Shinobi Legends Forum - Shinobi Legends Game Site

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Please report outages in the thread "messages/server outages", Thanks.

Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

Messages - Uchiha Madara

Pages: 1 2 [3] 4 5 ... 17
31
Bijuu Arena / Re: Madara vs Ray - Slugging It Out
« on: August 17, 2018, 05:10:29 AM »
Would almost be insulted if he didn't find the audacity of a proposition a bit hilarious, "Kill me? Free? Trust me son, you're in no position to bargain."



Madara had more up his sleeve that didn't require he move a single muscle, so if Ray wished to continue this dance of death, he'd be more than happy to oblige. "But i'll indulge you one young. Pray tell, what is it you desire young master?" He asks in a facetious genie like manner, as if he'd grant Ray a wish.  The fun the Jinchuriki had granted the man would lighten him up alot, it had been a long time since he engaged in Taijutsu combat and this was exactly what he needed to relieve his boredom, so his taunting wasn't met with any hostility.

32
Bijuu Arena / Re: Madara vs Ray - Slugging It Out
« on: August 16, 2018, 05:59:22 AM »
Keeping his senses focused on Ray, Madara would immediately detect the massive build up of Bakuton chakra within him and before long his opponent would unleash an incredible explosion as Madara swift uses his fully healed hands to make the Seal of Confrontation right before extending one of them out, his incredible speed in the 7th Gate along with the increased movement given by his Choku Tomoe, he would react just fast enough in order to defend himself. Upon his outstretched hand would be the technique formula for the Flying Thunder God, which is promptly used to teleport something to the battlefield connected to Madara's chakra. Using his Chakra Swords a connection, the Uchiha would utilize huge amounts of chakra to summon between him and the explosion, his Planetary Devastation Satellite.



The orb was titanic previously stated it was composed of mountains worth of rock as well as the entirety of the town they were previously in, giving the man an incredible defense against the explosion, reducing its impact upon Madara greatly. Its dense construction would delay the blast momentarily and allows the Uchiha to once again kick, using the force to push himself upwards even further away from Ray's attack.



The time given would allow the Uchiha to only catch the tail end of the explosion as hes launched away. After the explosion clears, chunks of building crushing debris remaining would rain down upon Ray, threatening to pelt him with tons burning force.



The old man can be seen on a pillar opposite of Ray, getting up from the ground after being thrown back. He would have left an impressive indent upon the pillar's surface upon impact, a testament to Ray's power.

"My, my, aren't you a persistent bastard?"

He says, smirking at his opponent. Parts of his face and an entire arm seem to be missing, remnant damaged received from the Jinchuriki's explosive might. His power recedes as he as leaves the 7th Gate, remaining in place as his body is almost completely immobilized due bodily punishment he had taken and the huge chakra consumption of summoning the Chibaku Tensei.


33
Bijuu Arena / Re: Madara vs Ray - Slugging It Out
« on: August 08, 2018, 06:52:25 AM »
The Uchiha is launched violently into the air, and as he is he would begin laughing as he chants, "More, more, more!" After Ray grabs him, a most sinister smile lurks underneath his hand as his excitement begins to rise.



Right before Madara comes in contact with the ground the first time, he would activate the ribcage of his Susano'o that immediately shatters once it hits the ground, but it provides the zombie man with some protection from the force of the blow. The impact would cause moderate damage that would requires 2 turns to heal fully, while his hands would finish healing by the next. As his body bounces back up and his opponent comes raining down, one of Madara's eyes would evolve back into the Rinnegan once more. Performing Banshō Ten'in: Dōmetsu, Madara would use a powerful pull of gravity to move Ray away from him but still towards the ground, increasing his momentum if hes successful. Ray is threatened to be pummeled into the ground himself, and towards the trap he initially evaded upon his entrance into Madara's Kamui dimension, "I'll show you the power that will reign in the Rokubi!"



As the gravity pulls Ray down the older man begins with his own nasty kicks after re-orienting his body from the bounce, "Dusk Wolf!" Striking with tremendous speed and power, Madara sends a barrage of kicks down towards his opponent repeatedly. Strong enough to break through something with diamond like hardness and so fast in fact that the kicks are set ablaze by the sheer friction. His leg variant of Morning Peacock would be used from a distance, sending fire coated shockwaves to pour down upon the Jinchuriki, capable of stunning a Tailed Beast as powerful as Saiken himself.




If all works as planned, the combined force of Dusk Wolf, Bansho'o Tenin, and Ray's own momentum working against him, would result in a shockwave so powerful that it echos throughout this world of void for about half a mile out.

34
Bijuu Arena / Re: Madara vs Ray - Slugging It Out
« on: August 03, 2018, 05:09:58 AM »
Madara would teleport himself within his Kamui Dimension to meet with Ray only to discover he had managed to avoid the trap set in place. The two men would be in a realm mostly composed from an innumerable amount of randomly arranged and differently sized rectangular prisms amongst a dark and seemingly endless void. After hearing the young man's words, the Uchiha nods in agreement as he begins to build up chakra, "Indeed, lets proceed to the main event shall we?"

He would suddenly be interrupted by his opponent's first kick sending him back and would have a second one coming right towards him, promising to do some real damage. Quickly, the Uchiha unleashes the devastating strength lurking within him as he activates the 7th Gate, giving him tremendous raw strength and speed as his body is bathed in a green aura.



With his Choku Tomoe giving his body increased movement, he'd be able to  swiftly react to Ray. As the Iburi is mere inches away from contact, Madara would clap his hands together,"Twilight Tortoise!" The immense power behind the clap would generate a protective shockwave around the Uchiha of pure pressurized air in the shape of a green dome, akin to the shell of a tortoise. 



The explosion of energy would be
large enough to dwarf something the size of the Island Tortoise, having the same destructive power of  a point blank Daytime Tiger. Since the assault in pure Taijutsu in nature, his opponent would have nothing to absorb from it, and because it was performed mid-strike, evading it would be extremely difficult given the sheer size of the explosion as well. If he were to turn into smoke, it would simply disperse his form and destroy the man. Such a powerful and quick maneuver wouldn't come without a price, Madara's hands would be mangled as a result, stripping him of performing handseals with them until they heal.

35
Spam / Re: Dragon Ball Super: Broly
« on: July 27, 2018, 04:32:11 AM »
Motivation wise, it's clearly a money grab. Is that a bad thing? Nah, fanservice may seem cheap, but it gets people in seats, and is still hype. Vegito was dope in the Goku Black arc, but the retcon was upsetting. Female SSJs were cool, then having one be a Broly-esk character was cool. Like, Super has been giving us fan service again and again, and I'm not upset, because it's at least somewhat interesting.

But therein lies the issues I can foresee. Is Broly's reboot going to be interesting? Just because they are bringing him back does not mean it's going to be good. They made two broly movies after the first, and they were garbage. So there is a real possibility that hes going to suck in this movie too. Animation wise, this is the best looking anime movie of the year, but the story is just as important. How are they going to explain away the fact he wasn't picked for the tournament of power? Are they going to reference the clear relationship between him and Kale? How is freeza involved with him? Is Beerus or Whis going to have knowledge on this person? There are a lot of ways that this movie can fall flat on it's face.

One thing I might like to see, is an attempt to make Broly a part of the show. In true DBS fashion, they may try and have anime episodes dedicated to this movie once the show comes back. If they do that, and the events of this movie become even more solidified in the universe, we could see a much more fleshed out character. Would he be a good guy after? A reoccurring villain? If he's strong enough to push Goku and Vegita, will he ever face off against Jiren? What kind of power scaling is there going to be? If he's a villain, how is it that he's this strong? These are all question I imagine will be answered within the scope of the film, but that wont stop me from asking them in the meantime.   

Yeah those are all good questions. Since Toriyama says not only is the scope of the movie going to be greater than the previous ones, but it'll spend alot of time covering the past. So I believe we won't be left disappointed when it comes to answers. I've got confident that his character will be alot better come this time around, especially since hes actually trying to get his editor's input.  I'm excited to see Broly become a part of the Super cast if they decide that they won't kill him off (Super seems to not like killing off for good the really marketable ones, we see that with Frieza)

I felt Bio Broly was a disgrace to the original as it turned into Swamp Monster the Movie.

I was always a bit of a fan of the original Broly and hope the reboot/canonization of him will be even better than the original.

Yeah, they just didn't know what to do with his fame so he eventually evolved into literally just a blob of muscle that kills for no reason. His wasted potential as a character was a constant stain upon the DB legacy. But as a big fan myself, I have high hopes for the new take on his character as it seems like they are puling out all the stops on this movie.

36
Bijuu Arena / Re: Naruto vs Kamui: The Fox and Tanuki Struggle
« on: July 27, 2018, 02:59:08 AM »
With no way to return, it would indeed be true that Naruto couldn't teleport back to the battlefield and he would realize soon afterward that Kamui escaped his fate, "That guy is something something else..." The Uzumaki says to himself as looks down at his stomach. He places a hand upon where his seal is located and begins to contemplate, talking directly to Ma and Pa, "He was a Jinchuriki too..and it looked like him and his Tailed Beast were..friends?"

The Uzumaki at first couldn't digest such an idea, could such a thing be possible? Could a human host really bond with the monster inside them?

Pa Toad lends in his thoughts,
"Many before you have befriended their Tailed Beast in the past. Perhaps you and the Nine Tails one day can finally see eachother as comrades and put and end to this feud?"

Naruto doesn't look up at Pa, but instead closes his eyes, concentrating upon his inner being, traversing to his most Inner Conscious. He'd appear in his Mental Realm, represented by a flooding industrial building before the Demon Fox who would growl at his presence, "Come to fight me again boy? Didn't get enough thrashing from your last fight?" The Fox would exude a sea of malice threatening to engulf the  man before him, however Naruto would be surprisingly calm,"Thank you.."

The beast would be visibly taken aback by hearing such words from the person he torments frequently. Naruto continues on to say, "Your chakra helped out back there...so..yeah.." The Tailed Beast would normally sense any type of anger or Negative Emotions emitting from Naruto whenever they were face to face. But he was peaceful, he was thankful, and he was genuine. The Kyuubi immediately retorts back, "You think you can fool me boy with such false platitude? I'd rather you fight me than hear anything so sickening!"



Naruto angrily points at the Monster Fox, "Why are you getting angry at me for thanking you?! Maybe you should start working on your attitude Kurama!"



Kurama's eyes widen, first a thank you and now calling him by his name? The beast's attitude would become less hostile as he begins to see that Naruto is truly trying, "Heh, you mean you actually remembered what he said? So there is something between those ears other than hot air." By this point Naruto rolls up his sleeves and begins to shadow box, "I knew this was a bad idea, bring it on! I'll take you on right here and right now, then maybe you'll learn how to take a proper 'thank you'!"

"Be my guest, cross the gate! I was getting a little hungry, I-..." The Fox trails off as he notices his reflection in the water below. He would be snickering of all things. Perplexed, he would begin pondering if the brat is really getting to him.

"Now you can't even be bothered to finish arguing huh? Thats it, I'm gone!" Naruto opens his eyes in reality, more elated than angry as he noticed Kurama's grin as well. He slams a balled fist into the palm of his opposite hand, looking off into the horizon and yelling, "I know you can't hear me, but thank you! I'll get stronger from this and make sure to repay the favor Robo-pops! This isn't the last you've seen of me!" As the sun begins to set, Naruto goes to commune with the Nine Tails, but not before he checks in on his toad friends who were injured in the battle. As stated before, Kamui and Naruto both go on to live another day, but perhaps destiny will entangle them once more in the future? Only time will tell.


                                                     
-END-

37
Bijuu Arena / Re: Naruto vs Kamui: The Fox and Tanuki Struggle
« on: July 26, 2018, 05:50:36 AM »
Naruto would be a bit shocked at the almost mind reading abilities of his opponent, most would interpret it was solely a remark regarding the demise of the other party. Regardless, Kamui's attempt at subduing Naruto, even momentarily with his Genjutsu would prove a fruitless effort, allowing the Uzumaki and friends to proceed smoothly and swiftly. Being a poor surveyor seems like a trait they share in common as a key requirement for Kamui's Genjutsu to work is being at least within 5 meters and Naruto would be far too out of range. It was already established earlier that they are over well 70 meters away from eachother. Since the Uzumaki was able to teleport the entirety of the Chakra Chains Barrier inside the Toad before it dissipated, the two shinobi haven't gotten closer or further apart from their original positions.



Kamui's fatal error would result in him being sealed away inside the scroll as his attempted window of escape would not exist. Looking at the scroll, Naruto would give a sigh. This prompts Pa Toad to look at him with a teasing grin,"Gave you more trouble than expecting Naruto-boy?"

Ma would chime in, "Look Pa, I can see the sweat dripping down his face!"

Naruto would put on a pretty annoyed expression as his surrogate parents have a laugh at him, "Hardy haha, well you two weren't there..." His clone would even begin to join in on the laughter, "Gah, you too?!"


38
Bijuu Arena / Re: Madara vs Ray - Slugging It Out
« on: July 23, 2018, 04:07:46 AM »
His opponent would be quite mistaken as the only danger Madara posed to himself was to potentially entangle himself with Ray's arm, his Black Receivers being of little consequence. Putting them throughout his body wouldn't mean the Uchiha would stab his own brain, he was little more sensible than that. Also, due to being the creator of the rods, he would be immune to the same chakra disruption effects, allowing him to move freely. However his Ototon would cause him to pause momentarily, the technique violently vibrating his body.

Thankfully, the Uchiha was an adept user of the Body Fluid Shedding Technique, allowing him to liquefy his insides, drastically reducing the effects of the Sound Release and allowing him freedom to move. His eyes would be closed supposedly because of the pain caused by the jutsu. In reality though, in order to catch his opponent off guard Madara feigns immobility until Ray stands infront of him. Using Asura Path's robotic abilities, Madara would create a single arm behind his back forming a handseal right before fading away, making sure its out of Ray's line of sight.



Immediately after the seal is formed a Barrier erupts from underneath Madara's feet, the Isshi Tōjin to prevent the Jinchuriki from escaping. Opening his eyes, Madara would reveal two Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, working in conjunction to perform the long distance variant of Kamui in order to seal Ray away inside Madara's personal dimension,"I thought I made it clear I'm NOT after the one inside you, though it is offering much entertainment! The Six will be mine to leash!"



Using both eyes would double the speed of the technique and if successful, Ray would be trapped in the Uchiha's personal Space-Time World,  where another sealing jutsu awaits him. This seal would close off many tenketsu, resulting in him being immobilized and causing his power to backfire upon him as previously intended.  Ray would have to be careful though as Madara's eyes would follow him, threatening the man in whatever direction he chooses to go if he somehow gets past the Barrier Ninjutsu.


39
Bijuu Arena / Re: Naruto vs Kamui: The Fox and Tanuki Struggle
« on: July 23, 2018, 12:53:15 AM »
Naruto smirks as his opponent doesn't seem to realize the situation he is in, despite the fact the Uzumaki himself has unquenchable black flames currently behind him, he wouldn't have to experience the heat for long at all. Quickly going into his pocket, the Uzumaki would place his finger upon one of his kunai, using the Finger Carving Seal to inscribe a code upon it, and would use Flying Thunder God to transport it to an ally, "Time to say goodbye Robo-pops!"





If successful, Naruto's last clone and the Toad Sages would work in unison. Ma and Pa would summon the original Naruto, while the clone would almost just as quickly seals away the Toad, prepared beforehand as the jutsu he told them to ready at the beginning, the Enclosing Technique.  Escape wouldn't be that easy as not only where they in a new location, but as stated before that they are in a Sealed Off Dimension, trapping his opponent in an entirely new world. Escape would require Kamui to bypass the Dimensional Barrier that holds them. Thanks to the very slow burning nature of the Amaterasu along with the nearly split second reaction of his Sage Clone and Toads, Kamui's fate seems sealed in the most literal sense.



40
Bijuu Arena / Re: Madara vs Ray - Slugging It Out
« on: July 16, 2018, 06:20:42 AM »
The Uchiha would end up being struck by Ray's ferocious kick and as a result would be sent flying back, but as he does, he would use the Outer Path to fill the inside of his body with Black Receivers. Thanks to his opponent being infront of him, his advanced Doujutsus would allow him to perceive his movements and react, but Ray's tremendous speed would only allow him to do so much. Enacting upon his plan, the Uchiha's eyes would flare with chakra moments before hes hit with his opponent's Super Revival Fist, Madara would utilize two jutsu from his eyes, Kamui and Bansho Ten'in.





If successful, Ray's arm, whether he likes it or not, would be thrust through the Uchiha, but thanks to the Kamui, would go right past him.  Once his hand make it all the way past his back, Madara would end both jutsu. Normally, such an act would most likely spell death for a normal man, but Madara was far from that as his undead body would come in handy in order to trap Ray and cause his attack to fade away.

Once he solidifies, Ray's arm would be phased into Madara's person as well as the myriad of Black Receivers inside him, immediately causing adverse side effects.



He would be immobilized with his arm virtually mangled, its entirety from the wrist to the elbow a mesh of rods, piercing tenketsu in the process, preventing chakra from being channeled while disrupting Ray's own, "From the moment I laid my eyes upon this chakra of yours I was able to see how your power functions. Now feel the wrath of your arrogance boy!" 



By disrupting the flow of Ray's chakra, his control of the Dark Chakra is effected, causing a severe backlash of his own power upon him. His body should end up ruined, deteriorated to practically skin and bone with his power boost gone. Zapped of his strength, the young man should end up a shell of his former self.

41
Spam / Dragon Ball Super: Broly
« on: July 15, 2018, 12:49:58 AM »
Whats your thoughts on Broly being the main antagonist in the new upcoming DBS movie, or just the movie in general? I think its a perfect chance to take a good concept and rework his motivations to fix the polarization his character brings to the DB community.

42
Bijuu Arena / Re: Naruto vs Kamui: The Fox and Tanuki Struggle
« on: July 14, 2018, 07:09:18 AM »
His opponent was a smart and resourceful, however there was a fatal flaw in his calculations and that is the fact that its been established that his Drones were within the confines of the barrier. Since Naruto's barrier hasn't been destroyed or brought down despite his opponent's attempts, Kamui still managed to utilize the Flying Thunder God from them and evade his exploding Rasenshuriken earlier in the fight all while still within the barrier's confines thanks to said Drones. All the clone needed to do was apply the seal to the already formed barrier (which his opponent himself stated, "the chakra chains barrier would be completed as his opponent planned")  This would mean his attack would be intercepted by the it, but due too its nature of corroding foreign chakra it would leave a hole. Though his opponent was relentless in trying to stop it, he would have only ended up delaying the inevitable as shielding provides enough time for it to finish, ultimately leading to the demise of Shukaku's Jinchuriki if the punch connects.



In the unlikely circumstance things continue as his opponent desired, the clone would be destroyed, but his opponent would find the barrier still functioning. This is thanks to Naruto connecting himself to it previously in the battle, allowing him to sustain it. There would be pros and cons to this however as Kamui's magnetism would be limited to a smaller area, greatly reducing the amount of Gold Dust, but then it would also concentrate what does remain upon Naruto in close quarters. The Uzumaki smirks in response to the man,"You're welcome to try!"

He says this as he formed a set of handseals, slamming his palms into the ground as the wave race towards him.  If successful, he would manage to Reverse Summon the confines of the barrier into the stomach of a giant Gourd Toad on Myoboku, filled with steel melting acid, instantly changing the battlefield around them. With the floor underneath both Kamui and his Gold Dust becoming a huge lake of acid, it would stand to reason that they would come in contact with it and without proper footing, fall right in. If not completely destroyed once contact is made, the acid would meld the Gold together, making it virtually useless for attacking as it sinks into the deep lake. Perhaps if Kamui chose to ride the Gold Dust he would have greater warning, but due to the suddenness of the Space-Time Jutsu he would most likely find himself swimming in the vat of destruction, not boding well for his various tech. Once arrived, the Chakra Chains Barrier that once surrounded them would be no more. Naruto himself would be standing at the shore by a building that is seemingly unaffected by the acid along with various other objects floating around the stomach. The jutsu that ends up putting them in this sealed off dimension would be Summoning: Toad Gourd Prison, a single jutsu that bears similarities to Summoning: Crushing Toad Stomach and Barrier: Toad Gourd Prison


43
Bijuu Arena / Re: Madara vs Ray - Slugging It Out
« on: July 12, 2018, 05:19:36 PM »
Madara would respond back as he activates the First and Second Gate in order to forcibly re-energize his body while removing the limits upon to brain from using only 20% of his strength to 100%, "I desire the Tailed Beast you are harboring child..and not the one currently expelling this fantastic aura of viciousness. I must say though, this bout surely a great distraction nonetheless. I desire to see how far you can take this Bloody Baile!" The Uchiha wouldn't just sit there monologuing though. As he spoke, Madara would form a set of handseals and would immediately unleash a swift and deadly attack upon the unstable man.



In an instant sprouting vegetation would emerge from beneath the building his opponent is on as well as all from all cardinal directions, threatening to ensnare and pierce through him with enough force to cut clean through bedrock. Upon observation, the forest would seem to be very unique as all the wood seems to be composed of the Wood Release: Wood Dragon, retaining off of its abilities. The dragons try to latch themselves onto Ray, absorbing his chakra, leaving him unable to perform techniques if they do. The vastness of the forest would be on par with Deep Forest Emergence, essentially turning the once Empty Town into Madara's dense forest playground that tries to crush and run through Ray while absorbing his power.


44
Bijuu Arena / Re: Madara vs Ray - Slugging It Out
« on: July 11, 2018, 11:52:26 PM »
Ray might be surprised to find that the Uchiha in fact did not attempt to absorb the explosion, but instead continue on with his initial plan. Several factors at play already on the battlefield would not only protect the man from complete destruction, but most likely kill and/or seal away Ray in the process. Not missing a beat from his original intentions, Madara would continue to perform Planetary Devastation despite the explosion as his still active Susano'o would provide protection, but would be blown to smithereens in the process.



It would provide enough time that before the flames completely consume him, they would be pulled back by the gravity, dissipating the force as it does so while simultaneously drawing in the dense mist in the air.




The Suiton filled zone and Gravity would work in conjunction to wash over the explosion to reduce it to nothingness. With the dead man not stopping at all, Ray should be pulled preventing his Shunshin and leaving him to experience the point blank explosion of his own attack while Madara remains safe.



In the aftermath, his Edo Tensei body can be seen starting to heal the burns upon his body. Since the same logic applies also to Ray, he should be unable to to absorb his own kunai blast a mere moment before the threat of being crushed to death becomes reality if successful.



45
Bijuu Arena / Re: Madara vs Ray - Slugging It Out
« on: July 11, 2018, 04:10:48 PM »
Madara would be standing not far from Ray, in fact he was but 20 feet in front of him, his malevolent nature probably making him a beacon to the Jinchuriki. Madara would grin at the fact he survived, keeping a diligent eye upon his opponent and his methods, recognizing Chakra Absorption and the use of Kamui. The Uchiha would  find himself increasingly intrigued by this Jinchuriki, the intense darkness surrounding him, the use of techniques he himself used often and the attitude made him ponder for a moment if he sired any offspring, "I thought you'd never ask!"  He shouts back in response, ready to make Ray work any possible victory he may have.




Madara claps his hands together as a monstrous amount of chakra emanates from him. His opponent should find like before, a powerful and invisible force acts upon him, but the attractive power comes from below him, threatening to pin him to the ground below. By using the chakra swords that he placed into the ground as substitutes for Gravity Cores, Madara would use Chibaku Tensei. With enough might to restrain a Version 2 Six Tailed Jinchuriki, Ray may find it near impossible to even move a pinky as the ground beneath him would begin to rise higher into the air as the gravity pulls in more debris. With his opponent's recent use of both Kamui's defensive maneuvers, it would stand to reason he would a little time to recharge it, but a little time is all that is needed for this jutsu to complete itself. Thus the use of it to escape would prove improbable.



Once again, the problems for Ray would pile on both metaphorically and physically as the burning mist threatens to rush over him and if he decides to continue to absorb it, he would most likely leave himself vulnerable to the natural heat and thousands upon thousands of pounds of earth, concrete, brick, glass, etc as the town itself, as well as the surrounding area is ripped apart to collide with Ray. Mountains worth of bedrock threaten to smack into his opponent as it all condenses high into the sky, crushing everything in and around it and becoming an enormous satellite. If successful, Madara would be left standing unscathed along with the patch of earth hes on while his surrounding area is left as a gigantic crater thanks to the Planetary Devastation. The man would need time to recharge after this jutsu (as the move puts a strain on his body) while he hopes his opponent somehow makes it out, there is more fun to be had.


Pages: 1 2 [3] 4 5 ... 17

Page created in 0.065 seconds with 20 queries.