#!/dev/haru

No points for proper guesses.

Paradox Mage from Tales of Maj'Eyal is 100% my thing for being a time mage type with really nonstandard abilities. Rather than casting from mana or some fixed resource, casting PM spells raises your Paradox stat, which is a measure of how much you've fucked up the timeline, and as your Paradox rises, your spells' power goes up, but so does the chance of catastrophic failure. You also have some really cool unique abilities, like; "Cease to Exist", where you mark a target to take bonus temporal damage, and if you kill them before the debuff wears off, the game warps back to before you cast the spell, only Cease to Exist is on cooldown and the marked enemy no longer exists. "See the Threads", where you get to try the next few turns three different times, and then at the end, choose which of the three futures to go with. "Temporal Fugue", where a future you comes back to the past to help you fight things. And some cool sustained talents like "Premonition", where you can look just far enough in the future to give yourself a small damage resistance shield against any damage type thrown at you before it hits you. Overall, super unique and super cool, and it still has a bunch of big explody spells too.

Scientist count does nothing to stem attacks in any way. It's utterly unrelated. All it did was save Parrhesia 1.5 million dollars.

Of course. Tell all your friends! Just had to deal with logistics for a while. Switching people and back and all.

[spoiler=Operation Bleeding Bugs, part II] Captain Paul Gascoign: ...Ugh. I hate this place already, so claustrophobic. Psychopath Hartwodoku Sanada: What are you talking about? This room is huge, loo-- We've got bogies! Die! Hartwodoku: Got him! Alright, scout the area and dyes down! Lancer Billy Jam: Woah... this room IS huge. Paul: Y-yeah, but it's still like a big metal coffin, and I get... seasick! Shock Yuri Lowell: Well, don't we LIVE in big metal coffin? What do you consider the Port? Paul: Shut it... let's just go. Heavy Cress Albane: We're never going to find watercress down here. And it sounds like there are so many aliens! Ugh... Billy: Gah! Green men in the big room. Hartwodoku: Check your flanks as you advance, there are potential sniper platforms everywhere. As for you-- Hartwodoku: --I expect you to die. Sniper Chrysanthe F: It's been AT LEAST fourty years since that was a relevant line. Hartwodoku: Hey, he went down. My expectation was met. Billy: Hey, uh... I think I see one skulking in the rafters. Can't tell if I got it... Yuri: Still moving--! Gah! Got it, I think. Paul: More dye? Hartwodoku: More dye. Shock Michael Acard: Wait... w-wait, guys, I think the smoke... nngh. (missed the message where he collapsed from stun damage) Billy: ARGH! Lancer Penny Dreadful: That sounded like a Deep One--! Deep One got Billy! I can only see a bunch of Gillme-- Penny: There it is! Cress: Can't see it...! Just some stupid gillmen... ha! Cress: Got one while it was running! Take that. Careful, Deep One's still live! Penny: Someone needs to take out this one guarding the door! I... I missed! ...Never mind, he's chasing a civilian through the door. ...ergh, and got him. Hartwodoku: Then hurry, let's push in! Watch out for the Deep One in the rafters! Someone revive Michael... And someone make sure Billy is really dead. Tobruk: Deep One over here! Gh... got it! Shock Michael Acard: Urgh... stupid... smoke... *cough* Hartwodoku: No time. Pick up your weapons and DISPERSE! We're ripe to be taken out by a grenade right now. Penny: Billy's back up! Billy: Urgh, what hit me...? Billy: Aaah! They're everywhere! Chrysanthe: Relax, I got it. Paul: Chrissakes, you're barely injured. I don't even need to heal you, it was a scratch. (Billy had taken a 1 damage hit, which also did 1 fatal wound. He had stun damage equal to his health minus one, which meant that this knocked him out. The chances of this are... extremely low.) Michael: Ahh... t-thanks, those stims are something else. Hey, green man moving...! Michael: Got him! Hartwodoku: Any sign of those Deep Ones in the rafters? I don't want everyone to be picked off here. Michael: Nothing I can see from here, but you'd be better asking-- Billy? Billy, where did you go? Billy: Not safe. Not safe... must get to... high ground. I'll show all those bitches! All of them! Hartwodoku: Anything up there? Billy: No. No, no... void. Empty. Nothing! Paul: Calm down there, buddy. Okay, room seems safe. Let's hurry on through. Cress: And we're taking a stark raving mad LANCER'S word for it... why? Tobruk: Hey, what's wrong with Lancers? Cress: You ever wonder why you go in first? Paul: CAN IT, YOU TWO! Cress: Ahh! One of the white ones! Can't get a bead, girders in the way... Paul: God, this room is terrible. Cress: Starting to agree... Chrysanthe: If only to shut you two up... GRENADE OUT! Cress: Jesus... [spoiler=Overarching view] Billy: Ahh... ah. S-sorry, guys, I'm back. Looks all clear up here. Paul: Right. Move forward, folks. Lancer Tobruk Galli: Not a whole lot here, either. No idea where that lift goes, though... Sheesh, I think you could blow this whole place up if you fired in THERE. Hartwodoku: Tell me more... Paul: NO! No blowing this place up. Focus! Hartwodoku: Fine. Best leave a few down here, looks like the rest of us will need to take that lift. I'm not... hearing too much movement at this point, and we have a lot of the crew right here. Paul: Agreed. Okay, A-Team, meet at the stairs up! Snipers, find a nest and cover us! Har-- Hartwodoku: Tobruk, Chrysanthe, Migraine. You're with me. Paul: ...That's fine. Go! Penny, you lead the charge up. Penny: Seems clea-- WHOA! Penny: Whites AND greens! Hartwodoku: Sounds like a Selesnya party. Penny: What? Hartwodoku: Never mind. Penny: ...Pulling back! I need backup for this. Billy: Gotcha covered! Penny: Whoa! Impressive. Okay, there are some living crew members here-- Penny: Argh, and a Deep One on the lift-top! Someone handle that? Sniper Kokoda Gunc: ...dealt with. Paul: Living crew is a good sign. And I'm not hearing many left up here, I think we might have it-- How's the breach under? Sniper Chrysanthe F: I can't imagine this is safe... No xenos, though. Don't like the idea of moving through here, though... Hartwodoku: Migraine, can you take point? Heavy Migraine Borg: ...I-is that my job? Hartwodoku: That's what you signed up for, yes. Migraine: Can we just blow it up? Hartwodoku: As much as I want to approve, no. Migraine: Fine... can't be that bad... Will you at least cover me?! Chrysanthe: I ain't going NEAR that room. Migraine: If it blows, you're dead whether you're behind that wall or not. Chrysanthe: Fair point... Migraine: ...It's the engine room? Looks empty. Hartwodoku: Stay on alert. Chrysanthe, let him be your spotter. Chrysanthe: Whatever gets me out of this room. Roger. Penny: I see a little green stain... Couldn't get him. Snipers? Kokoda: ...Missed. Billy: Hey, I-- got him! Penny: Why aren't you a sniper? You're on fire today. Er, except for the whole going insane thing. Paul: Alright, good work. Non-Snipers to the top floor, seems to be the only way to go. Billy, you can stay put, this is working. Hartwodoku: Living crew on the top floor. Is this place cleared out? I'm still hearing some movement, but... damn, wish we knew how many people were working here. Migraine: Whitey in the engine room stairwell! Hartwodoku: Not cleared. Bah. Migraine: Got him! Paul: Proceed with caution. ...Well, hello there. Paul: ...One left, I think. I hear it, a little deeper. Let's keep moving. Penny: Found it! Casualties, part 2: None, get on my level

[spoiler=Geoscape III] No sooner had we regained control of X-COM from that psychopath from the moon, when a report came in from Port Yi Sun-Sin. They had knocked another Cruiser down. Our units prepared to Sortie, and as her tactical sense had ACTUALLY proven effective, we decided to put the newly-'conscripted' Hartwodoku Sanada at the head of the force. Unfortunately, Good Morning would then have to be rerouted... and the mission changed entirely. [spoiler=Battlescape III -- Operation Bleeding Bugs] Hartwodoku here. Looks like they want me to lead the next charge. I'll prove them all wrong about me, I'll show that I was right all along! They'll all see. Our plane was on the way to a normal seafloor supply salvage, but reports came in of an attack on a ship. We changed course immediately. Fear immediately gripped my would-be comrades. I can't imagine how an attack on a ship could really be that bad... Lancer Jacques Costeau: Oui, oui! Petard out! Lancer Billy Jam: Will you ever stop that? Ugh. Captain Paul Gascoign: Quiet. Let verbal tics be verbal tics, we have a job to do. Sniper Gary Lineker: What's gotten into you, lately? Paul: Maybe SOME of us take command duty seriously. Gary: No reason to be a-- Psychopath Hartwodoku Sanada: Alright, everyone at the ready, we breach on my mark. Listen for gunshots, try to figure out what they are. Lancer Penny Dreadful: Well, fuck me if that didn't sound like a lobster claw... Gary: Stop imagining things! Heavy Migraine Borg: What WAS that noise? Paul: That almost... sounded like a Deep One. Hartwodoku: ...I think we should capture one of those, if we can. Right, breach! Lancer Tobruk Galli: Dicks, I can't see anything from up here. Looks like a supply ship. Hartwodoku: Can we get recon out? Jacques: Ah, monsieur! Gillmen! Hartwodoku: Got it. Fan out, expand the dye fields! Snipers atop the Triton, Shocks reel around the rear and check our flank! Gary: When did she get put in charge, anyway? Paul: Ask Command. I wouldn't have the slightest clue. Gary: Are we sure she ISN'T command anymore? Paul: No. Gary: Then-- Paul: Don't bother. Penny: Wait, why are the civvies running away from US? Are we THAT much of a catastrophe? Many people, simultaneously: Yes. Gary: ...more meatshields, I guess. Jacques: Sacré bleu! Somezing white in ze portholes! Penny: Are you French or German? Jacques: No matter. Eet is well done! I 'eard a scream. Penny: German, then. Tobruk: That's rac-- Another bug! Paul: Wait, let me try to freeze it! Paul: C-can't get a line... Hartwodoku: Throw someone else your Stun Bomb! Paul: Right. Gary, heads up! Gary: Hey, that almost hit me...! Okay, taking aim... Gary: ...Got it! I think that was two screams, too. Hartwodoku: Good. Alright, now for the hard bit, prepare to breach. Lancers, portholes. Tell me what's in those rooms. Penny: On your 12 is big and empty... Penny: At ten-o'-clock, looks to be a... telegraph room? Why would you HAVE one of those? The room looks bigger, I can't see it all from here. Tobruk: Up here's just a bunch've oil barrels, Cap'n. No bugs. Paul: Proceed with caution. Let's get someone up on deck. Cress: Captain! Paul: What? Cress: Closet to the north's empty! Paul: ...fantastic. Gary: Captain, here, have your gun back! Paul: OW! That hit me! Careful! Shock Yuri Lowell: Little green man on deck! Sniper Kokoda Gunc: Down. Hartwodoku: Right. Someone up those stairs, one of you heavy folk prepare your smokes! Michael: I'm up! Mostly empty, but a bug at the back end of that stack and a green guy behind all these barrels, can anyone get a bead? Tobruk: I can try a grenade? Hartwodoku: NO! The stunned one is up there, we can't risk killing it! Sniper Chrysanthe F: Let me just... Ha! Did I get him? Michael: ...Y-you hit THAT? Remind me not to get on your bad side... Paul: I'll get the other. Grenade out! Michael: HOLY-- Paul: I heard at least three screams, decent. Michael: CAREFUL! Fuck! Tobruk: Sir, I don't think it's safe to go through this room. Hartwodoku: Blowing things up seems to work for us, so... blow it up. Yuri, got a grenade? Tobruk: --You can't be serious... Yuri: Ahahahaha! At once, ma'am! Paul: I can only approve. Tobruk: You guys are crazy! I'm out of here. Tell me when the way is clear. Yuri: Come on, will be fun to watch! Tobruk: I'd rather not lose my eyes. Yuri: WOOO! Good choice. Penny: Breaching at the south end! And-- argh, deep one! Hartwodoku: Step aside! Hartwodoku: VROOM! VROOM! Eat drill, slagbeast! Penny: ...slagbeast? Paul: Best not question it. Alright, break into three groups. Watch each other's backs! We need you all for when we go into the cargo hold! Michael: Bogey on top! Cover me. Billy: Gotcher back. Michael: I.G., if you're still out there, give me some smoke cover up here! I.G.: Ya. Jacques: Ach! Zey are still coming! Take zis! And zat! Raagh! Jacques: And you, too! Buh... Hartwodoku: You missed! Step aside! Hartwodoku: That's how you do it! Michael: Not much else on the upper deck, but for a dead sailor, from the looks of it... IG, dyes? I.G.: Gotcha. Paul: Good, good. Those dye grenades are doing wonders. Any casualties? Looks like everyone's reporting in. Alright, let's get into this ship.. Tobruk: Ahh, n-nothing past the ROOM THAT IS ON FIRE NOW, just a lift... I'm not running through that! -- Jacques: Aaargh! Hartwodoku: Argh, why did he step aside INTO the room, alone...? Check it out! Penny: He's down! Green man in here! Hartwodoku: Urgh, these close quarters are murder... I've got it! Hartwodoku: Okay. We clear the upper deck, then group up and take the lower level! Don't move around lowerdeck alone! Argh, another one! Paul: Seconded. Not hearing a whole lot moving up here, so let's get ready to group up... [spoiler=top secret image detailing Harutopian strategems] Yuri: Sir, I'm on observation deck. Dye and smoke is thick, but area seems clear. Hartwodoku: Lower deck seems clea-- HNNGH! Grgh... yeah. Clear. Lower level is clear. Paul: Right. Everyone group up at the lift, let's head down! TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 2... Casualties: Ensign Jacques Costeau

I let my playstyle speak for itself

[spoiler=Battlescape II] Today, I will be joining the Sortie. Port Yi Sun-Sin knocked another USO down. Today, I will direct the troops from the ground. I'll show these wretches exactly how you do things in MY X-COM!... While hiding in plain sight as a rank and file soldier. No one will ever suspect! Lancer Tobruk Gall: Er... sure you want to be in the front, Har-- I mean, new guy? Psychopath Hartwodoku Sanada: W-what did you just call me? I'm definitely not that psychopath from the moon, why would you think that? Tobruk: Listen, it's really obvious, and frankly it's kind of emb-- Commander Paul Gascoign: Look, can it, you two. It doesn't matter, let's just get on with the mission. Command, standard opening? Hartwodoku (through a relatively obvious voice changer) as 'Command': Er, yes. Drop the dye grenades now and begin the spread search once the dyes have dispersed. Over. Shock Cress Albane: Yes, thank you, we all went to training seven months ago. Can we get on with it? Lancer Jacques Cost: Oui, oui. Petard out! 'Command': Alright. Er... Tobruk, please lead the scouting. Over.. Tobruk: Shouldn't the 'new guy'? Isn't that what new meat is here for? 'Command': Ah! N-no, that won't be necessary. Wouldn't want to spook anyone, would we? Over. Tobruk: Of course... Tobruk: What IS that? It's... some kind of weird yellow lizard thing, to the north of the craft... Lancer Billy Jam: SHIT! One out front, too! Hartwodoku: Got it. Try to freeze one, yeah? I have a feeling. Billy: And who are you to give orders, exactly? 'Command': *KSSSH* Er, she's right, try to freeze one of the lizards. Over. Billy: Baaah, whatever. Shock Michael Acard: Scorch marks to the south, but no bogies. Thank god. 'Command': Once you take care of the north, assemble a team, drop dye and breach. Emphasis on drop dye. Over. Michael: Roger. Billy: North's moving. Taking him-- Hartwodoku: GOT IT! Hartwodoku: W-what, it survived that...? Billy: Step aside. Billy: Gotcha. Michael: Movement to the south! Bogey coming out of the wreckage! Commander Paul Gascoign: Lemme try to stun it. Hngh! Paul: Damn...! Snipers, ice that cunt! Heavy I.G. Dood: IANAS, but: Gottem. Paul: The hell does that mean? Dood: I am not a sniper! 's clever wordplay, see? Because all the first letters... Paul: I know what an acronym is, you dolt! Bah! Get to the frontline. Scour the area, then we're breaching! Hartwodoku: I have a feeling we're going to get along juuuust fine. 'Command': Good job, Commander. Alright, not seeing anything in the area, advance carefully. Be sure to drop dye. Over. Michael: Commander, appears to be more around the ship, but this one's got a drill. Paul: Jacques, grenade it before I stun it to see if we can't knock this one out. Jacques: Oui, oui! Petard out! Paul: Oh, stop it, y-- whatever. Paul: Got it! One's stunned. Hartwodoku: Excelle-- I mean... 'Command': Excellent work. Over. Tobruk: COME ON! Paul: Can it! We have a job to do, we can talk about this when we get back. 'Command': That's right. Over. Tobruk: Grrr... Paul: Snipers, atop Good Morning. Shocks and Lancers at front. Fall in on me! Hartwodoku: Graaah! Hrngh... Lancer Penny Dreadful: You okay over there? Hartwodoku: Y-yeah... yeah, I'm just, er... annoyed no one is listening to Command. Penny: Okay, well, let us know when you're done taking your personal problems out on that coral reef. --End mission log-- ...The ship was empty. We found one more Tasoth and our scouts picked him off. Mission went according to plan. I should... probably make plans to return to Cydonia soon, though. I think people are starting to suspect that my greatness can't be a coincidence. The 'promotion' was pretty funny, though. Little do they suspect, I was in command the whole time! Casualties: None [spoiler=Geoscape II] I don't know what stupid gun they were trying to research when I entered the lab, but I made sure they stopped immediately. This is far more important. I KNOW this is going to be a breakthrough, I just KNOW it! They were doing weird psionics on me, and I -KNOW- psionics! This could be a HUGE breakthrough. The scientists were looking at me funny when I ordered it, but-- --we all know how that song and dance goes. ... ... ... Those scientists are hacks! They say they 'can't figure out how they use psionics' and 'want a live Deep One as a sample before making any definitive statements'. Bah! Useless, the lot of them! They should be glad I don't SACK THEM ALL! Bah. Whatever, I'll let them get back to their stupid gun. ...which turned out to be a Blaster Launcher wannabe. Alright, I can admit when I'm wrong. AND IT'S NOT NOW! That's it, go back to researching the stupid Taso-- What, you still need to research the ammo? I said, RESEARCH THE TASOTH! ... ...shit. I think I'm out of Elerium. Er... um... DYE GRENADE! Hartwodoku tried to escape to her Avenger and once again flee the planet. As if leaving a trance, the actual command structure of Port Kanye came to terms with what had happened, and she was instead captured and conscripted. But hey, apparently her management skills are pretty top-notch. And we got some new toys, too. Good on everyone. [spoiler=NEXT TIME ON TERROR FROM THE DEEP]

Lt. Freedom Crook. Updated the post~ Oh, and for information: This hostile LP takeover will last one month precisely, spanning four updates over the next few days. We will be back to your regularly-scheduled Parrhesia shortly. (and don't worry, the next one is more like a Parrhesia update... slightly.)

AND NOW IT'S TIME FOR A SPECIAL GUEST STAR. [spoiler=GEOSCAPE] My name is Hartwodoku Sanada. I am one of the few survivors of the First Alien War, though I wasn't with the first wave to Cydonia. My mother, deluded as she was, died early on and I was never sent to the frontline. When the war ended, I stole the spare Avenger they were building and set up camp in Cydonia, to study their civilization. Little did I know, X-COM would end up needing my expertise; I was often behind the scenes, helping the Commander of the original X-COM project out. And boy, do they need help. I landed on 1 July, 2040. The base was half-empty, with panicked scientists screaming about their paychecks and a whole lot of people worrying about some failed mission where all the big-shots were slain. I took command. It wasn't hard. None of the soldiers were trained in Psionics-- and I appear to have one of the only Psi-Amps remaining. Most of the Elerium was depleted after the war, and the upkeep ain't cheap. I think I can keep this charade going... about a month. The first thing I noticed was that funding was a mess. This will be fixed. Order will be maintained. Victory will be achieved. Unlike my mother, I don't need to believe in magic, for I am the embodiment of serendipity. The next thing I noticed was that we were paying 1.5 million per year for scientists at some remote podunk base. Once these scientists finish their current project, I will decommission them all, plus the laboratory at the base. We have better uses. Besides, this base is going to be defunded if it ends up in the red next month. I know how this government works. Next is the money situation. 2.7 million in the hole means we have to make deep cuts. This will allow us to once more produce goods at a profit... and more importantly, purchase some damn equipment. ...Actually, better be safe. Dye Grenades are the single most useful piece of equipment X-COM has available. Better make sure they don't run out when I leave. Most everyone left in base is green as hell, but hey, the craft is at least semi-well equipped. There's a boat attack out there, but I command the squad to stand down. We're in no shape to handle them now. Bunch of greenhorns. As soon as the scientists finish researching this... monstrosity of a weapon, they're all sacked. ...And then I'll use one for myself. Seems handy. It's nothing personal, but we just can't afford to lose that much money. We will also end up cutting about 50 scientists from the main base, before the end of the month. The upkeep is just way too high to maintain these personnel. Some of the scientists complain. That doesn't last long. Meanwhile, the scientists FINALLY manage to get me some solid intel on more of the new aliens. Unfortunately, the Psi-Amp seems utterly ineffective against these new specimens. But we'll get there. We have much more important things to research. The Brass, as it were, didn't think about these Magnetic Navigations. I think they're the key to a very powerful weapon. The scientists quickly reaffirm this for me, perhaps fearful for their jobs. Now, we wait. When an alien comes within SONAR range, it will be time to strike. And our range has just gotten so much better. And look what it brings. Serendipity. As ever, the aliens wait for no man, quick to continue their interdictions. The council of nations has no idea what it's doing, so it comes to us to knock it down. Unlike my predecessor, I am successful at this. It's only while watching the sonar blips that I realize, our flying subs don't use depleted uranium head missiles. I will fix this later. The TRITON-Class carrier, Good Morning, sorties. They've been retrained utterly. The tactics of old will no longer be allowed under my command. [spoiler=BATTLESCAPE] It's a waste of time to listen in on the soldier's communications here, as you would mostly hear me cursing people out for lack of discipline. Instead, a more traditional after-action report. Landing was clear. Little fog of war, no alien attacks on the ship before landing. Everything came in clean. Early scouting shows enemy to be of Lobsterman variety. Lancers primed. Sonic weapons have proven... annoyingly ineffective. Units instructed to hunker down and prepare for a massive scouting effort. Groans among men are responded to with silencings. 6 units temporarily lose comm speaking privileges. Initial probe of scouting effort shows enemy appears to be only moderately armed, troops suspect they may not even have visual on allied troops yet. Lancer Freedom charges through the smoke and ambushes an unsuspecting lobster. Drills appear insanely effective against that carapace, and the lobster drops immediately. Jokes are made about ordering mass quantities of butter; for the sake of morale, I will allow it. Lancer Smith ordered to take point, though, after followup mutterings to the effect of '...stuck up bitch'. Area appears to be a sweeping seabed near an oil pipeline; suggests alien interest in fossil fuels? Regardless, units ordered to disperse to minimize grenade effectiveness. Significant downside to drill strategy discovered: Lobsters have claws. Sarcastic quip interrupted by blood-curdling scream of pain and strangulation. Overall mission impact judged as positive. Lancer Billy Jam takes breach, avoids an untimely reaction shot and knocks out a second lobster. Lancer Megido Smith (reluctantly) scouts, finds perpetrator, but can't find guts to fire. Claims to refuse to use non-drill weapon. Point of query: Where did we GET these troops? During the crossfire, an alien makes a very bold move, the dye in the air evidently affecting its mind. The Lobster appears to notice Lancer Gall a moment too late. For all their flaws, drills are... exceedingly easy to use. Lancer Smith, while he may be useless in combat until the breach stage, makes an excellent spotter for our units in smoke. Another Snake... er, Lobsterman is identified to be picked off from the safety of smoke cover. Unfortunately, our snipers are... pretty underwhelming and miss several shots. Chrysanthe F makes the killing blow, no casualties. Meanwhile, Billy Jam (one of the units on a silence) is ordered to perform a Scoutscreen Manuever. He pans to the southwest until he spots an alien... ...at which point one of our units to the side gives him heavy smoke cover. Positioning knowledge will be useful for later. Mental note that Lancer Billy Jam is a much more effective soldier without comm priviliges. At this point, Lancer Smith is fired upon, takes a harsh hit, and begins cursing out command. Loses comm. Medic sent to patch him up, while snipers take out the Lobsterman position. Point of order: Grenade barrages are effective sniping solutions. Shock Cress Albane, while not a commanding officer, commended for pointing out Megido Smith was rather foolish for expecting not to get shot while wielding a drill. Team-comm privileges restored. Also, something something healed his wounds. The dye-obfuscated seabed fell rather silent at this point, so scouting efforts were resumed. Behind smoke cover, and with ALL units ordered to make only heavily-aimed shots, another pair of lobsters are spotted and fall to heavy sonic cannon fire. Ship was damaged too heavily to capture any resources, but mission was a complete success. And with me at command, all missions will be this way. Casualties: Lancer Freedom Crook (Lieutenant)

Well, I did warn you.

Name: Megido Smith Sex: Not quite known Class: Drill Notes: Found in the wreckage of the alien-sunken cruise ship trying to dredge valuable resources, using a Heavy Thermic Lance as a mining drill. Refuses to go into battle with anything less than a Vibro-blade. Never takes off her(?) helmet, so will refuse to participate in aboveground missions without significant prodding.

Welcome to Terror From The Deep. Please leave any hope of victory at the door.

I'll drop you a PM later, if you'd like, then. I'm now in a League game, suddenly. Send me a message at some point to remind me or I might forget.

I would disagree entirely. The pressure is still every bit as there as it was before, and it means the societal changes changing the definitions just make it harder on us. Do you want to know why I know this? It's pretty personal, but I'll share if it'll help you understand the mindset.

This exactly.

As someone in that generation currently quite nearly unemployed and barely getting enough food to eat, I can guarantee you from a firsthand position that that is a result of this massive recession, the mass-automation and outsourcing of the workforce and production, and the massive cheapening of easy quality of life making it a much, much less viable financial option to actually move out. Houses are more expensive, minimum wage is both lower and harder to escape from, and fewer and fewer routes of escape make themselves obvious as college itself becomes a massive debt farm for many. LBJ said 'Poverty must not be a bar to learning and learning must offer an escape from poverty', but these days, that's just not the case. You wanted to know why people weren't 'growing up', and this is why. Growing up has changed. Fiscal security isn't being grown up, because it's simply an option unattainable by many.

Nope, you were right. 'it was a different time with different set of societal norms and societal needs.'

Sorry if I came off that way. You have to understand, though, I simply do not see the data to support that premise. I didn't live with my grandparents as they were growing up, it was a different time with different set of societal norms and societal needs. Society changes based on the times and the technology and the trends, and 'growing up' now means something completely different than it did 100, 50, 10 years ago.

I hate to be brash, but let me just put it this way. If it's not clear: I'm not buying the premise. You need to work harder to give me a reason to think that it was better before.

your worth to the forum is literally measured in how many bytes of Integrity's PM storage you've taken up

Anyway, it appears my work here is done, unless Florina wants to go for another round.

Where do I sign up? I love a good cathartic FEELINGS BEATDOWN complete with HIPPIE HAYMAKERS and LOVE AND TOLERANCE LOVETAPS.

I suggest you work on that, where you can, but as far as what I can do for you goes, I'm glad you can see the folly in snap judgment. Be aware that you can easily be made to do this about a great many things. Always be aware of your mindset.

I'm not utterly unconvinced Integrity wouldn't, given the chance