Disclaimer. I am currently master ranked offlane player who has been playing the game since launch competitively & casually, on all ranks between gold and GM. I took a bit of a break after the last guides but upon several requests to continue making these, I was inspired to continue making them again. This particular guide got extremely long due to concerning a fairly complex hero and I like being thorough with my explanations. Links to other guides can be found at the end.
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Dehaka is one of the ‘’big three’’ bruisers of high rank bruiser play (The unholy trinity of HoggeBlaze/Dehaka) and while other bruisers do also see play, its difficult to find a game where all of these 3 do not exist in either bans or picks. Dehaka, while not any weaker than the other two and situationally stronger, he does have a bit more counterplay to it than the others.

Drafting Dehaka

Synergistic heroes
Dehaka works really well with things that can quickly kill a drag target that often rely on short range. Some examples below;

• Greymane
• Tychus
• Jaina

Additionally, heroes that have high duration powerful AoE effects that Dehaka can reposition people into with his Drag and his level 4.

• Malf
• Stukov

Heroes Dehaka can struggle into
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• Junkrat Using steel traps in bushes near a fight makes for a miserable time to play Dehaka. You cannot really rely on Z flanks the same way you could otherwise since you might risk a 2.5 second silence + root.
• Lucio - Hard to drag with too many cleanses. The Q also interrupts drags and makes it much more hard to get to a position to drag. Lucio and Junkrat are by far the two worst partners in crime for the lizard to face.
• Brightwing - Cleanse and high range interrupt to a drag with polymorph. You usually have to bait out the poly on someone else before attempting to go for a Q.
• Ana - After 13, having a stun removal that gives 50 armor with a 2s CD is pretty nasty, and so is the ability to deny all healing from essence with a basic ability. Thankfully, Ana is fairly vulnerable to getting ran down herself by Dehaka by a good brushstalker. Just be ready to use E quickly to avoid the sleep.
• Deathwing - Not only is he immune to drags, but his massive hitbox is fairly efficient at blocking drags on everyone else either.
• Cho’gall - Dehaka doesn’t have the greatest single target damage to burn him down, and Gall can interrupt drags with his stunning orbs even as he is being dragged himself. On the flipside, Dehaka can focus more on macro and punish the inflexibility of chogall draft to deal with him.

Heroes Dehaka is good into
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Just to be clear, there are not many heroes that like being dragged for 2.25 seconds into bad positions. There are some standouts regardless that he is extremely effective against.

• Diablo - Into Diablo he is amazing. He is the easiest target to hit with a drag in the game with his aggressive playstyle, and he is fairly easy to blow up in a drag if you have any of the heroes that Dehaka is typically great with. After level 4, Dehaka himself is practically immune to Diablo himself because of his stealth.
• Imperius - The level 4 talent destroys him in all the ways possible. No spears, no E, no nothing.
• Kerrigan - She is extremely easy to drag due to her telegraphed back to front movement, and you can use your E to protect any allies from her combos while avoiding those aimed towards you entirely.

Maps

To cut it short, what makes for a great Dehaka map:

• Lots of bushes
• Large size to utilize global
• Macro focused maps
• Camps that are easily defended with Drag
• Maps with split objectives

S tier maps

Dragon Shire
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So Dragon Shire is great for several reasons. The nature of the split objective is one such. The bottom shrine is positioned in such a way, where the only ‘safe’ way out of the shrine is usually by walking through a bush which is also known as the lizard territory. Another is the quantity of maps on the bottom side of the map that are relatively easy to invade for your team, and with burrow you can make it an easy 5v4. It has a lot of bushes for Dehaka to easily rotate and collect essence between lanes. Its great.The only downside for Dehaka on DS is that winning the shrine on top also matters quite a bit and while he is not bad in 1v1s, there are good amount of offlaners who can destroy him in a 1v1.
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Cursed Hollow
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Macro focus, siege giants, a lot of the same as in Dragon Shire. The objective does not split the team the same way as it does on DS but during curses having global is extremely valuable since your team can push very hard on a lane and threaten keep, while the quick rotation speed of Dehaka on sidelines means you are not losing xp and the global means your team isn’t left alone in a 4v5 if they commit everything to defending the push.
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Towers of Doom
Might be, in my opinion, Dehaka’s strongest map. The presence of global enables a solid amount of invasion plays on enemy sapper camps, and the split objective means that every time an altar spawns on two other sides of the map, Dehaka will be there to make the objective fight 5v4 way before the global-less enemy offlane can do anything about it.
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Sky Temple
Really, most of the things that can be fitted into DS can also be applied onto Sky Temple aswell. It is slightly worse on Sky because Dehaka struggles a bit on capping temples alone due to low single target damage and conditional sustain but his global is even more important since all structure damage matters on the map, and pushing out a lane can be just as valuable as getting an objective.
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Garden of TerrorMostly he is awesome here. Lots of bushes, large size, macro heavy gameplay etc. You just want to make sure you have another hero in team who is effective at taking camps because Dehaka is not one, and camps are what often decide Garden games. At least he is very good at clearing the enemy camps.

A tier maps

Infernal Shrines
The map has lots of bushes, 3 lanes to soak and moderate macro relevance. One thing that makes Dehaka still a star on the map is his ability to drag shaman camps into towers to instantly clear them. Just because I took him lower than on some others doesn’t mean he isn’t great here, the reason I didn’t put him in S was mostly because he is not the most effective in clearing the extremely impactful objective alone, nor is he very good at dealing with it if enemy gets it.
Where Dehaka really sucks is when he has to fight on an open lane with no bushes, to defend against a punisher or such.
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Tomb of the Spider Queen
Historically this is a bit controversial take due to the map’s small size. Which is true, it is against Dehaka’s global value. it doesn’t mean though it isn’t immensely relevant on the map, since it can be used to prevent the good old boss cap strategy of taking bot camp, and moving to boss as enemy has to deal with a siege camp.
Aside from that, due to its small size however Dehaka can stack essence extremely quickly, and the quantity of bushes makes him a danger everywhere on the map even without his global.
Dehaka is a very hard to gank offlane, which means gems collected by Dehaka are far more safe than on some other popular offlaners.

B tier maps

Battlefield of Eternity
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Not the best map for him, but playable. The objective sucks the same way as it does on IS and it is more early game heavy. The distance between lanes makes essence management much more difficult.Things he does do well on the map though is defending shaman camps, which is more valuable here than any other map in my opinion. The middle of the map is also riddled with bushes, giving him a ton of opportunities to position properly and getting good drags in. The distance between lanes does also mean the bottom part of the team can play much more aggressively for camps since the global does threaten a constant 5v4.
Alterac Pass
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I hate playing Dehaka on Alterac, but it could be worse. Little amount of bushes makes rotating extremely hard and dragging camps to towers is often of low value. Additionally, taking camps is of a high value and Dehaka really does not do it well on Alterac. The one thing Alterac has going for him is its large size, and the few bushes it has are around objectives so he can still sidepush and join for a fight.
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Braxis Holdout
Dehaka typically isn’t awesome due to the difficulties of gaining essence, relevance of winning point on top lane and lack of siege giant/shamans. The bonus is, if you do win the point its fairly easy to win the bottom point aswell due to using global after bullying the enemy offlaner away from point.

D tier maps

Volskaya Industries
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No bushes, small size, mostly item based camps. Unless Dehaka is the only hero you play, I’d not recommend picking him here.

Base Kit tips

Drag [Q]

• This ability is what most often will win games. Its the longest CC on a basic ability and it has a reposition to boot. Unfortunately, it is also one of the harder parts of playing the hero. Some tips regarding its use;
• While dragging someone, you can still auto attack even if it hurts your movement slightly. In 1v1 it is pretty much always worth it though since good part of your 1v1 damage does come from AAs.
• Drag cannot be cancelled, and you cannot cast E while dragging. Hence recommended to not do reckless drags on low hp while your E is still up.

Mercs
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As I eluded earlier, you don’t have to be the one to deal the actual damage to mercs. You can also drag them into towers and forts for a faster clear. The damage of the drag isn’t high, 160 at a base (159% of one AA), but it is big enough that if you know you are going to base to get mana or you won’t be needing it any time soon, using drag for damage on PvE does increase your clear speed. It is mana intensive, which is why I excluded its use to the two scenarios above.
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Landing drags on heroes

• You don’t have to fish for one. If you can start a fight with a clutch drag that is great. But usually if every other hero is just posturing, that drag is going to get interrupted quickly. It can be good to wait for a bit of chaos to happen so people are less focused on the Dehaka and will have harder time dodging it.
• In general, targets that are walking towards you are the ones that are easiest to hit. If someone is dancing sideways in front of me, I dont have to use it yet.
• Holding the drag: Sometimes not pressing Q when you have it up is more potent than pressing it. It happens quite often on offlane and in teamfights that people are so focused on dodging drag that they are walking in circles in awkward positions eating tons of damage. At some point, after they have taken enough they have to walk away in a straight line - which is when they are an easy grab.
• Use your E. I’ll go over more of this in talents, but you can set up an easy drag on anyone with the use of the level 4 talent ‘’Lurker Strain’’.
• While dragging someone, you can still auto attack even if it hurts your movement slightly. In 1v1 it is pretty much always worth it though since good part of your 1v1 damage does come from AAs.

Dark Swarm
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• Mostly used for waveclear, but it does have a few other applications. Post 13 it also becomes your damage and your slow, and you have to use E less for drag setups.
• Against certain heroes like Leoric for instance being able to pass through heir hitbox has some significant advantages. The downside is, you cannot bodyblock while using the ability.

Burrow [E]

• A good bit of this one’s utility comes from the level 4 talent.
• If playing without the level 4, this is mostly the panic button to use in order to dodge a skill shot, or to buy time for your trait to regenerate you to higher health. Your W does deal damage while you are burrowed, so you can use it while clearing waves in order to dodge spell power reductions from Blaze Qs and such.

Essence Collection [D]
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• Easily the most overlooked and most screwed up part about playing Dehaka. Using 50 essence restores about 61% of Dehaka’s max health. Going to fight without it is like entering one with 40% hp and the healer cannot even patch it up.
• One should never look to enter a fight unless absolutely necessary without essence. If an objective is on its way, it's better to not just directly trade into the enemy offlane just so you are not forced to use your trait before a fight. If I am low on health, I rather use HS and then burrow to the objective (or waddle back to lane first to force the enemy to play aggro on the objective).
• One minion wave gives 14 essence. Even if forced to use essence, if the map is small enough there is a shot you can collect it back before it's too late. Three waves are usually sufficient, getting you to 42 essence. If you are not double soaking in the early game (often due to having a bad lane match up or having to clear camps on a big map), around 1:30 you can use your essence and then unbind the ability until the next objective.

Brushstalker [Z]

• The other easily screwed up part about the hero is the use of global. It is not often correct to use it to get to a lane in order to soak, you have your movement speed for that. When used aggressively though, you can use it to start a teamfight from a position where your drags are much harder to deal with.
• Even when not used, it provides value. As long as your Z is up, the enemy cannot reliably invade your camps (or well, it isn’t smart), you can force the enemy to play objectives more aggressively than they would want to by remaining on side soak before burrowing.
• Situationally it can be used like this if there is a large wave and you know there won’t be an objective coming in the next 70s and the camps are down (especially relevant on ToD) but generally I’d advice learning to save burrows for aggressive usage, and shifting rest of the playstyle to be more macro focused.
• Using Z does remove you from the game for 1.5 seconds allowing you to cleanse most debuffs and avoid Chromie loop if your E is off CD.
• There is an odd interaction that allows Dehaka to clear Chromie loops and avoiding Dots without committing: If you self cast Brushstalker while in a bush, or click the bush location within your own unit radius, the ability is not put on cooldown when used but it still puts you in stasis / removes harmful effects. This is a fairly niche trick but useful when it comes up. I am not sure at this point if this borders bug abuse since blizzard is fairly unclear on what are intended interactions and part of the balance, looking at you Samuro and hearthstone teleport tricks.

Talents / Builds breakdown
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To start off, different builds have different values on different levels of play. The build I pick most of the time is immensely powerful in diamond, master and GM SL aswell as competitive. It is equally powerful in lower ones, but some other builds also become better there (Such as the W build). The % mentions are just my rough estimates on how often I pick a certain talent.
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The builds:
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Standard/Recommended build: 3/1/1/1/1/2/1
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BeginneLow SL build:1/3/3/2/2/2
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Situational Braxis/Alterac build: 2/X/X/1/3/2/1
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Level 1
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Enduring Swarm - 2%

• This is a good talent. It does make Dehaka a lot more durable, it gives him extra duration on W which has some synergy with Hero Stalker.
• The downside is that it cripples his rotations and lethality of his burrow flanks somewhat substantially in comparison to Enhanced Agility. As it is, Dehaka is extremely durable already and while extra sustain never hurts, there is a point where other aspects should be considered.

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Enhance Agility - 96%

• On every map where Dehaka is great, this is awesome. It enables all the rotations between lanes for easy essence gathering, it has great synergy with the 13 talent due to increased duration. In teamfights, this is what allows Dehaka to easily get into positions where drags are easy to land.
• Completing it early is nice, but it isn’t something to be too fussed about since the baseline version of it is already great.

Tissue Regeneration - 2%

• Technically the best for pure 1v1
• I consider this a bit of a training wheels talent, since it does make gaining essence much more easier and the increased. I do pick it still on Braxis just for the increased lane sustain to cover for lack of essence from double soaking. It is not bad on BoE either but Enhanced Agility is also really good on it for the amount of bushes.
• Has synergy with Primal Rage due to increased cap on essence.

Level 4
Lurker Strain - 95%

• This might be the most powerful talent on Dehaka, bar none. Not just the level 4. To paint a comparison, imagine getting E.T.C W with a massive slow, greater knockback, higher damage and stealth from just a level 4 talent. However, it is also the hardest talent to play since it helps you in no way in essence management and it is more complex in its use than the others
• Works extremely well against heroes that are weak against displacements and is very insufferable for several tanks such as Diablo and Varian. If there is ever a moment when Diablo sees a good wall stun, Dehaka can use E preemptively and just stay hidden for your team to reposition to a better spot. If Diablo charges, his Q (or if you miss it, his E) gets interrupted and he will be slowed with no mobility in a bad spot, ready to be dragged to his death. Into Diablo it has extra value since the stealth makes it so he cannot use Q on you.
• Onto heroes like Imperius and Thrall, it's good to use whenever they press their limited time window damage abilities (E’s on both of them). The displacement tends to ruin their effective teamfight window. Even getting a spear through to anyone as Imperius gets complicated. To Yrel, you can use it to interrupt jumps easily even if she is positioning behind minions. This is also one of the few ways to somewhat reliably get drags on the more elusive divers.
• The other good thing about it is that it really makes your kill pressure less reliant on drags. If you have Enhanced Agility you can often position yourself in places easily where you can knock one target towards your team while moving everyone else away. It is extremely potent with heroes like Stukov and Malfurion with powerful consistent AoE effects you can knock them into. On BoE, immortal stuns become your best friend.
• Akin to Mighty Gust, the daze duration as the opponent has no control over their character is always the same regardless of the distance travelled. It is not terribly long duration knockback, and characters have a few frames to press a button that would move them from the drag. However, if Dehaka does push them against the wall, even the slow missile speed of drag is fast enough to confirm a drag to land on any target before they can teleport away.

Hero Stalker - 3%

• A great talent, shame about its tier. This is often what wins games in lower ranks where teamfights last for a long time and using this alongside Symbiosis can grant Dehaka several health bars in a fight. This talent makes the hero a lot easier to play.
• While it is great in lower ranks, there is a bit of an unfortunate side effects to this; Very often when I see Dehaka’s play with this talent the idea that they can get essence without soaking leads them into not soaking. You still should not arrive to fights with no essence because they can still do a blow up before you can get enough of it, and you should still make use of your global presence and soak sidelines. The talent makes some bad habits far less punished creating the illusion that the other options are worse when they are tried.
• Great into Samuro for fairly obvious reasons

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One-Who-Collects - 2%
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• Used to be my go-to until Lurker Strain was buffed. The effect makes gaining essence much easier and allows making trades on offlane. I do recommend this one if you are learning to play the hero and managing essence isn’t yet your strong suit. It teaches less bad habits than Hero Stalker and gives him some extra merc clear which is nice.
• On Alterac I listed this as a situational pick since you are doing a lot of offsoaking and potentially have to be the one to split to defend the camps as an objective spawns. Enhanced Agility is not recommended on the map so its much harder to get into good positions for your E knockbacks in the early game. Lurker Strain is still very good on the map.

Level 7
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Feeding Frenzy - 98%

• Drag is insanely powerful as it is, and this makes it so it becomes even stronger and more spammable. The extra 0.5 second duration is a long time to suffer when you are being dragged into a worse position. The CD starts immediately after landing a drag so you can already prep your next drag during the old one with AAs.
• If you miss a drag, you can hit walls and minions to get it back up faster. Without this talent I’d recommend skipping trying to do fish kills with a drag entirely since missing it gets heavily punished and confines you to being a standing duck for 14 seconds. This also applies to playing several lanes, you should always look to AA whatever you can safely to reset drag CD as quickly as possible.

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Symbiosis - 2%
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• The core talent of the W build. It makes your W spammable which has natural synergy with all the other W talents. Downside is, it doesn’t actually reduce the W’s mana cost and spamming W can quickly drain your mana bar.
• The upside of this build is that it gives Dehaka great damage numbers in games where focus fire is less precedent, it gives him much greater sustain which also matters more in games with less focus fire and it makes him reasonably useful with little skill involved. Its great into melee comps but…in order for it to be really good you need Hero Stalker and Lurker Strain also happens to be extremely powerful into melee comps. I do recommend this for beginners and plat and below SL.
• Into Samuro it is almost a necessity in order to be able to sustain the pressure, which is where I still lock it.

Paralyzing Enzymes - 0%
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• This is terrible. Dehaka has reasonably good shot at holding on to gambit stacks but the damage over time in team fights is rarely more useful than the extra duration & fishing potential of Feeding Frenzy and less impactful in 1v1s than the CDR.

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Level 10
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Isolation - 100%

• High skill high reward skill shot.
• 3s silence and slow is often as good as a kill when used in a right spot. One easy way to land one is right after landing a drag when they are close and have to run away, but into some heroes I’d recommend the opposite. Especially into brightwing. If she doesn’t die during the drag she won’t die at all due to blinking away. While the drag stun and silence will mostly overlap, the isolation’s vision removal does have a side effect of being unable to press Z or Blink Heal for 6 seconds. The 30% slow on the isolation also makes drags a lot easier to land if you do manage to secure an isolation.
• The ability does have a high delay and moderate travel speed, which is why its often great as a follow up. Alternatively if you have trust on your aim, using Z to join a fight as your team is engaging and going straight for the Rehgar from flank for instance to put him of a 6s timer of no Ancestral is fairly effective if your team lacks the tools to kill a target before an ancestral would land.

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Adaptation - 0%
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• Too slow of an effect just to add more sustain to already a very high sustain hero.
• Low ranks and for beginners this can be great since the focus fire will often be more forgiving, allowing this to trigger on time.

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Level 13
Ferocious Stalker - 93%

• Massive power spike.
• This allows your W to instantly clear waves. It allows you to do big enough damage to threaten a solo kill on a flank, and it gives you access to very easy slow so you don’t have to use other tools to confirm drags. If you are clearing waves, this it is almost always worth the detour to move to a bush and trigger this. Assuming you have Enhanced Agility that is. The talent isn’t worthless and sometimes even worth picking without it, but it becomes much more consistent with it.

Primal Swarm - 4 %

• If I am playing the hero stalker build , I might consider this. But on top of Samuro, it gains a bit of extra value against heroes that naturally have armor like Deathwing. It sucks enough to play Dehaka into DW but this makes it a bit more tolerable.

Primal Rage - 3%

• Need to still win point on Braxis? This is awesome. If you are in BoE and your team decided once again to draft 0 race and you don’t have enhanced agility? Great. But it is often the option to pick when you are in a situation you should not be in to begin with.
• Has synergy with Tissue Regen due to having a higher cap on the AA damage

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Level 16
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Elongated Tongue - 0%

• Potentially good,
• Most of the value of this talent comes from the fact it is not meta and people misjudge the drag range. The issue is that Drag has fairly slow missile speed and usually isn’t very reliable on max range to begin with - and it is even more unreliable on a higher range. Drag is still a powerful enough ability that this talent cannot be called bad.

Pack Leader - 0%

• A fairly worthless option.
• Has synergies with the AA build but it does also have some issues. You need to use bushes to get value out of this, and if you are able to do so you often want Enhanced Agility. Meanwhile the AA build is fairly reliant on Primal Rage that kind of wants Tissue Regen instead of agility to function. The temporary AA speed increase is fairly low, and while the armor is nice we don’t need to pump the hero’s sustain upwards much more.

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Tunneling Claws - 100%

• An insane talent. It makes Dehaka much harder to kill and near impossible to gank (especially when combined with Lurker Strain). But on top of the defensive elements, the kill potential of being always able to move to a position where the knockback effect of E is just perfect is the greatest draw. My usual sequence when killing a frontliner post 16 often is Drag -> move back -> E to their other side -> knock the kill target back to allies and push everyone else away from helping.

Level 20
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Contagion - 99%

• If Isolation is good, up to 5 isolations is also good. Tanks get a nasty habit of trying to peel for their backliners from isolations by blocking them and this puts a stop to that. You don’t need to hit many targets for it to be great, a single isolation effectively puts 1 person out of a fight for 6 seconds. If you hit it on even 2, you are likely to win the fight if you do it early and they cannot all just back away.

Change is Survival - 0%

• If you pick Adaptation, this is reasonably good.

Essence Claws - 1%

• The effect is nice, but usually just nice isn’t enough to compete with a threat to silence an entire enemy team.
• You do have other slows as it is, and requiring the AA targets to be heroes makes it fairly inconsistent to use. I pick this mostly if we are ending the game and Isolation happens to be on cooldown.

Apex Predator - 0%
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• Just a worse version of Epic Mount of Falstad, and even that has fallen off the meta. The reason why Epic Mount is still situationally viable at places is that the talent is on a hero that is not vulnerable when threatening a core with no bushes around, one that has solid siege damage on structures and the global can be used to go to core aswell as for moving out of there.
• Meanwhile Dehaka cannot really do the same shenanigans as Falstad to the same extent even with this talent. He can move only away from the core, and he is extremely vulnerable to getting rotated there if the enemy has any interrupts to Z.

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Laning tips
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Do note that these estimations expect two equally skilled players, and playing with the talents listed above. Most of them do not directly improve the 1v1, so experiences may vary.Favored match ups

• Blaze
• Malthael (post 7)
• Chen (post 7)
• Thrall*
• Illidan*
• Gazlowe*
• Imperius (Post 4)

Fairly even match ups

• Leoric*
• Artanis*
• Yrel*
• Sonya*

Unfavored match ups

• Murky*
• Rexxar
• Samuro (Can be made into even with adjustments)
• Hogger
• Deathwing (No chance)

Thrall

• Thrall does not have really high clear, and his damage window is heavily limited by his windfury. If you use E and knock him back when he does windfury, or drag him, he will often be forced to tank minions while trading negatively against you.

Imperius

• Once again, the key is the use of E. His damage window is often limited to his Q + E window. If you knock him back as soon as he uses E, he loses his sustain. After 7 it gets much easier since you don’t just have to rely on your burrow to deny it.

Illidan

• For all his mobility, Illidan is fairly easy to drag. And I am not saying to try to drag him as he is attacking and jumping about, save it for when he uses Q. The windup on the ability is long enough that you can land if by aiming it on your other side as soon as he uses it.
• If he does not use Q, you can make the drags easier to land by backing off and forcing him to run into you for an easier target.

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—--
Leoric

• Every second drain can be canceled with E and you just need to dodge half of them to come out ahead. Leo E has 10s CD while Burrow has 17s post level 4 so the time window is also limited for Leo to land the drain.
• As I alluded to earlier, using Swarm during this timer to stack with his hitbox makes it hard for Leo to land a drain, but admittedly it is not the easiest thing to pull off as Dehaka either.

Artanis

• Artanis' shields and Dehaka's low single target damage do not go well together. In order for Dehaka to do well on the lane, they need to count the CD left on Artanis shield and aim drags to land when he cannot get a shield up.
• Artanis cannot really recover from taking big hits due to lack of self healing mechanics, so while Dehaka is outtraded in the short run over longer period he can be taken down. Just don't trade with him right after his shields reset.

Yrel

• This is a match up where both need to play smart. Yrel can deny Dehaka’s clear by timing a D + W as soon as Dehaka presses Dark Swarm, and Dehaka can deny Yrel’s clear by using E and Q to interrupt jumps and Q casts
• E does have a mini stun to it so it does interrupt all the casts. The match up really comes down to who bothers the other more on the clear. Both of the two have fairly scuffed single target damage so the wave management is usually what makes the difference in clear

Sonya

• You can technically deny all her healing and clear if you are good enough with drags.
• Her hitbox is fairly small on bruiser standards (only 0.75 - for sake of comparison, Dehaka’s is 1.0 and Leoric's is 0.81) with extra movement speed and she can do the same to your drags as you can do to Leoric by spinning on top of your hitbox. In a pinch the E also does interrupt her spin.
• If she picks Wrath you are done 1v1’ing.

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Murky

• I am not trolling when I say this but a good murky is the bane of Dehaka on lane. Dehaka is very prone to getting kited by slows and his low single target damage doesn’t really put a dent on Murky’s hp regen, and he clears the wave slower than a murky does.

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As per usual, hopefully someone got something out of this. It has been a while since I written my last write up on bruisers. If there are any other particular bruisers people would want to see me make a write up on, do mention it. (I had to repost this due to reddit markdown acting stupid).

It's Friday and it looks like there's a bunch of watches in this edition that are supper affordable and aim way above their price point.

What's new

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Oris Introduces A Very, Very Purple Hölstein Edition 2023 Aquis, The First Without A Date
For the fourth year in a row, Oris has announced its 2023 Hölstein Edition. Every year on June 1, Oris releases a 250-piece limited edition to celebrate the registration of its company in its hometown of Hölstein, Switzerland, on June 1, 1904. And this year they have for the first time used their Aquis diver for the special edition. And boy, is it special. First of all, it’s the first Aquis with no date. But, more importantly, it has the purpliest purple dial you have ever seen.
Other than the purple dial and lack of a date window, it’s an Aquis. 41.5mm wide, steel case, gray ceramic bezel insert and 300 meter water resistance. Introducing the watch, the co-CEO of Oris said in an interview that the purple as a dial color and a no-date Aquis were options fans have been asking for from Oris. I get that fans were asking for a no-date option. But purple? So many people explicitly asked for a purple dial? While I find that hard to believe, I won’t complain - it looks amazing.
Inside the watch is Oris’ caliber 400 with a five day power reserve, for which Oris promises 10-year service intervals and provides a 10-year warranty. On the caseback, there's Oris Bear diving in his scuba gear.
The watch will be limited to 250 pieces, available on Oris' website from June 1 for CHF 4,000 (~$4,400), a slight premium over the standard Oris Aquis Date Caliber 400. It’s a very nice shade of purple and it’s cool to see Oris have a bit of fun with watches, introducing this after the controversial Kermit Pro Pilot.
2/
Hamilton Gives Their Groovy 70s Inspired Pan Europ Automatic The Ultimate 70s Color - Beige
Let’s say it again, all together - the 70s were the coolest era of watches. I know you don’t agree. I still think they were. And the good people over at the Swatch Group agree with me. That’s why in 2011 they revived the 1971 Pan Europ Chronomatic, which was one of the first Swiss-made Hamilton watches, equipped with the now legendary Calibre 11. The success of that model led Hamilton to add a simplified non-chronograph version in 2014, a day-date Pan Europ Automatic. And now they are putting out two new versions of that watch, both in very 70s colorways - a light green and a beige sunray.
The cushion-shaped steel case is 42mm wide and has a a polished unidirectional rotating bezel with a burgundy aluminium insert, with numerals indicating 5-minute increments, and marked with one-minute differences for the first quarter-hour. Despite the rotating bezel, this is not a diver, as it only has a 50m water resistance.
Other than the new colors, the dial remains the same, with two cutouts at 3 o’clock for the day and date indicators. The rectangular, sloped hour indices (with middle Super-LumiNova stripes) as well bulged-in the inner bezel ring with the minute track are all very 70s. The nickeled hour and minute hands are also coated with Super-LumiNova, and the second hand is lacquered to match the bezel colour and the markings on the dial.
Inside is the H30 movement, based on the ETA C07 series (Powermatic 80) calibre, an evolution of ETA’s 2824-2 calibre. You can get the watches on a green or beige soft touch leather racing-style strap, closed with a pin buckle, with an additional brown or burgundy NATO textile strap, depending on the dial colour.
The watches are now available as non-limited editions, and the price is EUR 1,195.
3/
IWC Slips White Dial Into The Familiar Mark XX To Celebrate 75 Years Of The Mark Series
If you want an IWC pilot’s watch you will go to their boutique, admire the craftsmanship and impressiveness of the Big Pilot, and you will then buy a Mark series watch, because you are likely not built like Arnold Schwarzenegger and can’t pull off a car wheel on your wrist. Ever since 1993, when IWC launched the Mark XII as a replica of the Mark 11 made for the British Royal Air Force, the Mark series has been seen as the entry-level model in the Pilot’s Watch series, and now IWS is releasing an update to last year’s Mark XX with two new silver-white editions.
If the Pilot’s Watch series of IWC often brings to mind the oversized, almost provocative Big Pilot model (and we mean the real one, not the smaller, simpler 43mm version), there’s another watch that, even though more discreet, might be of even greater importance… The Mark series. First introduced as a watch for the pilots of the British Royal Air Force, under codename Mark 11, it has later become one of the most classic series of the brand, with the launch of the Mark XII in 1993, as a replica now also intended to civilian amateurs. Now known as the entry-level model in the Pilot’s Watch series, this no-nonsense watch entered its Mark XX version last year, and IWC now releases two new silvery-white editions.
The Mark XX measures 40mm wide, 10.8mm thick, 49.2mm long and has a screw down crown giving it a water resistance of 100m. Most of the steel case is brushed for a rugged tool-watch look, with a couple of polished accents. As for the dial, no surprises. It’s all very much Mark series, with a clean layout, highly legible markers and tracks and a time-and-date display. The Mark XX brought some minor evolutions, such as slightly redefined numerals and indices improving time reading and contrast. The two new references get silver-plated dials, blackened hands and black tracks – except for the indices marking the quarters, which are white and luminous.
Inside, the Mark XX has the biggest improvement over the predecessor. Instead of the past ETA and Sellita movements, the XX gets the calibre 32111, a movement made by ValFleurier and also used in the recently launched Ingenieur.
When the brand says they are releasing two new references with white dials, they mean that the only difference is what kind of strap you get them on. You can have it on a black leather strap (IW328207) or a 5-link stainless steel bracelet (IW328208).
The new IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX White Dial is available now through all priced at EUR 5,700 (incl. taxes) on leather, and EUR 6,800 (incl. taxes) on steel bracelet.
4/
Arken Unveils Their Second Act With The Dual-Time Equipped Alterum
Arken is a U.K.-based microbrand that released its first watch last year. It was a titanium diver called the Instrumentum. It came just in time for summer and as a integrated bracelet sports watch, at the height of the integrated bracelet sports watch craze, it sold out instantly. It’s not that weird that it sold out so fast, considering it had a titanium case, a depth rating of 300 meters and a shockingly low pre-order price of just $500. Here they are, back this year with their second watch and are jumping on another trend bandwagon - the GMT - with their titanium dual-time travel watch called the Alterum.
The Alterum carries over a bunch of the Instrumentum, but this is a much more elegant watch that looks way more expensive than it’s price point. Gone is the aggressive bezel of the diver, replaced by a fixed brushed bezel without any markings. Kind of weird for a GMT… It’s measures 40mm in width, 46mm lug to lug and 13mm in case thickness, but since the bezel is 38mm wide it looks much smaller than it actually is.
Also carried over is the unique handset (although smaller and less aggressive) and distinct hour marker layout intertwined by its own solid track line. Accompanying the handset is a colored lollipop GMT hand and a pair of AM/PM indicators that correspond to each hour hand. The date is at six o’clock and is managed by the screwdown pusher located at four. The main highlight of the Alterum’s dial is its frosted texture, one of which comes in an anthracite gray with an orange GMT hand and another with a black dial and a blue GMT hand. You are completely free to call me crazy, but this watch is giving me Vacheron Overseas "Everest" Dual Time vibes with the orange hand, textured dial, pusher at 4 and even the bracelet.
Inside is a modified Miyota 9015 that the brand calls the ARK-9015DT. And it’s not a slight modification. It has an additional additional 12-hour hand and two AM/PM indicators that work in tandem with each hour hand, which helps a lot since the bezel does not have any markings. The movement also has some peculiarities you won’t see in others. Rotating the hands clockwise moves the entire handset, including the GMT hand, as well as both AM/PM indicator discs. However, moving the handset in the opposite direction will lock the GMT hand and its corresponding AM/PM indicator (left of the dial) allowing you to set the time difference between your local and home times. With the time difference adjusted, you can now adjust the hands moving forward to the correct local time. Since it’s such a weird movement, it can’t exactly be called a caller or a flyer GMT movement, but rather a combination of both.
Arken is offering the Alterum publically via a pre-order with either a grey or a black dial, and both will come on a quick-release nylon strap for $700 on release day (July 1, 2023) or $745 thereafter. Additionally, the brand will offer other versions of the Alterum via a private members-only platform that has been established for those that bought the Instrumentum last year. These include a black dial version with a black cerakoted case and a version with a white dial. While not specifically limited, each of the given colorways will be produced in runs of 200 units, and deliveries are expected to start no earlier than January 2024.
5/
Isotope Teams Up With Watch Customizer Seconde/Seconde/ For Limited Edition Hydrium Diver, A Memento Mori Watch Without A Skull
Seconde/Seconde/ is a brand name for Romaric André, a former financial auditor who has in recent year profiled himself as one of the leading vintage watch customizers, known especially for replacing hands with those of his own design. He has worked with a whole slew of brands, including Vulcain, Nivada Grenchen, Louis Erard, Bamford and H. Moser & Cie, creating watches that take the original and update it with fun. His latest collaboration is with the UK based Isotope, a brand known for their strong visual design and accessible prices and together they created a Seconde/Seconde/ version of the Isotope Hydrium dive watch.
The Hydrium comes in a 40mm stainless steel case with a unidirectional bezel, screw down crown, sapphire crystal and 300m water resistance. The dial is a matte black with a raised lacrima in the center of the dial and a railroad-style minute track printed along the periphery in white with small bright green blocks to denote the hour markers. At the top of the dial is Isotope’s original logo, although it has been overhauled by Seconde/Seconde/ and given a number of bright green updates. The actual letters of the Isotope name have been rearranged to spell “OTOPSIE” (autopsy), with green arrows pointing to where the letters would go if the logo were to be printed normally.
While autopsy might sound a bit morbid, the brand points out that this is a memento mori watch, without a skull. Additional reminders of your mortality are the hands. While the hour and minute hand appear in Isotope’s classic i-shaped format, the bright green seconds hand has a shape that mirrors the appearance of a failing heartbeat on an ECG machine.
The new Isotope Hydrium Seconde/Seconde, a limited edition of 50 pieces, is offered on a quick-release soft black leather strap with a signed microblasted steel buckle. Inside is the Swiss Landeron 24 automatic movement, which follows the same core design as the ETA 2824 or Sellita SW200 but better decorated with perlage and Geneva stripes.
The Isotope Hydrium Seconde/Seconde/ is now available from the brand’s website and priced at GBP 900 (excl. taxes).
6/
H. Moser & Cie Revamps The Streamliner Flyback Chronograph 2.0
Despite being made in just 100 pieces and just before the pandemic, the H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner, a luxury sports watch elements with an unusually fluid shape, was a huge hit for the brand. Since January 2020, the Streamliner has evolved into a collection with time-only, tourbillon and perpetual calendar models. It is now time for the Streamliner Flyback Chronograph to undergo a slight update, entering its 2.0 phase.
There aren’t any huge updates here, but still welcome. The originality of this collection is intact, with its rounded curves. 42.3mm in diameter and with a relative thickness of 14mm, it features a cool radially brushed finish on top. The dial, apart from a single detail, hasn’t changed. It retains its fumé funky blue colour, tachymeter scale on the periphery and hands with Globolight inserts. The one detail that has changed is the logo, which is now made using transparent lacquer… almost like a secret signature, a reminder of the pre-eminence of the product.
Inside the case is the same calibre HMC 907, a movement that is also known as the AgenGraphe and that has been developed by talented movement maker Agenhor. The architecture, an automatic column-wheel chronograph with an innovative horizontal clutch with a friction wheel (to avoid any issues when the teeth intermesh and reduce unwanted jerks), is the same as before, but the power reserve is now boosted at 72 hours. It has been refreshed with new decoration, including Moser stripes angled at 45° and anthracite grey rhodium plating on the bridges and main plate.
Now available and part of the permanent collection, the Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic Funky Blue 2.0 is priced at CHF 45,000.
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On hand - a selection of reviews

1/
The Grand Seiko SBGH283 you can only buy at their Studio Shizukuishi in Japan
2/
A review of the Panerai Radiomir California PAM01349 in Brunito eSteel
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Watch Worthy - A look at an offbeat, less known watch you might actually like

The new Tool Watch Co. Diver is a lot of watch for not a lot of money
The Tool Watch Co. Diver will be available as of today through the company’s Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. During this period, you’ll be able to order the watch for US$295, and after that, the Diver will cost US$500. Even at its regular retail price, I think this watch delivers a lot of value for its money. But especially at that lower introduction price, it feels like an absolute steal. A titanium dive watch with an automatic movement, 300m water resistance, a sapphire crystal, a very decent titanium bracelet…should I go on? I think that’s really impressive for less than $300!
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Happy Pride Everyone! I thought I'd drop a list of my favorite queer romances.
Please feel free to drop and gush about your favorite queer reccs in the comments below!
(p.s. sorry for the lack of details on some reccs, I haven't re-read them since I started my master list with the notes)
(p.p.s I did my best with formatting on mobile)
 
~Kit Rocha~
Bi Author Duo
 
{Beyond series by Kit Rocha} - Bi/Poly (kink) relationships, Post-apocalyptic Dystopian, 1st Rotating POV.
Book 1 is permafree on Amazon and you can buy the omnibus versions cheaper than individually ;)
Notes: Bi MCs, FF, MM, MMFF+ ect., Casual Queerness, Casual Polyam
Disclaimer: Non-traditional HEA and relationships, many of the pairings in the series are monogamish
 
~Aveda Vice~
Neurodivergent, Queer, Gender-diverse Author
 
{Feed by Aveda Vice} and {Yours, Insatiably by Aveda Vice} - FX, 3rd Dual POV, Monster x Monster, Urban Fantasy.
Own Voices: Autistic, Gender-diverse, Queer
Notes: FX, FF, Monogamish MCs, Queer Side Characters, Autistic FMC
Avirin works in a historical archives institute while hiding her identity as a succubus from the world. Avirin orders a sex worker from an app called Monstr (to provide her necessary life and sexual energy) and opens her door to find her coworker Pye, a death’s-head hawkmoth fae. Pye restores paintings at the historical archives and (according to Avirin) they are office enemies. Now she must decide if Pye is trustworthy enough to keep her secret.... and if she wants to feed on more than their life energy.
My Gush post with additional details.
Disclaimer: Non-traditional pairing, they are monogamish
 
{Skin by Aveda Vice} and {Inextricably Tied by Aveda Vice} - MMF, 3rd Rotating POV, Monster x Monster, Romantic Suspense
Harbin and Flint are investigative partners who have been hired to locate the bodies of a recently caught serial killer. They team up with Agony (a night terror who was extracted from said killer) who may have information to share... if he'll cooperate.
Notes: MMF Love Triangle Turned Polyam, Nonbinary Shadow Person MC, Forced Proximity, Stoic + Chaotic + Chaotic, Bodyguard MMC, Jailor MMC +FMC / Captive MMC
Sex Notes: Touch Starved FMC, Praise, Soft Dom, D/S, Safe Words and Check Ins, Toy Use, Exhibitionism, Ribbed Tongue (Flint), Sex in a "Holy" Place, Fisting, Use of the term "Daddy", DP, "Why Choose" Parts (Agony)
 
~Jae Dixon~
Gender-diverse Author
 
{Song by Jae Dixon} - MX, Monster, 1st Dual POV
Join a beautiful cryptid mothman and a burnt out grad student as they face love, loss, death, & necromancy.
Notes: MX, Nonbinary Mothman, Fated Mates, Diphallic Mothman, every character is referred to as "they/them" until their gender preference has been expressed
Own Voices: Nonbinary
 
~Kaye Draper~
Queer and Gender-diverse Author
 
{Gesa’s Menagerie series by Kaye Draper} - Urban Fantasy, 1st Lightly Rotating POV, Complete series.
Notes: Pan Polyam, FF, MM, MMFF+, ect.
 
{The Reluctant Necromancer series by Kaye Draper} - Urban Fantasy, 1st Lightly Rotating POV, Complete series.
Notes: Pan Polyam, Gender-diverse MC, FX, FF, MX, MM, MMXFF+, ect.
 
~Victoria Weyland~
 
{Champagne on Vice by Victoria Weyland} - MF, Monster, 1920s, 3rd multi POV
Notes: Explicit consent, overcoming religious oppression and religious sexual trauma, female empowerment, touch starved FMC, found family, casual affection, diverse sexualities and genders for side characters, every character's skin tone is described including white people
Sex Notes: Bondage, MFF threesome, MFFM foursome, D/S, anal play
Disclaimer: Non-traditional pairing, they are monogamish.
 
~Lily Mayne~
 
{Monstrous series by Lily Mayne} - MM Monster, Post-apocalyptic Dystopian, Series in Progress. 1st POV, some single and some lightly dual.
These books are amazing for consent, overcoming prejudice, coming to terms with trauma, and m/m/pan/everybody everywhere romance. The world building over the series is fantastic. Something I appreciate is that none of the pairings have penetrative sex during their first (or even second or third) encounter, pleasure and the MCs' comfort is the main goal.
 
~Lillian Lark~
 
{Deceived by the Gargoyles by Lillian Lark} - Polyam Monster, 1st Rotating POV
Notes: 3 Gargoyle MMCs, MMMF
 
{Entranced by the Basilisks by Lillian Lark} - MMF Monster, Monster x Monster, 1st Rotating POV
Notes: 2 Basilisk MMCs, MMF
 
~Kathryn Moon~
 
{Tempting Monsters series by Kathryn Moon} - Polyam, Monster, Historical, Series in Progress
Notes: Polyam, MM, MMF+, Bi MMCs
 
{Sweetverse series by Kathryn Moon} - Polyam Omegaverse, Complete series of Interconnected Standalones
Notes: Polyam, MM, MMF+, Bi MMCs
 
{Inheritance of Hunger by Kathryn Moon} - Polyam, Fantasy, Complete series, 1st Rotating POV
Notes: Polyam, MM, MMF+, Bi MMCs
 
{The Librarian's Coven series by Kathryn Moon} - Polyam Fantasy, Complete series, 1st Rotating POV
Notes: Polyam, MM, MMF+, Bi MMCs
 
~Chace Verity ~
Gender-diverse Author
 
{Match with the Demon by Chace Verity} - MM Monster CR, 3rd single POV.
A cute novella about a 39 year old single dad matching with a pleasure turned trash demon on a dating app. Sports bars, trash dates, and queer love ensues.
Notes: "Older" 39 year old MMC, Tentacle Demon MMC
 
~Sarah Honey and Lisa Henry~
 
{Red Heir by Sarah Honey and Lisa Henry} - MM, Fantasy, 3rd Single POV
Notes: Grumpy/Sunshine, Prince and Pauper, Hidden Identity, On a Quest, Band of Misfits, Only One Horse
 
On My TBR:
{Sex Wizards Series by Alethea Faust} - Queer, Poly, Gender-diverse, Fantasy
{The Reanimator's Heart by Kara Jorgensen} - MM, Own Voices Autistic Rep, PNR
{Catch and Release by Isabel Murray} - MM, Merman MMC
More Chace Verity - FF, MM, Queer, ect.
Katee Robert - Queer
Cat Sebastian - Queer Historical
Vaela Denarr and Micah Iannandrea - Lesbian Polyam with Diverse Side Characters, Fantasy
 
Yaoi Manga Reccs:
Twittering Birds Never Fly by Kou Yoneda - MM, Yakuza
Jealousy by Scarlet Beriko - MM, Yakuza
Coyote by Ranmaru Zariya - MM, Urban Fantasy
Hitorijime My Hero by Memeco Arii - MM, School Life
 
Watchable Reccs:
The Owl House - Bi and Lesbian FMCs, Various Queer Side Characters, Neurodivergent Rep
Our Flag Means Death - Gay Pirates (need I say more?), Various Queer Side Characters
The Last of Us - Lesbian FMC, Gay Characters in Love
Interview with the Vampire (series) - Messy Gay Vampires
Yuri on Ice - MM, Figure Skating
 
Be sure to check CWs for everything

Hey Rivian Redditors-
I’m looking for a pickup truck to store at a summelake home. This truck would see regular use 2mo a year and only occasional use in between. What do we think about EV vs combustion engine in this scenario, and Rivian R1T specifically for it?
My knee jerk reaction was an EV would be better than a combustion engine for storing (fewer fluids and moving parts to gunk up), but then I wondered about all the tech in EVs … auto-software updates, charging, etc and just thought the odds of the car failing to work at all after sitting for months might be higher on an EV, even if just sitting around is less hard on them. This location also wouldn’t likely be too close to a service center for Rivian (probably 1.5-2 hrs), so it’d be a concern that I’d spend a bunch of time chasing service items in the short time I have around.
Would like to go R1T for this purchase, just hoping someone can make the logical case for it!
​
thanks!
​
Robbie

Wife Tayala and the Inquisitor that killed her. A lot of the inspiration for this came from the thread started by u/Global_Help_1225 , so credit to them for a big part of this. Warning that this theory does contain spoilers for both Jedi games, Rebels, the Ahsoka novel, the Vader comics, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
So we know that one of Bode's main motivations for joining the ISB was to learn the identity of the Inquisitor that killed his wife. There are multiple candidates that could have been responsible, and we're going to run through them all to get the best feel for which Inquisitor it could have been, starting with the least likely to most likely.
-Tenth Brother
He died within a year of the Clone Wars ending, and is quite unlikely since the Inquisitorious was barely organized.
-Sixth Brother and Unidentified Inqusitor from Tales of the Jedi
Judging from the Akuna family portrait, Tayala was likely killed only in recent years since Kata doesn't look much younger than her in-game model. Kata is likely between 8-10, and looks about 5-7 in the portrait. The Sixth Brother died in 18 BBY to Ahsoka, literally only a year after the Clone Wars ended. Kata would have been far too young for this portrait to have been taken while he was still alive. As for the Unidentified Inquisitor in Tales of the Jedi, he's basically meant to be the same as the Sixth Brother despite not being confirmed to be the same character and he is quite unlikely due to this.
-Iskat Akaris and Tualon
I put both of these candidates at the same level due to how connected they are. Iskat is clearly shown a merciful streak as she was willing to spare Eeth Koth's wife from death. I imagine she would take a similar position with Tayala considering the nature of her relation to Bode. Tualon would likely be there with Iskat considering their missions together and affections for each other, and would just accept what Iskat wants to do. Thus they are both very unlikely.
-The Grand Inquisitor
The head of the Inquisitorius seems highly unlikely. From what we know about the circumstances surrounding the death of Tayala, she was killed due to Bode not being home at the time. Logically speaking, this is a reckless move. A better strategy would have been for them to lure Bode out by taking Tayala hostage and forcing him to choose between letting her die or giving himself up. Slaughtering Bode's wife out of malice doesn't seem like the Grand Inquisitor's m.o., considering his tactical nature. He similarly prevented Reva from executing a Jedi instantly because he wanted to learn the location of other surviving Jedi. Killing Tayala accomplishes nothing useful besides making Bode possibly angry enough to come out of hiding for revenge. However, this method is far less reliable than keeping her alive as a hostage, which is typically the Grand Inquisitor's favored strategy. Even if he did kill Tayala, he likely wouldn't have left a body and would have tried to convince Bode that she was alive in prison, similar to what he did with Luminara and her corpse. In the end, the GI makes little sense to be the killer.
-Second Sister
For similar reasons to the Grand Inquisitor, Trillia doesn't make sense either. She had a similar calculating demeanor to the GI, and would likely want to capture Tayala instead of killing her. The only instance Trilla has of killing an innocent is Prauf from the first game. She mainly did this to draw Cal out as she knew that the Jedi was among the crowd and would not tolerate the death of innocents. Killing Tayala out of view from Bode would not have the same effect, and would likely be detrimental to her hunt. This leads me to think she can be eliminated from the likely candidates as well.
-Seventh Sister
This is another character that I think has enough tactical sense to keep Tayala alive. She does the exact same tactic with Ezra and Sabine in Rebels, knowing that they're more useful as bait to bring out the big fish. Thus, not the inquisitor that we're looking for.
-Fifth Brother
While he certainly has a brutish and reckless streak, I doubt he was the person responsible for Tayala's death. In Obi-Wan Kenobi, he's shown to have much more restraint than Reva when it comes to dealing with questioning civilians. While he's not above maiming his targets, he does typically have the sense to keep them alive and useful, if barely. While he could be a good candidate, he doesn't seem likely due to the reasons above.
-Eighth Brother
While not a lot is known about this inquisitor, I doubt he was the killer either. Considering he seemed to be chasing Maul for a long time, I think this was his primary assignment and he had little time for anything else. Maul is quite dangerous and likely far too important to devote time to hunting anyone else, especially the equally elusive Bode. Granted this argument is weaker, but I think there's some merit to it.
-Ninth Sister
This is both a likely and unlikely candidate. Her reckless and cruel personality is certainly the type to kill Tayala simply out of spite due to not finding Bode. She clearly has little regard for tactics, considering how she doubted the Grand Inquisitor's intuition about Cal returning to Kashyyyk. So this leaves her as a likely candidate...EXCEPT for the fact that she sees Bode during the opening of Survivor and doesn't appear to recognize him. Of course, this could be due to her focus on Cal since he cost her a hand in Fallen Order, but I imagine she would have taunted Cal about doing her job for her (by bringing Bode to her). Either way, something tells me she isn't our culprit due to a major factor.
What's important about all of these Inquisitors is that we know when and how they die. For narrative purposes, I don't think that the writers for Survivor would want to use an Inquisitor that is confirmed dead in a different Star Wars media. It likely would have no narrative punch if an Inquisitor known to die would appear in a sequel or spinoff game. There would be very little tension and would ultimately prove disappointing in the story. If we factor in the narrative purposes of having an Inquisitor who's fate isn't known, then this does help to substantially reduce our list of suspects.
-Third Brother
Yes, you read that right, in addition to Reva's title of Third Sister, there is a character known as the Third Brother. He was introduced in a source book a while back known as Darth Maul and other Dark Side Followers, from the Star Wars Encyclopedia. All that is known of him is that he carried out terrible things in the Empire's name, and that his eventual fate remained secret. It's rather odd for a source book to include this information without any pay-off, and I think this was put into the book for some future potential in case an inquisitor is ever needed in a story. However, this also works against his likelihood as he could just be a random mention in a book that will never be heard from again. Endless possibilities, but too little is known about him.
-Fourth Sister
This is another Inquisitor we know practically nothing about including her fate. Her concept was first introduced in a Halloween type comic from a few years back, but it was shown that this was just a rebel impersonating an inquisitor later in the story. Fourth Sister properly first appeared in Obi-Wan Kenobi. She doesn't do much throughout it and generally doesn't have much of a presence, but she has a decent alien design and we don't see her die. Unfortunately there's not enough known about her personality to see if she would be the type to kill Tayala out of malice, but she did seem more restrained than both Fifth Brother and Reva. If they want to do something important with her, this could easily be it.
So this brings us to our final suspect, someone we know is alive far into the Imperial Era, has a reckless habit, and someone who's fate is unknown...
-Third Sister a.k.a. Reva Sevander
Reva is the most likely suspect responsible for Tayala's murder, from both a logical and narrative perspective. Let's start with her personality. Reva is extremely reckless, and can often be quite cruel. She maimed an innocent bystander on Tatooine by cutting off her hand, with very little provocation. Barely ten minutes later, she was attempting to decapitate a surviving Jedi, Nari, before being stopped by the Grand Inquisitor. Despite Nari being more useful alive for interrogation, she attempted to kill him instantly. Her reckless nature was also demonstrated by her attempted assassination of Darth Vader. Rather than attempting to strike from a distance, she engaged Vader in a direct duel and suffered the consequences for it. Attesting to her cruel tendencies, she attempted to murder the innocent Luke Skywalker as retribution for what Vader did to her fellow padawans. These traits combined easily demonstrate how she could be the one to kill Tayala, as it was done out of pure malice and had little tactical advantage.
Additionally, her being the killer can make great sense from a narrative perspective. A massive setup in Jedi Survivor is the revelation that Cere was helping an organization known as the Hidden Path, a refugee system for survivors of the Jedi Purge. At the end of the game, it's revealed that Tanalorr will be used as the Path's future base of operations. Now what Jedi has connections to the path besides Cere and Cal?
Obi-Wan Kenobi. At the end of his series he is seen comforting Reva and assuring her that she can build her own future from this point. However, this would be quite difficult with the Empire around. While they might think she's dead at the moment, this likely would not last. Reva is likely branded a fugitive by the Empire, and will be ruthlessly hunted. So what better way to keep her safe than by sending her to the Hidden Path?
It makes the most sense for her to join the Path now that she is on the path of redemption and needs refuge from the Empire's wrath, and she's in the perfect position to do it through Obi-Wan. This also helps the narrative as it would directly put her into contact with Cal and Kata in the future. A big part of the next installment is likely going to deal with Cal fighting his own darkness, and Kata will likely have a similar battle with her own demons. The next game will likely have another timeskip, ideally five years into the future to coincide with Rebels and Andor, as 5 BBY is when those shows start. Kata will be well into her teens by then, and possibly be training as a Jedi if she inherits her father's force sensitivity. It also makes sense that Reva would only show up around this point, as it will likely take a few years to connect the Hidden Path with Tanalorr. She could serve a great role in the story for both Cal and Kata. Obviously Kata will want to confront her over the death of her mother, and Cal could possibly see shades of Trilla in Reva, which might help to make him want to protect her, as he will be reminded of how he and Cere tried to redeem Trilla. He'll see Reva as a chance to fix his failures, by finally redeeming a fallen Jedi. He could never do it with Malicos, Trilla, Dagan, or Bode, and would likely want to do it now more than ever. This could serve as great story conflict between him and Kata. There's so much potential by including Reva in the story, both for her character and the development of our main protagonists. I'd also really like if she got redeemed and purified her crystals to be white, since Survivor also showed bleeding crystals to make them red. It would add to the lore and work on many thematic levels.
So out of all our known possible suspects, I think Reva makes the most sense and would have the most impact in the story, especially since her fate is unknown. If you read all the way through, I hope you enjoyed it.
TL;DR Reva killed Bode's wife and she'll play a role in the next game.

I've been fighting with Google for 2 months as a result of Google's horrible customer relations and partly my fault I've been billed and accidentally paid with auto pay $599 for a Google pixel 5 just black and I'm not talking about in 2020 I'm talking May 2023. In March I had a Google pixel 7 pro I dropped it the day after I got it without the case on a hard floor and broke the back glass. I don't know if anyone's ever done this but I was upset about it even though it will always have a case on it I'll know it's broken. Well it doesn't matter after about a month I was having issues with the charger port and it could only be charged wirelessly I have the phone on the wireless charger and I had to take it out the case to charge better my cat decided she wanted to play with the wire she knocked the phone off onto a dumbbell with two metal weights on it it hit in the screen so perfectly that it destroyed the phone. I had traded in my Google pixel 2 and with some other promotion Verizon was offering it turned out that I had more money in promotions than the phone cost and it is the only reason I got this 7 pro they take a few dollars off my phone bill each month for owning it when I say few I'm talking $2 and change. I solve a regular phone bill and insurance just not a device payment so after breaking I did not want to pay the $200 deductible and started using my old phone which was a Google pixel 5A 5G. One day the screen went black me and my son both tried fixing it with suggestions from YouTube videos careful one of them makes you call 911 and without a screen there's no way to stop it. My son did it twice I did it once. So I call Verizon thinking that the phone was covered under my insurance plan because it said it was on the My Verizon app it's actually says that the 2 plus the 5a and the 7pro were all covered. Anyway I call Verizon to try to get it fixed without a deductible because there is no damage to the phone to phone was in fact replaced right before I got the seven with a refurbished phone. They say no problem they send the next day phone out when I open it up it's a Google pixel 5 black I call them back they say all we are so sorry they send another phone again it's the Google pixel 5 black. Now for people not familiar with Google phones the Google 5A is not like the Samsung series a phone it's more of an in-between in the case of the five the five a has a lot bigger display and some other features the 5A is a superior phone to the five by getting the five I was downgraded. So after receiving this second five I call again they send another phone except this time they were slick they didn't actually send anything so after waiting the two days I called back and they said oh well the order was never processed so they send another phone guess what I get the five again I called back and this was happening because Verizon doesn't sell the five a I don't know if they ever did but I had bought this phone from Google directly and I'm still making payments on it btw. so now I'm very frustrated I call Google Google says the phone's out of warranty even though I'm still making payments on it but the screen going black problem since there was no damage is covered under the extended warranty because it's a known issue. They said take the phone to the local asurion AKA I break you fix. I do this they replace the screen and the battery the phone still doesn't work they said the logic board needs to be changed but they couldn't get it in or something I call Google back they said no problem send them the phone. I send the phone and a few days later I get a letter in the mail saying that the cost of the repair is more than the phone is worth that they would have to send me a refurbished but because the phone was damaged I would have to pay $129. I immediately call them and say what do you mean damaged and they say well did you use our packaging or your own I said my own well it was damaged and shipping was there immediate response I told them no. I have an Etsy business where I sell crystals literal crystals and I shipped them the people all over the country I have never had a product damaged in shipping in a crystal is a lot more delicate than a phone. I explained this to them and I don't know if the employees are told not to listen to the words that the customers are saying or if they just think that all the customers are liars and don't bother to listen but he kept insisting that it must have been damaged during shipping. Now Google apparently doesn't have a way for a different departments to talk so the customer service guy had no way of contacting the people that worked on the phone and asked them what the actual issue was. I asked for manager they reluctantly gave me one after an hour wait I was told the manager call me back the next day two days later I missed a call but they emailed me I emailed them back I finally got to talk to the manager. He told me that back glass was cracked the phone doesn't have a back glass and I must have got damaged during shipping because I didn't use their packaging. After explaining to him that didn't have back glass he finally started believing me a little he said that he was going to talk to the people higher up than him and get it resolved he said that there's no way for me to contact him and higher than him he's the end of the line that he has to plead my case and this was on Friday he said he'd contact me Monday. Well Thursday rolls around I still don't hear from him I contact him back I hear nothing. I then get the phone back in the mail. I opened a packaging and I noticed that the damage you're talking about was it improper ly installed screen I will add a photo of the so-called damage device that got damaged and shipping I'm packaged it so poorly that the phone didn't get cracked at all or broken but the bottom of the screen slightly popped off of the phone are they really expecting me to believe this. So after I tell them that the phone was actually damaged by asurion the people they sent me to the manager that I've been talking to had someone else contact me saying that he was out and that Google was ready to resolve my issue by giving me $25 credit in the Google store. I also got a separate email saying that Google store was lowering my credit from $1,500 to $200. Now this is a total coincidence I'm sure even though I've bought a 300 doller smart watch ,phones ,Chromecast devices all from the Google store on credit and have never missed a payment and have never been late in years but they still lowered my credit limit negatively impacting my credit score by six points. After telling them I'm not happy with this they apologize and tell me that they're sorry but this is the way that Google does business and all the guidelines have been followed in that I cannot contact him again on this or something because the case has been closed. I've never been so disappointed with a company in my life I've had people switch from Samsung more than one to Google after getting the Google pixel 2 XL I loved that phone and it saddens me that I will never get to use another Google pixel device because I will never buy one again I will never buy anything from Google again normal any of my immediate or extended family so they've lost thousands of dollars because they wanted $129 to fix a phone that their partner company broke on me. Oh and here's the kicker I go back to you fix I break last week and the location that I went to that had all the information in the repair person that worked on my phone is gone. They closed the damn location down I contacted asurion corporate office and waiting for a response from The resolution team. And the reason I said that it cost me $599 is because I still have the Google pixel 5 that they had sent me because I know other device to use Verizon told me I can use the device until I resolve this issue with Google then I had to ship this device or the 5A back to them but I had to give them a phone back that has no physical damage. Verizon reluctantly refunded the $599 that they took out of my bank account after I turned off auto payments and I only bounced my car insurance payment that automatically comes out the day after because it took 3 days to get the money back into the account the best part is I didn't know this until I got a letter in the mail saying my insurance was about to be canceled. I'm not saying like most of society would that that is Google's fault it is mine I was negligent in keeping up with my account balances and because of that almost lost my insurance. I would have been able to get it back but probably not at the same rate and if there was a lapse in coverage I probably would have had to have the vehicle inspected by them before they would cover it fully again. I'm really disappointed and surprised that the disrespect by Google technical team and customer service is treated me. And the way they told me well this is how we do business go kick rocks. I said somewhere in this book of a message that I would add photos I didn't realize at that time that I could not add photos to this community I apologize.

Buongiorno,
sto comprando casa e sono nella fase della scelta del notaio. Alcuni mi hanno fatto notare che il "posto auto" non è accatastato con l'appartamento ma come f/1 (area urbana) e quindi sarebbe da "comprarlo" a parte. Comprando anche quel pezzo non posso usufruire dei benedici prima casa. La mia domanda è: l'atto di compravendita sarà diviso in 2 preventivi distinti tra casa e posto auto o sarà tutto calcolato per 9%?
Non ci sto capendo più niente! Aiutatemi con i calcolii

Why preserve your mod list? There are several reason you may want to preserve your mod list in the way I will be going through today. As the guide suggests, preserving your mod list will mean when you setup that "perfect" mod list, you only ever need to do it once then you can keep it forever whether you change PCs or a game update breaks all your mods or you wanna play different modded versions of the same game. For example when looking at FNV there's the option of playing normal FNV and TTW, due to the way the TTW installation works you can't really just create a new profile on your current instance and disable the TTW stuff, instead you would need to uninstall TTW and do your setup without it then reinstall TTW when you want to go back to it. While this may not be a huge hassle as the installer is quite simple, it is infinitely less annoying to just have them both installed at the same time and be able to run them separately without any need to uninstall and reinstall things. When looking at Skyrim even with the downgrade patcher people still constantly argue about whether or not you should downgrade and the Best of Both Worlds is also an option for the downgrade patcher, my own personal answer to this was to just have a list for all 3 versions of skyrim because why not. As stated this will also allow you to pass your preserved mod lists onto new PCs so if you ever change out your PC you can just keep playing like nothing ever happened without even needing to reinstall the game on your new PC. If you have a friend you've always wanted to share your mod list with but they don't wanna go through the hassle of setting it all up, now's your chance to share it with them without doing anything more than copy pasting onto a USB.
I also wanna point out that this guide will be specifically for MO2 since it will take advantage of the Portable Instance installation that Vortex doesn't have. I don't wanna discourage Vortex users from doing this but know that it's more annoying and it also won't support transferring the list from one computer to another because of the way vortex handles it's installed mods. I'm not talking about mod deployment here so don't bother saying anything about the hardlink deployment. What I mean is that if you take your mods sub folder within the main vortex folder and try to pass it to a vortex folder on your new PC it will not work as vortex doesn't have any support for this. Finally, note that doing this will take up a lot of space on your PC which is another reason I recommend MO2 since you can get a hard drive with a couple TB for cheap to use for storage then pass the modded instance you're actively using onto your main SSD which vortex will not allow without significant hassle.
To begin with I will go over how I organize my folder. Know that you don't have to have your stuff organized exactly like mine but you do need to make sure you have all the stuff you'll need within your modding folders that you'll wanna keep. If you don't have 2 drives on your PC then replace any where that says D:/ with C:/ instead
To start create a new folder under D: and name that folder modding. (D:/modding)
In your Modding folder create a folder called Base Games and this is where you will be backing up all of your base game files, this is what lets you get around the whole steam update stuff, to get your base game backups you go into your steam commonapps folder and just copy paste the whole game folder and that's all there is to it.
D:/modding/base games
D:/modding/base games/Skyrim SE
D:/modding/base games/Skyrim AE (Make sure to also run the game from this folder and download all your owned CC content so it's there and you don't have to do it ever again)
D:/modding/base games/Skyrim Future Update
D:/modding/base games/FNV
D:/modding/base games/FO3
When you have your base games backup up then we move on to getting a mod list setup. This is as simple as modding normally however you will begin to encounter issues with the multiple installation instances as you use tools like Dyndolod that auto scan your windows registry for the game install location which it will see as the first place you launched the game from so if you launched it when it was in steam folder then the dyndolod would look there for your game instead of your modding folder, I'll address this further on in this guide.
Create a new folder in your modding folder and this will be your actual mod list folder so as an example we'll call this list "A Dragonborns Fate" as their guide is quite useful and I would recommend it to anyone as a base for a new modlist on the current AE version. Inside this folder you'll want to have your MO2 portable instance installed there and then you'll also paste your game folder next to the MO2 folder
D:/modding/A Dragonborns Fate
D:/modding/A Dragonborns Fate/SkyrimAE
D:/modding/A Dragonborns Fate/MO2
While you're here also add folders for other things you may wanna keep stored. For people who setup dyndolod store your Texgen and Dyndolod outputs here so that you don't lose them in the future and you'll know which mod list each output is for so they don't get mixed up in the dyndolod folder. If you're someone who sets up custom DAR folders to customize all your animations I would also throw an animations folder in here so you can have animations specific to each list. For example I use the dynamic stances mod and I have several prebuilt folders saved for each stance that are specific to each instance so in one mod list I will have a certain combination of animations for my high stance but on another instance I made for a friend, the stances all have different animations from my own
D:/modding/A Dragonborns Fate/Texgen output
D:/modding/A Dragonborns Fate/Dyndolod output
D:/modding/A Dragonborns Fate/Animations
As I mentioned before, the modding process from here is exactly the same as normal, setup MO2 to handle nexus links and just setup your mod list like you normally would. For the most part you shouldn't have any issues with programs not finding your game folders since you can run them through MO2s virtual file system so things like the nemesis engine should work just fine. The only problem I've had is with Dyndolod since even after putting my game folders location in the argument line in MO2, dyndolod kept checking the windows registry and was looking into my skyrim instance in the base games folder and launching from the modpack folder didn't change the registry since the other instance is still there. I know some of you are reading windows registry and starting to get worried that the fix is super complicated because windows registry sounds like hackeit stuff. Editing your windows registry is incredibly easy and literally takes like 30 seconds but it will be a bit annoying since you would need to do it for both your SE and AE instance so dyndolod knows where to find them.
To start you'll wanna copy the path to your skyrim folder inside of the mod list folder so for this example you would be copying this path - D:/modding/A Dragonborns Fate/SkyrimAE
Next go down to your start menu and search registry editor and the windows app will pop up, when looking at the registry editor you will see a bunch of weirdly named folders on the left hand side, among those folders look for "HK_LOCAL_MACHINE". From there it will show several more folders and you wanna look for the "Software" folder. In the software dropdown look for "WOW6432Node". Finally, look for the Bethesda Software folder and there you will see "Skyrim Special Edition" when you click on the folder you will look over to the right side of the editor and you will see something there that says "default" and "installed path". To change the installation path simply double click the "installed path" and a little menu will pop up, in there just paste your folder location over the existing location and hit "OK"
At this stage you have a copy of your mod fully saved to your PC, permanently and you won't have to worry about future updates or having to scrap your mod list to make a new one which realistically you didn't have to do anyways when using MO2s profile system. If you're trying to pass this list to a new PC or to your friends PC you will now notice a little issue pops up. When you try to run the game you will be hit with a "download" button from steam since steam ID locks games to a specific PC. You can just go ahead and download Skyrim normally and then go through the hassle of redownloading CC content and telling MO2 to now use a new folder, also if you're using this to save a TTW list you'll need to reinstall TTW. When I started this I promised the ability to pass this to a new PC without extra setup on the new PC and this is where we will get into cracking your game files.
Before I go over this I want to make it clear that I'm not posting this to condone game piracy. Cracking has it's roots in game preservations just as much as it does with piracy so it's usually seen in a bad light. I want to make it clear that cracking your own game files is 100% legal as long as your aren't using them to redistribute the game to other people. Passing it over to your friend is absolutely Piracy and that includes giving them the AE content if they don't own it. I can' control what people do with this but know that if you pass this to someone who does not already own the content you're giving them that is considered piracy and is very much illegal.
I'm not gonna put the actual instructions for cracking here since that's already on the sites of the tools you'll be using. I will only link the tools here and the rest will be up to you. The main tools for cracking are going to be Steamless, and Goldberg emulator. These tools can be a bit tedious on their own but someone has graciously made an auto cracker that requires you to download the first 2 tools and then automates the process for you.

Hello everyone,
This is the biggest comeback since my last post on hardwareswap two weeks ago! I'm going big this time. I'm giving y'all the chance to buy the recently decommissioned 2016 gaming build with nearly 7-year-old and 6-year-old parts including AMD RX Vega 56 and RX 6800 graphics cards that have done me well in gaming and productivity since 2016.
All parts except one are shipped/insured to the USA ONLY by USPS or UPS depending on the package size. For anything bigger like a PC case, it will be shipped in the original packaging and will be reinforced with additional packing materials.
When it comes to pricing, I believe that they are fair and cheaper than fair market value. Please understand that shipping is expensive nowadays and it's difficult to ship a big item like the PC case cheaply as possible depending on the mileage. I'm all ears for the bundle or combo offers. No lowball offers, please! Thank you for the reading and good luck on your treasure hunt!
Select each part to see the photos of the items and my timestamp signature in the first column of the table.

Part	Item(s)	Price	Note
LGA 1150 Intel Z97 Motherboard	ASRock Fatal1yt Z97X Killer and Samsung EVO 850 250GB M.2 SSD w/ fully-cleaned Windows 10 Pro install (incl. OEM I/O shield, 4x SATA 3.0 cables (black), ASRock HDD Saver power cable, Multigpu Molex power, and driver CD/instructions)	$60	Flashed with a modded BIOS to enable the hidden 'above 4G decoding' which enables AMD/NVIDIA's Resizable-BAR and Smart Access Memory support.
LGA 1150 Intel CPU	Broadwell Intel Core i5-5675C Desktop Processor (Unlocked)	$50	Delidded/Resealed with Thermal Grizzly Liquid Conductonaut by defunct Silicon Lottery
AMD GCN 5.0 GPU	Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX Vega 56 8GB HBM2	$85	Repasted/Reseated with Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut
AMD RDNA2 GPU	Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 6800 16GB GDDR6	$370	Repasted/Replaced with Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut and Aairhut Thermal Pad 13W/mk
16GB DDR3 Dual Channel Kit	2x Corsair Vengeance Pro DDR3-2400MHz CMY16GX3M2A2400C11R (2x8GB/Dual-sided)	$30/each
16GB DDR3 Quad Channel Kit	G.SKILL Trident X DDR3-2400MHz F3-2400C10Q-16GTX (4x4GB/Single-Sided)	$40	The 2400MHz speed and timings bring the latency down to the id-50s. ASRock Fatal1yt Z97 loves this kit and runs 100% stable!
Network Card	ASUS PCE-AC88 Dual-Band AC3100 Wireless PCI-E Adapter (incl. a four-antenna stand, slim PCI slot bracket, and driver CD/instructions)	$30
3.5" HDD 7200rpm	Western Digital Blue 1TB WD10EZEX	$10
AIO CPU Liquid Cooler	Corsair Hydro Series H80i V2 High Performance	$25	8 years old; out of warranty. Still adequate for a 65W CPU. Four screw holes may be widened or stripped partially due to past installation. Several cosmetic damages on all screw holes
Power Supply	EVGA SuperNova 650W G3	$35	Only takes motherboard with 4 or 8 pins EPS CPU connector
ATX Case	Be quiet! Pure Base 600 (incl. 3x Noiseblocker Multiframe M12-3 Low Fan Noise 1800rpm and fan gaskets, 2x fan logo stickers, 2x RGB led light strips and press/push button controller, 1x CD mounting bracket, 3x HDD cages, 5x HDD covers, brass standoffs, and screws)	$50 + shipping	A holder clip on the lower right corner of the front panel was broken off and replaced with a small patch of heavy-duty Velcro tape. Black electrical tape holds two mesh CD vent covers together, so you can replace them with OEM CD front covers.
Case Fan #1	4x Noiseblocker Multiframe M12-2 Low Noise Fan 1250rpm (incl. rubber gasket, logo sticker, and screws)	$6/each	Like-new; used for the brief time
Case Fan #2	1x Noiseblocker M12-PS PWM Quiet Fan 1500rpm (incl. rubber gasket)	$7
Case Fan #3 - Same link shown above	1x Noiseblocker Multiframe M12-P PWM Quiet Fan 2000rpm (incl. rubber gasket)	$8
Case Fan #4	2x Noctua NF-S12A FLX	$10/each
Case Fan #5	2x Noctua NF-F12 PWM	$10/each

Hi everyone and thank you for reading. I'm a data analyst with 9 years experience and I have a Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology. I was laid off and have been furiously submitting resumes ever since. Please let me know if you need more information and I will edit it in.
Now to the issue at hand. Sorry for the length.
TL;DR - Red flags galore? I can't find any information on this company, the website in the email is blank, the inserted picture is blank, I can't locate any individual with the names presented, and they want to pay me to set up a "mini office" and are paying me beforehand to do so. Scam? No response since my last email.
​
Red flag #1: I applied for a position that I cannot find a receipt for in my inbox for a remote position that they posted "on a job board."
I was emailed this morning at 0741 with the following information,
" We appreciate your interest in the remote Data Analyst position that we posted on a job board. Your application has been received and evaluated. Select "YES" if you accept to take part in the VIRTUAL INTERVIEW TODAY, JUNE 1, 2023.Please respond to SCHEDULE YOUR INTERVIEW so that we can make the appropriate arrangements.--Grant Electric, Llcgrantelectricllc.com
"
With no option to "select" anything, I emailed back "yes".
​
Red flag #2: They "carefully considered my application"!? What application!?
They responded at 1152,
"Thank you again for your interest in employment at Grant Electric, Llc. Grant Electric was established in 2009. Robert Grant's experience did not start there. He took electrical work in the mid 1980's in California. With over 25+ years of experience to build on, Robert Grant demonstrates a professional and educated opinion of your electrical needs. Detail orientation is our specialty, we ensure that each of our clients experience a quality, stress free job.
Grant Electric's main goal is to complete the work accurately and in a timely manner. We pride ourselves in providing expertise and a job well done the first time around.
We have carefully considered your application during the initial screening and will now proceed to administer a Screening test/Interview for you. In order for us to move ahead with the selection process, please reply this email to confirm your details as follows:
Name:
Phone Number:
Location:
I will email you the Screening Test/Interview Questions as soon I receive your email with the above details."
I provided those three pieces of information in a reply and I now regret giving them my phone number; my email address and name most likely came from LinkedIn.
​
Red flag #3: 100% remote screening exam with no demographic questions, "Llc" still not correctly capitalized, grammatical errors, and a 2.5 hour time limit on a same day thing?
They responded at 1222 with,
"The screening exam and interview questions are provided for the interview procedure. Always remember that there are no "correct answers." The purpose of the screening exam and interview questions is to evaluate your talents and provide information about how you handle duties relevant to the position of remote Data Analyst. You must email me your responses within the next two hours and thirty minutes.
If you have any questions, do not be afraid to contact us.
Good luck on the test,"
I replied (on time) with the attachment. I have also attached the "exam and interview questions" as pictures for your viewing pleasure.
​
Red flag #4: Bad English? Come and go as I choose? Direct Deposit with no banking forms included?
They replied at 1439 with,
"Thank you for completing the screening exam and interview questions. I've received and acknowledged your answers. Your replies will be evaluated by our staff and sent to the hiring board for consideration, after which I will contact you with the hiring board's decision remarks.
Working hours are flexible, so you may come and go as you choose. This will be a strictly online remote (work from home) position. In addition, if you are recruited at the conclusion of this procedure, you will be given training before you begin working full-time. Pay will be provided weekly via direct deposit and will be $65 per hour with a training allowance of $20.
I'll email your interview questions and responses to the hiring committee."
​
Red flag #5: Pleasure to interview me? When tf did that happen? Bad English again? Okay...too many red flags in this email...basically the whole thing.
They emailed again at 1537 with,
"It was a pleasure to interview you for the position of Data Analyst (REMOTE) in our company. I'm pleased to let you know that the company has selected you to work as one of our Data Analysts due to your level of expertise and your professional abilities (REMOTE). On behalf of our company, let me congratulate you on your achievement. From now, you have the opportunity to become a member of the Grant Electric, Llc Team. We believe that your skills and expertise would make a wonderful addition to our creative team and have a big impact on the company.
Every day, I'll email you your responsibilities, and I'll be available online to walk you through them. After setting up your mini office, you will begin a 3 to 5 day online training using Cisco WebEx and Skype. You will start out earning $65 per hour, and you can choose to receive your salary each week via wire transfer or direct deposit. Benefits include paid time off, wellness programs for employees, and health and dental insurance. Following three months of employment with us, you will be registered for additional benefits.
After five days of working together, we'll switch to virtual communication. After that, we'll offer you a username and password, along with a link to the corporate server and a list of phone numbers for various departments, together with all the forms you'll need to complete. In order to set up your little office and buy the office supplies and software required to begin your training and work, you will be paid before you begin.
Your employment offer letter will be sent to you by HR via email for signature. Our goal is to get you in the training as soon as possible. To help the secretary register you, please email HR at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) with the information listed below.
Subject: New Employee
Your Full Name:
Full Home Address:
Phone number:
Your Email :"
I was eating dinner and spending time with my family and didn't see this email.
​
Red flag #6: Um, are we in a rush?
I came back to the above email and the following email sent 22 minutes later at 1615,
"Hello OP, are you following?"
So at this point I'm all in thinking this is a scam. I emailed back very limited information, only what they already had, fully thinking something is up.
​
Red flag #7: They replied back, at 2300...why are they still working?
Reply at 2300,
"Hello, OP, submit the full information."
At this point I'm mostly done. Let's see if they have info.
​
Red flag #8: I sent them quite a few questions about the company and role. Did you not see my huge list of questions?
I sent,
"Hi Isaias,
I am hoping you can tell me a bit more about the company:
Can you provide more details about the company and its history?
What is the company's website and official contact information?
What is the company's physical address, and can I visit the office or meet with someone in person?
What is a phone number I can reach you and Paul at?
What are the company's core values, mission statement, or motto?
What are the types of responsibilities I will receive and on what days will I receive them?
What all needs to be set up in the mini office and how will you send the payment beforehand for me to buy it all?
Can you provide information about the specific role, its responsibilities, and reporting structure?
Who would be my direct supervisor, and can I learn more about their background and experience?
How many days PTO are there?
What are the wellness programs you offer?
What health and dental insurance do you offer?
What extra benefits will I be registered for after three months of employment?
Can I have an official check mailed to a P.O. Box?
What is the company's recruitment and hiring process?
Can you provide references from current or former employees who can vouch for their experience with the company?
Are there any employment agreements or contracts that need to be signed, and can I review them?
I will be happy to discuss moving forward with this position with you once I have received the answers to my questions listed above."
​
And received back,
"Hello OP, the information to submit to HR is incomplete, kindly provide the full information."
I said,
"I input the phone number (I left it out initially but added it because I forgot they already had it from earlier). Are you able to answer my questions?"
Received back,
"You are to provide your full address" no period...I only gave them my city and state as listed on my LinkedIn profile.
I replied,
"I'm sorry but I will only provide my full address when I have received the answers to my questions."
​
Am I insane? Super sketchy right? Please, help! TIA.

I should start this by saying I'm not a detective anymore.
After the events at the warehouse, I was paged to visit my direct supervisor, Sgt. Langley. She was sitting behind a mahogany desk when I came in, gazing at some sort of file. She looked up at me. "What the hell was that, Jonathan?"
"We were underprepared, ma'am." I replied.
She glared at me from across the room. "We have a man missing, and a severe casualty! How underprepared were you? Did you not take any precautions at all?"
"With all due respect, you weren't there, ma'am." I said, upset. "Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw down there. How would you expect someone to perform at their peak, faced with . . . that."
She sighed and looked down at the file, eyes skimming over the words. "The brass is asking I let you go, for the moment."
"You can't seriously thi-" I began to say.
She held up a palm. "Look, the media is all over this. For everyone's sake, including you," she jabbed a finger at me, "it's best that you stay out of this for the time being."
I stared at her. She stared back, and raised an eyebrow. I considered my options, and begrudgingly decided to hand over my badge and gun. Langley smiled again. "Look. This will all blow over soon. Just take a rest for a while, hmm?"
I didn't respond.
I left her office. It was twelve, and I had nothing to do besides worry about all that was going on.. So I went home and slept. I was exhausted after the past few days, after all.
I awoke to my doorbell ringing. I was in that half-asleep state, so I covered my head with a pillow, hoping that whoever it was would go away. The doorbell rung again. I shifted position in my bed, and checked my watch. Four o'clock. I was more tired than I thought.
The doorbell rung again.
I slowly got up and made my way to the door, brushing the sleep from my eyes. The door opened to reveal a scruffy-haired, lanky teenage kid, who looked to be about eighteen. He nodded at me, while smiling politely.
"What do you want?" I said, not-so-politely.
"Uh, yeah. I'm meant to drive you to this place. I mean, that is if you want to go." He said.
I looked at him, trying to discern if he was serious or not. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
He shrugged. "I'm not really sure. Someone came up to me and offered five hundred bucks to ask you to come with me. But you don't have to come, either. I've been told to say the decision is up to you." A look of remembrance flashed across his face. "Oh, yeah. I'm supposed to give this to you as well."
He pulled a well-folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to me. I opened it up, and read the words scrawled inside.
Heard you're out of work!
You should come join my zoo. We're always in need of more Zookeepers. :)
The boy peered at me from behind the paper. "So what is it then? Are you coming or not?"
I stared at him, blankly.
What do I say? How does whoever wrote this note know I lost my job anyways? It only just happened. This is obviously a trap anyways. The kid could even be on it. The last time I followed one of these notes, I lost a man, and almost got another killed. So what, then? Should I go or stay?
I looked back at the kid. "Yeah, I'm coming."
The kid drove with that careful rigidness that all first-year drivers seem to have. He drove for a while, slowly taking me out of town and into the rural back areas of my city. It took another thirty minutes of driving along long stretches of road the land becoming quieter and more desolate, before he pulled up onto a gravel pathway, which seemed to be the entrance of a much larger farm. I looked at the sign as he drove me in.
Winston's Family Orchard.
The gravel pathway diverted further up the track, and he took the right road. It ended up at what looked to be a farmhouse. There were lights on inside, and I heard the whir of machinery in the massive shed behind it. The kid stopped the car.
"This is your stop. Hope you have a great evening, sir." He cheerfully said, allowing me enough time to get out of the car before he drove back down the pathway.
I watched him until the headlights dipped below the horizon, before making my up the steps and onto the veranda. I could hear voices inside the house. Talking, laughing. It sounded like any house at dinnertime. Unsure of what to do, I knocked at the door.
The voices stopped.
I heard the soft pad of someone walking barefoot on hardwood towards me. The door opened. A man came out from behind it, he was of average height, cropped hair, and with three-day-stubble beginning to show. He stared at me with a faraway look in his eyes, before smiling, and gesturing for me to come in. "Glad you could make it! Dinner is just ready. Why don't you come join us?" His voice was deep and intoned, and familiar.
Very familiar.
"I . . . I know you." I said. More of an accusation than a fact. I thought back to the memories of the night I found my sister. The paramedic who passed me the note that started all of this. The paramedic who always seemed to be gazing of into the distance. No. No just gazing. Searching.
He tilted his head slightly. "Well, I'm happy to hear that! Makes acquaintances a bit more easier, then. Come on, you look hungry, let's eat!"
I didn't move. "I'm not going to fucking eat with you!" I yelled at him. "You killed my sister!"
He looked at me questioningly. "No. No. I didn't. I'm just a Keeper. You've got this all wrong. She-"
"I don't give a damn what you have to say!" I retorted.
"Hey, buddy. Let's calm down and talk this over a meal. I'm serious. Come and join us." And with that he walked back down the hallway. He turned left, into what I assumed was the dining room. I heard a couple of hushed voices, and scraping chairs. It seemed people were leaving.
I had two options. I could go in and find out what was going on. Or I could leave and forget about all of this. There was one problem, however. I would never be able to forget. The pain would never go away. The horrors of what I saw could not be forgotten.
I walked inside.
I entered the room I saw the paramedic go through. Inside there was a table, set like it was ready to feed a large family. There was a roast lamb in the middle, with a few cuts already sliced from it. Around it there was various side dishes and drinks. There was a man seated at the head of the table, directly opposite to where I was. It seemed everyone else had left.
The man spoke. His voice was rich and pronounced. "Isn't great that we can finally meet, Jonathan? I have so much that I would like to tell you."
". . . and who are you?" I asked.
He chuckled. "All in due time." He waved his hand at me. "Come. Sit. Eat. Anything you'd like. I do recommend the steamed asparagus, however. Bonnie really outdid herself there."
I remained standing.
He seemed unfazed, and continued to speak. "Now, I would like to remind you that you came here of your own accord, and you may leave whenever you feel like. We are not forcing you to stay here, but I so would enjoy your company." He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his stomach. "Now, before I start waffling on. Is there any questions you would like to ask? Any burning thing you would like to know?"
It didn't take me long to think of a question. "Why'd you do it? Why did you kill all these people?"
He paused for a moment, seemingly disappointed. "Straight to those questions, are we?" He sighed. "Look around at the world, what do you see? All I see is death. You, of all people should know that. People die all the time. Hundreds a second. Thousands a minute. So what does it matter that I take a few more lives? It's just a drop in the bucket of death."
He stood up. "And when people die, it's useless. Everything that they've ever done amounts to nothing in the void of eternity. But it's not just that. As a species, we are bringing ourselves closer to death every day. We cannot make the right choices. Ever. So, on behalf of all of us, I'm choosing."
I shook my head in disbelief. "Choosing what? You're just torturing people to the point of death! How is that supposed to solve anything?"
"Do you still not yet understand?" His voice rose. "I am saving us all! I am leading the charge in the evolution of our species! In due time, I will be revered all around the world, as the one person who saw what was right, and had the guts to do it!" He turned around to face me. "The first few deaths were unfortunate, yes. But they have helped the cause beyond anything you can dream of! I am so close to creating the perfect being. The savior of our species!" He looked at me, jabbing a finger in my direction. "And you will join me! Become a Keeper and embrace the new world!"
I was silent for a while. This guy is insane. I thought. Join him? Who the hell does he think he is? I'm leaving the first chance I get. But I had one more question I wanted to ask him.
"Why me? Out of all the people you could have chosen, why me?"
He smiled widely, and let out a low laugh. "All of these smarts, and yet you couldn't figure that out? I didn't choose you. Look at you, quivering in a corner. There are so many more suitable prospect then you." He said with a hint of disgust. "Now tell me, what makes you think I choose you?"
"I don't know! The notes. . .my sister. You just seemed to be interested in me." I said.
He chuckled again. "You really don't know, do you? Tell me, how often would your sister go for a walk at midnight?"
". . .I'm not sure. Never, I suppose."
"Then what was she doing that night?"
The question struck me as odd. I had never thought about what she was doing, only about how it happened. I could never figure it out. The only way it seemed possible for her to disappear, was if she had let it happen. But I ruled that one out early. She wouldn't just let herself get kidnapped, right?
Right?
The man arched an eyebrow at my silence. "You deserve the truth. Everyone does. Some people like to hide their secrets behind shadows and dark corners, praying they don't see the light of the day. I am not one of them. I strive to be open and honest in all that I do. I long for a world with no lies because there is nothing to lie about. Everyone is accepted. Everyone is valued. If you need proof, have I not told you my exact location twice now?"
"That's hardly fair. You shot at us the first time." I said.
"I did not shoot at you. You were just there. Look, I will explain to you everything. But first, I require something of you." He picked up a mug and started sipping at it. "Your loyalty. Tell me, Jonathan, will you join me?"
"You're out of your mind if you think I want any part of this." I said, resolutely.
A smile curled at the edge of his lips. "A pity." His eyes traveled down my body, seemingly gazing in everything. "Look at you, always slithering into situations you shouldn't have to be in. I think you'll make a fine snake."
I heard a shuffle behind me, and turned around just in time to see a metal bar being swung at my face. It connected with my forehead with a loud crack, sending me flying backwards onto the ground.
Pain.
That was the first thing I remember from when I woke up. Hot, searing pain, burning throughout my body and culminating in my forehead.
Pain.
A throbbing sensation that shook my body with every strangely-prominent beat of my heart, blurring my vision and deafening my eardrums.
Pain.
The metal floor was cold beneath me, drenched in my sweat. My arms were held down by some sort of shackle on each side, limiting my movement.
I was trapped.
With a killer.
I panicked. I thrashed my arms against the shackles, on the blind hope that I'd be able to free myself. The pain on my arm increased, and probably caused a bruise. I yelled out in pain, but discovered I was gagged with a piece of cloth.
"Struggling's just going to make it worse, you know." A voice said behind me. The man's voice from the dinner table. "Like I said before, you are free to leave whenever you wish. But since you won't give me your loyalty, I'll have to settle with something else." He walked around into my line of vision, holding what looked to be a saw. "I'll make this quick, but I have to warn you, I don't like using anesthetic. The body should feel pain. It's natural. How else would it learn to heal?"
He walked around to the other side of me, and turned on a camera that was held up on a tripod facing me. The lights blinked to signify that it was recording. He came back to me, and placed the teeth of the saw on my left arm, in the pit on the opposite side of the elbow. "Now, snakes don't have arms. So, I'll start with that."
I struggled against the binds again. Adrenaline coursed through my veins from the fear, with no way to use it. Panic was setting in, and the human body's core instinct is self-preservation. And I was doing the best I could to get away from this.
"Don't struggle, Jonathan. It just makes it take longer. It'll be over soon. I promise." He said, in a calm, steady voice.
And with that he pushed the saw downwards. My body screamed with pain, and my visioned blackened. I could feel blood seep out of the incision across the arm.
He continued to bring the saw downwards. Pushing it forwards and backwards, cutting through veins and arteries. I felt him hit bone. He continued to cut, I could feel the vibrations of my humerus being split in two.
I lost consciousness for the second time that evening.
When I came to my gag was gone. And my arm. The remaining stump was wrapped up in a torniquet and bandaged at the end. Everything still hurt, but much worse than before. Much, much worse. The man was still standing there, behind the camera. He seemed happy to see me awake.
"Had a good nap, then?" He walked over to where I was laying down, and held my remaining hand in his. "Everyone deserves a choice. Free will is what defines us. So I'm going to give you a choice. You could get up and leave right now, and work for me, or have your other other arm removed and your legs stitched together. It's completely up to you!"
Work for a madman. Or die to a madman. Self-preservation is stronger than dignity. "I. . .want to work for you." I said, struggling between breaths.
"Very good! Let's get you out of those binds shall we?" He plucked a key from his pocket and swiftly unlocked them, I tried to sit up, and promptly fell back down, my head spinning.
The man started to walk away. "Now, I'm going to begin your induction, you may feel free to leave or explore the house whenever you feel like. If you're hungry there's leftovers in the fridge. As I said, we're not trapping you here." He turned and smiled at me. "You're going to enjoy this, Jonathan. Toodles!"
He left the room, and went up a few stairs that I hadn't noticed before.. I took my time getting up, waiting until the earth stopped spinning under my feet. Walking felt strange without an arm, the weight was gone from there and I felt lopsided and unbalanced. I took in my surroundings. It was some sort of basement under the house, with different types of surgical equipment scattered around.
Besides that there was recording equipment scattered around and placed at various places. A few were still on, but most were turned off. There was a door to my left, and the staircase directly in front of me. There was a placard on the door with a single word on it.
Elephant.
I opened the door. It was dimly lit inside. The air smelled of musk and human waste. There was a small machine in the corner, lit up and whirring, with various cables hooked up to a large mound in the middle. The door slammed shut behind me.
The mound moved.
I took a step back out of fear. My focus shifted, and the horrible realization that I was looking at a person dawned on me. The person was extremely large, covered in layers of fat that rolled across their body. The person laboriously shuffled around to face me. The tubes from the machine connected into a mask that covered their mouth. The tubes continuously pumped a soft, gray liquid into the person's mouth.
I had only seen something like this once before, when looking for a murderer who was hiding in an abandoned mental hospital. A force-feeder.
On either side of the mask, the person had two large metal spikes coming out of each nostril, and back out the side of their head. Judging by the scars surrounding them, the spikes were drilled inside the cranium, until they eventually came out the other side, through the nose.
I shuddered at the thought.
The person slowly made their way forwards, shoving themselves against the floor. The person looked up at me, directly into my eyes. I saw the pleading in them. The humanity. Asking to be set free. And I saw something else, a flicker of recognition. Of understanding. I looked closer, past what I didn't want to see, past everything I didn't want to think about and I saw a friend.
I saw Thompson.
He was battered and beaten, and larger than he used to be. But it was still him. I rested on his shoulder and cried. Long and hard. This, more than anything broke me. Thompson didn't deserve this. No one does.
I glanced behind me, at the saw that cut off my arm. I stood up and grabbed it off the table, with my remaining hand. I brought it over to Thompson and held it over his face. His eyes grew misty, but he nodded, a slow and deliberate movement. He knew what it meant.
It was going to be hard to cut with only one available hand, so I opted for a large swing and used momentum to get the job done. A clean cut that severed his jugular and removed his life from his body.
I dropped the saw on the ground next to Thompson.
I made my way up the stairs and out of the front door. I had no shoes on, and the gravel road was tough under my feet. But I walked forwards. I was leaving, and nothing would stop me. The man had said so himself. And so I left.
But not forever.
I will be back.
For Thompson. For Alice.
I've got nothing left to lose and everything to gain.
x

After watching the new interview episode today. First Robotics competition (FRC) kept coming up in my mind. I think Tyler would have a great time looking into the game and it's rules. to give a brief explanation of a season to prove my point. you start the first weekend of the year. you are tasked with a game this game will have a theme with different tasks such as shooting a giant tennis ball into a goal or placing a cone on a peg. the teams are then given 6 weeks to design, build, and test a new robot. in order to do what a team believes will score them the most points. so for example this year the main thing a robot would do is place cones and cubes on pegs and shelfs, so my team made a robot that can move in any horizontal direction and uses rollers to pick up cones. This made our robot focus on cones and leave cubes behind, leaving points unscored. next once a robot is built it is coemption season. first you go to a regional then if you win you go to Worlds. A competition is broken into two parts the first rankings and playoffs. rankings is when a team is assigned two other robots making an alliance for the match. a team will have to coordinate with the other teams to form a good strategy for the match. the rankings phase is continued until all teams play against every other team (roughly 100 matches here in MN). a match is split into 3 phases auto, teleop, and end game. auto last 15 sec and is run by any preprogramed instructions a team makes, during this phase most points have added value. teleop is the main human controlled phase where teams will drive their robot and make it do the objective of this years game. then in the last 30 seconds or so you are in end game this is when most alliances get their robots into position to do the end game activity like climb up monkey bars or balance on a teeter totter.
​
sorry of the incoherent rabbling TLDR:
First Robotics competition is fun it involves STEM and most people involved would love to talk your ear off about it. please look it up and if you find it interesting go check it out next spring.

In a world gripped by the fever of AI, tech behemoths are scrambling to unleash their latest chatbot brainchildren. In this mad dash, Google declared its entrant in the race, Bard, in the sprouting days of March 2023. A mere two months later, Bard started its digital tour, gallivanting across a whopping 180 regions. However, a slight snafu occurred in the grand plan – European nations were nowhere to be found on Bard's travel itinerary. Every EU dweller hoping for a tête-à-tête with Bard would instead receive the digital equivalent of a "Sorry, we're closed" sign: “Bard isn’t currently supported in your country.
But every dark cloud has a silver lining, and the silver lining here is the ease with which one can invite Bard into the EU. Google plays Sherlock Holmes, investigating your IP address to discern if you're browsing from an EU country. So, with the right digital props, you can impersonate an IP address from an approved location, tearing down Bard’s regional walls as easily as one might tear a page from a book.
Enter stage left: Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs. These services have the magical ability to convince Google you're sunning yourself on a beach in Miami, not trudging through snow in Stockholm. Not just a one-trick pony, VPNs also encrypt your online activities, turning them into unintelligible gibberish to any nosy parkers or the too-helpful owners of your favorite cafe's Wi-Fi. This guide is your backstage pass, your secret map, your golden ticket to getting access to Bard within the EU.
The Great Bard Caper: Tricking Google's Chatbot into Thinking You're Anywhere But Here
Want to invite Bard into your digital living room regardless of where you're sipping your coffee in the real world? Here's a simple step-by-step choreography to the Bard dance:
First things first, cast a discerning eye over the VPN market and select a service that values your security as much as a squirrel values acorn. NordVPN frequently stars in our recommendations, but you're the director of this little performance.
With your chosen VPN in hand, proceed to download, install, and log in. It's a bit like getting the key to a secret clubhouse, only this clubhouse allows you to be anywhere in the world at the click of a button.
Next, choose a server from your home country (or whatever non-EU location is nearest). It's like choosing a costume for a masquerade ball – you want to pick something that conceals your identity, but doesn't make you stand out too much.
By doing this, you'll be switching your IP address and thereby pulling the wool over Google's eyes, who would otherwise deduce that you're beyond the boundaries of Bard's jurisdiction.
Last but not least, waltz on over to Bard’s website. As soon as you accept the terms of use, you should be able to chat away with Bard as freely as a kid discussing his superhero aspirations. And there you have it, a magical, yet practical guide to using Bard from wherever your heart, or rather your physical self, is located.
NordVPN
Playing hide-and-seek with Google's Bard from some sun-soaked piazza in Europe? Let NordVPN step into the role of your savvy accomplice. Boasting servers in a not-too-shabby 60 countries, some even pulling the late shift to dodge the stringent barricades of online blocking, this is the VPN equivalent of a digital Houdini.
Not only does it take the top podium spot in the sprint race of VPNs, posting a cheetah-esque average speed of 190 Mbps in our stopwatch trials, but NordVPN also juggles a laundry list of streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max, and Disney+. Plus, it's got a heart big enough to secure up to six of your devices simultaneously. And should you ever find yourself in a pickle, NordVPN has round-the-clock customer support standing by like a digital cavalry.
A VPN's raison d'etre is to make your online activities as clandestine as a classified operation. NordVPN rises to the challenge with a potent mix of encryption that would put Fort Knox to shame, an array of digital shields like leak protection and a kill switch, and a no-logs policy as stern as a Victorian headmaster. True, it stashes away advertising IDs on mobile gadgets, but it kindly gives you a cheat sheet on how to wipe them clean. Toss in some fancier gizmos like Onion over VPN servers, automatic tracker-blocking, and a MeshNet tool for securely linking your devices even if they're scattered across different continents, and you've got yourself a swanky VPN package.
No matter your device's operating system - Linux, MacOS, Windows, Android, or iOS - NordVPN has an app for it. And for those wielding a router, it's got a manual setup guide to turn it into a NordVPN conduit. All in all, NordVPN is like a digital chameleon, helping you blend into the online world while you enjoy your chat with Bard from wherever you might be.
SurfsharkVPN
In the aquatic realm of the VPN universe, Surfshark swishes its digital tail among an impressive crowd of 3,000+ servers, dotting the map in 100 countries, many of them lounging comfortably outside the EU's borders. Unlike many of its compatriots in the digital ocean, this service boasts a swanky resume of geo-blocked platforms it has conquered: Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video, to name a few. So, the challenge of sneaking into Bard's restricted zone is about as difficult as eating a piece of cake for Surfshark.
Blessed with Olympian speeds and an open-door policy for the number of devices you can connect (an online cornucopia, if you will), Surfshark is the perfect digital wingman for families who have a thing for streaming. And with a customer support crew buzzing with activity 24/7, you're never more than a few clicks away from your digital life-raft.
Surfshark is a veritable digital fortress when it comes to safeguarding your data, equipped with encryption that would give Alan Turing a run for his money, a kill switch that would make MI6 proud, and leak protection that is about as watertight as the Titanic was supposed to be. It also takes its no-logs policy seriously, a claim verified by independent auditors. Plus, it’s adept at swatting away ads, trackers, and malware like pesky digital flies, and can even switch up your IP address every so often to keep your online identity as elusive as Bigfoot. Toss in an antivirus, a privacy-focused search engine, and a data-breach monitor (not part of the basic subscription, mind you), and you've got a serious contender for your VPN affections.
With apps crafted for iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows, and Linux, Surfshark is ready to hitch a ride on any device. And for the router-savvy among you, a manual installation guide stands ready at your disposal. Surfshark really is the ideal VPN: a veritable Swiss Army Knife in a digital ocean of butter knives.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN, a steam-powered engine in the digital realm, whizzes along the virtual track at astonishing speeds, gracefully bypassing servers in more than 90 countries. Not only can it poke a hole in Bard's geo-restriction bubble, but it can also cloak your torrenting antics, offer a secure browsing tunnel in the deepest trenches of online restrictions, and stream your beloved TV series from all corners of the globe. With a user interface as uncomplicated as a three-piece jigsaw puzzle and a support team that never sleeps, ExpressVPN is the perfect travel companion for any VPN newcomer, or for those who simply prefer their digital services without a surplus of bells and whistles.
As a digital toolkit for accessing Bard, ExpressVPN carries everything you'd need: The Fort Knox of encryption methods, 256-bit, a kill switch (which abruptly halts data traffic if your connection acts like a petulant teenager and drops), and safeguards against DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leaks. It also boasts the ability to give certain apps a hall pass to sidestep the VPN, or to switch on auto-connect when on a network you don't recognize. ExpressVPN doesn't jot down any data that could unmask you and has undergone an audit to vouch for this. And for those digital privacy enthusiasts who wish to pay in Bitcoin, ExpressVPN gladly accepts your digital gold.
From iOS to MacOS, Android to Windows, and not forgetting Linux, ExpressVPN has an app for almost any device. Moreover, it's the only top-tier provider with its own blueprint for router firmware, simplifying the process of fortifying every device on your network with a VPN shield. ExpressVPN: like the bullet train of VPNs, only without the pesky physical limitations.
Behind the Curtain: Unveiling the Bard VPN Selection Saga
Deeming which VPNs are the cream of the crop for specific endeavors is akin to navigating through a digital labyrinth. A myriad of services, all wearing similar façades, are in reality, as different as chalk and cheese when you pop their hoods. That's why, to shine a light on the most reliable contenders, we rolled up our sleeves, delved into a plethora of providers with Bard, and subjected them to a battery of tests. We meticulously examined their offerings across a spectrum of categories:
Geographic Mettle: Bard is a bit of a wallflower in EU countries, meaning providers must offer a healthy sprinkling of locations that give it the green light, such as the US and the UK. We also rummage through the closets of providers using virtual servers since these can muddle the waters about which country's legalities preside over your data.
Speed and Sturdiness: Our stopwatch is always at the ready to see which VPNs have their running shoes on, and how their sprint has altered over time. A hat trick of tests per provider (three locations at thrice different times) helps us strike an average, curbing some of the fickleness and ensuring services with unflinching speeds lead the pack.
Versatility: Despite your primary hunt being a VPN to unblock Bard, your digital pursuits might expand to secure streaming, torrenting, or gaming. Hence, we conduct a variety of tests that mirror the average Joe's usage, giving the boot to any VPNs that can't keep pace.
Security and Privacy: One of our key missions is to ensure that VPNs come equipped with the digital arsenal necessary to keep your traffic concealed from digital peeping Toms. We search for encryption that would baffle even the most cunning of codebreakers, safety nets like a kill switch, and any superior tools such as stealth mode. We also scrutinize their logging policies and audit history, so you're not left taking a company's privacy claims on a wing and a prayer.
User-friendliness: We have a soft spot for VPNs that roll out the red carpet for newbies. This entails offering a multitude of apps, transparently described settings, and an accessible customer support hotline. Other cherries on top include task-dedicated servers, a lack of connection restrictions, and auto-connection gadgets.
Pricing: Although it shouldn't be your North Star, price is a worthy compass. We pit services against their similarly priced adversaries, while also keeping an eye out for any money-back assurances, free trials, or seasonal discounts, so your digital wallet doesn’t feel any unnecessary strain.

I'm making this post because of all the complaints people are still having about the whole AE vs SE and whether you should downgrade your game or not. For me, I saw doing both as the best answer and I don't mean the best of both worlds patch. When I say both, what I mean is why not have both an SE and an AE mod list and then when the new Skyrim update eventually comes out you can still have your SE and AE lists and also put together a list for whatever comes out after the update inevitably breaks mods again. Note that this also works for Fallout but it's really only useful for New Vegas if you wanna have a normal NV list and a separate TTW list since you'll need 2 separate game instances. I also wanna point out that this guide will be specifically for MO2 since it will take advantage of the Portable Instance installation that Vortex doesn't have. I don't wanna discourage Vortex users from doing this but know that it's more annoying and it also won't support transferring the list from one computer to another because of the way vortex handles it's installed mods. I'm not talking about mod deployment here so don't bother saying anything about the hardlink deployment. What I mean is that if you take your mods sub folder within the main vortex folder and try to pass it to a vortex folder on your new PC it will not work as vortex doesn't have any support for this. Finally, note that doing this will take up a lot of space on your PC which is another reason I recommend MO2 since you can get a hard drive with a couple TB for cheap to use for storage then pass the modded instance you're actively using onto your main SSD which vortex will not allow without significant hassle.
To begin with I will go over how I organize my folder. Know that you don't have to have your stuff organized exactly like mine but you do need to make sure you have all the stuff you'll need within your modding folders that you'll wanna keep. If you don't have 2 drives on your PC then replace any where that says D:/ with C:/ instead
To start create a new folder under D: and name that folder modding. (D:/modding)
In your Modding folder create a folder called Base Games and this is where you will be backing up all of your base game files, this is what lets you get around the whole steam update stuff, to get your base game backups you go into your steam commonapps folder and just copy paste the whole game folder and that's all there is to it.
D:/modding/base games
D:/modding/base games/Skyrim SE
D:/modding/base games/Skyrim AE (Make sure to also run the game from this folder and download all your owned CC content so it's there and you don't have to do it ever again)
D:/modding/base games/Skyrim Future Update
D:/modding/base games/FNV
D:/modding/base games/FO3
When you have your base games backup up then we move on to getting a mod list setup. This is as simple as modding normally however you will begin to encounter issues with the multiple installation instances as you use tools like Dyndolod that auto scan your windows registry for the game install location which it will see as the first place you launched the game from so if you launched it when it was in steam folder then the dyndolod would look there for your game instead of your modding folder, I'll address this further on in this guide.
Create a new folder in your modding folder and this will be your actual mod list folder so as an example we'll call this list "A Dragonborns Fate" as their guide is quite useful and I would recommend it to anyone as a base for a new modlist on the current AE version. Inside this folder you'll want to have your MO2 portable instance installed there and then you'll also paste your game folder next to the MO2 folder
D:/modding/A Dragonborns Fate
D:/modding/A Dragonborns Fate/SkyrimAE
D:/modding/A Dragonborns Fate/MO2
While you're here also add folders for other things you may wanna keep stored. For people who setup dyndolod store your Texgen and Dyndolod outputs here so that you don't lose them in the future and you'll know which mod list each output is for so they don't get mixed up in the dyndolod folder. If you're someone who sets up custom DAR folders to customize all your animations I would also throw an animations folder in here so you can have animations specific to each list. For example I use the dynamic stances mod and I have several prebuilt folders saved for each stance that are specific to each instance so in one mod list I will have a certain combination of animations for my high stance but on another instance I made for a friend, the stances all have different animations from my own
D:/modding/A Dragonborns Fate/Texgen output
D:/modding/A Dragonborns Fate/Dyndolod output
D:/modding/A Dragonborns Fate/Animations
As I mentioned before, the modding process from here is exactly the same as normal, setup MO2 to handle nexus links and just setup your mod list like you normally would. For the most part you shouldn't have any issues with programs not finding your game folders since you can run them through MO2s virtual file system so things like the nemesis engine should work just fine. The only problem I've had is with Dyndolod since even after putting my game folders location in the argument line in MO2, dyndolod kept checking the windows registry and was looking into my skyrim instance in the base games folder and launching from the modpack folder didn't change the registry since the other instance is still there. I know some of you are reading windows registry and starting to get worried that the fix is super complicated because windows registry sounds like hackeit stuff. Editing your windows registry is incredibly easy and literally takes like 30 seconds but it will be a bit annoying since you would need to do it for both your SE and AE instance so dyndolod knows where to find them.
To start you'll wanna copy the path to your skyrim folder inside of the mod list folder so for this example you would be copying this path - D:/modding/A Dragonborns Fate/SkyrimAE
Next go down to your start menu and search registry editor and the windows app will pop up, when looking at the registry editor you will see a bunch of weirdly named folders on the left hand side, among those folders look for "HK_LOCAL_MACHINE". From there it will show several more folders and you wanna look for the "Software" folder. In the software dropdown look for "WOW6432Node". Finally, look for the Bethesda Software folder and there you will see "Skyrim Special Edition" when you click on the folder you will look over to the right side of the editor and you will see something there that says "default" and "installed path". To change the installation path simply double click the "installed path" and a little menu will pop up, in there just paste your folder location over the existing location and hit "OK"
At this stage you have a copy of your mod fully saved to your PC, permanently and you won't have to worry about future updates or having to scrap your mod list to make a new one which realistically you didn't have to do anyways when using MO2s profile system. If you're trying to pass this list to a new PC or to your friends PC you will now notice a little issue pops up. When you try to run the game you will be hit with a "download" button from steam since steam ID locks games to a specific PC. You can just go ahead and download Skyrim normally and then go through the hassle of redownloading CC content and telling MO2 to now use a new folder, also if you're using this to save a TTW list you'll need to reinstall TTW. When I started this I promised the ability to pass this to a new PC without extra setup on the new PC and this is where we will get into cracking your game files.
Before I go over this I want to make it clear that I'm not posting this to condone game piracy. Cracking has it's roots in game preservations just as much as it does with piracy so it's usually seen in a bad light. I want to make it clear that cracking your own game files is 100% legal as long as your aren't using them to redistribute the game to other people. Passing it over to your friend is absolutely Piracy and that includes giving them the AE content if they don't own it. I can' control what people do with this but know that if you pass this to someone who does not already own the content you're giving them that is considered piracy and is very much illegal.
I'm not gonna put the actual instructions for cracking here since that's already on the sites of the tools you'll be using. I will only link the tools here and the rest will be up to you. The main tools for cracking are going to be Steamless, and Goldberg emulator. These tools can be a bit tedious on their own but someone has graciously made an auto cracker that requires you to download the first 2 tools and then automates the process for you.

Part Two: Costco History Remembered
The Costco you know today is light years different from it’s early days when it comes to merchandising. The first Costco was VERY much a warehouse with low light, lots of walls in strange places, and a lot of product jammed into every available spot. Most manufacturers believed that Costco was just a low quality discounter selling “seconds” (products that weren’t first quality), and so they didn’t want to sell to Costco because they felt it would diminish their brand, or it would violate their exclusivity agreements with other retailers.
To combat this, the founders of Costco made sure there was a huge sign behind the membership desk proclaiming the 100% return guarantee on products sold. It sent a clear message that Costco was not a junk dealer, and that did help a few vendors to agree to sell to Costco. Those first brave companies were rewarded with tremendous loyalty in their relationship with Costco, and the bond stayed strong despite the otherwise fickle world of wholesale/ retail.
So, what was selling, and what eventually went away?
1) several categories were much more prominent in the early days. Automotive aisles had engine hoists, ramps, air tools, jack stands, and more. The tool aisles were loaded with inexpensive tools made by Allied, and it was very similar to Harbor Freight. There were multiple aisles year round of what is often called knock-down furniture. O’Sullivan was the brand name, and the member had to assemble it like an IKEA product. The boxes were enormously heavy, but Costco sold a gazillion bookcases that way. As Costco grew, the realization that it had to focus on reaching higher levels of quality caused it to switch to better furniture brought in seasonally, and as fewer people were working on their cars, the sales diminished on those items to a level requiring the auto aisles to be greatly reduced to mostly oil and windshield wipers.
Tools were another issue. Home Depot, Lowe’s, and some local places like Eagle ( that later got bought by Lowe’s) all monopolized the big brands like Dewalt, and those tool companies believed that if they sold to Costco, their relationship with the hardware stores would suffer significantly. To this day, Costco still struggles to find quality tools to sell.
2) some categories were HOT! Cameras and film were tremendous sellers. Costco usually has 10+ SKUs of cameras, and had a whole pallet island of film. Kodak film, Fuji Film, and Polaroid film was in almost every member’s cart. Unfortunately, Polaroid film was also in the top ten of stolen items! Organized groups would swoop in, fill bags/ pockets with it, then dash out the door. Undercover employees could usually be found staking out that section. All this went away when phones started taking the place of cameras.
3) office supplies had multiple aisles of product. Copy paper sold out quickly (even today, Costco keeps it’s wholesale title by selling truckloads of it to school districts, etc.). Computer paper was a must have—-remember the stuff that had little holes on each side so a gear could pull it through a printer? “Green bar” paper sold like crazy. Office chairs had 6 or more styles, and members would race each other down the aisles in them if they weren’t cabled to the steel. The rise of what came to be known as Category Killers lead to the office department’s reduction to just an aisle. Office Depot, Office Max, etc all could match or undercut Costco on the best sellers by selling all the other items that they carried at a higher mark-up to offset the loss leader.
4) I always felt bad for the bread and potato chip vendors. In the early days, they would be in the aisles for hours before opening because they had to take two retail size packages and use tape guns to create a two-pack of everything. Their companies in the early days refused to believe that customers would be crazy enough to buy huge bags of chips or super long loaves of bread, so for several years they made their route drivers lives miserable. Today, when I see what a supermarket calls “ family size” for a bag of chips, I can only laugh—it looks like an individual serving size compared to Costco! Also, the route drivers LOVE Costco, because it’s typically just one stop and they’re done until they have to come back and restock/ face the product later in the afternoon
5)So very much of Costco in the early days was focused on the commercial size products. Many of the canned food items came only in #10 cans ( the big ones that are almost the size of a bowling ball). There was no option for a smaller can. Eventually, as the membership grew to be dominated by retail shoppers, Costco started the separate Business Center division, and those allowed Costco to have the space for things like 6 packs of small cans instead.
6) Bonus memory! Clothing in the early days was often described as dowdy, old lady clothing that no one would want except at Halloween. Certainly it wasn’t THAT bad, but almost no clothing vendors would sell to Costco directly, so most was bought from middle men selling what no one else wanted. Worse, Costco had huge, ugly clothing racks made from 2x4s and pipe to display the clothes, so it was all displayed like you’d see in your closet. Shoulder view only! Costco put the clothes on a table eventually, and the sales skyrocketed. With the shear volume of people picking through them, it is very, very labor intensive to keep the tables looking clean, neat, and straight, but it’s worth it. The vendors soon saw the incredible sales Costco was doing, and now most sell direct. A few (Harley Davidson apparel for example) are still hold-outs.
Kinda long post, but I hope you enjoyed it enough for me to do more.

Hola buenas días noches o tu hora xd Hoy te traigo mi primera historia de terror por Sylfox espero que la disfrutes
Bueno un día Carlos llegaba a su casa a las 6 en punto como todos los días, era habitual qué Carlos cruzará un puente para llegar a su casa pero esta vez como estaba lloviendo y el puente estaba en mal estado decidió irse por la ruta más larga en la que nunca había cruzado a esas horas
Esa carretera parecía fantasma porque no había otro automovil allí, eso a él le pareció raro ya qué en ese lugar era muy transcurrido, pasaron y ya eran las 8 de la noche Carlos decidió usar su GPS ya qué estaba en medio de la nada, en lo que el enciende su teléfono se escucha un alarido de un animal grande, Carlos no le dio mucha importancia ya qué en ese lugar no era escuchar animales así, en ese lugar no había señal, en lo que decide volver, la lluvia se volvia más y más fuerte.
En eso se percató a medío camino qué encontró un pueblo que no había visto la primera vez que paso por ese lugar, su auto se quedaba sin gasolina entonces decidio entrar a ese pueblo, allí la gente parecía amable, no había nada de qué preocuparse, encontro un hotel allí y como estaba lejos de casa y estaba lloviendo decidio pasar la noche en ese lugar.
Cuando entro allí se percató qué casi todas las habitaciones estaban ocupadas solo quedaba una en el segundo piso a la cual Carlos acepto sin problemas, cuando se acomodando para dormir mira su celular y todavía no hay señal
El suspira, y ve que son 10 p.m, decidio dormir
Carlos se despertó a las 2:30 a.m porque escucho un ruido muy fuerte, con la reacción se levantó, agarro su celular y encendio la linterna, ya que no había electricidad en el hotel, decidio ver por la ventana y miro un lobo manchado de sangre en su cuerpo y llevaba consigo una cabeza de una mujer sin ojos y tenía costurada su boca a lo que lobo se percata qué lo están observando, el miro fijamente a Carlos que sostenía su teléfono a lo que sonrió al ver alguien vivo en ese lugar, el lobo se rio porque su cena estaba servida
En eso Carlos se asustó y corrió al lobby de el hotel a lo que estaba repleto de personas sin hojos y costurada su boca a lo que grita pero no se escucho su grito es decir todo el lugar estaba en silencio y todos hacian una fila para un hueco en el suelo donde se podía describir como el infierno mismo, a lo que el corre solo para encontrarse con el lobo qué traía un collar con forma de su cabeza en eso el lobo dijo
Lobo: tu serás el siguiente en la lista...
No especifico más y lo atacó bruscamente a lo que le dejo una herida en su estómago
Carlos con sus últimas fuerzas corrió a su auto para encontrarse con el mismo pero muerto con una herida en su estómago, a lo que el espectro qué estaba con el le dice
Espectro: has vivido muchas experiencias buenas pero hoy tendrás que dejar este mundo y unirte a nosotros como vagabundos de las almas perdidas, el lobo te ayudará a conocer el camino que mereces
En eso el espectro desaparece, Carlos asustado encendio su auto y tomo curso a la carretera en lo que el lobo se encuentra enfrente suyo y susurra
Lobo:¿intentas escapar de tu destino simple mortal?
Carlos sin escuchar ni una sola palabra arrolló al lobo qué impedia su camino para luego chocar contra un un poste de alumbrado público a lo que este le cae encima y el lobo se acerca diciendo
Lobo: la muerte nos persigue a todos y tu fuiste una de sus víctimas
En eso Carlos se despierta en su casa con su alarma matutina de siempre y se ve al espejo y tiene una gran cicatriz en su estómago y un mensaje en el espejo diciendo "tu serás uno de nosotros.... Pronto llegará tu hora de unirte con los muertos qué somos..... No esperes el día porque puede ser hoy".
Gracias por leer amigos míos en esta puse mucho empeño solo fueron 30 minutos de escritura pero me gustó como quedó
Quieren la segúnda parte de esto solo síganme compartan y listo subire más historias aló largo de las semanas como 3 historias a la semana o menos depende como este yo
Bueno Sylfox se despide y gracias por leer

So, my situation is a bit unique, but TLDR, US citizen living overseas, 40y/o military vet of 8 years, self taught developer, with 6 years experience. Was working for about 60k USD a year in Japan, and just accepted an offer at 120k per year as the first in-house developer for a small startup in Colorado.
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Now for the full story
As I mentioned in the TLDR, I'm a us citizen. I left the military in 2012 during the downdraw, couldn't find a job, and ended up moving to east asia where I used most of my GI bill learning Japanese and Mandarin, before getting a job teaching English at a university.
I spent some time learning frontend web development at the behest of my best friend, who thought it would be a good fit for me. I spent probably about four years self-teaching off and on, developing my own (very crappy) apps, all while teaching to earn a living.
First gig
While in China, I got my first job at a geo-services company from Germany. Got hired to develop a website, ended up diving into Python / DJango and other languages to build a full stack app alongside one other brilliant engineer (we are still good friends to this day)
Pay: About 15USD an hour.
Current gig
About three years ago, in 2020, I picked up my current job. Vue, Nuxt, Vuetify is the frontend, with some PHP / Laravel / Eloquent for the backend. Learned a lot, and now I'm the lead engineer for the frontend portion of the app.
​
The Process / job hunt
So, this process is unique to me because of my situation. But, I hope it gives you guys some hope.
I started my job search because my wife and I decided we should go back to the States for our careers and start a family. Honestly, long-term, Japan isn't good for either of us (we are both foreigners in this land of the Rising Sun).
I started my search in January.
After about 500 applications, I kinda stopped counting. I rewrote my CV four times.
I suspect my CV was thrown in the bin many times since I'm not in the States; in fact, several recruiters and HR reps asked me if I needed visa sponsorship, despite it stating in BIG BOLD LETTERS on my CV that I'm a US Citizen / Veteran. This leads me to believe that half of the companies I initially interviewed with didn't bother reading my CV.
Some companies I interviewed with decided not to move forward with me due to my location; they didn't want to bother hiring someone who wasn't local, even though I'm going to relocate.
Surprise surprise, those companies are still actively looking for a developer.
Initially, I got more interviews with companies in Europe than the States; strange how European countries are more willing to sponsor a visa for a foreigner, than a company in the states is willing to wait for someone to relocate.
I failed some tech interviews, so I studied more and kept grinding.
In total, I think I interviewed with eleven different companies.
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The Accepted Offer
This is the weird bit.
I started interviewing with a small company in Colorado a few weeks ago. CEO is, obviously, a smart dude, and probably more transparent than most HR reps I came across.
Problem: The stack in the new job is full PHP / Laravel. I can do some very basic stuff with that; some migrations, and so on. Unfortunatley I just haven't had the time to go deeper in the backend of my current job to learn more about PHP / Laravel.
I have been very honest about this fact. In the very first interview, and subsequent interviews, I told the CEO and his small team that yeah, they could find other developers who are much better than me in PHP / Laravel. Yes, of course I can learn it, but if they needed someone to fix things right away and add new features, they need to hire someone else.
Well, after three interviews, I got hired. It seems that the CEO has realistic expectations of me. They currently hire devs from a different company to build their software.
I'll be starting off part time on a 1099 while I relocate and take some time off to visit family. Officially starting full time in mid-August. During the 1099 period I'll be able to learn the backend and work with the current software team to learn the system. Personally I'm hoping I can learn enough to fix some simple bugs after the first week or two, and start adding new features after a month of full time work.
I don't know if I'm biting off more than I can chew, but it does seem the CEO has realistic expectations, and I know I can learn it over time and push myself a bit more. I'm just surprised they hired me. I think it's because they do need someone with good communication skills and eventually be able to lead other developers as the company grows. The CEO mentioned this in the previous two interviews.
Pay / Benefits
120k a year. Two weeks vacation (pretty standard I think). Full remote, can work anywhere in the states. Health benefits? well, that's kind of the crappy part. I will have to pay for my health insurance; fortunately during negotiations, we finalized that the company will pay me 300USD a month towards my health insurance. Better than nothing, and honestly I believe that the CEO is doing his best. They are still growing and benefits will increase next year.
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Am I getting underpaid? Yeah, most likely I am. But, it's a foot in the door back in the states, and after a year or two, things may get better at this company. We don't know what the future will bring, but I know once I get a lot better at the language, my working time will get easier, and I'll be able to use some time to focus on side projects and self development, as well as my family.
Notes / Other stuff
During this time I started l33tcoding for the first time; I actually enjoy it quite a bit, so I still do it a few times a week. I also started a side project to re-familiarize myself with Python, and use the latest Vue/Nuxt/Vuetify versions to and make a frontend for a geolocation backend.
I also have a couple other companies interested in me, in the defense industry. Only problem is that debt ceiling talks halted the hiring process, but they do want me, they're just waiting before i get an offer letter. So things may change.