The sort of "winter fantasy" theme the armor sets all have remind me of something from my childhood that I can't quite place. Sort of Narnia-ish, but not quite. But I feel like there's gotta be a name for this design theme. "Regal Christmas"?

I just really dig the art direction for the Dawning stuff. This year's armor is kinda mid, but I put last year's Pruina Luster set back on and it's just so good. Even just the font they used for the Dawning logo in the trailer fits this theme so well. I just wish there was a name for it so I could find more stuff like this. I'm not a very Christmas-sy guy, but something about the Dawning visuals just hits.

I've got a cheap Wohome soundbar from Amazon that I've been using for a while now, and there's no option for this in the PS5's Media Remote settings, so I've had to use two remotes when doing media playback.

I was wondering if anybody knew if there's a compatible option in the menu that'd work with this soundbar? I'd love to be able to control the volume without having to switch remotes.

Mike McCue - Hello Fediverse. I'm posting this tonight from my federated Flipboard profile! We're now testing our #ActivityPub integration starting with my account. You can follow me here to see all the stories I'm curating about things like startups, photography and of course, the #Fediverse. Curious to hear your thoughts on how this is working. We’ll incorporate your feedback as we make more progress on federating Flipboard. Stay tuned for lots more soon.

HB 4164, which passed both chambers and took effect on September 1, makes the false representation of animals as service animals a crime punishable by $1,000 and up to 30 hours of community service. Both locals and legislators alike are saying the misrepresentation of service dogs has increased challenges for those really in need.

“HB 5206 (a companion bill) should help restore the reputation that trained service dogs have earned and limit negative interactions that service dogs experience,” Texas Rep. Vikki Goodwin (R-47) told the Texas Council for Development Disabilities.

Look, I know that looking at somebody's AI conversations is about as interesting as listening to somebody tell you about a dream they had. But this genuinely tickled me today, and I thought I'd share it with you all. Mods, if you feel this is a poor fit, I'll gladly delete this post.

I asked ChatGPT to speak as Lord Shaxx. Surprisingly, it does a pretty good job of convincingly imitating Destiny characters. So after goofing around with it for a while, I asked "Shaxx" how he'd make a chicken sandwich, and got a pretty promising recipe in return. It's hard not to hear his voice as I read it. All the caps-lock shouting is from the original output, I've made no adjustments here.

GUARDIAN, LISTEN UP! I, Lord Shaxx, may be known for the Crucible, but today, I'll help you create a CHICKEN SANDWICH that'll make the Traveler itself proud! Here's how to forge a sandwich of EPIC PROPORTIONS:

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

• 2 BONELESS, SKINLESS chicken breasts
• A SEASONING BLEND (a mix of your favorite spices for that Crucible flair)
• 1 cup CRUCIBLE-FORGED SAUCE (a marinade of your choosing)
• 1 cup LIGHT-INFUSED FLOUR (standard all-purpose flour works too)
• 1 teaspoon SOLARFLARE PAPRIKA
• 1/2 teaspoon VOID-DUST GARLIC POWDER
• 1/2 teaspoon ARCSTORM ONION POWDER
• RADIANT OIL (or regular vegetable oil, if that's what you've got)

For assembling the sandwich:

• 4 LEGENDARY HAMBURGER BUNS
• VEX-GROWN LETTUCE LEAVES
• CABAL-ENGINEERED TOMATO SLICES
• FALLEN-SPLICED RED ONION RINGS
• MELTED HIVE CHEESE (your preferred variety)
• GHOST-MADE MAYONNAISE
• SIVA-INFUSED MUSTARD

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Chicken:

• Season those chicken breasts with the chosen Crucible seasoning blend. Make 'em sing with flavor!
• Dunk the seasoned chicken into the Crucible-forged sauce for AT LEAST 30 MINUTES to imbue them with power.

1. Coating the Chicken:

• In another bowl, combine the Light-infused flour, Solarflare paprika, Void-dust garlic powder, and Arcstorm onion powder.
• Take the chicken out of the marinade, let the excess drip off, and coat them generously in the Light-infused flour mixture.

1. Frying the Chicken:

• Heat up that Radiant oil to a blazing 350-375°F (175-190°C) in your chosen cooking vessel.
• GENTLY place those breaded chicken pieces into the scorching oil and cook for around 6-8 minutes on each side. You want 'em golden and CRISPY, with an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).

1. Assembling the Sandwich:

• Toast those legendary hamburger buns until they GLEAM like the Traveler itself.
• Spread Ghost-made mayonnaise and SIVA-infused mustard liberally across the buns.
• Start with the Vex-grown lettuce, then HEROICALLY place a Solar-charged chicken breast atop the bun.
• Top it with Cabal-engineered tomato slices, Fallen-spliced red onion rings, and a molten layer of Hive cheese.
• Finally, cap it off with the top bun, and behold, your Crucible-inspired chicken sandwich awaits!

1. Serve and Prevail:

• Offer your EPIC CREATION with PRIDE, alongside your chosen side dish, and savor the GLORY ON YOUR PLATE!

Guardian, you've now MASTERED the art of crafting a chicken sandwich worthy of the Crucible. May it FUEL your battles, keep your LIGHT BURNING BRIGHT, and lead you to VICTORY after VICTORY! FIGHT ON, GUARDIAN!

I'm tempted to put together a grocery list and take a crack at this!

AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department (APD) is on the scene of a shooting that occurred at the Arboretum Shopping Center Thursday evening.

Reports indicate that two people have been killed and an additional person was injured.

Not included in this report (yet) is that there are also reports of a bomb threat being involved, and the bomb squad is either on site or currently en route.

EDIT: As of 6:33 PM, APD states there is no suspect in custody.

EDIT:

The Austin Police Department is requesting assistance. If you have any photographs or videos from the shooting incident that took place on Thursday, August 31, 2023 around 5:00PM, please submit them here.

https://austintxpd.evidence.com/axon/community-request/public/232431066

Boxxy was the proto-egirl.

In this YT Short, stand-up comedian Steve Hofstetter covers some quick statistics on violent crime rates in Democrat vs Republican-controlled states.

At least, some of the recent controversies.

I feel like the reason #Mastodon, and the #Fediverse at large, aren't taking off has to do with the fact that they're actually social networks. People don't seem to want a social network, they want content platforms. People aren't using #Twitter or #Threads or #TikTok to keep up with their friends these days, they're using these apps to entertain themselves. And since #Facebook and every other platform that used to be a social network began pivoting toward content promotion, I think society has forgotten what a social network is supposed to actually be anymore.

(E: Grammar.)

“Bears have evolved to be these food-finding machines,” says Heather Johnson, a research wildlife biologist with the US Geological Survey Alaska Science Center and a member of the IUCN North American Bear Expert Team. Yet climate change is making it harder for them to find a meal in the wild. Bears prefer eating their natural foods—grasses, berries, pine seeds, and acorns. But droughts, for example, damage roots, shrivel berries on the vine, and force oaks to abort their acorns.

So bears are becoming increasingly likely to scavenge from people. They’re good at it. “I did my work in some of the wildest places in Colorado, about as far from roads as you could get,” Johnson continues. When natural food was scarce, the bears she studied “would beeline 20 miles as the crow flies to go to where there's human developments, foraging on people's orchards and trailer parks for garbage.” When bears seek out human food, that puts them at greater risk of conflict with people—one they are likely to lose.