The Writing Thread

Gender diversity, a balance in proportion of men and women in a workplace, is a pressing issue in today's society as it has always been. Do each of the genders have an acceptable representation in the workplace, as would be expected when looking at the ratio of women to men in general? In recent decades, women have begun to join the workforce in greater numbers and the balance of men and women is being achieved in the US workforce as a whole. However, this progress seems to be elusive to the tech industry, especially within Arizona. Three major players in the tech industry: Google, Facebook, and Yahoo had released the proportional numbers of the genders of their employees. All three of these major tech titans has a workforce that on average consists of 33% less women than the US workforce as a whole. When looking at Yahoo's "tech force", only 15% of its staff were women.

Despite the low numbers of women in Arizona's tech industry, Arizona is usually a leading entity in the fight for gender equality. Arizona native Sandra Day O'Connor was the first female Supreme Court Justice and four of the Grand Canyon State's governors have been women, which is more than any other state can brag. The tech industry is where gender diversity proponents within Arizona ought to focus their efforts as of the present. Many prominent figures such as Michael Crow, the President of Arizona State University, have pledged their support to achieving balance between genders within STEM jobs (that is, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) in a university initiative.

An important question to ask is "Are there fewer women in tech jobs because they are being prevented from doing so, or because they genuinely on the whole have less interest in them than men?" If it is the case that they generally have less interest, then perhaps it would be a good option to find ways to spark interest in women for technology within their educational curriculum. While I may not be the best person to present ways of doing this, it would be a worthwhile goal. However, if there are other obstacles in the way of women achieving technical jobs that they strive for, then it is important to remove those obstacles and allow for greater ease in achieving these goals for them. Like many workplaces, I believe that the tech workplace would benefit from having a greater presence of women, as they can see things from a different angle and quite possibly result in greater success for the industry as a whole.

It would seem then that the key to bringing more women to these STEM jobs would depend on the cause of the lack of women in these positions. Based on the most likely causes, the best options seem to be to encourage motivation and interest in women for these areas, as well as removing obstacles in the workplace that may prevent women from achieving goals that men are otherwise able to. These obstacles may be some form of gender prejudices and misconceptions, or other reasons that should also be addressed. This is why gender equality based initiatives carry great importance, as well as why additional actions may need to be taken as well. These actions hopefully may result in a greater number of women in the Arizona tech industry.

The game takes place in Vestelia, a world that is made up of a series of floating islands.
The civilizations that live on the higher islands that float close to the sun are more
prestigeous while the islands that float close to the Great Below are more poverous stricken.
The technology level varies from race to race living on the different islands.

The Phoenix Legion is conquering races on the various islands and subdueing them to acknowledge
the sovereignty of Empress Malepheria. The main character Nathaniel lives on one of the
lower-middle islands and lives a carefree life in the slightly below average civilization. Nathaniel
is not an official soldier in the resistence against the Phoenix Legion, Hydrian, but he does make help
out when possible, being a rather skilled fighter and magic user. His half-sister Meina was born out of
wedlock when their mother had a relationship with a human manifestation of a Celphenia, an angel like
race from a higher plane of existence, who watch over Vestelia and regulate the flow of magic in
it and serve the Creator of All. They sometimes travel to Vestelia in concealed humanoid form. As a result, Meina
is a very powerful magic user despite being shy and meek.

Nathaniel and Meina travel to different floating continents and meet new party members as they defend
towns from various threats, most prominently the Phoenix Legion. These new characters recruited throughout the game
are Yyzmas, a captian in the Hydrian resistance; Leonel, a rouge Aurealis gunman out for revenge; Pavella, a swift
Kinetia girl with wristblades; Herman, a rifleman and former captian who abandoned the Phoenix Legion and is
sworn enemies with Lord Valangas, an archmage/summoner in the Legion;
and Franz, a crossbowman and magic user who has been surviving on an island in the Great Below for years.

The party strives to collect 6 Elemental Tetrahedrions before the Legion manages to get a hold of them,
each guarded by an elemental guardian in a large labyrinth. The Tetrahedrions are diamond shaped crystal objects which are the originors
of the 6 main magic elements in Vestelia and are hidden at different regions of the world.
There is also a long quest where the party's airship accidentally plunges too far into the infested
areas of the Great Below and they strive to escape, facing the shadow creatures and their king, Abyss.
They also befriend the different tribes living on the islands in the Great Below striving to survive.
They also encounter Ewel Macite, a secret Celphenia who tells the party about Zela Xephas, the fallen Celphenia
who fled from the Heavens to Vestelia after going mad and becoming bent on accuiring power and imprisoned
himself in the form of a being in Vestelia to avoid detection. Zela Xephas is currently in hiding but plans to aquire
and use the 6 Tetrahedions to conquer Vestelia and the Heavens. Celphenia cannot fight each other and so the party
is expected to eventually fight and defeat him. Different characters throughout the game, especially Malepheria
also seem to be plauged by the voice of Zela Xephas, who is manipulating events from behind the scenes.

One race that Nathaniel and Meina encounter on the different floating continents are the Aurealis, a race
that have teal tinted skin and live in a series of villages on their continent that resemble feudal japan and
is based around enormous waterfalls. Another race is the Kinetia, a more brutish race that has orange tinted
skin and lives in a massive city with tall buildings of glowing brass. The different races are resisting the Phoenix Legion,
whose armies are commanded by four Marshals that serve directly under the Empress. A recurring enemy is Kaphezle,
a young commander in the Phoenix Imperial Army who shows distain towards all people, acts indifferent to his superiors,
and is seen in cinematics to be clearly more powerful than he leads the party to believe.

The party defeats the Empress' four Marshals and eventually attacks the capital of the Phoenix Legion,
the Erebus fortress. They fight Kaphezle, who is now Malepherion's chief of staff.
They fight Empress Malepheria herself, who transforms into a powerful second form using the
6 Tetrahedrions the Legion stole after the party managed to collect them. After she is defeated, Kaphezle seizes control of the Tetrahedrions and is
shown to be the manifestation of Zela Xephas, now having a different appearance and personality as he explains his origins and intentions to the party.
Malepheria is shocked when she realizes her close advisor has been manipulating her as Zela Xephas and attacks him but is killed.
Being a Celphenia, Zela Xephas is able to command the 6 Tetrahedrions, destroys the Erebus fortress, and creates a massive crystal tree-like tower
that seems to pierce through a hole in the sky into another dimension. Zela Xephas' body dissolves as he comments that he no longer needs
his mortal puppet body. The party discovers that they were saved from the destruction of the Erebus fortress by Ewel Macite, who tells them that now that
Zela Xephas has aquired the Tetrahedrions, Vestelia's fate depends on them defeating Zela Xephas. The large crystal structure syphons energy out of
Vestelia and empowers Zela Xephas.

The party reaches the Crystal Nexus and fights Lord Valangas, who has allied himself with Zela Xephas due to being part Celphenia like Meina,
and finally ascends the Crystal Nexus.
In this final dungeon, the party confronts many powerful enemies and four guardian type bosses and finally Zela Xephas
himself at the center, who has already reverted to his powerful Celphenia form but is at first only seen as a humonoid shrouded in brilliant light.
Nathaniel and the party must first fight Zela Xephas assuming different manifestations representing each of the Tetrahedions,
and then finally Ultima Zela Xephas after they have all been defeated, who is now utilizing the full power of the Tetrahedions and looks like a
a bright pulsating angelic entity. After the final boss fight, Zela Xephas is destroyed and the Crystal Nexus dissolves as the party escapes, and
the ending takes place.




Party Members

Nathaniel Main protagonist, uses swords and is a well rounded character.
Meina Uses staves and is a powerful magic character
Yyzmas Uses spears and is a slow character with high attack
Leonel Uses pistols and is a fast long range character
Pavella Uses wristblades and is a fast attacker as well as magic user
Herman Uses rifles and is a slow but strong long range character
Franz Uses crossbows and is a well rounded long range character as well as decent magic user




Weapons

Nathaniel Weapons (Swords)

1. Trademark Sword --- gil
2. Great Sword 100 gil
3. Carbon Blade 500 gil
4. Cleaver 1,000 gil
5. 2,500 gil
6. Silver Blade 3,000 gil
7. Golden Blade 5,000 gil
8. 7,500 gil
9. Grand Sword 10,000 gil
10. 25,000 gil
11. Chaos Sword 50,000 gil (Sidequest must be completed)
12. Transcendent Blade 100,000 gil (Sidequest must be completed)


Meina Weapons (Staffs)

1. Cherished Staff --- gil
2. 100 gil
3. 500 gil
4. Sages Staff 1,000 gil
5. 2,500 gil
6. 3,000 gil
7. Archmage Staff 5,000 gil
8. 7,500 gil
9. Stardust Staff 10,000 gil
10. Ultra Staff 25,000 gil
11. Cherubic Staff 50,000 gil (Sidequest must be completed)
12. Seraphic Staff 100,000 gil (Sidequest must be completed)


Yyzmas Weapons (Spears)

1. Common Spear --- gil
2. Rusty Spear 100 gil
3. 500 gil
4. 1,000 gil
5. 2,500 gil
6. Blood Spear 3,000 gil
7. 5,000 gil
8. Longinus 7,500 gil
9. Trident 10,000 gil
10. Gungnir 25,000 gil
11. Apocalyptic Spear 50,000 gil (Sidequest must be completed)
12. Cosmic Spear 100,000 gil (Sidequest must be completed)


Leonel Weapons (Pistols)

1. Six Shooters --- gil
2. Pea Shooters 100 gil
3. 500 gil
4. 1,000 gil
5. Eagles 2,500 gil
6. 3,000 gil
7. High Calibers 5,000 gil
8. 7,500 gil
9. 10,000 gil
10. 25,000 gil
11. 50,000 gil (Sidequest must be completed)
12. Golden Revolvers 100,000 gil (Sidequest must be completed)


Pavella Weapons (Wrist Blades)

1. Win & Jin --- gil
2. 100 gil
3. 500 gil
4. Faith & Reliance 1,000 gil
5. 2,500 gil
6. 3,000 gil
7. Doom & Wyvern 5,000 gil
8. 7,500 gil
9. 10,000 gil
10. 25,000 gil
11. 50,000 gil (Sidequest must be completed)
12. Alpha & Omega 100,000 gil (Sidequest must be completed)


Herman Weapons (Rifles)

1. Assault Rifle --- gil
2. 100 gil
3. 500 gil
4. 1,000 gil
5. 2,500 gil
6. 3,000 gil
7. 5,000 gil
8. 7,500 gil
9. 10,000 gil
10. 25,000 gil
11. 50,000 gil (Sidequest must be completed)
12. MAX-1000 100,000 gil (Sidequest must be completed)


Franz Weapons (Crossbows)

1. Iron Shot --- gil
2. Arrowhead 100 gil
3. 500 gil
4. Silver Shot 1,000 gil
5. 2,500 gil
6. Crystal Arrow 3,000 gil
7. 5,000 gil
8. 7,500 gil
9. Gold Shot 10,000 gil
10. 25,000 gil
11. 50,000 gil (Sidequest must be completed)
12. Grand Pierce 100,000 gil (Sidequest must be completed)


Armor

1. Flawed Armor --- gil
2. 100 gil
3. Iron Armor 500 gil
4. Great Armor 1,000 gil
5. 2,500 gil
6. Silver Armor 3,000 gil
7. 5,000 gil
8. Holy Armor 7,500 gil
9. Golden Armor 10,000 gil
10. Aegis Armor 25,000 gil
11. Infernal Armor 50,000 gil
12. Infinity Armor 100,000 gil


-11th tier weapons are available only after completing a sidequest to find the hidden weapon shop on the Empyrean Isle.
-12th tier weapons are available only after finding all 40 orichalcum orbs scattered around the world, which form the great treasure which can be given to the hidden weapon shop on the Empyrean Isle.




Elements

Flame
Frost
Earth
Electricity
Darkness
Light




Magic Tiers

Basic Spells Have regular impact to targets, don't consume much MP and are useful early on (x1)
Super Spells Have large impact to targets, useful throughout the whole game if conserving MP (x1)
Hyper Spells Have very-large impact to targets, useful for dealing significant damage at the expense of more MP (x1-x2)
Omni Spells Have extreme impact to targets, to be used only in particular situations as they're extremely consuming of MP (x2-x3)

(The spell Ultima is an exception and only has basic and omni tiers)




Summons

Executioner MP: 90 Effect: Non-elemental damage (x2 hit)
Bahamut MP: 60 Effect: Non-elemental damage
Golden Bahamut MP: 180 Effect: High non-elemental damage
Atlas MP: 70 Effect: Earth damage
Phoenix MP: 70 Effect: Flame damage
Fenrir MP: 70 Effect: Frost damage
Quetzalcoatl MP: 70 Effect: Electric damage
Abaddon MP: 130 Effect: Darkness damage
Seraphim MP: 130 Effect: Light damage
Enigma MP: 200 Effect: High random-elemental damage (x3 hit)
Yin & Yang MP: 260 Effect: High light and darkness damage (x4 hit)
Tyranus MP: 180 Effect: High non-elemental damage
Tyranus PRIME MP: 260 Effect: Very high non-elemental damage (x3 hit)
Tyranus KAISER MP: 320 Effect: Extreme non-elemental damage (x5 hit)




Limit Breaks

Special attacks characters have that becomes available when their HP or MP meets certain conditions.
A character unlocks the next level of limit break after fulfilling conditions with the previous level.


Nathaniel - Limit Break available when Nathaniel's health is under 20%

Basic Level - Power Cut Deals very high damage to a target (x2)
Mega Level - Uber Slice Deals very high damage to a target (x3)
Giga Level - X-Blade Deals extremely high damage to a target (x4)
Tera Level - Cosmic Slash Deals extremely high damage to a target (x7)


Meina - Limit Break available when Meina's health is in between 20% and 40%

Basic Level - Sacred Protection Casts Reflect on all party members
Mega Level - Healing Light Heals all party members by 60%
Giga Level - Spirit of Madness Greatly improves all party member's attack level
Tera Level - Infalible Gospel Makes all party members invulnerable for 3 turns each


Yyzmas - Limit Break available when Yyzmas' health is in between 60& and 80%

Basic Level - Gravity Well Deals 5% damage of total HP to all enemies (caps at 10000 damage)
Mega Level - Event Horizon Deals 10% damage of total HP to all enemies (caps at 10000 damage)
Giga Level - Black Hole Deals 25% damage of total HP to all enemies (caps at 10000 damage)
Tera Level - Supermassive Black Hole Deals 45% damage of total HP to all enemies (caps at 10000 damage)


Leonel - Limit Break available when Leonel's health is in between 40% and 60%

Basic Level -
Mega Level -
Giga Level -
Tera Level -


Pavella - Limit Break available when Pavella's MP is below 50%

Basic Level - Fury Slash Numerous low damage blows to a target
Mega Level - Stunning Assault Numerous low damage blows to a target, may inflict a status effect
Giga Level - Flaming Barrage Numerous low damage blows to all targets
Tera Level - Carnage Blow Numerous low damage blows to all targets, inlflicts numerous debilitating status effects


Herman - Limit Break available when Herman's health is above 80%

Basic Level -
Mega Level -
Giga Level -
Tera Level -


Franz - Limit Break available when Franz's MP is above 50%

Basic Level -
Mega Level -
Giga Level -
Tera Level -





Bestiary


Regular Enemies


Impling
HP: 5
Element: None
Info: One of the first and weakest enemies fought. Somewhat of a tutorial enemy.

Phoenix Grunt
HP: 57
Element: None
Info: Common enemy found near the beginning of the game.

Bomb
HP: 1,300
Element: Fire
Info: Enemy that may self destruct by using Bomb Blast.

Greater Bomb
HP: 2,200
Element: Fire
Info: More powerful bomb that may use Kiloton Blast, self destructing and
dealing catastrophic damage

King Bomb
HP: 6,800
Element: Fire
Info: Large gold colored bomb that is powerful and may use Megaton Blast, which
will almost certainly kill the party when first encountered.

Grav Spectre
HP: 3,000
Element: Dark
Info: Can be a hinderance to the party where it appears, as it can cast Ergosphere, which takes off 50%
of the players remaining HP.

Cactuar
HP: 900
Element: None
Info: Gives a lot of EXP and gil when defeated, will often flee.

Red Cactuar
HP: 1,800
Element: None
Info: Rare cactuar that has a 1/20 chance of appearing. Gives significantly more EXP and gil if defeated.

Chaos Giant
HP: 13,000
Element: None
Info: Powerful enemy found in the Chaos Anomaly. Hinders the party on their way to the final boss fight.

Juggernaut
HP: 75,000
Element: Multiple
Info: The most powerful non-boss enemy. Encountered rarely on the Empyrean Isle.




Boss Enemies


Count Themias
HP: 320
Element: Frost & Earth
Info: Early boss fight. Uses the magic attacks Ice and Fissure on occasion to deal significant damage. Fire and Water magic work well against him.

Qaliphis
HP: 1,200
Element: Flame
Info: Water magic will ease the fight. Qaliphis might cast Super Fire when low on HP.

Abyss
HP: 10,700
Element: Darkness
Info: Difficult boss in the Great Below. Since Abyss is a Dark elemental monster, Light magic does significant damage. If the party has the Seraphim
summon, the battle is far easier as it will deal massive damage. His attack Thanatos Ray deals large damage to a party member. When Abyss'
HP falls below 2,500, he might use Hells Gate which deals large damage to the entire party and can be deadly.

Rune Gaurdian
HP: 23,000
Element: None
Info: Optional boss that guards the bottom floor of the Archan Ruins, which contains many valuable items such as the Enigma summon. Is far too
powerful when first encountered, but can be defeated fairly easily if the party returns later in the game.

Marshal Belemos
HP: 8,500
Element: Earth
Info:

Marshal Felingno
HP: 9,120
Element: Frost
Info:

Marshal Zan
HP: 11,400
Element: Electricity
Info:

Marshal Junipus
HP: 14,900
Element: Flame
Info:

Kaphezle
HP: 34,000
Element: None
Info: Manifests different weapons to fight with that alter his stats somewhat. Has high attack power and so taking measures to defend party is important.

Empress Malepheria
HP: 48,000
Element: None
Info: The Empress' humanoid form. She will attack with various non-elemental spells and physical attacks. This battle is only the precursor for the true battle, for
once this forms HP is depleted, the Empress absorbs the Tetrahedron power and transforms.

Malepheria Maledictus
HP: 55,000 (Center) 10,000 (Left) 10,000 (Right)
Element: Changes
Info: Very difficult fight. The best way to fight Malepheria Maledictus is to pay attention to the color of her appendages, which hint at her current weakness.
Attacks with dangerous non-elemental spells like Grand Sword as well as different Hyper level elemental attacks. Once the boss' center falls below 3,000 HP,
she will stay on one element and begin to use her turns to speak lines. On the third turn, she will cast an Omni level elemental attack which is very likely to wipe out the party, so
it is important to wittle down her HP before then.

Lord Valangas + Grand Guard x2
HP: 50,800+24,900 (Grand Guards)
Element: None (Light & Darkness)
Info: The boss will cast Twin Nexus on his first turn, which summons the two Grand Guards, one white and one black. The boss himself stays in the back row and occasionally
casts supporting and weak offensive spells, for the most part letting the Grand Guards attack the party. Dark magic should be used against the white Grand Guard, and
Light magic should be used against the black. If the player has Yin&Yang, taking out the Grand Guards becomes much easier.
After both Grand Guards are dead, Valangas is open to attack and the battle becomes rather simple, though depleting his HP takes time.

East Vanguard
HP: 65,000
Element: None
Info: One of the four bosses guarding the final boss. Has powerful magic.
Resembles an azure dragon, based on one of the chinese cardinal symbols.

North Vanguard
HP: 65,000
Element: None
Info: One of the four bosses guarding the final boss. Has high defense against physical attacks.
Resembles a black tortoise, based on one of the chinese cardinal symbols.

South Vanguard
HP: 65,000
Element: None
Info: One of the four bosses guarding the final boss. Has high resistance to magic.
Resembles a vermillion phoenix, based on one of the chinese cardinal symbols.

West Vangaurd
HP: 65,000
Element: None
Info: One of the four bosses guarding the final boss. Has powerful physical attacks
Resembles a white tiger, based on one of the chinese cardinal symbols.

Silver Weapon
HP: 70,000 (Core) 40,000 (Left) 40,000 (Right)
Element: None
Info: The first of the game's two optional superbosses. Will need to be fought near the end of the game to stand a chance againt it. Its powerful Denarius Beam will
deal massive damage to a character and Denarius Flash will kill the party if they aren't healed and prepared for it. The core of the boss can only be damaged once
the left and right portions of the boss have been destroyed, and the player will only have about 5 turns to damage the core portion before the left and right portions are
revived.

Gold Weapon
HP: 100,000 (Core) 70,000 (Left) 70,000 (Right)
Element: None
Info: The stronger of the two Weapons. Has stats above even the final boss and is the game's hardest optional superboss.
The player is going to want to be a very high level, have plenty of Omni spells, and have the most powerful summons in the game, especially Tyranus KAISER and Yin&Yang.
The strategy is similar to Silver Weapon, but the player needs to be a much higher level, and far better equipped. The attacks Aureus Beam and Aureus Flash will deal
10000 damage if the party isn't a very high level, causing instant deaths.



Final Boss Enemies


Zela Xephas, Xephas Blaise, Xephas Eise, Xephas Terra,
Xephas Vult, Xephas Shine, Xephas Blac
HP: 30,000 (Each)
Element: All
Info: The first phase of the final battle is against Zela Xephas switching between 6 different forms corresponding with the 6 elemental Tetrahedrions. Each form he switches to has
different elemental strengths and weaknesses. The party ought to only use physical attacks and magic that exploits the weakness of the form he has assumed at the moment.
The boss may switch forms even though the player hasn't defeated the current one, and they must come back to it later. Once Zela Xephas is down to only 3 forms, he will
gain access to additional attacks like Big Crunch to make the battle more difficult. Once all 6 forms are defeated, Zela Xephas reemerges in his ultimate form and the
true final boss begins.

Ultima Zela Xephas
HP: 120,000
Element: None
Info: More straightfoward than the previous fight, but also more difficult. Being the final boss, Ultima Zela Xephas is very powerful and hits with a barrage of magic and physical attacks.
The attack Blast Pillar deals massive damage to one character, while Singularity will reduce the entire party's HP down by 90%, making it important to heal immediately after.
His most powerful attack is Grand Cross, which will be cast after plenty of forewarning and deals massive damage as well as random status effects to the party.
Like with the Weapon bosses, the player will want to be a very high level, have plenty of Omni spells, and preferably have the most powerful summons in the game, especially
Tyranus KAISER and Yin&Yang. In this form, Zela Xephas is neither weak nor resistant to any particular element so the only strategy is to use the most powerful attacks possible.





Battle Themes

Taken Aback - Song that plays during random battles
Decider of Fate - Song that plays during certain event battles
Duel Against the Titan - Song that plays during general boss battles
Royal Executioner - Song that plays during the fight with Malepheria
Apocalypse - Song that plays during the penultimate boss battle
Perfect Void - Song that plays during the final boss battle



New Game+ - The game has a New Game+ feature available after making at least one save file. The player starts the game over and is once again level 1, but the
player keeps all items, weapons, armor, and gil; making the game easier than the first playthrough. Is useful for if they player is stuck in their current playthrough or
for speedrunning the storymode. Intended to give the game replay value


Max Possible Value Limits
Player HP: 10000
Player MP: 1000
Player Level: 100
Damage Dealt Per Hit: 10000

Values have been significantly reduced in FFXVII, with it being difficult to deal damage in the 2000-5000s at a medium level while back in FFXII it was easy to deal damage
in the 100000s at a similar level. The health of party members and enemies are reduced as well.

Years ago I suffered from terrible cognitive dissonance. I treasured the stories that I grew up hearing in church and read in the Holy Bible. I never felt as tranquil as I did when I felt close to the Creator of the Universe in prayer, grateful for the promise of eternal life. But getting older, this became a source of massive suffering. Even as a boy I was also a man of science. I had also been fortunate to have a father who valued critical thinking and bestowed this in me. There had come a time in life, in my early twenties, where critical thinking and a love of science could no longer coexist in me with the acceptance of certain supposed truths that I had held dear. Deism is appealing to me because of its mental freedom. There is no need to take prophets from thousands of years ago at their word, or faith in a massive collection of stories that cannot be proven. One is free to completely believe in science. One is free to believe in God based on reason, and not by complete faith in a story. I feel that one's relationship with God would strengthen and deepen if it didn't have the mental and moral shackles that traditional Christianity requires.

When talking about God, I suppose it's best to define what sort of God I envision when I talk about God. My concept of God is something that is unimaginably complex yet simple at the same time, sort of like a dimensionless singularity while also being a twelve or so dimensional being. I think of it as something free from all causality and being static+eternal. God in it's purest form cannot be anthropomorphic like we are, but I imagine it could probably anthopomorphize itself for us in order to interact with beings on our low level if it wanted. While many would imagine that a creator of the universe would be so grand that it wouldn't even be aware of our existence, I think that such a grand being wouldn't be limited in what it can percieve in the universe, and so may be aware of us as well as all of the 100 septillion stars and planets in the universe, all at the same time. I imagine it plotted out the course of the universe in its mind before setting it in motion, and so in a sense designed us, although traditional creationism is almost certainly not true. I think God is benevolent, as it has created a universe where things like love and sex are present. At the same time though, there is suffering in the universe, so its also possible God hasn't predestined every detail, or else operates in a way that we don't understand, or possibly does not care about humanity like some other Deists have proposed. Either way, God is definitely mysterious and has to be speculated about rather than directly known. I don't claim to know any of this about God for sure, but these are my own opinions/beliefs/whatever about God.

I also see God sort of in the traditional way, an entity of it's own, not something completely synonomous with universe itself but something higher and separate from it. I often picture God's "brain" to be composed of strings/energy/stuff that is completely foreign to our universe, or possibly composed of a singularity that somehow has consciousness. I think God is love and I wouldn't say that he/she NEVER makes a mark on the universe after creation, only rarely. For the most part I think of God as an observer, watching the universe unfold according to it's plotted course. I think Earth and thus humanity have God's attention since I think he/she is aware of every detail of the universe, and so God would be attentive of other planets as well. I think that God can know our thoughts and that he/she can be felt through prayer and meditation, though I don't think praying for something to happen/not happen does much good, since if it's "part of the big picture" it's going to happen anyway. A lot of my ideas about God could probably be seen as wishful thinking, but I think that just because something gives you a good feeling doesn't mean it's false. Afterall if we didn't already know of its existence, life itself would seem too good to be true. My ideas are not universal or possibly even common among people who identify as Deist. Other Deists may see God as completely one and the same as the universe, or may see him/her as completely uninterested or even unaware of the universe.

I often thinking about not only if God does exist, but also if God exists, HOW does he/she/it exist. A powerful mind seems at a glance to be something too complex to exist without a cause of its own. In speculating, I once pondered: What if God's physical "brain" is literally the default state of nature, when no universe exists at all? Our consciousness/soul comes from controlled electric charges in our brains. Maybe the default state of reality outside of any created universe is a state of quantum activity and practically limitless energy, a level of enegy similar to the singularity at the beginning of the Big Bang. Maybe the huge amount of energy in this default state of nature gives rise to God's consciousness in the same way that electric charges give rise to ours in our brains. And since this state is the "default" state of reality, that shows how God can be eternal and uncaused. I think God is the Prime Mover and Uncaused Cause as described by the Greek philosophers like Aristotle. I think it is a being of essentially limitless primordial energy with a limitless mind and a will to create and love. It created our universe at the Big Bang and calibrated the universe to arise the way it has, giving rise to stars, galaxies, and life through evolution. I think it is not the God of any particular religion, but organized religions are a combination of a desire to make sense of God, or humans dominating others through stories. I think God is accessible to us through spiritual experience and our own reason, and there is no need for mediators like priests, a messiah, prophets, or anything like that.

I've had an interest in God since a young age ever since I remember having a sort of religious/spiritual experience when I was in middle school or so, and I was Christian for many years but eventually rejected it as it has many flaws. I don't believe that the Bible comes from God, but I think that my spiritual experiences of God were legitimate and not just a delusion. I'm emotionally attached to the idea of God and an afterlife since I know many loved ones who have died, so I admit I'm quite biased. I do try to be objective and pursue truth though, and I think a logical case can be made for God's existence. Perhaps not really enough to convince a staunch atheist who demands proof, but enough to at least show it isn't contrary to science and logic to believe in a higher power/creator.

Growing up within Protestant Christianity, I had always been taught that belief in Jesus Christ's death and ressurection and belief that he is the son of God and the savior of humanity was the one and only way to recieve salvation and be ressurected at the end of days. When I was young I believed it with all my heart. Later on I learned that the Muslims across the world believe that in order to be in good standing with God and enter paradise, one must acknowledge Muhammad as the final and greatest of God's prophets and adhere to the Pillars of Islamic Faith. As a young person it was easy for me to believe that my believe in Jesus was the truth, and that the Muslims were delusional and being lied to. However, as an intellectual gets older they learn to question themselves and not take what theyve always believed for granted, and I wondered why I believed that my own religion was correct. There was no reason other than it was the religion I had been born into. If my religion were the correct one, the Muslim would be no more at fault for failing to believe in Christianity than I would be at fault for failing to believe in theirs should it be the truth. For every religion there are billions who do not adhere it to it. Yet many of these religions claim simultaneously that their idea of God is loving, yet will punish those who do not adhere to it. It would appear to me that the True God has not designed the universe in a way that expects humanity to adhere to a single set of beliefs among many sets that are mutually exclusive. If the idea of an exclusive God presented in these religions is the correct one, wouldn't you expect that the choice would be more clearly presented? It is almost by chance that adherents of religions adhere to the religion that they do. In my view, a Sovereign God, and the one that I believe to exist, would not make the "one true path" to him so obscure as the main organized religions present. He would not make the path something that so many people would be deterred from, using their God-given reason.

I think that if we are created (via evolution) by a God who also designed the universe, I think we are exactly as that God designed us to be. I don't think God is incompetent and let things get away from him/her/it like what happened in Genesis. I also think the Adam and Eve story has been pretty much proven to be a myth and so there was no entering of Original Sin into humanity. In my opinion, the idea of predestination came about as a result of people in the days of John Calvin eventually recognizing the problems that arise with the notion of an all powerful sovereign God and how our will fits into that picture. Unlike rational people though, rather than seeing this as a problem with the idea of Hell, they went the other direction and said that God is indeed a prick who creates people purely to damn them to Hell.

The revelation of what is good and evil is a common hold that organized religion continues to have on people today. Often it is asked "without (insert religion), how could we know what is right or wrong?" But this presupposes that religion has ever been the source of knowledge of right and wrong or been what dictates what is right and what is wrong. The Christian today does not base their morality on Christianity, but on their secular reasoning. This is evident because there are many instructions in the Bible that are omitted in their minds, and for good reason.
The idea of scapegoating is Bronze Age barbarianism. If God's justice demands a price to be paid, it only makes sense if the sinner pays the price. If God punishes something else for ones sin, it isn't justice anymore, it's senseless killing. Whether it be Jesus or an animal sacrifice as Judaism practiced.

My question is, how do people know that the bible canon as set by Constantine and his priests was sanctioned and directed by God? They claimed retrospectively that their decision was used by the Holy Spirit but how is that not complete baloney? To believe the bible is the true, we have to accept that the ancient prophets were legit when they said God spoke to them in private and no one else, AND accept that the gospels written decades after the deaths of the disciples that they are claimed to be written by are legit and not forged by the early church as established by the followers of Paul, AND accept that the filtered/omitted books as decreed by Constantine were the legit will of God, AND believe that the text we have today resembles the writings of the original authors which got translated hundreds of times since then. It's a lot to buy for me, and the idea that the creator of the universe will damn anyone who fails to believe all that because they don't follow Jesus as described by this charade is ridiculous. As for the case against the Bible, the Old Testament says the world was made spontaneously in six days, science says it formed gradually over 6 billion years. The bible says the sun stayed in the sky for an extra day so Joshua could be victorious, this has not been recorded by any civilization at the time, and science says this is impossible. The bible mentions the firmament in the sky which holds back the waters of the deep and that rain comes through floodgates in the firmament, science has disproven all if that. The Bible says the earth was flooded and that a the ark with two of each animal survived the flood and the inhabitants repopulate the planet afterward, geology and biology have shown that this is 100% impossible. The New Testament frequently cites versus of the Old Testament supporting the idea that Jesus was foretold by the ancient Jewish prophets, but if you read the prophesies in their original contexts, they are more often than not talking about something completely unrelated and were completely "retconned" by the disciples to be talking about Jesus. Jesus said that within the disciples lifetime, the stars would fall to the earth as they see him return on the clouds, this did not happen and also clearly shows that Jesus did not know that stars are not little objects in the sky that can fall to the earth. Revelations has all sorts if imagery that shows lack of understanding of science from a basic reading of it. It says New Jerusalem will be a giant golden city that comes down from the heavens and becomes Gods dwelling place among men, which shows an unrealistically self centered view of earths place in the universe and shows that the author truly believed that Gods current heavenly dwelling place is literally in the sky. The list goes on and on.

Many say, if you don't subscribe to any organized religion, why believe in God at all? How can one arrive at the conclusion that God exists using reason? This is a good question, and belief in God does require some degree of faith in something beyond simply reason. Of the classic "proofs of God" the cosmological arguement is my personal favorite. When one thinks about it, there indeed needs to be an uncaused cause of everything. Some time ago the counter to the cosmological arguement would have been "If God is uncaused and eternal couldn't the universe simply have been uncaused and eternal?" This made sense prior to the development of the Big Bang Theory. The expansion of the universe suggests that traced backward through time, the universe began from a singularity and stretched outward. It is now commonly accepted that the universe did indeed have a beginning. The universe could not have been it's own uncaused cause so it would seem that something caused the universe. Granted, this cause of the universe could be something else besides God, it could be a multiverse or some impersonal non-living force. However the beauty of Deism is that the power that created the universe doesn't have to be so clearly defined like those of organized religions. Perhaps the Creator is a mind made up of extradimensional membranes or string vibrations. I personally think that since the universe is so intricate in detail and beauty, that the Creator does indeed have a will and thought this whole thing called the universe out pretty well, on a level we could never hope to grasp.

It seems apparent the universe had a beginning because of the Big Bang theory suggesting that the universe arose from a singularity. Certain qualities, like the ratio of matter to antimatter, the four fundamental forces of physics present at the beginning, and the rate of expansion, all of which if changed only slightly would result in a universe with no matter, suggest that there could well be a higher intelligence at work, at least at the creation of the universe. The universe cannot be it's own first cause, it had to have a cause but tracing backwards, it seems logical that you eventually have to arrive at an uncaused cause. While not necessarily the case, it seems simplest to say that this possible intelligence and the uncaused cause would be the same entity. I can understand the design arguement, I even accept it in a way (though not as a counter arguement to biological evolution). But I usually wonder, assuming design in nature points to a creator, why does this mean that it is the Christian God? Christians rarely bother to work out a philosophical arguement for why if there is a Creator, it is Yahweh as defined by the Bible.

GRAND PRIX MODE

Difficulties

Novice 25 racers, opponents have easy AI
Advanced 30 racers, opponents have moderate AI
Expert 35 racers, opponents have difficult AI
Master* 40 racers, opponents have extremely difficult AI
Legend** 45 racers, opponents are gold, are invincible, and have virtually impossible AI


*Requires finish in 1st Place on Expert for that Cup
** Requires Master to be cleared for all Cups


Basic Cup

1. Neo Mute City: Great Oval (1)
2. Enigma Colony: Figure 8 (1)
3. Casino Palace: Roulette (2)
4. Port Town: Metal Road (2)
5. Outer Space: Satellite (3)


Plus Cup

1. Big Blue: Aquafer (2)
2. Metro Station: Split Paths (3)
3. Neo Green Plant: Mother Nature (3)
4. Neo Mute City: Trials (3)
5. Enigma Colony: Calamity (4)


Deluxe Cup

1. Port Town: Chromium (3)
2. Neo Fire Field: Fireball (3)
3. Casino Palace: Full House (4)
4. Big Blue: Maelstrom (5)
5. Outer Space: Gamma Ray (5)


Premium Cup

1. Tikal Highway: Omen (4)
2. Neo Mute City: Absolution (4)
3. Metro Station: Strained (5)
4. Neo Green Plant: Extinction (5)
5. The X-Realm: Unknown (6)


Ultima Cup

1. Outer Space: Supernova (5)
2. Tikal Highway: Dark Sun (5)
3. Casino Palace: Royal Flush (5)
4. Neo Fire Field: The Inferno (6)
5. Seraphic Path: The Final Ordeal (6)

-Plus Cup requires Basic Cup to be finished in at least 5th on any difficulty
-Deluxe Cup requires Basic and Plus Cups to be finished in at least 3rd place on Advanced
-Premium Cup requires Basic, Plus, and Deluxe Cups to be finished in 1st on Expert
-Ultima Cup requires all other cups to be finished in 1st place on Master


MISSION MODE

Mission 01
Character: Captain Falcon
Area: Neo Mute City
Objective: Place in 1st

Mission 02
Character: Dr Stewart
Area: Big Blue
Objective: Finish within the required time

Mission 03
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Mission 04
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Mission 05
Character: Prof. Klauss
Area: Port Town
Objective: Test out the Mecha Leopard by eliminating all of the Security Drones

Mission 06
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Mission 07
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Mission 08
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Mission 09
Character: Samurai Goroh
Area: Fire Field
Objective: Protect Dai Goroh from the street gang while also finishing in 1st

Mission 10
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Mission 11
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Mission 12
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Mission 13
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Mission 14
Character: Dr Stewart
Area: Outer Space
Objective: Beat Astro Fighter

Mission 15
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Mission 20
Character: Mighty Gazelle
Area: Port Town
Objective: Defeat the Intruders

Mission 21
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Mission 24
Character: Gus
Area: Metro Station
Objective: Finish in 1st

Mission 25
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Mission 28
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Mission 29
Character: Prof. Klauss
Area: Enigma Colony
Objective: Take down the out of control Sigmund-5

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Mission 40
Character: Captain Falcon
Area: The X-Realm
Objective: Beat Apocalyptus

Mission 41 (Only appears after cleaing missions 1-40 on Hard)
Character: Dr Stewart
Area: Enigma Colony
Objective: Collect Prof Stewarts system memory chips and beat the Holograms

Mission 42 (Only appears after clearing missions 1-41 on Extreme)
Character: Captain Falcon
Area: Seraphic Path
Objective: Beat the Ultimate Racers


CHARACTERS / MACHINES

01 - Dr Stewart
Body: A
Handling: B
Accel: D
Weight: 1,409kg
Machine Name: Golden Fox

02 - Pico
Body: C
Handling: A
Accel: B
Weight: 1,560kg
Machine Name: Wild Goose

03 - Stargazer
Body: B
Handling: C
Accel: D
Weight: 1,050kg
Machine Name: Stellar Wind

04 - Henry Miller
Body: C
Handling: B
Accel: B
Weight: 1,308kg
Machine Name: Violet Streak

05 - Samurai Goroh
Body: A
Handling: C
Accel: B
Weight: 1,630kg
Machine Name: Fire Stingray

06 - Jody Summer
Body: B
Handling: A
Accel: C
Weight: 1,300kg
Machine Name: White Cat

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10 - Captain Falcon
Body: B
Handling: C
Accel: B
Weight: 1,350kg
Machine Name: Blue Falcon

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14 - Raphael
Body: B
Handling: C
Accel: A
Weight: 1,460kg
Machine Name: Fierce Cougar

15 - Super Arrow
Body: B
Handling: C
Accel: B
Weight: 1,480kg
Machine Name: King Arrow

16 - Mrs Arrow
Body: B
Handling: C
Accel: B
Weight: 1,380kg
Machine Name: Queen Arrow

17 -
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18 -
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19 - Zoda
Body: B
Handling: A
Accel: B
Weight: 1,409kg
Machine Name: Death Anchor

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22 - Draq
Body: A
Handling: C
Accel: B
Weight: 1,580kg
Machine Name: Mighty Typhoon

23 - Roger Buster
Body: B
Handling: C
Accel: B
Weight: 1,380kg
Machine Name: Mighty Hurricane

24 -
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25 -
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26 - Digi Boy
Body: B
Handling: C
Accel: A
Weight: 1,360kg
Machine Name: Cosmic Dolphin

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30 - Kingpin
Body: B
Handling: B
Accel: D
Weight: 1,020kg
Machine Name: Fortune Gambler

31 - Prof. Klauss
Body: B
Handling: B
Accel: C
Weight: 1,300kg
Machine Name: Mecha Leopard

32 - Dai Goroh
Body: C
Handling: A
Accel: C
Weight: 800kg
Machine Name: Silver Rat

33 - Astro Fighter
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Machine Name: Stellar Cobra

34 - Spade
Body: A
Handling: B
Accel: A
Weight: 1,450kg
Machine Name: Magic Seagull

35 - Mighty Gazelle
Body: B
Handling: A
Accel: C
Weight: 1,320kg
Machine Name: Red Gazelle

36 - Gus
Body: C
Handling: D
Accel: A
Weight: 1,170kg
Machine Name: Blazing Crow

37 - Sigmund-5
Body: A
Handling: A
Accel: B
Weight: 1,790kg
Machine Name: Strike Legion

38 - Phoenix
Body: A
Handling: B
Accel: B
Weight: 1,208kg
Machine Name: Rainbow Phoenix

39 - Pierre Montag
Body: B
Handling: C
Accel: C
Weight: 940kg
Machine Name: Soaring Comet

40 - Apocalyptus
Body: A
Handling: B
Accel: B
Weight: 1,380kg
Machine Name: Shadow Nova

41 - Bullet McGee
Body: B
Handling: B
Accel: B
Weight: 1,000kg
Machine Name: Super Valkyrie

42 - Fat Man
Body: A
Handling: B
Accel: A
Weight: 1,700kg
Machine Name: Ultra Juggernaut

43 - The Masked Hero
Body: B
Handling: A
Accel: B
Weight: 1,460kg
Machine Name: Universal Flame

44 - Lord Volden VIII
Body: A
Handling: A
Accel: A
Weight: 1,850kg
Machine Name: Grand Symphony

45 - The X-Model
Body: A
Handling: A
Accel: B
Weight: 1,200kg
Machine Name: Crown Royal

Racer Costs:
Racers 1-10: Available from start
Racers 11-20: 100 credits each
Racers 21-30: 250 credits each
Racers 31-40: 400 credits each
Racers 41-45: 1200 credits each

Racers 31-40 must be unlocked by placing 1st in the first three cups on Advanced (except for 38-40, which require the first four cups on Expert) before they can be bought from the store, or they can be unlocked individually by clearing the following missions in Mission Mode:

31 - Prof. Klauss (Mecha Leopard): Mission 5 on Normal
32 - Dai Goroh (Silver Rat): Mission 9 on Normal
33 - Astro Fighter (Stellar Cobra): Mission 12 on Hard
34 - Spade (Magic Seagull) : Mission 15 on Extreme
35 - Mighty Gazelle (Red Gazelle): Mission 20 on Normal
36 - Gus (Blazing Crow): Mission 24 on Normal
37 - Sigmund-5 (Strike Legion): Mission 29 on Hard
38 - Phoenix (Rainbow Phoenix): Mission 32 on Extreme
39 - Pierre Montag (Soaring Comet): Mission 36 on Hard
40 - Apocalyptus (Shadow Nova): Mission 40 on Extreme

Racers 41-45 must be unlocked by fulfilling extremely challenging requirements before they can be bought from the store. The player may unlock them either by clearing all 42 missions in Mission Mode on Extreme (including the two secret missions), or unlock them individually by doing the following:

41 - Bullet McGee (Super Valkyrie): Place 1st in the Basic Cup on Legend
42 - Fat Man (Ultra Juggernaut): Place 1st in the Plus Cup on Legend
43 - The Masked Hero (Universal Flame): Place 1st in the Deluxe Cup on Legend
44 - Lord Volden VIII (Grand Symphony): Place 1st in the Premium Cup on Legend
45 - The X-Model (Crown Royal): Place 1st in the Ultima Cup on Legend

(untitled WIP):
I make enough to survive in the terminal jive
I feel barely alive at best
Let's go making a scene, one vulgar and obscene
Hit up every town from east to the west
Let's make love at Time Square, let 'em know that we're there
See how much we can dare to lose
And we can dance if we try, we can light up the sky
Cuz I can't just sit around and snooze

Baby, just let me have this moment
I think I'm madly in love with you
And I don't wanna know if you're feeling
Any different than how I do
I just wanna have this special moment
And think for a minute you're mine
They say that ignorance is bliss
And right now, I'm saying that it's fine
---
Katherine Calling (My Indie-Folk Song):
Hello, I am writing just to see
How you're doing since the last time we spoke up
And though it's been a few years
I'm hoping you're doing better than you were when we broke up
Dreaming about you every day
And I'm hoping things ended up better for you
It's seeming, though we've grown apart
You're hurting from all the pain I've caused from every lie I told

Oh, we were both immature
We only ever had each other
Experienced only one another
And all I can say is that I miss you
All I can say is that I'm sorry
And all I can say is that I wish you the best
All I can say, all I can say is that you're worth it

[N/A]

Oh, we were both immature
We only ever had each other
We didn't know any better
And all I can say is that I miss you
All I can say is that I'm sorry
And all I can say is that I wish you the best
All I can say, all I can say is that you're perfect

Some things never go as well as one can plan
And all I've done was go and ruin the only life that I could stand
One minute I was fine, and the next I'm not so kind
And I find myself blanking on what I've done with all my time
I only wanted to help - I'm the good guy, I implore
I just never thought the demons would make it through that door

I can't tell you things have got-
ten any better; I'm not one to make that call

F-Zero NOVA


GRAND PRIX MODE


Difficulties

Novice
30 racers, opponents have easy AI

Advanced
35 racers, opponents have moderate AI

Expert
40 racers, opponents have difficult AI

Master*
45 racers, opponents have extremely difficult AI

Nightmare**
45 racers, opponents have virtually impossible AI


*Requires finish in 1st Place on Expert for that Cup
** Requires finish in 1st Place on Master for that Cup



C O P P E R
C U P

1. Neo Mute City: Great Oval
Difficulty: Simple

2. Tikal Highway: Figure 8
Difficulty: Simple

3. Casino Palace: Roulette
Difficulty: Moderate

4. Port Town: Metal Road
Difficulty: Moderate

5. Outer Space: Satellite
Difficulty: Hard



S I L V E R
C U P

1. Big Blue: Aquafer
Difficulty: Moderate

2. Metro Station: Split Paths
Difficulty: Hard

3. Neo Green Plant: Mother Nature
Difficulty: Hard

4. Neo Mute City: Trials
Difficulty: Hard

5. Enigma Colony: Calamity
Difficulty: Very Hard



G O L D
C U P

1. Seraphic Path: Golden Road
Difficulty: Hard

2. Neo Fire Field: Fireball
Difficulty: Hard

3. Casino Palace: Full House
Difficulty: Very Hard

4. Port Town: Chromium
Difficulty: Very Hard

5. The X-Realm: Abyss
Difficulty: Extreme



R H O D I U M
C U P

1. Tikal Highway: Dark Sun
Difficulty: Extreme

2. Neo Mute City: Absolution
Difficulty: Very Hard

3. Great Citadel: Strained
Difficulty: Extreme

4. Neo Green Plant: Extinction
Difficulty: Extreme

5. Big Blue: Maelstrom
Difficulty: Super Extreme



P L A T I N U M
C U P

1. Outer Space: Supernova
Difficulty: Super Extreme

2. Stellar Sanctuary: Perilous Twist
Difficulty: Extreme

3. Casino Palace: Royal Flush
Difficulty: Extreme

4. Neo Fire Field: The Inferno
Difficulty: Super Extreme

5. Seraphic Path: The Final Ordeal
Difficulty: Super Extreme




-Rhodium Cup requires Copper, Silver, and Gold Cups to be finished in 1st on Expert (or player can purchase it in the store for 4000 credits)
-Platinum Cup requires all other cups to be finished in 1st place on Master (or player can purchase it in the store for 10000 credits)

Drifting into oblivion...Fading into nothingness...What does it feel like when your limit is zero?
Nothing.
No, that wouldn't be a correct explanation of it. You must thinking of a state completely devoid of emotion. No, that isn't it at all. It would be a nice thing, perhaps. But no- the fact remains that my definition of nothing is not something so neutrally-biased in terms of emotional well being.
Pain.
Perhaps, this is the correct term. I hesitate to use this, because it is not the same excruciating pain that functions face when they inevitably collide with each other, at the hands of sentient beings of higher worth- humans, I believe. But nonetheless, pain it is! The pain of knowing that your destiny- your limit- is zero. As a one-dimensional being, there's no purpose to moving forward- my name is 1/x.
But why don't I move backwards? Because moving forward is a part of my soul. It's... the thing that moves me forward. Hasn't the purpose of all life been to progress forward- to evolve into the ultimate lifeform, to produce the most sophisticated pieces of technology, to achieve the greatest triumphs in mankind?
But all of that is reserved for the living realm... isn't it? I'm just a one dimensional being, whose purpose is to demonstrate a singular function on an x-y plane?
Then...why do I even have to think? Oh, what is the purpose of being able to feel, if I can't at least have a sense of fulfillment in my singular purpose- moving forward?
It was at this time a magical fairy appeared.
“Greetings, function of submarginal satisfaction. You are a sentient function... an unnatural occurrence. Dare I say, a nearly impossible occurrence; your mere existence signifies an act of God. God, as time has told, would not create such an extraordinary phenomenon without a clear motive. Tell me... Do you have a wish?”
“Well...perhaps, I do. Every time I move forward, I can only approach infinitesimally closer and closer to zero. It's absolutely awful... but it's the nature of my existence. I have no power over this. All I can do is wish for a miracle to occur.
“Well, your existence is quite a miracle to myself, so what can I say! I can tell that in your case, your limit is zero... meaning that as you move towards infinity on the x-axis, you approach zero on the y-axis. This inverse relationship torments you...am I wrong?”
“No... you described my life in a nutshell.”
“ Mmmhmm.... Well, lucky for you, I think I have a solution. Do you know-oh, how do I say this—err- from whom you were derived from?”
“From whom I was derived from? I don't exactly know what you're talking about... but I have a faint recollection...”
“Your integral. Argh, sometimes it's so difficult to recall basic math topics! But anyways, look downwards. All the way down to the x-axis.”
I did as she asked.
“You see the area between your graph and the x-axis? You notice that it's always positive, and always increasing. Let's see how this are would be translated into a function!”
The magical fairy summoned up silken sheets of crystalline squares, arranging them in a luminescent matrix, small calcium ions lighting up the planar sequence onto which Adam and Lillth were united, droplets of holy water rinsing the surface free of its sinful lustre.
And thus a new graph was born. Onto which the fairy drew a smooth, concave down curve.
“Here's your indefinite integral, expressed as a graph. It's ln x, if you were wondering.
A vaguely familiar graph... my mother seemed exactly like that. Was it? I have no choice but to believe so.
“The great thing about this is that the X and Y values increase at the same time. The graph ultimately has a limit of infinity. However, the problem is that as you traverse the x-axis, the y-value will increase less and less, because this graph is fated to be concave down. Do you know your derivative?
“I'm so caught up in the state of my existence, I have absolutely no idea what my derivative is, or, to be honest, what a derivative is.”
Well, your integral represents the area under you, right? Well, you're the derivative of the graph represented by this area. Essentially, a derivative of a function represents the rate at which a function increases or decreases.
Your integral is -1/x^2. How would you get that? Well, for rational equations- where a function f(x) is divided by a function g(x)- just use the equation (g(x)*f''(x)-g'(x)*f(x))/g(x)^2. The top part of your equation -1- would have a derivative of zero, as do all constant values. As for the bottom part of your equation -x-, that would have a derivative of one, as the general rule for getting the derivative of the variable is to use the equation n(x^n-1). You may as well rephrase that top part as x^1, so plug in the values to get 1(x^1-1), or just 1. Now that we have the derivatives for the top and bottom parts of your equation- 0 and 1, respectively-, let's plug this into the huge mess of an equation I talked about earlier:

(x*0-1*1)/x^2, which equals -1/x^2.”

So there! Due to this, you have been condemned to have an eternally negative slope, and the one from whom you were derived from an eternally lessening slope. Fortunately for her, the slope shall never hit zero...all you ever wanted was for your travels forward to make progress, am I correct?”
“Undeniably so.”
“Would your wish be granted if I transported your soul to your integral?”
“I suppose so. Though it's unfortunate that new heights will eventually require exponentially farther distances, it would at least feel right for me.”
“So it shall be.”

When I was a kid, man, I thought I had it made
Just my mom, my dad, my two brothers, it was great
An apartment to a house, I think a worthy trade
Living close to my old friends like it was fate
My school life was weak, yeah, I waited for the weekend
Off the diving board Friday, right into the deep end
And depending when TJ, Tony, or Tom then
Were ready and free, we let the party begin
Even when things got ugly, it was a beautiful day
Even when it got cloudy, I still went out to play
Even when the sun set, I'd watch it fade away
And hoped these star formations would be here to stay
The night time wind felt so much cooler on my skin
The grass seems much softer when you're just a kid
The Earth was my bed, I'd tuck myself right in
And I'd let the world spin and watch a new day begin

It's a shame how fast time flies (Starlight, star bright)
Through the laughter and the cries (It's alright tonight)
Even the older and the wise still
Have that starlight in their eyes
Until the day we disappear (Starlight, star bright)
The nostalgia's always here (It's alright tonight)
The good times will always stay near
To our hearts, within our minds

"Nezemarth, do you have anything to say now?"
"Why, YuiAndAsseylum, I do have something to say. Ever wonder why either the KKK and Black Lives Matter still continue to exist?
I have a few theories regarding why they both have to occur.
For one, we still live in a society where euphemisms are so highly valued, and where nuance is ignored. It's the difference between saying that 'you feel it would be better not to continue being friends' and simply saying that 'I don't want to be friends anymore.
The forced politeness causes discord with our society, and causes racial tension on both sides- at least, that's what I think it does.
Another theory of mine is that we are what we consume- not simply a diet, but any form of media, be it games, videos, books, or classes. I adapted my rigorous coursework to my experience with video game-esque challenges. Somehow, everybody else sees classes differently than what I see, but I see mixed messages from everyone.
Religion is yet another thing to consider. From what I know, it's a temporary answer to the complexities of life. I personally believe that Jesus was a human being, but his intellect was so vast that he decided to be a martyr for society. I worry about falling into the same category, since my academic life has been compromised by my social life.
Finally (for now), We seem to have a conflict between leadership and teamwork. Shouldn't we accept that it depends on a case-by-case business?"

"Nezemarth, you're right. Unfortunately, I have to go to sleep soon. When I wake up, my username will become sarahoh, and I might even constitute a real person-however, my brain will have rotted by then, so much so I won't know what I'm doing. What I can tell you, though, is that you are going to fall for someone so severely, it wouldn't be funny. His hazel eyes will seduce you so badly, you might end up redefining the meaning of gender dysphoria. However, you're so smart, I think you'll remember why diclonii are persecuted, even if you forget Elfen Lied. It's just that, when I wake up, Episode 2 will finally be out. However, it might take 1772 days before such a thing becomes reality."

"It's just like Half-Life 3. Do you have any final words?"

"Let's go to look for the treasure of the life.
Do that, and I may find the innocent happiness I once lost."