24F. Diagnosed with Bipolar II, ADHD, and CPTSD. I'm not even sure I can properly explain this because during depressive episodes (right now and for the past 4 months, in fact, though it's gotten marginally better in recent days) I lose a lot of my ability to write coherently, concisely, and accurately about what I'm feeling. The disconnect between emotion and thought has actually gotten so bad I genuinely cannot even journal anymore. (Coming back after finishing to add: this post alone ended up taking me nearly half the day to complete because I kept having to break and come back to it when my brain wouldn't work, and I often thought about giving up entirely lol.) But that's besides the point.
I had a sort of "eureka" moment during a non-depressive state at one point. That being, "This illness is cyclical. It will come back just as surely as it will eventually go away. Next time it comes, don't fight it."
It came back. I haven't been fighting it. I went from feeling immense, active suffering from constant self-hatred and learned helplessness to feeling dissociated and completely disconnected from my own thoughts, both positive and negative. Most moments are spent feeling nothing but irritability and in the moments where I feel something else, I am thoroughly distracted. My days are filled with distraction. The second I have time alone with my brain, I have crying spells that end in pathetic defeat and it's back to dissociation. "I get it. I get it. I wasn't meant to exist. But I am psychologically incapable of ending my life. I'm already here and I can't do anything about it. I have literally no choice but to continue to try."
Good for me for having that barrier to making rash decisions. But now I feel imprisoned by a life I did not choose. A prison of my own making that I am unwilling to break out of because I am just so. tired. I am aware of how much hard work and commitment it takes to live a fulfilling life with these disabilities. I am keenly aware that it is anything but an easy task and in this state it just does not feel worth it. But it is not an act of bravery that I'm still here in the face of suffering. I'm here because I have no choice.
It always comes back to this, and has since one of my first severe depressive episodes at the age of 14: I am too sensitive, too weak, to exist. So much so that I don't think I was supposed to be here in the first place. I do not, and have never cared about doing something "important" with my life. I have never cared about creating a legacy. I have never cared about being remembered. I have never cared about meaning or purpose in the traditional sense; in this state of mind, my purpose is to just exist, let life happen to me, observe carefully, learn, mimic. And in this state, I've realized I use this information as evidence. Confirmation.
At the end of the day, it seems the answer to this hypothetical is always the same. If there was a console with two buttons: one to continue living as is, and one to make it so I never existed at all, I would always choose the latter. Always. Even when things are good, even with all the luck I've had. The unfairness of life coupled with my weak constitution is inherently incompatible. Negative experiences will always feel more powerful, more real, than anything else.
Which brings me to my hypomanic episodes. They tend to involve extreme productivity, usually starting some large project that I spend every waking moment working on, of which there are many considering how poorly I sleep. I have energy and inspiration that simply cannot be funneled into enough things. I am able to "maintain" (these episodes last anywhere from 4 days to about a month) a superhuman-like "schedule" and "routine" that I would otherwise be incapable of adhering to, and would likely outright despise in ordinary circumstances.
But most notably, most of the time, I have a euphoric feeling about the human condition. I obsess over human suffering and our capacity to withstand it. I convince myself that if something catastrophic were to happen at that very moment, I would be resilient and strong in the face of it. That I could be, and would be, like those who can overcome any adversity at all.
But nothing I've ever been through has suggested that is true. Nearly any negative experience can knock me out of any positive or neutral mood and into a kind of dissociative, vegetative depression. My previous baseline state, where I was able to maintain a realistic and beneficial routine and sleep schedule for nearly 2 months, was instantly derailed, pathetically, by the moment I ended up crocheting too much and injured my left hand for a few days.
This one happenstance triggered a depressive state that I've now been in since March. And I tried to prevent it, really I did. I had enough experience practicing good habits by that point that I tried everything in my repertoire to keep it from spiraling. But it did. And now I'm here. I know better than to think I'm resilient. My window of tolerance is embarrassingly low, and I'm sorry that I don't have the will to strengthen it. Mentally, I am still a scared child hiding in the corner of a dark room from any and all real or imagined danger. And until my brain decides otherwise, (because of course mood changes are the nature of this illness), that's how it will stay.
Part of me believes that even my hypomanic self knows this. I don't know entirely how she operates, if I'm honest. So I've decided to conduct an "experiment."
I know she can't fathom how I think the way I do, and similarly I can't fathom how she thinks either. One is always blind to the other. I need to know whether or not, in my heart of hearts, I still say I would undo my existence. Even when everything inside of me is bursting with energy and life and vibrancy. Because instinct says I've always been this way in any state of mind, but I've never proved it.
So I recorded a short video explaining myself to my future hypomanic and even to my baseline self. Maybe I can find some middle ground between us. Because I have to do something. I have no choice but to do something.

So, I did it - I completed the loop interview with Amazon. Surprisingly, I felt like I had over-prepared. I only needed one small hint during the DSA round, and I got through the Problem Solving round without any help. The Low Level Design task was quite easy for me, and the System Design round went well too. After each interview, I felt like the interviewer was pleased, and I had great conversations about the project with each team member.
Now I'm waiting for feedback, and this waiting period is driving me crazy. Sometimes I feel 100% sure that I passed, and other times I'm convinced a rejection email is just around the corner. I've never been this anxious before. Waiting is a hundred times worse than preparing.
Overall, it was an amazing experience, and I'm really glad I got this far.

Selling multiple items. Lot Pictures on request.
Ships from Hong Kong, all my prices include shipping fees unless stated otherwise. Paypal Goods and Services. Any questions please ask.
GameBoy Color
x1 GameBoy Color Indigo (JAPAN REGION) CIB, outer box in great condition, comes with matching serial booklet, no scratches on the screen lens, very good condition - $180 usd
x1 GameBoy Color Teal (JAPAN REGION) CIB, outer box is quite beat but system is in good condition has scratches, clean screen with no noticeable scratches on the screen lens, includes matching serial booklet - $100 usd
x1 GameBoy Color Hong Kong Exclusive Pokemon Limited Edition, more info here an incredibly rare variant, the shell colorway is entirely exclusive to Hong Kong. Some minor scratches on the screen lens and a little yellowing on the top of the console but otherwise in great condition. - $750 USD (I sold one in worse condition months ago for $750 usd) LOOSE SYSTEM ONLY.
Nintendo 3DS/DS
x1 Pokemon Heartgold with Pokewalker, pokewalker is brand new, CIB. The outer box is in beautiful/mint shape with the exception of a slight on one of the corners of the box - $350 usd
x1 Pokemon Soulsilver with Pokewalker, pokewalker is used, box has rips on the back but otherwise good condition, CIB - $230 usd
x1 Pokemon Black 2 CIB, cartridge has no scratches on the label, very clean. - $160 usd
x1 Pokemon Soulsilver (loose) - $125 usd
x1 Pokemon White 2 (loose) - $160 usd
3DS + DS Game lot (pricecharting valued at $497 usd) asking $380 usd shipping fees included:
Games included are as follows: 28 games total - (all US//NTSC region), CIB unless stated otherwise.
x1 NDS Mario & Luigi Partners in Time
x1 NDS Kirby Canvas Curse
x1 NDS Sega Superstars Tennis
x1 NDS Gardening Mama
x1 NDS Mario Kart DS
x1 NDS Mario & Donkey Kong 2 March of the Minis
x1 3DS Pokemon X
x1 3DS Style Savvy Trendsetters
x1 3DS Cooking Mama 4 Kitchen Magic
x1 3DS Cooking Mama 5 Bon Appetit!
x1 3DS Steeldiver
x1 3DS Super Mario 3D Land
x2 3DS Pilotwings Resort
x1 LEGO City Undercover the Chase Begins
x1 LEGO Batman 2 DC Super Heroes
x1 LEGO Star Wars III
x1 LEGO Chima Laval's Journey
x1 LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean the Video Game
x1 LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7
x1 Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
x1 Monster Hunter Generations
x1 New Super Mario Bros 2
x1 Puzzle and Dragons Z + Mario
x1 Rayman 3D
x1 Resident Evil Revelations
x1 Mario Kart 7
x1 LEGO City Undercover the Chase Begins (Nintendo Selects)
Wii + Wii U Game Lot: (CIB unless stated otherwise), NTSC USA region. (Pricecharting value: $516 usd) Asking $390 usd shipping fee included.
x1 Wii Sports
x1 Wii Sports Resort
x2 Wii Super Mario Galaxy
x2 Wii Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition
x1 Wii Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess
x1 Wii Super Paper Mario
x1 Wii Dragonball Revenge of King Piccolo
x1 Wii The House of the Dead OVERKILL
x1 Wii Conduit 2
x1 Wii New Super Mario Bros Wii Edition
x1 Wii Mario Kart
x1 Wii Super Smash Bros Brawl
x1 Wii U StarFox Zero & Starfox Guard Bundle
x1 Wii U Bayonetta 2
x2 Wii U Nintendoland
x3 Wii U Splatoon
x1 Wii U The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
x1 Wii U Captain Toad Treasure Tracker
x1 Wii U Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
x1 Wii U Kung Fu Panda Showdown of Legendary Legends
x1 Wii U Mario Party 10 (red box)

Hey folks! I'm wanted to make this short but I have everything to learn, and admittedly very little knowledge or experience despite all of the self-research through consuming tons of content on Kayak Fishing and PNW Fishing and want to be very clear on what it is I am asking for in terms of guidance/recommendations!
Bless those of you that can manage to stick w/ me!
I haven't fished since I was a young kid with my grandfather - that was over 20 years ago so let's just assume I have no real bearing on what I'm doing or where to begin.
I live on the WA/OR border where the Columbia meets the Pacific and am looking to get myself setup with my first rod and tackle as I'd like to start fishing the local lakes and estuaries around me.
These are the circumstances that will affect my gear choices: 1.) My locale - Living at the literal mouth of the Columbia River (Astoria/Hammond, OR up to Ilwaco/Long Beach, WA and the surrounding areas) offers me a slew of bangers when it comes to the native fish and waterways being that there are streams, rivers, lakes, ocean, saltwater, freshwater, brackish water - blah, blah, blah - everything all at once. It's exciting, but overwhelming - with each new thing I learn, I realize how much more there is to find out. 2.) The primary use case for the gear I'm currently seeking is to fish from my Tucktec folding kayak, and ideally being able to accommodate a secondary use case of being able to pack in my rod and tackle on quick jaunts to more secluded waters in the area - I'm aware this may be where I just don't get to have the best of both worlds and may have to choose between the ability to pack it down and strap it to the side of my pack to bushwhack with and having it be an ideal rod for kayaking. I really just want to be able to grab my rod and tackle, get in my car, and be able to hop out with what I've got w/ me whenever I find myself in an area w/ a nice fishing spot that is accessible by foot or boat and just go!
I have seen some general recommendations of using around a 6.5'-8' rod on a kayak, and I most often see a 7' rod recommended - w/ the caveat of potentially adding a little length going up to 8' if fishing saltwater - given my locale, its really hard to say if I'll be in fresh, salt, or brackish water at any given time w/ all the coast, estuaries and lakes at my disposal it could really go any way. Even if I'm not kayaking out in the actual open waters of the Columbia, smaller estuaries that I might find myself in have that brackish water that I'm unsure whether to treat as fresh or saltwater when selecting gear.
Do I overcompensate as a foolproofing/failsafe measure and treat it like I'm generally fishing saltwater to handle the larger fish I'd encounter in those estuaries, or actual ocean if I'm on foot on the Washington side? Or do I go in with the intention of using a dedicated lake setup for fishing Bass, Steelhead and the smaller panfish that I'd encounter fishing Coffenbury Lake, Cullaby Lake, and other contained bodies of water and accept the fact that much like motorcycling, an "all-'rounder" or "dual sport" is more often than not underperforming and disappointing whether you're on the interstate or off the beaten path and one is usually better off just having dedicated bikes for dirt and street to really get that dialed in performance, rather than getting the worst of both worlds in one place. If that is in fact that case, then I guess I'm on the hunt for TWO rod/reel combos. One for fishing the local freshwater lakes, and a second for fishing the brackish water on the banks and estuaries.
I am trying my best to learn, but I don't know a lot about what's what seasonally as far as fishing goes, I just know prime time for bass fishing was a few months ago as it's getting warmer now. Tips on what I should be looking to fish for NOW and in the coming summefall months in this region would be greatly appreciated, I'm so eager to learn!
I know gear is subjective, and that if I take to angling, I'll end up amassing a ton of it for the changing seasons and types of fishing I take a shine to, and honestly, just for the hell of it. Right now, though? I just want to get myself a daily driver so that I can stop pulling my hair out researching and JUST GET TO CASTING OUT ON THE WATER ALREADY!
The goal is just to have enough fun in the process to not get discouraged from learning the art of angling, as I'd like it to become a staple source of communion with nature and a still chamber for reflection in my day-to-day life. I don't have any fishing buddies to offer moral support or get tips in this field, and I don't want to get myself in over my head and end up discouraged w/ gear that just sits gathering dust!
OH, and lastly on the note of the general 7' recommendation for kayak fishing, that seems to be a fairly universal ballpark on length, but I stumbled across Emmrod fishing rods - specifically the Emmrod Kayak King and the Emrod Packrod - they're funky little guys but they look bombproof, stowable, have swappable rod ends and they even have a model called the Kayak King - its only 27" assembled, half that packed, and I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the Emmrod rods as they honestly look like they'd fit the bill for both kayaking and packing in to secluded lakes and streams for me PERFECTLY, but they go against most of what I've gleaned about kayak fishing so far being a whole 5' shy of 7' and I worry that I'm just falling blindly for the idea of the Emmrod because it's unlike anything I've ever seen in the sea of other rods I'm trying to take my pick from, and on paper it says its exactly what I'm looking for and has swappable parts making it pique my interest that much more as I just love modular systems. Someone please, SOUND OFF!
So, tell me what rod/reel YOU'D go for. Tell me why I should not get the Emmrod and get a normal rod like a normal person, or better yet, tell me about your experience with the Emmrod and why it'd be perfect for me after all! Emmrod aside, all recommendations and tips for fishing this incredible area and what gear is going to make it an enjoyable experience for me and the fish I'm bound to meet is welcomed and encouraged!
Thanks to anyone who made it this far and has any advice to offer, maybe I'll see you out there!

I'll be forced to switch to a Macbook in a few weeks and since I'll be limited in my games selection, so I'm thinking about getting Kingmaker on EGS, thanks to the current sale.
I have almost no experience in RPGs, but I like understanding complex systems, so I'd like to play without any guides and go into the game blind, but I have one big concern.
I have very limited time to play, basically a few hours every other week. Is it possible to finish the game and have fun in that circumstances? Or will I just spend 95% of my time figuring out where I left off and what to do?

This is my first playthrough of System Shock 2! and I'm having a blast. I have managed to reach mid-to-late game, and have my skill points nicely balanced out in the right skills. As a result, I'm starting to hoard my skillpoiints/modules.
Since it's my first playthrough, I'm keeping my skills fairly balanced. Focusing on Standard weapons (rifle, pistol) I have 1 Heavy Weapons for Grenade Launcher, and I have 1 Exotic weapons for the Crystal Shard.
I've also invested into a bit of hacking ofc. Nothing in PSI because I have heard its best reserved for a second playthrough when I'm more familiar with the game.
I wanted to keep playing blind, but the decision paralysis is catching up with me.
Are there any skills and attributes I should go all in on as I approach the late game?

I hate my house. I hate everything about it. It’s always too clean, and there just seems to be something off about it. Although, I can’t ever find anything tangible that is wrong with it except for the fact that it’s dark. There is never enough light to illuminate things I need to see. I somehow always find myself squinting when I read, and turning on more lamps as the day goes on. I am well aware that I have many more light sources than the average person, but I need them. There is never enough light.
I realized this about my house after the first week of moving in. The first week was filled with the excitement of independence, however once the high wore off, the darkness settled in. It has honestly just made me uncomfortable. I feel like the house has something to hide.
I came back from work one evening and started my ritual of turning on just about every light there was in this goddamn place. It took me a couple of minutes to thoroughly go through every light source and click each one on. It made my house slightly more bearable, but still it wasn’t enough.
Finally I convince myself to go finish up some paperwork. I walk towards the living room where my desk is, and pull out a pen and a flashlight. I always need the flashlight to do any sort of writing because my eyes don’t even seem to register what I am writing if I don’t have extremely concentrated light focused on the paper.
I switch my flashlight on and begin writing. Going along, I manage to get through most of it within twenty minutes or so. Although, as time passes, the light from my flashlight seems to be brighter and brighter. Confused yet happy, I look at my flashlight and see that it wasn’t even on. I click the button a few times, and it must be dead. Confused, I look up at the ceiling where the recessed lighting is and am almost blinded as I look at it. It’s brighter than I’ve ever seen it in my life. I feel the light hit my skin and take in the beauty. I’ve never experienced this much pure bliss. Finally, light has entered my life and I feel a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
I look around the living room and find that every single light source that has been turned on is glowing brighter than ever before. So, I just sit in my office chair, basking in the artificial light that is finally enough for me.
A few minutes go by, and the excitement of light has worn off. Now, if anything, it has become too bright. I look up at the ceiling once again and see that the light is even brighter than before. How could that be possible? It almost hurts my eyes.
In fact, now it does hurt my eyes. I look down at my tile floor for a second. With the overly bright light, I can now see things I never saw before in my house. There’s huge cracks along the baseboards. The cracks even run up the walls and spider out in a million directions. I quickly run into my kitchen, and find that the cracks are there too. How could I have never seen them before? I know that my house was dark, but it shouldn’t have affected my sight that much, right?
I look to the countertop and find the set of chef’s knives sitting pristinely in the corner. I never realized how incredibly dirty they were, or how sharp the blades were. I take a closer look and find gunk practically growing on the knives. I seriously don’t understand how I could not have seen it until now.
The light is getting brighter. The colors are now becoming washed out in my kitchen by the harsh light. It’s so bright that anything even slightly reflective causes me to squint and look away. I feel my heart pounding in my chest as my brain tries to think through the situation. Why is this even happening?
I look around more at my kitchen and discover even more details that I had never seen before there was light. The window’s seal was completely broken, and there were insects flying in, hundreds a second. The pots and pans all had leftover food residue that looks like it could grow to the size of the house soon if left unsupervised. My fridge had a huge dent in the metal door, and the cabinet doors were all off of their hinges. My house was literally falling apart. All the while, the lights were getting unbearably brighter.
I had to get out of here. I wasn’t sure which would get me first, the lights blinding me, or the house collapsing on top of me, or the mold taking over almost all of the food left in my pantry. I run towards the front door, and try to leave, but the instant I touch the handle, I draw back my hand as it burns me. The light has become so bright that I can hardly see anything, and the metal in my house is starting to heat up. I realize that it is now or never, and that the flesh on my hand will need to be sacrificed to spare my life. I reach out blindly for the handle once again, turn the lock, and shove the door open. I can smell the burning flesh and I can hardly feel anything but pain in my hand.
As I cross the threshold of my door, I hear my house begin to collapse behind me. I run a few yards away from my house and look back. It’s entirely rubble now. I wonder how I could have never seen all of the signs of that decaying house until a few minutes ago.
The darkness blinded me from the problems. The light blinded me from the solutions.
It was too late.
I am homeless.
Nobody would ever believe that I hadn’t seen the cracks in my walls and foundation until now, or the mold growing on my food or the lights becoming so bright that I was temporarily blinded. They will all think I’m crazy. And the worst part is, I can feel the darkness settling over me once again. There is no more light, and even though it seemed to blind me temporarily, I missed what the light revealed. Now I am left in the dark about what my life will become once again.

Every gamer deserves a sanctuary, a space that whisks them away to fantastical realms or the heart-pounding thrill of competition. But where do you begin crafting the ultimate gamer's paradise? Fear not, fellow warriors and adventurers, for this guide will equip you with the knowledge to transform your space into a haven for epic gaming sessions.
The Foundation: Furniture Fit for Champions
The cornerstone of any gaming room is the furniture. Here's where comfort meets functionality:

• The Throne Awaits: Invest in a quality gaming chair. Look for features like adjustable lumbar support and armrests to keep you comfortable during marathon gaming sessions.
• Command Central: A spacious desk is essential. Consider a L-shaped desk for maximum peripheral space, or a dedicated PC gaming desk with built-in cable management for a sleek look.

Expanding Your Domain:
Think beyond just the core setup. Consider incorporating these elements to elevate your gaming experience:

• Comfort is Key: A plush beanbag chair or a cozy sectional sofa from a home decor shop [contemporary sectional sofa] is perfect for unwinding between matches or watching cutscenes with friends.
• Modern Marvels: For a touch of sophistication, incorporate modern living room furniture [modern living room furniture] or a sleek coffee table. This creates a designated space for snacks and drinks without sacrificing the overall aesthetic.

Lighting the Way to Victory
Lighting sets the mood for any space. Here's how to create the perfect ambiance for gaming:

• Banish the Glare: Avoid harsh overhead lighting. Opt for adjustable lamps or strategically placed LED strips to create a soft glow that's easy on the eyes.
• Immerse Yourself: Consider incorporating color-changing LED lights that react to your gameplay, adding another layer of immersion to the experience.

Personalize Your Paradise:
This is your space, so make it your own! Decorate with video game posters, figurines, or themed artwork. Showcase your achievements with shelves displaying your favorite games and controllers.
Bonus Tip: Don't forget the power of sound! Invest in a good quality headset or sound system for that truly immersive gaming experience.
The Finishing Touches:

• Storage Solutions: Keep the clutter at bay with stylish storage units or ottomans with hidden compartments.
• Fuel for the Quest: A designated snack station or a modern dining room table [modern dining room tables] from a home decor shop provides a convenient spot for refreshments during long gaming sessions.

By following these tips, you'll be well on your way to crafting the ultimate gamer's paradise. Remember, it's all about creating a space that reflects your personality and enhances your gaming experience. So, grab your controller, settle into your throne, and prepare to conquer new worlds in style!

Some of you just read the news and might think, well, why the police transfer the investigation to NHTSA or why the police call on the NHTSA to help, or what is the implication of this.
Here is the analysis:
1/
The police did not transfer the case to NHTSA. NHTSA open an investigation because there is an NHTSA report of a VF8 crashed that kill 4 people with evidence of malfunctioning steering (reported by users, NHTSA will investigate and contact the owner). So responsible VF US owners, report every problems you experienced to NHTSA. It is your right, and previlage, in America. You can save life.
2/
Thus, there are two investigations running in parallel, and of course, the NHTSA investigation and the police investigation will supplement each other on different aspects. NHTSA is an expert on car safety and car design (is there a faulty design involved?), the police is more on what happened on the scene (speed, hit, flame).
3/
During the investigation, NHTSA and the police will contact Vinfast to request it to provide further information. With the buggy VF8 with many reported problems (I have covered a lot of those problems in this sub), there is a high chance, very high chance, that NHTSA will find the faults in the VF8.
4/
When investigating, NHTSA will examine the car throughly and will, with high probability, look into the broken front wheels as well!
5/
These investigations will take time, several months. 3 months or more, so do not expect quick results. But the result will be comprehensive.
6/
The police has no power to order a recall. In contrast, NHTSA can order a recall of all VF8 in America if it find a problem. If the problem is serious, they might notify other governmental agencies to block the import or the sale of VF8 on the safety ground, until the problem has been adequately fixed.
Welcome to America, Vuong Pham 8888. Lie, recklessness, corner cutting bypassing proper testing will have to pay a price, a steep one in America. You cannot use money to bribe the police or NHTSA. You cannot use money to silence the US media as in Vietnam. When the police and NHTSA deliver the results, it will be all over the news in America. Until then, good luck with the pumping game (and the blind hope that the result will be good: the reality will hit harder when it comes).

Ok some context here.
I'm a dad to an 8yo boy. His mum and I never married and never really lived together for any meaningful amount of time (due to my work location at that time).
She terminated our first baby, even after making a grand announcement to her family that she was pregnant. Despite this, I stuck around and she got pregnant again a few months later. During that pregnancy, I just couldn't get close to her. I was gripped by fear that she would announce out of the blue, again, that she wasn't proceeding. I was ridiculed by her and her family, she even told me not to worry because legally in her country she wasn't allowed another termination so soon after the last one.
I ended our relationship at the end of 2018 (nobody else involved, I could just tell I wasn't appreciated, respected or wanted. I was 'convenient' to keep around from a financial perspective) when our Son was just over 3 and, despite my efforts to engage through mediation, she insisted we go through court as she wanted sole custody and a fat monthly pay-day and I wanted to be with my Son equally and, therefore, joint custody.
To add a little more context
We are from different countries (hers a non-english speaking one) yet I gave up my lucrative career and relocated here, integrated myself (studied the language, taught some English as a volunteer etc.) and went through the local family court system.
Eventually, the Judge ordered joint custody, which she immediately appealed against and, only at the day of the appeal when she was told she may lose the financial package I had been ordered to pay, did she withdraw her appeal.
Ever since then, almost 4 years, she has done nothing but try to make life intolerable. So many things I can't even begin to go into detail but, as an example, just yesterday I went to collect my Son at 3pm. He had a football match planned at 4.30pm and he was visibly upset because he wanted his mum to take him there. I took him for a walk and explained the way things are and he calmed down a bit. Then his mum appeared (she was basically hiding around the corner and eavesdropping on our 'man chat') and he got upset again. She went into this tirade about how I was frightening him and things like "look at our poor little boy, so afraid of you" blah blah blah. Then her Father joined in (they live in a multi-generation home as is common here) and the culmination of this was him spitting at me, in front of my Son (his Grandson) before he scuttled off back to his house.
Anyway, the questions I have are why do you women make this already difficult and complex situation worse? Have you got nothing better to do with your lives than scheme about how to f*&k over your ex? Are you really so bitter about not being wanted by a guy, for whatever reason, that the only focus you have is manipulating your kids and doing everything possible to turn them against their Father?
I know it's not always the case, and there are some real diamonds (all thanks to you, you are appreciated) who go out of their way to foster a collaborative and loving environment for the kids.
EDIT: Typos.

I dont know how to phrase this so I'm just gonna do my best. Some backstory is probably needed. I've been working for a retail store for 3 years now as the GM, I also worked there for 2 years in college which is why I landed the job when I left corporate office life. Relevant parties are my previous bosses Alison and Dirk* (names will be changed), who hired me at the suggestion of my predecessor (who worked there 25 years and also had the ol adhd), sold the business but not the building in late '21 so are effectively the LL's, Aaron, the current owner and my boss, who bought the store in mid 2023 after a secondary owner flipped it, and my bf David who works at the store pt for extra cash with the blessing of all owners past and present bc we keep our relationship outside of work and he's a damn hard worker.
So, Alison and dirk were like...not really around? And they didn't know how the backend software worked so they just kinda left me to my own devices so I fell into some pretty awful habits, mainly that I'm super territorial and if something isn't done I just do it myself or that since I wasn't given direction or goals my days just kinda became "idk clean the shelves and take the trash out" which had led to my staff liking me but not necessarily respecting me. And I spent so much time with sales reps bc I had to work alone all day, so much so that my best friends are all industry cohorts, bc I had NO oversight outside of A&D coming in, chastising me about new products I'd ordered, and fucking off. I could go weeks wo seeing them. Let me be clear, the store had money coming in, it looked great, the books mostly balanced (a&d notwithstanding) and I have always taken immense pride in my little pocket of locally sourced product. Every product was handchosen by me, I sell the shit out of it on the floor, I'd post us on socials, I'd regularly run spreadsheets to make sure our margins were competitive and made sense, I wasnt fucking around all day but I had no sense of direction, I was treading water with no shore in sight. My staff will be the first to tell u I don't ask them to do anything I'm not willing to do so I would scrub the toilet or empty the mousetraps or organize the stock area.
So all that to say, Aaron bought a failing business that I didn't even know was failing (and not due to anything I'd done, it was failing from the top) bc they never told me anything, I submitted my reports every month and checked the sales but I was never given metrics or told what metrics needed to be met just "keep the place operational". I'd ask for access to Moneris to make sure we were charged correctly and got shot down. Id ask what our overhead was so i could figure out how much we could afford for payroll and id be told "thats confidential", just keep it barebones. And understandably Aaron wants to turn that around, but he needs me to get on board and I want to so badly I know he can see that so hes working so hard to shift my mindset and help me grow into the leader he thinks im capable of and I know he gets so frustrated with me bc he has adhd too and he knows I'm like SO GOOD AT MY JOB if I'm given clear goals and deadlines but ive had a routine ya know? And then we've been sold twice in 2 years and all the chaos that comes with structural changes and different expectations. He's throwing every tool in the book at me right now bc he can see I'm struggling.
And that's where david becomes relevant bc he actually went to him over the weekend and asked him what HE thought would help me bc he obviously knows me better than anyone and my dumb ass bf done gone and said "we need to come up w a plan for best operating practice and maybe shed benefit from leadership coaching" so now that's been put in my plate on top of everything else which is like FINE but I'm not baking him any bread or sharing my pulled pork w him anytime soon. When i told David that aaron mentioned their convo he said "ummm that was not the outcome i was expecting" and he knows i fully expect him to help sort out the mess he just threw on my desk. So now my boss has asked me to find an executive function coach and he will pay for 4 consultations so I can implement some systems for time management.
Yall we thrive on routine I know this and he's working w me to meet me where I am so I wanna make the best of it so all that rambling to say - have any of u ever done this? Did u benefit from it? What types of questions should I ask in the consultation before I decide on one? Have u tried it? Did it work? Please bless me w ur wisdom ladies adorned w the crown of adhd I'm actually overthinking this and really stressed but I need to have an Appt set up by Friday (bc he knows how much I love deadlines lmao I told on myself) please help thank u. Also if anyone knows of any checklist software for retail that they use that is inexpensive or free that I can implement for my staff to do daily checklists, like maybe there's one ur company uses for u that's helpful plz let me know ok love u all
Tldr my boss wants to get me a coach to help structure my day and need advice

Wade held Jasmine in his arms as he flew a low height down the long road to another section of the staryard, Tina on his back and Nathan and F right behind them in the air. Together, the five glided across the base grounds, taking care as to not irritate the aerial security during their search for the meeting room. Being outside for the flight, the group considered it a blessing that Wade's 'enhanced cooling unit' allowed his body to tolerate the breaching sun in the still cloudy sky, which, according to F, was dangerous to drones like her due to the inefficient cooling she and disassembly drones like her suffered from. Given F's physical fault, she had to fly under shady areas in order to safely traverse the base at day.
Originally, Wade and his friends had planned to walk to the meeting zone, but after running into a trooper experiencing a health mishap, the group did what they could to help the distressed officer. By the time he was brought to the medical ward by other soldiers, Wade found that him and his team would be at least a few minutes late if they kept on their way with their walk.
Deciding to speed things up, Wade, understanding the concern for performing such an effort, opted to carry the Fowleys around the base to the meeting area. Reluctantly, F decided to come along, carrying Nathan in a similar manner that Wade was carrying Jasmine. Taking notice of the time on his HUD, which read, "9:47 AM", Wade scouted for the building he and his friends were directed to. "8072" He said to himself, the number being for the building that would house the imminent meeting.
"They said it was down here, right?" Wade asked aloud to Tina before stopping himself in mid-air, the girl holding onto him tightly as he tried to speak over the growing sound of a retrofit Apache flying overhead.
Looking about, Tina nodded as she spotted the target building. "Yes, I believe that's the one over there!" Pointing past his head, Wade followed her finger to a large building ahead at his right. The structure was moderately tall, only about two stories high, with several soldiers and officers going in and out of the building. Wade smiled as he noticed the target number, as well as the big, bold words describing the building's designation. "8072, Briefing Center B"
"Good eye, honey. Hang on!" Continuing his low glide, Wade zoomed towards the building's entrance before stopping just meters above the ground, his two friends close behind as they slowed down as well. The troopers around them initially looked startled by the sudden arrival of Wade and his group, but quickly regained their composure as Wade hovered still above them.
"At ease! Just visitors." One of the soldiers declared as they identified the newcomers, who touched down before Wade let Jasmine down to her feet, Tina hopping onto the ground along with her.
Putting his hands up, Wade apologized for his swift surprise. "Sorry for the scare, we got delayed for a meeting we're invited to."
The soldier gave an understanding nod as he replied to the former worker drone sternly. "I can see that, just be a bit more careful next time, Mr. Carter. You gave the boys here quite a scare."
Wade returned the gesture in embarrassment as F put a hand to his back, chuckling at his efforts as Tina questioned the officer. "Is Mrs. J in there? She's the one who called for us."
The guard gave his reply as Wade and Tina pulled out their IDs for clearance. "Yes she is, Miss. The meeting's set to begin in under ten minutes." Checking the two drones' IDs, Jasmine and the others pulled out theirs as well, the watchman motioning another trooper over to verify the group. Once the guard finished checking the five's cards, he nodded in approval as the watchman spoke once more. "You're clear to enter."
"Thank you Sir, again, sorry about that spook back there." Wade replied with a smile as the trooper gave one of his own, the disassembly drone and his allies making their way towards the office door before stopping upon the call of a voice.
"Hey, Felice!" Wade turned to find the origin of the voice, F doing the same as the two quickly spotted a quartet of soldiers walking excitedly towards F. The disassembly drone glanced to her friends with a smile before turning back to the approaching entourage.
Wade examined the four troops as they got closer: Two human men, one woman, and a male worker drone. One of the male soldiers had short, blonde hair, and a small scar to the right side of their face. The second man bore a tan skin tone and had black hair, with blue strips that went down slightly in a mullet style. The woman bore a set of long, dark green hair, with the hair going down and over her left shoulder. As for the worker drone, he wore the standard green soldier helmet, single eye visor and all. He had no hair on him from what Wade could tell, and bore a pair of whiteish purple eyes on his visor.
As F walked over to the soldiers, the same one that called to her spoke again. "Felicity, I didn't expect to see you around here today! Where you been?"
The girl soldier interrupted his initial chatter. "Hang on Carlos, do you even know if she remembers us?"
"Aye, don't she have one o' them memory locks, or sumthin?" The drone added in a heavy Scottish accent.
F waved her hand as she replied to the group. "Easy, everyone. Thankfully I still got my memories, courtesy of my technician back at Central." Lowering her hand, F let down her usual persona as she gave a wide smirk to the soldiers, clearly pleased to see them. "Good to see you guys around here."
The soldiers gave light cheers to F as they all embraced her, the group having a surprise reunion as Wade and the others watched in surprise. These must've been F's old colleagues from when she was in the service, Wade thought. Quite the coincidence for them to be here at this base of all places.
Not bothering with the convenience of the matter, Wade shook the thought off as he and his friends watched F and her old friends breaking the hug, Tina wrapping an arm around her boyfriend as the second male human spoke to her in what the two discerned as Spanish. "Ay, who your new friends, F?"
"Oh, these guys?" F replied in the same language, quietly startling Wade and the others as they had never heard her speak like that until now. Glancing over to Wade, F motioned him and the others to come over. "Everyone, these are some friends I made in the past few days. Wade, Nathan, Tina, and Jasmine." She pointed her hand to the four as she said each of their names. "I met the boys here during my time on Ceres. Jasmine and Tina here are sisters."
The four soldiers gave various forms of excitement, ranging from hearty laughs to low woops and even a whistle from one of the guys. As F stood next to her old teammates, they each introduced themselves to Wade and his friends. The blonde soldier went first. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you all, name's Carlos, Lieutenant Marksman."
"I'm Private Alvaros, good with close-range and stealth operations." Said the tan soldier with a salute.
"Sergeant Lucia Vasquez, usually the one who leads this bunch around these days." The female warrior stated with a humorous smirk.
"And Corporal Duncan Wallace, at your service!" The soldier drone stated proudly as he saluted to the bunch in front of him, who gave warm smiles as Wade shook his hand.
"Quite honored to meet you all, seems you have quite the history with F." The former worker drone said as Carlos patted F on her back.
"Oh, we do! She's the one who took charge when we didn't! Did you all hear of the Pasting of Nola VI?" Jasmine and Tina gave nods of affirmation while Wade, not as familiar with such history, held his hand up in a questioning manner.
"I think, wasn't that the battle where the Navy just barely held the outpost in that system? From the Stryker Clan?" Wade asked as Carlos nodded approvingly to him.
"That's right, and if Felice weren't there, WE would've been the ones getting pasted!" Carlos' statement brought victorious cheers and "oorahs" from the group, F letting a blush loose as she chuckled at her team's praise of her efforts.
"Well, that's not wrong." Although she didn't want to break off from her friends and discuss the past few years since they'd last met, F remembered the briefing. Clearing her throat, she continued. "And as much as I'd like to chat about the good times, I've been called to a meeting here, as have Wade and his crew."
The soldier group gave understanding looks to F as Lucia spoke up. "Thought so, Carl here was real eager to see you, though."
"Maybe we can talk after the meeting?" Nathan proposed as the soldiers collectively nodded in agreement, F readying a smartcomm attachment before turning to face her friends again.
"We're probably getting low on time, you all go in, I'll catch up in a sec." Wade nodded in acknowledgement before taking Tina's hand, the lover drones continuing towards the briefing center as Jasmine and Nathan followed behind them.
Passing through the door, the four guests observed a short hallway, which seemed to split into two paths as they came closer to the other end. Looking to a sign on the wall above, they saw arrows pointing to two separate areas, "Primary Briefing Room; Main Lobby + Secondary & Tertiary" Going to the right, they entered the moderately active lobby, several officers walking and standing about in mass chatter. Walking over to the desk up against the wall to their left, Wade and his group waved a hand to the occupying attendant.
"Welcome, what do you need?" The desk attendant asked as Tina raised a finger to reply.
"We're here for a meeting, Mrs. J called us here."
The attendant nodded in understanding before directing an arm towards the other end of the room, where a single door stood. "She should be in the second briefing room down that way."
"Thank you." Tina replied warmly before she and Wade began walking towards the door, their friends behind them as they proceeded into the room.
The room beyond the door was quite sizable, a large circular table occupying the middle with several chairs surrounding it. The walls went up a few meters, with four whiteish blue lights illuminating the room. On the wall opposite to Wade and Tina were three monitor screens, all of which showed the USN in bright blue. In several of the seats were faces both familiar and unfamiliar, several men and women in varying styles of uniforms conversing about quietly or taking notice of the recent visitors. Standing up near the monitors were three people: A decorated officer whom Tina identified as a ship captain, and the so-called operatives, Tessa, albeit as a hologram, and J.
Walking slowly into the room, Wade gave a low wave of his hand as he tried to hide his nervousness. Noticing his shyness in front of the officers, Tina held his hand and rubbed his arm comfortingly while returning a pleasant smile to the staff in the room.
"Ah, Wade, Tina. Glad to see you all here." J stated with a smile as she scanned the group, raising a digital eyebrow as she noticed one missing guest. "Or, most of you, I see. Did F run off somewhere?"
Wade shook his head as he replied to his fellow disassembly drone. "Oh, no. She just ran into some old friends, she should be back-"
"Right now." F finished aloud as she entered the room, seemingly having heard Wade speaking about her absence. The warrior drone fast walked to Wade's team, taking a seat near them as they prepared to do the same. "Not too late, are we?"
"Not at all." The standing officer answered as the group took their seats, Wade and Tina sitting next to each other as they got comfortable. The captain examined the lot for a moment, glancing to J as he asked about them. "So, these are the ones you helped rescue from the Mojave?"
"Yes Captain, and they helped us out greatly in turn. This is Wade Carter, one of the captured drones whom became a disassembly drone before we could mount the rescue. The luckiest one, if you ask me." Motioning her arm over the others, she continued. "And there's his girlfriend, Mrs. Tina Fowley, and her sister Jasmine." Smirking to F and Nathan, she finished her friends' introductions. "And these two are Serial Designation F and Mr. Nathan, whom I've heard were once under your ranks."
The military captain gave a welcoming smile to the five as they returned the gesture, eyeing F and Nathan specifically before speaking to them. "Indeed they were, we still have records on their contributions to the colonies." Eyeing F, he continued. "Though, in Mrs. F's case, I won't blame her if she doesn't remember us. We've been very well aware of JCJenson's 'memory suppression' protocols when it comes to their DDs."
F laid back in her seat with a smug look as she replied to her former superior. "Well, my friend on the station's a good tech gal. She's... waived that hindrance from me."
"I see, that means your still with us, am I right, Mrs. Lee?" Unlike her friends next to her, F was not startled by her original name being said aloud, rather smiling proudly as she saluted to the captain. "Good to see you again."
"Pleased to be here, Sir." F replied as she lowered her arm, glancing to her companions next to her as J spoke up.
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Captain Preston Mitchell, commander of the USNV Vickers down at the stardock."
Wade gave a respectful salute to Preston as he spoke first. "It's an honor to meet you, Sir."
"Thank you, Mr. Carter. I've heard about your efforts from J, you did an admirable job back there, son." Wade failed to hide an embarrassed blush from the compliment, but it quickly faded as a beep sounded from a small device on the table. It was swiftly silenced by the captain as he tapped a button on the small, pyramid shaped timer, then facing Wade's group before continuing. "Though, as much as we could use some small talk, it'll have to wait till later."
"Indeed, we're running late at this point." Said another officer, a highly decorated member of the base with dark skin, dark grey hair and a thin beard. He immediately won the attention of everyone in the room as he spoke up. "I'm General Hugh Hood, overseer of this base. I'm certain you know some of the reasons you're here with us, correct?"
Wade nodded as he spoke to Hood. "Yeah, it's cause of those rogue agents from the JCJenson corporation." Glancing to J, the corporate drone nodded in affirmation before speaking herself.
"Tessa and I spent the last hours of yesterday evening clearing up the matter with General Hood, along with several other officials stationed here." She stopped as the middle monitor behind her flashed with a banner at the top, reading, "INCOMING TRANSMISSION", and in place of the USN emblem was a textless version of the JCJenson logo. Below the profile image was another two lines of text. "N. Jenson (Company Exec); Comms Source: Yottrite IV"
"And also told our boss about what happened here too, he wanted to give his say on this ordeal." Looking to the general, J asked him, "May I put him on?"
Hood only gave a nod of approval to the corporate drone before she picked up a remote on the table and tapped a button, accepting the call as the picture shifted to show a middle-aged man in a pristine-looking business suit on the screen.
Wade and Tina glanced to each other before J introduced their guest on the screen. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the CEO of JCJenson: Mr. Noor Jenson."
Jenson gave a pleased nod to his subordinate as he spoke to J. "Thank you for the pleasantries, J. I see we are ready to discuss our plans on dealing with this 'recall' disaster I've bore witness to on the news this morning?"
J nodded as she replied to her boss. "Indeed, I've explained to General Hood here about our efforts yesterday, and, as of recent, we've just received a message from a source we believe to be close to the company."
Mr. Jenson looked down to J attentively as he spoke to her. "Well, that's quite intriguing news, J. Do you have this message available for us to view?" J and Hood both nodded in affirmation, but didn't get an immediate reply as Jenson gazed to Wade and his friends. "...And I presume these are some of the drones rescued from one of the factories?"
Again, J nodded to her superior before explaining her colleagues. "Yes Mr. Jenson, the two drones at the front in particular were among those taken by the Administrator and their subordinates." Pointing an arm to Wade and Tina, she introduced the drone couple. "The disassembly drone here is Mr. Wade Carter, a brother to his-technically speaking-owner, the late Ron Carter. The latter helped us recover Wade during an initial raid inside the Nevada facility." When bringing up Ron, J gave an apologetic look to Wade as to show she did not mean to be offending on him and his brother's relationship. "And this is his romantic partner, Mrs. Tina Fowley. I heard she and her sister Jasmine are pilots."
Jenson looked over the two drones as his obedient employee described them to him, quietly sighing as Wade and Tina returned the gaze with nervous smiles. Once J finished, Jenson spoke to Wade. "I... would say it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Carter. But, given recent events, I don't hold fault to you for feeling frustrated at me for my... former subordinate's actions."
Wade shook his head lightly, taking Jenson's light apology with a faint smile as he replied to the CEO. "Actually, I don't. The only person I have such feelings put towards is," He hesitated for a moment, his anger at Dr. Halloway returning for a short moment before he eased himself. "..That bastard Halloway."
"The feeling's mutual, Mr. Carter. Dr. Halloway has been trying my patience for years now, especially with you and your fellow disassembly drones." Looking to J, then F, he returned his gaze to Wade before questioning him on his new body. "I don't know if J has told you of this, but if there's one truth my company has admittedly not held up to for a while, it's our quality. Recently, some of my research staff here made blueprints for an upgraded variant of the disassembly drone design. It's intended to fix several faults we expected to be nonexistent previously, most notably that atrocious cooling unit."
As a schematic pulled up on the left monitor, everyone glanced to the improved design before F spoke up about it. "If I may ask, Mr. Jenson, how big of an improvement is this new cooling unit supposed to be?"
"Good question, F. Frankly, it's supposed to do away with the issue entirely. Saves us from sacrificing enormous supplies of oil for the poorly built unit in the previous iterations. We even tested it with a repaired drone just a few days ago, and it worked flawlessly." Then, glancing to Wade again, he questioned the former worker drone on his new form. "Speaking of, how does your enhanced body feel, Mr. Carter? I'm certain it feels better to not have to-"
"Actually, Mr. Jenson," Wade interrupted, pulling out one of his canteens as he answered the CEO on his upgrades. "I guess Halloway changed up the blueprints, cause unfortunately this new cooling unit didn't cure the overheating problem. I... kinda learned that the hard way." Wade glanced to Tina apologetically, still feeling bad from her seeing him eat the corpse of the dead murder drone back at the factory.
The corporate CEO grimaced in frustration as he took in Wade's statement, already intolerant of the head researcher's actions as he replied. "...I was worried about that, Edgar always likes to run things his own way, making excuses for that 'Administrator' he watches over." Taking an agitated breath, he continued on with his spew on the two culprits of yesterday's events. "It was only because of all the very impressive creations and enhancements she and her research team provided that I tolerated them for so long, but this..." Sitting up straight in front of the camera, Jenson finished sternly. "J said the Administrator... Cyn, I believe? She was apparently something worse than we presumed originally, and I'm very inclined to believe so after yesterday."
"As well as the program tied to the Administrator, the AbsoluteSolver." J clarified before receiving an agreeing nod from Mr. Jenson, standing corrected on his placing of blame.
Raising a hand, Nathan asked about the supposed plans. "Yeah, about this "Solver Project", what do we plan to do about that?"
"Good question, Nate." Tessa replied as she crossed her arms before looking to Jenson and beginning her explanation. "Initially, we were going to investigate the other factories spread across Earth in order to get some more info on the Administrator before things get worse. But, just this morning, it seems someone else saved us the trouble." Just as Tessa neared the end of her sentence, J held up the remote again, tapping a few buttons before the left monitor shifted to show a slightly grainy video onscreen.
The video only showed a single being, a worker drone, dressed in a chrome suit and bearing a set of yellow eyes. Behind them was what appeared to be a vacant room, a few shelves holding many books within them standing still in the back. The drone's visage indicated they were filled with immense anxiety, terrified of being caught as they spoke quietly to the camera.
"I can only hope someone gets this in time, they're gonna be on me once they find out the transmitter screens are down!" Turning the camera, he showed what appeared to be a large factory room, several more of the mysterious conveyor belts like at the factory slotted next to each other. It was hard to discern every detail due to not only the window reflection, but also the dark lighting in the inactive conveyor room. Filming the room beyond, the drone continued. "Dr. Halloway's a madman, he's got more of those stolen drones being brought here and he's going to be overseeing it in the afternoon tomorrow! I've seen what happened back in Nevada, I can't take this any longer! I'm at coordinates ##.######, -###.###### Please, send someo-"
The suspicious, partially scrambled transmission immediately cut off to static, leaving Wade, Tina, and their friends with confused expressions as Tessa spoke up. "Yeah, that caught me by surprise too."
"So, that guy says they got more drones being sent 'there', but... where is there, exactly?" Jasmine asked with immense curiosity.
"I was hoping you'd ask that, Mrs. Fowley." The technician replied as she glanced to J, who tapped a few more buttons on the remote before speaking over her boss-friend.
"While the transmission itself isn't much to work off of, our friends from Comms over here managed to intercept the signal earlier, and even better, discern where it originated from." As J started her explanation, the screen shifted once more to show a large city, with one skyscraper highlighted in red as it was zoomed towards on the screen. "That scrambled audio wasn't a simple glitch, it was intentionally done so as to hide key information for us to uncover. Upon cleaning up the message, we managed to recover a set of coordinates, which direct to this structure here, in San Francisco."
Wade and his friends stared at the building in shock, examining the tall structure as it stood over the shorter buildings in the city. Tina broke the silence in her gaze. "So, this is another factory? It looks... terribly different from the one we got out of."
"Not exactly, Mrs. Fowley." Mr. Jenson answered, Tina and the others looking to him as he continued. "THAT is the Administrator's main laboratory, its location was kept on the down low so other authorities and terrorist groups wouldn't find out what the buildings true purpose was." Sighing, Jenson completed his reply. "But, with this recent mistake of Halloway's, that place has lost all purpose for us at the company."
Wade raised a hand to speak. "So, we're going to pounce on that place? Get Halloway before he runs off again?"
"Exactly." General Hood replied as he looked up to Mr. Jenson. "This whole 'recovery/recruitment' effort has gotten out of hand all across Sol. We've gotten countless reports of people being killed because of this, be it the brutal robberies here in Nevada or the bloodbath on Ceres. Even if Mr. Jenson refuses to cooperate, this has become a dire matter for us now. One way or another, this insanity will be stopped with due haste."
The CEO nodded in acknowledgement before explaining his own plans for the mission. "Speaking of cooperation, upon seeing what was happening at Earth, I ordered a detachment of our corporate starships in orbit at the time to depart for Sol in order to help with investigating the situation. They're not warships, but they are well-armed. I'll dispatch them to your authority upon concluding this call." Glancing to Wade and his team for a moment, Jenson continued. "As for the mission, I may not have much of a say, but let it be known that you have my blessing to do whatever it takes to end this madness. I don't care what you do with Halloway or any of his lackeys, or what happens to that facility down there... I want that program shut down."
"Thank you for the extra hands, Mr. Jenson. We'll make sure this Administrator is dealt with." Hood replied gratefully as Wade sat firm in his seat, Tina and the others following suite.
"General?" The former worker drone said aloud, catching Hood's attention before he made his request. "I know I'm not a soldier, but I want to help with dealing with Halloway and his grunts. After what he did, after losing my brother, I can't rest until I see that man stopped."
Tina raised a finger as well. "As do I, Wade could use a hand with those people, and given how we did during our escape run out of that place, I think the two of us make quite the duo." She glanced to Wade with a smirk as she referenced their combat prowess when flying together.
Nathan and F stood up before the latter gave her own request. "Sir, I wish to take part in this mission as well. I can also recommend Wade for you too, as I fought alongside him during the factory raid."
"Wouldn't mind giving a hand myself! And I'm sure my pal Kurtis would love to help, he's here at the base too!" Nathan added with a confident smirk, the group's determination encouraging Jasmine to stand up as well.
"I'd like to help too." She stated simply, a smile on her face as the general and his companions observed the five guests.
Admittedly, Hood knew it would be a bit absurd to allow these people to take part in an operation which would certainly involve bloodshed, especially considering most of them merely had civilian status at the moment. But, upon careful evaluation of the five, their desire to see this problem dealt with, and the fact that some of them had experience on the field...
He paused his train of thought as Captain Mitchell spoke to him. "General? I read up on the Fowleys' files when we recovered Mrs. Jasmine here, they provided service in their early careers." He smirked to the pilot sisters as he finished adding his say. "And to be frank, we need more people like them here. The records we have of them showed them to be damn fine pilots."
Tina blushed at the praise from Mitchell as she spoke to the general. "That is true, we uh... did get discharged for our... 'fancy maneuvering'."
"Sir?" Jasmine said, the general's attention on her as she added to the conversation. "Even if our flying is a bit out of protocol, Tina saved a lot of people on that starjet a few days back. I can promise you, she's an excellent woman to have at the wheel."
Glancing to Wade again, Hood took in his face, one of begging desperation as he spoke once more. "Please, Sir. My brother, the troops he brought from the Coalition, Halloway's gotten them all killed cause of this. I want to do this. I HAVE to do this, at least for them."
The good general took a deep, quiet breath, considering his decision once more before finally revealing it to Wade and his friends. "Mr. Carter, Fowleys? I'm probably making myself a fool for saying this, but you're permitted to assist us in this mission."
The drone couple contained their gratefulness in the form of ecstatic grins as Wade replied to the general. "Thanks, General. We won't let you down."
"And Mrs. Lee?" Hood said as he glanced to F, who returned the gesture as he told her, "You're technically under Mr. Jenson's authority, whatever his answer is, it's mine as well."
Bringing her yellow-orange eyes to her CEO, F awaited Mr. Jenson's answer. "F, yes? I heard Mr. Hood call you by a different name just now, I assume you have some experience with the army?"
The warrior drone nodded as she explained herself. "I once inherited the name of Felicity Lee, Mr. Jenson. I served under the USN Defense Forces before joining the DD Division." Then, glancing to the military staff near her, she finished with, "I had hoped to provide my enhancements to the Force one day."
Jenson gave a hint of a proud smile as he finally gave his decision. "Well, it seems you'll finally get that chance. From now on, even after this mission on Earth is over with, you're hereby dispatched to serve under the USN."
F admittedly couldn't hide her excited smirk as she flung a salute to her now former boss. "Thank you Sir!"
Looking up to Jenson, General Hood asked the CEO, "Mr. Jenson, how long until your ships can reach Earth?"
Jenson glanced down at his communication console as he answered the military leader. "At max speed, their Ion drives should be able to bring them into orbit in as little as one to two days. I believe there should be some ships within the system that could help as well."
"Signal them when you can, Mr. Jenson. We could use all the help we can get from them." The CEO nodded to Hood as he stood firmly to the viewer, the general turning to face Wade and his colleagues. "And Mr. Carter? We'll be mobilizing our forces immediately after this meeting concludes. It'll be a minute, but I want you to gather whatever items and belongings you'll need for this operation. Be ready to head to the flight pads in no more than three hours."
"Understood Sir!" Wade said with a salute, Tina, Jasmine and Nathan giving their own as Jasmine raised a finger.
"What about the area around the lab? That place looks like it's in the middle of the city."
J raised a finger as she told Jasmine and the others about their resolution of the civilian obstacle. "Shortly after reporting our findings on the transmission, Hood told us that they were sending in some teams to clear out the civilian population within several miles of the facility. Once we get there, it should be of no concern."
Jasmine sighed in relief as Tina spoke up. "So the people should be safe from any sort of danger?"
"Correct, Mrs. Tina." Preston answered before continuing. "Given the resistance Halloway and his men showed during the Coalition's raid, they most certainly won't hold back there."
"One more thing, Sir." Nathan asked. "The Coalition's going to help us out with this too, right?"
"You can count on it, Mr. Nathan." The Vickers' captain replied as he looked to J, then to Jenson as he spoke further. "I met the leader of the Coalition's detachment working with us when I was introduced to J and Mrs. Elliott here, they intend to see this conflict finished. I highly doubt they're willing to sit back and let us do this by ourselves."
"And their help will be much appreciated." Hood added, everyone's attention returned to him as he looked to Tessa, curious eyes scanning her holographic form. "And Mrs. Elliott, if I may. Do you mind heading down here to assist us in our investigations later on?"
"Funny you say that, General. I'm almost done with my own snooping around on the JCJ up in orbit, Cyn has some small departments of hers aboard, and I thought I'd gather some more intel before coming down." Glancing to Mr. Jenson, she saw him giving an understanding nod before returning her gaze to the military staff. "I should be down there by the evening, judging by where you're located."
"Do what you must, Mrs. Elliott. We could use whatever you find." Hood replied firmly as he turned once more to the JCJenson CEO. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Jenson. We will get to the bottom of this."
"It's my pleasure, General." Glancing to J and Tessa, he spoke to them once more. "J? Contact me when you've finished with Halloway and his Administrator."
"It'll be done, Mr. Jenson." The obedient servant answered before saluting firmly, receiving a final nod from her boss before he ended the transmission.
With their off-world guest out of the way, Hood looked to Wade and his friends, J, Tessa and Captain Mitchells sharing the gaze with them as the general spoke to them in finality. "Well, you know what comes next everyone. You're all dismissed for now. And remember, landing zone by 1300."
"We'll be there Sir." Wade said with a nod as he and his friends stood up, pushing in their chairs before making their way out to the door.
As they neared it, Wade stopped for a moment as they heard Hood call to one of his friends. "And F?" The soldier drone looked to the general as he continued. "Before we depart, would you mind changing your uniform? I believe it could help with identifying you from the other disassembly drones more easily." Glancing to J, then back to F, he finished with, "I recall hearing about the most formidable drones having clones prepared, yes?"
"Correct, Sir. I'll stop by the nearest barracks while I can." F replied before turning back to the door with her colleagues, Wade opening the door for them all as they passed through. After them, Wade passed through himself, shutting the door to the meeting room as he returned to the lobby.
Walking about together, F spoke to Wade and the others. "Well, that went smoothly. I'll be heading down to the barracks, then head over to your place to help out."
"Actually," Wade replied, raising a finger up as he asked his fellow murder drone, "You think you could bring your friends over? We could get to know each other while we're getting ready."
F glanced to Nathan with a smile before returning her eyes to Wade. "I could see about that. You're gonna like them, I can promise you that."
Taking Tina's hand, Wade walked with his girlfriend alongside Jasmine and the others, nearing the hallway they came through as they prepared for the walk back to the apartment.

I'm experiencing an issue in KDE where opening a file causes the system to switch activities if there's already an application window open in a different activity. For example, in the attached video, opening a text file in Activity 1 switches to Activity 2 because VS Code is open there (see Activity name in bottom left corner).
I find this behavior quite annoying and would prefer if activities were more "isolated," meaning a new application window should open in the current activity instead of switching to another one.
I know one workaround is to open a blank new window before opening files, which usually prevents the activity switch. However, I'm looking for a more permanent solution.
Does anyone know how to achieve this or have any other suggestions?

Operating System: Kubuntu 23.10 KDE Plasma Version: 5.27.8 

https://reddit.com/link/1cx32ff/video/ew0toz9noq1d1/player

Game Information

Game Title: Senua's Saga: Hellblade II
Platforms:

• Xbox Series X/S (May 21, 2024)
• PC (May 21, 2024)

Trailers:

• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II – Official Trailer The Game Awards 2023
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade II - The Senua Trailer Xbox Games Showcase 2023

Developer: Ninja Theory
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Review Aggregator:
OpenCritic - 84 average - 86% recommended - 55 reviews
MetaCritic - 81 average - 34 reviews

Critic Reviews

AltChar - Asmir Kovacevic - 95 / 100

Few games in recent times have been able to do what Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 has done: make me feel so engaged and immersed that I wish the feeling would never stop. It is a game that will keep you in constant awe throughout the playtime with its fantastic and mysterious story, incredible graphic and sound presentation and realistic and brutal combat that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

But Why Tho? - Mick Abrahamson - 7.5 / 10

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II won’t be for everyone. But if you are looking for a brutal continuation of a fantastic story that feels like you’re actually playing a movie, you’ll have a great time here.

CGMagazine - Justin Wood - 7 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 starts incredibly strong in the first half, but after certain revelations, the story speeds up to a point where the conclusion feels rushed and half-baked.

COGconnected - Mark Steighner - 95 / 100

It has been a very long time since I played a game as assured, polished, and emotionally affecting as Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2.

Cerealkillerz - Steve Brieller - German - 7.9 / 10

If you expect an immersive but not so interactive “game”, Senua’s Saga Hellblade II delivers a short yet intense experience. Ninja Theory has once again skillfully created an impressive atmosphere, as they did in Senua’s Sacrifice. Unfortunately, the issues remain as well: Puzzles and combat are too easy and there is no variety in either. So please keep in mind, that this is more a Hellblade 1.5 than a true sequel.

Checkpoint Gaming - Charlie Kelly - 10 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is well worth the wait and is a serious game of the year contender. Senua's follow-up journey is the best exploration of mental health that we've seen in games to date, using incredibly striking visual imagery, metaphors and immersive soundscapes to have you feel right there next to her. In what has to be the most photo-realistic game of all time, you're guaranteed to be constantly taken by the hero's adventure as you take in the beautiful and often haunting Viking Iceland. Through mud and dirt, blood and bones, Senua and Ninja Theory in turn bare all to you, the player. A masterpiece, benchmark and magnum opus, Hellblade II is crucial storytelling you won't soon forget.

Console Creatures - Patrick Tremblay - Recommended

With Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, Ninja Theory shows that video games can be more than simple entertainment: they can be profound artistic and emotional explorations, capable of touching and transforming those who play them. This is an unforgettable journey into the heart of Iceland's darkness, where every step of Senua is a step towards self-discovery.

Digital Trends - Tomas Franzese - 4 / 5

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is a visual stunner for Xbox even if its gameplay isn't too creative.

Echo Boomer - David Fialho - Portuguese - Essential

Ninja Theory has finally delivered the long-awaited and provocative sequel to Hellblade, with one of the most impressive interactive cinematic experiences of the generation, which makes you question what is real and leaves you dreaming of the graphic potential of future games still on current consoles.

Enternity.gr - Christos Chatzisavvas - Greek - 9.5 / 10

With Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, Ninja Theory builds the game it dreamed of, creating a title on a larger scale than any other.

Eurogamer - Johnny Chiodini - 5 / 5

Hellblade 2 continues Senua's story with grace, confidence, surprising brutality and thundering conviction.

GAMES.CH - Olaf Bleich - German - 89%

The game sucks you skin and hair into its fantasy world and creates such an intense bond with the characters and their stories that you want to know at every second how the adventure ends.

Game Informer - Marcus Stewart - 9 / 10

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II’s conclusion ends on another strong note, and despite my initial reservations about continuing Senua’s story, I walked away happy to see her conquer new monsters, both literal and metaphorical.

GameSpot - Jess Cogswell - 6 / 10

Hellblade 2 is perhaps the most visually remarkable Xbox title to date, but is ultimately undermined by its emphasis on fidelity over story and gameplay.

GamingTrend - Cassie Peterson - 95 / 100

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is a stunning and immersive storytelling experience that really puts the player into the mind of its titular character. It's even more narratively-focused than the first game (not to its detriment), with a bigger emphasis on how Senua sees and interacts with the world around her. The whole experience from start to finish has been beyond memorable.

Generación Xbox - Pedro del Pozo - Spanish - 9.3 / 10

Ninja Theory manages to place Senua in the Olympus of videogames with the most visually and sonorously powerful game we have seen so far. A spectacular, stunning and awe-inspiring journey.

IGN - Tristan Ogilvie - 8 / 10

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is another Viking-worthy feast for the senses that meets the high bar set by its predecessor, even if it never really manages to clear it.

INVEN - Soojin Kim - Korean - 8.5 / 10

The game's high level of immersion makes you want to play it from start to finish in one sitting. With outstanding audiovisual presentation and effects, it gives the feeling that you're playing a movie, not watching it. However, the gameplay elements, such as combat and puzzles, still lack significant meaning, which leads to rather disappoint feelings.

Kakuchopurei - Jonathan Leo - 80 / 100

While the story & gameplay's broad strokes might be familiar, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2's execution, perspective, and overall production values are just stellar and highlights Ninja Theory's strengths in delivering what it does best: story-heavy cinematic gaming. The characters are fleshed out and well-written, with proper focus on your main character and her turmoils that carry over from the first game, the fighting feels weighty and challenging without being completely frustrating, and the HUD-less approach to presentation is welcome.

Kotaku - Claire Jackson - Unscored

A spellbinding meditation on anguish and compassion, Hellblade II delivers one of the most gripping interactive and sensory experiences of 2024

Merlin'in Kazanı - Murat Oktay - Turkish - 89 / 100

The chaotic story of Senua continues. We set out to take revenge on the Viking raiders who have inflicted devastating losses on the people of Orkney.

Metro GameCentral - GameCentral - 5 / 10

A joyless slog of barely interactive entertainment and a muddled portrayal of mental illness… that just so happens to have the best graphics ever on a video game console.

MondoXbox - Giuseppe Genga - Italian - 9.5 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is a true masterpiece: a deep and highly immersive narrative experience that manages to make us feel all the protagonist's torment within an impressively realistic world. Ninja Theory reveals itself to be one of the most valuable studios in the Xbox stable here, reaching levels of absolute excellence in graphics, audio, narration, and acting. A must-play.

New Game Network - Alex Varankou - 70 / 100

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II keeps the basics intact, and while a strong lead character, great animations, and simple but enjoyable combat continue to deliver, the poor pacing and performance issues prevent this sequel from breaking free of its past.

Nexus Hub - Sam Aberdeen - 8 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is the best-looking game we've ever played - a true visual powerhouse backed by an emotionally charged story and gripping dark fantasy setting, if you can look past some of its shortcomings.

One More Game - Chris Garcia - 9 / 10

Hellblade 2 is a triumph in masterful storytelling and impeccable audio design for Ninja Theory. It is an emotionally powerful experience that depicts a sensitive subject that is hardly talked about in the medium.
To achieve this, the game stripped out several features and systems like combat and exploration in favor of a deeper narrative affair. This is not for everyone, but it is something I would encourage everyone to try at least try out.

Oyungezer Online - Onur Kaya - Turkish - 8 / 10

Next gen graphics and presentation is now among us, next gen game design on the other hand, will be running late.

PC Gamer - Robin Valentine - 58 / 100

Despite its greater scale and visual splendour, this sequel fails to escape the shadow of its predecessor with a muddled tale that Senua herself feels out of place in.

PCGamesN - Cheri Faulkner - 9 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is an impeccable story of coming to terms with trauma and making difficult decisions, punctuated by moments of outstanding beauty and strength.

Pixel Arts - Danial Dehghani - Persian - 9 / 10

Hellblade 2 is a stellar example of a sequel done right, building on the elements that made the original a landmark in gaming. It stays true to its roots, prioritizing depth and atmosphere over broad appeal. Fans of the first game will find much to love here, as it remains a unique and compelling experience. However, if the original didn't resonate with you, Hellblade 2 follows a similar path and might not change your mind.

Polygon - Yussef Cole - Unscored

Where the first game felt like a journey of self-discovery, both for Senua and for the player, Hellblade 2 feels more invested in creating the myth of Senua: Senua as legendary giant slayer, as mystical seer touched by the underworld.

Press Start - Brodie Gibbons - 9 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is yet another arresting, artful chapter in an adventure now two games long. Though it might approach iteration with a very safe hand, only going so far as to correct the original's shortcomings, Ninja Theory's clear strengths in story craft, audiovisual design, as well as their care for the dark subject matter manage to shine through brighter than ever before.

Rectify Gaming - Tyler Nienburg - 10 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II emerges as a visual and storytelling masterpiece, and is unquestionably the best-looking game I've witnessed on Xbox Series X since its launch.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Rick Lane - Unscored

A more uncompromising version of the first game, Hellblade 2 offers a well told story and immaculate presentation. But it's also even simpler, to the point where it treats interaction like an inconvenience.

SECTOR.sk - Matúš Štrba - Slovak - 9.5 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is, at its core, a short game, but an excellent one. But it's not for everyone. It's a bloody and often disgusting experience based on strong emotions and immersion in a character that just won't let you go. It's more of an artistic experience than a traditional game.

Saudi Gamer - Arabic - 10 / 10

An exceptionally well realized portrayal of Senua's struggle both real and praying on her fears, with brutal and satisfying combat and puzzles that require you to appreciate the world. It successfully continues what the first game started and improves upon almost every aspect.

Seasoned Gaming - Ainsley Bowden - 9 / 10

Senua's Saga is a journey unlike any other. It's fantastical, evocative, and demonstrative of Ninja Theory being masters of their craft.

Shacknews - TJ Denzer - 9 / 10

Hellblade 2 still does incredibly well. The new story is weighty, the audio is exceptional, the scenery is ridiculously dense and rich, and the combat feels intense and impactful in new and interesting ways.

Slant Magazine - Justin Clark - 3.5 / 5

The newest chapter in Senua’s story is powerfully told but feels like it’s missing a few pages.

Spaziogames - Gianluca Arena - Italian - 7.6 / 10

Senua's Saga is as strong as its predecessor, if not more, and delivers both in its storytelling and on the technical side. The gameplay, however, has still a lot of room for improvements and boils down to almost-QTE combat and boring puzzles. An experience more than an actual and so-called video game, but an experience worth living nonetheless.

Stevivor - Jay Ball - 9.5 / 10

Senua’s Saga Hellblade 2 is a video game only on its surface. Scratch that away and you’ll see that it’s a deep, thought-provoking, interactive experience proving games are an art form that demands skill and talent. Ninja Theory should be very proud.

TechRaptor - Robert Scarpinito - 7.5 / 10

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II features intense audio, beautiful graphics, and wonderful camera work, creating a powerful presentation that’s worth experiencing. However, the narrative doesn’t quite stick the landing.

The Escapist - Unscored

Video Review - Quote not available

The Outerhaven Productions - Jordan Andow - 5 / 5

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II sets a new bar for performances and presentation. Combined with smart improvements to gameplay, it is arguably the most cinematic, immersive, story-driven experience we’ve ever seen.

TheSixthAxis - Dominic Leighton - Unscored

Just like its forbear, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is an oppressive, powerful and haunting example of the power of video games, and one that sets its own parameters for what a digital experience can be. It is a game that must be experienced, not least because, there’s nothing else quite like it.

Tom's Hardware Italia - Andrea Riviera - Italian - 10 / 10

What Ninja Theory has achieved transcends reality, creating a work that is practically perfect for what it aimed to be: an audiovisual adventure with a strong narrative component. Beyond state-of-the-art graphics and sound that will undoubtedly set a standard in the coming years, what truly astonishes is the maturity with which the team has taken an excellent game like the first Hellblade and molded it into something so qualitatively impressive that it becomes difficult to even describe. This elevates the medium to a new communicative level, capable of evoking emotions and surprising players from start to finish. Experiences like Hellblade 2, which leave a lasting impression on the soul, are few and far between in a generation, and we can only rejoice in seeing how the beautiful artistic vision of the Ninja Theory team has become a reality.

Too Much Gaming - Carlos Hernandez - 5 / 5

Hellblade 2 feels like a living, breathing shapeshifter, manipulating its surroundings around the player with precision and consistency, making it one of the most visually stunning video games of this generation. This is an amazing title that carefully balances its artistic and gaming ambitions, a masterpiece that I encourage any gamer to experience.

TrueAchievements - Sean Carey - 9 / 10

Ninja Theory has created an outstanding sequel with Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2. An unforgettable narrative adventure that is brought to life through impeccable sound design, fantastic visuals, and a story that will stick with you long after the final credits roll. Hellblade 2 is one of the best games Xbox has to offer.

TrueGaming - عمر العمودي - Arabic - 8 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is a technical achievement for the gaming industry, the visuals are impressive and realistic in a way we haven't seen before and the audio design is very impressive. The game itself though, we think it could've offered more as puzzles are repetitive and combat is quite limited. However, the storytelling is strong in this chapter of Senua's journey, though it feels heavy and depressing.

VideoGamer - Tom Bardwell - 9 / 10

Though uncomfortably bleak and distressing, Helldivers 2 is something truly special.

WellPlayed - James Wood - 6 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is an achievement in visual fidelity but fails to define itself amid clumsy retreads and unengaging new ideas.

Worth Playing - Chris "Atom" DeAngelus - 7 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is a beautiful but ultimately hollow game. The fantastic presentation props up a story that is less personal and engaging than in the first game, and the gameplay feels like an afterthought. It was great to see Senua again and to see her outside of the grief-misery she was enveloped in during the first game, but beyond that, there's not much to Hellblade II. It's a short and less memorable experience that shows off Ninja Theory's visual craft to its fullest - but it achieves little else.

Xbox Achievements - Dan Webb - 90%

While Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 might not set any new standards with its simplistic gameplay mechanics, from an audio-visual experience standpoint, it's frankly quite a stunning experience. Hellblade 2 is as close to playing the leading role in a big budget movie as you’re likely to get, and Ninja Theory’s continued coverage on the complexities of severe mental health issues deserves to be commended once more. Bravo, Ninja Theory. Bravo.

XboxEra - Jon Clarke - 10 / 10

Despite the backing of a company as large and as well-funded as Microsoft, Ninja Theory have, in my opinion, nurtured their independent spirit and kept it well and truly alive in every facet of Senua's Saga: Hellblade II. It's brutal. It's breath-taking. It's brilliant. If this is “Independent AAA”?
Sign me up for more.

ZdobywcyGier.eu - Bartosz Michalik - Polish - 9.5 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is undoubtedly one of the best games of this year. Not only does it shine in terms of audio-visual setting, but also in terms of story. The only element that could be considered caveat is at the same time its greatest asset, namely cinematography. Sometimes one gets the impression that the developers, in an effort to achieve the best possible effect, had to make a lot of compromises, which significantly limited the gameplay possibilities. Nevertheless, for a great narrative and immersion, this is something to turn a blind eye to.

• Start date: May 15, 2024.
• Total investment: € 9996.59.
• Positions type: Long (all).
• Leverage: 1:1 (none).
• Total current return: € ? (?%).
• Total elapsed weeks: ?.
• Next update: May 23, 2024.
• End date: December 31, 2024.

Here is the .csv file ("," as columns separator):

Broker ticker,YF ticker,Listing country,Name,Currency,Type,Exchange,Sector,Industry,Last date (YYYY-MM-DD),Last price,Last price (EUR),Purchase date (YYYY-MM-DD),Purchase price,Purchase price (EUR),Quantity,Total cost,Total cost (EUR),Stop loss,Stop loss (EUR) 4BB.L,4BB.L,GB,4basebio PLC,GBp,EQUITY,LSE,Healthcare,Biotechnology,2024-05-15,1410,16.4411112956747,2024-05-15,1410,16.4411112956747,6,8460,98.6466677740485,181.99237928413,2.12076386322516 ABBN.VX,ABBN.SW,CH,ABB Ltd,CHF,EQUITY,EBS,Industrials,Electrical Equipment & Parts,2024-05-15,48.2000007629395,49.2463076080989,2024-05-15,48.2000007629395,49.2463076080989,2,96.4000015258789,98.4926152161979,30.0463815309176,30.6219409984699 ACGL.O,ACGL,US,Arch Capital Group Ltd.,USD,EQUITY,NMS,Financial Services,Insurance - Diversified,2024-05-15,97.8700027465821,90.0003736957321,2024-05-15,97.8700027465821,90.0003736957321,1,97.8700027465821,90.0003736957321,57.6807854724479,53.0540366273465 ADMA.O,ADMA,US,"ADMA Biologics, Inc.",USD,EQUITY,NGM,Healthcare,Biotechnology,2024-05-15,9.10000038146973,8.36827845079613,2024-05-15,9.10000038146973,8.36827845079613,12,109.200004577637,100.419341409554,1.47446989649493,1.35619824268739 AET.L,AET.L,GB,Afentra plc,GBp,EQUITY,LSE,Energy,Oil & Gas E&P,2024-05-15,51.5999984741211,0.601674693453668,2024-05-15,51.5999984741211,0.601674693453668,166,8565.5997467041,99.8779991133089,17.2552084436733,0.201075576151617 ALDNX.PAR,ALDNX.PA,FR,DNXCorp SE,EUR,EQUITY,PAR,Communication Services,Internet Content & Information,2024-05-15,22,22,2024-05-15,22,22,5,110,110,11.1928169792181,11.1928169792181 ALLAN.PAR,ALLAN.PA,FR,Lanson-BCC,EUR,EQUITY,PAR,Consumer Defensive,Beverages - Wineries & Distilleries,2024-05-15,46.5999984741211,46.5999984741211,2024-05-15,46.5999984741211,46.5999984741211,2,93.1999969482422,93.1999969482422,33.9247673647968,33.9247673647968 ALLOG.PAR,ALLOG.PA,FR,Logic Instrument S.A.,EUR,EQUITY,PAR,Technology,Computer Hardware,2024-05-15,1.16499996185303,1.16499996185303,2024-05-15,1.16499996185303,1.16499996185303,86,100.18999671936,100.18999671936,0.369989265252377,0.369989265252377 AROC.N,AROC,US,"Archrock, Inc.",USD,EQUITY,NYQ,Energy,Oil & Gas Equipment & Services,2024-05-15,20,18.39182,2024-05-15,20,18.39182,5,100,91.9591,9.52721949298871,8.76301263579761 ARRWU.O,ARRWU,US,Arrowroot Acquisition Corp.,USD,EQUITY,NCM,Financial Services,Shell Companies,2024-04-16,17,15.633047,2024-04-16,17,15.633047,6,102,93.798282,8.8489792646162,8.13917609086355 ARYD.O,ARYD,US,ARYA Sciences Acquisition Corp IV,USD,EQUITY,NCM,Financial Services,Shell Companies,2024-05-15,11.3699998855591,10.4557495647612,2024-05-15,11.3699998855591,10.4557495647612,10,113.699998855591,104.557495647612,10.6225484108966,9.77048193521333 BA_.L,BA.L,GB,BAE Systems plc,GBp,EQUITY,LSE,Industrials,Aerospace & Defense,2024-05-15,1363,15.8930742524856,2024-05-15,1363,15.8930742524856,6,8178,95.3584455149135,816.219675877841,9.51143778582399 BDB.MI,BDB.MI,IT,Banco di Desio e della Brianza S.p.A.,EUR,EQUITY,MIL,Financial Services,Banks—Regional,2024-05-15,4.98000001907349,4.98000001907349,2024-05-15,4.98000001907349,4.98000001907349,20,99.6000003814697,99.6000003814697,3.15504560196379,3.15504560196379 BDT.TO,BDT.TO,CA,Bird Construction Inc.,CAD,EQUITY,TOR,Industrials,Engineering & Construction,2024-05-15,22.5100002288818,15.1999072001158,2024-05-15,22.5100002288818,15.1999072001158,7,157.570001602173,106.39935040081,7.03762236613261,4.74895717230204 BPE.MI,BPE.MI,IT,BPER Banca SpA,EUR,EQUITY,MIL,Financial Services,Banks—Regional,2024-05-15,5.01200008392334,5.01200008392334,2024-05-15,5.01200008392334,5.01200008392334,20,100.240001678467,100.240001678467,2.09752578063009,2.09752578063009 BPSO.MI,BPSO.MI,IT,Banca Popolare di Sondrio S.p.A,EUR,EQUITY,MIL,Financial Services,Banks—Regional,2024-05-15,8.1899995803833,8.1899995803833,2024-05-15,8.1899995803833,8.1899995803833,12,98.2799949645996,98.2799949645996,3.57230683027942,3.57230683027942 BRBR.N,BRBR,US,"BellRing Brands, Inc.",USD,EQUITY,NYQ,Consumer Defensive,Packaged Foods,2024-05-15,58.9000015258789,54.1639113031845,2024-05-15,58.9000015258789,54.1639113031845,2,117.800003051758,108.327822606369,29.9543368800174,27.5516096558606 CAMT.O,CAMT,US,Camtek Ltd.,USD,EQUITY,NGM,Technology,Semiconductor Equipment & Materials,2024-05-15,100.389999389648,92.3177399287262,2024-05-15,100.389999389648,92.3177399287262,1,100.389999389648,92.3177399287262,13.0355686283783,11.9899465619902 CECO.O,CECO,US,CECO Environmental Corp.,USD,EQUITY,NMS,Industrials,Pollution & Treatment Controls,2024-05-15,25.1200008392334,23.1001266917515,2024-05-15,25.1200008392334,23.1001266917515,4,100.480003356934,92.4005067670059,9.5891733627488,8.81999699980263 CEU.TO,CEU.TO,CA,CES Energy Solutions Corp.,CAD,EQUITY,TOR,Energy,Oil & Gas Equipment & Services,2024-05-15,6.88000011444092,4.64572910763949,2024-05-15,6.88000011444092,4.64572910763949,22,151.3600025177,102.206040368069,1.86502711047414,1.25851223780441 CHG.FRA,CHG.F,DE,CHAPTERS Group AG,EUR,EQUITY,FRA,Technology,Information Technology Services,2024-05-15,23.2000007629395,23.2000007629395,2024-05-15,23.2000007629395,23.2000007629395,4,92.8000030517578,92.8000030517578,9.6013365799341,9.6013365799341 CIRC.MI,CIRC.MI,IT,Circle S.p.A.,EUR,EQUITY,MIL,Technology,Information Technology Services,2024-05-15,6.8600001335144,6.8600001335144,2024-05-15,6.8600001335144,6.8600001335144,15,102.900002002716,102.900002002716,4.30242335652391,4.30242335652391 CLS.TO,CLS.TO,CA,Celestica Inc.,CAD,EQUITY,TOR,Technology,Electronic Components,2024-05-15,70.8000030517578,47.8077949894401,2024-05-15,70.8000030517578,47.8077949894401,2,141.600006103516,95.6155899788802,3.54000015258789,2.38877681125436 COH.PAR,COH.PA,FR,Coheris SA,EUR,EQUITY,PAR,Technology,Software—Application,2024-05-15,6.73999977111816,6.73999977111816,2024-05-15,6.73999977111816,6.73999977111816,15,101.099996566772,101.099996566772,2.88333012866946,2.88333012866946 COOL.O,COOL,US,Corner Growth Acquisition Corp.,USD,EQUITY,NCM,Financial Services,Shell Companies,2024-05-15,11.3699998855591,10.4557495647612,2024-05-15,11.3699998855591,10.4557495647612,10,113.699998855591,104.557495647612,10.3322166375254,9.5034385443796 CPH.TO,CPH.TO,CA,Cipher Pharmaceuticals Inc.,CAD,EQUITY,TOR,Healthcare,Drug Manufacturers—Specialty & Generic,2024-05-15,8.78999996185303,5.93545901158012,2024-05-15,8.78999996185303,5.93545901158012,17,149.429999351501,100.902803196862,1.96204830367043,1.32398171987155 CPRT.O,CPRT,US,"Copart, Inc.",USD,EQUITY,NMS,Industrials,Specialty Business Services,2024-05-15,55.310001373291,50.8625794728661,2024-05-15,55.310001373291,50.8625794728661,2,110.620002746582,101.725158945732,35.3170907446316,32.4842009447324 CRS.N,CRS,US,Carpenter Technology Corporation,USD,EQUITY,NYQ,Industrials,Metal Fabrication,2024-05-15,109.550003051758,100.741196856369,2024-05-15,109.550003051758,100.741196856369,1,109.550003051758,100.741196856369,34.0476120260581,31.3165509226119 DIS.MI,DIS.MI,IT,d'Amico International Shipping S.A.,EUR,EQUITY,MIL,Industrials,Marine Shipping,2024-05-15,7.69999980926514,7.69999980926514,2024-05-15,7.69999980926514,7.69999980926514,13,100.099997520447,100.099997520447,1.48521744342503,1.48521744342503 DNG.TO,DNG.TO,CA,Dynacor Group Inc.,CAD,EQUITY,TOR,Basic Materials,Other Precious Metals & Mining,2024-05-15,5.42000007629395,3.65986216555364,2024-05-15,5.42000007629395,3.65986216555364,27,146.340002059937,98.8162784699483,2.73996555376442,1.8489169198717 DRX.TO,DRX.TO,CA,ADF Group Inc.,CAD,EQUITY,TOR,Industrials,Metal Fabrication,2024-05-15,16.3299999237061,11.0268538824693,2024-05-15,16.3299999237061,11.0268538824693,9,146.969999313355,99.2416849422234,0.816499996185303,0.550970670396969 E.TO,E.TO,CA,"Enterprise Group, Inc.",CAD,EQUITY,TOR,Energy,Oil & Gas Equipment & Services,2024-05-15,1.21000003814697,0.817054113947654,2024-05-15,1.21000003814697,0.817054113947654,122,147.620004653931,99.6806019016138,0.210420134172571,0.141990597589385 ENO.MC,ENO.MC,ES,"Elecnor, S.A.",EUR,EQUITY,MCE,Industrials,Infrastructure Operations,2024-05-15,21.2000007629395,21.2000007629395,2024-05-15,21.2000007629395,21.2000007629395,5,106.000003814697,106.000003814697,12.551528826266,12.551528826266 ENVI.AS,ENVI.AS,NL,Envipco Holding N.V.,EUR,EQUITY,AMS,Industrials,Pollution & Treatment Controls,2024-05-15,5.80000019073486,5.80000019073486,2024-05-15,5.80000019073486,5.80000019073486,17,98.6000032424927,98.6000032424927,1.67603432587419,1.67603432587419 EVISO.MI,EVISO.MI,IT,eVISO S.p.A.,EUR,EQUITY,MIL,Utilities,Utilities—Regulated Electric,2024-05-15,4.90999984741211,4.90999984741211,2024-05-15,4.90999984741211,4.90999984741211,20,98.1999969482422,98.1999969482422,1.86293823453707,1.86293823453707 FTC.L,FTC.L,GB,Filtronic plc,GBp,EQUITY,LSE,Technology,Communication Equipment,2024-05-15,58.5,0.682131213331186,2024-05-15,58.5,0.682131213331186,147,8599.5,100.273288359684,2.925,0.0340851321595671 GAMC.O,GAMC,US,Golden Arrow Merger Corp.,USD,EQUITY,NCM,Financial Services,Shell Companies,2024-05-15,11.0299997329712,10.1430884844427,2024-05-15,11.0299997329712,10.1430884844427,10,110.299997329712,101.430884844427,10.1468770873948,9.33296563558359 IDR.MC,IDR.MC,ES,"Indra Sistemas, S.A.",EUR,EQUITY,MCE,Technology,Information Technology Services,2024-05-15,20.1200008392334,20.1200008392334,2024-05-15,20.1200008392334,20.1200008392334,5,100.600004196167,100.600004196167,10.8941912325836,10.8941912325836 IGIC.O,IGIC,US,International General Insurance Holdings Ltd.,USD,EQUITY,NCM,Financial Services,Insurance—Diversified,2024-05-15,14.6700000762939,13.4904000401592,2024-05-15,14.6700000762939,13.4904000401592,7,102.690000534058,94.4328002811146,9.30404677312841,8.55774126931546 III.L,III.L,GB,3i Group Ord,GBp,EQUITY,LSE,,,2024-05-15,2966,34.5846355340222,2024-05-15,2966,34.5846355340222,3,8898,103.753906602067,1447.85882812435,16.8719519675262 IQG.L,IQG.L,GB,IQGeo Group plc,GBp,EQUITY,LSE,Technology,Software—Application,2024-05-15,472,5.50369115713367,2024-05-15,472,5.50369115713367,18,8496,99.0664408284061,114.359449092067,1.33263484991398 IVN.TO,IVN.TO,CA,Ivanhoe Mines Ltd.,CAD,EQUITY,TOR,Basic Materials,Other Industrial Metals & Mining,2024-05-15,19.9300003051758,13.4577588652472,2024-05-15,19.9300003051758,13.4577588652472,7,139.51000213623,94.2043120567304,8.61605916585422,5.81407950639264 JAM.L,JAM.L,GB,JPMorgan American Ord,GBp,EQUITY,LSE,,,2024-05-15,987,11.5087779069723,2024-05-15,987,11.5087779069723,9,8883,103.579001162751,734.693023539479,8.56140471933505 KKR.N,KKR,US,KKR & Co. Inc.,USD,EQUITY,NYQ,Financial Services,Asset Management,2024-05-15,107.669998168945,99.0123612861786,2024-05-15,107.669998168945,99.0123612861786,1,107.669998168945,99.0123612861786,51.1494689660835,47.0466166119071 KMER.MI,KMER.MI,IT,KME Group S.p.A.,EUR,EQUITY,MIL,,,2024-05-15,1.55999994277954,1.55999994277954,2024-05-15,1.55999994277954,1.55999994277954,64,99.8399963378906,99.8399963378906,0.800465071994058,0.800465071994058 KRNL.O,KRNL,US,"Kernel Group Holdings, Inc.",USD,EQUITY,NCM,Financial Services,Shell Companies,2024-05-15,10.9200000762939,10.0419337901592,2024-05-15,10.9200000762939,10.0419337901592,10,109.200000762939,100.419337901592,10.269285944972,9.44555571146799 KURN.VX,KURN.SW,CH,Kuros Biosciences AG,CHF,EQUITY,EBS,Healthcare,Medical Devices,2024-05-15,8,8.17366088441458,2024-05-15,8,8.17366088441458,12,96,98.083930612975,0.530445807104744,0.540606867796476 L.TO,L.TO,CA,Loblaw Companies Limited,CAD,EQUITY,TOR,Consumer Defensive,Grocery Stores,2024-05-15,155.139999389648,104.758488217297,2024-05-15,155.139999389648,104.758488217297,1,155.139999389648,104.758488217297,108.795430497776,73.4146865370985 LDO.MI,LDO.MI,IT,Leonardo S.p.a.,EUR,EQUITY,MIL,Industrials,Aerospace & Defense,2024-05-15,22.5,22.5,2024-05-15,22.5,22.5,4,90,90,9.15905866550776,9.15905866550776 LMB.O,LMB,US,"Limbach Holdings, Inc.",USD,EQUITY,NCM,Industrials,Building Products & Equipment,2024-05-15,50.6599998474121,46.5864799196816,2024-05-15,50.6599998474121,46.5864799196816,2,101.319999694824,93.1729598393631,3.1283030409755,2.87737246914973 MEMS.EQ,MEMS.PA,FR,"MEMSCAP, S.A.",EUR,EQUITY,PAR,Technology,Semiconductor Equipment & Materials,2024-05-15,7.75,7.75,2024-05-15,7.75,7.75,13,100.75,100.75,1.24829618687214,1.24829618687214 MEPK.N,MER-PK,US,Merrill Lynch Capital Trust I GTD CAP 6.45%,USD,EQUITY,NYQ,,,2024-05-15,25.3899993896484,23.3484149287262,2024-05-15,25.3899993896484,23.3484149287262,4,101.559997558594,93.3936597149048,23.4660902117283,21.5838047175749 MIKN.VX,MIKN.SW,CH,Mikron Holding AG,CHF,EQUITY,EBS,Industrials,Specialty Industrial Machinery,2024-05-15,16.9500007629395,17.3179447783545,2024-05-15,16.9500007629395,17.3179447783545,6,101.700004577637,103.907668670127,10.1066015477761,10.3002005739888 MLI.N,MLI,US,"Mueller Industries, Inc.",USD,EQUITY,NYQ,Industrials,Metal Fabrication,2024-05-15,59.0800018310547,54.3294379638214,2024-05-15,59.0800018310547,54.3294379638214,2,118.160003662109,108.658875927643,28.864001244309,26.5487331124992 MOD.N,MOD,US,Modine Manufacturing Company,USD,EQUITY,NYQ,Consumer Cyclical,Auto Parts,2024-05-15,109.419998168945,100.621645536179,2024-05-15,109.419998168945,100.621645536179,1,109.419998168945,100.621645536179,5.47099990844727,5.03215459279099 MSI.L,MSI.L,GB,MS INTERNATIONAL plc,GBp,EQUITY,LSE,Industrials,Conglomerates,2024-05-15,995,11.6020608079407,2024-05-15,995,11.6020608079407,9,8955,104.418547271466,299.053984032638,3.48488703199915 NBST.O,NBST,US,Newbury Street Acquisition Corporation,USD,EQUITY,NCM,Financial Services,Shell Companies,2024-05-15,10.8400001525879,9.96836658031845,2024-05-15,10.8400001525879,9.96836658031845,10,108.400001525879,99.6836658031845,10.203750702138,9.38527724706745 NGEX.TO,NGEX.TO,CA,NGEx Minerals Ltd.,CAD,EQUITY,TOR,Basic Materials,Other Industrial Metals & Mining,2024-05-15,9.57999992370606,6.46890752273802,2024-05-15,9.57999992370606,6.46890752273802,15,143.699998855591,97.0336128410703,0.478999996185303,0.323227128293172 OCAX.O,OCAX,US,OCA Acquisition Corp.,USD,EQUITY,NCM,Financial Services,Shell Companies,2024-05-15,11.1750001907349,10.2764296003981,2024-05-15,11.1750001907349,10.2764296003981,10,111.750001907349,102.764296003981,10.3482390933432,9.51817579094888 OPXS.O,OPXS,US,"Optex Systems Holdings, Inc",USD,EQUITY,NCM,Industrials,Aerospace & Defense,2024-05-15,8.56999969482422,7.8808945893631,2024-05-15,8.56999969482422,7.8808945893631,13,111.409996032715,102.45162966172,1.37396433534202,1.26375453411123 OSG.N,OSG,US,"Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc.",USD,EQUITY,NYQ,Energy,Oil & Gas Midstream,2024-05-15,6.8899998664856,6.33598186722136,2024-05-15,6.8899998664856,6.33598186722136,16,110.23999786377,101.375709875542,3.08423975967902,2.83684363583589 PLMI.O,PLMI,US,Plum Acquisition Corp. I,USD,EQUITY,NCM,Financial Services,Shell Companies,2024-05-15,11.1199998855591,10.2258518147612,2024-05-15,11.1199998855591,10.2258518147612,10,111.199998855591,102.258518147612,10.3122527077106,9.48507598126697 PMGM.O,PMGM,US,Priveterra Acquisition Corp. II,USD,EQUITY,NCM,Financial Services,Shell Companies,2024-05-15,11.0500001907349,10.1614807253981,2024-05-15,11.0500001907349,10.1614807253981,10,110.500001907349,101.614807253981,10.4066804048251,9.57192934951286 PNL.L,PNL.L,GB,Personal Assets Ord,GBp,EQUITY,LSE,,,2024-05-15,490,5.7135776843125,2024-05-15,490,5.7135776843125,18,8820,102.844398317625,205.388023341194,2.39339416053909 PSH.L,PSH.L,GB,Pershing Square Holdings Ord,GBp,EQUITY,LSE,,,2024-05-15,4058,47.3177515162043,2024-05-15,4058,47.3177515162043,2,8116,94.6355030324087,2760.24210472501,32.1652023698986 PUB.EQ,PUB.PA,FR,Publicis Groupe S.A.,EUR,EQUITY,PAR,Communication Services,Advertising Agencies,2024-05-15,106.150001525879,106.150001525879,2024-05-15,106.150001525879,106.150001525879,1,106.150001525879,106.150001525879,62.7854557332542,62.7854557332542 PUCK.O,PUCK,US,Goal Acquisitions Corp.,USD,EQUITY,NCM,Financial Services,Shell Companies,2024-05-15,10.8500003814697,9.97756270079613,2024-05-15,10.8500003814697,9.97756270079613,10,108.500003814697,99.7756270079613,10.2216440084575,9.40173527760708 PWS.MI,PWS.MI,IT,Powersoft S.p.A.,EUR,EQUITY,MIL,Technology,Consumer Electronics,2024-05-15,16.2000007629395,16.2000007629395,2024-05-15,16.2000007629395,16.2000007629395,6,97.2000045776367,97.2000045776367,3.72774791732638,3.72774791732638 QDRO.O,QDRO,US,Quadro Acquisition One Corp.,USD,EQUITY,NCM,Financial Services,Shell Companies,2024-05-15,11.0500001907349,10.1614807253981,2024-05-15,11.0500001907349,10.1614807253981,10,110.500001907349,101.614807253981,10.2946317689515,9.46886847086858 RDNT.O,RDNT,US,"RadNet, Inc.",USD,EQUITY,NGM,Healthcare,Diagnostics & Research,2024-05-15,58.2400016784668,53.556981383503,2024-05-15,58.2400016784668,53.556981383503,2,116.480003356934,107.113962767006,19.3818445183282,17.8271686239796 REAX.O,REAX,US,The Real Brokerage Inc.,USD,EQUITY,NCM,Real Estate,Real Estate Services,2024-05-15,5,4.597955,2024-05-15,5,4.597955,22,110,101.15501,0.25,0.22994675 RNWH.L,RNWH.L,GB,Renew Holdings plc,GBp,EQUITY,LSE,Industrials,Engineering & Construction,2024-05-15,1054,12.2900222025824,2024-05-15,1054,12.2900222025824,8,8432,98.3201776206592,681.809806634346,7.94515465532326 RR.FRA,RRU.F,DE,Rolls-Royce Holdings plc,EUR,EQUITY,FRA,Industrials,Aerospace & Defense,2024-05-15,4.94899988174439,4.94899988174439,2024-05-15,4.94899988174439,4.94899988174439,20,98.9799976348877,98.9799976348877,1.15474766444009,1.15474766444009 SAB.MC,SAB.MC,ES,"Banco de Sabadell, S.A.",EUR,EQUITY,MCE,Financial Services,Banks—Diversified,2024-05-15,1.90400004386902,1.90400004386902,2024-05-15,1.90400004386902,1.90400004386902,53,100.912002325058,100.912002325058,0.770675500087932,0.770675500087932 SLAM.O,SLAM,US,Slam Corp.,USD,EQUITY,NCM,Financial Services,Shell Companies,2024-05-15,11.0500001907349,10.1614807253981,2024-05-15,11.0500001907349,10.1614807253981,10,110.500001907349,101.614807253981,10.3152097299573,9.48779581188824 SMHN.EQ,SMHN.F,DE,SÜSS MicroTec SE,EUR,EQUITY,FRA,Technology,Semiconductor Equipment & Materials,2024-05-15,51.2999992370606,51.2999992370606,2024-05-15,51.2999992370606,51.2999992370606,2,102.599998474121,102.599998474121,12.952163633103,12.952163633103 SOL.MI,SOL.MI,IT,SOL S.p.A.,EUR,EQUITY,MIL,Basic Materials,Specialty Chemicals,2024-05-15,33.7000007629395,33.7000007629395,2024-05-15,33.7000007629395,33.7000007629395,3,101.100002288818,101.100002288818,20.3776094280299,20.3776094280299 SPIE.EQ,SPIE.PA,FR,SPIE SA,EUR,EQUITY,PAR,Industrials,Engineering & Construction,2024-05-15,36.2200012207031,36.2200012207031,2024-05-15,36.2200012207031,36.2200012207031,3,108.660003662109,108.660003662109,24.4525122007507,24.4525122007507 TAYD.O,TAYD,US,"Taylor Devices, Inc.",USD,EQUITY,NCM,Industrials,Specialty Industrial Machinery,2024-05-15,51.3800010681152,47.2485865622292,2024-05-15,51.3800010681152,47.2485865622292,2,102.76000213623,94.4971731244583,5.60221111549934,5.15284095529179 TDW.N,TDW,US,Tidewater Inc.,USD,EQUITY,NYQ,Energy,Oil & Gas Equipment & Services,2024-05-15,108.110000610352,99.4169835712738,2024-05-15,108.110000610352,99.4169835712738,1,108.110000610352,99.4169835712738,8.89739581168513,8.18370900144243 TRD.L,TRD.L,GB,Triad Group plc,GBp,EQUITY,LSE,Technology,Information Technology Services,2024-05-15,277,3.22992044602972,2024-05-15,277,3.22992044602972,31,8587,100.127533826921,79.9188268645001,0.931297017338134 TRMD.O,TRMD,US,TORM plc,USD,EQUITY,NMS,Energy,Oil & Gas Midstream,2024-05-15,38.0400009155273,34.9812424819107,2024-05-15,38.0400009155273,34.9812424819107,3,114.120002746582,104.943727445732,15.7437186157142,14.4808677143919 TVK.TO,TVK.TO,CA,TerraVest Industries Inc.,CAD,EQUITY,TOR,Energy,Oil & Gas Equipment & Services,2024-05-15,78.879997253418,53.26382167953,2024-05-15,78.879997253418,53.26382167953,2,157.759994506836,106.52764335906,11.8947657049186,8.02653651594938 TWLV.O,TWLV,US,Twelve Seas Investment Company II,USD,EQUITY,NCM,Financial Services,Shell Companies,2024-05-15,10.8000001907349,9.93158297539806,2024-05-15,10.8000001907349,9.93158297539806,10,108.000001907349,99.3158297539806,10.1645252912436,9.34919822405708 UCG.MI,UCG.MI,IT,UniCredit S.p.A.,EUR,EQUITY,MIL,Financial Services,Banks—Regional,2024-05-15,36.2799987792969,36.2799987792969,2024-05-15,36.2799987792969,36.2799987792969,3,108.839996337891,108.839996337891,12.8251828408082,12.8251828408082 UNI.MI,UNI.MI,IT,Unipol Gruppo S.p.A.,EUR,EQUITY,MIL,Financial Services,Insurance—Diversified,2024-05-15,8.90499973297119,8.90499973297119,2024-05-15,8.90499973297119,8.90499973297119,11,97.9549970626831,97.9549970626831,4.53438024653025,4.53438024653025 URB.TO,URB.TO,CA,Urbana Corporation,CAD,EQUITY,TOR,Financial Services,Asset Management,2024-05-15,5.48000001907349,3.70037720566862,2024-05-15,5.48000001907349,3.70037720566862,27,147.960000514984,99.9101845530527,4.01565374986276,2.70974580401818 USAP.O,USAP,US,"Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc.",USD,EQUITY,NMS,Basic Materials,Steel,2024-05-15,33.7299995422363,31.0178040090447,2024-05-15,33.7299995422363,31.0178040090447,3,101.189998626709,93.0534120271339,4.8737430358326,4.48280548569936 VCTR.O,VCTR,US,"Victory Capital Holdings, Inc.",USD,EQUITY,NMS,Financial Services,Asset Management,2024-05-15,52.1399993896484,47.9474741787262,2024-05-15,52.1399993896484,47.9474741787262,2,104.279998779297,95.8949483574524,27.0128366318881,24.8460559671344 VIL.EQ,VIL.PA,FR,"VIEL & Cie, société anonyme",EUR,EQUITY,PAR,Financial Services,Capital Markets,2024-05-15,10.75,10.75,2024-05-15,10.75,10.75,9,96.75,96.75,6.6231134232085,6.6231134232085 VIRC.O,VIRC,US,Virco Mfg. Corporation,USD,EQUITY,NGM,Consumer Cyclical,"Furnishings, Fixtures & Appliances",2024-05-15,12.539999961853,11.5316711049204,2024-05-15,12.539999961853,11.5316711049204,9,112.859999656677,103.785039944284,3.04456100600394,2.80034763402935 VRRM.O,VRRM,US,Verra Mobility Corporation,USD,EQUITY,NCM,Industrials,Infrastructure Operations,2024-05-15,27.3700008392334,25.1692064417515,2024-05-15,27.3700008392334,25.1692064417515,4,109.480003356934,100.676825767006,16.7701237135648,15.4249417801286 VRT.N,VRT,US,Vertiv Holdings Co,USD,EQUITY,NYQ,Industrials,Electrical Equipment & Parts,2024-05-15,104.599998474121,96.1892171968155,2024-05-15,104.599998474121,96.1892171968155,1,104.599998474121,96.1892171968155,5.22999992370606,4.81048593982583 W7L.L,W7L.L,GB,Warpaint London PLC,GBp,EQUITY,LSE,Consumer Defensive,Household & Personal Products,2024-05-15,485,5.65527587120727,2024-05-15,485,5.65527587120727,18,8730,101.794965681731,135.801416078837,1.58249887675333 WBDR.MI,WBDR.MI,IT,Webuild S.p.A.,EUR,EQUITY,MIL,Industrials,Engineering & Construction,2024-05-15,12,12,2024-05-15,12,12,8,96,96,4.99051752358873,4.99051752358873 X.TO,X.TO,CA,TMX Group Limited,CAD,EQUITY,TOR,Financial Services,Financial Data & Stock Exchanges,2024-05-15,36.4900016784668,24.6399215284378,2024-05-15,36.4900016784668,24.6399215284378,4,145.960006713867,98.559686113751,26.7457532329108,18.0479187481398 XPO.N,XPO,US,"XPO, Inc.",USD,EQUITY,NYQ,Industrials,Trucking,2024-05-15,114.059997558594,104.888547214905,2024-05-15,114.059997558594,104.888547214905,1,114.059997558594,104.888547214905,39.8781619915872,36.679414983756 XPS.L,XPS.L,GB,XPS Pensions Group plc,GBp,EQUITY,LSE,Consumer Cyclical,Personal Services,2024-05-15,262,3.05501500671403,2024-05-15,262,3.05501500671403,33,8646,100.815495221563,159.626440432165,1.86013275839029 YU_.L,YU.L,GB,Yü Group PLC,GBp,EQUITY,LSE,Utilities,Utilities—Diversified,2024-05-15,1735,20.2307291475147,2024-05-15,1735,20.2307291475147,5,8675,101.153645737573,86.75,1.01090092815126 ZYE1.FRA,ZYE1.F,DE,Addiko Bank AG,EUR,EQUITY,FRA,Financial Services,Banks—Regional,2024-05-15,18.7999992370605,18.7999992370605,2024-05-15,18.7999992370605,18.7999992370605,5,93.9999961853027,93.9999961853027,11.4772920878681,11.4772920878681 MINIMUM,,,,,,,,,,,0.601674693453668,,,0.601674693453668,1,,90,,0.0340851321595671 MAXIMUM,,,,,,,,,,,106.150001525879,,,106.150001525879,166,,110,,73.4146865370985 MEDIAN,,,,,,,,,,,12.1450111012912,,,12.1450111012912,8,,100.214999198914,,8.08285630340646 AVERAGE,,,,,,,,,,,26.0156541478769,,,26.0156541478769,14.55,,99.965850856796,,10.7737737301551 TOTAL,,,,,,,,,,,2601.56541478769,,,2601.56541478769,1455,,9996.5850856796,,1077.37737301551 

Game Information

Game Title: Senua's Saga: Hellblade II
Platforms:

• Xbox Series X/S (May 21, 2024)
• PC (May 21, 2024)

Trailers:

• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II – Official Trailer The Game Awards 2023
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade II - The Senua Trailer Xbox Games Showcase 2023

Developer: Ninja Theory
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Review Aggregator:
OpenCritic - 84 average - 86% recommended - 55 reviews

Critic Reviews

AltChar - Asmir Kovacevic - 95 / 100

Few games in recent times have been able to do what Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 has done: make me feel so engaged and immersed that I wish the feeling would never stop. It is a game that will keep you in constant awe throughout the playtime with its fantastic and mysterious story, incredible graphic and sound presentation and realistic and brutal combat that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

But Why Tho? - Mick Abrahamson - 7.5 / 10

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II won’t be for everyone. But if you are looking for a brutal continuation of a fantastic story that feels like you’re actually playing a movie, you’ll have a great time here.

CGMagazine - Justin Wood - 7 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 starts incredibly strong in the first half, but after certain revelations, the story speeds up to a point where the conclusion feels rushed and half-baked.

COGconnected - Mark Steighner - 95 / 100

It has been a very long time since I played a game as assured, polished, and emotionally affecting as Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2.

Cerealkillerz - Steve Brieller - German - 7.9 / 10

If you expect an immersive but not so interactive “game”, Senua’s Saga Hellblade II delivers a short yet intense experience. Ninja Theory has once again skillfully created an impressive atmosphere, as they did in Senua’s Sacrifice. Unfortunately, the issues remain as well: Puzzles and combat are too easy and there is no variety in either. So please keep in mind, that this is more a Hellblade 1.5 than a true sequel.

Checkpoint Gaming - Charlie Kelly - 10 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is well worth the wait and is a serious game of the year contender. Senua's follow-up journey is the best exploration of mental health that we've seen in games to date, using incredibly striking visual imagery, metaphors and immersive soundscapes to have you feel right there next to her. In what has to be the most photo-realistic game of all time, you're guaranteed to be constantly taken by the hero's adventure as you take in the beautiful and often haunting Viking Iceland. Through mud and dirt, blood and bones, Senua and Ninja Theory in turn bare all to you, the player. A masterpiece, benchmark and magnum opus, Hellblade II is crucial storytelling you won't soon forget.

Console Creatures - Patrick Tremblay - Recommended

With Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, Ninja Theory shows that video games can be more than simple entertainment: they can be profound artistic and emotional explorations, capable of touching and transforming those who play them. This is an unforgettable journey into the heart of Iceland's darkness, where every step of Senua is a step towards self-discovery.

Digital Trends - Tomas Franzese - 4 / 5

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is a visual stunner for Xbox even if its gameplay isn't too creative.

Echo Boomer - David Fialho - Portuguese - Essential

Ninja Theory has finally delivered the long-awaited and provocative sequel to Hellblade, with one of the most impressive interactive cinematic experiences of the generation, which makes you question what is real and leaves you dreaming of the graphic potential of future games still on current consoles.

Enternity.gr - Christos Chatzisavvas - Greek - 9.5 / 10

With Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, Ninja Theory builds the game it dreamed of, creating a title on a larger scale than any other.

Eurogamer - Johnny Chiodini - 5 / 5

Hellblade 2 continues Senua's story with grace, confidence, surprising brutality and thundering conviction.

GAMES.CH - Olaf Bleich - German - 89%

The game sucks you skin and hair into its fantasy world and creates such an intense bond with the characters and their stories that you want to know at every second how the adventure ends.

Game Informer - Marcus Stewart - 9 / 10

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II’s conclusion ends on another strong note, and despite my initial reservations about continuing Senua’s story, I walked away happy to see her conquer new monsters, both literal and metaphorical.

GameSpot - Jess Cogswell - 6 / 10

Hellblade 2 is perhaps the most visually remarkable Xbox title to date, but is ultimately undermined by its emphasis on fidelity over story and gameplay.

GamingTrend - Cassie Peterson - 95 / 100

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is a stunning and immersive storytelling experience that really puts the player into the mind of its titular character. It's even more narratively-focused than the first game (not to its detriment), with a bigger emphasis on how Senua sees and interacts with the world around her. The whole experience from start to finish has been beyond memorable.

Generación Xbox - Pedro del Pozo - Spanish - 9.3 / 10

Ninja Theory manages to place Senua in the Olympus of videogames with the most visually and sonorously powerful game we have seen so far. A spectacular, stunning and awe-inspiring journey.

IGN - Tristan Ogilvie - 8 / 10

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is another Viking-worthy feast for the senses that meets the high bar set by its predecessor, even if it never really manages to clear it.

INVEN - Soojin Kim - Korean - 8.5 / 10

The game's high level of immersion makes you want to play it from start to finish in one sitting. With outstanding audiovisual presentation and effects, it gives the feeling that you're playing a movie, not watching it. However, the gameplay elements, such as combat and puzzles, still lack significant meaning, which leads to rather disappoint feelings.

Kakuchopurei - Jonathan Leo - 80 / 100

While the story & gameplay's broad strokes might be familiar, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2's execution, perspective, and overall production values are just stellar and highlights Ninja Theory's strengths in delivering what it does best: story-heavy cinematic gaming. The characters are fleshed out and well-written, with proper focus on your main character and her turmoils that carry over from the first game, the fighting feels weighty and challenging without being completely frustrating, and the HUD-less approach to presentation is welcome.

Kotaku - Claire Jackson - Unscored

A spellbinding meditation on anguish and compassion, Hellblade II delivers one of the most gripping interactive and sensory experiences of 2024

Merlin'in Kazanı - Murat Oktay - Turkish - 89 / 100

The chaotic story of Senua continues. We set out to take revenge on the Viking raiders who have inflicted devastating losses on the people of Orkney.

Metro GameCentral - GameCentral - 5 / 10

A joyless slog of barely interactive entertainment and a muddled portrayal of mental illness… that just so happens to have the best graphics ever on a video game console.

MondoXbox - Giuseppe Genga - Italian - 9.5 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is a true masterpiece: a deep and highly immersive narrative experience that manages to make us feel all the protagonist's torment within an impressively realistic world. Ninja Theory reveals itself to be one of the most valuable studios in the Xbox stable here, reaching levels of absolute excellence in graphics, audio, narration, and acting. A must-play.

New Game Network - Alex Varankou - 70 / 100

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II keeps the basics intact, and while a strong lead character, great animations, and simple but enjoyable combat continue to deliver, the poor pacing and performance issues prevent this sequel from breaking free of its past.

Nexus Hub - Sam Aberdeen - 8 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is the best-looking game we've ever played - a true visual powerhouse backed by an emotionally charged story and gripping dark fantasy setting, if you can look past some of its shortcomings.

One More Game - Chris Garcia - 9 / 10

Hellblade 2 is a triumph in masterful storytelling and impeccable audio design for Ninja Theory. It is an emotionally powerful experience that depicts a sensitive subject that is hardly talked about in the medium.
To achieve this, the game stripped out several features and systems like combat and exploration in favor of a deeper narrative affair. This is not for everyone, but it is something I would encourage everyone to try at least try out.

Oyungezer Online - Onur Kaya - Turkish - 8 / 10

Next gen graphics and presentation is now among us, next gen game design on the other hand, will be running late.

PC Gamer - Robin Valentine - 58 / 100

Despite its greater scale and visual splendour, this sequel fails to escape the shadow of its predecessor with a muddled tale that Senua herself feels out of place in.

PCGamesN - Cheri Faulkner - 9 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is an impeccable story of coming to terms with trauma and making difficult decisions, punctuated by moments of outstanding beauty and strength.

Pixel Arts - Danial Dehghani - Persian - 9 / 10

Hellblade 2 is a stellar example of a sequel done right, building on the elements that made the original a landmark in gaming. It stays true to its roots, prioritizing depth and atmosphere over broad appeal. Fans of the first game will find much to love here, as it remains a unique and compelling experience. However, if the original didn't resonate with you, Hellblade 2 follows a similar path and might not change your mind.

Polygon - Yussef Cole - Unscored

Where the first game felt like a journey of self-discovery, both for Senua and for the player, Hellblade 2 feels more invested in creating the myth of Senua: Senua as legendary giant slayer, as mystical seer touched by the underworld.

Press Start - Brodie Gibbons - 9 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is yet another arresting, artful chapter in an adventure now two games long. Though it might approach iteration with a very safe hand, only going so far as to correct the original's shortcomings, Ninja Theory's clear strengths in story craft, audiovisual design, as well as their care for the dark subject matter manage to shine through brighter than ever before.

Rectify Gaming - Tyler Nienburg - 10 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II emerges as a visual and storytelling masterpiece, and is unquestionably the best-looking game I've witnessed on Xbox Series X since its launch.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Rick Lane - Unscored

A more uncompromising version of the first game, Hellblade 2 offers a well told story and immaculate presentation. But it's also even simpler, to the point where it treats interaction like an inconvenience.

SECTOR.sk - Matúš Štrba - Slovak - 9.5 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is, at its core, a short game, but an excellent one. But it's not for everyone. It's a bloody and often disgusting experience based on strong emotions and immersion in a character that just won't let you go. It's more of an artistic experience than a traditional game.

Saudi Gamer - Arabic - 10 / 10

An exceptionally well realized portrayal of Senua's struggle both real and praying on her fears, with brutal and satisfying combat and puzzles that require you to appreciate the world. It successfully continues what the first game started and improves upon almost every aspect.

Seasoned Gaming - Ainsley Bowden - 9 / 10

Senua's Saga is a journey unlike any other. It's fantastical, evocative, and demonstrative of Ninja Theory being masters of their craft.

Shacknews - TJ Denzer - 9 / 10

Hellblade 2 still does incredibly well. The new story is weighty, the audio is exceptional, the scenery is ridiculously dense and rich, and the combat feels intense and impactful in new and interesting ways.

Slant Magazine - Justin Clark - 3.5 / 5

The newest chapter in Senua’s story is powerfully told but feels like it’s missing a few pages.

Spaziogames - Gianluca Arena - Italian - 7.6 / 10

Senua's Saga is as strong as its predecessor, if not more, and delivers both in its storytelling and on the technical side. The gameplay, however, has still a lot of room for improvements and boils down to almost-QTE combat and boring puzzles. An experience more than an actual and so-called video game, but an experience worth living nonetheless.

Stevivor - Jay Ball - 9.5 / 10

Senua’s Saga Hellblade 2 is a video game only on its surface. Scratch that away and you’ll see that it’s a deep, thought-provoking, interactive experience proving games are an art form that demands skill and talent. Ninja Theory should be very proud.

TechRaptor - Robert Scarpinito - 7.5 / 10

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II features intense audio, beautiful graphics, and wonderful camera work, creating a powerful presentation that’s worth experiencing. However, the narrative doesn’t quite stick the landing.

The Escapist - Unscored

Video Review - Quote not available

The Outerhaven Productions - Jordan Andow - 5 / 5

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II sets a new bar for performances and presentation. Combined with smart improvements to gameplay, it is arguably the most cinematic, immersive, story-driven experience we’ve ever seen.

TheSixthAxis - Dominic Leighton - Unscored

Just like its forbear, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is an oppressive, powerful and haunting example of the power of video games, and one that sets its own parameters for what a digital experience can be. It is a game that must be experienced, not least because, there’s nothing else quite like it.

Tom's Hardware Italia - Andrea Riviera - Italian - 10 / 10

What Ninja Theory has achieved transcends reality, creating a work that is practically perfect for what it aimed to be: an audiovisual adventure with a strong narrative component. Beyond state-of-the-art graphics and sound that will undoubtedly set a standard in the coming years, what truly astonishes is the maturity with which the team has taken an excellent game like the first Hellblade and molded it into something so qualitatively impressive that it becomes difficult to even describe. This elevates the medium to a new communicative level, capable of evoking emotions and surprising players from start to finish. Experiences like Hellblade 2, which leave a lasting impression on the soul, are few and far between in a generation, and we can only rejoice in seeing how the beautiful artistic vision of the Ninja Theory team has become a reality.

Too Much Gaming - Carlos Hernandez - 5 / 5

Hellblade 2 feels like a living, breathing shapeshifter, manipulating its surroundings around the player with precision and consistency, making it one of the most visually stunning video games of this generation. This is an amazing title that carefully balances its artistic and gaming ambitions, a masterpiece that I encourage any gamer to experience.

TrueAchievements - Sean Carey - 9 / 10

Ninja Theory has created an outstanding sequel with Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2. An unforgettable narrative adventure that is brought to life through impeccable sound design, fantastic visuals, and a story that will stick with you long after the final credits roll. Hellblade 2 is one of the best games Xbox has to offer.

TrueGaming - عمر العمودي - Arabic - 8 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is a technical achievement for the gaming industry, the visuals are impressive and realistic in a way we haven't seen before and the audio design is very impressive. The game itself though, we think it could've offered more as puzzles are repetitive and combat is quite limited. However, the storytelling is strong in this chapter of Senua's journey, though it feels heavy and depressing.

VideoGamer - Tom Bardwell - 9 / 10

Though uncomfortably bleak and distressing, Helldivers 2 is something truly special.

WellPlayed - James Wood - 6 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is an achievement in visual fidelity but fails to define itself amid clumsy retreads and unengaging new ideas.

Worth Playing - Chris "Atom" DeAngelus - 7 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is a beautiful but ultimately hollow game. The fantastic presentation props up a story that is less personal and engaging than in the first game, and the gameplay feels like an afterthought. It was great to see Senua again and to see her outside of the grief-misery she was enveloped in during the first game, but beyond that, there's not much to Hellblade II. It's a short and less memorable experience that shows off Ninja Theory's visual craft to its fullest - but it achieves little else.

Xbox Achievements - Dan Webb - 90%

While Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 might not set any new standards with its simplistic gameplay mechanics, from an audio-visual experience standpoint, it's frankly quite a stunning experience. Hellblade 2 is as close to playing the leading role in a big budget movie as you’re likely to get, and Ninja Theory’s continued coverage on the complexities of severe mental health issues deserves to be commended once more. Bravo, Ninja Theory. Bravo.

XboxEra - Jon Clarke - 10 / 10

Despite the backing of a company as large and as well-funded as Microsoft, Ninja Theory have, in my opinion, nurtured their independent spirit and kept it well and truly alive in every facet of Senua's Saga: Hellblade II. It's brutal. It's breath-taking. It's brilliant. If this is “Independent AAA”?
Sign me up for more.

ZdobywcyGier.eu - Bartosz Michalik - Polish - 9.5 / 10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is undoubtedly one of the best games of this year. Not only does it shine in terms of audio-visual setting, but also in terms of story. The only element that could be considered caveat is at the same time its greatest asset, namely cinematography. Sometimes one gets the impression that the developers, in an effort to achieve the best possible effect, had to make a lot of compromises, which significantly limited the gameplay possibilities. Nevertheless, for a great narrative and immersion, this is something to turn a blind eye to.

Hey folks! I'm wanted to make this short but I have everything to learn, and admittedly very little knowledge or experience despite all of the self-research through consuming tons of content on Kayak Fishing and PNW Fishing and want to be very clear on what it is I am asking for in terms of guidance/recommendations!
Bless those of you that can manage to stick w/ me!
I haven't fished since I was a young kid with my grandfather - that was over 20 years ago so let's just assume I have no real bearing on what I'm doing or where to begin.
I live on the WA/OR border where the Columbia meets the Pacific and am looking to get myself setup with my first rod and tackle as I'd like to start fishing the local lakes and estuaries around me.
These are the circumstances that will affect my gear choices: 1.) My locale - Living at the literal mouth of the Columbia River (Astoria/Hammond, OR up to Ilwaco/Long Beach, WA and the surrounding areas) offers me a slew of bangers when it comes to the native fish and waterways being that there are streams, rivers, lakes, ocean, saltwater, freshwater, brackish water - blah, blah, blah - everything all at once. It's exciting, but overwhelming - with each new thing I learn, I realize how much more there is to find out. 2.) The primary use case for the gear I'm currently seeking is to fish from my Tucktec folding kayak, and ideally being able to accommodate a secondary use case of being able to pack in my rod and tackle on quick jaunts to more secluded waters in the area - I'm aware this may be where I just don't get to have the best of both worlds and may have to choose between the ability to pack it down and strap it to the side of my pack to bushwhack with and having it be an ideal rod for kayaking. I really just want to be able to grab my rod and tackle, get in my car, and be able to hop out with what I've got w/ me whenever I find myself in an area w/ a nice fishing spot that is accessible by foot or boat and just go!
I have seen some general recommendations of using around a 6.5'-8' rod on a kayak, and I most often see a 7' rod recommended - w/ the caveat of potentially adding a little length going up to 8' if fishing saltwater - given my locale, its really hard to say if I'll be in fresh, salt, or brackish water at any given time w/ all the coast, estuaries and lakes at my disposal it could really go any way. Even if I'm not kayaking out in the actual open waters of the Columbia, smaller estuaries that I might find myself in have that brackish water that I'm unsure whether to treat as fresh or saltwater when selecting gear.
Do I overcompensate as a foolproofing/failsafe measure and treat it like I'm generally fishing saltwater to handle the larger fish I'd encounter in those estuaries, or actual ocean if I'm on foot on the Washington side? Or do I go in with the intention of using a dedicated lake setup for fishing Bass, Steelhead and the smaller panfish that I'd encounter fishing Coffenbury Lake, Cullaby Lake, and other contained bodies of water and accept the fact that much like motorcycling, an "all-'rounder" or "dual sport" is more often than not underperforming and disappointing whether you're on the interstate or off the beaten path and one is usually better off just having dedicated bikes for dirt and street to really get that dialed in performance, rather than getting the worst of both worlds in one place. If that is in fact that case, then I guess I'm on the hunt for TWO rod/reel combos. One for fishing the local freshwater lakes, and a second for fishing the brackish water on the banks and estuaries.
I am trying my best to learn, but I don't know a lot about whats what seasonally as far as fishing goes, I just know prime time for bass fishing was a few months ago as its getting warmer now. Tips on what I should be looking to fish for NOW and in the coming summefall months in this region would be greatly appreciated, I'm so eager to learn!
I know gear is subjective, and that if I take to angling I'll end up amassing a ton of it for the changing seasons and types of fishing I take a shine to, and let's be honest, just for the hell of it. Right now, though? I just want to get myself a daily driver so that I can stop pulling my hair out researching and GET OUT ON THE WATER ALREADY!
The goal is just to have enough fun in the process to not get discouraged from learning the art of angling, as I'd like it to become a staple source of communion with nature and a still chamber for reflection in my day-to-day life. I don't have any fishing buddies to offer moral support or get tips in this field, and I don't want to get myself in over my head and end up discouraged w/ gear that just sits gathering dust!
OH, and lastly on the note of the general 7' recommendation for kayak fishing, that seems to be a fairly universal ballpark on length, but I stumbled across Emmrod fishing rods - specifically the Emmrod Kayak King and the Emrod Packrod - they're funky little guys but they look bombproof, stowable, have swappable rod ends and they even have a model called the Kayak King - its only 27" assembled, half that packed, and I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the Emmrod rods as they honestly look like they'd fit the bill for both kayaking and packing in to secluded lakes and streams for me PERFECTLY, but they go against most of what I've gleaned about kayak fishing so far being a whole 5' shy of 7' and I worry that I'm just falling blindly for the idea of the Emmrod because it's unlike anything I've ever seen in the sea of other rods I'm trying to take my pick from, and on paper it says its exactly what I'm looking for and has swappable parts making it pique my interest that much more as I just love modular systems. Someone please, SOUND OFF!
So, tell me what rod/reel YOU'D go for. Tell me why I should not get the Emmrod and get a normal rod like a normal person, or better yet, tell me about your experience with the Emmrod and why it'd be perfect for me after all! Emmrod aside, all recommendations and tips for fishing this incredible area and what gear is going to make it an enjoyable experience for me and the fish I meet is welcomed and encouraged!
Thanks to anyone who made it this far and has any advice to offer, maybe I'll see you out there!

Colin's Home Service offers home maintenance and repair services in Kingston and Richmond. Specializing in plumbing, electrical work, carpentry, and general handyman tasks, they ensure quality workmanship and customer satisfaction. Known for their professionalism, reliability and affordability, Colin's Home Service is your go-to solution for all home repair needs. Get an instant quote online by uploading pictures and details of your project.

Discover why Colin's Home Service is the top choice in Kingston and Richmond

Maintaining a home can be a daunting task, especially when repairs and maintenance jobs start piling up. Whether it's a leaky faucet, a broken electrical socket, or carpentry work, having a reliable handyman service is crucial. For residents in the Kingston and Richmond area, Colin's Home Service stands out as the premier choice for all your home maintenance and repair needs.

Comprehensive Handyman Services in Kingston

Plumbing

From fixing leaky faucets to installing new plumbing fixtures, our skilled plumbers handle it all with precision and care. We understand the importance of a properly functioning plumbing system and strive to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Electrical Work

Electrical repairs and installations are performed safely and efficiently, ensuring your home remains secure. Whether you need a new light fixture installed or a complete rewiring, we have the expertise to get the job done right.

Carpentry

Our custom carpentry solutions enhance the beauty and functionality of your home. From building custom shelves to repairing wooden structures, our carpenters bring your vision to life with quality craftsmanship.

General Handyman Tasks

No job is too small or too large for us. From hanging shelves to repairing doors and windows, we tackle all general handyman tasks with dedication and attention to detail.

Property Maintenance in Richmond

In addition to serving Kingston, Colin's Home Service is also the trusted name for property maintenance in Richmond. Regular maintenance is essential to keep your property in top condition and prevent minor issues from becoming major problems. Our services include routine inspections, repairs and preventive maintenance, ensuring your home remains in excellent shape year-round.

Why Choose Colin's Home Service?

Professional and Reliable

Colin's Home Service team is renowned for their impeccable professionalism and unwavering reliability. We arrive on time, equipped with the necessary tools and ready to tackle any job. Our commitment to excellence ensures that every project is completed to the highest standards.

Customer Satisfaction

Ensuring customer satisfaction is at the core of our service. We listen to your needs and provide tailored solutions that meet your expectations. Our friendly and approachable team makes the process stress-free and enjoyable.

Affordable Services

Quality handyman services don’t have to break the bank. Colin's Home Service offers competitive pricing, making us the go-to choice for affordable handyman services in Kingston. We provide transparent quotes with no hidden fees, so you know exactly what to expect.

Experienced Team

With years of experience, our team has the skills and knowledge to handle a wide variety of home repair and maintenance tasks. Our expertise ensures that the job is done right the first time, giving you peace of mind.

Get an Online Quote Today

Understanding the cost of repairs and maintenance upfront is essential. Colin's Home Service makes it easy with our Online Quote section. Simply upload pictures and provide details about the job, and you’ll receive a comprehensive quote. This feature is conveniently integrated into the main page and the website header, making it accessible whenever you need it.
For homeowners in Kingston and Richmond, Colin's Home Service is a reliable and professional choice for all home maintenance and repair needs. Our wide range of services, commitment to quality workmanship, and focus on customer satisfaction make us the top handyman service in the area. Don’t let home repairs stress you out—contact Colin's Home Service today and experience the best handyman services in Kingston and Richmond.
Discover why Colin's Home Service is the top choice in Kingston and Richmond
Maintaining a home can be a daunting task, especially when repairs and maintenance jobs start piling up. Whether it's a leaky faucet, a broken electrical socket, or carpentry work, having a reliable handyman service is crucial. For residents in the Kingston and Richmond area, Colin's Home Service stands out as the premier choice for all your home maintenance and repair needs.

Comprehensive Handyman Services in Kingston

Plumbing

From fixing leaky faucets to installing new plumbing fixtures, our skilled plumbers handle it all with precision and care. We understand the importance of a properly functioning plumbing system and strive to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Electrical Work

Electrical repairs and installations are performed safely and efficiently, ensuring your home remains secure. Whether you need a new light fixture installed or a complete rewiring, we have the expertise to get the job done right.

Carpentry

Our custom carpentry solutions enhance the beauty and functionality of your home. From building custom shelves to repairing wooden structures, our carpenters bring your vision to life with quality craftsmanship.

General Handyman Tasks

No job is too small or too large for us. From hanging shelves to repairing doors and windows, we tackle all general handyman tasks with dedication and attention to detail.

Property Maintenance in Richmond

In addition to serving Kingston, Colin's Home Service is also the trusted name for property maintenance in Richmond. Regular maintenance is essential to keep your property in top condition and prevent minor issues from becoming major problems. Our services include routine inspections, repairs and preventive maintenance, ensuring your home remains in excellent shape year-round.

Why Choose Colin's Home Service?

Professional and Reliable

Colin's Home Service team is renowned for their impeccable professionalism and unwavering reliability. We arrive on time, equipped with the necessary tools and ready to tackle any job. Our commitment to excellence ensures that every project is completed to the highest standards.

Customer Satisfaction

Ensuring customer satisfaction is at the core of our service. We listen to your needs and provide tailored solutions that meet your expectations. Our friendly and approachable team makes the process stress-free and enjoyable.

Affordable Services

Quality handyman services don’t have to break the bank. Colin's Home Service offers competitive pricing, making us the go-to choice for affordable handyman services in Kingston. We provide transparent quotes with no hidden fees, so you know exactly what to expect.

Experienced Team

With years of experience, our team has the skills and knowledge to handle a wide variety of home repair and maintenance tasks. Our expertise ensures that the job is done right the first time, giving you peace of mind.

Get an Online Quote Today

Understanding the cost of repairs and maintenance upfront is essential. Colin's Home Service makes it easy with our Online Quote section. Simply upload pictures and provide details about the job, and you’ll receive a comprehensive quote. This feature is conveniently integrated into the main page and the website header, making it accessible whenever you need it.
For homeowners in Kingston and Richmond, Colin's Home Service is a reliable and professional choice for all home maintenance and repair needs. Our wide range of services, commitment to quality workmanship, and focus on customer satisfaction make us the top handyman service in the area. Don’t let home repairs stress you out—contact Colin's Home Service today and experience the best handyman services in Kingston and Richmond.

This fic flows out of me way too easily, so I'm riding the waves while I can. Glad to see people enjoying it too! We continue where we left off, trying to figure out where to go, both with universe at large and with poor, lost child...
As usual, thanks to SpacePaladin15 for his own great work and letting fanfiction flow, and everyone who supported and enjoyed the fic thus far. So, let's see where this goes from now.
First - Prev - [Next]
Memory Transcription Subject: Dr. Erin Kuemper, SETI Researcher
Date [standardized human time]: July 15, 2136
Before entering the conference room, I adjusted my dress suit. Even for official meetings, I usually just prefer simpler official outfits, but this time is different. Being invited to observe the first official diplomatic meeting between humanity and aliens, I wanted to be perfect for it, even if it was meeting the baby-eating monster aliens over a video call.
Stepping inside, I see the other people that would be present for it. Normally, as a SETI researcher, I would object to the presence of any military heads at such a meeting, on purely conceptual level, much less two. But with what we have learned I can’t help but almost feel like even entire room filled with generals wouldn’t be enough for this.
“Ah, Dr. Kuemper. Come in, take a seat. We plan to start hailing them in ten minutes.” Secretary-General motions towards one of free seats, so I take the one that’s further away from both generals. As I do though, General Jones starts talking to me.
“So, Dr. Kuemper, how’s our rescue doing? Were there any further incidents?”, she asked.
“No, not yet. She still hasn’t woken up since that last sedation. While we don’t understand nearly enough about her biology yet, drawing some parallels with biology of Earth life we can infer that while her life is no longer threatened, she will likely take a while to fully recover from blood loss and malnutrition. Much bigger problem will be communicating our intentions to her, as well as regaining her trust after... everything.”
“Is it really smart to assign Noah Williams as one of her main caretakers then?” She asked, raising her eyebrow.
“From analyzing the footage of the incident, she reacted the same way to all the humans in the room. I doubt it was Williams’ specific appearance that was the source of such intense fright. And that assignment is not just for the sake of the alien, but Williams himself. Him and Rosario are both, frankly, on suicide watch right now. They need a chance to try and do something to relieve their guilt.”
To that General Jones just hummed, before turning to the screen. I could also hear General Zhao, the Chinese general, snorting in amusement. I am not sure what he found funny about this, but I’d rather not know at all.
It wasn’t a rational call, I knew it, but if there’s anyone who can project most empathy possible towards our alien rescue, it’d be Noah. I have asked Sara if she wished to participate as well, but she struggles to even look at the child without throwing up, so for her, distancing might be for the best.
“We’re beginning to hail the Arxur Dominion now.” Secretary-General announced, standing in front of the screen, facing it. “Not sure how long it will take.”
“I bet time zones get a ton more complicated on interstellar level...” General Zhao grumbled.
Afterwards, there were long twenty minutes of silence, interrupted by an occasional cough or shuffle before finally screen shifted, and displayed the aliens. It appears they also were in a private conference room, like us. In the middle, standing tallest and looking at us was none other than Chief Hunter Isif from photos the Odyssey crew took. Behind him were two more arxur. One was similar to Isif in build and stature, though not quite as tall, and the other was notably shorter and scrawnier, with lighter scale coloration. Part of me almost assumed that was a female, before I remembered that in the data dump there were no signs of easily notable sexual dimorphism among the arxur. An adolescent then, perhaps?
“Humans. I am glad you responded to our invitation. I believe an introduction is in order. I am Chief Hunter Isif of Arxur Dominion.” The alien spoke, translators working already, translating the noises unlike anything human makes into discernable speech.
“Greetings, Chief Hunter Isif. I am Secretary-General Elias Meier. I represent the United Nations, or UN for short, a governing body meant to represent combined interests of all individual nations of Earth. Before we proceed, I need to ask. Will I not be speaking to your leader, Prophet-Descendant, today?”
That was on the agenda for the meeting, if I remembered correctly. Trying to interact with arxur other than Isif. To gauge just how far this goes. Though it doesn’t seem like it’s happening, considering Isif is the one who picked up and how now he was emitting a low hiss that almost felt like it was carrying amusement.
“No. No offense meant to you, humans, but we Chief Hunters are expected to conduct all business in our sectors on our own. You technically fall within my territory. Plus, why would I give up an advantage I have over other Chief Hunters so easily? We may not ever have war against one another, but the competition is fierce, and you might just be the edge I need to curry more favor.”
I noticed General Zhao scoffing at shameless honesty in arxur’s intentions for this ‘alliance’ they proposed in the databanks. Yeah, just use us to gain more advantage over his rivals. I can’t believe Secretary-General elected to deal with them after all.
“I see. I expected that. Still, even if we were granted an audience, our answer would have remained unchanged. Sorry to disappoint, Chief Hunter, but humanity simply cannot afford a full alliance with the Dominion.” Secretary-General spoke in neutral tone, but I could sense the strain in his voice.
The arxur on the screen had his facial features harden.
“I see. You’re still unconvinced of the prey’s threat to your unprepared world. You believe you may parlay with them.”
“Quite the contrary, we’re more than convinced and have no reason to believe you’re lying. However, while an alliance with you would grant us protection... It would also drag us into the war we wish no part of. We’re... grateful to you for showing hospitality to the crew of Odyssey, and for warning us of the threat, but we will not be diving into war we have no interest fighting.”
“You will not be able to hide forever.” Isif kept insisting, seemingly almost growing agitated. “We knew of you because they did, long before us. They may believe you dead, but all it’d take is one stray vessel for you to be doomed.”
Part of me wanted to be relieved that, despite the tense tone, the negotiations so far were going exactly as planned. Another part of me wept that we were intentionally alienating and putting distance between ourselves and the aliens. And a third part of me was disgusted at the fact that we were talking to them at all.
“Trust us, Chief Hunter, we do not plan to merely sit and wait to be discovered and exterminated. We will be preparing. We simply don’t wish to enter the fight without a good reason.” Elias continued, pushing on to the next topic. “That said, just because we don’t wish for alliance, doesn’t mean we can’t mutually benefit from one another still.”
I could see that the shorter arxur behind Isif was about to speak up, but flinched when the larger one glared at them. Isif himself narrowed his eyes at Elias.
“And what benefit do you see that isn’t us joining hands in battle for survival, Elias Meier?”
I couldn’t see his face, but I could feel Secretary-General smiling at Chief Hunter.
“Trade. Your people are, by your own admission, starving. We could provide a solution. What we lack, however, is information. In this universe, we’re blind, and just sending out probes risks discovery. If you’d be willing to supply us with intel on Federation, we’d be more than glad to relieve your hunger. Maybe not the whole Dominion... But definitely all of your sector’s arxur.”
Arxur behind Isif both slightly opened their mouths, eyes widening in almost human-like expression. Even Isif seemed to be taken slightly aback, though he composed himself much quicker, glaring at his subordinates to make them collect themselves. On our end, I could see General Zhao smirking, and General Jones tapping at her chin in contemplation, while I twiddled my thumbs nervously, waiting for rug to be pulled from under us.
“You promise a lot. Producing food in such quantities with just one planet, even if it were filled with cattle, is impossible. Simply unsustainable.” Isif replied.
“We have our ways, Isif. We solved hunger once, we can do so again. Not immediately, it will take time to ramp up production, of course... But once that happens, all you need to do is name your price in how much meat you need and we will provide. And all we want in return is information to better defend ourselves.”
There was a long pause of contemplation. When looking closely, I could see something that was either agitation... or excitement among Isif’s posse, but Chief Hunter himself remained unimpressed. Eventually he did speak up.
“Don’t think I will fall for such a trick, Elias Meier. You humans are still young, still naive to the cruelty of the universe. We were once like you, and were nearly wiped out for it. I will not have it happen to the only other True Sapient in the galaxy. I will trade information. But I can already sense what the first request will be, and you will not be getting translations for Federation languages.”
That made every human in the room except Elias tense up. I almost flinched at the accusation, Jones hid her mouth behind her hand and Zhao’s smirk turned into a frown. Only Secretary-General remained unshaken. Isif, in meantime, continued speaking.
“If you prove yourself capable of helping us, and manage to provide as much sustenance as you claim you can... I will consider it. But until then, I will not be accelerating your desire to commit extinction by Federation’s hands.”
“Then, if you need to benefit from us first before putting us at risk, we can only thank you again for your concern, Chief Hunter.” Secretary-General replied. I was surprised at how collected he remained despite the arxur completely seeing through our intentions with this ‘trade deal’. “Trust us, we have no interest in getting annihilated in antimatter fire, but we are willing to work to earn your trust. We will be sending lists of information we desire. I hope that partnership can strengthen the bonds between us further.”
“Indeed. We will review and return to you the amounts of food we will require for it. Show us what you are capable of, humans. Now let’s get this over with. Conversing like that is... tiring.”
Right. Arxur are naturally solitary, according to the databank they gave us. A species of biologically predisposed introverts...
“Farewell, Chief Hunter Isif.” Meier replied curtly, before the screen dimmed and camera light disappeared. Contact was over.
I let out a deep sigh of relief, realizing I’ve been holding it in for a while now. There... was a lot to consider about what just happened. I was told footage would be saved, so we can better analyze the arxur nonverbal cues later.
Elias turned to us and put his hands on the table.
“So, that didn’t go as bad as it could have. Any thoughts?”
General Zhao was first to speak up.
“We’ll need information on Federation tactics and weaponry. We’ll have to prepare a strong l space military regardless of whether they can be talked down, but it’s much easier to convince someone not to kill you when doing so risks their own life.”
“I’m more interested in whether there is any technology that could allow us to send spy drones into Federation space without leaving obvious trail back to us.” General Jones countered. “We might not even need arxur translators if we can decode the language via our own surveillance.”
Elias turned his eyes on me expectantly. I considered everything that happened, things Isif said and ways his presumably-lieutenants reacted to conversation, things we learned from their data bank... And it dawned on me.
“They... see us the same way we have seen them before learning of their horrid acts. First contact with someone who treats you like a person, and first people in the galaxy whom you can see as friends. We sought the stars seeking to not be alone in the universe, and while their ways are repulsive to us... It’s not true the other way. This cooperation to them is much more sentimental than it is to us. They want to be able to trust us and rely on us.”
Elias smiled and nodded at my assessment.
“Thank you for your input, everyone. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Dr. Kuemper, I hope you’re ready for tomorrow’s announcement and your promotion?”
Right. Tomorrow we’re revealing that First Contact has occurred to the public. It took a lot of effort to make it presentable without triggering mass panic, and some details will be omitted. That and I’m receiving a new position in the UN related to handling alien affairs. What a joy...
“As ready as I can be.”
“Then let’s get to it. It won’t be easy, people, but our entire civilization is at stake. We need to get this right, and in a way that won’t have our descendants condemning us.”
Right. Cooperation with arxur, this trade... I didn’t like the idea of it, but I understood. We needed their help. Perhaps through this cooperation, rather than them influencing us, reverse can be made true, unlikely as it may seem. Worst part was failing to secure any translators at all. While I’m sure generals are salivating at idea of cyber-espionage against the Federation, I just wanted to be able to communicate with the rescued child, and make sure we could properly help her recover. Still... We will do our best, even without them.
Memory Transcription Subject: Stynek, Venlil Test Subject
Date [standardized human time]: July 15, 2136
Second time I woke up; the memories came to me much faster. How I was captured during the raid. How I spent months in cattle pens. How I was used as a meal for mystery predators. How they took me with them. And how I was now in their laboratory, or whatever closest thing predators have in their feral science.
Of course, my first instinct was to try and escape, but I couldn’t. I found myself actively strapped to the bed. I was panicked at first, trying to break through the restraints, but to no effect. So I let my head fall back onto surprisingly soft pillow and lay there... Awaiting my fate. But fate wasn’t coming, and I found myself getting a bit bored. So I raised my head and examined the room.
It seemed different from the room I was in before. Most of the machinery was gone, and the only big machine beside my bed wasn’t actually hooked up to me anymore. There was a large, predator-sized closet in the corner, and two big tables with seats. Of course, there was also bed itself. If not for the fact that I was slated to be butchered on this bed soon, it’d be the most comfortable place I got to lay down on since my capture. As is... It felt like cruel irony. I felt my eyes watering again. Did predators want to taunt me? Give me this sense of near-comfort as one last cruelty?
Subconsciously I tried calling out for mom, but felt my throat burn and ended up coughing instead. I think all the screaming recently wasn’t good for it, and with how dry my mouth was it didn’t help. Looking around I spotted it. A glass of water on a small stand beside the bed! Except it was completely out of reach. I tried shifting my tail under me, to try and extend towards it, but I’d need to have the bed flipped to have the chance at reaching. They probably left it like that intentionally... Letting me feel thirst, see the answer, but not be allowed to take it, all to make me suffer more.
I attempted to shift and wiggle against the restraints some more, when it hit me. It finally hit me that my leg was gone, gone for good. Even if I could somehow miraculously break those restraints... And get out of predator captivity... And make it back home to Venlil Prime... It wouldn’t be the same. I’d never live a normal life. My vision blurred with tears again. Why couldn’t they just end it... Why did... they have to make me suffer more.
Then the door opened and my heartbeat quickened. I realized just what I asked for, and looks like the universe itself wanted to give me that. Through the door stepped a figure... No longer clad in big rubbery suit. They probably realized such deception won’t work on me. But which of predators it was made my blood freeze.
It was the same one again... The dark-colored one that was there in meeting with arxur, and when I first woke up... Why was it always this one showing up over and over? Did all those predators look like that? He was wearing different outfit, maybe it was a different predator? No, it’s too similar, it must just be... assigned to me. My personal warden. Just like the pens had specific wardens assigned to them that were in charge of picking out meals.
This is it then. They must have done everything they wanted to do with me while I was unconscious and now that I was awake to feel it, were ready to finish me off. I closed my eyes, squeezing them tightly shut as the predator approached. I lost count of how many times I was anticipating death recently, but this was it... This must be it, finally, right? Universe can’t be cruel enough to do more to me, can it?
And as I waited for my demise, with held breath I lay. And lay. And waited. Until I realized that by now predator would long be within reach of my throat. I slowly opened my eyes, and blinked a few times to get the tears out. Sight of predator right beside me made me flinch, as it sat down by the bed, looking over me with its hungry, binocular eyes. I could see its mouth, lips quivering in hunger. And yet it did not lunge... Why?! Why can’t they just finish me off already? I felt so exhausted and fatigued by it all...
Predator seemed to lock its horrid eyes with my own eye. The gaze was intense, and I felt frozen. I couldn’t move, not even a muscle, as it just stared at me and I stared back. I felt a tear roll down my face, contributing more to the clump of matted fur, grown stained with so many tears. And that’s when the predator reached its hand for my head. I closed my eyes, recoiling away to the best of my ability. I... I didn’t want it... Please... Why can’t I just wake up back home, why can’t it all just be a nightmare...
I was prepared for its claw to grasp my face, to twist my neck, to scratch at me... But the only thing I felt was a small caress right under my eye, where the tear ran, wiping it off and rubbing at clumped fur, getting bits of dirt out in process. And then it was over. There was no attack. It was just more prolonging of the inevitable. It was so... tiring. I opened my eyes again, to look back at the predator. Really look back in those cruel eyes, to try and understand why the universe would have such evilness exist at all. The binocular gaze was horrible, but no amount of my instinct telling me to flee could help when I had neither the limbs nor freedom to move. So I just looked back. Into those small eyes when they suddenly blinked. And what could only be a tear rolled down the predator’s face. This made me mentally recoil.
How? Did a predator just shed a tear? But that’s... impossible. Only creatures with empathy can cry. That’s the textbook prerequisite for crying! You need to feel things to cry! Predators don’t have that! Arxur don’t have that. We learn that since before school. One of first things parents teach their kids is always the dangers of predators. But this is... Maybe it’s something in the room? Some noxious agent irritating its eyes? Then why can’t I feel it? Is it simply copying me? But why would it do that? Can you even copy something you can’t understand, like feelings? I didn’t understand. Maybe their biology was way more alien? Their skin was naked and had no fur or scales or feathers, maybe their tears are different too? I tried to find any explanation at all, any possible answer to questions swirling in my mind, but nothing made sense. It’s like this one little tear shattered everything I knew about predators. Maybe... They were different somehow? No! That can’t be it. If they were, they wouldn’t... They wouldn’t have been ones to take part in eating me! They wouldn’t deal with arxur! It’s a trick... it must be... But tears are a sign of empathy...
“W-Why...”, I asked in my confusion. My voice came out as ragged and hoarse and I was reminded of how dry my insides felt. I glanced over to the glass at the bedside, still out of reach and now with a predator near it... I stood no chance at reaching it.
Then suddenly, the predator looked over at it as well, and picked it up. I was almost about to cry at the idea that it would drink it in front of me, taunting my thirst further. But it didn’t even bring the glass close to its horrid mouth, instead moving it towards my face. Naturally, I tried pulling back from predator reach, but still restrained, I couldn’t move much. And once the glass was in front of me, predator just tilted it and... left it hovering there.
Was it... offering me a drink? Does that mean the water is poisoned? Why else would it give me some? I didn’t open my mouth, but the predator kept hovering the glass in front of me... Clear liquid inside swishing a bit with unevenness of the movements. Tantalizing... My throat felt drier just looking at it. In the end, base instinct prevailed over reason-based self-preservation. Even if it is poisoned... I was as good as dead in this den of predators, this won’t matter, and at least I’ll die not feeling as dry as a piece of old tree bark. So I let my mouth open and I raised my head as much as I could within the restraints, putting the glass’s rim into my mouth.
That first sip was probably the most heavenly water I’ve ever tasted. It was just normal water, of course, but with how dry I felt, I couldn’t get enough as I started quickly gulping it down. The predator actually helped, tilting the glass, keeping up with how quickly I emptied it. Every gulp was a relief... It was no stale water of arxur pens. It was actually fresh water! But as quickly as it started, the happiness ended, glass fully tilted and empty. I smack my mouth, gathering little bits of moisture gathered on it with my tongue, while the predator moves the glass back onto the counter.
Well, if that had poison in it, I didn’t taste any. And if it was somehow tasteless... It was worth it. I still couldn’t wrap my mind around the predator and its actions, so instead I did my best to just ignore it as I savored the feeling of hydration. If I somehow live through this, unlikely though it may be, I will never scorn water again. Though I will probably still prefer some good juice over it...
The predator started moving again, removing the blanket-like sheet that was covering most of my body and reaching to where my restraints connected to the bed itself. It locked its eyes with me again, and this time it at least didn’t cry, but it did start to growl something. It was quiet and subdued, and of course I couldn’t understand any of it, but it didn’t lunge or reach for me directly and didn’t seem any different from earlier. Was it trying to say something?
Then I heard a small click. The light pressure I felt on my arms and chest from the restraints relaxed. Then the predator just tossed the restraint over me, revealing that they released me. I tested it by raising my arms slightly. Why...? Did they plan on taking me somewhere? I could try running but the feeling of lightness, of hollow emptiness where my leg used to be reminded me of how fruitless the endeavor would be, so I just kept laying in bed. The predator’s mouth curved in some wicked expression before they growled out some more of their crude words and got up.
They moved towards the exit, turning around to give me one last creepy staredown before stepping out of the room. And, unsurprisingly, I heard a soft click from the door itself. Right. I was just free to explore my new pen. But even with the freedom granted, I couldn’t bring myself to get out of bed. The shock of learning that a predator just shed a tear and fed me water was still too much. What is even happening?
It’s all so confusing. I grabbed the blanket and pulled it over my head, hiding in the dark. I tried to desperately convince myself to not get my hopes up, to remember what those predators did to me... But somewhere I felt like maybe things here will at least be better than they were in arxur pens. At least there’s that to comfort me. That’s right, they probably just... don’t want me to die yet because they haven’t finished experimenting on me... And the tears were just... I don’t know. It makes no sense! It’s stupid!
I let out a breath and snuggled tighter into the blanket. As long as it was dark and quiet like this, I could at least pretend that I was back home... That everything makes sense... That I am just fine... That I'll be okay...
First - Prev - [Next]