Summary: Your last encounter with Captain Kismet was unsettling, but has not put you off your goals or your plans. But the would-be space pirate king/queen is not one to give up, and unfortunately they’ve tracked you down at the worst possible time...
Part 1 Here
Word count: approx 1900
Must give credit, Ok to monetize. If you use this script, leave a link to your fill in the comments!
Feel free to change around suggested SFX, omit, or to create your own soundscape. Always okay to gender swap, change pronouns, change names, etc. Small line adjustments for easier flow are fine, but please no major changes to the story unless you ask first!
__Script begins__
SFX: a dungeon, complete with dripping walls and the occasional rattle of chains. In the distance, an eerie electronic humming/chanting.
SFX: the door swings open. The electronic sound gets louder.
Captain! Fear not - I’ve come to rescue you!
SFX: (alt voice) Get in there, pirate scum!
After one or two small details to work out. Oof!
SFX: a thump of the speaker shoved into a cell
SFX: the CLANG of metal bars slamming shut
My goodness, you hyperdrive cultists really go all out on the atmosphere. Did you import the moisture just to make your cells unpleasantly damp? (calling out after the guard as the guard retreats) My compliments to the Great Ascended Pooh-bah Muckety Muck Whatever!
SFX: the dungeon door swings shut
Whew, I thought that acolyte would never leave. Built like a bunkercraft under the robes, wasn’t he? You’ve got to hand it to the Holy and Agile Order of Interplanetary Paths and Engineering, they must have their followers on a killer work-out routine.
...
Captain? My darling. Speak to me. Are you all right?
...
Are you sure? You’re hitting your head rather rhythmically against that wall.
...
Hm. Think the translator glitched there, I heard that as “what fresh hell is this”? Doubtless some quaint and clever human turn of phrase, meaning ‘what undiluted rivers of joy I feel, now that Captain Kismet has arrived to save me in my hour of need.’
...
Yes, I did notice that I’m in a cell too. Sadly, not in the same cell as you. These cultists really have no sense of the thing. I should be kneeling over you, tenderly wiping your bruises and cuts...
...
They didn’t actually hurt you, did they? Don’t get me wrong, a little roughed up is a nice look on you, but, hm. Which one was it that laid hands on you?
...
Never you mind why I care. Idle curiosity. Which one was it?
...
The one in the robe and the overstylized mask. Hahaha. No matter. Plenty of folk matching that description running around.
...
What am I doing here? I told you, human. I came to rescue you. You hear that outside?
SFX: slight raise on the drone swells
It’s the beginning of the Puissant Calibration, where all four of Kayo’s moons and that one big asteroid will all come into alignment. Every priest, sensei, hieromonk, and intern in this temple are going to have their eyes on the skies. That’s our opportunity to escape - with this.
SFX: rustle of fabric
...
That’s right, Captain. A universal key and galactic lockbreaker combination micro mini multitool. They say only seventeen were ever made. Just four still survive. And this one is mine. You just sit right there, my dear. I’ll have you out in two shakes of a gambada swan’s tail feathers.
SFX: beep beep beep - then a sad ‘game-over’ boooooop.
Huh. That’s... oh, it’s not... Hmm. No wifi down here. Okay. No problem. Let’s try...
SFX: a mechanical whirrr - and a harsh Ka-CHUNK.
Oh, shoot.
...
No! Nothing’s wrong! That’s, ahem. That’s the beauty of the universal key and galactic lockbreaker combo multitool. There’s always another tool to multi. Let’s see, we’ve got the uh...
SFX: clink of the tool
...
The lock is what? ... Just.. an old rusty lock? No electronic component? No clockwork mechanism? No high powered laser booby traps, no crystal rods rigged to explosives?
...
(heavy sigh) No problem. No problem at all! An old fashioned solution for an old fashioned problem. Diamond edged nail file. Coming up.
SFX: Metal sawing as the speaker gets down to it.
...
Yep. Just a little elbow grease here, and we’ll be on our way, Captain.
...
Oh Captain, of course I found you. Our destinies are meant to intertwine, the fates themselves are pulling us into orbit. Also, it was fairly obvious if you were going to break out the prisoners in the slave mines, you’d need a route out of the system. So I asked myself, Kismet, what is the most insane way possible that one could get their hands on the Agile Order’s top secret interstellar telemetry data? And then wouldn’t you know it: here you were. Waiting for me.
...
The lock is coming just fine, thank you.
...
That’s where you’re wrong, my dear. I assure you, I am absolutely used to working with my hands. Once we get out of here, I’d be happy to show just how dextrous I can be.
...
(taken aback) I - I’m sure I don’t know what you mean by that. Me? Grow up on the Imperial planet? Please, Captain. I think you have me confused with someone else. The Imperials would shoot me out of the sky if a pirate like me dared to even approach their star system -
...
(suddenly harsh) Don’t speak that name here.
...
Oh, very good. Very clever, Captain. I see you’ve done your research too.
I am not an Imperial. Not... anymore. I never really was, not in any real sense of having any power. Six hundred and seventeenth from the throne doesn’t get you more than a one bedroom apartment, a military commission, and the occasional appearance in the duller celestial tabloid rags.
...
Yes. I suppose that is more than many people get in this galaxy. How did you know?
...
Don’t be coy. No one else has even suspected the circumstances of my origin. You figured it out in weeks. What did I give away?
...
I recognized you as human? How did that...
Oh.
Oh, of course. How else could I so confidently recognize a human unless I was familiar with them. And where else in the galaxy are humans so concentrated except in the Imperial palaces.
...
Don’t be dramatic. “Imperial slaves” is a rather prejudicial descriptor. Humans are highly valued contributors as administrators and teachers and, and...
...
“Pets” is hardly accurate either - Ugh. Why am I defending the Empire to you? You know what? Yes. You are absolutely right. Humans have been treated dreadfully by the Imperial family. Snatched off your home world, forced into service. One of the many sins the Empire has to answer for.
...
I am not trying to force you into the same situation - ! (clears throat, gets ahold of themself). Captain. I left the Imperials because I could no longer sit back casually and watch it happen any longer. The casual cruelty towards anyone who wasn’t us, building a pyramid of our peoples so we could hold the top for ourselves. I came to believe that there could be a different kind of system, one built on freedom and merit. You know how I came to believe in that?
...
Humans.
...
Every human I’ve ever gotten to know, I’ve admired. Even with the might of the Empire on your necks, there’s this unsquashable idealism inside you. This unshakable belief that things could be better. That things should be better. A rather inspiring perspective. One that I’ve taken with me.
...
That’s absolutely right, I take what I want. I’m making my own mark in this galaxy, with a name all my own, a family I choose myself.
Imagine my surprise and delight when I made it out here and found a human with the same ideas, same ideals, just waiting for me.
...
Yes, yes, not literally waiting for me. But - can’t see you see how this is meant to be? For both of us! I’m building the kind of kingdom that a human can be at home in. I’ve longed to see what any one of you would be capable of, if only given the freedom to exercise that intelligence, that passion. Now here’s the best human in the galaxy, right in front of me.
...
Don’t be modest, my dear. You are absolutely the best human I’ve ever met.
...
What’s that supposed to mean, “I think like an Imperial”? My dear Captain, why are you so resistant to this? Can’t you see I’m offering you a place at my side? Help me take this quadrant and we could rule. You would be second only to me! What could possibly be a worthier goal?
...
Ugh. Look, if breaking into the necronium mines means that much to you, I’ll help you.
...
Oh ho. Now I have your attention, don’t I? How very foolish of me not to realize sooner. Of course - my help in liberating the necronium mines: that’s your price.
...
Everyone has a price, human. That’s not thinking like an Imperial. That’s thinking like a pirate.
....
You’re a very strange pirate indeed, Captain. Because you’re not after the necronium or even the equipment and mining stations and spacecraft, are you? You’re out to free the slaves. How deliciously naive.
...
Oh, I believe you can. With the crystal encoded keys and the secret maps of the Holy and Agile Order, you’re most of the way there. The question is - after you liberate the captives, where do you intend to go with them?
...
Don’t turn away from me. I want to know. How will you fit them all into that little minnow ship of yours? Where will you bring all those thousands of half-starved, penniless, desperate fugitives? It seems to me that what you might need, more than anything, is a safe little corner of the galaxy where penniless, desperate fugitives might hide from the long tendrils of Imperial law. Hmmmm. Now I wonder who might be able to offer that to you...
...
...
You know exactly what I want in return.
...
You’re really considering it, aren’t you? You wouldn’t consider coming to my side for yourself, not for power, not for comfort. But for thousands of people you’ve never even met... Oh human. I’m going to such incredible things with you beside me.
...
To have you? Darling, I’d take in millions of refugees in exchange for you. A {king/queen} needs subjects after all. And I wouldn’t mind my own direct source of necronium while I’m at it...
...
No, I’m not going to put different slaves in the mines. We’ll... hire laborers. Hm, maybe some of the slaves would prefer to stay and run it themselves once we take over... Yes, yes, this is going to be quite an operation. But worth it. For you. Lay out your terms. And you’d better hurry, it sounds like the Holy Molys upstairs are hitting the exciting part.
...
Agreed. Safe passage for all to my harbor planet.
...
Oh, you don’t miss a trick, human. Safe and free passage. No debts owed, absolute freedom to stay or leave.
...
Food and housing for one galactic year!? Oh my dear. Don’t play your cards too aggressively.
...
We’ll see what we can do. We have some weeks to plan all this -
...
It can’t wait?
...
In ten days!? Oh my darling. I’m flattered by your confidence in me, but there is no way in the thirteen halls of hell we’re going to take over the largest Imperial prison mine in ten days-
...
Hey, calm down-. ... Lower your voice. Lower your voice! They’ll hear us!
...
I am not - Now, that is just uncalled for. I am making an extremely generous offer. What is your rush? You have a burning need to rescue the slaves that are there right now?
...
You... do. Don’t you? How foolish of me. This is some moral crusade. You’re saving... who? A friend? (building jealousy) A lover?
...
Never you mind why I care. Who is it?
...
A mistake? Oh no, Captain. My dear, dear human. You can’t go back on our deal. Not when we’re starting to get somewhere. You know so much about me. We’re just starting to learn about you - What’s that you’ve got there?
SFX: A rusty key squealing in the lock. The clunk of the lock cracking open.
...
You... had the key all along?! Captain, you -! .... Oh, of course. You knew about the Puissant Calibration. You’ve been waiting, here in the dungeon, to time your escape. You clever little...
...
Darling, surely you’re not going to leave me here?
...
Shades of deja vu. You’re right, I can get myself out of this. But more to the point, can you get yourself away from me?
SFX: a distant explosion. The chanting abruptly cuts off, replaced with distant shouts and screams.
Or to be more specific, you think you can get yourself away from the full might of my pirate armada?
...
That’s right, darling. Never say I don’t learn from my mistakes. The full might of my fleet is here to take this temple, this planet - and the spaceport, where I assume you’ve got that little minnow stashed?
...
(voice starts to fade as the listener runs) Run all you like, human! Even if you get away, I know where you’re going next. And I know where your heart lies. Run! Run faster! You can’t outrun Captain Kismet and your fate! (fading laughter)
__End Script__

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from those far more knowledgeable than i to recommend some signature scent-worthy frags to get my nose on, based on the descriptions i have below, of what i do and don't typically search for.
my skin works best with fresh, green, subtly sweet fragrances that have a woody/vetiver base and a blast of citrus, incorporating the occasional suede or floral note. for perspective, my favorite scent and the best i've ever owned was YSL L'Homme Ultime. my current favorites for the weather now are PDM Sedley and Lacoste Blanc eau fraiche. my signature high school scent was Kenneth Cole Black :)
open to opinions but i generally don't go for leather, tobacco, or gourmand style fragrances. my one exception to that so far is Azzaro The Most Wanted Intense EDP. however i absolutely detest anything considered spicy. i hate Versace.
price isn't an issue, cuz i'm not looking to purchase. just trying to compile a list. if i do, max 10ml sample. thanks so so much for your help y'all!
p.s. does anyone here have or remember smelling Dior Homme Intense? that one intrigues me

Got a bunch of customs and a few productions on the block today.

Sales heavily preferred, not really looking for trades but I’ll hear you out. Yolo's over PM's. Prices are PayPal F&F OBO.
App users scroll right on tables ← ← ←

Knife	Description	Price
Kendall Hughes Vision	One of Kendall’s best customs. I’m at least the 3rd owner but it’s recently been spa’d by Kendall and I’m throwing in a matching pry and micarta bead. 3-⅜” handrubbed Nitro-V blade on teflon washers. Blasted and bronzed ti with micarta bits and heat colored underlay. Never cut, sparingly carried.	$1000 shipped
Tuch Knives Sparrowhawk	Incredible Dual Action (auto or manual deployment, see video). 2nd owner. Spa'd recently. Mirrored 2-⅝” blade, dual stud, with stippled liners & clip. Price is half of table, you won’t find one cheaper.	$900 TRADED
Jared Price Mini Bowie	Believe I’m 3rd owner. 3-¼” CTS-XHP steel on PB washers. Orange peel frame, dark rub blade. Darkened ti spacer, clip, collars, hardware. This one has seen some use and carry, notice the marks on dark rubbed blade. Easily spa’d out, no other damage or signs of use.	$700 shipped
GTK Elementak	Up and coming French maker Thomas Gony. 1st owner, LNIP. OD Green G10 & 2-¾” stonewashed RWL34 blade. Includes full kit from Thomas.	$400 shipped
Farid Mehr Mini K2	Such an interesting tank of a knife! Farid is a long time maker out of England and this was the basis for his Spyderco production model. 2nd owner, like new condition. 3-¾” D3 chisel blade on teflon washers.	$425 shipped
MT Customs Genesis 2.0	Michael Timmermans Customs out of the Netherlands. Genesis 2.0 #11. 2nd owner, excellent condition. 3-½” acid washed RWL34 blade. Micarta bolsters, collars, backspacer. Less than half of table which was $1100.	$500 shipped
Shannon Carter Small Urge	Great small custom user here. 2nd+ owner. Double black micarta & 2-½” acid washed blade. Has some vertical blade play but locks up well and passes spine whack. Probably solved with larger stop pin.	$250 shipped
Collins Customs Mini Sligo	This maker dropped off the scene a few years ago, this one is probably from 2017ish. 2nd owner. In great shape with a few visible marks. Crazy thin, one of the thinnest knives I’ve owned. Zirc clip and pivot.	$450 shipped
Tuya Alamo	This is #118/145. Integral titanium handle with CF inlays, green stonewashed ano, and CrystalTi pocket clip. 3.7" M390 (60-62HRC) blade with compound grind. OAL is 8.25". It's got a pretty wild bearing/bushing setup as well! They pulled out all the stops on these. Second owner here, I never cut or carried and 1st owner said the same. There's a ding at the end of the handle but it's not that noticeable with the stonewashing. Includes box, pouch, metal COA.	$325 shipped
Tuch Knives Klick SPF	Production version of the Sparrowhawk above. Incredible dual action automatic. Limited production of 300 pieces. 2-⅝” M390 belt sati blade with camo carbon scales. Seen some carry and use but no real signs of carry beyond some slight blade marks that would probably rub out.	$300 SPF
Reate Tribute	2nd owner, uncarried and uncut. Just been a desk fidget. 2-¾” M390 blade. Zirc & carbon fiber handle.	$180 SOLD
CKF Fif20	First production run Fif20! Zirc and carbon fiber with PJ mark on the showside scale. 1st owner, uncarried and uncut. This has been my original safe queen lol. Near new condition.	$550 shipped
Apex	These are way underrated IMHO. Crazy deal for the money. This has seen a bit of carry but has no noticeable wear or flaws. Includes second clip, hardware set, and box.	$225 SOLD

Hey, I'm still slowly working on the next chapter of Only Predator and Prey but I wanted to work on something a bit different so here it is, I hope you enjoy. Criticism is more than welcome. This post was inspired, in part, by this. Thank you to SpacePaladin for creating the NoP universe.
Memory transcription subject: Evpa, Venlil Civilian
Date [standardised human time]: April 11, 2029
I pushed open the door to my apartment and stepped inside. I was completely exhausted. Nearly two and a half paws working straight had sapped all my energy and now all I wanted to do was go to sleep, however, something towards the back of the room drew me in, refuting my wish to sleep. A series of monitors, machines, and radio equipment crowded a desk leaning against the back wall, formed in a semi-circle around a keyboard and mouse in the centre. This collection of equipment had been my father’s pride and joy during his life, sometimes of greater importance to him than I was though I never really minded, much to my mother’s chagrin. After his passing, it, along with many other items he had collected over the years, were passed down to me. I had to sell most of them to keep afloat but this setup was something I refused to sell. It was of too much importance to both me and my father. I still remember the days I used to sit in his lap as he would teach me how to operate these devices, his voice full of excitement as he described the purpose of every knob, switch, button and such. I was a child then and didn’t quite understand it all, but over the years I managed to figure it all out to the point that I could reliably operate these devices and now, just like my father, it nearly consumed every moment of free time I had.
I threw myself into the chair in front of the desk and for a moment just stared at the black screen of the monitor, my brain seeming to take some time to process my next course of action. I knew this drill well, however, and once my brain finally willed my limbs to move, I set upon the devices with the grace of an automaton, flicking switches, pushing buttons and, slowly but surely, the machines whirred to life. This was perhaps not the most efficient method of operating this equipment but since it had worked for my father, I assumed it worked well enough. The screen before me flickered on and presented me with nothing, just as intended. I turned my attention to another screen to my left and began turning various knobs on the console, tuning the device to different frequencies as I searched for any possible signals I could pick up. On most days I found nothing but static, but sometimes, I would pick up communications from nearby ships or radio signals from passing exterminators and, on occasion, chatter from military vessels. To the average person this would seem like a waste of time and incredibly boring but to me it was exciting perusing through space for noise. It was hard to describe why I enjoyed it so much, perhaps it was merely nostalgia for my father? Or maybe the idea of listening to conversations I was clearly not supposed to be hearing pleases something in me? Or maybe it was the chance that I may find something truly exciting out there: A signal from an unknown world or something so alien I would not be able to comprehend it. Whatever the case, it was one of the few things I enjoyed in life which wasn’t really saying much considering most of my life was consumed by work.
After a few moments of fiddling with the device, I decided to leave it be for the time being as I was getting hungry and hadn’t eaten in a while. I got up and made my way to the small section of my apartment that was delegated to being a kitchen. Being as exhausted as I was, I couldn’t be asked to cook a full meal so I instead settled for a simple salad. I opened up my fridge and grabbed some leaves and vegetables to chuck in a bowl and then sat down to eat my feeble attempt at a meal. The apartment was almost dead quiet, the whirring and humming of the machines and the crunching of my salad were the only noises in this solemn space.
Suddenly, I was alerted to the sound of beeping coming from the living room. It had found something! I left my meal on the counter and near-sprinted into the room to inspect the find. I began fiddling with the machine and, within minutes, the signal was being processed. I switched on the audio output on the monitor in front of me to see if I could make out any chatter but all I received was blaring static so I swiftly turned it off. Seeing that there was little else to do for it and assuming it would take a while to download, I returned to the kitchen to finish off my dismal meal.
After putting my bowl and cutlery away, I returned to the main room to check on the progress of the signal. I flopped down into the chair and saw that it had already been downloaded. That was quick. Usually they would take much longer but, seeing as it meant I got to see what it was sooner, I wasn’t complaining. I transferred the signal to the computer screen in front of me to see what was on it and, as soon as I did so, my blood ran cold. Displayed on the monitor was a fleshy, flat face with two blue, piercing eyes staring at me. A part of me wanted to run, to scream, to hide, but my body remained completely frozen as I stared at this horrific visage before me. This predator had a vicious snarl plastered across its face and a large lump of flesh starting at between the eyes down to above its upper lip, a nose perhaps. I lurched forward and hit an arrow on my keyboard to move this image from my monitor only for it to be replaced by the image of another predator with that same snarl on its face. I mashed the arrow key, each press revealing another face, until I ended up on a black and white image of one of these predators. This one did not have that snarl present, but instead had a seemingly solemn expression on its face. I stared at its eyes which seemed partially sunken into its skull, it had a patch of fur covering the top and bottom of its face and it appeared to be wearing some sort of formal attire. I lingered on this image for a while, afraid of what the next one would be. This image at least made me feel a little less fear, although my emotions were still running high after that first one. Who would send this and for what reason? Was this some sort of prank? Or maybe… Just then, a horrifying thought went through my mind: it was the people in the images, or at least their species, that sent this signal! But then, who were they? My mind scrambled as I tried to recall any species that matched this description until I realised that I was an idiot. They had eyes facing forward, and there were only two known instances of predatory species with any semblance of intelligence: the Arxur, and Humans. But they were meant to be extinct! How could they have sent this signal?
With newfound curiosity, I decided against my better judgement to see what else was present in this message. After swiftly going through the last of the predator’s faces, I was met with a large body of alien script. Luckily, my monitor was equipped with a translator for text and so, within seconds, it was translated, allowing me to read it:
For centuries, Humanity has looked to the stars with increasing curiosity as to what may be up there and, as each decade passes, we learn more and more. One of the biggest questions was whether or not alien life existed and that, if it did, would it be intelligent? And so, Humanity has endeavoured to reach for the stars, exploring, watching, and listening for any sign of life. While we have so far been unsuccessful in this venture, we have sent offerings into the cosmos for anybody to find. In 1977, the Voyager 1 was launched into space and with it was the Golden Disk, a record containing images, sounds, music, and various other items which represent life on Earth. 30 years on, we celebrate this achievement with this: A Message From Earth. This message will be a collaborative effort by members of the public to curate another ‘Golden DIsc’ of Human culture. And so, I invite both participants and potential receivers to partake in this exchange of cultures across the cosmos. The images, messages, and sounds enclosed on this signal will be chosen based on how well we believe they represent Humanity and its diverse cultures. This message will take a little over two decades to reach its intended target and when it does, we hope whoever receives it responds in kind. And finally, to whoever does receive this message, we on Earth would love to hear from you and, perhaps even meet with you one day. But for now, we shall remain on Earth and keep listening out for a response. See you among the stars.
I stared in disbelief at what I had just read. They must have sent this out to make potential prey reveal themselves, right? But then this message implies that they haven’t invented advanced space travel and the fact that they estimate it to take quite some time to reach its destination suggests that that could not be the case. Maybe that was some predatory deception though? And what was this about ‘offerings’ and this ‘Golden Disc’? Maybe they assumed that life in the universe was also predatory? It would explain why those humans had snarls on their faces. But then this message made it seem like they wanted to make friendly contact with aliens, unless that was also part of the ruse? Every theory I made was easily contradicted by one thing or another until my brain began to ache. Perhaps if I looked through the rest of the messages it would start to make sense? I began to read through the other messages on this signal to see if I could make any sense of it all, but the more I read, the more confusing this all became. Another one of the message read:
In a universe so cold and empty, life is a miracle. We on Earth are lucky to have such diversity on this planet and I am grateful I was born on such a wonderful world. I sometimes wonder if there are planets just as wonderful elsewhere and if there are, will they have beings just as intelligent? If they do, will we ever meet them? Will we even know they exist? Or will they be long gone by the time we find them? There are so many potential reasons why we may never encounter any form of life whatsoever in this universe, but that won’t stop us from trying nonetheless. If anybody does receive this message, I hope that someday you may visit our beautiful plant and that we may visit yours. The universe is such a vast space that this may never be possible, but one can hope. If you do find this though, we’ll be waiting.
Wonderful? How can a world inhabited by predators be wonderful? Well, I suppose it's no longer inhabited by predators as they wiped themselves out, but still! And what do they mean by, ‘we’ll be waiting’ , do they expect us to just walk into their trap? I shook my head. These thoughts were getting me nowhere, I should just keep reading for now.
I read through more of these bodies of text, each containing more predatory deception saying how they would love to meet us and how they hope we respond to them, or philosophical ramblings, or life stories. It was all a ruse to trick anybody reading into thinking that they were friendly, it had to be. Eventually, I stumbled upon a message that made me pause briefly. It was different to previous ones in that it appeared to be in memory of someone. They care to remember their dead? My cynicism was abruptly halted as I properly began to read it:
I would like to dedicate this message to the memory of my father. He was born in Minnesota in 1967 and though he wasn’t in my life for as long as I would’ve liked, he was a great dad. I remember he used to take me out into the middle of fields at night and would point out constellations in the sky above as we lay in the grass, weathering the biting cold. In those moments though, I didn't care much for the weather, my attention was fully focused on those dazzling lights in the sky which he would tell me represented something. I didn’t really understand it at the time and if you asked me today I wouldn’t be able to identify a single constellation, but those memories were some of the best I ever made and some of best I have of him. He passed away a few years ago after battling with cancer for some time but I’m sure he would love to know that his memory is being transmitted across that sky that he and I used to gaze at on countless nights, and the fact that this message might even reach extraterrestrials would absolutely thrill him. I hope that whoever may receive this, you cherish those in your life, you never know when you may have to say goodbye.
I miss you dad.
I was dumbfounded by what I had just read but before I could react, a sudden wave of sadness struck me. Tears began to well in my eyes as I recalled memories of my own father. How could these predators have such similar experiences? They weren’t like me, right? Memories of his frail frame entered my mind, skin and bones laying helpless in a hospital bed. The doctors said there was little else they could do for him and so we could only watch as he deteriorated further until death finally snatched him away. I was only 19 then. But that wasn’t similar, I had wept when my father died! I bet that this predator just carried on with their day when they heard the news. Or… or… I cradled my head in my paws as this new revelation plagued my mind. Maybe they were like us? I sat there for a while as tears slid down my face and that dreadful message lingered on the monitor. I was too tired for this. That was it! I was simply tired! The predator’s messages had caught me in a weakened state! This triumphant revelation did not last long as another thought dawned on me. Was I the only person to receive this broadcast? This message may have been a genuine attempt to reach out to the universe and the only person who received it was someone who despised them without having met them. These were the last echoes of an extinct species and all I did was denounce them as evil predators. What did that say about me? I glanced back up at the message displayed, “I’m sorry.”, I muttered as I reached over to turn it off. I would go through the rest of this another day when I was less fatigued.
After powering down the last of the machines, I got up from my seat and finally headed off to bed. Flopping down into my sheets, I struggled to find sleep despite the long day I had had. As I stared up at my ceiling, I couldn’t help but wonder: far above it was a blanket of distant stars and, amongst them, somewhere, was a small, blue marble so alone in the universe and now so quiet, and, on it, was a species of people like me who had tried to reach out to the stars, longing for friendship. They didn’t know that the friends they would find would despise their kind and so, perhaps it was for the best that they fell to their own devices. Despite this, and everything else I knew about predators, a part of me couldn’t help but think:
I wish I could’ve met you.

  spots: 260@$1  Total Price: 260$
Make and model: spyderco pm2 20cv with rgt ti scales and upgraded backspaceplug
Timestamp:
video
Price comps: https://imgur.com/a/qdYQLus
https://imgur.com/a/FoBqAMI
recently raffled at 270$
Description: gotta a pm2 20cv with RGT ti scales, Lynch deep carry clip, Flytanium cf backspacer and matching black laynard plug.
Really nice action and lockup, no lock stick. 3rd owner, I never used it, but I did flip it around the house and admired those ti scales. Edge is sharp and shows no wear or scuffs. Comes with box and lynch stuff.
International shipping: no
Add no notes with payments cause there are none to give please 

PayPal Info: [REDACTED]
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In the rapidly evolving landscape of college networking, CLINK continues to lead the way with its innovative updates and features designed to enhance the user experience and foster greater connectivity within college communities. From new tools for collaboration and communication to enhanced security measures and personalized user experiences, CLINK's latest innovations are shaping the future of college networking in exciting ways. In this comprehensive exploration, we'll delve into the latest updates and features of CLINK, highlighting their significance and impact on college students, faculty, and administrators alike.
Enhanced User Interface: CLINK's latest update introduces a sleek and intuitive user interface that enhances navigation and usability across all devices. With cleaner layouts, streamlined menus, and improved accessibility features, users can navigate the platform with ease and efficiency, whether they're accessing CLINK from their desktop, laptop, or mobile device.
Advanced Search Functionality: Searching for classmates, courses, or campus events has never been easier with CLINK's advanced search functionality. Users can now filter search results by various criteria, such as location, date, and relevance, making it effortless to find the information they need and connect with others who share their interests and goals.
Integrated Messaging System: CLINK's integrated messaging system allows users to communicate seamlessly within the platform, eliminating the need for external messaging apps or email. Whether it's coordinating group projects, discussing course assignments, or reaching out to classmates for study sessions, users can stay connected and engaged without ever leaving the CLINK platform.
Customizable User Profiles: Personalization is key to fostering meaningful connections on CLINK, and the latest update introduces customizable user profiles that allow users to express themselves and showcase their interests, skills, and achievements. From uploading profile pictures to adding personal bios and portfolio links, users can tailor their profiles to reflect their unique personalities and aspirations.
Enhanced Security Features: Protecting user privacy and data security is a top priority for CLINK, and the latest update introduces enhanced security features to safeguard user information and prevent unauthorized access. From two-factor authentication and end-to-end encryption to regular security audits and vulnerability assessments, CLINK is committed to providing a safe and secure networking environment for all users.
Real-Time Collaboration Tools: Collaborating on group projects and assignments has never been easier with CLINK's real-time collaboration tools. From shared document editing and screen sharing to virtual whiteboards and video conferencing, users can collaborate seamlessly and efficiently, regardless of their location or time zone.
Event Management Toolkit: Planning and organizing campus events is a breeze with CLINK's event management toolkit. From creating event pages and sending invitations to managing RSVPs and tracking attendance, event organizers can streamline the entire event planning process and ensure a successful turnout.
Integrated Calendar System: Keep track of classes, assignments, and campus events with CLINK's integrated calendar system. Users can sync their CLINK calendars with their personal calendars, set reminders for important deadlines, and stay organized and on schedule throughout the academic year.
Community Polls and Surveys: Gather feedback and insights from the college community with CLINK's community polls and surveys feature. Whether it's soliciting input on campus initiatives, gathering opinions on course offerings, or conducting research for academic projects, CLINK provides a platform for engaging with the college community and making informed decisions.
AI-Powered Recommendations: CLINK's latest update leverages artificial intelligence to deliver personalized recommendations and suggestions to users based on their interests, activities, and interactions within the platform. From suggested study groups and extracurricular activities to recommended courses and events, CLINK helps users discover new opportunities for engagement and growth.
Accessibility Enhancements: Ensuring accessibility for all users is a core principle of CLINK, and the latest update introduces enhancements to improve accessibility for users with disabilities. From screen reader compatibility and keyboard navigation shortcuts to color contrast adjustments and alternative text descriptions, CLINK is committed to making the platform inclusive and accessible to everyone.
Expanded Language Support: CLINK's user base is diverse and multicultural, and the latest update expands language support to accommodate users from around the world. Whether it's offering multilingual interfaces, translating content into different languages, or providing language learning resources, CLINK strives to break down language barriers and promote cross-cultural communication and understanding.
Data Visualization Tools: Gain valuable insights into user engagement and activity trends with CLINK's data visualization tools. From interactive charts and graphs to customizable dashboards and reports, administrators can analyze user data more effectively and make data-driven decisions to enhance the user experience and optimize platform performance.
Virtual Career Fair Platform: CLINK's latest update introduces a virtual career fair platform that connects students with employers and job opportunities in a virtual environment. From networking with recruiters and attending industry panels to submitting resumes and scheduling interviews, students can explore career paths and jumpstart their professional journey right from the CLINK platform.
Integration with Learning Management Systems: Seamlessly integrate CLINK with existing learning management systems (LMS) to streamline course delivery and enhance the online learning experience. Whether it's importing course materials, syncing grades and assignments, or facilitating discussions and quizzes, CLINK's integration with LMS platforms creates a cohesive and efficient learning environment for students and instructors alike.
Smart Notifications and Reminders: Stay on top of important deadlines and events with CLINK's smart notifications and reminders. Whether it's a pending assignment, upcoming exam, or campus event, CLINK sends timely notifications to ensure that users stay informed and organized, reducing the risk of missed opportunities or deadlines.
Community Engagement Challenges: Foster a spirit of camaraderie and competition within the CLINK community with engagement challenges and contests. Whether it's a scavenger hunt, photo competition, or academic trivia contest, CLINK encourages users to participate in fun and interactive challenges that promote engagement and collaboration.
Gamification Elements: Make learning and networking more engaging and rewarding with gamification elements integrated into the CLINK platform. Whether it's earning badges and achievements for completing tasks or participating in leaderboards and competitions, CLINK gamifies the user experience to incentivize participation and drive engagement.
In-App Learning Resources: Access a wealth of learning resources and educational materials directly within the CLINK platform. From tutorial videos and interactive quizzes to study guides and course modules, CLINK provides users with the tools they need to enhance their academic skills and achieve their learning goals.
Customizable Dashboard Widgets: Tailor your CLINK dashboard to your unique preferences and workflow with customizable widgets and modules. Whether it's displaying upcoming events, recent notifications, or trending discussions, CLINK's customizable dashboard puts you in control of your user experience, allowing you to prioritize the information that matters most to you.
Social Integration Features: Seamlessly integrate CLINK with your favorite social media platforms to expand your network and share your activities with friends and followers. Whether it's sharing event invitations, posting updates on your CLINK profile, or inviting friends to join your study group, CLINK's social integration features make it easy to stay connected across platforms.
Community Marketplace: CLINK's latest update introduces a community marketplace where users can buy, sell, and trade goods and services within the college community. From textbooks and study materials to event tickets and campus merchandise, the CLINK marketplace provides a convenient platform for buying and selling items and supporting local businesses.
Intelligent Content Recommendations: Discover relevant and engaging content tailored to your interests and preferences with CLINK's intelligent content recommendation engine. Whether it's articles, videos, or events, CLINK analyzes your activity and interactions to deliver personalized recommendations that match your interests and enhance your user experience.
Collaborative Project Management Tools: Streamline collaboration on group projects and assignments with CLINK's project management tools. From assigning tasks and setting deadlines to tracking progress and sharing files, CLINK's collaborative project management features help teams work more efficiently and effectively, ensuring the successful completion of their projects.
Enhanced Polling and Survey Tools: Gather feedback and insights from the college community with CLINK's enhanced polling and survey tools. Whether it's conducting course evaluations, soliciting input on campus initiatives, or measuring student satisfaction, CLINK provides robust polling and survey features that empower administrators to make data-driven decisions and drive continuous improvement.
Virtual Study Rooms: Create virtual study rooms within CLINK where students can collaborate, share resources, and study together in real-time. Whether it's reviewing lecture notes, working on group projects, or preparing for exams, CLINK's virtual study rooms provide a collaborative and productive environment for academic success.
Expert Guest Speaker Series: Bring industry experts and thought leaders to your college community with CLINK's expert guest speaker series. Whether it's hosting virtual talks, panel discussions, or Q&A sessions, CLINK provides a platform for engaging with guest speakers and gaining insights into emerging trends and topics relevant to your field of study.
Digital Portfolio Showcase: Showcase your achievements and projects with CLINK's digital portfolio feature. Whether it's showcasing artwork, presenting research findings, or highlighting extracurricular activities, CLINK's digital portfolio showcase allows users to create professional and visually appealing portfolios that can be shared with peers, faculty, and potential employers.
Community Volunteer Opportunities: Get involved in community service and volunteer initiatives within the CLINK platform. Whether it's participating in local cleanup events, volunteering at food drives, or tutoring fellow students, CLINK provides a platform for connecting with nonprofit organizations and making a positive impact in your community.
Virtual Mentorship Programs: Connect with mentors and advisors within the CLINK community through virtual mentorship programs. Whether it's seeking career advice, academic guidance, or personal support, mentorship programs pair users with experienced professionals and peers who can provide valuable insights and mentorship throughout their college journey.
By staying at the forefront of innovation and continuously introducing new updates and features, CLINK remains a dynamic and evolving platform that empowers college students, faculty, and administrators to connect, collaborate, and succeed in today's digital age. Whether it's enhancing communication, streamlining collaboration, or fostering community engagement, CLINK's latest innovations are shaping the future of college networking and transforming the way colleges interact and engage with their communities.

(v) You must not employ any techniques or make use of any services, automated or otherwise, designed to misrepresent the popularity of your Content or the content of other users on the Platform, or to misrepresent your or other users activity on the Platform, including without limitation by the use of bots, botnets, scripts, apps, plugins, extensions or other automated means to register accounts, log in, add followers to your or other users account, play Content, follow or unfollow other users, send messages, post comments, or otherwise to act on your behalf, particularly where such activity occurs in a multiple or repetitive fashion. You must not offer, sell or promote the availability of any such techniques or services to any other users of the Platform.
(viii) You must not use the Platform to upload, post, store, transmit, display, copy, distribute, promote, make available or otherwise communicate to the public: any Content that violates, breaches or is contrary to any law, rule, regulation, court order or is otherwise is illegal or unlawful in SoundCloud's reasonable opinion;
(ix) You must not commit or engage in, or encourage, induce, solicit or promote, any conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability or otherwise violate any law or regulation.
QUICK SUMMARY:
(v) is directly referencing the botting that took place on his account (viii) is directly referencing any third party samples he used that he didn’t have the clearance to use (ix) is directly referencing the “explicit” imagery such as the german dictator symbol he used in tags, descriptions, and profile pictures. if soundcloud wasn’t based in EU, he wouldn’t have gotten banned for that

Here's my inventory spreadsheet. My wishlist is one of the last tabs. I like swapping if you have something that interests me.
Spend $50 and pick 5 free 1 mL decants.
I have a large variety of indies that I add to on a regular basis. I'm a curious sniffer so there's a range of scents available.
Decant Deals: I’m offering mystery decant packs. For $13, I will pick 6 random samples from my sales box and create a pack. For $25 I will pick 13. The samples could be any 1-2ml from any house on my spreadsheet. This is a fun opportunity to try new scents and perfumers.
I’m also offering a 1ml sample mix and match deal 5 for $15 or 10 for 20 (excluding Dorian and Snake Oil). Some houses have decants 5 for $10.
Payment & Shipping info: I accept only Paypal Goods and Services payment. Shipping is $5 first class for most orders in the US. No minimum. If you want to buy a $1 decant and pay $5 shipping, that's up to you. It may take up to a week to ship.
Generally, my decants come from Ajevie, decant circles, or the retailer. Sometimes they come from other people. Some labels may be oil-stained, curled, or damaged. My bottles usually come from the retailer, but some are from other people.
When I test, I usually use the little tester stick. For bottles I've used, I apply with my clean finger and slather or use a roller ball insert. I try to keep everything clean. I store my oils in dark cabinets and boxes in the shadiecooler parts of my house. These are my babies and I take good care of them.
I do have animals. While they generally aren’t interested in my scents, some of their fur may come along for the ride. It may take up to a week for me to ship.

“Questioning elicited the information that he feels almost as if there is a veil between him and other people through which they cannot reach him, but he prefers this veil to remain intact.”
—
Sometimes he looks around him, horrified by the weight of it all, the career of paper. He sits in the data-spew of hundreds of lives. There’s no end in sight. When he needs something, a report or transcript, anything, any level of difficulty, he simply has to ask. The Curator is quick to respond, firm in his insistence on forwarding precisely the right document in an area of research marked by ambiguity and error, by political bias, systematic fantasy. But not just the right document, not just an obscure footnote from an open source. The Curator sends him material not seen by anyone outside the headquarters complex at Langley, material that includes the results of internal investigations, confidential files from the Agency’s own Office of Security.
—
Knowledge was a danger, ignorance a cherished asset. In many cases the DCI, the Director of Central Intelligence, was not to know important things. The less he knew, the more decisively he could function. It would impair his ability to tell the truth at an inquiry or a hearing, or in an Oval Office chat with the President, if he knew what they were doing in Leader 4, or even what they were talking about, or muttering in their sleep. The Joint Chiefs were not to know. The operational horrors were not for their ears. Details were a form of contamination. The Secretaries were to be insulated from knowing. They were happier not knowing, or knowing too late. The Deputy Secretaries were interested in drifts and tendencies. They expected to be misled. They counted on it. The Attorney General wasn’t to know the queasy details. Just get results. Each level of the committee was designed to protect a higher level. There were complexities of speech. A man needed special experience and insight to work true meanings out of certain murky remarks. There were pauses and blank looks. Brilliant riddles floated up and down the echelons, to be pondered, solved, ignored.
The members of the committee would allow only generalities to carry upward. It was the President, of course, who was the final object of their protective instincts. … The White House was to be the summit of unknowing. It was as if an unsullied leader redeemed some ancient truth which the others were forced to admire only in the abstract, owing to their mission in the convoluted world.
But there were even deeper shadows, strange and grave silences surrounding plans to invade the island. The President knew about this, of course—knew the broad contours, had a sense of the promised outcome. But the system still operated as an insulating muse. Let him see the softer tones. Shield him from responsibility. Secrets build their own networks, Win believed. The system would perpetuate itself in all its curious and obsessive webbings, its equivocations and patient riddles and levels of delusional thought …
—
“The invasion failed because high officials didn’t examine the basic assumptions. They got caught up in a spirit of compelling action. They were eager to accept other men’s perceptions. There was safety in this. The plan was never clear. No one was ever responsible. Some of them knew a disaster was in the works. They let it ride. They put themselves out of reach. They wanted it over and done.”
—
“Some things we wait for all our lives without knowing it. Then it happens and we recognize at once who we are and how we are meant to proceed. This is the idea I’ve always wanted. I believe you’ll sense it is right. It’s the high risk we need. We need an electrifying event. You’ve been waiting for this every bit as much as I have. I believe that or I wouldn’t have asked you to come here. We want to set up an attempt on the life of the President. We plan every step, design every incident leading up to the event. We put together a team, leave a dim trail. The evidence is ambiguous. But it points to the Cuban Intelligence Directorate. Inherent in the plan is a second set of clues, even more unclear, more intriguing. These point to the Agency’s attempts to assassinate Castro. I am designing a plan that includes elements of both the American provocation and the Cuban reply. We do the whole thing with paper. Passports, drivers’ licenses, address books. Our team of shooters disappears but the police find a trail. Mail-order forms, change-of-address cards, photographs. We script a person or persons out of ordinary pocket litter. Shots ring out, the country is shocked, aroused. The paper trail leads to paid agents who have disappeared in Venezuela, in Mexico. I am convinced this is what we have to do to get Cuba back. This plan has levels and variations I’ve only begun to explore but it is already, essentially, right. I feel its rightness. I know what scientists mean when they talk about elegant solutions. This plan speaks to something deep inside me. It has a powerful logic. I’ve felt it unfolding for weeks, like a dream whose meaning slowly becomes apparent. This is the condition we’ve always wanted to reach. It’s the life-insight, the life-secret, and we have to extend it, guard it carefully, right up to the time we have shooters stationed on a rooftop or railroad bridge.”
—
Historic names, pen names, names of war, party names, revolutionary names. These were men who lived in isolation for long periods, lived close to death through long winters in exile or prison, feeling history in the room, waiting for the moment when it would surge through the walls, taking them with it. History was a force to these men, a presence in the room. They felt it and waited.
The books were struggles. He had to fight to make some elementary sense of what he read. But the books had come out of struggle. They had been struggles to write, struggles to live. It seemed fitting to Lee that the texts were often masses of dense theory, unyielding. The tougher the books, the more firmly he fixed a distance between himself and others.
He found enough that he could understand. He could see the capitalists, he could see the masses. They were right here, all around him, every day.
—
Pocket litter. Win Everett was at work devising a general shape, a life. He would script a gunman out of ordinary dog-eared paper, the contents of a wallet. … They wanted a name, a face, a bodily frame they might use to extend their fiction into the world. Everett had decided he wanted one figure to be slightly more visible than the others, a man the investigation might center on, someone who would be trailed and possibly apprehended. Three or four shooters would vanish completely, leaving scant traces of their affiliation. … Then one other figure, one slightly clearer image, perhaps abandoned in his sniper’s perch to find his own way out, to be trailed, found, possibly killed by the Secret Service, FBI or local police. Whatever protocol demands. This kind of man, a marksman, near anonymous, with minimal known history, the kind of man who surfaces in murky places, disappears, is arrested for some violent act, is released to drift again, to surface, to disappear. Mackey would find this man for Everett. They needed fingerprints, a handwriting sample, a photograph. Mackey would find the other shooters as well. We don’t hit the President. We miss him. We want a spectacular miss.
—
It was all so curiously funny. It was rich, that’s what it was. Everyone was a spook or dupe or asset, a double, courier, cutout or defector, or was related to one. We were all linked in a vast and rhythmic coincidence, a daisy chain of rumor, suspicion and secret wish.
—
Somewhere in his room of theories, in some notebook or folder, Nicholas Branch has a roster of the dead. A printout of the names of witnesses, informers, investigators, people linked to Lee H. Oswald, people linked to Jack Ruby, all conveniently and suggestively dead. In 1979 a House select committee determined there was nothing statistically abnormal about the death rate among those who were connected in some way to the events of November 22. Branch accepts this as an actuarial fact. He is writing a history, not a study of the ways in which people succumb to paranoia. There is endless suggestiveness. Branch concedes this. There is the language of the manner of death. Shot in back of head. Died of cut throat. Shot in police station. Shot in motel. Shot by husband after one month marriage. Found hanging by toreador pants in jail cell. Killed by karate chop. It is the neon epic of Saturday night. And Branch wants to believe that’s all it is. There is enough mystery in the facts as we know them, enough of conspiracy, coincidence, loose ends, dead ends, multiple interpretations. There is no need, he thinks, to invent the grand and masterful scheme, the plot that reaches flawlessly in a dozen directions.
Still, the cases do resonate, don’t they? Mostly anonymous dead. Exotic dancers, taxi drivers, cigarette girls, lawyers of the shopworn sort with dandruff on their lapels. But through the years the violence has reached others as well, and with each new series of misadventures Branch sees again how the assassination sheds a powerful and lasting light, exposing patterns and links, revealing this man to have known that one, this death to have occurred in curious juxtaposition to that.
—
“U-2 planes. The planes that spotted the missiles the Soviets were putting into Cuba. We used to call the photos pornography. The photo interpreters would gather to interpret. ‘Let’s see what kind of pornography we pulled in today.’ Kennedy looked at the pictures in his bedroom as a matter of fact. … Spy planes, drone aircraft, satellites with cameras that can see from three hundred miles what you can see from a hundred feet. They see and they hear. Like ancient monks, you know, who recorded knowledge, wrote it painstakingly down. These systems collect and process. All the secret knowledge of the world. … I’ll tell you what it means, these orbiting sensors that can hear us in our beds. It means the end of loyalty. The more complex the systems, the less conviction in people. Conviction will be drained out of us. Devices will drain us, make us vague and pliant.”
—
He would put someone together, build an identity, a skein of persuasion and habit, ever so subtle. He wanted a man with believable quirks. He would create a shadowed room, the gunman’s room, which investigators would eventually find, exposing each fact to relentless scrutiny, following each friend, relative, casual acquaintance into his own roomful of shadows. We lead more interesting lives than we think. We are characters in plots, without the compression and numinous sheen. Our lives, examined carefully in all their affinities and links, abound with suggestive meaning, with themes and involute turnings we have not allowed ourselves to see completely. He would show the secret symmetries in a nondescript life.
An address book with ambiguous leads. Photographs expertly altered (or crudely altered). Letters, travel documents, counterfeit signatures, a history of false names. It would all require a massive decipherment, a conversion to plain text. He envisioned teams of linguists, photo analysts, fingerprint experts, handwriting experts, experts in hairs and fibers, smudges and blurs. Investigators building up chronologies. He would give them the makings of deep chronos, lead them to basement rooms in windy industrial slums, to lost towns in the Tropics.
—
Life is hostile, he believed. The struggle is to merge your life with the greater tide of history.
—
Maybe what has to happen is that the individual must allow himself to be swept along, must find himself in the stream of no-choice, the single direction. This is what makes things inevitable. You use the restrictions and penalties they invent to make yourself stronger. History means to merge. The purpose of history is to climb out of your own skin. He knew what Trotsky had written, that revolution leads us out of the dark night of the isolated self. We live forever in history, outside ego and id.
—
Two weeks later he followed directions to a house in the Sanya district of Tokyo. He made his way through a ragpickers’ village built with material scavenged from other parts of the city. Old women jogged through the alleys carrying empty bottles, broken chair legs, pieces of indefinable junk. Houses were shoulder-high, made of old packing crates and strips of sheet metal, the walls stuffed with cardboard and rags. There were lines of people selling blood at mobile units, people who seemed hollow-bodied, so small, in such collapse. It would never bottom out. No matter how far down you went into the world, there were distances still to go, worse things to see and experience. He made it a point not to hurry through the area. He wanted to see what was here.
—
It produced a sensation of the eeriest panic, gave him a glimpse of the fiction he’d been devising, a fiction living prematurely in the world.
—
Nicholas Branch has unpublished state documents, polygraph reports, Dictabelt recordings from the police radio net on November 22. He has photo enhancements, floor plans, home movies, biographies, bibliographies, letters, rumors, mirages, dreams. This is the room of dreams, the room where it has taken him all these years to learn that his subject is not politics or violent crime but men in small rooms.
Is he one of them now? Frustrated, stuck, self-watching, looking for a means of connection, a way to break out. After Oswald, men in America are no longer required to lead lives of quiet desperation. You apply for a credit card, buy a handgun, travel through cities, suburbs and shopping malls, anonymous, anonymous, looking for a chance to take a shot at the first puffy empty famous face, just to let people know there is someone out there who reads the papers.
Branch is stuck all right. He has abandoned his life to understanding that moment in Dallas, the seven seconds that broke the back of the American century. He has his forensic pathology rundown, his neutron activation analysis. There is also the Warren Report, of course, with its twenty-six accompanying volumes of testimony and exhibits, its millions of words. Branch thinks this is the megaton novel James Joyce would have written if he’d moved to Iowa City and lived to be a hundred.
Everything is here. Baptismal records, report cards, postcards, divorce petitions, canceled checks, daily timesheets, tax returns, property lists, postoperative x-rays, photos of knotted string, thousands of pages of testimony, of voices droning in hearing rooms in old courthouse buildings, an incredible haul of human utterance. It lies so flat on the page, hangs so still in the lazy air, lost to syntax and other arrangement, that it resembles a kind of mind-spatter, a poetry of lives muddied and dripping in language.
Branch doesn’t know how to approach this kind of data. … It is vital to his sense of responsible obsession that everything in his room warrants careful study. Everything belongs, everything adheres, the mutter of obscure witnesses, the photos of illegible documents and odd sad personal debris, things gathered up at a dying—old shoes, pajama tops, letters from Russia. It is all one thing, a ruined city of trivia where people feel real pain. This is the Joycean Book of America, remember—the novel in which nothing is left out.
Branch has long since forgiven the Warren Report for its failures. It is too valuable a document of human heartbreak and muddle to be scorned or dismissed. The twenty-six volumes haunt him. Men and women surface in FBI memos, are tracked for several pages, then disappear—waitresses, prostitutes, mind readers, motel managers, owners of rifle ranges. Their stories hang in time, spare, perfect in their way, unfinished.
Photographs. Many are overexposed, light-blasted, with a faded quality beyond their age, suggesting things barely glimpsed despite the simple nature of the objects and the spare captions. ... But Branch feels there is a loneliness, a strange desolation trapped here. Why do these photographs have a power to disturb him, make him sad? Flat, pale, washed in time, suspended outside the particularized gist of this or that era, arguing nothing, clarifying nothing, lonely. Can a photograph be lonely?
This sadness has him fixed to his chair, staring. He feels the souls of empty places, finds himself returning again and again to the pictures of the second-floor lunchroom in the Texas School Book Depository. Rooms, garages, streets were emptied out for the making of official pictures. Empty forever now, stuck in some picture limbo. He feels the souls of those who were there and left. He feels sadness in objects, in warehouse cartons and blood-soaked clothes. He breathes in loneliness. He feels the dead in his room.
—
It was his goodbye to Russia. It signified the official end of a major era in his life. It validated the experience, as the writing of any history brings a persuasion and form to events.
Even as he printed the words, he imagined people reading them, people moved by his loneliness and disappointment, even by his wretched spelling, the childish mess of composition. Let them see the struggle and humiliation, the effort he had to exert to write a simple sentence. The pages were crowded, smudged, urgent, a true picture of his state of mind, of his rage and frustration, knowing a thing but not able to record it properly.
Always the pain, the chaos of composition. He could not find order in the field of little symbols. They were in the hazy distance. He could not clearly see the picture that is called a word. A word is also a picture of a word. He saw spaces, incomplete features, and tried to guess at the rest.
He made wild tries at phonetic spelling. But the language tricked him with its inconsistencies. He watched sentences deteriorate, powerless to make them right. The nature of things was to be elusive. Things slipped through his perceptions. He could not get a grip on the runaway world.
Limits everywhere. In every direction he came up against his own incompleteness. Cramped, fumbling, deficient. He knew things. It wasn’t that he didn’t know.
Even in the rush of filling these pages, he was careful to leave out certain things that could be used in legal argument against his return to the U.S. Yes, the diary was self-serving to a degree but still the basic truth, he believed. The panic was real, the voice of disappointment and loss.
He knew there were discrepancies, messed-up dates. No one could expect him to get the dates right after all this time, no one cared about the dates, no one is reading this for names and dates and spellings.
Let them see the struggle.
He believed religiously that his life would turn in such a way that people would one day study the Historic Diary for clues to the heart and mind of the man who wrote it.
—
Plots carry their own logic. There is a tendency of plots to move toward death. He believed that the idea of death is woven into the nature of every plot. A narrative plot no less than a conspiracy of armed men. The tighter the plot of a story, the more likely it will come to death. A plot in fiction, he believed, is the way we localize the force of the death outside the book, play it off, contain it. The ancients staged mock battles to parallel the tempests in nature and reduce their fear of gods who warred across the sky. He worried about the deathward logic of his plot. He’d already made it clear that he wanted the shooters to hit a Secret Service man, wound him superficially. But it wasn’t a misdirected round, an accidental killing, that made him afraid. There was something more insidious. He had a foreboding that the plot would move to a limit, develop a logical end.
—
He thought the only end to isolation was to reach the point where he was no longer separated from the true struggles that went on around him. The name we give this point is history.
—
“It’s the job of an intelligence service to resolve a nation’s obsessions. Cuba is a fixed idea. It is prickly in a way Russia is not. More unresolved. More damaging to the psyche. And this is our job, to remove the psychic threat, to learn so much about Castro, decipher his intentions, undermine his institutions to such a degree that he loses the power to shape the way we think, to shape the way we sleep at night.”
—
It was remarkable how often he talked to her about these things. The Agency was the one subject in his life that could never be exhausted. Central Intelligence. Beryl saw it as the best organized church in the Christian world, a mission to collect and store everything that everyone has ever said and then reduce it to a microdot and call it God. She needed to live in small dusty rooms, layered safely in, out of the reach of dizzying things, of heat and light and strange spaces, and Larry needed the great sheltering nave of the Agency. He believed that nothing can be finally known that involves human motive and need. There is always another level, another secret, a way in which the heart breeds a deception so mysterious and complex it can only be taken for a deeper kind of truth.
—
He’d stopped commenting on this oddness of hers. She said the news clippings she sent to friends were a perfectly reasonable way to correspond. There were a thousand things to clip and they all said something about the way she felt. He watched her read and cut. She wore half-glasses and worked the scissors grimly. She believed these were personal forms of expression. She believed no message she could send a friend was more intimate and telling than a story in the paper … Because these are the things that tell us how we live.
—
In the Old Senate Caucus Room they asked him to name the members of the Real Control Apparatus. This is like naming particles in the air, naming molecules or cells. The Apparatus is precisely what we can’t see or name. We can’t measure it, gentlemen, or take its photograph. It is the mystery we can’t get hold of, the plot we can’t uncover. This doesn’t mean there are no plotters. They are elected officials of our government, Cabinet members, philanthropists, men who know each other by secret signs, who work in the shadows to control our lives.
—
On his fourth day with Castro he shot a government scout, aiming through a telescopic sight. It was uncanny. You press a button and a man drops dead a hundred meters away. It seemed hollow and remote, falsifying everything. It was a trick of the lenses. The man is an accurate picture. Then he is upside down. Then he is right side up. You shoot at a series of images conveyed to you through a metal tube. The force of a death should be enormous but how can you know what kind of man you’ve killed or who was the braver and stronger if you have to peer through layers of glass that deliver the image but obscure the meaning of the act? War has a conscience or it’s ordinary murder.
—
The Curator sends the results of ballistics tests carried out on human skulls and goat carcasses, on blocks of gelatin mixed with horsemeat. There are photographs of skulls with the right cranial portion blown away. There are bullet-shattered goat heads in close-up. Branch studies a picture of a gelatin-tissue model “dressed” like the President. It is pure modernist sculpture, a block of gelatin layered in suit and shirt material with a strip of undershirt showing, bullet-smoked. There are documents concerning exit velocities. There is a picture of a human skull filled with gelatin and covered with goatskin to simulate a scalp.
—
He sends an actual warped bullet that has been fired for test purposes through the wrist of a seated cadaver. We are on another level here, Branch thinks. Beyond documents now. They want me to touch and smell.
—
The Oswald shadings, the multiple images, the split perceptions—eye color, weapons caliber—these seem a foreboding of what is to come. The endless fact-rubble of the investigations. How many shots, how many gunmen, how many directions? Powerful events breed their own network of inconsistencies. The simple facts elude authentication. How many wounds on the President’s body? What is the size and shape of the wounds? … [Branch] concedes everything. He questions everything, including the basic suppositions we make about our world of light and shadow, solid objects and ordinary sounds, and our ability to measure such things, to determine weight, mass and direction, to see things as they are, recall them clearly, be able to say what happened.
He takes refuge in his notes. The notes are becoming an end in themselves. Branch has decided it is premature to make a serious effort to turn these notes into coherent history. Maybe it will always be premature. Because the data keeps coming. Because new lives enter the record all the time. The past is changing as he writes.
—
“Signs that you exist. Evidence that Lee Oswald matches the cardboard cutout they’ve been shaping all along. You’re a quirk of history. You’re a coincidence. They devise a plan, you fit it perfectly. They lose you, here you are. There’s a pattern in things. Something in us has an effect on independent events. We make things happen. The conscious mind gives one side only. We’re deeper than that. We extend into time. Some of us can almost predict the time and place and nature of our own death. We know it on some deeper plane.”
—
“Think of two parallel lines,” he said. “One is the life of Lee H. Oswald. One is the conspiracy to kill the President. What bridges the space between them? What makes a connection inevitable? There is a third line. It comes out of dreams, visions, intuitions, prayers, out of the deepest levels of the self. It’s not generated by cause and effect like the other two lines. It’s a line that cuts across causality, cuts across time. It has no history that we can recognize or understand. But it forces a connection. It puts a man on the path of his destiny.”
—
The Agency forgives. There wasn’t a man in the upper ranks of the four directorates who didn’t understand the perils of clandestine work. They would be pleased by his willingness to cooperate. What’s more, they would admire the complexity of his plan, incomplete as it was. It had art and memory. It had a sense of responsibility, of moral force. And it was a picture in the world of their own guilty wishes. He was never more surely an Agency man than in the first breathless days of dreaming up this plot.
—
To Nicholas Branch, more frequently of late, “Lee H. Oswald” seems a technical diagram, part of some exercise in the secret manipulation of history.
—
Street by street the crowd began to understand why it was here. The message jumped the open space from one press of bodies to the next. A contagion had brought them here, some mystery of common impulse, hundreds of thousands come from so many histories and systems of being, come from some experience of the night before, a convergence of dreams, to stand together shouting as the Lincoln passed. … They were here to surround the brittle body of one man and claim his smile, receive some token of the bounty of his soul.
—
The media crowds collected and rocked in the corridors. They were waiting for the prisoner to come down to the interrogation room here on the third floor of the Police and Courts Building. TV cameras sat on dollies and there were cables slung over windowsills, trailing through the offices of deputy chiefs. Nobody checked credentials. Reporters took over the phones and pushed into toilets after police officials. Total unknowns walked the halls, defendants from other parts of the building, witnesses to other crimes, tourists, muttering men, drunks in torn shirts. It was a roughhouse, a confoundment. Every rumor flew. Disk jockeys arrived to fill in, blinking, flinching, wary. A reporter wrote notes on a pad he balanced on the back of the chief of police.
Hours going by. Blank faces arrayed against corridor walls. Men crouched near the elevators waiting. They sensed the incompleteness out there, gaps, spaces, vacant seats, lobbies emptied out, disconnections, dark cities, stopped lives. People were lonely for news. Only news could make them whole again, restore sensation. Three hundred reporters in a compact space, all pushing to extract a word. A word is a magic wish. A word from anyone. With a word they could begin to grid the world, make an instant surface that people can see and touch together.
—
Whenever they took him down, he heard his name on the radios and TVs. Lee Harvey Oswald. It sounded extremely strange. He didn’t recognize himself in the full intonation of the name. The only time he used his middle name was to write it on a form that had a space for that purpose. No one called him by that name. Now it was everywhere. He heard it coming from the walls. Reporters called it out. Lee Harvey Oswald, Lee Harvey Oswald. It sounded odd and dumb and made up. They were talking about somebody else.
—
They took him back to the cell. He stripped to his underwear and sat on the bunk, thinking, feeling the noise of the assembly room still resonating in his body. A cell is the basic state, the crude truth of the world.
He could play it either way, depending on what they could prove or couldn’t prove. He wasn’t on the sixth floor at all. He was in the lunchroom eating lunch. The victim of a total frame. They’d been rigging the thing for years, watching him, using him, creating a chain of evidence with the innocent facts of his life. Or he could say he was only partly guilty, set up to take the blame for the real conspirators. Okay, he fired some shots from the window. But he didn’t kill anyone. He never meant to fire a fatal shot. It was never his intention to cause an actual fatality. He was only trying to make a political point. Other people were responsible for the actual killing. They fixed it so he would seem the lone gunman. They superimposed his head on someone else’s body. Forged his name on documents. Made him a dupe of history. He would name every name if he had to.
—
Lee Harvey Oswald was awake in his cell. It was beginning to occur to him that he’d found his life’s work. After the crime comes the reconstruction. He will have motives to analyze, the whole rich question of truth and guilt. Time to reflect, time to turn this thing in his mind. Here is a crime that clearly yields material for deep interpretation. He will be able to bend the light of that heightened moment, shadows fixed on the lawn, the limousine shimmering and still. Time to grow in self-knowledge, to explore the meaning of what he’s done. He will vary the act a hundred ways, speed it up and slow it down, shift emphasis, find shadings, see his whole life change.
This was the true beginning.
They will, give him writing paper and books. He will fill his cell with books about the case. He will have time to educate himself in criminal law, ballistics, acoustics, photography. Whatever pertains to the case he will examine and consume. People will come to see him, the lawyers first, then psychologists, historians, biographers. His life had a single clear subject now, called Lee Harvey Oswald.
He and Kennedy were partners. The figure of the gunman in the window was inextricable from the victim and his history. This sustained Oswald in his cell. It gave him what he needed to live.
—
If we are on the outside, we assume a conspiracy is the perfect working of a scheme. Silent nameless men with unadorned hearts. A conspiracy is everything that ordinary life is not. It’s the inside game, cold, sure, undistracted, forever closed off to us. We are the flawed ones, the innocents, trying to make some rough sense of the daily jostle. Conspirators have a logic and a daring beyond our reach. All conspiracies are the same taut story of men who find coherence in some criminal act.
But maybe not. Nicholas Branch thinks he knows better. He has learned enough about the days and months preceding November 22, and enough about the twenty-second itself, to reach a determination that the conspiracy against the President was a rambling affair that succeeded in the short term due mainly to chance. Deft men and fools, ambivalence and fixed will and what the weather was like.
The stuff keeps coming. The Curator sends FBI surveillance logs. He sends a thirty-five-hour film chronology of unedited network footage shot during the weekend of November 22. He sends a computer-enhanced version of the Zapruder film, the 8mm home movie made by a dress manufacturer who stood on a concrete abutment above Elm Street as the shots were fired. Experts have scrutinized every murky nuance of the Zapruder film. It is the basic timing device of the assassination and a major emblem of uncertainty and chaos. There is the powerful moment of death, the surrounding blurs, patches and shadows.
(Branch’s analysis of the film and other evidence leads him to believe the first shot came much sooner than most theories would allow, probably at Zapruder frame 186. Governor Connally was hit two point six seconds later, at Zapruder 234. The shot that killed the President, crushingly, came four point three seconds after that. Even though he has reached firm conclusions in this area, Branch will study the computerized version of Zapruder. He is in too deep to stop now.)
The Curator sends a special FBI report that includes detailed descriptions of the dreams of eyewitnesses following the assassination of Kennedy and the murder of Oswald.
There are worrisome omissions, occasional gaps in the record. Of course Branch understands that the Agency is a closed system. He knows they will not reveal what they’ve learned to other agencies, much less the public. This is why the history he has contracted to write is a secret one, meant for CIA’s own closed collection. But why are they withholding material from him as well? There’s something they aren’t telling him. The Curator delays, lately, in filling certain requests for information, seems to ignore other requests completely. What are they holding back? How much more is there? Branch wonders if there is some limit inherent in the yielding of information gathered in secret. They can’t give it all away, even to one of their own, someone pledged to confidentiality. Before his retirement, Branch analyzed intelligence, sought patterns in random scads of data. He believed secrets were childish things. He was not generally impressed by the accomplishments of men in the clandestine service, the spy handlers, the covert-action staff. He thought they’d built a vast theology, a formal coded body of knowledge that was basically play material, secret-keeping, one of the keener pleasures and conflicts of childhood. Now he wonders if the Agency is protecting something very much like its identity—protecting its own truth, its theology of secrets.
The Curator begins to send fiction, twenty-five years of novels and plays about the assassination. He sends feature films and documentaries. He sends transcripts of panel discussions and radio debates. Branch has no choice but to study this material. There are important things he has yet to learn. There are lives he must examine. It is essential to master the data.
—
He believes people are distorting his words even as he speaks them. There is a process that takes place between the saying of a word and when they pretend to hear it correctly but actually change it to mean what they want.
—
He is miscast, or cast as someone else, as Oswald. They are part of the same crime now. They are in it together and forever and together.
—
The camera doesn’t catch all of it. There seem to be missing frames, lost levels of information. Brief and simple as the shooting is, it is too much to take in, too mingled in jumped-up energies.
—
There was something in Oswald’s face, a glance at the camera before he was shot, that put him here in the audience, among the rest of us, sleepless in our homes—a glance, a way of telling us that he knows who we are and how we feel, that he has brought our perceptions and interpretations into his sense of the crime. Something in the look, some sly intelligence, exceedingly brief but far-reaching, a connection all but bleached away by glare, tells us that he is outside the moment, watching with the rest of us.

Every single day there is a question from someone here saying "where do I start for AWS Cloud Practitioner" when there are a few hundred articles from those who passed already.
So here is a master list of resources to help those who have this question.

tl;dr

Get 1 video course and watch it end to end
Study CAF & WAF in a bit more detail
Do some decent practice exams (NOT dumps) from one provider
Take and Pass exam!

Subreddit Search

Following my own usual guidance, you can always use the subreddit search feature and read articles from everyone in the last month who posted about this exam / passed it. There is a wealth of detail / experience here to learn from :
Link : https://www.reddit.com/AWSCertifications/search/?q=clf-c02+cloud+practitioner+pass&type=link&t=month

Exam Details

If you have absolutely no clue about the exam - start here.
The exam code is CLF-C02 and its also commonly referred to as CCP as short for Certified Cloud Practitioner.
AWS page with all the details : https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-cloud-practitione
Always read the Exam Guide : https://d1.awsstatic.com/training-and-certification/docs-cloud-practitioneAWS-Certified-Cloud-Practitioner_Exam-Guide.pdf - it tells you what is in scope and out of scope.

Minimum Viable Path to Certification

Most people usually need 3 things to pass the exam

1. A single video based course introducing AWS and all the key exam topics

Typically these are courses where someone reads from some slides, shows you the AWS console and how to use it and then gives you tips on what to remember - there are free and paid versions of these.

1. Additional material on key topics.

For CLF-C02 - these included the "CAF" and "WAF" -more details on these below.

1. One good quality practice exam

Note : do not fall for some random "dump" found on internet or a file your mate gave you to study.
Also note - you do NOT need more than 1 of each category. You can buy more than one practice exam for sure but doing one is enough IMHO.

1. Video Courses

Free Video based Courses

Free from AWS's own training service (Skillbuilder) :
AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials
https://explore.skillbuilder.aws/learn/course/external/view/elearning/134/aws-cloud-practitioner-essentials
Optional : There is a slightly extended version of this in the "Cloud Essentials" learning plan with a free digital badge if you are interested in that : https://explore.skillbuilder.aws/learn/public/learning_plan/view/82/cloud-foundations-learning-plan
Please note that this course is not enough on its own to pass and you may want to try additional material below.
YouTube based video course
This course below is a better alternative to the Cloud Practitioner Essentials mentioned above.
Andrew Brown is an AWS community hero who runs his own training site called exampro.co but offers most of the material for free on FreeCodeCamp's YouTube channel.
The 2024 refresh of the Cloud Practitioner course is here : https://youtu.be/NhDYbskXRgc
This is my personal favourite and is highly recommended.
Andrew also has additional (free / paid) content on his site to check out.

PAID Video based courses

Udemy Courses :
Udemy is a marketplace for courses created by independent authors.
Two of the well known authors are mentioned below but please note that Udemy's pricing model can be a bit weird. One day it may show 150 USD for a course and another day 15 USD. This price it high and discount it heavily model catches out most people - so NEVER pay more than USD 20 for anything on Udemy.
Just wait for a day or so and prices may change. Opening Udemy in another incognito browser etc usually yields a different price or follow the authors on social media for codes that shrink the cost.
Stephane Maarek :
Go via his site : https://courses.datacumulus.com/ for links to his Cloud Practitioner course with the best available coupon.
Neil Davis :
https://www.udemy.com/course/aws-certified-cloud-practitioner-training-course/
Either one of these Udemy courses is sufficient. You still need to combine it with practice exams but you do not need more than 1 video course.
Exampro.co
As mentioned above Andrew Brown has his own site with additional material over his YouTube course.

2. Additional Material

Two of the main exam items noted recently are the
CAF - Cloud Adoption Framework https://aws.amazon.com/cloud-adoption-framework/
The link above has lot of details, ebook, infographic etc.
If you need some additional training - consider this free one :
https://explore.skillbuilder.aws/learn/course/external/view/elearning/189/introduction-to-the-aws-cloud-adoption-framework-caf
WAF - Well Architected Framework
https://aws.amazon.com/architecture/well-architected/
You need to know at a high level what the pillars are and the main ideas behind them. You do not need to know every single one in depth. Quickly skimming some of the pillars maybe of benefit.
If you need additional training - consider this free one :
https://explore.skillbuilder.aws/learn/course/external/view/elearning/108/aws-well-architected-foundations

3. Practice Exams

Please do NOT fall for "dumps" - if anyone offers you the EXACT list of AWS questions or guarantees the question bank matches the exam - these are dumps. The links below are either official or well regarded sources.
Free :
AWS skillbuilder has one free official exam with just 20 free questions.
To be honest its not really worth it - you can search for "Official practic exam skillbuilder CLF-C02" using your favourite search engine to find it.
exampro.co
Has 1 free practice exam you can sign up to.
Paid :
Official Practice exam
https://explore.skillbuilder.aws/learn/course/external/view/elearning/14637/aws-certified-cloud-practitioner-official-practice-exam-clf-c02-english - there is a free 7 day trial available for you to use as this exam may not be worth a month's subscription fee
Tutorialsdojo.com
Highly recommended independent resource for practice exam questions with a very useful "review mode" and every question comes with detailed explanations on answers
Udemy
Stephane Maarek : again go via his site : https://courses.datacumulus.com/
Neal Davis : https://www.udemy.com/course/aws-certified-cloud-practitioner-practice-exams-c/
Exampro.co
Andrew Brown has I believe 3 practice exams as well on his site. One is free - the other two you pay for.
Whizlabs
I havent used them personally but try https://www.whizlabs.com/aws-certified-cloud-practitione

Not Recommended sites :

Sites that are sadly NOT recommended anymore - Avoid A Cloud Guru / Pluralsight as their courses are not considered the best anymore. They used to be leaders but somehow have fallen behind and their subscription model doesnt work in a world with cheap one time purchase courses.

Miscellanous support material

Highly Recommended : AWS Cloud Quest : Cloud Practitioner
https://explore.skillbuilder.aws/learn/course/internal/view/elearning/11458/aws-cloud-quest-cloud-practitioner
I usually say "Can you learn to swim watching swimming videos? Or do you need to jump into the learner pool and actually learn?
If you want to put all the theory into practice and learn in a slightly gamified way - you can play the Free Cloud Quest : Cloud Practitioner game.
In this game you navigate through a dozen skills covering Compute, Storage etc and each assignment is an actual hands on lab and you do this in the actual AWS Console. This is all free of cost and finishing all dozen assignments will yield you a free digital badge too.
This game alone is not enough to pass the exam but it reinforces many of the fundamental services with real hands on work.
SkillBuilder ExamPrep course
If you want to know the exam domains etc in more detail - this course (4.5 hrs) maybe useful.
Note it does NOT teach you the basics as much as the others above - it covers the various domains and what you are expected to know and offers sample questions.
https://explore.skillbuilder.aws/learn/course/external/view/elearning/16434/exam-prep-standard-course-aws-certified-cloud-practitioner-clf-c02-english

FAQ

1. Do I need ALL this material

A. No. Just one of each is fine. Example : get the free YouTube course + tutorialsdojo and you can pass

1. Do I really need to do hands on work

A. It is recommended but at this level optional

1. Where can I find vouchers for the exam

A. check this thread : https://www.reddit.com/AWSCertifications/comments/18woit6/2024_aws_vouchers_exam_discounts_othe?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

1. Can I cheat my way using Dumps that I found online / my mate gave me / found on GitHub / YouTube?

A. You can but there is a high chance you fail and/or get caught / banned - the risk isnt worth it. Stick with genuine resources.

1. Can I pass with just free resources as I cannot afford the resources

A. Its possible but please it is recommended to atleast spend on decent practice exams. If you cannot afford the exam / resources - just get the free digital badges (Cloud Essentials / Cloud Quest)

1. Can I skip CCP / CLF and move to Associate level

A. Absolutely - if you are aiming higher than just foundational level I recommend you go directly to Associate level skipping CCP.

1. Can someone who is new to IT do this exam

A. Yes - this is designed for beginners - be ready to use google to help you with things you do not fully understand first time

1. Is it worth it?

A. Plenty of threads on this subreddit covering this. You have to make up your own mind if its worth it to you or not.

1. I dont code or want to - is this course for me?

A. This course is a beginner level course - there is no coding involved
Good Luck folks!

Daily Modifiers

Vanguard Ops

• Arc Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Arc damage.
• Stasis Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Stasis damage.
• Void Threat: 25% increase to incoming Void damage.
• Power Level Disabled: Combatant difficulty is set at a fixed level.
• Lightning Crystals: Arc and Stasis abilities recharge faster, but you receive more damage from both elements.

Dares of Eternity

• Avatara's Psyche: Supers recharge more quickly.
• Champion Foes: You will face [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload, and [Stagger] Unstoppable Champions. Visit the Character or Mod Customization screen to view your active anti-Champion perks.

Onslaught: Playlist

• Onslaught Rules: Defend and repair the ADU against waves of combatants. There are 10 waves to a set. ADU: If the ADU is destroyed, the activity ends. Scraps: An in-activity currency. They are earned by scoring and used to purchase and upgrade defenses at the start of every set and after waves 3 and 6. Rewards: Paid out after every set upon defeating the boss wave. Subsequent sets pay out better rewards. Legend increases rewards. Bonus Objectives: Rewards resources, vendor reputation, and armaments.
• Power Level Disabled: Combatant difficulty is set at a fixed level.
• Void Threat: 25% increase to incoming Void damage.
• Arc Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Arc damage.
• Stasis Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Stasis damage.
• Champion Foes: You will face [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload, and [Stagger] Unstoppable Champions. Visit the Character or Mod Customization screen to view your active anti-Champion perks.

Riven's Lair

• Mettle: Power Level: All combatants in this activity will be at least 5 points over the player's current Power level.
• Void Threat: 25% increase to incoming Void damage.
• Iron: Enemies have more health and are not staggered by damage.
• Strand Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Strand damage.
• Solar Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Solar damage.

The Coil

• The Coil Rules: Successfully complete four pathways inside Riven's Lair. Escalating Difficulty: Player's Power levels are fixed. Starting at 0 each subsequent pathway increases all combatants' Power level over the player's by 5. Wishing Glass: Wishing Glass is an in-activity currency. They drop from combatants, Glass Collectors, and pots. Wishing Glass comes in multiple rarities equating to their worth. Wishing Glass is used to purchase Dragon's Gifts from Riven. Dragon's Gifts: A set of buffs are randomly chosen, once per run. Between pathways, players can purchase buffs from Riven via Wishing Glass. Buffs are separated into three price point tiers. Rewards: After each pathway, players will return to Riven for their rewards. Subsequent pathways pay out better rewards. Breaking through score thresholds unlock secret chests. Finishing The Coil with a platinum score rewards players with access to the lustrous and lucrative Chamber of Wishes.
• Multiplicity: Combatant difficulty scales with fireteam size.
• Limited Revives: Limited fireteam revives. Purchase additional revives from Riven with Wishing Glass. Small chance to drop from destroying pots.
• Full Extinguish: If all your fireteam members fall with 0 Revive Tokens, everyone is returned to orbit.
• Attrition: Regeneration is greatly impaired. Defeating enemies may create wells of Light.
• Galvanized: Combatants have more health and are more difficult to stun.
• The Pathways: Riven's wish magic stirs weekly. The following are the pathways and their order in The Coil: -First Steps (Temple of the Queen's Wrath) -Divining Hall -Sensorium (Pavilion) -Observatory
• Solar Threat: 25% increase to incoming Solar damage.
• Scorched Earth: Enemies throw grenades significantly more often.
• Overcharged Glaive: 25% bonus to Glaive damage.
• Overcharged Machine Gun: 25% bonus to Machine Gun damage.

Seasonal

Legend/Master Lost Sector

Exotic armor drop (if solo): Helmet

Concealed Void: Legend

• Legend Difficulty: Locked Equipment, Extra Shields
• Champions: [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload
• Threat: [Solar] Solar
• Shields: [Solar] Solar, [Void] Void
• Modifiers: Arach-NO!

Concealed Void: Master

• Legend Difficulty: Locked Equipment, Extra Shields
• Champions: [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload
• Threat: [Solar] Solar
• Shields: [Solar] Solar, [Void] Void
• Modifiers: Arach-NO!

Misc

• Terminal Overload: Ahimsa Park Weapon: Basso Ostinato (Shotgun)
• The Wellspring: Defend Weapon: Tarnation (Grenade Launcher)
• Altars of Sorrow Weapon: Apostate (Sniper Rifle)

Guns & Materials

Banshee's Featured Weapons

Name	Type	Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4	Masterwork
True Prophecy	Kinetic Hand Cannon	TrueSight HCS // Crossfire HCS	Tactical Mag // Alloy Magazine	Opening Shot	Explosive Payload	Tier 2: Reload Speed
Whispering Slab	Kinetic Combat Bow	Flexible String // Natural String	Compact Arrow Shaft // Fiberglass Arrow Shaft	Hip-Fire Grip	Unrelenting	Tier 2: Draw Time
Code Duello	Heavy Rocket Launcher	Volatile Launch // Confined Launch	Black Powder // High-Velocity Rounds	Surplus	Frenzy	Tier 2: Blast Radius
Iota Draconis	Energy Fusion Rifle	Extended Barrel // Fluted Barrel	Accelerated Coils // Ionized Battery	Under Pressure	Harmony	Tier 2: Range
Disparity	Kinetic Pulse Rifle	Extended Barrel // Hammer-Forged Rifling	Tactical Mag // Flared Magwell	Moving Target	Headstone	Tier 2: Stability

Note: Fixed perks on weapons are not displayed

Master Rahool's Material Exchange

• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Legendary Shards)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Dark Fragment)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Phantasmal Fragment)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 25 Herealways Piece)
• Enhancement Prism (1 for 10 Enhancement Core & 10000 Glimmer)
• Ascendant Shard (1 for 10 Enhancement Prism & 50000 Glimmer)
• Ascendant Alloy (1 for 10 Enhancement Prism & 50000 Glimmer)

Bounties

Commander Zavala, Vanguard

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Pride Before Destruction	Defeat powerful combatants. Defeating Champions grants additional progress.	10 Powerful combatants	XP+
Cold Calculations	In Vanguard playlists, defeat combatants with Stasis damage.	25 [Stasis] Stasis	XP+
Shattering Revelation	Defeat combatants in Vanguard playlists with Stasis abilities. Defeating frozen combatants grants additional progress.	50 [Stasis] Stasis ability	XP+
Loose Ends	Defeat combatants in Vanguard playlists with Strand damage.	25 Strand final blows	XP+

Lord Shaxx, Crucible

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Burn Bright	Cast your Super.	2 Supers	XP+
Solar Winds	Defeat opponents with Solar damage from any source.	5 [Solar] Solar	XP+
On the Mark	Defeat opponents with precision final blows.	3 [Headshot] Precision	XP+
Full Control	In Control, complete matches.	1 Crucible matches	XP+

Saint-14, Trials of Osiris

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Several Punch Team	As a fireteam, defeat opponents using melee final blows in Trials of Osiris.	5 [Melee] Melee	XP+
Six-Shot Standard	As a fireteam, defeat opponents using Hand Cannon final blows in Trials of Osiris.	20 [Hand Cannon] Hand Cannon	XP+
Light up the House	As a fireteam, defeat opponents using Grenade Launcher final blows in Trials of Osiris.	15 [Grenade Launcher] Grenade Launcher	XP+
Slow Burn	As a fireteam, defeat opponents with Solar weapon final blows in Trials of Osiris.	20 [Solar] Solar weapon	XP+

The Drifter, Gambit

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
All Right, All Right, All Right	Complete a Gambit match.	1 Gambit matches	XP+
Big-Game Hunter	Eliminate a high-value target in Gambit.	1 Targets	XP+
Envoy While It Lasts	Defeat Primeval envoys during Gambit matches.	2 Envoys	XP+
Pins and Needles	Defeat targets in Gambit matches with Strand abilities. Defeating Guardians grants additional progress.	30 Strand ability final blows	XP+

Banshee-44, Gunsmith

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Bow Calibration	Calibrate Bows against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision final blows and against opposing Guardians.	100 [Bow] Bow	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Pulse Rifle Calibration	Calibrate Pulse Rifles against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision final blows and against opposing Guardians.	100 [Pulse Rifle] Pulse Rifle	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Linear Fusion Rifle Calibration	Calibrate Linear Fusion Rifles against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision and against opposing Guardians.	100 [Linear Fusion Rifle] Linear Fusion Rifle	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Solar Calibration	Calibrate Solar weapons against any target. Earn bonus progress using Power weapons and against opposing Guardians.	100 [Solar] Solar weapon	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress

Nimbus, Neomuna

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Shockingly Direct	In Neomuna, defeat combatants with Arc damage. Shadow Legion combatants grant additional progress.	60 [Arc] Arc	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Surge Infliction	In Neomuna, defeat combatants with Arc damage. Vex combatants grant additional progress.	60 [Arc] Arc	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Party Time	In Neomuna, rapidly defeat combatants in groups of 2 or more with Auto Rifles, Submachine Guns, Pulse Rifles, or Machine Guns.	20 Rapidly defeated	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Hacker's Paradise	Complete waves in Terminal Overload.	10 Waves cleared	1 Terminal Overload Key & 50 Neomuna Rank & XP+

Lord Shaxx, Hall of Champions

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Onslaught Destroyer	Clear waves in Onslaught.	5 Waves cleared	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Favor Finder	Collect Favors of Grace, Justice, and Zeal in Defiant Battlegrounds.	20 Favors acquired	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Cluster Up	Defeat targets with Pulse Rifles. Combatants in Onslaught and Guardians are worth more.	100 [Pulse Rifle] Pulse Rifle	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Clearing the Nest	Defeat Hive. Those defeated in Onslaught are worth more.	100 Hive	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation

Spirit of Riven, H.E.L.M.

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Will of the People	Complete public events in the Dreaming City. Heroic completions are worth more.	6 Public events	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Rapid Lair Defense	Rapidly defeat combatants. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil are worth more.	60 Rapidly defeated	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Dragon's Sting	Defeat targets with Bows or Hand Cannons. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil and Guardians are worth more.	30 [Bow] or [Hand Cannon] defeats	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Dragonthread	Defeat targets with Solar or Strand damage. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil and Guardians are worth more.	100 [Solar] or [Strand] defeats	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation

^{Never forget what has been lost. While the API protests have concluded, Reddit remains hostile to its users as their IPO looms in the horizon. More information can be found here.}

Daily Modifiers

Vanguard Ops

• Arc Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Arc damage.
• Stasis Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Stasis damage.
• Void Threat: 25% increase to incoming Void damage.
• Power Level Disabled: Combatant difficulty is set at a fixed level.
• Lightning Crystals: Arc and Stasis abilities recharge faster, but you receive more damage from both elements.

Dares of Eternity

• Avatara's Psyche: Supers recharge more quickly.
• Champion Foes: You will face [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload, and [Stagger] Unstoppable Champions. Visit the Character or Mod Customization screen to view your active anti-Champion perks.

Onslaught: Playlist

• Onslaught Rules: Defend and repair the ADU against waves of combatants. There are 10 waves to a set. ADU: If the ADU is destroyed, the activity ends. Scraps: An in-activity currency. They are earned by scoring and used to purchase and upgrade defenses at the start of every set and after waves 3 and 6. Rewards: Paid out after every set upon defeating the boss wave. Subsequent sets pay out better rewards. Legend increases rewards. Bonus Objectives: Rewards resources, vendor reputation, and armaments.
• Power Level Disabled: Combatant difficulty is set at a fixed level.
• Void Threat: 25% increase to incoming Void damage.
• Arc Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Arc damage.
• Stasis Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Stasis damage.
• Champion Foes: You will face [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload, and [Stagger] Unstoppable Champions. Visit the Character or Mod Customization screen to view your active anti-Champion perks.

Riven's Lair

• Mettle: Power Level: All combatants in this activity will be at least 5 points over the player's current Power level.
• Void Threat: 25% increase to incoming Void damage.
• Iron: Enemies have more health and are not staggered by damage.
• Strand Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Strand damage.
• Solar Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Solar damage.

The Coil

• The Coil Rules: Successfully complete four pathways inside Riven's Lair. Escalating Difficulty: Player's Power levels are fixed. Starting at 0 each subsequent pathway increases all combatants' Power level over the player's by 5. Wishing Glass: Wishing Glass is an in-activity currency. They drop from combatants, Glass Collectors, and pots. Wishing Glass comes in multiple rarities equating to their worth. Wishing Glass is used to purchase Dragon's Gifts from Riven. Dragon's Gifts: A set of buffs are randomly chosen, once per run. Between pathways, players can purchase buffs from Riven via Wishing Glass. Buffs are separated into three price point tiers. Rewards: After each pathway, players will return to Riven for their rewards. Subsequent pathways pay out better rewards. Breaking through score thresholds unlock secret chests. Finishing The Coil with a platinum score rewards players with access to the lustrous and lucrative Chamber of Wishes.
• Multiplicity: Combatant difficulty scales with fireteam size.
• Limited Revives: Limited fireteam revives. Purchase additional revives from Riven with Wishing Glass. Small chance to drop from destroying pots.
• Full Extinguish: If all your fireteam members fall with 0 Revive Tokens, everyone is returned to orbit.
• Attrition: Regeneration is greatly impaired. Defeating enemies may create wells of Light.
• Galvanized: Combatants have more health and are more difficult to stun.
• The Pathways: Riven's wish magic stirs weekly. The following are the pathways and their order in The Coil: -First Steps (Temple of the Queen's Wrath) -Divining Hall -Sensorium (Pavilion) -Observatory
• Solar Threat: 25% increase to incoming Solar damage.
• Scorched Earth: Enemies throw grenades significantly more often.
• Overcharged Glaive: 25% bonus to Glaive damage.
• Overcharged Machine Gun: 25% bonus to Machine Gun damage.

Seasonal

Legend/Master Lost Sector

Exotic armor drop (if solo): Helmet

Concealed Void: Legend

• Legend Difficulty: Locked Equipment, Extra Shields
• Champions: [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload
• Threat: [Solar] Solar
• Shields: [Solar] Solar, [Void] Void
• Modifiers: Arach-NO!

Concealed Void: Master

• Legend Difficulty: Locked Equipment, Extra Shields
• Champions: [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload
• Threat: [Solar] Solar
• Shields: [Solar] Solar, [Void] Void
• Modifiers: Arach-NO!

Misc

• Terminal Overload: Ahimsa Park Weapon: Basso Ostinato (Shotgun)
• The Wellspring: Defend Weapon: Tarnation (Grenade Launcher)
• Altars of Sorrow Weapon: Apostate (Sniper Rifle)

Guns & Materials

Banshee's Featured Weapons

Name	Type	Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4	Masterwork
True Prophecy	Kinetic Hand Cannon	TrueSight HCS // Crossfire HCS	Tactical Mag // Alloy Magazine	Opening Shot	Explosive Payload	Tier 2: Reload Speed
Whispering Slab	Kinetic Combat Bow	Flexible String // Natural String	Compact Arrow Shaft // Fiberglass Arrow Shaft	Hip-Fire Grip	Unrelenting	Tier 2: Draw Time
Code Duello	Heavy Rocket Launcher	Volatile Launch // Confined Launch	Black Powder // High-Velocity Rounds	Surplus	Frenzy	Tier 2: Blast Radius
Iota Draconis	Energy Fusion Rifle	Extended Barrel // Fluted Barrel	Accelerated Coils // Ionized Battery	Under Pressure	Harmony	Tier 2: Range
Disparity	Kinetic Pulse Rifle	Extended Barrel // Hammer-Forged Rifling	Tactical Mag // Flared Magwell	Moving Target	Headstone	Tier 2: Stability

Note: Fixed perks on weapons are not displayed

Master Rahool's Material Exchange

• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Legendary Shards)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Dark Fragment)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Phantasmal Fragment)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 25 Herealways Piece)
• Enhancement Prism (1 for 10 Enhancement Core & 10000 Glimmer)
• Ascendant Shard (1 for 10 Enhancement Prism & 50000 Glimmer)
• Ascendant Alloy (1 for 10 Enhancement Prism & 50000 Glimmer)

Bounties

Commander Zavala, Vanguard

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Pride Before Destruction	Defeat powerful combatants. Defeating Champions grants additional progress.	10 Powerful combatants	XP+
Cold Calculations	In Vanguard playlists, defeat combatants with Stasis damage.	25 [Stasis] Stasis	XP+
Shattering Revelation	Defeat combatants in Vanguard playlists with Stasis abilities. Defeating frozen combatants grants additional progress.	50 [Stasis] Stasis ability	XP+
Loose Ends	Defeat combatants in Vanguard playlists with Strand damage.	25 Strand final blows	XP+

Lord Shaxx, Crucible

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Burn Bright	Cast your Super.	2 Supers	XP+
Solar Winds	Defeat opponents with Solar damage from any source.	5 [Solar] Solar	XP+
On the Mark	Defeat opponents with precision final blows.	3 [Headshot] Precision	XP+
Full Control	In Control, complete matches.	1 Crucible matches	XP+

Saint-14, Trials of Osiris

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Several Punch Team	As a fireteam, defeat opponents using melee final blows in Trials of Osiris.	5 [Melee] Melee	XP+
Six-Shot Standard	As a fireteam, defeat opponents using Hand Cannon final blows in Trials of Osiris.	20 [Hand Cannon] Hand Cannon	XP+
Light up the House	As a fireteam, defeat opponents using Grenade Launcher final blows in Trials of Osiris.	15 [Grenade Launcher] Grenade Launcher	XP+
Slow Burn	As a fireteam, defeat opponents with Solar weapon final blows in Trials of Osiris.	20 [Solar] Solar weapon	XP+

The Drifter, Gambit

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
All Right, All Right, All Right	Complete a Gambit match.	1 Gambit matches	XP+
Big-Game Hunter	Eliminate a high-value target in Gambit.	1 Targets	XP+
Envoy While It Lasts	Defeat Primeval envoys during Gambit matches.	2 Envoys	XP+
Pins and Needles	Defeat targets in Gambit matches with Strand abilities. Defeating Guardians grants additional progress.	30 Strand ability final blows	XP+

Banshee-44, Gunsmith

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Bow Calibration	Calibrate Bows against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision final blows and against opposing Guardians.	100 [Bow] Bow	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Pulse Rifle Calibration	Calibrate Pulse Rifles against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision final blows and against opposing Guardians.	100 [Pulse Rifle] Pulse Rifle	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Linear Fusion Rifle Calibration	Calibrate Linear Fusion Rifles against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision and against opposing Guardians.	100 [Linear Fusion Rifle] Linear Fusion Rifle	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Solar Calibration	Calibrate Solar weapons against any target. Earn bonus progress using Power weapons and against opposing Guardians.	100 [Solar] Solar weapon	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress

Nimbus, Neomuna

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Shockingly Direct	In Neomuna, defeat combatants with Arc damage. Shadow Legion combatants grant additional progress.	60 [Arc] Arc	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Surge Infliction	In Neomuna, defeat combatants with Arc damage. Vex combatants grant additional progress.	60 [Arc] Arc	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Party Time	In Neomuna, rapidly defeat combatants in groups of 2 or more with Auto Rifles, Submachine Guns, Pulse Rifles, or Machine Guns.	20 Rapidly defeated	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Hacker's Paradise	Complete waves in Terminal Overload.	10 Waves cleared	1 Terminal Overload Key & 50 Neomuna Rank & XP+

Lord Shaxx, Hall of Champions

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Onslaught Destroyer	Clear waves in Onslaught.	5 Waves cleared	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Favor Finder	Collect Favors of Grace, Justice, and Zeal in Defiant Battlegrounds.	20 Favors acquired	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Cluster Up	Defeat targets with Pulse Rifles. Combatants in Onslaught and Guardians are worth more.	100 [Pulse Rifle] Pulse Rifle	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Clearing the Nest	Defeat Hive. Those defeated in Onslaught are worth more.	100 Hive	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation

Spirit of Riven, H.E.L.M.

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Will of the People	Complete public events in the Dreaming City. Heroic completions are worth more.	6 Public events	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Rapid Lair Defense	Rapidly defeat combatants. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil are worth more.	60 Rapidly defeated	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Dragon's Sting	Defeat targets with Bows or Hand Cannons. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil and Guardians are worth more.	30 [Bow] or [Hand Cannon] defeats	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Dragonthread	Defeat targets with Solar or Strand damage. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil and Guardians are worth more.	100 [Solar] or [Strand] defeats	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation

^{Never forget what has been lost. While the API protests have concluded, Reddit remains hostile to its users as their IPO looms in the horizon. More information can be found here.}

Hello night owls and fashion enthusiasts,
After seeing many inquiries about how to thrift goth girl fashion effectively, I've decided to share some strategies for finding the perfect clothing, accessories, and footwear in second-hand stores and online platforms.
1. Understand the Aesthetic: Before you start your thrifting journey, it's crucial to understand the goth aesthetic. The goth subculture has its roots in the post-punk movement, with music playing a significant role. Goth fashion draws inspiration from punk, glam, and other alternative styles, mixing traditional and borrowed elements. It helps to research different substyles (like Victorian goth, cybergoth, or pastel goth) and decide which resonates with you most.
2. Think Versatile: The key to a successful goth wardrobe isn't buying tons of pieces—it's having versatile items that can be mixed and matched to create different outfits. Look for items like black dresses, trench coats, and staple pieces in different styles. One good find can be a base for many different looks.
3. Don't Ignore Mainstream Stores: When you're thrifting, don't limit yourself to stores that explicitly sell goth or alternative clothing. Often, you can find excellent pieces at mainstream thrift stores, online marketplaces, or even garage sales. It's all about spotting the potential in pieces, such as seeing how a vintage lace dress could work in a goth outfit.
4. DIY Is Your Friend: Part of the goth culture is a DIY ethos. If you find an item that's close but not perfect, think about how you could alter it to fit your aesthetic. This could be as simple as changing buttons, adding patches, or even using dye to darken a garment. With a bit of creativity and a DIY spirit, you can transform seemingly ordinary clothes into goth fashion. Simple customizations can add a personal touch to your outfits. A basic black shirt can be transformed with some fabric paint or patches. A simple skirt can be made edgier with some added lace or chains. And never underestimate the power of safety pins!
5. Patience and Persistence: Thrifting is not always a quick process. It might take multiple trips to find pieces that work for you. But that's part of the fun – the thrill of the hunt and the joy when you finally discover that perfect piece.
6. Try Online Thrifting: Don't forget to check out online platforms like eBay, Poshmark, and Depop. These platforms often have a good variety of goth and alternative fashion items. Use specific keywords for what you're looking for, like "goth", "punk", "alternative", "leather jacket", "lace dress", etc., to narrow down the search results.
7. Check for Quality: Be sure to check the quality of items before buying. Sometimes, clothing at thrift stores can be worn out or have minor damage. It's crucial to ensure the items you buy are in good condition and will last. Invest in good quality staple pieces, like a trench coat or combat boots, which you can use with multiple outfits. Fast fashion might be tempting due to its affordability, but quality items will last you much longer and usually fit and look better.
8. Join the Community: Become part of the online goth community. Subreddits like GothFashion and goth are great places to share, learn, and engage with others about goth fashion.
9. Hit Thrift Stores on Delivery Days
Some thrift stores have specific days or times when they put out new merchandise. If you can figure out these days/times, you increase your chances of scoring the best finds before others get to them. If you're unsure, don't be afraid to ask the staff. They'll often be happy to tell you when new merchandise typically hits the floor.
10. Look Beyond the Women’s Section
This tip applies to anyone, not just girls. Thrift stores aren’t perfectly organized, and it's common to find women’s clothing in the men’s section or vice versa. Also, men's clothing can be a great source of oversized or unique items that you can incorporate into your style.
11. Use Online Platforms
If you can't find what you're looking for in physical stores, don't forget about online thrift stores and platforms like Depop, Poshmark, or eBay. These can be excellent resources for finding goth fashion pieces, though it's important to always check the seller's reputation and the item description for any potential issues.
And lastly, enjoy the process. Thrifting is like a treasure hunt. It's about the thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction of finding something awesome. So, have fun with it!
Happy thrifting, darklings!
Goth Girl Clothing & Outfits Video Playlist

"Tonight tonight, my plans I make, tomorrow tomorrow, the baby I take. The queen will never win the game, for Rumpelstiltskin is my name!"
-Rumpelstiltskin, Children’s and Household Tales, Brother’s Grimm-

There are similarities between the Halfling and the Gnome, but to call them the same is like calling Bob Ross the same as Salvador Dali, there are quite some more differences than it might seem. Gnomes are hard to spot, good with their hands, and a bit plucky, but they show this in a different way than other Little Folk. Their craftiness and inherent talent for magic make them good Artificers and Wizards. Still, just slapping a class and human-centric values onto a Gnome will let you miss out on role-playing opportunities. Even if your setting notes says something different about Gnomes (or nothing at all) you can use this post as a default filler for anything that is missing.
Note What is written here is the most (stereo)typical version of the Gnome culture which is evaluated from all the editions of D&D and more. If you don’t want to play the typical Gnome portrayed here, feel free to try playing against type such as a Gnome who is dimwitted, lazy, and destructive. Every creature is relative to the setting you are playing in, ask your DM for any specifics when it comes to what you want to play, if there aren’t any, this How to Play can fill in the blanks.

Morphology

The average Gnome is a humanoid of about 3 to 3 1/2 feet tall with a large nose and curved yet pointed ears that match their spikey hair which come in all human colors but is usually light. Males are able to grow mustaches and beards, but they are often shaped into goatees and are kept trimmed and pointy. Their skin comes in any kind of usually dark complexion but doesn’t change regardless of how much (or little) exposure to sunlight they get.
Subraces differ largely from each other in appearance. More details on them are under the Subraces section.

Demeanor

The typical Gnome is work-driven, curious, and has a sly sense of humor. They like to prank each other. Especially with practical jokes and tricks with illusions. Ever curious, Gnomes don’t stop asking questions and looking for answers. They have an experimental mindset in such a way that a bad result is just as pleasantly surprising as a positive one.
Gnomes are explorers, crafters, diggers, tricksters, and researchers. Even though digging is not every Gnome’s forté, their love for gemstones and noble metals motivates them to dig deep. Most gem cutting and setting is done by these people as their eye for detail and precise fingers allow for exact measurements and delicate placements. Next to anything gem-related, they also make excellent whitesmiths. Noble metals are more malleable and are often crafted for small and detailed work.
Rudeness among these people is treated as a major fault. Even inter-gnomish conflicts are rare as they are taught to handle things with humor. But Gnomes who are fist-fighting with each other are often ostracized by the entire village until the conflict is resolved. If it isn’t, then they might get banished. Outsiders of Gnome civilization might feel a strange mix of closeness and distance from the Gnomes. They are friendly but reticent, and it can take years to really get to know them as they often fear the interference and plans from outsiders but refuse to turn that fear into paranoia. This makes them come across as furtive and reserved to strangers. But established friends will also get introduced and connected to the Gnome’s whole family.
Gnomes often befriend animals in the area. You will see them mostly accompanied with a badger, stoat, otter, raccoon, or wolverine.

Culture

Known as The Forgotten Folk, Gnomes prefer to live underground, not as deep as Dwarves do, but they are content with having a home underneath the surface level. Where they live underground depends on the type of Gnome. Forest Gnomes live in wooded areas, Rock Gnomes prefer more plain plots of land and rolling rocky hills, and the Deep Gnomes live deeper underground close to the levels of the Underdark. In any way, they want to keep their homes away from Humans and have ways to keep them hidden from uninvited guests. Those who are invited tend to find their homes anyway but all find them to be too claustrophobic to stay for too long.
These eager innovators value hard work, discovery, progress, experimentation, play, and large noses. The last part is almost a superstition. They believe that being born with an exceptionally large nose shows a talented Gnome with a promising future. Nose-measuring contests are a time-killing past time for these folks.
They are encouraged to search for a type of work until they find something that they like, but whatever they work on, they will do so eagerly and with full attention. Multi-disciplinary gnomes are common as they tend to experience a long-term job before jumping to new endeavors in their lifetime. Outside of the usual gnomish disciplines, they prove to be excellent engineers, consultants, and planners.
The gnomish natural calendar has plenty of days for festivals and nightly rituals, most of which are based on stars and the position of the moon. Rituals about an eclipse are the most important to them as that is a rare moment where great celestial bodies collide. When celebrating these festivals, plenty of food is provided for everyone around. Gnomish cuisine is plain and leaves no room for the imagination. Their beverages are a required taste for outsiders, but they are complimented by their ability to keep them cool in the summer using subterranean cellars.
Gnomish music works better with their invented instruments rather than their singing, but none can refrain from singing along when it starts. Most outsiders can’t help but wait until the song is over and the gnomes are tuckered out.
When a Gnome is born, they get multiple names. They start out with the family name and get a name from the father and from the mother. Then, they get a name from aunts and uncles each, the grandparents each, and then a nickname from the rest of the village they are from. A gnome chooses how they want to be called based on one of those names, usually their favorite one. As the gnomish language tends to be detailed and long, Gnomes speak quickly to get their thoughts across on time. But as names go, it doesn’t always translate well to the common tongue and would sound alien to other folk.

Aesthetics

Gnomes express themselves with close-fitting colorful and extravagant clothing with intricate patterns or striped breeches, but choose earth tones and deep leathers over bright colors. To match their fashion sense of pointy hair and big noses, they prefer pointy clothing such as pointy hats and shoes with pointed tips. This is contrasted with their love for gemstones and noble metals that they decorate themselves with. You might see a Gnome with at least some kind of finely wrought item such as sparkly and detailed jewelry, preferably of their favorite gemstone.
Their homes are placed underground, usually in an unassuming place such as under a tree or lake that has its elements integrated into the household. By doing so, they like to create indoor decorations that shows where their home is placed and prefer methods that allow them to see outside without being spotted inside. The more secluded Gnomes tend to live so much scattered around an area that they might not be aware of their neighbors ever living in the same area. A fire is not uncommon in gnomish households, most get uncomfortable without an evening blaze.

Battle

Gnomes prefer to stay out of any direct combat. Only the largest, doorway-blocking Gnomes are willing to fight directly with anyone who is trying to invade their home. The most common strategy for this folk is to use illusions, tricks of the light, darkness, and stealth to group against larger foes and hit them at their blind spots and use their bulk and clumsiness against them. They like to put large creatures down a peg by distracting them, tying anything that’s loose, and tripping them. Then they use illusions to either avoid being caught or scare creatures away. Most creatures give up after being pranked like this for too long.

Religion

Gnomes are not a tremendously devout folk and have no creation myth, their deities have ‘always been there’ in a world of constant change and equilibrium. Yet, their form of worship is done by telling stories as they are seen as examples to follow. Self awareness among the Gnomes is learned by listening to the godly tales of The Lords in The Golden Hills. This way, they see how they should- and should not behave like.
Note: The majority of this pantheon is predominantly male. Current sources describe some as female which contradicts visual descriptions from older editions. No source states that this pantheon is patriarchal or gender-fluid. For the sake of clarity, I will use pronouns that match the descriptions from the earliest edition that they are introduced in.

Baervan Wildwanderer

Baervan is the second-most popular member of the gnomish pantheon. Protector of forests, glades, and travelers. Baervan is the most popular member of the pantheon after his friend Garl. Even the Svirfneblin honor him as the ”Father of Fish and Fungus.” Baervan is also the patron of gnomish thieves and a mischief-maker who rivals Garl himself. He is pictured as a spry old gnome with nutbrown skin and a jaunty beard. With him is his friend and constant companion in his escapades is a giant raccoon named Chiktikka Fastpaws. She tends to get the duo in trouble with outrageous acts.

Baravar Cloakshadow

A deity that teaches magic in order to deceive, annoy, or avoid potential enemies. The Sly One may not the best thief, but his ability to create tricks, illusions, and traps are of top skill.

Bleredd

The deity of mines, smiths, and iron work in Oerth. Husband of Ulaa.

Callarduran Smoothhands

The master of stone, worshipped primarily by Svirfneblin who see him as an equal to Garl. It was Calladuran who taught Svirfneblin how to summon and befriend earth elementals. His appearance is that of a wiry Svirfneblin miner, indistinguishable from virtually any other Deep Gnome except for a golden ring with a star insignia he always wears.

Flandal Steelskin

With his skin of mithril steel, eyes like flaming coals, and beard of silver-blue. Flandal is the patron of gnomish smiths. Not just blacksmiths but also goldsmiths, silversmiths, and all other workers in metal. He is physically the strongest of the gnomish gods, and his uncanny ability to sniff of the veins of metal that thread through earth makes him a patron of miners.

Gaerdal Ironhand

A deeply serious deity who might only chuckle in private. The only gnome who could be considered stern and serious is a staunch defender as The Shield of the Golden Hills despite his small stature.

Garl Glittergold

The grinning patriarch of the pantheon who is most approachable to anyone and travels the world looking for mischief. This deity looks like a gold-skinned gnome with a glorious mustache and gemstone eyes that shift as a kaleidoscope from sapphire to emerald, to ruby. A jokester and prankster who is proud of his followers. His chief concerns are twofold: to see that gnomes cooperate and to remind them that life is sometimes hard, so he shows them to keep a sense of humor. He carries an intelligent two-headed axe, Arumdina, everywhere, she is more of a companion rather than a possession. Although he is a fighter, he would rather use trickery and use brute force as an absolute last resort.

Gelf Darkhearth

Said to be Garl’s dark brother and bitter rival. A grey-skinned dwarf with a black beard who takes obsessive delight in opposing everything his brother attempts. He isn’t evil per se, but feels the need to start entropy in his angry and sorrowful nature.

Nebelun

Known as The Meddler, Nebelun is a restless and fearless inventor who starts with wild ideas that usually result in dangerous mistakes.

Rill Cleverthrush

An absent-minded artisan, Rill is always busy in his workshop polishing a newly cut gem or putting the finishing touches on a living statue to be given to a worthy mortal. He is depicted as an elderly, bespectacled gnome holding a ruby that has a facet for each living gnome in the world.

Segojan Earthcaller

A nature deity whose province is the creatures who burrow through the earth; he taught the gnomes how to befriend moles, badgers, and other subterranean animals. He appears as a grey-skinned gnome clad in armor made from grass and roots, accompanied by an intelligent stone golem. Anything provided by the earth is his domain. Including produce to cook, protecting homes, and even burial rites.

Sheyanna Flaxenstrand

The pantheon’s matchmaker, a delicate blonde gnome princess with a smile that can melt Gelf’s icy heart. Sheyenna is said to be source of rivalry between Garl and Gelf as they try to woo her in many legends and yet she never commits to any brother. She often carries a golden torch that can spout a fountain of flame wherever she points it at.

Ulaa

The Stonewife, goddess of hills, mountains, and gemstones. Depicted as a dwarven woman with gnomish facial features.

Urdlen

Once a selfish and greedy Gnome, many stories tell of how Urdlen was sent to exile by Garl Glittergold. This transformed him into an elephantine blind naked mole with iron teeth and claws, also known as The Glutton. Destructive, jealous, and rampant, Urdlen is set as an example for all Gnomes of what not to be.

Alterations

A gnome (/noʊm/[1]) is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and widely adopted by authors including those of modern fantasy literature. Typically small humanoids who live underground, gnome characteristics are reinterpreted to suit various storytellers and artists.[2] Lawn ornaments crafted as gnomes were introduced during the 19th century, growing in popularity during the 20th century as garden gnomes.
-Wikipedia-

Age, appearance, cultural differences, traits, and demeanor differ when it comes to subraces. These subraces are relative to certain settings and not all of these are re-made in each edition. There are a lot of varied details of each subrace that would be required reading from the sources if you need to know more. I’m merely giving them your attention so that you could search for them yourself and perhaps your DM could allow some unique flavor to the kind of Gnome you want to play.

Forest

More shy and reclusive, the Forest Gnomes prefer to live in unspoiled land. They are smaller than their cousins, averaging from 2 feet to 2 ½ and still have a stocky physique. The skin of these Gnomes are often of a greenish cast of tan rather like bark. Their eyes are often blue or brown and green is less often seen. Their hair is in shades of brown of black, only becoming gray or white with old age. They tend to wear their hair quite long for their height.
The Forgotten Folk of the woods are determined caretakers of their domains. They are viewed with friendship by the native animals and developed a limited language of signs and sounds with them. As they rarely eat animals, they also loathe traps. They are seen as trap saboteurs by outsiders.

Rock

Industrious visionaries with a nose larger than any human or dwarf’s could match. Despite their light frame, they can be as strong as the average human. The most common eye color among this type of gnome is blue, yellow and brown are quite a rare sight. Their skin comes in a variety of tan shades and can go to nearly black. Next to the hair colors known by humans, they most often show shades of gray to stark white.
Rock Gnomes are the most common found by other folk, but that doesn’t make them the norm. They are more willing to craft and experiment but are not keen on the continuous hard labor of digging and smelting. Their detail work and gem-setting is where they feel more at home.

TinkeMinoi

Similar to Rock Gnomes in appearance, the Minoi are native to Krynn and are the most wildly innovative creatures in the known world. Their inventions are plentiful but usually go awry when they work on the finishing touches, which might never get to that stage.
Gnomes tend to look for gem stones, but the Tinker Gnome sees more value in coal, also known as The Father of Steam. The inventions they make get to a level of danger equal to the number of moving parts it needs to have.

Deep/Svirfneblin

More dour and serious than their kin, the Deep Gnomes live close to the dwellings of the Underdark where they eagerly dig for jewels. Their hairless skin is comes in varying colors of dark rock. Only the females have hair on their heads, usually in a stone gray color. Their clothing is less ostentatious as their other kin as they can blend in with their surroundings easier when standing still.
Tenacious at survival and ore-digging, the Deep Gnomes endure the hostile Underdark solely to get more gems out of the earth. Particularly rubies which they refuse to use just for pretty display but for sacred objects with tremendous value. This eagerness for digging often makes them a pest to other species of the sunless world.

Sources

• Eberron Campaign Setting (3.5e, 4e)
• Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (3.5e)
• Forgotten Realms Wikia
• Monster Manual (AD&D, 2e, 3.5e, 4e)
• Monster Mythology
• Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes
• Player’s Handbook (AD&D, 2e, 3.5e, 4e, 5e)
• Races of Stone
• Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
• The Complete Book of Gnomes & Halflings

Races

• Elf
• Dwarf
• Halfling

The List of Olem

"So now to the present moment, I had some strange synchronicities and events recently which lead me to discover that humanoid entity I saw was in fact a mantis entity, as it weirdly matches other people's typical descriptions. Green head, purple robe, feeling a presence of a council of entities etc. I had never researched it nor really heard of the mantis aliens before this trip, so it is interesting that I saw it. I was always referring to it as the humanoid entity with a cow shaped head, lol. I don't know who that mantis being was, it was only in front of me for a few seconds before it whisked me away to the council, and it never telepathically spoke to me. Me learning about the mantis beings prompted me to share this experience, as I would like to hear what others have to say. Thanks." 

After 1 month of refund requests, I finally got my money back from Steam (I had 4 hours of play time, bought on release day)
Here's what I told them, but keep in mind that I live in the EU:
There is obviously a lot wrong with KSP 2. KSP 1 is one of my most played games, and I bought KSP 2 for the multiplayer features, so i could play with my friends. It has now come to light via this YouTube video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NtMA594am4M that Multiplayer is not only impossible in their current game engine, but they also have no intention of adding it for the release of the game, because they have fired the individuals tasked with it's development, and now the entire studio. Multiplayer for this game was a LIE and it never worked. Moreover, they were AWARE it wouldn't work.
Under EU law, goods must comply with the description given by the seller and possess the qualities of the goods which the seller has held out to the consumer as a sample or model.
Digital content must be provided as described and must function as advertised, ensuring all features and functionalities are present and operational.
If goods do not conform to the contract, consumers have the right to have the goods brought into conformity by repair or replacement, free of charge, within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience.
If repair or replacement is not possible, is disproportionate, or cannot be done within a reasonable period of time or without significant inconvenience to the consumer, the consumer may request a price reduction or a full refund.
I would like to yet again ask you to reconsider giving me a refund on this game.

After 1 month of refund requests, I finally got my money back from Steam (I had 4 hours of play time, bought on release day)
Here's what I told them, but keep in mind that I love in the EU:
There is obviously a lot wrong with KSP 2. KSP 1 is one of my most played games, and I bought KSP 2 for the multiplayer features, so i could play with my friends. It has now come to light via this YouTube video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NtMA594am4M that Multiplayer is not only impossible in their current game engine, but they also have no intention of adding it for the release of the game, because they have fired the individuals tasked with it's development, and now the entire studio. Multiplayer for this game was a LIE and it never worked. Moreover, they were AWARE it wouldn't work.
Under EU law, goods must comply with the description given by the seller and possess the qualities of the goods which the seller has held out to the consumer as a sample or model.
Digital content must be provided as described and must function as advertised, ensuring all features and functionalities are present and operational.
If goods do not conform to the contract, consumers have the right to have the goods brought into conformity by repair or replacement, free of charge, within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience.
If repair or replacement is not possible, is disproportionate, or cannot be done within a reasonable period of time or without significant inconvenience to the consumer, the consumer may request a price reduction or a full refund.
I would like to yet again ask you to reconsider giving me a refund on this game.

In the realm of artificial intelligence, researchers from Korea University have developed an innovative framework named OLAPH. This framework aims to enhance the factual accuracy of responses generated by large language models (LLMs) in the biomedical field. The study, led by Minbyul Jeong, Hyeon Hwang, Chanwoong Yoon, Taewhoo Lee, and Jaewoo Kang, introduces a novel approach to improving the factuality of LLMs’ long-form answers to medical questions.
The OLAPH framework stands out by utilizing a benchmark dataset called MedLFQA, which is specifically designed for long-form question answering in the biomedical domain. By automatically evaluating the factuality of responses, OLAPH iteratively trains LLMs to minimize hallucinations and improve their accuracy. The highest-scoring responses from sampled predictions are preferred and used to train the models further, leading to significant enhancements in factuality across various evaluation metrics.
OLAPH: Predicting the Future of Factual Biomedical Answers

• Benchmark Dataset (MedLFQA): This dataset is crucial as it provides a comprehensive foundation for evaluating and improving the factual accuracy of LLMs in the biomedical domain.
• Iterative Training: The iterative training process of OLAPH ensures continuous improvement by preferring high-scoring responses, which helps in reducing hallucinations and enhancing accuracy.
• Performance Improvement: The framework demonstrates significant performance improvement, showing that even a 7B parameter LLM can achieve better factuality with OLAPH’s methodology.

Potential Future Applications with Advanced AI

Feature	Description	Potential Applications
Enhanced Factuality	Improved accuracy in responses	Reliable medical advice and patient support
Automated Evaluations	Continuous and automated assessments of response quality	Real-time feedback for medical professionals
Iterative Optimization	Ongoing model training for better performance	Adaptive learning systems in healthcare and diagnostics

OLAPH: Predicting the Future of Factual Biomedical Answers
Fazit: OLAPH: Predicting the Future of Factual Biomedical Answers

#KoreaUniversity #AI #artificialintelligence

For more detailed insights, you can access the full research paper here.

Welcome to the weekly bio review thread! You can now post your bios for review under this thread every Monday and receive feedback until Tuesday, after which the thread will be locked. We encourage you to add hobbies and interests to your bio, as these can help distinguish your profile from others and improve your chances of finding a compatible match. Be sure to check out the resources at the end of this post for more tips on crafting an engaging profile.
It's important to note the similarity between dating platforms like Tinder and Bumble, and arranged marriage platforms such as Shaadi.com and Bharat Matrimony. The principle for our profiles on these platforms is to represent ourselves authentically. Our goal is not to attract everyone, but to find and commit to one high-quality match. We want to focus on fostering connections with highly compatible individuals, rather than wasting time on low to medium-quality matches.
Rules for Profile Review:

1. No one is obligated to review your profile. If you don't receive feedback, feel free to post again in the next week's thread. Mods aren't responsible for getting profiles reviewed, and any comments requesting reviews on unrelated threads will be deleted.
2. Only accounts older than 7 days and with more than 1 positive karma can comment/post.
3. Protect your personal data! The sub won't be responsible for any consequences resulting from revealing identifiable information.
4. Use various sources to improve your profile. Some resources are provided below.
5. Follow this format for your bio:

• Location: Country name, N/S/E/W (choose one); share city/town at your discretion
• Age:
• Sex:
• Mother Tongue:
• Bio/About you (include hobbies and interests):
• Family type: Joint/Nuclear
• Desired qualities in a partner:
• Profile maintained by: Family/Self/Both
• Profession or Domain:
• Want Kids: Yes/No/Don't Care
• Optional Fields: Physical Description, Income range (NO SPECIFIC NUMBERS), caste, images for picture reviews, etc.

1. For picture reviews, post a public anonymous link from an image-sharing site like imgur. Blur your face and any identifying details. Responsibility for ensuring privacy lies solely with you; the sub and mods are not responsible.
2. Consider which elements of your profile could be improved.
3. Brainstorm ideas for implementing changes.

Remember that you may receive different opinions here, and the users on this sub may differ from the prospects you encounter. Let's maintain civility and support one another!
Use these resources to improve your profile:

• First sticky on the sub
• Second sticky on the sub
• u/shrizeal's tip/suggestions sheet more geared to arranged marriage profiles
• Improving Bumble (principles are very similar for arranged marriage profiles)