Yeah, if you don't mind it possibly taking a week to download something... Really like the idea, but in practice it's very slow for something like that, unless you got a lot of seeders for something maybe.
This is why we need 3, 4, or even 5 monitors at a time.
Yeah, but I've found that experience to be... Less than desirable. So I just manually cross-posted it here.
10/10 worth reading! He offers DRM-free versions of the ebook from his website too. SO there's no lockin and you can read them wherever. :)
(This review is a cross-post of one I posted on the furry.engineer mastodon instance. I wanted to cross-post it here so folks here on the Lemmy side of things could see it as well.)
“Lago’s eyes reflected the sickly yellow bursts of sapfire blazing in the distance…” and thus begins the epic second book, Masks of the Miscam, of Joaquin Baldwin’s Noss Saga series. From the start, we are thrown right into the action, where we left off from the end of the first book, Wolf of Withervale. We follow the group as they explore further into the stories and histories that surround the mysterious domes located across the lands of Noss. We see much more of the world too, branching far beyond what was shown in Book I. With this are found new allies and friends, mysterious new civilizations, enemies old and new, and the hint at what is to come in the Noss Saga.
Spoilers
Much like in the first book, the exploration of LGBT themes is heavily present, and even expanded upon. The slowly budding relationship between Lago-Sterjall and Aio-Kulak shows this well, especially with the backdrop of Kulak’s Miscam tribe, the Laatu, not being accepting of same-sex relationships. Nor are they accepting of non-Miscam being in possession of the sacred animal masks, the Silvesh, that Lago and Jiara now hold. We also see an exploration of intersexual “allgender” peoples as well, and how they are handled by the Miscam.
With the exploration of the Laatu Felid tribe of the Miscam, we begin to learn that each tribe has its own way of handling things, and that not all things are acceptable among different Miscam peoples. Upon more expansion and learning of the other Miscam, it becomes apparent that they cannot be universally viewed through rose-tinted glasses. Each tribe has handled things differently, some for the better, some for the worse, some not making it to the present day of the story at all. This depth to the story greatly exceeds what might have been expected from the first book, and greatly increases the richness of the series as a whole, and genuinely makes one desire to learn more about each tribe. In the background of all of this, we see the Red Stag marching his forces ever further towards more Domes and more conquest.
We also learn so much more about the sacred Silvesh masks, and come to learn that Noss itself is far more than just a rocky planet, a point that is going to play a pivotal role in the coming saga. Like the first book, it will strike a strong chord with those that carry Animistic or Shamanistic knowledge, just like its expanding universe of Miscam tribes and their Silvesh animal mask bearers will strike a chord for Therians reading it. It need not even be said that Furries will adore it as well. We see the return of old faces too, such as Banook and Crysta, who all play key roles at pivotal parts of the story. Banook also plays another interesting role in this story, as a background for the conflict Lago-Sterjall feels between his love for the Bear in the far North, and the Laatu prince now with him. This sets up a potential exploration of some polyamorous themes in the story later on as well. _
With Book II of the Noss Saga, we see how the story is now going to start unfolding before our heroes. What has started as a simple discovery of a strange mask is rapidly turning into a tale well worthy of being called a saga. Joaquin Baldwin has, like with Book I: Wolf of Withervale, expertly crafted a beautifully profound story, rich with storytelling, world building, character design, and more. Each chapter pulls in the reader, leaving them wanting more with each page they read. Masks of the Miscam is a beautiful story, and sets in motion so much more to come. It leaves us all desiring to what know what lies on the path forwards for our heroes of the Noss Saga, and I truly cannot wait to see what is in store for them!
Forever young...
Yeah, Voyager really is the best interface overall. The PWA is so good, that it's hard to even realize it's not a native app. By far the smoothest PWA I've ever used.
I really wanted Eternity to work out, being that I loved (and still love thanks to Revanced patching) Infinity for Reddit. But it does seem like Eternity was too much to try and convert over.
WebOS really was so hard ahead of its time. A card based interface, gesture-based navigation, unified and always online email and account systems. There were many things WebOS did that we take for granted now, yet they did it no less than 5 years before Android or iOS. Really it was just the Palm Pre's hardware (I had a Palm Pre Plus) that held it back. Some aspects of it were already a bit dated, even in 2010.
Damn, I didn't know that!
It's great seeing HeliBoard come so far, especially after it seemed like OpenBoard was potentially dead. I'm still a (firewalled on CalyxOS) GBoard user, but HeliBoard is the closest I've found to a viable replacement for it. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what future developments it has in store.
Neo-Launcher is still being worked on, they are expecting to push version 1.0 later this year to GitHub, but progress has been steady from what I know. You can get the latest beta version of Neo-Launcher from their Telegram to try out. Don't let the "beta" part turn you off, it's basically production ready, I've been using it now as my launcher for well over a year, possibly even 2 at this point.
I'm not sure I understand, what's wrong with this commit?
Welcome to all who follow the Crooked Path.
Welcome to those who dare to look behind the veils and peer over the hedge.
Welcome to those who follow the old ways and help keep them alive.
Welcome to those who seek the higher natures of reality and being.
Welcome to those who's clairs are found and their mind's open.
Welcome to those who consult the cards, bones, runes, sticks and more for guidance.
Welcome to those who come seeking or sharing knowledge, new or old.
Welcome to all!
Welcome to Furry Mystics!
This is a group designed to allow those furries who follow the multiple different paths of mysticism, esotericism, paganism, and the occult to learn, share, and grow. Whether you are a follower of Pagan ways, Animistics or Shamanistic practices, the different Crooked Paths of Witchcraft, Wiccan practices, traditionally Esoteric and Mystical schools such as Hermeticism or Thelema, and/or other such practices, you are welcome here.
With this, it is my hope that others from different paths of life and experience may come together and share their experiences, while learning from those of others.
Rules
There are some ground rules in place for the community.
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Don’t be a troll or abusive - This is a place of learning and growing, as such this behavior is not welcome here and will be dealt with accordingly.
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No spamming - While I know some are eager to share loads of content, please keep the sensibilities of others in mind, as we seek a diverse range of content in this community.
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No proselytizing - While a desire to share what you have learned is welcomed here, thinking or acting on the idea that your beliefs are superior to others is not. Such behavior is not welcomed here and is unbecoming of what this community is designed for. (This goes doubly so for those outside of who the community is intended for, thinking they have found a willing audience of converts to preach to. Our ears are closed, you are not welcome here.)
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No advertising (unless approved by the mods) - It is understandable that many following these paths work in making their own tools and goods, which are often sold to others. That is perfectly fine overall, if the purpose of the post is to share what you have created, which also includes a link to other goods you may offer. However, posting for the explicit purpose of advertising, either your goods or another's, is not allowed, unless it is pre-approved by a mod beforehand.
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Do not break any of the other rules associated with the Pawb.Social instance - This should go without saying, please do not violate any of the other rules in place for Pawb.Social
With that, I hope others are able to learn, share, and grow their knowledge here with others. So mote it be!
(This review is a cross-post of one I posted on the furry.engineer mastodon instance. I wanted to cross-post it here so folks here on the Lemmy side of things could see it as well.)
“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass...” Wait, that’s not right.
“Lyra and her daemon moved through the darkening hall…” Hmm, not quite.
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” Wait, no that’s not right either…
Ah, here we go! “The grey fox fled through the forest, her paws as quiet as an owl’s shadow...” and thus begins Joaquin Baldwin’s (@[email protected]) epic fantasy tale Wolf of Withervale, the first book in his Noss Saga series. In the first book of this already epic series, we find Lago Vaari and his friends, new and old, embark on the start a hero’s journey across the lands of Noss. Learning the secrets of an ancient and powerful mask, they come to discover that far more is at play in their world than any of them had expected. There is no doubt that a reader coming to it will find the story deeply engrossing, and absolutely looking forward to future books within the wider series.
Spoilers
The themes that Joaquin shows are rich in quality and variety, but all contain a very surprising amount of depth and realism as well. Starting off with the more obvious ones, the LGBT themes found in the book are numerous and varied. From showing Lago growing up and discovering his same-sex attraction, to showing how sexuality is handled by the varieties of people across the lands of Noss. In particular, with the character named Banook, we find a very accurate representation of bear culture and attitudes, as it relates to our own world. The irony of this is not lost, given he is an actual bear spirit himself! Further more, with regards to Banook, a depiction of naturism is found that does not always get shown this way in most literature. I am not sure if this was intended or not, but it is quite accurate and a welcome addition to an already rich and warm character. Having Lago explore his sexuality with Banook further adds to the wonderful depth of them both, and the themes presented with them.
Digging deeper, there are themes that run through Wolf of Withervale that will sit very close to the hearts of those that have explored Animism, Shamanism, or Therianism. I am unsure if this was wholly intended by Joaquin, but it means this book will likely hit deeper for many that might be initially expected. It is done so in a more theatrical way, but the themes explored are very real as they relate to our own world. Furries, of course, will find the themes of the book, and the entire series, to be very much so to their liking as well. There are also themes that transcend topics that might not be initially expected, such as cosmology and astronomy (with a friendly topping of in-world astrology too), explorations of spirituality and religion (not just relating to the themes of animism either), archaeology, geology, philosophy, culture, language, and more. This is just a preview of what the book explores, and I expect this list to grow more as the series progresses. -
What Joaquin has crafted with the first book of the Noss Saga is absolutely spectacular, nay I think the word beautiful is truly the one way to describe the book in a single term. The world building and lore are spectacular, the themes are as varied as they are deep, rich in meaning and storytelling. The characters, both protagonists and antagonists, are deeply crafted with their own understandings and modus operandi, each adding their own unique thread to the story. Wolf of Withervale is a marvelous foundation for the Noss Saga series, and I can truly say that I cannot wait to see what is in store in the books to come!
cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/1473025
This seems like it may be the root cause of the recent server issues, I had to guess. Probably a lot of federation issues if the .ml domains went down all at once. Probably why it's not that smart to use a domain owned by a (nominally) hostile foreign government, just saying...
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Yeah, Neo Launcher is really good. Even though its still in its beta right now, the full release is coming soon. I consider it an upgrade over Lawnchair, and honestly probably the best open alternative to Nova (rip) overall.