"Secret tip - The first step in learning how to pick big stock market winners is to examine leaders of the past (...). From these observations, you will be able to recognize the types of price and earnings patterns these stocks developed before their spectacular price advances."

William O'Neil

Disclaimer, disclaimer, disclaimer. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.
The future is hocus pocus and there is nothing we can learn from history rather than that it is not indicative of what might be about to happen.
How intriguing! I wonder what we learn from after all. Future events? Theory? What's our experience worth after all? How can you tell the sun is rising tomorrow? How can you tell that you'll get smashed into pieces if you jump off a cliff?
I understand that since a few centuries ago, building our collective knowledge, brick by brick, on top of scientifically proven hypothesis has been paramount.
I understand that in the realm of exact sciences such as physics, chemistry, biology … universal truths are achievable. 1+1=2, applying a force x to a body with y mass, under isolated environments, in a specific way, will always produce the same movement, apples, just like you, me or any other body, are subject to the forces of gravity, just like we'll be tomorrow under the same circumstances, and so forth.
I understand that economics, human decision making, psychology and other non-exact sciences should not abide by the same rules and are not so prone to yield undisputed, universal laws.
Trading is not considered a science by any means, but should that be the case then it would certainly not be included in the exact-sciences basket.
Past this introductive reminiscence, allow me to put some well known aphorisms in front of you:

• Actions speak louder than words.
• Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
• The only constant in life is change.
• Birds of a feather flock together.
• Time heals all wounds.
• All that glitters is not gold.
• Where there's smoke, there's fire.
• Knowledge is power.
• You reap what you sow.
• Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
• Honesty is the best policy.
• Practice makes perfect.
• You can't judge a book by its cover.
• A penny saved is a penny earned.
• It's better to be safe than sorry.

Can you really disagree with these common sense pieces of wisdom heritage? How many of these did you hear from your grandparents?
Perhaps a more important question: would it be wise for you to act systematically against the advice of these aphorisms?
Still … Can you label these as scientifical, universal truths? Nope.
Does that mean these should not be regarded as important pieces of knowledge, built from centuries, perhaps even millennia of experience, passed on from generation to generation? What do you think rituals and traditions really are, by the way?
All I'm saying is that there is more knowledge out there outside of the scope of science. Things you can not even articulate, things you might not even be consciously aware of. Things who don't even have been allocated with words to qualify or quantify them. Trading lives in that realm.
The history of speculation and financial markets, which has walked hand in hand with the history of civilization and human nature, has laid patterns, rules of thumb, aphorisms behind it. Knowledge which you can't really argue it's science, knowledge which is not as precise as you'd like it to be, knowledge that cannot even be qualified as such by an enlightened class of thinkers (who tend not to be doers).
This type of knowledge cannot tell you what a stock will be doing next week, next year or whatsoever … However, this type of knowledge is more than qualified, by its survival and proliferation throughout the centuries, to tell you what works more often than it does not.
What am I saying? For you who wants to be a trader. Study the charts, study financial history, study the history of speculation.
Cheers,
Ruben / Tenacious Tribe
​
https://www.tenacioustribe.com/my-grandmother-used-to-say

What's worked for me
I didn't try to change everything at once. My primary focus has been alcohol. If I had a bad day and wanted to stress eat, fuck it I gorged myself on unhealthy food. If I just needed to get fucked up, I ate some edibles. If I didn't want to go outside, I played video games. If I was tired, I slept in.
I had a secondary focus of exercising but honestly that is just to support the primary focus of not drinking. I found that setting a standard of running every other day for at least 20 minutes was achievable and curbed my cravings significantly. On top of that, I almost always did longer than 20 minutes.
At the beginning of each day, I make it a point to remind myself what I would be feeling like if I had drank the night before. I find this kind of positive reinforcement to really help when the sun starts to set. When the weather is nice and I want a beer, I try to think about how I wouldn't even be fully enjoying that weather today if I had drank the night before. Playing the tape forward (and backward) is immensely helpful to keeping my motivation.
Having short term, medium term, and long term goals has been really helpful. My short term goal basically just boils down to I will not drink today. My medium term goal is some sort of social plan to play board games or get a coffee the next day or the following day. Something that goes from being enjoyable to miserable if I'm hungover. Long term goal has been to run a 10k race.
Highlights

• I've run multiple 10ks (6.2 miles) and have a race this weekend where I expect to run it between 55-60 minutes
  
• I've read a lot more books
  
• My relationship with my significant other has grown
  
• I'm much less moody and irritable
  
• I landed my first contract of self employment (and it's a pretty solid one as well!)
  
• I've lost weight and my clothes fit better (although I haven't been weighing myself it's very obvious)
  
• My house is much cleaner and doing chores isn't some miserable act
  
• My OCD has been more stable, specifically my obsessive thoughts
  
• I'm sleeping better
  
• I've cut down on weed in the last week
  

The list goes on. I know it's not all roses and there are evenings and days I wish I was with my buddies having some brews but overall my quality of life is better without alcohol. I don't know if this is permanent but I know I'm not going to drink today and I know I'll be grateful regardless for the time spent away from it.

Part 3
Part 2
Part 1
As alternate me drove south, the pop music station switched back to the news channel. Whatever was going to happen in Washington DC in the alternate reality, I was screwed. My heart began to race as I pondered the possibilities. Building smashing would be insane, a creature dump would be the worst thing to get caught up in, an EMP Bubble complete with gassing would be terrifying as hell too, but I guess it would be a quick way to go. The entire city exploding would most likely be quick as well. Either way, and no matter how quick death could be, I didn't want to die at all.
Hopefully a task force made up of various other alternate me's would come rescue me. That's of course probably just a dream in the reality I'm in. For sure there is a team of alternate me's rescuing other alternate me's in some area of the multiverse. It's possible, so it's happening in some set of realities. I hope they come here too.
At around 8 AM, my stomach was rumbling. Luckily, my alternate self got the memo. Unfortunately, her response was cruel.
"Hungry back there? You don't need to eat anyway. It's not going to matter."
I'd probably find something to eat somewhere anyway. Hopefully…
Nothing new came up in the news. It was just talk about the three giants who attacked the UK. Other than that, the news reporters talked about the crashing worldwide economy on account of the Northeast China and Japan EMP Bubbles, the refugees emerging from EMP bubbles and claiming to have seen giants spraying gas on cities and towns, world leaders' reactions to the attacks, and the fall of the CCP, Russia, North Korea, Iran, the UK, Japan, along with the slow torture of the US. The reporters speculated about what the giants may want.
"They're taking out thousands of people in an obviously coordinated way, but we still don't know what they want."
"They for sure want us to be scared, and we definitely are, but yeah, why are they killing certain people who have no proven connection to each other?"
"Maybe that's part of their point. Make us go insane at their uncertainty."
As I browsed the internet, I came across a discussion thread claiming the giants were good because they were destroying all the fascist and flawed democratic governments. The comments of course disagreed, saying killing people is not the answer. It won't end fascism. Curious, I scrolled down to the very bottom to read the least popular comments.
"Yeah.. these giants are transforming this world for the better. Hopefully when their attacks are finished we can rebuild where they helped us out and just be better to each other"
Right… they helped us out… sure.
"Why are people expecting democracy in the aftermath of this? We need stronger leaders who can see past hypocrisy"
Giving people rights means being weak?
And of course… the craziest one.
"These attacks came out of nowhere. How? You're telling me giant titanic beings just popped out of nowhere and nobody had any foreknowledge? The government will do absolutely anything to control their citizens. China has collapsed? North Korea too? Even Iran? Yeah this was coordinated."
Because everyone's psychic and somehow knew beings like these would pop out of nowhere and catch everybody off guard? Also the UK, Canada, and Japan were attacked too. Why would the US attack its own allies? And itself? Especially its own facilities? This must be one of those every elite is a demonic Illuminati puppet theorist.
Hilarious comments aside, it's scary how people can believe just about anything is planned by the government. Demonic giants from who knows where cannot be the fault of any government. But that aside, there was yet another rabbit hole I stumbled down. On an obscure part of Reddit, there was a group who called themselves the Children of Satan's Titans. At first, I thought it was satirical, but as I read their posts, it was clear they were being serious. They thought the giants were bringing on armageddon and that they were supposed to lead the world after all is said and done. They even came up with nicknames for the giants.
The one that attacked Manhattan was the Grim Baron The one that attacked first was the Mother of Destruction for being the first giant to attack The one that forced Justin Trudeau into hiding was Lacertosis The giant duo who first attacked Newmarket and Aurora, Ontario were called the Ignis Duo
…and the list went on. The cult had come up with latin-translation names for each confirmed giant so far. There were 45 confirmed giants.
The car came to a stop. I slid my phone into my pocket and anticipated the worst. The three got out of the car. My alternate self's two cronies opened the trunk and told me to get out and to follow my alternate self or I'd be hit with another dart. I climbed out of the trunk, stepping onto a parking lot. As my alternate self began to walk, I followed. Cars were driving up and down the road, people were walking on the sidewalks. It was pretty busy. That made it even more saddening, as I knew the city was about to be attacked by giants.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"Don't talk," alternate me said.
My alternate self was such a psycho. But why? What led her to berating every other version of her? How many times has this whole sort of thing happened? It can't be the first time. If it is, then that's a good thing… She isn't very experienced in this… but I can't let optimism cloud my judgment, especially with the pit of dread in my stomach. I was probably going to suffer whether I survived or not.
I want out of this hostel shit.
The three told me to wait outside a Starbucks. As I stood outside, I checked Reuters for some updates on the attacks. Interestingly, there weren't any. Once the three walked back out, we continued walking.
Over the following ~two hours, the three took me on a tour of the city. However, it was more of a goodbye tour, with my alternate self making snarky comments at every tourist attraction. I'll just list the stuff she said and the places we went to.
When we stopped in front of the White House…
"See this magnificent building here? It's about to be swarmed by a mass of wild creatures. Hope the president makes it out alive."
When we walked by the Smithsonian National Museum…
"All the lovely stuff in there is going to be torn to pieces"
When we walked by the Washington Monument…
"Creatures are going to scale that thing looking for guts to eat"
When we walked by the Capitol Building…
"Creatures this time, and 100 times worse"
When we walked by the Supreme Court of the United States…
"Ever wanted to cut the court in half? Well here we are"
When we walked by the National Academy of Sciences…
"New stuff to put in science books. History books even. Imagine if you had a 21st Century history book and could know how the rest of this century unfolds for this timeline."
While her comments were presented as if they were light, they creeped me the hell out. She was joking about my likely death and reminding me of all the terrible things that were about to happen. What kept me most on edge was the uncertainty of when the creatures would be dumped. There being no updates about the attacks gave me a calm before the storm vibe too. I began to jump at the sight of dogs running by. The Ian and Billy behind me couldn't stop giggling each time.
At the end of the tour, my alternate self led me to what at first looked like the entrance to a subway train station. It was called Dupont Underground. Alternate me led me down some concrete stairs and stopped at a door. She turned to me while pulling her phone out.
"I'm going to show you something from a different reality," she said, with a sinister look in her eyes. "This timeline, but one month from now."
She tapped around for a minute, then she held her phone in front of my eyes. A video was playing. The camera operator walked down a deserted city road. Every car was stalled in the middle of the road with shattered windows and some had huge body dents. I saw the Dupont Underground sign and realized it was the street we were on. The camera operator took a right down the concrete steps. At the bottom was a body covered in blood and fleshy holes. The camera operator walked up to the body and zoomed in on its face. I recognized her. It couldn't be. But it probably was.
"This is you after having your guts sucked out by creatures," alternate me said.
My heart sank. An odd eeriness overtook me. That was me. Dead. My unmoving body laying on the ground. I was looking at my own corpse. I had never seen a dead alternate version of me before. That was about to be me. Technically it was an alternate version of me, but it mirrored what was going to happen to me. I shivered with dread.
"I… I'm…… I'm going to be eaten alive"
"Oh suck it up," alternate me said.
"Yeah," Ian added.
"Don't cry too much," Billy added.
"Don't cry?" I asked. "I was shown my fate you shit!"
"And there's no way to avoid it," alternate me said. "Now, we're taking you for another walk. This time, just a stroll."
"What is the point exactly?" I asked.
"Exercise," alternate me shrugged.
My alternate self took me on a long walk up north. She didn't say a word to me. Neither did Billy or Ian. I made sure to keep my mouth shut, anxious I'd be taken into a back alley and be injected with fire ants of all things. After an hour of walking, I became exhausted. My knees felt like they were going to snap, I was sweating all over, and my breaths were shallow. My stomach began to ache from not eating. I was still too anxious to talk. We went to a McDonald's, but alternate me told me I wasn't allowed to have anything. She had to have been taunting me.
We walked north for another exhaustive aching hour. I was thirsty as fuck. We stopped at a convenience store where alternate me gave me a water bottle. It wasn't something I expected, but I guess he did it just so I wouldn't faint from heat exhaustion. It made the following hour of walking refreshing, but my stomach was still numb. At least we were walking back though. But it dawned on me that it only meant my death was closer than ever. The pit of dread in my stomach deepened, distracting me from the numbness in my stomach. There was a hint of sadness behind every thought I had. I played a song in my head as I continued to follow behind my alternate self. The songs I heard in the Creature Dump Aftermath footage. Just me playing the memory I had of them back in my head calmed me down a bit. For the following hour after that, I anticipated the moment where my legs would just give out. The three psychos would have to understand, but they probably wouldn't… and so I just kept walking, hoping my legs wouldn't give out.
After four hours of walking, I could see the White House right up ahead. I needed a break. I thought it was over, but then we began circling the freaking Washington strip.
I thought I could give out in a place where there were no back alleyways or any place of the sort. I'd get quite a bit of attention. Maybe too much for my alternate self to handle even with two others. But I'd still be in the city… damnit. There was no way I could run either, being exhausted like hell.
Finally, after circling the Washington strip a tenth time, my alternate self told me I could sit down on a nearby park bench, but that I still couldn't eat. I took the offer and rested on the empty bench. Euphoria was all I felt for a good minute, then my adrenaline went back up.
She's letting me rest. Finally… Yes…. I'm going to die but this is worth it right now, even though it really isn't.
"Alright, now I'm going to show you something you're going to want to see," Billy said.
Oh god… another horrific video… I assume.
She held her phone in front of my eyes. It was a private Instagram live stream featuring two men who looked around my age.
"Hello, Nicole," said the one on the left. "This is your cousin, Sam."
"I'm your cousin Markus," said the one on the right.
They're my cousins? Oh, okay. What are they doing?
"We're in a room in the Niagara Falls Observatory," Sam said. "We aren't allowed to come out. We don't know why."
"We don't know who put us in here," Markus said. "Just two girls. One looked very similar to you… Your doppelganger I guess."
A boom echoed from somewhere off camera.
"What was that?" Markus asked.
Multiple booms began echoing from somewhere offscreen, getting louder and louder and louder. Sam and Markus both looked to their right. The booming stopped. A crashing noise echoed from above, followed by an avalanche-like rumble. Sam and Markus looked up, then the stream ended.
Billy navigated to a YouTube livestream of CTV news helicopter footage. A giant was looking around as missiles struck it. But a background detail caught my eye. The Falls.
What the fuck…? did she just show me a live stream of my cousins' deaths? What the hell…?
She skipped back a minute. The giant smashed the tower down, creating a plume of smoke.
Uhhhhh…
"I hope they treated you well," she said.
"Nicole?!" I shouted at my alternate self, who was standing a meter away from Billy. "That's too far!"
"It was my idea," Billy said with a huge smile on her face.
"You're a fucking psycho!" I shouted and stood up. "Were they from this timeline or my own?!"
Billy stood there with her hand on her hip, continuing to smirk. "I'm not telling you," she said. She turned around and walked away. Ian and my alternate self followed.
"Where are you going?" I shouted.
"Have fun," alternate me said as she walked away.
The three walked out of my sight. I stared on, once again wondering what the hell made them so psychotic. They're just evil versions of people. That's all I knew.
I checked the time. 6:35 PM. I sat down and teared up. I was about to be eaten by wild gut sucking creatures. A girl just executed my cousins.
I'm still trapped in this dark reality.
At least I won't have to deal with those three ever again… or anybody…
How painful is it going to be? I don't want to go out in pain… but it looks like that's going to happen.
There's no way I can get out of here before the creatures come. At least, I assume so. Wait… what if my alternate self gave me enough time to get out of DC, but wanted me to think she left me alone because the creatures would be here in a matter of minutes after he left? I was probably overthinking, but I'm not going to take that chance. I need to get out of here while I can.
I trekked in a random direction. South. I wasn't going anywhere near Dupont Underground. My heart sank at the thought of being there. But I wasn't going to stop without eating. I marched into a convenience store and bought anything I could, then I found a park bench and ate everything I had just bought. I was met with some acid reflux in my mouth due to my guts clenching at the idea I may be overthinking alternate me's possible plan, but other than that, I stomached it pretty well.
But as I was eating, I overheard a conversation a couple of people were having.
"So you think this is the end of the world?"
"Maybe. I wouldn't be surprised at this point."
A little kid began balling their eyes out.
"Mommy, he said the world is going to end!"
"The world isn't going to end… It's just going to be… changed. Different."
"Did you hear about the cluster attacks though? They're going for specific people for sure. I can't wait for this stuff to be figured out," an older voice said.
"Cluster attacks?"
"Yeah those giants hit over 6000 houses and apartment buildings all over the world around an hour ago," the older voice explained.
"Where did you hear that?"
"The news. It's crazy."
"I heard there was an attack in Pittsburgh, but not much information was given about it."
"I haven't heard anything about that attack."
None of them know… I hope they're driving out of the area right about now.
As I walked by a short orange building, an overbearing presence struck me.
"Oh no, oh god," I whispered to myself. "I hope that's all in my head."
The cars driving up the road in my direction slowed and people walking in my direction looked up. Some of them began pointing. Dread overtook me to the point I decided to stop walking. I froze. If the next creature dump was happening in seconds, I was screwed.
I kept walking, avoiding my curious urge to look where everyone was looking. Two people turned around and ran. The roaring of car motors began to get faster. I took a glance behind me. My heart stopped. Two giants stood some miles away, holding giant sack-like objects. The two giants tilt the sacks and thousands upon thousands of wild creatures fell out. As the creatures rained down, I turned my head back in the direction I was headed in and sprinted down the sidewalk.
Where do I go?
The river. Can the creatures swim? I'll take any chances.
I ran down the sidewalk, in the direction one of the rivers was in. The adrenaline was peaking. I couldn't think about anything other than survival. I ran through a small park, navigating the benches and people frozen in fear. I crossed the next street without looking at the traffic lights, I nearly tripped over chairs, I almost bumped into people running from my right. I ran that way for seven blocks straight, almost being hit by a car three times. I carefully navigated across a main street. As I crossed the street, air raid sirens began to blair from all directions. I found a one way road to my left and just sprinted for my life.
Hopefully the river is close.
At the end of the road was a parking lot. Nobody was there. I sprinted across it until I found a trail. Down the trail, I saw the river. Boats too. I ran along the trail and saw a spot away from the boats to jump into the water. A couple explosions shook the ground beneath me as I ran. I hopped over the fence and jumped into the water.
I swam until I got to the middle of the river. I glanced around. Everything seemed calm and normal in all directions until a loud bang hit my right ear. I looked to my right and saw a cloud of smoke rising from a triple arched bridge in the distance. People jumped off the bridge and landed in the river below. The air raid sirens continued to blair as fighter jets flew by in the distance. I just needed to stay in the river until the creature invasion blew over.
I looked to my right and saw two creatures crawl across the building beside the parking lot I ran through. Three creatures ran onto the pier. The adrenaline worsened.
Time to find out if these beasts can swim.
They ran around and jumped onto some of the boats. A painful scream echoed from one of them. A man was stumbling around with a creature attached to his head and stomach. He pulled on its tentacles, but they held their grasp. He nudged himself sideways into the water. Seconds later, the creature started squirming around in the water, with its tentacles flailing about. I shivered. It was a terrifying sight. The man floated on the surface, shaking his head and moving his arms as if he were a bird. Soon the creature stopped moving and just floated in one spot like a dingy.
I'm good. But how long will it be until the military clears them? I'll just have to wait.
Explosions, gunshots, and emergency sirens from every direction, along with the roar of fighter jets flying overhead, were all I could hear. I couldn't hear the waves washing up against my own ears, or the sound of my own voice. I decided to play those songs in my head again to pass the time. I played other songs in my head too, all while hoping some soldiers would see me, then rescue me.
After a good amount of time in the water, the sounds of explosions seemed to be concentrated on an area to the north. I could only speculate it was the government strip. I looked to my right again and noticed a dozen creatures were occupying the pier.
This wasn't getting better anytime in the next hour. Hopefully I'll be in the clear soon. Once I am, I need to make sure my alternate self cannot find me.
At one point, I woke up to me being pulled out of the water by some Marines. They put me on a boat and asked me some questions, then they gave me some water. After the rescue, they took me to a refugee camp somewhere in southern Virginia. I was given food, water, and my own little room with a bunk bed. I sat down on the bed, hoping I'd be safe from the creatures. I unzipped my pocket and pulled out my phone to read up on the creature dump in Washington DC. These were the top headlines on CNN, for those curious:
"WILD CREATURES OCCUPY DC METRO AREA"
"All branches of the US Armed Forces are responding to the attack on Washington - Yes, even the Space Force as the US speculates the giants are of extraterrestrial origin"
"Images from above: the White House, US Capitol moderately damaged by wild creatures"
"Five major politicians, 2 billionaires, and 1 celebrity confirmed dead in Washington DC after Creature Dump"
""Nuclear weapons aren't likely to be used, but they have not been ruled out""
"Pennsylvania, Virginia set up refugee camps for predicted mini-flood of refugees from EMP-striken, gassed parts of Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia"
"Global Recession: Why economists are torn on whether or not the economy will return to pre-attack levels"
"Refugees from Florida EMP Bubbles: "We went into town after the gassing and we saw people and animals on the ground, everywhere""
""We need FEMA" EMP Bubble refugees who are staying in their states criticize their state governments for not declaring an emergency"
"MILITARY: There's no way to protect any type of technology from an EMP Bubble"
A guy with brown hair who looked to be in his early 20s walked into the room. He introduced himself as my roommate. We talked about the attacks and their potential ramifications.
"I don't know what's next for the world," I said. "I'm scared."
"We're going to be at war for a while," he said. "Good vs bad. We need to ready ourselves for what's to come. Everything is different now."
"I mean, at this point, I'd just end it if I didn't feel like I had a chance to survive this new world," I said. "Especially being in the initial attacks… I thought about ending it a few times."
"So you're a coward?" He asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Why would you leave people behind to suffer?"
"I'm not the one making them suffer"
"Yes you are… by killing yourself… people want you around…"
"Dude… nobody owns me. Do you think I'm a slave or something? People shouldn't be relying on others for their happiness."
"You are so stupid"
"Are you that entitled? Do you feel you need to treat people like entertainment animals? People are individuals. They're not your Mom's nipples either."
"I just… can't with selfish people like you"
"Honestly, if you can't respect others' choices and call victims cowards, you're just like the monsters and their little gut eating creatures."
"I don't understand why you'd support selfish people," he said. "You're like my ex-girlfriend."
"Maybe if you respected her individualism more, accepted the fact that mental health issues exist, talked about and validated her issues, she wouldn't have done it."
"Oh, okay, so you're okay with what those Empire State Building jumpers did?"
"Yes," I said. "They acted on survival instincts. It was either get eaten or jump."
"A real person would fight!"
"Survival instincts don't exist to you, do they?"
"I'm not talking to you, man," he said, climbing up to his bunk.
He had me until the victim blaming. Anyway, I went back to reading the news and reminded myself I'm not responsible for other people. Sometime after that, I went to sleep. Sometime later, I woke up to the sound of gunshots and shouting. I looked out the window. Two of those hideous creatures crawled by. I closed the curtains. I checked the news, hoping there wasn't another creature dump nearby.
"A COUPLE DOZEN WILD CREATURES REPORTED OUTSIDE DC METRO AREA"
"US East Coast on high alert as wild creatures make it past military checkpoints around DC Metro Area"
"Security video from Philadelphia captures creature that came from DC Metro area"
""V-BASCBHOB-TJCPSZAMDLSA-IKPJJ-HBCHLL" The FBI is investigating the string of letters scratched into the Washington Monument by the creatures"
"OPINION: After a week of teasing, it's the US' turn to fall"
I want out of this painful chaotic dark reality. Maybe there's a slip nearby. It probably wouldn't take me back to my home reality, but anything would be better than this. I've been to dark realities, like one where there was a third world war in the 1960s followed by a fourth world war in the 2010s, in which technology was a bit more advanced, but Eastern Europe and the Eastern United States were irradiated. There was a darker reality where giants attacked multiple metropolitan areas around the world. EMPs were used, but they weren't EMP Bubbles. People were crying, hoping their friends were okay. It was more mysterious, with every initial attack happening within the darkened areas. It started in New Zealand, South Korea, and Japan. Then it spread west to the US in about a day.
Something heavy banged on the door. Shit… I opened the window, clawed the screen apart, and climbed out. I stepped onto the grass, then I sprinted away. I needed to find the gate. It was probably guarded, but I could find a way somehow. Not to sound too optimistic.
The gate was up ahead. There were three dead soldiers lying on the ground around it. After navigating my way through it, I sprinted across the street and into a dense forest.
Half an hour into running, my knees became weak again. I sat down up against a tree to catch my breath. I must've relaxed for a bit too long, as I essentially just blinked and the sun was shining and birds were chirping. I checked the time. 8:02 AM. I checked the news. There were no new updates.
Where do I go now?
There was no place for me to go that I knew of. Slips weren't extremely common. They weren't active 24/7 either. Until I found one, I had to deal with the possibility of being crushed, gassed, or eaten. I didn't expect my alternate self to find me. I was outside of the DC Metro area. To him, I could be anywhere.
Unless of course she tapped my phone… but she most likely would've shown up by now if he had. Knowing me, he probably would've gone to a reality where I famously snuck out of the refugee camp and my steps were publicly retraced, then he'd use that information to find me. Looks like I just need to walk in a direction that is almost one I'd go in but is not one I'd go in, in this situation. I chose to walk in the direction of the ocean.
As I walked, a bird flew right by me. I watched it fly away, then vanish out of thin air.
Yes!
I went over to the spot with a good adrenaline rush coming on. I pulled out my phone and pulled up Reuters. I refreshed the page. The headlines were still about the giants. I walked back and forth once a minute for some time, clamping the leaves to the ground in the process. The headlines were the same. I was desperate, but I dreaded my alternate self finding me. I layed on the dirty ground, letting the leaves brush against my hair. Every few minutes or so, I'd refresh the page and there would still be news about the giants. I wanted to be home, where everything is safe, peaceful, and quiet compared to this place. I didn't want to hear another boom or a certain growl again.
A number of minutes later, I checked the news again.
"Russia warns US over Black Sea drone flights"
"No path to peace: 5 key takeaways from Xi and Putin's talks in Moscow"
"Russian soldier accused of war crimes in absentia after audio files intercepted"
There was nothing about the giant attacks. The headlines were normal again! I slipped! But did I slip into the right reality? A safe one?
I Googled the attacks. Only movie scenes and recaps came up. I had to be home. I had to be far away from wherever my alternate self was. My heart dropped for a second as I realized one of those creatures was roaming around in what may be our reality… I'm sure it'll be taken care of. I hope it's taken care of soon though. It's going to eat a few people for sure, and I hope I'm not one of them.
I got distracted by the sound of an animal moving through the bush beside me. I brought my head up and saw the head of a tentacled creature. It sat still on the side of the bush. Its tentacles brush against the dirt. I laid my head back down. My heart began to speed up as the thing sat there. If it saw me, I would have no chance of living for another minute. The leaves served as a barrier between it and I. I couldn't see it when laying down and it couldn't see me at its height.
"Hey!" A man shouted from some distance further to my left. "Are you alright over there?"
The leaves ruffled. The man looked down in confusion, then he jumped. As he began to turn around, the creature climbed onto him. He fell to the ground as the creature's tentacles grabbed his arms and chest. He screamed. The scream was gut wrenching, but at least this was my ticket out. I got up and ran as fast as I could through the bushes and trees around me. Once I came across a road, I took a left and continued sprinting. My heart was pounding out of my chest. At one point, I came across a river. I stood still on the shoreline, hoping that thing wasn't about to jump out of the bushes. I turned around. Nothing.
I went to my Reddit account and found my previous update. I'm back. I'm going to dump this update here, then hopefully I'll find a good place to stay while running. If I go back home to my parents, I'm going to need a defense mechanism. My alternate self wanted me to be in that dark terrifying reality. She probably doesn't know I'm still alive.
Oh, and if you live in or around Richmond, Virginia… stay safe. The creature moves fast and, as you know, it eats your guts.
Now I hear three familiar voices. I need to run.

Everything in my inventory is up for trade. The most valuable items are listed here, the rest you can find in My Inventory

Feel free to Add Me or even better send a Trade Offer. Open for any suggestions: upgrades, downgrades / knives, gloves, skins / stickers, patterns, floats.

All Buyouts are listed in cash value.

KNIVES

★ Butterfly Knife Freehand FN #1, B/O: $1867

★ Butterfly Knife Bright Water MW, B/O: $1098

★ Butterfly Knife Blue Steel BS, B/O: $907

★ Butterfly Knife Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $789

★ Butterfly Knife Stained FT, B/O: $695

⎯

★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth MW #1, B/O: $888

★ Bayonet Gamma Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $727

★ Bayonet Doppler (Phase 2) FN, B/O: $608

★ Bayonet Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $521

★ Bayonet Rust Coat BS, B/O: $253

★ Bayonet Night FT, B/O: $251

★ StatTrak™ Bayonet Lore MW, B/O: $751

⎯

★ Karambit Gamma Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $1343

★ Karambit Damascus Steel FT, B/O: $774

★ Karambit Rust Coat BS, B/O: $537

★ Karambit Boreal Forest FT, B/O: $488

⎯

★ M9 Bayonet Fade FN, B/O: $1523

★ M9 Bayonet Fade FN, B/O: $1523

★ M9 Bayonet Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $1008

★ M9 Bayonet Blue Steel FT, B/O: $534

★ M9 Bayonet Rust Coat BS, B/O: $449

⎯

★ Flip Knife Fade FN, B/O: $703

★ Flip Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) MW, B/O: $509

★ Flip Knife Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $406

★ Flip Knife Freehand FT, B/O: $228

★ StatTrak™ Flip Knife Bright Water FN, B/O: $332

⎯

★ Falchion Knife Doppler (Phase 2) FN, B/O: $292

★ Falchion Knife Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $264

★ Falchion Knife Marble Fade FN, B/O: $258

★ Falchion Knife Bright Water MW, B/O: $133

⎯

★ Stiletto Knife Fade FN, B/O: $822

★ Stiletto Knife Slaughter FN, B/O: $569

★ Stiletto Knife Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $530

★ Stiletto Knife Crimson Web FT, B/O: $396

★ StatTrak™ Stiletto Knife Scorched FT, B/O: $172

⎯

★ Gut Knife Doppler (Sapphire) MW #1, B/O: $830

★ Gut Knife Fade FN, B/O: $204

★ Gut Knife Tiger Tooth FN, B/O: $138

★ Gut Knife Bright Water MW, B/O: $104

★ Gut Knife Freehand FT, B/O: $92

★ Gut Knife Urban Masked FT, B/O: $82

★ StatTrak™ Gut Knife Rust Coat BS, B/O: $93

⎯

★ Shadow Daggers Fade FN, B/O: $258

★ Shadow Daggers Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $165

★ Shadow Daggers Blue Steel FT, B/O: $82

★ Shadow Daggers Bright Water FT, B/O: $82

★ Shadow Daggers Blue Steel WW, B/O: $80

★ Shadow Daggers Rust Coat BS, B/O: $74

★ StatTrak™ Shadow Daggers Marble Fade FN, B/O: $186

⎯

★ Classic Knife Slaughter MW, B/O: $311

★ StatTrak™ Classic Knife Stained BS, B/O: $163

⎯

★ Talon Knife Slaughter MW, B/O: $605

★ Talon Knife Scorched MW, B/O: $290

⎯

★ Ursus Knife Marble Fade FN, B/O: $405

★ Ursus Knife Night Stripe MW, B/O: $162

⎯

★ Paracord Knife Stained WW, B/O: $125

★ Paracord Knife Forest DDPAT FT, B/O: $97

★ Paracord Knife Safari Mesh FT, B/O: $96

⎯

★ Navaja Knife Safari Mesh FT, B/O: $71

★ Navaja Knife Scorched WW, B/O: $71

⎯

★ Nomad Knife Fade FN, B/O: $1015

★ Skeleton Knife, B/O: $909

★ Bowie Knife Boreal Forest MW, B/O: $106

★ Survival Knife Forest DDPAT FT, B/O: $97

GLOVES

★ Driver Gloves Crimson Weave FT, B/O: $335

★ Driver Gloves King Snake BS, B/O: $270

★ Driver Gloves Lunar Weave WW, B/O: $113

★ Driver Gloves Overtake WW, B/O: $88

★ Driver Gloves Overtake BS, B/O: $67

⎯

★ Moto Gloves Transport MW, B/O: $171

★ Moto Gloves Polygon BS, B/O: $137

★ Moto Gloves Transport WW, B/O: $71

★ Moto Gloves 3rd Commando Company BS, B/O: $62

⎯

★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Kimono WW, B/O: $1027

★ Specialist Gloves Tiger Strike FT, B/O: $654

★ Specialist Gloves Mogul FT, B/O: $295

★ Specialist Gloves Lt. Commander FT, B/O: $277

★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Web FT, B/O: $275

⎯

★ Sport Gloves Slingshot FT, B/O: $796

★ Sport Gloves Amphibious BS #2, B/O: $699

★ Sport Gloves Omega FT, B/O: $656

⎯

★ Broken Fang Gloves Unhinged BS, B/O: $60

WEAPONS

AK-47 Case Hardened BS, B/O: $130

AK-47 Bloodsport MW, B/O: $79

AK-47 Fuel Injector BS, B/O: $76

AK-47 Fuel Injector BS, B/O: $76

AK-47 Bloodsport FT, B/O: $70

AK-47 Neon Rider MW, B/O: $60

⎯

AWP Fade FN, B/O: $864

AWP BOOM MW, B/O: $84

AWP Containment Breach FT, B/O: $69

AWP Containment Breach FT, B/O: $69

AWP Wildfire FT, B/O: $59

AWP Chromatic Aberration FN, B/O: $59

StatTrak™ AWP Hyper Beast FT, B/O: $65

StatTrak™ AWP Hyper Beast FT, B/O: $65

⎯

Desert Eagle Blaze FN, B/O: $565

Desert Eagle Blaze FN, B/O: $565

Desert Eagle Printstream FN, B/O: $155

Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $58

⎯

M4A1-S Icarus Fell FN, B/O: $414

M4A1-S Printstream MW, B/O: $204

M4A1-S Printstream MW, B/O: $204

⎯

M4A4 Poseidon FN, B/O: $1402

M4A4 The Emperor FN, B/O: $152

M4A4 Asiimov WW, B/O: $97

⎯

USP-S Kill Confirmed MW, B/O: $65

USP-S Printstream FT, B/O: $69

StatTrak™ USP-S Kill Confirmed FT, B/O: $123

StatTrak™ USP-S Neo-Noir FN, B/O: $106

⎯

AUG Flame Jörmungandr FN, B/O: $218

P2000 Ocean Foam FN, B/O: $139

Souvenir SSG 08 Death Strike MW, B/O: $81

CZ75-Auto Emerald Quartz MW, B/O: $61

Trade Offer Link - Steam Profile Link - My Inventory

Knives - Bowie Knife, Butterfly Knife, Falchion Knife, Flip Knife, Gut Knife, Huntsman Knife, M9 Bayonet, Bayonet, Karambit, Shadow Daggers, Stiletto Knife, Ursus Knife, Navaja Knife, Talon Knife, Classic Knife, Paracord Knife, Survival Knife, Nomad Knife, Skeleton Knife, Patterns - Gamma Doppler, Doppler (Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, Phase 4, Black Pearl, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald), Crimson Web, Lore, Fade, Ultraviolet, Night, Marble Fade (Fire & Ice, Fake FI), Case Hardened (Blue Gem), Autotronic, Slaughter, Black Laminate, Tiger Tooth, Boreal Forest, Scorched, Blue Steel, Vanilla, Damascus Steel, Forest DDPAT, Urban Masked, Freehand, Stained, Bright Water, Safari Mesh, Rust Coat, Gloves - Bloodhound Gloves (Charred, Snakebite, Guerrilla, Bronzed), Driver Gloves (Snow Leopard, King Snake, Crimson Weave, Imperial Plaid, Black Tie, Lunar Weave, Diamondback, Rezan the Red, Overtake, Queen Jaguar, Convoy, Racing Green), Hand Wraps (Cobalt Skulls, CAUTION!, Overprint, Slaughter, Leather, Giraffe, Badlands, Spruce DDPAT, Arboreal, Constrictor, Desert Shamagh, Duct Tape), Moto Gloves (Spearmint, POW!, Cool Mint, Smoke Out, Finish Line, Polygon, Blood Pressure, Turtle, Boom!, Eclipse, 3rd Commando Company, Transport), Specialist Gloves (Crimson Kimono, Tiger Strike, Emerald Web, Field Agent, Marble Fade, Fade, Foundation, Lt. Commander, Crimson Web, Mogul, Forest DDPAT, Buckshot), Sport Gloves (Pandora's Box, Superconductor, Hedge Maze, Vice, Amphibious, Slingshot, Omega, Arid, Big Game, Nocts, Scarlet Shamagh, Bronze Morph), Hydra Gloves (Case Hardened, Emerald, Rattler, Mangrove), Broken Fang Gloves (Jade, Yellow-banded, Unhinged, Needle Point), Pistols - P2000 (Ocean Foam, Fire Element, Amber Fade, Corticera, Chainmail, Imperial Dragon, Obsidian, Scorpion, Handgun, Acid Etched), USP-S (Printstream, Kill Confirmed, Whiteout, Road Rash, Owergrowth, The Traitor, Neo-Noir, Dark Water, Orion, Blueprint, Stainless, Caiman, Serum, Monster Mashup, Royal Blue, Ancient Visions, Cortex, Orange Anolis, Ticket To Hell, Black Lotus, Cyrex, Check Engine, Guardian, Purple DDPAT, Torque, Blood Tiger, Flashback, Business Class, Pathfinder, Para Green), Lead Conduit, Glock-18 (Fade, Candy Apple, Bullet Queen, Synth Leaf, Neo-Noir, Nuclear Garden, Dragon Tatto, Reactor, Pink DDPAT, Twilight Galaxy, Sand Dune, Groundwater, Blue Fissure, Snack Attack, Water Elemental, Brass, Wasteland Rebel, Vogue, Franklin, Royal Legion, Gamma Doppler, Weasel, Steel Disruption, Ironwork, Grinder, High Beam, Moonrise, Oxide Blaze, Bunsen Burner, Clear Polymer, Bunsen Burner, Night), P250 (Nuclear Threat, Modern Hunter, Splash, Whiteout, Vino Primo, Mehndi, Asiimov, Visions, Undertow, Cartel, See Ya Later, Gunsmoke, Splash, Digital Architect, Muertos, Red Rock, Bengal Tiger, Crimson Kimono, Wingshot, Metallic DDPAT, Hive, Dark Filigree, Mint Kimono), Five-Seven (Neon Kimono, Berries And Cherries, Fall Hazard, Crimson Blossom, Hyper Beast, Nitro, Fairy Tale, Case Hardened, Copper Galaxy, Angry Mob, Monkey Business, Fowl Play, Anodized Gunmetal, Hot Shot, Retrobution, Boost Protocol), CZ75-Auto (Chalice, Crimson Web, Emerald Quartz, The Fuschia is Now, Nitro, Xiangliu, Yellow Jacket, Victoria, Poison Dart, Syndicate, Eco, Hexane, Pole, Tigris), Tec-9 (Terrace, Nuclear Threat, Hades, Rust Leaf, Decimator, Blast From, Orange Murano, Toxic, Fuel Injector, Remote Control, Bamboo Forest, Isaac, Avalanche, Brother, Re-Entry, Blue Titanium, Bamboozle), R8 Revolver (Fade, Blaze, Crimson Web, Liama Cannon, Crazy 8, Reboot, Canal Spray, Night, Amber Fade), Desert Eagle (Blaze, Hand Cannon, Fennec Fox, Sunset Storm, Emerald Jörmungandr, Pilot, Hypnotic, Golden Koi, Printstream, Cobalt Disruption, Code Red, Ocean Drive, Midnight Storm, Kumicho Dragon, Crimson Web, Heirloom, Night Heist, Mecha Industries, Night, Conspiracy, Trigger Discipline, Naga, Directive, Light Rail), Dual Berettas (Flora Carnivora, Duelist, Cobra Strike, Black Limba, Emerald, Hemoglobin, Twin Turbo, Marina, Melondrama, Pyre, Retribution, Briar, Dezastre, Royal Consorts, Urban Shock, Dualing Dragons, Panther, Balance), Rifles - Galil (Aqua Terrace, Winter Forest, Chatterbox, Sugar Rush, Pheonix Blacklight, CAUTION!, Orange DDPAT, Cerberus, Dusk Ruins, Eco, Chromatic Aberration, Stone Cold, Tuxedo, Sandstorm, Shattered, Urban Rubble, Rocket Pop, Kami, Crimson Tsunami, Connexion), SCAR-20 (Brass, Cyrex, Palm, Splash Jam, Cardiac, Emerald, Crimson Web, Magna Carta, Stone Mosaico, Bloodsport, Enforcer), AWP (Gungnir, Dragon Lore, Prince, Medusa, Desert Hydra, Fade, Lightning Strike, Oni Taiji, Silk Tiger, Graphite, Chromatic Aberration, Asiimov, Snake Camo, Boom, Containment Breach, Wildfire, Redline, Electric Hive, Hyper Beast, Neo-Noir, Man-o'-war, Pink DDPAT, Corticera, Sun in Leo, Elite Build, Fever Dream, Atheris, Mortis, PAW, Exoskeleton, Worm God, POP AWP, Phobos, Acheron, Pit Viper, Capillary, Safari Mesh), AK-47 (Wild Lotus, Gold Arabesque, X-Ray, Fire Serpent, Hydroponic, Panthera Onca, Case Hardened, Vulcan, Jet Set, Fuel Injector, Bloodsport, Nightwish, First Class, Neon Rider, Asiimov, Red Laminate, Aquamarine Revenge, The Empress, Wasteland Rebel, Jaguar, Black Laminate, Leet Museo, Neon Revolution, Redline, Frontside Misty, Predator, Legion of Anubis, Point Disarray, Orbit Mk01, Blue Laminate, Green Laminate, Emerald Pinstripe, Cartel, Phantom Disruptor, Jungle Spray, Safety Net, Rat Rod, Baroque Purple, Slate, Elite Build, Uncharted, Safari Mesh), FAMAS (Sundown, Prime Conspiracy, Afterimage, Commemoration, Dark Water, Spitfire, Pulse, Eye of Athena, Meltdown, Rapid Eye Move, Roll Cage, Styx, Mecha Industrie, Djinn, ZX Spectron, Valence, Neural Net, Night Borre, Hexne), M4A4 (Howl, Poseidon, Asiimov, Daybreak, Hellfire, Zirka, Red DDPAT, Radiation Hazard, Modern Hunter, The Emperor, The Coalition, Bullet Rain, Cyber Security, X-Ray, Dark Blossom, Buzz Kill, In Living Color, Neo-Noir, Desolate Space, 龍王 (Dragon King), Royal Paladin, The Battlestar, Global Offensive, Tooth Fairy, Desert-Strike, Griffin, Evil Daimyo, Spider Lily, Converter), M4A1-S (Welcome to the Jungle, Imminent Danger, Knight, Hot Rod, Icarus Fell, Blue Phosphor, Printstream, Master Piece, Dark Water, Golden Coil, Bright Water, Player Two, Atomic Alloy, Guardian, Chantico's Fire, Hyper Beast, Mecha Industries, Cyrex, Control Panel, Moss Quartz, Nightmare, Decimator, Leaded Glass, Basilisk, Blood Tiger, Briefing, Night Terror, Nitro, VariCamo, Flashback), SG 553 (Hazard Pay, Bulldozer, Integrale, Dragon Tech, Ultraviolet, Colony IV, Hypnotic, Cyrex, Candy Apple, Barricade, Pulse), SSG 08 (Death Strike, Sea Calico, Blood in the Water, Orange Filigree, Dragonfire, Big Iron, Bloodshot, Detour, Turbo Peek, Red Stone), AUG (Akihabara Accept, Flame Jörmungandr, Hot Rod, Midnight Lily, Sand Storm, Carved Jade, Wings, Anodized Navy, Death by Puppy, Torque, Bengal Tiger, Chameleon, Fleet Flock, Random Access, Momentum, Syd Mead, Stymphalian, Arctic Wolf, Aristocrat, Navy Murano), G3SG1 (Chronos, Violet Murano, Flux, Demeter, Orange Kimono, The Executioner, Green Apple, Arctic Polar Camo, Contractor), SMGs - P90 (Astral Jörmungandr, Run and Hide, Emerald Dragon, Cold Blooded, Death by Kitty, Baroque Red, Vent Rush, Blind Spot, Asiimov, Trigon, Sunset Lily, Death Grip, Leather, Nostalgia, Fallout Warning, Tiger Pit, Schermatic, Virus, Shapewood, Glacier Mesh, Shallow Grave, Chopper, Desert Warfare), MAC-10 (Hot Snakes, Copper Borre, Red Filigree, Gold Brick, Graven, Case Hardened, Stalker, Amber Fade, Neon Rider, Tatter, Curse, Propaganda, Nuclear Garden, Disco Tech, Toybox, Heat, Indigo), UMP-45 (Fade, Blaze, Day Lily, Minotaur's Labyrinth, Crime Scene, Caramel, Bone Pile, Momentum, Primal Saber), MP7 (Teal Blossom, Fade, Nemesis, Whiteout, Asterion, Bloosport, Abyssal Apparition, Full Stop, Special Delivery, Neon Ply, Asterion, Ocean Foam, Powercore, Scorched, Impire), PP-Bizon (Modern Hunter, Rust Coat, Forest Leaves, Antique, High Roller, Blue Streak, Seabird, Judgement of Anubis, Bamboo Print, Embargo, Chemical Green, Coblat Halftone, Fuel Rod, Photic Zone, Irradiated Alert, Carbon Fiber), MP9 (Wild Lily, Pandora's Box, Stained Glass, Bulldozer, Dark Age, Hot Rod, Hypnotic, Hydra, Rose Iron, Music Box, Setting Sun, Food Chain, Airlock, Mount Fuji, Starlight Protector, Ruby Poison Dart, Deadly Poison), MP5-SD (Oxide Oasis, Phosphor, Nitro, Agent, Autumn Twilly), Shotguns, Machineguns - Sawed-Off (Kiss♥Love, First Class, Orange DDPAT, Rust Coat, The Kraken, Devourer, Mosaico, Wasteland Princess, Bamboo Shadow, Copper, Serenity, Limelight, Apocalypto), XM1014 (Frost Borre, Ancient Lore, Red Leather, Elegant Vines, Banana Leaf, Jungle, Urban Perforated, Grassland, Blaze Orange, Heaven Guard, VariCamo Blue, Entombed, XOXO, Seasons, Tranquility, Bone Machine, Incinegator, Teclu Burner, Black Tie, Zombie Offensive, Watchdog), Nova (Baroque Orange, Hyper Beast, Green Apple, Antique, Modern Hunter, Walnut, Forest Leaves, Graphite, Blaze Orange, Rising Skull, Tempest, Bloomstick, Interlock, Quick Sand, Moon in Libra, Clean Polymer, Red Quartz, Toy Soldier), MAG-7 (Cinqueda, Counter Terrace, Prism Terrace, Memento, Chainmail, Hazard, Justice, Bulldozer, Silver, Core Breach, Firestarter, Praetorian, Heat, Hard Water, Monster Call, BI83 Spectrum, SWAG-7), M249 (Humidor, Shipping Forecast, Blizzard Marbleized, Downtown, Jungle DDPAT, Nebula Crusader, Impact Drill, Emerald Poison Dart), Negev (Mjölnir, Anodized Navy, Palm, Power Loader, Bratatat, CaliCamo, Phoenix Stencil, Infrastructure, Boroque Sand), Wear - Factory New (FN), Minimal Wear (MW), Field-Tested (FT), Well-Worn (WW), Battle-Scarred (BS), Stickers Holo/Foil/Gold - Katowice 2014, Krakow 2017, Howling Dawn, Katowice 2015, Crown, London 2018, Cologne 2014, Boston 2018, Atlanta 2017, Cluj-Napoca 2015, DreamHack 2014, King on the Field, Harp of War, Winged Difuser, Cologne 2016, Cologne 2015, MLG Columbus 2016, Katowice 2019, Berlin 2019, RMR 2020, Stockholm 2021, Antwerp 2022, Swag Foil, Flammable foil, Others - Souvenirs, Agents, Pins, Passes, Gifts, Music Kits, Cases, Keys, Capsules, Packages, Patches

Some items on the list may no longer be available or are still locked, visit My Inventory for more details.

Send a Trade Offer for fastest response. I consider all offers.

Add me for discuss if there is a serious offer that needs to be discussed.

If you want to receive this as a daily email in your inbox, you can now join at this link

worldnews

• KangRock

Putin will be arrested if he comes to Ireland, Department of Justice says
Comments Link

• gapteethinyourmouth

Uganda passes bill banning identifying as LGBTQ
Comments Link

• Bloke22

Putin has vowed to respond to Britain sending uranium tank arms to Ukraine - as his defence minister says there are fewer steps to go before nuclear collision between Russia and the UK
Comments Link

news

• lordcolorado

Bomb Threat Called In to New York Court Where Trump Hearing Held
Comments Link

• Hrekires

‘Don’t Say Gay’ lawmaker pleads guilty to COVID relief fraud
Comments Link

• BigFitMama

Biden designates area sacred to tribes as largest national monument of his presidency CNN Politics
Comments Link

science

• gridnews

Most Americans want to ban cigarettes and other tobacco products, per new CDC survey
Comments Link

• MistWeaver80

Study shows ‘obesity paradox’ does not exist: waist-to-height ratio is a better indicator of outcomes in patients with heart failure than BMI
Comments Link

• Science_News

A crucial building block of life exists on the asteroid Ryugu. Uracil, a component of RNA, was found in a sample collected by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft.
Comments Link

space

• tkocur

Kazakhstan’s seizure of Russian space assets threatens the Soyuz-5 rocket
Comments Link

• DoremusJessup

Scientists have discovered the chemical compound uracil, one of the building blocks of RNA, in just 10 milligrammes of material from the asteroid Ryugu
Comments Link

• clayt6

Young Sun-like star reveals hidden step in how planets like Earth get their water. The new results show that a significant portion of Earth's water most likely formed billions of years ago, before the Sun had even ignited.
Comments Link

Futurology

• Ezekiel_W

Leukaemia breakthrough: Experimental pill sees cancer vanish in 18 patients
Comments Link

• Defiant_Race_7544

Bill Gates just published a 7-page letter about AI and his predictions for its future
Comments Link

• altbekannt

World’s top climate scientists issue ‘survival guide for humanity,’ call for major course correction
Comments Link

AskReddit

• hoelythong_

what sucks when you get married?
Comments Link

• purple_rasberries

What video game have you played the most?
Comments Link

• JimAT

What subscription is worth every penny?
Comments Link

todayilearned

• UWCG

TIL of Ettore Majorana, an Italian theoretical physicist who predicted the existence of the neutron and neutrino before disappearing without a trace in 1938
Comments Link

• FaZe_Boris69

TIL that one of Hitler's earliest allies and close friends, Ernst Röhm, was actually openly homosexual, despite the Nazis' hatred for homosexuality. He was the leader of the SA until 1934, when he was killed during the Night of the Long Knives.
Comments Link

• jdward01

TIL the Big Gulp was invented in 1976, when Coca-Cola suggested that 7-11 use 32 oz. cups, much larger than 20 oz. cups being used by McDonalds at the time. The first regional order of 500 Big Gulp cups sold out in a week, eventually forcing automakers to make cupholders bigger as popularity grew.
Comments Link

dataisbeautiful

• Shriracha

[OC] Every Possible Wordle Solution Visualized (With Interactivity!)
Comments Link

• die_a_third_death

[OC] Timeline of same-sex marriage legalization across Canada, USA and Mexico (2003-2022)
Comments Link

• jtsg_

[OC] Microsoft Bing: A forgotten $10B+ business
Comments Link

Cooking

• NotSpartacus

What do you make rarely because it's a lot of work and not even remotely healthy?
Comments Link

• CustosEcheveria

Garlic press which doesn't leave 1/3 of the bulb behind?
Comments Link

• mmlever

What's on the menu tonight? Home Cooks Sound Off.
Comments Link

food

• Purple-Mastodon-3460

[Homemade] Spicy noodles with hot dogs!
Comments Link

• housewifewithaknife

[homemade] Reuben eggrolls
Comments Link

• housewifewithaknife

[homemade] cheesy roasted garlic rolls
Comments Link

movies

• ROBtimusPrime1995

Chris McKay confirms 'Renfield' is a direct sequel to 1931's 'Dracula'
Comments Link

• MarvelsGrantMan136

Netflix’s ‘Gears of War’ Movie Taps ‘Dune’ and ‘Doctor Strange’ Writer Jon Spaihts
Comments Link

• nintendaws

‘Family Means No One Gets Left Behind’ An Oral History of Lilo & Stitch, the Disney Movie that Almost Brought Hand-Drawn Animation Back.
Comments Link

Art

• Foxanna111

Recreation of Bob Ross’s Mountain Waterfall, Me, Makeup, 2023
Comments Link

• tj_ill

Cyber Samurai, by me, digital drawing, 2023
Comments Link

• CrapDepot

The Face of Terror, Steffen Hartmann, digital, 2022
Comments Link

television

• Kitty__Bloom

Taylor Tomlinson Signs Netflix Deal for Two More Standup Specials
Comments Link

• Kitty__Bloom

‘Game of Thrones’ Star Ciarán Hinds ‘Was Put Off by the Amount’ of Sex in the Show: It Took Away ‘From the Political Storytelling’
Comments Link

• TheWyldMan

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always-30th Anniversary Reunion Special Trailer-Netflix
Comments Link

pics

• Smoothlarryy

Pedro Pascal bought Five Guys for the whole cast and crew of The Last Of Us
Comments Link

• CommunicationLanky36

A picture of Mount Rushmore before the faces were carved in. It was known as the Six Grandfathers.
Comments Link

• IJustSoiledMyself

I travelled 5,000 miles to take this scenery in
Comments Link

gifs

• RespectMyAuthoriteh

Impressive display of balance and strength
Comments Link

• ReasonableCover1919

Off the highway at SXSW someone was projecting art of keanu reeves on the basketball stadium for john wick 4
Comments Link

• dziontz

What we made it work today
Comments Link

educationalgifs

mildlyinteresting

• ajohnson360

"CHIEF OF POLICE WANTS ME DEAD" Sign in Small Town Kansas [OC]
Comments Link

• Shangri-lulu

This sign warning of a dog who runs in front of cars.
Comments Link

• the_Primus_Minister

This sign make Janitor look like its own gender
Comments Link

interestingasfuck

• user678990655

Stabilised footage of the Bigfoot film from 1967.
Comments Link

• 787v

A German-Jewish WWI veteran wears his iron cross while a Nazi soldier stands in front of his shop in an attempt to intimidate
Comments Link

• HomerOfDuty

Upon landing in New Zealand flight attendants sprayed insecticides inside the cabin before anyone was allowed to leave the plane.
Comments Link

funny

• kontorusama

Harry Potter, but Balenciaga.
Comments Link

• zherper

My dog got some shots today and it reminded me of a famous painting
Comments Link

• Same_Ship_6638

Bug
Comments Link

aww

• Butt_Fucking_Smurfs

Yesterday I posted how I was going to adopt Vincent today. A kind redditor who wants to stay anonymous paid his adoption fees and told me to pay it forward. We're home. The 1 ear cat and the 9 finger man
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• ilovetoeatpussy_

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I was a fisherman because my father was a fisherman. And his father was a fisherman before him; this is all my family has ever known.
I worked on my father’s boat as one of his deckhands for years. We caught crabs in the Bering sea. Essentially, we would dunk massive metal cages into the water, trapping the crustaceans miles below. It's a tough living, and definitely something not for the faint of heart. You wake up to the murky haze of sunrise, the sea breeze chilling your bones, the smell of salt and the fresh guts of fish clinging to your nose like rust to the hull. Ninety percent of greenhorns never make it past their first day. Many of them were drifters, new to our community. The job paid well, so it attracted men who were eager to work. And my father was always willing to give anyone a shot. But the truth of it was, the job just wasn’t for everybody.
Something always hurt: whether it was your neck, your back, or your joints. It didn’t matter. If you left the harbor in our boat, you best be prepared for the grueling day or my father would toss you over himself.
I watched many a man perish on expeditions, swallowed up by the ravenous sea. Careless or stupid or just plain unlucky.
Things had been going smoothly, though, recently. There were a lot fewer casualties and some very nice yields. A few of the older deckhands at the pub had even quoted this as a “legendary” year. We drank to our good fortune. It wasn’t the same story we were hearing from some of the other vessels, but some years were better than others. It was just how the tide turned.
As I said, it’s an honest living and all I’ve ever known is Thally. It was renamed after my father’s first love, but he’d said if Mum ever asked it was named after the Greek Goddess of the sea. The ship had seen its fair share of tumultuous expeditions, but it always managed to steer us home with my father at the helm.
The day I realized he was in trouble, it was far too late. My father had slipped past the point of no return. In actuality, he had been slipping for months, but he was an incredibly stubborn man, impossible to deal with at times. You would just have soon put a bullet in his head if you kept him off the water. But the signs were there. His now shaky hands had once been the most steady spearfishing hands our town had ever seen. His lungs were once exceptional: many old timers at the bar claimed he could hold his breath for ten minutes. Now, he would cough out a watery tar-like residue from them. He stumbled over his words, occasionally forgetting some of the greenhorns’ and deckhands' names.
The signs were all there, and I chose to ignore them.
I think it was because he was the strongest man I ever knew; I couldn’t fathom him needing help. He taught me everything—how to fish, how to swim, how to gut and cook them once you were done. And that was everything in our fishing community. But I guess strong men get old too.
The only reason I caught him was the fussy latch on the door. He jiggled it in frustration as he left, another project left by the wayside. The wind swung the door open in a violent clap; the howling and whistling traveling through the home. A moment later, my coat was on and I followed him into the cold.
The conditions were wretched: the rain fell from the sky in a ruthless downpour. I followed the beacon of light from his lantern. He walked onto the dock and untied the mooring line before entering Thally. The beating of the rain was so intense it drowned out my footsteps and pleas for him to stop. But there was a whistling that could be heard. Its high-pitched tune seemed to float through the conditions, lingering by the dock.
I sprinted once the lights turned on, the motor purring. I barely managed to slide on deck before it drifted off to sea.
***
I’ve been on the water long enough to know we don’t belong there. This stormy night was no exception. The precarious weather would mean waves as tall as houses. In much milder conditions, it was easy to get tossed off deck, plunged into the depths of the dark unknown. High tide was not to be messed with. My father understood all of this, and yet he steered Thally into the choppy waters. The waves sloshed back and forth, creating slick pools that slid from one end to the other.
It was reckless. Unforgivable. Only a fool would steer into the eye of a storm, and my father was far from a foolish man.
He was a very superstitious man, that I knew. He believed in many silly things. Most were innocuous and standard to sailor folklore. Try to bring a banana on board (even so much as an item containing artificial flavoring, the kind you’d find in candy that tasted like awful chemicals) and he’d send you packing. Every morning he’d kiss the rosary above the helm and say a prayer before we’d dock. They made me smirk, these superstitions, but it wasn’t my place to say anything. Our best years came under his reign, and when he made money, we all made money—including all of the businesses down the supply chain. The man just seemed to have a knack for it. He knew all the sweet spots and had a feel for where we should be.
Lightning sparked above us. I held onto the railing and stumbled my way toward the entrance of the wheelhouse. The thunder that followed made me flinch. It erupted above, sending trails of jagged light zig-zagging across the cluster of ominous clouds. I twisted the handle, but it didn't move. I could see a faint hue of light past the cloudy glass and the steps ascending upwards, but no sign of my father. Banging on the door was useless, the water continued to pummel everything in its wake, drowning out the noise.
Except for the whistling. It was steady. Unwavering. The calm song seemed to dance above the water, hovering around the main deck.
I threw my hands up in frustration. My father had finally lost it. They always said too much time at sea would do that to you.
Searching for something to help me gain access, I held onto the handle for dear life. With a sudden jerk of the ocean, my hand slipped. I rolled across the deck, my back slamming against the railing on the periphery. My cheek felt cold against the soaked wood floors. A gush of water quickly followed, flowing into my face and sneaking into the crevices of my raincoat, invading my wooly sweater and long johns underneath. I moaned in agony, spitting out a sticky gob of salt and blood.
The boat continued to teeter violently with the waves in large, helpless dips. I managed to get to my knees, desperately clutching the railing. My back felt like it had been scorched. All the while, I cursed my father.
I needed to find shelter or it was a matter of time before I would be underwater. The main deck was largely open. It would be impossible to get to the living quarters or engine room, the water was too treacherous and the distance too far. I needed to go back the way I came and get to my father before it was too late.
Amidst the haze of the rain, I spotted the tool bench that housed some basic tools. I waited until the ebb and flow of the waves had mellowed before timing my staggered run. When the deck leveled, I ran. I felt the muggy squish of salt water between my water-logged boots. As the boat began to rise again, I grasped one of the railing barriers wrapped around the metal bench. A wave of water dropped down, chopping at my body. I swayed momentarily before my feet were sent airborne. The arctic chill brought shivers as it whipped my drenched skin. I gasped. The tips of my fingers were numb as I scrambled to my feet.
Once the waves settled, I fiddled with the combination. The lock clicked open, and I grabbed the first two objects that looked like they could do damage—an iron mallet and a pair of pliers—and waited for the next sequence of waves to settle. I trudged back toward the stairs. The waves tilted the boat at a harsh angle. I stumbled, losing grip of one of the tools. The pliers skidded away in the darkness, disappearing into the black waters. I clutched the mallet for dear life.
The window vibrated with every heavy thud. I brought the mallet down as hard as I could, my arms trembling. After a couple of powerful whacks, tiny spiderweb cracks began to emerge. It eventually shattered, allowing me to reach in and unlock the door.
“Father!” I bellowed up the stairs. My hands slid up the guard rail as the cool steel supported my clumsy steps.
“Charlie?” he called back. His eyes were full of terror: wide and jittery. “What are you doing here?”
“What are you doing here?” I shouted back. “Look outside! We need to turn back!”
Someone else stood by my father’s side. He stared blankly out the window, gripping the wheel. His long, ashy-white locks draped down from his head like thick sections of rope. He looked dressed and ready to work: a brown leather apron, and a cracked leather bucket hat, the string browned and weathered around his chin. The man glanced back at me, a grave look on his face.
“Who is this?” I asked.
“He shouldn’t be here, Ferris,” the man warned.
My father's hands shot to his face. The one missing a ring finger caressed his beard in panic. “Oh, Lord. What are we to do now?” he cried.
“What do you mean? Have you both gone mad?” I stormed the helm and pulled the wheel in the opposite direction. The older man held firm, battling me for control.
“Turn around!” I pleaded.
The man roared back, “Ferris, do something!”
The waves continued to wobble the boat violently from side to side.
“Charlie. Please stop!” my father begged. He gripped the top of my hand and tried to pry my fingers from the wheel.
“Are you crazy, Father? We are going to capsize!” The pressure from his hands finally was too much. I shrugged him off of me, and he dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes. He then drifted toward the opposite wall, dragged from one end to the other by the tide. Next, I leaned my weight against the man steering the ship. To my surprise, I fell right through him. I stared helplessly from the floor, my mouth ajar at the ghastly revelation. He barely glanced back, his narrow umber brown stare kept firm on the water.
The boat abruptly stopped before I could react. I was launched toward the window, my shoulder colliding with the switchboard. My father was a crumpled heap on the floor. Only the sound of clattering rain filled the air for a moment.
The light was undeniable past the foggy wet window. Blinding. A radiant glow of aquamarine encompassed the outside of the ship.
The man spoke, walking to the door, “It’s time to go.”
The ground felt steady, the rocking ceased. But my father still held the wall as he stepped toward the exit. Seeing him then, he appeared frail and uneasy.
“Stop,” I ordered, wagging my hand in the man’s direction. “Not until I know what’s going on.”
My father sighed, every word looked exhausting exiting his lips. “It is too much to explain now.” He pointed to the door. “You must come.”
“To what exactly? Where are we going?”
The older man held the door open. “To meet our destiny.”
***
Outside the wheelhouse, the incredible glow illuminated the deck. The old man strode toward the floating being. My father stayed a few steps behind, in apprehension. I could tell the tossing around on the ship had done a number on him: he held his wrist as he hobbled forward at a gingerly pace. I placed my hand against the small of his back, aiding him onward.
“Say goodbye,” the man urged. “No need to drag this along, Ferris.”
I observed the being, frozen in wonder. She hovered above the deck, her translucent body holding no color, but glimmering in a silky rainbow sheen like a ray of light hitting the surface of glass at an angle. Her body was beautiful: curvaceous, smooth.
“F…Father…what is this?”
Walls of water surrounded the perimeter of the boat, creating a giant bowl around the ship. The mountainous waves were held in limbo, suspended in the air like swirling blue arcs of impending doom. Schools of fish could be seen swimming in the waves.
My father glanced back as he approached the floating entity. His expression had softened, his stare was that of a little boy who had lost his mother. “I would have come for you, Charlie. I would have explained everything…after I gathered the right words.” I walked toward him and held his head at my chest. He began to sob.
“You must go now,” the old man ordered. “She grows impatient.”
I felt my father trying to peel away, but I held the folds of his neon jacket tighter.
“Let him go,” the old man hissed.
She drifted nearer. There were too many tentacles to count protruding from the base of her skull. Her lips remained pursed. She did not speak, but there was a vibration coming from her. A cooing. The gentle whistle sang from her reverberating gills.
“Tell me what this is, Father,” I cried. “I will not let you go!”
He held me close. I had never heard him cry so hard before.
The older man spoke for him. “Your father’s time is up. Like all of our times have come to an end,” he explained. “He has served well. Exceptionally well.”
My father finally let go.
“Okay,” he declared with a deep breath. “I am ready.“ He took one last look up at me. “I love you, Charlie. Tell your mother I love her too.”
What happened next happened in rapid succession. He took two steps forward and the tentacles wrapped around his body. A petrified scream escaped his lungs. His limbs jolted uncontrollably, as tiny electric sparks flashed from the tentacles. The smell of singed flesh replaced the salty breeze. His eyes rolled back as the entity’s jaw stretched open to an unsettling length. His head was plunged into the cavernous confines, her teeth as sharp as spearheads. She stared back at me as his body disappeared. Her jaw opened and closed in horrifying crunches. Alligator-like snaps.
I wailed helplessly. Was I next?
Her glowing eyes had a glint of satisfaction; her pillow lips moist with delight. They smacked together in a disturbing click. All the while, the whistling continued from its flexing gills.
In an instant, the waves were released, wooshing down from the perimeter. The tsunami was too much, it swallowed everything whole. I saw a flurry of bubbles as the waves crashed into me; I felt the frigid sting of the water mixed with an intense burning in my lungs.
The old man’s voice spoke in the flood:
“Good luck, Boy.”
Everything washed away.
***
I awoke in the wheelhouse, my arms and legs spread out like a starfish. My father was standing over me.
“Welcome back, Son,” he smiled. His gold front tooth was gleaming.
I sat up to see the bright bleed of sunrise peeking in through the clouds.
“How long was I out?” I asked, rubbing my forehead. My head pulsated like I was having a sinister hangover.
“A couple of hours?” he guessed. “It’s not important. What matters is that you are here.”
The rain had stopped, but the deck still had puddles of water pooled up on the surface. It miraculously looked like the boat survived the night with little to no damage.
“You still have time to make it back to work,” he assured me. He appeared content as the pier came into view.
“You won’t believe the nightmare I had.”
There was a flicker of sadness in his smirk. “It was no nightmare.”
I laughed nervously. “Sure.”
“I wish it was a joke, Charlie,” he said. He placed his hand at the helm and spun the wheel. A large buoy floated past. “But I am ready to explain.”
My father told me that the man from last night was named Hayden. He was my grandfather. He had died at sea before I was ever born. So had his father. And his father before him. This was the pact our family had made.
I rubbed my eyes.
“We all take, take, take from the ocean. Our family has been chosen to be the ones who give back, to try to breach the gap.”
The story left me frozen in my spot. “So, this is to be my fate, as well?”
He gazed out the window with an empty stare. The sun was now an orange ring fanning across the skyline. “The way I see it, you have two options.” He turned to look me in my eyes. “You can carry on and captain Thally. Just as you were destined to. It is your responsibility now—the livelihood of the community, the tradition—it all lives with you.” He paused, scratching his chin. “It is a cross to bear, Charlie. The strongest men carry the most weight. You will bring a lot of good men into grave peril. The sea will claim who they see fit, it is not for you to choose. But you must bring them, in plenty.” He cleared his throat. “But you will also protect the community. The sea will reward you so. You will also do much good.”
“Or?” I asked.
“Or…” he paused. “You dock the ship and walk away from it all. Forever. Start a new life. Change your trajectory.”
I contemplated what a new life would look like. “What would happen to Mother?”
“She must never know,” he said. “It will be a tough pill for her to swallow. But she is a tough woman, she will make do.”
We stood in silence, the squawk of the waterfowls and the rolling waves filling the space.
“If you take that path, you must stay away from the ocean. Forever. The sea is unforgiving. A betrayer of covenants, well, you will stand no chance.” He swallowed. “Your children will stand no chance.”
The pier slowly approached. The shadows of awaiting crew members were huddled together at the end of the pier, their lit cigarettes shone in the twilight.
“We are almost here, Son.” He kissed me on the forehead and walked toward the exit. His lips felt incredibly cold. “Just trust I support you in your decision. Whichever way you choose.”
I nodded, tears fleeing from my eyes. I swiftly wiped them away.
“Goodbye, Son. I love you.”
With that, he walked through the closed door.
I gripped the wheel and watched Thally glide toward the pier.
When we got close, I tied the ship to the dock. The familiar whistle cooed in from the sea.
I began to load the ship and felt a hand clutch my shoulder. Murphy grabbed me playfully, his crooked grin across his face. Chase, the new greenhorn, yawned as he shook my hand. I ribbed him about his uneven mustache. He stomped out his butt. More of the crew began to gather their things and hop on board.
We prepared for the daily catch.
For this was all I’ve ever known.
​
aproyal

I'm back with thoughts on my new Nui Cobalt Bees! I previously posted thoughts on the 19 Bees and Favorite Things I'd tried HERE - I have a bunch of favorite Bees, including Queen Bee and Bees Love Blue for florals, The Bees' High Tea, Honeymoon Suite, Wasp, and Busy Bee, all especially wonderful for particular seasons of the year, Bee Kind To Yourself (concept by our very own u/propheticperfumes here at IMAM! Truly not to be missed), and Emotional Support Bee and She Stopped to Pet a Bumblebee for gentle, delicate, my-skin-but-better scents. Today I'm sharing my thoughts on 9 more, all of them new releases this year. Despite being sick for the last two weeks and counting (ugh), after the first week of illness I was happily able to get back to enjoying perfume. Thus this review post comes a little later than my usual, but I'm delighted to still get it out in time for the next release (April Fools this Friday!) in case you might want to add any of these to your next order.
Ordering specs: Nui Cobalt's website is easy to navigate, shipping is very affordable (please note that since the slight price increase this year, base shipping has gone up from $2.99 to $3.45, just fyi), items come very securely packed, and customer service is always spectacular. I don't think I've ever placed an order that took more than 2-3 business days to ship (and recently it has usually been literally the very next day). Samples are generous - 1.15 mls at least - in vials with wand caps. Each order comes with one free sample, chosen by them (there’s no box to insert requests).
Nui Cobalt's typical annual schedule of releases: (I [and especially Nui Cobalt] make no promises, of course, that these collections will recur; this is just in my experience)

• Late January - Valentines
• Late February - Bees, Celtic Treasures, Favorite Things
• Late March - April Fools
• Late April - Critters
• Late May - Fae Folk
• Late June - Big Island, Dances
• Late July - Witches' Utility Blends
• Late August - Autumn 1
• Late September - Autumn 2
• Late October - Astrology, Ascended Masters, Good & Evil
• Late November - Yule/Nutcracker
• Late December - Gamers & Geeks

My preferences: I especially love snuggly scents, incense, golden amber, cardamom, black tea, beeswax, non-gourmand vanillas, and white florals (though sadly I am allergic to lilies and in my admittedly limited experience, jasmine doesn’t work on me). I don't like hay, overly sweet gourmands, excessive musk, dragon’s blood, leather, patchouli, labdanum, or any really dark scents in general. To my great devastation, Nui Cobalt’s apricot and pear notes don’t tend to work on me, though I haven’t given up hope and I continue to try new blends with those notes occasionally.
These perfumes were provided as press samples by Nui Cobalt in exchange for an honest review.
​

New Bees

It's Hive Code [Spring harvest honey, a faithful accord of rare Ghost Orchid, neroli and bergamot hand lotion, and a dark base of melted fudge] - I got this sample because most of these notes sounded absolutely heavenly. Honey, orchid, neroli, and bergamot? Count me in - that sounds amazingly light and springy. I kept my fingers crossed that the fudge would be minimal. In the vial, it's a base of honey and chocolate fudge, with the light citrus and floral above, and on my skin, it continues to be a fight between the gorgeous, breezy springtime floral and the heavier, waxy (almost tootsie roll-ish) chocolate. And it's so strange, because up close, the chocolate is so much less obvious that it really almost is the scent I wanted it to be. Personally, I just really wish it didn't have the fudge - I think all of the other notes are just perfect! All in all, It's Hive Code is much more atmospheric than springtime. Like the the several NCD blends that pair caramel with wildly different notes (Mad Scientist, Glass Pumpkin, Venus Verticordia), this one is a thoroughly unexpected combination. My approach to it is also slightly hampered by the fact that I haven't seen the Netflix show (Wednesday) that it's an homage to.
The Bees' Carnival [Cotton candy spun from crystallized honey, fresh leaves of lemon verbena, blue raspberry drizzle, and a grounding smolder of sweet myrrh] - This one is COTTON CANDY and a lot of honey, with only mere hints of the lemon and blue raspberry. (If you love the cotton candy of Nephophilia [A fluffy melange of pink cotton candy, ivory cashmere, silk tree blossoms, blush suede, and steamed vanilla] but wanted it to have even more cotton candy, The Bees' Carnival is for you!) I was expecting more blue raspberry, but happily I do have Blue Moon [A diaphanous lunar musk entwines living honeysuckle and sugared blue raspberry] and Dewdrops on Spidersilk [Cerulean strands of cotton flower bejeweled with dewdrops, cold crystalline musk, tiny black vanilla beans, frozen blue raspberry, and gentle incense] to scratch that itch. The herbal quality of the lemon verbena and the slight earthiness of the myrrh come out in the drydown, keeping the really golden nature of this honey from becoming too cloying.
Honey, I'm Home [Snowdrops and fresh nectar from their first petals unfurled, golden sunlight, yellow crocus, and warmed honeycomb] - This one is GORGEOUS - the light-golden warmth of an early spring day. After an initial burst of warm but airy honey, the honey blends in with the flowers, which really are yellow in their scent color. There's nothing grassy about these florals but they remind me of chamomile nonetheless - chamomile and daisies perhaps, they're just so cheerful and happy. This is the springtime sibling to Yellow Leaves [Blooming moringa, olivewood, coriander, oakmoss, tangerine, and helichrysum], the most perfect autumnal floral. After its initial burst of honey, this scent dries down to cling quite closely to my skin, a private little bubble of buoyancy and optimism.
Wretched Hive of Scum & Villainy [Portrait of an extraterrestrial desert and its elusive denizens: dry white sandalwood, Tunisian tea, cracked coriander, cassia bark, amber resin, raw cotton, and combs full of precious honey that few will ever taste] - Friends, Nui Cobalt has done it again: another spectacular black tea scent! This one is black tea spiced with coriander and cinnamon, gently sweetened with honey, and with some very subtle nuances of cotton flower and sandalwood (making it a much more rainy-day-cozy scent than the perfume's name might suggest). This tea note is more incensey than Blarney: Irish Breakfast Tea [The warm, tannic comfort of a proper Cuppa sweetened with a touch of raw honey and smoothed with fresh cream], more like the black tea in Unbought & Unbossed: A Tribute to Shirley Chisholm [The fragrance inspired by her is a strong and sophisticated spiced tea with raw honey and Barbados sugar sipped among the sunlit roses of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden] and Cloak of Evergreens [Snow-covered spruce, iced cedar tips, golden pine sap, icicle musk, and the fading memory of tea by the fireside].
The Beekeeper's Funeral [This comforting blend opens with gentle Bulgarian lavender and petrichor, then blooms with Casablanca lily, honeysuckle, and wet grass, and settles at last into a pillow of fluffy whipped honey] - A very pretty, understated floral-aquatic. I get white florals (but not too bold), an herbal lavender, grass, and rain - this petrichor is more the smell of the watery rain itself rather than wet pavement. Oddly enough for this being a Bee, I actually don't get any honey, though there is a little bit of sweetness that reminds me of the white amber in Mirror [Pale amber and white tea are accented by dry coconut, angelica, and cooling rain], in part because of the shared rain note.
Bee You Tiful [Honey-roasted pistachio and chestnut, pink magnolia, and sweet apple blossom] - When it first arrived, sniffed in the vial, this one smelled entirely of honeyed-salty-toasty nuts. On my first wear (though I was getting sick at the time so I didn't count it as a proper "first-test"), the florals were there, but almost entirely obscured. So this one is definitely one that benefited from a proper rest, because when I wore it again, wow! I'm really not sure that I want to smell like nuts (although I remain utterly fascinated by the idea of Black Baccara's Shamrock Potion [Pistachio mousse, fresh whipped cream, slivered almonds, and a drizzle of french vanilla syrup] and hope someday to buy a really small decant), but this perfume is awfully convincing. I still get toasty, honeyed nuts, but they are beautifully balanced with the florals, particularly the apple blossom. Nui Cobalt has a gorgeous apple blossom note! I have previously said that Pixie [An apple orchard in bloom, spring grasses alive with an unearthly glow, vanilla bean offertory cakes, and sparkling honey mead] is an early autumn perfume for me, and Venus Amica [Sun-warmed wildflowers, olivewood, apple blossom, light amber, moringa leaf, and sacred benzoin] is an early spring perfume; well, I think Bee You Tiful is going to be a "transition from spring to summer" scent for me. The honey, pistachio, and faint apple combine to be reminiscent of some sort of delightful pastry - is a pistachio-apple galette a thing? And yet this isn't a realistic gourmand, especially with the wafting florals making it much more atmospheric. The overall impression is of a garden party. Many hours later, the top-note florals are gone, but the gentle nuts remain.

New Favorite Things

All Dolled Up [Spiced apricot preserves, almond blossom, pink peony, Hawaiian and Australian sandalwoods, balsam of Peru, and sunlit amber] - Despite the notes list starting off with apricot and almond, All Dolled Up does NOT read like a Squirrel (which all start with the same base: "A playful blend of almond and spiced apricot, grounded in rich benzoin and copaiba balsam"). Instead, it reminds me strongly of Rose Gold Sky [Fuzzy apricot, amber resin, styrax, pink sandalwood, clove bud, melissa, and blush rose], but lighter and more warm-weather. When I tried this, I didn't have the notes list in front of me (and I didn't remember it), so my impression that this scent is pink amber + apricot + clove (see the connection to Rose Gold Sky?) was completely independent of the actual official notes. Then seeing the notes list a little later in the day, I could also easily make out the peony (a very "pink" floral), which is a big part of why this reads as more summery than Rose Gold Sky.
Candlelight [Molten vanilla caramel, Egyptian musk, mahogany, honey amber, black tea, cathedral incense, a pinch of galangal, and a glimmer of white grapefruit] - Caramel and honey, thick and rich and luscious, backed by golden amber, a touch of grapefruit to cut the molten sweetness, and a whole lot of very expensive-smelling Egyptian musk. There are some indistinct spices too, which is perhaps how my nose is reading the black tea and incense. (This is a bummer, because I LOVE Nui Cobalt's black tea + incense combo, but this scent doesn't really feature them.) It's a heavy, luxurious scent, a sister to Ailurophilia (Love of Cats) [Egyptian musk, tonka, and dulce de leche wrapped in luxuriant cashmere, soft suede, wisps of sandalwood and copal smoke]. Its dark, honeyed quality is also reminiscent of Arcana Snug [The scent of staying in to watch the snow fall: dark honey amber, marshmallow, and the glow of beeswax candles], but with caramel instead of beeswax. All this being said about its complexity and rich layers, my colleague walked into the church choir room this morning and from across the room from me said "It smells like pancakes!", to which I sheepishly admitted that it was probably me. (It was.) So, this one has tremendous throw, much stronger than most Nui Cobalts, and to an untrained nose, apparently smells extremely (and solely) like maple syrup! (To me, though, it's not nearly as similar to the mapley Little Brown Rabbit as it is to the caramel of Ailurophilia.)
Fairy Garden [Cool dewdrops cupped in clover leaves, early purple orchid, a porcelain thimble of green tea with oat milk, and frosted almond cakes served in an acorn cap] - It goes on more gourmand than I was expecting, primarily oat milk, green tea, and sugary frosting. Behind these are a bit of acorn earthiness (I recognize a similar acorn note to Deep Midnight Wildwood [Pumpkin Bread, Incense, Acorns, Dried Apple and Orange Peels, Fading Bonfire], the only other place I've experienced an acorn accord) and a touch of floral. At first (and to my surprise, based on the order of the notes list), I don't get any aquatic dewdrop nor any grassy clover but as the scent dries, these start to emerge as the sweetness of the frosting recedes. Eventually, all these notes combine to create a very balanced and detailed scent portrait not just of a fairy garden, but of the fairies holding a fancy tea party among the flowers. I'm curious, for anyone who has tried both: how similar is Fairy Garden to Poesie Green Girl [Pistachio, wildflower honey, oatmilk matcha latte, heliotrope blossoms, marshmallow musk]? Fairy Garden has a Poesie-style whimsicality which I'm really loving.

Personally...

The stunners from the new releases, for me, are Honey, I'm Home and Wretched Hive of Scum & Villainy.
Or if you want to imagine yourself part of a fairy tea party, go for Bee You Tiful and Fairy Garden.
And The Beekeeper's Funeral and All Dolled Up are just lovely warm-weather scents.

Where these landed in my collection:

• Honey, I'm Home and The Beekeeper's Funeral are in my "Spring" section
• Bee You Tiful and Fairy Garden are in my "Transition from spring to summer" section
• All Dolled Up is in my "Summer" section, specifically in the "Pink" subsection
• Candlelight is in my "Fall" section, specifically in the "Cozy" subsection, right next to Ailurophilia
• Wretched Hive of Scum & Villainy is in my "Tea" section
• It's Hive Code and The Bees' Carnival will land in my destash

​
I would love to hear your thoughts on these - which ones did you love most? - or if I've inspired you to add any to your wishlist!

I wish this sub was more positive and less bitchy. We are all fucked. It is what it is. I accept that and want to move on in an encouraging environment instead of wallowing in self-pity and complaints.
How do we live and possibly even thrive? That’s my stretch goal. I just wish there were actual positive posts here. Even just occasionally. I get it. We all need to vent. I need to vent sometimes too.
But that can’t be how we spend our entire fucking lives.
Can we make one day a week on this sub dedicated to uplifting topics? Please?
I can get strong narcotics Rx-ed, but don’t want them. I take 3 Tramadol 50’s a day, but I am off the stronger stuff. I was on 4 Norco 10’s a day for 2.5 years after reconstruction.
I worked hard to get off of them. It was a combination of really good doctors and a lot of willpower. I also have an incredible wife. I chose alternatives for myself and want to offer my story as encouragement for others.
Maybe
Maybe
Maybe it will help someone else.
I just got an Rx for TCH in 2021 (Texas). My doctors are fantastic. They even chart my weed while hospitalized. I do have some stout layered meds for PTSD; hydroxyzine 25’s and 50’s, Propranolol, and Diazepam 10’s PRN but rarely use them. I do use Trazodone 100’s nightly to sleep since 2007. I find it impossible to sleep without the Trazodone.
Sleep, diet, exercise, Jesus and my spouse are invaluable for me. I find that a little bit of Jesus goes a long way.
I am pushing 60. Onset was 22. I had to exit the workforce in 2012. I am the hospital a month a year. NG tubes have worn a hole in my pallet (extraordinarily painful). While I’m the hospital, I burn through morphine. It started out at 2 mgs, then 4, then 6 and got up to 8 by the time I was 56.
Yes, there are days I would choke them down, but generally soldier on. I have very limited balance, but attended gentle yoga with modifications with meditation.
I find my spiritual life to be an HUGE blessing.
I saw the post condemning God just go by. I praise God and all He has done for me daily. I don’t believe my problems are the result of God, but rather The Devil.
You do you. I will do me. I’m just sharing my story. I don’t need a lot of blow back or shade. I am just as fucked as everyone else. I’ve lost so much, but I’ve gained as well.
My story is just as valid as anyone else’s. I’ve gotten beat up here before for being positive.
That’s insane!
I’m not condemning anyone person. I’m not telling anyone else how to live. I’m just sharing what I am doing and asking, why can’t others post about what is good and valuable instead of ONLY constantly complaining?
God has already provided me with a way out. At times, I have been angry. At times, I have cried out, “Just let me go already!”.
I’ve have 32 hospitalizations, most since 2014.
This entire subreddit is weird to me. I just watched a video of a severely handicapped person complete a marathon this morning. I found it inspiring, but sadly I think many here, would complain about this individual’s triumph. Tears welled up in eyes and I thought what can I do. I found his story inspiring. It didn’t make feel sad. I was happy for him.
Where is the support for one another? Let’s uplift and celebrate each other’s accomplishments no matter how great or small.
Can we not we celebrate others successes without bitching about our own situation lack of them?
Can we not properly assign the cause and focus on what good we find?
I wasn’t born disabled, diseases have progressively eaten away at my life for decades. I am bipolar to boot. So take all of my shitty cards and put them in a bipolar wallet and that’s me.
I work very hard to keep my spirit up and keep putting one foot in front of the other. Yesterday, I met with MD Anderson’s Supportive Care Team because my therapist retired two years ago and I am running on fumes. As a bipolar person who has been suicidal before, I reached out because I know I am on the slippery slope. My form of bipolar disorder can cause some severe cognitive issues where I lose objectivity and begin to rationalize things in “alternative ways”.
I don’t want to hear a bunch of “ableist” bullshit. Every single person here including me needs a kick in the pants occasionally. We do ourselves a great disservice when we all just fucking wallow in pity. Fuck that!
I often think becoming disabled was one of the best things that ever happened to me.
After my second major surgery (2003), I was all kinds of fucked up. I had a ONE YEAR recovery. I lost 45 lbs the hard way. Then slowly improved for an entire year.
You know what? That was one of the best years of my life. EVERYTHING was better. The crunch of a carrot made me cry with appreciation. Colors were brighter. Music was delightful.
My life came to a screeching halt. I went 10 days with no food at one time post-op. Then another two weeks on liquid. I’ve had several additional surgeries.
I’ve almost died 3 times due to infections. Sitting in isolation with PICC lines pushing battery acid into my veins. I have trouble walking. I can’t lift anything in from of me. I have to wear compression garments that are hot and itchy.
I am pain every fucking day.
But I have no interest in complaining when I could be thankful. I allowed my self to eat a few bites of something crunchy this past Sunday (after church actually). I ate slowly and just was so thankful.
Sometimes, I don’t swallow the food. I just enjoy it and then spit it out (I am on a strict low-res diet because I’ve had 22 fucking small bowel instructions).
I delight in my wife and kids and grandkids.
I’m not going to lie and say losing my self-identity, self-esteem, and ability to be in control of so much doesn’t still hurt. But, I have slowly replaced my lost life with other ways to express myself creatively and productively (volunteering).
I want to be a part of this Reddit, because I am solidly in the club. I’ve been through the meat grinder. Can’t sleep. Can’t perform any ballistic activities. I struggle to get dressed. Tying my shoes is a challenge.
But I need encouragement. I wish this sun had more encouragement to offer me, because so REALLY need some right now.
https://runningmagazine.ca/sections/runs-races/spanish-runner-with-cerebral-palsy-completes-historic-marathon/

Hello! This is a continuation of my last post here (which is now hidden to follow the sub's rules), so I can separate old answers from new ones. I need some more help brainstorming ideas for my D&D realm known as the Isles of Etherwolfe.
From my last post: "Due to a worldbuilding secret I shall not share ^{due to my players definitely spying on my profile}, spectral ‘Echoes’ from past worlds have a chance of slipping through the cracks, appearing as cryptic ethereal images that often have no connection to the world. They are simply remnants of previous worlds, other civilizations, “alien” species [and D&D races] like strange other version of elves, etc. These Echoes could even be specific [worldbuilding] references from your world or other D&D worlds, anything! Make them strange, make them mysterious, make them unexplained, and let’s create a cool list of ideas!"
Update 1: I've received a ton of interesting 'scenes' for these echoes, but from now on, let's try to make things more stagnant, like strange objects appearing in places they shouldn't, or ruins of old castles, etc. For instance, 11) A lone sailing ship, lilting to the side. The ropes and wheel still gently move despite the lack of any crew. u/HordeOfAngryBees, or 32) a ruined and partially collapsed castle, structured using large brass pipes; once a center of learning and discovery for steam powered technology u/nexorati. Don't forget that these echoes can be specific references to other worlds (I've gotten some cool Eberron and Faerun stuff, but let's keep expanding!). Try to keep them relatively grounded in medieval High Fantasy. I appreciate the modern references, but I think we've collected enough of them in the table!
Update 2: Try to keep your responses a bit short, at around 3-ish lines. As I input your responses into my document, I've been trimming some of them down or beefing them up to match the rest, but their primary idea has obviously stayed the same :)
Update 3: Thank you all so much for your help, this is turning out great! If I continue to get responses, I may even go over 100 simply because the possibilities are endless and random. Anything can slip through the cracks from these past worlds... Let's get crazy, lets get mysterious, lets get unexplained, lets get... echoey. I don't know.
Echoes from the Past:
Note: Most, if not all of these Echoes should appear Spectral, as if being seen on the Ethereal Plane.
d100. Echo

1. A cathedral dedicated to an unknown deity (flower symbol) inhabited by strange elves.
2. A small river flowing north, which suddenly turns upward and floats into the air and disappears
3. A war-torn battlefield strewn with rusted armor and weapons, still-flaming arrows scatter the ground
4. Ruins of a cyclopean city emerging from a shifting river-bank. Bodies of petrified giants trapped in poses from everyday life. u/MaxSizeIs
5. A mana-dense vault filled with thousands of crystalline discs six inches across that shine with a reflective rainbow in the light. u/MaxSizeIs
6. The ruins of a greek-style bank run by a collection of metallic-skinned halflings.
7. Various flapping banners staked into the ground representing the different elements.
8. A row of hundreds of humanoid statues. In fact, they are the same statue expressed over hundreds of years. The ones in the front are broken and weathered, the ones in the middle gleam with paint and polish, and the final ones are uncarved plinths of stone. u/onepostandbye
9. A stone building can be seen in different eras depending what side you view it from. Entering from the basement entrance allows PCs to interact with a disoriented shopkeeper. u/onepostandbye
10. The upper slope of this area displays many tilting grave markers. Where the land has eroded, spectral skeletons float as if in repose, their spectral headstones floating six feet above. u/onepostandbye
11. A lone sailing ship, lilting to the side. The ropes and wheel still gently move despite the lack of any crew. u/HordeOfAngryBees
12. A massive, thick wall of trees standing in a circle. Inside of the circle is a clearing where snow gently falls around an old cabin. u/HordeOfAngryBees
13. A colossal warforged titan stands atop a hill, its sadness palpable. It slams its fists down on a column of soldiers, the ground trembling from the force. More soldiers advance, siege weapons primed to fire. u/NecessaryCornflake7
14. A flying ship with a ring of fire descends over an elegant Victorian city, full of twinkling lights. u/NecessaryCornflake7
15. A lightning rail stops at a station in a small wilderness town, its energy connecting to the conductor stones in the ground. u/NecessaryCornflake7
16. On another hill, shrouded in fog, a dilapidated one-story cabin emits a beam of blue light, summoning zombies and skeletons clothed in ruined soldier equipment begin to emerge from the fog. u/NecessaryCornflake7
17. An echo of a community endlessly replays one hour of mundane village life. The village met some terrible end, and when PCs move close to persons, objects, or buildings, the echo temporarily dissolves to show the current state of the place, which is ugly and sad. u/onepostandbye
18. The father guided his son, teaching him how to properly aim and bend the bowstring. In the lush forest, a deer suddenly appeared in the clearing. Whispering instructions, the father watched as the boy released the arrow. u/NecessaryCornflake7
19. The mother watched unamused as her children fought over a toy in the front yard of the tree house. She abruptly stopped the fight by taking away the toy and instructed them on how to treat each other better. The scolding brought tears of sorrow to the children, but the mother was quick to comfort them with a hug and kisses, reassuring them of her love. u/NecessaryCornflake7
20. A grandpa and their granddaughter ventured deep into the magical forest together to collect wild berries. As they wandered, grandpa spotted something dangerous lurking in the shadows. He quickly drew his granddaughter closer and shielded them with his magical staff, ready to protect her from the unseen danger. u/NecessaryCornflake7
21. An exhausted salaryman walking from the glass box of their office to their old Geo Metro, while above them looms a planet, of awesome size, lit by no sun. A dark titan, all thick black forests and jagged mountains and deep turbulent oceans. u/MaxSizeIs
22. Impossibly tall metal towers made of impossibly slender sticks, while lonely red light pulses slowly at it's top. Disturbing black birds hunch menacingly, roosting upon it in great numbers. Hallucinatory, ethereal music in no recognizable style seems to buzz within one's teeth as they draw near to the apparition. u/MaxSizeIs
23. A strangely dressed man sitting behind a desk while a confusing array of boxers and esoteric instruments sit before him. He talks in an unknown language, fiddles with one of the instruments, placing a black disc upon a sort of spinning table, and suddenly from no discernable location, alien music can be heard. u/MaxSizeIs
24. A hard sort of road but made of a sort of greyish black stone that seems poured like a river, it is very wide, and seems to go in both directions forever. Several lines of strange metal boxes, somewhat like carriages, go in both directions, countless in number, rolling slowly, occasionally stopping then starting again in waves, making no noise, and with no-one inside. u/MaxSizeIs
25. A vast canyon, with seemingly infinitely tall towers made of glass on both sides. Every floor of the tower seems to be comfortably furnished in (admittedly alien design), but also appears to have at least one terrified person silently banging on the glass, apparently begging to be let out. Occasionally it rains bodies, they fall from great height from above, then through the ground as if it isn't there, and keep going. u/MaxSizeIs
26. A person in a strange sort of greyish-white diving suit with a large, bulky looking backpack contraption on their back, wielding a striped flag, and bouncing around as if they were almost floating. u/MaxSizeIs
27. A giant airship zeppelin, coming in to dock at a tall tower. A large crew of people on the ground pull on lines connected to the ship, pulling it in to dock. u/MaxSizeIs
28. A large beast-man with horns and cloven feet, wearing a long coat and a strange set of mirrored lenses upon their face, scowls, crosses their arms and pantomimes, seeming to deny you entry. u/MaxSizeIs
29. A labyrinthine maze with walls higher than a person, extends to the horizon. u/MaxSizeIs
30. A friendly red dog, the size of a large house, with fangs the size of a grown person, and a mouth that could swallow you in one go. It wants to play. u/MaxSizeIs
31. A school of ornamental goldfish, each the size of a blue-whale, just swimming as if the air were water. u/MaxSizeIs
32. a ruined and partially collapsed castle, structured using large brass pipes; once a center of learning and discovery for steam powered technology u/nexorati
33. A caveman sizes up a lightning-struck, burning log, pokes it, and runs away howling in pain. u/RealRamessesII
34. A little girl points toward the entrance of a dark forest, as the unsuspecting farmers walk hesitantly within. Smiling deviously, the girl stays a distance back. Suddenly, large red, illuminated eyes appear from the forest darkness, causing the farmers to scream in terror. u/NecessaryCornflake7
35. A priest, a nobleman, and a guard pass by an old beggar on the street without offering help, but a mixed adventuring party of a tiefling, halfling, dragonborn, and humans stop to give the beggar assistance. In gratitude, the beggar hugs one of them. u/NecessaryCornflake7
36. An exhausted alchemist conducts a complicated experiment with various colored liquids, beakers, and pipes. Upon the completion of the experiment, the gnome jumps with joy, holding the main vial as if it were a new precious child, as the color of the vial has shifted to a solid red, welcoming the new discovery. u/NecessaryCornflake7
37. A young king, resplendent in his finest garments, strode confidently with his entourage of attendants into the city gates. The inhabitants of the city, who lined the streets, remained expressionless and unmoved, their supposed welcome a mere pretense. As they marched on, the imposing silhouette of the castle loomed into view, its grey stone walls shrouded in the morning mist. The king's heart raced with anticipation as he imagined the throne room within, and the destiny that awaited him. u/NecessaryCornflake7
38. A river of liquid copper, gold, or quicksilver. u/MaxSizeIs
39. A giant eye, peering into reality from a crack in the sky. u/MaxSizeIs
40. A carousel, moving, but with no passengers or people around. u/MaxSizeIs
41. An abandoned ice-cream truck, moldering away in a primeval forest, music still playing. u/MaxSizeIs
42. A wall of screens taller than a person and a mile long, each playing a different episode of the same sitcom, out of order and with no context. Occasionally the screens talk to each other, as if they know the other episodes are there, or that someone may be watching them, then the episode ends and the next one starts. The same exact episode is never played more than once. u/MaxSizeIs
43. Hidden among all these Echoes is an actual Ghost. u/CptnR4p3
44. The ground shakes as a long forgotten behemoth creature walks by only to fade from existance. u/FirstChAoS
45. You enter a lush valley, you see the smiling face of a massive elemental being on a nearby hillside. The face vanishes and the vegetation turns sickly in its absense. u/FirstChAoS
46. A blue humanoid with yellow eyes and no mouth tinkers with a device on a table. He turns towards you, looks surprised, then motions for you to leave as he fades from existance. u/FirstChAoS
47. The temperature turns cold and the world becomes encased in ice. Fur covered dwarves huddle in the glacial caves while a castle of ice rises in the distance. u/FirstChAoS
48. Warriors riding giant insects rush by you to attack a skeletal titan. The titan is controlled by a demon impaled on its ribs. u/FirstChAoS
49. A young child trips over a stone and cuts her leg. She transforms into a terrifying monster and destroys the stone. u/starsailor11
50. The ruins of an old town peaking out of a large lake. By looking deeper the players find what was once a town that had been here, but became submerged by water as a result of storms. There are no skeletons, but the buildings have become familiar with the seaweed and underwater life of the lake. u/hopeful_badger06
51. A smiling man with dark skin and long, black hair stands at the helm of a deep green pirate ship. He opens his eyes. All 7 of them. u/Magical_Breadicorn
52. A small village of thatched roofs burns in the twilight. A hag stands cackling in the distance. u/Magical_Breadicorn
53. An ominous horseman in a crimson cape and hood, standing silently on the top of a hill. His eyes are blank and he doesn't have lips, showing all of his front teeth. He seems to look fait away in the horizon. u/Sans-Mot
54. For centuries, a fierce battle has been raging in the skies above a city. On one side is a powerful angelic figure, a divine embodiment of justice, righteousness and goodness. On the other side is its demonic counterpart, a force of malevolence and wickedness. The fate of the city hangs in the balance, as its citizens await the outcome of this epic struggle between good and evil. If the angelic figure prevails, the city will be blessed with peace, joy and contentment, while a victory for the demonic figure will plunge the city into darkness, despair and chaos. u/NecessaryCornflake7
55. Two young lovers in a tight embrace, lounging together as they watched the beautiful sunrise that stretched out over the towering view in front of them. Despite the uncertainty of their future and the restrictions their parents and society had imposed on them, they committed to do everything in their power to make their relationship work. They shared a moment of peace, admiring the beauty of the sunrise and dreaming of the possibilities that lay ahead of them. u/NecessaryCornflake7
56. The warrior kneels beside his friend, who is gravely injured from the battle that is still raging around them. He takes his hand, feeling the warmth and life slowly fading away. Knowing this will be their final moment together, he promises to take care of his family, vowing to make sure they are provided for in the future. The dying warrior looks up at him with a grateful and familiar smile, and with one last breath, his soul departs. The kneeling warrior grasps his friend's hand tightly, holding back tears as he silently bids farewell. u/NecessaryCornflake7
57. The authoritative knight galloped through the street on his trusted steed, seemingly without a care for the citizens around him. A small young boy stood in his path, seemingly about to be run over when a heroic young girl jumped in front of him and managed to stop the knight in his tracks. The knight, completely oblivious of the danger he had almost caused, continued on his path, leaving the young boy with a sense of shock and awe. The young boy quickly recovered, and with a humble sense of gratitude, thanked the girl for saving him. u/NecessaryCornflake7
58. A scrawny stray cat cautiously trots up to a homeless woman, who was leaning against a wall, fast asleep. The woman stirred and opened her eyes, only to find the tiny cat rubbing against her leg. Her face lit up with a warm smile and she reached into her bag to pull out a bowl of water and a few scraps of food. The cat eagerly lapped up the cool water and devoured the food, purring appreciatively as it nestled in the woman's outstretched arms. u/NecessaryCornflake7
59. A large library is the backdrop for an unlikely duo - a half-orc barbarian and an elf wizard. The wizard is patiently instructing the half-orc in the basics of reading and writing, starting with the alphabet. Despite his gruff demeanor, the half-orc is evidently making progress and has already managed to learn a few letters. With a bit more time and effort, it's possible the half-orc could master the entire alphabet. u/NecessaryCornflake7
60. A regal demon prince lounged around a luxurious dinner table in a dimly lit hall, attended by a troupe of beguiling succubi, serving his every need. Standing awkwardly and aloof in front of the table, a tiefling warlock appeared. The demon prince smiled with a mischievous glint in his eye, and the two began a conversation concerning their previous contract. The demon prince insisted that he would aid the tiefling in finding her long-lost daughter, but in exchange, she must accept the corruption of pleasure and servitude. With great hesitation and a heavy heart, the tiefling reluctantly agreed. u/NecessaryCornflake7
61. The giant teenager was throwing a temper tantrum, demanding to her father that she be allowed to go out and smash any humanoids she could find in the vicinity. Her hulking father seemed to share her enthusiasm, but urged her to be mindful of not angering too many people at once. He wanted her to be strategic in her actions, so as not to draw too much attention or cause too much chaos. u/NecessaryCornflake7
62. The evil lich cackled maniacally in their shadowy crypt, admiring the intricate schematics of their sinister plot to conquer the world and bend its subjugated inhabitants to their will. Suddenly, one of the lich's skeletal servants happened to stumble into the table, causing several of the papers to scatter around the room. This provoked a violent outburst from the lich, who cast a necrotic spell to immediately annihilate the unfortunate minion. After regaining his composure, the lich retreated to his private chambers, where he encountered his undead kitten. Softening his expression, the lich began to pet the feline vigorously, seeking comfort in the small creature's presence. u/NecessaryCornflake7
63. The magical professor asked the class a question about the importance of proper speaking and gesturing to successfully cast a spell. One student raised their hand, and when allowed to answer, they replied, "You really need to address that wart, professor." This resulted in the class bursting into laughter, and the professor struggled to maintain composure as he demanded the student answer his question instead of distracting the class. u/NecessaryCornflake7
64. An ancient city, long forgotten and submerged beneath the depths of the ocean, emerged from the depths. The walls of the buildings were still covered in a variety of sea life. u/NecessaryCornflake7
65. The adventurers face a daunting task, standing before a portal to the demonic plane, surrounded by countless fallen demons. With a tremendous effort, one of the brave adventurers casts a powerful spell to banish the portal. In a climatic moment, the portal shatters, and the entire group watches in awe as the spell caster collapses to the ground in exhaustion. The rest of the party rallies around them in solidarity and support. u/NecessaryCornflake7
66. Several brilliant stars illuminated the landscape, gradually moving closer to one another. Suddenly, they collided and created a mesmerizing display of colors, with hues of blue, green, yellow, and red fanning out in all directions. A devastating force surged through the countryside, serenading the land with a beautiful yet destructive sight. u/NecessaryCornflake7
67. A heavy rainstorm swept in over the hilly pasture land, the moist wind whipping through the tall grass and bending it to its will. Streaks of lightning illuminated the dark, rain-filled sky, casting a dramatic backdrop to the scene. A small cluster of cows had huddled together under the shelter of a few trees, seeking safety and respite from the raging storm. u/NecessaryCornflake7
68. The warforged creature stands in the middle of a vast junkyard, its single arm and damaged leg starkly contrasting with the piles of gleaming metal and wooden pieces that surround it. Its glowing eyes search the mounds, hastily selecting a few choice pieces to inspect and fit onto its body. With its single arm, it delicately lifts a metal appendage and attaches it to the place where its missing limb should be. It then picks up a wooden leg and affixes it to its damaged one, replacing it with a functioning limb. After a few moments, the warforged tests out its new arm and leg, its body adapting to its newfound mobility. u/NecessaryCornflake7
69. A poor mother, surrounded by her children, sits together on the floor of a drab and sparsely furnished hut. As her children huddle around her, she gently guides them in a simple prayer for provision, asking for divine aid in these difficult times. As if in answer to their pleas, a knock suddenly sounds on the door. Upon opening it, the family finds a box filled with food, clothes, and other essential items donated by an anonymous figure with a knowing smile. Unbeknownst to the family, the mysterious individual is an agent of their deity, answering the prayer with a tangible act of kindness. u/NecessaryCornflake7
70. The old half-elf, dressed in luxurious noble robes and carrying an ornate ice staff, finished an important meeting with several rulers. After the meeting concluded, he stepped through a magical portal into a more private area. As soon as he emerged from the portal, the half-elf transformed into a majestic white dragon. With a powerful beat of its wings, it soared into the sky, flying off on a determined mission. u/NecessaryCornflake7

I asked ChaGPT to write a one page poem for making Europeans feel good and pride from living in Europe. This is the result.
From the ancient Roman Empire, To the Slavic and Germanic people, Anglo-Saxons and Great Kingdoms, Europe's history is so ample.
Republics and monarchies, Many beliefs and ideals, Europeans have always strived, For greater life and power to feel.
The land of science and art, Of music, literature, and philosophy, Europe has always been at the heart, Of innovation and democracy.
Our ancestors fought and died, For freedom and unity, Their sacrifices, we honor with pride, As we embrace our diversity.
Today, we stand as one, A union of nations strong and true, With the promise of a brighter sun, And a future that is bright and new.
The European Federation we dream, Rises from the foundation of the EU, With hope and love, it will gleam, And our unity will carry us through.
So let us stand tall and proud, Of the land we call home, And let our voices ring loud, As we march towards our new Rome.

Me - Leo sun, Leo moon and Pisces rising
Him - Sagittarius sun, Leo moon and Pisces rising
Please be blunt ?

I have two CJAAs (2011 Jetta and 2012 JSW) and they both do this. After a cold snap (10 degrees or so) they both act fuel starved and stumble upon startup, regardless of whether or not accelerator is pressed after starting. RPMs will typically rise with the pedal but still a very choppy run. After 30 seconds or so they clear up and are fine. Anybody run into this before? I suspect a fuel issue but I’m running the exact same fuel (like out of a transfer tank) in my 2017 Dodge and it has no issues after the same weather (both sitting outside, etc) It seems to happen after an atypical cold snap, but each will do it probably 5 times a year.

Wednesday, March 15 - Tuesday, March 21

TOP 20 POSTS

score	comments	title & link
26	12 comments	Life changed for us this weekend. We got the biggest break of our lives. Thank you!
26	3 comments	[:mic: live] Iya Terra brought the house down @ Terra Fermata last night!!!
25	9 comments	Black and Tan
17	0 comments	[:mic: live] Jackson Wetherbee 3/16/23
14	2 comments	[:mic: live] Collie Buddz @ Terra Fermata 3/16/23
13	0 comments	[:mic: live] Sun Dub @ Terra Fermata 3/15/23
12	1 comments	[:dreamcatcher: art] reggae poster contest 🎨
12	3 comments	[:weed-3: official] J Boog - “Let's Do It Again” (2010)
11	3 comments	[:weed-3: official] Austin Reggae Festival April 21st-23rd!
10	1 comments	[:mic: live] Arise Roots @ Terra Fermata 3/16/23
9	5 comments	Algorythm's First Live Performance 3/18/23
9	1 comments	[:dreamcatcher: art] reggae poster contest 🎨
9	1 comments	[:dreamcatcher: art] reggae poster contest 🎨
8	2 comments	[:weed-3: official] The Hip Abduction - "Fill It Up" (2021)
8	1 comments	[:peace-2: classic] Bob Marley & the Wailers - Santa Barbara County Bowl full concert (live, 11-25-79) *the last and one of the best recordings
8	0 comments	[:weed-3: official] The Dub Collectors and The New Rulers in DeLand, FL. Presented by Kulcha Shok Muzik.
8	2 comments	[:music: interview] 2 minute podcast with Kyle from Sensi Trails!
8	1 comments	[:weed-3: official] Long Beach Dub Allstars - "Precious Time" (2023)
8	1 comments	[:dreamcatcher: art] reggae poster contest 🎨
8	1 comments	[:weed-3: official] Slightly Stoopid - “Anywhere I Go”(live, 2013)

 

TOP 10 COMMENTS

score	comment
4	TheBushidoWay said So the Roots of Creation sets were by far my favorite at RRUFLA23 . If you missed their sugar shack session you really missed out as that was epic as fuck. I would really like to send out a thank you ...
3	Hot-Roof6572 said Gotta have a reason to lock ppl up
3	LagunaMud said Can you get it in 40oz size?
3	Weyman16 said Absolutely digging this track, and now I need to go find more by you guys! Dope track
3	SoFla-Grown said My guy!
3	lidia99 said Awesome job!

 

The crazy space opera, with a main character who rises to power

The crazy space opera, Darrow type MC kinda series

Looking to bring Cammander2017's concept to the Peninsula! Pick up trash together or in your own neighborhood, then grab brunch beers and compare the weirdest thing you cleaned up or the number of cigarette butts you found.
Current plan is to meet at 11AM on Sun Apr 16 at Tradition Brewing Co (700 Thimble Shoals Blvd #100, Newport News, VA 23606). I'll post again closer to the date and will keep an eye on weather.
Please bring your own gloves, trash bag, sunscreen, etc. if you can. These roads can be busy - bringing animals or children is NOT recommended.
Looking forward to meeting some neighbors and sprucing up our community - cheers!