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[Clonus]

[Ragitsu]

Phrases

alight on — find something by chance; notice something.

"her eyes alighted on the item in question"

[Ragitsu]

 

 

--- --- ---

 

Avidemux settings ->

 

Change Audio track from "Copy" to "AC3 (Aften)"

"Configure" Bitrate to "448"

In "Filters", set "Gain Mode" to "Manual" and then adjust "Gain Value" to "15".

[Ragitsu]

To “win like Fabius” or to win by “Fabian tactics” is to wear out an opponent by delay and evasion rather than confrontation, in the style of the ancient Roman general Fabius.

[Clonus]

What if magic for interrogation was a prerequisite during trials in a fantasy world? Would it make its judicial systems fairer or eventually more corrupt?

No. A “Compel Truthful Answers” spell can cause more innocent people to escape conviction (if it works all the time), but that’s not about fairness but fallibility. An unfair but infallible system would be one in which certain people with the right status and connections can avoid being charged in the first place, or expect much greater lenience on conviction. The existence of such a spell would have no impact on the likelihood of such unfairness. Nor would it change the existence of laws specifically targeting certain populations for particular law enforcement attention.

[Ragitsu]

trench·an·cy

/ˈtren(t)SH(ə)nsē/

 

noun

noun: trenchancy; plural noun: trenchancies

1. vigorousness or incisiveness in expression or style.

   "she opines with characteristic trenchancy"

[Ragitsu]

[Pariah]

On 8/30/2022 at 6:26 PM, Ragitsu said:

Pariah, is that Sisyphus at the beach?

 

It is indeed. One of my social media handles is "SisyphusOnHoliday". 

[Cancer]

[Ragitsu]

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqPMo6IvFyMMYBWIyUENzcA

[tkdguy]

 

[Ragitsu]

On 8/26/2022 at 4:08 PM, tkdguy said:

If LOTRO fans are okay with this character, they shouldn't complain about Harfoots appearing in the Amazon show:

 

https://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/Tûka

 

I have given up on adaptations - any of them - ever since the live-action adaptation of The Dark Tower (roughly five years ago) debuted; when it comes to this Amazon show, I'll view it as fanfiction with high production values. The bottom line is that getting emotionally invested in a newer interpretation (typically one financed by a company more interested in profit than fidelity to source material) is almost always a poor decision.

[Clonus]

[Ragitsu]

Robert Davi Jaw

[Ragitsu]

 

 

[Clonus]

In all of my cycles of life in psychology, I have never had as difficult a time as I am now. My superior, a Keglicht by the name of T'chaalhim, ordered me early this daily cycle to study the species that only everyone has been speaking of. *HUMANS.* Bipedal abominations, they recently joined the great Galactic Federation, much to my personal horror. Four cycles after their first introduction, I still struggle with one thing that makes them true "space orks" as some call them. The Abyss. Every damned one of the humans I have studied, spoken with, Striga be damned, even slept with; they all speak of the same thing. The Void, The Abyss, whatever may be synonymous. It makes my fur stand on end. My species calls the Emptiness, and we are raised and schooled on the dangers of falling into this metaphorical "dimension". Then come along the blasted primates, and what do they do? They embrace it. How? They find some reason to justify glimpsing int the dark haze, and they actually find it fun! I often find humans on the station peering through any crack they can find to view the vast Emptiness. I fight internally not to drag them away. Sometimes, they notice me, and drag their muscles in a truly horrific way, calling it a "smile". Only a demon from the depths of space can enjoy staring into the Abyss. I hate it. It goes against everything I know. The Galactic Federation has recommended that any psychologist in the field should attend therapy! I just may do so. That aside, one story has stood out to me. Not because I find it intriguing, quite the opposite. It saddens me, crazy as it may sound. A merchant ship, the *Geithne'il*, was attacked by pirates. The *Geithne'il* had one human as a worker, and when the ship was seiged against, the human took matters in his, paws? Hands?? Anyway, the way he did it? He stole a jumpsuit rated for void usage from one of the Hurjiti technicians, and jumped from an airlock. To the pirate ship! In rumors across the mess hall during the night cycle, I oft hear that he fought his way to the bridge with nothing but his limbs. Just his limbs. It makes me wonder if all humans are like him. Several weeks after, I hear of a message supposedly sent BY the human. It was a pre-recorded message, and it was quite short.....but the meaning of it haunts all who listened to this day. "The Void called, I answered. It wanted it's children back." Soon after, we had an influx of humans traveling through Port. I was wandering around, observing them, when my curiosity peaked. I pulled one aside, a female with long blonde fur and astonishing green eyes. "Excuse me human, but...why are there so...many of your kind?" With that unnerving "smile", she gave me a reply. I weep in fear every time I recall it. "Why, y'all didn't hear? The Void called!" "The Void? Do you mean the Emptiness?" I nervously fiddled with my claws, as I secretly dreaded even communicating with this evilspawn. "Yup! We've been walking in the Void for so darn long, I was wonderin' when He would come a'callin'." "W-w-w-who is...He?" Apparently, many other humans had heard our conversation, as many replied in a terrifying response of yelling and howling, "LEEERRROOOYYY JEENNNKIIIIIINNNNSSSSS!"

 

[Ragitsu]

City of Ravens Bluff (by Ed Greenwood).
The Wizards Guild :

Lady Belinda Moonglow, Dean of Enchantment and Charm (CG ef W15 [Enchantress])
Tall and lushly built for a moon elf, Lady Moonglow stands almost six feet in height, with an ample rather than slender figure; there's clearly
human blood somewhere back in her ancestry. She has the pale, glowing white skin, bright green eyes with lush black lashes, and long, silky black
hair of her famous Sembian family. The premier socialite of the Guild, Belinda is an unabashed hedonist. Her frequent visits to the temple of Sune
Firehair have brought on (justified) accusations that her loyalties are divided between Guild and temple, Her habit of attempting to seduce any
new Guildmember who strikes her fancy upsets her fellow Deans and has caused more than one shy wizard to flee precipitously at the sound of her
voice. She hates dignity, pomposity, and propriety - drawing no distinction between the three - and deliberately dresses to shock.
Not surprisingly, her school has suffered under her inattentive regime. Most of the lower-ranked enchanters and enchantresses spend their time
vying for her attention (in Guild parlance, "enjoying the Moonglow") rather than researching new spells or dealing with Guild business. The
Archmage has warned her to do something about the disarray, to no avail, and is now quietly drawing up plans for her replacement as soon as a likely
candidate surfaces. To her credit, Belinda's "generous nature" extends to sharing spells and spell refinements (she is particularly interested in making
castings swifter or less obvious in delicate situations). She dislikes any emphasis on rank and seeks to embrace non-Guildmembers as fellow practitioners
of the Great Art. Completely free of prejudice against any being because of its gender or species, she has discovered that "evil and rapacious"
races such as drow, orcs, illithids, and dopplegangers hold a surprisingly large number of individuals who enjoy getting to know a traditional racial
enemy. As a result, Belinda has many friends and lovers among unexpected folk; she is the only dean as much at home in a sailors' low dive as at a noble's ball.
When she thinks beyond her daily pleasures, Lady Moonglow sometimes dreams of building Ravens Bluff into at least an echo of lost Cormanthyr: a
realm or city-state where elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, and humans can live in harmony and magical might. Perhaps, one day, she'll know the glory
of participating in the weaving of a mythal (vivid descriptions of the ecstasy of being a part of the raising of Myth Drannor have been told and retold to
younglings in her clan down the years). If she does lose her post in the next inevitable crisis, as seems likely, she will probably become the Guild's liaison with the Temple of Sune.
[ . . . ]
The Walking Tour :
They have many adherents among the nobility and the wealthy merchants; social climbers are attracted to
temple services whenever the Lady Belinda Moonglow, another of the Wizards Guild deans, attends, for she
always makes a show of parading through the streets beforehand, beckoning bystanders to follow her.

[Ragitsu]

pièce de ré·sis·tance

/pēˌes də rəˌziˈstäns,pēˌes də rāˌzēˈstäns/

 

noun

 

1. (especially with reference to creative work or a meal) the most important or remarkable feature.

   "the pièce de résistance of the meal was flaming ice cream"

    

   Similar:

   masterpiece

    

   magnum opus

    

   masterwork

    

   tour de force

    

   showpiece

    

   prize

    

   gem

    

   jewel

    

   jewel in the crown

    

   speciality

    

   special

    

   claim to fame

    

   forte

    

   chef-d'œuvre

    

    

    

 

[tkdguy]

 

[Ragitsu]

stick-to-it·ive·ness

/ˌstikˈto͞oidivnəs/

 

noun

INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN

noun: stick-to-it-iveness; noun: stick-to-itiveness

1. perseverance; persistence.

[Ragitsu]

 

 

 

 

 

[Ragitsu]

 

 

 

[Ragitsu]

 

 

[Ragitsu]

Garner’s Modern American Usage (GMAU) comes to the rescue by offering some practical advice, while acknowledging that the distinction is a matter of “nuance” clouded by “the frequent interchangeability of the terms.” For the record, it suggests using these guidelines:

Proportional = (1) of or relating to proportion; or (2) in due proportion. Proportionate = proportioned; adjusted in proportion.

What this suggests to me (and I fully understand if you disagree — the subtleties here might be entirely personal) is that proportional is more on the figurative or intangible side, while proportionate is more along the lines of something physical or tangible. Your response to a wrong will be proportional; but when you divide the profits with your partners, your reward will be proportionate.

 

Even that might not be particularly helpful, however. So, mostly by default, I’d suggest making the distinction in this way:

 

Proportional involves fairness or equity or proportionality. It’s proportional if it’s in a proper or accepted relationship to something else. An act of sabotage, for example: if hacking Sony was the act, then retaliating with some form of reciprocal hacking or a measured sanction would be proportional. Ordering a bombing campaign would be grossly disproportional.

 

Proportionate, on the other hand, would involve the partitioning of a whole, or the allocation of its parts. In the present example, calling for a proportionate response might indicate that each of the parties involved would be punished according to their determined level of blame or involvement — their share of the act. Perhaps this would mean that the North Korean government would receive a sanction, while the Chinese servers which hosted the operation would be electronically attacked, at the same time that the responsible hackers themselves would be targeted for prosecution. The response would be portioned out (“pro-portioned” or apportioned) to those involved. (Note that I’m just making the details up: how this attack was done and who was behind it isn’t something I’ve spent a lot of time worrying about.)

[Clonus]

https://www.npr.org/2022/08/31/1120166328/jackson-mississippi-water-crisis