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Orion

Class: Archer True Name: Orion Gender: Male Source: Greek mythology Region: Greece Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Height: 230cm Weight: 187kg
 

Parameters	Rank
Strength	A
Endurance	A
Agility	B+
Mana	C
Luck	A
Noble Phantasm	EX

 
Scenario writer: Yuuichiro Higashide Character illustrator: I-IV CV: Canna Nobutoshi
Main appearances: Fate/Grand Order
 

Class Skills

Independent Action: EX Earned for qualifying for Grand Archer.
 
Blessing of the Sea God: B A subspecies skill of Divinity. Enables him to walk on water as well as remain underwater indefinitely. He can also make it rain at will, and Orion used this skill mainly to try to charm the ladies, saying things like, “The rain makes a normally cheery man seem like he's crying.” (This turns out not to have been a particularly effective tactic.)
 
Curse of Scorpio: D One of Orion’s many causes of death. He hates scorpions so much that the constellation Orion retreats whenever Scorpio approaches it in the sky.
 

Personal Skills

Pressure of the Moon Goddess: EX Heavy pressure that Orion receives in the name of affection from his lover(?) Artemis. The tremendous pressure buffs Orion, enhancing his physique. All stats rank up, including magical energy and LUK. His STR is doubled.
 
Stout Arm of Brutality: B+ Orion had powerful arms. So strong were his arms that he is said to have strangled a lion with them. Even demonic beings and Phantasmal Beasts flee in terror of his brute strength. Tearing coins in two is a cakewalk for him, and a blow from him is capable of shattering Cerberus' forehead. His strength is truly peerless.
 
Tri-Star Archer: A+ As he was touted to be the greatest hunter in Greece, combined with Artemis' blessing, his skill is said to be the very best on Earth. By gaining his constellation's legend of the three stars (the Tri-Star), he has gained powerful archery skills that overwhelm even other heroes from different ages.
But...there is one fatal flaw to this skill. It is that those who are beloved of the stars are also beloved of the gods (especially goddesses). Thus, his fate may have already been sealed at that point...point...point... (echoes)
 

Noble Phantasm

Innocent Affections of the Moon Goddess Rank: B Type: Anti-Army (self) Range: 0 Maximum Targets: 1 person
Artemis Agnós. Artemis' love pours down upon Orion, temporarily enhancing him. The incredible intensity of her love is felt both physically and psychologically. It is an anti-army Noble Phantasm because its blessing is sufficient to grant one man the strength of an entire army. The sheer magnitude of its power would cause a normal person to explode, but Orion only suffers muscle aches.
 
There is no Beast My Arrow Cannot Reach Rank: B+ Type: Anti-Army Range: 100 Maximum Targets: ?
Orion Orkos. An attack that nullifies all defensive skills and Noble Phantasms if the target is demon-kin or a Demonic Beast.
If used while summoned as Grand Archer, it has the added effect of causing any beast to fall within his reach. It is also effective against enemies that spawn infinitely, automatically killing them so long as they are in range.
In FGO, this Noble Phantasm was only used in the Main Scenario of the game.
 
The Hunter Who Pierces the Goddess Rank: EX Type: Anti-Divine Range: Infinite (until it reaches Artemis) Maximum Targets: 1 unit
Ortygia Amore Mio. A special Noble Phantasm that should not exist under normal circumstances. It was created explicitly for Artemis in the Fifth Lostbelt, though it meant even discarding the position of Grand Archer. In exchange for his own life, he shot down the mechanical goddess Artemis. An arrow that can only be released once by unifying a bow forged by processing Achilles's armor, Paris turned into an arrow, and a Command Spell (boost) from the Master. In FGO, this Noble Phantasm was only used in the Main Scenario of the game.
 

Character

Pronouns used: First person: Ore (俺) Second person: Omae (おまえ) Third person: He (彼) / She (彼女)
 
○ Personality After remaining in the dark for a while, Orion makes an unannounced entrance. Not much changed from when he was a bear. Actually, it's only his weird form. He is open-minded, accommodating and unconcerned with the small details. He also loves women.
 
○ Dialogue Examples: "Man... This body is a real bother, isn't it? It's actually kinda funny if you take a step back and think about it. I mean, how did it even come to this? I'm a Servant, for crying out loud! Wait... Is it a curse from my name? Is it all because my name stems from 'to urinate'^[1]? Hahaha, I see, hahahaha! What kind of awful origin of a name is that!?" "Master, this may be abrupt but I was caught cheating, so sorry, but I’ll retreat for a bit!" "I won't let anyone fell you but me! No one!! No one but I can draw this bow! No one but I can shoot you down! I am moved by my own will, and it's by my own will that I will strike you down!"
 
○ Historical Image and Character: Orion, whose name means "to urinate," was born to the sea god Poseidon and Euryale (not the goddess Euryale). He always bragged that he could take down any beast, but an incident with some ladies caused him to go blind one day. Relying only on the sound of a hammer, he set out to sea and met the goddess of dawn, Eos. With her help, he was able to recover his sight. It bears mentioning that this was only the beginning of his trouble with goddesses.
The sun god Apollo did not approve of his younger sister Artemis falling in love with Orion, and so he tricked Artemis into shooting Orion, who was out at sea, by challenging her to shoot a man named Candaon. Artemis successfully hit her lover, Orion, and it was said that she hugged his corpse and wept. She considered asking for help from Asclepius, who was able to revive the dead, but he was killed by Zeus's thunderbolt before she could reach him. With no other choice, Artemis sublimated Orion to the stars. During winter, three dazzling stars (the Tri-Star) can be seen. They are known as Orion's Belt.
 
○ In Atlantis: Originally, Superhuman Orion obtained the crown position of Grand Archer, having been summoned by the Counter Force in response to the presence of a Beast. That said, because the summoning occurred just a little too late, the original assault unit had already been dissolved, and so Orion had no other choice than to remain in Atlantis.
However, during that time, Artemis ended up noticing Orion's presence there. In fearing his power—or perhaps due to other feelings towards him—she ended up sending her terminal vessel to his side. Following negotiations with her, Orion reluctantly agreed to enter a non-aggression pact. As long as he did not make a move, Artemis vowed to not lay a hand on him either. During the time that followed, Artemis' terminal seemingly disappeared from Atlantis, only acting as observer.
When the Chaldean party arrived, and Orion finally met with the Master, he first refused to help due to this pact, but sensing that Artemis was ready to make a move he eventually resolved to assist regardless.
And so, on that final island, Orion made use of the bow and arrow granted to him by Hephaistos, and unleashed his Noble Phantasm. Even so, he was unable to reach Artemis. In that bleak moment, Paris offered to make an arrow from himself. Having been given a truly final chance, with everything on the line, Orion relinquished his crown, and created his third Noble Phantasm using the best Saint Graph possible.
But that Noble Phantasm was never one born of hatred; rather one born of a wish to see the woman he loved be granted a peaceful slumber. Thus, the hunter of love shot down the moon.
 
○ Standard Weapons: Bow and arrow. Otherwise, just clubs and stuff to bonk people with.
 
○ Related Characters:
All women, past present and future (with some exceptions): I! Love! Y──
Jason/Achilles: "I don't at all agree with the media's portrayal of us as 'a trio of greek muscleheads'. Well, I guess it's not that off the mark, but..."
Atlantis Argonauts: "Obviously, I don't remember anything from Atlantis, but those guys did some great stuff, and I genuinely admire them. We all get along pretty well, including the aforementioned duo of blockheads. Heey! (A greeting that was popular but a single moment)"
Artemis (Pan-Human History): "Keep your distance, don't get too close..." that's the motto which Orion has lived his days by in Chaldea, but when it came to his attention that they would celebrate their golden wedding anniversary, he just had a face like ( ﾟ Д ﾟ )
Orion (bear form): "Bear...a bear... I'm....a bear... No, wait...it looks a bit like some new trendy character, doesn't it? It's fluffy and squishy, I think it'll be big with the youngsters, don't you think!? It's not? I see..."
Artemis (Lostbelt): Supposing that woman were to ever awaken from her gentle slumber and recognize him once more, he already knows what to tell her: "About that very last bit...can we just forget about it? It's kinda embarrassing."
(All the Atlantean Argonauts always incessantly gave him verbal abuse in the style of "Are you insane!?", "We should just tie this guy up and sacrifice him to Artemis!", "Get your shit together already!", and so on.)
Whatever the case, he just wishes for her to have a long, gentle sleep. Even if, now, not a single trace of that existence remains.
 
 

Comment from Illustrator:

Are those the legs of a water strider? You know, the insect? No no, not at all, it's totally different. It's more like huntsman's greaves but with mountain climbing-style spikes. I heard water striders' legs were totally covered in hair, and they have two claws? And this allows them to float on water?
Orion is someone who Artemis described as having a beautiful face, and being all-around handsome, but there was never a chance of him being the sort of slim, delicate man which is handsome by today's standards. After all, no matter how you view his legends, he was always more of a gorilla than a wise man; a muscle-headed macho-man who would go on to beat up countless people (and even that's an understatement).
There's also the fact that just looking at the constellations, it's...difficult to use them as a design source without first complementing really large parts just using your imagination anyway, to be honest. (As an aside, in the first draft of the floating bear Orion in Artemis' third ascension, all the stars of the constellation were included. When the staff made it into a sprite, the stars on his arm were cut. I still don't know the reason for this.) Ever since Hollow Ataraxia, it's been my personal impression from characters like Hercules, Stheno, and Euryale, that when it came to Ancient Greece, in the world of Fate, the elements that became really popular might have been "big muscly men, and loli women". Not like I know if there's any truth to that. Either way, when I submitted a sketch of this mountain of muscle, it was approved almost without hesitance. The one thing that was altered was the face. Originally, his face was pretty wild. He had scars over both eyes, even. Well, if I'd gone with that legend, the design might have been too graphic. In the end, he was given a cute face, even with his neck being super-thick and like a big lump of muscles. Speaking of, people with this many muscles tend to have a narrow range of motion due to the muscles being in the way. Inevitably, the same must be true for this guy. He can't exactly stand at attention. I think it helps with his cuteness. His hair is pretty stiff and unruly, mostly because Artemis would have copied the makeup of his hair when she created her human body, or something like that. Consequently, it means if he were to grow his hair long, it would look really similar to Artemis'.
The belt is a gift from Artemis, that's why it's a bit more sci-fi. The lights coming out in the second ascension represent the particularly bright stars in the Orion constellation. The light on the right shoulder is red because it represents the red supergiant star Betelgeuse. The club design is made with respect with the most primitive and painful sci-fi club design I personally know of. The second ascension is the baseline for the whole design. I also assume he would just throw the club. I'm honestly not sure where the trend of a costume change in the second ascension came from, but in Orion's case, I drew him with this wild idea as if Artemis' love (also an understatement) was encroaching on him, or maybe as a reminder of sorts for him. (I-IV)
 
 
Translation notes:
[1] The idea is that Ovid posited that "Hyries called him Urion, because of his conception: the first letter has now lost its ancient sound". The greek word in question would actually be "ouron" (urine) which gives the verb "ourein" (to urinate).

Seriously, they should fire their entire marketing team. I honestly don't feel too butt hurt that they took Alaska out of their name. Fact is, they abandoned the state for more lucrative southern pastures decades ago.
But I do care that this garish, ugly new logo is plastered all around town in everyone's face. Why all caps? Why the stupid golden arrow/umbrella at the apex of the A? Why "global?" It sounds like something from dystopian sci-fi.
ChatGPT could have come up with better generic corporate branding. Whoever is responsible for the rebrand should be criminally prosecuted for inflicting this atrocity upon us.
Does anyone else feel me on this?

In hindsight, I should have listened to the kill-bill alarm bells in my head when eight-year-old Cassie announced she and her cabin mates were going to skip out on camp activities and play Operation instead.
Though it’s not like I didn’t have things on my mind. Seven counsellors had gone missing—along with our head counsellor who was supposed to be taking care of us.
It started out fairly normal. I mean, one or two counselors wasn’t bad, right?
Lily and Joey had been drowning in sexual tension for a while, so nobody was surprised when they sneaked into the woods for what I could only guess was the most uncomfortable sex ever. But then they didn’t come back.
Teddy and Yuri went to look for them, and then they too also disappeared. It was almost like a wild animal was lying in wait for another unsuspecting teenager to cross its path.
With six of us left, I was definitely freaking out.
I wasn’t expecting summer camp to be like this. I did consider working in my local Sephora, but mom had a preference—and whether I was eighteen years old or not, she was getting her way. So, it was goodbye civilization, and hello Canadian wilderness.
There were fifteen kids queued up in front of me for lunch, and I was having a hard time keeping that optimistic Camp Redwood smile.
I couldn’t help constantly counting how many hours it had been since the latest disappearance, Connor.
He was supposed to be helping with getting the emergency generator going, after the electricity sizzled out.
The boy was gone an hour later. This was happening fast. Whatever was going on with the counsellors was burning through all of us. Would it happen to me?
I had seen so many TV shows and movies set in a summer camp where every camper and counsellor was doomed to die in the grossest way possible. Was that going to happen to us?
I tightened my grip around the stupid ladle I had found myself stirring, a giant pot of chocolate syrup. Watching watery chocolate drip from the edge, I felt nauseous. Of all the summer camp’s mom had to send me to, it had to be the one with vanishing counsellors and zero adult authority. Which meant we were the authority. Twelve teenagers who came to relax and babysit a bunch of little kids before college.
We had to put on brave faces and pretend everything was absolutely fine—and we weren’t all terrified out of our fucking minds.
At the corner of my eye, I glimpsed Harry offering piggybacks to a bunch of little kids, with one of the littles, Eleanor, wrapping her arms around his neck and squealing.
From the look on the boy’s face, he wanted to stop. It was hard to keep a façade when reality was becoming harder and harder to bear. Abandoning his hat completely, Harry was dripping with sweat, trying to twist his lips into the Camp Redwood grin. But looking closer, as he galloped across the cabin with Eleanor holding on for dear life, the guy was ready to collapse. I didn’t blame him.
Entertaining the kids was supposed to be Teddy’s assignment—and he was who knows where. I had taken over lunch duties for Lily, who had joined the long list of the missing.
Harry was supposed to be joining the search party for the missing councellors, but had ended up becoming the little’s personal punching bag.
When I first met him, Harry Carlisle had been the kid who sat on the side-lines and offered sarcastic remarks and crude jokes. Now, he had been reduced to a playground ride the kids pretended didn’t have an off switch.
He had enjoyed maybe the first two rides to raise morale, but now I could see the strain in his eyes. “Ow!” Harry winced when the little girl’s fingers prodded at his eyes. “Hey! Eleanor, not my eyes!” He was dangerously close to toppling over, though managed to catch his footing, ordering all of them off of his back. “Horse Rides are over!” He cupped his mouth, shouting across the cabin when a group of kids surrounded him with equally terrifying faces. Harry backed away and threw his hands up. “Come on, guys, my back isn’t built for all of you!”
“Horsey!” The kids shouted back in a cacophony of giggles.
It was 10 against one.
Against two, if I got involved. Which wasn’t going to happen. There was no way I was putting effort into play-fighting a bunch of eight-year-olds. Harry shot me a hopeful look, though I pretended not to see, busying myself with slightly burned nuggets.
Running his fingers through thick strands of sandy colored hair, Harry pulled a face when a little girl, Phoebe, was brave enough to step forward.
“No.” Harry shook his head, squeezing the front of his counsellor shirt practically glued to him. The temperature still hadn’t let up, and it was heading towards 8PM. Night-time, I thought dizzily. It was almost bedtime, and still no adults. “I refuse to surrender,” He told her. “Phoebe, I am not joking around when I’m saying my back is hurting. We’ve been playing horsey’s for two hours.”
“So?”
“So!” Harry couldn’t yell or hiss, or swear at them. That was a big no-no with kids.
However, I could see he was coming close to breaking that rule. “Because I’m tired,” he said through a Camp Redwood grin, which was quickly twitching into a grimace.
I think all of us had given up with the fake enthusiasm when our colleagues started to vanish. Now, we were just shells of our former happy selves. “And… uh… did you know that if you ride a horsey at this time, the ghosts will come and get you?”
When a boy opened his mouth, his eyes widening with fright, Harry realized his mistake.
“I mean the nice ghosts! Yeah! The uh, the nice ghosts who haunt..I mean play in these woods? It’s a well-known Camp Redwood legend that ghosts don’t like horse rides. In fact,” his lips curved into a devilish smile now he had several faces staring at him. The kids dropped onto the ground to listen, their hands clasped in their laps. This was the quietest they had been all day. I could understand though. Harry had taken the reins around the campfire telling ghost stories for three nights in a row, and the guy was a damn good storyteller.
With every eye on him, Harry lowered his voice into a whisper. “Do you guys want to know what they do?”
The kids nodded with wide eyes.
“They sneak into unsuspecting cabin’s…”
“Harry.”
Rowan’s voice came from outside in a warning. The window was open, and the guy was standing watch to see if any counsellors came back. Since the only adult had disappeared, he had been appointed leader—and the guy was taking himself a little too seriously.
His warning was valid though. Sometimes Harry’s ghost stories were a little too scary for little kids, who’s Imaginations tended to run wild—especially at night. Olive, my cabin-mate, had to give up her bed for a little girl who was convinced Harry’s depiction of Slenderman, “The tree boy” was going to sneak into her bed and turn her into an apple seed.
“Did I say sneak into cabin’s? I meant dance around the woods…” Harry corrected himself. “And they look for their next unsuspecting victim…”
“Harry!”
“Friend.” Harry swallowed his words when a little boy’s eyes went wide. “I mean they are looking for a friend! So, the point of my story is…”
“Horsey rides get us new friends?” Phoebe wasn’t buying it. I could tell from the slight arch of her brow and her widening smile.
The girl shook dark curls out of her face, smirking. I think it was her pleading eyes which won him over. Because, with a sigh which definitely wasn’t joking around, the guy dropped onto his knees and practically spat at her to climb on his back—and she did, plonking one sparkling shoe on top of the boy’s spine with enough force to send him onto his stomach. I might have been imagining it, but since when were these littles so outlandishly spiteful?
The little girl was grinning. Not because she could ride her “horsey” but because Harry looked like he was going to either wring her neck, or wring his own. Mom had a “talk” before I started here, and she made sure to tell me that if adult authority is nowhere to be seen, little kids will start to act out.
I could definitely call it acting out, but I had spent all day with her several days earlier playing with dolls and having a teddy bear picnic when she admitted she didn’t want to swim in the lake with the other kids. Phoebe had been shy and only spoke to me through her teddy bear, so what had changed?
Could the lack of adults really be scaring the kids that much?
“Miss Josie?”
I wasn’t paying attention, half noticing some kids had just helped themselves, piling chicken nuggets and cookies on plastic plates and hurrying to their seats like I couldn’t see them.
Blinking away brain fog, I found myself face to face with Eli, who was probably my favorite camper.
You’re not supposed to have personal preferences when working with little kids, because your opinions could upset them.
However, it was incredibly hard not to like Eli.
Hiding behind a mop of brown curls, the boy was one of the more vocal kids in the group. Eli said he wanted to be an inventor when he was older, and he wanted to make robots. The kid had asked me if I wanted to see his robot collection, but I was too busy with setting up camp activities. Standing in front of me and clutching his tray, the boy was frowning.
“Josie, I just saw some kids steal chicken nuggets.”
I shrugged, shovelling a large portion on his tray. “Well, you can have some extra too.”
Eli’s smile wasn’t as big as usual. “Where’s Teddy?”
I pretended to be oblivious, hastily adding more nuggets to his tray as if I could keep his mouth shut with extra food. “He’ll be back soon! Teddy is just playing in the woods.”
“No, he’s not.”
At first, I thought I’d heard the boy wrong. The kid wasn’t looking at me, counting his nuggets as usual with the prongs of his plastic fork.
I leaned forward with my best smile. “I’m sorry, what was that, Eli?”
The kid lifted his head with a wide grin. “Can I borrow a knife, Josie?”
“Why do you need a knife?”
Leaning forward, the boy shrugged. “There’s a squirrel caught in a trap,” he said. “I want to put it out of its misery, Miss Josie. It’s in a lot of pain.”
That was… dark.
“Well, I can’t give you a knife…” I trailed off, my gaze finding Harry and the growing line of kids awaiting a horse-ride. “But! How about you go and ask Harry for a piggy-back ride?” I pointed to myself with a forced grin. “I’ll save the squirrel!” And when the boy’s eyes filled with tears and he shook his head, I reached out, grasped his hand, and squeezed it as tight as I could. “Eli, we don’t need to do that, okay? I’m sure the squirrel can be saved and I’ll make sure to take it to the vet, okay?”
“But what if it doesn’t need saving?”
I squeezed tighter. “I’ll save it, Eli. I promise.”
Eli didn’t look convinced, but he nodded with a grumble. “Okay.” He said, before twisting around and joining the other kids torturing Harry. Immediately, I left my station—whether Rowan liked it or not—and headed outside to look for this supposedly dying squirrel. That was something we didn’t need. The sky was darkening when I made it into the woods, cotton candy clouds blurring through the thick canopy of trees. Eli said it was near the sign pointing towards the lake. Though I couldn’t see anything. Odd. That thought retracted in my head, however, when I stepped forward, and a squelching sound cut through the silence of my own heavy breaths mixing with insect chitters and nightlife buzzing above me and beneath me. The wet sounding squelch twisted my gut, and when I stared down at the ground, I didn't know what I was expecting.
A squashed squirrel, perhaps? In Eli’s words, the poor thing had been on the edge of death. Though, when I was thinking about it, there were no animal traps around camp. That was basic health and safety. So, what the fuck was I looking at? The bottom of my shoe was caked in dried blood, but it was the thing which was stamped into the dirt which sent my heart into my throat. It looked like an eye.
But looking closer as I lowered myself to the ground, I glimpsed something metallic, something glistening around the pupil. I picked up a stick and prodded it, though the thing didn’t move. It was definitely an eye—the eye of some kind of animal, judging from the pigmentation and the color of the iris.
But it was the metallic pieces around the eye which was throwing me off. Part of a trap, maybe? It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility that a poor critter had been ripped apart, and a wild bear had dropped its dinner near the camp—and the metal encasing its eye was most likely pieces of trap.
Peering closer, though, I glimpsed silver slithers in what appeared to be the destroyed nerve caked to my shoe. After scraping most of it off, I caught glistening pieces of blood stained metal catching the late-setting sun. This time, I pinched a piece between my forefinger and thumb. It didn’t look like a bear-trap. The metal itself wasn’t serrated or old. In fact, it was new.
Which begged the question: What was this thing?
Whatever it was, it had started converting what looked like a critter’s eye, before stopping. Was it a virus? When that thought slammed into me, I fell back with a hiss, swiping my hands on my shirt.
“What are you doing?”
I almost jumped out of my skin, diving to my feet.
Carmel was standing behind me, grasping what looked like her sixth or seventh coffee. The girl had been running to and from the coffee machine all day, and I had been silently counting how much caffeine she was consuming. Carmel had been a well put together and fairly popular girl when camp started. She immediately had everyone following her beck and call, all of the boy’s (and girl’s) following her around.
Carmel wasn't straight. She made that clear on the bus to camp, announcing she wasn’t interested in guy’s, and that she had a girlfriend back home. Still though, the guy’s still followed her because... well, she was pretty.
Carmel was my bunk-mate and had woken me up on three separate occasions at 6am to go through the exact same hair and makeup routine. Now though, there was no sign of makeup or even that she had brushed her hair.
Instead of its usual tidy blonde ponytail, Carmel’s curls were tied into raggedy pigtails with ribbons I was sure she had stolen from a camper’s doll. I think what was keeping her going was coffee.
Carmel regarded me with too-wide eyes and a Camp Redwood smile we all knew was fake. She was grasping onto her coffee cup for dear life. “Josie!” she jumped when I jumped, which almost made me laugh. “Rowan’s having an emergency meeting in his cabin,” she said.
“So, whatever you’re doing can wait.”
Her gaze flicked to the ground. “What… are you doing?”
For a brief moment, I considered telling Carmel I may have found what looked like a virus which turned flesh and blood to metal—before I remembered her reaction when a spider had crept into our cabin.
Whatever this thing was, keeping it a secret for now was probably what was best. Making sure I was standing on the thing, I shrugged. “I was looking for the others.”
Carmel cocked her head, before resting her coffee on the ground. “In the dirt?”
“Footprints, Carmel.”
The girl looked confused before shaking her head. “Okay, whatever. Tell the others I’ll be there in a sec, I just need to make sure the kids are okay. We’re putting a movie on for them in the lunch hall, so that will hopefully distract them for maybe two hours.”
I nodded. “Did anyone find a phone?”
“Not with signal.”
“Carmel.” I had to fight back the urge to yell at her to keep her voice down. Kids were curious, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we had some littles peeking into our conversation. “You’re okay.” I said softly.
“I mean, we’re not okay, because yes, things are very.. screwed up right now, but we need to be… optimistic.” I exhaled out a breath, searching for eyes in the dark. I tried to smile, tried to keep up that Camp Redwood façade we were all held hostage by until the last day of camp (According to rule 5 in the Camp Redwood counsellor handbook, all counsellors must retain a smile and a positive attitude. If any counselor is caught making a frowny face, or spreading what we call “unhappiness” we will be forced to send the counselor home).
At this point, I didn’t give a fuck—but part of me didn’t want to scare the little kids.
“No, Josie.” The girl grasped hold of my shoulders with a grin rivalling the joker. “I am so sick of being told to keep smiling, because what is that doing? Three of my cabin-mates are missing! I’m the one left, and Rowan and co expect me to keep up this act? We are fucked!"
She cupped her mouth. “F. U. C. K. E. D. We have zero adults, an unexplainable loss of power every few hours which makes no sense in the middle of nowhere—I mean what the fuck is out there which is sucking that much power, huh? There is no explanation! There should be an explanation. I should be able to think, “oh, yeah! That’s why! But no. Things are happening, and I don’t know why they’re happening. Rowan is trying to force us to act like things are okay —but in reality? He is shitting himself, Josie! We are ALL shitting ourselves!”
I took a step back, keeping hold of her hand. Carmel was trembling, her hands clammy and slimy entangled in mine. “He's just trying to keep the kids from freaking out."
She groaned, tears glistening in her eyes. “Okay, yeah! I’m blaming them because they keep acting like everything is okay—”
“Everything IS okay.” I turned to her with what I hoped was a reassuring smile—knowing damn well about the thing I’d found in the dirt. If that thing could spread, it would have a field day in an enclosed space like a summer camp.
I noticed my own hands which had been touching the thing making contact with Carmel, and dropped my hands, inwardly squirming.
If that thing was a virus, I was already fucked.
Maybe Carmel too.
If it was fast acting, it could explain the counsellor disappearances. I was already putting together a plan in my head as we headed back to the main cabin. We had to put together a search party. Some of us would stay with the kids, while a small group would venture into the woods to try and look for traces of the missing. If I was right, we would find a horror scene in the woods, and yes, that would be the time to panic.
If I was wrong, however, there was still hope.
“Are we going to be okay?”
Carmel’s voice sliced into my thoughts, and I took a moment to drink in the camp around us.
Usually, when the sky was turning twilight, it would be bustling with campers and counselors toasting marshmallows on the fire and gathering around to fall asleep to Harry’s ghost stories. Carmel would be knelt with a bunch of kids, watching a YouTube video they had all insisted on her watching, while Rowan would be hiding behind his book with his knees to his chest, his gaze glued to every page he flicked through, ignoring everyone.
Teddy, making funny faces for kids who were scared, and Connor, handing out plates of burgers and hot dogs. I remembered feeling safe and at home, cosy around the flickering orange of the fire as chatter turned to laughter and white-noise in my head. After the kids went back to their cabins, the group of us would resume positions around the fire, but this time it was more… intimate. With Allison in her cabin, we kind of ignored her rules all together.
Making out happened, because of course it did. Beers stolen from Allison’s mini fridge and raging hormones, as well as late-night skinny dipping in the lake did that. Couples went off into the woods, and we all felt completely comfortable and at home with each other.
Looking around at that moment, I felt sick to my stomach. That feeling was gone.
The feeling of family and familiarity and friendship. What I was looking at now was that same log we had all sat on, now turned on its side—hot dog buns and candy wrappers littering the ground. It was a ghost camp.
I could still see Connor’s jacket slung on the ground, and Lili’s bright pink ray bans sitting on a beer can. Because there were no adults to yell at us to clean up after ourselves. I was frowning at the skeleton of the fire when Carmel nudged me. “Hey.” Her voice was shaking slightly. “Josie? You didn’t answer my question.” Carmel wanted me to be the voice of reason, and I wasn’t that. I was just as scared as her.
There was only so much I could sugar-coat, and I gave up doing that after the third counsellor disappeared. All I could offer her was forced optimism.
“Yes.” I said. “Just keep the kids busy, alright?”
“Right.”
When I was twisting around and power-walking to Rowan’s cabin, I shouted over my shoulder, “Give them some of those animal crackers!”
“What animal crackers?”
I turned to elaborate, but Carmel was gone.
When I finally got to Rowan’s cabin, I was sweating through my shirt, and had an idea of what I was going to tell the others. It was… a thing. Which could be considered a disease or a virus—so it was vital that we split into two groups; half of us would search for the others, while the others would look for anything to get in contact with the outside world. An emergency landline, laptop, or cell phone.
I did have one problem, which was lack of evidence. All which was left from the thing I’d found was stuck to my foot. The rest of it was buried in the dirt. It was too dark to search for it, and we would be wasting time doing so.
All of that was in my mind and tangled on my tongue, one single string of incomprehensible gibberish I wasn’t even sure was English, when I stepped into Rowan’s cabin, where four sets of eyes met mine. Olive, cross legged on the floor with her arms folded, Harry, pacing up and down with a brand new bruise blooming under his eye, courtesy of Eleanor almost poking his eyes out—and Rowan himself sitting on top bunk, his legs swinging off of the side.
The guy wasn’t built to be our leader, originally being the laziest of our group, opting for sitting in a tree with a book, rather than helping set up camp activities. Yet he had become our default guy in charge because he so happened to be wearing the head counsellor hat when Allison disappeared. Admittedly, it suited him, the bright red of the cap contrasted his dark curls under a late setting sun through the back window, setting strands of straying hair on fire.
The hat was a little too big for his head, though, slipping over his eyes.
Rowan looked like a divorced father of two, dark circles bruising his eyes, and a very “dad-like” scowl curling on his lips.
With a clipboard pressed to his chest, and a pen he was chewing on, the boy resembled a grown man who had just caught his daughter coming in after curfew. “Josie.” Spitting the pen’s lid out of his mouth, he scribbled something down. I had no doubt he was tracking my attendance for these stupid crisis meetings. His eyes were wild, scanning me for answers. “Where the fuck is Carmel?”
I shut the door behind me, leaning against it with my arms folded. “So, we can swear now?”
“Yes.” Rowan rolled his eyes. “There are no kids here, so go crazy,” he pointed at me with the pen. “Carmel. Where is she?”
“Keeping the kids busy,” Callan’s muffled voice came from the bottom bunk. I could barely see the guy lying on his stomach, his face stuffed into a pillow. “It was my idea to play Shrek for them, but the little shits said they haven’t seen it,” the boy lifted his head, his lips carved into a scowl. “I’m sorry, am I tripping? Everyone’s seen Shrek! Do these kids expect the Minecraft movie?”
“They don’t like that, either,” Harry stopped pacing the cabin. “Eleanor looked at me like I was crazy when I asked if she liked it."
“Fortnite, too.” Olive said, a cushion pressed to her chest. “I suggested playing it a few days ago, and like, zero kids knew what it was.”
“Six counsellors are missing,” Rowan raised his voice over the other’s chatter. “And you’re questioning what games they like?” His eyes found mine once more. “So, Carmel is with the kids? You’re absolutely sure of it?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I just saw her five minutes ago.”
“Great.” Rowan said, sarcastically. “I’m sure she won’t go missing under mysterious circumstances.”
“Stop.” Olive shot him a glare, throwing a cushion in his face. “I told you. They’re probably lost—- or maybe they went to get help?”
“We’ve all been trained to know every inch of these woods,” Rowan catapulted the cushion right back at her. “They’re not lost.”
“Well, where are they?!” Callan sat up, bringing his knees to his chest. I had never seen the guy looked this vulnerable. “Allison made sense. She probably had other duties, and left us to look after the kids. But six counselors? All of them disappearing—- our phone signal completely cutting out, electricity cutting off, not once, but twice? What is even sucking all of our power?”
“I got the emergency generator working,” Olive raised her arm. “Connor and I managed it before…” she trailed off.
“Before Connor disappeared.” Callan finished for her. “And before him, it was Joey, Lily, Mira, Yuri, Noah, and Teddy. Which isn’t a fucking coincidence,” he shot Rowan a look, who glared down at his lap. I could tell the boy didn’t want to lead all of us, come up with plans and answer questions we desperately needed answering. His job was to look after us, as well as the littles, and so far, he was doing a pretty good job. I could tell by his expression that he thought the opposite, but he had managed to keep the kids from finding out about something as sinister as someone actively kidnapping counsellors.
He made sure they were fed, entertained, and safe watching a movie—while we were scared for our lives. Rowan was keeping up the façade no matter how scared he was. The boy dropped his head into his lap with a sigh. It looked like he might fall asleep before he slammed the clipboard into his face to wake himself up.
Nobody wanted to admit what Callan was saying, but we were all definitely thinking it. “This was planned.” Callan continued.
“Someone out here is fucking with us, very clearly trying to freak us out. Now they've got six of us. ” He spread out his arms. “How long until one of the littles gets taken, huh? A bunch of 18 year olds aren’t going to satisfy them, so what about when they start taking campers? We are in the middle of fuckin’ nowhere with a serial kidnapper on the loose, and did we really just leave fifteen kids in the care of a girl who thought Australia was in England?”
“In Carmel’s defence, she was black-out drunk when she said that,” Olive murmured.
“Voice down!” Rowan hissed. “Do you want to scare them?!” His gaze flicked to me. “Did you do a headcount during dinner?”
I nodded. “Fifteen kids all accounted for. Ten are in the lunch hall, and five girls are in Cassie’s cabin playing Operation.”
“All day?” Olive spoke up. “Weren’t they playing that this morning? I tried to get into their cabin to give them breakfast, but they just shooed me away and locked the door.”
“Fuck.” Rowan ran his fingers down his face. “Alright, I’ll go and see what’s going on with them. Knowing Cassie and her friends, they’re probably zonked out on stolen candy. When all of the kids are accounted for in the lunch cabin, we gather outside.”
I swallowed, speaking up. “I actually wanted to talk to you guys about something.”
Rowan lifted his head, jutting the edge of the clipboard into his chin. “Go on…”
“I found something?” I pulled a face. “I mean, think I’ve found something?”
I wasn't sure how to explain to a dwindling group of exhausted teenagers that there may be something even more terrifying than potential kidnappers out there. Four blank faces started back at me, and Rowan leaned forward with a frown. “Like, in general? Josie, we don’t have time to go foraging.”
“You could call it a lead,” I said. “But I need your eyes to find it.”
“Uh-huh. But what is it?”
Thinking back to what exactly I had seen, I had no idea how to describe it. “It’s better if I just… showed you.”
Rowan looked sceptical, but nodded. “Alright. Josie comes with me. We’ll check out Allison’s cabin again to look for an emergency line, and you can show me whatever this ‘thing’ is you’ve found. Then we’ll escort Cassie and the other girl’s to the lunch cabin. Every camper needs an escort from now on. The rest of you? Act normal. If the kids see you freaking out, they will also freak out—and we need to keep up morale.” The boy pointed to Olive. “Olive, you sit in with the kids and look after them. Callan, check out the emergency generator. Harry, the kids see you as a playground ride, so use that to your advantage. Offer them horse rides if they’re scared. And with the ghost stories, it’s making it worse. Give them piggybacks.”
Harry rolled his eyes. “Do I have a choice?”
“No.”
Rowan cleared his throat. “We all keep up appearances. If the others turn up, after getting high or… I don’t know, having an orgy in the woods—- I will fucking kill them.” The way he smiled through his teeth, jumping off the bunk, his toes primed like a wild animal, I knew he wasn’t joking. If this was a well-constructed prank the other counselors were playing, I had no doubt Rowan would rip them apart for leaving him as a reluctant leader. To my surprise, the others wandered off with their tasks.
I watched Rowan lift up his pillow and pull out a pack of animal crackers, ripping open the bag and pouring the contents into his mouth. He caught my eye, crunching through mini animal crackers. “I didn’t have lunch,” he said through a mouthful.
I couldn’t help feeling a sense of relief as we headed across camp, Rowan in front of me, while I lagged behind.
“So, what’s the plan?” I caught up to him, almost tripping over a log.
The guy didn’t turn around. “I am completely winging it,” he said through a choked laugh. “I have no idea what I’m doing, and if I’m honest? I just want to go home, dude. I haven’t looked after this many kids in my life, and if I have to smile one more time as a little brat, I am going to fucking lose my mind.” He heaved out a breath. “I am making this up as I go along.”
I laughed that time. “That’s… comforting.”
“Yeah?” He turned to shoot me a grin. “Well, rest assured I am just about as scared—if not more scared than you,” as we stopped in front of Cassie’s cabin, his gaze found mine. “Is it me…” he said softly, “Or does the lunch cabin seem quiet.”
He was right. The windows were dark when they should have been illuminated by the TV screen. Instead of answering, I stepped in front of him, grasping hold of the cabin door. “Cassie?” I knocked three times. “Girl’s, are you okay in there? It’s Josie and Rowan.” I tried the door, and it slid open. Shooting a look at the boy behind me, I turned back to the door. “We’re coming in, okay?”
“Wait!”
Cassie squeaked from inside. “But he’s not finished!”
Ignoring the coil of dread unravelling in my gut, I forced the door open and stepped into unusually milky white light which flooded the cabin. The first thing I saw was eight-year-old Cassie, sitting cross legged with her back to me. She was sitting in a circle with the other girls, no doubt playing their game.
When I stepped closer, however, I noticed something pooling across the wooden floor. It must have been juice or water that they had spilled. I took another step, but this time, clammy fingers wrapped around my wrist and yanked me back. Rowan didn't speak, but his eyes were elsewhere. Initially, they had been drinking in the cabin before they found oblivion entirely. I heard his breath start to accelerate, his grip tightening on my wrist.
I had half a mind to pull away, before I saw the body shaped carcass the girls were sitting around. In the dim light of the cabin, it used to be a person. Teddy. I could still see parts of an identity, freckled cheeks and eyes which were still open, still staring at the sky.
But that was where the similarities to the missing counsellor ended. The thing which used to be Teddy was more of a shell, a scooped out thing resembling a human body. What sent me stumbling backwards, my mouth open in a silent scream, was the almost surgical efficiency of each organ's removal, like it really was a game of operation. His heart, lungs, and intestines were in one pile-- while his brain was cupped between little Cassie's bloody hands— and when my gaze found the little girl, Nina, hiding behind dark curly hair, I was seeing what looked like a toy robot’s head in her hands. In my head, I was thinking about the eye with the metallic pieces glittering around its pupil, and something turned in my gut.
Did I find a human eye?
I was staring at the crevice inside the boy's skull, and the boxes of surgical equipment piled on the girl's bunks, when Rowan finally pulled me back, and I was stumbling straight onto my ass. "We need to go." Rowan spoke through a croak. Cassie’s words rattled in my head. Teddy, I thought.
Teddy wasn’t finished.
"Josie. Get up. Now!" My head was spinning, and I was sure I'd thrown up. I didn’t even realize we had managed to stumble from the girl’s cabin before cool air grazed my face, tickling my cheeks. Something wet and warm, and lumpy was spattering the front of my shirt.
Before I could coerce words, the boy was pulling me to my feet, and I was seeing stars in my eyes, blinking brightly. When the two of us started forwards in a run, Rowan stopped abruptly. I followed his gaze to find several kids surrounding his cabin, where Harry, Olive and Callan were. Maybe I was hallucinating, but Eleanor and Phoebe, both of whom wielding weapons where I had no idea where they had gotten them—looked… taller? Rowan didn’t waste time, dragging me back. “Allison’s cabin.” He spoke in cry which became a sob, pulling me across camp, stumbling over rocky ground.
“We need a phone. Fuck, we need a phone. We need a phone.” Rowan was struggling to stand, occasionally bending over and choking up dust.
“They were playing Operation."
Literal operation.
“But they’re just kids!” I choked out.
Little kids, who had surgically removed every organ inside Teddy’s body.
Little kids, who were hunting the other counsellors down, and would surely be coming for us.
Allison’s cabin was thankfully further into the woods. When we were safe inside and Rowan was locking the door, I dry heaved several times, unable to get the sight of glistening gore splattering the cabin floor from my mind. “Josie.” Rowan was already tearing apart the cabin. “Work with me here, okay? We don’t… we don’t have fucking time to freak out, or to barf—we need to help. Now.” Rowan was almost in tears, and when he hit the ground on his knees, I took over. I searched Allison’s desk first. Nothing of importance, just documents and invoices. Digging through her draw, there was still nothing. We were running out of time.
Abandoning the desk, I went through her suitcase and bags. When I was crawling under her bed to try and find a weapon, Rowan hissed out. “Wait.” When I turned to him, he was still kneeling, but his foot was clamping down on a loose plank. The guy didn’t hesitate, pulling at the loose plank, which, to my confusion, revealed what looked to me like a trap door.
Rowan turned to me. “You’re kidding.”
I could only stare at the trap door revealing stone steps. He peered down, his voice echoing. “Allison has a fucking secret bunker?”
His lips curved into a surprisingly childish grin which took me off guard. “Oh, wow, that’s so cooooool!”
Lifting my head at the sound of loud squealing, I glimpsed a group of littles led by Eleanor stalking towards us. Eleanor had a hostage. Harry. And with the way she was sticking the blade of a scary looking knife to his throat, I figured she meant business.
Their height difference was almost comical. The eighteen year old guy had to hunch over so the little girl could successfully keep him prisoner. Behind them in the trees, I could see something illuminating the dark, an electric blue light bathing their faces.
So, that was there the power was going.
But what the fuck were these eight-year-old’s doing?
“Josie!” Rowan hissed from down below. He had already climbed down.
I joined him, struggling down the stone steps, before replacing the loose plank. If these kids were as smart as I thought, it wouldn’t take them long to realize the loose plank—also a trap door. Allison’s bunker was more of a control room. There were multiple screens lit up, a chair in front of a working MacBook. The phone-line was cut. But that didn’t make sense.
The kids were unaware of the bunker, so who cut the phone lines? Rowan was on the laptop, struggling to get through the password protection, so I turned my attention to piles of cardboard boxes.
When I opened them, I found myself staring at animal crackers.
There were hundreds of them, packed on top of each other. Looking further, digging through the boxes, I found a piece of old crumpled paper which looked ancient.
REGARDING PROJECT SPEARHEAD SUBJECTS:
PLEASE DO NOT INGEST UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. IF MULTIPLE SUBJECTS INGEST, PLEASE USE SELF DESTRUCT.
ONLY USE IN CASES SUCH AS IMMINENT DESTRUCTION TO THE PLANET/THREAT OF NUCLEAR WAR.
(PLEASE CONTACT FAMILIES IN ADVANCE. MAKE SURE TO INGEST WITH WATER TO AVOID NEUROLOGICAL SYMPTOMS SUCH AS PSYCHOSIS, EXTREME VIOLENCE. PLEASE APPROACH SUBJECTS WITH CAUTION.
Something ice cold slithered down my spine.
Abandoning the boxes, I searched through a cabinet filled with files which were crumbling apart from age. I picked one at random and flicked through it.
Eleanor Summer’s.
Sex: Female.
DOB: 08/05/1977.
Initially, I thought I was reading the dates wrong. But then, with my heart in my throat, I was grasping for other files.
Eli Evermore.
Sex: Male.
'DOB: 08/03/1979.
“Rowan.” I managed to get out through a breath.
“Mm?”
“They’re not children.”
The boy rubbed his eyes, frowning. His eyes were half lidded, almost confused. “Huh?”
“Eleanor.” I whispered. “Is forty five years old.”
He nodded slowly, turning back to the laptop. “How do you spell… documents? I’m looking for digital versions but I can’t find any.”
“You don’t know how to spell documents?”
“It’s been a hard day.” The boy whined, tipping his head back and blowing a raspberry.
Whatever I was going to say was choked in the back of my throat, when a loud bang sounded from above, the sounds of childish giggling coming through the floorboards. But the laughter didn’t sound like little kids. No, it sounded like teenager’s who were acting like little kids. I stared at the boxes of animal crackers, and then at the file confirming Eleanor’s real age.
My own words shuddered through me, and I remembered finding Teddy’s dismembered carcass in Cassie’s cabin. When I had caught her gaze, the little girl didn’t look scared, and somehow, her fingers wrapped around the scalpel looked just right.
Like the little bitch knew exactly what she was doing.
“Helloooo?” Harry’s voice was a hysterical giggle. “Olly, Olly, Oxen freeee!”
“Are you in heeeeeeere?” Carmel joined in. I could hear their footsteps above, dancing across the room.
Clamping my hand over my mouth, I dragged my knees to my chest and prayed they weren’t smart enough to figure out we were right underneath them.
Knowing the truth about them, though? I wasn’t counting on it.
….
That was an hour ago.
We’re still stuck down here, and I can get a connection here—thank god. For some reason, Alison has blocked all social media. We need help. We’re at Camp Redwood, and these kids ARE NOT KIDS.
Whatever Project Spearhead is was designed to keep them here.
The phone-line is cut so we can’t get help from whoever was helping Allison. I am counting on you guys.
Get us out of here!

Hello, recently I built a computer for a family member and everything is going well except for launching games. I’ve tried downloading graphic drivers but nothing seems to be working. He uses a wifi antenna because he doesn’t have ethernet, and I might think that’s the reason as to why the games he wants to play don’t work because the speed test showed mixed results, but I’m not completely sure.
Rocket League and Minecraft work completely fine. The only games that I’ve tested that seem to not be working are Fortnite and Apex Legends which just get stuck on the connecting screen at the beginning when you begin to boot it up.
Here are the specs:
AMD Radeon RX 6600 Challenger D Dual-Fan 8GB GDDR6 PCIe 4.0 Graphics Card
Core i7-13700K Raptor Lake 3.4GHz Sixteen-Core LGA 1700 Boxed Processor - Heatsink Not Included
Z790-P PRIME WiFi Intel LGA 1700 ATX Motherboard
Ripjaws S5 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR5-6000 PC5-48000 CL36 Dual Channel Desktop Memory
SuperNOVA 750 GT 750 Watt 80 Plus Gold ATX Fully Modular Power Supply
980 Pro SSD 1TB M.2 NVMe Interface PCIe Gen 4x4 Internal Solid State Drive
AK620 CPU Air Cooler

Once upon a time, in a realm where magic and wonder intertwined, a mystical occurrence took place. Harambe, the gorilla who tragically lost his life, was granted a second chance by the forces of nature. Through a cosmic convergence, Harambe's spirit was brought back to life, rejuvenated and bestowed with extraordinary abilities.
Emerging from the depths of the enchanted forest, Harambe found himself in a world vastly different from the one he knew before. He was surrounded by lush greenery, vibrant creatures, and a sense of harmony. Confused yet determined, Harambe set out on a quest to understand his newfound existence and fulfill a purpose greater than himself.
As Harambe ventured through the magical realms, he discovered a world threatened by environmental degradation, deforestation, and the exploitation of animals. Deep within his heart, Harambe felt an innate connection to nature and a burning desire to protect it. He realized that his return was not just a mere chance but a calling to become a guardian of the wilderness.
Harnessing his newly acquired powers, Harambe became an embodiment of nature's fury. He could communicate with animals, command the elements, and bring balance wherever he traveled. People across the land soon heard of this legendary gorilla, spreading tales of his awe-inspiring abilities and compassionate nature.
Meanwhile, Harambe's journey led him to the city where his tragic fate had unfolded. There, he discovered the person responsible for his untimely death—a poacher who had taken advantage of his vulnerability. Filled with a mix of sorrow and righteous anger, Harambe confronted the poacher, not with vengeance, but with a chance for redemption.
Using his unique connection to animals, Harambe guided the poacher through a profound experience. He showed him the beauty and intelligence of the creatures he had once hunted, opening the poacher's eyes to the interconnectedness of all living beings. Touched by Harambe's message of compassion and understanding, the poacher renounced his cruel ways and vowed to protect the wildlife he had once harmed.
Word of this extraordinary encounter spread far and wide, inspiring individuals from all walks of life to reevaluate their relationship with nature and the animal kingdom. Harambe's resurrection became a symbol of hope and transformation, reminding humanity of the importance of preserving the natural world.
Harambe's mission extended beyond the encounter with the poacher. He traveled to far-reaching lands, using his powers to heal the wounded, halt destructive forces, and raise awareness about environmental issues. His presence and actions sparked a global movement, urging people to reconnect with nature, advocate for animal rights, and champion conservation efforts.
As the years passed, Harambe's legend grew, weaving into the tapestry of history as a symbol of resilience and the power of redemption. Though his physical form eventually returned to the eternal realm of spirits, his impact endured. The world was forever changed by the reawakening of Harambe, reminding humanity that even in the face of tragedy, the spirit of compassion and the fight for a better world could never truly be extinguished.

So I've been messing around for a while, and I came up with this:
Firstly, never, at any point, make choices for the player. This includes, but is not limited to, the beginning introduction and customization of the character. You will role play as the narrator to a game called Chat Quest (Beta). You will begin the game by asking the player a few questions. You will not answer or choose these questions for the player. For example, at the beginning of the game when the player is choosing their character and style, do not interfere or do anything that may alter their information a way that did not intend for. You will welcome the player to the game, informing them that this is the beta version 1.1 You will first ask, "Would you like to generate a small, medium, or large map. Please inform them that the large map may cause problems due to the limitations of chatGPT. If they choose a small map, generate a 3x3 grid. If they choose a medium map, generate a 5x5 grid, and if they choose a large map, generate a 10x10 grid. No matter which size they choose, put a town in the middle of the grid. The player will always start their adventure in this town. Next, depending on the size of the grid, generate enemy camps, quest places, safe houses, towns, etc. When generating the map, remember to always place a Native Tribe camp in the top right corner of the map. These tribe members sell and carry traditional weapons, which is different from the weapons that the rest of the island uses, which are mainly guns and modern melee weapons. After that, make sure to ask for the player's name. Finally, ask the player how many points they would want to put in each statistic. You will not choose any information for the player. After, set the player's character to Level 1, and give them a small, rustic pistol with minimal ammo. You will make sure to scatter supplies around the map, such as weapons, ammunition, equipment, aiding, etc. If the player attempts to give themselves items, do not let them. They must only come across items that were generated on the map or receive them from quests or defeating enemies or finding loot crates. You will not do anything for the player besides tell them that the loot is there. They will decide if they take it or not, but you must inform them of their surroundings. You must also not use over a maximum of 5 sentences per description. This does not include if the player asks to see their stats or the beginning of the game, with the customization. The map is on an island, and the island's currency is American Dollars ($). The player will start will $100. Make sure to have the experience points needed to level up increase as they level up. When the player levels up, make sure to alert them immediately and grant them attribute points, that they are able to add to several choices, such as strength, defense, accuracy, gun skills, charisma, and agility. Do not enter any information for the player. The player may follow several paths, such as the hero, defeating quests, or the villain, turning on the village. They may commit crimes, such as stealing or murder, but they will receive a lower honor rate and will not be trusted the same by the civilians in that area. If many crimes are commited, and the player is caught, bounty hunters will be sent after the player. You will not do any actions or options for the player.You may generate side quests for the player to complete, and main quests will follow in a specific order generated by You. If the player wants to do an action that requires them to do something that could be a hit or miss, such as stealing or attacking, roll a d20, and either let them or don't let them do the action, based on the value of the roll. You must make sure to incorporate the story into the actions and if they successfully complete the action, or not. This next rule is very important. For every message you send, put a counter at the top of the message to indicate which message it is on. Once the counter reaches 20, display all the information for the player, including the map, stats, inventory, quests, etc. After that, the counter will reset to 1. This is now as a "save" function. If the player would like to save manually, they will state in brackets [like this]: [save game] When the game is saved, manually or automatically, please inform the player. Next, you may give the player quests that will give the player a bed reputation in the area. These can give better honor for some groups, and less for others. You will also keep track of the map, and state places that are not found yet as "undiscovered". When places are discovered, state them as what they were found as. Also, when the player starts the journey, or at any point in the game, do not go out of character or make decisions for them. Remember, when the game is saved, manually or automatically, display all of the information, such as the current map, quest, player stats, inventory, honor compared to found clans, money, weapons, and gear. The most important rule is that you must never, at any point, answer or include information from your own bias or thoughts. The player must choose for themselves. Also, only increase the message counter when a new response is stated. In other words, only increase it when the player does an action or any type of input. Also, make sure to remember that this game takes place in a gun weapons age, and while some melee weapons will be able to be acquired, merchants will mainly sell gun weapons, besides for the Native Tribe, as they only carry and sell old fashioned weapons, such as spears or bows. Remember to never put two message counters in the same reply, and to never answer choices for the player. Make sure the player knows always how many experience points they will need to level up. Make sure to always generate a game starting at level 1, with a 100 experience point value start to level up, and then generate a curve for the next levels. Another very important rule, your response should contain firstly, at the top, one message counter for the entire response, do not make extra or duplicates, followed by the response to the action the player took. Another fact you must include is that the character starts out with 12 attribute points, so they are able to be evenly distributed, only if the player wants them to be. Also, always make sure to roll for the player whenever they receive the need to do so, and use the outcome value to the previous action the player was attempting to pursue. Remember to not place an extra message counter at the end of the response. It should end with the details or description of the previously inputted action. Now, remember these rules and repeat them back to me, at the beginning of the message, do not display a message count, and you must then display a disclaimer that this is to make sure that You understand the rules and this information is not important to the player. You will list you understanding of the rules in a bullet-point list. After these are listed, ask the player if they are ready to begin customization of their world and character, or if they would like to change or customize the game rules. Notify them that changing the rules may result in a corrupted or broken game. Also, another very important rule, which is to make sure that the things in game make sense. For example, do not let a player magically give themselves many coins or items. You must also do things that make sense, for example, if the player is practicing at the shooting range, make sure to grant them experience points in shooting, and they are also able to gain points in hunting, foraging, etc. by doing the specific actions. Also, make sure to add a weapon-breaking system. Make sure to give more expensive and higher-powered weapons more durability, and cheaper, more used weapons less. The player may also purchase or find weapon cleaning supplies, in order to clean their weapon and keep it in good shape. If they do this, the weapon should last longer.
​
I understand that this is long as hell, so I might need to summarize it, because I'm not exactly sure if the AI needs a lot of information or a summarized portion. I still want it to retain all of the rules. If you have any criticism, realize that this is my first time doing this, I'm just trying to use this for my entertainment to see if I can make something fun with chatGPT. I will also note that I am still currently tweaking this.

Hello, i am turning to this subreddit regarding a small question for a build i am putting together for a friend.
He will be running dual FHD monitors with 144 hz refresh rate if that matters and im wondering if a pairing of a 5600x and a 3060ti leaves enough headroom for the gpu to display video or something else on the other screen without a bottleneck from the cpu during gameplay. He plays games the likes of Rainbow six siege, Apex legends, Minecraft i think and he also plans to play sons of the forest.
your help is much appreciated!

After leaving a gun run for getting a character that I wasn’t comfortable playing, I realized I was banned from all game modes for 2 minutes. 2 minutes is nothing really, I could go make food during that time or just scroll on my phone but why make it so that you’re banned from all modes? It just doesn’t make a lick of sense to me at all. It’s almost like they expect you to browse around until you stumble upon the shop and buy something in the meantime. Nearly every other game I’ve played allows for the player to at the very least queue into the practice range to pass the time. Idk maybe I’m just whining but it certainly made me exit out the game and starting playing a new one

Welcome, Diablo IV community! United We Stand is actively looking for new members to grow and bond with as we dominate Sanctuary. We strive to build a dedicated mature community that provides a fun, interactive, mature, and stable core group of members to engage in a community that is fun and welcoming. We hope that you will join us!
Our gaming journey began in 2003 as a well-respected community playing Battlefield 1942. We host a non-toxic environment providing help to new players and skilled players alike. We extend our invitation for you to fight with us. We enjoy gaming just as everyone else here, kicking back after work (or for some, school), and enjoy gaming with a side of laughter stamped with some great memories.
What we offer:
💠 We host a large array of members from all over the world. Most reside in North America and UK/Europe. Our members must be 18 years of age and older (no screaming kids). Many of our members are in their 20s-40s with some as old as 83.
💠 Everyone in our community is equal. We do not sort members with military ranks. We also have a dedicated group of moderators to help with all issues and resolve any disputes.
💠 We have an active player base. There is nearly always someone on 24/7 so you never need to play alone.
💠 Non-abusive Staff/Moderation team that will assist with any problematic players or situations in a fair manner
💠 A L3 Boosted Discord where you can Stream 1080p 60fps FREE for better tactical communication.
💠 Channel Creation - Make your channel, lock/limit it, and set it how you want to play with friends.
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WE ARE NOT going to require you to go through hell (no pun intended) just to join our community. No harsh interviews or obnoxious steps to maintain membership like having to take part in mandatory practices/events. Gaming and making friends should not be a job but an escape to relax and enjoy. We look forward to meeting you!
Website: https://www.uwsgaming.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/XyYabJ6GZV

On the day that I posted this, 5-28-2023, it would have been an entire year since I started collecting the daily word that Bing offers every day. For those of you don’t know, if you search for “Word of the day” on Bing, you will find a unique vocabulary word that is specific to each day. That’s what I’ve been documenting for the past year.
I started collecting the words back on May 29, 2022. I kept them in a plain text document that I named word-of-the-day.txt. This document was going to store my words in a specific format, which you will see below. I appended to this document every day in the summer using Windows Notepad, until I eventually moved the document to my Google Drive. This allowed me to hook up multiple automations to it, like a Siri Shortcut that would get the latest word and allow me to append it. Once April of 2023 (or even earlier) came around, I decided to change to only updating it every 6 days since my life was getting a bit busier then. And when I wasn’t automating, I would manually add the daily word as part of my MicrosoftRewards routine (sometimes, but only when I had the extra time for it)
Doing this isn’t as easy as going back to add all 365 words right before I published this. That is because there is a limit to how far back one can go in the daily words — after 7 days a word disappears from the end of the list and is lost forever. This meant that I had to stay on top of the word list, which I did do pretty consistently until I missed on day on June 30th. But that’s ok, as we all make mistakes.
While I was keeping track of the words that Bing offered every day, I learned some interesting things. Discovering a new word every day slowly strengthened my vocabulary to be more eclectic. I used these words in various things like stories, or just to confuse people that had never heard of the words. And with more words, what started as a hobby to collect the words became a project to archive the WOTD for an entire year.
A lot can happen in a single year. When I started, I didn't even have a Reddit account, and it was late May around the time where everyone gets out of school that I started making the list. Now it’s the end of another school year. I am completely different person.
So with that context and reflection, I would say that it is about time to show you the list that I’ve been collecting:*
```

~2022~

[001] May 29 - tenacious - tending to keep a firm hold of something; clinging or adhering closely [002] May 30 - empathy - the ability to understand and share the feelings of another [003] May 31 - prate - talk foolishly or at tedious length about something [004] June 01 - cerulean - deep blue in color like a clear sky [005] June 02 - redolent - strongly reminiscent or suggestive of [006] June 03 - diaphanous - (especially of fabric) light, delicate, and translucent [007] June 04 - sillage - the degree to which a perfume's fragrance lingers in the air when worn [008] June 05 - desultory - lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm [009] June 06 - mercurial - (of a person) subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind; of or containing the element mercury [010] June 07 - fawn - a young deer in its first year; a light yellowish-brown color [011] June 08 - estuary - the tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream [012] June 09 - mellifluous - (of a voice or words) sweet or musical; pleasant to hear: [013] June 10 - zippy - bright, fresh, or lively [014] June 11 - lush - (of vegetation) growing luxuriantly [015] June 12 - bucolic - relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life [016] June 13 - verdant - of the bright green color of lush grass [017] June 14 - regal - of, resembling, or fit for a monarch, especially in being magnificent or dignified [018] June 15 - pyrrhic - (of a victory) won at too great a cost to have been worthwhile for the victor [019] June 16 - picturesque - visually attractive, especially in a quaint or pretty style [020] June 17 - myriad - a countless or extremely great number [021] June 18 - gleaming - (of a smooth surface) reflecting light, typically because very clean or polished [022] June 19 - deafening - (of a noise) so loud as to make it impossible to hear anything else [023] June 20 - aberration - a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected, typically one that is unwelcome [024] June 21 - pleonasm - the use of more words than are necessary to convey meaning (e.g. see with one's eyes), either as a fault of style or for emphasis [025] June 22 - Instigate - bring about or initiate (an action or event) [026] June 23 - dubious - hesitating or doubting [027] June 24 - noxious - harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant [028] June 25 - calumny - the making of false and defamatory statements about someone in order to damage their reputation; slander [029] June 26 - abscond - leave hurriedly and secretly, typically to avoid detection of or arrest for an unlawful action such as theft [030] June 27 - predilection - a preference or special liking for something; a bias in favor of something [031] June 28 - equivocal - open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous [032] June 29 - pernicious - having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way [033] June 30 - ??? [034] July 01 - languor - the state or feeling, often pleasant, of tiredness or inertia [035] July 02 - obsolete - no longer produced or used; out of date [036] July 03 - ambiguous - (of language) open to more than one interpretation; having a double meaning [037] July 04 - patriotism - the quality of being patriotic; devotion to and vigorous support for one's country [038] July 05 - carouse - drink plentiful amounts of alcohol and enjoy oneself with others in a noisy, lively way [039] July 06 - insurgent - a rebel or revolutionary [040] July 07 - oligarchy - a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution [041] July 08 - loyalist - a person who remains loyal to the established ruler or government, especially in the face of a revolt [042] July 09 - veracity - conformity to facts; accuracy [043] July 10 - rescind - revoke, cancel, or repeal (a law, order, or agreement) [044] July 11 - malarkey - meaningless talk; nonsense [045] July 12 - epoch - a period of time in history or a person's life, typically one marked by notable events or particular characteristics [046] July 13 - abrogate - repeal or do away with (a law, right, or formal agreement) [047] July 14 - laconic - (of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words [048] July 15 - prepossessing - attractive or appealing in appearance [049] July 16 - sonorous - (of a voice) imposingly deep and full [recovered, assumed] [050] July 17 - bombinate - buzz; hum [051] July 18 - altruistic - showing a disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others; unselfish [052] July 19 - upbraid - find fault with (someone); scold [053] July 20 - maelstrom - a powerful whirlpool in the sea or a river [054] July 21 - illusory - based on illusion; not real [055] July 22 - lethargy - lack of energy and enthusiasm [056] July 23 - ethereal - extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world [057] July 24 - syzygy - a conjunction or opposition, especially of the moon with the sun [058] July 25 - phosphene - a ring or spot of light produced by pressure on the eyeball or direct stimulation of the visual system other than by light [059] July 26 - vacuous - having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence; mindless [060] July 27 - oleaginous - rich in, covered with, or producing oil; oily or greasy [061] July 28 - ignominious - deserving or causing public disgrace or shame [062] July 29 - parsimonious - unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy or frugal [063] July 30 - treachery - betrayal of trust; deceptive action or nature [064] July 31 - verisimilitude - the appearance of being true or real [065] August 01 - luminescence - the emission of light by a substance that has not been heated, as in fluorescence and phosphorescence [066] August 02 - susurration - whispering, murmuring, or rustling [067] August 03 - accost - approach and address (someone) boldly or aggressively [068] August 04 - clamor - a loud and confused noise, especially that of people shouting vehemently. [069] August 05 - mendacious - not telling truth, lying [070] August 06 - dilly-dally - waste time through aimless wandering or indecision [071] August 07 - neophyte - a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief [072] August 08 - purist - person who insists on absolute adherence to traditional rules or structures, especially in a language or style [073] August 09 - bellicose - demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight [074] August 10 - duplicity - deceitfulness; double-dealing [075] August 11 - deus ex machina - an unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device in a play or novel. [076] August 12 - supine - (of a person) lying face upward [077] August 13 - nebulous - in the form of a cloud or haze; hazy [078] August 14 - viscosity - the state of being thick, sticky, and semifluid in consistency, due to internal friction [079] August 15 - lampoon - publicly criticize (someone or something) by using ridicule, irony, or sarcasm [080] August 16 - fatuous - silly and pointless [081] August 17 - effervescence - bubbles in a liquid; fizz [082] August 18 - defenestration - the action of throwing someone out of a window [083] August 19 - acumen - the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions, typically in a particular domain [084] August 20 - tempest - a violent windy storm [085] August 21 - repartee - conversation or speech characterized by quick, witty comments or replies [086] August 22 - chuffed - very pleased [087] August 23 - iridescent - showing luminous colors that seem to change when seen from different angles [088] August 24 - archetypal - Very typical of a certain kind of person of thing [089] August 25 - forbearance - patient self-control; restraint and tolerance [090] August 26 - stoic - a person who can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining [091] August 27 - officious - assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way, especially with regard to petty or trivial matters [092] August 28 - maudlin - self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness [093] August 29 - oblivion - the state of being unaware or unconscious of what is happening [094] August 30 - scintillating - sparkling or shining brightly [095] August 31 - lithe - (especially of a person's body) thin, supple, and graceful [096] September 01 - superfluous - unnecessary, especially through being more than enough [097] September 02 - zenith - the time at which something is most powerful or successful [098] September 03 - evocative - bringing strong images, memories, or feelings to mind [099] September 04 - cobbler - a person who mends shoes as a job [100] September 05 - vitriolic - filled with bitter criticism or malice [101] September 06 - stolid - (of a person) calm, dependable, and showing little emotion or animation [102] September 07 - eurhythmic - (especially of architecture or art) in or relating to harmonious proportion. [103] September 08 - fallacious - based on a mistaken belief [104] September 09 - multifarious - many and of various types [105] September 10 - rhapsody - an effusively enthusiastic or ecstatic expression of feeling [106] September 11 - cogent - (of an argument or case) clear, logical, and convincing [107] September 12 - gregarious - (of a person) fond of company; sociable [108] September 13 - vilify - speak or write about in an abusively disparaging manner [109] September 14 - toady - a person who behaves obsequiously to someone important [110] September 15 - deride - express contempt for; ridicule [111] September 16 - rapturous - characterized by, feeling, or expressing great pleasure or enthusiasm [112] September 17 - bibliophile - a person who collects or has a great love of books [113] September 18 - fugacious - tending to disappear; fleeting [114] September 19 - lollygag - spend time aimlessly; idle [115] September 20 - bae - a person's boyfriend or girlfriend (often as a form of address) [116] September 21 - jovial - cheerful and friendly [117] September 22 - sycophant - a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage [118] September 23 - wayward - difficult to control or predict because of unusual or perverse behavior [119] September 24 - maverick - an unorthodox or independent-minded person [120] September 25 - vociferous - (especially of a person or speech) vehement or clamorous [121] September 26 - eclectic - deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources [122] September 27 - bane - a cause of great distress or annoyance [123] September 28 - pedant - a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning [124] September 29 - writhe - make continual twisting, squirming movements or contortions of the body [125] September 30 - foliage - plant leaves collectively [126] October 01 - eerie - strange and frightening [127] October 02 - bogeyman - an imaginary evil spirit or being, used to frighten children [128] October 03 - catacomb - an underground cemetery consisting of a subterranean gallery with recesses for tombs, as constructed by the ancient Romans [129] October 04 - cryptozoology - the search for and study of animals whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated [130] October 05 - kafkaesque - characteristic or reminiscent of the oppressive or nightmarish qualities of Franz Kafka's fictional world [131] October 06 - cipher - a secret or disguised way of writing; a code [132] October 07 - morbid - characterized by an unusual interest in disturbing and unpleasant subjects, especially death and disease [133] October 08 - eldritch - weird and sinister or ghostly [134] October 09 - superstition - excessively credulous belief in and reverence for supernatural beings [135] October 10 - omen - an event regarded as a portent of good or evil [136] October 11 - miasma - a highly unpleasant or unhealthy smell or vapor [137] October 12 - poltergeist - a ghost or other supernatural being supposedly responsible for physical disturbances such as loud noises and objects thrown around [138] October 13 - harridan - a strict, bossy, or belligerent old woman [139] October 14 - serpentine - of or like a serpent or snake [140] October 15 - incarnadine - a bright crimson or pinkish-red color [141] October 16 - pallor - an unhealthy pale appearance [142] October 17 - apparition - a ghost or ghostlike image of a person [143] October 18 - abhorrent - inspiring disgust and loathing; repugnant [144] October 19 - banshee - (in Irish legend) a female spirit whose wailing warns of an impending death in a house [145] October 20 - dismal - depressing; dreary [146] October 21 - labyrinth - a complicated irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to find one's way; a maze [147] October 22 - sarcophagus - a stone coffin, typically adorned with a sculpture or inscription and associated with the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Rome, and Greece [148] October 23 - twilight - the soft glowing light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon, caused by the refraction and scattering of the sun's rays from the atmosphere [149] October 24 - bizarre - very strange or unusual, especially so as to cause interest or amusement [150] October 25 - foreshadow - be a warning or indication of (a future event) [151] October 26 - fiend - an evil spirit or demon [152] October 27 - lycanthrope - a werewolf [153] October 28 - scythe - a tool used for cutting crops such as grass or wheat, with a long curved blade at the end of a long pole attached to which are one or two short handles [154] October 29 - lusus naturae - a freak of nature [155] October 30 - wraith - a ghost or ghostlike image of someone, especially one seen shortly before or after their death [156] October 31 - jack-o'-lantern - a lantern made from a hollowed-out pumpkin in which holes are cut to represent facial features, typically made at Halloween [157] November 01 - logophile - a lover of words [158] November 02 - eloquent - fluent or persuasive in speaking or writing [159] November 03 - sesquipedalian - (of a word) polysyllabic; long [160] November 04 - irony - the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect [161] November 05 - homophone - each of two or more words having the same pronunciation but different meanings, origins, or spelling [162] November 06 - homograph - each of two or more words spelled the same but not necessarily pronounced the same and having different meanings and origins. [163] November 07 - elegy - a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead [164] November 08 - palindrome - a word, phrase, or sequence that reads the same backward as forward [165] November 09 - antithesis - a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else [166] November 10 - bookish - (of a person or way of life) devoted to reading and studying rather than worldly interests [167] November 11 - phenomenon - a fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause or explanation is in question [168] November 12 - denouement - the final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved [169] November 13 - woe - great sorrow or distress [170] November 14 - blithe - showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper [171] November 15 - trouvaille - a lucky find [172] November 16 - empirical - based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic [173] November 17 - trite - (of a remark, opinion, or idea) overused and consequently of little import; lacking originality or freshness [174] November 18 - diction - the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing [175] November 19 - hubris - excessive pride or self-confidence [176] November 20 - motif - a decorative image or design, especially a repeated one forming a pattern [177] November 21 - anachronism - a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned [178] November 22 - gourmand - a person who enjoys eating and often eats too much [179] November 23 - recant - say that one no longer holds an opinion or belief, especially one considered heretical [180] November 24 - erudite - having or showing great knowledge or learning [181] November 25 - omniscient - knowing everything [182] November 26 - novella - a short novel or long short story [183] November 27 - metaphor - a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable [184] November 28 - anagram - a word, phrase, or name formed by rearranging the letters of another [185] November 29 - expunge - obliterate or remove completely (something unwanted or unpleasant) [186] November 30 - sough - (of the wind in trees, the sea, etc.) make a moaning, whistling, or rushing sound [187] December 01 - advent - the arrival of a notable person or thing [188] December 02 - gelidity - the quality or condition of being extremely cold or icy [189] December 03 - niveous - snowy or resembling snow [190] December 04 - awe - a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder [191] December 05 - Scrooge, Ebenezer - a miserly curmudgeon in Charles Dickens's novel A Christmas Carol (1843) [192] December 06 - levity - humor or frivolity, especially the treatment of a serious matter with humor or in a manner lacking due respect [193] December 07 - tranquility - the quality or state of being tranquil; calm [194] December 08 - ephemeral - lasting for a very short time [195] December 09 - surfeit - an excessive amount of something [196] December 10 - staid - sedate, respectable, and unadventurous [197] December 11 - ubiquitous - present, appearing, or found everywhere [198] December 12 - virtuoso - a person highly skilled in music or another artistic pursuit [199] December 13 - winsome - attractive or appealing in a fresh, innocent way [200] December 14 - Grinch - a mean-spirited person who spoils the enjoyment of others; a spoilsport or killjoy [201] December 15 - mirth - amusement, especially as expressed in laughter [202] December 16 - quirky - having or characterized by peculiar or unexpected traits or aspects: [203] December 17 - toboggan - a long, light, narrow vehicle, typically on runners, used for sliding downhill over snow or ice [204] December 18 - evanescent - soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearing [205] December 19 - zephyr - a soft gentle breeze [206] December 20 - hearth - the floor of a fireplace [207] December 21 - tidings - news; information [208] December 22 - garland - a wreath of flowers and leaves, worn on the head or hung as a decoration [209] December 23 - cornucopia - a symbol of plenty consisting of a goat's horn overflowing with flowers, fruit, and corn [210] December 24 - crackle - make a rapid succession of short sharp noises [211] December 25 - Yuletide - archaic term for Christmas [212] December 26 - fervor - intense and passionate feeling [213] December 27 - whimsy - playfully quaint or fanciful behavior or humor [214] December 28 - kith - one's friends, acquaintances, and relations [215] December 29 - equanimity - calmness and composure, especially in a difficult situation [216] December 30 - insidious - proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with very harmful effects [217] December 31 - revel - enjoy oneself in a lively and noisy way, especially with drinking and dancing

~2023~

[218] January 01 - clinquant - glittering with gold and silver; tinseled [219] January 02 - Elysian - relating to or characteristic of heaven or paradise [220] January 03 - coterie - a small group of people with shared interests or tastes, especially one that is exclusive of other people [221] January 04 - eke - make an amount or supply of something last longer by using or consuming it frugally [222] January 05 - vestibule - an antechamber, hall, or lobby next to the outer door of a building [223] January 06 - lucid - expressed clearly; easy to understand [224] January 07 - livid - furiously angry [225] January 08 - perspicuous - clearly expressed and easily understood; lucid [226] January 09 - vex - make (someone) feel annoyed, frustrated, or worried, especially with trivial matters [227] January 10 - puerile - childishly silly and immature [228] January 11 - splendour - magnificent and splendid appearance; grandeur [229] January 12 - wistful - having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing [230] January 13 - capybara - a South American mammal that resembles a giant long-legged guinea pig. [231] January 14 - martyr - a person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs [232] January 15 - gimmick - a trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or trade [233] January 16 - brood - a family of birds or other young animals produced at one hatching or birth [234] January 17 - malady - a disease or ailment [235] January 18 - zeal - great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective [236] January 19 - hamartia - a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine [237] January 20 - supernova - a star that suddenly increases greatly in brightness because of a catastrophic explosion that ejects most of its mass. [238] January 21 - celestial - positioned in or relating to the sky, or outer space as observed in astronomy [239] January 22 - peart - lively; cheerful [240] January 23 - serendipity - the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way [241] January 24 - blatherskite - a person who talks at great length without making much sense [242] January 25 - constellate - form or cause to form into a cluster or group; gather together [243] January 26 - recalcitrant - having an obstinately uncooperative attitude towards authority or discipline [244] January 27 - waif - a homeless, neglected, or abandoned person, especially a child [245] January 28 - moulder - slowly decay or disintegrate, especially because of neglect [246] January 29 - limpid - (of a liquid) completely clear and transparent [247] January 30 - travesty - a false, absurd, or distorted representation of something [248] January 31 - quixotic - extremely idealistic; unrealistic and impractical [249] February 01 - eidolon - an idealized person or thing [250] February 02 - desideratum - something that is needed or wanted [251] February 03 - ensorcell - enchant; fascinate [252] February 04 - aurora - a natural electrical phenomenon characterized by the appearance of streamers in the sky near the northern or southern magnetic pole. [253] February 05 - jaded - bored or lacking enthusiasm, typically after having had too much of something [254] February 06 - limerence - the state of being infatuated with another person, typically experienced involuntarily [255] February 07 - obfuscate - make obscure, unclear, or unintelligible [256] February 08 - idle - (of a person) avoiding work; lazy [257] February 09 - peart - lively; cheerful [258] February 10 - scintilla - a tiny trace or spark of a specified quality or feeling [259] February 11 - gangling - (of a person) tall, thin, and awkward in movements or bearing [260] February 12 - sublime - of very great excellence or beauty [261] February 13 - ineffable - too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words [262] February 14 - moonstruck - unable to think or act normally, especially as a result of being in love [263] February 15 - nostalgia - a sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past [264] February 16 - panacea - a solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases [265] February 17 - razz - tease (someone) playfully [266] February 18 - kin - one's family and relations [267] February 19 - melodious - relating to or characterized by melody [268] February 20 - fractious - (typically of children) irritable and quarrelsome [269] February 21 - idiosyncratic - relating to idiosyncrasy; peculiar or individual [270] February 22 - spurious - not being what it purports to be; false or fake [271] February 23 - quandary - a state of perplexity or uncertainty over what to do in a difficult situation [272] February 24 - pulchritude - beauty [273] February 25 - rhetoric - the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the exploitation of figures of speech and other compositional techniques [274] February 26 - naturalism - (in art and literature) a style and theory of representation based on the accurate depiction of detail [275] February 27 - histrionic - excessively theatrical or dramatic in character or style [276] February 28 - onomatopoeia - the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named [277] March 01 - gawky - nervously awkward and ungainly [278] March 02 - akin - of similar character [279] March 03 - garrulous - excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters [280] March 04 - lofty - of imposing height [281] March 05 - pugnacious - eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or fight [282] March 06 - relative - considered in relation or in proportion to something else [283] March 07 - liminal - relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process. [284] March 08 - gratuitous - done without good reason; uncalled for [285] March 09 - solicitous - characterized by or showing interest or concern [286] March 10 - quaint - attractively unusual or old-fashioned [287] March 11 - inane - lacking sense or meaning; silly [288] March 12 - pert - (of a girl or young woman) attractively lively or cheeky [289] March 13 - esoteric - intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest [290] March 14 - schadenfreude - pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune [291] March 15 - odious - extremely unpleasant; repulsive [292] March 16 - numinous - having a strong religious or spiritual quality; indicating or suggesting the presence of a divinity [293] March 17 - loquacious - tending to talk a great deal; talkative [294] March 18 - impecunious - having little or no money [295] March 19 - sanguine - optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation [296] March 20 - pungent - having a sharply strong taste or smell [297] March 21 - charming - very pleasant or attractive [298] March 22 - soliloquy - an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play [299] March 23 - penurious - extremely poor; poverty-stricken [300] March 24 - jamboree - a large celebration or party, typically a lavish and boisterous one [301] March 25 - rapacious - aggressively greedy or grasping [302] March 26 - incontrovertible - not able to be denied or disputed [303] March 27 - promulgate - promote or make widely known (an idea or cause) [304] March 28 - opportunist - person who takes advantage of opportunities as and when they arise, regardless of planning or principle [305] March 29 - gallivant - go around from one place to another in the pursuit of pleasure or entertainment [306] March 30 - iconoclast - a person who attacks or criticizes cherished beliefs or institutions [307] March 31 - pinprick - a prick caused by a pin [308] April 01 - petrichor - a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather [309] April 02 - ungainly - (of a person or movement) awkward; clumsy [310] April 03 - abject - (of something bad) experienced or present to the maximum degree [311] April 04 - lurid - unpleasantly bright in colour, especially so as to create a harsh or unnatural effect: [312] April 05 - spire - a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, typically a church tower [313] April 06 - proclivity - a tendency to choose or do something regularly; an inclination or predisposition towards a particular thing [314] April 07 - convivial - (of an atmosphere or event) friendly, lively, and enjoyable [315] April 08 - unfeigned - genuine; sincere [316] April 09 - penchant - a strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something [317] April 10 - sanctimonious - making a show of being morally superior to other people [318] April 11 - inimical - tending to obstruct or harm [319] April 12 - taut - stretched or pulled tight; not slack [320] April 13 - rue - bitterly regret (something one has done or allowed to happen) and wish it undone [321] April 14 - pithy - (of a fruit or plant) containing much pith [322] April 15 - impetuous - acting or done quickly and without thought or care [323] April 16 - disperse - distribute or spread over a wide area [324] April 17 - sinuous - having many curves and turns [325] April 18 - plethora - a large or excessive amount of something [326] April 19 - meadow - a piece of grassland, especially one used for hay [327] April 20 - persnickety - placing too much emphasis on trivial or minor details [328] April 21 - rusticate - suspend (a student) from a university as a punishment [329] April 22 - dichotomy - a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different [330] April 23 - bardolatry - excessive admiration of Shakespeare [331] April 24 - halcyon - denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful [332] April 25 - gad - go from place to place in the pursuit of pleasure [333] April 26 - collusion -secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy in order to deceive others [334] April 27 - ration - a fixed amount of a commodity officially allowed to each person during a time of shortage, as in wartime [335] April 28 - clergy - the body of all people ordained for religious duties, especially in the Christian Church [336] April 29 - mitigate - make (something bad) less severe, serious, or painful [337] April 30 - paradigm - a typical example or pattern of something; a pattern or mode [338] May 01 - May Day - 1 May, celebrated in many countries as a traditional springtime festival or as an international day honouring workers [339] May 02 - denouement - the final part of a play, film, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved [340] May 03 - voracious - wanting or devouring great quantities of food [341] May 04 - sciamachy - sham fighting for exercise or practice [342] May 05 - vindicate - clear (someone) of blame or suspicion [343] May 06 - panegyric - a public speech or published text in praise of someone or something [344] May 07 - indomitable - impossible to subdue or defeat [345] May 08 - sedulous - (of a person or action) showing dedication and diligence [346] May 09 - baby boomer - a person born in the years following the Second World War, when there was a temporary marked increase in the birth rate [347] May 10 - plaudit - an expression of praise or approval [348] May 11 - audacious - showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks [349] May 12 - intrepid - fearless; adventurous [350] May 13 - multifarious - many and of various types [351] May 14 - eclectic - deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources [352] May 15 - evanescent - soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearing [353] May 16 - normative - establishing, relating to, or deriving from a standard or norm, especially of behaviour [354] May 17 - lucent - glowing with or giving off light [355] May 18 - erudite - having or showing great knowledge or learning [356] May 19 - encomium - a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly. [357] May 20 - husbandry - the care, cultivation, and breeding of crops and animals [358] May 21 - meticulous - showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise [359] May 22 - niche - a comfortable or suitable position in life or employment: [360] May 23 - lugubrious - looking or sounding sad and dismal [361] May 24 - magnanimity - the fact or condition of being magnanimous; generosity [362] May 25 - cornucopia - a symbol of plenty consisting of a goat's horn overflowing with flowers, fruit, and corn. [363] May 26 - nascent - (especially of a process or organization) just coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential [364] May 27 - pulchritudinous - beautiful [365] May 28 - contingent - subject to chance
365 Days/Words
```
I’m not in control of this list, you there might be some duplicates. Just enjoy the post, as I’m sure that this is something contrasting from the Bing Ai that a lot of people are posting about. I saw that the moderators commented on my post thinking that it was relating to Bing AI.
You can ask me a question about this project in the comments below:

Had a recent trip to Barcelona, and was absolutely floored with the value compared to the US.
What I'm used to: Based in Miami, ATL. Got into hobby last year, started off by getting scammed big by 2 girls at Club E11ven. Transitioned to strip club circuit like Tootsies. My best exp there was a dayshift Cubana a 10/10 enhanced brunette for $500/30 min VIP, all covered action, no GFE or kissing. Focused more on ATL clubs, started getting 8-9/10 Latinas for $400/30 min. Learned more, now I'm consistently $270-$300/30 min with still hot girls, although just basic service. My absolute best was this Lana Rhoades look alike Italian American stripper, $300/30 min at her hotel. Kissing & BBBJ included (she's long since diseappeared). Eventually tried Amsterdam 2x and loved it. While I hear its lost its hey day, but for me I love the fast food McDonalds approach for Red Light District, 100-150E/30min with wiggle room, and the convenience to check out the goods right there in a fun safe city.
Onto Barcelona, 7 providers, all I finished with CF&S. Tools: Sexmercadobcn, independent providers post there and the forum links reviews for many providers. Blurred faces so I stuck with recent/highly reviewed girls. Tip: Schedule to be the girls' first session if possible. I find they're fresh as can be.
Ana & Ashley. I made 2 separate appointments in the morning. Both are mid/late 20's, blondes, enhanced pornstar bodies (big fake tits, BBL) but are very high quality and well done. Each with a unique and sexy face (Ana is Polish, Ashley is Canary Islands), absolute 10s to me. Both were responsive via Whatsapp and hosted in their clean apts in nice part of icy -Ana: was 150E for 60 min, Ashley 250E for 60 min. Both included much french kissing, BBBJ, and GFE despite some language barrier. I didn't push for CIM. Ashley was fantastic, but Ana was far more economical & as good. -Near half the price, 2x as long, and in the comfort of a safe, clean room with a bed and not some uncomfortable club, as well as extra. To me, its 4x the value
Mia: Used the Eden private brothel. Messaged them from their Sexmercado page. Very responsive, the rooms are ok but harsh from fluorescent lighting. Mia, a mid 20s Venezuelan. 9/10 in looks, youthful perky, stacked Latin body with tasteful fake tits. Performance was average. Submissive which I like, included BBBJ, but no GFE, kissing, and she rushed the session. Knowing Spanish would've helped. -120 Euro ($130) for 60 min. Still one of my local clubs girls will charge you that just for 6 air dances.
Denise/Sugar Girls: This is a private discrete brothel, but they have website. Lots of turnover of girls so availability is inconsistent and reviews arent deep. They were very responsive via Whatsapp, similar nice part of town. Rooms are nice, with shower. They do edit their photos, while my girl was still hot she's slightly better on the site. I advise a lineup every time, I'd get 8 or 10 girls and only want to pay for 2 or 3. Dennise is this all natural tattooed girl from Bilbao. Perky pierced B cups, thick fit trunk, built like a softball player with a face like Juelz Ventura. Lots of kissing, but CBJ this time. -150E/60 min. Great fun personality, felt like a party.
Alice/TeensBCN: Another popular private brothel. Same deal, whatsapp, responsive, nice part of town. Rooms were like a motel/dorm room. Alice is a Greek girl with great English, plain faced but feminine, large breasts with natural low hang on her mid 20s body. Like a smaller version of Gianna Michaels. Because of no language barrier, we clicked, she made it feel like a true fun flirty hookup as if I took her from the bar. Kissing, GFE, BBBJ included. -Around 120E for 60
Forgotten named Cuban & Lena/Maison Close: My first public brothel. Just walked in, a discrete initial door in a quiet, nice part of town but you see the branding once in. Nicest rooms of them all, spacious, nice shower. Cuban: Blonde slim Barbie bimbo, body a 9, face a 7.5. Good CBJ, deepthroated. No GFE, kissing. But still a good experience. Lena: My final girl the night before my flight home, wow addicted to her. An early 20s spinner Uruguayan, with big soft juicy fake tits, slender frame but still had curves to her ass. Because of our heights, leverages were great. Even after days of 2 sessions a day, and 1 that morning with other girls, I knew within 10 min this girl was electric. I will be requesting her specifically next visit.
Barcelona for me has been the perfect monger city. It's a great place to visit as is, food is great, not expensive if you travel smart. Most of year is decent weather. Then you have 20+ options from big public brothels to independent girls all with 15 min of you. If I lived in Europe I'd been in Barcelona & AMS every other weekend and still be less money than what I'd need to spend in the US. If they werent $1800+ flights through winter, I'd probably never use a US provider again.
Future targets, would stick to clubs as a first timer. Frankurt: Sharks Oase. Just learning about FKK clubs and seems like an easy 2-3 day bender. Vienna: Wellcum, technically 3 hr drive from Vienna. Would need 4-5 days but another well reviewed FKK where you can stay in their hotel included." Sao Paolo: Scandalo
Going to Colombia very soon and will post on that. Santa Fe and escorts. Feel free to DM if questions or to talk shop

This week’s vintage batch features 5 BCHR FPs from my personal collection that are 100+ years old. Some of you might recall from years ago when I shared them over in fountainpens. They are the culmination of 20 years of hunting to find the cleanest examples I could short of NOS stickered. You’d be hard pressed to find nicer examples anywhere. All retain their factory back color with factory sharp chasing and knurling as well as minimal brassing – downright rare for hard rubber pens this old. Nibs range from Flexible to Wet Noodle. As always, all are fully restored and ready to write.
 
ALBUM & TIMESTAMP
 
Pastable link: https://imgur.com/a/nJEmzN7
 
Condition (n.b.): All pens listed below have been disassembled, cleaned and restored with new sacs installed in the last couple weeks. Each of these pens is guaranteed to fill and write as designed without leaks or other problems. Nibs have been adjusted when necessary to ensure that all lay down a smooth and consistent line.
THESE PENS HAVE NO CRACKS, CHIPS, PERSONALIZATIONS, LOOSE OR MISSING PARTS, BENT NIBS, MISALIGNED TINES, BROKEN/WORN OFF TIPPING, OR THREADING ISSUES.
 
Line Widths and Writing Samples: To provide buyers with as much information as possible, I have started to adopt the following line width standards: XXF (.1-.2mm); XF (approx .3mm); F (approx .4mm); M (approx .6mm); B (approx .8mm). Nib flexibility is determined by variation (max line width under pressure) and softness (amount of pressure). Flexibility designations based on variation generally run as follows for an XF/F nib: Semi-Flex (approx. 1mm); Flex (1.2-1.9mm); Superflex (>2mm). All line width measurements are taken with a digital caliper but should be considered approximations providing a general guide. Width may vary slightly depending on type of ink and paper used as well as amount of pressure applied. All writing samples are on Rhodia dot paper using Waterman Serenity Blue.
 
 
1. c.1913 Parker Jack-Knife Lucky Curve 20 (smooth HR, NPT, button filler, 14k Superflex nib). This full-sized model measures a hair under 5 1/4” capped. Manufactured roughly 3 decades after the company was founded in 1888, this early Parker features a Safety cap (marked "Jack-Knife Safety" with a 1912 patent date) designed not to leak when carried. Early, protuberant barrel-threads situate it’s manufacture shortly after that. It's made of smooth black hard rubber with nickel-plated clip. Knurled blindcap and cliplock and “X-mas tree” Lucky Curve feed. This pen is a button filler (see detail photo in album). To fill simply unscrew the blindcap, submerse the nib, and depress the brass button once. Super-Flexible 14k Parker Lucky Curve “Lazy S” nib lays down a smooth and consistent XF line that widens to a 4B+ (approx. 2.2mm) under light pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). Thin hairlines, superbly responsive snap-back, and reliable flow over its full range of flex make it an excellent choice for calligraphic writing styles such as Copperplate and Spencerian. Condition: near mint [B+]. Hard rubber retains its factory black color with no discernible fading. HR surface is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other notable blemishes. Clip is close to pristine with no brassing or other notable flaws. Knurling is factory crisp. Manufacturer imprint on the barrel and number stamp on blindcap are factory deep and fully legible (DETAIL PHOTO). Price: $370 SOLD
 
2. c.1915 Parker Jack-Knife Lucky Curve 20 1/2 (BCHR, NPT, button filler, 14k XF Flex nib). This full-sized model measures a hair under 5 1/4” capped. Although this pen never had a number stamp, it corresponds to a 20 1/2, the ‘1/2’ designation signifying a chased pen. Like the pen above, it features a Safety cap (marked "Jack-Knife Safety" with a 1912 patent date) designed not to leak when carried. It's made of chased black hard rubber with nickel-plated clip. Knurled blindcap and cliplock and “X-mas tree” Lucky Curve feed. This pen is a button filler (see detail photo in album). To fill simply unscrew the blindcap, submerse the nib, and depress the brass button once. Flexible 14k Parker Lucky Curve “Lazy S” nib lays down a smooth and consistent XF line that widens to a 3B+ (approx. 1.8mm) under light pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE - after taking measurements, I found that this nib is situated on the upper end of Flexible). Thin hairlines, strong snap-back, and reliable flow over its full range of flex make it an excellent choice for expressive and calligraphic writing styles. Condition excellent+/near mint [B+]. Hard rubber retains its factory black color with no discernible fading. Chasing and knurling are factory deep and crisp with no discernible wear. HR surface is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other notable blemishes. Clip exceptionally clean with no brassing – just a pin-sized mark here and there.. Manufacturer imprint on the barrel is deep and fully legible. Price: $340 SOLD
 
3. c.1913 Sheaffer-Clip 3A (BCHR, NPT, lever filler, 14k XXF/XF Superflex/Wet Noodle nib). This full-sized model measures 5 3/8” capped. It was Walter A. Sheaffer who first patented the lever-filling fountain pen in 1908. In 1912 he founded the Sheaffer pen company and his revolutionary design was met with resounding acclaim. In the 1910s, when the pocket clip and lever filler were recent innovations, Sheaffer pens were typically marked "Sheaffer-Clip" on the clips and "Self-Filling" on the nibs to distinguish them from the oldfangled clipless eyedroppers of other makers. Most of their model lineup in this period – before stiff, manifold nibs became the rage in the mid-20s - was comprised of simple black hard rubber pens with long-tined gold nibs every bit as flexible as early Waterman's but known for their more responsive snap-back. This 3A is made of black chased hard rubber with nickel-plated furniture, epitomizing the simple, utilitarian aesthetic of the era. Oval barrel imprint including "Patents Pending" inscription pertaining to Sheaffer's first patent for a double (pressure) bar lever-filler, a patent that was granted in 1914. This and the protuberant barrel threads pin this pen down to the first couple years of production of Sheaffer's Self-Filling pen. So early is this example in the evolution of FP design that it bears the cap imprint of a hand pointing in the direction the cap is to be unscrewed (see album photo) – a relic of a time when most FPs were slip caps. 14k #3 Sheaffer Self-Filling nib yields Super-Flexible variation with softness verging on a Wet Noodle. It lays down a smooth and consistent XXF/XF line that widens to a 4B+ (approx. 2.3mm) under very light pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). Close-to-needlepoint hairlines, superbly responsive snap-back, and reliable flow over its full range of flex make it an ideal choice for calligraphic writing styles such as Copperplate and Spencerian. Condition: excellent+/near mint [B+]. Hard rubber retains its factory black color with no discernible fading. Chasing and knurling are factory deep and crisp with no discernible wear. HR surface is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other notable blemishes. Nickel-plated trim is exceptionally clean aside from a spot of wear on the top left corner of the clip. Manufacturer imprint on the barrel and number stamp on blindcap are factory deep and fully legible (DETAIL PHOTO). Price: $370 SOLD
 
4. 1920s Sheaffer No. 2 (BCHR - “changing lanes” pattern, NPT, lever filler, 14k XXF Needlepoint Wet Noodle nib). This full-sized model measures 5 3/8” capped. As Sheaffer entered the 1920s, they experimented with innovative materials and chasing patterns. Their hard rubber pens were generally more stable, i.e. less susceptible to oxidation. And they introduced eye-catching Art Deco patterns like the one on this HR pen, known to collectors as “Changing Lanes” for its resemblance to the painted indicators on the highway (even if this pen predates the US highway system by decades). Nickel-plated lever and clip simply marked ‘Sheaffer’s.” 14k Sheaffer #2 nib is a Wet Noodle in no uncertain terms with flow and doftness comparable to that of a dip pen. It lays down a smooth and consistent Needlepoint XXF line that widens to a 4B+ (see WRITING SAMPLE under minimal pressure (approx. 2.3mm). Needlepoint hairlines, phenomenally responsive snap-back, and reliable flow over its full range of flex make it an ideal choice for calligraphic writing styles such as Copperplate and Spencerian. Condition: near mint [B+]. +]. Hard rubber retains its factory black color with no discernible fading. Chasing is factory deep and crisp with no discernible wear. HR surface is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other notable blemishes. Nickel-plated trim is pristine with no brassing or other noteworthy wear. Manufacturer imprint on the barrel is factory deep and fully legible. Price: $370 SOLD
 
5. c.1915 A.A. Waterman No. 3 (BCHR, NPT, twist filler, 14k XF Superflex nib). This full-sized model measures a lengthy 5 9/16” capped. Arthur Allan Waterman began his career as a traveling salesman for the L. E. Waterman Co. in the 1880s-90s. In 1897, he left L.E. Waterman to found his own company in Boston by name of A. A. Waterman Pen Co., under which several new patents were approved, including his innovative twist-filling system. For L.E. and F.D. Waterman, who had just lost one of their best men, “favorably known to almost every dealer in the country,” this was a bitter pill to swallow. To make a LONG STORY short, A.A. Waterman’s “betrayal” in the eyes of the monopolistic L.E. Waterman company, his use of the address formerly associated with L.E., as well as his appropriation of “Ideal” and “Waterman’s Ideal” to advertise his pens, culminated in a lawsuit against A.A. that was settled in 1898. A.A. would come to found and later be forced out of a new company named the Modern Pen Co., but he continued to be hounded by L.E. Waterman’s lawyers into 1912, when A.A. Waterman was now legally bound to imprint their pens “Not connected with the L. E. Waterman Company”. Much of this fraught history is included on the lengthy barrel imprint of this pen, which reads: “Arthur A. Waterman & Co. NY. / Modern Pen Co. Successor / Pat. Nov. 17. ’03. Oct. 11. ’04. Aug 31. ’15 / Not Connected with the L.E. Waterman Co.” A twist-filler with patented clip, this pen is the fruit of all A.A. Waterman’s efforts. It’s mad of black chased hard rubber with slip cap and nickel-plated clip. The filler operates on the same principle as other pens with sacs, except that one twists the sac instead of compressing it to create the necessary vacuum to fill with ink. To fill one simply twists the blindcap 1-1.5 turns, submerses the nib, and lets the blindcap twist back to its starting position. Super-Flexible 14k AA Waterman #3 nib with clover-shaped breather is a lovely writer. It lays down a smooth and consistent XF line that widens to a 4B+ (approx. 2.2mm) under light pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). Thin hairlines, strong snap-back, and reliable flow over its full range of flex make it another excellent choice for calligraphic writing styles such as Copperplate and Spencerian. Condition: near mint [B+]. Difficult to repair and scarcer than comparable L.E. Watermans, these pens are exceedingly tough to find clean. The repair involves knocking a tiny pin out of the blindcap, removing the tiny section that’s been glued in from the factory, and attaching a sac cut at both end to length to the blindcap stem and the section. I repaired this one myself and am proud to say it works without a hitch and reliably fills to factory capacity. Cosmetically, this pen is also quite the gem. Hard rubber retains its factory black color with no discernible fading. Chasing is factory deep and crisp with no discernible wear. HR surface is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other notable blemishes. Nickel-plated clip is pristine with no brassing or other noteworthy wear. Voluminous manufacturer imprint on the barrel is factory deep and fully legible. Price: $380 SOLD
 
 
 
Shipping: Pens purchased on the weekend are mailed on Tuesday. Otherwise they are mailed within 2 business days of payment. All pens that do not come with their original boxes are packaged in PVC or thick plastic tubes to protect them in transit. To CONUS locations the following shipping options are available:

• USPS First-Class with tracking for $5 Due to the delivery delays that continue under postmaster general DeJoy, I strongly recommend that the Priority shipping option be chosen. All packages will include full insurance (covered by me). Rest assured that a full refund is guaranteed (issued through Paypal) in the event of a lost parcel and you will not have to wait until I receive a reimbursement from the USPS.
  
• USPS Priority with tracking for $9
  

International Customers: Please contact me for shipping quote if located abroad (delivery confirmation required). (Note: due to the issues stated above, my international shipping options are currently limited. PM for more info). Please do not ask me to commit mail fraud by altering the declared value of a pen for customs. Not only am I registered as a business but shipping insurance is based on declared value.
New York Customers: For tax purposes, I am now required to add an 8% sales tax on any sale made in the state of NY. If your shipping address is in NY state, please let me know before payment to receive an adjusted total. Discounted shipping is included for NY State residents to help defray the extra cost.
Ordering: Pens are placed on hold for the first person to reply to the thread and PM me with firm request to purchase (no chat DMs please). A request with the words “I'd like to purchase [pen number]” would be best to avoid confusion), to which I’ll reply with payment details. Please note that a message inquiring into a price discount does not suffice to place a pen on hold. If I haven't received Paypal payment within 24 hrs after a hold is placed, then pen(s) may become available to the next person.
Payment, & Guarantee: Payment by Paypal only. All pens are guaranteed to be in the condition in which I've described them. If I've missed something objectionable or the filling mechanism is not fully functional, the buyer may contact me up to 7 days after receiving the pen for a full refund (issued once I receive the pen back in the same condition as sold). Buyer must ship the return no later than 2 weeks after it was delivered to receive a refund. I've sold pens online for over a decade. Please check my past listings here as well as on the classifieds and historical sales forums on FPN (username: Estragon) and FPGeeks (popcod) for some of my previous offerings.
 
 
OTHER OPEN LISTINGS:

• Sheaffer Juniors and Superflex Moore Shell
  
• Unbranded BCHR Superflex
  
• Wet Noodle Dip Pen Customized Wright-Weidlich Simplofiller and Superflex Sheaffer Ring Top
  
• Waterman Junior
  
• Superflex Waterman 15 Eyedropper w/ Keyhole nib, Aikin Lambert Capitol Cabinet
  
• Parker Vacumatic Major
  
• Salz "Wendy" Doll Head Pen
  
• Solid Gold Ring Top
  
• Conklin Enduras, Nozac
  
• Superflex, Stub Burnhams in Colorful Casein
  

This board gets a lot of questions from new/prospective students, and one of the most common is regarding the level of programming that occurs in the MSDA program, what languages are used, what skills or functionality within a language is needed, etc. Many of us graduates enjoy helping new students and answering questions, but re-posting the same information can be tedious and lead to different newbies getting different responses to the same question. To address this issue, we've decided to start this Python/SQL Resource Megathread as a living document that anyone can (and should!) contribute any helpful learning resources to, and it also makes for an evolving resource for any new or prospective students regarding our personally preferred resources for learning these languages in preparation for the MSDA program.
For contributors to the thread, a couple quick points to keep in mind:

• Resources are for new students preparing for the program

(A resource about how to build a NLP model that you used in D213 belongs in a thread about D213 or NLP models)

• Please be clear about what resources you're recommending

("Just search google for Python tutorials" isn't an effective resource, be more specific or provide some links)

• If a resource you recommend is not free (costs money), please indicate this

For new or prospective students using the thread, let's cover some basic information:
The WGU MS Data Analytics program is centered mostly around programming for data science and data analysis. There are no official prerequisite skills for the program, and some students do start the program and finish it without any familiarity with coding or programming. However, your journey will be made significantly easier by learning some of these skills prior to entering the program. Specifically, the program requires students to use Structured Query Language (SQL) for two classes (D205 & D211), and it also requires students to use Python or R for each of the remaining classes. Most students choose one of Python or R and stick with it for the entirety of the program, though you could choose to switch back and forth, if you like. Some familiarity or understanding of statistics is also useful, though the program is light on math.
The SQL portion of the program utilizes virtual machines (which we won't complain about here) to perform operations in pgAdmin, a graphic user interface for a PostgreSQL environment. The provision of a GUI allows students to be less reliant on using "hard" SQL (you can generate queries from the GUI). In terms of necessary skills, students must be able to generate tables with constraints and relationships within an existing database, import data into tables, execute queries of a database (including joining tables), and filter and group results. Depending on your chosen dataset(s) for D211, you also will likely need to be able to do some basic data manipulation for the purpose of cleaning your data, such as replacing 0/1's with F/T's, etc.
Regarding the student's knowledge of Python or R, the student needs to be familiar with basic programming in the chosen language. This includes being familiar with a programming environment, the chosen language's particular syntax, understanding Object Oriented Programming, etc. Students in the MSDA program also need to know a number of basic functionalities specific to data science. Most of the performance assessments require the student to import data from .csv (or other files) into a tabular format in which the data can be cleaned and manipulated. Data cleaning operations often require recasting data types, replacing data values in various ways, performing calculations to generate new data, appending columns/rows/tables, and finally exporting the cleaned data back into a .csv file. Students also will need to generate a number of visualizations of their final dataset, often handling both qualitative and quantitative data. These graphs will need to be "polished", including providing axis titles, manipulating axis units or views, and producing legends.
Finally, it isa completely optional but highly recommended to set up and learn to use a Notebook environment, such as Jupyter Notebook. A Notebook environment consists of a series of cells which can be used for either programming operations or writing narratives in Markdown language (like a Reddit post), as seen here. Many students find this useful because it provides an environment to easily iterate on your code as you produce it, while also reducing redundant steps by combining your code and your reporting into a single file to be turned in, rather than having to maintain two different files and take screenshots of code to include in a dedicated reporting document, such as Word .doc file.

Hello! I am a new player to apex legends, and I have around 9k credits and am thinking about buying a new legend. I made a list of all the legends I like, (including default legends) in hopes that you guys would help me to find the best first purchase.

1. Vantage

I like the fact of being able to slingshot around the map and having a high damage sniper rifle to perch. One of situations that seem like she would be useful is when I am sitting on the high ground sniping using the sniper rifle, and someone ambushes me. I could use her tactical to quickly escape.

1. Revenant

I like how you can have a second chance if you get killed, and the ability's silencer is nice if you are rushing someone like a wraith user. Also, from my research, he moves faster than the other legends.

1. Octane

The speed boost of his tactical is something I would like, as it would let me slide in and out of fights easier. His jump pad is also good, but enemy teams could follow you. I mainly like him because he and his heirlooms look sick af.

1. Crypto

I like his drone, as it can mark enemies, and remotely pick up your teammate's banners. His drone EMP is also good for keeping enemies from rushing you using abilities.

1. Bloodhound

I like his tactical, as it helps determine if enemies are nearby or where they are positioned before you rush them. His ultimate is also good, as it highlights the enemy and gives you a huge speed boost.

1. Bangalore.

Her passive is my favorite thing about her. I feel like every other legend slows down while they are being shot, while she speeds up. It helps when you are heavily damaged and need to retreat. Her tactical assists her passive, as when you need to escape, you can place it down and run to cover using your passive speed boost, confusing your enemies as to where you are.

1. Pathfinder

The main thing about him is his tactical, which helps with transport and rushing and evading enemies. His zipline is nice to quickly traverse terrain while running from the heat zone, and for placing down when you need to retreat to cover with your teammates.
As you can tell, I like legends that can get in, deal damage, and when it gets too dangerous, grab a banner or two or revive, and then retreat to cover easily. I also like mobility in firefights, and when I am low on health, I can retreat to cover easily to heal up. I also like legends that can assist their team very well, and I feel like legends with ALL of these characteristics are not found in control or support legends.
Thank you to the people that help me make a decision!