I'll update this as I go. Please check back when you can and point out errors if you can find any.

GameStop (GME) Deep Dive (DD)

Hey Apes! 🦍🚀
Let's dive into a comprehensive analysis of GameStop (GME), covering key factors that could influence the stock price, technical analysis, potential catalysts, market sentiment, and important dates. This DD aims to provide a well-rounded understanding of what might impact GME in the near future.

Potential Failure of the LULD Mechanism and Its Impact on a MOASS

The Limit Up-Limit Down (LULD) mechanism is designed to prevent extreme volatility by setting upper and lower price bands for stocks. However, in certain scenarios, this mechanism can fail, potentially leading to the Mother of All Short Squeezes (MOASS). Here’s how this could happen, along with the mathematical implications.

How the LULD Mechanism Can Fail

1. Extreme Market Volatility:
   
   • Rapid Successive Halts: During periods of extreme volatility, the price of a stock like GME can hit the upper limit repeatedly, causing successive trading halts. This can exacerbate panic and volatility rather than calming the market.
   • Example: If GME’s price rapidly moves from $100 to $150 within a short period, hitting multiple LULD halts, it can create a feedback loop of volatility.
2. Algorithmic Trading and High-Frequency Trading (HFT):
   
   • Algorithmic Pressure: High-frequency trading algorithms can push prices rapidly, triggering the LULD bands frequently. If these algorithms continue to trade aggressively, they can cause more volatility.
   • Market Manipulation: There’s a theoretical risk that traders could manipulate prices by coordinating trades to trigger LULD bands, although such actions are illegal.
3. Technical Glitches:
   
   • System Failures: Technical issues or outages can disrupt the LULD mechanism. If trading systems fail during high volatility, it could lead to unmanaged price spikes.
4. Market Fragmentation:
   
   • Inconsistent Application: With trading occurring across multiple venues, discrepancies in how LULD bands are applied can lead to inconsistent trading halts and market confusion.

Impact on MOASS

1. Short Covering and Buy Pressure:
   
   • Short Interest: If GME has a high short interest (e.g., 64.37 million shares shorted), a rapid price increase can trigger margin calls for short sellers. They will be forced to buy back shares to cover their positions, adding to the buying pressure.
   • Example Calculation:
     • Initial Price: $20
     • Short Interest: 64.37 million shares
     • Price Increase: If the price increases to $100, short sellers might need to cover, buying back 64.37 million shares.
2. Buying Pressure Dynamics:
   
   • Mathematics of Covering:
     • If short sellers need to cover 64.37 million shares and the average daily trading volume is 10 million shares, it would take 6.437 trading days to cover without additional buying pressure.
     • However, in a MOASS scenario, buying pressure can skyrocket, reducing the time frame significantly.
3. Example Scenario:
   
   • Price Movement and Halts:
     • Day 1: Price moves from $20 to $50, triggering multiple LULD halts.
     • Day 2: Price moves from $50 to $100 due to continued buying pressure and short covering.
     • Mathematical Implication:
     • Short sellers covering 64.37 million shares at an average price of $75 would need $4.828 billion.
     • If the price moves to $200 due to continued pressure, the required funds double to $12.874 billion for covering the same short interest.

Potential for Exponential Price Increase

• Feedback Loop: As the price increases, more short sellers are forced to cover, leading to further price increases. This feedback loop can cause exponential growth in the stock price.
• Limitations of LULD: If the LULD mechanism fails to contain the volatility, the price can move rapidly, triggering more short covering and buy pressure.

Conclusion

The failure of the LULD mechanism during periods of extreme volatility, driven by high-frequency trading and market manipulation, can lead to a significant short squeeze. The mathematical implications show how rapid price increases and forced short covering can create a feedback loop, potentially leading to a MOASS. Understanding these dynamics helps investors anticipate potential market movements and the limitations of volatility contols.

Sources:

• FINRA
• Nasdaq Trader
• SEC.gov
• CNBC

Key Factors Influencing GME's Stock Price

1. Fundamental Analysis
   • Earnings Reports: GME's quarterly earnings can significantly impact the stock price. The next earnings report on June 5, 2024, is crucial. Strong financial performance or strategic announcements can boost investor confidence.
   • Revenue and Profitability: GME has reported $5.27 billion in revenue over the past 12 months with a net income of $6.70 million. Monitoring these indicators is essential for long-term valuation.
   • Debt Levels: ### Debt-to-Equity Ratio Calculation

• Short-term debt: $11 million
• Long-term debt: $23.6 million
• Total Debt: $34.6 million
• Total Equity: $1,267.2 million

Debt-to-Equity Ratio
Debt-to-Equity Ratio = Total Debt / Total Equity Debt-to-Equity Ratio = 34.6 million / 1,267.2 million Debt-to-Equity Ratio = 0.027

Summary

• Total Debt: $34.6 million
• Total Equity: $1,267.2 million
• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 0.027

Explanation

The debt-to-equity ratio decreased from 0.045 to 0.027 due to GameStop's efforts to reduce its debt while maintaining its equity base. This lower ratio indicates a stronger equity position and less reliance on debt.

Current Creditors

GameStop's current debt includes a French term loan, part of their short-term and long-term debt obligations.

1. Technical Analysis
   • Support and Resistance Levels: Key support levels are around $20, while resistance levels are between $50 and $60. Breaking through these levels can indicate potential price movements.
   • Volume: High trading volumes can signal strong investor interest. Monitor volume spikes for potential price actions.
   • Patterns: Watch for technical patterns like the descending triangle, which is typically bearish. However, a breakout above resistance could indicate a bullish reversal.

Adjusted Float and Short Interest

Outstanding Shares: 306.19 million Minus DRS: 75.5 million Minus Institutional Holdings: Approximately 87.17 million Minus Insider Holdings: Approximately 61.46 million + Ryan Cohen's Holdings (36.847 million)
Adjusted Float Calculation: 306.19 million (Outstanding Shares) - 75.5 million (DRS) - 87.17 million (Institutional Holdings) - (61.46 million + 36.847 million) (Insider Holdings including Cohen's) = 45.213 million
Short Interest Percentage: (64.37 million / 45.213 million) * 100 ≈ 142.3%

Potential Use of Warrants and Preferred Stock

Issuing Warrants: - Concept: GameStop could issue warrants to shareholders as a dividend, e.g., 1 warrant per 7 shares owned. - Benefit: This incentivizes shareholders and provides potential to buy shares at a favorable price, creating scarcity in common stock.
Preferred Shares: - Concept: Issuing preferred shares can offer fixed dividends and have priority over common shares in liquidation. - Impact: Preferred shares require board approval and SEC filings, potentially affecting the market and short sellers by reducing the float of common shares.

Impact of 45 Million New Shares

Response to the Theory on GME's Recent S-3 Filing:

What’s Happening:

1. S-3 Filing History:
   • GameStop filed a Form S-3 to potentially issue up to 1 billion shares, with 300 million currently outstanding. This is similar to a move they made in December 2020 before the January 2021 short squeeze. The S-3 allows GameStop to register securities quickly and respond swiftly to market conditions.
   • Source: www.investing.com

Why This Matters:

1. Two Possible Outcomes for Shorts:
   • Accept the Offer: Shorts could buy the offered shares, admitting their positions and potentially converting to longs.
   • Decline the Offer: If shorts don’t accept, it exposes the extent of their naked short positions, revealing potential fraud.

Strategic Implications:

1. Regulator Signal:
   • This filing signals to the SEC that GameStop is willing to resolve the situation constructively, placing the onus on shorts to reveal their positions. This strategic move puts pressure on shorts and highlights the transparency and compliance of GameStop’s management.

Relevant Data and Comparisons:

1. Historical Context and Data:
   
   • December 2020 Example: Before the January 2021 short squeeze, GameStop made a similar filing. The shorts didn’t cover, leading to a massive price surge. For instance, the stock price skyrocketed from around $20 to an intraday high of $483 on January 28, 2021.
   • Current Short Interest: As of May 2024, GME’s short interest remains high, with 64,373,343 shares short, representing 20.55% of the float. This high short interest indicates a significant potential for another short squeeze if the shorts are forced to cover.
   • Sources: www.tradingview.com, www.investing.com
2. Market Reactions and Patterns:
   
   • Volume and Price Data: Recent high trading volumes and price surges, such as GME’s rise to $80 in pre-market trading, suggest strong market reactions to strategic filings and movements. This pattern mirrors past events and indicates potential future volatility.
   • Source: www.tradingview.com

Comparisons to Other Companies:

1. Tesla (TSLA):
   
   • Similar Scenario: Tesla faced significant short interest and skepticism but managed to drive its stock price up through strong financial performance and strategic moves. Retail investor support played a crucial role, forcing shorts to cover and leading to a massive short squeeze. For instance, Tesla's stock price increased from around $50 in 2019 to over $800 in 2021.
   • Result: Tesla's market cap increased substantially, showcasing the power of strategic corporate actions combined with retail investor momentum.
2. Volkswagen (VW) 2008:
   
   • Historical Short Squeeze: Volkswagen became the world’s most valuable company briefly in 2008 during a short squeeze when Porsche revealed it had a majority stake in VW. This forced short sellers to cover their positions at significantly higher prices, causing the stock price to soar from around €210 to over €1,000 within a few days.
   • Impact: The stock price soared, illustrating the potential power of strategic moves and market reactions, similar to what could happen with GameStop if shorts are forced to cover.

Conclusion:

This isn’t about diluting shares but offering shorts a way out and proving to regulators that GameStop is handling this responsibly. Whether shorts accept or decline, their actions will reveal the extent of their positions, potentially leading to a significant market impact.
Stay strong, apes! 🚀🦍💎🙌
Sources: - MarketBeat: www.marketbeat.com - Yahoo Finance: uk.finance.yahoo.com - TradingView: www.tradingview.com - Investing.com: www.investing.com
GameStop recently authorized the issuance of up to 45 million new shares. Here's the potential impact on the stock and short interest:

1. Dilution Effect:
   
   • Outstanding Shares Increase: The total outstanding shares would increase from 306.19 million to 351.19 million if all 45 million shares are issued.
   • Adjusted Float Calculation: ``` 351.19 million (New Outstanding Shares)
     • 75.5 million (DRS)
     • 87.17 million (Institutional Holdings)
     • (61.46 million + 36.847 million) (Insider Holdings including Cohen's) = 90.213 million ```
2. Revised Short Interest Percentage: (64.37 million / 90.213 million) * 100 ≈ 71.37%
   

Upcoming Key Dates

• May 24, 2024: FINRA CAT Reporting - Ensuring all material inconsistencies are resolved.
• May 31, 2024: FINRA CAT Full CAIS Compliance Go-Live - Enhancing market transparency.
• June 5, 2024: GME Q1 2024 Earnings Report - Potential for strategic announcements.
• June 21, 2024: LEAPS expiration date - Options with significant open interest can create volatility as market makers hedge their positions.
• September 5, 2024: GME Q2 2024 Earnings Report.
• December 5, 2024: GME Q3 2024 Earnings Report.
• January 2, 2025: SEC Rule Implementation - Increased transparency in short selling.

Recent Technical Analysis Insights

Support and Resistance Levels: - Support: Key support levels for GME appear around $20. These levels provide a base where the stock has historically found buying interest. - Resistance: Significant resistance levels are around $50-$60. Breaking through these levels could indicate further upward momentum.
Volume Trends: - High trading volumes during the January 2021 short squeeze indicate strong market interest. Monitoring volume can help gauge the strength of price movements.
Technical Patterns: - Descending Triangle: The recent chart shows a descending triangle pattern, which is typically bearish. However, a breakout above the resistance line could signal a reversal and potential price increase.

Projected Movements

Short Squeeze Potential: - High Short Interest: With 64.37 million shares shorted, any significant buying pressure could trigger a short squeeze, driving the price up dramatically.
Upcoming Catalysts: - Earnings Report on June 5, 2024: Positive earnings or strategic announcements could boost investor confidence and drive the stock price higher. - Regulatory Deadlines on May 24 and May 31, 2024: Increased transparency and regulatory compliance could impact market dynamics. Nice one, but you forgot one hype date:
investor.gamestop.com
2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (“annual meeting”) on Thursday, June 13, 2024 at 10:00 a.m., CDT

LEAPS and Other MOASS Theories

LEAPS (Long-Term Equity Anticipation Securities): - Concept: LEAPS are options with expiration dates longer than one year. They can be used by investors to gain leveraged exposure to GME's price movements over a longer period. - Impact: If retail investors continue to buy LEAPS, it can create significant upward pressure on the stock price as market makers hedge their positions by buying the underlying stock.
Preferred Shares and Warrants: - Issuance of Preferred Shares or Warrants: GME could issue preferred shares or warrants to shareholders, creating additional buying pressure as these instruments are exercised.
Naked Short Selling and Regulatory Compliance: - May 24, 2024: Deadline for resolving all outstanding material inconsistencies for FINRA CAT reporting, increasing market transparency and potentially impacting short selling practices. - January 2, 2025: Implementation of new SEC rules, which could further enhance market transparency and impact short interest reporting.

New Data: Ryan Cohen's Insider Transactions

Insider Transactions: - Ryan Cohen: Recent Form 4 from 2023 filing shows Cohen acquired 253,204 shares at $22.2485 and 190,638 shares at $22.9075. Total shares beneficially owned after transactions are 36,657,204 and 36,847,842 respectively.

Conclusion

While predicting GME's exact price movements is challenging, several factors suggest potential for upward movement: - High Short Interest: Potential for a short squeeze. - Technical Indicators: Key support levels and potential breakout patterns. - Market Sentiment: Positive retail investor activity and upcoming catalysts. - LEAPS and Other MOASS Theories: Additional strategies like LEAPS and preferred shares could contribute to upward pressure.

Verified Sources

• Fintel: fintel.io
• MarketBeat: marketbeat.com
• Stock Analysis: stockanalysis.com
• FINRA: finra.org
• SEC: sec.gov

Theoretical MOASS (Mother of All Short Squeezes) and Potential Prices for GME

Understanding the potential outcomes of a MOASS for GameStop (GME) involves several key factors and calculations. Here, we'll break down some of the critical components that could influence the theoretical prices during a MOASS.

Key Factors

1. Short Interest and Float: The higher the short interest relative to the float, the more pressure on short sellers to cover their positions, potentially driving the price up.
2. Buy-In Pressure: Retail investors holding and buying more shares can create scarcity, driving the price higher as shorts scramble to cover.
3. Market Dynamics and Liquidity: As the price rises, liquidity becomes a significant factor. Higher prices may lead to increased volatility and rapid price swings.

Short Interest and Float Calculation

Using the current data:
Outstanding Shares: 306.19 million Minus DRS: 75.5 million Minus Institutional Holdings: Approximately 87.17 million Minus Insider Holdings: Approximately 61.46 million + Ryan Cohen's Holdings (36.847 million)
Adjusted Float Calculation: 306.19 million (Outstanding Shares) - 75.5 million (DRS) - 87.17 million (Institutional Holdings) - (61.46 million + 36.847 million) (Insider Holdings including Cohen's) = 45.213 million
Short Interest: 64.37 million shares

Theoretical MOASS Price Calculation

The theoretical price during a MOASS can vary widely based on the demand for shares and the willingness of retail investors to hold their positions. Here are a few scenarios to consider:

Scenario 1: Moderate Short Covering

• Assumption: Shorts begin covering at higher prices but still face resistance from retail holders.
• Estimated Price Range: $200 to $1,000 per share

Scenario 2: High Short Covering Pressure

• Assumption: Increased buying pressure as shorts are forced to cover more aggressively.
• Estimated Price Range: $1,000 to $5,000 per share

Scenario 3: Extreme MOASS Scenario

• Assumption: Significant short covering with extremely limited float due to strong retail holding.
• Estimated Price Range: $5,000 to $50,000+ per share

Important Considerations

1. Regulatory Impact: Changes in regulations, such as those from the SEC or FINRA, could impact the dynamics of short selling and buying pressure.
2. Market Sentiment: Market sentiment and external factors like news, earnings reports, and strategic announcements can significantly impact the stock price.
3. Psychological Factors: The psychological impact on both retail investors and institutional players can lead to irrational price movements, either upwards or downwards.

Conclusion

Predicting the exact price during a MOASS is challenging due to the many variables involved. However, understanding the key factors and potential scenarios can provide a framework for what might happen. Stay informed, and always be cautious with your investments.
Stay strong, apes! TO THE MOON! 🚀🦍💎🙌

I am a new Redditor, and I find it frustrating to have to constantly be Googling to find out what the countless abbreviations on Reddit refer to. My proposition is that Reddit provides expansions for the abbreviations whenever the mouse is hovered over them, or they are clicked. In cases where there is ambiguity, Reddit can force the author to select the specific expansion the author is referring to. It can also have users provide specific expansions for specific abbreviations in a post, where the author fails to do so or provides unknown abbreviations.
Finally, I want to acknowledge Redditors' vast knowledge of abbreviations, it is quite impressive and speaks to the caliber of the intelligence of the community.

(This is a repost from 4 weeks ago.)
Hi everyone,
With VoG challenge starting I wanted to post this to hopefully help some people complete Atheon challenge easier. It’s a pretty long guide since it contains pretty much everything I know about this challenge.
The challenge is that every guardian needs to destroy exactly one Oracle every time before Time’s Vengeance starts. (The weird wording is intentional - this is important for one of the items below.) So you do need a full team of six guardians to do the challenge. (FYI, I tried doing it with three guardians destroying two Oracles each, and it didn’t work - the “challenge failed” message came up as soon as the last Oracle was destroyed.)
In this guide, I will use “Venus” for the green/past/right and “Mars” for the brown/future/left timeline. I also use “teleport” to describe the time shift. I know these are not correct, but that’s how most people describe the Atheon fight.

Weapons and Subclasses

Load out wise, the best weapons are (in order):

• Sleeper Simulant (use an exotic chest armor with heavy ammo perk to get 12 shots)
• High impact sniper (Ex Machina, Event Horizon, Devil’s Dawn, Black Spindle archetype)
• Machine gun
• Rockets (only if you don’t have any of the above, and be very careful - jump straight up in the air to shoot them)
• Primaries from this raid (for Oracles)

Do not use supers other than Weapons bubble and Shadowshot tether. Time’s Vengeance will reduce supers’ cool down but their damage will not be buffed like regular weapons. Unless you run out of ammo, even a Celestial Nighthawk Golden Gun is worse than Sleeper - the GG’s dramatic animation is too long. All Titans should switch to Weapons with Bastion and Illuminated. (If you don’t have Illuminated, and there is someone else who does have Illuminated, do not use your bubble unless the other person is not available, or you may cost the team 10% of DPS). All Hunters should switch to Nightstalker with Black Hole. The Titan and Hunter who gets to the middle first should call out “I’ll do the bubble/tether” so others don’t have to worry about it. Also, call out again when the Weapons bubble is activated (near the back edge of the island preferably) so people know when to go back to find it. For the tether, jump straight up and shoot it on the ground at Atheon’s feet (not hitting Atheon directly will make the tether last longer). Only one person needs to tether. Shooting three Sleeper shots then tethering is about the right timing. Warlocks should be on self-res, as staying alive is paramount in case you can’t one-phase Atheon. Do not try to throw grenades, you will have to jump high in the air to do so, which wastes time. I takes about 23 seconds with 5 max light guardians shooting Sleeper with Weapons and tether active the whole time to destroy Atheon.

The Challenge

To make portals opening as smooth as possible, put 3 people on Venus side and 3 on Mars side. Stay inside the circle so you can start building the portal immediately when teleport happens even while you are detained. Do not jump on the monolith before the teleport, as it will aggro Atheon and he’ll start shooting at you and cause a lot of splash damage to you and your teammates.
The ideal situation is that the “inside team” gets #1/#2, the “outside team” gets #3-#5, and Relic holder gets #6. Two people from the outside should go in as soon as the portal opens, and the last person goes in when someone comes out. One notable exception is that if nobody is on the correct portal, then Relic holder needs to get #3 and outside team will get #4-#6. Make sure you watch the kill feed (above your super bar) to confirm you have indeed destroyed an Oracle. After the teleport, avoid unnecessary emoting so you won’t clog up the kill feed.

The Inside Team

The main goal for this team is to have Oracles #1 and #2 destroyed and get the non-Relic guardians out as soon as possible. So if you’re not grabbing the Relic, this is what you need to do:

• Shoot Oracle #1 or #2 (#1 is straight ahead on Venus and slightly left on Mars, #2 is slightly right on both) as soon as they spawn. It may help to call out immediately (“I got #1” “OK then I’ll get #2”) to avoid any confusion.
• Run to the portal as soon as you destroy your Oracle. There will be no cleanse at the bottom. Once you get cleansed at the portal, get out and call out “I’m out, you can go in” to the last person outside.
• Do not ask for cleanse, it will just clog up the comms. If you need a cleanse, quietly stand next to the Relic. The Relic holder will cleanse you every now and then.
• If you are #2 and you are sure your teammate #1 will not need help with his Oracle, you can run immediately to the portal and turn around to shoot Oracle #2. Oracle #2 will spawn around the time you get to the portal.
• If you are #2 and you are shooting your Oracle from the spawn and someone else destroys it instead, don’t try to shoot another Oracle, instead immediately run to the portal. You should have enough time to get there to receive a cleanse before you go completely blind.
• Once you’re out, help clear Supplicants and go to the middle island to be ready for DPS. If you’re the Weapons bubble or tether, tell people that you got that role. There will be three Supplicants that spawn on the other side that should have made it to the portal ring by then, so make sure you shoot them while you’re waiting.
• If you get out and notice you were not cleansed at all, go back in and wait just inside the portal for another cleanse.
• One more thing for the inside team to watch out for is the Relic holder accidentally destroying an Oracle. #1 on Venus is halfway up the stairs, and #2 is on the floor level, both destroyable by a single Relic slam. If the Relic holder destroys Oracle #1 or #2 while trying to kill the adds, you need to notify him (he’s probably too busy dealing with the adds to notice). If this happens, the inside team should take #1-#3, and the outside team takes #4-#6.
• And as always, throw a grenade at the Minotaur at the bottom on Venus, and don’t do anything to the adds on Mars. In any case, do not shoot the adds. The Relic holder needs to kill all three adds to build his super quickly. Even if you don’t kill the adds, it will cause them to wake up early if you shoot them and cause all sorts of havoc (like Hobgoblins throwing up their shields on Mars, or the Minotaur running up the stairs on Venus).

The Relic Holder

If you are the Relic holder, you want 300 Intellect (for Relic super) and 300 Discipline (for cleanse). Do not pick up the Relic if you don’t have 300 INT and DIS. Also don’t pick up the Relic if you’re the only Weapons bubble or tether. As a Relic holder:

• Call out which side you are, and remind people about the grenade/no grenade.
• Run down the right side behind the short pillars, not the middle stairway. Make a mini double-jump at the bottom and smash the adds with the Relic slam. On Venus, if they are not clustered together, you want to make sure you take out at least one of the Goblins (smash the one that’s closer to the Minotaur). One mistake that can cost you is to attack the Minotaur only when they are spread out, and by the time you get rid of it, you’ve had two Goblins shooting at you the whole time and have little to no health left.
• Once you’re done with the adds, run to the portal. If the portal is still not open, that probably means the outside team are all on the wrong side, so use your Relic super to take out Oracle #3. This is the one that is floating pretty high in the air on the right side (looking back from the portal, it will be left if you’re facing the portal). If you take out Oracle #3, call it out (“Relic holder took Oracle #3, last person take #6”).
• Stand near the portal so that the cleanse shield overlaps the portal. This will make sure anyone who runs through the cleanse on the way out will not go blind outside. Face the portal and watch your radar. When you see a green dot or two catch up on you, cleanse them.
• After the first set of guys are out, call in the last person and turn around. Make sure everyone is shooting Oracles in order (they don’t have to be destroyed in order, but each of them will wipe you after a set time, so it is better to shoot them in order). Cleanse occasionally.
• Once Oracles #1-#5 are destroyed, do one last cleanse and tell everyone to get ready for DPS. If possible, do a 3-2-1 countdown before smashing Oracle #6 so everyone knows exactly when Time’s Vengeance starts. Rush to the middle and activate the shield.
• Watch Atheon’s health bar as time progresses. Assuming most people started shooting as soon as Time’s Vengeance started, if Atheon’s health is about half or less at the 15 seconds mark, you should be able to kill him in one phase. If so, tell people to “commit”. If not, when Atheon’s health is about 1/3 left, tell people to get out and start clearing supplicants near portals. Turn around with your shield and leave after everyone is gone.
• If you had to destroy Oracle #3, then cleanse and leave after #5 is destroyed to go to the middle. The last person in doesn’t need any cleanse; he can shoot #6 and turn around to get to the middle in plenty of time before he goes completely blind.

The Outside Team

This team’s job is more complicated because there are many variants. The key is to immediately elect who is going to be the last guardian out. So if you are left outside:

• Watch your radar while the teleport is happening. You will see an extra green triangle on your radar that indicates where the inside team went. If it shows up on top-right, that’s Venus, if it’s bottom-left, it’s Mars. (The little triangle directly left or right is probably outside guardians on the opposite portal.)
• First thing to do is to elect the person to go in last.
  • If you are the only one on the correct portal, tell people you are going in first. Build the portal and go in. Make sure you don’t leave the ring until you see the message about the portal being active.
  • If you are the only one on the wrong portal, tell people you will be the last one to stay out.
  • If everyone is on the wrong portal, tell the Relic holder that he needs to take Oracle #3.
  • In any case, make sure two guardians go in and one stay out.
• Remember that nobody needs to stay inside the portal ring once the portal is activated (and there are no Praetorians to steal the portal from you), but one person needs to be outside at all times. If you’re the last one outside going to the portal from the wrong side ring, you don’t have to go to the ring that builds the portal at all.
• If everyone runs in by mistake and see the “lost in the dark corners of time” message, the last person can immediately run out to avoid a wipe if you are quick enough (although by this time most likely the team has freaked out from the message and is on a way to a wipe anyway).
• Before going in, try to toss an AOE grenade to the Atheon side of the portal to keep Supplicants at bay to help the one guardian that will be defending the portal by himself for a while. You can also shoot a tether there.
• Oracle #3 will be the one that is straight ahead as you go through the portal, and pretty far away.
• On Mars, #3 and #4 are almost overlapping but #4 is much closer. If they are both up, make sure you shoot #3 first.
• On Venus, #4 is below your sight line to your left.
• On both sides, #5 is above your left shoulder and #6 is above your right shoulder.
• If you are the first one in from outside, do not shoot Oracle #2. You destroying #2 will likely confuse the inside team member who was trying to shoot it, and if he didn’t run to the portal first like one other tip above, he may go blind before being able to destroy another Oracle.

A Special Trick

Now, one last tip - if Atheon is almost dead after a DPS phase, but so are any of your teammates, the outside team should go all out to attack Atheon. You can complete the challenge by destroying Atheon this way if you have done the previous Time’s Vengeance correctly.

• Use whatever you have to destroy Atheon. Offensive supers (Nova Bomb etc.) are good again here since weapons are no longer buffed by Time’s Vengeance.
• Oracles will still wipe the team if you do not destroy them all. If you have already destroyed Atheon (and gotten loot) and get wiped this way, you will be waiting in the wipe screen for several minutes while the game searches for a checkpoint to restart. Finally the game will realize there are no usable checkpoints and dump you back at the beginning of the raid. X-D
• In the off chance that the outside team is still trying to kill Atheon, do not destroy the last Oracle (#6). Doing so will start Time’s Vengeance and you will fail the challenge.
• If you have fewer than 4 guardians left while doing DPS, then all Sunsinger Warlocks should jump off and kill himself just before Time’s Vengeance ends. Then resurrect yourself after the teleport and try to destroy Atheon.

That’s all, sorry for the wall of text. Let me know if you have any comments.
Have fun, PSN: Lightfoot (without the “one” at end)

A little backstory... I had been working a contract job in IT for a local refinery in Arkansas. Was told my position had the possibility to convert to FTE within 6 months to a year when I was hired on at my contract. Since my hire date, I had been looked down on as "just a contractor" and my supervisor would get an attitude when I asked a question after repeatedly telling me if I screwed up, I was out the gate. He also had a "if I can do it quicker myself, I'm just going to do it" attitude instead of letting me learn the plant systems. March rolls around, I get notified by my supervisor that the position has come open and that I need to apply for it; so I do. The minimum requirements for the position are a bachelor's degree in information systems, or 4 years of relevant experience (I have a bachelor's degree and roughly 8 years' experience). About a week later, I have an interview with my supervisor and his boss. I think it went fairly well.
A couple weeks go by, and I ask about my status and a follow up on the interview. I am told that I have nothing to worry about, that they are just interview a few more candidates and that HR is just "dragging their feet."
April comes and goes. The beginning of this month, I ask again. I am again told, "we're still waiting on HR to make a decision." Our group had a weekly meeting on Friday's where we completed a "highs and lows" for the week. I notice on the 3rd, my boss lists one of his highs as "FTE interviews completed." I don't ask any more questions. The next Wednesday, I get told to clean out the office across the hall from me. One of the plant supervisors jokingly says "hey, I finally get the office with a window I've always wanted." My supervisor says, "No, we hired someone for the FTE position." I make a comment along the lines of "So I guess I didn't get the position?" Supervisor says, "No, but we will discuss it." Come Friday, the 5th, we have our weekly meeting, and we are told that IT is making a shift more towards Operation Technology (OT) instead of Information Technology (IT). During the meeting, I get a meeting invite from my supervisor and his boss immediately following that meeting. I am then told that as I witnessed during the meeting, the company is making the shift more towards OT than IT and my last day would be the following Friday (talk about a bombshell).
I was also told the new hire replaced me has more OT experience than I did. My job before this one was IT/OT Network Administrator for a local MDF mill (spoiler alert: the same one my supervisor worked at, though we worked there at different times and under different companies). I was there for a year and a half before being let go with no clear explanation. After doing some digging into the new hire, he is an Air Force Veteran (no idea what he did during his service, and don't know that I have any way to check). His LinkedIn headline says he is an "aspiring IT professional" and he is a current student at "MyComputerCareer". He has a few basic certifications, such as a Linux Essentials and an Azure AI certification. His only job experience is listed as a general contractor for a local construction company. How can he be hired for this position if he doesn't meet the minimum qualifications? Does veterans' preference still apply even if the education/experience qualifications aren't met for the job? Do I have any chance of fighting for my job back even though my former supervisor and I don't get along?
TLDR: Someone that is a veteran was hired for an FTE IT position that doesn't seem to meet the minimum requirements, though I have no idea what he did during his service. Do I have a chance to fight for my job back?

Vex was placed in a holding cell aboard the human vessel, with energy shielding that was impossible to penetrate. He spent the journey in contemplation, marveling at everything he had witnessed of humanity's capabilities. How had they achieved so much in so little time? There had to be more to their story that met the eye.
As the ship entered Earth orbit, Vex caught glimpses of the planet on the screen. Great sprawling cities sparkled underneath, far larger than any in the Krell empire. Powerful orbital installations dotted the skies, dwarfing even the Empire's largest shipyards. It was then that Vex began to understand, that his people were completely unprepared for the scale of humanity's advancement.
The ship docked at a massive orbital station, teeming with activity. Vex was escorted from his cell by armed guards, their weaponry far superior to even Krell special forces. They said nothing as they led him through gleaming corridors, giving Vex time to study the architecture and design. Everything was optimized for efficiency in a way that spoke of deeply ingrained engineering principles.
Vex was brought before Commander Holden, who wasted no time getting straight to business. "Admiral, I understand you came here on a diplomatic mission. But covertly entering our space shows your people don't view us as friends. Why have you really come?"
Vex knew honesty was his only option. "Commander, I will not deny that my council sees humanity as a threat. When I reported on what I witnessed, they ordered me to return covertly and assess your technology, to understand how you achieved so much in so short a time. But I have realized, that approach will only breed more suspicion between our people."
Holden considered this response carefully. "Your people fear what they don't understand. But attacking or stealing technology will not earn your Empire's safety. We seek peaceful relations with all space-faring civilizations. If your leaders are open to dialog, there may be a way forward that benefits all."
Vex nodded slowly. "I believe the same, Commander. My mission has given me a new perspective. With your permission, I would like to open direct channel with the Empire and relay to them what I have witnessed, and that dialogue is the wisest path."
Holden thought for a moment. "An open dialogue could be a positive step. But there must be transparency on both sides going forward. I am willing to bring your request to our leaders, Admiral. In the meantime, you will remain our guest. You and your crew will be treated well and want for nothing."
Over the next few days, Vex was given accommodations befitting his status. He spent hours each day observing and talking with humans, and came to respect their ingenuity, compassion, and drive. Humanity's rapid advancement was due not to any secret, but to maximizing individual potential through advanced education and societal support structures. It became clear how open exchange could uplift his own people in turn.
Vex was updated that his request had been approved, and arrangements were being made for a secured FTL QEC channel to address the Empire Council directly. The day finally came, and Vex stood before the transmission portal, steeling himself for what was to come.
Would the Council even believe the truth, or had fear gripped them too strongly? There was only one way to find out.
Vex appeared before the Council Chambers, met by a sea of wary faces. Grand Admiral Kaar spoke first. "Admiral Vex, we awaited your report. Have you discovered the source of humanity's strength so we can counter this emerging threat?"
Vex took a deep breath. "Honorable Council, my ship was discovered, and captured by human fleet as fast as we entered their space. Both me and crew have been treated well by out hosts, and I’m here to ask you for you permission, to open diplomatic talks with human leaders, to solve this political crisis we have caused
An uproar followed as Councilors debated this shocking revelation. Kaar held up his hand for silence. "Vex, you ask us to abandon everything we know for the word of this...alien species. Why should we not see them still as a threat?"
Commander Holden stared harshly at the gathered Krell Council members, through the quantum communicator. "Admiral Vex and members of Krell council, when your vessel illegally entered sovereign human space, we could have responded with full force. The only reason your ship, and crew are still intact is because I chose to show restraint."
Vex shifted uncomfortably under Holden's stern gaze. "Commander, I understand the violation of your borders caused concern. Our intentions were to gather information, not instigate conflict. Please understand our species is still coming to terms with humanity's overwhelming advantages."
"Empty words," Holden interrupted. "For all your talk of diplomacy, your Admiralty ordered covert reconnaissance with unknown objectives. How am I to take your word when your very first contact was done in shadows and deception?"
Grand Admiral Kaar leaned forward. "Do not lecture us human. Our mission was to ensure the security of the Krell Empire in the face of an emerging superior force. If your technology had fallen into the wrong hands the consequences could have been disastrous."
"And who decides what constitutes the 'wrong hands' if not us?" Holden shot back. "This is not some lawless frontier Admiral, it is organized United Earth space. We will not tolerate foreign powers skulking around our borders and facilities unannounced."
Vex raised a pacifying hand. "Commander, while the Council's decision was rash, no harm was done. Let us move forward in a spirit of open-"
"Be silent Admiral," Holden cut him off. "I have not granted you permission to speak. You Krell act as if you are entitled to do as you please in our space, facing no repercussions. Well you have severely miscalculated."
Kaar leaned forward menacingly. "Are you threatening us human? Your fleets would burn before ever reaching the Empire home world. Do not believe you hold power over us."
A steely glint entered Holden's eyes. "Is that so Admiral? Then perhaps a demonstration is in order." He turned to an aide. "Launch the prototype."
The aide nodded and spoke quietly into her comm unit. Outside the viewing ports, the black void suddenly erupted in blinding light. A ripple seemed to pass through normal space itself, distorting the stars beyond in its wake. When the glare faded, a massive object was visible, a 10 miles long cylinder,
composed entirely of some unknown silvery material. Kaar blinked in shocked disbelief. "What...what is that?" Holden allowed himself a thin smile. "The product of unconventional technological pathways, even your reconnaissance failed to uncover Admiral. Allow me to introduce, Starlight Drive prototype 1, humanity's solution to traveling between the stars without limit."
Vex fought to find words. "Commander...that technology violates all known laws of physics. FTL travel was theorized as impossible!"
"And yet here it rests before your eyes," Holden replied calmly. "Its drives can accelerate this vessel from a dead stop to five percent of lightspeed within an hour, before safely making the jump to FTL velocities. But its true power lies elsewhere."
He gestured to the aide, who input a series of commands. There was another brilliant rippling in realspace, and when it faded the prototype was gone, having vanished without a trace. Simultaneously, an alert chimed on the crew's sensor boards - the prototype had reappeared halfway across the known galaxy, less than a lightyear from the Krell home world.
"One must always be prepared to face the unforeseen," Holden said ominously. His gaze swept across the stunned Council. "Bear that lesson well as you reconsider any plans regarding humanity or our borders. Your infiltration will have repercussions, but that discussion can wait. For now, our message is delivered, do not test us further, Council members.'"
With that, he cut the channel, leaving the Krell delegates in shocked silence. Vex stared at the empty transmission field, a cold feeling growing in his core. It seemed humanity's true military potential was even more staggering than they could have possibly imagined. What other paradigm-shifting technologies did they possess in reserve? More worrying still was the steely gleam, he had seen in Holden's eyes during the demonstration, these Terrans would show no mercy, if directly provoked. Cooperation was the only path to survival, if the Council could be persuaded to set aside their pride and see reason before it was too late.
The Council debated late into the cycles, but the discussion was far from civil. Factions remained stubbornly divided in their views of humanity.
Grand Admiral Kaar voiced the loudest opposition. "These Terrans speak of cooperation, yet covertly infiltrated our borders, in the middle of talks. How can we trust such a technologically advanced species, not to see them as a threat?"
Another council member struggled to be heard over the shouts of agreement. "Honorable Council, while the infiltration was a misstep, their intentions appeared peaceful. Would it not be prudent to learn more, before making enemies of a potential ally?"
"Empty words," Kaar countered. "You have been blinded by these aliens. We must approach them with caution, not naivety."
Weary hours passed without resolution. Then Kaar proposed a sinister compromise: "Send delegates not for learning, but to spy on humanity's strengths and vulnerabilities. Only then can we properly defend our people from their looming threat."
The Council unanimously approved the covert mission, to neutral space near human core systems, under the banner of diplomatic talks. Despite some council members objections, plans were made to infiltrate humanity under false pretenses of diplomacy. Weeks later, the delegation departed, concealing their true hostile purpose under a thin guise of open mindedness.
Opposition council members could only watch helplessly, praying the delegates did not provoke humanity's ire, through deception and betrayal. Much now depended on the Terrans showing restraint, if the deception was uncovered, for second time.
If you want can support me on my YouTube channel. @ SciFiTime

Vex was placed in a holding cell aboard the human vessel, with energy shielding that was impossible to penetrate. He spent the journey in contemplation, marveling at everything he had witnessed of humanity's capabilities. How had they achieved so much in so little time? There had to be more to their story that met the eye.
As the ship entered Earth orbit, Vex caught glimpses of the planet on the screen. Great sprawling cities sparkled underneath, far larger than any in the Krell empire. Powerful orbital installations dotted the skies, dwarfing even the Empire's largest shipyards. It was then that Vex began to understand, that his people were completely unprepared for the scale of humanity's advancement.
The ship docked at a massive orbital station, teeming with activity. Vex was escorted from his cell by armed guards, their weaponry far superior to even Krell special forces. They said nothing as they led him through gleaming corridors, giving Vex time to study the architecture and design. Everything was optimized for efficiency in a way that spoke of deeply ingrained engineering principles.
Vex was brought before Commander Holden, who wasted no time getting straight to business. "Admiral, I understand you came here on a diplomatic mission. But covertly entering our space shows your people don't view us as friends. Why have you really come?"
Vex knew honesty was his only option. "Commander, I will not deny that my council sees humanity as a threat. When I reported on what I witnessed, they ordered me to return covertly and assess your technology, to understand how you achieved so much in so short a time. But I have realized, that approach will only breed more suspicion between our people."
Holden considered this response carefully. "Your people fear what they don't understand. But attacking or stealing technology will not earn your Empire's safety. We seek peaceful relations with all space-faring civilizations. If your leaders are open to dialog, there may be a way forward that benefits all."
Vex nodded slowly. "I believe the same, Commander. My mission has given me a new perspective. With your permission, I would like to open direct channel with the Empire and relay to them what I have witnessed, and that dialogue is the wisest path."
Holden thought for a moment. "An open dialogue could be a positive step. But there must be transparency on both sides going forward. I am willing to bring your request to our leaders, Admiral. In the meantime, you will remain our guest. You and your crew will be treated well and want for nothing."
Over the next few days, Vex was given accommodations befitting his status. He spent hours each day observing and talking with humans, and came to respect their ingenuity, compassion, and drive. Humanity's rapid advancement was due not to any secret, but to maximizing individual potential through advanced education and societal support structures. It became clear how open exchange could uplift his own people in turn.
Vex was updated that his request had been approved, and arrangements were being made for a secured FTL QEC channel to address the Empire Council directly. The day finally came, and Vex stood before the transmission portal, steeling himself for what was to come.
Would the Council even believe the truth, or had fear gripped them too strongly? There was only one way to find out.
Vex appeared before the Council Chambers, met by a sea of wary faces. Grand Admiral Kaar spoke first. "Admiral Vex, we awaited your report. Have you discovered the source of humanity's strength so we can counter this emerging threat?"
Vex took a deep breath. "Honorable Council, my ship was discovered, and captured by human fleet as fast as we entered their space. Both me and crew have been treated well by out hosts, and I’m here to ask you for you permission, to open diplomatic talks with human leaders, to solve this political crisis we have caused
An uproar followed as Councilors debated this shocking revelation. Kaar held up his hand for silence. "Vex, you ask us to abandon everything we know for the word of this...alien species. Why should we not see them still as a threat?"
Commander Holden stared harshly at the gathered Krell Council members, through the quantum communicator. "Admiral Vex and members of Krell council, when your vessel illegally entered sovereign human space, we could have responded with full force. The only reason your ship, and crew are still intact is because I chose to show restraint."
Vex shifted uncomfortably under Holden's stern gaze. "Commander, I understand the violation of your borders caused concern. Our intentions were to gather information, not instigate conflict. Please understand our species is still coming to terms with humanity's overwhelming advantages."
"Empty words," Holden interrupted. "For all your talk of diplomacy, your Admiralty ordered covert reconnaissance with unknown objectives. How am I to take your word when your very first contact was done in shadows and deception?"
Grand Admiral Kaar leaned forward. "Do not lecture us human. Our mission was to ensure the security of the Krell Empire in the face of an emerging superior force. If your technology had fallen into the wrong hands the consequences could have been disastrous."
"And who decides what constitutes the 'wrong hands' if not us?" Holden shot back. "This is not some lawless frontier Admiral, it is organized United Earth space. We will not tolerate foreign powers skulking around our borders and facilities unannounced."
Vex raised a pacifying hand. "Commander, while the Council's decision was rash, no harm was done. Let us move forward in a spirit of open-"
"Be silent Admiral," Holden cut him off. "I have not granted you permission to speak. You Krell act as if you are entitled to do as you please in our space, facing no repercussions. Well you have severely miscalculated."
Kaar leaned forward menacingly. "Are you threatening us human? Your fleets would burn before ever reaching the Empire home world. Do not believe you hold power over us."
A steely glint entered Holden's eyes. "Is that so Admiral? Then perhaps a demonstration is in order." He turned to an aide. "Launch the prototype."
The aide nodded and spoke quietly into her comm unit. Outside the viewing ports, the black void suddenly erupted in blinding light. A ripple seemed to pass through normal space itself, distorting the stars beyond in its wake. When the glare faded, a massive object was visible, a 10 miles long cylinder,
composed entirely of some unknown silvery material. Kaar blinked in shocked disbelief. "What...what is that?" Holden allowed himself a thin smile. "The product of unconventional technological pathways, even your reconnaissance failed to uncover Admiral. Allow me to introduce, Starlight Drive prototype 1, humanity's solution to traveling between the stars without limit."
Vex fought to find words. "Commander...that technology violates all known laws of physics. FTL travel was theorized as impossible!"
"And yet here it rests before your eyes," Holden replied calmly. "Its drives can accelerate this vessel from a dead stop to five percent of lightspeed within an hour, before safely making the jump to FTL velocities. But its true power lies elsewhere."
He gestured to the aide, who input a series of commands. There was another brilliant rippling in realspace, and when it faded the prototype was gone, having vanished without a trace. Simultaneously, an alert chimed on the crew's sensor boards - the prototype had reappeared halfway across the known galaxy, less than a lightyear from the Krell home world.
"One must always be prepared to face the unforeseen," Holden said ominously. His gaze swept across the stunned Council. "Bear that lesson well as you reconsider any plans regarding humanity or our borders. Your infiltration will have repercussions, but that discussion can wait. For now, our message is delivered, do not test us further, Council members.'"
With that, he cut the channel, leaving the Krell delegates in shocked silence. Vex stared at the empty transmission field, a cold feeling growing in his core. It seemed humanity's true military potential was even more staggering than they could have possibly imagined. What other paradigm-shifting technologies did they possess in reserve? More worrying still was the steely gleam, he had seen in Holden's eyes during the demonstration, these Terrans would show no mercy, if directly provoked. Cooperation was the only path to survival, if the Council could be persuaded to set aside their pride and see reason before it was too late.
The Council debated late into the cycles, but the discussion was far from civil. Factions remained stubbornly divided in their views of humanity.
Grand Admiral Kaar voiced the loudest opposition. "These Terrans speak of cooperation, yet covertly infiltrated our borders, in the middle of talks. How can we trust such a technologically advanced species, not to see them as a threat?"
Another council member struggled to be heard over the shouts of agreement. "Honorable Council, while the infiltration was a misstep, their intentions appeared peaceful. Would it not be prudent to learn more, before making enemies of a potential ally?"
"Empty words," Kaar countered. "You have been blinded by these aliens. We must approach them with caution, not naivety."
Weary hours passed without resolution. Then Kaar proposed a sinister compromise: "Send delegates not for learning, but to spy on humanity's strengths and vulnerabilities. Only then can we properly defend our people from their looming threat."
The Council unanimously approved the covert mission, to neutral space near human core systems, under the banner of diplomatic talks. Despite some council members objections, plans were made to infiltrate humanity under false pretenses of diplomacy. Weeks later, the delegation departed, concealing their true hostile purpose under a thin guise of open mindedness.
Opposition council members could only watch helplessly, praying the delegates did not provoke humanity's ire, through deception and betrayal. Much now depended on the Terrans showing restraint, if the deception was uncovered, for second time.

Causing NCR quests to fail or helping the enemy of the NCR are all considered part of a legion run to me no matter how small.
Death by 1000 cuts, and stretch an over extended force even thinner.

hello! univ student here and i need suggestions if ano ung mas maganda between the two! i'm a pharma student and ang dami talaga materials na need aralin so need ko na talaga ipad. i'll be using it solely for notetaking and reading and di naman po ako artist or editor hehe. or minimal vid editing lang if our program will require.
which one is better po? thanks soooo much!!

Hello Airmen
(I’m not even sure that’s the term I should use)
I’ve just graduated pharmacy school and am set to take my NAPLEX in August. I’ve got about 250k in student loans and doing the numbers, with student loan payments, rent/mortgage and living expenses, I’m not making much for about 10 years. I did some diving on joining the military and saw as a pharmacist, I’d be commissioned as an O-3 as soon as I join. I’ve heard the benefits of the military and they seem really good. Any advice or insight on what O-3 pharmacists do in the Air Force?

• Would I be required to live on base
  
• how’s the work load
  
• what’s officer life like
  

Appreciate any and all comments, thank you for all that you do

Hi. I was wondering if any of you guys do well with structure. Like let’s say an autistic person wants to join the US Air Force or even the US Army do you guys think that they’ll do good with the structure part of it? And have any of you guys served in your country’s military regardless where you’re from? If so, what branch were you in?

So the number one big problem with PD3's armour is that it completely fails to create tension. There's no tension throughout the heist because it's too easy to maintain control over the heist and prevent a premature plate break, and there's no tension from attrition because you can easily stretch your armour to last for way longer than any heist will last. Resulting in fatal boredom. So I tried modding these adjustments:

• All armours' 25% damage reduction is replaced with a 25% damage increase (with the way the game does maths, this is a 66% enemy damage increase)
• Trauma damage reduced from 35% to 13% (equivalent to 22% without the damage increase)
• Recovery time changed to 3/4/5/6 seconds (from standard lining to heavy ballistic)
• Pretend that the Extra Plates and Armour Up skills don't exist so your armour bag can only bring 4 plates
• Downs completely removed. Lose all health and go straight to custody

These changes were a good start. Before you were pretty much forced to wait out every assault and do objectives in breaks, but these changes allowed for an aggressive yet very cautious and tactical playstyle, like playing PD:TH on OVK145/193+. But it was still too easy and boring... until a dozer came up and the difficulty completely spiked.
Now one of the other big problems with PD3's design is in how they did difficulty. Instead of making it harder to do things right, it just punishes you harder for doing things wrong. It's like saying "Here's an insanely hard maths question: What's 2+2? It's difficult because if you get it wrong, you DIE!" Take the tasers, for example. They're too underpowered, so they increased their damage - changing nothing, because it was still super easy as ever to just not get tased in the first place. So, I wanted to address the difficulty gap by making the specials more of a real complication:

• Tasers' and naders' health and armour quadrupled
• Shields' health and armour doubled and their visor made unbreakable and impenetrable (same penetrability as the shield itself, so you can still get through it with the overkill sniper)

Now it's still easy to prevent the tasers and naders from attacking, but since they take so much longer to kill, you have to fall back to safe territory and come out multiple times to kill it to be safe, which really spices things up because that process opens a window where enemies can push or flank you, so now the specials actually have a big indirect impact. The shield change is also very effective at nerfing camping and waiting out assaults (since no other change actually made that any less effective).
I tested this out on Under the Surphaze OVK and oh man this actually put the excitement back in the game. Any extended enemy fire would immediately break a place so I had to clear every corner and slide from cover to cover like a tactical shooter, constantly having to decide whether to push or fall back, and after a tango with a dozer there ended up being a super tense escape with just one plate and a sliver of health left. This was absolutely a big improvement.
I would like to change other balance aspects of the game like the ammo economy, weapon firepower, skills etc. to make 4-player a proper co-operative challenge, but without p2p that isn't happening soooo it's gonna have to work with solo play and busted weapons.
If you want to try it, here is the rebalance mod. You'll need this and this to play offline.

Hello Airmen
(I’m not even sure that’s the term I should use)
I’ve just graduated pharmacy school and am set to take my NAPLEX in August. I’ve got about 250k in student loans and doing the numbers, with student loan payments, rent/mortgage and living expenses, I’m not making much for about 10 years. I did some diving on joining the military and saw as a pharmacist, I’d be commissioned as an O-3 as soon as I join. I’ve heard the benefits of the military and they seem really good. Any advice or insight on what O-3 pharmacists do in the Air Force?

• Would I be required to live on base
  
• how’s the work load
  
• what’s officer life like
  

Appreciate any and all comments, thank you for all that you do

https://imgur.com/a/pFbDjZI
I’ve been applying for entry level IT roles for some months now. Well over 500+ applications between clearance jobs, indeed, LinkedIn, USA jobs, Monster, & Zip Recruiter. Recruiters will reach out for a phone screen, I’ll pass it and then the hiring manager will reach out. The interviews will go well, I’ll ask for feedback or concerns about my qualifications. They’ll reassure me that I’m a good fit and that they’ll reach out within a week. Then comes the fun part; they either ghost me or send me an email/message like this.. “the funding has been cut, we’re restructuring, the government canceled the contract.”
I don’t know what to do anymore. When you know its not the resume, its not your interviewing skills because you’ve been practicing and have every resource available to improve, you have the IS degree, certs, secret clearance, and a solid portfolio. I’m starting to feel like I was sold a pipe dream of working in IT. Maybe it’s just not for me.
I’m not making this post with the intentions of discouraging anyone. I know there are people out there getting jobs with less box checkers than me. I just needed to vent. I was really excited about the opportunity to interview with this company. The pay was perfect, I’m fully qualified for the role, it’s in the city I want to live in, and they support veterans.
My only other options at this point: 1. Hope the Air Force will take me back on active duty 2. Go back to college for accounting or nursing 3. Become the stereotypical veteran that couldn’t make the cut in the civilian world
For those of you have a job in IT, even if it’s a job you hate, I hope you know how blessed you are. Don’t take your positions for granted.
SIGNED
A disgruntled VET

    REP
Steam profile
IGSRep +119 trades confirmed
SGS Flair +237 trades confirmed
GameTradeREP +24 trades confirmed
       
Payment through Paypal (USD) using Good & Services option. Not accepting other type of payment (bitcoin, Venmo, etc). If you want to pay using F&F option fees are on your own (I'm from EU).
     
Press Ctrl + F to search games in the list
   
  Want List

• River City Girls 2
• Huntdown
• We Were Here Forever
• THE DARK PICTURES ANTHOLOGY: LITTLE HOPE

 
   
   
SPECIAL PACK This 15 games for 1$

• Western Press Mk Cans II Character DLC
• Western Press
• Kholat
• 140
• MirrorMoon EP
• Contraption Maker
• Air Guardians
• Gentlemen!
• Gravity Badgers
• Ignite
• Tank Operations - European Campaign
• McGuffin Curse
• Age of Steel: Recharge
• Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
• Battlesloths 2025: The Great Pizza Wars

5$ * Earth Defense Force 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair + a ton of DLC * DLC list here
   
10$
Game deslisted from Steam

• Ticket to Ride: Classic Edition + DLC Europe + France + UK + Asia + India + Nordic + USA 1910 + Switzerland

   
0.80$ each one
OFFER Buy 5 games of the this list for 3$
OFFER Buy 10 games of the this list for 4$
   

• 140
• 3079 – Block Action RPG FPS
• A Juggler's Tale
• Age of Steel: Recharge
• Air Guardians
• Akane the Kunoichi
• Axis Game Factory
• Battlesloths 2025: The Great Pizza Wars
• Blob From Space
• Clickr
• Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
• Conan Chop Chop
• Contraption Maker
• Dark Raid
• Dark Shadows - Army of Evil
• Death Track: Resurrection
• Demolition Master 3D
• Depths of Fear: Knossos
• Divekick
• Doc Clock: Toasted Sandwich of Time
• Dock Clock
• Dungeons: The Eye of Draconus
• dUpLicity ~Beyond the Lies~
• Dynamite Jack
• Endorlight
• Evan's Remains
• Faces of War
• Fun with Ragdolls: The Game
• Fun with Ragdolls
• Fury Unleashed
• Game Corp DX
• Gentlemen
• Girls Like Robots
• Gravity Badgers
• Haegemonia: Legions of Iron
• Haegemonia: The Solon Heritage
• Heileen 1: Sail Away
• Humanity Asset
• Ignite
• Into the Void
• Kholat
• Kingdom Elemental
• Love Letter
• MacGuffin's Curse
• Mayhem Intergalactic
• Memories of a Vagabond
• Metrocide
• Millennium: A New Hope
• MirrorMoon EP
• N.P.P.D. RUSH - The milk of Ultraviolet
• Nether: Resurrected
• Nightsky
• Ocean City Racing
• Out of Reach
• Particulars
• Party of Sin
• POSTAL 2
• Praetorians
• Random Access Murder
• Recovery Search & Rescue Simulation
• Reflex
• Relicta
• Retimed
• Rover Mechanic Simulator
• SanctuaryRPG: Black Edition
• Shadows: Price for Our Sins Bonus Edition
• Shark Attack Deathmatch 2
• Shelter 2
• Shoppe Keep
• shutshimi
• Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies
• Size Matters
• SOL Exodus
• Space Trader: Merchant Marine
• Spirits
• Splendor
• STANDBY
• STCC II DLC for Race07
• Steam Bandits Outpost Explorer Equipment
• Still There
• Stonerid
• Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
• Super 3-D Noah's Ark
• Super Killer Hornet: Resurrection
• Sweezy Gunner
• Symphony
• Tank Operations - European Campaign
• The Great Jitters: Pudding Panic
• The Uncertain: Last Quiet Day
• The Wild Eight
• THOTH
• ThreadSpace: Hyperbol
• TIMEframe
• Total Pro Golf 3
• Uriels Chasm
• Valfaris
• Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest
• Western Press + Mk Cans II Character DLC
• Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge
• Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter
• Cities: Skylines DLC - K-pop Station
• Cities: Skylines DLC - Airports
• Cities: Skylines DLC- JADIA Radio
• Cities: Skylines DLC - African Vibes
• Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG

   
1.75$
OFFER Buy 3 games of this second list for 4$

• The Red Lantern
• OTXO
• Rebel Inc: Escalation
• Kraken Academy
• Black Skylands
• Small World + Spider Web + Cursed + Royal Bonus
• Terraformers EU
• Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3
• King Of The Castle
• Amanda the Adventurer
• Loddlenaut

   

    REP
Steam profile
IGSRep +119 trades confirmed
SGS Flair +237 trades confirmed
GameTradeREP +24 trades confirmed
       
Payment through Paypal (USD) using Good & Services option. Not accepting other type of payment (bitcoin, Venmo, etc). If you want to pay using F&F option fees are on your own (I'm from EU).
     
Press Ctrl + F to search games in the list
   
  Want List

• River City Girls 2
• Huntdown
• We Were Here Forever
• THE DARK PICTURES ANTHOLOGY: LITTLE HOPE

 
   
   
SPECIAL PACK This 15 games for 1$

• Western Press Mk Cans II Character DLC
• Western Press
• Kholat
• 140
• MirrorMoon EP
• Contraption Maker
• Air Guardians
• Gentlemen!
• Gravity Badgers
• Ignite
• Tank Operations - European Campaign
• McGuffin Curse
• Age of Steel: Recharge
• Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
• Battlesloths 2025: The Great Pizza Wars

5$ * Earth Defense Force 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair + a ton of DLC * DLC list here
   
10$
Game deslisted from Steam

• Ticket to Ride: Classic Edition + DLC Europe + France + UK + Asia + India + Nordic + USA 1910 + Switzerland

   
0.80$ each one
OFFER Buy 5 games of the this list for 3$
OFFER Buy 10 games of the this list for 4$
   

• 140
• 3079 – Block Action RPG FPS
• A Juggler's Tale
• Age of Steel: Recharge
• Air Guardians
• Akane the Kunoichi
• Axis Game Factory
• Battlesloths 2025: The Great Pizza Wars
• Blob From Space
• Clickr
• Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
• Conan Chop Chop
• Contraption Maker
• Dark Raid
• Dark Shadows - Army of Evil
• Death Track: Resurrection
• Demolition Master 3D
• Depths of Fear: Knossos
• Divekick
• Doc Clock: Toasted Sandwich of Time
• Dock Clock
• Dungeons: The Eye of Draconus
• dUpLicity ~Beyond the Lies~
• Dynamite Jack
• Endorlight
• Evan's Remains
• Faces of War
• Fun with Ragdolls: The Game
• Fun with Ragdolls
• Fury Unleashed
• Game Corp DX
• Gentlemen
• Girls Like Robots
• Gravity Badgers
• Haegemonia: Legions of Iron
• Haegemonia: The Solon Heritage
• Heileen 1: Sail Away
• Humanity Asset
• Ignite
• Into the Void
• Kholat
• Kingdom Elemental
• Love Letter
• MacGuffin's Curse
• Mayhem Intergalactic
• Memories of a Vagabond
• Metrocide
• Millennium: A New Hope
• MirrorMoon EP
• N.P.P.D. RUSH - The milk of Ultraviolet
• Nether: Resurrected
• Nightsky
• Ocean City Racing
• Out of Reach
• Particulars
• Party of Sin
• POSTAL 2
• Praetorians
• Random Access Murder
• Recovery Search & Rescue Simulation
• Reflex
• Relicta
• Retimed
• Rover Mechanic Simulator
• SanctuaryRPG: Black Edition
• Shadows: Price for Our Sins Bonus Edition
• Shark Attack Deathmatch 2
• Shelter 2
• Shoppe Keep
• shutshimi
• Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies
• Size Matters
• SOL Exodus
• Space Trader: Merchant Marine
• Spirits
• Splendor
• STANDBY
• STCC II DLC for Race07
• Steam Bandits Outpost Explorer Equipment
• Still There
• Stonerid
• Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
• Super 3-D Noah's Ark
• Super Killer Hornet: Resurrection
• Sweezy Gunner
• Symphony
• Tank Operations - European Campaign
• The Great Jitters: Pudding Panic
• The Uncertain: Last Quiet Day
• The Wild Eight
• THOTH
• ThreadSpace: Hyperbol
• TIMEframe
• Total Pro Golf 3
• Uriels Chasm
• Valfaris
• Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest
• Western Press + Mk Cans II Character DLC
• Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge
• Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter
• Cities: Skylines DLC - K-pop Station
• Cities: Skylines DLC - Airports
• Cities: Skylines DLC- JADIA Radio
• Cities: Skylines DLC - African Vibes
• Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG

   
1.75$
OFFER Buy 3 games of this second list for 4$

• The Red Lantern
• OTXO
• Rebel Inc: Escalation
• Kraken Academy
• Black Skylands
• Small World + Spider Web + Cursed + Royal Bonus
• Terraformers EU
• Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3
• King Of The Castle
• Amanda the Adventurer
• Loddlenaut

   

Quick background. I used to smoke weed, but I quit back in February. I decided to join the Air Force. I started the process, took the asvab (got a 73), and took the personality test. After passing those, I went for my physical at MEPs on Friday (May 17th) where I also did my swear in.
On Friday after MEPs, my recruiter was able to see that I passed all the medical stuff but that we had to wait for the drug screen/blood work. I was still able to put my top 9 jobs that I was interested & qualififed for in the system in the mean time.
It is now Tuesday (May 21st) and the only update my recruiter has for me was that MEPs contacted her for needing a last known address for my Father (who is non existent in my life) and that Unknown was not acceptable. I was able to give that to her. I asked for any other updates and she said that’s the only update she has for me.
My question is, if MEPs is contacting her for background check info 2 business days after my drug test, does that mean I probably passed? Or does not having any update on that by now not a good sign?
When do they typically show drug test results to the recruiters? I’ve seen some answers that say if it’s longer than 48 hours, it means it probably went to further testing because it came up positive. I’m now overthinking this and my recruiter is being cryptic with her responses so I just wanted to know where I stand so far.
I’ve been working out and drinking lots of cranberry juice since I quit back in February. I’ve passed 3 of those DrugConfirm tests from CVS on separate days before going to MEPs. I just hope I passed and would like some answers on what to expect for the wait time.

Complete Changelog: Plasma 6.0.5 complete changelog - KDE Community

Bluedevil

• Kded: Fix launchState setting not working. Commit. Fixes bug #469119

Discover

• Flatpak: don't trip over nullptr remotes when installing a flatpakref. Commit.
• Flatpak: Check specifically installed files when looking up installed ones. Commit. Fixes bug #482518
• Notifier: Assume online if no QNetworkInformation instance available. Commit.
• Kns: drop provider part of the url. Commit. Fixes bug #486330
• Packagekit: return empty license array when unknown. Commit. Fixes bug #486037
• FwupdBackend: Set user agent from client. Commit. Fixes bug #486726
• Flatpak: Do not report regressions on transaction progress. Commit.
• Flatpak: Do not use QIcon to check if an appstream icon exists. Commit.
• UpdatesPage: Fix invisible delegates taking up space and causing a ghost section header. Commit. Fixes bug #478253
• UpdatesPage: Port from custom QSortFilterProxyModel subclass to KItemModels. Commit.

Dr Konqi

• Postman: don't run too often. Commit.
• Backtracegenerator: refactor process resetting. Commit.
• Backtracegenerator: don't crash when the debugger crashes. Commit. Fixes bug #485669
• Coredump/polkit: return early when excavation failed. Commit.
• Coredump/polkit: put tmpDir on the stack. Commit.
• Coredump/polkit: don't allow anything that looks like paths as input. Commit.
• Dumpexcavator: fix dbus timeout handling. Commit.
• Be more strict in rejecting useless traces. Commit.

Plasma Addons

• Alternatecalendar: respect numbering system from libicu. Commit. Fixes bug #485373
• Wallpapers/potd: fix dragging preview image in Qt6.7. Commit.

kglobalacceld

• Postpone processing KSycoca to the next event loop cycle. Commit.

KScreen

• Output: Use dedicated Rectangle for panel orientation indicator. Commit.
• Osd: Make dbus-send wait for a reply. Commit.
• Revert "osd: show main window immediately after the application starts". Commit.
• Osd: show main window immediately after the application starts. Commit. See bug #482642
• Osd: fix actions not being applied in OSD. Commit. Fixes bug #482642

kscreenlocker

• Handle wl_display_create() failing. Commit.
• CI: Add missing dependencies. Commit.

KWin

• Backends/drm: adapt the color factors to the target colorspace. Commit. Fixes bug #483801
• Plugins/screenshot: Snap pixel grid for rectangular screenshots. Commit.
• Plugins/screenshot: Round texture size. Commit.
• Compositor_wayland: properly handle moving the cursor plane failing. Commit. Fixes bug #487037
• Backends/virtual: Fix linux dmabuf feedback. Commit.
• Backends/wayland: Fix present() because beginFrame() has not been called or failed. Commit.
• Backends/wayland: Check whether it's possible to create a swapchain with the given format+modifier. Commit. Fixes bug #485496
• Wayland: Fix security context failing to create a client. Commit.
• Disconnect Workspace::outputsChanged from InputPanelV1Window when it's closed. Commit.
• Plugins/screencast: fix damage region position. Commit.
• Core/renderlayer: don't implicitly truncate width and height of the geometry. Commit. Fixes bug #482987
• Effect: Fix clip region in AnimationEffect. Commit.
• Workspace: fix syncing the stacking order with Xorg. Commit. Fixes bug #478556
• Placementtracker: fix restoring of windows in custom tiles. Commit.
• Placementtracker: fix quick tiled windows not being restored correctly. Commit. Fixes bug #461886
• Fix vertically maximized windows sometimes being moved out of the screen. Commit. Fixes bug #476037
• Placementtracker: fix vertically maximized windows being misplaced. Commit. See bug #476037
• Dpmsinputeventfilter: Don't wake screens up on warp events. Commit. Fixes bug #480026
• Backends/drm: Prevent "recently disconnected" screen wakeup more aggressively. Commit. Fixes bug #480026
• Workspace: don't touch output configs on Xorg. Commit. See bug #477268
• Backends/drm: fix udev event KWIN_DRM_DEVICES check. Commit.
• Plugins/screencast: Avoid resetting m_dmabufParams when resizing the stream. Commit.
• Plugins/zoom: Center cursor on active screen on shortcut. Commit. Fixes bug #435108
• Plugins/screencast: Use steady clock to generate last sent timestamps. Commit.
• Plugins/screencast: Make frame throttling less strict. Commit.
• Plugins/screencast: Reset last sent timestamp when the stream resumes. Commit.
• Plugins/screenshot: Fix monitor screenshots on x11. Commit.
• Outputconfigurationstore: don't overwrite output settings with kscreen configs. Commit. Fixes bug #485353
• Backends/drm: use dumb buffers for the cursor on virtual machines. Commit. Fixes bug #485827
• Ci: Switch to suse_tumbleweed_qt67. Commit.
• Scene/workspacescene: don't check direct scanout candidates for a pixmap. Commit. Fixes bug #485639. Fixes bug #485730. Fixes bug #485712. See bug #477016
• Fall back to breeze_cursors if neither configured nor default can be loaded. Commit.

libksysguard

• SensorFaceController: Create QQmlEngine for configs at class initialization. Commit.
• SensorFaceController: use a separate QQmlEngine in createConfigUi. Commit. Fixes bug #483689
• Fix linecharts and bar charts for small sizes. Commit. Fixes bug #483529

libplasma

• More robust against malformed hints. Commit. Fixes bug #487230
• Workaround setMinimumSize not resizing. Commit. Fixes bug #485456. Fixes bug #480722
• Clock.svg: remove empty groups that cause warnings. Commit.
• Sync config to disk when values change. Commit. Fixes bug #481085. Fixes bug #482469. Fixes bug #482090. Fixes bug #481113. Fixes bug #482773. Fixes bug #483083

Plasma Desktop

• Applets/showActivityManager: Fix and improve layout. Commit. Fixes bug #482098
• Applets/kicker: cap maximum icon size. Commit. Fixes bug #482612
• Kickoff: Use Kirigami.Units.iconSizes.huge as maximum icon size. Commit. Fixes bug #467004
• Panel: don't double count floatingPadding. Commit. Fixes bug #482468
• On multiline launchers are often as wide as tasks. Commit. See bug #485223
• Fix keyboard navigation. Commit. Fixes bug #485588. Fixes bug #477348

Plasma SDK

• Fix montage functionality. Commit.

Plasma Systemmonitor

• FaceLoader: use qmlEngine for configEngine. Commit. See bug #483689
• Applicationstable: Use FirstCellDelegate for the first cell in details table. Commit. Fixes bug #479235

plasma-welcome

• Fix RTL footer buttons and navigation. Commit. Fixes bug #485918

Plasma Workspace

• Systemmonitor: create configEngine for config items. Commit. See bug #483689
• Kcm/fonts: use correct signal handlers for UI controls. Commit. See bug #486699
• Applets/systemtray: Fix wrong icons color in settings window. Commit.
• Remove nasty processEvents() which led to a crash on exit. Commit.
• Initialize member vars to avoid using uninitialized values. Commit.
• Applets/clipboard: Show appropriate placeholder message with no search results. Commit. Fixes bug #486300
• Kcms/icons: filter out GNOME's Adwaita and High Contrast icon themes. Commit. Fixes bug #486409
• Applets/kicker: fix potential crash when modifying preferred applications. Commit.
• Components/calendar: respect numbering system from local language. Commit. See bug #485373

polkit-kde-agent-1

• Fix crash on hyprland. Commit. Fixes bug #485407

Powerdevil

• Kcmodule: Hide profile load/unload fields if battery profiles are absent. Commit.
• [osd] Force Plasma styling. Commit. Fixes bug #480254

print-manager

• Plasmoid: Use KItemModels SFPM. Commit.

System Settings

• Fix subcategory pane opening when exiting search. Commit. Fixes bug #487156

The night was bone-chillingly cold. The slightest whisper of a breeze nipped at my exposed ears and drafted unpleasantly within my overly large winter coat. The black, barren trees stood unmoving like sentinels bearing ominously down upon either side of the sleet-slick street, which was lit only by dim street lamps that, other than creating a dull yellow reflection on the otherwise unlit pavement, seemed to do nothing against the oppressing dark of this fateful December night.
I had passed through a wrought iron gate twenty minutes before, the gate that separated a cozy subdivision from this eerie, undeveloped stretch of road that seemed to be dropped in the middle of the forest. I could think only of my warm, lively hearth and a nice, hot cup of tea between my palms, which now, instead of being pressed against warm porcelain, were being stabbed by my untrimmed fingernails as I tightened my fist onto the leash and plunged the other still deeper into my coat.
This night was the culmination of weeks of investigation on a missing person’s case turned sour. A man named Arthur Smith had reported his four daughters missing, then hung himself three days later when we couldn’t find anything. Oddly, Arthur’s body went missing from the morgue shortly after. The only trace left was an incredible amount of flies, and we were displeased to see that every drawer was leaking a mixture of blood and embalming fluid because the refrigerant pipes burst. When we opened them up, the neck of every corpse had been slit.
Eventually, through good detective work, we were able to connect some dots, and that led us to where we were now: We were now on a manhunt for a suspect that was last seen at a gas station about a mile up the road, not two hours earlier. We checked a network of cameras to see that he had headed for the woods, grabbed the hounds, and here we were.
My colleagues and I were spread around in different parts of the forest with the police force’s seven bloodhounds. I got stuck with Old Ben, the force’s droopiest and most seasoned canine. He was partially blind and notorious for not obeying commands. He didn’t even respond to a dog whistle, which was why some of my colleagues thought his hearing was shot. I doubted this theory, though, because sure enough, when somebody whispered the word “biscuit,” Old Benny perked up and started wagging his tail.
Another ten minutes found Old Benny and I at the end of the once seemingly endless street, with the streetlamps and pavement stopping abruptly at the edge of the woods, which had not entirely swallowed up a bulldozer. Old Ben stopped and sniffed the air for a moment, then plunged down a path in the woods to our right. It was a dirt path, not two feet wide, overgrown and partially washed out, making it an unpleasant and muddy journey from here on out.
…
My flashlight was now the only source of light illuminating our way. Its beam slid over roots and rocks that jutted out of the path at odd angles and briefly swept over the nearest trees, bringing them out of the shadow for a moment. I felt claustrophobic as they bore down upon me and upon the path. The only sound was my deep breathing, my sloppy footsteps, and Benny’s blundering in the mud about ten feet in front of me.
The path turned in such a way that I could see faint moonlight up ahead, but a cloud soon covered the moon and removed the slight comfort its light had provided. I continued following the curve of the path, and pointed my flashlight up ahead. Suddenly, everything was pitch black, as my flashlight had just gone out without a flicker. I was especially annoyed because firstly, I had just replaced the batteries earlier that week, and secondly, I caught a glimpse of the dark outline of what seemed to be a small cottage up ahead, which was now invisible in the darkness.
To my surprise, Benny stopped as soon as the light went out, which made it easy for me to replace the batteries with the ones that I always carried around in my service belt. To my dismay, Benny did not continue walking when the light flickered back on, even when I started tugging on his leash. He simply sat in the mud and peered at the cottage in the distance, which I knew for a fact he couldn’t see. The cottage was incredibly run down, but I couldn’t see much more, as it was just at the edge of my flashlight beam.
I began feeling uneasy when Benny started whimpering and backing away, tail between his legs. Our dogs were trained to bark when they found something, not stand still, and certainly not whine and back away. Old Ben had never been a skittish animal; I had never seen him act like this before. I peered back at the cottage, suspecting something more sinister than I was originally prepared for.
I tied Benny loosely around a nearby tree, so he could pull away if need be, pulled out my handgun, and continued on. Not fifteen seconds later, I was hit with the smell of blood and wet dog, and heard whimpering to my left. I told Benny to stay, and turned to find him where I left him, about twenty yards behind me, looking at me like I was insane. I bent down and examined the source of the noise, only to find one of our bloodhounds laying just off the path and covered in a mixture of mud and its own blood. It was missing its hind legs and was shivering badly. I cursed and dispatched it with a quick slit with my utility knife, then unclipped its collar and stuffed it into my pocket before turning away. I did not want to alert the suspect of my position. I grew worried about the location of my colleagues, as our dogs were trained not to run off. I also wondered what kind of predator would have taken only the hind legs of an animal. I tried not to think about it as I continued on.
As the cottage grew nearer, I was able to make out a few broken windows reflecting my light back at me. Through these I was able to see that the inside of the cottage was pitch black, the darkest black I had ever seen. I walked closer still, and I couldn’t stop looking into the darkness of the cottage. The darkness was so potent it seemed to be spilling over the window sill into the crisp night air. I felt consumed. My heart began pounding within my chest, and I felt colder than ever as I stepped toward the gravel path that led around to the left of the cottage. The sudden change in surface and the sound of my feet crunching upon the gravel seemed to break my trance, and I shuddered.
I didn’t know why I had felt so trapped, and I didn’t like it. Something was definitely wrong with this situation, and my feelings of dread intensified as I followed the gravel path around to the front of the cottage.
A dripping noise interrupted my thoughts and temporarily washed the dread from my mind. I paused. I determined it was coming from the direction I was headed, but I couldn’t see the front door yet as the porch was draped with ivy. I was suddenly hit with the putrid smell I knew all too well: the smell of death. It hit my nostrils like a truck and returned my feelings of dread all at once. I shined my beam to the front steps.
There was a dark, red liquid trickling gently down the steps, pooling under the porch: blood. I looked up onto the front porch, now visible, and saw the torso of a man hanging from his neck about three feet away from the front door. His legs were nowhere to be seen, though there was a blood trail leading into the house, and his glistening entrails swayed sickeningly with the light breeze. Blood was pooling below him, trickling down the steps, and down through the cracks in the porch. It had begun coagulating, and dark swirling orbs rotated in the puddle each time a drop splashed down. I looked up again at the carcass and recognized the man as our suspect. There was frost beginning to form at the edges of his mouth and over his glassy eyes, but his exposed entrails were still steaming. Furthermore, the blood dripping from his wound was still deep red in color. The back of my neck prickled and I knew this man had not been hanging for very long. No, not very long at all.
I raised my pistol and nudged the front door open. I was again hit with the smell of death, though now much stronger, so strong I could scarcely draw breath. The inside of the cottage was unbelievably dank, and the darkness seemed to eat the quivering beam of light I pointed out in front of me, so I couldn’t see ten feet forward.
I heard a sharp crack and I bolted my gaze to my feet. I had just stepped on a human rib. Suddenly the cottage came alive with creaking and shuffling. I heard flies buzzing all around me. I heard a raspy rushing noise to my right. I shined my flashlight to where I thought the noise was coming from, but all I saw was a bloodstained floor and darkness out in front of me. I took a step toward the noise, and the beam of light revealed the glistening mangled corpse of a man, missing most of his skin, hunched in the corner of the cottage. His whole torso was heaving, and I saw the rushing noise was coming from the base of his throat, where a large gash was opening and closing with every breath, spraying flecks of fluid. Maggots wriggled out of his wound, and black purge fluid trickled from his soupy eye sockets, his missing nose, and his gaping mouth. He was missing most of his teeth, and one of his cheeks was rotted through.
I was frozen in place with fear, until, to my horror, the man’s mangled arm rose and reached out to me. At this I aimed and put a bullet through his partially exposed skull, splattering a putrid mist on the wall behind him. Instead of slumping over, as I prayed he would, the man slowly levitated into an upright position as though controlled by a puppeteer. Skin began regrowing around his legs, his torso, and eventually his skull, which sprouted two bloody horns out of his forehead. This being had the likeness of Arthur Smith, though I sensed it was no longer him. I placed two rounds into his torso, and the being staggered, but the bullet wounds simply closed with sickening squelching sounds. I backed away slowly, and he simply stood in the corner and leered at me with burning black eyes and a disconcerting grin.
I continued to back away slowly, placing one more round between his eyes. His head jerked back, but still it healed and he seemed unbothered. I bolted around and headed for the door. I jerked the handle but it wouldn't budge. I tried kicking it down, which was something I was very practiced at, but still, the rotten oak planks held fast against my will. I turned around, back against the door, firearm at the ready, and stared into the blackness. Everything was quiet once again. Despite the temperature, cold sweat beaded upon my brow and dribbled down my neck.
Suddenly I felt a rumbling that seemed to come from the very depths of the Earth. A splitting and splintering sound came from what I presumed was the center of the cottage, and I was soon showered with bits of wood and stone that nicked my exposed skin and drew droplets of blood. I noticed my back was no longer pressed against the back of the door, though I was not moving. The floor seemed to be carrying me slowly in the direction of the noise. I was frozen in place, and found that I could not change my trajectory.
My flashlight beam found the edge of a large hole in the floor. I saw dark, root-like tendrils sprout from the hole and rush across the floor with the sound of scraping and splintering. They then returned to the hole, and they had within their grasp six bare human bodies, which I horrifically realized were those of my now former colleagues. I watched in horror as their pale naked bodies were folded, torn, ripped, and broken in the churning earth. The sound of tearing flesh and cracking bone was deafening and filled the darkness of the cottage. The mass of mangled flesh formed into one chunky, glistening mound in the center of the hole. It began pulsing and rising, and horrible screams rang in my ears. I watched in horror as the mass formed a humanoid figure that rose up ten feet out of the hole and bent over against the ceiling. It was facing away from me, but its raspy voice seemed to mix seamlessly with the screams directly in my ears.
“The churning of earth, the tearing of flesh, the cracking of bone”
At this it let out a booming laugh that reverberated in my skull and shook the foundation of the building. The cottage once again came alive, but now more than ever before. Shutters were opening and closing, floorboards were rattling, flies swarmed in a huge mass around and around the room, blocking the beam of my flashlight and obscuring my view of the figure. I felt my legs quiver along with the rest of the cottage. I looked down at a red book with its pages fluttering in the still air. I dove for it and slammed it shut, and the cottage grew still. I paused for a moment, but the giant figure began turning towards me. I bolted around to see that the door was now open, but the hung corpse was clinging to the top of the door frame, now very much alive. Its entrails were still swinging freely from its short leap, and the rope lay severed and frayed upon the ground.
I paced towards the door, dumping the rest of my magazine into the corpse, which to my relief fell to the ground with a squelch. I hopped over the body and sprinted out the front door, away from the cottage, down the dirt path. I could still hear the screams of the damned faintly in the distance, and the earth began rumbling once again underneath my feet. I continued running back along the path, trying not to think about what I had witnessed. I paused for a moment to catch my breath, and shivered in the now relentless sleet.
The pounding of the earth became the distant rumble of thunder in the distance. By the time I had gotten back to the paved road, I was soaked to the bone in cold sweat and freezing rain, and I was covered up to my thighs in mud from the path. My coat was snagged and torn in places from the splinters of wood and from branches along the path.
When I finally got back to my car, I saw a leash leading underneath it, and found Old Ben, crouched below, tail between his legs. I scooped him up and plopped him in the passenger seat, entirely disregarding the former cleanliness of my car, as it was now covered in mud and dog hair. I cranked up the heat and sped off towards the station to report what I had witnessed.
…
We never did find that cottage again. Other guys went back to where I was and failed to find the path, but they did find the dismembered bodies of my colleagues hidden under the bulldozer at the end of the street. I was charged with the deaths of my colleagues and was thrown into a mental institute, but I don’t mind it much. There are people here that are far more insane than I am. The worst part is my occasional perception of a distant rumbling, and during thunderstorms I’m a whimpering mess.
I have been disciplined three times for writing symbols on the walls that I can’t get out of my head. I draw them in my blood so they stand out more and resemble what I see. I have found that once they are on the wall, they stay out of my head. Unfortunately, I haven’t finished writing them all out yet. The first time I started I got really close to finishing, but then I found myself strapped to a hospital bed.
The worst part of my new existence is the nightmares. I am plagued by images of my former colleagues: their pale dismembered bodies, the sound of cracking bone, their blood on my hands, their shrieks of pain, and the taste of flesh.

So, I'm not much of a Manhwa guy. I've read a couple, but that's very recently. So, almost all the Otome Isekai I have read have been in Manga form. So, these here are the top three I have had the pleasure of reading.

3: The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior.

I love this one because she's not your typical ditzy Villainess or heroine that you see in an Otome Isekai. She's a very intelligent, calculating woman who's doing her best to do better while still fearing the possibility of her old personality surfacing. The flashbacks other characters have of the previous version of her in the game add to that and really gives you a sense that she's just afraid of herself more than anyone else. To the point where she still is a little unobservant of the way people think or feel about her. The manga recently had to get picked up by a different artist because the original one, Bunko Matsuura, has been in extremely poor health. This is the only one of the three that currently has an anime.

2: May I Ask For One Final Thing?

If you've read this one, I shouldn't have to explain myself. She likes punching fat, lazy nobels who do nothing but contaminate everyone's air. Not to mention, she's not an Isekai character at ALL. There IS someone in the story who is, but I will hold off on giving TOO many spoilers for those who were just curious about my post. The story and characters are all really fun and interesting and I can't wait for the next chapter. Also I'd love it if this became an anime.

1: An Observation Log of my Fiancee Who Calls Herself a Villainess/ An Observation Log of my Wife Who Calls Herself a Villainess.

I can't understate how much I love this series. I've read through it Thirteen times. THIRTEEN. Some of you probably saw my post that I made about it the other day when I was just thinking about what kind of voice actors they could possibly get for the anime. What makes this one so interesting is that not only is the Villainess character NOT trying to avoid death flags, she's trying to BRING THEM ON HERSELF. (And absolutely failing along the way). Its also told from the perspective of her fiancee, the Crown Prince. Your typical Emotionless, Super Talented Prince that needs the Heroine to bring the color of life to them. But much better fleshed out and just a really interesting character in his own right. The series is hilarious, heartfelt, and all the characters are memorable. The manga went on hiatus for a while because the artist had suffered a hand injury, but its all healed up and the chapters are pimping out on schedule again.
So yeah, that was my top three favorite Otome Villainess manga. Have you read them before? What are your favorites? Go ahead and comment below, I try to respond to all comments I get on posts I make.

About WARNO)
Background:
The first division to be introduced on the Sordish side was the 5th Infantry Division. Deployed in the Nargis region as part of the Sordland First Army, The 5th infantry division is perhaps the most typical of all Sordish infantry divisions before the war of 1958. In fact, the Sordish armed force inquiry specifically designated the division as a template division. The 5th Infantry Division saw its first combat in the Estord pincer; it has since taken part in many major campaigns throughout the war.
Logistics: The 5th infantry division is designed with strong logistical capability in mind, providing the commander with a range of different options for combat sustainment
Sunolis 32 truck: the stereotypical truck that represents the Sordish Armed Forces
M52 munition carrier: the license-produced Arcasian carrier has been used as a mechanized troop transport. On some occasions, they are used to ferry ammunition to the frontline.
Fielddepot: a hardened strongpoint for storing ammunition. The Sordish doctrine relies on a good defense just like it relies on a good offense.
Sunolis 41 jeep: a mobile ride for commanding officers, not exactly the safest option
Infantry: The backbone of the Sordish Army, the men of the 5th infantry division may not be best of the entire army, but they are well-equipped and ready for combat.
Rifleman (motorized): 10 men squads with 8 G2 combat rifles, one MG21 machine gun, a Carl Gustafsson recoilless rifle (12 penetration with 4 shots), and rifle grenades. Initially, the Lancea reform aimed to fully mechanize all infantry units with M52 carriers. However, due to resource constraints, for each infantry brigades, two infantry battalions are motorized on trucks, and the third is mounted on M52 carriers.
Riflemen (mechanized): 8 men squads with 7 G2 combat rifles, one MG21 machine gun, a Carl Gustafsson recoilless rifle and rifle grenades. The squad rides in M52 carriers to battle. The carrier can reinforce the rifle squads with ammunition and material to reflect the fact that carriers do carry ammo on them. The recoilless
Engineers: 6 men squads with 5 G2s, one MG21, and 4 AT grenades (10 penetration and 50m range). Engineers have always been a part of the Sordish army since the Markian empire. Per doctrine, the engineers should be deployed as a reserve unit in the rear to strengthen defenses, they are not expected to hold the line or storm enemy positions.
Pioneers: Pioneers are specialized combat engineers tasked with storming enemy strongpoints and engage in close combat. This role is reflected by their shock trait, which increases their damage output at close range. A pioneer squad has 9 men with 7 G2s, an FO-47 flamethrower, satchel charges (50m range, 3 HE damage), and AT grenades.
Weapon squad: For each company, four machine guns are allocated; this is reflected by the weapons squad with 4 tripod mounted MG21s. The squad has 8 men with 4 G2 and an additional Carl Gustafsson Recoilless.
Anti-tank squad (motorized): The dismounted recoilless squad operates a crew-served 106mm M51 recoilless rifle (14 penetration, 70% accuracy, 800m range). They reflect the anti-tank squad organic to each motorized company.
Anti-tank squad (mech): mechanized AT squads are attached to each mechanized infantry company from the battalion level; they consist of a 5 men team with two Carl Gustafsson. The squad rides in a M52A carrier armed with a 106mm recoilless rifle.
ATGM squad: This is a new addition to the motorized battalion's anti-tank asset, but it has yet to replace the role of the venerable M53. The BS-3 missile is operated by a three-man team with a minimum range of 400 meters. The MCLOS guidance system resulted in abysmal accuracy (35%), but the long range of the missile and its penetration level (14 penetration with 3000m range) brought a revolutionary change to anti-tank combat.
Headquarters team: the leader of the unit. A five men team with 4 G2 rifles and one recoilless rifle. The headquarters team increases the morale of units within its effect radius and increases their veteran level. Enemy units seen by the HQ team can also be targeted with artillery with reduced aiming time due to their “forward observer” trait.
Artillery: Despite being smaller than their gargantuan Rumburgian counterpart, Sordish infantry divisions have access to a wide range of artilleries.
81mm mortar team: Five-men team with an 81mm, not the best nor the worst. (2 HE damage, fast fire rate)
M502 mortar carrier: A M52 carrier configured to carry 120mm mortar (3 HE damage, fast fire rate)
HF110 howitzer: a towed piece of 110mm artillery (3 HE damage, medium fire rate but with longer range and ammunition)
HF155 howitzer: a towed piece of 155 (4 HE damage, medium fire rate)
L213 SPG: A self-propelled 155mm artillery gun, it is armored to protect itself against enemy counterbattery fire (4 HE damage, medium fire rate)
Rk228 “pipe organ”: A heavy multiple-launch rocket artillery capable of firing 16 480mm rockets in one row. The accuracy is poor, but it can absolutely devastate enemy strong points.
Tanks: The Lancea reform seeks to turn the army into a modernized force capable of inflicting devastating losses on enemy units through maneuver warfare. The division’s tank arsenal has been modernized to some degree.
B-45 tanks: first developed in 1945, the tanks were pretty outdated by 1958. They lack modern armor and cannot reliably damage newer tanks with their 88mm gun. (4 front armor, 2 side armor, 1 rear armor, the 88 gun deals 2 HE and 10 penetration with 40% accuracy over 2300m range)
B-55 tanks: the update to B-45 tanks (pretty much T-55 but better), the B-55s are equipped with smoke launchers, newer 100mm guns, and active night vision capability to counter the Rumburgian night capability. The armor is also improved (7 front armor, 3 side armor, 1 rear armor, the 100mm gun deals 3 HE and 14 penetration with 45% accuracy over 2500m range)
B-55M1, the newest generation of the B-55 series, the tanks are equipped with ballistic computers and better armor, the ammunition is also improved. (9 front armor, 5 side armor, the gun deals 16 penetration with a kinetic projectile with 60% accuracy over 2500m range)
B-55cmd, a command variant of B-55, with leader trait and forward observer trait
Recon: The ability to get information across is essential in modern warfare, hence the army has invested much in this field
FernJaeger: 10 men motorized squad with 7 G2 rifles, 2 MG21 machineguns, 1 Carl Gustaf, and grenades. They have exceptional stealth and spotting.
Belluxjaeger: 4-man team with one Carl Gustaf. They can ride in M52 Jagdhross carriers (the recon version of M52, it is equipped with one 106mm and two MG21 guns). or jeeps
Hettmotor Fuchs: A 6-wheeled armored car with a 20mm cannon and smoke launcher (3 front armor, good spotting)
Air Defense: the Sordish air force is confident in their ability to stop most enemy air attack, but infantry divisions usually retain a strong anti-air component
M42 20mm: dual 20mm anti-air gun, it is somewhat obsolete
M55 anti-air: Self-propelled quad 20mm anti-air gun with radar assisted guidance, the main defense against Rumburgian air threat.
FK-20 Magico: Lespian infrared anti-air missile, the only weapon system not made in Sordland. The missiles have a 60% hit rate against air targets.
Helicopters: Sordish infantry divisions do not have access to much helicopters, most helicopter assets are centralized to armored divisions
Antelope II: Lespian light helicopter, somewhat commonly used in the Rika continent by the Pretorian Defense Force and some Arcasian PMCs, the helicopter is mostly used for recon with only an MG21 mounted on it.
Planes: The Sordish Air Force is an independent strategic branch. Due to limited resources, they are more concerned with gaining air superiority and acting as an interdicting force. The vast majority of infantry units cannot call in close air support. A longtime joke is that a colonel in an infantry division can call in as much air support as a captain in a tank division can.
P-86 Sabre: the plane comes in two variations; A2A variant is armed with a Rattlesnake air-to-air missile (60% accuracy). The rocket variant fires 128mm rockets.
P-104 Starfighter: the Arcasian plane’s reliance on speed has made it notorious for crash incidents, it is often nicknamed as “flying coffin” by aircrews. The plane comes in a bomber variant with two 450kg bombs.
P-100 Super Sabre: the backbone of the Sordish air force, the A2A version has semi-active radar missiles in addition to Rattlesnakes, the bomb version carries four 450kg bombs and two 20mm gun pods

Like I was so close but I didn’t take enough pills I’m so mad. I woke up and my mom said “you didn’t even take enough to need your stomach pumped, you’re fine” like I failed at it and I just need another way where I actually die and don’t wake up in a mental hospital or disable. I’m so tired of or society forcing people to stay alive.

I sat in our dark bedroom, the computer screen glaring with a harsh, white light. A banner flashed before my eyes: “Seek wisdom by understanding yourself.”
“Chloe, check this out,” I called over my shoulder to my girlfriend playing The Sims on her laptop.
She glanced up, her brow furrowing in confusion before giving me a bemused look. “What the hell are you looking at?” she asked.
“It’s some cult,” I replied, unable to hide my fascination. “I fell down a rabbit hole and found this local place downtown. It's a derivative of Aleister Crowley and Golden Dawn bullshit.” I pointed to the Google Street View image of a dilapidated storefront in an ethnic shopping center.
She smirked, a hint of amusement in her eyes. “I never pegged you as the religious type.”
“Check this out,” I continued, clicking through the site. “They have some photos.”
We spent some time going through the albums celebrating various solstices. Most were taken in an odd room with black and white checkered floors, adorned with Egyptian pseudo-artifacts, bathed in the glow of red and purple lights that transformed the scene into a surreal dreamscape.
The people certainly had an alternative vibe. Tattoos were plentiful, but other than that they looked like they came from all different walks of life. Many of them looked like they had their fair share of bullying in high school - no shortage of that. But most of them looked relatively normal aside from the occasional piercing.
One photograph in particular caught my eye. A woman, sitting in a bright red room, sat on an altar, holding a staff in her right hand, wearing nothing. A man was kneeled before her, his arms tied behind him, rope anchored to the ceiling. They were sliding a knife down his back, a small trickle of blood dripping to the floor.
“Damn,” Chloe started. “She’s butt-ass naked.”
“You wanna go?” I asked. “They’re having a get together tonight.”
“You know what, fuck it. Why not? It’s not like we’re doing anything.” she replied.
“Good,” I smiled, standing up. “Because I already ordered an Uber.”
She sighed before opening a drawer and pulling out a small pipe. “I’ll go, but i'm not going sober.”
It was a cold, shitty Seattle winter night. We got dropped off in the parking lot and spent a few minutes looking for the storefront. We finally found it next to a dog groomer and Pho restaurant with some pun for the name I can’t seem to remember.
We entered the shop, which consisted of two narrow isles separated by wood shelves barely big enough for me to fit down. We spent some time looking at the various items, my attention diverting to a vial of elk blood. I remember wondering if they were even allowed to sell this without some type of medical certification they definitely did not have while Chloe shuffled through a bowl of mix and match crystals.
“Can I help you?” I heard a woman say from the back as she emerged from a beaded curtain. She was a short, overweight woman wearing what I could only describe as a sports bra and hula skirt.
“Hi, uh,” I stuttered. “I’m George and this is Chloe. We’re here for the… winter solstice celebration?”
“Oh, goodie! Newcomers!” she said with an out of place, overjoyed expression as she clapped her hands. Chloe and I laughed nervously.
“The door is in the back, but you can come through here just this time.” she said with a smile, arm holding the beaded curtain open.
We walked through a dark hallway, somehow more cramped than the shop, into a rather large room. A gaggle of people were huddled in the back, which Chloe and I quietly shuffled into.
A bearded man paraded around the room, white robes and red headdress cascading into a cloak, knuckles adorned with several large rings gripping a spear, held vertically in front of him. Behind him, another bald man, white robes and yellow cloak, followed behind, white sleeves crossed over his chest.
I glanced at Chloe’s bloodshot eyes, THC clearly flowing through her system. I gave her a knowing look, as if to say Having fun yet? She returned a slow smile.
Without warning, the entire crowd clapped their hands together over their heads as a woman in blue robes walked past, waving a censure leaking white smoke. We awkwardly followed to match the group.
The blue curtains on the back wall opened to reveal an older Asian woman sitting perched on the altar I saw in the photos, again, completely naked. And before you ask, no. She wasn’t attractive. It’s never the ones you hope it is. The red robed man kneeled down and softly kissed her knees.
I glanced back at Chloe. Her smile was so big I was afraid she was going to laugh at any moment. I pinched her on the side and whispered into her ear “Do. Not. Fucking. Laugh”. Honestly, I think I just made it worse. Her face turned beet red as she bit her cheeks.
The ritual went on for another half hour or so. They must’ve said “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law” at least a dozen times.
We were getting kind of bored and were ready to leave before the woman in the blue robes wandered in with a caged chicken.
"No fucking way" I thought. Surely enough, the man in the yellow robes held the chicken high in the air, before slitting its throat and draining blood into a large metallic basin. The man winced as the chicken flailed violently, scratching up his arms, before eventually succumbing to blood loss.
One by one, each person there stood between a white and black pillar saying love and intention in Greek before eating a piece of something, taking a sip of blood, and saying “There is no part of me that is not of the Gods.”
Chloe and I hung back, and politely declined when our turn came. Once all was said and done, they busted out some alcohol and started celebrating. We slipped out into the street, bursting out laughing. After we finally collected ourselves, Chloe whipped out her phone and showed me she took dozens of pictures of the ritual.
We laughed our asses off the entire way home. First thing she did was open her laptop and post the pictures on Twitter, tagging the lodge with the caption “me and the boys chilling right now”.
We returned to the usual rhythm of our lives. I went to work, conducting meetings and answering emails, while Chloe went back to her classes. A few days later, Chloe checked her Twitter and saw that she had gained a few thousand likes. The whole ordeal became a running joke between us.
I would eat fruit snacks and sip on my soda, saying, “There is no part of me that is not of the Gods”. A few weeks later, we had mostly forgotten about it, except for the occasional recounting as a funny story to regale our friends.
One night while Chloe and I were spending our evening the usual way with me on the computer and her on her laptop, I felt her furiously tap my shoulder while staring wide eyed at the window. Confused, I took my headphones off and walked over, pulling back the curtain to reveal 6 people standing in black robes and animal masks watching us from the hillside.
“What do we do, should I call the cops?” Chloe whimpered.
“No, they’re just a bunch of larpers. They’re not going to do shit! Just trying to scare us.” I said angrily as I closed the blinds and hopped back on my computer.
Chloe sat there for a few minutes in a tense pose with her arms folded together. She went to double check the door was locked, before we continued our night as normal.
The next day I got a text from Chloe frantically telling me to come home immediately. When I arrived, there was a squad car parked outside our building. I ran up the stairs to see two officers standing by Chloe in the doorway. I nearly shouted asking what was going on. They lead me inside to show me a massive black symbol drawn on our wall, a six-pointed star made from one continuous line.
We finished our police report and they told us they’d get back to us if they find anything. I’ve been robbed often enough to know that means they’re going to forget about this before they’ve even gotten back into their squad car.
Furious, I stormed over to the shop and banged on the window. The hula skirt woman came over and cracked the door open just enough for me to see one of her eyes.
“What the fuck do you think your little posse is doing!?” I screamed at her. “Breaking into my apartment like that!? You all are fucking psychos!”
“I haven’t any idea what you’re talking about”, she said with a sly grin.
“Oh, yeah?” I said pointing a finger in her face. “If anyone tries any shit like that again I’m going to burn your goddamn shop to the ground, do you hear me?”
She looked at the ground, clearly nervous. I have never blown up at a stranger like this but I could tell my threats were working.
After a moment of silence I stormed off again, back towards home.
“You meddle with forces you do not understand!” she called out from the shop.
I picked up a glass bottle from the sidewalk and chucked it, smashing against her shop window, forcing her to close the door and disappear into the shadows. I’m not particularly proud of how I behaved in this moment, but unless you’ve had someone break into your home and draw shit on the walls, hold on to your judgment.
The next few days passed without so much as a peep from them. Chloe and I began to relax, convincing ourselves that the cult had been scared off. Life seemed to be returning to normal, and the unsettling incident became just another story.