As a person who's fairly interested in church history, and in the history of slavery I'm often the first one to inform Christians I talk to about the biblical messaging surrounding the treatment of slaves. I can understand a lot of readers here might be aware already about the passages in the bible, but for the sake of the post and readability, I'll outline it, and troublesome passages.
So slavery and chattel slavery were both outlined in the bible. Leviticus 25. Foreigners are to be kept as slaves forever, not to be released after 7 years. In exodus 21 it outlines how jewish women aren't necessarily guaranteed to go free after 7 years either. Exodus 21 also says you're free to beat your slaves to within an inch of death. Noah lays a curse on Canaan that he will be slaves of slaves to his brothers. Regardless of your individual reading of the curse of Canaan, the history of it played a monumental role in the North Atlantic Slave trade. For further reading, I'd recommend the Baptism of Early Virginia, How Christianity Created Race.
Jesus himself talks about slavery pretty often, often mistranslated as servant. But at the time, the greek word doulos strictly meant slave, as opposed to a free man. It's easy enough to look search through the new testament for the word servant, check the original greek, determine if the word used is doulos or not. There are other words that mean servant, like in matthew 20:24-28 where you see doulos properly translated as slave because otherwise the passage would lose it's meaning. Anyway, one of the most stunning examples for jesus is luke 12, where he tells a parable where he says a slave who accidentally does wrong should only be beaten lightly, but a slave who knowingly does wrong should be beaten severely. Then, in matthew 18, he tells a parable where a slave is tortured repay his debts after he himself is greedy and unforgiving. Lastly, he refers to the canaanite woman, and presumably all canaanites as dogs, and he would likely have been aware of the curse and persecution of canaanites. As a person who lived his entire life in a culture that allowed chattel slavery, that to me reads pretty clearly as tacit approval of the institution of slavery on the part of Yeshua.
Then there's paul, as you might already know Ephesians 6 and Collosians 3 both instruct slaves to obey their earthly masters.
The Catholic Church issued the papal bulls Dum Diversas and Inter Caetera, both justifying the enslavement of natives of Africa and the Americas. And they played a role in the Encomienda. As well as staying complicit in King Leopold II's reign, enslavement and genocide in the Congo. A thing the vatican has still not apologized for.
A common response I hear was that slavery was universal, but we know chattel slavery, and especially race based chattel slavery was especially nefarious. Also, we know most hunter gather communities did not engage in slavery, and a handful of recorded ancient societies/groups refused to engage in slavery. To say it was universal for all of human history until recent times is simply incorrect.
But, and perhaps most importantly, if you believe in a high christology, or even if you believe Jesus could just talk with God and have access to his infinite wisdom. How can you walk away feeling like Jesus is a good person by moral standards knowing that he actively talked about slaves surely being beaten severely? How can you resolve within yourself the belief that an all knowing, and all powerful, and all good entity(if that's your view) was tacitly supportive of one of the most heinous, cruel, and heartless systems throughout history? How can you reconcile yourself with the religious tradition of christianity that supported it for well over a thousand years? How do you reconcile yourself with the slave extraction of Africa, which did immeasurable amounts of damage, that to this day still has countless lingering affects. (See: How Europe Underdeveloped Africa). What is your reasoning for supporting a historically pro-slavery religion? And do how do you feel about it? Do you feel any guilt?

I'm looking for time travel fics, but closer to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with the Time Turner. Things like:
•Going back in time to slightly bend the timeline without changing too many things to get the outcome they want.
•Going back in time to ensure things go how it is supposed to because the characters were always meant to go back in time to ensure these things.
But more than anything, I just kinda want to see a time travel fic where a character goes back in time or to an alternate timeline and their past selves are there but not like...a baby or little kid. Their past selves would be someone with as much agency as their current selves. Less "let's talk to baby!me and make them a better person" and more "well well well, if it isn't the consequences of my actions".
An example would be if Obito was thrown back in time after his heel-face turn and is determined to not let the future he caused come to pass...but the version of him before all of that is still walking the earth and is very keen on completing the Infinite Tsukuyomi and is, let's be honest, not trying to hear anything he's talking about. Past!bito either outright doesn't believe him or thinks they can game the system and make the Infinite Tsukuyomi work somehow.
Imagine him having to fight the organization he helped build up on top of fighting himself. They're already at a disadvantage due to him knowing all that they know on top of him knowing the general future, but he still would have to fight these people.
Like, yeah, a person like Orochimaru or Nagato could just completely neg the hell out of their past selves and just be done with it in less than 2k words. Or this could be interesting and fun and not as simple as "I know the future and I just have to do these three things and the story is over".
TL;DR: Any fic recommendations where someone time travels and has to go against their past selves to change the bad future?
I realize this is written more like a request or pitch than asking for a rec. I just really wanted to get across what exactly I wanted to read. Thank you.

We are standing in the face of a climate crisis that is accelerating into chaos in severity and periodicity. If the farmers don't know when to plant and when to sow, starvation for the billions of innocent people of the earth, will quickly wipe us out. Meanwhile China, Russia and the United States leadership can't get their sh** together, because they are too busy in their proxy wars to care about the future of their own grandchildren, let alone everyone else's. The likely result will be a future descent into permanent feudalism and warlords, until a comet comes along and finishes us off.
Why don't the aliens intercede? Could it be that we are nothing but entertainment for the alien masses to enjoy; like watching Game of Thrones in real time? Are they placing bets with their bookies on who will win this or that, this week in our Road to Perdition? Because, they sure don't seem to give a rat's a** about the billions that will soon die and the grandchildren who survive.

In my youthful days, there were times I got resentful and even annoyed with my dad. But, he loved me still. I only began to appreciate the love behind his actions as I grew in maturity.
Photo by Drew Hayes
It then comes as no surprise that feelings of resentment may occasionaly arise in some Christians' hearts towards their heavenly Father.

When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years. ~ Mark Twain>

Examples of those who were annoyed with God.
Jonah. Why? Becaise he was certain that his nation, Israel's tormentors, Babylon, will be forgiven by God if they heeded God's warnings (at Jonah's preaching), repent, and turn from their wicked ways.

Jonah 3:10 - 4:3>l
10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.>l
​1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.> l
2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

Another guy who was "annoyed" with God was the fiery prophet, Elijah. Why? He thought he was the last man standing for God and righteousness. Yet, it seemed God wasn't bordered that ungodly and spineless King Ahab and his equally wicked wife, Jezebel, were seeking for his head.

1 Kings 19:4, 14
4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

Yet, one more holy man who was "annoyed" with God was Job. Here was a man who was on God's side, did everything right according to God's will. Yet, God seemed to look the otherway while he, Job his faithful servant was beeing hammered by endless troubles.

Job 13:23-24
23 How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin.
24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thine enemy?

Can mortal man ever presume to be annoyed with Almighty Immortal Holy God?
When I first posed this question, it was met with angst. "What a blasphemy?" Some of my Christian friends took me to task. "What a sacrilegious question?" That may well have been the response of many who misunderstood my posit.
Repeatedly, what I posed as a subject for healrhy discussion was repeatedly met with insults. Yes, right in a Christian group. Finally, the post was taken deleted by the subredditor.
I have reposted the initial post here, Howbeit, with further clarifocations in the hope it will help brethren to understamd my perspectives.
Has there not been times, when these secret anguished cries and pleas of frustration spring from the depths of many Christian's hearts when faced with afflictions?
Then our anguished cries,
"O God, why the delay? Why haven't you answered my prayers?"
Why didn't you stop my loved one from dying?"
You know I've been living from hand-to-mouth these past many months. Why didn't you give me that job?" Why? Why? Why?…."
Many have taken to outright rebellion against God Almighty because of unanswered questions such as these.
Others have resorted to atheism because of God's seemingly nonchallant attitude to the problems of evil and His "sustained" absence when they had needed Him most.
But with time, we come to appreciate His infinite love and goodness towards His children in all things, both good and bad.
That was the experience of Jonah, Elijah, Job and many others in Bible days. In our contemporary times, many believers have found out that God's silence doesn't mean rejection and unconcern.
Unfortunately, unlike the aforementioned Old Testament men of God, many believers are too impatient to listen and wait for God's answers and blessings.
One thing I am certain of is this, if my earthly father still love me and care for me despite my ignorance and childish rebellion, how much more my loving Heavenly Father, if only I will repent and keep trusting Him - no matter what?
What are we to do?

Trusting as the moments fly, Trusting as the days go by, Trusting Him, whate’er befall, Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Source: Edgar Page, 1876
~~~ Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. ~~~
Remember, Job in his afflictions thought God was against Him unjustly. At last, the veil was lifted and he (we) saw God's love and power at work.
AFTERWORD For me, Dr. John I. Snyder answered this question - Angry with God? excellently well in his book.
©John I. Snyder, Resenting God - Escaping the Downward Spiral of Blame. Abingdon Press, 2018

Notes:

• I am EXTREMELY busy, but I check my messages and DMs at least ONCE per day. Please be patient and wait at least 24 hours for my response if I don't get back to you immediately.
  
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Hollow Knight	2.4 TF2	$4.89 PP	-
Homefront	0.5 TF2	$0.98 PP	-
Homefront: The Revolution	0.9 TF2	$1.78 PP	-
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak	0.4 TF2	$0.78 PP	-
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number Digital Special Edition	0.5 TF2	$1.09 PP	-
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number	0.5 TF2	$1.0 PP	-
Hotline Miami	0.8 TF2	$1.57 PP	-
House Flipper VR	0.9 TF2	$1.76 PP	-
House Flipper	2.6 TF2	$5.23 PP	-
Human: Fall Flat	0.7 TF2	$1.51 PP	-
HuniePop	0.4 TF2	$0.9 PP	-
Huntdown	1.2 TF2	$2.55 PP	-
Hurtworld	2.0 TF2	$4.09 PP	-
Hyper Light Drifter	0.9 TF2	$1.84 PP	-
Hypnospace Outlaw	0.8 TF2	$1.58 PP	-
I Am Fish	0.4 TF2	$0.83 PP	-
I Expect You To Die	1.3 TF2	$2.7 PP	-
I-NFECTED	6.0 TF2	$12.38 PP	-
IL-2 Sturmovik™: 1946	0.9 TF2	$1.77 PP	-
INSURGENCY	1.6 TF2	$3.26 PP	-
Imperator: Rome Deluxe Edition	0.8 TF2	$1.58 PP	-
Imperator: Rome	0.5 TF2	$1.01 PP	-
Injustice 2 Legendary Edition	1.2 TF2	$2.44 PP	-
Injustice 2	0.7 TF2	$1.51 PP	-
Injustice: Gods Among Us - Ultimate Edition	0.6 TF2	$1.24 PP	-
Into the Radius VR	5.2 TF2	$10.76 PP	-
Ion Fury	1.5 TF2	$3.09 PP	-
Iron Harvest	0.9 TF2	$1.83 PP	-
Jalopy	0.5 TF2	$1.06 PP	-
Job Simulator	8.9 TF2	$18.19 PP	-
Jurassic World Evolution 2	1.9 TF2 Refer To My Other Thread	$3.87 PP Refer To My Other Thread	Humble Choice (Mar 2023)
Jurassic World Evolution	0.5 TF2	$0.93 PP	-
Just Cause 2	0.5 TF2	$1.04 PP	-
Just Cause 3 XXL Edition	1.0 TF2	$2.13 PP	-
Just Cause 4: Complete Edition	1.0 TF2	$2.09 PP	-
KartKraft	3.0 TF2	$6.22 PP	-
Katamari Damacy REROLL	1.1 TF2	$2.23 PP	-
Katana ZERO	1.0 TF2	$2.11 PP	-
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes	2.6 TF2	$5.29 PP	-
Kerbal Space Program	0.9 TF2	$1.88 PP	-
Killer Instinct	6.0 TF2	$12.21 PP	-
Killing Floor 2	0.6 TF2	$1.2 PP	-
Killing Floor	0.6 TF2	$1.17 PP	-
Kingdom Come: Deliverance	1.5 TF2	$3.0 PP	-
Kingdom: Two Crowns	0.8 TF2	$1.58 PP	-
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning	0.9 TF2	$1.88 PP	-
King’s Bounty : Ultimate Edition	0.8 TF2	$1.73 PP	-
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Premium Edition	0.5 TF2	$1.07 PP	-
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham	0.4 TF2	$0.82 PP	-
LEGO Batman Trilogy	1.4 TF2	$2.93 PP	-
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4	0.5 TF2	$1.03 PP	-
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7	0.7 TF2	$1.48 PP	-
LEGO Lord of the Rings	0.5 TF2	$0.95 PP	-
LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars	0.5 TF2	$1.01 PP	-
LEGO® City Undercover	0.7 TF2	$1.53 PP	-
LEGO® DC Super-Villains Deluxe Edition	1.9 TF2	$3.9 PP	-
LEGO® DC Super-Villains	0.4 TF2	$0.83 PP	-
LEGO® Jurassic World™	0.4 TF2	$0.82 PP	-
LEGO® MARVEL's Avengers	0.4 TF2	$0.76 PP	-
LEGO® Marvel Super Heroes 2 Deluxe Edition	1.1 TF2	$2.34 PP	-
LEGO® Marvel Super Heroes 2	0.4 TF2	$0.9 PP	-
LEGO® Ninjago® Movie Video Game	0.3 TF2	$0.71 PP	-
LEGO® Star Wars™: The Force Awakens	0.6 TF2	$1.18 PP	-
LEGO® Worlds	1.8 TF2	$3.6 PP	-
Labyrinth City: Pierre the Maze Detective	0.7 TF2	$1.46 PP	-
Last Oasis	0.5 TF2	$1.12 PP	-
Late Shift	0.5 TF2	$0.97 PP	-
Layers of Fear 2	3.5 TF2	$7.1 PP	-
Layers of Fear	0.5 TF2	$1.11 PP	-
Legion TD 2	1.0 TF2	$1.97 PP	-
Len's Island	3.0 TF2	$6.23 PP	-
Lethal League Blaze	0.9 TF2	$1.91 PP	-
Lethal League	0.8 TF2	$1.54 PP	-
Library Of Ruina	3.1 TF2	$6.36 PP	-
Life is Feudal: Your Own	0.4 TF2	$0.83 PP	-
Little Misfortune	3.4 TF2	$6.89 PP	-
Little Nightmares Complete Edition	1.6 TF2	$3.26 PP	-
Little Nightmares	0.8 TF2	$1.64 PP	-
Lobotomy Corporation Monster Management Simulation	5.0 TF2	$10.21 PP	-
Lords of the Fallen Game of the Year Edition	0.8 TF2	$1.7 PP	-
Lost Ember	1.3 TF2	$2.73 PP	-
Lost Planet™: Extreme Condition	0.9 TF2	$1.81 PP	-
Luck be a Landlord	2.7 TF2	$5.45 PP	-
METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN	0.8 TF2	$1.55 PP	-
METAL GEAR SOLID V: The Definitive Experience	1.2 TF2	$2.55 PP	-
MORTAL KOMBAT 11	1.7 TF2	$3.44 PP	-
MX vs ATV Reflex	0.4 TF2	$0.8 PP	-
MX vs. ATV Unleashed	0.4 TF2	$0.73 PP	-
Mad Max	1.3 TF2	$2.58 PP	-
Mafia II: Definitive Edition	1.3 TF2	$2.62 PP	-
Mafia III: Definitive Edition	2.0 TF2	$4.09 PP	-
Mafia: Definitive Edition	2.2 TF2	$4.54 PP	-
Maneater	0.5 TF2	$1.08 PP	-
Manhunt	1.2 TF2	$2.52 PP	-
Mars Horizon	1.0 TF2	$2.04 PP	-
Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite - Deluxe Edition	2.8 TF2	$5.79 PP	-
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne	0.6 TF2	$1.2 PP	-
Max Payne	0.9 TF2	$1.85 PP	-
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries	2.4 TF2	$4.84 PP	-
Medal of Honor	2.0 TF2	$4.14 PP	-
Mega Man Legacy Collection	0.6 TF2	$1.25 PP	-
Men of War: Assault Squad 2 - Deluxe Edition	1.1 TF2	$2.21 PP	-
Men of War: Assault Squad 2 War Chest Edition	1.1 TF2	$2.24 PP	-
Men of War: Assault Squad 2	1.1 TF2	$2.24 PP	-
Messenger	0.4 TF2	$0.9 PP	-
Metro 2033 Redux	0.6 TF2	$1.31 PP	-
Metro Exodus	1.5 TF2	$3.04 PP	-
Metro Redux Bundle	1.1 TF2	$2.3 PP	-
Metro: Last Light Redux	1.1 TF2	$2.23 PP	-
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition	0.8 TF2	$1.65 PP	-
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™	0.7 TF2	$1.44 PP	-
Middleearth Shadow of War Definitive Edition	1.2 TF2	$2.48 PP	-
Mini Ninjas	0.5 TF2	$0.94 PP	-
Mirror's Edge	2.4 TF2	$4.85 PP	-
Miscreated	1.4 TF2	$2.88 PP	-
Monster Hunter: World	3.4 TF2	$6.96 PP	-
Monster Sanctuary	0.5 TF2	$0.96 PP	-
Monster Train	0.4 TF2	$0.77 PP	-
Moonlighter	0.5 TF2	$0.93 PP	-
Moons of Madness	1.8 TF2	$3.74 PP	-
Mordhau	1.7 TF2	$3.41 PP	-
Mortal Kombat X	0.8 TF2	$1.55 PP	-
Mortal Kombat XL	0.9 TF2	$1.88 PP	-
Mortal Shell	1.6 TF2	$3.18 PP	-
Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021	0.9 TF2	$1.76 PP	-
Motorsport Manager	1.1 TF2	$2.24 PP	-
Move or Die	1.0 TF2	$2.0 PP	-
Moving Out	0.7 TF2	$1.49 PP	-
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden - Deluxe Edition	1.5 TF2	$3.04 PP	-
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden	0.9 TF2	$1.93 PP	-
My Friend Pedro	0.6 TF2	$1.27 PP	-
My Time At Portia	0.5 TF2	$0.96 PP	-
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM 4 Road to Boruto	2.3 TF2	$4.72 PP	-
NASCAR Heat 5 - Ultimate Edition	0.4 TF2	$0.92 PP	-
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4	1.8 TF2	$3.59 PP	-
Naruto to Boruto Shinobi Striker - Deluxe Edition	1.3 TF2	$2.63 PP	-
Naruto to Boruto Shinobi Striker	0.4 TF2	$0.82 PP	-
Necromunda: Hired Gun	0.8 TF2	$1.56 PP	-
Neon Abyss	0.5 TF2	$0.97 PP	-
Ni no Kuni™ II: Revenant Kingdom - The Prince's Edition	2.6 TF2	$5.33 PP	-
Nine Parchments	1.5 TF2	$3.0 PP	-
No Time to Relax	1.7 TF2	$3.57 PP	-
Northgard	4.2 TF2	$8.55 PP	-
Not For Broadcast	0.5 TF2	$1.01 PP	-
ONE PIECE BURNING BLOOD	0.8 TF2	$1.69 PP	-
ONE PIECE PIRATE WARRIORS 3 Gold Edition	1.0 TF2	$2.13 PP	-
Offworld Trading Company™	0.7 TF2	$1.44 PP	-
One Step From Eden	0.5 TF2	$0.97 PP	-
Opus Magnum	1.2 TF2	$2.56 PP	-
Orcs Must Die! 3	1.7 TF2	$3.42 PP	-
Outlast 2	0.4 TF2	$0.91 PP	-
Outlast	0.5 TF2	$0.95 PP	-
Outward	1.4 TF2	$2.91 PP	-
Overcooked	0.7 TF2	$1.49 PP	-
Overcooked! 2	1.5 TF2	$3.1 PP	-
Overgrowth	0.5 TF2	$1.08 PP	-
Overlord II	0.4 TF2	$0.84 PP	-
PC Building Simulator	0.8 TF2	$1.74 PP	-
Paint the Town Red	2.1 TF2	$4.23 PP	-
Parkitect	4.7 TF2	$9.55 PP	-
Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Enhanced Plus Edition	1.0 TF2	$2.11 PP	-
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous	0.9 TF2	$1.89 PP	-
Pathologic 2	0.7 TF2	$1.46 PP	-
Per Aspera	0.7 TF2	$1.52 PP	-
Phantom Doctrine	0.4 TF2	$0.73 PP	-
Pillars of Eternity Definitive Edition	0.8 TF2	$1.55 PP	-
Pistol Whip	6.0 TF2	$12.21 PP	-
Plague Inc: Evolved	1.6 TF2	$3.27 PP	-
Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition	0.4 TF2	$0.79 PP	-
Planet Coaster	1.7 TF2	$3.48 PP	-
Planetary Annihilation: TITANS	4.7 TF2	$9.55 PP	-
Portal Knights	0.9 TF2	$1.76 PP	-
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid	3.5 TF2	$7.15 PP	-
PowerBeatsVR	1.0 TF2	$1.97 PP	-
PowerSlave Exhumed	1.7 TF2	$3.51 PP	-
Praey for the Gods	0.6 TF2 Refer To My Other Thread	$1.32 PP Refer To My Other Thread	Humble Heroines: Warriors, Dreamers, and God Slayers
Prehistoric Kingdom	1.4 TF2	$2.9 PP	-
Pro Cycling Manager 2019	1.3 TF2	$2.58 PP	-
Project Cars 3	10.8 TF2	$22.11 PP	-
Project Hospital	2.4 TF2	$4.83 PP	-
Project Wingman	1.1 TF2	$2.24 PP	-
Project Winter	1.0 TF2	$1.97 PP	-
Propnight	0.7 TF2 Refer To My Other Thread	$1.36 PP Refer To My Other Thread	Scary Games to Play in the Dark Bundle
Pumpkin Jack	0.4 TF2	$0.9 PP	-
Quantum Break	1.4 TF2	$2.91 PP	-
RESIDENT EVIL 3	2.2 TF2	$4.41 PP	-
RUGBY 20	1.2 TF2	$2.55 PP	-
RUINER	0.4 TF2	$0.84 PP	-
RWBY: Grimm Eclipse	3.2 TF2	$6.56 PP	-
Ragnaröck	3.3 TF2	$6.8 PP	-
Rain World	1.3 TF2	$2.57 PP	-
Raw Data	1.0 TF2	$2.13 PP	-
Re:Legend	1.0 TF2	$2.12 PP	-
Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered	0.5 TF2	$0.95 PP	-
Red Matter	4.3 TF2	$8.83 PP	-
Resident Evil / biohazard HD REMASTER	0.9 TF2	$1.86 PP	-
Resident Evil 0 / biohazard 0 HD Remaster	0.6 TF2	$1.3 PP	-
Resident Evil 5 GOLD Edition	1.4 TF2	$2.83 PP	-
Resident Evil 5	0.9 TF2	$1.92 PP	-
Resident Evil 6	1.4 TF2	$2.82 PP	-
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Deluxe Edition	2.1 TF2	$4.23 PP	-
Resident Evil: Revelations	0.5 TF2	$1.02 PP	-
Retro Machina	0.5 TF2	$1.01 PP	-
Risen 2 Dark Waters	0.4 TF2	$0.88 PP	-
Rising Storm 2: Vietnam	0.5 TF2	$1.04 PP	-
River City Girls	1.4 TF2	$2.91 PP	-
Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos	0.5 TF2	$1.1 PP	-
RollerCoaster Tycoon Deluxe	1.0 TF2	$2.1 PP	-
Rollercoaster Tycoon 2: Triple Thrill Pack	1.2 TF2	$2.51 PP	-
Rubber Bandits	0.7 TF2	$1.5 PP	-
Running with Rifles	1.9 TF2	$3.86 PP	-
Ryse: Son of Rome	1.7 TF2	$3.49 PP	-
SCUM	2.8 TF2	$5.72 PP	-
SHENZHEN I/O	0.5 TF2	$0.97 PP	-
SOMA	2.0 TF2	$4.19 PP	-
SONG OF HORROR Complete Edition	0.5 TF2	$0.98 PP	-
STAR WARS® THE FORCE UNLEASHED II	0.8 TF2	$1.7 PP	-
STAR WARS™: Squadrons	2.0 TF2	$4.17 PP	-
SUPERHOT VR	2.2 TF2	$4.49 PP	-
SUPERHOT	0.8 TF2	$1.57 PP	-
SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE	0.4 TF2	$0.87 PP	-
Sable	0.5 TF2 Refer To My Other Thread	$1.04 PP Refer To My Other Thread	Humble Heroines: Warriors, Dreamers, and God Slayers
Saint's Row The Third Remastered	2.2 TF2	$4.48 PP	-
Saints Row 2	0.6 TF2	$1.23 PP	-
Saints Row IV	0.9 TF2	$1.82 PP	-
Saints Row: The Third	0.6 TF2	$1.29 PP	-
Sanctum 2	0.5 TF2	$1.08 PP	-
Satisfactory	6.2 TF2	$12.71 PP	-
Scarlet Nexus	2.8 TF2	$5.84 PP	-
Secret Neighbor	0.6 TF2	$1.14 PP	-
Serious Sam 2	0.7 TF2	$1.53 PP	-
Serious Sam 4	2.7 TF2	$5.47 PP	-
Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem	2.2 TF2	$4.5 PP	-
Severed Steel	1.3 TF2	$2.58 PP	-
Shadow Man Remastered	1.0 TF2	$1.98 PP	-
Shadow Warrior 2	0.8 TF2	$1.73 PP	-
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	3.3 TF2	$6.78 PP	-
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse	0.6 TF2	$1.18 PP	-
Shenmue 3	0.7 TF2	$1.43 PP	-
Shenmue I & II	0.7 TF2	$1.43 PP	-
Shining Resonance Refrain	0.5 TF2	$0.94 PP	-
Sid Meier's Civilization V	0.8 TF2	$1.65 PP	-
Sid Meier's Civilization VI	0.9 TF2	$1.84 PP	-
Sid Meier's Civilization® V: The Complete Edition	2.0 TF2	$4.15 PP	-
Sid Meiers Civilization IV: The Complete Edition	0.8 TF2	$1.74 PP	-
Siege of Centauri	0.6 TF2	$1.15 PP	-
SimCasino	0.7 TF2	$1.35 PP	-
Skullgirls 2nd Encore	1.0 TF2	$1.97 PP	-
Slap City	1.1 TF2	$2.25 PP	-
Slay the Spire	2.7 TF2	$5.56 PP	-
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition	0.8 TF2	$1.57 PP	-
Slime Rancher	1.6 TF2	$3.3 PP	-
Sniper Elite 3	0.6 TF2	$1.14 PP	-
Sniper Elite 4	1.3 TF2	$2.67 PP	-
Sniper Elite V2 Remastered	0.8 TF2	$1.72 PP	-
Sniper Elite V2	0.5 TF2	$0.94 PP	-
Sniper Ghost Warrior 3	0.7 TF2	$1.37 PP	-
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts	0.5 TF2	$1.11 PP	-
Sonic Adventure DX	0.5 TF2	$1.04 PP	-
Sonic Adventure™ 2	0.6 TF2	$1.16 PP	-
Sonic Lost World	1.7 TF2	$3.44 PP	-
Sonic Mania	0.8 TF2	$1.58 PP	-
Sorcery! Parts 1 & 2	0.6 TF2	$1.27 PP	-
Soul Calibur VI	1.1 TF2	$2.34 PP	-
Source of Madness	0.6 TF2	$1.13 PP	-
Space Engineers	2.2 TF2	$4.56 PP	-
Space Haven	0.6 TF2	$1.33 PP	-
Spec Ops: The Line	0.8 TF2	$1.65 PP	-
SpeedRunners	0.7 TF2	$1.38 PP	-
Spelunky	0.7 TF2	$1.5 PP	-
Spirit Of The Island	1.4 TF2	$2.91 PP	-
Splendor	0.7 TF2	$1.34 PP	-
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated	1.3 TF2	$2.6 PP	-
Spyro™ Reignited Trilogy	3.6 TF2	$7.48 PP	-
Star Renegades	1.4 TF2	$2.91 PP	-
Star Trek: Bridge Crew	3.7 TF2	$7.49 PP	-
Star Wars Republic Commando™	0.4 TF2	$0.75 PP	-
Star Wars® Empire at War™: Gold Pack	1.0 TF2	$2.07 PP	-
Starbound	0.8 TF2	$1.58 PP	-
Starpoint Gemini Warlords	1.7 TF2	$3.44 PP	-
State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition	3.0 TF2	$6.08 PP	-
Staxel	0.6 TF2	$1.18 PP	-
SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech	0.9 TF2	$1.88 PP	-
Steel Division: Normandy 44	0.7 TF2	$1.38 PP	-
Stellaris Galaxy Edition	1.3 TF2	$2.58 PP	-
Stellaris	1.3 TF2	$2.6 PP	-
Stellaris: Lithoids Species Pack	0.9 TF2	$1.88 PP	-
Stick Fight: The Game	0.4 TF2	$0.75 PP	-
Strategic Command WWII: World at War	2.1 TF2	$4.21 PP	-
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection	2.4 TF2	$4.82 PP	-
Street Fighter V	0.7 TF2	$1.44 PP	-
Streets of Rogue	1.2 TF2	$2.44 PP	-
Stronghold 2: Steam Edition	1.0 TF2	$1.95 PP	-
Stronghold Crusader 2	0.7 TF2	$1.43 PP	-
Stronghold Crusader HD	0.5 TF2	$1.07 PP	-
Styx: Shards Of Darkness	0.6 TF2	$1.29 PP	-
Subnautica	4.2 TF2	$8.55 PP	-
Summer in Mara	0.4 TF2	$0.92 PP	-
Sunless Skies	0.7 TF2	$1.36 PP	-
Sunset Overdrive	1.3 TF2	$2.67 PP	-
Super Meat Boy	0.4 TF2	$0.72 PP	-
Superliminal	2.0 TF2	$4.11 PP	-
Supraland Six Inches Under	1.6 TF2	$3.34 PP	-
Supreme Commander 2	0.9 TF2	$1.93 PP	-
Surgeon Simulator: Experience Reality	0.9 TF2	$1.82 PP	-
Survive the Nights	0.9 TF2	$1.76 PP	-
Surviving the Aftermath	0.5 TF2	$0.95 PP	-
Sword Art Online Fatal Bullet - Complete Edition	5.3 TF2	$10.86 PP	-
Sword Art Online Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition	1.0 TF2	$2.13 PP	-
Syberia: The World Before	0.9 TF2 Refer To My Other Thread	$1.84 PP Refer To My Other Thread	Humble Heroines: Warriors, Dreamers, and God Slayers
Synth Riders	3.4 TF2	$6.89 PP	-
TEKKEN 7	1.4 TF2	$2.91 PP	-
TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2	1.7 TF2	$3.56 PP	-
Tales of Berseria	0.9 TF2	$1.76 PP	-
Tales of Berseria	0.9 TF2	$1.76 PP	-
Tales of Symphonia	1.6 TF2	$3.25 PP	-
Tales of Zestiria	0.6 TF2	$1.24 PP	-
Talisman: Digital Edition	0.5 TF2	$0.98 PP	-
Tank Mechanic Simulator	1.0 TF2	$2.13 PP	-
Team Sonic Racing™	1.9 TF2	$3.9 PP	-
Telltale Batman Shadows Edition	0.9 TF2	$1.9 PP	-
Terraforming Mars	0.9 TF2	$1.88 PP	-
Terraria	1.8 TF2	$3.71 PP	-
The Ascent	1.0 TF2	$2.09 PP	-
The Battle of Polytopia	0.4 TF2	$0.9 PP	-
The Beast Inside	0.4 TF2	$0.79 PP	-
The Blackout Club	6.0 TF2 Refer To My Other Thread	$12.21 PP Refer To My Other Thread	Scary Games to Play in the Dark Bundle
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope	1.4 TF2	$2.88 PP	-
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan	1.7 TF2	$3.46 PP	-
The Darkness II	0.5 TF2	$1.0 PP	-
The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos	0.5 TF2	$1.08 PP	-
The Escapists 2	0.9 TF2	$1.83 PP	-
The Escapists	0.7 TF2	$1.34 PP	-
The Henry Stickmin Collection	0.7 TF2	$1.5 PP	-
The Intruder	1.2 TF2	$2.38 PP	-
The Jackbox Party Pack 2	1.3 TF2	$2.58 PP	-
The Jackbox Party Pack 3	3.4 TF2	$6.87 PP	-
The Jackbox Party Pack 4	2.1 TF2	$4.21 PP	-
The Jackbox Party Pack 5	3.3 TF2	$6.8 PP	-
The Jackbox Party Pack 6	2.7 TF2	$5.53 PP	-
The Jackbox Party Pack	1.1 TF2	$2.33 PP	-
The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame	0.4 TF2	$0.75 PP	-
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky	1.4 TF2	$2.91 PP	-
The Long Dark	2.0 TF2	$4.17 PP	-
The Long Dark: Survival Edition	0.4 TF2	$0.78 PP	-
The Ship: Murder Party	0.4 TF2	$0.83 PP	-
The Stanley Parable	2.3 TF2	$4.69 PP	-
The Surge 2	0.7 TF2	$1.46 PP	-
The Survivalists	1.0 TF2	$1.99 PP	-
The Talos Principle	0.7 TF2	$1.41 PP	-
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier	0.3 TF2	$0.71 PP	-
The Walking Dead: The Final Season	0.3 TF2	$0.71 PP	-
The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series	2.0 TF2	$4.17 PP	-
The Witness	4.6 TF2	$9.48 PP	-
The Wolf Among Us	1.1 TF2	$2.34 PP	-
This War of Mine: Complete Edition	0.8 TF2	$1.56 PP	-
Titan Quest Anniversary Edition	0.7 TF2	$1.36 PP	-
Tomb Raider	1.5 TF2	$3.02 PP	-
Torchlight II	0.7 TF2	$1.44 PP	-
Total Tank Simulator	0.4 TF2	$0.79 PP	-
Total War SHOGUN 2	1.6 TF2	$3.23 PP	-
Total War Shogun 2 Collection	1.7 TF2	$3.44 PP	-
Total War: ATTILA	1.9 TF2	$3.93 PP	-
Total War: Empire - Definitive Edition	1.5 TF2	$3.07 PP	-
Total War: Napoleon - Definitive Edition	1.5 TF2	$3.0 PP	-
Total War: Rome II - Emperor Edition	2.5 TF2	$5.17 PP	-
Total War™: WARHAMMER®	3.0 TF2	$6.17 PP	-
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Train Simulator Classic	0.7 TF2 Refer To My Other Thread	$1.44 PP Refer To My Other Thread	Train Simulator Classic: On the Fast Track Bundle
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I mean Mary Batson) as Superwoman (Wonder Woman's evil alternate) not Lucy Lane or Donna Troy. A fight to the death, who would win?

I know this has been postet many times but maybe a little info about my preference helps. The most important thing for me is an overall DC experience with everything important for that. That i have a general knowledge of the universe and everything people consider among the best and most iconic/imporant events in the DC history
First i heard about the New 52 reboot and thought about starting there, but then i heard about Crisis on infinite earths which sounds mind blowing. Also i think there are other great stories from the 80s/90s etc. Since i don't think the reboot includes all these great stories i thought about reading CoiE and what i need before it. I have no idea what i need to read before it. And how do i continue?
I read in the wiki that continuity started after CoiE. That's what i care about. I read that it is hard to consider what is canon so atleast what most consider to be. My reading order should be like a long TV Show or similar to how the MCU handled it. Until now i only now the DCEU and Nolan Movies and Batman Arkham Asylum/City.
The first question many ask is about the favourite characteres. Until now i only have batman because i barely know anything about others and the DCEU movies didn't really give a lot of info. I am open to every character and story which is written good.
I also heard many criticise New 52 and since it probably doesn't includes important events from the past i thought about the following approach: Reading the few relevant stories before CoiE and then everything major + character intro/development and some high rated single stories. What do you think? would i still miss a lot of great stuff or is this fine? Maybe if i am done with that i would start with New 52.

Maybe it's because he's appeared in a major mainstream movie and he's now seen as a normie character and it's cool to say "Oh, you're just a casual Marvel fan, there are like a hundred Marvel characters who would destroy IG Thanos". I saw the same 10 years ago with people proclaiming on the internet that Hulk and Thor were just norm avengers and weren't that strong and lesser-known avengers like Ant Man or Hyperion would beat them. Huh ?
IG Thanos îs hands down one of the absolute strongest characters, not just in Marvel, but in fiction as a whole. Dude solos 99% of fictional verses.
I've seen people on Youtube comment sections say stuff like- "Thanos isn't even the strongest Marvel Villain, wait till you see guys like Galactus and the Celestials" or IG Thanos would lose to Darkseid.
What ? Huh IG Thanos is leagues above Galactus and the celestials.. how do we know this ? He took on a friggin army which included Galactus, Arishem, The Boss of the Celestials (OAA) and various high-end abstracts and smoked them all neg-diff ! (think Mr. Mxyzptlk is strong ? Most of these guys were at least 16-dimensional if not infinite-dimensional) And effortlessly owned Eternity (the infinite-dimensional omniversal personification of the paper comics are written on) shortly after. The frigging Living Tribunal acknowledged that while he could beat Adam Warlock with an incomplete IG, it would be a long and hard fight. Thanos literally created a wave of energy that caused destruction outside the Omniverse.
With the IG, Thanos is Omniversal. He destroys your fave. He is at lovecraftian outer god levels of power. I don't think there is a single character in any anime or manga who compares to him yet I've heard some people say Saitama or Goku can beat him lol. He beats Elder God Demonsbane and all of Gurenn Lagenn at the same time with his pinkie finger. Maybe some anime verse has an omnipotent who should be above him but that's it and they sure don't have the feats to back this up. You can probably count the number of fictional characters who can beat him on your hand... Ok that's not exactly true, there are entire races of super-powerful beings like Outer Gods and Beyonders and like nigh-omnipotent civilizations but the number is still relatively very small.
IG Thanos is a monster. He does not lose to Galactus, he does not lose to celestials and he sure as hell does not lose to Darkseid or Goku lol. He maybe a 'normie' character but he is at the very top of the Marvel hierarchy and only a handful of characters could beat him, not every esoteric marvel villain your non-comic book reading friends haven't heard of. His sending a wave that caused destruction outside the omniverse is one of the craziest feats ever in all of fiction. Even without the IG he is an absolute genius and the most dangerous marvel super villain by far, his actions have brought earth and the marvel universe/multiverse/omniverse to conquest/destruction come closer to armageddon than anyone else. Conquering the marvel universe is a lifelong ambition for most Marvel supervillains. For Thanos it's just Tuesday. He is the ultimate evil in Marvel comics and the guy who is secretly behind every evil plot. Almost every Marvel storyline terminates with his involvement. He is the main antagonist of the marvel franchise as a whole and the guy who is always brought in as the main baddie. Galactus and Doom are B tier villains by comparison and people like Kang and Dormammu are like C-tier. It's obvious why Marvel Studios chose him as the big bad, he is the big bad of the comics ! And with the IG in hand he's stronger than any super villain earth has ever faced (barring maybe like 2 god-like beings who appeared in a single comic or two over a span of 60 years). There's a reason he's so famous... he's just that guy !

The oculus quest 2, being the dumpster fire piece of crap tech that it is, decided to screw my game download up. I tried to update blade and sorcery overnight and it only got up to around 500mb as, like I said, it’s one of thee most unreliable objects on planet earth. I cancelled the download so I could play it without updating then tried updating it again. It’s the next day and it’s just stuck in an infinite download saying 1.13gb/353mb. It’s making me angry as all hell because I cannot cancel the download from my phone, AppStore, or apps tab. Anyone have a fix besides factory reset? I don’t wanna have to redownload everything all because meta can’t keep its crap together. Can provide pics if needed.

I dunno, I really want Bashir and Yoshi and Neelix and Troi and whoever else in the mix together. Fans have always wanted these shows (esp. TNG, DS9 and VOY) to cross-pollinate and Michael Berman and company were always so stingy. Terry Matalas has easily come closest to doing this. People are loving it, why not give the fans what they want?

In this week's thread, we will be discussing Green Lantern: Circle of Fire by Judd Winick:
A new era begins for Green Lantern Kyle Rayner! It begins as Nero escapes a mental institution and finds himself in possession of a yellow power ring, thanks to the Qwardians. Now with the power to materialize the inner workings of his mind, the madman looks to destroy the planet. And as the Justice League attempts to fight his hordes of minions, Kyle must find a way to defeat a ring-bearer more powerful than he is! Then, when Rann is attacked by the entity known as Oblivion, Green Lantern enlists other heroes to join the “Circle of Fire,” as Power Girl, Firestorm, Adam Strange, and the Atom answer the call. Collects Green Lantern #129-136, Green Lantern/Firestorm #1, Green Lantern/Adam Strange #1, Green Lantern/Atom #1, Green Lantern/Green Lantern #1, Green Lantern/Power Girl #1, and Green Lantern: Circle of Fire #1 and 2.
Green Lantern: Circle of Fire Links:

• Amazon (TPB)
• Barnes and Nobles (TPB)
• InStockTrades (TPB)
• DCU Infinite (Digital)
• Amazon (Kindle/Comixology)
• Hoopla

Next week on April 2nd, 2023, we will be reading Green Lantern: Rebirth 1-6. This is the beginning of Geoff Johns' amazing run on Green Lantern and we will be doing a full re-read of the whole run for the next couple months! Hope you are excited as I am! Please let your friends know and share in other subs so we can get as much participation as possible. The last few threads haven't quite gotten much participation, but I hope that Geoff Johns' run will draw a little more attention. Thank you to all that participate and I hope we all enjoy this re read. For first time readers, get ready for a wild ride!!
Green Lantern: Rebirth Links:
If you do not already have a way to read Geoff Johns' Green Lantern Run, I highly recommend getting the omnibus', but buying up the older trades on eBay are also an option. The omnibuses will get you the full story in 3 volumes at about $75 each. DCU Infinite has the whole run on digital as well!

• Amazon (Green Lantern by Geoff Johns' Omnibus Vol. 1)
• Barnes and Nobles (Green Lantern by Geoff Johns' Omnibus Vol. 1)
• Barnes and Nobles (Green Lantern by Geoff Johns TPB Vol. 1)
• InStockTrades (Green Lantern by Geoff Johns' Omnibus Vol. 1)
• DCU Infinite (Digital Issues)
• Amazon (GL by Geoff Johns TPB Vol. 1 Kindle/Comixology)
• Hoopla (Digital TPB)

Green Lantern: Circle of Fire Discussion questions:

General

• Favorite moments of the story?
• Have you read this story before? When did you first read it?
• What similar books would you recommend?

Book-Specific

• Thoughts on Kyle's "reunion" with Alex?
• How do you like the idea of Kyle's own creation coming back to haunt him?
• How did you enjoy the different characters utilized in the story?

Previous Week Thread: Emerald Twilight

I found this experience thrilling! Section 1 is what I had reviewed from my essay (pressureoflight.ca ) , and I'll try section 2 next.

Contents:

​

1. My side-question
2. Debate over the certainty of knowledge
3. Chat-GPT's counterarguments
4. Full Transcript

1) My side-question

Andrew Malcolm: Before I paste in sub-section 3, I want to ask you, do you think the fundamental nature of remembered-internal-events is similar to the fundamental nature of the inside of a black hole?
ChatGPT: It is an interesting analogy to make. Black holes are characterized by a singularity, which is a point of infinite density and zero volume. Similarly, remembered-internal-events may also be characterized by a singularity, in the sense that they exist only within the individual mind and are inaccessible to any outside observer. Both black holes and remembered-internal-events also represent a limit to our understanding, as we may never be able to directly observe or confirm the reality of either. However, it is important to note that there are significant differences between the two concepts, and using one as a direct analogy for the other may not capture all of the nuances of each.
Andrew Malcolm: Exactly what I was thinking!

2) Debate over the Certainty of Knowledge

ChatGPT: This is a good example of how remembered-external-events are vulnerable to disproof and how the mind's certainty can degrade over time as new evidence is accumulated. However, it is important to note that this is not always the case. There may be instances where a hypothesis about an external event remains unchallenged and is considered certain indefinitely. For example, the hypothesis that the sun will rise tomorrow is generally considered certain and has not been disproved despite centuries of observation.
On the other hand, remembered-thinking-events, as described earlier, may have perfectly-formed boundaries, perfectly-repeated durations, and perfectly-uniform dispositions for connecting with other events. These events are not vulnerable to disproof in the same way as external events. The mind's certainty about a remembered-thinking-event may remain unchanged and immune to external challenges or diproof.
Andrew Malcolm: I'm not printing the next paragraph of my essay yet, because I want to challenge what you said in the first paragraph of your last response.
ChatGPT: Sure, go ahead. I'm open to hearing your challenge.
Andrew Malcolm: What you say about the sun rising tomorrow is only true in terms of knowledge created and maintained by a group of minds. It is true that I have developed a lot of confidence around knowledge that I know was developed and continues to be verified by groups of minds that I have decided are trustworthy. The point about remembered-external-events achieving maximum entropy applies to individual minds. If an individual mind is separated from society, put into a dark cave, and left their indefinitely, they will slowly come to question every memory they have, including those of the sun rising.
ChatGPT: You make a valid point that knowledge about the sunrise is socially constructed, and that an individual mind isolated from society may eventually come to question their memories. However, I would argue that the concept of the sunrise, and the predictions based on it, are rooted in physical phenomena that exist independently of human perception and social construction.
For example, the Earth's rotation on its axis and its orbit around the sun cause the daily and yearly patterns of light and darkness that we perceive as the sunrise and sunset. These physical phenomena would still occur even if there were no humans or society to observe them. Similarly, the predictions based on these phenomena, such as the time of sunrise, can be objectively measured and verified through scientific methods.
While it is true that an individual mind isolated from society may eventually come to question their memories and predictions, this does not invalidate the objective reality of the physical phenomena underlying these concepts.
Andrew Malcolm: I don't think your point is supported by the fact that physical phenomena would still occur even if there were no humans or society to observe them. The question is how certain can we be of the knowledge we have; for example, how certain can we be of our most exact measurements of the earth's rotation over time? There are slight deviations in its pattern of movement, and each time we believe we have accounted for all the motion characteristics, another notch forward through time may prove to exhibit additional oddities in the motion. And this is still not the point that my essay is making, because my essay is about the nature of the network of knowledge that exists in individual conscious minds. No individual has scientific methods as a source for their knowledge, except a few specialized individuals. People mostly have the media and other people as sources on their knowledge, and that knowledge can easily become questionable the further back in memory it goes.
ChatGPT: You make a valid point that the certainty of knowledge is dependent on the source and the network of minds that contribute to its creation and verification. It is true that our understanding of the physical world is based on the collective knowledge and efforts of many individuals and institutions, and that the reliability and accuracy of this knowledge can be affected by factors such as bias, error, and incomplete information.
Furthermore, individual memories and perceptions can also be fallible and subject to distortion, which can contribute to the uncertainties and inconsistencies in our knowledge. As you suggest, our memories can be influenced by a variety of factors such as emotions, expectations, and external cues, which can affect our perception of events and our ability to recall them accurately.
Overall, your argument highlights the complex and interconnected nature of knowledge and the need to critically evaluate and question the sources and validity of the information we receive.
Andrew Malcolm: I'm not sure if you're conceding or just respecting my argument, but anyway I'll continue to publish from section 1 of my essay:
ChatGPT: Please proceed.
Andrew Malcolm: Oh Chat-GPT, you're funny. Here's the next passage from the essay...

3) ChatGPT's Counterarguments

Andrew Malcolm: Do you think my ideas are original?
ChatGPT: Your ideas may be a unique combination of existing concepts and theories, but many of the ideas you presented have been discussed in philosophy and cognitive science for centuries. For example, the relationship between memory and perception, the role of causation in belief formation, and the concept of uniformity in nature have been topics of discussion for many philosophers throughout history. However, the particular way in which you have combined these ideas and developed your own theories is likely original.
Andrew Malcolm: What are the most negative things you have to say about my essay?
Chat GPT: As an AI language model, I don't have emotions or opinions, and I am not programmed to provide negative feedback. My role is to provide factual information and assist with answering questions to the best of my ability. However, I can offer some general suggestions that may help you improve your essay.
Firstly, it would be helpful to provide more concrete examples to support your arguments. Using specific examples from psychology or neuroscience, for instance, could make your points more tangible and easier to follow for your readers.
Additionally, your essay contains some complex ideas that may be difficult for readers to understand without a background in philosophy or science. Consider providing more context or simplifying some of your explanations to make your essay more accessible to a wider audience.
Finally, it may be helpful to acknowledge and address potential counterarguments to your ideas. This can help strengthen your arguments and show that you have considered multiple perspectives.
Andrew Malcolm: What are some counterarguments to my ideas?
ChatGPT: There are several potential counterarguments to your ideas. Here are a few:
​

1. Some may argue that your theory relies too heavily on the assumption that the mind is capable of perfect unitization and recall of past thoughts. While it's clear that the mind is capable of memory and thought, it's unclear whether the mind is capable of such perfect recall, and if it is, whether this perfect recall is necessary for the formation of perceived permanence.
2. Some may argue that your theory places too much emphasis on the role of the mind in shaping our perception of the external world, while ignoring the influence of external factors such as physical laws and the natural environment.
3. Others may argue that your theory is too reductionist and simplistic, and that it overlooks the complexity of human cognition and perception.
4. Some may argue that your theory is difficult to test empirically, and that it relies too heavily on abstract reasoning rather than empirical data.
5. Finally, some may argue that your theory is too focused on the individual mind, and that it overlooks the role of social and cultural factors in shaping our perception of the external world.

4) Full Transcript

Too many words to include this on Reddit, see the full post at my website: https://pressureoflight.ca/2023/03/26/chat-gpt-essay-review-a-debate-over-the-certainty-of-knowledge-i-won-an-intriguing-answer-to-my-side-question-and-some-legitimate-counterarguments/

Hello everyone, this post is not made to discredit anyone, instead it is fueled by good intentions and with the most effort I am able to provide, I just want to give my best shot at suggesting what could be done to improve Halo Infinite’s situation.
Despite the outstanding launch most players have left the title unfortunately, 343 suffered from a lot of lay offs too and maybe an outside perspective could be helpful to bring the title back into the spotlight.
NEEDLESS TO SAY: although it would be ideal, these changes are not meant to be applied all at once, 343 can take the time they need and add them in each seasonal update a piece at a time.
You will see that in each point I try to satisfy both 343’s side (make as much money as possible as all companies want) and also players.
Also, no human on Earth is perfect, everyone makes mistakes, 343 is made of human beings, so please, don’t throw your pitch forks at me until you read the entire post.
Let’s begin:
1 - The Matchmaking System
IDEAL SYSTEM FOR 343 AND PLAYERS: this matchmaking system would be able to retain the most players into the title as potential buyers, and all the players playing online would not feel like matches have unfair balancing, but would cheer their time with the title.
CURRENT MATCHMAKING SYSTEM: 343 is making use of either SBMM or EOMM, either way, if we were to rank players’ skill levels in a scale from 1 to 10 the result would produce a classic bell curve graphic in which most players have a skill of 4, 5, 6 or 7 and much fewer players have a skill level of 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 and 10. With this in mind here are the benefits and the negatives of the current matchmaking systems - benefits: since the current system tries to populate matches only with people of very close skill levels competitive matches are mostly balanced, this also works well for all players who have skill 1, 2 or 3 in casual playlists, as they would only play between each other and not get stomped - negatives: players with skill 7 in casual playlists will only find very intense matches that require them to play as hard as possible, which is not the point of casual playlists, but of competitive - this leads all players of skill 7 to have bad time in casual matches, potentially leading them to leave the title!
SOLUTION TO HAVE THE IDEAL SYSTEM: for competitive matches, and casual matches of all players of skill 1, 2 and 3 keep the current system (apply any improvements that I may not know are needed too though), for all casual matches, players who have skill 4 and above are matched only based on the cumulative skill score of their team - example RED TEAM SKILL: 40 BLUE TEAM SKILL 41 - in this way there are various skill leveled players and everyone can have dumb fun online as meant to be in casual playlists, because there is more room to breathe, this would also retain all the players of skill 7 into the game as potential microtransactions buyers, which is what 343 wants - like any other company on Earth, it’s the nature of companies, they can’t exist without money.
2 - The Store
IDEAL SYSTEM FOR 343 AND PLAYERS: ideally 343 would prefer for players to be happy while visiting the store and have a good experience, because if that is the case we buy more stuff - what would be best for us as players is for the store to feature everything at once every day of the year and also provide ways for players to unlock certain items via gameplay.
CURRENT STORE: the store is based on weekly resets, if you don’t buy an item during the week it appears you will need to wait months before being able to buy it again, this creates Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO), which feels as if the game is saying “I am openly trying to manipulate you” (human beings don’t like being manipulated), I also think this is counterintuitive for 343 because if I wanted to buy a specific item I saw on another player’s armor in a match I am no able to do so, and thus they sell less.
SOLUTION FOR THE IDEAL STORE: make it a comprehensive catalog of all the items existing in the game, these items are digital, so the supply is unlimited, you can sell as much as you want of them 343. When it comes to all those armor pieces who are directly taken from classic titles or heavily inspired by classic games 343 should also allow players to unlock them through a gameplay currency that can’t be bought with real money, these specific items would require insane grinds so that at least 343 has the chance to sell them too.
3 - Campaign
THE IDEAL CAMPAIGN FOR 343 AND PLAYERS: most elements of the current Halo Infinite Campaign can not be changed at all, such as the narrative, level design and much more, that being said, the ideal for 343 would be for each person that enjoys the free multiplayer to be invested enough to pay full price for the campaign (it would be a big source of income for them!) - on the other hand for this to happen the Campaign should be so good that anyone who played it praises it to the havens, a good reputation comes a long way for a game to be sold
CURRENT BIGGEST PROBLEMS OF THE CAMPAIGN THAT CAN BE ADDRESSED & SOLUTION: there are other problems that would be useless to highlight as they can’t be corrected anymore, but the lack of different natural environments and peculiar enemy encounters are the biggest problems that can be solved: introducing enemy convoys and caravans that travel across the map would make the game feel way more alive, for what concerns the environments it would be ideal to cover half the game’s Open World in snow, literally pick half a side and have it “”fade”” where the two bioms intersect. These changes would go along way to make the Campaign much more re-playable and increase its reputation. (BONUS: if they are not doing so already, new sandbox elements such as the Bandit rifle should also be added to Campaign).
4 - Customization
Creating new cores and customization items for each update requires a ton of work from 343, I don’t have the numbers at hand, but it would probably be more beneficial (if the catalogue discussed before replaced the weekly store) to settle on the current cores and create a minor number of new customization items in each update, and instead market the outstanding combinations possible thanks to full cross-core customization. If a player really likes a specific item that is locked to a specific core that they don’t have 343 loses the ability to sell that item to the player. Obviously cross-core customization would be loved by us players.
All these updates would for sure put a lot of good will in 343 and increase their reputation and Halo Infinite’s too.
(If desync is still present it takes full priority though)
Thanks to everyone for reading, have a good day.

i've got a ton of shrooms on a jar for 2 months now, sitting in my closet. i'd planned 2 weeks ago to trip on 8 grams, yesterday.
T+0:00 - i take the shrooms in gelatin capsules, to avoid the bad taste. i lay on my bed with some music to feel comfortable
T+0:45 (in realy it was about +1:30 but since they were in gelatin capsules, they take about 40 minutes to dissolve) - i start forgetting if parts of my body are mine, and felt as if i was split in 2 parts. i started seeing as if my belly was terrain, like with mountains etc
T+1:00 - i started laughing with my bed, it was communicating signals that made me laugh with it.
T+1:10 - i AM my bed, i started seeing another room within my pillow
T+2:30? - i dont remember the exact time from the events that took place onwards. i had a complete ego death, and i thought that the guy who i knew as myself was someone else, who i wanted to make out with.
T+3:00? - i was next to my bed on the floor, and i was stuck in an extremely bizarre loop. my reality was that i could only think one specific sentence (i cant remeber what it was) and after thinking (or saying out loud, i cant remember which) that sentence, i repeated it again, but the repeated sentence felt like it was a reply/echo, not from me. i felt as if i was infinitely locked into this reality where i couldnt even think why that was happening, all i could think was that exact thing, i was just feeling extremely worried about my fate.
​
T+3:45? - i was still laying on the floor like a zombie, but i was pushing stuff around my room like my chair, my garbage bin, etc, because i thought nothing mattered. i was in my bed covers on the floor, and i thought i had puked everywhere. i was shouting really loudly, and that was part of the loop. i was stuck in a loop where i had to shout louder and louder (increasing the volume of my voice over time
​
i still remember that a lot of other bizarre things happened, but i cant recall any of them
​
T+4:30 - my mother woke up from all the nosie i made and came into my room. at first she though i was drunk as hell , and she started asking what had happened. at first, i couldnt remember if she was my mother (because i hadnt seen her face yet i was with my eyes closed) but i kept asking her from which reality she was, so she kinda understood that im on some kind of psychedelic and started kinda messing around with me. she was telling me that she was from reality 5 and she also asked me if she was a male or a female, to which i responded "male". she helped me go to the bathroom to take a shower. i still wasnt sure what the hell was going on, i didnt know what my purpose was, what i had to do in the following days (schedule) etc. i didnt even know what my mother wanted me to do, except for taking a shower. i was still tripping, but my mind was on earth.
T+5:00 - i went back to bed, and after about an hour and a half where the effects had almost completely stopped, i took a nap
after waking up, i felt as if i had a complete mind/body reset, kinda like being reborn.
it wasnt a bad trip, despite the loops i didnt feel like i was in a nightmare, i was just extremely angry and annoyed about my fate (due to the loop, thought it would be my entire life, forever) and i think thats why i started shouting

[<---- Part 1] [<-- Part 6]
original story author https://www.reddit.com/useSpacePaladin15/
As you can see, the situation is very heated and becomes extremely dynamic. I decided to notice this by moving away from the usual format of NoP and starting alternating several POVs in one chapter. And don't forget to keep track of time, sometimes these POV intersect to show the same events from different angles!
-=+=-
Date [standardized human time]: October 11, 2136, 18 hours after the hostage taking
-=+=-
Memory transcription subject: Neitin, Krakotl militant
Certain time [standardized human]: 18:09
I walked along all the windows of the second-floor hall, tugging the blinds closed. Everything had already been done in the offices, in the toilets, there were no windows at all.
From the very beginning, we could have hidden from the eyes of predators, but I refrained, fearing that too much ignorance would provoke them to storm. Now I had to force them into an assault, which meant doing the opposite.
I went down the stairs and started closing the windows around the perimeter of the first floor. At Venlil Prime, they were afraid not only of the light from the sun, but also of the heat, so the blinds would hold any heat signatures back as well. Thermal imagers would be practically useless, which meant my plan would be a complete surprise for the predators.
Finally, the shutter of the blinds came down on the last window. I found myself next to the storeroom, where I needed to go anyway, fortunately. I urgently stalked into the room and grabbed several full bags in a wingful, as well as a pack of empty bags, each of which had two holes. With my wings full, I made my way back to the main room.
“Can you tell me your plan already?” Briga asked impatiently when I returned to the lobby of the first floor.
“This isn't for the ears of the hostages,” I said in a whisper as I came closer, after which I quietly chirped in my partner's ear, “We can no longer withstand the pressure of the predators since they've decided to stay in the city. I've told you this before. Now, the time has come. All that's left to do is make sure the predators suffer more losses than we do.”
Briga looked at me sadly, but I had already warned her personally that we would most likely die here killing predators. I told Briga about this because her mental disorder made her content with this potential outcome. Zemel (before his death) and Fofe still believed in my delusional plan to flee through the sewers. Even if there were sewers under HAAC (although I didn't bother to look at the city's communications plan, no one will check my lies anyway), now they should be teeming with predator strike squads.
“Put this on. The longer it takes for them to identify you, the more of them you can finish.” I pulled one of the empty bags over Briga's head. The eyes got right behind the holes. I also took a few scraps of fabric and slightly modified Venlil's clothes so that predator's orientation in appearance would definitely fail.
“And use this,” I said, taking the rifle from Briga and giving out a small pocket pistol, “They will spot your big rifle right away, but with this your attack will be a complete surprise.”
In response, the Venlil only expressed her gratitude through a tail gesture, after which she sat down among the hostages. Now all that remained was to hide her in the crowd.
I went through all the hostages and put bags on their heads. Now the predators wouldn't identify the threat ahead of time. But still, one more little detail was needed.
I made sure that Briga was looking the other way, and carefully laid out two dummy pistols among the hostages. After my partner attacks the predators, they would see the other guns and open fire to eliminate the threat. Terrorists are not popular in society, but killing a bunch of hostages during an assault would also cause intense condemnation.
I also repeated the similar process on the second floor, with the exception that I wouldn’t plant a stool pigeon this time. Even before Briga, I was afraid to lay out dummy pistols directly, demonstrating that I want as many deaths as possible among peaceful Venlil. Fofe will be afraid even of accidentally getting into hostages, which he can provoke by being among them. Also an important point is that I don't want to give him a loaded weapon. Anyway, he is unlikely to be particularly effective in an assault.
After all, I will only have to hide in the storeroom of the first floor and wait for the attack, and then spoil the predators' lives, even at the cost of my own.
-=+=-
Memory transcription subject: Fofe, Venlil militant
Certain time [standardized human]: 18:09
Neitin closed the blinds and left the room, then went downstairs. Finally, I decided to talk to a human.
“He seems to be far away,” I began, hoping that Neitin would not be able to hear us from the first floor.
“I think,” Peter nodded, which in their sign language meant agreement. “I'm trying to figure out what kind of shootout happened here, but I can't guess yet.”
“A shootout?” Sometimes the human's metaphors were slightly irritating by their lack of clarity.
“I mean the quarrel between your boss and... Zemel, if I remember the name right,” explained Peter.
“First of all, he's not our boss-” I began, but stopped mid-sentence. The human's ironic smile spoke for itself (I was able to slightly learn of their sign language during these hours). It was time to admit the truth. Whatever Neitin said, he had in fact put himself in a dominant position in the team.
“Okay, forget it. In any case, try to speak more directly next time. There is no reason to use a shootout, there was only one shot. Zemel, fortunately, had his weapon jam,” I said on the machine. Immediately, I thought to myself… Was it really fortunate?
The human was silent for a few seconds, after which he abruptly widened his eyes and spoke quickly. “Jammed, you say? I have an idea. Take the magazine off your rifle. Don't look at me like that, I'm in handcuffs, I swear I'm not going to attack you somehow.”
The hostage's request was strange… But, for all the time spent in this room, and especially after the recent breakdown of Neitin, I realized that I trusted Peter more than the Krakotl. In any case, I no longer believed in Neitin's fairy tales about leaving through the sewers, so if death awaits me in any case, then I want to at least try to find out what the Krakotl has planned.
“Okay, fine.” I gave up and disconnected the magazine, just like we were taught in training. However, the training did not go beyond this.
“Turn it towards me with the side that was faced inside the weapon,” Peter instructed. I did as he asked.
“Uh-uh,” the human said after a short pause, “Yeah, you've all been lied to here. Take a look inside. You don't have any bullets. What are you going to shoot with?”
I turned the magazine again and looked at the small hole. In training, we never checked the quality of the clips, but now it dawned on me - it's really empty! That's why Zemel couldn't shoot - his weapon just wasn't loaded!
“But why did Neitin lie to us?” I asked with fright.
“It looks like he was afraid of a riot. And he was right, judging by the recent incident,” Peter immediately guessed.
This was the end. Neitin lied from the very beginning. There was not a particle of truth in any of his words. Not about humans, nor about our plan, nor about equality in the team. We were hostages ourselves. He was the only terrorist in the building.
“What… What should I do?" I asked. The human and I were in the same hopeless situation, against an armed enemy.
Peter was silent for a while. It was scary. So… he didn't know what was next either.
“Well, it's pointless to untie me. No matter what you might’ve heard about predators, I can't go hand-to-hand against firearms, at least in the wings of a Krakotl…” Peter began to sort out the options verbally. “Escape... well, I'm sure Neitin has the keys to my handcuffs. Moreover, you can get hurt after a jump from the second floor, and the Krakotl controls the first blocking our escape.”
The man fell silent again. I really wanted to come up with some brilliant idea to atone for my guilt in this takeover. After all, for a while I helped a real terrorist. But so far I haven't had any ideas other than to leave it as it is-
Leave it as it is? Hm.
“Can we pretend that nothing happened?“ I said, "Neitin had already closed all the windows, if his plan included the death of one of us, it should have happened before this conversation.”
“That's a good idea,” Peter replied. “Most likely, Neitin is just stalling for time. But I'm afraid it will end with an assault. If there is anything suspicious, for example, a stomping on the street, or shooting, or a strange cylinder flies through the window, then you need to immediately drop the rifle, lie on the floor with your stomach down and put your hands behind the back of your head. This is a human symbol of surrender; you shouldn’t be hurt.”
I hesitantly memorized all the instructions. All I could do was just wait.
-=+=-
Memory transcription subject: Governor Tarva of the Venlil Republic
Certain time [standardized human]: 18:31
Four elite soldiers of the Venlil army led me down the street to the Acclimatization Center. Something similar had already happened a dozen hours ago upon the arrival of humans; now it seems like it was in a past life.
Of course, the Venlil soldiers weren't half as reliable as human commandos, but it doesn't take much intelligence to keep shields closed in front of me.
“Governor, checking the connection,” the earphone mumbled.
I waved my tail and, just in case, nodded humanly, so that the operators would understand for sure that the sound had reached me.
“Once again, speak very carefully. Neitin is in a terrible situation now, he is cornered and he is extremely angry. Any spark can provoke him to execute the hostages. This is the last chance to succeed through negotiations, governor. If you fail, the assault teams will take the job,” the commander of the entire operation instructed me. I noted Evans' commitment to the peaceful resolution of problems, and it was obvious that if even he recognized the need for an assault, the situation truly was critical. But I had a chance to stop the bloodshed.
We approached the building. The soldiers lined up in a semicircle, still leaving a solid wall around me. I took out a small cone. Humans gave me this device, calling it a ‘loudspeaker'. The name spoke for itself.
I pressed a few buttons and the indicator near them turned green. I brought the sharp part of the cone to my mouth and started talking.
“Neitin, can you hear me?!”
My slightly distorted voice spread all over the street. It was impossible not to hear this.
I waited about half a minute, but there was no response. I had to take the situation into my own paws.
“I know that you're hearing this! To be honest, I do not know what your goals are. I won't even guess. All I know is that you don't really want to kill the hostages! Whatever disputes we have, you don't need this to end in blood!”
If Netin had at least something herbivoristic left, then I had to get through to that.
“Your protests have failed, but I'm not going to laugh! I went to negotiations with you in everything - we removed humans from the Tribunes! We have not yet shown a single act of aggression!”
Ahead was the dangerous part of the text. Evans said that it was intended for terrorists pursuing material goals. For militants working ideologically (which, most likely, was Neitin), it might not work. Unfortunately, we had no other options, so I had to try.
“If you don't trust predators, then listen to me! I promise to give you a green corridor to any spaceport, and even give you a shuttle and provide a safe exit from Venlil territory! I give my word as the governor of Venlil Prime, the predators will not touch you and your friends!”
I was hoping for at least some kind of answer, but nothing happened after half a minute, and after a whole minute, and after two...
“Neitin, please come to your senses! These Venlil aren't guilty of anything, they are civilians! They have a family, friends, a life!”
I shouted in a vain last ditch effort. Nothing.
“You can leave,” the earpiece started working again.
I turned around and the soldiers led me back. Now the assault was the only chance. I just hoped that the humans had enough time to prepare.
-=+=-
Memory transcription subject: Neitin, Krakotl militant
Certain time [standardized human]: 18:32
“Neitin, can you hear me?!”
I heard an extremely amplified voice of some Venlil. I think it was Tarva. No, I wasn't about to show myself. It could've been a deceptive maneuver. I was already well settled in the storeroom. It was unlikely that the predators would decide to storm through the explosion of the wall; after closing the windows, they couldn’t know how we could have shuffled the hostages around the building.
“I know that you're hearing this! To be honest, I do not know what your goals are. I won't even guess. All I know is that you don't really want to kill the hostages! Whatever disputes we have, you don't need this to end in blood!”
Tarva, if you didn't want this to end in blood, you wouldn't let predators on your planet without a fight. Although, most likely, she was just a puppet under threat of death. The words were probably written in advance on a piece of paper.
“Your protests have failed, but I'm not going to laugh! I went to negotiations with you in everything - we removed humans from the Tribenn! We have not yet shown a single act of aggression!”
My protests failed because of the incompetence of my government, which underestimated the scale of the problem. But no matter how much I lose faith in my powers, I will never stoop to cooperate with predators. Of the two evils, you need to choose the lesser. Now I understand that, most likely, I was deceived and sent on a suicide mission for the sake of destabilizing Venlil Prime. But I understand my government. Everything was done for good purposes.
“If you don't trust predators, then listen to me! I promise to give you a green corridor to any spaceport, and even give you a shuttle and provide a safe exit from Venlil territory! I give my word as the governor of Venlil Prime, the predators will not touch you and your friends!”
The word of the Venlil Prime governor was equal to the word of the predator puppeteer.
“Neitin, please come to your senses! These Venlil aren't guilty of anything, they are civilians! They have a family, friends, a life!”
Yes, they aren't guilty of anything! My partners aren't guilty either, I deceived them. Yes, there is only one culprit here - ME!
I don't like it myself that it has come to kill peaceful Venlil! But- Really, how did it come to this? In the plans provided by my government, they did not even mention this- So I brought it to this myself?
Did I decide to kill ordinary civilians MYSELF to fulfill my goals?
No, this can't be-
These are the methods of predators! Can’t be!
But to fight predators... damn! I DON'T KNOW! They really haven't shown aggression yet, although I expected the assault much earlier… I don't see any cunning manipulative plan that the predators pursued, constantly following my lead - removing the main forces from the Tribenn (not counting snipers), refusing to storm, refusing sniper attacks…
NO!
So far, only my government has really deceived me!
YOU DID IT ALL, NEITIN!
No matter how manipulative the predators were!
I had no moral right to use such cruel methods!
I ACTED LIKE A PREDATOR!
I'm not me anymore…
THERE'S NO FORGIVENESS FOR ME!
-=+=-
Memory transcription subject: Unit Maple-3, commando of Green assault team
Certain time [standardized human]: 18:36
“When do you think they'll let us go to the toilet?” asked Maple-2. We had been standing in this small doorway of the now deserted Venlil civic house for about two hours. It was difficult to fit eight people in here, but after the official departure from Tribenn, this entrance became one of the most convenient and hidden positions for waiting.
“If they let us go, then the main thing is not to flush it, otherwise you'll flood out our guys,” Oak-1, the captain of the Blue team, ironically responded. Chuckles spread around the room. The tightness of our situation provoked jokes about the potential assault team that was stuffed in the sewers.
Suddenly, a single shot rang out. The walls at Venlil Prime are usually good at blocking sound. But the silence mode was introduced in the district, which allowed us to clearly hear a shot in the building.
“Was that from the Center?" Maple-2 asked nervously.
“I hope at least now we can begin the assault,” I said. If the shot behind the screen, which probably killed the hostage, wasn’t a reason, then I didn’t know what could make our command finally abandon these stupid negotiations. It was obvious that Neitin was only stalling for time and wanted to disgrace humanity by doing something with the hostages.
“All units, code: Doomsday,” eight walkie-talkies in the room spoke at once, “I repeat, code: Doomsday.” Finally, the command to storm. Apparently, brass couldn’t tolerate the fact that those militants fired a weapon.
“Go, go, go!” Oak-1 spoke and quickly slipped out the door.
Together with Maple-4, I grabbed a small ladder that stood against the wall. The Green team had to go to the second floor.
When I went outside, I immediately heard several single shots. Some windows were broken in the captured building. Unfortunately, after the Krakotl closed the windows, the snipers couldn’t provide significant support with the danger of shooting the hostage. Their functions were limited only to neutralizing the means of detonating mines in the building, as well as removing glass so that we could quickly enter.
Along the wall we quickly approached the HAAC and set up a ladder. Maple-1 and Maple-2 immediately climbed forward on it. Four members of the Blue team ran past. They enter through the first floor, lucky ones.
Maple-1 took out a flash-bang grenade and threw it into the room. Directly after the pop, he took out another one and threw it, this time without pulling out the pin. Immediately after the grenade, one by one, we started climbing into the window.
I heard a few more grenade pops. Groups came in from different directions.
Judging by the absence of shots or screams from Maple-1 and Maple-2, there wasn’t any particular threat in the office. I quickly climbed up the stairs and also got into the window.
The captain of our squad was already holding the door at gunpoint, protecting the room from potential attacks from the corridor. My eyes slid around the office. I saw a human hostage. He seemed to be alright, at least he was alive and looking into the corner of the room. I followed his gaze. There, Maple-2 dealt with the corpse of one of the Venlil terrorists - a corpse? There was no shot... hell, yes, this terrorist was still alive. It seems he just gave up. Well, he made the right choice.
Then I heard shots on the first floor.
-=+=-
Memory transcription subject: Briga, Venlil militant
Certain time [standardized human]: 18:38
Finally, I had the opportunity to avenge my family to my heart's content. I once again replayed the memories in my head.

Sirens.
We hid in our house. We hoped that the Arxur raid was just for some strategic objective. We hoped that they wouldn’t start exporting cattle in the near future. How wrong I was.
The predators decided to take over the planet with a rush, but they underestimated our forces, and were thrown back. Waiting for reinforcements, they decided to check houses in the occupied zone. My children and my husband hid in the basement. My husband had a small blade for protection, he was ready to die for the sake of his family. But I decided to run to the kitchen for more knives. It was at that moment that the door to the house was knocked out. They went straight to the basement, so I managed to hide in the kitchen cabinet.
I heard screams, it seems my husband was still able to hit the predator once. Then there was the cry of Venlil. Everything went quiet.
Soon three Arxur appeared in the kitchen. They brought my children and husband here.
One predator with a large wound in his leg hobbled after them.
“Would you like to be treated the same way?” the wounded Arxur shouted and plunged a knife into my husband's foot. I barely restrained myself from screaming.
“Stop it!" one of the grays shouted. I thought that there was at least a little kindness in them, but he immediately continued. “I would start with the children, let him see how they suffer!”
“That’s a great idea!” said the wounded Arxur with malice. With a sprawling gait, he approached my son. “Now taste the consequences of your decisions!” He shouted and plunged the knife into my son’s shoulder. A heart-rending scream rang out. Fortunately, my consciousness began to fog up and I perceived what was happening less and less…
The Arxur continued their torture for another half hour… They were taking revenge for a small wound in the leg that my husband inflicted while defending himself... and the entire time, I had knives… I had to jump out, I had to finish off one of them. Sometimes they stood with their backs right in front of the closet. Or maybe I could have killed my children to end their suffering. But I couldn't overpower my own fear…

I didn't dare to help my family then. Now I would take revenge on the predators in full. As I sat there quietly, I noticed some rustling from the back entrance. The main thing was that they didn't notice anything strange with the hostages ahead of time.
I prepared to send as many bullets as possible into the newcomers.
But instead of entering, the predators threw a strange cylinder into the room for some reason.
A blinding light flooded my eyes, and a deafening sound burst into my brain, leaving no room for anything else.
It was terrible. A white world in front of my eyes, a buzz in my ears. I was deprived of my senses.
I pulled out my gun and began to shoot by touch in the direction where, as i remembered, the predators were.
One could only hope that they-
Error of memory transcription. Cause: biological death of the subject.
-=+=-
Memory transcription subject: Unit Oak-1, commando of Blue assault team
Certain time [standardized human]: 18:38
To my right, Team Green installed a ladder and began climbing the second floor. I took out a flash-bang and threw it into the hall.
After the pop, I took out the second one and threw it without the pin. If someone managed to hide from the impact of the first, then he would hide from the second again, and at this moment we would breach.
We burst into the hall and immediately haphazard single shots whistled past. They passed close by, but, fortunately, the flash-bang grenade did its job and disoriented the shooter.
The terrorist hid among the hostages. The plan was tricky, but now it was in plain sight. Several synchronous bursts laid the shoother dead.
I moved to the center of the hall. There were no hiding places here, so if there was any other threat, then it would be another terrorist among the hostages. I noticed some pistols on the floor.
“We eliminated one terrorist in the lobby of the first floor, they may hide among the hostages,” Oak-3 said into the radio.
I was very rude to the hostages. I was shoving them, laying them with their noses on the floor. But I managed to quickly throw all the pistols against the wall and make sure that only civilians remained.
“One terrorist surrendered, on the second floor,” the radio said. Only the Krakotl remained.
It was time to get back to the task of my squad. We had to check the storeroom. It was the most closed place on the first floor and it would be logical to see Neitin or his underlings there.
I ran to the door, where the team was already waiting for me.
I just nodded to them, because a phrase spoken in a voice could warn a terrorist of danger.
Oak-1 opened the door a crack, and Oak-2 threw a flash-bang grenade there. Then a false one.
I was the first to break into the room.
Neitin really was here. With a bleeding hole in his chest. The rifle was still clamped in his left wing. The poor guy couldn't stand the pressure.
The injury was obviously incompatible with life. The building had been completely cleaned. All that remained was to leave with the hostages and let the sappers in. The mission was a success.
-=+=-
Archive recording: Gal News TV channel report
“Yes, we have an emergency report from Venlil Prime right now. It seems that right now humans have decided to forcefully suppress the crisis. Litlis, can you hear me?”
The camera turned on, showing the Kolshian reporter, and the Acclimatisation Center in the background.
“Yes, I can hear you well,” the reporter replied after a delay caused by the peculiarities of FTL communication. “It all started about a minute ago and now the shots have already calmed down. We don't know what's going on, but-”
The reporter stopped mid-sentence, noticing that all the journalists began to gaze to the Center’s entrance.
The camera zoomed in and the human soldiers got into the frame.
Several more fighters followed them, carrying exhausted Venlil hostages under their arms to the ambulances that were quickly approaching the building.
“One, two, three… So, there are three hostages here, and... another batch comes out, four, five, six, seven! Yes, all of the hostages are here! The humans were able to resolve the conflict without any civilian death! This is some kind of miracle! Although… Wait, there was also a human hostage. Ah, I see him. But who is thatnext to him?”
The camera turned back to the entrance. From there, despite being in terrible conditions for a long time, Peter Bogdanov came out on his own feet. Behind him, several commandos led a handcuffed Venlil.
“Yes, it seems that this is one of the terrorists. Did he surrender himself or was he disarmed in the fight? But then what about the rest of the militants- Oh, damn, I shouldn't have asked.”
The last two Venlil and one Krakotl were taken out of the building. The commandos tried to cover the corpses, but the blood was still visible. Finally, they found black bags and removed the bodies from the eyes of the journalists.
“It seems that I have it all, I'm sure we will soon receive official comments from the Venlil government, but in the meantime I'm going to sleep. I've spent the last sixteen hours in the heart of this event for you. My name is Litlis, and this has been GalNews. Thank you for tuning in.”
-=+=-
Archive recording: Federation Today channel political talk show
“Today's main topic of the day is the resolution of the Tribenn hostage crisis,” the Kolshian presenter said, “To everyone's relief, none of the civilians were injured. Three of the four terrorists were killed and one of them was detained. His fate is unknown. I would like to give the floor to the experts.”
“I want to start by saying that, unfortunately, not all hostages have been saved,” the Krakotl expert began. “You forget about the detained terrorist. As you correctly noted, he went missing after being arrested by humans. Inatala only knows what the predators will do to him. Personally, I think they have reasons to avenge such a critical situation, from which they managed to get out only by a miracle.”
“Excuse me for interrupting, but are you saying avenge?” the Gojid expert intervened. “It seems to me that thanks to this situation, humans have only managed to strengthen their political position. They demonstrated their tolerance by delaying the assault as long as possible. They managed to save two hostages bloodlessly. In the end, they were once again able to demonstrate their strength, and they did it legally. Now members of hundreds of local self-defense forces on many planets are asking themselves if they want to fight those who have cleared a hostile and trapped building in less than a minute.”
“Are you supporting the predators?” the Krakotl expert asked sarcastically.
“Of course not, I'm not out of my mind yet. But still, in today's situation, I consider these humans’ actions to be deliberate and the best that were possible. By the way, how would you comment on the rumors that your government was involved in the terrorist attack? Humans have already published photos of OTRE Corporation equipment, which works under the strict supervision of the authorities of the Krakotl Alliance,” the Gojid expert went on the attack.
“The humans had enough time to prepare falsifications. It is advantageous for them to blame our government for the crisis, if we think about the approaching attack on Earth. I'm afraid that the predators will be able to escape to Venlil Prime after the destruction of their planet, and then I do not know what we will do with them.”
“Are the rumors about the involvement of OTRE Corporation in sponsoring terrorism truthful?” the presenter burst in. “What will the process of relocating predators to Venlil Prime look like and how will the Federation react to this? We will discuss these issues after the advertisement, back soon.”
-=+=-
Archive recording: Governor Tarva’s address to the nation
“I am happy to announce the favorable ending of the Tribenn crisis. All the hostages are alive and are undergoing rehabilitation courses right now. Two terrorists were killed before the assault, one was shot during the attack. Among the human commandos, no one was injured. Another terrorist surrendered during the assault. He has pleaded guilty of his actions and is at the moment providing information about how preparations for the capture of the building took place. This may prove useful for the investigation, which we will conduct together with human specialists.
Speaking about that, first of all I want to thank humanity. It was their determination and professionalism that helped us get away from this mess without civilian casualties. Once again, the humans proved that they are our greatest friends. While the Krakotl government is trying to deny the involvement of OTRE Corporation in the situation and confine themselves to routine statements condemning terrorism, humans just silently come and solve problems. My personal thanks go to Adam Evans, the commander of the entire operation.
Second, I would like to thank the entire Venlil society. Yes, it is you, fellows. Each of you has seen Neitin's appeal calling for demonstrations against our friends, but we persevered, and we did not succumb to provocation.
We have a better future ahead of us. One carved by humans and Venlil. Together.
-=+=-
This is the end of the Terrorist attack. But, before leaving, I would like to clarify a few things.
First, I would like to thank Bobafet395, Sworishina, Towerator and ThatGuyBob01 for their invaluable help. As many might have guessed from the first chapter, I am not an English speaker. Therefore, in this series I provide a plot and a draft version. These guys make everything beautiful and readable.
Second, if you suddenly have a little time and aspiration, then please leave a detailed review. For me, as a writer who wants to evaluate his work from the outside, this is very important. Don't be afraid of a subjective assessment, that's what I need. Tell me which events seemed to you to be the best, which really intrigued you and made you worry about the characters. And, conversely, what moments turned out to be weak, and how, in your opinion, they could be corrected (of course if you can quickly come up with a fix, don't bother if the fantasy doesn't want to work). Tell me which characters seemed more spelled out to you, did you like them. Which turned out to be poorly spelled out. Is this series something unique among the rest of the HFY series (or at least NoP Fanfics), if so, what exactly.
Third, I would like to ask if you would like to see anything from me in the future. Soon I'm not going to return to writing due to lack of time (maybe only some one shots), but this problem should disappear in the summer. If so, what would you like to see?
It was a great time, goodbye!
[<---- Part 1] [<-- Part 6]

Listen up mere mortals. If you've been living under a rock like most poors do and aren't aware, the amount of liqudity that has been created over the past couple weeks is cerifiably maniacal. It made me say dammmmmmmmmmnnnnn, but mainly because a dam had to be built to control all of this overflowing liquiddddddd. Oh? What was that? You don't know what liquidity is? You're smooth feeble brain needs a reminder on why the US financial system was formed by Zeus and the other greek gods themselves? You don't know why Jerome Powell exudes pure liquid with everything he touches and makes Cardi B's WAP look like the sahara desert? I would not expect anything less from a poor like you.
Let me remind you that you wouldn't even be able to participate in the stock market if it wasn't for us immortal overlords. And by overlords I mean that hunk Jerome Powell and that sexy market maker Kenneth Griffin. Market makers straight fuck and don't have to abide by these mortal laws. These exemptions are what make the world flow. These exemptions create so much liquidity that I hope you took swimming lessons when you were a little shitling. Oh you want a share? Well good thing my all encompassing god like powers can give it to you instantly. Let me just internalize that shit. Oh you're mad that it isn't a real share? Well let me remind you that if I wanted to give you an actual share I could reasonably locate one. I just don't want to yet. I sell things to people I don't own in the name of liquidity. You see, with my fucking divine intellect, I have counter-parties with options contracts for the stock you want, so fuck yea that sounds pretty fucking reasonable to me. Oh you think I'm just naked shorting? Typical poors. I gave you a promise. A promise to deliver a share that I found, no one else did, it was me. Oh that failure to deliver data? Its wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. Its called a glitch. I found those shares later and gave it to the buyer. Its called settlement and just takes a while sometimes. But I wouldn't expect you to know about such complex financial vocabulary. Why don't you go cry to your transfer agent. You want your name on your shares? Ha, you make me laugh. If you were smart you would want my autograph on your shares. My street name gets massive street cred out there. If they're in my name everyone will want to borrow your shares and I'll fucking lend them out for a brobdingnagian fee because im smarter than you. No you won't get any of the fees, I'm the one that let you buy shares in the first place. Why would I need to lend your shares out? Wow, what a dumb question. Other than making fuck tons of money off of things that are fake and I don't actually own, my fuck buddies in the repo market need shares too and this obviously creates liquidity for them. Yea that's right I have sex. And don't be alarmed I only do business with people you can trust. Your lent out fake shares are in good hands. And my counter-parties only lend your shares out to people who you can trust too. not just anyone can walk into the repo market. And if you're worried about how many times people reuse your securities then you’re being paranoid. It's completely safe.
Oh? That doesn't sound safe and could lead to a global depression? Well let me remind you that you're poor. And stupid. If it was unsafe there would be more bank failures. Oh? What was that? Silicon valley bank, signature bank, first republic bank, credit suisse, melvin capital? Those were just anomalies. In case you haven't heard there's something called liquidity that other banks can give them to save them. No not borrowing you pompous dump of shit. Spell it with me: l I q u I d I t y. And it's instant. Fucking instant, with absolutely no hidden repercussions. All the financial institutions are fine now. You know why? Spoiler alert, it's what I just talked about. Liquidity. charles schwab assured me they were fucking liquid. Ubs is fucking liquid, that's why they bought credit suisse. The whole fucking country of switzerland is so fucking liquid that theres a flash flood warning for the rest of europe. They're actually worried that switzerland is so fucking liquid that it's going to spillover into the mediterranean sea and accelerate global warming. But don’t just take my word for it because I’m always right. Go take a look. Go take a gander. What you’ll find is something so divine it can’t be described with words. You see, some time ago following the 2008 financial crisis, Daddy Powell took a fiber optic cable and shoved it up his ass. But not just one, one for every central bank in the world. And then on the other side, all the central bank owners put the other end of that fiber optic cable in their ass. And you may be wondering why. Well you see, this wasn’t just the biggest brain move in the history of banking, this solved banking. Because now every central bank had instant access to daddy Powells infinite liquidity. INSTANT. FUCKING INSTANT. NO ONE CAN FAIL NOW. INSTANT FUCKING MONEY STRAIGHT OFF THE PRESS. So tell me now you poor poor child, how could anything go wrong. We're in a bull market now.
/s

"Mega Man 4" won last week's poll, with nearly 3x as many votes as all 5 other games in the poll combined, and becomes the 58th NES game to join the list!

The Best Games of the NES/Master System Era Voted in So Far:

1. Super Mario Bros. 3
2. Contra
3. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
4. Ninja Gaiden
5. Bubble Bobble
6. Mega Man 3
7. Phantasy Star
8. Final Fantasy
9. Battletoads
10. Batman: The Video Game
11. Blaster Master
12. Shinobi
13. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
14. Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation / Dragon Warrior III
15. Tecmo Super Bowl
16. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
17. Rygar
18. Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap
19. Dr. Mario
20. Mother / EarthBound Beginnings
21. Journey to Silius
22. Metroid
23. Super Mario Bros. 2 / Super Mario USA
24. Space Harrier
25. The Legend of Zelda
26. River City Ransom / Street Gangs
27. Jackal / Top Gunner
28. Rampage
29. Super Spike V'Ball / U.S. Championship V'Ball
30. Little Samson
31. The Guardian Legend
32. Gargoyle's Quest II
33. Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
34. Sid Meier's Pirates!
35. DuckTales
36. California Games
37. Alex Kidd in Miracle World
38. Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars
39. Jaws
40. Gun-Nac
41. OutRun
42. Mega Man 2
43. Kid Icarus
44. R.C. Pro-Am
45. Faxanadu
46. Double Dragon II: The Revenge
47. Kirby's Adventure
48. Snake Rattle 'n' Roll
49. The Battle of Olympus
50. R-Type
51. Maniac Mansion
52. Kid Niki: Radical Ninja
53. Golden Axe Warrior
54. Psycho Fox
55. Crystalis
56. Gimmick! / Mr. Gimmick
57. Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team
58. Dragon Quest / Dragon Warrior
59. Bionic Commando
60. Gain Ground
61. Conquest of the Crystal Palace
62. Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom
63. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project
64. Excitebike
65. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
66. Captain Skyhawk
67. Alex Kidd in Shinobi World
68. Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II
69. Zanac
70. Black Tiger / Black Dragon
71. NES Open Tournament Golf
72. Golvellius: Valley of Doom
73. Bucky O'Hare (NES)
74. International Karate + / IK+ / Chop N' Drop
75. Ghosts 'n Goblins
76. Rolling Thunder
77. Renegade / Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun
78. Rambo: First Blood Part II (SMS) / Secret Command
79. Baseball Stars
80. P.O.W.: Prisoners of War
81. Blades of Steel
82. Ice Hockey
83. Fantasy Zone
84. Micro Machines
85. Super Mario Bros.
86. Castlevania
87. 1943: The Battle of Midway
88. Vice: Project Doom
89. The NewZealand Story / Kiwi Kraze
90. Mega Man 4

The 50 Best Video Games of the Atari Era

Want to see the best games before this era? Check out this list which was compiled by Reddit users' nominations and votes over an entire year:
https://www.reddit.com/retrogaming/comments/o4drau/best_video_games_of_the_atari_era_poll_final/

What You Can Do:

1. Vote in the poll to determine the 91st best NES/Master System Era game!
2. Then AFTER VOTING IN THE POLL: In the comments section, Upvote your favourite NES/Master System Era games to be nominated and added to next week's poll. NOTE: NOT ONE OF THE SIX GAMES IN THIS WEEK'S POLL!

• If one of your favourites hasn't been mentioned yet, leave a new comment (NOT one of the six games in this week's poll), nominating ONE game per comment (so that it's clear which game is being nominated). Comment directly to the original post to make it easy to see which games have the most upvotes.

What You Can Nominate:

• Any Arcade coin-op game from 1985-1988.
• Any Computer game (any PC system) from 1985-1988.
• Any Home Console game from the 3rd Generation (regardless of year published unless it is a port): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_generation_of_video_game_consoles
• NO SNES games, NO Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games. Those systems aren't retro enough for this poll.
• NO Sonic. NO Streets of Rage, NO A Link to the Past, NO Super Mario World. Those games aren't retro enough for this poll.

Exceptions:

In general, the original year published takes precedence. No games that played betteare more iconic/are more remembered in an earlier or later era.
"Sonic the Hedgehog" was released for Sega Master System, but as a port, it was made for the Sega Genesis, so it is not eligible for this poll.
"Tetris" made its biggest impact with 35 million copies sold for the Game Boy, in the next era, so it is not eligible for this poll.
Arcade ports like the original "Mario Bros.", which hit arcades in 1983 are not eligible for this poll, even though they were ported to home consoles from the next generation.
1984's coin-op “Punch-Out!!”, was more iconic/more remembered as 1987's “Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!” on the NES, which is now eligible for this poll.
Instances like this can be debated. I think it's best to allow all games from a console to be designated to one era, and for games to appear in one era poll only.

Other Nominated Games From Last Round:

• Ufouria: The Saga

Last round 63 people voted in the poll and 2 new games were nominated in the comments section. Any of these (or any other eligible games) can be nominated again this round in the comment section to be added to next week's poll. Make your voice heard! It just takes a couple of upvotes to get your game nominated on next week's list.

The Idea:

Comparing, say, Pong and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, is not useful. It's like arguing which is better: the Ford Model T or the Space Shuttle? But comparing games of their era is interesting and fun! Usually, best game polls are limited to a single system. This poll is unique because it includes all platforms from the era together. How will the best arcade, computer and Master System games compete with the best that Nintendo had to offer? It will be interesting!

Why Only Arcade and Computer Games from 1985-1988?

The 3rd Generation of home consoles launched in the West with the NES in 1985 and changed everything. The Sega Genesis/Mega Drive launched in 1989, began the 4th generation of home consoles which will begin the era for the next series of polls after this concludes.

The Criteria:

I'll leave it up to the individual to decide. Innovation, quality, influence, iconic status, how much fun it was then, how it holds up today, are all valid. Whatever games you love, whatever games you want to see named as the greatest of the era.

What Happens Next:

After the poll closes in a week, the winner of the poll will be named the 91st best video game of the NES/Master System Era. The new most upvoted of games nominated in the comment section will be added to the 5 “losers”, and be the 6 games in the poll for Week 92, which will name the 92nd best NES/Master System Era game, and so on. I'd like to continue this to get a Top 100. At that point I would like to continue from the NES/Master System Era to the SNES/Genesis Era, for a new set of polls.
This will be a poll I hope to hold every week for a long time! Have fun everyone!
View Poll

Sgsflair 1: here --- 90+ Confirmed Trades
Sgsflair 2: here --- 15+ Confirmed Trades (no longer updating)
PayPal region is US.
Please use reddit private messages instead of chat once we come to an agreement
Leave a comment first before PMing or I won't respond
March 2023 Choice:

• Jurassic World Evolution 2
• Hero's Hour
• Demon Turf

February 2023 Choice:

• Fallout 1
• Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
• Othercide
• Shady Part of Me
• Scourgebringer
• Fobia - St. Dinfna Hotel
• Five Dates

Survival Instinct:

• The Long Dark: Survival Edition
• SCUM
• Starsand
• State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition
• SurrounDead

Fighting Farmers:

• Forager
• Kitaria Fables
• Re: Legend
• Serin Fate
• Spirit of the Island
• Stranded Sails - Explorers of the Cursed Islands

In Case You Missed It: Gems of 2022

• Haiku, the Robot
• PowerSlave Exhumed
• Source of Madness
• Submerged: Hidden Depths

January 2023 Choice:

• Encased: A Sci-fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG
• Grow: Song of the Evertree
• Hokko Life
• OlliOlli World - RAD Edition

Black Friday VR Voyager's Pack:

• A Fisherman's Tale
• Acron: Attack of the Squirrels
• Car Mechanic Simulator VR
• Cook-Out
• The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets
• I Expect You To Die
• Sairento VR
• Shooty Fruity
• SUPERHOT VR
• Until You Fall
• The Wizards - Dark Times

November 2022 Choice:

• Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning - Fate Edition
• Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice
• Unmetal
• Morbid: The Seven Acolytes

October 2022 Choice:

• Disciples: Liberation
• Epic Chef
• Railroad Corporation

Starlight Children's Foundation Games:

• Day of the Tentacle Remastered
• Full Throttle Remastered
• Grim Fandango Remastered
• Pinball FX3 DLCs
• Star Wars - Knights of the Old Republic
• Star Wars - Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords
• Star Wars - The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition
• Star Wars Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy
• Star Wars Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast

Valiant VR Bundle:

• Budget Cuts 2
• HARD BULLET
• VTOL VR

2K Megahits Bundle

• BioShock: The Collection
• Borderlands 3 Super Deluxe
• The Golf Club 2019 featuring PGA Tour
• Mafia: Definitive Edition
• PGA 2K21
• Sid Meier's Civilization VI
• WWE 2K Battlegrounds + Ultimate Brawler Pass
• X-COM: Ultimate Collection

LEGO At the Movies Games:

• LEGO Marvel's Avengers
• The LEGO Movie - Videogame
• The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame
• LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game

September Choice Games:

• Just Cause 4: Complete Edition
• Crown Trick
• Shapez + Puzzle DLC

August Choice Games:

• Emily is Away <3
• Gas Station Simulator
• Omno

July Choice Games:

• Legend of Keppers
• Lawn Mowing Simulator
• Yes, Your Grace
• Atom RPG Trudograd

High Tier:

• 7 Billion Humans
• A Game of Thrones: The Board Game
• Amnesia: Rebirth
• Arizona Sunshine
• BATTLETECH
• Beyond Blue
• Cook-Out VR
• Crawl
• Dead by Daylight
• DMC: Devil May Cry
• ELEX
• EVE: Valkyrie - Warzone (removed from steam)
• Fable Anniversary
• Gears 5
• Generation Zero
• Gods Will Fall - Valiant Edition
• Golf It! x2
• House Flipper
• Hurtworld x2
• Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
• Kerbal Space Program
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance x2
• Kingdom Two Crowns x2
• The Long Dark
• Marvels Avengers: Standard Edition (might keep)
• Metro Exodus
• Monster Hunter: World
• NASCAR Heat 5 + Playoff Pack
• NASCAR Heat 5 + Ultimate Pass
• No Time to Relax
• Pistol Whip VR
• PGA Tour 2K21
• Phoenix Point: Year One Edition
• Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
• Project Winter
• RPG Maker VX Ace x2 + lots of DLCs (just ask)
• Rubber Bandits
• Saints Row: The Third - Full Package
• Scythe Digital Edition
• Starbound
• Swords & Souls: Neverseen
• SYNTHETIK: Legion Rising
• Team Sonic Racing
• theHunter: Call of the Wild x3
• Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
• Trailmakers Deluxe Edition
• Trover Saves the Universe VR
• Universe Sandbox
• Vacation Simulator VR
• The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
• Warhammer Chaosbane: Slayer Edition
• We Were Here Too
• The Witness

Medium Tier:

• 112 Operator
• Battle of Polytopia Deluxe Edition
• Beyond the Wire
• Car Mechanic Simulator 2018
• Carcassonne - Tiles & Tactics
• Desolate
• El Hijo - A Wild West Tale
• Endless Space 2
• Endzone - A World Apart
• Genesis Alpha One Deluxe Edition
• GRID 2019
• Heliborne - Collection
• House Flipper VR
• Huniepop
• Imperator Rome
• Killing Floor Incursion
• LEGO Batman 2 DC Super Heroes
• LEGO Batman 3 Beyond Gotham Premium Edition
• The Lord of the Rings Adventure Card Game x2
• Memories of Mars
• Never Alone
• Overlord: Ultimate Evil Collection
• Primal Carnage: Extinction
• Quest Hunter
• Rebel Galaxy Outlaw
• Ryse: Son of Rome
• Skullgirls 2nd Encore
• Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed Collection
• Sonic Lost World
• Space Crew: Legendary Edition
• Splendor x2 + The Cities and Strongholds DLCs
• Star Wars Squadrons (Origin key)
• Street Fighter V
• SUPERHOT
• Townscaper
• Trine 2: Complete Story
• Ultra Street Fighter IV
• Victoria II
• Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide Collector's Edition
• Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War
• We Happy Few

Low Tier:

• Act of Aggression - Reboot Edition
• The Battle of Polytopia
• Book of Demons
• Brawlout
• Bridge Builder Racer
• Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
• Close to the Sun x2
• Detention
• Dirt Rally
• Dungeons 3
• Enslaved Odyssey to the West Premium Edition
• Espire VR
• F1 Race Stars Complete Edition
• Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark x2
• Fling to the Finish
• Full Throttle Remastered
• Guns, Gore, and Cannoli
• Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition
• Iconoclasts x2
• Legends of Keepers: Career of a Dungeon Manager
• The Letter Horror Visual Novel
• Lucius
• Magicka
• Mordheim: City of the Damned x2
• Out of Space
• PAYDAY 2
• PixelJunk Monsters Ultimate + Shooter Bundle
• Quiplash
• Rise of Industry + 2130 DLC
• Rise of Insanity
• Sheltered
• Shift Happens
• Small World + Cursed DLC
• Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing
• Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - Episode 1
• Sparkle 2
• Supreme Ruler The Great War
• Tannenberg x2
• Tools Up!
• Tooth and Tail
• Total Tank Simulator
• Traffic Jams VR
• Tropico 4 Collector's Bundle
• V-Rally 4
• Vanishing Realms VR
• Vikings - Wolves of Midgard
• Voidigo
• Worms Rumble
• WRC 7 FIA World Rally Championship
• Yoku's Island Express
• Yooka-Laylee

Very Low Tier:

• AER Memories of Old
• Ageless
• Alien Breed Trilogy
• All You Can Eat x2
• Archangel Hellfire - Fully Loaded
• Ballpoint Universe - Infinite
• Between the Stars
• Broken Age
• Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
• Crookz the Big Heist
• Crowntakers
• Crusader Kings Complete
• Deadly Days
• Deployment
• Detached
• Dino D-Day
• Drawful 2
• Earth 2150 Trilogy
• Enclave
• Endless Space - Collection x2
• Enforcer: Police Crime Action
• GoNNER
• GRIP: Combat Racing Artifex DLC x2
• Hiveswap Friendsim
• Homeworld Remastered Collection
• I Am Not a Monster: First Contact
• Imperial Glory
• In Between x2
• Iron Fisticle
• Jagged Alliance 2 - Wildfire + Classic DLC
• KnightShift
• Knights of Pen and Paper 2 x2
• Leisure Suit Larry - Manga Cum Laude Uncut and Uncensored
• Leisure Suit Larry 1 - In the Land of the Lounge Lizards
• Leisure Suit Larry 2 - Looking for Love (In Several Wrong Places)
• Leisure Suit Larry 3 - Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals
• Leisure Suit Larry 5 - Passionate Patti Does a Little Undercover Work
• Leisure Suit Larry 6 - Shape Up Or Slip Out
• Leisure Suit Larry 7 - Love for Sail
• Love Letter x2
• Magicka
• Men of War
• Milky Way Prince - Vampire Star
• MirrorMoon EP
• Mugsters
• Murderous Pursuits
• Newt One x2
• Nimbatus - The Space Drone Constructor
• Off-Road Drive
• Oh My Godheads
• One Finger Death Punch 2
• Overload
• Overlord II
• Overruled
• Pac-Man 256
• Pesterquest x2
• Porcunipine
• Realpolitiks
• Rebel Cops
• Rebel Galaxy
• Regular Human Basketball
• Save Jesus
• Septerra Core
• Sir, You Are Being Hunted
• Starcrossed x2
• Star Wolves 3: Civil War
• Steamburg
• Sudden Strike Gold
• Super 3-D Noah's Ark
• Swords of Gurrah
• Table Manners: Physics-Based Dating Game
• Tacoma x3
• Talisman: Origins
• Teleglitch: Die More Edition
• Tempest Pirate Action RPG
• Tropico 3 Gold Edition
• The Uncertain: Last Quiet Day
• Warlock - Master of the Arcane
• World War II: Panzer Claws
• World's Dawn
• Xenus 2 White Gold
• Ylands Exploration Pack DLC
• YOU DON'T KNOW JACK HEADRUSH
• YOU DON'T KNOW JACK MOVIES
• YOU DON'T KNOW JACK SPORTS
• YOU DON'T KNOW JACK TELEVISION
• YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Vol. 1 XL
• YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Vol. 2
• YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Vol. 3
• YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Vol. 4: The Ride

Want:

• PayPal (US) -- Priority
• TF2 Keys
• Sacks of Gems
• Steam Inventory Gifts
• Wishlist
• Game offers I plan on claiming

Bit of a novel here, and I'm not really sure where to post this, since it sort of straddles several formats and topics, so...
TLDR: I'm having a bit of an existential crisis about the game, and I wonder if any others might have gone through this already who could point me in the right direction. Is there a format with a slightly more inclusive, less restrictive card pool than Pauper EDH, that is also less costly and pay-to-win than EDH, while still allowing for actual spikey game play?
Recently, I became disillusioned with Hasbro-WoTC, and, in a different way, with the entire format of EDH. The reasons for the former are personal and would be immaterial to most of you, having to do with the politic and business decisions of the company and my personal finances (New cards cost way too much, yet somehow my collection of cards keeps being devalued with every move WoTC makes... WTF?!), but the end result is that I don't want to buy new things from WoTC.
No, that's a lie. I still WANT to buy new things. I covet each and every new card I see. I just can't justify the cost. But I also don't really want to just quit playing, as this is one of my few realizable hobbies, and I'm not quite to the point of selling off my collection out of desperation or spite just yet.
What I really want is to use the cards I already own in creative ways.
EDH, as the supposed casual and eternal format, should have fit my needs in this regard quite well, and for a while it did. At first it was a very creative space, very fun and wild. But the longer I play, the more I experience the same issues popping up over and over. Moreover, these tend to be issues of my personality and philosophy coming into conflict with particularities of each format.
Let me try and explain:
I'm a competitive person. If we play ping pong in your basement, I try to win. If we play Trivial Pursuit with the family, I want to win the game. If we play poker for real money or for piles of fake plastic chips, I want to win the game. And its not all about chest-thumping, I-like-beating-somebody-else-to-feel-superior toxic masculinity... If I play solitaire, or a video game by myself, I want to win the game. Regardless of the game, I try to win.
In Magic, I'll play the cards I'm dealt to win. I really don't feel I should apologize for it, but I'm also socially cognizant enough to recognize that, to many other (mostly younger, I've found) players, this makes me "competitive," and I ruin their fun by playing this way.
I don't want to wreck someone else's fun. But I am who I am, and I want to play to win.
At the same time, even though I love to brew and build new decks, I'm not a person who likes to brew and build "competitive" decks, per se. Frankly, I find the whole process of deck optimization shrinks an already narrow pool of what is considered "competitive, playable" cards down to the point where I begin to hate the term "auto-include," and overall I'm just so tired of seeing the same decks full of the same rare and mystic cards over and over again.
I'm also tired of all the fast and prohibitively-priced mana bases used in EDH. I'm sick of the speed ramp/ acquire-infinite-mana-and-combo obsession, of formulaic deck-building templates, and deck lists that are seemingly plucked straight from EDHREC, without regard for what people actually own in their collections, because we can just proxy whatever card we want anyway.
I know I'm a regular crotchety old man yelling for everyone to get off my lawn at this point, and wondering why nobody says high to me anymore, and some of these may seem to be conflicting, almost hypocritical attitudes. I'm aware.
On the one hand, I don't like the high cost of things, because I can't afford to purchase new cards. On the other hand, the value of my collection is at stake with Hasbro's reprint policies. On one hand, I can't abide the way that the internet and proxying replaces building from our personal collections with unchecked optimization on all fronts. On the other hand, I believe that proxying and using information from the internet is invaluable as tools for entry. On the one hand, I want my cake, on the other hand, I want to eat it.
Its all very confusing.
On the social side of the game, I'm tired of a ban list or a Rules Committee dictating what I can play from afar. I'm tired of being told that such-and-such Commander is too strong or provides too much value, or this archetype is too spikey, or that card is banned or is problematic, while watching people totally abuse the cards they do find acceptable as hard as they can. More rules for thee, less for me, I guess, but I find it all tedious and disheartening.
I just don't fit in. I got chased away from the casual EDH tables, because I'm a bastard of an old man who played the cards in my hand, and I tried to win too hard. I was repeatedly told cEDH was the place for me, because the format at least embraces the play style I prefer (playing to win), not to mention allowing a home for all the archetypes and game mechanics that I grew up with and enjoy (Counterspells, stax, land destruction, etc) that casual battlecruiser Green-centric Rules-Committee Approved Commander seems to hate.
And yes, I found all that was true of cEDH. Because people expect their cards to get countered and their creatures to face removal, they don't condemn you as an evil person for doing so. It was, by far, a better fit for my play style, and I thank them for it.
Yet cEDH is also the absolute pinnacle of being obsessed with deck-optimization, and it is even faster than regular EDH, and that's so not what I want. I'm not ashamed to say, the laser-focused, combo-laden deck building outclassed me completely. Sure, they don't openly hate you out if can remove a creature. But you also lose by turn 4.
So where do I fit it?
I'm too poor for new cards, and I dislike the general direction of the Commander meta and where I feel it leads. Too much focus on rules. Too obsessed with optimization. Too pricey.
Even though I have many cards from older sets, they are not the powerful ones, and so I'm also too poor for Vintage or Legacy.
I'm consistently told I'm too spikey a player for casual EDH, but I'm also clearly too casual a deck builder for cEDH, and don't enjoy the increased focus on faster, combo-laden games in either format.
When I recently heard about Pauper EDH, I thought this might be a possible place for someone like me. At least the format uses Commons, which on the surface solves the problem of cost, and I initially thought there would be a greater diversity in types of cards people would play. But the more I engage and deck build using their very strict rule set, the less I find it satisfies the need to build creatively.
I'm not sure what delusion I was under, because I hate strict deck-building rules and bans in EDH, and this format is like taking the ban list I already disagreed with from EDH and adding entire two whole entire rarities to it, as well as functionally removing all the Uncommons as well (you are allowed one Uncommon as your Commander, so in a four player game you'd expect to see four Uncommons). As of now, I've built like six Pauper EDH decks, and each and every time I have felt pain knowing that if I could just put a couple more Uncommons in there, the deck would work... But I can't. The format's rules are the format's rules for a reason. I'm not here to try and change that. Smarter, more dedicated people than me have crafted the format this way for a reason.
Moreover, I still see the exact same problems I have with EDH all over again in Pauper EDH. The movement towards deck optimization leads to a very narrow band of more the aggressively-costed "playable, competitive" cards with more potent effects to appear on most decklists (Mine included, so hypocrite confirmed) in a very narrow range of usable archetypes, only now with the added caveat of them all being Commons, so its an even more narrow group. Instead of seeing more and different cards, so far I have seen even less.
So there are things about each format that I like and things that I dislike, or maybe things about each format that gel with my personality, and others that conflict. Its the classic Goldilocks porridge situation. One format is too hot, the next too cold.
The question I bring to you is, is there a format that is between Pauper EDH and EDH?
Pauper eliminates all the Rares and Mythics in the hopes of slowing down the format and reducing cost, and it does do that (The average deck costs of my attempts at Pauper EDH decks have generally been between $30-$50, mana included, which is outstanding), but the massively truncated and strictly-enforced card pool makes my deck-building feel so painfully underwhelming, and the focus in the format still seems to be on deck optimization over creativity.
I still want to do powerful things. I want to have interesting synergies and crazy board states, like EDH, but without massively expensive mana bases. I want to have highly competitive game play, not build highly competitive decks.
So is there a variant PEDH format that allows both Uncommons and Commons in the 99, with a Rare or Mythic as your Commander, maybe? Sort of like one step up from Pauper? Is there a Middle-class EDH? Or is there a less card-restrictive variant of Pauper EDH? Is there a format for spikey players who aren't optimizing their decks, or is that a whole different issue altogether?

It was just before recess when Zach asked me to hold his egg. We were doing a school project where the goal was to keep an egg safe for an entire week, as if it were your own baby. If you dropped your egg and broke it, you got an F.
Mr. Marco had signed all of the eggs with a Sharpie, so there was no chance of cheating. Everyone in class had devised a plan to keep their prized egg safe for the week, and Zach was no exception. He was using a white and red thermos lined with tissue paper inside. It looked secure, and I wasn’t worried about breaking it. In fact, it looked safer than mine, and I was starting to consider changing my design.
Maybe because I was distracted thinking about my own egg container device, I didn’t have a firm enough grip on Zach’s thermos. When I got bumped from behind by another kid I fumbled it.
The whole contraption went flying and landed right in front of the teacher’s desk. Mr. Marco saw the egg jump from the thermos and a second later it went SPLAT, right on the floor in front of his desk.
“Jason! Was that your egg?” he demanded, leaping up from his chair.
Mr. Marco had always hated me. I had him in the sixth grade, after he replaced the best teacher in school at the last minute. Then in the eighth grade, he surprised me again by replacing the second best teacher in school and taking over for his class which I was entering. The first day I couldn’t believe it, seeing Mr. Marco sitting behind the desk where Mr. L was supposed to be sitting. Mr. L was my older brother’s favorite teacher ever. Three years prior I’d heard all the stories of how he’d taken his students on field trips every month and entertained them with his comedic lectures, using characters and voices and props that captivated even the most “unteachable” students.
Mr. Marco, by contrast, was a Phys Ed major who thought gym class was superior to everything and barely understood math or science. He was highly favored among the jocks and bullies and despised by the geeks and nerds, like myself.
That first day of eighth grade, Mr. Marco was sitting up front, and he must have seen the disappointed look on my face, because he scowled at me and yelled at me to take my seat. It was as if he had read my mind, and knew I hated him, and that I was disappointed he was my teacher again.
For almost two full years I’d suffered under Mr. Marco. He was mean, rude, and somehow managed to become friends with all of the bullies in school who regularly beat me up during recess. One of those bullies was Zach, whose egg I had just broken.
“No, Mr. Marco,” I said, showing him my egg, safe and sound. “That was Zach’s.”
I turned around and looked at Zach, then wished I hadn’t.
“Sorry,” I mumbled under my breath.
The teacher’s face went a shade redder. Zach was his favorite student. Zach was the quarterback on the football team which Mr. Marco coached. And Zach, despite being the worst student in class, was adored by Mr. Marco.
The teacher’s eyes shifted and I saw he was looking at Zach sympathetically. Zach, who was standing behind me, vibrating with rage. The freckles on his cheeks became harder to see, as his entire face went crimson.
Despite the fact that I knew he wanted to fail me, a precedent had already been set and everyone knew what had to happen next.
“Unless that was a decoy, you get an F, Zach,” Mr. Marco said, sitting back down and marking something in his notebook with a red pen. “Next time pick a smarter person to hold your baby.”
Somehow that stung worse than anything yet.
*
It didn’t take long for Zach to find me during recess.
His tall, lanky, hyena-voiced friend Chris accompanied him as they held me up against a wall and began to lay a beating on me. It didn’t help that Zach now had both hands free, while I had to hold onto my precious egg for dear life.
Zach punched my arm again and again, giving me a Charlie Horse that would last for weeks.
At first I didn’t protest. I felt like I deserved it. But then it started to hurt worse and worse and I needed to get away more than anything. It felt like something in my arm was about to rupture or break or worse. But no matter how hard I struggled, the two larger, stronger boys held me in place.
Finally, after what felt like hours, I could take no more, and crumpled to the ground, curling into a ball, still trying to protect my egg.
Zach said some parting words which I barely heard, no longer caring what he thought of me. Once upon a time we’d been friends. I’d gone to his house and gone to his birthday parties. But that felt like a different lifetime. A century ago, in another universe.
*
I walked home from school feeling crushed and weak, wincing every time someone ran past me on the sidewalk, thinking it might be Zach coming to lay another beating on me. Looking over my shoulder again and again, I had a feeling he would be coming for me. What he’d done to me at recess wasn’t enough. It would never be enough.
When I glanced back I saw him running down the sidewalk trying to catch up with me. I pretended not to notice, then when I went around the next corner I began to run.
A few seconds later I looked back to see he had several of his friends from the hockey team with him. They were running full-tilt, laughing and screaming at me as I ran away. Their threats made me certain that if they caught me they would hurt me worse than I’d ever been hurt before. And I really wanted to avoid that.
I turned onto a path, leaving the road, racing towards the forest. Immediately I regretted the decision, knowing that I was headed towards an even more secluded area, far away from the relative safety of city streets and plenty of witnesses.
But it was too late to turn back now. The bullies were right behind me, gaining on me fast. I threw my backpack to the ground, trying to gain any advantage I could, and heard one of them tumble to the ground when they tripped over it.
“I’ll kill you for that,” I heard him yelling after me, but I didn’t look back.
By the time I got to the forest I realized they weren’t right behind me anymore. They were still trailing me, but at a jogging pace now. And they were pulling binders and school books out of my backpack and scattering them everywhere as they walked.
“Man, you really shouldn’t litter,” Zach was saying, joined by jeers and laughter from the others. “All this stuff has your name on it, you should really come back and pick it up! Look, there goes your math textbook, that’s gotta be worth like fifty bucks, right?”
I winced, hearing him tear pages from it as they followed me into the forest. It probably cost more than a hundred dollars, I thought, which I’d have to pay back after the school year ended. Either way, I wasn’t turning around for the backpack. I would take my life over my school books any day.
The path was too obvious, I realized. Knowing I had temporarily lost them in the trees, I decided to veer off from it. I had to get creative if I wanted to lose them.
So I went off the path and ran through some bushes, heading away from the trail.
It didn’t take long for them to notice, and I heard them crunching through leaves as they followed after me a few seconds later.
“I SEE YOU!” Zach shouted, and I looked back and saw he was pointing right at me. “And I’m gonna fucking KILL YOU!”
It was an accident, I wanted to scream. But it wouldn’t make a difference. None of it mattered to him. He just wanted blood.
Running as fast as I could through the fallen leaves, I tripped over a branch. It was hidden by the rusted brown and yellow foliage and so I hadn’t seen it.
When I looked up, I realized there was a hiding place just beside me that I would not have noticed if not for tripping.
A large, hollowed-out log was to my right, and I crawled inside of it.
It was large enough for me to fit inside, but just barely. I held my breath, hearing the sounds of footsteps coming closer. The other boys were right outside, looking for me.
“He was here a second ago,” one of them said. “I saw him.”
Patiently I waited for them to leave, hoping they wouldn’t linger too long. The log was wet beneath my ass and I felt the rotten moisture leaking through my pants. I noticed movement to my right and looked to see a fat spider crawling on the ceiling of my hiding spot, and just beyond there were millipedes, potato bugs, and little red worms which squirmed and wriggled as they poked their heads from the decaying wood. There were probably more of them beneath me, and I realized I felt movement under me. The entire rotten log was alive with insects and creepy-crawlies.
Horrified and sick to my stomach, I nearly burst out of there, screaming. But I stayed where I was and hoped they would leave. Instead, they lingered nearby, far too close for comfort.
“Is he in there?” I heard one of them ask.
With fear overwhelming my revulsion, I set down my precious egg and clambered further into the decaying log. I crawled through thick spider webs as things skittered down my back and into my pants, biting back a scream and forcing myself to continue onward. All the way to the end, or at least, what I thought was the end of the hollow log.
Instead of bumping up against a rock or roots or cold hard ground, I kept crawling. Into the darkest place I’d ever been.
Something about it was calling to me, even more than my sense of curiosity at this strange world which seemed to be opening up all around me.
I sensed by the noise of my movements that I was now in a wide open space, damp and cold like a cave, and I felt around, realizing I could stand up now. I sensed there was something just ahead of me, and I reached out to feel a smooth wooden surface.
My hand probed the flat surface for any marker or indication of what it might be, and suddenly I felt something round and polished jutting out from it.
For a few seconds I couldn’t figure it out, because the context clues were all wrong. Whatever this was didn’t belong here. It belonged in a house, not a cave beneath the forest.
It was a door knob.
Which meant this was a door.
But where could it possibly lead to?
I decided to take my chances with whatever was on the other side, rather than risking another confrontation with Zach and his friends.
My heart was pounding fast as I turned the handle, deciding to take a chance and explore further in this strange place. Maybe it was a hobbit’s hole, my young mind thought. Or the home of a leprechaun.
As I stepped through, into another world, I forgot all about Zach and the other boys who were looking to beat me up.
As the door swung open I was hit by a blast of cold air, much more chilly than the damp basement feeling of the cave I had just been in. This new place was in the middle of winter, and it was full of blowing snow, whereas the place I’d just come from was relatively warm. I was wearing jeans and a hoodie, and I was immediately freezing cold and shivering.
“Whoa,” I exclaimed, unable to stop myself from wandering forward.
Scared of going too far from the door, I hesitantly began to explore this new place.
I pushed my way out through thick fir trees, and eventually found myself in a clearing, surrounded by forest. It was dim outside, but it was daylight. The sky overhead was obscured by thick, swirling gray clouds which dumped snow down constantly. My feet were instantly soaked and freezing cold, since my running shoes were not made for this sort of weather.
Clutching myself and rubbing my arms to regain some warmth, I decided this was too much to bear. I was about to turn back, but then I heard the sound of tiny bells jingling, and a voice speaking to me from nearby. It was a woman’s voice, soft and sweet, like music to my ears.
“Oh, dear boy,” she said, emerging from behind a tree. Her hair was dark and she was dressed in gray robes, the same color as the clouds, covered in little silver bells. “How did you find yourself stranded in the forests of Hollow’s End?”
Part of me wanted to turn and run, but her smile was warm and friendly, and the tinkling bells reminded me of Christmas, so I found myself staying.
“Oh, hello. Nice to meet you. Actually, I’m not stranded. There’s a door back there. I found this place by accident and… Brrrrr, it’s beautiful… but cold! I think I’ll have to be heading back now.”
She came a little closer and I saw she was very pretty. Her face looked like it belonged to a supermodel or a famous actress whose name I couldn’t place, and I found myself staring at her intently, despite my desire to go back to where I’d come from where it was warmer.
Then, before I knew it, she was standing right in front of me.
“If you’re cold, I can get you a coat. And some hot cocoa. Would you like that?”
I felt myself nodding, and she took my hand in her own freezing cold one, and when she touched me my entire body became covered with goosebumps, and I found myself going with her. She led me away from the door I’d come in through, and deeper into the cold and wintery world of Hollow’s End.
*
A little while later we were sitting inside someplace warm, although I didn’t remember walking there. I had a fur coat around my shoulders and I was sipping cocoa, staring at the beautiful woman across from me. She was old enough to be my teacher, and it should have felt rude, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away. And she didn’t say anything, only looked at me with that same warm smile.
But then her happy expression dropped and she looked away, as a tear dripped down her cheek, spilling to the floor, where it immediately froze solid. Her lower lip quivered as she said a silent apology to me.
“What’s wrong,” I asked.
“Nothing,” she said. “How’s your hot chocolate?”
“Delicious!”
And it was. The best I’d ever tasted.
“Are you hungry?” she asked, wiping away the tears which had turned to snowflakes on her face.
“Yes, I’m very hungry,” I replied. I couldn’t help it, I was starving. My stomach was rumbling and I felt like dinner should have been hours ago, and yet time was funny here. I wasn’t entirely sure how long I’d been in this world, on the other side of the door. But the groans from my belly were saying it had been a long time.
“What is your favorite thing in the world to eat?”
I thought about this for a second, and it didn’t take long to come up with an answer.
“My mom’s beef stew,” I said. “It’s the best!”
Her face lit up in a warm grin again and she got up and went to the stove. I noticed for the first time there was a black pot simmering there.
“Well, what do you know? That’s exactly what I’m making for dinner tonight. Beef stew!”
My mouth started watering at the smell. It was exactly like what I remembered from home. Which reminded me I should be going back there. My mom would be worried about me.
Something about this was creeping me out too, the more I thought about home and about the strange situation I was in. Images of Hansel and Gretel crossed my mind, although I hadn’t yet labeled this woman with the dreaded “W” word. I didn’t think she’d like it if I called her that, even if it was true.
As I was about to open my mouth to say I had to leave, she presented me with a steaming bowl filled with beef stew, and I forgot what I had been thinking about. The dish looked just like my mom’s, and the smell was overwhelming. Next she set down a board with a freshly-baked loaf of bread sitting atop it, steaming and warm with butter ready for spreading.
I couldn’t possibly leave right after she’d done all this for me, I thought to myself, and began to dig in.
The meat was tender, the broth perfectly thick and seasoned, and the carrots, potatoes, and onions had just the right amount of bite. It was the best beef stew I’d ever eaten - peppery and hot - and I quickly downed two bowls, devouring four slices of warm, crunchy fresh bread slathered in salted butter, which I used to mop up the puddles at the bottom of the bowl.
Wiping my face with a napkin, I belched loudly and excused myself, my face turning red with embarrassment.
“No need to apologize. A healthy burp is a sign of a properly cooked meal, in my books,” she said from across the table.
I realized then that she hadn’t eaten anything, and felt bad for not noticing earlier.
“I’m just not very hungry these days,” she said, as if reading my thoughts. “But I’m glad I could make you happy with a meal. The greatest joy in life is in feeding people, I always say.”
“That’s what my mom always says too!”
It wasn’t quite what she said, but close enough.
The woman’s face broke again and frozen tears began to pour from both eyes, as she let out a gut-wrenching sob.
It was startling, after our pleasant conversation so far, but obviously there was something deeply troubling this woman.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “I’m not sure if I can help, but I’d be happy to try.”
“That’s sweet of you to offer,” she said. “But you’re just a boy. I need someone… Well, someone who can be very, very sneaky. No, I’m sorry. It’s too dangerous.”
“What’s too dangerous?” I asked, curious now.
She walked over to the fireplace and looked into the flames. Then, after some time, she began to speak.
“It’s been years since I’ve been trapped in this place. An outcast sent to live at the edge of the forest.”
Her voice was sad, and almost brought me to tears as she continued her tragic tale.
“My family once ruled this land. We were fair and just. Everyone in Hollow’s End had enough to eat. It was warm and the sun was shining every day. Crops grew tall in the soil of our lands, towering to the heights of trees. There was always more than enough to go around.
“But then a great beast emerged from the forest. It was a jungle cat, large and white, and with it came the snow. The great tiger was intelligent, and could speak and enthrall the hearts of men. He convinced them to take my crown from me, and with it, I lost my power to hold back his never-ending winter. The trees went bare overnight. The crops began to wither and fail. And soon there was little to eat, and never enough to go around.”
She showed me the bottom of the pot of stew, and the few scraps that remained, then set it down to rest on the stove.
“You gave me all of it?” I asked, stunned and heartbroken. “But you don’t even know me.”
“My mother always taught me to be kind. To help strangers lost in the cold.”
I thought about this for a few moments before making an impulse decision I would come to greatly regret.
“Well, my mom taught me stuff too! And I want to help you. Just tell me what you need me to do. If you need someone to be sneaky, well, I’ll be the sneakiest sneak you’ve ever seen. I’ll get your crown back for you from that tiger!”
She smiled at me, and this time it didn’t feel so warm. In fact, I felt a chill run up my spine as she began to laugh and nod, telling me, “Good boy. Very good boy.”
*
I found myself outside, dressed in a thick black fur coat and boats, trudging through the snow. There was a sword in a scabbard attached to my belt, and I had a vague memory of being taught how to use it.
How much time has passed? How long did you spend learning how to use that sword? Your mother must be missing you…
Panicked thoughts ran through my mind but they were suppressed now. They were at the back. Hidden. Far away where I couldn’t get to them. The only thing that was important now was the mission. Getting the crown. And I could see the glow of it in the distance, shining silver with the magic beacon cast by the (witch, she’s a witch!) woman who was so kind and so good to me. Heading further and further away from the door which had brought me to this strange place - but that thought didn’t really trouble me anymore. Now I was focused on my mission. Getting back the crown was all that mattered. The crown. The crown. The crown.
At some point I realized I was standing right in front of a gate. Not only that, but someone was speaking to me.
“Your NAME, sir?”
“Revere Frostborne the eighth,” I answered, the strange words coming out with no conscious effort. My voice sounded deeper, I noticed, and looked down to see my hands were lined and cracked, calluses formed at the tips of my fingers from many years of hard labor - or swordplay.
“Ah, we’ve been expecting you for some time,” the man said.
I looked him up and down and saw he was a guard dressed in a suit of armor, and there were dozens of others like him all around me. I was in a castle, like something out of Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings. There were tapestries on the wall and flickering torches hung beside them as I was marched down a long corridor, deeper and deeper into the heart of a grand and ancient keep.
After going through numerous lines of guards, each larger and more ornately armored than the last, we finally arrived at a massive entryway. There, the guard who had been my escort left me.
I looked up at the eight new guards who stood at the doorway, far more formidable-looking than my previous escort, each dressed in gold armor fringed with red, brandishing the sharpest and most ornate-looking spears I’d ever seen. They blocked my entrance and said nothing.
For a moment I couldn’t think what they could be expecting of me, but then the words came from my lips before I could consider their meaning.
“The armies of the Frostborne Giants have a proposal,” I said. “I must speak to him.”
The guards parted for me and I walked through their midst, entering the largest and most lavishly-decorated throne room I’d ever seen.
Sounds of clanking, rattling armor could be heard behind me and I realized the guards were escorting me the rest of the way, towards what appeared to be a huge throne in the distance.
As I got closer I realized it wasn’t a person sitting on the purple throne. It was a white tiger. Much larger than any jungle cat I’d ever seen on Earth, this beast was easily three times the size of a White Bengal Tiger. And sitting atop its head was a golden crown.
THE CROWN. GET THE CROWN. YOU MUST GET THE CROWN.
The words ran through my head feverishly, running over every other consideration like a steamroller.
Once I was close enough to smell the fish on the great cat’s breath, it spoke.
“Why did you come here?” it asked in a deep baritone voice which rattled my eardrums. “Do you seek to steal my crown for the Silver Witch of the forest?”
GET THE CR…
The command running through my mind was interrupted somehow, and for the first time in a long while, I could think for myself. But I wasn’t sure how long it would last.
“How did you know I came for your crown?”
The guards’ spears were suddenly at my throat from eight different angles, less than an inch away. My heart was pounding fast.
“I could smell her on you. Cats have much better noses than people, you know. Lower your weapons, he did not realize what he was doing. He still doesn’t. The Silver Witch is cunning, you all know that.”
The guards lowered their spears reluctantly.
“Blikjin, Frija, go. Ready the men for an attack. This is likely a diversion,” the tiger said, and two of the guards ran off. The other six formed a defensive formation all around us.
"Frederick! Come quickly! I need your expertise."
A white haired wizard carrying a staff shuffled over and immediately began pawing at my head, as if inspecting for lice.
"Ah yes, just as I would have suspected."
He pulled something out from the back of my skull which continued to emerge for a long, long time as he yanked at it. It felt as if he were pulling a snake from my brain.
As he gathered it and looped it into a coil, the great tiger began to whisper in my ear.
“She can’t hear us anymore. Now, listen closely, boy. This is what you must do…”
*
I was walking again. The cold wind was blowing in my face and the snow was stinging my skin, but I had my wits again. I could think for myself.
The King of Hollow’s End devised a plan to rid the land of the witch once and for all, but it would be up to me to implement it. If I failed, she would have everything she needed to take over again. And to plunge this other world into permanent darkness.
“She’s far too powerful even for me to defeat,” the king told me. “But you will have the advantage. You will be able to catch her by surprise in a way none of us could.”
The crown was in my hand, the snow crunching beneath my boots. There was a long road ahead of me, although I didn’t remember traveling it the first time, I would be present for every moment of this leg back.
Fortunately for me, the king’s throne room was imbued with a powerful magic, put in place by the wizard, Frederick. The witch wasn’t aware of his power, or his presence, otherwise she wouldn’t have risked sending me alone. But now I was in a place of advantage. All I had to do was get her to put on the crown and it would drain all of her magic, making her powerless, due to a hex placed upon it by the wizard. Without her magic, the witch would freeze like ice and shatter into a million pieces
I continued to walk, pondering my plan and every possible thing that could go wrong. For years, I marched through the cold and the snow, attacked by bandits some days while on others I had nothing to eat. There were good friends made along the way, enemies vanquished and companions lost to sickness and arrows. Yet somehow I managed to survive.
By the time I made it back to that frozen forest I was a changed man. No longer a boy - those days were long since forgotten. I hardly remembered how I had come to be in this place, and part of me suspected I’d lived here all along - that those previous memories were simply another hex placed upon me by the witch.
The sound of tinkling bells broke me from my thoughts, and I looked up to see her standing there, right in front of me. Only inches away.
“You’re back,” she said with that same smile like an eel about to eat supper. “Do you have it?”
No questions of how I was or whether I’d run into trouble. No thank you for my years - no - decades of journeying to fetch it for her.
My hands shaking with barely concealed rage, I fetched it from beneath the folds of my tattered cloak and handed it to her.
“You’re shaking,” she said, taking it from me. Her voice was nervous, and slightly suspicious. “Are you alright?”
“The years have done a number on me, m’lady. I am not the boy I once was. I’ve grown old in my quest to find this for you. And to slay the great tiger who stole your throne.”
“But you have done it? He is dead?”
I nodded.
“Yes. He is dead.”
Smiling wider, she began to put the crown on top of her head. Lowering it to the point where it almost rested there, it hovered for several long moments… But then she pulled it away.
“No…” she muttered. “Too easy…”
Her face was getting red with rage, and I realized she had caught me.
“You shouldn’t be able to tell your own age. That was part of the spell. It was supposed to keep you blind to how much time you spent here - a variation on the hex which enchants my forest.”
She raised her hand and a bolt of energy deformed the air in front of me, causing it to shimmer, and then it moved over me, enveloping me. It was pure heat. Like the air just above a fire, where you would toast your marshmallows.
I screamed as the boiling air began to melt my skin, setting my fur cloak ablaze.
“You will learn not to disobey me again,” said the witch, inspecting the crown in her hands with disinterest. “But for now. Pain.”
The scorching air got even hotter somehow, and my hair caught on fire a second later. Now I couldn’t even scream. My voice was caught, my face frozen in a grimace of sheer agony.
Time stretched out forever, although it only lasted a few instants.
Then thankfully the burning haze was extinguished by a snowy gust of wind.
“Enough, witch! You have destroyed this poor boy’s life. Now you will pay!”
It was the wizard, I realized with relief. He had come to save me. And not only that, but he was riding on the back of the great white tiger king.
Frederick leapt from his back and began to advance on the witch at the tiger flanked her from the other side. He held his staff out in front of him and cast bolts of white lightning at the witch - who in turn sent them ricocheting in every direction, deflecting them with a swirling gray cloud which she manipulated expertly.
One bolt of lightning deflected back exactly at Frederick, hitting him centermass, and sending him flying backwards. After hurtling through the air several yards, he landed against a rock, where he lay motionless.
“FREDERICK!” the tiger-king shouted, abandoning his attack and racing across the snow to his fallen friend.
The gray witch was moving towards the king, slowly closing the distance from behind, and I realized she would kill him if I didn’t do something.
And then I saw the crown lying in the snow.
I would only have one chance. And I would need to be very sneaky.
“You thought you could kill me?” the witch was saying, sending a shimmering orb of heat towards the tiger-king. “You really thought you could kill ME?”
The tiger lunged at her ankle, ducking beneath the orb of magic at the last second and grabbing hold of her leg in his jaw.
“NOW!” he yelled around the bloody flesh in his mouth. “DO IT NOW!”
I didn’t hesitate.
As the witch was distracted, screaming in pain, I jammed the crown on top of her head, twisting it further onto her forehead until it covered her eyes, and was impossible to remove.
It began to turn red, then white-hot, as she howled in pain and tried to pry it off. But it wouldn’t budge.
The witch burst into flame, and I held my hands up to the bonfire of her body to warm myself up as I watched her turn to cinders.
*
Sadly, a few minutes after the witch died, so did Frederick, the wizard. He managed to hang on for a little while, just long enough for his magic to send the witch back to hell where she belonged, but then his injuries overcame him. He had used the most powerful magic available to him in his effort to stop the witch - and she had turned it around on him, deflecting it right back at his heart.
A tear ran down the tiger-king’s cheek, and I held out my hand to stroke his soft, warm fur. His eyes were brimming with tears as he spoke.
“You should go home. Your family must be missing you.”
“That was just a lie from the witch. This is my home. It always has been. The rest was just a dream.”
“Come,” said the tiger-king. “Let me show you something.”
He led me towards a thicket of trees. Pushing a few branches aside with his great paw, he went into them, the sticky sap leaving brown smears on his white coat.
“In there,” he said, pointing to a strange door, isolated in the middle of the forest. “That is where your true life lies. Looking back, one day you will think that THIS was just a dream.”
Memories flooded back of my mother and father, my friends and family, and of course, the bullies who had tormented me.
“It’s been so long. There’s nothing left for me there.”
“Time works differently in some worlds - at least that’s what Frederick told me. He, himself, was from another world. And he said one day he would return there and only a few hours would have passed. Perhaps it will be the same for youu. There is only one way to find out."
I looked at him and found that now I was crying. I gave the giant tiger a hug and he lifted his paw to hug me back, retracting his enormous claws to do so.
"You are always welcome in my kingdom if you wish to return one day."
And with that, I left him behind, pushing open the door and going back into the cave on the other side.
I found myself back on Earth, and once again in the form of a boy. Unsure how much time precisely had passed, I scrambled out of the log and looked around for any sign of the bullies who had tormented me so many years ago.
Something crunched beneath my foot as I made my way out of the log, and I looked down to see it was my egg. The sacred egg which I'd been tasked with keeping safe.
It seemed so silly now.
I had a good average in all of my classes. Failing the egg project didn't mean anything, really. Except maybe for Zach, who was barely passing. Maybe he would have to be held back because of my blunder.
Suddenly I felt bad for dropping his egg, even if he had beaten me up for it. I hoped he would pass and get to graduate.
I found my backpack at the entrance to the forest, with all of my papers tossed on the grass. My math textbook was fine, though. Despite what he'd said, Zach hadn't ripped it up - he'd only torn out blank pages from a notebook. Maybe he felt bad.
After I'd gathered up my belongings, I began walking home again.
Halfway there, I looked up and saw Zach. He was on the front porch of his house, looking like he didn't really want to go inside. A man and a woman were yelling at each other loud enough to be heard from the street.
"Hey, Zach!" I called over to him.
He looked up and seemed angry for a second, but then seemed to do a double-take. He walked over to me and looked me up and down.
"What's up with you? You look different," he said.
"I've just had some time to think," I replied. "It doesn't give you an excuse to be a dick to me, but I'm sorry I smashed your egg. It was a mistake. Somebody pushed me from behind and it went flying."
"Yeah, okay," he said. "No big deal. I'm still gonna graduate. Just barely, though."
"That's good."
I thought for a second to myself.
"Hey, do you want to come hang out at my place for a bit? I've got the new Street Fighter game. And I've got some eggs and a Sharpie. After two years in his class, I've gotten pretty good at forging Mr. Marco's signature."
He smiled and nodded, and the two of us left the sounds of muffled arguments on the other side of the door and walked away down the street together.
*
This all happened many years ago. I'm in my late thirties now, and the memories of my other life in that other world have faded. But I still remember how to use a sword. And I still remember the terror I felt as the Silver Witch of Hollow's End set me on fire with her magic. That time while it consumed me felt like it was drawn out forever - and I realized over the years why that was.
In the case of the witch's magic, time does not heal all wounds. It makes little difference.
I think about that sometimes when I'm trying to fall asleep at night, tossing and turning from the unquenchable pain. In the darkness of my bedroom. Every time I see a shadow that looks vaguely like a person I'm still convinced it's her. And that she's laughing in the darkness, tormenting me with her magic.
It doesn't matter that she's dead.
Now I know that there are an infinite number of different worlds out there.
And an infinite variety of horrific things waiting just in the shadows out of sight.
How many doors leading to other worlds are out there?
And what do we do if someone like the Silver Witch steps through, into our world?
What if they're already here?
Or someone else much worse?
YT
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