Hi! My partner and I are expecting our first child in October and even before we started trying for a wee one, he would sweetly say 'One day we will have our little Ringo'. We fell in love around music, and clearly, we are a kind and playful pair. The name does reflect that well.
After I found out I was pregnant.. the name has stuck, so much that his friends and some family love it and dub themselves 'team Ringo'. My partner's 9-year-old son cried the other day when I mentioned we might go with another name.
So, there are some clear pros and cons of the name and I am curious what you all think as well! I live in a Spanish-speaking country so ideally we want a name that works well both here and in the USA, as the baby will be raised bilingually. I was thinking of using Ringo as a middle name and going with David Ringo (David was my dad's name) but David sounds quite harsh in Spanish, so on the fence.
Suggestions? Are you on team Ringo? Are you rolling your eyes like our mothers? Cheers!

So another chapter done and next time with chapter 135, volume 15 will be done.The whole aspect of this volume was more or less the Fairy Tail members, minus Natsu got caught, so Natsu and saber split up to rescue the different parties. Each was confronted with a new foe who had some power with means they couldn't deal with up front and with the plans and reasons for everything from the events of the last arc on the loss of the Dogra cores. Defeat on all fronts was supposedly the outcome and it seemed like either some escape or capture could occur. Well we have as expected, hit our climax. Natsu and Stings powers have been whited out by Athena essentially making them now at her mercy with Lucy and Yukino fighting to save them but despite being outmatched, Lucy now has a realization that in her attempts to give Athena a proposal, this will be the setup for the turnaround. If anything, it means that next chapter will be the baseline of where everything will be heading and how each group will essentially be faced with whats next. The climax isnt always going to be a huge one like say the last one in chapter 125 which revealed the sisters, duke, and Athena. We have at least 2 more volumes for this arc so, at least another 9 months of dealing with the alchemists. Theres quite a lot of ground to cover before this arc is over. At best though, we are done with this rotating scenary of lore/fights and it seems, everything will at most likely, end up back at the guild hall for the next events to come.
As usual, some stuff I was right about, other stuff wrong, some stuff out of left field too. But these are again, predictions for fun, nothing confirmed nor deined. Just what seems in the realm of possibility with what we have been given and what seems most likely given the path things have taken.

1. Not a total defeat- the biggest prediction going in the past few chapters, hell since the group split up in the 3rd chapter of this volume was the notion of what will happen? Everyone split up to rescue their respective captives only to encounter their own boss more or less. As we currently see it, Erzas team is in quite a pickle and Gray is worse for wear being fully outmatched. Because of Lucy and Yukino though, more with Lucy's own realization Athena has emotions, this is the thing to change stuff around, at least to avoid a total defeat.
2. Lucy rolled a nat 20 in charisma?- I did rather enjoy the action this chapter with Lucy at least getting one string of good action after nothing much this whole volume. But the real kicker here is that..despite being vastly outmatched and knowing Athena is too much..Lucy is got quite the confidence here to be smirking at Athena with a proposal that will "work for them both" its not outlandish either..this is the girl who would panic and was shocked just a few panels before at Athenas power but now just smiling at this, merely because she sees Athena has emotion? Whatever the proposal is..its quite a thing that Lucy would bank on this so confidently.
3. What does she propose?-I believe she is proposing how magic itself is what makes one alive, as magic is tied to emotion. If anything, Lucy could be proposing anything from they will come quietly to releasing Natsu and Sting from the white out, something to show Athena that magic itself is alive and what could make her, in proxy terms, alive herself because she also uses magic and ironcially, emotion based Alchemy. This is a big question itself but, at least it avoids a total defeat, really its done so that..be it they come quietly or Athena leaves them be with some form of doubt vs her guild, theres some group, be it Natsus at least, on the outside.
4. Athena is experiencing emotion because of Natsu and Stings magic-not really a longshot, maybe more expected. Athena absorbed their magic at least to 'tether' lets say, like how Faris did to the guild far eariler in the story. But this is magic from Natsu and Sting. Natsu is one who very well does have irritation but also loves to battle, hence the euphoria. In releation to the prior notion, its more like Lucy is going to at least tell Athena that, this is their magic and magic is fueled by emotion. She is experiencing what Natsu and Sting basically do or think.
5. So what will happen to Natsus team? That depends on Lucy's end of the proposal, either they come quietly, going into the guild, Athena returns their magic after Lucy showing what she needs, going back alone with a sense of confusion, or most unlikely, Athena defects. Its..not exactly clear. But I believe in one case..maybe they go quietly, or likewise maybe Natsus team escapes and remains outside with a chance to recoup, I mean..I think Lucy would at least get some shoes back on after all this. Regardless...something is going to break the current tirad focus we have..
6. Team Gray and Erza?- As said before..it feels like everything is going back to the guild hall. It seems like Erzas team and Gray for all other reasons are heading for defeat. Not a total defeat like Elinter, but most likely this will be done and out by next chapter to get our setup for volume 16. It doesnt feel like theres much room for a suddenly reversal or major save on the ends of these fights. At least one team outside for any other reason is maybe the most likely.
7. Wasn't Gray supposed to be the hero this arc? Again, its the first volume of this arc, with at least 18 chapters more or less to go, there is still quite some distance to cover. Gray could still get away if Rogue does something, We really just need to see the outcomes of each. Gray hasn't been "robbed" when we still only have a chapter showing one potential outcome for one group.
8. Athena can still get a fight-regardless of what happens to Athena, I feel there will still be a serious battle against her. She is a doll, not hard to expect Duke Barbaroa has some control over her, even to shut down her will to force her to fight.
9. Sai, Sernea, and Ennie still have to get into action- despite all the action over these past few chapters, there are others who still have some stuff to go through. Sai and rival bond is another thing to keep aware of, God Serena has yet to fight, and Ennie has yet to reveal her alchemy. If anything, one thing that says this arc may go on for some time, is at least due to the ground some characters still need for coverage. We could have some silly love/rival bond events inconveniencing our heroes from Sai , God Serena could finally get the fight he needed, Ennie could possibly show us a world alchemy technique that looks like DOOM 2, who knows. Even Gennai and Kotetsu still need some focus in the future as well. Thats generally what to expect from the enemies at least.
10. Volume 16s focus?- Most likely, the plans of Duke Barbaroa and attempting to use the materials for Athena. At least with Athena either bringing team Natsu in or leaving them, whatever happens with Lucy's proposal, to be the focal point and perhaps crux of Athenas human desire vs Dukes own amibiton to control the Dragon gods. And who knows...maybe even something on Virines may rise up. It seems we may just be heading for the Gold Owl guild hall, it doesnt seem like this arc will end anytime before chapter 150.

This is my temporary account.
I don’t know if this actually NSFW. Just to be safe than sorry. I felt frustrated.
I don’t remember much. When I was turning 1 year old, I received Vintage Hoppity Horse Child's Bouncing Toy but it was Spider-Man designed. I saw a picture of my 1 year old birthday and the gift. I remembered that gift. I remembered I was rubbing on it. I hopped and rubbing my vagina on it. I felt aroused by feeling the high first and then I use my vagina rubbing on it. It’s like I really want it to continue. Eventually, that toy was gone. I didn’t understand why. Strange part is that I couldn’t even touch myself. I don’t even remember that I ever use my hands to touch myself. Instead, I found another way to rub myself at age 2 and up. I don’t remember anything else. I was fighting to try to remember. I was born deaf. I started to wear hearing aids at age 2. I vaguely remember hearing clicking sounds, I think it was bed squeaking. Or maybe it was a chair. I don’t know. I really don’t remember much up to age 5~ish. I feeling frustrated and I just don’t know if anything is real or fake. My therapist told me that it’s just a child exploring. She kept blocking me for not telling details. I was desperate to tell depth. She still blocked me over and over again.
My other therapist didn’t dig deeper of where’s my struggling come from when I had sex fantasy. She said it’s ok to have that fantasy as long as I don’t act on it. I felt better and my sex fantasy is gone but I’m still kept that feeling of something is not right. There’s something missing. Did anyone else have that kind of struggling?
Was I had been sexually abused?
I’m hesitating to share this. My sex fantasy was (I emphasized WAS!) having sex with other children especially younger age. My counselor said as long as I don’t act on it, it’s ok to have fantasy. Once I confessed somehow it lost power and eventually I have zero interest to desire to have sex with younger children.
That was like…. 15 years ago when I confessed. I am still wondering was I sexually abused? Is that the reason why I had that fantasy first place?
I needed an advice or perspective. Maybe some kind of psychology? I feel frustrated. I received some DM. Personally I prefer here in comments. That’s why I created temporary account. I just don’t want DM.
I only watched adult porn. I refused to watch Child part. It had been quite a while since I watched adult porn. I have zero interest in any of these. I find it strange. I refused to have children. I refused to work with children. About a couple months ago, I dreamed that I was grieving of lost three children. I just don’t understand. I do not have motherly intuition. I do not have maternal instincts nor desire to have children. I met my friend’s children but never once to have desire to have kids.
Additionally: Truth is, I actually remembered the aroused. Same kind of aroused that I have now. I remembered the feeling of having that.
Also, why did I had sex fantasy on younger children? That’s why I’m afraid to be around children. I refused to be alone with them. To me, I consider abnormal.
Since I started to think I might be sexual abuse. My behavior had changed toward to my covert narcissist parents. I’m living with them. (I’m working on leaving permanently and never returning). They noticed. My Nmom asked me if I remembered of what daddy did. She didn’t say dad. She said daddy. I pretend I didn’t understand what’s she’s saying. She repeated, “do you remembered?…. What daddy did in the past?” My response was “I don’t know what are you talking about.” My Nmom said, “I noticed that you locked your bedroom door.” I was like, “so?” She continued, “I want to protect you. I need to protect you. Let me protect you.” I was pissed off. I grabbed my purse and car key. I told her, “I don’t need your protection. I’m grown up adult. I never need any protection!” I walked off. I saw my Ndad outside. He asked me if I talked to my mom. I fake teenager act by roll my eyes and said “yes and I cut her off!” I walked away to my car and took off for the day. I came home, both were in tv room and act like nothing happened.
Why I don’t remembered!?!? I’m feeling frustrated!!!! I fighting hard to remember when I get closer to possibly remembering, my whole body jumped. How do I get to remember? Did anyone else had that same problem?

The fight will take place on earth.
last team standing wins.
Each team is given 3 months and 4 days of prep time with info on all of their opponents on the opposite team.
The Justice league will have the following on their team.
Superman, Batman, Wonder woman, Aqua Man, Barry Allen, Green lantern, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Ray Palmer, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Elongated Man, Lobo, Zatanna, John Constantine, Phantom Stranger, Spectre, Red Tornado, Firestorm, Hank Heywood, Vixen, Gypsy, Vibe, Billy Batson (Captain Marvel/shazam), Booster Gold, Ted Kord, Mr Miracle, Dr. Light (Hoshi), Big Barda, Maxwell Lord, Kent Nelson, Captain Adam, Rocket Red (Pushkin), Fire, Ice, Huntress, Question, Linda Strauss, Orion, Light Tray, General Glory, Wild Cat, Tasmanian Devil, Jay Garrick, Maxima, Bloodywynd, The Ray, Ryan Kendall, Agent liberty, Animal man, Wally West, Power Girl, Metamorpho, Crimson fox, Raven, Blue Beatle, Blue Ray, Silver Sourceress, Maya, Major Disaster, Triumph, Kater Hol, Atom smasher, Obsidian, Amazing man (Will Everett III), L-Ron, Jayna, Zan, Mystek, blue devil, Ice Maiden, Kyle Reyner (White Lantern), Tomorrow Woman, Aztec (Falconer), Barbra Gordon, Conner Hawke, Steel, plastic Man, Zauriel, Hippolyta, Hourman (Matthew Tyler), Jade, Mark Anteaus, Jesse Chambers, Walter West, Moon Maiden, Dick Grayson, Faith, Entrigan, John Stewart, Manitou Raven, Sister superior, Cold Cast, Cassandra Cain, Naif Al-Sheikh, Manitou Dawn, Firehawk, Ambush bug, Super Chief, Bulleteer, Black Lightning, Roy Harper, Geo-force, Super girl, Congorilla, Mikaal Thomas, Guardian, Mon El, Donna Troy, Starfire, Cyborg, Godiva, August General in Iron, David Zavimbe, Kevin Kho, Element Woman, Mera, Ryan Choi, Deadman, Andrew Bennett, Black Orchid, Loose Cannon, Hourman (Richard Tyler), Jean-paul Valley, Geist, Damage, Tim Drake, Joe Public,Bronze Tiger, Thunder bolt, Dolphin, Lion hart, Osiris, Seneca, Freddy freeman, Snapper Car, Sargon the sorcerer, Golden Eagle, Captain Comet, Sue Dibny, Adam Strange, creeper, Kilowog, Yazz, Oberon, Catherine cobert, Hannibal Martin, Dale Gunn, Toy Master, Resurrection man, Tempest, Tattooed man (Richards), Ragman, and Swamp thing, Vigilante, ETC.........
FYI there are at least 50-80 more members if not more in the Justice league just got tired of typing
Avengers will have the following on their team
Ironman, Thor, Hulk, Captain America, Black Bolt, Hawk Pym, Wasp, Antman, Hawkeye, silver surfer, Scarlet witch, Dr. Strange, swordsman, Spiderman, Hercules, Black panther, vision, Black night, Black widow, Mantis, Beast, Moondragon, Hell cat, Two Gun kid, Wonder man, Caral Danvers, Falcon, Tigra, She hulk, Spectrum, Star fox, Namor, Doctor Druid, Mockingbird, War Machine, Thing, Moon Knight, Firebird, Demolition man, Gilgamesh, Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, U.S. Agent, Quasar, Human Torch, Sersi, Stingray, Rage, Machine Man, Living Lightning, Julia Carpenters Crystal, Thunder strike, Dark hawk, Justice, Firestar, 3D man, Silver Claw, Jack of hearts, Lionheart, Luke cage, wolverine, Sentry, Echo, Ares, Amadeus cho, Jocosta, Spider woman, Valkyrie, Sharon Carter, Nova, Eric O'Grady, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Noh-Var, Thunderbolt Ross, Daredevil, Storm, Quake, Captain Britain, Flash Thompson, Cannonball, Manifold, Shang-chi, Captain universe, sunspot, smasher, Hyperion, Black Bolt.

Girls: Izzy
Boys: Ezekiel, Mal, Topher
Episode 23: Awwwwww, Drumheller
"Last time, on Total Drama World Tour!" Chris opened over a shot of the jumbo jet flying away from Rapa Nui. "Mal assaulted a statue for the fun of it," the host said over a clip of Mal kicking Cody's stone statue. "And while we searched for eggs on Easter Island," Mal was seen taking out food from Owen's statue, "some old pals stopped by for a nice visit." Ezekiel was shown finding his egg from the statue of Sadie. "Along with a couple seriously ticked-off condor parents," the host added, the male condor shown chasing Mal through the underground tunnel, and the female pecking at Topher while he sang and eventually swept him off the rocky perch with her wing.
"Sisterhoods were expanded," Chris said over a clip of Izzy giving Eva her egg. "Alliances formed," the host added as Ezekiel, Topher, Izzy, and Eva were shown hiding in a hole. "Ultimately, Eva got the vote off," Chris said as the girl was shown going to the exit, "but not before giving Mal what for!" he finished with a mischievous laugh as Mal was shown being punched in the eye by Eva.
"The Final Four begins," Chris told the camera as the recap montage ended. "Which one of 'em will dig up more trouble this week? Find out right now, on Total! Drama! World Tour!"
It was dawn as the camera zoomed out, and a hot air balloon was rising up nearby the plane. It collided with the wing, popped, and fell with a whimpering hiss.
XXXXX
The episode, as usual, opened with a shot of the Total Drama Jumbo Jet in flight as the sky was still dark. The scene cut inside to show Topher and Izzy lying on their seats and sleeping in economy class.
In first class, Mal and Ezekiel were both reclining in their seats and sleeping. Ezekiel was drooling a bit in his sleep, and the camera went over and focused on Mal, who's eye was covered with a black eye patch. He was snoring before the shot changed to the inside of his head.
\
Mike, Chester, Svetlana, and Vito's backs can be shown as they were walking closer to the tower.
"I hope we hit the club district soon," Vito said.
Chester wasn't on board with the suggestion. "Nah, you ninny. If this place has a club district, I'll eat my pants! Without any catsup! Unless you've got some on ya. Quit holdin' out!" he scolded Vito.
A crackling fire were seen next, and the camera panned out to feature Manitoba Smith next to it. He was holding out his rope, but his leg was chained to a rock behind him.
"Manitoba! Finally!" Mike rejoiced when he spotted him.
"Can't talk now. Big quota to fill," Manitoba said firmly.
"What's Mal making you do?" Mike discovered the conditions Manitoba was in.
"See them clouds?" Manitoba directed everyone's attention to the floating clouds. "Them's your dreams. My job's to get rid of 'em so you can never enjoy 'em again."
Manitoba pulled a cloud down using his rope and it landed in-between him and Mike. The cloud showed a dream of Mike wearing a dark tuxedo and walking down the red carpet while carrying a bunch of gemmies.
"It's the dream I had about walking down the red carpet! Aw, I loved that dream!" Mike told his alters.
"So inspiring!" Svetlana agreed.
Manitoba threw the cloud into the fire, and Mike was shocked to see it disperse. "Don't do that!" Mike freaked out.
"Love to, mate, but Mal's the boss," Manitoba backed up.
Mike groaned in frustration. "Once I regain control, I'll make more of an attempt to be in a red carpet. And Mal won't be able to ruin that!" the comedian promised and got cut off by a cloud getting burnt. "Ah, c'mon! Stop burning up my dreams!"
"Ah, well. We all gotta go sometime," Manitoba stated.
"Don't you want to be free?" Mike asked.
"But even if we could beat Mal, that would just put you back in charge," Manitoba claimed. "So, how's that make me free?"
"No way, he's right," Vito said when he and the others got closer. "Why should you get all the control?"
"'Cause I'm the first. The original," Mike answered.
Chester doubted the fact. "Where's the proof?"
Mike took out his wallet. "Right here. See?" He showed it to his personalities, and they reacted with surprise. Mike checked his wallet, and was surprised to see Mal rather than himself. "Mal is the original personality? I-I can't believe it."
"Me neither. Why have I been listening to you this whole time?" Chester complained.
"Stop!" Svetlana halted everyone. "Who cares who was the first? Mike is the best! He's more patient than me, more generous than Chester, less egotistical than Manitoba, and he's a better dancer than Vito."
Vito sighed. "It's true."
"Aw, thanks," Mike said in gratitude. "But if I'm not the original…"
"Think about it. We're trapped in a world Mal created. So where do you think that license came from?" Manitoba explained.
Mike watched his license turn into a brain. "Nice try, Mal, but you haven't won yet!" He rubbed the brain into a key and unlocked Manitoba's chain, setting him free.
"Took you long enough! C'mon! I know a shortcut to Mal's guard tower!" Manitoba informed the rest
"Guard tower?" Mike got confused.
"This whole place, is a jail. The tower is the only way in or out," Manitoba lectured before he, Svetlana, and Vito made their way to the tower.
"I don't think I can deal with anymore walking. Shortcut or not," Chester mentioned to Mike.
"Fine, I'll give you a piggyback," Mike offered. Chester got on Mike's back with a grunt, and they went off to catch up with the others.
\
The season's world map was shown, the plane icon flying north from Chile to western Canada.
A flash took the scene to a series of rock formations baking under the sun, the Total Drama Jumbo Jet speeding past between them and knocking a precariously-balanced rock off its perch.
Down below, a small burrowing rodent of some sort was just about to complete a house of cards, unaware of the shadow growing around it. It finally paused and looked up at the whooshing sound that was approaching, just as the boulder landed on top of it, the cards, and its hole.
\
"Welcome to Drumheller, Alberta," Chris told the Final Four, who had assembled in the barren canyon outside of the plane, its rear tail hatch visibly lowered as a boarding ramp in the background. "A World Heritage Site," the host continued, the camera zooming in just enough to show a saurian skeleton embedded in a distant cliff. "It has the wickedest collection of dinosaur bones on the planet! In front of you is a giant pit with lots of super ancient dino bones." The camera zoomed out to show more of the surrounding canyon, a few fossils visible in the rock walls. "Grab whatever bones you can find to make your very own life-size dino," Chris continued. "I'm calling it, 'Design-a-saurus'!"
The cast groaned at the pun.
"I know," Chris said with a broad smile. "They should pay me just to come up with titles. I'm that good."
Confessional: Topher
"For the first time, I have to disagree with Chris about his jokes and puns being considered humorous," Topher said.
Confessional Ends
"You have two minutes to rifle through the plane's cargo hold," Chris continued, "and grab whatever you can to help build your creations. Aaaand, go!"
At his signal, Mal shoved Topher to the ground and ran off laughing.
Confessional: Mal
"With Eva gone, that just leaves me, Topher, and Ezekiel as the big four of this season," Mal told the camera. "If you can beat 'em," he punched his palm and fist together, "beat 'em up!"
Confessional Ends
The scene cut to the cargo hold, the lowered boarding ramp visible on the left. Izzy, Mal, and Ezekiel were already searching through boxes and crates, and Topher was the last to arrive.
Izzy quickly managed to find a small box of what looked like art supplies inside a larger crate and smiled. "Glitter glue, stickers, puffy paint? This was meant for me!" As she listed off her supplies, Mal turned a mocking smirk in her direction.
"We're not making grade three art projects here," Mal taunted, and Izzy squirted a tube of glitter glue in his face as a response.
"How mature of you," the malevolent one growled as Izzy walked off.
"I think it was pretty funny," Ezekiel said as he walked past with an open cardboard box. "Not to you, but definitely to me!"
Confessional: Ezekiel
"I'm this close to being this season's winner!" Ezekiel boasted. "And unlike the spelling bee, where I got a hundred dollars, I'll get a lot more than that!"
Confessional Ends
The footage skipped ahead to show Ezekiel sitting on the ground, scooping away the dirt surrounding what looked like the tip of a larger fossil with his hands. He looked up to see Topher coming his way.
"So how was first class like with Mal" Topher wondered.
Ezekiel sighed. "We simply avoided each other. Scratch that. I avoided him while he kept shooting me dirty looks."
"That was what I expected," Topher nodded.
"He can't frighten us anymore," Ezekiel said. "Eva may be out, but we still have Izzy with us."
"We should still watch out for him," Topher advised the home-schooled guy. "Given we're in the final four, he'll do whatever it takes to claim victory."
The focus shifted to Izzy as she hauled a leg bone as long as she was tall through the barren landscape on her back, eventually throwing the bone to the ground next to a pile of smaller bones.
"This is already looking good," Izzy grinned and stood up, but scowled when she saw Mal standing on the other side of the pile.
"Greetings to you!" Mal insincerely said hello.
"If you're here to steal my bones, then you can forget it!" Izzy growled at the malevolent one. "I have the eyes of a hawk!"
"I wasn't going to steal them," Mal told the psycho hose beast. "I know they're yours, so I want to ask if I can have a few."
"No no no no NO!!" Izzy barked. "I will not help you, especially when you're a criminal!"
"And you aren't?" Mal replied. "We've been to the same juvie together."
"True, but what I did to get locked up was accidental," Izzy pointed out while looking at her bones. "You burned down a building when there were people inside!"
Mal scoffed. "And yet you still parade around as the mentally challenged girl. I don't know what Owen ever saw in you."
"You better get out before I make you extinct, Patchy!" Izzy snarled and whacked a bone to her palm.
Seeing that she was being serious, Mal rolled his eyes and departed.
Confessional: Izzy
"To be honest, what he said kind of hurt me, but I'm not going to show any signs of weakness around that guy or he'll eat it up!" Izzy acted intimidating, but sighed softly.
Confessional: Mal
"Most people try to make their words sound professional. I'm not like most people," Mal laughed, "and sooner or later, everybody's spirits will be crushed!"
Confessional Ends
The scene flashed to Mal down on all fours, picking through a small pile of small bones. He casually tossed one over his shoulder, along with another one. He finally looked happy at his third after a short pause.
\
Izzy was shown next, gluing an arm bone into her creation and sprinkling it with glitter.
\
Ezekiel stuck a tail to the back of his fossil.
\
Topher, who was kneeling down, pushed the bony claws onto the foot of his dinosaur.
\
"Time's up!" Chris declared, the footage skipping forward one more time. "Now we'll begin the amazing tour through the ages of imaginary dinosaurs. Let's start with Mal."
The shot cut to Mal looking smug. "I went with the most dangerous of the dinosaurs," he said confidently, turning around as the camera zoomed out to show the complete skeleton of what looked like a Tyrannosaurus Rex standing behind him, "Tyrannosaurus Mal, or T-Mal for short!"
"Wowza," Izzy said in awe as she, Topher, and Ezekiel were shown looking at the first creation.
"That does look cool," Ezekiel admitted.
Topher nodded and crossed his arms. "Even I can't deny that."
"It's gonna be tough to beat that right out of the gate," Chris told him.
"I can do it," Topher said before turning to the side. "Ladies and gentlemen…Chrisasaurus!"
The shot zoomed out dramatically, revealing the Chris wannabe's creation: a mass of bones built into the shape of a Chris pose with the head shaped like Chris.
"The Chrisasaurus is one handsome and charismatic beast," Topher explained. "Like it?"
"Love it!" Chris agreed. "L-U-V, love. Zeke, what have you got?" he asked Ezekiel.
"Meet the Blingoraptor," Ezekiel said, gesturing to his creation: it was a large spherical body made of the dome-like fossils he found earlier. There were two bones raised up as its hands, and the other two were on the ground as its legs. Ezekiel had also put gold chains on its neck and arms. "This dinosaur is hip and cool."
Mal smirked. "Bold choice for the body," he told the home-schooled guy.
"I thought the bones would make this dinosaur work," Ezekiel said proudly.
"They're coprolite fossils," Mal told him.
"What's a coprolite?" Topher asked in confusion.
"Coprolite," Mal repeated. "From Ancient Greek, 'copros' meaning dung, and 'lite' meaning stone."
Ezekiel looked at him blankly for a second before widening his eyes in realization. "You mean it's fossilized poo?!"
"So disgusting!" Izzy winced.
"Izzy," Chris interrupted in annoyance, "please rescue us from Ezekiel's suckitude."
Izzy began her introduction. "My dinosaur is the Aeroraptor," she said, the camera zooming out and panning over to her creation. It was built like a normal raptor, but it has eight legs instead of two, there was a party hat on top of the head, and glitter was everywhere. "Does whatever a dinosaur can, but it's more festive and fun than the others."
"Why is it wearing a party hat when it's nobody's birthday?" Ezekiel asked.
"Today is April Fools' Day," Izzy explained. "That's the day my dad was born, so I made this dinosaur as a gift to him."
"That's…very thoughtful of you," Ezekiel remarked.
"I don't normally see eye-to-eye with my family, but I won't trade them for the world," Izzy said sincerely.
Confessional: Izzy
"Except for my pet cat. She's really clingy," Izzy added.
Confessional Ends
"Enough mush," Chris interrupted sharply. "Iiiit's judgment day! Which dinos will survive, and which ones will be driven to extinction?" he asked the camera.
"Oh, and did I mention who the very special judges are?" Chris asked the cast. "You!" he announced. "With a pretty shocking twist, of course!"
\
The scene skipped forward to a close-up of a large battery, jumper cables connecting it to an electric chair that currently had Topher sitting in it. "Is the electric chair necessary?" he asked, looking down at the device skeptically.
"Yes it is," Chris answered. "It's time to vote for your fave dino," he said. "Can't vote for your own, of course, aaand you might wanna tell the truth. Just saying."
"Well, I think mine was the best, but I guess second can go to Ezekiel." Topher was promptly electrocuted, a puff of smoke coming from his mouth when it stopped.
Chris chuckled. "Yeah, might wanna tell the truth there Topher!" he told him.
Topher sighed. "Fine, Izzy's birthday gift to her father was pretty heartwarming," he admitted. "I'm pretty cheap when it comes to buying or creating gifts for others, and hers required hard work."
"You can say that again," Chris told him with a grin before turning around and calling out "Next!"
\
Mal was next in the chair. "I do find Izzy's spider dinosaur interesting," he said, immediately getting electrocuted. "Alright," he bitterly corrected. "Topher's dinosaur was eye-catching."
"Good enough," Chris told him. "Next!"
\
Izzy was third in the chair. "Although I don't like him and would rather get stung by a bee than be in the same room as him," she began, "Topher's Chris dinosaur really speaks to me, even if Ezekiel's bling dinosaur is really fresh."
"Not as much as me," Chris said with a shrug. "Next!"
\
"I'm surprised that anyone can even remotely like you after all you put us through, but Topher's dedicated to you enough to even make a dinosaur out of your likeness," Ezekiel said. "He gets my vote."
"As the winner," Chris announced as the camera pulled back, "Topher gets this handy-dandy post digger!"
Chef was shown delivering the large two-handled power tool to the fanboy. "A post digger?" he said as he took hold of the thing. "Why would I even need this-" He pressed a button on the machine, turning it on and causing the drill bit to spin. He gasped and let go of it in shock, causing the digger to move around wildly under the power of its own vibrations. It headed straight towards Izzy and Mal, forcing them to scatter as Topher tried to catch up to the machine to regain control of it.
"Topher versus the post digger!" Chris said, sliding in front of the camera. "See who wins next," the post digger continued along behind him, Topher still chasing it, "right here on Total Drama World Tour!"
\
(Commercial Break)
\

Dude is considered a legend, made the Top 50 list in '96 before he even turned 30 years, has his number retired and a statue in the Bulls arena, was a no doubt hall of famer, made the updated Top 75 list.
Man got to play next to Michael Jordan and is SALTY about it. Like come on man, even when Jordan retired, you get more "atta boys" for taking a team to Game 7 of the 2nd round of the Playoffs as the best player than just about any Top 75 player in history.
You played a big role and you got your due, but would anybody have any clue who Scottie Pippen was 30 years later if it weren't for Michael Jordan? Jordan was a guy that was already considered the best player in the world before Scottie was an anybody, they won in '88 against Cleveland with Jordan scoring 45 PPG and Pippen a rookie playing around 20 MPG off the bench. On every team they played on together, Jordan was the clear best player, there was never a single moment where it was debatable or there was no doubt. Of course he got more media attention, he was the better player, but Pippen wasn't considered chop liver and was always viewed as the perfect #2 guy for the Bulls, so much so that "Pippen" is used still to this today to mean just that. It's not an insult.
The Bulls were a hot mess when Jordan got there, but I think you'd have a hell of a lot easier team finding a suitable 2nd best player to get at least a couple rings building around Jordan than building a champion around Pippen.
Anyways, in the grand scheme of dice rolls of how an NBA career is going to go, Scottie Pippen had it good. Like really good. Even after leaving the Bulls he played on some really good teams in Portland that were close.
Whatever is going on in his personal life, I hope he can get it sorted out, because on a basketball level, this guy has NOTHING to be legitimately salty about.

TL;DR (spoilers): You, and anyone who wants to try the challenge with you if it's a multiplayer game, are a trans ally, and your job is to collect $25,000 or the equivalent thereof in in-game money (rounded up to the next smallest divisible part) for your transgender friend's transition in less than 31 in-game years. Everything is allowed. You do not have to finish the game.
Want a new and interesting way to play your favorite videogame? I got one with a transgender theme that is interesting, challenging, easy to implement, and compatible with almost any videogame, so it's a Mario challenge, a Pokémon challenge, a Minecraft challenge, and so on and so forth, all at the same time!

The Plot

You, and anyone who wants to try the challenge with you if it's a multiplayer game, are a trans ally, and your job is to collect money to pay for your transgender friend's transition. You win by acquiring enough in-game money. You are allowed to consult the internet, use passwords from the internet, commit in-game crimes, purchase microtransactions, abuse glitches, use cheat codes, and even hack the game to reach your goal, but is it really worth the effort? You are kinda expected to use the easiest way to win the challenge that you know of.

The Rules

Rule #1: You have to get the money you need for a transition. In order to make the challenge less boring for you, I did the research for you and came to the result of $25,000. However, this value might change if you try out this challenge in the far future, meaning that this challenge technically changes depending on when you attempt it. The value is expected to rise even further with inflation, or perhaps it might be reduced with the invention of more efficient surgery techniques. If the USA ever starts getting the universal healthcare system or a societal breakdown makes these surgeries impossible, this challenge will refer to the cost of the legal name & gender change, instead. And if that also ever becomes free then just choose a different country where it isn't free yet. But this is not going to change anytime soon (When do you think this challenge will become obsolete?) so, for now, you just have to remember to collect $25,000 in in-game money. This applies to every game that uses $ for in-game money. If the game uses £ or ¥ or € or any other real-world value, you'll have to convert it. Here's an online tool for converting currencies, which also supports various cryptocurrencies and custom rate dates. If the maximum amount of in-game money you can hold at once is less then the challenge is simply impossible. This only applies to non-videogame currencies.
Rule #2: If the in-game currency is fictional then you'll have to convert it (rounded up to the next smallest divisible part). It's easy if you can buy in-game money with real money, even if that feature doesn't work because of a glitch or something. Otherwise, you'll have to do some research. If you can't find any direct information on the internet, I would suggest starting here to get a basic idea on how to calculate that. If there are multiple in-game currencies you are allowed to split the price of the transition among them in any way you want, provided you know the value of all of them. If there is no in-game currency then you are allowed to use points instead. If the game doesn't have points either then you can try to invent a substitute currency but it has to be something that would actually work as a substitute currency in the world you're in. If that's not possible either then the only way for you to win this challenge is to raise real money by doing a let's play of the game. But then you'll have to actually pay for a real trans person's transition (yourself included) or donate the money to transgender-related causes to actually win the challenge. Here's a website that lets you donate for transgender causes. If the amount of in-game money you can hold at once is less or you were unable to find out how much you need then you are also allowed to simply collect the maximum possible amount instead because games will never ask you for more money than you can hold for a single product, meaning that this would have to be the in-game prize of a transition, as transitions are always for only a single person. This only applies to videogame currencies.
Rule #3: You do not need to finish the game. All you need to do to win this challenge is to get the money somehow. Please keep in mind that the exchange rate isn't constant. The exact amount you need to win the challenge has to be enough in the moment when you have the amount. You automatically win the challenge the moment this is the case.
Rule #4: You need to get the money in less than 31 in-game years. This number was calculated by subtracting the age at which children begin to have an innate sense of their own gender (4 years) from the average lifespan of a trans person (35 years). If the game has time-travelling elements, you are allowed to use those to extend the time limit. However, it only counts if this actually involves time itself and not just the timer. The same also goes the other way around: Travelling into the future or even moving in relativistic speeds will decrease the time limit. If the time limit runs out, I hope you have a way to return back to the past later!
Rule #5: If you can choose between multiple difficulty settings, you are allowed to choose the easiest one. In fact, you are expected to. Trans people are already on hard mode and the idea of being an ally is to specifically use the possibilities given to you to help those with fewer possibilities than you. If you have the option to select an easier difficulty setting which would make it easier for you to win this challenge, use it. Even if you're already used to playing on a higher difficulty mode. Not doing so would be considered bad strategy on your part. You are allowed to choose a higher difficulty setting, but please only do so if this actually gives you some advantages, like more rewards, more levels, or faster gameplay. This challenge gives you no bonus points for selecting a higher difficulty setting.
Rule #6: Emulation, and all tricks that come with it, are explicitly allowed. Doing so might be against the law but it is explicitly not against the rules of this challenge. The reason for this is because being transgender has been illegal for a long time and still is in many states, forcing many people to break the law in order to live their lives. The police have historically targeted trans and gender non-conforming folks. Stonewall was a riot against police brutality. I am not advocating for doing anything illegal. I am, however, saying that you should never use the law to argue for the morality of anything trans-related, as doing so would be disrespectful towards a huge part of transgender history. Therefore, this rule will remain in effect even if being transgender ever becomes legal worldwide.
In order to make the challenge even less boring for you, I have started researching loads of fictional currencies and how much money you would have to collect there for this challenge so you don't have to.
A Song of Ice and Fire - 19 Gold Dragons and 1 Copper Star or 39 Hands
Albion Online - 4,752,500 Gold
Among Us - 250,000 Stars
Animal Crossing - 2,625,000 Bells
Animal Jam - 69,833 Diamonds
Animal Jam - 2,688,173 Sapphires
Apex Legends - 2,500,000 Apex Coins
Arcaea - 2,550,000 Memories
Archage Unchained - 125,000,000 Coins
Arknights - 30,000 Originium
Ashes of Creation - 3,376,000 Embers
Astroneer - 2,500,000 QBits
Avatar - 166,666.67 Yuan
Azur Lane - 1,531,440 Gems
Baldi's Basics in Education and Learning - 2,500,000 You Thought Points
Banjo-Kazooie - 900 Musical Notes
BattleTech - 2,500 C-Bills
Be Funny Now! - 2,625,000 Gems
Bioshock Infinite - 715 Silver Eagles
Bloons Monkey City - 1,250,000 Bloonstones
Bloons TD Battles - 625,000 Medallions
Bloons TD Battles 2 - 13,000,000 Monkey Money
Bloons Tower Defense 5 - 19,318,182 Monkey Money
Bloons Tower Defense 5 - 150,000 Tokens
Bloons Tower Defense 6 - 17,500,000 Monkey Money
Boomlings - 93,750,000 Gold
Brawl Stars - 425,000 Gems
Call of Duty - 2,500,000 Points
Candy Crush Saga - 250,000 Gold Bars
Change - finish the game
Chronicles of Riddick - 150,000 UD
Clash of Clans - 2,500,000 Gems
Clash Royale - 2,500,000 Gems
Cookie Clicker - 300,000 Cookies
Cookie Run Kingdom - 2,500,000 Crystals
Cowboy Bebop - 13,461,539 Woolongs
Cyberpunk - 11,208,707,759 Eurodollars
Dead by Daylight - 2,500,000 Auric Cells
Demolition Man - 25 Credits
DemonCrawl - 3,125,000 Tokens
Destiny 2 - 2,500,000 Silver
Disco Zoo - 375,000 DiscoBux
Discworld - 150.00 Ankh-Morpork Dollar or 40,000 Crowns
Disney Ducks Comic Universe
Volcano Valley - 2,500,000,000 Volcanovian Pezozies
Donald Duck - 1,250 Bajillion Pecos
Diablo Immortal - 1,800,180 Eternal Orbs
Disney Emoji Blitz - 219,298,000 Coins or 1,315,780 Gems
Doctor Who - 784,094 Credits
Donkey Kong - 999 Banana Coins
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom - 83,334 Whuffie
Dragon Mania Legends - 28,470,070,000 Gold or 950,060 Gems
Dragonball Z - 50,000 Zeni
DragonVale - 500 Trunks, 1 Bag, and 1 Pile
Dune - 15,254 Solari
Dungeons and Dragons - 198 Platinum Pieces, 4 Gold Pieces, 1 Silver Piece, and 3 Copper Pieces
Dys4ia - finish the game
Egg Inc. - 17,000,000 Golden Eggs
Elite Dangerous - 31,250,000 ARX
Exoracer - 400,000 Diamonds
Fallen London - 140,000 Fate
Fallout - 1,605 Bottle Caps
Fate/Grand Order - 42,709 Saint Quartz
Felix the Cat - 12,500,000,000,000 Bakshee
Final Fantasy VII - 1,366,121 Gil
Fishing Planet - 194,159,000 Credits or 1,941,590 Baitcoins
Fortnite - 3,125,000 V-Bucks
Gaia Online - 2,500,000 Gaia Cash or 125,000,000,000,000 Gold or 12,500,000 Platinum or 125,000 Flynn's Booties
Game of Thrones - 25 Gold Dragons
Genshin Impact - 1,500,000 Genesis Crystals
Going Under - 10,000,000,000 Styxcoin
Gorilla Tag - 5,000,000 Shiny Rocks
Growtopia - 875,000,000 Gems
Guardians of the Galaxy - 10,715 Units
Guild Wars 2 - 2,000,000 Gems
GURPS - 140,108,846 Gold, 19 Silver, and 13 Copper
Halo - 57,073.82 Credits
Harry Potter - 3,401 Galleons, 6 Sickles, and 4 Knuts
Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage - 2,916,667 Crystals
High Frontier 4 All - 1 Aqua
HoboWars - 25,000 Points
Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh - 50,283,334 Gleeblos
Honkai: Star Rail - 1,620,180 Stellar Jades or 1,620,180 Oneiric Shards
Hunter × Hunter - 2,916,667 Jenny
Hypixel - 3,375,000 SkyBlock Gems or 2,500,000 Gold or 31,250 Loot Chests
In Time - 3.259 average Gregorian years
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? - 2,625,000 Vals
Jacksfilms - 138,889 YIAY Tokens
Jetpack Joyride - 250,000,000 Coins
Juego de Tronos - 8,966,966 Gold, 43 Silver, and 1 Copper
Kamen Rider Build - 25,000 Dollark
Keeper of the Lost Cities - 1 Luster
Kingdom Hearts - 18,797 Munny
Kingdom of Loathing - 2,500 Mr. Accessories
Kirby series - 3,125,600 Gem Apples
League of Legends - 3,250,000 Riot Points
LEGO series - 32 Studs
Limbus Company - 1,750,000 Lunacy
Lord of the Rings Online - 2,875,600 LOTRO Points or 359,425 Mithril Coins
Magikarp Jump - 1,250,000 Diamonds
Mario series
exact price - 277,778 Mushroom Coins or 277,778 Koopabits
Dr. Mario World - 277,778 Mushroom Coins or 375,000 Diamonds
Super Mario 3D World - 👑👑👑 Lives and 99 Mushroom Coins
3D Mario games - 99 Lives and 49 Mushroom Coins
2D Mario games - 99 Lives and 99 Mushroom Coins
Super Mario Odyssey - 9,999 Mushroom Coins
Super Mario Land 2 - 999 Mushroom Coins
Bowser's Fury - 99 Mushroom Coins
Mario & Luigi: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga - play until the part where you win the bet against Prince Peasley
Mario Kart Tour - 37,500 Rubies
Mass Effect - 156250 Credits
Merge Dragons - 625,000 Dragon Gems
Minecraft - 64 Emeralds
Minecraft: Bedrock Edition - 4,250,000 Minecoins
Monster Hunter - 2,625,000 Zeni
Monster Legends - 325,000 Gems
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - 2,500 Bits
My Singing Monsters - 500,000 Diamonds
Narnia - 100,000 Lions
Neko Atsume - 1,875,000 Gold Fish
Neopets - 2,500,000 Neocash
New World - 25,000,000 Gold Coins
Nineteen Eighty Four - 25,000.00 Oceanian Dollars
Ninja Kiwi - 625,000 NK Coins
Naruto - 262,500 Ryō
Odd Squad - 25,000 Jackalope Dollars
One Piece - 2,625,000 Belly or 26,250,000,000 Extol
Path of Exile - 6,250,000 Chaos Orbs or 100,000 Exalted Orbs
Pixel Gun 3D - 750,000 Gems
Plants vs. Zombies 2 - 50,000,000 Coins or 250,000 Gems
Pluto Nash - 3 Hillaries
Pocket Trains - 3,000,000 Bux
Pokémon series - 999,999 Pokédollars
Pokémon Go - 1,718,750 Pokécoins
Pokémon Sword and Shield - 175,000 Watts
Pokémon UNITE - 1,531,250 Aeos Gems
Progressbar95 - 125,000 Product Keys
Ratchet & Clank - 38,462 Metal Bolts
Rebuild World - 2,625,000 Aurum
Red Dwarf - 1,308 Dollar Pounds and 25 Pennycents
Rick and Morty - 125,000 Flurbos
Roblox - 2,000,000 Robux
Rocket League - 2,500,000 Credits
Roma - 1,685,519,963 Denarius and 4 Sesterius
Sea of Thieves - 2,291,667 Ancient Coins
Second Life - 8,000,000 Linden Dollars
Shadowrun - 11,208,707,759 Nuyen or 33,626,123,276 Rubles
Slow Life in Another World (I Wish!) - 2,625,000 Nohl
Snow White with the Red Hair - 2,625,000 Dill
Sonic series - 4,556,386 Rings
Sonic Forces: Speed Battle - 2,500,000 Red Star Rings
Spaceballs - 82,667 Space Bucks
Sprawl Trilogy - 1,086,957 New Yen
Spy X Family - 8,203 Dalc and 13 Ostanian Pents
Spyro - 166,667 Gems
Star Trek - 516,235 Federation Credits or 250,000 Darsek
Star Trek (Mari) - 675,676 Renn
Star Trek (United Federation of Planets) - 12,500 Federation Credits
Star Trek: The Next Generation - 15 Bars of Gold-pressed Latinum, 15 Strips, and 6 Slips
Star Wars - 500,000 Galactic Credit Standards
Stardew Valley - 500g
Stormbringer - 186,811,795 Gold, 9 Silver, and 8 Copper
Street Fighter - 3,137 Bison Dollars
Subway Surfers - 225,000,000 Coins or 125,000 Keys
Sword Art Online: Gun Gale Online - 262,500,000 Credits
Team Fortress 2 - 10,000 Keys
Temple Run - 250,000,000 Coins
Terraria - 2 Silver Coins
The Ballad of Rika Strong-Arm - 148 Gold Pieces
The Battle Cats - 750,000 Cat Food
The Binding of Isaac - impossible because you can only hold 99¢
The Elder Scrolls - 11,004 Septim
The Flintstones - 7,813 Clams
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - 428,572 Altarian dollars
The Impossible Game 2 - 2,000,000 Blocks
The Number of the Beast - 25 New Dollars
The Office - 250,000,000 Schrute Bucks
The Sims - 19,380 Simoleons
The Witcher - 83,334 Crowns or 63,452 Orens
Tiny Tower - 7,500,000 Bux
Touhou LostWord - 760,000 God Crystals
Trigun - 90,580 Double Dollars
Truxton King - 17,858 Gavvo
War Robots - 3,000,000 Gold
Warframe - 375,000 Platinum
What Mad Universe - 250,000 Credits
Who Framed Roger Rabbit - 2,808,989 Simoleons
World Flipper - 1,000,000 Lodestar Beads
World of Tanks and World of Warplanes - 3,418,997,741,500 Gold
World of Warcraft Classic - 2,375,000 Gold
World of Warcraft The Burning Crusade - 3,500,000 Gold Coins
World of Warships - 9,375,000,000 Credits or 6,250,000 Doubloons
Zelda - 999 Rupees
The values are not guaranteed to be accurate. In fact, I have found many cases of contradictory information on the internet. But you don't care about that anyway, do you? This isn't about the exact value anyway. These are all meant to be rough estimates to give you a sense of scale.

The Motivation

I was inspired by my Pokémon Trans Ally challenge that is about collecting money for a trans person's surgery. If you actually attempt this challenge you'll see that it'll usually be a very long and tedious challenge that will require a lot of experimentation, long-term planning, and doing the same things over and over again for a very long time, especially if you wanna try this as a speedrun. If the challenge bores you out, well, that is the point! The challenge is meant to give people with little or no sense of money an impression of how much money this really is! Now, you could argue that this challenge could theoretically be used to visualize any amount of money, and you would technically be correct, but I still think that a transgender transition is one of the best matches for this challenge because:

1. A transition is always only for one person. We aren't talking about a company buying another company or a country investing in more infrastructure. This is something within the realm of a single person so it makes sense to have this be a challenge for a single person or a small group.
2. This is not a luxury item like a famous painting or a private jet. Overwhelming scientific evidence proves that this is a medical necessity that trans people require in order to live like the majority of people. It is not something you want but something you need. So you can really say that acquiring all this money is really something that they have to go through. Therefore, unless you are transgender yourself, I would really recommend you to actually play the challenge until the end, even if it takes you years to actually do so. Not for your enjoyment but to acknowledge trans people's struggles and maybe also to protest against the gatekeeping system.
3. Unlike people who regularly need medications, the transgender transition is a once-in-a-lifetime thing and is therefore compatible with a challenge that you only play through once and then never again.
4. Once your transition is over, it cannot be taken from you.
5. It is not possible to request the costs to be paid for you if you can prove that you cannot afford it, meaning the only way to get it is to actually get the money.
6. Being trans is not an illness or a disability. Trans people never did anything wrong, neither deliberately nor accidentally. They are simply born with a condition that requires them to get the money. Trans people are therefore as guilt-free as a typical videogame hero.

Do you know anything more expensive that fulfills all those criteria?

The Fun Facts

• If you collect 1,000,000 coins in Super Mario Bros. 2, you win a golden Mario statue. This is actually more money than required for the trans ally challenge!
• If payment by installments were supported by this challenge then the most cumbersome game to do this challenge in would be The Binding of Isaac, because that would require you to send at least 25,253 installments. You would have to max out your money counter every 10¾ hours on average.
• You immediately win the challenge if you try it on a game where the money you start with is already high enough. For example, in the game The Roll Ahead, you play as either Bill Gates or Steve Jobs and you start out with 35 Billion.
• In the game Anti-Monopoly, you win by losing your money. However, if you try this challenge in this game, you'll still have to gain money. This is kinda the opposite of a coinless challenge because where a coinless challenge makes positive money negative, this challenge makes negative money positive.
• Characters like the monk from Crypt of the NecroDancer, Entity from depict1, and Default Dan from Default Dan die upon touching money. Kinda makes you think, doesn't it?
• The purple coins in the Super Mario Galaxy series, the Butz in Kappa Mikey, the Glotkies in Taxi, the coins in Syobon Action, and the Rasbukniks in Li'l Abner are worth nothing.
• If World of Anime Babes was a real game then this challenge would require 1,250,000,000 tokens. As the narrator said: "Big numbers are better, right?" One way to get this money would be by selling like 1,000 in-game outfits.
• If you are playing a game taking place in the medieval time, the challenge would require you to get 411¼ medieval pennies.
• If you wanna make the monetary values more immersive, you can look at how they are depicted in the menu of microtransactions. For example, Clash of Clans groups predefined values of gems into bags, sacks, boxes, and chests that therefore represent specific amounts of gems and could therefore be regarded as higher currency units. For example, 2,500,000 gems fit into 179 chests. Sure, this won't help you with strategizing, but it will certainly make it more interesting for your audience!
• According to this article, this challenge would require you to get 129,058,751 Simeons. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to determine which franchise Simeons are from.
• The Ztars from Mario Party and the Rupoors from The Legend of Zelda are currencies that actually take money away from you, making their exchange rates negative!
• If Terrance & Phillip: Give Us Your Money was a real game then this challenge would require 10,204,200 Canadian Coins. This value was calculated under the assumption that everyone would realize that the cheapest deal is actually the best deal. One way to get this money would be by not playing the game 2,041 times. Oh good, you're already on it. But will you make it within the time limit?
• The values of LEGO Studs were calculated using the value of a human life. If you applied this logic to every game with currency units that are worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ life each then a single one of those currency units would already be enough to win this challenge and if you applied this logic to every game where 10,000 points give you an extra life then this challenge would require you to earn 32 points, but only if there isn't already an in-game currency.
• The fictional currency with the highest inflation rate I could find was in Elbonia, the rate being 1,000,000,000% daily. Despite the high time limit, I would recommend you to hurry with getting enough money there if you even can.
• The average age at the time the RTS Rise of Nations takes place in was roughly 31 years, which would reduce this challenge's time limit to 27 in-game years at most. Which would be about 2.08 real-time seconds according to estimations made by PeanutButterGamer, according to which the time limit for Diablo would be 6 in-game years and the challenge would be impossible for SimAnt.
• For obvious reasons, a society can only survive if its maximum lifespan is at least the minimum age of fertility. Due to precocious puberty, the world records for the youngest biological parents are 9 years for microgametic parents and 5 years and 7 months for macrogametic parents, meaning that the maximum lifespan of any human society must always be at least 9 years. Since 9 years are more than 4 years, it therefore follows that transgender healthcare benefits all possible human societies. Remember this if you ever attempt this challenge on a game that takes place in a society where these values are different for whatever reason, like a society of anthropomorphic animals for example.
• If the average lifespan was less than 4 years then the average lifespan of a trans person would actually be higher than the average lifespan as a whole. This is because trans people who die before the age of 4 would not be included in the statistic, due to being undetectable. If that happens, you'll have to recalculate what the statistic would be.
• Transgender surgery is older than the discovery of Pluto, modern toilet paper, chicken tikka masala, duct tape, ballpoint pens, ciabatta bread, Velcro, and Tupperware.
• The Wumpa Fruit from Crash Bandicoot are also a form of currency, as was revealed in some games. A Wumpa Fruit is worth exactly the same as a piece of gold in Skylanders. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find out what either of those are worth.
• The most valuable fictional currency that I could find was the Aqua from High Frontier 4 All, which is estimated to be a three-digit million $ amount.
• Team Kirby Clash Deluxe and Super Kirby Clash value Gem Apples differently. I based their value on Super Kirby Clash because Team Kirby Crash Deluxe only lets you purchase a maximum of 3,000 Gem Apples, meaning that Super Kirby Clash would be more practical for purchases over $29.85. Noone would accept a payment of 838 installments if a more practical way of payment is possible.
• This challenge would require 2,500,000 Nuggets in the game PokéHeroes but I didn't add it to the list because it's a fangame and I didn't wanna confuse.

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/uj If you donate gold in Gaia Online, the company will donate money to charity. I find this mechanic to be a really good idea and I would like to see it more often because it enables players to support the less fortunate without having to donate their own money. Just imagine if every game on this list gave you the option to donate $25,000 worth of in-game money which would then be donated to transgender causes and unlock the Trans Ally achievement! I know it would be very cumbersome to unlock, but completionists would definitely go for it and also, it would be done for a good cause!
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/rj Did you know you can make it so that every time an amount of money is shown, its value is converted into transgender transitions?
Simply get Universal Automatic Currency Converter, then scroll down to Custom display and enter the following:
Use custom display: ☑
Custom display: ¤ 🏳️‍⚧️
Custom conversion rate: 0.00004
---
/uj The original post was removed by Reddit's spam filters so I uploaded it again without the links in the list. The original list with the links in them will be in the comments.

So I played about 6-8 games of the ww2 skirmish "platoon+support" rule set from Too Fat Lardies.
The Good:
I think the greatest aspect of this game is what happens outside the battle. Namely the patrol phase that does away with "my army is 12 inches from my table edge, now lets move untill we are within shooting range". That and the pre-selected national lists with random support options that does away with points for building armies.
The command dice mechanic is also great. It makes for random activations which is very nice. Force morale means the game ends organically before one side is completely wiped out without making a hard cap on turn limit. This means no one knows when the game might end, but my games usually lasted about 3 hours which is good. Finally, the scale is real which means no artificial maximum ranges for rifles and such.
The Bad:
Charts. There are loads and loads of charts of convoluted rules for every little thing and it doesn't really add much to the game. Things could have easily been streamlined without reducing the level of simulation. Usually when I play a game after 3 games I rarely have to flip the rulebook to see how things are done. With Chain of Command there wasn't even one game where we didn't have to consult the rules multiple times per game phase. This slows down the game and makes things really clanky. Even the player who introduced me to the rules was constantly getting things wrong and having to consult the rules.
Bad balance. Now I get that war is not balanced. But this is a game, I am not going to spend 3-4 hours playing a reenaction with toy soldier where I'm supposed to lose or win. I want a fair competition. Playing a game where one force has better quality troops, especially elites, makes the game ridiculesly hard for one side. For example, elites are only hit on a score of 5-6 when at close range. But most of the time you shoot beyond close range which means they are only hit on a 6 by nearly all weapons(!) and if they are in cover you have to roll 5-6 again to kill a model. The chances of doing that statistically is dismal which leads to either one side steamrolling the other or, if both are elites, a game where nearly no one dies.
Anyway I wanted to share with you my thoughts on this. What do you think? know any other good skirmish ww2 rules? my ww2 experience thus far has only been chain of command and bolt action.

EHS jobs are interesting. They are some of "those" positions that go un-noticed and somewhat frowned upon from field laborers to executives, and almost everyone in between until shit hits the fan and someone gets hurt or there's serious property/environmental damage. When that happens, everyone's first thought is "what the hell, safety guy?'. Even what no one says it, the safety rep is the scape goat. That's not to say that every safety rep is perfect and free of negligence, there are some good safety reps and some bad safety reps.
I've only been in a full-time EHS position for five years, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I've learned quite a bit over the 10+ years I've spent in the industry starting with underground utilities/earth work as a laborer, getting into commercial wood framing, operating equipment, being under the hook of the crane and being responsible for safety on both subcontractor side and GC/controlling contractor side. The most valuable things I have learned aren't actually related to scopes or tasks specifically. Although I have learned a lot of cowboy skills to get the task done easier faster and safer, I've picked up a lot of people skills that I never thought would be an integral part of my job.
I learned how to deal with angry bees, both literally and figuratively. I learned how to deal with angry shitty co-workers and angry shitty customers/homeowners. I learned how to comprehensively earn respect from people (not everyone are the same), and when I know I'm not going to earn their respect. I also learned that respect is a privilege and not a right, everyone has the right to deny/revoke respect, and I don't have the right to expect it.
Respect really is a glass cannon. It's a strong asset but can be damaged pretty easily. Honestly, if we were to break down our life stats into a skill tree, respect would probably have its own sub-tree. I learned that there are a lot of ways to build respect between one another. You can be relatable, you can be compassionate, you can be authoritative, you can be sharp and knowledgeable, you can be organized and you can be inspirational. The list goes on. I learned that people respond to these approaches differently, and it's beneficial to incorporate as many of these traits as possible so that you can appeal to a broader crowd and help offset some of what people might consider weaknesses. Too much relatability and not enough authority might make you look like a weak target. Too much authority and not enough knowledge and organization makes you look like a jackass. I learned the value of balance. Some people you just can't please.
Being in as sensitive a position as safety rep, I learned that there are three main components I use to be successful. Being respectful, being proactive and having the final word.
A couple tips to gaining respect on the job site: don't follow a set script for safety meetings. Have your topics, write down your own script to familiarize yourself with it as well as connect with the material, and deliver the message off the top instead of reading from the paper. This is a really effective way to become more relatable. Don't be afraid to include your own personal life stories that might relate to the topics that week, and tug at their heart strings very seldom to let them know that you are still a real life person with real life feelings. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable in front of so many people in an otherwise professional environment will show people that they can be vulnerable around you and expect to be taken seriously. This will turn you into a resource instead of a cop, the people on site will more willingly follow best practices INCLUDING wearing PPE, and will ultimately help you do your job.
Being proactive can be tough to achieve at first if you get thrown into the fire. Playing catch-up is tough, and having the respect will make it easier for you to play catch-up, since you have more people willing to cover some bases. When everything is going great, safety needs are met and there is no need for accountability, I personally get bored as hell. Instead of nit-picking small things like exactly how old an orange shirt gets before it's no longer hi-viz, I go around and be nosey. Chit-chatting with people when things get quiet is a great way to maintain the relatability. Reach out to people, ask if they need glasses wipes or water. Ask people on site how the job site looks through their eyes. Chances are they will bring something else that you weren't aware of, and now you have something to do that will actually benefit the job site far before it becomes a problem. This also encourages people to be open and transparent about safety concerns.
I like to place "having the final word" as the lowest priority here simply because both my superintendent and general foreman are "bad cops" that can fly off the handle and get people in shape when absolutely necessary. I like that because then I don't have to be the bad cop. However, it is valuable to be able to have the final word even above your super every so often. If someone comes to you with an issue involving unclear fall protection anchorage, and ask if they can tie off to that piece of strut, it's perfectly acceptable to tell them no flat out. Offer a detailed explanation that the strut isn't engineered for fall protection and we don't know if it can actually withstand the impact that they will generate if they fall. Then suggest a proposed opportunity and take it to the superintendent. This shows the person that their well-being is being thoroughly considered, and that you are interested in the work being completed in the safest way possible even if that means doing the planning yourself. This also shows your entire project team that you are solution-motivated instead of simply problem-oriented. Word gets out that you are properly helpful, more supers want you on their site, more jobsites are safe thanks to you, and the safety culture as a whole begins to change in a positive way.
This brings me to my last tip: be resourceful. Use your project engineers and foremen to your advantage when getting the Sub's safety documents is like pulling teeth. Use them as assets and your job will be so much easier, and they will also feel like their expertise goes beyond just autocad. This comes with a bit of a rewarding trade-off that involves being nosey. Say for instance you reach out to someone onsite who is getting frustrated with the lack of space in between the chilled waterline and the wall, and they can't put their insulation on without fucking up the clearance. Being able to relay that to the project engineer responsible for that trade will get the ball rolling much quicker for the RFI and what could have been a 6 day process turned into a 3 day process which inevitably saved a few hundred dollars.
It will take a lot of effort, but finding Harmony on site is absolutely obtainable. Hopefully some of this is helpful for whoever stumbles across this post. Stay practical and stay safe.

I'm feeling really burnt out with a few of my kiddos lately. I am in sort of a unique situation where I am in a private clinic but we provide IEP services for 3-5 year olds paid for by the state. When I take on one of these children, I do not evaluate them, write their goals, or have any control over service frequency/provision. They just come to me.
I have 2 in particular whose behaviors have been extremely difficult to manage; they are both undiagnosed but almost certainly on the spectrum. They are very dysregulated and have a lot of sensory needs; are not motivated by any toys, songs, foods, etc that I have found, and even if they were I don't think they have the cognitive awareness to understand something like a token reward system. Even if I literally just leave them to play with no expectations or demands whatsoever, they cry and scream, throw themselves on the floor, and throw things. One of them has legitimately never left his house before he started coming to me. I've consulted with other SLPs and behavior specialists that I work with and none of their suggestions are working. Both kiddos have made zero progress and I feel completely incompetent as a clinician.
The problem is that they clearly need other types of support besides speech. I've recommended this to the team but services are either not available in the area or the parents said no. Both of these kids come to me 3 hours a week and I feel like it just overtakes most of my days. I'm at the end if my rope and don't know how to help them or to keep myself sane.

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--- Table of Contents ---
Spring 4985, 18 Buromoth
The road to Hamerfoss was north out of Smilnda. By horse, the journey took only two days, one and a half if ridden hard. By foot, it generally took four days, but escorting a heavily loaded wagon would take the squires six.
On the first day out, Thom and Rerves released their excited energy through constant chatter. Talking about how happy they were to finally be on their way to real training. Occasionally Shon would join in.
On the second day, they spoke about how much easier it would be to concentrate without the girls around. Shon didn’t join much in this conversation.
On the third day, they confessed to missing Daisy and Ania. Suspecting they missed the conversation, Shon attempted to chime in more often.
The fourth and fifth days were plagued with spring rain, and the boys did little more than complain, particularly about their new leather armor chafing when wet. Shon couldn't help but grumble in affirmation. He'd hated the armor from the first day.
The sixth, and final, day saw a stop to the rain. The boys spent their walk beside the wagon carefully dodging puddles after Thom submerged his entire boot in one deeper than expected. There was very little talking between them now, all three too nervous and excited for their imminent arrival.
The road outside the city had been the only part with flat fields and open skies on either side. For the rest, they'd traveled through forest, with only the occasional clearing maintained explicitly for travelers to camp. Tall evergreens growing close together blocked the view of anything beyond the road at their feet, giving Shon and the others very little to look at as they marched.
Two sturdy horses pulled the wagon of supplies for the fortress. Barrels of food and crates of scrap metal as well as sacks of letters and the Squire's personal bags, weighed down the laden wagon, the wheels carving deep channels in the muddy road.
Shon had already sketched the wagon, the horses, the Paladin driving them, and his fellow Squires many times over. He even managed a few landscape drawings, for lack of better subjects. He had no idea how the other two managed to calm their excitement before sleep. Perhaps that was why they talked so much every night.
Walking ahead of him, Rerves readjusted the hilt of his short sword while Shon pulled at the neck of his armor for what seemed like the hundredth time each. They hadn’t been trained in the proper use of either, and Shon wondered again why the Paladins had insisted the Squires wear them. They'd been ordered to guard the wagon, but who would be stupid enough to waylay a Temple cart so close to a fortress full of knights? Of course, monsters such as the draken and drakwalves were always a threat, but what were three untrained boys supposed to do against something like that?
Shon sighed, letting his hand fall limply from the gorget. It was no use. No matter how many times he tried to shift it, it would just rub somewhere else until he grew uncomfortable enough to try again. He attempted to distract himself, letting his eyes unfocus and picturing himself going through his kata as he walked in a daze. Master Veon-Zih always said that mental practice was just as important as physical training, though in this case, Shon was just glad it gave him something to focus on besides his nerves and discomfort.
He was about to start the second kata when he nearly ran into Rerves. The taller boy had stopped walking, and Shon arched an eyebrow at him before realizing that the wagon had also stopped. There was no way they were there already…
Stepping to the side, Shon saw what had stalled them. A man in what looked like poorly kept half-plate stood in the middle of the path. A large war ax strapped to his back.
The stranger scratched at his short beard, scraggly and peppered like his hair, “Ho traveler, where you headed?” He called.
The three boys looked to the Paladin driving the wagon, watching as his eyes narrowed, “We are bound for Hamerfoss, good ser…”
“Ah, so the toll you’ll be payin' will be comin' out of them coffers then,” the stranger called, his face splitting into a grin as the boys looked back his way.
“There is no toll on this road, good ser.” their Paladin stated. As if their heads had been placed on a swivel, the Squires returned their gazes to him, but only for a moment as the stranger answered again.
“There is now.” the bandit lifted his hand, the Paladin stood, and the boys looked between the two with wide eyes, not sure what they were supposed to do. The bandit whistled, a sharp sound that sent birds flying from the trees as four hooded figures exited from the gloom to surround the wagon and its three terrified Squires.
The Paladin drew his longsword, ordering the boys, “Protect the wagon!” They turned frightened eyes on each other for only a moment before looking back at the bandits. Each now holding swords of their own.
The knight lept from the wagon and charged the leader, who'd reached for his ax. Thom and Rerves fumbled for their short swords, and Shon dropped into a low stance, his fists held at the ready and heart beating furiously.
“Shon, sword!” Rerves yelled, his voice somehow steady as the four hooded bandits stalked closer.
Shon actually felt himself blush despite the situation and pulled his sword from its scabbard like the rest. He felt off-balance, the weight of the weapon throwing off his well-rehearsed stance. He didn’t have time to adjust before the bandits charged. Two went for Rerves, leaving one each for Shon and Thom.
Shon tried to relax, to stay alert and ready to move, as he'd been taught. But his palm was sweating and he clinched the hilt tighter than intended. Focused on the bandit heading his way, the chaos around him blurred, becoming indistinct, like a drawing left in the rain. Shon held his ground and lifted the sword to one of the ready positions he'd seen the Paladins practice. His attacker was quite a bit taller than he was, and Shon lifted the sword above his head as the first swing came down hard from above.
The hilt shook in Shon's hand, and his attacker didn't hesitate to swing again, this time sweeping around and aiming for Shon's left leg. Clenching his teeth, Shon pivoted the sword down to block again but misjudged the length of his blade. The bandit's long sword passed below the point of Shon's block to strike just above the knee. He felt the impact, but could only imagine the damage, refusing to look and thanking Hengist the limb hadn't buckled. As the shock of the hit ran its course, the attacker flicked his sword up from inside Shon's failed guard, knocking the weapon from his hand.
The short sword flew free, but Shon had already begun his counter, aiming with his free right hand at his attacker’s extended wrist. The hit would have knocked the attacker's arm aside at the least, but with his now empty left hand, Shon struck the same arm from the outside at the elbow. In an instinctual effort to save the joint, the bandit twisted awkwardly, but predictably, bringing his head lower and closer.
Cartilage crunched beneath his knuckles and Shon's attacker reeled back, gripping his nose under his hood and cursing loudly enough for others to hear over the clang of metal and chaos.
One of Rerves' attackers disengaged from his two-on-one fight to aid his friend, who was now backing away from Shon as fast as he could. Shon hesitated a moment then dashed to his fallen sword.
Again Shon felt unbalanced with the weapon in hand. He tried to shift his weight to offset the difference but barely had enough time to bring the sword to bear as the second attacker swung his two-handed greatsword at Shon's right side.
Taking his own weapon in both hands, Shon managed to absorb some of the force of the blow, but he still wasn't strong enough to fully block the strike. His arms buckled, giving way for his opponent's longsword to hit his upper arm. This second hit hadn't fully registered in Shon's mind when the new attacker shoved his shoulder into Shon's chest, trying to push him over.
It worked. Shon fell to the ground with a splash and smack as he habitually swung his hands down to slap the ground, dropping his sword again, but breaking the energy of the fall. Just as Master Veon-Zih had taught him. Perhaps expecting Shon to be winded, the attacker didn't follow through with another attack on the prone boy; instead, turning to look at the companion Shon had punched.
Shon didn't hesitate. Still on his back, Shon twisted his hips, scissoring his legs to either side of the bandit's leg and kicking him behind the knee and inside the shin. The bigger man went down, and Shon swung his legs up, rolling onto his shoulder blades before jumping directly to a standing position. Or at least trying to. The leather armor was heavy and awkward, and he wobbled when he landed on his feet. As he attempted to regain his balance, another whistle rang out from the front of the wagon.
As one, the attackers disengaged from their respective defending Squires. The one Shon had knocked down rolled away and was helped up by his companion sporting a bloody nose. The Squires didn't pursue. Their hands shook with adrenaline, and their eyes tried to dart every way at once.
"Stand down, Squires," it was the Paladin. The knight had sheathed his sword and was moving back towards the wagon, but the boys could barely manage a glance at each other before focusing back on their attackers. Still very much on edge. It wasn't until the attackers in question also sheathed their weapons that the Squires began to slowly straighten, looking between the Paladin, the lead bandit, their attackers, and each other in quick succession.
"You all did very well," the knight said, reaching out to ensure the horses were still calm. They'd hardly moved, causing Shon to determine they must be warhorses, perhaps one was the knight's own partner.
"Not bad, not bad." the lead bandit started forward, slinging his ax back over his shoulder as he moved. Rather than being reassured by the gesture, the Squires dropped back into their fighting stance.
The Paladin snapped, "It was a test, boys. Relax and sheath your swords before you hurt yourselves." The lead 'bandit' laughed out loud at that. It was a booming sound like a bark straight from his belly as he threw his head back and planted his fists firmly on his hips.
"First time seeing battle, even a mock one, and you can't help but be on edge. It's the same every year," he said, the strange speech pattern he'd used before completely gone. He gestured, and his four underlings removed their hoods. The one with the bloody nose still had it pinched, his head tilted forward.
Mock battle… Shon's leg and arm throbbed painfully with every heartbeat, and his knuckles stung as he clenched and unclenched his fists to try and relax. But now that it was over, he realized that both hits had been with the flat of the blade.
The ringleader continued, "These fine Squires are going to be the newest Paladins of Hengist. After their vigil next month." the four attackers saluted and the younger Squires exchanged glances again before finally putting their swords away. "And I," the man slapped his chest, "am your new Weaponmaster. Master Daunas Mung. It will be my job to train you in combat at Hamerfoss."
Rerves was the first to recover. He smiled, but his voice held a hint of sarcasm, "I wish I could say it's nice to meet you, Master Daunas," he tried to laugh, "perhaps once my heart has stopped trying to beat its way out of my chest." That caused the Weaponmaster to bark his own laugh again. Thom smiled nervously at Shon, who was taking slow, measured breaths to calm his own heart.
The Paladin took a moment to examine their various bumps and bruises but only used his magic to heal the senor squire's broken nose. The much larger party continued together towards Hamerfoss, Master Daunas riding with the Paladin in the wagon while the older Squires chatted amongst each other. Thom and Rerves didn’t join in the chatter, both looking as anxious as Shon felt. He could hear the two uninjured seniors making fun of the two who had fought him and wasn’t sure if he should be embarrassed or proud. He'd hardly used his sword, -dropped it twice!- and the sword was the sacred weapon of Hengist. The symbol of the god himself.
Eventually, -finally- they left the woods and immediately saw the fortress situated in the middle of a vast field. Hamerfoss was one of the oldest structures still being utilized in Clearhelm. As such, it wasn't nearly as visually impressive as some of the newer Temples in the cities. Even so, as they approached the south gate, the three new Squires gaped at its great stone walls in awe.
The outer curtain wall was twenty stones high, -at least four of the boys stacked one on top of the other- with two layers of iron portcullises, their bars as thick as Shon's forearm. Walking through the first, the boys looked up and saw the faces of Paladins looking down at them through holes in the ceiling, built for dumping hot tar or oil on invaders trapped between the portcullises. They moved a little faster through the second.
Beyond the wall was one of two open courtyards, with training dummies, archery targets, and sparring rings separated by neat stone walkways. The smell of hay and horses wafted over the whole place from the stable against the south wall to their right, and the ringing "tink, tink" of a hammer on metal filled the cool air from the smithy built into the side of the fortress proper.
"Welcome to Hamerfoss!" Master Daunas gestured widely to all before them, and Shon fixed his eyes on the fortress itself, rising up like an indomitable mountain before him. It was about fifteen feet taller than the curtain wall, with one great tower in the center jutting up another fifteen feet above that. The roof was lined with battlements where archers could rain death on an invading army.
Turning his head, Shon could see three of the four bastions at the corners of the curtain wall and the armored figures that must be more Paladins standing guard. His left hand twitched as he longed to unpack his journal and draw every detail. The bare, dead-looking vines covering the face of the west wall, he was sure they would bloom in a few short weeks and cover the stone in green; the squat smithy coming out of his workshop to wipe the sweat from his brow in the cool air of early spring; and the slack-jawed expressions of awe on his companions' faces as they tilted their heads waaay back to try and see the top of the fortress's tower. But there would be plenty of time for that. After all, this would be his home for the next four years.
"Well. Don't just stand there gawkin'! Unload the wagon." Shon jumped in surprise and glimpsed Thom and Rerves doing the same. Master Daunas must have startled them out of their awe as well.
Shon was grateful as Rerves cleared his throat and took charge. His habit of speaking first and taking control had annoyed the girls back in Smilnda, but as Thom was used to it and Shon didn’t like giving orders, it worked out well for the boys. "Thom, you get the horses settled. Shon, you start handing me things out of the wagon." Without a word of argument, Thom nodded and went to the horses, murmuring gently as he began removing their harness and Shon climbed into the bed of the wagon to lift one crate at a time down to Rerves.
Master Daunas snorted, turning away from the new boys to give orders Shon couldn't hear to the older Squires. The young men saluted in unison, one moving to help Thom and two coming back to the wagon to help Shon and Rerves. The last jogged to the blacksmith, who waved him towards the smithy. He returned a moment later, carrying a small box and marching towards the smith, who was speaking quietly with Master Daunas.
"Shon, come on!" Rerves whispered, gesturing with both hands impatiently. Shon shook his head to clear it, handing Rerves another crate. He'd been paying a little too much attention to Daunas and the smith.
"Sorry," Shon murmured, but if Rerves heard him, he just took the box and set it with the others. It didn't take long for the four Squires to finish with the wagon. Shon hopped down with his own pack over his shoulder just as Thom came out of the stable with the senior Squire to meet them.
"Horses taken care of?" Rerves asked, and Shon blinked at him, thinking, Of course, they were; Thom wouldn't have come out otherwise…
"Yep, all settled and ready to go," Thom answered with a smile. Shon would've simply nodded. He was never one to waste words on things that didn't need to be said, and now more than ever, he found himself so focused on taking in everything around him that he could hardly think of words to say.
It seemed Master Daunas had been waiting for something to be said out loud, though, because he turned towards them at the sound, "Alright lads, this here is Nangran Flintchest. He's our resident Smith, and he'll be making all your equipment." The man was only as tall as Thom, but his shoulders and chest were broader even than Master Daunas, with hands the size of shovels and a beard that hung to the middle of his chest.
"Line up, smallest... largest…" As he spoke, Nangran pointed first to the right, then to the left of Shon, and didn't bother to see if they obeyed before turning away from them to open the box the older Squire had brought. Taking out a long measuring tape and a ratty-looking notebook, the smith tossed the young man the notebook without explanation and headed toward Thom with the measuring tape. Thom quickly positioned himself to the right of Shon with Rerves on Shon’s left.
Nangran motioned with his hand, grumbling only "Arms…" Without need for further explanation, Thom stepped forward and lifted his arms like a 't', visibly swallowing down his nerves. Shon watched closely as the smith took the smaller boy's measurements. Around his chest, his bicep, lower arm, from shoulder to elbow, elbow to wrist, neck to waist, and much more besides. Thom stood stiff, following the old man's clipped instructions with hesitant jerky movements. Shon thought it should be awkward to work around their armor, but Nangran didn't seem to notice.
"Sword?" Nangran asked, and Thom made a confused sound. But the smith waved a massive hand in his face, "Not you, boy. Daunas, what sword?"
Master Daunas had his arms crossed over his chest and was tilting his head back and forth from one side to the other, absently scratching his beard before he finally said. "Two hands." he then pointed at Shon, saying, "Bastard." Shon wrinkled his nose, but the offense was short-lived when Daunas pointed at Rerves, saying, "One hand."
Nangran sniffed, "One each..." he stepped over to Shon and motioned for him to raise his arms. Shon stiffened but obliged, keeping his eyes fixed forward as the old man ran his measuring tape all across Shon's body, fighting not to flinch each time the Smith brushed against him.
"Yep," Daunas answered. They were talking as if the boys weren't even there, and the older Squires just watched. Didn’t they have anything better to do? "And that one," Daunas continued, nodding towards Shon, "is a lefty." Nangran snorted without comment and continued measuring, while the Squire with the notebook scribbled a little something extra besides the numbers Nangran mumbled to him.
But then the smith ran his hand down Shon’s forearm, touching the skin of his wrist, and pulled away in surprise. Shon jerked his hand back but quickly returned it with a nervous swallow. The smith stared at him, his brow furrowed, "You're cold as ice boy. Nervous?"
Shon shook his head, but the smith continued to stare, so he added, "No sir. I'm always cold."
The smith hummed and went back to measuring around Shon's wrist and back up his arm, "They say cold hands make a warm heart," Nangran muttered.
Beside Shon, Rerves and Thom snickered. "Whoever says that has never met Shon," said Thom, who had relaxed noticeably once the smith had finished with him. Face forward, Shon glared sideways at him, but there was no real anger in it, and Thom snickered again.
Master Daunas let out another bark of a laugh, "I see you get along well! That's good; you'll want friends in training." Shon tried to relax, taking a deep breath through his nose and letting it out through pursed lips. He did get along with his fellow Squires. He felt his lips tilt up in an almost imperceptible smile. He would even go so far as to call them friends. Even if they did poke fun at each other. Or maybe it was because they did.
Smith Nangran moved on to Rerves, and Shon looked from the larger boy to the smaller and back again before focusing his gaze on Master Daunas. It seemed neither of them was going to ask the adults to clarify what they meant by the sword assignments, so he would have to. Feeling more at ease, he asked, "I thought we were going to be trained in all weapons…"
Daunas must've seen where Shon was going because he spoke at the pause provided, "Oh, you will, boy. But I was watching you fight back on the road. You didn't think we staged that little raid just for fun, did you?" Shon didn't answer. He had thought it was just for fun. Perhaps some kind of hazing ritual. When Shon didn't say anything, Daunas continued, "You boys haven't been trained, so your movements were on instinct, giving me an idea for what fighting style you may lean more towards." he pointed at Shon, who crossed his eyes to focus on the finger, "You, boy, are going to be a problem. You're the one old man V's been training."
Who? Shon refocused on the Weapon Master's face, arching an eyebrow in confusion. When Master Daunas didn’t respond to the look, Shon guessed, "Master Veon-Zih?"
Daunas continued, "He's got you jumping around with no mind to the armor you'll be wearing or the weapon in your hand. You'll have to work twice as hard to adjust some of those habits." Shon was taken aback, shocked, and a little afraid… He didn't want to lose what he'd already learned… but Master Daunas continued, "But with a hand-and-a-half sword, you'll be able to switch between one and two-handed maneuvers." he smiled softly, and Shon realized his emotions must have been showing on his face more than usual because the Weapon Master seemed to be comforting him. "You mark my words; you'll favor the bastard sword for sure."
Nangran finished with Rerves and began rolling up his measuring tape. He turned his back on the boys but spoke to them as he took his notebook back from the senior Squire, “Take that leather off and put it in the wagon. I’ll have better ready for you by first watch week.” The Squires exchanged looks, then began following the command, stripping off the leather armor and thick gambeson and trying in vain to straighten the sweaty wrinkled uniforms underneath.
“You four,” Daunas addressed the seniors, who moved from parade rest to attention in perfect unison, “show these three around and give them the rundown of how things work around here. You three,” he looked over his shoulder at Shon and the others, scratching his neck again, “this is your last day of freedom, enjoy it while you can.” all seven Squires saluted and Daunas sighed, giving a lazy salute in response before walking off, muttering to himself, “I need to shave…”
The older Squires approached the younger, two of them snickering after Daunas was far enough away not to hear. Shon arched an eyebrow at them and, seeing the expression, the tallest explained, “He’s normally clean-shaven. He let his beard grow out all week for the wagon raid.”
“You’ll be doing one too, in your last year.” another of the four added.
“Sorry about your arm,” the one who had fought Thom said, holding out his hand to the younger boy, “You really did do well, considering.” Thom shook the young man’s hand with a grateful smile at the compliment.
The two who had fought Shon exchanged looks with each other then looked at him, their expressions expectant. Shon arched his other eyebrow instead. Did they really expect him to apologize? They had attacked him. And he was four years younger than they were.
“So…” the one Shon had bloodied started, drawing the word out.
“Who taught you how to fight?” the second interjected.
“Master Veon-Zih.”
When Shon didn’t elaborate further, the two exchanged silent shrugs. Shon looked away from them, frustrated. They could communicate with each other fine in gestures and expressions, yet, he was expected to explain details they didn't need? Would they even know what a Monk was? Did it even matter? He was here to train as a Paladin now.
The only one who hadn’t spoken yet cleared his throat, and the other three turned his way immediately. Apparently, he was the unofficial leader of this group, just like Rerves was the unofficial leader of theirs. “We'll show you the barracks first. You should shower and change your uniforms before we walk around the rest of the fortress.”
“You have showers here too?” Rerves blurted in amazement, then snapped his mouth shut, blushing.
The two who were prone to laughing did so again, “Why wouldn’t we?”
“I bet we need it more than most of the official Temples.” the two laughed again.
Thom shuffled his feet nervously but said, “They told us things would be a lot rougher here.”
“They were probably just trying to scare you,”
“They were talking about the work,” the leader said sharply, then turned towards the fortress.
Shon and the others quickly grabbed their bags and rushed to follow. The leader continued to talk as they fell into step behind him, “Your day will start just before sunrise, at fifth bell. You will get dressed, make your bed as quickly as possible, then gather with the others in the courtyard,” he gestured with one hand at a wide-open spot on the training grounds, “From there we run. Around the fortress ten times in formation. After that are drills and then breakfast. After breakfast, we have prayer, followed by lectures, then heavy weapons and armor training, then lunch.” they made their way into the fortress and up a long flight of stairs to the third floor, “After lunch, there's more classwork, then light weapons and combat training. You’re then given an hour of free time to shower and rest before dinner. After dinner, there is mandated study or prayer time, then another hour of free time before lights out at ninth bell. Once every season, we take four weeks to stand watch, one week for each shift.”
He took them down a long hall lined with doors on one side. Shon tried to listen and count the doors at the same time and was glad he did when the leader stopped beside the ninth, “These three rooms are yours. Go ahead and get a new uniform and meet us back out here.”
One of the nicer boys stepped forward to open the first door, “This one is Rerves, followed by Shon and Thom.” Shon entered to find a small room barely six feet square. Directly across from the door was a bed that took up the entire wall and a small high-set window that looked out over the training field. Beside it was a small desk with a single wooden chair. Under the bed, Shon found a long shallow box full of neatly folded uniforms. His name was embroidered in the lining of each piece, and on top was a pinned note with instructions detailing the laundry procedure. Shon only skimmed it, it was the same as the fortress in Smilnda, and most likely the same the Provence over, perhaps even the kingdom.
He left his pack by the desk and returned to the hall with one of his uniforms to find it empty. Glancing down either side of the hall, he shrugged at Thom’s questioning look when he was joined by his two fellows. They waited at least ten minutes before the seniors returned, without their armor and holding their own spare uniforms. They looked nearly as disheveled as the juniors. The leader gestured for them to follow again and said, “Once you get your armor, you will keep it in your room. It's your responsibility to keep it oiled or polished as appropriate.” well, they would be good at that at least… Had they been left to wait while the seniors cared for their armor? Shon didn’t bother to ask, following the four deeper into the fortress.
They were taken to the showers, a single large room with spigots set into the walls and drains in the floor. The seniors started to strip down, placing their dirty uniforms in a basket by the door and setting their clean sets on the benches set along the same wall. Thom, Rerves, and Shon all exchanged looks before following their lead.
There were only ten showerheads, and Rerves finally asked, “How many Squires are there here?”
The seniors each moved to their own showerhead, and the room was quickly filled with hot steam, “Twentyone, including us, but we will be gone in a month, so that will leave seventeen.” one of them answered, stepping under the hot water with a grateful sigh, rinsing the sweat and dirt from the road off his surprisingly well-muscled body. Shon counted the shower spigots again as he moved towards his own. Almost twenty Squires and only ten showers at a time… it sounded like a nightmare. But at least they had hot running water.
Though he had above-average cold tolerance and preferred the winter chill far more than the summer sweat, Shon always enjoyed a truly hot shower. Master Veon-Zih liked to argue that baths were far superior, but in Shon's experience, baths always cooled off too quickly, which was why most ordinary citizens of Clearhelm used the public steam baths.
After they were washed and dressed, the real tour began. They were shown the hall with the officer's rooms, the infirmary, the mess hall, the library, and the classroom. “There’s only one?” Thom asked, peeking into the room with a blackboard across the far wall and long tables situated in front.
“Tomorrow is the last real day before the watch weeks start. You'll spend those four weeks catching up on foundational stuff. Kingdom-wide law, and your assigned sword dills, that sort of thing. After that, the lessons are given in a four-year rotation, so your first classes after the watch weeks will be new to both you and everyone else." the leader explained.
The nicest one elaborated, “You’ll have the same schedule we did, so comparative law, followed by history, then theology, then comparative cultural studies.” Shon wasn’t sure what he looked forward to least on that list. Though all would be better than fighting for a shower…
"There's also etiquette, monster studies, combat tactics and command, and war history and theory." his friend added, and Shon was relieved that at least most of those seemed more interesting.
Next, they were shown some of the less-used rooms. The war room, full of charts and maps and only used for large-scale tactics training, and an indoor sparring room that looked like it was never used.
“This is supposed to be for heavy weather.” one of the laughers said with a snicker.
“But Master Daunus says your enemies won’t let you move a fight inside, so why practice there,” added the other. Shon happened to agree, but also wasn’t looking forward to training in the rain after having walked in it for two days.
Lastly, they were shown the chapel, not as fine as the one in Smilnda but with the same sweet incense and warm comfort. The atmosphere seeped into Shon’s bones as they approached the head altar for a brief prayer and a blessing from the resident Cleric. He was a young man with pale brown hair and green eyes. He smiled warmly down at the new boys, saying, “Welcome to Hamerfoss, Squires of Hengist.” which in turn made each of them glow with enough pride to banish the nerves of their first day and daunting future.
***
--- Part 2/2 ---
--- Table of Contents ---
All comments and criticism is welcome.

I feel like I'm going crazy or just missing something big here, but it seems to me that Silver Wolf is unequivocally the obvious choice pull in 1.1 for long-term accounts and Luocha is an obvious bait for people desperate to clear the Memory Halls ASAP (i.e. he is a unit at a very high risk of being powercrept very soon).
For reference, it may be easier for me to say this because I have both Welt and Gepard (I'm F2P and was blessed by the gacha gods ig). That being said, Luocha seems to me to essentially be a very standard healer who helpfully scales on atk which gives him a little bit more damage than the average healer alongside a buff cleanse for enemies.
SW on the other hand has several mechanics that no other unit so far (and probably forseeably) have. Her normal attacks have a chance to apply some solid debuffs, which means you can do damage and recover skill points while applying some solid debuffs reliably (especially if you pump her with effect hit rate stats). Her skill obviously has the (with trace) 3-turn weakness application plus a MINIMUM ADDITIONAL 20% dmg resistance reduction of the damage type applied (this can go even higher depending on rng and skill levels, maybe ehr too I'm not sure), ALL while dealing personal damage from Silver Wolf herself. Now, there is of course the rng factor which is frustrating, but to me also seems like a small price to pay for the skill, especially since building reliable work-arounds like mono or even dual-type team compositions won't be that hard with some strategic team-building.
And that's not even covering her ULT, which is a 50% def reduction for an enemy while again dealing a massive amount of personal dmg from Silver Wolf herself (456% at level 10!).
Luocha, on the other hand...heals.... And that's about it. He has that buff cleanse mentioned earlier, but I couldn't find any specifics on if it is a universal or unlimited buff cleanse. Even if it is, Luocha simply seems to not bring enough to the table long-term. I know many people are concerned with just being able to clear the harder content at the moment, but if Genshin and Honkai 3rd are anything to go by, surviving content will not be much of an issue, but rather clearing it on time. I know that HSR is turn-based so defensive measures will be necessary at any level of content, but considering bosses already have "turn limits" on them, the game seems clearly geared towards rewarding speed-running versus stalling tactics (i.e., offense is the best defense).
Having said all of this, I understand that people who don't have Welt or a 5-star defensive option (aside from Fire MC) may want Imaginary damage and a healer just to get through the tough content now. And that's perfectly understandable. That being said, if you're F2P or light-spending, it may be worth just being patient and not pulling for bait-characters like Luocha if you care about Meta and your wallet long-term. Even with Natasha, Fire MC, and March 7th, you can probably get a good amount of the jades without putting in too much work until better defensive options come along (or you get spooked by Bailu or Gepard).
​
If anyone has an alternate perspective on the meta-debate I'm all ears! And at the end of the day, we all know that rolling for characters you enjoy > meta slavery. I'm tempted to skip both in this patch to save for Blade, but we'll see.

Good morning , everyone! I have quite a bit of things for sale today, ALL prices include shipping via the payment methods mentioned above. Happy to provide photos upon request, and all orders will be going out within 24-48 business hours!
THE CONSOLES!
Zelda Tears of the Kingdom OLED Switch BNIB + Tears of the Kingdom Carrying Case BNIB $390
Nintendo Switch HAC-001 Red/Blue Joycon Console w/ Box, includes animal crossing (powerA controller, and Mario Kart Case) $225
Pink Gameboy Advance SP Pearl 101's (both consoles have scratches on them. Screens are both fine.) $90 each
IPS Famicom Custom Gameboy Advance SP (overall condition is good.) $150
THE GAMES!
N64
Paper Mario BOX/MANUAL/INSERTS ONLY! (Notes: The box has several creases, it has been kept in a box protector to prevent further creasing, the inserts do have a "wrinkle" to them. Manual looks good $200
Goldeneye 007 $25
Mario Party w/ manual (manual does have wear) $50
Diddy Kong Racing w/ manual $30
GameCube
Animal Crossing [Disc only; resurfaced] $35
GameCube Start-Up Disc (the disc only; no case or player.) $130
Go! Go Hypergrind (Includes case, manual and disc. The artwork has like a "wrinkle" to it, shows wear. The manual has a bend on the bottom right corner, and the disc has some white residue on the ring.) $375
Fire Emblem Path of Radiance CIB #1 (Very good condition, disc has little to no wear. Manual/inserts look good also.) $265
Fire Emblem Path of Radiance CIB #2 (Very good condition, disc has little wear. Manual/inserts are nice.) $260
Fire Emblem Path of Radiance #3 (Missing insert, includes the case, manual and disc. Very good condition as well.) $250
Wii
Rune Factory Tides of Destiny CIB $25
Rune Factory Frontier CIB $35
Switch
Love Esquire [New] $40
Octopath Traveler $50
Trails of Cold Steel III Extracurricular Edition $60
Liar Princess and Blind Prince [New] $55
Fire Emblem Engage Divine Edition + [New] Tarot Cards (no STEELBOOK OR GAME INCLUDED!) $70
G/B/C/GBA
Dragon Warrior Monsters 2 Cobi's Journey $40
Dr. Mario Classic NES Series $15
Final Fantasy Tactics $25
Final Fantasy Legend [Includes Worn Box, Manual and Map] $80
Fire Emblem $70
Fire Emblem Sacred Stones $65
Gameboy Camera [Color: Blue] $40
Golden Sun: The Lost Age $40
Harry Potter Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire $15
Lord of the Rings The Third Age $15
Lufia The Legend Returns (Part of label missing) $35
Mario vs Donkey Kong [Game and Box only] $30
Mario vs Donkey Kong $15
Mario Kart Super Circuit [Player's Choice] CIB $50
Mega Man Battle Network $60
Mega Man Battle Network 3 White $20
Mega Man Battle Network 4 Blue Moon $25
Mega Man Battle Network 5 Team Protoman $25
Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon $60
Shining Soul $60
Super Mario Advance [Bundle] - Includes 2, 3 and 4 $50
Random Games Bundle - Includes: Dora, Frogger (not working), Final Fantasy IV (loads, then doesn't work), Star Wars Jedi Battles (loads, then doesn't work), Sonic Advance, Incredibles, Finding Nemo, DBZ: Legacy of Goku, Cartoon Network Speedway, Star Wars Flight of the Falcon, Side Pocket, I Spy Challenge, Top Gear Rally (2 copies), Dungeons & Dragons Eye of the Beholder, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Tetris Worlds, Namco Museum 50th Anniversary, Simpson's Road Rage - $85
Nintendo DS/3DS
999 [loose] $40
Cooking Mama 5 [loose] $35
Etrian Mystery Dungeon [Soundtrack Bundle, Sealed] $200
Fantasy Life [loose] $40
Final Fantasy Fables Chocobo's Tales [CIB] $25
Fire Emblem Awakening [World Edition] $35
Fire Emblem Fates [Special Edition] #1 [CIB, with wear to the box] $500
Fire Emblem Fates [Special Edition] #2 [Missing artbook] $470
Heroes of Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes [CIB] $30
Kingdom Hearts RE:Coded [loose] $15
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance [loose] $15
Legacy of YS Books I & II [Has outer box, case, manual and game. No soundtrack] $125
Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D [loose] $20 each
Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask Skull Kid Figure [No Game] $80
Mario Kart 7 [CIB] $15
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney & Ace Attorney Justice For All [both loose] $35
Pokemon Sun and Moon Steelbook [No games] $60
Pokemon Sun [Loose] $15 each [1 sold]
Pokemon Alpha Sapphire [loose] $30
Pokemon X [Loose] $30
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Gates to Infinity [Loose] $25
Pokemon Soul Silver #1 [loose, placed into new shell; old one broken but included.] $75
Pokemon Soul Silver #2 [loose, has some stuff on the back of it.] $100
Pokemon Soul Silver #3 [CIB] $160
Pokemon Black 2 [Loose] $120
Pokemon Rumble Blast [in rough condition] $15
Project X Zone 2 [CIB] $90
Resident Evil 3D The Mercenaries [CIB] $25
Senran Kagura Double D Edition [Soundtrack Sealed] $70
Super Princess Peach [CIB, wear to cartridge] $105
PS1
Suikoden II [Loose, has wear to disc and some scratching] $100
Harvest Moon Back to Nature [CIB] $50
PS2
MS Saga: A New Dawn [CIB] $125
MISC
Dragon Quest V Guide $100
Dragon Quest I-VIII Symphonic Suite Collection $70
Harvest Moon Animal Parade Guide (tear on front cover, very minor.) $110
SWITCH CASES ONLY NO GAMES AT ALL FOR $120 [List: Carrion, Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games 2020 Tokyo, Pokemon Shield, Pikmin 3 Deluxe, Lego DC Super Villians[Steelbook], Pokemon Brilliant Diamond, Zelda Skyward Sword, NEO The World Ends With You, Super Mario Party, Wolfenstein II, Mitopia, The Mummy Demastered, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Ninja Saviors, No More Heroes 1 2 3, Travis Strikes Back]
Zelda Phantom Hourglass Cel Art Print $20
Zelda Feather DS Stylus $30
Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D Soundtrack $30
Avalon Code [Case,Manual, NO GAME] $40

After being an Otto main since getting the game in April I got to diamond level and really plateaued. My feudal push works better in solo but in team after my initial push everyone is booming in castle and my feudal units are weak.
Anyways, I do like early aggression since I believe most humans get frustrated the moment they get punched in the mouth and don’t react well, what civs do you think after the new patch might be good to roll with?
I was thinking about Malians or HRE but before learning a new civ I wanted to see how they sized up post patch.
Thanks in advance

Summary: A demolition firm struggles to take down a damaged building for their mysterious clients
I Was a Foreman at the Grazer Tower Demolition
By now Grazer Tower has faded as a household name but to some the rumors and madness surrounding it refuse to die. The demolition of the massive three hundred twenty foot octagonal hotel left a gap in the Atlanta skyline but little fondness in anyone's hearts. I have no particular first hand insight into the freak lightning strikes on the 30th floor atrium which killed 13 people but I am willing to tell my side of the story about the demolition effort leading to the botched implosion. I tell this as a full, open, and honest disclosure. The legal maneuvering and ink has dried, all of the dead are buried, and all the bleeding stopped. The scars remain, the pain persists, the things I saw there are burned in my head even after they've been discredited into the conspiracy theory woodwork of the internet. The lightning storm struck on a Sunday afternoon and the next day for all we knew the bodies were still warm when a lawyer representing the owners of Grazer Tower entered our corporate office. I look back on it now with open and clear eyes and realize it was all very strange from the start when my Lead Foreman, Tom, and I were called into the meeting in progress.
The lawyer and now our client, looked like a fairly normal man in his mid thirties aside from his impeccably white suit which was ironed to the point of looking like stone rather than cloth. Beside the white suit his lips were an uncomfortable maroon and glossy. Besides this he spoke in a plain, clear, and disarming manner refraining from legalese and maintaining a firm but not imposing eye contract with whomever he was speaking directly to.
He told us in no uncertain terms he was instructed to contract with our firm to take down his client's building. Tom and I were shocked when we heard this after all, the lightning disaster, while tragic and perhaps undeservedly tarnishing in the short term to the Grazer Hotel's reputation, did not render the structure unusable nor unsafe to its surroundings. The worst damage was that the steel dome of the 30th floor atrium had collapsed into the vaulted restaurant and ballroom of the 29th floor but that's where the structure damage started and ended, in fact aside from the 28th, 29th, and 30th floor, city engineers working overnight already declared the building sound. So while perhaps still time consuming and costly, repairing the building was definitely possible and cost effective but owners, to make an analogy, were basically insisting on totaling a car after a minor parking lot fender bender. They gave us a specific date by which the building needed to be taken down. When our Boss, Jim, rebuffed the lawyer, not only because the date was challenging and soon but also because it was possible we could have it dropped BEFORE the date specified. The lawyer insisted the building go down on the date given – not later and not earlier. Jim swallowed hard and then glanced at Tom and I. Then the lawyer involved the name of the head of the owner's group, a Mr. Rohmer.
Mr. Rohmer, according to the lawyer, was offering our firm one hundred percent of the cost upfront and another twenty perfect of the total cost plus any overruns – stating if the implosion came early or late, it would mean all very little – no, that's no a typo, that's how the lawyer phrased it from his client, Mr. Rohmer. With that detail out of the way, you can see how the car totaling analogy breaks down considering the owners did not stand to profit from it's demolition – in fact quite the opposite.
The lawyer chuckled a bit to break the tension. He explained his clients and Mr. Rohmer in particular were an unorthodox bunch and then even insisted he wear the white suit in any of their dealings. The lawyer produced a tablet PC from his messenger bag and leveled it to Jim. On the tablet was all the banking confirmation codes ready to go for a direct deposit into our firms account alongside a contract. Jim seemed to hiccup or belch in excitement as he hurried around the short side of his desk to sign it since his stubby t-rex arms could not reach across his desk.
The firm was committed, we were committed – I was committed and I started to mentally cramp up over the challenges we all faced. The Grazer Hotel was in the middle of a dense urban grid. It had to be precise drop with virtually no margin for error. Jim poured us a dram of scotch from the bottle hidden under his desk. None of us a second thought about Rohmer's cryptic remark – after all, how often did you get a one hundred twenty perfect no-bid contract walk in off the street, out of the blue?
A combination of exhilaration over the money and anxiety over the work load kept us all from sleeping that night. Jim and Tom ended up going out and having a wild night to celebrate while I went home to mentally prepare not only myself but also my wife and kids. As a family they were staring down a month and a half of late nights and weekends with no dad. My wife was frustrated until I told her about the bonus and then she said she'd fill the lonely time making plans to send the kids to Disney World and then find a place for us to spend alone together. The promise of a much needed vacation after this only super charged the butterflies in my stomach further in anticipation of this challenging season ending.
As the assistant foreman I had office and on-site duties. Most of it was coordinating between the two. This included personnel, setting up site security – including guards and cameras to keep urban explorers and vagrants of out the dangerous site and satisfy OSHA hazardous work place safety requirements. The most challenging duty was site prep which included disposal of furnishings, removal of windows and other flourishes of the structure's facade which could become deadly shrapnel during an implosion. Fortunately, despite all of this, the nagging questions about permits and clean-up contracts were already handled by the lawyer. Rohmer's group also waived any rights to furnishings which means they could be unceremoniously hauled out in any way we chose to and disposed of.
Now I suppose some of these things should have came as red flags to me – or at least some one in the company but we all justified it as the group must have connects and short cuts to permits and it was a relatively new building, only about twenty years old in fact and furnishings – whether old or new probably weren't of any antique or sentimental value. All in all these were blessings since they freed our hands a bit and made a near impossible deadline more possible.
Of course the good news came with some bad news. The city engineers forbade us from working at the 28th, 29th, and 30th floors – unless we brought in a separate crew to stabilize those levels first. This was quite the fly in the ointment for the controlled implosion plan we sketched out. The 30th floor wasn't as much of a problem but the 29th floor ballroom and the weakening of the 28th floor meant we can't inspect for how compromised they were by the steel atrium dome. For all we knew if we blew the 27th floor on down the dome could shift and topple over the top three floors outside of the implosion safe zone, imperiling people and nearby structures.
I raised holy hell about it while Tom stood calm. It could take months to stabilize and clear those floors and far more money than I thought our eccentric client would pay in overruns. Jim waved me off mid sentence and simply told me he'd take care of it. That was good enough for Tom so it had to be good enough for me. I went back to my job – securing site and planning drop.
Although we had a problem with the top floor our saving grace lie in the basements. It had a three story subterranean parking garage, a basement level pool, and a utility sub-basement. We could easily smash the first ten or twelve floors into that deep footprint. Also the utility sub-basement gave us a clean cut off from the grid and a fairly convenient way to protect the surrounding grid without interruption. Still, at least part of our team would take have to take three weeks out of our six and change to handle the utilities.
The first week was hectic, they always were but we hit no major snags. By the end of it were on schedule and all of the parts were coming together. We thought maybe, just maybe, we were well on our way to an early Christmas bonus but nothing could prepare us for what was coming.
If you work on a site long enough and work anywhere on the site security reporting chain you're bound to get a few questionable reports from your night guys. Let's face it, for folks who are wake all night five or six nights a week poking around with flashlights chasing shadows, every building every where is haunted. I've been on the site security chain for thirteen years so it was easy for me to dismiss reports from the night guys about unusual glows on gutted floors and stairwells, elevators which moved on their own with no one calling for them or inside when they opened on a random floor, or the security cameras and cellphones constantly going offline on the 27th floor and the utility sub-basement.
I wasn't convinced anything of concern was going on until I got called on site by the test drilling team. This team was responsible for sampling the support materials to determine where it was best to place the explosives and what explosives would be best to use. They reported the interior supports were designed in an unusual way with a honey comb of unorthodox metals and concrete not reported on the building's records or blueprints. Specifically, they reported the concrete was impregnated by some kind of metal veins which gave off a bright shimmer. I was asked to come identify it but they claimed it disappeared by the time I arrived.
I was irate at the team and their supervisor for having me to come on down on site for something that sounded so wrong to begin with. They showed me a grainy cellphone video and told me they would swear on a stack of Bibles the sparkling compound welled up in the test coring like mercury, turned blood red and bled on the floor before disappearing into the torn up carpet. I chastised them for making this up and threatened to get new sub contractors if they kept wasting my time. I spoke with a separate sample team on the lower levels and they too discovered some unusual metal compositions – ones which were different then the ones found the top floors. One of the engineers speculated that the contrast in metals between the top and bottom floors could be cause the building to hold an electrical charge, like a battery or like a capacitor. Either way, the engineer said it would require more explosives than initially thought to take down the structure.
A couple of weeks later we were painfully behind – glass removal in particular was going slow because those contractors claimed they were constantly losing their toys. They also claimed one night to have cleared the top five floors on the east side of all their glass – only for all the windows to appear fully intact the next morning. I was forced to end their sub contract due to misrepresentation of work accomplished.
The glass wasn't the only thing slowing us down. The wire and plumbing removal was hindered by the wires somehow were fused to the pipes and in some places, the pipes were fused to the load-bearing members – we thought maybe it was due to the lightning strikes but that really didn't make sense since all of the wiring and plumbing otherwise seemed to work fine before we turned off the utilities. The only thing going for us was the helicopter loophole. Instead of accessing the 30th floor through the condemned floors we were able to get work teams on the atrium floor by helicopter. The bodies of the 13 were removed before we started working and before the atrium fully collapsed into the ballroom but the teams working on the roof reported many unusual artifacts including stained glass and Greek letters comprised of unusual amalgams of metal.
All of the strangeness culminated in the disappearance of one of the night time security guards named Phillipe. I say disappear because his girlfriend filed a missing persons report with the police and when they came to investigate Tom was busy with the atrium operations so the job fell to me. I walked the investigator through guard's smart phone filed reports from the previous evenings. Admittedly I was behind on my end approving the reports so I was embarrassed when things in the report took a turn. His reports including the same odd glows the others were reporting in the stairwells and seeing metallic veins throb on the walls.
His last reports stuck in my head: Report: Sub-basement 4 clear, 0312. Report: Sub-basement 5 clear, 0305. Report: Sub-basement 6 clear 0237.
His “all clear” reports documented levels of the building which did not exist and the further he went into the areas which did not exist, the automatic timestamps went backwards in time. It made no sense – unless he was confused as to where he was due to intoxication and there was software glitch with the timestamps. I was forced to give the investigator no firm explanation.
It's easy to write off a high security guard – they're flaky by their nature and have plenty of reasons to ghost a part time gig and even to pull prank on their final reports. I almost wrote it all off until I saw his girlfriend – apparently his fiance, handing out missing persons fliers outside of the site gate one morning. She seemed absolutely heartbroken and I got stabbed in the gut thinking maybe this wasn't a ghosting and prank after all. Seeing is believing and the next week I started to believe. Tom was finishing up on the atrium level. We used some heavy lift choppers to remove the rest of the frame and glass. Now we could get a better look into the section which collapsed into the 29th floor. We started by using a series of video drones to investigate the melted twisted dome through the collapsed roof. We quickly learned that the drones were being interfered with as their feed would cut out or their batteries would die almost immediately upon entering the ballroom.
So, we had to cut some corners, against city regulations, we let Tom and two others rappel in from the roof on secured anchored lines with helicopter over watch support. We needed to do this because we needed make sure that collapsed wreckage would not move and potentially change the implosion direction. Tom got twisted in his gear as he tried to lean into one of the holes in the roof. He slipped and fell in, disappearing from sight. We frantically radioed for Tom as the other two workers abandoned their own attempts to peer in and scrambled to Tom's aid. Tom was pulled out of the section uninjured but he appeared to be in shock, he looked wild eyed and shook as he was put on the helicopter and lowered back to ground level. Within minutes, Jim called us back to the office to discuss the near miss.
Two weeks to go and week behind, a missing guard, and now a near fatal accident. That for Jim, was the last straw. Tom and I had run out the rope Jim gave us to hang ourselves with. Jim slammed his hand on his desk as he catastrophized, red in the face, nearly breathless, he yelled we could very well kiss that twenty percent goodbye with the way things are going. He pressured Tom to go on the record after his dip into the structure that the atrium debris ball in the ballroom posed no threat to the implosion. Tom was elsewhere. He stared off in a thousand yard stare before replying to Jim that it posed no threat. Then Tom headed for the door. Jim screamed at him that he wasn't done chew us out but Tom only said he had to get back to it. I supported Tom and followed him. He and I headed back to the site to secure the night shift changes – another night not at home and having a late dinner.
I asked Tom in the car ride back what he saw in there. Tom was fixed in a trance and barely responded. He said it was wild. When we got back to the site, Tom separated from me through the gate while I strolled across the street to grab us some dinner from a street vendor. As I stood around waiting for two gyros and two cokes I could help but be mesmerized by the gutted tower. It seemed to breath in the spotlights inhaling puffs of the dust and dirt on the site and then exhaling it. A faint glow, barely perceivable against the light pollution, seemed to brighten, dim, and fade from the upper floors with each of the building's breaths. I was transfixed on it and it was the first time the building gave me an eerie feeling.
I got back on the site, food in hand, there was a buzz in their air as the night shift streamed in and the day shift streamed out. I barely had my hardhat seated corrected on my head when the site's emergency alarm blew. The interim foreman tossed me a radio as I was swept with him and our site occupational safety and emergency personnel to the basement.
Our increasingly panicked footfalls blotted out the squawk of the radios but I could hear one name again and again in the equally panicked messages – Tom Tom Tom. Whatever was happening was happening to Tom.
We reached the pool level and a trail of gasps proceeded me into the pool. There was Tom in his vest and hardhat face down in the middle of the pool with crimson oozing out him into the cerulean tiles lining the drained pool. We piled in from the ladders and shallow end to get to him. It was apparent when the first folks reached him that he was dead. They hauled him out on a stretcher and to our shock he looked like he had been dead for much longer than possible and his skin was water logged despite there being no water. He had died of fall trauma possibly despite the pool only being six feet deep. The paramedics also claimed he had water in his lungs. Then I noticed he was wearing his rappelling harness weaved in his vest – but that made no sense – he took it and his vest off when we were getting chewed out by Jim. Why would he put his rappelling gear on again.
I was the assistant foreman no more. Now the buck stopped with me. As they took Tom to the morgue we all knew the show must go on – our client demanded it, Jim demanded it and Tom would have wanted it that way. The same police investigator from the guard's disappearance met with me over Tom's death. They said it was standard procedure with work place deaths. I gave him a copy of the footage on an SD card and left the moment after it left my hand.
I had the recording queued up to the time of the commotion. The video we provided had a poor angle and was focused on the door to monitor access – the comings and goings of people. It was shift change so people were filing in and out Tom was somewhere in the crowd. The pool was one of the areas which required both foot patrols and constant video monitoring. I hit the rewind button on accident and watched his body lie there and lie there and then the timestamp sped past the 1900 hour mark. We were in traffic from meeting with Jim at that time. This was impossible but I kept my finger on the rewind button. Around 1400 the camera shakes a bit and there is slight glow reflecting on the doors so I let it play back to the shake. There is a soft green glow and then could hear a heft thud in the room. I gulped knowing that was Tom falling into the pool around the same time he fell into the hole in the roof. The soft glow turned brighter and brighter like a laser shining into the lens – something that wasn't present on the rewind. There was a flash of an incomprehensible shape or form on the screen. I was physically hurt in my eyes like I had just stared into the sun. I was left dazed with the shaped burned into my eyes with each blink. Then the camera system shorted out and a tiny puff of smoke left the memory module. The cameras blinked off wall to wall, the whole system was dead.
With the cameras fried, regulations required someone high in the company to be on site or we'd have to leave for the night. So I stayed knowing we couldn't afford to lose an hour much less an entire night. I circled the pool between approving payrolls and directing the increased security guard traffic required to monitor more areas. I was thinking about what I would say at Tom's funeral. I was thinking about Tom's family and what they would think about his apparent suicide.
I was forced to patrol the rest of the sub-basements as well since most of the guards were at the site perimeters or higher levels. I would have to follow paths of Phillipe, the disappeared guard, and all of the other guards who had mismatched timestamps on their increasingly strange reports. If not for today's incident and the recording of Tom's death, I would have stood fast to the idea that these reports were the product of night jitters and drugs but now, no.
I gritted my teeth as I exited the pool area to patrol the lower levels. I hated this building I muttered to myself. I couldn't wait to see it all rumble. I thought about which part I'd like to keep from the site to place in Tom's casket – then I realized it probably wasn't going to be an open casket funeral. I was lost in my thoughts and hatred for the building as I roamed through the parking garage into the utilities basement. I lost track of where I was as I weaved down stairwells.
I shown my flashlight on the wall and the floor level sign said “Sub-basement 999”. I stopped cold in my tracks. I was hoping it was a prank but I knew it was no prank. Then I thought maybe I'd have some answers. Maybe I would finally see what all the strangeness was about. But then I freaked out about Phillipe's disappearance and turned to run back up the stairwell. I ran up four levels to what I thought was the lobby and I pushed the door open.
My jaw hit the floor when I saw a black and white galaxy – the stars were black and the space was white with gradations of gray. The whole room was just white outer space and the whole universe swirled fast counter clockwise. I tried to breath and when I did the galaxy shrunk before my eyes until it was the size of a tiny of marble and then even smaller to a speck of dust. I reached out as it floated towards me. I stared at the speck in a cold sweat. As I stared, I was looking deeper and deeper into impossible detail. In the dust I found the milky way galaxy, I found our solar system, I found Earth and then I found North America, and then I found myself back in the pool room dripping in sweat.
Time seemed to skip and space was malleable in that hotel. As we approached the deadline to drop it, some jobs which would take hours took days and some jobs which would take days took minutes. The anomalies seemed to swarm tonight and day and yet we pressed on. Tom was buried and I couldn't go.
We met the deadline and the city came out in numbers to watch us drop the thirty floor structure. They gathered nearly two blocks away clad in ponchos and dust masks bracing for the implosion triggered by half a ton of high explosives.
I was so burned out and demoralized. My mantra became “this is for Tom, this is for Tom” and it was the only thing carrying me to this day. I chalked up all the anomalies and even my own experience on 999th sub-basement level as a reaction to shock, loss, grief, and exhaustion.
We were on the thirty minute countdown and Mr. Rohmer's attorney was designated as the trigger man. He stood there with Jim and I in the command trailer with the detonator remote. The remote triggered a two minute countdown on the charges from a master control station in my command trailer. All the charges had to be hardwired old school style because we were getting too much walkie talkie and radio interference from inside the structure for any other method of trigger to be reliable. I was too tried to make a stink about insisting I do it. I just wanted it to be over but suddenly a freak thunderstorm brewed up over the city. The skies were overcast and we were on the verge of having to abort the implosion until the next day – despite the next day being a day past the deadline. If we didn't abort and went through with the implosion, there was a strong chance the shock waves from the blast would bounce back off the lower cloud base and shatter windows and ears across the city.
I sat in my command chair at the perimeter in dismay, almost in tears as it started to rain. I felt my heart drop into the acid of my stomach as I ordered the suspension of the implosion for the day. The lawyer, surprisingly, did not resist. I watched as the crowds dispersed from the viewing lines and police started to permit traffic back through the streets surrounding the site.
Then a group of unauthorized personnel threw open the door of the trailer. They were a mass of men and women clad in pressed white suits, stoney faces with thin maroon lips, one of them carried a white covered book.
The attorney dropped his eyes and head in deference to elderly man at the head of the congregation. The attorney addressed him as Monsignor. The man introduced himself as Monsignor Rohmer and he placed his hand on his attorney, calling him a cousin of the congregation, stating there will be no postponement and no delay.
Rohmer, a man I judged to be in his late 50's or early 60's was bald and covered it with a white derby hat. He was tall, about six five, and thin, so thin his suit fit him like snake half shedding its skin. His was face long and his cheeks thin and worn like a mountain side. His voice was steady and low like waterfall. Everything he said bloomed with authority and confidence. He ordered the building would be dropped in twenty minutes.
I told him I didn't care if he was the owner, the building could not be blown in this weather and I snatched the detonator out of his attorney's hands. Rohmer, moving faster than I believed humanly possible with some kind of martial arts move swiped the detonator from my hands. Simultaneously, he had two of his followers press Jim against the wall. They put him in a sleeper hold and he slumped down to the floor barely getting a word out. Then Rohmer gestured to his flock to follow towards the building.
They left in a fast deliberate almost choreographed walk like a flock of geese flying in formation. I grabbed the radio to get police help but I realized that was hopeless. I watched as our trailer was shrouded in the same interference we experienced in the building's interior. The CCTV monitors flickered out and the radio squawked static. Then I realized Rohmer had no control over the detonation and no way to contact his followers still with us in the command trailer. So I did what I had to and pulled the master key out of the master detonator in the command trailer and chased after the flock. I needed to know what was happening I needed to see with my own eyes what all of this was all about.
The Congregation had reached the lobby and I saw the trailing end of the clad white congregate into the stairwell. I darted at my best speed to follow them.
I reached the stair well door. I found Rohmer standing on the top step, apparently waiting for me. I was out of breath while he began to speak to me in his booming voice. He explained to me that if the building did not fall in the next twenty minutes, all of Earth would be pulled, sucked, inside out and down through the building into the black and white universe. The entire building, but especially the atrium dome, he continued, was designed and built to create and then temporarily contain an impossible shape, a living form, a 4 dimensional object, a tesseract, when struck by lightning in the presence of thirteen self-sacrificial Congregate members. This shape would slowly expand and cause space and time anomalies before growing so large inside compared to its size would pull us all into place with no life.
The shape was still in the process of forming even as we spoke, he said. It would reach critical mass and dimensional contortion and the only way to stop it was to disfigure and crush it in the hotel's collapse. He led me into the pool level where his entire congregation was sitting cross-legged where Tom fell. A green pulse, like a laser, came down from the ceiling into the group's center, where their white book lay open on blank pages. I had a feeling this glow was being projected down from the ballroom where the dome of the atrium was taking its final fourth dimensional form.
After a loud chant from the white clad followers, the book slammed shut and turned from a brilliant white shimming cover to one black as night. As they passed around book, their white suits turned black and the formed a single file line. Rohmer left my side and pulled the detonator from his suit. He showed it me and tossed it at me. In my panic I reached out with both hands to catch it but I forgot I still had the master key in my sweat slick hand and it fly out and fell at the foot of Rohmer.
I asked what he planned to do with the key without a lock and a jammed detonator. Rohmer bent down and grabbed the key and looked me without a hint of concern. He took the new black book into his hands and opened it facing the wall of the pool. A new green pulse launched from the book and flickered on the tiles. An octagonal outline appeared to frame a hazy image of a tropical beach. One by one Rohmer's congregation walked into the side of the pool, into glow and seemed to arrive safely on the otherside of the beach.
Once all his compatriots were on the beach, he turned a page in the book and reopened it, projecting another octagon portal on the side of the pool. I could see his destination – it was the command trailer. He stepped through portal and yelled to me from the other side that I had two minutes. The portal sealed.
I could hear the warning sirens we installed going off above me. Needless to say, I made it out, just barely. I reached the perimeter fence screaming to anyone who was in ear shot to run away. The building imploded as planned but I was caught in the dust cloud and developed tinnitus severe enough to be comparable with combat veterans.
The shock waves from the explosions were reflected off the cloud base and channeled down the street by other skyscrapers. Virtually every window in a two block radius around the site was shattered and hundreds of people were hurt in the resulting stampede and vehicle collisions caused by fleeing from the flying glass cascade. Parts of downtown looked like a war zone for weeks afterward.
Rohmer and the rest of his group, including the lawyer, had disappeared out of the trailer in another portal leaving a suitcase of gold equaling the twenty percent promised. Our company was fined, sued, and threatened with criminal charges and eventually put of business. There wasn't much left after paying the cities fines and lawyer fees.
Though I was spared any direct sanctions, I forced into an early retirement. I've had time to research Rohmer's group. There are at least six mentions of figures like Rohmer on the deepest parts of the conspiracy web. They seem to show up at a locale experiencing paranormal activity with a white book and then leave with a black book. Their departure usually marks the end of any strangeness. I can't be sure but this congregation seems to be summon demons, which they exorcise, by trapping them in their books. Trapping maybe a poor term to use since, as in the case of the Grazer hotel encounter, they can apparently cleanse the anomalies and then use the book containing them to weaponize a portion of the traits of whatever their unholy creations posses.
I suspect Rohmer and his congregation, now with the ability to teleport, are accelerating their plans, to whatever ends these paranormal means enable them.
Theo Plesha - Sequel to "Flush" by Theo Plesha on The Chilling App

Everything in my inventory is up for trade. The most valuable items are listed here, the rest you can find in My Inventory

Feel free to Add Me or even better send a Trade Offer. Open for any suggestions: upgrades, downgrades / knives, gloves, skins / stickers, patterns, floats.

All Buyouts are listed in cash value.

KNIVES

★ Butterfly Knife Freehand FN #1, B/O: $2500

★ Butterfly Knife Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $822

★ Butterfly Knife Scorched FT, B/O: $616

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★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth MW #1, B/O: $1300

★ Bayonet Autotronic FN, B/O: $1050

★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth MW, B/O: $629

★ Bayonet Bright Water FT, B/O: $326

★ Bayonet Safari Mesh BS, B/O: $233

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★ Karambit Lore FT, B/O: $1110

★ Karambit Damascus Steel FT, B/O: $840

★ Karambit Freehand MW, B/O: $784

★ Karambit Bright Water MW, B/O: $759

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★ M9 Bayonet Fade FN, B/O: $1801

★ M9 Bayonet Fade FN, B/O: $1801

★ M9 Bayonet Damascus Steel FN, B/O: $751

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★ Nomad Knife Fade FN, B/O: $1156

★ Nomad Knife Slaughter MW, B/O: $544

★ Nomad Knife Blue Steel WW, B/O: $318

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★ Flip Knife Marble Fade FN, B/O: $646

★ Flip Knife Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $574

★ Flip Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) MW, B/O: $552

★ Flip Knife Case Hardened FT, B/O: $257

★ Flip Knife Freehand FT, B/O: $255

★ StatTrak™ Flip Knife Bright Water FN, B/O: $287

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★ Huntsman Knife Lore FN, B/O: $461

★ Huntsman Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $436

★ Huntsman Knife Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $353

★ Huntsman Knife Autotronic FT, B/O: $212

★ Huntsman Knife Bright Water FT, B/O: $129

★ Huntsman Knife Forest DDPAT MW, B/O: $129

★ Huntsman Knife Forest DDPAT BS, B/O: $123

★ StatTrak™ Huntsman Knife Rust Coat BS, B/O: $127

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★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 2) FN, B/O: $375

★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $363

★ Bowie Knife Tiger Tooth FN, B/O: $269

★ Bowie Knife Crimson Web WW, B/O: $192

★ Bowie Knife Bright Water FN, B/O: $159

★ Bowie Knife Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $126

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★ Stiletto Knife Slaughter FN, B/O: $616

★ Stiletto Knife Crimson Web FT, B/O: $412

★ StatTrak™ Stiletto Knife Night Stripe FT, B/O: $227

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★ Falchion Knife Lore FT, B/O: $214

★ Falchion Knife Autotronic FT, B/O: $192

★ Falchion Knife Scorched WW, B/O: $105

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★ Survival Knife Crimson Web BS, B/O: $216

★ Survival Knife Case Hardened FT, B/O: $198

★ Survival Knife Scorched FT, B/O: $111

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★ Shadow Daggers Fade FN, B/O: $368

★ Shadow Daggers Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $228

★ Shadow Daggers, B/O: $201

★ Shadow Daggers Damascus Steel FT, B/O: $108

★ Shadow Daggers Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $105

★ Shadow Daggers Black Laminate FT, B/O: $99

★ Shadow Daggers Forest DDPAT FT, B/O: $85

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★ Gut Knife Doppler (Sapphire) MW #1, B/O: $1700

★ Gut Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $223

★ Gut Knife Marble Fade FN, B/O: $203

★ Gut Knife Doppler (Phase 2) FN, B/O: $191

★ Gut Knife Case Hardened BS, B/O: $127

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★ Navaja Knife Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $199

★ Navaja Knife Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $199

★ Navaja Knife, B/O: $138

★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel FN, B/O: $111

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★ Classic Knife Urban Masked FT, B/O: $146

★ StatTrak™ Classic Knife Stained BS, B/O: $168

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★ Ursus Knife Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $476

★ Ursus Knife, B/O: $375

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★ Skeleton Knife, B/O: $1137

★ Talon Knife, B/O: $608

★ Paracord Knife, B/O: $305

★ Survival Knife Forest DDPAT FT, B/O: $97

GLOVES

★ Moto Gloves Transport MW, B/O: $204

★ Moto Gloves Polygon BS, B/O: $142

★ Moto Gloves Blood Pressure BS, B/O: $84

★ Moto Gloves Blood Pressure BS, B/O: $84

★ Moto Gloves 3rd Commando Company BS, B/O: $63

★ Moto Gloves 3rd Commando Company BS, B/O: $63

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★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Kimono WW, B/O: $1215

★ Specialist Gloves Tiger Strike FT, B/O: $672

★ Specialist Gloves Lt. Commander FT, B/O: $305

★ Specialist Gloves Lt. Commander BS, B/O: $140

★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Web BS, B/O: $137

★ Specialist Gloves Buckshot FT, B/O: $75

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★ Driver Gloves Crimson Weave FT, B/O: $359

★ Driver Gloves Imperial Plaid BS, B/O: $229

★ Driver Gloves Overtake BS, B/O: $77

★ Driver Gloves Racing Green FT, B/O: $48

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★ Sport Gloves Omega FT, B/O: $739

★ Sport Gloves Amphibious BS #2, B/O: $733

★ Sport Gloves Arid BS, B/O: $292

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★ Hand Wraps Giraffe MW, B/O: $212

★ Hand Wraps Leather FT, B/O: $160

★ Hand Wraps Desert Shamagh MW, B/O: $101

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★ Broken Fang Gloves Yellow-banded MW, B/O: $185

★ Broken Fang Gloves Needle Point FT, B/O: $67

★ Broken Fang Gloves Needle Point WW, B/O: $59

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★ Hydra Gloves Case Hardened BS, B/O: $65

★ Hydra Gloves Emerald FT, B/O: $65

★ Hydra Gloves Emerald BS, B/O: $62

WEAPONS

AK-47 Case Hardened BS, B/O: $130

AK-47 Bloodsport MW, B/O: $79

AK-47 Fuel Injector BS, B/O: $76

AK-47 Fuel Injector BS, B/O: $76

AK-47 Bloodsport FT, B/O: $70

AK-47 Neon Rider MW, B/O: $60

StatTrak™ AK-47 Aquamarine Revenge FT, B/O: $72

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AWP Fade FN, B/O: $1039

AWP Asiimov FT, B/O: $139

AWP Asiimov FT, B/O: $139

AWP Wildfire MW, B/O: $95

AWP BOOM MW, B/O: $93

AWP BOOM MW, B/O: $93

AWP Duality FN, B/O: $81

AWP Asiimov BS, B/O: $79

AWP Asiimov BS, B/O: $79

AWP Chromatic Aberration FN, B/O: $60

StatTrak™ AWP Hyper Beast FT, B/O: $68

StatTrak™ AWP Hyper Beast FT, B/O: $68

StatTrak™ AWP Electric Hive FT, B/O: $55

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Desert Eagle Blaze FN, B/O: $623

Desert Eagle Emerald Jörmungandr FN, B/O: $241

Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $81

Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $81

Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $81

Desert Eagle Printstream FT, B/O: $54

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M4A1-S Blue Phosphor FN, B/O: $434

StatTrak™ M4A1-S Bright Water MW, B/O: $55

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M4A4 Poseidon FN, B/O: $1465

M4A4 Asiimov BS, B/O: $55

M4A4 Hellfire MW, B/O: $50

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USP-S Kill Confirmed MW, B/O: $72

USP-S Printstream FT, B/O: $69

StatTrak™ USP-S Kill Confirmed FT, B/O: $139

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AUG Flame Jörmungandr FN, B/O: $234

P90 Run and Hide FT, B/O: $147

Five-SeveN Candy Apple FN, B/O: $61

Trade Offer Link - Steam Profile Link - My Inventory

Knives - Bowie Knife, Butterfly Knife, Falchion Knife, Flip Knife, Gut Knife, Huntsman Knife, M9 Bayonet, Bayonet, Karambit, Shadow Daggers, Stiletto Knife, Ursus Knife, Navaja Knife, Talon Knife, Classic Knife, Paracord Knife, Survival Knife, Nomad Knife, Skeleton Knife, Patterns - Gamma Doppler, Doppler (Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, Phase 4, Black Pearl, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald), Crimson Web, Lore, Fade, Ultraviolet, Night, Marble Fade (Fire & Ice, Fake FI), Case Hardened (Blue Gem), Autotronic, Slaughter, Black Laminate, Tiger Tooth, Boreal Forest, Scorched, Blue Steel, Vanilla, Damascus Steel, Forest DDPAT, Urban Masked, Freehand, Stained, Bright Water, Safari Mesh, Rust Coat, Gloves - Bloodhound Gloves (Charred, Snakebite, Guerrilla, Bronzed), Driver Gloves (Snow Leopard, King Snake, Crimson Weave, Imperial Plaid, Black Tie, Lunar Weave, Diamondback, Rezan the Red, Overtake, Queen Jaguar, Convoy, Racing Green), Hand Wraps (Cobalt Skulls, CAUTION!, Overprint, Slaughter, Leather, Giraffe, Badlands, Spruce DDPAT, Arboreal, Constrictor, Desert Shamagh, Duct Tape), Moto Gloves (Spearmint, POW!, Cool Mint, Smoke Out, Finish Line, Polygon, Blood Pressure, Turtle, Boom!, Eclipse, 3rd Commando Company, Transport), Specialist Gloves (Crimson Kimono, Tiger Strike, Emerald Web, Field Agent, Marble Fade, Fade, Foundation, Lt. Commander, Crimson Web, Mogul, Forest DDPAT, Buckshot), Sport Gloves (Pandora's Box, Superconductor, Hedge Maze, Vice, Amphibious, Slingshot, Omega, Arid, Big Game, Nocts, Scarlet Shamagh, Bronze Morph), Hydra Gloves (Case Hardened, Emerald, Rattler, Mangrove), Broken Fang Gloves (Jade, Yellow-banded, Unhinged, Needle Point), Pistols - P2000 (Wicked Sick, Ocean Foam, Fire Element, Amber Fade, Corticera, Chainmail, Imperial Dragon, Obsidian, Scorpion, Handgun, Acid Etched), USP-S (Printstream, Kill Confirmed, Whiteout, Road Rash, Owergrowth, The Traitor, Neo-Noir, Dark Water, Orion, Blueprint, Stainless, Caiman, Serum, Monster Mashup, Royal Blue, Ancient Visions, Cortex, Orange Anolis, Ticket To Hell, Black Lotus, Cyrex, Check Engine, Guardian, Purple DDPAT, Torque, Blood Tiger, Flashback, Business Class, Pathfinder, Para Green), Lead Conduit, Glock-18 (Umbral Rabbit, Fade, Candy Apple, Bullet Queen, Synth Leaf, Neo-Noir, Nuclear Garden, Dragon Tatto, Reactor, Pink DDPAT, Twilight Galaxy, Sand Dune, Groundwater, Blue Fissure, Snack Attack, Water Elemental, Brass, Wasteland Rebel, Vogue, Franklin, Royal Legion, Gamma Doppler, Weasel, Steel Disruption, Ironwork, Grinder, High Beam, Moonrise, Oxide Blaze, Bunsen Burner, Clear Polymer, Bunsen Burner, Night), P250 (Re.built, Nuclear Threat, Modern Hunter, Splash, Whiteout, Vino Primo, Mehndi, Asiimov, Visions, Undertow, Cartel, See Ya Later, Gunsmoke, Splash, Digital Architect, Muertos, Red Rock, Bengal Tiger, Crimson Kimono, Wingshot, Metallic DDPAT, Hive, Dark Filigree, Mint Kimono), Five-Seven (Neon Kimono, Berries And Cherries, Fall Hazard, Crimson Blossom, Hyper Beast, Nitro, Fairy Tale, Case Hardened, Copper Galaxy, Angry Mob, Monkey Business, Fowl Play, Anodized Gunmetal, Hot Shot, Retrobution, Boost Protocol), CZ75-Auto (Chalice, Crimson Web, Emerald Quartz, The Fuschia is Now, Nitro, Xiangliu, Yellow Jacket, Victoria, Poison Dart, Syndicate, Eco, Hexane, Pole, Tigris), Tec-9 (Rebel, Terrace, Nuclear Threat, Hades, Rust Leaf, Decimator, Blast From, Orange Murano, Toxic, Fuel Injector, Remote Control, Bamboo Forest, Isaac, Avalanche, Brother, Re-Entry, Blue Titanium, Bamboozle), R8 Revolver (Banana Cannon, Fade, Blaze, Crimson Web, Liama Cannon, Crazy 8, Reboot, Canal Spray, Night, Amber Fade), Desert Eagle (Blaze, Hand Cannon, Fennec Fox, Sunset Storm, Emerald Jörmungandr, Pilot, Hypnotic, Golden Koi, Printstream, Cobalt Disruption, Code Red, Ocean Drive, Midnight Storm, Kumicho Dragon, Crimson Web, Heirloom, Night Heist, Mecha Industries, Night, Conspiracy, Trigger Discipline, Naga, Directive, Light Rail), Dual Berettas (Flora Carnivora, Duelist, Cobra Strike, Black Limba, Emerald, Hemoglobin, Twin Turbo, Marina, Melondrama, Pyre, Retribution, Briar, Dezastre, Royal Consorts, Urban Shock, Dualing Dragons, Panther, Balance), Rifles - Galil (Aqua Terrace, Winter Forest, Chatterbox, Sugar Rush, Pheonix Blacklight, CAUTION!, Orange DDPAT, Cerberus, Dusk Ruins, Eco, Chromatic Aberration, Stone Cold, Tuxedo, Sandstorm, Shattered, Urban Rubble, Rocket Pop, Kami, Crimson Tsunami, Connexion), SCAR-20 (Fragments, Brass, Cyrex, Palm, Splash Jam, Cardiac, Emerald, Crimson Web, Magna Carta, Stone Mosaico, Bloodsport, Enforcer), AWP (Duality, Gungnir, Dragon Lore, Prince, Medusa, Desert Hydra, Fade, Lightning Strike, Oni Taiji, Silk Tiger, Graphite, Chromatic Aberration, Asiimov, Snake Camo, Boom, Containment Breach, Wildfire, Redline, Electric Hive, Hyper Beast, Neo-Noir, Man-o'-war, Pink DDPAT, Corticera, Sun in Leo, Elite Build, Fever Dream, Atheris, Mortis, PAW, Exoskeleton, Worm God, POP AWP, Phobos, Acheron, Pit Viper, Capillary, Safari Mesh), AK-47 (Head Shot, Wild Lotus, Gold Arabesque, X-Ray, Fire Serpent, Hydroponic, Panthera Onca, Case Hardened, Vulcan, Jet Set, Fuel Injector, Bloodsport, Nightwish, First Class, Neon Rider, Asiimov, Red Laminate, Aquamarine Revenge, The Empress, Wasteland Rebel, Jaguar, Black Laminate, Leet Museo, Neon Revolution, Redline, Frontside Misty, Predator, Legion of Anubis, Point Disarray, Orbit Mk01, Blue Laminate, Green Laminate, Emerald Pinstripe, Cartel, Phantom Disruptor, Jungle Spray, Safety Net, Rat Rod, Baroque Purple, Slate, Elite Build, Uncharted, Safari Mesh), FAMAS (Sundown, Prime Conspiracy, Afterimage, Commemoration, Dark Water, Spitfire, Pulse, Eye of Athena, Meltdown, Rapid Eye Move, Roll Cage, Styx, Mecha Industrie, Djinn, ZX Spectron, Valence, Neural Net, Night Borre, Hexne), M4A4 (Temukau, Howl, Poseidon, Asiimov, Daybreak, Hellfire, Zirka, Red DDPAT, Radiation Hazard, Modern Hunter, The Emperor, The Coalition, Bullet Rain, Cyber Security, X-Ray, Dark Blossom, Buzz Kill, In Living Color, Neo-Noir, Desolate Space, 龍王 (Dragon King), Royal Paladin, The Battlestar, Global Offensive, Tooth Fairy, Desert-Strike, Griffin, Evil Daimyo, Spider Lily, Converter), M4A1-S (Emphorosaur-S, Welcome to the Jungle, Imminent Danger, Knight, Hot Rod, Icarus Fell, Blue Phosphor, Printstream, Master Piece, Dark Water, Golden Coil, Bright Water, Player Two, Atomic Alloy, Guardian, Chantico's Fire, Hyper Beast, Mecha Industries, Cyrex, Control Panel, Moss Quartz, Nightmare, Decimator, Leaded Glass, Basilisk, Blood Tiger, Briefing, Night Terror, Nitro, VariCamo, Flashback), SG 553 (Cyberforce, Hazard Pay, Bulldozer, Integrale, Dragon Tech, Ultraviolet, Colony IV, Hypnotic, Cyrex, Candy Apple, Barricade, Pulse), SSG 08 (Death Strike, Sea Calico, Blood in the Water, Orange Filigree, Dragonfire, Big Iron, Bloodshot, Detour, Turbo Peek, Red Stone), AUG (Akihabara Accept, Flame Jörmungandr, Hot Rod, Midnight Lily, Sand Storm, Carved Jade, Wings, Anodized Navy, Death by Puppy, Torque, Bengal Tiger, Chameleon, Fleet Flock, Random Access, Momentum, Syd Mead, Stymphalian, Arctic Wolf, Aristocrat, Navy Murano), G3SG1 (Chronos, Violet Murano, Flux, Demeter, Orange Kimono, The Executioner, Green Apple, Arctic Polar Camo, Contractor), SMGs - P90 (Neoqueen, Astral Jörmungandr, Run and Hide, Emerald Dragon, Cold Blooded, Death by Kitty, Baroque Red, Vent Rush, Blind Spot, Asiimov, Trigon, Sunset Lily, Death Grip, Leather, Nostalgia, Fallout Warning, Tiger Pit, Schermatic, Virus, Shapewood, Glacier Mesh, Shallow Grave, Chopper, Desert Warfare), MAC-10 (Sakkaku, Hot Snakes, Copper Borre, Red Filigree, Gold Brick, Graven, Case Hardened, Stalker, Amber Fade, Neon Rider, Tatter, Curse, Propaganda, Nuclear Garden, Disco Tech, Toybox, Heat, Indigo), UMP-45 (Wild Child, Fade, Blaze, Day Lily, Minotaur's Labyrinth, Crime Scene, Caramel, Bone Pile, Momentum, Primal Saber), MP7 (Teal Blossom, Fade, Nemesis, Whiteout, Asterion, Bloosport, Abyssal Apparition, Full Stop, Special Delivery, Neon Ply, Asterion, Ocean Foam, Powercore, Scorched, Impire), PP-Bizon (Modern Hunter, Rust Coat, Forest Leaves, Antique, High Roller, Blue Streak, Seabird, Judgement of Anubis, Bamboo Print, Embargo, Chemical Green, Coblat Halftone, Fuel Rod, Photic Zone, Irradiated Alert, Carbon Fiber), MP9 (Featherweight, Wild Lily, Pandora's Box, Stained Glass, Bulldozer, Dark Age, Hot Rod, Hypnotic, Hydra, Rose Iron, Music Box, Setting Sun, Food Chain, Airlock, Mount Fuji, Starlight Protector, Ruby Poison Dart, Deadly Poison), MP5-SD (Liquidation, Oxide Oasis, Phosphor, Nitro, Agent, Autumn Twilly), Shotguns, Machineguns - Sawed-Off (Kiss♥Love, First Class, Orange DDPAT, Rust Coat, The Kraken, Devourer, Mosaico, Wasteland Princess, Bamboo Shadow, Copper, Serenity, Limelight, Apocalypto), XM1014 (Frost Borre, Ancient Lore, Red Leather, Elegant Vines, Banana Leaf, Jungle, Urban Perforated, Grassland, Blaze Orange, Heaven Guard, VariCamo Blue, Entombed, XOXO, Seasons, Tranquility, Bone Machine, Incinegator, Teclu Burner, Black Tie, Zombie Offensive, Watchdog), Nova (Baroque Orange, Hyper Beast, Green Apple, Antique, Modern Hunter, Walnut, Forest Leaves, Graphite, Blaze Orange, Rising Skull, Tempest, Bloomstick, Interlock, Quick Sand, Moon in Libra, Clean Polymer, Red Quartz, Toy Soldier), MAG-7 (Insomnia, Cinqueda, Counter Terrace, Prism Terrace, Memento, Chainmail, Hazard, Justice, Bulldozer, Silver, Core Breach, Firestarter, Praetorian, Heat, Hard Water, Monster Call, BI83 Spectrum, SWAG-7), M249 (Humidor, Shipping Forecast, Blizzard Marbleized, Downtown, Jungle DDPAT, Nebula Crusader, Impact Drill, Emerald Poison Dart), Negev (Mjölnir, Anodized Navy, Palm, Power Loader, Bratatat, CaliCamo, Phoenix Stencil, Infrastructure, Boroque Sand), Wear - Factory New (FN), Minimal Wear (MW), Field-Tested (FT), Well-Worn (WW), Battle-Scarred (BS), Stickers Holo/Foil/Gold - Katowice 2014, Krakow 2017, Howling Dawn, Katowice 2015, Crown, London 2018, Cologne 2014, Boston 2018, Atlanta 2017, Cluj-Napoca 2015, DreamHack 2014, King on the Field, Harp of War, Winged Difuser, Cologne 2016, Cologne 2015, MLG Columbus 2016, Katowice 2019, Berlin 2019, RMR 2020, Stockholm 2021, Antwerp 2022, Swag Foil, Flammable foil, Others - Souvenirs, Agents, Pins, Passes, Gifts, Music Kits, Cases, Keys, Capsules, Packages, Patches

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Im a simple man I just want a few things from this game and I’ll be happy!

1. Randomly rolled stats on every car! Cars shouldn’t intrinsically be rare or legendary, but every car should drop with random stats with only the boost being static! This lets every car be viable, while incentivizing players to grind for a better and better role of the car they want to play. And by having the boost, weight, and shape of the car be pre set by devs this also keeps the cars feeling unique! It also makes the loot boxes more fun because there are really valuable rewards and I actually think loot boxes work well with this implementation especially if paired with a way to spend significantly more currency to buy a car directly!
   
2. Weapons and Abilities! Like rockets and guns from hot wheels beat that or accelechargers from… well you know!
   
3. Crossplay and cross save support! Also a port to Apple Silicon for Mac and iPad would be perfect if its ported fully to iPad it would be the best selling game on App Store I’m certain!
   
4. Full live service treatment no more sequels just expansions! I like the idea of having seasons with and annual expansions!
   
5. Better customization of cars! Like being able to customize the wheels or say the surfboards on the Diora II
   
6. Track customization! So basically for this I want their to be multiple track variants with different decals like how we see in acceleracers!
   
7. More fantasy environments! IE the something like the racing realms or world race or hell even the monster truck dlc having a toy table was perfect!
   
8. ACCELERACERS! Like if I hadn’t hinted it enough I desperately want every car from acceleracers and hot wheels world race in game!
   

Prefacing this with, yes, we always followed safe sleep recommendations and co-sleeping didn't start until it was safe to do so.
My 4 year old has been co-sleeping with us for a long time. My husband often works night shifts and gets home around 10-11pm so I am the one home with our son getting dinner, bath and bed time done. So I would let him snuggle me to fall asleep, and that pretty much morphed into him just sleeping in my bed all night. Once we got rid of the crib and got him an actual bed, he was really resistant to sleeping by himself. I was losing HOURS of time and sleep. I would be in his room with him until he was asleep for 30-90 minutes reading books and just trying to get him comfy and then try to sneak out. Sometimes I would even fall asleep in there with him, wake up an hour or two later and then I would tip toe to my bed and not 5 minutes would go by before he would wake up and start calling for me. Like he would wake from a dead sleep. I swear he could sense my non-presence. I bought blankets, so many blankets. Sonic, Pikachu, Spiderman, PJ Masks. I bought a mesh thingy with lights to hang over his bed. I bribed him with "If you just sleep in your big boy bed we can get you this toy or go do this thing". I could tell he tried but was really anxious about being in there alone.
We would do this song and dance of him waking up, me going to his room to get him back to sleep and then trying to get back in my bed 2, 3, 4 times a night before I would give up and let him come sleep with us. Don't get me wrong, my husband would also go over to his room to try and get him back to sleep but sometimes he just whined and asked for me. He is such a restless sleeper, too. All night long I would wake up from him basically kicking me off of the bed or alligator rolling on my hair and pulling the blankets off of me. Well, last weekend, he puked in our bed. We had to completely strip it down and wash everything and we both had to shower off. It was so bad. That led to me just sleeping in his room with him and my husband on the couch. The next night, husband offered to sleep in his room with him. We had also been trying to hype our son up all day like "WOW YAY you slept in your bed! Let's do it again!". I slept alone, and like a ROCK. 3rd night, the stars perfectly aligned. I took him to bed and read 4 or 5 books. I gathered them to go swap out with new ones from the shelf and when I turned back around he was asleep. He slept in his own bed ALL NIGHT LONG AND DID NOT WAKE UP! Last night, it took him a little longer to get to sleep, but he did. I was able to have some time to wind down time in front of the tv by myself. He did wake up at around 3am and called for me. I went over and tucked him back in with a kiss and he was right back out.
VICTORY. THE DAWNING OF A NEW ERA! I just wanted to share my success with you other mommas. If you made it this far, thanks for reading!