As the last rays of summer sun faded into dusk, I stood at the threshold of a new chapter, my heart racing with anticipation and a touch of apprehension, as I prepared to embark on my first day as a senior in high school. The familiar scent of freshly cut grass mingled with the crispness of autumn in the air, signaling the end of carefree days and the beginning of a journey filled with new challenges and opportunities. With my backpack slung over my shoulder and butterflies fluttering in my stomach, I took a deep breath, ready to step into the halls of academia, where friendships would deepen, memories would be made, and the path to my future would unfold before me. As I walked down the main hallway to my first period class, a girl I had never seen before bumped into me, as she was walking hurriedly down towards the cafe. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” She exclaimed, as she bent down to pick up one of my binders. “Watch where you’re going, good God.” I huffed back. “Geez… it was an acc-“ I cut her off- “You look familiar… have I met you somewhere before?” “Umm. I don’t think we’ve ever met before. Maybe you should get your vision checked.” she replied back, annoyed. “Whatever, asshole.” I sighed. “Excuse me?” She said, raising an eyebrow.” I could’ve sworn I had seen her somewhere before… maybe I was losing it. “Look, this is going to sound really, really weird, but in the near further, you’re going to be asked to play a game. You HAVE to say no, or really bad things are going to happen…” I took a step back, looking the girl up and down. “You sound schizophrenic. I’m going to class.” I said, turning back towards my classroom door. As I turned to walk away, her words echoed in my mind, a strange sense of foreboding creeping over me. But dismissing it as nonsense, I pushed through the classroom door, eager to start the day and put the strange encounter behind me. The day passed in a blur of introductions, syllabi, and catching up with friends. Yet, despite my attempts to shake off the odd encounter, the girl's warning lingered in the back of my thoughts like an unsettling whisper. As the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, I found myself retracing my steps through the bustling halls. Glancing around, I caught sight of the mysterious girl disappearing into a throng of students.Curiosity gnawed at me, and against my better judgment, I followed her, weaving through the crowd until I spotted her slipping into a secluded corner of the school courtyard. Approaching cautiously, I cleared my throat, "Hey, um, sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to come off as rude." She turned to face me, her expression guarded yet somehow relieved. "It's fine," she said, her tone softening. "I understand. It's not easy to believe something so... unbelievable." I frowned, puzzled by her cryptic words. "What do you mean?" Taking a deep breath, she met my gaze squarely. "I know this sounds crazy, but I need you to listen to me. That game I mentioned earlier—it's real. And it's dangerous. People are disappearing, and I think... I think you're next." My heart skipped a beat as her words sank in, sending a chill down my spine. "What do you mean I'm next?" “I have to go. It’s Friday, I need to go pick up my little brother from school. We can talk on Monday… just, trust me.” She said, rushing towards the parking lot. As the days passed, I found myself haunted by the girl's warning, the memory of her urgent plea lingering like a ghost in the back of my mind. But try as I might to push it aside, the sense of impending doom only grew stronger with each passing moment, a shadow looming ever larger over my once-ordinary life. Sunday morning rolled around, and I was still as anxious as ever, when suddenly an option appeared in front of me. “Would you like to play Truth or Dare?” It read. I sat there for a second, absolutely dumbfounded, thinking I had completely lost it. The two options, lingering in front of me. If I were to complete all of the dares and truths, I would win.. whole million dollars!? “The dares couldn’t be that bad, especially for a million dollars, right?” I thought to myself, hovering the “yes” option. As the option appeared over her head, my heart pounded in my chest, a sickening sense of dread settling over me like a suffocating blanket. But as the stakes grew higher and the dares more dangerous, I found myself unable to resist the lure of the prize dangling just out of reach. One by one, I completed each dare. Confessing my love to my crush, licking a toilet bowl, chugging a bottle of vinegar… everything seemed, moderately alright.. the thrill of the challenge mingling with the gnawing fear that clawed at the edges of my mind. But as the night wore on and the dares grew increasingly sinister, I began to realize the true cost of my greed. Although, I had more important things on my mind. Friday once again rolled around, and the most popular guy in our school, Jackson, had invented me to his house party. This was absolutely a dream come true, but, how was I supposed to tell my mother I was going to a random frat boys party? As 6:00pm rolled around, I grabbed my keys and told my mother I was going to a movie with my friends. As she was about to reply, a new option for Truth or Dare showed, stating, “tell your mother where you’re really going.” At this point, I knew I was screwed. “Are you sure?” My mother asked. “Actually, I was invited to a party by Jackson, the new football teams quarter back.” I said, shuffling my feet. “Do you think I’m crazy? Absolutely not, you are staying home tonight!” My mother shouted back. Maybe it was for the better, after all, mother knows best, right? As 8:00 rolled around, I was sitting on my bed reading, as a new dare showed. “Sneak out and go to the party.” It read. “Well… shit. I’m screwed either way, at this rate.” I muttered, taking the screen off of my window. I grabbed my keys from my desk, and climbed out into the fresh, cold air. I made it to the party about 15 minutes later. As I took my boots off, and walked through the front door, I noticed my friend Samantha sitting next to Jackson with a group of others, drinking out of shiny, red cups. Jackson came up to greet me, handing me a strange smelling concoction. “Here, I’m sure you’ll like this!” Jackson said, cheerfully. “I’m sorry.. I’m not much of a drinker. It’s not good for you.” I stated, slightly uncomfortable. “Oh come on… look, everyone’s drinking! This is my special, everyone loves this. It has extra lime in it!” He yelled back, trying to make himself heard over the loud music playing from a speaker in the kitchen. “Alright… just a few sips, I guess.” I said, shyly taking the cup from his hand. Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all, it was quite citrusy, and I love sour things. As the night went on, I continued to drink the mysterious beverages from Jackson. All seemed fine, until around 11:45pm. In a blur of flashing lights and pounding music, it happened. Someone spiked my drink, sending me spiraling into darkness as my world shattered into a million jagged pieces. When I awoke, disoriented and groggy, I found myself trapped in a nightmare of my own making. Bound to a small wooden chair, surrounded by four other girls, each one bearing the same haunted expression of terror etched into their pale faces. As the reality of our situation sunk in, a cold wave of despair washed over me, the harsh truth of my actions crashing down around me like a tidal wave. And as I stared into the darkness, the option still hanging over my head like a cruel taunt, I knew that the game was far from over. But as the hours stretched into days, and the terror of our captivity threatened to consume us whole, I clung to the fragile hope that somehow, someway, we would find a way to escape the nightmare that had become our reality. The only times we had seen the light of day, was when Jackson brought food and water down to us. And as the days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months, we fought tooth and nail against the forces that sought to break us, forging bonds of strength and resilience that would carry us through the darkest of nights. And though the scars of our ordeal would never fully heal, we emerged from the depths of hell stronger than we ever thought possible, united in our determination to reclaim our lives and rewrite our own destinies. As the days stretched on in our captivity, each one blurring into the next in a haze of fear and uncertainty, a glimmer of hope appeared on the horizon in the most unexpected way. One day, as I sat huddled in the darkness, my mind drifting back to the events that had led me to this nightmare, a strange option materialized before my eyes, shimmering like a mirage in the desert of my despair. "Lifeline, Time travel: Go back to the first day of school," it read, its words pulsating with an otherworldly glow that seemed to beckon me closer. For a moment, I hesitated, the weight of my past mistakes bearing down on me like a crushing weight. But as I stared into the depths of the option before me, a flicker of determination ignited within me, burning bright against the darkness that threatened to consume me whole. With a trembling hand, I reached out and pressed the option, the world around me fading into a swirling vortex of light and color as time itself seemed to bend and warp around me. Within in the blink of an eye, I found myself standing once again at the threshold of a new chapter, the familiar sights and sounds of the first day of school washing over me like a balm for my weary soul. “Wait a minute” I thought to myself. “Isn’t it that in all of those time travel movies, doesn’t your past self seeing your future self create some sort of paradox? Or singularity? Or the end of life as we know it…?” I knew then I had to disguise myself before approaching my past self. As I put on glasses, and changed my clothes in the locker room, I scurried around trying to find some sort of hat. “Ugh, finally!” I exclaimed, grabbing a beanie that was left is someone’s open locker. “I have to go find myself.” I said, bolting out of the locker room door. As I ran through the halls, I had accidentally bumped into a girl, walking the opposite direction of me. As I apologized profusely, bending over to hand her one of her purple binders, she looked at me puzzled. “Wait a minute, have I met you before?” My heart sank. “Umm. Maybe you should get your vision checked.” “Whatever, asshole.” She muttered under her breath.

Everyone needs to read this. Info on todays battle!! Seen this some Where else Not me. Not my post. Just trying to spread this information. Vote this up so everyone can see it!!!!!!
From another post (spread it around):
Are you asking yourself: "what now?" Here's an answer in "ape speak" for what we are waiting for. Please like and comment so others can see this post.
Okay so we held out with FFIE and ended the week nearly 2300% above what it was last week. This by itself is an amazing feat which accomplished 2 things:
We kept FFIE above 1 dollar, so it stays listed on NASDAQ (until it drops to 0.10 per share for 30 days which isn't likely for quite a while).
We made intentions for a short sale known to those who were betting it would be delisted, and eventually drop in price.
So what happens next?
Well, now the hedge funds have a decision to make:
They can cut their losses, and buy up the shares at current market value (this is the beginning of a cascade where we all get rich). Essentially, any share that a hedge fund purchases to mitigate their losses will increase the value of our shares.
They can continue to hold their shorted stock "loans" and hope the market drops again next week. If this is the case, we will need to continue to hold our shares until they crack (they pay a lot of money for each day they continue to short)
As of 1 h before market close, there were still 36 million shares being shorted.
What does this mean? It means that because Hedges believe our efforts are short lived, they didn't cancel their shorts and buy back their shorted stocks.
They are pretty much betting that the "meme" will die down soon and they can buy back their shorted stocks at a much lower price than it is right now.
Say, for example, the flame dies out, and people begin selling because they are scared or burnt out, and the share price on Monday (or aftermarket today) drops, they will be able to cover their shorts at a MUCH lower price.
This DOES NOT mean that the stock still wont jump up. But it does mean that it will jump up much less than it would've had we held out at 1 dollar. The higher the price per share, the more it will jump when the hedge funds are forced to buy back their shorts.
In the end, we only need to hold out long enough for the fees that they pay to become more expensive than it would be to just buy back their shares. Either way, they bleed. But one way, we take their money and get very wealthy.
Once one hedge fund cracks, and covers their shorts by purchasing shares, all of them will follow as it will become too expensive for all the hedge funds to hold out. This creates a "parabolic curve" as many have likely heard on various posts. Once the first hedge fund folds, this becomes officially known as a "squeeze." We hold until eventually all the hedge funds are either bankrupt (for not paying back their shorts), which will then be covered by the federal government, or until they all take MASSIVE losses and buy back their shorts.
Now, as for today, many people likely sold at peak, or once they started seeing red. Especially those who have never experienced a squeeze before (I was there in 2021 and sold out of fear). If this fits your description, please read the following:
The drop today was a maneuver known as a "SHORT LADDER."
This is a technique used by hedge funds to attempt to squash a short squeeze, and bring the price down of the stock. This is the hedge funds attempting to break you, using psychological warfare. Heres how they do it:
Step 1: They increase the share price (usually very quickly) to excite retail investors and make them think what we are doing is working. We saw this today starting about 1h after market opened this morning bringing price from 2.69 up to 3.87.
Step 2: Quickly sell every stock they bought to bring down the price to what it was before. This began approximately 2 hours after market opened today.
Now theoretically, this should only bring down the price to what it was before they bought right? Well with retail squeezers (us dumb apes), you see the shares dropping and start selling your shares in the hopes that you can still walk away with some earnings if you do it quickly enough. This is where they win.
If we all hold, the day ends at 2.69. But instead we ended at about 1.00. Meaning their ladder attack worked so well, that you monkeys got scared and sold your shares. Many of us (myself included) held out to give us another try next week and keep the flame alive.
Step 3: The hedge fund bears will try again, and again, and again (to look like a downwards staircase on the graph, hence the term "ladder") to make the fear worse, and worse, and worse, until there's nothing left and they can get away with shorting a company with very minimal losses.
Our solution, is to mimic exactly what DFV (AKA roaringkitty) did in 2021 with GameStop. We simply hold our shares. Will it put more pressure and make the spike come quicker if we buy more shares? Of course. But the reality is, at 2300% over what they shorted at, if we just even hold where we are at, eventually a hedge fund will fold and our shares will skyrocket.
Now to answer the big ticket question: When will we sell? The answer is as follows: after hedge funds crack, we will see the number of shorted shares decline dramatically. You cant base it off of the price of the share because they can manipulate those numbers to make it LOOK very promising.
Heres the link where you can check FFIE shorted shares numbers: https://fintel.io/ss/us/ffie
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As of right now, the exact number is 36, 342,623. It has hardly changed since we began our squeeze. Once this number begins dropping, we broke a hedge fund and the cascade has begun.
The only risk at this point, is if we sell. We will be our own worst enemies. They will use tricks to make us sell. They will manipulate us. They will flood media with articles describing how we failed. They will use every tool in their power to scare us. But in the end, if we HOLD OUR GOD DAMN SHARES, they cant win.
There will be red days. There will be shutdowns of subreddits (like wallstreetbets back in 2021). There will be news articles. (like the hundreds already published demeaning us). There might even be threats of legal action (like they did to DFV). However, short squeezes are 100% legal, and will make us rich + make billionaire cheaters bleed.
Good luck fellow FFIE advocates. Buy at the dips to get back in. Hold your shares to ensure profits. And no matter what, remember,
APES. TOGETHER. STRONG.

Don’t get me wrong. I loove the series, the good and the bad. But after rewatching season 1, it is so wild to me how much things could have been different (and possibly better) had they followed the original plan of keeping the Oliver, Laurel, and Tommy love triangle.
Killing Tommy was such a bold but destructive move. They’ve developed the character throughout season 1 to just erase him in a blink of an eye with rare references during the rest of the series. As amazing as John Barrowman was in season 1 and in general, his character had no real aim or purpose beyond season 1. Would’ve been much better narratively if Tommy would’ve taken on the mantle of the Dark Archer after Malcolm’s death in the undertaking instead. It especially makes for a dicer storyline because Tommy already knew Oliver was the Arrow and Laurel picked Oliver. The Harry Osbourne route was the most ideal.
They still could’ve done Slade in season 2 while Tommy developing his skills in Nanda Parbat and finding his purpose as the next Dark Archer, culminating in a more logical season 3/4 involving the League of Shadows. Tommy should’ve been Oliver’s Eobard.
Also, just the way Oliver was head over heels for Laurel in the S1 flashbacks and the notion of her being the love of Oliver’s life, constantly undermining her relationship with Tommy, were thrown out of the window inexplicably for Felicity. Man lived in an island for 5 years fantasizing about Laurel and then suddenly pivoted and forgot all about her. Very weird.
Final part of my rant involves Moira. Killing her was a brutal mistake. It’s again a bold decision and makes for a high stakes season but totally destroys Oliver’s public persona. Most of Oliver’s non-vigilante scenes were either at the Queen mansion or Queen Consolidated. Both were no longer relevant after Moira died. Moira should’ve stayed alive and suspicious but unaware of Oliver’s double-life. It helps ground Oliver and make his private life more interesting and the tension more palpable.
Other quick opinions: Roy Harper was underutilized. Laurel should’ve become a meta. Sara should’ve stayed dead after S3. New team arrow shouldn’t have been a thing. Probably better to have had a recurring team or parallel vigilantes but not sidekicks who know Oliver’s identity. Diggle shouldn’t have suited up unless during an emergency. Thea could’ve been better utilized instead of her being a Roy Harper replacement. Lance should’ve died earlier, showcasing how Laurel deals with it while becoming the Black Canary. Magic was dumb to do in S4 or at least could’ve been done better with clear limitations.
Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

Record temperatures, record migration, record emissions, record displacement, record PFAS……start building an ark.
Last Week in Collapse: May 12-18, 2024
This is Last Week in Collapse, a weekly newsletter compiling some of the most important, timely, useful, soul-crushing, ironic, stunning, exhausting, or otherwise must-see/can’t-look-away moments in Collapse.
This is the 125th newsletter! You can find the May 5-11 edition here if you missed it last week. You can also receive these posts (with images) every Sunday in your email inbox with Substack.
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Flash flooding in northern Afghanistan killed 300+ people and destroyed 1,000+ homes. Hundreds of thousands of others have been affected. Last month, similar floods in the region killed 70+. Four died in Texas storms last week as well.
Venezuela is suffering from record wildfires, which so far this year have burned about 5M acres—almost the size of Sardinia. Some experts think indigenous people started the blaze as an attempt at forest clearance, which quickly got out of hand. “Institutional failures” compounded the disaster when the ailing government responded with an inadequate number of poorly equipped firefighters. Another study from last week examined the impact of wildfires on soil health.
Flooding and “cold lava” killed 50+ in Indonesia, injuring dozens and displacing several thousand. Cold lava is a mixture of water and rocks tumbling down the side of a volcano. Meanwhile, an actual volcano erupted in Indonesia, sending smoke & ash 5000m high; further eruptions are possible soon.
The Swiss Re Institute published a 37-page report last week about natural disasters in 2023—and how much damage, in USD, they caused. The largest catastrophe was the February 7.8 earthquake in Türkiye & Syria, which killed 59,000+ people and caused $163B+ in damage. The report is full of interesting graphics & data about natural disasters.

“Last year, economic losses from natural catastrophes reached USD 280 billion, meaning that 62% of the global losses were uninsured….the insured losses surpassed USD 100 billion for the fourth consecutive year….annual insured losses will grow by 5–7% over the long term…today’s insured losses could double in 10 years….There were 142 insured-loss inducing catastrophes in 2023, a new record. Most were of medium severity, which we define as events resulting in losses of USD 1–5 billion….Over the last 30 years, we estimate that natural catastrophe insured losses have grown by 3 percentage points more annually than the global economy (in inflation adjusted terms)...”

Flooding and heat waves are impacting Brazil’s oranges, responsible for about 70% of the world’s supply. One food analysts declared that the “era of cheap food is over”—in the UK, at least. That may be one reason why UK residents took record food bank packages last year. Madagascar is struggling to adapt to a future with far less rainfall.
France is growing more concerned about a dam on Lake Geneva, controlled exclusively by Switzerland. The Rhône River, which begins in Switzerland and flows south through France, is shrinking in summers as climate change melts Switzerland’s remaining glaciers.
The Tonlé San River has been dammed in Vietnam, lowering the level in Cambodia and sometimes drying the river downstream entirely. Meanwhile, China’s lychee harvest is getting blasted by rain, impacting the world’s largest source of lychee. And, once again, Saudi Arabia is suffering flooding in its inland regions. 7 dead in historic flooding in Iran.
The eminent climate scientist James Hansen posted that, since “human-made aerosols and their cooling effect are in decline,” the cooling effect of La Niña will be counterbalanced by these rising temperatures. He also identifies a “large anomaly of increased absorbed solar radiation at midlatitudes in the Northern Hemisphere” responsible for rising temperatures there. CO2 levels are rising faster today than they have at any point in the previous 50,000 years…and a study of millennia-old trees determined last summer was the hottest worldwide in 2,000+ years…
Record nighttime May temperatures were tied in the Philippines and Vietnam. A couple Indonesian cities broke records for May temperatures. And a number of southern African states saw more records drop. And Toronto saw a record tied for the number of days reaching 14 °C (57 °F). A heat wave has returned to Bangladesh. Flooding in Cali (pop: 2.9M), Colombia.
The University of Washington was ordered to stop a geoengineering project that scientists sere conducting from the deck of a decommissioned aircraft carrier. The experiment ejected aerosolized saltwater in an attempt to reflect solar radiation. A comparative study in Nature Communications of a number of carbon pricing found that, yes, carbon pricing does work to reduce the total CO2 emitted.
It’s that time of the year again. Wildfires in Canada grow, some of which are moving towards the tar sands—forcing thousands to evacuate. 39 of the total nation’s blazes are “out of control,” resulting in air quality alerts in the United States. Meanwhile, across the Caribbean, water shortages have become the new normal, and residents (and tourists) are finding their old consumption habits hard to change. St. Lucia has declared a water emergency. In Myanmar, water shortages worsen, particularly as related to the spiraling conflict.
At least ⅛ of Europeans live in a place at risk of extreme flooding—so says a 175-page report from the European Environment Agency posted on Wednesday. The number of people living in flood-risk coastal areas in the EU & UK is expected to jump 24% by 2050. The graphics-packed report also considers how flooding will impact healthcare facilities, mental health, wastewater treatment plants, the spread of disease, cyanobacteria, permafrost thaw, and much else.

“Europe has seen devastating floods following record rainfall, droughts of magnitudes not experienced in hundreds of years, continuing sea level rise, and increasing lake and sea temperatures….permanent water stress already affects 30% of people in southern Europe….since 2018, more than half of Europe has been impacted by extreme drought conditions….Climate change is expected to increase mercury bioaccumulation in the marine food chain due to rising ocean temperatures, ocean acidification and permafrost thawing….Depression, anxiety and PTSD may persist for years after a flooding event….Under the changing climate, northern Europe is becoming wetter in general, but drier in summer. Southern Europe is becoming drier, especially in winter. For central-eastern and western Europe, the trend is less clear…” -selections from the report

Milan suffered flooding last week, the worst May flooding in 170 years. Early spring in the UK has disrupted migratory bird species and their usual patterns.
A 74-page working paper which is not yet peer-reviewed claims that earlier estimates for how much GDP would be impacted by another 1 °C temperature rise is way less than it would be in actuality. The paper claims the real cost (in USD) is about 6x greater. They claim “global temperature has much more pronounced impacts on economic activity than local temperature” and that extreme weather is mostly behind the projected decline in productivity.
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Epidemiologists are worried about how climate change in Africa may extend the life of disease-bearers like ticks and mosquitoes. Other epidemiologists are worried about how cattle may become a permanent reservoir for H5N1. Growing traced of bird flu have been found in wastewater testing in the U.S., but investigators think it may be runoff from infected dairy farms.
Obesity, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure rates today globally are 50% higher than in 2000—though researchers claim that air pollution still poses a larger threat. Of a study participants in Hawai’i, 75% had respiratory issues, probably from the Maui wildfires last year.
The 2024 World Migration Report is out, and its 384 pages are not as apocalyptic as one might think. However, internally displaced people are at their all-time highest. India, Mexico, Russia, China, and Syria lead the world in emigrants; another document contains the definitions for who exactly constitutes a migrant. Unfortunately much of the data relied upon ends in 2022. Data from this year, not included in the above report, indicates a 40% jump in traffic through the Darien Gap compared to the same time period in 2023.

“The last two years saw major migration and displacement events that have caused great hardship and trauma, as well as loss of life….There have also been large-scale displacements triggered by climate- and weather-related disasters in many parts of the world in 2022 and 2023, including in Pakistan, the Philippines, China, India, Bangladesh, Brazil and Colombia….disinformation tactics are increasingly being used by nefarious actors with negative impacts on public, political and social media discourse on migration….Forced displacement is the highest on record in the modern era…overconsumption and overproduction linked to unsustainable economic growth, resource depletion and biodiversity collapse, as well as ongoing climate change (including global heating) are continuing to grip the world….the risk of further conflict has not been higher in decades, as military spending reached a new record high of USD 2,240 billion in 2022…” -excerpts from the introduction

Another report, focusing on internal displacement, came out last week; its 69 pages show a cross-section of about 47M people displaced by natural disasters (56%) or armed conflict (44%). Most of the disasters were storms & flooding, and most of the conflicts were civil wars of some form. This report also provides detailed region-by-region analyses—with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 46% of global IDPs.

“Conflict and violence triggered 13.5 million movements, the highest figure for the past 15 years….Disasters and conflict are presented as different triggers, but their impacts can overlap, often leading to repeated and/ or protracted displacement….Drought triggered 331,000 displacements in Somalia….Floods triggered 550,000 displacements in Ethiopia….Conflict and violence triggered 3.8 million displacements in DRC in 2023, a slight fall from the record four million in 2022, but still the second-highest figure globally after Sudan….nearly two-thirds of the internal displacements recorded in 2023 originated from Khartoum state. More than 39 per cent of the state's inhabitants were forced to flee, leaving entire neighbourhoods empty….Criminal and communal violence triggered nearly three-quarters of Nigeria's 291,000 conflict displacements….” -selections from the spotlight on sub-Saharan Africa

Experts are concerned about the mental health impacts that climate change has on our minds. Hotter temperatures reportedly increase depression & aggression. Wildfires and storms can cause PTSD. Workers feel stress and desperation as their usual industries are impacted. And air pollution influences ordinary brain processes in many ways.
Some analysts believe “Peak China” may be over, signaling a period of economic tapering-off, as well as a growing militancy. Increasing U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods are continuing to separate the two economies. The Netherlands finally formed a provisional government, though its proposed immigration & farming policies have set it at odds with the EU.
The Federal Reserve, the U.S. central bank, released a 46-page report on potential climate risks to the banking system’s resilience. As far as I understood, most of the risk lies in extreme weather events and the risk to insurance agencies.
Part of southeast England experienced an outbreak of Cryptosporidium, a diarrhea & vomiting illness, highly contagious, which can last weeks. At least 22 cases have been reported. Meanwhile, the CDC is issuing warnings about the more dangerous strain of monkeypox circulating in the DRC, although cases are currently limited to Africa.
North Carolina’s Senate voted to ban mask-wearing last week, under the reasoning that it would make police identification of protestors difficult. An fMRI study found lasting neurological changes in COVID survivors; they “had significantly higher cognitive complaints of mental fatigue and cognitive failure….even two years after recovering.” Experts say a summer rise in COVID cases is coming to the United States.
A study on The Canadian/American Great Lakes found that PFAS levels are increasing in the 3 largest lakes (Superior, Huron, and Michigan), while decreasing in the other two (Erie, Ontario). The study also found that precipitation is the primary means by which the Lakes are accumulating PFAS, since the chemicals are small & stable enough to move through the water cycle. Meanwhile, in England’s Lake District, a telecom failure resulted in raw sewage being pumped into England’s largest and most famous lake, Windermere, on-and-off for 10 hours; and a major British water CEO took a $4M USD pay package last year. And a look into the Chicago River’s health found that microplastics & trash are endangering health & biodiversity.
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An assassination attempt by a lone wolf on Slovakia’s PM left him in critical condition, but likely to survive. 11 civilians were slain by cartel fighters in a few battles in Mexico. Violence continues to spiral out of control in Goma, DRC.
In Haiti, everything worsens indefinitely. Guns have reportedly entered from Florida, a phenomenon which officials call an “iron river.” Police have been put on the defensive against the growing might of the gang warlords.
A brawl broke out in Taiwan’s parliament. An Iranian plot was allegedly foiled to smuggle weapons into Jordan to destabilize the pro-U.S. regime.
Dozens more died in Sudan from escalating violence around Darfur. People are warning about “a disaster on top of a disaster” and the possibility of Sudan splitting apart. Others have called it “hell on earth” as 1,000+ refugees cross the Chad border every day. Disease and malnutrition are growing, while famine encroaches upon 9M helpless victims of the conflict—but the world’s attention is elsewhere.
The U.S. Army Engineers completed constructing the pier in Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid. Some 600,000 Gazans have been displaced from Rafah already, and fighting has escalated against Hamas militants in northern Gaza.
Taliban forces skirmished with Pakistani soldiers for about 90 minutes last week. Taliban attacks in Pakistan, and counterattacks have resulted in a kind of ambient disruption for the rocky border zone.
Violent protests—and counteroperations—are continuing in New Caledonia (pop: 270,000), a Pacific island part of overseas France. The riots, which have killed 6 people so far, began after metropolitan France proposed a plan to expand voting rights beyond indigenous residents. A state of emergency has been declared amid worries about a spiral of violence taking hold.
As the Sahel dries out, experts are concerned about the links to rising terrorism in the region. The Sahel accounts for over 40% of global terrorism deaths—according to the analysts’ understanding of “terrorism.” Mali in particular has reportedly become home to 41 new, different non-state armed groups (NSAGs) since 2007. A contested election in Chad resulted in the consolidation of the interim leader’s power.

“If governments are continually unable to solve regional issues, the people will be at the whim of any terror group that has a basic organization. It serves these groups’ interests to promote insecurity where they can and create security where they want. A “hearts and minds” campaign in the Sahel could lead to long-term and locally supported insurgencies in a land that is currently rife with civil strife.” -from the article

Some wargamers concluded that a Trump victory in 2020 would spell the end of NATO, or at least the end of its utility. Vladimir Putin replaced his minister of defense with a top economic advisor, just before going to Beijing to reaffirm their friendship with “no limits.” Some say Putin is planning on a forever war. Some say NATO is gearing up for one, too.
Russia made several gains in the suburbs of Kharkiv, seizing several settlements which some analysts doubt they will hold. Putin claims they aren’t really trying to take Kharkiv anyway… Russia also made small progress in the Donbas—although they suffered their largest one-day casualties since the start of the war. The U.S. allocated another $2B to hasten the delivery of weapons to the front lines. The next weeks will be crucial on the front. Switzerland has invited 160+ nations to send delegates to a peace summit intended to design a path to making peace in this War.
——————————
Select comments/threads from the subreddit last week suggest:
-Brazil’s flooding was really, really bad, judging from this post and its accompanying images. Across just one of Brazil’s 26 states, 600,000+ people have been made homeless, 100+ have died, and the storm season isn’t over yet. Some of the flooding isn’t expected to subside for another month.
-How specifically might climate change make humanity extinct? This thread crowdsources a number of plausible ways, from ordinary famines to nuclear war and even a massive deoxygenation process. I tend to think it will be a consequence of an eventual nuclear exchange, followed by extended famine and disease.
Got any feedback, questions, comments, complaints, upvotes, doom prophets to follow, hugelkultur guides, directions to off-grid bunkers, ark schematics, etc.? Check out the Last Week in Collapse SubStack if you don’t want to check collapse every Sunday, you can receive this newsletter sent to your (or someone else’s) email inbox every weekend. What did I forget this week?

Stand Name: 「Behemoth.」 Namesake: Behemoth by Gost & Perturbator (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rq8PjgNI3c) Stand User: Urutsal Oleyssyes. Size/Height of Stand: 372m. Stand Cry: None. Stand Type: Artificial-Non Humanoid, Long-Ranged, Automatic (Far-Distance Autopilot) Stand. Stand Role: Offense, Support, Defense.
Info and Statistics:
Appearance:
Behemoth is a colossal stand that has an appearance of a Flying Ironclad, the ironclad is actually 290m long, but because of its super-long deck and bow, it gives it another 82m, the stern though inclines at the back. The Main Ironclad has 2 sub-ironclads connected beside it, also having 3 fans at the sides of the Sub-Ironclads. Behemoth's large cockpit is smack-dabbed right in the middle of the Ironclad, with gears forming petals which slowly descend to the Main Engines, the cockpit is very sleek and long, inclining downwards. Both Sub-Ironclads and Main-Ironclad have 2 45m long cannons, with 5 barrels, and each barrel is 6m wide, with 10000 AA guns. Inside of the ironclad, there is 40 small Ironclad like ships, some are scouts, some are defensive, and some are offensive, and 4 giant main engines inside the Main-Ironclad, behind the main engines is a colossal sized cannon, 34m in height. There are also giant inclining smoke stacks on the Main-Ironclad. The main colors of Behemoth are Grey/Gray, Black, Red.
Abilities/Techniques:

• Soul-Recruitment: Once a stand-user has died, their soul will be guided up to Behemoth, which the souls will work for Behemoth, like being a cleaner, fighter, captain, mechanic, medic, etc.
• Annihilator: Behemoth will turn to a direction, split it half, to then reveal its colossal cannon, and fire a huge red laser that can vaporize mountains in under 2 seconds.
• Vaporization: Behemoth will fire all its guns at you, and each shot will be stronger and faster, the shots stop until Urutsal commands to stop.

Weaknesses:

1. Because of its colossal size, spotting it will be easy.
2. Normal people can even see it. (linked to weakness 1)
3. If any important compartments like the cockpit, engines, cannons get damaged, the entire stand will be affected, like really bad.
4. Annihilator takes a WHILE to activate the shooting, 45mins.

Stand Stats:

• Power: A
• Speed: B
• Range: A
• Durability: B
• Precision: B
• Potential: E

Description of User and Backstory:
Age: 22
Appearance/Personality:
Urutsal has a timid, and shy personality (at least he tries to be, but fails pathetically), but when he is piloting, or commanding his stand, he becomes more calculated, serious, and more strict. Standing at 6'5, with short blond hair, and purple eyes. He wears a VRN Vess Division Grand-Admiral uniform (which is similar to a SS Luftwaffe officer uniform, but it has an overly long aiguillette on the hat that droops down to the waist), and a Black VRN Fedora (that's the only way to identify a Grand-Admiral).
PS: VRN (Vess Royal Navy) Vess Division is a sub-branch of the RGN (Royal Gatzaboran Navy). (It's called 'Navy' instead of 'Airmen' is because the ships/aircraft and sailors are extremely Navy like, instead of having Airmen uniforms, they have Naval uniforms.)
Note: The Rank 'Grand Admiral' isn't real, it it used in Star Wars
Backstory:
Born at Gatzabora's Galey Family (which was the family that owned Gatzabora), he was incredible rich, and spoiled as a child, he would go everywhere to become an annoying gremlin, always asking for the things he want. One day, while crying and throwing a tantrum on the floor at a street, he saw an another spoiled child getting scolded like crazy and getting beaten, so he zipped his mouth up, got up, and became more mannered (like he doesn't want to be spoiled anymore). At age 16, because of his family's dreams (they dream that their children will work at jobs like the army, navy, city-worker (they always keep Gatzabora floating, basically they keep everyone alive, so everyone respects them) etc, so he chose to join the army, becoming a sailor in the Navy in fact. 3 years later, because of his stellar performance in the navy, and following orders real well, he climbed up the ranks, and became the most highest rank in the Navy, the Grand Admiral (still lower than 'The General of The Army'). Age 22, in a mission, Urutsal was ordered to take down Maren and Trusyen's squad (they were almost a menace, thanks to their stands), the battle started, Urutsal got defeated, but instead of dying and being those 'loyal' wannabes 'i won't join you!!11!!1', he joined them, and threw off the Navy insignia (which the Navy didn't know that he betrayed them). Becoming the 2nd JoBro.
Status of character: Former Minor Villain turned JoBro.

A high ranking politician who defected against the regime will offer you a large sum of money since they know you are a bounty hunter, but you have to complete this objective:

Assassinate the dictator they assigned. (But do not deny a world war will happen!)

You can't assassinate or steal the reward from the individual who assigned the objective to you as they are government officials and work for organizations akin to the CIA, you'll be listed as an international fugitive for their murder and theft. You can't call the police on these people due to their political affiliation and connections, so they can't really be arrested the same way how normal criminals can.
Disappearing out of thin air, won't really do anything, no matter how many fake identities you create, you cannot really fake your own blood, spit or other DNA for that matter, as that clandestine organization has far more advanced resources to trace your whereabouts no matter where you are in the world without you even realizing it, can you really compete against them as a lone bounty hunter?
Conditions to be met from their end:

• They do not want it staged, as you actually have to carry it out
• They will ask for a confirmation (present physical evidence of their corpse)

Risks to consider:

• The regime makes it clear that NO ONE shall enter their soil unless they tell you, since without permission will also be considered an act of war.
• The borders from all sides are heavily guarded, their troops are given explicit orders to kill anybody regardless of their background or age indiscriminately.
• Their security is top notch, no matter how hard you've tried to penetrate it, you will get caught, as big brother is watching every move.
• They will shoot down any aircraft or drone that enters their airspace, they will also attack any foreign vessels and carriers entering their territorial waters. (Also an act of war from their end.)
• You are dealing with a country powerful as North Korea or Russia, so there is bound to be danger, as they will immediately kill you or subject you to brutal torture.

Let's say you managed to enter their soil covertly, without being seen, but carrying their objective is difficult due to the heavy presence of security surrounding a politician influential and powerful like Kim Jong Un or Putin.

If you are caught assassinating their leader, it is on you with a war now being declared, you will be considered a political prisoner and be subjected to severe torture. (You will now be considered their enemy, trapped in a brutal regime where your government has no jurisdiction.)
If you managed to evade detection, even though they did not know it was you, they will still consider it an act of war as you have killed their leader. (You returned home, but there is news about your actions and 100% a world war.)

Consider the severe implications for doing so:

Complied with the order	Recanted the order given
You opted to assassinate the dictator, but you are bound to be met for a declaration of war to your country and allies.	You decided not to follow through, as you are aware of an incoming war for doing so, everybody remains neutral.
Following that, the regime is pissed off, resulting in the occurence of a world war.	Nothing really happens, but the dictator remains alive, but everybody is safe.
Bloodshed occurs, resulting in many deaths, you receive money but your family including others are killed due to the war going on.	You receive no monetary reward, instead you are reprimanded for refusing the order (sent to prison too), as you considered humanity.
You cannot call the police in this situation, as the enemy troops are invading your country, continous bloodshed escalates.	You remain at peace, with nothing horrid happening, even though you received no reward, deciding to not start a conflict.
It is not just your country being invaded, along with other nations too being affected by your actions, you are easy prey to these people, they are dangerous.	You have nothing to worry about, as there is no target on your back, since you did not do anything to provoke the regime, everyone is unaffected due to no war.
Eventually a nuclear warhead is used, decimating most of the population with a high chance you will die, or barely survive.	There is no looming threat, like mentioned, you did nothing. You have a moral compass to spare everybody from a looming catastrophe.
If you survived the explosion, be ready to adjust to living in an environment akin to fallout, everything around you is contaminated.	Everything remains as it is, nothing is destroyed as you and the rest of humanity remain at peace, since you refused the order, but stuck in prison.
The world has completely changed following the usage of a nuclear warhead, but the explosion is worse than in Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined.	The world remains at tranqulity, as in no one dies from a nuclear fallout, everybody lives in harmony, you are in prison but your relatives and others can live without worry.

In saying that: (Which one is more important, based on the outcomes for each?)

• Even though you'll get a huge reward for completing their objective, resulting in a world war causing many deaths followed by a nuclear fallout changing the world for a long time with devastating effects having to live with the aftermath of your consequences for the deaths of millions of civilians and your family is gone.
• If you have a moral compass, deciding to refuse the order, you will not receive any money but get reprimanded reporting you to the higher authorities sentencing you to prison, but your family and the rest of the world remains unaffected as there is no war, as you considered humanity more vital than starting a world war, but you do not receive the reward they promised.

I just realized that potentially Shao Jun could be alive (though very old) during the time of AC Shadows as she has never had an official death attributed to her (according to AC wiki). Furthermore her apprentice Kotetsu supposedly started the Japanese Brotherhood in the mid-1500's and it would therefore be logical for him to appear or at least be named in the game. I hope the direction they choose is that Naoe's Shinobi clan is actually an Assassin cell as she would be then be the first born-into-the brotherhood protagonist we've had since the Frye twins and pretty much one of the only ones to not first be recruited later in life.
Anyone here believe Ubisoft can stay faithful to the lore and include these characters?

This situation has been going on for quite a while and I need people opinions about it. (I’m sorry for my poor English).
Me and my bestfriend have known each other for almost 5 years. He was the first person I have ever felt a real connection with in all my life and it’s thanks to him that I feel like I’m alive. We spent a lot of time together in school, playing video games and also going outside. We also got to a point in our friendship where we both opened up about our problems.
It was in this occasion that I started to feel that something was off. After some things he said about friendships in general (which I won’t talk about in this post firstly out of respect, secondly cause it would make it too long) I had the impression that he was more connected with a friend we have in common than with me.
At the moment I thought that was totally fine, but later on I realised how unfair it was. He was my brother, my priority in life, my bestfriend above all, even my family, and for him I was nothing more than a second choice. I was second place to someone who didn’t even care about him the way I did and more than that put other people above him. I didn’t talk about it with him though as I didn’t wanna be seen as the one trying to sabotage their friendship despite the fact that everything I had to say was real.
Fast forward a year and the situation is still the same. We are still bestfriends and as all young people do we start to dream about things we could do in the upcoming summer. All ideas and even promises that were broken. During summer we ended up seeing each other only 4-5 times (counting some birthdays that were celebrated in those months) despite the fact I always reached out to him and asked him to hang out, to which he always answered ‘no’ or found stupid excuses becoming dryer and dryer at every text. I ended up rotting in bed for most of the season, even though we told each other we would have done lots of things.
Later on I asked him about why he seemed to be wanting to avoid me, maybe he was having some problems in private so I asked. He said that everything was okay and that we had hang out already too much, but that he would make an effort to hang out more. Blinded by the love (platonic love) I felt for him I excused him once again. However that was a mistake. In the following months (up until December) I still tried to create occasions to see each other. To all my questions he always replied no.
At this time I started to realize that maybe he was a bad friend after all. He never asked about my day (I did), he didn’t read most of my texts, he always admitted to not care about what I was talking about (I thought he was joking but maybe he wasn’t), he was always dry, he never reached out first, he never made time for me. All things that I did to him because I loved him (platonically).
I decided once again to talk about it with him. I specified how I felt about everything, how I didn’t feel appreciated and how I was always comprehensive about the situations. At first he was angry. He replied he was sick of being seen as ‘the bad friend’. Then he calmed down and said that he was sorry I felt that way, that he would try to reach out first and make time for me and that he still considered me as his bestfriend and also loved me.
To cut it short. It’s been 5 months since that conversation and the one to still start the conversation, the one still trying to see each other, the one still putting effort into the friendship was me. All his effort went to that other ‘friend’ we have in common (who I get bad vibes from). That’s when I realised I was watering a dead plant.
So, AITA for ghosting my ‘bestfriend’?

SO LIKE- I MADE THE WORST HEADCANONS EVER THE OTHER DAY- SO HERE'S A FEW FOR THE OLD CHROMATICS
Gale - He actually has a bit of a playful side, and he's nice to anyone who's nice to him. (If) he has time off, he'll sometimes help Lou with his snow cone business, usually simply by suggesting better locations to sell them at than Mystic Mountain.
Surge - He and Brock are really close friends. He's one of the reasons that Brock even gets out (Ofc not excluding 8-Bit and Rico). He's 100% more of a show-off than an actual hero. Also, his favorite games are DDR's.
Colette - She and Edgar are cousins, so she always pesters him by either ranting about HER headcanons, fanfics, and who she's currently obsessed with. She also often tries to pressure R-T into telling her juicy secrets about the Brawlers.
Lou - He's actually friends with Surge, and they've been trying to perfect an energy drink-flavored snow cone for quite some time. Lou's also completely oblivious to why his snow cones aren't selling.
Colonel Ruffs - While he may seem tough, he has a soft side. He loves being pet and playing fetch, but would do anything to not admit it. He also feels a bit like a father to Squeak, and doesn't seem to notice Eve's feelings for him.
Belle - She's one of the smartest Brawlers in the entire park. She's not actually a villain, and she only steals as a vain attempt to run the park broke. The only thing she and her gang's been able to do is annoy them.
Buzz - He absolutely loves being in control of any and every situation he's in. When under pressure, he's actually a decent leader. He took his job as a lifeguard for 2 reasons: The authority, and so that he could sit in the tall lifeguard chairs to make up for his height.
Ash - (Oh boy, one of my favorites. Now which one do I choose...) Ash created the R. A. T. S. Bots himself, and he somewhat treats them as if they were his kids. He hates Kit for multiple reasons. While in battle he can get pretty upset, most of the time he's actually mundane.
Fun Fact: It's canon that Ash wants to be an actor, (In the Spanish version of Brawl Stars, it says it in his bio. See for yourself)
Lola - She hates Mico with every fiber of her existence. She only deals with Gray since he doesn't talk, but still gets upset when he "gets in the way". Her favorite thing to do is to see how dramatic she can make a situation.
Fang - He's usually the one dragging Buster into most of their chaotic situations. He surprisingly gets along well with Lola. He's also really into sports, especially baseball and football. Soccer is a close third.
Eve - At first, when joining the Starr Force, she simply wanted to be with Ruffs to support her kids. Over time she realized she had more complex feelings. She has mixed feelings about the Botany trio.
Janet - Friends at the beginning, her relationship with Melodie quickly shifted into a rivalry when she started to take a more "aggressive" approach when it came to their music. A lot of the time Janet's responsible for Bonnie, which can easily get out-of-hand.
Otis - He likes messing with Hank, but never takes it too far, since he's actually a bit scared of him. His favorite places to graffiti consist of the surrounding area of the Stunt Arena (What I like to call the Stunt Show area), within the Velocirapids water park, and even on the Fantasy Castle walls.
Sam - He used to love robots, and was decent a making them, until the incident that left Belle with only one arm. He claims he hates them, but he actually still likes them, he just doesn't put as much trust into them anymore.
Buster - While he's slightly more cautious than Fang, he still gets into a lot of trouble with him. He only wears sunglasses to try to look cool and menacing, which actually surprisingly works with some people.
Mandy - Chester's her adopted brother. She likes having him around sometimes so she can let her anger run loose a bit on him when no one else is there. She hates to admit it, but she's a bit impressed of how high Chester's social status is.
R-T - (OH GOD- We got to my other favorite. Uhm-) He's fluent in sign language. Despite literally his entire existence being to answer and interact with the visitors, he's a bit introverted. He's also pretty jumpy, but can be menacing when he wants. He's somewhat like a little brother to the twins, but also the leader. He actually has a bit of a chaotic side to him, but his programming blocks most of it out.
Not-So Fun Fact: His two halves are sentient, the upper half being more stick-to-the-program, while the lower half is more of the heart, creating relationships with the other Brawlers. When he's all together, he has internal conflict. :(
Maisie - She loves the thrill of danger, which is why she's dealt with Fang and Buster for so long. She also loves watching horror films, and practically any other movie or show that's high in adrenaline.
Cordelius - He may be hostile to strangers, but he's also really protective of his friends. His closest friend is Lily, who when he met, despite his usual hostile demeanor, took her right in with almost no questions asked.
Pearl - Sam had actually built her a long time ago as a gift for Belle before the incident. When he re-discovered her, he decided to give her a chance. She quickly became like a daughter to them.
Charlie - She's actually Gus's older sister (He was born AFTER their family moved from France). While he was into ghosts, she always loved spiders. She owns 2 pet tarantulas, named Flux and Tango.
THIS TOOK ME AN HOUR WHAT- MOST OF THESE I HAD TO COME UP WITH ON THE SPOT SINCE THIS WAS SUPPOSE TO BE IN PARTS- WHOOPS

Stories need people in them to bring them alive. There are so many types of interesting people who we read about in books If characters are written well, we can feel as though we know them or perhaps become friends with them. So when they feel something, we feel it right along with the characters.
But something I don't see discussed much here are the whacky non-human characters. The familiars, the daemons, the Spren etc. So I want to know about your favourite book creatures that are not the human characters.
I have two that I want to mention. The first is a creature from the second Stormlight novel and beyond. He's called Pattern and he's hilarious. The funny things that he takes so literally. The fact that dispite seeming like a weirdo, where e's from, he's considered a schollar. Or so he says anyway.
The second is from the Farseer Trilogy from Robin Hobb. Spoilers incoming I don't still understand the spoiler tag so any help would be helpful. The wolf is one of the cutest, most interesting animal sidekicks I've ever met. The way Robin writes from the imagined perspective of the wolf really allowed me to feel as though I was hunting or talking in a boy's head. He shares strength but at the end of the day he's the teacher who's lesson is to live in the now. Wolves don't have to be caught up in worry all the time. He is such a well written character all on his own and even though he's bonded to a human, he so has his own personality which is awesome.
Also as a bonus, Vivacia from the the Live Ships trilogy. I can't even talk about her because she'd need her own full post. But she is multifaceted and but dispite not being a human has some very distinct personality stuff going on.
So now you tell me yours. I need all the familiar love. Edit: I think I like paragon even more than Vivacia if that’s even possible.

Greetings, citizens! I'm a writer, mostly freelance, but I've been working on my own setting for a while now. I've already described some of the basics of how my world is organized in the two posts on another subreddit, so I won't repeat them unnecessarily. Long story short: this is an alternate world that has deposits of metastable metallic hydrogen, concentrated at deep waters and in cold regions. Hydrogen, instead of oil, is the basis of the world's economy here, the corporations that have grown from its extraction and use have more power than governments. The political map of the world is different from our own, with different forces at play than we are used to.
The main setting is the city of Neone, located somewhere on the coast of the Balkan Peninsula. I won't specify a particular place or pick a certain country for its location. Instead, I will take some features from some various ones to add local flavor. As one of the largest trading hubs in the world, this city is very wealthy, but it's the kind of wealth that easily slips through your fingers. Everything is buying and selling here, and human life is just as much a bargaining chip. Life in Neone is determined by the actions that the Players, the main political forces in the city, take with one another. Relations between them can swing from friendship to hostility... Or sometimes a combination of both at the same time. So, here's a preliminary list of the ones I've already come up with:
CORPORATIONS:
Astara Industries is the “beauty industry” in all its forms. Silk and gold, perfume and cosmetics. Modeling, music, entertainment, plastic surgery, and escort services. Rumored to be involved in much darker affairs, but that doesn't stop a lot of young guys and especially girls from trying their luck and signing another cabal contract with Astara. The higher the ranks of their employees, the more the corporation seems to be a kind of cult that worships the very idea of beauty itself. Recently, this company has been investing colossal amounts of money into an ambitious project designed to stop aging and mortality.
Change Inc. is a pretty mysterious organization that primarily provides construction and design services as well as financial operations and data protection services. On deeper layers lies espionage and information trading to anyone who can offer a more interesting price for it.
Chapek's Clockworks is the other major robotics company that has dominated the market for quite a while. Now they are more famous for their retro designs and sponsorship of the theatrical scene.
Chimera Chemicals is a biochemical giant that once started out as a fertilizer manufacturer. Now they deal in just about everything chemical related, including weapons, and also sponsor gene modifications.
Dragonfruit Digital is a world famous software and electronics developer that was leading the market before the rapid... well, rise of Risen Robotics.
Friture Science is a food concern dedicated to the mission of feeding the world. In addition to natural products, they develop synthetic ones as well as a number of associated products.
Fortuna Fishing - seafood production in Neone coastal waters and also beyond and deeper. Some of the things they found deep in the waters made them a little bit... Well, superstitious.
Greenfield Gardens - Similar in many ways to the previous one, this company focuses on environmental protection and recycling methods. Owns many farms and gardens in the city and beyond. Genetic modifications, too.
Hecate Guaranty is a law and insurance company. Deals with all possible disputes of their clients, property issues, and more. When required and paid decently, can provide a person or group of people a new life and a new home.
International Inc. is the most boring company in the world. Originally a construction contractor they pioneered the technology of rapid modular building. Because of this, International Inc. quickly built up capital and influence by rebuilding cities after wars. Eventually they expanded into selling associated products and services, then logistics, recruiting personnel... And now International Inc. provides half of the world's products. Each of their products is completely featureless, but they get the job done at an acceptable price.
Keller & Crow is one of Europe's largest arms manufacturers, dating back to World War I, or maybe even earlier. Known for their high quality and appropriate prices.
Keller-Tec is, in more than one sense, a daughter corporation of Keller & Crow. It develops the most cutting-edge custom weapon and gear systems. It works closely with Risen Robotics and actively funds the Fountain of Good.
Kiki Courier Company is a network of independent couriers working through the app. Moving around the roofs of Neone, they are able to deliver a small cargo personally in their hands for those who don't trust big companies.
Matsubayashi Motors is a Japanese vehicle manufacturer. Raised on defense contracts, they now make anything that can carry a human in it, from scooters and cars to aircraft and bolides.
MOLOT manufactures is another major arms manufacturer in Europe. In fact a franchise that sells to factories around the world the rights to produce copies of their world famous models. Their designs are a bit crude, but reliable and durable.
Poseidon's Possibilities - A marine transportation company that plays an important role in city and global shipping. Considering the high risk of piracy, possess pretty good assets to protect themselves, and sometimes execute third-party orders in coastal zones.
Risen Robotics is one of the world's important corporations. Creating innovative neural chip technology, Risen Robotics quickly earned financial and political capital and aiming for more. They were the first to commercialize a truly cheap and mass-produced android called the Peacebringer, and these robots can be seen in the military, security companies, and even as security guards in the market and malls and as bouncers in nightclubs. Building its influence, Risen Robotics aims to actively bring its tech into the lives of everyone in the world... And then their gaze will be directed higher into the skies and to the stars.
Royal Arms - Once a major weapons company, they are now more focused on the civilian market and support tools. Their high-precision tools and cybernetic limbs are widely used in civilian and military markets, as well as the medicine and even space industries.
Strigoi Sovereign is a company with a long history of working with private customers. They originally focused on hunting and harvesting of high-value resources, but gradually expanded. Nowadays, they are known for their customized combat enhancements, whether it be tough training and gear customization as well as biological, chemical, and cybernetic enhancements. Among all forms of payment, they prefer transactions in precious metals.
Van Nueve Innovations is another deep genetic research company. After their role in human trafficking and criminal experiments was revealed, their assets were mostly shut and sold down. Now their stuff keeps popping up on the black market - though, in this city, the difference between the regular and black market is barely noticeable.
Vulcan Weaponry is another firearm company with a long history, with a good reputation for their trusted builds, high quality and classy designs. Among the mercenary world, their weapons and equipment is considered indicators of prestige and good taste.
PRIVATE MILITARY COMPANIES:
Deepwater is a notorious American PMC with a well-deserved dirty reputation. Their Sigma division deployed in Neone has been caught in the middle of scandals more than once.
FIREBIЯD - Russian PMC, looking after order in and around Neone. Having a small size they are all carefully selected by their leader and follow him into both fire and water.
Ryujin - Japanese PMC, which has a good social image and actively finances all kinds of entertainment.
Schwarzwald is a German PMC with a long-standing reputation and connections. It usually works for the benefit of Western European clients and has a long history of cooperation with the Keller family.
Keller's Claws is a passion project of Alex Keller, CEO of Keller-Tec. A small and elite female PMC, operating in the interests of their mistress or executing carefully selected contracts around the world.
This is not all PMCs in the city, but only those that are not directly linked to specific corporations that were listed above.
GANGS:
The Blazer is a broad and diverse group of radical anarchists. They are mostly drawn to the destruction of corporate property and speculation about “power of the people”, but some of their members are not averse to almost any type of work.
The Crooked Circle is another cult-like gang, or vice versa. They focus on collecting unique technology, but aren't particularly successful at it. But they're still alive and kicking, praying that their mechanical messiah will save them.
The Grey Court Syndicate is the largest criminal organization in the city, and one of the largest in Europe, maybe even in the entire world. Reminiscent of the classic Mafia. On one side they have the exterior gloss, protecting order and running legal businesses, but on the other side they have human and organ trafficking, prostitution and assassinations for hire. The Grey Court is one of the main sources of migrants in Neone.
The Himmelreich is a disorganized gang fighting for the “purity of humanity”. They oppose the very fact of existence of chimeras and cyborgs in this world. In fact are useful fools for the real Players in the city.
The Tulips are something between a gang and a religious sect. Spoken with Christian-like mottos, they attract beggars and cripples to their ranks, especially focusing on PMC veterans and former corporate workers, but in fact they accept all the desperate. They have squatted some ruins on the outskirts of the city, including the abandoned greenhouse that gave them their name. However... They are rapidly expanding their influence and their source of funding remains unknown.
OTHERS:
The City Council is the primary administration of the city. They manage, but they don't reign. They are a handful of exhausted clerks, doing the hard work that no one else accepted to do. Basically maintain the city's communications and keep the Players away from killing each other and too many ordinary citizens.
The Forge is a secret organization that exists for a very long time and runs deeply secured operations all over the world. They believe it's their duty to protect humanity from dangerous ideas, technologies, and obscure subjects such as [UNKNOWN]. Forge is often found to be a puppeteer, directing the actions of other Players or certain individuals.
The Fountain of Good is a globally respected charity organization primarily focused on orphanages. One of the few Players who maintains truly bright ideals. The children who grow up usually become corporate employees afterwards. Other Players fund them mainly to launder money, calm their karma and create a positive public image for themselves.
The Nuevians are a deep-covered organization slowly gaining influence in the city. They are led by an artificially created living entity known only as "The Queen" that seeks to bring prosperity to the planet. They have good intentions, but fear to repeat the fate of the Zero Cycle.
The Union of Nations Peacekeepers - maintaining a shred of peace in the aftermath of the Incident, a massive earthquake that recently struck Neone. Many urban areas have since descended into chaos and lawlessness, while others live as if nothing has happened or are experiencing minimal inconvenience. The competency of these soldiers is questionable and they are barely supplied.
The Volunteer Vanguards are an organization that maintains order in those Neone districts where the City Council or other Players do not. Generally a barely trained and armed militia, but there are some skilled veterans and former corporate workers in their ranks.
The Workers Ring is Neone's major blue collar association. They support city communications so they have a lot of influence. Individual members may or may not be involved in working for other Players and illegal activities. The second meaning of the "Ring" word is also utilized - many members of this community are known for their passion for arena fighting.
The Zero Cycle is a secret organization of intelligent machines once created by a rogue AI. Several Players united to destroy this threat, leading to the Incident. Now, shards of the Cycle's technology, superior to anything created by humanity, is the most valuable hunting treasure in Neone. Owning one of them means risking the lives of yourself and your loved ones, but that rarely stops hunters who desire wealth or driven by some personal reasons.
Well, that's the draft. Any ideas, suggestions, any other feedback?

I won't make this post too long cuz even my reddit posts get banned.
All I will say is that, everything in my life has gone WRONG. I was banned from happiness, from YouTube, from jobs, from being attractive, I lost a girl I loved and the last straw is Hinge banned my account for messaging old matches - harassment. It's pretty clear that I am not supposed to be alive.
I have to struggle SO HARD for NOTHING. I have no job so I am volunteering in order to have something recent on my CV. I have to wake up at 7 am, get showered and work for FREE. I go to the gym and women still find me ugly. I am just a broken man who lived too long.
If this thread isn't banned, maybe I will go into depth but there is no point cuz everything I do gets deleted. i might as well delete myself. I am in therapy. I will go to the last session to tell them thanks.
I can't do this anymore. I should have ended myself in 1997 when it all went wrong for me. I stuck around for an extra 1/4-century like a DELUDED MORON. Most men are just disposable and not needed here. Self-ending should be govt funded and a right. I found a way of doing it myself anyway. I used to be like "what about the people I leave behind?" - Now I'm like; "Since they think my life is so easy to deal with, let's see how they deal with life without me".
I'm just fucking done.

To cut short a long story, hours ago, my darling and I got into an argument and he ended that argument with "We're done." before blocking me on two social media sites.
To add some context, we're in a long distance relationship and his mother (who he lives with, currently) suggested that I move down south with them. We've been in this relationship a little over three years (we've been friends a bit longer than that). I'm 27 and he's about 25.
I come here brokenhearted (and still alive). I truly love this man and I've never had a relationship before. I've loved my darling through everything. I and the Lord knows that I'll never love another man as much as I've loved this one and I know my darling loves me too.
I suppose what I'm asking is that the Lord saves our relationship and bring us back together. I also pray that my darling is alright and that he gets back to me soon. I also pray that no animosity happens betwixt him and his mother.
The gist of it is that I ask that y'all pray alongside me to heal and save my relationship. 😢 🙏 💔

So im on my first playthrough and i chose a double dagger rogue, and there are a couple thing that irritates me that i hope its just my skill issue and theres a way you guys can teach me to avoid or work around it.
(btw i play on PC)
-The position of disrupting rifts on certain parts is so weird. Theres like one specific angle and elevation you have to get into in order to do it sometimes it results me standing still looking into the sky spamming F while my entire team gets annihilated. I dont have much problems cus once again im a rogue, so i dont get targeted as much with one of the shadow passives.
-One of the double dagger abilities (Twin Fang) quite often prones my enemies (knocking them onto the floor) when that happens and i try to attack them again my character just slashes the air above them and wont hit downwards. It gets even worse if Solas freezes them in place when theyre on the ground.
-When im in invisible mode as a rogue and try to flank hit someone with the Twin Fang skill, sometimes they would run towards my team. And when i clicked the ability button i jump out to hit the air and they keep running towards my team, knocking me out of stealth and just look like an idiot.
Thats probably it for now but once again i really hope this is just a "i suck at the game" thing and yall have tips or tricks for me
Edit: Sorry i forgot one more: For the AI targetting ive set for Solas is to defend my frontline, Cassandra, but each time we go into combat he puts the shield on me, leaving all my other allies unshielded, and since i dont get hit much, its basically wasted. Any ways i can set the AI to work how i actually wait it to?

The primary criticism levied against Abby is that she is Joel's killer. TLOU had set up Joel and Ellie to be the main characters of the franchise and it was incredibly jarring to see a new character come out of the blue and quickly murder one of them, while irreparably changing the focus of the other. While a valid criticism, this post is not addressing this. It is instead aiming to analyse Abby's character and her choices throughout the story, and outline why they do not make her a "likeable" character.
To put it forwardly, Abby is a sociopath. While Joel is certainly not a saint, Abby is portrayed as somebody who is cold, uncaring and can revel in cruelty. Some of the most notable points highlighting this include:

1. She tortures Joel to death. It would be perfectly understandable if she had simply executed him on the spot, especially given the reveal of her backstory later. However, she undergoes the decision to draw out his pain and kill him in the most brutal and sadistic way possible. After blowing off his leg, she has Mel apply a tourniquet so that she can keep him alive and continue to make him suffer as she beats him to death. She is only stops because her crewmates eventually felt it had gone long enough. The implication is that she would have continued to torture Joel, including in front of Ellie, as long as she wanted. This action can be sympathetic to some, but there is no way it can in any way be viewed as moral or justifiable.
   
2. There is a revelation in the game's dialogue that she had previously tortured Scars to blow off some steam. This clearly demonstrates that her behaviour with Joel was not exceptional. She is somebody who regularly engages in this practice for her own satisfaction.
   
3. She sleeps with the partner of her best friend, who is pregnant. Mel had travelled with her to a remote part of the country while pregnant and risking the life of her child to ensure that she could support Abby. There was also a discussion of potentially starting a fight with Tommy's group prior to killing Joel, indicating that violence and a risk of injury and death were anticipated. Regardless of these sacrifices, Abby still allowed her own interests and desires to outweigh the trust and friendship of Mel. She grieved at the death of Mel and Owen but mostly at their loss. She did not display remorse over the fact that she had hurt Mel when she was alive.
   
4. Abby appears to take pleasure in the idea of slitting a pregnant woman's throat, specifically acknowledging that she is pregnant. This is just outright disturbing. It is almost universally accepted this is taboo, and there are even examples of animals in nature who know that there is something wrong with killing a pregnant creature. While one could definitely envision Abby killing a pregnant woman *in spite* of the fact that she is pregnant, the idea of her taking any pleasure from knowledge of this fact, even if out of spite, is horrendous.
   
5. Abby betrays the WLF, an organisation which she had become a key member and trusted companion of, in order to protect a stranger she had recently met, and decided that she wanted to protect. While it is understandable that she may have had moral hesitations to kill Lev, this may not immediately justify her killing off many of those she once considered friends and companions, and who had provided for her.
   
6. Perhaps most importantly, Abby does not reflect on how her newfound choice to protect Lev have essentially made her into a mirror of Joel. In choosing to become a guardian for Lev, she slaughters many of her own people because she protects the new person she has chosen to care about. Her journey to protect Lev strongly mirrors what Joel had done to protect Ellie from the Fireflies. Yet, in spite of this, Abby does not come to reflect on how her journey should make her more empathetic to the man who had hurt her. The main point of the game is empathy, but Abby's conscience is fully set on the idea that Joel is an unforgiveable, unrepentant murderer who took away somebody close to her, but that her own actions are thoroughly justified and immune to any form of scrutiny. She pays no heed to the fact that her actions may have just made many more traumatised Abbys. Additionally, while it would be surprising and probably unrealistic to see Abby wish she could take killing Joel back, she never once acknowledges how her actions traumatised Ellie the same way Joel had traumatised her. As far as she is concerned, she was always right to kill Joel, and any attempts by Ellie to do what she had done, even if for the same reasons, are wrong.
   

A combination of the above make Abby far too unlikeable. I believe that it there is a strong chance that many of these factors could be watered down or retconned in the new show, if part II is actually played by those working on the show who had no prior experience with the franchise.

1. Abby may not deliberately and slowly torture Joel to death. It is probably more likely that she will just bash him to death in a fit of rage. Alternatively, if this part of the story is kept it will be mitigated by other changes.
   
2. Any reference to Abby torturing random Scars will most likely be removed. Alternatively, it could be changed to killing Scars to blow off steam.
   
3. The sex scene will likely be retained (I have zero faith Neil Druckmann will let it be cut), but she will probably show more remorse for it.
   
4. This part will most likely be changed to Abby saying "an eye for an eye" or "so was Mel", as opposed to "good".
   
5. Abby will be highly hesitant at first to kill her own people, but will gradually become numb to it similarly to the game. This is arguably the most forgivable point (audiences miss this sort of thing all the time unless they want to pick on a story) so it probably won't be changed much.
   
6. There's a 50/50 chance this could be changed. In all honesty, given the events of TLOU Pt. II it feels almost as if the setup for some genuine character growth for Abby was made but eventually cut because of "executive decisions". It would definitely tie into the message of empathy that the game is supposed to invoke. However, once again noting Neil Druckmann and his tendency to make bad decisions out of spite, there's always the chance that this again could be missed.
   

These mark many of the arguments I noticed that people had made against Abby's character, and what could probably be changed in the show given how prolific they are.

 I realize now I have been way to direct... as a sagittarius it's hard for me to beat around the bush. I like blunt. I like direct. It was eating me alive that I couldn't be that way with you. You had this weird affect on me. My throat would close up and I couldn't speak. Only stare. I literally had to rehearse in my head how I was going to approach you. I finally decided I was tired of the hot and cold from you. From incessant staring one day to avoiding eye contact at all the next. In retrospect that should have been my sign. The heart pull, the sixth sense, the insane synchronicities, the way the stars had to align for us to even cross paths.. My awakening was rough. I had to go through it all alone. Quietly. Unable to confide in anyone about it because i know unless you experience it, you sound bat shit crazy. All of it conspired to make me act out of obsession. I'm glad I finally had the nerve to approach you. I'm glad I decided to do it face to face instead of messaging you. The conversation went exactly how i envisioned and yet still threw me for a loop. I guess i was hoping i would be wrong. Im glad i cleared the air. The conversation we "still need to have" is going to have to be initiated by you. I deleted the app I first contacted you on. I stopped looking you up on social media/ Google. I'm no longer going to try my best to run into you at work. I am truly going to back away. I have done all I can at this time and I am at peace with whatever happens. I guess i can say i am finally over the obsession stage. All it took was me to take my control back. Ball is in your court. 

Sincerely,

 C. 

Was contemplating Rivian’s future as my R1S is in service (nothing major). Managed to get a Mustang MachE and have been driving that for a few days. Current owner of a Model 3 as well. For reference, been driving EVs since 2014 including BMW i3, Leaf, e-Golf, Fiat 500e, Model 3 and now R1S and the MachE as of a few days ago. Have also driven the Model Y and Model S but not extensively.
Thoughts on R1S: Nothing else like it out there. Utility, style, range, storage, comfort and quality.
Thoughts on R2’s competition. Let’s take the Model Y & MachE as they seem somewhat similarly sized/priced.
The MachE, I’m truly sorry if you have one. Sure this is subjective but it’s my post so I get to be subjective, the MachE is like you didn’t know where to park your money and you decided that burning it was better, that you needed to be miserable but pretend to be happy. Drive is comfortable but it “drives” like poop (lots of understeer), acceleration is lacking, UI/Controls all feel dated, even with Apple Car play (feel free to hate on this post if you like Car play). I understand some of the conveniences it brings but it cluttered the UX for me so meh. What’s the deal with the stupid startup/shutdown music and why do I have a “start” button again? Still better than the 500e ignition switch with key for an electrical vehicle but that was clearly a compliance car, the MachE is not. The interior door handle is cute but also silly. Interior overall feels cheap. The rear hatch cover is flimsy as heck. The software is so unpolished and that volume button in the screen looks kinda cool but limits what you can do, software wise) and the novelty wears off quickly. I could go on, but this car just isn’t for me. Every drive I find myself calling it names. Unpleasant ones.
The Model Y, assuming no build quality problems and feelings aside of the man in charge, it’s a decent car. Good performance, good tech, reasonably smooth ride, doesn’t understeer and just drives reasonably well. Good storage. A bit lacking/barren on the interior. Overall reasonable package for a good price if you like an egg-shaped vehicle on wheels. The Model Y and Model X both do nothing to inspire on the outside, for me, and to each their own.
If this is Rivian’s competition for the R2/R3S, Rivian will eat this market alive IMO. Yes I’m aware there are other vehicles/contenders out there like the Volvo, perhaps one day Lucid’s SUV etc.. but I don’t have experience with them or they’re not out yet so I can’t comment on those.