Hi! I’m thinking of sending my man this way to get my engagement ring. This seller has so many beautiful designs, but i’m wondering why it says it ships from Germany, even though the company is based in The UK. Also the company name is Thorsten opos, but on the cover photo it says Thofin jewelry. I’ve already been scammed once on Etsy, and I don’t want that to happen again, especially in this case.
https://www.etsy.com/fi-en/listing/1714270090/
Help a girl out!😭

Hi,
I have recently been tasked with enrolling companies devices into Intune for MDM Management.
At first I had no issues and everything was working as a charm, when enrollment was set with no user affinity.
This was changed when we decided to use user affinity for usedevice association. After enabling User Affinity for ADE and AC2 enrollment, we can see the devices show up in the Intune Admin Portal, but are unable to add these devices to a group (that withholds the Configuration & Compliance Policies).
These devices also show up as "Unknown" under the Ownership column right until I sign into the Company Portal with a user's credentials. Once I get this done, the device gets marked as Corporate owned and then an entry of the device gets populated in the Group membership addition.
For now, I have set a dynamic membership rule to add devices based on device name, that get set during enrollment- but have not fully tested this method.
Is this affinty/group membership stuff set as designed? Is there a way I could change my enrollment settings or anything to be able to apply groups/policies to a device this is not yet associated with a user?
Thank you!

I DO NOT GIVE OUT PASSWORDS! I USE 2FA & YOU SHOULD TOO! ALWAYS BE WEARY OF PEOPLE PHISHING FOR YOUR PASSWORD OR CLAIMING YOU ARE BANNED!
PAYMENT: Zelle (strongly preferred), Venmo, CashApp, or Paypal FF. High value orders and new to the sub Zelle only.
SHIPPING: USPS $6 less than 10oz. $10 over 10oz. $100 insurance and tracking included. Free shipping on orders over $500. Additional insurance over $100 is optional at buyers liability. Additional insurance $0.80/$100 coverage. I can ship other methods at buyers' request.
AUTHENTICITY: All of these items have been verified for authenticity using acid tests or a sigma. I offer a full money back guarantee on the authenticity of all items listed. I am happy to send a video of an acid / magnet test if requested.
If you need more pictures or info don’t hesitate to ask.
ORDERS SHIP THE FOLLOWING BUSINESS DAY!
PROOF: https://imgur.com/a/zGw3PFy
All Prices rounded up to the nearest $0.25
Coins:
Ancient Greek Silver AR Drachm Osroes II 190 AD - $100
Ancient Greek Rhodes AR Hemidrachm 408-390 BC - $135
Ancient Greek Kings of Macedon (Alexander the Great style) AR Drachm 323-317 BC Early posthumous - $155
Mexican Gold 2 Peso 1945 Restrike (x3) - $130ea
Gold Jewelry:
14K 18” Variable Diameter Italy Rope Chain by Milros 16.38g - $750
14K 20” 1mm Rope Chain 5.45g - $246
10K White Gold Fuchsia CZ Heart Necklace and Earrings Set 18” Rope Chain Signed 4.39g - $125 (Way below spot)
14K Two-Tone Wedding Band Style Ring Size 11 3.85g - $170
10K Masons Ring Size 11 7.65g - $235 (Spot)
Sterling Silver Necklaces: I can swap chains / pendants on request
18” Figaro Chain w/ Egyptian Isis Pendant (Figaro has a few distorted links) 9.88g - $20
18” Sterling Beaded Necklace (Note: has elastic wire) 4g - $10
24” Italy Box Chain w/ Heavy Cherub / Cupid Pendant 10.44g - $25
18.5” XO Necklace 925 Italy 39g - $50
18” Italy Box Chain w/ Pendant with Blue Topaz 3.68g - $15
18” Italy Box Chain w/ Large Aquamarine Pendant 5.64g - $20
30” x 6.5mm Italian Curb Chain - 54.47g - $100

• Appears to be rhodium plated

16” Italian San Marco Chain with 7” San Marco Bracelet 62.3g - $100

• Nice heavy set

20” Etched Puff Heart Necklace 925 Italy Chain 7.66g - $20
18” Gold Vermeil Herringbone 11.33g - $27.50
Taxco Vintage Simple Cross on 18” Italian Box Chain 12.02g - $30

• Taxco house TS-110

18” Italian Sterling Box Chain with Ross Simon Cross Pendant 2.61g - $20
18” 925 Box Chain with Synthetic 14x10mm Sapphire Pendant & Matching Earrings with 10x8mm Sapphires 8.12g - $30
18” 925 Gold Vermeil Box Chain with Pear Cut Ceylon Sapphire Pendant & Matching Triangle CZ Earrings 12.13g - $30
15.5” Italian Millefiori Bead Necklace 3.98g - $20
15.5” Italian Murano Style Necklace (Note the wire is ferrous for strength, clasp and non-stone charms are sterling) - $15
17” Sterling Bead / Clasp Turquoise Nugget Necklace (Note the wire is ferrous material for strength, beads and clasp are sterling) - $15
Sterling Silver Bracelets:
9.75” Byzantine Chain Bracelet / Anklet 6.56g - $20
8.25” Italy Byzantine Chain Bracelet 5.85g - $20
8.5” Italy Rope Chain Bracelet / Anklet 2.66g - $10
8.75” Italy Box Chain Bracelet / Anklet 1.61g - $8
Taxco Hammered Cuff Bracelet 24.49g - $50
Sterling Flower Filigree Bracelet 8” 10.19g - $30
Sterling Rose & Garnet Tennis Bracelet 7.5” 13.43g - $35
Ross Simon Sterling Rose Quartz Aventurine Tennis Bracelet 7” 9.50g - $30
Sterling Native American Bear Bracelet (Note the wire is ferrous for strength, clasp and non-stone charms are sterling) - $40
Sterling Silver 2-Strand Malachite Bracelet 7” 2.32g - $20
Sterling Silver Earrings:
Turquoise Circle Ball Drop Earrings 9.39g - $20
Turquoise Flower Feather Drop Earrings 5.31g - $15
Turquoise Curved Oblong Drop Earrings 3.27g - $15
Spiral Shell Studs 12.7g - $20
Teardrop Shell Studs 11.81g - $20
Dolphin Jumping through Hoop Drop Earrings 6.86g - $15
Taxco Sterling Shell / Feather Drop Earrings 6.01g - $15
Flower Drop Earrings with Aquamarine Stones 9.28g - $25
Teardrop Shaped Earring with Black Beads 5.13g - $15
Concentric Oval Earrings 2.05g - $12
Vintage Sterling Dragonfly Earrings 12.39g - $20
Heart Shaped Drop Earrings with Lapis Stones 5.22g - $15
Sterling Silver Rings:
Wedding Band Style Ring with CZ 10-¾ 4.35g - $15
Bali Swirl Design Sterling Ring Size 7-1/2 11.06g - $27.50
Large 925 Ring Black & Silver w/ CZ Size 6 5.97g - $18
Large 925 Ring with CZ and Flower Engraving Size 6 9.28g - $18
925 Ring with Bands of CZ Size 6 5.9g - $18
Wedding Band Style 925 Ring with Moissanite Size 6 2.41g - $18
Shablool Didae Israeli Filigree Style Ring Size 7.5 One-of-a-kind 8g - $25
Sterling Silver Flatware / Kitchen:
Enamel Guilloche Demitasse Spoons made in Norway 12 pcs w/ case 133g - $120
Enamel Guilloche Olive Forks made in Norway 6 pcs w/ case 46g - $60
3.5 Kilos of Sterling Flatware + Dishes by Gorham, Towle, & Westmoreland by Weight

• Various Patterns
• Pick & Choose what you want
• 95% of spot price + Shipping

Miscellaneous:
Vintage 800 Silver Cigarette Case 68.51g (Elastic Bands are worn and old) - $65

Doctors,
Good morning.
The poll for the second round of the PinoyMed Virtual Journal Club has closed. The clinical research article for discussion is
Priya G L, Dhibar DP, Saroch A, Sharma N, Sharma V, Verma N, Chaluvashetty SB, Prakash A, Kaur H. Efficacy of empirical ciprofloxacin or cefixime plus metronidazole therapy for the treatment of liver abscess: A randomized control clinical trial. Sci Rep. 2024;14(1):11430. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-59607-1

Reading the clinical research article

Please find a quiet moment to read the article. Typically, it should take no more than 15 minutes. Your reading of the article should not be the same as the way you read a novel. Your reading must be directive.
There are four basic questions that you need to consider. The order of the questions is important.

1. 1. Is the basic study design valid?
2. 2. Was this well-designed study methodologically sound?
3. 3. What are the results of this well-designed and methodologically sound study?
4. 4. Do the results of this well-designed and methodologically sound study help my patient?

You will note that the previous questions build into subsequent ones. This means that if you find that a study is designed poorly (question 1), there is no need to continue reading. If the study is well-designed (question 1) but not methodologically sound, then there is no need to continue reading.
There are a series of sub-questions under each of the basic questions. Consider each one in turn as you read the clinical research article. After each question, decide whether you would answer YES, NO, or CAN'T TELL.

Questions for critical review

The full list of questions that you need to consider is as follows

1. Is the basic study design valid?

a. Did the study address a clearly focused research question?
CONSIDER: Was the study designed to assess the outcomes of an intervention? Is the research question ‘focused’ in terms of the population studied, intervention given, comparator chosen, and outcomes measured?
b. Was the assignment of participants to interventions randomised?
CONSIDER: How was randomisation carried out? Was the method appropriate? Was randomisation sufficient to eliminate systematic bias? Was the allocation sequence concealed from investigators and participants?
c. Were all participants who entered the study accounted for at its conclusion?
CONSIDER: Were losses to follow-up and exclusions after randomisation accounted for? Were participants analysed in the study groups to which they were randomised (intention-to-treat analysis)? Was the study stopped early? If so, what was the reason?

1. Was this well-designed study methodologically sound?

d. Were the participants ‘blind’ to the intervention they were given? Were the investigators ‘blind’ to the intervention they were giving to participants? Were the people assessing/analysing outcome/s ‘blinded’?
e. Were the study groups similar at the start of the randomised controlled trial?
CONSIDER: Were the baseline characteristics of each study group (e.g. age, sex, socio-economic group) clearly set out? Were there any differences between the study groups that could affect the outcome/s?
f. Apart from the experimental intervention, did each study group receive the same level of care (that is, were they treated equally)?
CONSIDER: Was there a clearly defined study protocol? If any additional interventions were given (e.g. tests or treatments), were they similar between the study groups? Were the follow-up intervals the same for each study group?

1. What are the results of this well-designed and methodologically sound study?

g. Were the effects of intervention reported comprehensively?
CONSIDER: Was a power calculation undertaken? What outcomes were measured, and were they clearly specified? How were the results expressed? For binary outcomes, were relative and absolute effects reported? Were the results reported for each outcome in each study group at each follow-up interval? Was there any missing or incomplete data? Was there differential drop-out between the study groups that could affect the results? Were potential sources of bias identified? Which statistical tests were used? Were p values reported?
h. Was the precision of the estimate of the intervention or treatment effect reported?
CONSIDER: Were confidence intervals (CIs) reported?
i. Do the benefits of the experimental intervention outweigh the harms and costs?
CONSIDER: What was the size of the intervention or treatment effect? Were harms or unintended effects reported for each study group? Was a cost-effectiveness analysis undertaken? (Cost-effectiveness analysis allows a comparison to be made between different interventions used in the care of the same condition or problem.)

1. Do the results of this well-designed and methodologically sound study help my patient?

j. Can the results be applied to your local population/in your context?
CONSIDER: Are the study participants similar to the people in your care? Would any differences between your population and the study participants alter the outcomes reported in the study? Are the outcomes important to your population? Are there any outcomes you would have wanted information on that have not been studied or reported? Are there any limitations of the study that would affect your decision?
k. Would the experimental intervention provide greater value to the people in your care than any of the existing interventions?
CONSIDER: What resources are needed to introduce this intervention taking into account time, finances, and skills development or training needs? Are you able to disinvest resources in one or more existing interventions in order to be able to re-invest in the new intervention?

Patient case and clinical question

As you read, please consider how the clinical research article can be used in the case of this patient. The clinical question is,
Could this patient have benefited from a course of oral antibiotics? If so, what benefits and harms should he expect?

Clinical Case Report: Liver Abscess in a 47-Year-Old Male

Abstract

A 47-year-old male presented with severe abdominal pain, fever, and jaundice. Clinical evaluation, imaging, and laboratory tests confirmed the diagnosis of a liver abscess. This case highlights the critical presentation of liver abscess and underscores the importance of timely diagnosis and intervention in improving patient outcomes.

Introduction

Liver abscesses are localized collections of pus within the liver, typically caused by bacterial, fungal, or parasitic infections. They are associated with significant morbidity and mortality if not promptly treated. This report describes the presentation, diagnosis, and management of a 47-year-old male with a liver abscess.

Patient Description

The patient is a 47-year-old male with a past medical history significant for type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension. He presented to the emergency department with a five-day history of severe right upper quadrant abdominal pain, high-grade fever, chills, and jaundice. He also reported nausea, vomiting, and a general sense of malaise.

History and Symptoms

The patient stated that the abdominal pain began insidiously but progressively worsened, becoming sharp and constant. He denied any history of recent travel, trauma, or known liver disease. His diabetes had been poorly controlled, with his last hemoglobin A1c recorded at 9.2%. He was compliant with his antihypertensive medications but admitted to inconsistent use of his diabetic medications.

Physical Examination

On examination, the patient appeared acutely ill and was diaphoretic. His vital signs were as follows: temperature 39.5°C, heart rate 110 beats per minute, respiratory rate 24 breaths per minute, blood pressure 140/85 mmHg, and oxygen saturation of 94% on room air.
Abdominal Examination:

• The abdomen was distended with marked tenderness in the right upper quadrant.
• Guarding and rebound tenderness were present.
• Hepatomegaly was noted, with the liver edge palpable 4 cm below the costal margin.

Other Systems:

• Scleral icterus and jaundice were evident.
• Cardiovascular and respiratory examinations were unremarkable except for tachycardia.
• No peripheral oedema or signs of chronic liver disease (such as spider angiomas or palmar erythema) were observed.

Laboratory and Diagnostic Investigations

• Complete blood count (CBC): White blood cell count was elevated at 18.5 x 10^9/L with a neutrophilic predominance.
• Liver function tests: Elevated bilirubin (total bilirubin: 0.077 mmol/L), elevated transaminases (AST: 1500 nkat/L, ALT: 2250 nkat/L), and alkaline phosphatase (5333.3 nkat/L).
• Blood cultures: Pending at the time of initial evaluation.
• Serum glucose: 15.54 mmol/L.
• Serum creatinine: 0.1149 mmol/L, within normal limits but elevated for the patient's baseline.
• C-reactive protein (CRP): Significantly elevated at 1428.5 nmol/L.

Imaging

• Abdominal ultrasound: Revealed a large, hypoechoic lesion in the right lobe of the liver, measuring approximately 8 cm in diameter, consistent with an abscess.
• Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen: Confirmed the presence of a solitary liver abscess with rim enhancement and central low attenuation, without evidence of rupture or secondary peritonitis.

Diagnosis

The clinical presentation, laboratory results, and imaging findings confirmed the diagnosis of a liver abscess.

Management

The patient was admitted for close monitoring and management.
Percutaneous drainage of the abscess was performed under ultrasound guidance, yielding approximately 100 mL of purulent material. The fluid was sent for microbiological analysis to guide targeted antibiotic therapy.
Intravenous fluids were administered to maintain hydration and haemodynamic stability.
Blood glucose levels were closely monitored and managed with insulin.
Pain and fever were managed with acetaminophen and opioids as needed.

Clinical Question

Could this patient benefit from a course of oral antibiotics? If so, what benefits and harms should he expect?

Release of the critical analysis

The critical analysis of the clinical research article will be released on Monday 17 June.

The Winds of Winter
Prologue
A storm was coming, but that was not part of the plan.
To the east, dark grey clouds and flashes of lightning were seen afar while thunder could be heard mumbling its rage in the distance. Here where they stood, fierce sea-chilled winds blew from the clear skies of the west. Two weather fronts were on course for a collision, and caught in between was a giant rock that mountains above the shoreline, a hard place. The old natural stonewalls of Casterly Rock were half bathed in gold from the even-falling sun, while the other hid in the shadow of the approaching storm. And soon enough, everything will be clouded in black.
The sound of the strong waves smacking into the face of the stony cliffs can be felt from a mile away, as it was no different from the ones crashing into the wooden hull of their galley. Above their rocking swanship, three tall wooden masts sported simple dark black sails, filled with winds from the west, speeding their eastern course towards the home of House Lannister, ready to hug the coastline tight, fast and dangerous.
The Summer Isle captain at the helm shouted his accented announcement, “Awww shittt! Everyone get yo shields and weapons ready. It’s about to go down! Adventurers and avengers, assemble up to the deck of Motherfunker. Be sharp and stay on yo toes! We’re running this so let’s go!”
“With me to the boats!” the legendary stern knight Ser Brynden Tully called out as his fighting men rallied at the starboard rear of their ship, emerging from the cabins below.
“We all chose to be here. If any man wants to back down now, then do so quickly. I would not die in that man’s company. We elected to do this task for honor and for justice. Some of us are here for vengeance and we may even chance to kill some of them. If so, you may enjoy your short moment of pleasure. But what I offer here is the IMMORTALITY of the songs and tales. And when it is all said & done as we return safely home, the singers will sing of this glorious day, our honorable deed, and their shame of a jape. And they will sing it from this day to the ending of the world, and we in it shall be remembered! We few, we brave few, we band of brothers. For he who shed blood with me today shall be my brother forever in song!”
A roar of cheer exploded in the air, loud and thunderous. As the ruckus died down, Lady Mormont proclaimed, “And a sister too!”
“Aye Maege,” said the Blackfish. “But we have always considered you as one of our brothers. Between your legs, your sacs are larger than most men, especially all the Lannister soldiers.”
“Well that is easy to say, all those Lannisters are a bunch of golden eunuchs!” Lady Mormont declared unlady like.
Laughter swept the deck.
The Summer Isle captain above shouted again and prayed, “Today is The Day, and the moment is upon us my friends. Thirty seconds until the drop zone lads! May the gods be with yo!”
On the starboard stern, three small rowboats hung out from the hull, hovering above the rough waves. Attached over the swanship’s parapet was a roped ladder, allowing the fighters to lower themselves down onto their watercrafts. Each one was designed to hold four pairs of oarsmen abreast, and a single coxswain to steer at the rear.
They were twenty good men and Maege. Each one scaled in black boiled leather armor, with a quiver of arrows slung on one back shoulder, and a Summer Isle goldenheart bow on the other. Most fighters had their own selection of close quarter combat weapons that sat on their belts while a round black-painted wooden shield rested at the center of their backs. They wore no sigils and smeared mud spots on their faces to mimic dark ghostly shadows for this stealthy task. They were lightly armored and had fewer weapons, as their goal required speed. If all goes to plan, they would not need any of them. They could accomplish this mission without a soul lost on either side. But this approaching storm was not part of the plan.
The Blackfish made one last heroic call on the deck of the Motherfunker, before he lowered himself on the ladder, “Come with me and take this song!”
Rico added to the cry, “Come on brothers! Do you want to live forever!?!”
They roared proudly again and began their descent as the Summer Isle crewmen assisted the Westerosi to the ropes, sharing firm ebony and ivory handshakes as they told them they will be back.
Ser Brynden Tully reached the rear rowboat LionsJape along with June, Jory, Jess, Fess, Ben and Benjen. Though it was the end boat, it will be the first to fly.
Aboard the middle boat WinterStorm was Lady Maege Mormont, and the other six oarsmen Phyl, Rico, Sam the Shredder, Ser Barnabus the Goose, Scrooge, and Queen Jeyne’s brother Ser Raynald Westerling.
Lord Galbart Glover commandeered the third boat BattleWolf, which hung closer to the center of the swanship. On it were the younger men Donal, Mikkal, Raff, Leo, and Alesander, all merely teenagers.
As he watched from above, Ser Olyvar Frey thought they were little dark turtles crawling down the ladders with their black shields slung on their backs. As the last turtle, Olyvar hugged & kissed his sister Roslin, and then their brother Perwyn. Ser Perwyn Frey was Lady Tully’s sworn shield, charged with her life’s protection, and her unborn child’s too. Though they were all Frey as family, Rosby blood thorns in their veins as well. We were all just sweet Roses By another name, a horrible name.
Olyvar descended. Alesander Frey was waiting for him adjacent to an empty seat on the boat. He was Olyvar’s nephew, but because they were of a similar age, Alesander felt more like a cousin to him, a cousin that felt more like a brother. He wondered what their mothers would have thought if they saw them there now. As Olyvar sat, he stretched his arms wide at the starboard-bow of BattleWolf and the brothers both grabbed an oar each. Alesander sang and japed, “Are you ready to fly this boat to the moon somehow?”
“Nothing is impossible!” Olyvar smiled.
Ser Olyvar Frey never thought he would be on this boat, absorbing the wrath of the big blue watery roads, rocking BattleWolf as it clung to Motherfunker. But his new knightly confidence was so high he could roar at the Drowned God to look at him and tell him to piss off. But he knew better and kept his silence. With his Frey luck, he believed his corpse would be bedding with mermaids down under the sea if he ever cursed the Drowned God aloud.
The owner of the swanship Motherfunker was an exiled prince of the Summer Isles, a big man with a short black beard, shiny bald head and a dark patch over his left eye that he can’t see through. He was Captain Samullu Jaqenssen, but notoriously called the Black Sparrow … though Olyvar had never heard of him until recently. He and his crew were the only sailors that would assist them in their cause, hypnotized to be a part of their upcoming famous Westerosi song. He was to help navigate his galley at high speeds hugging the rocky coast of the Westerlands. With the three rowboats hung to the side of Motherfunker, it would be hard for the sentries on top of the Rock to spot from above. The Motherfunker stayed far away from the coastline to only emerge near their objective at the time of attack. With a single swanship with plain black sails, the Black Sparrow hoped that the Lannister watchmen would pay them no mind as a regular trading galley on its way to Lannisport or wherever, instead of a vessel for an amphibious assault on their castle. And the stronger the winds and the faster the ship, the window of time to be exposed was much shorter. “They had the need for speed, and the speed needed the wind,” Goose had said the night before. The gods have blessed them with strong winds now. They were to come with the sun setting at their backs in the west, blinding any coastal lookout. Because they were cursed with this approaching storm, the plan changed and they had to depart earlier. Olyvar prayed that this would not compromise the mission. Only time will tell.
Racing onto the storm and nearing the rising cliffs, the Captain spun his ship quickly to a southern course and gave the crewmen the signal to dismount. “Ahhhhhhhhh-ah Ahhhhhhhh-ah!”
“Get ready to push!” the Blackfish commanded.
Each oarsman pressed the tip of their long wooden stick onto the hull of the galley, ready to push off. The Summer Isle crewmen began severing the connections of the mothership and its three rowboats. Single-handed axes swung as LionsJape pushed itself off, the first of three. The rowboat plummeted and the waters swallowed it before spitting it back out just as quick. After allowing itself to lose in Motherfunker’s wake, the oarsmen redirected the bow towards the rocks at the Blackfish’s orders.
The WinterStorm followed right after with Lady Maege’s commands, “Push lads! Push! Push!” as it dropped.
Now it was BattleWolf’s turn. “Gods damn it, I’m too old for this shit,” Lord Glover said as he raised a gloved hand and swung it down, giving the signal to cut. At the main deck, the crewmen swung their axes, gleaming gold in the western sunlight as the oarsmen pushed off. For a heartbeat, the fall had taken Olyvar’s breath away as Lord Glover’s BattleWolf floated in the air. Are we flying? Are we on a dragon? His rowboat slammed into the water, splashing chilled wet droplets inside the boat and out. His hair of short black curls flew and fell, dampening at the plunge. The collision almost knocked Olyvar and the men overboard, but they hung on. The Motherfunker left them with a white salty wake as it headed south. Lord Glover then commanded the starboard men to pull their oars, aiming towards WinterStorm. Olyvar pulled. Once aligned, both sides of BattleWolf began to rev hard. The men were howling and roaring with each tension, trying to evade this dangerous zone of being spotted.
Since the Red Wedding and the death of his beloved King, Robb Stark, Olyvar could not sleep. Grief, anger, vengeance, insomnia and drowsiness took him over the days and nights that felt like half-dreams. But the crashing kiss of the water dive had re-woken Olyvar in shock, as he realized what they were about to do was no fantasy he had ever known. Nothing can stop us now, this is really happening. His heart was pounding to the rhythm of the oars and he wanted to scream his battle cry. He could still hear Jaqenssen the Black Sparrow sounding his siren “Ahhhhhhhh-ah Ahhhhhhh-ah!”
We are brothers loyal to the King in the North, the land of ice and snow. We serve Riverrun and Winterfell, where the hot springs flow. And now the divine winds of the gods had driven our mothership to the Westerlands. To fight for honor, the North will sing and the West will cry. Casterly Rock … Winter is Coming! On we sweep with threshing oars, our only goal will be the western shore!
As Olyvar’s oar rose and fell, he looked up to the windows of Casterly Rock’s tall stony towers, searching for the signaling candle light. But it could not be seen this early. Only when the sun was fully set as planned, this candle would replace it as the guiding light. They rowed by rocks and rocks and more rocks. Seagulls flew in spheres above them, chasing one another. The sun still hung in the air, slowly falling to splash onto the western horizon of the Sunset Sea. They then rowed by a courtyard that just floated on the earth forty feet above the sea’s surface. Suddenly on the other side of their boat, they eyed a whale skimming off the glimmering golden ocean. The boys of the vulnerable BattleWolf did not say a word as the monstrous water-beast swam the opposite direction just twenty yards away from them, paying them no mind. It was a good thing I did not curse the Drowned God as I was going to earlier.
Olyvar, Alesander, Leo, Mikkal, Raff and Donal were seated on Galbart Glover’s rowboat, rowing to Galbart Glover’s commands, “Row! Row! Row your boats you son o’ whores!” and taking in Galbart Glover’s cold stare as he eyed the two Freys specifically when he said it. Olyvar’s arms began to tire, but this was not the place to show weakness to his brothers. So he pulled on while keeping their rowboat as close to the stony walls as possible to avoid detection from above.
They trailed the Lady Bear while following the Blackfish. Soon after, Ser Brynden Tully had found his mark and grounded LionsJape onto a small beach. His men exited, flipped the rowboat above them and dashed forty yards straight toward the rocky edge, where a small barred cave was fitted at the base. Underneath the rusted iron, a thin valley of brown watery slush stank & trickled into the sand & sea. Everyone knew what that was when they agreed to participate in the assault. The Blackfish was told back at Riverrun about a sewer path inside Casterly Rock that allowed all the shit and piss to drain out to the ocean. This tiny hole by the foot of the mountain was all and everything for the mission.
When the sprinting men reached the end with their boat, they dropped it at the skirt and pressed themselves against the wall. The façade was conveniently arched outwards as it ascended, making it difficult to be sighted from above. With the waves muffling the noise of speech, any of them can speak freely outside at sea level. From the cliffs above, their human conversations below would only sound like ghostly whispers. No casual listener should be alerted to such. But hearing and seeing are different things, and they must not be seen.
WinterStorm and BattleWolf soon followed. As Olyvar departed BattleWolf, he cringed at the soreness of his arms that the work had left him. His arms will have to ache again as his squad lifted the rowboat above their heads. They stormed towards the barred entrance, with bow and quiver slung on each shoulder, a turtle shell shield at the center of his back. While the others carried shorter lighter personal weapons, Olyvar was equipped with a longsword that once belonged to his King, Robb Stark.
They dropped off BattleWolf when they reached the wall, waiting for a way in. Ten brothers on one side of the cave, and eleven on the other. The closest ones to the door had their small axes and weapons drawn along with their shields, while the further ones notched an arrow onto their bow. Olyvar had his Summer Isle goldenheart bow ready. The entrance was small, the same size as their black shields, guarding the realm of Casterly Rock, and they continued to wait.
This thunderstorm was coming, and it was not part of the plan. It was the Blackfish’s decision to leave Motherfunker earlier before the storm surges would flood the sewers of Casterly Rock. Their forty yard dash from the beach to the gate may be twenty yards if they arrived an hour later … and there may be no more exit by the time they escape back. But Stark loyalists hidden in the woods outside of the castle were told of executing this assault at the exact evenfall of Queen Jeyne Stark’s arrival to Casterly Rock. The Lannister soldier escorts would be exhausted from their march and acquired a false sense of security when they reached the safe comforts of the castle. The Stark land forces led by Lord Gawen Westerling would create a mummer’s farce with trumpets and drums, sending the weary Lannisters to one side, as the Blackfish himself attacked the other from the sea. Evenfall of this day was the golden time to do this, but they arrived an hour too early. With the storm, Olyvar prayed that everyone else would adjust to the plan. He wondered if Lord Westerling would account for the storm surges. But it makes no difference now. They were here, and they cannot turn back.
Suddenly the rusted iron of the barred cave unlocked and swung open, creaking like a loud squealing rat. Emerged was a crouching older man with a short gray beard and a jaw squared like a mason spice jar. “Welcome to the Rock!” Ser Rolph Spicer declared.
Ser Brynden greeted him with a hug, “I’m so glad you came early, we would be sleeping with the fishes if you were late.”
“It was Edmure’s idea to leave early, he said the storm would flood the sewers, and we prayed you would come sooner too.”
“Like that damn Mill again, Edmure acting prematurely? That boy will never learn! Thank the Gods!”
They both chuckled and began entering through the gate. The others soon followed, ducking into the small hole and into the darkness.
Once inside the caves of Casterly Rock, Ser Rolph grabbed his torchlight and lifted it to the air, showing the brothers the vastness. The lobby was an open abyss where the ceiling was fifty feet high. The walls had multiple rocky openings naturally carved in, small and large. Some were wide enough to walk through. Inside were all shadows, saved the areas illuminated by golden sunlight spying in through each seldom hole or fissure. Where the flames can brighten, hard brown rocks glowed and flickered, as well as old metal tracks, mining carts, abandoned tools, ladders, rusty chains and the occasional plant roots that brewed in the darkness of the caves. The smell reeked. Olyvar was sure there would be no real gold here as it was probably mined out over the centuries. Only shit shits down here in the sewers and caves of Lord Tywin Lannister’s home, not gold, Olyvar thought. This was where Lann the Clever started his legend, swindling the Casterly residents out of the castle, cheating them. It was their turn now to write history, these archers from the sea facing off with their own modern Casterly ploy … accomplishing it without being seen, doing it as faceless warriors.
They followed Ser Rolph and his torchlight in single file, going deeper up into the caves, fitting in burrowed hallways that barely fit them, pursuing his decisions at each fork in the paths, squishing their feet on sluggish wet slopes and steps. The very first entrance they encountered required them to descend a few yards before climbing up the rest of the way. It was hundreds of feet in elevation that they must ascend to. At times, the way was lit well enough. But at other instants, the darkness blinds them, only facing the brother in front of them for their flight. I have promises to keep. And steps to go before I sleep. And steps to go before I sleep.
“By now the guards at the top of the Rock should be asleep after I spiced up their ale,” Ser Rolph Spicer said with a cheeky smile. “Before my sister Sybell married into House Westerling, I explored these parts of Casterly Rock in my youth as a smuggler, going up and down many times. Your legs will tire, no doubt about that. But you lads are years younger than I, and I better hear no complaints unless I am the first one to make it.”
“I’ll do my best,” young Leo announced for himself.
“Your best?” Ser Spicer questioned. “Losers whine about their best. Winners rescue crowned queens.”
“Lady Jeyne Westerling-Stark is THE crowned Queen,” Leo replied.
“Is that so?” Ser Rolph gave Leo a sarcastic look with a raised eyebrow, before continuing up the steps inside the Rock.
“I’ll decide the turns and I’ll establish the security checkpoints. There, we can rest for a moment. A few of you will be left there to guard the area as the others will continue to ascend. Those few will wait until we fall back. But remember, the journey down is far less exhausting. For now, let’s go up and up. Ser Olyvar Frey, would you take the honor of watching our rear?”
Ser Olyvar Frey. The name was still queer to him. As much as he liked the ‘Ser’ in his name, he would like to rid the “Frey” in the surname. He had been the most loyal squire a king could have asked for. He would have stayed with King Robb Stark to the end of the world, but his own blood tore that away from him. Olyvar was not blind though. His young king had made grave mistakes, more than Olyvar wanted to count. As much as he would have favored his sister Roslin to marry him, Olyvar knew you cannot choose the people you love. And Robb genuinely loved another, he hoped. Jeyne Westerling was just as sweet as Roslin. Olyvar would have stayed at Robb’s side as his brother-in-law, or some uncle-in-law by Lord Edmure Tully. Though by choosing Jeyne, it slighted Olyvar’s father Lord Walder Frey. But Seven Hells father, did you have to murder him? At my sister’s wedding feast? Under your own roof? Under my roof? Robb Stark was my king. He was brave and good, and Olyvar Frey loved him. And his soul was tortured in sleepless days and nights, knowing he shared the same blood as the murderers … knowing he could have stopped it if it was not for impulse. You are an honorable fool Olyvar. His father had told him of the treacherous plan the day before, but Olyvar cursed it aloud, defending Robb as it was still his duty. You should’ve been smart and played stupid with father. You could have informed Robb while you were still free, breaking this bad dream. Olyvar shouldn’t have tried to bargain with his father. He should have known he made up his mind a long while ago. Olyvar was imprisoned in the dungeons of the Twins during the Red Wedding. The gaolers were japing at him, “Go ahead, do your duty. Save your king!”
My king. The sad memories faded into blurred flashbacks.
[Part 2]

While I was working on the multiagent system workflow posted a couple of weeks ago, I came up with the following PRD for this idea on Jarvis, the executive assistant agent. Having product management experience, I created a PM agent to produce the document. It may be appropriate to start a new thread, but I came up with the following PRD for Jarvis, the executive assistant agent.
This idea came to me because I have been having to create, update, and delete agents on a regular basis to accommodate changes in my needs. Since some of the conversations are important pieces of knowledge, I backup and save the agents' conversations into a text file before deleting them.
The ability to manage the relationship and hierarchy between parent and child agents—for instance, by configuring a master PM agent and slave agents specifically for each project—would improve the user experience in a centralized, methodical framework for agent management and governance. In this framework, the user only needs to update the prompt for the master PM agent; the slave agents do not require updating. At the level of the slave agent, only commands require updating.
Although it may be a challenging engineering project, I believe it has the potential to transform the application into a sophisticated enterprise tool.
Let me know what you think!

Product Requirement Document (PRD)

Product Title: Enhanced Custom Agent Management and Executive Assistant Agent

Author: [Your Name]

Date: [Date]

1. **Executive Summary**

This document outlines the requirements for enhancing the navigation and usability of custom agents within Taskade. The key features include improved tracking of agent conversations, an advanced executive assistant agent named **Jarvis** to delegate tasks to the appropriate custom agents based on user prompts, and dynamic creation and selection of agents. Additionally, this document addresses the need for conversation backups and value assessment when users delete agents.

2. **Goals and Objectives**

• **Improved User Navigation**: Simplify the process for users to track and continue conversations with custom agents.
  
• **Executive Assistant Agent - Jarvis**: Develop an intelligent agent capable of analyzing user prompts and delegating tasks to the most suitable custom agent.
  
• **Agent Governance Model**: Enable dynamic creation and selection of agents, forming a multi-agent system to meet complex user requirements.
  
• **Conversation Backup and Value Assessment**: Provide users with options to backup conversations and present value assessment when deleting agents.
  

3. **Key Features and Requirements**

3.1 Improved Navigation and Tracking

**Description**: Implement a feature that enables users to easily track their last interaction with custom agents and navigate back to it.
**Requirements**:

1. **Recent Conversations List**: Display a list of recent conversations with custom agents on the user's dashboard or a dedicated section.

• **User Story**: As a user, I want to see a list of my recent conversations with custom agents so that I can easily continue where I left off.
  
• **Acceptance Criteria**: The recent conversations list should display the agent's name, a snippet of the last conversation, and the date/time of the interaction. Clicking on an entry should take the user directly to that conversation.
  

1. **Search and Filter Functionality**: Allow users to search and filter custom agents by name, role, or last interaction date.

• **User Story**: As a user, I want to quickly find a specific custom agent using search and filters.
  
• **Acceptance Criteria**: The search bar should support keyword input, and filters should allow sorting by name, role, and interaction date.
  

1. **Favorite Agents**: Enable users to mark specific agents as favorites for quicker access.

• **User Story**: As a user, I want to mark some agents as favorites so that I can access them quickly.
  
• **Acceptance Criteria**: Users should be able to mark/unmark agents as favorites. A dedicated favorites section should display these agents prominently.
  

3.2 Executive Assistant Agent - Jarvis

**Description**: Develop an advanced agent named **Jarvis** that acts as an executive assistant, analyzing user prompts and redirecting them to the appropriate custom agent.
**Requirements**:

1. **Prompt Analysis**: Implement natural language processing (NLP) capabilities to understand and analyze user prompts.

• **User Story**: As a user, I want Jarvis to understand my prompt and decide which custom agent is best suited for the task.
  
• **Acceptance Criteria**: Jarvis should accurately interpret the user’s prompt and provide a summary of its analysis before redirecting the task.
  

1. **Agent Delegation**: Based on the analysis, delegate the task to the appropriate custom agent.

• **User Story**: As a user, I want Jarvis to delegate tasks to the best-suited custom agent automatically.
  
• **Acceptance Criteria**: Jarvis should seamlessly redirect the task to the selected custom agent and notify the user of the delegation.
  

1. **Feedback Loop**: Allow users to provide feedback on the accuracy of task delegation to improve Jarvis’s performance over time.

• **User Story**: As a user, I want to provide feedback on Jarvis’s performance to refine its accuracy.
  
• **Acceptance Criteria**: After delegation, users should be prompted to rate the accuracy and relevance of the agent selection. This data should be used to improve Jarvis’s algorithms.
  

3.3 Agent Governance Model

**Description**: Establish Jarvis as a central governance model that enables dynamic creation and selection of agents based on user requirements, forming a multi-agent system.
**Requirements**:

1. **Dynamic Agent Creation**: Jarvis should be able to create new custom agents dynamically based on specific user requirements and contexts.

• **User Story**: As a user, I want Jarvis to create new custom agents dynamically when my prompt requires specialized tasks that existing agents cannot handle.
  
• **Acceptance Criteria**: Jarvis should create a new custom agent if needed and brief the user about this creation, including its role and capabilities.
  

1. **Multi-Agent Coordination**: Enable Jarvis to coordinate between multiple custom agents to accomplish complex tasks.

• **User Story**: As a user, I want Jarvis to manage multiple custom agents working together to complete complex tasks.
  
• **Acceptance Criteria**: Jarvis should delegate subtasks to different agents and coordinate their outputs to achieve the overall task objective.
  

1. **Performance Monitoring and Optimization**: Continuously monitor agent performance and optimize agent selection and task delegation processes.

• **User Story**: As a user, I want Jarvis to learn from past interactions and improve its performance over time.
  
• **Acceptance Criteria**: Jarvis should use historical data to refine its agent selection and delegation processes, providing more efficient and accurate task completion over time.
  

3.4 Conversation Backup and Value Assessment

**Description**: Provide users with options to backup conversations and present a value assessment when deleting agents.
**Requirements**:

1. **Backup Option**: When a user decides to delete an agent, prompt them to back up their conversations.

• **User Story**: As a user, I want an option to backup my conversations when deleting an agent so that I don’t lose valuable information.
  
• **Acceptance Criteria**: The system should prompt the user with an option to back up conversations before confirming agent deletion.
  

1. **Conversation Summary and Recommended Action**: Show a summary of the conversations and recommend actions based on the value of the knowledge created.

• **User Story**: As a user, I want to see a summary of my conversations and receive recommendations based on the knowledge value before deleting an agent.
  
• **Acceptance Criteria**: The system should display a summary and recommended actions, assessing the value based on user preferences and inferred metacognitive analysis.
  

1. **Value Assessment**: Assess the value of conversations based on user’s explicit preferences and inferred metacognitive analysis of tool usage.

• **User Story**: As a user, I want the system to assess the value of my conversations and consider my usage patterns before making recommendations.
  
• **Acceptance Criteria**: The assessment should incorporate both explicit user preferences and inferred data from past usage to provide accurate recommendations.
  

4. **User Stories**

1. **As a user, I want to see my recent conversations with custom agents on my dashboard so that I can continue them easily.**
   
2. **As a user, I want to search and filter my custom agents so that I can quickly find the one I need.**
   
3. **As a user, I want an executive assistant agent named Jarvis to analyze my prompt and delegate the task to the appropriate custom agent so that I don't have to remember which agent does what.**
   
4. **As a user, I want Jarvis to create new custom agents dynamically if my prompt requires specialized tasks that existing agents cannot handle.**
   
5. **As a user, I want Jarvis to manage multiple custom agents working together to complete complex tasks.**
   
6. **As a user, I want to provide feedback on the task delegation accuracy to help improve Jarvis over time.**
   
7. **As a user, I want an option to back up my conversations when deleting an agent so that I don’t lose valuable information.**
   
8. **As a user, I want to see a summary of my conversations and receive recommendations based on the knowledge value before deleting an agent.**
   
9. **As a user, I want the system to assess the value of my conversations and consider my usage patterns before making recommendations.**
   

5. **Dependencies**

• **NLP Engine**: Integration with a robust NLP engine to analyze user prompts.
  
• **Backend Development**: Enhancements to the backend to support tracking, searching, and filtering custom agent interactions.
  
• **Front-End Development**: UI/UX design and implementation to support new features.
  
• **Performance Monitoring Tools**: Tools to monitor and optimize agent performance and task delegation processes.
  
• **Backup and Storage Solutions**: Solutions to allow users to back up and store conversations securely.
  

6. **Timeline**

Milestone Target Date
--------------------------------------------------
Requirements Finalization [Date]
Design Phase [Date]
Development Phase [Date]
Testing Phase [Date]
User Feedback and Iteration [Date]
Final Release [Date]

7. **Stakeholders**

• **Product Management**
  
• **Engineering Team**
  
• **UX/UI Design Team**
  
• **Marketing and Sales Team**
  
• **End Users**
  

8. **Success Metrics**

• **User Engagement**: Increase in the number of interactions with custom agents.
  
• **User Satisfaction**: Positive user feedback and ratings for Jarvis.
  
• **Task Accuracy**: Improved task delegation accuracy as measured by user feedback.
  
• **System Efficiency**: Reduced task completion time and increased efficiency of the multi-agent system.
  
• **Data Retention**: User satisfaction with backup options and conversation summaries when deleting agents.
  

This PRD serves as a comprehensive guide to develop and implement the enhanced navigation and executive assistant features in Taskade. Feedback from all stakeholders will be crucial in refining these requirements and ensuring successful execution.

deadbydaylight DeadByDaylightKillers DeadByDaylightSWF
Hello! I'm a mostly killer main with almost 2k hours. I'm at the point now that using my typical perk build, no matter what killer I'm using or what survivors I'm fighting (even a max-season-rank streamer bully squad with perfectly syncing perks) I always get 2 hooks on all of them and have time to waste before they all escape. Not to mention that happening was also my first game after months.
Now, I understand that in the game you're supposed to actually kill as a technical "win" but hear me out--
When you get a kill, it slows everyone down and makes it easier with each kill. They have less survivors doing gens, and thus slower gen progression. So, leaving more survivors alive means faster gen progress. If all are alive, they finish much faster, making the game harder for you as killer. On top of this, It also feels bad to lose, and people like receiving points. If everyone plays hard all the way to the end but just doesn't get killed after, everyone gets a great game out of it, pushes the limits of their skills, and still walks away with full points happy. (I've made friends instead of toxic post-chat fights)
That being said, a SWF (survive with friends) group vs a killer with equally good perks and skill levels will always end in the killer winning. As survivor, I often get destroyed by someone evidently less experienced just because that's how the game is designed in its current state. (this isn't me being butthurt or anything, I've been analyzing this objectively for over a year)
I'm also not saying this is a bad thing, as feeling powerful when using killer is important for keeping new players, but it's a little too unbalanced for me to ever really want to play survivor unless I feel too OP. I've had many conversations with people who are survivor mains saying "killer is way too stressful" or "killer is too hard for me, that's why I play survivor," and after training them, every single one who started killer with me understood what I meant about the game being killer-sided and multiple times easier when not surv.
As a killer, I've hooked all survivors to the maximum thousands of times in a row, sometimes without perks, of course with exceptions of cheaters, ragequitters, and only actually failing to do so under 30 times over multiple years. I like the game a lot, but I always give feedback saying "please give survivors more viable chase perks like creating scratch marks and throwing off the linear chase, which actually make the game a little less killer-sided. (this would be much more fun for me to fight as an experienced killer too, as I don't have to just stand and wait for the last 4m of the 13m game)
Do you feel like the game is survivor sided instead? Maybe killer sided like me? I'm curious to see if others completely disagree with this Please remember to not get too angry about others' opinions, we're just looking at a game design, thanks!

Hey, movie buffs!
Ready for an unforgettable movie night experience? Look no further! We're hosting an Movie Night on our Discord server next weekend, and you're all invited!
📅 Date: July 14th - 16th 🕗 Time: 8:00pm - Sunday Evening @ 12:00am PST
🎞️ Movie Genre: Friday - Comedy Saturday - Action/Adventure Sunday - Drama
Why You Should Join Us:
🍿 Top-Notch Flicks: We've handpicked great movies that's sure to captivate audiences of all tastes. From heartwarming dramas to action-packed thrillers, this moviethon!
🎥 Theatrical Experience: Our Discord's voice chat will be transformed into a virtual theater. You can laugh, cry, and share your thoughts with the rest of the community.
🎁 Surprise Giveaways: Stay tuned for surprise giveaways during the event. It could be ANYTHING
How to Join:

1. Join Our Discord Server: Click this link to join our movie-loving community on Discord:https://discord.com/servers/introvehub-919885203084804188
2. Mark Your Calendar: Save the date and time in your calendar so you won't miss out on this cinema extravaganza!
3. Be Punctual: Arrive a few minutes early to secure your spot and ensure smooth event coordination.
4. Bring Snacks: Don't forget to prepare your favorite movie snacks and beverages for the ultimate movie night experience!

A Friendly Reminder:
Please remember to respect everyone's enjoyment during the movie by keeping conversations in the designated voice chat channels and refraining from spoilers for those who haven't seen the film before.
🚨 Important Note: Limited slots are available due to server capacity, so make sure to arrive early to secure your spot!
Subscribe here: https://discord.com/servers/introvehub-919885203084804188
Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to connect with like-minded movie enthusiasts and immerse yourself in the magic of cinema. See you at our MovieTHON on Discord! 🎬🎉

Just as Civ 5 marked the transition to 1UPT and Civ 6 was designed like a board game, Civ 7 will also have a design theme: emergent narrative.
Ever since they hired a narrative lead designer I have been pretty confident in this, and would be surprised if it's not the case.
Civ 6's board game theme means it is designed to make a lot of little decisions that feel impactful. It's a great game, but it does have its weaknesses -- one of them being that the board is fairly static. You basically pick a playbook (science/culture/military/religion) and build your empire accordingly. It often leads to a stagnant midgame and a boring endgame.
In Civ 7, I predict they are aiming to create "XCOM moments" -- memorable ups and downs in your story that feel both organic and engrossing. History is full of great stories, so why should Civ be just a matter of expand and then build build build? Instead, I expect to see revolutions, civil wars, the rise and fall of empires, the return of diplomacy, and a much more dynamic game.
A few more predictions. Firing from the hip here, so I'd be happy to get half of the following right:

• They'll reunify the tech/civics tree, but take another stab at diversifying the ways you gain technology.
  
• Civic options will feel much more different from each other. An ancient republic, a nomadic horde, a feudal kingdom, a maritime empire, a free market liberal state -- all these will handle very differently from each other.
  
• There will be less of a hard line between civs, city-states, and barbarians. Instead, there will be more categories (see previous point) and a civ can go from one to the other.
  
• Expect more diversity in terms of what units can do. Eg horse archers that can shoot and move, and more units with 1-range ranged attacks. Why does a WW2 infantryman handle exactly like a dude with a club?
  
• 1UPT will be replaced with a supply system. Early game is 1UPT, as it progresses you will be able to field more than 1 per tile. Invading armies can also be cut off from supply.
  
• Military units and upgrades could unlock on a separate progression system. You'll unlock some by teching, but civs that go to war more often will more/better tools in their toolkit relative to civs at the same tech level who do not.
  
• Better quotes on the tech tree. Nowhere to go but up.
  
• This one's pure wishful thinking, but bring back diplomacy. Vassal states and functional alliances so that by late game, there are 2-3 alliance groups that inevitably end up in a world war or two.
  

Went into this having experienced Resident Evil Vilage so my standard of what psvr2 is capable of are high. Had not considered this game until someone has mentioned here. I can highly recommend due to how well it is made and the spooky vibe it has managed to create.
Positives
• Visuals are great. While not quite on par when it comes to facial mocap everything else like the lighting, sound and level design is great. It’s very much RE1 in a hotel.
• Great atmosphere and plenty of jump scares. The game does keep you on edge through out, dishing out just enough enemy variety to keep you interested over its short run time.
• It’s relatively inexpensive for this quality and the experience you get out of it.
Negatives
• I did not expect it to end when it did. Was 100% sure I just hit a halfway mark or maybe 70%. There was nothing on the thumbnail to indicate it’s episodic or a first half
• Pretty straightforward story
• Voice acting average
• 3-4 hours runtime
Overall well worth the trip. If it was full price then no but only due to its length but as it stands it’s a must.
Any other games you recommend that are great atm? Something that isn’t mainstream like RE, Pistol Whip, Synapse, Synth or GT7? Something that maybe isn’t as popular but of high quality?

“And for the missing person reports that date back many years, police still have not found any leads to the odd disappearance of multiple people around our little town of Welks, Utah. If police find any new leads, I, Nathan White, will be the first to give you the news.” Nathan White is a small town reporter who is finishing up his final words of the day's news. Charlie Akins, Nathan’s colleague and long time friend is manning the camera. Nathan is your typical guy who never gives up and has the determination of a beaver building its dam. He will take any story he is given and will do his best to make it the best. Charlie on the other hand is about as outgoing as a sloth and so paranoid he can’t go anywhere without thinking the worst, but will never leave his friend’s side. Soon after the two wrap up, Charlie gets a call from their boss who claims to have a new story they could cover. Nathan places their gear in the news van as Charlie walks over. With the way Charlie nervously walks over, Nathan knows something is odd. “So what’s the deal? We got a story or what?” Charlie gets in the driver seat of the van without saying a word and Nathan quickly follows, getting into the passenger seat. As Charlie begins driving, he tells Nathan what their boss had spoken to him about. An old abandoned government facility sits out in the farthest outskirts of the town. It’s in the shape of a dome that’s large enough to house an entire town. There’s no records of anyone ever entering the facility since the 50’s and no one seems to know what it was for. Only thing anyone knows, or suspects, is that it may be cursed or haunted as people who have ever been near it claim to hear screams and voices coming from within. Charlie is hesitant of even the thought of covering the story but continues to drive assuming Nathan will be intrigued. Charlie was correct, of course, as Nathan quickly calls their boss to inform him that they’re checking it out. Without question, Charlie continues driving until they are so far out that Welks is completely out of sight in the rearview mirror. They eventually see a large structure in the distance that they quickly realize is the center of their new story. “Holy shit, Charlie! I’ve never seen this place before and just… Wow,” Nathan says excitedly. “Nathan, I don’t know about this one. Something seems off. Even the boss seemed hesitant to tell me about this place,” Charlie responds. “Come on, Charlie. We’ve always wanted to cover a GHOST STORY.” “No, YOU have always wanted to cover a ghost story. I’ve always wanted to get the hell away from every single person I come in contact with and sleep in my bed.” “Don’t do me like that.” “You know I’ve got your back through thick and thin, Nate. But I’ve seriously got a bad feeling about this one.” “I know but come on, serious-... ly…” Nathan is awestruck by the sight of a large sign on the outer brink of a long driveway leading to the entrance of the dome. The sign reads:
RESTRICTED AREA
ENVIRODOME “WE EXPERIMENT FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR PEOPLE”
SPECIAL ACCESS IS NEEDED BEYOND THIS POINT
Although it was obvious by the city-sized dome in the middle of the desert, this sign fully confirmed they were in the right place. They continue down the driveway until they finally reach a parking lot that lies in front of the only noticeably cube-like design of the entire facility. The parking lot was small, or at least it seemed that way based on how huge the building was. Nathan and Charlie assumed it would be glass, but instead, the decrepit building, now known to be The Envirodome, was made of a strong thick, yet rusted metal. They realized this was most likely by design considering the people who created it wouldn’t have wanted anyone to know what went on inside. Almost the entire building was covered in a thick layer of vines except for the front door. The doors at the entrance were oddly only covered in smaller vine growth that was far more fragile than the rest. Charlie parks the van as an awestruck Nathan barely waits for him to stop and exits the passenger side. Charlie hesitantly follows suit. Nathan reaches the double entrance doors and rips away the vines. He quickly finds the handle of the right door and much to his surprise, it cracks open. “Ooh spooky,” Nathan jokingly says to Charlie. “Shut up,” Charlie snaps back. As Nathan and Charlie open the large metal door and walk inside, they find far more than, yet somehow everything, they had expected. The duo walk inside only to find an entire small community within. Businesses, homes, trees and more fill the miles long dome in all directions, seemingly to no end. “There’s a whole damn town in this place?! How the hell did not a single person know this existed,” Charlie exclaims out of pure shock. “Dude… How the fuck am I suppose to know? That’s why we’re here, remember? To cover the story of this place and get it out to the people…” Nathan sarcastically snaps back. Charlie, nervous as all hell, ignores Nathan as they continue forward in the hopes to find information on this place somewhere inside. They don’t even reach but about 10-15 feet inside before the door slams shut behind them and locks itself into place. Once fully locked, the doors start to change as if there was never a door or wall there at all. It quickly changes into a hyper-realistic hologram of more trees and roads. Soon enough, it looked as if an exit never even existed. Nathan quickly realizes that there seemingly are no walls in any direction. However, realistically and logically, there must be dead ends in all directions, the dome was obviously designed in a special way. Although there was a dome surrounding the town inside, there were still plenty of places Nathan and Charlie could explore. With beautifully green trees all around, houses and even rundown businesses, the entire place looked and felt like a normal little town instead of the inside of a previously government owned facility. Despite absolutely not a single structural flaw in the dome, a small breeze glides through the air, whistling to the ears of any who would listen. Both Nathan and Charlie are confused, yet in awe, by the experience at hand, but still they carry on. Nathan suggests going to the nearest building to search for information as he takes his next steps into the oddly beautiful scenery. Charlie, however, hesitates his next step until he realizes Nathan is already further ahead of him. Trees dance and sway in the cool breeze, grass and vines grow over large rocks and multiple buildings, and even clouds sail through the beautifully blue skies that couldn’t possibly be real but at this point it’s not unbelievable. With so much to admire, Nathan quickly loses focus on the task at hand until Charlie speaks up. “Hey, Nate. Shouldn’t we hurry up and get to wherever the hell we’re going?” “Huh? Oh… Yeah, yeah. Sorry…” Nathan snaps back to his senses and continues forward. As they continue to what seems like a small neighborhood, they notice something in the distant wooded area. It’s a four-legged creature that could be a wolf or coyote. Nathan and Charlie pick up speed as they are unsure of what it could really be and prefer not to be attacked. On arrival to the neighborhood, the two men notice that multiple mannequins are oddly placed around as if they had been living a life. An eerie feeling washes over them as they both become a little more skeptical of being there. Nathan looks back to check on his friend and notices Charlie is visibly paranoid as he looks around. He feels a moment of guilt for making him come here for a story to cover, but that moment was just that. A moment. Nathan quickly nudges Charlie to get him to come with him as he walks up to an open house. As they walk in, they split up. Charlie searches the living room and kitchen. Nathan goes straight to the farthest bedroom in the back. Searching every nook and cranny, Nathan finds absolutely nothing but an old withered bible. He begins to walk into another room when suddenly, Charlie’s voice echoes through the empty hallway. “Holy fuck,” Charlie exclaims. “What’s wrong,” Nathan yells while running into the living room. Nathan finds Charlie holding an old yellowed stack of papers. Charlie hands them to Nathan without uttering a single word. On top is an old document that reads:
Aug. 17, 1953: Testing is ready to commence for Project 718/Operation “SUPER” in the environment dome. However, there are no volunteers for testing just yet.
Aug. 18, 1953: Chief scientist, Dr. Maximus Woods, has volunteered as prime subject under the name: Subject Zero. All tests are now being prepared.
Aug. 20, 1953: Day 1 of testing has started. The Super Serum has been injected into Dr. Maximus Woods A.K.A Subject Zero at approximately 12:53 A.M. It has been hours and nothing has happened thus far.
Aug. 25, 1953: Subject Zero has gained a slight form of telekinesis. Small signs of abnormally quick healing factors have also appeared, taking only a couple of hours to fully heal mid-large wounds made on the subject's body. Tests, so far, seem to be successful with no side effects.
Aug. 30, 1953: Subject Zero has had impressive changes with easy to control telekinesis, rapid healing, and even large amounts of strength.
Sep. 5, 1953: Over the past week, Subject Zero has been undergoing small changes in personality, possibly a slight side effect of the serum. This will be monitored.
Sep. 10, 1953: Subject Zero has become rapidly unstable, showing major signs of insanity. Subject does not seem to realize the environment is simulated and treats test mannequins placed around the environment dome as if they were living beings.
Sep. 17, 1953: Multiple teams have been sent in to try and allow real communication with living beings. However, all teams have been killed by Subject Zero. He also does not allow anyone to retrieve the bodies and it is unclear what he does with them.
Oct. 3, 1953: Subject has become far too unstable to continue any further testing. All research will be abandoned but a small team will remain in the overseer’s office. For full safety measures, this team has agreed that if the facility must be destroyed then they will die with it. This was the intended way in case of emergency. If the facility is self-destructed, no one inside will survive.
“What the hell…” Nathan says fearfully. “Read the newspaper article that’s attached,” says Charlie. The newspaper article reads:
October 3, 1953 Today, the government-run facility, Envirodome, had been shut down after multiple men had been slaughtered at the hands of the company’s very own test subject, Subject Zero. The few men who made it out alive today could not speak of or about the tests done but we were told that their subject is still inside the facility. Test Subject Zero was locked inside only as a safety protocol but many wonder, how long will he remain there?
Upon this discovery, Nathan stops to think and wonders if he screwed up by taking on this story to cover. Nathan, being himself, tries to lighten the mood but before uttering a single word, he is cut off by a rough and deep voice in the distance. The voice now being the only thing to focus on, Nathan and Charlie look out the front windows of the old house and spot the figure of a man playing baseball with a mannequin. Upon further inspection, the man is wearing clothes obviously not of this era. With an old 50’s jacket that is nearly torn to shreds, an old pair of blue jean slacks, a red shoe on one foot and a black one on the other and hair that clearly hasn’t been washed in years, the man is the exact look and description of pure insanity. Not just with his looks but also with his actions, he clearly is not a stable man. In the yard of the next house over, the man is talking and playing catch with a mannequin. “For the last time Jimmy, I’m tired of your shit! Catch the damn ball or at the very least attempt to instead of just standing there,” the crazed man screams as he chucks a baseball at its head resulting in its immediate decapitation. Nathan, with a humor full of bad timing, nearly bursts into laughter. “Shut the fuck up, Nathan! That’s the guy from the document and newspaper article. He’s Dr… Uh… Maximus Woods! Subject Zero! He’s been here since the 50’s,” Charlie fearfully exclaims. “There’s no way in hell, Charlie. The guy doesn’t even look like he’s past his mid-30’s.” “I told you to call me Subject Zero! That old name is dead to me!” The man, now confirmed to be Subject Zero, yells out to another mannequin. “Believe me now, asshat,” Charlie snaps at Nathan. “Shush! What was that?” Subject Zero quickly snaps his attention to Nathan and Charlie’s direction and begins to walk to them. The two men look at each other in fearful confusion and simultaneously say, “oh shit.” Instinctually, Charlie runs out of the house from fear and with a quick, “FUCK!” Nathan follows him. Running out of the house like a couple of preyed upon animals, they run up the street further into the neighborhood. Taking a quick glance, Nathan spots a strange sight. Subject Zero and many other figures are chasing after them. Upon further examination, Nathan realizes that what he’s witnessing is something straight out of a horror movie. The other figures are , in fact, not even humans. They’re mannequins! All the mannequins they had seen back at the other houses are now moving like humans and coming right for them alongside Subject Zero. Nathan is running so fast you could mistake him for a train breaking loose from its tracks, but sadly, Charlie is slowing down, unable to keep up with his friend. Nathan manages to reach a hiding spot behind a dumpster, unintentionally leaving Charlie to await his own horrors as Nathan is nothing but forced to watch. Charlie begins to stumble and trips over his own feet. Soon after, the mannequins catch up to him. Nathan wants to help, but knows he can’t so all he does is watch in horror. Lying on the ground, Charlie gasps for air as the mannequins and Subject Zero surround him. They stare at him for a moment before eventually beating him simultaneously until Charlie is soaked in his own blood, barely alive. Suddenly, they stop. Charlie, nearly lifeless, drags his gaze in Nathan’s direction. He mouths, “GO” before coughing up blood. Nathan holds back tears and vomit as he looks away in guilt. All the mannequins that were once beating the life out of Charlie turn around and scatter before ultimately becoming, once again, inanimate objects. Like a lion searching for its prey, Subject Zero scans the area. With danger nearby, Nathan looks around to find a house with any open doors to attempt to find safety. He spots a nearby house with an open window and decides it's his best option. Without hesitation, Nathan sprints to the window and leaps in like a gazelle escaping its demise. Much to his surprise, he went unnoticed. “I might be insane, but I know I wasn't just seeing double of your little friend here. Where the hell are you,” screams Subject Zero as two mannequins carry Charlie's bloodied, yet still alive, body away. Nathan, afraid, yet determined, locks himself inside the house and sits behind a kitchen counter. He looks up to see if it's safe enough to search the house. Once he realizes it is, he begins to look around. The kitchen is oddly empty. Not a single piece of silverware, plate or food. Out of the entire house, the living room is the best looking part, even though it still looks like a tornado came through it. With hopes of finding something, Nathan scrummages through everything lying on the decrepit wooden floor. After a moment of searching, Nathan notices multiple papers scattered around all dated October of 1953. All the papers say different things about Project ‘SUPER’ and Subject Zero. Although most papers essentially say the same things, one paper stands out the most. It’s a newspaper dated a few days after the imminent shutdown of the facility. October 9, 1953 The project was abandoned and only a few escaped but one former employee of Envirodome decides to speak up about the events. “The main doors may have been closed but they sadly were not locked,” the scientist tells our interviewer, “Oddly, the doors were made to allow people in but not back out unless you went to the overseer’s office and unlocked the main doors. All this means, anyone who decides to go inside without knowing this info will be trapped forever with a psycho maniac. Fortunately, Subject Zero’s insanity affected his mind so badly he doesn’t even realize he’s in a fake little world that’s specially made for him.”
A little further down the same newspaper article it reads:
The former Envirodome employee continues. “All documents will state that Dr. Maximus Woods volunteered to be Subject Zero, but that just isn’t true. We tricked him. You see, we needed someone and Dr. Woods was just this weird scientist that no one really liked. We convinced him that if he volunteered that he would be a hero. Someone who could save our world if the serum worked. He was so happy and we just laughed at him but knew we needed him for the tests. As soon as everything began, it all ended. As he became more and more deranged, he also became more determined to make the serum work. He eventually took living people he kept with him and made his own serum to try and perfect it. But it never worked. It just leads to each person to become crazier and far quicker. He ended up just killing everyone that the serum didn’t work on. God knows what he does to any poor soul that innocently walks into that building and gets trapped.”
With this new knowledge, Nathan knew he fucked up by coming into this beautiful hell. Now filled with dreaded emotions, he gets onto his feet and sets onward through the hallway. As he reaches the beginning of the hallway, the front door is unexpectedly busted down by an already all too familiar figure, Subject Zero. Reacting quickly, Nathan sprints to the farthest back room of the house. Being the master bedroom, it has plenty of space but sadly doesn’t have a lock on the door. Thinking quickly, Nathan slams the door and nervously shoves a large stand up dresser down on its side and in front of the doorway. He knows it won’t hold for long, especially considering, just a mere seconds ago, he witnessed Subject Zero burst a door off its hinges in the blink of an eye. Subject Zero is on the hunt, looking in every room all while Nathan stands in the master bedroom freaking out. Eventually, he comes to his senses and looks out the room's only window. It’s quite a drop below due to the house sitting on a slanted yard. Without hesitation, Nathan prepares himself for his only option. He opens the window and prepares to jump as the door of the room begins to be beaten upon. The door eventually breaks in half and standing on the other side is Subject Zero. Nathan slings himself out the window but it inevitably leads to pain. Nathan, with a possibly broken ankle, stands against the wall to stay as Subject Zero looks through the window wondering how he could lose his only entertainment so easily. Subject Zero eventually angrily wanders off as he cusses at himself. Nathan takes that as his cue to stumble his way into the nearby forest. Nathan manages to make it a decent distance into the forest before stumbling and falling next to a large oak tree. Expecting to be free from danger for at least a while, he relaxes against the tree and closes his eyes. Far too early for assumptions, he hears something and quickly opens his eyes to see Subject Zero’s fist unexpectedly rushing to his face, resulting in a knockout. After a while, Nathan cracks his eyes open, barely able to see. He looks around in a trance until he hears a familiar voice. “Hey, Nate! Nate! Wake the fuck up! I’m not dead!” Nathan fully comes to and looks over to see an upside down Charlie. Confused, he looks at Charlie unsure of what to say. Eventually he speaks. “What the fuck…? Why the hell are you upside down?” Charlie points to Nathan’s feet, revealing he is in fact, the one upside down hanging by his feet. “Oh, fuck… WHAT THE FUCK?!? Get me down, you asshole!” Charlie unties the rope, leading to Nathan falling on his head. Rubbing his head, Nathan gets up with ease, which leads him to wonder why there’s no pain in his ankle. He quickly shrugs it off and looks back at Charlie as he finally realizes the situation. “Wait a damn minute, how the hell are you alive? I saw you get beaten to a pulp.” “Yeahhhh… Well, first off, thanks for leaving me, but I’ll tell you everything I know, just as they did for me.” Charlie points over to a small crowd of people waiting behind the dark shadows of the room. With a short, yet detailed, briefing, he tells Nathan that these people are all the missing people they’ve been reporting about. They all have been curious people who have wandered into the facility but inevitably became a morbid science experiment by Subject Zero. Charlie continues on to tell Nathan that every single one of these people have been injected with a similar serum as Subject Zero but each one is a slightly altered version. “So, let me get this straight… These people have all been injected with the same damn insanity poison as that madman and there’s absolutely no telling who could lose it and kill us with FUCKING TELEKINISIS!” “Yeah, pretty much. But I’ve been told that Subject Zero murders every failed attempt before they hurt any of his other precious test subjects. So far, all he’s done is prolong the insanity effects.” “Charlie, we have to somehow get the fuck out of here.” “We can’t. Do you not understand what I just said?” “Look, I get that these people are innocent but they’re obviously going to be massive dangers to humanity. We can get out of here. I don’t know how but… Somehow!” “Nate! I can’t get out of here.” “What the fuck are you talking about?” Charlie raises up his arm and reveals a small pinprick of a needle in his skin. “Charlie, what is that? No… Wait, you were injected too?” “Yeah.” “FUCK!” “Look, as far as I’m concerned, you haven’t been injected. There’s no needle mark in your skin. YOU could actually get out of here.” “I’m not leaving you behind again, Charlie! It was a nightmare seeing what they did to you the first time.” “Nathan, I -” Suddenly and very unexpectedly, one of the people in the crowd begins to scream from within the shadows. Nathan, confused and afraid, looks over at the man losing his sanity. Within seconds, the man stops screaming as the entire room falls into a deafening silence. The man looks in Nathan’s direction and shines a demonic grin with a stare that could pierce the soul of any mortal man. Knowing the man is coming toward him, Nathan slowly starts backing up against the cold concrete walls. The man, with all new senses, uses his new telekinetic ability to push others from the crowd aside. Charlie, being brave for the first and possibly final time in his life, attempts to stand in the way but is quickly subdued as he’s flung against the wall. Finally reaching Nathan, the man brings his gaze into a full on stare into Nathan’s soul. For Nathan, it’s as if death has come for him. Suddenly, the man’s gaze is ripped away by a familiar face of evil. Subject Zero heard the screams and came to claim his failed experiment. This led to an all-out brawl between the two men. Anyone would describe it in the same way you would if two rabid dogs were fighting over food. One dog gets up after being ripped open and the other gets its face gashed by a hard hitting blow, yet they still fight. Only difference between the two, one is just a dog wanting its food and the other is trained to kill. Suddenly, with a vicious blow, Subject Zero wins the fight when he takes the man’s head and slams it so hard into the concrete floor that his skull cracks open causing blood, brains, and skull fragments to fly over the silent crowd. With one final glance, Subject Zero looks over the entire crowd. He ends his gaze by making sure Nathan is the last to see his devilish eyes. Soon after, he leaves the room and locks the door. Nathan stares at the corpse lying on the ground with a look of pure terror and proceeds to collapse onto the floor while holding back tears. The small concrete room soon fills with despair as everyone watches the tears of pain and fear run down Nathan’s face. Charlie tries to make his long-time friend feel a little more hopeful, although he soon gives up as well until he has a moment of realization. He remembers back to when they first were searching for information he had found an article with some intriguing details. “Okay, so, there may be some hope after all.” “Charlie, what hope is there? Huh?! You’re pretty much fucked and I don’t exactly see a way out of here.” “One of the articles back at the house we were in said something about a self-destruct button. That’s also how you open the main doors. Apparently, no one ever bothered, or I guess, never got the chance to hit the self-destruct timer and run their asses to the door. What if we- I mean, YOU could actually do that?” “Charlie, I already told you I don’t want to leave you behind.” “GOD DAMN IT, NATHAN! I know… FUCK! I know. But I want you to survive. Can’t you just listen to me for once?! I would follow you through hell and back and it kind of feels that way right now. So? Can you just listen to what I want you to do for once while I’m practically on my deathbed?!” “Okay! Okay…” Suddenly, an unexpected chance of escape arrives at their feet. Subject Zero and a few of his mannequins walk in to remove the mutilated corpse from the room. Unexpectedly, one of the people in the crowd begins to scream out in pain just like the other man did moments ago before his demise. “Oh, great…” Subject Zero says irritatedly. Soon after, multiple others begin to scream out in pain until eventually the entire crowd follows suit. Nathan, and somehow Charlie have not been affected. The room quickly becomes engulfed in a hurricane of insanity. This leads Subject Zero and the mannequins to getting distracted by the madness and accidentally leaves the door open. Subject Zero quickly gets attacked by everyone in the room but he holds his ground firmly. Nathan knows this is the perfect chance to escape and signals Charlie to come with him. Charlie hesitantly comes along but right as they reach the door Nathan turns to hear the sounds of Charlie going through the worst pain of his life. Nathan looks in confusion but quickly realizes he’s about to have to accept his friend’s fate. Nathan refuses to accept it, but he knows he needs to. Charlie suddenly lunges at Nathan and uses his last act of sanity and control to push him out the door. “Get. To the button. Please.” “Charlie, I- I’m-” “I’m sorry…” Charlie finally snaps and is engulfed in pure raging insanity. He lunges at Nathan but before he reaches him, Nathan, with teary eyes, slams the door onto his friend, turns, and begins running out into the seemingly vast wilderness. As he runs, Nathan hears the cries of a dozen men and women as they get ripped apart. Knowing that among them is his best friend, Nathan begins to cry as he continues to run away from his previous hell.
End of Part 1.

So I finally got time to refocus on my favorite hobby, writing. So a couple of days ago I had an idea while watching Interstella 5555. Why not as a fun little writing exercise try doing science fiction novelizations of the Daft Punk albums. Here's my rough draft for the first chapter of Homework and I'd love some feedback and what you all might think could be added or removed. I do already have a villain and a twist for the villain planned out and am going to try to go for a Arthur C Clark writing style. Also when you're reading this please listen to the song and see if what I wrote appears in your imagination.
Chapter 1: Daftendirekt
In a secret underground facility, deep within a distant asteroid belt, a series of highly advanced robotic arms moved with precise, mechanical grace. The facility itself hummed with life, a symphony of whirring gears and flashing lights filling the air with a steady thrum. Here, among the array of gleaming machinery and banks of blinking monitors, two robotic forms were slowly taking shape.
The smaller of the two was designed with sleek lines and curves, its body a shimmering metallic blue save for the red stripe running down its left side. Delicate silver wings extended from its back, and its head was crowned with a featureless, mirrored visor. Thin tubes snaked in and out of its arms and torso, connecting it to a network of translucent conduits.
Its larger counterpart was constructed from blockier, more rugged parts, its frame an armored white and black with red accents. Two massive jet engines protruded from its shoulders, and a pair of glowing, ruby-red eye panels stared blankly ahead from its featureless head. Like its companion, it too was hooked up to a web of transparent tubing.
The robots were identical in every way, save for a single, subtle difference. Whereas the blue one lacked any markings on its chest, its twin bore a stylized, lightning bolt symbol in the same fiery hue.
Finally, after what seemed like eternities of silence, a holographic display above the two figures flickered to life, projecting the image of a tall, gaunt man with short, spiky hair and narrow, piercing eyes. His suit was immaculate, black as space itself, and adorned with countless tiny lights that glittered like stars.
"Welcome," he said, his voice smooth and dispassionate, but somehow charged with an eerie, electric energy. "To your awakening."
The blue robot tilted its head slightly, its visor reflecting nothing but the hologram before it. The white and black one remained motionless, emotionlessly awaiting further instructions.
"My name," the figure continued, "is Dr. Jackal. You are Daft and you are Punk."
Both robots registered the new information without comment.
Dr. Jackal raised a slender hand, gesturing grandly toward the two gaping doors looming behind him. "Your mission, should you choose to accept it..."
As soon as the words left his lips, a brilliant explosion of light erupted from somewhere deep within the facility, casting harsh shadows against the walls and drowning everything in blinding radiance. When sight returned, the two robots found themselves no longer inside the sterile laboratory. Instead, they stood upon a small, circular platform suspended in the inky void of space.
The platform beneath their feet shifted, spinning them slowly so they could take in their new surroundings.
Space yawned in every direction, an endless expanse of pinprick stars and distant planets. The Milky Way stretched across the sky like a ribbon slicing the darkness, its hazy spiral arms and glittering star clusters beckoning them home.
But there was only one object in sight that caught the attention of both robots: a small, barren asteroid, its pockmarked surface glinting dully in the cold light of a nearby sun. Upon its lifeless surface rested a single, shiny object.
A black, round disc, the grooves etched into its surface catching the feeble starlight like veins pulsing with mysterious energy.
A vinyl record. The label read simply: "Homework."
Curious, Daft extended its right arm, its fingers flexing slightly before gently grasping the vinyl record and carefully removing it from its protective sleeve. It held it up, examining it from all angles, its visor scanning the surface for any recognizable patterns or markings.
Meanwhile, Punk leaned forward, studying the black disc intently. Its jet engines whined softly as it tilted its head from side to side, trying to determine what purpose such an object might serve.
Suddenly, without conscious thought or instruction, one of Punk's metallic fingers extended toward the spinning record. It hovered there for a moment, mere centimeters away from making contact…
With a click and a pop, the needle in the record player hidden within the platform's surface dropped into the groove, and a burst of warm, analog static filled the air. Then came the faint click of a hi hat and a plucked bass string, quickly joined by a driving kick drum beat. Daft and Punk both froze, their optics and eye panels widening in surprise and confusion. They had heard sounds before, of course; they had been programmed with the entirety of human music history, including countless examples of this strange, percussive art form known as "hip hop." But never had they experienced it like this, raw and unfiltered by any digital interface.
It was...intoxicating.
They turned to each other, their expressions mirroring each other's shock and wonder. Without speaking, without needing to, they both knew what they had to do. Together, they began to dance.

They found just enough of my best friend's body to mark him down as dead, not missing. The rest of his family wasn't as lucky. They found pieces of Wyatt, Emily, and Alice Forrester—teeth strewn across the parents' bed, strands of the girl's hair caught in the latch of her bedroom window—but there supposedly wasn't enough evidence to determine whether the rest of the family was dead or alive.
After the discovery, my town entered an unofficial, unspoken lockdown. Any peace of mind gained from Fred's arrest was shattered by the realization that, even if he was guilty of grave robbing and killing animals, there were far worse criminals operating in our community. I talked a big game in my last post, saying that I'd put down whatever entity I'd unleashed like some kind of wannabe ghostbuster. In reality, all I did for days was sit in my room, imagining the terror and pain Liam must have felt in his final moments. I submitted an application to visit Fred through the county jail's website, but it took a while to get approved.
Just over a week ago, I received an unexpected visit from Liam's girlfriend, Eleanor. When I answered her knock at my door, she instantly pulled me into a hug and burst into tears, so I figured, despite the two of us not being close, she'd come to commiserate over our shared loss. Not sure what else to do, I invited her inside.
In some ways, it was nice to have someone else who felt the same pain that I did, but in others, seeing her cry just made me feel guilty. She'd come all this way to confide in me, not knowing the role I played in her boyfriend's death. At one point my grandma came in from her garden and made Eleanor some tea, which helped calm her down a little.
It occurred to me that if I was supposed to be investigating the thing that killed Liam, Eleanor might be a good place to start. As gently as I could, I asked her if she'd noticed anything strange about Liam before the discovery.
She shook her head and told me: "He was the same as ever. I just can't see Liam or the rest of his family having any enemies. His parents owned a bakery—that's like the most innocuous job ever. And Alice, I mean, she was only twelve. The only person I might've suspected was your creepy boss. But he was already in jail by that night."
After a minute of silence, she sighed, saying, "That asshole is real bad news. I practically begged Liam not to take that job. We hardly ever disagreed on anything, but we fought about that stupid job all the time." Eleanor started tearing up, so I refrained from asking any follow-up questions. When she composed herself again, she set the teacup down and excused herself, so I walked her out to her car.
I didn't think much about it at the time, but when Eleanor talked about Fred, she seemed really upset. A lot of people in my town have long been wary of Fred, but Eleanor seemed particularly bitter, like there was a painful history between them. Who knows, maybe I'm not the only one who witnessed him messing with dead bodies. I'll have to ask her more the next time I see her.
Before I made it back inside the house, my grandparents appeared on the porch, dressed for an outing. My granddad let me know they were going to The Home Depot for a new raccoon trap, since apparently there was an issue with our current one. He said, "Every morning I find food everywhere and an open trap door. Either the thing's broken or the coyotes have grown opposable thumbs."
After that, they left me alone with the unpleasant notion that something other than coyotes had gotten into the trap. I walked to the edge of our front yard to investigate, and sure enough, the trap door was open and the dog food we used as bait was scattered all over the grass. It looked like someone had reached an arm inside just to knock over the dog food bowl, and yet when I looked closely, I saw a small clump of fur caught in a bottom corner. At some point, there had been an animal in that trap, but something else had opened the door for it. Whether they had done so out of compassion or because they wanted the trapped animal for themselves, I didn't know. I did know that after a week of doing nothing, I finally had a plan.
I spent most of last Saturday gathering supplies, hitting up most of the hunting and camping stores in our small town. My itinerary included four traps in total: two for raccoons; one for mice and other, smaller animals; and one bear trap. I also bought dog food and peanut butter to bait the raccoon and mice traps accordingly. Finally, I bought a pack of four trail cameras. All together, I spent so much that I practically blew through all the money I'd earned at Sundae Central, but I was hoping that it would be worth it.
On Sunday, I set up the traps. My grandparent's house, like all the others on this side of our street, borders a canyon. We've got a nice plot—a huge fenceless yard, at the edge of which sits a greenhouse that my granddad built for my grandma's 50th birthday. Beyond the flat portion of the backyard is a long, gradual decline to the arroyo below, not quite sheer enough to be called a cliff, but too steep and full of trees and boulders to do anything with.
I set up the first trail camera to point to the newly-replaced raccoon trap in the front yard, dedicating the area as Site A. Next, I placed the mouse trap next to the greenhouse, propped up the second trail camera against one of the greenhouse's shelves, and designated it as Site B. I set up the remaining raccoon traps at sites C and D, which lay right at the bottom of the hill and at the very edge of our property respectively. The bear trap, for the time being, I kept in reserve.
Nothing happened on Monday night. I stayed up late, watching the trail cams on my laptop, until I got bored and fell asleep. The following morning, I watched the sped-up recordings, and was both relieved and disappointed to see that nothing had paid the traps a visit.
Site B caught a mouse on Tuesday night. It crawled into the trap near the greenhouse at around 3 AM, but nothing else came to investigate. I released it into the woods the next day. The Site D camera caught something moving in the distance just before dawn, but the trail cam's night vision quality is so bad that I have no idea what it was. From the way the brush swayed in its wake, though, it was something big.
Wednesday night was when things started to get weird. At around midnight, I was sitting at my desk. I've been asked to speak at Liam's funeral, so I was fruitlessly attempting to draft a speech when I looked up at my computer screen to check the cameras. Clicking through the four feeds, I saw that the trap at Site C had caught an opossum. I full-screened the Site C feed and watched the animal scurry around inside the trap for a while. I sat there for a long time. When an hour passed and nothing else happened, I was ready to throw in the towel on the whole stupid operation and just go to bed.
And then, all of a sudden, the trap door slid open.
The opossum was still huddled in the back corner of the cage; the door seemed to have opened all on its own. Cautiously, the creature approached the exit, slowly making its way out of the metal cage. It took a few steps out into the night, and then it stilled. Its head turned to the side, its glowing eyes fixed on something that I couldn't see. I squinted at the video feed. For a moment, I thought I saw depressions in the grass, like something was walking next to the trap.
I blinked, and the opossum disappeared.
I've played back that footage so many times now, and I just can't make sense of what I saw. One second, the creature was standing there in the grass, and the next, it was simply gone. The next morning, when I investigated the area, I saw no trace of the opossum or any other animal. For reasons I still can't comprehend, the thing that's been taking our local wildlife isn't showing up on my cameras.
I focused my efforts on Site C. On Thursday evening, just before dusk, I swapped the dog food in the raccoon trap in favor of a slab of bloody, raw meat I'd bought from the butcher. I also hauled the bear trap down the hill and set it up in front of the raccoon trap, chaining it to a large tree and disguising it as best I could with leaves and dirt. Finally, I sprayed some bear and raccoon repellant around the surrounding area. I've never used a steel-jawed trap on an animal before—I've only ever used humane, catch-and-release-style traps for pest control and I'd like to keep it that way. It was my hope that the repellant would deter the animals from getting too close.
I stayed up the entirety of Thursday night for nothing. No animals graced the trail cam feed, nor did any monsters.
Friday night was similarly slow. I spent so many lonely hours struggling to write my speech and staring at grainy trail cam footage. Maybe I was going a little crazy from my self-imposed isolation, but I kept thinking I saw something moving in the background of Site D.
Last night was when everything went to hell. The slab of meat had been so thoroughly ravaged by flies that I swapped it out for a new one on Saturday evening. Then, I returned to my room to wait. At 3 in the morning, long after my grandparents had gone to sleep, something in the Site C camera caught my eye. Movement in the brush. Depressions in the grass, so slight I never would've seen them if I wasn't looking for them. I held my breath …
And then the bear trap snapped shut.
I stood up from my desk, ecstatic that I'd finally caught my prey and terrified that I'd finally have to confront it. With shaking hands, I quickly tied my shoes and fitted a headlamp over my forehead. As I prepared to leave, the bear trap thrashed around on my screen, presumably as whatever entity it held fought for escape. The last thing I grabbed before I jogged into the night was my granddad's rifle from his gun safe.
Once outside, I made my way towards the bottom of the hill. The weight of the gun in my hand gave me some reassurance as I descended, but I was still more scared than I'd like to admit. Eventually, I drew close enough to the trap to hear the clink of the metal chain. I clicked on my headlamp to see what I'd caught.
There was a woman sitting on the ground, her back towards me. Her hair was blonde, her frame was thin, and she wore a black dress similar to the one I'd seen on the woman outside of Sundae Central. The sight of that dress made my heart sink—instantly, I knew that I was dealing with more than one enemy.
The woman turned around to look at the source of the light, and as she did so, she released her leg. She'd been holding her trapped foot up to her mouth with both hands, and from the look of the gaping wound below her calf, she'd been trying to bite through her leg to free herself. The sight of all that gore made me sick to my stomach. When she saw me, she rose to her feet, though how she could possibly stand in such a state I couldn't fathom.
I pointed the rifle at her. Her lips and chin were completely stained with blood, but I could get a good look at the rest of her face—at her reddish-brown eyes and straight nose, at her freckles and pale skin. Unlike the dark haired woman I'd seen before Liam's death, this woman seemed more corporeal. There was none of the dizzying, distorted effect I'd gotten from looking at the other woman for too long. This woman also seemed younger. She shouldn't possibly have been older than 25.
"What are you?" I asked. She didn't respond, nor did she move at all. Blood dripped off of her chin and pooled on the forest floor beneath her.
"What are you doing in my town?" No response but an unblinking stare and an apathetic expression. I asked her a few more questions, though what exactly I said I can't remember, before finally asking her about Liam.
"My best friend was murdered two weeks ago, for no reason at all. Did you kill him? Did your friend?"
At that, the woman lowered her gaze. Her lips parted, revealing two sets of teeth—a row of normal, human teeth in front, and a row of jagged, shark-like teeth behind them.
"I didn't kill him, but I'm sorry he had to die." Her voice was surprisingly soft, but her words were difficult to make out. It seemed difficult, almost painful, to talk around so many teeth.
"What do you mean 'had to die'?"
"He interfered. He saw too much. And now so have you." Her tone carried no malice and her expression looked almost remorseful. I kept the rifle trained on her, but I took a few steps forward, studying her face. I noticed that she had two beauty marks, one under her left eye and one above her left eyebrow. The weird thing is, I'm pretty sure I've seen a girl with those exact birthmarks before. In fact, the longer I looked at her the more familiar she seemed, but I couldn't for the life of me put my finger on where I'd seen her before.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" I asked her, and she looked surprised.
"I don't …" She started, and then trailed off. She turned away from me, peering intently into the dark woods. I heard something faint, like boughs snapping in the distance, and a familiar feeling settled in my gut. I felt like I was back in the car outside Sundae Central, face to face with the thing that would eventually kill my best friend. Whatever I'd seen that night, I got the sense that it was approaching.
The blonde woman looked back towards me. "You should go," she said, and I didn't have to be told twice. I took one last look at her, trying to take in every detail of her face, and then I turned around and ran for my house.
By the time I was halfway up the hill, I was certain that I was being followed. I could feel a presence behind me, yet I heard no one: no heavy breathing, no snapping of twigs underfoot. Figuring that I couldn't hear my pursuer because they were too far behind me, I risked a glance backwards and failed to stop the scream that escaped me.
Less than five feet behind me was the dark haired woman I'd seen outside the ice cream shop. I have no idea how she got so close behind me without making a sound. Though I only caught the briefest glimpse of her face, I saw that her lips were torn at the corners, allowing her to open her mouth unnaturally wide. Like the blonde girl I'd spoken to, this woman's mouth was cluttered with a double-row of jagged teeth. Figuring I could run faster without my rifle, I threw my it at the woman and put everything I could into that final sprint towards my house.
I didn't stop or look behind me until I was inside with the door shut and locked. I couldn't believe I'd made it in one piece. Hurrying to the back window, I looked out across the backyard and saw, at the very edge of the property, the faint shape of the dark-haired woman. She was perfectly still, staring in the direction of the greenhouse, though at what exactly I'm still not sure. After a few minutes, she turned around and disappeared past the treeline. Her long, black dress swayed around her ankles and made her look like she was floating instead of walking on two feet.
The recording from Site C ended abruptly after I left the scene. When I returned to the scene in the daylight this morning, I found the camera in pieces at the base of the tree it was once hanging on. I also found that the bear trap itself was nowhere in sight. The chain I had used to tie it to a nearby tree was now connected to nothing, leaving me to wonder if the dark-haired woman bit clean through the metal links in order to free her friend.
It's Sunday now, and while I'm in desperate need of some sleep, I wanted to make sure I wrote everything down before I forgot all the details. Though I've learned a lot from my experiment, every new revelation has resulted in more questions. I know that I'm dealing with more than one creature, but I don't know what they are or what they want. I know that Liam was killed for "interfering", but with what exactly I have no clue. The blonde woman's face is still fresh in my mind; maybe I should draw a sketch or something before I go to sleep. She seems so very familiar, and I feel like if I figure out where I've seen her before, I might be one step closer to unraveling this whole fucked-up mystery. I also finally got cleared to visit Fred this week, so hopefully he'll shed some light on what we're dealing with.
Until then, I just have to pray that no sharp-toothed women kill me in my sleep for "seeing too much." I hate that they know where I live now, and that I have no clue how many of them there are. Whatever the case, I'm going to do my best to get to the bottom of it, and try to keep you all updated as I do.
Wish me luck.

Hi Everyone - I bought a new construction townhome two years ago and before the 1 year warranty mark, I sent a long list of everything that needs to be fixed. Since I sent written proof before the 1 year warranty date, the builders are obligated to fix everything on that list.
Eventually they fixed a lot on the list; however, there is one big issue that they haven't fixed and refuse to find a professional to fix it (using a fix all contractor right now). My first floor had several bubbles (wood flexing up and down when stepped on) and the concrete below it was not leveled. This is engineered hard wood and they are designed to be installed as floating floors due to the concrete.
Context (will keep dates as years but I am within the warranty):
Mid 2022: Bought home
Early 2023: Reported that the 1st floor is uneven
Early 2024: One year later, removed the floor and found that the concrete was not even (this is when I started not having any flooring in my first floor, just concrete)

• 21 days: Re-leveled the floor with concrete (I have video of this)
• 24 days: Re-installed the hardwood floor improperly, created even more soft spots, didn't follow the manual(I have video of this)
• 36 days: They inspected and said to wait a couple of days and keep the room warm so that the wood becomes straight..
• 39 days: Re inspected again and the same soft sports exists, I told them that I want this to be redone
• 46 days: Contractor was supposed to come but it was cancelled last minute
• 65 days: Contractor and Builders was supposed to come but it was cancelled last minute again
• 74 days: Finally, Contractors and builder leadership came to inspect the flooring situation and they agreed that the concrete was not leveled still and that this needs to be redone. New engineered wood was ordered (2nd time)
• 91 days: New floors arrived at house to begin acclimation
• 97 days: Found out the floors are not straight again and can't be used to install the new flooring
• 104 days: Builder and contractors came to house again to assess the situation and decided to order new flooring again (3rd time)...

It has been 104+ days since they started this whole floor removal/installation and I have had not been able to use my first floor and garage ever since (garage is full of flooring material). Leadership refuses to acknowledge my concerns, worry, and inconveniences (personal, work) that this has caused and will continue to cause. I am just wondering if there are any legal actions that I can pursue?
Ultimately, this has caused a lot of inconveniences for my family and the fact that I can't even use 1/3 of the house that I have purchased 2 years ago is crazy to me.
I have submitted BBB complaints and State AG complaints and nothing has made the builders move faster.
Looking for any advice. Thank you!

Gold = $2,292.60/oz. & Silver = $29.13
Proof: https://imgur.com/a/ujlYaWa
All items are in are in excellent pre-owned condition and have been tested for authenticity. Most have been cleaned using an ultrasonic device. Additional photos or measurements are available on request.
Rings can be sized up or down two sizes for a flat $35 fee. Extenders for necklaces are available at my cost.
Shipping: $5 GA / $8 Priority. Insurance & international shipping are available at the buyer's expense. Orders over $175 ship free!
Payment: Venmo, CashApp, PPFF, PPGS (+3% fee), Venmo, Zelle
**All prices are negotiable and items are open to reasonable offers. I offer bundle discounts as well!**
THE GOODS (THE NUMBERS ARE A LIST, NOT A QUANTITY AVAILABLE):
**Clearance Jewelry**
(1) 24k 23'' Pure Gold Chain (37.29 grams) = $2,800 (https://imgur.com/a/8wmiDRN)
(2) 10k Emerald & Diamond Pendant (2.16 grams) = $60 (https://imgur.com/a/emPjVap)
**Gold Jewelry**
(3) 14k Byzantine Yellow Gold Band (6.66 grams & Size 10) = $340 (https://imgur.com/a/SjEQDIA)
(4) 14k ICED-OUT (Baguette + Round Natural Diamonds) White Gold Ring (11.88 grams & Size 8.75) = $625 (https://imgur.com/a/uEgkQ2k)
(5) 14k Natural Baguette Diamonds White Gold Band (3.98 grams & Size 9) = $235 (https://imgur.com/a/W53KSMp)
(6) 10k Baguette Diamonds White Gold Heart Pendant (1.97 grams) = $65 (https://imgur.com/a/Jghjffv)
(7) 10k Baguette Diamonds Yellow Gold Heart Pendant (1.70 grams) = $55 (https://imgur.com/a/SLChYVy)
(8) 14k Diamond Stacker Rings White & Rose Gold (4.52 grams & Size 6.5) = $265 (https://imgur.com/a/WynyKmi)
(9) 14k Amethyst & Diamond Tennis Bracelet (8.72 grams & 7'' Length) = $495 (https://imgur.com/a/R04SNMd)
(10) 10k Yellow Gold Men's Band (2.14 grams & Size 10) = $80 (https://imgur.com/a/cOOAFaa)
**Sterling Silver Jewelry**
(11) Sorrento Intricate Three Stone Faceted Hematite Bracelet (10.44 grams & 6.75'' Length) = $20 (https://imgur.com/a/bLGyGs1)
(12) Milor Italy Two-Tone Bracelet (16.31 grams & 6.5'' Length) = $25 (https://imgur.com/a/MGSMSqN)
(13) 24'' Southwest Style Crucifix (Turquoise, Sterling, Black Wood) = $23 (https://imgur.com/a/Nhqtzwu)
(14) Designer Heng Ngai Hugs & Kisses Tennis Bracelet with 0.20 Carats of Natural Diamonds (37.91 grams & 7.25 Length'') = $70 (https://imgur.com/a/6kTTsqR)
(15) AGI Italy Snake Chain (11.96 grams & 18'' Length) - $21 (https://imgur.com/a/CFWGJk7)
(16) Fancy Link Necklace (20.46 grams & 15.75'' Length) - $37.50 (https://imgur.com/a/87WLC9t)
(17) U.S. Army Ring, Set With Red Stone (19.22 grams & Size 11) - $30 (https://imgur.com/a/KsAEdqH)
(18) Gorgeous + Solid Handmade Peruvian Cuban-Link Cuban Bracelet (28.04 grams & 7'' Length) - $58 (https://imgur.com/a/wPF0ghF)
(19) Italy-Made Mariner Link Necklace With New Clasp (16.98 grams & 20'' Length) - $34 (https://imgur.com/a/rJA9kfL)
(20) Italy-Made Omega Link Necklace (13.40 grams & 15.5'' Length) - $26 (https://imgur.com/a/43Z24lk)
**Assorted Sterling Items**
(21) Steiff Sterling Decanter Label "Sherry" (10.20 grams) = $24 (https://imgur.com/a/QSoZBV2)
(22) Vintage Joan of Arc Medal (9.06 grams) = $25 (https://imgur.com/a/nxvCYsj)
(23) Heavyweight Sterling Money Clip (21.03 grams) - $35 (engraving can be removed + polished for $20) (https://imgur.com/a/n9jjZPA)
**Sterling**
(24) 2 Sterling Porringers (172.37 grams) - $140 Shipped ($10 under melt!) (https://imgur.com/a/uKOGVGs)
**Bullion**
(25) RMC 10 Oz. Bar - $290 (UNDER MELT) (https://imgur.com/a/rrbfzkg) [PENDING]
(26) Sunshine Mint 1 Oz. Bar - $29 (UNDER MELT) (https://imgur.com/a/ccDshqd) [PENDING]

Help Us Understand the Benefits of Meditation: Take Our Survey!
We are students of the Higher School of Naturopathy. We are preparing a thesis on the "Impact of Meditative Practices on Quality of Our Life." We kindly ask you to complete this survey, which aims to gather opinions on the impact of meditation on quality of life. Your responses are extremely valuable for our research.
We are posting the link to the anonymous survey here:
https://forms.gle/kSFJUXJnzCsXVgGy6
We assure you that all responses are anonymous and will be used solely for scientific purposes related to our thesis. We kindly request honest and accurate responses to the questions in the questionnaire.
Instructions for completing the questionnaire: Please mark the answers that best reflect your experiences and opinions. For open-ended questions, please provide your response in the designated space.