https://i.redd.it/6a1p4oo8kroa1.jpg
https://www.reddit.com/WhitePeopleTwittecomments/11vpp4p/why_doesnt_he_identify_with_what_he_was_born_as/

Long the subject of rhetoric, migrants have now become props in political theater

BY JAMES BARRAGÁN SEPT. 22, 2022
A long-reliable political playbook of highlighting immigration in election season has been escalated by Govs. Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis.
For five months, Gov. Greg Abbott bused migrants to Democrat-led cities to draw attention to the number of people arriving at the Texas border.
He began with Washington, D.C., then expanded the busing to New York and Chicago. At least 11,000 migrants have been removed from the state, by all accounts voluntarily.

But an attempt by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to deploy the same tactics last week took the issue to another level, when the state flew planes to Texas, allegedly lured migrants onto the flights by promising jobs, housing and services and a free trip to Boston, and then left those migrants in Martha’s Vineyard, an island resort town about 100 miles away. Three of those migrants have now sued DeSantis in federal court.

In one way, Abbott and DeSantis are following a familiar playbook: Find ways to put immigration front and center in election season to take advantage of populist backlash. But some say the transports have brought the country’s political discourse to a new low by using migrants as props in political theater, and not merely subjects of rhetorical attack.

“To me, this is just really crass manipulation of people. It does speak to our values,” said Jim Harrington, the retired founder of the Texas Civil Rights Project who has worked on immigration issues since 1973. “The idea that you could play with people in the way he did.”

Abbott’s office said Texas played no role in the flying of migrants to Massachusetts. But it has caught similar backlash for its recent push to send migrants in buses to Vice President Kamala Harris’ home in Washington — a stunt that Harris is unlikely ever to have seen, given that the vice president’s residence is within an 80-acre scientific and military compound, the Naval Observatory.
“She’s the border czar, and we felt that if she won’t come down to see the border, if President Biden will not come down and see the border, we will make sure they see it firsthand,” Abbott said. “There’s more where that came from.”
In November, Abbott is seeking a third term, and DeSantis a second. Politicians have frequently used immigrants around election time. In 1994, California Gov. Pete Wilson ran ads depicting migrants crossing the border during his reelection campaign. More recently, Donald Trump’s successful presidential run in 2016 began with his denouncing Mexican immigrants as “criminals,” “drug dealers” and “rapists.” Abbott himself ramped up his attacks on “sanctuary cities” in 2017, the year before his first reelection campaign.

But while those efforts depicted and discussed the immigrants, the use of actual migrants themselves has disturbed scholars and observers who see it as just the latest in a series of collapsing norms that are eroding American democracy.

Donald F. Kettl, professor emeritus and former dean at the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, said the latest transports represent a “dramatic escalation in the use of immigrants as a political tool and a political symbol.

“One of the things that’s happened for sure is that immigrants as human beings — the notion that they have needs or problems they’re trying to escape and their aspirations to create a new home in the U.S. — has been pushed aside by the idea to create a mega symbol and use them as pawns that are being moved,” Kettl said.

“It’s a truly awful way to treat human beings and it’s an effort for sure to push the needs of human beings aside to try to score political points.”

Jennifer Mercieca, a Texas A&M professor who researches political rhetoric, said the transfer of migrants to a political opponent’s jurisdiction follows a rhetorical tactic called “reification” where people are treated as physical objects whose feelings don’t count.

“There’s no concern in the plan for the migrants and their well-being and their welfare,” she said. “It’s, ‘how can I use these migrants to score a political point against my opponent?’”

Abbott and DeSantis have said that they want to force Democratic officials, starting with President Joe Biden, to take action. But Mercieca said that is belied by the execution of the programs without any proposed solutions.

“These aren’t about policy solutions,

but instead they are about generating political spectacle. They are about creating dramatic events or ‘pseudo events’ that have to be covered,” she said. “They gotta stick it to the other side. They gotta show that they’re tough. They gotta have victory.”

Those “pseudo events” are aimed at controlling the narrative as both governors seek reelection and an opportunity to grow their name recognition, possibly in anticipation of a 2024 presidential run, Kettl said.
The polls show why that might be advantageous for Abbott. Over the summer, much of the political discourse in Texas focused on the school shooting in Uvalde and the overturning of Roe v. Wade. A recent University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll found that more Texans trust Abbott’s 2022 challenger Beto O’Rourke on abortion issues — and they are evenly split on the issue of gun violence. On border security and immigration, on the other hand, Abbott holds a 12-percentage-point advantage.
But Mercieca also noted a change in how far politicians are willing to go to get their point across and how much the public is willing to tolerate.
“A stunt like what Abbott or DeSantis has done would have made zero sense 10 years ago, 15 years ago and 20 years ago,” she said. “That wouldn’t have resonated with a more general audience. But today’s audience loves that.”
That’s partially because cable news has become hyperpartisan, pressuring politicians to take dramatic and even extreme action to get attention.

“It’s a vicious cycle,” she said. “They’ve radicalized the audience that has in turn radicalized them.”

The movement of migrants has also drawn comparisons to painful parts of U.S. history. As news of the Florida flights spread across Massachusetts, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library published a tweet comparing the effort to the “reverse Freedom Rides” of the 1960s.
“To embarrass Northern liberals and humiliate Black people, southern White Citizens Councils started their so-called ‘Reverse Freedom Rides,’ giving Black people one-way tickets to northern cities with false promises of jobs, housing, and better lives,” the library’s account tweeted.
But those jobs and opportunities did not exist and instead left the Black travelers stranded away from their homes.
This week, PBS broadcast the documentary filmmaker Ken Burns’ latest project, “The U.S. and the Holocaust,” which chronicles America’s refusal to change restrictive immigration quotas to help refugees, even as millions of people fled Europe before and during the Holocaust.
Harrington said the use of migrants to score political points shows a new “callousness” in how Texans view immigrants. Just 21 years ago, a Republican-led Texas Legislature approved a law to allow undocumented youth who grew up in the state to pay in-state tuition at public universities. Following the escalation of the migrant movements this month, no Republican elected official has spoken out, nor have major business or civil leaders.
“A lot of people are sitting around talking about this and bemoaning it, but where is the leadership that helped shape and form our humane response as a democracy? Where is it?” he said. “We are so fractured right now.”
https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/22/migrant-busing-abbott-desantis/

Hello everyone!
I have a model that has a "DateField" attribute. This attribute is set to None, until a user activates something and then this attribute becomes the current date.
I would like to order my queries so that the objects that are set to None show up first, and then the rest show from Newest to Oldeset.
Using the order_by method doesn't help. Because it returns the None objects and then from Oldest to Newest. If reversed, it returns them from Newest to Oldest and then the ones that are set to None at the end.
Thank you for the help!

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"Hans you are burning it by god! Be careful!"
Hans pulled the sausage out of the campfire, checking how much of it had charred. Salvageable, but a little crispier than he liked it. Lost in thought again.
"Sorry, sorry I felt my mind wandering, what were you saying?"
The Swiss camp had been buzzing with activity since the sack of Milan. Some of them had headed north to spend some time in the newly Swiss city of Lugano. Not quite swiss but the mountains surrounding the lake were a small taste of home. They would head back south come the new year, no fighting would happen during the winter. Hans turned to his fellow Eidgenosse, a dozen from Bern like him, the silent six from the Forest cantons, the Zuricher brothers, and a the strange chaplain from St. Gallen. They sat around the campfire, drinking beer that the Bernese had brought from their new breweries.
"Another year in Italy, another pay day. You all made off with some good loot from Milan?"
Hans looked around the campfire. One of the men from the forest canton of Uri, Roger rummaged in his tent, and pulled out a beautifully made crossbow, engraved handle, and a strange looking loading mechanism.
"I have been testing it out, with this I will be able to down a boar in a two shots. Or a landsknecht in one. I am very good at killing pig-headed opponents!"
A roar of laughter rose.
They all rushed back to their tents and grabbed something they had looted. Hans held in his hands a finely crafted silver and glass container of olive oil. There were chalices with jewels embedded, some had taken fine art.
"What do you have there, Jonas."
Jonas, from Unterwalden opened a chest and revealed a bundle of finely made clothes. He pulled out a beautifully embroidered silk gown.
"Fine clothes, made from eastern silk and Italian wools. Look at this dress!"
"You definitely have the hips for it!"
Another bout of laughter raged as Jonas turned Red.
"It is for my beloved you mongrel!"
He quickly stashed the dress back into the chest.
"Those are nothing, look at this."
Franz, one of the Bernese pulled out a helmet, covered is beautiful long feathers.
"A helmet huh? I think your wife would be happier with Jonas' dress."
"Not just any helmet, Georg von Frundberg's helmet."
The camp went quiet.
"I saw him, the old man was on the field at Gaggiano. He may be an honourless German but at least he led his men himself. I tried to hit him in his exposed eyes, but my aim was off and I knocked his helmet off. You can see the dent. I hope the bastard wakes up with it hurting at night."
This time only a chuckle. Only one man hadn't moved, the Chaplin from St. Gallen.
"And you Chaplain Huldrych? Anything of note?"
The Chaplain got up from the campfire and began to walk off.
"I will pray for your souls comrades, you will need it. Renting out your bodies like common whores."
The tension was high. Hans spoke up as he saw one of the Uri men follow the chaplain.
"At least Jonas has the attire for it!"
Flagons raised, laughing louder, the days would pass peacefully in the swiss camp.

My friends weren’t exactly enthusiastic about meeting me at a place called the “Death Ridge Lodge,” even after I told them that “Dethritch” was just the name of the shepherd who used to own the land. Truth was, I was more than a little nervous myself. I’d been out of the country for five years; there had been calls and letters, but my friends and I hadn’t seen each other in all that time…would we still have the connection that we once did?
Some of the changes that time had wrought were surprising; others, less so. We’d all expected my stubborn, brilliant friend Jennifer to be an attorney like her father–but in a story straight out of a cheesy Hallmark movie, she’d married a guy from a tiny town in Kentucky and had two kids. Meanwhile, Ned–a loudmouthed, extroverted redhead–had somehow ended up working from a lonely home office as a computer programmer.
And then there was Zoe.
She’d been my crush since our sophomore year of college. It wasn’t just her auburn hair or piercing green eyes; it was the care and honesty she showed in everything she did. Before her, I’d never met someone who really listened, who really cared about other people without working their own angle. We’d all expected great things for her…but in the end, she’d wound up like me. Back in our hometown. Unsure about the future.
But now that so much time had passed, would we even have anything in common anymore?
As it turned out, I needn’t have worried. Not even the wailing winter storm and unexpected power outages could dampen our good time. Ned, Zoe, Jennifer, and I gathered around a roaring flagstone fireplace, sharing our favorite scary stories and urban legends. It didn’t matter that the howling wind made going outside deadly, or that snow had cut off the forest road to the outside world: we had warmth, food, booze–and our rediscovered friendship. We also had Lee.
When we arrived, Lee explained to us that he was the off-season caretaker of Dethritch Lodge and the surrounding cabins. During tourist season in summer, the place swarmed with hospitality workers, but from fall to spring Lee mostly had the place to himself. When the blizzard hit, he made a point of checking in on us.
“Temperature's goin’ down out there,” he warned us that fateful night. “Visibility Is almost zero. You kids wouldn’t wanna get lost out there tonight…or any other night.”
“Don’t worry,” Zoe smiled. “We have no intention of going outside in that.” She pointed to the wind-driven snow that was rattling against the window panes.
“It can’t be that easy to get lost though, can it?” Ned–always the contrarian–asked. “I mean, we’re on the side of a mountain. To go one way you just go down, and to go the other way you just go back up, right?”
“Not that simple.” Lee grunted, pulling up a stool. “We’re a hundred miles from civilization out here, and if you can’t recognize any landmarks, all them pine trees out there look the same. Even if you think you know where you’re goin,’ this mountain likes to play tricks. The gentle slope you walk down in fall might be dangerously steep in spring; boulders tumble, streams change course, and paths disappear from one season to the next. There’s dozens of trails criss-crossin’ this ol’ mountain: 1800’s logging roads, game trails, other paths so old it’s impossible to tell who made’em. Trust me, you lose your way out there, all you’re gonna get is more an’ more lost..and then you’ll start to panic. An’ at that point, if hypothermia an’ hunger an’ the bears don’t getcha, ol’ man Dethritch and his dogs will.”
“Dethritch?” “Dogs?” Zoe and Jennifer asked at once.
“Just how much do you four know about Dethritch Lodge?”
“Not much,” I admitted. “I was looking for a place where my old friends and I could meet up over the holidays, the place looked cozy, had hiking and skiing and good reviews…besides, back then, the weather forecast said we’d have a clear weekend...”
Lee nodded, as if that was about what he expected. “It’s an odd place…with an odd history. Just after the Revolutionary War, a man named Jebediah Dethritch showed up here and started construction on a cabin. He said that the mountain had called to him, that he’d seen it in a dream, an’ that Patrick Henry had gifted him the entire mountainside in exchange for services rendered during the war. There was plenty of land back then, and grants were being handed out like candy, so no one called him on it. Besides, folks wanted farmland, not the slope of a damn mountain. They all thought Jeb Dethritch was crazy, but he carved a life outta these hills, swearing that he and the land were one flesh. Jeb and his sons felled forests, dragged out the stumps, and planted orchards; they set up secret garden patches back in the woods; raised chickens, cows, and a flock of sheep. For a while, things were good.” The old man stared into the fire. “If you young people get bored with all this history, just say so…”
“Well, it’s not like we’ve got anything better to do, do we?” Ned scoffed.
“No, please go on. It’s interesting.” Zoe reassured Lee; Ned rolled his eyes.
“Well, the years rolled by. Jeb died and passed his land on to his son and grandson, who went on livin’ the same way he had. Meanwhile, towns were buildin’ up around the mountain. The more they expanded, the more folks demanded proof that the mountain really belonged to the Dethritches. By the end of the Civil War–that’s to say, Jeb’s great-grandson’s time–nobody cared about yellowed papers and ancient claims. Folks wanted the mountain developed, and kept suin’ ‘til they found a judge who agreed with’em. Amos Dethritch got a few acres and the rest went to minin’ and loggin’ companies. But takin’ advantage of the Dethritchs’ land was no easy task. See, the Dethritches refused to accept the court’s decision. They kept livin’ in their hidden shacks on the mountainside, and made life hell for the companies who, from their point of view, were trespassing’ on their property. Every day there were downed trees on the road, supplies burnt, animals missin’...it went on for decades, all the way into the 1900’s. And while nobody had been hurt in Amos Dethritch’s little guerrilla war, it was costin’ those companies more than the mountain was worth. They had to put a stop to it. The first sign of trouble was when Alice Dethritch–Amos’ wife from back east–stopped comin’ into town to sell her honey an’ fruit preserves.. A few days later, Amos was found in the middle of a dirt loggin’ road, surrounded by his three mastiffs. They’d all been shot to pieces. Ten years later, some trappers found Alice and the kids in a shallow grave. They said it looked like they’d died…badly.”
“So who did it?” Jennifer asked.
“Well, nobody can prove nothin’ about nothin,’ but a group of flashy out-of-towners rode in on the last train from Chicago that night, an’ left in the mornin.’ Folks in town said they saw lantern lights goin’ up the loggin’ road, and gunfire in the hollers…” Lee stared thoughtfully into the fireplace. “In a way, though, I guess you could say the Dethritches won out in the end. The mountain never yielded enough timber or coal to justify the expense. The companies that had fought so hard over the mountain–and even killed to keep it–all went bankrupt a few years later. This place was practically abandoned ‘til the national parks craze took off in the 1950’s. Some clever investors bought it off the bank for pennies…they built the cabins and lodge that we’re sittin’ in today.”
“But what does all that have to do with ‘old man Dethritch’ and his ‘dogs’?”
“Well, the mountain wasn’t completely left alone after all them companies closed down. The local men came up here to hunt, grandmothers collected fruit from the Dethritchs’ woodland orchards, and the teenagers…well, they came up here to do what teenagers do. But over the years, rumors began to trickle down about strange sightings in these woods. Some folks got to thinkin’ that maybe Amos Dethritch wasn’t really dead…or if he was, he was still around somehow.”
“You mean like a ghost?” I ventured.
“You call it what you want!” Lee prodded the dying embers. “I’m just tellin’ it how I heard it–and you wouldn’t believe some’a the tales the folks in town have about this mountain. Like ol’ Bruce Higgins, who came back from deer huntin’ all bitten an’ tore up, with his rifle missin.’ He said he’d been chased down the mountain by three snarlin’ shepherd dogs…just like those huge mastiffs found shot to death beside Amos. Miss Nellie Price said she saw the ol’ man himself, stalkin’ through the trees with a hundred-year-old hunting rifle an’ a sack of dead rabbits slung over his shoulder…” Lee rambled on; Jennifer tried to hide a smile.
“I’m sorry…” she chuckled. “It’s just…my dad was a hunter, and he used to see things in the woods too. Usually after his fifth beer. And my Great-Aunt Mildred was convinced she was hearing whispers in her walls…until my mother got rid of the bird’s nest in her chimney. The birdsong had been echoing in the pipes–it sounded like real human voices. My point is, there’s a snowball effect with stories like these. They live rent-free in the back of people’s minds, and when they see something they can’t explain, they just keep adding to them…”
“I’m not sayin’ you're wrong,” Lee grumbled. “I’ve never seen ol’ man Amos myself, an’ I’ve lived up here all my life. But I will say that there’s somethin’ off about this mountain. Maybe it goes all the way back to Jeb Dethritch, or even before that. Otherwise, how can you account for all the disappearances? Like the four high schoolers who went camping up here on a dare back in the 1970’s. Nothin’ was left of them but a trampled down tent an’ the soggy ashes of their fire…”
“Wasn’t there an investigation?” Zoe asked.
“Oh, sure there was. The police concluded that the girls had run away from home. Then when Terry Bannister an’ his nine-year-old son didn’t come back from their hikin’ trip, they blamed wolves. When a local artist’s car was found along a loggin’ road with spikes in the tires and the driver’s-side door hanging off of its hinges, they called it an ‘abandoned vehicle.’ They jus’ towed it back into town an’ didn’t even look for her. Don’tcha see where I’m goin’ with this? Ever since the loggin’ and minin’ dried up, tourism is the only thing keepin’ those little towns afloat. ‘The Ghost of Amos Dethritch and his Three Hell-Hounds’ makes for a fine local legend, but if the summer crowd ever found out about the real, horrible crimes that happen up on this mountain every year…it’d be the death of the whole industry.”
“I call bullshit!” Ned laughed. “This sounds an awful lot like a scary story that locals use to scare us wide-eyed out-of-towners with, am I right?”
“Call it what you want.” Lee shrugged again. “But I wouldn’t go outside ‘til the storm passes, if I were you.” He pulled on his boots and wrapped himself in his winter gear, so weathered and worn that it was all the same uniform tone of grayish-brown. “You kids got everything you need?” We nodded; he waved to us as he trudged out the door.
“Stay safe out there!” I called out too late. The only response was the rattling of the screen door and the howling of the wind–if it was the wind. I thought of the savage jaws of enormous mastiffs and shuddered.
We all slept beside the fireplace that night. Everyone had their own excuse: Ned claimed the rooms were too cold; Zoe said she wanted to have a slumber party; Jennifer had already fallen asleep in her chair. But I knew our real reason for keeping close to each other was that Lee’s tale had unnerved all of us more than we would have liked to admit. We craved the primal comforts of fire, warmth, and companionship. Before going to sleep, I dared to take a look out the frozen window, but all I could see was blackness. Too cold even for a ghost, I told myself with a chuckle, before stirring the fire and curling up in one of the lodge’s thick blankets. My dreams were haunted by worm-eaten faces in shallow graves and shadowy figures on desolate mountain paths; I woke before anyone else in the morning.
I’d always loved the peace of being awake while others slept; I took my time making my coffee and examining what the storm had done to the mountainside. The trees were bent, icy spikes stabbing into an ominous gray sky; at least a foot of snow covered the lodge patio. Frigid air blasted my face as I heaved open the sliding glass door and stepped out into the winter wonderland. Beautiful as it was, something more than the cold was bothering me; it took me a moment to fully realize what it was:
There were no footprints leading to the cabin where Lee was staying.
True, maybe the snow had filled them in–but no smoke rose from the chimney, either. Where had Lee gone? I was leaning out over the railing for a better view when I heard a low growl behind me.
I wasn’t alone on the patio.
Half-frozen drool hung from the mastiff’s gaping jaws; its hazel eyes burned with fury. Another, identical dog growled behind me–they were trying to cut off my escape! I bolted for the door and slid it shut just before a mouth as large as my face smashed into the glass, cracking it. The enormous dog lunged again, widening the spiderweb pattern on the glass. Barks and howls chilled my blood; my friends were waking, but not fast enough:
"Just a few more minutes…" Zoe mumbled while I shook her.
"Holy shit!" Ned screamed, pointing at the mastiff slamming itself into the glass.
"Get to the kitchen!" Jennifer grabbed the fire poker and waved us through before slamming the kitchen’s heavy wooden door. From outside, barks, snarls, shattering glass–
Heavy canine steps across the hardwood.
A long, mournful howl echoed through the cabin…and three sets of paws began scratching at the door. I wondered if the enormous dogs outside were calling to their master.
"Oh my god, oh my god…what the fuck is going on?!" Ned jabbed his finger at my chest like all this was all my fault.
"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Jennifer demanded.
“How should I know?!” I shouted back at Ned.
“I know what’s going on…” Zoe murmured. “Amos Dethritch. We’re on his mountain…and those are his dogs, just how Lee described them…”
“Ghost dogs?!” Ned rolled his eyes, “come on.”
“That mastiff out there just smashed its head against a sliding glass door until it broke! Would you call that ‘normal’ dog behavior?! Listen!” Jennifer put her ear to the wooden door as it shook beneath the dogs’ attack. “They’re not just scratching the door…they’re gnawing on it. Those aren’t ordinary dogs. And speaking of Lee–where is he?”
“I…I don’t think he made it back last night.” I thought of the smokeless chimney and the untrammeled snow. The kindly old caretaker was probably lying beneath it with his throat ripped out. Amos had come for him at last. The door rattled on its hinges.
“We gotta find a way out of here. That door’s not gonna last much longer…” Jennifer whispered, unlatching the small window above the sink.
“Oh, sure! Great plan!” Ned rolled his eyes. “Let’s run through the woods in subzero temperatures in our pajamas! What could possibly go wrong?”
“What do you suggest, then?” Jennifer challenged. As much as I hated to admit it, Ned was right. Last night’s fire was dead, and its warmth was fading fast. If Amos and his dogs didn’t kill us, the cold would. Zoe was already struggling to keep herself from trembling. While the rest of us argued, she had been scrounging for supplies. She’d found a few cobwebby soup cans, three dull kitchen knives, an almost-empty box of matches…and a trapdoor.
It took all our strength to heave it open, and even then the light didn’t reach whatever waited at the bottom. One thing, however, was clear: we were running out of time. The timbers of the kitchen door splintered, treating us to a view of slobbering fangs. The rusty window frame screeched as Jennifer flung it open. I looked down at her bare feet.
“Jen, going out there is suicide!”
“I WILL NOT wait to die in some dark…fucking…HOLE! We gotta make a run for it!” Of course, I suddenly remembered, Jennifer had claustrophobia. That cellar must’ve looked like her worst nightmare.
“I know you’re scared–we all are! But–”
“But NOTHING! I’m going!” Jennifer wiped away her tears with her pajama sleeve and leapt down into the snow. Behind us, the dogs had almost broken through. Ned, Zoe, and I sprinted for the trapdoor and slammed it shut behind us. The mastiffs sniffed around and dug at the floor over our heads–
But only for a moment. A horrifically human whistle split the silent winter air outside, followed by a cruel command–
“SIC HER, BOYS!”
First came barks, then snarls–and Jennifer began to scream.
Maybe it was a blessing that we couldn’t see what was happening out among the frozen trees, but just hearing it was bad enough. I pressed my fists against my ears and shut my eyes tight against the awful ripping and gnawing, barely audible over Jennifer’s screams. When it was finally over, the chattering of our teeth felt like the only noise left in the world. I had forgotten how much the cold could physically hurt. With trembling fingers, Zoe struck a match.
We were in a low-ceilinged dirt cellar. Decades of cobwebs hung like hideous curtains above us, and generations of junk had been scattered carelessly across the uneven ground. We rummaged through it by matchlight, looking for something, anything, that we could use.
“Paydirt!” Ned shouted. He’d found a canvas sack full of moth-eaten wool blankets, leather boots, and parkas beneath a heap of snowshoes. We bundled up immediately, grateful for the warmth, but there was little else of value in the heaped rubbish around us…and we were running out of matches.
“This is weird…” Zoe nudged me. She’d found an old wooden chest full of century-old dresses, leather bags and belts, and a tiny silver locket. The cellar ceiling groaned with heavy footsteps; Zoe instinctively pocketed the locket and grabbed my arm.
“Now where’d the rest of you run off to…?” The voice above us was the same one that had sicced the mastiffs on Jennifer. There was something antiquated, gravelly, and wild about it–something that made me think of the unsettling tale of the Dethritch clan.
“Amos…” Zoe mouthed, pointing to the far side of the cellar. The crumbling stone wall faded into blackness, but as I crawled silently closer I could see what lay above: a coal chute. An escape. The footsteps overhead left the kitchen–I imagined they were heading upstairs to check the bedrooms. We had shoes and a way of keeping warm–even if they were filthy and fit badly. If we were going to try to slip out through the coal chute, it was now or never. Ned’s hand shot out and grabbed my wrist as I struggled to push open the rusted chute cover.
“Are you crazy?!” he hissed. “Did you not hear what happened to Jen out there?!”
“Jen had a point, too…” I whispered. “Whoever…or whatever…is up there is bound to check down here eventually. Do you wanna be down here when that happens?”
“I’ll take my fucking chances!” Ned had found an ice ax in the heaps of junk, and held it with a white-knuckle grip. I realized that my loud-mouthed childhood friend was even more frightened than Zoe and I. To my surprise, Zoe’s cold hand slid into mine.
“Are you ready?” she asked. I nodded. “Come on, Ned…come with us. There won’t be another chance!”
“No way. I’m staying right here!” Ned shook his head. The last I saw of him was his pale, stunned face watching us scramble out into the winter sun. Zoe and I trudged through the snow, afraid to look back…afraid of what might be following. We kept our eyes away from the red patches in the white where Jennifer had met her end, aiming instead for a suspicious trail of footprints that led from the woods up to Dethritch Lodge: one large human and three dogs.
“Ghosts don’t leave footprints, do they?” Zoe murmured. I shook my head, wondering where this insane day would lead us. Zoe and I had barely entered the silence of the pine forest when we heard the gunshot: the BOOM of a shotgun blast.
Ned had been found.
Zoe grabbed my arm; I could feel her warmth through our improvised blanket-coats. It was what I’d dreamed of when I’d planned this vacation: alone with Zoe, holding her close in the winter woods…but my dream had turned into a nightmare. The triumphant baying of the dogs and a man’s maniac laughter carried to us by the wind confirmed what we already feared: our friend was dead. For a long minute we just held each other, listening to our thundering heartbeats: a reminder that we were still alive.
But for how long? The footprints in the snow seemed to follow a sort of game trail…just like the ones Lee said the Dethritches had used. A small creek ran alongside it. My feet were exhausted from slogging through the high snow, but we had to put more distance between us and pursuit. Right around the time I lost sensation in my feet, we rounded a corner and saw a slumped-over hut up ahead.
The footprints we’d been following seemed to originate there. I swallowed hard and looked back at the boulder-strewn mountainside behind us.
“Hide up there.” I told Zoe. “I’ll see if it’s safe.”
“I’ll come with you, this is no time to be a he–” she began.
“Listen. If it’s not safe, we’re both dead. This way, at least one of us makes it.”
“Are…are you sure?”
“If we don’t find warmth, food, and shelter, we’re dead anyway. I’ve got to see what’s in there, and if you–” Zoe shut me up with a strong hug.
“Let me go instead. I want you to keep watch for me.”
I didn’t like the idea at all, but I could see in Zoe’s eyes that her mind was made up. She left me with an extra blanket and the other supplies she’d dug out of the cellar; I set up a vantage point behind a boulder where I could see without being seen…or so I hoped. Now that the sun was setting and my sweat began to cool, I found myself rethinking what I’d said to Zoe. I’d intentionally exaggerated when I’d told her we’d die without shelter–or at least I’d thought so at the time. But as the pine tree shadows reached out for us like long fingers and the temperature dropped, I wasn’t so sure. I wondered if covering ourselves with dirt would keep us warm enough, or if I’d even be able to light a fire with my shaking hands. I fiddled nervously with the first thing I grabbed out of Zoe’s blanket: that weird silver locket. I realized it had a clasp: it was probably one of those necklaces that held pictures inside…
Down below, Zoe was a tiny black shape on the sagging steps of the hut. She pushed open the creaking door–
I was so concerned about what might come out of it that I’d forgotten to pay attention to the path below. I suddenly sensed a presence just a few feet away.
“You alright, son?” A voice muttered behind me. I nearly jumped out of my skin before I recognized it: Lee! I could have laughed for joy. If anyone knew a safe way off of this mountain, it was him.
“We were attacked!” I gasped. “I know it sounds crazy, but I think Amos and his three dogs–”
“Shhh!” Lee rasped. “I seen’em on my way down here, but don’t you worry. Everythin’s gonna be alright now. Where’s the girl? Is she…?”
“You mean Zoe? She’s down there by the hut.”
“Good.” Lee whistled...and his voice changed. “SIC HER, BOYS!”
Three huge mastiffs bounded down the path toward the hut, barking loudly, and Lee stepped backward. He held an ancient shotgun in his hands. Only then did I look down at the open heart-shaped locket I held in my hands. The black-and-white photo on the right showed a kindly-looking woman named ALICE DETHRITCH, but the photo on the left was captioned AMOS DETHRITCH…and the face it showed was a familiar one indeed. It was staring back at me from behind the barrel of a gun.
“Amos…?” I gasped. The dogs circled the hut below, howling. Any minute now, they’d corner Zoe…
“Don’t tell me you believe in ghosts? I thought you city folk were supposed to be smart. Try this on for size: maybe Alice Dethritch survived the awful things those flashy out-of-towners did to her. Maybe she had a baby a few months later, a feral kid who raised himself after she died from her lingering injuries ten years later. Otherwise, who woulda buried her for those trappers to find? And maybe later, that kid grew up and decided he didn’t want the family name to die with him. Maybe he kidnapped one’a them high school girls who came up here in the 1970’s and used to her get himself an heir. Maybe that heir is standin’ here right now, pointin’ ol’ Amos’ rifle in the face of yet another trespasser…”
I lifted my hands slowly.
“Just…just don’t hurt Zoe…”
“Hurt her? No, I need her. I'm gonna breed myself an heir, the same way my father did, and raise him to carry on the fight 'til this mountain is ours again. After you four go missin,' even the tourism people won't be able to cover it up anymore–"
Lee Dethritch’s speech was cut short by the half rotten log that slammed into the side of his head. Zoe hit him two or three more times, but I doubt the blows were necessary. Lee Dethritch had met the fate of his ancestors, but I could hear his dogs baying below…from inside the hut.
“You alright?” Zoe asked.
“How did you–?” I wondered.
“That hut must be where he’s been living. It was dim…and filthy…but I saw a pile of rope right around the time I heard those dogs charging down the trail. I tied it to the front door knob and left it open just a crack, while I stood by the back door and waited for my moment. When those dogs charged in, I tugged the front door shut and slipped out the back. Dethritch’s dogs are trapped in there…for now.”
I remembered how quickly the three mastiffs had gnawed their way through the lodge’s kitchen door and shuddered. But would they even pursue us without Lee Dethritch urging them on?
We didn’t wait around to find out.
Night had fallen by the time we reached Dethritch Lodge; it felt like years had passed since we had fled the cellar that morning. Too emotionally and physically exhausted to talk much, Zoe and I distracted ourselves with simple tasks of survival: building a fire, heating water, gathering blankets, reinforcing the doors in case the dogs (or anything else) came back. It had been the longest day of my life, and I ended it curled up with Zoe in front of the Dethritch lodge fireplace.
By morning, the snow had melted; the unpaved, switchbacking road off of the Dethritchs’ mountain seemed just barely passable. Once we started driving, I realized just how much danger we were in: the back of my Corolla fishtailed around every turn, and twice the tires stuck in slushy mud and began to slide…toward the cliffs beside us.
When Zoe got out of the car to help me free it, I saw something that I still can’t explain. Maybe it was just a hallucination brought on by stress, but…
I’d swear I saw another Amos Dethritch look-alike watching us from the woods.
Was the mountain really haunted? Even worse, did Lee Dethritch have a brother?
When I looked again, they were gone.
I didn’t have any answer then, and I still don’t.
But I suggest you stay away from Dethritch Lodge.
X

I am in the USA. :)
IGSREP (60+ confirmed trades): https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/107d3lb/kamenramens_igs_rep_page/
GAMES I KNOW YOU WANT:

• Black Desert Online Traveler Edition (or $6 PayPal, key expires 12/31/23)
• Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
• Deadly 30
• Doom 64
• Doom Eternal (or $10 PayPal)
• Garfield Kart: Furious Racing
• Hotshot Racing
• Intruders: Hide and Seek
• Master Arena
• Morbid: The Seven Acolytes
• Outbuddies DX
• POLE
• Slain: Back from Hell
• Startup Panic (EPIC GAMES)
• Valfaris
• Volcanoids (or $3 PayPal)

TÜRKIYE-SYRIA EARTHQUAKE RELIEF BUNDLE:

• 112 Operator
• 911 Operator
• Agent in Depth
• Alchemist's Castle
• Arcade Spirits
• Armello
• Backbone
• Calico
• Cats and the Other Lives
• Cosmic Express
• Death Squared
• Detached: Non-VR Edition
• Doughlings Arcade
• Doughlings Invasion
• Farming Simulator 17 (or $3 PayPal)
• Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash Rescue DX
• Frick, Inc.
• Ghostrunner (or $5 PayPal)
• Guilty Gear X2 #Reload
• Guns & Fishes
• Hack 'n' Slash
• Hyper Gunsport
• Into the Pit
• Izmir: An Independence Simulator
• Lighthouse Keeper
• Little Orpheus
• Lust from Beyond - M Edition
• Meow Express
• MirrorMoon EP
• Monaco
• Mount & Blade: Warband
• Non-Stop Raiders
• Orbital Racer
• Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Enhanced Plus Edition
• PAYDAY 2 (I have 3 DLC masks too!)
• Pilgrims
• Pill Baby
• Pixross
• Planet TD
• Project Chemistry
• Quadrata
• Remnants of Naezith
• Rym 9000
• Soulblight
• Soulflow
• Soul Searching
• Stacking
• stikir
• Space Crew: Legendary Edition
• Strange Brigade (or $3 PayPal)
• Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
• Sunlight
• Symmetry
• System Shock Enhanced Edition
• System Shock 2
• The Inner World
• The Amazing American Circus
• Ticket to Ride
• Worms Rumble
• XCOM 2 (or $3 PayPal)
• X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack
• Zombie Driver HD

STAND WITH UKRAINE BUNDLE:

• Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs + The Dark Descent
• Book of Demons
• Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons
• Car Mechanic Simulator 2018 (or $5 PayPal)
• Corridor Z
• Dagon: by H. P. Lovecraft - The Eldritch Box DLC (2x)
• Dear Esther: Landmark Edition (2x)
• Draw Slasher (2x)
• Drawful 2 (2x)
• Driftland: The Magic Revival
• DV: Rings of Saturn (2x)
• EarthX (2x)
• Endless Space 2
• Expeditions: Viking (2x)
• Fury Unleashed
• GameGuru (2x)
• Go Home Dinosaurs
• Iron Danger (2x)
• Liberated (GOG key)
• Lust from Beyond: M Edition (2x)
• Monaco
• Moon Hunters (or $3 PayPal)
• NecroWorm (2x)
• Neverout
• Orbital Racer (2x)
• Out of Reach: Treasure Royale (2x)
• Pixplode (2x)
• Popup Dungeon (2x)
• Post Void
• Radio Commander
• Ring of Pain
• Roarr! Jurassic Edition (2x)
• RPG Maker VX (2x)
• Shing! (2x)
• Skullgirls 2nd Encore (or $5 PayPal)
• Slinger VR (2x)
• Soulblight
• Supraland
• System Shock: Enhanced Edition
• Telefrag VR (2x)
• The Amazing American Circus
• Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove
• Treasure Hunter Simulator (2x)
• The USB Stick Found in the Grass (2x)
• Wanderlust: Travel Stories (GOG key) (2x)
• Warsaw (2x)
• We Are Alright (2x)
• X-Morph: Defense - European Assault/Last Bastion/Survival Of The Fittest (2x)
• Yoku's Island Express (or $10 PayPal)

DLC!

• Black Desert Online - Lauren Family Gift Box
• Bloodhunt - EXPOSED ELECTRONIC Headgear
• Brawlhalla - Apex key sword weapon skin
• Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Jugger-Teddy Animated Emblem
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II - Burger King DLC
• Call of Duty Warzone Caldera - KF Weapon Charm
• Conqueror's Blade - Exclusive Item Bundle
• Dead Frontier 2 - Survivor Starter Pack Key
• Enlisted - Premium Currency And Account
• Eternal Return - Li Dailin + Luke Character and Skin
• Forza Motorsport 7 - Exclusive Alienware Suit
• Guild Wars 2 - Self-Style Hair Kit
• Guild Wars 2 - Booster Bundle
• Guild Wars 2 - Heroic Boosters
• Guild Wars 2 - Toy Mini-Egg
• Heroes & Generals - Starter Pack
• Paladins - Charcoal Viktor
• PAYDAY 2 - PAYDAYCon 2016 Mask
• PAYDAY 2 - SteelSeries Troll Mask
• PAYDAY 2 - Big Mike Mask
• Rogue Company - Aurora Weapon Wrap
• Rogue Company - Nuclear Winter Secondary Wrap
• Rogue Company - Heist Dima Skin
• Scribble It! Premium Edition DLC (Windows Key)
• Shadow Warrior 2 - Alienware DLC Ninja Skin
• SMITE - Cosmic Conqueror Hercules
• SMITE - Star Strike Neith
• SMITE - Aurora Hel Skin
• Splitgate - Blackout Marshall Character and Legendary Magnum Pistol
• Star Trek Online - Mirror Universe Agony Field Rifle
• Them and Us - First Person Mode
• World of Warships - Seventh Anniversary DLC

Software!

• Pathfinder Second Edition Core Rulebook and Starfinder Core Rulebook (Paizo key)
• Intro to Game Development with Unity (Zenva key)
• Ashampoo Photo Optimizer 7 (Ashampoo key)
• GameMaker Studio 2 Creator 12 Months (YoYo Games key)
• Music Maker EDM Edition (Magix key)
• PDF-Suite (PDF-Suite key)

WANT:

• PayPal $$$
• Steam Giftcard/Wallet Code (USD only)
• Steam games

I am in the USA. :)
IGSREP (60+ confirmed trades): https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/107d3lb/kamenramens_igs_rep_page/
GAMES I KNOW YOU WANT:

• Black Desert Online Traveler Edition (or $6 PayPal, key expires 12/31/23)
• Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
• Deadly 30
• Doom 64
• Doom Eternal (or $10 PayPal)
• Garfield Kart: Furious Racing
• Hotshot Racing
• Intruders: Hide and Seek
• Master Arena
• Morbid: The Seven Acolytes
• Outbuddies DX
• POLE
• Slain: Back from Hell
• Startup Panic (EPIC GAMES)
• Valfaris
• Volcanoids (or $3 PayPal)

TÜRKIYE-SYRIA EARTHQUAKE RELIEF BUNDLE:

• 112 Operator
• 911 Operator
• Agent in Depth
• Alchemist's Castle
• Arcade Spirits
• Armello
• Backbone
• Calico
• Cats and the Other Lives
• Cosmic Express
• Death Squared
• Detached: Non-VR Edition
• Doughlings Arcade
• Doughlings Invasion
• Farming Simulator 17 (or $3 PayPal)
• Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash Rescue DX
• Frick, Inc.
• Ghostrunner (or $5 PayPal)
• Guilty Gear X2 #Reload
• Guns & Fishes
• Hack 'n' Slash
• Hyper Gunsport
• Into the Pit
• Izmir: An Independence Simulator
• Lighthouse Keeper
• Little Orpheus
• Lust from Beyond - M Edition
• Meow Express
• MirrorMoon EP
• Monaco
• Mount & Blade: Warband
• Non-Stop Raiders
• Orbital Racer
• Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Enhanced Plus Edition
• PAYDAY 2 (I have 3 DLC masks too!)
• Pilgrims
• Pill Baby
• Pixross
• Planet TD
• Project Chemistry
• Quadrata
• Remnants of Naezith
• Rym 9000
• Soulblight
• Soulflow
• Soul Searching
• Stacking
• stikir
• Space Crew: Legendary Edition
• Strange Brigade (or $3 PayPal)
• Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
• Sunlight
• Symmetry
• System Shock Enhanced Edition
• System Shock 2
• The Inner World
• The Amazing American Circus
• Ticket to Ride
• Worms Rumble
• XCOM 2 (or $3 PayPal)
• X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack
• Zombie Driver HD

STAND WITH UKRAINE BUNDLE:

• Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs + The Dark Descent
• Book of Demons
• Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons
• Car Mechanic Simulator 2018 (or $5 PayPal)
• Corridor Z
• Dagon: by H. P. Lovecraft - The Eldritch Box DLC (2x)
• Dear Esther: Landmark Edition (2x)
• Draw Slasher (2x)
• Drawful 2 (2x)
• Driftland: The Magic Revival
• DV: Rings of Saturn (2x)
• EarthX (2x)
• Endless Space 2
• Expeditions: Viking (2x)
• Fury Unleashed
• GameGuru (2x)
• Go Home Dinosaurs
• Iron Danger (2x)
• Liberated (GOG key)
• Lust from Beyond: M Edition (2x)
• Monaco
• Moon Hunters (or $3 PayPal)
• NecroWorm (2x)
• Neverout
• Orbital Racer (2x)
• Out of Reach: Treasure Royale (2x)
• Pixplode (2x)
• Popup Dungeon (2x)
• Post Void
• Radio Commander
• Ring of Pain
• Roarr! Jurassic Edition (2x)
• RPG Maker VX (2x)
• Shing! (2x)
• Skullgirls 2nd Encore (or $5 PayPal)
• Slinger VR (2x)
• Soulblight
• Supraland
• System Shock: Enhanced Edition
• Telefrag VR (2x)
• The Amazing American Circus
• Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove
• Treasure Hunter Simulator (2x)
• The USB Stick Found in the Grass (2x)
• Wanderlust: Travel Stories (GOG key) (2x)
• Warsaw (2x)
• We Are Alright (2x)
• X-Morph: Defense - European Assault/Last Bastion/Survival Of The Fittest (2x)
• Yoku's Island Express (or $10 PayPal)

DLC!

• Black Desert Online - Lauren Family Gift Box
• Bloodhunt - EXPOSED ELECTRONIC Headgear
• Brawlhalla - Apex key sword weapon skin
• Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Jugger-Teddy Animated Emblem
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II - Burger King DLC
• Call of Duty Warzone Caldera - KF Weapon Charm
• Conqueror's Blade - Exclusive Item Bundle
• Dead Frontier 2 - Survivor Starter Pack Key
• Enlisted - Premium Currency And Account
• Eternal Return - Li Dailin + Luke Character and Skin
• Forza Motorsport 7 - Exclusive Alienware Suit
• Guild Wars 2 - Self-Style Hair Kit
• Guild Wars 2 - Booster Bundle
• Guild Wars 2 - Heroic Boosters
• Guild Wars 2 - Toy Mini-Egg
• Heroes & Generals - Starter Pack
• Paladins - Charcoal Viktor
• PAYDAY 2 - PAYDAYCon 2016 Mask
• PAYDAY 2 - SteelSeries Troll Mask
• PAYDAY 2 - Big Mike Mask
• Rogue Company - Aurora Weapon Wrap
• Rogue Company - Nuclear Winter Secondary Wrap
• Rogue Company - Heist Dima Skin
• Scribble It! Premium Edition DLC (Windows Key)
• Shadow Warrior 2 - Alienware DLC Ninja Skin
• SMITE - Cosmic Conqueror Hercules
• SMITE - Star Strike Neith
• SMITE - Aurora Hel Skin
• Splitgate - Blackout Marshall Character and Legendary Magnum Pistol
• Star Trek Online - Mirror Universe Agony Field Rifle
• Them and Us - First Person Mode
• World of Warships - Seventh Anniversary DLC

Software!

• Pathfinder Second Edition Core Rulebook and Starfinder Core Rulebook (Paizo key)
• Intro to Game Development with Unity (Zenva key)
• Ashampoo Photo Optimizer 7 (Ashampoo key)
• GameMaker Studio 2 Creator 12 Months (YoYo Games key)
• Music Maker EDM Edition (Magix key)
• PDF-Suite (PDF-Suite key)

WANT:

• PayPal $$$
• Steam Giftcard/Wallet Code (USD only)
• Steam games

So Brad Holmes has gone into this offseason far more aggressive than I expected, and through free agency has completely revamped several key positions for the upcoming year. With the draft still yet to come, I think it bears evaluating where the team stands right now.
These are my expectations for where who the starters and backups will be, obviously subject to change based on the draft and future free agents (I thought they were done with major free agent changes as of yesterday, but I was very clearly wrong then and reserve the right to fix this later on).
Notes:

1. Numbers in parentheses represent the number of years the Lions still have that player signed for (including this year)
2. * indicates RFA/ERFA at end of contract
3. ⁺¹ indicates draft pick Lions have an extra (fifth) year available due to first-round pick contract.
4. ^+v indicates a void year(s) at end of contract

Offense

Position	Expected Starter(s)	Expected reserves [Plus currently signed, but expected Practice Squad/cut]	Analysis
QB (1)	Goff (2)		The Lions are set with Goff starting, but still have to address the backup spot(s). Holmes not addressing this in FA yet really sends a strong signal that they're going to heavily consider a developmental QB in the draft.
RB (5)	Montgomery (3+v) /Swift (1)	Reynolds (1), Jefferson (1), Bell (2)*	It's tough to really say whether Swift or Montgomery will start, because it's likely that they both will alternate with starter's reps. Montgomery is a true three-down back, but I'm hoping that Ben Johnson develops Swift into more of a toolbox scatback type of player to both take advantage of his ability in the open field and mitigate his hesitancy and mediocrity with pass-blocking and running inside. Either way, it's a competent if unspectacular running back duo that could would be an acceptable group but has room for a high-end player (like Bijan).
WR (9)	St. Brown (2), Williams (3+1)	Reynolds (1), Raymond (1), Cephus (1), Kennedy (2), [Alexander (2), Benson (1)*, Berryhill (1)]	St. Brown and Williams should be a formidable young WR duo, and Reynolds and Raymond make a very good pair of backups. Williams gives this group one of the higher upsides in the league, but they lack height across the board and could use a taller receiver to round it out. Their starters are here past this year, but their backups are mostly one-year guys, so keep an eye on picks later in the draft for development.
TE/H-Back (5)	Cabina (1), Wright (1)*	Zylstra (1)*, Mitchell (3), [Deese (2)]	Probably their weakest overall position group right now, though still functional. Mitchell gives them developmental upside, and these guys were used effectively last year, but there's definitely room for improvement and long-term players. Interestingly, they helped mitigate the Lions' lack of receiver height in the red zone, so it could be that this group is seen as complete because of team scheme and needs.
OT (5)	Decker (2+v), Sewell (2+1)	Nelson (1), [Eze (2), Paulo (1)]	Decker and Sewell are one of the better tackle duos in the league, and Nelson gives them a competent backup. Because the Lions use a lot of jumbo packages, expect them to add another swing-tackle unless Eze or Paulo takes a significant step forward.
IOL (7)	Jackson (1), Vitai (2), Ragnow (4)	Glasgow (1) [Stenberg (1), Pierschbacher (1)*, Awosika (1)*]	I grouped G and C together because Glasgow will likely backup both positions. The Lions are likely set here at starter, but look for them to add another guard/tackle hybrid to backup, and likely to develop for future seasons given that only Vitai and Ragnow are signed beyond this season.

Defense
​

Position	Expected Starter(s)	Backups	Need(s)*
IDL (5)	McNeill (2), Buggs (2)	Onwuzurike (2), Jones (1)*, [Taylor (1)]	This is the Lions' biggest need at starter this year, and it isn't particularly close. Buggs is solid, but more of the kind of guy you want as a rotational backup. At backup, Onwuzurike may never actually play another snap and Jones leaves a lot to be desired. Expect Detroit to hit this early in the draft.
Edge/OLB (7)	Hutchinson (3+1), R Okwara (1)	Paschal (3), Cominsky (2), J Okwara (1), Houston (1)*, Harris (1+v)	The Lions are deep here, with all of these guys capable of being at least average level starters. Retaining Romeo is a potentially huge win for this unit - if he's back to where he was two years ago, this could low-key be a top-5 edge group with star power, depth, youthful upside, and versatility.
LB (4)	Anzalone (3+v), Rodriguez (3)	Barnes (2), Pittman (1)*	Anzalone and Rodriguez are both limited guys that are capable of being at least average starters. Linebacker is Holmes' least prioritized position on defense and their starters are signed for the long-term, but I expect them to add at least one more for special teams purposes (Josh Woods?)
CB (10)	Sutton (3), Moseley (1), Gardner-Johnson (1)	Okudah (1), Jacobs (1)*, Harris (1), [Lucas (3), Dorsey (1), McCain (1)*, Williams (2)]	This expected starting unit has been completely revamped, and gives the Lions a lot of versatility in their pass defense schemes. They lack a true shutdown corner, and five of their top 6 are only signed for this year, so they still have need for both current and future options.
S (5)	Walker (2), Joseph (3)	Moore (2), Melifonwu (2) [Breeze (1)]	Harris and CGJ could be considered safeties, as they'll play a bit of a hybrid slot/safety role in AG's defense. Walker and Joseph could potentially be a very good safety duo, and Moore is a very good special-teamer. This group lacks a true strong safety, however, and with AG preferring 3-safety looks, this is still in play.

Special Teams

Position	Expected Starter	Analysis
P	Fox (4)	One of the best in the league, not going anywhere.
K	Badgley (1)	A competent kicker, though unexciting. Expect an addition at some point to compete for a kicking job in camp, because that's just how Holmes/Campbell run things.
LS	McQuaide (1)	I expect McQuaide to win the job over Daly. Not much else to say here, other than it's unlikely the Lions would prioritize this enough to draft.

Final notes:
1) The Lions heavily prioritizing the secondary this offseason really gives them more freedom going into the draft. Other than DT, there really is no position where they have to draft a player, which means they can go for the players they like in the long-term without having to plan on relying on rookies to start.
2) The Lions have long-term needs everywhere. Other than special teams, center, and maybe safety, there's no position that they couldn't justify in the first round, which gives them the freedom to go BPA:

• At QB, while Goff is a very good QB, he's athletically limited and expensive relative to a potential R1 QB. Drafting his eventual replacement to sit and learn behind him (and from Ben Johnson) for two years not only gives them a backup QB and a future low-cost QB option to build around, but also a scenario where Goff getting injured isn't a waste because it becomes a development opportunity.
• Taking Bijan in R1 sets them in the long-term and a gives them a hell of a three-headed monster this year.
• Getting an OT like Skoronski allows him to back-up G and T, and potentially replace Decker in several years.
• Getting a G allows them to cut Vitai this year, and/or replace Jackson next year.
• Getting a true three-down threat opposite Hutch would give them one of the best units in the league at one of the most important positions.
• Getting a starting DT would fill their one true starting need.
• Adding Simpson or Sanders could give them someone to develop as a hybrid linebackestrong safety and fill two needs at once.
• This a deep cornerback class and the Lions still don't have an island CB so if they feel like they can find one they could jump in it.

3) The lack of definitive needs at nearly every starter position means they can package some of their 8 picks together to move up if necessary, while the need for depth could justify trading down if they like enough players as more longer-term developmental talent.
4) Heavily addressing CB while leaving QB wide open has made it much more difficult for other teams to guess what they're going to do, giving them an edge in the draft.
5) Finally, signing all of these free agents to 1-year contracts means they are not only leaving themselves future financial flexibility, but they're setting themselves up in the long-run by putting those players in a position to show out and earn big FA contracts, which could give the Lions comp picks next year if they aren't keen on the free agent options available.

Educational_Info: "tier 2.5 with 3 yr work exp"
I've made this into steps and each step is equally important and there's no skipping or short cuts

1. Learn and master a programming language
2. Build a real project with your language, the project should not be following a youtube tutorial or udemy course. it should be original and no copied code.
3. Learn Data Structures and Algorithms. Knowing the most suitable data structure and the most efficient algorithm is a skill that is highly valued.
4. Contribute to other people's code on github or any other git platform. Knowing how to work with people is an important skill.
5. Talk to people on linkedin/github/relatives about your skills and your projects. showcase your projects by deplyoing them in public. Code Deployment is yet another valued skill.
6. Network with your seniors and connect with them and ask for referals.
7. Cold text startup people and tell them about your skills and your show them your enthusiasm.
8. Learn latest and fastest tech in your field of interest to keep up with market.

​
Tips: value yourself and never work for free. cold text people and don't be sad if there's no response. Take up any opportunity you have, as long as you are not exploited!

If for any reason you need help in any one of the following areas, then please don't hesitate to contact me:
> Essays, research papers, discussion posts, and/or assignments in Sociology, Psychology, Business & Management, Religion, Computer Science & IT, Nursing & Health Sciences, Law, Political Science, History, English & Literature, and Gender & Diversity Studies.
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Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
Discord: TutorPerfect#2616

I've been an engineer of various roles at my current defense company for about 7 years. I'm really not that into it. Working in manufacturing is a gigantic hassle with impossible deadlines, travel, and expectations of technical knowledge that I don't have, and it's really just not worth it. I have a BS in Electrical Engineering Technology.
There has recently been a posting for a cyber security analyst, that would be a lateral move for me pay-wise. I meet most of the qualifications other than having a certification in "CISSP, Network+, or Security+" the CISSP looks like it takes 5 years to get, but the other seem like they're only certifications you get by taking a test. Not saying that it's easy, but is it possible to do in the 180 day windows they say I would have to attain them if I were to be hired.
I've always liked working with computers and considered a jump to IT or Software, but the barriers to entry were more than I could possibly achieve just learning on my own or taking a huge pay cut. This seems like a way for me to get into an adjacent field. Obviously I still have a lot to learn, but I already work here using the systems I would be working on, so I have that going for me. It's also a small department that I think I could advance quickly in if it turns out to be something I like.
Idk what my question is, except am I crazy. Has anyone done this? What is cyber security? Haha

So, I've been back to the game since some time before the DLC was announced and, for the first time ever my invasions have been consistently fun and not the new game plus spellfest nightmare I'm used to, and I'd like to know what has been your recent experience invading.
Also, I know invasions are supposed to be unfair for the invader, that's not my point and I don't win every time, too. It's just that I'm not sure if the recent patches, the addition of Colosseums, fewer people playing the game or even simply the fact that I've decided to be more strategic invading in places where I'll have higher chances of winning instead of open field Liurnia ready to get ganked by PvP madmen are also factors in making invading better for other Bloody Fingers and Recusants out there.

Do you love the MFD-4 from the first game?
Do you take M4 over anything else in any FPS games?
Do you like unconventional systems?
Then fear not, the Shadow is for you!
Okay then. There happened a big gap between posting, and I don't know if you guys saw the 2,300 kill post I posted previously, but back we are at talking about weapons.
Right. Let's start with the gun's looks and trivia. Numbers will come later.
The Shadow was the first assault rifle to have built-in anything. Yes, ARC-9 had grenade launchers, but in terms of perks, the first assault rifle with in-built capabilities was the ARC-11. Back in its day it was truly a powerhouse over pretty much all else (even though the fact that I'd much rather use my ARC-9). Decent damage, decent magazine capacity, a two-position mode selector and built-in Piercing Ammo. Anyway.
The gun is a tribute to the MFD-4 Assault Rifle from the first game, at least the base model is. The guns somewhat look similar, with a couple of changes that made the sequel version a lot more appreciatable, such as magazine not being a drum painted in FDE.
Rendition of this rifle somewhat reminds me of an ARAK-21 side charging upper for AR-15 platform. It's not unheard of to have a side charging handle AR-15/M4/M16, but it's an unconventional one nonetheless. Everything seems to work well, there isn't really a thing that makes me complain.
I like the animations. I overall like reloads done with STANAG platforms, and this is no exception. One thing that bothers me is the fact that James feels the need of crooking the rifle significantly and looking at the mode selector while changing modes.
Considering that James is ex-military, using an M4/M16 platform shouldn't have been this disorienting for him. He should have been able to figure out which position is which by simply touch and feel. I mean, the whole mode selector is under his thumb for a reason.
But that's me nitpicking about small stuff. Apart from that, I say the gun is fine. No complaints.
The rifle has an Epic skin, which is worth every single cap in my opinion. The gun gets smaller, and I love the changes on the suppressor, the sight and the stock. We get a holographic sight instead of the Primary Arms sights, Magpul furniture instead of the current stock and the suppressor seems to be an integral one. I'd assume that the upper is swapped for .300 Blackout as well, it would make sense with such a setup.
Anyway. That was the unimportance that is called "looks and stories". Now we walk into the importance named "numbers and tactics".
The Shadow is capable of 15,360hp damage per shot on maxout, with a fire rate of 750 in-game units. Now, that may look a tad bit slow, but keep in mind, this gun has 2 modes: semi-auto, and a 3-shot burst. So 750 units isn't terribly slow for such a gun. Just like in R77, it is fine.
It takes 36-round magazines, with a rather mediocre reload speed of 429 in-game units. Still, compared to the rest of the assault rifle division, 429 units isn't terribly bad (yes I am pointing fingers at you, you fat friggin' AK wannabe).
So, overall, the gun is acceptable it seems. What else does it have up its sleeve?
Well, remember the 3-round burst I mentioned about a minute ago? Yeah, there is a caveat with that. This gun runs Piercing Ammo whenever the burst mode is on. Yes, your 3-shot burst is a piercing burst. This is the ace of this gun. Being very good at hordebreaking whenever burst mode is activated.
And even better, the gun is flexible to some degree. If you don't think you will deal with hordes, or if you're playing for full-on survival, you can keep the gun at the semi-auto mode, and conserve ammunition. And whenever you decide to walk into or summon a horde, flick the switch and go to town.
This sounds very good. I myself, who doesn't really play this rifle all that much, appreciate these features. And if it wasn't for my two favorites being better choices, I would probably name this thing as the "best assault rifle of the game".
However... well, let's give the verdict on this one first. Then I'll be talking about why it isn't the best.
Verdict: ABSOLUTELY BUILD. This gun is worth every bit of silver that you're willing to put into. However it isn't the best option in the game.
I can even now hear you sugarplums yelling at me "get off the stage you weirdo, Shadow is the best gun in the game, booooo".
However, I will ask for 2 more minutes of your time to explain why I said what I said.
Shadow isn't in and of itself bad. I mean look at my verdict guys. You know that I appreciate its strength.
But compared to these two rifles, it's not that strong:

1. AUG: This gun does everything the Shadow does, only even better.
   
   1. AUG has built-in Piercing Ammo as well, but it doesn't consume as much ammo when using this perk. AUG's Piercing Ammo is on its semi-auto mode, which makes it more ammo economy friendly. Think about it. Would you rather spend 3 shots every time you want to pierce through something and potentially have 2 of those shots wasted, or shoot only 1 shot at a time, guaranteeing 100% accuracy and ammo economy with your piercing shots?
   2. AUG has a Crate Ammo skin, making it even more powerful. You have a gun that is powerful, accurate, fast, quicker reloading, more flexible with its Piercing Ammo perk, and on top of that you add a perk that makes it even more effective out on the field. Compared to Shadow, AUG is much better for that reason.
2. ARC-9 Battalion: Yes it doesn't have a built-in perk, but who cares?
   
   1. First of all, you get a grenade launcher which is reloaded every time you pick up ammo for this bad boy. A grenade launcher that is capable of one-shotting everyone regardless of their health pool. I'd sure as hell take this over a measly Piercing Ammo boost which is only good when you actually have some damage capabilities.
   2. ARC-9 is way more intuitive than ARC-11. Think about it. You get to choose how much ammo you will expend at any number of zombies with the Battalion. You don't need to worry about spending too much ammunition at a given time because it's completely under your control, rather than a burst system or a switch you have to manually flick.

​
And I know, I know I mentioned that you could use the semi-auto if you wanna conserve ammo, but that's something you manually have to do. Less manual manipulation with a system is usually better out there on the range. A rifle that intuitively works is usually more effective than one where you have to do every single darn thing to make it work.
​
But despite all of this, Shadow is a very cromulent and powerful package. Therefore, here are some tactics and perks.
​

1. Get familiar with your mode selector. It can get really annoying to face a horde when you accidentally left the rifle on semi-auto. Just be mindful of its position.
2. When you are approaching a horde, use burst. When you're sticking in a rather empty space, use semi-auto.
3. When you're using the burst, treat it like an R77. Do NOT stop firing until you have to break out for a reload or until everyone's dead.

​
And perks:
​

1. Crate Ammo: Probably the only thing that would put this thing in the same level as the AUG, to a degree. If you're gonna waste ammo with a burst, may as well pack some extra mags in every crate.
2. Explosive Ammo: James' suggestion from the AP-51 Javelin. No further explanation needed. Observe the destructive results yourself by trying.

​
Have fun with it guys. And, apologies for the gap. Real life is a bit too high difficulty.
Next up will be our favorite review, where I talk about the almighty AUG. Stay tuned!

My logstash config.
input {
udp {
port => 514
type => syslog
}
}
​
filter {
if [type] == "syslog" {
grok {
match => { "message" => "%{SYSLOGTIMESTAMP:syslog_timestamp} %{SYSLOGHOST:syslog_hostname} %{DATA:syslog_program}(?:\[%{POSINT:syslog_pid}\])?: %{GREEDYDATA:syslog_message}" }
add_field => [ "received_at", "%{@timestamp}" ]
add_field => [ "received_from", "%{host}" ]
}
syslog_pri { }
date {
match => [ "syslog_timestamp", "MMM d HH:mm:ss", "MMM dd HH:mm:ss" ]
timezone => "America/Chicago"
}
}
}
​
output {
elasticsearch {
hosts => ["https://127.0.0.1:9200"]
index => "syslog-%{+YYYY.MM.dd}"
user => "elastic"
password => "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
ssl => true
ssl_certificate_verification => true
cacert => "/etc/elasticsearch/certs/ca/ca.crt"
}
}
Elastic is showing no syslogs, i did a tcpdump and can see im getting some stuff, but it shows as grokparsefailure. I got endless strings of these. I get that im not configuring my filter correctly. But im not positive on how i got about that.
u/timestamp":"2023-03-20T15:32:20.603Z","tags":["_grokparsefailure"],"syslog_severity_code":5,"syslog_facility_code":1,"host":"10.100.120.1","syslog_facility":"user-level","syslog_severity":"notice","message":"<189>date=2023-03-20 time=09:32:20 devname=\"FW-1\" devid=\"FGT7xxxxxxxx351\" eventtime=1679326340456865702 tz=\"-0500\" logid=\"0000000013\" type=\"traffic\" subtype=\"forward\" level=\"notice\" vd=\"root\" srcip=10.10.150.60 srcport=40574 srcintf=\"DC-MGMT\" srcintfrole=\"lan\" dstip=192.168.140.11 dstport=3978 dstintf=\"Old-Lab\" dstintfrole=\"lan\" srcuuid=\"8335859a-4a70-51ed-f02a-509d2831655c\" dstuuid=\"ef12870a-4fce-51ed-1fe4-0a90252f71a1\" srccountry=\"Reserved\" dstcountry=\"Reserved\" sessionid=17942949 proto=6 action=\"timeout\" policyid=11 policytype=\"policy\" poluuid=\"3e873336-55ff-51ed-689e-2193ba4fb087\" policyname=\"DC-MGMT to Inside\" service=\"tcp/3978\" trandisp=\"noop\" duration=10 sentbyte=60 rcvdbyte=0 sentpkt=1 rcvdpkt=0 appcat=\"unscanned\" srchwvendor=\"Palo Alto Netwo\" osname=\"Linux\" mastersrcmac=\"08:66:1f:05:ad:91\" srcmac=\"08:66:1f:05:ad:91\" srcserver=0 dsthwvendor=\"VMware\" dstosname=\"Linux\" masterdstmac=\"00:0c:29:f6:47:bb\" dstmac=\"00:0c:29:f6:47:bb\" dstserver=0","type":"syslog"},"sort":[1679326340603]},{"_index":"syslog-2023.03.20","_type":"_doc","_id":"r-um_4YBCDU7pCk1ZtBf","_score":null,"_ignored":["message.keyword"],"_source":{"@version":"1","@timestamp":"2023-03-20T15:32:20.603Z","tags":

"The criminal is the creative artist; the detective only the critic." -G.K. Chesterton
+++
The moon setting in the west marked the end of another day for the folk in the city of Duskwall, and Monty was glad to be out on one of his evening walks.
He had all he needed for such an activity; the discreetly-armored clothes on his back, the trusty knife and pistol on his belt, and the wits in his head. His walk took him from the industrial district of Coalridge where machines belched smoke and noise and workers labored to keep the Imperium's production needs met, to the many-hued vice dens of Silkshore where any imaginable vice or illicit product could be found if one knew how to look and who to ask. From the views of the Spark Wall that kept out the legions of ghosts from the Deathlands, to the park that was lit with trees than glowed with light both eerie and comforting. He saw many people on his wanderings that night; a Bluecoat patrol he had narrowly escaped, a thief he knew well and claimed several favors from, a crew of Railjacks that had helped him with smuggling operations on the trains in days not long past, and many others, for he was a well-connected man with a finger in many pies and an ear to many grounds.
As he wandered, he thought, for he found it claiming and focusing to walk through the city, following no path and pursuing no errand. The Crows had collapsed, following one daring heist too many, and had cast the Crow's Foot, the city's most crime-ridden district, into war as the scavengers convened to pick up the pieces and fill the power vacuum. The Crows had been the uncrowned kings and queens of the city's underworld, which meant in the end that they fell with the force of a dying leviathan, tearing asunder the web of grudges and favors they had woven and throwing the city's underworld into chaos.
Monty knew he had a responsibility to his own crew, and he intended to make something of them out of all this. They had been getting by, starting from the bottom, subsisting on the crumbs and scraps that fell their way when the big players were done with the feast of the day. But with the old powers fallen, the field had been leveled and untold hordes of wealth and power were up for grabs. Monty planned to see that his crew prospered, for they were his friends, his comrades, his dear confidants for whom he would match through fire and lay down life and limb.
As the night grew from young to full, Monty had gotten his thoughts in order, and walked back to his crew's lair. It wasn't much, but it serves them well enough, and if Monty had his way, it would be expanded before the year was out. He stopped to get some chicken and greens, wanting to treat the crew with something more than simple eel pie and rice portage. When he got to the crew's lair, he gladly took up his role as the cook, and began making dinner, chatting all the while and enjoying the company of friends.
When dinner was served, goat cheesecake was in the oven, and beer was being poured, Monty looked at all the crew with his trademark grin; the one that said he had a plan and something very worth noting was about to happen.
"Boys and girls, Crow's Foot's gone to shit and back, things are starting to heat up all across the city, and if you're all with me, we're gonna use all that to take our place as top dogs and be living like kings by this time next year."
He leaned back in his seat, and raised a glass of Skovland beer that tasted like mulling spices and the far-off promise of victory."
"But first, a toast, to the beginning of something big."
+++
Hi there! Thanks for reading :D
I find myself driven, as of late, to indulge my love for the Blades in the Dark TTRPG and for written roleplay, so why not do both at the same time? Two good things at the same time are usually guaranteed to be even more gooder, except well-mixed drinks and life-saving surgery, but my point stands in general.
I'd like to do a story of a small, low-down criminal gang rising in the ranks of the underworld in the Victorian, gothic-steampunk/dieselpunk, occultish city of Duskwall. The setting is rich and there's a lot of detail to go into, so it's impossible to give a truly comprehensive pitch while keeping it simple, but if I had to summarize this setting in three sentences, it would be as follows:
"The sun vanished from the sky a thousand years ago, alongside the Gates of Death shattering and allowing ghosts and occult magic into the world. The city is a mashup of London, Paris, and Venice, in roughly Victorian times with a hefty helping of steampunk/dieselpunk/electropunk technology al-la Dishonored meets The Order 1886. The city is home to a lot of criminals, with a thriving, complex underworld that has recently been thrown into chaos due to the toppling of its most powerful gang, and in which our characters will take part."
If that setting intrigues you, then I'd be happy to explain more! Also, no knowledge of the setting is needed, I plan to play a character in the gang who is knowledgeable about the setting and its people so I can be a guide both in the story and out. My basic plan is that we'd each plan a few characters in the gang, as well as create the gang itself together.
If anyone is curious, I'm male, 24 years of age, and from the EST time zone. I've been roleplaying for about half my life and playing Shadowrun for 6 or 7 years, so while I'm not a grandmaster of either, I think I know enough about both to create an awesome story with someone who wants to work with me. I'd be happy to send a writing sample to anyone who wants to verify that for themselves. I can usually crack off at least a few posts a week; I try to go for one or more a day as much as I can, with moderate success since my job is taxing and I sometimes don't have the energy to write much. But I'll always do my best to keep up, since this is one of my favorite hobbies and I love this setting a hell of a lot. I can generally put two or three good-sized paragraphs in my post, sometimes more depending on what's going on. I'd also like my partner to be interested in planning out the story from the start, since this is your story too if you decide to play it out with me.
I'd ideally like somebody who can match my average of 2 or 3 paragraphs, who is 20 or over, who writes in 3rd person, and who communicates openly; otherwise, I'm open to writing with anybody I vibe with, :). Come one come all; if you're interested in this prompt (and please include the word "Machiavellian" in your message to let me know you read it all), then I'm interested in talking more with you about it. I can't address every detail or question someone might have in this post, so if you have any questions or comments, PM me here and I'll be glad to answer them.
I hope to hear from you soon! :D

So I quit a place over 2 years ago I worked at for 11 years. I decided to change careers but don't like my new field so I'm switching back. One company was extremely interested but after my old company found out and reached out to me for a job, the new company has gone completely silent out of the blue.
My old company said "you are the best tech we have ever had and we want you back" but I don't want back in. They aren't great people and I want to broaden my experience in this industry. I am now afraid any company that calls them for reference will be put down by them. I have a great work history and pretty great experience in this field.
There aren't many places here that aren't owned by the same couple companies and all work together to produce their services. I believe my old company is telling them there will be some sort of conflict of interest of they hire me. What can I do with no direct proof?

Good day everyone!
​
I am looking for a long-term RP Partner!
​
I am 22 and my Time-Zone is CET. Discord is the Platform I RP on. I only write in 3rd Person and my messages tend to be pretty long, meaning 400-1000 words on average. Though longer messages are always possible. With enough motivation, I can offer you up to 2000 words. Breaking the Discord Limit once or even twice is something that regularly happens.
​
Please do be capable of matching that length, short messages are nothing I enjoy.
​
Please be over 18 and LGBTQIA+ friendly, or else this won´t work out! I just don´t feel comfortable RPing with Minors.
​
​

Fandoms:

I am seeking to play a Fandom RP, OC x Canon, and a double-up to be exact. This means, that I will play a Canon Character for you and you will play a Canon character for me, so we both get our fair share!
​
As long as I get my romance I am honestly open to anything. No matter if you want to keep it closer to the canon story or do an AU. Just one thing, if we do Angst, I demand comfort and I also want a happy ending, yes, I am sappy like that.
​
I don´t really mind who I play, so whoever your heart desires I can provide. Below you can find a list of Fandoms I am interested in RPing
​

• Star Trek (TOS and TNG)
• Star Wars / The Mandalorian
• The Hobbit / Lord of the Rings
• Hellsing Ultimate
• Inuyasha
• Black Butler
• Hazbin Hotel
• Pokemon
• FNAF
• The Legend Of Zelda
• Resident Evil 8
• The Witcher 3
• Final Fantasy X
• Fire Emblem Fates / Three Houses / Awakening
• God of War
• Dead by Daylight
• Stardew Valley
• Detroit: Become Human

​
​

Original:

Honestly pretty similar to the Fandom requirements. As long as I get my romance I am honestly open to anything. We can also do a double-up here if you prefer that but it is unnecessary.
​
My main OC is F though, so if you would prefer to have n MxM or MxNB pairing in there a double-up would be wonderful. Though I am not picky with who we pair up my F OC. FxM, FxF, FxNB...I am open to all those things. Just one thing, if we do Angst, I demand comfort and I also want a happy ending, yes, I am sappy like that.
​
Below you can find some of my favorite genres and tropes. Though, once again, I am pretty open to anything as long as I get my romance, which can be added to any other genre. Though I am not too interested in SOL. Unless you have like a plot out of this world.
​
Genres

• Horror
  • Bonus points if it´s a Monster x Human pairing
• Historical
  • Victorian period, Medieval era, Ancient Japan... Honestly anything before the 20th century
• Fantasy
  • Elves, Vampires, Dragons... Very much in love with all of that
• Mythology
  • I would enjoy basing things loosely off some myths and just creating our own story out of them!

​
Some Romantic Tropes I enjoy

• Forbidden Love
• Destiny/Fated Lovers
• Reborn Past Lover
• Forced/Arranged Marriage
• Lovers who are absolutely devoted to one another (Of course having conflict is fine but I do not like to play cheating or any of that nonsense to cause "arguments")
• Fast-Medium Paced Romance (I am too impatient for extreme slow burn I am sorry-)
• Opposites Attract (Sunshine x Bad Boy/Girl who only has a soft spot for them has my heart)
• Lowkey Possessive and Obsessive Love (Or even mild Yandere if you would enjoy that)

And much more but I think this is enough to give you an idea of what I would like to (somewhat) install into our RP.
​
​
DM me when you fulfill the criteria mentioned above and are interested! Please do tell me if you want to play a fandom or original RP!
When you choose fandom please tell me which one interests you and which character you would like me to play for you. And by Original, tell me which genres and tropes you would enjoy so I know you read the entire thing :)