I'll preface this by saying I have finished other souls games, DS1, DS3, Bloodborne and Elden Ring. Sekiro and Demon Souls are on the radar.
I hated DS2 because of the health mechanic, it made it too frustrating to play and to my annoyance the same is in this game, a shame as it looks and sounds fantastic.
Anyway I have finished the first half of Bolataria, I am at the boss run to the Tower Knight. Ran out of grass and HP chunked to 70%. I'm really struggling to find the will to boot this game back up, knowing full well I have to grind grass for HP before I can even attempt the boss (I've fought him several times now, with full HP and some grass I'm sure I could do it).
The other souls games keep you in the fight, not needlessly pull you away for some outdated unfun mechanics, grinding away for basically what would amount to Estus flasks.
Does the game get better or is this it? Grinding grass for HP top ups and redo whatever task/area you were on?

I like Star Wars, Pokemon, kpop and I play lots of games like elden ring and stuff. Just want to chill with someone I’m bored af rn lol

2nd reddit sale! More to come next week!

We are moving soon and need to get some cashes flowing to fund our journey... I'm a long time redditor, sporadic buyer, new seller. Years ago I tried to sell on here but I literally had no idea what I was doing and had to delete my post haha. I'm now wiser, and I believe I've checked all the boxes to complete this sale without a hitch.
*I am willing to ship first to established users, however, being that I need to raise this money quickly, preference will go to BIN sales. Any items sold this weekend will ship Monday 3.23.23. I will ship in a padded mailer or small box with *insurance provided at no cost to you. **
• I accept, in order of preference: zelle, cashapp, venmo, crypto. Please, no notes! Once I have handed the items to the post office or fedex/UPS, my responsibility for the package ends! If something is lost or stolen, I will happily start a claim with the shipper for you, as insurance will be included for no additional cost. If you need the items quicker or need to add signature, just PM me and we'll work out the details. Any other shipment requests, just PM me and we'll work out the details. Any purchase over $500 will have signature confirmation included at no additional cost to you.
• Scrap value shown is as of posted prices this morning, 3.25.23 ... All items are sold as-is. Please check the imgur links for details or PM me if you need any specific pics or have questions.
• ** please note: magnetic clasps and stones account for some of the total weights**
• Most items are wearable. Some have knicks and scratches and there are likely to be inclusions or damage to stones. All stones have been tested and appear to be natural, but I have no way to distinguish between natural and synthetic gemstones... I am not a jeweler, nor am I GIA certified. All color and clarity statements are my opinion and have not been verified by a gemologist.
• I have done my best to describe the items; if there is a specific pic or information you want, PM me. Some items are marked with gold content and some are not. All listed ring sizes are approximate, and although I use a digital caliper, the stone sizes are approximate... please see gifs in the imgur album for detailed views.
Without further ado, the goods:
Proof
lot 1: wearable 10k heart pendants, normal wear and tear, good condition. Beautiful diamonds and rubies, all tested and appear to be natural stones. Total weight: 4.8g. Scrap price = $128. Asking $175 shipped.
(1) white gold box chain necklace
(1) yellow gold ruby heart pendant with 1 tiny diamond
(1) yellow gold heart pendant with 1 tiny diamond
(1) white gold heart pendant with 3 beautiful diamonds @ ~1.5mm each
lot 2: 10k yellow gold engagement ring and empty setting ring, some scratches, normal wear and tear. Total weight: 2.95g. Scrap gold price = $77. Asking $135 shipped.
(1) size 6 engagement ring with approx 0.35ctw solitaire diamond (~ G-H; i3). Beautiful ring, solitaire has visible external damage and inclusions under 10x loupe.
(1) size 5 3/4 ring with missing main stone, has tiny diamond mounted. Good shape, just pop in a cabochon and good to go.
lot 3: size 6, beautiful 2-tone 14k engagement ring with scratches and normal wear and tear, 1 baguette-cut diamond approx 2mm (N-P; si2-i2). Total weight: 2.7g. Scrap price = $100. Asking $125 shipped
lot 4: size 7, 14k white gold diamond rings with normal wear and tear, small but lustrous diamonds. Total weight: 8.2g. Scrap gold price = $306. Asking $375 shipped.
(1) gorgeous engagement ring with 1 solitaire and 6 smaller diamonds approx 0.10 cttw (I-K; vs2-si2)
(1) beautiful 3 diamond ring approx 0.15cttw (I-K; vs1-si2)
- deal of the day! lot 5 size 4, 14k white gold women's wedding set. Absolutely stunning engagement ring with brilliant cut solitaire diamond at approx 0.15ctw (E-F; vvs2-si1). Total weight: 3.9g. Scrap gold price = $145. Asking only $300 shipped!
lot 6 (1) men's and (1) women's 14k yellow gold 0.5cttw diamond engagement/wedding/anniversary rings. Not a matching set but both beautifully crafted. Normal wear and tear, scratches etc to gold, slight inclusions in some diamonds visible with 10x loupe, but both of these rings will be noticed from across the room. They are drop dead gorgeous. Men's band marked .47 and both rings marked 14k. Total weight: 11.3g. Scrap gold price = $422. Asking only **$1,100 shipped!
● Men's size 10 yellow gold ring, 7 brilliant cut channel-set diamonds between 2.5mm-3mm each (F-I; vs2-si2); (~0.5cttw). Total weight: 7.3g. Available solo for $742 shipped.
● Women's size: 12 beautiful round-cut diamonds at approx 1.5mm-2mm each, (F-I; vs2-si2), breathtaking marquise cut diamond at approx 6mm x 3mm (si2-i1), approx 0.5cttw. Total weight: 3.9g. Available solo for $532 shipped.

bundle & save!! Take lots 1-6 for a 'yuge' discount: $1,911 shipped!

Thanks for stopping by!

On a scale of one to ten, one being touching a hot car on a sunny day and ten being falling into the sun, I’d put having something burst into flames in my hand at probably a four. I think four is reasonable. I mean, we’re not talking about blistering heat that roasts your meat black. We’re talking about a little, blue, cat doll just catching fire and enveloping your hand up to the wrist in white-hot angel fire.
I think anyone’s first instinct when something they’re holding bursts into flames is to drop or throw the item. Since I am anyone, I naturally throw the doll with a squeal that turns heads. It hits the side of the closest tent and tumbles down it, paw over whisker. It leaves a trail of little fires behind it. These don’t just sizzle and go out, they get bigger.
Did I mention the smoke? There’s black smoke billowing out of the doll like it’s one of those funny fireworks that does nothing but make smoke. It doesn’t move like smoke though. Smoke just goes up where I guess it gets sucked out into space or something. This smoke swirls around in a ropey fashion like a snake.
“Meredith?” I say to the smoke snake, “Is that you?”
The smoke snake does not respond. Instead, one of the teenagers shouts, “FIRE!” and throws a cup of soda at the side of the tent that’s burning incredibly quickly. They all scatter. Soda is apparently not an effective fire extinguisher. The flames just sizzle and then swallow more of the tent.
I decide not to stick around. “If you’re Meredith, follow me,” I tell the smoke snake, and then turn to run for the busy section of the carnival.
I don’t make it more than two steps before one of the bigger teenagers grabs me by the shoulder. He’s a lanky boy with black hair and one of those “I wanna look grown-up” half mustaches that you almost wonder if you can just rip it right off his face. He’s wearing a Led Zeppelin shirt. I bet Roger and this kid would have been best buds or bitter rivals if Roger hadn’t gotten turned into mashed potatoes.
“Hey! This girl started a fire!” he yells to nobody in particular.
A girl with really short cut bleached blonde hair and one of those nose stud things runs over and gets right in my face. “Let her go, Johnny!” she snaps at the boy holding me. I’m surprised because I thought from her expression that she was going to headbutt me in the face and knock me out or something. “She’s pretty badass in my book.” She looks me in the eyes with something I’m not familiar with. Is that... respect?
Johnny lets go of me.
“That thing’s gonna burn the whole carnival down!” the girl yells. She sounds pleased. She’s even got a big grin on her face as she watches the fire on the tent rise upward.
“Well I’m not sticking around to watch, babe!” says Johnny, and he takes off between two trailers across the way.
There’s already shouts rising over the sound of the crackling fire. I hear someone yell the word “fire!” and the sentence, “grab an extinguisher!” Just over the tent, where the main thoroughfare probably is, some woman screams, and a kid starts crying. Oh God, I’ve gone and killed everybody, haven’t I? The entire carnival is going to burn to the ground and everybody’s probably panicking and stampeding for the exits. Then the screaming lady lets out a big burst of laughter and I realize nobody on the other side of the tent is even aware of what’s going on over here yet.
“Come on!” the blonde girl pulls on my sleeve. I stumble over my own feet and fall to the ground. She doesn’t stick around to help me up. Instead she takes off after her friend Johnny, doing some sort of twirly dance in the process as she runs away into the dark.
I start to get up from the dirt when I notice dark liquid running out from under me. It’s blood. It’s all over my shirt. I’m a sopping wet, red mess. Also, the cow pitcher is shattered. I must have fallen right on it and it broke and I got Nate’s blood all over myself! How am I ever going to explain this to that angry man I borrowed it from?
“What’s going on?” asks Paschar, “I’m getting only bits and pieces. There’s a fire? Smoke? Snakes? Blood? Are you injured?”
Actually, now that he’s asked, there is a big piece of the cow pitcher sticking through my bloody shirt down in my tummy area. I pull on the end of it. There’s a nasty, burning sensation so I stop pulling. I’ve gone and stabbed myself with a cow pitcher! Is any of this blood mine?
“I’ve spilled Nate’s blood all over myself!”
“Don’t rub it in your eyes!”
I wasn’t gonna rub it in my eyes. It’s not like I’m tired or anything. My cousin Susie used to rub her eyes a lot but that was because she had really bad allergies. Her eyes were always bloodshot. Susie’s worst allergy was boat propellers though. She was deathly allergic to those. After her accident, my Uncle George developed really bad allergies too. I could tell because his eyes were always bloodshot.
Someone nearby yells, “Over here!” and a pair of men run up with big, red fire extinguishers. They start spraying the white foamy stuff at the side of the tent. At first, it doesn’t look like the foam is going to stop the flames, but after a minute of spraying and one of the extinguishers running out of juice, the fire hisses and goes out.
The man holding the used-up fire extinguisher looks at the big, black, scorched portion of tent, then down at the crispy, little cat doll on the ground. Then he turns and looks at the claw machine. The machine blinks its lights like it’s saying hello to him. The man finally looks over at me, laying in a small pool of warm blood. It’s the man with orange hair who passed by earlier that I hid from.
“Look what we got here,” he says with a funny accent. I think it’s Irish, but it might be Scottish. I’m not an expert on accents. Everything I know about accents I learned from this movie I watched with my dad about a Scottish guy who was immortal and he killed other immortal people by chopping their heads off with a giant sword. Well, that and Mary Poppins.
The other man sets down his fire extinguisher and turns around. He’s a beefy guy wearing a huge coat with lots of pockets and a floppy-looking cowboy hat. “Who’s that, Gin?” he asks in a non-accent voice.
“Get up, girly!” The man named Gin reaches down and grabs me by my collar. He pulls me halfway up to standing on my own two feet. In the process, the piece of cow pitcher that has punctured me in the tummy area shifts and causes more of that intense burning feeling I got when I tried to pull it out.
“OWWWW!” I yell, hoping he gets the hint and lets go of me.
He doesn’t.
Then I notice that the snaky trail of black smoke is circling his head like a creepy halo. I don’t think he or the other man can see it because if either of them could, they’d surely be freaking out and trying to wave it away.
“This,” Gin says with one of those half-smile smirks that shows the canine tooth on the left side of his mouth, “is who Clay was looking for.”
The black smoke snake hunches back like it's about to strike at the back of Gin’s head. Then it lunges forward and splashes like a wave against him, going in all directions. A moment later, it recollects itself into a cloudy-form and swirls angrily around him like a swarm of bees dealing with Winnie-the-Pooh.
Gin pulls me the rest of the way to my feet. This is good because I aim to kick him in his testicles and I couldn’t do that lying down. As soon as I’ve got my footing, I pull back, swinging my foot out behind me--
--at which point he brings his big, adult fist into the equation by punching me hard in the guts. The pain is so intense I feel like I’m going to puke. Even worse, there’s a really sharp stinging sensation and then a wet kind of warmth. No, I didn’t pee myself. Gin himself winces in pain as he pulls his fist back to reveal the piece of broken cow pitcher stabbed right up between his knuckles. He lets go of me so he can pull it out and I take the opportunity to drop to my knees and double over, clutching where he hit me.
“Word of advice to you, lass,” says Gin as he flicks the pitcher piece away, “don’t broadcast your intention to kick a man in the quongs if you don’t want to get punched in the ovaries.”
I’m too busy rubbing my face in the wet grass to respond but I’m thinking about how annoying this thing with saying what I’m thinking is and I wish I could stop doing it because it really makes fighting bad guys difficult. I wonder if I just said that thought, but judging from Gin putting his boot on the back of my head, I’m guessing not. Bleh, the grass is warm and tastes like ozone. I realize I’m getting Nate’s blood on me. Paschar said to not get it in my eyes!
“What is she, like ten years old?” I hear the other man say, “What about this brat’s got Clay so spooked? You could knock her over with a wet fart.” Thanks for that visual, Sir.
Gin lifts his boot off my head. I take the opportunity to get my face out of the bloody grass and wipe it off my mouth. I can’t tell how much is on my face.
“She killed his kid or sometin’,” he remarks casually, “burned him alive.” He pauses. I look up. He’s looking at the scorched tent. “Seems like she’s got a penchant for fire. Maybe we ought to give her a feel of what it’s like to get burned before we bring her to Clay. What do you say?”
I cough up some dirt I didn’t realize was in the back of my throat. “I didn’t kill Joey.”
Gin wanders a few steps away and the other man comes over and puts a hand under my armpit. He helps me up in a far gentler manner than Gin did. I don’t think about kicking him in the testicles and I don’t plan to. The two men share a brief look and I worry for a second that I just said all that.
“She’s got blood all over her,” the big other guy says, letting go of me and wiping his hands off on his dark jacket.
“I don’t give a rat’s ass if she’s got shit and puke on ‘er,” Gin lights up a cigarette and takes a long drag on it. He looks at me like a kid with a magnifying glass looks at an ant. He blows out a small cloud of stinky smoke. I wonder if he can make smoke rings. “Give me her arm.”
Nothing good ever started with someone saying, “give me her arm.” I instinctively start to pull away, but the big guy puts his hand under my armpit again and moves me away from Gin, twirling me around so he’s between the two of us like a big wall.
“I’ve had enough of this. I’m not letting you put a cigarette out on a little girl. What the Hell is wrong with you, man?”
I put my free arm around his waist and give him as much of a hug as I can. Thank you, Mister, whoever you are.
Gin casually gestures toward the blackened tent flap and scorched patch of ground where the remains of my precious Freddy Lapel doll sizzles with otherworldly heat. “Look what she did, Dutch. She tried to burn down the whole carnival. Could have hurt somebody! Could have killed somebody--” He looks directly at me. “--again.”
Dutch’s thumb digs into my armpit but not so hard that it hurts. He smells like he had bacon recently. And he works on machinery or something, because there’s a distinct scent of motor oil on his clothes. I wonder if he knows Mr. Grizz.
“But thankfully nobody did get hurt. And I don’t know the full story between her and Clay, if there even is one. All I know is a grown-ass, Irish prick is telling me to let him put a lit cigarette on a ten-year old girl covered in blood and I ain’t about to be the guy that lets that happen.”
“I’m twelve actually,” I tell Dutch. He doesn’t hear or just ignores me.
The orange-haired creep named Gin takes another drag on his cigarette. I watch the end of it burn away between his fingers. Then he casually lifts one leg and puts it out on the underside of his boot. He flicks the butt away and then crosses his arms and stares at me hiding behind Dutch. If there was a clock, we could hear it ticking away, but there’s no clock. Instead, there’s just the hoots and hollers of people having a grand old time at the carnival.
After what seems like five minutes of just hard, quiet staring at each other like one of those Mexican standoffs in a Clint Eastwood Western movie --my dad used to love to watch Clint Eastwood movies. His favorite was called High Plains Drifter. I just watched for the horses-- oh right, like I was saying... after five minutes of that staring, Gin shrugs like he didn’t just step on the head of a little girl and then try to put a cigarette out on her.
“I’m fetching Clay.” He lingers for a moment, glaring at both of us, and then storms off in a hurried manner, really working his arms into it.
Dutch’s grip on my pit loosens. I stop hugging him and move away a step. He looks down at me. I can’t figure out what thoughts are going through his head. His expression seems like a jumble of worry and upset and even a little fear. He’s gotten all sweaty. He wipes it away with his sleeve and takes a rough breath.
“Thank you, Mr. Dutch,” I tell him.
He nods silently.
I check my pokey stab wound from the cow pitcher. It’s not leaking profusely but there’s blood and mud caked on my shirt and it’s sticking to me. I hope I don’t get a mud infection. I wish I better understood where germs come from. There’s blood all over my hands but I don’t know if it’s mine or Nate’s.
“I’m taking you to the front entrance and we’re calling the police,” Dutch tells me.
I almost forgot about the cloud of smoke. It is lazily drifting over Dutch’s head now, like a little, black raincloud. It moves unnaturally, not drifting away or dispersing in any way. Just a little, black raincloud over the man’s floppy hat.
We walk away from the burned tent and the claw machine in the opposite direction from the one that Gin went. A noise behind us makes me look back. A blonde woman with an apron covered with pockets from which prize tickets hang out all over comes out of a nearby booth alley and sees the mess I caused. She immediately zeroes in on Dutch and I walking away together.
“Oi! Dutch!” she calls out, “what the Hell happened here?”
“I’m dealing with it, Susie,” he tells her. He puts his hand on my arm as if to show that he’s got the perpetrator and is handling the situation.
I look up at him. “My cousin’s name is Susie.” I don’t know why I feel the need to mention that. My brain is kind of doing a reset at the moment as I try to figure out what I need to do and if that cloud is indeed Meredith’s soul like I think it is.
Mr. Dutch glances down at me and starts leading me away again. “Is that so?”
“My uncle ran her over with a motorboat.”
He frowns and looks away. “Oh.”
I realize I could have worded that better. “By accident.”
Paschar chimes in. “That’s probably not the best topic to be bringing up right now, Lily.”
Mr. Dutch seems to agree with Paschar. “Let’s just get you to the ticket booths, alright? Quiet like.”
Ahead of us, the back alleyway of tent flaps and old, unused arcade machines opens up to the main thoroughfare. I knew it was right there! I can see normal people, mostly adults because it’s so freaking late and kids have got school tomorrow but the carnival is in town so some parents brought their kids because some things are more important than school. Like fishing for little ducks with magnets on the end of a fishing line so you can get a ten cent knick-knack for the price of a couple quarters. Or shooting water in a hippo’s mouth and watching a balloon fill up from out its butt and whoever pops the hippo’s butt balloon wins a prize which is usually just a bunch of tickets like the ones that lady had falling out of her apron pockets.
The little, black cloud follows us, keeping just above Dutch’s head. I wonder if it intends to drop on him like an anvil in a Wile E Coyote cartoon.
Right before we reach the thoroughfare full of laughing, smiling people, I hear something. Fast approaching footsteps. They’re not speed walking; this is more like a jumbling hustle of several feet moving swiftly but trying to be quiet. Oh crap, it’s Gin and Clay. They’re going to burn me with cigarettes or rub deodorant on my wounds and stab me and light me on fire and--
There’s a hard WHOOMP sound right next to me followed immediately by a loud grunt like “UGH” but I can’t do it justice with words. It’s like the sound someone would make if they bang their elbow on the edge of a metal desk right where their funny bone is. Like right between the elbow joint bones, you know? Why does that hurt so bad? I think the person who named it the “funny bone” never hit the corner of a metal desk there. It’s the least funny bone in your body. Or second at least to the coccyx. That’s the little tail end of your spine. Yeah, we got tails. Humans got tails. They’re hidden though, tucked away in the butt area.
Dutch lets go of my arm. I turn to look at him. There’s a foot with a sneaker on it sticking out from between his legs. Just as quickly as I see it, it disappears. Mr. Dutch is the one making the pain sound. He reaches down and clutches his crotch, and his knees give out and he falls forward. Someone kicked this poor man in the testicles!
The foot belongs to the girl with the short, bleached blonde hair. She stands over the large, crumpled form of Dutch and looks at me with a triumphant grin.
“Bleep the authority!” she shouts and pumps her fist in the air. She’s wearing like a dozen rings on the one hand. How can she fit so many rings on such stubby fingers? “Let’s go!” she yells in my face even though I’m right there next to her.
Her friend Johnny is with her. He’s looking around anxiously. “Yeah, let’s get out of here already!”
I’m flabbergasted. “But Mr. Dutch was a good guy!” I try to tell the two of them.
They’re completely enthralled by their own sense of pride in a job well done, saving the little, bloody girl from the big man at the traveling carnival. Mr. Dutch is groaning in severe, testicle-kicked pain. I reach down to try to help him, and the blonde girl grabs my wrist.
“What are you doing?” she asks me through a smile that says she doesn’t even really care what my answer is, “we’re rescuing you! Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, let’s hoof it!”
I feel like that’s one too many horse-themed expressions in a single statement, but I don’t say anything. And not just that, there’s like twelve too many people getting involved in my problems lately. I’m not a complete idiot, I know well what happens to people around me. My whole family is dead. My best friend is... probably a little, black cloud that’s doing some sort of weird interpretive dance over the crumpled form of poor Dutch with the swollen balls. People get hurt around me. Hell, poor Dutch can attest to that at the moment. People die around me. People get torn apart by skinless dogs that form out of fungus that used to be old ladies and I can’t believe that’s even an actual thing I saw. I saw that. That happened.
I take the girl’s hand and remove it from my arm. “Look, I don’t know you or Johnny and you both seem really nice, but you need to get out of here before you get hurt. I’ll be okay. Mr. Dutch was taking me to get help. The bad people are coming, and they like to smoke. They’ve got an angel of death tied up somewhere. And there’s someone much, much worse who could show up any time.”
I think I lost them both somewhere around the part about that creep Gin being a smoker. The boy Johnny does another anxious look around the area, then he grabs the girl’s arm. “Nance, let’s just go. I didn’t come here to get murdered by some whacked-out carney cult.”
The girl Nance drops her arm and shakes her head at me. She starts to open her mouth to say something, then crumples it up into a little mouth and turns and trots away after Johnny. I watch them go. I don’t know who they were, but I hope they get far, far away. The curse of getting involved in my life has a long reach and is unforgiving.
After they leave, I kneel down and pat Mr. Dutch on the back. “All you alright, Mr. Dutch?” I ask him. He mutters something I can’t understand because he’s got his face shoved into the ground.
“You’re not cursed, Lily,” Paschar comments.
“Then why do bad things always happen to people around me?”
“Because your gift is chaotic,” I hear me say. Except I didn’t say it. Not me me anyway.
Paschar whispers, “Oh no.”
I feel the presence of another person standing right behind me. Unlike Nance and Johnny, this person didn’t make a sound. It was as if they rose up out of the ground or descended from the sky as silent as a feather touching a pillow. My whole body tenses up. That sounds impossible but it totally is possible and it’s incredibly uncomfortable. Don’t question it.
I turn around slowly. First at the neck, then the shoulder, finally at the waist. Why am I dragging this out? Because I don’t want to look behind me at the person because I know exactly who it is and I really don’t feel like peeing my pants right now. Or ever. But especially now.
For a second I think I’m just looking in a mirror because I see my own face. Except my actual face probably has more blood on it currently. But less blood everywhere else.
Samael smiles at me. “You got here ahead of me.” He looks at my clothes and then tilts his head and examines my face. “And from the looks of it, you’ve had one Hell of a time. Who did this to you? Was it him?” He points at Mr. Dutch who has finally rolled over onto his back and is staring up at the starry night sky with teary eyes and a really red face.
“This isn’t my blood,” I tell him.
He grins. “But this is,” he gestures at himself. Don’t pee, Lily. Don’t pee.
Paschar raises his voice. “Sam, please, you’ve got to come back! You’re unwell.”
“Really?? Did you really think that’s going to work?” That’s me talking. Actual me. Not Samael. “You can’t appeal to crazy! I mean, come on. You’ve got to have something to back your words up with. When in the history of ever has someone been on the verge of destroying a small carnival and someone else said, ‘don’t do it!’ and they were like, ‘oh, okay.’? Never!”
“She’s right.” Samael says, nodding and raising an eyebrow. Hey, I can’t do that. I try to raise one eyebrow, but I just end up raising both. So I stop and try again. But then I stop completely before it looks like I’m wiggling my eyebrows at him. He stares at me blankly for a moment after, then blinks a couple times and shakes his head.
Mr. Dutch rolls over and gets up onto his hands and knees. He lets out a big breath, then sits up and tilts his head back to look at Samael and me together. There’s a moment where he seems to accept what he’s seeing, but then he clenches his eyes shut, reopens them, cranes his neck forward and looks back and forth between us.
“Don’t hurt him,” says Paschar.
Samael smirks. It’s starting to feel surreal to see myself making faces when I can feel that I’m not. Also, everything’s slightly off because I’m looking at my actual face and not a mirror reflection of it. “I’m not here for Mr. Dutch,” says Samael, “I’m here for the rune-maker, remember? I’m here for Felix Clay.”
“Lillian Alexandra Madwhip!” someone shouts from the direction Mr. Dutch and I just walked away from.
As if he was just waiting in the shadows --which he probably was because it’s such a Felix thing to do-- Felix freaking Clay steps from seemingly out of nowhere and stands about ten yards down the alleyway from us behind Samael. Beside him is his orange-haired friend Gin, smoking another cigarette from the looks of the little glow I can see in his hand. I should have smelled him coming.
They’re a little ways off, but I can see them both pretty clearly, and Felix isn’t smiling. It occurs to me that he always smiled before, even when he was doing things that shouldn’t have made him happy. It’s like his smile is a mask he hides behind. But not now. Now he looks angry. And annoyed. And --why is he holding that hammer? He’s not even holding it right; he’s got the claw side down. He can’t hammer a nail that way unless his arms work backward.
“You came for me and here I am!” Felix yells at us, “But I told you not to come back. So now--” He and his Irish buddy Mr. Gin start marching toward us with very purposeful strides, and I can’t understand what he’s saying after the “so now” part. Mr. Gin pulls something I can’t see out of his coat and holds it close at his side. No doubt it’s a weapon, I just don’t know if it’s a stabby weapon or a shooty weapon or what.
Samael doesn’t look at them. He’s focused on me. He’s smiling. His hands are clenched at his sides, and I remember well that there’s a rune on one that lets him punch through people like they’re made of Play-doh.
As for me, I’m torn. Do I warn Felix that Samael can karate chop him into bits like some sort of bad horror movie? Or do I watch this play out? Maybe I should take this opportunity to just run. I mean, I can’t win against any of these people. Who am I? I’m a Knife That Cuts the Veil that’s dulled by the runes all over the carnival grounds.
While I stand there lost in that thought, Samael reaches forward and pokes me in the forehead. He starts moving his finger around. I just stand there and stare at him, waiting for him to jab a hole right through my head. Don’t pee, Lily. Don’t pee. What the heck is he doing?
“There,” he whispers to me, finishing whatever it is, “that should keep you safe. Just don’t smear it or your head might explode.”
As soon as he lifts his finger away, I can feel it. That tension I had that I mentioned early was all through my body, it just vanishes. I almost go completely slack in fact, but manage to hold myself up. Then comes a wave of warmth starting at the spot on my forehead that he last touched and encompassing my entire head, traveling down my neck, across my chest, down both arms at the same time, through my midsection and then hips, legs, ending at the tips of my toes. The pain in my abdomen that I had actually forgotten about also vanishes. I reach into the hole in my shirt to feel the wound. It’s still there and I feel my fingertip actually go inside the stabby hole for a second before I realize I’m still hurt; I just can’t feel it anymore.
“Who’s your little friend?”
Felix and Gin have finally reached us. Gin looks smugly at me, still holding his hand by his side. Samael turns to face them finally and Gin’s smug look is replaced with one of confusion. Felix stops mid-stride and even takes a step back. He also has a confused expression on his face. I don’t need to see Samael’s face to know he’s got the biggest grin on it right now.

I've only played Elden Ring so I don't know if FS has done this already done evasion spells but I've been thinking about whether they should add spells that let you dodge and somewhat deal damage an example being the AoW for Bloodhound's fang. Because there is an AoW that can be used to both evade and attack.
So thought a few evasive Soceries and Incantations would be cool and useful, especially for mages and spellswords and they can even put them in the 'up coming' DLC.
An example of a Sorcery can be
"Carian Counter: A seemingly thought-lost Carian Knight sorcery used to both dodge and attack using the power of glinstone. Conjures a fragile glintstone copy when hit while dashing to the side delivering a swift stab with a glinstone dagger. This particular sorcery was developed by an assassin turned knight their skills only being enhanced by the glintstone."
An example of an Incantation can be
"Assassin's Flourish: Incantation of the Two Fingers' servants, who once served as the assassins of the Roundtable Hold. Upon being attacked the user teleports behind their enemy summoning a dagger of darkness and stabbing them from behind. The tarnished that unfortunately found themselves the targets of assassins always hit thin air."
Feel free to give ideas or make mine better, cause I hope either a modder or someone at FS sees this and (I know the chances are abysmal but still) puts it in the game.

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

I'll be using this PC for moderate gaming (Elden Ring, Hogwarts Legacy, Modded MC, CSGO), homework, and software development.

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

~1600 USD, I'm flexible as long as there's good value.

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

I plan on buying within the next two weeks.

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget?

I only need the PC itself in the budget.

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

I will purchasing in the USA. I do not have access to a Microcenter.

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

I plan on doing some minor CPU and GPU overclocking when I finish the build.

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

I'm going for a Mini-ITX B&W build, however if I can save a decent bit of money with a different size/theme I'd be happy to do so.

Extra info or particulars:

I've already made a starting point for this build: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/nT4Hcb

Found myself craving an immersive RPG where the character I would control is more anti-hero than hero. Or at least very flawed. Looking for some recommendations on what game might fit that description. Preference leans more fantasy (expectation is Starfield will satisfy my sci-fi itch). Would also prefer it be more recent, or at least that the XSX/S hardware gives it a bit of polish (e.g. not Dragon's Dogma).
I've already poured plenty of time into those that might immediately come to mind (Skyrim, all Dark Souls, Elden Ring, all Diablo, Pillars of Eternity 1, Divinity Original Sin 1 & 2).
Any suggestions?

So I started playing Blades last year, led a guild up to rank 30 and personally scored 1,800 trophies or so each month in arena. Then I got bored.
Now I'm back at it and I'm starting a new character with a 2-handed build and I want to know what ways can I tweak the game so that things are easier.
The main thing I want to know is about the abyss. I remember reading somewhere you can avoid liches and dragons in the abyss by not progressing past a certain quest. What was that quest? I would like to optimize gold chest runs on abyss as much as possible.
Any tricks to getting warlocks ring?
Ive already watched a good number of Airyus Online videos and I'm pretty solid on leveling the town among other basic things. But if you have more advice than just the basics, let me know.

Look, I know not everyone can be GinoMachino, that guy is a monster who strikes fear into the heart of the Greater Will. But watching his content gives me a hunger to get good at elden ring, like actually good. I’ve done two playthroughs, and am now doing a solo/melee playthrough, but I feel like I’m not learning enough. Does anyone have any tips for building good habits/practicing bosses that can help me improve? eventually I want to do RL1 and maybe even no hit the game someday in the far future.
this is the first FromSoft game I’ve put significant time into btw

Looking for these items. Giving Diamonds for it!
Rose Boutineer Mc sleeves Val corset Divine Diamond Heart Earrings Talented Guitarist Grand Duke Epaulette & Sash Safety pin Sweethear earrings Hot head plugs Widows pillbox hat Vamp tote Kitty crossbows Widows wilted bouquet Nocturnal kitty ears.......... SP belt Or SP corset.......... Otherworldly potion.......... Magical broomstick.......... Celebration Sombrero..........DotD Aromatic flower crown, chest flowers, head flowers...DotD Ancestor celebrations skull Sea Stat pearl bracelet..........OG Giant teddy and OG..........teddyzilla.........Mermaid claim Earrings..........Surf board..........OG parasol Bat candy bag 2018 & 2019 Designer camdybag 2019 Pillowcase candy bag 2021 Ghost candybag 2019 Pumpkin candy bag 2021.......... Rosie's rose.......... Bunny slippers.......... Angus mindwings.......... Lizzies crown of roses.......... Cristals tiara.......... Celebration balloon.......... 2019 party hat.......... Pirate hat.......... Feather fabulous mask.......... Mardi Gras 2020 balloon .......... Spring circlet.......... Antique messenger satchel Lil devil headband.......... Mask hoop Earrings..........Affluent Aristocrat.......... Worm bodice.......... Stylish mask.......... Party beads.......... Callmehbob Diamond Ring.......... Oofhead.......... Writers charm bracelet.......... Blade of light Nomnom chocolate bar Ruffle velvet bow mini-skirt & ruffle velvet royal skirt Large train bow GOT heels, sleeves, head flowers, earrings and corset And Wings!
Some items I listed might not be tradeable, I have to check but I just listed things I think I can trade.. NYP in the comments or we can discuss prices I'm honestly trying to get it for less than OG price, or some for cheap. Sorry it's a lot to read!

Looking for these iems. Giving Diamonds for it!
Rose Boutineer Mc sleeves Val corset Divine Diamond Heart Earrings Talented Guitarist Grand Duke Epaulette & Sash Safety pin Sweethear earrings Hot head plugs Widows pillbox hat Vamp tote Kitty crossbows Widows wilted bouquet Nocturnal kitty ears.......... SP belt Or SP corset.......... Otherworldly potion.......... Magical broomstick.......... Celebration Sombrero..........DotD Aromatic flower crown, chest flowers, head flowers...DotD Ancestor celebrations skull Sea Stat pearl bracelet..........OG Giant teddy and OG..........teddyzilla.........Mermaid claim Earrings..........Surf board..........OG parasol Bat candy bag 2018 & 2019 Designer camdybag 2019 Pillowcase candy bag 2021 Ghost candybag 2019 Pumpkin candy bag 2021.......... Rosie's rose.......... Bunny slippers.......... Angus mindwings.......... Lizzies crown of roses.......... Cristals tiara.......... Celebration balloon.......... 2019 party hat.......... Pirate hat.......... Feather fabulous mask.......... Mardi Gras 2020 balloon .......... Spring circlet.......... Antique messenger satchel Lil devil headband.......... Mask hoop Earrings..........Affluent Aristocrat.......... Worm bodice.......... Stylish mask.......... Party beads.......... Callmehbob Diamond Ring.......... Oofhead.......... Writers charm bracelet.......... Blade of light Nomnom chocolate bar Ruffle velvet bow mini-skirt & ruffle velvet royal skirt Large train bow GOT heels, sleeves, head flowers, earrings and corset And Wings!
Some items I listed might not be tradeable, I have to check but I just listed things I think I can trade.. NYP in the comments or we can discuss prices I'm honestly trying to get it for less than OG price, or some for cheap. Sorry it's a lot to read!

There are a lot of things about bubbles, like bubble shields, the bubble blowing trumpet weapon, etc. Knowing Fromsoft games there must be a reason for this, so what is it? How is it connected to the overall theme of Elden Ring?
If a similar question has been posted, please let me know

Hey there folks. I’m Terry and thanks for reading my post. Hopefully,it’s eye-catching lol I don’t really have much of an idea what to write, but I want to chat with some cool ppl and see what’s out there. I’m open to friendship as well as a relationship. Now that the basics are out the way,here’s where I try to sell myself to you all as a fantastic person lol I’m trying not to overthink this
Here’s some things about me:
I’m a bit on the tan side but I’m African American lol I’m not very tall, I’m only 5’6, so I’m a short king. But I’m pretty content this way lol I have long flowing dreadlocks that past my waist. I’ve had them for 10 years at this point. Thinking about cutting them off and starting over but I’m not sure yet lol I also wear glasses and I have a decent little bit of freckles sprinkled around my face. My voice is on the deeper side and I’m told that my laugh is pretty goofy but contagious. I’m the friend that tells funny jokes but also can barely get the joke out because I can’t stop laughing. I’m also the friend with the laugh that’s funnier than the joke lol
I’m a CanceINFJ-T if you're into that sort of thing. If I’m being honest,I’m introverted and can sometimes be a bit shy, but it’s hard to get me to shut up when I warm up to someone. I’ll nerd out and all lol I do suffer from anxiety but it’s a lot better than it used to be. If I were to describe some of my biggest traits,I’d say that I’m pretty caring and compassionate. I’m also really goofy and dorky. My Hogwarts House is Gryffindor. I’m definitely still trying to figure life out. I was raised pretty old school since I have older parents, so I’d like to say I’m at least a bit gentlemanly lol I’m pretty open minded and objective for the most part. I love and accept everyone no matter race,sexuality,or religion. Speaking of religion, I’m not a religious person.
I’m pretty versatile and my taste/hobbies vary. I enjoy gaming and play pretty much everything. My main platform is PS5 but I recently built my first gaming pc, and I slowly but surely want to move towards that being my main platform. I also have a Xbox Series S. All I need is a Switch and I’d literally be able game without anyone no matter the platform lol
I also stream on twitch sometimes and I’ve been told that my streams are pretty funny
I’m an artsy fart, I enjoy writing and poetry, and just playing with words in general
I also like drawing and am self taught. I took a VERY long hiatus but I’ve been pretty motivated to get back into the grind lol I even would like to try my hand at digital artwork
I’ve been into anime and manga since I was a little kid. I’m always looking for new ones to watch/read. I also love collecting manga and other merch like figurines and replicas. I’ve never Cosplayed or gone to a con before but I’d like to one day. Maybe you could be my partner lol
I recently got into working out last year and slowly started to love it as a hobby. Life happened and I took a hiatus because I’d be so exhausted from my previous job, but I’ve recently started making it a consistent habit again
I’m into all genres of music. My playlist can go from J Cole to Disturbed,to Prince, to Rihanna, to anime openings/video game osts lol
Don’t drink or smoke but I don’t care if you do.
I’m super into science fiction. Some of my favorite genres are fantasy,medieval fantasy,cyberpunk,and steampunk
Games that I’m into in no particular order:
Jak and Daxter,Sly Cooper,Ratchet & Clank, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, Yakuza/Judgement, Tekken,King Of Fighters,Resident Evil, Bloodstained, Guilty Gear, Devil May Cry,Bayonetta, God Of War, Nier Automata, Gravity Rush, Cyberpunk (Post Launch lol), Deus Ex, Dishonored, Bioshock, Tomb Raider,Elden Ring, Dark Souls,Rainbow Six Siege,Dragon Age,Mass Effect,Chivalry 2,Divinity Original Sin 2, all to name a few.
Anime that I’m into:
Attack On Titan, Onepiece, Naruto, Haikyuu, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Jujutsu Kaisen, Black Clover, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Code Geass, Bleach, Afro Samurai, Ranma ½, Kill La Kill, One Punch Man, Overly Cautious Hero, HighSchool Of The Dead, Soul Eater
Shows that I’m into:
The Boondocks,Game Of Thrones, House Of The Dragon, Stranger Things, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Family Matters,Martin, Fresh Prince, Avatar TLAB, The Big Bang Theory, Arcane, The Boys, Invincible
As for what I’d look for in a person,it’s not very groundbreaking. I know this is cliche but I’m not super big on looks. I don’t necessarily have a preference and I like a lot of different features. I’m big on personality. I don’t really care if you're short, tall, petite, average, chubby etc. Just be a good person. Bonus points would definitely be if you’re artsy. If you’re nerdy and into video games and anime. Or if you’re a hopeless romantic. But it’s not a dealbreaker if you’re none of those things lol and as I said before,I’m not necessarily looking to rush or force a relationship. Just to see where things go. Platonic Friends are more than welcome! I’d love to build a connection with pretty much anyone
So that’s it. Hopefully I didn’t ramble on too long. Hopefully this will reach someone and at least one person will message me. Thank you for reading my post and I hope to hear from you soon. You can send me a chat request if you like. I also have discord. So we could also move our conversations there if you’d prefer.

I've seen a few rl1 runs before but have never even attempted one so I'm looking for some advice on weapons and talismans. Clearly a weapon with lower stat requirements is necessary at least for early game. I know keeping Godricks great rune active at all times will be very helpful as well as stat boosting talismans. Anything in terms of advice would help. Thanks!

So when you start MyRise In 2K23 you have two choices The Lock and Legacy, I Imported my created wrestler so only had The Lock option
In this storyline you are an Indie wrestler who made a big name for themselves and come to WWE where they repackage you as "The Lock"
They play off the real life stigma of WWE ruining Indie wrestlers with stupid gimmicks, they even Joke at the start about having to shake everybodys hands and not sneezing around vince, this story seems like It was made for hardcore fans that know this stuff
From there you aren't happy with the lock and ask shawn to get rid of the safe(a literal safe) entrance and the lock gear, he asks you to Join a faction which I chose evolution headed by Randy Orton, you and some guy who.. I don't know If he's a new wrestler or someone made for the game, I don't keep up with WWE as much anymore
So you lose a match and get Into an argument with Randy who kicks you out of the new Evolution, you are frustrated and cut a shoot promo In the ring, Shawn Michaels comes out and you accidentally push him down the stairs, you see Triple H come out to help him and Shawn fires you
From there you are at an airport and a fake WCW legend comes to help you out by letting you wrestle In his bar In the UK, they have this "British rules" gimmick that affects gameplay, you can't leave the ring or climb the top rope and It's 2 out of 3 falls.. so you win some matches there and at the airport meet your friend whos a Japanese wrestler and get Into a New Japan Inspired promotion which looks very similar to wrestlekingdom, you win that.. no gimmicks here In terms of gameplay, you win In Japan and move on to Mexico and wrestle a mask vs hair match
Eventually you decide to Invade NXT UK during an open challenge, you win the title and the trophy and go back to wrestle on the Indies, your manager the fake WCW veteran tells you he returned them to WWE In exchange for your Job.. Shawn Michaels says If you don't win the WWE title by summerslam you are gone for good- and that's as far as I got
​
One feature I love In MyRise Is being able to edit your wrestler on the fly so I would edit my character for fun depending on which show I was wrestling on, for WWE I had a branded shirt but In the UK I downgraded to a simple vest like an Indie wrestler would wear.. In Japan I wore facepaint and In Mexico I wore a bandana and a fitting shirt, I also made my character look like he's aged by darkening his hair, giving him a thicker beard and adding tattoos, these are things I did to make It more realistic and fun
But coming from 2K19 and past years the dialog was very cheesy and cringeworthy, this Is really well written and as someone whos played every wrestling game I'd say this has to be one of my favorite career modes In terms of story, there's even a part where you do mo-cap for a WWE game and your wearing all bodysuit and the guy Instructs you to do a top rope move.. It doesn't help that cole quinn Is trying to murder you while you are capturing footage but It's still really cool, also all these arenas are unlockable for exibition
I haven't played MyLegacy yet but I did hear there's an unlockable Raw 2002 arena which- they still have that 2005 arena with the car In the game from mysterios showcase It's Just so nice to have both a 2003 smackdown and 2002 Raw with no car

In my budget range for monitors these are my two choices:
1440p 144hz monitor
4k 60hz monitor
I do have a 1080p 144hz monitor currently and while the refresh rate is definitely smoother, I dont really play any FPS games and mostly enjoy things like elden ring and final fantasy. I was just curious if anyone had made a decision like this in the past since I know 144hz is generally recommended in all cases. 4k 144hz is out of my price range currently.
What I'm asking I guess, is that jump in visual quality worth sacrificing the additional refresh rate if I don't really participate in competitive gaming? Have any of you downgraded from 144hz to 60hz and regretted this choice?

Looking for people to play with (ps4)