I'm selling off a vast portion of my video game collection! Here's my expanded list of games and accessories along with their prices!
Nintendo Entertainment System
To The Earth $5
Tennis $5
Nintendo Wii
Geon Cube $3
Speed Racer $3
FlingSmash $7
Wii Play $5
https://imgur.com/a/64cjBKx
Sony PlayStation
War Jetz (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED) $25
Jeopardy 2nd edition (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED) $6
Ball Breakers (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED) $15
MLB 2004 (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED) $10
Hot Shots Golf $5
Sheep (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED) $20
Missile Command (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED) $15
High Heat Baseball 2000 (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED) $10
Blast Radius (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED) $25
Burstrick Wave Boarding!! (BRAND NEW FACTORY SEALED) $25
https://imgur.com/a/XRw40ao
PlayStation 2
Orphen $5
Moto GP '07 $5
Jet X2O (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED) $20
https://imgur.com/a/YvQfOIq
PlayStation 3
Motorstorm Apocalypse $15
Ragnarok Odyssey Ace $15
Brink $5
https://imgur.com/a/03qhkyO
PlayStation 4
Grand Theft Auto V $8
Assassin's Creed: Odyssey $10
Dissidia: Final Fantasy $10
Sony brand PS4 controller $20
Spider-Man: Miles Morales $20
https://imgur.com/a/rXQoU1G
Nintendo Gamecube
NBA Live 2004 (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED; seal has a tear present) $7
Original XBOX
Dead or Alive 3 (missing manual) $5
https://imgur.com/a/4B7vv3C
XBOX 360
Saints Row 2 $5
Borderlands $5
Ninja Gaiden Z $15
Blades of Time $10
Bulletstorm epic edition $4
Anarchy Reigns $5
https://imgur.com/a/wTNwZOY
XBOX ONE
NBA 2K20 $3
Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled $15
Sega Genesis Classics $15
Crash bandicoot 4 $20
Madden NFL '18 $3
NBA 2K22 $3
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection $10
https://imgur.com/a/Vf7yb46
Sega Genesis (CARTS ONLY)
Barkley Shut Up and Jam $1
Joe Montana Sportstalk Football $1
Sega Sports Primetime Football/ Madden 95 combo $3
Sega Saturn
Sega International Soccer (disc only) $5
Video Game Magazines
Electronic Gaming Monthly May 2000 $5
Electronic Gaming Monthly Sept. 2005 $5
Game Informer April 2006 $5
Game Informer June 2005 $5
Game Informer Dec. 2004 $5
Game Informer Sept. 2004 $5
Game Informer Aug. 2004 $5
Game Informer Jan 2003 $5
https://imgur.com/a/cqUseBt
USPS SHIPPING WITH TRACKING IS FOUR DOLLARS FOR THE TITLE AND A DOLLAR FOR EACH ADDITIONAL GAME/ ACCESSORIES! MORE PICS ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST!

The third episode of A Shoulder to Cry On will be out on Viki & GagaOOLala today at 11PM GMT+8.
Episode Link:

• Viki
• GagaOOLala

Actor's Instagram: - Kim Jaehan as Da Yeol - Shin Yechan as Tae Hyun
MDL Link: - A Shoulder To Cry On
OST:
Spotify Links: - Come Together (Opening Track) - You, Again - Comfort - Come Together (Eng. Ver.) - You, Again (Eng. Ver.) - Comfort (Eng. Ver.) - Full Album
Synopsis:
Lee Da Yeol is both an outsider and a skilled archer who finds solace in the archery club at school. His scholarship is put in jeopardy when he has a misunderstanding with the popular and handsome student Jo Tae Hyun. Tae Hyun accuses Da Yeol of making advances towards him, which threatens his scholarship. Tae Hyun takes pleasure in tormenting Da Yeol and follows him everywhere, but Da Yeol's feelings become conflicted as he wonders if he's beginning to develop feelings for Tae Hyun.
Previous Episode On-airs: - Episode 1 - Episode 2
The show has a total of 7 episodes.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/texas-abortion-law-means-woman-continue-pregnancy-despite/story?id=97918340
Kylie Beaton was looking forward to having her second child later this year. Now, she's faced with carrying an unviable pregnancy to its end due to Texas' highly restrictive abortion ban.
According to a report from her doctor, Beaton's baby has a rare, severe condition impacting the development of its brain, but she is unable to access abortion care in her home state.
"To have a woman go through so much torture along the way that's going to stay with them forever," Beaton told ABC News. "Whatever the case may be, you have to look at things from a different perspective."
Texas has several abortion bans in place that prohibit nearly all abortions, except when a mother's life is at risk or there is a risk of serious bodily harm. The state has civil and criminal penalties for performing banned abortions.
Beaton, who has a 4-year-old daughter with her husband, Seth, said the couple had been actively trying to get pregnant when they conceived the unviable pregnancy. Seth had been hospitalized with COVID pneumonia in June 2021. When he was finally released six months later, the couple started trying to have a baby right away, Beaton said. Beaton has polycystic ovary syndrome, which can make it harder for women to get pregnant, so it was all the more joyful when she learned their efforts were successful.
"I was really excited when we found that it was a boy, but that was short-lived," Seth Beaton told ABC News. "Right now, I'm just terrified for my wife. She's the strongest person I know and she's just helpless right now. And it's not fair for her and other women. And we have a daughter, I couldn't imagine my daughter ever having to go through this."

At her 20-week ultrasound appointment, Beaton said her physician discovered the fetus had a rare, severe anomaly -- called alobar holoprosencephaly -- in which the fetus's brain does not develop into two hemispheres as it normally would, and the major structures of the brain remain fused in the middle.

The brain splitting into two hemispheres is a "critical stage in the development" and can impact the development of the nose, mouth and throat, Dr. Katie McHugh, an Indiana OB-GYN and abortion provider, told ABC News. The condition can result in a very painful life and death for the fetus, McHugh said.
"Often times we will offer, if not recommend, pregnancy termination," McHugh said.
The anomaly occurs in about 1 in 250 fetuses, but in just 1 in 16,000 live births, according to the Cleveland Clinic. In her seven years practicing as a maternal fetal medicine specialist, Dr. Carrie Rouse, an OB-GYN and maternal fetal medicine specialist at Indiana University Health, said she has only come across five cases. Beaton's 28-week ultrasound shows the severity of her baby's anomaly.
"The inside appears very empty," said Rouse, who is not treating Beaton, but looked at her ultrasound. "The normal brain structures that we would see, that should have formed and then separated in the midline, are not there where they normally would be. This is a very concerning ultrasound."

Beaton said her physicians told her the baby could survive out of the womb for a couple of weeks, at most, in the event that the pregnancy ends in a live birth. Rouse agreed with this assessment, pointing to what she said is a lack of development of normal brain tissue and empty fluid filling the head.

"This anomaly is typically lethal for most infants within days to weeks," Rouse said. "Outliers are only able to survive with significant amount of invasive procedures and interventions."

Babies with this condition never reach developmental milestones, meaning they won't have any intentional interactions like smiling, and often can't see, have severe seizures and hormonal abnormalities, according to Rouse. Very few outliers are able to survive up to a year and the level of intervention needed for babies with this condition to survive is extremely high; they often need mechanical ventilation or a life support machine, multiple medications and repeated lab draws, Rouse said.

"They live to a year with basically heroic measures," Rouse said.

Beaton said her physician referred her to a specialist a week after her diagnosis. However, she said the specialist confirmed that due to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and Texas' "trigger" law effectively outlawing nearly all abortions, the physicians' hands were tied. She said the specialist told her he could not do anything to end the pregnancy unless Beaton developed a severe health issue or if the fetus dies in the womb.

Anti-abortion group Texas Right to Life has routinely argued that fetuses should be "honored and protected in law no matter how long or short their lives may be," according to a statement earlier this month.

Representatives for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and state Sen. Bryan Hughes, who authored one of the state's abortion bans, did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment about Beaton's situation.

Beaton said she wanted to have a vaginal delivery, feeling like a scar from a cesarean section would be a constant reminder of what she had lost. A C-section also means that the couple would be advised to wait 12 to 18 months before trying to get pregnant again, the typical time physicians recommend women wait so their uterus can recover from surgery, according to the Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine and Fertility.

"With this condition, in particular, because the head, the fetal head, develops at a different rate, often because of fluid collections, most of the time vaginal delivery is not an option. And so cesarean delivery is required," McHugh said. "And this is going to be major abdominal surgery, with risks associated with it -- for a baby that has maybe no chance of a normal life or potentially of survival at all, depending on the severity."

Unable to get care in Texas, Beaton said she booked an appointment to get an abortion at a clinic in New Mexico in February.
But, she said when she went in for an ultrasound days before her appointment, she was told her baby's head had grown too big and she could no longer get the procedure. The facility's cutoff for abortions is 23 weeks and six days she said and the fetus's head was already measuring at what it typically would at over 23 weeks of pregnancy.
"From there, we were pretty let down," Kylie Beaton said.
She said she was referred to a clinic in Colorado that provides later-term abortion care, but that facility told them it would cost between $10,000 to $15,000 for the procedure, which was financially out of question, Beaton said. The New Mexico clinic would have provided the same procedure for $3,500, Kylie Beaton said. Neither estimate includes the cost of travel and accommodation.

Since then, the fetus's head has continually increased in size, filling with fluid, she said. At her appointment on Monday, when she was 28 weeks pregnant, the fetus's head size was measuring at what it typically would be at 39 weeks, a full-term pregnancy, the ultrasound showed.

"On that ultrasound, the head is measuring significantly larger than it should be. It's measuring about 10 weeks further along than she actually is, which is very concerning," Rouse, the Indiana Health System OB-GYN, said.
Rouse said Beaton's C-section could be more complicated and risky as her pregnancy continues.
"You worry about ongoing growth of the fetal head of causing more complications at the time of delivery, like hemorrhage, needing a blood transfusion, needing to use a larger incision on her abdomen in order to to remove the infant, needing to use a larger and different incision on the uterus in order to remove the infant," Rouse said. "There's a risk of possibly uterine rupture just because of the stretch on the uterus. All of these things would make me pretty worried."
"For a condition for which we expect the baby to pass away soon after birth, that baby is going to pass away because of the alobar holoprosencephaly, whether they are born at 39 weeks or earlier," Rouse added.
Beaton said her physicians in Texas contacted other doctors in the state, hoping they had heard of an alternative regarding the state's laws that would permit them to induce her labor since the baby's head was at full term. Ultimately, Beaton said, doctors determined the size of the baby's head was not a good enough reason to induce labor because her health is still not at risk.
"And if the state were to find out, they would most likely press charges," Kylie Beaton said.
Texas' anti-abortion law makes it a second-degree felony for any attempt by a medical professional to perform, induce or attempt an abortion, and a first-degree felony if the abortion is carried out.
"My specialist and my OB both had said I had to go essentially full term to at least 37 weeks unless something happens to either the baby or I, then they could induce," Kylie Beaton said.
The couple said the law has left them feeling helpless and frustrated over not being able to make a humane decision for their baby.
"I mean, for them to say, 'Well, you need to wait until you're in a health crisis, a health issue to where your life's in jeopardy, then that's when we can take it.' Well, then why do we have doctors?" Kylie Beaton said.

"Why are we taking medications for things like high blood pressure? Why don't you wait until you have a heart attack? Or until you have, you know, the signs that you're having a stroke to be on medication? All those things? It's kind of the same way, if you look at it from our perspective," she added.

Before this pregnancy, Beaton said she never would have considered getting an abortion. Now, she believes abortions should be allowed in cases like hers and for women with other health conditions to get the care they need.
"I'm personally not for it being a way of birth control. I do believe that there are certain instances where I deem that it is necessary," she said. "Never in a million years would I expect or believe that we will be going through what we're going through now."
https://www.reddit.com/news/comments/11wgoc1/texas_abortion_law_means_woman_has_to_continue/

• Drama: A Shoulder To Cry On
  • Korean title Title: 소년을 위로해줘
  • Also Known As: Comfort the Boy, Sonyeoneul Wilohaejwo, Sonyeoneulwilohaejwo, 소년을위로해줘
• Network: Wavve, TVING, WATCHA
• Premiere Date: March 14, 2023- Match 29, 2023
• Airing Schedule: Tuesday & Wednesday
• Episodes: 7 @ 30min
• Streaming Sources: Viki, GagaOOlala
• Director: Song Su Rim
• Starring:
  • Kim Jae Han (OMEGA X)
  • Shin Ye Chan (OMEGA X)
• Plot Synopsis: At school, Lee Da Yeol spends most of his time living as an outsider. Not popular by any stretch of the imagination, Dae Yeol’s only real joy comes from his time spent with the archery club. A talented archer whose skills have earned him a scholarship to the school, Dae Yeol doesn’t mind being an outsider, so long as he’s free to pursue his greatest passion. But an ill-timed run-in with a devilishly handsome classmate lands him in trouble and places his precious scholarship in jeopardy. One of the school’s most popular students, Jo Tae Hyun has always enjoyed a level of freedom that very few high school students have ever attained. Able to get away with practically anything, the entire school has no problem believing his side of the story when he’s caught fooling around in the nurse’s office with another student and Da Yeol. Claiming Da Yeol was trying to make out with him, Tae Hyun thoughtlessly puts the archer’s scholarship at risk. Desperate to correct the misunderstanding, Da Yeol does everything he can to try to quell the rumours but no matter how hard he tries, it’s just not enough. Completely unremorseful about what he’s done, Tae Hyun seems to take a wicked sort of delight in doing everything he can to make Da Yeol’s life miserable; his favorite method being to follow Da Yeol everywhere. Unable to shake Tae Hyun, Da Yeol spends his days loathing his shadow but the more time he spends with him, the more conflicted his feelings become; leaving him to wonder, where exactly does the line between hate and love end? (Source: Viki)
• Conduct Reminder: We encourage our users to read the following before participating in any discussions on /KDRAMA: (1) [Reddiquette] (2) our [Conduct Rules] (3) our [Policies], and (4) the [When Discussions Get Personal Post].
  • Any users who are displaying negative conduct (including but not limited to bullying, harassment, or personal attacks) will be given a warning, repeated behaviour will lead to increasing exclusions from our community. Any extreme cases of misconduct (such as racism or hate speech) will result in an immediate permanent ban from our community and a report to Reddit admin. Additionally, mentions of down-voting, unpopular opinions, and the use of profanity may see your comments locked or removed without notice.
• Spoiler Tag Reminder: Be mindful of others who may not have yet seen this drama, and use spoiler tags when discussing key plot developments or other important information. You can create a spoiler tag by writing > ! this ! < without the spaces in between to get this spoiler. For more information about when and how to use spoiler tags see our Spoiler Tag Wiki
• Previous Discussions:
  • [Episodes 1 & 2]

We wanted to highlight a couple things we noticed from the subreddit survey.
First, we want to thank anyone who took the time to fill out this survey.
Second, it seems as though there was some confusion that this survey was mandatory. It was not, and we can’t really track that or enforce it on a google docs survey, as it’s all anonymous.
Third, we are considering offering the survey out bi-annually to users to get a feel of how they think the sub is being maintained.
Now we will share some thoughts/opinions we found from the survey.

General feedback results

​

Thoughts/opinions from the open ended questions

We had a lot of responses (198 comments in total!), and for that we thank you! We will be addressing the “top” topics that had the most comments.

Downvoting

Downvoting is not something that can be handled by mods. This is the nature of reddit. We can’t tell people not to downvote, because there is no way for us to control this. If anyone is hoping to gain further clarification on what the intended purpose of downvoting/upvoting is by reddit admins, they can find that information here
To clarify, mods cannot monitor who is downvoting/upvoting.

Ships

A big one was the theories and shipping related posts. Because it will be some time until we get the next book, it’s natural for people to speculate over who or what that book will be about. This is a large fandom, with many different opinions and interpretations. A few comments stuck out to us that claimed that multiple ships/couples books are next, and while it’s easy to just throw that out there and claim it as fact considering the amount of buildup characters may have had, it’s not fact yet. Until we have that 100% confirmed as the next ACOTAR book from SJM or Bloomsbury, nothing is certain. Do some of us think it’s likely that a specific character’s book is next? Of course! But we only think this, we don’t know for sure. It’s all a theory, no matter how strong it is!
When it comes to ships, a lot of users are becoming frustrated with the constant repetition of arguments surrounding two of the biggest ships in the fandom as it currently stands. One particular comment stuck out to us that while ship talk is fun, it turns harmful very quickly when real life issues surrounding the ability of someone being able to carry a child, or people who have been sa’d not being able have romantic relationships. These two discussions are harmful, no matter which way you try to spin it. Both takes are ignorant, full stop, and not the way SJM writes her stories. She writes of empowerment, resilience, and characters who are more than just their circumstances and trauma. Conversations surrounding the inability to have children and not being able to have a romantic relationship after being SA’d are STRONGLY discouraged. You will be met with criticism for these beliefs from across the subreddit, and while we don’t condone bullying, people have a right to disagree with you if you believe either of the two.
Some users have felt alienated for their shipping preferences on the sub. To provide further context, shippers feel like they can’t safely share their shipping opinions and that they are attacked by other users for these opinions. This opinion has been shared across the board with all ships, not just specific ones. Between people saying that they can’t share their thoughts, without being downvoted, to an influx of users disagreeing, or worse, shaming their (non-harmful) opinions. Unfortunately, this is reddit. We can’t control the thoughts and opinions of others, as this is a public forum. What we can do however is remove posts/comments that attack users. If someone disagrees with a user's shipping preference, that’s one thing. If someone starts to call users or a group of shippers crazy, idiots, lacking comprehension, that’s another. Reporting because someone is being cruel, and targeting you as a person is a valid concern, but we are not safe from disagreements.

Rants

Lots of responses included growing frustration regarding the amount of rants that are seen on a daily basis. We are currently considering including a day relegated to rants to keep the repetitive/controversial conversations to a minimum. This doesn’t mean that you can’t post anything else on those days (gush posts, theory posts), but that rants can ONLY be posted on those days. This will hopefully clear up the amount of ranting regarding characters, and may even decrease the need for cooldown topics.

Spoilers

While we try and make sure things aren’t spoiled, things do fall through the cracks. We are going to try and crack down on this more. There were many comments that asked to crack down on spoilers in the titles, and this is something we hope to be more vigilant in.
We are working vigilantly to crack down on this more than we have, while it is easy to flair posts as spoilers for Throne of Glass or Crescent City, we unfortunately cannot flair comments in that sense. After some feedback a couple of months ago we have taken the precaution of deleting comments, especially, and not restoring them until the spoilers are appropriately marked. If you see something that is a spoiler, flag it! The mods are only human and things can slip past us, we're doing our best.
This is also something that we all need to collectively do as a community.For any ToG/CC comments, they should be marked as follows.

KoA spoilers >! text here !< 

Any post that is not an ACOTAR spoiler post should also be marked in comments.

MaF spoilers >! text here !< 

Specific events of any of the books are spoilers, endgame couples are spoilers. Character names are generally okay as long as there is no information regarding that character that is a spoiler.
If you are unsure, feel free to message the mod account or you can check out the post here

Maasverse

Please proceed with caution! Do not click if you have not completed all three series!
Because the Maasverse is such a largely talked about topic right now, we are looking for ways to decrease the amount of spoilers. With CC2 having been the catalyst for the Maasverse, we know that a lot of users specifically want to talk about that in general. We’re hoping to also include a day, similar to the potential “Rant” day, where we have a day dedicated to the Maasverse. This will hopefully decrease the amount of spoilers as well, as the posts won’t be everyday! Some responses voted that we should redirect Maasverse topics to their respective subreddits, while others found it fine. We feel by allowing Maasverse topics on a specific day, this might be a happy medium.

Bullying

A lot of users voiced their concerns over bullying.
Users believe that they aren’t able to share their thoughts and opinions on the series without facing severe backlash, vitriol, or troll accounts. We understand the concern over this not being a safe space, and want to make it safer for everyone.
For whatever reason, tensions really run high in fandoms, especially in ones where we don’t have an end to the story yet. There are also a lot of opinions over things like specific characters, their motivations, and their behaviours.
The critique/hatred/love for a fictional character is absolutely fine, and engaging in civil discourse is expected. However, we think the majority of us can agree that those who try to paint real people in a negative light, diminish the intelligence and integrity of real people, name calling of real people, and targeted harassment of real people online is not only inappropriate, but creates a space of hostility. We don’t want this, and the majority of users don’t want this either.
A disagreement is not grounds for outrage, but when hurtful things about real people start to get spewed, that crosses a line. This goes for individual users, and groups of fans of specific characters/ships. People who have common opinions don’t deserve to be grouped together with people who display cruelty or rudeness, and a single person doesn’t deserve cruelty over an opinion that doesn’t pertain to real people. Offering your opinion to them that goes against their own is fine - that’s bound to happen! But hurtful comments and targeted harassment will not be tolerated.
Going forward, users who behave in a cruel manner will first receive a warning for this kind of behaviour, then a two week ban, then a full sub ban if the behaviour continues. We can’t stress this enough again, disagreements are one thing, being intentionally hurtful is another.
At the end of the day we are all here because we love and appreciate this series, there is absolutely no room for any of the hate that has been harbored. We want this to be a safe and welcoming space for all users, anyone who puts other users in jeopardy of feeling unwelcome and unsafe in sharing their opinions will have taken action against them.
​
Thank you again to everyone who provided us with feedback, new policies will be implemented as of March 20th, 2023, new weekly features will be rolling out over the next few weeks! If you have any questions, comments or concerns about any of this, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 25%. (I'm a bot)

ATLANTA - Lawyers for former President Donald J. Trump filed a motion in a Georgia court on Monday seeking to quash the final report of a special grand jury that investigated whether Mr. Trump and some of his allies interfered in the 2020 election results in Georgia.
The move comes as Mr. Trump has started pushing back more broadly against several criminal investigations into his conduct.
Over the weekend, Mr. Trump said in a social media post that he would be arrested on Tuesday as part of an investigation by the Manhattan district attorney into a hush money payment he made to to a porn actress, and called on his supporters to protest.
In Georgia, Mr. Trump is seen as having two main areas of legal jeopardy: the calls he made in the weeks after the 2020 election to pressure state officials to overturn the results there, and his direct involvement in efforts to assemble an alternate slate of electors, even after three vote counts affirmed President Biden's victory in the state.
Experts have said that Ms. Willis appears to be building a case that could target multiple defendants with charges of conspiracy to commit election fraud or charges related to racketeering.
The motion was filed by Drew Findling, Jennifer Little and Marissa Goldberg, lawyers for Mr. Trump in Georgia.

Summary Source FAQ Feedback Top keywords: Trump^#1 Georgia^#2 election^#3 state^#4 motion^#5
Post found in /politics, /politicyl, /politicly, /TrendingQuickTVnews and /NYTauto.
NOTICE: This thread is for discussing the submission topic. Please do not discuss the concept of the autotldr bot here.

[SerSun] Serial Sunday: Jeopardy!
Time and distance seemed meaningless in the Rift. How far had she traveled? A hundred feet? A mile? And how long had she been down here? Thirty minutes? Three hours? Three months? Ellie felt herself drifting, disconnected from the rest of the world.
The monsters were real enough, though. They were getting bolder, edging their claws and snouts, and other less discernible parts, into her protective ring of light. She wished she'd brought another light source besides her magic - a lantern or a flashlight. Not that she'd had one to bring. Fortunately she wasn't using as much of her own energy as she'd worried she might. The ambient magic down there was surprisingly strong. But it felt strangely threatening, as if might lash out at her if she didn't handle it carefully.
Ellie could hear the creatures pacing and slithering, trailing close on her heels, lurking just in front of her, pressing themselves between her bright halo and the sheer stone walls. She clambered over a pair of boulders. As she reached the top, something swooped down at her, talons grazing her scalp. She flinched, lost her balance, and tumbled forward. In a panic, she flung wild bursts of lightning out into the darkness. Hisses and squawks erupted as creatures recoiled from the sudden light.
She saw them for just a moment before the lightning crackled out. There were so many. She'd told herself, as she'd imagined a horde of beasts filling the dark canyon like a rising tide, that she was being foolish. Giving in to terror-fueled flights of fancy. But their numbers exceeded even her fears.
A terrified whimper rose up in her throat and escaped before she could force it back down. A hush, almost a sigh, fell over the monsters. Then they growled louder than before. Ellie had the mad impression they were laughing at her.
She forced herself to resume walking forward. She tried to suppress her fright, but her hands shook and her legs felt like jelly. It was hard to keep her breathing steady. The creatures' tones darkened. Growls deepened. Whines turned to keens and howls. Pacing footsteps became erratic skittering.
A tentacle shot toward her from the shadows, wrapped around her arm, and pulled. Ellie screamed, struggling against it. She shocked it, but it didn't let go. She pulsed out a stronger lightning bolt, then another, and it finally relented, squelching back into the darkened recesses. She scrubbed at her arm, trying to wipe away the memory of its slimy touch.
Ellie could feel the ambient magic growing stronger with each step she took. It should have been encouraging, but instead she felt only trepidation. That made sense, in a chilling sort of way. Fear required imagination, too.
She remembered something her mother had once said to her and Gavin. “Fear is so much easier than hope. Our minds are wired to be wary of danger. To see the possibility of the wolf lurking in the dark forest, the likelihood of injury from a fall. Hope can give us the strength to walk into danger. Fear, though. Fear keeps us safe.”
Paxina had known it, too. “It's not all bad,” she'd said, when she finally began speaking again after days of wandering silent and ghost-like. “I'm not afraid of anything anymore. I can't envision the future, or the misery it might hold. I can't see ghosts and goblins in shadows.” She couldn't see beauty in the sunrise, either.
Fear and hope. Two sides of the same coin. Imagine the bad. Imagine the good. Possibilities existing in balance, the future teetering like a seesaw.
Another tentacle snaked around her neck and dragged her to the floor. Her fingers scrabbled at it uselessly. A long arm sank its claws into her calf. She kicked blindly, and it dug in harder. Something smacked her hip and stung like a scorpion's tail. Triumphant hoots and yowls erupted from unseen throats.
Ellie thrashed, unable to breathe, unable to break free. And if she escaped these three, there were a hundred more. This was the end. She'd finally taken a risk too big for her.
No.
The word cut through her mind like a violin note in a silent room. Eska's face flashed in her mind. She had to make it back to her. She'd promised. Tamas and Loren, too. They wouldn't want her to give up. Toby and the Watcher. Gavin. Her mother. People she loved. People who loved her. Memories danced through her mind like music. She'd felt alone before, but she wasn't, not really, not in her heart.
Lightning erupted from her. From her hands, her shoulders, her hair. It lashed out in brilliant ribbons, pinwheeling around her. Under the onslaught of electricity, the monsters let go of her, convulsing with pain or cringing at the light. Lightning arced through the canyon, bouncing off the walls, illuminating a hundred feet around her.
The monsters fled from it, crawling into crevasses, cringing behind rocks. In their wake, she realized she could see the end of the Rift. And a massive stone door.

Important Changes

• Campfire now has a Sign Up Form (link is available under the weekly theme section). If you do not sign up, you will be added to the end of the reading order. In the event of a significantly long Campfire, your spot would not be guaranteed without a sign-up. You must sign up by 9:00 am EST on Saturday.
• The Serial Sunday deadline is now Saturday at 9:00am EST (that’s 3 hours earlier).
• In case you missed it, there have been changes to the ranking system! You can check out the specifics under “Ranking System” of this post.

Welcome to Serial Sunday!

To those brand new to the feature and those returning from last week, welcome! Do you have a self-established universe you’ve been writing or planning to write in? Do you have an idea for a world that’s been itching to get out? This is the perfect place to explore that. Each week, I post a theme to inspire you, along with a related image and song. You have 500 - 850 words to write your installment. You can jump in at any time; writing for previous weeks’ is not necessary in order to join. After you’ve posted, come back and provide feedback for at least 2 other writers on the thread. Please be sure to read the entire post for a full list of rules.

This week's theme is Loyalty!

IP MP
This week we’re going to explore the theme of ‘loyalty’. Who are your characters loyal to? Who do they trust? How far would they go to protect those they are loyal to? What happens when those ties and bonds are put to the test, or completely broken?
These are just a few things to get you started. Remember, the theme should be present within the story in some way, but its interpretation is completely up to you. Please remember to follow all sub and post rules.
Sign up for Saturday Campfire here! We start at 1pm EST and provide live feedback!

Theme Schedule:

• March 19 - Loyalty
• March 26 - Mysterious
• April 2 - Negotiation

You can vote on themes using the weekly nomination form!
Most Recent: Keeper Jeopardy Isolation Hope Gift Freedom Ego Destruction Curiosity Beast Adversity

Rules & How to Participate

Please read and follow all the rules listed below. This feature has requirements for participation!

• Submit a story inspired by the weekly theme, set in your self-established universe. Use wordcounter.net to check your wordcount. Stories should be posted as a top-level comment below. If you’re continuing an in-progress serial (not on Serial Sunday), please include links to your previous installments.
  
• Your chapter must be submitted by Saturday at 9:00am EST. Late entries will be disqualified.
  
• Begin your post with the name of your serial between triangle brackets (e.g. ). This will allow our serial bot to recognize your serial and add each chapter to the SerSun catalog. Do not include anything in the brackets you don’t want in your title. (Please note: You must use this same title every week.)
  
• Do not pre-write your serial. You’re welcome to do outlining and planning for your serial, but chapters should not be pre-written. All submissions should be written for this post, specifically.
  
• Only one active serial per author at a time. This does not apply to serials written outside of Serial Sunday.
  
• All Serial Sunday authors must leave at least 2 feedback comments on the thread each week (that’s one comment on two different stories). The feedback should be actionable and include something the author has done well. You have until Saturday at 11:59pm EST to post your feedback. (Submitting late is not an exception to this rule.) Those who go above and beyond (more than 2 actionable crits) will be rewarded with “Crit Credits” that can be used on our crit sub, WPCritique.
  
• Missing your feedback requirement two or more consecutive weeks will disqualify you from rankings and Campfire readings the following week. If it becomes a habit, you may be asked to move your serial to the sub instead.
  
• Serials must abide by subreddit content rules. You can view a full list of rules here. If you’re ever unsure if your story would cross the line, please modmail and ask!
  

 

Weekly Campfires & Voting:

• On Saturdays at 1pm EST, I host a Serial Sunday Campfire in our Discord’s Voice Lounge. Join us to read your story aloud, hear others, and exchange feedback. We have a great time! You can even come to just listen, if that’s more your speed. Grab the “Serial Sunday” role on the Discord to get notified before it starts. You can sign up here
  
• Nominations for your favorite stories can be submitted with this form. The form is open on Saturdays from 12:30pm to 11:59pm EST. You do not have to participate to make nominations!
  
• Authors who complete their Serial Sunday serials with at least 12 installments, can host a SerialWorm in our Discord’s Voice Lounge, where you read aloud your finished and edited serials. Celebrate your accomplishment! Authors are eligible for this only if they have followed the 2 feedback comments per thread rule (and all other post rules). Visit us on the Discord for more information.  
  

Ranking System

We have a new point system! Here is the point breakdown:

TASK	POINTS	ADDITIONAL NOTES
Use of weekly theme	75 pts	Theme should be present, but the interpretation is up to you!
Actionable Feedback	15 pts each (6 crit max)*	This includes thread and campfire critiques. (You can always provide more crit, but the points are capped at 90.)
Nominations your story receives	10 - 60 pts	1st place - 60, 2nd place - 50, 3rd place - 40, 4th place - 30, 5th place - 20 / Regular Nominations - 10
Voting for others	10 pts	You can now vote for up to 10 stories each week!

You are still required to leave at least 2 actionable feedback comments on the thread every week that you submit. This should be more than one or two vague sentences, and should include at least one thing the author has done well. *Low-effort crits will not receive credit.
Users who provide more than 2 in-depth, actionable critiques will be awarded Crit Credits that can be used on WPCritique.
Looking for more on what actionable feedback is? Check out this guide on critiquing or these previous crits from Serial Sunday: Crit Crit Crit
 

Rankings for “Keeper”

Keep up the great job, everyone!

• First - u/mattswritingaccount
  
• Second - u/rainbow--penguin
  
• Third - u/Not_theScrumPolice
  
• Fourth - u/Lothli
  
• Fifth - u/Blu_Spirit
  
• Honorable Mention - u/OneSidedDice
  

Crit Stars

• u/Carrieka23
• u/MeganBessel
• u/poiyurt
• u/Lothli*
• u/OneSidedDice
• u/Blu_Spirit*
• u/mattswritingaccount
• u/DiiaBlood
• u/meisahooman
• u/Ragnulfr
• u/WorldOrphan
• u/rainbow--penguin
• u/FyeNite

Crit Stars receive 1 Crit Cred to use on WPCritique. Users with an asterisk received 2 Credits for doing more than 2 actionable crits in both Campfire and on the thread.

Subreddit News

• Join our Discord to chat with other authors and readers! We hold several weekly Campfires, monthly World-Building interviews and several other fun events!
• Try your hand at micro-fic on Micro Monday
• Check out the brand new Fun Trope Friday over on WritingPrompts!
• You can now post serials to Shortstories, outside of Serial Sunday. Check out this post to learn more!
• Looking for critiques and feedback for your story? Check out WPCritique!  

Post 01:
My father (R. Koloski) is a psychopath who gaslit me into taking PrEP. Maybe it's "vengeance" for accusing him of sexual abuse on New Year's and in Syosset at the firehouse. He denies it. Will lie right to my face. It probably isn't even a crime. It's true. I want him to admit it
​
Post 02:
Assuming I wasn't really raped in my childhood. My father decided to metaphorically rape me by getting me to take PrEP for getting sexual abuse "delusions" about him. However, the emotional charge of 2011 has always been true, he's a sexual sadist who got off from torturing me.
​
Post 03:
My parents are gaslighting psychopaths. It's never been "delusions." Assuming they didn't conspire with Kelly to give me the HIV scare in January 2020, they're sexual sadists who suspected the psych medications caused cancer. That was their intention - to metaphorically kill me.
​
Post 04:
The whole thing was a set-up. I was gaslit into taking PrEP. Social media and photos admit it. They'll lie. Technically, it's not a crime. They'll accuse me of being crazy. They INTENDED to torture me.
​
Post 05:
They know exactly what they did. They're liars who INTENDED to give me an HIV scare. I don't believe it was my choice or an accident. They'll never admit what they did because they're cowards and don't want to go to jail.
​
Post 06:
I just slapped my dad because I don't believe he doesn't know anything about Kelly and January 1, 2020. I believe he's gaslighting me. Then he started to cry and say, "you're my son." I don't even believe his crying was sincere. But if it was, this is so tragic.
​
Post 07:
I still believe they're gaslighting psychopaths, the whole thing was intentional, and he knows I can't handle the truth at the moment. If he told me: "yes, we gaslight you into taking PrEP," he knows I'd turn into The Incredible Hulk on him and throw my life away.
​
Post 08:
The DEMON and MONSTER who hurt me is Kelly. She metaphorically raped me and I'm in a lot of pain over it.
​
Post 09:
My father knows what he did. My mother knows what she did. Kelly knows what she did. Oje Hart knows what he did. It's like they were turning Elizabeth Smart into the Frankenstein monster. They'll lie. Do they want me to come back with a vengeance? Or were they trying to kill me?
​
Post 10:
Regardless if taking PrEP in January 2020 was intentional or not, they say it was an accident, no one has ever shown me any sympathy about it happening. It broke me in the Doug Hopkins way, I feel tainted and unclean, like I was raped. I'm disassociated and nobody cares it seems.
​
Post 11:
My mother said: "Andrew ...people take antivirals. All the time it has nothing to do with dirty unclean...we went to ER and as an adult you and dr decided be on safe side...do i feel the bat,made me unclean? Honey we all care but u r obsessing not living it makes zero sense torture yourself. I think you need to talk it out with Garrett. There is always fears upset that propel ocd thinking
​
Let itgo or you can live"
​
Post 12:
The point isn't that lots of people take this and I don't have HIV. The point is that it was mentally traumatic, one of the most traumatic days of my life, if not the most traumatic and NOBODY CARED. While I was sick they were probably were telling me I'm a burden and loser.
​
Post 13:
This is a little bit of an exaggeration, but I could literally get raped in New York City then get my throat slashed, and my parents would tell me I'm behaving like a baby and to stop inconveniencing them. They have NO EMPATHY for my suffering.
​
Post 14:
Even if my parents didn't conspire to give me the PrEP and HIV scare, they're certainly psychopaths or sociopaths who don't empathize with the horrible trauma I lived through. Even when they do show emotion, I don't believe it. It's like they're acting but still lying.
​
Post 15:
I'm not looking to prove in the supreme court they gaslit me into taking PrEP and psychiatric medications to torture me. I'm looking for the God's honest truth. The problem is I believe nothing they say because they're liars. I just want someone to GENUINELY LOVE ME. No deception
​
Post 16:
Pearl Jam - Jeremy:
The music video is a little cheesy, but it's a great concept. I'm totally Jeremy.
​
Let's not sugar coat it or do revisionist history, the joke that I'm like Jeremy from Pearl Jam song is true... So why is everyone no longer laughing? This is HILARIOUS! Comedy gold.
​
Post 17:
So what exactly is the prank? That lots of people conspired to get me to take PrEP and didn't realize it was a bad idea and was going to be extremely mentally traumatizing? They metaphorically raped me, now they all feel guilty, and no one has the guts to tell me? Psychopaths!
​
Post 18:
The worst part is, although they all conspired to get me to take PrEP, metaphorically raping and murdering a "clean baby", TECHNICALLY what they did is not illegal.
​
Post 19:
Sorry to burst your bubble guys, but this is beyond what happened to Owen Hart. At least that was quick and probably accidental. This is more like Elizabeth Smart or Anne Frank. Metaphorically raping and murdering a mental patient. It's not like the movie Double Jeopardy.
​
Post 20:
How I'm behaving is actually a trauma response called reactive abuse. I was betrayed by people who I thought loved me. They want me to look like a self-righteous terrorist because it completely invalidates what I'm alleging about them and makes me look mentally unstable.
​
Post 21:
The people who metaphorically raped and traumatized me intentionally were Kelly, Oje Hart, and Lady Gaga. It's easy to lash out at my parents because they're present in my life. These psychopaths traumatized, used, then discarded of me and are now partying. They're enjoying life.

As per title. The Director of Research specifically is a close friend of my bosses. I got referred to the analyst through one of the guys in my network (unrelated to my bosses or DoR) and have an interview with him next week.
I want to be upfront as I’m sure this news will find its way to them somehow, so preferably I want them to hear it first from me.
So the question is: does me having an open conversation telling them I’m looking to move to ER and that I’ve been speaking to their friends put my current role at jeopardy and risk me being fired? Or would the smart move to be just keeping hush and let the cards fall where they may?
—-
For context: I’ve been at my role for 1-1.5yrs. It is a very small ECM/stockbroking shop, just me (analyst) and my two bosses (Directors).
They are really chill and IMO genuinely nice guys who would be supportive of my move. They’ve done right by me so far (e.g. supported me with CFA, given me time off to study, taking leave, treat me to nice lunches, etc. - I know this sounds like stuff all bosses should do as a baseline but I’ve had far worse bosses than this in the past).
However, I’m looking to move as ER is more aligned with my long term interests and goals. Unfortunately, the finance scene is really small here in Australia so they’ve worked with/are friends with the guys at the firm I’m interviewing at.

/worldnews
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230317-ten-million-children-in-sahel-face-extreme-jeopardy-un

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 70%. (I'm a bot)

Geneva - Ten million children in west Africa's central Sahel region are now in "Extreme jeopardy" and desperately need humanitarian help due to worsening violence, the United Nations warned Friday.
Meanwhile a further four million children are at risk in neighbouring countries as battles between armed groups and security forces spill across the borders.
"The year 2022 was particularly violent for children in the central Sahel. All parties to the conflict need to urgently stop attacks both on children, and their schools, health centres, and homes."
In Burkina Faso, three times as many children were verified as killed during the first nine months of 2022 as in the same period in 2021, according to UN data.
James Jones, UNICEF spokesman for the region, detailed "The extreme jeopardy facing the lives and futures of children in the central Sahel".
UNICEF said the violence was spreading from the central Sahel into the northern regions of Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Togo, which are remote communities where children have very limited access to protection and services.

Summary Source FAQ Feedback Top keywords: children^#1 UNICEF^#2 central^#3 Sahel^#4 region^#5
Post found in /worldnews and /FRANCE24auto.
NOTICE: This thread is for discussing the submission topic. Please do not discuss the concept of the autotldr bot here.

Can we talk?

We have A LOT of new members. We are happy to have you, and also sorry that you have to be here. In a perfect world of responsible pet ownership, this sub wouldn’t be necessary
Please do NOT suggest hurting or killing pits in any way, even in self defense. It is prohibited in any form. While your comment may be reasonable in context, such language makes it easy to take your comment out of context. If a comment is reported to Reddit Admins, they may not take time to review the context, and instead just ding your account, including possible permanent suspension.
If you see a comment that is out of line, please write the mod team or if you are comfortable, reply to the comment and tell them the comment may get them in trouble. We have a pinned post to help with self defense ideas. Please point to that any time there is a question about what to do. You can also report it and add a custom response as the reason. That comes to us and not Reddit.
The best bet is to qualify your statement... for example:
DON'T say - "carry a knife and stab the dog"
DO say - "If that pit was attacking my dog, I would use whatever tool I had to stop the attack" (this explains WHY you are suggesting hurting another animal, and doesn't look like you're just randomly suggesting violence.
There are many pit supporters lurking here who enjoy combing through every one of our comments just to find comments suggesting violence, and then they report you to Reddit and get your account in banned (temp or perm).
Once a report is made, one copy goes to Reddit and another comes to us. Reddit has the final say on whether you get sanctioned or not. It's NOT up to us. We can't help you once Reddit admins have stepped in.
When you pluck comments out of context, and paste them elsewhere, it can give the appearance that we encourage hurting another animal (regardless if it’s because you are trying to save your pet from the jaws of a pit).
If you see a comment that you want to report, please consider messaging the mods with a link, or tagging one of the mods. When you report it, even though your intent is to help the sub, you could be putting the member in jeopardy. By messaging or tagging mods, we can investigate without the person getting in trouble.
Please do not go to other subs and brigade. We will never ask you to brigade as it is against Reddit’s TOC’s, and it’s rude to roll up into a different sub and drop comments. The tide seems to be turning against pits on Reddit as more and more attacks happen, but because of that, we get accused of brigading daily even though we've never been sanctioned by Reddit admins for it... but the pit mafia continues to lie because it makes a better story. 😕 Please be good ambassadors of this sub by following Reddit’s rules.
We understand that many of you are here because you are victims and have had a horrific experience with a pit bull-type dog. We know you have lost a family member, a friend, or a beloved pet to these dogs, or have been the victim an attack. You have every right to be angry.
Please channel that into reasonable arguments and calm discussions. If we attack people, they double down on their stance. But attempting to have a logical discussion is the way to plant the seed to get people to at least consider that these dogs can be very dangerous. I realize that many times they “start the name calling”… but we are better than that! We can still respond with calmness and facts and put emotion aside.
While we all wish for responsible ownership and regulation of these dogs, we cannot keep fighting for that if this sub gets shut down.
Please also remember that pits did not ask to be created. It’s unkind to wish harm on a dog that didn’t ask to enjoy attacking other dogs, it’s just their genetic code…. no more so than we should hate a Border Collie for herding everything.
We need to be going after people who breed them, as well as irresponsible owners, and get angry with shelters for purposefully mislabeling these dogs and erasing their bite history to adopt them out.
This sub is for sharing stories of attacks, information, and ideas on how to make this problem better. We hope to bring awareness to all of the attacks on people and pets.
The Mod Team at BanPitBulls is here to HELP you. If you have questions, please always feel free to message the mods to ask for help with anything! We will always do our best to support our members.

I'm selling off a vast portion of my video game collection! Here's my expanded list of games and accessories along with their prices!
Nintendo Entertainment System
To The Earth $5
Tennis $5
Nintendo Wii
Geon Cube $3
Speed Racer $3
FlingSmash $7
Wii Play $5
https://imgur.com/a/64cjBKx
Sony PlayStation
War Jetz (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED) $25
Jeopardy 2nd edition (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED) $6
Ball Breakers (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED) $15
MLB 2004 (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED) $10
Hot Shots Golf $5
Sheep (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED) $20
Missile Command (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED) $15
High Heat Baseball 2000 (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED) $10
Blast Radius (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED) $25
Burstrick Wave Boarding!! (BRAND NEW FACTORY SEALED) $25
https://imgur.com/a/XRw40ao
PlayStation 2
Orphen $5
Moto GP '07 $5
Jet X2O (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED) $20
https://imgur.com/a/YvQfOIq
PlayStation 3
Motorstorm Apocalypse $15
Ragnarok Odyssey Ace $20
Brink $5
https://imgur.com/a/03qhkyO
PlayStation 4
Grand Theft Auto V $8
Assassin's Creed: Odyssey $10
Dissidia: Final Fantasy $10
Sony brand PS4 controller $20
Spider-Man: Miles Morales $20
https://imgur.com/a/rXQoU1G
Nintendo Gamecube
NBA Live 2004 (BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED; seal has a tear present) $7
Original XBOX
Dead or Alive 3 (missing manual) $5
https://imgur.com/a/4B7vv3C
XBOX 360
Saints Row 2 $5
Borderlands $5
Ninja Gaiden Z $15
Blades of Time $10
Bulletstorm epic edition $4
Singularity $7
Anarchy Reigns $5
https://imgur.com/a/wTNwZOY
XBOX ONE
NBA 2K20 $3
Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled $15
Sega Genesis Classics $15
Crash bandicoot 4 $20
Madden NFL '18 $3
NBA 2K22 $3
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection $10
https://imgur.com/a/Vf7yb46
Sega Genesis (CARTS ONLY)
Barkley Shut Up and Jam $1
Joe Montana Sportstalk Football $1
Sega Sports Primetime Football/ Madden 95 combo $3
Sega Saturn
Sega International Soccer (disc only) $5
Video Game Magazines
Electronic Gaming Monthly May 2000 $5
Electronic Gaming Monthly Sept. 2005 $5
Game Informer April 2006 $5
Game Informer June 2005 $5
Game Informer Dec. 2004 $5
Game Informer Sept. 2004 $5
Game Informer Aug. 2004 $5
Game Informer Jan 2003 $5
https://imgur.com/a/cqUseBt
USPS SHIPPING WITH TRACKING IS FOUR DOLLARS FOR THE TITLE AND A DOLLAR FOR EACH ADDITIONAL GAME/ ACCESSORIES! MORE PICS ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST!

I left my parents in December to find a job in another city. I attend a foreign language congregation (my usual language is French) and have not been to face-to-face meetings for over 3 months and by Zoom for over 2 months under the pretext that I was unwell for the few who asked. But in reality there are few things I hate as much as going to meetings and preaching. I am staying with extended family members (who are not Witnesses) but I still depend on my parents for some basic needs and transportation.
​
At first I had chosen to do a few weeks in the congregation and then disassociate but after thinking about it and reading the General Exit Guide from exjw wiki, I opted instead for fading to better prepare myself. Strangely enough, during these three months, no elder called or texted me except for a single Whatsapp message to see how I was doing in the first week of January and a couple of friends who visited me a few weeks ago to check up on me (afterwards I thought they were spies sent by the elders). And today I hear from my mother that the elders of my congregation wrote a report about me and sent it to the elders of my former congregation (of which my father is a part) last week, which I don't understand at all. She added that my father decided that they would call me to clarify the situation and have me join a closer French speaking congregation.
​
Obviously my inactivity is in jeopardy and if I refuse the proposal he will cut me off. But it gets worse. I am about to get a job and my future boss is a Witness, but he lives abroad and he is not so fanatical as to fire me because he knows how to separate my professional life from my private life and to be honest I don't have a better opportunity to be independent at the moment. I would like to know if you have any suggestions that could help me get out of this mess please
​
PS : I have read the Shepherd's Book at length and there is nothing to support the report that the elders sent (I think). I'm still emotional so sorry if my message seems incoherent or too direct

Box Score updated on 3/18/2023 at 23:38 EDT

Sopher McDophers 2 - 1 New Orleans Crawdads

TEAM	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
SMD	0	2					2	3
NO	0	1					1	1

 

Scoring Plays

Team	Inning	Play	Score
SMD	T2	1-0	Lance Lummoxx BB. Copenhagen Black scores from third.
SMD	T2	2-0	Jeff Shagwell BB. Dan Gerzone scores from third.
NO	B2	2-1	Good Juju HR.

 

Box

#	McDophers	Pos	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	BA	#	Crawdads	Pos	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	BA
1	Smitty Hoppenscotch	CF	2	0	0	0	0	1	.302	1	Derek Bongiovanni	3B	1	0	0	0	0	0	.423
2	Plack Attack	C	2	0	0	0	0	0	.333	2	Jethro McDungle	C	1	0	0	0	0	0	.333
3	Due Up: Spike Suzuki	1B	1	0	0	0	0	0	.257	3	Junebug Wray	RF	1	0	0	0	0	0	.410
4	Copenhagen Black	3B	1	1	1	0	0	0	.421	4	Good Juju	DH	1	1	1	1	0	0	.406
5	Dan Gerzone	2B	1	1	1	0	0	0	.381	5	Lincoln Crawford	1B	1	0	0	0	0	0	.270
6	Lazer Dave	RF	1	0	1	0	0	0	.405	6	At Bat: Bob Dunagee	2B	0	0	0	0	0	0	.387
7	Damon Razor	LF	1	0	0	0	0	0	.267	7	Big Tobacco	CF	0	0	0	0	0	0	.391
8	Lance Lummoxx	SS	0	0	0	1	1	0	.120	8	Rocco Rudnikov	LF	0	0	0	0	0	0	.351
9	Jeff Shagwell	DH	0	0	0	1	1	0	.378	9	Nate Lewis	SS	0	0	0	0	0	0	.303

 

Game Notes

HR: Good Juju
 

Pitchers

McDophers	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	6	Crawdads	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	6
Bartholomew Crumblepuff	1.1	1	1	0	0	2.76	Vis Pacifiera	1.1	3	2	1	0	4.56
							E. Doubt	0.2	0	0	1	1	0.75

 

Bench

McDophers	POS	HAND	Crawdads	POS	HAND
Bradle Beamen	3B, UTIL	L	Wally Wellbutrin	2B, UTIL	R
Pops Dongoria	C, COF	R	Hot Dog Jeopardy	3B, UTIL	L
Al Ternate	LF	R	Robert Atech	CF	L
Atlas Quin	P	L	Bobby Portis	P	R
Diego Medina	P	R	Joanna McMartinez	P	L
Reservoir Butler	SS, C	R

 

Inning Summary

TOP 1	TOP 2
Hoppenscotch - GO	Black - 1B
Attack - GO	Gerzone - 1B
Suzuki - GO	Dave - 1B
	Razor - PO
	Lummoxx - BB
	Shagwell - BB
	Hoppenscotch - K
	Attack - FO

BOT 1	BOT 2
Bongiovanni - FO	Juju - HR
McDungle - GO	Crawford - FO
Wray - GO

 

“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents”. — The Call of Cthulhu

H.P. Lovecraft’s writing has long captivated readers with its terrifying tales of unnatural terror. At the heart of his stories lies a fascination with the darker aspects of human nature, particularly the unknown depths of the unconscious mind, where in his stories dwells the human psyche’s capability for maddening itself.
Credited as the father of the subgenre Cosmic Horror, Lovecraft delves into an apparently uncomplicated concept: what would happen if humans were confronted with a piece of knowledge beyond their comprehension? Many stories in science fiction provide different answers, which share commonalities in lines of thought; sometimes, in these universes, humans unlock the capacity to develop themselves socially and technologically. In others, achievements as those come at a terrible cost. Some examples are the “Foundation” series by Isaac Asimov and “Altered Carbon” by Richard Morgan.
But there is a more straightforward possibility that a few authors fail to consider in their productions; the idea that humans cannot, biologically, process wisdom from an incomprehensible source with their intellects, the idea that even the mere proximity to such a thing might be enough to drive the human brain’s machinery insane. This is exemplified by Lovecraft’s characters, as in Walter Gilman from “The Dreams in the Witch House,” who descends into madness due to his dealings with the witch Keziah Mason. In a more detailed manner, in “The Call of Cthulhu,” the protagonist is driven to the brink of insanity by the mere sight of the titular cosmic entity, and even the act of saying or writing its name already damages one’s mental integrity.
Lovecraft’s portrayal of madness is deeply rooted in his own experiences. He suffered from social anxiety (allegedly, but this is debatable), night terrors (parasomnia), and depression. He also presented many schizotypal traits throughout his life, which undoubtedly influenced his writing in a cathartic way. His depiction of the human’s mind and spirit fragility often reflects his feelings of isolation and despair and speaks for his belief that the universe is ultimately indifferent to our suffering, which adds to the argument that human existence is insignificant.

“I have seen the dark universe yawning, where the black planets roll without aim; where they roll in their horror unheeded, without knowledge or luster or name”. — Nemesis

It is possible that the author’s portrait of madness could be a commentary on the stigma surrounding mental illness during his time. By illustrating his characters’ journey into turmoil due to their exposure to the unknown and the incomprehensible, Lovecraft may have been attempting to challenge the prevailing attitudes of his era that saw mental illness as a personal failing rather than a medical condition.
Existential dread and hopelessness are recurrent elements in Lovecraftian tales. They are presented through characters who realize their tiny place in the grand scheme of things and, consequently, lose their sense of belonging, beliefs, and self. In “The Dunwich Horror” and “The Whisperer in Darkness,” the protagonists confront beings that challenge their understanding of the natural world and their place in the cosmic order. In “The Shadow over Innsmouth,” the main character discovers an unsettling secret about his ancestry, leading him to question his identity and place.
In “The Call of Cthulhu,” the concept of madness is a prominent theme explored throughout the story as an effect of encountering the cosmic entity Cthulhu, described as a massive, tentacled creature that has been dormant in the depths of the ocean for millions of years in the underwater city of R’lyeh. Francis Wayland Thurston, the protagonist, is tempted to investigate his late grandfather’s mysterious box, which leads to discovering a cult that worships Cthulhu. The story’s climax unravels as Thurston’s ship approaches the R’lyeh. He sees the monster arise from the ocean’s depths, and the mere sight of it is enough to shatter his psyche.
The main argument is that the human mind is not built to comprehend the unsettling true nature of the universe. Encountering such beings represents the ultimate revelation of the unknown, which taps into our innate fear of the uncontrollable and unpredictable. It is also possible to consider the role of the unconscious mind in Lovecraftian stories. The author pictures the theory that the unconscious mind retains deep-seated fears and desires that can manifest in disturbing ways. In the story described above, the protagonist’s findings trigger a deep-seated fear of the unknown, threatening to consume him entirely.
We can also point out that Lovecraft’s portrayal of madness in the story is closely linked to the concept of the uncanny, which is defined as something familiar yet strange, leading to unease and discomfort. The image of the entity “Cthulhu” taps into this idea, offering a creature that is both otherworldly and strangely familiar, featuring tentacles and other components that resemble earthly creatures. A narrative resource the author uses to feed the imaginary lore of incomprehensible godly beings is the lack of accurate descriptions of their physical characteristics, constantly referring to them as indescribable entities.

“The Thing cannot be described — there is no language for such abysms of shrieking and immemorial lunacy, such eldritch contradictions of all matter, force, and cosmic order. A mountain walked or stumbled”. — The Call of Cthulhu

Lovecraftian madness is also presented as cautionary tales that alert to the dangers of unchecked ambition and the trivial pursuit of scientific development. This view is evidenced by the fact that, in many of Lovecraft’s stories, his characters fall into madness and mayhem by their unquenchable thirst for knowledge and power. The nature of Herbert West, for instance, develops an endless obsession with the vision of mastering death. His crusade for immortality will ultimately create monstrous abominations. Therefore, this material may be interpreted as a warning against the dangers of scientific and technological advancement without ethical considerations.
Aside from what nurtured the origins of Lovecraft’s madness, the father of cosmic horror is truly a master of his craft. Very few authors have conceived the fragility of the human mind with such a frightening elegance since his writings. Few adaptations of the concepts discussed in this essay do justice to Lovecraftian art, although much of them are credited to fueling the “horror by revelation” ideal coined by Lovecraft’s work.

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown”. — Supernatural Horror in Literature

An honorable mention is “Bloodborne,” a 2015 soul-like action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 4. In the arguably complex plot, the protagonist will encounter all kinds of foes in Yharnam, the victorian aesthetics-filled city that sets our gameplay. A fictional currency system allows players to collect “insights,” which provide them with a series of benefits but also affect world-building aspects, revealing hidden creatures and monstrosities hiding in plain sight, increasing the game’s difficulty. The “insights” mechanic is entirely inspired by Lovecraft’s writings and speaks for the author’s vision that the more humans learn about things beyond our comprehension, the more their lives are in jeopardy.
Perhaps time will prove that H.P Lovecraft was underestimating human cognitive capability. Or perhaps, we are indeed not alone in this universe. But it would be better if we were.
Thank you for reading my essay. I hope you enjoyed it. It was originally published in Medium: https://medium.com/@dohlerarthuexploring-the-depths-of-madness-in-lovecrafts-works-9f8cb7b66b65. Please, consider subscribing if you like my content.
Is any information wrong/missing? Please, feel free to provide honest and constructive feedback in the comments. Thank you.

The second episode of A Shoulder to Cry On is out now on Viki & GagaOOLala. It comes out every Tuesday and Wednesday 11PM GMT+8.
Episode Link:

• Viki
• GagaOOLala

Actor's Instagram: - Kim Jaehan as Da Yeol - Shin Yechan as Tae Hyun
MDL Link: - A Shoulder To Cry On
OST: - Full Album - Come Together (Opening Track) - You, Again - Comfort - Come Together (Eng. Ver.) - You, Again (Eng. Ver.) - Comfort (Eng. Ver.)
Synopsis:
Lee Da Yeol is both an outsider and a skilled archer who finds solace in the archery club at school. His scholarship is put in jeopardy when he has a misunderstanding with the popular and handsome student Jo Tae Hyun. Tae Hyun accuses Da Yeol of making advances towards him, which threatens his scholarship. Tae Hyun takes pleasure in tormenting Da Yeol and follows him everywhere, but Da Yeol's feelings become conflicted as he wonders if he's beginning to develop feelings for Tae Hyun.
Previous Episode On-airs: - Episode 1
The show has a total of 7 episodes.

See part 1 here.
3
“Clarence! Long time no talk! How are things?” “As good as they can be,” Clarence replied, sliding into a chair in the space elevator’s Earth-based control room and settling himself in front of the monitor that displayed Devon’s beaming face as he floated in the elevator’s zero-G environment. Nothing could dampen Devon’s enthusiasm, not even being stranded tens of thousands of miles above the planet’s surface with his space elevator’s inaugural voyage on the brink of turning into a veritable shit show with the entire world watching. It almost served as a kind of fuel, propelling Devon to new levels of intolerability. “How’s the view?” Clarence asked as he busied himself checking various readouts and displays, anything to avoid looking at Devon’s face. “See for yourself.” Clarence looked up as Devon directed his phone’s camera toward the crawler window at the planet below and then panned across the passengers inside, all of them enjoying the absence of gravity, doing somersaults and bouncing off the walls, playing like little kids. “Everybody say hello!” Devon said. The passengers all stopped to wave and smile at the camera, which eventually came to rest on her. “Hello, Clarence,” Darla said, giving him a small wave, her other hand clutching a plastic squeeze pouch labeled “Martini.” She paused to take a sip. “I take it you got my message.” Clarence lowered his eyes once again. “Indeed, I did.” “We can’t go into details here—for obvious reasons,” Devon said, turning the camera back on himself and lowering his voice as he pushed away from the others. Clarence nodded, still not looking up. “Of course.” “But Clarence . . .” Clarence knew Devon was waiting for him to make eye contact. He resisted for as long as possible. When he finally looked up, Devon’s grin was gone. “This is no joke.” Clarence stared at him for a moment and then nodded. “I understand.” In a flash, Devon’s smile returned. “Excellent! We’ll wait to hear from you, and then our voyage can continue.” He turned back to the other passengers. “What do you say, folks, who’s ready for another drink?” His question was met by a chorus of cheers. Then the screen went blank. Clarence stared at the monitor for a few moments until he heard the control room’s sliding glass doors whoosh open behind him. He glanced over his shoulder. Terry Eng, Devon’s right-hand man. As serious as Devon was exuberant. “Clarence, good to see you.” Terry had a way of making it sound like it was anything but good to see him. “You too, Terry.” Terry clapped his hands and rubbed them briskly together. “So, any ideas?” Clarence sat back and looked at the various displays. “Not really. Everything appears to be in the green.” “Exactly,” Terry replied as he rolled a desk chair over toward Clarence and then sat down. The control room was normally manned by a three-person crew, but Terry had dismissed them all once Clarence arrived. “Everything was in the green when it stalled too. Which makes me wonder . . .” “Makes you wonder what?” Clarence asked, swiveling toward him. Terry looked around and then rolled his chair a bit closer, lowering his voice. “If we’ve been hacked.” Clarence raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. “Hacked? Now what kind of ungrateful psycho would do that to an asshole like Devon?” Terry grimaced as he held back a response. Normally, he didn’t tolerate anyone talking trash about his boss or even insinuating that Devon was anything other than the stellar specimen of humanity that the fawning media made him out to be. But these were special circumstances. Clarence smiled as he watched Terry struggle. “Has anyone claimed responsibility?” Terry shook his head. “Not yet. But that doesn’t mean anything.” Clarence turned back to the control panel. “Maybe we should try one more reboot. If that doesn’t work, I don’t think you have a choice. You’re going to have to send up the rescue crawler and tow them down. Thanks to the atomic battery, they’ll have enough oxygen for twenty years, but food is another matter. And there’s only so much recycled piss a person can drink.” “Clarence, I don’t think you understand what’s at stake here.” “What do you mean?” Terry glanced around again to ensure no one was listening—an instinct rather than a necessity, seeing it was clear they were the only people in the room. “Some of the deals Devon made to secure the land-based anchor points are . . .” “Shady?” “Tenuous. As you’re well aware, the places where these anchor points are located, they aren’t necessarily the most stable of countries.” Clarence nodded for Terry to continue. “And?” “If this voyage fails, well, some of those deals could be in jeopardy. The same goes for the lease agreements on the mobile platforms. Which means competitors could—” “Never mind the competition, Terry. If this voyage fails, some lives could be in jeopardy. Very important lives. Including Devon’s.” “I realize that.” Terry nodded at the control panel. “Can we just . . .” “Rebooting now,” Clarence said, turning his chair back to face the monitor.