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May. 15th, 2025 09:00 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
notalwaysright_feedIm Quality Control in a warehouse so Im always walking around checking peoples work. Everyone knows me. To be fair to everyone we switch the radio stations every day. I have hated the song Jack and Diane because for my entire life because people think its funny to sing it to me. On this day […]
We Hope He Sees The Link Between His “Tips” And The Consequences
May. 15th, 2025 09:00 amnotalwaysright_feedRead We Hope He Sees The Link Between His “Tips” And The Consequences
I swiftly got a message from the owner who just “wanted to give me a few tips”. After giving me some of the worst branding advice I have ever heard, he shared this little nugget.
Read We Hope He Sees The Link Between His “Tips” And The Consequences
That Swirl Ain’t Swell
May. 15th, 2025 07:00 amnotalwaysright_feed
Customer: "It's still not really that tall."
Me: "Well, this is the size that our cones typically are."
Customer: "Over at [Location], they have more swirls."
Me: "Well, that may be true, but this is the size of our cones."
Review: Level: Ascension by David Dalglish
May. 15th, 2025 03:00 amfantasy_book_critic_feed
Buy Level: Ascension
Read our review of Book 1, Level: Unknown
FORMAT/INFO: Level: Ascension was published by Orbit Books on May 13th, 2025. It is 400 pages long and available in ebook, audiobook, and paperback formats.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: In order to save his world, Nick will have to end another. With a large black disc traveling closer and closer to his research station, Nick spends nearly all his time in the fantasy world of Yensere, a digital simulation created by a mysterious alien artifact. In Yensere, the god-king Vaan has frozen a similar looking black sun in the sky; this has prevented an apocalypse in Yensere but disrupted the patterns of time and nature in a way that seems to be destroying the world anyway, if more slowly. If Nick is to understand the doom that approaches his people, he will have to kill the god-king Vaan and unleash disaster on Yensere so that he can gain whatever knowledge he can. But before then, he'll have to defeat the god-king's chosen champions - a task that will come with a devastating cost.
Level:Ascension continues to expand its world in interesting ways, but the plot was overwhelmed by the sheer number of fight sequences. On the plus side we get to learn more about Frost, her origin, and how her sister went missing. It added some much needed personal stakes to the story beyond the also important "save the world." I also appreciated the teases we get indicating that Yensere isn't the only digital world contained within the alien artifact.
But these small nuggets of clues and character insight were overwhelmed by fight after fight after fight. On the one hand, I understand that a LitRPG is going to have a lot of battles in it, especially when it's inspired by a game like Dark Souls. Going from one epic fight to another is literally what that game genre is all about. But the more fights you have with everyone wielding awe-inspiring powers, the less exciting each encounter feels.
Don't get me wrong, in a vacuum the individual fights are impressive. As always, this author delivers a powerhouse finale that is a great set piece with personal stakes. But I could have used one or two fewer fights and a little more time expanding on some of the other characters. Sir Gareth, for instance, was a strong part of book one, but gets a bit left by the wayside in this sequel, a hazard of several new characters entering the playing field.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: In order to save his world, Nick will have to end another. With a large black disc traveling closer and closer to his research station, Nick spends nearly all his time in the fantasy world of Yensere, a digital simulation created by a mysterious alien artifact. In Yensere, the god-king Vaan has frozen a similar looking black sun in the sky; this has prevented an apocalypse in Yensere but disrupted the patterns of time and nature in a way that seems to be destroying the world anyway, if more slowly. If Nick is to understand the doom that approaches his people, he will have to kill the god-king Vaan and unleash disaster on Yensere so that he can gain whatever knowledge he can. But before then, he'll have to defeat the god-king's chosen champions - a task that will come with a devastating cost.
Level:Ascension continues to expand its world in interesting ways, but the plot was overwhelmed by the sheer number of fight sequences. On the plus side we get to learn more about Frost, her origin, and how her sister went missing. It added some much needed personal stakes to the story beyond the also important "save the world." I also appreciated the teases we get indicating that Yensere isn't the only digital world contained within the alien artifact.
But these small nuggets of clues and character insight were overwhelmed by fight after fight after fight. On the one hand, I understand that a LitRPG is going to have a lot of battles in it, especially when it's inspired by a game like Dark Souls. Going from one epic fight to another is literally what that game genre is all about. But the more fights you have with everyone wielding awe-inspiring powers, the less exciting each encounter feels.
Don't get me wrong, in a vacuum the individual fights are impressive. As always, this author delivers a powerhouse finale that is a great set piece with personal stakes. But I could have used one or two fewer fights and a little more time expanding on some of the other characters. Sir Gareth, for instance, was a strong part of book one, but gets a bit left by the wayside in this sequel, a hazard of several new characters entering the playing field.
CONCLUSION: For some of you, hearing that Level: Ascension is chock full of impressive fight scenes is going to be fantastic news, and I encourage you to go give this series a try! For me, while I enjoy the overall concept of this simulated world, I had a bit of trouble finding the momentum in this particular outing. Perhaps with everything coming to a head in upcoming Level: Apocalypse, I'll find that momentum once more.
If He Loses A Sock, At Least He’ll Have Spares…
May. 15th, 2025 05:00 amnotalwaysright_feedRead If He Loses A Sock, At Least He’ll Have Spares…
He places the basket on the counter with a look of pure determination on his face. I start scanning the socks, one by one, trying to figure out why someone would buy so many pairs.
Customer: "I’m going to need a lot of these."
Me: *Making casual small talk.* "Looks like you’re stocking up. Are these for you or a gift?"
Customer: *Deadly serious.* "No. I’m building an Armageddon pile."
This Lady Really… *Sigh* …Please Don’t Make Me Say It
May. 15th, 2025 03:00 amnotalwaysright_feedRead This Lady Really… *Sigh* …Please Don’t Make Me Say It
Woman: “LISTEN HERE, YOUNG MAN! YOU’RE GOING TO GIVE ME THE CAKE NOW!”
Me: “No, it’s for my mom’s birthday.”
Woman: “I DON’T CARE! MY SON AND I WANT IT!”
Our Great Vaccine-Nation
May. 15th, 2025 01:00 amnotalwaysright_feed
Customer: "Covid isn't real, you know."
Me: "We'd still like you to wear a mask before you come in if you don't have proof of vaccination."
Customer: "I don't know anyone who's died from it. It can't be real!"
When Demands Don’t Align With Reality
May. 15th, 2025 12:00 amnotalwaysright_feedRead When Demands Don’t Align With Reality
Immediately, I know that this work order didn't exist an hour ago when I got back from lunch, and I indicate the nearly full work order board.
Who Comes Up With These Paint Names?
May. 14th, 2025 11:00 pmnotalwaysright_feedRead Who Comes Up With These Paint Names?
Customer: "Hey, do you sell this color in a quieter version?"
Me: "…Quieter?"
Customer: "Yeah. It’s too loud on the wall. My dining room feels like it’s yelling at me."
I look at the label. It’s a very bold orange simply called "Shout."
Manager, Manage! Part 9
May. 14th, 2025 10:00 pmnotalwaysright_feed
The manager on duty would periodically turn up and bark at us that we were doing our jobs badly and that the shop floor was a mess and we needed to be out there tidying up, maintaining stock levels, and helping customers.
Hazards Lights Don’t Undo The Hazard
May. 14th, 2025 09:30 pmnotalwaysright_feedRead Hazards Lights Don’t Undo The Hazard
Driver: "Whoa, whoa! I was only in there for two minutes!"
Me: "You’re parked in a fire lane, sir. It doesn’t matter how long."
Driver: "But I left my hazard lights on!"
Me: "That doesn’t make it legal."
In A State Of Confusion, Part 12
May. 14th, 2025 09:00 pmnotalwaysright_feedRead In A State Of Confusion, Part 12
Customer: "You shouldn't be disrespecting the American flag like that."
Me: "I'm not?"
Customer: *Points.* "The American flag has more stars than that!"
“Just Put Up A Sign,” They Say. “That’ll Fix It!”
May. 14th, 2025 08:00 pmnotalwaysright_feedRead “Just Put Up A Sign,” They Say. “That’ll Fix It!”
The worst part of this (for new, confused customers) was that ten feet from our sign with an arrow at the beginning of the sidewalk, there was a door. This door was for a doctors’ office on the first floor above us — but it wasn't a door to enter their office.
I Eat Rounding Errors Like Yours For Lunch
May. 14th, 2025 07:00 pmnotalwaysright_feedRead I Eat Rounding Errors Like Yours For Lunch
Me: "Ma'am, this lane is fifteen items or less."
Customer: "Oh, I'll be quick."
Me: "You have more than fifteen items, ma'am, so you'll need to go to the other lane."
Customer: "Well, let's just round down, shall we?"
This B Is Gonna Go For A P While Y’all Figure This Out
May. 14th, 2025 05:55 pmnotalwaysright_feedRead This B Is Gonna Go For A P While Y’all Figure This Out
Coworker: "How do you spell 'laptop'? I can never remember if it's spelled with a B or a P."
Me: "Uh… it's lap… top. Like on your lap."
This Conversation Has Gone More South Than South Africa
May. 14th, 2025 05:45 pmnotalwaysright_feedRead This Conversation Has Gone More South Than South Africa
Customer: "I was looking into getting a mandala tattoo."
Me: "Oh yes, those are very popular at the moment."
Customer: "They are? Is it because he died?"
Read This Conversation Has Gone More South Than South Africa