Hey everyone, firstly I wanna say thank you for the support I'm getting talking about all this. I've mentioned it already but it really does help me feel less crazy just being able to dump this all on someone and not feel like I'm going to have to go to a mental hospital or something. I also meant to post this update earlier today, but my internet was acting strange and would let me do anything with it all day. Finally was able to post using the internet at work and I hope a few things that happened in this story will explain some stuff, or maybe just raise more questions. Who knows at this point.
One thing that's helped besides trauma dumping here is a friend I have here asked me to a lake nearby to hang out for Memorial Day. Of course with everything going on here, I was more than happy to accept. If not just to get away for a while. We had a great day, beers, swimming, finally seeing some people I knew were real again. The whole past weekend or so has been a lot and some sense of normalcy really helped my nerves. It still all weighed on the back of my mind though. The man with the box, the key, the screams and knocking. Especially Macy. Maybe some part of me just wanted to brush off our last weird text interaction and see her again. Maybe some part, I'd say the bigger part, just wanted to figure out if she's related to this somehow.
When I got back last night, it was the same as always. Not a single person around. Again I wanna be clear, there's a ton of cars in the parking lot, like to the point I have trouble finding a spot close to my building door. And obviously I've seen the man with the box and Macy, so I know there's definitely people that live here. But nobody around, except them of course. I guess this time it could've just been the fact I got home late. Still... it gives me chills the deeper I think about it.
I made my way up the stairs to my apartment, the echoing of my footsteps through the stairwell emphasizing to me just how alone I was. Back inside, I unconsciously threw my own keys on my counter right next to the key from before and it really all came flooding back. But I'm trying to stay level headed. Regardless, to try to keep it from sending me over the edge, I slid it away from mine and haphazardly threw a notebook nearby on top of it to block it from view. I went out to my balcony and lit a cigarette. What I had initially thought was going to be the end to the night.
Leaning on the railing, I let the nicotine calm me back down. Across the street I noticed house lights here and there shutting off, other folks calling it a night too as the holiday came to an end. As I finished and put it out in the, admittedly overly full ashtray, I noticed the mark on the small rug I placed out there from the coffee Macy spilled. I got it right after the box incident to cover the scratches from that in the concrete. The stain was right where the scratches would've been and I had a strange thought. I whipped out my phone and fumbled to turn the flashlight on. Once it was, I lifted the rug and shined the concrete underneath. The scratches were completely gone as if they, or even the box, had never been there.
As I stared in confusion, I got a text message. My heart skipped a beat and I dropped both the rug and my phone, luckily not losing it off the balcony. I snapped myself back to reality and picked it back up to check. It was Macy. After about a full minute of contemplation, I opened it.
"Hey I saw you get home," she had written. How? How on earth did she see me get home? I'm hyper vigilant for anyone, anyone at all I can see whenever coming or going given the circumstances, and I definitely didn't see her anywhere. The more rational part of my brain reminded me she came to my apartment, I hadn't any idea which one she lived in so maybe her window faced the parking lot and she had seen me that way. Even that though, what are the chances she would see me get back right when I did and text so soon after unless she had been watching for me already? I didn't know if that was flattering or another thing I should be worried about. On top of that, her last other text I could still see right above this one made me more sure that something was going on.
I immediately went into investigation mode. "Oh hey, yea lol I've been out with a friend all day," I replied. My whole goal now was to try to seem casual and see if I could pull something out of her to figure out just what the hell is happening here. I wasn't going to ask her about the last text, I certainly wasn't going to bring up the screaming or knocking. I had to navigate this carefully.
"Oh fun! How was it?" This is getting even stranger, she seemed more casual than I was actively trying to be. Granted I barely knew this girl, this didn't sound like the one I met. But I'm not stopping here.
"It was fun yea, I'm a bit exhausted haha," I tried not to leave it open for her to actually have a reason to come over. I was actually tired, but now I wanted answers and wasn't looking to have anymore weird incidences right now. Despite not wanting any though, I'm sure you can tell I wouldn't be writing this if they didn't happen.
"Good!" another out of character response.
As chill as possible, I replied, "So how was your day? Anything interesting?" Doing my best to pry at some sort of evidence or answers or something. I regret sending it now, what she said next just made me more worried. I should've just ignored my phone and went to bed.
"Yea I met a really nice guy in the building, he's cool we should all hang out sometime" I know exactly who she's talking about, I'm sure you know exactly who she's talking about. Now I couldn't stop myself.
"Did he give you anything?" Dammit. I hit send before thinking. That was definitely too much and too abrupt. At best I sound like a weirdo or like I was about to get jealous. At worse I was gonna get the answer I didn't want. The answer I expected as badly as I didn't want to.
"Lol yea actually how'd you know? He left a box with a really nice note sometime after he left. It's supposed to be a gift, but I don't really get it." I should've ended the conversation right there and just come up with a reason in the morning why. But I felt like the puzzle pieces were close to fitting together. Unfortunately, I was right.
I felt I was getting obsessed. "Really? So you opened it?"
"Yea there was like an old jewelry box inside, I think he forgot the key though, it's locked" I knew what would open it. I slowly looked to the spot on the counter where the key was. Still covered by the notebook. I went over to it and placed my hand on the notebook. When I did though I was jump scared again by the slam of a door. Rather, not a door slamming shut but the way it sounds when someone opens it hard and it bangs into the wall. Clearly coming from the hallway. Then another, then another. I heard this over and over again getting further and further away until finally it stopped. I wish I never walked out to investigate but like I said, I was obsessed now and just had to know. I cautiously, quietly as possible, opened my door and peered out.
Every single door down to the opposite end of the hall was wide open. I'd like to say I was relieved, finally seeing some sign of the other apartments being occupied. But because every one, at least that I could see, was pitch black inside, it still wasn't evidence per se. Until I started seeing hands.
Out of the next door apartment, almost coyly, someone's hand slowly stuck out and started waving. I started walking towards it. Looking back now it was like I was in a trance. I just had to see. I had to see what was in the apartment. As soon as I got close enough to actually try to see inside proper, the hand yanked back inside and the door slammed back shut, immediately followed by a quick series of angry knocks from the other side of the door. Then I noticed another hand coming out of the next apartment. Waving.
Picking up my pace now, I walked towards this apartment door. But the same thing happened before I got close enough. The door slammed shut and a quick set of the same aggressive knocks followed. This process repeated over and over the same way all the way down the hall as I kept walking faster until I was jogging. I had to see inside one of these apartments. But every time. Hand. Wave. Slam. Knocks.
That happened until I reached the end of the hall, where noticeably, no hand came out of the last apartment. I stopped in my tracks. Anxiously I started towards this last door. It was pitch black like the rest, but in the doorway, someone was standing there. It was Macy.
She was facing into the apartment away from me and she seemed off. Not the way she was acting, I mean obviously pulling a Blair Witch in the doorway was off, don't get me wrong. I mean there was something off about the way she looked. She looked taller...her hands looked bigger...her shoulders looked broader. "M-Macy?" I tried to get her attention. She slowly turned around and I noticed her looked different too. Bigger like the rest of the things that seemed off about her now, but I recognized those eyes. I couldn't forget those eyes if I wanted to. Ever since I saw them in the parking lot. Ever since I saw them from balcony. And there they were again, just staring again.
Macy began a slow smile. Wider and wider until she looked even stranger than she already did. I started backing away. She stepped out and turned. Now standing still in the hallway with the same expression and strange features. She didn't follow me but I didn't dare take my eyes away off her until I got to the other end of the hall and to my apartment. Still looking at her standing like a statue, I patted around my door until I found the handle. Slipping inside as quick as possible, I locked the door. The screaming started again.
I could tell where it was coming from exactly now though. It was coming from down the hall where I left Macy. And it was getting closer. Slowly but surely making its way to my end of the hall. I grabbed my gun, terrified at what might come next. Louder and louder, I heard this blood curdling scream until it was right outside my door. I raised my gun, but just as suddenly as it started, it completely stopped. Next thing I heard was my phone vibrate. Still watching for what might happen at the door, I checked my phone. It was Macy...
"Wanna open it?"
I didn't even think about texting her back. I stayed up for a long long time the rest of the night, but that text seemed to top off the night's events as nothing else happened. The day at the lake and then everything I had just been through had me wiped out and eventually I couldn't stay awake. I the time I was awake I was too freaked to write any update, so that's what I'm doing now while the memory is still fresh. I ended up taking a double and letting my evening shift run into a night shift. Hopefully, I'll get some ideas on what to do next after I spend a night or two away from that place.

If you've never played League of Legends (abbrev. to LoL) before, there's just a few things you need to know:

1. It's a 5v5 team game
2. The playerbase is notoriously TOXIC as hell
3. 'Faker' is the best LoL player Esports has ever seen, and even though he's played professionally for 10 years, he continues to get better and better
4. A 'Skin' is an alternate appearance for a Champion (playable character) that you can buy with real money (but first you need to buy ingame currency called RP), or possibly get for free through freebie rewards from playing the game
5. The average price of a Skin is $10 USD (1350 RP)
6. Faker does not equip his Champion with a skin, opting to only use the default (free) appearance

Things begin 6 days ago when Riot Games posts a teaser trailer for a documentary film about Faker, titled "Hall of Legends: Faker', and it's set to release on the League of Legends Youtube channel June 14th. As part of the hype, 4 days ago, another Hall of Legends teaser video was released, this time showing a brand new Skin for the Champion Ahri, titled, 'Immortalized Legend Ahri'. It should be known that Ahri is one of the most popular Champs in the game, and Riot Games has continued to capitalize on that fact by producing more and more Skins for her.
Before this announcement, Ahri had 17 skins. Now, she will have 20, because this new Immortalized Legend Ahri skin has 3 variations, priced as 3 different bundles. Yes, this means, if you want any of these Skins, you have to buy one of the bundles that come with a bunch of other stuff, oh and the Skin too. Riot has also announced that 30% of the proceeds of this Skin line will go to Faker. So here are the prices:

Risen Legend Ahri Bundle (Basic): 5430 RP (~$40 USD) Immortalized Legend Ahri Bundle (Fancier): 32,430 RP (~$240 USD) Signature Ahri Bundle (Amazing!!!): 59,260 RP (~$500 USD)

How does leagueoflegends react? Let's take a look at the top thread as of this post: (Commenters will be C1, C2, C3, etc.)

C1: The way i thought 59k rp was a typo lmfaooo C2: i had to go look, then check the store, then go look again, then check the store again, and im still not completely sure this is actually real. i hope zero people buy the skins C3: My first thought was they wanted me to tell us we would get 59.620 RP of "value" from buying the battle pass C4: $500? Yeah no thanks lmao. Faker doesnt even use skins anyway. C5: If you wanna be like faker, don't buy a skin 💯 C6: For that kind of money I almost expect Faker himself to deliver me a code to the bundle C7: I would expect him to come home and play the next 10 matches for me and also go in a date together

One Redditor points out the irony of having the most expensive Skin in the game in honor of Faker, who doesn't use Skins:

C1: "Let's celebrate the face of our e-sport (who famously doesn't even spend money on skins) by absolutely overcharging the fuck out of his event skins." What the hell Riot lol C2: how ironic is that Faker himself is against using skins and they give him the most expensive skin ever made lol C3: Why is he against using skins? C2: He said before he sees skins as a waste of money and that the base skins are good enough for him, he has numerous world skins under his name but he used them less than 5 times in a 11 year career C3: The game is free, how else would it generate income if not for cosmetics? In its early days at least, I have no clue if the professional scene generates enough income to make it sustainable. [gets downvoted] C4: The comment above is straight up false information. Faker growing poor and couldn't afford skin and it became a habit of him so even with alot of money now he still don't buy skin. C3: What does he even spend money on? Doesn't he play league 24/7? [more downvotes] C5: Food, housing, and his future. Why would he spend money on a free game when he can save it and be 100% financially stable for the rest of his life. It's pretty pointless to spend money on league. C6: Pretty sure [T1, the team he plays for] covers his food and housing already lmao C3: [to C5] I'm sure that faker buying skins here and there would bankrupt him. C5: You're missing the point. People who grow up in poverty are generally going to avoid spending on things like that. It's not that it's going to bankrupt him, you're twisting my words in bad faith.

Several Redditors do the math to help themselves visualize the price of the most expensive bundle:

C1: $500 for a skin, that's a real signature move by Riot. C2: "most generous bundles" (40$ 💀) C3: Elden Ring´s DLC is cheaper C4: This is giving me real "pride and accomplishment" vibes lol C5: Would you rather have a) A couple of skins and some useless bs like icons and emotes b) A Steam Deck with a dozen of the best indie games ever made C6: c) rent money C7: Almost half my monthly wage 💀💀 C8: 3rd world country mfs got hit harrrd This shit is 2.5x my monthly 9 to 5 wage And I mean the full thing, no rent no food no bills nothing 2 and a half months of ice soup if I wanted to buy this lmao C9: This is like, 10 months worth of rent for me what the fuck C10: This is what I earn in a month (working 10h) 💀 I can decide between food and league skin

The comments keep coming in, so get popcorn ready, because there's more threads to read after that!
The Hall of Legends event was never about celebrating Faker, it was to use him to make money.

Almost every League player loves Faker and we would have loved to to own the Ahri skin dedicated to him. Riot putting the full skin behind 600$ paywall is the biggest insult imaginable to us. Riot chose to exploit our love for Faker for their own gain.

Meanwhile, in AhriMains, the Fox lovers are alternating between cope memes and boycott ideas:
I Blame the Whales for this.
Easy way to counter Riot's prices
The best way to rebel is to boycott Ahri herself

I think it’s atrocious that riot is pricing a skin bundle that costs half my paycheck for an entire month. I say let’s protest in a way that forces riot to the negotiating table. All we need to do is ban Ahri every single game. The whales will never get to enjoy the skin if they cannot play the champion, and then riot will be forced to lower prices. Similar strategies worked for ryze. Let’s work to get Ahri banrate to 100%. Edit: Big brain idea, link this post in every pre-game lobby and ask them to also do the same in their next game. Exponential spread. Also send this message below to all your friends and ask them to do the same, without the parenthesis. Grassroot movements need commitment. "Discourage riot from 500$ skin. Send to friends. https://old.reddit.com/AhriMains/comments/1d2rsi5/the_best_way_to_rebel_is_to_boycott_ahri_herself/?sort=top"

Reminder to not piss in the popcorn.

(Having Discord gets you first in line)
[A husk of a journal that was found floating in the vast void. Suffers from damage but is still readable.]
121st Lunar Cycle- The darkness hasn't grown any more comforting after all of these cycles. Only the shine from distant stars brings me any joy, but even this is slowly fading away. I don't understand why I'm not dead. Most beings would've perished in this vast void without proper protection. Even fewer would've survived without any sustenance. So why am I still alive? Am I truly alive, or have I simply entered my final dream?
122nd Lunar Cycle- Another dream has befallen me. The planet the dream took place on was frigid, even making the vast void seem warm in comparison. I saw three people walk through the frozen waste before they came across a man with purple hair. I couldn't understand their conversation, but it seemed the man with purple hair was trying to convince the three travelers of something. Before I could see their reactions, the dream soon ended. What was that place? Who were those people? Why did I recognize one of them?
123rd Lunar Cycle- My heart is beating fast, possibly out of surprise at my latest dream. Like always, I seemed to be a fly on the wall, an audience member of this strange opera before me. This dream started in an elevator, and in front of me was a finely dressed woman. She seemed to be playing the air around her, acting like she had some sort of instrument. Her humming is seared into my brain, and I can't help but feel nostalgic. That's what I'm surprised about. Why do I know that song?
133rd Lunar Cycle- Forgive me. I haven't written much down due to a strange series of events that have happened to me. I awoke from my usual slumber a few cycles ago, but I wasn't met with the vast void. Instead, I was met with a warm interior and a woman with red hair looking over me. She looked so familiar, but also so different at the same time. The same could be said for the interior of the space I was in. I didn't know why, but I immediately knew it was some sort of train, despite never seeing one before. Perhaps I saw it in a dream. The woman introduced herself as Himeko, saying that they found me floating in the void and brought me aboard this train known as the Astral Express. She also said they were Trailblazers, a term that was familiar but also foreign to me. For now, I'm free to stay aboard the Express.
134th Lunar Cycle- So many questions linger in my mind. These people look familiar to me, so I'm sure I've dreamt about them before, but they still seem so foreign to me. The only exception is a man aboard the Express who calls himself Welt. He seems almost too familiar to me, which puzzles me to my very core. The other exception is another passenger aboard the Express with gray hair. They haven't spoken to me, which I don't mind. Despite this, I seem to know a lot about them. They seem almost like me in a sense, a being that could possibly be both alive and dead at the same time. I'll need to do some thinking.

Hello there, everyone! I've recently gotten addicted to Honkai: Star Rail, which led to me making this post in order to scratch my itch for this series! In this prompt, I'll be playing a mysterious and possibly paradoxical being that was found adrift in space who has dreams that show him things he should have no idea about. Due to his paradoxical nature and not really knowing anything about his own past, he is currently unnamed but is in the process of thinking of one! I can't give any more details since I want everything to come out over the course of the story!
Now, let's go ahead and talk about characters! In Honkai: Star Rail, there are a variety of characters people can choose from! As you probably guessed, you can choose some of them as well for this roleplay! Perhaps you'll go with the good doctor of the Underworld who goes by the name Natasha? Maybe you have an itch for the lovely Stellaron Hunter known as Kafka? Or perhaps you want to explore the paradoxes of my character using the finely aged Welt? These are just a few examples, but all of the adult characters in Honkai: Star Rail are allowed! OCs are also permitted, as long as they fit the setting.
PSA- A ref of your character or a description would be appreciated. If you have any questions, feel free and ask.

SPOILERS FOR UG1, UG2, MW, Pro-Street, Rivals, Payback, Heat and Unbound
Recently, I'd gone and marathon a whole host of NFS Games, starting with Underground, and making my way up to Unbound. I had finished Payback, and moved forward to Heat when I realized the first set of Contracts from the Black Market was called: The Collector's Gambit. Initially, I thought of it as a simple throwaway line, or a callback to the most recent game at that time: Payback. But after going through Raziel's missions, noting the story beats of Heat, and doing the Tess/Yaz Delivery missions in Unbound, something just told me there seemed to be more going on here. It got me thinking about the other ridiculous story beats in the previous NFS games, and wondered if there were any connections.
It all started when I played Rivals again, and thought: "How on Earth do the Police and Racers get these cars? There isn't a single beater or Crown Vic in sight; the Sirens on that Charger are probably worth more than my apartment". Initially just chalked it as: Need For Speed's America could be like Dubai IRL, where supercars in law fleets are the norm; but couldn't put a piece of the puzzle down: The Racers. Obviously, it could be that the Racers get their cars from a number of shady/black market dealers, but who's giving the market their supply of LFA's and Pagani's? And why do both sides of the conflict have what seem to be military-grade weaponry on what should be, civilian vehicles at most?
I decided to move on to Payback, where there were three major story beats that caught my eye: Kobashi, Arkwright, and the NUMEROUS callbacks to pervious titles. The Curator name drops the Blacklist, the Run, and other NFS events, before selling Tyler on the Outlaw's Rush. We also know that the House had hired Cross to interrogate/torture Gallo during the House's initial takeover, which led to Silver Six, but Cross backed out. Even little nods, though unconfirmed, names such as Bull and Cooper are name dropped. Palmont City was also name dropped during the Speedcross DLC's, as it was the place where Speedcross got it's legitimacy in this universe, according to Rav. Aki Kimura also makes a full-fledged reappearance from ProStreet as DK in Noise Bomb. This game makes it clear that the Ghost games universe and the BlackBox universe's are within the same canon. Okay, so what now?
One MAJOR story beat that is often overlooked, is the role that the Brands play in Payback's narrative. To quickly refresh, Payback's parts are not only based on tiered performance, but specific brands give bonuses. One of the brands in-game we know was in-bed with the House: Chidori, as it was revealed by Charlie that Chidori custom parts had been transmitting data from Holtzman's C10, Nova's BC, and Valisev's GT-R. We also know that there were specifications for civilian cars too; alongside other technological developments, such as Skyhammer and the Jammers in Police Chargers being reminiscent of Rivals' and HP Police weaponry. As well, though not stated, due to the name, and the origami logo, it's very clear that Chidori has Japanese ties. We even meet a VIP from Japan in-game, who we pick up for the house: Kobashi. All signs point to the fact that Kobashi was the one outfitting House's cars with custom Chidori parts, and getting data from them. It wouldn't surprise me if Kobashi was the CEO, or at least, a Board of Directors member of Chidori. But why go through all this trouble for data from street racers? And why would data and a wager be so significant, that Fortune Valley's most powerful people: the Collector and the Gambler, would risk it all, just to appease Kobashi? The reward of all this hoop-jumping is joining "Arkwright", is that really it?
Heat's main story revolves around the Speedhunter's showdown, and the High-Speed Task Force stealing cars from the general populace. During "Follow the Law", Ana notes that the F40 we've been tailing had been wrongfully impounded, just like her Z, and other racers' cars. The climax of the mission hits it's peak when we go inside and see a whole operation of the HSTF dismantling the cars they impound, and shipping them off somewhere. At the end of Chapter 5, we even see Frank and Torres have a chat, and judging by Frank's tone, I don't think he was talking about the Police getting to him, but rather, who he would've shipped the cars to. Outside of the mascot cars from past games, the Collector is mentioned in Heat, through the first DLC's name, likely hinting the guy is still around. Because it's not like the House dissolved fully after Payback, the Collector still managed to irk out of Lina's mess; and likely has contacts like Raziel provide the tech needed to do his contracts. We never really grasp the full scope of the Collectors influence, so for all we know, he's the League member that contracts you and gives you the DB11 to find the people responsible for taking the DB5; he does like his cars after all.
Unbounds main story beat revolves around Alec somehow restoring the Lakeshore racing scene, after allegedly 2 years after Yaz stole our car and the LSPD stepped their presence up against street racing. But, when we find the LSPD, they aren't in the greatest of shapes either. Mayor Stevenson's foundation of her campaign is to stop street racing, and provide MORE funding to the LSPD. A detail I noticed about the LSPD was that, they don't have any variation of the Corvette as the "Ace"/Heat 5 car(s). Instead, LSPD's choice of Heat 5/Ace car is the Raptor, a more utilitarian choice, compared to other PD's in the NFS universe. And speaking of more utilitarian, it can be noted that Unbound is the first game in the series that actively TELLS you how to beat the Police. Chargers have this weakness, Camaro's have this weakness, CORVETTES SUCK AT GOING OFFROAD. Note that last part, as Payback and Heat's Corvettes didn't have much issue going off-road; likely signifying whoever was providing technology to LSPD was years behind other PD's. Sure, you could chalk it up to game mechanics, but I'd like to think that LSDP's weaknesses in their cars, and the lack of Rhino's in their fleet, show that the LSPD is eons away from the rest of the Need for Speed police forces. It should be also noted that Alex was a literal who nobody, until the story mentions that someone was sponsoring him and the Lakeshore Grand, but we never meet or hear from this benefactor. Plus, why would someone want to fund something as ridiculous as the Grand, while electoral campaigns to ban the sport of racing are at an all time high?
So, how does all of this relate to Arkwright, Most Wanted, and the Butterfly effect? I believe, that ever since the BlackBox protag showed up to the scene with the M3 GTR, it revealed the major weaknesses, of not only Rockport PD, but the rest of the countries PD's. If ONE guy can come out of nowhere with a then unconceivable car who put the fear of God into Porsche; and make a mockery of a PD, who at that point, was likely the most outfitted unit in the universe, whose to say it can't happen a second, third, fourth, or even millionth time? Hence, why we see the evolution of the Police in NFS Games, from their fleets, to even their weaponry, along with a noticeable downgrade as a benchmark in the form of the Lakeshore PD. Someone had to fund all of this, and that someone also benefits from street racing, legal or illegal, reigning supreme in the country. How else can we explain ludicrous scenario's such as the Run? That's where, Arkwright, enters stage left.
The legal definition of a Cartel is a group of independent corporations or other entities that join together to fix prices, rig bids, allocate markets, or conduct other similar illegal activities. I'd like to propose that, knowingly or unknowingly, the entire NFS universe is played out so that Arkwright can use the populace to make ill-gotten gains through data collection, with cars as the scapegoat. We know from Payback that Arkwright has their hands all over Chidori. Who's to say Carbon, Nextage, Americana and Outlaw weren't in on this either? At the very minimum, we know they have prominence in manufacturing. We also don't know how long Arkwright have been gathering data on racers. Sure we catch them in Payback, but who's to say they don't have our data in-lore, by events such as the Street Festivals in Pro Street or the legal street leagues/sponsorships all the way back from UG1 & UG2? It would make sense, if Arkwright is tracking us, and developing weapons based on the actions of the MC's we play as in NFS. And with all of the car-jacking Payback, Heat, and Unbound had gotten the MC's into, who's to say they unknowingly played into Arkwright's Mouse Utopia, of re-releasing those cars back into the economy for Arkwright to make more profit of these car-jackings? Tyler and his crew certainly didn't. What if Mayor Stevenson was another part of the Arkwright scheme that would be used to corner and monopolize the market, since they've already got Alec?
And who's to say other racers aren't fighting back, Charlie and Shift Lock have taken the fight to Arkwright, the Broker now also knows of Arkwright. Who's to say that the racers in Redview County were street racing out of rebellion? We only see the story from Zephyr and F-8's eyes in Rivals, meaning we don't even know current events in Redview County, as all they care about was what was in front of them. The VRT, the racer's, the weapons in Redview County, if not fully, I suspect Arkwright had a hand in it, and the racers either rebelled; OR unknowingly took the weapons that would provide their enemy with precious data; which could be used to make even more efficient weapons in the future to combat street racers. Hence, it could be an explanation as to why ex-criminals make up some part of the Vehicle Response Team in the RPD; what better guinea pigs than adrenaline-fueled hardened criminals fighting on the open roads with weapons and cars worth cities, with zero impunity to their actions?
All this leads me to believe that, ever since the BlackBox protag and the legendary M3 burst on to the scene, it created a butterfly effect that boosted the technological advancement of weapons and law-enforcement, which in turn lead to several economies, legal or illegal, being more than ready to meet the demands of what the BlackBox protag and his beloved M3 showed the 99% & the 1% of the bond between man and machine. And in both sides of the law, Arkwright would be ready behind the scenes, encourage and discourage where needed economically and technologically, while profiting off each and every event leading up to the NFS-verse's modern day. Hell, if my theory hold some water, the M3 could've been in Unbound because it was taken from Palm City, and being shipped country wide, with Yaz and the Unbound MC being just a link in the supply chain of Arkwright's shadow economy for profit and further technological advancements.
That's more or less what I've got, and I'd love to hear from any other lore enthusiasts out there with their thoughts. There's been a lot of "more questions than answers" with modern day NFS titles; and I know it's better to turn your brain off, and just enjoy the narrative for what it is; but this kind of theory-crafting is fun for me, and seeing the little coincidences you can find in these rabbit holes is the icing on the cake. TY for reading my ramble, and I'd love to hear your guys' thoughts!
TL;DR: Arkwright has been around before Payback, and controls the NFS Global Economies through Racing; and the world knowingly or unknowingly participates in their experiments and technological developments.

Hi everyone! I'm at a point in my life where I am happy with and love myself, and I am hoping to find a partner to love as well and support in the journey known as life. Ideally, you're also looking for a partner who's your best friend. I'd love to hear about your passions, nerd out, and go on cute dates! If you value growth, communication, and kindness, then let's be the best versions of ourselves together 💪
My Interests:
Devouring video essays, tackling brain teasers on Sporcle or PuzzGrid, finding cool art books, learning new things, reading murder mysteries, building things, and playing everything from Super Auto Pets to Bloodborne are just some of my interests.
Not everything I’m into is a homebody activity though; I will drive quite some ways to check out a cool waterfall, love seeing new stuff at a museum or zoo, and I'm always down to try a good restaurant. Also, I love hearing people talk about their passions or lives, so feel free to tell me anything about what you're into! I walk 5 miles or so a day, so if you like walks that would be awesome lol.
What I like the most, though, is sharing the joy of life with other people. Everything from grabbing groceries to watching someone participate in their hobby is a lot more fun with friends imo :D. Maybe they’ll be even more fun with you? (P.S. I do like my own space and can absolutely respect that you might not want to do LITERALLY everything together. If we can vibe and enjoy each other’s company, even when we’re doing our own thing, I’m totally happy! 😊)
More on me:
If any of this sounds cool to you, and you’re hoping to find a partner who’s also a great friend, please reach out! Physically, I'm down-to-earth at 5'6, with brown skin, facial hair, and a dad bod that I'm getting rid of (lost 35+ lbs already :D). If you're curious and want to see more, I'm more than happy to share some pics.
Things you might care about:

I am sober by choice (A lot of people seem to think this is a deal breaker!) You don't need to be sober as well, but if partying/drinking is a huge part of your life, we might not be a match. I like most animals but not dogs. You're free to have a dog, but if you're looking for a partner who's super into them and wants a ton of them, we probably won't work out. 

As for what I am looking for in a partner:

Physical preferences? I'm more into who you are a person, though I'd prefer if you're closer to my age :). You don't need to be a nerd, but respecting and appreciating my hobbies? That's a big yes! I'm all ears for your passions too. Please be into monogamy! No drinks or smoking here, and hoping you respect my choices there. You're free to not be sober :) Geographically speaking, closer is better. I think I'd prefer someone local, but I am open to talking to others as long as we are both okay with the limitations of an LDR. Looking forward to getting to know you! 

Chapter 122 Sir Janus burst into the pavilion. He had ditched his elegant black Imperial Knight suit for his old grease-stained beige fencing uniform. His beard, previously neatly trimmed, now resembled its usual bird-nest unkempt style, hiding the gruesome scar on his neck. The tournament aides tried to intercept him, but Sir Janus bulldozed through them like a buffalo charging across a cornfield.
“Move aside. I’m a damn Imperial Knight,” Janus grunted as another pair of aides moved to cut him out. He, indeed, didn’t look like an Imperial Knight. In fact, he seemed pretty much intoxicated.
Sir Janus effortlessly knocked over an empty bench as he stumbled through the pavilion. Even the Master of Ceremonies lost track of his words and turned around to see what was causing the commotion. I assumed Sir Janus was searching for Captain Kiln, but to my surprise, he approached me. Meanwhile, the Master of Ceremonies called the final fight—Firana versus Belya Nara, the daughter of Lord Nara.
Firana sprung to her feet and walked to the weapons rack.
“We need to talk, Scholar,” Sir Janus mumbled, putting his heavy hand over my shoulder before I could follow Firana. He was totally intoxicated.
Considering Firana’s confidence was through the roof and the fact we had already secured a victory in the bracket regardless of the outcome, I guessed she wouldn’t miss the last-minute pep-talk.
“I have a moment,” I replied, then asked Ilya to check on Firana in my place. With a nod, Ilya approached the weapons rack, but Firana signaled her to return to the bench. Despite Firana’s gesture, Ilya wrapped her arm around Firana’s neck and whispered a few words in her ear.
I wondered if it was a threat or advice. I hoped it was the latter.
“Come with me,” Janus slurred, guiding me outside the pavilion under the noble teams' glances.
We walked around the Great Hall, passing through a dim corridor into a small cobbled yard where the guardsmen exercised away from prying eyes. Janus looked around, making sure we were alone. Suddenly, any signs of intoxication vanished from his face. I couldn’t help but notice he hadn’t brought Captain Kiln along with us. If this impromptu meeting was due to the last attack on the orphanage, I expected her to be present.
“What’s the matter? I should be in the arena overseeing my team,” I said.
“Did you know Darius Holst has a Silence Hex?” Sir Janus whispered.
The question caught me off guard. The only people who knew about the Hex were Elincia, Captain Kiln, and me. I hadn’t expected Holst to be flaunting the mark around. I examined our surroundings. We were alone, and even the roaring sound of the crowd had vanished.
“I saw the hex engraved in his flesh,” I replied, but before I could ask any questions in return, Janus continued with his interrogation.
“Did you tell Izabeka about it?” Sir Janus’ tone became more urgent by the second.
“Of course I did. Don’t you find it alarming? There is someone out there who wants me dead. Captain Kiln might be the orphanage’s only real lifeline,” I replied.
Sir Janus stroked his beard as he walked from side to side in the corridor.
“Do you trust high-borns, Robert?”
For a moment, I was unsure what to answer. I trusted nobles just enough to take their word at face value. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have negotiated our place in the tournament with the Marquis and Prince Adrien.
“Captain Kiln wouldn’t betray us,” I cautiously replied. I couldn’t say the same of the Prince or the Marquis with complete certainty.
Sir Janus nodded as if he vaguely agreed. His questions, however, were starting to make me nervous.
“Izabeka might be one of the few nobles with a little bit of honor left, but she is loyal to the marquisate,” Janus said in a hushed voice. He glanced around once more before continuing. “I need your help, Robert. I think you and I might be standing on a snare.”
I shook my head, puzzled by Janus’ words. The orphanage enjoyed the royal family's support, and the Marquis had even offered me a title if I won the tournament. We even had Risha and Astrid back at the manor protecting the kids. The orphanage couldn’t be in a better position.
Did all this have to do with the last attack on the orphanage? At first glance, the operation didn’t seem orchestrated by someone closely connected to the high ranks of the nobility; the attackers were too weak and too sloppy. Even the Marquis had access to several level 40 warriors within the Guard and the Sentinels, and he was a low-ranking noble in the grand scheme of the kingdom.
“What does Holst’s Silence Hex have to do with anything?” I asked, trying to unravel Janus’ words.
He shook his head, disappointed.
“Come on, Scholar, use your brain. Silence Hex is a high-level spell. Historically, nobles have used it after ordering their subordinates to commit unlawful acts, to clean their tracks,” Janus explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I think the Marquis put the Silence Hex on Holst. Izabeka isn’t stupid; she will connect the dots and realize that whatever Holst did, the Marquis ordered it.”
An indirect order. The Marquis couldn’t tell Captain Kiln that he had ordered Holst to attack the orphanage, but she could deduce it via the Silence Hex. For better or worse, loyalty was Captain Kiln's most important trait, and her allegiance to the marquisate went further back than her friendship with the orphanage. The Kiln, Holst, and Abei families had roots in Farcrest since its foundation. It wasn’t just blood that bound the families; it was history itself.
“Why are you telling me this now? Do you think Captain Kiln is going to betray us?” I asked.
“I don’t think Captain Kiln would betray us. I think we are stepping on a trap, and if she realized it, she might be too loyal to warn us,” Janus said.
His words weighed on my shoulders.
“Listen, Scholar. We are in the eye of the storm, but no matter what happens with the Farlands campaign or the new trade routes, nobles will still have to deal with each other. We, the lowly commoners, are expendable.”
A tale as old as history.
Suddenly, Janus surrounded himself with black mana and disappeared. Shadow Step. I looked around, but he was nowhere to be found.
“I’m good at sneaking into places, hearing things. It has helped me navigate nobility affairs since I got my Advanced Class,” Janus said, standing a few meters behind me. “I believe Kellaren Odrac-Aias has been working with the Marquis all this time. The Aias family has been a vassal to the Marquis of Farcrest for three generations, and I don’t see Tauron letting that bond disappear. Too much wasted military power. If Kellaren proves to be a better investment than we are, our position in Farcrest hangs by a thread.”
“But Kellaren is working with Lord Osgiria,” I pointed out.
“And what makes you think the Marquis isn’t playing both sides?” Janus interrupted me. “If the Farlands campaign succeeds and a path into the Kingdom of Tagabiria opens, new commercial routes will appear. Farcrest will be the most important city in the kingdom, but it can be more. The Marquis could be happy and benefit from tariffs… or he could assemble his own routes. And who is the most capable person to establish those routes?”
“Lord Osgiria,” I muttered. The man had the knowledge, the contacts, and the supplies to establish and monopolize the new trade routes. The Osgirians had already done that once by controlling the southern frontier.
Janus’ suspicions made sense. Even Captain Kiln admitted that a Silence Hex was a high-level spell, but at the same time, its mere presence was a powerful indicator that someone wanted to keep a secret. Captain Kiln’s assurance that the Marquis wasn’t a tyrant but a pragmatic person seemed weaker now. I had been inclined to believe Kellaren was behind all the incidents the orphanage had suffered, but Captain Kiln might not have been aware of his relationship with the Marquis.
“I’m still not sure the Marquis is working with the Osgirians. That would be high treason against the royalist faction,” I said.
Other than a vague plausibility, Janus’ theory had many holes.
“The last attack on the orphanage didn’t make sense,” I added. The Marquis was gaining popularity with the royalist faction because of me and the orphanage. Even now, we are beating Team Nara into the ground. So far, Prince Adrien seemed satisfied with my performance, which reflects well on the Marquis. Why would the Marquis risk all he had already accomplished with the royal faction?
Janus nodded. “It didn’t make sense until I found the missing link. Firana,” he said, lowering his voice.
A shiver ran down my spine.
“What’s wrong with her?” I asked.
Far away, the crowd roared. The fight had started.
“Kellaren needs Firana to rebuild the Aias Mercenaries and bring them back to their old numbers, and you are the only one anchoring her to the orphanage,” Janus said. “The Marquis tried to sabotage the orphanage for fodder for the royal army before. Now, he might be the one trying to kill you. He needs to sever the bond between Firana and the orphanage. If Firana takes charge of the Aias Mercenaries, the Marquis will have enough loyal and experienced manpower to escort huge caravans at a very low price before anyone else.”
It made sense. Early investors always get the best returns. The Marquis controlled the Farlands with the Sentinels and defended the city with the Guard, but he lacked an armed wing to operate outside the frontiers of Farcrest. The new path between Ebros and the Kingdom of Tagabiria would change the inner politics of the kingdom forever, and I didn’t doubt everyone wanted to take their part. The Marquis had been preparing the ground for the big moment for years, and he could turn his back on the royal faction if that benefited Farcrest the most.
There was only one piece missing in Janus' story.
“How does this affect you?” I asked.
“Before the old Marquis picked me up, I was a street rat when Farcrest was a hellhole where criminals were sent to die, Robert. A bunch of newcomers will not want what I have built for myself,” Janus grunted. “We can’t touch the Marquis, but if we break the link between him and the Osgirian dogs, we will put him in a position that favors us.”
Whether Janus was right in his assessment of the political situation or not, getting Kellaren out of the picture sounded like a win-win situation. Despite Kellaren being closely related to a series of crimes against royal troops, Captain Kiln’s investigation wasn’t going anywhere. Janus seemed like the kind of man who didn’t care about working outside the law.
“Do you have anything we can use against Kellaren?” I asked.
“Just fragments of conversations and circumstantial evidence, I’m not going to lie. But I believe Kellaren holds receipts of all the shady business he had conducted since the death of the Aias leadership,” Janus smiled. “If we find those ledgers and letters, we could sever the tie between the Marquis and the Osgirians and strengthen the alliance between him and the royal faction.”
So far, our survival strategy has been preparing our defenses and hoping for the best, but that will not work forever. It would only take one word from a powerful lord to wipe the orphanage out of existence. It might be time to take the offensive.
The crowd roared again.
“I need proof,” I said.
“I only have my word. It’s not like I can record conversations,” Sir Janus replied, looking around and lowering his voice until it was a little more than a whisper. “I’m not asking you to believe me; frankly, I might be wrong. I hope I’m wrong. But if my suspicion is right, we are in big trouble. Look, Robert, I’m not asking you to betray the Marquis. I’m just asking for your help to expose Kerallen.”
I nodded. It seemed fair enough.
“I assume we are infiltrating the Odrac-Aias stronghold?” I said.
“Yes, we are infiltrating Kellaren’s manor in the Southern District. The tournament is the perfect distraction. We should wait for further rounds when the stakes are higher, and the matches are more exciting. I will let you know,” Sir Janus said, turning around and walking towards the Great Hall. I did the same but in the opposite direction.
Before I could turn the corner, Sir Janus stopped me.
“And tell the Aias kid not to show off. The better she performs the juicier the target she will be for Kellaren,” he said.
That would be difficult.
The situation remained almost the same. As long as I was useful for the royalist faction, the orphanage would be safe. However, I didn’t expect the Marquis to be flirting with the opposite side, considering how close he was to the Prince. What worried me was Firana. Whether she liked it or not, she was an essential political piece on the board.
I hoped Janus’ was wrong, but at the same time, I knew it was a vain hope.
I returned to the pavilion just to find the crowd going wild.
A sandstone spike emerged from the ground, but Firana jumped out of the way, putting on an acrobatic show and falling light as a feather. Dozens of sandstone spikes and columns emerged from the ground. Stone debris was scattered around the arena as if a giant had decided to topple part of the Great Hall.
Belya Nara kicked the ground, sending a two-meter solid sandstone wave toward Firana. The ground undulated under Firana’s feet, but with the help of [Windrider], she jumped over the stone wave and used the sandstone spikes to propel herself toward Belya.
The crowd roared.
Belya raised her mace and blocked Firana’s shortsword before unleashing a whirlwind of sand. Firana retreated to avoid the sand and waited until the spell lost power to lunge again. A slab of stone stood where Belya was a moment earlier. Firana stopped in her tracks, but the stone slab crumbled, revealing Belya’s mace. The surprise attack almost got Firana, but the girl contorted in a seemingly impossible movement and cartwheeled out of reach.
“What’s the score?” I asked as I sat on the bench between Elincia and Wolf. Ilya was standing on the edge of the arena, yelling instructions. She reminded me of the soccer coaches from the big European leagues.
Elincia instinctively searched for my hand; her’s was sweaty.
“Five barriers down each. Belya Nara is surprisingly talented. She hasn’t stopped casting skills since the start of the combat,” Zaon replied, his eyes glued to the combat.
“Don’t let Ilya and Firana know you compliment other girls,” Wolf joked.
Zaon shuddered and focused back on the combat.
Firana circled Belya, looking for an opening, but the Nara girl was comfortable controlling the center of the arena where the sandstone spikes were sparser. Firana was forced to slither between the sandstone spikes, one eye on Belya and the other on her surroundings. Then, she disappeared. Belya Nara looked around, but Firana wasn’t behind the sandstone spikes anymore.
The nobles in the VIP box stood against the rail guard, burying Ginz in a sea of taller and more muscular bodies.
Belya Nara looked up and summoned her defensive sand in a whirlwind, but Firana used Aerokinesis to disturb the spell before it could gather enough force. Firana landed feet first on Belya’s shoulders, sending her to the ground. The barriers around her body protected her from the impact, but Firana seized the moment to slash one of her barriers. Belya cushioned her fall, turning the ground into fluid sand, and swung her rock-covered mace, but Firana effortlessly pushed off her back and repositioned.
“Blind her! Stick her with the pointy end!” Ilya yelled from the sideline.
“You got it, boss!” Firana yelled back as she cast Aerokinesis with her foot and kicked a substantial amount of sand at Belya’s face.
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I have a problem. I am now stupid. Stupid as fuck. I’m talking embarrass myself every day stupid.
I used to be smart. Like really smart. I graduated my high school with a 4.3 GPA, and I got into a really good university. The problem is, I was abused my whole life and I didn’t know I had cPTSD, bipolar 2, and borderline personality disorder. And I didn’t know I was autistic. All of these things tore me down when I left for college and I had multiple suicide attempts. I inevitably dropped out. I had been battling with substance abuse issues as well. Alcohol being the first, then I added weed and started doing psychedelics and Molly etc. my brain became so fuzzy. I still drink and smoke weed every day all day when I’m not at work. I space out a lot and I lost my ability to critically think. I used to be really good at puzzles; now I can never get past the first level. I’ve forgotten how to spell. I forget the definition of words I’ve known for years. I can’t remember things that have just been said. I used to study languages and now I can’t remember words no matter how often I use them. I don’t remember books I’ve read or movies or shows I’ve watched. I enjoy them in the moment and then when I’m done I recall almost none of it. When people give me instructions I go blank and I can’t comprehend them. I don’t remember simple math and that includes addition/subtraction. I’ve just forgotten everything I’ve ever learned. Im an idiot now and I hate feeling so stupid and embarrassing myself in front of people. I think it’s a combination of the weed/alcohol use and undiagnosed/untreated bipolar that ruined my brain function. (I always say bipolar chewed on my brain.)
One of the worst parts of this is that when I try to explain this to my friends they all tell me it’s “normal” and this happens when you grow up. But tell me why my peers don’t struggle in this way. I look so stupid in front of them and they often have to baby me for me to understand things. It’s really really bad and no one is listening to me that it’s an actual debilitating problem.
I don’t know what to do and I don’t know if anyone knows what to do with me.
I often I think about doing it because I can’t stand living like this so stupid and aware that I am.

I have a problem. I am now stupid. Stupid as fuck. I’m talking embarrass myself every day stupid.
I used to be smart. Like really smart. I graduated my high school with a 4.3 GPA, and I got into a really good university. The problem is, I was abused my whole life and I didn’t know I had cPTSD, bipolar 2, and borderline personality disorder. And I didn’t know I was autistic. All of these things tore me down when I left for college and I had multiple suicide attempts. I inevitably dropped out. I had been battling with substance abuse issues as well. Alcohol being the first, then I added weed and started doing psychedelics and Molly etc. my brain became so fuzzy. I still drink and smoke weed every day all day when I’m not at work. I space out a lot and I lost my ability to critically think. I used to be really good at puzzles; now I can never get past the first level. I’ve forgotten how to spell. I forget the definition of words I’ve known for years. I can’t remember things that have just been said. I used to study languages and now I can’t remember words no matter how often I use them. I don’t remember books I’ve read or movies or shows I’ve watched. I enjoy them in the moment and then when I’m done I recall almost none of it. When people give me instructions I go blank and I can’t comprehend them. I don’t remember simple math and that includes addition/subtraction. I’ve just forgotten everything I’ve ever learned. Im an idiot now and I hate feeling so stupid and embarrassing myself in front of people. I think it’s a combination of the weed/alcohol use and undiagnosed/untreated bipolar that ruined my brain function. (I always say bipolar chewed on my brain.)
One of the worst parts of this is that when I try to explain this to my friends they all tell me it’s “normal” and this happens when you grow up. But tell me why my peers don’t struggle in this way. I look so stupid in front of them and they often have to baby me for me to understand things. It’s really really bad and no one is listening to me that it’s an actual debilitating problem.
I don’t know what to do and I don’t know if anyone knows what to do with me.
I often I think about doing it because I can’t stand living like this so stupid and aware that I am.

I wrote these thoughts a few weeks ago when I did them.
“Novus is literally a new game being redone. Not liking new content is part of the process, as the community is anticipating horrible changes, and crown sales just weren’t happening. Show UV maps. I loved this world, it is my favorite, until Wallaru. Nightmare is hitting 21 and drinking for the first time, blacked out not knowing where you are. I’ll have to look into the bosses and what they might mean.”
“Arcane Toad (Freddie Kroaker) is a check for solo Storm wizards
Here is how the fight goes down as a solo storm, and how they want you to use your brain to beat it.
Every 4 turns, starting round 1, he casts a “Nightmare” curse which gives you a -45% accuracy debuf and a stun shield which marks you for getting hit by a powerful death spell every single turn.
He is storm, so he has resist, and he hits hard. Running feint feint hit won’t cut it, because you’ll be dead. Even with the minions gone, he will out chip damage you at this point regardless of your damage/resist ratio. This is a literal check to where Storm wizards CANNOT solo this boss unless they think. So I thought.
I remember my boy cleanse ward. It’s a myth spell, and cannot be trained, and tc’s basically don’t exist. but there is an amulet with it in the bazaar, so I used it. But I had to restart because the -45% made me fizzle. So it’s both a gamble to go first and then cast. But once I did, he cheat casted an aura which removed the nightmare cheat entirely and I whooped his ass.
All the boss fights are set up like this in the later worlds, where you will hit snags that could easily be solved by another player, or it’s a puzzle to be solved by a solo player who knows the game really well.
School pips also factor into this a lot. The fights are structured to screw you over if you have 6 pips instead of 7 to cast your aoe at this particular time. It didn’t really dawn on me how much of w101 is controlled and the extent of awareness KI has on the gear sets until I played these later worlds where more than damage matters.”
Hey Freddie.

Question: Does working on our own projects turn us all into the Honorable Judge, Judgy McJudgerson, or is that just me? Perhaps, it's a me issue, since the older I get, the less likely I am to waste time on something I don't enjoy (ran out of F's long ago, and have no more to give)... If you're judgy too, tell me what you love vs what you hate about the recent books you've read.
Explanation: This past week was a little rough, and the weekend was Memorial Day weekend in USA. With so much going on, I decided to take the weekend "off" from my WIP to let my brain "breathe."
During my brain break, I hit my TBR list. One was a struggle (possible DNF, or I might retry later-haven't decided) and I sat it aside. The second was okay plot-wise, but I have complaints. It was difficult to get through, but I was invested enough in the plot to finish it to find out how it ends. After the disappointment, I revisited a book I've read before which I enjoyed again, just as much as the first read through.
Anyway, the point here is... I guess... Reading is no longer the "brain break" it used to be. I feel like I read everything as if I'm proofreading/editing. The more I write, (or the older I get?) the more I find myself being unforgiving of spelling/grammar errors, flow disruptions, poor characterization/pacing, and just general confusion happening in published works.
I used to be a lot more accepting, and just kept pushing forward. I read books that sucked start to finish because "maybe it gets better," and "I still want to know how it all plays out," and even a bit of guilt: "I bought it, so I have to read it."
Now, I have a clear limit, and I will absolutely DNF if it sucks. I'm wondering if others feel the same, and if so, what are some things you've noticed in recent books that you love/hate?
Hated:
Example 1: The first book, which I sat aside, introduced the main character and immediately had him attend a sort of parade. His friend walked up to him and was described physically. Then they immediately jumped into a meaningless conversation with zero dialogue tags that dragged on for multiple pages, and you had no clue who was talking until the very end when the MC had an internal thought that let you know which stance he took. Here is what it looked like (not quoting actual text, and much shorter than it actually was):
[She walked up to him. Her brown hair was tied back, and she wore a green dress.
The two watched the parade for a while. A blue float passed, followed by a red float.
"The blue float was nicer."
"I don't know, I prefer red."
"I always liked blue best."
"Blue is boring."
"Red is ugly."
"I don't understand the draw you have to blue. You see it all the time."
"So, what's your point?"
"Red is more interesting."
"What makes red interesting?"
"It stands out more. It catches your eye."
"I guess that's true."
He smiled, thinking Red has always been my favorite. He knew she still preferred blue, but he was proud to have made her understand his opinion. Then, all hell broke loose.]
😮‍💨 I had no clue who was speaking. And even after rereading, all I did was wonder why I wasted the time on such pointless dialogue. I continued for a while, but much of the story was like this, meaningless dialogue... When I got sick of trying to care, I skimmed a bit ahead, and still find myself wondering what the damn point was of the vast majority of dialogue. The friend he had this discussion with hasn't even reappeared, so I almost feel like that entire character introduction was a waste of my time... The discussion ending with "I guess you're right," wasn't even a solid win for the MC as far as I'm concerned... And I want meaning. Was all of that dialogue there just to show that the MC was stubborn, liked to argue, or that he was the type to "agree to disagree," but was proud when he could find common ground with someone? Was it there as an attempt to show that he values what he believes is rare over what is common? So far, there's been nothing to support my attempts at creating a meaning for the scene (same goes for multiple early scenes). So now, I'm just annoyed. I understand there was some downtime at the parade before all hell broke loose, and maybe the only point was to let us know there was a calm before the storm.... But, if I had been an early reader of this story, I would have recommended the author to cut it completely. OR if there was meaning, save the reader multiple pages of confusing, exhausting dialogue and replace it with something like:
[She walked up to him. Her brown hair was tied back, and she wore a green dress. The two watched the parade for a while, commenting on the floats that passed by. They stubbornly argued at length about which color float was nicer. She preferred the blue, while he preferred the red. Red had always been his favorite color because it stood out. Though he knew she would always prefer blue, he was proud when she finally agreed that red does catch your eye.
Then, all hell broke loose.]
Example 2: My biggest complaint with this story is the repetition and timing. There is a tiny room off the kitchen of the house her family just moved into, which was a maid's bedroom. The way it is described makes it sound like a tiny space. Yet for three days, every time the MC wakes up or comes home from the store, or whatever, the mother is still working on unpacking and arranging things in the upper and lower cabinets of the kitchen, and she tells the MC to clean the maid's room. The first day, the MC mostly just stands there and imagines how she would like to have the room arranged since they don't have a maid and it will need to serve a different purpose. She doesn't do any cleaning that day, so fine.. She returns the next day, and it takes her ALL DAY to simply sweep the little room? Then the next day, it takes her and her friend hours to endust the wood floor? Please, please make them do something else! And Mom's not working, but the first day, she gets all the plates, bowls, and cups arranged in the top cabinets, then spends the remainder of the week putting pots and pans in the lower cabinets of the kitchen? How many pots and pans do these people have? How big is this kitchen?
My second complaint with story 2 was that every character seemed to have the same voice and the same personality. Everyone blushed if the MC got a little snippy, even the adults. At one point, the MC discovers a neighbor omitted some truth in a discussion with MC's father. Later, the neighbor greets her...
Neighbor: "Oh, hello. It's great to meet you. I heard all about you from your dad. He was right to brag about you. You seem like a beautiful and intelligent young lady. How's your mother doing? I'd like to meet her too."
MC: "My mother is an honest person and always tells the truth."
And the woman blushes timidly and practically runs away... from a 16 year old girl... Everyone around the MC has the same mousy personality. I hate it. And yes, all the dialogue was that clunky. 🤦‍♀️
Loved:
Example 1: (A) The idea-The plot should have been enough to keep me going the whole way through, but it just... wasn't. (B) The descriptions, especially when involving gore-These were done well enough that I understood the pit-in-the-stomach sense of fear and panic the characters would be feeling, however the way their reactions were described fell flat. It was clear the author wanted to relate that sense of fear and panic, but it was poorly done, which baffled me after having read the scene description.
Example 2: The plot. While I did predict the outcome too early, I wasn't sure my prediction was correct until just before the MC found the final puzzle piece. So, it worked to keep me going despite my number of complaints.

I’m looking for a game similar to LinkedIn’s “Queens” game. Or a good puzzle app on iOS. I’m trying to fry my brain!

Does anyone have any suggestions for different things to introduce to try and liven up playtime?
My cat seems to have gotten bored of the usual cat wands but he still wants to play and I’m running out of ideas. He gets zoomies/does play with the teaser but just isn’t as interested as usual, so I don’t think there’s anything medically wrong with him. He just plays for a bit but slowly (not running after it) and then gives a sort of sad meow 🥲
He generally loves all ‘da bird’ teasers so I’ve bought lots of the different ones but after being obsessed with one (and destroying it) he then gets bored the next day and da bird doesn’t make an endless supply of different lures 😂
I’ve tried a crinkle mat and lasers but it’s short lived. I’ve given him treat balls/a snuffle mat/a puzzle (the leaf shaped one) in the past but he’s either a bit dumb and can’t figure out how to get the treat, or he gets frustrated and gives up.
UK based but if it’s on Amazon I can buy US things! He already has a couple of cat trees and the catit senses etc.
Currently raining non stop so catio isn’t an option right now.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

First off I want to thx everyone in this community, I hv received a lot of support, advice and also new knowledge here. So its been 2 months since I posted: https://www.reddit.com/algotrading/comments/1bynzkk/psychological_break_down_on_watching_losses/
and today I finally overcome the loss, so i want to share a few things thru out the journey and hope it helps someone who is experiencing the same

1. Underestimation of the max drawdown and risk tolerance, honestly I never thought it would happened to me but it just did.

so after that I hv run Monte Carlo simulation to see how your algo perform after shuffling the trades, and also trying to use trend filtering to filter out non trendy period.

1. DO NOT try to interfere with your ALGOs, you may hv a bit of outperformance but in the long run you gonna lose to consistency, indeed its just contradict to the reason why we want to do algo trading.

when it approaches my max drawdown I hv countless moments that I wanted to manually interfere it, closing early to secure profit or minimize loss, and I did tried that for a few days, turns out to be a sizable underperformance due to inconsistency. Even tho for some instances seeing derivatives product call back triggered and underlying is going to pump/dump for a bit due to MM to unwind their position- I used to find it hard to watch but now I just live with it, I simply reminding myself if I need to add / interfere anything I have to put it to algo and back test all over again.

1. Be discipline in life, I forgot where I read this, but being a trader needs a lot of discipline. I was just chilling after I launch my algo and have a taste of success, I spent money without care, and also a lot of time for leisure which drastically reduced my attention to algo development and money management. And shortly after that, I run down to my MDD. So it is only during the time I am being slapped by the market, I force myself sit down and

fun fact, I tried cold shower every day to make myself suffer a bit, and also I did a lot of chess puzzle to force brain to run a bit

1. Have a good support system - your fds, family, religious etc. This is quite personal but I do find out having a good support system around you is so important especially during your down time.

So what next for me?

1. extend my algo to other markets, right now I am looking at NQ future and also Japan Nikkei futures

Any good place for getting historical tick data in Japan? Turns out it is surprisingly few options out there and my broker IB, only support till last 2 years of futures contract, due to the rolling nature.
* if any one using IB TWS to fetch historical data,

includeExpired = True 

1. look for trend filtering to improve algo PNL, to skip the non-trendy days.

somehow I found luck on SD(ATR), look forward to hear some others from you guys.
Honestly algo trading had gone completely different than I thought when I start, I once thought it will just print me money, but turns out it's totally not the case, at least for me. So its now for me a constant learning and getting older / discipline in life to try to be a better trader / person.

A puzzle just pop-up when I approach a broke bridge near the Frosting Harbour, anyone know the answer, are there any rewards? or is this just some teaser for the expansion like the dragon island from the background? This quest has a range btw, mostly near the cliffs of the island facing the horizon. (also Jianxin appreciation post )
https://preview.redd.it/89r7bkqhs63d1.png?width=1768&format=png&auto=webp&s=eed49e7f19f9f870fd8c264340096b0ac8d1e7bd

Can you guess the animal name in 7 seconds? Test your intelligence now!

See here - https://techchilli.com/puzzles/brain-teaser-can-you-guess-the-animal-name-in-7-seconds/

TTYD was my absolute favorite game growing up, along with the original Paper Mario on N64. I beat both games at least 10x each and have eagerly awaited the release of the Switch versions to play them on-the-go. I did another run-through of TTYD last summer when I pulled the dusty Wii back out, and I'm about halfway through my playthrough on the Switch. I honestly thought I had every detail of this game burned into my brain, thus setting my opinions in stone. Yet, playing on Switch has me seeing the game in a new light.
I still love TTYD, but it's in an entirely new context now. Playing it in HD on a handheld console has encouraged me to think more critically about the game's fundamental design. It's no longer just a "classic", but instead has been marketed as a part of the core Switch lineup, no different than TOK. I've been a long time subscriber to the prevailing philosophy that the original games were significantly better than the series post SPM. The removal of all RPG elements, interesting characters and unique locations, just to be handed kitschy paper mechanics and convoluted combat systems in their stead...we've discussed this ad nauseam, but it stinks. Nintendo releasing TTYD on Switch finally feels like we can place more of the narrative on what the series gets right, and not just where it went wrong.
What I believe TTYD gets right

• The "Feel". Holy hell did they nail this.
  • World designs, character designs, epic story, all of it is amazing.
• No-Fluff Turn Based Combat
• Rewarding Badge System
  • So much creativity in battle, it makes subsequent playthroughs feel unique.
• RPG Progression systems
  • Experience Points, enhanced inventory, partner upgrades
• Artistic direction
  • TTYD on Switch looks amazing. Compared to TOK, the closer camera and smaller areas just make everything pop, it's easily the best any Paper Mario game has ever looked.
  • Personal opinion, I've never been a fan of the "paper" aesthetics, so seeing them sparsely used when compared to the later games makes my heart happy.

What's not perfect

• Several levels are quite short
• Story beats are often "told" rather than "shown"
• Side content is lacking
  • Troubles are mostly fetch-quests, and we have the Pit of 100 Trials. Not much more to be said here...
• Monotonous enemies
  • I'm specifically referring to how they behave. Design wise, they're great. How you actually interact with them though? It's basically a check list of "are they flying/spiky/fiery/etc?"

I was 9 when TTYD released, and as a child I felt like the world design in TTYD was so expansive. I'd run around Rogueport for hours, revisit levels to find hidden star pieces, take back the championship belt in Glitzville. It simply felt HUGE. Now, as an adult, I find myself surprised with how small it can feel. Certain partners have amazingly deep backstories (all hail the Admiral), yet others just kind of...show up (I'm looking at you, Koops) . The combat is simple, rewarding, to the point, and allows for experimentation via its badge system. However, it can also feel a bit tedious at times, and quite repetitive when fighting the same 3-4 scripted "baddies" per level.
I guess what I'm saying is, I've appreciated that the Switch version has allowed me to view this game not with nostalgia glasses, but with fresh adult eyes. It's a beautiful take on the RPG formula that suits Mario perfectly; I still find it hard to believe they every abandoned it. I'd be over the moon if Nintendo used it as a launching point with the goal of making it feel BIGGER. Longer levels, more intricate puzzles, enemies with totally unique abilities, there's so much they can do. I hope they take this opportunity for the next game...but it's Nintendo, so who knows.
TL;DR: I love the game, but it has room for improvement. How do you see the game now compared to its original release?

Hello! Dalawa pa lang kami and we need 4 more people for Trivia Night this Thursday! Totally SFW, it's generally brain teasers. If you're into abstract thinking or puzzles we'd love your company! There's a 300 peso door fee, so DM me for details so we can have you join our group. See you!

I am NOT OP. Original post by u/ThrowRAPhilosopher1 in AITAH
Trigger Warnings: physical and emotional abuse
Original Post - May 5 2024
AITAH for no longer being close to my daughter after she ignored her mothemy wife when she was very ill?
My daughter is 19, still very young but old enough to know what she did wrong.
5 years ago, my wife, her biological mother, began to exhibit very strange behavior. She would say weird things, make impulsive decisions, and act strange.
She and my daughter would clash often. Now my daughter always was a daddy’s girl but she was still close with her mother.
I honestly thought my wife was going through a midlife crisis and dealing with the pressures of working while raising a teen and we had a come to Jesus talk.
About six months after the start of that behavior, my wife ended up in a really bad accident. When they were performing emergency surgery, they found a ball sized tumor pressing her brain, which was the cause of her initial behavior.
My wife ended up having to relearn everything from walking to talking. She was still reeling from the effects of the accident and the brain tumor and was mentally and physically disabled for a while.
Our daughter refused to be in seen in public with my wife. She hated the mess of the wheelchair and her mother’s condition. She would also just ignore her mother and speak to me all the time sometimes even about her. She saw my wife as a burden and would complain to people, to the point where the school called me.
At the time I was just struggling to get by and I couldn’t alienate my daughter. My wife needed a lot of care and my daughter was in a difficult stage of her life that I couldn’t abandon her in.
When my daughter went off to college, I was sad but also somehow relieved.
My wife still needs a wheelchair sometimes and she has difficulty with some things but she has honestly improved so much. It really solidified our love for each other and our belief in our marriage.
My daughter is coming for summer break after exams. I don’t know why but I feel uncomfortable with her staying for this long. I feel like the sense of closeness I had with her evaporated when she treated her own mother callously. I don’t know what to do. My wife is very excited to have our daughter come but I don’t want to see her heartbroken. I’ve tried getting over it and talking with my therapist but I just can’t feel emotionally close with my daughter and I’m sure she’ll notice. AITAH?
Edit: I don’t know where any of your assump about my wife are coming from. Her mother was never abusive in any way, including mentally or emotionally. When I said my wife did or said strange things, she had regressed in some ways to a child which was exacerbated by the accident. For example, she would go on and on about a show she watched. She couldn’t tell a story. She would spit out food if she didn’t like it. My daughter would never have been put in an abusive situation.
Update - May 14 2024
Mother’s Day was terrible. I don’t know why I’m updating this. Maybe it’s for the few people can sympathize.
A lot of the prior comments made untrue, horrible accusations about my wife.
My wife was never abusive or even mean, not in any state. It makes it so much harder to understand why our daughter would be so cold to her own mother.
My wife’s mental state before the accident had regressed into childlike behavior, which is concerning but not the cause of my daughter’s coldness. My wife would spit food out back into her plate, bluntly say it tasted bad and the wipe her nose with her sleeve like a child. I made the error of thinking she was having a midlife crisis because she bought an expensive dress because it was soft. She would forget to do things, her responsibilities.
Mother and daughter clashed because she would tell stories with no beginning and end, just rambling. She would ask the same questions over and over. She would promise to pick her up or bring something and forget. Things that would annoy a teenage girl.
The tumor were concentrated in the back of the head. When she got into the car accident, it made everything worse. She needed to relearn everything. She is still disabled.
We had high expectations for our daughter but she set them higher for herself. She had a dream school, where she wanted to go since she was 12. It meant that I had to chauffeur to so many activities throughout high school and sacrifice a lot to make sure she got the opportunities she wanted.
It meant leaving my disabled wife in a longer term care facility to hopefully recover. It was Covid so there were long stretches where we didn’t visit her. She was there for too long. I never should have left her there.
When she came home, my wife was still largely nonverbal and wheelchair bound. She needed help with everything from eating to going to the bathroom. I earned a little as a caregiver on top of my regular job.
My daughter was so cruel and cold to her mother at that time. She wasn‘t a young kid or even a young teen anymore.She was never expected and never did take care of her mother so it wasn’t caregiver burnout. She would hate if her mother came outside with her and would later blame it on the wheelchair, saying it was bulky and attracted attention. She would ignore her mother and moved away to distance herself physically. I ended up getting a call from the school because a classmate had overheard what she said about her mother and reported it as ableism. I don’t know what she said. All I know is that she was very cruel to her mother.
I had her in individual therapy and we did therapy as father and daughter. It was her choice to stop.Go to AITAH
My daughter ended up getting into her dream college. They had an accepted students weekend and she demanded that her mother stay home even though parents were invited. By that time my wife had made leaps and bounds in progress and was disappointed to stay home. I went and tried to be a proud father. At least she let her mother go to graduation.
My daughter came home a few days ago. Her exams were earlier. She informed us that she earned a research position with a professor for the summer. My wife was overjoyed, writing a card all on her own about how proud she was and she wished she saw her daughter grow into accomplished young woman. How proud she was to share this moment. My daughter looked sick with guilt. I know what that looks like.
On Mother’s Day, I made a comment that she couldn’t ignore her mother today. She told me to stop saying that. I made another comment about how proud her mother was of her and how much she loved her. I was doing it on purpose. It ended up with her saying she regretted what she did. I always had my suspicions. I interrogated her until she tearfully admitted she hated what her mother had turned into and she hit her mother once and she was ashamed to be around her because of what people thought. We got into a shouting match and she yelled at me that I was so focused on everyone else’s behavior because I regretted my own.
It’s true in a lot of ways. Because of Covid, there were limited visiting hours. But I still didn’t visit as much as I should have. I left my wife in a facility to focus on our daughter but also so that it would be easier for me. There are no siblings, no grandparents to help. I didn’t visit as much because I hated how much my wife would sob when I had to leave.
I started feeling guiltier when I read a news article about a nurse being sentenced for assaulting a woman in a coma. I thought about my wife. She was nonverbal, had limited short term memory, and wheelchair bound. I wouldn’t know what would happen. I tried to convince myself that it was fine but all I did was find more and more news articles about abuse at care facilities. I would have nightmares.
I pulled my wife out. I took months of work. I finally got her home. She was taken care of but not like I would have. There were a few knots in her hair, bruising, sores.
I won’t lie, the care was brutal. Now I had to juggle taking care of my wife and making sure my daughter was supported and able to reach her dreams. And it was hard seeing my wife like that. She was accomplished and intelligent and now couldn’t do a puzzle or eat on her own or go to the bathroom by herself. There was a huge learning curve and they assigned a nurse to come see my wife every few days.
My wife is so sweet. I attend a caregivers support group and I feel guilty because my wife doesn’t have the fits of temper or the rage or the depression that others did. I felt guilty for being tired. Some had it a lot harder than I did.
She got better and over time it was like she was almost back to her old self. And she never lost love for either of us. it hurts that she blames herself for how our daughter treated her. Maybe I shouldn’t have let my daughter focus on prestige and appearance so much, maybe I should’ve realized the signs early on and exposed her to others.
My daughter and aren’t speaking. My wife just wanted a happy family. I’m looking for therapy for us as a family.
Relevant Comments: Later on it’ll be hope. Right now I’m just dealing with resentment and guilt and just questioning where I went wrong. Because she was 16-18 when she acted like this. Young, yes. But old enough to be considered an adult if committing a crime. I know I’ll have to buckle down and be the parent in this situation but it’s always in the forefront of my mind that she treated her own mother like this.
Note from OP: I think the timeline is Mom behaves erratically for 6 months when Daughter is 14, is hospitalized for possibly over a year during the height of COVID, and returns home. Daughter was 16-18 when she hit Mom who is disabled and nonverbal. Daughter goes to college and is now 19.