It’s a little scattered doing it on my phone. I’ll get home and clean it up. But I want peoples input. I really think this would work and it’s totally realistic. I think CIG needs some guidance and the medical changes offer the perfect moment to add these features in the game.
I have been a developer for years and I can see CIG trying balance what’s realistic and what they promised. Every startup I was with came to a point where they realized their proposals were far too aggressive, and the higher ups would not even listen to ideas unless they were easy to implement.
So, I’ve been trying to come up with ideas that take minimal effort for maximum gains. These are fairly simple, but will add depth or will lay the groundwork for easy future development.
I think this is the perfect topic for my first idea. The medical system is tricky, but so important. Right now, the medical system is boring and doesn’t add much to the game and with a few tweaks it could add 25% more and be a major part imo while feeling more immersive and satisfying both parties. We need to look to other amazing games like Eve online and cyberpunk imo.
The hard-core fans want investment and death to cost. Now that I am older and have a family, I understand how hard it is to balance that in time to play Now that I am older and have a family, I understand how hard it is to balance that and time to play. It’s really hard to get your average gamer to want to invest 30 minutes to simply respawn.
So in my opinion, we need a system that…

1. Makes death inconvenient and costly but with several ways to pay the “bill”, not only costly at that moment so the player decides quitting is easier.
   
2. Makes the game far more immersive and makes the game deeper, not shallower. In real life in the future, in the future, medical would be a vast portion of warfare and finance and exploration and exploitation. Not just a glorified HP counter.
   
3. Makes all medical ships useful and relevant. Cannot have a shallow system where one ship is clearly the best.
   
4. Makes healthcare and biology affect all the other parts of the game…. It is our bodies and minds after all. In the future, the wealthy will modify their bodies, just like their ships.
   
5. Uses a lot of these modules that are currently window dressing, but have amazing application. Things like blood pressure and reflex times and damage reduction and bio scanners and the HUD and incorporates it to a tiered clone system.
   

TLDR is We need a Cyberpunk / Eve style futuristic bio medical system with weapons and implants that completely change a persons capabilities and a jump clone system that reflects this. T5-T1 clones 5 being a throwaway and 1 being a Spartan from Halo. T1 would have the exact HUD we have now with additional systems. T4 and less is like the game in photo mode with nothing. People take for granted how much information you get from the HUD and who would really have access to it?
The beauty of this is while it sounds like a lot and would add 25-50% more careers, economys, gameplay and strategy’s from a gameplay perspective. Its actually not much at all from a development point of view. It would reuse all of the current systems now, and add a few skills like scanning / hacking and weapons like EMP, Darts to humans. Generally, this is how it would work.
T5 clone is a meat bag with a 4 hour life used as a spare tire. It’s the base level. Operated similar to when you’re drunk because The damage from the cryo. You can do stuff, but you are very limited. They can be carried around in 1 SCU containers or special lockers in big ships for dangerous work like reactor repairs etc.
T4 clone is a meatbag the same we are inhabiting right now IRL. Basically this is exactly like you turning off the game hud in photo mode. These cannot be cold stored and reused. No HUD or endgame information input at all outside of your Moby glass watch.
T3 clone is the first of the implants. It can take one implant. Combat might allow thermal vision or the local map and radar and crosshair. Exploration might have the ability to bookmark or see things on your HUD that you scanned from your ship. Conversation might add elements to charisma and talking people into doing things, getting better prices on goods, or hearing rumors about opportunities, etc. Covert allow you to scan people and check their inventory and run checks on who they are, what crimes they have committed, etc.
Basically it’s a stripped down version of the hud that’s active all the time even without helmets. It has to work in tandem with your mobi. You have to select one element.
T2 clone has upgraded reflexes, can run longer, survive more dmg and has the complete HUD suite. It has the bandwidth and upgrades to support 1 implant and 1 physical modification. Everything CIG has been adding can be added to the HUD but you have to switch between exploration, combat, conversation, covert etc. 1 physiological mod or weapon. Like a brain hacking chip that can open ship doors, and emp that shut down all electronics in a 20 m radius for 15 seconds or a drone or fiber optics camera. Then there are all the illegal modifications like hidden blades, Multi launchers with everything from neurotoxin to EMP darts.
T1 clone is very costly and made for combat and for solo explorers who need complete autonomy. 20% more hp, and basically 20% better everything. It has the complete HUD with the ability to Connect to the data stream of two ships in your party. If your buddys ship detect an enemy ship coming in it would pop up in your actual vision as a big red square with information. You would have the ability to zoom without a helmet on and have limited scanning just like your ships function on everything.
It could 2 implants. 1 legal and 1 illegal implant. Emp, Hacker etc
It also has two physical modifications. Blades, darts etc
Also the tier 2 and 1 are the only clones that are not harmed using heavy or power armor. The others are slowly harmed by s by the rapid and jarring servos, etc. so they are all time limited.
Imagine how amazing this would make the universe in general. You would have ripper docs implanting stolen, or military implants. Corpses would now be valuable if they had upgraded organs for implants. People would become targets just for their implants.
If you killed an assassin coming after you, you could take his cool tools.
Sometimes corpses could be worth as much as a ship. You could actually ransom back bodies.
You could have a repo men coming to collect the implants. Organ traders and human traffickers.
But it would also make T1 and 2 ships completely necessary in combat because they were the only ones who could rec clone military units.
Best of all. All of this code is already there. All of the heads up display and all these cool features they’ve been adding Would be the implants themselves.
The game the Way it is it doesn’t make sense that a Moby glass can produce all of this data. It makes the game more immersive as well.
It doesn’t have to be over the top like cyberpunk. But we almost have brain implants now and everything is going wireless, you really think in the future they’re gonna be wearing a wristwatch? Everything will be brain implant and wetware.
With these easy changes, we solve our medical problems and add a ton of depth along with the ability to add as much depth as we want.
All you would need is to create the UI for this, but the game already has a lot of that with its biological scanners. All the balancing could happen by biologically if you’re using implants, etc.
Jump clones would cost a lot of money to make, and healthcare in real life is one of the most expensive things. But just like the hospital doesn’t make you pay your bill the moment you’re out of surgery, we need to spread the cost to a later time.
The time the player needs to respawn is usually after they have already planned and loaded up and executed, but didn’t succeed. This is time where casual players set aside their block of playable hours. (when the kids are asleep and wife is watching something etc) So by making it too costly at that moment, ( 30 minutes to an hour, getting geared up and in ship flying back) your odds are they will just quit, which is not engaging for other players and your odds of a major war or event go down drastically. What’s good for the game and what was so successful in Eve was the fights after the opening.
Instead the front loading all the time investment, Charge 5-25k for the biomaterial. spread the cost of the death to a later time and let them pay off their debt when they log back in.
We also want to make the smaller tier 3 ships necessary while not killing the t1 and 2 beds.

My house is a 1964 ranch in the southern part of Michigan: 1280 sq ft first floor (+ 1280 sq ft conditioned but mostly unfinished basement). I had a blower door test last fall, and things are much tighter than I'd thought - air leakage rate 1364 cf/min @ 50 pascals, with avg fresh air exchange rate of 4.3/day or .18/hour. I sealed and insulated the attic and sprayfoamed the basement sill plate before the test, and would like to add dense-pack cellulose to the walls and replace windows in the future.
My area is 5° F winter / 89° F summer design temp, and CoolCalc says my demand is 55k heating, 24k cooling. The house came with a 1989 Carrier 80% 80k natural gas furnace and ~8 seer 2.5 ton central AC. Ac died last fall, and while furnace seems to be working OK I figure 35 years was a good run and might as well replace it at the same time. I'd do dual fuel if I go with a heat pump, as natural gas is very cheap here. Other note: our power grid is not the best - I expect two or three multiple day outages each year that I use a portable generator to manage.
Most quotes were right in the same range - about 12-13 K after rebates/credits, but the two sales guys that I felt were most knowledgeable were the following:

Company 1

Great reviews, medium sized local operation, more heat pump experience than most
Option 1

• Daikin DM97MC 98% modulating furnace (60K or 80K)
• Daikin DZ6VSA Inverter HP (2 or 3 ton)
• Daikin CAPEA evaporator coil (2-4 ton)
• Daikin DTST-TOU-A communicating thermostat
• new venting/intake
• new lineset if required (3 ton HP option only)
• condensate pump, 5" MERV 11 media filter cabinet
• 2 inline surge protectors included (condensefurnace)
• Warranty: 12 years parts, 1 year labor. Can add Daikin 12 year labor (Asure) for + $990 fee.

$14770 total after energy co. rebates (before $2600 federal credits)
Salesman quoted multiple size options here bc I'm between 60-80K BTU heating / 2-3 ton cooling - he thinks that ducting can support 3 ton HP, and since that is within spec of inverter oversizing for heating load could be best comfort for all eventualities. Will do manual J calculation as part of job (or $350 fee if we don't opt for install).
Option 2

• Lennox EL296 70k 96% 2 stage furnace
• Lennox ML14 2.5 ton single stage AC 17 seer Condenser
• Lennox CX35-36B Coil
• Lennox iComfort thermostat
• Warranty: 10 yrs parts, 1 yr labor
• all else same as above

$12500 Total after energy co. rebates

----------------

Company 2

Great reviews, smaller operation, recommended by energy consultants. Highly recommends option 1 (highest degree of improvement for the buck/dependable equipment); generally doesn't think variable is worth it in on a smaller house in our region. For option 2 is unsure of long-term reliability of Bryant's rebranded HP.
Option 1

• Bryant 926TC 60,000 2 stage 96% furnace
• Bryant 126SAN 2.5 ton single stage AC 16 SEER2 Condenser
• Bryant 2.5 ton Evaporator Coil 31/17
• Honeywell 8000 thermostat
• new venting/intake
• flush/reuse existing lineset
• condensate pump, 4" media filter cabinet
• Warranty: 10 yr parts, 5 yr labor

$12900 Total after energy co. rebates (no federal tax credit)
Option 2

• Bryant 926TC 60,000 2 stage 96% furnace
• Bryant 38MURA 2.5 ton heat pump instead of AC (requires change of disconnect box, outdoor air temp sensor)
• all else same as above

$14960 Total after energy co. rebates (but before $2000 federal tax credit):
Option 3

• Bryant 987MB 60,000 modulating 98% furnace
• Bryant 189BNV 3 ton variable 19 SEER2 Condenser
• all else same as above

$16890 Total after energy co. rebates (but before $600 federal tax credit)
In general, I'm wondering what would make more sense: stick with the simpler end (2-stage furnace/single stage AC) and put the money I saved into windows/insulation/eventual HRV/ERV, or go for more potential comfort with variable furnace/inverter heat pump? Let me know what you think, thanks.

I have a 2000 Triumph trophy 900 sitting rotting in my driveway, needs some decent work. for roughly the same price it would cost to buy the parts needed I could buy the same 150 cc chinese scooter my dad has temporarily, and sell it when i can afford a better ride. im decently mechanically inclined and a fast learner, and have nearly a full tool set at this point.
list of things the trophy needs now;

1. either a new oil pump or new motor. I dont have the skill tools or space to split an engine or the money to pay someone to do it, plus this motor has almost 80k miles on it, so I would want a whole new(used) motor which will cost me ~900 buckaroos, or even the 1200 cc motor for a couple hundred more since the mounts and everything are the same, its a direct swap
2. front fender and side plastic. neighbor knocked it over once and when i moved it a storm washed it out. should be less than $200 for plastics and i can live with the side panel being broken for now as long as the fender gets fixed
3. fork seals: i have the seals and press tool thingy to seat them. just need fork oil and a few hours time i guess
4. tires are starting to rot
5. new chain
6. tank is rusting inside
7. might as well do brake pads and flush while im at it

total cost= ~1400-1500 including tires and factoring in small things i might need+a couple days work
chinese scooter;

1. costs less than 1200 to ship to my door in a crate
2. takes 2 hours to set up
3. brand new
4. not put together by someone nearly brand new to motorcycles(me if i put the trophy back together)
5. slow
6. its a scooter
7. needs a lot of parts swapped out, ie carb, muffler, intake, and throttle. egr delete etc. did this on my dads scooter as well as my chinese grom clone that got stolen, costs around 200 or so all told

total cost=$1400-1500+maybe 4-5 hours of work
Im hesitant to put more money into the trophy since i really overpaid for it to begin with, and i dont have much faith in it given the amount of headaches its given me. BUT, with all this work it would basically be a brand new bike. BUT. ive also never swapped a motor bigger than an 80cc china doll bicycle engine. have also never done fork seals. or bled a dual rotor front brake. or changed brake pads. Ive taken the bike and carbs apart before down to the frame and motor basically, so its not my first time taking it apart. just very afraid ill put all this money into it just to get a bad motor, or mess something up, or have this end up being beyond my skill level. but i also know that i wont be happy with the scooter long term and it will need replaced within the year due to the area i live in. most roads are ~50mph+ around me and thats basically the top speed of the scooter on flat full pinned. so it would get me around for now but would ultimately be a waste of money reselling it because who wants a used chinese scooter
idk what would you guys do? sorry, im very indecisive and have been debating this for quite a while now. need to make my decision by friday morning
please feel free to ask questions or anything, and please, be gentle with me.
View Poll

The huge alien vessel loomed into view of the lunar diplomatic station's windows. Jonah stared up at the immense black shape blocking out the stars, feeling an influx of mixed emotions. As Earth's chief ambassador, the responsibility for how this first contact went weighed heavily on him. He took a deep breath to compose himself as the airlock connected with an audible thunk.
The massive frames of the arriving Vrax nearly filled the chamber as the inner door slid open. Their dark brown exoskeletons glinted under the lights, and bulbous blue eyes regarded the humans with an unreadable expression. The lead alien, Ambassador Grax, extended a claw in greeting which Jonah cautiously shook. Through translation algorithms, Grax declared they came in peace and wished to forge a prosperous relationship.
The ensuing talks did not go as Jonah hoped. Grax demanded access to the resource-rich asteroid belts, along with tribute payments to the Vrax Empire. When Jonah protested that humanity could not simply cede sovereign territory, Grax's tone turned condescending. "Consider this a generous offer, given our technological superiority." Jonah bit back a retort, mind racing to defuse the situation.
That evening, the diplomats convened an emergency video call with world leaders back on Earth. "Their demands are outrageous and set a terrible precedent," declared the Chinese premier. "We must stand firm or risk becoming tributary vassals," agreed the Russian president. Arguments flew across cultural and ideological lines until Jonah called for calm. "Antagonizing them could provoke conflict. I say we request further dialogue to find common ground."
The next meeting with Grax did not go smoothly. No matter how Jonah framed alternative proposals, the alien remained fixated on tribute and territory. When Jonah stood his ground, Grax's eyes flashed red in a sign of anger unfamiliar to the humans. "Do not test our patience, Ambassador. Your world depends on our good graces." Jonah ended the talks with a bitter taste in his mouth, dreading informing the others.
That night, Jonah paced the station, wrestling with their disastrous options. Take on the Vrax fleet and demonstrate to the galaxy the true nature of humanity, or give in to their oppressive demands?
He heard footsteps and turned to see his second-in-command, Captain Sato, entering with a grim look. "Grax just issued an ultimatum - accept their terms within a solar day or face reprisals." Jonah's heart sank further at this escalation.
In an emergency session, viewscreens filled with tense faces as Jonah briefed the situation. Shouts immediately erupted over what to do, none of the viable choices appealing. Then, the elderly UN Secretary General spoke slowly and calmly. "My friends, while force will gain us nothing, weakness will see our sovereignty trampled. I suggest we issue one final, simple message - that any harm to humanity will be met with swift and overwhelming response. This buys time for diplomacy without losing face or firing a shot. All agreed?" The room fell silent, then gradually, nations signaled consensus on this last hope. Now it was in Grax's claws.
The news of the Vrax's demands spread like wildfire across the solar system. On Earth, massive crowds swarmed city centers, chanting "No tribute!" and "Off our world!". Even hardened military analysts conceded humanity had no means to repel a full attack.
Jonah watched the coverage, weary after hours of unproductive talks with Grax. The ambassador remained resolute, because Earths resources were required for the survival of the Vrax Empire. His mention of force cast a grim pallor over the room. As Jonah returned to the station, Captain Sato gave a grim update. Social media was swimming with calls to arms, governments debated reactive shows of military force.
An emergency UN session convened via hologram. Shouts echoed in the vast chamber as leaders demanded strategies. "Further concessions will destroy our dignity!" roared the Chinese premier. The Russian president warned a small deterrent strike could backfire catastrophically. "Our people will never accept subjugation," said the Indian foreign minister.
Jonah relayed his advice to find diplomatic solutions.
On the lunar station, Jonah stared up at the alien warship, praying his diplomacy to paid off. Whatever happened, Earth would not go down without teaching these newcomers, that humanity was not so easy to conquer.
Grax saw humanity's final desperate plea as a threat, that neither safety nor pride could ignore. Now there was nothing to do but wait.
On the Vrax command ship, Grax snarled as the human's message was translated. His blue eyes flashed red with rage. "Insolent primitives! They dare threaten the mighty Vrax Empire?" He stabbed a claw at his subcommander. "Launch the entire assault fleet at once. I want those upstart human colonies wiped from the stars."
The subcommander scrambled to obey, sending the order to the hundreds of ships waiting on standby. Throughout the armada, crew rushed to battle stations as engines roared to life. Within minutes, the full force of the Vrax military swung into a sharp intercept course, weapons priming for the slaughter to come.
Within the lunar station, alarms blared as long-range sensors detected the armada changing course. "They're heading straight for the moon bases at maximum speed," cried Captain Sato, studying the readouts in horror. Ambassador Jonah prepared himself and delivered a command: decloak only one dreadnought, and show Earth and the galaxy who we truly are!
Through the viewport, he peered into the black and saw a faint flare of light growing behind Earth's shadow.
On the bridge of the ESN Phoenix, Commander Aoki watched the enemy fleet emerge on her sensors, over 500 enemy contacts closing at dangerous velocity. "All hands to battle stations," she ordered calmly into the comm.
Around her, the crew leapt into well-practiced motions as blast doors sealed, and armor plating hummed into place. "Charge main kinetic barriers and plasma lances. Stand by rocket pods for intercept maneuvers."
Aoki felt the deck plates vibrate, as the massive engines thundered to life, pulling the Phoenix from its geosynchronous orbit in a burst of golden light.
Through the forward windows, the crew watched Earth fall away at dizzying speed, as the automated piloting system slammed the nose up, and spun the dreadnought to align with its intercept vector. By the time the first Vrax ships broke Lunar orbit, the Phoenix would be waiting.
On the lead Vrax cruiser, Grax glared at the sensor display, showing the lone human warship, accelerating to engage his fleet alone. "Impossible," he spat. "No single vessel could stand against hundreds. All ships!" he bellowed, "Concentrate your fire and crush that eyesore!" Around him, crew scrambled to comply, locking targeting solutions across the squadrons. But as the first energy beams, and plasma lances lanced out, they merely flickered off invisible shields, far stronger than their own.
As the first energy beams and plasma lances streaked towards the Phoenix, Commander Aoki watched their vivid colors, dim and disperse across the ship's energy barriers. "Damage report?" she asked curtly. "Shields holding at 99%", responded the sensors officer. While an unprecedented barrage for any other vessel, the Phoenix's armor could withstand an nation's worth of firepower for hours.
"Return fire, target lead enemy cruisers", ordered Aoki. Before the words left her mouth, flickers of light erupted from the Phoenix's forward batteries. Dual heavy plasma lances, intense as a sun's core, lashed out like spears. They sheared through the initial Vrax ships with brutal efficiency, superstructures evaporating within the star hot beams.
A spread of precision antimatter warheads followed, tiny singularities of annihilation blossoming into explosions that obliterated entire capital ships. Not a single shot missed its mark, targeting computers guided by an intelligence far superior to any the aliens possessed. Behind the initial devastation, dozens more Vrax craft spun out of control, dead in space.
A flicker of doubt entered Grax's mind at the devastation wrought by this single opponent. But he steeled his resolve, determined to outlast the human war machine through sheer numbers. "All ships jump to flanking positions, surround it and pummel the eyesore from all sides." Obedient to their instincts, the Vrax pilots executed precision micro-jumps that scattered their fleet in an immersive cloud.
Yet for all their coordination, the Phoenix's defenses and countermeasures were vastly more advanced. As waves of plasma and coherent beams lashed at it from every angle, point-defense cannons methodically picked off attackers. Not a single shot touched its heavily ablative armor plates.
Inside the hull, crew calmly went about their duties, the ship responding to their desires before they were even voiced. An autonomous parasite weapon was deployed, an obsidian spheres that swallowed incoming fire like a singularity. When satiated, it vomited the torn energies of a hundred ships back at their original vectors. Squadrons disintegrated under their own firepower.
Grax howled at the massacre unfolding, his vaunted fleet being picked apart ship by ship. Few commanders in history had witnessed the obliteration of an armada with their own eyes. Despite everything, Grax refused to back down until the Human war machine was itself destroyed.
He cried out the order for supreme suicide tactics, a final gambit to see them all go down together...
Twenty more Dreadnoughts decloaked around the battlefield´. Drax thoughts run through his head," Only suicide here will be his".
Surrender was the only Option!

The huge alien vessel loomed into view of the lunar diplomatic station's windows. Jonah stared up at the immense black shape blocking out the stars, feeling an influx of mixed emotions. As Earth's chief ambassador, the responsibility for how this first contact went weighed heavily on him. He took a deep breath to compose himself as the airlock connected with an audible thunk.
The massive frames of the arriving Vrax nearly filled the chamber as the inner door slid open. Their dark brown exoskeletons glinted under the lights, and bulbous blue eyes regarded the humans with an unreadable expression. The lead alien, Ambassador Grax, extended a claw in greeting which Jonah cautiously shook. Through translation algorithms, Grax declared they came in peace and wished to forge a prosperous relationship.
The ensuing talks did not go as Jonah hoped. Grax demanded access to the resource-rich asteroid belts, along with tribute payments to the Vrax Empire. When Jonah protested that humanity could not simply cede sovereign territory, Grax's tone turned condescending. "Consider this a generous offer, given our technological superiority." Jonah bit back a retort, mind racing to defuse the situation.
That evening, the diplomats convened an emergency video call with world leaders back on Earth. "Their demands are outrageous and set a terrible precedent," declared the Chinese premier. "We must stand firm or risk becoming tributary vassals," agreed the Russian president. Arguments flew across cultural and ideological lines until Jonah called for calm. "Antagonizing them could provoke conflict. I say we request further dialogue to find common ground."
The next meeting with Grax did not go smoothly. No matter how Jonah framed alternative proposals, the alien remained fixated on tribute and territory. When Jonah stood his ground, Grax's eyes flashed red in a sign of anger unfamiliar to the humans. "Do not test our patience, Ambassador. Your world depends on our good graces." Jonah ended the talks with a bitter taste in his mouth, dreading informing the others.
That night, Jonah paced the station, wrestling with their disastrous options. Take on the Vrax fleet and demonstrate to the galaxy the true nature of humanity, or give in to their oppressive demands?
He heard footsteps and turned to see his second-in-command, Captain Sato, entering with a grim look. "Grax just issued an ultimatum - accept their terms within a solar day or face reprisals." Jonah's heart sank further at this escalation.
In an emergency session, viewscreens filled with tense faces as Jonah briefed the situation. Shouts immediately erupted over what to do, none of the viable choices appealing. Then, the elderly UN Secretary General spoke slowly and calmly. "My friends, while force will gain us nothing, weakness will see our sovereignty trampled. I suggest we issue one final, simple message - that any harm to humanity will be met with swift and overwhelming response. This buys time for diplomacy without losing face or firing a shot. All agreed?" The room fell silent, then gradually, nations signaled consensus on this last hope. Now it was in Grax's claws.
The news of the Vrax's demands spread like wildfire across the solar system. On Earth, massive crowds swarmed city centers, chanting "No tribute!" and "Off our world!". Even hardened military analysts conceded humanity had no means to repel a full attack.
Jonah watched the coverage, weary after hours of unproductive talks with Grax. The ambassador remained resolute, because Earths resources were required for the survival of the Vrax Empire. His mention of force cast a grim pallor over the room. As Jonah returned to the station, Captain Sato gave a grim update. Social media was swimming with calls to arms, governments debated reactive shows of military force.
An emergency UN session convened via hologram. Shouts echoed in the vast chamber as leaders demanded strategies. "Further concessions will destroy our dignity!" roared the Chinese premier. The Russian president warned a small deterrent strike could backfire catastrophically. "Our people will never accept subjugation," said the Indian foreign minister.
Jonah relayed his advice to find diplomatic solutions.
On the lunar station, Jonah stared up at the alien warship, praying his diplomacy to paid off. Whatever happened, Earth would not go down without teaching these newcomers, that humanity was not so easy to conquer.
Grax saw humanity's final desperate plea as a threat, that neither safety nor pride could ignore. Now there was nothing to do but wait.
On the Vrax command ship, Grax snarled as the human's message was translated. His blue eyes flashed red with rage. "Insolent primitives! They dare threaten the mighty Vrax Empire?" He stabbed a claw at his subcommander. "Launch the entire assault fleet at once. I want those upstart human colonies wiped from the stars."
The subcommander scrambled to obey, sending the order to the hundreds of ships waiting on standby. Throughout the armada, crew rushed to battle stations as engines roared to life. Within minutes, the full force of the Vrax military swung into a sharp intercept course, weapons priming for the slaughter to come.
Within the lunar station, alarms blared as long-range sensors detected the armada changing course. "They're heading straight for the moon bases at maximum speed," cried Captain Sato, studying the readouts in horror. Ambassador Jonah prepared himself and delivered a command: decloak only one dreadnought, and show Earth and the galaxy who we truly are!
Through the viewport, he peered into the black and saw a faint flare of light growing behind Earth's shadow.
On the bridge of the ESN Phoenix, Commander Aoki watched the enemy fleet emerge on her sensors, over 500 enemy contacts closing at dangerous velocity. "All hands to battle stations," she ordered calmly into the comm.
Around her, the crew leapt into well-practiced motions as blast doors sealed, and armor plating hummed into place. "Charge main kinetic barriers and plasma lances. Stand by rocket pods for intercept maneuvers."
Aoki felt the deck plates vibrate, as the massive engines thundered to life, pulling the Phoenix from its geosynchronous orbit in a burst of golden light.
Through the forward windows, the crew watched Earth fall away at dizzying speed, as the automated piloting system slammed the nose up, and spun the dreadnought to align with its intercept vector. By the time the first Vrax ships broke Lunar orbit, the Phoenix would be waiting.
On the lead Vrax cruiser, Grax glared at the sensor display, showing the lone human warship, accelerating to engage his fleet alone. "Impossible," he spat. "No single vessel could stand against hundreds. All ships!" he bellowed, "Concentrate your fire and crush that eyesore!" Around him, crew scrambled to comply, locking targeting solutions across the squadrons. But as the first energy beams, and plasma lances lanced out, they merely flickered off invisible shields, far stronger than their own.
As the first energy beams and plasma lances streaked towards the Phoenix, Commander Aoki watched their vivid colors, dim and disperse across the ship's energy barriers. "Damage report?" she asked curtly. "Shields holding at 99%", responded the sensors officer. While an unprecedented barrage for any other vessel, the Phoenix's armor could withstand an nation's worth of firepower for hours.
"Return fire, target lead enemy cruisers", ordered Aoki. Before the words left her mouth, flickers of light erupted from the Phoenix's forward batteries. Dual heavy plasma lances, intense as a sun's core, lashed out like spears. They sheared through the initial Vrax ships with brutal efficiency, superstructures evaporating within the star hot beams.
A spread of precision antimatter warheads followed, tiny singularities of annihilation blossoming into explosions that obliterated entire capital ships. Not a single shot missed its mark, targeting computers guided by an intelligence far superior to any the aliens possessed. Behind the initial devastation, dozens more Vrax craft spun out of control, dead in space.
A flicker of doubt entered Grax's mind at the devastation wrought by this single opponent. But he steeled his resolve, determined to outlast the human war machine through sheer numbers. "All ships jump to flanking positions, surround it and pummel the eyesore from all sides." Obedient to their instincts, the Vrax pilots executed precision micro-jumps that scattered their fleet in an immersive cloud.
Yet for all their coordination, the Phoenix's defenses and countermeasures were vastly more advanced. As waves of plasma and coherent beams lashed at it from every angle, point-defense cannons methodically picked off attackers. Not a single shot touched its heavily ablative armor plates.
Inside the hull, crew calmly went about their duties, the ship responding to their desires before they were even voiced. An autonomous parasite weapon was deployed, an obsidian spheres that swallowed incoming fire like a singularity. When satiated, it vomited the torn energies of a hundred ships back at their original vectors. Squadrons disintegrated under their own firepower.
Grax howled at the massacre unfolding, his vaunted fleet being picked apart ship by ship. Few commanders in history had witnessed the obliteration of an armada with their own eyes. Despite everything, Grax refused to back down until the Human war machine was itself destroyed.
He cried out the order for supreme suicide tactics, a final gambit to see them all go down together...
Twenty more Dreadnoughts decloaked around the battlefield´. Drax thoughts run through his head," Only suicide here will be his".
Surrender was the only Option!

Hey fam, thanks so much for whoever chimes in. I'm not new to putting together pc's however, i'm new to ryzen CPU's and creating what build around that. I've seen more and more users swapping to ryzen for streaming/gaming and it's said to be a better option for multitasking. I want my build to have a 4070 TI because I've seen it in my friends custom build and I love the graphics i see when watching him play.
I've heard the Ryzen 7 7800x3d will work wit the 4070 TI. I know everything bottlenecks, but when i put both of them together at 2k on bottleneck calculator it says that the cpu is not strong enough for the full effects of the 4070 ti and bottlenecks at a 25.5% and thats my concern.. Any suggestions and swaps under budget would be incredible.
I would prefer a website where i can bundle things or get a credit card/payment plan for the parts, if that's not doable, it's not the biggest deal.
Thanks for all your help.
What to base build around:
GPU: Nvidia 4070 TI
What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.
Max settings Apex, BG3, Overwatch, Valheim, Fornite.. High settings for Rust & Cod (unless build can also run max for them)
What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?
$2,200.00
When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.
ASAP
What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)
Tower (white preferably) , windows OS, monitor (would prefer a 32inch 2k with 244 hz or better)
Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?
US, Yes i have access to a microcenter location.
If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.
Razer Basalisk v3 wired mouse, razer wired keyboard.
Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?
No I will not be overclocking as i'm unfamiliar with it. (if it's recommended please include a video and description on how this effects my pc/graphics card)
Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)
2T storage SSD Samsung preferred. I would like lights (i can always buy LED strips off of amazon but if there is a specific brand that could work better please lmk!)
What type of network connectivity do you need? (Wired and/or WiFi) If WiFi is needed and you would like to find the fastest match for your wireless router, please list any specifics.
I would like to have the option to swap to WIFI
Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?
Mid to full tower. White, Windowed, LED lighting. It's very hard for me to find a WHITE 2k monitor thats around 32 inch and runs at 244 hz or better as well, if this is possible to find I would love and appreciate that.
Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?
Latest version, as much as I would prefer windows 10, not many things are able to download with it..

sorry for the formatting i am on mobile but here goes: i (19f) am going on a trip to florida with my mom (39f) and her bf (late 30s early 40s m) possibly his son (mteenaged) and maybe the woman who is like my aunt (f50s)
i knew he and maybe his son was going and despite not wanting to go with them i decided to anyway bc i haven’t been since i was 14 and i was under the impression i would have my own room or be sharing with my psuedo-aunt
i was unaware that we (mom, her bf, and his son) would be sharing a room for a few days (for context we’re spending part of our trip in a historic city and moving to a different city for the beach/tourisim part) because it was /neve discussed we would share and my mom decided to drop the bomb /afte the room was booked. when told this i said im not sleeping in a room with a random man i don’t know. (more context: i’ve barely talked to the guy and honestly dont intend to much)
my mom got mad and asked if i think she would ever put me in harms way. i told her she wouldn’t do it knowingly and she just got upset. i told her its fine i would just miss a few days sleep (i do this occasionally due to chronic pain and i’m always fine, just cranky) and she was still angry. she suggested just talking my sleeping pills and knocking myself out and i ardently disagreed so she got angry. i told her i could just sleep in the bathroom, or the truck. i even suggested the patio and she was still angry and the discussion was pretty much shut down.
we’ve had no further talk about it but my plan is still the same depending on what works best in the room. i don’t want to sleep in a room with someone i don’t know. i dont even know the guys last name to bg check him or even his son if that would even help.
im absolutely terrified of being assaulted. im talking taking self defense class, pocket knives, a tazer, and at one point in time i had my room door set off wind chimes when someone walked in. i cant bring my dog with me to even attempt to ease the fear. im honestly kind of absofuckingloutley horrified of these days in the hotel but am i the asshole?
edit: when i say random i mean random i have never met the son and ive only said hello and something about parking somewhere not blocking the driveway. my mother has also been sneaking her bf into our house so that doesn’t inspire trust but i could be crazy /gen also i fixed some spelling

Two years ago, I had just moved to a new house from a different neighbourhood for work. I was settling in and getting used to the place, but I was still lonely and went through bouts of depression.
My ex-boyfriend of five years had ended the relationship a while before I moved, and I wasn't having much luck going on dates. I eventually decided to focus my energy into work and fitness instead, but the loneliness lingered. The house still felt empty at times, and the silence was painful. I went through the motions numbly as the days passed by.
About two months after I had moved in, I started noticed a stray dog pacing around my front yard from time to time. It had big, brown, sad eyes, and there was no collar around its neck. I couldn't tell you what breed it was - a reverse Google image search tells me it looks like an Indian Pariah dog. I could always recognize it, as its left eye was slightly larger and darker than the right, but that gave it some unique charm. After seeing it outside my front door for three days straight, I put up some posters along my street inviting anyone who might have lost a dog to call me. I quickly learned that I probably shouldn't have done that, after getting a few silent calls from an unknown number that I eventually chalked up to being a prankster or some scammer.
I called a local animal shelter and them pictures of the dog. A guy came over to scan the dog for a microchip, but found nothing. He said it was most likely abandoned as a puppy. He could take it back to the shelter, or I could look after it for the time being - they would contact me if anyone ever tried to claim it. My grandad had a german shepherd that I used to love playing with, so I always had a soft spot for dogs and agreed to look after it, even if it was for a while. The guy from the animal shelter advised that if I didn't hear back in a week, I should take it to the vet to get it checked out and microchipped, or to the shelter if I didn't want to keep it.
I took care of the dog and let it roam around the living room, with free access to the back yard. I decided to name him Charlie, and purchased more dog food, a labelled dog collar, some brushes to groom him with and dog toys. The nearest vet was a two hour drive away. Work was busy so I wasn't incredibly flexible for a visit, but I managed to get an appointment booked in two weeks' time.
The first night I spent with Charlie, I realized that he might just be what I needed in my life. Late in the evening, I sat on the couch looking at him, sitting quietly in the middle of the room on my wooden floor. I began talking out loud to Charlie. It seemed stupid at first, but the way he sat quietly and listened was comforting. After a while, I got more into it, and vented about my loneliness and frustrations to the point of tears.
How I stayed with my cheating, gaslighting ex-boyfriend because I was too insecure to be alone, until he dumped me. All my failed dates, and how I thought I would die alone and unloved. I poured my heart out to my new companion, spilling my deepest secrets until I cried myself to sleep. The next day, I again began talking to Charlie about the pain and depression I had been through, and he listened patiently once more. I discovered that spending time with my new friend was cathartic. Perhaps I needed to get it all out, and be listened to for once, even if not fully understood.
The third day after I had taken Charlie in, I woke up to realize that I'd overslept half an hour. I poured some food into Charlie's bowl and brushed my teeth at lightning speed, then grabbed my bag and flung the door open, ready to bolt into my car. A surprise greeted me at the front door, that made me stop.
There was a bouquet of red and pink roses on my front door step.
I picked it up and looked at it, confused. There was no note attached or anything. I couldn't think of who it would be from - I obviously hadn't been on any dates recently. Being late for work, I didn't have much time to ponder, so I dropped the roses back on my doorstep and drove off. During the drive, I panicked for a second at the thought that it could have been my ex, but then realized he didn't know my new address, or even that I had moved. The mystery bugged me all day at work. When I came back home, the roses were gone, so I assumed someone had accidentally left them at the wrong address.
That night, I woke to the sound of creaking. As I opened my eyes slightly, I saw something at the foot of my bed and bolted upright, adrenaline rushing through me. As the fogginess faded, my heart rate settled a little.
"It’s just you, Charlie," I sighed, "you scared me."
Charlie continued to stare at me from the foot of my bed. After a minute, he stood up and left the room. I didn't think much of it, and fell back asleep.
For the next week, I continued the usual ritual of talking to Charlie before I went to bed. I would talk about my day, my plans, hopes, dreams and other such things. I found our one way conversations getting more positive each day - they were very therapeutic. Charlie would always stare at me with those big brown eyes and sit quietly still as I talked.
On the morning of the vet appointment, for which I had taken the day off work, I noticed that my car was much cleaner than usual. Had it always been this shiny? I thought. I had driven it to work the Friday before, but I hadn't taken notice of how clean it was then. The last time I had, I could swear there were bird droppings on the back window, and some general grime that covered it all round, but it was now spotless. I pondered for a few seconds, and came to the conclusion that it must've just be a brain lapse on my part - it was probably always clean. Those droppings must have washed away over time with a few rainy nights.
I drove Charlie down to the vet and explained the story of how I'd found him.
"He's very well behaved," she beamed, as she began examining Charlie on the table. "We see a few of these cases from time to time. People's dogs have puppies, and they get sold or abandoned."
"It's a real shame," I sighed. "Charlie's been a star, I'm lucky to have him really. I live alone, so as odd as it sounds, I've been talking to him and it's helped me through some difficult moments."
"That's not strange at all," replied the vet, checking his teeth. "Owning a dog can do wonders for your mental health, especially if you live alo-"
She suddenly stopped.
I stared as she squinted and moved Charlie's head up and down, trying to get a look at something. She plucked a light out of her pocket and aimed it into Charlie's left eye.
"What's wrong?" I asked. She didn't answer, and kept looking at Charlie from different angles. He whimpered slightly.
"Did his eye look like this when you found him?" She asked. I leaned in closer.
"Yeah, I did notice his left eye was slightly darker and larger than his right."
She looked at me for a second and raised her eyebrows, then back at Charlie.
"I'd like to get a closer look at his eye and examine it in the next room, if that's okay?"
"Uh, sure," I said, confused.
Without further explanation, she hastily picked Charlie up and carried him off into a different room. I sat down and waited, reading the news on my phone, expecting her to be back in a few minutes. However, when the vet didn’t come back for a while, my concern began to grow. I paced around the room and tried to glance into the door she had left through a few times.
Then I sat back down and watched the minutes pass by, getting more anxious. Hopefully it's nothing, I thought to myself. An easily curable eye infection perhaps, or a defect he was born with - hopefully it was something like that or nothing. I'd only spent a few weeks with Charlie, but he was the best friend I'd ever had. I had told him so much about me, and he was the only one that had ever really listened to me. I had grown very attached to him quickly, so I almost felt like a worried parent, blaming myself for not bringing him to the vet sooner.
An hour and a half passed, but it felt like eternity. The vet finally came back through the door. I stood up.
"Everything okay?" I asked.
"Have you noticed any odd events recently?" she asked, "Like, anything you couldn't explain?"
"To do with Charlie?"
"No, just in general. Anything you've seen or heard around you that felt out of place in your life?" She insisted. I took a second to think.
"I'm pretty sure this isn't gonna be relevant," I said, "But I have a couple of times. For instance, this morning I thought my car was a lot cleaner than usual. I've been getting some unknown calls, and hearing some creaking noises at night lately, but I'm sure it's just Charlie walking around and waking me up. And… someone left roses on my front doorstep one day. Didn't say from who, but… Sorry, I'm not sure why I'm even telling you this."
I looked up at the vet, who now had a very concerned look on her face.
"I'm going to have to call the police," she said.
It took a few seconds to register. A million thoughts started racing through my mind. Did I say something wrong? Did she think I was abusing Charlie?
"I swear," I said, "Everything I've told you is true, I'm really sorry it took me so long to bring him in, it's my first time owning a dog and all…"
"No, no, it's not that," she said. She gestured for me to follow her into the room through the door.
Charlie was sitting on a table in the middle of the room. There were a few other tables surrounding it, with dog toys and surgical equipment on them. There was a large hole where his left eye had been, now a gaping black cavity.
The vet pointed at a sheet of blue paper on a table next to the one Charlie was on. There were two black domes resting on it, like two halves of a black ping pong ball had been split in half. A clear fluid was covering the outer sides, and staining the blue paper. There was also a tiny black cube. I looked closer, and saw some red and green wires coming out of the tube.
"I took this out of Charlie's left eye," the vet explained, "I thought my eyes were fooling me, but I took a closer look and was sure this thing definitely shouldn't have been in his head. When I took it out, I thought it was some kind of prosthetic eye, until I heard something moving inside it. I opened it up, and found this."
She pointed at the tiny cube and picked it up with some tweezers, revealing a transparent circular window on one side.
"Now I'm no expert, but I took that apart just now and to me it looked a lot like the inside of a camera lens you'd get on a smartphone."
She looked back at me.
"Do you think…" She paused.
"Do you think it's possible someone could have been watching you for the past few days?"
The police were eventually called and an investigation started. The tiny device inside Charlie's eye was indeed a camera lens with a built in audio recording device, and it had a wireless connection. It was an advanced piece of kit, but with some technical expertise they were able to examine its traffic logs and identify an IP address to which the miniature device was streaming.
That IP address belonged to my neighbor, who lived in the house opposite to mine.
I had never seen him leave the house before, although when I moved in I did see his silhouette in the top floor window a couple of times. He was a fifty five year old balding, slightly overweight man who worked as an engineer, but otherwise lived a reclusive lifestyle. I later found out that he had multiple restraining orders placed against him from ex partners. He had a collection of tiny bugging devices which he had been planting in various places including public women's bathrooms for years. These devices could livestream video and audio to his computer, and in his spare time he would watch and listen to this footage he collected.
A while before I moved into the house, he had purchased a puppy from someone he knew, and kept it as a pet without registering it. I assume he got bored of spying on women in bathroom stalls, and when he saw me move into the house opposite, he suddenly got a wild idea of how he could get a peek at something more intimate. The rest is some truly horrific history.
Charlie had been in my room while I slept and even a couple of times while I undressed. But worst of all, I had told him everything about me. The names of previous partners, things about my family, companies I had worked for and more. I wish I could say that I kept Charlie, but I just couldn't. Not after that. The vet arranged for him to be sent to the animal shelter where I'm glad to say he eventually did find a new home. I also relocated and changed my phone number.
For anyone out there wondering, I'm still single. The difference is that nowadays, I'm completely at peace with being alone. I've experienced a worse alternative, that's for sure.

Genocide looked to the sky. He thought of his mentor. The one who had saved him. He remembered his childhood. How powerless he was. He remembered the anger. He never wanted to hurt anybody. He thought of all the times he showed compassion. How much they hurt him for it. He saw the world before him, a graveyard. Humans. People that were supposed to be made in the image of some divine creator. They were but maggots feasting upon his remains. They ate away at his very being until nothing human remained. His thoughts were no longer his own. He had no joys in life that mattered. He hated humanity more than he could love anything about himself. He remember his first killing spree. Being gunned down by police. Left for dead. He remembered a hooded figure moving towards him. Getting closer the more he neared his death. He saw its pale face. Its impossibly black eyes. It was a man. This figure in question appeared to be of Japanese nationality with long, straight, loose hair. It emanated extreme malice. It offered him a choice. A purpose. Power. He thought the figure a reaper but it identified itself as Amakusa Masataka. Masataka guided him on how to kill and gave him specific locations to kill people in. In a sense, he became a hitman for quotas of people. He inquired what Masataka was. The presence of evil, his ability to appear and disappear at will, how he could control what people could see him and what people couldn't. While vague, years of killing for this being offered some insight. Amakusa Masataka belonged to a group of people not of this world. His people had been corrupted by a dark force long ago and had aligned themselves with the warlord who had subjugated their version of Japan. Their dark high priest assisted the warlord along with two others. These four rulers in turn served a larger order. The four were tasked with bringing about the end of the current world as an act of retribution for some fallen deity. Masataka's people acted as covert operatives for this empire. They were feared across the land and were collectively referred to as "Shinigami". An agent of the coming apocalypse, a servant of evil possessed by the will of those gods of death, Genocide would walk the earth.
Genocide stepped toward the station. A police cruiser rammed into him. He pulled out a knife and stabbed the hood of the car. The inhuman force of the knife created sparks which burst the engine into flames. The car crashed into a streetlight and exploded. A second cruiser neared the scene. No way a man could have done this. Yet still, out of the fires Genocide strode forth. It set upon the second vehicle, shooting out it's tires while jumping 9 feet into the air. The car tries to reverse but crashes into a wall. Genocide lands on the hood and kicks through the front window. Glass shatters under its boot, blinding the two officers inside. Genocide shoots one of the officers with a shotgun, killing him. The second officer in the passenger seat readies his pistol and takes aim. Only two shots fired, both directed at Genocide's head. It casually cocks its neck to avoid them. Then it grabs the officer's arm, breaking it. Genocide uses its free hand to grab the officer's head and bangs it into the dashboard no less than 5 times. The skull is shattered on the final impact. Genocide jumps off the car and continues on his mission.
Detective Evans speaks through a megaphone," This is your first and final warning. Stand down or we will use any and all means at our disposal to put you down." Genocide dropped its shotgun and raised its hands. A group of five SWAT team members rushed out the station, surrounding Genocide with riot shields. An officer accompanies them, edging behind the figure to apply handcuffs. Suddenly, Genocide springs to life , grabbing the officer behind him. He flips the officer over his head, slamming him into the pavement at his feet. Then Genocide stomps his head causing it to burst. Genocide drops a flash bomb from his coat sleeve, blinding the SWAT team as he draws his knife. He drives it into one SWAT member, the knife puncturing the shield and piercing his chest. Genocide kicks the corpse away withdrawing his knife. He goes to another, this time using the end of his boot toe in a rising kick to disarm their shield. He grabs them by the throat and drives the knife slowly into their eye socket. Another is tackled to the ground and beaten to death despite still being under the shield. Another is picked up and thrown into the fires still burning from the first auto incident. In no time, Genocide stood before an indistinguishable mass of gore, blood streaking across his black leather outfit. He laughed" So this is all you can give me. I'm not entertained." Officers took aim from the station windows, and snipers did so from other rooftops. Genocide laughed maniacally as he was rained down upon from all sides by a hailstorm of bullets. His body convulsed, but he did not fall. Moments more and he was on his knees. Still though, their efforts were futile. Gracia looked out and saw a black mist coalescing around the man in black. His blood. Blood erupted from his body only to transform into this dark mist that reentered his wounds. Genocide screamed. No. It was just an elevated pitch in his laughter. Optimism failed everyone yet again. Gracia saw Genocide holding something in his right hand. She could only make out a beeping red light. Genocide pushed the button triggering the carefully concealed explosives he laid in preparation for this event. C4 explosives went off in all the places he saw fit. The sniping posts he couldn't reach. The assault of lead lightened. Then Genocide drew an RPG from...somewhere. He collected himself and fired at the station's entrance. The explosion shook the station. From inside, the lights began to flicker. Communications were down on all fronts. Had he modified the rocket with some type of EMP? Not good. Amisdst the confusion Genocide entered using smoke bombs to mask his presence. Moving like a shadow, he killed everyone in the lobby silently with his knife. He made his way to the holding cells. Still they chanted. Still they praised. Still they raved for the arrival of genocide. Genocide shot the lock opening the cell. Jim Jimenez walked out and bowed before his master. Genocide smiled. He couldn't have imagined how proficient he had gotten with possession. Well, not quite possession. He had known of the Shinigami's ability to share their thoughts and emotions with humans. Shinigami like his mentor were ancient. They had so many years of memories, such strong a hatred for life that they overwhelmed the personality of the victim. The victim sees themselves as one of them. Shinigami can't force the will of the victim, so they find those who are already similar to them in some way. Genocide found the collective universal distrust of police to be a prime sentiment to capitalize on. He armed the inmates, infecting them with samples of his own dark essence.One particular inmate caught Genocide's eye. He knew the man's work. An arsonist. The one whom he recalls was responsible for blowing up his first car way back in high school. Rather than a standard firearm, Genocide gave the man a random assortment of grenades containing a special surprise. Genocide showed them visions of anarchy, of sending a message to a society that used and disregarded them. While this was also true of how he felt, years of living in darkness had changed him. He needed no purpose. No end goal. No justification. He just wanted to watch the world burn.
Genocide's small army broke off to engage several different wings of the station. Genocide went to the security room. He found Wayne, his informant, playing some FPS on one of the monitors. Wayne took of his headphones and asked," You kill everyone yet?" Genocide responded," No. You should get going before that happens. Your life becomes fair game if I run out of pigs to cook." Wayne clapped his hands, "Aight, GC my man, say less." He packed his things and left. Genocide drew a twin pair of handguns and laid waste to the station. He followed a group that took cover in the men's restroom. Kicking open multiple stalls he was surprised to find...nothing. Where had they gone? He turned around and saw his mentor, Masataka, smiling at him. It looked like him. Long, dark hair, black clothing, and soulless, empty eyes. But it wasn't. It was Genocide's own reflection in the mirror. Genocide smiled. He didn't notice the changes at first. They must have happened gradually. Subconsciously. From the final stall, an officer sprung into action, rushing Genocide, hitting him point blank with a shockgun round. Genocide felt the tingling sensation electrifying his body and grew numb. In spite of the pain, he took a single step. Then, another. He came within striking range of the officer and snatched the shockgun. Two more officers erupted from another stall, battering him with baton strikes. Genocide felt nothing. He clutched the shockgun in his hand like a bat and went to work pulverizing his attackers. An officer kicked in the bathroom door, a woman holding a pistol. She fired multiple times to no effect. Genocide stood covered in blood. He even let her reload. Twice. He wanted to see her despair. Her hopelessness. He walked towards her, shrugging off bullets as they pierced his body. His wounds healed nigh instantly due to the dark essence he had been imbued with. He held her face with both hands, lifting her body off the ground. As she screamed, he used her head to shatter the restroom mirror, running down the full length of it while smashing her into it at several points. He dropped the remains of what he held, washed his hands with soap, dried them, then exited the restroom.
The inmates that rallied for the cause of genocide attacked the station. Fortunately, they were nowhere near Genocide in terms of power and only carried one type of firearm each. They shared his healing ability but could be killed quite easily. Gracia encountered a sniper on the end or a west wing hallway. Other officers waited behind corners unable to get close. Gracia noticed the faulty lighting. In this hallway, the lights flickered in intervals of 3 seconds. Finding a pattern and timing her movements, she rushed the sniper at the exact moment the lights went out. Running the length of the hall, Gracia zigzagged, dodging the sniper inmate's bullets. She jumped on a wall, ran 3 feet on it, then kicked off it, pouncing on the assailant. She fired five shots into him, making sure to hit the brain and the heart. Two severe injuries that were impossible for Shinigami essence to heal simultaneously. Elsewhere, Evans took on another escaped inmate. A vehicular arsonist named Carson. Carson had a bag filled with an assortment of different grenades and was happily giving them out like candy on Halloween. "A flash bang here, a bit of tear gas there. Oh. Wait! Was that an ice grenade? Did the explosion freeze your leg to the floor? Whoops. Maybe a fire grenade will melt that for you. Hold on let me get one fore you," Carson rambled gleefully. Evans looked at the carnage before him. Officers burning. Officers partially frozen in blocks of ice. He took a breath and aimed his wristgun. He steadied his right forearm. Carson readied to throw a random grenade. Evans shot it the moment it left Carson's hand. The grenade exploded directly in front of Carson. Both Evans and Carson looked at each other in shock. Confetti. A party grenade? Carson quickly fumbled for another but was tackled and restrained by several officers. Meanwhile in the South wing, Lary had some colleagues set a trap for another shotgun toting inmate. He had them bait the inmate and flee. Giving chase he turned a corner and ran straight into Lary's fist. The inmate recovered and motioned to shoot Lary. "Let's tango. " Lary gave the code word. Nearby officers activated a device. A signal jammer of sorts. The inmate shoved the barrel of his gun into Lary's gut and pulled the trigger. Nothing. The special signal jammer in question was designed for firearms. It was a last resort as it left officers just as defenseless. Lary was having fun. He boxed the inmate in hand to hand combat. Despite the inmate's enhanced strength, Lary's technique pulled through. Lary ducked under one of the inmate's wide punches and did some type of rising uppercut where he jumped off the ground while spinning. One of the other officers whispered" The rising dragon." Lary smiled giving a thumbs up" Yeah, it was a rising dragon uppercut. Saw it in one O my kid's vidya games. Thought I'd try it out while I'm jacked on adrenaline".
Jim Jimenez looked long and hard at himself in the mirror. He was in the women's restroom. Some brainless woman had broken the men's restroom mirror with her face. For the first time in a long while Jim could think clearly. He was becoming sane. At the least he was no longer a raving lunatic. The life essence of the dark gods had healed the wounds to both his body and his mind. He saw his face, his scraggly dirty beard. He found a razor and shaved. He trimmed his beard somewhat. He liked it. He washed his hair. It fell down his face like silk, no longer greasy. His bloodshot eyes once burning with crazed intensity had cooled. He blinked. Just for a second, he saw the man known as Genocide. The man that attacked him. The one that killed him and gave him new life. The drug dealers. The police. They were all the same in his eyes now. They were all to blame for the world being what it is. Jim wanted to hate them. He wanted to take revenge, but he felt nothing. It didn't matter. He knew he was wronged, could logically justify acting against them, but he just didn't care anymore. About anything. He was finally free. Sensing his presence was no longer needed here, Jim vanished into the night. He needed to find someone who had had the answers he needed. Himself. Who had he been? Who was he now? Who could he become? Where was he going? So many questions to ponder indefinitely. So much time left in the rest of his life.
Genocide ran down the station's halls raining hailstorms of bullets upon its occupants. He had a handgun in each hand as well as a wristgun on each wrist. This effectively gave him 4 separate firearms that he could use simultaneously. Lary regrouped with Gracia, Evans, and a handful of others. They radioed all surviving officers near Genocide to flee to the roof. This plan had been set in motion days before the assault and had been kept hidden from most of the force. The plan involved scheduling flights for several helicopters to arrive at some point after Genocide arrived. There would be no way for him to prepare for them and pre-scheduling their arrival ensured they arrived regardless of if they were called or not. Lary and the others set about preparing the second jamming device. Genocide stood among a hallway of bodies. He saw one man clinging to life trying to crawl away. He decided on trying that other thing he saw his master do. He grabbed the dying man and pinned him to the wall. Slowly he drove a knife into his chest. As the man's life slipped away, something else entered his body. Genocide channeled a small amount of his essence into the vessel. He had steadily done this with other casualties around the station whose bodies were somewhat salvageable. He dropped the body he was holding and looked upon the others. He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, his eyed were black, both sclera and iris. The scene before him changed. Genocide had a vision. He saw a dead gray wasteland littered with bodies. These people however weren't cops and wore traditional Japanese attire. In his hand wasn't a gun or knife but a short sickle akin to a farming tool. He heard a dark voice call out to him. Slowly, the corpses around him began to rise, now mere puppets bound eternally to their master's whim. The bodies sold to the reaper who had claimed their lives. Genocide's vision ended. His eyes had returned normal. Around him, dead cops began to rise. His dark essence had entered their bodies and reanimated them. He sent his dead army to attack the officers fleeing to the roof of the station. These zombies swarmed the stairwell giving chase to the few survivors. There were five of them. They had two flights of stairs to climb and a horde of their former colleagues close behind them. One officer tripped and was set upon by the horde. The zombies didn't bite them but held them firmly in place. The other four officers stared down wondering what to do. They could hear Genocide chuckling. They could hear humming. They could feel the temperature rising. Their colleague and the two zombies holding him were hit by an enormous green fireball. Genocide had fired a Magnum Opus and had charged the bullet to level 3. The Magnum Opus was simply a magnum that shot fireballs, with bullets that could be charged by holding down the trigger. It had three levels of charges. Level 1 was a small reddish ball of plasma. Level 2 was slightly larger and yellow. Level 3 was the maximum charge and resulted in a large slow moving green blast of energy. The officer was ignited and Genocide watched gleefully as the force of the blast sent him flying through a wall. The four officers continued up firing occasionally to slow down the zombies. Soon they made it to a door leading to the roof. Before one officer could reach it, he was sniped by Genocide, a bullet to the head killing him instantly. The remaining three made it out. They regrouped with the others already there, 12 in total, including Lary, Evans, and Gracia. This would be their final stand. They just had to hold out until Genocide made it up there. They just had to keep Genocide occupied until the helicopters arrived. Genocide slowly ascended the stairs behind his horde. On the roof, the remaining survivors faced off against waves of the undead. Evans recognized the attackers. These zombies were being controlled by nanomachines. He heard the stories of several weapons encountered by soldiers on the battlefield. These creatures were called Metaldeads as they were reanimated via machines. They had been officially banned by most of the worlds' governments for being unethical. However, this did not stop the technology from being spread still between shady organizations, terrorists, etc. Evans wondered how Genocide got this form of nanotechnology. Evans long speculated that the dark essence used by most of the killers they encountered was a a form of nanotech however it was different from anything else he had seen or heard about. The dark essence seemed to be an amalgamation of other types of nanotech. Evans had to save his inquiries for later. He reloaded his wristgun and took aim at the approaching group of Metaldeads. Gracia steadied her handgun and shot two Metaldeads in the head. From the single door countless arms seemed to spill forth from the darkness. The other officers took turns firing in intervals. this allowed them to create a steady stream of fire where no more that three guns needed to be reloaded at once. The horde seemed to thin out over time as if they were making progress. In actuality, the Metaldeads were just making room for Genocide to enter. Genocide exploded in a sprint from the door. Everyone fired upon the killer. Genocide had now chosen a wrist mounted mini flamethrower to use as his weapon. He stormed past the oncoming bullets taking some damage, but refused to slow down. He unleashed a stream of fire that caught five of the officers in one fell swoop. Gracia fired five rounds into Genocide's face. He stumbled back. Lary took the chance to fire several mine gun bullets at Genocide's feet. The mines quickly detected his movement and exploded. In seconds, Genocide was on his back.
Staring at the night sky Genocide saw the moon. He reached for it. He called for the darkness to give him more power. His wounds began healing. In the sky he could hear the whirl of propellers. There were six helicopters in total. The first two had evacuated the survivors while the others stayed to engage Genocide. Genocide got up and unstrapped the sniper rifle from his back. He stood before the searchlights as a black silhouette, cornered but unwilling to back down. Lary stared down at him smiling. "Okay!" He shouted, "Let's Tango!" Upon this declaration the second jamming device was activated. Now, isolated on the roof, Genocide's guns couldn't be fired and the helicopters were out of range of the device. Now Genocide stood like a sitting duck. A helicopter fired a rocket. Genocide side stepped and grabbed it. He turned his body redirecting the rocket to hit another helicopter. As it exploded Genocide drew his knife and threw it at another helicopter. Behind the knife was such force that it shattered the helicopter window's glass, embedding itself in the pilot. This helicopter too went down where it exploded. "Holy clucknuggets!Did you see that!?" Lary said dumbfounded. Evans looked out the helicopter door he was in jaw open in shock. "There's no way." He collected himself quickly and radioed the remaining two helicopters to keep moving and to use their machineguns as much as possible. The helicopters reigned down upon Genocide tearing apart his body. Shreds of leather and darkened blood sprayed across the pavement of the roof. Gracia watched as Genocide's body was destroyed repeatedly as it tried to heal. Surely he had to stop at some point. After 10 minutes the helicopters had exhausted their cache of ammunition and soldiers opted to fire their own rifles and occasionally throw grenades. After about six minutes, they too had run out of bullets. Genocide stood unfazed. He had long since healed himself and now appeared intangible with gunfire seeming to pass through his body. His coat once ripped , now appeared whole though on closer inspection seemed to writhe. Gracia looked in horror as she remembered the tales her adopted father had told her. Tales he had in turn heard from his predecessors. Every so often officers had reported encounters with ghost like beings cloaked in a cloud of living dark mist. The beings were rumored to be responsible for the deaths of multiple people ranging from scientists, veterans, mafia, politicians, etc. They were seen near such crime scenes and even more shockingly appeared around several sites where suicides were committed. These beings were reportedly impervious to bullets and filled anyone who got near with an impending sense of dread. If Genocide was connected to them or somehow turning into one , there was little chance they would be able to defeat him. Gracia's fears were confirmed when she saw that Genocide's leather coat had been destroyed and he had replaced it with the dark mist coalescing from his own spilled blood. The dark mist, swirling, grew larger and several tendrils sprouted out from it. Gracia could briefly make out a figure standing next to Genocide. A hooded figure cloaked in the same black substance. The figure stared up at her with soulless, blackened eyes which seemed to beckon her to jump from the aircraft she was standing in. Compelling her to give in to the death that plagued the earth. Genocide kneeled to his master. The Shinigami, Masataka stared down at his disciple. "You have done a great service to us. Even now the sealed god stirs in its slumber. Its...Awakening will soon be upon us. It calls out for war. It begs for famine. It longs to continue its conquest. We are the death it so desires. The death that is necessary for this civilization to grow. Use the power that I have bestowed upon you. Finish the mission as you see fit." The Shinigami vanished and Genocide stood.Genocide stared at his hands. He remembered the first killing spree. He was on a bus. It stopped. A woman got on the bus and walked to the back smiling as she passed him. Something about her eyes unnerved him. They were so bright but something dark reflected inside them. He ignored the thought and put in his headphones. In minutes he had dozed off. He jumped awake. He looked around and froze in panic. All around him, everyone had been hacked to pieces. He saw the driver, actively being stabbed by a masked assailant. The mask, painted white with black eyeholes, stared back at him. It raised a finger over where its lips would be. Even under the expressionless visage, he could feel that same smile. He ran home that morning. He went to his room to find it destroyed. His posters, his computer, his tv, everything, had been ruined. He turned around and saw a man at the end of the hallway holding a sledge hammer. "The hell you been, boy?", his stepdad sneered. The man dropped his hammer and walked closer, veins pulsing with rage. He tried to explain how his car had caught fire forcing him to walk 4 miles to the nearest bus stop, but the man's fist was faster than his words. "Boy!Answer me when I talk to you!!" the man says as he backhands the taste out of the would be Genocide's mouth. He took that beating for several minutes before being left to stare at his ransacked room. He hated how his stepdad went out of his way to destroy the things he loved. Soon, another set of footsteps could be heard. It was his mother standing behind his locked door. She didn't knock, or say anything. She just stood there, doing nothing as always. He never knew if she came to talk to him or apologize. All he knew was that she could never bring herself to speak to or even acknowledge him. Maybe out of guilt or perhaps shame. A year or two later after he had had enough he ran away from home. Living out on the streets alone, without friends, or family, he would embark on countless killing sprees. These killings weren't of his own volition however. He was coerced by some corrupt officers from The Unit. They made him kill on their behalf. Sometimes they were protesters, sometimes they were drug dealers, other times, petty criminals they couldn't be bothered to process. It was routine for him to be used to kill entire houses of drug riddled addicts. During one such venture he entered a drug den, killing the dealer as instructed. He took out several junkies before turning to leave. A woman who survived her injuries clung to his heel begging him to stop. Looking down he aimed the handgun he was carrying at her head of long disheveled brown hair and fired. Feeling nothing, he kicked her body aside like trash when it hit him. Her face. This woman had been his mother. What was she doing in a place like this? He felt a shock of emotion. He wondered if she had always been like this, or had she changed after he left. He never made amends, but decided to stop killing from then on. The unit did not like that. Once it became apparent that he was no longer of use to them they started a manhunt to apprehend him with lethal force. They found him. They killed him. But he survived.
He remembered the girl on the bus. He remembered her eyes. Those of a sadistic killer. Still there was something else inside them. Something faint but deeper. So. Much. Sadness. Just like him. He felt the hatred begin to spread. His purpose, he decided, was to make all humans rot in the hell they created for him.
These people, he thought to himself, these living diseases, all needed to die. Their struggles, their problems, they spread like cancer to others. The only cure for humanity's sin, its collective wrongdoings, was genocide.
Around him, dark tendrils continued to form and expand, spinning in a vortex. Genocide pulled out two pistols. He squeezed the triggers to no effect. "As I see fit, huh? Hehe." He squeezed both guns in his hands, breaking them into pieces. He concentrated. In his hands, two more guns materialized now completely black due to being forged from the dark essence. Forged by his will. Immune to the jamming device that shut down conventional firearms. He raised his arms at each remaining helicopter and opened fire. Countless tendrils whipped out and slashed at his targets joining the dark essence bullets. It was chaos. Dark tendrils and bullets tore through every direction as Genocide spun and swirled around in 360 degrees firing randomly with purpose. A tendril pierced Gracia's right arm, another, her abdomen. She was however, fortunate, as the other passengers of her helicopter were dismembered. She barely had time to jump from the vehicle before it crashed. She fell 2 yards onto solid concrete. She felt immense pain as her right shoulder shattered on impact. She looked up to see Genocide's blade like appendages ripping through the other escape helicopters. She rolled onto her back and tried to steady herself. Within seconds her body began to repair itself. The nanocells inside her had saved her life but were now depleted. She would need another supplement lest she receive another fatal injury. The standard nanocells she and the others had were much less potent than those of the killers they faced. In truth, they had only minimal strength boosts being able to lift 5-8 more pounds than before and healing being limited to one or two fatal injuries so long as death didn't occur instantly. Gracia blacked out. She awoke the next morning in a hospital. There the doctors refilled her nanocells. She learned that the station had been left in ruins. Genocide had detonated some type of minature nuke following his rampage. He always blew up the stations as if to send a message. Gracia looked out the window thinking about why she became a cop. Twice her family had been murdered by them. Her biological family had been killed in an on record drug raid committed by a group of corrupt officers called The Unit. She had been adopted by another officer that arrived at the scene who found her as a child hiding in a closed. Sadly, he too was killed for trying to expose the activities of The Unit. Gracia joined the force to avenge both losses and bring justice to the killers that disguised themselves as normal people. Law enforcement was neither good, nor bad. It depended upon the people that made it up. In the dying corrupt world Gracia lived in, she vowed to be a beacon of light. Evans laid in a bed adjacent to Lary. "That damn Genocide's somethin else in' he?Like the stories you told us were understatements. That man could legit not die at this point in the story. Like he has friggin plot armor or somthin.'' Evans cut him off" I get it. We all got our asses handed to us. But did you see that ..thing that appeared next to him. Right before he created that black vortex that wiped us out. That must have something to do with his power. Maybe there's a still a way to stop him."Lary chimed in," That fella looked like he was on the way to a black metal concert wit all the black facepaint he was wearin' Creeped me out to be honest." As the survivors mulled over their predicament, the cycle of evil continued to spread elsewhere.
Budley flips through the pages of a magazine. He checks his watch. He looks around the gas station and doesn't see any customers. Seizing the opportunity, he puts in his headphones and begins playing an imaginary guitar as he jams to a progressive deathcore album. Oblivious to the screams coming from outside, the store clerk moves on to thumping two candy bars on the counter to simulate drums. Budley sees that his shift has ended and begins locking up the store. He sweeps the aisles and jumps as a shadow appears behind him. He turns and sees a well groomed bearded man dressed in a black hoodie, black shirt, and black and gray camo pants. The man holds out his hand and smiles. Budley rings up the pack of nicotine substitute gum. "Tryin to kick the habit huh?" Budley asks. The man replies, "Somethin like that. Gotta get my priorities back in check. Focus on the things that really matter. That damn KonCreep's a hell of a band aren't they?" He nods to the playlist on Budley's phone. "Yeah, they're killer. just got into them a month back." Budley answers. "You know, I'm something of a musician myself. Maybe you'll hear of me on the news someday." Jim Jimenez says as he sees himself out. He walks to the back of the building and passes an ominous form of graffiti. A woman lays unmoving and above her, written on concrete in red is a message that simply says "Genocide Reigns".

Just some pictures i took while doing some upgrades/replacements on my 13’ 1.8L Sedan.
Replaced all shocks and struts.
Installed new Kicker 6” speakers in all doors as well as new tweeters in the A pillars.
New Pioneer Head unit with wired Apple CarPlay(used an adapter to make it wireless.) I also installed the Wolfbox dashcam/backup cam, Footwell LED lighting, replaced the cigarette lighter with a 3 USB charger. The interior and back up lights were all replaced with LEDs.
Almost replaced the entire coolant system. (Rad, hoses, clamps, water pump, thermostat, reservoir. As well as the serpentine belt.
Replaced the ignition coil and MAF plastic connectors since they were both broken.
Replaced the exhaust manifold(manifold and heat shield painted with black ceramic high heat paint), replaced the midpipe and both O2 sensors and put in the ZZperformace catback system.
Got rid of the OEM laughable “Cold air intake”. Ran a custom hose straight to the bumper to pull in air from one of the blanks where the fog light would be at. Also wrapped the AEM intake with heat reflective tape.
And anyone who drives a Sonic knows they are piles of shit. So I’ve always called it the Turd when i refer to it. Because of this a added a custom touch to the back end of the car.
I’m 100% positive i did more i didn’t list but this post is already long enough. I had fun doing this, i really don’t give a shit about this car, that’s why i wanted to play a bit with it and also make my backup car a bit more reliable in the process.
Also, it is tuned by Trifecta and once i get the chance i will be logging some data for them and finding out if my custom air intake reroute had any significant increase in performance.

N64 Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/n64-games-n64-console-sCri6E3
Let me know if you need pictures of any of the items listed below. Shipping is $5 flat for anything under one pound. I've got 400+ transactions on this board and accept payment via PayPal (F&F) or Venmo (F&F) only.
Consoles
GBA Indigo - $80 shipped
GBA SP (Silver CIB) - $120 shipped
Nintendo 2DS w/ charger - $85 shipped
Nintendo 3DS XL Pokemon X & Y Edition Console - $225 shipped
Nintendo 64 Console w/ hookups + OEM Controller - $90 shipped
Nintendo Wii Console (gamecube compatible) w/ hookups + Wii remote & numb chuck - $75 shipped
PS2 w/ hookups, OEM controller, OEM memory card - $100 shipped
Retron 5 Hyperkin (GBA/GBC/SNES/NES/Genesis) unused CIB - $120 shipped
Super Nintendo w/ hookups & OEM controller - $95 shipped
Xbox OG Console w/ hookups & OEM controller + Project Gotham Racing (CIB) - $100 Shipped
Controllers/Accessories
Gameboy OEM Clam Shells (lot of 32) - $75 shipped
Gamecube OEM Controller (Indigo) - $30 shipped
Gamecube OEM Wavebird Controller w/ receiver- $95 shipped
NES OEM 10-Cart Storage Case (3x avail) - $20 + shipping each
N64 OEM Expansion Pak - $50 shipped
N64 OEM Green Controller - $30 shipped
N64 Memory Card - $14 shipped
PS2 Logitech Wireless Controller (w/ dongle) - $35 shipped
PS2 OEM Memory Card- $14 shipped
Sega GameGear Super Wide Gear - $20 shipped
Wii U Wireless Controller (WUP-005) & charging cable - $35 shipped (2x avail)
N64 Games
007 GoldenEye - $25
007 World is Not Enough - $14
Army Men Sarge's Heroes - $15
Automobil Lamborghini - $8
Backstage Assault - $12
Banjo Kazooie - $25
Bass Hunter 64 - $8
Beetle Adventure Racing - $17
Charlies Blasts - $40
Diddy Kong Racing - $25
Doom 64 - $30
Extreme G Racing - $10
Forsaken 64 - $10
Gex 64 - $16
Iggy's Reckin' Balls - $20
Killer Instinct Gold - $30
Knockout Kings 2000 - $6
Magical Tetris Challenge - $20
Mario Kart - $40
Monster Truck Madness - $15
MRC Multi Championship Racing - $10
Namco Museum 64 - $12
Nascar 99 - $7
Nascar 2000 - $7
NBA In the Zone 98 - $5
NBA Live 99 (CIB) - $20
NBA Showtime - $12
Polaris Sno-Cross -$30
Pokemon Snap - $20
Quest 64 - $25
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing - $12
Ridge Racer 64 - $15
San Francisco Rush - $15
Starfox 64 - $25
Star Wars Episode 1 Racer - $10
South Park Chef's Luv Shack - $25
Supercross 2000 - $7
Super Mario 64 - $35
Super Smash Bros. - $40
Tetrisphere - $12
Top Gear Rally - $10
Turok Dinosaur Hunter - $12
Turok 2 Seeds of Evil - $12
Vigilante 8 - $21
Virtual Pool - $13
Waialae Country Club - $6
War Gods - $10
Wave Race (Player's Choice) - $15
WCW Backstage Assault - $11
WCW NWO Revenge - $11
Wheel of Fortune - $11
Zelda Ocarina of Time (label wear) - $30
N64 Manuals
1080 Snowboarding - $7
Duke Nukem Manual - $10
Flying Dragon Manual - $40
Rush Extreme Racing - $8
Silicon Valley Space Station Manual - $40
Supercross 2000 - $6
Tony Hawk Pro Skater - $6
Nintendo Gamecube Games (CIB unless noted)
ATV Quad Power Racing 2 - $10
The Hobbit - $24
Enter the Matrix - $13
Eternal Darkness - $90
Fifa 2003 - $6
Fifa Street 2 - $25
Finding Nemo - $8
F-Zero GX - $90
Gun (missing manual) - $10
Harry Potter Chambers of Secret - $12
Killer 7 - $65
Luigi's Mansion - $60
Madden 2003 - $5
Madden 2007 - $8
Mario Golf Toadstool Tour - $27
Mario Kart Double Dash - $75
Monopoly Party - $10
Monsters, Inc. Scream Arena - $7
Nascar Thunder 2003 - $7
Pikmin - $50
Power Rangers Dino Thunder - $8
Resident Evil - $25
Resident Evil 2 - $100
Resident Evil 4 - $30
Resident Evil Zero - $18
The Sims Bustin Out - $12
Smuggler's Run (missing manual) - $12
Sonic Adventure Battle 2 (missing manual) - $45
Spiderman 2 - $15
Spyro A Hero's Tail (missing manual) - $15
SSX Tricky - $28
Starfox Assault - $45 (CIB; some wear to cover art)
Super Mario Sunshine (missing manual) -$35
Super Smash Brothers Melee - $60
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger (missing manual) - $12
WWE Crush Hour - $27
WWE Day of Reckoning 2 (missing manual) - $25
Nintendo DS Games (cart only unless CIB noted)
Avatar The Game - $6
Bionicle Matoran Adventures - $6
Build-A-Bear Workshop (CIB) - $6
Carnival (CIB) - $6
Deal or No Deal - $5
Guitar Hero On Tour Bundle (CIB) - $25
Happy Feet - $4
Horsez (CIB) - $6
Hot Wheels Beat That - $6
Kung Fu Panda (CIB) - $6
Mario Party DS - $13
Mario Kart DS (loose) - $15
Mario Kart DS (CIB) - $18
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (CIB) - $10
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (CIB) - $10
Megaman Starforce Dragon - $85 shipped
Metroid Hunters First Hunt - $6
Nacho Libre - $15
Namco Museum DS - $8
Naruto Ninja Council 3 - $6
New Super Mario Bros. (CIB) -$22
Nickelodeon Team Umizoomi - $6
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney - $20
Picross 3D - $9
Ping Pals - $3
Planet Puzzle League - $10
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (case & manual only, no game) - $55
Pokemon Ranger Shadows of Almia (cart only) - $30
Ratatouille - $5
Rayman DS - $10
Ridge Racer DS - $8
Shrek Superslam - $5
Spiderman 3 - $8
Star Wars II The Original Trilogy (LEGO) - $6
Super Money Ball Touch & Roll - $6
Transformers Animated - $11
Tron Evolution - $4
Zhu Zhu Pets - $3
Nintendo 3DS (cart only unless noted)
Animal Crossing: New Leaf (CIB) - $20
Lego Marvel Superheroes: Universe in Peril - $5
Mario Kart 7 - $12
Minecraft New Nintendo 3DS Edition - $18
Pilotwings Resort - $10
Pokemon X (CIB) - $30
Skylander Giants - $6
Skylander Swap Force - $16
Skylander Trap Team - $12
Super Mario Maker - $10
Super Smash Bros (CIB) - $15
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - $9
Wipeout: Create & Cash - $5
Wreck-it Ralph - $6
Yo-Kai Watch - $15
NES Games (cart only; unless noted)
8 Eyes - $11
A Boy and His Blob (cart, box, manual) - $40
Blades of Steel - $8
Bubble Bobble - $16
Burgertime - $15
Castlevania II Simon's Quest - $15
Castlevania III Dracula's Curse - $45
Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers (CIB) - $125
Contra - $40
Dick Tracy - $7
Double Dragon - $13
Donkey Kong 3 - $20
Dr. Mario - $10
Duck Tales - (cart & box) - $100
Excite Bike - $11
Faxanadu - $11
GI Joe: A Real American Hero - $75
Golf - $3
Legend of Zelda - $30
Mickey Mousecapade - $7
Mike Tyson's Punch-out - $40
Paperboy - $16
Punch-Out - $20
Rad Racer - $6
RBI Baseball 3 (cart & box) - $25
Robocop - $10
Rollerball - $8
Skate or Die 2 (cart & box) - $65
Spy Hunter - $5
Street Fighter 2010 - $15
Super Glove Ball - $7
Super Mario Bros. 2 - $20
Super Off-Road - $12
Super Team Games - $7
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II - The Arcade Game (cart & box) - $80
Tiger Heli - $8
Wall Street Kid (cart, box, registration card, poster) - $45
WWF Wrestlemania - $6
SNES Games (cart only)
Aladdin - $15
Castlevania IV - $45
Clue - $5
Earthbound - $350
F-Zero (Player's Choice) - $20
Jungle Strike - $9
Ken Griffey Jr Major League Baseball - $11
Kirby's Avalanche - $15
Lion King - $11
Mario Paint - $6
Mega Man X - $32
Mickey Mania - $13
Mortal Kombat - $13
Ms. Pacman - $9
NBA All-Star Challenge - $5
Pilot Wings - $10
Scooby Doo Mystery - $11
Starfox - $15
Super Adventure Island - $16
Super Baseball 2020 - $13
Super Ghouls N Ghosts - $23
Super Mario All-Stars - $25
Super Mario Kart - $40
Super Mario World - $20
Super Punch Out - $28
Top Player Tennis - $8
WWF Raw - $13
Zombies Ate My Neighbors - $30
GBA (cart only unless noted)
Aggravation/Sorry/Scrabble - $5
Barnyard - $8
Bratz - $4
Care Bears Care Quest (CIB) - $28
Cars - $5
Cars (CIB) - $16
Castlevania Double Pack - $85
Cho Makaimura R Super Ghouls N Ghost ( Japanese Import) - $95 Shipped
Crash Bandicoot 2 N-tranced - $10
Crash Huge Adventure - $11
Curious George (CIB) - $28
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 - $4
Disney Party - $10
Disney Princess (CIB) - $12
Donkey Kong Country (GBC/CIB) - $56
Dora Explorer's Pirate Pig's Treasure - $4
Dragon Ball Z Supersonic Warriors - $20
Elf - $10
ESPN Great Outdoor Games Bass 2002 - $5
F-14 Tomcat - $7
Finding Nemo - $5
Green Eggs & Ham (CIB) - $20
Incredibles (CIB) - $14
Kong 8th Wonder of the World - $5
Lost Vikings - $25
Madden 2005 - $5
Mario Kart Super Circuit (torn label) - $20
Metroid Zero Mission - $60
Monsters Inc - $4
Monster Jam Maximum Destruction - $6
Namco Museum - $6
Oddworld Munch's Oddysee - $12
Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl - $5
Pong Asterios Yar's Revenge - $4
Sonic Advance 3 - $25
Quad Desert Furty - $3
Shaun Palmers Pro Snowboarding (GBC/CIB) - $10
Shrek Swamp Kart Speedway - $5
Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron - $5
SpongeBob Battle for Bikini Bottom - $7
Spongebob Squarepants Super Sponge - $6
SSX 3 - $7
The Incredibles - $3
Thunder Alley - $5
Top Gear GT Championship - $10
Sony PSP (all CIB)
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - $15
Gurumin A Monstrous Adventure - $42
LocoRoco - $10
Mega Man Powered Up - $38
Parappa the Rapper - $27
Sega Genesis Collection - $17
PS1 Games (CIB unless noted)
007 Tomorrow Never Dies - $7
Action Bass - $6
Andretti Racing (GH) - $5
Ball Breakers (sealed) - $10
Bass Championship - $7
Battle Arena Toshinden (GH) - $14
Bust A-Move 4 - $17
Driver 2 (GH) - $10
Fighting Force - $20
IHRA Drag Racing - $5
Missile Command - $6
MLB 2001 - $9
MLB 2003 - $9
Nascar Heat (CIB) - $7
NBA Live 2000 - $8
NBA Shootout 98 - $9
NHL 98 - $8
NHL Faceoff 97 (GH) - $5
PlayStation Underground Jampack Fall 2001 - $9
Resident Evil 2 (DualShock Edition) - $65
Rocket Power Team Rocket Rescue - $7
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie - $12
Spongebob SquarePants Super Pants - $7
Syphon Filter 2 (GH) - $10
Tecmo Super Bowl - $20
Tiger Woods 99 - $8
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 - $12
Twisted Metal 2 (Greatest Hits) - $32
Toy Story 2 - $22
Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour - $20
World Cup 98 - $12
PS2 Games (CIB unless noted)
All-Star Baseball 2005 - $5
Ape Escape 2 - $48
Ape Escape 3 - $43
ATV Offroad Fury 2 - $6
Avatar the Last Airbender - $8
Batman Begins - $13
Batman Vengeance - $19
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Chaos Bleeds - $28
Burnout Revenge - $11
Burnout 3 Takedown - $13
Buzz the Mega Quiz - $12
Capcom Classics Collection Volume 2 - $13
Castlevania Lament of Innocence -$25
Corvette - $5
Crash Bandicoot The Wrath of the Cortex - $12
Crash Nitro Kart (GH) - $9
Crazy Taxi - $10
Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2 - $7
Dead to Rights - $6
Devil May Cry (GH) - $7
Enter the Matrix - $10
Eragon - $6
Family Feud - $5
Finding Nemo - $6
Fire Pro Wrestling Returns - $10
Ford Racing 3 - $5
Frogger the Great Quest - $7
Golden Compass - $5
GTA 3- $10
Gran Turismo 3 - $5
Godfather the Game - $14
Guitar Hero - $10
Guitar Hero Aerosmith - $7
Guitar Hero II - $7
Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock - $9
High Heat Major League Baseball 2004 - $5
Hot Wheels Velocity - $10
Hot Wheels World Race (missing manual) - $12
Hobbit - $10
Ice Age 2 The Meltdown - $7
Ironman - $6
Karaoke Revolution Party - $8
Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol - $5
Legends of Wrestling II - $12
Lego Star Wars The Original Trilogy - $6
Lego Star Wars The Video Game - $7
Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring - $10
Madden 2003 - $5
Madden 2004 - $5
Madden 2005 -$5
Madden 2007 - $5
Matt Hoffman's Pro BMX 2 - $10
Max Payne - $10
Metal Arms Glitch in the System - $16
Midway Arcade Treasures (1) - $12
Midway Arcade Treasures (2) - $12
MLB 07 the Show - $5
MLB Slugfest 2003 - $10
MLB Slugfest 2004 - $13
Namco Museum (GH) - $8
Nascar 2001 - $5
Nascar Thunder 2003 - $7
NBA Street - $12
Need for Speed Underground 2 (missing manual) - $20
NFL Blitz Pro - $10
NFL Street - $17
NFL Street 3 (missing manual) - $20
Onimusha 3 Demon Siege - $21
Pinball Hall of Fame - $5
Pirates - The Legend of Black Kat - $12
Power Rangers: Dino Thunder - $8
Reel Fishing III - $7
Resident Evil Code Veronica X - $13
Rise of Kasai - $8
Rocky - $11
Scarface the World is Yours - $45
Scooby Doo First Frights - $13
Sega Superstars - $10
Sega Superstar Tennis - $10
Shrek Superslam - $8
Simpson's Hit & Run (Greatest Hits) -$50
Spiderman - $10
Sprint Cars Road to Knoxville - $6
Spy Hunter - $7
Spy Hunter 2 (missing manual) - $7
Starsky & Hutch - $7
SSX - $7
SSX 3 - $9
SSX On Tour - $8
Superman Shadow of Apokolips - $14
Super Monkey Ball Adventure - $10
Summoner - $10
Taito Legends - $15
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battlenexus (missing manual) - $17
Teen Titans - $22
Theme Park Roller Coaster - $8
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 - $6
Thrillville - $6
Thrillville Off the Rails - $10
Time Crisis 3 - $23
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger - $11
Wheel of Fortune - $6
Virtua Fighter 4 (missing manual) - $6
Warriors of Might & Magic - $10
WWE Smackdown vs Raw - $11
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2007 (Sealed) - $45
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2007 - $17
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 - $10
WWE Smackdown Shut Your Mouth - $15
PS3
Band Hero - $6
Batman Arkham Asylum - $7
Battlefield 3 - $6
Call of Duty Advanced Warfare - $6
Call of Duty Ghosts - $6
Call of Duty Mordern Warfare 3 - $6
Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare - $7
Call of Juarez Bound in Blood - $9
Crysis 2 - $7
Dirt 2 - $12
Dirt 3 - $10
Driver San Francisco - $25
Enemy Territory Quake Wars - $9
Fifa Soccer 11 - $5
Fight Night Champion - $13
GTA IV Complete Edition - $25
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue - $8
Gran Turismo XL Edition - $11
Gran Turismo 6 - $19
Heavy Fire: Afghanistan - $10
Infamous - $6
Infamous 2 - $8
Killzone 2- $7
Killzone 3 - $7
Lego 3: Beyond Batman - $8
Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 - $7
Lego The Hobbit - $9
LittleBigPlanet - $9
Madden 2011 - $5
Metro: Last Night - $8
Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition - $12
MLB the Show 10 - $4
MLB the Show 11 - $4
Monster Jam Path of Destruction - $20
NCAA Football 11 - $9
Sports Champions - $5
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 [Masters Historic Edition] - $23
Transformers Fall of Cybertron - $35
Transformers Rise of the Dark Spark - $13
Virtua Tennis 3 - $6
WWE 2K16 - $12
PS Vita
Lumines Electronic Symphony - $16
Need for Speed Most Wanted - $20
Sly Cooper Collection - $50
Sega 32X (all cart only)
Primal Rage - $50
Virtua Fighter - $24
Virtua Racing - $20
Sega Dreamcast Games (disc & manual only***; do not have original cases unless noted CIB)
Centipede - $7
Plasma Sword Night of Bilstein - $50
Psychic Force 2012 - $25
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing - $12
Resident Evil Code Veronica (CIB) - $40
Rippin Riders - $5
Sega Bass Fishing - $8
Sega Rally 2 Championship - $12
Speed Devils - $15
Sword of Berserk: Gut's Rage (game only) - $65
Trick Style - $7
Zombie Revenge - $30
Sega Genesis (**CIB unless noted)
Aladdin (cart + manual) - $10
Double Dragon (cart & box) - $45
Game Genie (loose + booklet) - $20
Hard Drivin' (Missing Manual) - $15
John Madden Football (cart + manual) - $20
Lemmings (CIB) - $30
MERCS (cart & box) - $35
NBA Jam T.E. (CIB) - $20
Prime Time NFL Football starring Deon Sanders (cart +manual) - $9
Ren & Stimpy Show: Stimpy's Intervention (CIB) - $20
Road Rash II (CIB) - $22
Robocop 3 (CIB) - $40
Streets of Rage (cart only) - $22
Super Off-Road (CIB) - $30
WWF Super Wrestlemania (CIB) - $20
X-Men (cart + manual) - $15
Zero Tolerance (CIB) - $35
Sega Master System (CIB unless noted)
Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars - $28
California Games (missing manual) - $20
Choplifter - $18
Ghostbusters - $25
Great Baseball - $10
Monopoly - $10
Parlour Games - $10
Pro Wrestling - $14
Rocky - $17
Space Harrier (missing manual) - $18
Shinobi (includes map; missing manual) - $30
Xbox (all CIB)
MechAssault 2 Lone Wolf (Limited Edition) - $8
Project Gotham Racing - $6
Xbox 360 (CIB)
Assassin's Creed - $6
Assasin's Creed II - $6
Asssasin's Creed III - $6
Battlefield Hardline Deluxe Edition - $10
Battlefield 3 Limited Edition - $6
Bioshock - $7
Bioshock Infinite - $5
Call of Duty World at War - $9
Call of Juarez: Blood Bound - $10
Civilization Revolution - $6
CSI Hard Evidence - $9
Fifa Soccer 10 - $5
Fifa Work Cup South Africa 2010 - $5
Game of Thrones - $11
Gears of War - $9
Halo 4 - $5
Injustice Gods Among Us - $5
L.A. Noire - $7
Mass Effect - $5
Mass Effect 2 - $5
N3 Ninety-Nine Nights - $20
NBA 2K12 - $5
NHL 10 - $3
NHL 14 - $6
Saints Row 2 - $10
Saints Row The Third - $5
Skate 3 - $6
Star Trek Legacy - $18
Star Wars Kinect - $7
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007 - $5
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008 - $5
Top Spin 3 - $6
Walking Dead Survival Instinct - $8
Wheel of Fortune - $14
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire -$5
Nintendo Wii (all CIB unless noted)
Animal Crossing City Folk - $20 (includes inserts but missing manual)
Celebrity Sports Showdown - $6
Guitar Hero World Tour - $18
Little League World Series Baseball 2008 - $10
Madden 2013 - $14
Mario Kart Wii - $35
Mario Super Sluggers (disc only) - $25
Mario Strikers Charged (disc only) - $10
NBA Live 09 All-Play - $5
New Super Mario Bros - $25
Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz - $6
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - $20
Tony Hawk Downhill Jam - $5
Tony Hawk Shred Big Air - $5
Warioware Smooth Moves - $22
Wii Sports - $22
Wii Sports Resort - $30
Wheel of Fortune - $6
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 - $7

To be honest, I wasn't sure that the Advice sub would let me post this there so I'm posting it here because it's so fucked up. And it didn't seem right for Let's Not Meet, either. But I do need advice, because I feel I'm losing my fucking mind.
So I (30F) have always been very close to my cousin (30F), let's call her Angela. Because we're the same age, our parents (my mom and her father are siblings) went through all the same stages with us and as such, we were more or less raised like siblings due to how much time our families spent together.
We even had homes in the country in the same township, which is where I think this happened. And I can't really tell my family this because it will make me sound legitimately crazy. And some part of me even doubts this memory, but at the same time I know in my heart that it's true. It's a complicated feeling, and this memory was brought to light last week when my suspicion I've had for years was more or less confirmed.
One winter, sixteen years ago, when Angela and I were both fourteen, both of our families were at our cottages, a twenty minute drive from each other. Angela and her little brother (my cousin, let's call him James) parents (my aunt and uncle) were going skiing one morning, and I wanted to go too. So I spent the night at their cottage, like I often did when we all went up north.
Angela's bedroom had two single beds in it, and James' room was down the hall. The whole house was open concept, so the hall from Angela's room to James' room did not have walls, but rather was bordered by two railings over which you could see down into the main floor, the open concept living and dining rooms.
James is four years younger than us, and when he was 10, he was such a typical little boy/little brother, it's almost cartoonish to look back on. Like, I'm talking *constantly* bothering us, putting a stink bomb on a remote control car that he would sneak into our rooms, trying to read Angela's diary when we weren't in her bedroom, just all the stuff. But never anything cruel or out of the ordinary or sinister, just a massive handful.
The basement of James and Angela's cottage was filled with storage and old toys, and sometimes (on the rare occasion) that we'd willingly play with James, we'd all go down to the basement and try to freak each other out. Anyway, one of the toys in the basement was your typical Raggedy-Ann doll from the 60s or something. I think it belonged to my uncle when he was a kid and then Angela when she was a baby. Her name was Trilly. I forget who named it. Anyway, I have vague memories of playing with it when we were much younger and pretending it was our third cousin or our little daughter. But since then she'd sat in storage in the basement.
But, what great nightmare material! Right?! A creepy, limp, smiling doll. So the night I stayed over, before we went skiing in the morning, James, Angela and I were up to our playing in the basement, and I remember we tried to freak James out by pretending Trilly was alive or something like that. Whatever. Game over, we all had dinner with the parents, then watched a movie as a family and went to bed. James to his room and Angela and me to Angela's room.
Now this is the thing. Angela and I still joke about this night, and she remembers it just like I do, which is why I sort of wrote off my hypothesis until last week. That night, in the middle of the night, I started tossing and turning. I woke up and could tell that Angela was stirring as well. One of us said to the other, "are you awake?" and the other said "yes," and we realized that we both couldn't sleep or were woken up by the same thing or were both just feeling restless. But then, at the other end of her room, Trilly was sitting in the fucking desk chair.
I think it was Angela who pointed it out. We saw a shadow, thinking it was a person, freaked out, and then relaxed briefly when we saw it was just the doll. But then we got freaked out all over again and were like, "why the FUCK is this FUCKING doll in your room!?!?", murderously standing up and going over to it to pick it up and throw it in James' room and pound the living Christ out of him.
We turn on all the lights, turn on the hall light, stomp down the hall into his room and turn on his lights, and see he's not in his bed. We then go downstairs (my aunt and uncle's room was on the main floor), Trilly still in Angela's hands, and hear my aunt and James in the washroom. Turns out James had been sick for the last few hours and my aunt had been up all night with him as he was throwing up in the washroom. And when we saw the scene we immediately could tell that James had nothing to do with Trilly. Like, it was just one of those really believable situations where we could tell James truly had no idea what was going on. We even felt bad for him. And, to top it off, when we told him the story in the morning it scared him so much that he didn't go into the basement for like a year. Anyway, it just seemed really sincere.
So Angela and I went back up to her room and we were like, "are we *sure* we didn't bring this up here last night? Are we sure? We must have." Anyway, while we were really freaked, we figured that it was explainable. We knew the doll obviously didn't walk itself upstairs like it was some horror movie. But, because we were fourteen and all for the drama (and I remember us having the "better safe than sorry" mindset) we called her dog upstairs (Bella, a poorly behaved black poodle). We started playing tug-of-war with Bella, using Trilly as the toy, and eventually Bella ripped her to shreds.
Anyway, funny memory, making the dog rip up the doll, we laughed and thought we were tough and cool, then we went back to bed.
The next morning, instead of all of us going skiing, it was just Me, Angela, and my Uncle, because James stayed home with my aunt on account of his stomach flu. But when we woke up, Angela was acting weird. Nothing too noteable, just really bizarrely quiet as she moved around her room to get her clothes out of her drawers and get changed. She didn't, like, acknowledge me in her room. I said something like "morning" when she didn't acknowledge me, and she looked at me and then turned back to her drawers and kept getting changed.
And she was looking around weirdly, I remember that too. Almost like she'd misplaced something, but a little more dazed than that. Just moving strangely. Then she went downstairs without saying anything to me at all. I thought maybe she was just super groggy... but it still felt really weird.
When I went downstairs, she was standing at the island in the kitchen buttering toast that my uncle had put in for us. I distinctly remember walking up beside her and the toaster, pulling a piece of toast out of it, putting it on the plate that had been set out for me, and when I dipped the knife into the container of butter, Angela smacked my hand away, hard, and looked at me and snapped, "what are you doing? Don't take things that aren't yours". I was shocked. It honestly felt like being struck in the face. She'd never spoken to me like that before, and even though we were like siblings, I still felt that kind of mortifying embarrassment you feel when someone calls you out on misbehaving, even though I wasn't doing anything wrong; but it *was* her family's butter and bread? I don't know. That's what I remember thinking. But it was awkward and weird and I just said, "um, what?" and then she didn't say anything, just kept buttering her toast, and I mumbled some apology.
The three of us then drove to the ski hill and, I kid you not, Angela and I didn't speak the whole way there. I had no idea what was up, but I didn't want to ask with her dad in the car.
Then when we got to the ski hill, we went skiing just the two of us and on the chairlift during the first run I mustered up the courage to say "Hey, did I do something wrong? I feel like you're really mad at me or something". And she turned to look at me and was confused. Not friendly, not warm, not reassuring, but confused. It was almost as if I was a stranger and she looked at me as if to say, "sorry, who are you? why are you talking to me?"
And she responded in a formal way: "Sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about". The distance in her voice was really eerie, and I started to think maybe this had to do with the doll incident the night before and either she was trying to extend the prank, and she was the one who had put the doll on the chair, OR she felt guilty that we ruined this family doll and she resented me for being a part of it. Anyway, when we got to the top of the hill, she skied down quickly and didn't wait for me to go back up again, and we ended up skiing separately.
I felt awkward and embarrassed like I'd done something wrong. I ended up skiing with my uncle who asked me what was up with us, and I just said I didn't know. Then after our day of skiing, he dropped me off at my family's cottage and continued on home with Angela.
For the rest of that whole school year (we were in ninth grade), Angela and I didn't really speak. It was really sad. We were like sisters before, but better because we weren't actually sisters, but cousins, and so we were like best friends that were related. Seriously, we were really close. And it really messed me up, I felt like she just ghosted me. I would text her and call her house but she was always "fine" or "with Jessica" (her best friend). I chalked it up to her just outgrowing me, and it really fucking sucked. But, to be honest, it was so jarring and such a stark shift that I was more confused than hurt. I talked to my mom about it and she explained to me how rough it can be to be a teenage girl.
But that following summer, we were up at our cottages again, and our family had a barbecue and invited over my aunt and uncle and Angela and James. I had seen Angela at family things a couple of times since and she would just kind of ignore me and spend the whole time texting, which is what I expected this time.
Sure enough, that's what happened for the first bit of the barbecue. But then when the food was ready, she came up beside me as we were dressing our hamburgers at the condiment table and said, "oh my god, remember that night we got Bella to ruin Trilly?" and I was so shocked by her friendly tone, by her acting as though she were picking up a conversation we just were having, that I just stared at her and said, "yeah, that was crazy". And she said, "yeah, so funny. Anyway, how've you been?" again, really different and formal. I almost couldn't get past how altered her tone was, like we'd never even met. In fact she seemed so sprightly and kind that I thought she was mocking me.
And our relationship since that barbecue carried on just like that. She started talking to me more, but I'd reference inside jokes or ways we used to be or things we used to do and she never really latched on to any of them. I was caught between thinking she'd outgrown me and thinking she was like embarrassed of our closeness before or something and was trying to move on. I talked to my mom about this, and again got the speech about how teenage girls can be really cruel/strange sometimes.
So until we were about 22, we were like that. Nice to each other, talking sometimes, not that close, and I learned to not try and act like we were all close or that we had been close. I talked to my friends about it too and they said it was normal for friendships to change like that. But something felt off about this. I started to honestly feel crazy for hanging on to this "before" memory of Angela so much.
Then when we were 22, we grew apart. This time, it was mutual and natural. I moved cities, and she got engaged and became a real estate agent and we just had nothing to talk about. It was gradual and I didn't notice it much. Which brings us to eight years later, just last week.
I was travelling in Iceland. I had to be there (very randomly) for a conference/workshop I was leading for work, and turned it into a vacation. Rented a car, decided I was going to drive across the island after the conference was over and stay on the east part and explore a bit.
Day four of my seven-day long road trip. It's mid-afternoon, I'm hungry. I've been driving for three hours and have come across no sign of civilization at all, and it was fifty miles to the next town. But then, voila! A little gas station/general store/cafe! Perfect!
Ah, fuck. I literally can't believe I'm writing this. It makes me sound fucking crazy. But here I go.
I park in the little three-car parking lot. I get out of my car, step onto the gravel, the sky is white, expansive, there are mountains everywhere around me, fields, sheep. The air is fresh. Seriously middle of nowhere. I walk up the wooden rickety steps and push open the door and hear the door chimes go. A man walks out from the back room and greets me, and the place is cute. There's a little handwritten menu above the cash register and I asked him in my pathetic Icelandic/English mix if I could have the gravlax toast. He's very friendly and kind and says yes, asks if I want a coffee, I say yes please, blah blah, he rings me up at the cash register, and I go and sit at the one table they have and wait for my food.
I look around - it's mostly a fishing supplies store with some general groceries. The man opens the door to the room from which he came, the kitchen I suppose, and says the order to the lady in the back who looks like she's doing some prep cooking. Immediately I stop. It's freaking Angela!!!! Or I thought it was.
Now, remember, I hadn't seen Angela in about eight years. Since her dad passed away when we were twenty-three, and because I'd moved cities, we just had no reason to really see each other especially after growing so far apart.
So, like, OH MY GOD, it's Angela! She's working at a random little general store in middle-of-nowhere Iceland! But wait, I thought. No. This is obviously not-fucking-Angela. Angela is a real estate agent in my hometown. I'd obviously know if she lived in Iceland lol. Right? I don't really use social media but the odd time I do, she'll pop up here and there. But I guess not enough for me to *confirm* she still lived in my hometown.
But anyway, she looked enough like Angela that I went right up to the cash register and rang the little bell and the guy came back out and when he opened the door I was able to get another look at her, and my heart skidded. A chill spread across my crown. It was one hundred percent Angela. Like, my full-on cousin. So, looking over the guys' shoulder, RIGHT AT ANGELA, I smile and say, "Angela!! Oh my god!!" and before she could respond, the door shut again.
And the guy at the cash smiled really big, a nice, friendly, smile and he looked surprised as well, and pointed back over his shoulder and then at me, as if to say, "you two know each other?!" which confirmed for me that her name was Angela, because he seemed really delighted at the coincidence. Expecting her to emerge from the kitchen, I walked around to behind the cash register (the invitation was implied by the guy) and he put his arm back to open the door for me, or for Angela, whom we both expected to be making her way over to me, too.
When he opened the door, she was head-down again, chopping vegetables. I walked through the door and said, "Angela? Angela!" smiling, thinking she hadn't seen me yet or realized who I was, all context considered. She looked up at me, and then quickly, as though avoiding my eyes, looked down. "Hey", she said, quietly, at the cutting board.
WHAT THE FUCK WAS GOING ON? Before I could ask anything, she said, "I'm really sorry, okay?"
What?
She repeated herself and then continued: "I'm really sorry okay? But we can't talk".
I actually, like, had no clue what was happening. I was looking into the eyes of my cousin whom I hadn't seen in forever in some random fucking shack in Iceland and she was acting skittish and afraid. I opened my mouth to protest and she said, "I need you to leave," then she called the guy's name and said something to him in Icelandic. She can speak Icelandic??!
The guy came in, his demeanour totally different. Almost like he was a bouncer. He gestured to my coffee and toast that were ready to go, took them in his hands and ushered me out of the kitchen and I could tell I no longer was welcome. Either I wasn't welcome or I was in danger, or both. It felt more like the former. And I don't think the guy had any idea what was going on, either. I think she must have said something to him like "I don't know this person, this person is crazy" or something. That's how he was acting toward me.
I got in my car, I drove five minutes down the road, and pulled over. I miraculously had service and I called my mom and told her everything. She kind of just laughed at me and was like "Many-Patient2894, that obviously wasn't Angela". And joked about me making some poor Icelandic woman feel extremely weird. But based off the guy's reaction when I said her name, her name was Angela, and the way she spoke to me and said sorry and said we couldn't talk, like, she knew me too. I told my mom all of this and I sounded fucking crazy and she just was basically like, "Haha, yeah, weird". I think she thinks I was making up the part about the apology.
I told all of my friends this, when I was still in Iceland, and they all reacted like my mom did. At this point, I had four days left in the country, and I kept wanting to return to the cafe/general store. But I didn't. I started to think maybe the woman thought I was someone else. But then I kept coming back to, but wait, this person was Angela. Her name, her body, her face, like I just didn't know what to do.
This brings me to two days ago, the day before yesterday, when I returned to Canada, where I live. It's eight o'clock in the morning and I'm on my way to work. In my car. Just picked up a coffee. Exhausted. Not thinking about Angela at all. Thinking about my laundry, my bills, what I'm going to make for dinner. The traffic is bad and it's a miserable day outside.
My phone dings. It's a random number. The text reads: "Hey! It's Angela! How was your trip?"
Haven't heard from her in eight years (except for our run-in in Iceland, if indeed it was one). No "how have you been??", no "I miss you!!" no "long time no talk/see!". I also hadn't posted anything about my trip on social media. Unless you were a friend of mine, you didn't know I was there.
I immediately call my mom, who follows Angela on Instagram, and ask her to look at her profile. Sure enough, Angela (not at all to my mother's surprise), is posting stories of the bachelorette party she's at in Miami. She's, like, not at all in Iceland.
I have no idea what's going on. And the way Angela/the woman spoke to me in the cafe had the cadence and softness that Angela had, and in my memory, lost, starting the morning of the skiing after the incident with Trilly and the dog. For some reason I'm fully back there in my memory now, realizing that that was the first morning of "the new Angela", the one that seemed to have no emotional memory of me at all. Like, the Iceland Angela seemed more like the "before" Angela.
I haven't replied to the text. I have no idea if it was bachelorette party Miami Angela or Iceland Angela that sent me the message, the area code is from neither Angela's hometown or Iceland.
I need advice, I have no idea what to do or who to talk to. Do I reply to the text? What do I say? I feel like the real Angela is fucking trapped in Iceland or something and has been for a long time. Or I don't even know. I have no idea what to do.

Anyone have experience using alternatives to bluetooth for wireless audio transmission between projector and hi-fi receiver?
I understand the downgrade in audio performance inherent to any wireless set up. But, wondering if bluetooth is the best of a bad lot, or whether a 2.4GHZ transmittereciever would be better.

any portal i try to light and go through doesn't link at all, this leads to too much portals and could ruin my server, this isn't the obfuscation thing and im pretty sure its a mod i have.
here's a full list of my mods and the footage: Sky Structures

Dark Paintings Kotlin for Forge Easy Anvils [Forge & Fabric] Dungeon Crawl Konkrete [Forge] Dangerous Stone Cutter [Forge/Fabric] [Let's Do] API AutoRegLib Chalk AmbientSounds 5 [Let's Do] Beachparty Biome Music[Forge/Fabric] Savage Ender Dragon[Forge/Fabric] SuperMartijn642's Config Lib Extra Zombie Drops YUNG's Better Jungle Temples (Forge) Skeleton Horse Spawn Serene Seasons Name Tag Tweaks Radium Reforged Bookshelf Sooty Chimneys FullBright Cloth Config API (Fabric/Forge/NeoForge) Torch Slabs Mod WATERMeDIA: Multimedia API Tough As Nails Artifacts Cultural Delights CodeChicken Lib 1.8.+ Just Enough Items (JEI) Night Lights Savage & Ravage Enchantment Descriptions Spelunkery Second Chance (Forge) Sit Naturally Spawning Vex Visuality: Reforged HT's TreeChop Make Bubbles Pop [Client] [Forge/Fabric/Quilt] Sophisticated Backpacks Pitch Perfect Not Enough Animations Better Allay [FABRIC/FORGE] [ETF] Entity Texture Features - [Fabric & Forge] Universal Bone Meal [Forge & Fabric] Another Liquid Milk Towns and Towers YUNG's Better Desert Temples (Forge) YUNG's Better Nether Fortresses (Forge) Death Knell Special Drops Portfolio Mouse Tweaks The Aethe Durability Tooltip Golems Are Friends Not Fodder Kiwi 🥝 (Forge) Double Doors Bedspreads (Fabric/Forge/Quilt) Toast Control Placebo Supplementaries Squared Abnormals Delight Clear Water Respiteful The Twilight Forest CreativeCore YUNG's API (Forge) YUNG's Better Dungeons (Forge) MmmMmmMmmMmm (Target Dummy) Edibles Aquaculture 2 Chunk Sending[Forge/Fabric] Better Climbing Server Performance - Smooth Chunk Save[Forge/Fabric] Alex's Mobs Silveroak Outpost Chef's Delight [Forge] Ensorcellation Curios API (Forge/NeoForge) True Darkness Neapolitan Berry Good Supplementaries [Let's Do] Bakery Entity Collision FPS Fix Simple Shops Realistic Sleep Rare Ice (Forge/Fabric) Better Fog TerraBlender (Forge) Texels Paintings Cave Rats Buzzier Bees Chimes Stronger Snowballs Grabby Mobs Falling Leaves (NeoForge/Forge) Sophisticated Core Clear Lava and Water Alex's Delight Nyf's Spiders End's Delight CoFH Core Every Compat (Wood Good) Cupboard Another Furniture Carry On Farmer's Delight Drip Sounds (Forge) XP From Harvest Reworked Eating Animation [Forge] Path Under Gates Hourglass Cook your food Diet (Fabric/Forge/Quilt) Despawning Eggs Hatch YUNG's Bridges (Forge) Domestication Innovation Incubation Brewin' And Chewin' Extra Delight Beautify! Comforts (Fabric/Forge/Quilt) Snow Under Trees YUNG's Better Mineshafts (Forge) Variant Tools and Weaponry - More Weapons Let Sleeping Dogs Lie (Forge) SwingThroughGrass YUNG's Extras (Forge) Better Fullbright TheDirtyStuff Blueprint Clumps Neko's Enchanted Books Moonlight Lib YUNG's Better Strongholds (Forge) Void Fog Framework More Mob Variants Villager Names CullLessLeaves Reforged (Unofficial) Lucent YUNG's Better End Island (Forge) Chat Heads Detail Armor Bar [Forge] AppleSkin Snowballs Freeze Mobs Food Effects YUNG's Better Ocean Monuments (Forge) Iceberg [Forge] Mod Name Tooltip Architectury API (Fabric/Forge/NeoForge) Snuffles Snow! Real Magic! ⛄ (Forge) Naturally Charged Creepers Just Enough Effect Descriptions (JEED) Cat Jammies Biomes O' Plenty Super Simple Voice Radio Tumbleweed GeckoLib Pet Pass: Trade Your Pets Presence Footsteps [Forge] Starlight (Forge) [Let's Do] Vinery Citadel [Let's Do] NetherVinery [EMF] Entity Model Features [Fabric & Forge] Random Mob Sizes Better Fps - Render Distance[Forge] Puzzles Lib [Forge & Fabric] Fullbright UB Collective Nature's Compass Fresh Animations Smarter Farmers (farmers replant) Easy Shulker Boxes [Forge & Fabric] Simple Tomb Amplified Nether Copperized Advancement Plaques [Forge] YUNG's Better Witch Huts (Forge) Tax Free Levels (Fabric/(Neo)Forge) Boatload Camera Mod Simple Voice Chat Better Advancements Wool Tweaks Responsive Shields Carpet Trapdoors [Forge] Duckling Contact Nether's Delight Xtra Arrows Entity Culling Fabric/Forge Do a Barrel Roll Model Gap Fix Easy Magic [Forge & Fabric] MidnightLib Just Zoom [Forge] Catalogue Blur (Forge) Notes MrCrayfish's Gun Mod Farmer's Respite Iron Chests Twilight's Flavors & Delight Dynamic Lights Item Highlighter [Forge] Forgery 

https://reddit.com/link/1crvz2f/video/loc638bacnzc1/player
Dont mind the darkness, its another mod i just fixed

I'm on the verge of desperation and I just cant figure out how to get this fixed, PLEASE HELP.
So i'm running a dual pc setup, one gaming pc and one streaming pc. So far I've been able to get everything up and running except the audio. I've tried "listen" to "stereomix" in my audio settings, I've tried Elgato Sound Capture but it does not work.
Currently I've got my gaming pc connected to my elgato via hdmi and then the elgato feeding the signal to my streaming laptop. I'm using my Logitech G Pro X Wireless as my gaming headset and would really love to have my audio output from my gaming pc both on my headset and the HDMI feeding to the elgato. Please tell me how to get this done. Thanks!
P.S. Whoever provides a solution that works and doesnt require me to get millions of AUX cables or use Voicemeter will receive a gift :)

I'm on the verge of desperation and I just cant figure out how to get this fixed, PLEASE HELP.
So i'm running a dual pc setup, one gaming pc and one streaming pc. So far I've been able to get everything up and running except the audio. I've tried "listen" to "stereomix" in my audio settings, I've tried Elgato Sound Capture but it does not work.
Currently I've got my gaming pc connected to my elgato via hdmi and then the elgato feeding the signal to my streaming laptop. I'm using my Logitech G Pro X Wireless as my gaming headset and would really love to have my audio output from my gaming pc both on my headset and the HDMI feeding to the elgato. Please tell me how to get this done. Thanks!
P.S. Whoever provides a solution that works and doesnt require me to get millions of AUX cables or use Voicemeter will receive a gift :)

I'm on the verge of desperation and I just cant figure out how to get this fixed, PLEASE HELP.
So i'm running a dual pc setup, one gaming pc and one streaming pc. So far I've been able to get everything up and running except the audio. I've tried "listen" to "stereomix" in my audio settings, I've tried Elgato Sound Capture but it does not work.
Currently I've got my gaming pc connected to my elgato via hdmi and then the elgato feeding the signal to my streaming laptop. I'm using my Logitech G Pro X Wireless as my gaming headset and would really love to have my audio output from my gaming pc both on my headset and the HDMI feeding to the elgato. Please tell me how to get this done. Thanks!
P.S. Whoever provides a solution that works and doesnt require me to get millions of AUX cables or use Voicemeter will receive a gift :)

I'm on the verge of desperation and I just cant figure out how to get this fixed, PLEASE HELP.
So i'm running a dual pc setup, one gaming pc and one streaming pc. So far I've been able to get everything up and running except the audio. I've tried "listen" to "stereomix" in my audio settings, I've tried Elgato Sound Capture but it does not work.
Currently I've got my gaming pc connected to my elgato via hdmi and then the elgato feeding the signal to my streaming laptop. I'm using my Logitech G Pro X Wireless as my gaming headset and would really love to have my audio output from my gaming pc both on my headset and the HDMI feeding to the elgato. Please tell me how to get this done. Thanks!
P.S. Whoever provides a solution that works and doesnt require me to get millions of AUX cables or use Voicemeter will receive a gift :)

I'm on the verge of desperation and I just cant figure out how to get this fixed, PLEASE HELP.
So i'm running a dual pc setup, one gaming pc and one streaming pc. So far I've been able to get everything up and running except the audio. I've tried "listen" to "stereomix" in my audio settings, I've tried Elgato Sound Capture but it does not work.
Currently I've got my gaming pc connected to my elgato via hdmi and then the elgato feeding the signal to my streaming laptop. I'm using my Logitech G Pro X Wireless as my gaming headset and would really love to have my audio output from my gaming pc both on my headset and the HDMI feeding to the elgato. Please tell me how to get this done. Thanks!
P.S. Whoever provides a solution that works and doesnt require me to get millions of AUX cables or use Voicemeter will receive a gift :)