Lost Mines of Phadelver
Is this a pay-to-play game
Yes, a fee of $20 per session will be paid to the DM. All payments are made post session and
TTRPG on VTT
5e D&D on Foundry
Mature Content:
18+ High Fantasy Violence
Beginner friendly:
Yes
Requirements:
Decent internet/mic, DDB if you prefer beyond20 to roll
Time and Date:
Tuesdays 7 pm Eastern standard time
Character Level and Stats
Level 1
Standard Array or point buy. All WoTC material is approved, but UA is case-by-case approved by DM.
# of sessions:
This campaign will run approximately 6-8 months give or take depending on the party's decisions.
Session run time
3-4 hours
Number of Openings:
6 seat available
**Message mysticvhedd#6266 if you’re interested**
Story:
More than five hundred years ago, clans of dwarves and gnomes made an agreement known as the Phandelver’s Pact, by which they would share a rich mine in a wondrous cavern known as Wave Echo Cave. In addition to its mineral wealth, the mine contained great magical power. Human spellcasters allied themselves with the dwarves and gnomes to channel and bind that energy into a great forge where magic items could be crafted. Times were good, and the nearby human town of Phandalin prospered as well. But then disaster struck when orcs swept through the North and laid waste to all in their path.
A powerful force of orcs reinforced by evil mercenary wizards attacked Wave Echo Cave to seize its riches and magic treasures. Human wizards fought alongside their dwarf and gnome allies to defend the Forge of Spells, and the ensuing spell battle destroyed much of the cavern. Few survived the cave-ins and tremors, and the location of Wave Echo Cave was lost.
For centuries, rumors of buried riches have attracted treasure seekers and opportunists to the area around Phandalin, but no one has ever succeeded in locating the lost mine. In recent years, people have resettled the area. Phandalin is now a rough-and-tumble frontier town. More important, the Rockseeker brothers — a trio of dwarves — have discovered the entrance to Wave Echo Cave, and they intend to reopen the mines….
GM Style:
* I'll put it like this. The rules are guidelines. I reward creativity the most and love people using out-of-the-box thinking to solve problems. However, the Dice gods have the final say on whether that genius pays off or not.
* “Rule of cool” is designed for narrative emphasis: the rules as written are still the norm.
* Inclusive role-play opportunities: I love all playstyles at my table, so long as the cooperative nature of the game is a common denominator.
* Challenging and engaging combat: you do not need to solve every situation with a hack-and-slash approach.
* Quality storytelling: We aim to translate our deep familiarity with hundreds of page campaign materials into a vivid experience for you to enjoy.
* Actions have consequences: some consequences are good, and some are bad, but for the sake of building immersion, I never “pull punches." We believe that some of our players' most memorable experiences at my tables are caused by the “Dice God

BLUF: Is there a limit on how long the Army can try to enforce liability based on a hand receipt? I know the regs says the 2062 should be resigned every 6 months, but does not updating it actually relieve you of liability?
Long F'ed up story: I was a member of a DC area special unit. It was a multi-compo unit comprised of AD Army, Army Reservists, DA civilians and dirty contractors. I was dual status as a RC senior NCO and a contractor. I ETS'd from the Reserves roughly 12 years ago and left as a contractor 10 years ago. About 2 years ago they contacted me and asked if I had any of their equipment. I had been signed for many Millions in technical gear and they claimed my name was on the last hand receipt they had for about $40k in gear. I told them a.) it's been 8 years since i left as a contactor and 10 since I was an NCO. b.) I cleared them when I signed out and c.) go F off. I didn't hear anything more. Yesterday I got a call from a former co-worker who left the same time as me and resigned his commission. He was a Reserve CPT and contractor. They claim he is still signed for multiple laptops and and an entire OCIE and they want him to repay the entire amount. He looked at the hand receipt for the laptops, and they were dated more than 10 years ago and were signed by someone else in the unit with his same last name, but different first name and rank. They agreed to drop those, but still want him to pay about $10k in OCIE. We have identified about 15 other people they are going after. In some cases they claim they couldn't locate the people and issued wage garnishments based on their SSN's. In others they have sent demand letters. I'm sure they are going to come after me as well since they tried previously. We have no idea where to take this, as obviously no one has copies of clearing papers or turn-in docs a decade later. My buddy wants to start a congressional, but I'd like to find an easier way to handle it. Everyone I've told says "that's F'ed up," but no one can point to a concrete reg that says they can't go after someone years after the fact.

So I 21m work at a restaurant and have for 2 years. I don’t think I am but a few of the managers have said I’m one of their best BoH and I work full time so I guess I hold some value.
Anyway there was a trial shift for a guy there the other day and when he walked through the door my heart dropped a bit. I knew him and I hate the guy. He worked at another store and came to our store to help out a few times (before my current manager came here) and every time he was rude and just genuinely a cunt. He’s also friends with some other co workers so I’ve been around him when we’ve smoked after work and he was the same. He quit his old store and wants to come back here now. They did his trial shift and his attitude was pretty shitty but he did alright because he’s worked for our brand before. But I obviously don’t wanna work there with him.
So I’ve been thinking about transferring to another store for a while and figured if they’re gonna hire him I might as well do it cos I don’t wanna be around him 30 odd hours a week.
I pulled my manager aside and asked to talk about how the transfers worked and he basically told me and then asked why and I tried to say no reason but he insisted as he is very employee focused and wants us all to be safe and have a good time there. I asked him to not share with anyone else because the guy was friends with a few people there and didn’t wanna cause problems. But that I wouldn’t be comfortable working with him due to personal reasons and I’ve been thinking about transferring for a while although I wasn’t dead set on it, but that this was a good enough reason for me.
My manager wants to promote me and I guess he thinks I’m tryna leverage something because we need more staff atm although that’s not what I’m trying to do, he basically said to me I’ll take what you said into account but I feel you’ve overstepped here and that was the end of the talk.
Was I the asshole here because I was just trying to be honest after he asked, I know as just a staff member I don’t have any say in who they hire but I think it’s fair enough that I want to transfer if someone I can’t work with works there.

Three days ago, my housemates were alive.
And I wasn't losing my fucking mind.
Three days ago, I awoke to my housemate, Misty, shaking me.
“Get up!!”
Misty was usually the last to roll out of bed out of all of us, so I figured it was something important. My housemate wouldn’t get out of bed for nothing. She valued her sleep—often comparing her bed to a safe haven. Her place of solitude. I was right there with her, until she startled me out of slumber. I opened my eyes to find her face roughly three inches from mine, her expression lit up with excitement I couldn’t justify this early in the morning.
She smelled of toothpaste breath and her raspberry scented body wash. Her thick black curls framing her face were still damp from what I presumed was a shower, hanging in tangled knots in front of wide, almost unseeing eyes. When I first met her, Misty Kang had been my crush for a while. With a Korean father and a Texan mother, she definitely caught eyes when we hung out. We had a thing in freshman year, which quickly fizzled out once we started living together. Never date your housemates.
I will just say that.
Over the last few years, Misty has become one of my closest friends.
When she knew I was at least conscious, my housemate was grabbing my arm and yanking me out of bed. “Get up!”
I was barely awake, and those were the only words I could fully distinguish.
I shooed her away for a moment and swung my legs out of bed, taking a minute to blink sunlight out of my eyes coming through the blinds. “Sam.” Misty was in front of me again.
I don’t think she understood the concept of being half asleep.
She wouldn’t leave me alone, waving her arms wildly. Her shadow under the soft morning light almost reminded me of one of those inflatable tube guys.
“Huh?” My voice was a low croak, and her smile widened.
“Guess who’s just scored tickets for an actual screening of the first five minutes of gameplay for the most anticipated game of the decade?”
“What?” Her string of words wasn’t making sense in my caffeine deprived mind. It just sounded like gibberish to me, initially.
Like we were in some cheesy commercial, she was the lead, and I was the confused NPC with the WTF expression. But when I went over it in my head, words started to slide together like a jigsaw puzzle. Misty didn’t get excited about video games. Well, she did. Though, my housemate was one to get excited on behalf of someone else. After living with her for a while now, I had concluded she was a follower.
By that, I mean whatever others thought or did or said, she copied it. If her Twitter followers were mad at bad takes, she would drop all of her own opinions on said follower and focus on what other people said. We had Korean barbecue for takeout the other day, and Misty clearly did not like it from the creased look on her face, and her very obviously spitting it politely into a napkin.
Jay, my other housemate, liked it.
And so did I. So, naturally, Misty announced she wanted more.
I had to watch her suffer through two more portions before she excused herself—presumably to throw up. Blinking at my housemate who was clearly excited for Jay, I resisted the overwhelming urge to roll my eyes.
“Slow down. What game? What are you talking about?”
I got out of bed and threw on my robe, half aware of the mess from last night on my desk. Another attempt to finish an essay which just wasn’t happening. The monster energy cans and takeout Chinese wrappers were embarrassing. I got a basic run-through as I headed downstairs with Misty right behind me, practically breathing down my neck. From what I understood, there was a Reddit post.
That was all I got from Misty’s squealing. She leapt down the stairs after me with a spring in her step. The clock above the front door told me it wasn’t even 9am. The smell of bacon, however, was quick to arise me from the dead.
Jay was in the kitchen making breakfast. I noticed his laptop was open on the table, and every so often he’d peer at it with wide, almost disbelieving eyes. Jay and Misty were complete opposites, which made them great people to live with. Jay was a quiet book who was slightly on the pretentious side, routinely quoting something philosophical to piss me off.
He had rich parents on the other side of the world, but the guy himself was fairly humble and had mostly detached himself from said family.
My housemate was usually well put together. In fact, I barely saw him in his pajamas, excluding game nights. That morning, however, he was a disheveled mess, still in yesterday’s clothes.
He offered me a grin. I glimpsed sauce from last night’s dinner still staining his chin. Jay hadn’t brushed his hair or even put on deodorant.
I caught a whiff of BO when he ducked in front of me, his gaze glued to his MacBook. It was rare when Jay ignored basic hygiene, so yeah, I was going to guess this was a pretty huge thing. “I did tell her not to wake you up, y’know.”
His slight aussie accent was always refreshing on a morning. Born in Australia and moving to the states when he was ten years old, Jay still had a slight tinge in his accent. I had seen pictures of his family, and the guy had definitely gotten most of his dad’s genes, thick brown hair, and freckles. While his dad was built like a pro wrestler however, Jay was leaner like his mom.
I shrugged. “I was already awake.”
“Liar.” He didn’t look away from his laptop.
Looking closer, I glimpsed the Reddit homepage.
“So, you have won something.”
Jay didn’t answer. I could tell he was excited by the way he could barely keep still, bustling around the kitchen, barefoot. “Coffee?”
His voice was more of a Misty-like squeak, and I half wondered for a moment if they had switched bodies, or he had at least become one with my other housemate through a chemical explosion. In our kitchen, which was yet to be cleaned after a cooking disaster several nights ago, I wouldn’t be surprised if something was living on the countertop. I nodded, slumping into a chair. “What’s going on? Why is Misty freaking out?” I nodded at his laptop. “She said you’ve won something?”
As if my housemate couldn’t hold it in anymore, he nodded, turning his screen towards me. “You know____, right?”
“Yes.” I sipped my coffee, eyeing a toaster strudel sitting on the countertop. "You mean the game which has been coming out for a decade."
He ignored that. “Well, what if I told you one of the developer’s posted on the official sub this morning?”
“For _____?"
He nodded with a grin, and I wondered it this was one of those rare times when Jay was blindly looking through a red flag to see what he wanted. I had heard of these types of scams, and Reddit was a breeding ground for them.
Gamers were pretty intense. I didn’t realize I was pulling a face until I caught his lips curving into a smile. Jay was usually the skeptical one.
“You don’t believe me.”
I downed my coffee to avoid replying. When I had drained the cup, he was still staring at me with amused eyes.
“What?”
“You think it’s bullshit.”
I shrugged. “You said it,” I said. “I’m pretty sure that game isn’t even partway through development. Didn’t Twitter leak a still last year? Also, they’ll be bringing out a new console before that game comes out.”
I leaned back in my chair. “It’s more of a pipe dream, at this point.”
“The leaks were fake,” Even he didn’t look sure. “Anyway, that’s not the point. One of the dev’s posted on the official sub this morning. He asked if we were all excited for the new game, asked if we could post some of our favorite NPC dialogue, and he’ll DM winners.”
“Uh-huh.” I nodded at the screen. I had already checked my phone for an internet meltdown concerning this post, but there was nothing. “And where is that post now?”
Jay didn’t look at me. “It was deleted. So it only reached a certain number of people.”
“Oh, it was deleted?” I couldn’t resist a smile. “What a coincidence.”
When I laughed, Jay scowled, showing me his screen—navigating his trackpad to his Reddit DM’s.
To my surprise, there was actually a message from what I guessed was a throw-away account.
While I was skim reading the DM, Misty hurried in, all dressed and ready for the day. I peeked at her outfit from Jay's laptop. Cute.
Extravagant, but cute. My housemate cranked the radio up before bouncing between us, a toaster strudel hanging out of her mouth.
Misty was a living animated character. Ignoring her wide smile, I turned back to the screen. “Congratulation!!” The DM started with capitals.
It took me reading it twice to realize there was a clear spelling mistake. I sent Jay a pointed look, but he was too busy practically vibrating with excitement. If the guy had any more caffeine, he was going to explode. “Since when did winning DM’s start with a typo?”
“I knew you were going to say that.” Jay curled his lip. “They were clearly excited when typing the message.”
“But this is supposedly an official,” I said. “Surely they would make sure it’s professional?”
My housemate didn’t reply, shooting a look at Misty, who rolled her eyes.
“Wow.” I squinted at the screen. “I am so sorry for caring about your safety. You do realize these types of scam’s usually end up with you being sold on the black market, right?”
I shuddered. “I’ve heard horror stories about underground markets specializing in illegal organ harvesting.”
“Or…” Jay’s eyes were glued to the screen. “You could be happy for me?”
I frowned at the rest of the message, which was just a capitalized freak-out about the upcoming release of the game, before inviting Jay (and a friend!) to a five-minute preview of gameplay, as well as a Q&A. There was a location and a time, which was brow-raising. “10 at night.” I said. “Who hosts a gaming convention at 10pm?” I leaned my chin on my fist. “Unless they wanted to lure as many gullible people as possible, and ship them to some organ harvesting factory on the other side of the world.”
Jay scoffed. “That’s dark.”
“You’re actually considering going to a 10pm gaming convention in the middle of nowhere. I’m trying to wake you up.”
Jay nudged me that time. “It’s real. Relax.”
“And.” I pointed to the screen. “No phones? Why would they ask you not to bring your phones?”
“To stop us filming content,” Misty sang. “Duh.”
I groaned, leaning back in my chair. “You’re on his side? This is clearly shady!” I didn’t get mad unless something was seriously pissing me off, and this was one of those times. Jay was a smart guy. There was no way he was falling for this bullshit. I thought he was joking around when he spent the day tracking the location on Google Maps. I went to class like normal and got updates through text. At lunch, Jay agreed with me and said it was in fact shady, and he wasn’t going. By afternoon classes, he was texting me in paragraphs explaining his own skepticism but had found several “friends” on an online forum who were also going and had changed his mind once again. The guy couldn’t make up his mind. He was driving me crazy.
Misty sent me several videos of Jay pacing the kitchen with his MacBook in his hands. She was broadcasting his mental breakdown via Instagram stories. But then she started to send me pictures of herself in different outfits, asking me for my opinion on each one. At that point, I turned my phone off. My housemates had lost their fucking minds. I did my own research though, just to make sure I wasn’t actually going to lose them to a shady cult.
I searched for the game itself, but just as I thought, it was shown as still in development. Every “update” was just fan speculation.
There were YouTube videos and TikTok’s of fake leaks, but nothing was real. It was either AI generated, or badly edited. By the time my classes had ended and I had turned my phone on, I had a barrage of missed calls and texts.
Most of them were from Misty with her outfit changes, and Jay changing his mind again.
This time he was convinced it was all a scam, his texts full of typos and crying emoji's which he never used. Before it hit me that Misty was most likely using his phone to text me.
I was right. When I walked through the door, I was greeted by both of them sitting on the stairs. Misty was scrolling through Jay’s phone, while the boy had his head in his hands. According to Misty’s last text, he was back to being excited to go.
From the look on his face, eyes shadowed with sleep circles, light brown curls slipping from under his hood, I wasn’t sure what Misty meant by “excited”. The guy looked the complete opposite. His mind had been consumed by the game, and the idea of seeing new content.
When I dropped my bag and folded my arms, fixing the two of them with my best disapproving parent look, Misty jumped to her feet. “Sam!” she waved Jay’s phone at me. “Did you get my texts? We’re actually going now!”
The 100+ texts on both messenger and iMessage said otherwise.
I nodded, my gaze on Jay. “Both of you do realize it’s a scam, right?” I softened my tone despite growing progressively more irritated. We were grown adults, not kids. I could understand a group of teenagers falling for it, but two twenty-three-year-olds?
This time, I ducked in front of Jay. “Hey.” I pulled down his hood, and he groaned, burying his head in his knees. “I don’t want to freak you out, so listen to me, okay?”
I exhaled out a breath. “I’m not saying something bad is going to happen to you, because it most likely won’t—and yes, I admit I’m being paranoid.” When he lifted his head, blinking through bedraggled curls, there was a faint smile on his lips. “But.” I said. “You are most likely going to end up disappointed. Which I don’t want, because you won't shut up about it for weeks."
I was only partly joking.
For a moment, I thought my housemate was going to wake up, and nod, laughing at how crazy it was.
Before shook his head and jumped up.
“I’m going to take a shower, alright? I should start getting ready."
I admit, I exploded at him.
We argued while he was in the shower, and I paced up and down the hallway, coming up with multiple reasons why he was definitely going to die, and only two positives if it was in fact real. In the end, I gave up worrying all together. I didn’t say anything when the two of them were hurrying around looking for shoes and missing car keys. I didn’t realize they were gone until the door was clanging shut, and a text was coming through. I didn’t look at it until an hour later, and I had calmed down.
Jay: 1h ago: Stop worrying, lmao. We’re good! I’ll keep my phone just in case. I’ll make sure to avoid the organ harvesting 😉
Another from Misty a few minutes later: “Love you! Chillll, kay? 😭😭 It’s going to be fun! I’ll take pics!”
…
Followed by: “Oh shit, we can’t. I’ll try to sneak some!"
Attached to the text was a photo of the two of them. Misty with a wide smile and a peace sign, and Jay who looked like he was mid-shout, his eyes on the road.
Those texts were… at least comforting, I guessed. Maybe they were right. I figured I was paranoid, and they in fact would really be okay.
But that didn’t stop the anxious coil in my gut when I tried to force down takeout pizza. I attempted to focus on my essay to distract myself, but I couldn’t stop glancing at my phone, and checking Twitter. There was a hashtag on the DM, which was just “PlayStationGO.” When I searched for it, however, nothing came up.
Sure, it was a private convention and only a select few knew about it, but nothing could escape Twitter.
Somewhere, someone must be talking about it. After scrolling through endless tweets though, I realized I was wrong. There was nothing.
That put a bad taste in my mouth.
10pm came, and I held my breath all the way through a Netflix TV show I was forcing myself to watch, half asleep, slumped at my desk.
I could barely distinguish the plot.
I just had a vague idea of the character names, and some of their motivations.
Midnight passed, and I was struggling to stay awake.
I glanced at my phone.
No messages, just a notification from Spotify reminding me my favorite band was playing nearby.
1am.
Still nothing. I fell back to sleep.
2:48am.
This time, I stayed awake for a few minutes glaring at my phone before my eyes grew heavy.
3:16: am.
My phone buzzed with a text from Jay, but I could barely desipher it: "can't feel help my head hurts Canshdhsn727272_6798mi/!! _&go home please. (Sent from: PlayStationGo™️ BETA)."
3:27: am.
3:54: am. I was wide awake, blinking at a notification which had popped up from an unknown number. I was trying to figure out what number it was, when my phone vibrated again and I almost jumped out of my skin.
After a moment of hesitation, I answered it.
I was trying so hard not to think of the possibility of it being the emergency room, or even worse, the cops.
All of my worst nightmares had come true in a single second.
“Hello?” I whispered in a croak.
“Are they in the house with you?” The stranger’s voice came through in a hiss of interference.
His words sent my mediocre dinner lurching back up my throat. “What?” I managed to get out. “Who?”
“Your friends.” He said, and I leapt to unsteady feet, my gut twisting and turning.
“No.” I found myself taking slow strides toward the window, brushing back the curtain and peering out into the night. “Why? Did something happen to them?” I paused.
“How did you get my number?”
“That does not matter.” His voice rattled in my ear as I rushed downstairs, almost stumbling down the bottom two. “I need you to get out of that house. Now. Get as far away as possible.”
I could hear his rapid breaths.
He was driving. I could hear the rumble of the engine. With my phone pressed to my ear, I obeyed his instructions, pulling open the door and stepping out into the cool night, a brisk breeze grazing my bare arms was just enough to stop my thoughts spiraling.
I was barefoot, in nothing but a robe, staggering down the driveway. The night was calm and silent; our neighborhood was asleep, each window drowned in darkness. I couldn’t breathe, my clammy fingers wrapped around my phone, as this stranger broke down over the phone. “Whatever you do,” he gasped out.
“Do not, I repeat DO NOT remove the PlayStationGo—shit!! He hissed out, static rattling the call. The guy seemingly got ahold of himself, and the wheel, and continued. I started to walk—where I was going, I had no idea.
The stranger lit a cigarette. I heard the click of a lighter and his exhalation of breath. “It was a BETA version, but we had to rush it. This was not my idea. My boss is a greedy man. He wanted to release the game last year, which would have meant widespread infection. Luckily, that did not happen. We did manage to delay it, but only by a year.” His words barely made sense to me as I struggled to get a word in, peering in the dark. “It was supposed to be a virtual experience of the game—a whole new angle of gameplay. But testing was difficult. First, on monkey’s, we lost multiple subjects. Tonight was supposed to be a…well, I guess you could call it out first attempt on human subjects,” his laugh was bitter. “I knew the tech wasn’t finished. And I tried. Believe me, I fucking tried. I tried to blow the whistle, but these bastards know where my parents live."
Something squirmed its way down my spine.
“So my friends were lab rats?” I said stiffly. “You used them?”
I fucking knew it.
I knew it was too good to be true.
“Yes and no. Listen to me, the people I work for are hunting them down. Trust me, I don’t want my bosses to find them because a life of experimentation will await them. Torture. Do you hear me? It does not matter if subjects fail. They don’t care. As long as there is at least a light at the end of the tunnel for them, they will see it as a win, and bring the publication date closer. They will not be treated as humans. Your friends signed a contract before trying out the tech, where the small print stated that, under section 3, player engagement, all subjects must agree to offer themselves as participants in later updates. I silently cursed Jay for always skipping the terms and conditions when buying games." The man stopped to breathe.
“I have told you multiple times, and I won’t say it again. Get as far away from that house as possible. I will take care of them. I will make sure of it." The sound of squealing engines, and I stopped power walking, coming to an abrupt stop. The silence of the night around me, compared to the sound of the highway he was on, traffic horns and the wind rushing through the window was an eerie contrast, a disturbance to the heavenly bubble we were trapped in.
“What do you mean ‘take care of them?” I had to swallow a yell. “Hey! What are you talking about?
“I’m sorry.” Was all he replied with. “I’m afraid it is too late. There was once an opportunity to save the mind during the initial level of the demonstration. However, once the PlaystationGo has been fully attached to the base of the subject, we no longer have control of it. Once integrating itself into the cerebral cortex, the PlayStationGo can only be removed by signing out of the player’s account,” his breath was heavy. “On this unfortunate occasion, however, your friends are unable to navigate the system due to a malfunction which scrambled their brains,” He trailed off. “Which has left them stranded in the game."
I let out a breath. “Right.” I said. “That’s.. bad. I mean, it’s a fucked-up piece of technology, but they’re just playing a game, right?”
There was a pause, before the man laughed.
“Young man, I don’t think you understand,” he said. “The PlayStationGo was created to give the player a full virtual experience of our game. The PlayStationGo is not a physical object. Created with nanotechnology, it attaches itself to the subject’s brain and is supposed to create a personal gaming experience for each player. As I said, however, it is not finished. It is yet to be released to the public, and of course, we are expecting certain ethical arguments due to the controversial—”
I pulled the phone away from my ear, shaking my head. I didn’t need to hear his attempts at trying to save his own skin.
“You need to help them,” I whispered. “Do you hear me? Can you do that? Can you help them?!”
“That is what I am trying to tell you,” He said.
“I know you are upset and confused, and believe me, I offer my apologies. But you need to listen to facts. During initial testing, our subjects were conscious enough to know where their home was. We are unsure why this happens, though we have linked it to territory, as well as the main character of the game heavily influencing their actions. I have been tracking them from the testing facility, and they are incredibly close. Please get as far away from there as possible. If you are no longer in the vicinity of the house, I can end this quickly and quietly before we gain attention.”
I wasn’t sure what I was going to say. Maybe start fucking screaming at him, because he was talking about getting “rid” of my friends, after their mistake.
“Do you understand me?” He said, when I couldn’t reply. “Your friends are lost causes!”
Before I could answer, though, headlights were suddenly coming around the corner, and I found myself paralysed to the spot. The car which swerved twice, crashed into several trash cans, before reversing and coming straight towards me, was not Jay’s car. Jay’s car was an old hunk of junk he’d gotten from a scrapyard. Jay’s car had doors which were practically hanging off, and a stereo which exclusively played either static gibberish, or old tapes I had no idea how to use. This car was bright yellow, and definitely had an option to drive itself. When the car came to a stop, inches from careening into me, I lost all control of myself.
I was vaguely aware of my phone slipping from my fingers and hitting the sidewalk. But I was too busy staring at the two shadows in the front of the car. The driver, and the passenger.
And the muffled screaming coming from the trunk.
When the door swung open, a figure stepping out, I did not recognise my housemate.
The stranger told me I wouldn't, but I didn't believe him.
Jay had left the house in casual jeans and a sweater, bearing the game's logo.
Now, I found myself face to face with a man with my housemate's face and features, his smile and eyes-- but something had been severed in his eyes and twisted in his expression. For one, Jay was wearing a suit I knew he couldn't afford, the sleeves torn, collar pulled open, smears of red staining the front.
His pants had cufflinks, and the Rolex on his wrist had definitely been pulled off someone's corpse.
The silver was stained a revealing scarlet. Drinking in his face, he looked like Jay. His curls hung in front of his eyes, freckles speckling his cheeks, but everything else wasn't. It wasn't until I was glimpsing what was moulded into the flesh of his hand, did I remember how to move. But then I was taking all of him in, everything my mind had intentionally skipped, because I didn't want to believe the stranger on the phone. Nanotechnology, the man had said in a hiss.
Fiction, I had thought.
Before I saw the reality of it, a writhing metallic like substance glued to the guy's temple, and slowly, very slowly, inching down his cheek, already forming around the bridge of his ear, a very faint blue light flickering.
Something must have alerted him. His cavernous eyes left mine, and he twisted his head—and I heard the sound of his neck snapping, his head lolling to the left slightly, his eyes flickering. I watched his whole body seem to sway back and forth, ready to fall forwards.
Before the newly formed device on his ear turned red, then green.
It was almost like he was… rebooting. As if coming back to life, Jay lifted his head at an awkward angle, before looking straight through me. The blood vessels in his eyes had popped, rivulets of red beading down his face. He should have been dead, I thought. No. No, he was dead. That… that thing was keeping him alive. “Well, shiiiittt,” he said. I could sense the game dialogue which had taken over him, forming on his mangled tongue.
“I’m a man on a mission.”
In jerking movements, he turned and marched back towards the car, opening the door, and sliding into the front seat.
I remembered how to move, ducking to grab my phone, before something slammed into the back of my head—and I saw stars.
I didn’t remember hitting the floor, only the soft sound of her voice, a seductive murmur repeating NPC dialogue, and her kitten heel sticking into my spine, forcing me onto my face.
Misty. I was expecting her to get it over with. But when she dragged me to my feet, sticking the barrel of a gun into the flesh of my neck—I figured she was still playing the game.
Twisting around to meet her eyes, lifeless and empty, only filled with light from the device which had taken over half of her face, I felt sick to my stomach. This thing wasn’t a games console or a virtual reality headset.
It was an attempt at coercing and programming something you already don’t understand, to do something impossible.
I could see that in the way the things had visibly chewed and eaten through her flesh, devouring her from the inside and out. I could see what was left of the dress she had worn earlier, but something must have gone wrong with her too. Because Misty had thrown on another outfit over the top, a diamond necklace hanging from her neck.
I caught a thin river of red pooling down her right temple, trying to ignore the twitchy way she moved, just like a character. From the way Misty walked, stumbling, I already knew she was gone. My housemate had newly acquired strength, throwing me in the trunk of the car where three other hostages were, and slamming it shut on my attempts to reason with her. She didn’t tie me up or restrain me.
In the dim light I could just make out though passing streetlights, I could see the trunk opened from the inside. Which was too easy.
Still though, Jay was driving recklessly, and every time I tried to throw the damn thing open, I was knocked backwards, rolling into a screaming girl, who was bound by her hands and feet. It took me multiple attempts before I had the trunk open, freezing cold air blasting me in the face. I untied the other hostages, but when I told them to come with me, they just stared blankly at me, and continued begging for their lives—and it only took me glimpsing what was attached to their temples, a familiar writhing metal plate, for me to understand. They too were playing the game. This time, as NPC hostages.
I found myself gingerly touching the trembling metallic flesh of the girl's fingers bound in rope. It had a slimy consistency, and I swore, I felt something bite into me.
No way, I thought.
This thing was sentient, yes. But it wasn't living.
Listen, I wish I could tell you what it was like to jump out of a moving car, but I can’t.
I remember it as lunging out of the trunk, hitting the freezing cold air, before hitting the ground head first, neutron star collisions exploding in the backs of my eyes.
What I do remember is waking up on the side of the road. Hours later. The sky was bright blue, a scorching sun blinding me when I managed to force my eyes open.
The early morning rush hour flew by as normal, and I wondered how ignorant American people had to be to ignore someone knocked out on the side of the road.
It’s not like I was nowhere near civilization. There was a fucking Subway right next to me.
When I had gathered myself, I remembered I had no phone. I couldn’t go home in fear of running into my rogue housemates playing their own fucked up version of _____ in their head. My plan was to try and find my phone, get in contact with the stranger who blew the whistle on my friends being dangerous, and find them. They couldn’t be far., right? And even if they weren’t themselves… someone would be able to save them.
If someone could do this to them, surely they could reverse it.
I felt sick, tired, and I was starving.
So, with some loose cash I’d found in my pocket, I bought a Subway and a Coke.
The woman at the counter smiled widely at me. She leaned forward, with a wink. “Nice cosplay!”
Cosplay?
I didn’t understand what she meant until I swore I felt something… move its way up my pant leg. I ignored it, and it happened again, this time it felt like something was… biting.
A bug, maybe? I had been laying on the side of the road for around six hours.
When I went to the bathroom, though, I found myself staring at an all too familiar glint of silver creeping its way across my temple. Like it was sentient, parts of it sider webbed towards my ear while the rest writhed into my hairline.
I pulled up my pant leg again, and there it was, a fungus-like metal substance which had already formed in two solid metal masses on my knees. I remember grazing two fingers across the thing beginning its slow feast of my flesh. I remember trying to pull it off, hissing in pain when I risked ripping off my own skin with it. I remember shaking my head and being in denial, even when the lights dimmed above me, and the bathroom door in front of me became more of a shadow. When I strode back through the Subway store, I began to see slight flickers of light above each person, highlighting something not quite there yet.
I could see it already starting, beginning to take over my thoughts. Cars which sped past were suddenly highlighted, and at the corner of my eye, if I concentrated, the outline of a map was starting to appear. Even now, when the room is almost completely taken over by shadow, and my thoughts are half my own, and half not—when a metallic device is beginning to form over my eyes—I know if I hold on, this thing won’t take me. I have considered killing myself, but that wouldn’t… be right.
How could I kill myself when there is so much left to do?
This developer was right. I don’t even know where I can sign out. There’s what looks like the beginning of some kind of index when I look up, but it’s not… finished. I can still see entangled pieces of code struggling to load what I’m guessing was log out. Whatever this thing is, it’s taking over me. Fast. Like a fungus, like a virus, it will not stop until it’s dragged me into the game, until it's leeched itself onto me.
I can feel it happening right now. It's been slow.
Almost painfully slow.
But maybe that is the point. Maybe part of the game is to feel my own thoughts beginning to unravel in favor of something else entirely.
Fuck.
Time is going by…. Fast.
Five minutes ago… I was trying to get home. But I can’t remember where I live.
I can’t concentrate.
I can’t think straight.
I have a phone—but I don’t know how I got it. Did I steal it?
Every time I move, the slowly emerging map comes to life at the corner of my eye jerks with my movement. There is a car parked nearby.
I know it belongs to the man with a child.
But a confusing blur of light is highlighting it to be something of importance. Reality is crashing in front of me, replaced with contorting shapes and bursts of color I have to blink through.
I keep hearing... sirens.
Jay is messaging me.
On what, I'm not sure.
But I need to find him.
I’m sure one mission won’t hurt, right?

My family has “wealth” but not in the American capitalist sense.
When I went to visit last year, I was in awe of the lifestyle. They own a multi-acre compound with about 200 residents. There are about 50 small homes, densely packed with most only consisting of bedrooms, a bathtub, outhouse, a kitchenette, and a living room. In the center of the compound is a community center, where a full kitchen, social space, and large schoolhouse are located (non-family neighbors can pay to use these resources). There is no running water, only wells.
There is one medical office with an on-call general practice doctor and one nurse. There is one barestaurant with a pool hall. There are 2 seamstresses. There are 3 hair stylists. One household has a farm. Everyone barters internally and sells goods and services externally for cash.
Only 3 people own cars, and they only use them when visiting faraway towns.
It’s fascinating to see. At a glance, many people would feel sorry for these “poor” people with small homes, no running water, and no cars. But there is amazing organization in this community. The neighborhood is not particularly stylish or sexy, but everyone is taken care of. And it is not a cult-like setting; family members are free to come and go.
It is not perfect because this system suggests that those in this country who do not have wealth and organized families are left without a security blanket. But it is an interesting study into how communities can ethically self-sustain without cars.

HARDCORE? CASUAL? DOESN'T MATTER! We are looking for chill hardcore and casual players who want to have a great time and not take themselves too seriously while building a clan they can be proud of!
We are building a clan meant to be a community that loves destiny and is excellent to each other.
We have people who love PVE and PVP but we are mostly PVE focused as of right now.
Your clans name : The Subpardians
Your system(s) : Xbox or Pc
Where are most of your clan members located : USA- Central or Eastern timezones mostly
When do you usually play : Prime time is weeknights after 7 Eastern and most of the days on weekends
Tell us more about your clan : This is the start of a brand new clan with a few goals in mind.
First is to Be excellent to each other regardless of skill level- I am trying to cultivate a safe place where people can be themselves and have fun in this game we all love. I am an experienced sherpa and hope to add more that are more than willing to help people learn as much content as they want!
Second is to build community - destiny is better with friends so being engaged in discord and/or game is important. What matters most is that we all mesh together well. There will be some engagement/playing requirements but they aren’t outlandish and you aren’t going to get a permaban or cut off from the discord if you miss the requirements.
what are the rules : the main rules are pretty simple real life comes first and Don’t be a jerk (this includes all the usual suspects of bigotry, racism, sexism, etc. and other things like skill shaming or platform superiority)
Who am I looking for : chill adults that want to grow something great. People who are looking to improve at pve or pvp or can help people improve. Most importantly don’t be scared to try and join us. Don’t let a bad experience with another clan or lfg keep you from trying! We are hoping to create a place for you.
What is the best way to contact you : You can send me a message on here, which will take extra time for me to see likely or on discord : Jarjoevis#2323 - discord will be faster but I will ask you to send your reddit name.

Hi everyone,
I wanted to give you a few updates:

1. AMA - This is just a reminder that Anjana Gopakumar from Eat At Trivandrum coordinator, and a famous food blogger will be giving us an AMA on June 11, 2023, from 4pm to 5:30 pm. Clear your schedules and ready your questions! Original thread with additional details here
2. Reddit blackout - Reddit is increasing the price of API calls for third party apps at a very high cost, which might end up causing many of our favorite applications to shut down permanently. To protest against this, trivandrum will go offline for 48 hours, from June 12 till Jun 13 midnight. Many other subreddits are also taking part. We urge you to not use reddit during this period to aid us in the protest. Original thread here
3. June 2023 meetup - After the May meetup, there was a short discussion and it was recommended to have a meetup where the members can engage in some activities as well. Eve's coffee was mostly agreed as the suitable location and June 18 as the day of the meetup. Whether you agree or disagree on these, please do post them in this google forms(username optional, but choices from voters with username would be given more weightage due to the authenticity). We will conclude the voting by June 16

​
These are the major ones. No political or religious posts was something which we had discussed and concluded with user support that it was not needed in the sub. As of now it remains as an unwritten rule, but we will add this to the sub shortly.
Any thoughts on these or a general feedback, do let us know.

Valley Forge Academy Review Already posted on internationalteachers
As an experienced educator, it is with deep disappointment that I provide a review of Valley Forge Academy Qatar, located in Doha, Qatar. In its brief one-year existence, this school has shown a glaring disregard for professionalism, support, and the provision of quality education.
Let us address the elephant in the room: the shockingly inadequate compensation provided to teachers. Regardless of experience or qualifications, the school's non-negotiable monthly salary of a mere 11,000 Qatari Riyals leaves educators struggling to maintain a decent standard of living in a city known for its exorbitant costs. This abysmal remuneration demonstrates a complete lack of appreciation for the expertise and dedication that teachers bring to the classroom.
Not only is the salary insufficient, but the school's policy of paying teachers during the summer holidays, leaving them financially vulnerable, highlights a complete lack of foresight and disregard for their well-being. It is disheartening to witness an institution that prioritizes saving a few pennies over the livelihoods of its dedicated staff.
To exacerbate matters, the housing accommodations provided by the school are well below the acceptable standards expected of an educational institution. This subpar housing further compounds the frustrations felt by teachers, who deserve a comfortable living environment to support their work.
While we're on the topic of support, it is essential to address the complete absence of effective leadership and administrative guidance. The building manager, Michael, sets a hostile tone with his unfriendly demeanor and unprofessional behavior, adding insult to injury in an already challenging work environment.
Furthermore, the school's lack of necessary supplies and resources is nothing short of abysmal. Teachers are left to fend for themselves, lacking the tools and materials required to deliver a quality education to their students. This absence of support not only undermines the teachers' efforts but also denies the students the educational experience they deserve.
It is deeply concerning to note the high turnover rate among teachers. Within the first five months, the Grade 5/6/7 Math and ELA teacher decided that the toxic work environment was unbearable, prompting their departure. This alarming trend continued throughout the year, with a significant number of teachers resigning, including KG1, KG2, Grade 1, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Music Teacher, and both PE Coaches. The exodus of talented professionals should serve as a wake-up call to the administration.
The lack of stability extends to the school's leadership. The abrupt firing of the principal, raises questions about the school's leadership and their commitment to maintaining stability. This unsettling turn of events raises serious questions about the leadership's ability to maintain a stable and supportive environment for both students and staff. A new leader, the chief of staff, who is more concerned with the perception of the school than addressing the real issues, further exacerbates the already troublesome situation.
The president of the school, demonstrates a profound disconnect from the realities faced by teachers. His condescending demeanor, rash decision-making, and his ill-timed vacation during the school year instead of waiting for the summer break are clear indicators of his negligence and lack of empathy for the staff's challenges.
The assistant principal exhibits a troubling combination of eccentricity, rudeness, and demeaning behavior. Her dismissive attitude towards communication, indulgence in gossip with select staff members, and her husband’s inappropriate conduct all contribute to an unhealthy and unprofessional work culture. Her husband who is the head of operations, has displayed rudeness towards the cleaners and has been known to engage in inappropriate conversations with staff.
The behavior coordinator, quitting due to the meager income further highlights the school's inability to provide adequate support and compensation to its staff. The subsequent departure of multiple teacher assistants further underscores the toxic work environment that prevails.
Student aggression towards teachers is a pervasive and alarming issue that Valley Forge Academy Qatar fails to address effectively. Teachers endure physical assault, with students hitting and pushing them, only to witness the perpetrators return to their classrooms without facing any consequences. Verbal abuse, manifested through yelling and cursing in both English and Arabic, is a distressingly common occurrence. These acts of aggression not only jeopardize the safety and well-being of the staff but also erode the educational environment that should foster growth and learning.
Academics take a backseat at Valley Forge Academy Qatar. The absence of structured curriculum, inadequate lesson plan checks, the lack of professional development opportunities, and the absence of programs catering to students' language needs and learning disabilities are indicative of an institution that fails to prioritize academic excellence. The school's failure to adequately address the language needs of its students perpetuates an environment where language barriers hinder effective communication and academic progress. The absence of appropriate support and resources for students with diverse language backgrounds further exacerbates the challenges faced by both students and teachers alike.
In a disheartening display, the school's approach to assessment and reporting lacks the professionalism and efficiency expected of a reputable educational institution. With a mere two report cards issued throughout the year, and the use of Word instead of a comprehensive computer grading system, it is clear that Valley Forge Academy Qatar falls short in providing a robust and reliable evaluation of students' progress.
In conclusion, Valley Forge Academy Qatar masquerades as an educational institution while perpetuating a facade that conceals its numerous deficiencies. The non-negotiable and insultingly low salary, combined with below-average housing, unsupportive administration, lack of essential resources, and absence of professional development, create a toxic and demoralizing work environment for teachers. Student aggression towards staff members, coupled with the lack of consequences, further compromises the safety and well-being of educators.
This school's blatant disregard for professionalism, academic standards, and the overall welfare of its staff casts a dark shadow over its reputation. Teachers deserve better, students deserve better, and Valley Forge Academy Qatar must confront its shortcomings and work towards a genuine commitment to excellence.

I (18m) just watched the new spider-man movie and it is one of-, if not my favorite movie i've ever seen, it's beautiful both visually and audibly but also the story and characters are just so good.
However in the middle of watching it it got me kind of emotional because i related alot to Miles. Obviously not on the superhero side but more that i feel like my story is set, like i'm stuck, like i can't spread my wings and go do my own thing and live life and have fun.
I'm in school atm and will finish it after a year, after that i was gonna work for the summer and one semester and then go to a folk high school for one semester and then work again for a summer and then start university.
I also feel an immense pressure to have to do very good in school, i once got a 7 on a big test (which isnt that bad) and my mom was not happy, i have told her that it was unfair and she has gotten more lenient but i still always feel crazy pressure to have to do well now.
I do look forward to the folk high school and uni because i was planning on going to a school abroad at the same place my cousin lives but it's still 1½ year to go and i don't look forward to those 1½ years.
I don't like being here anymore, the people my age in my country are alot of the time assholes and really toxic, i just feel like i want to get away and try something new and do something with my life but i don't know how.

Today I'm going to tell you the story of my chair
I'm going to start this story with... We'll call this person Stacy.
Stacy is a tech saleswoman in the department store I worked at. Despite Stacy being a sales woman she is also a supervisor which in a technical sense doesn't really have any managerial connotations and is a very loose title where I work but Stacy has a problem with authority both giving and taking orders. Giving in a sense where she believes she is on the same level as the store manager and orders people around expecting them to follow her orders and taking in the sense that whenever one of the managers tells her to do or not to do something she just decides to not follow their orders and does what she wants anyway.
Now on top of Stacy's blatant insubordination, she is also a very unethical saleswoman where as she will lie to customers, lacks an extreme amount of knowledge regarding the things she is selling, steals sales from part time staff and is also very manipulative and manages to sell a lot of things which, because she makes a lot of sales means she brings in a lot of money for the store which in turn makes my store manager look good so he tends to look the other way when she is insubordinate and/or unethical.
Some background about myself for the story. I've been working with this company for about 3-4 years. I've been transferred to other locations as we have about 4 or 5 in my area, I've worked closely with a lot of the managers in the stores training as a potential stand in, but officially my positions in this company are in this order, computer repair technician, tech sales support, customer service support, I was permanently transferred to the store Stacy is at to fill the open tech repair position and assist with supervising the sales and service staff when needed, keep in mind that I am not a supervisor but I do have access to some of the same things management does and I report directly to the sales manager over anyone else, this is important for later.
Recently the store manager had to take medical leave for something serious which has caused him to not be able to work forcing our sales manager to become the acting store manager for the time. now our sales manager has only been with us for a couple months and Stacy believes that seniority actually hold some Authority, and because she's been with the store for over 10 years she thinks she has more Authority than the acting manager of the store. that being said our acting manager isn't very knowledgeable on all of the things a manager has to do although I have a pretty good idea of what needs to be done and he usually consults me because I've worked closely with the managers of others stores. Because the manager is out Stacy has taken it upon herself to sort of act as the new store manager despite the fact that we already have an acting manager
Now in regards to my chair, as a support staff I do a lot of monitoring of software and type up a lot of retorts, and as the technician of the store I do a lot of sitting while repairing and working on computers mainly because my desk is below waist height and trying to work at a desk that low while standing can cause a serious back issue. the problem with me having a chair is that sometimes the part-timers will go into my office and sit and play on their phones when I'm not there and the manager has warned them a few times about it but they continue to do it, his deterrent was he would lock my chair in his office when I wasn't working. because the Manager is out for a while, Stacy took it upon herself to deal with the situation as she felt was the best way and that way was by dismantling the chair and hiding the pieces all around the store. Now Not only was that an extremely childish thing to do to handle a situation but the situation itself was completely out of Nancy's Authority was a complete waste of company time. I want to preface that this isn't some dopey office chair, it's a fairly high end chair that I built and I can tell you that taking it apart is twice as hard as putting it together. dismantling the chair and hiding all the pieces had to have taken at least an hour or two for a woman in her 50s and the place is she hid all of the pieces were unbelievable and turned out to be an extreme safety hazard.
So for about a week and a half me and a few of my co-workers who were aware of the situation basically went on a small scavenger hunt to find all of the pieces of the chair and within that week and a half is when I concocted my plan..
I discussed the situation with the managers. We have 4 managers.. A general manager, sales Manager, service manager, and merchandise manager. I spoke to each manager separately for their opinions on the situation (with the exception of he general manager because hes on leave).
The sales manages wasn't interested in the situation because he was the acting manager and had more pressing matter to attend to considering it was back to school season, out busiest time of the year he basically told me to deal without it however I wanted to.
The service manager was for the most part on my side but also didn't want to get involved because well... He's a bit of a pussy and it's terrified of confrontation.
The merch manager thought it would be fun to hunt for all the pieces since she knew the store top to bottom and would most likely be able to find all the pieces. She was also was okay with me handling the situation however I wanted to and offered any support she could provide in the matter.
Initially Stacy denied knowing where my chair was but everyone was suspicious she had something to do with it and after finding all of the chair pieces I then confronted Stacy about the situation, she admitted to taking apart the chair and hiding it and I respectfully requested that she rebuild my chair so that this situation can be done with and things can be normal,to which she respectfully declined. I wasn't having that.
In my store, things are pretty out of wack, and there are a lot of internal problems that need to be dealt with, but no one knows how to deal with them... Stacy takes advantage of that by using the disarray of the store to take advantage of the other employees.. And she thought she could do the same with me, but Stacy didn't know me very well, Stacy didn't know I have a lot of experience with this company, and Stacy didn't know I am friends with the HR manager, So I had an idea of how things worked when it came to dealing with employee issues that the managers avoided.. I told Stacy that if my chair wasn't build by the time I show up for my next shift I was going to give head office HR a call and tell them about all the Shit she's been doing and how much time she wasted dealing with managers issues and causing a slew of safety hazards and a hostile work environment.. She was trying to play it cool but that was enough to make her panic.. And believe it or not, she tried to pull the seniority card on me. Didn't work, then she tried the "you can't go over my head with this stuff, I'm your direct superior and you have to report to me first" which, for one, never have I ever directly reported to her, she supervises the sales staff, alongside me and two, this would be an HR issue which is beyond store management. Stacy panicked because she knew I was right and she couldn't do a single thing to stop me. So she begged one of the managers to build my chair and it was build that same night.
As satisfied as I am with the outcome and seeing her panic, I am dissatisfied with my dumb ass service manager who gave in and built the chair for her. It was fun watching her beg tho.
This happened a few years ago and I have since quit my job there. The toxicity that was being created because of Stacy literally has damaged my mental health. This story is one of very many outrageous things this person has done. I had to leave because she has had HR called on her many times, unfortunately HR has to report to the district manager, who also looked the other way from the amount of reports against her because it makes his district look better than the others when she gets high numbers. While I was there the part time employees had a higher turn over. When I voiced my concern to the district manager his response prompted almost the entire full time staff to quit.

Things about me: I work hard. Confident. Outgoing. Intelligent. Funny. Down to earth. Single, no kids. I'm attractive and fit. I like most things outdoors. I love movies. A good balance of staying in and getting out. I have little to no emotional baggage. No crazy exes. I'm a Christian and serious about my faith.
Things about you: You're attractive and keep a fit body. Sweet and cheerful. Have a good sense of humor. Feminine. Submissive. Want a traditional role of serving your man, as he leads, loves, protects and provides. If you're more career-oriented, we'll work out the domestic aspects. And of course, you're a Christian.
Send me a message and tell me about you (age and location, included), your interests, and what's important to you.

If anyone could offer some advice or insight it would be amazing because my anxiety is going quite high about this. I’ve been in dread about this the whole day and night today.
Two days ago I had a 9-hour long non stop flight and a 3 hour flight returning from overseas, and the same two weeks before on the way there. I’m a 24 year old female. Last night, about a day after returning, I woke up in the middle of the night to some very strong pain in my left leg. It was like a gripping strong spasm like pain, I don’t remember exactly how long it lasted because ended up falling back asleep. In the morning I didn’t have the pain with that same intensity as I woke to during the night but throughout the entire day, I’ve felt aching, soreness and some cramp like feeling in that leg in various locations. A dull-ish soreness and cramping feeling that’s varied in intensity, as well as intermittent sharp jolting pains in the back and sides of my left calf. And just a general feeling of discomfort in that leg. I can’t see any redness and I don’t think it’s swollen, it’s a bit tight but the pain does subside and isn’t constant with the same intensity all the time. Have felt some warm wave sensations in the leg too, from the leg down to the foot but doesn’t look particularly red. The pain is a dull ish ache but mostly sharp stabs of pain in various locations all across my left leg from the lower thigh to the lower leg, calf pain as well. I’m terrified I’ve developed deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after the long flight, EVEN THOUGH I did my best to do some leg movements and stood up a few times for the toilet during those 9 hours. I’m also overweight which might increase my risk factors even further and therefore I’m really scared of it. I did go up a steep hill yesterday faster than usual due to being in a rush and I’ve told myself it could have been because of that, but my mind is asking:
1) Why would it have waited to appear in the middle of the night for that intense cramp feeling if it was related to the hill walk? And why is it in only one leg & the other is completely fine?
2) My mind wants to think it’s related to my recent long haul flight/s, and is telling me I have a blood clot in my legs which will then cause PE and kill me before anyone could notice or help me😥😥 heard you can even have no symptoms and then just drop but I guess I wouldn’t be even half as worried if I hadn’t just had long haul flight

Selling 2 tickets for the Luke Combs Friday show at 5:45 pm on July 14th, 2023. They are located at Sec FLRA5, Row 24, Seat 16 Sec FLRA5, Row 26, Seat 16
Looking for $400/each, but am open to other offers as well.

Greetings, fellow adventurers! Today, we embark on a remarkable dual journey as we delve into the release of The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, two interconnected games released for the Game Boy Color in 2001. Developed by Capcom in collaboration with Nintendo, these games offered unique gameplay experiences while delivering classic Zelda charm.
Storyline: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages follow the adventures of Link as he navigates two distinct lands: Holodrum and Labrynna. In Oracle of Seasons, Link is tasked with rescuing the Oracle of Seasons, Din, and restoring the harmony of the land. In Oracle of Ages, Link embarks on a quest to save the Oracle of Ages, Nayru, from the clutches of darkness. These parallel adventures intertwine as the true nature of the two Oracles and the essence of time are revealed.
Gameplay: Both Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages retain the core elements of the Zelda series while offering unique gameplay mechanics. Here are some key features of the gameplay:
Interconnected Storylines:

• While each game can be played independently, they are designed to be played together for a complete experience. Upon completing one game, players receive a password to transfer their progress to the other game, unlocking additional content and revealing the full story.

Seasons and Time Travel:

• Oracle of Seasons revolves around the changing of seasons, with Link wielding the Rod of Seasons to manipulate the environment. By altering the seasons, new paths open up, puzzles change, and the world transforms.
• Oracle of Ages focuses on time travel, allowing Link to travel between past and present to solve puzzles and overcome challenges. Manipulating time becomes crucial in uncovering secrets and progressing through the game.

Unique Abilities:

• In Oracle of Seasons, Link gains the ability to change into animal forms, such as a bear or a flying rooster, granting him special abilities and access to new areas.
• Oracle of Ages grants Link the ability to use the Harp of Ages, allowing him to travel freely between different time periods and manipulate the flow of time.

Linked Gameplay:

• Transferring progress between the two games unlocks additional story elements, characters, and dungeons, providing a deeper and more fulfilling experience.
• Connecting the two games also unlocks the final boss battle and the true ending, rewarding players who complete both adventures.

Classic Zelda Elements:

• Both games feature traditional Zelda elements, such as challenging dungeons, puzzle-solving, boss battles, and the iconic items and weapons that have become synonymous with the series.

Legacy and Impact: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages are regarded as strong entries in the Zelda franchise. Here are some notable aspects of their legacy:
Unique Gameplay Experiences:

• Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages provided players with distinct gameplay experiences through their respective themes of seasons and time travel. This showcased the series' ability to innovate while staying true to its roots.

Collaboration with Capcom:

• The Oracle games were developed by Capcom in collaboration with Nintendo. This partnership showcased the potential of collaboration between two esteemed game development companies and expanded the creative vision of the Zelda series.

Expanded Lore and Mythology:

• The games expanded the lore of the Zelda universe, introducing new characters, locations, and mythical elements. They enriched the overall tapestry of the series and provided fans with additional depth and exploration.

Unique Soundtracks:

• Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages feature memorable soundtracks composed by the legendary Koji Kondo and Capcom's sound team. These compositions added depth and atmosphere to the games, enhancing the overall player experience.

Conclusion: The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages offered a unique and interconnected adventure for Zelda fans. With their innovative gameplay mechanics, engaging storylines, and classic Zelda elements, these games left a lasting impact on the franchise. Exploring the realms of Holodrum and Labrynna proved to be a memorable journey, showcasing the timeless charm and magic that define the Legend of Zelda series.
"Wow. What's with that get-up? Well, whatever. So, where am I...?" - Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages

• Isamu~

This article is not my original creation. It was from "Mysterious Universe" website. Unfortunately the site has since been taken down. I was able to find the wayback machine (internet archive backup) for this article. However it is not a reliable permanent solution, hence I decided to post the duplicate here as well.
https://web.archive.org/web/20210507065339/https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2019/08/bright-colors-strange-entities-and-baffling-vanishings/
Content of the original article:

Bright Colors, Strange Entities, and Baffling Vanishings

Brent Swancer

August 7, 2019

There are numerous cases throughout history of people just seeming to step off the face of the earth to vanish into thin air. We are usually left with only scattered clues, grasping at theories as to what has happened to these unfortunate souls, but in some cases it appears that there is a correlation of sorts. Throughout a great number of these accounts of people who have seemingly blinked out of existence there is the simple but nagging clue that they were wearing brightly colored clothing. It seems to be at first a meaningless quirk, but the number of reports of the mysteriously vanished and bright articles of clothing has increasingly become something that can’t be easily ignored, although the answers as to why might be forever elusive.
A very strange case popped up on Whitley Streiber’s site, Unknown Country, concerning a witness calling himself Alan Lamers and his very unusual, otherworldy story. Lamers claims that he was working on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, which is where it first came to his attention that a great many people were said to have gone into the jungles of the area to vanish without a trace. He was first told about this as he visited a small speck of a village in the district of Sandu Batu, in South Sulawesi, where he was warned to only wear clothing that was white or black in color, with no bright colors whatsoever. In particular he was warned not to wear anything that was yellow, and that black was the best one to go with. Odd indeed, but it would get odder still.
When Lamers pressed as to why he should not wear bright colors or anything with yellow on it, the villagers told him that people who did so had a bad habit of disappearing off the face of the earth. Weirder still, sometimes the people would reappear dazed and confused, not remembering anything of their strange incident and missing the articles of clothing with the offending colors. As to why, the villagers had no explanation. After hearing of this, Lamers and his companions warily wore all black when they trekked out into the jungle to investigate some alleged illegal logging in the area, but one of the men apparently broke the rules, and he explains:

One of my friends, who is a Bugis-Makassar, didn’t listen or understand the warning and wore yellow socks. We did our tour and returned. He was strangely quiet. That night he became extremely ill. I had never seen a person projectile vomit that hard. He had an extreme fever also. We nursed him and about a day later he returned to his healthy self. Then he told us what happened. He said something had bitten him on his right legs calf and then his thigh. He showed us the marks. They were huge scratches. He said he could not see what was attacking him. He said he did not want to tell us what happened because he was embarrassed. The villagers stood around us with these knowing looks while we looked at the marks. they said he was very lucky. Usually people disappear. I was stunned.

What was going on here, and what in the world does the color yellow have to do with it? It is unclear, but Lamers claims that he would get at least some theories during his stay. He tells the account of a woman friend of his whose brother had gone hiking in the mountains along with four others, after which they all vanished. After an intensive search finally the brother was found, alive but in a dazed state and looking undernourished and skeletal. When asked about what had happened to them the brother said he could not remember, but whatever it was had obviously and visibly traumatized him. No trace of the others was ever found. Lamers asked his friend what she thought had happened to them, and he says of her response and his reactions to it:

She said it was the Jin. Jin is Arabic for demon. She said many many people have disappeared in the mountains because of the Jin. I asked my engineer friend who I worked with about this early today. He said it happens often and reminded me of Wala Wala the village we had gone to. Entire cultures have developed around this problem. They wear only black because they believe this allows them to travel through the jungle undetectable by whatever it is that takes these people. There is something taking these people Whitley. Something terrible and evil in Sulawesi. The people of Sulawesi have come to terms with it and have tried to adapt themselves to deal with whatever it is. It has gone on long enough to bend culture. I will continue to investigate what this is.

Is that what this was? A Jin? This makes sense considering that the population of the region is around 85% Muslim, but could there be any other explanation? He apparently did follow up on all of this, managing to get more information out of the locals, as well as from the lone survivor from that doomed trek as his memory came trickling back to him about that fateful hike. However, his story seems to make no real sense, and is so bizarre it leaves more questions than answers. Lamers tells Strieber of this additional information:

I found out he kept seeing what the Bugis call Jin Kurcaci. It means little demon people. These things do what is called “penculikan” or abduction. No one knows why they do this. But sometimes the people come back after a bit. The people or creatures who do this have a small nose and their eyes are small and black, but their mouths are very broad and when they smile it is very large compared to the rest of their face. He could not remember the color of their skin. I asked for a picture to be drawn. He managed a crude happy face with a nose consisting of a single line and a huge grimace.
The boy was the only one who could see them out of the five. He kept seeing a lot of them but when he would try to show the others one of the four who disappeared could see them. He also saw a strange animal he could not recognize. These animals are the size of a horse with huge antlers. He said he saw herds of them. He could not understand where they came from or why there were so many. They not an animal indigenous to the area. There is no such known animal that big in Sulawesi. Apparently this is a widespread problem.

Is this Jin, some sort of evil forest people, or just folklore? What is the significance of the colors and why must people wear black? Does this somehow draw these forces in, and maybe they are attracted by these colors? It is very interesting to note that some of the most bizarre vanishings on record are theorized to have had some link to bright colors, according to missing persons investigator David Paulides, author of The Missing 411 series of books.
Paulides has researched strange vanishings all over the world and has compiled a sort of list of criteria that seem to be common to many of the cases. Examples include people disappearing practically right under the noses of nearby friends or family, bodies turning up without shoes or proper outdoor clothing, children who have gone missing only for their bodies to turn up in inaccessible areas where they could not possibly have climbed to on their own, belongings or clothing left behind often neatly folded or arranged, bodies that have turned up in areas that have already been thoroughly searched or are out of reach, and people who have disappeared without leaving a single scrap of evidence behind. There are also the fact that many of these disappearances seem to happen near bodies of water or where berries happen to be growing, that with bodies which are found the cause of death is often unclear or difficult to determine, that there is a lack of tracks, and that search dogs often cannot pick up the scent or are led to places such as sheer walls where no one could reasonably scale. Often people who were with the missing explain that they just happened to get separated somehow without being able to pinpoint when or how. Then there is the curious detail that many of the vanished just so happened to have been wearing bright colors.
This has been seen in many vanishings covered by Paulides, with perhaps the most well-known being the disappearance of 6-year old Dennis Martin. On June 14, 1969, Dennis was on a camping and hiking trip to the Great Smoky Mountains when he and his family stopped off at a grassy mountain highland meadow and popular stop-off point along the Appalachian Trail know as Spence Field. As the adults sat out on the grass chatting, Dennis, his brother, and two other boys on the trip thought it would be amusing to play a prank on their parents. They decided that they would split up, go out into the woods, and then simultaneously jump out from different directions to startle the adults in what was meant to be just harmless fun.
Three of the boys went one way and Dennis, who was the youngest, went the other. The reason he had been chosen to be on his own was that he was wearing a highly visible bright red shirt. This is something to remember in relation to this article, the bright colors. Just as planned, the three older boys jumped out and scared the adults, but then the men asked where Dennis was. Since the other boys had seen him just a few minutes earlier, they assumed that he had merely missed his cue and so they waited for him to jump out of the trees as well, but he never appeared.
Dennis’ father, Bill Martin, went out to get his son, expecting that he would be there hiding in the bushes as he had been instructed, but an immediate search of the area showed no signs of the boy, and calls into the woods went unanswered. Increasingly worried, Bill and Dennis’ grandfather, Clyde Martin, hiked out in different directions farther and farther from the place where the boy had last been seen and still they found nothing. Park Rangers were notified and a search was launched that would last until nightfall, when heavy rain began to come down along with thunder, which hampered efforts to find the boy and the search was called off until the following day with still no trace of where Dennis had gone off to.
In a rather ominous twist, a mere hours after Dennis had gone missing a family named the Keys reported that they had been hiking around 6 miles from Spence Field when they had heard a boy’s scream. The son also claimed to have seen movement in a bush which he at first had thought to be a bear, but turned out to be a man walking in the woods with something apparently slung over his shoulder. As spooky as this may seem, authorities determined that the location was too far away from Spence Field to have possibly have anything to do with Dennis within the time frame of events.
In the following days the search efforts would quickly grow in size to hundreds of people scouring the area, including park rangers, locals, volunteers, the FBI, National Guard, and even Green Berets and psychics, along with bloodhounds and helicopters, and meanwhile the news of the disappearance had started making major national headlines. Since Dennis was described as a robust, healthy boy with plenty of hiking experience it was thought that he was alive and would be found in short order, but continuing heavy rains flooding roads, as well as thick fogs, made efforts difficult. For their part, Dennis’s parents posted a hefty reward for any information leading to finding their son. Dennis Martin has never been found, and not a trace of what happened to him has ever been uncovered. Interestingly, this all fits several of Paulides’ criteria, including the brightly colored clothing.
Similarly there is the case of 4-year-old Alfred Beilhartz, who in the summer of 1938 was on a fishing and camping trip with his family at Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. As the boy and his parents were taking a hike along a river, little Alfred, who was wearing a brightly colored shirt, suddenly simply disappeared without explanation. One moment he had been there walking in a line behind them, and the next the parents had turned around to find he was gone without a trace. There had been no shout or sign of distress, and all calls to him went unanswered. He had seemingly just ceased to exist.
Although the parents claimed that the boy had gone nowhere near the water, authorities were nevertheless convinced that he had fallen into the river, and immediately went about blocking off the river so that it could be thoroughly searched and so that his body would not float too far away. A 6-mile stretch of the river where Alfred had vanished was searched and dredged for 5 full days without turning up any sign of the boy, and when bloodhounds were brought in they oddly tracked his scent to around 500 feet uphill from where his parents had been when he had disappeared, which was odd considering he had supposedly gone missing as he was walking behind them. Also strange was that allegedly the bloodhounds followed the trail for some time before reaching a fork and suddenly stopping and simply lying down, an odd behavior for trained scent dogs to display, and also strange because it seemed that the trail had just abruptly stopped to vanish just as surely as the boy had.
Even more bizarre than this was an odd report that came in from some hikers in the area in the early stages of the search, the very day after Alfred had vanished. The hikers, who were a couple, had been on Old Fall River Road about 6 miles away over rugged terrain and around 3,000 feet higher from where Alfred had disappeared, and at the time had had no idea that there was a missing boy in the area, yet they reported seeing a rather worrying sight. They claimed that they had seen a young boy perched up upon a high ridge in an area ominously called “The Devil’s Nest,” near the top of Mt. Chaplin. The hikers reported that the boy had been forlornly sitting alone up there and had then suddenly moved out of sight, which the hikers mysteriously allegedly said looked as if he were being “jerked back.” At the time they could not figure out how such a young boy would be out there in the remote wilderness by himself or how he could have possibly climbed up onto that formidably high ridge. According to the hikers, as soon as they had gotten home and seen the news, they had realized that the boy they had seen was the missing Alfred Beilhartz.
Authorities acted on the tip and made the journey out to the Devil’s Nest, a perilous hike through thick, unforgiving forested terrain littered with rough brush and dense trees, and there at the top of the looming ridge they could find no trace of the boy. Considering the difficulty of the terrain, the elevation, and the steep, treacherous climb up to the ridge on which the hikers had claimed to have seen the boy, park rangers came to the conclusion that it would have been impossible for the boy to have made the hike out there in the timeframe involved on his own, and that he could not have possibly climbed the ridge alone without specialized climbing equipment and experience. There are several weird details about this case. How did Alfred manage to just vanish right under his parents’ noses without making a sound? What happened to his scent trail and why did the bloodhounds following him act so oddly? How could Alfred hike all the way up Mt. Chaplin, trudging 6 miles and 3,000 feet through unforgiving perilous terrain in such a short time, and then climb up onto that high ridge by himself? What did the hikers mean that he was “jerked back”? We may never know, and Alfred Beilhartz has never been found. Oddly enough, it is reported that young little Beilhartz had been wearing brightly colored clothing at the time of his vanishing.
Such cases are numerous, and we also have the case of 3-year-old Jaryd Atadero, who in October of 1999 was staying with his father at a Christian retreat lodge at Poudre Canyon, Colorado. On October 2, Jaryd was out with 12 of the Christian group members on a hike along the Big South Trail when he somehow got ahead of the group and talked to some fishermen along the Cache la Poudre River, asking them if they’d seen any bears, to which they replied that the boy should get back with the others. Those fishermen would be the last ones to see Jaryd Atedero alive. In the wake of his disappearances a massive search using bloodhounds and aircraft was unable to find any trace of the boy, and it was largely assumed that he had fallen into the frigid waters of the river and drowned.
It would not be until 4 years later that he would finally be found, when on June 4, 2003 his remains were discovered up in a remote, inaccessible area up a steep incline about 500 feet above the trail he had vanished on. This is where the case gets weird. On the dead boy’s cranium were found a series of odd scratches that were assumed to be from a mountain lion, yet big cat experts pointed out that a cougar would have torn at the sweater and body near the neck and stomach, damage that was absent. Indeed, there were no other apparent injuries on the body. Paulides also claims that he spoke to forensics experts on the case who told him that, although the source of the scratches could not be determined, they were not from any known animal. Other odd details about the body were that the boy’s clothes had been turned inside out, and a single tooth from his mouth had been found placed upon a nearby log, strangely not overgrown with moss or vegetation considering that it had presumably been sitting there for 4 years. The clothes and shoes themselves were also surprisingly brightly colored and new looking for supposedly having been out in the elements for so long. And there is a key word here, they were brightly colored.
Adding to this strangeness surrounding the case of Jaryd Atadero are allegations made by the boy’s father, Allyn Atadero, that authorities were very secretive and dishonest about the whole incident, and seemed to be almost intentionally botching the investigation. One example is when the Atadero family was allegedly threatened with arrest if they tried to go off snooping around on the Big South Trail, and although it was claimed by authorities that the trail was the only way in or out of the canyon, this turned out to be a falsehood, as Allyn found records of various other entry and exit points. Another oddity was that Allyn claimed that he had discovered that the police were using his own shorts as a scent sample for the dogs rather than those of his son, and that when confronted about this glaring error in procedure they got confrontational and irritated, allegedly going so far as to threaten to call the search off. Allyn would also claim that although some strange hair samples had been collected from his son’s sweater, no test results were ever released and he was merely told that they were neither human nor mountain lion, but that he “shouldn’t worry about it.” To top it all off, Paulides also claims that authorities were highly uncooperative with his own investigation into the case, and that the FBI had refused to get involved. What in the world happened to Jaryd Atadero? Was this an animal attack, a kidnapping, or something more? It seems we may never know.
Mysterious cases like this go on and on, with that common thread going through them that they were all wearing brightly colored clothing at the time of their bizarre vanishings. Is this, as David Paulides and Lamers say, a determining factor in such vanishings? If so, then why should this be? Are the colors somehow attractive or maddening to whatever forces are taking these people? And now that we are on it what forces would those be? Is this extraterrestrials, evil spirits of some kind, Bigfoot, some sort of other mysterious animal, or what? One very interesting theory that has made the rounds is that perhaps some sort of large, unidentified winged beast is behind it all, perhaps its attention drawn by the bright colors. One commenter on our very own Mysterious Universe has said of this and how it relates to such vanishings:

I’m pretty sure I know what it is & I’m sure it’s also responsible for some of the National Forest missing adults. If these disappearances have anything to do with what I saw in 2006 in Colorado (less than one mile outside of Pike National Forest), then it’s likely that the same thing is responsible for the cattle mutilations as well:
It’s a bird & it was massive; I startled it off my roof by stepping outside onto my front porch in the middle of the night. I had no idea there was anything there but when the door slammed behind me I heard a “scrabbling” sound; as if there were a small rockslide directly above me.I covered my head with my arms & tried to duck under the eaves when I heard a rippling sound. Almost exactly like the sound one of those huge flags make when a sudden strong gust of wind unfurls it.
Then, there was a boom. A percussive boom that my eardrums felt, to the point where I started to lose my balance & fall backwards. That’s when a huge shadow passed overhead. From 1.5 stories above me, clearing 50ft tall tree in the front yard. The shape of the shadow most resembled a vulture & I can’t conceive of the wingspan being less than 20ft.As it glided up it … screamed. A pulsating croak? Not sure quite how to describe it. It was not a sound I have ever heard before. Oddly; it didn’t seem to have flapped its wings again.I refused to think about it for about a year because it was so ridiculously improbable. When an inspection of the roof occurred, the comment was “It looks like Freddy Krueger attacked your roof!” Along with the gashes, there were a few puncture holes as well. So I started researching & haven’t stopped.

It is of course possible that the presence of bright colors could just be a coincidence. Perhaps it does not matter, and has simply been assigned value by Paulides and others, but then how would that explain the clear link supposedly conveyed to Lamers by the people of that remote area of Indonesia and their aversion to entering the jungle wearing anything other than white or preferably black? Is there any connection to be had here, and if so what is it? It is certainly interesting to note the similarities between Lamers’ stories on the bright colors and people reappearing with no memory of what had happened and the very similar Paulides cases in which the same thing happens. Are there mysterious forces drawn to these colors that somehow make these people disappear? There is no way to know, and it seems to lie beyond our comprehension, but until we do understand maybe don’t wear brightly colored clothing next time you are on that hike through the woods.

Ability: The Tarot-Tarot Fruit allows the user to create, shape and manipulate tarot cards. The user is able to create a full deck of tarot cards, and each card gives the user a unique one-time use ability.
Once a card is drawn the effect will immediately be in use and the card (as soon as the power has been used) will disappear and (Like a Vivre card in reverse) will become a small piece of the tarot card that slowly becomes a full card (The user is able to expend extra stamina to speed up the process of completing the card), Once the card is whole again it can be used immediately.
The time taken to regain a full card varies, if the user does not put in any energy of their own to regain a card they have used the process can take a month, but with energy that process can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few hours and even with extreme levels of energy being put into the card and a decent level of mastery over the fruit the user can reduce the time even more to about ten minutes.

Weaknesses:

1. Card Limitation: The user can only create a limited number of tarot cards at a time, a typical full deck of tarot cards. Once a card is used, it takes time for the user to replenish their deck.
2. Physical Vulnerability: The user is vulnerable while creating and manipulating tarot cards, requiring focus and concentration. Any interruption or attack during this process can disrupt their abilities.
3. Card Dependence: The user relies heavily on the tarot cards for their abilities. If their cards are lost, damaged, or stolen, they lose access to those specific abilities until they can create new ones.

Abilities:

1. The Fool - The user gains the ability of unpredictability and adaptability. The Fool card represents a journey into the unknown, and as such, the user can temporarily access abilities from other drawn cards, mimicking their effects for a short period of time. However, the mimicry is not as potent as the original card's ability. The Fool card adds an element of surprise and versatility to the user's arsenal, making them unpredictable and challenging to defeat.
2. The Magician - The user gains the ability to manipulate and control the fundamental elements of the universe. They can create, shape, and manipulate all four classical elements: earth, air, fire, and water. This includes the ability to generate powerful elemental attacks, create barriers or shields, manipulate the environment, and even transmute matter to some extent. The user can also perform alchemical experiments and create potions with various effects, utilizing their mastery over the elements. The Magician card represents the user's proficiency in manipulating the basic building blocks of existence, making them a formidable force to be reckoned with.
3. The High Priestess - The user gains enhanced intuition and psychic abilities. They can tap into the collective unconscious and gain knowledge or insights about the past, present, and potential futures. They can also create psychic barriers to protect themselves or others from mental intrusion. Additionally, they have the power to manipulate the flow of time within their own mind, allowing them to process information and make decisions at an accelerated rate.
4. The Empress - The user gains the ability to manipulate and control plant life. They can accelerate plant growth, shape vines and branches, and even communicate with plants on a basic level. They can create barriers and traps using thorny vines or unleash powerful plant-based attacks. The user can also extract medicinal properties from plants to create healing remedies or toxins for offensive purposes. Additionally, they possess an inherent connection to nature, granting them enhanced vitality and resilience when in natural environments.
5. The Emperor - The user gains the ability to manipulate and control authority and leadership. They can project an aura of dominance and command respect from others. The user can temporarily enhance their own leadership skills, making others more inclined to follow their orders or be influenced by their suggestions. They can also create illusions of grandeur and authority, temporarily intimidating or subduing opponents. Additionally, the user gains a limited control over objects and structures, allowing them to manipulate and reshape them to a certain extent. This ability can be used defensively to create barriers or fortifications, or offensively to create weapons or traps.
6. The Hierophant - The user gains the ability to tap into spiritual energy and manipulate the spiritual realm. They can communicate with spirits, channel their energy, and perform rituals or ceremonies to achieve various effects. This ability allows the user to gain knowledge from the spiritual realm, perform exorcisms, or even summon and command spiritual beings to aid them in battle or other tasks. The Hierophant card grants the user a deeper understanding of the supernatural and the ability to harness its power.
7. The Lovers - The user gains the ability to manipulate emotions and create bonds between individuals. They can enhance or dampen emotions, influencing the feelings and relationships of others. They can create temporary alliances or induce temporary infatuation or loyalty. The user can also sense the emotional connections between people, allowing them to detect hidden relationships or feelings.
8. The Chariot - The user gains enhanced speed, agility, and control over vehicles or any means of transportation. They can manipulate the momentum and direction of vehicles, making them move faster or change their course abruptly. The user can summon and control a spectral chariot, allowing them to traverse land, sea, or air with ease. Additionally, they can create temporary tracks or roads for their chariot to travel on, even in difficult terrains. The Chariot ability grants the user a formidable advantage in transportation and mobility, making them highly versatile in combat and exploration scenarios.
9. Strength - The user gains enhanced physical strength and durability, surpassing the limits of a regular human. They can perform feats of great strength, such as lifting heavy objects or overpowering opponents. Additionally, they possess a heightened resistance to physical harm, allowing them to withstand attacks that would normally injure or incapacitate others. However, it's important to note that the user's enhanced physical abilities are not limitless. They may experience fatigue and exhaustion after prolonged use, requiring rest and recovery. Additionally, their strength does not grant them invincibility, and they can still be defeated through other means such as strategic attacks or weaknesses unrelated to physical prowess.
10. The Hermit - The user gains the ability to manipulate shadows and darkness to a greater extent. They can create a cloak of darkness that grants them enhanced stealth and invisibility, making it difficult for others to detect their presence. They can also manipulate shadows to create defensive barriers or offensive tendrils that can immobilize or restrain opponents. The user can tap into the knowledge and wisdom of solitude, gaining heightened perception and insight, allowing them to uncover hidden truths or see-through illusions. Additionally, they can create pockets of darkness that distort light and sound, creating areas of silence or darkness that can disorient or confuse enemies. The Hermit card provides the user with enhanced introspection and self-reflection, enabling them to understand themselves and their surroundings on a deeper level.
11. The Wheel of Fortune - The user gains the ability to manipulate luck and probability. They can alter the likelihood of certain events occurring, increasing their chances of success or causing misfortune for their opponents. They can change the outcome of random events, such as dice rolls or card draws, to their advantage. The user can also enhance their own luck, granting them temporary advantages in various situations. However, it's important to note that the user's control over luck is not absolute. The manipulation of probability is subject to chance itself, and the user cannot guarantee specific outcomes. They can only influence the odds in their favour or against their adversaries. Additionally, the effects of luck manipulation may be temporary and limited in scope, depending on the situation and the user's mastery of the ability.
12. Justice - The user gains the ability to manipulate balance and justice. They can sense imbalances in situations and adjust them accordingly. This power allows them to enhance their physical and mental abilities to their peak for a short period of time, granting them heightened strength, speed, agility, and perception. They can also create an area of influence where the concept of justice is intensified, causing those within the area to be bound by a sense of fairness and moral responsibility. This can result in individuals feeling compelled to act justly and face the consequences of their actions. The Justice ability requires a strong sense of moral judgment and a deep understanding of the concept of justice. The user must possess a firm belief in the balance of the universe and the consequences of one's actions. Without a strong moral compass, the Justice ability may not reach its full potential.
13. The Hanged Man - The user gains the ability to manipulate gravity and alter their own orientation in relation to it. They can create gravitational fields, causing objects or people to float or be pulled towards them. This ability allows them to move in unconventional ways, such as walking on walls or ceilings, and can also be used defensively to repel or immobilize opponents by manipulating their gravitational force. Additionally, the user can induce a state of suspended animation in themselves or others, temporarily slowing down bodily functions to conserve energy or avoid attacks. However, this ability is limited to gravitational manipulation and does not grant control over time manipulation.
14. Death - With the "Death" card, the user can induce decay and deterioration in their surroundings, causing objects to crumble and wither. They can also drain the vitality from their opponents, weakening them and sapping their energy. Additionally, the user gains a heightened resistance to death-related effects. They can withstand poisons, diseases, and other harmful substances that would normally be fatal, granting them a degree of immortality. However, this immunity is not absolute, as extremely powerful or specialized death-related abilities may still pose a threat. The user can also sense the presence of life forces, allowing them to detect living beings even if they are hidden or invisible. This ability grants them an advantage in tracking and locating their targets. It's important to note that while the "Death" card represents the concept of transformation and renewal, it does not grant the user the ability to control the actual concept of death. They cannot kill someone directly with this ability.
15. Temperance - The user gains the ability to manipulate the balance and harmony of elements. They can blend and mix different substances or energies, creating unique combinations with enhanced properties. For example, they could mix fire and water to create steam, or combine earth and air to create a swirling vortex. The user can also use this ability to restore balance in chaotic situations, calming conflicts or stabilizing turbulent environments.
16. The Devil - The user gains the ability to manipulate darkness and temptation. They can create and control shadows, obscuring vision or trapping opponents within darkness. Additionally, they can tempt others by amplifying their desires or fears, influencing their actions and decisions. The Devil card grants the user the power to tap into their own inner darkness and unleash it upon their opponents. They can create an aura of malevolence, causing unease and fear in those around them. This ability allows the user to manipulate negative emotions and temptations, making it difficult for others to resist their influence. With the power of The Devil, the user can manifest dark tendrils or shadowy constructs, which can be used for offensive and defensive purposes. They can ensnare opponents, drain their energy, or even manipulate the shadows to form weapons for close combat. However, it's important to note that The Devil's power comes with a price. The user must exercise caution, as delving too deep into darkness may risk their own sanity and moral compass. Additionally, the manipulation of negative emotions and temptations can have long-term consequences on the user's psyche and relationships with others.
17. The Tower - The user gains the ability to manipulate structures and cause destruction. By drawing "The Tower" card, the user can create powerful seismic waves or generate localized destructive explosions. They can also disintegrate or collapse buildings and other structures with their abilities. This power is particularly effective against fortifications, defences, and barriers. However, it's important to note that the use of "The Tower" card comes with risks and limitations. The user should exercise caution when wielding this power, as its indiscriminate destruction can harm innocent bystanders or even themselves if they're not careful. Additionally, the user may find it challenging to control the magnitude and range of their destructive capabilities, potentially leading to unintended consequences.
18. The Star - The user gains the ability to manipulate celestial energy and harness the power of stars. They can create and control starlight, using it for offensive or defensive purposes. They can generate dazzling light beams or create protective barriers using starlight. Additionally, they can tap into the energy of the stars to enhance their own physical abilities, granting them heightened strength, speed, and agility. When the user activates The Star card, a radiant star symbol appears before them, serving as a focal point for their celestial abilities. They can channel the energy through their body or project it outward, unleashing devastating star-based attacks. The intensity and potency of their powers depend on their skill and mastery of this particular card.
19. The Moon - The user gains the ability to manipulate illusions and emotions. They can create realistic illusions that can deceive the senses of others, making them see, hear, and feel things that are not there. Additionally, they can manipulate the emotions of those around them, inducing fear, happiness, sadness, or any other desired emotion. When the user invokes "The Moon" card, they can create complex illusions that can affect multiple senses simultaneously. They can make themselves or others invisible, create lifelike illusions of objects or people, or even alter the perception of time and space within the illusion. The emotional manipulation aspect of this ability allows the user to influence the feelings of others. They can amplify existing emotions, suppress emotions, or even implant false emotions in their targets. By manipulating emotions, the user can create distractions, incite conflicts, or manipulate people to act in certain ways. However, it's important to note that while illusions and emotional manipulation can be powerful, they are limited by the user's creativity and the understanding of the target's psyche. Skilled individuals with strong mental fortitude or abilities to detect illusions may be more resistant to these effects.
20. The Sun - The user gains the ability to manipulate solar energy and harness the power of sunlight. They can create intense beams of light that can blind or burn opponents. Additionally, they can absorb solar energy to enhance their physical attributes, granting them increased strength, speed, and endurance. The user can also project solar flares or create protective shields using solar energy. When the user activates The Sun card, they radiate a brilliant golden light, symbolizing their connection to the sun. This card grants the user immense power during daylight hours, making them a formidable force in sunny environments. However, the user's abilities may be weakened or diminished in the absence of sunlight or in shaded areas. It's important for the user to strategically plan their actions and take advantage of sunny conditions to fully utilize the potential of The Sun card.
21. Judgement - The user gains the ability to pass judgment and enforce consequences. When the user draws "The Judgement" card, they can evaluate the actions and intentions of individuals and determine their fate. They have the power to render judgments and enforce corresponding punishments or rewards based on their assessments. This ability allows the user to hold others accountable for their actions and mete out justice accordingly. They can expose the truth, uncover hidden motivations, and reveal secrets. Additionally, the user can invoke the power of "The Judgement" to cleanse and purify, removing corruption or negativity from individuals or environments. This ability can also be used defensively to shield against attacks or to grant temporary invulnerability as a form of protection. It's important to note that the user's ability to pass judgment is based on their own moral compass and understanding of justice. Their judgments may be subjective and influenced by their own biases or beliefs. Additionally, the consequences enforced by "The Judgement" card are not absolute and can be subject to interpretation or negotiation.
22. The World - The user of the Tarot-Tarot Fruit gains the ability to summon and control "The World" card. When thrown, this card has the power to trap anyone it makes contact with within a dimension known as "The World" for a duration of 24 hours. The trapped individual is completely cut off from the outside world and unable to escape until the time limit expires. While trapped within "The World," the victim experiences a suspended state of time and remains unconscious. They are essentially frozen in time and unable to age, interact with their surroundings, or engage in any activities. However, their physical condition remains intact, and they do not require sustenance or suffer from any bodily harm during this period. After the 24-hour duration elapses, the trapped individual is automatically ejected from "The World" and returns to the location where they were initially trapped. The person's memory of the time spent within "The World" may be hazy or fragmented, depending on the individual's mental fortitude.

It's important to note that this ability is all the cards are limited to a single use (at a time, ie they cannot be stacked or have multiple of the same card in the deck at one time), as each card created by the user of the Tarot-Tarot Fruit provides a unique one-time ability. After a card (eg "The World") is used, it disappears from the deck and must be replenished over time.

Awakening:

The user's awakening with the Tarot-Tarot Fruit allows them to reach the pinnacle of their abilities and gain greater control over their tarot-based powers.

Card Fusion:

After awakening the Tarot-Tarot Fruit, the user gains the ability to fuse multiple tarot cards together, creating new and unique abilities that combine the powers of the individual cards. By selecting specific tarot cards and infusing them with their own energy, the user can create a fused card that represents the combined essence of the chosen cards.
Card fusion requires concentration and a deep understanding of the individual cards' powers. The user must carefully select the tarot cards they wish to fuse and channel their energy into the fusion process. Once the fusion is complete, a new tarot card is created, representing the combined abilities of the fused cards.
The abilities of the fused card can vary greatly depending on the chosen combination. For example, fusing The Magician and The High Priestess cards may result in the ability to manipulate elemental energy with heightened psychic control. The possibilities are vast, limited only by the user's creativity and knowledge of the tarot cards.
However, it's important to note that card fusion consumes a significant amount of the user's stamina and energy. The more powerful and complex the fused ability, the greater the strain it puts on the user. Additionally, the user must have access to the individual tarot cards they wish to fuse, as they cannot fuse cards they do not possess.
Card fusion adds a new layer of versatility and unpredictability to the user's arsenal. By combining the powers of different tarot cards, they can create unique abilities tailored to specific situations or opponents. The fused cards can be used in the same way as the individual cards, granting the user temporary one-time use abilities.
However, just like with the individual tarot cards, the user is limited by the number of fused cards they can create at a time. Once a fused card is used, it takes time for the user to replenish their deck and create new fusions. The user must carefully manage their resources and plan their strategies accordingly.
Overall, the ability to fuse tarot cards expands the user's range of possibilities and allows them to adapt their powers to different challenges. It requires careful thought and understanding of the individual cards' abilities, as well as strategic thinking in combining them to create powerful and unique fused abilities.

Summoning Archetypes:

With their awakening, the user of the Tarot-Tarot Fruit gains the ability to summon powerful archetypal entities associated with each tarot card. These entities embody the essence and symbolism of the respective cards, amplifying the user's abilities and granting them additional powers.

1. The Fool's Archetype: The Trickster - This archetype embodies chaos and unpredictability. When summoned, the Trickster grants the user heightened agility, reflexes, and an even greater degree of adaptability. They can create illusions and manipulate probability to deceive and confuse opponents, making them unpredictable in battle.
2. The Magician's Archetype: The Alchemist - This archetype represents mastery over the elements and the manipulation of energies. When summoned, the Alchemist enhances the user's control over the fundamental elements. They can transmute matter, manipulate energy flows, and unleash devastating elemental attacks with even greater power and precision.
3. The High Priestess's Archetype: The Oracle - This archetype embodies wisdom and foresight. When summoned, the Oracle enhances the user's psychic abilities and intuition. They can delve into the depths of the collective unconscious, gaining profound insights into the past, present, and future. The Oracle's presence grants the user heightened perception and a deeper understanding of their surroundings.
4. The Empress's Archetype: The Nature Guardian - This archetype embodies the power of nature and its regenerative properties. When summoned, the Nature Guardian enhances the user's control over plant life, allowing them to manipulate flora with even greater precision and strength. They can summon powerful vines, create massive plant-based barriers, and tap into the life force of nature to replenish their own vitality.
5. The Emperor's Archetype: The Sovereign - This archetype represents authority and control. When summoned, the Sovereign amplifies the user's leadership abilities, making their commands even more compelling and influential. They can create illusions of grandeur and authority on a larger scale, instilling fear or admiration in their opponents. The Sovereign's presence grants the user heightened control over objects and structures, allowing them to reshape their surroundings to a greater extent.
6. The Hierophant's Archetype: The Spirit Guide - This archetype embodies spiritual guidance and connection. When summoned, the Spirit Guide enhances the user's ability to tap into the spiritual realm. They can communicate with spirits, summon and command spiritual entities, and channel spiritual energy with even greater potency. The Spirit Guide's presence grants the user a deeper understanding of the supernatural and access to more powerful spiritual abilities.
7. The Lovers' Archetype: The Charmer - This archetype represents the power of emotions and their influence on relationships. When summoned, the Charmer enhances the user's ability to manipulate emotions and create bonds. They can intensify or suppress emotions on a larger scale, influencing the feelings and actions of multiple individuals simultaneously. The Charmer's presence grants the user an even greater sensitivity to emotional connections, allowing them to detect hidden relationships or intentions.
8. The Chariot's Archetype: The Navigator - This archetype embodies mastery over transportation and mobility. When summoned, the Navigator enhances the user's speed, agility, and control over vehicles or means of transportation. They can create and control spectral vehicles on a larger scale, allowing for faster and more versatile travel. The Navigator's presence grants the user the ability to manipulate terrain and create temporary paths or roads over longer distances.
9. Strength's Archetype: The Titan - This archetype represents immense physical power and endurance. When summoned, the Titan enhances the user's strength, durability, and resilience to an even greater extent. They can perform incredible feats of strength, withstand powerful attacks, and push their physical limits beyond what was previously possible.
10. The Hermit's Archetype: The Shadow Master - This archetype embodies mastery over darkness and stealth. When summoned, the Shadow Master enhances the user's control over shadows and grants them even greater proficiency in manipulating darkness. They can merge with shadows, becoming virtually undetectable and gaining heightened stealth abilities. The Shadow Master can create illusions and distortions within darkness, making it difficult for opponents to perceive reality accurately. They can manipulate shadows to form solid constructs, such as weapons or defensive barriers, increasing the user's offensive and defensive capabilities. With the Shadow Master's presence, the user gains enhanced control over the domain of shadows and can tap into their full potential.
11. The Wheel of Fortune's Archetype: The Fateweaver - This archetype embodies control over destiny and probability. When summoned, the Fateweaver grants the user unparalleled mastery over luck and fate. They can manipulate the outcomes of events on a larger scale, shifting the probabilities in their favor or against their adversaries. The Fateweaver's presence grants the user precognitive abilities, allowing them to glimpse into possible futures and make informed decisions. They can also alter the threads of fate, influencing the course of events to achieve desired outcomes. With the Fateweaver's guidance, the user gains ultimate control over the unpredictable nature of chance.
12. Justice's Archetype: The Balancekeeper - This archetype embodies the concept of balance and equilibrium. When summoned, the Balancekeeper enhances the user's ability to manipulate balance and justice. They can restore balance to chaotic situations, harmonizing conflicting forces and resolving disputes. The Balancekeeper's presence grants the user heightened control over their physical and mental abilities, pushing them to their peak performance. They can deliver swift and precise justice, punishing wrongdoers and protecting the innocent. With the Balancekeeper's guidance, the user gains an unwavering sense of fairness and an unyielding determination to maintain equilibrium.
13. The Hanged Man's Archetype: The Gravity Master - This archetype embodies mastery over gravity and altered orientation. When summoned, the Gravity Master amplifies the user's gravitational manipulation abilities to new heights. They can manipulate gravitational fields on a larger scale, creating intense gravitational pulls or nullifying gravity in specific areas. The Gravity Master's presence grants the user enhanced control over their own orientation and the ability to manipulate the gravitational forces acting upon themselves and others. They can alter the direction and magnitude of gravitational pulls, granting them unparalleled mobility and maneuverability. With the Gravity Master's assistance, the user gains supreme control over gravity itself.
14. Death's Archetype: The Revenant - This archetype represents transformation and renewal. When summoned, the Revenant further enhances the user's ability to induce decay and drain vitality. They can accelerate the deterioration of objects and organisms, causing rapid decay and withering. The Revenant's presence grants the user heightened resistance to death-related effects, granting them a greater degree of immortality. They can also tap into the life forces of others to replenish their own vitality, further extending their lifespan. With the Revenant's power, the user gains an even deeper connection to the cycle of life and death.
15. Temperance's Archetype: The Elemental Harmonizer - This archetype embodies the harmonious blending of elements. When summoned, the Elemental Harmonizer amplifies the user's control over elemental manipulation. They can seamlessly blend and fuse different elements, creating new combinations with enhanced properties and powers. The Elemental Harmonizer's presence grants the user the ability to maintain and control complex elemental reactions, unleashing devastating elemental attacks with even greater precision and magnitude. With the Elemental Harmonizer's assistance, the user gains unparalleled control over the balance and harmony of elemental forces.
16. The Devil's Archetype: The Tempter - This archetype embodies the allure of temptation and the seduction of power. When summoned, the Tempter enhances the user's ability to manipulate desires and corrupt others. They can intensify the desires and cravings of individuals, clouding their judgment and making them susceptible to manipulation. The Tempter can create illusions of power and wealth, enticing others to make regrettable choices. They can also corrupt energies, tainting or perverting their opponents' abilities. Additionally, the Tempter can draw upon their own inner darkness, channeling it into devastating attacks or defensive barriers. With the presence of the Tempter, the user becomes a master of temptation, ensnaring their foes in a web of desires and manipulating them to their advantage.
17. The Tower's Archetype: The Cataclysm - This archetype represents the destructive force of upheaval and change. When summoned, the Cataclysm enhances the user's control over destruction and chaos. They can unleash devastating seismic waves or generate powerful explosions on a massive scale. The Cataclysm can disintegrate or collapse entire structures, rending the environment apart. They can also disrupt energy flows, destabilizing opponents' abilities or rendering them ineffective. Additionally, the Cataclysm grants the user heightened resilience to destructive forces, allowing them to withstand the aftermath of their own devastating attacks. With the presence of the Cataclysm, the user becomes an agent of chaos, capable of reshaping the battlefield through sheer destruction.
18. The Star's Archetype: The Celestial Ascendant - This archetype represents transcendence and connection to the cosmos. When summoned, the Celestial Ascendant enhances the user's control over celestial energy and amplifies their star-based abilities. They can create and manipulate starlight on a grander scale, summon meteor showers, and tap into the immense power of the stars to enhance their physical attributes and abilities even further.
19. The Moon's Archetype: The Illusionist - This archetype embodies the mastery of illusions and emotional manipulation. When summoned, the Illusionist enhances the user's ability to create complex illusions and manipulate emotions on a larger scale. They can create intricate and multi-layered illusions that affect multiple senses simultaneously, making it even more challenging for opponents to distinguish reality from deception. The Illusionist's presence amplifies the user's emotional manipulation, allowing them to manipulate the feelings and perceptions of others with greater precision.
20. The Sun's Archetype: The Radiant Guardian - This archetype represents the embodiment of solar energy and radiance. When summoned, the Radiant Guardian enhances the user's control over solar energy and grants them even greater power during daylight hours. They can create intense beams of light, generate solar flares, and radiate blinding golden light to overwhelm opponents. The Radiant Guardian's presence further enhances the user's physical attributes and grants them increased resilience and endurance in sunny environments.
21. The Judgment's Archetype: The Arbiter - This archetype embodies impartiality and the administration of justice. When summoned, the Arbiter enhances the user's ability to pass judgment and enforce consequences. They can evaluate the actions and intentions of individuals with even greater accuracy, revealing hidden truths and motivations. The Arbiter's presence amplifies the user's authority and grants them the ability to render judgments and enforce corresponding punishments or rewards with greater potency.
22. The World's Archetype: The Dimensional Weaver - This archetype represents the manipulation of dimensions and the control over spatial boundaries. When summoned, the Dimensional Weaver enhances the user's ability to manipulate and traverse different dimensions. They can create portals, rifts, or wormholes to instantaneously travel from one location to another, bending space to their will. The Dimensional Weaver's presence grants the user the ability to alter the properties of space within their vicinity.

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I'll preface this by saying that I found the World Tour mode to be an enjoyable, and deeply flawed experience.
The premise of an open world Street Fighter experience using a custom character is excellent. It's fun to interact with the different masters and the introduction cutscenes make for some fun moments and led to some genuine laughs. My goblinoid man wrestling with Edmond Honda and dancing with Dee Jay are highlights.
I feel that World Tour suffers from some core design issues that hurt the viability of the mode as a standalone single-player game. Fortunately, it's not intended to be a standalone and comes packaged with a feature rich fighting game. There are serious pacing issues that I believe stem from the mode being designed as a 20 hour tutorial.
Pacing Issues
For example, it takes around between six and eight hours if you're doing some side missions to gain access to the Drive system which is the universal mechanic of SF6. You are able to select options from the talent tree to add Drive gauge before being able to interact with Drive, and this can apply to supers as well.
The missions alternate between Day/Night which is a great way to use existing assets to expand the game but the execution of this lead to a lot of frustration. There is no natural transition or twilight hours between day and night. You need to go back to your apartment which is just a menu screen at a specific location in each of the major cities. This in itself is pretty painless but the problem lies in the structure of the game. You'll often accept a mission during the day, that requires you to switch to Night to talk to someone, who wants you to go find someone during the day, who tells you to go fight someone at night. This involves you constantly fast traveling back to the apartment to cycle over and over really drags the speed of the game down. You usually have at least one side mission to break this up but it's very tedious.
There are a few changes I would make to handle this. World Tour should run on a timer and segue change from day to night over time. I would either include the option to switch time of day to the options menu, or have the apartment be a real location where you have something to do.
Minigames
The minigames are a fantastic idea that were executed solidly. Hats off to them using minigames as a way to introduce fighting game concepts. I don't have many issues with the ones that exist but I would have loved more. However, I believe these could have been better placed. There is a minigame that involves you opening beer bottles in the park. Why not put this in Chinatown with Chun-Li and on Guile's carrier? It would have been good if the associated master introduced you to the game as well. You could have a "wax on, wax off" moment with Guile explaining that timing is everything and teaching you perfect sonic booms with opening beer for the Navy.
I feel like the basketball game being a parry game was a little strange and would have been better served teaching you to time anti-airs.
It would have been great if there were some minigames specifically for making money like the Scrap Heap ones, and then another category of minigames for learning or training like the charge game or the Hado pizza one teaching motion inputs. These could have been tied more closely to the actual fighting styles or specials and even given you style points as a daily bonus.
Side Missions
There are a series of tutorial side missions in World Tour that starts in the opening hour with the three siblings, Alice, Tracy and Ryan that persist throughout the whole game. These should have been compressed in to the first few chapters of the game, and the later appearances by these characters could have been more advanced. There was a moment in the last couple hours of the game where I had a mission to beat Alice using Modern controls. I had something like 18 hours of playtime at this point. The following mission is to come back at Night and win using Classic controls. This left a bad taste in my mouth.
One of the brothers missions involves you landing combos. You need a 10 hit combo or so for the final version of this mission. The game never really teaches you *how* to combo at any point. I don't recall it explaining special cancels or links but I may be misremembering. I believe learning how to link a move and cancel in to a special should have been both included in the story as part of your training, as side missions to do more intermediate combos, and as minigames. They really don't touch on these much and I feel that most truly new players would likely give up on doing a 10-hit combo or just cheese the mission with OD Lightning Kicks or something to that affect.
The side mission that involves you fighting all of the "mightiest fighters" in the game is a somewhat poorly done checklist of fighters that quickly increase in level. I thought the Andore guys were funny in that having a patriarchal family of these progressively stronger grapplers should have been it's own mission but also would have been better served early game to teach you how to deal with Drive Impact and command throws. I would have redone this mission as a quest to take down progressively stronger disciples of each fighting style to teach you how to play against them.
Masters / Fighting Styles
The majority of the masters are irrelevant to the story but are locked behind accessing their zone which is arbitrarily gated behind you having advanced to a certain point in the story. You'll notice new locations unlock to fly to almost randomly and you show up and immediately get access to the style.
Luke is a great option to start with in Chapter 1 for completely new players. He has great normals, target combos, a projectile and a DP. If I were to make a change it would have been that you should select a starting master a la Pokemon. I'm fine with them locking you to Luke for the first couple Chapters but it would have been great if they let you pick a master of your choosing after that to go study with. Luke could have started you on your journey and then introduced you to the different fighters and asked you what speaks to you and sent you there.
It also would have allowed for them to use Bosch to pick an opposing master and be a real rival to you. It would have been cool if you pick Zangief if Bosch goes and trains with a zoner like Guile or Dhalsim to oppose you. Bosch completely exits the story in Chapter 1 as a character in a way that really doesn't make sense and could have been set up a lot better with this method.
Master Actions
The Master Actions are fun for navigating the environment and initiating fights, but I wish they had been used more. There are a few Pokemon-esque moments where you can't access the other half of the city without using the subway which is blocked by a man asking you for a metro card. It would have been great if there were more blockers in the environment that necessitated the use of certain master's actions almost like a Metroidvania. Say you didn't start with Kimberly, because you didn't start with Kimberly to access her area you might need to learn Spinning Bird Kick and Rising Uppercut so you can scale the rooftops of Metro City to access her.
It would have been fun if there was a wrestler blocking access to a rare item or a later section and you had to show him how strong you were by using Zangief's SPD on him. I feel like these are some easy wins that were available and they don't make use of them.
I have a lot more to say here but this is getting pretty wordy so I'll just say that overall World Tour is a great addition to SF6 and I sincerely hope they continue adding content to it in the future and fleshing it out more. Ultimately I find it pretty half baked but I believe later in the SF6 timeline or in a future title we could get a World Tour experience that truly stands out as a great single player game in it's own right.
Now that it's been out for a week I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on this and if WT did anything for them.

Elan The Mark is an upcoming commercial development in Sector 106, Gurgaon. The project is being developed by Elan Group, a leading real estate developer in India. The project is spread over an area of 5 acres and will offer a mix of office space, retail space and food & beverage outlets. The project is strategically located on the Dwarka Expressway and is well connected to the rest of the city.

The USP of Elan The Mark Sector 106 Gurgaon

The Elan Group is coming up with a new commercial development in Sector 106, Gurgaon called Elan The Mark. This development is being designed keeping in mind the evolving needs of businesses and will offer a range of modern facilities and amenities. Some of the key USPs of this development are:

1. Location: Elan The Mark is strategically located on the Dwarka Expressway, in close proximity to residential areas like Nirvana Country, Sohna Road and Golf Course Road. This makes it easily accessible for both employees and customers.
   
2. Connectivity: The development offers excellent connectivity to the rest of the city via the Dwarka Expressway and the proposed Metro line.
   
3. Amenities: The development will offer a range of modern amenities like high-speed elevators, ample parking space, power backup, fire safety, and security systems.
   
4. Flexible Spaces: The commercial spaces at Elan The Mark will be highly flexible and can be customized as per the specific requirements of businesses.
   
5. Affordable Pricing: The development will offer commercial spaces at very affordable prices, making it a viable option for businesses looking for a suitable location in Gurgaon.
   

The Location Advantage of Elan The Mark Sector 106 Gurgaon

Elan The Mark is a brand new commercial development located in Sector 106 of Gurgaon. The development offers a prime location advantage, being situated just off the Dwarka Expressway and in close proximity to the Delhi-Gurgaon Border. The location is also well-connected to major highways and arterial roads, making it easily accessible from all parts of the city.
The development offers a mix of office spaces, retail outlets and food & beverage outlets. The office spaces are designed to meet the requirements of modern businesses and are equipped with all the necessary amenities. The retail outlets are perfect for businesses looking to tap into the growing retail space in Gurgaon. The food & beverage outlets are perfect for those looking to grab a quick bite or relax with a cup of coffee.
The development also offers a number of leisure and recreation facilities, such as a gymnasium, swimming pool, spa and salon. The development is also home to a number of high-end brands, making it the perfect place to shop, dine and unwind.

The Amenities and Facilities at Elan The Mark Sector 106 Gurgaon

Elan The Mark is a one-of-a-kind commercial destination located in Sector 106, Gurgaon. The project offers a perfect blend of modern amenities and world-class facilities that make it an ideal place to do business.
The project is spread over an area of 5 acres and comprises of two towers - Tower A and Tower B. Tower A is a 22-storeyed structure while Tower B is a 16-storeyed structure. The project offers a total of 3.5 lakh square feet of office space.
Elan The Mark is equipped with all the modern amenities and facilities that a business needs to function smoothly. Some of the key amenities and facilities offered at Elan The Mark are:
- Ample parking space for both two-wheelers and four-wheelers
- A state-of-the-art security system with CCTV surveillance
- A well-equipped gymnasium and a yoga/meditation room
- A spacious lounge and a business centre
- A multi-cuisine restaurant and a café
- A convenient store for all your daily needs
- Ample power backup

The Floor Plans and Price List of Elan The Mark Sector 106 Gurgaon

Elan The Mark is a premium commercial destination located in Sector 106 Gurgaon. The project offers a range of well-designed floor plans and a price list that are sure to meet the needs of every business. The project is strategically located in close proximity to the proposed Dwarka Expressway and is well connected to the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway. With a number of leading MNCs and IT/ITes companies in the vicinity, the project is an ideal choice for businesses looking for a prime location.
The project offers a variety of floor plans to choose from. The floor plans are designed to provide ample space for businesses to grow and expand. The project also offers a number of amenities and features that make it an ideal choice for businesses. Some of the highlights of the project include a well-equipped business centre, a state-of-the-art conference room, a spacious food court, a gymnasium, a day care centre and a retail space.

And eventually, to better dates? I've never been one to wear a lot of makeup out of work. A clean, well moisturized natural face has always made me feel more at ease. But I made the decision to try to put on some makeup before doing some errands today. And I pulled out the big guns! I applied primer, foundation, brow pencil, eyeliner, lip color, blush, highlighter, and contouring -according to some new trendy techniques that I always wanted to try, but never dared. I even applied a costly lip balm that I only wear on occasion! I didn't think it was anything special at first, but as soon as I was on the street, I noticed a difference. I was receiving interested glances from people who passed me by. Then, I tried what I thought would be the acid test: I had run out of cash and there aren't any ATMs in my residential area, so I went to the nearest store and asked the clerk to please slide my card in exchange for some cash. They don't do that there, but this person never hesitated. I didn't even need to explain myself much, he was so willing to help me. In fact, I don't really know how to interpret this, because, as you know, men are always helpful and problem solvers. But then, when I interacted with women, that's when I knew something was different, pleasantly different. I was greeted by name by my female neighbors. Even my concierge tried to help me out of her own volition! I'm not saying that makeup is the answer to everything. But it's definitely something to think about. What's your take?

I came across a couple of mirabela genio motion sensors today at a really good price, so picked them up with my intent being to use them to control smart globes in our kitchen and living area, with the specific use case I have in mind at this stage being simply that the lights in these areas turn on dimly when motion is detected, then turn off 5 minutes later (allowing for someone to use the bathroom, get a drink, warm the bottle for our toddler, etc).
What I am finding though is that it is unfortunately difficult to locate the matching globes, in the quantity I need (at least 6) at a reasonable price. There are other well priced brands on Amazon though which look like they'd work just fine, as long as I am able to trigger them via the Mirabela Genio motion sensors.
As an example, I am looking at the "V-Tac LEG RGB Smart Lights" (Link: https://www.amazon.com.au/Pieces-V-Tac-Smart-Spotlight-Google/dp/B08T64MK98/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=genio+gu10&qid=1686241560&sr=8-5)
What I kind of have in mind is that when the genio motion sensor detects movement, rather than trigger the light directly (assuming there is no way for the genio app to speak directly to the app for the v-tac lights), but it COULD generate a notification, which perhaps then has something along the lines of an IFTTT type app detects and sends the appropriate "set V-tac lights to 5%, then turn them off after 5 minutes" type message to.
So the workflow would be:

• Mirabelo Genio Motion Sensor Detects Motion
• Genio App generates custom notification
• IFTTT (or whatever) intercepts notification, and sends command to V-Tac app
• V-Tac app sets all lights to 5% brightness, then 5 minutes later turns off all lights.

Does this sound like it should work? Any recommendations on particular brands or apps to investigate to make this work? Initially, I have 2x light fixtures with 3x GU10 globes in each of them that I would like to get this working with. From there, ultimately I would like to replace at least another 3x GU10 globes and a number of downlights to set up as part of a similar system, and from there will be all sorts of pure wankery aesthetic lighting around the house lol. What I have in mind is that, at night, if someone gets up and walks through the house they are effectively met with warm lighting as they move through the home, which then shuts off behind them as they head back to their room. (I have kids... I'm sick of turning lights off 😂)
As long as I can get things talking to eachother, I don't care how many different brands I end up with or how many different apps I have installed on my phone - as long as I am able to get the various workflows functioning how I want, preferably with PIR motion sensing as a fairly core part of this functionality. I will also likely be including some of the mirabelo genio window/door opening sensors in a similar fashion (ie open the bedroom door, and I'd like both the kitchen and bathroom lights to illuminate softly; open my toddlers door and I'd like a light strip under his bed to illuminate, etc).
Ultimately I see the majority of my "smart" devices being controlled by a combination of PIR motion sensors, window/door magnetic sensors, a "streamdeck" style controller and also some control via both google home and alexa. I rarely tend to use the actual apps to control these things, hence not being too bothered by how many apps it requires installation of, as long as there is minimal interaction required with these apps beyond initial setup.
Ideally, I would like to keep things as "off the shelf" as possible. I don't mind having to mess around between multiple apps to get things talking and interacting how I'd like them to, but I don't really want to have to start flashing custom firmware or messing with hardware or building a custom raspberry pi type bridge etc to make this work.
I like the idea of doing this with "smart" lighting options, rather than basic PIR controlled night-lights or similar, for a couple of reasons:
1) This is so much cooler;
2) Ultimately, I have a lot more in mind in terms of smart lighting in my home office and entertainment areas, so I see this as kind of the starting point for all of that
3) I'd also like to eventually do things like add music to the workflow, adjust which lights turn on and for how long based on which specific sensors are triggered, etc.
Throwing it out there to you far smarter folk for your thoughts on how you would do this! Including any show stoppers or particular challenges you expect me to face. Probably worth noting too that although I've started with the Mirabelo Genio PIR sensors - that's only because they were on clearance for $10ea. If it simply won't work with them and I need to go a different route, let's hear it!
Thanks in advance!
Dave
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