harpies' army consisting of everyone-they-could-get, the coalition soldiers were the elite of each territory. They were tougher, stronger, and had access to superior healing magic. In this instance, quality trumped quantity.
Especially when the quality was so lopsided. As Rob ran, he saw a lightning spear shoot up towards the sky and explode into a ball of electricity, frying a dozen Harpies in an instant. Moments later, the surrounding air seemed to dry out, like a heat wave passing through, as moisture was collected into a towering plume of water. Once it was ready, the plume burst upwards and casually washed away another dozen Harpies as if they were drowned rats.
Sylpeiros and Cyraeneus. Ambush or no ambush, long range or close range – didn't matter. Leaders were terrifying in every scenario.
Rob found Malika and Orn'tol in good spirits. The siblings had a whole squad of Vanguards protecting them, like a pair of pint-sized siege cannons with ground support. "Rob!" Malika exclaimed, the instant she saw him. "MP Potions! Forthwith!"
In a flash of blue mana, he produced three Potions from Spatial Storage. "Your humble servant is here," he remarked, in a tone drier than the air.
"Only three Potions? Bah! Give me more!"
"Your humble servant has no wish to deal with an Archmage with a hangover."
Grumbling, she grabbed the Potions and chugged them like a frat boy on spring break. Rob rated her chugging prowess at a solid 7 out of 10, judging that – while she'd grown considerably – there was still room for improvement.
"Should..." Orn'tol started to say something, then thought better of it. Rob could guess what he was thinking. The boy was worried that they weren't being properly respectful of the situation, joking around in the middle of a warzone where allies were suffering. He'd likely come to the same conclusion as Rob: that letting Malika keep her morale up was more important. "Are we winning?" he instead asked.
"Easily," Rob affirmed. That was never in doubt. It would've taken something going catastrophically wrong for them to be in danger of losing. In reality, today's battle was just another leg in the extended marathon that the coalition was running. Rather than obsessing over a transient victory that was all but guaranteed, they needed to minimize casualties so that taking the Harpy capital was a feasible prospect. That meant being careful, guarding their back lines, and only attacking when it was safe.
Oh, and crushing the Harpies so that they wised up and retreated.
"I am...concerned," Orn'tol admitted. "The Harpies should have been aware of our strength. Yet by the end of this night, unless they soon retreat, their losses will mount in the hundreds. Why waste so much life?"
Rob narrowed his eyes at the sky. "Couple possibilities. Elnaril could be screwing around. Blights think that wasting life is absolutely hilarious. He is part Leader, though, so I can't imagine he'd be quite that frivolous with his resources. With that in mind, I don't think the Harpies are going to fight to the last man – they probably came here intending to thin our numbers and skedaddle. Severe losses would prevent us from being able to seize the capital. Their initial Firebomb barrage could've potentially done that on its own."
"And it failed."
"Sure did. Now they're stuck trying to do it the old-fashioned way." Rob shrugged. "They might have a backup plan. If so, we'll handle it, no worries." He faced Malika. "Speaking of plans, I've got one. Do you mind holding onto some MP for me?"
She opened her mouth to respond – then froze, her head turning sideways. Rob followed Malika's gaze towards the Gellin encampment, his brow furrowing at what he saw. All thirty Gellin were exiting their tents in near-perfect unison. They reminded Rob of a collection of wind-up animatronics, with movements that weren't entirely synchronized and robotic, yet also weren't dissimilar enough to appear fully lifelike. As the Gellin drifted forward, moonlight mixed with the light emanating from the mages' sun orbs, bathing them in an almost ethereal glow.
A small shiver crept up Rob's spine. He didn't know why, but something about the situation was giving him the heebie-jeebies. Maybe it was because he'd never seen a Gellin awake at this hour before. He'd gone on more than one midnight walk to clear his head after a bout of nightmares, and while he'd met the occasional Fiend, Dwarf, Elf, or Merfolk, the Gellin were always sequestered in their tents.
His shiver crawled up to the back of his neck, making its little hairs stand on end as a thrum of mana built within the Gellin. Even Rob's meager Sense Mana could feel it. Thirty Gellin had joined into three Mage Circles, linking their power, creating...something. A force. An aura. It lacked physical form, yet felt no less threatening than one of Sylpeiros' lightning spears.
The space above them seemed to shimmer, as if viewed through a lightly-smudged eyeglass. Virtually invisible if you weren't paying close attention.
Or if you were flying hundreds of feet in the air.
The Harpies didn't try to avoid it. They didn't even know it was there. Lightning spears and plumes of water were obvious. Flashy. The Gellins' something simply wafted upwards, like rising heat, until it reached the sky and engulfed a multitude of Harpies in a devouring fog.
Piercing screams cut through the din of warfare.
The affected Harpies reacted in different ways. Some went still as statues. Some writhed as if electrocuted. Some began attacking invisible enemies. But regardless of how they reacted, they all fell, and they all screamed.
Rob covered his ears. It was the worst sound he'd heard since Elnaril laughed at him through a Message Crystal. The battlefield didn't completely grind to a halt, but it definitely slowed, with both the attackers and defenders needing to process what the fuck just happened.
"Was that Mind Magic?" Malika whispered, her bravado gone and vanished.
"It appears so," Keira quietly answered.
"I...did not know it could do that."
"Neither did I."
After shaking his head to reset his thoughts, Rob stepped back from everyone, ensuring that he was out of their line of sight. Much as he wanted to take a breather, he couldn't. The Harpies were reeling – this was a perfect opportunity to execute his plan.
He just needed to finish the prepwork. Hefting his longsword, Rob turned it around and pointed it at his heart.
And paused.
My hands are shivering, he realized. Why are my hands shivering? I've done this before. He willed his hands to stay still, nearly snarling when they failed to cooperate. This is a waste of time. Don't be a fucking bitch, Rob. Just lie back and think of England.
Stab.
Stab.
Stab.
Lifesurge.
Living Bomb ready.
Rob used Spatial Storage to switch his clothes for an unbloodied ensemble, then tapped Malika on her shoulder. "Do you have enough MP for a big wind spell?"
She blinked, jolted out of her reverie. "Oh. Um, yes. Why?"
He told her of his plan. A broad grin split across her face, transitioning into an excited cackle. "You're a madman. Let's do that straight away."
As Malika charged her spell, Rob attached a Waymark point to the ground, then summoned the Dwarven Sheet Metal from his Bound Items. Keira, Orn'tol, and the Vanguards spread out to give them some space. The Vanguards were looking on in awe; Rob could only hope that they'd enjoy the show.
"We have to time this just right," he told Malika. "Fire the spell on three. Understand?" She nodded so hard that she probably gave herself whiplash. Rob placed his longsword in Storage, holding the Sheet Metal with both hands.
"One." Malika held onto her spell, ready to unleash the fury of an Archmage with a cause.
"Two." Rob leaped into the air, positioning the Sheet Metal under his feet like a surfboard.
"Three!"
A miniaturized tornado slammed into the Sheet Metal, propelling Rob up, up, and away. He lost his balance pretty much immediately, tumbling onto the Sheet as wind pressure buffeted him without mercy. His ascent skyward was so sudden and so jarring that he was actually surprised when he came face-to-face with a Harpy. The two of them exchanged bewildered stares. Rob felt tempted to say a variant of one of the classics, like 'You come here often?'
Then he remembered why he was there.
This was it. No going back. Justified or necessary or otherwise, once he activated Living Bomb, he will have spilled Harpy blood on Harpy soil. There was a sense of finality to it that almost made him hesitate.
Almost.
"I wish you'd stayed home," Rob muttered. The Harpy's survival instincts kicked in, his wings flapping in a hurry, yet it was already too late. You couldn't outrun a thought.
Living Bomb.
The world became obscured by flame, heat, and noise. Rob wasn't sure how many Harpies he'd caught in the blast radius, but the EXP infusing his soul informed him that it was more than a few. Without waiting, he cast Rampage to push himself out of the Bomb's center, then Waymarked to safety so that the Harpies couldn't take revenge after the Bomb faded. The Rampage movement was a necessity; he wasn't taking any chances that using Waymark while in the middle of the Bomb might somehow bring it back with him.
His feet now on solid ground, Rob was treated to an awe-inspiring spectacle. A colossal sphere of fire hung above, like the core of an angry sun, its surface twisting with unbridled energy. The sound it emitted was one long, continuous, ear-splitting explosion, as if the Bomb was a sentient creature noisily lamenting the ones who'd escaped its grasp. This was the first time Rob had seen his Skill from an outside perspective, and in that instant, he truly understood why it was so effective at shattering morale.
As it did now. Living Bomb rapidly faded, but by then the Harpies were already in retreat. The one-two punch of the Gellins' mind attack and a giant fuckoff explosion had doubled their casualties in a matter of seconds. Even if that combo hadn't broken their spirits, not withdrawing at this point would be tantamount to suicide.
Rob allowed his shoulders to relax as a collective sigh of relief passed through the coalition. Their battle was over. Victory was – Wait, what's up with that guy?
Relief gave way to confusion as they noticed a figure in the distance sprinting towards them. It was an...Elf? One of Sylpeiros' Scouts? As everyone watched, the Elf in question passed straight under the fleeing Harpies, neither faction looking at each other as they traveled in opposite directions. The sight was borderline surreal, adding another obstacle to the emotional gamut that Rob was still running. Maybe I can go to bed and pretend I didn't see anything.
Plausible deniability was taken from him a moment later, when the Elf got within range of the coalition's Heightened Senses and started bellowing at the top of his longs. "MONSTERS! PACK OF MONSTERS AND BEASTS! LEVEL 50 AND ABOVE!"
His declaration just left them more confused. There was no such thing as a pack of high-Leveled monsters roaming the surface of Elatra. At first Rob thought that a Dungeon had grown for too long and was beginning to overflow, but the truth ended up being far stranger.
"About...thirty...monsters and animals," the Elf Scout wheezed, once he'd gotten close and could speak in full sentences. "Coming this way. Some are...natural-born. Beasts who've lived for centuries. Others are monsters. Used Identify. Think they...were plucked from Dungeons."
Everyone glanced at Sylpeiros, an unspoken message in their eyes: "He's your Scout. You sort out this mess." The Seneschal put on a deep scowl, somehow managing to direct it at over a dozen people simultaneously. Once he was sure they'd received the full force of his ire, he composed his features and turned towards the exhausted Scout.
"While I don't doubt your words, what you've described is nonsensical. Setting aside how such an eclectic group of creatures was brought together...monsters and natural-born animals are hardly allies. They'd rip each other to pieces under normal circumstances. Animals from differing species would be at odds as well."
"I am merely reporting what I've seen. In one such example, I witnessed an enormous bat flying alongside a misshapen creature of mana that could only have been spawned within the depths of a high-Level Dungeon."
"Are the animals infected?" Rob asked. "This sort of thing happened back when The Village of Ixatan Forest was invaded. Animals got possessed by the Blight."
The Scout paused, searching through his memories – or rather, his log of system notifications. "Yes. An 'Infected' Status Effect appeared when I Identified the animals. Until you provided context, I was unaware of what that implied."
As Sylpeiros continued speaking with the Scout, Rob stopped to think, constructing a timeline of events. This pack of high-Level creatures couldn't have been assembled on short notice. It must've been years in the making, Elnaril searching Harpy territory with a fine-tooth comb, scooping up wildlife and plundering Dungeons.
Rob resisted the urge to shake his fist at the sky. When Kismet warned him that Elnaril had 'strong creatures' to use, it would've been nice to have some extra fucking details. Vague omnipotent asshole.
Anyway. Elnaril corrals his Pokemon, then prepares to ambush the coalition along with his Harpies. Except...the timing went wrong. Or maybe the position? Controlling that many powerful creatures couldn't be easy. Like attempting to drive thirty cars at the same time. It was probably why the coalition hadn't been ambushed until now – Elnaril was waiting for them to get closer. Regardless, the plan was likely supposed to be the Harpies attacking in tandem with the monsters...but the bombing run largely failed, and the monsters were late to the party.
Rob grimaced as he realized how much of the coalition's victory came down to blind luck. Elnaril's plan was unsuccessful due to logistical issues on his side, not because of any stratagem on the coalition's part. If the Harpies had successfully used their pets as distractions, unloading crates of Firebombs while high-Level creatures ran amok through the battlefield...
The coalition still would have won. But their casualties would've been enormous. Enough to make invading the capital untenable.
Everyone else came to the same conclusion as they listened to the Scout's tale. Sylpeiros remained silent for a time, looking more pensive than someone might expect from a Leader who'd just prevailed in battle. "We shall discuss areas of improvement at a later date," he said, sighing. "How long until the monsters arrive?"
"Roughly four minutes."
Sylpeiros drummed his fingers on his thigh. "While we could swarm the monsters with superior numbers, the vast majority of our soldiers are unsuited for combating enemies over Level 50. The monster will fall, but not before inflicting casualties. Instead, I propose that myself, Cyraeneus, and Riardin's Rangers go forth and hold the line. The rest of our soldiers will defend base camp, kept out of harm's way, firing projectiles at whichever beasts draw near."
He frowned. "Even so, thirty monsters above Level 50 aren't so easily repelled. They may be able to fly, or have carapaces that blunt conventional attacks. It would be best if the entire lot focuses on our group, but some will choose to bypass the front line in favor of assaulting the coalition base camp. Casualties are inevitable."
"No. They aren't."
Rob stepped forward, walking in the direction the Scout had come from. A familiar swell of anticipation built within him. "Counter-proposal. I go. Alone. You all stay and deal with whoever slips past."
Numerous opposing voices exploded in unison. Rob countered them with an explosion of his own, summoning a crate of Firebombs and chucking it into the distance. The faint BOOM bought him a moment of stunned silence.
"No bullshitting," he said, fixing them with an intent gaze. "You want to minimize casualties? This is how we do it. Base camp will be vulnerable without high-Level people to protect it. Hell, some of you might die if you try to 'hold the line' in the middle of an open field. It only takes one screwup to get your head bitten off, and the monsters outnumber us. But me?"
With a flourish, Rob summoned his longsword and activated Step of the Wind. "They. Can't. Kill. Me."
He was off before anyone could raise another protest. None of them followed, perhaps sensing something in his voice indicating that it would be a bad idea. Just as well – Rob would've physically thrown back anyone who tried.
No one else needed to risk their lives today.
It only took him three minutes of running at full speed to locate the monster stampede. They were impossible to miss; a menagerie of oversized animals and abominations with the strength to depopulate a city. For almost anyone else in Elatra, the sight would have filled them with the dread of someone who knew their death was imminent, and that they could do nothing to stop the reaper's scythe from swinging.
Rob waved. The monsters screeched when they saw him, letting out a symphony that could be graciously described as hideous. Music to my ears. Out of curiosity, he cast Identify on the first one in line to die.
Name: Lord of the Caves
Level: 57
Race: Blighted Bat
Status Effects: Infected, Thirsty
Description: An existence well above Ixatan's Lord of the Forest that nearly killed you three times over. Gee, I wonder what happens now that you're 70 Levels higher and with pent-up resentment towards big beasties? Play nice, Rob, or you'll break your toys.
"Sorry, but breaking them is the fun part." Inwardly, Rob sent thanks to Elnaril for delivering him a herd of acceptable targets to use as living stress balls. After the unpleasantness of being forced to kill his first non-Blighted Harpies, this was a golden opportunity to let loose – and he was going to make damn good use of it.
The monsters drew closer. Any second now, the carnage would commence. Elation and certainty mingled within him, letting him know that he was in his element. He emptied his mind of worries, soaking in the view. There were no war strategies, allied casualties, or moral quandaries to concern himself with.
Just him, and his prey.
Rampage. Rob flew upwards towards the Lord of the Caves. It was a freakish behemoth of a bat, its head as large as a man's body. The creature sank its fangs into Rob's torso, biting down as if four longswords were piercing through him, vital organs shredded to confetti.
637 Piercing Damage Sustained!
It tickled. Rob completed his swing, landing a direct hit on the Lord's head. He didn't activate any additional offensive abilities, because he didn't need to. Blood for Blood increased his damage based on his missing HP. Rampage highly increased the damage of his next attack. Headsman increased his damage by 25% when attacking an enemy's head. Bone Breaker doubled the damage he dealt to an enemy's bone structure.
With all those passive effects stacking onto each other, the bat's neck was almost severed in one clean stroke. Thanks to Lifesteal, Rob immediately recovered most of his lost HP, like nothing had ever happened. Despite the bat's head hanging by threads, it stubbornly clung to life for a few moments longer – but only a few.
Swordsmanship Level Increased! 9 → 10
One down. Plenty to go. Rob pivoted to the next-closest monster, a gargantuan bear that reminded him of an Ixatan beast that had caved his chest in, once upon a time. Emboldened by nostalgia, he put a bit more oomph into his next attack, stacking Rampage, Power Slash, and Imbue Vitality.
The bear's outer hide was abnormally tough, similar to a Vanguard's armor. That mattered up until the point Rob broke the skin, after which Imbue Vitality's quadruple damage effect savaged the beast from within, its insides reduced to crimson mush.
Level Increased! 84 → 85
5 Stat Points Gained!
BERSERKER Level Increased! 82 → 83
An apelike creature with distended arms leaped ahead of the rest of the pack, enormous hands wrapping around Rob before he could dodge. It let out a warbling bellow, squeezing down with enough pressure to bend steel. Rob's bones, durable as they were, started to crack.
Vitamin D(efense) Level Increased! 10 → 11
Cute. He flicked on the Flames of Vengeance, azure fire covering his body. A grin spread over Rob's face as the beast shrieked and let go. "No, no, we were having a moment. Don't hide from your emotions." Rampaging forward, he jumped on the ape's head and gave it a big ole' hug. The shrieks intensified, mighty fists pounding at his body, fracturing more bones in a desperate attempt to dislodge him.
It was all for naught. The ape's struggles slowed, then ceased, its brain cooked from the inside like spaghetti in a microwave.
Pyromania Level Increased! 2 → 3
The next one on the chopping block was an honest-to-god giant spider. Rob shivered as he summoned a crate of Firebombs and promptly Riardin Special'd the skittering menace into the hereafter. Arachnophobia's 300% damage bonus against spiders combined with Pyromania's 30% fire damage bonus – well, 40% now – meant that it lasted about two seconds before crumbling like a pile of chitinous kindling.
Good riddance. Monsters and abominations were one thing. Spiders...ugh.
Rob checked back the way he'd come from, narrowing his eyes when he saw that a couple monsters had skirted past him while he dealt with their friends. He chased after something that must've been birthed in a Dungeon on a bender, its body comprised of flying limbs and harsh edges that hurt to look at if he stared for too long.
The floating Picasso painting in monster form suddenly whirled around, aiming multiple sharpened points at Rob's head, neck, eyes, heart, and liver. It was a phenomenally well-executed attack that would have been the envy of any Combat Class user.
Unfortunately, Picasso had chosen the one target in the world that could turn lethality into a detriment. With a thought, Rob deactivated all of his defensive Skills, then activated Dauntless Reprisal, reflecting the damage of five grievous blows back onto the creature. It collapsed into itself, twitching on the ground, silently pleading for mercy as a longsword ended its suffering.
Swordsmanship Level Increased! 10 → 11
As Rob reactivated his defensive Skills and chose his next target, something in the monsters' attitudes shifted. Several of them went from stampeding ahead to turning towards him on a dime. Their movements were stiff and jerky, as if puppeteered by an unseen force.
"Hi Elnaril!" Rob twirled his longsword. "Hope you don't mind me Old Yeller-ing your pets here. I'm sad to say that you didn't train them prop–"
The creatures pounced in unison. Claws and fangs savaged Rob's from head to toe, tearing off limbs and pulling apart flesh. A good chunk of his body mass disappeared in seconds.
Platelet Party Level Increased! 20 → 21
1021 Combined Damage Sustained!
"Wow, that's a lot of damage." Rob grinned, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. "On an unrelated note, guess what Skill just came off cooldown?"
BOOM.
Level Increased! 85 → 86
5 Stat Points Gained!
BERSERKER Level Increased! 83 → 84
BERSERKER Level Increased! 84 → 85
Rob stood in the center of a crater. Living Bomb had ripped the ground open like scooping ice cream. He was once again back to full health, Lifesteal having converted 50% of the damage he'd dealt into HP.
And he'd dealt a lot of damage.
"It's like I said," he whispered, to nothing in particular. "They can't kill me. When I put my mind to it, I'm a better monster than they could ever hope to be."
The thought didn't distress him like it would have back home on Earth. It wasn't so bad, being a monster to monsters. Kept his friends alive, put food on the table...there were worse careers, he supposed.
Rob jumped out of the crater, searching for new targets. Living Bomb wasn't nearly large enough to take out all of them at once. He set his eyes on a fleeing wyvern and gave chase. As the gap closed, he checked his available Skills, and oh would you look at that, Imbue Vitality was off cooldown now.
Swordsmanship Level Increased! 11→ 12
One monster fell. Then another. Then another. Rob alternated his Skills, rotating between whatever abilities were available.
Swordsmanship Level Increased! 12→ 13
More creatures tried ganging up on him. It didn't work.
Platelet Party Level Increased! 21 → 22
Headsman! 4 → 5
He sliced and cut and Firebombed everything in his path.
Pyromania Level Increased! 3 → 4
Until eventually...
Level Increased! 86 → 87
5 Stat Points Gained!
BERSERKER Level Increased! 85 → 86
There was nothing left.
Rob found himself surrounded by a pile of mangled corpses. He tried counting to see if he could reach thirty, then gave up. Too many mixed-up body parts. It was likely that a couple monsters had gotten past him, so he'd just have to hope for the best.
His prayers were answered when he arrived back at base camp. A wide smile split across Rob's face as he counted a mere six monster corpses littered around the outskirts. They hadn't even gotten close. Most importantly, there wasn't a single allied corpse anywhere in sight.
Zero casualties.
Everyone was staring at him with various looks on their faces. Rob didn't bother trying to decipher all of them. They could think whatever they wanted to think – results were what mattered. The coalition may have lost some soldiers in the Harpy attack, but from the monster stampede?
Zero goddamn casualties.
Rob took a bow, then went straight for his tent. He wasn't going to find a better note to sleep on than this. His consciousness faded the moment he closed his eyes.
And the nightmares didn't dare to come for him.
--
Changes, Character Sheet, Skill List
Thanks for reading!
2023.05.29 05:43 AntMax01 Replace the Serpentine belt on a 2012 KIA Optima 2.0L. The Hyundai Sonata 2.0L is pretty much the exact same thing, from what I heard.
- WARNING!!! Do this at your own risk. I am just a guy trying to save a few hundred bucks. I purchased the belt from https://www.kia.parts. It is a KIA dealership in Arizona the sells the OEM parts.
- Disconnect battery.
- Make a diagram of the serpentine belt orientation. You can also find this online.
- I removed the one 10mm(I think) screw/bolt holding down those aluminum looking AC lines that run along the side of the engine. I also disconnected that electronic connection near that area of the screw to give me a bit more room with my wrench.
- You can also remove the bottom engine cover to gain access to the pulleys from the bottom, but I chose not to because it looked like a lot of screws.
- I used a regular 17mm offset wrench to release tension on the belt for removal. I tried free tool loans from AutoZone, pepboys, and O’reillys, but none had a 17mm socket and they all are too thick for the limited amount space that is given. I believe Harbor Freight has the best price for the offset wrench set.
- When installing the new belt, I began from the back and moved forward towards the front so that the AC Compressor is the last thing the belt goes onto.
- I placed the floor Jack handle/stick down the back side of the crank pulley to keep the belt from coming off the crank pulley. Having an extra set off hands helps a lot, at least for me it did(thank you, nephew!).
- Make sure you start your wrench as parallel to the ground as possible, this part was laborious for me. To get the wrench to sit properly onto the tensioner nut. Having fat hands doesn’t help.
- I put as much of the belt over the AC compressor as possible, enough so that when you release the wrench/tensioner, the wrench will not move. I still needed more belt play to get it completely over the AC Compressor.
- I readjusted the wrench on the tensioner so that the wrench is close to parallel to the ground.
- I lifted up on the wrench and properly finished installing the belt over the AC Compressor.
- Triple check the belt placement and orientation. Remove jack handle(if used on crank pulley).
- Put back that 10mm screw that holds down the aluminum ac lines.
- reconnect the black cable, and your are done.
2023.05.29 04:28 concrete_isnt_cement 1980 Mount Saint Helens eruption victims
| | submitted by concrete_isnt_cement to MapPorn [link] [comments] |
2023.05.29 02:22 dragonagitator Bellingham-Area Mechanics Master Post
Since it seems that no one can be bothered to search the sub for the word "mechanic" before making a new post, I searched it for you and summarized two years' worth of posts below.
TL;DR the recommendation is almost always "Rising Sun Motors" unless you've got an unusual vehicle or situation. Also, apparently XSrcing has spent the past couple years quietly helping poor people fix their cars for free/cheap, so everyone be sure to buy that guy a beer next time you see him.
2023-05-29 Mobile mechanic for Ford F250 diesel truck
submitted by dragonagitator to Bellingham [link] [comments]
TL;DR the recommendation is almost always "Rising Sun Motors" unless you've got an unusual vehicle or situation. Also, apparently XSrcing has spent the past couple years quietly helping poor people fix their cars for free/cheap, so everyone be sure to buy that guy a beer next time you see him.
2023-05-29 Mobile mechanic for Ford F250 diesel truck
- Vehicle and/or issue: 2008 Ford F250 diesel truck, mobile mechanic
- Commenters suggested: New post so no suggestions yet. Check back later for updates --DA 5/29/23 17:11
- Vehicle and/or issue: 1995 Honda Del Sol body work
- Commenters suggested: Rising Sun Motors, Joe’s Automotive Repair
- Vehicle and/or issue: Subaru 2013 Forester
- Commenters suggested: Rising Sun Motors, Northwest Rally Sports, Bruce Cox Imports, Dewey Griffin Subaru, TK Automotive Repair, Hi-Tech Automotive
- Vehicle and/or issue: 1989 Isuzu Trooper
- Commenters suggested: Unlimited Service Downtown, Axton Automotive
- Vehicle and/or issue: Volvo
- Commenters suggested: Rainbow Auto Service, Bruce Cox Imports, Manieri Motorworks
- Vehicle and/or issue: Subaru
- Commenters suggested: Rising Sun Motors, Harmony Motorworks, Northwest Rally Sports
- Vehicle and/or issue: Prius, asking about specific mechanic
- Commenters suggested: Chuck’s Midtown Motors Automotive Repair
- Vehicle and/or issue: general inquiry
- Commenters suggested: Rising Sun Motors, Autotech Car and Truck Repair, Bruce Cox Imports, SK Motorsport, Birchwood Auto Repair
- Vehicle and/or issue: walnut blasting valves
- Commenters suggested: SK Motorsport
- Vehicle and/or issue: 1972 Chevrolet truck body work
- Commenters suggested: Bailey’s Classic Collision, No.1 Automotive Body Repair, Heavy Metal Custom Shop, Nitro Autolab
- Vehicle and/or issue: unhappy customer
- Commenters suggested: OP deleting their post, Bellingham Automotive, Trottners Auto Repair Service, Sterling Automotive
- Vehicle and/or issue: 1997 Ford E350 bus
- Commenters suggested: SMG Equipment and Marine, Unlimited Service Bakerview
- Vehicle and/or issue: air-cooled Volkswagen
- Commenters suggested: SK Motorsport, HMC Garage, Northwest European Autoworks, Peace Vans (in Seattle)
- Vehicle and/or issue: free/cheap mobile mechanic for person living in a van
- Commenters suggested: XSrcing
- Vehicle and/or issue: general inquiry
- Commenters suggested: Cornerstone Auto Care, Axton Automotive, Rising Sun Motors, Hi-Tech Automotive, Birchwood Auto Repair, Harmony Motorworks
- Vehicle and/or issue: 1958 Chevrolet pickup truck inspection and fluids
- Commenters suggested: Heavy Metal Custom Shop
- Vehicle and/or issue: Nissan Altima CVT transmission
- Commenters suggested: TK Automotive Repair, Midas, Barrett Transmission Specialties, Hi-Tech Automotive, Flat Black Automotive
- Vehicle and/or issue: free/cheap diagnostic
- Commenters suggested: Complete Auto Repair Service, Rising Sun Motors, Hi-Tech Automotive, Les Schwab
- Vehicle and/or issue: 1998 Volkswagen Beetle manual transmission
- Commenters suggested: TK Automotive Repair, Dr. John’s Auto Clinic, Euro Sport (???), Cunningham Tuning
- Vehicle and/or issue: windshield wiper motor replacement completion help
- Commenters suggested: XSrcing, Trottners Auto Repair Service
- Vehicle and/or issue: 1994 Toyota pickup truck
- Commenters suggested: Hi-Tech Automotive, Rising Sun Motors, Flat Black Automotive, Axton Automotive, Sterling Automotive
- Vehicle and/or issue: Ford truck computer transplant
- Commenters suggested: Birchwood Auto Repair
- Vehicle and/or issue: 2015 Honda Civic transmission
- Commenters suggested: Barrett Transmission Specialties
- Vehicle and/or issue: general inquiry
- Commenters suggested: Flat Black Automotive, Rising Sun Motors
- Vehicle and/or issue: unhappy customer / general inquiry
- Commenters suggested: Panacea Automotive Repair, Alignment & Brakes Plus, Rising Sun Motors, OP learning to fix their own vehicle if they want to be cheap about it
- Vehicle and/or issue: general inquiry
- Commenters suggested: Joe’s Automotive Repair, Flat Black Automotive, Nitro Autolab
- Vehicle and/or issue: 2006 Suzuki XL-7 timing chain
- Commenters suggested: Rising Sun Motors
- Vehicle and/or issue: general inquiry
- Commenters suggested: Sterling Automotive, XSrcing, Rising Sun Motors, Joe’s Automotive Repair, Davis Automotive, Hi-Tech Automotive
- Vehicle and/or issue: 1989 Chevrolet G20 camper van, garage with a lift that can handle tall vehicles
- Commenters suggested: Camping World (in Burlington), Unlimited Service Bakerview, Northwest Chevrolet
- Vehicle and/or issue: oil change and inspection
- Commenters suggested: Master Lube, Sterling Automotive
- Vehicle and/or issue: 2005 Subaru Outback, payment plans
- Commenters suggested: XSrcing, Firestone Complete Auto Care
- Vehicle and/or issue: 2000 Ford Ranger transmission, free/cheap diagnostic
- Commenters suggested: Midas, XSrcing, Firestone Complete Auto Care
- Vehicle and/or issue: truck tune up
- Commenters suggested: Rising Sun Motors, Sterling Automotive, Flat Black Automotive
- Vehicle and/or issue: general inquiry
- Commenters suggested: Rising Sun Motors, Joe’s Automotive Repair, Sterling Automotive, Whatcom Radiator & Battery (closed?), Bernard Tech Services, Naztek Automotive, Sound Truck & Auto Repair
- Vehicle and/or issue: Prius oil change
- Commenters suggested: Master Lube, Sehome Express Lube, Rising Sun Motors, Lucky’s Auto Shop, Rod’s Japanese Auto Care, literally anywhere because it's just an oil change
- Vehicle and/or issue: Honda replace stolen catalytic converter
- Commenters suggested: Flat Black Automotive, Rising Sun Motors, Bellingham Automotive, Panacea Automotive Repair, Marlin’s Auto Service, Service Pro, Faction Automotive, Davis Automotive, Harmony Motorworks
- Vehicle and/or issue: Honda CR-V AC, respectful to women
- Commenters suggested: Rising Sun Motors, Flat Black Automotive, Bellingham Auto Air, Reference Automotive, Sterling Automotive, TK Automotive Repair, Toyota of Bellingham, Juracich Auto Repair (closed?), Steves Auto Repair, Faction Automotive, Integrity Auto Care (in Arlington), NAPA Auto Parts Blaine, Pete’s Auto Repair, Import Autosport (in Anacortes), Whatcom Radiator & Battery (closed?)
- Vehicle and/or issue: 1988 Chevrolet truck
- Commenters suggested: Marine Drive Auto Services, Unlimited Service Downtown, Chuck’s Midtown Motors Automotive Repair, Bellingham Automotive, Davis Automotive
- Vehicle and/or issue: general inquiry
- Commenters suggested: Joe’s Automotive Repair, Steves Auto Repair, Dr. John’s Auto Clinic, Rising Sun Motors, Superior Auto, Hi-Tech Automotive, Toyota of Bellingham, Sterling Automotive, Harmony Motorworks
- Vehicle and/or issue: Subaru brakes
- Commenters suggested: Alignment & Brakes Plus, Rising Sun Motors, Harmony Motorworks, Joe’s Automotive Repair, Northwest Rally Sports, Chuck’s Midtown Motors Automotive Repair, Birchwood Auto Repair, TK Automotive Repair
- Vehicle and/or issue: 1990 Ford E-250 Econoline van engine replacement
- Commenters suggested: Rising Sun Motors, Sterling Automotive, Lucky’s Auto Shop, Joe’s Automotive Repair, Rude’s Auto Repair
- Vehicle and/or issue: assorted motorcycles
- Commenters suggested: Cycle Therapy, BBRP, OP just has bad gas
- Vehicle and/or issue: 2010 Prius
- Commenters suggested: Unlimited Service Bakerview, Unlimited Service Downtown, Bellingham Automotive, Rising Sun Motors, Toyota of Bellingham, Midas, Lifestyle Motor Co
- Vehicle and/or issue: 2004 Toyota RAV4
- Commenters suggested: Rising Sun Motors, Joe’s Automotive Repair, Sterling Automotive, Davis Automotive, SK Motorsport, Hi-Tech Automotive
- Vehicle and/or issue: Honda PIlot seatbelt & airbags, mobile mechanic
- Commenters suggested: Unlimited Service Downtown, Rising Sun Motors, Whatcom Radiator & Battery (closed?), Davis Automotive
- Vehicle and/or issue: mobile mechanic for pre-purchase inspection of used car
- Commenters suggested: AR MECHANIC, Trottners Auto Repair Service
- Vehicle and/or issue: Ford pickup truck
- Commenters suggested: Davis Automotive, Dan's Automotive (closed?), Sterling Automotive, Rod’s Japanese Auto Care
- Vehicle and/or issue: pre-purchase inspection of used car
- Commenters suggested: Joe’s Automotive Repair, Rising Sun Motors
- Vehicle and/or issue: 1990 Ford E350 van exhaust
- Commenters suggested: Ben Richards Fabrication (in Burlington)
- Vehicle and/or issue: 2001 Toyota Camry fuel pump
- Commenters suggested: Rising Sun Motors, Sterling Automotive, Rod’s Japanese Auto Care, Dr. John’s Auto Clinic, Birchwood Auto Repair, Trottners Auto Repair Service
- Vehicle and/or issue: mobile mechanic
- Commenters suggested: O’Reilly Auto Parts (to test battery), some dude named Will
- Vehicle and/or issue: 2008 Suburu Outback
- Commenters suggested: Rising Sun Motors, Steves Auto Repair, Sterling Automotive, Birchwood Auto Repair, Bruce Cox Imports, Joe’s Automotive Repair
- Vehicle and/or issue: 2008 Ford Fusion rough idling
- Commenters suggested: Premier Auto Repair (in Mount Vernon), Faction Automotive
- Vehicle and/or issue: windshield wipers, open Sunday
- Commenters suggested: AutoZone Auto Parts, Firestone Complete Auto Care
- Vehicle and/or issue: 1983 Ford Ranger
- Commenters suggested: Foreign Auto Clinic, Panacea Automotive Repair, Van Loo’s Auto Service, Hi-Tech Automotive, some dude named Zach
- Vehicle and/or issue: 2004 Subaru Forester
- Commenters suggested: Rising Sun Motors, Northwest Rally Sports, Harmony Motorworks, Lucky’s Auto Shop, AR MECHANIC, Chuck’s Midtown Motors Automotive Repair, Bruce Cox Imports
- Vehicle and/or issue: 2000 Volvo V40 electrical issues
- Commenters suggested: Rainbow Auto Service, Harmony Motorworks, Keith Cox Autobahn
- Vehicle and/or issue: Honda Element
- Commenters suggested: Rising Sun Motors, Sterling Automotive, TK Automotive Repair, Trottners Auto Repair Service
- Vehicle and/or issue: Fiat
- Commenters suggested: SK Motorsport, Keith Cox Autobahn, Rising Sun Motors, Northwest European Autoworks
- Vehicle and/or issue: Toyota
- Commenters suggested: Rising Sun Motors, Marlin’s Auto Service, Davis Automotive
- Vehicle and/or issue: Subaru
- Commenters suggested: Rising Sun Motors, Northwest Rally Sports, Bruce Cox Imports, Unlimited Service Bakerview, Flat Black Automotive, Dewey Griffin Subaru
- Vehicle and/or issue: 2002 Ford leaking oil
- Commenters suggested: Sterling Automotive, Rising Sun Motors, Unlimited Service Bakerview, Birchwood Auto Repair, Bruce Cox Imports
- Vehicle and/or issue: 2010 Mercedes AMG, asking about specific mechanic
- Commenters suggested: Keith Cox Autobahn, Bruce Cox Imports, Harmony Motorworks, Meridian Auto And Tire
- Vehicle and/or issue: Lexus SUV (GX470)
- Commenters suggested: Harmony Motorworks, Rising Sun Motors, Toyota of Bellingham, TK Automotive Repair
- Vehicle and/or issue: Subaru brakes
- Commenters suggested: Rising Sun Motors, Northwest Rally Sports, Sterling Automotive, Axton Automotive
- Vehicle and/or issue: general inquiry
- Commenters suggested: Rising Sun Motors, Firestone Complete Auto Care, Sterling Automotive, Barnett Automotive, Joe’s Automotive Repair, Whatcom Radiator & Battery (closed?), Panacea Automotive Repair, TK Automotive Repair
- Vehicle and/or issue: pre-purchase inspection of used car
- Commenters suggested: Rising Sun Motors, AR MECHANIC, Birchwood Auto Repair, Hardman Auto Care (closed?), Keith Cox Autobahn, Trottners Auto Repair Service, Meridian Auto And Tire, Harmony Motorworks
2023.05.28 19:01 Able_Possession8736 A Comprehensive Guide to Pro Football Video Game Covers
Another Madden $70 re-skin is upon us, so let's take a moment to explore the history of all the people who have been featured on the cover of an pro football video game.
While the selection of the Madden cover athlete is now an event, there was a wild wild west period of football games from the 80s to the mid-2000s where anybody with a computer could and would build football games, with the selection of the cover being all over the place. Roger Craig was the first cover athlete in 1985 on NFL Challenge for MS-DOS. Madden's first game was in 1988, then by the mid-90s getting a cover athlete or spokesman for your football game was pretty standard.
I wanted to compile those games and covers based on this Wiki article (and a few that it was missing from that list) and see who was on the main cover of all of those games (some games were almost completely irrelevant, so I left them off this list). Some of these may have more alternates with other people, but I'll stick with the main cover.
*These are heavily boosted by John Madden being on 10 Madden covers
Obviously QBs dominate here, but I didn't realize how little defensive players have been on football game covers (9%), with none being on a cover since Richard Sherman in 2014. I'd love to see more defensive players on the Madden cover. Who would be the most likely defensive guy in the near future? Aaron Donald, TJ Watt, Nick Bosa, Myles Garrett, or Sauce Gardner?
If a team's player was not a lead on the cover or was not any identifiable player, I gave them a *
The Re-skins/Commanders?, Jags, Panthers, and Bills have appeared on a cover but never with an athlete as the lead or with a real person. Only the Texans have never appeared at all on the cover of any football video game. I'd say the Bills are most likely to get one next (Josh Allen), then the Jags (Trevor Lawrence), then the Panthers/Texans if either hits a home run with Young or Stroud. The Commanders have a long road ahead to getting a feature cover athlete, unless you ask Sam Howell who thinks he should be this year's Madden cover athlete.
Kordell Stewart, Daunte Culpepper, and Donovan McNabb (and possibly Lamar Jackson, still too early for him) are the only players with multiple appearances that are either not or are unlikely to make the Hall of Fame. McNabb is the only guy to appear in multiple covers in the same year. Also of note, 7 athletes were on a cover without ever making a pro bowl in their careers: Brad Muster, Pat Terrell, Gordon Laro, Chris Zorich, Albert Fontenot, William Floyd, and Peyton Hillis (Hillis was the only one to be the primary cover athlete).
I'll list all the games and their respective covers by their era below. I'll also attach some of my favorite covers from each era. If the cover person was a Hall of Famer, I'll mark them with a \). If they're very likely to make the HoF but they're not yet eligible, I'll mark them with a +
We didn't see the first cover athlete until 1985 with Roger Craig. They didn't really become standard until the early to mid-90s after Madden became a big selling point for the early Madden games. The dip in the last 2 decades is because there's just less games, so any generic football games will have a large effect.
1988: John Madden Football released on the Apple II, MS-DOS, and Commodore 64/128 (partly being developed by Bethesda), which was the beginning of the most dominant franchise in football video games. They featured no NFL teams due to a lack of an NFL license.
1991: Tecmo Super Bowl is probably still my personal favorite football video game. It's totally timeless, and if you pick the Raiders then you're a cheater.
2000: Madden 2001 started the tradition of having their games feature a cover athlete in this format, which consolidated into nearly everyone following this trend.
2001: Backyard Football 2002 was a more kid-friendly version of a football video game, and they also had other games for other professional sports. I definitely played this a lot on my old Windows Me computer, and Pablo Sanchez is a god.
2002: NFL Fever was Microsoft's foray into football video games on the original Xbox. All 3 of their games featured Peyton Manning as the cover athlete.
2002: NFL GameDay 2003 was 989 Sports' exclusive for Sony on the PlayStation platform.
2004: ESPN NFL 2K5 was the last great football game before the NFL exclusively gave their license to the EA. It was this game that definitely led to NFL's decision though, as they slashed their release price to an unheard of $20, which forced Madden 2004 to release at $30 instead of the typical $50. This pissed off the NFL, who decided to have less competition instead.
2006: NFL Head Coach was a new perspective on NFL Games where you play as the coach instead of the players. I enjoyed these although they could get a little boring.
2007: All Pro Football 2K8 was 2K's attempt at keeping the 2K football franchise alive without the coveted NFL license. They got three HoF players on the cover in Elway, Barry, and Rice, but not the actual license to any NFL team. This game received praise for its mechanics, but poor sales showed that a non-NFL licensed game would always struggle to make it.
2011: Madden 12 was maybe the last good Madden game. Also, Peyton Hillis. The only guy on a NFL football game cover to never make a Pro Bowl. This guy is an actual hero though, so good for him.
2019: Doug Flutie's Maximum Football was a mix of american and CFL football as another attempt at making a football game without the NFL license to poor results. They have announced a new game as a free to play title on new platforms, but no games in this franchise have released since 2020.
2020: Retro Bowl is a mobile game more in the style of Tecmo Super Bowl than Madden. It's probably the most successful non-Madden game since ESPN NFL 2K5, and it's pretty fun. People should definitely give this one a try since it's free to play on any mobile platform.
2022: Madden 23 gave the cover back to Madden for the first time since 1999 to honor the passing of the legend John Madden. Unfortunately the game inside the cover was crap, has been the style of Madden games for over a decade.
submitted by Able_Possession8736 to nflstreamlinks [link] [comments]
While the selection of the Madden cover athlete is now an event, there was a wild wild west period of football games from the 80s to the mid-2000s where anybody with a computer could and would build football games, with the selection of the cover being all over the place. Roger Craig was the first cover athlete in 1985 on NFL Challenge for MS-DOS. Madden's first game was in 1988, then by the mid-90s getting a cover athlete or spokesman for your football game was pretty standard.
I wanted to compile those games and covers based on this Wiki article (and a few that it was missing from that list) and see who was on the main cover of all of those games (some games were almost completely irrelevant, so I left them off this list). Some of these may have more alternates with other people, but I'll stick with the main cover.
Covers by Position
https://preview.redd.it/1dzua4o2hl2b1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=023c573335e64d21fccc937a44db0ae995510db6*These are heavily boosted by John Madden being on 10 Madden covers
Obviously QBs dominate here, but I didn't realize how little defensive players have been on football game covers (9%), with none being on a cover since Richard Sherman in 2014. I'd love to see more defensive players on the Madden cover. Who would be the most likely defensive guy in the near future? Aaron Donald, TJ Watt, Nick Bosa, Myles Garrett, or Sauce Gardner?
Covers by Team
https://preview.redd.it/8f29df4ygl2b1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=3b93f8a4ddb26b2cee1f6abd74652f44b7fbfdcbIf a team's player was not a lead on the cover or was not any identifiable player, I gave them a *
The Re-skins/Commanders?, Jags, Panthers, and Bills have appeared on a cover but never with an athlete as the lead or with a real person. Only the Texans have never appeared at all on the cover of any football video game. I'd say the Bills are most likely to get one next (Josh Allen), then the Jags (Trevor Lawrence), then the Panthers/Texans if either hits a home run with Young or Stroud. The Commanders have a long road ahead to getting a feature cover athlete, unless you ask Sam Howell who thinks he should be this year's Madden cover athlete.
Most Prolific Cover People
https://preview.redd.it/5axoymcakl2b1.png?width=2871&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=9ecf9c52cad0647d1572d2d9c85ebdef0dd277c3Kordell Stewart, Daunte Culpepper, and Donovan McNabb (and possibly Lamar Jackson, still too early for him) are the only players with multiple appearances that are either not or are unlikely to make the Hall of Fame. McNabb is the only guy to appear in multiple covers in the same year. Also of note, 7 athletes were on a cover without ever making a pro bowl in their careers: Brad Muster, Pat Terrell, Gordon Laro, Chris Zorich, Albert Fontenot, William Floyd, and Peyton Hillis (Hillis was the only one to be the primary cover athlete).
I'll list all the games and their respective covers by their era below. I'll also attach some of my favorite covers from each era. If the cover person was a Hall of Famer, I'll mark them with a \). If they're very likely to make the HoF but they're not yet eligible, I'll mark them with a +
Covers by Era
| Decade | # of Games | # of Games w/Cover Athletes | # of Cover Athletes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60s | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 70s | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 80s | 11 | 2 (18%) | 2 |
| 90s | 36 | 32 (89%) | 21 |
| 00s | 40 | 38 (95%) | 36 |
| 10s | 14 | 10 (71%) | 12 |
| 20s | 8 | 4 (50%) | 5 |
| Total | 114 | 86 (75%) | 76 |
The Early Days: 1965-1982
1978: Football! for the Magnavox Odyssey 2 was the first football video game with a cover, but obviously the cover athletes are generic.| Year | Game | Cover Athlete | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | FTBALL | NA | NA | NA |
| 1972 | Football (Magnavox) | NA | NA | NA |
| 1978 | Football! | Generic players | NA | NA |
| 1978 | Football (Atari) | Generic players | NA | NA |
| 1979 | NFL Football | Generic players | NA | NA |
| 1982 | Realsports: Football | Generic players | NA | NA |
The 2D Era: 1983-1996
1985: NFL Challenge was the first football game with a real cover athlete (Roger Craig). This was the original bar for realism in football simulation, to where it was used in a 1988 ESPN Program \"NFL Dream Season\" where they simulated the greatest teams of all time against each other.1988: John Madden Football released on the Apple II, MS-DOS, and Commodore 64/128 (partly being developed by Bethesda), which was the beginning of the most dominant franchise in football video games. They featured no NFL teams due to a lack of an NFL license.
1991: Tecmo Super Bowl is probably still my personal favorite football video game. It's totally timeless, and if you pick the Raiders then you're a cheater.
| Year | Game | Cover Athlete | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 10-Yard Fight | Generic Jersey | NA | NA |
| 1984 | Super Action Football | Generic player | NA | NA |
| 1985 | NFL Challenge | Roger Craig | 49ers | RB |
| 1987 | 4th & Inches | Generic players | NA | NA |
| 1987 | Tecmo Bowl | Generic players | NA | NA |
| 1988 | TV Sports: Football | Generic player | NA | NA |
| 1988 | John Madden Football ('88) | John Madden* | None | John Madden |
| 1989 | ABC Monday Night Football | Generic player | NA | NA |
| 1989 | NFL | Generic players | 49ers, Raiders, Oilers, Broncos, Re-skins | NA |
| 1989 | PlayMaker Football | Equipment | NA | NA |
| 1990 | Joe Montana Football | Joe Montana* | None | QB |
| 1990 | John Madden Football ('90) | John Madden* | None | John Madden |
| 1991 | John Madden Football II (or '92) | John Madden* | None | John Madden |
| 1991 | Tecmo Super Bowl | Generic player | NA | NA |
| 1992 | NFL Sports Talk Football '93 | Joe Montana* | 49ers | QB |
| 1992 | Front Page Sports Football | Generic players | NA | NA |
| 1993 | Capcom's MVP Football | Brad Muster | Bears | FB |
| 1993 | Madden NFL '94 | John Madden* | NA | HC/Announcer |
| 1993 | NFL Football '94 Starring Joe Montana | Joe Montana* | Chiefs | QB |
| 1993 | Mutant League Football | Mutant | NA | NA |
| 1994 | ESPN Sunday Night NFL | Chris Berman | NA | Announcer |
| 1994 | Madden NFL '95 | John Madden* | NA | John Madden |
| 1994 | Tecmo Super Bowl II: Special Edition | Generic player | Cowboys | NA |
| 1994 | Troy Aikman NFL Football | Troy Aikman* | Cowboys | QB |
| 1995 | Emmitt Smith Football | Emmitt Smith* | None | RB |
| 1995 | Madden NFL '96 | John Madden*, Pat Terrell, Gordon Laro | NA, Panthers, Jags | John Madden, DB, TE |
| 1995 | NFL Quarterback Club 96 | Steve Young*, Chris Zorich, Albert Fontenot | 49ers, Bears | QB, DL |
| 1995 | Sterling Sharpe: End 2 End | Sterling Sharpe | None | WR |
| 1995 | Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition | Generic players | Raiders, Bills | NA |
| 1995 | NFL GameDay | William Floyd | 49ers | FB |
| 1996 | Madden NFL 97 | John Madden* | NA | John Madden |
| 1996 | NFL '97 | Kordell Stewart | Steelers | QB |
| 1996 | NFL Quarterback Club 97 | Dan Marino* | Dolphins | QB |
| 1996 | NFL GameDay '97 | Daryl "Moose" Johnston | Cowboys | FB |
The Parity Era: 1997-2004
1997: NFL Blitz came from Midway studios and was a breath of fresh air for football games. They had mostly been stagnant trying to hone in on realistic simulation in 2D form, whereas Blitz came out in 3D and threw realism out the window. I definitely spent too much money on the arcade version of this game.2000: Madden 2001 started the tradition of having their games feature a cover athlete in this format, which consolidated into nearly everyone following this trend.
2001: Backyard Football 2002 was a more kid-friendly version of a football video game, and they also had other games for other professional sports. I definitely played this a lot on my old Windows Me computer, and Pablo Sanchez is a god.
2002: NFL Fever was Microsoft's foray into football video games on the original Xbox. All 3 of their games featured Peyton Manning as the cover athlete.
2002: NFL GameDay 2003 was 989 Sports' exclusive for Sony on the PlayStation platform.
2004: ESPN NFL 2K5 was the last great football game before the NFL exclusively gave their license to the EA. It was this game that definitely led to NFL's decision though, as they slashed their release price to an unheard of $20, which forced Madden 2004 to release at $30 instead of the typical $50. This pissed off the NFL, who decided to have less competition instead.
| Year | Game | Cover Athlete | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | NFL Blitz | Kordell Stewart | Steelers | QB |
| 1997 | NFL Quarterback Club 98 | Brett Favre* | Packers | QB |
| 1997 | NFL GameDay '98 | Jerome Bettis* | Steelers | RB |
| 1997 | Madden NFL 98 (64) | John Madden* | NA | John Madden |
| 1998 | NFL Xtreme | Mike Alstott | Bucs | FB |
| 1998 | NFL Quarterback Club 99 | Brett Favre* | Packers | QB |
| 1998 | NFL GameDay '99 | Terrell Davis* | Broncos | RB |
| 1998 | Madden NFL 99 | John Madden* | NA | John Madden |
| 1999 | NFL Xtreme 2 | John Randle* | Vikings | DL |
| 1999 | NFL Quarterback Club 2000 | Brett Favre* | Packers | QB |
| 1999 | NFL GameDay 2000 | Terrell Davis* | Broncos | RB |
| 1999 | NFL 2K | Randy Moss* | Vikings | WR |
| 1999 | Madden NFL 2000 | John Madden* | NA | John Madden |
| 1999 | Backyard Football | Steve Young)*, Jocinda Smith, Amir Khan | 49ers, Generic | QB |
| 2000 | NFL Quarterback Club 2001 | Brett Favre* | Packers | QB |
| 2000 | NFL GameDay 2001 | Marshall Faulk* | Rams | RB |
| 2000 | NFL 2K1 | Randy Moss* | Vikings | WR |
| 2000 | Madden NFL 2001 | Eddie George | Titans | RB |
| 2001 | NFL Quarterback Club 2002 | Brett Favre*, Rich Gannon | Packers, Raiders | QB |
| 2001 | NFL GameDay 2002 | Donovan McNabb | Eagles | QB |
| 2001 | NFL Fever 2002 | Peyton Manning* | Colts | QB |
| 2001 | NFL 2K2 | Randy Moss* | Vikings | WR |
| 2001 | Madden NFL 2002 | Daunte Culpepper | Vikings | QB |
| 2001 | Backyard Football 2002 | Drew Bledsoe or Donovan McNabb | Pats or Eagles | QB |
| 2001 | ESPN NFL PrimeTime 2002 | Edgerrin James* | Colts | RB |
| 2002 | NFL GameDay 2003 | Tom Brady+ | Pats | QB |
| 2002 | NFL Fever 2003 | Peyton Manning* | Colts | QB |
| 2002 | NFL 2K3 | Brian Urlacher* | Bears | LB |
| 2002 | Madden NFL 2003 | Marshall Faulk* | Rams | RB |
| 2003 | NFL GameDay 2004 | LaDainian Tomlinson* | Chargers | RB |
| 2003 | NFL Fever 2004 | Peyton Manning* | Colts | QB |
| 2003 | Madden NFL 2004 | Michael Vick | Falcons | QB |
| 2003 | ESPN NFL Football | Warren Sapp* | Bucs | DL |
| 2003 | Backyard Football 2004 | Jeff Garcia | 49ers | QB |
| 2004 | NFL GameDay 2005 | Derrick Brooks* | Bucs | LB |
| 2004 | Madden NFL 2005 | Ray Lewis* | Ravens | LB |
| 2004 | ESPN NFL 2K5 | Terrell Owens* | Eagles | WR |
| 2004 | NFL Street | Ricky Williams | Dolphins | RB |
The Madden Era: 2005-Present
2005: NFL Street 2 was the second in the NFL Street series as a kind of spiritual successor to NFL Blitz. EA tried to have some diversity in their football video games outside of the Madden franchise, so they had the short-lived Street franchise under \"EA BIG\"2006: NFL Head Coach was a new perspective on NFL Games where you play as the coach instead of the players. I enjoyed these although they could get a little boring.
2007: All Pro Football 2K8 was 2K's attempt at keeping the 2K football franchise alive without the coveted NFL license. They got three HoF players on the cover in Elway, Barry, and Rice, but not the actual license to any NFL team. This game received praise for its mechanics, but poor sales showed that a non-NFL licensed game would always struggle to make it.
2011: Madden 12 was maybe the last good Madden game. Also, Peyton Hillis. The only guy on a NFL football game cover to never make a Pro Bowl. This guy is an actual hero though, so good for him.
2019: Doug Flutie's Maximum Football was a mix of american and CFL football as another attempt at making a football game without the NFL license to poor results. They have announced a new game as a free to play title on new platforms, but no games in this franchise have released since 2020.
2020: Retro Bowl is a mobile game more in the style of Tecmo Super Bowl than Madden. It's probably the most successful non-Madden game since ESPN NFL 2K5, and it's pretty fun. People should definitely give this one a try since it's free to play on any mobile platform.
2022: Madden 23 gave the cover back to Madden for the first time since 1999 to honor the passing of the legend John Madden. Unfortunately the game inside the cover was crap, has been the style of Madden games for over a decade.
| Year | Game | Cover Athlete | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Madden NFL 06 | Donovan McNabb | Eagles | QB |
| 2005 | NFL Street 2 | Jeremy Shockey, Xzibit | Giants, Pimp My Ride | TE, Rapper |
| 2005 | Blitz: The League | Generic players | NA | NA |
| 2005 | Backyard Football 2006 | Daunte Culpepper | Vikings | QB |
| 2006 | Madden NFL 07 | Shaun Alexander | Seahawks | RB |
| 2006 | NFL Head Coach | Bill Cowher* | Steelers | HC |
| 2006 | NFL Street 3 | Chad Johnson | Bengals | WR |
| 2007 | Backyard Football '07 | Ben Roethlisberger+ | Steelers | QB |
| 2007 | Madden NFL 08 | Vince Young | Titans | QB |
| 2007 | All-Pro Football 2K8 | John Elway*, Barry Sanders*, Jerry Rice* | Generic | QB, RB, WR |
| 2007 | Backyard Football '08 | Tom Brady+ | Pats | QB |
| 2008 | NFL Tour | Shawne Merriman | Chargers | LB |
| 2008 | NFL Head Coach 09 | Tony Dungy* | Colts | HC |
| 2008 | Backyard Football '09 | Tom Brady+ | Pats | QB |
| 2009 | Madden NFL 10 | Troy Polamalu*, Larry Fitzgerald+ | Steelers, Cards | DB, WR |
| 2009 | Backyard Football '10 | Frank Gore+, Eli Manning+, Kurt Warner*, Peyton Manning*, Adrian Peterson+, Jason Witten+ | 49ers, Giants, Cards, Colts, Vikings, Cowboys | RB, QB, TE |
| 2010 | Quick Hit Football | Logo | NA | NA |
| 2010 | Madden NFL 11 | Drew Brees+ | Saints | QB |
| 2010 | Backbreaker | Generic player | NA | NA |
| 2011 | Madden NFL 12 | Peyton Hillis | Browns | RB |
| 2012 | Madden NFL 13 | Calvin Johnson* | Lions | WR |
| 2013 | Madden NFL 25 | Barry Sanders* or Adrian Peterson+ | Lions or Vikings | RB |
| 2014 | Madden NFL 15 | Richard Sherman+ | Seahawks | DB |
| 2015 | Madden NFL 16 | Odell Beckham Jr. | Giants | WR |
| 2016 | Madden NFL 17 | Rob Gronkowski+ | Pats | TE |
| 2016 | Axis Football 2016 | Generic player | NA | NA |
| 2017 | Madden NFL 18 | Tom Brady+ | Pats | QB |
| 2017 | Axis Football 17 | Generic player | NA | NA |
| 2018 | Madden NFL 19 | Antonio Brown+ | Steelers | WR |
| 2019 | Doug Flutie's Maximum Football 2019 | Doug Flutie | Generic (Stampeders) | QB |
| 2020 | Sunday Rivals | Helmet | NA | NA |
| 2020 | Retro Bowl | Generic player | NA | NA |
| 2020 | Legend Bowl | Silhouette | NA | NA |
| 2019 | Madden NFL 20 | Patrick Mahomes+ | Chiefs | QB |
| 2020 | Madden NFL 21 | Lamar Jackson | Ravens | QB |
| 2021 | Madden NFL 22 | Tom Brady+, Patrick Mahomes+ | Bucs, Chiefs | QB |
| 2022 | Madden NFL 23 | John Madden* | NA | John Madden |
| 2023 | NFL Pro Era | Lamar Jackson | Ravens | QB |
2023.05.28 17:21 VernonKazama My Mario Kart Wish List 📃
~ 1. Introduction ~
Here is a detailed description of my wishlist for a Mario Kart 9 or 10/X (if Tour is considered the 9th installment) I don't expect everyone to like all my ideas. This is just a wishlist. I obviously would be happy with any Mario Kart Nintendo decides to put out but in a perfect world, this is what I would want for it to be the best Mario Kart imo. I hope you enjoy.
*= Thoughts, Personal opinions, New ideas for modes, mechanics, driver outfits, vehicles, items, options, etc
~ 2. Mechanics ~
~ Single Player / Multiplayer 》1P》2P》3P》4P》
Grand Prix》Class Optimization》Driver(s) Select》Vehicle Parts》Circuits》Cup Select》 Class Optimization options: Engine: 50cc》100cc》150cc》Mirror》All¹》All Mirror¹》 Driver: Solo Dash》Double Dash》² Drift: Automatic》Manual》³ Items: Normal》No Items》 Camera: Normal》First Person》⁴
*¹ - All and All Mirror options are only available in Grand Prix. After a Circuit has been selected, It'll play each Cup in order of that specific Circuit.
*² - All race and battle modes will feature either a Solo Dash or the new Double Dash option similar to Mario Kart Double Dash for extra replayability and character combinations.
*³ - Even if not many people liked Automatic drifting, it was there for a reason for you to choose. Some liked it. Some didn't. It should be the player's choice.
*⁴ - Camera can also be changed freely during the race from the pause menu.
Time Trials》Driver(s) Select》Circuits》Cup Select》Course Select》 Race Solo》Race Against Ghost》View Ghost》Online Ghost》Upload Ghost Data》
• VS Race》Driver(s) Select》Vehicle Parts》Customized Race》Circuits》Cup Select》Course Select》 Customized Race options: Engine Class: 50cc》100cc》150cc》Mirror》 Driver: Solo Dash》Double Dash》 Drift: Automatic》Manual》 Teams: No Teams》Team Game》 Items: Normal》Frantic》No Items》No Items and Coins》Custom》 COM: Easy》Normal》Hard》Pro¹》 COM Vehicles (Solo)²: All Vehicles》Karts Only》Bikes Only》 COM Vehicles (Doubles)²: All Vehicles》ATVs Only》Buggys Only》 Courses: Choose》In Order》Random》 Race Count: 4》5³》8》12》16》32》64》All》 Laps: 1》2》3》4》5》⁴
*¹ - Added a Pro difficulty to make the CPU feel more of a challenge.
*² - Wanted to split the vehicle selections between Solo Dash and Double Dash drivers. Solo Dash drivers will now only select between Karts and Bikes and Double Dash drivers will only select between ATVs and new Buggy vehicles. *Buggys are essential similar to the designs of the Karts used in Mario Kart Double Dash. ATVs are now bigger in size to help fit the idea of 2 drivers on one vehicle.
*³ - The original Super Mario Kart had 5 courses per Cup so I brought that option back for custom races.
*⁴ - Wanted to make the option available for players. These courses will be excluded from Laps option and be set to default when selected: ⁿ⁶⁴ Wario Stadium, ⁿ⁶⁴ Rainbow Road, ᵍᶜⁿ Baby Park, ᵍᶜⁿ Wario Colosseum, ³ᵈˢ Wuhu Loop, ³ᵈˢ Maka Wuhu, ³ᵈˢ Rainbow Road, ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Mount Wario, and ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Big Blue.
Battle》Driver(s) Select》Vehicle Parts》Customized Battle》Course Select》 Customized Battle options: Driver: Solo Dash》Double Dash》 Drift: Automatic》Manual》 Teams: No Teams》Team Game》 Items: Normal》Frantic》Skilled》Custom》 Round Time: 1 Minute》2 Minutes》3 Minutes》4 Minutes》5 Minutes》 COM: Easy》Normal》Hard》Pro》 COM Vehicles (Solo Dash): All Vehicles》Karts Only》Bikes Only》 COM Vehicles (Double Dash): All Vehicles》ATVs Only》Buggys Only》 Courses: Choose》In Order》Random》 Round Count: 3 Rounds》5 Rounds》7 Rounds》¹
*¹ - I shortened the rounds. Anything past 7 rounds is too much imo but that's just me. Also being a little bias cuz I'm not a fan of battle mode.
~ Online Play 》1P》2P》
Worldwide: Grand Prix*》VS Race》Battle》
Regional: Grand Prix*》VS Race》Battle》
Friends》Create Room
Tournaments》Menu. Menu options: Create a Tournament: Icon》Name》Rules》Time Settings》Other》 *Rules options: Mode: 50cc》100cc》150cc》Mirror》Balloon》Classic Balloon¹》 Renegade Roundup》Bob-omb Blast》Shine Runners¹》Coin Runners》 Shine Thief》Thunder Cloud Tag¹》Random Battle》 Driver: Solo Dash》Double Dash》 Drift: Automatic》Manual》 Teams: No Teams》Team Game》 Items: Normal》No Items》No Items or Coins》Frantic》Skilled*²》Custom》 Round Time (Battle only): 1 Minute》2 Minutes》3 Minutes》4 Minutes》5 Minutes》 COM: No COM》Easy》Normal》Hard》Pro》 Vehicles (Solo Dash): All Vehicles》Karts Only》Bikes Only》 Vehicles (Double Dash): All Vehicles》ATVs Only》Buggys Only》 Camera: Normal》First Person》 Smart Steering: Smart Steering OK》No Smart Steering》 *Time Settings options: Frequency: Weekly》Daily》Fixed Period》 Start Day: Sunday》Monday》Tuesday》Wednesday》Thursday》Friday》Saturday》 Start Date: Dependent》 Start Time: Dependent》 End Day: Sunday》Monday》Tuesday》Wednesday》Thursday》Friday》Saturday》 End Date: Dependent》 End Time: Dependent》 Round Count: 4 Rounds》8 Rounds》16 Rounds》 Group Shuffling: Don't Shuffle》Every 4th Match》 *Other options: Player Rating: Any Rating》0-2999》3000-9999》10000-99999》 Public/Private: Open to Everyone》Code Required》
*¹ - Scroll down to Battle section for more info.
*² - Skilled Items for Battle mode only.
Search by Code Search by Type Active Tournaments
My Replays. View saved replays from previous races or battles on and offline. * You can now save more than just 6 replays.
Online Replays*¹ View shared replays from others online
Spectate*²
*¹ - Should've already been added in the first place.
²* - View recent online races or battles replays. Earn coins by voting who'll be 1st. * Literally stole this idea from Smash.
~ Other Details
~ Characters
68 Total Drivers (including DLC) 32 Total Alternate Drivers. 100 Total Individual Characters.
Mario》Metal Mario 🔒》Tanooki Mario 🔒》Fire Mario 🔒》Ice Mario 🔒》Dr. Mario 🔒》 - Mario (Classic) 🔒 - Mario (Builder) 🔒 - Mario (SNES) 🔒 - Mario (Sunshine) 🔒 - Mario (Tuxedo) 🔒 - Mario (N64)*🔒 - Metal Mario (Gold) 🔒
Luigi》Penguin Luigi 🔒》Fire Luigi 🔒》Gooigi*🔒》 - Luigi (Classic) 🔒 - Luigi (Golf) 🔒 - Luigi (Builder) 🔒
Peach》Pink Gold Peach 🔒》Cat Peach 🔒》Fire Peach*🔒》 - Peach (Wedding) 🔒
Yoshi - Light-blue Yoshi - Black Yoshi - Red Yoshi - Yellow Yoshi - White Yoshi - Purple Yoshi - Pink Yoshi - Orange Yoshi
Bowser》Dry Bowser 🔒》Meowser 🔒》 - Dry Bowser (Gold) 🔒
Donkey Kong Jr. - Donkey Kong Jr. (SNES) 🔒
Koopa Troopa》Koopa (Freerunning) 🔒》 - Red Koopa (Freerunning) - Blue Koopa (Freerunning) - Purple Koopa (Freerunning) - Gold Koopa (Freerunning) 🔒
Toad》Cat Toad 🔒》Captain Toad 🔒》 - Toad (Pit Crew) 🔒 - Toad (Builder) 🔒 - Toad (Astronaut) 🔒 - Toad (Blue)* - Toad (Yellow)* - Toad (Green)*
Donkey Kong 🔒
Wario 🔒 - Wario (Biker)*
Daisy 🔒
Birdo 🔒 - Birdo (Light Blue) - Birdo (Black) - Birdo (Red) - Birdo (Yellow) - Birdo (White) - Birdo (Purple) - Birdo (Green) - Birdo (Orange)
Baby Mario 🔒
Baby Luigi 🔒
Toadette 🔒》Peachette 🔒》 - Toadette (Explorer) 🔒 - Toadette (Builder) 🔒 - Toadette (Astronaut) 🔒
Paratroopa 🔒 - Green Paratroopa*
Diddy Kong 🔒
Bowser Jr. 🔒
Waluigi 🔒
Petey Piranha 🔒
King Boo 🔒 - King Boo (Luigi's Mansion)
Pac-Man 🔒
Ms. Pac-Man 🔒
Blinky 🔒》Pinky》Inky》Clyde*》
Dry Bones 🔒 - Dry Bones (Gold) 🔒
R.O.B. 🔒 - R.O.B. (Famicom)*
Shy Guy 🔒 - Light-blue Shy Guy - Black Shy Guy - Green Shy Guy - Yellow Shy Guy - White Shy Guy - Blue Shy Guy - Pink Shy Guy - Orange Shy Guy
Mametchi 🔒
Baby Peach 🔒
Baby Daisy 🔒
Rosalina 🔒
Funky Kong 🔒
Mii 🔒
Honey Queen 🔒
Wiggler 🔒
Lakitu 🔒
Don-chan 🔒
Baby Rosalina 🔒
Iggy 🔒》Roy》Lemmy》Larry》Wendy》Ludwig》Morton》
Link 🔒 - Link (Champion's Tunic)
Villager 🔒 - Villager (Female)
Isabelle 🔒 - Isabelle (Winter)*
Inkling Girl 🔒 - Inkling Girl (lime green) - Inkling Girl (magenta)
Inkling Boy 🔒 - Inkling Boy (purple) - Inkling Boy (teal)
Pauline 🔒
Hammer Bro 🔒》Boomerang Bro 🔒》Ice Bro 🔒》Fire Bro 🔒》
Monty Mole 🔒
Dixie Kong 🔒
Nabbit 🔒
King Bob-omb 🔒
Kamek 🔒
Chargin' Chuck 🔒
Poochy 🔒
~ Newcomers
Noki ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒 - Noki (Green) - Noki (Pink) - Noki (Yellow)
Pianta ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒 - Pianta (Pink) - Pianta (Yellow) - Pianta (Purple)
Professor E. Gadd ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒
Toadsworth ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒
Luma ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒 - Luma (Blue) - Luma (Pink) - Luma (Green) - Luma (Cyan) - Luma (Red) - Luma (Purple) - Luma (Black) - Luma (Orange)
~ DLC
Sonic the Hedgehog ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒
Miles "Tails" Prower ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒
King K. Rool ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒》Kaptain K. Rool*》
Krunch ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒 * Would be an excellent choice for a surprise DLC character to those familiar w/Diddy Kong Racing
Zelda ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒》Sheik*》
Kirby ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒
King Dedede ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒
Captain Falcon ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒
Samus ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒》Zero Suit*》
Geno ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒
Available parts. The parts available are listed here in the order shown in the vehicle customization screen, with the following notation: ¹ = Changes color, depending on the character. ² = Changes color for the Koopalings. ³ = Changes color for Daisy, Baby Daisy, Rosalina, and Baby Rosalina. (DLC) = Part is only available as downloadable content.
Standard Kart¹ 4-Wheel Cradle 8-Bit Pipe Frame¹ Apple Kart B Dasher Badwagon Barrel Train Biddybuggy (Buggybud)¹ Birthday Girl (Royal Ribbon)²/³ Blue Falcon Blue Seven Booster Seat (Baby Booster) Bruiser (Growlster) Brute Bull's-Eye Banzai Bulldog-W ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ Bumble V Cact-R Cact-X Cat Cruiser Cheep Charger Cheep Snorkel Circuit Special¹ Clanky Kart Classic Dragster (Nostalgia 1) Cloud 9 Crawly Kart Cucumber Dasher II Daytripper (Royal Racer) Dozer Dasher Dragonfly Dry Bomber Egg 1 Flame Flyer Gold Mantis Gold Pipe Frame Gold Standard (Gold Kart) Green Apple Kart Honeycoupe (Dragonetti) Hurricane Jet Cruiser Jetsetter (Aero Glider) Jumbo Jetter Kiddie Kart¹ Koopa Clown² Landship ² Light Dancer Light Tripper Mach 8 Mini Beast (Concerto) Mushmellow Offroader P-Wing Paintster Parade Kart Penguin Slider Pink Mushmellow Pipe Frame¹ Piranha Prowler Poltergust 4000 Power Flower Prancer Prop Kart Quickshaw ROB-BLS Rambi Rider Royale Shooting Star Sky Pop ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ Sneeker (Bounder)¹ Snow Skimmer Soda Jet Sports Coupe (Sports Coupé) Sprinter (B Dasher Mk. 2) Star Broom Steel Driver Streamliner Streetle Super 1 Super Blooper (Turbo Blooper) Surf Sailer Swift Talon Tanooki Kart Tea Coupe Tiny Titan (Rally Romper) Tiny Tug Tri-Speeder Wario Car Warship Wild Wing Wildlife Yellow Taxi Zucchini (Gherkin) Speed Star ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source Whirlwind Sport ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source Egg Mobile ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ * Was inspired by this image I found. Source Reminds me of the Egg Mobile with Monster tires White Cat ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source Dark Schnieder ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source Car¹ ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ * Source * the number in the center will be replaced by driver's logo Dragoon Kart ⁽ᵈˡᶜ * Source
~ Bikes (Solo Dash)
Standard Bike¹ Bit Bike (Nanobike) City Tripper¹ Flame Rider Hurricane Jet Bubble (Bubble Bike) Master Cycle Zero Mr. Scooty (Mr Scooty) Phantom Quacker ROB-LGS Shooting Star (Twinkle Star) Sugarscoot (Bon Bon)¹ The Duke Varmint Wario Bike Zip Zip (Rapide) Zipper Wheelie Bike ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source
Bullet Bike¹ Comet Dolphin Dasher Flame Runner (Bowser Bike)¹ Jet Bike Mach Bike¹ Magikruiser¹ Master Cycle Sneakster (Nitrocycle) Sport Bike¹ Yoshi Bike¹ Zinger Sting ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ * just an idea I had for a new bike based off of a beta imagine for Donkey Kong racing. Source * the number in the center will be replaced by driver's logo. Bike version of the Prop Kart
~ ATVs (Double Dash)
Standard ATV (Standard Quad)¹ Bone Rattler Inkstriker Spear (Torpedo)¹ Splat Buggy Teddy Buggy Tyrant Wild Wiggler Hovercraft¹ ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source
~ Buggys (Double Dash)
Standard Buggy ¹ Banisher Bolt Buggy Bullet Blaster Coach³ * Heart Coach/Bloom Coach from Mario Kart Double Dash DK Jumbo Fire Buggy¹ * Red Fire from Mario Kart Double Dash Goo-Goo Buggy¹ Koopa Dasher Koopa King Para-Wing Pipe Buggy¹ Piranha Pipes Turbo Birdo Turbo Yoshi Waluigi Racer
~ Tires
Standard (Normal) 8-Bit Standard Ancient Tires (Ancient Tyres) Azure Roller Bicycle Tires Blue Monster Blue Standard (Normal Blue) Button Capsule Crimson Slim Cushion Cyber Slick Drum Gold 8-Bit Standard Gold Tires (Gold Wheels) Heart Rings Hot Monster (Funky Monster) Iron Leaf Tires (Leaf Tyres) Metal Monster Mushroom Mushroom Off-Road Red Monster Retro Off-Road Roller Slick Slim Snorkel Tires Sponge Triforce Tires (Triforce Tyres) Wood (Wooden) Yoshi Tires
~ Gliders
Super Glider¹ 8-Bit Jumping Mario Beast Glider (Ghastly Glider) Bowser Kite Butterfly Sunset Cloud Glider Crimson Crane Droplet Glider Eggshell Glider Eggshell Glider Fare Flier Flower Glider Gold Glider Great Sail Hylian Kite MKTV Parafoil Oilpaper Umbrella Paper Glider Parachute Paraglider (Breath of the Wild) Paraglider (Parafoil) Peach Parasol³ Plane Glider Ribbon Swooper (Swoop) Waddle Wing Waluigi Wing Wario Wing Magic Carpet ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source Wizpig Glider ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Example at 00:31 Tails Flier ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source Knuckles Glider ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source Gunship ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source
~ 4. Items ~
× – Does not appear in Battle Mode.
~ Items found on the track
Item Box - Gives the player a random item. Items given are based on the player's distance from first place. * I would like for them to look either similar to how they looked in Mario Kart 64 or Mario Kart DS' design.
Coin - Gives the player a small boost and increase top speed when more are collected, up to a maximum of ten.
Rupee - The equivalent of a coin, used for Hyrule Circuit and Zelda related courses. They replace coins in the item roulette and in the track.
Bell - The equivalent of a coin, used for Animal Crossing. They replace coins in the item roulette and in the track.
Cash - The equivalent of a coin, used for Splatoon related courses. They replace coins in the item roulette and in the track.
Balloon ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - The equivalent of an Item Box, used for Diddy Kong Racing related course. Source
Item Box (Capsule) ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - The equivalent of an Item Box, used for Sonic related course. Source
Star Block ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - The equivalent of an Item Box, used for Kirby related course. Source
Banana ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - The equivalent of a coin, used for Donkey Kong Country / Diddy Kong Racing related courses. They replace coins in the item roulette and in the track. Source
Ring ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - The equivalent of a coin, used for Sonic related courses. They replace coins in the item roulette and in the track. Source
Food ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - The equivalent of a coin, used for Kirby related courses. They replace coins in the item roulette and in the track. Source
~ New Items
Coin Block ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ - * floats above player for a short time (10 seconds). Hop to collect upto 10 coins. Can only be obtained if player has 0 coins. Replacing the Coin Box item from Mario Kart Tour. Example
~ Returning Items
Banana Peel - When a kart hits a Banana Peel, it spins out. You can carry one behind your kart to protect yourself from a single attack. Can be thrown backward and forward.
Green Shell - Travels in a straight line and knocks over a kart it hits.
Red Shell - Red Shell Homes in on the closest kart in front of the player and knocks it over.
Feather - Causes the player to spin and leap in the air, providing a small speed boost upon landing, akin to a regular trick (characters will also perform a trick animation during the jump).
Mushroom - Provides the player's kart with a small speed boost.
Super Star - Provides the player invincibility from all terrain and items, and also giving a speed boost.
Boo - Unleashes Boo, who turns the player invisible for a brief time, making them impervious to enemy attacks, and steals an opponent's item. Cannot steal Special Items.
Coinˣ - Grants the player two extra coins and a micro boost.
Lightningˣ - Causes all opponents to drop their items, shrink, and drive slowly for a short time.
Fake Item - Looks just like an item box, but when you run into it, it knocks you over.
Bob-omb - Explodes after a short time when thrown or dropped, knocking over any kart in its blast radius.
Blooper - Sprays ink on all racers ahead and reduces their visibility. The racers hit also lose some of their traction while sprayed.
Bullet Billˣ - Transforms the player into a Bullet Bill, rocketing through the track with auto-pilot, and providing invincibility from all terrain and items.
Spiny Shellˣ - Targets the racer in first place, knocking over all other karts in its path.
Super Horn - Emits a radial shockwave hitting racers, as well as destroying all obstacles, including the Spiny Shell.
~ Special Items
Fireball (Red) - Three fireballs will revolve around your kart. They split up after they're thrown and go sliding ahead. These powerful pyrotechnics can take out multiple opponents at once. Drivers: Mario, Fire Mario
Fireball (Green) - Three fireballs will revolve around your kart. They split up after they're thrown and go sliding ahead. These powerful pyrotechnics can take out multiple opponents at once. Drivers: Luigi, Fire Luigi
Fire Flower - Allows the player to throw fireballs for a short time that cause other karts to spin out on impact. Drivers: Metal Mario, Fire Peach, Fire Bro
Ice Flower - Three balls of ice will revolve around your kart. Throw them all at once and they'll freeze any kart they hit, causing them to slide. Drivers: Ice Bro, Ice Mario, Penguin Luigi
Heart - This protective Heart revolves around your kart for a set amount of time, shielding you from attacks. Any item that hits the player becomes theirs to use. A cute and handy item. Drivers: Peach, Daisy, Villager, Wendy, Mametchi
Yoshi's Egg - This egg rolls down the road and home in on opponents. When they hit and break, they'll drop three more items. Drivers: Yoshi
Birdo's Egg - Homes in on the kart in front of you and crashes once it hits. Three more items will fly out when it breaks. Drivers: Birdo
Chain Chomp - This fearsome beast chases karts with reckless abandon, pulling the player behind it at breakneck speeds. Drivers: Baby Mario, Baby Luigi
Triple Mushrooms - Orbits the player's kart, providing them with three separate speed boosts. Drivers: Toad, Toadette
Golden Mushroom - Provides the player's kart with continuous speed boosts for a short time. Drivers: Captain Toad
Mega Mushroom - The driver grows bigger, which allows them to squash other racers by running over them, making them lose their items and slow down for a moment. Drivers: Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Wiggler
Poison Mushroom - A stationary item. Looks like a regular mushroom but If one is run into, the victim shrinks, as if hit by a Lightning. Shrunken racers who run into it revert to normal size. Drivers: Kamek * ngl, i didn't really know who to give this item to
Mushroom Cannon - A cannon designed to resemble a Mushroom. Continually shoots out Mushrooms in front of your kart for a set time. Drivers: Monty Mole, Peachette, Toadsworth
Triple Green Shells - Three green shells that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks. Drivers: Koopa Troopa, Dry Bones, Lakitu, Koopa (Freerunning)
Triple Red Shells - Three red shells that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks. Drivers: Paratroopa, Dry Bones, Lakitu, Koopa (Freerunning)
Bowser's Shell - An awe-inspiring giant shell! As it careens down the road, slamming and ramming into karts, it's the very image of Bowser himself. Drivers: Bowser, Bowser Jr., Dry Bowser
Triple Bananas - Three bananas that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks. Drivers: Donkey Kong Jr., Dixie Kong
Giant Banana - Not only does this big banana spin out karts that hit it, but after being struck it breaks into three regular-sized Bananas. Drivers: Donkey Kong
Banana Barrels - Arm your kart with two fully-loaded barrels of Bananas! Continually shoots out Bananas in front of or behind your kart for a set time. Drivers: Diddy Kong, Funky Kong
Thunder Cloud - A thundercloud hovers over the recipient and strikes it with lightning after 10 seconds. The user shrinks to a very small size for 10 seconds, driving more slowly. Before this happens, the user has higher speed and acceleration while not losing speed when driving off-road, and may pass the cloud to an opponent by bumping into them. Drivers: Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde * If there was absolutely no choice but to have the next Meta character, it'd be the Ghosts. Having one of the worst possible specials in the game should balance them out.
POW Block - The POW Block appears above the karts as a 2D image, warning players of its arrival, and causes any racer on the ground ahead of the user to spin out and drop their items. * Since wheelies are no longer a thing, it always spins out other racers unless they're in anti-gravity mode or during an in air trick Drivers: Mii, Don-chan
Super Leaf- Gives the player's kart a tail that can be used to deflect items, knock over opponents and collect coins. The tail will disappear after a moment or if the player is hurt. Drivers: Tanooki Mario
Lucky Seven - Surrounds the player with seven items that rotates around its kart. The player receives a Mushroom, Banana, Green Shell, Red Shell, Blooper, Bob-omb, and a Star. Drivers: King Boo, Pauline, Poochy, Nabbit, Chargin' Chuck, Pianta, Noki
Boomerang Flower - Can be thrown up to three times, hitting racers forward/backward and when it returns to its user after the first and second use. Driver: Boomerang Bro, Larry
Piranha Plant - Automatically chomps on obstacles and other racers, giving a short speed boost for each bite. Drivers: Petey Piranha
Double Bob-ombs - Two Bob-ombs will revolve around your kart. Throw them both at once. Drivers: Wario, Waluigi, Roy
Bob-omb Cannon - Continually shoots out Bob-ombs in front of your kart for a set time. Drivers: Shy Guy
Giga Bob-omb - After being thrown, it will explode after hitting a kart or bouncing 3 times. It has a larger blast radius than a standard Bob-omb. Drivers: King Bob-omb
Bubble - Briefly envelops your kart and protects you from damage for a set time. While in the bubble, you will get a speed boost and float in the air. Drivers: Baby Peach, Baby Daisy, Baby Rosalina, Lemmy
Dash Ring - Tosses out three rings in front of you along the track. Pass through them for a speed boost! Drivers: Rosalina, Luma, Ludwig, Honey Queen
Hammer - Throws multiple Hammers in an arc aimed at karts in front of yours. Drivers: Hammer Bro
Super Bell - A bell rings above the driver, knocking away nearby karts and items. The bell rings three consecutive times. Drivers: Cat Peach, Cat Toad
Capsule - Three colorful capsules surround your kart. They'll bounce at opponents when thrown. Drivers: Dr. Mario
Splat Bomb ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ - * Explodes after a short time when thrown or dropped, knocking and spraying ink on any kart in its blast radius and reduces their visibility. The racers hit also lose some of their traction while sprayed. Drivers: Inkling Girl, Inkling Boy
Magical Boomerang ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ - * Works like a Boomerang Flower that tracks closes kart infront of player like a Red Shell Drivers: Link
Magnet ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - * a powerful magnet that pulls opponents towards the player Source Drivers: Krunch
Nayru's Love ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - * will surround the racer's kart with a protective shield. Any items that hit this shield will be reflected back at the racer who used them. If a driver using Nayru's Love is attacked with an item such as a Lightning, the racer who used the Lightning item will take damage. Drivers: Zelda
Copy Ability ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - * steals Special item from any racer. If no racer has a special item on them, it'll randomly generate a random racer's Special Item. Drivers: Kirby
Dedede's Hammer ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - * driver using Dedede's Hammer, will swing it around for about 5 seconds. Any karts hit will be squashed, causing them to lose their item and speed momentarily. Drivers: King Dedede
Invincibility Shield ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - * become invulnerable to all damage for a short time. Drivers: Sonic, Tails
Bombs ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - * Think Double Bob-ombs, the original Triple Bananas and the Feather item. If used as a protective item, upon the explosion, the player will leap in the air, providing a small speed boost upon landing. Drivers: Samus
Geno Flash ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - * works like a Lightning but doesn't strink opponents. Drivers: Geno
~ Cups
161 Total Courses
Nitro Grand Prix Mushroom Cup》 Flower Cup》 Star Cup》 Special Cup 🔒
Retro Grand Prix 🔒 Mushroom 🍄 Courses : Shell Cup》Golden Dash Cup》Red Coin Cup》Blue Coin Cup》Banana Cup》Lucky Cat Cup》1-Up Cup》Gold Cup》
Flower 🌷 Courses: Leaf Cup》Turnip Cup》Freezie Cup》Metal Cup》 Lightning Cup》Rock Cup》POW Cup》Heart Cup》
Star ⭐️ Courses: Sun Cup》Moon Cup》Red Shell Cup》Thunder Cloud Cup》Wing Cup》Boomerang Cup》Coin Block Cup》Warp Cup》
Special 👑 Courses: Vanish Cup》Cherry Cup》Mega Cup》Tanooki Cup》? Block Cup》Spiny Cup》Shine Cup》Grand Cup》
World Grand Prix🔒 Lightning⚡️Courses: Egg Cup》Triforce Cup》Crossing Cup》Bell Cup》Propeller Cup》Fruit Cup》Feather Cup》Acorn Cup》Super Cup》World Cup》
Extra Grand Prix 🔒* Excellent idea to introduce courses from the Mario Kart GP series as well as new courses for DLC content
~ New Courses
Nitro Grand Prix: Mushroom Cup 🍄 1. New Mario Circuit 2. TBD 3. TBD 4. TBD
Nitro Grand Prix: Flower Cup 🌷 1. beach- or water-themed course 2. TBD 3. TBD 4. TBD
Nitro Grand Prix: Star Cup ⭐️ 1. ice- or snow-themed course 2. TBD 3. TBD 4. TBD
Nitro Grand Prix: Special Cup 👑 1. TBD 2. TBD 3. New Bowser's Castle 4. New Rainbow Road
~ Retro Courses
Mushroom 🍄 Courses Retro Grand Prix: Shell Cup 1. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Mario Kart Stadium 2. ᵈˢ Yoshi Falls 3. ᵍᶜⁿ Baby Park 4. ˢⁿᵉˢ Bowser Castle 1
Retro Grand Prix: Golden Dash Cup 1. ʷⁱⁱ Luigi Circuit 2. ᵍᵇᵃ Shy Guy Beach 3. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Sweet Sweet Canyon 4. ᵍᶜⁿ Dry Dry Desert
Retro Grand Prix: Red Coin Cup 1. ³ᵈˢ Toad Circuit 2. ⁿ⁶⁴ Moo Moo Farm 3. ᵍᵇᵃ Riverside Park 4. ʷⁱⁱ Toad's Factory
Retro Grand Prix: Blue Coin Cup 1. ⁿ⁶⁴ Luigi Raceway 2. ˢⁿᵉˢ Donut Plains 1 3. ᵈˢ Cheep Cheep Beach 4. ³ᵈˢ Shy Guy Bazaar
Retro Grand Prix: Banana Cup 1. ᵈˢ Figure-8 Circuit 2. ʷⁱⁱ Moo Moo Meadows 3. ³ᵈˢ Cheep Cheep Lagoon 4. ⁿ⁶⁴ Kalimari Desert
Retro Grand Prix: Lucky Cat Cup 1. ˢⁿᵉˢ Mario Circuit 1 2. ᵍᶜⁿ Peach Beach 3. ⁿ⁶⁴ Koopa Troopa Beach 4. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Thwomp Ruins
Retro Grand Prix: 1-Up Cup 1. ᵍᶜⁿ Luigi Circuit 2. ³ᵈˢ Daisy Hills 3. ˢⁿᵉˢ Ghost Valley 1 4. ᵍᵇᵃ Bowser Castle 1
Retro Grand Prix: Gold Cup 1. ᵍᵇᵃ Peach Circuit 2. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Water Park 3. ʷⁱⁱ Mushroom Gorge 4. ᵈˢ Luigi's Mansion
Flower 🌷 Courses Retro Grand Prix: Leaf Cup 1. ᵍᶜⁿ Mushroom Bridge 2. ᵍᵇᵃ Boo Lake 3. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Twisted Mansion 4. ³ᵈˢ Rock Rock Mountain
Retro Grand Prix: Turnip Cup 1. ᵍᵇᵃ Mario Circuit 2. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Toad Harbor 3. ⁿ⁶⁴ Choco Mountain 4. ˢⁿᵉˢ Bowser Castle 2
Retro Grand Prix: Freezie Cup 1. ᵈˢ Desert Hills 2. ᵍᶜⁿ Mario Circuit 3. ʷⁱⁱ DK Summit 4. ᵍᵇᵃ Bowser Castle 2
Retro Grand Prix: Metal Cup 1. ʷⁱⁱ Mario Circuit 2. ⁿ⁶⁴ Frappe Snowland 3. ᵍᶜⁿ Daisy Cruiser 4. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Shy Guy Falls
Retro Grand Prix: Lightning Cup 1. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Mario Circuit 2. ˢⁿᵉˢ Ghost Valley 2 3. ᵈˢ Waluigi Pinball 4. ʷⁱⁱ Wario's Gold Mine
Retro Grand Prix: Rock Cup 1. ˢⁿᵉˢ Choco Island 1 2. ᵈˢ Delfino Square 3. ³ᵈˢ Music Park 4. ⁿ⁶⁴ Mario Raceway
Retro Grand Prix: POW Cup 1. ³ᵈˢ Wuhu Loop 2. ʷⁱⁱ Coconut Mall 3. ᵍᵇᵃ Cheese Land 4. ᵈˢ Shroom Ridge
Retro Grand Prix: Heart Cup 1. ⁿ⁶⁴ Toad's Turnpike 2. ³ᵈˢ Mario Circuit 3. ˢⁿᵉˢ Donut Plains 2 4. ᵍᶜⁿ Waluigi Stadium
Star ⭐️ Courses Retro Grand Prix: Sun Cup 1. ᵍᵇᵃ Snow Land 2. ˢⁿᵉˢ Choco Island 2 3. ᵍᶜⁿ Yoshi Circuit 4. ⁿ⁶⁴ Bowser's Castle
Retro Grand Prix: Moon Cup 1. ⁿ⁶⁴ Wario Stadium 2. ʷⁱⁱ Koopa Cape 3. ᵍᵇᵃ Yoshi Desert 4. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Mount Wario
Retro Grand Prix: Red Shell Cup 1. ʷⁱⁱ Daisy Circuit 2. ᵍᵇᵃ Ribbon Road 3. ᵈˢ Mario Circuit 4. ᵍᶜⁿ DK Mountain
Retro Grand Prix: Thunder Cloud Cup 1. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Sunshine Airport 2. ⁿ⁶⁴ Sherbet Land 3. ˢⁿᵉˢ Vanilla Lake 1 4. ³ᵈˢ Maka Wuhu
Retro Grand Prix: Wing Cup 1. ᵈˢ DK Pass 2. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Dolphin Shoals 3. ³ᵈˢ Neo Bowser City 4. ʷⁱⁱ Grumble Volcano
Retro Grand Prix: Boomerang Cup 1. ᵍᶜⁿ Sherbet Land 2. ³ᵈˢ Wario Shipyard 3. ⁿ⁶⁴ Royal Raceway 4. ˢⁿᵉˢ Bowser Castle 3
Retro Grand Prix: Coin Block Cup 1. ˢⁿᵉˢ Koopa Beach 1 2. ᵈˢ Tick-Tock Clock 3. ʷⁱⁱ Maple Treeway 4. ᵍᵇᵃ Bowser Castle 3
Retro Grand Prix: Warp Cup 1. ³ᵈˢ Piranha Plant Slide 2. ᵍᶜⁿ Mushroom City 3. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Electrodrome 4. ᵈˢ Airship Fortress
Special 👑 Courses Retro Grand Prix: Vanish Cup 1. ˢⁿᵉˢ Donut Plains 3 2. ʷⁱⁱ Moonview Highway 3. ᵍᵇᵃ Bowser Castle 4 4. ᵍᶜⁿ Rainbow Road
Retro Grand Prix: Cherry Cup 1. ³ᵈˢ DK Jungle 2. ᵍᵇᵃ Broken Pier 3. ˢⁿᵉˢ Ghost Valley 3 4. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Rainbow Road
Retro Grand Prix: Mega Cup 1. ʷⁱⁱ Dry Dry Ruins 2. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Bone-Dry Dunes 3. ⁿ⁶⁴ Banshee Boardwalk 4. ˢⁿᵉˢ Vanilla Lake 2
Retro Grand Prix: Tanooki Cup 1. ᵍᶜⁿ Wario Colosseum 2. ³ᵈˢ Rosalina's Ice World 3. ʷⁱⁱ Bowser's Castle 4. ⁿ⁶⁴ Rainbow Road
Retro Grand Prix: ? Block Cup 1. ᵈˢ Wario Stadium 2. ˢⁿᵉˢ Koopa Beach 2 3. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Bowser's Castle 4. ᵍᵇᵃ Rainbow Road
Retro Grand Prix: Spiny Cup 1. ᵍᵇᵃ Lakeside Park 2. ᵍᶜⁿ Dino Dino Jungle 3. ᵈˢ Bowser Castle 4. ʷⁱⁱ Rainbow Road
Retro Grand Prix: Shine Cup 1. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Cloudtop Cruise 2. ⁿ⁶⁴ Yoshi Valley 3. ³ᵈˢ Bowser's Castle 4. ᵈˢ Rainbow Road
Retro Grand Prix: Grand Cup 1. ⁿ⁶⁴ D.K.'s Jungle Parkway 2. ᵈˢ Peach Gardens 3. ᵍᶜⁿ Bowser's Castle 4. ³ᵈˢ Rainbow Road
Lightning⚡️Courses 🔒 World Grand Prix: Egg Cup 1. ˢⁿᵉˢ Rainbow Road 2. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Berlin Byways 3. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Wild Woods 4. ˢʷᶦᵗᶜʰ Yoshi's Island
World Grand Prix: Triforce Cup 1. ˢⁿᵉˢ Mario Circuit 4 2. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Los Angeles Laps 3. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Piranha Plant Cove 4. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Hyrule Circuit
World Grand Prix: Crossing Cup 1. ᵍᵇᵃ Luigi Circuit 2. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Sydney Sprint 3. TBA 4. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Animal Crossing
World Grand Prix: Bell Cup 1. ᵍᵇᵃ Sky Garden 2. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Singapore Speedway 3. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Super Bell Subway 4. TBA
World Grand Prix: Propeller Cup 1. ˢⁿᵉˢ Mario Circuit 3 2. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Vancouver Velocity 3. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Ice Ice Outpost 4. ˢʷᶦᵗᶜʰ Sky-High Sundae
World Grand Prix: Fruit Cup 1. ᵍᵇᵃ Sunset Wilds 2. ᵗᵒᵘʳ New York Minute 3. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Bangkok Rush 4. TBA
World Grand Prix: Feather Cup 1. ˢⁿᵉˢ Mario Circuit 2 2. ᵗᵒᵘʳ London Loop 3. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Ninja Hideaway 4. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Mute City
World Grand Prix: Acorn Cup 1. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Paris Promenade 2. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Merry Mountain 3. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Dragon Driftway 4. TBA
World Grand Prix: Super Cup 1. ᵍᵇᵃ Cheep-Cheep Island 2. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Amsterdam Drift 3. TBA 4. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Big Blue
World Grand Prix: World Cup 1. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Tokyo Blur 2. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Excitebike Arena 3. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Athens Dash 4. TBA
~ Extra/DLC Courses
Extra Grand Prix: Mario Cup 1. ᵃᵍᵖ Mario Highway 2. ᵃᵍᵖ Mario Beach
Extra Grand Prix: Extra Mario Cup 🔒 1. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Splash Circuit 2. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Tropical Coast
Extra Grand Prix: DK Cup 1. ᵃᵍᵖ DK Jungle 2. ᵃᵍᵖ Bananan Ruins
Extra Grand Prix: Extra DK Cup 🔒 1. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Bananan Labyrinth 2. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ DK Jungle
Extra Grand Prix: Wario Cup 1. ᵃᵍᵖ Diamond City 2. ᵃᵍᵖ Snow Panic
Extra Grand Prix: Waluigi Cup 1. ᵃᵍᵖ² Stadium Arena 2. ᵃᵍᵖ² Waluigi Stadium
Extra Grand Prix: Pac-Man Cup 1. ᵃᵍᵖ Pac Mountain 2. ᵃᵍᵖ Pac Labyrinth
Extra Grand Prix: Extra Pac-Man Cup 🔒 1. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ PAC-MAN Stadium 2. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ NAMCO Circuit
Extra Grand Prix: Bowser Cup 1. ᵃᵍᵖ Bowser's Castle 2. ᵃᵍᵖ Castle Wall
Extra Grand Prix: Extra Bowser Cup 🔒 1. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Bowser's Factory 2. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Bowser's Castle
Extra Grand Prix: Rainbow Cup 🔒 1. ᵃᵍᵖ Rainbow Coaster 2. ᵃᵍᵖ Rainbow Downhill
Extra Grand Prix: Yoshi Cup 1. ᵃᵍᵖ² Yoshi Park 1 2. ᵃᵍᵖ² Yoshi Park 2
Extra Grand Prix: Toad Cup 1. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Peach Castle 2. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Kingdom Way
Extra Grand Prix: Don-chan Cup 🔒 1. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Bon Dance Street 2. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Omatsuri Circuit
Extra Grand Prix: Bowser Jr. Cup 1. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Aerial Road 2. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Sky Arena
Extra Grand Prix: Inklings Cup 1. Splatoon themed course * Splat Circuit 2. Splatoon themed course
Extra Grand Prix: Sonic ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ 🔒 1. Sonic themed course * Twinkle Circuit Source at 1:00 2. Sonic themed course * Green Hill Zone related course
Extra Grand Prix: King K. Rool ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ 🔒 1. King K. Rool/Donkey Kong Country related themed course 2. Diddy Kong Racing related themed course * Jungle Falls or Darkmoon Caverns Source 1 Source 2
Extra Grand Prix: Zelda ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ 🔒 1. Zelda themed course * Lost Woods 2. Zelda themed course
Extra Grand Prix: Kirby ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ 🔒 1. Kirby themed course * Fantasy Meadows (from Kirby Air Ride) Source 2. Kirby themed course * Meta Knight's Halberd or The Great Cave Offensive
Extra Grand Prix: Samus ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ 🔒 1. Metroid themed course 2. Metroid themed course
~ 6. Battle ~
In all games, the engine class of Battle Mode is fixed to 50cc. An exception is the Renegade Roundup mode where it is increased to 100cc.
~ Battle Modes
Balloon Battle》Team Balloon Battle》 Classic Balloon Battle》Team Classic Balloon Battle - Mini Bomb Karts return. Shine Thief》Team Shine Thief》 Bob-omb Blast》Team Bob-omb Blast Shine Runners Coin Runners (Coin Battle)》Team Coin Runners》 Renegade Roundup
Thunder Cloud Tag ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾* - Similar to Shine Thief but reverse. Think of it as Tag. A random player has a Thunder Cloud and must tag others to lose it from above their head. If the player holds the Thunder Cloud when the timer reaches zero, this process repeats until one player remains.
~ Courses
ˢⁿᵉˢ Battle Course 1 ˢⁿᵉˢ Battle Course 2 ˢⁿᵉˢ Battle Course 3 ˢⁿᵉˢ Battle Course 4 ⁿ⁶⁴ Big Donut ⁿ⁶⁴ Block Fort ⁿ⁶⁴ Double Deck ⁿ⁶⁴ Skyscraper ᵍᵇᵃ Battle Course 1 ᵍᵇᵃ Battle Course 2 ᵍᵇᵃ Battle Course 3 ᵍᵇᵃ Battle Course 4 ᵍᶜⁿ Cookie Land ᵍᶜⁿ Block City ᵍᶜⁿ Luigi's Mansion ᵍᶜⁿ Nintendo GameCube ᵍᶜⁿ Pipe Plaza ᵍᶜⁿ Tilt-a-Kart ᵈˢ Nintendo DS ᵈˢ Twilight House ᵈˢ Palm Shore ᵈˢ Tart Top ᵈˢ Block Fort ᵈˢ Pipe Plaza ʷⁱⁱ Block Plaza ʷⁱⁱ Delfino Pier ʷⁱⁱ Funky Stadium ʷⁱⁱ Chain Chomp Wheel ʷⁱⁱ Thwomp Desert ³ᵈˢ Honeybee Hive (Honeybee House) ³ᵈˢ Sherbet Rink ³ᵈˢ Wuhu Town ˢʷᶦᵗᶜʰ Battle Stadium ˢʷᶦᵗᶜʰ Sweet Sweet Kingdom ˢʷᶦᵗᶜʰ Dragon Palace ˢʷᶦᵗᶜʰ Lunar Colony ˢʷᶦᵗᶜʰ Urchin Underpass ᵗᵒᵘʳ New York Minute B ᵗᵒᵘʳ Paris Promenade B Icicle Pyramid or Smokey Castle ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source 1 Source 2
submitted by VernonKazama to u/VernonKazama [link] [comments]
Here is a detailed description of my wishlist for a Mario Kart 9 or 10/X (if Tour is considered the 9th installment) I don't expect everyone to like all my ideas. This is just a wishlist. I obviously would be happy with any Mario Kart Nintendo decides to put out but in a perfect world, this is what I would want for it to be the best Mario Kart imo. I hope you enjoy.
*= Thoughts, Personal opinions, New ideas for modes, mechanics, driver outfits, vehicles, items, options, etc
- with numbered annotation⁰= Explanations on certain features
~ 2. Mechanics ~
~ Single Player / Multiplayer 》1P》2P》3P》4P》
Grand Prix》Class Optimization》Driver(s) Select》Vehicle Parts》Circuits》Cup Select》 Class Optimization options: Engine: 50cc》100cc》150cc》Mirror》All¹》All Mirror¹》 Driver: Solo Dash》Double Dash》² Drift: Automatic》Manual》³ Items: Normal》No Items》 Camera: Normal》First Person》⁴
*¹ - All and All Mirror options are only available in Grand Prix. After a Circuit has been selected, It'll play each Cup in order of that specific Circuit.
*² - All race and battle modes will feature either a Solo Dash or the new Double Dash option similar to Mario Kart Double Dash for extra replayability and character combinations.
*³ - Even if not many people liked Automatic drifting, it was there for a reason for you to choose. Some liked it. Some didn't. It should be the player's choice.
*⁴ - Camera can also be changed freely during the race from the pause menu.
Time Trials》Driver(s) Select》Circuits》Cup Select》Course Select》 Race Solo》Race Against Ghost》View Ghost》Online Ghost》Upload Ghost Data》
• VS Race》Driver(s) Select》Vehicle Parts》Customized Race》Circuits》Cup Select》Course Select》 Customized Race options: Engine Class: 50cc》100cc》150cc》Mirror》 Driver: Solo Dash》Double Dash》 Drift: Automatic》Manual》 Teams: No Teams》Team Game》 Items: Normal》Frantic》No Items》No Items and Coins》Custom》 COM: Easy》Normal》Hard》Pro¹》 COM Vehicles (Solo)²: All Vehicles》Karts Only》Bikes Only》 COM Vehicles (Doubles)²: All Vehicles》ATVs Only》Buggys Only》 Courses: Choose》In Order》Random》 Race Count: 4》5³》8》12》16》32》64》All》 Laps: 1》2》3》4》5》⁴
*¹ - Added a Pro difficulty to make the CPU feel more of a challenge.
*² - Wanted to split the vehicle selections between Solo Dash and Double Dash drivers. Solo Dash drivers will now only select between Karts and Bikes and Double Dash drivers will only select between ATVs and new Buggy vehicles. *Buggys are essential similar to the designs of the Karts used in Mario Kart Double Dash. ATVs are now bigger in size to help fit the idea of 2 drivers on one vehicle.
*³ - The original Super Mario Kart had 5 courses per Cup so I brought that option back for custom races.
*⁴ - Wanted to make the option available for players. These courses will be excluded from Laps option and be set to default when selected: ⁿ⁶⁴ Wario Stadium, ⁿ⁶⁴ Rainbow Road, ᵍᶜⁿ Baby Park, ᵍᶜⁿ Wario Colosseum, ³ᵈˢ Wuhu Loop, ³ᵈˢ Maka Wuhu, ³ᵈˢ Rainbow Road, ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Mount Wario, and ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Big Blue.
Battle》Driver(s) Select》Vehicle Parts》Customized Battle》Course Select》 Customized Battle options: Driver: Solo Dash》Double Dash》 Drift: Automatic》Manual》 Teams: No Teams》Team Game》 Items: Normal》Frantic》Skilled》Custom》 Round Time: 1 Minute》2 Minutes》3 Minutes》4 Minutes》5 Minutes》 COM: Easy》Normal》Hard》Pro》 COM Vehicles (Solo Dash): All Vehicles》Karts Only》Bikes Only》 COM Vehicles (Double Dash): All Vehicles》ATVs Only》Buggys Only》 Courses: Choose》In Order》Random》 Round Count: 3 Rounds》5 Rounds》7 Rounds》¹
*¹ - I shortened the rounds. Anything past 7 rounds is too much imo but that's just me. Also being a little bias cuz I'm not a fan of battle mode.
~ Online Play 》1P》2P》
Worldwide: Grand Prix*》VS Race》Battle》
Regional: Grand Prix*》VS Race》Battle》
Friends》Create Room
Tournaments》Menu. Menu options: Create a Tournament: Icon》Name》Rules》Time Settings》Other》 *Rules options: Mode: 50cc》100cc》150cc》Mirror》Balloon》Classic Balloon¹》 Renegade Roundup》Bob-omb Blast》Shine Runners¹》Coin Runners》 Shine Thief》Thunder Cloud Tag¹》Random Battle》 Driver: Solo Dash》Double Dash》 Drift: Automatic》Manual》 Teams: No Teams》Team Game》 Items: Normal》No Items》No Items or Coins》Frantic》Skilled*²》Custom》 Round Time (Battle only): 1 Minute》2 Minutes》3 Minutes》4 Minutes》5 Minutes》 COM: No COM》Easy》Normal》Hard》Pro》 Vehicles (Solo Dash): All Vehicles》Karts Only》Bikes Only》 Vehicles (Double Dash): All Vehicles》ATVs Only》Buggys Only》 Camera: Normal》First Person》 Smart Steering: Smart Steering OK》No Smart Steering》 *Time Settings options: Frequency: Weekly》Daily》Fixed Period》 Start Day: Sunday》Monday》Tuesday》Wednesday》Thursday》Friday》Saturday》 Start Date: Dependent》 Start Time: Dependent》 End Day: Sunday》Monday》Tuesday》Wednesday》Thursday》Friday》Saturday》 End Date: Dependent》 End Time: Dependent》 Round Count: 4 Rounds》8 Rounds》16 Rounds》 Group Shuffling: Don't Shuffle》Every 4th Match》 *Other options: Player Rating: Any Rating》0-2999》3000-9999》10000-99999》 Public/Private: Open to Everyone》Code Required》
*¹ - Scroll down to Battle section for more info.
*² - Skilled Items for Battle mode only.
Search by Code Search by Type Active Tournaments
- A Report button will finally be added to report cheaters/hackers/etc.
- I'm thinking Solo Dash races will feature the usual 12 players (1st - 12th place) while Double Dash races features upto 16 players but 8 groups total (1st - 8th place).
- Worldwide and Regional Grand Prix will be 2-12 racers (or 4-16 in doubles mode) in a 4-race Cup from any randomly displayed Cups. Cups are then selected based on player voting.
- Create Room will now feature customized options such as Mode, Teams, Items, CPUs, and Vehicles similar to the Create a Tournament option.
- For online, I'd also like for a better ranking system to prevent casual players from racing against competitive players and vice versa.
My Replays. View saved replays from previous races or battles on and offline. * You can now save more than just 6 replays.
Online Replays*¹ View shared replays from others online
Spectate*²
*¹ - Should've already been added in the first place.
²* - View recent online races or battles replays. Earn coins by voting who'll be 1st. * Literally stole this idea from Smash.
~ Other Details
- The race start intro and race finishes to retro courses will have a remake version of their original transitions along with a rearranged verison of their original theme from that respective retro course. Example for better understanding. * Mario Kart GP courses will have the current game's race start and finish transitions.
- I somehow also want to incorporate a way that once the Retro Grand Prix is unlocked, the title screen will have remake versions of the original title screens from previous Mario Kart games similar to Mario Party Superstars. Example
- It would show different title screens at each start up similarly to how Mario Kart 8/Deluxe's title screens Example
- Sometimes the CPU seems to make decisions that only seem to target the player regardless of placement. I want a smarter CPU for harder difficulties that won't just use an item just to use. If a CPU is holding a shell, they should use it logically or defend themselves with it logically.
- I personally am fine with every other mechanic used in Mario Kart 8/Deluxe such as driving techniques used, amiibo settings, Stats, etc. Keep the same driving techniques even during Double Dash mode. I personally was not a fan of Mario Kart Double Dash's drift mechanic and would not want that function brought back.
~ Characters
68 Total Drivers (including DLC) 32 Total Alternate Drivers. 100 Total Individual Characters.
- Driver select screen, press R button to rotate between alternate drivers. Some drivers will have upto 9 different outfits to choose from.
- I wanted the original 8 to be the starting roster.
Mario》Metal Mario 🔒》Tanooki Mario 🔒》Fire Mario 🔒》Ice Mario 🔒》Dr. Mario 🔒》 - Mario (Classic) 🔒 - Mario (Builder) 🔒 - Mario (SNES) 🔒 - Mario (Sunshine) 🔒 - Mario (Tuxedo) 🔒 - Mario (N64)*🔒 - Metal Mario (Gold) 🔒
Luigi》Penguin Luigi 🔒》Fire Luigi 🔒》Gooigi*🔒》 - Luigi (Classic) 🔒 - Luigi (Golf) 🔒 - Luigi (Builder) 🔒
Peach》Pink Gold Peach 🔒》Cat Peach 🔒》Fire Peach*🔒》 - Peach (Wedding) 🔒
Yoshi - Light-blue Yoshi - Black Yoshi - Red Yoshi - Yellow Yoshi - White Yoshi - Purple Yoshi - Pink Yoshi - Orange Yoshi
Bowser》Dry Bowser 🔒》Meowser 🔒》 - Dry Bowser (Gold) 🔒
Donkey Kong Jr. - Donkey Kong Jr. (SNES) 🔒
Koopa Troopa》Koopa (Freerunning) 🔒》 - Red Koopa (Freerunning) - Blue Koopa (Freerunning) - Purple Koopa (Freerunning) - Gold Koopa (Freerunning) 🔒
Toad》Cat Toad 🔒》Captain Toad 🔒》 - Toad (Pit Crew) 🔒 - Toad (Builder) 🔒 - Toad (Astronaut) 🔒 - Toad (Blue)* - Toad (Yellow)* - Toad (Green)*
Donkey Kong 🔒
Wario 🔒 - Wario (Biker)*
Daisy 🔒
Birdo 🔒 - Birdo (Light Blue) - Birdo (Black) - Birdo (Red) - Birdo (Yellow) - Birdo (White) - Birdo (Purple) - Birdo (Green) - Birdo (Orange)
Baby Mario 🔒
Baby Luigi 🔒
Toadette 🔒》Peachette 🔒》 - Toadette (Explorer) 🔒 - Toadette (Builder) 🔒 - Toadette (Astronaut) 🔒
Paratroopa 🔒 - Green Paratroopa*
Diddy Kong 🔒
Bowser Jr. 🔒
Waluigi 🔒
Petey Piranha 🔒
King Boo 🔒 - King Boo (Luigi's Mansion)
Pac-Man 🔒
Ms. Pac-Man 🔒
Blinky 🔒》Pinky》Inky》Clyde*》
Dry Bones 🔒 - Dry Bones (Gold) 🔒
R.O.B. 🔒 - R.O.B. (Famicom)*
Shy Guy 🔒 - Light-blue Shy Guy - Black Shy Guy - Green Shy Guy - Yellow Shy Guy - White Shy Guy - Blue Shy Guy - Pink Shy Guy - Orange Shy Guy
Mametchi 🔒
Baby Peach 🔒
Baby Daisy 🔒
Rosalina 🔒
Funky Kong 🔒
Mii 🔒
Honey Queen 🔒
Wiggler 🔒
Lakitu 🔒
Don-chan 🔒
Baby Rosalina 🔒
Iggy 🔒》Roy》Lemmy》Larry》Wendy》Ludwig》Morton》
Link 🔒 - Link (Champion's Tunic)
Villager 🔒 - Villager (Female)
Isabelle 🔒 - Isabelle (Winter)*
Inkling Girl 🔒 - Inkling Girl (lime green) - Inkling Girl (magenta)
Inkling Boy 🔒 - Inkling Boy (purple) - Inkling Boy (teal)
Pauline 🔒
Hammer Bro 🔒》Boomerang Bro 🔒》Ice Bro 🔒》Fire Bro 🔒》
Monty Mole 🔒
Dixie Kong 🔒
Nabbit 🔒
King Bob-omb 🔒
Kamek 🔒
Chargin' Chuck 🔒
Poochy 🔒
~ Newcomers
Noki ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒 - Noki (Green) - Noki (Pink) - Noki (Yellow)
Pianta ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒 - Pianta (Pink) - Pianta (Yellow) - Pianta (Purple)
Professor E. Gadd ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒
Toadsworth ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒
Luma ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒 - Luma (Blue) - Luma (Pink) - Luma (Green) - Luma (Cyan) - Luma (Red) - Luma (Purple) - Luma (Black) - Luma (Orange)
~ DLC
Sonic the Hedgehog ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒
Miles "Tails" Prower ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒
King K. Rool ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒》Kaptain K. Rool*》
Krunch ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒 * Would be an excellent choice for a surprise DLC character to those familiar w/Diddy Kong Racing
Zelda ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒》Sheik*》
Kirby ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒
King Dedede ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒
Captain Falcon ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒
Samus ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒》Zero Suit*》
Geno ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ 🔒
- - there's plenty of room for more characters but I figured 100 was the perfect amount of characters, especially with the double dash feature with everyone potentially having a partner with no odd person out.
Available parts. The parts available are listed here in the order shown in the vehicle customization screen, with the following notation: ¹ = Changes color, depending on the character. ² = Changes color for the Koopalings. ³ = Changes color for Daisy, Baby Daisy, Rosalina, and Baby Rosalina. (DLC) = Part is only available as downloadable content.
- Personally, I would want a system that prevents everyone from choosing the best racer with the best vehicle parts. For example If Luigi is the best racer and his best vehicle is the standard kart with mushroom tires, and gold glider, obviously everyone will choose Toad and those exact parts to win races. I want everyone to choose their favorite racer and parts that make them comfortable to race in, and not just look at a list of the best racers and parts and just copy and paste that. I don't know how to fix this honestly but I'm sure someone could help with ideas to this to make everyone equal in a way on the track with their own individuality similar to what Mario Kart 7 did with their characters.
Standard Kart¹ 4-Wheel Cradle 8-Bit Pipe Frame¹ Apple Kart B Dasher Badwagon Barrel Train Biddybuggy (Buggybud)¹ Birthday Girl (Royal Ribbon)²/³ Blue Falcon Blue Seven Booster Seat (Baby Booster) Bruiser (Growlster) Brute Bull's-Eye Banzai Bulldog-W ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ Bumble V Cact-R Cact-X Cat Cruiser Cheep Charger Cheep Snorkel Circuit Special¹ Clanky Kart Classic Dragster (Nostalgia 1) Cloud 9 Crawly Kart Cucumber Dasher II Daytripper (Royal Racer) Dozer Dasher Dragonfly Dry Bomber Egg 1 Flame Flyer Gold Mantis Gold Pipe Frame Gold Standard (Gold Kart) Green Apple Kart Honeycoupe (Dragonetti) Hurricane Jet Cruiser Jetsetter (Aero Glider) Jumbo Jetter Kiddie Kart¹ Koopa Clown² Landship ² Light Dancer Light Tripper Mach 8 Mini Beast (Concerto) Mushmellow Offroader P-Wing Paintster Parade Kart Penguin Slider Pink Mushmellow Pipe Frame¹ Piranha Prowler Poltergust 4000 Power Flower Prancer Prop Kart Quickshaw ROB-BLS Rambi Rider Royale Shooting Star Sky Pop ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ Sneeker (Bounder)¹ Snow Skimmer Soda Jet Sports Coupe (Sports Coupé) Sprinter (B Dasher Mk. 2) Star Broom Steel Driver Streamliner Streetle Super 1 Super Blooper (Turbo Blooper) Surf Sailer Swift Talon Tanooki Kart Tea Coupe Tiny Titan (Rally Romper) Tiny Tug Tri-Speeder Wario Car Warship Wild Wing Wildlife Yellow Taxi Zucchini (Gherkin) Speed Star ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source Whirlwind Sport ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source Egg Mobile ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ * Was inspired by this image I found. Source Reminds me of the Egg Mobile with Monster tires White Cat ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source Dark Schnieder ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source Car¹ ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ * Source * the number in the center will be replaced by driver's logo Dragoon Kart ⁽ᵈˡᶜ * Source
~ Bikes (Solo Dash)
Standard Bike¹ Bit Bike (Nanobike) City Tripper¹ Flame Rider Hurricane Jet Bubble (Bubble Bike) Master Cycle Zero Mr. Scooty (Mr Scooty) Phantom Quacker ROB-LGS Shooting Star (Twinkle Star) Sugarscoot (Bon Bon)¹ The Duke Varmint Wario Bike Zip Zip (Rapide) Zipper Wheelie Bike ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source
Bullet Bike¹ Comet Dolphin Dasher Flame Runner (Bowser Bike)¹ Jet Bike Mach Bike¹ Magikruiser¹ Master Cycle Sneakster (Nitrocycle) Sport Bike¹ Yoshi Bike¹ Zinger Sting ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ * just an idea I had for a new bike based off of a beta imagine for Donkey Kong racing. Source * the number in the center will be replaced by driver's logo. Bike version of the Prop Kart
~ ATVs (Double Dash)
Standard ATV (Standard Quad)¹ Bone Rattler Inkstriker Spear (Torpedo)¹ Splat Buggy Teddy Buggy Tyrant Wild Wiggler Hovercraft¹ ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source
~ Buggys (Double Dash)
Standard Buggy ¹ Banisher Bolt Buggy Bullet Blaster Coach³ * Heart Coach/Bloom Coach from Mario Kart Double Dash DK Jumbo Fire Buggy¹ * Red Fire from Mario Kart Double Dash Goo-Goo Buggy¹ Koopa Dasher Koopa King Para-Wing Pipe Buggy¹ Piranha Pipes Turbo Birdo Turbo Yoshi Waluigi Racer
~ Tires
Standard (Normal) 8-Bit Standard Ancient Tires (Ancient Tyres) Azure Roller Bicycle Tires Blue Monster Blue Standard (Normal Blue) Button Capsule Crimson Slim Cushion Cyber Slick Drum Gold 8-Bit Standard Gold Tires (Gold Wheels) Heart Rings Hot Monster (Funky Monster) Iron Leaf Tires (Leaf Tyres) Metal Monster Mushroom Mushroom Off-Road Red Monster Retro Off-Road Roller Slick Slim Snorkel Tires Sponge Triforce Tires (Triforce Tyres) Wood (Wooden) Yoshi Tires
~ Gliders
Super Glider¹ 8-Bit Jumping Mario Beast Glider (Ghastly Glider) Bowser Kite Butterfly Sunset Cloud Glider Crimson Crane Droplet Glider Eggshell Glider Eggshell Glider Fare Flier Flower Glider Gold Glider Great Sail Hylian Kite MKTV Parafoil Oilpaper Umbrella Paper Glider Parachute Paraglider (Breath of the Wild) Paraglider (Parafoil) Peach Parasol³ Plane Glider Ribbon Swooper (Swoop) Waddle Wing Waluigi Wing Wario Wing Magic Carpet ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source Wizpig Glider ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Example at 00:31 Tails Flier ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source Knuckles Glider ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source Gunship ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source
~ 4. Items ~
× – Does not appear in Battle Mode.
~ Items found on the track
Item Box - Gives the player a random item. Items given are based on the player's distance from first place. * I would like for them to look either similar to how they looked in Mario Kart 64 or Mario Kart DS' design.
Coin - Gives the player a small boost and increase top speed when more are collected, up to a maximum of ten.
Rupee - The equivalent of a coin, used for Hyrule Circuit and Zelda related courses. They replace coins in the item roulette and in the track.
Bell - The equivalent of a coin, used for Animal Crossing. They replace coins in the item roulette and in the track.
Cash - The equivalent of a coin, used for Splatoon related courses. They replace coins in the item roulette and in the track.
Balloon ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - The equivalent of an Item Box, used for Diddy Kong Racing related course. Source
Item Box (Capsule) ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - The equivalent of an Item Box, used for Sonic related course. Source
Star Block ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - The equivalent of an Item Box, used for Kirby related course. Source
Banana ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - The equivalent of a coin, used for Donkey Kong Country / Diddy Kong Racing related courses. They replace coins in the item roulette and in the track. Source
Ring ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - The equivalent of a coin, used for Sonic related courses. They replace coins in the item roulette and in the track. Source
Food ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - The equivalent of a coin, used for Kirby related courses. They replace coins in the item roulette and in the track. Source
~ New Items
Coin Block ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ - * floats above player for a short time (10 seconds). Hop to collect upto 10 coins. Can only be obtained if player has 0 coins. Replacing the Coin Box item from Mario Kart Tour. Example
~ Returning Items
Banana Peel - When a kart hits a Banana Peel, it spins out. You can carry one behind your kart to protect yourself from a single attack. Can be thrown backward and forward.
Green Shell - Travels in a straight line and knocks over a kart it hits.
Red Shell - Red Shell Homes in on the closest kart in front of the player and knocks it over.
Feather - Causes the player to spin and leap in the air, providing a small speed boost upon landing, akin to a regular trick (characters will also perform a trick animation during the jump).
Mushroom - Provides the player's kart with a small speed boost.
Super Star - Provides the player invincibility from all terrain and items, and also giving a speed boost.
Boo - Unleashes Boo, who turns the player invisible for a brief time, making them impervious to enemy attacks, and steals an opponent's item. Cannot steal Special Items.
Coinˣ - Grants the player two extra coins and a micro boost.
Lightningˣ - Causes all opponents to drop their items, shrink, and drive slowly for a short time.
Fake Item - Looks just like an item box, but when you run into it, it knocks you over.
Bob-omb - Explodes after a short time when thrown or dropped, knocking over any kart in its blast radius.
Blooper - Sprays ink on all racers ahead and reduces their visibility. The racers hit also lose some of their traction while sprayed.
Bullet Billˣ - Transforms the player into a Bullet Bill, rocketing through the track with auto-pilot, and providing invincibility from all terrain and items.
Spiny Shellˣ - Targets the racer in first place, knocking over all other karts in its path.
Super Horn - Emits a radial shockwave hitting racers, as well as destroying all obstacles, including the Spiny Shell.
~ Special Items
Fireball (Red) - Three fireballs will revolve around your kart. They split up after they're thrown and go sliding ahead. These powerful pyrotechnics can take out multiple opponents at once. Drivers: Mario, Fire Mario
Fireball (Green) - Three fireballs will revolve around your kart. They split up after they're thrown and go sliding ahead. These powerful pyrotechnics can take out multiple opponents at once. Drivers: Luigi, Fire Luigi
Fire Flower - Allows the player to throw fireballs for a short time that cause other karts to spin out on impact. Drivers: Metal Mario, Fire Peach, Fire Bro
Ice Flower - Three balls of ice will revolve around your kart. Throw them all at once and they'll freeze any kart they hit, causing them to slide. Drivers: Ice Bro, Ice Mario, Penguin Luigi
Heart - This protective Heart revolves around your kart for a set amount of time, shielding you from attacks. Any item that hits the player becomes theirs to use. A cute and handy item. Drivers: Peach, Daisy, Villager, Wendy, Mametchi
Yoshi's Egg - This egg rolls down the road and home in on opponents. When they hit and break, they'll drop three more items. Drivers: Yoshi
Birdo's Egg - Homes in on the kart in front of you and crashes once it hits. Three more items will fly out when it breaks. Drivers: Birdo
Chain Chomp - This fearsome beast chases karts with reckless abandon, pulling the player behind it at breakneck speeds. Drivers: Baby Mario, Baby Luigi
Triple Mushrooms - Orbits the player's kart, providing them with three separate speed boosts. Drivers: Toad, Toadette
Golden Mushroom - Provides the player's kart with continuous speed boosts for a short time. Drivers: Captain Toad
Mega Mushroom - The driver grows bigger, which allows them to squash other racers by running over them, making them lose their items and slow down for a moment. Drivers: Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Wiggler
Poison Mushroom - A stationary item. Looks like a regular mushroom but If one is run into, the victim shrinks, as if hit by a Lightning. Shrunken racers who run into it revert to normal size. Drivers: Kamek * ngl, i didn't really know who to give this item to
Mushroom Cannon - A cannon designed to resemble a Mushroom. Continually shoots out Mushrooms in front of your kart for a set time. Drivers: Monty Mole, Peachette, Toadsworth
Triple Green Shells - Three green shells that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks. Drivers: Koopa Troopa, Dry Bones, Lakitu, Koopa (Freerunning)
Triple Red Shells - Three red shells that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks. Drivers: Paratroopa, Dry Bones, Lakitu, Koopa (Freerunning)
Bowser's Shell - An awe-inspiring giant shell! As it careens down the road, slamming and ramming into karts, it's the very image of Bowser himself. Drivers: Bowser, Bowser Jr., Dry Bowser
Triple Bananas - Three bananas that orbit the player's kart, protecting them from incoming attacks. Drivers: Donkey Kong Jr., Dixie Kong
Giant Banana - Not only does this big banana spin out karts that hit it, but after being struck it breaks into three regular-sized Bananas. Drivers: Donkey Kong
Banana Barrels - Arm your kart with two fully-loaded barrels of Bananas! Continually shoots out Bananas in front of or behind your kart for a set time. Drivers: Diddy Kong, Funky Kong
Thunder Cloud - A thundercloud hovers over the recipient and strikes it with lightning after 10 seconds. The user shrinks to a very small size for 10 seconds, driving more slowly. Before this happens, the user has higher speed and acceleration while not losing speed when driving off-road, and may pass the cloud to an opponent by bumping into them. Drivers: Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde * If there was absolutely no choice but to have the next Meta character, it'd be the Ghosts. Having one of the worst possible specials in the game should balance them out.
POW Block - The POW Block appears above the karts as a 2D image, warning players of its arrival, and causes any racer on the ground ahead of the user to spin out and drop their items. * Since wheelies are no longer a thing, it always spins out other racers unless they're in anti-gravity mode or during an in air trick Drivers: Mii, Don-chan
Super Leaf- Gives the player's kart a tail that can be used to deflect items, knock over opponents and collect coins. The tail will disappear after a moment or if the player is hurt. Drivers: Tanooki Mario
Lucky Seven - Surrounds the player with seven items that rotates around its kart. The player receives a Mushroom, Banana, Green Shell, Red Shell, Blooper, Bob-omb, and a Star. Drivers: King Boo, Pauline, Poochy, Nabbit, Chargin' Chuck, Pianta, Noki
Boomerang Flower - Can be thrown up to three times, hitting racers forward/backward and when it returns to its user after the first and second use. Driver: Boomerang Bro, Larry
Piranha Plant - Automatically chomps on obstacles and other racers, giving a short speed boost for each bite. Drivers: Petey Piranha
Double Bob-ombs - Two Bob-ombs will revolve around your kart. Throw them both at once. Drivers: Wario, Waluigi, Roy
Bob-omb Cannon - Continually shoots out Bob-ombs in front of your kart for a set time. Drivers: Shy Guy
Giga Bob-omb - After being thrown, it will explode after hitting a kart or bouncing 3 times. It has a larger blast radius than a standard Bob-omb. Drivers: King Bob-omb
Bubble - Briefly envelops your kart and protects you from damage for a set time. While in the bubble, you will get a speed boost and float in the air. Drivers: Baby Peach, Baby Daisy, Baby Rosalina, Lemmy
Dash Ring - Tosses out three rings in front of you along the track. Pass through them for a speed boost! Drivers: Rosalina, Luma, Ludwig, Honey Queen
Hammer - Throws multiple Hammers in an arc aimed at karts in front of yours. Drivers: Hammer Bro
Super Bell - A bell rings above the driver, knocking away nearby karts and items. The bell rings three consecutive times. Drivers: Cat Peach, Cat Toad
Capsule - Three colorful capsules surround your kart. They'll bounce at opponents when thrown. Drivers: Dr. Mario
Splat Bomb ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ - * Explodes after a short time when thrown or dropped, knocking and spraying ink on any kart in its blast radius and reduces their visibility. The racers hit also lose some of their traction while sprayed. Drivers: Inkling Girl, Inkling Boy
Magical Boomerang ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾ - * Works like a Boomerang Flower that tracks closes kart infront of player like a Red Shell Drivers: Link
Magnet ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - * a powerful magnet that pulls opponents towards the player Source Drivers: Krunch
Nayru's Love ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - * will surround the racer's kart with a protective shield. Any items that hit this shield will be reflected back at the racer who used them. If a driver using Nayru's Love is attacked with an item such as a Lightning, the racer who used the Lightning item will take damage. Drivers: Zelda
Copy Ability ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - * steals Special item from any racer. If no racer has a special item on them, it'll randomly generate a random racer's Special Item. Drivers: Kirby
Dedede's Hammer ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - * driver using Dedede's Hammer, will swing it around for about 5 seconds. Any karts hit will be squashed, causing them to lose their item and speed momentarily. Drivers: King Dedede
Invincibility Shield ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - * become invulnerable to all damage for a short time. Drivers: Sonic, Tails
Bombs ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - * Think Double Bob-ombs, the original Triple Bananas and the Feather item. If used as a protective item, upon the explosion, the player will leap in the air, providing a small speed boost upon landing. Drivers: Samus
Geno Flash ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ - * works like a Lightning but doesn't strink opponents. Drivers: Geno
- - R.O.B. and Professor E. Gadd have the ability to obtain any special item, excluding Fireball (Green), Birdo's Egg, Lucky Seven, Nayru's Love ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾, Copy Ability ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾, and Geno Flash ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾
~ Cups
161 Total Courses
Nitro Grand Prix Mushroom Cup》 Flower Cup》 Star Cup》 Special Cup 🔒
Retro Grand Prix 🔒 Mushroom 🍄 Courses : Shell Cup》Golden Dash Cup》Red Coin Cup》Blue Coin Cup》Banana Cup》Lucky Cat Cup》1-Up Cup》Gold Cup》
Flower 🌷 Courses: Leaf Cup》Turnip Cup》Freezie Cup》Metal Cup》 Lightning Cup》Rock Cup》POW Cup》Heart Cup》
Star ⭐️ Courses: Sun Cup》Moon Cup》Red Shell Cup》Thunder Cloud Cup》Wing Cup》Boomerang Cup》Coin Block Cup》Warp Cup》
Special 👑 Courses: Vanish Cup》Cherry Cup》Mega Cup》Tanooki Cup》? Block Cup》Spiny Cup》Shine Cup》Grand Cup》
World Grand Prix🔒 Lightning⚡️Courses: Egg Cup》Triforce Cup》Crossing Cup》Bell Cup》Propeller Cup》Fruit Cup》Feather Cup》Acorn Cup》Super Cup》World Cup》
Extra Grand Prix 🔒* Excellent idea to introduce courses from the Mario Kart GP series as well as new courses for DLC content
~ New Courses
Nitro Grand Prix: Mushroom Cup 🍄 1. New Mario Circuit 2. TBD 3. TBD 4. TBD
Nitro Grand Prix: Flower Cup 🌷 1. beach- or water-themed course 2. TBD 3. TBD 4. TBD
Nitro Grand Prix: Star Cup ⭐️ 1. ice- or snow-themed course 2. TBD 3. TBD 4. TBD
Nitro Grand Prix: Special Cup 👑 1. TBD 2. TBD 3. New Bowser's Castle 4. New Rainbow Road
~ Retro Courses
Mushroom 🍄 Courses Retro Grand Prix: Shell Cup 1. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Mario Kart Stadium 2. ᵈˢ Yoshi Falls 3. ᵍᶜⁿ Baby Park 4. ˢⁿᵉˢ Bowser Castle 1
Retro Grand Prix: Golden Dash Cup 1. ʷⁱⁱ Luigi Circuit 2. ᵍᵇᵃ Shy Guy Beach 3. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Sweet Sweet Canyon 4. ᵍᶜⁿ Dry Dry Desert
Retro Grand Prix: Red Coin Cup 1. ³ᵈˢ Toad Circuit 2. ⁿ⁶⁴ Moo Moo Farm 3. ᵍᵇᵃ Riverside Park 4. ʷⁱⁱ Toad's Factory
Retro Grand Prix: Blue Coin Cup 1. ⁿ⁶⁴ Luigi Raceway 2. ˢⁿᵉˢ Donut Plains 1 3. ᵈˢ Cheep Cheep Beach 4. ³ᵈˢ Shy Guy Bazaar
Retro Grand Prix: Banana Cup 1. ᵈˢ Figure-8 Circuit 2. ʷⁱⁱ Moo Moo Meadows 3. ³ᵈˢ Cheep Cheep Lagoon 4. ⁿ⁶⁴ Kalimari Desert
Retro Grand Prix: Lucky Cat Cup 1. ˢⁿᵉˢ Mario Circuit 1 2. ᵍᶜⁿ Peach Beach 3. ⁿ⁶⁴ Koopa Troopa Beach 4. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Thwomp Ruins
Retro Grand Prix: 1-Up Cup 1. ᵍᶜⁿ Luigi Circuit 2. ³ᵈˢ Daisy Hills 3. ˢⁿᵉˢ Ghost Valley 1 4. ᵍᵇᵃ Bowser Castle 1
Retro Grand Prix: Gold Cup 1. ᵍᵇᵃ Peach Circuit 2. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Water Park 3. ʷⁱⁱ Mushroom Gorge 4. ᵈˢ Luigi's Mansion
Flower 🌷 Courses Retro Grand Prix: Leaf Cup 1. ᵍᶜⁿ Mushroom Bridge 2. ᵍᵇᵃ Boo Lake 3. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Twisted Mansion 4. ³ᵈˢ Rock Rock Mountain
Retro Grand Prix: Turnip Cup 1. ᵍᵇᵃ Mario Circuit 2. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Toad Harbor 3. ⁿ⁶⁴ Choco Mountain 4. ˢⁿᵉˢ Bowser Castle 2
Retro Grand Prix: Freezie Cup 1. ᵈˢ Desert Hills 2. ᵍᶜⁿ Mario Circuit 3. ʷⁱⁱ DK Summit 4. ᵍᵇᵃ Bowser Castle 2
Retro Grand Prix: Metal Cup 1. ʷⁱⁱ Mario Circuit 2. ⁿ⁶⁴ Frappe Snowland 3. ᵍᶜⁿ Daisy Cruiser 4. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Shy Guy Falls
Retro Grand Prix: Lightning Cup 1. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Mario Circuit 2. ˢⁿᵉˢ Ghost Valley 2 3. ᵈˢ Waluigi Pinball 4. ʷⁱⁱ Wario's Gold Mine
Retro Grand Prix: Rock Cup 1. ˢⁿᵉˢ Choco Island 1 2. ᵈˢ Delfino Square 3. ³ᵈˢ Music Park 4. ⁿ⁶⁴ Mario Raceway
Retro Grand Prix: POW Cup 1. ³ᵈˢ Wuhu Loop 2. ʷⁱⁱ Coconut Mall 3. ᵍᵇᵃ Cheese Land 4. ᵈˢ Shroom Ridge
Retro Grand Prix: Heart Cup 1. ⁿ⁶⁴ Toad's Turnpike 2. ³ᵈˢ Mario Circuit 3. ˢⁿᵉˢ Donut Plains 2 4. ᵍᶜⁿ Waluigi Stadium
Star ⭐️ Courses Retro Grand Prix: Sun Cup 1. ᵍᵇᵃ Snow Land 2. ˢⁿᵉˢ Choco Island 2 3. ᵍᶜⁿ Yoshi Circuit 4. ⁿ⁶⁴ Bowser's Castle
Retro Grand Prix: Moon Cup 1. ⁿ⁶⁴ Wario Stadium 2. ʷⁱⁱ Koopa Cape 3. ᵍᵇᵃ Yoshi Desert 4. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Mount Wario
Retro Grand Prix: Red Shell Cup 1. ʷⁱⁱ Daisy Circuit 2. ᵍᵇᵃ Ribbon Road 3. ᵈˢ Mario Circuit 4. ᵍᶜⁿ DK Mountain
Retro Grand Prix: Thunder Cloud Cup 1. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Sunshine Airport 2. ⁿ⁶⁴ Sherbet Land 3. ˢⁿᵉˢ Vanilla Lake 1 4. ³ᵈˢ Maka Wuhu
Retro Grand Prix: Wing Cup 1. ᵈˢ DK Pass 2. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Dolphin Shoals 3. ³ᵈˢ Neo Bowser City 4. ʷⁱⁱ Grumble Volcano
Retro Grand Prix: Boomerang Cup 1. ᵍᶜⁿ Sherbet Land 2. ³ᵈˢ Wario Shipyard 3. ⁿ⁶⁴ Royal Raceway 4. ˢⁿᵉˢ Bowser Castle 3
Retro Grand Prix: Coin Block Cup 1. ˢⁿᵉˢ Koopa Beach 1 2. ᵈˢ Tick-Tock Clock 3. ʷⁱⁱ Maple Treeway 4. ᵍᵇᵃ Bowser Castle 3
Retro Grand Prix: Warp Cup 1. ³ᵈˢ Piranha Plant Slide 2. ᵍᶜⁿ Mushroom City 3. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Electrodrome 4. ᵈˢ Airship Fortress
Special 👑 Courses Retro Grand Prix: Vanish Cup 1. ˢⁿᵉˢ Donut Plains 3 2. ʷⁱⁱ Moonview Highway 3. ᵍᵇᵃ Bowser Castle 4 4. ᵍᶜⁿ Rainbow Road
Retro Grand Prix: Cherry Cup 1. ³ᵈˢ DK Jungle 2. ᵍᵇᵃ Broken Pier 3. ˢⁿᵉˢ Ghost Valley 3 4. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Rainbow Road
Retro Grand Prix: Mega Cup 1. ʷⁱⁱ Dry Dry Ruins 2. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Bone-Dry Dunes 3. ⁿ⁶⁴ Banshee Boardwalk 4. ˢⁿᵉˢ Vanilla Lake 2
Retro Grand Prix: Tanooki Cup 1. ᵍᶜⁿ Wario Colosseum 2. ³ᵈˢ Rosalina's Ice World 3. ʷⁱⁱ Bowser's Castle 4. ⁿ⁶⁴ Rainbow Road
Retro Grand Prix: ? Block Cup 1. ᵈˢ Wario Stadium 2. ˢⁿᵉˢ Koopa Beach 2 3. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Bowser's Castle 4. ᵍᵇᵃ Rainbow Road
Retro Grand Prix: Spiny Cup 1. ᵍᵇᵃ Lakeside Park 2. ᵍᶜⁿ Dino Dino Jungle 3. ᵈˢ Bowser Castle 4. ʷⁱⁱ Rainbow Road
Retro Grand Prix: Shine Cup 1. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Cloudtop Cruise 2. ⁿ⁶⁴ Yoshi Valley 3. ³ᵈˢ Bowser's Castle 4. ᵈˢ Rainbow Road
Retro Grand Prix: Grand Cup 1. ⁿ⁶⁴ D.K.'s Jungle Parkway 2. ᵈˢ Peach Gardens 3. ᵍᶜⁿ Bowser's Castle 4. ³ᵈˢ Rainbow Road
Lightning⚡️Courses 🔒 World Grand Prix: Egg Cup 1. ˢⁿᵉˢ Rainbow Road 2. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Berlin Byways 3. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Wild Woods 4. ˢʷᶦᵗᶜʰ Yoshi's Island
World Grand Prix: Triforce Cup 1. ˢⁿᵉˢ Mario Circuit 4 2. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Los Angeles Laps 3. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Piranha Plant Cove 4. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Hyrule Circuit
World Grand Prix: Crossing Cup 1. ᵍᵇᵃ Luigi Circuit 2. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Sydney Sprint 3. TBA 4. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Animal Crossing
World Grand Prix: Bell Cup 1. ᵍᵇᵃ Sky Garden 2. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Singapore Speedway 3. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Super Bell Subway 4. TBA
World Grand Prix: Propeller Cup 1. ˢⁿᵉˢ Mario Circuit 3 2. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Vancouver Velocity 3. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Ice Ice Outpost 4. ˢʷᶦᵗᶜʰ Sky-High Sundae
World Grand Prix: Fruit Cup 1. ᵍᵇᵃ Sunset Wilds 2. ᵗᵒᵘʳ New York Minute 3. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Bangkok Rush 4. TBA
World Grand Prix: Feather Cup 1. ˢⁿᵉˢ Mario Circuit 2 2. ᵗᵒᵘʳ London Loop 3. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Ninja Hideaway 4. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Mute City
World Grand Prix: Acorn Cup 1. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Paris Promenade 2. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Merry Mountain 3. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Dragon Driftway 4. TBA
World Grand Prix: Super Cup 1. ᵍᵇᵃ Cheep-Cheep Island 2. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Amsterdam Drift 3. TBA 4. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Big Blue
World Grand Prix: World Cup 1. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Tokyo Blur 2. ʷⁱⁱ ᵘ Excitebike Arena 3. ᵗᵒᵘʳ Athens Dash 4. TBA
~ Extra/DLC Courses
Extra Grand Prix: Mario Cup 1. ᵃᵍᵖ Mario Highway 2. ᵃᵍᵖ Mario Beach
Extra Grand Prix: Extra Mario Cup 🔒 1. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Splash Circuit 2. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Tropical Coast
Extra Grand Prix: DK Cup 1. ᵃᵍᵖ DK Jungle 2. ᵃᵍᵖ Bananan Ruins
Extra Grand Prix: Extra DK Cup 🔒 1. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Bananan Labyrinth 2. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ DK Jungle
Extra Grand Prix: Wario Cup 1. ᵃᵍᵖ Diamond City 2. ᵃᵍᵖ Snow Panic
Extra Grand Prix: Waluigi Cup 1. ᵃᵍᵖ² Stadium Arena 2. ᵃᵍᵖ² Waluigi Stadium
Extra Grand Prix: Pac-Man Cup 1. ᵃᵍᵖ Pac Mountain 2. ᵃᵍᵖ Pac Labyrinth
Extra Grand Prix: Extra Pac-Man Cup 🔒 1. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ PAC-MAN Stadium 2. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ NAMCO Circuit
Extra Grand Prix: Bowser Cup 1. ᵃᵍᵖ Bowser's Castle 2. ᵃᵍᵖ Castle Wall
Extra Grand Prix: Extra Bowser Cup 🔒 1. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Bowser's Factory 2. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Bowser's Castle
Extra Grand Prix: Rainbow Cup 🔒 1. ᵃᵍᵖ Rainbow Coaster 2. ᵃᵍᵖ Rainbow Downhill
Extra Grand Prix: Yoshi Cup 1. ᵃᵍᵖ² Yoshi Park 1 2. ᵃᵍᵖ² Yoshi Park 2
Extra Grand Prix: Toad Cup 1. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Peach Castle 2. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Kingdom Way
Extra Grand Prix: Don-chan Cup 🔒 1. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Bon Dance Street 2. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Omatsuri Circuit
Extra Grand Prix: Bowser Jr. Cup 1. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Aerial Road 2. ᵃᵍᵖᵈˣ Sky Arena
Extra Grand Prix: Inklings Cup 1. Splatoon themed course * Splat Circuit 2. Splatoon themed course
Extra Grand Prix: Sonic ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ 🔒 1. Sonic themed course * Twinkle Circuit Source at 1:00 2. Sonic themed course * Green Hill Zone related course
Extra Grand Prix: King K. Rool ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ 🔒 1. King K. Rool/Donkey Kong Country related themed course 2. Diddy Kong Racing related themed course * Jungle Falls or Darkmoon Caverns Source 1 Source 2
Extra Grand Prix: Zelda ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ 🔒 1. Zelda themed course * Lost Woods 2. Zelda themed course
Extra Grand Prix: Kirby ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ 🔒 1. Kirby themed course * Fantasy Meadows (from Kirby Air Ride) Source 2. Kirby themed course * Meta Knight's Halberd or The Great Cave Offensive
Extra Grand Prix: Samus ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ 🔒 1. Metroid themed course 2. Metroid themed course
~ 6. Battle ~
In all games, the engine class of Battle Mode is fixed to 50cc. An exception is the Renegade Roundup mode where it is increased to 100cc.
~ Battle Modes
Balloon Battle》Team Balloon Battle》 Classic Balloon Battle》Team Classic Balloon Battle - Mini Bomb Karts return. Shine Thief》Team Shine Thief》 Bob-omb Blast》Team Bob-omb Blast Shine Runners Coin Runners (Coin Battle)》Team Coin Runners》 Renegade Roundup
Thunder Cloud Tag ⁽ⁿᵉʷ⁾* - Similar to Shine Thief but reverse. Think of it as Tag. A random player has a Thunder Cloud and must tag others to lose it from above their head. If the player holds the Thunder Cloud when the timer reaches zero, this process repeats until one player remains.
~ Courses
ˢⁿᵉˢ Battle Course 1 ˢⁿᵉˢ Battle Course 2 ˢⁿᵉˢ Battle Course 3 ˢⁿᵉˢ Battle Course 4 ⁿ⁶⁴ Big Donut ⁿ⁶⁴ Block Fort ⁿ⁶⁴ Double Deck ⁿ⁶⁴ Skyscraper ᵍᵇᵃ Battle Course 1 ᵍᵇᵃ Battle Course 2 ᵍᵇᵃ Battle Course 3 ᵍᵇᵃ Battle Course 4 ᵍᶜⁿ Cookie Land ᵍᶜⁿ Block City ᵍᶜⁿ Luigi's Mansion ᵍᶜⁿ Nintendo GameCube ᵍᶜⁿ Pipe Plaza ᵍᶜⁿ Tilt-a-Kart ᵈˢ Nintendo DS ᵈˢ Twilight House ᵈˢ Palm Shore ᵈˢ Tart Top ᵈˢ Block Fort ᵈˢ Pipe Plaza ʷⁱⁱ Block Plaza ʷⁱⁱ Delfino Pier ʷⁱⁱ Funky Stadium ʷⁱⁱ Chain Chomp Wheel ʷⁱⁱ Thwomp Desert ³ᵈˢ Honeybee Hive (Honeybee House) ³ᵈˢ Sherbet Rink ³ᵈˢ Wuhu Town ˢʷᶦᵗᶜʰ Battle Stadium ˢʷᶦᵗᶜʰ Sweet Sweet Kingdom ˢʷᶦᵗᶜʰ Dragon Palace ˢʷᶦᵗᶜʰ Lunar Colony ˢʷᶦᵗᶜʰ Urchin Underpass ᵗᵒᵘʳ New York Minute B ᵗᵒᵘʳ Paris Promenade B Icicle Pyramid or Smokey Castle ⁽ᵈˡᶜ⁾ Source 1 Source 2
2023.05.28 16:55 Desperate-Car-Wife Cars, Trucks, Turbos... Oh My! Part 6
Desperate Car Wife: A Journey in the Making (part.6)
During those 10 years with the Mazda Protege, and since my hubby used it for work a lot after we had our son, he ended up buying a white '94 Nissan Maxima from the same friend that sold him the '72 Camaro back when we first met... It, of course, got the "JB Treatment"... but this time on a budget. This had a lot more horsepower than the Mazda! I actually enjoyed driving it too! Even though it didn't have the same rims or low profile tires or a 6 Disc-CD Changer... it did have some beats and I really liked the G-force when I stepped on it! I don't need a whole lot of hp to enjoy speed.. As I've said before, everything in moderation! I love love love watching others drive with crazy horsepower, but I don't think you'll ever see me drive anything over 300hp!
A couple years later, we would eventually sell the Maxima and got a '95 Dodge RAM 1500... We had this one for only a couple of years and then he eventually sold the RAM because he found a '93 Dodge Dakota Sport that needed to be brought back from the dead... This poor thing had been abandoned in a ditch and sat in a tow yard for 10 years! Needless to say, there were problems galore... literally almost lost a tire a half mile down the road from the tow yard we bought it from, just before I jumped on the freeway! Got the lug nuts tightened and back on the road... Headed straight to the nearest DMV for title and registration... Hour or so later, we walked out on 2 flat tires... Luckily we had a small jack in our other car, so he was able to pull the 2 flats off and drove to the nearest tire shop. 2 tires (balanced and mounted) later, we were back on the road again.. After a few days, we found some rusted out holes in the exhaust system and discovered that the catalytic converter had been removed.. So we got that fixed promptly. Replaced the spark plugs and wires, fixed the E-vap, practically replaced everything under the hood and then some... and still failed smog! Failed it 3 times to be exact! My hubby scratched his head and was mind boggled at the numbers from the failed tests.. Everything that had to do with the smog system was replaced with brand new parts, but it was still putting out high numbers for some reason!! So he googled his readings.... several forums like Cartalk /FBgroups/other auto forums outside of Reddit, and many many replies later, he was told that something had to be wrong with the exhaust system, either the wrong Cat or a hole in the welding... So #1 he found out that the catalytic converter model wasn't correct for the truck! We went back and got that fixed for free by the same place who installed it... #2 after they installed the Correct Cat, and failed to smog AGAIN, we found out there was a hole in the welding job from the NEW Cat!!! Dudes didn't believe my hubby at first, so he asked if he could show them with a mirror, and sure enough.. at the very top of the pipe connecting to the Cat, had a missed weld an inch long!!!
Not too long after that fiasco, maybe a couple of months... The driver's side door nearly fell off when I opened it, getting out! That was one heavy door too! Nearly pulled me out of my seat! PickNPull here we come!!!! Unfortunately, no luck there.. we checked out some from the smaller shops around town and got lucky that we found a red one (the truck was emerald green...). Now we just needed a DIY, cheapest, paint job was in store! He needed 6+ spray cans.... several trips to multiple stores and ordering online to get those dang cans of Emerald Green,, the door was done and looked fairly decent for a spray can job!
Then came the tires... Now I don't quite remember how he got this set, but what I do remember is they were way too big for this little truck! But he loved them and really wanted to make them work.. Still working on a budget, since we drained a lot into the entire exhaust system and everything SMOG related... he gets them on, they are so big and stick out like crazy and couldn't make normal turns without rubbing. I hated it!!! It was sooooooo embarrassing when they rubbed while pulling out of a tight parking lot! Everyone looked when it happened!!! Nothing to see here y'all!!!
He then went on and installed an Alpine stereo system with Pioneer sub (Slimbox) and speakers... He then got the idea to spray paint the hood flat black. It wasn't bad.. but it wasn't great by any means either... his words... not mine!
Needless to say, I found my first Dodge truck that I didn't like LOL. I had been spoiled with power windows and auto transmissions for quite some time by then and really hated the tires, the big shifting stick, how far 5th gear was for me, no power windows, no nothing! I complained about that truck till the day he finally sold it! He turned down multiple cash offers for several years, and then he finally broke when he needed to make room for another truck he wanted... Another truck that I would end up hating for only one reason LOL; it was a biggy in my book! But that's for another post!!
Part. 7 coming soon
submitted by Desperate-Car-Wife to DesperateCarWife [link] [comments]
During those 10 years with the Mazda Protege, and since my hubby used it for work a lot after we had our son, he ended up buying a white '94 Nissan Maxima from the same friend that sold him the '72 Camaro back when we first met... It, of course, got the "JB Treatment"... but this time on a budget. This had a lot more horsepower than the Mazda! I actually enjoyed driving it too! Even though it didn't have the same rims or low profile tires or a 6 Disc-CD Changer... it did have some beats and I really liked the G-force when I stepped on it! I don't need a whole lot of hp to enjoy speed.. As I've said before, everything in moderation! I love love love watching others drive with crazy horsepower, but I don't think you'll ever see me drive anything over 300hp!
A couple years later, we would eventually sell the Maxima and got a '95 Dodge RAM 1500... We had this one for only a couple of years and then he eventually sold the RAM because he found a '93 Dodge Dakota Sport that needed to be brought back from the dead... This poor thing had been abandoned in a ditch and sat in a tow yard for 10 years! Needless to say, there were problems galore... literally almost lost a tire a half mile down the road from the tow yard we bought it from, just before I jumped on the freeway! Got the lug nuts tightened and back on the road... Headed straight to the nearest DMV for title and registration... Hour or so later, we walked out on 2 flat tires... Luckily we had a small jack in our other car, so he was able to pull the 2 flats off and drove to the nearest tire shop. 2 tires (balanced and mounted) later, we were back on the road again.. After a few days, we found some rusted out holes in the exhaust system and discovered that the catalytic converter had been removed.. So we got that fixed promptly. Replaced the spark plugs and wires, fixed the E-vap, practically replaced everything under the hood and then some... and still failed smog! Failed it 3 times to be exact! My hubby scratched his head and was mind boggled at the numbers from the failed tests.. Everything that had to do with the smog system was replaced with brand new parts, but it was still putting out high numbers for some reason!! So he googled his readings.... several forums like Cartalk /FBgroups/other auto forums outside of Reddit, and many many replies later, he was told that something had to be wrong with the exhaust system, either the wrong Cat or a hole in the welding... So #1 he found out that the catalytic converter model wasn't correct for the truck! We went back and got that fixed for free by the same place who installed it... #2 after they installed the Correct Cat, and failed to smog AGAIN, we found out there was a hole in the welding job from the NEW Cat!!! Dudes didn't believe my hubby at first, so he asked if he could show them with a mirror, and sure enough.. at the very top of the pipe connecting to the Cat, had a missed weld an inch long!!!
Not too long after that fiasco, maybe a couple of months... The driver's side door nearly fell off when I opened it, getting out! That was one heavy door too! Nearly pulled me out of my seat! PickNPull here we come!!!! Unfortunately, no luck there.. we checked out some from the smaller shops around town and got lucky that we found a red one (the truck was emerald green...). Now we just needed a DIY, cheapest, paint job was in store! He needed 6+ spray cans.... several trips to multiple stores and ordering online to get those dang cans of Emerald Green,, the door was done and looked fairly decent for a spray can job!
Then came the tires... Now I don't quite remember how he got this set, but what I do remember is they were way too big for this little truck! But he loved them and really wanted to make them work.. Still working on a budget, since we drained a lot into the entire exhaust system and everything SMOG related... he gets them on, they are so big and stick out like crazy and couldn't make normal turns without rubbing. I hated it!!! It was sooooooo embarrassing when they rubbed while pulling out of a tight parking lot! Everyone looked when it happened!!! Nothing to see here y'all!!!
He then went on and installed an Alpine stereo system with Pioneer sub (Slimbox) and speakers... He then got the idea to spray paint the hood flat black. It wasn't bad.. but it wasn't great by any means either... his words... not mine!
Needless to say, I found my first Dodge truck that I didn't like LOL. I had been spoiled with power windows and auto transmissions for quite some time by then and really hated the tires, the big shifting stick, how far 5th gear was for me, no power windows, no nothing! I complained about that truck till the day he finally sold it! He turned down multiple cash offers for several years, and then he finally broke when he needed to make room for another truck he wanted... Another truck that I would end up hating for only one reason LOL; it was a biggy in my book! But that's for another post!!
Part. 7 coming soon
2023.05.28 15:52 xefrem [WTT/WTS] Send it Sunday! Platinum wedding band and engagement ring, SV650 motorcycle parts
Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/SKdL2Tw
Well, sometimes life doesn't go how you expect, so today I'm selling an engagement band and wedding ring on behalf of a friend, as well as some parts from my old motorcycle. The rings are brand new, never been worn. The motorcycle parts are spares that I purchased years ago and found while cleaning out the garage. They were purchased at the time for my 2000 Suzuki SV650, and although I bought them used, I never ended up using them on my bike.
submitted by xefrem to GunAccessoriesForSale [link] [comments]
Well, sometimes life doesn't go how you expect, so today I'm selling an engagement band and wedding ring on behalf of a friend, as well as some parts from my old motorcycle. The rings are brand new, never been worn. The motorcycle parts are spares that I purchased years ago and found while cleaning out the garage. They were purchased at the time for my 2000 Suzuki SV650, and although I bought them used, I never ended up using them on my bike.
The rings: full gallery and gemstone documentation
These are a custom platinum Celtic love knot engagement band and wedding ring with fine 1.11 carat diamond. They are gorgeous, the diamond is stunning, and I would strongly prefer to sell them as a set. Full documentation is shown in the gallery, and I can answer more questions, send additional pictures, or provide a PDF of the documentation for anyone serious. As a set, TV/SV of $2200 shipped OBO.The motorcycle parts: full gallery
Again, these were all purchased for a 2000 Suzuki SV650, but should work with any of the SV650 first gens. I'm setting the TV/SV as follows, all OBO: Front seat: $25 plus shipping Airbox: $15 plus shipping Rear swingarm tools: $25 shipped, or $15 if paired with something else Carburators: $150 shipped $180 OBO plus shipping for all the SV650 parts, or local meetup in the DFW areaTrades I'd be interested in:
For the ring, cash is king, but trades for quality lazers such as a mawl or peq will absolutely be entertained. I don't want to have to add any cash on my end, but if you need to add some on your end depending on salt, we can talk. For the motorcycle parts, I'd be interested in a cqd front sling mount, colt c marked full auto bolt carrier (I really only need the carrier, but would consider the full BCG if you really don't want to split), a good mil spec lower parts kit (preferably with a mil spec trigger guard, no trigger, A2 grip, and no buffer), or a geissele SSA-E, plus or minus cash/shipping costs as appropriate. For any cash received on my end, PPFF or Venmo are the preferred methods.NO CHATS, COMMENT HERE FIRST, PM'S WITH NO COMMENT HERE WILL BE IGNORED
Please no chats. That means no chats, don't send me a chat. My app doesn't support chats, so it will be ignored. Send me a private message instead. I have some stuff going on today and will try to respond as fast as possible, but there may be a slight delay depending on when you message me. Thanks for reading!2023.05.28 01:04 QuasiAutomotive My Mk7 GTI mod list
Current as of June 2023
The subject is a 2017 GTI SE DSG with roughly 35k miles, one owner (me). The goal is aesthetics and comfort with a little bit of performance. But I also like buying nice things and working on the car so sometimes that goes out the window. And yes, I realize that some of these aren't technically "mods" per-say but I assume to list everything anyway.
Feel free to reach out and ask me any questions about what/why/how or if you want pics and it's not already in my profile. I'll include links whenever possible.
submitted by QuasiAutomotive to u/QuasiAutomotive [link] [comments]
The subject is a 2017 GTI SE DSG with roughly 35k miles, one owner (me). The goal is aesthetics and comfort with a little bit of performance. But I also like buying nice things and working on the car so sometimes that goes out the window. And yes, I realize that some of these aren't technically "mods" per-say but I assume to list everything anyway.
Feel free to reach out and ask me any questions about what/why/how or if you want pics and it's not already in my profile. I'll include links whenever possible.
Performance/Exhaust/Air
- Unitronic Stage 2 ECU tune
- Unitronic Stage 2 DSG tune - I spoke with an engineer at Uni who recommended the Stage 2 tunes be paired together
- Unitronic Downpipe
- Clubsport S Muffler with Tactical Gray Cerakote tips
- Baun Peformance Midpipe with Vibrant Resonator - sound less like a tractor and more like a car
- Leyo Turbo Inlet Pipe
- S&B Cold Air Intake
- Turbosmart Kompact EM BOV VR1 Dual Port
- BFI Torque Arm Insert, Stage 1 because of this mess.
Suspension
- H&R 24mm rear sway bar
- MOOG end links
- H&R OE Sport springs
- Bilstein B8 struts and shocks
Wheels, Tires, and Brakes
- Neuspeed RSe12 18x8.5 wheels in Hyperblack paired with Michelin Pilot 4 S 235/40 summer tires
- Enkei TS-10 18x8 wheels in Storm Gray paired with Michelin Alpin PA4 225/40 winter tires
- VW OEM Pretoria 18x7.5 wheels in Gloss Black paired with Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 235/40 winter tires (a set I bought used and I'm still unsure what I'll do with them)
- DBA T2 Slotted Rotors, front and rear
- Hawk HPS 5.0 Brake Pads, front and rear
Interior
- Matte carbon fiber and perforated leather steering wheel
- Leyo 5th Year Anniversary DSG Paddles
- BFI GS2 Air Leather DSG shift knob in Red Centaurus with black anodized metal
- Euroverse Clark Plaid DSG shift boot
- Auto Dimming Homelink Rearview Mirror
- Discover Pro 8" Glass Infotainment Display with screen protector, Polar Night trim, and stereo button blackout stickers (both the display and trim can be found for much less on sites like AliExpress and eBay)
- Engine Start Stop Button Clear Protector
- Cup and card holder delete panels
- 12v USB C Socket Charger (I'm providing an Amazon link to the two-pack but I bought a single one on AliExpress)
- Euro Rear Headrests
- Euro Headlight Switch
- P3 V3 Digital Gauge
- Red light for both the Start/Stop and Mode Selection buttons
- Deleted the sun visor warning labels
- Deleted the overhead buttons I never used
Exterior
- OEM Euro Mk7.5 Rear Tail Lights
- Power Folding Mirrors ($180 on AliExpress)
- LED Sequential Mirror Turn Signals
- Legit Speed License Plate Bracket
- Hella Supertone Horns (OEMs ones broke)
- Gloss Black VW badges (eBay)
- Autobrahn Double Diamond Stitched Hood Bra (intended for lengthy road trips)
- Alltrack Skid Plate
- RokBlokz Mud Flaps (short length)
- Dutch Parts Co Front Splitter
- Dutch Parts Co Side Skirts
- ECS Gloss Black Hatch Spoiler Extension
- ECS Gloss Black Rear Diffuser (I painted the lower half matte black)
- Rear reflector deletes in gloss black (like the provided link but much cheaper on AliExpress)
- Third Brake Light Overlay
- Washer Fluid Funnel Cap
- OEM license plate bracket
- Deleted nearly all of the chrome trim
LEDs from deAutoLED
Future Plans/Experiments/Maybes
- EQT coilovers. Sitting in the garage waiting for me along with a pair of 034 Roll Camber Optimizers and all the hardware you could ever want. Might do a deadset subframe kit and new control arms... we'll see after I install the coilovers.
- BFI Stage 1 engine and transmission mounts. Also sitting in the garage waiting for me.
- Unitronic intercooler. Also also sitting in the garage waiting for me.
- Tint since I live in a state where I can get away with it now. 35% total all around.
- Gotta do brake fluid and the DSG service. I now have a garage and a level surface to do work.
- A Rennwagen rear diffuser. The adhesive on the Golf R side skirts failed in a heatwave so I uninstalled those. I'll be re-installing the OEM ones paired with Dutch Parts Co. side skirts and the Rennwagen diffuser will keep a similar aesthetic.
- I have a Engine Beautification Project in mind. I'm thinking a nice fastener kit and some nice battery terminal connectors. Maybe quick release ones. I'll also find nice oil and DSG filter housings. I can't decide between the Euro intake manifold cover or the updated one-piece engine/manifold cover (not the catch on fire one, a different one). I also found a guy who paints hood insulation so I'm thinking of getting that done in Clark plaid because I love silly ideas.
2023.05.27 23:09 kitbuny Last minute but I need a roof rack and such aaaaaaa
To make a long story short I need to find a Universal roof rack mount that will fit a 2015 Kia forte 5 hatch and ideally a cargo basket that can go inside it. I'm from nowhere, Utah here at the last minute and the last 5 auto parts stores I've been at haven't been able to help. I'm out in Harlem at Morningside but am currently in Patterson, NJ chasing the fabled auto zone website fairy for 5 different stores now that haven't had the parts I needed. Gonna pull over, flood my ears with Rob zombie for a few minutes and check this post in a min. And yes, I did search and look up things but I've been sent to several different locations since 1pm so yah. Help pls.
submitted by kitbuny to AskNYC [link] [comments]
2023.05.27 20:57 Ennis_Eegit Planterra house and life fruit
 | submitted by Ennis_Eegit to Terraria [link] [comments] |
2023.05.27 15:48 SchlesingerMindy323 [HIRING] 25 Jobs in KY Hiring Now!
2023.05.27 10:02 Lovely_Hippo78 F35 Internals/design
 | I've made a quite complex aircraft but due to unforeseen problems it will probably not make it to the workshop. I figured I'd share some fun facts and details so it can live on in some capacity. submitted by Lovely_Hippo78 to Stormworks [link] [comments] Red: control surfaces. Rocket fins- pitch/roll/yaw, small fins- leading edge flaps/lift modifiers. The high number is for low speed maneuvers. One notable feature of this plane is that it can fly at ~30m/s. It does this without falling by using the leading edge flaps to artificially increase the lift without creating a pitch effect. Orange: landing gear. Nosewheel (not pictured) located under pilot. Each wheel can be locked up/down and are monitored by the main computeMFD. The AP can auto raise them upon takeoff. Green: VTOL fans/power. Currently inoperative. Yaw fans double as forward thrust in CTOL. Proof of concepts have flown but the computer got gutted when u changed the engine control computer. Yellow: engine/thrust. Simple loop engine hooked up to 5 fans for thrust. This loop engine is quite small so I couldn't get the power or economy I initially planned, but sacrifices need to be made for size. Blue: fuel tank/MFD cameras. 3423L capacity, >1hr flight time at cruise. Despite the small fuel, this plane has a great endurance. Admittedly I would like more fuel but I don't see a good spot for it and who flies their plane for more than an hour anways. Giant holes in the fuselage: Weapon bays. Capable of fitting 8 2x2x15 weapons internally. Very large considering the size of the vehicle and the single reason everything else is packed so tight. Purple: weapon points. Support for up to 8 weapons on the MFD, door mounted hard points are available and create a very cool launch sequence when used. Fun facts: - The central computers have 108 connection points total and make up the entire spine of the airframe. - There is a 9x5 display projecting to the 3x2 display in the cockpit effectively doubling the resolution of my mfd. - A medium generator is hiding under the engine that supplies enough power for the VTOL system under 100% load. - Leading edge flaps allow the plane to control its vector extremely well. This stops the plane from drifting when pulling hard like most planes do. It also allows me to effectively throw weapons out of the bays to avoid collision upon release. -the only part of this plane from the workshop is a HUD display that I had as a placeholder and never got around to replacing. Everything else was custom built by me for this vehicle specifically. - When my MFD is running it drops my fps from 85 down to 30. I blame it on poor optimization and the sheer amount of lua blocks (14 for one display). This is my main reason for retiring the project early. |