If you have found this message and your are reading this. Then know that it was meant for you. If at any point of time, you don't feel like reading it, then you can skip and ignore this message.
~Today's Card: [BUTTERFLY]~
SPREAD YOUR WINGS, BE UNIQUE, SURRENDER TO CHANGE
~MESSAGE:~ Everything around you and within you has changed. Even though you have felt stuck and have asked for things to change, at the same time you may be resisting the changes that are here for you now. In order for this next cycle of your life to unfold, you will be challenged to give up what is not in your control. This is the time to surrender and trust in the unseen forces that will guide you, even though you cannot see a way through your current circumstances. You have cultivated great strength and wisdom from your past trials and tribulations, and because of this you may be called into a situation that tests your ability to soar high above the limitations that once would have caused you self-doubt or stagnation. Everything you need is within you, so fly high above any and all challenges that come your way. This is a beautiful new chapter opening for you now, giving you the opportunity to demonstrate all of the spiritual wisdom you have acquired up to this point. You have nothing to prove to anyone or anything outside of you. Now go forth fearlessly and spread your uniquely beautiful wings for all the world to see, the universe and Source will support you. All you have to do now is trust and believe that this is true.
~YOUR SIGN:~ You may be asking yourself, Will this get better? Will I get through this or is everything going to be okay? If so, don’t be surprised when a butterfly flutters right past you, leaving you awestruck and speechless. The butterfly is a symbol of profound transformation through our individual struggles which then paves the way for freedom of expression to be authentically and uniquely you.
When the universe presents you with the sign of the butterfly, you are most likely experiencing suffering in some way. This suffering is a part of your metamorphosis process. This is the universe showing you that you are about to get your wings. The spiritual metaphor of growing wings refers to transcending past the difficulties and struggles in your life through connecting with your true self, inner strength, and resolve. Through this process you will undergo a death and rebirth process. When this stage of your life is complete, you will emerge with a new understanding of who you truly are and be uninhibited by past limitations that often keep you trapped in a situation that limits your true self and potential. The butterfly brings you hope during a difficult time and reminds you that you, too, have the power to transform the pain of the past into something beautiful for the future.
Hope this helps!

Selling my personal collection. Over 800 Games. Sorry my bad english. Paypal ff. Free Shipping over $100. Sorry i know this list will hurt eyes. I don't have a computer to edit it well. More photos at request. Offers are welcome. Most of these Prices are based on Pricharting (sorry im lazy to put my prices for these 800 games) i would like to sell this has a lot but im from Puerto Rico so thats likely impossible.
https://imgur.com/a/ntp4d6Q
Nintendo Switch
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim CIB+ 32.92 1971 Project Helios New 15.41 Boy and His Blob New 50.49 Little Golf Journey New 29.62 Robot Named Fight [Premium Edition] New 50.5 Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion New 25.68 AeternoBlade II New 35.5 Afterparty New 38 Aggelos New 38.22 AI: The Somnium Files CIB+ 60.5 AI: The Somnium Files CIB+ 60.5 AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative CIB+ 40 Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX New 18.98 Alwa's Collection New 25.62 American Hero New 40.49 Ancestors Legacy New 24.07 Annapurna Interactive [Deluxe Limited Edition Collection] New 372.64 ANNO: Mutationem [Limited Run] New 69.5 Ape Out [Special Reserve] New 49.13 Ara Fell & Rise of the Third Power New 57.24 Arcade Spirits New 20 Archvale New 51.25 ARMS CIB+ 30.5 Ary and the Secret of Seasons New 12.52 Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore New 74.23 Assassin's Creed: The Rebel Collection CIB+ 17.48 Astalon: Tears of the Earth New 50.63 Astral Chain New 48.99 Astronite New 19.48 Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy New 86.98 Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout CIB+ 49.5 Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout New 60.1 Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle New 74.23 Axiom Verge 1 & 2 Double Pack New 74.5 Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 New 48.5 Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack CIB+ 25.79 Balan Wonderworld New 11.77 Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Editions New 140.05 Battle Chef Brigade Deluxe CIB+ 32.61 Battle Princess Madelyn: Royal Edition New 52.88 Bayonetta New 40.76 Bayonetta 2 CIB+ 35.5 Bayonetta 3 New 34.67 Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon New 32.5 Black Bird New 55.5 Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition New 48.72 Blasphemous CIB+ 108.49 Blaster Master Zero New 44.14 Blaster Master Zero II New 40.49 Blaster Master Zero III New 34.5 Blazing Beaks New 30.02 Blazing Chrome CIB+ 65.92 Bloodrayne 1 & 2: Revamped Dual Pack w/ Slipcover New 100.47 BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites New 40.49 Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon 2 New 28.49 Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night New 21.23 Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince New 46.48 Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King CIB+ 150.47 Blue Fire CIB+ 28.49 Blue Reflection: Second Light New 59.83 Bomb Chicken CIB+ 38.14 Bravely Default II New 29.4 BROFORCE [SWITCH RESERVE] New 53.82 Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling New 55.93 Bugsnax CIB+ 30.77 Burnout Paradise Remastered CIB+ 14.98 BUTCHER New 36.9 Cannon Dancer: Osman New 54 Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker CIB+ 30.49 Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions New 26.09 Card Shark Collector's Edition New 47.5 Carrion: Special Reserve Edition New 50.6 Castlevania Anniversary Collection New 50.49 Cat Girl Without Salad: Amuse-Bouche New 40.97 Cat Quest + Cat Quest II: Pawsome Pack New 49.5 Cathedral New 66.91 Cave Story+ CIB+ 34.49 Celeste New 62.39 Chicken Police - Paint it RED! CIB+ 13.25 Children of Morta CIB+ 22.09 Children of Zodiarcs New 44.77 Citizens Unite! Earth X Space New 29.49 Coffee Talk New 42.15 COGEN: Sword of Rewind & Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 2 Double Pack New 80.48 Collar X Malice New 30.49 Collection of Mana New 25.5 Contra Anniversary Collection New 41.45 Contra Anniversary Collection New 41.45 Cooking Mama: Cookstar New 36.11 Corpse Killer: 25th Anniversary Edition New 42.7 Cosmo Dreamer & Like Dreamer: Double-D Collection New 25.00 Cris Tales New 13.99 Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion CIB+ 29 CrossCode New 52.99 Crossing Souls - Special Reserve New 40.00 Cruis'n Blast New 20.48 Crystal Crisis New 31.52 Cthulhu Saves Christmas New 45.17 Cult of the Lamb [Special Reserve] New 72.48 Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition CIB+ 41.29 Dark Devotion New 45.49 Darksiders Genesis CIB+ 18 Darkwood CIB+ 108.46 DARQ: Complete Edition New 38.97 Dawn of the Monsters New 50.36 Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania Edition New 32.01 Dead or School New 52.03 Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise CIB+ 16.77 Deadly Premonition Origins New 38.03 Death end re;Quest New 41.97 Death Road to Canada New 40 Death's Door [Special Reserve] New 33.03 Death's Gambit: Afterlife New 38.72 Demon Throttle [Reserve Edition] New 25.25 Demon Throttle [Reserve Edition] New 25.25 Demon Turf New 40.82 Demon's Tilt New 44.5 Deponia Collection New 83.14 Dex New 48.38 Diablo III: Eternal Collection New 25.77 Digimon Survive New 20.95 Dimension Drive [Limited Edition] New 65.48 Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories CIB+ 25.5 DISC ROOM [SWITCH RESERVE] New 38.69 Disgaea 5 Complete New 39.5 Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and the Lion King New 18.29 Disney Tsum Tsum Festival New 26.55 DISTRAINT Collection New 33.76 Divinity: Original Sin II - Definitive Edition New 180.49 Dodgeball Academia New 19.5 DoDonPachi Resurrection New 55.38 Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! New 30.49 Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze CIB+ 32.97 DOOM CIB+ 28.9 Doom 64 New 45.45 DOOM Eternal New 89 DOOM: The Classics Collection New 50.5 Double Dragon & Kunio-Kun Retro Brawler Bundle New 52.83 Double Dragon IV New 33.97 Double Dragon: Neon New 50.49 Downwell [Special Reserve Edition] New 75 Double Switch: 25th Anniversary Edition New 55.89 Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot + A New Power Awakens Set New 30.8 Dragon Quest Treasures New 29.53 Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition New 46.97 Dragon Star Varnir New 45.49 Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen CIB+ 24.74 Dragon's Lair Trilogy New 144.25 DRAINUS New 63.39 Dreamscaper New 44.72 Dusk New 44.49 Eastward CIB+ 20.3 Eldest Souls New 45.5 Elliot Quest New 28.48 Enclave HD New 52.67 Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights New 63.97 Endling - Extinction is Forever New 25.76 Epic Chef New 15.57 Espgaluda II New 60.27 Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force New 48.41 FAR: Lone Sails New 49.69 Fast RMX New 71.73 Fatal Twelve New 44.49 Fault Milestone One New 28.49 Fight'N Rage New 45.49 FINAL FANTASY VII & VIII REMASTERED TWIN PACK CIB+ 37.63 Final Fantasy X / X-2 HD Remaster New 51.33 Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age New 31.61 Fire Emblem Engage New 35.07 Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes New 20.17 Fire Emblem: Three Houses New 45.45 Flinthook New 45.49 Flipping Death CIB+ 28.39 Foretales New 19.29 Forgotton Anne CIB+ 35.49 Fran Bow New 111.48 Freedom Finger CIB+ 77.4 Freedom Planet New 57.39 Furi CIB+ 48.64 Gal Metal: World Tour Edition CIB+ 17.69 Garden Story New 46.5 Gato Roboto [Special Reserve Edition] New 55.49 Ghost 1.0 + Unepic Collection: Standard Edition New 80.5 Ghost of a Tale New 66.61 Going Under New 37.47 Golf Story New 82.75 Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness New 45.35 Grandia HD Collection New 82.51 GrimGrimoire OnceMore [Deluxe Edition] New 42.33 GRIS [Limited Special Reserve] CIB+ 85.25 Guacamelee! One-Two Punch Collection CIB+ 87.57 Gunbrick: Reloaded New 24.68 Gunlord X New 107.79 Guns, Gore & Cannoli 1 & 2 New 105.28 Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX New 84.5 Gyakuten Saiban 123: Naruhodo Selection New 41.49 Hades New 39.19 Haven New 45.49 Heaven's Vault New 32.15 Hero Must Die. Again New 56.5 Heroland Knowble Edition New 18.63 Hollow Knight CIB+ 31.5 Horgihugh and Friends New 28.18 Hot Wheels Unleashed New 22.03 Hotline Miami Collection [Special Reserve] New 54.36 Hyper Light Drifter [Special Edition] New 72.29 Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition CIB+ 49.69 Ib New 55.46 Ikenfell New 42.56 Immortals Fenyx Rising New 15.22 In Sound Mind: Deluxe Edition New 21.81 Indivisible New 19.41 Infernax New 50.5 Inscryption [Special Reserve] New 283.5 Ion Fury New 35.35 ITTA CIB+ 45.74 ITTA [Steelbook Edition] New 65.84 Ittle Dew 2+ New 43.45 Jamestown+ New 50.98 Joe Dever's Lone Wolf New 65.54 Katamari Damacy REROLL New 23.45 Katanakami New 42.3 Kaze and the Wild Masks New 32.44 KeyWe New 25.49 Killer Queen Black New 16.13 King's Bounty II New 17.85 Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory New 20.59 Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning CIB+ 19.98 Kirby and the Forgotten Land CIB+ 37.97 Knights and Bikes New 45.49 Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa New 19.45 KUNAI New 40.5 L.A. Noire CIB+ 29.99 Lair of the Clockwork God New 39.13 Layers of Fear: Legacy New 147.86 LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga New 20.48 Little Nightmares II CIB+ 20.75 Live A Live CIB+ 26.42 Lonely Mountains: Downhill SRG#46 New 86.79 Loop Hero CIB+ 35.47 Loop Hero [Collectors Edition] New 80.75 Love Esquire [Limited Edition] New 90.5 LoveKami Trilogy New 45.87 Luigi's Mansion 3 CIB+ 33.25 Lumines Remastered New 32.5 LUNARK New 49.52 Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope CIB+ 15.42 Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle CIB+ 12.5 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe New 38.35 Mario Party: Superstars CIB+ 39.5 Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order New 41.5 Mary Skelter 2 New 45.49 Mary Skelter: Finale New 49.39 Mato Anomalies New 19.73 Mega Man 11 New 20.48 Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection CIB+ 24.5 Megadimension Neptunia VII New 45.5 Metroid Dread CIB+ 35.34 Metroid Prime Remastered New 34.34 Mighty Gunvolt Burst New 44.45 Mighty Switch Force! Collection CIB+ 45.49 Ministry of Broadcast New 26.72 Minoria New 50.47 Miracle Snack Shop [Limited Edition] New 35.00 Moero Chronicle Hyper New 90.35 Moero Crystal H New 50.77 Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight New 71.68 MONARK Deluxe Edition New 37 Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom New 78.59 Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate New 42.69 Monster Hunter Rise CIB+ 15.49 Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin New 31.49 Monster Sanctuary New 58.46 Monstrum New 38.5 Mother Russia Bleeds [Special Reserve] New 59.25 Mother Russia Bleeds [Special Reserve] New 59.25 Ms. Splosion Man CIB+ 31.98 Mulaka New 60.00 Murder By Numbers Collectors Edition New 80.36 Mushihimesama New 60.7 My Friend Pedro [Special Reserve Edition] New 79.7 Narita Boy New 45.55 NEO: The World Ends With You CIB+ 20.5 NeoGeo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 New 43.06 Neon Abyss New 42.38 Neversong & Pinstripe CIB+ 37.5 New Pokémon Snap CIB+ 31.81 New Super Lucky's Tale New 33.59 New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe New 39.5 Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom - Prince's Edition New 18.14 Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch New 26.5 NieR: Automata - The End of YoRHa Edition New 39.5 Night in the Woods New 59.92 Night Trap: 25th Anniversary Edition New 56.06 Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection New 50.42 No Man's Sky CIB+ 26.25 No More Heroes CIB+ 40.5 No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle CIB+ 35.92 No More Heroes III CIB+ 15.5 Ocean's Heart New 53.33 Octahedron New 45.43 Octopath Traveler New 52.43 Octopath Traveler II New 39.99 Oddworld - Collection New 36.25 à Œkami HD New 32.99 One Step From Eden New 34.15 Oniken + Odallus Collection New 36.51 Opus Collection CIB+ 22.49 Ori: The Collection New 28.97 Othercide New 32.45 Outlast: Bundle of Terror / Outlast 2 CIB+ 277.52 Overlord: Escape from Nazarick New 35.97 Owlboy CIB+ 16.48 Oxenfree New 99.53 Panzer Dragoon New 40.5 Panzer Paladin New 48.13 Paper Mario: The Origami King CIB+ 36.5 Pathway New 27.6 Phoenotopia: Awakening [Premium Edition] New 114.25 Pikmin 3 Deluxe CIB+ 39.75 Pikmin 4 New 42.79 Piofiore: Fated Memories New 27.95 PixelJunk Eden 2 New 25.49 Pocky & Rocky Reshrined New 25.49 Pokémon Brilliant Diamond CIB+ 32.75 Pokémon Legends: Arceus New 41.19 Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX CIB+ 40.5 Pokémon Sword CIB+ 30.26 Pokémon Violet New 44.5 Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! CIB+ 35.47 Postal Redux New 25.5 PowerSlave: Exhumed New 65.06 Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2 [Deluxe Edition] New 43.99 Prodeus New 40.67 Project Warlock New 67.14 Puyo Puyo Tetris New 17.5 Q.U.B.E. 2 New 51.32 Quake New 38.49 Radiant Silvergun New 58.09 Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan New 23.82 Razion EX New 137.71 realMyst: Masterpiece Edition New 78.08 République: Anniversary Edition New 35.49 Return of the Obra Dinn New 58.18 Return to Monkey Island CIB+ 43.09 Return to Shironagasu Island CIB+ 28.5 Risk of Rain 2 New 14.7 River City Girls CIB+ 80.23 River City Girls 2 New 50.5 River City Girls [PAX Variant] New 142.6 River City Girls Zero New 44.49 River City: Rival Showdown New 30.49 Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos CIB+ 46.5 Roki CIB+ 39.07 Rolling Sky Collection CIB+ 20.00 Root Film New 34.09 RUINER [SWITCH RESERVE] New 54.47 Rune Factory 3 Special New 23.41 Rune Factory 3 Special New 23.41 Rune Factory 4 Special [Archival Edition] New 153.5 Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin New 27.5 Sally Face [Deluxe Edition] New 224.81 Sam & Max Save the World New 43.5 Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space Remastered New 44 Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time New 70.48 Save me Mr Tako: Definitive Edition New 33.5 Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game - Complete Edition New 32.49 Sea Horizon [Limited Edition] New 42.49 Sea of Solitude: The Director's Cut New 20.00 Seabed New 40.42 SeaBed [Limited Edition] New 135.38 Senran Kagura Reflexions New 129.74 Senren * Banka New 86.76 SENSEs: Midnight [Limited Edition] New 47.43 Serious Sam Collection [Switch Reserve] New 60.49 Seven Pirates H New 51.25 Seven Pirates H New 51.25 Seven Pirates H New 51.25 Shadow Man Remastered New 48.39 Shadowgate New 62.5 Shadowrun Trilogy New 56.64 Shadows of Adam New 34.49 Shadowverse: Champion's Battle New 21.95 Shantae New 39.34 Shantae and the Pirate's Curse New 381.21 Shantae and the Pirate's Curse Box 49.62 Shantae and the Seven Sirens New 50.2 Shantae: Half-Genie Hero [Ultimate Edition] New 38.2 Shantae: Risky's Revenge New 38.51 Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn New 19.57 Shikhondo: Soul Eater New 34.44 Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster New 25.5 Shin Megami Tensei V New 22.38 Shin Megami Tensei V New 22.38 Shining Resonance Refrain [Draconic Launch Edition] New 48.6 Signalis New 32.03 Sine Mora EX New 23.02 Skelattack New 50.49 Slime-san New 43.74 Smile For Me New 46.94 SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy New 29.15 Sol Cresta: Dramatic Edition New 45.48 Sonic Colors Ultimate CIB+ 15.48 Sonic Frontiers CIB+ 21.62 Sonic Mania New 16.51 Spiritfarer New 28.95 Splatoon 2 CIB+ 19.67 Splatoon 3 New 43.99 Star Wars Pinball New 19.72 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic New 60.49 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords New 59.79 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords New 59.79 Star Wars: Republic Commando New 26.45 Steel Assault New 48 Streets of Rage 4 New 33.45 Strife: Veteran Edition New 37.72 Subnautica + Subnautica: Below Zero New 32.49 Super Blood Hockey New 60.96 Super Bomberman R New 20.42 Super Mario 3D All-Stars CIB+ 82.33 Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury CIB+ 39.5 Super Mario Bros. Wonder CIB 38.99 Super Mario Maker 2 CIB+ 30.48 Super Mario Odyssey New 39.59 Super Mario RPG New 39.93 Super Meat Boy New 38.5 Super Meat Boy Forever New 25.98 Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania New 13.48 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate CIB+ 38.74 Supraland New 33.75 Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido New 12.17 Taiko no Tatsujin Rhythm Festival New 15.5 Tails of Iron [Crimson Knight Edition] New 42.89 Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition New 30.41 Tandem: A Tale of Shadows New 20.48 Terraria New 24.66 Caligula Effect 2 New 56.3 Caligula Effect: Overdose New 61.95 DioField Chronicle CIB+ 25.46 Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim CIB+ 35.31 Falconeer: Warrior Edition New 18.88 Friends Of Ringo Ishikawa New 26.73 Great Ace Attorney Chronicles CIB+ 30.98 Knight Witch Deluxe Edition New 32.07 Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III - Extracurricular Edition CIB+ 31.77 Legend of Tianding New 51.61 Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild CIB+ 34 Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening CIB+ 32.57 Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD CIB+ 31.24 Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom New 47.46 Letter: A Horror Visual Novel [Limited Edition] New 73.75 The Messenger [Special Reserve Games Edition] New 280.00 Missing CIB+ 35.5 Mummy Demastered New 57.71 Red Lantern New 58.5 RED STRINGS CLUB [SWITCH RESERVE] New 38.5 Silver Case 2425 Deluxe Edition CIB 35.5 TakeOver New 47.41 Talos Principle New 51.62 Touryst New 68.88 Wonderful 101: Remastered New 23.5 World Ends with You: Final Remix New 53.95 There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension New 53.51 Thumper New 45.45 Time on Frog Island CIB+ 17.43 Timespinner [Limited Run] CIB+ 77.28 Tiny Barbarian DX New 33.97 To The Moon New 67.98 ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove! CIB+ 49.86 Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore New 66.72 Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore New 66.72 TowerFall New 45.5 Transistor CIB+ 61.01 Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes CIB+ 24.99 Treasures Of The Aegean New 17.98 Triangle Strategy New 37.47 Trigger Witch New 34.59 Trigger Witch - Limited Edition New 57.66 Trover Saves the Universe New 37.76 Turok / Turok 2: Seeds of Evil New 167.4 Twin Blades of the Three Kingdoms New 50.5 Two Point Hospital New 26.5 UnderMine New 51.08 Unravel Two CIB+ 18.35 Unreal Life New 39.15 Unsighted New 47.2 Untitled Goose Game New 22.45 Valfaris New 39.64 Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection New 70.61 Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection II New 50.5 Valkyria Chronicles 4 New 66.81 Very Very Valet New 17.77 Wandersong CIB+ 33.99 Warborn New 16.6 Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus CIB+ 21 WarioWare: Get it Together! CIB+ 24.55 West of Dead New 39.1 Wizard of Legend New 62.66 Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap New 39.14 World Of Simulators New 45 Wreckfest New 25.5 Wulverblade New 68.83 Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Loose 42.6 Xenoblade Chronicles 2 CIB+ 48.49 Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna the Golden Country New 58.45 Xenoblade Chronicles 3 New 39.49 Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition New 45.5 Xtreme Sports New 50.5 Yoku's Island Express CIB+ 35.5 Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair New 35.5 Yoshi's Crafted World CIB+ 36.75 Young Souls New 34.49 Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution CIB+ 17.69 Yuppie Psycho: Executive Edition (Elite Edition) New 45.49 Yurukill: The Calumniation Games (Deluxe Edition) New 20.73 Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol New 40.09
PS4
88 Antarctica New 45.00 Antartica 88 [Variant Cover] New 185.5 Deadpool CIB+ 76.33 Deadpool CIB+ 76.33 Death Park New 75.48 Death Park New 75.48 Death Park New 75.48 Death Park New 75.48 Digimon Survive New 16.55 Divinity: Original Sin II - Definitive Edition New 71 Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! New 21.17 Helldivers [Super-Earth Ultimate Edition] CIB+ 62.97 Minecraft: Story Mode - A Telltale Games Series - The Complete Adventure CIB+ 58.41 Outriders: Worldslayer New 18.48 Revenge of The Bird King New 31.99 Saints Row: The Third Remastered New 15.1 Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal [At the Seams Edition] New 60.49 Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal [Tailor Made Edition] New 47.99 Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash (No Shirt, No Shoes, All Service Edition) New 71.5 Shadow Warrior 2 [Special Reserve Edition] New 235.52 Super Perils of Baking Special Edition [SEGA Outerbox] New 200.5 Swords of Ditto: Mormo's Curse [Special Reserve Edition] New 47.1 Tamashii New 734.39 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan CIB+ 51.58 Valkyria Chronicles Remastered Steelbook Edition New 30.45
Vita
2064: Read Only Memories New 67.97 88 Heroes New 40.6 99Vidas New 125.97 Hole New World New 48.82 Rose in the Twilight New 192 Winter's Daydream [Limited Edition] New 64.1 Aegis of Earth: Protonovus Assault New 26.49 Akiba's Beat New 30.25 Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed CIB+ 25.49 Alone With You New 38.5 Angry Birds Star Wars New 20.48 Another World: 20th Anniversary Edition New 40.49 Antiquia Lost New 34.75 Aqua Kitty: Milk Mine Defender DX New 51.5 Army Corps of Hell New 23.99 Asdivine Hearts New 35.46 Astro Aqua Kitty [Limited Edition] New 64.7 Atari Flashback Classics New 60.61 Atelier Escha & Logy Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky (Limited Edition) New 168.49 Awesome Pea Collection [Limited Edition] CIB+ 40.1 Axiom Verge Multiverse Edition New 56.56 Back in 1995 [Limited Edition] New 191.4 Bard's Gold New 33 Bastion New 64.16 Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate CIB+ 23.67 Bit.Trip Presents...Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien New 33.49 Bit.Trip Presents...Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien New 33.49 Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon New 118.23 Borderlands 2 CIB+ 23.49 Breach & Clear New 308.01 Broken Age New 33.77 Bunny Must Die: Chelsea and the 7 Devils New 95 Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified CIB+ 22.29 Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified Loose 18.98 Chaos;Child New 45.61 Chasm CIB+ 60.49 Child of Light CIB+ 24.56 Claire: Extended Cut CIB+ 35.17 Code:Realize - Future Blessings Loose 14.9 Code:Realize - Guardian of Rebirth New 25.5 Code:Realize - Guardian of Rebirth Loose 14.2 Conga Master Go! [Limited Edition] New 51.83 Corpse Party: Blood Drive New 58.77 Cosmic Star Heroine CIB+ 43.25 Criminal Girls 2: Party Favors CIB+ 74.09 Criminal Girls: Invite Only CIB+ 54.49 Croixleur Sigma New 40.49 Cursed Castilla EX [Limited Edition] New 60.5 Curses 'N Chaos New 38.72 Damascus Gear: Operation Osaka New 40.51 Damascus Gear: Operation Tokyo New 41 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Loose 19.41 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Loose 19.41 Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls New 31.5 Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony CIB+ 58.89 Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc CIB+ 25.97 Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours New 47.38 Deadbolt New 42.44 Death Mark CIB+ 23.22 Death Tales [Limited Edition] New 40.4 Deemo: The Last Recital New 34.22 Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten New 37.86 Demon Gaze Loose 22.22 Demon Gaze CIB+ 25.81 Demon Gaze II New 74.66 Demon's Tier+ [Limited Edition] CIB+ 55.49 Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax CIB+ 25.5 Devious Dungeon - Limited Edition CIB+ 67.38 Devious Dungeon 2 [Limited Edition] New 84.5 Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth CIB+ 65.9 Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited CIB+ 25.49 Dokuro New 52.94 Dragon Fantasy: The Black Tome of Ice New 34.5 Dragon Fantasy: The Volumes of Westeria New 40.49 Dragon Sinker: Descendants of Legend New 35.5 Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & The Monster Seal CIB+ 53 Dynasty Warriors: Next Loose 16.66 Earth Defense Force 2: Invaders from Planet Space New 28.19 EMMA: Lost in Memories [Limited Edition] New 52.49 Exile's End New 39.65 Exist Archive: The Other Side of The Sky Loose 18.48 Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star Noble Phantasm Edition New 46.26 Fernz Gate New 30.69 Final Fantasy X / X-2 HD Remaster Loose 25.49 Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster New 61.19 Forma.8 New 32.5 Freedom Wars CIB+ 13.48 Furwind [Limited Edition] CIB+ 40.5 Futuridium EP Deluxe New 45.97 Gal*Gun: Double Peace CIB+ 32.34 Ghoulboy [Limited Edition] New 160.5 God of War Collection New 74.75 Grand Kingdom New 47.6 Gravity Rush CIB+ 44.5 Guacamelee! New 70.48 Guard Duty [Limited Edition] CIB+ 47.38 Gundemoniums New 84.18 Gunhouse New 30.38 Habroxia New 129.94 Habroxia 2 [Limited Edition] New 65.5 Halloween Forever [Limited Edition] New 74.5 Home: A Unique Horror Adventure New 35.92 Horizon Chase Turbo [Limited Edition] New 76.81 Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational New 26.19 HtoL#NiQ The Firefly Diary: Limited Edition New 59.25 Hue New 40.5 Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart CIB+ 35.5 Hyperdimension Neptunia PP: Producing Perfection CIB+ 35.97 Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 CIB+ 47.01 Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 CIB+ 47.01 Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sisters Generation CIB+ 60.49 Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sisters Generation CIB+ 60.49 Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3: V Generation CIB+ 55.95 Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3: V Generation CIB+ 55.95 Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed CIB+ 43.81 Iconoclasts New 96.5 Indigo 7 : Quest for Love New ? Jak and Daxter Collection CIB+ 50.49 Jet Set Knights [Limited Edition] New 100.5 Jet Set Knights [Limited Edition] New 100.5 Just Ignore them + My Big Sister Collection New 60.49 Kawaii Deathu Desu New 45.5 Killzone: Mercenary Loose 24.49 Killzone: Mercenary CIB+ 32.68 Knightin' + [Limited Edition] New 60.45 Knytt Underground New 128.14 La-Mulana Ex New 38.03 LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes Loose 11.33 LEGO Jurassic World CIB+ 13.44 LEGO Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin Loose 17.12 LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens New 28.75 LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens Loose 12.21 LEGO The Lord of the Rings Loose 10.49 Lone Survivor: The Director's Cut New 42.49 Luckslinger [Limited Edition] New 60.41 Lumines: Electronic Symphony New 18.61 Mary Skelter: Nightmares CIB+ 92.87 MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies New 37.58 MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death CIB+ 25.39 Mercenary Kings: Reloaded Edition [Limited Edition] New 106.71 Metagal [Limited Edition] CIB+ 100.35 Metal Gear Solid HD Collection CIB+ 46.49 Metal Slug 3 New 115.48 Mind Zero CIB+ 20.48 Mooseman [Limited Edition] New 119.05 Mortal Kombat CIB+ 26.99 MotoGP 13 CIB+ 23.83 MUSYNX New 50.49 Muv-Luv New 53.36 Muv-Luv Alternative New 66.95 Muv-Luv Complete Set New 90.5 My Aunt is a Witch [Limited Edition] New 55.5 Mystery Chronicle: One Way Heroics New 27.94 Need for Speed: Most Wanted - A Criterion Game CIB+ 20.32 Neurovoider New 35.5 Nicole [Limited Edition] New 48.22 Night Trap: 25th Anniversary Edition New 58.99 Nova-111 New 28.67 Nurse Love Addiction New 59.18 Nurse Love Syndrome New 50.49 Nurse Love Syndrome Loose 15.49 Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas New 52 Octodad: Dadliest Catch New 46.36 Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee - New 'n' Tasty New 149.5 Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee HD New 52.5 Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD New 69.73 Odin Sphere Leifthrasir CIB+ 72.45 Odin Sphere Leifthrasir Loose 70.5 One More Dungeon CIB+ 60 Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy CIB+ 31.5 Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines New 93 Pantsu Hunter: Back to the 90s New 156.5 Papers, Please New 115.47 Pato Box [Limited Edition] New 73.23 Penny-Punching Princess New 45.41 Period: Cube - Shackles of Amadeus New 54.65 Persona 4 Golden Loose 25.37 Persona 4 Golden New 61.12 Persona 4: Dancing All Night - Disco Fever Edition New 145.5 Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds New 53.5 Pix the Cat New 28.84 Plague Road New 43.4 PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale New 31.74 Proteus New 36.49 Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk New 51.5 Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk New 51.5 Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly CIB+ 33.57 Psycho-Pass Mandatory Happiness CIB+ 28.99 Pushy and Pully in Block Land New 70.45 Rabi-Ribi New 93.59 Rainbow Moon New 44.89 Ray Gigant New 102.84 Rayman Legends Loose 17.37 Rayman Origins CIB+ 16.71 Retro City Rampage DX [Re-Release] New 35.00 Revenant Dogma New 35.36 Revenant Saga New 29.44 Reverie [Limited Edition] CIB+ 43.49 Riddled Corpses EX New 40.49 Risk of Rain New 38 Rock Boshers DX New 29.34 Rocketbirds 2: Evolution New 55.5 Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken New 43.2 Root Double [Xtend Edition] New 53.5 Root Letter New 46.11 Salt and Sanctuary New 100.49 Salt and Sanctuary New 100.49 Saturday Morning RPG New 50.49 Sayonara Umihara Kawase++ New 67.33 ScourgeBringer [Limited Edition] New 59.97 ScourgeBringer [Limited Edition] New 59.97 Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus: Let's Get Physical Edition New 115.5 Senran Kagura: Bon Appétit! New 150.44 Senran Kagura: Bon Appétit! Full Course - Collector's Edition New 185.13 Senran Kagura: Estival Versus Endless Summer Edition New 115.48 Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story New 155.5 Severed [Limited Edition] New 100.81 Shakedown: Hawaii CIB+ 36.85 Shantae: Half-Genie Hero CIB+ 37.5 Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen CIB+ 38.67 Shovel Knight New 96.49 Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution 2+ CIB+ 76.26 Silent Hill: Book of Memories CIB+ 76.38 Sir Eatsalot [Limited Edition] CIB+ 53.08 Siralim New 50.5 Siralim 2 New 30.49 Skullgirls: 2nd Encore New 52.81 Sky Force Anniversary New 75.48 Slain: Back From Hell [Signature Edition] New 76.5 Sly Cooper Collection CIB+ 52.27 Smart as... CIB+ 9.67 Soldner-X 2: Final Prototype New 44.12 Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed CIB+ 23.56 Sorcery Saga: Curse of the Great Curry God [Limited edition] New 80.5 Soul Sacrifice CIB+ 17.36 Soul Sacrifice Delta New 105.5 Spelunky New 70.5 Spy Hunter CIB+ 24.31 Stay [Limited Edition] New 130.5 Stealth Inc: A Clone in the Dark (Ultimate Edition) New 29.13 SteamWorld Dig New 55.72 SteamWorld Heist New 52.97 Steins;Gate CIB+ 30.58 Steins;Gate 0 CIB+ 29.49 Stranger of sword city limited edition New 63.57 Super Hydorah New 47.9 Super Meat Boy New 60.5 Super Mutant Alien Assault New 34.9 Super Skull Smash GO! 2 Turbo New 42.35 SUPERBEAT: XONiC New 28.49 Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls New 58.5 Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment New 65.48 Synergia [Limited Edition] New 110.49 Tachyon Project Limited Edition New 55.35 Takotan [Limited Edition] New 51.59 Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack New 50.24 Tales of Hearts R CIB+ 69.48 Tales of Hearts R Loose 50.5 Task Force Kampas New 36.5 Tetris Ultimate New 70.47 Tetris Ultimate New 70.47 Amazing Spider-Man CIB+ 64.75 Amazing Spider-Man CIB+ 64.75 Bard's Tale: Remastered and Resnarkled New 50.49 Bit.Trip Limited Edition New 33.5 Count Lucanor [Signature Edition] New 144.47 House in Fata Morgana: Dreams of the Revenants Edition CIB+ 99.5 House in Fata Morgana: Dreams of the Revenants Edition M+B 40.1 King of Fighters '97: Global Match New 64.81 Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel CIB+ 36.49 Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel (Lionheart Limited Edition) New 72.39 Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II CIB+ 57.82 Longest Five Minutes New 32.5 Lost Child New 56.03 Lost Cube [Limited Edition] New 50.49 Ratchet and Clank Trilogy CIB+ 72.77 Swapper New 51.48 Swindle New 27.51 Walking Dead: Season Two - A Telltale Games Series New 22.61 Thomas Was Alone New 33.5 Tokyo Xanadu New 49.32 Touch My Katamari CIB+ 33.72 Twin Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Adventure [Limited Edition] CIB+ 47.09 Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 CIB+ 31.21 Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 CIB+ 31.21 Uncharted: Golden Abyss CIB+ 27.23 Uncharted: Golden Abyss CIB+ 27.23 Undertale New 66.38 Unepic [Limited Edition] New 274.98 UnMetal New 163.32 Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception New 72.27 Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth - Launch Edition New 36.5 Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth - Launch Edition New 36.5 VA-11 Hall-A New 79.91 Valkyrie Drive: Bhikkhuni CIB+ 66.81 Vasara Collection New 98.5 Velocity 2X: Critical Mass Edition New 63.05 Volume New 32.25 Windjammers New 35.83 Wipeout 2048 New 31.24 World of Final Fantasy New 33.99 Xeno Crisis [Limited Edition] New 100.5 Xeno Crisis [Limited Edition] New 100.5 Xeno Crisis [Limited Edition] New 100.5 Xenon Valkyrie+ New 68.11 Xeodrifter New 44.2 Yomawari: Midnight Shadows CIB+ 33.71 Yomawari: Night Alone / htol#NiQ: The Firefly Diary CIB+ 40.5 Ys Origin New 56.4 Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA New 72.34 Ys: Memories of Celceta CIB+ 25.99 Yumeutsutsu Re:After [Limited Edition] New 82.97 Yumeutsutsu Re:Master [Limited Edition] New 75.48 Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward CIB+ 15.5 Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma New 33.17 Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma Loose 24.51
3DS
Aliens: Infestation Loose 59.32 Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition New 34.72 New Nintendo 2DS XL White & Orange Loose 206.5 Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson (Double D Edition) New 70.5 Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson (Double D Edition) New 70.5 Shantae and the Pirate's Curse [Collector's Edition] New 89.39 Shantae and the Pirate's Curse [Collector's Edition] New 89.39

It has been three years since I left, and one year since the divorce was finalized.
You thought you could break me, tear me down, beat me, but you never succeeded. I thank God I don't have any pieces of you, despite the disgust that I didn't leave sooner. I'll never forget the memory of being choked nearly to death the day before my 21st birthday. You made me feel small because you hated yourself. I lived in fear for three years, always watching my back or looking over my shoulder, afraid that you would try to kill me because I freed myself from your control.
The last time I saw you, I cried tears of joy, knowing that I never have to see you again. Since the day I left, my life has been full of sunsets, butterflies, and messages from God. I am finally free.
Once a prisoner to your darkness, now I wear my scars as a symbol of a warrior who never stopped fighting for freedom, for self-love, and to hold my head tall, knowing that I never backed down.
Cheers to my freedom.

I've compiled a list of parallels that fans have drawn between Elden Ring and Dark Souls 2, along with brief commentaries and illustrations on the patterns they may have observed.
https://preview.redd.it/9mu9ob1ee90d1.png?width=1600&format=png&auto=webp&s=057574020575dd9701d7df7a5cdc86bee8401f8f
"The game is called the Elden Ring and it's a sequel to a video game that came out a few years ago called Dark Souls, My work on it was actually done years ago. These games, they're like movies, they take a long time to develop." - George R.R. Martin
He [George Martin] actually knew about the Dark Souls games. He was aware of them and what they were about, so that made me happy. That sort of gave me a little bit of a boost. I knew immediately from talking to him, it just became apparent his skill and his passion for the fantasy genre, and for games as well. - Hidetaka Miyazaki
“I can't deny the fact that, maybe down the line, I want to go back to the [Dark Souls] series and make one more game before I retire. I don't want to be branded a liar if that happens.” - Hidetaka Miyazaki
Dark Souls 2 probably bears the Souls series’ closest resemblance to Elden Ring. Design wise, both Dark Souls 2 and Elden Ring stressed open-ended gameplay and ditched linear progression.
Miyazaki agrees and in fact goes a step further. “In regards to Dark Souls 2, I actually personally think this was a really great project for us, and I think without it, we wouldn’t have had a lot of the connections and a lot of the ideas that went forward and carried the rest of the series. We were able to have that different impetus and have those different ideas and make those different connections that we otherwise might not have had.” He goes so far as to say that “there’s really no way of telling how or if the series would have continued the way it did without Dark Souls 2.” Hidetaka Miyazaki
https://preview.redd.it/ptcn01tce90d1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=ccb38969a89fcc77c0f2784a3c934a9764530fa5
Elden Ring was co-directed by Yui Tanimura who is the director of Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin.
Name-Engraved ring
"There are countless vestiges of long-lost gods in the ruins of Drangleic. Or perhaps they are the very same gods as ours, only known by different names."
I’ve seen people make comparison with the deities mentioned on the Name-engraved Ring list. (although the one they made about Ranni didn’t make sense to me and seem to be more relevant to the Gloam-Eyed Queen if anything).
https://preview.redd.it/serj2lx6e90d1.png?width=1640&format=png&auto=webp&s=51d71268bca135848931a26c5b02e958c296cb09
St. Trina and Miquella from Elden Ring share striking similarities with Quella, the deity of dreams dreams from Dark Souls 2, and Nehma, the goddess of love. Like the latter, Miquella has the power to "compel affection" through the Bewitching Branch. St. Trina and Quella are associated with sleep, trees, and dreams. Miquella shares similarities with Quella, as both are associated with ethereal, dream-like entities like the Nascent Butterfly and White Ring,
Quella’s icon also depicts a boy with wings, which something similar we see Miquella have during Elden Ring’s intro cut scene.
https://preview.redd.it/icccb0b5e90d1.png?width=900&format=png&auto=webp&s=5332b149b3d0e09eacd1c5559644d553d7a2058a
Hanleth is the goddess of bliss. After the war of the erdtree, Marika's reign ushered in an age of plenty when It is said that drops of blessing once dripped boughs forever which gradually restored HP.
In Marika's own words. Hark, brave warriors. Hark, my lord Godfrey. We commend your deeds. Guidance has delivered ye through ordeal to the place ye stand. Put the giants to the sword and confine the flame atop the mount. Let a new epoch begin. An epoch glistening with life. Brandish the Elden Ring, for the Age of the Erdtree! - Melina
Kremmel, god of Struggle.
Lord Radagon was a great champion... He came to these lands at the head of a great golden host, when he met Lady Rennala in battle. He soon repented his territorial aggressions though, and became husband to the Carian Queen. However, when Godfrey, first Elden Lord, was hounded from the Lands Between, Radagon left Rennala to return to the Erdtree Capital. - Miriel, Pastor of Vows
“Solemn duty weighs upon the one beholden; not unlike a gnawing curse from which there is no deliverance” descriptions from both Marika's & Radagon's Soreseals
Queen Marika has high hopes for us. That we continue to struggle. Unto eternity. - Gideon Ofnir
https://preview.redd.it/h4hm67u2e90d1.png?width=2528&format=png&auto=webp&s=76e2dc5e153f9381ae11bc63fa6a58bccaa57216
Radagon’s thorns
Prevented by the mantle of barbs. The thorns are impenetrable. A husk of the Erdtree's being; that spurns all that exists without. The only way to stand before the Elden Ring...and become the Elden Lord...is to pass the thorns. My purpose serves to aid in that very act. So I'd like you to undertake a new journey, with me. To the flame of ruin, far above the clouds, upon the snow mountaintops of the giants. Then I can set the Erdtree aflame. And guide you. Down the path to becoming Elden Lord. - Melina
“Ring granted protection by Kremmel, god of Struggle. The ring's spikes drive into the wearer's skin, so that each blow fuels spite toward the perpetrator. When damage is taken the ring retaliates and inflicts damage upon enemy.” - Ring of Thorns
https://preview.redd.it/9e66m7y1e90d1.png?width=1700&format=png&auto=webp&s=36d60bbcaab169e7315dc34c8567cb932ff2be25
Assuming the theories that Mesmer are true, his association with the snake (which is viewed as a traitor to the Erdtree), consumption of dragon hearts, and seeking ultimate power suggest the pursuit for supremacy for his own gain. This aligns with the Covetous Gold Serpent Ring), which depicts the snake, a manifestation of the god of desire, Zinder. The serpent is an imperfect dragon and symbol of the undead. Mesmer's ambition and willingness to embrace forbidden power mirrors the ring's representation of insatiable desire and the undying nature of the serpent.
Rykard from Elden Ring and Zandroe from Dark Souls share a striking similarity - they are both associated with serpents and the concept of greed. Zandroe is described as the "god of greed" whose manifestation and servant is the snake, while Rykard fed himself into a massive "god-devouring serpent" in his pursuit of immortality through devouring others, an act of ultimate greed.
​
https://preview.redd.it/tio0c9lzd90d1.png?width=2250&format=png&auto=webp&s=6b1d131769bade56ee609c74a7d0323187414995
Nahr Alma, the god of blood and a god of war, where Mohg is a demigod and the lord of blood.
Both Mohg and Nahr Alma are divinely associated with blood and have followers who use blood-themed weapons like the Scythe of Nahr Alma. Mohg and Nahr Alma's followers have rejected the world and vow to travel a bloody path. Mohg is the Lord of Blood and seeks to inaugurate a new dynasty, similar to Nahr Alma's influence
https://preview.redd.it/i6zqjp8xd90d1.png?width=1600&format=png&auto=webp&s=35e4a823f259b6f9d4f5e46cb8dcde9b34abd4ea
Morgott, the "Fell Omen" 忌み鬼 (Imi Oni) meaning "Abominable Demon#cite_ref-14)." , and highly-ranked clerics of Lindelt from Dark Souls 2 share similarities as holy knights who wield "demonic powers" to castigate those who harbor ambitions for power. Both are feared by their enemies for their ruthless tactics in battle, with Morgott slaughtering countless champions during the Shattering and these clerics of Lindelt use the miracle "Unveil" to reveal the location of traitors.
“Wilful traitors, all. Thy kind are all of a piece. Pillagers. Emboldened by the flame of ambition. Have it writ upon thy meagre grave: Felled by King Morgott! Last of all kings.” Morgott, the Grace-Given.
https://preview.redd.it/h54dbl6ud90d1.png?width=900&format=png&auto=webp&s=da570701ce72a9b5f18e60dc076a33fdaeed1f3d
Godwyn the Golden from Elden Ring and the God of Sun from Dark Souls 2 were revered for their mastery of lightning and their incantations, such as Lightning Spear, Dragonbolt Blessing, and Sacred Oath. Additionally, Godwyn's victory of the ancient dragon Fortissax and his subsequent friendship with the fallen foe gave rise to the ancient dragon cult in the capital, much like the God of Sun's connection with the Blinding Bolt that was forbidden so to protect the world from hatred, or sorrow, and the ancient clan) whose leader was revered as the deity.
https://preview.redd.it/r3aqmuusd90d1.png?width=1148&format=png&auto=webp&s=0f1c703c23b38b1468e0192576d598bf2ce325c0
The demigod general Radahn and Faraam like Nahr Alma, is a god of war from Dark Souls 2 are both associated with lions, a symbol of strength and ferocity in battle, representing their prowess as mighty warriors. Known for their skill in combat, with Radahn being captivated by the Lord of the Battlefield from a young age, now wields a greatsword in each hand, and the Faraam Knights being feared for their nimble two-handed swordplay.
https://preview.redd.it/97iizhtrd90d1.png?width=1720&format=png&auto=webp&s=b690f8449c0251323da274582be650db88d390b8
Galib (I’ve seen it spelled “Calib”) from Dark Souls 2 and Malenia (who released her bloom in Caelid) both have a thematic connection to disease and affliction. Malenia and Miquella, both children of a single god, were afflicted with rot and eternal childhood respectively. Leydia apostles manipulated both the onset and curing of disease but were denied peaceful deaths, while Malenia's rot was an incurable sickness (as her army are undergoing their gradual, putrefaction of their flesh) that Miquella tried to ward off with unalloyed gold needles and her great rune provides healing after receiving damage.
Coincidentally Malenia can grow wings as well.
https://preview.redd.it/hubw0m1rd90d1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=cc90c140c199edac02ef010f0b284f3ac9a1e490
Caffrey, deity of Fortune, and Godfrey the first Elden lord. The name “Frey” might be derived from Nordic mythology. Frey is primarily associated with fertility, prosperity, and abundance.
Caffrey's icon mirrors the currency and EXP icon from Dark Souls 2, representing experience points gained by defeating enemies. In a similar vein, Godfrey is portrayed as the lord of the battlefield, who bravely battled Giants, confronted the Storm Lord and had countless victories, ushering in the Age of the Erdtree which was forged through the use of valuables like Smithing Stones [8], becoming the embodiment of Order. This left a long legacy of loyal warriors honored him by wielding axes like himself.
​
https://preview.redd.it/81ze5i0qd90d1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=80a838c57b4b826d959f8bda05c32dbda4a12214
The hunting Goddess Evlana was no goddess at all, but rather a brave and highly skilled bow huntress. Long after her demise, the passing of lore transformed her into a deity.”
The Hunter's Hat
Spirit of a handsome archer who dressed in the style of a man. Called the Silent Hunter by some, she fires St. Trina's arrows from her shortbow.
Dolores the Sleeping Arrow Puppet
:P

Butterfly Effect

• Class: Survivor
• Type: Event
• Paradox. Blessed. Cursed.
• Cost: 0. Level: 1
• Test Icons: Wild

Fast. Play when a chaos token with a symbol is revealed during a skill test at your location (before resolving its effects).
You or the performing investigator may either commit a card to this skill test, or return a card they committed to this test to their hand.
Adam S. Doyle
Devil Reef #160.
[COTD] Butterfly Effect (8/21/2021)

Background, warning, a bit long. I almost died in December and am still recovering. My 11 year old had her first band concert last Thursday. She has been through so much and since I could not go, I had my dad take her and I ordered her a beautiful basket of 2 African Violet plants with faux butterflies, a sentimental symbol for us representing my second chance at life. The plants she would be able to enjoy for a long time which I loved. I have two ex feral rescued cats, so lilies and other flowers typically found in arrangements are toxic and can be lethal to cats. I spent a lot of time researching what flowers were safe for them. I ordered through a national company that I knew would contract with a local Tulsa florist, because I had a little cash back offer and points incentive through Swagbucks. (in case anyone else wants to earn $ and save, I’ll get points for my referral ;) )
https://www.swagbucks.com/profile/Belladawna?rp=1
Almost dying is really quite expensive lol and I am a single mom to 2, one in college. I know this weekend was Mother’s Day, so I did not mind paying extra to have expedited delivery last Thursday. Thursday night came with no delivery nor any contact. Friday around 5pm they tried to deliver a rather unfortunate looking arrangement with small lilies and carnations in a purple vase. I mean the vase color was at least similar. The driver was very sweet, but I explained that I can’t bring them inside and it isn’t even remotely what I ordered. I apologized that I could not accept them, explained, and showed her the invoice. The owner calls me that evening clearly irritated and tells me I must have miscommunicated and misunderstood the person I ordered with as my order is “florist choice.” She made it sound like I made an error. I explained that I did not speak to anyone and I ordered online and sent screenshots of my order receipt which includes a clear photo of the basket, plants, butterflies, name of the arrangement and the item number. It also shows the date for delivery and extra charges to have it delivered on Thursday. She tried to say that they were not supposed to be delivered on Thursday too. She still tried to say there’s no arrangement specification, until I hear her click the second photo. She then tells me that she will deliver them Saturday and would call if something happened. I was obviously disappointed, but I know things happen beyond our control, and I just wanted them, so I was just happy they were coming the next day. Sat comes and goes with no call and no delivery. I call the company and they call her while I’m on hold. They come back and say “Good news, she is willing to take 30% off the total price.” I was by then a little frustrated as she told me she’d call me if there were any issues, but I was still nice, but said “well, since they will be delivered 3 days late and it is no longer a surprise, I would like the expedited fee removed too on top of that 30% off please.” I felt that was definitely fair as it was strictly a charge for something that was not done and could not be rectified. They cut me off mid sentence and said “She is not going to deliver any flowers at all, she does not have them.” I said “Wait, so you’re trying to tell me that the Tulsa florist wants me to still pay a lot of money for flowers that I will never receive? So I would be paying her for not giving me anything?” I really thought they were joking, I can’t make it make sense, at all lol. I do realize they had a driver come (she said she was the owner’s friend) but they were not what I ordered or paid for, toxic to my cats, and it was not my fault. She also promised delivery in front of my daughter, and told us she would call us if any issues were to arise, which she didn’t. I told them that I needed a full refund (apparently that was not as obvious as one would assume it to be) and hopefully the refund will show up. If not I will file a PP claim. I still can’t drive yet, so I still need to order something from a reputable florist with fair prices and would love suggestions. Sometimes you just have to have a sense of humor. I’m not disclosing the store name because I know firsthand that we never know what people are dealing with behind closed doors, but wanted to share the weirdness and garner recommendations. Happy Mother’s Day to the mamas 💜

I've always been bound to death.
On my eighth birthday, a shadow strode into my house and shot me and my family dead. I remember it vividly, every detail, every angle, etched and stained and carved into my memory.
I sat very still with my knees to my chest, my gaze glued to my siblings.
Lily and PJ looked like they were sleeping, and I could almost believe it.
I didn't look at the shadow.
From the comfort of my knees, I waited for my brother to lift his head.
But his body was so limp, so still, every part of him faltering. My sister’s head was nestled in his shoulder, thick beads of red running down her face.
They're just sleeping.
I could tell myself they were— as long as I didn't look at the splatter of scarlet staining the back of the couch and pooling at their feet.
BANG.
Mom’s body dropped onto the ground.
I lunged forwards, slamming my hands over my ears.
BANG.
PJ’s head slumped forwards, a teasing smile still frozen on his lips.
BANG.
Lily gently tipped into PJ, like she was going to sleep.
Before she closed her eyes, Mom told me to run.
I can't remember how long I stayed under the shattered remnants of Mom’s favorite table. The shadow was waiting for me to move, to make a noise.
I watched booted feet crunch through glass, getting closer and closer, and slowly, fight or flight began to take over.
Making it halfway across the living room, my palms slick with my mother’s blood, I thought I was going to live.
Cruel fingers wound their way through my hair and shoved me to my knees. I remember the phantom legs of a spider creeping down the back of my neck when the shadow with no face dragged the barrel of his gun down my spine.
“Turn around.”
The shadow had a voice.
When I didn't move, the protruding metal stabbed into my neck.
“Turn around, kid!”
I did, very slowly.
Behind him, my siblings still weren't moving.
They were asleep.
Lily was still smiling, strawberry blonde ringlets stained red.
I couldn't see PJ’S face anymore.
BANG.
I didn't feel the gunshot.
I didn't feel anything.
Looking down, I glimpsed slowly spreading red blossoming like a flower.
It felt like being cut from strings.
I hit the ground, just like my mother, my body felt heavy and wrong.
Paralysed.
I remember being unable to scream, unable to cry, the salty taste of metal filling my mouth. It was like being winded. Rolling onto my side, all I could see was flickering candlelight.
The air was thick, so hard to breathe.
I rolled onto my back trying to suck in air.
The shadow took a step back, opened the front door, and bled into the night.
I don't remember the pain, and I don't remember dying. I couldn't breathe, couldn't conjure words in my mouth.
I felt warm and sticky, lying in my own blood.
I think I tried to move.
But I was so tired.
I’m not sure what death feels like, because it's like going to sleep.
I remember my last shuddering breaths, a lulling darkness beginning to swallow me up. I don't know why I wasn't afraid.
Oblivion almost felt like I was sinking into lukewarm depths on a Summer’s day.
Oblivion wasn't pain, and there was a peaceful inevitability to it.
It was endless nothing, a nothing I found myself gravitating towards. But before I could envelope myself in that darkness, it was spitting me back out.
The next thing I knew, I was in a white room, a slow beeping sound tearing me from slumber. I had a vague memory of slow spreading roses blossoming across my shirt, like summer flowers blooming.
Everything was white.
The walls, the ceiling, and my clothes.
Sensation hit me in slow waves.
Exhaustion.
I felt it tightening its grip around my brain, dragging me back onto a mountain of pillows when I tried to jump up. My Aunt May was sitting next to me on a plastic chair, her warm fingers entangled in mine. Aunt May and Mom were practically twins, with the same thick red hair and pale skin.
Mom wore her hair in a casual ponytail, while May preferred a strict bun.
I had to bite back the urge to yank my hand away.
Aunt May was asleep, used tissues filling her lap.
There was a nurse pottering around, checking my vitals and prodding my arms. My eyes felt heavy. I had to blink several times to keep myself awake.
“Charlie?”
The nurse’s voice was like wind-chimes.
I pretended not to notice her forced lipstick smile, the way she stood with her arms folded, staring at me like I was one of my cousin’s experiments. “You were in an accident, sweetie,” the nurse spoke up. I could see her trembling hands. “Just, um, try and rest, okay?”
I wanted to ask where my family was, but I already knew the answer.
I think she knew that too.
“You died, Charlie.” The nurse’s voice was eerily cold. “You were dead for thirteen minutes.”
She took slow steps towards me, her eyes growing frenzied, like she couldn't understand me, like I was a puzzle she could not solve– and it was driving her crazy. I could see it in her twitching hands, her wobbling lips that were trying and failing to appear stoic.
“In fact, I just pulled you out of the morgue, honey. I opened up your body bag that I had just zipped up, and told your aunt that you were a miracle I just… can’t understand.” The nurse sounded like she was trying to choke down a laugh, or maybe a sob.
“Charlotte, you were pronounced dead at 3:02am from a gunshot wound to the chest.” Taking a slow, sobering breath, the nurse tried to smile. “The bullet went through the right ventricle of your heart and severely damaged your left lung, rendering you unable to breathe. Your heart stopped, and after four attempts to resuscitate, we called it.”
Something slimy wound its way up my throat when she began to pace the room. “I… did all the paperwork. It took me two minutes. Your death certificate was signed, and your body was taken to the morgue to be prepped for transportation. Then I had my lunch. Tuna salad with a protein milkshake. I’m not a fan of the chocolate flavor.”
She shook her head. “Anyway, when I came back to you, you were awake inside your body bag.” Her voice was starting to break. “You were…um, alive, and asked me for apple soda.”
The nurse moved closer, and yet kept her distance.
I could feel myself moving back, panic writhing through me.
“So.” The nurse spoke calmly. “How the fuck are you still alive, Charlie?”
I think I passed out after that.
When I woke up again, my head a lot less heavier, the nurse was gone.
Slowly, my foggy brain began to find itself and connect dots.
My mouth was dry, full of cotton.
There was a sudden tightness, a sharp and cruel sting in my wrists.
Something sharp was protruding into my flesh, and no matter how many times I violently wrenched my arm, it was stuck. It didn't feel right to be able to breathe so easily.
I knew the second I woke that my Mom was dead.
Lily and PJ were dead, and it was like losing them all over again.
As clarity came over me, I found my voice, a strangled cry escaping my lips.
“Get it out.” I whispered in a shrill cry.
Tugging at the IV in my wrist, I tried to yank the needle from my skin.
“Get it out!” I shrieked, my gaze glued to the tiny spots of blood staining the insertion point.
I could see it again.
So much blood.
Mom was curled up on the floor, lying in slow spreading red that wouldn't stop, seeping across her beaded rug.
She was all over me, slick on my skin and caked in my fingernails.
I couldn't wash her off of me.
“You're okay, Charlotte.”
Aunt May’s voice came from my right, stabling me to reality.
The world started to move again, started to make sense again, when she cupped my cheeks and told me to breathe. When I opened my mouth to ask where my family were, she lightly shook her head and I swallowed my words. Aunt May handed me a glass of water, and I drained it in one gulp.
She told me I was a miracle.
Aunt May didn't say much, and when she did, she broke into sobs.
Her eyes were raw from crying, clinging onto me, her shuddery voice reassuring me that I was going to be okay.
She told me I would be living with her from now on, before wrapping me into a hug and leaving to get coffee.
Once my aunt was gone, another nurse came to prod my IV.
I tried to sleep, but the uncomfortable tightness of the needle sticking into my skin and the sterile white lights in my eyes made it impossible. I waited for grief to catch up with me, drowning me in a hollow oblivion I wouldn't be able to claw myself out of. But I didn't feel sad. I didn't feel angry.
I wanted to know why my family were dead.
I wanted to know why I was breathing, and their skin was ice cold.
Rotting.
The sudden image of maggots crawling up my brother’s nose sent me lurching into a sitting position, my stomach heaving. Reaching for my glass of water, it was empty. The sensation of throwing up felt familiar, almost comforting.
Mom was always with me when I was sick, holding my hair back and lulling my hysteria with reassuring murmurs.
I was frowning at the trash can by the door, my cotton candy brain trying to figure out if I would be able to make it in time, when a small voice drifted from the doorway, startling me.
“I don't want you to come live with us.”
My cousin was peeking through the door, hiding behind a shock of dark brown curls. Jude was the only brunette in our family. The rest of us were redheads.
I wasn't sure why he was dressed up like a ghost, draped in a white cloak that was way too big for him. Jude was a weird kid. His mother, and my auntie, had inherited the family house, so in his mind, that made him superior.
Jude made it clear he didn't like his cousins, refusing to let us play with him and banning us from family gatherings.
When the adults were drinking cocktails and losing their awareness, Jude ordered us around. The times we did play with him, our cousin showed us his spider collection, or the raccoon brain he kept in a jar. PJ was convinced our younger cousin was a serial killer. Several months earlier, he'd happily showed us the roadkill he'd been growing bacteria on under his bed.
Jude’s ‘experiments’ were worrying.
He stuffed mushrooms down my brother’s ears while he was sleeping, to, and I quote, “Recreate The Last Of Us.”
When Lily had a nosebleed during Thanksgiving dinner, Jude collected all her bloody tissues and refused to tell us where he'd put them, and what he had done with them. Fast-forward two months, and I found them under a nest of spiders. Jude was trying to adapt the spiders to be able to feed on human blood. I was surprised my cousin hadn't immediately demanded to see my siblings’ dead bodies for autopsy.
Jude stepped into the room, shuffling his feet.
“I'm sorry about Lily, PJ, and Aunt Ivy.” He mumbled, glaring at the floor tiles.
My cousin made no move to offer real sympathy, instead speaking to the floor.
“But I don't want you to come live with us.” Jude lifted his head, looking me dead in the eye. “I don't like you, Charlie. I want you to stay away.”
Before I could reply, he stepped back like I was diseased.
“You should be dead.” Jude grumbled.
He scowled at me, getting my age purposely wrong as usual before running off.
“Happy 68th birthday.”
I was six months older than him.
In Jude’s eyes, I was ready for retirement.
Still, though, my cousin was right.
I was stone cold dead, and then I was somehow alive.
Which was wrong.
Growing up, I realized Death was not so subtly attempting to fix his mistake.
It started small. I'd choke on things I wasn't supposed to choke on.
Chips.
Candy.
Ice cream.
Aunt May had to perform the heimlich manoeuvre when I choked on a piece of chicken. I thought I was just really unlucky, but then I locked myself in a freezer that didn't have a lock, and almost drowned in the local swimming pool, catching my foot in stray netting.
At the summer fair, Jude convinced me to try apple bobbing, only for my head to conveniently get stuck underwater.
It started to make sense.
I was supposed to die with my family that night, and death was out to get me.
Death started to get clever, changing his tactic. Instead of using everyday things to try to kill me, he sent reinforcements.
I turned twelve years old, and my aunt threw me a huge party, inviting all my classmates. Aunt May was rich, rich.
Mom never explained it, but our grandparents left everything to May.
The house was like a palace, a labyrinth of floors I was yet to explore, and two swimming pools.
I was in the kitchen cutting myself a slice of cake, when, out of nowhere, a dead boy came rushing at me with one of my aunt’s favorite kitchen knives.
A dead boy who I immediately recognised.
Wren Oliver.
Several years prior, he'd gone missing from his parents' yard. The town launched a full investigation, only to find his body in a ditch a week later.
So, Death had sent a footsoldier.
Hiding under a hooded sweatshirt, Wren appeared older, like he had grown up with me. But there was a startling vacancy in his expression that drew the breath from my lungs, freezing me in place. Wren’s death was announced as an accident, though his wounds suggested the opposite, dried blood smearing his right temple and a cavernous hole in his chest, his clothes painted, stained, in bright red, glued in sticky mounds clinging to him.
The boy’s eyes were wild, feral, like an animal.
His hair was longer, a mess of reddish curls matted to his forehead.
Lip split into a demented giggle.
I remember taking a slow step back, my gaze glued to the knife.
Wren’s fingers were wrapped around the handle like he knew exactly how to use it, how to plunge it into my heart and kill me for good. He moved like a predator, zero self awareness or recognition, only driven to kill me.
The dead boy prided himself in slow, intimidating steps, shoving me against the wall and dragging the blade of the knife down the curve of my throat.
His eyes confused me, writhing with hatred that was artificial, programmed into him as Death’s official soldier.
He didn't speak, only smiled, revelling in my fear. I could tell it thrilled him, my trembling hands, my sharp, heavy breaths I couldn't control. Squeezing my eyes shut, I waited to finally die.
I waited for the pain, and to lose my breath once again.
But death was playing with me.
When I opened my eyes, the dead boy was gone, and I was on my knees, screaming.
“Wren Oliver is trying to kill me!" I managed to hiss.
My aunt knelt in front of me, her expression crumpling.
*Sweetie,” She spoke softly, squeezing my hands. Aunt May was trying to appear calm for my sake, but I could tell she was scared, her frantic eyes searching mine. “Wren Oliver is dead.”
The kids surrounding me started to giggle, whispering among themselves.
In the corner of my eye, my cousin was leaning against the door, mid eye roll.
When my aunt was ushering kids back to the pool, Jude came to crouch in front of me. Ever since I started living with him, he'd made sure to keep his distance.
This time, though, Jude leaned uncomfortably close, a sparkle in his eyes I had never seen before. Inclining his head, he rocked back and forth on his heels, prodding me in the forehead.
“If you see the dead boy again, can you tell me?” His lips curved into a smile.
“I did see him.” I gritted out. “I’m not lying.”
Jude shrugged. “I never said you didn't,” he lowered his voice into a whisper, “I wanna know when you see him again.”
“Why?”
His lips curved into a smirk.
“So, I can catch him.”
My cousin got closer, his breath tickling my cheek.
“I seeeeeeee dead people.”
After that incident, death left me alone for a while.
I was fifteen, walking through the forest with a friend, catching fireflies in bell jars. Aunt May was lucky to live so close to the forest, the entrance just outside her back door. When we were littles, PJ would drag Lily and I down the trail to escape Jude’s weird experiments.
I decided to invite Jem Littlewood on a summer walk.
Jem was cute, but in a dorky way. He was chronically clumsy, and dressed like he'd been spat out of a John Hughes movie. We hiked all the way to the end of the river and had a picnic, watching the sun set over the horizon. I was having conflicting feelings for this guy.
Jem was obsessed with fireflies.
Though he seemed more interested in photographing them than me.
The guy couldn't seem to sit still, jumping to his feet to marvel at tiny specks of light dancing in the air.
“I'm just going to take photos!” Jem beamed, holding up his camera.
I had to bite back the urge to say, “Don't you have enough photos?”
I nodded, and he turned and sprinted back down the trail.
Before his footsteps ground to a sudden halt.
At first, I thought he was snapping polaroids.
When I got closer, though, blinking in the eerie dark, I caught something.
Bending down, I picked up a bell jar still spilling fireflies.
Further down the trail, Jem was lying crumpled in the dirt, his camera smashed to pieces next to him, blood running in thick rivulets down his temple. There he was. Leaning against a tree, his arms folded, was the ghost boy. Wren Oliver was growing up with me. Now, a teenager, and yet his face was carved into something else entirely, more of a monster, slight points to his ears and too-sharp teeth, eyes ignited.
Wren didn't look like a ghost boy anymore.
Death had dressed him in shackles of ivy, a crown of glass and bone forced onto his head, entangled in his curls. Death was torturing him.
Wren’s body was its canvas, and every time I got away, he was punished, painting his failures across scarred skin.
I should have been running for my life, but I was mesmerised by each symbol cruelly carved into his neck.
The boy did a slow head incline, like he couldn't believe I was standing in front of him.
His slow spreading smile caught me off guard.
I remembered how to run, stumbling over my feet.
But I couldn't move.
The burning hatred that death had filled him with, was stronger, hollowing him out completely. I managed two shaky steps, before I felt him, an unearthly force winding its way around my spine. This time, he didn't hesitate.
I watched his mouth move, a single curve of his upper lip that wrenched my body from my control, slamming me against a tree. There was something around my throat, choking the breath from my lungs, a thick fog spreading over my eyes.
Following his mouth curving into silent letters, I could feel my feet slowly leaving the ground, my legs dangling.
I was floating.
Hovering off of the ground, suspended by his words.
Through half lidded eyes, I caught the glint of a blade between his fist, but I couldn't move, couldn't scream.
He was drowning me, bleeding into my blood, spider webbing and expanding in my brain without moving a muscle.
Instead, the ghost boy stood silently, running his thumb down the teeth of his knife while he ripped my lungs apart.
It was like suffocating, sinking into that peaceful oblivion I met at eight years old.
This time, though, the darkness was starving.
“Charlie?”
My eyes found daylight, a scream clawing out of my mouth.
“Charlie, it's past curfew!”
Wren flinched, his stoic expression crumpling.
The dead boy’s lips moved again, this time in a curse.
Fuck.
“Charlotte!”
Staggering back, Wren’s eyes widened and the suffocating hold on me severed.
His head snapped in the direction my aunt was coming from.
“Charlie, answer me right now.”
He hesitated, his bare feet pivoting in the dirt, like he was considering finishing me off. Wren studied me with lazy eyes, sucking on his bottom lip. When my aunt's footsteps got louder, branches snapping under her shoes, something contorted in the boy’s face.
Fear.
I guessed the boy wasn't expecting other humans to intrude.
Wren fell over himself, shuffling on his hands and knees, before diving to his feet. When he turned and ran, I was released, slipping to the ground, trying and failing to draw in breath. I barely felt the impact, only a dull thudding pain. I could hear the ghost boy’s footsteps, his uneven, shuddery breaths as he catapulted into a run.
Under a late setting sun, I watched his dancing shadow disappear into the trees.
Mission unsuccessful, I guessed.
When I was fully conscious, Aunt May was checking over Jem, helping him sit up.
“Where did he go?” I managed to get out, scanning the darkness for Wren.
“He's okay, just concussed.” May whispered, dialling 911.
My aunt applied a dressing to Jem’s wound, ignoring the boy’s hisses.
“Keep still.” she murmured, smoothing his bandaid. “What happened, Charlotte?”
“She pushed me over.” Jem groaned, shuffling away from me. When my aunt told him to stay calm, he straightened up, leaning against the tree. “The psycho bitch tried to fucking kill me!”
When my aunt's gaze flicked to me, I shook my head.
“It was Wren Oliver.” I gritted, teetering on hysteria. I could tell she didn't believe me, but I couldn't stop myself.
I prodded at my throat, clawing for the indentations where his phantom fingers snaked around my neck, squeezing the breath from my lungs.
But there was nothing.
I could feel my mind starting to unravel. I nodded to my disgruntled classmate trying to dodge my aunt’s prodding.
“Ow, ow, ow! That stings!
“He knocked Jem out.” I managed. “Then he tried to kill me.”
Jem surprised me with a scoff. “You're seriously blaming your psychotic break on a dead kid?”
Aunt May pursed her lips, motioning for Jem to be quiet. Judging from her face, however, she agreed with the boy.
May forced a smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. “Okay. Can you, uh, describe the boy to me, Charlotte?”
“He was wearing a crown,” I said, “And he looked my age.”
Aunt May cocked her head, and I saw real worry, like she was trying not to freak out. Jem made a snorting noise.
“I'm sorry, he was wearing a crown?”
“Yes!” I insisted, getting progressively more frustrated.
I tried to jump up, only for my aunt to gently lower me back down. “I know it sounds crazy, but death has sent Wren Oliver to kill me, just like my family. He tried to kill me when I was twelve, too!”
Jem let out a bitter laugh. “Your niece is a fucking wackadoodle.”
Aunt May’s eyes darkened. She grabbed my shoulders, her nails stabbing into my skin. “Charlie, I want you to listen to me, okay?” When my eyes found the rapidly darkening sky, my aunt forced me to look at her.
“Charlotte!”
She was as scared as me, her voice shuddering.
“Wren Oliver is dead.” My aunt said firmly, shaking me. Even then, though, I wasn't even looking at her. I was trying to find his ignited eyes lighting up the dark. “Wren died at eight years old in a terrible accident, and you can't keep using him as an excuse for your mental trauma.” There was something twitching in her expression I was trying to make sense of. When I risked a look at Jem, the boy was staring at me dazedly– like I really was crazy.
Aunt May pressed her face into my shoulder, and I could feel her tears soaking into my shirt. She was trying to hold it together, trying to understand.
“Charlie, I know you lost your family,” she whispered. “But you and Wren Oliver are not the same. You survived, and he didn't.” Her voice splintered.
“You need to come to terms with that, okay?”
When I didn't respond, she pinched my chin, forcing me to look at her.
“Charlotte.”
Aunt May’s voice turned cold. “I ignored this when you were a kid, but if you continue to use this poor boy as a coping mechanism, I will have no choice but to send you to a specialist.”
When Jem was taken away by paramedics, Aunt May held my hand, squeezing my fingers for dear life.
I caught her gaze scanning the tree's around us, delving into twisting oblivion. Every little noise sent her twisting around. She was looking for something.
“I'm going to get you help.” Aunt May said in a low murmur when we were back at the house. Jude was sitting on the kitchen counter, legs swinging. I could feel his penetrating gaze burning into the back of my head.
Aunt May set a cup of cocoa on the table.
“No more fairytales.”
By the time I was eighteen, I had bitten three therapists.
They refused to believe that death was coming to reclaim my soul, and was using a dead boy to do his dirty work.
For my 16th birthday, I braced myself to come face to face with Wren Oliver’s ghost.
I wasn't even in town, staying at a friend's house.
But dead boys, and especially dead boys moulded into Death’s personal soldiers, could materialise anywhere.
I locked every door in the house, and taped up my friend’s window.
Nothing happened.
On my seventeenth birthday, I was sick in bed with gastritis.
Still no ghost boy.
Death seemed to have finally left me alone.
On my eighteenth birthday, I was stuffing books in my locker when my cousin popped up out of nowhere, scowling as usual. After an unexpected growth spurt and losing a tonne of baby fat, my cousin had scaled the high school hierarchy, swapping his weird experiments for a varsity jacket and experimenting with his sexuality.
The two of us had come to an unspoken truce.
I kept quiet about his spider collection to his popular friends, and he tolerated my existence until I left for college.
“Your surprise party is cancelled.”
Jude leaned against my locker, running a hand through thick dark hair tucked under a baseball cap. Jude never admitted it, but he was definitely embarrassed of being the odd one out.
My siblings may be dead, but they were still redheads.
I pulled off his cap with a smile, throwing it in his face. “Sure it is.”
My cousin’s eyes widened. He lost his slick bravado, grabbing for his cap.
“Hey!”
According to my cousin, my party was unexpectedly cancelled every year.
I wasn't sure if it was his weird superiority complex, or just plain jealousy, but it was getting exhausting.
Jude followed me down the hallway, matching my stride.
“Can you just not come home tonight?”
I quickened my pace. “It's only a party. I'm having some friends over, and no, we won't go anywhere near your room.”
“No, I mean.” Jude stepped in front of me, and for the first time in a while, he wasn't trying to hide disdain for me.
His dark eyes pinned me in place for a moment, the world around us coming to a halt. Sound bled away, and all I heard were his slow breaths. There was something there, an unexplainable twitch in his eyes and lips, that twisted my gut.
Jude stepped closer, his lip curling. He shoved me back, losing his facade.
“Stay the fuck away from the house tonight.” He said, and his voice, his tone, was enough to send shivers creeping down my spine. Jude had always hid behind a ten foot wall in his mind. It was jarring to see something in him finally start to splinter. Fuck. I thought.
This kid had serious Mommy issues.
I blinked, and the world resumed, kids pushing past us.
Jude seemed to catch himself, slipping back under his mask.
“I'm having friends over,” he rolled his eyes, “Your presence will ruin the vibe.”
“It's my birthday?”
He groaned, tipping his head back. “Yes, I know. But–”
“I think you can deal with the attention off of you for one night, Jude.”
“Will Wren Oliver be there too?” Jem Littlewood hollered.
Jude didn't respond for a moment, his lip curling.
“Shut the fuck up.” He spat at Jem, who immediately backed down. With an audience this time, Jude forced an award winning smile. “Fine.” His lips split into a grin I knew he hated. My cousin clamped his hand on my shoulder, hard enough to hurt. I could feel his fingers pinching the material of my jacket. “Have it your way, dude.”
Jude backed away with a two fingered salute.
“Happy 78th birthday!”
In a sense, I wish I listened to my cousin.
My party was a success, sort of.
Four of us, a crate of beers, and no sign of my cousin.
I was mildly tipsy, sitting on the edge of the pool, dangling my legs in the water when my friend demanded more beers.
I was also hungry for cake, so I stumbled inside in search of the goods.
The house was dark, lit up in dazzling blue from the pool's lights reflecting through the windows. Aunt May was in her office on the ground floor, and Jude was getting high in his room. In my drunken state, I found myself marvelling my aunt's house, and how much of it was left unexplored.
For example, in the foyer, past the spiral staircase she’d had custom made, was an elevator I had never questioned.
There was a girl my age standing on the staircase.
She was frozen, mid run, dressed in ragged jeans and t-shirt.
Everything about her stuck out to me, bringing me to a sobering halt.
The girl reminded me of my sister– or at least, if my sister had ever grown up.
I wasn't sure if I was drunk or hallucinating.
Her flower crown was pretty…
Lily had grown wings.
I was slowly moving towards her, a sudden bang sounding from the kitchen.
The bang of something shattering on the floor.
Twisting around, I found myself gravitating towards warm golden light.
The first thing I saw was the refrigerator door hanging open, and someone, no, something, rooting around inside it.
Glued to the spot, I dazedly watched them grab milk, guzzling it down, and then soda, cracking open each can and sucking them dry, before carving their fingers into my birthday cake.
But I wasn't looking at the spillage of food seeping across the floor. Instead, my gaze found a crown of antlers, both human and animal bone entangled with dead flowers and human remains glued to a head of familiar matted brown curls. There was something sticking from battered and bruised flesh, twin gaping slits sliced through a torn shirt resembling glass wings that were not yet formed, reminding me of a butterfly.
Wings.
But not the wings I dreamed of as a kid. These things were unnatural mounds that both did and didn't make sense on a human boy. I could see the trauma of them slicing through his flesh, monstrous, looming things protruding from what was left of a human spine.
Human, and yet I couldn't call his beautifully grotesque face human.
Wren Oliver had grown up with me, now an adult.
Eighteen years old.
His clothes confused me, a single white shirt and shorts.
Wren’s feet were bare, battered and bruised, blood smearing my aunt's tiles.
Angel.
Death had turned his footsoldier, and my future killer, into an angel.
But there was nothing angelic about the dead boy, his body and mind sculpted and moulded into Death’s own.
The boy no longer resembled a human, feral eyes and a manic smile, choking down pieces of cake. His face had been contorted into a monster, gnashing teeth and sharp points in his ears, a sickly tinge to malnourished skin.
And that's when it hit me, watching him stuff himself with food.
Something slimy inched its way up my throat.
The boy didn't move. I don't even think he'd noticed me, gorging himself on anything he could get his hands on.
Chicken, raw bacon, leftover salad.
When he moved onto cupcakes, licking frosting from his fingers, I glimpsed markings on his arms, a language I didn't understand, carved into him.
His wrists were shackled, bound, in entangled iron and vine, iron that was ingrained into his skin, vines and flowers and ivy entangling his bones, that were part of him, polluting his blood. Slowly, my eyes found stab wounds splitting open his torso.
Raw flesh, where his skin had been torched, melting, and then merging, ripped apart and put back together over and over again.
I found his heart, the gaping cavern in his chest where it should be.
And it was.
Marked, carved, and branded with a symbol resembling an X.
Wren Oliver was not dead.
But, just like me, he should have been.
I remember saying his name, my voice slurred slightly.
I didn't drink that much, but I could barely coerce words, my head spinning.
Wren’s neck snapped towards me, his eyes narrowing with resentment I couldn't understand, hatred that seemed to puppeteer him. Slowly tilting his head, the boy’s lips split into a grin, eyes filled, polluted, with mania.
I could see where his lips had been stitched shut, and then ripped open.
“Hi.”
He held up his hand in an awkward wave.
When one of my friends stumbled into the kitchen, Wren reacted on impulse.
He picked up a knife from the counter, throwing it like a dart, straight through the guy’s throat.
Something shattered inside my mind.
Ignoring my friend bleeding out, Wren stumbled over himself, abandoning his feast. He took a single step towards me, backing me against the wall, coming so close, close enough for me to feel his very real breath grazing my cheeks. Just like when he was a kid, he traced the teeth of his blade down my throat. I wasn't expecting him to burst out laughing, trembling with hysteria.
His eyes were wild, feral and wrong, almost euphoric.
With what all I could only recognise as relief.
BANG.
I was barely aware of the gunshot.
The bullet went straight through his head, the winged boy hitting the ground.
Dead.
I saw the blood stemming around him in a halo before the bleeding pool faltered, seeping back inside his head.
Like rewinding a VCR.
Wren was dead, and then he was alive.
Wren’s body contorted, his chest inflating.
His gasp for air was painful, strangled, eyes opening wide.
Terrified.
“You fucking idiot.”
Jude’s voice sent me twisting around.
My cousin stood in the exact same robes he wore as a child.
The world tipped off kilter, and I was on my knees, then my stomach.
I sunk to the floor, my thoughts swimming.
Jude’s murmur followed me, creeping into the dark.
“I told you not to come home.”
I can't remember how long I was unconscious for.
When I woke, I was dressed in an evening gown, a dress that used to be my mother’s.
My vision cleared, and I found myself sitting in an unfamiliar room resembling an abandoned swimming hall.
The pool itself was empty, the bottom stained revealing scarlet.
There were symbols carved into each tile.
Like a game.
“Sit up straight, Charlotte.”
I was sitting at a banquet.
Jude was in front of me, sipping on wine.
He caught my eye for half a second before averting his gaze.
At the far end of the table sat my aunt May.
Kissing the rim of her glass, her smile was twisted.
“I've been waiting so long to give you your birthday presents, Charlotte. Your memories should be returning soon.”
“Mom.” Jude muttered, hiding behind his glass. “Calm down. You're embarrassing yourself.”
Ignoring my cousin, May tapped her glass with a fork, and in walked my birthday presents.
No, dragged.
By their hair.
Wren Oliver, the dead boy, was in fact my aunt's prisoner.
Behind him, was the girl who looked so much like Lily.
I think that's why my aunt chose her.
Aunt May cleared her throat.
“For a long time, our family has lived among creatures who live in the forest you played inside. In exchange for keeping this town safe, they only ask for small favors. Wayward children who disappear into the woods are good enough payment. Charlie, you and your siblings do not share our inheritance. Your mother never wanted fae children. She wanted you to be human.”
Aunt May’s smile faded.
“After losing my sister, and my niece and nephew, I made a deal to give my last surviving niece 100 years of life.”
Her words were white noise, my gaze glued to my birthday presents. I couldn't call them human anymore.
I couldn't call Wren human, when his face was so beautifully grotesque, painfully hypnotising.
The monstrous things sticking from twin slits in his back were supposed to be wings, except they looked wrong, cruelly protruding from his exposed spine. Under the influence of alcohol earlier, the girl made me smile.
Her wings, to me, looked like one of a real fairy.
In reality, they were torn and shredded apart, bigger than the girl herself.
When she dropped onto her stomach, she was dragged back to her feet, her knees buckling under the weight. Her tiara of flowers and bone looked pretty to me when I saw her on the stairs.
Now, though, I could see the pearly white of a human child's skull forced onto her head, dead flowers threaded through cavernous, gaping eye sockets.
The two of them were violently shoved into the empty pool.
“Jude. Please demonstrate, sweetheart.”
Jude stood, pulling out a gun, and aiming it at the winged girl.
BANG.
The girl’s body hit the tiles, her blood seeping across stained white.
“Now, of course, our king did not give you life for free.” May continued.
“The King demanded a debt, as well as two heirs to join him in his court once your hundred years were complete.”
Her lips quirked into a smile.
“The king is smart. If a child cannot be stolen from the human world, they can, however, be made, moulded and shaped from their human forms, skinned of their humanity through their suffering, leaving a hollowed out shell in the child's place.” She was speaking so casually, ignoring Wren’s whimpers.
“The conversion takes a while. 100 years to birth a fully blooded fae heir, who will lose their human memories, in preparation to join their new family.”
Jude shot Wren in the chest, his eyes empty.
This time, he dropped his weapon, using finger-guns instead.
“Bang.” He deadpanned.
Then the neck.
I watched Wren come back to life, and then die.
Over and over again.
I think at one point, he screamed and cried.
But not now.
He was their puppet on display, dancing for their entertainment.
Half lidded eyes drowned in oblivion found mine, and I understood his hatred.
Before he was shot again.
Stabbed.
Branded and burned, and ripped apart.
At some point, I screamed at them to stop. I couldn't breathe, slamming my hands over my ears and begging them.
Aunt May didn't listen, ordering for my hands to be tied down.
“The King required two human sacrifices to suffer in your place.” She concluded. “For one hundred years.”
Aunt May’s smile was suddenly sad, and she lifted her glass in a toast.
I was watching their blood trickle down each tile in the pool, like every death, every time they suffered, my body became progressively less human.
I felt disgusting. I wasn't supposed to be alive. Every single year of my life, every breath I had taken, was stolen.
Aunt May nodded at me, her lips forming a proud smile. She stood up, and was handed a sacrificial knife.
Climbing into the swimming pool herself, she strode over to Wren.
The boy slumped to the floor, trembling, his knees against his chest.
Aunt May grabbed him by the hair, forcing his head up, and sliced the blade across his throat.
His eyes flicked to me, and I swore he smiled.
Spots of red dotted yellowing tiles, a river trickling under my aunt's heels.
“Happy 78th birthday, Charlotte.”
Last night ended with me being locked in my room.
It's been almost 15 hours, and the door is still locked. Please help me. I'm fucking terrified of what my aunt is planning.
I can't stop shgajing. FycjbfucibFUCK
If she is telling the truth, I shouldn't be here, right??
And I can't stop thinking.
Is Wren Oliver trying to kill me, or himself?

With Habitually, your everyday life becomes a journey of self-discovery. Log your life, track wellbeing, and gain knowledge. It’s more than tracking - it’s about understanding your lifestyle, its impact on your wellbeing, and aligning it with your aspirations.
The Journey
Habitually had a tough start to its life as a side project where its PMF was lacking and no apparent value for people. With valuable feedback from the Product Hunt community and early contributors, it has evolved into a tool that offers unmatched value. I have currently spent over 400 days journaling 200 actions/habits and tracking my well-being in Habitually. With my own experience leading to the optimising of Habitually to be as powerful as Excel but quicker and easier to operate. And all of this achieved in close to 5 minutes of usage daily.
About Habitually
Habitually is a Fast, Intuitive Journal & Well-being Tracker that is currently an Android Application. It enables you to journal your everyday life and track your wellbeing, creating new knowledge in how your lifestyle impacts your wellbeing. As well as creating the space for reflection on the life you are living and whether it meets your wants and expectations.
New Logo
I am undecided about changing the logo. What do you think about this as the new logo for Habitually? While it nods to the arrow style of the previous logo, it now features a caterpillar at the bottom and a butterfly at the point, symbolizing the journey of growth and evolution. Should I commit to this design?
What's New in Habitually v2.0: The Re-Habit-ening

• • Improved UI/UX: Completely reworked for use as a journal and wellbeing tracker on Android.
• • Insights: Model the impact of your actions or habits on your behaviour. E.g. answering questions like Is more mugs of Coffee better for you? Or does drinking Coffee in the mornings better than later? New impact report feature. No longer simply showing charts but generating reports and statistics to tell you what is going on and giving as much context as possible.
• • Smarter Machine Learning: Daily updates and UI feedback, balancing features based on their existence not just presence and absence. Meaning Habitually learns better and faster as you live.
• • Customisation: A larger selection of colours for personalisation. And more UI elements taking on these personalisation’s e.g. chart colours.
• • Reminders: Allowing for the choice of which days the reminders are sent on.
• • Re-worked Charts: First all of your well-being data is now plotted in a single chart. All habit and action charts allow for you to view its records for any date quickly.
• • Introspection of the Day: From a bank of questions they all look for encouraging rumination on not just what you wish to do but also the how and why.

Your Feedback
Your feedback has been instrumental in shaping Habitually. From data ownership and opt-in encryption for data privacy to smarter UX/UI. Have an observation or idea? Don't hesitate to message me at: [contact@habituallyimprove.app](mailto:contact@habituallyimprove.app)
My Story (so far)
The pivotal moment that sparked this journey occurred in 2022 when I filled my second journal. The thought of losing all these memories and daily reflections weighed heavily on me. I was captivated by the concept of a learning journal, where each day’s knowledge builds upon the previous, to be used in the present. After watching a video by Veritasium, I was inspired to bring this idea to life using Naïve Bayes in a journaling and well-being tracking app. Thus, Habitually was born.
On reaching one year of Habitually from its MVP, I made a celebratory post on dataisbeautiful. What soon became a particularly stressful experience as it garnered 2 million views and hundreds of comments within 48 hours. One benefit coming from the experience was finally realising the tangible value Habitually can offer to people. The first value is the sheer speed of using Habitually and its ability to integrate seamlessly into my life. The second value is the enhanced sense of accountability and awareness that comes with journaling inherently. This is only amplified by Habitually’s format, which allows for tracking almost every aspect of my day, be it exercise, people met, water intake, coffee or tea consumption, social media usage, work, or even the meta of developing Habitually itself. In fact, I wrote a blog post detailing all of this. You can read it here: https://habituallyimprove.app/iv...
Welcome Offers for New Habitually Users For the first 14 days of using Habitually, there are some deals:
20% off on the Lifetime Subscription 1/2 Month Free on the Monthly Subscription 6 Months Free on the Annual Subscription
These offers are valid only for the first 14 days, so don’t miss out!
Thanks for reading :) Feel free to reach me at [contact@habituallyimprove.app](mailto:contact@habituallyimprove.app) I spent a year making something that I liked, and I'm excited to improve Habitually for everyone.

1. Craft a New Year's Eve story where your character, attending a grand celebration in a magical kingdom, discovers an ancient tradition of releasing enchanted butterflies at midnight, each carrying a unique message that sets the stage for a year of unexpected connections and adventures.
   
2. Set a narrative during a New Year's masquerade ball, where your character, drawn to an antique mask, finds themselves transported to a realm between dreams and reality, initiating a surreal journey of self-discovery, symbolism, and the blurring of the boundaries between the conscious and subconscious.
   
3. Create a story where your character, while participating in a New Year's bonfire ritual, stumbles upon a forgotten family relic that reveals a portal to a realm of ancestral spirits, leading to a year-long exploration of lineage, tradition, and the interconnectedness of past and present.
   
4. Develop a New Year's Eve tale set in a technologically advanced city, where your character receives a personalized holographic message from their future self, offering guidance and challenges for the upcoming year, prompting them to navigate a year of self-improvement and futuristic dilemmas.
   
5. Craft a story during a New Year's celebration in a floating city above the clouds, where your character discovers a hidden garden of time-altering flowers, leading to a series of temporal adventures, reflections, and the discovery of profound moments hidden within the folds of time.
   
6. Create a New Year's narrative where your character, attending a celebration in a realm of sentient creatures, encounters a mysterious oracle who imparts cryptic predictions, setting the stage for a year of unraveling prophecies, mythical challenges, and unexpected transformations.
   
7. Develop a story set in a New Year's carnival where your character stumbles upon a mysterious carousel that allows them to witness alternate versions of their life, exploring the concept of choices, regrets, and the infinite possibilities that lie within the turning wheel of time.
   

1. The Wise Gardener: A gardener tended to his plants, teaching patience and care as they grew.
2. The Lost Key: A key lost in darkness was found when its owner lit a candle.
3. The Talking Mirror: A mirror reflected not just appearances but revealed the truth within one's heart.
4. The Persistent Ant: Despite challenges, an ant persisted and built its colony through determination.
5. The Wandering Cloud: A cloud drifted, embracing change, teaching the value of adaptability.
6. The Broken Vase: Repaired with gold, a broken vase became more beautiful, symbolizing resilience.
7. The Wise Owl's Advice: An owl shared wisdom: "Silence speaks louder than words; listen, and learn."
8. The Dancing Flames: Flames flickered in harmony, reminding that unity brings strength.
9. The River's Journey: A river flowed steadily, symbolizing life's journey, overcoming obstacles.
10. The Echoing Mountain: Words spoken echoed back, emphasizing the impact of one's actions.
11. The Patient Spider: A spider patiently spun its web, illustrating the rewards of perseverance.
12. The Butterfly's Metamorphosis: A caterpillar transformed into a butterfly, teaching the beauty of change.
13. The Swaying Willow: The flexible willow bent in storms, teaching resilience in adversity.
14. The Singing Pebble: A pebble sang as it moved, reminding that even small actions have resonance.
15. The Caged Bird: Freed from its cage, a bird soared, symbolizing liberation and personal growth.
16. The Footprints in Sand: Footprints washed away, teaching the impermanence of life's challenges.
17. The Harvest Moon: A moon lit the night, symbolizing reaping the rewards of hard work.
18. The Compassionate Lotus: Despite muddy waters, a lotus bloomed, representing compassion amid difficulties.
19. The Humble Oak: The mighty oak started as an acorn, embodying the power of humble beginnings.
20. The Whispering Wind: Wind carried whispers of wisdom, emphasizing the importance of mindful listening.
21. The Tangled Threads: A weaver untangled threads, showing the value of patience in solving problems.
22. The Reflecting Pond: A pond mirrored the sky, teaching that what you give reflects back to you.
23. The Sturdy Bridge: A bridge connected lands, symbolizing the strength of unity and cooperation.
24. The Generous Sun: The sun shared warmth and light, teaching the joy found in giving.
25. The Migrating Geese: Geese flew in formation, embodying teamwork and shared leadership.
26. The Embracing Shadows: Shadows embraced objects, illustrating the inseparable nature of light and darkness.
27. The Enduring Stone: A stone weathered storms, reminding that resilience strengthens over time.
28. The Reflective Lake: A calm lake reflected clarity, emphasizing the importance of inner peace.
29. The Patient Fisherman: Patiently waiting, a fisherman reeled in a big catch, teaching the rewards of perseverance.
30. The Enchanted Forest: Trees whispered ancient tales, emphasizing the wisdom found in nature.

😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫🙈🙉🙊🙊🙉🙈😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 1. The Parallel Paths: Two paths diverged, yet both led to unique destinations, illustrating the diversity of life journeys. 2. The Echoing Choices: Choices echoed across parallel realities, emphasizing the impact of decisions on different paths. 3. The Parallel Mirrors: Mirrors reflected alternate selves, revealing the complexity of individual identities. 4. The Parallel Rivers: Rivers flowed side by side, representing the interconnectedness of parallel experiences. 5. The Parallel Seasons: Different seasons coexisted, symbolizing the simultaneous cycles of growth and change. 6. The Parallel Flames: Flames burned in parallel, illustrating the shared passions that connect diverse individuals. 7. The Parallel Echo: Echoes resonated in tandem, signifying the interconnected nature of parallel existences. 8. The Parallel Puzzles: Puzzles solved in parallel, showcasing the diversity of solutions to life's challenges. 9. The Parallel Footprints: Footprints imprinted on parallel sands, symbolizing the impact of actions in different realms. 10. The Parallel Orbits: Planets orbited in parallel, highlighting the harmony within cosmic parallels. 11. The Parallel Visions: Different eyes saw parallel worlds, illustrating the subjectivity of perception. 12. The Parallel Harmony: Musical notes played in parallel, representing the symphony of coexisting realities. 13. The Parallel Threads: Threads woven in parallel, portraying the intricate tapestry of interconnected fates. 14. The Parallel Shadows: Shadows cast in parallel, illustrating the simultaneous dance of light and darkness. 15. The Parallel Echoing Mountains: Mountains stood tall in parallel, symbolizing the strength found in unity. 16. The Parallel Whispers: Whispers carried across parallel winds, sharing timeless wisdom. 17. The Parallel Seeds: Seeds planted in parallel soil, growing into diverse and unique expressions of life. 18. The Parallel Ripples: Ripples spread in parallel waters, showcasing the far-reaching effects of actions. 19. The Parallel Sparks: Sparks ignited in parallel fires, representing the shared inspiration within different passions. 20. The Parallel Canvases: Artists painted on parallel canvases, expressing the multitude of perspectives in art. 21. The Parallel Paths of Learning: Parallel learners walked diverse educational paths, embracing varied forms of knowledge. 22. The Parallel Fragrances: Scents mingled in parallel air, portraying the richness of shared experiences. 23. The Parallel Rhythms: Heartbeats echoed in parallel, illustrating the shared essence of life. 24. The Parallel Sands of Time: Hourglasses measured time in parallel, signifying the synchronicity of moments. 25. The Parallel Whirlwinds: Whirlwinds danced in parallel, embodying the dynamic forces shaping parallel destinies. 26. The Parallel Stars: Stars shone in parallel skies, symbolizing the vastness of possibilities in parallel universes. 27. The Parallel Voices: Voices spoke in parallel conversations, revealing the diversity of perspectives. 28. The Parallel Constellations: Constellations adorned parallel night skies, telling different stories in each realm. 29. The Parallel Bridges: Bridges connected parallel lands, fostering understanding and unity. 30. The Parallel Reflections: Reflections mirrored in parallel waters, embodying the interconnected nature of self-awareness.

In a world filled with concrete jungles and bustling city life, few natural wonders can captivate the senses and ignite the imagination quite like the graceful dance of butterflies. These delicate, winged creatures have long been revered for their ethereal beauty, symbolizing transformation, hope, and the fleeting moments of life's journey. Now, imagine having the opportunity to immerse yourself in their enchanting world, right in the comfort of your own backyard. Welcome to the captivating realm of butterfly gardens – a living, breathing oasis where nature's most exquisite artists take center stage.
The Allure of Butterfly Gardens
A Celebration of Biodiversity and Conservation
Butterfly gardens are more than just aesthetically pleasing spaces; they are living, breathing ecosystems that promote biodiversity and support the intricate web of life. By intentionally cultivating plants that attract and sustain butterflies, you're creating a vital habitat for these delicate pollinators, which play a crucial role in the health of our environment. With each flutter of their wings, butterflies contribute to the well-being of countless plant species, ensuring the continuation of Earth's natural cycles.
A Visual Feast for the Senses
Imagine stepping into a world where vibrant hues and intricate patterns dance before your eyes, as delicate wings flutter and sway in the gentle breeze. A well-designed butterfly garden is a true feast for the senses, offering a captivating display of nature's artistry. From the intricate markings on a swallowtail's wings to the delicate dance of a monarch flitting from flower to flower, every moment is a visual symphony that will leave you spellbound.
Creating Your Own Butterfly Garden Oasis
Selecting the Perfect Plants
The key to a successful butterfly garden lies in selecting the right plants that cater to the specific needs of these winged visitors. Nectar-rich flowers like lantana, butterfly bush, and zinnia provide essential nourishment, while host plants like milkweed and dill offer a safe haven for caterpillars to grow and metamorphose into their magnificent adult forms. By incorporating a diverse range of native plants, you'll ensure a steady supply of food and shelter throughout the seasons, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem that will attract a wide variety of butterfly species.
Designing for Beauty and Function
A well-designed butterfly garden should not only be aesthetically pleasing but also functional, providing everything these delicate creatures need to thrive. Incorporate elements like flat rocks or shallow dishes filled with sand and water to offer essential minerals and hydration. Create sheltered nooks and crannies using logs, brush piles, or dense foliage to provide safe resting spots and overwintering havens. And don't forget to include a sunny, wind-protected area where butterflies can bask and warm their delicate wings, preparing for their next graceful flight.
The Benefits of a Butterfly Garden
A Haven for Wildlife
While butterflies may be the star attraction, a well-designed garden can become a thriving sanctuary for a diverse array of wildlife. From birds and bees to beneficial insects and small mammals, a diverse ecosystem will naturally emerge, creating a vibrant and harmonious balance of nature right in your own backyard. By fostering this interconnected web of life, you'll not only be providing a safe haven for countless species but also contributing to the overall health and resilience of your local environment.
A Therapeutic Escape
In our fast-paced, technology-driven world, butterfly gardens offer a much-needed respite from the stresses of daily life. Surrounded by the gentle flutter of wings and the sweet fragrance of blooms, you'll find yourself transported to a tranquil oasis where time seems to slow down and the hustle and bustle of the outside world fades away. This serene environment can have a profoundly therapeutic effect, promoting relaxation, mindfulness, and a deeper connection with the natural world.
Maintaining Your Butterfly Garden
Sustainable Gardening Practices
Cultivating a thriving butterfly garden doesn't have to come at the expense of the environment. Embrace sustainable gardening practices by minimizing the use of pesticides and opting for organic methods of pest control. Incorporate water-wise techniques like mulching and rainwater harvesting to conserve precious resources. And consider creating a compost bin to transform garden waste into nutrient-rich soil amendments, fostering a healthier, more sustainable ecosystem.
Observing Nature's Wonders
One of the greatest joys of maintaining a butterfly garden is the opportunity to witness the incredible transformation of these delicate creatures firsthand. From the delicate dance of mating rituals to the miraculous metamorphosis from caterpillar to chrysalis to fully-formed butterfly, you'll be privy to nature's most captivating performances. Embrace the art of mindful observation, taking the time to truly appreciate the intricate details and behaviors of your winged visitors.
Engaging the Community in Butterfly Conservation
Educational Opportunities
Butterfly gardens can serve as powerful educational tools, fostering a deeper appreciation and understanding of these remarkable creatures among people of all ages. Consider hosting guided tours, workshops, or even school field trips to share your knowledge and inspire others to create their own butterfly-friendly spaces. By igniting a passion for conservation in the hearts and minds of others, you'll be contributing to a brighter future for these enchanting creatures and the ecosystems they call home.
Citizen Science and Conservation Efforts
By participating in citizen science projects or supporting local conservation organizations, you can contribute valuable data and resources to help protect and preserve butterfly populations. Whether it's monitoring migration patterns, tracking species diversity, or advocating for habitat preservation, your butterfly garden can serve as a living laboratory and a rallying point for community engagement in environmental stewardship.
Discover the enchanting world of butterflies, and embark on a journey that will transport you to a realm of vibrant colors, delicate beauty, and profound connections with nature. By cultivating this enchanting oasis in your own backyard, you'll not only create a thriving habitat for these winged wonders but also foster a deeper appreciation for the intricate web of life that sustains us all. So, embrace the whimsy, immerse yourself in the splendor, and let the fluttering of butterfly wings inspire you to nurture and preserve the natural world around you.

Aiko Mugen-Nihon
Name: Aiko Mugen-Nihon
Age: 15
Occupation: Heroine
Heroine name: Copycat Virtuoso
Orientation: aromantic
Quirk: Multi-Skill
Quirk Description: Multi-Skill is a highly versatile Emitter-type Quirk that grants Aiko Mugen-Nihon the exceptional ability to copy and combine up to three different quirks observed from other individuals, albeit with certain limitations and unique conditions. Skills can range from physical proficiencies, like martial arts or aerobatic manoeuvres, to more cognitive talents, such as chess strategies or complex problem-solving methods. Abilities:

1. Skill Copy:
   
   • Upon witnessing a quirk being performed, Aiko Mugen-Nihon can instantly learn and replicate that skill perfectly for a short period.
   • Aiko Mugen-Nihon must maintain visual contact with the subject performing quirk for at least five continuous seconds to initiate a copy.
   • Copied quirks last for one hour after which they fade from memory unless extended by repeated exposures.
2. Skill Synthesis:
   
   • Copycat Virtuoso can combine any two or three quirks currently in her repertoire to create new, hybrid abilities.
   • Combining skills requires deep concentration and understanding of the underlying mechanics of each quirk.
   • The resulting hybrid quirk often yields unforeseen strengths but also comes with increased mental or physical strain.
3. Skill Adaptation:
   
   • When employing a copied or synthesised quirk, Multi-Skill allows for slight modifications adjusted to Aiko Mugen-Nihon's physical and mental capabilities.
   • This adaptation makes even physically demanding quirks viable, though slightly less effective than the original if beyond Copycat Virtuoso's physical limits.
4. Skill Enhancement:
   
   • The quirk subtly enhances Aiko Mugen-Nihon's neural processing, allowing faster reaction times and quicker adaptation during skill use.
   • Over time, if a quirk is copied and used repeatedly, enhancements can lead toward semi-permanency of that quirk, though still below the original skill level

Weaknesses:

1. Cognitive Load:
   
   • Using Multi-Skill is mentally taxing. Employing multiple skills simultaneously or in quick succession can lead to mental fatigue, reducing the effectiveness of the skills and possibly leading to headaches or loss of concentration.
2. Time Limitation:
   
   • Skills, once copied, only remain in Copycat Virtuoso's "active memory" for a limited duration of one hour. Frequent re-exposure is necessary to maintain proficiency.
3. Skill Decay:
   
   • Without consistent training or re-exposure, enhanced and semi-permanent quirks gradually decay over time.
4. Dependency on Observation:
   
   • Quirks cannot be copied from descriptions or recordings; live observation is mandatory.
   • If the line of sight is obscured during the initial copying phase, the process fails.

Tactical Uses: Multi-Skill is incredibly potent in both combat and strategic settings. In battles, the ability to adapt and counter opponents’ techniques on the fly gives Aiko Mugen-Nihon an edge. For intelligence or covert operations, the ability to acquire and apply numerous civilian skills (like lock-picking or lip-reading) can be invaluable.
Appearance: Aiko Mugen-Nihon has long, brunette hair stylised in the butterfly haircut hairstyle with Hazel eyes and a medium-sized breast with a heart-shaped face with a lean figure that she regularly keeps in shape
Heroine outfit: In her Heroine outfit, Aiko Mugen-Nihon wears something akin to a kickboxer's uniform, which consists of a skin-tight crop top that shows her toned body with form-fitting trousers with kickboxing shoes
School outfit: Aiko Mugen-Nihon wears a blazer with her heroine symbol on the back with no tie and jeans with ankle-high shoes

Relationships with Class 1-A

• Minoru Mineta- Avoids him like the plague and has threatened to report him if he tries anything with her
  
• Toru Hagakure- besties. They go on shopping trips together sometimes
  
• Koji Koda- She doesn't hang out with him much
  
• Yuga Aoyama-she tolerates him, although she doesn't like him and thinks he's too full of himself
  
• Kyoka Jiro- she's a good friend, and they hang out sometimes
  
• Rikido Sato- she thinks he's...Interesting in a weird way
  
• Denki Kaminari- she thinks he's fun to be around and even has given him the nickname 'Pikachu' on account of his quirk
  
• Mina Ashido- she looks out for Mina and tries to help her with her quirk
  
• Mashirao Ojiro- she likes him as a friend and respects him
  
• Ochaco Uraraka- she's besties with Uraraka and her optimum is infectious
  
• Enjiro Kirishima- She has a crush on him and enjoys his company a lot
  
• Momo Yaoyorozu- she likes to tease Momo sometimes but they get on well
  
• Tsuyu Asui- thinks she's a bit weird but okay to be around
  
• Tenya Lida- if he lost the straight-laced attitude he might be fun to be around but regardless she enjoys his company
  
• Izuku Midoriya- she's impressed with him although she wishes he'd cry less
  
• Mugen Iekami- the two are extremely close and she looks up to her big brother always
  
• Katsuki Bakugou- she can't stand him and avoids him whenever possible. Furthermore, she thinks that he's a horrible person to his so-called "friend" and doesn't deserve to be a hero. She has also called him out on his BS plenty of times and looks down on Bakugou for his behaviour
  

Personality

Aiko Mugen-Nihon is the personification of 'I treat you the way you treat others'. For example, if someone is rude to her then she'll be rude back and vice versa. She also is a bit vain about her appearance but knows it and is working on it with help.

Theme song

Hallelujah (I'm Not Dead) by Citizen Soldier

Hey everyone,
Sorry for the delay in posting. I'll been busy during my freetime working on a masterpiece. My day to day life is filled with monotony. Everyday is a repeat of the previous. Wake up, coffee, put on my diaper, tan khakis, sit down at the cubicle, slave away while the rest of the office is unsuspecting of my true identity.
Lately I have been thinking about ways to add a little extra flavor to my day to day. Some days ill hang around the office water cooler around lunch hoping a coworker walks over to make conversation.its usually "jim". I feel like a spider waiting for its next victim to walk into the web. Que eye contact, wait for "jim" to go on talking about his amazing kids and wife for a few minutes before inviting me over to bar be que and hangout with his wife and kids. It's the same conversation most of the time. About halfway through I'll drop my load and release moans a little bit and smile ear to ear. Jim's to thick and out of touch to even realize what I'm cooking up.
Sometimes I'll spend lunch out in the office courtyard daydreaming about weekend plans of conjure. I get a little giddy about it. Feels like little butterflies flying around in my stomach. Just thinking about dropping my load in public.
Recently, I concocted up a masterpiece during my daydreaming sessions. I noticed across our office building was a casino. It was simple. Sit down at the slot machine, hit the jackpot, and drop the load when the on lookers swarm my chair to see my winnings.
The plan was in place, It was just a matter of executing.
This past friday, the clock hits 5pm, i clock out, shake my supervisors hand, and thank him and wish him a good weekend. He tells me the same.
Weekend hits. Gametime. I put on my diaper and tan khakis and roll up to the casino. I sit down and order a coffee, and start loading pennies into the slot machine. A few hours pass, and no jackpot. Now, I knew it was going to be random chance, but I wanted it to be the perfect load. A few more hours pass and still no jackpot. I decide to try again the next day hoping fortune would be in my favor.
The next morning rolls around, and I sit back down in the same seat as last. It still felt warm. Maybe, it was from me yesterday ;). I notice a gentlemen sitting in the machine to my right, as he was previously there the day prior. A few hours go past without jackpot. I decide to take a break, and walk over to the man. I introduece myself, and offer to pay for his next spin. He obliges. And thanks me, and introduces himself back.
I go back to my seat, warmer than ever, drop my load, and spin away for a few more hours. No jackpot. I struggle to walk back to my car this time due to the load in diaper, but make it back after slowly gimping back.
The weekend ends, and I go back to my office job. Spending more and more days daydreaming of the jackpot load, and less time with Jim at the water cooler.
Another weekend, another chance. I sit down at the same seat, spin away endlessly nervously waiting for the jackpot. I begin to start recognizing more of the same people that I have been seeing over the past weekend. I guess you could call them regulars. Anyway, i always introduce myself during my playtime breaks and give them a free spin. I know these relationships will be crucial when it comes down to a crowd of spectators during the jackpot moment.
Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday night pass. No jackpot. Monday through Friday at work still spent daydreaming of the jackpot load and talking with Jim on occasion.
I invite Jim to come out with me this Friday night to the casino after work. I offer to buy him some pulls at the slots. He obliges.
As I walked through the casino doors onto the floor with Jim the air felt different. My mind was more clear. I got goosebumps, and knew that tonight I was going to hit the jackpot.
Jim and I sit down at the slot machines, and start pulling away. Jim looks at me and says "would you want to come over to barbecue tomorrow night? I just picked up some wild hog snout and hoofs to smoke. They are really tasty. A real treat for you and the boys." I slowly nod and moan back to jim. Keeping my load barley contained in my khakis. Hovering on the rim, just peeking out. A feeling that truly puts me over the edge. I pull the machine to keep spinning. Watching the symbols align one after another.. gold coin.. gold coin.. gold coin..
Lights, sirens, noises, screen flashing starts to blare out from my machine. I won the jackpot. Jim rushes up from his chair, and so do the other regulars. They start to swarm my machine. The sound of coins waterfalling and cascading.. ding.. ding.. ding..
It's time.
I stand up, on the brink and rim of destruction fresh from my conversation with Jim seconds earlier. Clench my buttcheecks, and unload all at once. I rip ass loudly and uncontrollably, while jim or the regulars look on in sheer awe and amazement. Climaxing all at once.
Everything goes in slow motion. I uncontrollably begin to moan and groan, My knees are weak. Im stumbling from one person to the other, handing out high fives while they praise me.
My load it's too much.. as I high five jim. My eyesight begins to fade. I fall to my knees clenching my buttchecks in both hands as I blackout.
I wake up to jim hovering over me. My pants covered in my load. I begin to hardly let out, " I.. ugh.. jim.. what.. what happened?" Jim concerningly hugs me and says, "you won! You won the jackpot! We were all celebrating with you high fiving, you fainted... and had an accident."
I knew in this moment my masterpiece was complete. The perfect climax, and perfect execution of my load. Jim never suspected a thing. I felt like I just pulled the heist of a lifetime off. I walked away a true winner.
Jim still asks me to come over and barbeque. Sometimes he laughingly jokes about the "accident" and how lucky I was to hit the jackpot. I sit in office courtyard as I write this daydreaming of my next adventure.
Until next time

I believe in karma. I believe there are omens sent by the universe that symbolize our morality or decisions. I also believe that our morality dictates what reality we are in. It is a combination of the simulation theory, dimension theory, and karma. This hypothesis has very little legs to stand on in terms of it being true, but for me it is more wishful thinking. When it comes to omens, I believe the universe sends symbolic messages of either good or bad. For example, I am walking down the street and a butterfly lands on my shoulder. This is a good omen. It means I am living my life the right way and there are good things to come. An example for a bad omen would be a crow. This would mean you have bad things coming. These are just vanilla examples, but Im trying to make it easy to understand. Generally, these can be described as coincidences, when you see something that might be considered a bad omen, but its more of a bad coincidence. This is true as well. I do not believe every external action should be looked at as an omen, however I do believe omens exist if people look closely at the right time. I believe these omens can guide every one of us to a better version of ourselves. So far, it has been true for me. This year, my life is free from the pain and guilt of my past. I wake up everyday enthusiastic about learning more knowledge and challenging my own ideas. I help my mother and sister with chores and landscape for the house. I just created my own business, and have ambitious goals for the future. I believe that because I am doing these noble things, my reality is simultaneously changing to reflect that decision and moral identity. This started in 2024, but it will be interesting to see if living my life this way will change it for the better.
​
​

I see a lot of art and prayer videos for Oya that use a lot of butterflies around her is this a symbol for her? What might the symbol mean? I'm very new to knowing about her can anyone send videos or recommend literature my way?

DISCLAIMER: Don't take this too seriously, it's meant to be more of a joke and exaggeration, started almost entirely by the mental image of three hardened criminals sitting in a bar, pondering that they still absolutely need to recruit a Catholic priest and some band guy or their next bank robbery just won't work. No offense intended towards any actual groups, nor to make light of any social issues. Also, I'm aware there's games with actual modernity-appropriate classes, but the absurdity of a nearly 1:1 port is exactly the point here. Finally, note that I play both D&D (various editions) and PF 1E and 2E, so expect a mixture of classes from either and some cherrypicking of interpretations.
FOREWORD: Style of play I'm imagining similar to Shadowrun or Cyberpunk, with a focus on the underworld, teams of specialists hired by fixers for various jobs of dubious legality, or vigilantism or hustling maybe. If one wanted to be extra absurd, it could also involve travelling the world in a camper van and taking on quests, or getting tasked with an important mission by a head of state (this may work better in a fictional modern-day setting instead of our own world). Class names are meant to be professional slang you'd see in that kind of environment, like Shadowrun's Street Samurai for example, thus justifying the existence of the classes themselves. But since it's supposed to be not cyberpunk, but the present, I deliberately tried to pick names that sound like they could be part of normal conversation too.
Magicless doesn't mean classes don't still have their powers and spells, just that they're explained differently, like by drugs or applied psychology or the like. Think a "wizard" (Pundit) casting a "fireball" by mentally calculating the exact angle they need to shoot a gas pipe to cause an explosion.
Without further ado, the...

CLASSES
Militant (Fighter): Skillful weapons specialists and fighting experts who can handle any threat and stare down the barrel of a gun without flinching. Many are (former) soldiers, mercenaries, or private security, less commonly also from a background in law enforcement or violent crime, but anyone with the right abilities can be a Militant.
Thrasher (Barbarian): Tough guys, muscleheads, and sometimes also bullies, who get what they want by utilizing brutality, fear, and a vicious temper. Thrashers are often gang members and thugs, bikers, delinquents, jocks, pro wrestlers, or particularly dedicated powerlifters. Frequently appearing as a part of highly insular social cliques, they are prone to adopting neotribal mindsets, symbols, and practices.
Blackbelt (Monk): Martial arts and/or ascetic masters (not just disciples or regular practitioners) with almost superhuman control over their own body. Despite the name, these adepts of the physical can pursue any martial arts tradition, as well as freestyle street fighting, pro wrestling, self defense courses, special forces training, parcours, extreme sports, and of course practices such as yoga. While some seek enlightenment or health benefits, others hunger to put their skills to the test in a manner only real combat can provide.
Outlander (Ranger): Armed and dangerous people who thrive in the wilderness. Survivalists, hunters, drifters, particularly experienced outdoorsmen, forest rangers, animal trainers, and sometimes preppers or guerillas are all common candidates. Many Outlanders hold strong convictions, in a cowboyish sort of way, and so they are also found among military special forces or police departments, particularly as handlers to service animals.
Jailbird (Rogue): Multi-talented if often dubious individuals, prized especially as infiltration and security specialists. While they needn't be actual criminals, just in possession of the right talents, many still are of a less than legal disposition, and a brief stint in prison can certainly lead to picking up useful new tricks. Common sub-groups include murderers and serial killers, cat burglars and pickpockets, home invaders, carjackers, hackers, scammers and con artists, smugglers of arms/drugs/etc., as well as urban partisans.
Ideological Crusader (Paladin/Antipaladin): Stalwart defenders and enforcers of a given idea of justice, a social code, or an organization, capable of backing their demands with violence if necessary. They are natural authority figures with an extra edge in doggedness stemming from their strong beliefs. The vast majority of Ideological Crusaders originate in law enforcement (particularly riot cops) or sometimes the fire department or military special forces, but some are revolutionaries, armed activists, or members of neighborhood watches or citizen militias. Should they go rogue and their beliefs end up becoming toxic, however, Ideological Crusaders tend to turn into dreaded hatemongers or terrorists.
Special Operative (Inquisitor): The quintessential experts in making problems disappear, Special Operatives achieve (preferably) noble goals using subtle, unorthodox and sometimes questionable means, resolving delicate matters with cunning rather than the Ideological Crusader's brute force. Usually belonging to and trained in special tactics by some kind of organization, most serve(d) in intelligence agencies or commando units, but they may also be detectives in the police department, professional hitmen, or hacktivists and leakers and the like.
Humanitarian (Cleric): Devoted souls who follow a philosophy or faith they believe will help humanity, often trained in a variety of useful medical and mental techniques. Their skills may vary depending on the content of their particular belief system, with some potentially being quite sinister, but overall, Humanitarians are still primarily experts at keeping their team alive with first aid and supporting them in whichever way is necessary. Most have a background as healthcare personell such as doctors, surgeons, and nurses, but there's also plenty of social and charity workers and sometimes therapists to be found.
Additionally, a strong link exists between Humanitarians and religion. While ordinary ministers will rarely just go out to take on legally questionable jobs or vigilante work, some do protect their flock that way, and more still may be trying to save the souls of the underworld's denizens or view themselves as exorcists battling demonic forces. This goes twice so for the recruiters, envoys and missionaries of cults, of which there is an abundance in the underworld.
New Ager (Druid): Masters of the natural world. Using herbs and drugs, New Agers achieve a number of altered states of consciousness, enabling them to excel at various tasks with ease almost as if they could wholly transform themselves. When not doing this, they support their allies with wilderness knowledge, patch them up with "alternative" medicine, or command and train animals. Besides actual New Agers (who can come from any background), the class also frequently attracts environmentalists, naturalists, animal breeders, and natural scientists.
Influencer (Bard): Often glamorous individuals for whom doors swing wide open and ears perk up. Influencers are communications specialists, charmers, and frequently powerful orators and motivational speakers, who also know and dabble in a little bit of everything as a result of their colorful lives. In spite of the name, most members of this class are not youtubers, but rather celebrities of every kind, starlets and media personalities, entertainers and performers, life coaches, as well as journalists and reporters. While the class also contains plenty of artists (not just of the performing but also of the creative arts), their profession alone does not make them members, rather the ability to influence and powerfully motivate others is what counts (and a heaping of fame certainly doesn't hurt either!).
Middleman (Warlock/Witch): Middlemen are, for good and for ill, deeply connected and indebted to a powerful organization or individual, usually in an extremely unequal manner. This so-called sponsor they can call on for favors. Some examples of sponsors include organized crime, cults, megacorporations, or shady political lobbies. What the Middleman may achieve depends on the sponsor in question, but the support is always highly useful, from receiving access to exclusive venues to getting to borrow bleeding edge technology. In turn, however, the sponsor has their own expectations and demands and will sometimes come to collect their due. If the expectations are not fulfilled, support will be cut off, if not far worse.
Besides their main sponsor, Middlemen also collect lesser contacts and knowledge on how to play social institutions and conventions to their advantage. This, for instance, enables them to shield their allies from the law. They make excellent fixers for similar reasons. Anyone who enters a Faustian bargain may become a Middleman, but it is particularly common among entrepreneurs, lawyers, politicians, and similar power players. Membership in the sponsoring organization is not required, but still fairly common, especially as a delegate or representative of sorts.
Pundit (Wizard): Providers of expert knowledge. Ensure their allies always have all necessary information about their surroundings and can devise uniquely ingenious ad-hoc solutions to problems based on their chosen field of study, known theorems, and subjects they have recently looked into. Usually academics and other well-educated types, often with an actual university degree or even a professorship, but some private scholars or hyper-dedicated hobby nerds, too. Many are programmers or scientists (frequently pursuing one of the "big three" fields: biology, chemistry, or physics), researching, inventing, and using technology and other fruits of scientific labor, sometimes even creating things themselves when mechanical skill is not central (i.e. mixing chemicals). However, every field has its ways of dealing with problems, from highly communicative media studies to wealth-multiplying economics, and while scientists are often associated with gadgets, what a Pundit's ad-hoc solution looks like can really vary wildly.
Many interdisciplinary Pundits also exist, but in the first place, all Pundits have mastered research. Therefore, fields of study are more about with what approach and level of difficulty a goal can be accomplished, rather than what the Pundit can or can't do at all (unless it's of an "opposed" field, i.e. a field that fills with the Pundit with dread and horrid memories of their school days).
(NOTE: I've considered a pure Scientist class, but I liked the idea of university humanities professors regularly getting into shootouts too much.)
Technician (ArtificeAlchemist/Inventor): Technology specialists who excel at the hands-on operation, modification, and construction of various types of hardware, in contrast to the more theory-focused and software-based leanings of other classes like the Pundit or Savant (though a Technician can still absolutely learn how to program and hack). Technicians may come from the ranks of engineers graduated from their university with highest honors just as much as humble car mechanics, passionate amateur craftsmen, or even certain construction workers. Besides these, other popular specializations include electricians, driving fanatics, fighter or drone pilots, gunsmiths, saboteurs, and demolitions specialists.
(NOTE: This is essentially a fusion between craftsmen and pilots/drivers. Doesn't necessarily make that much sense to lump them together, but it's really hard to find a role other than dedicated getaway driver to play for a standalone driver class and Shadowrun's Rigger archetype provided some inspiration and a connection point.)
Savant (Sorcerer): Counterparts to the Pundit with similar abilities. Savants appear to possess a natural affinity and passion for the things that fascinate them strong enough to put them on equal footing with academics who gained their skills by more traditional means.
(NOTE: The Savant stereotype doesn't align so well with Sorcerers making for good socialmancers, so maybe these should be INT instead of CHA casters?)
Miracle Worker (Favored Soul/Oracle): Counterparts to the Humanitarian with similar abilities. Zealots, self-proclaimed prophets, and sometimes cult leaders hoping to impress future followers, Miracle Workers make up for the Humanitarian's specialist training with sheer confidence in their own abilities, mystifying language, and oftentimes more than a little bit of madness.
Medicine Man (Spirit Shaman): Counterparts to the New Ager with similar abilities. Achieve their skills less through drugs and herbs and more by "letting the spirits guide them", which is to say, through a combination of religious practices, empathic emotional connections with their environment and unconscious imitation of others, as well as sometimes through culturally inherited or acquired knowledge. May actually have an indigeneous background, or just wish they did.
Adventurer (Swashbuckler): Even in this day and age, there are occasionally people whose life story reads like something straight out of a movie script. Skillful generalists with a lot of panache. For some reason, this class tends to attract archaeologists the most.
Investigator (Investigator): Whether as private eyes, police detectives, or sometimes scientific researchers, investigators do exactly what their name says, getting results with their ability to draw the right conclusions and pursue leads.

TEAM ROLES
A well-balanced team archetypically consists of at least one Muscle, Breacher, Medic, and Egghead.
Muscle / Combat Specialist: Keeps the team safe from danger and if necessary draws it towards themselves. Suitable for: Militants, Thrashers, Blackbelts, Ideological Crusaders, Outlanders, sometimes Technicians or Adventurers.
Breacher / Security Specialist: Bypasses security and gets the team in and out where they're not supposed to be, whether by social infiltration or an old-fashioned break-in. Suitable for: Jailbirds, Special Operatives, Influencers, sometimes Blackbelts, Outlanders, Investigators, or Adventurers.
Medic / Support Specialist: Helps everyone stay alive and keeps them at their best. Suitable for: Humanitarians, Miracle Workers, New Agers, Medicine Men, sometimes Outlanders or Ideological Crusaders.
Egghead / Knowledge Specialist: Solves more intellectual challenges and helps out in numerous ways, often roped into tech/science support even if it's not their specialization. Suitable for: Pundits, Savants, Technicians, sometimes Influencers, Middlemen, or Investigators.
Nerd/Hacker / Tech Specialist: Optional, for when not covered by the Breacher and the Egghead is severely allergic to the natural sciences. Deals with tech. Suitable for: Pundits, Savants, Technicians, sometimes Jailbirds or Special Operatives.
Face / Social Specialist: Optional, for when the Breacher isn't a social butterfly. Represents and oftentimes leads the team and does the talking where required. Suitable for: Influencers, Middlemen, Ideological Crusaders, sometimes Adventurers.
Manager (Earner, Mom, Greaser) / Resource & Public Relations Specialist: Optional, depending on overall team composition and Fixer. May also be split into the three separate roles of Earner, Mom, and Greaser. Earner and Mom are two sides of the same coin, the former managing the team's side-hustles and extra sources of income, as well as purchasing equipment, while the latter takes care of supply and gear maintenance and also of all matters related to hideouts and the team's general needs. The Greaser is the team's networking specialist and often also their lawyer, greasing the right palms and ensuring law enforcement and other factions turn a blind eye to the team's activities. Suitable for: Middlemen are practically born for this, but Jailbirds, Influencers, Technicians, Pundits, and Savants also do well at various aspects of the role.
Eyes & Ears / Research Specialist: Optional, for when it's not the Breacher's (or sometimes the Egghead's) thing. The Eyes & Ears continually gathers intel and gossip and keeps the team abreast of recent events, potential dangers, and new opportunities. Suitable for: Investigators, Jailbirds, Special Operatives, Influencers, sometimes Middlemen.
Wheelman / Driving Specialist: Optional, for when nobody else is a particularly good driver. Primarily the designated and getaway driver, may also take care of and perhaps upgrade the team vehicle. Suitable for: Technicians, Jailbirds, Special Operatives, Ideological Crusaders, Adventurers, sometimes Outlanders.
Deadeye / Sniping Specialist: Optional, for when the Muscle is a Blackbelt, Thrasher, or otherwise close-combat preferring fighter. Does ranged combat, that's it. Suitable for: Outlanders, Militants, Jailbirds, Special Operatives, sometimes Technicians.
Treehugger / Wilderness Specialist: Optional, for when the group heads into the great outdoors for a prolonged period of time. Helps them not die there. Suitable for: Outlanders, New Agers, Medicine Men.
Fixer: Provides the team with jobs from interested parties and may also double as the Manager. Could be a designated part of the team or a freelancer. Suitable for: Any class, but Middlemen are the most common.

DISCLAIMER: Don't take this too seriously, it's meant to be more of a joke and exaggeration, started almost entirely by the mental image of three hardened criminals sitting in a bar, pondering that they still absolutely need to recruit a Catholic priest and some band guy or their next bank robbery just won't work. No offense intended towards any actual groups, nor to make light of any social issues. Also, I'm aware there's games with actual modernity-appropriate classes, but the absurdity of a nearly 1:1 port is exactly the point here. Finally, note that I play both D&D (various editions) and PF 1E and 2E, so expect a mixture of classes from either and some cherrypicking of interpretations.
FOREWORD: Style of play I'm imagining similar to Shadowrun or Cyberpunk, with a focus on the underworld, teams of specialists hired by fixers for various jobs of dubious legality, or vigilantism or hustling maybe. If one wanted to be extra absurd, it could also involve travelling the world in a camper van and taking on quests, or getting tasked with an important mission by a head of state (this may work better in a fictional modern-day setting instead of our own world). Class names are meant to be professional slang you'd see in that kind of environment, like Shadowrun's Street Samurai for example, thus justifying the existence of the classes themselves. But since it's supposed to be not cyberpunk, but the present, I deliberately tried to pick names that sound like they could be part of normal conversation too.
Magicless doesn't mean classes don't still have their powers and spells, just that they're explained differently, like by drugs or applied psychology or the like. Think a "wizard" (Pundit) casting a "fireball" by mentally calculating the exact angle they need to shoot a gas pipe to cause an explosion.
Without further ado, the...

CLASSES
Militant (Fighter): Skillful weapons specialists and fighting experts who can handle any threat and stare down the barrel of a gun without flinching. Many are (former) soldiers, mercenaries, or private security, less commonly also from a background in law enforcement or violent crime, but anyone with the right abilities can be a Militant.
Thrasher (Barbarian): Tough guys, muscleheads, and sometimes also bullies, who get what they want by utilizing brutality, fear, and a vicious temper. Thrashers are often gang members and thugs, bikers, delinquents, jocks, pro wrestlers, or particularly dedicated powerlifters. Frequently appearing as a part of highly insular social cliques, they are prone to adopting neotribal mindsets, symbols, and practices.
Blackbelt (Monk): Martial arts and/or ascetic masters (not just disciples or regular practitioners) with almost superhuman control over their own body. Despite the name, these adepts of the physical can pursue any martial arts tradition, as well as freestyle street fighting, pro wrestling, self defense courses, special forces training, parcours, extreme sports, and of course practices such as yoga. While some seek enlightenment or health benefits, others hunger to put their skills to the test in a manner only real combat can provide.
Outlander (Ranger): Armed and dangerous people who thrive in the wilderness. Survivalists, hunters, drifters, particularly experienced outdoorsmen, forest rangers, animal trainers, and sometimes preppers or guerillas are all common candidates. Many Outlanders hold strong convictions, in a cowboyish sort of way, and so they are also found among military special forces or police departments, particularly as handlers to service animals.
Jailbird (Rogue): Multi-talented if often dubious individuals, prized especially as infiltration and security specialists. While they needn't be actual criminals, just in possession of the right talents, many still are of a less than legal disposition, and a brief stint in prison can certainly lead to picking up useful new tricks. Common sub-groups include murderers and serial killers, cat burglars and pickpockets, home invaders, carjackers, hackers, scammers and con artists, smugglers of arms/drugs/etc., as well as urban partisans.
Ideological Crusader (Paladin/Antipaladin): Stalwart defenders and enforcers of a given idea of justice, a social code, or an organization, capable of backing their demands with violence if necessary. They are natural authority figures with an extra edge in doggedness stemming from their strong beliefs. The vast majority of Ideological Crusaders originate in law enforcement (particularly riot cops) or sometimes the fire department or military special forces, but some are revolutionaries, armed activists, or members of neighborhood watches or citizen militias. Should they go rogue and their beliefs end up becoming toxic, however, Ideological Crusaders tend to turn into dreaded hatemongers or terrorists.
Special Operative (Inquisitor): The quintessential experts in making problems disappear, Special Operatives achieve (preferably) noble goals using subtle, unorthodox and sometimes questionable means, resolving delicate matters with cunning rather than the Ideological Crusader's brute force. Usually belonging to and trained in special tactics by some kind of organization, most serve(d) in intelligence agencies or commando units, but they may also be detectives in the police department, professional hitmen, or hacktivists and leakers and the like.
Humanitarian (Cleric): Devoted souls who follow a philosophy or faith they believe will help humanity, often trained in a variety of useful medical and mental techniques. Their skills may vary depending on the content of their particular belief system, with some potentially being quite sinister, but overall, Humanitarians are still primarily experts at keeping their team alive with first aid and supporting them in whichever way is necessary. Most have a background as healthcare personell such as doctors, surgeons, and nurses, but there's also plenty of social and charity workers and sometimes therapists to be found.
Additionally, a strong link exists between Humanitarians and religion. While ordinary ministers will rarely just go out to take on legally questionable jobs or vigilante work, some do protect their flock that way, and more still may be trying to save the souls of the underworld's denizens or view themselves as exorcists battling demonic forces. This goes twice so for the recruiters, envoys and missionaries of cults, of which there is an abundance in the underworld.
New Ager (Druid): Masters of the natural world. Using herbs and drugs, New Agers achieve a number of altered states of consciousness, enabling them to excel at various tasks with ease almost as if they could wholly transform themselves. When not doing this, they support their allies with wilderness knowledge, patch them up with "alternative" medicine, or command and train animals. Besides actual New Agers (who can come from any background), the class also frequently attracts environmentalists, naturalists, animal breeders, and natural scientists.
Influencer (Bard): Often glamorous individuals for whom doors swing wide open and ears perk up. Influencers are communications specialists, charmers, and frequently powerful orators and motivational speakers, who also know and dabble in a little bit of everything as a result of their colorful lives. In spite of the name, most members of this class are not youtubers, but rather celebrities of every kind, starlets and media personalities, entertainers and performers, life coaches, as well as journalists and reporters. While the class also contains plenty of artists (not just of the performing but also of the creative arts), their profession alone does not make them members, rather the ability to influence and powerfully motivate others is what counts (and a heaping of fame certainly doesn't hurt either!).
Middleman (Warlock/Witch): Middlemen are, for good and for ill, deeply connected and indebted to a powerful organization or individual, usually in an extremely unequal manner. This so-called sponsor they can call on for favors. Some examples of sponsors include organized crime, cults, megacorporations, or shady political lobbies. What the Middleman may achieve depends on the sponsor in question, but the support is always highly useful, from receiving access to exclusive venues to getting to borrow bleeding edge technology. In turn, however, the sponsor has their own expectations and demands and will sometimes come to collect their due. If the expectations are not fulfilled, support will be cut off, if not far worse.
Besides their main sponsor, Middlemen also collect lesser contacts and knowledge on how to play social institutions and conventions to their advantage. This, for instance, enables them to shield their allies from the law. They make excellent fixers for similar reasons. Anyone who enters a Faustian bargain may become a Middleman, but it is particularly common among entrepreneurs, lawyers, politicians, and similar power players. Membership in the sponsoring organization is not required, but still fairly common, especially as a delegate or representative of sorts.
Pundit (Wizard): Providers of expert knowledge. Ensure their allies always have all necessary information about their surroundings and can devise uniquely ingenious ad-hoc solutions to problems based on their chosen field of study, known theorems, and subjects they have recently looked into. Usually academics and other well-educated types, often with an actual university degree or even a professorship, but some private scholars or hyper-dedicated hobby nerds, too. Many are programmers or scientists (frequently pursuing one of the "big three" fields: biology, chemistry, or physics), researching, inventing, and using technology and other fruits of scientific labor, sometimes even creating things themselves when mechanical skill is not central (i.e. mixing chemicals). However, every field has its ways of dealing with problems, from highly communicative media studies to wealth-multiplying economics, and while scientists are often associated with gadgets, what a Pundit's ad-hoc solution looks like can really vary wildly.
Many interdisciplinary Pundits also exist, but in the first place, all Pundits have mastered research. Therefore, fields of study are more about with what approach and level of difficulty a goal can be accomplished, rather than what the Pundit can or can't do at all (unless it's of an "opposed" field, i.e. a field that fills with the Pundit with dread and horrid memories of their school days).
(NOTE: I've considered a pure Scientist class, but I liked the idea of university humanities professors regularly getting into shootouts too much.)
Technician (ArtificeAlchemist/Inventor): Technology specialists who excel at the hands-on operation, modification, and construction of various types of hardware, in contrast to the more theory-focused and software-based leanings of other classes like the Pundit or Savant (though a Technician can still absolutely learn how to program and hack). Technicians may come from the ranks of engineers graduated from their university with highest honors just as much as humble car mechanics, passionate amateur craftsmen, or even certain construction workers. Besides these, other popular specializations include electricians, driving fanatics, fighter or drone pilots, gunsmiths, saboteurs, and demolitions specialists.
(NOTE: This is essentially a fusion between craftsmen and pilots/drivers. Doesn't necessarily make that much sense to lump them together, but it's really hard to find a role other than dedicated getaway driver to play for a standalone driver class and Shadowrun's Rigger archetype provided some inspiration and a connection point.)
Savant (Sorcerer): Counterparts to the Pundit with similar abilities. Savants appear to possess a natural affinity and passion for the things that fascinate them strong enough to put them on equal footing with academics who gained their skills by more traditional means.
(NOTE: The Savant stereotype doesn't align so well with Sorcerers making for good socialmancers, so maybe these should be INT instead of CHA casters?)
Miracle Worker (Favored Soul/Oracle): Counterparts to the Humanitarian with similar abilities. Zealots, self-proclaimed prophets, and sometimes cult leaders hoping to impress future followers, Miracle Workers make up for the Humanitarian's specialist training with sheer confidence in their own abilities, mystifying language, and oftentimes more than a little bit of madness.
Medicine Man (Spirit Shaman): Counterparts to the New Ager with similar abilities. Achieve their skills less through drugs and herbs and more by "letting the spirits guide them", which is to say, through a combination of religious practices, empathic emotional connections with their environment and unconscious imitation of others, as well as sometimes through culturally inherited or acquired knowledge. May actually have an indigeneous background, or just wish they did.
Adventurer (Swashbuckler): Even in this day and age, there are occasionally people whose life story reads like something straight out of a movie script. Skillful generalists with a lot of panache. For some reason, this class tends to attract archaeologists the most.
Investigator (Investigator): Whether as private eyes, police detectives, or sometimes scientific researchers, investigators do exactly what their name says, getting results with their ability to draw the right conclusions and pursue leads.

TEAM ROLES
A well-balanced team archetypically consists of at least one Muscle, Breacher, Medic, and Egghead.
Muscle / Combat Specialist: Keeps the team safe from danger and if necessary draws it towards themselves. Suitable for: Militants, Thrashers, Blackbelts, Ideological Crusaders, Outlanders, sometimes Technicians or Adventurers.
Breacher / Security Specialist: Bypasses security and gets the team in and out where they're not supposed to be, whether by social infiltration or an old-fashioned break-in. Suitable for: Jailbirds, Special Operatives, Influencers, sometimes Blackbelts, Outlanders, Investigators, or Adventurers.
Medic / Support Specialist: Helps everyone stay alive and keeps them at their best. Suitable for: Humanitarians, Miracle Workers, New Agers, Medicine Men, sometimes Outlanders or Ideological Crusaders.
Egghead / Knowledge Specialist: Solves more intellectual challenges and helps out in numerous ways, often roped into tech/science support even if it's not their specialization. Suitable for: Pundits, Savants, Technicians, sometimes Influencers, Middlemen, or Investigators.
Nerd/Hacker / Tech Specialist: Optional, for when not covered by the Breacher and the Egghead is severely allergic to the natural sciences. Deals with tech. Suitable for: Pundits, Savants, Technicians, sometimes Jailbirds or Special Operatives.
Face / Social Specialist: Optional, for when the Breacher isn't a social butterfly. Represents and oftentimes leads the team and does the talking where required. Suitable for: Influencers, Middlemen, Ideological Crusaders, sometimes Adventurers.
Manager (Earner, Mom, Greaser) / Resource & Public Relations Specialist: Optional, depending on overall team composition and Fixer. May also be split into the three separate roles of Earner, Mom, and Greaser. Earner and Mom are two sides of the same coin, the former managing the team's side-hustles and extra sources of income, as well as purchasing equipment, while the latter takes care of supply and gear maintenance and also of all matters related to hideouts and the team's general needs. The Greaser is the team's networking specialist and often also their lawyer, greasing the right palms and ensuring law enforcement and other factions turn a blind eye to the team's activities. Suitable for: Middlemen are practically born for this, but Jailbirds, Influencers, Technicians, Pundits, and Savants also do well at various aspects of the role.
Eyes & Ears / Research Specialist: Optional, for when it's not the Breacher's (or sometimes the Egghead's) thing. The Eyes & Ears continually gathers intel and gossip and keeps the team abreast of recent events, potential dangers, and new opportunities. Suitable for: Investigators, Jailbirds, Special Operatives, Influencers, sometimes Middlemen.
Wheelman / Driving Specialist: Optional, for when nobody else is a particularly good driver. Primarily the designated and getaway driver, may also take care of and perhaps upgrade the team vehicle. Suitable for: Technicians, Jailbirds, Special Operatives, Ideological Crusaders, Adventurers, sometimes Outlanders.
Deadeye / Sniping Specialist: Optional, for when the Muscle is a Blackbelt, Thrasher, or otherwise close-combat preferring fighter. Does ranged combat, that's it. Suitable for: Outlanders, Militants, Jailbirds, Special Operatives, sometimes Technicians.
Treehugger / Wilderness Specialist: Optional, for when the group heads into the great outdoors for a prolonged period of time. Helps them not die there. Suitable for: Outlanders, New Agers, Medicine Men.
Fixer: Provides the team with jobs from interested parties and may also double as the Manager. Could be a designated part of the team or a freelancer. Suitable for: Any class, but Middlemen are the most common.

DISCLAIMER: Don't take this too seriously, it's meant to be more of a joke and exaggeration, started almost entirely by the mental image of three hardened criminals sitting in a bar, pondering that they still absolutely need to recruit a Catholic priest and some band guy or their next bank robbery just won't work. No offense intended towards any actual groups, nor to make light of any social issues. Also, I'm aware there's games with actual modernity-appropriate classes, but the absurdity of a nearly 1:1 port is exactly the point here. Finally, note that I play both D&D (various editions) and PF 1E and 2E, so expect a mixture of classes from either and some cherrypicking of interpretations.
FOREWORD: Style of play I'm imagining similar to Shadowrun or Cyberpunk, with a focus on the underworld, teams of specialists hired by fixers for various jobs of dubious legality, or vigilantism or hustling maybe. If one wanted to be extra absurd, it could also involve travelling the world in a camper van and taking on quests, or getting tasked with an important mission by a head of state (this may work better in a fictional modern-day setting instead of our own world). Class names are meant to be professional slang you'd see in that kind of environment, like Shadowrun's Street Samurai for example, thus justifying the existence of the classes themselves. But since it's supposed to be not cyberpunk, but the present, I deliberately tried to pick names that sound like they could be part of normal conversation too.
Magicless doesn't mean classes don't still have their powers and spells, just that they're explained differently, like by drugs or applied psychology or the like. Think a "wizard" (Pundit) casting a "fireball" by mentally calculating the exact angle they need to shoot a gas pipe to cause an explosion.
Without further ado, the...

CLASSES
Militant (Fighter): Skillful weapons specialists and fighting experts who can handle any threat and stare down the barrel of a gun without flinching. Many are (former) soldiers, mercenaries, or private security, less commonly also from a background in law enforcement or violent crime, but anyone with the right abilities can be a Militant.
Thrasher (Barbarian): Tough guys, muscleheads, and sometimes also bullies, who get what they want by utilizing brutality, fear, and a vicious temper. Thrashers are often gang members and thugs, bikers, delinquents, jocks, pro wrestlers, or particularly dedicated powerlifters. Frequently appearing as a part of highly insular social cliques, they are prone to adopting neotribal mindsets, symbols, and practices.
Blackbelt (Monk): Martial arts and/or ascetic masters (not just disciples or regular practitioners) with almost superhuman control over their own body. Despite the name, these adepts of the physical can pursue any martial arts tradition, as well as freestyle street fighting, pro wrestling, self defense courses, special forces training, parcours, extreme sports, and of course practices such as yoga. While some seek enlightenment or health benefits, others hunger to put their skills to the test in a manner only real combat can provide.
Outlander (Ranger): Armed and dangerous people who thrive in the wilderness. Survivalists, hunters, drifters, particularly experienced outdoorsmen, forest rangers, animal trainers, and sometimes preppers or guerillas are all common candidates. Many Outlanders hold strong convictions, in a cowboyish sort of way, and so they are also found among military special forces or police departments, particularly as handlers to service animals.
Jailbird (Rogue): Multi-talented if often dubious individuals, prized especially as infiltration and security specialists. While they needn't be actual criminals, just in possession of the right talents, many still are of a less than legal disposition, and a brief stint in prison can certainly lead to picking up useful new tricks. Common sub-groups include murderers and serial killers, cat burglars and pickpockets, home invaders, carjackers, hackers, scammers and con artists, smugglers of arms/drugs/etc., as well as urban partisans.
Ideological Crusader (Paladin/Antipaladin): Stalwart defenders and enforcers of a given idea of justice, a social code, or an organization, capable of backing their demands with violence if necessary. They are natural authority figures with an extra edge in doggedness stemming from their strong beliefs. The vast majority of Ideological Crusaders originate in law enforcement (particularly riot cops) or sometimes the fire department or military special forces, but some are revolutionaries, armed activists, or members of neighborhood watches or citizen militias. Should they go rogue and their beliefs end up becoming toxic, however, Ideological Crusaders tend to turn into dreaded hatemongers or terrorists.
Special Operative (Inquisitor): The quintessential experts in making problems disappear, Special Operatives achieve (preferably) noble goals using subtle, unorthodox and sometimes questionable means, resolving delicate matters with cunning rather than the Ideological Crusader's brute force. Usually belonging to and trained in special tactics by some kind of organization, most serve(d) in intelligence agencies or commando units, but they may also be detectives in the police department, professional hitmen, or hacktivists and leakers and the like.
Humanitarian (Cleric): Devoted souls who follow a philosophy or faith they believe will help humanity, often trained in a variety of useful medical and mental techniques. Their skills may vary depending on the content of their particular belief system, with some potentially being quite sinister, but overall, Humanitarians are still primarily experts at keeping their team alive with first aid and supporting them in whichever way is necessary. Most have a background as healthcare personell such as doctors, surgeons, and nurses, but there's also plenty of social and charity workers and sometimes therapists to be found.
Additionally, a strong link exists between Humanitarians and religion. While ordinary ministers will rarely just go out to take on legally questionable jobs or vigilante work, some do protect their flock that way, and more still may be trying to save the souls of the underworld's denizens or view themselves as exorcists battling demonic forces. This goes twice so for the recruiters, envoys and missionaries of cults, of which there is an abundance in the underworld.
New Ager (Druid): Masters of the natural world. Using herbs and drugs, New Agers achieve a number of altered states of consciousness, enabling them to excel at various tasks with ease almost as if they could wholly transform themselves. When not doing this, they support their allies with wilderness knowledge, patch them up with "alternative" medicine, or command and train animals. Besides actual New Agers (who can come from any background), the class also frequently attracts environmentalists, naturalists, animal breeders, and natural scientists.
Influencer (Bard): Often glamorous individuals for whom doors swing wide open and ears perk up. Influencers are communications specialists, charmers, and frequently powerful orators and motivational speakers, who also know and dabble in a little bit of everything as a result of their colorful lives. In spite of the name, most members of this class are not youtubers, but rather celebrities of every kind, starlets and media personalities, entertainers and performers, life coaches, as well as journalists and reporters. While the class also contains plenty of artists (not just of the performing but also of the creative arts), their profession alone does not make them members, rather the ability to influence and powerfully motivate others is what counts (and a heaping of fame certainly doesn't hurt either!).
Middleman (Warlock/Witch): Middlemen are, for good and for ill, deeply connected and indebted to a powerful organization or individual, usually in an extremely unequal manner. This so-called sponsor they can call on for favors. Some examples of sponsors include organized crime, cults, megacorporations, or shady political lobbies. What the Middleman may achieve depends on the sponsor in question, but the support is always highly useful, from receiving access to exclusive venues to getting to borrow bleeding edge technology. In turn, however, the sponsor has their own expectations and demands and will sometimes come to collect their due. If the expectations are not fulfilled, support will be cut off, if not far worse.
Besides their main sponsor, Middlemen also collect lesser contacts and knowledge on how to play social institutions and conventions to their advantage. This, for instance, enables them to shield their allies from the law. They make excellent fixers for similar reasons. Anyone who enters a Faustian bargain may become a Middleman, but it is particularly common among entrepreneurs, lawyers, politicians, and similar power players. Membership in the sponsoring organization is not required, but still fairly common, especially as a delegate or representative of sorts.
Pundit (Wizard): Providers of expert knowledge. Ensure their allies always have all necessary information about their surroundings and can devise uniquely ingenious ad-hoc solutions to problems based on their chosen field of study, known theorems, and subjects they have recently looked into. Usually academics and other well-educated types, often with an actual university degree or even a professorship, but some private scholars or hyper-dedicated hobby nerds, too. Many are programmers or scientists (frequently pursuing one of the "big three" fields: biology, chemistry, or physics), researching, inventing, and using technology and other fruits of scientific labor, sometimes even creating things themselves when mechanical skill is not central (i.e. mixing chemicals). However, every field has its ways of dealing with problems, from highly communicative media studies to wealth-multiplying economics, and while scientists are often associated with gadgets, what a Pundit's ad-hoc solution looks like can really vary wildly.
Many interdisciplinary Pundits also exist, but in the first place, all Pundits have mastered research. Therefore, fields of study are more about with what approach and level of difficulty a goal can be accomplished, rather than what the Pundit can or can't do at all (unless it's of an "opposed" field, i.e. a field that fills with the Pundit with dread and horrid memories of their school days).
(NOTE: I've considered a pure Scientist class, but I liked the idea of university humanities professors regularly getting into shootouts too much.)
Technician (ArtificeAlchemist/Inventor): Technology specialists who excel at the hands-on operation, modification, and construction of various types of hardware, in contrast to the more theory-focused and software-based leanings of other classes like the Pundit or Savant (though a Technician can still absolutely learn how to program and hack). Technicians may come from the ranks of engineers graduated from their university with highest honors just as much as humble car mechanics, passionate amateur craftsmen, or even certain construction workers. Besides these, other popular specializations include electricians, driving fanatics, fighter or drone pilots, gunsmiths, saboteurs, and demolitions specialists.
(NOTE: This is essentially a fusion between craftsmen and pilots/drivers. Doesn't necessarily make that much sense to lump them together, but it's really hard to find a role other than dedicated getaway driver to play for a standalone driver class and Shadowrun's Rigger archetype provided some inspiration and a connection point.)
Savant (Sorcerer): Counterparts to the Pundit with similar abilities. Savants appear to possess a natural affinity and passion for the things that fascinate them strong enough to put them on equal footing with academics who gained their skills by more traditional means.
(NOTE: The Savant stereotype doesn't align so well with Sorcerers making for good socialmancers, so maybe these should be INT instead of CHA casters?)
Miracle Worker (Favored Soul/Oracle): Counterparts to the Humanitarian with similar abilities. Zealots, self-proclaimed prophets, and sometimes cult leaders hoping to impress future followers, Miracle Workers make up for the Humanitarian's specialist training with sheer confidence in their own abilities, mystifying language, and oftentimes more than a little bit of madness.
Medicine Man (Spirit Shaman): Counterparts to the New Ager with similar abilities. Achieve their skills less through drugs and herbs and more by "letting the spirits guide them", which is to say, through a combination of religious practices, empathic emotional connections with their environment and unconscious imitation of others, as well as sometimes through culturally inherited or acquired knowledge. May actually have an indigeneous background, or just wish they did.
Adventurer (Swashbuckler): Even in this day and age, there are occasionally people whose life story reads like something straight out of a movie script. Skillful generalists with a lot of panache. For some reason, this class tends to attract archaeologists the most.
Investigator (Investigator): Whether as private eyes, police detectives, or sometimes scientific researchers, investigators do exactly what their name says, getting results with their ability to draw the right conclusions and pursue leads.

TEAM ROLES
A well-balanced team archetypically consists of at least one Muscle, Breacher, Medic, and Egghead.
Muscle / Combat Specialist: Keeps the team safe from danger and if necessary draws it towards themselves. Suitable for: Militants, Thrashers, Blackbelts, Ideological Crusaders, Outlanders, sometimes Technicians or Adventurers.
Breacher / Security Specialist: Bypasses security and gets the team in and out where they're not supposed to be, whether by social infiltration or an old-fashioned break-in. Suitable for: Jailbirds, Special Operatives, Influencers, sometimes Blackbelts, Outlanders, Investigators, or Adventurers.
Medic / Support Specialist: Helps everyone stay alive and keeps them at their best. Suitable for: Humanitarians, Miracle Workers, New Agers, Medicine Men, sometimes Outlanders or Ideological Crusaders.
Egghead / Knowledge Specialist: Solves more intellectual challenges and helps out in numerous ways, often roped into tech/science support even if it's not their specialization. Suitable for: Pundits, Savants, Technicians, sometimes Influencers, Middlemen, or Investigators.
Nerd/Hacker / Tech Specialist: Optional, for when not covered by the Breacher and the Egghead is severely allergic to the natural sciences. Deals with tech. Suitable for: Pundits, Savants, Technicians, sometimes Jailbirds or Special Operatives.
Face / Social Specialist: Optional, for when the Breacher isn't a social butterfly. Represents and oftentimes leads the team and does the talking where required. Suitable for: Influencers, Middlemen, Ideological Crusaders, sometimes Adventurers.
Manager (Earner, Mom, Greaser) / Resource & Public Relations Specialist: Optional, depending on overall team composition and Fixer. May also be split into the three separate roles of Earner, Mom, and Greaser. Earner and Mom are two sides of the same coin, the former managing the team's side-hustles and extra sources of income, as well as purchasing equipment, while the latter takes care of supply and gear maintenance and also of all matters related to hideouts and the team's general needs. The Greaser is the team's networking specialist and often also their lawyer, greasing the right palms and ensuring law enforcement and other factions turn a blind eye to the team's activities. Suitable for: Middlemen are practically born for this, but Jailbirds, Influencers, Technicians, Pundits, and Savants also do well at various aspects of the role.
Eyes & Ears / Research Specialist: Optional, for when it's not the Breacher's (or sometimes the Egghead's) thing. The Eyes & Ears continually gathers intel and gossip and keeps the team abreast of recent events, potential dangers, and new opportunities. Suitable for: Investigators, Jailbirds, Special Operatives, Influencers, sometimes Middlemen.
Wheelman / Driving Specialist: Optional, for when nobody else is a particularly good driver. Primarily the designated and getaway driver, may also take care of and perhaps upgrade the team vehicle. Suitable for: Technicians, Jailbirds, Special Operatives, Ideological Crusaders, Adventurers, sometimes Outlanders.
Deadeye / Sniping Specialist: Optional, for when the Muscle is a Blackbelt, Thrasher, or otherwise close-combat preferring fighter. Does ranged combat, that's it. Suitable for: Outlanders, Militants, Jailbirds, Special Operatives, sometimes Technicians.
Treehugger / Wilderness Specialist: Optional, for when the group heads into the great outdoors for a prolonged period of time. Helps them not die there. Suitable for: Outlanders, New Agers, Medicine Men.
Fixer: Provides the team with jobs from interested parties and may also double as the Manager. Could be a designated part of the team or a freelancer. Suitable for: Any class, but Middlemen are the most common.

[First] [Previous] [Next]
I was floating.
I am not sure where or how, but I was floating.
The wind was carrying me over plains of infinite, white sand. The sky above me was warm, dark and purple, with no sun in sight, and yet there was a radiance illuminating from every direction. Maybe the purple were clouds? Covering the sun?
The moment I started rationalizing is when I realized that I was dreaming. But this isn’t like the dreams I usually have, it was no memory of the past, no fantasy of the future. It wasn’t an inspiration for a new story or a grim reminder of the works I have abandoned… no, this was brand new and, what’s worse, it felt awfully real.
I looked around myself, trying to understand more of my surroundings in this strange vision, but I could barely make sense of the desert itself! There was nothing but sand and sky… until in the distance, I saw the Tree.
The biggest tree I have ever seen, bigger than an entire city, its roots and branches spreading like wriggling tendrils. That’s when I suddenly realized, the things covering the skies weren’t clouds, they were leaves from this huge tree, floating in the stratosphere.
A long and tranquil river was born from the base of the tree, flowing with bright blue water and soon getting lost among the dunes.
The wind was carrying me closer and closer to the tree, to the point where for a moment I feared I could crash with it, but my body stopped right in front of its trunk.
The bark of the tree was covered in markings, carvings made a long time ago. My hands softly caressed the symbols, the very same I had seen somewhere, sometime ago…
One of the symbols was shining though, calling for me. My body floated up until I was right in front of it.
Rune 4
I stare at it. So simple in design… even simpler in meaning. It means ‘To ignite’ or ‘Turn on’. It’s… dependent on context, I think.
“Golthoi…”
My eyes suddenly opened. I was no longer floating, no. I am just laying on the floor of my living room, awakened by the blaring of my alarm clock. I really gotta turn that thing off, considering I am technically on vacation.
My body hurts, I feel tired even if I slept for a whole night. I barely have the energy to stand and take a look around myself. The place is an absolute mess, the table and the chairs are all over the place, my computer lays upside down on the couch, the pages of my notebook are scattered everywhere!
The good news though: this confirms that it wasn’t a dream at all. Any of what happened las night.
“I am not sure what you think this proves, beyond the fact that you can make a mess out of anything and everything.”
Sigh.
“Magic is real. It’s absolutely, completely real! Do you have any idea of the implications this has? It’s the discovery of the century!”
“Too bad it literally has no way of fixing your broken life.”
“Maybe it does? This honestly means we have to keep checking that book!”
I start to pick up the pieces of paper around me, trying to repair the binding of my notebook before sighing and shaking my head. I will just staple this all together later.
Eventually I get to the page where I made my latest discovery… The Butterflies of Creation… The symbol was smudged now, burnt, but I still remembered it. And I still have no idea what that spell did, if anything at all.
A part of me wanted to try luck again, see what would happen.
“I wouldn’t. Last time you tried, you blacked out. Remember?”
Of course I remember.
I also remember my dream. The tree, the many symbols on its bark… I scramble to pick up the book, only to confirm that the symbols in my dream were the same as the ones here… I even see Golthoi, the ignite symbol!
What I don’t see as much as I thought I would is Asu. Considering it should be the equivalent of ‘the’ in this weird language, I would assume it would be used rather frequently, right? Then why is it so scarcely present…?
Was it not ‘The’, then? The whole moment last night would suggest I was on the money about it but, maybe I am still missing some key detail, or a cultural significance?
“Before you do anything stupid, remember the notes in Humiko’s note. You need to look for the ‘Elysium’ before experimenting.”
Oh that’s right!
Shit, does last night count as an investigation…?
What if I got the wrong attention from that?
In fact, did anyone in the building hear what happened last night? It’s impossible it just happened in a vacuum, right!?
I can start feeling the anxiety mounting and building up in my chest, my heart pounds loudly and my hands tremble… The fear is such that I even leave the book down, and even forget about my computer. I just slide out of the living room and back into my bed, turning off the alarm as I sink into the warm embrace of my covers.
“Sleeping will not take away the fact that you just made yourself a target, homeboy.”
Is this my life now? Will I have to live in fear of my own phone now? Afraid of being perceived, found? I don’t even know who these ‘Black Cloaks’ are but, honestly, considering magic is real, they must be the magical equivalent of the Men in Black or something of the sort…
“You didn’t even translate that phrase properly and already made a mess of things. Why don’t you just give your notes to someone else and save yourself the trouble?”
Honestly, that didn’t sound like a bad idea…
“You are working hard to do something special here, don’t just let him take it from you like that!” She sounded indignant. “Besides, if someone wanted to come, they would have come in the night, right? If they really are as infallible and well informed as you think they are!”
… Now that’s a good point.
“Yeah! Besides, are you really going to give up now? After feeling that magic coursing through you? Remember how it felt? To decode those little words? Tell me… didn’t that remind you of the good old days?”
The days when everything made sense, when I could see through most questions with the effort of my brain…
“So that’s what this is about? Reliving the good old days? News flash, Santino: Those are over. You’re burnout, no amount of magic will change that.”
I feel the air leave my lungs again. With a groan, I wrap myself a little more with the covers. Why do I even try to do things? Why do I even get up in the morning? Every saints damned day is the same, I feel the same, I hear the same. The pills may stop it for a moment but, are they really enough for me to get a normal life…?
Am I really going to live my life forever like this? How does Pepe do it? How does EVERYONE do it?
Am I the one who’s built wrong here? Or did I ruin myself on the way here?
“So much self pity… get over yourself.”
I tremble for a moment, stifling a sob. I don’t want to cry, I don’t have the energy for it.
“Let’s go have some breakfast… okay? We got those Tavs you like. You can take them with your pills.”
“And grow bigger and fatter as a result.”
Honestly, I don’t feel like eating at all… but sleep is not coming to me. It probably won’t come during the day anyways. So, with a defeated sigh, I stand right up and start walking back out of my messy bedroom and into messy living room, then straight into the kitchen. I serve a glass of milk and some Tavs on a plate, mostly to give myself the illusion of a proper breakfast, before I walk back out.Ah. Right. I need to put the table and the chairs back in place.
“It’s a good thing nothing broke!”
I guess so…
One by one I put the furniture back in place, sighing in relief when I set the computer on top of the table and it actually turns on again. The case was a little battered but, the insides were still working! So that’s all that matters.
“Clearly you don’t care about how it looks anyways. Look at how filthy the keys look.”
With a sigh I go get my breakfast, swallow my medication, and sit down to start browsing.
The screen opens back to the translation I had to transcribe. Oh, that’s right, the book. I pick it up from the floor, dusting it a little bit before passing the pages.
“Congratulations, you can read the title and the word ‘Butterfly’ in the text. Don’t feel too proud of yourself.”
“It’s a start. Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
I go from the Glyphs to the Transcription, and from the Transcription to the Epilogue. It feels so bizarre to be holding this after last night. My eyes narrow for a moment, letting out a deep sigh… and then, I notice it. The strange colour, the mix of purple and green, sliding from my fingers and staining the last page of the book. I drop it out of fear, did I ruin it!?
But then, the colourful stain begins taking form…it becomes words.
http://dejima08646F6E2774.pmkn
A… pumpkin link?
“Isn’t that the browser people use for crimes and stuff?”
It’s way more complicated than that, but that’s not the point. That’s a link. It’s something I can understand! And soon, there are more words underneath!

• edge router, tripolar

Tripolar? What the hell is an edge router?! I am not that kind of nerd! Technology has never been my forté!
“Do you even have a forté?”
Not the point!
With my curiosity picked once again, I start checking on Gaggle… to my surprise and infinite delight, there are results this time!
An edge router seems to be a special kind of modem that specializes on… blah blah blah… it’s more intensive and specialized than a regular modem, and it doesn’t have Wifi with it, only ethernet cables. So far, so good… but what the hell is a ‘tripolar’? What does that even mean!?
Looking for it on FreeMarket.net, I actually find people who sell them for…
“FOR HOW MUCH!?”
The numbers on my screen are outrageous, even for technology! I can afford it yes, but it would take me a lot of my savings for that damn black box. Frustrated, I start checking what makes a tripolar router so special… and it takes me straight to several technology magazines and sites debunking the “Tripolar Craze of the Nineties”.
Apparently these things were all the rage back in the day, but the difference in materials used to generate the ‘Tripolar effect’ (whatever that is) cause no improvement in the signal whatsoever. So it’s just a myth, a technobabble term to make things more expensive for no reason.
Maybe Humiko just let herself be swayed by those things? I mean, mages are not savvy with technology, are they? That’s how you balance them and keep them from being too powerful.
Just for now, I will simply work without it… see if I can advance.
Downloading the Ermes browser was the easiest part of the day. When I connected to it, I couldn’t help but feel a little… cool. Like I am some sort of hacker, avoiding the mainline internet to go into the depths of the so-called ‘Dark Web’. It takes a short time to download and install, but actually accessing it takes a long while. It’s not as fast as the internet, at all…
“Maybe I should get a VPN…” I mumbled to myself a little bit, waiting. “I don’t wanna get in trouble for th– Ah, it’s open!”
Now all that is left is accessing the proper link, and…
INVALID LINK
Of course.