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Memory transcription subject: Michael Smith, Human extermination officer
Date [standardized human time]: November 4, 2136
Once we realized that the Nixas were pack predators and probably social enough to hold a grudge, we made sure to get the hell out of there and raced multiple miles downstream, before slowing down again. Our mission forced us to actually explore the ecosystem, instead of just driving past it, after all.
We were all rational enough to agree on that, but none of us liked it. For the entire rest of the day we were constantly checking our backs, waiting for an angry pack of Nixas to attack us. Not that any animal would be able to hurt us inside of the Truck, but something about Vartek almost bleeding out stripped us bare of any sense of safety or security. Vartek was still almost completely incapacitated by his wound - unsurprisingly, if you considered how lucky he even was to even be alive after that bite almost severed one of his biggest blood vessels. We could have called in a medical aircraft to fly him home, but he refused to go and leave us alone, so we decided to nurse him back to health on the inside of Bob.
We still didn’t know why the Nixa attacked us so recklessly, but we had some theories. Steven supposed it was a territorial creature and saw us as competitors over the already limited food supply, so it had no choice but to attack us, if it wanted to live. Lim believed that the lack of food forced it to attack any possible prey, no matter how difficult to kill, because it could not afford to be picky.
It’s almost entirely empty stomach - as the surgery showed - appeared to support the second theory, whilst multiple traces of this exact Nixa we found nearby supported the idea of it being territorial. Either way, any other Nixas we encountered could be equally, if not more, deadly and we did not intend to find out the hard way.
We did find multiple traces of other Nixas nearby - including multiple tiny bones, chewed apart and sucked dry of bone marrow, with not a single ounce of flesh left on them, as well as footsteps of Nixas traveling in small groups. We also found some creatures gall bladder, carefully ripped out of the body by a Nixa before the rest was eaten. We rarely left the safety Bob provided, and when we did to take a sample, we staid in a small radius and made sure everyone was equipped with guns and flamethrowers and plasmaweapons - we were taking no chances anymore.
Since we had found no traces of Nixas before and suddenly there were hundreds of signs of Nixa activity now, we assumed we had stumbled right into their hunting grounds. This meant that, once we left this area, they would likely leave us alone. But until then, we had to be very careful.
The good news was, that the Nixas filled the gaping hole in the food chain we had noticed. The bad news was, that we probably placed lower than them on that chain, and that they knew that very well.
The team was in shambles. Almost loosing Vartek hurt, but maybe being hunted by an entire pack of predators? And not even knowing how many they were, where they could be lurking or whether they actually were hunting us? Now that fucked with our nerves. Mirva was sobbing again, and I really didn’t know how to help her or calm her down. Farlent had not let go of her weapons since Vartek fell asleep again, David and Lim had stayed up all night, Steven had not spoken a single word since and Ortsa began making many mistakes, which was very unusual for her. Not only did she open the wrong door last hour, the hour before that she pressed the buttons to start in the wrong order and almost broke Bobs engine.
None of us blamed her for those tiny mistakes, since the nerves made all of us less competent, but she clearly blamed herself plenty.
Usually, I knew how to calm them down, how to keep the team happy, but right now? I couldn’t even calm myself.
I was so deep in thought, so focused on our shitty situation, that I didn’t even notice Mirva was talking, until she repeated herself:
“Mike? Hey, Mike? Please, Mike, listen to me… Mike?“
“Huh? Sorry Mirva, I was… stuck in some mental loop… how are you?“
“Scared… terrified really. Are you really sure those monsters can’t get to us here? I mean, they were smart enough to wait for the moment we were all distracted before attacking Vartek!“
I was not sure, but I didn’t have the heart to tell here that. Not that I wanted to lie to her, either, but the truth would just be cruel at this point.
“Don’t worry. They can’t harm us. Because they aren’t monsters, just animals. Smart, dangerous animals sure, but animals nonetheless. They want to live and they want to avoid being hurt and thus they would never be insane enough to attack us. Not while we are all armed, together and sitting inside a moving fortress with rocket launchers, energy weapons and grenade proof armor. And even if they tried, Bob would protect us. He is a good truck and he got a lot of tricks up his sleeve. And even if all else fails, you don’t have to worry. Because I am here and I will protect you!“
Mirva took a deep breath, my words seemed to work, but she wasn’t quite convinced yet.
“Because that is your job?“
I chuckled and hugged her.
“No. Because you are my friend!“
Mirva smiled nervously - she actually smiled like a human, oh my god that is so cute - and her horizontal pupils got a little smaller, as she slightly calmed down. But then she shot the sleeping Vartek a sad glance.
“I am sorry I couldn’t save Vartek. I was out there and I should have stopped that Nixa, but I was too weak, too scared.“
I grabbed her by the shoulders.
“No, you are not weak. I saw you out there, standing in front of Jane, making sure that the Nixa didn’t kill her as well. Without you, we could have lost her, you hear me? That wasn’t weak, that was brave!“
I thought that were the right words to make her feel good, but something went wrong. As I said brave she suddenly recoiled and for a split second she was looking of into the distance as if she wasn’t even aware I existed anymore. I had no clue what just happened, but it probably wasn’t good. Therefore I quickly rephrased:
“Err… I meant to say you did a really good job there. Thank you for saving Jane!“
Mirva shook her head as if she had just woken up, than she gave me a proud wave with her tail.
“You’re welcome! It always feels good to do what’s right. Even though I still wish I could have helped Vartek… anyways, thanks for this talk, Mike. It really helped!“
She hugged me again and walked of.
Well, that was weird.
I looked around and saw that, since the last time I checked about an hour ago, most of the team had fallen asleep now. Including Farlent, which meant no one had had their eyes on the road for the last few minutes. Fuck.
I wipped my head around just in time to see three Nixas, with their eyes locked right on me, jumping away immediately after seeing me snap around.
And whoosh, they were gone. Hiding behind some rocks, presumably.
Or was I getting so tired I had started hallucinating?

Episode Link
We have a lengthy conversation about the great music from the 1990s. Artists include:
Nirvana
Mariah Carey
Pearl Jam
2Pac
Biggie Smalls
Dr. Dre
Alice in Chains
Rage Against the Machine
Metallica
Public Enemy
Korn
Snoop Dogg

It was the last building of the day: a tall gray rectangle on a humdrum street in a forgettable neighborhood. The kind of place where the average tenant was a pearl-clutching eighty-year-old who wouldn't buzz the door open for Christ himself.
In my work as a gas meter inspector, I'd run into a lot of types like that. Even with my official-looking vest and clipboard, people were suspicious…and I couldn't say I blamed them.
After all, any psychopath could buy an official-looking vest and clipboard.
By my third week on the job, I could size up buildings by sight. I could usually tell whether I'd be dealing with busy professionals working from home, families with multiple children who were almost sure to be out of the house when I buzzed, or packs of young people who left their doors unlocked and often didn’t even know what a gas meter was.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw a bucket propping open the exterior door. The corridor was gloomy, but I could just make out a pudgy retiree in a sweater vest mopping the hallway.
"Good afternoon," I waved from the street, "I'm for the gas company…"
"Well, come on in then, lad." His teeth glinted in the dim light, and for some reason, those words sounded like a threat.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I realized I did not want to step into that dark hallway, with its ugly wood paneling and wet tile floor that smelled like bleach. The old man leaned on his mop expectantly.
If I didn't register the building today, I told myself, I'd just have to come back tomorrow; it would be out of my way and off my route, and I was already barely meeting my quota…
I sighed and walked toward the janky, old-fashioned elevator.
"This is a safe neighborhood. Usually." The old man commented as I passed. I realized why his voice seemed to snarl and why the light reflected so strangely on his teeth: they were made of metal, some kind of weird prosthetic…
The old man must have noticed how I recoiled, because he held out a hand to steady me.
"A few weeks ago I was walking down that very street outside the door when a group of teenagers came running up behind me. They grabbed my wallet and my watch, and when I tried to scream, they smashed out my teeth with a bottle." He smiled, as if to demonstrate the delinquents' ghastly work. "Going up?"
At least the guy didn't follow me into the elevator, I thought, as I rode the rickety thing up to the top floor. As usual, I’d work my way down, knocking on doors and marking down the responses I received. No one was home in apartment 5A, and at apartment 5B, a handwritten note was tapped to the door:
Gas Meter: 8043.24 – We DO NOT Open The Door For Strangers!
I rolled my eyes and took note of the number before continuing down the stairs. There was no natural light in the hallway, which was lit only by dusty wall lamps. The hair on the back of my neck was standing up, but I couldn't figure out just what it was about the place that unnerved me so much. It wasn’t like this was the rundown tenement where a junkie had chased around me with a dirty needle, or the eerily-clean penthouse where I’d found a heiress floating in a bathtub with her wrists cut…
Even so, each time I knocked, I found myself hoping that no one (and no thing) would answer. When the door of apartment 4B opened just a crack, I think I actually jumped backward a little.
“Yeah?” A cigarette dangled from the lips of the overweight blonde woman peering at me from the other side of the chain. She looked me over with worry–maybe even fear–in her tired blue eyes. “What?”
“Hi, I’m here to–”
“Oh. Right. The gas. Well, c’mon in…” I could hear the echo of cartoons and squealing kids from deep inside the apartment. Something bothered me about the way the woman had answered the door, but I was halfway to the meter before I realized what it was: she’d opened up almost as soon as I’d knocked. Like she’d been listening for something…
As I scooted around overflowing stacks of cardboard boxes, I told myself that I was letting my imagination run away with me.
“Sorry,” the blonde woman coughed. “We’re still unpacking.”
“It’s alright,” I said, slipping on a child’s sock.
“I see why they can’t keep tenants, though.” She blew out a cloud of smoke. “Whoever’s in the apartment below us makes noise like you wouldn’t believe. If I had a choice, I’d get us outta here, but I can’t afford it. And even if I could, I wouldn’t wanna do that to the kids. The move was rough on them…they keep having these dreams, you know? ‘Night terrors,’ the doctor calls them…”
“Yep, well, change is hard when you’re young.” I was only half-paying attention; my work app had just crashed, and was taking forever to reboot. When it finally finished loading, I input the number and flashed her a smile. “All done. Have a good one!”
“You too…” she looked like she wanted to say something more, but she just gave me a tired little wave. She locked the door behind me as soon as I left.
I proceed down to 3A and 3B. A knock on 3A’s door received no answer; I was walking toward 3B when the door swung open wide.
There was only darkness on the other side.
“Come in!” an elderly woman’s voice called out.
“Um,” I hesitated. “Could you turn on the lights for me, please?”
No answer. My heart was racing as I stepped into the gloom. I ran my hand along the wall, feeling for a switch–
The door slammed shut behind me. I would’ve sworn I heard an old woman’s voice whispering in the blackness: “Don’t worry. Grandma won't let him get you…”
Suddenly, I felt hard plastic beneath my fingers–a lightswitch!
The bulb flickered on…revealing a dusty, empty room with grimy yellow walls.
“H-hello?” I ventured. No answer.
I wanted to raise the blinds to let in some exterior light, but the cords had been cut…and besides, I wasn’t supposed to touch anything other than the gas meter. As I walked past the lightless kitchen, I chanced a look inside.
A pale man wearing nothing but filthy underwear stood with his back to me, holding himself and rocking back and forth..
I muttered an apology and kept moving. I’d walked in on worse things, but the feeling of wrongness in this place was becoming impossible to ignore. I told myself that all I had to do was get to the end of the hallway and read that damn meter, then it would all be over…
I heard movement in a room across the hall: a child, barely visible in the gloom. The glow of the apartment’s single lightbulb reflected in his milky eyes.
“You shouldn’t be here.” The child snarled, taking a step toward me.”HE’ll see you.” Now I could see that his face was purplish and bloated…and that there were bruises in the shape of bony hands around his neck. “Grandma said she would save us. But she couldn’t…because this is HIS place, and NOTHING can protect you from HIM.”
I moaned and took a step backward. Another child appeared behind the first, his neck twisted at an impossible angle.
“What’s wrong with you?” it asked. ”Can’t you see that you’re in hell?”
The bathroom door creaked open; I ran.
Sprinting past the kitchen, I noticed for the first time the bloodless knife wounds in the pale man’s back. I could hear footsteps, but they weren’t coming from the hallway…they were coming from above me! Filthy footprints appeared on the ceiling, closing in on where I stood. Whatever was making them panted with wet, excited breaths…
I tugged on the doorknob. Of course, it wouldn’t open.
“Help…HELP!” I screamed, pounding on the door.
In a few seconds, the thing would be right on top of me–
A key turned in the lock and I practically fell into the hallway. It was the retiree from earlier, still holding his mop bucket.
“Did you get locked in or something?” he chuckled. “You’re lucky the super gave me a spare set of keys!”
I moaned something incomprehensible and gestured over my shoulder–
But there was nothing behind me but yellowed walls.
“Let me guess,” he snorted, “you saw that apartment wide open, went inside, then the door blew shut behind you? It happens all the time in this drafty old place. I keep telling the super that he needs to fix the damn lock so that door doesn’t creak open all the time, but he won’t lift a finger until he gets some renters in there. And good luck with that! I wouldn’t go in that apartment if you paid me!”
“What do you mean?” I gasped, trying to keep up with the retiree as he walked back downstairs.
“It was a tragedy, a real shame. We all knew the old woman who lived there was a bit batty, but nobody realized how far gone she was ‘til it was too late. She thought that there was some kind of ‘presence’ in the apartment–‘HIM,’ she called it–and she convinced herself that ‘HE’ was gonna take her grandkids away…so she strangled’em in their sleep. To protect them, she said. Can you believe that? Then, when her son found out what she’d done, she stabbed him to death right there in the kitchen…” the retiree shook his head as he locked up the mop and bucket in a grimy janitorial closet. “The strangest part was how they found the old woman afterwards. She was laying right in the middle of the living room with a face like she’d been screaming her head off, but there wasn’t a mark on her…it was like she’d been scared to death. But listen to me! Rambling on and on when you’ve got a job to do. It’s 1246.15.” The retiree finished cheerfully.
“Huh?” I mumbled.
“My gas meter. It’s 1246.15, and I’m in apartment 2A. Got all that?” My legs felt weak. I staggered toward the door. “Hey!” the retiree shouted after me, “where are you going? Don’t you have more apartments to check?”
I did, but I didn’t check them–not that evening nor any other. I turned in my resignation as soon as I got back to the office. My days of walking into strange apartments were over, but what had happened in unit 3B of that anonymous gray apartment complex stuck with me.
It made me think that every building–just like every person–has its own true story…
And some of those stories are horror stories.
X

This is fun little short story that I've been thinking about for a while. I hope that it is entertaining for everyone and do feel free to leave a comment down below with your thoughts. I like hearing from you, and any bit of feedback can help me improve. Enjoy!
Next
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Ask anyone in the academy and they will tell you that deep space explorer is the job everyone dreams about, but anyone who does get the job will tell you just how bad it is. Endless cycles of flying, scanning and then flying some more, all while being locked inside of a ship the size of a small apartment building. To say cabin fever sets in quickly would be an understatement.
Still, the young and naïve will shoot for the position. Some might say that it is simply human nature to want to explore and find something that no one else has ever laid eyes upon. Whatever the reason was, it was this naïve hope of finding something new that landed Lisa in this pickle.
She was a healthy twenty-five-year-old fresh out of the academy, proud graduate of the class of 2247. Her skin was fair, her hair was fiery red, and she possessed a well-toned body as a result of all the training she went through. For the last several years she had been training to be a deep space explorer, and now that she had got her wish, she just wanted to be anywhere else.
That wasn’t to say that she didn’t occasionally enjoy her job, particularly when she is able to record the discovery of a new planet or asteroid cluster, but those long periods of time between these places were killer on her psyche. The only thing that was able to keep her even remotely sane was also a necessary part of being an explorer. Her partner.
Ships always went out with people working in pairs or trios. Daniel was great. They got along well even in their academy days, having a similar sense of humor and shared some hobbies with one another. They both put in to be partners with each other because you had to be able to get along when you are locked in a metal box for months with someone.
Lisa was sitting in the pilot seat of their ship, checking the different status screens to make sure that nothing was going wrong while they were in transit. The door to the cockpit opened and Lisa glanced over her shoulder to see Daniel stagger in and flop down into the co-pilot seat with a yawn. His black hair was rather messy right now, and he had definitely gotten a lot paler since they started this journey due to the lack of direct sunlight they received.
“Morning sleeping beauty, looks like you enjoyed your little nap.” Lisa said with a slightly teasing voice.
“Yeah, well after that double shift I had to pull when the plumbing line cracked, I’ve been whipped. I appreciate you taking over my shift at the helm.”
“No big deal, basically just watching a bunch of blinking lights. Honestly might have fallen asleep myself a few times. Promise not to rat me out?”
He chuckled a bit. “Sure, so long as my unscheduled nap doesn’t make it into the logs.”
“Deal.”
With that bit of lighthearted banter, they both went back to their jobs, which for now was directing the last stages of exiting from slip space. When they exited traveling speed and coasted to a much more reasonable pace, the first of the scans for the new system they entered were sent out. Lots of stray gasses and rocks. There was a small moon sized celestial body that was high in metal content though.
“Well, that might make a good mark for a mining colony to set up around for a few years. I think that’s worth a bonus at least.” Lisa comments.
“Yeah, not the most interesting system we’ve ever been to, but it has potential. Making note of it in the log.”
Everything seemed to be going rather by the book. Lisa was interested in the possibility of the small moon growing into something else, maybe a gas planet given another few tens of thousands of years. Still, nothing much left to do here, so she... A light started blinking on the console, one that shouldn’t have been blinking this far out in the middle of nowhere.
“Huh.” She idly sounded out while reaching out to change the screen’s projection.
“What’s up?” Daniel asked.
“Oh, I'm not sure yet. The sensors are picking up a signal, but it's probably just stray background radiation tricking the system. Let me clear it up.”
Daniel nodded and let her do just that while he focused on taking a detailed recording of the moon for those back home. Meanwhile, Lisa was still trying to find the cause of the signal and filter it out. The only problem with that she found that the signal was locally generated, not just a strong interstellar pulse.
Her brow dropped in clear confusion as she started to set the scanner to track the source of the signal. It pinged several times and it came back that it was moving. “Hey, Daniel.”
“What’s up?”
“Do you know if there are any deep space probes in the area?”
“Uhm, let me check. Why?”
“That signal that we found, it is locally generated, and it’s moving.”
“Oh, damn, are we trespassing on a corporate claimed system?”
“That’s what I want to find out. Pull up the probe list for this area.”
“Already on it. Let’s see...” He scanned through the list that appeared on the screen in front for a minute, reading over various probe identifiers and posting notices. “Hmmm, this might be a problem. There are no active probes in the area, at least none that are registered. Illegal operations?”
“It’s possible. We should snap a few pictures and then report this.”
“Alright. I’ll keep an eye out for additional signals. If this turns out to be pirates, we need to gun it out of here.”
“Diverting power to engines, adjusting heading, and here we go.” With a few simple commands she pushed the ship into motion towards the mysterious signal. It was about thirty minutes of sub-slip flight to reach the general area. The tension was building in the cockpit as the two continued to be on the edge of their seats just in case this turned out to be a trap.
They entered the zone of the signal’s source, and it was projected to be within twenty miles of their current position and closing fast. “Can we get a visual on this thing yet?” Lisa asked.
“Hold on, locking in on the source, external cameras are active and searching.” It was a few minutes later that a ping sounded from his console. “Got it, putting it on the main screen.”
They both looked over to see that the source of the signal was a ship, although it wasn’t of any design or make that they were familiar with. “Daniel, any ideas of what to do? They seem to have power, but are they stranded?”
“I’m not picking up an SOS, it just seems like they are transmitting a stream of data somewhere. Should we try hailing them?”
Lisa contemplated that for a moment. “We should, just in case they need help. I’ve got the engines hot and ready to go if things get pear shaped.”
“Opening up a channel now.” Daniel flipped a few switches, and the mic was hot. “Unidentified vessel, this is the Chariot of Helios. We were passing through the area when we picked up your data stream. Are you in need of assistance?” There was a minute where nothing came back on the radio. “Unidentified vessel, please respond.” A second later Daniel’s eyebrows went up. “Uhm...”
The way he sounded had Lisa worried. “What? What’s wrong?”
“Their signal stopped.” He replied tersely, keeping his focus on the panel in front of him.
“Good or bad?”
“Don’t know. There are a lot of things this could mean. They might be doing something illegal, in which case they think we busted them, the stop of the signal could be a signal for someone, in which case this is a trap, or they are just trying to redirect their focus onto us.”
“Here’s hoping it’s the last one. I’m ready to blow this joint at a moment’s notice”
“Hold on, they’re sending something back. I’ll put in on speaker.” What came through was a series of clicking, screeching, and whistling sounds that made the two of them flinch.
“The hell was that?” Lisa asked.
“Maybe they are having some technical problems? Let me try again.” He started to transmit again. “Unidentified vessel, please repeat your last message, we did not understand you.”
This time there was a long pause in the back and forth that lasted several minutes before the ship started to send them something. “They’re sending us a data package.” Daniel said as the information came in through the screening process.
“What’s on it?”
“Hold on, it’s a pretty big file size.” There was a pause for a moment before he quirked his brow questioningly. “This is... is this a lexicon?”
“What? Let me see that.” She leaned over to get a view of the stream of symbols and occasional accompanying pictures. It had a similar layout to the lexicons that they were familiar with and were taught about in the academy but there were some minor differences that made it unique. “Daniel, do you recognize any of this?”
“The format, sort of, but not the characters or the language used here. Lisa, I'm thinking we might be involved in something big here.”
“Wait, you don’t mean that this is...”
He nodded. “Yeah, this might be a first contact.”
That was hard to grasp for the two of them. In over fifty years of human deep space travel there hadn’t been a single sign of alien life. To think that they would be the ones to discover another civilization was difficult to process. Still, there were procedures in place for such a happening if ever it did occur.
“Uhm, okay, so, erm.” She fumbled around the console a little bit while trying desperately to remember the steps as her mind was thrown into chaotic panic. “Fuck! I mean... Aliens!”
“I know, I know, just... try to keep calm and let's give them our own lexicon. We have it around here... somewhere.” He might have not have been as visibly panicked as she was, but he was still floundering a bit with the ship controls.
“Okay, alright, I’m calm, I’m good. I’ll just, uhm, put their lexicon through the learning program.” The simple VI program could parse an insane amount of data and find common patterns that it would use to devise a logical conclusion. In this case, it would decipher their language, at least in written form.
“You do that, I just found our lexicon file and am now sending the packet to them. Oh damn, almost forgot, we need to record all of this, so we have it on file.”
“Really? Shit, as if I wasn’t already under enough pressure. Can’t we send out a request for help?”
“Take a deep breath, we’re months out into wild space and any message will take weeks to travel. I'm going to start the recording.”
While Lisa watched the learning program slowly decipher the alien lexicon, Daniel started the recording with a brief description of their names, the name of their ship, and the situation that they had found themselves in. Once the basics were covered it was now just a waiting game. Either they would figure out the alien language first, or the aliens would decipher theirs. Whatever the outcome, the tension from waiting was terrible.
It felt like the progress bar on the translations was taking forever, and eventually Lisa just got up to go and prepare something to eat so she had something to distract herself with. While cooking on the shuttle was rather limited given the nature of their job, there was a certain art in preparing the dehydrated foods in a way that would make them palatable. The process of making their favorite combination of dried foods. That was able to distract her for a while, and the meal helped return the mood around the ship to at least a relative normal.
Hours ended up passing. The progress that the learning program made on the lexicon was significant. It was almost a full day of waiting and they had just reached the three-fourths mark on the program before the console pinged with an incoming message. Both of them were dozing in the cockpit when the console came alive again, and they jumped in their seats while scrambling to their stations again.
“What just came in.” Lisa asked with a slightly frantic tone.
“Hold on, checking now. We appear to be receiving a message, text only. It just says, ‘Hello’.”
“They sent that? Does that mean they figured out our language?” She sounded a bit more excited. The first successful communication between different species.
“That’s what it seems like. I guess their programs were more advanced than ours. I wonder what else they have that might be better?” Daniel contemplated all the possibilities before shaking his head. “Let’s save the speculations for later. We should return a message.”
She shot him a grin. “Will it be the stereotypical message that we always see?”
He gave a grin himself. “What better message is there? I’ve always wanted to say this.” He began typing out the message they would send to the aliens in reply, and Lisa watched as the words appeared on the screen.
‘Greetings from humanity, we come in peace and wish for cooperation.’
The cockpit went still for a few minutes, and you could barely even hear the two breathe as they waited for the reply.
‘Hello humanity, we of the Ursul Collective are gladdened to hear of your peaceful intentions.’
“Yes!” Lisa shouted out and threw her hands into the air. “Aliens! Peaceful aliens! Fuck yeah! I wonder what kind of music they have. Maybe they’re fuzzy.” She gasped at the realization. “Oh my god, if they’re furry little guys I'm going to lose it.”
“Please do not scare away the aliens before we have a chance to establish diplomatic relations.”
“That depends on them and how cute they are.”
“I will kick you out of this cockpit if you do anything crazy.”
She huffed. “Fine, I'll try to contain myself.”
“Good.” With that he got back to the conversation with the aliens known as the Ursul.
‘We are very far from our home on a scouting mission, but we hope that you would be willing to set up a meeting between our leaders.’
After a pause for apparent deliberation was had, they replied. ‘We do not have much authority as we are similar to you in occupation. However, news of meeting people from the stars will be heeded by all, so we need to return to our world to establish such a meeting. We invite you to follow but would need access to your computers to relay navigation data to avoid stellar obstacles.’
“That might be a problem.” Lisa idly states. “The security on the navigation controls wouldn’t recognize any of their computers and lock them out. They would need to give them to us in person, which means they would have to come aboard, and we don’t yet know if our atmospheres are compatible.”
“Well, we can ask them about that at the very least.” He gets to work typing again.
‘We are honored that you would invite us to your home, but our ship lacks the means of receiving that data unless it’s in person. If you would tell us the composition of your atmosphere and the weight of your gravity it would help us figure out if it is possible for a visit between our ships to take place.’
There was another brief pause before the reply. ‘Our atmosphere is mostly a nitrogen oxygen composite of seventy-five and twenty-three percent respectively with gravity set at nine point five three meters a second.’
‘Okay, that is relatively comparable to our own conditions. It should be safe for you to come aboard for the transfer, at least for a little while until further tests can be made. If you are willing to come aboard, we would be happy to host you for as long as you need’
‘We are very excited for the prospect of being the first to meet with a new species face to face. How would we connect our ships?’
‘Our dock has a flexible tube attachment that can seal around a variety of ports. You will have to make a short jump through zero gravity, but you can make it across safely. Do you have any concerns about this?’
‘We do not. Two of us will make the trip across. You may approach us slowly, our port is extended and waiting for your umbilical.’
With the permission received, they began their cautious approach as to not spook the aliens or cause an accident. The strange oblong vehicle they piloted had a flat bottom, was gunmetal grey, and currently had a tube extended from its port side. Lisa and Daniel piloted their ship to match the speed of the alien vessel was drifting at. Once they were synchronized, the umbilical tube was extended out from their ship and carefully wrapped around the extended port where it was vacuum sealed and then atmospherically pressurized.
‘The umbilical is secure; you may cross when ready.’
‘Acknowledged, we will begin the boarding process for your ship’
Lisa jumped out of her seat and rushed to the airlock, practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. She couldn’t even stand still as she rocked on the balls of her feet while waiting. Daniel was much more reserved but still held a fixed grin that showed he was eager to see the aliens as well.
Soon the sound of the outer airlock closing was heard inside the ship, and the two humans straightened themselves out as much as possible. Lisa bit her lip in anticipation, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself to a respectable level. The inner door started to open, and Lisa stepped forward to speak first only to freeze in place at the sight of the beings standing in the entrance.
Standing in the entrance to the airlock were two aliens over six feet tall that looked like upright arthropods. Their black shells were reminiscent of ancient earth trilobites, eight limbs consisting of four legs and four arms, with heads similar to that of vespids, clacking mandibles and antennae included.
Lisa went stiff as a board and pale as a ghost, frozen in abject horror. The two alien arthropods also stopped all bodily movement at the sight of the humans before the one on the left let out a screech and charge at Lisa.
HolyfuckingshitthisishowIdie! Was the only thought that went through her head before her arms were seized by the alien with two of its graspers holding her by the elbows and the other two by the shoulders. Its mandibles clacked rapidly as it let out a series of whistling, humming, and trilling sounds while prodding along her head with its antennae.
Lisa was so paralyzed that she couldn’t even find it in her to scream. Her heart was racing so fast in her chest that she thought it might explode as she was on the verge of tears. In a single act of desperation, she managed to look towards where Daniel was, hoping that he would come to her rescue, but only seeing him backing away from the other alien that was moving towards him as well.
“Hey! I’m warning you dude, stay away from me, I'll rock you upside the head!” He threatened the alien that paid no mind as it still slowly closed distance with him.
“D-D-D-Daniel! Help!” She managed to stammer out.
He looked over at his partner in the grasp of the large alien and then back at the one trying to corner him. With a curse on his lips, he swung a haymaker and struck the alien approaching him on the side of its head. Immediately pain shot up through him as it felt like he had just punched a rock, but the alien was sent staggering from the blow.
Wasting no time, he rushed to the aid of his partner, and learning his lesson, he opted to grab her while shoving as hard as he could against her captor. The alien’s grip wasn’t all that strong, and she slid out of its grasp while it stumbled backwards. Immediately he pulled Lisa behind him and started to back away from them towards the cockpit.
The aliens had recovered from the blows, though still appeared to be somewhat disoriented. The one that Daniel had pushed had moved to assist the staggering alien that was punched before trying to approach the two humans again with raised graspers. Daniel put up his fists for a fight, but the punch-drunk alien reached out and grabbed its comrade, stopping them from approaching.
This alien took the lead over its comrade, approaching extremely slowly in a half-bowed manner. Daniel did not drop his guard, but he took notice as the alien reached towards one of its arms which had a device attached to it. Their nimble four fingered hands started to tap away at the device for a moment.
After they stopped fiddling with the device, the console in the cockpit pinged with a notification for a received message. Daniel cast a quick glance in that direction before returning an iron clad gaze onto the aliens who were standing completely still.
“Lisa, go check what that message says. I’ll watch them.”
She was more than okay with that as it gave her an excuse to get as far away from the freaky aliens as possible. Now in the other room she felt significantly better and was able to focus a little more. Checking the screen, she found the message somewhat odd, and yelled out at Daniel what it said.
“The message says: ‘I am sorry, we appear to have breached some sort of social barrier and apologize. We hope that we have not damaged our chances at relations.’”
Daniel’s brow dropped in contemplation. Was this just a misunderstanding? He started to feel a little bad for punching the one alien.
“Lisa, can you link my tablet to the ship systems and bring it to me?”
“Yeah, right, one second.” She was a little bit unsure about going back into that room, but so long as she kept Daniel between herself and the aliens, she could manage. After syncing the devices, she returned to Daniel and handed him the tablet, not so subtly hiding behind him as just looking at the two aliens made her break out in a cold sweat.
Daniel started to type out a question to help clarify the situation. ‘Why did you grab my partner like that?’
After reading the message, the alien frantically started typing on their device. ‘I apologize profusely for any offense that this might have cause. My own partner was simply overcome with surprise and failed to control themselves. There was no harm intended.’
‘And what was intended? You still haven’t said why you reacted that way or laid hands on my partner.’ Daniel fixed them with a glare, and despite them being significantly more terrifying than him, they seemed to shrink a little under his gaze. When they started typing again, it was with some hesitance before they sent it.
‘We do not wish to offend you, but you are very appealing to our senses, especially the smaller human with the bright fur. My companion simply could not resist touching and I apologize for his and my own actions.’
Daniel and Lucy were shocked when they read that, and it took them a solid minute to fully process it. ‘So... You’re saying that you find us cute?’
‘Yes.’
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Next

Source: https://www.bungie.net/7/en/News/Article/destiny-2-twab-3-30-23
This week at Bungie, we’re still recovering from the emotional roller coaster that was last week’s story mission and this week’s remembrance centering around Amanda Holliday. While we’re still making our best attempt at pretending we aren't sobbing messes over our favorite mechanic, we did want to share our preview of the mid-Season weapons update, a fun behind-the-scenes look at development animation horrors, and an update on what our Player Support team is working hard on.
Here’s what we’re going to be digging into this week:

• A preview of our mid-Season update from the team.
• Answering a question about one particular weapon players are searching for.
• A behind-the-scenes look at placeholder animations regarding that gun.
• Update from our Player Support team on known issues and coming updates.
• The community’s favorite #AOTW and #MOTW picks of the week.

In case you missed last week’s blog, here’s a helpful TLDR:

• We said farewell to the man behind our beloved Commander, Lance Reddick.
• Shared a quick wrap-up of a recent Crucible blog post.
• Shared some changes to the Root of Nightmares raid.
  
  • A bonus heads up that Master and Challenge Mode begins this week.

You can check out last week’s update here to learn more!
Before we move on to the actual TWAB, we wanted to pay tribute to the incredible Amanda Holliday. Last week, we all said goodbye to a character that proudly walked the Guardian path in every way but her title. Holliday gave her life during Season of Defiance, and she did so in the most Amanda way possible: like a compassionate Badass with a capital ‘B.’ No matter her trials, her heart never shied away from caring about those around her, even when her mind begged her to be more reserved. We saw it with her friendship with Crow, and against all odds, we saw it in the small ways she showed our Vanguard that she was there to support them. We also saw it each time we spoke with her, even if we just needed a little ship tune-up.
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On a more personal note, I worked on aircraft when I was active duty military, so I always looked up to Amanda as a character and felt a special bond with her. I could see myself in her. I wanted to be her. She was a Light and had a strength I don’t even think she knew about. It has always been inspiring, and her journey will continue to inspire long after her sacrifice.
Amanda Holliday gave up her life to help those around her, for those who needed protection. Needed safety. She sacrificed herself for a cause she believed in, and it’s our job as Guardians to make her proud.

Time For a Difficult(y) Conversation

We've been keeping an eye on community feedback on overall difficulty since Lightfall's launch, and we have some changes in today's update and future updates that retune certain experiences. In today’s update, we’ve reduced Legend and Master enemy HP scalars for non-boss units, which we felt were a little higher than we liked:

• Reduced the enemy HP scalar in all non-raid/dungeon Legend and Master activities by 10%.
• Reduced the co-op enemy HP scalar in Legendary Avalon by 33% in a full fireteam.

We've also made some additional reductions to Commendations requirements so players can reach their milestones at a more enjoyable pace:

• Reduced Hawthorne's weekly challenge Commendations target from 20 to 5.
• Removed Guardian Rank objectives that require players to give Commendations from Ranks 7, 8, and 9.
• Further reduced Commendation score requirements for Guardian Ranks 7-9:
  
  • Rank 7: 100 (was 460)
  • Rank 8: 250 (was 790)
  • Rank 9: 500 (was 1,290) ##Mid-Season Preview, Weapons Edition

Hello everyone, and welcome to another mid-Season weapons balance pass preview! Senior Design Lead Chris Proctor here. This is not going to be a huge one, but we feel that the changes we do have are impactful to the sandboxes in both PvP and PvE. Also, as a note in case you missed it, in last week's patch, we corrected an issue with Target Lock that was making it significantly more forgiving to use than intended, which originally would have been included in this patch, but we felt the change warranted being pulled forward.

PvE Primary Weapon Balance

We wanted to see how the PvE sandbox shook out after the release of Lightfall, not necessarily to see if primary weapons needed a buff, but more to see how much we should buff them. We've done quite a bit of testing on these numbers, in content ranging from Heroic Nightfalls to Legendary campaigns, all the way up to Grandmasters and we think that the changes are impactful without invalidating the difficulty of the appropriate levels.
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In Heroic and Legendary content, you should be more likely to one-shot red-bar enemies depending on your weapon type, and even in GMs, we have shaved how many shots it takes and time it takes to kill for the below weapons against red and orange bar enemies. We want to add that we do not believe we are done with tuning weapon damage in PvE, this is merely a starting point, and we will revisit it in the coming Seasons to make sure everything has a place in the sandbox.

• Increased the damage of the following weapon types against red and orange bar enemies in PvE:
  
  • Auto Rifles face steep competition from Submachine Guns (SMGs) within parts of their range, and having a longer possible engagement distance wasn't doing enough to offset it. We don't want Auto Rifles to defeat combatants faster than SMGs, as that would flip the script and invalidate the lower range options instead, but we did feel like we could close the gap substantially.
    • Auto Rifles - 25%
  • Pulse Rifles and Hand Cannons have been considered weaker in harder PvE content for some time, so we wanted to make sure the buff we gave them was substantial, while at the same time keeping them below the lower ranged options in terms of pure lethality. Pulse Rifles have struggled, being less effective than Scout Rifles despite, for the most part, having a less effective range. We also put Sidearms into this group because they similarly lagged in damage output compared to the longer ranged SMGs. At these values, Pulse Rifles should be in a more reasonable spot, Hand Cannons should feel like they pack more of a punch, and Sidearms should fall much better into the "high risk, high reward" category.
    • Pulse Rifles, Hand Cannons, and Sidearms - 20%
  • Scout Rifles - We need to be careful tuning Scout Rifles up too much, because they offer the benefits of very safe engagement ranges paired with unlimited ammo, so making them too strong instantly turns most endgame PvE content into "sit as far away as possible and plink," which we want to avoid. That being said, after the changes to the other weapons, they felt like they were trailing just a little too far behind, so we have moved them up as well.
    • Scout Rifles - 10%
• SMGs and Bows - We tuned the rest of the primary weapons using these two archetypes as benchmarks, but as mentioned above, we will continue to keep an eye on the primary weapon balance in PvE and may revisit their tuning as needed.
  

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Weapon Archetypes

• Submachine Guns
  
  • Aggressive Frame SMGs have been very strong in the PvP meta for the last couple of months, with a handful of outliers taking most of the credit. The IKELOS SMG was something of a mystery to us, as we continually felt, and got reports, that the gun seemed to have much better stability than its stats would indicate it should, compared to other SMGs. Originally, the IKELOS SMG was built back in the Warmind era when we had fewer guidelines on how to keep weapons balanced, and upon doing a deeper investigation we found that some custom tuning had been added to the weapon's scope to give it a recoil reduction effect. For comparison, the recoil reduction tuning was like having an effect nearly equivalent to Zen Moment at max strength, and always active. We have removed that custom tuning, and the recoil should now feel in-line with other SMGs.
    
    • IKELOS SMG:
      • Removed some tuning in the custom scope causing these weapons to have significantly less recoil than intended. The recoil is now in line with other Aggressive Frame SMGs.
    • We are aware that this change in isolation, while noticeable, is unlikely to put much of a dent in Aggressive Frame SMGs current dominance, so we have a larger change to reduce the damage of the Aggressives sub-family that will release alongside Season 21. The change will be targeted at shifting the resiliency threshold where the gun can achieve its optimal 0.67s Time to Kill (TTK) down to a lower value, to force a more reasonable 0.77s TTK against most players, while also decreasing their forgiveness of missed crits.
• Fusion Rifle
  
  • When we last touched Fusion Rifles, Shotguns had seen a big drop in effectiveness, and we were concerned that Rapid-Fire Frame Fusions would rise up to take their place. As such, we preemptively nerfed Rapid-Fires pretty hard. In today's sandbox, this is less of a concern due to the renewed strength of Shotguns following the airborne effectiveness and pellet spread changes, so we have walked back some of the damage nerf we made to Rapid-Fires. This change will push them back to defeating all resilience levels in 7 bolts and give them a decent bump to ease of use.
    • Increased burst damage by 15 (damage per burst goes from 245 to 260, damage per bolt goes from 27.2 to 28.9).
    • Damage in PvE is unchanged.
• Trace Rifle
  
  • Trace Rifles are in a bit of a precarious spot in the Crucible. In the right hands, they can kill very quickly from long ranges, even outside of their optimal time to kill (TTK). On the other hand, they can be difficult to use, and they often feel heavily ammo limited if you are not hitting the optimal TTK. We did a lot of experimenting with them for this change, including multiple combinations of damage and crit ratios, and settled on the values below as the highest we could push their damage output before they became frustrating to deal with in Crucible. Interestingly, with damage any higher than this the feeling was that they had a surplus of ammo, especially in 6v6 modes, and could often net 2 kills per Special brick picked up, which was concerning. Once we moved their damage values, they still felt like they needed a little bit more, and we wanted to lean harder into making them feel good to use, so we increased the effect that stability has on reducing flinch at the high end of the stat. We will monitor this change when it goes live and may revisit the ammo situation in a future update if their effectiveness remains low.
    • Increased base damage by 4% (base damage goes from 12 to 12.5).
    • Reduced precision hit multiplier from 1.4x to 1.35x (crit damage goes from 16.8 to 16.9).
    • Increased the effectiveness of stability at reducing flinch by 10% at 100 stat (scales down at lower values).
• Sniper Rifle
  
  • Rapid-Fire Frame Sniper Rifles have long struggled to find a place in both the PvP and PvE meta. In PvP, their inability to kill with two body shots puts them on uneven footing with other Snipers, and in PvE their fast RPM but standard inventory sizes mean you constantly feel low on ammo. To address these concerns and differentiate them from other Sniper sub-families, we have reduced their recoil by 50%. This means hitting crits on a boss or Champion in PvE is much easier, and taking rapid follow-up shots in PvP is too. We have also increased their inventory stat by 30%, which should give them a lot more rounds to play with in PvE content.
    • Reduced recoil by 50%.
    • Increased total ammunition (magazine + reserves) by 30%.

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Exotic Weapons

• Final Warning - Final Warning being able to track targets through barricades, while funny in some cases, felt pretty unfair to play against and was not an intended mechanic of the weapon.
  
  • Can no longer mark targets through Titan Barricades.
• Tarrabah - This weapon is something we have been keeping an eye on for a while, and with the spotlight being shown on Aggressive Frame SMGs, it felt like Tarrabah has had its time in the sun. When the weapon was introduced, there was substantially less survivability in PvP, and the intention was that it would take nearly two full engagements to get Ravenous Beast active, which made it one of the costliest perk activators we had in game and justified the extreme power it offered. As the sandbox has progressed, however, survivability has increased, and it has become possible for Ravenous Beast to be very close to activating after a single engagement. This has meant that savvy players could purposefully bait or take a small amount of damage (like standing in a grenade's effect) to top off the perk, and then have it active for the second engagement. The increased ease of access has made Ravenous Beast an outlier in today's Crucible, and we were left with the options of reducing the potency of the perk itself or trying to make its activation more difficult, and we decided to work with the latter. This reduction in energy granted from taking damage puts the onus back on the user to deal damage and shifts the balance of the perk back towards a difficult activator that justifies its reward of a potent effect. In addition, we are continuing our mission to address zoom outliers, and this felt like a good time to reduce the zoom of Tarrabah back down to something more in line with the rest of the SMG archetype.
  
  • Reduced the amount of Ravenous Beast energy generated when taking damage from 3% to 1%.
  • Reduced zoom from 16 to 15.
• Revision Zero - Fourth Times the Charm (FTTC) working when Revision Zero went into Hunter's Trace is a fun and intended interaction, but it caused some unfortunate issues. Activating it too early while the perk was up caused the weapon to overflow its limited mag size and return to the normal Pulse Rifle mode. We have made a fix so that FTTC can continue to work while Hunter's Trace is active, but it will not be able to grant ammo until all shots have been expended. This means you can still enjoy the 2 free shots provided by the perk as long as you hit all 4 Hunter's Trace rounds without worrying about being kicked out of the mode. In addition, we have buffed the damage of the Hunter's Trace rounds by 25% in PvE, and we have buffed the Häkke Heavy Burst rounds by 75% in PvE. This will now make it more of a tradeoff when choosing between the origin perks, either dealing more damage in the primary mode but charging Hunter's Trace more slowly or dealing less damage but charging the bonus shots more quickly.
  
  • Fourth Times the Charm will now be reset when entering Hunter's Trace.
    • This will prevent the issue of firing a single shot while in Hunter's Trace and being forcibly returned to Pulse Rifle mode when FTTC activates.
  • Increased PvE damage of the Hunter's Trace rounds by 25%.
  • Increased PvE damage of the Häkke Heavy Burst rounds by 75%.Video Link ####At Season 21 Launch
• A sweeping rework of weapon hip fire reticles to better display useful information to players (accuracy, aim assist, charge state, Exotic perk state, etc.).
  
• The Aggressive Frame SMG nerf.
  
• A 10% PvE buff to Sniper Rifle damage.
  
• Buffs/adjustments to more than a dozen Exotic weapons, including Graviton Lance and Salvation's Grip.
  

  In the Future

• We are going to be taking a look at how zoom interacts with damage fall off, and the base damage fall off ranges of all weapons in general.
  
• Zoom, and perks like Rangefinder that manipulate zoom, have become a requirement on several weapon types, either to compete at all in the sandbox, or to allow the weapon to exceed its intended engagement ranges. This has led us to begin to consolidate zoom values on certain weapon archetypes, which removes an important lever that we can use to modify weapon feel, given the effect zoom has on field of view, recoil reduction, and aim assist falloff.
  
• We will be investigating decoupling damage falloff from zoom (this would be paired alongside a refresh of the base damage falloff values to compensate), which should allow us to better control the engagement ranges of individual archetypes, while at the same time letting us continue to use zoom as a tuning knob for weapon feel without dramatically changing their performance.
  

  The Case of the Missing Khvostov, A Peek Behind the Developer Curtain

Cinematics Director James Myers has an answer that many of you have been asking: “Where the heck is the Khvostov weapon seen in cutscenes?!” Funny story about that, we’ll let Myers take this one.
Myers: During the production of Lightfall, a certain story beat was pitched related to reluctantly aiming a weapon, and we quickly realized that we would need to animate that moment much more specifically than we typically handle Guardians pointing weapons in previous scenes. Many players have noticed some of the sillier results in some real-time scenes, even when we avoid extreme poses (like our Guardian holding a Bow at the end of The Witch Queen.) So, I spun up a thread with the studio leads and suggested that we decide on a “default weapon” that we could feature if we ever needed something specific like this. I suggested the Khvostov because it’s the very first weapon every player receives in Destiny. Literally every Guardian has tinkered around with this weapon, so it felt like the right call.
At the same time, new systems were being developed that would feature Guardians (like Commendations), and similarly, there were a lot of visual bugs popping up with certain weapons like Glaives and Bows. The animation team was stretched thin closing on cinematics, and a new set of animations was, unfortunately, something that would cost us other content. Because of that, we made the decision to use the same default logic in the instances where a visual bug would detract from the quality bar we aim to achieve.
Regarding helmets seen in in-engine cinematics, I have seen some folks post screenshots of their Guardians from recent real-time cinematics, and many were helmetless! Something we started doing in Lightfall is respecting the player's choice of helmet or no helmet in real-time scenes, where appropriate (we'll keep your helmet on in the vacuum of space for example). But for the most part, if you choose "hide helmet," you'll see your Guardian's face. And if you don't, you won't unless there's a special exception (I don't want to make that promise too airtight, just in case!). There is one caveat to keep in mind: the Season 20 cinematics were in production before we finalized this plan, so from Season 21 onward this will be consistent!
As a little bonus “sneak peek,” some animators in the film industry were recently discussing how they push animation poses in ridiculous ways to get the framing just right on camera, making for better shot composition and framing. It stirred up some interesting conversation, so we figured we'd show you one of these reframings with an example from the Season 20 intro cinematic. Whatever it takes to get the shot, y’know?
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What we see:
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There Will Be Wallpapers

And because you all had to see the hidden horrors of animation right alongside us, here are some freebie wallpapers to enjoy as a return to normalcy. You know, as a treat. Plus, can we just take a moment to drool over the Mara art? Because definitely going to snag that one for my new background.
Desktop:
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Player Support Report

Poll: Do you call it Root or RoN?
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Another week, another Player Support Report. This week, we’re diving into Loadout crashes, providing another update to Guardian Ranks, and detailing a list of known issues that the crew is working on.
This is their report.
Known Issues List Help Forums Bungie Help Twitter
LOADOUT CRASHES
We are aware of an issue where attempting to equip certain loadouts can cause game crashes for players. We recommend that players experiencing error code WEASEL when equipping loadouts ensure that their Class Items are using the updated version of the Empowered Finish mod as outlined in Hotfix 7.0.0.6.
GUARDIAN RANK UPDATE
The Commendation requirements for unlocking Guardian Ranks 7, 8, and 9 have been updated. The updated requirements can be viewed in the Guardian Rank objectives by navigating to the Journey tab. Players must complete and claim all required objectives, then interact with the Ironwood Tree in the Tower to unlock their next Guardian Rank.
KNOWN ISSUES
While we continue investigating various known issues, here is a list of the latest issues that were reported to us in our #Help forum:

• The Preservation mission in the Throne World is not available for some players.
• The Hydroponics Delta Lost Legendary Sector has a longer respawn timer.
• Veteran players do not receive the correct amount of lore books when they rank up for the first time.
• Reservoir Burst explosion with Subsistence can sometimes fail to activate on kill.
• Adept Trials Hand Cannon is getting one round less in the magazine than the non-Adept version.
• The grav-lift on Neomuna is tied to framerate, causing players with higher framerates to die upon landing.
• Non-Lightfall quests showing up under the Lightfall quest category.
• Hunter gauntlets Thunderhead Grips are missing as an ornament for armor synthesis.
• Certain Heavy weapon archetypes are not benefitting from equipping a third reserve mod.
• Players are no longer able to equip the Unbroken title.
• Restoration reverts to a lower timer when reapplying the original source of the buff.
• Weapons can mark targets through Titan barricades.
• Thread of Generation stops functioning on Hunters for grenades that aren't Grapple after using their Super.
• Unpowered melee can produce fast melee combos in quick succession.
• Players experience a black screen when previewing armor bundles on PS5.
• Some players on Steam are unable to progress past the class icon loading spinner on launch. Please send us your DxDiag on our Help forum.
• Commendations are greyed out as already given in some activities.

For a full list of emergent issues in Destiny 2, players can review our Known Issues article. Players who observe other issues should report them to our #Help forum.

To Strand or Not to Strand, It's Not Really a Question at This Point

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Hippy: It’s pretty easy to see that we love ourselves a good Strand grapple. Seriously, some of the videos y’all tag us in are making Spider-Man proud. We just know it. While some videos out there go ham on making a statement ala green-flavored Darkness, this “strange anomaly” is so subtly hilarious it was impossible to leave out of this week’s movie picks.
Movie of the Week: Investigating a strange Strand anomaly.
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Sam: We've seen rocket riding, but have you seen this?
Movie of the Week: Guardian Down

Due to certain... circumstances... the Guardian Space Agency is hard at work determining new ways to support the Guardian fleet with space travel! #MOTW
Preliminary Results:
❌ Rocket Riding
❌ Lumina Riding
✅ "Guardian Down" Riding pic.twitter.com/jAhZVuXgYx
— DVSuffering Student 📚 (@A_DVS_NTT) March 23, 2023

So, Nezarec and Eris Walk Into a Bar (Stop Us If You've Heard This One)

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Bruno: I think the Root of Nightmares raid has been around long enough for us to start praising your art around a certain Final God of Pain. Nezarec is an amazing character with a unique design, and I'm so happy so many artists are making their own versions of him.
Art of the Week: The Final God of Trapezius, too

I've fallen in love with Nezarec, actually #Destiny2AOTW #Lightfall pic.twitter.com/5fcourZxok
— The Edgeless Terror (@ascendantraisin) March 20, 2023

Ivan: This piece has some (space) magic behind it. Now I'm curious what's there behind the curtain. I guess we'll need to wait and find out. Great #Destiny2AOTW submission, congrats!
Art of the Week: Eris Morn

Eris Morn
Drawn by a friend's request #Destiny2AOTW #Destiny2 pic.twitter.com/d80bkwMTxJ
— 백곰 (@polarbear2324) March 26, 2023

And that's a wrap on our latest TWAB! This one was pretty weapons-focused, but with so much talk about recent changes, we wanted to spend some time going over what's coming down the pipeline.
Now that our paths must diverge once more, just a friendly reminder to please remember to drink your water, prioritize that self-care, pet all the good puppers out there for me, and always lead with your kindest foot forward. See you on the flip side, friends.
"I should go,"
<3 Hippy

Spirituality and religion are a big part of our lives and of our human experience of this physical plane. It gives us meaning, purpose, hope, a safe space to find the support we need in times of turmoil, and also friends to celebrate with important moments in our lives.
Sometimes one has another calling. The things they were born into do not fit their personal views and values, like wearing your shoes the other way around. It does not feel right, even tho you might be able to still go places. First, you are scared: Am I doing something wrong? Why can I not be like my parents, family, comunity?
Then you start looking for something different, some water that can put out the inner fire. The instinct guides you on a strange journey, outside of the margins of the universe you knew before.
As things settle, you try to return to the comunity you left briefly, as ameans of following a habbit. Suddenly you realise that they are not the people you knew. Things feel odd and out of place. You try to ask for help: the comunity tells you that you are lost and wicked. You look in the mirror and fear yourself, as you would suddenly be a monster, an outsider.
(It is normal to be afraid: the archetype of the stranger and the fear of it kept us alive. But, at the same time, it leads to no progress. Innovation means breaking the standard mold.)
You decide there is no place there for you anymore, and you want to leave to figure things out on your own. The gates of the comunity are, however, locked, in an attempt from the people around to protect you and ”save you”. You are now trapped. You have two choices now:

1. You stay and try living again as one of the people.
2. You break free and start a new adventure.

​

• It is not an easy decision to leave. They are your family, your friends, teachers. People you grew up with. Forcing your spirit into the mold they are formed after might make you realise that was the answer you needed, or it could destroy you, making you a dead amongst the living. These are moments of turmoil you have to go through yourself. And it will fucking hurt.

Then, one day, you decide to leave for good. You sneak out through a window. The fortress you leave behind screams and yells. This offense is outrageous. This is a metaphor, usually representing the ”I am independent and have my own life/home type of situation. Outside you discover the beings from beyond the walls, learning and growing side by side with them.
Sometimes is a bit more complicated. You are unable to leave physically so you are left with staring through the window, dreamind and secretly trying to connect with the universe outside the walls. This would be more a mental exercise of self descovering and redescovery. Frustrating, painful, poisonous: pretending during the day to be like them, while at night you break free from your chains. Or, situation that makes it even more tensed, they know you are an outsider, but they still hope they can grab and drag you again in their ideal existence, an inability to see something different more than ”broken”.
​

• It is not an easy decision to stay. It was a refreshing moment outside, very interesting, but you know you can not live alone. For whatever reason and through whatever tactics, they made you dependant on them.

It will be unconfortable? Maybe, but you will learn to live with it, embrace the pain as part of existence. Create new ways to adapt to the old ways. Your life would still have meaning, even tho it will feel artificial and untrue. Force yourself to see through a lense that does not help you anymore. Like trying to read a book using the glasses your grandma has.
Sometimes, just playing pretend will not suffice. You can not trick your brain forever. The spark you felt the first time will start burning more and more, crawling like a milion bugs through your veins. Then, something will break, and it is usually our own essence. Escaping is not just a desire anymore, but an existential need. A life ore death situation.
​
A vital thing is your soul journey is knowing yourself. What do you trully want? Who are you when nobody else is there to put a label on you?

I am working on an old Timberline GT, stock drivetrain 3x7. I got the rear derailleur dialed in perfect, however the front is giving me trouble. I can get it up from 1 to 3 no problem, but once it’s in the biggest chain ring it doesn’t want to shift down to the second. If I drop to first it will pull down to first. Cable tension is very taught and I have tried adjusting the limit screw every which way. The only thing I can think of is that I did accidentally cut the new chain short by a couple links compared to what I assume was the original chain that came on the bike. Could that chain tension around the biggest chainring be enough to hold it on that ring despite my shift? When on the biggest chain ring + biggest cassette ring the rear derailleur is quite stretched, but it is maintaining the S shape, kind of… just wondering if I need to go buy an extra quick link and add a few

Here are the links to the original posts: OG Post & Beta V6.0
You can find the tool here: ImportYeti.com
If you missed the earlier posts, ImportYeti searches 100,000,000 public shipping records to find a quality supplier 1,000x times easier than Alibaba alone. You answer questions like:

• Who makes Patagonia's jackets and coats? Answer: Kwang Viet Garment
• Who is the top supplier of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Spain? Answer: Deoleo S A
• Who are the top companies & suppliers who import/export under HS Code 4011.00 -- tires?

Here are the BIG changes on this release:

• You can build applications or integrate your existing infrastructure with API Access
• We’re laying the framework for supply chain analysis and helping people understand complex supply chain problems. E.x. How do I know China is the right place to import Kettlebells? How do I know this is the right factory to choose? The first example on the site is Forex Risk
• Save your favorite companies, suppliers and H.S. Codes using the NEW and improved Bookmark feature. This feature lays the groundwork for new features that will help you group companies together and analyze supply chain data.

I'd love any and all feedback (love or hate)... no matter how brutal, small or crazy : ) I only want to create things that people really love. Thank you to everyone that helped us sending their feedback about the site redesign. Please PM me or comment below anytime

Days of travel have passed by since you boarded Orcus's Favor. Dark clouds are gathering above your head, dimming the view of the stars laid upon the night sky. Finally, across your field of vision, you see Stormwreck Isle, faintly obscured by the fog.
A shimmer of ancient magic lingers around the volcunic island. You have only heard legends of it. Legends of dragons fighting to the death, underwater beasts drowing wandering sailors, of the great dragon Sharruth who was locked in the depths of the ocean right below where the isle now floats.
At the edge of the cliff stands Dragon's Rest, a monastery of red stone. Its residents want to create a safe haven out of this blood stained land, a place for those who long for peace, who wish to heal the wounds of the past. How long will this peace last? Only time will tell.
You have been hired by a mysterious man by the name of Lord Aidron to assist his dear aunt in any way she may need while he is unavailable. Good pay, easy work, you had assumed. Simply help out this nice old lady with some menial tasks and get a nice vacation out of this.
Upon your arrival, however, you discover your patron has vanished mysteriously over night. Where is Lord Aidron? Has a dragon truly claimed the near by observatory as the villagers claim? And what exactly is the Priestess hiding?
Campaign Details: Hello! Thank you for reading through this little blurb of mine. I am Zizi (she/her), your new DM, hopefully. I am somewhat of a beginner. This will be the first time I DM something entirely on my own so I am very excited to invite you to this adventure with me.
As you can probably guess, we will be playing the new Starter Adventure: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle! It is a relatively small campaign, going from level one to level three, but I do have some extra material so if I see everyone is having fun, I can expand it to level 5.
This game will be pretty well-balanced all around ( 60/40 roleplay to combat). I will say that fellow explorers will also have quite some stuff to dive into. Not giving out any spoilers, but Stormwreck Isle does have its fair share of secrets.
Requirements: •18+ only (Disclaimer: there will be no explicit material in this campaign, just a preference thing) •Be nice (no one likes a jerk) •Be available at the time stated above •Have a basic grasp of english •Have a working microphone
Generally, I am looking for players who love engaging with the story, NPCs and other players. No prior experience required.
I have three more players already. We were supposed to start tomorrow but one had to drop out so I felt this would be a good moment to search for some new people! We are playing weekly, on Friday, at 7:30 PM GMT.
Character Creation Rules: •Characters start at Level 1 •Anything official goes •For stats, you can roll, take standard array or do point buy. Whatever suits your fancy, but if you roll, you have to keep it •I will allow homebrew, but I will have to take a look at it first •You get starting equipment and you can roll for additional wealth
And that's it! I am hoping to find some cool people to hang out with. As long as everyone is enjoying themselves and getting along, I am a happy DM.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc61YWPE2brKs-QBGbJDLdu9mxIGcA6KeD82YuUu8MiLUSDpQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

++ Crusade Force Organisation Chart (LA - XVI: Sons of Horus) [2,894Pts] ++
+ Expanded Army Lists +
Expanded Army List Profiles:: Exemplary Units On, Legacy Units On
+ Allegiance: +
** XVI: Sons of Horus**
Allegiance: Loyalist
+ Rite of War: +
Rite of War: Pride Of The Legion
+ HQ: +
Praetor [150Pts]
. Legion Praetor: Artificer Armour
. . Archaeotech Pistol
. . Bolt Pistol
. . Chainsword: Chainsword
. . Power Weapon: Carsoran Power Axe
Praetor [145Pts]
. Legion Praetor: Artificer Armour
. . Plasma Pistol
. . Power Weapon: Power Sword
Praetor, Cataphractii [145Pts]: Stoic Defender, Warlord, Wolf of Luna (Loyalist only)
. Legion Cataphractii Praetor: Cataphractii Terminator Armour, Pair of Lightning Claws
. . Power Weapon: Power Sword
+ Elites: +
Contemptor Dreadnought Talon [200Pts]
. Contemptor Dreadnought: Combi-Bolter, Gravis Power Fist with in-built ranged weapon, Havoc Launcher, Kheres Assault Cannon
Terminator Cataphractii Squad [240Pts]
. ** Cataphractii Sergeant:** Grenade Harness, Power Fist
. Cataphractii: Combi-Bolter, Power Fist
. Cataphractii w/Heavy Weapon (1 in 5): Chainfist, Heavy Flamer
. 2x Cataphractii w/Lightning Claws: 2x Pair of Lightning Claws
Terminator Cataphractii Squad [225Pts]
. ** Cataphractii Sergeant w/TLC:** Pair of Lightning Claws
. 4x Cataphractii w/Lightning Claws: 4x Pair of Lightning Claws
Terminator Cataphractii Squad [230Pts]
. ** Cataphractii Sergeant:** Combi-Bolter, Grenade Harness
. . Power Weapon: Power Sword
. Cataphractii: Chainfist, Combi-Bolter
. Cataphractii w/Heavy Weapon (1 in 5): Heavy Flamer, Power Fist
. 2x Cataphractii w/Lightning Claws: 2x Pair of Lightning Claws
+ Troops: +
Tactical Squad [145Pts]
. ** Legion Tactical Sergeant:** Bolter, Lightning Claw, Plasma Pistol, Power Armour
. 6x Legionaries (collective): 6x Bolt Pistol, 6x Bolter
. Legionary w/ Options:: Bayonet, Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Nuncio-Vox
. Legionary w/ Options:: Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Chain Bayonet, Legion Vexilla
. Legionary w/ Options:: Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Chain Bayonet
Tactical Squad [124Pts]
. ** Legion Tactical Sergeant:** Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Power Armour
. . Power Weapon: Power Sword
. Legionary w/ Options:: Bayonet, Bolt Pistol, Bolter
. Legionary w/ Options:: Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Chain Bayonet
. Legionary w/ Options:: Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Chain Bayonet
. Legionary w/ Options:: Bayonet, Bolt Pistol, Bolter
. Legionary w/ Options:: Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Chain Bayonet
. Legionary w/ Options:: Bayonet, Bolt Pistol, Bolter
. Legionary w/ Options:: Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Chain Bayonet
. Legionary w/ Options:: Bayonet, Bolt Pistol, Bolter
. Legionary w/ Options:: Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Chain Bayonet
Tactical Squad [100Pts]
. ** Legion Tactical Sergeant:** Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Power Armour
. 9x Legionaries (collective): 9x Bolt Pistol, 9x Bolter
Veteran Squad [215Pts]: Augury Scanner, Nuncio-Vox
. ** Veteran Sergeant:** Bolt Pistol, Bolter
. ** Veteran:** Bolt Pistol, Bolter
. ** Veteran:** Bolt Pistol, Bolter
. ** Veteran:** Bolt Pistol, Bolter
. ** Veteran:** Bolt Pistol, Bolter
. Termite Assault Drill: 2x Twin-linked Bolters
Veteran Squad [215Pts]: Augury Scanner, Nuncio-Vox
. ** Veteran Sergeant:** Bolt Pistol, Bolter
. ** Veteran:** Bolt Pistol, Bolter
. ** Veteran:** Bolt Pistol, Bolter
. ** Veteran:** Bolt Pistol, Bolter
. ** Veteran:** Bolt Pistol, Bolter
. Termite Assault Drill: 2x Twin-linked Bolters
+ Heavy Support: +
Heavy Support Squad [185Pts]: Lascannon
. ** Legion Support Sergeant:** Bolt Pistol, Power Armour
. 4x Legionaries (collective): 4x Bolt Pistol
. Rhino Transport
Heavy Support Squad [160Pts]: Volkite Culverin
. ** Legion Support Sergeant:** Bolt Pistol, Power Armour
. 4x Legionaries (collective): 4x Bolt Pistol
. Rhino Transport
Land Raider Spartan [415Pts]
. Land Raider Spartan: 2x Lascannon Array, Flare Shield, Havoc Launcher, Hull (Front) Mounted Twin-linked Heavy Bolter
++ Total: [2,894Pts] ++

I have a trip to Spain planned in early May which is a big clockwise loop of Madrid > Granada > Gibraltar > Seville > Madrid.
Day 0: Overnight flight from USA Day 1: Madrid sights Day 2: Madrid to Cordoba, Cordoba to Granada Day 3: Granada - Alhambra day Day 4: Granada to Gibraltar - via Ronda Day 5: Gibraltar Day 6: Gibraltar Day 7: Gibraltar to Cadiz Day 8: Cadiz to Seville Day 9: Seville Day 10: Seville to Madrid Day 11: Fly out, no time for any sightseeing
(yes, yes, it's a rushed quick trip - but that's my style and pace)
First - anybody have advice/experience on whether the Renfe pass is worth it? I seem to be too late in booking that the early cheap tickets are gone, I'm seeing stuff like 70EUR for Madrid > Cordoba. At 270 for a 6 trip pass, it kind of checks out. I'm thinking maybe use that for the more set-in-stone long intercity links, I have no problem locking in that timetable. Any other concerns/warnings/issues/horror-stories with Renfe passes?
Second - The bottom end of the loop (Granada > Gibraltar > Seville) is tempting to do by rental car instead, but 3 nights in Gibraltar square in the middle makes it tough. I'd have to either leave the car in La Linea for 3 nights (paying for parking and extra days on the rental) or book single day car rentals, which could be a lot of hassle. The only thing I know I want to see along the way in that section of the loop is Ronda, but I'm sure I could find more and it would be nice to stop spontaneously instead of being locked into pre-booked city-hopping transit. Maybe do Granada > Ronda > Gibraltar by public transit as that's the longer leg and Ronda is the bigger stop - and then rent a car for Gibraltar to Cadiz and really take my time that day.
Any general thoughts/advice here?
Other things to do or see along this route? Renfe train travel advice? Andalusia car rental do's & don't's?
Thanks!

So waaaay back in primary school, in my last year (year 6 - aged 10-11) me and a friend saw something unexplainable.
Our seats both faces the window and as we were close to the side entrance of the school we can see some of the houses in the street that backs up right up to the wall of the school grounds.
Nor this side entrance has a house that had been abandoned and was in a state of disrepair
I mean boarded up windows, chain and locks on the door, overgrown garden the works and clearly not lived in.
This house had a window you could see from were we were sat, and on some random school day we both saw a man dressed in a pristine white suit, a wide hat to match and white tie (think col His face was in the shadows so we couldn’t see what he looked like.
We both saw him and he takes a half step directly backwards and seemed to vanish.
Now this pit a shiver down my spine, and we both agreed the moment felt creepy. But if you’ve read this far you might be thinking
….so?
Well the kicker was when the following week a machete was found in the woodlands (fenced off wooded area on school grounds used for nature lessons I guess? Think forbidden forest in Harry Potter but shit, same with the school anyway I digress)
Yeah, big ass knife covered in blood stabbed through a tree.
There were police all over the school, nothing else was ever found.
Creepy af, still dunno what happened if they were linked just freaky.
Any way what do you guys think?

“Wrestling is linear. But these are not linear times…”
Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four
September 9, 2022 – The Fallout from Brawl Out
AEW is in crisis. Its champion and biggest star turned the world upside down three days prior. CM Punk is in exile, two titles are vacant, and three of the company’s founders have their futures in jeopardy. The landscape is pure chaos. Amidst that chaos, a villain strolls out to the stage with a big smile on his face.
MJF eats it all up… AEW’s greatest heel may have become its greatest face in one night. The live audience is jubilant to see him and he reciprocates, diving into them just as CM Punk had done, hugging Taz at the broadcast desk, wearing the jersey of that city’s football team.
Joy reverberates in his words once he grabs the microphone:

"BUFFALO, NEW YORK! THE DEVIL IS BACK! Now listen up Buffalo, first things first... Who's excited to see MJF? “Lord knows I am. Guys, I love Buffalo, New York, hell the greatest Quarterback of all time, Josh Allen is from Buffalo. Now, we're gonna get down to brass tacks a little bit here, okay? Last time you guys saw me I might've said some offensive stuff, I'm just being honest…

The fans strike up a loud chant: “YOU WERE RIGHT”

Now hear me out, hear me out, hear me out... Hold on g-- Seriously, I only have so much time allotted. Shut up. Please. Jesus. Alright listen... If there's one thing I know to be true, it's that right now you might think that we're in dark times, but we're not. What we need is leadership. And I can not think of one more person, more trustworthy than me! Now let me tell you a story: there was once a wise Jewish man, and his name started with a M. And when his people were meek and weak and they needed help, he split the sea wide open and he walked them straight to the promise land. Buffalo, I'm not telling you I'm Moses, that's ridiculous. I'M BETTER THAN MOSES! I'VE GOT TO WIN THAT WORLD TITLE BECAUSE MY NAME IS MAXWELL JACOB FRIEDMAN AND I'M BETTER THAN YOU...

“AND YOU KNOW IT!”, the crowd finishes for him. “Wild Thing” comes over the speakers and Jon Moxley walks through the crowd to the ring.
He stares down MJF then says: “You are absolutely full of crap.”
Crowd laughs a bit, but they also boo him some.
MJF:

"So let me get this straight, Jonathan. You think I'm not being sincere here in Buffalo, New York? In front of all these grotesque, poor, lard asses who have quite possibly the worst Football Team in the history of the United States of America? [MJF shed’s the jersey and wipes his ass with it] … Now Jon, I don't know if you're a little bit woozy considering you went to sleep on Sunday… [MJF mimes CM Punk's “Go To Sleep” pose]
But maybe you got a point. Maybe I don't care about AEW.... Maybe I don't care about these people... Maybe, just maybe I look at the World Title as nothing more than a bargaining chip that I can use for the bidding war of 2024. Maybe I take that title to a real Wrestling Company, WITH REAL FANS. And real wrestlers like my friend and hero 'The American Roller Coad-ster' Cody Rhodes. And – I'M HOLDING THE MICROPHONE YOU BUMS! KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! And maybe, just maybe I get to work for a real boss, the only Khan in professional wrestling that's worth a damn; Jolly Old St. Nick. Because to quote the greatest wrestler of all time, and my personal hero, The Game: 'That is what's best for business.’”

Moxley:

"Dude. This is not the time, this is not the place, and I am in no mood. You need to leave this ring right now, or I will make you leave.

MJF stands toe-to-toe with Moxley before slithering out of the ring. Mox continues:

Hey, your theme music sucks by the way. Now Buffalo, New York. I am in no mood... I am pissed off. I am embarrassed. I am pissed off about a great many things. But none more so than the fact that I'm standing here without the AEW World Championship... The AEW World Championship represents passion for this sport! Passion for this business! It represents the passion of the guys and girls in the back, and the fans that fill the arenas and watch at home. Those three letters in the AEW World Championship, they represent heroes during a pandemic at a time where the world needed heroes. It represents the dream, the vision that we all had when we started this thing years ago, and we wanted to show the world just what wrestling could be. The AEW World Championship represents taking the dark and ugly side of this business and letting it die with another generation. The World Championship represents the freedom to be as great as you are willing to dare to be. The AEW World championship means being better than I was the day before. Even if it's just a little bit better. Even if nobody notices but me. That World Championship represents slaying demons. That World Championship represents EVERYTHING I LOVE ABOUT THIS BUSINESS!
But the fact remains: on Sunday, I lost. And that's on me, that's my fault. I made mistakes. I got pinned. That's on me. I missed the game winning shot. And I was supposed to be on vacation right now, like until about two days ago. But here's another chance to take another shot when the game's on the line. This Tournament of Champions is one hell of a shot. That's one hell of a big rock to push all the way to the top of the hill again. Chris Jericho, the greatest of all time. Bryan Danielson, the best pure wrestler to ever step foot into a ring, a better wrestler than I'll ever be. Darby Allin, Hangman Page, Sammy Guevara, three dudes all younger than me, faster than me, more naturally gifted than I could ever be. So yeah, that's a hell of a shot. But winners always want the ball when the game is on the line. The Ace always wants the ball. And I want the ball. So hell yeah, I'm gonna take the shot.
Cause this isn't just a time to win… This is a time to be a legend!

Moxley leaves to a furious ovation and has rallied the AEW fans back to reason and rationality. It’s only temporary though, and an unnerved mood persists. The message is delivered by Moxley, truly the Ace of the company… But it feels like it should’ve come from someone else and perhaps that someone else would have been there to deliver it if he wasn't turned away. Better yet, the situation may have been avoided entirely.
But then again, maybe the whole damn thing was inevitable all along.
January 4, 2016 - Tokyo
Following their tag win over CHAOS, Kenny Omega betrays and usurps the leader of Bullet Club, AJ Styles, at NJPW: New Year’s Dash.

"AJ Styles! My god, you can't be surprised, can you? You people, you can't be surprised. You at home you better not be surprised. You had this coming, AJ. We gave you the big matches, we gave you the big pay-per-views. We made you a star, we paid you like a star. While I struggled, while I starved, forcing myself to be a junior. Everybody called you a leader, everybody called you the boss. Well AJ, if you are the boss, I'm just gonna say it. You have now been fired.

The rest of the Bullet Club is initially in disagreement before coalescing around Kenny and ganging up on Styles. They leave with their former leader in a heap, but Kenny and the Young Bucks gather at ringside. The three of them return to the ring and continue the brutal assault on AJ Styles… They are still in the Bullet Club, but within that organization, henceforth they will be The Elite.
January 4, 2017 - Wrestle Kingdom 11
Having stormed through his first ever attempt in the tournament, Kenny Omega became the only gaijin to have ever won New Japan’s G1 Tournament and earned the right to challenge for the company’s top prize at WK11.
That night in the Tokyo Dome, Omega and Okada created magic in one of the greatest matches in wrestling history. On the same show, Bullet Club’s newest member debuts: Cody Rhodes. Frustrated with his position and his creative direction, Cody had requested and been granted his release from WWE the previous summer, Cody makes his way across the Pacific, sending shockwaves through the international wrestling landscape.
Despite this shot in the arm, Bullet Club is tested by the crushing defeat of its leader. Following his loss to Okada, Kenny steps away from wrestling to assess his future. When he returns after several weeks Cody had grown ambitious and plots in the background.
June 11, 2017 - Dominion
In a rematch of their classic from the start of the year at Wrestle Kingdom 11, Kenny Omega attempts to avenge his defeat and claim the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Kazuchika Okada. Earlier in the night, Cody had grabbed a headset and proclaimed he wanted to face Okada himself.
Omega and Okada push each other over the limit even harder than before. Omega is taking inhuman punishment yet refuses to give up. Eventually, Cody makes his way down to the ring and attempts to throw in the towel for Kenny, but the Bucks stop him.
The timekeeper’s bell rings, marking it a 60-minute draw.
Afterward, the Elite debate whether it was a true act of mercy by Cody or a scheme for his personal goals
Cody storms Okada’s post-match press conference, where he mocks the champ, spits in his face, and challenges him for a title match.
May 16, 2017 - The Bet
Dave Meltzer quote-tweets a question asking if anyone could sell 10,000 tickets to a non-WWE show in America, to which he replies, “Not anytime soon.”
Cody takes note and responds: “I'll take that bet Dave… put The Bucks & I on the card & 3-months to promote”... Over the next year this grand dream between Cody and the Young Bucks will come to fruition.
July 1, 2017 - Returning the Favor
Cody unsuccessfully challenges Okada for the IWGP championship. Kenny comes to ringside and wants to throw in the towel just as Cody had tried weeks earlier. After the match, the two of them nearly come to blows backstage and Cody flips a table.
August 2017 - G1 Climax
Throughout the tournament, Bullet Club nears a boiling point. OG member Toma Tonga questions Omega’s leadership due to having his small inner circle of The Elite within the larger group. In the weeks and months to follow, Cody identifies Kota Ibushi as Kenny Omega’s weakest point and starts targeting him as a wedge to divide the Bullet Club and create chaos wherein he can ascend to power.
January 4, 2018 - Wrestle Kingdom 12
Looking to use a win over Ibushi as a flashpoint to take control of Bullet Club, Cody viciously mauls Kota in a singles match but can’t secure the victory. Frustrated that his plan failed, the next night at New Year’s Dash he launches a post-match assault on Ibushi. Cody and the rest of Bullet Club are wailing on Ibushi until Kenny rushes out to stop them… but the rest of Bullet Club can’t help feeling Kenny views his old tag partner as more important to him than they are. Cody’s plan bears fruit as Kenny makes a massive unforced error: he invites “Switchblade” Jay White to join Bullet Club and be a shot in the arm for the faction, only for White to betray him immediately and join CHAOS.
January 7, 2018 - Being the Elite #87
Camera follows the Elite as they are tense and nervous preparing for Wrestle Kingdom a few days earlier. It jumps to the group after New Year’s Dash, all gathered at a tense dinner conversation. To break the tension, Matt proposes a new gimmick for the group: “BTE IS DRUG FREE”... aka, Straight Edge… no one shoots it down, but they’re not thrilled either, and Cody hides his beer underneath the table.
The effort to relieve things fails, however, and Cody blurs the line between kayfabe and shoot, shouting for the cameraman to put the camera down. Then we get a fly-on-the-wall glimpse at him charging Kenny with always “turning everything into a bit”, disregarding the group, and heatedly asking him if he’s actually their leader before Kenny finally storms away from the table.
January 28, 2018 - Civil War
Jay White scores a massive upset at New Beginning and takes the IWGP United States Championship from Kenny Omega. After the bell, Hangman confronts Jay White and seeks to challenge for the title, but Kenny stops him. The Bucks and Cody rush to the ring, and Cody accuses their leader of stepping on Hangman’s moment. A violent argument ensues with Kenny shoving Matt Jackson to the ground.
Once the Elite have left the ring and Kenny is alone, Cody seizes the opportunity and hits Kenny with a CrossRhodes, initiating the Bullet Club Civil War. The only thing saving Omega from a brutal attack that night is Ibushi, who runs off Cody and returns the favor for his old friend and partner, reuniting the Golden Lovers after years of separation. Regardless, Cody’s plan is in full effect. Bullet Club is in disarray and if he is to take power, now is the opportunity.
In 944 days, Roman Reigns becomes world champion to begin his and the Bloodline's vice grip on WWE.
January 30, 2018 - Being The Elite #90
Cody, to the assembled Elite of Matt, Nick, Hangman, and Marty:

It isn’t my place, but you’ve known that guy for over ten years. I don’t get it, I’m sorry. Yeah, he’s a great wrestler, but leadership… Like I said, it’s action not position! That’s not acting like a leader! ‘Oh, you’re my second, you’re my second’... Who the F-CK are you seconds for? Nobody! The best tag team in the world! And Hangman, it’s your moment! He… He ruined it.
Bullet Club is fine… Bullet Club is fine.

Kenny & Ibushi go to visit the Bucks in their hotel room, Room 710… but we aren’t shown what happens next.
February 12, 2018 – Being the Elite #92
Cody floats around reassuring everyone: “Bullet Club is fine.” All of the guys have pure depression on their faces, but Cody continually gasses them up, telling the Bucks they’re ready for the jump to the heavyweight division and encouraging Marty to start up a Villain Club of his own. Later, Matt, Nick, and Marty are commiserating in a locker room prior to a Ring of Honor show when Hangman and Cody strut through the door.
Cody, smugly:

“Whew, look at that! Did you guys see [Hangman] kick the door down??”

He thinks a couple of surprises might cheer them up. The first, some new merch that says “Bullet Club is Fine” doesn’t do the trick, so he takes them for the second surprise: their new mascot, Bury the Drug-Free Bear. Using his best Sting voice, Cody introduces Bury as someone who will “shock the world” only for him to “fall on his f-ckin’ arse” like the Shockmaster did 25 years earlier.
Kenny tries to call Matt, but Cody sees the call coming through on the phone and declines it.
February 19, 2018 – Being the Elite #93
Cody maneuvers the Bucks around the Melbourne airport to keep them from running into Kenny. While traveling, Cody further drives the Ibushi wedge between Matt and the absent Kenny and plays up that Kenny only views the Bucks as a junior tag team. Later, Cody takes the brothers out to the zoo and to the movie theater as we see Kenny emotionally watching Casablanca on his phone.
The Bucks catch up with Tonga and the OGs backstage in a locker room where they try to make peace.
Matt:

“Alright guys, thanks for gathering here. Nick and I feel like there’s one important thing that we need to talk about… I think it’s kind of obvious, right? There’s a divide in the Bullet Club. It’s almost like there’s two entities all of a sudden. It’s like there’s Bullet Club BTE and Bullet Club OGs… Nick and I have been watching what you’ve been doing in Japan… holding down the fort, representing the Bullet Club, making the name proud. But we’ve been back at home in the US doing the same thing. There is no heat here. We love you guys. When we all say that catchphrase, when we say ‘Bullet Club is for life’, we mean it. It’s not just a catchphrase, okay? There’s no heat here. The only heat is between two individuals: Cody and Kenny.”

Tonga:

“Cody is right. Bullet Club is fine.”

The two groups shake hands, then Cody enters the locker room, surprised to see everyone together:

“Did somebody call a meeting? I didn’t call a meeting…”

In strolls Kenny.

Kenny: So there he is. The snake in the grass. Three-star savior. Hey Cody.
Cody: Did you see the sign outside? It says 'Bullet Club'.
Kenny: That's right, and I AM THE LEADER.

They start brawling and the others can barely keep them apart.
Cody:

Touch me and I'll sue! Touch me and I'll sue!!

Cody throws a chair that barely misses Kenny and the Bucks.
Matt and Nick look at each other, devastated at what’s become of the group.
February 25, 2018 - Being the Elite #94
Matt Jackson is on a plane traveling between shows, doing the same thing as Kenny from the previous episode: watching Casablanca.
For those who haven't seen it, the story at the heart of the film is a love triangle: cynical club owner Rick, his first love Ilsa, and her rebel husband Laszlo, enhanced by a background of espionage and war with the local police chief, Renault, at the crossroads of the entanglements.
It’s foreshadowing the story to come. In the film, Rick and Ilsa had a passionate love before the events on screen, but they split up and Ilsa then wound up with her now-husband Laszlo, a Czech rebel carrying vital documents for the resistance against Nazi Germany. Rick and Ilsa reunite and rekindle their romance until Rick – knowing she’s better off with her husband – convinces Ilsa to leave with Laszlo before local authorities catch them. Rick stays behind, killing the evil Major Strasser who was attempting to stop the married couple from escaping Casablanca. Renault, who has been playing both sides (Germans and Resistance) up to this point, is touched by Rick's sacrifice. Other policemen arrive and see Strasser's dead body. Rather than identify Rick as the culprit, Renault instructs the cops to "round up the usual suspects"... And of course, that classic line provides the name of the film The Usual Suspects, from which Punk, and MJF, and Don Callis have all quoted the final line:
"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was making you believe he doesn't exist."
The Usual Suspects is a tale of a mysterious crime lord who manipulates and controls multiple criminals to achieve his ultimate goal and get away scot-free. It is tightly designed so that if you rewatch it knowing the ending, you realize and notice dozens of things you missed on the first viewing.
As Casablanca ends, Rick says to Renault: "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship", implying that if they work together, they can get away with almost anything…
This BTE episode ends with the group all in Japan. The Bucks approach Kenny and Ibushi to have a conversation, but Kenny doesn’t have time for them. Later that night at the event, Cody pulls the Bucks into a hallway and implores them to listen to the promo Kenny is cutting in the ring at that exact moment, where he declares the Golden Lovers the greatest tag team in the world. Cody pushes them to go handle it. The Young Bucks go to the ring while Cody flashes a devilish smile.
Matt:

From this day forward, my brother and I have decided to move up and compete in the heavyweight tag team division.

It puts them directly in opposition with the Lovers. Kenny and Ibushi confront them backstage, but the Bucks don’t take anything from him, saying they’ve always been there to support him but it’s never been returned. All those times they were there to pick Kenny up off the mat, where was Ibushi?
March 5, 2018 - BTE #95
In Vegas, Matt and Nick are in the dressing room talking when Bury the Drug Free Bear enters and seems desperate to tell them something. Bury is about to remove the head to his costume when Hangman bursts in. He is angry with Matt for not helping him during his confrontation with Joey Ryan the week prior. Cody enters and asks Bury why he hasn't got his Bullet Club shirt on and pulls him away to get changed. Everyone looks confused and Matt wonders what the bear was trying to tell them.
Cody is in the production studio and calls Nick over to suggest that Matt is holding him back and that he should consider wrestling in singles matches, but Nick looks unconvinced. Later that night, Cody is in the ring celebrating with Brandi and Bury after his match. As Cody goes to hug Bury, the bear pushes him to the floor. Standing over a prone, confused Cody, Bury removes his costume head to reveal Kenny Omega ,who knocks out Cody with a knee strike as the fans go wild.
Cody is demented after the match:

“What a time. What a time to be involved in this great sport… Everybody’s eyes in this sport are fixed on New Orleans, on Supercard of Honor… my very first encounter with Kenny Omega. So wouldn’t that be enough? As a professional… that feather in your cap, that everybody is talking about your match, that everybody wants to see your match, that you have stolen the [Wrestlemania] weekend from the rich and you have given it to the poor… wouldn’t that be enough?
So why the… escalation? Why come to Las Vegas? … You’re supposed to be the best wrestler in the world! A hero! You’ve got a bag full of them [match rating] stars, well I have a book full of dates, full of cities, full of towns, because I’m not a hero once a month! I’m a hero every single night!
Perception is no longer reality. Reality is reality.
And the reality is that I am the leader of the Bullet Club… that I am the hero in this story.”

March 20, 2018 – BTE #97
Just like he did with Nick previously, Cody sequesters Matt and says his brother has been holding him back and he needs a singles push.
In Japan, Kenny records a message to the Young Bucks apologizing, saying how Cody has gotten into everyone’s heads and divided the group, and hopes to make amends… Unbeknownst to him, Cody has Nick’s laptop so he intercepts the message and edits it down to an insulting challenge. Matt is enraged, but Nick is suspicious.
March 25, 2018 – The Elite Fight It Out
In Los Angeles at NJPW: Strong Style Evolved, the Golden Lovers face the Young Bucks in a deeply personal grudge match. After a brutal, back-and-forth war where the Lovers emerge victorious, Kenny attempts to bury the hatchet. Nick accepts the olive branch, but Matt refuses to shake Kenny’s hand. Cody hits the ring and berates Matt for eating the pin during the match. When Nick intervenes, Cody spins around and shoves him to the ground.
Later in the locker room, Cody comes in to ask what happened out there. The Bucks are challenging him for his actions, but Cody shouts them down, saying he thought it was Kenny in the ring and that he would never do such a thing to them. Cody apologizes profusely and leaves.
Nick:

“I don’t think we can trust this guy.”

April 7, 2018 – Supercard of Honor XII
With the leadership of Bullet Club at stake, Kenny Omega and Cody Rhodes square off in a hard-hitting match. Having grown wary of Cody and his schemes, the Bucks come down to the ring and decide to attack Cody. They launch double superkicks… but Cody ducks and the kicks land on Omega, allowing Cody to hit his finisher and claim the win. Matt and Nick attempt to explain, but Kenny refuses to listen.
In the backstage area, Cody is ecstatic at wresting control of Bullet Club away from Kenny. He wants to celebrate, but the Elite leave the dressing room and leave Cody sitting alone in his ring gear, sweaty, bloody, with a black eye and a gym towel draped around his shoulders, looking starkly similar to another guy post-match four years later…
June 4, 2018 – BTE #105
After a busy summer in which Cody and the Bucks have assembled the looming All In event, Matt and Nick try establishing lines of communication with Kenny in Japan. Ibushi implores him to reconcile with his old friends but he’s reluctant. Cody is obsessed with running a Senate election campaign in Texas and practices his speeches in bathroom mirrors, but it almost sounds like he’s talking to his stablemates. Meanwhile, a package that Matt and Nick sent him weeks ago has been collecting dust the whole time. Ahead of his fourth match with Kazuchika Okada, Kenny decides to open the package…
June 9, 2018 – Omega vs Okada IV
Everyone is in Japan for the big Dominion show. Hangman approaches Cody and asks what the plan is for tonight. Cody looks sullen and calls off whatever he had been plotting to ruin Omega’s big night.
Kenny triumphs in possibly the greatest match in wrestling history, claiming the IWGP heavyweight championship. He reunites with the Young Bucks afterward, and it’s revealed that in the package are Golden Elite shirts, honoring the pact they made in Hotel Room 710 at the start of the year.
Cody approaches the locker room with congratulatory gifts for Kenny and to make peace, but he stops short and leaves them outside the door.
July 7, 2018 – Debts Are Settled in San Francisco
At the G1 Special NJPW show, Cody challenges Omega for the IWGP championship. After a war with Kenny emerging in triumph, the Elite gather and celebrate… until the Bullet Club OGs attack them in retribution for the dysfunction and strife they’ve brought to the group over the previous two years. Cody returns to the ring and is given a chance to brutalize Kenny, but instead he defends him and rejoins the Elite in full.
Over the coming months, Cody, Kenny, Matt, Nick and Hangman solidify themselves as a core group leading up to:
September 1, 2018 - All In
By far the greatest triumph in indie wrestling history, the show was a massive success both at live gate and on PPV, wildly exceeding all expectations. In its main event, Cody wins the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, the same world title his father had claimed 31 years earlier.
After this monumental night, the Elite ceded the war for control of Bullet Club to the OGs and stepped away from the group, turning their attention to the establishment of something new entirely: All Elite Wrestling. This new national promotion came into being on January 1, 2019, and at its forefront was the core group of five. As the inaugural and omnipresent face of the company, Cody’s claim to AEW gold is surely just a matter of time.
May 25, 2019 -- Double or Nothing
AEW holds its first event ever.
In 944 days, on the Christmas episode of Rampage, Cody claims his final championship in AEW.
August 31, 2019 -- All Out
As the clock strikes midnight, Chris Jericho pins Hangman Adam Page to become the first AEW World Champion.
In 944 days, Cody Rhodes rises onto the WrestleMania stage and returns to WWE.
November 6, 2019
Allied with his friend, protege, and personal recruit to AEW, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, the public face of AEW prepares to challenge for the world championship of the company he helped build. He seems destined for it, it’s damn near his birthright, and yet there are whispers he’s only in position to claim it through politics.
Cody:

“Eddie Graham... Cowboy Bill Watts... The American Dream Dusty Rhodes... For the cold and sterile historians of our business, there's an air of controversy that surrounds them, it's from the simple fact that those men were also, in addition to being competitors... they were management. Not unlike myself. And for the last year I've told everybody: every podcast, every radio, every correspondent. I've shouted it off the rooftops how proud I am of AEW, how proud I am of the all-inclusive nature, of the schedule, of the pay, of the fact that we will listen. This! This is Ellis Island for a professional wrestler! This is freedom! So, when I hear the same criticism attached to my name for being management and being in a title match… I can't not hear it... And with that said, I am announcing that if I do not defeat Chris Jericho at Full Gear... I will never challenge for the AEW World championship again.”

And so Cody faced Chris Jericho at Full Gear 2019 with destiny in his grasp. There, with MJF in his corner, Cody and Jericho pushed each other to their limits. Late in the match with the challenger locked tight in the Walls of Jericho, MJF throws in the towel for Cody and costs him the match, effectively locking him out of the title picture thereafter.
MJF’s ascension begins. He wins the Dynamite Diamond Ring and begins climbing the rankings. Winning isn’t simply enough, though. If he wants everything, he needs chaos. He needs to flip the world upside down. He needs the world to believe its heroes are the villains and its villains are the heroes.
November 14, 2019
MJF:

You wanna boo me as if I’m the villain… Meanwhile, you people have been cheering for the real villain the whole time. That villain is Cody… Cody Rhodes couldn’t give less of a shit about any single one of you… You sheep don’t want to admit it. There’s only one man on this planet who knows the real Cody Rhodes, and you’re looking at him.

December 11, 2019
MJF:

"What are you gonna do Cody? Are you gonna try to fire me? Are you gonna pull Tony Khan over to the side and get me fired? Well how bout you do that Cody. HOW BOUT YOU FIRE ME. Oh wait. That's right. You won't. Because the one thing you want most in this world is to get your hands on me... And to top that off, you'd be letting down each and every one of these people you claim to care about.”

February 29, 2020 – Revolution
After weeks of taunting and weeks of enduring the original gauntlet of trials MJF sets in order to get a match with him, Cody gets his match with MJF… but he falls short, defeated and humiliated by the young man he brought into AEW himself.
March 5, 2020 – Cody is bitten by the original Snake
Jake Roberts emerges from the thickest of weeds and slithers down to the ring. He nearly devours Cody. He mocks him… “Hail Caesar”. He neither fears nor respects him.

“What a Snake wants, a snake takes. I’m not in AEW for the whole pie.. Just your slice”

Two weeks later the world screeches to a halt as an unknown, lethal virus spreads rapidly around the globe. For several weeks Dynamite is patchwork, assembled from whatever talent is available. A tournament for a new title belt is announced. Ahead of its opening round we get the darkest promo we’ve thus far seen from the purest babyface in the company’s short history…
April 8, 2020
Cody sits ominously at a table, in a pitch black room, and lights a cigar… just as he’d done before when laying out his machinations against Kenny Omega for control of Bullet Club.
Cody:

"Why do I wanna be TNT Champion? Wrestling is so linear you're gonna hear the same answer to that question over and over again. You'll even hear the announcers strike some of the same hyperboles as they describe the stakes. The wrestlers will give you that real wrestling school, paint by numbers interview where they say things like --- you see: ‘The boys in the back.' Or my favorite: They perpetually say their own name or the person they're wrestling against or the person who's interviewing them over and over again. Like I said, wrestling is linear. They might even do the – [Cody gestures around his waist where a belt would be worn] - that thing. You see, where you pantomime, where you indicate that you want the belt. I've done it a thousand times. We've all done it, we're all guilty. Wrestling is linear. But these are not linear times, are they? I think we'd all give our last dollar for a little bit of normalcy, a little bit of linear. It's my personal hope that we get through this just fine. We wanna live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery, right?
So why do I need to become champion? It is not the fame. It's certainly not the added money. It's not the specialized lower third that they put on the screen. It's not even my specific, unique circumstance of trying to carry a last name that is worth 58 years in gold. It's much simpler. It's because I don't wanna lose. AEW has four major pay per views: Double Or Nothing, All Out, Full Gear, Revolution and I'm 50/50 and I have felt lost and I don't ever want to lose again…The motto, the expression, what the Nightmare Family means, it's sitting at the side of my neck is when we say: DO THE WORK! It's not: Do the work and lose.
And this tournament is flush, it's rich in talent. Take Colt Cabana. Probably the second most experienced guy in the tournament. Does a better flip, flop and fly than me, Dustin and Bully combined. Ask anybody in any locker room the world over – they'll tell you they love Colt Cabana. Well frankly: I do not trust a wrestler that doesn't have any enemies.
Kip Sabian… and that hellfire fiance of his… What happens when those two cohabitate? They’re either gonna motivate themselves upwards or they're gonna drag themselves down to Complacency City, right next to ‘Jobber Avenue.
Darby… I feel like I handpicked Darby. He's clearly the fastest rising star in all of wrestling in any company, hands down. He's putting on weight by the day, he's assassin quick. But Darby is a freshman on the varsity squad. I don't think he has the mental aptitude to finish this tournament.
My oldest friend… Shawn Spears. My former tag team partner, kind of my Dick Murdoch. Could be a world champion pretty much anywhere he wanted to be. But Shawn Spears is ‘King Boo-Boo Face and he will mentally defeat himself before we ever even lock up…
Every one of those guys, they want to be TNT Champion. The difference with me: I NEED IT!

It was an outright heel promo, preceding his entry into the tournament which he ultimately won, facing Jake Roberts’ client – Lance Archer – in the finals. Cody is the conquering hero he always aspires to be, and he rattles off five straight title defenses in five weeks. Someone’s not very impressed, however.
July 7, 2020
Cody stands with Arn in the ring, congratulating himself on the recent string of victories against… let’s say, less than impressive competition.
Onto the stage charges Eddie Kingston, who’s heard enough:

"No, no, no, we're gonna get this right, we're gonna do this real quick. Cody, you talk about grinding, you talk about living this rough life, all that jazz. No one's gonna 'out-grind' you, all that stuff. My man, it's easy to say that when you grew up around used-to-be legends like Arn Anderson. Yeah, you heard me. Keep shooting murder-ones at me and I'll knock your jaw right off your face, partner. You know what I grew up around? You know what I grew up around? Alcoholics! Junkies! I GREW UP AROUND THAT... AND I HAD TO SURVIVE. I HAD TO GRIND. You couldn't last a day in my shoes, so you don't tell me nothing about grinding. You talk about the sport of pro-wrestling... that's a joke. Because every person you faced has been a child. I am a grown-ass man and I will put you in the ground and smile.
But here's the best part about this whole thing: the guy that you like to mention because you like to be best friends with the boss, Tony Khan… He paid me to show up. And now he's going to pay me to kick your ass and take that championship. Oh yeah, you wanna go? Arn, I swear on my beautiful mother's life, if you don't shut up, I'm gouging your eye out. All right? Let me speak! It's my time now. Real easy, relax, you've had yours. Tony Khan said to me, ‘‘You know what, King? If you want No DQ, man, that's fine by me.. just.. you know.. Cody has to accept.' You have to accept, cause either you're an egg-sucking dog or you're an egg-sucking bitch."

Infuriated that he would be upstaged like this, Cody accepts on the spot. He survives an incredibly violent match and continues on with his title reign.
August 13, 2020
Mr. Brodie Lee whips Cody’s ass. In just over three minutes, it’s done and his beloved championship is gone. The Exalted One and The Dark Order put a massive beatdown on Cody and he’s carried out on a stretcher… Then they continue attacking him on the stretcher.
Cody disappears for weeks.
September 23, 2020
Brodie spends over a month terrorizing anyone even remotely close to Cody, but he still doesn’t come back until after Brodie beats down Orange Cassidy in a title defense. It’s a surprise attack, which incenses The Exalted One.
Brodie:

"You gotta be kidding me! The audacity of a man, the audacity of you Cody to return like that! You have been gone for five weeks while I’ve been here doing the work, being undeniable! Oh my God, the audacity of you Cody. What kind of man sends another man to do his work? Did you see what I did to Dustin? Did you see what Anna Jay did to Brandi? What kind of man Cody, what kind of man lets his wife post Instagram thirst traps while calling me daddy? What kind of man stays away in a little bubble? A man like you, Cody. But YOU are no man! YOU are a coward!

Mr. Brodie Lee grabs a pair of dog collars and looks into the camera.

Cody, you can run on for a long time, but sooner or later Brodie Lee is gonna cut you down! And I am gonna take this dog collar, Cody, I am gonna wrap it around your neck, I am gonna wrap it around that God-forsaken tattoo! And you, Cody, will have nowhere, nowhere to run and nowhere to hide! You, Cody... You have one week to answer me: Are you a man... Or are you a coward?!"

Two weeks later, Cody reclaims his championship in the first dog collar match in AEW history. He would hold it for only a month until one of the Four Pillars pries it away from him, beginning Darby Allin’s ascension to the main event scene... And sending Cody spiraling into the Codyverse of excess and absurdity.
February 17, 2021 - “It’s a girl!”
Despite a litany of viral media and news segments addressing how excessive and even dangerous pregnancy gender reveals are… Cody and Brandi have theirs live on Dynamite, with full entrance and theme, as well as what still to this day is among the largest pyro displays in the history of AEW. It’s shockingly tone-deaf.
May 12, 2021 – The worst promo in AEW history
Just before the one year anniversary of the George Floyd murder that rattled America and stirred racial dialogue in a manner unseen for decades…
Cody addresses Anthony Ogogo and delivers an all-time terrible promo. I'm not even gonna transcribe it here, it's the most pandering cringe ever.
Here's a link if you absolutely need to see it...
When AEW returns to touring, all the cheering and adulation Cody was accustomed to at AEW's beginning is gone. His goodwill has completely evaporated. They’re tired of his phony, self-fellating act and want something different.
July 7, 2021
Still nursing a vicious eye injury incurred at the hands of Kevin Owens on WWE programming the previous October, Malakai Black posts on Instagram a video of him in a mental institution where he's been locked up for 5 years, coincidentally the same length of time he was in his old company... He viciously attacks and kills the doctors and staff.
Walking out, he says "The Devil made me do it."
[Continued in comments]

Keep in mind, if you like the sort by best, you'll still be able to manually switch it at any time, during that period it's sorted by new.

The problem:

Right now the window is very short, and it only gives you around 15-20 minutes I think.
That's why you keep seeing people rush in to comment, usually without even reading anything in the post, or in the link. They want to be at the top before "best" is locked as the default.
So we always end up with the "best" locking up the same handful of moonfarmers saying some vote-bait generic comment like "just DCA" "nice try IRS", etc... Or just a joke, or something only related to the title but not the post.
And if the top comments we see are the ones from people who don't read, then it's no wonder we get a reputation of "always do the opposite of what the sub tells you".
It can take a little while before we get a good comment actually answering the post.
​

Higher risk of manipulation:

Because the window is short, the comments are already locked to best before the post has enough time to be visible long enough at the top of the hot section, and starts to pop up on people's feed. So by the time average Joe sees it, it's already too late for them to pull out a good comment, and any new comment is already getting buried.
I know when I see something pop up on my feed, it's usually more than 30 minutes old already.
And because the general users haven't gotten a chance to sort out what's good in the new comments, it's easier to manipulate this with a little bit of collusion. The strict window means manipulation doesn't get enough of a chance to get outweighed by popular voting.
So you essentially have a chance to collude on what gets bumped up, while most people aren't looking yet.
​

The solution:

If you give a post more time to be sorted by new, then everyone who views the comments, isn't gonna just see the same handful of fast fingers moonfarmers getting all the visibility. They'll have more time to pick a good comment, and there's also more chance for someone who took the time to actually read the post and actually answer OP's question, or find a counter argument.
Additionally, I believe it could be a rough time, so people won't know exactly when the switch is made.
My concern isn't even just with Moonfarmers exploiting a weakness in the system, it's more our sub turning into an idiocracy, and the visibility going to people who never bother to read, or bots posting generic comments in any new post.
​
View Poll

I have had my computer for almost 10 years with incremental upgrades along the way.
Current specs are:
Ryzen 5 3600
Asus TUF x570 plus
Corsair 32G DDR4 (dont remember the name but made sure it was compatible with the mobo, more on this below)
MSI RTX 3080
Corsair 800W PSU
An old WD Blue and Black 1TB HDD
Samsung 256G 840 EVO SSD (OS)
XPG GAMMIX S11 Pro NVME 1TB
Sabrent Rocket 4.0 Plus NVME 1TB
I have daily BSODs, mostly with various error codes. Recent examples are:
Exception Not handled
Kernel auto boost lock acquisition with raised irql
System service exception
and many others that I have not recorded.
I am dumbfounded. I replaced my RAM and my PSU and reinstalled windows 10, still constant BSOD. There is no rhyme or reason, they will happen right after I boot, while I'm doing browsing, while my computer is idle, sometimes it doesn't properly blue screen but will completely freeze and I have to hold the power button to restart (bad, I know).
Chrome will give the out of memory error occasionally too. I upgraded very recently from 16G to 32G of RAM hoping that would solve it, but nothing.
I have the latest GPU, chipset and mobo drivers. They only things left that I haven't tested/replaced are the drives, the motherboard and the CPU but I got those less than 3 years ago.
Anyone have any ideas?
Edit: link to most recent dump files: https://www.mediafire.com/file/rk3f9ds6fkkjvsd/dump.zip/file

For anyone who loves blue lock and plays fifa pro clubs I’ve created a discord where you can join our first selection and join teams if you make it through the selections https://discord.gg/rTEM6y7Y the link

How do the little lads that go around Dublin rob the bikes they’re taking every day? All over north Dublin from the north city centre to Finglas I see little lads from 12/13 up to early 20s doing laps around the place often without helmets on bikes - sports bikes scooters and anything in between. I’m assuming they’re all robbed. Are they actually cutting chains and disc locks or are they generally picking easy unlocked targets? And is it that easy to start a modern bike without the key?
I want to buy a bike but I’ll be leaving on the street in north Dublin city. I’m wondering if ill still end up getting it robbed after spending a few hundred on locks and alarms.

So before the recent leak, I was a subscriber to the "Introduction Order" theory that based on the introduction in chapter 0, we can tell who's going to be a part of the next chapter. This also lines up somewhat with the lyric of Lament which describes our journey from sinner to sinner and chapters to chapters but they're vague enough you cannot really tell which verse belong to who until you play through them.
However, thanks to the recent leak and how Pmoon say they have no plan to do a Don extraction on the April 6th does make everything a lot more sussy. It might be because of the Don E.G.O so they can do a W Corp on top but it puts Don back on the radar for me to reconsider the theory of the Introduction Order.
Spoiler for some of the books, Leviathan and Library of Ruina btw.
Going with the lyric theory, we're currently at this portion.
Why'd you make my voice stutter?
Why do truths never matter?
Why'd you curse me with "you're a natural born genius"?
The Natural born genius make it sound like it has to be Yi sang but the first 2 sound really weird and doesn't really fit with his poem. Instead, the whole thing, just like Rodion part in the song, is more of a conversation between 2 individuals. The quips lines up with Don Quixote and Sancho. Sancho, in the book, always tell Don what he's seeing only for Don to make up BS excuses to why that's actually something magical or how the inn is a castle. The natural born genius might actually line up with how Sancho was promised to be made a duke only, when given a chance as a joke, ends up being really good at governorship. Just like Rodion and Sonya, it won't be surprising if the role has been reversed as well for Don Quixote and Sancho, like how Sonya went from a poor prostitute to a revolutionary leader that book Rodion failed to become, Sancho might no longer be an easily fooled farmer and is actually a rich nest kid.
But the biggest factor to consider is really the Chapter 4 art card.
https://i.imgur.com/hfwAnDx.png
The chapter name tells you who it's about. Outcast is Gregor and how he's treated by his family in the book or in this case, as a deserter. Unloving is Rodion and how she acts on impulse and that the focus of Crime and Punishment is about the road to redemption through love. Unconfronting is Sinclair and Kromer and how Sinclair had to be saved by Demain because Sinclair can't muster the courage to face Kromer.
Each of the card also has a scene from the climax of the chapter and the memory of each sinners. Chapter 4 card art however, is an office in Kcorp. Based on the room and how there's a visible fireplace, it looks like a study.
Yisang and Gubo are linked and as we know, Gubo works for Ncorp so Yisang, being a former scientist that works on the gacha system, is likely from N corp as well before he ran which lead to Gubo appearing in Leviathan to chase a runaway who stole the technology of them trying to recreate what Yisang made. This really makes you ask "Why is Kcorp the setting then?"
Meanwhile, who can be considered Unchanging to the point of being delusional, line up with the lyric and also has a rather important moment in the book that takes place in the study? Don Quixote. In the book, when Don returned home after being crowned a knight at an inn to rest and pack up again, his family and friends actually decided to seal up his most prized room, his study, after burning a bunch of his books. Like how Kromer is turned from a minor antagonist into some major, this event can also be written into some major as well because it is the point where Don become even crazier and go on a journey to "Fight his nemesis wizard", dragging Sancho with him.
Also based on the location, we can assume this will take place in either district 11 (Kcorp) or if we move to a new area, District 12. Remember what major event took place near these areas in the past?
The 8 o'clock Circus
The 8 o'clock circus was doing their things at District 12 before retreating to District 10 and in order to get there, they likely have to pass through District 11 so these 3 Districts are the "Circus zone" and we're currently right on them. There's a specific person whose EGO and background is a carnival, Don Quixote. This lines up perfectly with how each base E.G.O art of the identity outright show their major events in their lives that will be revealed in that chapter. Gregor has the smoke war, Rodion has the massacre of her town over what she did and Sinclair has his family.
What do you think? Will it be Yisang? Maybe but I'm really leaning toward Don Quixote now. It's the perfect time for something to happen that result in the the K-corp study being locked away that lead to Don and Sancho going to the circus while they are still in the area.