▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓

👽👽👽 Welcome to Furystorm's boutique ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 👽👽👽

Click here to see links for previous stores with a lot of positive feedback from happy customers ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓

New players - use this code (STAR-MRG5-2TBJ) on registration to get additional 5000 UEC for free!
(Just click this link)

▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
Currencies accepted: PayPal: [$] [€], Skrill (+10%): [€], Crypto(+5%): Ƀ (BTC), BCH, can take others

To make an order 📨 PM me via Reddit or via Discord (Furystorm#4218)

╔════════════════════╗
►1◄ REFERRAL SERVICE
╚════════════════════╝

20 $ per each

Info about rewards can be found here - https://robertsspaceindustries.com/referral-program
╔══════════════════╗
►2◄ SPECIAL OFFERS
╚══════════════════╝

╰( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )つ──☆

Item	Price, $
Upgrade - Mole to Merchantman Upgrade	239
Upgrade - Starfarer Gemini to Merchantman Upgrade	220
Upgrade - Constellation Aquila to Orion	169
CitizenCon 2951 Digital Goodies	9
Upgrade - 600i EXPLORER TO CARRACK EXPEDITION	129
Gemini LH86 Pistol - Voyager edition	6

╔═════════════════════════════════╗
►4◄ GAME AND SHIP COMBO PACKAGES
╚═════════════════════════════════╝

Package	Insurance	MMO+SQ42 Included	Price, $	Comments
Package - Aurora LN	3MI	Yes	57	Aurora LN (best aurora) Starter package
Mustang Alpha Starter	3MI	Yes	55	-
Anniversary 2017 Mustang Discount Starter	5YI	No	54	-
Nox 2 pack	LTI	No	121	Nox + Nox Kue
Aopoa Nox 5 Pack	LTI	No	242	4 Nox + 1 Nox Kue
Race Team Pack	LTI	No	168	X1 + NOX + Dragonfly Black
Origin X1 THREE-PACK	LTI	No	174	X1 Baseline + Velocity + Force

╔══════════════════════════╗
►5◄ LTI STANDALONE SHIPS
╚══════════════════════════╝
CCU-d ships are upgraded from another ship. Also I have ships from original sale - they may come with different bonuses but are more expensive.

You can click on the price of original sale item to see it's contents.

Ship manufacturer	Ship model	Insurance	Price (CCU-d), $	Price (Original sale), $
Aopoa (Xi'an)	Khartu-Al	LTI	184	-
-	Nox	LTI	-	77
-	Nox Kue	LTI	-	77
-	San'Tok.Yai	LTI	231	-
Aegis Dynamics	Avenger Titan	LTI	70	84
-	Avenger Titan Renegade	LTI	95	111
-	Avenger Stalker	LTI	84	-
-	Avenger Warlock	LTI	105	-
-	Eclipse	LTI	315	333
-	Gladius	LTI	116	-
-	Gladius Valiant	LTI	132	147
-	Hammerhead	LTI	672	777
-	Hammerhead Best in Show Edition	LTI	746	-
-	Nautilus	LTI	672	-
-	Reclaimer	LTI	347	550
-	Reclaimer Best in Show Edition	LTI	357	-
-	Redeemer	LTI	333	-
-	Retaliator Bomber	LTI	284	-
-	Sabre	LTI	184	221
-	Sabre Comet	LTI	195	-
-	Vanguard Warden	LTI	263	357
-	Vanguard Harbinger	LTI	289	-
-	Vanguard Sentinel	LTI	268	-
-	Vanguard Hoplite	LTI	231	268
-	Vulcan	LTI	216	242
ARGO Astronautics	MPUV Cargo	LTI	74	84
-	MPUV Personnel	LTI	-	89
-	SRV	LTI	165	-
-	Mole	LTI	321	-
-	Combo Pack	LTI	-	111
Anvil Aerospace	Arrow	LTI	95	137
-	C8X Pisces Expedition	LTI	-	74
-	Carrack	LTI	441	-
-	Carrack W/C8X	LTI	461	-
-	Carrack Expedition	LTI	468	-
-	Carrack Expedition W/C8X	LTI	489	-
-	Crucible	LTI	369	431
-	F7C Hornet	LTI	121	-
-	F7C Hornet Wildfire	LTI	189	210
-	F7C-S Hornet Ghost	LTI	140	-
-	F7C-R Hornet Tracker	LTI	155	-
-	F7C-M Super Hornet	LTI	199	252
-	F7C-M Hornet Heartseeker	LTI	200	-
-	Gladiator	LTI	177	221
-	Hawk	LTI	116	132
-	Hurricane	LTI	210	231
-	Terrapin	LTI	231	263
-	Valkyrie	LTI	368	-
Banu	Merchantman	LTI	420	-
-	Defender	LTI	226	237
Consolidated outland	Mustang Beta	LTI	95	-
-	Mustang Gamma	LTI	74	-
-	Mustang Delta	LTI	84	-
-	Pioneer	LTI	-	1399
Crusader Industries	Ares Inferno	LTI	252	-
-	Ares Ion	LTI	252	-
-	Genesis Starliner	LTI	368	578
-	C2 Hercules	LTI	378	-
-	M2 Hercules	LTI	504	-
-	A2 Hercules	LTI	756	-
-	Mercury Star Runner	LTI	273	-
Drake Interplanetary	Dragonfly Yellowjacket	LTI	-	84
-	Dragonfly Black	LTI	-	84
-	Dragonfly Ride Together Two-Pack	LTI	-	126
-	Buccaneer	LTI	126	142
-	Caterpillar	LTI	336	-
-	Caterpillar Best in Show Edition	LTI	347	-
-	Corsair	LTI	263	-
-	Cutlass Black	LTI	116	-
-	Cutlass Black Best in Show Edition	LTI	126	-
-	Cutlass Steel	LTI	221	-
-	Cutlass Red	LTI	142	-
-	Cutlass Blue	LTI	168	-
-	Herald	LTI	111	-
-	Vulture	LTI	158	-
Esperia	Vanduul Blade	LTI	284	326
-	Vanduul Glaive	LTI	373	-
-	Prowler	LTI	420	510
-	Talon	LTI	132	-
-	Talon Shrike	LTI	132	-
Gatac	Railen	LTI	242	-
Greycat Industrial	ROC	LTI	77	-
Kruger Intergalactic	P-72 Archimedes	LTI	-	100
MISC	Endeavor BASE	LTI	378	-
-	Endeavor DISCOVERY-CLASS	LTI	-	683
-	Endeavor Master Set 2018	LTI	-	1399
-	Freelancer	LTI	121	-
-	Freelancer DUR	LTI	147	-
-	Freelancer MAX	LTI	163	-
-	Freelancer MIS	LTI	184	-
-	HULL A	LTI	99	-
-	HULL B	LTI	147	158
-	HULL C	LTI	357	-
-	HULL D	LTI	462	-
-	Odyssey	LTI	609	-
-	Razor	LTI	163	179
-	Razor LX	LTI	168	-
-	Razor EX	LTI	174	-
-	Prospector	LTI	163	179
-	Reliant Kore (Mini Hauler)	LTI	84	105
-	Reliant Tana (Skirmisher)	LTI	95	-
-	Reliant Mako (News Van)	LTI	121	-
-	Reliant Sen (Researcher)	LTI	105	-
-	Starfarer	LTI	315	399
-	Starfarer Gemini	LTI	347	452
Origin Jumpworks	X1 Baseline	LTI	-	69
-	X1 Velocity	LTI	-	74
-	X1 Force	LTI	-	79
-	M50	LTI	121	147
-	85X	LTI	-	79
-	100I	LTI	74	95
-	125A	LTI	79	-
-	135C	LTI	84	-
-	300I	LTI	77	-
-	315P	LTI	77	-
-	325A	LTI	93	-
-	350R	LTI	137	-
-	400i	LTI	265	-
-	600i Touring	LTI	420	525
-	600i Exploration	LTI	441	580
RSI	Aurora CL	LTI	74	-
-	Apollo Triage	LTI	268	-
-	Apollo Medivac	LTI	294	-
-	Mantis	LTI	168	-
-	Perseus	LTI	583	-
-	Polaris	LTI	777	999
-	Constellation Taurus	LTI	179	-
-	Constellation Andromeda	LTI	252	315
-	Constellation Aquila	LTI	321	-
-	Orion	LTI	489	-

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗
►7◄ PLANETARY VEHICLES & COMBO PACKAGES
╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝

Vehicle	Insurance	Price (CCU-d), $	Price (Concept), $	Comments
Anvil Ballista	LTI	153		-
Consolodated Outland HoverQuad	LTI	-	80	-
Greycat PTV	6YI		27	-
Greycat PTV	10YI		37	-
Origin G12	LTI	74	-	-
Origin G12R	LTI	79	84	-
Origin G12A	LTI	84	89	-
Tumbril Cyclone	LTI		74	Base version
Tumbril Cyclone-TR	LTI		79	With ground turret
Tumbril Cyclone-RC	LTI		79	Speedster
Tumbril Cyclone-AA	LTI		95	Anti-air + countermeasures
Tumbril Cyclone-RN	LTI		79	Scout & Scan
Tumbril Ranger RC	LTI	95		Racer
Tumbril Ranger CV	LTI	100	116	Offroad
Tumbril Ranger TR	LTI	100		With Gun
Tumbril Nova	LTI	126	132	Tank
RSI URSA Rover	5YI		63	-
RSI URSA Rover Fortuna	LTI	74		Limited green skin edition

╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════╗
►8.1◄ MODULES, PODS, BATTLEFIELD UPGRADE KITS (BUKS), OTHER ITEMS
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Module	Insurance	Price, $
MISC Endeavor Modules (Pods)	-	-
FUEL POD	LTI	137
BIODOME POD	LTI	242
TELESCOPE ARRAY POD	LTI	242
Aegis Vanguard battlefield upgrade kits
Sentinel battlefield upgrade kit	LTI	130
Harbinger battlefield upgrade kit	LTI	140
Retaliator modules
Retaliator cargo rear module	LTI	99
Retaliator rear torpedo bay	24MI	120
Retaliator front torpedo bay	24MI	120
Other stuff
Add-ons - Aegis Idris P after market kit	-	294

╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
►8.2 ◄ FPS WEAPONS, ARMOR, CLOTHES AND OTHER GEAR
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Module	Insurance	Price, $
Overlord "Dust Storm" Armor Set	-	11
Overlord "Riptide" Armor Set	-	11
Overlord Helmets "Silent Strike" Pack	-	8
Overlord Helmets "Forces of Nature" Pack	-	8
Parasite Replica Helmet (Original)	-	11
Parasite Replica Helmet (Dark Birth)	-	11
Stegman's Cordimon "Voyager" Complete Outfit	-	11
Stegman's IndVest “Pathfinder” Complete Outfit	-	11
RSI MacFlex Rust Society full armor set (5 items)	-	21
RSI Venture Rust Society full armor set (5 items)	-	32
Mr. Refinement’s Cabinet of Rare & Exquisite Spirits	-	11
Life in the 'Verse Shirts Pack #1	-	5
Life in the 'Verse Shirts Pack #2	-	5
"Caudillo" Helmets Pack #1 by CC's Conversions	-	8
"Caudillo" Helmets Pack #2 by CC's Conversions	-	8
"Caudillo" Helmets Pack #3 by CC's Conversions	-	8
QuikFlarePro Pack	-	5
QuikFlarePro Pack Deluxe	-	6
Polar Vortex Collection	-	7
Cold Front Collection	-	7
UltiFlex FSK-8 "Mirage" Combat Knife	-	5
UltiFlex FSK-8 "Ghost" Combat Knife	-	5
Urban Collection by Element Authority	-	11
Adventurer Collection by Element Authority	-	11
Manaslu Rust Society Jacket	-	8
RSI Horizon Rust Society Helmet	-	8
RSI Beacon Rust Society Undersuit	-	6
Paladin helmet	-	10

╔════════════════════════════════════════╗
►9◄ CROSS-CHASSIS UPGRADES (CCUS), SHIPS
╚════════════════════════════════════════╝

IAE-insurance upgrades (adds IAE insurance (10 years) to your ship)

Upgrade	Price, $
Prospector to F7C-M Super Hornet	50
Vanguard Warden to Caterpillar	60

Sorted by: Manufacturer -> ship

Target ship manufacturer	Target ship	Upgrade from	Price, $
Aegis Dynamics	Avenger Titan Renegade	325A	18
-	Avenger Warlock	325A	29
-	Avenger Warlock	Arrow	26
-	Eclipse	Constellation Andromeda	78
-	Eclipse	Vanguard Sentinel	37
-	Eclipse	Vanguard Warden	53
-	Eclipse	Blade	37
-	Gladius Valiant	Cutlass Black	22
-	Gladius Valiant	M50	23
-	Hammerhead	Constellation Aquila	483
-	Hammerhead	600i Touring	357
-	Hammerhead	600i Explorer	315
-	Hammerhead	Merchantman	236
-	Hammerhead	Hull D	341
-	Hammerhead	Crucible	446
-	Hammerhead	Carrack	278
-	Hammerhead	Reclaimer	383
-	Hammerhead	Prowler	351
-	Hammerhead	Orion	210
-	Hammerhead	Glaive	446
-	Hammerhead	A2 Hercules	52
-	Nautilus	Constellation Aquila	467
-	Nautilus	Endeavor	425
-	Nautilus	Crucible	425
-	Nautilus	Genesis Starliner	372
-	Nautilus	M2 Hercules	246
-	Nautilus	Merchantman	215
-	Nautilus	A2 Hercules	57
-	Nautilus	600i Explorer	294
-	Nautilus	600i Touring	336
-	Nautilus	Orion	189
-	Nautilus	Prowler	330
-	Nautilus	Carrack	278
-	Nautilus	Reclaimer	372
-	Nautilus	Hull D	320
-	Nautilus	C2 Hercules	372
-	Nautilus	Valkyrie	399
-	Reclaimer	Constellation Aquila	115
-	Reclaimer	Starfarer Gemini	84
-	Reclaimer	Endeavor	73
-	Reclaimer	Crucible	73
-	Redeemer	Constellation Andromeda	78
-	Redeemer	Vanguard Hoplite	84
-	Redeemer	Mole	26
-	Retaliator Bomber	Constellation Andromeda	57
-	Retaliator Base	F7C-R Hornet Tracker	25
-	Sabre	Prospector	31
-	Sabre	Gladiator	16
-	Sabre Comet	Sabre	31
-	Sabre Comet	Freelancer MIS	26
-	Sabre Comet	Khartu-Al	31
-	Sabre Comet	F7C Hornet Wildfire	23
-	Sabre Comet	Gladiator	35
-	Sabre Comet	F7C-M Super Hornet	20
-	Vanguard Harbinger	Constellation Andromeda	68
-	Vanguard Harbinger	Retaliator Bomber	31
-	Vanguard Harbinger	Vanguard Sentinel	26
-	Vanguard Harbinger	Vanguard Hoplite	73
-	Vanguard Harbinger	Vanguard Warden	42
-	Vanguard Hoplite	Constellation Taurus	59
-	Vanguard Hoplite	San'Tok.Yai	28
-	Vanguard Hoplite	Defender	28
-	Vanguard Hoplite	Corsair	-3
-	Vanguard Hoplite	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	54
-	Vanguard Hoplite	Hurricane	54
-	Vanguard Hoplite	Terrapin	28
-	Vanguard Sentinel	Constellation Andromeda	52
-	Vanguard Sentinel	Vanguard Warden	31
-	Vanguard Warden	Constellation Andromeda	31
-	Vanguard Warden	Vanguard Hoplite	40
-	Vulcan	Constellation Taurus	25
-	Vulcan	Prospector	61
Anvil Aerospace	Carrack	Constellation Aquila	273
-	Carrack	Mole	320
-	Carrack	M2 Hercules	99
-	Carrack	600i Explorer	147
-	Carrack	600i Touring	189
-	Carrack	Orion	42
-	Carrack	Prowler	183
-	Carrack	Reclaimer	225
-	Carrack	Genesis Starliner	225
-	Carrack	Valkyrie	215
-	Carrack	C2 Hercules	189
-	Carrack	Hull D	178
-	Carrack	Merchantman	73
-	Carrack	Endeavor	283
-	Carrack	Crucible	283
-	Carrack	Starfarer Gemini	294
-	Carrack W/C8X	Carrack	38
-	Carrack Expedition	Carrack	42
-	Carrack Expedition W/C8X	Carrack	63
-	Crucible	Starfarer Gemini	26
-	Crucible	Constellation Aquila	99
-	F7C-M Super Hornet	Prospector	37
-	F7C-M Super Hornet	Khartu-AL	22
-	F7C-M Super Hornet	F7C Hornet Wildfire	16
-	F7C-M Super Hornet	Gladiator	27
-	F7C-M Super Hornet	Freelancer MIS	16
-	F7C-M Super Hornet	Sabre	22
-	F7C-M Super Hornet	Razor EX	37
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Constellation Taurus	21
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Freelancer MAX	63
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Prospector	57
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Razor EX	57
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Gladiator	47
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Khartu-AL	42
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Sabre	42
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Sabre Comet	26
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	F7C Hornet Wildfire	36
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Freelancer MIS	36
-	F7C Hornet Wildfire	Prospector	31
-	F7C Hornet Wildfire	Khartu-Al	16
-	F7C Hornet Wildfire	Gladiator	22
-	F7C Hornet Wildfire	Sabre	16
-	Gladiator	Prospector	21
-	Hawk	Gladius	21
-	Hurricane	Constellation Taurus	16
-	Hurricane	Prospector	53
-	Hurricane	Gladiator	43
-	Hurricane	F7C Hornet Wildfire	32
-	Hurricane	F7C-M Super Hornet	27
-	Hurricane	Freelancer MIS	32
-	Hurricane	Sabre	37
-	Hurricane	Sabre Comet	22
-	Hurricane	Khartu-Al	37
-	Terrapin	Prospector	84
-	Terrapin	Constellation Taurus	44
-	Terrapin	Freelancer MAX	86
-	Terrapin	F7C-M Super Hornet	57
-	Terrapin	Freelancer MIS	63
-	Terrapin	Vulcan	36
-	Terrapin	Gladiator	73
-	Terrapin	Khartu-Al	65
-	Terrapin	Sabre	65
-	Valkyrie	Constellation Aquila	84
-	Valkyrie	Endeavor	42
-	Valkyrie	Starfarer Gemini	52
-	Valkyrie	Crucible	42
-	Valkyrie	Glaive	42
Aopoa (Xi'an)	Khartu-Al	Prospector	29
-	Khartu-Al	Freelancer MAX	31
-	Nox	Aurora LN	27
-	Nox	Dragonfly Black	15
-	Nox	Dragonfly Yellowjacket	15
-	Nox	MPUV Cargo	27
-	Nox Kue	Aurora LN	23
-	Nox Kue	Dragonfly Black	15
-	Nox Kue	Dragonfly Yellowjacket	15
-	Nox Kue	Mustang Beta	15
-	Nox Kue	MPUV Personnel	15
-	Nox Kue	X1 Baseline	15
-	Nox Kue	MPUV Cargo	22
-	San'Tok.Yai	Constellation Taurus	46
-	San'Tok.Yai	Hurricane	40
-	San'Tok.Yai	Vulcan	35
ARGO Astronautics	MPUV Personnel	Aurora LN	15
-	MPUV Cargo	Mustang Alpha	15
-	SRV	F7C-R Hornet Tracker	21
-	SRV	Vulture	21
-	SRV	Razor	15
Banu	Merchantman	Mole	145
-	Merchantman	Starfarer Gemini	119
-	Merchantman	Prowler	126
-	Merchantman	600i Touring	131
-	Merchantman	600i Explorer	89
-	Merchantman	Genesis Starliner	168
-	Defender	Constellation Taurus	42
-	Defender	Retaliator Base	84
-	Defender	Cutlass Blue	57
-	Defender	Freelancer MIS	65
-	Defender	Gladiator	70
-	Defender	Khartu-Al	65
-	Defender	Sabre	65
-	Defender	F7C Hornet Wildfire	59
-	Defender	F7C-M Super Hornet	55
Consolidated outland	Mustang Delta	Mustang Gamma	22
-	Mustang Delta	Avenger Stalker	15
Crusader Industries	Genesis Starliner	Constellation Aquila	120
-	Genesis Starliner	Endeavor	73
-	Ares Inferno	Constellation Andromeda	26
-	Ares Ion	Constellation Andromeda	26
-	A2 Hercules	600i Touring	341
-	A2 Hercules	600i Explorer	299
-	A2 Hercules	Carrack	273
-	A2 Hercules	Constellation Aquila	472
-	A2 Hercules	Crucible	430
-	A2 Hercules	Endeavor	430
-	A2 Hercules	Hull D	325
-	A2 Hercules	Merchantman	220
-	A2 Hercules	Orion	194
-	A2 Hercules	Prowler	336
-	A2 Hercules	Reclaimer	378
-	A2 Hercules	Starfarer Gemini	451
-	C2 Hercules	Constellation Aquila	115
-	C2 Hercules	Valkyrie	47
-	C2 Hercules	Crucible	73
-	C2 Hercules	Endeavor	73
-	C2 Hercules	Glaive	73
-	C2 Hercules	Starfarer Gemini	84
-	M2 Hercules	Constellation Aquila	241
-	M2 Hercules	600i Touring	110
-	M2 Hercules	600i Explorer	68
-	M2 Hercules	C2 Hercules	147
-	M2 Hercules	Crucible	199
-	M2 Hercules	Endeavor	199
-	M2 Hercules	Genesis Starliner	147
-	M2 Hercules	Hull D	94
-	M2 Hercules	Prowler	105
-	M2 Hercules	Reclaimer	147
-	M2 Hercules	Starfarer Gemini	210
-	Mercury Star Runner	Prospector	120
-	Mercury Star Runner	San'tok.yai	52
-	Mercury Star Runner	Defender	52
-	Mercury Star Runner	F7C Hornet Wildfire	99
-	Mercury Star Runner	F7C-M Super Hornet	94
-	Mercury Star Runner	Freelancer MIS	99
-	Mercury Star Runner	Hurricane	78
-	Mercury Star Runner	Khartu-Al	105
-	Mercury Star Runner	Razor EX	120
-	Mercury Star Runner	Sabre Comet	89
-	Mercury Star Runner	Sabre	105
-	Mercury Star Runner	Terrapin	52
-	Mercury Star Runner	Vulcan	73
Drake Interplanetary	Buccaneer	Cutlass Black	21
-	Caterpillar	Constellation Andromeda	116
-	Caterpillar	Constellation Aquila	36
-	Caterpillar	Retaliator Bomber	78
-	Caterpillar	Redeemer	26
-	Corsair	Prospector	115
-	Corsair	Constellation Taurus	78
-	Corsair	Freelancer MAX	120
-	Corsair	Freelancer MIS	94
-	Corsair	Sabre	99
-	Corsair	Sabre Comet	84
-	Corsair	Gladiator	105
-	Corsair	F7C-M Super Hornet	89
-	Corsair	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	73
-	Corsair	F7C Hornet Wildfire	94
-	Corsair	Vulcan	68
-	Corsair	Hurricane	73
-	Corsair	Razor EX	115
-	Corsair	Khartu-Al	99
-	Cutlass Black BIS	Gladius	42
-	Cutlass Blue	F7C-R Hornet Tracker	47
-	Cutlass Blue	Razor	36
-	Cutlass Blue	Prospector	31
-	Cutlass Steel	Constellation Taurus	57
-	Cutlass Steel	Railen	21
-	Cutlass Steel	San'tok.yai	26
-	Cutlass Steel	Defender	26
-	Cutlass Steel	Terrapin	26
-	Cutlass Steel	Corsair	-5
-	Cutlass Steel	Vulcan	47
-	Cutlass Steel	Hurricane	52
-	Cutlass Steel	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	52
-	Dragonfly Black	Aurora LN	15
-	Dragonfly Black	MPUV Cargo	15
-	Herald	325A	26
-	Herald	Avenger Titan Renegade	21
-	Vulture	Freelancer DUR	15
Esperia	Blade	Constellation Andromeda	52
-	Glaive	Constellation Aquila	99
-	Glaive	Starfarer Gemini	63
-	Talon	Gladius	36
-	Talon	Reliant Mako (News Van)	31
-	Talon Shrike	Gladius	36
-	Talon Shrike	Reliant Mako (News Van)	31
-	Prowler	Constellation Aquila	162
-	Prowler	Reclaimer	68
-	Prowler	Genesis Starliner	68
-	Prowler	Endeavor	120
-	Prowler	Crucible	120
-	Prowler	600i Touring	42
MISC	Freelancer MIS	Prospector	32
-	Freelancer MIS	Freelancer MAX	37
-	Freelancer MIS	Gladiator	22
-	Freelancer MIS	Sabre	16
-	Freelancer MIS	Razor EX	32
-	Endeavor	Constellation Aquila	84
-	Endeavor	Starfarer Gemini	52
-	Hull A	300I	36
-	Hull A	Mustang Gamma	36
-	Hull B	325A	94
-	Hull C	Constellation Andromeda	136
-	Hull D	Constellation Aquila	178
-	Hull D	Starfarer Gemini	157
-	Razor	F7C-R Hornet Tracker	15
-	Razor LX	F7C-R Hornet Tracker	21
-	Razor LX	Razor	15
-	Razor EX	Freelancer MAX	15
-	Razor EX	SRV	15
-	Razor EX	Retaliator Base	15
-	Razor EX	Razor LX	15
-	Reliant Tana (Skirmisher)	325a	15
-	Reliant Sen (Researcher)	Arrow	21
-	Reliant Mako (News Van)	Gladius	15
-	Starfarer	Constellation Andromeda	76
-	Starfarer	Vanguard Warden	55
-	Starfarer	Vanguard Harbinger	24
-	Starfarer	Vanguard Sentinel	39
-	Starfarer	Vanguard Hoplite	81
-	Starfarer	Blade	39
-	Starfarer	Retaliator Bomber	39
-	Starfarer	Apollo Medivac	39
-	Starfarer Gemini	Constellation Aquila	63
-	Starfarer Gemini	Mole	47
Origin Jumpworks	350r	Freelancer	28
-	350r	F7C Hornet	28
-	M50	Gladius	22
-	85X	Aurora CL	15
-	100i	Dragonfly Black	18
-	100i	Dragonfly Yellowjacket	18
-	100i	MPUV Personnel	22
-	100i	Mustang Beta	22
-	100i	X1 Baseline	22
-	125a	100i	22
-	125a	85X	19
-	125a	Avenger Titan	14
-	125a	Ursa Rover	19
-	125a	X1 Force	19
-	135C	100i	27
-	135C	125a	15
-	135C	300i	19
-	135C	Cyclone	19
-	135C	Mustang Gamma	19
-	X1 Baseline	Mustang Alpha	21
-	X1 Baseline	Aurora LN	15
-	X1 Baseline	MPUV Cargo	15
-	X1 Velocity	Mustang Beta	15
-	X1 Velocity	MPUV Personnel	15
-	X1 Velocity	X1 Baseline	15
-	X1 Force	Aurora CL	15
-	X1 Force	X1 Velocity	15
-	X1 Force	Nox	15
-	600i Touring	Constellation Aquila	152
-	600i Touring	Constellation Phoenix	110
-	600i Touring	Reclaimer	57
-	600i Touring	Starfarer Gemini	120
-	600i Touring	Endeavor	110
-	600i Touring	Crucible	110
-	600i Touring	Eclipse	162
-	600i Touring	Genesis Starliner	57
-	600i Touring	C2 Hercules	57
-	600i Explorer	600i Touring	63
-	600i Explorer	Constellation Aquila	194
-	600i Explorer	Prowler	57
-	600i Explorer	Genesis Starliner	99
-	600i Explorer	Starfarer Gemini	162
-	600i Explorer	Endeavor	152
-	600i Explorer	Reclaimer	99
-	600i Explorer	Crucible	152
-	600i Explorer	Hull D	47
-	600i Explorer	C2 Hercules	99
RSI	Apollo Triage	Constellation Andromeda	23
-	Apollo Triage	San'tok.yai	44
-	Apollo Medivac	Constellation Andromeda	49
-	Apollo Medivac	Vanguard Warden	26
-	Apollo Medivac	Apollo Triage	36
-	Apollo Medivac	Vanguard Hoplite	52
-	Constellation Taurus	F7C-R Hornet Tracker	47
-	Constellation Taurus	Razor	42
-	Mantis	F7C-R Hornet Tracker	21
-	Mantis	Vulture	21
-	Mantis	Razor	15
-	Mantis	Ballista	21
-	Perseus	Mole	409
-	Perseus	Carrack	110
-	Perseus	Carrack W/C8X	89
-	Perseus	Carrack Expedition	84
-	Perseus	Carrack Expedition W/C8X	63
-	Perseus	Merchantman	162
-	Perseus	Orion	136
-	Perseus	600i Explorer	241
-	Perseus	M2 Hercules	194
-	Perseus	Hull D	267
-	Polaris	Constellation Aquila	535
-	Polaris	Perseus	183
-	Polaris	A2 Hercules	175
-	Polaris	M2 Hercules	357
-	Polaris	Nautilus Solstice Edition	149
-	Polaris	Hammerhead	149
-	Polaris	Carrack	367
-	Polaris	Crucible	499
-	Polaris	Merchantman	315
-	Polaris	Orion	257
-	Orion	Constellation Aquila	246
-	Orion	Merchantman	57
-	Orion	Starfarer	246
-	Orion	600i Touring	194
-	Orion	Reclaimer	215
-	Orion	Genesis Starliner	215
-	Orion	Prowler	173

╔════════════════════════════════════════╗
►10◄ CROSS-CHASSIS UPGRADES (CCUS), DOWNGRADE
╚════════════════════════════════════════╝
CCUs from more to less expensive ships

Target ship manufacturer	Target ship	Upgrade from	Price, $
Aegis Dynamics	Eclipse	Redeemer	64
-	Eclipse	Caterpillar	17
-	Vanguard Harbinger	Constellation Aquila	17
-	Vanguard Hoplite	Constellation Andromeda	30
-	Reclaimer	Hull D	94
-	Reclaimer	Merchantman	78
-	Vulcan	Defender	26
-	Vulcan	Terrapin	15
-	Sabre	Constellation Taurus	32
-	Sabre	Freelancer MIS	16
-	Sabre Comet	Constellation Taurus	52
-	Retaliator Bomber	Redeemer	36
-	Vanguard Harbinger	Redeemer	57
-	Vanguard Sentinel	Redeemer	42
-	Vanguard Warden	Redeemer	26
-	Vanguard Warden	Hull C	26
Anvil Aerospace	F7C-M Super Hornet	Constellation Taurus	47
-	F7C Hornet Wildfire	Constellation Taurus	37
-	Gladiator	Constellation Taurus	26
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Defender	21
-	Hurricane	Defender	21
-	Gladiator	Constellation Taurus	26
-	Gladiator	Cutlass Blue	28
-	Valkyrie	Hull D	42
-	Valkyrie	Merchantman	47
-	Valkyrie	C2 Hercules	31
Aopoa (Xi'an)	Khartu-Al	Constellation Taurus	31
Consolidated outland	Mustang Delta	Hull A	15
Crusader Industries	Genesis Starliner	Hull D	73
-	Genesis Starliner	Merchantman	73
-	C2 Hercules	Hull D	31
-	C2 Hercules	Merchantman	42
-	M2 Hercules	Orion	52
Drake Interplanetary	Corsair	Defender	42
Esperia	Prowler	Merchantman	120
-	Prowler	Hull D	105
MISC	Freelancer MIS	Constellation Taurus	37
-	Freelancer MIS	Cutlass Blue	37
-	Razor	Freelancer MAX	15
-	Razor EX	Constellation Taurus	15
-	Razor EX	Cutlass Blue	15
-	Starfarer	Constellation Aquila	37
-	Starfarer	Caterpillar	18
Origin Jumpworks	350r	Cutlass Red	15
-	600i Touring	Hull D	110
-	600i Touring	Prowler	110
-	600i Explorer	Merchantman	152
-	600i Explorer	Carrack	99
RSI	Apollo Triage	Mercury Star Runner	42
-	Orion	Carrack	120

╔═══════════════════════════════╗
Click here to continue to 2nd part of the store
╚═══════════════════════════════╝
New players - use this code (STAR-MRG5-2TBJ) on registration to get additional 5000 UEC for free! (just click this link)

I stopped talking to this guy because he decided he didn’t want me to compromise on my living ideals because it would hold me back from pursuing my dreams. He offered to stay friends but I said no.
2 days after a car accident I messaged him about it. He freaked out and we spoke the whole day. He started flirting with me and I told him not to because doing so would only hurt him. Btw, he was more devastated about us not working out than me because I tend to walk away from things due to past heartbreaks easily.
We spoke again the next 2 days and one night he asked if we could game together. Even though I wasn’t meant to overstimulate my brain, I did because I wanted to spend time with him. After a game, I stopped playing but he kept going and shared his screen on discord. I was also watching my friend stream on the side. While I was trying to watch his game is when he started to be vulnerable with me. Unintentionally I would interrupt him with comments about the game, and I would apologize at the same time because it isn’t like me to be a bad listener.
He told me it was okay. I told him to focus on the game because he said he was more focused on speaking to me. He started to focus and after he finished his game, he closes it and asked if he could watch my friend’s stream with me.
I did and he started trying to have vulnerable conversations with me again while I was focused on the stream.
The first time I interrupted him, I apologized and asked if he wanted me to close it. He told me it was okay and to keep watching but he kept having conversation and I unintentionally kept interrupting and apologizing.
Eventually I closed the stream and focussed on him without interruptions. We talked completely fine after that until we both had to go.
He texted me after and spoke all night. Eventually I told him I didn’t eat a lot and he told me he was looking at my fit check videos and I look like I should eat more.
Body shaming for me is a grounds of walking away. I explained to him I have an eating disorder and that he apologized.
I told him I want to stop talking to him because my own family does not comment on how skinny I am let alone anyone of my friends so why would I let someone I haven’t known that long do so.
He explained himself and told me he never meant to body shame me and apologized. He just said he cared for my health but even then understood eating is a sensitive topic.
I told him it was never about him saying I should eat more but saying it while mentioning how I look was the issue. Anyways we talked it out but then he said he had something to say.
He then proceeded to mention everything about how I interrupted him constantly while he was trying to be vulnerable last night. He told me that I wanted to end things over something about my weight when he didn’t even do it while I interrupted him during our conversations.
So AITA for interrupting him while he was being vulnerable?

The results are in for Match 6. The winner is…
9:25. Just five seconds left. 2095 danced in a furious frenzy, out of rewinds, out of tech, just the purest expression of dance and combat.
9:27. She dove full-body at Jamir, still in his point of central control, embracing him and carefully dipping him to merely an inch or so above the floor, meeting his shocked expression with a gaze of her own passionate enough to ignite the pair where they stood.
9:30. The final wave. The Ventisca De Porcelana sailed over the pair, any errant shards striking 2095 before they would strike her rival as the deep dip is held. What water clones remained were shredded. The android rose rapidly and spun Jamir out of their embrace, bowing deeply in apology for securing her own victory. In the same beat, the music reached its final climax, prompting 2095 to extend a hand with a loud stomp as if to demand the man join her in one last display of fiery footwork.

10538-2095, with a score of 79 to Jamir O Santos’s 78!

Category	Winner	Point Totals	Comments
Popularity	10538-2095	14 (3+2) - 16 (4+2)	Voting had a slow start, but as the pace quickened, 2095 held a one vote lead by the skin of her teeth!
Quality	Jamir O Santos	25 (10 7 8) - 24 (8 7 9)	Reasoning
JoJolity	Tie	29 (10 9 10) - 29 (10 9 10)	Reasoning
Conduct	Tie	10-10	Nothing to report!

The android’s mind wandered as she danced face-to-face inches away from her rival. Was the answer always this simple? To act as though your ideal ‘self’ was your own? She took the lead between the two, placing a hand on his chest as the two desperately worked to keep their breath. Would they be friends after this? Enemies? She no longer cared about the ends, her ideal ‘self’ was enjoying the heat of the moment, lost in the passion of exposing herself for the world to see. She spun away from the intimate distance, joining Jamir shoulder-to-shoulder as the final seconds ticked down and their feet seemed to blur beneath them. This is what she had been after, the secret buried beneath the layers of human complexity and illogical behavior, a feeling so foreign to her but one she cannot imagine to live without from that moment on:
Passion.
Her arms lashed out, framing her new ‘self’ perfectly as she shouted with the final note.
For his part, win or lose, Jamir was satisfied. “You did you, just as I expected… no, huhu.. you exceeded my expectations.”
None of his prior aggression was there, he was just a guy congratulating a partner.
“Though… My performance has yet to conclude. There’s a small, special part, just for you.”
Before he could hand the android the contracted thumbdrive, she caught him off guard with another full-body hug. “Thank you! For everything. For helping me reach this new level of emotion! I didn’t even know if…if it was even possible for me.”
Jamir nodded, doing his best to maintain his cool nonchalance as the android continued.
“And Carmelita too…I think I’m grateful for what they did to bring this out, but…” 2095 hesitated. “I also hate them. I hate them so much. Is that right?”
"....huhuhuhu. I have tasted hate in its many forms, in fact I can say I've been molded by it. It's a fire. An intense. Burning fire..." Jamir smirked. This would be very interesting to watch indeed. "How will you use it? Will it be your dance? Will you control it, or will it control you? These are questions I cannot answer for you, you must choose the path you walk for yourself."
As his partner literally processed this information, Jamir took the opportunity to return to his planned remarks. “But this may be helpful to you.”
Still not breaking her hug, he slipped the android a thumbdrive alongside a business card.
“That there is a ’memory recording’, a vessel into which I’ve transferred some of my memories. It’s one of the many services I provide…has commentary I think you’ll find gainful.” He grinned, “Ah. Don’t worry for me, I’ve already made a copy.”
He turned about, offering 2095 a backwards wave as she released him from the embrace.
“I hope you’ll come see me again… As the Merchant of ’Desires’ there’s plenty I can offer you - not that you can’t find it on your own! Huhuhuhu~”
(Shoutouts to u/TheSlyKoopa for the match concept and mechanics!)
Scenario: Pic du Midi de Bigorre, France — 10:46 AM

Located in the French Pyrenees, the mountain Pic du Midi de Bigorre hosts the famous Pic du Midi Observatory! Construction of the observatory began in 1878 under the Société Ramond, until rising costs forced them to hand over construction to the French government. Construction was completed in 1908, and the following year, its powerful equatorial reflector was used to discredit the theory that there were canals on Mars! Today, the observatory is used for international collaborations to advance our knowledge of the cosmos!

Silence permeated the snow-packed peaks of the Pyrenees mountain range. The untouched snow and stark landscape muffled any sound outside of the howl of the freezing mountain winds. At this elevation, little life could exist—save for the scientists of the Pic du Midi Observatory and, for today only, their guests.
The search for the lost civilization of Pieduro attracted the attention of many powerful players from across the Mediterranean, all eager to get their hands on its artifacts and technology—most notably, the enigmatic House of Muses and their patron, Cullinan Dwarf Star. But the man spearheading the charge didn’t represent any of them. Over the past several months, Dédalo Viatger and his faithful companion ｢Perdida｣, intrepid explorers and part of the crew of the H.H. Typhon, had discovered several Pieduron outposts and claimed their artifacts for himself. He didn’t want them for power or money—he wanted to protect them, study them, learn from them. And day by day, Dédalo was getting closer than ever to a major breakthrough.
Today, he and a small group of other explorers were on the trail of one such breakthrough. An avalanche had broken through an ice wall on the side of the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, revealing the telltale architecture of a Pieduron outpost. The journey would be treacherous, even for an explorer of Dédalo’s caliber. He needed backup.
At the mouth of the cave behind the shattered ice wall, the Pyrenees stretching out behind him like a blank canvas, Dédalo studied a Temple gifted to him by Al; a small glass orb with a crystalline compass needle suspended inside via string. The red tip of the needle pointed straight ahead, leading further into the natural cave system hidden inside the mountain.
“We’re in the right place,” Dédalo announced. “Everyone ready to go inside?”
“Gladly,” replied a shivering Ninian, immediately switching on her headlamp and heading further into the cave. “This outpost had better be a Pieduron sauna or something. Fucking freezing out here.”
“I have spare warming pads in my pack if you need them. Don’t go too far inside!” Dédalo called into the cave. Ninian ignored him, sat down in a corner, and summoned a small pile of hot sand from the recesses of Endless Rest as a makeshift campfire.
Perdida materialized beside him, concerned. “We did try to warn her about the wind-chill. And how cold leather can get in these conditions.”
“At least we convinced them to ditch the fishnets,” Dédalo chuckled. “Grey? Cody? Are you two ready to go?”
Grey Selioutsky took a moment to respond, looking up from his notepad to give a silent thumbs-up. To see a bonafide ancient civilization must have been a dream come true for a history teacher—he could be forgiven for being excited.
Cody, meanwhile, was leaning against the wall of the cave, watching the group with amusement. It wasn’t his first time working with members of the Hundred Head Voyage, having made a temporary alliance with them before to take down top members of Agoraeus. Volunteering to help them on behalf of the Coleccionistas de Karma was an easy decision to make. Plus, he’d rather be the one to be involved with Pieduro than someone like Deimos. He would have been salivating over the ancient technology, if his new body even had saliva.
After their preparations, the party traveled further into the caves, guided by the needle of Dédalo’s Temple. It led them through winding tunnels, around pits of icy stalagmites, and over near-bottomless chasms via convenient stone bridges.
“It’s like they hollowed out the mountain,” Grey muttered to himself. Perdida marveled at her surroundings with a similar look of awe. No wonder Pieduro covered most of the Mediterranean at their peak.
The group suddenly stopped. At the head of the party, Dédalo stared at the gigantic cave that spread out in front of them, illuminated by their headlamps. Stalactites hung from the high hemispherical ceiling, a wide stream of brackish water cutting through the cave and draining deeper into the mountain. Carvings covered the floor, worn by time but still recognizably man-made—words in a language that Cody could only guess was Pieduron, circling in a spiral around an altar-like stone set in the middle of the floor with seven divots carved into it.
“Any idea what this is?” Ninian asked, their voice echoing off the walls of the cave as the group surveyed the chamber. Dédalo shook his head.
“This is definitely Pieduron architecture,” he replied. “But…it’s nothing that I’ve ever seen before.”
Grey traced a finger over the carvings, studying his notebook in his other hand. “I can only recognize a few words. Temple…lock…viewer…a word that means either “Earth” or “sphere”...and heart.”
Dédalo’s hands unconsciously went to his neck. Adjusting the collar of his coat, he pulled out his necklace, a tortoise-shaped medallion with a square crystal embedded in the center. As he held it to the divots, the crystal glowed with a greenish-blue light.
“El Cor Terra…the Earth Heart,” Dédalo whispered. “Perdida, can you call the Pilots?”
Perdida focused and summoned the baseball-shaped orbs of light to her side. The numerous Temples that Dédalo had gathered on his previous adventures began to glow—and the carvings glowed along with it, the greenish-blue shimmer of Cleria Stone now visible underneath the rock. One by one, Dédalo inserted each of his Temples into the divots. His sword, his bow, his boots, his gauntlet, even the necklace that had never left his side until now.
He nodded to Perdida. She brought the Pilots closer to the altar and, with great care, infused them with each of the seven Temples.
Immediately, the carvings illuminated, bathing the darkened cave with a warm glow. The stream of water bubbled and light shone through it, refracting across the walls in an array of dazzling colors. The colors shimmered and focused into spots of light. Then, three-dimensional shapes began to form in the light. A night sky filled with stars, miniature approximations of the planets, and constellations of great beasts and serpents; humanoid figures dressed in unfamiliar but impressive regal garb, surrounded by more in similar clothing; great, towering buildings under construction in mountains and sand dunes and jungles.
“Holograms…” Cody muttered. “Sweet.”
“It’s more than that,” Dédalo wondered aloud. “It’s a theater. A theater of the history of Pieduro.”
Ninian squinted at the holograms showing the Piedurons in wartime, studying their elaborate weapons with a mix of amazement and concern. “Good thing E.E.P. didn’t find this place first. They’d have a field day.”
Wiping an immaterial tear from her eye, Perdida laid a gentle hand on Dédalo’s shoulder. “Dalo,” she whispered. “If these projections show the history of Pieduro…do you think that it shows…the end?”
Dédalo nodded solemnly. “I was thinking the same thing. It doesn’t seem chronological, but-”

KRNK!

All five heads whipped downwards in the direction of the metallic crash that resounded throughout the chamber. Stood to a projection of a Pieduron warrior, a very real armored silhouette loomed over them from a previously unseen lower level, resting their hands on a massive greatsword with its tip planted in the stone.
“The Piedurons met the same fate as all living things,” a harsh metallic voice announced. “They died, decayed, and disappeared. The true question is…will you suffer the same?”
Scenario—Earlier that day
“Weaklings, the lot of them,” Errok thought aloud. He stared at the party from above, marveling at the naivete so nakedly on display. Studying weapons of great power? Protecting them?
“Hnrh. A weapon’s only purpose is to kill and maim.” An unsightly blemish against the mountain-white snow, he had been following this party of would-be adventurers since the base of the mountain, using his rotten arm to scale a part of the mountain they wouldn’t see him approaching from.
Despite his ability to keep pace, mountain climbing was far from his area of expertise; when Errok couldn’t throw himself up the mountain face with his fell arm, he lumbered and clattered around the uneven surface until he shuffled into the same entrance his prey had used. He spoke to an audience of himself as he stalked across the rafters of this strange complex, hollowed out of the mountain. “This temple could contain only that, yes…some weapon of unimaginable power. Ohohoho…what could such a weapon destroy?”
Errok knew what he was about to say was wishful thinking, but wish he did. However outside his wheelhouse this excursion was proving to be, it was far from the first indignity rained upon him. The Spaniard had left his accursed organs within Errok’s perfect form, and he had been relegated to a mere lowly thief to steal resources from others for his ‘team.’
Bah! It had weighed on Errok, this attack on the warrior of waste’s very soul, and he’d had more than enough. From this moment on, he was striking out for himself; he would suffer these slights no longer and seek a weapon to reduce anything in his path to ash.
“The soul…yes, that would be the perfect target indeed. To destroy the soul is to destroy utterly, to leave nothing behind…” Errok chuckled. “...To truly rot something away; that’s something I’d kill for!”
Engrossed in the dramatic gravitas of his soliloquy (and subsequent fit of chuckling laughter), Errok’s foot met an icy patch, and he slipped headfirst over the edge of the platform, forcing him to swing Gravetender to catch himself.
The sword snagged a crevice, wedging open some stuck aperture. His eyes darted to the opportunity, and his hand reached out to grab it. Lest he fall to the base of the mountain, ｢You Are Blood｣ burst forth, coiling into what must have been the air vent, fingers finding putrid purchase as he swung precariously, holding himself up by sheer brutish strength. Strength that so easily came to him, and let him so easily gradually rappel himself inside the temple proper.
Whatever this was, it most certainly wasn’t the traditional path inside—the creaking of machinery not meant to support him confirmed that he had broken the intended sequence. A smug grin curled across his visage as he shuffled through the narrow passage. “I have defiled this temple’s consecrated path; rot flows from my very footsteps.”
Before him was an empty chamber, grand and numinous in design; if any great and terrible was ever to be stored, it would certainly be locked away somewhere like here. The only sound was the whispering of the whelps above. Even if he did not yet have a weapon to destroy the soul, he had his trusty blade to carve through them all the same. Still ignored, he squeezed out from the vent and brandished the sword with a flourish, spinning it and slamming it into the ground with a mighty

KRNK!

Cody glanced around at the group, weapons drawn and Stands summoned. Ninian looked the most surprised to see the figure below.
“Errok?” She yelled. “What the bloody hell are you doing here?!”
“Nothing of your concern, girl,” Errok spat, relishing the menacing echo that the stone walls gave his voice. “Now, stand aside, lest your blood stain these relics of the past that you find so precious-”
Wait. Where did one of them go?
Errok ducked, nearly catching a surfboard across the jaw, as Cody skid to a stop next to him, having spiraled and surfed down from the group. The rest of the party was most immediately interested in learning about Pieduro, he was just tagging along for help and for fun. Buying them time to make the proper discovery was doing both.
“Damn. Almost got you.” Cody grinned, tucking ｢Surfin’ Bird｣ under his arm similar to Errok’s own stance. “Listen, dude, if you wanted to kill us, just kill us, ‘kay? You look scary enough as is, you don’t have to give a whole speech about it.”
“Ahahaha-” Errok rasped, his armor creaking discordantly. “This temple’s guardian, trying to prevent me from plundering its riches, superweapons sealed away for the destruction they might wreak.”
Cody blinked. “…No, I’m just a friend of Dédalo. He’s the blue-haired dude in the hat. And I’m pretty sure that the Temples are the artifacts; I think this place is actually called an outpost. Besides, we haven’t found any-”
“You haven’t found them yet!?” He barked, a revolting grin spread across his face. “Then I suggest you get out of my way, before you taste the edge of Gravetender.”
Cody quickly glanced up at the higher level. Dédalo had already disappeared, probably continuing deeper inside the outpost with the others. The carvings and holograms were beginning to shift, long-inactive mechanisms whirring to life. A section of the wall suddenly lit up like a screen, showing an image of an age long past. The rest of the expedition party was surely watching the display with academic interest, and if ‘Errok’ was going to disturb them…
“Alrighty then,” Cody pointed at the glowering titan before him. “If you want to get to the secrets of this temple, then you’ll have to get through me.”
“Very well! I will christen my conquest of this temple with your blood!” Errok bellowed, hoisting his sword into the air and tightening the gauntlet containing ｢You Are Blood｣ into a fist. “OPEN THE GAME!”(Shoutouts to u/TreeTurtle_852 for the match art!)
Location: Pic du Midi de Bigorre, France; more specifically a hidden Pieduron “planetarium” recently discovered within the depths of the mountain.
The arena is a 40m diameter hemisphere with each tile being 2x2 meters, a projection of light along the domed ceiling being the only source of light
Over time the maps will change and has 5 stages:
Stage 1 and Stage 2:

• Green Triangles are trees
  
• Small Circles are player starting positions
  

Stage 3:

• Dark Teal Squares are 2.5x2.5 buildings
  
• Cyan Arrows are Jump Pad Temples
  

Stage 4 and Stage 5:

• Pale Red Ring is a floating platform
  
• Red Frowny Face is the large face that extrudes from the mountainside in Stage 5
  
• All remaining trees will wilt at the end of Stage 5
  

Goal: RETIRE your opponents!
Additional Information: The documentary has 5 stages, each depicting a different era of Pieduro - changing the terrain and lighting along with it. Each stage lasts for about 1 minute, with the last stage remaining as is until the fight is over.
Stage 1 - Birth of Civilization

• The lights go completely dark in the circular room as a large spire of Cleria extrudes from the center (18m tall, 10m diameter). A soft, sunset orange glow illuminates the room as holographic farmers start tilling the "fields" around the central mountain. 2m tall trees will also have grown just in time for the “game” to have been “opened”. Over the course of this stage, the holographic farmers will move to areas where trees have been uprooted by players and said trees will regrow with B POW and B SPD. These trees and any components players tear off of them are Stand-affecting.

Stage 2 - Discovery of Spirit

• The lights dim once more and a crescent moon appears at the peak of the dome. White orbs will start to randomly appear across the stage to further illuminate the area. These orbs have A DUR and can be physically manipulated by Stand and user alike.

Stage 3 - Creation of Temples

• The arena makes sudden changes during this stage. Any still-rooted trees in a 5m donut around the mountain's base will wither away, and that section of ground will rise 5m. 12 2.5x2.5m hollow cubes representing buildings will erect on this new platform, evenly spaced out around the mountain similar to the numbers on a clock. Facing outward on each building is a door, in front of which is a "Temple" artifact resembling a streetlight. These can be easily pulled out of the ground and when activated, will attract all loose wood in a 1m radius around the top "light" portion of it. Also, at the base of the new raised platform in each cardinal direction, a "jump pad" Temple will extrude out of the floor. When activated, the jump pad will consume its energy source and allow its user to jump 15m up into the air and land safely back on the ground. Each Temple can be activated with one of the floating orbs formed in the previous stage. The lighting during this stage also changes to a sky-blue color.

Stage 4 - Diaspora of Influence

• The lighting changes to a deep purple color as images of famous landmarks from past civilizations appear along the walls of the dome. A large, flat, floating ring appears at the peak of the mountain that pulses with white light. The jump pad Temples from the previous Stage can allow players to jump up to this ring platform. Along the edge of the floating ring, players can find removable "Pieduron candle" Temples that can consume one of the floating orbs to eject a 2m B POW spray of fire - though each of these Temples only has one use. There are about 15 of these along the ring.

Stage 5 - Peak of Hubris

• The lighting in the room gradually shifts to an ominous red color as a humanoid face forms on the side of the mountain, the number 0 etched into its forehead. This face takes one whole minute to form, and as it finishes its eyes will suddenly flow red as well. Abruptly, all glowing orbs from Stage 2 will extinguish and all active Temples will deactivate. The remaining planted trees from Stage 1 will wither as well. Oddly enough, the floating ring platform and its pulsing glow will be unaffected. These effects will remain as is for the rest of the match.

Temple Items:

• Wood Magnets: Streetlight-looking Temples that can be easily pulled out of the ground. When activated, they will attract all loose wood in a 1m radius around the top "light" portion of it with C Power.
  
• Jump Pads: Emblemed panels on the ground around the base of a raised platform. When activated, the jump pad will consume one floating orb placed into it and allow its “user” to jump 15m up into the air and land safely back on the ground.
  
• Pieduron Candles: Small, cone-shaped trinkets that can consume one of the floating orbs to eject a 2m B POW spray of fire - though each of these Temples only has one use.
  

The whole room, and anything stated to be made of Cleria, is A DUR.

Team	Combatant	JoJolity
Bastards of Barcas	Errok	“I, Nikolas Garland, seek a true God, with true power... not some mythical deity invented to scare children!” Embody the Pieduron element of “Obsidian”, symbolizing power and its contradictory brittle nature in how it can often bring down those that use it as well!
Coleccionistas de Karma	Cody Enfield	“That's what I'm screamin'! Walls, zero; Dogi the Wall-Crusher, like, a million! Who needs doors, when they got me?!” Embody the Pieduron element of “Quicksilver”, symbolizing the chaotic flow of nature and how the clashing of the wills of mankind are constantly changing the world around them!

Link to Official Player Spreadsheet
Link to Match Schedule
As always, if you would like to interact with the tournament community and be among the first to get updates for the tournament, please feel free to PM a member of our Judge staff for an invite to our Official Discord Server!
About a week ago…
“Turn me into a pig too.”
Circe blinked. “From whence do you come, castaway?”
“Serbia. Punjab. Turn me into a pig.”
“...okay, fine.”
And Dirty Ghost became a pig. It felt the sun on its back, heard the snurfling of its piggy companions. There was no need to harm the woman who did this, no desire to disembowel her and wear her intestines as a scarf. The only thing on the swine’s mind were how nice the mud felt on its body and the warmth of the sun felt against its skin. The heat was counteracted by the cold mud, the cold was counteracted by the sun.
There is no need to push forwards. There is no need to find something stimulating and new. There is no emptiness, no boredom, no thoughts of the future or past. There is a mud puddle.
As the swine swaddled itself in its ego death, followed around by the other pigs that once comprised its ship, another castaway landed on the other end of the island. The next morning, Circe awoke to the smell of… fresh-cooked pork? And not only so, but a variety of different smells, incredible dishes made to only the finest of standards. Fresh herbs, meats cooked to perfection, a veritable buffet of mouth-watering, tantalizing meals.
…But why?
Val waltzed to Circe, crouching down to explain, ”The dinner’s almost ready, so prepare yourself for the show of a lifetime!” with that elusive charisma of hers.
Before Circe could interrupt her, she slid dish after dish towards her, pork cooked every which way, bacon, ham, soups, pomegranate punch, fig jam, and more.
”Now, let’s turn to our judge, for the final scores! Were those dishes scrumptious enough to undo my cursed luggage?” She cackled, turning to Circe. When Circe finally agreed…
”This concludes today’s episode of the Valentine Yao Cooking Hour; we certainly hope you enjoyed our program, but we must be going now!”
Val returned to her pigs, now again a realized vessel. She gathered more wood in thick slices of logs and the fibers of grasses, for the braiding of ropes
And she boarded once again, with a barrel of salt-pork in tow and her canvas under her arm.

Has anyone been in this situation? The things I have done in this relationship are truly absolutely horrible. Any person wouldve left me by now. But not my FP. He stayed. Only things are different now. He doesn’t say I love you, he isn’t lovey dovey anymore. But he’s there. I feel like we shouldn’t be together but it’s impossible for me to let go. He has to be the one to do it, but he won’t for some reason. Things have gotten a lot better and I have worked on my mental health a lot. I don’t do horrible things anymore. But now I don’t know what to do. No matter how good I do, we’ll never be the way we were before I ruined everything. I miss hearing “I love you” and getting looked at like I’m the only person in the world. After waiting two years, I don’t think he’s every going to do those things again. I’m broken. Sorry if this is all over the place.

Ibn Umar may Allaah be pleased with him reported that Allaah's messenger peace and blessings be upon him would say: "ذهب الظمأ، و ابتلت العروق، و ثبت الأجر إن شاء الله" "Thirst has gone, vessels are wetted, and the reward has been assured, by Allaah's will" (Thahab ath-thamaa' wa ibtallat al urooq wa thabot al ajr in shaa Allaah" [Abu Dawud with an authentic chain of transmission]
​
Duaa of Today:
"O Allah, I seek refuge in You lest I associate anything with You knowingly, and I seek Your forgiveness for what I know not." " Allāhumma innī a`ūdhu bika an ushrika bika wa anā a`lam, wa astaghfiruka limā lā a`lam." " اللّهُـمَّ إِنّـي أَعـوذُبِكَ أَنْ أُشْـرِكَ بِكَ وَأَنا أَعْـلَمْ، وَأَسْتَـغْفِرُكَ لِما لا أَعْـلَم "
Moral of Today: Abdullaah ibn Masoud may Allaah be pleased with him reported Allaah's messenger peace and blessings be upon him saying: "Envy is permitted only in two cases: A man whom Allah gives wealth, and he disposes of it rightfully, and a man to whom Allah gives knowledge which he applies and teaches it" [Bukhari]
Envy in Islam is of two types: The prohibited type, and the permitted, preferred type.
The first is wishing that the blessing is taken from the brother, whether the envier wishes it comes to him or not, and the second -which is mentioned in this hadeeth- is happiness seeing the blessing at a brother, and wishing one gets it so he may also reap the good deeds from it. And such is the case with a man who has knowledge of the religion, the beneficial knowledge, with which he benefits people and himself, and the second is the man who has money that he spends in the path of Allaah; to the ones in need as mentioned in surat At-Tawba "Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakah] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam, the recently reverted] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by Allah . And Allah is Knowing and Wise." and the likes.
This is also evidence that the rich believer is better than the poor believer, if he spends his money well in the path of Allaah.
This is also evidence that believers compete in good deeds, and Allaah said what means: " So for this let the competitors compete. " (83:26)

I (20F) went out to a concert yesterday for an artist im familiar with but not like a die hard fan that knows every lyric. Went with my two friends that I introduced to each other as they’re friends from diff points in my life and they got along well. both of them are pretty outgoing and extroverted but i am relatively introverted but around the right people I come out of my shell. Im pretty proud of myself though because I’ve been pushing myself to be more extroverted even though it’s hard. Anyways, concert begins and we’re kinda just swaying around. Im seated between them and it’s pretty calm. Im closer to my friend seated to my right (X (21F)) than I am to my friend on my left (Z (20F)). As the show goes on the artist starts playing more popular “hype” songs that call for ass shaking. I don’t know how to shake ass, i can move my hips some but nothing more so i was doing what i know to the music having a decent time. Took a few pulls of my oil and i was truly vibing. There really wasn’t much space to really dance either, seats were really on top of each other. This doesn’t stop X though, as she kinda squishes me in to shake ass on Z. I kinda just stood there and hyped her up some but after a few seconds i kinda felt awkward. After the song she goes back to her spot and does the same thing at the next hype song. at this point i felt like a third wheel to my friends and felt very awkward and being a little faded didn’t help. i became hyper aware of my movements and whatnot and ended up feeling veryyyy robotic/NPC. During some intermission, Z wanted to take some pictures in the hallway (like the area we walked thru to get to the section) and X kinda walks right past me. i didn’t even get a chance to grab my bag (that i secured tightly around my seat so it didn’t get taken. I didn’t want to wear it all night) and before i know it they’re gone. i didn’t bother to try and find them because i knew i was going to get lost looking. im seated atp and then the artist comes back and starts performing but i’m standing alone kinda swaying and recording waiting for them to get back. i wish i had gotten up and ran with them but i’m not really photogenic (despite my super cute outfit) but it would have been nice to at least gone with them. once they’re back some more hype songs play and i’m enjoying it kinda moving my hips feeling nice when Z and X start shaking ass on each other and recording and i felt so awkward once again because i wasn’t participating or anything. i was very much 🧍🏻‍♀️. i didn’t know how to include myself, i was kinda hyping them up while also hoping we can continue to watch the show together and hang out as a group. the whole night really i just felt like an accessory to their newfound friendship. i wish i knew how to include myself and enjoy the things they do. after the concert i texted X jokingly saying i should’ve been seated at the end and she agreed saying her and Z were “too lit” and only stayed where she was so i wouldn’t feel left out. while i appreciated her staying it just kinda sucks. it feels like X only stood where she did because she’s felt bad ? like i wasn’t good enough of a time but she only stayed because it would’ve been more awkward if she sat next to Z.
Feeling pretty bummy atm. if anyone has any tips on how to be more fun at events i would greatly appreciate it.
Sorry for the long post, tried to trim it down to the important parts.
TLDR; felt like my friends (who i introduced to each other) had a better time at a concert we went to with each other than they did with me and i feel kinda crappy about it.

Saturday, March 25, 2023
Ask Me Anything with u/Effective-Junket9824
Welcome to this non-real time meeting of Overeaters Anonymous!
I’m u/CAM075. I’m pleased to introduce today’s OA Fellow u/Effective-Junket9824 who will be qualifying today:
Suggested guidelines for sharing:
As you share your experience and strength in OA, please also share your hope. Please confine your sharing to your experience with the disease of compulsive eating, the solution offered by OA, and your own recovery from the disease, rather than just the events of the day or week. If you are having difficulties, share how you use the program to deal with them. If you need to talk more about your difficulties and seek solutions, we suggest you speak to your sponsor and other members after the meeting.
Feedback, crosstalk, and advice giving are discouraged here. Cross talk during an OA meeting is giving advice to others who have already shared or speaking directly to another person rather than to the group. Feel free to reply to posts in this thread with questions for our AMA Speaker, and they will answer.
QUALIFER:
Coming into OA, you could not have told me I was being selfish in the way I was living.
I thought my chronic food behaviours were my own secret, and had no impact on the world around me. Looking back now, from a place of recovery, I can see how wrong I was. I wanted to talk about selfishness in this post, because it is sometimes the hardest part of the program for me. To stop and say I am being selfish, and recognize that when I am obsessing about food and my body, I am not being useful to those around me.
I came into OA because during the pandemic my eating got out of control. I was ordering hundreds of dollars of food every night, and eating myself sick. Then, I would starve myself all day to try to compensate for the calories. I was home-schooling my twin boys during the pandemic, and my life certainly became (as the big book says) unmanageable! When I came into the program, I was willing to do whatever it takes, at a real place of desperation, and I am grateful for that. I followed the steps as they are written, and listened to what my sponsor told me, even when my mind was fighting it.
As I unpacked the emotions and past, I started to see how I would isolate myself with my eating. How I was never present to the people in my life. I was always planning my next binge/escape, or self-conscious of my body and focused on my reflection. Worst of all, I would be starving myself and had so little energy and patience for my children. Just waiting for them to go to bed, fast-forwarding through my life, so I could order food and binge myself to sleep.
This program taught me I am powerless over this food behaviour. That my ego/human solutions will not help me with my chronic problem. I have learned to connect to a higher power, daily, hourly on most days! And to reach out when I am feeling the emotions that lead to the food behaviours. I've learned that "selfishness" is actually not evil, but just sad. I am sad for myself, for being stuck in myself for so many years. And I see now that I have to not stay in my worry and self-pity, but take action to be outside of myself. To be of service.
I am present to my life. I am not waiting for tonight to binge, or tomorrow to start another doomed-to-fail-diet. I am neutral (most days!), and wake up looking for ways to be useful to others. When I act useful, I feel useful. I wouldn't change my past, because it allows me to help others in this program. To write stories like this, and show the shadow and the light at the other side. My selfishness brought me to a new way of living, and I am grateful for it.
Closing: By following the Twelve Steps, attending meetings regularly, and using the OA Tools, we are changing our lives. You will find hope and encouragement in Overeaters Anonymous. To the newcomer, we suggest attending at least six different meetings to learn the many ways OA can help you. The opinions expressed here today are those of individual OA members and do not represent OA as a whole. Let us all reach out by private message to newcomers, returning members, and each other. Together we get better.

The End has come, and gone! Months after an outbreak of an unknown virus from a hidden Russian research facility, military units, as well as civilians have joined together to survive, towns are being rebuilt, settlements made, and trade and commerce are thriving once again... But! Not all is as it seems, groups of bandits, skin-walkers, and other not-so-friendly individuals are wreaking havoc on the living, terrorizing the survivors, and claiming land that isn't theirs to be claimed. People are dying, starving, and lost. With very little clear direction forward, it's up to YOU, what you do next. Do you run, and live off the land as a nomad, do you stay and fight as a mercenary, are you a lost member of a military unit sent in to help (or not), or are you a civilian hoping to find shelter and just survive in this unforgiving world? Let's find out as you write the next chapter in your story here at Aced Rp.
Aced RP is new to the DayZ community but is growing quite rapidly. Our server focuses on Role play and storytelling (but we welcome all who just want to survive), with plenty of custom PvE settings and mods to help you immerse yourself into whatever story you choose to write either with a group, or solo, have you ever wanted to create a town settlement, or build a military force to be reckoned with, you can here at Aced RP. We have a custom-built and ever-growing storyline to keep you quest'n and help you to unlock more and more content as you go, but at the same time, we have designated PvP areas to scratch your trigger finger. We offer quite a different style of DayZ server. Lots of the map has been changed to fit the storyline and will continue to change over time as more and more groups and lone survivors write their stories. We here at Aced RP encourage YOU, our survivors to write your own stories, develop a character or a group, and add your little piece of "heaven" or "hell" into the servers ever-expanding lore. Because of this, we have multiple ways to get your ideas implemented, along with countless other things like drugs, SO MANY vehicles, custom airdrops with top-tier loot, aiheli and truck crashes, themed masks, key cards and vaults, skin-walkers, custom AI spawns and so much more... Our community at Aced RP is friendly, helpful, and welcoming, our admin staff are top of the line, they will listen and act on your suggestions and will always be there to help if needed. We recommend joining the discord before playing to get a full understanding of all the rules and information. You can find plenty of links on there.
Discord: https://discord.gg/RWgWz7mbnj

Hi Brisbane.
Some time ago, I bought 2 tickets to see Parkway Drive (and some other bands were playing too, idk) for me and someone special. The someone special isn't special anymore, and I really don't want to do anything except wallow in self-pity.
So, in an effort to make the net sadness in BNE stay roughly the same, I'd like to cheer two people up by giving them each a free ticket.
I know its short notice (gates open soon), so lets be quick:

1. Comment on why you need some cheering up
2. Everyone up-vote the comment you think deserves a ticket
3. In 1 hour (approx 1030) I will send the two top comments 1 x SMS ticket code each.

I'm trusting you to not engage in fuckery here, BNE. I want to make two people's weeks a bit brighter, not give someone a chance to scalp a ticket for a few hundred bucks. don't be a dick.
​
EDIT:
Because everyone commenting here are absolute champions and are encouraging me to go, i should clarify:

1. it's not the special persons fault. They didn't mistreat me, cheat on me, or in any way treat me awfully. it just didn't work out, and I'm sad. They're still special. We're just not together.
2. It's not the only reason I don't want to go (see 3). I probably should have just said "2 free tix to knottfest" and left it at that, but i wanted to try and get them to people who could really use a good time.
3. My mum has terminal cancer (she been living with me since December), i've lost two members of my family in the last 3 weeks. My dad is also very unwell. I love parkway and i will regret not going today, but it's not going to happen for me.

in summary:

• the special person isn't a bad person. and didn't shit on me from a great height. it's not about them. i've just had a really, really shit 2023 so far.
• yes i could probably sell the tickets, but i'd probably just spend it on nerd shit, so i'd rather make a couple of people happy instead.

I have recently undertaken (and passed) assessment, so thought it may be beneficial to some for an updated summary of the proceedings. It is fairly lengthy, but includes up to date details of the process, which I hope you all find useful.
Day 0
You will be sent an email with links to the various cognitive/maths/English tests around midnight on the day of arrival. They will be available on the portal. Do not click into them, they are one time use. If you click them you may have to reschedule the whole assessment. Do NOT click them!
Do yourself a favour and pack well in advance, not the night before. Double check all documentation you are required to take. You will need two forms of id such as valid driving license, birth certificate or passport, as well as utility bill. Tickets for the train need to be collected from a ticket machine, do not leave it to the morning of travel! In the morning check trainline.com to confirm your train isn't cancelled or delayed.
I got to Lichfield City station and was one of the first in my intake to arrive. After a while loads of lads started filling out the station, no one really spoke as everyone appeared very nervous. It is fairly obvious who is there for assessment.
A member of staff in black came over and guided us to the car park over the road to the coach. We lined up against the wall for a document check. You are given your number here. Remember it, write it on your hand, type it on your phone. The staff do ask a final time if anyone needs reminding once you arrive, but don't be one of those candidates who needs reminding.
When we arrived, we dumped our bags under a covered seating area and lined up in three ranks. We then filed into the main centre and made our way into the lecture theatre. Blue coloured bibs are on the chairs, sit in the seat with your allocated number. We were told to put the bib on and sit in the chair. You get a numbered water bottle and a pen. These two things do not leave your side from now on. Do not lose either of them. We filled out a load of forms, certificates check and place them and your ID in an envelope, we were told to keep these safe until the morning when they would be checked and processed by the admin team. We were then led through to the classroom in groups to check army portal log on works and links for the tests have been sent. After this we watched a brief video outlining the next few days activities.
We then lined up outside, always three ranks from now on. We were sent for dinner at the cook house. Seated and then when ready sent one table at a time to the hot plates. The chef now takes your plate and puts the food on it for you, no self-service. Make sure you finish eating your meal before the staff are done. When told to line up outside make sure you tuck in the chairs and remember water bottles.
Back for ice breaker (name/where you're from, job choice and interesting fact or fear). Its short and sweet, some lads did theirs in literally 15 seconds. Pad it out a bit longer as that is a bit too quick, don’t act like you are rushing through it. Keep eye contact with the entire room, speak nice and loud and clearly. Add a bit of humour. We Then got a break down of Day 1 in more detail, then shown accommodation and given timings for lights out, breakfast, etc. Given access to the rec room. Given time to research roles and to speak to family, relax, TV, etc or access computer room to study for ACT if you haven't already. You are allowed to keep your phone on you for most of your time here, just don’t start using it when you shouldn’t be.
In the accommodation block we were told to put bibs on the end of the beds so if there is an emergency in the night we are easy to identify. Typical military bunks and a locker each. I've stayed in a few barracks in the past and Lichfield is actually pretty decent and modern, don’t get used to it. The pillows are awful, so good tip is to bring your own travel pillow. The bedding is laid out by the previous intake, so you have to make it. Our room agreed alarms at 0530. Many of you will know, barracks are usually either boiling hot or freezing cold. The first night we were all roasting even with the window open.
​
Day 1
Alarms off at 0530. Get up and straight into shower and shave. It pays to be first here as hot water dropped off for the lads who went a bit later, and if you leave it too late you are queuing for the showers. Start drinking water now as urine sample is required sometime during the morning, but also your run is hopefully tomorrow, so stay hydrated today. Water is always available in reception for top ups or from sinks in the ablutions. Tidy up the room and make your beds as you have a brief room inspection before breakfast. Make sure lockers are shut, bags under beds and bedding is made. Put phone chargers away. Water bottle and pen, then three ranks outside and to breakfast. The bleep test is not until after your medical on day 2 so eat as much as possible today. Lunch is provided during your various assessments, but not in the cookhouse. Highly suggest no caffeine as it can affect ECG later on, although plenty of lads drank it and were fine. Personally, I went without as didn’t want to chance it.
Back to the lecture theatre. We were told to take a sample bottle from the grey tray and write our number on it. We were told at any point if we needed to urinate for our sample to just go to the toilet without asking. Fill it, rinse it off and place it in the pink tray. Dont be like one bloke who bought his sample back with him into the theatre, that went down like a lead balloon with the staff and had us all howling. We had another brief power point presentation with a run through of the Army Cognitive Tests, which included examples. There were tips/advice given by the staff which was helpful. You are allowed pen and paper during the ACT’s so you can write things down to help if needed. You will be going between the classroom for tests and the med block for medical tests depending how busy it is. The admin team arrived and checked our documents, we signed the envelope and it was then sealed. After this we had a briefing by medical staff and briefly check med forms are correct. Required to wear mask at all times during the medical process. They hand these out so don’t worry about bringing your own. They take you through in small groups. I was led to a waiting room with about 5 other lads and told to take everything off apart from t-shirt, shorts, shoes, socks, jewelry is allowed if it is religious. If you end up in a waiting room, try to sit at the front as they call the front in first, otherwise be prepared for a long wait.
You are initially filtered through the below tests, the results of which are put into your medical folder. You can fail at this stage but will not be told until they have been reviewed by the doctor prior to having your physical examination, you will be told of a failure/deferral during this examination. The nurses measure height and weight, calculate your BMI, check your eye sight (if you have a recent optometrist report they seem to skip this step if the results of the report are within the limits), colour blind test (book with coloured dotted circles with numbers and you have to read out the numbers that you can see), ECG and potentially an echocardiogram and a hearing test. There is lots of waiting and queuing but to be fair I was never in the same spot for long. You may be sent off for tests in-between to speed up process. I was sent to the classroom for tests twice in a row because the doctor’s waiting room was too busy.
A few notes on the hearing test. It is a very hot booth; you will sweat in it. The test starts as soon as the door shuts and the beeps are a lot quieter than you imagine they will be. You still have to wear your mask at this point so you will hear yourself breathing, try to breath slowly and quietly.
During this process I undertook the ACT (useful link to practice these at the end of this post) and because I went for a trade, the TST. For this you are given 45 minutes. You are allowed to use (and given) a calculator. It covers GCSE level mathematics, so think ratios, percentages, decimals, averages, fractions, volume, speed, distance and time and a bit of algebra. Good resources for this if you haven’t recently taken your GCSE’s and need some revision, are BBC Bitesize and Corbett Maths. Don’t panic too much about this, you should be able to get the minimum required for your role if you revise two or three weeks before hand. I would recommend taking it even if the role you are initially going for (e.g. infantry) doesn’t require it. You have nothing to lose taking it, if you score enough (easily achievable) it can unlock other job roles you may not have thought about.
A note about the classroom – when you enter, keep your voice to a whisper as people will be in and out all morning undertaking tests. This also goes for waiting rooms in the med block, keep your voices down and don’t let your excitement/nerves get the better of you and you all start running your mouth. It will not go down well.
When you are finally seated in the doctor’s waiting room, you are asked to complete a short medical form. It asks about close family history, if you have suffered any particular diseases or issues in the past. Do not lie on this form, be honest, but it goes without saying, there is no need to state anything if it is not on your medical records.
The doctor will check your blood pressure, your joints and tendons, lungs/breathing, eyes, teeth, movements, hip mobility. Discussion around anything declared by you on the form in reception and on your RGMD form your own doctor completed. You will be asked to strip down to your underwear and perform a few variations of walking on a line, e.g. on your tip toes, on the sides of your feet, etc. You will squat and duck walk, they will check neck rotation, shoulder rotation, flexibility to some extent and finally do 5 press ups and to hold the last rep. At this stage you either pass with a green bib and can continue, an orange bib means you are deferred, no run for you on Day 2 but you are fit to do the mid-thigh pull, med ball throw and the team tasks. A red bib is a fail. That means no exercise at all but I believe you can continue with the team tasks and interview. If you receive no bib at all, you are sent home there and then as this is a deferral for 12 months or a bar from service.
At some point after you are deemed fit for service you will perform the mid-thigh pull and med ball throw. Mid-thigh pull is essentially a rack pull with a fixed bar. You will be given two or three chances to complete, and pull for 5 seconds with everything you have got. The best way to prepare for this in the gym is either deadlifts or if you are worried about form and injuring your back, rack pulls, which closely resembles this test. The med ball throw can be a bit strange at first but you shouldn’t need to practice it more than a few times. Prepare for this by doing bench press, dips and push ups.
You grab lunch from reception and eat in the rec room. We were then shown a DVD in reception showing 14 weeks of basic training and a chat from Catterick PTI regarding infantry. Reserves pulled aside for another chat on top outlining the reserves process which is slightly different. After this we got our boiler suits, gloves and helmets issued for team tasks on Day 3, and were told to leave them in the rec room. At this point the next intake of candidates had arrived. We were told under no circumstances should we approach them. At dinner we were given the opportunity to use the onsite shop. I used this as an opportunity to buy food for the travel back the next day on the train. I highly recommend trying to get as much sleep as possible for tomorrow.
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Day 2
0530 wake up call again. Start drinking now. Shower, shave, sports kit. Use any spare minutes now to pack your stuff away as best you can, as you will not have a great deal of time to do it later. Ideally, you want everything besides your clothes for interview packed away in your bags before you head down to eat. We also had to strip the dirty linen off our beds and lay out the new sheets as per pictures dotted around the block. Our intake was about 28 so no one slept on the top bunks, so we just copied the layout from those. Breakfast at 0620. Eat light as you will be doing the bleep test soon after 0800. We then waited in the rec room for the PTI to arrive and brief us on the test. He also went through a series of slides regarding healthy eating habits, fitness, what to expect at basic, etc. We were told to fill your bottles up and we were then led outside for test. Fill your bottle to the brim as it will be checked. You are split into groups of 7-8. You then meet another PTI to perform a warm up. The warm up was actually taxing and easily felt like the first 3 or 4 levels of bleep test, so be aware, it did catch a lot of us off guard. Start practicing the test at home with a 10 minute warm up prior, either a 1km run or a few levels of the test first.
We were told three strikes in a row do not count towards score if consecutive, so if you get one, catch up to get the next beep, get a second warning, catch up to make the next one, third strike you are out. Do NOT stop at your chosen role, you need to be a few levels above (if going for Para’s at 11.6 they stop it here anyway). You need to put maximum effort in and come off the test feeling like you are going to puke. Your interviewer will be watching at the side lines as well, so it really needs to be full on effort.
When you receive your third and final warning or they stop the test, you are led to a cool down, then into the rec room and your boiler suits. You are kept in the same teams as your run to complete the team tasks. You need to be vocal, even when you are not doing anything and waiting for your turn for example, you need to be encouraging your team members. Spend a few minutes, discussing as a team, everyone’s ideas and agree on the best one. It is key here that you all ensure everyone knows what they are doing and when. You need to work at pace, with a sense of urgency. We were explained you would be doing tasks such as this under enemy fire, so you need to be loud, you need to be shouting encouragement and you need to be moving at speed.
Once complete you will take off all your gear and place it back in the room. We were then given about 20 minutes to head back to the block, shower and get dressed for our interview, this was fairly chaotic as everyone seemed to finish the team tasks at a similar time, so people were queuing for the shower at this point. This is where packing when you got up or the night before will help you with time management.
We got to have a cooked lunch in the cookhouse this time, rather than a baguette. We were then led back to the lecture theatre for a final time. Here we had to sit in chairs at the back of the room, that did not have bibs placed on them, as a new intake would be arriving that evening. You wait for your interviewer to call your number.
You will be led through the back of the theatre into an office where you will sit down and discuss the following:
How you think you did, the army’s values and standards (know your CDRILS – not just what it stands for, but examples of how you apply them in your civilian life and how you utilise them in the army itself), job choice and info around that role. You don’t need to go overboard, but I would recommend knowing a good amount about the regiment or corps you want to join, the role itself, what is involved, where the regiment/corps are currently serving, etc. You need to know about phase 1 and phase 2 training, and give detailed answers about what is involved. Your interviewer will then go through the results of the cognitive and technical tests, your beep test score/run time, mid-thigh/med ball results and team tasks. They will then grade your score and issue your certificate. When there is enough of you done, they will minibus you back to station.
I managed to pass with an A grade. I kept my mouth shut and listened. If I didn’t understand something, I asked for them to clarify, it is better to ask again than to try wing it and get it wrong, I tried to be almost over the top confident, but not cocky or loud (but be loud in the team tasks!), I socialised just enough with the rest of the lads, but stayed away from the over the top throbbers thinking it is a weekend away at Butlins, keep your room tidy and your things kept away. Keep your phone out of sight unless you are on down time or the rec room. Sit up straight and don't slouch. Eat and shower fast and finally, keep your water bottle and pen on you always.
I hope the above helps ease some nerves of new candidates and gives an insight into the current process at assessment.
ACT Simulator https://justajolt.pythonanywhere.com/act\_simulato

Gonna sound pathetic here but I've been like depressed for the past two years. I tried hard to be a firefighter but realized I'd never be able to be one because of my immigration status. I'm able to work and stay in the US just fine but technically no green.
This is a problem because of hiring. I talked to some firefighters and they mentioned it'd be harder sell to hire me because of my special situation. On top of it being an already competitive field I'd basically impossible to get hired anywhere.
I guess I was dumb and still tried to make myself an exception and got most of a degree in fire science. Or even had ideas of joining the military to gain extra experience too, but I'd run into similar problems. Feels like such a waste of time.
I know someone like me just doesn't get to have those kind of opportunities. I would do anything just to be given a real chance but there is none. I've tried for the past 2 years just to move on to something about it won't just let me. I'm so frustrated. I've tried praying again and again with no real comfort. Guess it's hard to let go of something so connected to my heart.

Hey guys. I have a story to tell y’all if you are willing to listen, so buckle up. And I know being friendzoned is my fault, but I honestly do not know how to avoid it.
We were both sitting down and bored so I started speaking to this girl and we immediately hit it off and we started talking, teasing back and forth, getting to know her, non-sexual flirting, but it really felted like I was slightly friendzoned from day one (IDK why; maybe cause I stayed too long or that I didn’t spark sexual tension which IDK how either).
We hung out together a couple of times after (me and her and our mutual friend) and it was fun interactions we were all laughing and teasing each other, flirting, but I was feeling more and more like a friend although I liked her. The flirting was just teasing and having fun, it wasn’t sexual flirting so I wonder if that was my mistake?
I did ask her out on the phone for like bowling cause I knew she liked it, but she was very flaky at times and she was like ohh our cousin should come too and what not, it also felt like she was using me for emotional support, because I’m dumb I was giving it to her and showing care. Anyway the topic of relationships and dates been brought, her reply was: “At some point I do not believe men and women can be friends, I’m not ready for dates, I would love my relationship to be friends then love so it can be stronger”. Idiot that I am, I believed it and was excited, then after a couple of weeks she went out with another guy that was a complete stranger. Me being slightly but hurt, I cut off all ties and contacts with her. After a few months she sent a voice “just wanted to let you know I was thinking of you recently and I miss you”, me being me I listened and did not reply.
Months have passed should I just go back to her and pretend like I did not hear the message I ignored?
Where did I go wrong? And what should I have done?
Was it lack of sexual flirting and inneuondos?
And how the hell can I avoid it next time I meet another woman?

Today I feel so alone in parenthood. I will start by saying my husband is a good partner and father, but his work schedule sucks. He is a nurse and an assistant manager in his department. He works weekend nights, Friday-Sunday 7pm-7am which is actually more like 6:45-8:15, and then usually has several hours of continuing education or paperwork to do throughout the week. This means he makes a lot more money and I’m able to stay home with my daughter, which is what I always wanted. Except I still work two nights a week serving tables/bartending. And have been in school since last summer. And because my husband is asleep during the day almost every day, 90% of household tasks fall on me. I do all the cleaning, cooking, and laundry. And I don’t feel like I have a partner in parenting the vast majority of the time. And I wish we had more time together as a family.
My daughter is 19 months old and needs to get out of the house more. I try to take her to story time at the library once a week and to the park when the weather permits. I’ve been trying to find things going on in our city for us to do on the weekends. There was a beer fest going on today that advertised some family friendly things like a petting zoo. Great! She loves animals. Live music! She loves music and dancing. So we went, just the two of us. There were lots of kids there but every other parent had family and friends. Lots of families with both parents or groups of moms. I only have one “mom friend” but we aren’t super close, and she had to work today.
I made the stupid decision not to bring the stroller because I knew my daughter would want to walk and that I would have to get her out to pet animals anyway. It went well for about 15 minutes. There were SO many people there, I barely felt comfortable letting her walk at all because she’s so small and people weren’t paying enough attention. But she didn’t want to be carried and started getting upset.
We came home and she bit my nipple harder than ever while nursing for what feels like the 10th time today. I tried to vent to my husband and he said, “But her teeth are probably bothering her.” Of course they are, but don’t I deserve any sympathy too? It’s just been a rough day that didn’t go as planned and I don’t feel like anyone in my life understands. And I regret that I spent the 40 minutes I got to see my husband today complaining.

Hello All! I have been working for some time on a small collection of short stories/vignettes to turn into a graphic novel about my cat and I at the edge of the end of the world! My goal is to tell a story about accepting changes and growth. I would really love some feedback on some of the little stories. This is my first one I am sharing! I haven't written in years so I have been a little scared to share, but I feel a strong urge to share this story and would really like to improve/get it to a place where I'm not scared to share it out. Let me know what you think :)
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We creaked open the old, heavy door to reveal what appeared to be a home frozen in time. But instead of frost, it was dust that held each piece of furniture in place since what appears to be the 1990s. Underneath each layer of dust, there was a shiny cherry wood grain. Cozied on top, doilies and cold candle holders. The air, already heavy from the sprinkles of kicked up dust, was weighed down even more by the scent of amethyst, rose, mezcal and mothballs. The heaviness of the air was fitting for the scene. Here lays a life that once was light and vibrant, now long gone. Something her and I now have come to face too many times in this life. I carefully raised my eyes to see her face. I was terrified for our eyes to meet. Her round, green eyes had a darkness to them. She appeared to be away, somewhere else—perhaps in this very room at a different time.
“Just how I remembered,” she whispered in awe. Her little white paws pinched closer together just before she lied down, with all her feet tucked in. Her eyes still appearing to be somewhere else.
“Happy memories?” I felt the words well up in my throat.
“Oh yes. But, in some ways—very sad. It makes me remember when…” she paused. I knew this was coming. This was a grave mistake. Not good ever comes from digging up the past, happy or sad. The happy memories only remind you of what comes at the end. “When it all changed.”
“I understand.” I sat next to her, kicking dust in the air. I pet her head. “I’m sorry, Rose. I hope this brings you peace.” I say, assuming she is stronger than me.
“It does. It brings me closer to her.”
Silence. Rose reminisces and I meditate on her point. We have no connection to our past lives now—but more than ever I find myself wanting to live in that fantasy world. A world before everything changed. Before I left the only home I ever knew, and before the war. I wonder if Rose feels the same way with her first home. Before she lost the only person she knew to love and trust and had to grow up and find a new home to make her own. And although she is the only one I have, I wish I could give her this world back. Or at least be able to hide her from what her world has become. Maybe bringing her back here does.
This old ranch house, once warmed and decorated by eager newly-weds, worn down by 3 children, slowly became softer and quieter when the children moved out and the husband passed away, leaving Beth and later Rose as its only habitants. As a kitten, Rose found peace with Beth. There were few visitors and plenty of space to race from one room to the next. As Jazz music played, Beth would water her plants and talk to Rose about the importance of allowing something to grow. Rose learned to love Jazz and the rest of her life, let the plants around her grow without her interference.
After Beth passed and I adopted Rose, these lessons came in handy when I would accidentally purchase a Peace Lily or Alocasia—both poisonous to cats—or when I needed to relax her on a tough car ride by playing some light jazz. Throughout the years I had Rose, she would let me into this past life little by little. I always avoided the subject with her as to not pry. But here, it felt unavoidable.
I take a deep breath.
“Thank you, Beth,” I exhale.
Rose let out a soft, slow stream of tears from her eyes as she began to smile.
“Yes, thank you. I love you dearly, Beth.” Rose stands, tilts her head up as if to acknowledge Beth above in the heavens. “And thank you for allowing me to feel her here once more. It feels like a piece of me has been renewed.”
I nodded. I could not say anymore. This is her moment, and I wanted to leave it on her own terms. No questions, no pushing her towards light-hearted conversations, no heavy hitting words of wisdom…this is for her.
“I want to stay just a little longer if that’s okay.” I nodded again. She nuzzled me as she walked towards the bedroom.
“Just as it was left. Nothing changed, just some dust!” I hear her shout from the other room. “Isn’t that something?”
It is.
- -
Rose presses her right paw into the carpet as she stretches are front legs. Despite being hardened by the years of neglect, dust, and water damage, still feels like it once did. She allows her mind to trick her. She runs under the bed and armoire, hiding from imaginary mice. Beth comes in from the kitchen and lays a throw on the bed. This is where Rose is allowed to lay, so not to ruin the comforter. She finds her spot and snuggles in between her two feet.
“Such a sweet girl, Rosalia. Paying your dues by keeping my feet warm,” Beth’s voice echoes into the room so faintly. The opaque memories becoming more chopped and faded over time feel so clear now.
Suddenly a bright jazz piano plays in the kitchen. Beth is awake and putting a kettle over the stove.
Spring is here, and Beth sits on the front porch while Rose rests her head in the afternoon sun spilling through the window.
Dusk appears and Beth has given in and retired back to the living room for more tea and light reading. The birds retire as well and the night becomes ever so quiet.
The day repeats, over and over, until one day it doesn’t.
One day Beth does not wake up and play Jazz. Many people come and then, everyone is gone. Someone visits once every few days to check on Rose before she is taken away from the home. Rose has returned, but Beth has not.
All these memories play at the same time. Her mind assigns no order or priority over these memories. Once they have played a few times, she pulls herself back to the old, dusty bedroom. Her new caretaker is waiting for her.
- -
I peel back the curtains. Outside the sunset stains everything it touches an orangey-red, meaning good weather ahead. A sense of peace calms my nerves and I feel a nuzzle against my ankle.
“I think I am ready now,” Rose says.
“You sure? We can always come back you know.”
“No, I don’t think so. But I feel so lucky to have been her once more.”
I follow Rose out. My shoulders rolled down with a sprinkle of shame.
“Thank you, Kara. I love you dearly.”
I pick her up onto my shoulder. Rose watches the house shrink behind us, and I watch the sun set on the last day I saw her as my little kitten.

So basically 5 months ago my ex broke up with me. We had been dating for about 12 years and have 2 young kids together. It has taken me a while to settle in a new home and adjust myself to a new lifestyle while also staying in touch with the kids as much as possible. This translates to seeing them 2 to 3 days a week.
I have a female coworker who I've known for a little over 2 years now. We have always had a good connection, however once I started moving in to my new home she started helping me a lot (a lot) and I feel like I slowly started to become interested in her.
Fast forward a month or two later we decided to hang out again, things went well and we kissed. Sometime next week we'll see each other again (outside work), and while I'm really looking forward to seeing her and spending time with her outside work, I cant seem to let go of the thought that this could be a "rebound" thing that is so heavily discussed? How would I know if I'm going too fast, or am I simply overthinking this?
Tldr: break up after 12 years, 5 months later I feel like dating a female coworker, worried this might be a rebound thing?
English is not my first language, sorry about that.

As the title suggests this post is about a writing prompt I'm doing where I make up an entirely new Descendant for the game. This might be the only post I do for that as I will shift onto doing some potentially new enemy types for the next bit for my writing prompts.
A lot of playstyles are already represented in the game, and to be entirely honest I did not have a clear image in mind at first. This went through many changes, so much so that in the process of making this character they were instead split into two separate characters due to some ideas not fully merging together. I hope you enjoy what came out of both.
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General appearance of the first character, that I will thus name Natasha, will be a heavily armored woman in the same vein as Ajax with a few distinctions. Her armor has specific segments around the joints that pulse a green energy. Those joints will signify points where her limbs can disconnect and act independently of the main body, and when they do, new arms or legs formed of poisonous slime will take their place.
Basic inspiration for the design concept is a slime girl in heavy armor.
Passive(Wasteful Spillage)-When Natasha casts an ability she will leave behind a trail of slime that will slow the movement speed of enemies by 30% while applying 1 stack of poison every 2s they remain in the pit. Similarly allies, including Natasha, will gain a movement speed buff of 30% while in the slime. Each trail will remain for 16s before disappearing. The farther an ability travels the more slime that will cover the ground.
Notes: The passive was initially going to be something completely different, but due to input from a friend they had this wonderful idea. This encourages trying to use abilities from as far away as possible then closing the distance with the increased movement speed, or by smartly throwing abilities out to create lines in the sand that enemies must struggle to cross. Sometimes missing on purpose can be valuable.
First Ability(Need a Hand?)-Upon activation she shoots out an arm that will seek out a target to latch onto. She will grow a new arm in place of the one she shoots out. Whatever enemy has been grabbed onto will receive small amounts of damage and become stunned. The CC applied will last for 4s while the ability itself has a 12s cooldown. If this ability is recast within the first 4s of the ability she will trigger a “Knockback” effect on them to pull them towards her. How strong the knockback will be similarly be based on the size of the enemy.
Notes: This could combo rather easily into pulling enemies into the “Wasteful Spillage” to proc poison effects or to pull an enemy into a trap set up by a teammate. More importantly however, this combos rather well with the next ability.
Second Ability(Time to Kick it Off)-When activated she kicks off her leg and sends the detached limb flying, similar to "Need a Hand?” to pierce targets in a straight line to knock each one back while applying one stack of poison. Similarly all hit targets will be linked together and if any of them grow too far apart the link will snap to stun them for 2s while applying 2 more stacks of poison on them. This ability will have a 15s cooldown.
Notes: This is the main crowd control tool for Natasha as “Need a Hand?” only targets one person. You’ll notice a trend how a majority of her CC doesn’t affect mobs of enemies like how Lepic can just toss a traction grenade and effectively affect everything. This is mainly since every ability she has possesses some form of CC, similar to Viessa and how her passive works.
Third Ability(Tag out)-Once triggered Natasha will leap backwards a short distance leaving behind a clone with 35% of her health that will taunt nearby enemies into attacking it. Any enemies that hit it will have a stack of poison applied to them each time. Once the clone’s health is reduced to zero, or the ability is recast, it will self-destruct which will deal large amounts of damage. This ability will have a 40s cooldown.
Note: This is her emergency button if she’s ever in true danger. With all the stuns and movement buffs/debuffs she has I’ve heavily defined Natasha as an Evasion Tank where she wants to keep people just out of range and pinned down to stop them from doing anything. If they ever get too close, this is how she deals with it.
Ultimate(Reactor Meltdown)-Upon activation all enemies that are standing within “Wasteful Spillage” will gain double their current stacks of poison as well as a new debuff called “Meltdown” that triggers upon death. When they die they will explode, applying poison to all nearby enemies while also creating a pool of “Wasteful Spillage” at the point of death. The cooldown for this ability will be 60s.
Note: This will be her main execution tool that she wants to build up to. Over the course of constantly stunning, slowing, displacing various enemies, and applying new coats of poison this will become her trump card.
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Next up would be the character that was made after the split. A friend of mine gave feedback that the kit and appearance of the character didn’t match for some of the abilities I had come up with. Hence instead of scraping those abilities entirely I made a new character from the ground up to fit around them.
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Appearance wise they’re a small slovenly character with droopy dark purple hair. They wear a heavy trench coat with a missing belt, so they often hold it closed around their chest with one arm. Whenever they cast certain abilities various aspects of them will change, as will soon be mentioned below. This character will be named Benjamin.
Basic inspiration would be old Noir Detective with supernatural powers, think Dresden Files.
Passive(Hidden Arsenal)-Whenever Benjamin swaps weapons the gun he swapped into will be instantly reloaded if it has 50% or less of its magazine filled. This ability will have a 20s cooldown and will be lowered by 1s for each enemy that they inflicted damage upon 3s before their death. AKA he lowers the cooldown based on kills/assists. Additionally he has one more passive that increases his Weapon Swap Speed based on how many bullets are in his current gun’s magazine scaling from 10/20/40% increase based on 80/40/0% of the magazine. If he swaps out a weapon while it's empty the animation for the weapon swap will be changed to the gun disappearing in a puff of smoke only to be replaced with a different gun.
Notes: This was the original passive for Natasha, albeit with a few things different such as the ability to lower the cooldown was added. I really wanted a character that could weapon swap like this, and some Runes in game if I recall actually did this already which is what gave me the idea for this. Additionally some of my favorite games like Sanctum 2 did this as well where weapons would reload while unequipped.
First Ability(Disposing Evidence)-When activated Benjamin will reach into his trench coat to pull out a strangle clock to chuck it into the air. From there it will begin floating and taunt enemies to move towards it. The clock will explode after 6s. Alternatively, if he shoots it out of the air the bullet will split into 12 other bullets that each do 30% of the original bullets damage that will randomly target nearby enemies. This ability will have a 12s cooldown.
Notes: I love the idea of abilities creating objects the player can interact with, and since his passive is all about constantly shooting why not have the main mode of interaction be by shooting it. The explosion would be a better AOE tool while shooting the clock would be better for single target elimination since it would massively increase the damage of just one bullet.
Second Ability(Open Doors)-Once activated Benjamin will fold in on himself and collapse into the trench coat's hidden portal so he will teleport a short distance away. Upon coming out of the Rift it will knock back all nearby enemies while doing moderate damage to them. He will specifically teleport in the direction he is looking at, but if the ability is held down he will instead teleport a short distance directly behind him. However, if he chooses to teleport behind him there will be no AOE upon landing and instead leave behind an explosion from where he first casted the ability. This ability will have a 20s cooldown.
Notes: This would be his engagement and escape tool, it’s rather simple for a mobility option, yet shockingly enough no other character has something similar to this. The flexibility this provides could benefit any possible playstyles for this guy going from classic unga-bunga with a shotgun to a cool and collected sharpshooter that won’t ever let them get close.
Third Ability(Locked Doors)-Upon activation he will throw out a key straight into the air where it will begin to descend back into the ground. It will take around 6s for it to touch ground and when it does it will trigger a stasis explosion that will create a dead zone that lasts for 8s, any enemies that are in that zone or enter it will be stunned. Alternatively, if Benjamin shoots the key out of the sky it will fire off chains that seek out nearby enemies to bind them together that will slow their Attack Speed by 40%. Additionally, damage is shared between all targets, so if one target gets headshot that damage will be split amongst all of them. This ability will have a 30s cooldown
Notes: This may have a long CC but I believe it's counter balanced by how long it takes to actually proc the CC. The alternative effect is more for effective AOE rather than CC due to the ability to damage multiple targets by just focusing on one which is likely infinitely more powerful. Letting the key fall all the way is situational, but potentially life saving.
Ultimate(My Friends from the Other Side)-When this is activated Benjamin will release two ghost-like creatures from the portal within his trench coat. These creatures will use copies of his current weapon and deal 60% of his current damage. Additionally if he is aiming down sights they will shoot exactly where he is shooting to set up a firing squad, otherwise if he is hip-firing they will shoot at a different target instead. Then if he is sprinting the ghosts will break off from him to collect pick-ups for him like additional ammo. Finally, if Benjamin attempts a melee attack while the ghosts are out he will instead command the ghosts to have one drag an enemy to him while the other shanks them while Benjamin is free to pop their head off afterwards if they survive the shiv. This ability will last for 20s with a 60s cooldown.
Notes: This is a refashioned version of Natasha’s old ultimate. A lot of details about it have been changed and I’m quite happy with how this has turned out at the moment. I have heard mention that the command for the melee attack may be clunky, but was mostly fine so I'm curious if anyone else would prefer a different command tied to that.

TL;DR - Summary

All of the reasons that people are saying that the lost to Shanks is taking Kid out of the race are the same losses that Luffy has taken over the course of the series. The loss of their ship and the crew being eradicated only made the Straw Hats stronger, and I think the wording being the exact same from the Narrator should not be ignored or taken as a sign that Kid is out of the race. It's simply far too on the nose to be used as a throwaway line of Kid's defeat. I believe the Underworld works out of Elbaf, and this sets Kid up through his Underworld connections to build a new ship of Adam wood just like the Straw Hats. Shanks leaving Elbaf also clears a path for Kid to still be the main villain of Elbaf. The Kid Pirates will come back stronger.

Comparisons to Luffy's losses

Kid just got one shotted in a fashion I have rarely seen in any series. If Kid is your favorite character, I honestly feel bad. I wouldn't describe myself as a Kid fan, but this is still a character that I believe serves a larger purpose in the story than getting turned into scrap metal by Shanks. I just don't think Oda would have this character moved along throughout the story for 15 years just to make Shanks look good. Shanks doesn't need that to look good, they literally made a whole movie for this dude lol.
I think what we're seeing for Kid is a series of defeats very similar to Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates that will make him actually strong enough to be a rival to Luffy. Obviously he's going to lose in the end, Luffy is going to be Pirate King. But I just couldn't disagree more with the people saying Oda is just cutting the fat to get to the finish line as fast as possible. I have more faith in his ability as an author than that, and I don't think disliking a character means that their narrative purpose has been served whenever they're done helping Luffy look good.
Like I referred to in the title, I think Luffy and Kid's greatest defeats are mirroring each other until they eventually square off.

Loss of their beloved ship

I see a bunch of people saying Kid has to be out of the race for the One Piece, just look at their ship. How can they possibly get to the finish line first? Well, let's ask Luffy the same thing. Did Luffy's journey end when the Going Merry passed away? Nope. They rebuilt and kept going, with the Merry carrying them as long as she could.
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Losing a ship does not mean the end of the journey.
Kid's ship, the Victoria Punk, is named after his old friend and childhood crush who died when he was young. People think that because this is something Oda elaborated on in the SBS it's proof that he doesn't care about the character and is just trying to get it out of the way and move on. I disagree. I think he's building up the emotional connection that almost surely exists in them naming the ship after her. And while it's surely a tough loss, Luffy's crew is proof that you can absolutely rebuild. Loss of a ship is not the end of the journey.
I'll even take it a step further; I wouldn't be surprised if the Klaubterman for the Victoria Punk in some way has Victoria's spirit.
People say Kid has to be doomed because he sunk in the water with no ship or back up around to help them. But is this not exactly what happened to the Straw Hats at Enies Lobby? How were the Straw Hats supposed to escape from Enies Lobby? Well... by the end, they weren't. They were doomed, but Merry used the last bit of her spirit to save them with a little help from Iceburg. I don't think it would be a huge leap for the Victoria Punk to save the Kid Pirates and get them to safety.
We've seen ships do crazier things.

Death of a childhood friend

Victoria Shiruton Doruyanaika was Kid and Killer's childhood friend who was killed by a rival gang in their home country. As stated by Oda in the SBS:

Q: Is there a reason why Kid and Killer became pirates? And what’s the story behind Heat and Wire joining them?
Oda: Of course there’s a story. These four were born on a certain island in South Blue, Kid and Killer knew each other since they were kids. The country they live in is not allied with the WG, and a gang ruled the country as if they’re royalties. There’re 4 districts on the island, each of them have their own outlaw group, and the 4 leaders are Kid, Killer, Heat and Wire. There were conflicts every single day.
One day, Kid’s close friend was killed by the gang, her name was “Victoria S Doruyanaika”(Kid and Killer’s crush revealed in previous sbs). Kid, in his rage, united the four group and took down the mightiest force in the country, the gang.
“I don’t want to stay in a closed world like this!” And like that he took his friends and form a pirate crew with them, naming their ship “Victoria Punk”.

I don't have to tell you about Luffy's childhood friends dying. Frankly, take your pick. Either Sabo being "killed" when he set sail from Foosha Village or Ace dying in Luffy's arms.
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What I found pretty interesting though is that the mindset of why Kid decided to set sail is very similar to Sabo, just living the opposite life.
I'm sure there are stories like this across a bunch of pirates in the story, I just think there's a pretty clear parallel in why Luffy and Kid both set sail. And it was largely inspired by the death of a childhood friend.

Getting absolutely dunked on by a Yonkou

Kid got absolutely destroyed by Shanks. But I don't see how it's any different than Luffy getting one shotted by Kaido. If anybody is in line for Haki blooming, it's Kid with the amount of shit he gets himself in.
It's a tough blow, but it can just as easily be a learning experience like Luffy's first loss (and second... and third... and fourth...) was to Kaido.

Eradicated

Some people are saying that this has to take Kid out of the race because the Narrator came through and said that the crew was eradicated. There are even people using that as an argument to say he's dead (seriously what series are you guys reading who believe this). If the narrator coming in and saying that a crew is eradicated is proof that they are dead or out of the running for One Piece, somebody should really tell Luffy and the crew that they've been dead for the last two years.
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The Straw Hats were eradicated on Sabaody Archipelago, and it wasn't until the following chapters when we learned what that meant. They took the ultimate loss.
There is no chance that a call back this direct is not on purpose. I'll use this to link back to a previous post I made pointing out the many parallels of Egghead Island to Sabaody Archipelago and Post Enies Lobby. Add yet another connection and proof of the validity of that analysis.

Kid is down, but he's not out

Kid is in about as bad a spot as we've seen a character, but I don't see how this eliminates him in the story. All of the reasons that people are saying this eliminates Kid from being a factor in the story are things that we've seen happen to the Straw Hats. Like people who are saying that he's out because he no longer has a ship, if that was the case Luffy's journey would have ended ages ago. I would argue that the Adam Tree is from Elbaf to begin with, being near Elbaf would put him right in position to get a ship upgrade. I think we have pretty solid information suggesting that the Underworld operation going on throughout the One Piece world traces to Elbaf (for example, Mother Carmel's operation).

The Underworld headquarters is ran out of Elbaf

Like I pointed out, I think we can tie a large portion of the Underworld market in One Piece to Elbaf and I think that will be the main portion of conflict in that arc when we finally get there. Where else would be better to run a secretive operation outside of the eyes of the Marines than a secluded society filled with monsters that nobody wants to mess with? Just look at what Cipher Pol said to Mother Carmel after Big Mom killed Jorul
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They never thought she would leave Elbaf.
Why would they think that this character who has been working for the Underworld for decades wouldn't leave Elbaf... unless Elbaf is the home of the Underworld? It puts the market for her activities right next to her. Not to mention Franky engaging in Underworld activities before he became a Straw Hat. This was how he was able to buy Adam wood with the money he stole from the Straw Hats before becoming their friend.
To this day we still have so much mystery surrounding the Underworld operations that Doflamingo was so tied up in.
And while Kid isn't a Broker, we did learn in Punk Hazard that he was connected with the Underworld and aware of the going ons. I wouldn't be surprised if this is how he knows who the man with the burn scar is to begin with.
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Kid has some knowledge of the Underworld that we still need to learn as an audience and as the Straw Hat crew.

Why did Oda make Kid a Conqueror?

This is a question that I've asked in pretty much every discussion of Kid since it was revealed that Kid and Shanks were on Elbaf together. One Piece is a story written by an author, and that author makes decisions for what will close out certain narratives. That's how storytelling works. So the question I ask people who think that Kid will serve no more importance; Why did Oda make Kid a Conqueror?
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The group of known Conquerors in One Piece is incredibly short.
People have suggested that Kid has Conqueror's Haki because it would boost his resume and make Shanks look good. And I truly do not understand this argument at all. If that was truly Kid's role in the story, he doesn't need Conqueror's Haki in order to serve that purpose. If Law went to Elbaf instead of Kid and got one shotted by Shanks, I doubt anybody would be sitting here saying "yeah that's cool, but Law isn't a Conqueror so it's not that impressive." Because that would be silly. Oda could have made Kid as good with his Devil Fruit as Law is and it still would have shown just how strong Shanks is whether he was a Conqueror or not.
Kid did not even use Conqueror's in the fight with Big Mom. Excluding the anime, all we have is Kaido telling us that Kid is a Conqueror and nothing else. So again, why did Oda add this at all? This isn't like Armament Haki where everybody and their mother has it at this point, this is a very exclusive group of characters. And being Conquerors serves a very in your face narrative purpose for almost all of these characters, with the rest still having future roles to play in the story.

• Shanks - Doesn't need to be explained
• Luffy - Really doesn't need to be explained
• Rayleigh - Right hand of the Pirate King, the Dark King himself, and Luffy's mentor on his path to being the Pirate King
• Hancock - Oda could have easily had Hancock be captured and turned into a slave again, but that hasn't happened as far as the story stands now. I don't know what her role will be now that she's left Amazon Lily looking for Luffy, but her strong will power was shown when she faced Blackbeard with no fear
• Doflamingo - A man who desires to tear down the entire Holy Land with knowledge of the National Treasure and controlled the entire Underworld of the One Piece world
• Don Chinjao - A gatekeeper of the old age of One Piece as a combatant of Garp, and Luffy's baptism into combat on the highest level in the New World
• Big Mom - a Yonkou, self explanatory
• Katakuri - The gatekeeper between Luffy and breaking the billion berry benchmark, and the person who gave Luffy the respect of eventually being able to beat a Yonkou (will you come back and defeat Big Mom)
• Sengoku - Fleet Admiral and an Admiral during the days of Roger and Whitebeard
• Kaido - a Yonkou, self explanatory
• Zoro - desires to be the greatest swordsman
• Yamato - future role still pretty up in the air post Wano, but is the child of one of the greatest Conquerors and desires to be Oden. Also the guardian of Wano next to Momonosuke (who will probably also have Conquerors by the end of the story, but that's speculation)
• Whitebeard - 2nd to the throne
• Ace - Ace died before ever truly reaching his potential, but his lived with the desires to make Whitebeard the King of the Pirates and is the son of the Pirate King
• Oden - Shogun of Wano and the central point of the entire saga of arcs that put us in Wano to begin with
• Gol D. Roger - King of the Pirates

Conquerors are all important characters. This is not a power that Oda just hands out. Until we can answer the question of why Kid is a Conqueror, his narrative is not complete. Don't take my word for it; take Kid's (and Oda's).
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If I die now, what was the point of my whole pirating career?

Conclusion

I think we're seeing the path clear for Kid to be the antagonist of Elbaf, even with as shaky as it looks for now. We can pretty confidently say Shanks is not going to be on Elbaf, that possibility was erased last chapter. Blackbeard probably has to get ready for war with Garp. Big Mom is definitely still a possibility, but she has much bigger issues to actually gather her crew first and get to Elbaf (including rescuing Pudding). I think Kid will come back having gone through the same growth that Luffy went through in the Udon mines and by the time Luffy gets to Elbaf, Kid will actually be strong enough to be his rival.
Kid has not served his entire narrative purpose. And because of that, I'm keeping my Kid stocks. I would advise you all to not sell just yet.
Buy the dip!

Hello All! I have been working for some time on a small collection of short stories/vignettes to turn into a graphic novel about my cat and I at the edge of the end of the world! My goal is to tell a story about accepting changes and growth. I would really love some feedback on some of the little stories. This is my first one I am sharing! I haven't written in years, so please be kind!
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We creaked open the old, heavy door to reveal what appeared to be a home frozen in time. But instead of frost, it was dust that held each piece of furniture in place since what appears to be the 1990s. Underneath each layer of dust, there was a shiny cherry wood grain. Cozied on top, doilies and cold candle holders. The air, already heavy from the sprinkles of kicked up dust, was weighed down even more by the scent of amethyst, rose, mezcal and mothballs. The heaviness of the air was fitting for the scene. Here lays a life that once was light and vibrant, now long gone. Something her and I now have come to face too many times in this life. I carefully raised my eyes to see her face. I was terrified for our eyes to meet. Her round, green eyes had a darkness to them. She appeared to be away, somewhere else—perhaps in this very room at a different time.
“Just how I remembered,” she whispered in awe. Her little white paws pinched closer together just before she lied down, with all her feet tucked in. Her eyes still appearing to be somewhere else.
“Happy memories?” I felt the words well up in my throat.
“Oh yes. But, in some ways—very sad. It makes me remember when…” she paused. I knew this was coming. This was a grave mistake. Not good ever comes from digging up the past, happy or sad. The happy memories only remind you of what comes at the end. “When it all changed.”
“I understand.” I sat next to her, kicking dust in the air. I pet her head. “I’m sorry, Rose. I hope this brings you peace.” I say, assuming she is stronger than me.
“It does. It brings me closer to her.”
Silence. Rose reminisces and I meditate on her point. We have no connection to our past lives now—but more than ever I find myself wanting to live in that fantasy world. A world before everything changed. Before I left the only home I ever knew, and before the war. I wonder if Rose feels the same way with her first home. Before she lost the only person she knew to love and trust and had to grow up and find a new home to make her own. And although she is the only one I have, I wish I could give her this world back. Or at least be able to hide her from what her world has become. Maybe bringing her back here does.
This old ranch house, once warmed and decorated by eager newly-weds, worn down by 3 children, slowly became softer and quieter when the children moved out and the husband passed away, leaving Beth and later Rose as its only habitants. As a kitten, Rose found peace with Beth. There were few visitors and plenty of space to race from one room to the next. As Jazz music played, Beth would water her plants and talk to Rose about the importance of allowing something to grow. Rose learned to love Jazz and the rest of her life, let the plants around her grow without her interference.
After Beth passed and I adopted Rose, these lessons came in handy when I would accidentally purchase a Peace Lily or Alocasia—both poisonous to cats—or when I needed to relax her on a tough car ride by playing some light jazz. Throughout the years I had Rose, she would let me into this past life little by little. I always avoided the subject with her as to not pry. But here, it felt unavoidable.
I take a deep breath.
“Thank you, Beth,” I exhale.
Rose let out a soft, slow stream of tears from her eyes as she began to smile.
“Yes, thank you. I love you dearly, Beth.” Rose stands, tilts her head up as if to acknowledge Beth above in the heavens. “And thank you for allowing me to feel her here once more. It feels like a piece of me has been renewed.”
I nodded. I could not say anymore. This is her moment, and I wanted to leave it on her own terms. No questions, no pushing her towards light-hearted conversations, no heavy hitting words of wisdom…this is for her.
“I want to stay just a little longer if that’s okay.” I nodded again. She nuzzled me as she walked towards the bedroom.
“Just as it was left. Nothing changed, just some dust!” I hear her shout from the other room. “Isn’t that something?”
It is.
- -
Rose presses her right paw into the carpet as she stretches are front legs. Despite being hardened by the years of neglect, dust, and water damage, still feels like it once did. She allows her mind to trick her. She runs under the bed and armoire, hiding from imaginary mice. Beth comes in from the kitchen and lays a throw on the bed. This is where Rose is allowed to lay, so not to ruin the comforter. She finds her spot and snuggles in between her two feet.
“Such a sweet girl, Rosalia. Paying your dues by keeping my feet warm,” Beth’s voice echoes into the room so faintly. The opaque memories becoming more chopped and faded over time feel so clear now.
Suddenly a bright jazz piano plays in the kitchen. Beth is awake and putting a kettle over the stove.
Spring is here, and Beth sits on the front porch while Rose rests her head in the afternoon sun spilling through the window.
Dusk appears and Beth has given in and retired back to the living room for more tea and light reading. The birds retire as well and the night becomes ever so quiet.
The day repeats, over and over, until one day it doesn’t.
One day Beth does not wake up and play Jazz. Many people come and then, everyone is gone. Someone visits once every few days to check on Rose before she is taken away from the home. Rose has returned, but Beth has not.
All these memories play at the same time. Her mind assigns no order or priority over these memories. Once they have played a few times, she pulls herself back to the old, dusty bedroom. Her new caretaker is waiting for her.
- -
I peel back the curtains. Outside the sunset stains everything it touches an orangey-red, meaning good weather ahead. A sense of peace calms my nerves and I feel a nuzzle against my ankle.
“I think I am ready now,” Rose says.
“You sure? We can always come back you know.”
“No, I don’t think so. But I feel so lucky to have been her once more.”
I follow Rose out. My shoulders rolled down with a sprinkle of shame.
“Thank you, Kara. I love you dearly.”
I pick her up onto my shoulder. Rose watches the house shrink behind us, and I watch the sun set on the last day I saw her as my little kitten.