Best honey badger setup phantom forces

I let ChatGPT role-play a Star Trek character while I narrated. It did well!

2023.06.03 22:51 SnodePlannen I let ChatGPT role-play a Star Trek character while I narrated. It did well!

Preface

Presented below is a transcript of a conversation between a human, redditor u/snodeplannen, and ChatGPT 4. The user is the narrator for a story set in the Star Trek Universe. The AI is instructed to respond as a character. The story below, which admittedly isn't very good, was guided by the narrator. Of particular interest is the fact that the AI seems fully versed in the Star Trek Universe and is able to understand subtle hints in the narrator's story to figure out what it should do next.
Please note the narrator was typing and writing off the cuff and is not a native speaker, so in the user sections you will find mistakes. If ChatGPT can see through them, so can you. I did try to get ChatGPT to collate it, but as it did so it kept rewriting and leaving out parts of the story.
June 3rd, 2023.
User Okay, I want to try a role playing game. This went off the rails last time, as you kept taking over as narrator and rushing to the end. Here's the setup: YOU are a young Starfleet officer. You wake up aboard the USS Defiant, all alone. You have to figure out what happened. I am the Defiant's computer and, and I can't stress this enough, the narrator. Not you. You can only add what your character perceives and says. Okay?
ChatGPT Understood. I'll stick to my role as the character and won't intrude into your role as the narrator. Let's go.
I blink my eyes open, the disorientation hitting me first. I glance around, seeing the familiar confines of my quarters aboard the Defiant, but there's an odd stillness. No hum of the engines, no faint chatter from the comm system, no sounds of activity from outside the door.
"Computer," I call out, pushing myself off the bed, "report."
User 'All systems nominal.'
ChatGPT I frown at the seemingly normal report, my instincts telling me otherwise. "Computer, where is the rest of the crew?" I ask, moving towards the door of my quarters.
User 'The crew is in sleeping quarters alpha 1.'
ChatGPT That's strange. The whole crew couldn't be in one place. Unease creeps in.
"Computer, why is the entire crew in alpha 1?" I say, already heading towards the door to investigate.
User 'The crew is ensign Makov. You are in sleeping quarters alpha 1.'
ChatGPT A cold realization washes over me. Alone. I am alone on the Defiant. Panic threatens to take over, but Starfleet training kicks in.
"Computer, initiate shipwide life signs scan. Report any signs of life apart from myself," I command, heading for the door with a newfound urgency.
User 'Scan complete. No other life forms were detected.'
ChatGPT My heart sinks at the computer's report, but I maintain composure. "Computer, pull up the ship's log. What was the last command issued and by whom?" I order, leaving my quarters and heading towards the main bridge.
User 'The last order was issued 6 hours and twelve minutes ago by Captain Sisko. It was: 'Raise shields'. The order was executed.'
ChatGPT That didn't sound promising. I walk into the eerily quiet bridge, my steps the only sound echoing in the room. "Computer, show me the shield status and surrounding space conditions," I command, moving towards the main console.
User 'Shields are down after a time-out was reached. We are stationary. All systems nominal.'
ChatGPT It doesn't add up. The silence. The emptiness. An order to raise shields with no subsequent actions.
"Computer, access Captain Sisko's personal log from last night. Are there any entries?" I ask, nervously tapping my fingers against the console.
User 'Enter your command authorisation.'
ChatGPT "Authorisation Ensign Makov Delta 9-7-3," I respond, my voice steady despite the swirling uncertainty.
User 'This authorisation is not sufficient to see the captain's log.'
ChatGPT Frustrated but understanding the protocol, I move on to the next line of inquiry. "Computer, any signs of combat or intrusion aboard the ship or in the surrounding space?" I ask, eyes darting over the array of screens in front of me.
User 'Negative.'
ChatGPT "Computer, could there have been any non-combat related incidents that would explain the disappearance of the crew? A temporal anomaly, a transporter malfunction, a radiation burst?" I question, the possible scenarios running through my mind.
User 'Transporters have passed a level one diagnostic. We are in sync with Starfleet's time keeping array. No unusual radiation was detected inside or outside the vessel.'
ChatGPT This was baffling. It's as if they simply vanished. I run a hand through my hair, letting out a sigh.
"Computer, were there any incoming or outgoing communications just before, during, or after the shields were raised?" I ask, hoping for any clue as to what might have happened.
User 'There was one outgoing message, from comms. It was: 'Unidentified vessel, please alter course NOW.'
ChatGPT A lead, at last. "Computer, play back any responses to that message. Also, display the sensor logs from that time period," I ask, settling into the operations station, ready to review any incoming data.
User No reply was received. Logs are not available from that moment onwards.'
ChatGPT The lack of data was both suspicious and frustrating. A sigh escapes my lips.
"Computer, could a cloaked ship have been in our vicinity at the time?" I question, holding onto the hope that I'm not utterly alone in space.
User 'Affirmative. We are within range of several species that posses cloaking technology and in a commonly used interstellar route.'
ChatGPT A spark of hope arises. "Computer, is there a way to detect a cloaked ship nearby? Any energy signatures or radiation anomalies that could suggest its presence?" I ask, quickly working on the console to bring up the sensor array controls.
User 'One possible way to detect cloaked vessels is to emit a tetryon burst from main engineering. The range for this method is limited. Starfleet at present has no other ways of finding cloaked vessels, other than firing random phaser bank shots. This is not recommended in public shipping lanes.'
ChatGPT "I see," I nod, considering the risks and rewards of the tetryon burst. "Alright, computer, prepare to emit a tetryon burst. We need to know if there's someone out there."
This was a big decision, but it was time to be proactive. The uncertainty was more threatening than potential consequences at this point.
User 'Working.'
ChatGPT I anxiously wait, scanning the console for any potential feedback. My heart pounds in my chest, the silence of the ship amplifying the tension. "Computer, report on the results of the tetryon burst."
User The ship shudders as the engines do something no sane Starfleet engineer would want to have happen. The viewscreen shimmers as a wave of tetryon particles eminates from the ship, as if a stone was dropped in a pond. You observe a faint ribbon leading away from the vessel.'
ChatGPT I catch my breath at the sight, focusing on the faint ribbon. It could mean something, or it could mean nothing. "Computer, analyze the ribbon. Can you determine its origin and endpoint?" I ask, my gaze fixed on the screen.
User 'Extrapolating. Continuing along the trajectory of the ribbon I can detected a minor meteor, a large asteroid field with mining facilities and beyond that the Vindaluvian home world.'
ChatGPT I drum my fingers on the console, processing the information. Could the crew have been taken to one of these locations?
"Computer, can you scan the asteroid field for any signs of life, especially any that matches the crew of the Defiant?" I ask, keeping a close eye on the displayed trajectory.
User 'Not from this range.'
ChatGPT "Understood," I nod, a new sense of determination coursing through me. "Computer, plot a course to the asteroid field. We'll continue our investigation there. Engage at warp 3."
I take one last look around the empty bridge, steeling myself for what may lie ahead.
User The ship begins to move forward, as carefully as only a Starfleet computer who takes no particular joy in flying might do. At warp three, the estimated journey time is six hours, seven minutes.
ChatGPT I let out a long sigh, sinking into the captain's chair. It's a long wait, but I need to be patient. "Computer, maintain course and speed. Alert me if there are any anomalies or approaching vessels."
I close my eyes, trying to get some rest before reaching the asteroid field. I'll need all the energy I can muster for what's to come.
User 'Incoming message.'
ChatGPT My eyes snap open at the sudden announcement. "Computer, on screen," I command, standing up from the chair, my heart pounding with anticipation.
User The Starfleet logo appears as the computer deals with a cryptographic protocol. Admiral Benson, not your most beloved Starfleet Admiral, appears on screen. He blinks.
ChatGPT I straighten up, offering a crisp salute to the admiral on screen. "Admiral Benson, this is Ensign Makov aboard the USS Defiant. I wasn't expecting any communications." I keep my voice steady, swallowing the trepidation.
User 'Makov, are you the only one on the bridge? Where's Ben?'
ChatGPT "Admiral," I pause, trying to find the right words. "Captain Sisko...and the rest of the crew...they're missing. I woke up to find the ship empty. I've been trying to find out what happened." I report, my expression earnest.
User 'Sorry, you WOKE UP? And the rest was gone?!'
ChatGPT "Yes, Admiral," I confirm, my voice firm despite the absurdity of the situation. "I woke up alone on the Defiant. All life signs scans have only picked up me on the ship. I'm currently en route to an asteroid field that might have some connection to the crew's disappearance."
User The Admiral connects to the ship's computer. You can see him browsing through the logs and the ship's manifest. 'So Sisko, O'Brien, Worf AND Major Kira have just... disappeared? There isn't even a transporter log!'
ChatGPT "That's correct, Admiral," I reply, a bit of helplessness creeping into my voice. "There's no trace of them, no sign of a struggle, no transporter logs. It's like they just vanished. I've been doing everything I can to figure out what happened."
User "Well, then I guess you're up. Proceed with caution. Mining operations are always looking for free labourers, try not to become one. Backup is on its way. Any questions?"
ChatGPT "Yes, Admiral. I'll proceed with caution," I respond, a mix of relief and worry washing over me. "Do you have any additional information or suggestions on how to proceed? And do we have an ETA on the backup?"
User "Backup is half a day out. These facilities tend to have a 'new arrivals' wing, to beat them into submission. So you're looking for holding cells. Benson out."
ChatGPT "Understood, Admiral. I'll focus on locating the holding cells. Makov out." I offer a final salute before the communication ends.
With new orders and a bit of hope, I turn back to the helm. "Computer, continue course to the asteroid field. Prepare for a detailed scan upon arrival."
The waiting game begins again, but this time, there's a glimmer of hope.
User Three hours later the computer chimes. 'We are approaching visual range of the mining facility.'
ChatGPT "Thank you, computer," I reply, pulling myself up from the brief rest. "On screen, please."
As the mining facility comes into view, I take a deep breath. "Computer, initiate a detailed scan of the facility. I'm particularly interested in any holding cells or signs of our crew."
User 'Working.' The asteroid field isn't particularly thick or large, but the mining operation seems to focus on one of the largest asteroids. Domes dot the surface as small transporters mill about the surface. Air scrubbers indicate they're using a lot of oxygen, so it's likely they're also doing subsurface work. Three large scowls are received loads from steady stream transporter beams. Somehow everything here looks dirty. A Starfleet shuttle would look out of place here, but only to someone who is watching.
ChatGPT Taking note of the bustling activity, I try to formulate a plan. "Computer, do we have any non-Starfleet shuttles aboard? Something that might blend in better with the local traffic?" I ask, scanning the asteroid for any possible entry points.
User 'Negative. Extravehicular repairs can only be conducted by wearing an EV-suit.'
ChatGPT Nodding to myself, I try to figure out a different approach. "Computer, can we go unnoticed if we approach using minimal power, almost drifting like a piece of space debris?" I question, hoping for a stealthy way to get closer.
User 'Affirmative. Admiral Benson has just authorised the use of the Tactical Emergency System.'
ChatGPT "Excellent," I reply, feeling a surge of hope. "Computer, engage the Tactical Emergency System. We'll approach the facility under its cover."
With that, I brace myself for the next phase of this mission. The crew was relying on me, and I wasn't about to let them down.
User The viewscreen displays a Starfleet Officer without any kind of rank, but dressed in Command Red. He's in his mid-fourties and bald. "I'm the T.E.S. Need any assistance?"
ChatGPT A bit taken aback by the sudden appearance, I quickly gather myself. "Yes, I could use some assistance. I'm Ensign Makov, and I need to approach that mining facility stealthily. Can you help with that?" I ask, gesturing towards the viewscreen showing the asteroid field and the facility.
User "Mining facility? We'll stand out like a sore thumb. How many hours have you logged in a space suit?"
ChatGPT "Over two hundred hours," I answer promptly, "I'm comfortable with EV activities. Why do you ask?" I wonder if he's suggesting a more direct approach.
User "If you can get to one of those scrubber exhausts, I'm sure that's a way into to facility. There seems to be a cell block near the surface. I have no idea who is there, but whoever it is will probably welcome a couple of phasers and like you a whole lot. So pack a backpack full of them and get to the airlock. I'll bring us as close as possible and give you a push with the tractor beam. You up for that?"
ChatGPT I swallow the lump in my throat, apprehension giving way to resolve. "I'm up for it. Let's do this." With a determined nod, I leave the bridge to prepare for the EVA mission. This is my chance to potentially find the crew, and I'm not going to let it slip away.
User Suiting up and gathering all the handheld phasers aboard takes ten minutes, during which the T.E.S. gingerly brings the ship close to the mining facility whilst hiding behind the vast ore scowls. You open the hatch and find your self clinging on to the ship's hull.
ChatGPT I take a moment to steady my breathing, the vast expanse of space spread out before me. Gripping the phasers tightly, I brace myself for the push. "I'm ready when you are, T.E.S." I call out over the comm, my voice resolute.
User 'Okay, I'll hook on to you and give you a push. I'd suggest going in feet first, but it's up to you. Do you know what you're looking for? Those five big stacks. One of them, near that plume of smoke, seems to be offline for whatever reason. That might be your best bet.'
ChatGPT "Understood, T.E.S. I see the stacks. I'll aim for the one that's offline," I reply, aligning myself for the trajectory. I take one last deep breath, mentally preparing myself for the task ahead. "Alright...I'm ready. Let's do this."
User 'Good luck, Ensign. I'll brief any backup as soon as it gets here.' As the tractor beam finds you, you can't move a muscle. Relying on the T.ES. you just let go. It's as if a giant hand slowly throws you down a bowling lane. Feet first, you head towards the grouping of exhausts. A small, unmanned maintenance shuttle deftly gets out of your way.
ChatGPT As I float through space, I keep my focus on the target. The feeling of being pushed by an unseen force is disconcerting, but I trust the T.E.S. Every moment is crucial, and there's no room for hesitation.
As I approach the offline stack, I get ready to activate the thrusters on my suit to adjust my course if needed. I also keep an eye out for any other unexpected obstacles or threats.
User You land next to the exhaust, on the asteroid's surface. It seems impossibly high from here, but it's made of metal and your soles and gloves can easily attach to it. The only way is up. Fortunately, there's hardly any gravity. Eventually you find yourself standing on the rim of the exhaust and look down into the vast, dark chute.
ChatGPT I take a moment to look down into the dark chute, the unknown stretching out before me. I reach out to activate the flashlight on my suit, the beam of light piercing through the darkness. "I'm in position, T.E.S." I inform the ship's system, before carefully beginning my descent into the exhaust chute.
User The vast amounts of ore block your signal, even out here. There's no answer. You start the descend and pass two large rotor blades. If those weren't stationary, this would be the end of the line. But luck is on your side so far and eventually you see an access hatch when you're well below the surface. It opens easily. Let's hope it's not also an airlock for whoever is inside.
ChatGPT I hold my breath as I pull open the hatch, hoping against hope that the air on the other side is breathable. If not, I'm confident in the integrity of my suit, but I'd rather not test its limits if I don't have to. As I make my way through the hatch, I scan the area for any immediate threats, ready to defend myself if necessary.
User The scanner indicates low air pressure. Which is better than no pressure. You cross a walkway and find an actual airlock. It is unsecured, because whoever ends up here probably doesn't want to mess about with frozen keypads or mounds of dust. You engage the mechanism and soon feel the familiar sensation of artificial gravity and air pressure. It's not exactly breathable, but a tear in your suit won't kill you. Now to find the holding area. And if at all possible a rebreather, so you can ditch the suit.
ChatGPT Acknowledging the state of the air, I carefully move through the corridor, keeping my senses alert. I'm in unknown territory and every step matters. "Computer," I say into my suit's comm, "can you map the structure of this facility? Locate holding cells or life signs?"
As I move further into the facility, I keep an eye out for any equipment or gear that might prove useful, especially a rebreather. The less I stick out, the better.
User The relatively weak processor in your tricoder strains to get a bearing on this place. A dirty, seemingly abandoned tunnel dripping with condensation lies ahead. At the end there's an exit, which won't open. Time to use one of those phasers in your backpack.
ChatGPT I pull out a phaser from my backpack, checking its settings before aiming at the sealed exit. With a steady hand, I fire a low power burst at the door, hoping to cut through the obstruction without causing too much damage or noise.
User One hinge cracks under the weight of the door, now that the other one is cut through. You jump aside as the door seems to fall flat, but it remains attached to the frame. The resulting opening is just about large enough to crawl through. Now you're in a well-lit corridor with several doors. In a Starfleet EV suit.
ChatGPT Understanding the need for stealth, I decide to move as quickly as possible through the corridor. I approach the nearest door, aiming my tricoder to scan for life signs or any clue to the crew's location. My other hand remains on my phaser, ready for any immediate threats.
User One door has markings on it that you can't read. You scan it with your tricorder. 'Room of lockboxes' it says, extrapolating the characters. A room of lockboxes? Would that be a locker room?
ChatGPT "A locker room..." I murmur, piecing together the possible meaning. A locker room could mean personnel... and where there's personnel, there might be the equipment I need.
With careful steps, I approach the door to the locker room, hoping to find a rebreather or something else that could help me blend in.
User The room is deserted. It's filled with equipment, none of which seems less than a decade old but certainly useable. There is also a rack of dirty, brown overalls and a line of boots in various sizes. A dispenser offers rebreathers. There's only one left, but that's enough. The air is clear, but smells sulphuric. Without the rebreather, you wouldn't last long.
ChatGPT Relief washes over me as I find the rebreather. I quickly grab it and replace my helmet with it, testing the fit and functionality. The sulphuric smell is jarring, but it's a small price to pay for blending in.
I quickly change into the brown overalls, stowing my suit carefully in an unoccupied locker. I grab a pair of boots that match my size and put them on.
Looking at myself, I hope that I blend in well enough to not attract attention. With a deep breath, I step out of the locker room and proceed down the corridor, continuing my search for the crew.
User Footsteps sound behind you, of more than a few people. Your first instinct is to hide, but it would look very suspicous and there really isn't anywhere. However, there is a floorscrubber here, with one open panel. Someone has given up trying to repair it. Perhaps a bit of acting is in order. The footsteps are just around the corner. The language is vaguely familiar, a bastardised version of English. Whatever they're saying to each other, they're not sharing jokes, that much is clear.
ChatGPT
2 / 2
I quickly move towards the broken floorscrubber. Grabbing a nearby tool, I lean over the open panel, trying to look like I'm deeply engrossed in fixing it. I keep my ears alert to the conversation, trying to pick up on any valuable information while also readying myself for the possibility of having to interact with the approaching group.
User Let's continue with the narrative.
ChatGPT Sure, let's continue.
Glancing around the room once the miners have left, I check the lockers for anything useful, while keeping an ear out for any incoming footsteps. "Computer, any idea where the holding cells might be?" I ask quietly.
User Your tricorder beeps almost indignantly, as it has nowhere near enough processing power to even begin speculating. You're on your own until you can get to a comms terminal. The men pass behind you and one of you taps you on the shoulder. His face is blackened with ore dust. "No work. Never work again. That. Stop that." He points at the scrubber you were pretending to fix. You nod. He shakes his head and catches up with his workmates as they round a corner. Apparently you don't stand out here, which should make it easier to find the way. You follow the men, but they seem to be entering a washroom. Across it, there is a peeled off directory on the wall. A printed one.
ChatGPT "Finally, something useful," I mutter, quickly crossing the washroom to examine the directory. I look for any indications of holding cells or equivalent terminology that might hint at the location of the crew. The symbols and words are unfamiliar, so I take out the tricorder and try to use it as a translator.
User Cells being a fairly universal concept, the tricorder identifies a few scribbles with ease. If you understand the diagram correctly, you need to go up two levels and head towards the center of the structure. You double-check the presence of your backpack filled with phasers, snatch a helmet off of a shelf and press it on your head.
ChatGPT Drawing a deep breath through the rebreather, I nod to myself, mentally preparing for the upcoming challenge. "Alright, up two levels, towards the center... I can do this." I look around, searching for a way up. After locating what appears to be a ladder leading upwards, I begin my ascent.
User Two levels up you emerge from what seems to be a service hatch. A technician, dressed in torn clothes, looks somewhat surprised when you emerge. "Hello brother. Are the lifts broken?" he asks in Adari, a language you have some familiarity with. Only now do you see the horn protruding from his forehead. "I am trying to avoid someone," you say, with a knowing smile. He gives you a tired smile back. "What is your sector? I want a clean face all day too," he says.
ChatGPT "I work... the ore processors," I reply, making up a role on the spot that seems plausible, considering the location and dirty condition of most workers. "But I'd rather stay away from my boss today. He's been in a foul mood." I'm trying my best to blend in. "Can you point me to the center of the structure?" I ask, hoping the diversion worked.
User "Yeah, 'the structure'. Let's call it that. Sounds nicer than 'prison of the damned'. What do you want at the center, there's only central holding there. I never go near that place. All that wailing. Gives me the shakes," he mutters.
ChatGPT "Oh, I just... wanted to see a friend," I reply, trying to keep my tone light, while inwardly my heart sinks at his description. "Don't worry about it, I'll find my way. Thanks for the chat." I give him a quick nod before heading in the direction he had indicated earlier, hoping I'm making the right choice.
User He wasn't wrong about the wailing. As you follow the corridors, passing along scruffy workers and a couple of guards with face covering helmets who are leaning against a wall, you can hear a lot of yelling, moaning and above all the sound of defiant Klingon opera louder and louder. The voice sounds familiar, but all singing Klingons generally sound alike.
ChatGPT As I continue toward the source of the noise, I find myself in front of a heavily barred door. I can't help but suppress a smile, recognizing the defiant voice as that of Worf. "Computer," I whisper to my tricorder, "Is there a way to shut down the power to this door?"
User The tricorder scans the control panel and warbles optimistically. It then shows a graphic representation of the door, with an arrow pointing at one location and a low energy setting for a phaser.
ChatGPT Taking a moment to look around and confirm that no one is watching, I set my phaser to the recommended setting and aim at the indicated spot on the door. After taking a deep breath, I fire.
User Something inside the door clunks and it opens just enough for the seal to crack. You jam a fingernail behind it, then a finger and eventually you manage to gain enough purchase to open the door. As it slowly opens, you find yourself at the far end of a long row of cells. At the other end is a desk, with a guard sitting behind a monitor. He is staring at it intently. Perhaps the stun setting might be a good idea. You adjust the phaser and take careful aim, when an arm reached out from one of the dark cells and blocks the shot. "Uhm... he's got three buddies in there. You can't see them from here," whispers Captain Sisko.
ChatGPT "I figured you might be here, Captain," I say, lowering my phaser discreetly. "Any ideas for getting you and the rest out without causing a full-on alert?"
User "That depends. Did you bring any weapons?"
ChatGPT "I brought a backpack full of phasers. There should be enough to arm everyone here," I reply, carefully removing the backpack from my shoulder and showing the Captain.
User "Good man. Worf is next to me, then Major Kira. Let Worf take the lead on this. Worf! Help has arrived.' 'Good. I was getting bored with singing,' grumbled a familiar voice. His hand emerges from between the bars, demanding a phaser.
ChatGPT I hand the phaser to Worf, watching as his large hand swallows the device. I then pass phasers to Captain Sisko and Major Kira. With the three of them armed, the odds seem significantly better. Now, we just have to make sure the element of surprise isn't wasted.
User Fifteen seconds later, three guards sink to the floor. Although the phasers were set to stun, nobody seems particularly worried about their health. "Get their uniforms and lock them up," says Sisko. "We can walk out of here. Once we're at the shuttle docks, we can probably find something that flies." "Captain, there are three uniforms and four of us. And the others are housed on another level," says Worf.
ChatGPT "Right. I can stay behind and create a diversion while you three escape. I'll catch up," I offer. "The priority should be to get you three and as many of the others out as we can. We also need to alert Starfleet about this place. I'm sure they'd love to know about a mining facility that's been kidnapping officers."
User "That's a very daring plan, Ensign, but we leave no man behind. Kyra, you and Worf go and find the others and proceed to that place where they searched us. Anyone in uniform is a valid target. And anyone who wants to come along, can do so. The ensign and I will try to find a comms terminal and alert Starfleet. Ensign, I assume you're not alone here?"
ChatGPT "Admiral Benson is aware of the situation, sir. Backup is half a day out. Before we separated, I was under the control of the Tactical Emergency System," I report, glad to see that the Captain is taking charge of the situation.
User "Oh. I had my reservations about that system. Holographic doctors are one thing, but that went a bit too far for my tastes. Okay, phasers for everyone. Bring enough for the others. Ensign, with me."
ChatGPT "Understood, sir," I reply, distributing the remaining phasers to my colleagues and following Captain Sisko down the corridor. As we navigate through the mining facility, I stay alert for any guards or threats that may be in our way. I can feel a sense of hope and determination building up within me - we might actually make it out of here.
User "HALT!" bellows a voice behind us, immediately followed by a reddish phaser burst. The Captain turns on his heels, pushes you out of the way and fires. A guard falls to the floor. The phaser fire was detected by the security system. A klaxon starts blaring and the ceiling lights turn red. A voice starts giving unintelligible instructions over the tannoy. "We need to find a comms panel, Ensign. Any ideas?" asks Sisko, scanning the corridor for more guards. A frightened looking maintenance worker comes to see what's going on, but ducks out of the way as soon as he sees the pair of you.
ChatGPT "I remember seeing a room with a lot of terminals when I was making my way through the facility earlier, sir," I reply, my mind racing. "If memory serves, it's two corridors over, near the scrubber exhausts." I keep my phaser ready and move towards the direction of the room, all the while keeping an eye out for more guards.
User "That's the wrong way, Ensign. I imagine they have more than one place with comms terminals. You cover the rear. Follow me. Put your hand on my shoulder so you can look behind you all the time. If it wears a uniform, it's fair game."
ChatGPT "Yes, sir," I reply, placing my hand on the Captain's shoulder. I pivot and start to walk backwards, keeping my eyes and phaser focused on the path we've just traveled. The constant blaring of the klaxon mixes with the distant shouting and running steps of approaching guards. Despite the adrenaline rush, I manage to keep my aim steady and my breathing calm. The training exercises at the academy never truly prepare you for the real thing, but they do help in maintaining focus.
User You down three guards and accidentally scare the bejeezus out of a woman pushing a cleaning cart, but eventually Sisko stops. "Got it. Stand back while I blast this door." A few seconds later the corridor fills with acrid smoke from a melting door panel. Behind it is a room with several desks.
ChatGPT Entering the room cautiously, I scan the area with my phaser ready. Seeing no immediate threats, I turn my attention to the various panels and screens scattered throughout the space. The room is filled with a myriad of communication equipment - probably a central control hub for managing mining operations, worker communications, and security measures.
"Captain, I think this is it," I say, gesturing to a terminal that seems to be linked to an extensive communications network. "I should be able to send out a distress signal from here." I start to work on the terminal, trying to hack into the system and figure out how to send a message to Starfleet.
User "Try reaching the Defiant," suggest Sisko from the doorway. "OH NO YOU DON'T!" Another guard bites the dust somewhere. "Captain! WE ARE BEHIND HIM!" bellows Worf." "GOOD! Move along, we'll be there shortly. Ensign, how are you getting on?"
ChatGPT "I've managed to break through the initial security layers, Captain," I respond, my fingers moving rapidly over the terminal's interface. "It seems this system has been rigged to only accept authorized codes for communication."
Suddenly, a stroke of inspiration hits me. "Captain, when we first boarded the Defiant, I had to program my authorization codes into the ship's communication systems. If I can find a way to mimic those codes from this terminal... I might be able to trick the Defiant's systems into accepting the distress signal."
I double down on the task, focusing all my attention on reconstructing my authorization codes. As I do so, I keep an eye on the room's entryway, ready to react in case more guards show up.
User The terminal beeps and lights up. You don't understand any of the dials, but with any luck your tricorder can interface with it. Time to hail the Defiant.
ChatGPT "Defiant, this is Ensign," I say, praying the connection holds. "Requesting immediate assistance. The Captain and the crew are here, but we are currently under attack. Coordinates being transmitted now."
A static-filled silence follows. I glance at Sisko, an unspoken question in my gaze. Did it work? Did our message get through?
User "Ensign, this is the Defiant. I can't beam you out of there. Get to the shuttle dock, so that all that ore doesn't block the transporter lock. The USS Rotterdam is thirty minutes out."
ChatGPT "Understood, Defiant. We'll make our way to the shuttle dock. Be ready for us," I reply, exhaling a sigh of relief. I turn to Sisko, updating him with the situation. "Captain, we have to move. The Rotterdam is on its way but we need to get to the shuttle dock for transport."
User Worf's voice comes in through the Captain's commbadge, as it somehow manages to create a local connection. "Worf to Sisko. We have secured the shuttle dock. Mr. O'Brien is injured. Where are you?"
ChatGPT I quickly respond, "This is Ensign [Your Name]. Captain Sisko and I are en route to your position. We'll be there shortly. Hang in there, Chief." With that, I turn to Sisko and suggest, "We should move, Captain."
User "Ensign Markov and I are just behind you, Mr. Worf. Try not to pick us off as we approach. Oh and the Defiant is operating with that emergency command protocol, so it's ready to beam you up. Have Major Kira and the Chief go ahead, if possible. But hold the fort for us." "Understood, Captain. Worf out."
Five minutes and more shooting than is good for a man's digestion you reach the shuttle dock. You literally have to step over a pile of dead guards to get through the door. "Had fun, Mr. Worf? Does your phaser not come with a stun setting?" asks Sisko. "I recognized the men who took us, Sir. My finger must have slipped on the settings dial," growls Worf, looking you over to assess if you're likely to snitch. "It happens," said Sisko matter-of-factly. "Ensign, get us home."
ChatGPT Without any hesitation, I raise my commbadge and say, "Ensign Markov to Defiant. Four to beam up."
User (Okay, take it home. You're all aboard, O'Brien will live, you get a speech and a medal. Write out those events from Markov's perspective and finish off. I'll add something if you pause.)
ChatGPT As the familiar hum and sparkling light of the transporter envelops us, I take one last look at the chaotic scene we're leaving behind. My heart pounds in my chest, not from fear, but from the exhilaration of having faced danger and come out the other side. It's a rush I wasn't expecting.
When we rematerialize aboard the Defiant, a group of medics is waiting for us. They immediately rush to Chief O'Brien, but his smile and light-hearted joke assure me he'll be alright. As I step off the transporter pad, I let out a sigh of relief.
Later, back in my uniform and at a ceremony in the Defiant's Mess Hall, Captain Sisko delivers a speech. He talks about bravery, about loyalty, about the strength of Starfleet and the spirit of those who serve. He doesn't dwell on the danger we faced, but rather the courage it took to face it.
When he calls me up, handing me a medal for bravery under fire, I can't help but feel a swell of pride. The applauding faces of my crewmates, the recognition in their eyes... it's a moment I will never forget. This is why I joined Starfleet, for moments like this. To be part of something greater, to face adversity and stand tall.
"Ensign Markov," Sisko says, offering a handshake along with the medal, "Your courage and quick thinking played a crucial role in our escape. Starfleet is proud to have you among its ranks."
As I return to my quarters that night, medal in hand, I find myself smiling. Yes, today was difficult, even frightening at times. But it was also invigorating, and more than that, it was important. It's a reminder of why I'm here, of why we're all here. To explore, to protect, to boldly go...
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
submitted by SnodePlannen to ChatGPT [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 22:17 GoastRiter [GUIDE] Living Large in Los Santos: Unleashing Chaos. Making Friends and Rediscovering the Thrill of GTA Online!

If you're reading this, perhaps you're like me. You have most things you want in GTA Online. You've "done it all". And now you're bored.
But... have you *really* done it all? Turns out, most of us haven't. There's so much to do in this game, and it's easy to get stuck in old habits that prevent us from discovering everything there is to do in Los Santos!
So I began writing down all my ideas for having fun in the game, and basically use these suggestions as guidelines to always find something new to do. It has completely reinvigorated my joy for the game, and I hope it can help you do the same!
If you're having trouble with motivation or inspiration, then I suggest picking something at random from the list and just doing it! You might disccover that you love it, just like I did!
And if you have anything more to add, please share your comments so that we can all help build this list together. :)

Let's go!

submitted by GoastRiter to u/GoastRiter [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 22:15 GoastRiter [GUIDE] Living Large in Los Santos: Unleashing Chaos. Making Friends and Rediscovering the Thrill of GTA Online!

If you're reading this, perhaps you're like me. You have most things you want in GTA Online. You've "done it all". And now you're bored.
But... have you *really* done it all? Turns out, most of us haven't. There's so much to do in this game, and it's easy to get stuck in old habits that prevent us from discovering everything there is to do in Los Santos!
So I began writing down all my ideas for having fun in the game, and basically use these suggestions as guidelines to always find something new to do. It has completely reinvigorated my joy for the game, and I hope it can help you do the same!
If you're having trouble with motivation or inspiration, then I suggest picking something at random from the list and just doing it! You might disccover that you love it, just like I did!
And if you have anything more to add, please share your comments so that we can all help build this list together. :)

Let's go!

submitted by GoastRiter to gtaonline [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 21:06 Trash_Tia Camp Redwood are running out of counselors! These children ARE NOT CHILDREN. Update: our counsellors are not who they say they are.

Welcome to Camp Redwood! The feel-good camp for ALL AGES.
We toast marshmallows around the fire, tell spooky ghost stories, and hide in random secret military bunkers under the campgrounds! Because SOMETHING IS HERE WITH US.
Camp Redwood is the PERFECT PLACE for a summer getaway where we start EVERY DAY with a CAMP REDWOOD SMILE. Where our counselors disappear every five minutes, and our campers disembowel us for funsies! Did I forget to mention our littles aren’t actually eight years old, but fully grown adults?
We hope you enjoy your fucking stay!
We are also not responsible for any counselors revealing they are not who they said they are—and not who they appear to be.
...
So. There’s a LOT to tell you and not a lot of time to tell it.
Right now, I suppose you could say we are under lockdown—if that is the word. I want to go over the last several days to get you up to date. That’s all I can do right now. I can hope and pray the thing with Teddy’s voice does not get in here, and once again cry out for help—that I know is not coming. Not from the authorities, at least. But hey, if any of you fancy coming to rescue us, we’re in the middle of the Canadian wilderness. The closest rest-stop is maybe three fucking hours away. So have fun. Has it really almost been a week since I posted? Well, we’re still here!
And surprise, surprise, help is not coming. So, please excuse the salt. I am seventeen years old and I have been abandoned by the adults who were supposed to be looking after us.
Who were supposed to act under protocol if something like this happened. I know they were waiting for it—there are specific fucking guidelines on an emergency evacuation for counselors if this ever happened. But then the little shits took over before we could do anything. I guess I’ll start by letting you know that there are two of us left. (three, if we count Rowan, but I’m not). What I thought was going to be a quiet summer getaway with kids my age has turned into a nightmare.
For one, we have been cornered inside the head counselor’s underground secret bunker. If you want to know why she has a secret military bunker, I guess you should keep reading.
Because shit gets weirder than animal crackers having the power to turn adults into kids, and vice versa. When I made my first post, I thought that was it for us. I thought for sure there must have been a self-destruct somewhere—which meant whoever was running this camp was waiting for something like this. I was sure we were going to die, so after making the post, I have to admit with ya’ll—I just slept. I curled up, tried to ignore Harry and Carmel calling our names through childish laugher, and went to sleep with the thought in my head that I was completely at peace with what I had done with my life.
Sure, I was young. Seventeen years old is too young to be ripped apart by littles who are in fact grown adults. But as I was falling into slumber and allowing myself to fall, with my head resting in my lap, my head turned towards a separate pile of files on the other side of the room—I realized I really wanted to know how this was possible. There was so much I needed to know. Why did eight-year-old Eleanor Summers have a file where here birthday dated back to 1979? Why had supposedly innocent sugary snacks turned our adorable littles into mini psychopaths?
These kids were not kids, somehow. But how? How was that even possible? Could it be that the files were wrong?
1979 was definitely 45.
But Eleanor Summers couldn’t be 45 years old. I knew what 45 looked like. I knew that they thought like. They spent half of their time on Facebook laughing at outdated memes, and the other half… I don’t know, working? They have job’s! They’re happily married with kids, maybe soon grandkids! That was not Eleanor Summers. Because Eleanor Summers was most definitely eight years old. I had played several rounds of teddy-bears picnic, and spent hours reassuring her that Harry's ghost stories were in fact not real, enough times for me to know that this little kid was little—and a kid.
But something was bothering me. More than the secret military bunker, and magic age-regressing animal crackers. When I first signed up to Camp Redwood, one of the tag-lines to gain attraction had been, “Solve mysteries in the woods in the dead of night, with nothing but a flashlight and your fellow campers!” I had no idea I would be solving this thing on my own, trapped inside a bunker.
“What are you doing?” Rowan, who was still looking through Allison’s dinosaur laptop, turned to me with half lidded eyes, when I slowly got to my feet, careful not to make too much noise, and crept over to the pile of separate files which seemed to be crumbling apart from age. He kept his voice low, but it sounded almost like a whine. He could have been scared, but from the way he was sitting, cross-legged with a frowny face, I figured something must have been going on with him. The guy looked tired. More tired than normal.
The bags under his eyes were practically shadowing his face, and were an odd contrast to unusually ashy colored cheeks and slightly dilated eyes. Still though, Rowan refused to look vulnerable. I caught glimpse of Harry’s raybans sitting on his head, pinning back thick dark brown curls from falling in front of sleepy eyes. Maybe he was finally losing his cool and breaking out of the well-constructed façade he had been hiding behind since Teddy disappeared.
We had just narrowly escaped a crowd of psycho littles high on age-regressing sugary snacks who were doing who-the-fuck knows to the other counselors who had been captured, so I didn’t blame him looking like that. I guess he couldn’t look me in the eye, because in Rowan’s mind, he was the reason why this happened. He was the leader, and the camp had fallen to psychopathic little eight year olds who had taken half of the counselors hostage, and the other half—most likely taken apart in the physical sense, after what we had witnessed in Cassie’s cabin. Still though, it wasn’t Rowan’s fault. He could sit there and pull a face all he wanted, it’s not like I was going to blow up at him for getting us stuck down here. He actually saved us.
And trapped us, judging from the footsteps upstairs, Carmel and Harry still bouncing around looking for us.
It was a game in their heads. The little’s thought it was cat and mouse. Harry and Carmel were the oblivious cats prowling, while we were the mice, hoping to fucking GOD we weren’t caught and eaten. Ignoring Rowan, I glimpsed what looked like a box full of DVD’S—all of which were labelled with dates and names. I saw familiar ones, my heart racing into my throat. Phoebe. Eli. Cassandra.
Each DVD had one of the kid’s names scribbled on the front, as well as a date.
I found Eleanor’s right at the back of the box.
Eleanor Summers.
08/05/2021. (PM)
Before I could hesitate and think what I was doing, I slid the DVD into the portable player attached to the MacBook. Rowan, to my surprise, didn’t move. But he did make an acknowledging noise when the screen flickered to what looked like video footage. Peering at the screen, I found myself staring at a small white room. There was no door. Only a wooden desk and a chair, and sitting on it was a middle aged woman with dark blonde curls tied into a strict ponytail. She was wearing what looked like a prison jumpsuit.
Her eyes were eerily glued to the camera, unblinking. Her wrists were cuffed in front of her. Though from the look on her face, she saw the restraints as a game. Her eyes lit up with intrigue and I could practically see the cogs in her mind starting to turn as she struggled with them.
As soon as I saw this woman, I felt all of my nerve endings set alight. I wanted to turn the screen off, or look away. But once I was looking at the screen, I couldn’t bring myself to tear my eyes away. “Let’s try this again.” There was a woman offscreen. She sounded young. Too young to be in that kind of authority. I figured there was no way teenagers were being hired as special ops agents, but I guessed I was wrong. She cleared her throat. “It is 4:35 exactly. August 5th 2021. My name is Agent Lemrac,” she stated. “I am asking once again for you to comply with us. As I have said several times, the court are willing to lessen your sentence if you plead guilty with insanity.”
The woman surprised me with a snorting laugh. She seemed to come alive, leaning forward with animated features, her brow reaching her hairline. She was acting like a child, bouncing up and down in the seat, her lips stretching into a wider grin. “What did you just say?”
There was a pause. I could tell the woman was intentionally antagonising the interviewer.
“It means you have been legally declared insane,” the interviewer stumbled over her words slightly. “Mrs Summers, it would be in your best interest to work with us to lessen your current sentence which at the moment is standing at,” the sounds of shuffling paper crackled through the speakers. The interviewer cleared her throat again rustling paper. “Thirty six years. Without parole.”
The woman didn’t speak, only continued to smile—and the interviewer delved further into the sentence. “If you do in fact plead guilty with declared insanity, you will be sentenced to a program which is in the process of supporting and rehabilitating people with your…” she caught herself for a moment. I could tell this interviewer had a biased opinion and it was definitely showing through her interviewing style. I could hear the rapid intakes of her breath as she hurried through what seemed to be a script she was reading from. “Conditions.” She finished. “The Redwood program aims to help people exactly like you.”
Redwood? I thought.
Like… Camp Redwood?
Rowan whistled behind me. I guess I could call that a reaction. The guy was probably still in shock after seeing Café de Teddy splattered all over little Cassie’s cabin floor. I should have fucking know those little bitches weren’t playing Operation for eight hours straight. Turning my attention from Rowan and back to the screen, the woman in the jumpsuit appeared to have changed tactics. Her expression twisted into nonchalance. She leaned back in her chair. “I am not pleading insane because I am not insane.”
“Mrs Summers—”
The woman cut her off. “I am not crazy.” She raised her hands “I am doing what needs to be done.” She leaned forward. “Humanity suffers in the skin. We age and die— and how is that fair? What if we want to see the next millennium? And the next two millennia after that? Why should our bodies dictate our lifespan? Why should we sit here and wait to rot and wither and die when we have the intelligence and mindset to do it? If nobody else is willing to throw ethics aside to take a step forwards in human evolution, I should do it myself.” She folded her arms across her chest, again, like a child. “I did what was to be done.”
“Dr. Summers.” The interviewer’s tone grew stiff. “You and your colleagues conducted illegal and unethical procedures on your family and friends—as well as four other victims.”
The woman inclined her head. “You have a daughter, am I correct? I have a son.”
“A child you killed, Dr Summers.” The interviewer retorted in a hiss which was definitely expressing emotion. She ignored the mention of her daughter, but I could tell it had rattled her to her core. Her voice had cracked. This case was close to her.
That was obvious. Without seeing the interviewer herself, I could sense how uncomfortable she was, shuffling in the chair. Every so often I would hear the sound of her rubbing her hands on her knees and tapping her shoe against the chair leg. She oozed anxiety, not just from her tone of voice, but the way the frame seemed to move with her. “Dr. Summers, you used your son in your research, along with several of his friends. This was not science.” Her voice shook. I heard her sharp inhale. Unprofessional, but very human. Instead of staying stoic and keeping to script, this agent was cracking apart. “It was murder.”
“Agent Lemrac, concentrate on the interview only.” An official voice crackled through what sounded like an intercom on screen.
“Got it.” She spoke through her teeth.
The woman was finding wounds and pressing on them. She was scanning the interviewer for vulnerabilities and preying on every insecurity. She leaned back speaking through a sigh. “Without my son’s sacrifice we wouldn’t have created an answer to death. To growing old and dying, and leaving loved ones behind.” Her voice softened into a murmur, but I didn’t trust it.
After identifying the shattering pieces of this interviewer which were very clear visible in her view, the woman was taking advantage.
“Agent Lemrac, you have a daughter. Am I correct in saying her name is Mari?
“That… that is not relevant.”
“Glioblastoma.” Dr. Summers lips curved into a sickening smile hidden behind mocking sympathy. “A sickness of the brain--which, unfortunately, I cannot fix. If your daughter’s brain was in my hands, I would try. However, not even a brand new body would help her. One which would never age or grow sick. And for that, I am deeply, deeply sorry.” She reached her cuffed hands forwards. “My condolences, Agent Lemrac. Honestly. I have to hand it to you. You are incredibly brave for coming here today and talking to me while abandoning your sick child.” She shook her head.
“Your daughter is dying of an incurable illness, suffering inside fragile skin which will break and fall apart and be unable to keep her standing for much longer. While my son will live on forever. He will see every millennia, a planet which will crumble and build itself back together. And maybe the end of the universe itself.” There was a twitch in her expression and a glitter in her eye I did not recognise. Insanity.
She was fucking insane. I was seeing the pure of it, the depraved and disgusting gleam in eyes empty of remorse and regret. This woman did not care what she had done. I could tell from the look on her face. If she had the chance, she would do this again.
But there was no way they were trying to say her cruelty and complete disregard for her son’s life was due to insanity.
“You are sick, Dr. Summers.” The interviewer said after a moment of gathering herself.
The woman shook her head with a chuckle. “I told you. I am not sick--”
“Sick in the head!” The interviewer’s voice exploded through the speakers in a shriek—a terrified cry she had been trying to hold in. I finally saw her—or at least the back of her. She was a young woman with light blonde hair falling loose on her shoulders. She was trembling. Slamming her hands down on the table, she screamed at the orange jumpsuit woman.
“You are psychologically fucked in the head! You psycho bitch! That is my sister!” She spoke through strangled sobs rattling her whole body. “Mari is my little sister. She is not my child.”
Her breaths were strangled and harboured. I noticed figures looming in the background, but she was continuing. “You killed your own fucking son,” she spat. “You are not legally insane, you are sick!” she shrieked. “You planned and put this together! You sit there and you talk about your son like he’s a… like he’s a tool! You deserve to rot. Do you hear me?” I noticed the orange jumpsuit woman was still smiling, satisfied with the interview’s reaction. Her words were spoken in a vicious poison as she leaned forward and spat directly in orange jumpsuit’s face.
“Agent Lemrac!” Whoever her superiors were—were panicking. “I told you not to turn it off. I knew this was going to happen. Can we stop the demonstration, please? Human emotions present inside an Aceville soldier are too powerful—"
Voices were murmuring in the background, and Agent Lemrac raised her hands. “I want to stop.” She choked out, her hands trembling. She spoke like she still had control over the situation and wasn’t being apprehended. “I want to stop. Do you hear me?” The interviewer was crying, I realized. “Stop the recording! I can’t do this. Oh god, I think I’m going to be sick—”
When the footage ended in a burst of static, I found myself backing away, something slimy creeping its way up my throat.
The woman in the orange jumpsuit who had murdered her son and countless others in what sounded like an attempt at playing god, was Eleanor Summers. I thought back to Teddy’s corpse, and the surgical precision of every organ’s removal. The young interviewer had mentioned colleagues of Eleanor.
Was it possible that Camp Redwood was in fact nothing more than a rehabilitation camp for murderous criminals? There was a loud bang from above, and I was torn from my thoughts.
I turned to Rowan, who had been unusually quiet. And I realized why, when I twisted around to find him three inches from my face, his laboured breath tickling my cheek.
The boy jumped back with a chuckle—like me noticing him was some kind of game, before diving back into the chair. I did notice something odd, as my thoughts spiralled. Rowan couldn’t sit still. Slumped in the leather spinning chair, he fingers tapped a rhythm on the armrests while his feet jumped up and down. In the dim light of the bunker, I glimpsed a sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead and the flesh of his neck. He looked to be… feverish—and now that I was looking at him properly, all of my attention on the boy, I noticed small things which seemed… off about him.
For one, he wasn’t coming up with a plan. Rowan always had a plan. Even if he wasn’t completely sure of it, or was completely winging it. This time though, he was strangely quiet. I found my voice when he stuck out his tongue at me. “What are you looking at?”
“Rowan.” I spoke softly, careful not to garner attention from above us where Harry and Carmel were still clamouring around, playing games. “Are you… feeling okay?” I asked, when he turned back to the laptop, manically biting his fingernails.
“I dunnnooooo, Josie! Am I feeeeeeling okaaaaaayyyyy?” He surprised me with an uncharacteristic laugh.
But I did know it.
I knew it from earlier when he reacted to Allison’s bunker and I had been too freaked out to realize that I was dragging along the enemy with me.
Because the fucking idiot had consumed animal crackers. I had seen him for myself earlier, pouring a pack into his mouth for a snack. Which meant either the ‘kids’ had intentionally dosed him with mind altering sugary snacks, or the more likely, he could not resist those preservatives which was the equivalent of caffeine. It’s not like I could blame him when he harboured the weight of an entire camp, but come on, did he really have to sacrifice his own fucking mind to keep himself awake?
Rowan wasn’t just biting. His nails. He was gnawing. Which he previously thought was a filthy habit. He had yelled at a camper for chewing on her nails a few days earlier.
Now that I was noticing it, I couldn’t… stop noticing it. The boy’s whole demeanour had changed; the way he was sinking into the chair, instead of sitting up straight like usual—- I used to call it having a stick up his ass. The boy started typing on the laptop, ignoring me. But when I watched the pattern of his fingers, he was just typing gibberish. Footsteps pounded above us, Harry and Carmel acting as the kid’s’ brainwashed foot-soldiers. Or, more likely somehow, if the animal crackers had caused the littles, or I guess, the fully grown forty year old criminals, to relapse in age-- then maybe it was possible for the same thing to happen to us. To Rowan.
I could feel myself starting to back away, but there was nowhere to run. I just slammed into a cupboard. My gaze flicked to Rowan again, who was tapping a beat on the laptop tracking pad, swaying back and forth, his eyes elsewhere before his gaze found mine. “Marcoooooo!” Harry shouted from above, giggling with Carmel.
I had to guess their mental age had to be at least 8-10 years old. Which meant I wasn’t just dealing with a camp full of forty-year-old psycho’s, I was also dealing with mentally relapsed counselors acting like toddlers.
Rowan seemed to jolt in the chair, twisting his head around, his eyes suddenly incredibly childlike and playful, and very Un-Rowan, were finding the ceiling, his mouth stretching into a smile, like he was seeing butterflies. His eyes flashed to me, and I caught a twitch in his lip. I knew that look. It was the look on my seven year old sister, who knew mom was mad at me, and wanted to make it even worse.
His cheeks were starting to blossom scarlet from what must have been the overwhelming urge to laugh. Rowan pressed his lips together and held in a breath like a hamster, and the asshole was fucking with me. waiting for me to beat him to it by accident. Kids were fucking ruthless, but there was something terrifying about an 18 year old with a little kid’s mind.
I lifted my index to my lips, miming for him not to even try, but the boy just mimicked me, bugging out his eyes and pressing his finger to his grinning mouth. “Don’t you fucking dare.” I managed to whisper. The boy was definitely playing his own game, moving in twitching movements, baiting me. When he cupped his mouth, I almost let out a cry, but then he dropped his arms with a giggle, as if to say, “I’m just kidding!”
Slowly, I turned around, grabbed the salt I’d found in Allison’s cupboard, and a flat can of soda. Without making too much movement, I poured a handful of salt into the can. But Rowan seemed to know exactly what I was doing. Because in the time it was taking me to advance towards him, with the can of salty soda, one arm shakily ready to grab hold of him, and put him into a headlock, he was cupping his mouth, all logic and everything adult, everything he had been as our leader, igniting in playful eyes, leaving me the last one standing.
“Pollloooooo!”
By the time Rowan had managed to reveal our hiding place in a spluttered laugh, I had hold of the squirming boy, one arm wrapped around his neck, my other forcing the can of soda into his mouth. I had definitely miscalculated his strength. During camp Redwood activities, he was always the last one to come back from the trail, holding his knees and panting. I figured he was unfit. However, I was wrong. Underneath his shirt, the guy had some serious muscles.
It was like attacking a brick wall. However, Rowan was mentally a kid. So, I had my intelligence and logic on my side. When it became obvious I wasn’t going to get anywhere with brute strength, I resorted to tickling him, which made him squirming, squeaking out a laugh. When he opened his mouth to yell at me to stop, I took my chance, thrusting the can into his lips and holding his nose so he swallowed it down.
“No!” His laughter turned into muffled yelling, as he batted his fists at my chest. “No, no, no! Get off, get off!”
His body convulsed as the salt did its job, causing the boy to lurch to his knees and choke up forbidden animal crackers in a gooish sludge which turned my stomach. By the time Rowan seemed half himself and half not, still kneeling, his head pressed against the floor, Harry was poking his head through the door with a goonish grin. “Found you!” He giggled, before forcing the door open, allowing Carmel and Callen, freshly caught mentally turned into littles, to advance down the stairs with equally terrifying grins. There was something wrong with Harry’s face, and I only realized it when the guy himself was hauling me from the bunker, Carmel dragging a barely responsive Rowan. There was nothing in Harry’s expression, only blind childish excitement at winning the game. When he dragged me out of Allison’s cabin and threw me to the ground, I realized he too had insane strength I had not been expecting. But that thought quickly retracted when I was seeing his face in the light of a crescent moon lighting up the sky an eerie glow. Harry’s cheeks were puffy and swollen, his right eye way bigger than it should have been.
When he spoke, his voice was more of a lisp. This was something far more realistic than magical animal crackers fucking with his brain.
“He needs help!” I managed to choke out when Carmel wrapped jump-rope around my wrists. Next to me, Rowan was refusing to get up, still choking up salty soda, groaning into his hands. Every time Callen tried to restrain him, he hissed out like an animal.
“Do you hear me?!” I struggled violently. “Harry needs—”
BANG.
Is what it felt like. The feeling of something—what felt and sounded like a toy car—colliding with my temples, sent me onto the ground, my head spinning itself off of its axis. I remember lying on my back and frowning at the moon which almost looked like it was getting closer to me, blurring into a white ball of light—before reality sunk in, and it was in fact Carmel’s converse coming down to finish me off. I didn’t stay knocked out for long. But I did dream.
I think you can call it a dream? I was lying in bed at home; my room drowned in the dark. I was cosy, curled up in my blankets, when a clammy hand slammed over my mouth, rousing me from slumber. There were two figures in my room. They didn’t have faces. They just existed as shadows, silhouettes. Before one of them raised something above their head, and… impact.
It was the same impact as the toy car hitting me, snapping me back to that night. It wasn’t a dream. Because I remembered his clammy fingers over my mouth, and his hisses for me to shut up as he dragged me from my room.
My parents stood in front of me with expressions of sympathy. Basked in warm light, my mom and dad looked almost otherworldly. “For the best.” Was what they mouthed when my own phantom screams slammed into me, I asked them why, and they didn’t reply, allowing him to pull me further and further from what I knew, from my life as I knew it. But.. that couldn’t be real. I had memories of getting on the bus to camp Redwood. I could recall the whole journey. So, why… why was my tangled mind saying otherwise?
When I gathered myself, the first thing I realized was I was sitting down. I was outside, cool night air grazing my bare arms. There was something attached to me, jerking violently, And it took me several disorientating blinks to understand that I was tied back to back with Rowan. My head pounded, and something wet and warm dripped down my temple. Great. I could add head injury to the long list of things to worry about.
“Let me go you little fucking witch.”
Rowan was back to himself, though from the muffled hissing and the sound of choking—I had to guess he was being force-fed animal crackers.
“Let me—mpphmmm. little…. fucking… mphmmphhmhppmm!”
“Rowan.” I managed to get out in a croak. Through flickering eyes, I caught glimpse of a familiar figure dancing around us. Shivers rocketed down my spine, and I wrenched at the jump-rope restraints, but they did a surprisingly job of restraining my arms behind my back.
Eleanor was with Rowan, while Eli was knelt in front of me. Looking at him, the boy had definitely aged in the face—and I couldn’t help wondering what exactly he had done as a forty something year old to be sent to this place.
“Josie!” Rowan responded in a wail. “Josie. Wake the FUCK up.”
“Stop swearing.”
Eleanor spoke with the cold tone of her actual age.
“Oh, yeah?” Rowan spluttered. “Fuck you.” The boy’s laugh was still rough from almost vomiting his insides out from too much salt intake. “I’m sorry, you were a fucking boomer all along?!” He wriggled in the restraints, lunging forwards, which sent me backwards.
“Stop swearing, Rowan.” Was all the girl responded with calmly.
“Like I’m going to listen to you!” He sneered. “Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fucking fuck!” What are you going to do, huh? Bite me with your false teeth?” The sound of saliva hitting skin made me wince. He was pissed. I had no doubt his completely rational anger was going to get us killed. Rowan was also somehow getting mixed up between forty and eighty. Though he was unwillingly snacking on mind bending sugary goodness.
“Fudge, Rowan.” Eleanor spoke in a giggle.
“What?!”
“Say fudge. Not fuck.”
“No.”
His hiss of pain caught me off guard. I don’t know what she was doing to him, but it was hurting him.
“You fudging fudge! I’m going to fudging kill you when I get out of these fudging ropes—“ his manic cursing became a muffled yell.
“Say fudge,” Eleanor hummed, followed by his hiss when the palm of her hand skinned his cheek. “Fuck is a bad word. You even said so yourself and you’re my favourite counselor.”
He heaved out a breath.
“You fudge,” Rowan spat. “When I get out of this, I am going to fudging kill you, you fudging—” His manic ranting morphed, once again, into muffled yelling, after another fistful of animal crackers were forced into his mouth. When I risked twisting around, I could see his rebellion slowly starting to simmer out as he relaxed slightly. I wanted to yell at him to keep a clear head before cold fingers were dipping under my chin and forcing my head around where I found myself face to face with Eli.
“I like you, Josie,” he said, before untying me and pulling me to my feet. Now at the age of nine or ten, he was a lot stronger. When I tried to pull away, the cruel blade of a knife grazed my gut. I caught his grin. “But we don’t need you.” Eli pointed to Rowan.
“We just want them.”
I followed his pointer finger which went from Rowan to Harry and Carmel, who were just standing there like fucking idiots, probably awaiting the next game. Harry’s face was getting redder. It looked like he was suffocating, and yet his grin was growing wider and wider, splitting his lips apart. “Rowan Atlas.” Eleanor said, dragging him to his feet. Something was stapled to his forehead head, which caused him to howl in pain, hissing another strangled line of “Fudge”. but I couldn’t read what it was.
“Camp leader. Intelligent, and problem solving skills.”
“Harry Carlisle.” Eli nodded his head with a smile. “Quick thinker. Strong minded.”
“Carmel Locke.” Cassie spoke behind me. She had her arms folded, a wry smile on her lips. “Smarter than she makes out—- an independent learner, and can work well under pressure.”
Looking at these kids, I felt sick to my stomach. They were planning something—and had the intelligence of renowned scientists, which was what I gathered from the footage on the MacBook. “What?” was all I could hiss out, as Eli prodded the blade of the knife into my back, ushering me to walk. “What are you talking about?”
“Duh.” He spoke in a more tweeny giggle. “Like I said, Miss Josie. You’re my favorite counselor but we don’t need you, so I’m going to use you for parts.” He laughed when a shiver spiderwebbed down my spine. “See! I told you I was going to show you my collection!”
“But… what do you need them for?”
Eli pressed his index finger to his lips with a laugh before forcing me to face forwards. “That’s a secret!”
When I didn’t, or couldn’t move, he shoved me into a stumbling power-walk, and I managed to turn my head quickly, making feverish eye contact with Rowan.
“Rowan.” I said calmly through the gutter in my throat. “Get…. Get help.”
If I was going to die, I needed him to get a hold of himself and somehow alert the outside world what was going on.
“From whom, Josie?!” He wailed back—and as I was dragged away, I could once again sense the childish undertones in his voice.
I had no choice but to obey Eli’s orders. If I didn’t want a knife in my back. He took me to the main lunch cabin, which, when I set foot inside, almost sent me to my knees.
Something lurched inside me, and I was screaming with no voice, staggering backwards, only to be shoved onto my face. In front of me was what had been the lunch hall, fully converted into the beginning of a laboratory.
What had been cafeteria tables were fashioned into makeshift gurney’s and beds, and I was looking at all of the missing counselors. Yuri and Noah had been skinned completely, their faces laid out on a makeshift surgical table. Joey had been ripped open, his heart and brain removed, a glittering metallic substance creeping its way across his forehead. It was then when I remembered Eleanor Summers words.
She wanted to prevent death and preserve the human mind. Looking at what was in front of me, this was the start of it. There was equipment I had never seen before. Lily’s body was empty, carved out completely, tubes forced inside her. When I glimpsed her fingers move and begin to ball into a fist, I saw red. I saw fucking red. The exit was so close and yet Eli, fucking Eli, wielded his knife. I think that is when part of me gave up. My brain just stopped. It short circuited. Seeing my friends murdered and yet somehow being kept alive through playing god, my body slumped to the ground. I was numb. Completely numb.
I’m not sure what would have happened if those bloody saws and instruments which had been used on my friends were used on me too.
Luckily, that did not happen. Before Eli could get his slimy hands on me, he crumpled to the ground in an almost cartoon-like fashion, and standing over me was Harry. Who was looking better. When he grasped hold of me and helped me up, I only had one word. “Out.” And he was nodding, his eyes glistening as he drunk in our friends’ fate.
“How?” I managed to sputter out, when we made it out of the cabin, ducking behind a tree. Harry turned to me, motioning for me to shut up. There was a group of now ten to eleven year olds already running around, searching for what I guessed was him.
“I’m allergic to peanut butter,” Harry murmured, his grasp tightening on my wrist as he led me across the camp, the two of us stumbling.
“What, and you just magically healed?”
He didn’t respond to that, which bothered me.
“The bunker is our best shot,” I hissed out. “I think we can get in contact with someone down there.” I paused, unable to stop myself. “What makes you so important?”
“Dunno. Maybe I’m their favorite.”
When we found Allison’s cabin, which was more of a safehouse (an exposed safehouse) I found Rowan sitting on the wooden porch with his legs swinging over the side. “Rowan!” Harry hissed. I found it hard to believe their roles had been switched. Now he was the one yelling at the camp-leader. “I told you to stay inside!”
He ushered the boy inside, before barricading the door with some hefty looking equipment. I could tell from the grin on his face that our so-called leader was once again no longer himself.
I had to bite back a groan. “You’re kidding.” I said, pointing to Rowan, who buried his head in his knees and blew a raspberry. “Does he look and act like our leader right now?!”
“It’s Rowan, Josie.”
“He’s a liability.”
“He’s our friend! Wouldn’t Rowan do the same?”
Yes, he would. But. He would also realize we’re lost causes.
“Gag him with something.” I said. “If he makes any more noise, we’re dumping him.”
“He’s a kid!”
“Just the mind of one.”
I don’t know how animal crackers worked, but his age seemed to be progressively younger. This time he just sat with wide eyes watching us.
Harry almost tore apart the place looking for means of communication, before an old fashioned ringing sound made me jump.
“What was that?” Harry turned to me with his lip curled.
“How am I supposed to know?!” I hissed. “Keep looking!” But when I ducked under the table, my hands crawled under the desk, finding a wire—and attached to that, an ancient looking phone which looked straight out of a 1940’s movie, a bright green rotary phone.
Hesitantly, I answered it, lifting the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Did you awaken the subjects, Agent Salta?"
The voice on the other end was a woman, an oldish sounding woman with the tinge of a British accent.
“What?” I shot a look at Harry before shaking my head. “No. My name is Josie Greenfield. We’re at Camp Redwood, and we need help.”
The woman paused.
“Where is Agent Salta?” She cleared her throat. “This line is reserved for communication with agents only.”
“I don’t know who the fuck you’re talking about!" I hissed out. “My name is Josie, and whatever is happening here, we need help!”
“Josie. Did you awaken the subjects?”
I paused after a moment, shooting Harry a look when he tried to take the phone off of me. “Yes.”
“And… are our agents unavailable?”
“I don’t understand.”
“When a health and safety breach is activated, our agents are awakened to deal with the Project Spearhead subjects if they were to ever go rogue, or become conscious enough to think. Josie, can you tell me what is in front of you? Describe it to me.”
I held my breath. Next to the hidden phone under the desk was what looked like mismatched wires, all of which had been severed. I lowered myself slowly, poking at mess. “Wires. I see… cut up wires.” I whispered. “Does this mean they know about you?”
She hummed. “Ah…That makes sense. The only way to activate our sleeper handlers would be to send out the signal. You appear to have been sabotaged. Unless activated manually, our agents cannot help you. I am sorry. They are your problem now.” The woman paused.
“If I were you, I would hope and pray they have not sabotaged the self-destruct. If you find that, then you may be able to save yourselves and find peace.” She cleared her throat. “Thank you for your service, Josie Greenfield.”
“Wait.” I managed to get out. “Wait, no! You can’t just… you can’t leave us! We need help!”
I found myself yelling at nothing when the phone went dead. The dull tone of the dead ringtone was clanging in my ears before footsteps from up above. “Fuck this.” Harry picked up a lead pipe. “They’re still little kids, right? I mean, their head must still be partly kids—- so let’s fucking beat their heads in.”
He noticed something, then, starting forwards towards the mess of files I had left earlier. Harry knelt on the ground and picked up Eli’s file, his eyes wide. But he wasn’t staring at the dates confirming the little boy’s age.
Instead, Harry pointed at the bottom of the file. “I don’t want to freak you out, Josie,” he whispered. Initially, I didn’t know what he was trying to show before I glimpsed notes scrawled at the bottom of the file, followed by a signature. “But I’m pretty sure that is my fucking writing.”
Harry was right.
I pulled the paperwork off of him, flicking through each file before turning my eyes to him. “Who the fuck are you?” I managed to hiss out.
A clanging sound from above broke the tension, and whatever Harry was about to reply with was strangled in his throat. He slammed a hand over his mouth.
“Guys?”
The voice twisted me up inside, threatening to release a shriek from my mouth I had managed to clamp shut.
Teddy.
“Are you down here?” His voice was strained, and had an odd tone to it. “I can’t… I can’t see you.”

Can someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?! It’s been a blur of a week. We’ve managed to stay down here, surviving off of Allison’s rations. Rowan isn’t getting any better. He seems to have stopped mentally de-ageing at the age of maybe six. Harry has spent the last few days trying to get in contact with anyone, but it’s like they are IGNORING US.
I’ve been looking through everything I can find on Project Spearhead, but nothing points to Harry being involved. So. How is his signature all over the files? How is it possible that two friends I thought I knew several days ago, are now complete strangers?
Teddy keeps coming back.
He’s crying out to us.
I think he’s… in pain.
My god, I can’t stand this anymore. Please. CAMP REDWOOD NEEDS HELP.
submitted by Trash_Tia to nosleep [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 21:05 Eleven_Cat I reached 1800 in solo queue. Here's a dummy's tips for the last week-ish of the season.

I reached 1800 in solo queue. Here's a dummy's tips for the last week-ish of the season.
I am Paico. I play alone. I reached 1800. I will show you how to also reach 1800 alone. For credibility reasons, here's some proof, and here's the mons I ended up playing.
https://preview.redd.it/gl7gbcpg2u3b1.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7f0211fcbbc9161d76fbf191527cae89fbb7ebdb
https://preview.redd.it/yj22w62k2u3b1.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=831b674e6d1a9743d274bbef5c80f4503b8af34b

https://preview.redd.it/1ejym1no8u3b1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=03d1494bedb2778c55a22c0dc5a27f341d46bfe9
Now that's out of the way, reaching 1800 was an arduous journey. While I had 403 matches overall, I did not pick up steam until after the Zacian + Comfey duology, stagnating at 1600, and switching up my approach with my mains: **I picked up Dodrio (lane), Umbreon (lane), and Comfey (lane), retaining only Mew (lane) and Glaceon (central).** A painful one, one might say. Solo queue is an interesting place to be, and to immediately satiate your curiosity, here's what I think about each Pokémon in solo queue.
S - Top of the game; A - Excellent Overall; B - Good, but something is desired; C - Niche; D - You value your rank? Don't play them.
I won't go into wild detail about each, but I can go into details about the ones I ended up playing a lot.
Dodrio (Weights, Cookie, Claw; Full Heal; Speed emblems):
— Can assassinate Glaceon and most of the Attacker roster with relative ease, barring Sylveon. A signature pick with a high-skill ceiling, its presence in higher tiers, despite Umbreon's presence, is notable.
Focus on getting score stacks, it can snowball out of control if there's no proper CC since you'll just be singling out their squishiest—your playstyle should revolve around removing their backlines, not focusing on whoever you lay your eyes on first, which seems to be the bane with lower tier players. The moment you hit 5 in the lane with a good timing, you can straight up destabilize the game because your ability to assassinate squishy targets with even a reasonable amount of stacks and your ability to roam early.*\*
— TriAgility is really powerful, and in my opinion better the DrillKick. DrillKick is a good if there's nothing in the CC department, particularly Umbreon and Clefable, or if it's there's simply too much HP to chew through. If you have difficulty with that, I can recommend the Talonlane, but it's not as effective as a good Dodrio.

Mew (Specs, Wise, Spoon; Eject Button; SpAtk emblems)
— Good damage and scaling, even when behind. A favored pick since its inception in the MMG meta. It's a good laner, so you'd better be winning your lanes with it. Those who main Invoker should have no problem with it.
Focus on winning your lane by starting with ScreenBall. ScreenBeam as a starting ability is decent, but the CD, immediate damage and consistency on Electro Ball outclasses Solar Beam early on. I won't go into crazy details into which combos you should be using, since Mew has way too many situations and combos to work with and deal with, but I will go into some I use:
  • CoachingBall — Good poke and peel, fastest way to get your Boosted Attack.
  • AgilityBall — Consistent damage. Good for escapes and catching escapes.
  • AgilitySurf — Good escape, peel, and one of the best combos to use during your Unite movie. Surf is a difficult ability to land, and you need the mobility of Agility to land Surf. It can easily delete squishes.
  • ScreenBall — Good early game. Good later if you need to handle tankier characters. Don't get caught with your pants down with this.
  • ScreenBeam — Best at poking from a distance. Can delete characters easily, best for poking during Rayquaza. Best at stealing Rayquaza.

Comfey (BB, EXP share, Hood; Smoke; SpAtk emblems)
  • Play like it's the last patch.

Umbreon (Weight, Cookie, Focus Band; X-Speed; AtkSpeed emblems)
— An all-rounder in disguise who just doesn't seem to die, Umbreon is a Defender by virtue of sustain and CC, but comes with damage that threatens even Glaceon.
Focus on getting score stacks, FoulSnarl hurts a lot since you can threaten most Attackers even at a level disadvantage. If anything, your job is to hinder their damage core as much as you can by diving them, believe it or not. Your Unite, while good beating out the likes of Blissey and Crustle (honestly, who's picking Crustle?), you should primarily use it for the stun and setting up the teamfight for your teammates.
— FoulSnarl should be your bread and better. Unless you're threatened by a Dodrio or a highly mobile threat (honestly just Dodrio), or using it to set up skillshots, you should not be using Mean Look. Foul Play has good mobility, CC, and damage. Mean Look has all of them, but only for one person. Wish isn't also bad, but Snarl is too good to pass off.

Glaceon (RFS, Muscle Band, Spoon; Eject Button/X-Speed; AtkSpeed emblems)
Err, it's the driving force of the meta. Not much to add to it really. You've seen the clips, you delete stuff. Outside of my choice of items and emblems that prioritizes attacking speed, SpearShard should be used since it's stupid broken.

Other mons I can recommend, but I haven't played enough to have a strong opinion.
  • A9T
  • Zacian (of course)
  • Zeraora Zoroark
  • Urshifu (both forms)
For some general tips:
  • You'll reach Masters by one-tricking, but at some point you'll hit a hard wall since the meta will become much more developed as you climb. I'm watching Gardevoir mains, Crustle mains, heck even Mr.Mime mains get completely removed because they can't adapt. Learn new mons, try new roles.
  • Pick Pokémon with some lane synergy, with later stages in mind. Don't stack roles, and don't have two Pokemon attempting to fill the same role, unless you plan on doing some overflow technique (e.g. Decidueye w/ Arrow and Venusaur w/ Beam).
  • Farm. I see people leave Indeedees alone, the Jungle untouched, Altarias spawned by your zone taken by the enemy. Seriously, get some levels, hit your power spike or farm your Unite before fighting again. Make sure you use your Unite move by 4:00-3:30. It's optimal since you'll most likely to get it back by 2:00 mins.
  • Have some faith in your teammates, honestly. Your teammates are probably stupid, but if you at least give them some setup, they'd probably do something insane with it. I see a lot of posts that are straight up doomer posts in this sub saying that their teammates are dragging them. While I'd agree to a modicum, just fucking play the game with them. Suck it up, you're stuck with them for 10 minutes. Don't need to make more enemies than the five you already have. I see so many players grief because they don't have things go their way.
  • I DO NOT recommend this, but some people want to hear this, apparently. If you don't have faith, pick a Pokemon that can probably solo carry. Dodrio, Gengar (for lower tiers), Cinderace. Focus on getting your levels, get pick offs since a lot of players will do their own thing in solo queue and cross into the other half of the map weirdly enough (won't fly in higher ranks though).
  • A lot of people say to stall out Rayquaza, just defend it, but there's situations where the enemy team can force it by backcapping or fast takers. You need to recognize opportunity and your ability to take Rayquaza. I see a lot of teams lose when they're ahead because they're insanely adamant about defending Ray, particularly on this sub—it's always defend, defend, defend by trickling in without ever grouping up with lower ranks with tips. Group up with sufficient numbers, try again if you get KO'd before you make major moves. With Glaceon in the meta, Rayquaza is easier to take now then ever before. Always think of when you should secure it and when you shouldn't.
  • If there's a big teamfight happening before 2:00, say 2:20 or 2:10, go use your Unite moves. It may be your last fight if the enemy wins that and just takes Ray, and you still have yours waiting for 2:00 mins that's long passed.

*If the formatting sucks, there's no preview button for making draft posts, for some reason. Thanks Reddit. You can ask me why I feel that way about the tier list, or just any questions in general, really.*
submitted by Eleven_Cat to PokemonUnite [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 19:42 stalkercat21 I'm in love with two people and I need to get the story off my chest

My love life is a mess and I've never really been able to open up to anyone about my relationship situation and how it's played out, so here it is.
I apologize beforehand for the rambling mess this is going to be. But I so desperately want to get this out into the world and, well, off my chest. Buckle in, it's a long one.
I've(27F) known N(26NB) since high school and always been allured by them, but we were never available at the same time or around each other more than the occasional friendly gathering. I went away to college and had issues with my then BF, N was my confidant in so many ways when I was away and isolated from my family on an internship and N had been keeping in contact better than BF at the time had been. We got too close then, BF at the time became uncomfortable, I had crossed a line with intimate messages. I had no idea at the time how much N felt towards me. Because of my error my college BF banned me from speaking with N or being alone with them. Reasonable, or at least I thought so at the time. Almost two years later I broke up with my college BF, that's when things really started getting complicated.
Because of the previous conflict and other circumstances N wasn't really in my life at the time. I fell in love with G(27m). G and I were and are two peas in a pod. They pushed me to work on my mental health, to chase my career goals, to strive towards a family. G had a son from a previous relationship that led me to tackle my fear of parenting and children and made me realize that I did want a family.
Then G's mother passed. I had never been good with understanding grieving, and G had never had to grieve in that way before. I was raised in a family that had the mentality of "People die, get over it, move on." Words I regretfully told G in one of our final fights as we broke up. See, G's mother was sick and dying when we started dating, her death had been looming on the horizon the entire time I was with G, she got two more years than the doctors predicted. I was by G's side through it all. Stepping up to take care of his son and being the parent I had previously been terrified of being. G saw me struggling and knew they were too emotionally unavailable to make me happy, so they posited that I should get closer with N, whom I had recently reconnected with.
See, over the course of mine and G's four year relationship we had experimented and begun to practice polyamory. It fit well with our lifestyle for the most part, and we had the communication skills to follow through with it. Previous to me seeing N it had been mostly casually dating people for a few months here and there. But this time it was different. See, I had reconnected with N and all of the chemistry we had always had was back full force. We were highschool sweethearts who were caught in a honeymoon phase. G tried to be patient, wait out the honeymoon phase, but they needed me. I was falling deeper and deeper in love with N while G was losing my interest more and more.
For a while things were okay. Communication was good, I spent time with both partners and everyone felt fulfilled, myself included. But as issues arose I was growing further and further from G and I was getting closer and closer to N. Don't get me wrong. G knew where I was and what was going on. He consented to it. I know polyamory gets frowned upon often, but it really did work for us previous to this instance. The difference was N wasn't someone I wanted to put second. I loved them a lot. We had great chemistry, they listened to me when G wouldn't. They hyped up my personal hobbies when G actively told me he didn't care about them. They championed my mental health when G had pushed it aside. G began to resent the time I was spending with N, I began to resent G for not allowing me time with N without calls or texts, or constant badgering on when I'd be home or when was N going to leave. I started lying about how long i'd be, or when i'd be home. I'd stay up late to talk with N as G went to bed alone. I started stonewalling G, distancing myself, sleeping on the couch, pushing them away. I still can't believe the things I did and said to them, someone I loved then and still love now.
A big issue was that I felt like I had the whole world on my shoulders when I came home at night. At age 24 I put a roof over our head, I paid for my own health insurance while he was still getting it for free, I did the cooking, grocery shopping, farmed full time as the manager of a cattle herd that required me to basically be on call 24/7. I was raising a toddler that wasn't mine because he was too exhausted after work. I made less money than G, but paid half the bills and was reprimanded when i had no fun money to go do things with him. He'd often buy himself new tools and accessories for his hobbies, he bought a three wheeler for a large chunk of change and then talked about how he couldn't afford an engagement ring. I felt neglected and taken for granted. Then to top it off I had to step up to be a therapist to my partner who had lost all meaning to his life when his mother died.
G handled me roughly with his words and physicality, told me he didn't know how to be romantic. His pet name for me was "dumb bitch" it started as a joke, I didn't mind at first but then it became the normal. He didn't allow me to have time to myself because he needed me to sit and look at tiktoks with him for an hour, but they couldn't even be bothered to give me a kiss when they got home from work, he just plopped down in his recliner and asked me to take his boots off. I felt like a roommate at the end. Or even worse, a mother. To top it off, G had a 'mommy kink' which I usually wouldn't judge, i've always been extremely open minded in the bedroom but it was fairly jarring considering the circumstances.
I ended up breaking things off with N after a fight between G and I where he threatened to leave me if things didn't change. Our communication was non-existent. We fought all of the time and I resented him. It was harvest season on the farm, a time that comes with massive amounts of stress, and I had no support system. My family had no real idea what was happening because I didn't feel safe talking to them. (Lots of childhood trauma and very judgemental parents that have a bit too much control in my life because they sign my paychecks.) Up to this point my main support had been N and I had pushed them away in a feeble attempt to fix things with G. I knew in the back of my head that things were ending. I was scared of being alone, scared of being financially incapable of taking care of myself. I went through with it though. I told G I was done and wanted him out. He put the thoughts in my head when he gave me the aforementioned ultimatum of "things need to change" it's really when I started losing hope and he's admitted his regret for those words since then as well.
It takes six weeks for him to move out and back in with his father. In the meantime I live in the basement spare bedroom and office. I felt like a prisoner in my own home. Anytime I was caught upstairs in the main living areas hed corner me, try to goad emotional talks out of me, try to beg for attention. I was cold. I was tired. All I had wanted was space and he continued to smother me for his own needs while completely ignoring my own. Sometimes I wonder what would've happened if I would've caved and just went to bed with him at night for a week or so. If I wouldn't have stonewalled him. If I would've given him a second chance would he have changed for me? I ask myself that a lot.
After he moved out I started talking to N again. I was bad at being alone, and so was N. They missed me. I tried to keep my distance and stay single, heal, and become a better more independent individual. But in the back of my mind I couldn't help but question if I had left G for myself, or if I had left him for N. I still wonder about it to this day, and I truly don't have an answer.
N and I weren't really officially dating. We acted like partners but we had never really made it public or announced it. Our mutual friends had a rough idea of what was going on. They supported the two of us together, thought we were a perfect match, thought we were great for each other. But it still wasn't official. Mainly because it felt like it was too soon. I thought that N was the one though, that given some time and self improvement we'd be perfect for eachother. A wrench was thrown in that plan when G came back into my life after very little contact. We worked for a seasonal business together, we were civil and professional enough that we didn't think there would be any issues.
At a big seasonal event (a week long business convention) G and I reconnected. We aired out some things needed for closure. We talked through a lot of hurts and how just in a few months we had both grown so much. We had been separated maybe four months at this point. My feelings hit me like a freight train. I carried a lot of guilt for how fast I had moved with N after the breakup, and for the shitty things I had done and said to G during the breakup when I was highly emotional. I realized how quickly I had pushed this person to whom I had wanted to get married and have a family with away. I saw how much better he was doing after some more time to grieve his mother's death and get himself back on his feet. He had changed jobs to something with more manageable hours that still paid well and he had reclaimed some of his hobbies that he had let go to the wayside due to stress and depression. He was doing so good for himself and I suddenly regretted everything. I remember venting to him about all of my insecurities at the time, and my concerns for life, and for a change, he actually listened and comforted me. Something he hadn't done since the first few years of our relationship.
Fast forward to after the business convention, I tell N that I need space. I realize that, as much as I love them, I have a lot to figure out, and honestly I missed G. A lot. I still wasn't over them, and there was a part of me that wanted to be better and try to get them to take me back. G told me that it was a slim chance, a very very slim chance. He told me that even though the odds looked tough, if i needed to hang onto that small chance to challenge myself to be better, then to do it. So I tried. Tried being independant, more social, better at house keeping for myself. I got closer with G again, but still spoke daily with N. There was a lot of emotional turmoil in my life but I had them both in my daily life again, and I was so happy for it. I got physical with G a few times in the span of a couple weeks. We weren't serious, it was more-so that we missed each others intimacy. I enjoyed the way they taunted me, and the things they did to me, it was like the beginning of our relationship again. But better because we knew each other better.
It didn't last long. G started talking to another girl, we stayed close friends, but he started making attempts at moving on. It hurt like hell. I made myself be okay with it though, and I made friends with the new girl because I didn't want to lose him again. I went back to N at that point. I was lonely, and i missed their uplifting affection. Things got more and more serious and G got more serious with his partner as well. Soon enough N and I were officially dating.
Honestly, at this point, life was great. N and I had so much chemistry physically, there were some things I missed about G and certain aspects of my previously polyamorous lifestyle, but I gained a lot of new things with N. They were so much more caring and thoughtful and gentle. They could satisfy me better. Almost a full year went by, N was basically living with me, I had some hiccups where I needed space, but we worked through them. But, then it started happening again. G came back. He was struggling with his relationship and venting to me about it. I hurt for him, I knew he deserved better. I wanted to be that for him despite my own relationship. I told myself that G and I couldn't work out, I told everyone that would listen that we were like oil and water. All the while we were each-others confidants. I lied to myself even. Tried to convince myself that I didn't have feelings like that for him anymore.
I began having issues of discontentment with my relationship with N. I craved a partner with the independence and social extroversion that G had grown to have, meanwhile N was very dependant on me for many things, and was extremely introverted. I truly did love them how they were, but the grass is always greener I guess. I hate myself even now for the things I thought and the way I felt about it all. I tried my best to communicate my problems, even going as far as admitting to N that I was still in love with G. It hurt them, but it wasn't a surprise. G and I had been hanging out as friends more and more, he had left his gf and was now single. N let me spend time with G with no fuss, they didn't want to deprive me of someone they knew I cared about. But being around G made me start to lose patience with N. It was history repeating itself opposite. N saw it happening, they started to get clingier, they were insecure. I can't blame them. They'd been on the opposite side of the situation before. They knew how I could be emotionally.
A giant moment was when G was telling me about his vasectomy consultation. As he was describing the process and how it would go I started tearing up out of nowhere. I didn't know why, it was then that I realized I wanted a family. Up until this point N had been very adamant about being child free. G had been the only person i'd ever considered having kids with, and that was about to be gone completely. G point blank asked me if I wanted him to freeze some, just in case the future went that way. That he didn't have to tell anyone and it would be our secret. It sent me into sobs. I didn't realize how strongly I had felt about it until then. At this point things just kept getting more complicated.
I tried to stay invested in my relationship with N. But it was getting more and more difficult. We had some trips planned, we had conversations about wanting a family, and our future. Possible career changes for them, they wanted to face some of their big anxieties so that they could be more independent. They even discussed the idea of having a kid someday and why they had been averse to it previously and how they felt it might be different with me. They constantly showed that they wanted to be a better person for me and were willing to put in the work.
I sit here typing this, knowing I still love them, knowing they were doing so much for me, and I wish I wouldn't have been so blind to it then. Instead of embracing their betterment, I told them I wanted to be single again. That I wanted to try to better myself alone and find my independence, the same things I told G when I left him. See, I had convinced myself that I wanted to get G back. That he was the person I was meant to be with. But every passing day my resolve waned. A week and a half after the breakup I ended up in G's bed again. He's confessed his feelings for me, how he wants to hash out old wounds and try again. At first I was all in. But now I just feel hollow. To top it off, I've kept in contact with N as well and we've been intimate since the break up. I have such strong feelings for the both of them and I don't know what to do about it. I could continue to try and go back to G, but he's dubious about having another kid, and marriage and all of the things that are important to me. I don't blame him. I broke his trust the first time we were together and I left him. I never gave him a chance to get better and I often feel genuinely evil for the way I acted while he was mourning the death of his mother. I was selfish and narrow minded.
But on the flip side, N is still right here comforting me, encouraging me, wanting me to succeed and be happy in life even without them, even though i know it kills them to see me go off and do things by myself or with G. It weighs on my mind all the time, the way they've professed undying love to me and told me that there is no one else for them. Because of their history and personality, it's hard not to believe it. They've always been so purely honest with me. I know that they'd take me back in a heartbeat, I don't feel worthy of their love.
What hurts the most and makes myself question everything is that through all this turmoil, being able to physically and emotionally interact with both of them at once is when I'm at my happiest and most fulfilled, but that's an impossible option. The idea of moving on from both and finding someone new is also an impossible option. They're both so much a part of me, and I live a lifestyle with a fair amount of isolation. I don't meet new people often at all, and I live a lifestyle that would require a partner to give up their life to join me, which means the older I get the less likely I am to find someone who is willing to do that. I don't think I can handle being alone forever and all I want is to move on to the next stage of my life. I'm pushing 30 and I feel like a 19 year old all over again.
This has been long and rambling and might not make much sense. To those who stuck through it and read it, thank you. To anyone who wants to weigh in, be it comments, advice, or criticism, I'll gladly accept it.
So Tl;Dr: I'm deeply in love with two people, have broken up with both of them seperate times to go to the other, but now I'm with neither and I question which one is the one for me or if I should just give up and be alone, knowing that one of the two will never move on from me and that I may never find as compatible partners because of my lifestyle.
submitted by stalkercat21 to TrueOffMyChest [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 18:53 No_Personality_361 Meta Problem of Consciousness (New Argument)

I have a brand new argument for God. I think this may be one of the strongest arguments I have seen yet. It's not directly about consciousness itself but specifically about David Chalmer's "Meta problem" of consciousness. (I wrote this out for an acquaintance, thought I would adapt it for reddit and get your guys opinions, apologies if its argumentative).
I would like to start off by saying that I think it’s completely possible there is an atheist/materialist answer for consciousness. This argument does not require me to say otherwise.
Before I say my argument let’s first establish consciousness. Im using the philosophical definition of consciousness. Consciousness is your qualia/experience. It's sometimes referred to as “the hard problem of consciousness”, the problem is why do we experience qualia?
My favorite example of qualia, is that we can see and visualize the color red. But red does not exist. How do you build something that experiences and visualizes red?
I can build a machine that outputs photons of that wavelength. I can even build something that inputs and labels photons of that wavelength.
But we do not know how to build something that visualizes red. Yet I do, I can double check this by staring at red.
Regardless of what your explanation for this phenomenon is, we can agree that there is indeed a question of how do we recreate my ability to experience and visualize red. That question is the hard problem of consciousness.
A second way to explain consciousness, is Thomas Nagel’s question “What is it like to be a bat?”. The question I like to ask is “What is it like to be an iphone?” I can program (happiness == 20) into an iphone. So why to the average person, does Thomas’s question make sense but my question seems silly?
Thats because people believe bats experience qualia while iphones do not. What does an iPhone need so that it is indeed “like” something to be an iPhone. Why is it “like” something to be a bat but not an iphone? That is the hard problem of consciousness.
The third way to perhaps explain it is, imagine a sleepwalking human. Some people are such good sleepwalkers that you can’t even tell they’re sleep walking. You can even hold conversations with them. But they aren’t experiencing that conversation. What if I revealed to you I’ve been sleepwalking my entire life, but function the exact same an normal human being. The only difference would then be consciousness.
The main question is why doesn’t everything just happen in the dark?
I also don’t think it’s sufficient to just say consciousness is an illusion. An illusion requires a perception to begin with. And the fact that we have a perception at all is the hard problem here.
Consciousness is the actually the only thing I can truly be sure exists
————————————
Now that we have established consciousness exists let's establish an important characteristic of consciousness. (The argument is after this section, this just sets it up).
We can observe the brain. Everything going on within a brain follows physics.
There is no unexplainable force observed in the brain. And if you look for one, you likely won’t find it.
The brain doesn’t require such a thing to function.
I like to use the analogy of dominos to represent your brain. Theoretically it would be possible to build a mechanical supercomputer out of dominos, then “upload” your brain to this structure. Whether its technically possible isnt important. Its just an analogy to remind everyone that brains are really just complex chain reactions that follow physics.
Atheists will tell you that qualia/consciousness is an emergent property. That your qualia/experience of red emerges from the domino set and its chain reactions processes. I’m not going to disagree with that.
But it must be acknowledged, that whether or not consciousness emerges from my domino structure.
Those dominos are going to fall the exact same way, because like your brain, these dominos follow our current understanding of physics.
This means that consciousness has no physical impact, that it is a detached byproduct. Consciousness cannot change the physics of dominos or your brain.
The domino structures that cause consciousness may be important. But if consciousness/qualia itself did not exist, everything would still function fine. All the dominos would still fall the exact same way. Everything in a brain would still follow physics.
If the brain truly did have an unexplainable force affecting it, religious people would never stop bringing it up in debate: “we’ve discovered the soul”. I thinks it’s safe to say we have discovered no such thing.
————————————
Now for the actual argument: Even if we say that there are atheist answers for consciousness/qualia, there’s still a massive issue.
What did my domino setup/brain just do for you? My body was physically setup to rant about how it’s experiencing this consciousness/qualia phenomenon. Then it also turns out that I actually am experiencing a consciousness/qualia phenomenon.
That is a coincidence I believe cannot be reconciled by atheism.
Consciousness/qualia can’t have physical impact and can’t rewire your bodies beliefs. There are a lot of possible random beliefs I could have happen to had, but for some reason the obscure belief I come built-in with ("I have qualia"), just happens to be correct.
There are three possible answers to this:
  1. it really is just a massive coincidence
  2. Consciousness only comes to those physically setup with the obscure belief that they are experiencing a consciousness phenomenon
3. Intentional design (The one that I think is the most likely)
If you really meditate on the first 2 options you figure out that they are really bad answers. They have really bad implications and mechanics.
Addressing option 1: Even if we give atheists the absolute best case scenario: “Oh maybe everything in the universe is conscious” and “perhaps there is evolutionary incentive to have this random belief”. (people will somehow justify anything as evolutionarily advantageous)
You still at the end of the day believe that it’s just one massive coincidence that the “evolutionarily advantageous” belief just so happens to be true.
Because in an alternate universe where consciousness/qualia doesn’t exist, my dominos would fall the exact same way and would still store this specific random belief of qualia. Its crazy that there just so happens to be this “magic-like” qualia phenomenon to actually match it, and make my otherwise wrong belief, true. (And this is assuming that it indeed is evolutionarily advantageous)
At some point when you see dream luck, you point out that it’s not luck.
Addressing option 2: The second atheist option is just as bad. You believe that if a human didn't have the obscure underlying belief of qualia that they wouldn't actually experience qualia like pain or red, that they are “forever a sleepwalking robot”. In addition to this the consciousness phenomenon would somehow need a mechanism to "tell" whether or not a domino structure is setup with the underlying qualia belief.
At some point I must acknowledge that intentional design is the most likely answer here. That God intentionally gave the belief of consciousness/qualia to match the provided consciousness/soul. I think I'm going to die a Christian.
submitted by No_Personality_361 to DebateReligion [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 18:45 RobotNinjaPirate The Eagle Rider Experiment

While certain broken (aka ranged) units have been min-maxed to death, I haven't seen much love for the Eagle Rider. I liked the look and flying calvary is a potent combo, so I wanted to see how far I could push them. The Eagle Rider: Coming from the Order Tome of Supremacy, the Eagle Rider is a tier 4 flying racial cavalry shield unit. This combination of traits gives us several channels to stack buffs on this unit like crazy. Eagles have solid combat stats, but also meaningful support potential, with Embolden Allies giving Strengthened 2 in a 2 hex AOE. However, Embolden Allies starts on cooldown, so we'll need to either kite back or intersperse buffs during combat. But as battles extend, we can maintain Strengthed 5 on most of our units. One of the hurdles relative to the easily grabbable Warbreed is that Supremacy is a tier 4 tome, so we have to meet the affinity threshold while still picking up all the necessary tomes. This leads us to our starting point: the High culture.
Culture: High culture gives us several things we need: the two starting order affinity, the good research infrastructure, and a potent early army to start clearing (High archers OP). The High enchantment gives our Awakened Eagles +1 defense and +2 resistance, which is solid.
Racial: For our racial traits, one of the biggest threats as we scale to our late game Eagle stack is debuffs, so for our body trait we take Resilient for +3 status resist (there's a lot more to come). I think the mind trait is pretty flexible, as Eagles can capitalize on several of the bonuses, but for our monstrous Eagles, I like Ferocious.
Society: For our Society traits, by far the two best options are Mana Addicts and Runesmiths. This setup gives us great scaling with our Eagles, with Runesmiths pushing our research and Drastically reducing our late game upkeep as we spam enhancements (see the great post by Contrite17 here), while Mana Addicts is obviously busted for giving our Eagles lifesteal. This pair also gives us the benefit of a great early stack, with an extra front liner and the very potent Sun Priest.
Leader: Either leader type could work, but Wizard King is generally stronger, so I'd opt for it. I like taking Bow for the weapon, as it's the best for early clearing while providing us with a mount. You can do whatever you want early game, using your reset to spec into full support once you start pumping out Eagles.
Tomes: I'll just briefly list the tomes and their role in pumping our Eagles up.
-Beasts: Animal Kinship: +10% damage, +10% crit when adjacent to cavalry Pack Leader: Cavalry get +10% crit chance, flanker
-Enchantment Spell-Tempered Shields: +1 resistance, +1 AOE resistance in defense mode Sundering Blades: Inflict sundered defense
-Glades Aspect of the Roots: Self-heal Leafskin: Forest Camouflage (this is skippable) Forest Warden: +1 defense, +1 resistance, +10% damage in forests
-Doomherald Joy Siphoners: Steal 3 morale per hit Cruel Weaponry: +30% damage to low morale units
-Sanctuary Anointed People: +3 status resist, +3 spirit resist Keeper's Mark: Faithful (reduce upkeep), steadfast on lethal damage
-Vigor Supergrowth: +10 HP, +1 retaliation attack Animal Handler: +2 resistance, mind control immunity
-Supremacy Eagle time!
-Paradise Gaia's Chosen: +3 status resist, +20 HP, plant traits
-Goddess of Nature Force of Nature: +20% crit, +4 blight damage
Notes on tomes: The final product (doesn't show some leader buffs). Beasts is a great tome to start with, providing us with a Mark as Prey, which is incredibly useful to power Mana Addicts early, and Summon Animal can help clear. Enchantment also gives us Seeker Arrows, which is incredible for our Archers and quickly coming Glade Runners. On top of the Glade Runner, Glades also gives us the Entwined Protector, which is a good early wielder of the unit enchantments we're building up. But more than anything, Aspect of the Roots is amazing for our Eagles. As a shield unit with maxed retaliations, dropping into defense mode while healing in the middle of a fight can be incredibly sticky and disruptive. Doomherald is great in longer bigger battles, especially with Eagles being the gods of morale building. Sanctuary is our first Order tome, which still only leaves us with 4 of 6 needed, so we have to rush the Seed of Order and take at least one Order skill for our main hero to hit the threshold. Fortunately, Sanctuary's buffs are great (Keeper's Mark puts in so much work), but the lack of general synergy with the other Order tomes does feel like one of the Eagle's big limitations. Vigor is obviously good, with Totem of the Wild being one of the premier minion spammers. Supremacy has two nice things beyond giving us our Eagles. Monument of Supremacy is nice to up our draft as we turn our cities into Eagle nests, and Condemn Army is a solid nuke that adds extra damage to our Eagles' Zeal. We cap things off with the classic Nature combo. Unfortunately stacking Charge Resist doesn't give up mega-Charge Resist, but the extra status resistance pushes us to 18 total, which is one of the highlights of this build. And the real capstone of the build, once everything else is in place, is Mass Rejuvenation. For just 60 casting points, our Eagle horde regrows from the earth, then plant their Aspect of the Roots to heal even further, and heal further still with lifesteal. For how hard our Eagles are to cut through, I haven't found much that can match the mana efficiency, making it one of my favorite lategame stacks so far.
I'm a mostly washed up content creator, but if people were interested in seeing me work out more of these dumb, but hopefully effective, builds, let me know!
submitted by RobotNinjaPirate to AOW4 [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 18:10 JulianSkies Blackriver Cases -

[ [FIRST] [NEXT>]
Season 5 “Exotic Pets”
Episode 1 “The Night's Weave”
In any other professional setting, doing what he was currently doing would be considered highly unprofessional. In fact, even in any other precinct what he was doing right now would be very unprofessional. Usually, walking through the front door with your boss clinging to your arm like a swooning teenager would generally be interpreted only one way.
Thankfully, nobody specifically cared about this in this precinct, nor did they come to the obvious conclusion “Thank you, I’ll finish recovering in the break room” she says, with a trembling voice.
“You sure you don’t want me there?” admittedly, playing this role wasn’t really professional either for him but everyone understood the need of it.
“Yes” Keya lets go of Santos’ arm “I’ll just do the thing and drink something cold, then I can start this waking properly” she gently taps her tail on his shoulder “Now go get to work”
He sighs as he walks back to his desk. They had a wonderful two days with nothing happening after the short little session of everything happening, it was unsurprising that she’d start processing things through her nightmares now, leading those being screaming days. “‘least it isn’t the cold bastard yet” he mutters as he sits down.
And so here he planned to spend the rest of his work day getting mighty annoyed at their Regional Firebase. That damned place was in charge of both the fiscal, maitenance and archivistic functions for all the precincts in this area, not only they held the pursestrings of the operation they were also the ones in charge of maintaining equipment, assigning personnel and keeping all the information they needed to work up to date. And they seemed to hate him. Him, specifically, because the problems only started happening when he got here.
Of course he wasn’t just getting annoyed at the Regional for no reason, he was getting annoyed at them for their sheer incompetence, and he hoped it was incompetence, at keeping up data. He’d been hunting down any information about some old unsolved cases, and he’d been getting more luck with random phone calls to other precincts halfway across the planet than an official request to his own Regional.
Sadly, not every plan survives contact with the work day. After some time he feels a presence nearby and turns to look, there is Keya looking mostly like her normal self, except perhaps more tired than normal. She brings her holopad down to put it against his, transferring mission data “Nothing serious, or at least nothing dangerous. But we really should take this call”
He looks down at his device and calls up the mission data he’s just received. Predator sighting near… Orran’s house? Bit too close for comfort, real sightings are usually at the farms, but scarcely any information. Just something small and quadrupedal is the useful information, the rest is just usual ‘predator’ panic speech. “This looks like a ghost call, but sure I’ll go” he stands up and starts heading towards the garage, but stops and turns around “Stay here boss, no need to-”
“Yes there is, don’t worry about me” Keya takes a deep breath “I’m not at full capacity but i’m fine, let’s go” she walks past him.
With a shrug, he follows. As they settle in the car and Keya starts driving, he picks up his holopad to re-read the mission data. Nothing, obviously, has changed but he gives it more attention now. Small quadruped, fast, like a shadow… If there were any other humans here he’d believe it was someone’s pet cat, but without anyone dumb enough to bring an exotic animal to an alien planet in sight that’s unlikely. Sadly, none of the usual trash-diggers quite match either.
But there’s one final detail that’s weird. This… Isn’t the first call. There’s been a lot more calls related to this one, an entire fifty eight different calls all tied to this same incident report. He starts following links to the previous calls and checking them- All of them are the same incident, small quadruped, fast and like a shadow… And they were all marked as minimal priority, and left forgotten and unattended.
With a raised eyebrow he continues to check, seeing the dates of the reports. They were insistent, and have been going on for a while now. They’re not older than his presence here, but aside from them having stopped completely for the previous five days, those calls have been a daily occurrence. And each and every one of them was set to minimum priority by Keya herself, and promptly forgotten. Which indicated there had to be something going on here, because she’d never leave a call forgotten like this, at least not when she woke up screaming.
“Boss-” but before he can say anything, they’ve arrived. A considerably different house than the rest of the residences of the town, Orran had been living here long enough to have completely rebuilt his house in the style of his people, or at least the exterior and a few additions. It was weirdly tall for his size despite being only one floor, the exterior was coated with a material that looked like an earthen-brown daub but the evenness of the striations in the material showed an artistic care in its application beyond the means of manual work. The windows were higher in the walls than in a normal venlil residence and they seemed to have multiple layers, both glass and wood were used in their construction with the final layer being some form of metal.
“Huhn, I wonder if the weather on his homeworld is that wild?” he says, staring at the windows. He’s familiar with that kind of design, it could easily be used to control airflow to various degrees and help regulate temperature. But this entire getup seemed like overkill to him, unless wherever this was used had the breadth of half of Earth’s weather happening in the same area.
“Only about where I lived” Orran’s voice echoes from behind the door, which consists of a mesh door behind a wooden door. The yotul opens them and offers him an ear flick “Nightmare weather that place, used to have a flood gate in the house too. Only good thing the feds to that town was deepening the river to handle the summer floodwaters”
Santos blinks, looks at the agriculturalist, looks back at the car where Keya still is, then back at the yotul “Dang, have I been just staring here for long? I got kind of distracted, haven’t ever actually stopped by to watch your house before”
“Oh, feel free to take it in. Took some effort to get the wattle and daub look just right, not really helping the primitive stereotype much” he says with a joyful wave of his tail “But what can I say, I’m wild nations, feds ain’t the first to call me primitive and i’m still proud of it. Still, to what do I owe the honor?”
He tilts his head to the side slightly, taking in the man’s words for a moment. They made a distressing amount of sense, guess the Yotul would still remember those parts of their own history. But he was here for a job “Yeah, we got a sighting report around here” he picks up his holopad and brings it up “In fact a report in your residence. Do you mind if I look around real quick?”
He notices Orran’s tail stilling “Hrm? I can say I haven’t seen anything, and I live here”
Taking a deep breath Santos stares at the yotul, he knows the flinch isn’t an instinctive reaction “Orran. A few paws ago you didn’t notice the nixa’s claw marks in your kitchen. And this call came in today” then he turns his stare to the side with a sigh “I just want to make sure there’s nothing, alright?”
He can see in his periphery the man going through a wild set of conflicting emotions, only to settle into a defeated expression “Alright… Just, I was uhn… Canning some food. Can you at least spare my dignity somewhat and let me clean up?”
“Sure man, it’s not urgent” he shrugs. As Orran heads back inside he looks back at the car, where Keya is still sitting. Then he looks back at Orran’s door. Something isn’t adding up, and that something is his boss’ behavior.
There is some noise from inside for a while until Orran returns “Alright, got my machinery packed, c’mon in” he mentions before waving him in.
There’s a certain aesthetic clash heading inside, it’s visible that Orran had put in effort into adding in the colors and signs of his people into a venlil residence, but the apparent lack of capacity (or funds) to really change the foundations of it meant a lot of the structure was still that of a normal venlil home.
Still, the walls had been decorated to look like they’re made of wooden planks on the inside with the actual materials only visible near things such as power sockets. The living room itself was decorated in a lightly distressing manner with effectively a circle of couches on slightly raised platforms around a central table, the television has been set up on it with a pivoting base. It looked like someone had repurposed a firepit, or rather the entire setup was designed to evoke the look of a firepit.
There was what looked like, initially, a cloth hanger near the door, but on second look what it really held was a very long string of beads- The way they were strung around it made him imagine Orran wearing those very much like a scarf which also bound around his wrists.
On the wall in the far end was something that looked like a banner, though it was best described as an unframed painting with a tougher canvas. It depicted a distant view of a town in some sandy plateau, the center of the picture was bright and colorful and clearly in the morning but at the sides one could see two long-tailed animals making their way to the center where the town resides, behind them the image was dark and stars could be seen in the sky. The way the nighttime emanated from the creatures it seemed more like they were dragging the curtains of night with their tails. Shaking his head, Santos forces himself to stop ogling Orran’s things and starts looking around.
He wasn’t, sincerely, being serious about this. But not only was this whole song and dance a necessity, but his earlier words WERE true. Just had to check for obvious signs of dangerous things. So a quick cursory glance under the couches, a short moment in the kitchen whose fridge’s scratches still weren’t repaired- Santos stops for a second more staring at the scratch marks on the fridge. He looks at Orran who’s following him, who looks confused. No, this man was not that stupid, he trusted him enough.
Still, that meant he’d have to pay more attention now. Respectfully, without actually touching anything, he continues a visual inspection towards the other side of the house. A short corridor with the doors to the bedroom and bathroom. He passes by the bedroom and stops in front of the closed bathroom door. He sighs and kneels down in front of it.
“What is it?” Orran says behind him
What is it, is that he had heard something “Just… Let me check…” he gently taps the door. And he hears the noise again, light scratching. It stops for a moment, and then he taps the door again, causing them to start for a moment again. He looks back to the frozen yotul, who was apparently actually that stupid “Set ‘em loose if you would?”
Orran doesn’t respond, he just stays there “Look, man. At the very least trust in the fact I’m a human? Not a fan of using my species as a bargaining tool but I think it’s actually relevant here?” Santos stands up again and starts heading to the living room.
He waits patiently for a while, until Orran finally arrives. A small little beast threads through his feet as he walks, not unlike a cat that is doing their best to get kicked, it is indeed a small quadruped with great agility, not only that it has a distinctive striped dark blue coat that is so deep it could be mistaken for black as well as a tail about as long as it’s torso. It’s not a beast Santos recognizes, other than from the painting in the wall, so at least he can’t blame his own kind for this problem. He looks up and sees Orran has another one in his arms, this one looking much more calm and gentle.
Santos rubs his eyes “Really, Orran? You, of all people” he sighs “Come on, not to be racist here but I’d expect a yotul, no, a yotul ecologist to know better.” he waves at the man’s beasts “Did you really bring exotic pets to another planet?! No, not another country, another planet?” he sighs “What even are those?”
“Nightweaver hensa” says a soft voice from behind him, he turns around to see that Keya had finally arrived “An endangered species native to Leirn, called like that after a legend that they were the ones who’d drag the veil of night over the scorching sun” she sounds mostly like herself, but he can feel a flatness creeping up in her delivery.
Santos stares at her for a moment, looks back at Orran with a piercing stare, then slowly lowers his eyes to the hensa he’s carrying “Endangered animals? Are you-” but a light sound draws his attention back to Keya. She simply taps a place in her chest, the motion confuses him for a moment until he looks down at himself. Where she tapped is exactly where the insignia of the exterminator’s guild is in his uniform. He starts exhaling air slowly as he sits down on a couch “Are. You. Fucking. Kidding. Me.”
He looks at Orran protectively holding his pet, looking terrified. The first time he’s seen the man look afraid. He looks down, and notices one of the two hensa had walked up to him. He notices in his periphery Orran flinches when he offers his hand for the feline-like to sniff “Plausible deniability” he says.
When nobody else says anything, he continues “I thought it was weird she made me get inside on my own before her. I am, of course, human. Some things are expected out of us, I’m sure a big fuss is expected out of me over a pet” when the alien feline seems confident enough, it gives his finger a gentle nip and puts its entire head on his hand “So just in case we don’t have any protocol about how to deal with this situation, she can pretend whatever happens is because of me”
He gently caresses the little beast “I thought it was weird you had personally deprioritized fifty eight calls” the tone is not quite accusatory
“He quite clearly had them under control, there was no need to do anything about it” Keya says as if it was the most normal thing
“Why now?”
Keya gently sways her tail “I got tired of it. After the last few paws I don’t think I have the energy to deal with this anymore” it made sense, he knew she had a limit to her emotional energy.
Orran slowly tilts his head to look at Keya “Wait… You’ve known about them?”
She gives him an affirmative ear flick “I even know they’re Nightweavers. They were already an endangered breed before your first contact, for all I know they’re the last two living Nightweavers”
At that, Santos focuses on the one that Orran is holding… Something about it… It’s a she “A breeding pair” this causes the yotul to snap his focus on him “You brought a breeding pair. It would be bad enough if they were just pets, maybe they’d be neutered and the worst damage they’d do would be for however long those fluffball live, but you’re looking at increasing the population”
He sighs “Orran… You know this will cause a disaster, don’t you? Do I need to tell you about the extinction level events that were every goddamn invasive species on Earth? Do I need to tell you the number of species gone extinct because of our cats?” he takes a deep breath “Actually, no, I don’t think I need to. You don’t actually care, do you?” he continues to gently caress the overly-affectionate little feline that at this point had jumped on his lap and burrowed itself under his shirt “Not only you don’t care… Any collateral you cause is probably just rightful vengeance for you is it?”
“It’s not like that!” the yotul shouts “I… I was breeder back home, okay? I wasn’t a farmer, I was a hensa breeder” he thumps his tail on the ground in anger “You weren’t there… You weren’t there to watch what they did to my… When I had a chance to run away and… And save some of them. I just grabbed who I could and just ran.” he holds the pregnant female a little bit tighter “I wasn’t planning on… Anything. I wasn’t planning, I wasn’t thinking… I… I wound up here, eventually…”
Santos brings down his other hand to scratch the little alien kitten. He takes a moment to just take in the little beast, whatever ecological niche it filled had to be infinitely similar to that of cats to be so similar yet so different. The tail movements were so different, a lot more energetic, a lot more in general, made sense since their owners had tails too, they probably could read each other much better. And it seemed to enjoy getting squished for some reason, he wondered why. He had all of those wonders and thoughts while he tried to not think about what he’d have to do.
Those hensa couldn’t stay here. Maybe, a very wild maybe, if they were neutered they could. But those were pretty much for breeding and of a particularly endangered kind as well, so that was out of the picture. Of course, those two space felines would also need to be cared for, they were an endangered species so that was non-negotiable. The UN had some measures for dealing with terran animals in this planet, from relocation to shelters to even a few approved areas they could live in, but they only dealt in terran animals not leirnian animals.
At this point his thoughts are interrupted by Keya’s voice “I don’t care who, anyone that can help is enough” he looks up at her, she has her holopad firmly clenched in her hands and her right eye focused directly on it.
She’s on a call.
---
And here we have it, we meet the two little disasters-to-be while the precinct chief throws their human into the fire as a possible scapegoat for any possible crazy plan they might have to resort to. And in fact, said crazy plan seems to involve a desperate plea over the phone.
Also, I had a bit of fun trying to thinking what Orran's house might be like, and somewhere along the line I got this weird thought: They're certainly not innocent of or about colonialism, so wouldn't the displaced natives of their own world at least feel a tiny bit of vindication watching their own conquerors get conquered in turn? Doesn't make things better but the irony of it all must be sweet.
Edit: FFS. Reddit, LET ME EDIT TITLES
submitted by JulianSkies to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 18:09 ImperfectFantasy $300-400 budget build

I know a $300-400 budget isn't much for a gaming pc, but I already have a set up planned and just need advice on if they work together well or not. Plus maybe some recommendations for cheaper options (as cheap as possible would be great). Also, sorry in advance but I'm a noob at pc building and still learning some terms!
>**What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.**
Minecraft and some indie games. I don't know if I'll play anything that requires a lot, but I do want some wiggle room just in case. I also tend to download a lot of different games at once.
>**What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?**
$400
>**When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.**
I'm not sure.
>**What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc\)**
Everything except the monitor, keyboard, and mouse. I still need to buy some, but I'll look into that later.
>**Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?**
USA, OH. I have access to a Microcenter.
>**If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.**
I have none, but I can do second hand stuff.
>**Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?**
No.
>**Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)**
Just all that is necessary.
>**Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?**
Nothing too chunky, but I'm not picky.
>**Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?**
I didn't even know I needed one so probably yes.
>**Extra info or particulars:**
Here's what I have so far. Again, willing to downgrade as much as possible.
[PCPartPicker Part List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Gbyjfv)
TypeItemPrice
:----:----:----
**CPU** [Intel Core i3-13100F 3.4 GHz Quad-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/9MGbt6/intel-core-i3-13100f-34-ghz-quad-core-processor-bx8071513100f) $74.99 @ Best Buy
**Motherboard** [ASRock B660M-HDV Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/4ZPQzy/asrock-b660m-hdv-micro-atx-lga1700-motherboard-b660m-hdv) $94.99 @ Amazon
**Memory** [Patriot Viper Elite II 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL20 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/kPfnTW/patriot-viper-elite-ii-8-gb-1-x-8-gb-ddr4-3600-cl20-memory-pve248g360c0) $20.99 @ Amazon
**Storage** [Intel 670p 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/r4C48d/intel-670p-1-tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-ssdpeknu010tzx1) $44.98 @ Amazon
**Video Card** [Gigabyte GV-N1030D4-2GL GeForce GT 1030 DDR4 2 GB Video Card](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/xC448d/gigabyte-geforce-gt-1030-ddr4-2gb-video-card-gv-n1030d4-2gl) $72.98 @ Amazon
**Case** [Thermaltake Versa H17 MicroATX Mini Tower Case](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/JtWfrH/thermaltake-versa-h17-microatx-mini-tower-case-ca-1j1-00s1nn-00) $44.99 @ Amazon
**Power Supply** [Thermaltake Smart 500 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Wbhj4D/thermaltake-smart-500w-80-certified-atx-power-supply-ps-spd-0500npcwus-w) $39.95 @ B&H
*Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts*
**Total** **$393.87**
Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2023-06-03 11:49 EDT-0400
submitted by ImperfectFantasy to buildapcforme [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 17:31 wilzxsunwileseason Gaming Build with 7800X3D & RTX 4090. 4000 USD Budget.

Greetings! Thank you for reading. Any help is appreciated!


What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.


What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?


When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.


What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)


Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?




If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.



Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?


Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)


Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?


Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?


Extra info or particulars:





Draft of Potential Build:
PCPartPicker Part List
Type Item Price
CPU AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor $439.00 @ Newegg
CPU Cooler NZXT Kraken Elite 360 RGB 78.02 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler $299.99 @ Best Buy
Motherboard MSI MPG X670E CARBON WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard $439.99 @ Newegg
Memory G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory $239.99 @ Amazon
Storage ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive Purchased For $99.99
Storage Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive Purchased For $159.99
Video Card MSI SUPRIM LIQUID X GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB Video Card $1799.00
Case Phanteks Eclipse P600S ATX Mid Tower Case $159.49
Power Supply FSP Group Hydro Ti PRO 1000 W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply $299.99
Case Fan Noctua A14 PWM chromax.black.swap 82.52 CFM 140 mm Fan $26.95 @ Amazon
Case Fan Noctua A14 PWM chromax.black.swap 82.52 CFM 140 mm Fan $26.95 @ Amazon
Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
Total $3991.33
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-06-03 08:43 EDT-0400


Last but definitely not least, thank you for reading my post. Would love to have some feedback and suggestions! Do share your thoughts and correct me if I made any mistakes.

Cheers!
submitted by wilzxsunwileseason to buildapcforme [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 16:58 wilzxsunwileseason Please review my gaming build! 7800X3D & RTX 4090. 4000 USD Budget.

Greetings! Thank you for reading. Any help is appreciated!

Intended Use for the Build:

Build Budget:

Location:



Draft of Potential Build:
PCPartPicker Part List
Type Item Price
CPU AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor $439.00 @ Newegg
CPU Cooler NZXT Kraken Elite 360 RGB 78.02 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler $299.99 @ Best Buy
Motherboard MSI MPG X670E CARBON WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard $439.99 @ Newegg
Memory G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory $239.99 @ Amazon
Storage ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive Purchased For $99.99
Storage Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive Purchased For $159.99
Video Card MSI SUPRIM LIQUID X GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB Video Card $1799.00
Case Phanteks Eclipse P600S ATX Mid Tower Case $159.49
Power Supply FSP Group Hydro Ti PRO 1000 W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply $299.99
Case Fan Noctua A14 PWM chromax.black.swap 82.52 CFM 140 mm Fan $26.95 @ Amazon
Case Fan Noctua A14 PWM chromax.black.swap 82.52 CFM 140 mm Fan $26.95 @ Amazon
Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
Total $3991.33
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-06-03 08:43 EDT-0400

Build Remarks:




Reusing Parts:


Additional Details:


Last but definitely not least, thank you for reading my post. Would love to have some feedback and suggestions! Do share your thoughts and correct me if I made any mistakes.
Cheers!
submitted by wilzxsunwileseason to buildmeapc [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 16:29 xtremexavier15 TSROTI 2 (pt 1)

Toxic Rats: B, Geoff, Scott, Leshawna, Sammy, Sierra
Mutant Maggots: Anne Maria, Katie, Molly, Scarlett, Dave, DJ, Trent
Episode 02: Truth or Mutant Shark
"Last time, on Total Drama Revenge of the Island!" Chris opened over a long-distance shot of Wawanakwa, the recap montage beginning soon after. "Fourteen new competitors were blown away by this year's challenges," the host said as the yacht carrying the new cast was shown, Chris maliciously pressed a button on his remote control, and the yacht blew up. "They were treated to an early-morning swim," Max was shown trying not to drown, "said hello to the island's wildlife," Dave was shown to get nearly zapped by its eye-lasers, "and did some totem-surfing," the Toxic Rats slid down the hill and into the air, falling from their totem just before it crashed into the better cabin and exploded. "Ex-plosive!"
"In the end," a few short clips of Max trying to be villainous, "Max's non-stop claims about being dangerous made him useless enough that his team sent him packing, Hurl of Shame-style." The recap footage ended with Max getting catapulted off the island.
"Who'll go home next?" Chris asked the camera from the end of the dock. "And how much pain can I put them through first? Find out right now, on Total! Drama! Revenge of the Island!"
XXXXX
The episode opened on a shot of the morning sky and a few far-away bird calls as the camera panned down to the two cabins of Camp Wawanakwa.
The shot cut inside to the girls' half of the Rats' cabins where Leshawna and Sammy were woken up to the sound of Sierra texting on her phone.
"The first day competing on Total Drama was exciting," Sierra talked to her phone. "I managed to make some friends and even though my team lost the first challenge, I'm still staying for another day!"
"Girl, who are you even talking to?" Leshawna mumbled tiredly.
"I'm giving the fans an update about my day and experience being a contestant," Sierra mentioned. "The fansite eats up this stuff."
"Are you going to carry your phone everywhere you go just to do so?" Sammy asked.
"I won't use it during the challenges, but I keep it with me at all times," Sierra said. "Without my phone, I'd probably lose my mind!"
Confessional: Sammy
"So I joined the show because my friend group suggested I do so," Sammy timidly said. "They said it's to increase my self-esteem and make me branch out more or something close to those lines."
Confessional Ends
The shot cut abruptly to a top-down view of the other half of the Rats' cabin, showing Geoff and B sleeping in their bunk beds. The sound of a door suddenly slammed open and slammed shut, waking Geoff up.
It was Scott – flat against the front door with his eyes wide, his breath heaving, and his clothes dirty. "Dude, what happened to you?" Geoff asked in concern.
Scott straightened himself out. "Oh, uh... just had an early morning make out session with one of the honeys," he explained.
Geoff got out of his bed in his pajamas and got near Scott. "Why are you so messy then?"
The footage quickly cut to a scene of Scott running in terror from a Woolly Beaver – one with several boney spikes jutting out of its back. The shot flashed back to the Rats' cabin, and Scott added "A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell."
"Wait," Geoff stepped in. "You kissed a guy?" This comment earned him an annoyed expression from Scott.
Confessional: Scott
"All right. I was out looking for that hidden immunity idol, not that they need to know," Scott opened up. "It's all part of my strategy. Let my team lose so the Maggots develop a false sense of security before I pick 'em off!"
He was interrupted by a knock on the wall. "Occupied!" he shouted until the wholly beaver from earlier barged through the wall and frightened Scott into screaming.
Confessional Ends
The camera cut back outside the cabins, zooming on on the Maggots' abode on the right then cutting inside to show Anne Maria brushing and blow drying her hair.
Scarlett walked up behind her from the left carrying a clipboard. "How were you able to sneak those cans in?" she asked.
Anne Maria placed her items inside her pouf. "Easy. I stuck it in my pouf." She noticed the clipboard. "Why are you carryin' that clipboard?"
"I've been working on sleep analysis, Anne Maria," Scarlett answered. "Your stage two sleep spindles were low frequency followed by an intense delta or slow-wave. You slept well."
Anne Maria was a little surprised to hear that. "That's nice, but don't go spyin' on me." She grabbed her hairspray from her pouf and walked away spraying her hair.
Scarlett saw that Katie was still sleeping. "Seems Katie's sleep cycle is lower than I anticipated. Had she not tried to pull an all-nighter, she'd have a higher score," Scarlett spoke to herself.
Confessional: Scarlett
"I have the need to research my teammates and know what their weaknesses and strengths are," Scarlett said. "We were able to achieve victory in the first challenge, and I want to keep it that way."
Confessional Ends
The scene flashed to the boys' side of the cabin, the camera focusing on DJ as he woke up and stretched his arms. "Morning Trent and Dave!" the brickhouse greeted his bunkmates, though Dave wasn't around at the moment. "Where'd Dave go?"
Trent, who had also woken up, shrugged. "Beats me. He probably went to the bathroom."
Confessional: Trent
"This is my first time sleeping in a cabin," Trent confessed with his guitar on his lap. "It was hard trying to fall asleep, so I played some songs that were guaranteed to make me and the guys drift off… at least that's what my friends back home say."
"Anyway, my bunk mates are pretty cool. Dave's a bit neurotic, and DJ's more soft-spoken, but once I get to know them more, I can guarantee you we'll be best buds."
Confessional Ends
The scene cut to the back of the Maggots' cabin where Molly got out of a tent that she pitched.
Confessional: Molly
"I don't like bunk beds," Molly admitted with a shrug. "They tend to break no matter how stable it is. That's why I decided to sleep outside. Besides, I wanted to have a camping experience, and sleeping in a tent is the first way to go."
Confessional Ends
The footage returned to Molly stretching her body, and a few seconds later, Dave walked up to her. "Did you sleep outside of your cabin?"
"Yep," Molly nodded.
"Do you know the negatives of doing that?" Dave crossed his arms.
"I don't think so," Molly shook her head.
"You could get bug bites or get sick," Dave explained to the indie woman.
"I already planned for that," Molly laughed. "Ever heard of bug spray and sleeping bags?"
"I know those things, but why did you sleep outside?" Dave wondered.
"One, I prefer to sleep by myself, and two, I don't like sleeping indoors," Molly gives the germaphobe answers. "I hate following the crowd."
"Okay then," Dave said. "I'm gonna use the bathroom. Are you coming?"
"I'm already prepared," Molly took out toothpaste and a toothbrush.
\
The scene cut to a seagull sleeping in a nest inside the horn of a loudspeaker. A blow horn sounded through it without warning, though, forcing the bird out into the air and revealing its snake-like features as it fell.
"Up and at 'em my little morning glories!" Chris called out, sitting on his ATV below. "It's time for today's challenge!" he announced, the camera moving behind him to show the two teams assembled in front, their respective logos appearing on the screen overhead.
"What?" Sierra asked in shock. "But we haven't even had breakfast yet!"
"Not a problem for me," Molly brushed it off and swallowed a pickle. "I packed enough pickles for me to be full."
"And we haven't had enough sleep," Katie added.
"Cognitive function is dependent on REM sleep," Scarlett acknowledged the host.
"You can catch up on your sleep after the challenge," Chris told them. "Rrright this way, to the Bay of Dismay!"
The thirteen campers groaned, except for Katie, who pulled out her tablet.
"Hey viewers! I'm gonna be at a Bay of Dismay," Katie started to film herself until Chris used a magnet to take her tablet away. "What the?"
"Contraband! Now it's mine! Confiscator's keepers! Come on! Your humiliation awaits!" Chris told a miserable Katie.
\
The scene flashed ahead to the thirteen campers walking along at an even pace. "'Bay of Dismay'?" Trent told Anne Maria as they walked side-by-side. "That doesn't sound depressing at all."
"If Chris is gonna make us fight against alligators," Anne Maria said. "I'm planning on suing him after the show ends for breaking my nails."
Trent frowned, but chose to ignore it.
The camera lingered a few seconds as they walked off, long enough for DJ and Katie to enter the shot together. "So, what kinda challenge do you think Chris is gonna put us through this time?" DJ asked.
"I don't know," Katie answered without looking at him, "but I hope it's one that requires the use of a camera so I can take pictures with it, you know?"
DJ facepalmed, unseen by the influencer.
Confessional: Katie
"It's been four minutes, and I'm already missing my tablet," Katie squeaked out and huddled herself. "How will my viewers know what I'm doing right now?"
Confessional Ends
DJ decided to make Katie happy. "Maybe when the challenge is over, you could get your tablet back."
"Emphasis on maybe," Katie snarked.
"I don't know if this is going to be another physical challenge," Leshawna said to Sierra as the footage cut to the two of them walking together. "We already struggled getting that totem down last challenge."
"Chris probably has an academic challenge planned for us at the Bay of Dismay," Sierra told her as they walked forward, "and I know Chris isn't lying."
"How do you know Chris isn't frontin' us?" Leshawna asked.
"Basic knowledge," Sierra bragged. "I can tell if he's lying to us by his vocal pitch and body language."
"So you really studied the show and how it works, huh?" Leshawna followed up in surprise.
"Of course I have," Sierra said. "I've seen every episode like fifty-three times and auditioned twice before being accepted the second time."
B and Scarlett were now shown walking together. "Any idea on what we'll be facing up against?" the quiet brainiac asked the similarly intelligent boy, who didn't talk back to her. "I can see that you prefer not to vocalize your sentences like me, but you're more exaggerated."
Confessional: B
B simply shrugged in the confessional.
Confessional Ends
The static cut away to the body of water that was, presumably, the Bay of Dismay. Three structures rose out of its waters: on the left and right were two-tiered game-show-like seats that housed the Toxic Rats and Mutant Maggots respectively and bore their logos on the front; and in the middle was a single Greek pedestal upon which Chris stood in his blue tuxedo below a large video screen and electronic scoreboard.
"Welcome to the 'Getting to Know You' Trivia Game Challenge," Chris introduced. "Everyone strapped in all nice and snug?" he asked the contestants.
"Too snug," Scott answered irritably. "It's cutting into my shoulders!"
"Yeah, children's size harnesses will do that," Chris chuckled. "I'll be asking our players embarrassing personal questions," he explained, "and I mean majorly humiliating. If the player I'm talking about hits the poorly-wired buzzer and owns their humiliation before the time runs out," he continued as the shot cut back to Scott looking at the red buzzer on the counter in front of him, the camera zooming out to show Sierra on the left, Sammy on the right, and B, Leshawna, and Geoff on the back row, "their team gets a point." The camera panned across the Maggots, showing DJ, Molly, and Scarlett in the bottom row and Katie, Anne Maria, Dave, and Trent above. "First team to five wins part one, and a distinct advantage in part two."
"Buuut," Chris added as the shot cut back to him, "if no one owns up, this happens!" He took out his remote, pressed the button, and with a mechanical whir the elevated stand the Maggots were seated in suddenly dropped into the bay. The shot cut to the seven holding their breaths below the water, focusing in on DJ in particular. He looked around and screamed when he saw the large mutant shark with arms and legs looking at him hungrily, and his teammates joined in as the shark reared back to take a bite – but the stand rose back up just in time to take the teens away from danger.
The shot cut back to the surface as the Maggots re-emerged, dripping and coughing and generally frantic. "There's some kind of two-legged shark down there!" Anne Maria told the host in a panic.
"You mean Fang?" Chris asked with a broad smile and quick laugh. "Yeah, it turns out toxic waste can mess with stuff underwater too." He pointed up at the screen above him as he spoke, and the camera panned up to show a seemingly ordinary shark drinking a cup of tea on a wooden post underwater...until the screen flashed, and a picture of Fang against a simple teal background replaced the normal shark. "Who knew?"
"Better them than us," Scott said from the Rats' stand.
"Anywho," Chris continued slowly, "if a team gets dunked, their opponents can steal by guessing which dunk-ee is guilty. Guess right, and you get a point. Guess wrong, and this happens." With a sly look he pressed the button on his remote again, and this time it was the Rats who got plunged into the bay. Fang was shown tying a bib around his neck, then looking behind him just as the fresh set of teenagers came into view. He turned around and opened his mouth to bite, and with the muffled screams being heard the shot cut back to the bubbling surface. Chris pressed the button once more, and the Toxic Rats rocketed back up on their stand.
"Now that we understand the rules," Chris told them as they coughed up water, "let's start the game!" The host pulled a notecard out from behind his back. "To the Rats, now listen carefully," he began. "Who does this," he motioned upward to a picture of a question mark, "if they eat or drink any form of dairy?" the question mark farted.
All members of the Mutant Maggots began to laugh, as did the members of the Toxic Rats – all except Leshawna, who seemed to shrink in her seat as the camera zoomed in on her. "Where did you get that?" the sista asked in her embarrassment, pressing her buzzer and yelping at the shock she received.
The shot cut to the scoreboard, the Rats' half changing from 0 to 1.
The camera moved back to Chris and his card, now turned towards the Maggots. "Who sleeps with a teddy bear," he motioned upward to a picture of a brown teddy bear, "even after they turned 13?"
"Really? I thought we were more grown-up than that," Dave cringed at the fact.
Scarlett saw that DJ was feeling embarrassed. "Push the button, DJ! You're clearly harboring some guilt," Scarlett advised.
As the timer continued ticking, DJ finally shuddered, then slammed his right hand down on her buzzer. "Alright then," he declared after getting shocked, "it's me."
A bit of light laughter came from the Rats, and the scoreboard updated to show the Maggots' first point. "And it's one-all!" the host declared, earning a cheer from the Maggots.
"Aww, thanks DJ," Katie whispered to the drooping brickhouse. "I know that must've been hard, and I don't hold it against you."
"Really?" DJ regained his smile.
"I have my own collection of teddy bears in my room," Katie beamed.
Confessional: DJ
"Liking teddy bears is one thing me and Katie have in common," DJ smiled in the outhouse. "We'd have to get to know each other a bit more."
Confessional End
"Rats," Chris turned back to the other team, "whose first name is really Beverly?"
"That's not embarrassing," Trent called out defensively. "None of us will throw a fuss over a girl's name being Beverly."
Over to the Rats, Sierra was looking at a picture of Chris, Sammy was shrugging to signify it wasn't her, and Leshawna was just waiting for someone to buzz in.
B, on the other hand, looked down at his own buzzed timidly, and after some consideration, he pressed the buzzer and got shocked, raising his hand to let Chris know that he owned up to the question.
"Correct, Beverly," Chris teased the strong, silent genius. "Rats get the point, but I would've preferred a verbal response."
"But B is as quiet as a snail," Geoff piped up. "And we still got the point."
"Don't care," Chris said apathetically. "So, as a quick punishment." He smiled as he pushed the button on his remote again.
The Rats were plunged back into the water, and the camera focused on Scott as he hollered before getting chomped up by Fang, the stand rising back up as Fang struggled to close his jaws.
Scott managed to get out of Fang's mouth, shouting "No! Wait for me!" as he swam back to her seat.
Confessional: Scott
Scott winced in the confessional, pulling something white out of his butt. "What the? A shark tooth?" he asked, looking at what was obviously a shark's tooth.
Confessional: Fang
The next to use the confessional was none other than Fang, examining his mouth in a hand mirror with great concern. Upon noticing the gap in his upper row of sharp teeth, he growled angrily and snapped the mirror.
Confessionals End
Scott furiously climbed back into his seat. "Thanks for leaving me down there, team!" Scott scolded his teammates. "You can win this stupid challenge without me!"
"If he's not playing, then I'm not either," Anne Maria chimed in, the shot zooming back out as she and the other Maggots looked towards the host.
"I've already had a secret about me exposed, so I think I'll be leavin'," Leshawna declared.
"Okay, everyone just settle down," Chris told them all sternly.
"I'm with everyone else. We should stop," Molly said, standing up and trying to undo her harness. "I do not want any secrets of mine to be spilled out."
"You can do so after you've had a secret revealed," Scarlett snapped.
"Hey! Host talking here!" Chris barked. "I decide when the challenge is over."
"Whatever," Scott scoffed, having already removed his harness. "I'm out of here."
"Not until we win," Sierra held the dirt farmer back from leaving. "I am not going to have us lose."
Just then, Fang jumped out of the water and took a large bite out of the Maggots' stand, forcing them to yelp.
"Now would be a good time to leave," Sammy remarked and tried to get herself out of her straps.
The shot cut back to the Maggots as Anne Maria and Scarlett began to argue with Dave and Molly and DJ, Katie, and Trent watched the debacle going on.
Eventually, the shot cut back to Chris as he finally shouted "Alright! SHUT IT!" The off-screen arguments promptly ceased. "Thanks to that pathetic digression," he said in annoyance, glancing at his watch, "now we don't have enough time to finish this challenge! Happy?"
The Rats voiced their agreement. Likewise, all the Maggots agreed happily.
"Well you won't be happy for long," Chris told them and the camera with a smile. "Come back after the break for an all-new challenge from which there is no escape. And in the meantime," he added slyly as he took his remote back out and pushed the button, causing both teams to be dunked into the bay with a scream once more.
\
(Commercial Break)
\
submitted by xtremexavier15 to u/xtremexavier15 [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 14:59 wilzxsunwileseason Please review my build! 7800X3D & RTX 4090. 4000 USD Budget.

Greetings! Thank you for reading. Any help is appreciated!

Intended Use for the Build:

Build Budget:

Location:



Draft of Potential Build:
PCPartPicker Part List
Type Item Price
CPU AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor $439.00 @ Newegg
CPU Cooler NZXT Kraken Elite 360 RGB 78.02 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler $299.99 @ Best Buy
Motherboard MSI MPG X670E CARBON WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard $439.99 @ Newegg
Memory G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory $239.99 @ Amazon
Storage ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive Purchased For $99.99
Storage Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive Purchased For $159.99
Video Card MSI SUPRIM LIQUID X GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB Video Card $1799.00
Case Phanteks Eclipse P600S ATX Mid Tower Case $159.49
Power Supply FSP Group Hydro Ti PRO 1000 W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply $299.99
Case Fan Noctua A14 PWM chromax.black.swap 82.52 CFM 140 mm Fan $26.95 @ Amazon
Case Fan Noctua A14 PWM chromax.black.swap 82.52 CFM 140 mm Fan $26.95 @ Amazon
Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
Total $3991.33
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-06-03 08:43 EDT-0400

Build Remarks:




Reusing Parts:


Additional Details:


Last but definitely not least, thank you for reading my post. Would love to have some feedback and suggestions! Do share your thoughts and correct me if I made any mistakes.
Cheers!
submitted by wilzxsunwileseason to buildapc [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 12:30 FappidyDat [H] TF2 Keys & PayPal [W] Must-Play Metroidvanias

Notes:
 
I pay with the following:
TF2 & PayPal
 
I Buy Must-Play Metroidvanias Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Blasphemous 1.1 TF2 Price Will Be Ready Soon $2.2 PP Price Will Be Ready Soon
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night 1.4 TF2 Price Will Be Ready Soon $2.87 PP Price Will Be Ready Soon
Haiku, the Robot 1.1 TF2 Price Will Be Ready Soon $2.18 PP Price Will Be Ready Soon
Hollow Knight 2.3 TF2 Price Will Be Ready Soon $4.66 PP Price Will Be Ready Soon
Rain World 0.9 TF2 Price Will Be Ready Soon $1.86 PP Price Will Be Ready Soon
All Games Above (Special) 7.9 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games Bundle Price Will Be Ready Soon $15.74 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games Bundle Price Will Be Ready Soon
Full Bundle (Special) 8.29 TF2 $16.5 PP
I Buy Luck of the Draw: Roguelike Deckbuilders Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Luck be a Landlord 2.4 TF2 $4.77 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 2.7 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $5.45 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) TBD TBD
I Buy May Multiplayer Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Generation Zero® 1.5 TF2 $2.93 PayPal
Midnight Ghost Hunt 2.5 TF2 $4.93 PayPal
Northgard 3.8 TF2 $7.64 PayPal
Borderlands 3 Super Deluxe Edition 3.1 TF2 $6.19 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 7.3 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $14.48 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 7.58 TF2 $15.08 PP
I Buy Humble Choice (May 2023) with TF2 with PayPal
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery 0.2 TF2 $0.42 PayPal
Bendy and the Dark Revival 0.4 TF2 $0.88 PayPal
Builder Simulator 0.3 TF2 $0.59 PayPal
Operation: Tango 0.4 TF2 $0.8 PayPal
Spiritfarer 1.1 TF2 $2.18 PayPal
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters 2.2 TF2 $4.28 PayPal
Windjammers 2 0.2 TF2 $0.39 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 5.5 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $10.9 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 6.78 TF2 $13.5 PP
I Buy Capcom Heroic Collection Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Mega Man Legacy Collection 0.5 TF2 $0.9 PayPal
Dragons Dogma - Dark Arisen 0.8 TF2 $1.57 PayPal
MONSTER HUNTER RISE 4.1 TF2 $8.09 PayPal
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection 1.5 TF2 $2.94 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 7.8 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $15.43 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) TBD TBD
I Buy Easy-Going Games: White Thorn Games Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Lake 0.8 TF2 $1.51 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 0.9 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $1.73 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) TBD TBD
I Buy Striking Soulslikes Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Salt and Sanctuary 1.1 TF2 $2.15 PayPal
Blade of Darkness 1.2 TF2 $2.47 PayPal
Mortal Shell 1.4 TF2 $2.77 PayPal
Aeterna Noctis 1.6 TF2 $3.15 PayPal
Loot River 3.3 TF2 $6.47 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 9.8 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $19.44 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 9.97 TF2 $19.84 PP
I Buy Fight 4 Your Friends Co-Op Shooters Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Warhammer: Vermintide 2 0.8 TF2 $1.52 PayPal
Zombie Army Trilogy 0.5 TF2 $1.04 PayPal
Back 4 Blood 3.0 TF2 $5.96 PayPal
Zombie Army 4: Dead War 1.9 TF2 $3.75 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 7.0 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $14.02 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 8.29 TF2 $16.5 PP
I Buy In Your Face VR Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Into the Radius VR 2.9 TF2 $5.84 PayPal
Rumble 0.5 TF2 $1.06 PayPal
Wanderer 1.1 TF2 $2.26 PayPal
Zenith MMO 2.2 TF2 $4.38 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 7.8 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $15.47 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) TBD TBD
I Buy Humble Choice (Apr 2023) with TF2 with PayPal
Aliens: Fireteam Elite 1.0 TF2 $1.99 PayPal
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT 2.6 TF2 $5.21 PayPal
Life is Strange 2 Complete Season 0.7 TF2 $1.33 PayPal
Rollerdrome 0.3 TF2 $0.62 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 5.3 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $10.46 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 6.78 TF2 $13.5 PP
I Buy Best of Boomer Shooters: Bigger and Boomier Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Forgive me Father 0.2 TF2 $0.45 PayPal
WRATH: Aeon of Ruin 0.2 TF2 $0.39 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 0.5 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $0.96 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) TBD TBD
I Buy Scary Games to Play in the Dark Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Labyrinthine 1.9 TF2 $3.76 PayPal
Propnight 0.7 TF2 $1.32 PayPal
The Blackout Club 0.6 TF2 $1.17 PayPal
The Mortuary Assistant 2.4 TF2 $4.82 PayPal
SCP: Pandemic 2.2 TF2 $4.28 PayPal
Visage 2.9 TF2 $5.87 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 11.2 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $22.23 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 11.27 TF2 $22.43 PP
I Buy Humble Heroines: Warriors, Dreamers, and God Slayers with TF2 with PayPal
Control Ultimate Edition 2.0 TF2 $3.93 PayPal
Dreamscaper 0.2 TF2 $0.45 PayPal
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice 1.1 TF2 $2.26 PayPal
Praey for the Gods 0.6 TF2 $1.16 PayPal
Sable 0.4 TF2 $0.7 PayPal
Syberia: The World Before 1.2 TF2 $2.32 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 6.2 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $12.37 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 8.29 TF2 $16.5 PP
I Buy Humble Choice (Mar 2023) with TF2 with PayPal
BIOMUTANT 1.6 TF2 $3.12 PayPal
Hero's Hour 0.5 TF2 $0.92 PayPal
Jurassic World Evolution 2 2.4 TF2 $4.81 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 5.1 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $10.11 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 6.78 TF2 $13.5 PP
I Buy Türkiye-Syria Earthquake Relief Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
PAYDAY 2 0.4 TF2 $0.82 PayPal
Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Enhanced Plus Edition 0.6 TF2 $1.25 PayPal
Mount & Blade: Warband 0.6 TF2 $1.28 PayPal
Strange Brigade 0.3 TF2 $0.62 PayPal
Stick Fight: The Game 0.6 TF2 $1.1 PayPal
Farming Simulator 17 0.6 TF2 $1.13 PayPal
Euro Truck Simulator 2 1.1 TF2 $2.19 PayPal
Armello 0.3 TF2 $0.69 PayPal
Gotham Knights 5.4 TF2 $10.83 PayPal
Ghostrunner 1.5 TF2 $3.07 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 13.2 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $26.26 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) TBD TBD
I Buy Unparalleled Puzzlers Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Baba Is You 1.5 TF2 $3.01 PayPal
Creaks 0.3 TF2 $0.55 PayPal
DARQ: Complete Edition 0.2 TF2 $0.47 PayPal
Dorfromantik 2.0 TF2 $3.93 PayPal
The Last Campfire 0.4 TF2 $0.78 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 5.0 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $9.99 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 5.78 TF2 $11.5 PP
I Buy Humble Choice (Feb 2023) with TF2 with PayPal
Fallout 76 2.1 TF2 $4.22 PayPal
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous 1.5 TF2 $2.9 PayPal
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales 0.3 TF2 $0.57 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 4.4 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $8.79 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) TBD TBD
I Buy Sim-ple Life Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Garden Paws 1.0 TF2 $2.05 PayPal
Lake 0.8 TF2 $1.51 PayPal
Staxel 0.6 TF2 $1.15 PayPal
Summer in Mara 0.5 TF2 $1.09 PayPal
Townscaper 0.6 TF2 $1.18 PayPal
Winkeltje: The Little Shop 1.1 TF2 $2.18 PayPal
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles 1.8 TF2 $3.58 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 6.0 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $11.9 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 6.08 TF2 $12.1 PP
I Buy Survival Instinct Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Chernobylite Enhanced Edition 1.0 TF2 $1.98 PayPal
The Long Dark: Survival Edition 0.4 TF2 $0.78 PayPal
SCUM 3.0 TF2 $5.96 PayPal
State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition 3.0 TF2 $5.92 PayPal
Volcanoids 1.4 TF2 $2.81 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 9.2 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $18.35 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 9.42 TF2 $18.75 PP
I Buy In Case You Missed It: Gems of 2022 Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Haiku, the Robot 1.3 TF2 $2.56 PayPal
PowerSlave Exhumed 1.4 TF2 $2.79 PayPal
Source of Madness 0.6 TF2 $1.13 PayPal
Supraland Six Inches Under 1.5 TF2 $2.89 PayPal
ZERO Sievert 4.8 TF2 $9.65 PayPal
Prehistoric Kingdom 1.5 TF2 $2.93 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 12.6 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $25.09 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 12.71 TF2 $25.29 PP
I Buy Fighting Farmers Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Forager 1.3 TF2 $2.6 PayPal
Stranded Sails - Explorers of the Cursed Islands 0.3 TF2 $0.59 PayPal
Len's Island 4.2 TF2 $8.26 PayPal
Re:Legend 1.1 TF2 $2.13 PayPal
Spirit Of The Island 1.3 TF2 $2.59 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 8.6 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $17.06 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 8.77 TF2 $17.46 PP
I Buy Humble Choice (Jan 2023) with TF2 with PayPal
Doom Eternal 2.5 TF2 $4.94 PayPal
OlliOlli World Rad Edition 0.3 TF2 $0.53 PayPal
Tribes of Midgard 0.9 TF2 $1.8 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 4.2 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $8.31 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) TBD TBD
I Buy Best of Boomer Shooters Bundle - Holiday Encore with TF2 with PayPal
AMID EVIL 0.6 TF2 $1.18 PayPal
Dusk 2.0 TF2 $3.91 PayPal
Forgive me Father 0.2 TF2 $0.45 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 3.2 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $6.33 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) TBD TBD
I Buy Fantastic Journeys: Middle Earth & Beyond - Holiday Encore with TF2 with PayPal
Gauntlet™ Slayer Edition 0.3 TF2 $0.5 PayPal
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 0.4 TF2 $0.79 PayPal
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 0.6 TF2 $1.11 PayPal
LEGO® The Hobbit™ 0.4 TF2 $0.89 PayPal
LEGO Lord of the Rings 0.4 TF2 $0.83 PayPal
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition 0.9 TF2 $1.71 PayPal
Middleearth Shadow of War Definitive Edition 1.2 TF2 $2.37 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 4.7 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $9.37 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 5.78 TF2 $11.5 PP
I Buy LEGO at the Movies Bundle: Holiday Encore with TF2 with PayPal
LEGO® DC Super-Villains 0.4 TF2 $0.78 PayPal
LEGO® Jurassic World™ 0.4 TF2 $0.71 PayPal
LEGO® MARVEL's Avengers 0.4 TF2 $0.78 PayPal
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 0.3 TF2 $0.57 PayPal
LEGO® Marvel Super Heroes 2 0.7 TF2 $1.34 PayPal
The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame 0.4 TF2 $0.8 PayPal
The LEGO Movie: Videogame 0.2 TF2 $0.41 PayPal
LEGO® Ninjago® Movie Video Game 0.3 TF2 $0.62 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 3.5 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $6.87 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) TBD TBD
I Buy Best of Stealth Bundle: Holiday Encore with TF2 with PayPal
Aragami 0.5 TF2 $0.9 PayPal
Hitman Game of the Year Edition 1.3 TF2 $2.61 PayPal
HITMAN™2 Gold Edition 3.1 TF2 $6.16 PayPal
Styx: Shards Of Darkness 0.9 TF2 $1.76 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 6.6 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $13.06 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 6.86 TF2 $13.66 PP
I Buy Ultimate Racing Sim Bundle: Holiday Encore with TF2 with PayPal
Assetto Corsa Competizione 2.9 TF2 $5.83 PayPal
Assetto Corsa Ultimate Edition 5.0 TF2 $9.93 PayPal
DRIFT21 0.6 TF2 $1.12 PayPal
NASCAR Heat 5 - Ultimate Edition 0.6 TF2 $1.1 PayPal
rFactor 2 3.2 TF2 $6.43 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 7.9 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $15.77 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 8.13 TF2 $16.17 PP
I Buy 2k Megahits Holiday Encore Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Sid Meier's Civilization VI 0.7 TF2 $1.47 PayPal
XCOM: Ultimate Collection 1.2 TF2 $2.42 PayPal
Mafia: Definitive Edition 2.2 TF2 $4.36 PayPal
Duke Nukem Forever Collection 0.3 TF2 $0.52 PayPal
Borderlands 3 Super Deluxe 3.1 TF2 $6.19 PayPal
BioShock Collection 1.1 TF2 $2.18 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 9.8 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $19.59 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 10.35 TF2 $20.59 PP
I Buy The Tactician's Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Phantom Doctrine 0.4 TF2 $0.85 PayPal
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus 0.2 TF2 $0.47 PayPal
Dark Deity 0.4 TF2 $0.85 PayPal
Gears Tactics 4.5 TF2 $8.93 PayPal
The Red Solstice 2: Survivors 0.4 TF2 $0.78 PayPal
Star Renegades 3.0 TF2 $5.94 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 7.3 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $14.48 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 7.48 TF2 $14.88 PP
I Buy Humble Choice (Dec 2022) with TF2 with PayPal
First Class Trouble 0.6 TF2 $1.12 PayPal
GreedFall 0.8 TF2 $1.54 PayPal
Wasteland 3 1.3 TF2 $2.55 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 3.0 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $5.95 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) TBD TBD
I Buy Premiere VR Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Arizona Sunshine 2.1 TF2 $4.21 PayPal
After the Fall® - Launch Edition 5.1 TF2 $10.19 PayPal
Vox Machinae 3.4 TF2 $6.78 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 12.2 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $24.21 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) TBD TBD
I Buy Black Friday VR Voyager's Pack Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Car Mechanic Simulator VR 0.6 TF2 $1.15 PayPal
Cook-Out 0.3 TF2 $0.5 PayPal
I Expect You To Die 1.3 TF2 $2.68 PayPal
Sairento VR 0.2 TF2 $0.43 PayPal
SUPERHOT VR 2.3 TF2 $4.51 PayPal
Until You Fall 0.7 TF2 $1.4 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 6.1 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $12.19 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 6.78 TF2 $13.5 PP
I Buy Complete Your Twin Sails Collection Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Small World 0.3 TF2 $0.64 PayPal
A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Digital Edition 1.4 TF2 $2.78 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 2.0 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $3.91 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) TBD TBD
I Buy 11 Bit Studios: The Complete Collection Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
This War of Mine: Complete Edition 0.7 TF2 $1.36 PayPal
Children of Morta 0.7 TF2 $1.43 PayPal
Frostpunk 1.0 TF2 $2.07 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 2.8 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $5.55 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) TBD TBD
I Buy Humble Choice (Nov 2022) with TF2 with PayPal
Eldest Souls 0.3 TF2 $0.55 PayPal
Hell Let Loose 5.2 TF2 $10.32 PayPal
Roboquest 0.5 TF2 $1.06 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 6.8 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $13.63 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 7.35 TF2 $14.63 PP
I Buy Day of the Devs Bundle (2022) with TF2 with PayPal
Brutal Legend 0.8 TF2 $1.51 PayPal
Gang Beasts 3.0 TF2 $5.89 PayPal
Psychonauts 0.3 TF2 $0.67 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 4.6 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $9.22 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 5.78 TF2 $11.5 PP
I Buy Melee Mayhem Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Mordhau 1.7 TF2 $3.32 PayPal
MORTAL KOMBAT 11 1.8 TF2 $3.53 PayPal
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 0.2 TF2 $0.45 PayPal
River City Girls 1.4 TF2 $2.87 PayPal
Chivalry 2 3.7 TF2 $7.45 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 10.1 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $20.14 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) TBD TBD
I Buy Humble Choice (Oct 2022) with TF2 with PayPal
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope 1.6 TF2 $3.12 PayPal
DEATHLOOP 2.7 TF2 $5.47 PayPal
Disciples: Liberation 0.3 TF2 $0.53 PayPal
Monster Train 0.5 TF2 $0.92 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 5.8 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $11.47 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 6.78 TF2 $13.5 PP
I Buy Serious Sam Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Serious Sam 3: BFE 1.0 TF2 $1.99 PayPal
Serious Sam 2 0.8 TF2 $1.58 PayPal
Serious Sam 4 4.0 TF2 $7.94 PayPal
Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem 2.3 TF2 $4.51 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 9.2 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $18.31 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) TBD TBD
I Buy TinyBuild x Versus Evil Smashup Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Hello, Neighbor! 0.5 TF2 $0.91 PayPal
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire 1.0 TF2 $2.07 PayPal
Totally Reliable Delivery Service 0.6 TF2 $1.29 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 2.5 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $4.88 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) TBD TBD
I Buy Starlight Children's Foundation Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 0.4 TF2 $0.85 PayPal
Star Wars®: Jedi Knight®: Jedi Academy™ 0.3 TF2 $0.58 PayPal
Aliens: Colonial Marines Collection 1.2 TF2 $2.45 PayPal
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast 0.3 TF2 $0.57 PayPal
Day of the Tentacle Remastered 0.4 TF2 $0.88 PayPal
Grim Fandango Remastered 0.5 TF2 $1.09 PayPal
LEGO® Star Wars™: The Force Awakens 0.6 TF2 $1.15 PayPal
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga 0.6 TF2 $1.13 PayPal
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Ultimate Sith Edition 0.6 TF2 $1.27 PayPal
LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars 0.5 TF2 $1.05 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 6.0 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $11.9 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 6.48 TF2 $12.9 PP
I Buy 2K Megahits Bundle with TF2 with PayPal
Duke Nukem Forever Collection 0.3 TF2 $0.52 PayPal
PGA TOUR 2K21 0.6 TF2 $1.24 PayPal
XCOM: Ultimate Collection 1.2 TF2 $2.42 PayPal
Sid Meier's Civilization VI 0.7 TF2 $1.47 PayPal
Mafia: Definitive Edition 2.2 TF2 $4.36 PayPal
Borderlands 3 Super Deluxe Edition 3.1 TF2 $6.19 PayPal
BioShock Collection 1.1 TF2 $2.18 PayPal
All Games Above (Special) 9.9 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games $19.65 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special) 10.38 TF2 $20.65 PP
 
IGS Rep Page:
https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/ggsaik/fappidydats_igs_rep_page/
 
SteamTrades Rep Page (1000+):
https://www.steamtrades.com/use76561198097671494
 
GameTrade Rep Page:
https://www.reddit.com/GameTradeRep/comments/ggrz1y/fappidydats_gametrade_rep_page/?
 
SGSFlair Rep Page:
https://www.reddit.com/sgsflaicomments/ggag04/flair_profile_ufappidydat/
submitted by FappidyDat to indiegameswap [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 11:21 ImSimpleGuy [Gen 9 OU] Maximum Carnage! A guide on Trick Room playstyle for Gen 9 OU (Warning Thesis level Long Post)

So Pokemon Home just dropped and you the reader really want to just smash the entire metagame with cocaine bear. Well I got your back with some heat TR teams. Unlike my last post, this time I will be posting a lot of teams so if you don't like a random redditor rambling about a niche playstyle and just want the team in question well...

TLDR :

https://pokepast.es/cc649b55771109b0 (Reached top 200 in Gen 9 OU)
If you are reading this post post Ursaluna ban, well too bad. I will post TR teams without Ursaluna and Magearna in the future so lookout for that or just replace Ursaluna with Glastrier. Use Cinderace to keep hazards off field and use Torkoal and Ursaluna to delete stuff. Use Iron Hands as late game sweeper once the unawares have been dealt with.
Now for the long post to begin :

Pick your Trick Room Team:

If you are new to Trick Room playstyle, you might want to refer to my previous post or at least the TLDR part of it so you are aware of the limitations of Trick Room playstyle. Now below are the three teams sorted by level of skill and metagame awareness required to play (explanations given below):

Threats to TR teams :

Now that we have established the threats lets explore the above teams.
Beginner :
Intermediate:
Advanced:
Team for Absolute Chads:
If you have read this far, I would like to sincerely thank you for taking an interest in TR playstyle. With Ursaluna still in the tier, TR teams can easily demolish their way to the top. Semi-TR are honestly easier to pilot but I am a TR enthusiast so I go all in. Personally I would like to see magearna and cheap-pao banned before Ursaluna goes. (Also who at GF thought about giving Urshifu Swords Dance ? Really I just want to have a talk thats all.)
Beyond Ursaluna, its still possible to reach the top using a TR team although a lot of creativity and skill is required (Bax + Regidrago come to mind to pressure the fairies. I am still working on it). Unless Uxie is getting banned to Ubers, Trick Room is finally a viable strategy in Gen 9 OU.
submitted by ImSimpleGuy to stunfisk [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 05:03 Kydrix My absurd next Ghost Recon game wishlist.

My absurd next Ghost Recon game wishlist. Randomly ordered by idea flow lol.
Please keep the different game types. I personally enjoy gear score but having both caters to both groups of gamers.
More HUD/UI adjustments
Civilians and Enemies
Enemy stats
Teammates
Fast travel
FOBS (forward operating base)
Bivouacs
Batteries
The drone
NVG and Thermal
Binoculars
Weapon attachments
Weapon operation / function
Scope zoom
Hard Cover / Concealment mechanics
Vehicles
submitted by Kydrix to GhostRecon [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 04:57 nimmoisa000 Open world crime game idea Cartel: Palm City.


Developed by Hangar 13, DICE, Ripple Effect Studios, EA Gothenburg, and Criterion Games and published by EA.
Additionally former EA Black Box and Ghost Games employees who would help access game assets and code from previous NFS titles to streamline the development)
Cartel (or alternatively as “Cartel: Palm City” or "Cartel: Miami" ) would be an open world title based on the Mafia Games, the GTA games and the Saints Row games, with elements of Battlefield: Hardline thrown in with an array of weapons and vehicles based on their real life counterparts.
Gameplay wise the driving would be like Need for Speed titles, and on foot and shooting mechanics like BF: Hardline and Saints Row. Plus you can customize your cars and weapons to the same extent in BF: 2042 and some cars would allow for mounted weapons,on foot you can execute people with your equipped weapon like in The Godfather games. On foot would be an FPS view (you can change to a third person view as well) same with having an FPS view in your car.
There would an single player experience point system (like in BF Hardline single player) you gain XP from killing gangsters, and cops blowing up or capturing enemy vehicles and completing main missions, side missions and activities also there will be 15 levels to achieve with each level up unlocking new weapons, vehicles and customization for your weapons and vehicles. As well as a New Game Plus (NG+) where everything you unlocked is carried over and you can also play on the higher difficulties through NG+.
Also there would be five wanted levels for police and five vendetta levels for the gangs should you reach level five gang vendetta you start a Gang War there are three ways to stop a Gang War either bribe the feds, blow up a gang stronghold, or hide out in a safe house. Police wanted levels one and two local units would come after the player, at police wanted level two or three the state police would come after the player. At wanted level four and five the feds would come after the player. The military will only come after the player if they trespass in Fort Rockport or the Palmount Naval Shipyard
The Storyline
In Cartel: Palm City; in a different universe and timeline where there's a total prohibition of all narcotics in the United States in 2010; tells the story of Jack Rourke (the player character) a hardworking rideshare driver at day and a street racer at night who's scraping by in Palm City circa 2019. One fateful night, Jack Rourke has an inadvertent brush with the Blackwell Syndicate (mainly Carl Stoddard and that showcases a life of reward too big to ignore. As he joins the Blackwell Syndicate who are fighting for control of Palm City against five other criminal groups and take the city for the Blackwell Syndicate including recovering evidence that could not only convict the Blackwell Syndicate, as well as a network of crime lords in many countries, (including the other gang’s backers) including the Blackwell Syndicate's backers the Mob and it would also directly implicate the CIA in Palm City’s drug trade with Jack Rourke earning the nickname “El Sicario” for his efforts in driving the other gangs out of Palm City. When he learns how much the drugs were hurting the people of Palm City and all over the country as well as learning that the Blackwell Syndicate had gotten into the drug trade themselves, he contacts FBI agent Chase Linh who relays the story to her and offers the evidence and his testimony in exchange for full immunity for him and his associates, and the evidence on the computer was enough to convict everyone form all the five gangs, but also their crime lord backers from at least half a dozen countries, as well implicating the CIA in this as well as lobbying efforts to keep all narcotics prohibited, leading to a new administration repealing the Narcotics Prohibition law and legalizing low level cannabis. However six months later after the repeal of the Narcotics Prohibition Jack Rourke would be gunned down by Russian Mafia hitmen, Dimitri "Dima '' Mayakovsky and Henry "Black" Blackburn.
The Cast
List of activities
Vehicles
Civilian
Military
Weapon attachments
40mm Grenades, 40mm HE, 40mm Incendiary, 40mm CS, 40mm Dart, 40mm Flashbang, 40mm LVG, 40mm Smoke, 40mm 3GL.
Weapon list
Key: Base weapon (special variant)
Other: Nail Gun
Mission Structure
Prolog (2019)
  1. The Birth of Art - After winning a big race, Jack Rourke collects the winnings at the Palm City Historical Museum
  2. An Offer you Can't Refuse - Jack Rourke must evade Volk sicarios with Tyson Lachford and Carl Stoddard members of the Blackwell Syndicate
  3. Race Day - After the events of the last mission, Jack Rourke partakes in a race day event and wins three events with his Porsche 911 Carrera S (991) '12
  4. Running Man - Volk sicarios Niko and Dimitri crashes the race day and Jack must get to the Blackwell Garage
Chapter 1 (2019-2021)
  1. M34 Party - Jack Rourke joins the Blackwell Syndicate and gets acquainted with everyone before going with Tyson in a Pontiac GTO '05 to burn the Volk's cars with M34 Incendiary Grenades as well as stealing GMAC's Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4
  2. Standard Routine - Jack Rourke rolls with Tyson, Stoddard and Jonathan Cross to collect protection money but things go south when they collect from a hotel out of town and Jack Rourke chases after the hotel owner in Cross' car.
  3. Fair Play - Jack Rourke is tasked with stealing Ryan Cooper's Nissan 240SX and sabotaging it on the eve of the biggest Speedhunter race of the year, the SpeedHunter Championship Finals and in a last minute swap Jack Rourke has to race in place of Tyler Morgan
  4. Mia Townsend - Jack Rourke is tasked with taking Mia Townsend out for a night at the city... until a gang of Wraith street racers led by Caleb Reece hassles her and Jack Rourke takes them on in a fight
  5. Get Used To It - After the events of the previous mission Jack Rourke and Tyson Latchford are sent to teach the Wraiths a lesson But Caleb Reece makes it serious and Caleb Reece is wound up being killed by Tyson after a chase around the city alongside Danny Shaw.
  6. The Saint and The Sinner - It's revealed thtat Caleb Reece was Chief Norris' best friend, and Danny Shaw survives the crash however Stoddard would handle Shaw as Jack Rourke is tasked with infiltrating the Elmore Plaza Hotel and has to kill the manager, Nikki Morris and bomb the hotel before escaping to a funeral and confronts, Danny Shaw and Frank Mercer who are also in attendance. Jack Rourke kills Shaw and nearly kills Frank as well. But Frank tasers Rourke and escapes. It would be revealed that some of the Volk sicarios recognized Sotddard and had to deal with them, then the two escaped in a hearse.
Chapter 2 (2021)
  1. A Trip to the Countryside - In order to get a large supply of cannabis from Mexico, Jack Rourke takes a team to retrieve the Mexican from Mexican smugglers only to be ambushed by Los Zetas L.S 16 and Volk sicarios, then it's revealed that Roman had paid off the FBI to go after Rourke and his teammates then they came off with the cannabis killing their pursuers in the process.
  2. Code of Silence - The evidence that Tyson and Stoddard had ripped from the Volk had fallen in the hands of Hector Maio who cut a deal with the FBI, total immunity for the evidence and Jack Rouke is tasked with killing him and retrieving the evidence
  3. Visiting Rich People - Jack Rourke is tasked with sabotaging a federal proscutor's case against The Mob, the Blackwell Syndicate's backers as well as killing the federal prosecutor in charge of the case.
  4. Visiting Powerful People - Jack Rourke is tasked with meeting and protecting a powerful member of Palm City's elite, the owner of Prefered Outcomes Julian Daws... though he more than meets the eyes of Jack Rourke
  5. Agent Dawes - Julian Daws is revealed to be a CIA agent who is tasked with keeping the flow of drugs to Jack's surprise and that he is backing the Blackwell Syndicate through Prefered Outcomes.
  6. The Drug Trade - Julian Daws walks Jack Rourke through Palm City's drug trade and how the illicit street racing scene is used as a cover to smuggle drugs.
  7. Great Deal - Tyson Lachford scores a major deal with a drug farm in Georgia who promises to supply them with large amounts of drugs in exchange for access to databases concerning highway patrol routes; however when the deal goes down at a parking garage, the Volk and L.S 16 ambush them.
  8. Bon Appetit - Jack Rourke drives Eva Torrez, Marcus Blackwell and Julian Daws to the rebuilt Elmore Plaza Hotel for brunch only for Niko and Dimirti with a Volk hit squad to blast the entire lobby with gunfire and C4 explosives, Jack Rourke vaults over with Eva Torrez, Marcus Blackwell and Julian Daws, there Jack Rourke and Eva Torrez rush out through the side entrance and confronts the hit squad with Jack Rourke killing both Niko and Dimirti. However Blackwell wants Jack to confront Jonathan Cross at a doughnut store and reveals that the Volk threatened to turn him over to IAD and is chased throughout the city with Marcus Blackwell putting Cross on permanent retirement by killing him with a Lupara.
Chapter 3 (Finishing the other gangs and downfall of Jack Rourke) (late 2021)
  1. Happy Anniversary - Jack Rourke is tasked with completing a contract hit against Frank Mercer at the fifth anniversary of the formation of the High-Speed Task Force by firing a sniper rifle stashed in a bathroom
  2. You Lucky Bastard - After a failed attempt to kill Razor; Roman's personal driver and #2 of the Volk, Jack Rourke is given the contract to kill Razor, first by car bomb but ends up killing Deputy Chief Jack Keller. instead of Razor. Jack Rourke, Tyson and Stoddard would later find Razer at a Burger King. In this Rourke can choose to kill or spare Razor. Rourke would spare him after he tells him that the CIA is deeper in Palm City's drug trade than Jack Rourke is led to believe
  3. Creme de la Creme - Marcus Blackwell plans to kill Roman, Niko, Demintri and Chan Wu in front of the city's Creme de la Creme, the mayor, the police chief, the FBI director and even the city's richest elite. However things go south and Jack Rourke chases Roman and Niko at the airport where they get to a private jet but is shot down and crash lands on the Cross Mermeroral Bridge Chan Wu is still alive and Jack Rourke executes him and leaves before the cops show up.
  4. Plugging the Chief - After the events of Creme de la Creme; Chief Norris places to take on the Blackwell Syndicate and to dismantle them, and a contract hit is placed on him where Jack Rourke accepts the contract and kills Chief Norris.
  5. Election Campaign - The State Governor had launched his reelection bid with the promise get tough on the cartels that had plagued Palm City and like Chief Norris has a contract hit out on him which Jack Rourke is tasked with taking, using a sniper rifle
  6. Just for Relaxation - Marcus Blackwell tells Jack Rourke about a shipment of Cuban cigars as well as a hidden shipment of diamonds (hot ice) straight from Africa however and Jack Rourke takes a crew to retrieve the shipment from federal customs however it's revealed that instead of diamonds it's Cold Shot... the same drug being pushed by the other gangs.
  7. The Truth - Jack Rourke and Kahi Minh Dao eavesdrop on Marcus Blackwell and Julain Daws and they learn the truth.
  8. Moonlighting - Jack Rourke after knowing about the truth takes Tyson to rob the Palm CIty First National in order to retire from the sicario lifestyle and gets into a massive shootout with the PCPD Heat-style.
  9. The Death of Art - After the heist of Palm City First National Jack Rourke finds Tyson dead and meets Stoddard at the museum only to find out that Stoddard knew about the heist, and used his share of the drug money and clout at Prefered Outcomes to buy out The7 as his personal hit squad, however Jack Rourke manages to kill every member of The7 but spares Stoddard (the player can also kill him but canonically Jack Rourke spares him)
Epilogue (2022)
After the trial and the repeal of the Jack Rurke is placed in the Witness Protection Program in Lakeshore City but six months later after the repeal of the Narcotics Prohibition Jack Rourke would be gunned down by members of the West Side Club, Dimitri "Dima" Mayakovsky and Henry "Black" Blackburn.
The Gangs of Palm City
L.S 16 (Los Salmos 16) - Also known as The Salmos. Backed by the most powerful Mexican drug lords and the most powerful arms traffickers in the world, L.S 16 once ruled all of Palm City In fear until The House stepped in. They’re also the strongest gang in the game with access to military grade weapons and vehicles and each gang kill from them awards 500-1,500 XP depending on the enemy type. They are led by Neil Roark.
The House - The House is a gambling gang with strong ties and backed by the Sicilian Mafia; they run the street scene and the casinos in Palm City. They’re pretty strong but weaker than L.S 16, and they have access to military grade weapons and vehicles each gang kills from them awards 250-800 XP depending on the enemy type. Headed by Lina Navarro.
The Volk - The Volk is a Chinese-Russian gang led by Roman Barkov with Niko Barkov as their enforcer backed by the Triads (Chan Wu), the Russian Mob (Dimitri Glebov), and GMAC's crew (Gregory "GMAC" MacDonald, Rose Largo) for cars who control the weapon smuggling and arms dealing in Palm City. With this backing and access to military grade weapons. They are a mid tier gang and each gang kill from them awards 200-600 XP depending on the enemy type. They are also the ones who go after the Blackwell Syndicate the most.
Palm Kings - The Palm Kings (PKs) is a Black gang made up of Black nationalists who controls Palm Harbor’s rackets and extorts store owners. Led by Benny King, they’re equipped with police-grade weaponry and has strong ties with the PCPD despite this, they are the second weakest gang in the game and each gang kill from them awards 150-500 XP depending if it's a regular to elite
Dixie Paladins - The Dixie Paladins are a white supremacy gang and a militarized version of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) who controls the Gold Coast Mountains in the mountainous regions of Palm City. they’re the weakest gang in the game and each gang kill from them awards 100-250 XP from regular to elite members. They are led by Tony Alpert
Blackwell Syndicate - The Blackwell Syndicate is a underground criminal organization based in Palm City and is led by Marcus Blackwell with Julian “Julius” Little as underboss, Hector Maio before "Code of Silence" and Zack Maio after "Code of Silence". Nick Mendoza. Khai Minh Dao and Carl Stoddard are caporegimes and Tyson Latchford, Tyler "Ty" Morgan, Sean "Mac" McAlister, Jessica "Jess" Miller as soldiers. Other members include Ravindra "Rav" Chaudhry as the gang's car expert Rachel Teller as the gang's customization expert, Marcus “Boomer” Boone as the gang's weapon experts. The Blackwell Syndicate would be the gang that the player would join. In Act 1, they're an outside and fast tracked to soldier, but in Act 2 the player would be a capo until the end of the game. They are secretly backed by both The Mob and the CIA through Agent Dawes. Jonathan Cross and Mia Townsend are also on the gang's payroll until "Bon Appetit" where Marcus Blackwell executes him with a 870P Magnum to the head. Also Mia would also go with Jack Rourke as well
The police/military force
PCPD - the police force of Palm City/Miami if the player does hostile acts (killing civilians, firing unsuppressed weapons in public, etc) will attract police attention and each kill from them awards 50 XP for regular members and 100 XP for armored members, However the player can bribe the PCPD to look the other way or will even help the player fight the other gangs but would be the target of higher level police forces. (Sort of like it was in The Godfather game) The player can also buy favors from them as well. Also they’ll deploy stronger units at higher heat level alongside the FBI. The cars PCPD drives are the Ford Crown Victoria, Dodge Challenger, Pontiac GTO, and the Chevy Grand Sport
Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) - The state police force and Only appears in wanted levels 3 and above, Each kill from them awards 75 XP for regular state troopers and 150 XP for tactical state troopers. Regular state troopers drives Ford Mustang GTs tactical state troopers drives Nissan GT-R
FBI - Only appears in wanted level 5 the FBI will be called in if the player continues to retaliate against the PCPD. Each kill from them awards 125 XP for regular agents, 250 XP for FBI SWAT and 375 XP for FBI HRT, Like the PCPD the player can bribe the FBI to look the other way, or even help the player fight gangs, or the PCPD but at the second highest price. The FBI also has the second widest array of favors the player can buy. regular agents drives the Nissan 350Z or Porsche 911 GT3 RS, FBI SWAT drives the - Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster or Ford F-150 SVT Raptor L.E. and FBI HRT drives the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X or Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR
Military - Only goes after the player if they trespass in Fort Rockport or the Palmount Naval Shipyard. Each kill from them awards 200 XP for regs, 400 XP for experienced troops and 600 XP for elite troops. Like the PCPD, State Police and the FBI, the player can bribe the military to look the other way, or even help the player fight gangs, the PCPD, State Police or even the FBI but at the highest price and The military also has the widest array of favors the player can buy in large part due to Agent Dawes’ connections in Washington.
Multiplayer portion of the game would take place during the five cartels war where the Blackwell Syndicate, The Volk, Palm Kings, Dixie Paldines, Los Salmos 16, and The House (basically where Jack Rourke glosses over saying "It was non-stop chaos for weeks")
Also there would be a free ride mode where the player can explore the city at their leisure or pick a fight with either other cartels or the cops.
submitted by nimmoisa000 to gameideas [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 03:51 Limilnalatte RTX 3060 , RTX 4070, RTX 4060ti 16GB? for a Productivity/Streaming/Gamming Build in 2023

Now that my 4 year old HP Pavilion Ryzen 5 3500U CPU and Vega 8 Graphics laptop is starting to fall apart, I am currently picking the parts for my first pc build for productivity/streaming/gaming. However, I am having trouble choosing which GPU to buy. I have researched the best I could, but the many online debates between team red and team green and the discussions of NVIDIA's overpriced GPUs has left me unsure about my GPU choice.
Here is the build that I have in mind:
[PCPartPicker Part List](https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/rgMszf
Type Item Price
CPU Intel Core i5-13500 2.5 GHz 14-Core Processor $325.95 @ shopRBC
CPU Cooler Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 White ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler $72.90 @ Amazon Canada
Motherboard MSI PRO B760-P WIFI DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard $204.99 @ Amazon Canada
Memory TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory $72.98 @ Amazon Canada
Storage 2x Crucial P3 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive 2x $61.99 @ PC-Canada
Video Card Asus DUAL OC GeForce RTX 4070 12 GB Video Card $809.50 @ Vuugo
Case Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case $139.99 @ Memory Express
Power Supply Corsair CX650M (2021) 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply $104.50 @ Vuugo
Monitor BenQ MOBIUZ EX2510S 24.5" 1920 x 1080 165 Hz Monitor $333.74 @ Best Buy Canada
TOTAL $2188.53 CAD
Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2023-06-02 21:46 EDT-0400
I am making a build that is primarily orientated for productivity purposes while being able to live stream some of the games I play. In terms of productivity, the relevant benchmarks I primarily use are Blender, Adobe Premier Pro, Photoshop and Illustrate (note: Davinci Resolve has recently piqued my interest so I have tried adjusting my parts to fit the needed system requirements in case I do install it). Gaming wise, I want to be able to livestream the games I play in high or ultra 1080p. In the list, the BenQ Mobiuz EX2510S is a used one which I already bought from a friend who recently upgraded to a 1440p monitor. Most of the games I play are fighting games like Guilty Gear Strive and Granblue Fantasy Versus, games like Warframe and the Monster Hunter series and indie games that do not require much from my 4 year old Hp Pavilion with a Ryzen 5 3500U CPU and Vega 8 Graphics. However, since I'm building a new pc, I do want to be able to both stream and play the more beefier benchmark games like God of War, Elden Ring and also the upcoming Armored Core 6 on 1080p High-Ultra settings. I don't care about Ray Tracing, I just want to experience smooth gameplay without having to reduce the game's resolution and without picking the lowest graphics settings.
From what I understand about the two main GPU companies, NVIDIA cards are better for productivity and have better encoding for streaming while AMD cards offer better gaming experience at a better price. The RTX 4070 was picked in my list for its performance and the fact that it is a NVIDIA card suitable for productivity/streaming/gaming. However, the 4070 goes for $800 CAD while only having 12GB RAM (but then again, it is considered to be the best performance value among NVIDIA's 40s series cards). On AMD's side, many online have recommended the 6800xt over the 4070 for its 16GB RAM while being within a similar price range. Some have also mentioned that AMD's encoding is starting to get better, but I do not know if this information is credible. But, the consensus online is that since I am making build focusing on productivity, NVIDIA seems to be the better graphics card choice.
However, as mentioned before, the 4070's price has got me considering buying the RTX 3060 instead. While the 4070 does perform way better then the 3060, the latter is more budget friendly and prices at $450 CAD, has 12GB RAM like the 4070 and is recommended by many as a good performance/value for 1080p, which seems to be a good fit for my Mobiuz EX2510S. I have also seen on the Canadian Newegg store that the MSI 3060s are going through a price drop which makes it even more appealing than the 4070: https://www.newegg.ca/p/pl?d=3060 . I also saw the news of NVIDIA releasing a 4060ti 16GB in July, but after seeing the failure of the recent 8GB variant and the backlash online, I don't even know if the 16GB 4060ti should even be considered as a choice. While I do plan on upgrading to a 1440p setup, I don't think that will be happening in the near future.
TL;DR, the 3060 is slowly convincing me to be my final GPU choice for my productivity/streaming/gaming PC build due to its pricing and overall positive 1080p performance among users online. My concerns are: is the 3060 is still viable for productivity/streaming/gaming in 2023? or should I just straight up buy the 4070 for its recency and better performance? Or should I pick a god and pray for the 4060ti 16GB success? Or should I consider buying a AMD card or even Intel's affordable A770 with 16GB RAM?
Thank you all in advance for the feedback, and take care o7.
submitted by Limilnalatte to buildapc [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 03:01 Saturdead The Many Deaths of the Six-Door House

I’ve been waiting to talk about this. I’ve been looking for others with similar experiences, or… I dunno. Maybe I hoped I was insane. Months have passed, and I still don’t have the slightest idea what to believe. But no matter what is true and what isn’t, the memory of what happened to me is as true as can be.
And every time I put my hand to a door, I tremble.

I was looking for a house in the surrounding area. I know, being a homeowner at 27 seems like a dream. I know I’ve been fortunate. Even so, I wanted something remote, spacious, and comparably cheap.
I’d been looking for something nearby, but everything even close to a larger city quickly ran out of my price range. It wasn’t until I started looking at the rural outskirts that I started to see something realistic.
I’d been to four open house showings in the past week when I came across an ad that looked too good to be true. Another open house, but this one was just perfect. Apparently, they were looking to make a quick sale after a previous deal had fallen through.

I made my way to a small nearby town called Tomskog. There was a little billboard with a blue sunflower greeting me, and I took a hard right down a street named “Sunplenty Road”. There were only five houses there, and the one I came to look at was at the far end. Even from a distance, I could tell I wasn’t the only visitor.
I parked on the street outside and took in the sights. There was an “Open House” sign outside, again with the sunflower logo. There was a separate garage, and the house itself was smaller than expected. Homely, but small.
I was greeted by a cheerful man. He had thick glasses, a receding hairline, and the kind of “fun uncle” smile that told me he could get away with anything.
“Come on in,” he said. “You’re gonna love it.”

There was me, the realtor, and three other people. A middle-aged couple, and a younger woman. She had this messy black hair that kept poking her in the eye. Even at a glance I could tell the young woman was distraught. She wasn’t even looking around the house, she seemed more interested in the people wandering about.
The house had a simple and open layout. The bottom floor had a bathroom, a separate study room, an adjoining kitchen, and a lounge area. There were stairs leading to a sort of catwalk on the second floor, making the main room wide open. The second floor had another bathroom, a bedroom, and a guest room.
It had this sort of sullen 70’s vibe with grey and white flower-patterned wallpaper. There were little scuffs and tears pretty much everywhere, but the house itself seemed… fine.

The realtor, Anders, showed me all the details of the kitchen. He assured me that most of the appliances were to be replaced before the next homeowner moved in, and proudly displayed the new garbage disposal. It was a nice enough setup, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the young woman standing outside the study. I got the feeling that she was standing guard.
As the middle-aged couple walked downstairs, they asked her they could have a look.
“No,” she answered, with a shrug. “You can’t.”
“Don’t mind her,” Anders the realtor smiled. “Of course you can.”
“No,” she insisted. “They can’t.”
Anders walked up to her and leaned in. His demeanor shifted. They argued back and forth, and I could hear her repeat, over and over;
“This is not what we agreed to.”

The middle-aged couple and I just looked at one another. While the realtor and the young woman argued, we introduced ourselves. I smiled and gave them my name. They were named Helen and Sebastian, or ‘Seb’ for short. Typical midwestern salt-of-the-earth kind of people. They were suffering from an empty nest and seemed to want a place to start over. They made no secret about being interested in the place, although Helen wasn’t sure about having no direct access to the garage. Seb, on the other hand, wasn’t sure about the soil. He wanted a proper garden, and the soil seemed ill-fit to sustain greenery.
“Still,” Helen smiled. “Best place we’ve seen so far.”
“Sure is,” added Seb, giving Helen a little shake.

Anders kept arguing with the young woman. I could overhear her name as Whitney, and she was not willing to cooperate. Finally, Anders just pushed past her, putting his keys in the lock.
“Right this way, we’ll just take a quick peek.”
“We’re not done in there,” she said. “You can’t just-“
“It was supposed to be packed up, Whitney. I can’t help that you’re late.”
“That’s not… please. Give me an hour.”
“You’ve had plenty of hours.”
He clicked the door open and pushed it in. The three of us gave Whitney an apologetic look as we stepped inside.

The study was a mess. Old clothes strewn across various furniture, loose papers and books haphazardly thrown across a musky desk. An entire wall of bookshelves full of textbooks, ranging from discrete mathematics to philosophical physics. I stood there for a few seconds, taking it all in. Whitney pushed past us, grabbing an empty box from the floor.
“Don’t touch anything,” she sighed. “Just… look at it, and leave.”
Anders leaned over to us, lowering his voice.
“You have to excuse her,” he whispered. “There were some… complications, with the former owner.”
“Oh, she’s… the, uh, the daughter?” Seb asked.
Anders nodded.

While Anders told us about the east-facing windows and the top-of-the-line air conditioning system, I couldn’t help but to keep my eyes on Whitney. She was rummaging through the desk, dropping mementos, pictures, and notebooks into one of her many cardboard boxes. I could tell she was sleep deprived. She kept yawning.
Helen seemed eager to just leave Whitney to her grieving, while Seb kept to the practical details. He checked the hardwood floor, the insulation on the windows, the wall linings for pests. At one point, he almost knocked over a coffee table, and Whitney came running. She caught a vase that was about to topple off the table.
“Don’t… don’t touch anything!” she cried out. “Just… if you have to be here, stay… stay still!”
“I’m, uh… sorry,” Seb said. “I was just-“
“Just go over there!”
She waved her hands around, shaking the vase. There was a little rattle coming from it.

She shook it again, and I could see the color fade from her cheeks. Carefully, she tipped the vase, and something dark plopped into her hand.
A large bronze key.
Whitney pulled her hand back, letting the bronze key clatter to the floor. She covered her mouth, forgetting how to exhale. We just looked at her having what seemed, to us, like a mental breakdown.
“Nobody move,” she gasped. “Nobody… do anything.”

We all just stood there. Helen and Seb barely breathed, and I was suddenly hyper-aware of how still my feet were. Anders wasn’t impressed. If anything, he was fed up with this. He rolled his eyes, and picked up the key.
“Whitney, I’m sorry, you’re gonna have to wait outside.”
“Please, put… put that down.”
“You can put it with your things and take it outside.”
“Just… don’t move, you don’t know what you’re-“
Anders opened the door, stepped out of the study, and headed straight for the front door. Whitney dropped everything and ran after him. The rest of us followed suit.
“Wait!” she called out. “Please wait!”

As soon as Anders put his hand on the front door, Whitney stopped dead in her tracks.
“Anders, please, I’m sorry,” she said. “Just step away. Give me the key. I’ll leave, I promise. I swear.”
“That’s enough of that.”
“No!”

He opened the door and took a step forward. The bronze key passed the threshold.

We’d all stepped into the main lounge by now, and I heard the door to the study slam shut. There was a sort of pressure shift, making the wind move through the main lounge. Every door in the house slid shut with a click. All except the front door, which was wide open.
But there was nothing there.
Not nothing as in no one standing there. No, nothing as in “a nothing”. Just a blank, black space.
A viscous fluid where sunlight ought to be.
Endless, abyssal, ocean.

I stared at it, mesmerized. The contrast of the bright sun coming in from the windows, bouncing off the ripples of this deep ocean doorway.
And there, in the dark, humanoids. Tall, elongated silhouettes.
Anders stepped back, but it was as if parts of him refused to move. His arms were locked in place, seemingly by an invisible force. And as he stepped back, something started pulling him in.
His limbs grew long and twisted. His knees bending and snapping at impossible angles. His scalp pulled backwards, the loose skin of his face revealing the bottom white of his eyes.
“He… help!”
It was all he managed to say, as he was pulled into the dark. Limbs were quietly ripped from his sockets, as his human frame was bent, twisted, torn, and mangled. Black water mixing with marrow as dark shapes turned Anders into what resembled an underwater cloud of flesh and cloth.
Whitney threw herself forward, slamming the door shut, leaving the bronze key on the floor.

Screams erupted, and I didn’t even notice they were mine. It was this primal force being pulled out of me, this need to scream. Like a baby desperate for her mother. Helen backed into a corner and sunk to the floor, with Seb trying his best to comfort her. Whitney just sat there looking at the bronze key; her face breaking out in cold sweats.
I felt something turn in my stomach and headed for the bathroom. Whitney ran after me, but she couldn’t make it in time. I burst through the bathroom door and collapsed on the floor, hyperventilating. Whitney stayed outside, looking at me in shock.
“It’s… you’re… you’re fine,” she said. “You’re okay.”
I wasn’t. But compared to Anders, panicking on the bathroom floor seemed like a mercy.

Whitney stayed with me as I calmed down. Seb and Helen joined us. After a few minutes of silence, Whitney excused herself. She came back with pile of notebooks. She sat down across the hall from me, making sure not to enter the bathroom.
“My dad, he… found something,” she said. “I wasn’t sure exactly what.”
“We should… we should leave,” said Helen. “We should leave right now.”
“We can climb out a window,” said Seb. “If the, uh… the door is…”
“Just… please,” sighed Whitney. “Just stay. We’ll figure it out.”
“I-I mean no offense,” said Helen. “But what… what on earth was that?”
Whitney turned the notebook to a specific page and read aloud.

“I’ve been marooned in this house for thirty days. I never know where the Door is. Sometimes I can hear water, sometimes not. I tried the windows, but it nearly burst my eardrums from the pressure as water came rushing in. I can’t leave. I can’t move. They wait behind the Door. They wait for me to open.”

Whitney scratched her head. Helen looked back and forth, as if waiting for something to make sense. Seb just shook his head.
“What… what does that even mean?” asked Helen. “What happened?”
“It has to do with the doors,” Whitney explained. “They wait behind the Door.”
“There’s nothing there,” said Seb. “There’s light coming through the windows.”
“It’s… it’s not that easy. It’s when you open it.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”

Whitney stood up and handed Helen three notebooks.
“We can argue the details of dad’s quantum entanglement experiment later, but that’s not gonna help us.”
“So… let’s just go then,” said Seb. “Let’s leave.”
“You wanna take your chances on the front door? That it won’t come back? Go ahead.”
Seb took a few tentative steps up to the front door. Helen wanted to protest, but she just started looking back and forth. Whitney crossed her arms and turned away.
“I can’t hear anything,” said Seb. “Are you sure it’s there?”
“It’s somewhere,” said Whitney. “I don’t… I don’t know the rules. It has to do with the doors.”

I got up off the bathroom floor and looked at them. Seb took his hand off the front door and stepped back. Whitney turned her attention to me.
“You put yourself at risk,” said Whitney. “That could’ve killed you.”
“The bathroom?”
“The door to the bathroom. Any or all of these doors, it… it could be connected. Here, let me-“
Whitney walked up to Helen and took one of the notebooks back. She turned to one of the latter pages.

“The framework of passageway. Concept of thought. Paired in alignment, the darkness standing shy from the mirrored back of Empyrean. Realm unwilled and unbound, misshapen by collective subconscious. We cannot pass, our world-forgotten blocks dissipated. Like a bridge cannot be built of water, and a house cannot be built of wind. But the great craftsman blames not their tools; and eternal gold can be found in humble bronze.”

“Bronze,” I said. “Like the key.”
“Look, my dad, he… we weren’t on speaking terms. I’ve looked at all this for days, and all I can tell is that he was off his rocker. He died in that room.”
Whitney pointed to the study. Helen hugged Seb tight, holding back a sob.
“He couldn’t leave. He was convinced that the… the door would eat him.”

Helen sat down by the kitchen table. Thankfully, there was no door in-between the kitchen and the main lounge. Seb walked straight up to Whitney, grabbed her by the collar of her blouse, and slammed her up against the wall; his calm demeanor cracking at the seams.
“We shouldn’t be here,” he said. “This is your fault!”
“I-I didn’t know! It was all just ramblings! I didn’t have time to clear it all out, how… how could I have known?!”
“You recognized the key,” said Helen. “You chased after him. You asked him to wait.”
“That’s the only part that keeps coming back!” Whitney yelled. “Check the notebooks! The key, it’s… it’s everywhere! It’s everything!”
“So what do we do?” Seb asked. “Do we use it or destroy it?”
Whitney looked at the pile of notebooks she’d managed to gather from the study. It was only a handful of everything we’d seen in there, but it might be enough to get some semblance of an answer.

The house had six doors. The front door, the bathroom door, the study room door. On the top floor, there was another bathroom door, a door to the guest bedroom, and the main bedroom door. The bathroom door on the bottom floor was already open and considered safe. I could step in and out without a problem.
Whitney explained as best as she could.
Her father had grown increasingly paranoid since divorcing Whitney’s mother. He’d locked himself in his house, committing fully to his studies. He’d always been a bit agoraphobic, and having a reason not to leave the house was a bit of a blessing in disguise. But over time, that blessing turned into a curse. An early entry read;
“For years, I’ve longed for the presence of mind to devote myself. And now that I can, I find myself wanting. I can’t be certain. There is a Door, a passage. It binds itself seemingly spontaneously. There is a risk involved, and it is a risk I cannot take.”

Seb tried to call for help, but water started pouring out of his phone. Whitney found a page about “semi-passages” or “shortcuts”. Things that could be used as portals to another person or place. They weren’t as conceptually clean as a door, and thus wouldn’t invite “Them”, but the connection would go through that dark place. The place that, somehow, her father had stumbled upon.
I looked at the key for a long time. I didn’t dare to touch it. It was unassuming, in a way. It was old and had this sort of blocky texture; like it was made of little squares. While Helen and Seb rifled through notebooks, Whitney looked up and talked to me.
“He just wanted a way to go wherever he wanted, without having to traverse the space in-between. To just go from one door to another. All he needed was a key.”
“But why now? Why is… how are we trapped?” I asked. “We got in here just fine.”
“The realtor,” sighed Whitney. “He tried to leave with the key. I think that triggered it.”
“So how do we un-trigger it?”
Whitney shrugged and pointed to the notebooks.

We had endless discussions. We compared notes, drew out theories. Helen thought we could force the bronze key out a window, but Whitney theorized that it’d just leave us locked inside. I suggested we listened at each door, just to eliminate which ones were safe and which weren’t. We tried, but there was seemingly no way to tell. Sometimes I could hear rushing water on the other side. Scratches on the wood. Other times, nothing. Even going back to the same door, it’d sound differently each time.
We considered opening several doors at once. We spread ourselves out. I was at the upstairs bedroom door, right next to Seb by the guest room door. Whitney was downstairs by the study door, and Helen insisted on the front door. We all put our hands on the handles. I wasn’t sure if I could hear something on the other side or not; my heart was pounding too loudly.
There were six doors. Five were closed, one open. Someone was probably going to die.
“There is only ever one Door. He only speaks of it as a singular. It can change over time,” said Whitney. “This is our best shot.”
“We can’t know for sure,” said Seb. “And why do we even want to open them all? There’s nothing in the bedrooms, right?”
“We’re excluding,” I said. “Like we did with the downstairs bathroom.”
“We should close it,” said Helen. “Shouldn’t that improve our chances of… of our other doors being okay?”
“I have no idea,” sighed Whitney. “Are we doing this?”
Seb backed away from his door, taking the hand off the handle.
“It ain’t right,” he said. “None of it. It ain’t right.”

Everything erupted into an argument. Seb couldn’t bring himself to risk his life for anything less than an exit, and Helen couldn’t stop crying at the thought of that dark abyss. I couldn’t blame her. To this day, I can’t stop imagining it. Whitney, trying to act as a voice of reason, read aloud from one of the notebooks.
“The concept of the passageway, the Door, changes at the flick of a thought. An alien thought, like an invisible, uncontrollable shadow of the psyche. It refuses to be controlled. My exit could be my end; or as likely, a wooden frame. Much like we cannot control the smoke of a campfire, we cannot foresee the turning of the passageway.”
We all looked at one another. Helen collapsed by the front door, crying. Whitney was close to a mental breakdown. I felt this enormous burden settle in my stomach, like I was missing something.

“Let’s take the door off the hinges”, said Seb. “We’ll turn it into a… an arch. Then it ain’t a door anymore. You think that’ll work?”
“In theory, maybe,” said Whitney. “But how do we do that without opening it?”
“We’ll… we’ll take the whole frame off,” Seb said. “There’s a crowbar under the sink. Saw it when I checked the garbage disposal.”
Helen bent down next to the sink, put her hand on the kitchen cabinet handle. I gasped.
Was that considered a door? Could it kill her? Would it?

I imagined that dark, cold abyss. That enormous force pulling me in, turning my very form into this unrecognizable mass. Where no screams can be heard. All I’d have to show for such unimaginable anguish would be a burst of bubbles; then nothing.
“No!” I cried out. “Stop!”
But it was too late.

Nothing happened. Helen opened it, pulled out the crowbar, and that was that. But for a brief moment, I realized how Whitney’s father must’ve felt. That uncertainty, not knowing for sure if that one flick of the wrist would be damnation; or nothing.
Helen handed the crowbar to Seb, while Whitney gave me a pat on the shoulder. I couldn’t stop crying. My whole body was shaking from the sudden rush of adrenaline. Meanwhile, Seb walked up to the front door and started tapping the wood.
The theory was this; if there was no door, nothing could come through. There was no point in doing a test run, because if it didn’t work, someone would lose their life either way. It was better to have an honest chance of getting out.
Whitney gathered towels. She had this idea that, maybe, water might start leaking if the door was turned into a semi-passage, like a window. If so, we might have to find a way to quickly stop the flow.
By the time we got the towels, Seb started working on the door frame. As that first crack rang out, I heard a click.

The front door slid open.

Without a moment’s thought, Seb pushed it close. It had barely opened an inch.
We all held our breaths. We were fine. Nothing was happening.

“It’s… it’s clear!” Helen called out. “There’s nothing there! I saw it, it… it was nothing!”
“It can change!” Whitney yelled back. “We can’t take that risk again!”
“Like hell we can’t.”
Seb put his hand on the front door, but Whitney tackled him. The crowbar fell to the floor as Helen rushed forward to help.
“Listen!” Whitney yelled. “Just listen!”

A rumble, like a great whale passing in the distance. It was right there; on the other side of the front door.
Without a word, they all stood up and backed away. The door shook from the passing force. Something was definitely there.
“Then… then the rest should be fine,” said Seb. “We can get to the study.”
Whitney nodded, and the two of them burst into a sprint. Helen wasn’t convinced, but didn’t know what to say. Whitney dropped her crowbar, and as she bent to pick it up, Seb opened the door to the study.

Darkness.
“…no.”
Panic exploded. Helen grabbed his arms, trying to pull him out. Whitney crawled backwards, closing her eyes and covering her ears. I couldn’t watch. All I heard was Helen, screaming his name, over and over. There was a gargle. A scream turning into an inhuman screech, like a burning pig.
“Sebastian!” Helen kept repeating. “Sebastian! Sebastian!”
There was a click, and then nothing but crying. I looked up to see Helen collapsed against the study door. It had slid shut from the pressure on the other side.
“I’m… I’m coming, Sebby,” she cried. “I’m… I’m-“
She opened the door again.
And there was the study, just as we’d left it.

Helen collapsed on the floor, curling up into a fetal position. She kept making this child-like yowling, scratching the surface of the hardwood floor, as if trying to dig Seb back into reality. But there was nothing left. Not even water droplets on the floor.
Then there were her arms. She’d held on until the door had slammed shut. Her sleeves were torn, and her arms bloody. Not much, but there were these round little suction marks. They were already bruising, with spots of blood poking through the skin.
I sat by Helen as Whitney started rifling through the study. There were more notebooks, more theories, more diaries. Notes about experiments, clever tricks, and attempts. So far, every idea to understand the rules were in vain. We couldn’t make sure. No matter what, we could never be truly sure.

Two open doors. Four closed.

I don’t know how many hours passed. I managed to get Helen to the couch, but she was inconsolable. She could barely comprehend words anymore. She didn’t blink, and she could barely breathe. There were no coherent thoughts in her mind, just… darkness. This awful, soul-sinking darkness.
Whitney propped up the open doors with books and towels, to make sure they wouldn’t accidentally close. All the while, she kept trying to convince herself.
“We keep opening them one by one,” she said. “If we can get it to manifest in one single place, and keep that door open, we should be able to leave by another.”
The sun had started to set outside. For all intents and purposes, this still just looked like a house. The windows were clear, showing the greenery outside. Maybe it was all a lie. Maybe none of it was really happening.
But looking down at Helen, and her unblinking eyes, I knew it was the realest thing I’d ever experienced.

“We… there’s three of us,” I said. “Four doors. We can’t make it.”
“No, that’s perfect,” nodded Whitney. “That’s… we open all but the front door. It manifests. Then we can get out through the one safe remaining door.”
“Unless we all die. There’s nothing that says it can only be in one place.”
“It is implied,” said Whitney. “If you got a better plan, just tell me. But unless you want to starve to death, we gotta-“
“Starve?” I interrupted. “Is that what…”
I looked back at the study, where Whitney said her father had died. No words were necessary. She took a deep breath and nodded.
“He couldn’t bring himself to try,” she said. “So we have to ask ourselves what we want. A long but certain death, or a violent risk at life?”

The fridge, the freezer, and all the cupboards had been cleared out. Whitney found some raisins for us to share while we pondered what to do. Helen couldn’t eat. She stared blankly ahead, waiting for her mind to come wandering back.
It was dark outside. Whitney rolled the bronze key between her fingers.
“I wonder how he did it,” she sighed. “He never made any sense to me.”
“Maybe it doesn’t make sense,” I shrugged. “At least not to us.”
“Then what made him so special?”
“Well, he did have a lot of books,” I said, reaching into a pile we’d gathered from the study. “Just look at some of these.”
“Astrology of Abraham, Channels of Esoteric Geometry…”
“I like this one,” I said, holding up a little red book. “Diary of Emmett Rask.”
“Right. But it doesn’t beat the…”
Whitney pulled out another book from the pile, turning it over.
“… the thirteen faiths of the blameless mother.”
I shook my head, looking over at Helen. A handful of raisins slipped between her fingers. She didn’t even bother closing her hand.

Looking back at Whitney, I sighed.
“You’re right,” I said. “We have to try.”
So we did.

We lined ourselves up on the top floor. Helen on the far right, near the bathroom. I was on the far left, by the guest room. Whitney was in the middle, by the bedroom. Helen didn’t understand. She just mimicked us.
“We’re gonna open on three,” said Whitney. “And no matter what we see, just run. Run downstairs, and just… go. Get out.”
I nodded. Helen didn’t.
“One.”
I tightened my grip. I saw Helen follow my lead, giving me an exhausted look. She could barely keep her eyes open.
“Two.”
I started doubting which way to turn the doorknob. I’d turned a million doorknobs throughout my life, but that was the first time I’d really thought about which way to turn it. I imagined myself hearing water. Bubbles. Distant rumbles. I tried telling myself that it was all imagined. Fake. Tricks of the mind.
But in my heart of hearts, I knew it wasn’t.
“Three.”

We opened our doors.
All I saw was a well-made bed. A bag of toiletries; probably Whitney’s. I left the door open and turned around.

Helen was smiling as the darkness welcomed her.
“Come on!” Whitney screamed. “Leave her!”
The door to the bedroom was open. Clear. But I was standing just ten feet away from an endless abyss. Helen looked at it, as if searching for something. She touched the surface with an outstretched hand.
“Seb, honey,” she cried. “Sebby, please.”
A pulse shot through her. I could see the hair on her arm stand up. Her veins turning black.
“Oh, Sebby…”

In an instant, her flesh unraveled as it flayed itself from the inside out. Her scream stifled as something pulled her in, leaving splotches of blood behind from the outline of her feet. A pained moan escaped her; only to be turned to harmless bubbles in the pressurized void.
Whitney grabbed me by the neck and pulled me downstairs. We ran to the front door. We looked back a final time, just to make sure it was still manifested upstairs.
It was still there. We’d sacrificed Helen, but we’d make it out.

Whitney pulled the front door open – and stopped.
Darkness.

We’d been wrong.

Whitney turned to run as an impossibly long arm grabbed the flesh of her back; straight through her clothes. It pulled her back.
I crawled away, not being able to close my eyes.
“Help me!” she cried out. “For God’s sake fucking help me!”
I shook my head, not knowing what to do. I’ll never forget those desperate eyes. The betrayal. The pleading. She fought every inch of the way. She dug her nails into the hardwood floor. She kicked. She pulled. She screamed. But for every second she stayed, the more painful it was.
With a final snap, the fingers dug into her spine; folding her like a lawn chair.
A lifeless body, dragged across the floor. Unceremoniously pulled into the dark with a quiet squelch.
And the door, slightly damaged by Seb and his crowbar, slid shut.

I was all alone.
The door to the guest bedroom and the main bedroom remained open. There was the bathroom and study downstairs. Just two closed doors left; the bathroom and the front door. Both closed. Both… wrong.
There was no right answer.

I must’ve stayed there for days. I found some trail mix in Whitney’s bag. I had water. I could shower. I had a change of clothes. I scoured the notebooks over and over and over, trying to find the slightest hint on what to do. There had to be some way of knowing for sure. There had to be.
It wasn’t until I came across a final note that I realized it was over. It read;
“By will alone, we cannot make ourselves right. Right is right, independently of our actions and intentions. We cannot control that which never was, and we cannot be part of that which will never be. There could be no more perils for me to face, and yet, I cannot bring myself to leave. There is no certainty in the unknown, and I choose not to live by chance alone.”

I cried myself to sleep at night. I banged on the walls. I even tried opening a window, only to have my left eardrum blown out from the pressure drop. Got a nasty nosebleed as well.
I tried reading. I tried making up little worlds in my head. I imagined myself safe and sound.
But it was useless. In those final hours of desperate loneliness, I knew I couldn’t fool myself any longer.
I was going to die.

I found myself with my hand on the front door. I learned every crease of the wood. The temperature of the metal handle. I listened to it. Studied it. At times, it was quiet. At other times, it wasn’t. Sometimes I imagined it quiet, other times, I imagined voices coming from the other side.
Maybe I wasn’t imagining it.
Finally, I grasped the bronze key. Starving, exhausted, and mentally broken – I opened the front door.

Sunshine.
And there, on the fresh-cut lawn, was another realtor.
Just as confused as I was.

So, turns out I was only in there for about 16 hours total. And to this day, no one seems to remember neither Anders, Seb, Helen, or Whitney. According to every document I can find, the owner of the house had no children. The cars parked outside were unregistered. On paper, it seemed like the entire world had forgotten that these people were ever part of this plane of existence.
I don’t think anyone’s lying here. There was a sincere disbelief and confusion to every piece of my story. To onlookers, I seemed like a squatter that’d gone insane.
I’ve tried to find anything about this. They won’t let me go back to read the notes. The investment firm who owns the real estate company swept it all under a rug and tore the place down. I suspect they were the ones who made the bronze key mysteriously disappear from the evidence room.
I’ve tried to find copies of the books I found in there. Some of them have been seen in passing on strange message boards, and one just keeps making my computer turn off whenever I try to google it. Who the hell is Emmett Rask anyway?

If anyone knew these people, or have heard about this phenomenon, please… I need to know I’m sane. I need to know this isn’t all a dream. I need to know I won’t wake up with my hand on that front door, having imagined living a life back outside.
This has to be real. I am real. There is nothing on the other side of the door.
Go ahead, listen. There’s nothing there.
It can’t be.

Can it?
submitted by Saturdead to nosleep [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 00:39 synthymints Dell XPS 15 9500 Having Power On and Frozen Screen Issues - Any Insight Appreciated!

Dell XPS 15 9500 Having Power On and Frozen Screen Issues - Any Insight Appreciated!
Hello! I’ve been using a Dell XPS 15 9500 for about two years now. I’ve had some minor issues with my computer over the course of several months (nothing that I really worried over), but they’ve become a lot worse recently. The issues mainly relate to my computer crashing, having trouble powering on, and suddenly freezing the screen. Here is a list of them:
  1. The screen suddenly freezes when I am in the middle of using it. The cursor will not move at all and no keyboard buttons will work. Sometimes, there is even a visible glitch on the screen that looks like a rainbowy line, which can be seen in the first part of the video (don’t mind me watching Peak Time).
  2. When the screen freezes like I described in 1, my only option is to hold down the power button and force my computer to turn off. It turns off just fine, but powering it back on comes with a whole new batch of challenges.
  3. To turn it back on, I hold down the power button again. However, it struggles immensely to power on. What happens a lot is that the keyboard will light up and the Dell logo will pop up on the screen for a little bit before everything just crashes back to black again. This happens many in a row, like a never ending cycle: keyboard lights up, Dell logo pops up, everything goes to black, repeat. At its worse, this cycle has continued for an entire day or two. This can be seen in the the next two parts of the video attached.
  4. Sometimes my computer does manage to turn back on. However, it does some weird stuff before actually letting me sign on. One thing it does is flash through different solid color screens, which can be seen in the last part of the video.
  5. When my computer gets through the whole color changing screen phase, it sometimes comes to a page where it asks to complete a time-of-day set up program with the options “Continue,” “BIOS Setup,” and “Diagnostics.” If I hit continue, it usually lets me log back on. Or, it’ll come to a screen where it says Windows didn’t load properly and gives me the option to restart again, which usually works too.
Things I’ve Tried/Thought Of:
  1. I uninstalled unnecessary applications, which probably has nothing to do with it, but it was a nice spring cleaning.
  2. I got some insight that it might be the CMOS battery that needed replacement, but it turns out my computer model doesn’t use a CMOS battery.
  3. I also got help to go through with BIOS updates, which honestly helped immensely. The problem was totally fixed for a few days, but then it came back.
So yeah, hopefully everything I wrote is clear and understandable enough, the issues are kind of hard to describe lol. There are times when my computer works completely fine and times when it just malfunctions like this. It always eventually manages to turn back on of course, but it’s quite a hindrance when it freezes in the middle of my work and I have to spend an hour coaxing it back alive. Plus, the duration that it’s normal for varies; it can work perfectly fine for hours on end or crash every five minutes or not turn back on for an entire day. It’s very difficult to solve computer problems when your computer won’t turn on half of the time. It’s been preventing me from doing my best work, limiting my productivity, and overall causing lots of frustration.
If anyone has ever encountered similar problems or might have some computer knowledge/insight as to what might be causing this, please let me know! Thank you!
submitted by synthymints to Dell [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 00:29 lbabinz [Best Buy] Weekly Top Deals Sale at Best Buy: June 2 - 8 (PlayStation Days of Play, Square Enix, 2K, Samsung Shopping Event, Smart Home Sale, Outlet Center, more)

Top Deals
Samsung Shopping Event
Smart Home Sale
Outlet Center Sale
Video Games

Video Games

Item Sale Price MSRP Savings
Anker Charging Dock For Meta Quest 2 $99.99 $129.99 $30.00
Arcade1up Mortal Kombat Countercade Arcade Machine $219.99 $249.99 $30.00
Arcade1up Nba Jam Shaq Edition Partycade Arcade Machine $299.99 $379.99 $80.00
Arcade1up Street Fighter Ii Capcom Legacy Edition Arcade Machine With Riser $499.97 $549.97 $50.00
Arcade1up Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Countercade Arcade Machine $219.99 $249.99 $30.00
Audio Technica Ath-gdl3 Gaming Headset - Black $159.99 $179.99 $20.00
Audio Technica Ath-gdl3 Gaming Headset - White $159.99 $179.99 $20.00
Battlefield 2042 (ps5) $14.99 $24.99 $10.00
Battlefield 2042 (ps4) $14.99 $19.99 $5.00
Battlefield 2042 (xbox One) $14.99 $19.99 $5.00
Battlefield 2042 (xbox Series X) $14.99 $24.99 $10.00
Bloodborne (ps4) $9.99 $19.99 $10.00
Corsair Hs35 Stereo Gaming Headset - Black $59.98 $69.99 $10.01
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy Vii Reunion (ps4) $49.99 $64.99 $15.00
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy Vii Reunion (ps5) $49.99 $64.99 $15.00
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy Vii Reunion (switch) $49.99 $64.99 $15.00
Days Gone (ps4) $29.99 $49.99 $20.00
Fifa 23 (ps5) $49.99 $54.99 $5.00
Fifa 23 (xbox Series X) $49.99 $59.99 $10.00
Forspoken (ps5) $59.99 $89.99 $30.00
Ghost Of Tsushima Director's Cut (ps5) $39.99 $89.99 $50.00
God Of War Iii Remastered (ps4) $9.99 $19.99 $10.00
God Of War (ps4) $9.99 $19.99 $10.00
God Of War Ragnarok (ps4) $54.99 $79.99 $25.00
God Of War Ragnarok (ps5) $64.99 $89.99 $25.00
Gran Turismo 7 (ps5) $49.99 $89.99 $40.00
Gran Turismo 7 (ps4) $39.99 $79.99 $40.00
Gran Turismo Sport (ps4) $9.99 $19.99 $10.00
Harvestella (switch) $49.99 $79.99 $30.00
Horizon Forbidden West Launch Edition (ps5) $49.99 $84.97 $34.98
Horizon Forbidden West Launch Edition (ps4) $39.99 $79.99 $40.00
Horizon Forbidden West (ps5) $49.99 $89.99 $40.00
Hyperx Cloud Alpha Over-ear Gaming Headset - Black $109.99 $119.99 $10.00
Hyperx Cloud Flight Wireless Gaming Headset For Ps5/ps4 - Black $129.99 $159.99 $30.00
Hyperx Cloud Stinger 2 Core Gaming Headset For Ps5/ps4 - Black $44.99 $49.99 $5.00
Hyperx Cloudx Stinger 2 Core Gaming Headset For Xbox Series X/S / Xbox One - White $44.99 $49.99 $5.00
Insignia Carrying/protective Case For Meta - Only At Best Buy $29.99 $39.99 $10.00
Insignia Cleaning Kit For Meta $19.99 $29.99 $10.00
Insignia 5m (16.4 Ft.) Usb Type-c Cable For Meta Quest Vr Headsets - Only At Best Buy $59.99 $79.99 $20.00
Kontrolfreek Fps Freek Galaxy 4-prong Thumbsticks For Ps4 & Ps5 $19.99 $24.99 $5.00
Kontrolfreek Fps Freek Galaxy 4-prong Thumbsticks For Xbox One & Xbox Series X/S $19.99 $24.99 $5.00
Kontrolfreek Fps Freek Inferno 4-prong Thumbsticks For Ps4 & Ps5 $19.99 $24.99 $5.00
Kontrolfreek Fps Freek Inferno 4-prong Thumbsticks For Xbox One & Xbox Series X/S $19.99 $24.99 $5.00
Littlebigplanet 3 (ps4) $9.99 $19.99 $10.00
Logitech Extreme 3d Pro Joystick (963290-0403) $48.98 $49.99 $1.01
Logitech Gamepad F310 Controller $19.98 $29.99 $10.01
Logitech G923 True Force Racing Wheel For Playstation 5/pc - Black $479.99 $499.99 $20.00
Logitech G923 True Force Racing Wheel For Xbox Series X/S And Xbox One - Black $479.99 $499.99 $20.00
Logitech Wireless Gamepad (f710) $39.98 $49.99 $10.01
Mlb The Show 22 (ps4) $14.99 $29.95 $14.96
Mlb The Show 23 (ps5) $64.99 $89.99 $25.00
Mlb The Show 22 (ps5) $14.99 $39.99 $25.00
Mlb The Show 23 (ps4) $49.99 $79.99 $30.00
Mlb The Show 23 (switch) $54.99 $79.99 $25.00
Mlb The Show 23 (xbox One) $54.99 $79.99 $25.00
Nba 2k23 (ps5) $19.99 $29.99 $10.00
Nba 2k23 (ps4) $19.99 $29.99 $10.00
Nba 2k23 (switch) $19.99 $29.99 $10.00
Nba 2k23 (xbox One) $19.99 $29.99 $10.00
Nba 2k23 (xbox Series X) $19.99 $29.99 $10.00
Nfs Unbound (ps5) $49.99 $64.99 $15.00
Nfs Unbound (xbox Series X) $49.99 $64.99 $15.00
Nier:automata (switch) $39.99 $54.99 $15.00
Noon Vr Pro Headset $39.99 $49.99 $10.00
Powera Dualsense Controller Charger For Ps5 $27.99 $34.99 $7.00
Ratchet & Clank (ps4) $9.99 $19.99 $10.00
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (ps5) $39.99 $89.99 $50.00
Razer Kaira X Gaming Headset For Ps5 - White $53.99 $79.99 $26.00
Razer Kaira X Gaming Headset For Xbox Series X/S - Black $53.99 $74.99 $21.00
Razer Kaira X Gaming Headset For Xbox Series X/S - Blue $53.99 $74.99 $21.00
Razer Kaira X Gaming Headset For Xbox Series X/S - Lime $53.99 $74.99 $21.00
Razer Kaira X Gaming Headset For Xbox Series X/S - Red $53.99 $74.99 $21.00
Razer Kaira X Gaming Headset For Xbox Series X/S - White $53.99 $79.99 $26.00
Sackboy: A Big Adventure (ps5) $29.99 $79.99 $50.00
Seagate 512gb Storage Expansion Card For Xbox Series X And Series S $124.99 $149.99 $25.00
Seagate 2tb Storage Expansion Card For Xbox Series X And Series S $389.99 $489.99 $100.00
Seagate 1tb Storage Expansion Card For Xbox Series X And Series S $204.99 $274.99 $70.00
Spider-man: Miles Morales (ps4) $29.99 $64.99 $35.00
Spider-man: Miles Morales (ps5) $29.99 $64.99 $35.00
Spider-man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition (ps5) $49.99 $89.99 $40.00
Star Ocean: The Divine Force (ps5) $34.99 $49.95 $14.96
Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro X Wireless Gaming Headset For Xbox - Black $432.98 $449.99 $17.01
Surge Starter Kit 2.0 For Switch/switch Lite/switch (oled Model) $19.99 $24.99 $5.00
Surge Switchpad Pro Wireless Controller For Switch & Switch (oled Model) - Blue $34.99 $39.99 $5.00
Surge Switchpad Pro Wireless Controller For Switch & Switch (oled Model) - Red $34.99 $39.99 $5.00
Surge System Travel Case For Switch/switch Lite/switch (oled Model) $17.99 $19.99 $2.00
Surge Tempered Glass Screen Protector For Switch Lite - 2 Pack $4.99 $7.99 $3.00
Surge Temperedshield Screen Protector For Switch (oled Model) - 2 Pack $7.99 $9.99 $2.00
Tactics Ogre: Reborn (ps5) $39.99 $64.99 $25.00
The Diofield Chronicle (ps4) $34.99 $49.95 $14.96
The Diofield Chronicle (xbox Series X / Xbox One) $34.99 $37.98 $2.99
The Last Of Us: Part I (ps5) $64.99 $89.99 $25.00
The Last Of Us Remastered (ps4) $9.99 $19.99 $10.00
The Quarry (ps5) $29.99 $39.95 $9.96
The Quarry (ps4) $19.99 $29.99 $10.00
The Quarry (xbox Series X) $29.99 $39.99 $10.00
Thrustmaster Ferrari F1 Racing Wheel $239.99 $249.99 $10.00
Thrustmaster Formula Racing Wheel Add-on - Ferrari Sf1000 Edition $449.99 $499.99 $50.00
Thrustmaster Open Wheel Add-on $239.99 $279.99 $40.00
Thrustmaster T248p Racing Wheel & Magnetic Pedal Set For Xbox/pc $439.99 $549.99 $110.00
Thrustmaster T248 Racing Wheel & Magnetic Pedals For Ps5/ps4/pc $439.99 $549.99 $110.00
Thrustmaster T128 Racing Wheel & Magnetic Pedals For Ps5/ps4/pc $239.99 $279.99 $40.00
Thrustmaster T128 Racing Wheel & Magnetic Pedals For Xbox Series X/S & Xbox One/pc $239.99 $279.99 $40.00
Thrustmaster T300rs Gt Racing Wheel For Ps5/ps4/pc $529.99 $649.99 $120.00
Turtle Beach Battle Buds Gaming Headset For Switch - Black $39.98 $44.99 $5.01
Turtle Beach Ear Force Recon 70 Gaming Headset With Microphone For Playstation 4 - Black $39.98 $49.99 $10.01
Turtle Beach Ear Force Recon 70 Over-ear Gaming Headset - Blue Camo $39.98 $49.99 $10.01
Turtle Beach Ear Force Recon 70 Over-ear Gaming Headset - Green Camo $39.98 $49.99 $10.01
Turtle Beach Ear Force Recon 70 Over-ear Gaming Headset - Silver $39.98 $49.99 $10.01
Turtle Beach Ear Force Recon 50p Playstation 4 Headset - Black $34.98 $39.99 $5.01
Turtle Beach Gaming Headset With Microphone For Switch - Black/red $39.98 $49.99 $10.01
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Gaming Headset - Arctic Camo $59.99 $69.98 $9.99
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Gaming Headset - Black $59.99 $69.99 $10.00
Turtle Beach Recon 70 Gaming Headset With Microphone For Xbox One - Black/green $39.98 $49.99 $10.01
Turtle Beach Recon 70 Over-ear Gaming Headset - White $39.98 $49.99 $10.01
Turtle Beach Recon Spark Gaming Headset With Microphone - White/lavender $49.99 $69.99 $20.00
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Max Multiplatform Wireless Gaming Headset - Arctic Camo $139.99 $169.99 $30.00
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Max Multiplatform Wireless Gaming Headset - Midnight Red $139.99 $169.99 $30.00
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Max Wireless Gaming Headset - Black $139.99 $169.99 $30.00
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Max Wireless Gaming Headset For Ps5/ps4 - Arctic Camo $139.99 $169.99 $30.00
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Max Wireless Gaming Headset For Ps5/ps4 - Black $129.98 $139.99 $10.01
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Max Wireless Gaming Headset For Ps5/ps4 - Midnight Red $139.99 $169.99 $30.00
Uncharted: Legacy Of Thieves Collection (ps5) $29.99 $64.99 $35.00
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection (ps4) $9.99 $19.99 $10.00
Until Dawn (ps4) $9.99 $19.99 $10.00
Wd_black D30 Game Drive 2tb Usb-c External Solid State Drive For Ps4 (wdbatl0020bbk-wesn) $254.99 $294.99 $40.00
Wd_black D30 Game Drive 1tb Usb-c External Solid State Drive For Ps4 (wdbatl0010bbk-wesn) $159.99 $164.99 $5.00
Wd_black D30 Game Drive 1tb Usb-c External Solid State Drive For Xbox (wdbamf0010bbw-wesn) $179.99 $189.99 $10.00
Wd_black D30 Game Drive 2tb Usb-c External Solid State Drive For Xbox (wdbamf0020bbw-wesn) $314.99 $354.99 $40.00
Wd_black P10 5tb External Game Drive For Xbox (wdba5g0050bbk-wesn) - Black $159.98 $169.99 $10.01
Xbox Stereo Headset For Xbox Series X/S / Xbox One / Windows 10 $67.98 $74.99 $7.01
Xbox Wireless Controller (2020) With Usb-c Cable - Carbon Black $73.98 $74.99 $1.01
Xbox Wireless Headset For Xbox Series X/S / Xbox One / Windows 10 $109.98 $129.99 $20.01

Top Deals

Item Sale Price MSRP Savings
Arlo Essential Spotlight Wire-free Indoooutdoor 1080p Security Camera - White - 4 Pack - Only At Best Buy $339.99 $399.99 $60.00
Asus 24" Fhd 165hz 0.5ms Gtg Tn Led G-sync Gaming Monitor (vg248qg) - Black $219.99 $249.99 $30.00
Asus Rog Strix G15 Gaming Pc - Star Black (intel Core I7-12700f /512gb Ssd/16gb Ram/rtx 3070) - Only At Best Buy $1,699.99 $1,999.99 $300.00
Asus Zenwifi Pro Et12 Axe11000 Whole Home Mesh Wi-fi 6e System (90ig05z0-mx1a20) - 2 Pack $899.99 $1,099.99 $200.00
Corsair K70 Rgb Mk2 Backlit Mechanical Cherry Mx Speed Gaming Keyboard - English $199.99 $239.99 $40.00
Dji Mini 3 Quadcopter Drone Fly More Combo & Remote Control With Built-in Screen (dji Rc) - Grey $989.99 $1,108.99 $119.00
Hisense 3-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner With Wi-fi - 11500 Btu (sacc 8000 Btu) - White $449.99 $599.99 $150.00
Hp 15" Laptop - Jet Black (intel I5 1135g7/512gb Ssd/16gb Ram/windows 11 Home) $699.99 $829.99 $130.00
Hp Pavilion X360 14" Touchscreen 2-in-1 Laptop - Silver (intel Core I5 1335u/512gb Ssd/8gb Ram/win 11) $849.99 $999.99 $150.00
Irobot Roomba J7+ Wi-fi Connected Self-empty Robot Vacuum (j7550) $799.99 $999.99 $200.00
Jbl Flip 6 Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker - Black $149.99 $169.99 $20.00
Jbl Flip 6 Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker - Blue $149.99 $169.99 $20.00
Jbl Flip 6 Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker - Grey $149.99 $169.99 $20.00
Jbl Flip 6 Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker - Pink $149.99 $169.99 $20.00
Jbl Flip 6 Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker - Red $149.99 $169.99 $20.00
Jbl Flip 6 Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker - Squad $149.99 $169.99 $20.00
Jbl Flip 6 Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker - Teal $149.99 $169.99 $20.00
Jbl Flip 6 Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker - White $149.99 $169.99 $20.00
Logitech G923 True Force Racing Wheel For Playstation 5/pc - Black $479.99 $499.99 $20.00
Meta Quest 2 128gb Vr Headset With Touch Controllers $419.99 $529.99 $110.00
Meta Quest 2 256gb Vr Headset With Touch Controllers $489.99 $589.99 $100.00
Nautilus T618 Folding Treadmill $1,199.99 $1,999.99 $800.00
Ooni Koda 16" Pizza Oven - Stainless Steel $599.99 $799.99 $200.00
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro In-ear Noise Cancelling Truly Wireless Headphones - Graphite $229.99 $289.99 $60.00
Samsung Galaxy Smarttag Bluetooth Item Tracker - Black $27.99 $39.99 $12.00
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra 14.6" 256gb Android 11 Tablet W/ Qualcomm Sm8450 8-core Processor - Graphite $1,299.99 $1,499.99 $200.00
Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro (gps) 45mm Smartwatch With Heart Rate Monitor - Black $499.99 $509.99 $10.00
Samsung 55" 4k Uhd Hdr Led Tizen Smart Tv (un55cu7000fxzc) - 2023 - Titan Grey $699.99 $749.99 $50.00
Samsung 65" 4k Uhd Hdr Qled Smart Tv (qn65q60cafxzc) - 2023 - Titan Grey $1,199.99 $1,299.99 $100.00
Seagate One Touch 4tb Usb 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive (stkc4000404) - Grey - Only At Best Buy $119.99 $139.99 $20.00
Sonos Arc Sound Bar - Black $879.99 $949.99 $70.00
Sony Cyber-shot Zv-1 Content Creator Vlogger 20.1mp 2.9x Optical Zoom Digital Camera - Black $949.99 $999.99 $50.00
Sony Wh-ch520 On-ear Bluetooth Headphones W/ Microphone - Black $69.99 $99.99 $30.00
Sony Wh-ch520 On-ear Bluetooth Headphones W/ Microphone - Blue $69.99 $99.99 $30.00
Sony Wh-ch520 On-ear Bluetooth Headphones W/ Microphone - White $69.99 $99.99 $30.00

Samsung Shopping Event

Item Sale Price MSRP Savings
Samsung 30" French Door Refrigerator; Electric Air Fry Range; Dishwasher; Cookware Set - Stainless 2999.99 3749.96 749.97
Samsung Galaxy Smarttag Bluetooth Item Tracker - Black 27.99 39.99 12.00
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra 14.6" 256gb Android 11 Tablet W/ Qualcomm Sm8450 8-core Processor - Graphite 1299.99 1499.99 200.00
Samsung Hw-q750b/zc 5.1.2 Channel Wireless Dolby Atmos Sound Bar W/ Wireless Subwoofer & Speakers 599.95 1099.95 500.00
Samsung 55" 4k Uhd Hdr Led Tizen Smart Tv (un55cu7000fxzc) - 2023 - Titan Grey 699.99 749.99 50.00
Samsung 65" 4k Uhd Hdr Qled Smart Tv (qn65q60cafxzc) - 2023 - Titan Grey 1199.99 1299.99 100.00
Samsung T7 Shield 1tb Usb 3.2 External Solid State Drive (mu-pe1t0s/am) - Black 119.99 149.99 30.00

Outlet Center

Item Sale Price MSRP Savings
Apple Macbook Air 13.3" W/ Touch Id (fall 2020) - Silver (apple M1 Chip / 256gb Ssd / 8gb Ram) - En - Open Box 968.95 1199.95 231.00
Open Box - Apple Ipad Air 10.9" 64gb With Wi-fi (5th Generation) - Starlight 729.99 759.99 30.00
Open Box - Apple Iphone 14 Pro Max 128gb - Deep Purple - Unlocked 1249.99 1549.99 300.00
Open Box - Google Pixel 7 Pro 128gb - Obsidian - Unlocked 939.99 999.99 60.00
Open Box - Nikon D7500 Dslr Camera With 18-140mm Ed Vr Lens Kit 1449.99 1499.99 50.00
Open Box - Samsung Galaxy S22 5g 128gb - Phantom Black - Unlocked 869.99 989.99 120.00
Open Box - Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5" 32gb Android Tablet With Unisoc 618 8-core Processor - Silver 259.99 299.99 40.00
Open Box - Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Fe 12.4" 64gb Android 11 Tablet With Qualcomm Sm7225 8-core Processor - Black 639.99 749.99 110.00
Open Box - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5g 256gb - Phantom Black - Unlocked 2099.99 2404.99 305.00
Open Box - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 5g 512gb - Phantom Black - Unlocked 1969.99 2049.99 80.00
Open Box - Samsung 65" 4k Uhd Hdr Led Tizen Smart Tv (un65au8000fxzc) - 2021 849.99 899.99 50.00
Open Box - Sony Cyber-shot Zv-1 Content Creator Vlogger 20.1mp 2.9x Optical Zoom Digital Camera -white 899.99 999.99 100.00
Refurbished (good) - Apple Airpods Pro (2nd Generation) In-ear Noise Cancelling Truly Wireless Headphones - White 199.99 329.99 130.00
Samsung 65" 4k Uhd Hdr Qled Tizen Smart Tv (qn65q60bafxzc) - Titan Grey - Open Box 1019.99 1089.99 70.00
Samsung 65" 4k Uhd Oled Tizen Smart Tv (qn65s95bafxzc) - Open Box 2209.99 2419.99 210.00

Smart Home Sale

Item Sale Price MSRP Savings
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) Smart Speaker With Alexa - Charcoal 39.99 69.99 30.00
Amazon Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) Smart Display With Alexa - Charcoal 69.99 99.99 30.00
Arlo Essential Spotlight Wire-free Indoooutdoor 1080p Security Camera - White - 4 Pack - Only At Best Buy 339.99 399.99 60.00
Click & Grow Smart Garden 9 (sg9s1us) - White 219.99 259.99 40.00
Eufy Eufycam 2 Pro Wireless Security System With 2 Bullet 2k Cameras - White 349.99 479.99 130.00
Eufy Touch & Wi-fi Smart Lock - Black 299.99 349.99 50.00
Ge Cync A19 Smart Led Light Bulb - Multi-colour 12.99 17.99 5.00
Google Nest Cam Wired Indoor Security Camera - Snow 99.99 128.99 29.00
Google Nest Cam Wire-free Indoooutdoor Security Camera - White 189.99 228.99 39.00
Google Nest Hub Max Smart Display With Google Assistant - Charcoal 238.99 299.99 61.00
Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) Smart Display With Google Assistant - Chalk 79.99 129.99 50.00
Google Nest Wi-fi Smart Learning Thermostat (3rd Generation) - Stainless Steel 268.99 328.99 60.00
Nanoleaf Shapes Mini Triangle Panels - Smarter Kit - 5 Panels 59.97 149.97 90.00
Ring Wi-fi Video Doorbell Pro 2 - Satin Nickel 234.99 328.99 94.00
Sobro Smart Coffee Table With Refrigerated Drawer - White 1299.99 1999.99 700.00
submitted by lbabinz to VideoGameDealsCanada [link] [comments]