Just a short little fic in light of the recent April Fools announcement.
​
We got the call sometime 0330 or thereabouts and suited up. Me, a couple FNG’s, and a pair of Kansen Cruisers I hadn’t bothered to remember the names for. They were simply Four and Five to our little quintet. That was all they needed to hear and it was all I needed to know. Rule one of any Op with Kansen was not to get attached. They were expendable and not in the “worthless” sort of way. I mean, they could die and just be brought back. I believe “attritable” was the word used when I’d gone through Kansen coordination training.
Whatever the matter, they were there to do the dangerous things that might get a squishy human killed, even though that squishy human had half-inch of titanium along with ablatives on-top covering them. That might sound impressive but believe me, anything other than basic ballistics or fragments and you’d be ripped open like a tin can filled with tomato juice.
I’d seen that happen a couple times. Definitely not the worst way to go, but I’d rather not have Mom and Dad get “The Telegram”.
We loaded onto the cargo aircraft and flew out over the Atlantic. I used the suit’s feed to catch the first rays of dawn as the sun peaked above the clouds. Other than that, I read the briefing and slept.
SPACECOM had picked up a Siren fleet a hair before 0700 Zulu and decided it was big enough to grease with a pair of Peacekeepers. Eight and a half megatons later and what was left was in pieces, scattered across a few hundred nautical miles.
That’s where we come in. Now you might think, “Why not just use a few more Megatons? Who’s going to complain? A bunch of hippies who’d never seen a nuclear flash?”
Well to be fair that was a question I had when I first joined up. It seemed silly to send folks in on the ground, or rather, water as it were, when it was just as well that some fighter jock got a few notches in their belt.
Well, command likes their trinkets, so they send us in to root around and pick out anything interesting. Mostly it was just bringing back Siren Kansen bodies so we could extract their Wisdom Cubes, but it made little difference to me. A job was a job, and this was no exception.
This one was the same as them all. Get a look at what’s there, find anything useful. Kill anything that didn’t learn to stay dead and try to come back. Whether that was in one piece or several was up to one's own personal preference.
The Load Master called over our built-in comms, “Dropping in five mikes.”
“Copy.” I responded, and checked over the travel locks that kept the suit secure in the center of the bay.
I couldn’t get out, not in here at least. But the suit handled everything. You could piss, shit, eat, drink, and sleep, without so much as taking off a glove. Everything a soldier needed. Those first two might gross folks out. It certainly weighed on my mind when I joined, but these things were meant to be fully CBRN capable and for good reason.
The suits were for the Fulda Gap. A pair of valleys just west of the inner-Ironblood border that led right to the city of Frankfurt. Both a little over a hundred miles long and no more than a couple miles wide at their narrowest. Should the Balloon with the NPs go up, they predicted there would be somewhere on the order of 10-20 nuclear strikes within that vicinity every hour, not to mention the VX, Sarin, and other nasty business that would be waiting for you should you want to pull down your armored trousers and take a dump.
Of course, this was before the Sirens got here but it's how I ended up strapped into this small titanium coffin.
We wouldn’t be dealing with the C or the B, but we were probably going into a good bit of the R and N. Radiation, at least the Alpha and Beta kinds, which are the most common, are pretty easy to block. The problem is when little unstable particles, activated by the neutrons of fission or fusion reaction or the products of the aforementioned fission reaction, get in you. When that happens, there’s nothing to protect your precious DNA. Get it on your junk and you can kiss having kids goodbye. Get it there or anywhere else and in ten to fifteen years you’ll probably regret having lived that long.
As for the “N” we, and I mean the three of us humans, carried a few linear fusion weapons. Popguns by nuke standards but they could print the things out for a dime a dozen. No fission required, though the depleted uranium tamper they sometimes used would fission from the primary fusion reaction. No sir, these used a little trick involving a series of flier plates, some high-energy high-explosive, and about ten grams of lithium deuteride. In our case we were carrying enhanced radiation weapons, or as the news stories would call it, “neutron bombs.”
It traded the DU tamper for one just made of lead, trading explosive yield for neutron radiation. Explosives, as it turned out, were actually quite bad at destroying hardened targets and what was a nuke but a very large explosive? The neutrons on the other hand were nasty little bastards. They go right through most armor and activate the atoms within your body which then start giving off all sorts of radiation. Useful when trying to cook a Siren Kansen.
If you didn’t die bleeding out both ends anywhere between a few minutes to a couple days later, you’d probably die in a similar way to exposure of one’s gonads. About ten years later and in excruciating pain. That was one of the worse ways to go and I reserved a bullet for the possibility of that happening.
It was why you always checked spacing when popping off atomics.
I finished the last of my checks and sounded off, “One ready!”
“Two ready!” Two said.
“Three ready!” Three said.
“Four.” The meeker voice of one of our Kansen said.
“Five.” The other said, a slight bit of authority in their voice.
“Alright, on the bounce!” I ordered.
The cargo door opened and we fell out into the abyss of the dawn sky.

Of course, chatGPT is not reliable, the judgment of medical professionals should prevail. But maybe chatGPT can consult its huge database and help me explain such an important and convoluted topic. I hope it enlightens you a bit.
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Me: Can a chronic deficiency of the amino acid carnitine cause the following symptoms? - Little muscle tone or mass. - Less bone mass. - Less force. - Fatigue, weakness, dizziness.
Yes, a chronic deficiency of the amino acid carnitine can cause the symptoms you described, including little muscle tone or mass, less bone mass, less force, fatigue, weakness, and dizziness. Carnitine is essential for transporting fatty acids into the mitochondria, where they are burned for energy. When the body does not have enough carnitine, it can lead to a buildup of fatty acids in the muscles, which can impair muscle function and cause fatigue and weakness. In addition, carnitine deficiency can also affect bone metabolism, leading to reduced bone mass. Overall, a chronic deficiency of carnitine can have significant impacts on overall health and wellbeing. If you are experiencing these symptoms, it is essential to speak with a healthcare professional to get an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
Me: Is carnitine deficiency common among people with thalassemia minor?
Carnitine deficiency is relatively common in people with thalassemia minor, a genetic blood disorder that affects the production of hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen in the blood. People with thalassemia minor may have an increased risk of developing a deficiency of carnitine, which can lead to muscle weakness, fatigue, and other symptoms. This is because the increased destruction of red blood cells in thalassemia can cause a loss of carnitine, which is primarily stored in the red blood cells. Furthermore, people with thalassemia may have a reduced ability to absorb carnitine from food, further increasing the risk of deficiency.
Supplementation with carnitine may be necessary for some people with thalassemia minor to maintain adequate levels and prevent symptoms associated with deficiency. However, the decision to supplement with carnitine should be made in consultation with a healthcare provider who can assess individual needs and monitor for potential side effects or interactions with other medications.
Me: What scientific studies have shown that those affected by thalassemia minor tend to have a lower level of carnitine, and in what percentage approximately?
Several studies have reported lower levels of carnitine in people with thalassemia minor compared to healthy individuals. The degree of deficiency varies widely among different studies and populations. Here are some examples:

• A study published in the Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology in 2002 measured carnitine levels in 20 children with thalassemia minor and 20 healthy controls. The study found that the mean level of free carnitine was significantly lower in the thalassemia group than in the control group (22.2 vs. 36.9 μmol/L, p<0.001).
• Another study published in the Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism in 2011 measured carnitine levels in 46 children with thalassemia minor and 46 healthy controls. The study found that the mean level of total carnitine was significantly lower in the thalassemia group than in the control group (32.1 vs. 44.7 μmol/L, p<0.001).
• A study published in the Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease in 2013 measured carnitine levels in 32 adults with thalassemia minor and 32 healthy controls. The study found that the mean level of free carnitine was significantly lower in the thalassemia group than in the control group (35.7 vs. 45.6 μmol/L, p<0.05).

The exact percentage of people with thalassemia minor who have carnitine deficiency varies depending on the study and population. However, some studies have reported that up to 50-60% of people with thalassemia minor may have low carnitine levels. It is important to note that these findings may not apply to all individuals with thalassemia minor, and further research is needed to better understand the prevalence and clinical significance of carnitine deficiency in this population.
Me: What could cause thalassemics to have a lower level of carnitine? List possible reasons.
There are several possible reasons why people with thalassemia minor may have a lower level of carnitine. Here are some examples:

1. Increased red blood cell destruction: Thalassemia minor is characterized by the production of fewer and smaller red blood cells than normal. This can result in an increased destruction of red blood cells, which are a major source of carnitine. Therefore, people with thalassemia minor may have a lower level of carnitine due to the increased destruction of red blood cells.
2. Reduced dietary intake: Carnitine is primarily obtained from the diet, particularly from meat and dairy products. People with thalassemia minor may have reduced dietary intake of carnitine due to dietary restrictions or preferences.
3. Malabsorption: Thalassemia minor may also be associated with malabsorption of nutrients, including carnitine, due to chronic inflammation and gastrointestinal problems.
4. Increased renal loss: Carnitine is mainly excreted by the kidneys, and people with thalassemia minor may have increased renal loss of carnitine due to chronic kidney damage or other related conditions.
5. Genetic factors: Some studies have suggested that genetic factors may contribute to carnitine deficiency in people with thalassemia minor.

It is important to note that the exact causes of carnitine deficiency in people with thalassemia minor are not fully understood, and additional research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon.

Mirrors.
Our greatest fear.
There are no more anthropological demons.
Dark, predatory eyes no longer linger in the deep dark.
Winter doesn’t bring the paralyzing promise of starvation.
A needle, some gauze, and a little liquid removed terms like “blood fever” and "the sickness took him" from the lexicon.
The central nervous system is no longer powered by the night's terror and growls and disease and famine and war; it’s run on existential dread.
We bray, preach, beseech, and all scream, "apathy is the enemy!"
Why?
Because we felt ourselves jade, felt the soft lines of our hearts crystallize with cynicism.
And we want to save our children from the same fate we know, deep down, to be utterly inevitable.
You can't stop what's coming.
We, laughably, reasonably, and inescapably, are afraid of what we see in the mirror.
I am.
You might not want to come to terms with it, but you are, too.
Repulsed. Angry. Disappointed. Whatever.
Save me the thesaurus and just get down to the nitty gritty.
We’re afraid.
And we know that apathy spreads so easily, like a germ in an elementary school lunch room.
But let me tell you.
Don’t knock apathy.
Sometimes apathy keeps you from running that extra step and catching the leading bullet right in the temple.
Sometimes apathy is the time out from the moral puzzles that plague us.
Sometimes apathy is as close to Jesus as you get.
This is the story of how apathy saved my life.
At least, that's how you might see it.
I don't.
I’m not sure you would call of it much of a life.
Sure, I had a heartbeat, a pulse, and was one more clockwork orange spewing carbon dioxide out and stealing my share of the oxygen.
But that was about it.
I was trapped in the paradox of wanting to die fervently and being absolutely petrified of taking my life.
The mind; what a flawless design.
I don’t really want to bore you with my sob story.
Dead brother, health problems, no future.
If you are the sum of all your parts, if everything is shitty, aren’t you just shit?
I hadn’t left my apartment in weeks.
I decided to walk to a local bagel and coffee shop.
I didn’t want either, but I had to leave behind the stale air of my little hamster cage.
The prisons we build for ourselves are made of choices and regrets, and I needed a fucking walk in the yard.
That’s when I saw him.
The Stranger.
Have you seen The Stranger?
Have you met him?
I should hope not.
He was sitting at one of the fading cast iron café tables outside, the sort where the aqua green is slowly giving away to rust and the ugly underneath.
Like us, exposed for long enough, that mask just withers.
I stopped abruptly.
He looked uncomfortably out of place.
Everyone should have been gawking at him.
No one seemed to notice him.
Black cowboy boots with red roosters adorning the sides.
Black slacks, white dress shirt, black tie, black gloves.
Black beard and black hair under wide-brimmed black hat.
I almost snickered until our gazes locked.
Black eyes.
Pure obsidian.
Before I could utter a word, he was in front of me.
I never saw him move.
He held me by the throat, raised me up, his arm growing longer, and longer, and longer, until I felt myself growing dizzy from the thin air and the staggering blue of the sky and mist of the clouds and the scorch of the sun and –
And I woke up.
A blackened, dim room with a single dingy light bulb trying desperately to stave off the dark, like the rest of us.
It was cramped and there were five of us, including me.
In the middle of the room was a transparent glass square, an ominous cage illuminated by what little light was shed here in this dark little corner of the universe.
A single vial of impossibly red liquid lay next to a syringe inside.
I felt a stinging, deadened pain in my right arm.
Before any of us could utter any protestations, The Stranger was among us, speaking, words coming from every corner of the room, his dark visage and image disappearing and reappearing next to each of us, whispering echoes.
“Have you seen The Stranger?
Have you met him?
You have now.
All of you are worthless and undeserving of life.
So I have taken it…
…from four you.
You have all been injected with a poison.
My blood.
Have you seen The Stranger?
Have you met him?
In one hour, it will kill you.
You will rot from the inside.
You will vomit organs.
You will spew blood from your eyes.
You will shit out bones.
You are undone.
Have you seen The Stranger?
Have you met him?
You should have lived differently.
I weigh value.
I do not find you wanting.
I find you repulsive.
And that is so much the worse.
You live by my blood, you die my blood.
And you can live again by it.
Have you seen The Stranger?
Have you met him?
There is enough of my blood in there to save one of you from the blight in your veins.
Inject less than the whole and suffer the same fate as the rest.
Only one of you will live.
Have you seen The Stranger?
Have you met him?
You have now.
And you need his blood.”
And then he was gone, though the whispers lingered in the shadows, taunting and mocking.
I smelled piss.
It wasn’t mine but it was hard to miss that acrid scent.
I watched as my four fellow prisoners wailed incoherently, begged, screamed, impotently threatened.
Hands smashed against unbreakable glass.
I slunk to the floor, sliding out of the last reach of the light, dropping my head in my hands.
My right arm felt like dead weight, the gangrenous limb that would spell out my doom.
Every shift in my weight brought a wave of nauseating pain.
I’d finally found it. That horrible place where the Y and X axis of bullshit finally meet and cross over.
The place where you’re just too fucking tired to be afraid any longer.
I gave up.
Fuck this nightmare game.
The other four set about desperately trying to get into the box.
Quick introductions were made.
John, the pill popping firefighter.
Erin, the sex worker whose kids had been removed by the state.
Alexa, the borderline with cuts adorning her wrist.
Evan, the teacher with the ever-wandering eye. Maybe worse.
At least, that’s what I read between the lines of their half-truths.
They searched for links, argued, pushed, worked together.
They tried to think it out like this was a shitty Dan Brown novel or some 16th chapter of a gore porn horror series that should have had the decency to end.
I don’t know if they ever noticed me, or if they had simply forgotten about me.
I didn’t want to be a part of the world. This one or that one.
I sat in my little corner and waited for my Armageddon.
There wasn’t anything worth fighting for.
That’s when John made a mistake.
And so did I, I suppose.
He ambled over in the darkness, his vacuous machismo ridiculously parading for all to see, even at the end.
I felt myself lifted by my hoodie to my feet, having hardly been able to make him out in the dark.
“And what’s your deal, fa…”
I hit him with a direct jab in his windpipe with my left.
John had at least 50 pounds on me.
But I died a long time ago, killed off by a world of John’s.
And I never said I was a good man.
Far from it.
I had nothing to live for, but plenty to kill for.
John kept choking, hands intermittently clutching his throat and grasping at nothing, trying to find a breath that wasn’t there.
Do you let the half dead animal twitch to death in the street, or do you snap its neck in mercy?
You snap its neck in anger when it’s a piece of shit.
And it takes one to know one.
I screamed, sounding somewhere between a feral hog and a banshee, as adrenaline willed a dying arm to aid me in twisting his neck and putting him down for good.
At least there would be quiet.
I felt dizzy, woozy from the pain, and toppled over.
Somewhere in the deep dark, screams and shrieks.
“Fuck em,” I thought.
I had spent a life putting poison in my body, dooming myself, and I could feel The Stranger’s moving ever closer to my heart.
As the adrenaline wore off, I was beset with agony, the whole of my right side alight with pain.
Suddenly, silence.
“Look.”
Eric whispered and I saw what they were all staring at.
One of the walls of the square had begun to shatter.
In unison, the three begin frantically smashing the weakened glass wall to no avail.
John’s corpse lay inches from me.
I couldn’t tell if the piss was fresh from the kill, or if he’d been the one to wet himself from the get-go.
A chuckle left my lips.
I felt a bit of joy at either revelation.
And then he was there again.
Black hair, black wide brimmed hat, black eyes.
Have you seen The Stranger?
Have you met him?
Next to each of us, gone, reappearing.
Have you seen The Stranger?
Have you met him?
You have now.
“We…we have to kill each other to get into the box.”
Alexa whispered what we all knew.
“Ya think?” I muttered. “There’s only enough for one of us, anyway.”
Alexa ran her hand along the glass. “Maybe we could find a way to share it. Maybe we could…”
Evan began strangling her from behind.
Erica screamed, clawed, struck.
Nothing cleaved his desperation. She begged me to save her.
I wasn’t in the saving business.
Evan screamed like a boxer who finally TKO'd his better in the title bout. A bit much for a worm who’d snaked a girl half his size from behind.
There was a distinctive sound of glass slowly breaking.
The wall began to shatter even more.
Shards flew out, clunking along the hard, sightless floor.
Evan and Erica tried to smash through the square, sliced their fingers trying to reach through the small, oddly shaped holes where the glass had sprayed outward.
I dropped my head and my eyes back into my arms and knees and just waited.
Have you seen The Stranger?
Have you met him?
I could hear him, feel him, smell him, like sewage and lilacs and rotten milk and fresh cut grass, zipping around the room.
I heard the incoherent wails as Erica and Evan jostled and tumbled, a single ball of visceral flesh in the dim light.
Then there were no more words.
Just the sound of squishing and squelching.
Over and over and over.
I felt drops of wetness sprinkle over me.
Even in the pale of the tiny light, I could see Erica standing, like Carrie soaked in pig’s blood, a single thin shard of glass of held tightly in her left hand, slicing and drawing fresh blood to mix with the stew of the others’.
And he was there.
He was everywhere.
The Stranger gingerly ran a gloved black gloved hand across Erica’s cheek.
I felt him tussle my hair.
We heard his condescending laugh, his echoing whispers.
Have you seen The Stranger?
Have you met him?
“You have now.
And you need his blood.
Oh, you need his blood.”
And he was gone.
The glass square exploded, sending shards flying in every direction, slicing and dicing as they want.
Light exploded in the room, filling every corner.
Erica, dripping blood, slipping in the pools of it, tripping over bodies, picked up the vial and syringe.
She filled used the needle to fill the syringe with the furiously red liquid.
“We…could split it. I only killed him because I had to.”
I slowly lifted my head from my arms, still sitting in my little corner, my feet resting on John’s head and milky white eyes.
“Whatever you need to tell yourself. I didn’t. I don’t want to live. This is probably some fuckin’ bullshit lesson in fighting for your life, appreciating it. Take it. I’m good to go.”
Erica paused, looking at me, torn.
She was a good person. Probably.
I mustered a look of phony compassion and sincerity.
“Do it, please. Save yourself. Let me do one thing before I go.”
Truth is, I didn’t give a rat’s hairy ass about doing any good. I was just tired and wanted to clock out.
She stuck the syringe in her right arm and plunged, shooting the red into her veins.
“The end,” I thought, ready to get some fuckin’ peace.
Erica dropped dead instantly.
And there he was.
No zooming, no echoing whispers. Just a stride and a booming, decrepit voice.
The Stranger removed that wide brimmed black hat and knelt beside me, lifting my chin so my eyes could meet the darkness of his.
Have you seen The Stranger?
Have you met him?
“You have now.
And you need his blood.
…But that ain’t it.”
A grin broke out across his visage, his teeth now mangled and elongated and yellowed.
“Ain’t nothing in ya, nothin' wrong with ya.
Just stuck your arm hard with a knife some.
And that vial is poison, ya wretch.
Ya just need my blood to leave this place. To go from one Hell to another.”
I felt panic and bile rise up in me, jockeying for position.
“What the fucking fuckin?” I whined in a strained whisper.
“This ain’t no lesson. No fuckin’ morality tale. This is sadism and entertainment and punishment.
Ya wasted life, all of ya. You’re a horrible mirror and you make me want to puke. The reward for entertaining me a little is the exit it door. The reward for not…well…”
His mouth opened about a foot wide, a cavern of sharpened incisors, and blood and bile and blackness shot out, soaking me, drowning me, suffocating me.
And suddenly, I was sitting at the coffee and bagel shop.
What a horrible nightmare, I thought, until the dull pain in my right arm, barely tangible, snapped me back to the reality of it all.
And I heard a barely audible whisper.
Have you seen The Stranger?
Have you met him?
I looked at my hand.
There was a small red tattoo of a rooster and the word “John.”
I began to cry.

My crush happens to work at a well known retail store in the same area my job is at so sometimes after work I’ll shop there. First time I’ve ever seen her it was just the back of her head but her hair and her baggy jeans stood out to me.
Second time I needed help with something so she came to assist and that’s when it all went downhill. I unintentionally locked eyes with her and time felt like it stopped. I’ve never seen such a pretty face before and she looked so cool. I don’t know how it affected her but when I went back to the store a week later to do a return I caught her staring at me but she didn’t look away, she stood up straight and smiled at me. I don’t know how she recognized me because I usually wear a mask and I don’t remember what my own customers look like. I had to do my return with her and it was very awkward, I wanted to escape! I thought I was safe after that while looking through an aisle but then she walked by and she stared at me while passing through. Her eyes were on me until she was an inch away from the backroom door and she finally left.
A few months later I was shopping with my sister when I noticed someone who looked kinda like her in small huddle with other employees. After it was over she walked past me real close which was strange since the rest of the walkway was empty. As we were walking to self checkout I could tell that she was looking at me. While she was busy talking to another coworker I thought it was my chance to get a good look at her face but she then quickly turned to stare at me with her eyes wide. I realized too late that it was her so I looked away after giving the same expression. While I was scanning I felt her eyes on me, even more so when I had to turn right to bag an item and when I had to dig in my purse for my wallet. After I paid I turned to look back at her and she nervously looked away and went to do something else.
A month later I decided to give myself bangs and I stopped wearing a mask in most places (due to peer pressure, please I live in a small southern town where barely anyone wears one). I had only two goals to do while going inside this store, one to pee and the other to find a milk frother. The restroom is right next to the customer service desk and while I was walking towards it I noticed her staring at me from behind the desk. I stood still and stared back. I don’t even know how she recognized me without my mask on and a different haircut wtf. We were both frozen in place forgetting that she was assisting a customer who looked all confused and looked at me to see what she was staring at. I lifted my heels and that seemed to snap her back to reality and then I went on with my business.
When I left the restroom I could see her across from me through my peripheral vision, like she noticed me and lifted her head or something. When I was done shopping she was watching me walk to an empty self checkout register. After I paid and got my bag I turned around to face her. She was looking down, avoiding my eye contact and she said have a good day but I knew it was directed towards me. Due to me being a chicken I looked to the side, smiled, and mouthed thank you. As I was putting away my basket she was staring at me again! When I made it inside my car I could see her through the store doors and she looked like she was pondering with an upset expression.
A week later I just came out of the store and I thought I saw her in the parking lot but it was dark out so I couldn’t really tell but I think she was staring back at me. My dumbass decided to drive in front of the store after seeing her gather a bunch of carts and to my shitty luck it was her and of course she saw me drive by. I made a fool of myself by doing that! I’m never stepping foot in that store ever again! It sucks being a lesbian in a small town and having a staring game with some pretty stranger who I can’t even tell is gay who can’t even tell if I’m gay because we both appear to be femme. I don’t know what she thinks of me without a mask on but now she probably thinks I’m creepy even though she’s been pretty creepy too. I’m sorry for the five page essay. I hope you enjoyed my pathetic chance at a relationship.

Purely for discussion, not for single answer. How do you feel about this?
Context: I am 35 years old. And since PS1 days, we (my family) played our share of puzzle games.
I finish (usually platinum) a game a month. So I play alot. I have a calender of games to beat and markers to indicate progress... Etc. Lately I felt that games dont offer puzzle challege anymore, and i usually figuer it out within seconds of the explanation.
Most games solve the puzzle for you with vocal hints (see god of war, horizon) or puzzles are so easy you dont have to think (see resident evil remakes)...I certainly remember (before internet) the days we get stuck somehwere and ask around... Or try everyday hoping we solve the puzzle and move forward. Now, that doesnt happen anymore.
Were old games (90s, early 2000s) games easy but we were young that it was challenging for us at the time? Or were they truely hard?
I remember all family memebers gather around the 20 inch tv playing silent hill trying to solve the piano puzzle.
Today nothing is that hard anymore.
So, what do you think? Were games really dumbed down recently ? Or were they always like this?
P.S are there challenging puzzle games to consider for my age?
Thank you!

Keep wondering why all the bi-level snowskates I see have these mammoth top decks decks.

• Hovland's Five-oh (smallest they offer I think) is 9.5” x 35.5".
• Landyachts topo 35 (what I'm riding) is, wait for it, 35 x 9.5.
• Jones mountain is right up there with the rest.

So what gives? is it added leverage from an extra inch, inch and a half in width intended to give more control?
Is it since foot placement tends to get sloppy on decks covered in frozen water, you need to have a wide landing platform?
What about the length? Been skateboarding for a long time. Checked every deck I can remember having had at any given time, measured all the current ones and none were longer than 32"
Anyone tried a smaller top deck? Pretty sure I'm going for it. Just ordered the EVA. I'm not going down to my standard street size, just a half inch in width reduction and 32" inch in length.
Not doing shove-its or tre-flips, just carving the hills until I put my face in the snow. lather, rinse, repeat.

UPGRATED VERSION – Dual steamer and Iron. Produces a powerful and consistent steam. 2 in 1 for Flat hot and Hanging hot. Safer structure design to minimize leaking water. More sufficiently, and bursts strong hot steam swiftly, without water sputtering.
https://zafyn.com/collections/new-products/products/useful-portable-handheld-steam-iron
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https://reddit.com/link/128bo97/video/nu3x7wivnl261/player
QUICK & POWERFUL – Ceramic soleplate, heating up just 50s, prevents clothes from damaged. Powerful and stable steam to remove heavy wrinkle, odors and degerming.The steam is continuous and powerful, which can penetrate the clothes deeply and quickly.
SUITABLE FOR MOST FABRICS – One handheld fabric steamer to make shirts, suits, down clothes, night dress, wedding dress, pants crease free.
​
MULTIFUNCTION – Strong steam can be used in many ways-Cleaning dust. Pillow high temperature clean, sofa clean etc.
BEST EXPERIENCE – We also provide 100 ML Measuring Cup. Perfect for travel and home use.

HOW TO USE IT?

Directly hanging your clothes on the hanger, putting them flat on ironing board or even on the table. (you need to add the water in the tank(100ML) not more than the max line or it will leak or spoil when you ironing).
Secondly, adjust the temperature dial to the max, then the working light turned red. After the working light turned off, you can adjust the temperature to what you want, there has three settings, so them you can press the steamer button, and begin working.
Finally, just add water and turn on, waiting for 50 sec, you can start ironing your clothes.
​

SPECIFICATIONS:

​

• Weight: 1100g.
• Power: 1000W.
• Color: Purple / Blue.
• Size: 35 x 8 x 10 cm /(13.78*3.15*3.93 inches).

PACKAGE INCLUDE:

​

• 1 x Base.
• 1 x Metrology Cup.
• 1 x Plush Brush Combination.
• 1 x Portable Handheld Steam Iron.

https://zafyn.com/collections/new-products/products/useful-portable-handheld-steam-iron

Couldn't upload an image because of stupid automod.
Here's a recipe for banana bread so my post doesn't get deleted again:

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 medium (7" to 7-7/8" long) very ripe bananas, peeled (about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups mashed)
• 1/3 cup (76g) butter, unsalted or salted, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (not baking powder)
• 1 pinch salt
• 3/4 cup (150g) sugar (1/2 cup if you would like it less sweet, 1 cup if more sweet)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (205g) all-purpose flour

Method

1. Preheat the oven and prepare the pan:Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), and butter an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan.
2. Mash the bananas and add the butter:In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth. Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.
3. Mix in the remaining ingredients:Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour.
4. Bake the bread:Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes at 350°F (175°C), or until a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. A few dry crumbs are okay; streaks of wet batter are not. If the outside of the loaf is browned but the center is still wet, loosely tent the loaf with foil and continue baking until the loaf is fully baked.
5. Cool and serve:Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then remove the banana bread from the pan and let cool completely before serving. Slice and serve. (A bread knife helps to make slices that aren't crumbly.)Wrapped well, the banana bread will keep at room temperature for 4 days. For longer storage, refrigerate the loaf up to 5 days, or freeze it.

Willow, the Forest Florist

Hello, it's maGeDNA here! I'd like to introduce you to Willow, the Forest Florist. This champion went through many iterations before I got here as you may have noticed she is similar to Sequoia, The God-Willow's Woeful Caretaker, a champ I had made prior. I put a lot of thought into Willow's design, theme-wise and ability-wise. I want to thank u/theheraId u/renegadepony and u/FallenDemonX for their thoughtful opinions, guidance, and support. You guys keep inspiring me to pursue design!
Classes: Enchanter
Roles: Support
Region: Ionia, Omikayalan Forest
Species: God-Willow Sapling
Damage Type: Magic

Champion Appearance:

In her sapling form she is an elegant child, with a wood-nymph-esque body with bark-like skin wearing a green and gold summer dress. When she achieves her budding form she grows taller and the bud on her head becomes golden. When she blooms, she looks like a beautiful woman, wearing a green and gold dress with a large golden God-Willow Flower on her head.

Similar to this but with bark like skin and a large golden flower on her head.
Image for visualization (I don't own this image!):
https://images.app.goo.gl/rGgFSdE7YwvgAEze9

Champion Lore:

Willow’s life began once her mother was killed. The God-Willow of the Omikayalan Forest, known as the Heart of the World, was killed having been chopped down by a cruel man by the name of Ivern. In a last ditch effort the God-Willow, had bundled its life energy into 2 seeds. 1 seed was thrown towards the murderer in an effort to cleanse his evil so that he would not continue to harm the rest of the Forest. He had been chosen to be the Forest’s caretaker. The second Seed was cast high into the sky, dated to be carried by the wind who knows where. The God-Willow’s had hoped its child could have a different fate than herself. The child would be free to roam the world instead of being stuck to one place. A life outside the forest would be hard, but if the child survived, they would bloom into an immaculate God-Willow able to endure anything.

Months Later…

A tall, beautiful, lightly tanned woman wearing red and gold armor was laying down next to a slender, pale-skinned woman. The slender woman was wearing a simple black robe with turquoise and silver pattern. She was staring at the tanned woman while the tanned woman looked in awe towards the sunrise.
“How beautiful that the sun always rises…”, the tanned woman said.
“Lee…I don’t know what you see in the Sun…it just hurts my eyes…” the pale woman said in response, rubbing her eyes.
Leona turned her head to face the pale-skinned woman.
“Dee…you just don’t understand…”, Leona said, grabbing her hand and looking into her white eyes. Diana stared back intently at Leona’s glowing brown eyes, almost like she was finally seeing the beauty of the Sun.
“You don’t have the Solari’s eyes…you wouldn’t understand,” said Leona, her auburn hair tangling with Diana’s white hair. “You couldn’t. And you shouldn’t be looking at the sun anyways, you’ll hurt your eyes even more.”
“Meh. I don’t care about my eyes, Lee, you know I don’t. I just want to understand your obsession. I would understand if it was the moon. But the sun? Come on…at this rate you’ll be chosen to be the next aspect host…leaving me here alone on this mountain”, Diana said looking away, laying down on her back with her hands on the back of her head.
“Dee…I wouldn’t leave you even if I did become the host…I’d still remember you…”, Lee said, but Diana could hear Leona’s uncertainty in her voice.
“Yea right. The moment you become the host for the Solari, I’m offering my body to the Lunari in a heartbeat…I wouldn’t be able to live.”
Leona smiled, “You know…moonlight…moonlight is sunlight…these wars are stupid…let’s just enjoy our time together.” She laid down next to Diana and they sat in silence feeling the wind against their face for what seemed like hours.
Smack! Something fell on Diana’s face. She sat up and grabbed what felt like a rock in her hand. It was a seed.
Leona sat up. “What is it?”
“Here. You can have it. Looks like a seed of some sort…wake me up when the new moon rises”, Diana said going back to sleep.
Leona held the seed in her palm tightly vowing to keep her promise. She kept the seed in her pocket. She was the next host, she knew it. She just hoped she would remember Diana after the ritual…

Years Later…

The Aspect of the Sun, Leona was fighting a terrible battle involving the Lunari atop Mount Targon. She stared at the Pale-skinned woman dashing across the mountaintop slaying her brethren. Leona was about to support them in battle, about to stun this woman, when she winced from pain. The necklace she had made many years ago, with a large seed as the pendant, was burning her neck and chest.
Leona instinctively grabbed her necklace, She kept thinking about this Pale-skinned woman. Diana…was her name Diana, that didn’t seem right. She looked so familiar…her white hair…her white eyes. As if looking at the craters of a full moon. Leona’s head hurt as if she was fighting back another soul.
Something had clicked. She remembered. It was the host’s memories forcing its way up into Leona’s mind. Not now, not when the Solari were in danger. They needed Her help. Leona struggled to keep balance, she had fallen to the ground clenching the Seed with her hands. She released a burst of sunlight in pain, a solar flare burst forward blasting her armour and necklace off of her. She collapsed on the ground. But everyone on the battlefield didn’t look towards Leona, instead they looked at the glowing bright seed in the grassy terrain.
The seed had broken off from the necklace glowing with a golden light. It was pulsing so bright the warriors could not tell if it was day or night…
A crack. A green tree shoot had burst forward from the seed quickly. When the golden light had stopped pulsing, a child was standing in the seed’s location.
The child was smiling, and looked like a cross between a girl and a tree. She had skin that looked like tree bark but was wearing a elegant dress made of green leaves. She had a golden head where it looked like a golden flower could bloom.
“W-where am I? W-who am I? W-why am I here?”
Leona stood back up. But this was not the same Leona anymore. The host had won the battle against the Aspect.
Leona had returned back to her body.
Leona looked at the child. She thought she was beautiful. A miracle. For such a child to be born in the midst of war…this must be fate.
Leona turned to face the Solari, “we are retreating! Everyone stand down, now!” Leona said with as much bravery she could muster. The Solari acknowledged her and did just that, marching down the Mountain.
“Coward!!” Diana yelled, raising and shaking her Khopesh in anger.
Leona felt tears fall down her face. She turned to face Diana.
“Dee…you just don’t understand…” Diana spoke softly, looking into Diana’s white eyes, “ You couldn’t understand…”, Leona clenched her eyelids, tears continuing to fall, “and stop looking at me with those eyes…you’re just going to hurt me even more…”
Leona turned around, accepting her fate, her eyes still closed. She opened her eyes with resolve. She ran towards the Sapling Child and grabbed her into her arms ignoring all protests. But to her surprise the child just giggled. Leona kept running, as far away as she could from this stranger in Dee’s body.
She could hear the impostor-Diana’s screams of anger as she ran down Mount Targon.
She looked at the Sapling child and her wide smile.
Leona smiled back, the widest, happiest smile of her life.
“She really did offer herself after losing me…” she told the child, “she loved me…”
The child smiled back then laughed an innocent, pure laugh.
“What a will you have, child…to laugh in the middle of war…I think I have the perfect name for you…”

1 Decade Later…

Leona had become accustomed to a life away from battle and the Solari. She was a mother now and she had raised her Sapling-Child with love.
“Mom! Mom! Mom! Why won’t I grow!! Everyone else in school is taller than me!!” Said the sapling-child throwing her wooden sword to the ground.
“Willow…”, Leona said, picking up the wooden sword, “everyone grows differently in their own way, at their own speed. I grew tall, but Yordles grow small.”
“But! But! But! I’m not a Yordle! I don’t know what I am! My friends at school keep calling me Maokai and swors ‘cause I’m no different than that stupid wooden sword you're holding…”
Leona knew it was time to tell her. She kneeled down till she was eye-level with Willow, looking into Willow’s white eyes. Leona smiled.
“You are different from your friends. That’s all. Nothing more, nothing less, my child. They are fools for not accepting you for the bundle of joy you are. But you are right…you are not like them. In fact…”, Leona hesitated but pushed forward “you are even different from me. I am a Solari. And you…you are a miracle.”
“I-I’m different from you?” Willow said, confused.
Leona nodded, smiling.
“But you’re my mom.”
Leona nodded again, “I am, and I couldn’t be happier,” Leona kissed Willow on her head and hugged her. Sunlight and warmth filled the air and the golden part of Willow’s head began to change. She was budding. A golden bud had emerged on top of Willow’s head and began to glow a warm light similar to Leona’s eyes. Leona was amazed. She also confirmed her own theory of Willow’s origins.
“W-what’s happening!??”
“Relax child,” Leona smiled assuringly, “This is normal. I told you. Everyone grows differently, in their own way, at their own speed. Look,” Leona pointed at the mirror behind Willow.
The bud on Willow’s head was large and golden and sunlight was shining from within. The bud itself was half of Willow’s height.
“Whoaaa!! I’m so tall now!!” Willow touched the bud in her head with her hands, making sure it was real. Then she turned to her mother and hugged her.
“You were right mom! Everyone grows differently, in their own way, at their own speed! Even me!” She turned and faced the mirror once again. Leona met eyes with Willow in the mirror’s reflection.
“Mom! I’m gonna keep growing! Then I can protect you and even that white-haired woman you have a picture of! I’ll stop the wars between the Lunari and Solari! I promise! Just give me some time! I swear I’ll grow up to become strong! I’ll grow up fast! I promise.”
Leona began crying. “I know you will. You will become so strong…you already are. Just promise me you won’t grow up too fast…”
“Mmmm…okay…”
The mother and daughter hugged once more, filling the small home with warm sunlight, once more.

Base Stats:

• Health: 600 - 2050
• Health Regen: 6 - 16
• Mana: 350 - 1300
• Mana Regen: 11 - 22
• Armor: 29 - 112
• Magic Resistance: 30 - 52
• Attack Damage: 55 - 92
• Movement Speed: 330
• Range: 550
• Attack Speed: 0.625
• Attack Speed Bonus: 0 - 40%
• Attack Wind Up: 18%

Intended Strengths:

• Lane priority and zone control.
• Rewarding hard work and teamwork to heal, shield, and buff allies.

Intended Weaknesses:

• Kit relies heavily on bloomed brushes and Willow Fruit. She loses the majority of her utility when she cannot maintain her garden.
• Immobile.
• Willow’s damage is applied via allies. Almost 0 damage when she is by herself.

Intended Keystones:

• Guardian/ Summon Aery

Intended Core Items:

• Moonstone Renewe Shurelya’s blessing
• Vigilant wardstone

Passive: Willow’s Willing Will!

“Mmmm!! Willow-Fruit is so yummy!! More, more, more!!”

Willow starts the game in her Sapling form. Willow gains a stack of Growth whenever she consumes a Willow Fruit. Willow buds at 10 Growth Stacks and blooms at 20 Growth stacks. After achieving her blossomed form, Willow bears God-Willow Fruit every 10 Growth stacks thereafter, instantly consuming it to permanently increase her healing and shielding power.
Willow gains stacking permanent effects based on her achieved form:

Sapling Form:

Ghosted and gains 10/15/20/25% increased movement speed towards a visible brush within 700 units of Willow. 

Budded Form:

25/50/75/100% base mana regeneration and 25/50/75/100% base health regeneration. 

Blossomed Form:

5/10/15/20% healing and shielding power + 5% per God-Willow Fruit consumed. 

Effects scale depending on Willow’s level (1/6/11/16).
​

Basic Attack: Healing Touch!

“It’s okay…you’re just a seed right now. But don’t worry! I'll grow you into the beautiful flower I know you can be!”

Willow can basic-attack her allies to make them bloom over 2 seconds healing 80-250 (based on level) (+50% AP) health during the duration but requires the consumption of 1 Willow Fruit to do so. Basic attacking an ally again during the bloom duration does not consume Willow Fruit but accelerates growth, instantly healing them for the remainder of the heal and granting them Willow’s Sapling Form’s bonus movement speed for 1 second.

Willow’s basic attacks after achieving Blossomed Form instantly bloom her allies, healing them for the heal amount on-hit.

Willow can basic-attack an ally ward to heal its health by 1.
Willow can basic-attack an ally totem ward or control ward to make it bud, creating a Budding Ward. The Budding Ward prepares to bloom over 4 seconds. Willow can basic-attack an ally Budding Ward after this duration to make it bloom, creating a Blossomed Ward. The Blossomed Ward prepares to bear 1 Willow Fruit over 4 seconds. The Willow Fruit lasts for 8 seconds on top of the Blossomed Ward. After this duration, the Willow Fruit perishes and the Blossomed Ward reverts back to a regular Totem/ Control Ward, refreshing its health and life span, but making it unable to bud for 4 seconds.
Willow can Basic-attack the Willow Fruit to collect it (maximum 3), instantly reverting the Blossomed ward back to a regular Totem/ Control Ward, refreshing its health and life span, but making it unable to bud for 4 seconds.

Budding or blossoming a ward costs 5% of Willow’s current health. Consuming a Willow Fruit heals Willow for 10% maximum health.
Budding wards have reduced sight radius and Blossomed wards have increased sight radius*. If the blossomed ward is within a brush, the brush changes to a* Blossomed Brush while the ward is Blossomed.
When a Budding or Blossomed Ward reaches 0 health it is destroyed; Willow Fruit perishes instantly and cannot be collected.
​

Skill 1Q: Blossom Seed!/ Bloom Doom!

“Hey!! This garden is private property!! Out, out, out!!”
Passive:

Willow periodically stocks Blossom Seeds, up to a maximum of 3.

Active:

Willow places a Blossom Seed at the target location, which upon landing arms over 1 second, becomes stealthed and lasts for up to 60 Seconds.

Blossom Traps have 4 health and take 1 damage from ranged basic attacks and 2 from melee basic attacks.

Range: 300 Recharge: 20/18/16/14/12 seconds 

​

The blossom trap blooms into a Blossom Flower when an enemy champion is within range of it granting it access to cast Bloom Doom.

​

Recast: Bloom Doom!

All Blossom Flowers launch a beam of light in a line in the target direction slowing all enemies hit for 1 second.
Hit enemy champions are tethered for 4 seconds to the Blossom Flower and marked with Bloom Loom while tethered.
Targets marked with Bloom Loom have a bud appear above their Champion. Ally champions can basic-attack the marked target to deal bonus magic damage on-hit, up to 3 times. Each instance grows the bud and at 3 instances the bud blooms, empowering Willow’s next basic attack against the target to collect 1 Willow Fruit and end the tether duration early.
All tethered enemy champions that are standing within a Blossom Flower’s effect radius at the end of the tether duration are stunned for a duration.

Bloom Doom’s cooldown is reset whenever an ally champion basic-attacks an enemy marked with Bloom Loom.

Slow: 30/35/40/45/50% Magic damage on-hit: 10/15/20/25/30% of ally’s AD Stun: 1/1.25/1.5/1.75/2 seconds Effect Radius: 525 Beam Range: 525 Cooldown: 4 seconds 

​

Skill 2W: Inner Bloom!

“I seeeee youuuu!! Ahahahaha! W-Wait! Hey!! That’s my Willow Fruit!! Give that back!! It’s mine, mine, mine!!”
Passive:

Willow periodically stocks Brush Seed, up to a maximum of 2. Willow and WIllow’s allies gain sight of all Blossomed Brushes and gain bonus attack speed while within a Blossomed Brush.

Bonus attack Speed: 15/20/25/30/35% 

Active:

Willow places a brush in a target area (lasts for 60 seconds) or chooses a target brush in range to bloom into a Blossomed Brush. The Blossomed Brush bears fruit to 1 Willow Fruit after 4 seconds. The Willow fruit remains for 8 Seconds. If the Willow Fruit is not collected during the 8-second duration it will fall off and sink into the brush’s soil reverting the Blossomed Brush back into a regular brush. 8 seconds after the Willow Fruit sinks, the brush blossoms again, repeating the cycle again, indefinitely.
Enemy Champions that enter a Blossomed Brush make the petals fall off over 2 seconds reverting the Blossomed Brush back into a regular brush. If the Blossomed Brush has a Willow Fruit, it is immediately consumed by the Enemy Champion permanently, granting sight of the champion for 2 seconds thereafter.

Recharge: 30/27/24/21/18 

​

Skill 3E: Blossoms!

“Oh no, oh no, oh no!! I’m so sorry, my little Blossoms!! I promise to grow you back right away!!”
Active:

Willow targets an ally champion, shielding them.

Shield: 50/70/90/110/130 (+20% AP) 

​

If Willow has achieved her Budded Form she can charge this ability for up to 1.5 seconds, very quickly increasing effective range and can recast this ability.

Recast:

Willow summons all Blossomed Wards and Blossomed Brushes within range to instantly shed their Blossoms reverting to regular wards and brushes. Blossoms travel very quickly towards the target Ally, granting a small shield for each Blossom that reaches them.
If Willow has achieved her Blossomed Form*, each Blossom that passes through an Ally champion is also* shielded, granting them bonus movement speed for 2 seconds*. Additionally,* Blossoms that pass through enemy champions are dealt magic damage and slows them for 2 seconds*.* Blossoms’ effects can stack*. If the enemy champion is* slowed for 100% or more they are rooted for 2 seconds instead.

Shield per Blossom:10/15/20/25/30 (+5% AP) Movement Speed: 6/8/10/12/14% Magic Damage per blossom: 20/28/34/42/50 (+10% AP) Slow: 20/24/28/32/36% Cooldown: 18/16/14/12/10 seconds 

​

Skill 4R: Pollen Power!

“Bless you, bless you, bless you!! Hmm…looks like that’s not working…okay let me try!!”
Passive:

Ally champions marked with Pollen cannot have their Pollen consumed while within a certain range of Willow.

Range: 525 

Active:

Bloomed Brushes and Bloomed Wards (and Willow if she has achieved her Blossomed Form) release pollen in a circle around themselves, marking all champions standing in the effect radius with Pollen for 8 seconds.
A champions’ first basic attack against a champion marked with Pollen consumes the Pollen to make them sneeze, blinding them for a duration.

Champions marked with Pollen mark other champions they come within a proximity range of, over 1 second (static 8 second cooldown). Champions marked with Pollen additionally convert all wards they come within a proximity range of, into bloomed wards over 1 second.
If Willow has achieved her Budded Form they are rooted for the duration as well.

Proximity Range: 300 Blind: 1.5/2/2.5 seconds Root: 1.5/2/2.5 seconds Cooldown:120/100/80 seconds 

If Willow has achieved her Blossomed Form*, Willow gains access to* Sunshine Blessing!:

Recast: Sunshine Blessing!

Willow shoots sunshine in a line in front of herself. If sunshine comes into contact with a champion marked with Pollen she consumes the mark and stuns them for a duration if it was an enemy or cleanses the mark and shields them if it was an ally.

Sunshine’s cooldown is reset when a Pollen mark is consumed or cleansed.
If at least 3 marks of Pollen were consumed/ cleansed total, she bears fruit to a God-Willow Fruit herself, instantly consuming it.

Sunshine Range: 600 Stun: 1.5/2/2.5 Shield: 80/120/160 (+75% AP) Cooldown: 4 seconds 

Playstyle:

Willow is a gardener running from ward to ward, brush to brush tending to her garden hoping that they bear Willow Fruit. She heals with her basic attacks but constantly is in need of Willow Fruits to do. She can zone with her Q but needs to land her Bloom Doom light beams to help ensure damage and stun. She can make her own brushes for lanes where she cannot walk up to the brushes in lane. The more she gardens the more impactful she is as an enchanter.
She can join her jungler in the jungle to play alongside the jungler to gain map control with her vision control. Since she gains movement speed towards brushes she will quickly move within the jungle.
Players should try to get as many Willow Fruit as they can to heal allies but also so that she can achieve her Blossomed Form and gain a lot of healing and shielding power, in addition to empowered ability effects.
The E shield is not very big compared to other champs normally, but can get big after setting up her garden and charging. Most likely used in emergencies.
Ult helps "bring to fruition" more Willow Fruits in teamfights and adds a form of cc. When bloomed the cc becomes a stun also. Using the ult to gain God-Willow Fruit should be capitalized on when ulting but not necessarily a focus when ulting as just trying to stun enemies with Sunshine will help make that happen on its own.

Intended Max Order:

R, Q or E depending on lane, then W

Message:

Hope you like Willow! More champions coming soon! Let me know what you think! All feedback welcome!
- maGeDNA

My grandmother used to make a similar recipe. I loved eating this for dessert when I was a kid.
​
Strawberry Angel Ring
9 or 10 inch round angel cake
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
Two 10 oz. Pkg. Frozen strawberries, thawed
2/3 cup Pet Evaporated Milk
1 Tablesp. Lemon juice
1/3 cup canned, flaked coconut
Have ready angel cake.
With a sharp knife, remove a V-shaped wedge about 2 inches deep from the top of the cake, leaving a rim about ¾ inch wide at the outside edge and around the hole. Tear wedge of cake into small pieces and save.
Soften unflavored gelatin in cold water.
In a 2 quart saucepan heat the juice drained from two packages of frozen strawberries, thawed.
Stir softened gelatin into hot strawberry juice until dissolved. Then chill until very thick, but not set. Chill in ice tray Pet Evaporated Milk until almost frozen around the edges.
Put ice-cold milk into a cold 1-quart bowl. Whip with cold rotary beater by hand, or with electric beater at high speed, until fluffy.
Add and whip until stiff lemon juice.
Fold whipped milk into chilled mixture. Fold in strawberries and the cake pieces. Pile into V-shaped hollow.
If desired, decorate top with canned flaked coconut.
Chill until firm, about 2 hours, and ready to serve.
Cut into wedges to make 12 to 16 servings.
It's Fun to Be Fancy with These Fabulous Desserts

What President Biden has done - Year Two Makes sexual harassment in the military a crime
Economy grows faster than China's for 1st time in 20 years - Strongest economic growth since 1984
Limits the release of mercury from coal-burning power plants
Kills ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi
$5 billion for electric vehicle chargers
Gives $7 billion in frozen Afghanistan funds to compensate 9/11 victims and provide humanitarian aid
Posts $119 billion budget surplus in January; first in over 2 years
Unites world against Russia aggression
Imposes stiff sanctions to stifle Russian economy
Led the Western world in defending Ukraine against Russia's invasion
Ends forced arbitration in sexual assault cases in the workplace
Reinstates California authority to set pollution standards for cars
Ends asylum restrictions for children traveling alone
Clarifies the role of podiatric medicine for Veterans
Reauthorizes and strengthens the Violence Against Women Act
Creates Amache National Historic Site as America’s newest national park
Makes lynching a federal crime
Initiates "use it, or lose it" policy on drilling on public lands to force oil companies to increase production
Releases one million barrels of oil a day for 6 months from strategic reserves to ease gas prices
Rescinds Trump-era policy allowing rapid expulsion of migrants at border and blocks them from seeking asylum
Expunges student loan defaults
Overhauled the US Postal Service's finances to allow the agency to modernize its service
Requires federal dollars spent on infrastructure to use materials made in America
Restores environmental reviews for major infrastructure projects
Launches $6 billion effort to save distressed nuclear plants
Provides $385 million to help families and individuals with home energy costs through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. This is in addition to $4.5 billion provided in the American Rescue Plan.
Establishes national registry of police officers who are fired for misconduct
Lifts sanctions on the Rojava and other opposition-held territory in Syria
Tightens restrictions on chokeholds, no-knock warrants, and transfer of military equipment to police departments
Requires all federal Law enforcement officers to wear body cameras
$265 million for South Florida reservoir, key component of Everglades restoration
Major wind farm project off West coast to provide electricity for 1.5 million homes
Continues Obama administration's practice of posting log records of visitors to White House
Devotes $2.1 billion to strengthen US food supply chain
Round 6 student loan debt cancelation: $5.8 billion - This is in addition to $20.7 billion previously cancelled
Invokes Defense Production Act to rapidly expand domestic production of critical clean energy technologies
Enacts two-year pause of anti-circumvention tariffs on solar
Allocates funds to federal agencies to counter 300-plus anti-LGBTQ laws by state lawmakers this year alone
Round 7 of student loan cancellation: $6 billion to 200,000 defrauded borrowers - Bringing total to $31 billion
Relaunches cancer 'moonshot' initiative to help cut death rate
Expands access to emergency contraception and long-acting reversible contraception
Prevents states from banning Mifepristone -- a medication used to end early pregnancy that has FDA approval
Steps to ensure the safety of those seeking and providing abortion care, including by protecting mobile clinics
Protecting privacy, safety and security of patients, providers and clinics
21 executive actions to reduce gun violence
Climate Smart Buildings Initiative: Creates public-private partnerships to modernize Federal buildings to meet agencies’ missions, create good-paying jobs, and cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions - Paying for today’s needed renovations with tomorrow’s energy savings without requiring upfront taxpayer funding
Safeguards access to health care, including the right to choose and contraception
Oversees effort to admit Finland and Sweden to NATO
Ends Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy
Operation Fly-Formula bringing needed baby formula – (19 missions to date)
Executive order protecting travel for abortion
Kills Al Qaeda leader and 9/11 architect Al-Zawahiri with no civilian casualties
Invested more in crime control and prevention than any president in history
As of August 2022, unemployment at 3.5% (50 year low)
Gas Prices drop below $4 a gallon
Provides death, disability, and education benefits to public safety officers and survivors who are killed or injured in the line of duty
Round 8 of student loan cancellation: $3.4 Billion dollars of defrauded IT student loans have been cancelled
Reunites 400 migrant families separated under Trump
$1.66 billion in grants to transit agencies, territories, and states to invest in 150 bus fleets and facilities
Brokers joint US/Mexico infrastructure project - Mexico to pay $1.5 billion for US border security and processing source says
Blocked 4 hospital mergers that would've driven up prices and is poised to thwart more anti-competition consolidation attempts
Gets $1.5 billion in new border control security at the border and got Mexico to pay for it
Historic Police Reform
FIRST MAJOR GUN LEGISLATION IN 30 YEARS • $750 million to implement and run crisis intervention programs
• Ended boyfriend loophole – Previously only married people convicted of domestic abuse were banned from owning firearms. The new law extends it to people who are dating
• Requires gun sellers to register as Federally Licensed Firearm Dealers
• More thorough reviews of people ages 18-21 who want to buy guns
• New statutes against gun trafficking and straw trafficking
• Increases funding for mental health programs and school security
THE PACT ACT • Ensures high-quality health care screenings and services to veterans exposed to potential toxic exposure
• Extends period of time veterans have to enroll in VA health care from 5 to 10 years post discharge
• Codifies VA’s new process for evaluating and determining exposure and service connection for various chronic conditions
• Removes need for certain veterans and their survivors to prove service connection if diagnosed with one of 23 specific conditions
• Requires VA to conduct new studies of veterans health trends
• Provides critical resources to VA to ensure delivery of
• Invests in VA health care facilities by authorizing 31 major medical health clinics and research facilities in 19 states
THE CHIPS ACT • Provides $52.7 billion to secure domestic supply of American made semi-conductor chips, create tens of thousands of good-paying, union construction jobs and thousands more high-skilled manufacturing jobs, and catalyze hundreds of billions more in private
• $39 billion in manufacturing incentives
• $2 billion for the legacy chips used in automobiles and defense systems
• $13.2 billion in R&D and workforce development
• $500 million to provide international information communications technology security and semiconductor supply chain activities
• Provides a 25 percent investment tax credit for capital expenses for manufacturing of semiconductors and related equipment
THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT OF 2022 Climate:
• Largest climate investment in history - Will reduce 40% amount of carbon released into atmosphere by 2030
• Defines greenhouse gases as a pollutant making them subjected to pollution laws
• $370 billion for U.S. energy security and fighting climate change
• Tax incentives for switching to electricity to power homes and vehicles
• $60 billion invested creating millions of new domestic clean manufacturing jobs and 550,000 new clean energy jobs
• Will quadruple the number of solar panels over the next 8 years
• Cuts energy bills by $500 to $1,000 per year
• Doubles battery storage on the grid
• Invests in disadvantaged communities
Health:
• $62 billion to extend subsidies for health insurance under the ACA
• Provides free vaccines (2023), $35/month insulin for Medicare patients, (2023) and caps out-of-pocket drug costs to an estimated $4,000 or less in 2024 and settling at $2,000 in 2025
• Lowers health care costs of the average enrollee $800/year in the ACA marketplace
• Allows Medicare to negotiate 100 drugs over the next decade, and requires drug companies to rebate price increases higher than inflation
Inflation Reduction:
• Significantly Lowers energy and health care costs for families
• Reduces Deficit by $313,000,000,000
• Closes tax loopholes used by wealthy: a 15% corporate minimum tax, a 1% fee on stock buybacks and enhanced IRS enforcement
• Protects families and small business making under $400,000 a year
The Cost • $485 billion of new costs would be offset with $790 billion of additional revenue and savings over a decade.
Total Revenue Raised: $737 billion
• 15% Minimum tax on corporations with profits exceeding $1 billion
• Prescription Drug Pricing Reform: $265 billion
• IRS Tax Enforcement: $124 billion
• 1% Stock Buybacks Fee: $74 billion
• Loss Limitation extension: $ 52 billion
Deficit Reduction:
• $313 billion dollars
STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS (Round 8 and by far the largest) • $20,000 for everyone with Pell Grants
• $10,000 for everyone else making less than $125,000 for individuals & $250,000 married couples
• Payments again paused until the end of 2022
• Payments for undergrad loans capped at 5% of your income (previously was 10%)
• This is addition to the 8 previous rounds of debt cancellation totally $35 billion
• 20-40 million people will benefit
• Codifies DACA into law - Allows dreamers (children of immigrants born in US) ability to work and stay in US
Declares Moonshot Style Effort to Cure Cancer • Hires Dr. Renee Wegrzyn as the inaugural Director of ARPA-H, a new agency to drive biomedical innovation
• Launches National Biotechnology and Manufacturing Initiative
• Cancer Cabinet’s progress towards delivering cancer detection tech and support for researchers across US
Infrastructure Projects in Individual States Created by Infrastructure Bill
All-Time Low Uninsured rate
10 million jobs—more than ever created before at this point of a presidency
3.5% unemployment rate—a near record low in the history of this country
Best Economic growth in over two decades (yes that has been adjusted for inflation)
More than 220 million Americans were vaccinated
Record small business creation
Round nine of student loan forgiveness - $1.5 Billion for defrauded college borrowers
Biden created DOJ task force dismantles human smuggling organization near Texas-American border
Intervened to prevent nation-wide rail strike which would have caused national economic disaster
Blocks Chinese investments in US tech
Eliminates statute of limitations for civil suits for people who were sexually abused as minors
Pardons thousands for simple possession of marijuana
Reevaluating how cannabis is classified. Currently it is schedule I like heroin - Meth & coke are schedule II
Reunited over 500 families separated at the border by Trump policies
Puts new limits on drone strikes including requiring the presidential approval
Brokered deal between Israel and Lebanon ending maritime boundary dispute and establish a permanent maritime boundary between them
PAWS Act: Requires zoos, commercial animal dealers, and research facilities to have contingency plans in place to evacuate and care for animals in an emergency or disaster situation
Increases veterans’' life insurance benefit coverage to $500,000. First increase in 17 years
Ensures US is not funding or participating in human trafficking of 3rd world-country workers through our contracts overseas
Enacts aggressive steps to improve quality of nursing homes
Codifies Gay Marriage into law - Protects Same-Sex and Interracial Marriage
Prohibits private possession of big cats and prohibits exhibitors from allowing direct contact with cubs
Electrifies US Postal trucks by 2026
Stops the forcing out of pregnant workers, or denying reasonable accommodations
Extended health care funding for the 9/11 first-responders and survivors
Streamlined Veterans home loans, provided way to transfer GI Bill benefits to new school, and provided support for survivors of military sexual trauma.
Year Two Accomplishments: 4.5 million jobs added in year two - Over 11 million jobs added in first two years
Unemployment rate at 50 year low
Cuts budget deficit in half - $1.4 trillion deficit reduction is the largest single-year reduction in US history
Greatest year in history for new small business applications - (over 10 million new businesses created)
Record number of Americans having health insurance
This Senate has confirmed 97 federal judges
Limit China’s technological development breaking decades of federal policy and represents most aggressive American action yet to curtail Beijing’s economic and military rise
Appointed more black women to the court than any president in history

"Power is like a bionic upgrade. Anyone can get it, but it takes true wisdom to use it for good."
In the 1980s, 'Project Albatross' was discovered by the Imperial State, which are definitely not and have no relation to Nazis (so long as you're playing the game outside of Japan). While they try and enact the plan, the US-like Republic (already at war with the Imperial State) send the renown commando Super Joe behind enemy lines to try and bring a stop to it. He failed, getting captured. As such, a second commando was chosen to both carry on his original plan as well as to perform a one-man rescue mission: Nathan (or Rad) Spencer. But it wasn't just his skills, talents, and weaponry that allowed him to rescue Joe, put a stop to the Imperial State, and kill a reanimated Hitler Master-D. He had a bionic arm, which can grapple things. Beyond this base story, each different canon tells a different interpretation of events.
Every individual canon is listed separately below, with different sources within the same canon being tagged separately. Elements of the Rearmed games appear in the 2009 remake (characters introduced in Rearmed appear in 2009, Rearmed 2's ending lays out the public mistrust in bionics and Joe's betrayal of Spenser which is a key part in the remake), implying they may be in the same canon, but with the lack of direct confirmation on this as well as the radical difference between the games they are listed separately.

Bionic Commando (NES)

Weapons

All weapons can break shield generators, large machines, and vehicles with repeat shots, unless a stronger weapon is used.

• A regular gun
• A machine gun
• The wide gun shoots a spread of three projectiles
  • When used in a top-down level, it shoots a spread of four projectiles
• The three-way shoots blasts either up, forward, and down
• The rocket launcher shoots forward powerful, piercing projectiles
  • These two can both break girder barriers which other weapons can't damage
  • They can also blow open a metal door
• A hyper bazooka which destroys a large helicopter shooting through its cockpit

Arm

In this game, the bionic arm is a wrist-mounted device, rather than the entire arm.

• Used to swing off of surfaces and pull himself up onto them
• Holds onto a flying helicopter while carrying another person
• Grabs items
• Spins it in a circle around him, deflecting a bullet

Other Equipment

• The medicine can be used to fully heal Spenser, and the iron boots allows him to kill enemies in melee
• The communicator allows for video calls with head command
  • Can wiretap into specific locations in enemy bases to pick up messages left by others and to listen in on enemy conversations
  • There are different kinds of communicators which work in different zones
• Uses the flare bomb to light up a dark cave
• The pendant deflects one projectile from hitting Spenser
  • The helmet does this twice, while the bulletproof vest does it for every other shot
• Can pick up power ups which have a ball of energy orbit him for a while

Bionic Commando Rearmed

Feats marked '1' come from the first game, and feats marked '2' come from the sequel.

Strength

• Smashes a large amount of stone blocks by slamming on them from a height²
• Can grab enemies and use them as human shields before throwing them aside¹
• Throws a large barrel¹
  • Throws a barrel hard enough to cause an explosion against the D-1 bot¹
• Yanks apart stacked segments of a stone column¹
• Yanks the bolts that connect a siege machine to its armor, making it fly back from the recoil¹

Durability

• Falls down a large shaft in a cavern¹
  • In general, falling from great heights does not hurt him¹
• Seemingly jumps out of a helicopter without a parachute¹
• Is on a giant missile as it hits the ground, which failed to explode but still wrecked the surrounding area, and is unharmed²
• His arm "deflects most conventional enemy firepower"¹
  • Stated to be able to block bullets²

Speed

• Stated to be capable of blocking incoming gunfire with his arm²
• Whips a bullet out of the air with his grappling hook¹
  • Spencer says his arm can "deflect most conventional enemy firepower"¹
• Repeatedly catches rockets out of the air in a boss fight¹
  • Does it again¹
• Ducks under bullets in flight¹

Arm

General

• Can pull himself up to higher levels and swing from the ceiling¹
• Can pull large objects towards himself¹
• Can whip the grappling hook around as an attack¹
• Access codes for doors can be uploaded to his arm¹

Upgrades
In Rearmed 2, Spencer can obtain a number of upgrades to grant his bionic arm extra abilities, though he can only have one active at a time.

• Can make a powerful uppercut²
• A grenade launcher²
• Can be electrified to disable or stun foes²
• Hacking capabilities, allowing him to instantly cause a door to open²
  • Capable of compromising enemy units individually, or en masse if used on a relay station²
  • Without this upgrade, can hack enemy systems¹
• Can release drones which orbit around him, diving into and exploding on nearby threats²
  • Can intercept missiles²
• In Rearmed 2 he requires an upgrade to have his arm whip around him in a circle, with it being able to pass through walls while doing so²

Weapons

Types

• Revolver¹
• Machine Gun¹
• Shotgun²
  • Can be fired to swing Spencer back and forth on his grappling hook¹
  • Can be fired rapidly¹
• Plasma Rifle¹
  • Can charge up a more powerful shot¹
  • Capable of neutralizing energy shields, seen here¹
• Vector Cannon, which shoots a reflective beam¹
  • Shoots a second beam once upgraded¹
• Bazooka¹
  • The rocket can be manually controlled¹
• The WASP Bazooka launches multiple missiles simultaneously²
  • Has a 99% hit probability after locking on²
• Goliath Launcher fires a metal ball, which it attracts back to the weapon through magnetism to fire again²
• Napalm launcher²
• Yoro Viper shoots electric attacks which runs along surfaces and can overload generators²
• Grenades¹

Strength - Regular

• Breaks through a force field projector¹
• Breaks through a small turret¹
• Destroys a large, flying turret¹
• Blows up the treads of a large siege machine¹
• Destroys a barrel dispenser¹
• Blows up a tank droid¹

Strength - Explosive

• Blows through rock to reveal a hidden passage¹
• Blows up a military vehicle¹
• Blows through a wall¹
• Destroys notable amounts of stone²
• Destroys a thick barrier²
• Blows up a huge aerial war machine with repeated rocket shots¹

Other Equipment

• Uses Biovision to scan for valuable information and weak points¹
• Uses a parachute¹
• Has iron boots, hurting enemies when he swings into them¹
• Has a bulletproof vest¹
• Has flares¹
  • They automatically light up in dark areas¹

Other

• Fights and defeats someone who has similar bionic augmentations as Spencer¹
  • Groder survived, but was severely injured and had to be placed in some kind of life support suit¹
• Acts without issue on a giant missile as it flies through the air²

Bionic Commando (2009)

Comic feats are tagged with 'C'.

Strength

Striking

• Cracks before shattering reinforced glass
• Punches a robot in two
• Punches a terrorist across a room
• Pulls an enemy in before hitting them away
• Pulls himself in to an enemy to drop kick them a distance
  • Does this to a large flying drone, striking it back in the air
• Punches crates into the air before striking them away
• Hits a forklift into the air before striking it away
• Strikes a car into the air before backhanding it away
• Can slam the ground after falling, creating a shockwave which hurts people around him
  • Takes out four people surrounding his landing site^C
  • Breaks through a concrete shell
  • Repeatedly strikes an enormous robot like this to force them back into the hole in the ground they had dug

Pushing / Pulling

• Takes out a helmeted terrorist by slamming their head into a missile with his regular arm
• Tears off the head of a robot
• Pulls off two of a robot's wings, one with his bionic arm and another with his regular one
• Tears out a portion of a monorail car from the building it's embedded in
• Presumably pulls off the door of a mid-flight hoverjet

Lifting / Throwing

• Lifts enemies into the air and slams them down
• Throws a large rock, breaking a fragile cave wall
• Lifts and throws a boulder
• Lifts and throws cars through the air

Other

• Pulls around a car
• Stabs through a robot with its own wing
• Cuts off a robot's arm and head with its own wing

Durability

• Blocks hits from a speedster bionic
• Dropped out of a jet^C
• Takes several kicks in the face before dropping from a helicopter, falling an incredible distance to the ground, landing unconscious making it unlikely his boots could have taken the impact. He later awakens without notable injury
• Gets launched into a city through a missile
• Launched away from nearby missiles but grabs onto a nearby hoverjet to fool his attackers that he fell and died

Speed

• Hits away Joe's pistol pointing at his head before he can fire
• Blocks hits from a speedster bionic
• Avoids rotary gunfire and a missile^C

Arm

• His hand swaps between being shaped like a regular hand and being a grappling claw at will
• Can extend, having a long reach and letting Spencer swing on objects
  • Chains grabs to swing over gaps
  • Can rapidly reel him in, throwing him over a ledge
• The arm can grab onto flat surfaces, like the outside of buildings, and not just poles
  • Can reel in to pull those objects to him, like enemies
• After building up adrenaline, can spin his arm cable around him like a whip, hitting enemies away
  • Seen here
• Grabs onto an object to clothesline a speedster with its cable
• Can hack into machinery, deactivating nearby air mines and reading messages
  • Hacks a plane after pulling a panel off the top, causing it to move as he wishes
  • Possibly used to neutralize a turret, though it could have just been pulling a sensitive part
• Projects a holographic screen for video calls^C
• Is his wife
  • Was able to briefly talk to her while unconscious after learning this

Weapons

• His base weapon is a small, automatic gun
• A shotgun
• A machine gun
• A sniper rifle
• A rocket launcher
• A grenade launcher
• Throwable grenades

Other

• His boots break his falls, allowing him to drop lethal distances without injury
  • Drops multiple storeys without harm
• Will sink in water due to the weight of his arm
• Bionics, like his arm, are particularly sensitive to radiation

Marvel Vs. Capcom

Feats marked '3' are from Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and 'I' from Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite.

Strength

• Cracks the ground coming in on his intro³
• Can hit and juggle enemies high in the air³
• Bounces an opponent off the ground before slamming them down with his grappling arm, cracking the ground both times³
• As a super move, tears up the ground while charging forwards with a punch^I
• Pulls in and punches away an Ultron Sigma drone^I
• Pulls in an Xgardian before throwing them away^I

Durability

• Has his arm grabbed by Ultron Sigma, who swings him up and then back to the ground^I
• Blasted down by Ultron Sigma^I

Arm

• Can continue to use his arm to pull himself towards walls or opponents, and to pull opponents towards him³
• Grabs a coupling from a distance^I
• Has the electricity of Avenger's Tower channelled through his arm to electrocute Ultron Sigma, though this takes him down for a while after^I

Other

• Throws grenades^I
  • As a super move, knocks an opponent down, shoves a grenade in their mouth, and has them blown high into the air as it explodes^I

Bionic Commando (Worlds of Power)

The Worlds of Power series was an collection of children's books based on popular NES games, with Bionic Commando closely following the plot and levels of the original. The protagonist of Bionic Commando is named Jack Markson, but as this was before there was an official name given to the character I'm including the book's feats in this thread.
Chapter numbers are included in the feats.

Strength

• Can punch with the force of ten men
• Punches the first two people in a group of eight, knocking them all down
• Using iron boots, karate kicks a ten foot tall iron door, smashing it down
• Tears open a heavily barred door
• Tears off a giant octopus' tentacle
• Before getting his bionic arm, beats up some ninjas, kicking away one's sword, stunning them with a neck chop, then flipping another

Durability

• Survives falling twenty storeys into a swimming pool, but needs medical attention, as well as the amputation of his arm between the fall and the injury from a shuriken. He is unconscious for days after this fall
• Once got shot by four bullets intended for elephants, but it's unknown what state he was in after
• Withstood some kind of torture from Nazz agents, though what kind is never stated

Speed / Agility

• While under fire from Badd snipers, springs twenty feet across a room "just beating two bullets" to a safe spot
• Activates his arm as semi-automatic gunfire is shot at him, the arm reaching a building's second storey and pulling him out of the way of the bullets by inches
• Dodges a sniper bullet
• Evades an electronic ray
• Avoids a ninja's sword swing, flipping them in the air

Bionic Arm

• In the novel his arm is made of plastic, appears real at a glance, and releases a grappling hook by touching the palm
  • Reaches the second storey of a building and pulls him out of the way of bullets before they can hit him
  • Latches onto the side of an elevator shaft
• Has two grappling hooks, the second one activated with a second press, which attaches to an opposite wall as the first one was. These two pull him out of the grasp of an octopus which was keeping hold with one grappling hook
  • Alternates between these two to swing across a gap
• Can shoot a laser of almost a thousand degrees celsius, allowing him to evaporate a container of water by his hospital bed in an instant
  • Instantly melts ice which is causing him to uncontrollably slide
  • On setting its strength to max, sets fire to a giant venus fly trap eating him
  • Heats the guns of twenty Badd commandoes to the point where they're too hot to handle in a second
  • Lights a candle
• Can scramble electronic fields, allowing him to evade enemy monitoring devices while seemingly still allowing him to send his own messages
  • Scrambles the electronics of a robot that was otherwise immune to his attacks, freezing it
• The fingers are extremely sensitive, allowing the arm to be used to open safes and disarm bombs
  • Runs over a brick wall on seeing a narrow crack between the floor and the wall, feeling out its trigger lock
  • Feels the clicks of a safe, allowing him to crack it
• Creates a unique electromagnetic field that compels whoever it's pointed at to tell the truth
  • When used on a Badd soldier, their face glazes over and speak in a robotic tone while answering his questions

Weapons

• He starts off the book with only a pistol strapped in a holster on his chest
  • Shoots through a metal cord supporting a chandelier, sending it crashing down on some ninjas
  • Has a stun mode, shooting chemical darts which instantly knock out people they hit
• Uses the wide gun to blow up robotic killer-copters
• Fires the rocket gun rapidly to blow up killer-copters
• The three-way gun shoots forwards, left, and right
  • Used to cave in and collapse a fragile tunnel
  • Destroys a killer-copter
• Disables four tanks with a machine gun
  • Seemingly uses high-power explosive rounds

Skill

Combat

• Along with Super Joe, senses that they're being watched by snipers and gets to the floor before they fire into their apartment
• Trained in martial arts with the federation
• Received training from ninja masters in swordfighting, and manages to take down some Badd ninjas

History

• At the beginning of the book, he's spent 10 years going on missions around the world with Super Joe, who he met in Federation spy school. Together, they've been on missions to Thailand and France
• In a mission in Argentina, he and Super Joe managed to locate and arrest all the leaders of the Nazz terrorist organization, though they weren't able to secure plans for a secret weapon called Albatros
• Saved Joe from some Nazz thugs, and apparently has saved him from many situations before

Other

• Has been trained to fly a helicopter

Helicopter

• Used a helicopter he could have hover and signal to pick him up from his location
• Can alternate between hovering and rapidly flying up at the push of a button of his transmitter, and quickly flies so far up that they'd need surface-to-air missiles to hit him
• Has an autopilot to fly to areas he chooses, as well as a medkit
• Alerts him to nearby hostiles
• Has an ejection seat which can automatically go off

Other

• Uses a flare bomb to reveal killer-copters flying towards him without lights at night
• A helmet he uses deflects a bullet
• The bulletproof vest has sniper bullets bounce off it
• Would never fire a gun against an enemy first

"How could I lose? I have a bionic arm."

Please see the images here. https://imgur.com/gallery/qzBWX3Y
Hi everyone this am in the process of removing tile in the kitchen to lay down new tile. I am using a SDS Hammer drill and it’s making quite easy work to be honest, just a little messy. I have a question, if I take down all the mortar(?) and make it fairly level, can I reuse the Cement Board? Would there be a downside to leave it? Sorry if this question is a no brainer for a lot of you, I just am not very experienced and would value a professional opinion. There is an area (or two) where I pulled up some of the board but it’s only about 1/8 inch deep and maybe 3 inches wide.
Thank you for your time and responses.

"Power is like a bionic upgrade. Anyone can get it, but it takes true wisdom to use it for good."
In the 1980s, 'Project Albatross' was discovered by the Imperial State, which are definitely not and have no relation to Nazis (so long as you're playing the game outside of Japan). While they try and enact the plan, the US-like Republic (already at war with the Imperial State) send the renown commando Super Joe behind enemy lines to try and bring a stop to it. He failed, getting captured. As such, a second commando was chosen to both carry on his original plan as well as to perform a one-man rescue mission: Nathan (or Rad) Spencer. But it wasn't just his skills, talents, and weaponry that allowed him to rescue Joe, put a stop to the Imperial State, and kill a reanimated Hitler Master-D. He had a bionic arm, which can grapple things. Beyond this base story, each different canon tells a different interpretation of events.
Every individual canon is listed separately below, with different sources within the same canon being tagged separately. Elements of the Rearmed games appear in the 2009 remake (characters introduced in Rearmed appear in 2009, Rearmed 2's ending lays out the public mistrust in bionics and Joe's betrayal of Spenser which is a key part in the remake), implying they may be in the same canon, but with the lack of direct confirmation on this as well as the radical difference between the games they are listed separately.

Bionic Commando (NES)

Weapons

All weapons can break shield generators, large machines, and vehicles with repeat shots, unless a stronger weapon is used.

• A regular gun
• A machine gun
• The wide gun shoots a spread of three projectiles
  • When used in a top-down level, it shoots a spread of four projectiles
• The three-way shoots blasts either up, forward, and down
• The rocket launcher shoots forward powerful, piercing projectiles
  • These two can both break girder barriers which other weapons can't damage
  • They can also blow open a metal door
• A hyper bazooka which destroys a large helicopter shooting through its cockpit

Arm

In this game, the bionic arm is a wrist-mounted device, rather than the entire arm.

• Used to swing off of surfaces and pull himself up onto them
• Holds onto a flying helicopter while carrying another person
• Grabs items
• Spins it in a circle around him, deflecting a bullet

Other Equipment

• The medicine can be used to fully heal Spenser, and the iron boots allows him to kill enemies in melee
• The communicator allows for video calls with head command
  • Can wiretap into specific locations in enemy bases to pick up messages left by others and to listen in on enemy conversations
  • There are different kinds of communicators which work in different zones
• Uses the flare bomb to light up a dark cave
• The pendant deflects one projectile from hitting Spenser
  • The helmet does this twice, while the bulletproof vest does it for every other shot
• Can pick up power ups which have a ball of energy orbit him for a while

Bionic Commando Rearmed

Feats marked '1' come from the first game, and feats marked '2' come from the sequel.

Strength

• Smashes a large amount of stone blocks by slamming on them from a height²
• Can grab enemies and use them as human shields before throwing them aside¹
• Throws a large barrel¹
  • Throws a barrel hard enough to cause an explosion against the D-1 bot¹
• Yanks apart stacked segments of a stone column¹
• Yanks the bolts that connect a siege machine to its armor, making it fly back from the recoil¹

Durability

• Falls down a large shaft in a cavern¹
  • In general, falling from great heights does not hurt him¹
• Seemingly jumps out of a helicopter without a parachute¹
• Is on a giant missile as it hits the ground, which failed to explode but still wrecked the surrounding area, and is unharmed²
• His arm "deflects most conventional enemy firepower"¹
  • Stated to be able to block bullets²

Speed

• Stated to be capable of blocking incoming gunfire with his arm²
• Whips a bullet out of the air with his grappling hook¹
  • Spencer says his arm can "deflect most conventional enemy firepower"¹
• Repeatedly catches rockets out of the air in a boss fight¹
  • Does it again¹
• Ducks under bullets in flight¹

Arm

General

• Can pull himself up to higher levels and swing from the ceiling¹
• Can pull large objects towards himself¹
• Can whip the grappling hook around as an attack¹
• Access codes for doors can be uploaded to his arm¹

Upgrades
In Rearmed 2, Spencer can obtain a number of upgrades to grant his bionic arm extra abilities, though he can only have one active at a time.

• Can make a powerful uppercut²
• A grenade launcher²
• Can be electrified to disable or stun foes²
• Hacking capabilities, allowing him to instantly cause a door to open²
  • Capable of compromising enemy units individually, or en masse if used on a relay station²
  • Without this upgrade, can hack enemy systems¹
• Can release drones which orbit around him, diving into and exploding on nearby threats²
  • Can intercept missiles²
• In Rearmed 2 he requires an upgrade to have his arm whip around him in a circle, with it being able to pass through walls while doing so²

Weapons

Types

• Revolver¹
• Machine Gun¹
• Shotgun²
  • Can be fired to swing Spencer back and forth on his grappling hook¹
  • Can be fired rapidly¹
• Plasma Rifle¹
  • Can charge up a more powerful shot¹
  • Capable of neutralizing energy shields, seen here¹
• Vector Cannon, which shoots a reflective beam¹
  • Shoots a second beam once upgraded¹
• Bazooka¹
  • The rocket can be manually controlled¹
• The WASP Bazooka launches multiple missiles simultaneously²
  • Has a 99% hit probability after locking on²
• Goliath Launcher fires a metal ball, which it attracts back to the weapon through magnetism to fire again²
• Napalm launcher²
• Yoro Viper shoots electric attacks which runs along surfaces and can overload generators²
• Grenades¹

Strength - Regular

• Breaks through a force field projector¹
• Breaks through a small turret¹
• Destroys a large, flying turret¹
• Blows up the treads of a large siege machine¹
• Destroys a barrel dispenser¹
• Blows up a tank droid¹

Strength - Explosive

• Blows through rock to reveal a hidden passage¹
• Blows up a military vehicle¹
• Blows through a wall¹
• Destroys notable amounts of stone²
• Destroys a thick barrier²
• Blows up a huge aerial war machine with repeated rocket shots¹

Other Equipment

• Uses Biovision to scan for valuable information and weak points¹
• Uses a parachute¹
• Has iron boots, hurting enemies when he swings into them¹
• Has a bulletproof vest¹
• Has flares¹
  • They automatically light up in dark areas¹

Other

• Fights and defeats someone who has similar bionic augmentations as Spencer¹
  • Groder survived, but was severely injured and had to be placed in some kind of life support suit¹
• Acts without issue on a giant missile as it flies through the air²

Bionic Commando (2009)

Comic feats are tagged with 'C'.

Strength

Striking

• Cracks before shattering reinforced glass
• Punches a robot in two
• Punches a terrorist across a room
• Pulls an enemy in before hitting them away
• Pulls himself in to an enemy to drop kick them a distance
  • Does this to a large flying drone, striking it back in the air
• Punches crates into the air before striking them away
• Hits a forklift into the air before striking it away
• Strikes a car into the air before backhanding it away
• Can slam the ground after falling, creating a shockwave which hurts people around him
  • Takes out four people surrounding his landing site^C
  • Breaks through a concrete shell
  • Repeatedly strikes an enormous robot like this to force them back into the hole in the ground they had dug

Pushing / Pulling

• Takes out a helmeted terrorist by slamming their head into a missile with his regular arm
• Tears off the head of a robot
• Pulls off two of a robot's wings, one with his bionic arm and another with his regular one
• Tears out a portion of a monorail car from the building it's embedded in
• Presumably pulls off the door of a mid-flight hoverjet

Lifting / Throwing

• Lifts enemies into the air and slams them down
• Throws a large rock, breaking a fragile cave wall
• Lifts and throws a boulder
• Lifts and throws cars through the air

Other

• Pulls around a car
• Stabs through a robot with its own wing
• Cuts off a robot's arm and head with its own wing

Durability

• Blocks hits from a speedster bionic
• Dropped out of a jet^C
• Takes several kicks in the face before dropping from a helicopter, falling an incredible distance to the ground, landing unconscious making it unlikely his boots could have taken the impact. He later awakens without notable injury
• Gets launched into a city through a missile
• Launched away from nearby missiles but grabs onto a nearby hoverjet to fool his attackers that he fell and died

Speed

• Hits away Joe's pistol pointing at his head before he can fire
• Blocks hits from a speedster bionic
• Avoids rotary gunfire and a missile^C

Arm

• His hand swaps between being shaped like a regular hand and being a grappling claw at will
• Can extend, having a long reach and letting Spencer swing on objects
  • Chains grabs to swing over gaps
  • Can rapidly reel him in, throwing him over a ledge
• The arm can grab onto flat surfaces, like the outside of buildings, and not just poles
  • Can reel in to pull those objects to him, like enemies
• After building up adrenaline, can spin his arm cable around him like a whip, hitting enemies away
  • Seen here
• Grabs onto an object to clothesline a speedster with its cable
• Can hack into machinery, deactivating nearby air mines and reading messages
  • Hacks a plane after pulling a panel off the top, causing it to move as he wishes
  • Possibly used to neutralize a turret, though it could have just been pulling a sensitive part
• Projects a holographic screen for video calls^C
• Is his wife
  • Was able to briefly talk to her while unconscious after learning this

Weapons

• His base weapon is a small, automatic gun
• A shotgun
• A machine gun
• A sniper rifle
• A rocket launcher
• A grenade launcher
• Throwable grenades

Other

• His boots break his falls, allowing him to drop lethal distances without injury
  • Drops multiple storeys without harm
• Will sink in water due to the weight of his arm
• Bionics, like his arm, are particularly sensitive to radiation

Marvel Vs. Capcom

Feats marked '3' are from Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and 'I' from Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite.

Strength

• Cracks the ground coming in on his intro³
• Can hit and juggle enemies high in the air³
• Bounces an opponent off the ground before slamming them down with his grappling arm, cracking the ground both times³
• As a super move, tears up the ground while charging forwards with a punch^I
• Pulls in and punches away an Ultron Sigma drone^I
• Pulls in an Xgardian before throwing them away^I

Durability

• Has his arm grabbed by Ultron Sigma, who swings him up and then back to the ground^I
• Blasted down by Ultron Sigma^I

Arm

• Can continue to use his arm to pull himself towards walls or opponents, and to pull opponents towards him³
• Grabs a coupling from a distance^I
• Has the electricity of Avenger's Tower channelled through his arm to electrocute Ultron Sigma, though this takes him down for a while after^I

Other

• Throws grenades^I
  • As a super move, knocks an opponent down, shoves a grenade in their mouth, and has them blown high into the air as it explodes^I

Bionic Commando (Worlds of Power)

The Worlds of Power series was an collection of children's books based on popular NES games, with Bionic Commando closely following the plot and levels of the original. The protagonist of Bionic Commando is named Jack Markson, but as this was before there was an official name given to the character I'm including the book's feats in this thread.
Chapter numbers are included in the feats.

Strength

• Can punch with the force of ten men
• Punches the first two people in a group of eight, knocking them all down
• Using iron boots, karate kicks a ten foot tall iron door, smashing it down
• Tears open a heavily barred door
• Tears off a giant octopus' tentacle
• Before getting his bionic arm, beats up some ninjas, kicking away one's sword, stunning them with a neck chop, then flipping another

Durability

• Survives falling twenty storeys into a swimming pool, but needs medical attention, as well as the amputation of his arm between the fall and the injury from a shuriken. He is unconscious for days after this fall
• Once got shot by four bullets intended for elephants, but it's unknown what state he was in after
• Withstood some kind of torture from Nazz agents, though what kind is never stated

Speed / Agility

• While under fire from Badd snipers, springs twenty feet across a room "just beating two bullets" to a safe spot
• Activates his arm as semi-automatic gunfire is shot at him, the arm reaching a building's second storey and pulling him out of the way of the bullets by inches
• Dodges a sniper bullet
• Evades an electronic ray
• Avoids a ninja's sword swing, flipping them in the air

Bionic Arm

• In the novel his arm is made of plastic, appears real at a glance, and releases a grappling hook by touching the palm
  • Reaches the second storey of a building and pulls him out of the way of bullets before they can hit him
  • Latches onto the side of an elevator shaft
• Has two grappling hooks, the second one activated with a second press, which attaches to an opposite wall as the first one was. These two pull him out of the grasp of an octopus which was keeping hold with one grappling hook
  • Alternates between these two to swing across a gap
• Can shoot a laser of almost a thousand degrees celsius, allowing him to evaporate a container of water by his hospital bed in an instant
  • Instantly melts ice which is causing him to uncontrollably slide
  • On setting its strength to max, sets fire to a giant venus fly trap eating him
  • Heats the guns of twenty Badd commandoes to the point where they're too hot to handle in a second
  • Lights a candle
• Can scramble electronic fields, allowing him to evade enemy monitoring devices while seemingly still allowing him to send his own messages
  • Scrambles the electronics of a robot that was otherwise immune to his attacks, freezing it
• The fingers are extremely sensitive, allowing the arm to be used to open safes and disarm bombs
  • Runs over a brick wall on seeing a narrow crack between the floor and the wall, feeling out its trigger lock
  • Feels the clicks of a safe, allowing him to crack it
• Creates a unique electromagnetic field that compels whoever it's pointed at to tell the truth
  • When used on a Badd soldier, their face glazes over and speak in a robotic tone while answering his questions

Weapons

• He starts off the book with only a pistol strapped in a holster on his chest
  • Shoots through a metal cord supporting a chandelier, sending it crashing down on some ninjas
  • Has a stun mode, shooting chemical darts which instantly knock out people they hit
• Uses the wide gun to blow up robotic killer-copters
• Fires the rocket gun rapidly to blow up killer-copters
• The three-way gun shoots forwards, left, and right
  • Used to cave in and collapse a fragile tunnel
  • Destroys a killer-copter
• Disables four tanks with a machine gun
  • Seemingly uses high-power explosive rounds

Skill

Combat

• Along with Super Joe, senses that they're being watched by snipers and gets to the floor before they fire into their apartment
• Trained in martial arts with the federation
• Received training from ninja masters in swordfighting, and manages to take down some Badd ninjas

History

• At the beginning of the book, he's spent 10 years going on missions around the world with Super Joe, who he met in Federation spy school. Together, they've been on missions to Thailand and France
• In a mission in Argentina, he and Super Joe managed to locate and arrest all the leaders of the Nazz terrorist organization, though they weren't able to secure plans for a secret weapon called Albatros
• Saved Joe from some Nazz thugs, and apparently has saved him from many situations before

Other

• Has been trained to fly a helicopter

Helicopter

• Used a helicopter he could have hover and signal to pick him up from his location
• Can alternate between hovering and rapidly flying up at the push of a button of his transmitter, and quickly flies so far up that they'd need surface-to-air missiles to hit him
• Has an autopilot to fly to areas he chooses, as well as a medkit
• Alerts him to nearby hostiles
• Has an ejection seat which can automatically go off

Other

• Uses a flare bomb to reveal killer-copters flying towards him without lights at night
• A helmet he uses deflects a bullet
• The bulletproof vest has sniper bullets bounce off it
• Would never fire a gun against an enemy first

"How could I lose? I have a bionic arm."

You crest the long flight of stairs up the ziggurat, the top of the ziggurat puts the scale of the whole building into perspective.
Easily 100ft square, every inch is detailed with glass mosaics depicting stories of a large minotaur crowned with crackling lightning.
Neat rows of desks and small shelves of scrolls occupy most of the space, but the center of the massive area is wide open, at the very center floats a Large black stone throne upon which is a giant of a minotaur.
Easily 30ft in height if not reclining, their horns are crowned with lightning.
The Storm King's electric blue eyes lock on to you and he stretches out a single finger pointing at you, beckoning you forward.

Rumor & Local Lore

• The Storm King is ancient, some say thousands of years old. He is as wise as he is old.
• He does not tolerate a fool, nor liars he is however partial to a good storyteller.