Hello there you fine internet surfers, my name is Alex. To briefly describe myself

• I am tall, standing at about 6'4
• I am overweight though visiting the gym often and working with my doctor on the best way to lose weight
• I wear glasses and have long black hair that I usually just throw in a simple ponytail -I have pretty bad social anxiety, so any confidence this post gives off will quickly crumble once you've message me, though online I tend to be more confident in general -My hobbies include gaming, cooking, and learning more about computers -I work full time in tech and have iffy plans on ever returning to college for a degree

yeah that about covers the (kinda) brief description of me.
For what I'm looking for, I'm really not picky on anything. Sure I have my types but I cannot think of anything that isn't normally a deal breaker that would only apply to me. Just be kind and don't ghost me.
I'm looking to date not make friends, though if that is an unintended side effect then I am glad to stay friends. I'm also not looking for anything casual. Similar reasoning above, I'd prefer to date and not have a little fling.
I'm totally easy going, I love to try new things all the time, wether that's food or activities I am down to try anything atleast once.
To conclude the long post, just shoot me a message on Reddit and we will see where it goes from there. I'm down to move to other apps but I would prefer not to post my accounts publicly

Hello Everyone! I am an American student who recently got admission to University of Toronto St. George Computer Science and University of Waterloo Honors Computer Science, both as an Undergraduate.
I am very interested in Machine Learning, especially the mathematics that underlies it. I don't quite know whether I am going into academia or the labor market after college. I do enjoy the prospect of research but I do know that the private sector is really where the Machine Learning innovation is taking place. I've visited both campuses and quite enjoyed the vibe of both. I do know that the Toronto region is a hub for ML development (especially within startups) but I've found that U of T’s internship program is much more unstructured than Waterloo’s robust Co-op program. In addition, Waterloo has its CS dept funded by many large corporations so resources are top-notch. But U of T is a larger research university and is affiliated with organizations in the Toronto area, which also host top-notch resources.
I have also heard that University of Waterloo is more well known for its Undergraduate education while U of T is more well known for its Postgraduate. Since I also want to engage in research labs and facilities as much as I can as an undergraduate, I hope that both schools have access to top-notch CS labs and facilities for undergraduates. I am also interested in Meteorology and Philosophy and considering the U of T is a bigger school, it probably has more opportunities in those areas.
I also seem to gather that University of Waterloo has a bigger reputation than U of T (which seems to be supported as U Waterloo CS has a lower acceptance rate). However, U of T has some of the leading figures in the modern Machine Learning revolution such as Geoffrey Hinton and Alex Krizhevski. Academically they seem very close in quality and as a personal preference, I enjoy theoretical courses but want a mix of industry-ready courses as well.
Other than that, I quite enjoy the cold and winter, usually hoping for frequent snow (so I guess Waterloo has a slight edge there) and really enjoy Cycling, Rock Climbing, and Mountaineering. Any help in decision-making and more information is greatly appreciated. I have to make a decision by June 3rd. Thanks!

Hi all, been revising this novel for a while and decided I'm ready to try out writing the query letter. The following is the product of my first attempt at that. Thought I might as well take a shot and hope that some of you are kind enough to share your thoughts! :) I also included the first little section of the book to see what people think of that, too.
The love of Alex’s life is a killer.
Alex, a recent college graduate, can’t escape from a malaise. He is working a job he doesn’t care about and living with his parents in the sun scorched suburbs of Las Vegas, spending his free time reading articles about humanity’s impending doom and scrolling through social media. One Sunday morning he comes across an active crime scene, the focus of which is the body of a former high school classmate. Also in the crowd around the scene, however, is Bella, a girl Alex had a crush on in high school. She is intelligent, funny, warm, independent, and pretty, and she presents a possible way out of his state. The two reconnect and begin a relationship, becoming rapidly intertwined by the intensity of their love. Even when a second former classmate soon turns up dead, most of their focus remains on one another, although Alex grows worried about what could be happening.
Alex and Bella’s idyllic romance is shattered when Bella decides she wants Alex to know her true self. She reveals that she is behind the murders, committing them because of a horrible compulsion she has little control over, yet asks him to stay with her, to still love her. Alex, through a combination of paralyzing fear and powerful love, decides to remain with her, a decision that will have terrible consequences.
JUST DON’T LEAVE is a literary romance/thriller novel complete at 86,000 words. It combines the melancholy yet passionate romance of Sally Rooney’s Normal People with the unsettling atmosphere and violent undercurrents of Stephanie LaCava’s I Fear My Pain Interests You. [Bio].
Thank you for your time and consideration.
First 300ish:
Dead bodies don’t look like I thought they would. There isn’t much of a difference from when they’re alive, at least when they haven't been dead for too long. A little more pale and stiff. Other than that they just seem asleep.
When I’m not seeing the bodies I see Bella. I see her lying naked on her stomach, wide eyes staring up at me, right cheek in her hand. Her smile reveals pink gums just above the top row of teeth. I see her falling asleep on the couch, under enough blankets to crush a small child, strands of hair shining in the pale light from the tv. I hear her snoring in my ear. I hear her telling me she loves me. I see her standing in a pool of blood and she is holding a knife.
I feel the anger and hatred slipping every moment. I try to see the blood, and the open, whistling, gushing throat, and the limp body of a person I once knew, but these images are replaced by her eating a sandwich, showing me how to fix a mistake on excel, kissing my cheek, playing with the curls on the sides of my hair, holding me while I cry, writhing and moaning beneath me as she grips my lower back. I tell myself that I hate her, that I should have never texted her back, that if I can somehow make it out of here I will be so much better off, but it’s like there’s a black hole devouring my guts, where anything negative I think about her is swallowed. There is a voice above me, massaging my temples and whispering in my ear that I need her. I will always need her and without her I am nothing.
The time before we were together feels like an imitation of a life. She made me whole. She can go on without me, but I can’t go on without her.
I am giving in. Nothing helps. All I think about is Bella, so I will think about her.

I know a lot of us wonder how Meg affords her lifestyle and while I'm not a financial planner by day, I'd like to consider myself pretty savvy with money. I have some thoughts...
We all know that both her dad and Alex work in finance - in fact, her dad is a wealth manageportfolio manager (I believe?). I'll put money on the fact that when each of their kids were born, her parents opened custodial brokerage accounts (an investment account in your kid's name), 529's (college investment acct) and maybe even a Roth IRA's (retirement savings accts) for each of their kids. I know it was one of the first things I did when my baby was born and I got the SS#.
Let's just say that the year that Meg was born, they started with $10K. By the "magic" that is compound interest (and an estimated 10% return each year), there would be a MINIMUM of anywhere from $250K - $300K in that brokerage account today. And since her dad is works in finance, I'm sure he knew exactly what to invest in so that each of their kids would have a nice round number down the line. That $10K to start doesn't include any contributions that her parents continued to make throughout the years, or include any birthday/holiday money that was deposited and invested. That number is just based on if that $10K to start sat in the account until today. And most importantly, let's not forget about dividend payouts.
I believe she went to college, didn't finish and went to cosmetology school. That's where the 529 account would have come into play - to pay for any schooling expenses. Any left over money in that savings account probably was rolled over to her Roth IRA account for retirement.
But now let's get into her LiFeStYle. When she was married, Alex's income was obviously enough to bankroll HIS mortgage and some of her lifestyle - because she did work more back then and I'm sure what she made from that job was her "play money". And who knows, maybe she helped with a bill or two. Anyways, now that she's getting divorced and doesn't have The Bank of Alex to pay for everything, her dad probably instructed her withdraw money from her brokerage account (custodial brokerage accounts are transferred over to the child when they turn 18 or 21, I believe - depending on the state you live in) so that she would be able to support herself and N during and after her divorce.
Her dad probably calculated what her base expenses are - her rent, utilities, groceries, gas, car insurance, health insurance, etc. and came up with a solid number with a little cushion so she can still keep up with her Chick-fil-A runs and getting her nails done (I once looked through her TT and she gets them done Every.Two.Weeks. pretty much on the dot, which I personally think is a little ridiculous) This is where she had to "budget". And let's be real here (& no offense to anyone who lives in Florida), but the cost of living there is not as much as other places in the U.S. Out of curiosity, I looked up how much a tank of gas is in her city - $3.25 is the cheapest in her area. P.S. I would KILL to pay only $3+ for gas and only $2K in rent for a really nice 3 bedroom condo where I live.
So based on the cost of monthly "needs", he multiplied that by 12 and that's how much she withdrew from her brokerage account for the year. Keep in mind that your brokerage withdraws are taxed and you have to pay taxes at the end of the year which are based on your income - which is why I believe she only works part time. The more income you generate, the more taxes you're likely going to have to pay.
Let's not forget that she is technically self-employed, so everything that she buys for her booth, including her booth rental is a write off. She can even write off the gas that she uses to drive from home to the salon.
What she makes from being a hairstylist and TikTok is then her play money for her "wants". So while that might not seems like much since she works only a couple days a week, I'm sure it's enough to cover her spending habits because the rest of her living expenses have been budgeted for and the money has been pulled out of her brokerage account to cover it. But you can clearly see that she's had to personally make concessions, as some other threads have mentioned - from Publix to Aldi, from Pottery Barn to Home Goods, Starbucks to Dunkin', etc...
Alex pays for daycare and maybe a monthly payment to Meg to cover anything that N might need. The last part of that is of course an assumption.
So I don't believe that her parents are bankrolling her - they made strategic and smart choices when their kids were born so that they wouldn't have to "struggle" down the line. But in Meg's case and based on her personality of "me, me, me", all it's really doing is enabling her. Yes, she has 2 "jobs", but she's failed to mentioned how she's paying for everything else. She's not being transparent and we're not dumb. And it's what irks me about her - that she can talk sh!t about everything and everyone else, but not be real when it comes to stuff like this.
If I were her, my new angle would be "Follow along as a mom going through a divorce budgets her money on a daily basis", vs. "Follow along and listen to me bash my ex and exploit my son on a regular basis as a first- time, manic, breast-feeding mom."
Her family is clearly not old money and the last thing I'm sure they want to do as they get close to retiring is to pay out of pocket for their grown daughters B.S. And by the looks of it, I'm sure they're glad that they saved for her when she was young, or else she'd probably be living under a bridge somewhere eating mayo, Indian food packets and tinned fish. Make sure to get daddy a nice Father's day present this year, Meg.

Meg, I’m posting this here on Reddit because I know you or at least your mom trolls here and you don’t have the ability to delete it. Meghan, you constantly shit talking Alex and his family is not only trashy but so incredibly toxic and harmful to your sons childhood. I come from a family of divorce and my mom spoke so awful of my father and his wife. She pushed my dad out and won the court over to grant her main custody. I literally only saw my dad for dinner on Thursday nights from the time I was 8 until I was 18. I couldn’t even suggest wanting to spend the night at my dad’s without my mom going crazy and acting hurt. She would literally make me feel guilty and accuse me of choosing him over her. I truly didn’t know my father until I moved out of my mom’s house to go to college at 18. My relationship with him didn’t start until I was pretty much an adult because of my mother. I think back to so much of what I missed of my dad and what my dad missed of my childhood because my mom couldn’t figure out how to cope and co-parent. If you continue down this path of being so hateful, condescending, mean and just outright selfish Natey is going to miss out on having his dad. That is not something I would wish on my worst enemy. It is so important for children to have and see both parents. I hope you come to realize what is best for Natey and not for yourself and your ego. If not Natey is going to spend so many years in therapy trying to sort all of these emotions out like I am now.
Sincerely, A concerned mom for Natey’s well being

I always loved the summer break, a brief respite from the grueling schedule of college. My days were spent with friends, nights filled with laughter and bonfires. This summer was no different—until I returned home.
The small town of Hartsville, where I grew up, was the epitome of tranquility. Rolling hills, lush forests, and friendly neighbors greeted me as I pulled into the driveway of my childhood home. The sight of my mother, waiting on the porch, brought a smile to my face. She looked the same as ever—cheerful, warm, and welcoming.
"Welcome home, Alex," she called out, enveloping me in a tight hug. "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too, Mom," I replied, feeling a genuine sense of relief and happiness to be back.
The first few days were perfect. We caught up on everything, and she cooked all my favorite meals. It felt good to be taken care of again, to be home. But then, things started to change.
It began subtly. I would catch glimpses of shadows out of the corner of my eye, fleeting figures that disappeared when I turned my head. At first, I brushed it off as stress or exhaustion. But the occurrences became more frequent and harder to ignore.
One night, I woke up drenched in sweat. A cold chill ran down my spine as I realized I wasn't alone. A shadowy figure stood at the foot of my bed. I blinked, and it was gone. My heart pounded in my chest as I fumbled for the light, but there was nothing there. Just the darkness and my racing thoughts.
The next morning, I mentioned it to my mom.
"You're probably just tired, dear," she said, her brow furrowed with concern. "College must have been really hard on you."
"Yeah, maybe," I agreed, though unease gnawed at me.
The occurrences didn't stop. If anything, they intensified. I began to see the shadowy figure during the day, lurking in the corners of rooms, just out of sight. I started to question my sanity. Was I imagining things? Was I losing my mind?
I decided to take a walk one evening, hoping the fresh air would clear my head. As I strolled through the familiar streets of Hartsville, the sensation of being watched never left me. Every rustling leaf and distant whisper set my nerves on edge. The shadows seemed to follow me, growing darker and more menacing as the sun dipped below the horizon.
When I returned home, my mom was waiting with dinner. The food smelled delicious, but I couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had settled over me.
"Are you okay, Alex?" she asked, her eyes filled with concern. "You seem distant."
"I'm fine," I lied, forcing a smile. "Just tired."
That night, the nightmare began.
I woke to the sound of whispering. At first, I thought it was just the wind, but the voices grew louder, more insistent. They were speaking in a language I didn't understand, guttural and ancient. My room felt like a tomb, the air heavy and suffocating. I tried to move, but my body was paralyzed, pinned to the bed by an invisible force.
The shadowy figure was back, but this time it was closer. I could see its eyes—hollow, empty voids that seemed to swallow the light. It reached out a hand, and I felt an icy grip on my chest. I couldn't breathe. Panic surged through me, and I fought with all my strength to break free.
Suddenly, the figure vanished, and I bolted upright, gasping for air. My room was empty, but the sense of dread lingered. I knew then that whatever was happening to me wasn't just in my mind.
The next day, I started looking into the history of our house. I visited the local library and combed through old records. To my horror, I discovered that our home had a dark past. It was built on the ruins of an old asylum, a place where unspeakable experiments were conducted on the patients. Many of them had died under mysterious circumstances, their souls trapped in torment.
I raced home, my mind spinning with the implications. My mom was in the kitchen, humming softly as she cooked. I watched her for a moment, my heart heavy with fear and suspicion.
"Mom, we need to talk," I said, my voice trembling.
"Of course, dear. What's wrong?" she asked, turning to face me.
"There's something wrong with this house. I've been seeing things, hearing things. I found out that it was built on an old asylum. People died here, Mom. Horrible things happened."
Her expression changed, a flicker of something dark and unreadable crossing her face. "Alex, you're imagining things. This house is perfectly fine."
"No, it's not!" I shouted, the frustration and fear boiling over. "Something is happening to me, and I don't think it's just this house. I think it's you."
She froze, her eyes widening. "What are you talking about?"
"The salt," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "The strange salt you've been putting in my food. It's making me see things, isn't it?"
Her face twisted with a mixture of guilt and desperation. "Alex, I only wanted to protect you. To keep you safe. You've been so stressed with college, and I thought if you stayed here, you could rest and recover."
"By drugging me? By making me think I'm going insane?" I backed away, my heart pounding.
"I did it out of love," she pleaded, tears streaming down her face. "I can't lose you, Alex. You're all I have."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My own mother, the person I trusted most in the world, had been poisoning me. My mind raced, trying to find a way out of this nightmare.
That night, I didn't eat dinner. I pretended to, pushing the food around my plate until my mom was satisfied. I needed a clear head to figure out my next move. As I lay in bed, I heard the whispering again, the voices of the tormented souls trapped in this house. But this time, I wasn't afraid. I felt a strange kinship with them, a shared sense of betrayal and suffering.
I knew I had to leave, but I couldn't just run. I needed proof, something to show the authorities. The next morning, while my mom was out, I searched the house. In the basement, I found what I was looking for—a hidden stash of the strange salt. I took some samples and snapped photos of everything.
When my mom returned, I was ready.
"Alex, what are you doing?" she asked, her voice trembling with fear.
"I'm leaving," I said, my voice steady. "And I'm taking this with me." I held up the bag of salt.
"Please, Alex, don't do this," she begged, reaching out to me.
"I have to," I replied, backing away. "You need help, Mom. Real help."
As I walked out the door, I felt a strange mix of relief and sorrow. I was leaving behind everything I knew, but I was also escaping a nightmare. I drove straight to the police station, handing over the evidence and telling them everything.
The investigation that followed uncovered the truth. The salt was a rare and powerful hallucinogen, capable of inducing vivid and terrifying visions. My mom had been using it to keep me close, driven by a desperate and twisted love.
But as the authorities delved deeper, a more chilling revelation surfaced. My mother hadn't acted alone. She had been manipulated, controlled by the same malevolent spirits that haunted me. The shadowy figures, the tormented souls of the asylum's victims, had found a way to influence the living. They had latched onto my mother, exploiting her fear of losing me to ensure she did their bidding. The salt was their instrument, a conduit for their dark influence.
Confronted with this new horror, my mom broke down, recounting how the voices had first appeared to her, promising to keep me safe if she followed their instructions. They preyed on her loneliness and desperation, twisting her love into something monstrous.
The spirits were exorcised from our home, and my mother was taken to a facility where she could get the help she needed. I was left to pick up the pieces of my shattered life. The house was condemned, its dark history finally exposed. But the scars remained, a constant reminder of the horrors I had endured.
Even now, I sometimes hear the whispering, feel the chill of those empty eyes watching me. But I remind myself that I'm free, that I've escaped the nightmare. And I hold on to the hope that one day, I'll find peace.

UPDATED May.20.2024 If you have any info/links, or suggestions, please post below. \*for new changes*
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ANYTHING ELSE? PODCAST

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(2019) Sargon of Akkad: What is a woman?

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• https://destiny.gg/schedule/
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I’ve had the game for months and just threw myself into finishing PL all day. I’m literally crying my eyes out.
I knew Song would betray V. She’d been groomed to make the wrong choices for so, so long. Even to the detriment of not realizing when someone is genuinely there to help her. V would’ve helped her without her being deceptive. She cares just that much, the merc with a heart. And I understand Song got tired of being treated like a pawn, but you’d think she knows enough how it feels to NOT do it to V.
I almost chose to betray her in the beginning. But I knew that siding with the country that rinsed and washed her daily, V would still be the Corpo, bootlicker she was with Arasaka.
Also, during that entire Blackwall breach, and infecting all those tin soldiers with it I was screaming the entire time. IT WAS THE COOLEST FUCKING THING IVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE. The pain and even the minute clenching of the hands when she did it, the fucking slo mo, THE VOICES OF THE AI.
Having to kill Reed hurt me though. He was indoctrinated too, but he was authentic in a way you can’t find in NC anymore, let alone Dogtown. Talking to him hurt. If Alex had been there, idk if I could’ve done it.
I loved every. Single. Fucking. Minute. Of this game. I graduated college a few days ago and have been dedicating my new free time to this and I have no regrets besides that it’s over.

I’m sure people have talked about this but I’m relatively new to this sub, so I’m just gonna post about it here. Luke’s acting (Nolan Gould) became so bad when he grew up and got older. In the early seasons, he was such a cute kid and really played his part well, but idk what even happened later. Kind of the same with the actress that plays Lily. The actresses that played Haley and Alex and the actor that played Manny all did really well as they got older. I guess this is sometimes common for kid actors, like if anyone has seen the show Shameless, some of the kid actors did not grow into their roles well. They even had to replace one of the kids in the show because as the original actor got older, he couldn’t remember lines. I got used to Luke’s acting as I continued to watch the show, but it’s just kind of sad that his acting became so bad, cause Modern Family is such a great show and all of the other actors are fantastic. I assume that’s why Haley was written to get kicked out of college and Alex was written to drop out of Cal Tech because of her mono, cause those two actresses were so good that they carried the rest of the show and the writers couldn’t let them leave.

1. Where was Alex and Izzy staying before they moved in, back in season 1
2. Did Burke use the same vows for his wife that he wrote for Christina, cause it would be a shame for those words to go to waste
3. What were each of their majors in college, I think Christina would've majored in biology or something in science
4. Alex wasn't originally part of Miranda's team, was he written in at the last minute or was he supposed to be introduced that way

Please don’t come for me!! I’m a big fan and collect all her books and will always read them. Please don’t tell me “just don’t read them” the books were very comforting to me at a time I needed them but that doesn’t mean I can’t be open to discussion about her recent work and how her new direction or perhaps rush to put out books might be affecting quality.
I’m part of her Facebook group as well; which is strictly a fan page.
Spoilers ahead !
Here goes:
First becomes its top of mind- there are more cameo mentions in this book than any other- including from the Twisted Series. I get happy when I see them but I think sometimes they’re sprinkled in randomly by name only and it’s very fan-service-like. It’s a great way to show how well the characters are doing years after the fact but more detailed scenes would make sense because yes, the AH fans love cameos.
Jule’s name was tossed around as a lawyer handling some of Xavier’s things but in the future I hope AH writes more compelling small cameo mentions, otherwise we’ll get conversations like “I have to go, I have a doctor’s appointment…Dr.Josh Chen, haven’t you heard, he’s the most up and coming doctor in town ! I had to practically beg Christian Harper to get me an appointment.”
But for the main characters: I guess I expected Sloane to be a character who looked like Bridget but with the personality of Jules. Instead she behaved exactly like Allesandra, Isabel and Vivian. Speaking of Bridget, the bubbly Queen of Eldora was more icy than Sloane (the series' designated Ice Queen) and she was supposed to be Rhy's sunny counterpart. We were constantly TOLD how icy and emotionless she was and never really shown it. Instead, we find out she's actually insecure and has a lot of issues, which yes is realistic to how Ice Queens typically form their avoidant personalities, but it would have been great to see a few chapters of her being icy before we peel the layers and find out why she puts up these icy walls.
If the book was supposed to be about how she’s NOT the ice queen people think she is…that wasn’t exactly shown either. She does admit it herself that she is icy, just hates that she is and hates being called that.
Xavier is the Jojo Siwa of bad boys. He was a bad boy, he did some bad things. The things that made him Colombia’s biggest bad boy with a bad boy reputation known all over the word: Parties with other rich kids, spends his wealthy father’s money, refuses to behave at publicity events like galas, refuses to inherit his family’s company, gets into shenanigans that land him in a night in jail with other rich kids, got a tattoo of his family rival’ crest….this one’s more stupid than “sticking it to his family”, slept around with whether model/It Girl was around. In the words of Phoebe Buffay “Okay, who hasn’t?!” Even Jules, Ava and Stella have landed themselves in jail after some shenanigan gone wrong. It’s clear that despite being a “spicy” book, AH created a Disney character version of a bad boy.
I feel like Ana forgot how to write from the male's POV after the Twisted series ended. The point of the dual POV is that you feel like you're reading two different people's POV, and honestly it all just blends together. I think Josh's book (Twisted Hate) was the best example of a male's perspective and thoughts/dialogue that a guy in that situation would be saying.
I noticed since King of Greed at least, these Alpha males have been carrying dialogue that mention the most ridiculous things that "Alpha billionaire" males wouldn't even notice. Example: In King of Greed, when Dominic makes a comment about the expression a Chinese food delivery person makes when he realizes he just dropped off a ton of food for two people.....I think that was an Ana Huang thought, not a Domenic thought. While we’re at it, Domenic was just as bad a Xavier…. Dante was the last good “Alpha” she wrote and Kai was such a different character (modeled clearly after the lead in Crazy Rich Asians) that he was hard to mess up ..
The Spanish in King of Sloth was important given the character's background, but felt like it was written with Google Translate. It felt very formal and boring, and doesn't feel like a Spanish-language consultant was brought in to make sure the random sentences and random Spanish words made sense. It was giving the same energy as the Netflix original shows that are set in Los Angeles neighborhoods and the writer's idea of Spanglish is sprinkling random Spanish words into English sentences. There was a little Spanish dialogue in Twisted Games that was way less cringier- maybe because the Spanish was in full sentences and then translated right after….. Latino English speaking people don’t add random “Tios” or “hermano” to their sentences. Look up @Leogonzall “how Latinos talk in movies” videos to see a visual representation of how the Spanish dialogue in these books feel.
Some random things that appear in every single book: - "A thought niggling......" - A table groaning under the weight of food - The first kiss consists of the male's mouth "crashing" into the female's - Every single female character has parental and sibling issues of some sort. - Every male character has parental/abusive parents of some sort. I'm beginning to feel like AH cannot write complex characters that don't rely solely on parental drama, as relatable as it can be...not counting her "If Love..." series, we've seen this 7 times in a row, for EACH main character. So twice per book, for 7 books ! Formulas are one thing, but copy and pasting is another.

• Ana Huang writes parents and siblings the way Amy Sherman-Palladino writes children in Gilmore Girls, just very one-dimensional and for the plot.
  
• Except for Isabel's good relationship with one of her brothers, Alessandra (and Ava and Josh) every female character has severe sibling drama, usually a case where their sibling is an over-achiever and conforms to their parent's expectations (and that's horrifying because it affects the main character and not because that sibling is also a victim that may have used conformity to survive their abusive parents actions)
  

Things I wanted to learn more about Sloane other than the same repetitive things over and over

• How she started her PR agency and the staff she hires- what a girl boss! We only get a vague background about how she started her agency but nothing about how she built experience prior, and how she managed to build a reputation to become one of the best PR agencies in the world. We just have to take the author's word for it, and there's been so much build-up of Sloane in the three previous books. She’s extremely well connected and good at her job- but we get zero background about how she got there except that she worked hard, and came from a rich family.

We don’t even really know how Isabel, Sloane and Vivian became such close friends. At least the Twisted girls were suitemates in college. Alessandra gets added to the group later but if anyone knows how they original three became such besties, please let me know because I must have missed it despite re-reading them.

• I always imagined Sloane having a luxury apartment in NYC, something completely immaculate and stone-cold and awesome like her personality. We hear nothing about her apartment despite so many scenes taking place there.
  
• We didn't get that many scenes of Sloane doing anything by herself…anything she cool she eats or wears or anything. I feel we got more of these smaller details about the heroines in the earlier books. At least we had a few scenes of Stella eating croissants and green smoothies- it was cute ! ☺️
  
• I think Sloane got the Stella treatment- Both heroines's have been teased since the first book in the series but were a bit lackluster once the book came out.
  

The things I enjoyed about KOS and Ana Huang books in general

• I really like that AH gives her characters a signature scent/flavor- I think Vivian was described smelling like apples, Alessandra smelled like lilies and rain or something. I can’t recall the others. She also gives certain “elements” to characters- like Sloane being pale like the moon, icy, etc. Christian Harper was like whiskey and fire, etc.
  
• The world building in NYC and DC and other countries.
  
• the friendships and the conversations between the girls.
  
• I love the scenes that take place in both DC and NYC - they feel so cosmopolitan but I feel we no longer get smaller details about the weather, street details, etc - we got plenty more of this in Twisted Hate and Twisted Games...even details about it being a misty or cold day, make a huge difference in creating imagery in the reader's mind.
  
• The Valhalla scenes are typically entertaining and beautifully written, it's clear how lovely and gorgeous this country club is.
  
• Any cameos where Alex shows up, are well-written. I think Twisted Love was one of her strongest books, so it makes sense he's one of her strongest characters who is stable and can carry any appearance.
  

• He got referred to producers by Nick, but they didn’t actually know each other. They had a mutual running influencer friend who put them in touch on IG.
  
• He would be open to doing any Bravo show. He mentioned OG Summer House & Southern Charm.
  
• He’s from Dallas. After college he lived in Chicago and Houston, but didn’t like either place. He decided to try Austin, loved it and never wants to leave.
  
• Before the show, he quit his job to pursue modeling and content creation full-time.
  
• He hopes to have his own spin-off show about real estate.
  
• When the show first started he had to get off of social media because he was getting dragged through the mud.
  
• He gets messages from biracial people and parents of biracial kids that appreciate him sharing his story.
  
• He, once again, called himself a martyr. (He loves this term. On Positively Unfiltered he called himself a “martyr for halfricans”)
  
• The lives that he changed by sharing his story and letting people know that someone in a “celebrity” space goes through the same things makes him feel good.
  
• He feels a lot more connected to his roots now
  
• He said, “This entire time I was thinking that I’m not Black, but in reality Black comes in different shades, sizes and genders.”
  
• When asked about the Jordan/Alex situation… He said that Alex never has ill intent, but that doesn’t matter to Jordan. If Alex closed the door wrong it might set Jordan off.
  
• When asked about the Shanice/Alex situation… He said Alex brought that situation to the people close to Shanice (Bria) because Shanice wasn’t there since she was a weekend guest. Alex wanted her to be able to control the narrative and not be blindsighted. They thought that since they talked about it off camera they could keep it off the show.
  
• Before filming, Bria told the entire cast that she was cool with Mariah coming back for S2
  
• He and Natalie both went to Texas State, but they didn’t know each other.
  
• They met at a gym when she stopped him to say hi and asked him if he wanted to play pickle ball with her the next day. He gave her his number.
  
• He was doing a speaking engagement the next day and she was in the front row to support a friend. They’ve been attached at the hip ever since.
  
• There is so much division in the group and it's super cliquey. They support each other, but it doesn’t feel like family.
  
• His relationships are solid with the guys and Shanice and Bria.
  
• He hopes they can work through things at the reunion, because going into filming the way things are now won’t be fun for them or the viewers. (This was in April, before the reunion)
  
• He asked for support for the watch parties he hosts in Austin (interesting, but ok)
  
• He’s about to launch a podcast with his brother about what it takes to be successful, etc.
  

Hello everyone! Over the past couple of months, the concept of "production vs traits" has been a dichotomy interesting to me. This made me curious, in particular, of how this argument translates to QB's, and specifically over to #1 overall QB selections. Overall, there seems to be 2 molds to Top QBs: 1. The QB has a breakout season, typically during their final year in college, though not always, and goes into the draft with very solid tape and great college pedigree.
And 2. A QB with very great traits and in a prototypical QB mold comes out, and coaches take those guys with the idea to coach them up. And interesting way to gage this, then, is to look at QBs who come out with no Heisman trophy's, and no Consensus All American awards. Over 28 1st overall QB selections since 1970, here are the 12 that fit that 2nd mold:
​
1970: Terry Bradshaw
1990: Jeff George
1993: Drew Bledsoe
2001: Michael Vick
2002: David Carr
2004: Eli Manning
2005: Alex Smith
2007: Jamarcuss Russell
2009: Matthew Stafford
2012: Andrew Luck
2016: Jared Goff
2021: Trevor Lawrence
​
A few tidbits I had for these guys:
-Terry Bradshaw had been talked about as a "the guy" since high school, and was described as almost pro ready coming out. Similar thoughts were there for Matthew Stafford and Trevor Lawrence coming out.
-Jeff George and Ja'marcuss Russell had some of the most insane combinations of measurables and arm strength coming out into the league, and where thought of somewhat to a Anthony Richardson type today, where they were projects who needed developing, but if developed right could have the highest ceiling of any QB ever. Sadly, neither ended up developing. Will Richardson be different?
-Andrew Luck has to be one of the unluckiest guys ever, becoming one of, if not the ONLY QB to ever have gotten 2nd in Heisman voting TWICE, once against Cam Newton (drafted #1 overall the year before) and RG3 (drafted #2 overall in his class). He was seen as an elite prospect, and had production that in a lot of other years would have won him it, but not those 2 particular years.
-The 2000s seems to have a particular uptick in these types of prospects. 6 of the 12 prospects listed here were from 2000-2009, where all but 1 (Carson Palmer) #1 overall QB had never won a Heisman or were a consensus All American. I wonder what happened to cause that shift, and then what happened to shift it back?

At the world’s top college of magic and technology, every day brings a new discovery -and a new disaster. The advanced experiments of the college students tend to be both ambitious and apocalyptic, with the end of the world only prevented by a mysterious time loop, and a small handful of students who retain their memories.
Surviving the loops was hard enough, but now, in his senior year, Vell Harlan must take charge of them, and deal with the fact that the whole world now knows his secrets. Everyone knows about Vell’s death and resurrection, along with the divine game he is a part of. Now Vell must contend with overly curious scientists and evil billionaires hungry for divine power while the daily doomsday cycle bombards him with terrorists, talking elephants, and the Grim Reaper himself -but if he can endure it all, the Last Goddess’s game promises the ultimate prize: power over life itself.
[Previous Chapter][Patreon][Cover Art]
“Alright, it’s been twenty-seven minutes,” Kim said. “We need to check in on Vell.”
“Why is the limit for that twenty-seven minutes?”
“Because that’s how long it takes him to make his favorite french fries,” Kim explained. Alex glared at her.
“And why is that relevant?”
“It’s a long story,” Kim said. “Now shut up and let me call.”
Kim didn’t actually need to do anything to call Vell, since the phone mechanism was entirely in her head, but she put a hand on the side of her head anyway. Vell answered, which was a good sign in and of itself, but they weren’t out of the woods yet.
“Hey Kim,” Vell said. “I’m alive.”
“I assumed,” Kim said. “Is everything going alright?”
“Just fine, yeah,” Vell said. “I’m here with Raine, he’s great, he knows everything about frogs. Literally everything. All of the things.”
A fact that Raine continually demonstrated, whether he was asked to or not. Even while Vell was talking on the phone, Raine was still listing various frog factoids.
“So are things good? Bad? Do you need help?”
“I wouldn’t say things are good,” Vell said, as he listened to Raine list off the average dietary intake of an Appenine yellow-bellied toad. “But I think they’re under control. I’ll just stick things out solo for a while. No point wasting even more people’s time on this.”
“Sounds about right,” Kim said. “Give me a call if you decide you’re done throwing yourself on the sword, Vell.”
“You and I both know I’ll never be done,” Vell said. “Just let me handle this. I am, no offense, way better at putting up with this kind of stuff than any of you guys.”
“Vell, that ‘no offense’ should be aimed at you,” Kim said. “You’re the doormat here.”
“Gee, thanks,” Vell said. “Look, I can handle it. No sense wasting everyone else’s day.”
“Ugh, cut it out you self-sacrificial bitch. Look, I’ll come tag you out later in the day, alright? We can take turns.”
“If you say so,” Vell said. “But really, I got this.”
He hung up before Kim could argue any further. Raine had been waiting patiently for the duration of the call, and seemed to be fixated on Vell’s phone. Vell had entirely forgotten he was dealing with a ghost, one that had very likely never seen a modern cell phone. He held the phone in Raine’s direction, hoping with all his heart that it could serve as a conversation topic other than frogs.
“You seen a cell phone before, Raine?”
“Yes, I have, as a matter of fact,” Raine said. “Though last time I saw one they still folded in half.”
Raine poked at the phone with an immaterial finger, attempting to mimic the way Vell had used the touch screen. As expected, his finger passed right through.
“Sorry. Let me handle it,” Vell said. “Here, phones nowadays can do all kinds of things. There’s apps, games, you can browse the web.”
“You can access the internet through your phone?”
“Yeah, I can-”
Vell stopped in his tracks. Raine’s already wide eyes were getting wider.
“Yes, it can look up pictures of frogs,” Vell sighed, as he began to do so.
***
Kim pulled another book off the shelves and examined it. Even with a functionally perfect memory, she still found it difficult to keep track of what books Vell wanted to read. He was so damn good at rune bullshit that all his academic texts were titled things like “Applied Kinetic Physics on Automated Sigil Structuring: The Horatian Perspective”. Kim knew a fair bit about runes, but she was still working off basic texts like Runecrafting 301.
“I don’t know how Vell does this shit,” Kim said. “Being nice is hard.”
To make up for his having to babysit the frog ghost, and all the other trials and tribulations of his life, Kim had opted to do something nice for Vell. Something to help with his studies was the first and most practical step. Up next, she wanted to get him some snacks. She popped on the phone in her head and got in touch with Skye.
“Kim, what’s up?”
“Hey Skye. You know what Vell’s favorite snacks are? I’m trying to get him a gift.”
“Is this a ‘gift’ gift or an apology gift?”
“Is there a diff-”
Kim stopped in her tracks, and made eyes appear on her face screen just to narrow them.
“Skye, why did you need to get an apology gift?”
“I got him pinched by a mutant crab,” Skye mumbled.
“Oh, so that’s where that cut on his arm came from,” Kim said. Vell had refused to elaborate on the incident last year. “Anyway, it’s just a gift gift. Trying to do something nice for the poor guy.”
“He likes those little fudge and cream cheese bites they sell in the campus commissary,” Skye said. Kim made a mental note and started heading for the commissary. “Is there a special occasion I should be aware of?”
“Nah, Vell’s just doing his usual routine of throwing himself on the sword for our sake,” Kim said. “Distracting a frog ghost for hours on end.”
“Is that why he hasn’t been answering my texts lately?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say the ghost pressured him into using his phone for frog pics,” Kim said, correctly. “He’ll be a little busy. Trying to help ghosts move on to the afterlife is usually a long process.”
“So what, he’s just going to be at it all night?”
“Don’t worry, if he’s not done soon, I’ll swap him out in a couple hours,” Kim said. “You’ll get your boyfriend back, don’t worry.”
Kim said her goodbyes and returned to her shopping, leaving Skye to put her phone down and get back to the people she’d been talking to before. Cane and Hanifa had been patiently waiting for the entire call.
“So it looks like me and my boyfriend showing up is entirely dependent on whether or not he can convince a frog ghost to move on to the afterlife,” Skye said.
“Mm, yeah, he was asking about that kind of thing earlier,” Cane said. “Is he not done yet?”
“Apparently not,” Skye said. “And Kim thinks it might still be a while.”
“One of these days I’ll get to talk to Vell for more than a minute,” Hanifa said. She’d been dating Cane for nearly two years now and had barely spoken to one of his best friends.
“You can talk to him soon,” Cane said. “Come on. I’ll get Luke and the rest of the guys, Skye, you call Kim back and find out where Vell is.”
“Wait, are we getting involved?” Hanifa asked. “I thought Vell was the expert in saving the day.”
“He is,” Cane said. “But now and then somebody needs to save Vell.”
***
“Okay, you have now seen a picture of every species of frog in existence,” Vell said. He swapped his phone between hands to spare his aching thumb and displayed the last photo of a frog to Raine. “You feel ready to move on? Claim your eternal reward? Et cetera?”
“Just seeing them? Are you kidding,” Raine scoffed. Vell restrained a groan of frustration. “There’s so much more to study, so much to understand, not to mention those were only photos of the known species. Who knows how many undiscovered frog species are out there?”
“Okay, okay, okay,” Vell said. “That’s something, I could work with that. What if...I found a new species of frog, and named it after you? Would that satisfy you?”
Raine contemplated the prospect for a moment.
“Only one frog?”
“God,” Vell snapped. Even his patience was wearing thin. “What will it take to get you to stop?”
“Sometimes I could ask you the same question.”
Vell turned around just in time to catch the beer Cane shoved into his hands. He also got a pat on the back and a firm but gentle shove away from Raine as Cane stepped up to the ghost.
“So you’re the frog ghost I’ve heard some much about.”
“Hi, I’m Raine.”
“Oh, Raine, I’m Cane,” he said, with a friendly smile. “Our names rhyme. How about that?”
“Oh, they do,” Raine said. “Just like Callobatrachus and Ascaphus Montanus.”
Cane’s friendly smile froze in place.
“Really is all about frogs with you, huh?”
“What else is there?”
“A lot more,” Cane said. “As our friends will be happy to tell you.”
He gestured to the door, which Luke was busy walking through, followed shortly thereafter by Hanifa, Skye, Freddy, Samson, Kim, and many of Vell’s other friends. They brought chairs, food, drinks, and everything else one could need to sit and relax for a long time. Vell was briefly confused, and then delighted when Kim shoved a bag of fudge bites into his hands alongside the beer.
“Hi, great to see you guys, why is, uh, everyone here?”
As Luke stepped up to Raine and tried to display some physics trivia that immediately got derailed by questions about frog jumps, Cane walked up and put an arm around his friend’s shoulder.
“You want to help the frog guy, I want to hang out with my friends,” Cane said. “This way we just do both at once.”
“Makes sense. I guess,” Vell said. He popped open the beer and took a much needed-swig, enjoying the cold drink almost as much as the respite from frog trivia. “You sure you’re up for this?”
“Well, a basement is not the ideal hangout spot,” Cane said. The floor was uncomfortably damp. “But it’s all my best friends and one guy with endless frog facts. How bad can it be?”
***
The light in Cane’s eyes had completely gone out by the time he wandered back to Hanifa. She made room for him in the chair and beckoned him to sit, and he all but collapsed onto her shoulder.
“There’s too many frogs,” Cane whimpered.
“I know baby, I know,” Hanifa said. “You’re safe now, don’t think about them.”
The lively atmosphere of the group had been gradually sapped away by Raine’s endless fixation on frogs. They had taken it in shifts to deal with his obsession, as any one person could only endure it so long.
“Did you find out anything useful?”
After hours of swapping in an out, the gathered friends were seemingly no closer to their goal of finding out what tethered Raine to this mortal coil.
“No, I didn’t,” Cane snapped. “It’s just frogs. All frogs. If I had to guess, I’d say his grand purpose is frogs, and the problem with that is, as I have recently learned, there are always more frogs!”
“I think we might need to cut our losses on this one, Vell,” Kim said. “Raine doesn’t exactly seem like he’s tormented by his ties to our mortal coil.”
“You’ve got a point,” Vell admitted. As long as there were frogs, Raine would be happy. “We have to stick it out a little while longer, at least.”
“Why?”
Kim, Vell, and the other loopers knew they had to be on hand all day, to avoid any risk of Raine repeating the frog-summoning incident, but their guests were not privy to such knowledge.
“Uh, well, you see-”
The sound of a door being slammed open provided a welcome interruption to a sentence Vell wasn’t sure how to finish. His relief turned right back into apprehension when Alex stepped through the open door.
“Oh, hey Alex,” Vell mumbled. “Good to see you. Sorry for not inviting y-”
Kim elbowed him to shut Vell up. They had quite deliberately not invited Alex or Helena to the gathering.
“No need for apologies, I’m not interested in your parties,” Alex said. She looked to the side, at a bit of water dripping down a wall. “Especially not in a moldy basement. I just need to consult with Freddy on a project and I’ll be on my way.”
“Oh, well, he’s right over there, go ahead,” Vell said.
“Actually,” Cane interjected. He stood up, put an arm around Alex’s shoulder, and started walking her in a very non-Freddy direction. “Since you’re here, why don’t you pull your weight and talk to our new buddy Raine for a bit?”
“The amphibian obsessed undead? I thought you all were here to handle that.”
“Look, just talk to the guy for twenty minutes or something, give us a break,” Cane said. “We’ve all been doing this for hours.”
“On a purely voluntary basis. Don’t drag me into this.”
“Too late, I have literally already dragged you into it,” Cane said. He gave Alex one final shove to push her within talking distance of Raine. His wide eyes locked on her as Cane snatched his previous conversation partner away and left Alex and Raine alone in the designated frog-conversation corner.
“Hi. I’m Raine.”
“I’ve heard,” Alex grunted. “You like frogs.”
“Yes! I especially like the kind that-”
“Shut up,” Alex said. “If I turn you into a frog, will you leave me alone?”
“You can do that?”
“I’m a mage, of course I can-”
“Do it!”
Raine tried to lunge forward and grab Alex by the shoulders, but his immaterial hands passed right through her. He kept shouting at her anyway.
“Do it do it do it do it,” Raine screamed. “I want to be a frog!”
Alex rolled her eyes, snapped her fingers, and called upon the ambient mana in the basement, to put a little extra power into her spell.
While turning someone into a frog was fairly standard magic, Alex didn’t like frogs, so she rarely cast it. The spell also, importantly, was designed to transform flesh and blood humans, not ghosts, so some modifications would be necessary. She made the needed changes, and then cast the transformation spell on Raine.
The makeshift spell created a loud buzz like a generator being turned on, and all eyes in the room turned to the source of the noise. They got to watch as Raine’s ghostly form was swallowed up by blinding light, entirely consumed in a tide of magic that washed over him and through him. When the tide of light finally settled, Raine’s ghostly form was gone, replaced by a three inch long spectral frog.
“Oh, a European common frog,” Vell said. He’d learned enough about frogs in the past few hours to identify it on sight.
The frog Raine had become started ribbiting fervently, and hopped around the room on ghostly legs. Alex stepped back to avoid any contact with the ghost frog, despite knowing that it could not actually touch her. After exactly thirteen seconds of manic hopping and ribbiting, Frog Raine started to float in the air.
“Alex, is he supposed to be floating?”
“I’m not sure,” Alex admitted. “No one’s ever successfully transmogrified a ghost before.”
“Wait,” Vell said. “What happens when you unsuccessfully transmogrify a ghost?”
“Oh, their soul is obliterated,” Alex said.
“And you did it anyway?”
“He asked,” Alex said. Her disdain for frogs extended to those who studied them, so she had little concern for Raine’s existence.
A brilliant ray of light exploded from Raine’s ghostly body, followed by another, and another, as if he was hiding a sun somewhere inside him that was starting to break free. A final crack formed in the ghostly shell, and blinding light forced them all to look away. When the light finally faded, nothing was left of Raine but a few sparks of shimmering light. Cane took a worried step closer to the few sparkles.
“So, is that, you know, the soul obliteration, or…”
“No, we’re good, that’s the good outcome,” Vell said. He’d seen a few ghosts ascend in his time. “It appears Raine’s big regret in life is that he wasn’t a frog.”
“Hmm, yeah, that tracks,” Cane said. “We should’ve tried that hours ago.”
“With maybe a few precautions taken,” Vell said, glaring at Alex. “To avoid soul obliteration.”
“He was already dead,” Alex said.
“He was only mostly dead,” Cane protested. Alex shrugged and headed for Freddy to ask for his input on mana oscillation while Cane stuck a hand through the sparkles. “See you on the other side, Raine. Hope they have frogs in heaven.”
“At least one, now,” Hanifa added. “Can we leave this basement now?”
“Yeah let’s get the fuck out of here,” Cane said. “And let’s also never talk about frogs again.”
“Good idea on both counts.”
Cane led the charge back into the light, and the makeshift party followed, though it just as quickly dissolved once everyone got back to the surface. Several hours trapped in a basement listening to frog trivia had a way of sucking the camaraderie out of people. Vell said goodbye to his friends as they went their separate ways, until it was just him and Cane.
“Thanks again for showing up, Cane,” Vell said.
“Don’t thank me too much. Full disclosure: if there weren’t like twenty other people to split frog duty with, I probably would’ve bailed,” Cane said. “Also, I would’ve looked like a real asshole in front of Hanifa.”
“Oh. Well, uh, thanks for sticking it out,” Vell said.
“No problem. Somebody’s got to watch your back while you’re watching everyone else’s,” Cane said.
“Uh, sure.”
“I’m serious, Vell. I love you, but you got to start putting yourself first sometimes,” Cane said. “You’re about to graduate, then go run a company, and you just about wasted your whole day listening to some dude explain the differences between frogs and toads.”
“One spends more time in the wa-”
“Stop! Never again,” Cane commanded. He’d had enough frog facts for ten lifetimes. “Vell, you’ve spent the past three years helping everyone with everything. Try to help yourself with something now and then.”
“I- I guess,” Vell said. “I’ll try.”
“Motherfucker I have watched Star Wars with you, you know the saying,” Cane said. “There is no try. Go do something to help Vell, Vell.”
“Huh. I guess there was something with Professor Nguyen-”
“I don’t give a shit! This ain’t about me,” Cane said. “It’s about you, and only you! Go do your thing.”
“Okay, I will,” Vell said. “Thanks, I-”
“Again, not about me,” Cane said. “Just go!”
Vell was inspired and confused in equal measure, and headed out for Professor Nguyen’s office. The interview ended up being profoundly boring and not particularly useful, but it was better than sitting in a basement talking about frogs. Slightly.

Hi guy's I've been on and off this form for quite some time, currently doing undergrad research at my community college examining the diversity of bee populations within this specific private preserve in my city. I've noticed that environmental science by itself is tough, but it seemed from other posts and comments I've gotten from the past by more experienced scientists here that its better to specialize alongside your degree. I'm thinking of going for environmental engineering but it seems so lame working on CAD, I would like to use GIS on a hike and catalog data but im really aiming to specialize in a specific field that I think would be needed in the future like Hydrology, Soil Science, PFAS and etc. I'm currently staying on my environmental science route since my transfer college has a decent environmental science degree that covers policy and tech and I live in California which makes amount if jobs I can get into easy. I guess I just wanted to rant and ask any younger or older scientists here what their concerned about as of lately.

• Alex

The results are in for Match 21. The winner is…
Mahimit was dragged across the battlefield by ｢Young Lives｣, the Stand filling him with a vigor to fight, to please his father who was watching from above—and that vigor filled him with each slash of its claws, keeping the son awake as he was marched down towards the trailer.
The two Stand Users had made their way down there last—secluded within a small container, cornered. The Stand’s puppet had been worn down for certain, but this was the time to finally finish things. As they approached, they saw through the window the older woman pull out her phone, and immediately Mahimit’s arm was raised to aim his gun right for it. As they made him pull the trigger, he couldn’t fire before she had spoken to her allies on the other end:
“Yeah, we figured out who the perp is, it’s Thomas Kent. Singh didn’t even show up, sent a lackey instead. He should be…”
The rest of her sentence faded out as Mahimit stalled…stopped.
The Stand roared in panicked fury as its user lowered his gun, unable to control them with the ease it once had. Mahi barely noticed—neither did they react to Windy’s warm, draining embrace of as ｢Young Lives｣ attempted to claw her off of him. As his eyes began to close, the longcoat of his Stand’s prior form disappeared and revealed the real one beneath, he managed one thought before falling into a deep sleep.
Of course he didn’t. Why did I think otherwise…

Sonika Singha and Windy, with a score of 72 to Mahimit “Hira” Rākin’s 56!

Category	Winner	Point Totals	Comments
Popularity	Sonika Singha and Windy	27 (14+2) - 3 (0+2)	A shutout victory for the players!
Quality	Mahimit “Hira” Rākin	17 (6 5 6) - 20 (7 7 6)	Reasoning
JoJolity	Mahimit “Hira” Rākin	18 (6 6 6) - 23 (8 7 8)	Reasoning
Conduct	Tie	10-10	Nothing to report!

The results are in for Match 22. The winner is…
Club Naraka, the site of a hellish pile of bodies and accidents, was practically on fire that night. Thankfully, Sulka, along with a group of armed guards, had brought a fire extinguisher with them. They stormed the ground floor, taking a moment to spread themselves out. “Alright, we’ve-” A hail of gunfire cut the man off. “—THEY’RE HERE!”
A few of the nameless guards rushed in towards Sulka, to catch any strays that might come his way. Sulka himself pulled the nozzle end up, and heard another single shot fire from another nearby pillar. “There’s an accomplice, circle—” Something crawled up his thumb, and bit into the extinguisher, just as a stray bullet drove a dent into the metal casing. “—AUGH!”
The fire extinguisher burst in his hands, filling the room with a heavy white smog. The hip-firing moved, and it came long, low, and in mobile spurts. “Fire back—” As if on cue, fire jettisoned into the cloud of smoke, “—SPREAD OUT, QUICK!” Through blurred vision, Sulka watched one of their own leave through the front door. “Not that far, damnit!”
With the guards spread out along the floor around him, some wearing gouts of fire, some drenched in the liquid refuse of their extinguisher, and others still riddled with bullets, Sulka turned to one of their dead men, and ripped a pistol from their side. They watched the last moving object head for the door, and pulled the trigger, twice. An employee badge caught the edge of his blurred vision.
The cool night air filled the ground floor, and fed the flames atop the burning men. Sulka’s arm fell to his side, letting the gun clatter against the floor.
A spiral of thoughts took him. First, he’d need to make a casualty report, followed by a loss statement. The sheer number of clients who may not come back after an incident like this would likely drive the place out of business. Between that, the viscera, the dead workers, the dead clients, and all the ammunition costs—let alone the licenses he’d have to put in for—his head shrieked at him. For once, he shrieked back.
It was a low, horrid thing, much like a growl or snarl, but loud enough to make itself known against the billowing call of night. A cool hand slicked his hair back, and the night air stopped pouring in through the shutting door. He turned to one of the guards, who’d taken to putting out another with a blanket. “Take everyone alive and go look for everyone else alive.” Sulka sauntered away. “I’ll be in my office.”

Reese McGuffin, with a score of 72 to Markov's 69!

Category	Winner	Point Totals	Comments
Popularity	Reese McGuffin	13 (3+2+2) - 17 (5+2+2)	An even voting period right up until the very end!
Quality	Markov	23 (7 8 8) - 22 (7 8 7)	Reasoning
JoJolity	Tie	23 (8 8 7) - 23 (7 8 8)	Reasoning
Conduct	Tie	10-10	Nothing to report!

Somewhere in the night, a Club Naraka coat and hat, usually only worn by guards, lay in a trash can. A woman, caked in blood and all manner of horrors, pressed herself against the wall beside it, and fished through her pocket for a coin. She’d found it there, in the elevator, on her way to her shift. Moonlight danced across its surface, letting the coin shimmer madly in the low light. ”Hah… you… y-you saved me…” Emile was shuddering, clutching the golden coin tight, for fear of dropping it. “I-I don’t know why, but… w-whatever you want of me, I’ll gladly give it in return… p-please, tell me…who…who are you?”
“…aha!” the voice chuckled. “How…terrible of me! In all the commotion, our…introductions com-pletely slipped my…mind.”
The air in front of Emile began to shift and shimmer. As she pulled her gaze away from the coin, she saw something phase into existence—a feminine form, long purple wires for hair, and a peering red eye gazing back at her beneath them.
It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
“My name is Markov. And your ad-mir-a-tion is payment…enough.”
Emile stared, gazing in wonderment at the hovering figure. Whether from exhaustion or reverence, she dropped to her knees, tears beginning to streak down her face. She thought of the ordeals she’d just faced. The people she’d passed. The people she’d fled. The people she’d killed. There was something else, though—the figure’s eyes seemed to- “That…hole in your shoulder.” Emile’s own head turned to match the figure’s gaze. “Do not fret. I can…teach you how to…take care of that.”
From the roof above the pair’s heads, one couldn’t hear the quiet murmurs and shivers of a woman ripping apart her own viscera-caked clothes to seal her wounds. Other things were certainly on the mind of its occupant, one Reese McGuffin.
Before him were two rats. Before them was a whole litany of ghostly creatures. His hand pointed towards the rat to his right, “Alright everyone, this is Splinter—” before it moved to point at the rat on his left, “—and this is Remy!”
Remy waddled up to a Utahraptor first, and started sniffing at it. “Oh, lemme introduce you to pieces, Remy!” Reese put a hand between the ghost animals, and casually shuffled it back and forth as he spoke. “Remy, Pieces! Pieces, Remy!” He turned on his heel to see Splinter eyeing up Finn, the shark. “Hey! He’s a friend, not food!”
A comforting quiet filled the night air as the ghostly animals circled one another, introducing themselves in their own little ways. The only thing left on Reese’s mind was a single odd question, one that had been eating at him since he left. “Where did I put that coral?”
Slowly, Mahimit awoke to the morning sun’s light. They could have sworn that they had a nightmare that night, but they felt refreshed as if waking from a peaceful slumber…
That wasn’t a nightmare, was it? He thought he could manage it all but in the end he just…broke as soon as he saw Ajay lying there with a bullet through his shoulder—wait, is he okay? Was he brought to safety? Did the Suite now think he was involved?
“Hey, don’t worry—you're safe here.”
Mahimit blinked, finally taking note of their surroundings. They were lying in a plain white bed, first aid boxes and equipment scattered about—the architect remembered the claws raking at their back throughout the night. Their torso had been bandaged up thoroughly: their long coat was laid out across a table, while their shirt was currently in Windy’s hands, who must have paused in stitching back up one of the tears when she noticed them awake.
“W-where am I?” Mahi asked. “Is Ajay safe? Where is he?”
“Jon got him to a hospital as soon as he could,” a voice called out from the door. Mahi looked over to see who looked like a detective walking in, followed by the two he recognised having gone after Zafar back then—no, not Zafar. “Had to be more careful with you given how well known you are, Mahimit—or do you prefer Hira?”
The architect sighed with some relief at that, not finding any deceit in the answer. “Either’s fine…not sure which one’s more ‘me’ anyways.” He looked around at the group settling into the room. “…Where’s the other person who was with you? Is she okay?”
A silence filled the room as the four recalled what Windy recounted once they regrouped—Sonika had lost hope, and ended up attempting to kill an unconscious Mahimit before she was stopped by Windy which caused the PI to run off.
Steric didn’t look it, but he was probably one of the most affected within PINDROP. While diving into his work wasn’t the healthiest coping mechanism, he had been increasingly concerned for Sonika’s health and disposition—so to hear that she not only ran off, but wanted to dispand PINDROP was crushing. “She…she ended up leaving.” He refocused onto Mahimit. “You said you’re unsure about yourself—would you be willing to answer why?”
Hira chuckled. “I guess I do owe you some answers. Well, I first went out as ‘Hira’ right around when I manifested my Stand—but then I ended up going out as them more often. Started to look into stuff about myself without the pressure of being the perfect son on my back…haven’t felt I’ve had the chance to really do so since I came back to Rakin.”
“Because of Zafar?” Inago asked, taking a nearby seat. “You don’t have to answer more than you’re comfortable with, but…you only went berserk after you thought he had just shot your friend.”
“Yup,” Windy nodded, setting aside the shirt and needle. “And I couldn’t help but notice ya stopped letting that Stand control ya once Sonika said out loud that it wasn’t your pa.”
Mahi winced. “…Yeah, I thought it was Zafar. He was a great parent and I never wanted to let him down, but things got so out of hand that when that last piece dropped I just…shattered, I guess. Though even if he was told it probably wouldn’t matter…”
“And why’s that?” Steric asked, jotting down some notes.
“He’s stubborn, sticks to how he thinks things are. If anything challenges his view on a friend or ally of his, he’ll just ignore it and carry on. He’s going to learn that I was Tamas and he’ll shrug it off and forget about it, as usual. Probably the sole reason he’s still in the Metro is because he truly believes that they’re doing what’s best for the city—something I found quickly wasn’t the case.”
Drippy stepped forward. “About that: why were you in there in the first place, and for how long? And what do you know about the Middleman?”
“…I can’t tell you anything about them.” Hira spoke, eyes glancing away from her.
“W-why!?” Drippy almost yelled out. “What reason do you all possibly have to not want them stopped?!”
“Well, you plan on killing them once you know, aren’t you?”
“Yes! Perhaps if you actually told us then maybe we could see why we shouldn’t put down this person taking utmost glee in murder. I don’t get why you and Rasna are willing to protect this guy.”
“…Trust me, if I could have stopped them I would have years ago. But if Rasna’s refused to tell you, you should be able to figure out why, right?”
“…they’ve suffered a lot, haven’t they?” Inago asked somberly. “That must be why they’re how they are today.”
“Oh, so they can get off free after everything they did?” Drippy retorted.
Steric put his hands between the two lest things escalated. “We can discuss this later—at the very least that is a lead.” He turned to the guest. “As for the other questions?”
Mahi nodded. “It was a month or two after I began working towards getting into the City Planning Board. Things weren’t looking as good as I hoped, when my father decided to bring me down to see these friends of his. I was offered a deal: they would pull some strings to help get me onto the board as long as I was willing to put forward some things they wanted…even then I figured something was off, but if it meant I could help this city I thought it was worth it. Oh how wrong I was…”
Steric sighed, finishing up with his notepad before putting away his pen. “I think that will be all then…thank you for your time. We’ll leave you to rest now.”
Inago followed the PINDROP members out, looking over his shoulder one last time: “Before I forget, anything you want for breakfast?”
Mahi thought for a moment. “Pancakes?”
Windy hopped off her chair and walked closer to Hira. “You’re a kind soul deep down, aren’t ya? Even as violent as you were, ya never tried to kill anyone…”
“But I just tried to kill you! It wasn’t me but it was born from me…messed with my thoughts as well as my body. So glad my therapist is a Stand user, thank fu—dge.”
She chuckled at the self-censorship. “But you fought back in the end, didn’t ya? I think I understand the feeling of getting puppeted though, and I know Luna and Alex should be able to help with the memory stuff. If you ever want to talk about it, feel free—we’d be happy to.”
“Sure,” Mahi nodded, lying back down into the bed as they allowed themself to smile. “…Thank you.”
Scenario: Verve Residence, Sapatibhatt — 10:23AM
Clink.
The teacup rattled against the table, empty. Idly, Gioia Arancini glanced over the lid, curious to see the shape of her future reflected in the tea leaves. She didn’t believe in that stuff, but Fate had taken stranger forms. Besides, Evergreen had done a lot these past few weeks. She couldn’t help but wonder…
“You were right, Gioia!” Soichi piped up from beside her, sipping on his own cup, “this is really good!”
In front of them, Vasant Verve sheepishly wrung his hands, giving them both a little smile. “I’m glad I haven’t lost my touch, haha…! It really is the least I can do, while you’re here.”
They could not meet at Urban Hymns, as the estate had been closed since Gioia and Charvet fought the man a few weeks prior. Though she had expected the two of them would get arrested, Verve himself had told the authorities that he would not press charges. In return, Gioia had been checking in with him, making sure he was back on his feet, and that ｢Cage The Elephant｣ was well and truly gone.
“Mm,” Gioia nodded, “give Vasudha my thanks as well,”
“No problem, dear!” a woman shouted from another room. Verve had little desire to return to his cabin, so in the meantime he was staying in his younger sister’s house.
For a moment, there was silence. Verve was perfectly still, as if one wrong move would shatter this tenuous peace. Soichi was content to drink in the cozy atmosphere. Gioia was staring at the tea leaves. What shape did they form?

The peace on Mount Parapollah was just as tenuous. Muuru had returned to the mountain now that the sand worms slumbered and the shifting had stopped. There was once a being who was to the Mountain as Muuru was to the City. The being was gone, now, and the Suite was filling in the gaps with trucks and bulldozers. As Muuru watched, a woman with a flute sat down beside him and smiled. Whatever happened next, the Mountain and the City moved together.

Gioia was drawn back to reality as Soichi spoke. “So, what have you been doing during your time off?”
“Oh?” Verve blinked. “Not much, I suppose! Just some odd jobs, here and there, mostly in the South. Just trying to help the rebuilding efforts, you know? Fix what I broke.” He grimaced a moment, before deflecting back to Soichi.
“What about you? It’s usually just Gioia checking in, I haven’t seen you since, you know…”
“The whole New York thing?” Soichi chuckled. “I’ve been alright, yeah. As rough as it was, we ended up making friends with those Riders! Sometimes you need an unlikely situation to help you come together, you know?”
Evergreen had certainly faced unlikely situations before. Gioia mused on this as she looked at the leaves.

The flute was not the only instrument that echoed through Rakin. As Deacon Blues wandered through the Sapatibhatt, the song of his trumpet followed behind. The land, once torn apart, was being rebuilt. The scars from his battle with the weaponsmith were fading, but the man still taught him a valuable lesson. The hand that wields a weapon can also wield a tool. Maybe this was the nature of potential. Whatever it was, Deacon figured it was worth a song.

Gioia glanced up from the cup, giving Verve a smirk. “Tough times help you realize who your real friends are. You’ve realized that too, I’m sure. Thanks to our efforts, the Metropolis Suite is having a tough time of their own. I wonder how quickly they’ll turn on each other?”
“Xen was already convinced they were out to get him. He kept going on about this Stand, ｢Diamond Life｣. No matter what he did for the Suite, it never told him who its user was. It drove him crazy–I think he was trying to solve that one himself.”
“Did he succeed?”
“I don’t think so. It’s not like he could strike a deal with The Gossip, he didn’t have anything ｢She｣ wanted. I’m sure that drove him crazy too.” There was still a sorrow in his voice.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Soichi smiled quietly, patting the man on the arm. Gioia nodded in turn, before she continued.
“Have you had any contact with him?”
“Not really. His assistant texted me, apparently the folks at Hymnal are on indefinite paid leave, until I figure out what to do. I guess that’s on me.” Verve paused a moment, grimacing. “Apparently he might still be at the cottage? I don’t know—I’m not going to—I’m not ready to talk to him, yet.”
“You don’t ever have to talk to him again,” Gioia responded. “I’m sure he’s cowering in the dark now that we’ve exposed his true nature. The other members of Metropolis should realize they’re soon to follow.”
Indeed, the members of Evergreen might not have the same methods…but they were united in this cause. Would this define their future? Gioia glanced over at the tea leaves.

The immortal had lived through countless riots, but the Bedtown Takeover was one of his favorites. He had returned to the area, replaying his grand speech, looking at the bloodstains that marked this territory. Sure, now that Aco’s child had appeared, VULTURE was considering new leadership. But that didn’t matter to Ouroboros, content to remain the (Self-Appointed) Secret Lord of Bedtown. Behind him, Honeydew was simply content to dismantle car batteries.

Gioia glanced back at Verve to see his brow furrowed.
“I can’t believe I ever got involved with those bastards,” he scowled. “Deep down, I knew they were trouble—I talked to Xen about Sing Now!, he just said…sometimes the only way to reach a common goal is to work with people you don’t agree with. He almost made it make sense.”
“He was a smooth-talking control freak. I’m sure you’ve realized how empty those words were.”
Verve rested his chin in his hand, staring into his own empty cup. In the end, all he saw were scattered leaves. No one was guiding him now. No one but himself. “…That’s not all he was. I think he really believed it, you know? That he was doing good. I wanted to believe it too, more than anything. But I think he was just trying to justify it to himself. Even when he had his doubts.”
Gioia curled her fingers around the teacup. “What about you, Verve? What do you think ‘good’ is?”
At this, the man laughed bittersweetly. “You think I can answer that? I thought Xen had the answer, and look where that got us. If you think you’re the only guy who can change the world, you’ll just make it worse.”
He looked up at Soichi. “We saw what his world looks like,” then to Gioia, “he would have trapped us both inside, if not for you.”
It seemed the Suite had a lot of cities within cities, living symbols of their control. Gioia took one last look at the symbol in her cup.

Disco D Lune had been keeping up with her contacts at the military base, catching up with the most recent happenings. Apparently, there had been a falling-out between the general and his child: an opportunity to sew doubt and dissent amongst the ranks. Disco had already designed new buildings to replace this one, and they were beautiful.

“You’re a free man, Verve,” Gioia concluded, staring him down. “So what will you do with that freedom?”
Verve looked between the two, but found no answers. Now, his choices were his own. In the end, the answer was simple.
“…I want to make things right. The Suite they… they ruined my home, they ruined him, they ruined me. I’m tired of seeing kids get pulled into this. Rasna, Ichi, and now poor Mahamit…” Behind him, warm air sang with the soft trumpet of ｢Bitter Sweet Symphony｣. “It needs to end. Those kids, my nieces, all of them, all of us. We all need a city that we can call home.”
Gioia smiled, closing her eyes contentedly as she felt the heat roll over her. Beside her, she could feel Soichi resting a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t even need to see his smile to feel its warmth. She didn’t need to see the leaves to know the shape of her future. She had known many homes, many stories, many tragedies and triumphs. But right now, home was a tree, Evergreen. Seasons changed, and yet its leaves would always flourish.
Soichi glanced at the cup in her stead. To him, the leaves just seemed like a weird square. But soon that shape was washed away, as he poured them all another cup of warm and fragrant tea.
“Well said! This calls for a toast. To new friends!”
Clink!

Scenario: Hymnal Bazaar, Reshmerasta — 8:58 PM
The market was closed for the evening. This curfew was in place ever since the Middleman attacked. The Bazaar was already struggling—if people were too scared to walk around at night, then why bother staying open? Even when the Bazaar was open, the stall for Urban Hymns stood empty. But for a broom, only a lone figure stood there. Verve used to sweep while his employees handled everything else.
His boyfriend once asked him why he did that.
’It makes me feel like I’m doing something–” he had laughed, “I’m leaving this place better than I found it!’
Verve had a lovely laugh, the figure recalled, staring at the broom.
Slowly, he knelt down to pick it up.
Then, Xenagoras took a deep breath,
and swept the streets that he used to own.

Scenario: ???, ??? — 9:07 PM
“It’s simple, gentlemen…”
The sound of chatter and slow music. The smell of pristine tobacco and the clinking of glasses. This outlined the leadership of the Metropolis Suite, holed up in a skyscraper that overlooked the whole of Rakin. To their right, a window—one that replaced the whole wall, showing the nighttime lights. It almost looked like an alien world, the way the dark purples and reds of the late sunset stretched across the blinking gleams of windows and signs. A single man spoke, an esteemed guest trying his best to rise in their ranks: Luiviton.
“With a little bit of push, we could completely criminalize a number of traffic violations. Of course, they’re already illegal—but I’m talking perfect driving. Instead of community service, we give fines that cut chunks out of bank accounts. Instead of towing cars, we give jail time. I have contacts in the private prison industry who would be willing to pay us good money to multiply the conviction rates~! All it takes is a little bit of sacrifice from Rakin’s people.”
The table was silent. A voice piped up- that of Sing Now!, media conglomerate CEO and one of the Suite’s primary figures of authority. “That’s an awful idea, Luiviton.”
He blanched. “E-Excuse me?” He asked, flabbergasted. “We could stand to gain-”
Sing Now! interrupted him swiftly and curtly. “It doesn’t matter how much we ‘stand to gain’ from selling our city’s soul to prison moguls. You’re a good friend, but everytime you come up here with a suggestion it’s always some kind of short-sighted scheme to make money. That’s not what this thing of ours is about.”
That earned a couple of nods and a “Damn straight.” from Zafar at his left.
He continued. “If we overcriminalize poor driving, what we’re doing is sacrificing Rakin’s workforce in exchange for…nothing. We would completely freeze important institution who are suddenly bleeding key figures and employees who’ve made simple mistakes. We’re not parasites or petty tyrants. We’re leaders. We do these backdoor deals not to increase our wealth, but our resources which we must use for everyone’s benefit. We must direct the people, not root through their pockets.”
Conversation erupted, primarily economic in nature. Some offered to take care of the market in Xenagoras’s stead. Others offered grants to the arts. Others pointed to the need for construction and repairs. Some tried to give statistics on rising rates of crime and discontent within Rakin’s citizens.
One key figure of the Suite, however, was absent. She stood a few meters away, staring out the window at the city below. Her stance was relaxed, yet firm. As if she was on guard against some invisible threat. She held a small glass of scotch in one hand, occasionally sipping from it. She seemed tired. Very, very tired. This was Zhengqi Dianyou, the CEO of the Rakin Rail Corporation. Occasionally, she’d let out a yawn.
Sitting on a loveseat nearby was Ichi Ni San Go—the charge of Sing Now! who was currently too distracted to really remember she existed. Without a babysitter, she was content to simply exist next to Zhengqi, looking out the window with her at the beauty of the city and occasionally asking simple, childish questions.
They were approached by a figure, glowing in the light. Someone followed close behind.
｢Diamond Life｣, the Stand of the every-mysterious head of the Metropolis Suite. Said user hung close behind. Zhengqi always found her boss’s habit of speaking through their Stand peculiar; she understood it as a security tactic, but it often came up even in casual scenarios. “Enjoying the event, you two?” It asked. Its tone was genuine—the Stand could be a tool of intimidation whenever its user willed it so, and this wasn’t that.
Zhengqi just grunted, turning around and finishing off the scotch. She set the glass down on a nearby table, looking at ｢Diamond Life｣. “I’ve never understood how it’s so easy for you to talk through that thing—”
｢Diamond Life｣ shot forward with incredible speed, shushing the name with a single finger gently placed on her lips. “Careful, Ms. Dianyou. The end of the table. Do you see him?”
Her eyes crept towards the table, landing on a man nodding idly to the talk. Iron Butterfly was a member of the Suite who often remained in the background; to her understanding, he helped keep the Suite in control over a good deal of the crop farming in the more rural parts of Rakin. She looked back at the Stand, and it elaborated: “He’s wearing a wire. Loose lips aren’t ideal tonight.”
Zhengqi just sighed, running her hand through her hair as her other put ｢Diamond Life｣’s hand back down. “I’ll take care of him after the meeting.” She offered. ｢Diamond Life｣ chuckled, willingly pulling their hand back.
“I’d appreciate it- I had originally planned on handling the issue myself. You’re always putting your best foot forward with us—it’s something I value.”
She gave a weak smile. “It’s nothing, really. Just me giving back for everything the Suite’s done for me.”
Ichi piped up, eagerly watching the conversation. “I think Ms. Dianyou works too much…she’s always so tired and never has any time to play games or watch cartoons or do anything!”
Zhengqi did her best to put on a friendly smile. “Ichi…when you get older, sometimes you just don’t have the time for-”
｢Diamond Life｣ interrupted her. “She’s right, you know. You overwork yourself. I was being polite about it before, talking about your best foot forward- but I do worry.”
She looked at ｢Diamond Life｣ sternly. “We don’t exactly have the time to rest. I’m certain you’ve seen the news. People are starting to figure out we exist. People are hiring private detectives and holding protests. Things are starting to unravel. We need to act before things break so hard they can’t be put back together.”
｢Diamond Life｣ stood up straight, looking her in the eyes. “Trust me. I have plans, and they involve you. Both of you.”
Ichi immediately raised a little in her seat, glowing a little. “Me~? Really~?”
A friendly chuckle escaped from ｢Diamond Life｣’s nonexistent lips. “Yes, you.” A dour look plastered across its face as it looked back at Zhengqi. “I’m going to need you to handle…key targets. I want certain people out of the way and key infrastructure mapped and maintained for your “ability”—it’ll be valuable to us should the ire of the populace come to a head. Past that, rest. Allow your subordinates at Zuantou Rail to handle things. Take a long holiday. We don’t need an exhausted zombie, we need you.”
Zhengqi could only reply with silence. She knew better than to argue with ｢Diamond Life｣, but to stop working? It felt alien to her. She was tempted to clutch at her sternum from the thought.
“As for you, Ichi…” The Stand continued. “I want you to gather info for me on some of the Stand users around the city.”
Ichi innocently kicked her feet. “How am I ‘sposed to do that? I dunno any cool spy stuff, and Daddy said-”
“I’ll handle your father, don’t worry.” ｢Diamond Life｣ said, walking forward and cupping Ichi’s cheek in their clawed hand. “I just want you to make friends, okay? Go out. Explore. Meet people, as many as you can. Participate in their lives and conflicts. Tell me everything you see and hear, okay?”
Ichi just nodded, smiling widely.
“Perfect,” replied the Stand. They drew their arm back, clasping their hands together. “But enough about work. Have you two tried the finger food that’s been provided? It’s truly divine.”
Scenario: Mili's Diner, Mist City — 7:37PM
The bell above the entrance rang late into the dusk, announcing the arrival of a certain happy customer. He hummed cheerily to himself, taking a seat behind the counter and giving her regards to the woman behind the counter. His order was the same as it was every time he came here, and yet he always flipped through the menu anyway. He was a cheerful, easygoing man, despite everything.
His name was Steric Lou Farin, recently self-appointed head of PINDROP. He hadn’t been planning on it, but with the sudden departure of Sonika, the team needed someone to step up fast. He was the most experienced in the field of investigation and had the sort of charisma the role required. He didn’t mind taking the lead, either. If anything, it made his work a little easier.
Speaking of work, that was the reason for this visit—good as the food was. He glanced over to the other two customers, talking quietly amongst themselves, and smiled. Both were of particular interest.
The first was one Brighid Rhodes. He’d sparred with her a few months back, and an exchange of business cards had proved extremely wise when he needed assistance in dealing with one Texas Aco. She was the one to finally calm her down in the end—albeit forcefully, but all’s well that ends well.
Speaking of which, Texas Aco sat at the counter now, talking in hushed mumbles to Brighid. The notable thing there being that she was talking now. She had been silent in the immediate aftermath of her rampage, but after spending some time at Brighid’s, Steric had gotten the call today that she’d been ready to speak.
“I hope you all had a safe drive here,” he chuckled to himself. “It’s awfully rainy out, isn’t it?”
“Nothing too bad.” Brighid exhaled, and Texas nodded with her, sipping on a chocolate milkshake. Her misshapen insect arm was hidden under a worn old coat draped over her shoulder. Brighid gave the detective a particular glance, and Steric took that as a sign to get to questioning.
“So, Texas…” He cleared his throat, making sure he had the girl’s attention. “I’m sorry for calling you out so soon. You ever want to stop talking about all this, let me know. I don’t want to do you any harm.”
“Mmm.” Texas nodded again.
“Now, I understand you’ve had, er, a difficult last few months.” That was no understatement: she’d been directly responsible for an attempted VULTURE mutiny. It failed, and drove her off into hiding god-knows-where. “In particular, I’d like to ask you about your relationship to VULTURE. It’s a piece of the puzzle here I haven’t entirely been able to ascertai-”
“I’m taking over VULTURE.” Texas deadpanned. Brighid sighed.
“I told you that isn’t the best idea.” The lawyer attempted to flick her on the forehead. “That’s too dangerous. No way you can get it done on your own.”
“No, I mean, like-” Texas grumbled. “She literally told me I could have it. The old boss.”
Brighid blinked a few times. She hadn’t heard about that. Steric nodded.
“Ms. Kaliya told me she’d been in contact with you. She said you’d been pretty against taking the leadership role, though.” Steric raised an eyebrow. “What changed?”
“…It sucks here, man.” Texas smirked. “Even with all the bullshit charities, shit’s gone bad after Rasna left. I’m sure you caught wind of that. Guys turning up dead left and right—there was a fight at a funeral, right? Whole place got blown to smithereens. What the fuck, man.”
“Ahah, yes.” Steric winced. “Quite the festivity, wasn’t it.”
“The place needs someone to step up. And with that little rampage I went on…” She looks embarrassed, for a moment. “I think I’ve got the rep to fill her shoes. Er. Maybe. I’m not really that scary, but, uh…”
“Ms. Kaliya told me you weren’t of that sort of opinion before.” Steric raised his eyebrow again, tapping his pen against his notepad. “What changed?”
“…Nothing, really. I just.” Texas chuckled, reclining on her stool. “I don’t really think anything I’ll do will have any difference. But I can’t stop myself from trying, either. I don’t think she’d want me to, either.”
Brighid placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder, glancing down at her. “Long as you come back to my place when you’re done. I trust you, but you should have a bed to sleep on.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Steric grinned. This was a good development! A bit risky, sure, but it gave him in an in. “Say!” He stopped absentmindedly chewing on his pen’s tip. “Y’think you’d be willing to help us out? VULTURE’s assistance would be a great help…and something tells me we’ve got a common goal.”
“I’ll think on it.” Was Texas’s only response. Brighid flicked her on the forehead again. “Ow! Okay, fine, yeah, I’ll help. You guys don’t seem that bad.”
Steric clasped his hands together. One step closer. “Ah, and you too, Miss Rhodes.”
“Hah?” Brighid scoffed. “I don’t think anyone with me is gonna be much help-”
“I think that’s, er, preposterous.” He tapped his notepad a few times. “I did some looking into the work your people’ve done recently. For museum staff, you folks sure are prolific. A boat raid is quite the accomplishment. Hmm, hmm~.”
“Well, er…” Brighid sighed. Her group had had a history of engaging in combat. Entities like Paranoia and Markov were practically built for it, but her group had had similar exploits recently: Ruby’s left her fight with the swordsman at the art college relatively unharmed, and Roxanne had managed to charm an ex-member of Metropolis. Despite how weird all of them were, they were useful in a variety of ways; it made sense Steric wanted their assistance.
“Alright. I’ll get them to help out.” Much as she didn’t trust some of them with heroism, Brighid found herself more involved than she’d anticipated—and getting into the action herself meant she could help keep Texas as safe as possible, despite everything. “But you gotta help out with the museum. We’re, uh, still working on reconstruction.”
“No worries. I think I’ve got a few artifacts here and there. They’d be fit for your collection.” Steric’s phone buzzed—he rose and nodded at the two. “It’s been a pleasure, folks, but the life of a detective is ever so busy. Be seeing you.” With that, he grabbed his coat and strode away, leaving a good third of his burger.
Several oversized flies crawled out from beneath Texas’s coat, nibbling on the leftovers. “You really okay with me, uh, y’know…” Texas made a few vague gestures with her hands. “It’s a big thing to, uh, undertake. I figured you’d try to stop me.”
“I doubt I’d be able to.” Brighid chuckled. “‘Sides, you’re a pretty tough kid. I was pretty rough and tumble when I was your age, and look how I turned out. I’m a lawyer and everything.”
Texas nodded, returning to her milkshake. She was an ant under an elephant’s foot—she’d become well aware of that. But even so; even an ant had its resolve, and a swarm could pick apart a carcass. Even if it was only delusion, she’d do what she could. Mom would’ve liked that.
“Mmm.” She grinned. “Here goes.”

<=TO BE CONTINUED==

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With the first game of the U23 season set to kick off tomorrow at Mesa del Sol/FFCU Training Facility, here are the listed players for this year's USL League 2 team:

player	position	previous club	source
Anthony Munoz	GK	Grand Canyon	club twitter
Nate Slota	GK	Rhodes College	club twitter
Evan Kowalski	GK	Fort Lewis	club twitter
Miguel Regino	Def	Utah Tech	club twitter
Jackson Dubois	Def	NMU Academy	club twitter
Mikah Madrid	Def/Mid	UNLV	club twitter
Jaco Sais	Def/Mid	NMU Academy	club twitter
Brendan Baird	Mid	SMU	club twitter
Andres Robles	Mid	Central Arkansas	club twitter
Miles Merritt	Mid	Incarnate Word	club twitter
Loïc Jean-Baptiste	Mid	Fort Lewis	club twitter
Landon Gray	Mid/Fwd	Eastern NM	club twitter
Chris Mendez-Lemus	Mid/Fwd	California Dominican	club twitter
Tom Protzek	Fwd	U Tulsa	club twitter
Nick Legendre	Fwd	Notre Dame	club twitter
Wylie Trujillo	Fwd	Gonzaga	club twitter
Larson Rogers	Fwd	Utah Tech	club twitter
Alex Waggoner	Fwd	Michigan	club twitter

In addition the following players are listed on the USL League 2 website's roster for NM United U23:

• Cole Bachuzewski
• Jamal Bynum
• David Green
• Yuto Oketani
• Arnold Onyango
• Chase Ricker
• Riyon Tori

Round 1, Pick 12 - Bo Nix, QB, Oregon:
NFL: Nix is an experienced playmaker with the arm talent and athleticism to execute Sean Payton’s offense in Denver. He fits the Drew Brees-like prototype, getting the ball to his playmakers and accurately delivering passes at the short and intermediate levels.
CBS Sports: C-. I don’t love Nix, but I get the pick. Desperation forces teams to pick quarterbacks earlier than they should. Sean Payton obviously sees Drew Brees in him, but this is way early. Why not trade down and get him later?
ESPN: The Broncos thought enough of Nix to make him the sixth quarterback off the board among the draft's first 12 picks. The draft many consider to be the gold standard for quarterbacks -- 1983, that included John Elway -- had six quarterbacks selected in the first round overall, but just two of those in the first 10 picks. Nix's efficiency -- he completed at least 71% of his passes in all 14 games this past season and was at 74.9% completion rate for the season overall -- makes him an easy fit in Sean Payton's offense, as do his mobility and experience (61 games in five college seasons). The Broncos need far more of the QB Nix was at Oregon rather than Auburn given he threw 29 and 45 touchdowns, respectively, in his two seasons in Eugene. He did not have more than 16 touchdown passes in any of his three seasons at Auburn.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: ‘Https://youtube.com/watch?v=GTg7y0VRYNI’.
Round 3, Pick 76 - Jonah Elliss, DE, Utah:
NFL: The son of massive former Lions DL Luther Elliss, Jonah is -- by contrast -- an undersized rusher. He broke out last season with quickness off the ball, decent length and consistently good effort. I thought he was more of a Day 3 player than Day 2, but he could surprise me.
CBS Sports: A-. Twitched-up polished rusher. Production didn’t necessarily match his impressive traits. Serious bend around the corner too. Rushes get high and has long invisible stretches but the highlights are awesome. Needed addition in Denver.
ESPN: In a division that includes Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert at quarterback, the Broncos needed more pop on the defensive edge. They haven't had an edge rusher finish with at least 10 sacks since Von Miller had 14.5 in 2018. Elliss did not work out at the combine or pro day because of a shoulder injury he suffered late in the 2023 season, but he's a high-effort player who should contribute immediately. His father, Luther, played his final NFL season with the Broncos in 2004 and his brother, Kaden, played in New Orleans during Payton's time as head coach. Jonah Elliss flourished in the Utes' defense this past season with 16 tackles for loss and 12 sacks.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Will flip over any game of Monopoly he sees out of principle.
Round 4, Pick 102 - Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon:
NFL: It was a bit surprising that Franklin went outside the top 100 given his game-changing speed, yet his game is a little one-dimensional right now. He'll have a chance to regain his mojo in Denver, reuniting with his former college QB, Bo Nix.
CBS Sports: A+. Lean effortless speedster with impressive flexibility to get in and out of his breaks. Complete wideout after the catch and tracking it but not a contested-catch type and because of his ultra-skinny frame, is bothered by physicality. Cheap trade up cost too. Excellent.
ESPN: Franklin is a quality value pick in this spot, and the Broncos wanted him enough to move up from No. 121 to snag him with the second pick made on Day 3. Franklin's speed (4.41 in the 40-yard dash at the scouting combine) is needed in the offense. New quarterback Nix has a comfort level with him -- Franklin was one of the receivers for Nix in his private workout for the Broncos. Franklin set a school record this past season in receiving yards (1,383), receiving touchdowns (14) and 100-yard receiving games (eight). He figures to be in the rotation early if he can show his expected impact down the field.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: He said-a hip, hop, the hippie, the hippie To the hip hip hop-a.
Round 5, Pick 145 - Kris Abrams-Draine, CB, Missouri:
NFL: I had KAD going earlier than this, even if his lack of bulk and length limits his ability to handle bigger receivers. This is tremendous value for Denver, as Abrams-Draine could win the nickel job early on with his playmaking knack. Chris Harris 2.0?
CBS Sports: A+. Ultra-pesky inside-outside CB who rocked in the SEC for multiple years. Not incredibly fast nor length with size. Awesome tackling reliability. Routinely finds and makes plays on the football underneath and at intermediate level. Has plus long speed. Spectacular value here.
ESPN: The Broncos signed Levi Wallace in free agency earlier this month -- Wallace has started 70 games in his career -- but they still have an opening in the starting lineup opposite Pat Surtain II. Abrams-Draine started his career at Missouri as a wide receiver, and you can see that in his play as a defender when he tracks the ball and in contested-catch situations. He has 4.44 speed and had 40 passes defensed in his career with the Tigers. He'll be in the mix with Wallace, Damarri Mathis and Riley Moss to be the pick at an outside corner spot. At 5-foot-11 3/8 inches and 179 pounds, Mathis will have to show he can battle more physical NFL receivers. He also adds some potential value in the return game -- he returned kickoffs in three of his seasons at Missouri.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Actually tried to learn to read windings as a kid.
Round 5, Pick 147 - Audric Estimé, RB, Notre Dame:
NFL: Sean Payton had a few bigger backs, such as Tim Hightower and Chris Ivory, in his time in New Orleans, and Estimé fits that mold. For now, he's a two-down hammer who can tenderize defenses, but don't overlook his starting potential eventually, despite lacking good speed.
CBS Sports: A-. Audric Estime, RB, Notre Dame. Built like a Greek god. Ultra-wide frame and plays exactly how you’d expect. Defenders routinely fall off him. Very slow. Will not run away from many at the next level. Has surprising quicks for his size, can work through smaller tracks between the tackles.
ESPN: Estime is the kind of raw power presence the Broncos haven't had in the run game in some time. Javonte Williams, at his best, forces piles of broken tackles, but Estime, at 5-11 3/8 and 221 pounds, runs with a slightly different kind of profile. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry last season for the Irish and has shown himself to be adept in blitz pickup with the potential to be a productive part of a passing game. Williams never looked quite himself last season, his first full season back from an ACL tear, and the Broncos were one of the worst teams in the league with just eight rushing touchdowns for the season. Payton has promised a better, more efficient running game and has repeatedly said a young quarterback's best friend is a defense and a good running game. Estime will have the opportunity to carve out some playing time as quickly as he shows a comfort level in the offense.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Has his college ID number as his gamertag.
Round 7, Pick 235 - Devaughn Vele, WR, Utah:
NFL: The 26-year-old Vele spent two years on an LDS mission, making him one of the older prospects in this class. But he's 6-foot-4 with long arms and sub-4.5 speed and jumping ability, making him a developmental jump-ball target.
CBS Sports: B. Tall long-striding vertical field-stretcher. Lacks burst off the ball. Can box out near the sideline and in traffic but not dominant in that area. YAC is good, not great. Intriguing type.
ESPN: Vele is a big receiver -- 6-4, 203 pounds at the scouting combine -- and is one of the oldest players in the draft. He will turn 27 on Dec. 12. He played 38 of his 47 career games for the Utes over the past three seasons. He is the second wide receiver in this seven-player draft class, and he faces a scrap to find his way into the rotation, especially if Tim Patrick shows he has regained his form after back-to-back seasons impacted by injuries. Vele ran 4.47 in the 40 at the combine and has punt return skills as well, so athletically he has a chance to carve out a role in what might be, because of his age, a tight career window.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Roger here, just hoping everyone has enjoyed the draft this year.
Round 7, Pick 256 - Nick Gargiulo, C, South Carolina:
NFL: A Yale transfer, Gargiulo has experience at center, guard and tackle, but he's best at home inside. He's smart, competitive and long.
CBS Sports: B-. Big, long, technically sound interior blocker who won’t move people routinely but doesn’t get tossed around inside. Made transfer from Yale to South Carolina with relative ease. Nothing spectacular about his game but minimal liabilities either.
ESPN: He was at Yale for five seasons, including a COVID-19 year where they didn't play, before one year at South Carolina. He has versatility given he played at left tackle, center and left guard in his career. He moves well and showed this past season he could hold up against the defensive linemen in the SEC. With Lloyd Cushenberry's departure in free agency, the Broncos have a crowd of young players ready to compete for the job that could include Alex Forsyth and Luke Wattenberg -- Broncos picks in the previous two drafts -- as well as fifth-year veteran Sam Mustipher and now Gargiulo.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: At least he won’t always get compared to Brock Purdy.