By David North
On April 25, 2024, Bogdan Syrotiuk, the 25-year-old leader of the Young Guard of Bolshevik-Leninists (the YGBL), a socialist-Trotskyist organization active in Ukraine, Russia and throughout the former USSR, was arrested by the notorious state security service of the fascistic Zelensky regime, the SBU. Bogdan is being held in atrocious conditions in a high security prison in the city of Nikolaev (Mykolaiv), which is located in southern Ukraine.
The International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), the world Trotskyist movement with which the YGBL is politically affiliated, has finally obtained the actual documents in which the SBU presents its charges against Bogdan Syrotiuk. These documents, which form the basis of his detention, make absolutely clear that Bogdan is the victim of a monstrous state frame-up. The allegations concocted by the SBU are a crude combination of lies, obvious fabrications, and political absurdities.
Moreover, the documents submitted by the SBU are directed not only against Bogdan. They are nothing less than a declaration of war against all left-wing and socialist opposition to the Zelensky regime and, specifically, the International Committee of the Fourth International and its public organ, the World Socialist Web Site.
The central allegation leveled against Bogdan Syrotiuk is that he is guilty of high treason. The basis of this charge is that Bogdan has been for the past two years “engaged in the preparation of publications commissioned by representatives of a Russian propaganda and information agency, the World Socialist Web Site” [emphasis added.]
The World Socialist Web Site is denounced as an instrument of “an active information war against Ukraine” being waged by Russia, which

uses the so-called “left-wing” propagandists and their information platforms (websites, media and social platforms) to discredit the support of Ukraine by international partners, justify Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine, accusing Western countries of creating conditions under which Russia was forced to launch the so-called special military operation, fomenting wars in Ukraine by providing it with weapons, etc. As a result, they are used by Russia to systematically convey pro-Kremlin narratives to the population of Ukraine and Ukraine’s allied countries…
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the World Socialist Web Site “WSWS” has regularly published articles in various languages aimed at discrediting Ukraine and representatives of governments around the world for assisting Ukraine in its fight against the aggressor state.

The ICFI’s opposition to the US-NATO war in Ukraine is an essential element of its political program, deeply rooted in the socialist and internationalist principles of the Trotskyist movement. The attempt of the Ukrainian regime to portray this opposition as an instrument of Putin’s propaganda network is as viciously mendacious as it is politically absurd. The intransigent opposition of the International Committee of the Fourth International to the Putin regime—which emerged as a consequence of the Stalinist bureaucracy’s final betrayal of socialism and the restoration of capitalism in the former USSR—is a fundamental political fact that is substantiated not only in written texts numbering in the hundreds, but also in the exhaustively documented activity of the Trotskyist movement spanning decades.
True to its fascist character, the Ukrainian regime is operating on the basis of the well-known precept of Hitler and his propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels: “The bigger the lie, the more readily it will be believed.”
In this particular case, the Zelensky regime seems to believe that the scale of the SBU lies are of such a magnitude that they will simply overwhelm the thinking public. It thus expects that public opinion will accept that the Putin regime is directing the work of the WSWS, which the SBU indictment describes as

an online publication of the world Trotskyist movement, the International Committee of the Fourth International and its affiliated sections in the Socialist Equality Parties around the world, which covers the main socio-political problems around the world from the position of revolutionary opposition to the capitalist market system, with the aim of establishing world socialism through socialist revolution.

At no point does the SBU attempt to explain the contradiction that wrecks its case against Bogdan, i.e., that the political principles that he upholds as a socialist and internationalist opponent of wars waged by the capitalist ruling class are irreconcilably hostile to the policies of the Putin regime, including its invasion of Ukraine.
It attempts to evade the contradiction by simply lying. The indictment claims that Bogdan’s activities, “acting on the instructions of a representative of the World Socialist Web Site,” consisted of “supporting and justifying the conduct of the Russian aggressive war on the territory of Ukraine…”
Every word is a lie. The opposition of the ICFI, its affiliated organizations, and the WSWS to the Russian invasion, in line with its hostility to the Putin regime, is a political fact that is documented in hundreds of articles that have been posted since the first day of the invasion.
On February 24, 2022, the day of the Russian invasion, the ICFI posted a statement on the WSWS titled: “Oppose the Putin government’s invasion of Ukraine and US-NATO warmongering! For the unity of Russian and Ukrainian workers!” It began:

The International Committee of the Fourth International and the World Socialist Web Site denounce the Russian military intervention in Ukraine. Despite the provocations and threats by the US and NATO powers, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine must be opposed by socialists and class-conscious workers. The catastrophe that was set in motion by the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 cannot be averted on the basis of Russian nationalism, a thoroughly reactionary ideology that serves the interests of the capitalist ruling class represented by Vladimir Putin.
What is required is not a return to the pre-1917 foreign policy of tsarism, but, rather, a revival, in Russia and throughout the world, of the socialist internationalism that inspired the October Revolution of 1917 and led to the creation of the Soviet Union as a workers state. The invasion of Ukraine, whatever the justifications given by the Putin regime, will serve only to divide the Russian and Ukrainian working class and, moreover, serve the interests of US and European imperialism.
In the two major statements that he has made during the past week, Putin has justified his actions by enumerating the provocations and crimes of the United States. There is, no question, much that is factually true in his denunciation of Washington’s hypocrisy. But the viciously anti-communist and xenophobic ideology that he invokes and the interests that he claims to be defending are thoroughly reactionary and incapable of appealing to the broad mass of the working class in Russia, let alone in Ukraine and throughout the world. A substantial section of the working class in Russia and Ukraine will be repelled by the cynicism of Putin’s glorification of the heroic struggle waged by the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany in World War II while denouncing the October Revolution and the existence of the USSR as a multi-national state.

The ICFI insisted that the socialist opposition to imperialism was incompatible with any form of national chauvinism, and, therefore, rejected all the justifications given by the Putin regime and its apologists for the invasion. Their invocation of “national defense” could not be accepted by socialists. The defeat of imperialism and its overthrow was possible only through the revolutionary struggle of the international working class. The ICFI statement cited the words of Trotsky: “Not to bind itself to the national state in time of war, to follow not the war map but the map of the class struggle, is possible only for that party that has already declared irreconcilable war on the national state in time of peace.”
The ICFI called “for an immediate end to the war,” and explained: “In opposing the invasion of Ukraine, we denounce the policies of US/NATO imperialism, whose claims to be defending democracy and human rights are blood-drenched with hypocrisy.”
This political declaration elaborated the principles and policy that have guided the work of the ICFI and WSWS since the war began.
On February 26, 2022 the International Committee held an international webinar, in which its opposition to the war was emphatically advanced. Among the speakers, in addition to myself, were Nick Beams, a longtime leader of the International Committee’s Australian section, Johannes Stern, a leader of the ICFI in Germany, Thomas Scripps, a leading member of the ICFI’s section in Britain, Joseph Kishore, the national secretary of the Socialist Equality Party in the United States, and Evan Blake, another leading member of the SEP (US).
The ICFI has never wavered from the principled opposition to the policies of NATO and Russia that it advanced in the first days of the war.
The relationship between the ICFI and the comrades of the YGBL coincided almost exactly with the outbreak of the war. They were attracted to the ICFI precisely because of its opposition to both the war and the national chauvinism of the Russian and Ukrainian regimes.
The SBU indictment charges that the World Socialist Web Site assigned to Bogdan “the task of preparing, writing, editing and publishing … both on the WSWS website and other communist-oriented media, articles, publications, comments, etc. aimed at spreading pro-Russian narratives related to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, to which [Bogdan Syrotiuk] gave his voluntary consent.”
In support of this claim, the SBU references a YGBL statement titled, “For the organization of an international movement of workers and young people against war!” It claims that this document, posted on the World Socialist Web Site on October 12, 2022, includes “fragments, statements, sentences and phrases… which contain justification of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, which began in 2014…”
The actual document clearly exposes this claim to be a lie. There is not a single sentence in the YGBL declaration that indicates support for the invasion of Ukraine. The SBU cites selectively from the document, including passages only from numbered paragraphs 4, 7, 8, 10 and 13. Paragraphs 4 through 8—the SBU interrupts the continuity of the YGBL’s analysis by leaving out paragraphs 5 and 6—provide a concise Marxist explanation of the objective capitalist crisis and political aims that underlay the instigation of the war by the United States and its NATO allies. They state:

1. The new world order that the United States wants to establish looks like this very possible picture: Russia and China are to be subordinated to imperialism and divided, if that is necessary to maintain direct control over their natural, industrial-technological and human resources.
   
2. The European imperialist powers support the United States for their own place in the new redivision of the world. At the same time, European imperialism, while placed on rations by the United States, sees a way out of its economic and geopolitical predicament only in a redivision of the world in which it can regain its former greatness.
   
3. Japan, South Korea and Australia support the US only as much as it suits their interests in the struggle against China in the Pacific region. These countries will support the US as long as it allows them to compete with China. The process of dividing spheres of influence will revive the contradictions between the Pacific capitalist powers, which are as much in limbo as Europe.
   
4. The crisis of 2008 revived class struggles around the world. The Arab Spring of the early 2010s is vivid evidence of this revival. It forced US and European imperialism to take more decisive measures. In 2014, they supported a coup d'état in Ukraine. Through this coup, the US was able to create all the conditions to build a bridgehead in a future war against Russia.
   
5. The Covid-19 pandemic that erupted in 2020 exacerbated the contradictions of capitalism and was the trigger for a more rapid expansion of US imperialism in preparation for war against Russia and China. The US embarked on a more provocative path of abandoning the “one-China” policy, and increasing its support for Ukraine, as expressed in the NATO summit in August 2021, which supported Zelensky’s “Crimean platform.”
   

Significantly, the SBU leaves out paragraph 9 of the YGBL declaration, which presents a scathing indictment of the Putin regime. That paragraph reads:

The reactionary regime of Vladimir Putin emerged from the treacherous dissolution of the Soviet Union by the Stalinist bureaucracy and the restoration of capitalism. The policies of Putin, in the final analysis, are aimed at safeguarding the wealth of the post-Soviet oligarchy against the pressure of Western imperialism from above and, even more critically, against the movement of the Russian working class from below.

The SBU does cite paragraph 10, which continues the critique of the Putin regime, stating:

Within this geopolitical and social context, Putin’s adventurist invasion of Ukraine on February 24 was the Russian oligarchy’s response to NATO’s relentless expansion to the east. The Putin regime’s main objective was to achieve through the pressure of its “Special Operation” a new round of talks with the US-NATO, since the last round ended up crossing “red lines” on the part of the US-NATO, which caused Putin’s invasion [emphasis added].

The characterization of Putin’s invasion as “adventurist” is in no way compatible with what the SBU claims to be a “pro-Russian narrative.” Obviously recognizing the fragility of its attempt to portray the YGBL statement as pro-Putin propaganda, the SBU decided against further citations from the document, leaving out the YGBL’s development of its denunciation of Putin’s policies in paragraphs 11 and 12, which assert:

1. The Russian bourgeoisie’s desire for an “equal partnership” with the West was one of the most utopian delusions. This delusion, historically derived from Stalin’s policy of “Popular Fronts” and then “peaceful coexistence,” developed among the fledgling class of Russian capitalists in the 1990s.
   
2. The Putin regime has not gotten rid of this utopian delusion. Its whole policy has been to maneuver and seek compromise with the West, with whom the Russian oligarchy wanted to be “on equal footing.” Except that Western imperialism, with its conquering ambitions for Russia, did not care about these conciliatory tones of Putin’s regime.
   

The SBU also chose not to cite paragraph 17 of the YGBL statement, which declares:

The course of the war after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine increasingly emphasizes the reactionary nature of this invasion. While claiming to be fighting for the independence of the Russian people from the threat of Western imperialism, Putin is in fact only defending the independence of the Russian oligarchy to exploit the Russian working class and the country’s raw material wealth.

Paragraph 18, which is also left uncited, further demolishes the SBU’s indictment of Bogdan, the YGBL and the WSWS as instruments of Russian propaganda. The paragraph asserts that

the Putin regime has no way out of the current crisis for Russian society. It will not have such a way out in the future. All of the military and political activities of the Putin regime will only contribute to the escalation of Western imperialism and the deterioration of conditions for the Russian, Ukrainian and international working class.

The SBU also failed to cite paragraphs 19 and 20, which presciently warned of the catastrophe to which the war could lead.

1. The prospects for the present war, when thought within the framework of the capitalist system, are very bleak. First, this war will take on a long-term character and will not only be fought between Ukraine and Russia. It is the first step in inflaming the world situation to the point that the threat of a third world war is simply inevitable. All countries of the world will take part in the future war.
   
2. Secondly, the nature of the war will be determined by the policies of the ruling classes, which now stand on a blatantly anti-human position. The ruling classes are recklessly moving toward the use of nuclear weapons in the conflict, thereby creating the real possibility of a nuclear Armageddon. The specter of planetary destruction arises from the insane policies of imperialist and capitalist governments. The recklessness of the ruling capitalist elite compels young people to ask whether they will be allowed any future at all.
   

The SBU specifically cites this document as proof of Bogdan Syrotiuk’s treasonable activity. But the text of this document conclusively refutes the charge that Bogdan and the YGBL are advancing a pro-Putin narrative.
Moreover, and most decisive, the Ukrainian regime does not present a scintilla of evidence to substantiate its absurd and lying claim that the World Socialist Web Site is a “Russian propaganda and information agency.” With this filthy slander, the Zelensky regime betrays—notwithstanding the ongoing war with Russia—the lingering influence of Stalinism’s rabid hatred of Trotskyism. As in Russia, the transfer of power in Ukraine from Stalinist bureaucrats to capitalist oligarchs has not required any change in the methodology of the political police. The same techniques of fabrication and slander, utilized by the Stalinist regime against Trotskyists in the era of the Moscow Trials and the terror of 1936-39, remain operative in Kiev.
Bogdan Syrotiuk stands accused of treason and faces the threat of a life-long prison term that is the equivalent of a death sentence. But the allegations against Bogdan are based entirely on articles and speeches he has posted on the World Socialist Web Site, in which he has declared his opposition, as a socialist internationalist, to the capitalist regimes of Zelensky and Putin and the ongoing war that has cost hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian and Russian lives.
The SBU indicts Bogdan for advancing in his speeches and writings posted on the World Socialist Web Site “which are accessible to everyone in the world, including citizens of Ukraine” information that exposes the reactionary character of the Ukrainian regime and the war.
The SBU declares that Bogdan’s “criminal actions were stopped only with the intervention of a law enforcement agency.” What a devastating self-exposure of the claims that the US-NATO proxy war is being waged to defend democracy in Ukraine.
The reality is that Ukraine is a fascistic dictatorship, which applies police methods to stop the expression of popular opposition to the policies that have brought untold suffering and death to the people.
The arrest of Bogdan Syrotiuk comes precisely at a point of mounting popular opposition to the Zelensky regime. On May 18, a new and vastly unpopular mobilization law that will vastly expand the recruitment dragnet of Ukrainian military goes into effect. Even the New York Times has expressed doubts about Zelensky’s ability “to find new troops to relieve a weary, often demoralized force.”
In an article posted on the World Socialist Web Site on April 30, Maxim Goldarb, a Ukrainian socialist who has been persecuted by the Zelensky regime, reported: “More and more Ukrainian men are desperately trying to flee the country, unwilling to die for someone else’s selfish purposes.”
He added:

It is not the rich minority, but the poor majority—the unemployed, workers, peasants, teachers, doctors, office workers—that will be sent into the bloody meat grinder. Now, with the adoption of the new law, the number of men deprived of basic human rights, who will be captured and hunted down like animals and sent to the front, will increase many times over.
The profits of those who benefit from this war will also increase many times over … These huge profits will be divided up between the military-industrial complex, its lobbyists in the American and European establishment, and the Ukrainian oligarchic top brass.

Bogdan Syrotiuk’s life is in danger. In the environment of terror that exists within Ukraine, he is deprived of all means to defend himself. Efforts to obtain competent legal representation have been undermined by government threats against defense lawyers. No less than five attorneys have declined to represent Bogdan because to do so would expose them to significant physical danger.
The significance of the fight to defend Bogdan and secure his freedom extends beyond Ukraine. His incarceration is yet another example of the growing international assault on democratic rights as imperialism escalates its military operations throughout the world. The political conspiracy to destroy Julian Assange set into motion a process that is replicated throughout the world.
Those who oppose and expose the crimes of the imperialist regimes are targeted for persecution by the state. The assault on basic democratic rights—first and foremost, freedom of thought and speech—is always justified on the basis of lies.
The opponents of Israel’s genocidal war against Gazans are denounced as anti-Semites, even when the protesters are Jewish. In the denunciation of Bogdan Syrotiuk as an agent of Russia for opposing the proxy war in Ukraine, the same lying method is at work.
The real reason for the arrest and persecution of Bogdan Syrotiuk is that he is fighting for the unity of the Ukrainian, Russian and international working class against the ruling capitalist elites of all countries. As Comrade Andrei Ritsky of the Russian branch of the Young Guard of Bolshevik Leninists explained so eloquently in a speech delivered at the May Day 2024 celebration held by the International Committee:

The only “crime” that Bogdan committed was his conviction that Ukraine can become truly free only through the independent struggle of the Ukrainian working class, acting together with the international working class against imperialism and war. He advanced a principled political position based on a Marxist understanding of the war, opposed to the fanatical worship of Ukrainian nationalism as well as the reactionary Russian nationalism of the Putin regime. Like our entire movement, he has fought for the unification of workers in Russia and Ukraine with the workers in the imperialist countries, to put an end to a fratricidal war that has claimed the lives of at least half a million Ukrainians and tens of thousands of Russians.

He concluded his remarks with a declaration of the fundamental perspective that underlies the work of the Fourth International:

No bourgeois regime is capable of resolving the crisis other than through war and destruction, because any other way would be contrary to its fundamental capitalist interests. The contradictions of capitalism cannot be resolved within national borders and on the basis of a defense of private property. Only the international working class armed with the program of world socialist revolution will be able to put an end to the wars and resolve the fundamental crisis. To do so, however, it must fight for its unity with its brothers and sisters around the world.

The International Committee of the Fourth International calls for a global campaign to demand the immediate release of Bogdan Syrotiuk from prison. The fight for Bogdan’s freedom must be taken up by workers, students and all those who are committed to the defense of democratic rights and opposed to the escalation of imperialist wars that, unless stopped, threaten humanity with a nuclear catastrophe.
Join the fight to Free Bogdan. Circulate this statement as widely as possible on social media. Bring this case to the attention of co-workers, fellow students, and friends. To sign a petition demanding Bogdan’s release, contribute funds toward the defense campaign, and become personally active in the fight for his freedom, go to wsws.org/freebogdan.

A magus cannot rest, even in the rain.
The barrage hammering his umbrella only distracted him for a moment from the bitter cold that misted his breath. Around him, the decent people of the world took shelter, seeking the warmth of cafes and restaurants until the worst of the deluge passed. Those unlucky enough to be stuck outside huddled beneath umbrellas, newspapers, or a hood. But even in the heated stores and restaurants, fear reigned. People stole nervous glances up from their phones, scanning the streets for a quick moment before looking back down. They hugged their coats tight; parents gripped their children’s hands to keep them from running into some alley they would never return from. There was no question: something besides rain weighed on the city. This wave of “incidents'' had claimed multiple lives and left the police at a loss. But who could blame them? The duty of resolving these incidents lay on the master's clan. The Ritual required the blood of heroes, not of innocents, and he would not allow such to be spilled on his watch.
“This way, Master,” his Servant murmured. She walked a little ahead of him, hidden beneath a heavy yellow raincoat. It had taken some convincing to get her to conceal herself; she refused to shed her armor even in public… which meant that people would be taking pictures wherever they went. The coat, at least, would hide this stranger from the eyes of ordinary people. What it could not hide – even from the back – was the aura of raw determination that radiated from her. He could imagine her face on the other side: a strict, cold stare that withered injustice at a glance.
He gave a soft murmur of approval before following her away from the main thoroughfares, toward the docks and warehouses that dominated the coast. The dock district was the epicenter of the “incidents” – and no surprise. Dark, oppressive, and cramped, this urban snarl promised a well-hidden warren for vermin to hide in, as well as an excellent hunting ground. Drunk sailors and longshoremen made easy prey, to say nothing of the odd out of towner who got lost around here. They all had been devoured for mana. To involve sleepwalkers in the matters of magi violated all principles of honor and decency, and to him fell the duty of executing the culprit.
Thus, they walked onto the predator’s turf. Their logic was simple: the fastest way to deal with an ambush is to spring it. A stalking predator only emerges from the underbrush when it thinks it has the upper hand. The question then, is whether they had prepared enough to compensate for this home-field advantage. Crossing into the maze, though, the young Master wondered whether any plan would be enough. It was almost pitch black beneath the thick rainclouds; shining signs and windows cast thin lines of light along the alleyways and roads, glinting on the water choking storm drains. There could be anything hiding in these blind alleys and derelict buildings; each one could hide a coiled serpent. The damp air felt thick enough to chew.
A moment later he walked right into his servant’s back. She’d drawn up short, dropping into a martial posture.
“Close?” he murmured.
“Very.”
The scent of the enemy led them to a dark back alley. A pile of garbage in a rusted dumpster decomposed beneath a rat king's tangle of wires above, a snarled mess that – in theory – powered this building as well as several others by stealing power and internet. The Master stole a glimpse over his shoulder at the road beyond the alley's mouth. Still save the rain. When he glanced back, a pulse of mana turned his servant's blade red hot; it melted through the padlock with one clean slice. As the chain splashed to the ground, hissing in a puddle, she edged the warehouse's door open with raised sword. As they entered the offices in the back of the warehouse, the smell hit him: sickly sweet, nauseating. Mana. The predator lurked nearby. They had reached its den.
As they walked through the rear offices, the miasma only grew thicker. Lights were off, and while his Servant could see with her reinforced senses, he could only make out shapes in the murk, broken up by the occasional beam of neon light cutting through a window. The long linoleum floor stretched out forever between rows of mold-gnawed cubicles. Sweat beaded on his brow. Every footstep sounded like a thunderclap in the cavernous silence. As the offices ended, they faced another door – this one leading out onto the floor. Here, the fog of disease grew thickest. His servant shared a momentary glance with him before she eased it open.
The creak of the unoiled hinge was like a scream. His blood ran cold.
He had heard that a certain magus had arrived in the city to participate in the Rite of the Holy Grail. They called him the Mycoidist: his research had given him mastery of a parasitic fungus that would seize control of its victim, leaving them an empty husk he alone controlled. Now he saw that grizzly work firsthand: cordyceps-infested victims glistening with sporelike structures. Nothing human remained of them: they ambled around the room, obeying their master like machines. It was, perversely, the ideal magic for the Ritual: they had no need of their souls, so the Servant could feed on them with impunity, leaving empty husks for the master to use. The young magus murmured a few words to increase the weight of the invisible spores around him, dragging them to the ground; they would not reach his lungs. His servant had her own defenses –
Not that she would tolerate such injustice for long.
She sprung forward, blade flashing through the air. The cordyceps rushed forward to meet her, giving a gutteral, abhuman howls that echoed in the rafters. The master raised his hand, crest on the back of his hand shining a brilliant blue-green in the low light. In answer to his incantation, several metal pipes ripped themselves out of the wall. It felt like a crude use for ten centuries of his family's research into magecraft, but undeniably gravity had many applications. For example: turning rebar into javelins flying at eighty miles an hour. True enough that the fungal horrors did not die easily, but each spear would stake one to the nearest surface, leaving them trapped. They had almost cleared the room when –
“MASTER!” she snapped . He barely had time to react before she shoved him aside, throwing him to the ground with a soft grunt. A split second later, the enemy Servant's blade split the air where he’d stood. A clash of steel, a burst of sparks: his partner deflected the strike sending her opponent flying away. “Stay close, master. I cannot guarantee your–”
He couldn’t sense an Assassin’s aura – no mortal could. But he didn’t need to, not one he had spotted a softer target. For a split second, his crest pulsed as he reduced the hold of gravity on his body. For all those around them, it looked like an impossible burst of speed as he headed for the front exit. “Keep him off my back! I’ll hunt his master.”
His servant had no time to answer before Assassin erupted from the shadow, poisoned dagger whistling through the air. As the servants fought a hypersonic duel behind him, he followed the faint presence of the heretic through the open cargo bay doors, bursting back out into the rain. Dozens of infected longshoremen wandered there, the spores even growing on a stacked labyrinth of crates. The Mycoidist leapt up onto a nearby crane, one foot planted high on the metal beams.
“Well, well. You seek the hunter in his den!” His raspy voice betrayed decades of self-serving evil. “I can’t begrudge you your courage, but… how does the old saying go… discretion is the better part of valor?”
The cordyceps froze, only to turn on the young master in unison. Must be two dozen, at least. This horror explained the disappearances at least – each one was a human being, a living person that the master had failed to protect.
His teeth ground. “You’re a madman who’s betrayed every principle of a Mage's honor, to say nothing of your humanity. Spare me your advice."
“Such righteousness…! Your family’s legacy is famous but… I’m afraid… it ends here, with you. You and your crest will be put to work in my service, oh magus of gravity, but… my, my, what is this?”
All around the young master, that spectral blue-green light shined like a vicious halo. He seized any projectile he could: the metal of a torn-out downspout from a nearby building, pipes ripped from the ground and walls, the metal prods from a forklift. At its full potential, his sorcery could control dozens of objects.
“This land is the grave of countless mages,” the young master hissed. “Time for you to join them.”
The steel hail fell.
I hope you enjoyed this (rather long) introduction – and to be clear, it’s more a tone piece than a starter. (Though, if you wish to build on those characters/that situation, I don’t mind!)
The classic Fate/stay night games and shows have always been favorites of mine. It’s simply one of the greatest weeb high concepts ever: seven modern mages summon seven heroes of history and myth to fight to the death for the wish-granting power of the Holy Grail. Only one pair can survive and claim the prize – but often at a terrible cost to themselves, their values, and those they love. To secure the loyalty of their servants, each master possesses three command seals: spells they can use to issue absolute commands – even impossible ones – to their partners. What ensues is a brutal war to the death, as they stalk each other through a vicious urban jungle. Alliances shift, ideals clash, characters are tested – It’s the kind of high concept that makes you jealous you didn’t come up with it! It also practically begs to be expanded: the system invites making up new Servants, Masters, and settings.
So, now with some more Fate coming out (still early in Samurai Remnant!, I thought I’d return to RPing for it. In particular, I want to go back to basics: I want to come up with a pair of characters, Master and Servant, and put them through hell as they try to win the war and fulfill their wishes. This would harken back to the tone of the original, so I’ll say up front to expect this RP to have some fairly dark content, like horror, NSFW, violence, gore, civilian death, all that good stuff. I’m a proud authorial sadist: I like to put my characters through hell to find out who they really are. However, I want to juxtapose that heaviness with moments of fun and joy. A romance would be great – Shirou and Saber's starcrossed love has lived rent-free in my head for over a decade.
Beyond that, I am open to both canon characters and OCs, but I do not double. If you're playing a canon, it should be because you want to, not as a transaction. I'm also open to both canon settings and experimental ones, making our own little alternative universe, tweaking the rules, and so on. Really, my main requirement is that I'm looking for something that hews close to the tone of early Fate, especially Fate/Zero. I want grimy streets, ruthless mages, heroes out of time whose blades flash brilliantly against the concrete backdrop. I want melodramatic debates about the nature of heroism, the price of kingship, and the possibility of justice. I want One Last Night whiled away together before the dawn separates the lovers. I want horrors both eldritch and manmade, and I want to really see what makes these characters tick.
A few words about writing style. Lately, I have drifted toward a "lazy lit" style where I do write long posts when necessary like opening the RP or a scene, but keep it snappy and short for most posts. I find this keeps the plot moving along at a good clip; responses come faster when they don't have to be five paragraphs long.
One last note: I have nothing against it, but I’m not familiar with Grand Order or its offshoots. If a character or concept from Grand Order inspires you, by all means pitch me on 'em, but be ready to adapt them to the tone and setting I’ve described.
To summarize:

• I want a classic Grail War scenario: Seven masters each summon a Servant from the past to battle for the Holy Grail.
• I don’t need our RP to take place in any official setting. We can use some alternate world, an original world, some ridiculous fandom crossover, or any mix thereof.
• I'm fine with OCs, canon characters, and any combination thereof, but I don't care for doubling.
• I expect a fairly dark, serious tone broken up by lighter moments.
• Be prepared for NSFW and horror content.
• A strong masteservant relationship. If it’s a romance, I prefer to write the M in M/F relationships.

A little about me:

• 33(ohgod)m, enthusiastic if aging weeb on the West Coast.
• Veteran of both freeform and system-based RP, starting in the heady days of livejournal nearly, oh, fifteen years ago?
• You can gauge my literacy level from the sample above.
• Posting Style: Lazy lit, pretty frequent.
• Friendly OOC. For me, half the fun of RP is meeting people from all different walks of life.

What I need from you:

• To be 21 or older
• To be enthusiastic and communicative
• To add your own ideas to the plot

If you’re interested, shoot me a PM, not a chat. Include:

• Your age, pronouns, time zone, and anything else you’d like me to know about you.
• What you want out of this RP
• An idea for a setting concept or character
• An example of your writing

Doesn't matter if you're male or female. Short summary, I love music(most kinds) and play live/tour(extreme metal) all the time. I love true crime/mysteries. I have 4 cats and parrot.
Feel free to send me a message!

A few years ago I signed up for a bunch of FinTech investment apps which gave me some free shares after meeting certain criteria. Recently I have consolidated all my assets in Fidelity and I'm working on simplifying my portfolio.
My 401k, IRA, and HSA are all invest in total market mutual funds which is the only thing I plan on investing in from now on. The problem is I still own a few shares in over a dozen companies and I am wondering if I should just sell them. They currently make-up a very small portion of my portfolio so I don't think it matters either way but I wanted to talk to some people about it before doing anything. I'm the first in my family to have any sort of financial stability so stuff like this stresses me out.
Here are the pros and cons I have come up with.
Pros of Selling:

• Simplifying My Portfolio. The main reason I want to sell them of is because owning nothing but mutual funds makes my portfolio easier to manage. The individual companies might complicate my tax returns and make my returns "nosier" due to their individual performance.
  
• Lock In Gains. Currently almost all of the stocks I own are up due to the excellent market performance, so if I was going to sell them I feel that this would be a good time. I'll make a few thousand dollars which I could put into my emergency fund or a mutual fund.
  
• Avoid Financial Complexities. I eventually want to do things like buy a house which I believe includes a thorough review of my finances. So in my mind owning only mutual funds will make such a review process simple and prevent possible issues for me in the future.
  

Cons of Selling:

• Missing Out On Growth. While it's possible the stocks will go down there is a chance they will go up and beat the market in the long run. As of right now they have all outpaced the market. I only own between 1-20 shares in each company so the gains would be small though.
  
• No More Dividends. The one thing I have enjoyed about owning these shares is getting a steady stream of dividends. They're small but consistent and since they're all long-term I pay no taxes on them which is great.
  
• Tax Headache. While I believe the sale of all these shares won't trigger any tax problems I worry since some of the companies are foreign (e.g. BABA) or in small-cap companies. I can list the companies if people think that information is relevant.
  

My conclusion is that it's best to just sell them and be done with it, but I would love to hear what people on here have to say.

First / Previous / Next
Before anyone could say anything else, there was a blinding flash of white light. The Dreadnought appeared directly in front of them, impeding their progress. Stormy fired the thrusters and tried to duck underneath.
"Get back into your seats! I'm going to link away again." Northern and Zhe dove towards their seats and bucked back up, but before Stormy could link, there was a clatter and a shudder throughout the ship. New alarms sounded throughout the ship, a kind of wailing trilling noise. It was incredibly loud.
"What's that Stormy?" Zhe clapped her hands over her large ears. "Can you turn it down any?"
"It's... It's a grapple. We've been grappled!" Stormy's rage permeated her voice. "Those were banned centuries ago! I can't believe they used a grapple on us."
"Can we do anything?" Fen asked. She looked down at her screen. There were new spots of orange on the readout where the grapple was damaging the hull.
"Our options at this point are to allow us to be taken aboard, or blow the reactor." Northern shook her head. "They've got us."
"Stormy, might as well disconnect and come up here. I don't want them doing anything to you." Fen closed her pad with a snap. She looked at Zhe and Northern. "Sorry."
Zhe shook her head. "Nothing to be sorry about, Fen. We're in this together."
Northern nodded. "Despite myself, I do find that I like you two. I wouldn't be here if I didn't. It's not your fault Fen."
Fen sighed. "Yeah, but if I wasn't a clone of the first Empress..."
"There's no way these people know that Fen. They're just after their current Empress and probably think we know something about it. I'd say just answer their questions mostly honestly." Northern ticked off points on her long fingers. "We saw her on Picaresque, we went out drinking, we partied with her and her honor guard, and in the morning we left. None off that is a lie."
Stormy walked into the Command Deck and looked around. Finding a seat, she sat down and buckled in. "The four of us is enough to operate a frigate of this size without raising too much suspicion. They shouldn't ask about whether we have an AI pilot."
Zhe's ears flicked in surprise. "Really? Only four people?"
She nodded. "It's just about the bare minimum, but it's possible. It could be explained away that we're a new merc group and haven't taken on more crew yet. These kind of ships are meant to be run lean and mean anyway."
Fen wasn't so sure, but she couldn't do anything else.
They waited.
About 30 minutes later, there was a pounding on the airlock. Fen unbuckled and went to the lock. Peering through the window she saw three armored spacesuits. She toggled the intercom. "Yes?"
"Human Imperial Navy. Open up please. We have some questions for you."
Please? That was interesting. "Why did you grapple me? You could have used your radio."
"The Admiral wishes to speak to you in person."
They did not elaborate further.
The voice of the suited person sighed. "Look. If you just open the doors, it'll go better for you. We won't even restrain you. You just open up, we bring you to the Admiral and then we let you go once she's happy with the answers."
"And if I don't open the lock?"
"Then we force it open, capture you, restrain you-" They hold up some metal zip cuffs. "-and still bring you to the Admiral. Only now, your ship is damaged and you can't leave once she's finished speaking. Your choice."
Fen cut the intercom. "Fuck." she said to nobody, and pressed the purge button. Both airlock door snapped open and there was a puff of air as the pressures equalized. Fen's ears were pained for a moment, but she swallowed and her ears popped.
The guard lifted their helmet. It was two men and a woman who looked so similar they could have been related. The woman smiled. "Thank you, really. My name is Lieutenant Shelly Cooper. What's yours?"
"I'm Captain Fenchurch Whitehorse, but please call me Fen."
"Very well, Fen. Who else is aboard?"
"The rest of my crew. They're on the Command Deck. There are four of us."
That caused Lieutenant Cooper to raise an eyebrow, "Four? That's it?"
Fen smiled awkwardly. "I wasn't able to hire anymore crew than that. Believe me when I say I've been trying." It wasn't a lie, not really. Fen found that there weren't many people who were willing to sign on to an unproven merc company, even if they were a couple years old.
The Lieutenant turned to one of the men behind her. "What did the bioscan say?"
He looked down at a pad strapped to the arm of his suit and tapped at it with a gloved hand. "She's not lying. Ship is empty except for the command deck."
"Curious." Cooper stared hard at Fen. "Have we met? Are you from Sol? You seem familiar to me."
"I don't see how. I grew up in a Gren station, far outside of Colonial space." Again, it wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth. Of course people in the military would know what the first Empress looked like.
"Hmm. Okay. If your crew agrees to keep the reactor powered down and be powered by an umbilical, they can stay confined to the ship and you accompany us. Deal?"
"Yes, I agree to those terms. Let me go tell my crew."
Lieutenant Cooper nods. "You have three minutes."
Fen hurries back to the command deck. "The Admiral wants to talk to me. They said you can stay here so long as you agree to be powered only by their umbilical."
Zhe stood up and crossed her arms, her tail swishing irritatedly. "It won't matter, because we're coming too."
Northern looked to Zhe and sighed, but only a little. "We can't leave you out to dry, Fen. We'll come along too. How bad can it be? Plus, if we come with you we can't suffer "an unfortunate accident" in the hangar."
Fen exhaled. She hadn't realized she was holding her breath in. "Thanks Northern, Zhe." She turned to Stormy. "You're welcome to come along, but I also know this isn't your thing. We had just hired you after all."
Stormy looked at Northern who shrugged with her eyes. "Up to you."
She runs her hands over her face. "Fuck, me. I swear Northern, you know how to pick them." Stormy stands up and smiles. "I'll come along, what the hell. Sitting on the ship was going to be boring by myself anyway."
The four of them went to the airlock, and Fen went up to Lieutenant Cooper "I spoke to my crew, and they want to accompany me."
Lieutenant Cooper throws up her hands. "Fine, I guess we'll just give you the VIP tour on the way." She gestures out towards the hangar. "Here is the hangar, where we store our smaller ships and boats, as well as the frigate of a merc captain we captured that the admiral wants to speak to and offered to let her crew stay onboard but they want to follow their captain to the ends of the galaxy."
Fen crossed her arms, but said nothing.
"Come on then. We'll find you some more chairs or something." Lieutenant Cooper turned on her heel and walked out of the hangar, without waiting for them to follow. The two guards with her looked at each other and one of them gestured for them to follow.
Not too far from the hangar, Lieutenant Cooper came upon a small conference room. She opened the door and led them inside. As they sat, a steward came by with a small cart of drinks. Fen was offered and accepted a coffee, and they went around offering beverages. Lieutenant Cooper also took a coffee, but everyone else abstained.
Cooper took a sip and looked down at the comm on her wrist. "The Admiral will be here shortly. Please be respectful. She's... lived a long life and doesn't suffer fools. If you want to make it back to your ship, answer her questions quickly and honestly."
Fen wasn't halfway through her coffee with the door chimed. Lieutenant Cooper stood. "This is where I leave you. The guards will wait outside the door and - should you be able - will escort you back to your ship." Her face was odd. She looked worried, and also like she felt bad for them. Just what kind of person was this Admiral?"
The door whooshed open and the Admiral strode in. She was about the same height as Cooper, maybe a few centimeters taller than Fen. Her hair was blond streaked with grey and she wore it clipped very short on the back and sides and a little longer in the front. She wore her hat at an angle that probably was against regulations. Her uniform was immaculate and her chest bulged with medals. She had a hard, but not unattractive face, lined with time. As she entered, she looked down at everyone sitting, and as she passed over them she stopped at Fen, and her breath caught.
"You are dismissed, Lieutenant."
Cooper saluted sharply. "Yes, Admiral."
"Dismiss the guards as well. I will not need them."
"Admiral? With all due respect-"
The Admiral turned to face Cooper and stared at her. Without saying anything at all, Fen could feel her shouting at the Lieutenant. Her gaze was withering. Cooper swallowed and saluted again. "Yes, Admiral."
The door closed behind her and the Admiral's demeanor immediately changed. She shrank down a little, looked older, less hard. She strode around the room and glanced down at the carafe of coffee. She poured herself a cup and sat at the head of the table. While everyone watched, rapt. She took a sip and placed it down on the table without a clink. She looked at Fen.
"You look like her, you know? I can see that you're different. A product of your upbringing. It's your eyes, and the way you carry yourself. I can see so much of her though. It's a little spooky."
Fen blinked. Whatever she expected, it wasn't this. "You know I'm a clone of the first Empress?"
The admiral laughed. Her voice was surprisingly musical. "Fen, I knew Melody. I was friends with her. I... I was on a different ship when she was killed. I became Empress after her."
Stormy gasped. "No. No way. She retired to Venus, and let her daughter reign. She would be over five hundred years old. You're not her."
The admiral smirked. "If you know all that, then you know that the Nanites can extend life. I can't do the Voice anymore, and it's been more than two centuries since I carried a crown and wings, but I am still me.
Northern turned and stared at Stormy. "Who is it, Stormy?"
The admiral spread her hands wide. "I am Empress Helen Raaden, First of Her Name, Ruler of Sol - Retired."

Hey everyone! It’s a pleasure to be here and I hope everyone is doing well. I currently live in Tennessee and I’m 25 years old. I’m about 5’10” and a very average size guy. As far as what I do for work, I’m a factory worker for Ford and I primarily specialize in assembling and testing parts for the Ford F-150. I’ve been there since October 2022 and I love it so far! I also have a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology.
In my free time I love to play video games, listen to music, read books, watch TV shoes and movies, hang out with family and friends, and travel occasionally. I’m a very laid back person and I enjoy the simple things in life the most! Growing up in a small town, I never had that many friends and so I kept to myself a lot and my hobbies and interests are generally ones that introverts find a lot of enjoyment in. Speaking of which, I’d definitely identify as an introvert.
Ever since I was young, my parents raised me in the church, took me there every Sunday and Wednesday night, my mom taught Sunday school class for the most part, and over the years I learned more and more about who God was, how He sent his son to die for mine and the entire world’s sins, and how the Holy Spirit can lead us and guide us closer to Him and His will for our lives. I was baptized in June of 2008 and it was easily the best decision of my entire life! Each day I learn more and more about how to become the type of Christian that God has called me to be. I’m very blessed in this life and I owe it all to Him!
The type of woman I’m searching for is someone who is gentle, patient, loving, tender-hearted, has a great sense of humor, knows what she wants in the future, and ultimately, loves God above all else. I’m looking for the woman God has chosen me to be with.
The age range I’m looking for is from 20-35. Somewhere around that vicinity.
I’m open to long-distance is things are going very smoothly between us and I’m also open to relocating in the future if we decide to do that! Feel free to leave a comment or reach out to me via a private message and I hope everyone has an awesome day :)

Best Offshore Sportsbook for 2024

Offshore Sportsbooks: Competitive Odds, Diverse Markets, and Freedom to Wager

What Sets Offshore Sportsbooks Apart?
The landscape of sports betting is rapidly evolving, with offshore sportsbooks emerging as a compelling alternative for wagerers. But what exactly are they, and how do they differ from their state-licensed counterparts?
Offshore sportsbooks operate under licenses issued by international regulators, often situated in countries like Costa Rica, Curacao, or Panama. These licenses empower them to cater to customers across numerous jurisdictions, including the US. In essence, this translates to a broader regulatory framework compared to state-by-state restrictions.
Safety and Security: Top Priorities for Offshore Sportsbooks
Security is paramount for any online betting platform. Fortunately, reputable offshore sportsbooks prioritize this aspect. They undergo rigorous licensing procedures, compelling them to demonstrate fair play, robust security measures, and responsible customer protection protocols. This ensures a safe and secure environment for you to wager on your favorite sports.
Beyond the Basics: Unmatched Selection and Competitive Advantages
The best offshore sportsbooks go beyond merely replicating the offerings of state-licensed operators. They often provide a wider array of betting options, competitive odds, and potentially more lucrative bonuses and promotions. This translates to a more dynamic and potentially rewarding betting experience.
So, Are Offshore Sportsbooks Right for You?
The decision ultimately rests on your individual preferences and priorities. Offshore sportsbooks provide a compelling option for those seeking diverse betting markets, competitive odds, and the freedom to wager on their terms. However, it's crucial to choose well-established and reputable platforms that prioritize safety and fair play.

Why Bet at Offshore Sportsbooks

The allure of offshore sportsbooks is undeniable. But what exactly makes them so popular among bettors? Here's a breakdown of the key benefits that keep users coming back for more:

• Boosted Bankrolls: Bigger Bonuses & Regular Promos

Offshore sportsbooks are renowned for their generous bonuses and promotions. New user signup bonuses can reach into the thousands, especially when using cryptocurrency. Plus, there's a constant stream of ongoing promotions throughout the month, maximizing your betting potential.

• Fast and Secure Banking: The Power of Crypto

Cryptocurrency deposits and withdrawals are a staple at offshore sportsbooks. Enjoy the ease of swift transactions with minimal processing times, and in some cases, even instant payouts.

• Wagering Freedom: Available in Most States & No Geolocation Hassles

Unlike state-licensed operators, offshore sportsbooks bypass geolocation restrictions. This means you can wager freely from most US states, without any limitations.

• Keeping Your Winnings: No Taxes Withheld

Federal regulations require licensed operators to report winnings exceeding a certain threshold and withhold taxes accordingly. Offshore sportsbooks, however, don't report winnings to the IRS, leaving you in control of your tax obligations.

• Enhanced Odds: Lower Costs, Better Returns

Offshore sportsbooks benefit from lower operational costs due to the absence of state taxes. These savings translate into more competitive odds for you, potentially increasing your returns.

• Diverse Betting Options

Beyond the perks mentioned above, offshore sportsbooks often boast a wider selection of betting markets compared to their state-regulated counterparts. This allows you to place wagers on a broader range of events and explore new betting opportunities.

Offshore Sportsbook Bonuses: Bigger Bankrolls, Better Bets

Offshore sportsbooks have carved a niche in the betting landscape, and a major reason for their popularity lies in their enticing bonus structures. Unlike state-licensed operators, offshore sportsbooks offer a wider array of bonuses with significantly higher values. Let's delve into the treasure trove of bonuses that await you:

• Welcome Offers: A Kickstart for Your Betting Journey

Signing up at an offshore sportsbook unlocks a generous welcome bonus, typically a deposit match bonus. This bonus essentially matches a percentage of your initial deposit, potentially doubling your bankroll right from the start. Some welcome packages might even include free bets or bonus bets, further amplifying your betting power.

• Deposit Match Bonuses: Fueling Your Bets with Extra Cash

A staple in the world of offshore sportsbook bonuses, deposit match bonuses are straightforward and rewarding. The sportsbook matches your deposit by a predefined percentage, up to a specified maximum amount. For instance, a 100% deposit match bonus up to $500 would double your initial deposit, providing you with an extra $500 to wager on.

• No Deposit Bonuses: Free Money, Free Play

Considered the holy grail of sportsbook bonuses, no deposit bonuses are rare gems. These bonuses grant you free credit to use at the sportsbook, allowing you to place bets without risking your own funds. While the credit amount might be modest, it's a fantastic opportunity to try out the platform and potentially turn it into real winnings.

• Bonus Bets: Taking a Free Shot at Victory

Bonus bets, often part of welcome packages or bundled with deposit match bonuses, are essentially free wagers. Any winnings accrued from a bonus bet (minus the initial stake) are yours to keep. Imagine a $25 bonus bet that wins you $75; you'd pocket a cool $50 in profit!

• Ongoing Promotions: A Stream of Rewards for Loyal Bettors

The party doesn't stop at the welcome bonus. Offshore sportsbooks keep their customers engaged with a steady stream of ongoing promotions. These can encompass deposit bonuses, bonus bets, special event wagers, parlay offers, and the ever-popular odds boosts.

• Odds Boosts: Enhanced Profits for Savvy Bettors

Odds boosts elevate the potential payout on specific wagers, increasing your earning potential. These are typically offered for marquee events or specific bet types within an event or sport.

• Parlay Insurance: A Safety Net for Your Multi-Leg Wagers

A parlay bet combines multiple wagers (legs) into a single bet. Parlay insurance softens the blow of losing a parlay by just one leg. While you won't receive your full winnings, you might get your original stake or a portion of it back, mitigating your losses.

• Loyalty Bonuses: Reap the Rewards of Being a Regular

Engaging with a sportsbook's loyalty program unlocks exclusive bonuses not available to casual bettors. These bonuses can mirror any of the previously mentioned options or even extend to real-world rewards like tickets to sporting events.
By understanding and leveraging the diverse array of offshore sportsbook bonuses, you can significantly enhance your bankroll, explore new betting opportunities, and potentially maximize your profits. Remember to explore various sportsbooks and compare their bonus structures to find the one that best suits your betting preferences.

Offshore Sports Betting in the US: A Comprehensive Guide

The world of sports betting is rapidly evolving, and offshore sportsbooks have emerged as a compelling option for American bettors. But with so much information to navigate, it's crucial to understand the legalities, accessibility, and benefits of offshore wagering.
Is Offshore Sports Betting Legal in the US?
The legality of offshore sports betting hinges on two key factors:

• PASPA Repeal: In 2018, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was repealed, giving individual states the authority to regulate sports gambling within their borders. Many states have since legalized and launched their own sports betting markets.
• Federal Laws: There are currently no federal laws prohibiting US citizens from wagering at offshore sportsbooks. These entities operate under licenses issued by international gaming authorities, allowing them to serve customers in the US.

The Mobile Advantage: Betting on the Go
While you won't find dedicated apps for offshore sportsbooks, all our recommended operators offer seamless mobile betting through their websites. Simply visit the site on your smartphone or tablet, sign up, deposit funds, and start placing wagers. These mobile platforms are designed for optimal functionality and provide an experience comparable to dedicated apps.
Finding the Right Offshore Sportsbook
With numerous offshore sportsbooks catering to US players, choosing the best fit requires careful consideration. Here are some factors to keep in mind:

• Reputation and Licensing: Look for established sportsbooks with licenses from reputable gaming jurisdictions like Curacao. These licenses ensure fair play, security measures, and responsible gambling practices.
• Betting Markets and Odds: Explore the variety of sports and events offered, along with the competitiveness of the odds. Top offshore sportsbooks boast a wide range of markets and attractive odds for bettors.
• Bonuses and Promotions: Take advantage of generous welcome bonuses, reload promotions, and ongoing loyalty programs to maximize your bankroll and potential returns.

Some of the highly-rated offshore sportsbooks for US players include BetOnline, Everygame, Bovada, BetWhale, and TG Casino. Popular alternatives encompass Jazz Sports, SportsBetting.ag, BetUS, and BetNow.
Taxes and Reporting:

• Offshore Sportsbooks: Offshore sportsbooks themselves do not report winnings to the IRS. However,
• US Taxpayers: It's your responsibility to report gambling winnings to the IRS and your state tax authorities. Consulting a tax professional is recommended to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations.

Funding Your Bets: Payment Methods
Offshore sportsbooks typically provide two main deposit and withdrawal options:

• Cryptocurrency: Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin offer fast, fee-free transactions (excluding minimal mining fees) and eliminate the need for third-party involvement.
• Traditional Methods: Credit/debit cards are convenient but may incur fees and are not always suitable for withdrawals. Bank wire transfers are another option, but often come with high processing fees.

Important Note: As of now, offshore sportsbooks do not accept PayPal or other popular eWallets (Neteller, Skrill) due to limitations imposed by these payment processors.
By understanding the legalities, mobile accessibility, key considerations for choosing a sportsbook, and payment methods, you can confidently navigate the world of offshore sports betting in the US. Remember to gamble responsibly and always prioritize licensed and reputable platforms.

Ready to Start Betting?

Top Offshore Sportsbooks for 2024

1. Bovada – Best Online Sportsbook for US customers

• Why #1: Closest offshore site to Fanduel & Draftkings
• Founded: 2011
• Licensed by: Curacao
• Payment Methods: 6+ cryptocurrencies, credit/debit cards, courier, wire transfer, vouchers
• Withdrawal Speed: Instant to 24h
• Restricted States: DE, MD, NV, NJ, NY
• Promo Code: BTCSWB750 = 75% First Deposit Bonus to $750

See current Bovada new customers promotions HERE

2. MyBookie – Fast mobile betting & lots of promotions

• Why #2: Prop bets and more props added constantly
• Founded: 2014
• Licensed by: Curacao
• Payment Methods: 10 cryptocurrencies, credit/debit cards, person2person
• Withdrawal Speed: 48-72 hours
• Restricted States: DE, MD, NV, NJ, NY
• Promo Code: CRYPTO100 = 100% Bonus to $1,000

See current MyBookie new customer promotions HERE

3. SportsBetting.ag – Operates in all 50 states

• Why #3: 100% welcome bonus & travel anywhere & still bet
• Founded: 2003
• Licensed by: Panama Gambling Control Board
• Payment Methods: 15+ cryptocurrencies, credit/debit cards, person2person, money orders, wire transfers, checks
• Withdrawal Speed: 24-48 hours
• Restricted States: None
• Promo Code: DOUBLEUP = 100% Bonus to $500 use 2x

See current Sportsbetting ag new customer promotions HERE

4. BetOnline – Clone of Sportsbetting ag but not as good of a welcome bonus

• Why #4: Casino, poker, esports, racebook - bet everything
• Founded: 2001
• Licensed by: Panama Gaming Commission
• Payment Methods: 15+ cryptocurrencies, credit/debit cards, money orders, wire transfers
• Withdrawal Speed: Instant to 48h
• Restricted States: NJ
• Promo Code: CRYTPO100 = 100% Bonus to $1,000

See current BetOnline new customer promotions HERE

5. XBet – MyBookie clone for lower limit bettors

• Why #5: Lower limits & rewards program designed for smaller bettors
• Founded: 2014
• Licensed by: Curacao
• Payment Methods: 10 cryptocurrencies, credit/debit cards, person2person
• Withdrawal Speed: 48 hours
• Restricted States: NY, NJ, NV, PA
• Promo Code: XBET50 = 50% First Deposit Bonus to $500

See current XBET new customer promotions HERE

These last two Sportsbooks are more for higher limit bettors

1. BetUS – High limits on sides and totals

• Why #1: If you want to make a living betting you need high limits
• Founded: 1994
• Licensed by: Curacao
• Payment Methods: 4 cryptocurrencies, credit/debit cards, cash transfers, wire transfers, ewallets
• Withdrawal Speed: 24-48 hours
• Restricted States: None
• Promo Code: JOIN200 = 200% up to $5,000

See current BetUS new customer promotions HERE

2. BUSR – High limits and a $2,500 welcome bonus

• Why #2: US focused on major sports and horse betting
• Founded: 2020
• Licensed by: Curacao
• Payment Methods: 4 cryptocurrencies, credit/debit cards, person2person
• Withdrawal Speed: 72 hours
• Restricted States: None
• Promo Code: SPORTS100FP = 100% First Deposit Bonus to $1,500

See current BUSR new customer promotions HERE
For more sports, casino, poker and other online gaming promotions from top offshore casinos.
Visit XSportsbook https://xsportsbook.com/bonuses/

A magus cannot rest, even in the rain.
The barrage hammering his umbrella only distracted him for a moment from the bitter cold that misted his breath. Around him, the decent people of the world took shelter, seeking the warmth of cafes and restaurants until the worst of the deluge passed. Those unlucky enough to be stuck outside huddled beneath umbrellas, newspapers, or a hood. But even in the heated stores and restaurants, fear reigned. People stole nervous glances up from their phones, scanning the streets for a quick moment before looking back down. They hugged their coats tight; parents gripped their children’s hands to keep them from running into some alley they would never return from. There was no question: something besides rain weighed on the city. This wave of “incidents'' had claimed multiple lives and left the police at a loss. But who could blame them? The duty of resolving these incidents lay on the master's clan. The Ritual required the blood of heroes, not of innocents, and he would not allow such to be spilled on his watch.
“This way, Master,” his Servant murmured. She walked a little ahead of him, hidden beneath a heavy yellow raincoat. It had taken some convincing to get her to conceal herself; she refused to shed her armor even in public… which meant that people would be taking pictures wherever they went. The coat, at least, would hide this stranger from the eyes of ordinary people. What it could not hide – even from the back – was the aura of raw determination that radiated from her. He could imagine her face on the other side: a strict, cold stare that withered injustice at a glance.
He gave a soft murmur of approval before following her away from the main thoroughfares, toward the docks and warehouses that dominated the coast. The dock district was the epicenter of the “incidents” – and no surprise. Dark, oppressive, and cramped, this urban snarl promised a well-hidden warren for vermin to hide in, as well as an excellent hunting ground. Drunk sailors and longshoremen made easy prey, to say nothing of the odd out of towner who got lost around here. They all had been devoured for mana. To involve sleepwalkers in the matters of magi violated all principles of honor and decency, and to him fell the duty of executing the culprit.
Thus, they walked onto the predator’s turf. Their logic was simple: the fastest way to deal with an ambush is to spring it. A stalking predator only emerges from the underbrush when it thinks it has the upper hand. The question then, is whether they had prepared enough to compensate for this home-field advantage. Crossing into the maze, though, the young Master wondered whether any plan would be enough. It was almost pitch black beneath the thick rainclouds; shining signs and windows cast thin lines of light along the alleyways and roads, glinting on the water choking storm drains. There could be anything hiding in these blind alleys and derelict buildings; each one could hide a coiled serpent. The damp air felt thick enough to chew.
A moment later he walked right into his servant’s back. She’d drawn up short, dropping into a martial posture.
“Close?” he murmured.
“Very.”
The scent of the enemy led them to a dark back alley. A pile of garbage in a rusted dumpster decomposed beneath a rat king's tangle of wires above, a snarled mess that – in theory – powered this building as well as several others by stealing power and internet. The Master stole a glimpse over his shoulder at the road beyond the alley's mouth. Still save the rain. When he glanced back, a pulse of mana turned his servant's blade red hot; it melted through the padlock with one clean slice. As the chain splashed to the ground, hissing in a puddle, she edged the warehouse's door open with raised sword. As they entered the offices in the back of the warehouse, the smell hit him: sickly sweet, nauseating. Mana. The predator lurked nearby. They had reached its den.
As they walked through the rear offices, the miasma only grew thicker. Lights were off, and while his Servant could see with her reinforced senses, he could only make out shapes in the murk, broken up by the occasional beam of neon light cutting through a window. The long linoleum floor stretched out forever between rows of mold-gnawed cubicles. Sweat beaded on his brow. Every footstep sounded like a thunderclap in the cavernous silence. As the offices ended, they faced another door – this one leading out onto the floor. Here, the fog of disease grew thickest. His servant shared a momentary glance with him before she eased it open.
The creak of the unoiled hinge was like a scream. His blood ran cold.
He had heard that a certain magus had arrived in the city to participate in the Rite of the Holy Grail. They called him the Mycoidist: his research had given him mastery of a parasitic fungus that would seize control of its victim, leaving them an empty husk he alone controlled. Now he saw that grizzly work firsthand: cordyceps-infested victims glistening with sporelike structures. Nothing human remained of them: they ambled around the room, obeying their master like machines. It was, perversely, the ideal magic for the Ritual: they had no need of their souls, so the Servant could feed on them with impunity, leaving empty husks for the master to use. The young magus murmured a few words to increase the weight of the invisible spores around him, dragging them to the ground; they would not reach his lungs. His servant had her own defenses –
Not that she would tolerate such injustice for long.
She sprung forward, blade flashing through the air. The cordyceps rushed forward to meet her, giving a gutteral, abhuman howls that echoed in the rafters. The master raised his hand, crest on the back of his hand shining a brilliant blue-green in the low light. In answer to his incantation, several metal pipes ripped themselves out of the wall. It felt like a crude use for ten centuries of his family's research into magecraft, but undeniably gravity had many applications. For example: turning rebar into javelins flying at eighty miles an hour. True enough that the fungal horrors did not die easily, but each spear would stake one to the nearest surface, leaving them trapped. They had almost cleared the room when –
“MASTER!” she snapped . He barely had time to react before she shoved him aside, throwing him to the ground with a soft grunt. A split second later, the enemy Servant's blade split the air where he’d stood. A clash of steel, a burst of sparks: his partner deflected the strike sending her opponent flying away. “Stay close, master. I cannot guarantee your–”
He couldn’t sense an Assassin’s aura – no mortal could. But he didn’t need to, not one he had spotted a softer target. For a split second, his crest pulsed as he reduced the hold of gravity on his body. For all those around them, it looked like an impossible burst of speed as he headed for the front exit. “Keep him off my back! I’ll hunt his master.”
His servant had no time to answer before Assassin erupted from the shadow, poisoned dagger whistling through the air. As the servants fought a hypersonic duel behind him, he followed the faint presence of the heretic through the open cargo bay doors, bursting back out into the rain. Dozens of infected longshoremen wandered there, the spores even growing on a stacked labyrinth of crates. The Mycoidist leapt up onto a nearby crane, one foot planted high on the metal beams.
“Well, well. You seek the hunter in his den!” His raspy voice betrayed decades of self-serving evil. “I can’t begrudge you your courage, but… how does the old saying go… discretion is the better part of valor?”
The cordyceps froze, only to turn on the young master in unison. Must be two dozen, at least. This horror explained the disappearances at least – each one was a human being, a living person that the master had failed to protect.
His teeth ground. “You’re a madman who’s betrayed every principle of a Mage's honor, to say nothing of your humanity. Spare me your advice."
“Such righteousness…! Your family’s legacy is famous but… I’m afraid… it ends here, with you. You and your crest will be put to work in my service, oh magus of gravity, but… my, my, what is this?”
All around the young master, that spectral blue-green light shined like a vicious halo. He seized any projectile he could: the metal of a torn-out downspout from a nearby building, pipes ripped from the ground and walls, the metal prods from a forklift. At its full potential, his sorcery could control dozens of objects.
“This land is the grave of countless mages,” the young master hissed. “Time for you to join them.”
The steel hail fell.
I hope you enjoyed this (rather long) introduction – and to be clear, it’s more a tone piece than a starter. (Though, if you wish to build on those characters/that situation, I don’t mind!)
The classic Fate/stay night games and shows have always been favorites of mine. It’s simply one of the greatest weeb high concepts ever: seven modern mages summon seven heroes of history and myth to fight to the death for the wish-granting power of the Holy Grail. Only one pair can survive and claim the prize – but often at a terrible cost to themselves, their values, and those they love. To secure the loyalty of their servants, each master possesses three command seals: spells they can use to issue absolute commands – even impossible ones – to their partners. What ensues is a brutal war to the death, as they stalk each other through a vicious urban jungle. Alliances shift, ideals clash, characters are tested – It’s the kind of high concept that makes you jealous you didn’t come up with it! It also practically begs to be expanded: the system invites making up new Servants, Masters, and settings.
So, now with some more Fate coming out (still early in Samurai Remnant!, I thought I’d return to RPing for it. In particular, I want to go back to basics: I want to come up with a pair of characters, Master and Servant, and put them through hell as they try to win the war and fulfill their wishes. This would harken back to the tone of the original, so I’ll say up front to expect this RP to have some fairly dark content, like horror, sex, violence, gore, civilian death, all that good stuff. I’m a proud authorial sadist: I like to put my characters through hell to find out who they really are. However, I want to juxtapose that heaviness with moments of fun and joy. A romance would be great – Shirou and Saber's starcrossed love has lived rent-free in my head for over a decade.
Beyond that, I am open to both canon characters and OCs, but I do not double. If you're playing a canon, it should be because you want to, not as a transaction. I'm also open to both canon settings and experimental ones, making our own little alternative universe, tweaking the rules, and so on. Really, my main requirement is that I'm looking for something that hews close to the tone of early Fate, especially Fate/Zero. I want grimy streets, ruthless mages, heroes out of time whose blades flash brilliantly against the concrete backdrop. I want melodramatic debates about the nature of heroism, the price of kingship, and the possibility of justice. I want One Last Night whiled away together before the dawn separates the lovers. I want horrors both eldritch and manmade, and I want to really see what makes these characters tick.
A few words about writing style. Lately, I have drifted toward a "lazy lit" style where I do write long posts when necessary like opening the RP or a scene, but keep it snappy and short for most posts. I find this keeps the plot moving along at a good clip; responses come faster when they don't have to be five paragraphs long.
One last note: I have nothing against it, but I’m not familiar with Grand Order or its offshoots. If a character or concept from Grand Order inspires you, by all means pitch me on 'em, but be ready to adapt them to the tone and setting I’ve described.
To summarize:

• I want a classic Grail War scenario: Seven masters each summon a Servant from the past to battle for the Holy Grail.
• I don’t need our RP to take place in any official setting. We can use some alternate world, an original world, some ridiculous fandom crossover, or any mix thereof.
• I'm fine with OCs, canon characters, and any combination thereof, but I don't care for doubling.
• I expect a fairly dark, serious tone broken up by lighter moments.
• Be prepared for NSFW and horror content.
• A strong masteservant relationship. If it’s a romance, I prefer to write the M in M/F relationships.

A little about me:

• 33(ohgod)m, enthusiastic if aging weeb on the West Coast.
• Veteran of both freeform and system-based RP, starting in the heady days of livejournal nearly, oh, fifteen years ago?
• You can gauge my literacy level from the sample above.
• Posting Style: Lazy lit, pretty frequent.
• Friendly OOC. For me, half the fun of RP is meeting people from all different walks of life.

What I need from you:

• To be 21 or older
• To be enthusiastic and communicative
• To add your own ideas to the plot

If you’re interested, shoot me a PM, not a chat. Include:

• Your age, pronouns, time zone, and anything else you’d like me to know about you.
• What you want out of this RP
• An idea for a setting concept or character
• An example of your writing

I’m trying to move into a rental home with my SO and his Dad. The leases are all saying we have to apply individually. Well we applied to rent a house and were rejected. Upon questioning, we find out his Dad doesn’t have good credit or rental history. My SO had his Dad living with him for years back when my SO owned his own place so his Dad lives rent free. We’re not ready to buy yet so we’re looking at renting a house. Well, after being rejected my SO wants to lie and just us apply for the rental-without having his Dad sign a lease. I am terrified that we’re going to get caught and evicted and have an eviction on our record and then be screwed at renting from anywhere. I’m someone that always plays the rules so this has got me hot. Do people do this all the time? What are the odds of us getting found out and evicted?

I'm still preparing to invite you to a very special Art Walk! At @katrinamoldovagallery our appointment will be NEXT Saturday, May 25, from 5pm to 9pm 💃🏾 at @thriveartdistrict, in #fortlauderdale You will be able to tour different galleries that exhibit the work of talented local and international artists, showing everything from traditional art to digital art.
The event will feature free parking, live music, and food trucks, creating a perfect environment to enjoy Art!
So SAVE THE DATE and I'll keep reporting!
Katrina Moldova Gallery 📍 Thrive Art District 710 NW 5th Ave Fort Lauderdale FL 33311 . . .

thriveartdistrict #fortlauderdaleevents #fortlauderdaleart #artwalk #browardcounty #browardcommunity #browardarts

southfloridaartists #browardartist #miamiartists #liveartevents #artcommunitybroward

I have been dating my boyfriend for the past year. I have moved every few months getting my career started, and he has moved with me as best he could including some stretches of long distance. Now I finally have stability with a new apartment and a new city, and I let him live here rent free. He makes my house feel like a home by cooking meals and cleaning. I was hoping this would be our happy place. I was encouraged that he would get a job and start settling in like I have and we could have a normal peaceful life.
Unfortunately, there is this recurring problem where he gets angry and "loses it" every few weeks. Our arguments usually devolve into him screaming at me or mocking me which does not make me feel appreciated or respected. He will violate my boundaries when I ask him to calm down or take a step back by escalating or continuing the argument for hours, not allowing me to get alone time or rest. The most recent was I had gotten home form work after a long day, and he accused me of not supporting his career ambitions. He was frustrated and said that I would not move across the country to help him start a career in the same way he did for me. I told him that I am willing to compromise on location up to a certain distance, but that I cannot move locations right now due to my new job. I encouraged him to look at options within our area. The conversation usually devolves with him yelling saying I'm standing in the way of his career goals. After a few hours of him complaining at me for his career path, he then asked me to make him a cocktail and cussed me out when I said we don't have simple syrup. I then tried to explain that I need to relax and unwind before my work the next morning and I asked him to stop yelling and come watch TV with me. He then started mocking my voice and hand gestures, and told me to "F Off". I told him to get out, and he left and slept in his car. We've had this same style of argument every few weeks for a year, usually this same subject, but this was the first time where I really felt I needed to throw him out. There's just too much on the line for me now to let him bring me down. I also worry about when he screams what the neighbors think and what might happen if we start getting noise complaints when he gets out of control. It's like he's a totally different person and he can't regulate what's going on in his head.
I want to evict him because I do not feel like I can have my peace in my own apartment. I also don't feel like I will be able to start a family or marry him because I do not want a lifetime of this negative communication style. In our year together, this has been a recurring argument style with no improvement, and I have suggested couples therapy with no follow through. It's at the point where I just have given up seeing the positive aspects because I feel so disrespected during our arguments. I want to care and find a compassionate forgiving side to this, but I think I've tried enough with enough chances and the other side of me just doesn't care. I've tried to explain my needs and why this is hurtful, but it just feels like a phony tap-dance because he has proven to me he will not treat me with respect when he is angry and never seems to protect my boundaries. My boyfriend isn't on the lease, doesn't know anyone in this state, and isn't yet working a job. For my peace and sanity, am I the asshole for evicting him from my home? I don't imagine the relationship would continue past here either,.. I guess that would be another effect

So my partner and I have been in our current apt for about 4 years. We had a new upstair neighbor move in about 1year ago. Right away I began noticing tons of cigarette butts and ash on my balcony. For the first few weeks or so I would sweep them up myself (I dont like confrontation) but eventually it started getting worse, cigarette butts, lit cigarettes(one of which burned a hole in our chair cushion, a major fire hazard), teeth flossers, food items and other trash. Once when they were out on their deck my fiance shouted up to them, "can you please stop dumping your stuff down here?" They later talked to us and said they accidentally dropped them but we really didnt buy that because there were so many and the variety of stuff that was there. Fast forward to a couple months ago, we began seeing large bags full of trash being thrown down into the woods below often times trash would fall out of the bags and land on our porch. We were also getting tons of dry ceral on our porch(our balconies face thick woods with a creek about 100ft below) anyways we saw this happening pretty often, atleast once a week. We asked them again to please stop throwing trash. They denied it claiming they never threw trash, they're the top floor so unless someone is living on the roof, its them. I would also like to include that our downstairs neighbor also gets tons of garbage, cigarettes and cereal on their balcony. They are just as frustrated as we are. Anyways the upstairs completely denied throwing trash ever. The evidence is visible by looking down off our balcony. Bags, trash all kind of stuff. Plus our downstairs neighbor and us have seen it being thrown with our own eyes. The downstairs neighbor got really mad and went up and full on yelled at them. I dont condone this but I was really hoping they would finally stop. They had this big dramatic reaction, "OH im SO sorry! I had NO idea, it'll NEVER happen again!" Cue the next day we see trash being thrown off again, with some landing on our balcony. I finally sent a complaint to our apt manager because it was very frustrating and I was tired of interacting with them. That leads us to today. My partner and I get back from a date and they're outside packing things. They say to us, "just so you know Ive been given a 30 day notice to vacate, I told you I didnt throw anything."
Im really shocked. I didnt want them to get kicked out. More a fine or stern talking to just so they would finally stop. Before them we had a literal meth lab up there that management wouldn't do anything about. So im really dumbfounded that they would kick someone out over this. I never meant for this to happen and I feel really bad.

Hi! I am an east coast transplant living in California who has realized since moving that my social circle is really small. I enjoy getting to know new people and don’t get much of a chance to do that anymore.
I am currently between jobs. I got laid off a few months ago and the job market is brutal at the moment. So my days are spent applying for jobs and waiting to hear back.
In my free time, I enjoy music - both listening and writing, - gaming, cooking, and getting out to explore my new hometown.
If you are looking to get to know someone, send me a message with a short introduction! I have pictures in my profile as well!

Hello! I want some high quality play-testers who have experience using custom level editors in rhythm-like games. The game will be free to play when released and you'll be properly credited!
Here's what the game and editor looks like so far:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk1UDDeYI4k
Also the steam page:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2175480/Motionmelody/
If you're interested, you can join the secret beta Discord:
https://discord.gg/CyZxcMXSah
Thank you!

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/6aJ60PU
Serial numbers:https://imgur.com/a/hiSeIwO
NO PAYPAL! HAVE ZELLE, CASHAPP AND VENMO. THANKS Trades I'm interested RMR, SRO, x300, cool stuff open to offers
More pictures:https://imgur.com/a/11q8j63
Jarvis FN 5.7 mk2 threaded barrel, has about 200 rounds through it. Worked great just getting out out of 5.7. $330 shipped
Wolf 12.5 Mlok Piston Upper, was originally a 16" cutdown by D. Wilson, had mlok rail, original rail and a rock river rear sight/eotech riser. Has a about 500 rounds on it. Runs great surpressed and actually pretty smooth. Just don't really need it anymore. $525 shipped
Live free armory pro comp Glock 19 compete slide gen 3. Has about 100 rounds through it. Just wanted to try it out but like more Roland more. $290 shipped. https://imgur.com/a/2ZNL8lI
KAC m4 RAS has some salt and over spray but nothing major. Titusville marked. $180 shipped
203 handguard with leaf sight, has some salt. $120 shipped
Troy alpha rail 9" has been cut to work with a carbine fsb , has also been spray painted. Has the hardware but no barrel nut. (Uses a standard nut) $70 shipped
2 Ruger mini 14 300 bo 20 round mags. Never fired. Both for $55 shipped
FN 5.7 20 round mags $35 a piece , $ 85 for all 3 Pro mag fn 57 30 round mags both shipped for $40
Matech rear sight, been painted of green. Otherwise fine $60 shipped
Key hole carry handle and aim point mount. Has some salt. $60 shipped
~~Surefire m951 light, has no mount but works fine. Some salt. $75 shipped ~~
Surefire fat body, works , has a mount but is missing a screw. $100 shipped
Broken mantis black Beard , the laser won't work but the trigger mechanism/reset thing still works. Idk if mantis will fix it but just been sitting around. $55 shipped
~~BCM stock pretty much new, never used. $55 shipped comes with a salty b5 grip ~~
Daniel defense iron sights with some salt and over spray. $80 shipped
PA SLX micro compact 1x , great shape. Come with original mount, a low holosun mount, caps and box. $170 shipped
Q 30 cal Cherry bomb 5-8x24 has some carbon. $55 shipped

Link to the Daily Challenge
This is a place for Reddit users to submit their scores for the official Daily Challenge (hopefully) without the results being tarnished by cheaters. This should be played as a [2] -- zooming/rotating, moving allowed but external assistance is prohibited. Feel free to leave any walkthroughs in your comments, concealed with a spoiler tag.
A bot will keep a leaderboard for the month. You'll notice two columns related to your scoring performance. The first of these columns is labeled Average and represents your average score among all games throughout the month. The second column is labeled Score and represents either: 1. The average of your top 15 performances, or 2. Your average score divided by 15 (if you have played less than 15 games). The leaderboard is sorted by Score. At the end of the month, the highest Score will be declared the winner, and the leaderboard will reset for the next month.
Why do we keep score this way? There were 3 potential options for scorekeeping:

1. Straight Average -- flawed because a player who only plays once but scores 25000 would likely win for the month.
2. Cumulative Total -- flawed because it unfairly favors those who are able to play every and is a severe disadvantage to those who miss even a single day.
3. Score of top 15 -- the method currently in use, it allows for some leeway for those not able to play daily, but at the same time, it's beneficial to those who are able to play more than 15 times. After 15 plays, each new score will bump out the previous lowest score.

The Daily Challenge resets at midnight UTC, which coincides with the time that this post will go live each day. So essentially, make sure that you're commenting your score with its corresponding post.
HALL OF FAME
Summary of top 3 performances:

	1st	2nd	3rd
June 2021	Ancient-Recover695	Grymmwulf	jackES62
July 2021	Grymmwulf	Ancient-Recover695	JLyons18
August 2021	LunacyEcho	197gpmol	Ancient-Recover
September 2021	LunacyEcho	Ancient-Recover	solarsensei
October 2021	solarsensei	197gpmol	LunacyEcho
April 2022	JackES62	LunacyEcho	solarsensei

Top 10 Individual Personal Bests All-Time:

	User	Score	Month
1st	Grymmwulf	24945	July 2021
2nd	Ancient-Recover695	24718	June 2021
3rd	JackES62	24714	April 2022
3rd	LunacyEcho	24714	April 2022
5th	solarsensei	24674	October 2021
6th	197gpmol	24572	October 2021
7th	JLyons18	24552	July 2021
8th	Werdok	24438	September 2021
8th	KeelsDB	24438	April 2022
10th	Kibachiyo	24403	April 2022