Hello.
This is Don Sees Your Shaydim. It's been a while.
Long-Winded Intro:
Ever sit through one of those 40 minute long ads by Whitney Tilson because you wanted to know what the fucking fuck the secret Tesla pr Apple supplier is, only to find that there’s no big reveal at the end? Instead, you’re asked to subscribe to an unaffordable newsletter. (These ads can’t be fast-forwarded!). The thing about these ads is you can figure out who these “secret” companies are, and it’s not hard. When I used to have time, I’d reverse engineer the latest 20-minute Motley Fool ad to discover the secret 5g stock, or the secret EV battery tech that will change the world.
I don’t have time like I used to. During the pandemic, I “worked” at home, which meant I spent my days yoloing into spacs and deconstructing stuff like Motley Fool and Stansberry Research reports for their stock picks. The good news is there are some devoted investors out there who have made it their jobs to take apart ads and reveal secret stocks.
If you’re looking for some plays, here are the results—the revealed stocks—from some recently reverse-engineered ads. The folks who did all this great work are Travis Johnson, who runs a fantastic online magazine called Stock Gumshoe. It is the only magazine I am subscribed to, and have been since 2020. I get a lot—if not most—of my investment ideas from Stock Gumshoe. Every single trade or investment idea that I’ve had from Gumshoe has been successful. Every single one. Every trade I’ve made because of shit I heard on YouTube has been a turd. I’m pumping this magazine because it works.
Alongside of Travis Johnson, we have Dylan Rieger. Just like Johnson, Rieger reverse-engineers ads, but on YouTube. He is prolific. His videos are roughly 10 minutes long, and they’re packed with well-curated information on each of the companies he reveals. If you’re thinking, “Why would I read a web magazine if I could just watch youtube videos?” Rieger’s videos are excellent, but Travis’s writing… he will teach you how to think. “But I don’t need to change the way I think about the market.” If you’re still fucking reading this, then chances are you suck at trading and investing. (I can already feel one or two of you typing, “Actually, ….”)
Below you will find a list of secret stocks that Johnson and Rieger revealed. I’ve listed the author of the newsletter or ad, the title of the article or presentation, the revealed stock, and relevant information. I figured that if I’ve had success this way, you might too. I like my wife’s feet, incidentally. I think they’re pretty.
Let me reiterate—I have been successful when I’ve used these sources as a starting point for a possible trade or investment. I’m a moron, however. I don’t stick with what works. I’m more likely to yolo into some garbage I heard about from a twenty-year old on YouTube. I said earlier that if you’re reading this, you probably suck at the market. But you’re probably way better than the person who wrote this. I address myself in third-person. I also like it when she wears tube socks and Doc Mertens.
Dylan Rieger's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@dylanrieger7651
Travis Johnson's Stock Gumshoe: https://www.stockgumshoe.com/

Secret Stocks Revealed, May 2024
Dylan Jovine. “The New Space Race: 3 AI Stocks for Windfall Gains.” From Behind the Markets newsletter, which is currently listed at $49/yr. This focuses on defense industry AI-powered satellites, particularly speculations about defense contracts with the US Space Force. He teases several stocks, but the primary secret stock is BigBear (BBAI). BigBear has partnerships with Amazon AWS (AMZN), Palantir (PLTR), and L3Harris (LHX). Travis Johnson, whom I get almost all my info from, sees this BigBear speculation as a stretch. I agree. If BBAI does in fact get the Space Force contract: tendies. Jovine also pitches a backdoor way to get a stake in SpaceX, which is not publicly traded. The “backdoors” are the Private Shares Fund (PRIVX) and Destiny Tech 100 ETF (DXYZ). SpaceX constitutes about 35% of DXYZ. Jovine’s third stock—which is allegedly NASA’s secret AI chipmaker—is Arm Holdings (ARM).
Jason Williams. “The Exxon Slayer: The Small Firm Pioneering the Future of American Lithium.” Future Giants newsletter, which will cost you fucking $2,000. The secret stock is Standard Lithium (SLI). Totally worth a $2,000 subscription.
Shah Gilani. “Nvidia’s Secret Partner.” From Manward Monthly Report. The secret stock is Astera Labs (ALAB).
“This Tiny Canadian AI Stock Could Be the Next Nvidia.” Motley Fool Stock Advisor Canada. The secret stock: Docebo (DCBO). The company is in the e-learning realm, offering a cloud-supported platform for employee training and the like. This is not even remotely close to being Nvidia, but the company itself looks promising within its own sector.
Gerardo Del Real. “Trade of the Decade.” From Junior Resource Speculator, which is priced reasonably low—compared to Superbowl tickets or Berkshire Hathaway stock—at $2,000/yr. The secret stock is Kingsmen Resources (KNGRF). You really out to check out Travis Johnson’s reverse engineering of Del Real’s ad, and maybe consider subscribing to Stock Gumshoe, where he breaks down all sort of ads. He’s one of the best writers in this space. I have a fucking PhD. English. I hate everyone’s writing. Not his. He—Travis—also enlightens readers to similar stocks and stakeholders in that sector: Cameco (CCJ), GoGold Resources (GLDGF), Ivanhoe Mines (IVPAF), Abacus Mining (ABCFF), Cosa Resources (COSAF), Fission Uranium (FCUUF), Skyharbour Resources (SYHBF), EnCore Energy (EU), Uranium Energy Corp (UEC), Sprott Uranium Miners (URNM), Sprott Junior Uranium Miners (URNJ), Perpetual Resources (PPTA), Standard Uranium (STTD), Filo Mining (FLMMF)
Ross Givens. “Live Action War Room.” From Wall Street Watch Dogs. This ad was formerly called "The $3 AI Wonder Stock that Could Make You 75X Richer?" but was repackaged as The No. 1 AI Stock Opportunity of the Decade (Surprise: Only $6)” The secret stock is SoundHound AI (SOUN). Note: They are also pitching alongside of “The $3 AI …” “The Top Five Stocks Set to Soar in 2024.” These include Calix (CALX), SolarEdge (SEDG), Desktop Metals (DM), Adobe (ADBE), and Snowflake (SNOW).
Whitney Tilson and Porter Stansberry. “How I Cut My Salary to $1, Then Pocketed a Million Dollars in One Day With America’s New Money.” Stansberry Research. These ads don’t have clearly defined titles. This one covers a “secret US currency” otherwise called, “America’s New Money.” This is from Stansberry’s Investment Advisory. This is a weird pitch; basically, they’re suggesting that instead of buying stocks that trade on an exchange, you should buy the stock representing the exchange itself. The secret stock is CME Group (CME), otherwise known as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. In Travis Johnson’s breakdown, he lists other publicly traded exchanges: Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), Nasdaq (NDAQ), MarketAxess Holdings (MKTX). In fact, here is his whole list: Euronext (EUXTF or ENRXY in the US), London Stock Exchange (LNSTY or LDNXF in the US), Australian Stock Exchange ASX (ASXFY, or ASXFF), São Paulo Stock Exchange Brazil (BOLSY), the Bolsa Mexicana (BOMXF), Over The Counter Markets OTC (OTCM)
Jason Simpkins. “Project Wingman.” From Secret Stock Files, which would cost you $1,999/yr. Military aircraft: Simpkins asserts that this defense contractor, Kratos (KTOS), has a “vice grip on next-generation technology that will render most of its competitors’ assets completely obsolete.” Project wingman involves using AI on fighter planes.
Keith Kohl. “The Undiscovered Tech Company Behind the Coming Trio-Fuel 238 Revolution.” Energy Investor newsletter currently listed at $99 yr. at basic level. Nuclear energy tech that’s apparently cleaner, safer, and more efficient than convention Uranium 238 tech. The secret stock is Lightbridge (LTBR).
Ray Blanco. “Did I Just Find the Hidden Cure to Cancer?” From Catalyst Trader, which would cost you $1000. The secret stock is Exscientia (EXAI). Dylan Rieger also notes that Alexander Green, another “famous” stock picker with an expensive newsletter, made EXAI the secret stock in focus for his “This Will Be the #1 Performing AI Stock of the Coming Decade” report.
Adam Odell. “Special Report #1: The AI Growth Engine” from the 10X Stocks newsletter, which is currently $995 yr. This is from the AI Power Summit, with 3 stocks “positioned to solve the AI energy problem.” The main stock is NuScale (SMR), which builds small modular nuclear reactors. The additional stocks are Centrus Energy (LEU), and Sprott Physical Uranium Trust (SRUUF).
Jason Williams. “The Tesla Killer is Here.” Wealth Advisors newsletter. Pitching “blue gas,” which is hydrogen fuel cells. The stock is Ballard Power (BLDP)
Alex Koyfman. “Lithium Volcano: Tapping the World’s Biggest Lithium Reserve.” The Crows Nest newsletter. 1 year membership is currently listed at 99$. The stock is Lithium Americas (LAC), who has a $650 million deal with GM.
Ian King. “AI Energy” presentation. Membership is currently $79. The stock is AMD (AMD)
Louis Navellier. “The Trump AI Boom: 3 Data Center Stocks with 100X Potential” and “The Second Wave of AI Comes in November.” From Growth Investor. The stocks are Innodata (INOD), Data Storage Corporation (DTST), and Applied Digital (APLD).
Luke Lango. “Elon Musk’s ChatGPT Could Soon Mint New Millionaires.” Innovation Investors Magazine, which is currently listed as on sale for $49/yr. The stock is Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM).
Luke Lango. “The Next Nvidia.” Investor Place. The stock is Lam Research (LRCX).
[Jason Williams. “The Exxon Slayer: The Small Firm Pioneering the Future of American Lithium.” Future Giants newsletter, which will cost you fucking $2,000. The secret stock is Standard Lithium (SLI). Totally work a $2,000 subscription.]()
Shah Gilani. “Nvidia’s Secret Partner.” From Manward Monthly Report. The secret stock is Astera Labs (ALAB).

A lot of people either say: “Stop complaining about hackers they don’t exist, they are just anyone who is better than you.”
Or they are in the camp: “everyone is hacking”
To get a better idea, like 95% accurate, just use leetify.
At the end of each match where someone was beyond sus, just check out their leetify profile and it’ll either be obvious that they are or aren’t cheating. You can see if they queue with hackers to get comms and get carried while not hacking themselves and if they had a 20 game win streak from 8k Elo to 19k Elo within two days.
After using leetify like this it showed me how many people are queuing with 1-2 hackers per each premier match to get carried. Having a 30-45% win rate with most of their friends and then having a 90%+ win rate with over 80+ games played with certain friends kinda is a red flag, and a lot of people are doing this.
It’s upsetting to hear so many people say cheating isn’t a problem and everyone’s just complaining about anyone whose better, meanwhile when you look at the leetify specs it actually looks like the majority of games above 16k have at least one hacker in them. Ranks above that are seemingly just hacker v hacker.
Also, cheats for CS2 are WAY more sophisticated than in csgo. It’s not like basic walls or aim lock, the cheats are insane — don’t believe me, look them up. I promise you that you’ll be blown away. My point in saying this is that it’s not near as obvious to spot as it was in csgo, and many people will see 36 kills 38% headshot and be like nah they weren’t hacking just look at their headshot percentage, if they were hacking it would be way higher.
No. There’s much more to it than that.
Anyway, cs2 has become an annoying mess, I’d even say unplayable when it comes to finding a decent game. You get 1 good game out of 5 it feels like. By good game, I don’t mean a win, I just mean a fair match where there’s no sus bs and just fair gamers gaming it out lol.
Before anyone says I’m just dogwater, yes I am dogwater, but I have also only solo and duo queued up to 16,800 only to be met with endless hackers and an abrupt de-rank making it very upsetting after a lengthy process to reach that rank. I’m probably around 16,000 if I were to rate myself, anything above that I can’t say I’m confidentially that skilled because I don’t play enough to say anymore.
As I was saying, It’s made my friend and I want to hack ourselves (we aren’t going to) but it really makes fair players want to turn rogue as well when they are met with more hackers and unfair cheaters than legit ones.
TLDR: Use leetify as your own anti cheat to verify sus behavior, I have no idea why VAC isn’t redflagging a lot of these accounts that have clear hacking stats such as 90%+ win rates with 60+ games with only certain players and 30% win rates with others. It’s clear when they are getting carried by hackers or they are the hackers themselves based on their stats and history through leetify. Using this red flag system using these stats using AI and then feeding these flagged accounts into an overwatch queue of their most reported games would be relatively easy and more efficient than a lot of other options for cheaters…
TLDR TLDR: Hacker bad, leetify show who hacker man, why doesn’t valve use stats to detect hacker man more efficiently?
Thank you.

Link to Part 1 (Read This First)
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Something inside Rob's head clicked. He exhaled, cleared his thoughts, and concentrated. There was no time to plan – so he made some for himself.
Quick Thinking Level Increased! $^&$#*# → (@^$(#)&
The world went still, as if he'd pressed pause on reality.
Okay.
What Skills was he underutilizing? What stats was he underutilizing?
Go down the list. Reassess your preconceptions. Strength to deal damage. Vitality to survive. Endurance to fight for long periods. Dexterity to catch his prey. Perception to find his prey. Mind to shield his...well, mind. Magic to use certain Skills, especially Rampage. All necessary and important.
Yet not always treated equally.
He felt confident that he was getting the most out of his Strength, Vitality, and Dexterity. They were his bread-and-butter stats. Perception less so, but he couldn't exactly call time-out on the fight to go train his senses. Mind–
Actually, Mind was linked to a surprising number of abilities. Passive boosts like Heat Resistance, utility Skills like Speed Reading, and even things like...
Sense Mana.
He'd never been great at Sensing Mana. It didn't come naturally to him. Then again, what about any of this was natural? That ship had sailed the moment he started making numbers go up by killing squirrels. He wasn't here for an honest duel – he was here to cheat his way to victory over the inhuman despots of the divine realms.
And luckily, nothing cheated harder than Level 99 Skills. For example, this highly interesting bit he recalled from Never Forget Your Rage: 'Significantly increases the user's proficiency with Sense Mana.' He hadn't given it much thought before, simply because manipulating mana wasn't his forte. It didn't seem relevant to how he typically won battles.
Time to fix that.
Rob charged. It was a direct frontal assault with no bells or whistles attached. Quick Thinking slowed his perception of reality to a crawl as he watched Kismet prep his teleport.
In that same split-second, he focused on Sense Mana, expanding his awareness across the battlefield. I feel...Kismet. Myself. Riardin's Rangers. The lesser gods. Divine essence. Rifts leaking. Energy. Energy everywhere. Yikes. Is this what Malika senses all the time? How can she hear herself think?
Eyes twitching, Rob pruned out any unnecessary information, separating the white noise from what was important. He sharpened his awareness to a razor-thin point and searched. Amidst the clamor of magic, rifts, and divinity, he found...
A disturbance. No larger than a ripple in a vast ocean. Yet it was there. Something new.
Something that had started right when Kismet saw him charge.
The god weaved mana, initiating his escape.
{TEN! YOU–}
Rob smothered the static into a low whisper, rushing towards that tiny ripple. Kismet's teleportation spells were instantaneous, but to an Ascending HUMAN with unnatural Perception and Quick Thinking, nothing in the universe was truly beyond perceiving. He reacted in the space between moments, Sensing where the god's teleport would end up, then heading straight for it.
Which meant that when Kismet re-appeared, Rob was already mere inches away.
PURGE DIVINITY.
He aimed for the center of mass. Leveling High's static had gone silent, as if rendered speechless. Rob watched in slow motion as – without even a hint of resistance – his hand sank into the stunned god's torso.
GOOOOT. YOOOOU. Fingers clenched, energy pulsed, and laughter echoed. A thrill of triumph surged through Rob's veins, like adrenaline mixed with sweet ambrosia. For a brief micro-instant, he was allowed to believe that the battle had been won.
Then Kismet exploded.
It was more startling than harmful – like a Riardin's Special of divine essence detonating in Rob's face. Without warning, the god's mana-body abruptly burst apart, scattering in all directions.
The HUMAN was left in a state of baffled disbelief, holding his arm out towards nothing. Was that...it? Had Purge Divinity triggered the godly equivalent of an allergic reaction? Because it was supposed to eradicate their mana, not do that. And considering that the gods could shape their mana at will, how much would exploding realistically affect them?
What if this was no different than a lizard abandoning its tail?
His suspicions were confirmed when Kismet reformed a safe distance away. The god was clutching his wounded chest area, looking somewhat worse for the wear. Fear and outrage had overtaken his countenance. "How did you discern where I would appear? How?!"
Rob didn't respond. Instead, he stared at the fragment of divine essence clutched in his hand. It was all that remained from what should have been checkmate.
A consolation prize for his failed efforts.
{...Eleven.}
Leveling High said nothing else. It didn't need to. Rob couldn't even fool himself into thinking that he'd proven his point. While this was the most damage he'd inflicted on Kismet so far, it was hardly the decisive blow he'd wished for.
That wasn't enough to warrant another eleven fruitless chases. Not when both his body and the divine realms were treading ever closer to collapse. The ever-increasing weariness of his flesh was proof of that. Victory wasn't impossible, but it seemed increasingly unlikely that he could seize it before catastrophe struck.
I've still taken a step forward. If I make use of Sense Mana again, react faster next time...then Kismet would adapt as well. The slippery bastard wasn't going to be caught off-guard in the exact same manner. He would also be siphoning more mana from the rifts, gradually increasing his power – whereas Rob's had plateaued.
Unless...unless...{unless...}
Unless the HUMAN Ascended.
As if drawn by the pull of destiny, his gaze locked onto the fragment of divinity held within his grip. Rob shivered as a red haze began coating his vision. The essence called to him, singing a melody of transcendence, inviting him to throw off the restrictive shackles of mortality and become something greater.
He just needed to devour it. Accept its divinity unto himself. Embrace his metamorphosis, and gain the might of gods. With his full potential realized...he could save everyone.
At the cost of his humanity.
Maybe the distinction shouldn't matter at this point. Compared to the average Elatran, his mortality was essentially window dressing. What mortal could go toe-to-toe with the creators of a world? Besides, the Blight-child could've been wrong about Ascension changing him. Even if he went and made things official, 'preserving these worlds' would always be his goal. He would still be himself.
Probably.
Assuming that godhood didn't forcibly alter his personality.
Assuming that being subjected to infinity didn't splinter his weary mind.
Assuming that Leveling High wasn't misleading him in some way.
Assuming...a lot of things, really.
I shouldn't be hesitating. Rob glared at the divine essence as if it was a poisonous viper. Of \course* this is risky. It's still less risky than praying I get a lucky hit on Kismet in the immediate future. I've always preferred to roll the dice if it would better my odds, so why–*
{Your true emotions are laid bare to me,} Leveling High interrupted, hissing loudly. {These justifications mask a core of selfishness. You worry that Ascending will leave your friends behind.} It made a noise of distaste. {Apparently, that is more important than ensuring their survival.}
Rob froze. All at once, several puzzle pieces slotted into place.
Leveling High wasn't entirely wrong. He was being selfish. Rob knew that even in the best-case scenario, Ascending would turn him into an existence that was incompatible with living in the mortal realms. It would be like the disconnect he'd felt when visiting Fiend territory recently, only magnified a hundred times over.
None of that sounded remotely appealing. Ultimate power wasn't worth feeling eternally isolated. His visions of the Original Will, Second Will, and gods had made that exceptionally clear.
However...if that was all, he wouldn't be hesitating right now. Unlike the rest of his Party, he was totally allowed to make heroic sacrifices. Rules for thee and not for me. Rob would've discarded his humanity in a heartbeat if he thought there was no other way. Logically, he did think that.
Emotionally, he didn't.
Because he wasn't alone.
Even at his most fatalistic, Rob couldn't overrule the part of him that believed in Riardin's Rangers. If he kept faith...just for a little while longer...
They would grant him a miracle.
It was then that a warbling SCREECH resounded throughout the realms.
Rob and Kismet were unable to suppress their curiosity. Making sure to keep an eye on each other, they cautiously directed a portion of their attention to the screech's origin. Both were fully intending to ambush the other if they detected the smallest hint of carelessness.
They still almost lost composure after noticing what was going on.
At a separate corner of the battlefield, Zamira was tearing into her opponent with what could only be described as ruthless efficiency. The god flailed like a helpless lamb before a butcher, impotently thrashing about as a Skill-wreathed sword carved into it time and again. Mana erupted in a conflagration of panic, but Zamira sidestepped its reprisal with graceful ease, untouched and unfazed as she went back to one-sidedly dominating a literal deity.
Rob resisted the urge to rub his eyes. He was having difficulty understanding what he was watching. It wasn't just that Zamira was winning – it was the way she was winning. From what he could surmise, her stats hadn't increased. She didn't seem stronger or faster than before.
Yet her movements embodied the very pinnacle of swordsmanship as an art form. Precise, calculated, but flowing like water. She was a painter at work, and with every stroke of her brush on the canvas, her final portrait took shape.
One-by-one, all other battles ground to a halt. Seven mortals and seven gods stood transfixed as they bore witness to expertise not seen in many thousands of years.
Like a wounded animal, Zamira's foe – or more accurately, her training dummy – lashed out. Destructive mana surrounded her. Exhibiting zero concern, she dashed forward and imbued her sword with the light of a Skill.
"Lost Art: Moonlight's Mirror." In one swift motion, she sliced up through the mana in front of her. The light imbuing her sword repelled the god's energy, parting its magic like the Red Seas. Zamira immediately dashed into the opening she'd created and scored another vicious blow, disengaging before the god could retaliate.
Lost Art? Rob pondered. Okay, that's \definitely* new.* He'd been in the room when Riardin's Rangers discussed their Level 99 Class Skills, and Zamira hadn't mentioned anything like this. Something must've changed while he was busy fighting Kismet...not that Rob was in any rush to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Zamira moved as a blur of silver and steel, shifting behind her opponent. "Lost Art: Aura Blade." The light enshrining her sword intensified, and when she struck next, it left an injury on the god's mana-body that struggled to heal. By now its form appeared threadbare, like a patchwork quilt that had been ripped and sewn back together countless times.
That was when Rob truly realized what was happening. Zamira's fancy footwork and new Skills were impressive, yet they wouldn't have amounted to anything if she couldn't deal lasting damage – which she was. While her Aura Blade wasn't nearly as effective as Purge Divinity, it had still achieved the combination of raw power and mana manipulation that was necessary to harm a creature of energy.
Slowly but surely, the god was dying.
Everyone else realized that around the same moment. The lesser gods moved to assist their comrade, and Riardin's Rangers quickly intercepted them. Rob caught sight of Keira bashing her god aside with the flat of her greatsword, knocking it away before it could cast a spell at Zamira.
Noticing a flicker of motion, Rob took one step towards Kismet. The god halted in place, his arm half-risen. They exchanged a long look. Kismet didn't want to restart their song and dance, and Rob didn't want to miss the show.
Eventually, the HUMAN let out a chuckle. He waggled his finger at his dance partner, as if admonishing an unruly toddler."LeT hER CoOK."
And cook she did. Unhindered, Zamira methodically dismantled her god. Cut by cut, and piece by piece, the deity was whittled down to a pale imitation of its former glory. Once or twice it managed to slightly graze her with an attack, but that was all.
Its fate had been sealed for a long time now.
"Lost Art: Eight-Pointed Jaws." Zamira hammered the god with a rapid flurry of blows. Each strike carved a line of mana into its body. When the eighth line had been unleashed, the god suddenly crumpled inward, as if it was being chomped on by the maw of an enormous beast.
Piteous screams melded with the sound of a Bladesoul readying her most powerful Skill. Its aura shone with a wicked silver glow, like a falling guillotine reflecting the sunlit rays of a new dawn.
"K-Kismet!" The god reached out to its leader with a trembling limb. "Please! Kism–"
"CREATED ART: GOD-SLAYING SWORD!"
She cut just once.
The god burnt away, leaving not even ashes in the wind.
Rob concentrated with Sense Mana. His mouth split into a feral grin when he searched for the god's essence and detected absolutely fucking nothing. It was gone. Kaput. Finito. Wouldn't have been possible without Kismet draining his own allies to save his skin, but he had, so here they were.
The HUMAN activated Purge Divinity and clenched his fist. He destroyed the essence fragment he'd ripped from Kismet, then fixed the god with a gaze of murderous finality.
"ChECkMaTE."
Kismet flinched, comprehension dawning on him as he envisioned how the rest of the battle would play out. Zamira didn't seem the least bit winded. She had plenty of gas left in the tank, and was currently heading over to team up with one of her allies and slay the next god.
With that in mind...the day's outcome had already been decided. Rob would keep Kismet busy. Riardin's Rangers would steadily clean up the lesser gods. Then, as a full Party, they would gang up on Kismet and beat the everloving shit out of him.
No fuss, no muss.
Kismet began to panic – then stopped, centering himself. He seemed to reach a decision, some plan formulating in his thoughts.
Defiance? Oh, that's adorable. The BERSERKER's grin grew so wide that it hurt. Let's make this a game. His hands pulsed brightly with Purging energy. Will I kill you before my Party members finish up on their end? We win either way, but hey! Can't have them do \all* the work–*
"Elder Alessia is dead."
Rob's breath caught in his throat.
She...what? He'd heard Kismet speak, but, no, that couldn't be–
"Elder Alessia is dead. Remember that I cannot lie."
He tried to respond. No words came out. It felt as if the world had vanished from underneath his feet.
"Elder Alessia is dead," Kismet repeated, for the third time. "She used Soul Burn to keep the Queen of Dragons at bay."
She...she used...
Rob hadn't seen Alessia when he went to check on Fiend territory. Didn't think anything of it. Wasn't like he looked everywhere. Figured he'd just missed her.
But she was...gone? Since Ragnavi? He'd spent days expunging Dungeons and Leviathans, gallivanting around Elatra like a fucking idiot, thinking that at least he'd prevented more people he cared about from dying, when the whole time, Alessia had been–
{BEHIND!}
The warning came far too late.
Even if it had come earlier, though, he still might not have dodged. Kismet's attack wasn't packed full of destructive magic like his other spells. Sense Mana didn't register it as a threat. Rob immediately cast Dauntless Reprisal on reflex, but that didn't help either.
Because this wasn't intended to damage him.
A surge of mana pierced Rob's back. An intense burning coursed through him, as if his veins and skin were simultaneously being set aflame. It was a sensation that, unfortunately, he recognized.
Kismet had directly infused his soul with mana.
This wasn't the first time. The gods had done it once before to refill Rob's Purging energy stores. In fact, although they'd warned him of the consequences, he'd pushed for it rather...vocally.
Despite being inflicted with Soul Instability as a result, Rob didn't regret his choice. Back then, it had been the key to finally ending the Second Will's appalling ambitions.
Now?
It was no better than adding ten tons of weight onto rotting support beams.
Rob fell to his knees. Agony and weakness suffused his body. He felt Purging energy swell within – for all the good it would serve him, because he couldn't move a muscle.
An unsurprising system notification popped into view.
Warning: Soul Instability has increased to High!
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Thanks for reading!

Author's Note:
7700 words, broke Reddit's character limit, so you know the drill. Will be split into two parts, both posted today. Enjoy!
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"Stop! STOP!"
The terror in Kismet's voice rose higher as death drew nearer. He fled from Rob's grasping hand, but a Purge Divinity-infused fingernail managed to graze him, carving out a scoop of divine essence as if flaying a mortal's skin.
Kismet let out a screech as the Purging energy added to his growing collection of scars. A dozen small holes now dotted the surface of his mana-body, looking like he'd been pockmarked by wasting disease. Each wound represented a moment where the god had narrowly escaped with his life.
If those injuries had been inflicted by any other ability, then he could have rejuvenated himself in the time it took to blink. Purging energy was not so kind as that. It was purifying wrath in the shape of a Skill; their vengeance given form. Whatever divinity it touched, it extinguished.
As if cleansing the universe of a sickness that had infected it for far too long.
The BERSERKER continued his unrelenting advance. In response, Kismet threw up a frantic barrier of mana. It was strong enough to deflect one of Ragnavi's Annihilation beams–
And Rob blasted through it like paper mache. His charge sent broken shards of energy scattering across the divine realms. More mid-air rifts tore open, the HUMAN's aura strangling the surrounding area in a vice grip of power. Purge Divinity seemed to glow with light emanating straight from the pits of hell.
None of which was anywhere near as unnerving as the murder contained within his piercing gaze. When Kismet met Rob's eyes, he saw the end of eternity fast approaching.
The god's next barrier was just as frantic. However, this one was not comprised of mana, but of solid matter. Kismet summoned the hardest, most dense substance known to the mortal realms, then transmuted it into something that otherwise could only have been forged inside the heart of a dying star. It was many times more durable than the impossibly tough walls of an aberrant Dungeon.
So when Rob demolished it with a single punch, he actually had to put a bit of elbow grease into his windup.
Another wall materialized in front of him. He crushed it, then the one after, and the one after that, lashing out with bestial ferocity. The BERSERKER plowed through Kismet's hastily-built defenses like a bulldozer of fists and savagery. Rob was knocking them down as quickly as the god could make them, relishing the sensation of being able to vent his anger on targets that weren't fucking running away.
Then the twelfth wall fell – revealing a monstrous, spiky, fanged behemoth concealed behind.
Rob paused, momentarily taken aback at the sight of a mundane creature within the divine realms. 'Mundane' in relative terms, anyway. This monster was on par with a newborn Blight, radiating power that would have sent ordinary fighters sprinting for the hills.
It was also barely cognizant of its surroundings. The monster stared at him with unblinking, vacant eyes, just the tiniest glimmer of awareness present in its gaze. Rob noted that segments of its flesh were bubbling, as if the creature was fresh out of the oven and still needed to settle.
He couldn't help but feel a modicum of pity. This was yet another thoughtless creation, condemned to existence by an uncaring maker. Even monsters deserved better than that.
Rob caved the beast's head in before it could realize that it was alive. Pity was not the same as hesitation, and this was the only mercy he could afford to grant right now.
Didn't matter. Kismet's pawn served its purpose. In the brief instant that Rob spent getting over his initial surprise, the god had teleported to safety. He was already planning his next stunt that could buy him a few precious seconds of survival.
The HUMAN grimaced as he turned to give chase, unable to suppress the burgeoning sense of unease growing within his chest.
It almost didn't seem fair to feel that way. Rob knew he was winning – at least on the surface. Any outside observer would've bet their life savings on him, especially after the show of overwhelming superiority he'd just displayed. Kismet had been at a disadvantage before Never Forget Your Rage's recent upswing, and now it was no contest. Rob was confident that he would still be stronger even if the eight gods merged into one super-deity.
He also knew that he was living on borrowed time.
Whenever he moved, or activated a Skill, or even breathed...the sensation was there. Strength accompanied by incongruous frailty. Like background noise that kept getting louder with every action he took. His body felt close to pulling itself apart, as if his very molecules were a hairsbreadth away from coming undone.
It was different from Soul Instability. Whereas that threatened to collapse his soul, this frailty was an affliction of the flesh. The longer he fought, the more his physical form was at risk of popping like a balloon.
Such was the price of constraining godlike power within a mortal shell.
"Stay back!" Unaware of the turmoil fermenting in his assailant's mind, Kismet threw up his hands and...inverted...space? Rob didn't have a name for what he was seeing. Rather than stopping to puzzle out this latest brand of divine bullshit, he sent out a pulse of Purge Divinity, canceling whatever esoteric effect Kismet had been attempting to produce.
His Purging energy scraped against the divine realms like a cheese grater. Five rifts immediately tore open near both Rob and Kismet, with the god anxiously retreating from one that appeared just inches away from him. A low rumble echoed around them, and for a moment, they felt struck by an abrupt feeling of vertigo – until the realms gradually stabilized, righting once more.
For now.
Rob eyed the rifts with a detached, clinical gaze. An endless sea of mana resided behind them; the bedrock of the system itself. While he recognized that the rifts tearing open was bad news, he also couldn't really muster the energy to care. Between his overflowing rage, overtaxed body, and overburdened soul, minor details like the impending destruction of reality were hard to give much focus.
There was a way to fix all of that, of course. Rob couldn't outright deactivate Never Forget Your Rage – not without losing its bonus stats. But he could attempt to ease the storm of fury in his heart. By lessening his anger to more reasonable levels, Never Forget Your Rage would put less strain on both his body and the divine realms.
The notion forced a peal of hideous laughter to claw out of his throat. Lessen his anger? He'd have better luck trying to douse a volcano with a garden hose. No. For a wildfire that had grown this out of control, the only thing to do was stand aside and let it burn, burn, burn.
Until naught remained.
"I said stay back!" Kismet bellowed. He lifted his arms into the air. "Begone!" One moment later, Rob's vision was filled with scorching light. An apocalyptic geyser of mana burst forth from underfoot, intense and searing. It stripped the flesh from his bones in no time flat, powering through Almighty Resistance with pure, unmitigated violence.
And it still wasn't fast enough. Rob flickered a Purge Divinity shield for just an instant, allowing him to escape the geyser with his upper body – and most of his HP – intact. Lifesurge swiftly patched him up, leaving both combatants right back where they'd started.
Slowly, Kismet lowered his hands. They were shivering. "What are you?" he whispered. "Why are all my efforts in vain?"
To be honest, Rob was mildly impressed that Kismet had held on for this long. The god's combat efficacy was increasing as time passed, improving from panic-spamming teleports to more inventive maneuvers – as if he was learning how to fight on-the-job. He'd also stopped draining the other gods to supplement his power, having found an alternative source of fuel: mana seeping out from the sporadically-opening rifts.
It was the one silver lining to fighting an implacable BERSERKER so powerful that he fractured reality. Whenever Rob utilized Purge Divinity, more rifts opened up in the realms, and more mana leaked out from inside. The gods had invested that energy into the system millennia ago, and it typically would've been off-limits until they closed up shop and left Elatra. Kismet was making use of it now, absorbing the extra mana to strengthen himself, like a lifeline barely keeping him afloat.
The god's tenacity was...calling it 'admirable' would be going too far, but it did warrant a sort of begrudging respect. As someone who'd tangoed with multiple Blights, Rob knew what it was like to square off against a frenzied beast that could end him with a touch.
Being the scary one was a nice change of pace.
In exchange, Kismet had graciously donned the role of their battle's Combat Class user; fragile, outgunned, and pulling improvised maneuvers out of his ass for a chance at victory. The god could finally feel what it was like to be vulnerable. How exciting! Rob was more than happy to assist. Learning experiences such as these only came around once an eternity or so.
Flippancy aside – while Kismet still possessed room for improvement, this was the most that could be asked of a deity who hadn't seen combat in literal eons. His biggest fuckup had been taunting Rob in the wrong ways, but he couldn't have known about Never Forget Your Rage, that was an excusable oversight. By all other accounts, Kismet was performing adequately.
Even so...
"YoU aRE noTHinG."
The sound of Rob's voice caused two fresh rifts to open up. Kismet flinched, casting a teleportation spell out of pure reflex. Without pause, the HUMAN resumed his hunt.
Nothing. Perhaps that statement was hyperbole – yet it rang true nonetheless. While Kismet may have been a creature of supreme divinity, on the field of battle, his pedigree meant nothing. In the face of an implacable, unstoppable foe, his power was worth nothing. Very soon, he would be nothing, consigned to oblivion by Purging energy.
Rob couldn't help but unfavorably compare Kismet to the final Blight. Weren't these supposed to be two sides of the same coin? Each one-half of an original transcendent Will? Yet the Second Will had brought Rob to the edge of despair...and Kismet was fleeing like a cornered rodent. It was difficult to reconcile the two divinities as theoretical equals.
Although he knew that was an unfair comparison. Rob had fought the Blight before learning Limit Break and Never Forget Your Rage. Kismet wasn't weak.
The HUMAN was just far too strong.
If he rematched the Second Will today, he would beat it to death with his bare hands.
"Look at what you've wrought!" Kismet swept an arm out, gesturing towards some of the many rifts that Rob's presence was tearing open. "Do you understand what will transpire if you persist in this folly?! If the divine realms shatter, then so will all of Elatra! You are on the brink of destroying everything which you have striven to protect! Cease this–"
"CAN'T."
In a flash, Rob dashed forward and scooped out a chunk of the god's mana-body with Purge Divinity. Before he could do more, Kismet shrieked with pain and teleported away, leaving the BERSERKER to crush his prize between five clenched fingers.
"FoRCed mY HAnD." He located Kismet again. "NO GOING BACK."
Stopping wasn't an option. If the divine realms crumbled and Elatra imploded...well, that would be a faster end than what the gods had in store for its people. At least this way their deaths would be quick and hopefully painless – and his friends wouldn't be turned into Skills tortured for all eternity.
Still, Kismet did have a point. Destroying reality wasn't exactly the ideal outcome. There had to be a way to speed up the conclusion of their fight. Rob was certain he would win if given enough time, but he couldn't guarantee it would be before either his body or the divine realms collapsed.
{Ascend.}
Like a snake slithering through a minefield, Leveling High skirted past the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions raging within Rob's mind. He attempted to tune out its voice, yet Humanity's curse refused to be denied, the static loudening until he was compelled to respond. Quit distracting me, he snapped. In case you haven't noticed, I'm FUCKING. BUSY.
{You seek to ensure victory over those who rule above,} Leveling High continued, without missing a step. {As do I.}
Then sit back, shut up, and–
{Ignoring your deficiencies will not make them disappear. This body is...feeble. Incomplete. Unfit to wield the power contained therein. Like a polished sword attached to a brittle hilt, liable to snap in twain at any moment.}
Rob grit his teeth. He couldn't deny Leveling High's assertions. Normally he'd just tell it to piss off, but considering how much was at stake here...
With a feeling like he'd sat down to deal with the devil, Rob sighed. Then what do you propose? That we upgrade my body somehow? I don't think putting more points into Vitality would help, even if I had any to spare. Me being so juiced up on stats is half the problem.
It shook its head. {You have far surpassed the limitations of mortality. Strengthening your power further would be akin to pouring water into an overflowing cup.}
So we...what, increase the size of the cup?
Static akin to laughter echoed inside his head. {We do away with it entirely.}
An icy chill began creeping up Rob's spine, as if the cold hands of fate were working their way towards his neck. He recalled a system notification from days before – 'Your Race has morphed from Human (?) to: Ascending HUMAN'.
Not Ascended. Ascending.
Weeks-old memories came surging to the forefront. 'The Heartkiller is closer to our form of life than those you call friends,' the Blight-child of Elysium had once said. 'As long as you continue to live, eventually, you will become an existence with the power to crush the Others and free the Skills from their shackles. You are no longer one of the Ephemeral. Now, you are a cocoon, metamorphosing into something grander. When you emerge, you will be as the Eternal.'
The Blight-child had laughed at him, then. 'After joining us, preserving these worlds will no longer be your desire.'
Rob grimaced. Denied, he flatly told Leveling High. Whatever you're about to suggest isn't happening.
It scoffed at him. {Your prejudices blind you. Do you think the gods have need of physical bodies? Does it hinder them in any capacity? No – the opposite. By definition, infinity cannot be constrained. Discard this useless flesh, and your conquest of the divine realms is assured.}
Maybe you didn't hear me when I said–
{By all means. Spurn my counsel...and condemn your friends to death. Shall their lives be worth it, in the end?}
Rob sucked in air through clenched teeth.
{Ascend.} Leveling High purred with anticipation. {You are bound by a prison of meat, bone, and blood. Break free. Finish what has already begun. Gaze upon the tapestry of infinity in all its dreadful splendor. Seize victory not as a Human, but as a completed, transcendent HUMAN.}
With a scream to drown out the static, Rob chased after Kismet again and again. The god was in full-on panic mode, eschewing offensive attacks in favor of perpetual retreat, focused wholly on keeping the BERSERKER as far away as possible. He would teleport the instant that Rob laid eyes on him, frantically stalling for his life.
It was – quite unintentionally – providing evidence to Leveling High's claims. If Kismet was on the defensive, catching him would take time they might not have.
I... Rob narrowed his eyes. How would I finish Ascending, anyway? It isn't like I can just flip a switch and make it happen.
{Incorrect.}
He blinked. WHAT?
{You have long since achieved the qualifications for true godhood,} Leveling High explained, in a lecturing tone. {There is no milestone that remains necessary to achieve. Rather than needing to overcome some hurdle of strength or power, the obstacle barring your path is more...arbitrary. Self-imposed.}
Humanity's curse seemed to peer into his soul. When it spoke next, its voice was filled with disgust. {You remain mortal because you wish to do so – both consciously and subconsciously. The Ascension of a nascent deity has been obstructed by cheap sentimentality.}
Rob almost started an argument over its usage of 'cheap', but he exercised restraint, keenly aware that there was bigger fish to fry. Can't do anything about the subconscious. I am \not* activating Melancholy Resistance.*
{Nor should you,} Leveling High remarked, shuddering at the prospect. {A grand statement of intent will be sufficient to shift your mentality. I believe...yes.}
The static churned like a hive of buzzing wasps. {When you next tear off a piece of the leader god's mana...even if just a sliver...devour it. Gorge yourself on their essence.}
Bile threatened to rise to the top of Rob's throat. Seems excessive, he mused, trying and failing to keep his tone lighthearted. To become a god, I eat a god? Wouldn't that make me a divine cannibal?
{You ARE a cannibal.} Leveling High's voice wavered, its veneer of helpfulness slipping to reveal the madness that lay beneath. {What do you think you've been DOING for nearly a YEAR? You kill, ingest your prey's Experience, and MAKE THEIR POWER YOUR OWN. This world is one of consumption and parasitism – devouring a god's essence is merely a more HONEST variant of THE SAME actions.}
...You clearly weren't paying attention during Diplomacy's PR lessons. Rob pursued Kismet once again, pressing his fingernails into his palms when the god hurriedly teleported away. There is such a thing as being too straightforward. If you want people to listen to you, then maybe dress up your words so they don't sound so horrifying.
{BUT AM I WRONG?}
Rob had no answer to that.
Bolts of divine mana peppered his skin. Kismet had barely managed to squeeze an attack in-between his escapes. The bolts ricocheted off Rob's skin like ping-pong balls, leaving minor scrapes and nothing more. It wasn't anywhere close to bypassing Almighty Resistance and his massive HP pool.
Yet it also reminded him of the mana-spears that Kismet had sent towards the rest of Riardin's Rangers. His Party members only possessed a shared, diluted version of Almighty Resistance, and their HP was a fraction of his. If Kismet aimed another attack of that caliber at them...how many would perish, right then and there?
Was Leveling High correct? What point was there to sentimentality if it just got his friends killed?
In truth, Rob knew that it didn't really matter if he completed his Ascension. Based on what he had planned for himself after the gods were dead, little would change either way. Still...he also knew that Ascending would be a one-way trip. No take-backs. If he went through with it, a fundamental part of him would be irrevocably altered.
Something twinged in a corner of his mind. It wasn't Leveling High, or his rage, or any of the other emotions currently dominating his headspace. This was a familiar friend; perhaps Rob's #1 most trusted confidant since he'd first set foot in Elatra. One that had rarely ever steered him wrong.
Paranoia.
And at the moment, it was telling him to be very careful before jumping into the deep end.
Ten teleports.
{What?}
Give it ten more Kismet teleports, Rob said. If I haven't dealt him a serious injury by then....I'll do what I need to do. He grimaced as Kismet vanished before he'd even finished the thought. Ten starting now.
Leveling High's static quieted. It resembled a patron at a restaurant who'd ordered their meal, and was waiting patiently for the main course to arrive.
Rob didn't waste time being offended over its nonchalance. Free of distractions, he immediately swept his gaze across the divine realms, pinpointing his quarry in a micro-instant. The BERSERKER dashed forward, pushing his body as far as he could, layering Rampages on top of Dexterity that made the laws of physics want to curl up and weep.
Kismet was prepared. He'd drawn more mana from the fractured rifts, quickening his speed and reactions. It wasn't much, but it was enough to keep his head above water, not yet outpaced by their continually escalating arms race.
The HUMAN struck, the god fled, and both were left in the same position as before.
{One.}
Rob turned on a dime, charging without needing to look. He'd heard the moment that Kismet's teleport ended. It afforded him a split-second head start.
A gravity well suddenly appeared below his feet, as if a miniaturized black hole was weighing him down. Apparently, Kismet had set it up ahead of time as a just-in-case trap. Rob pierced through the spell's area of effect before it could ramp up to something dangerous, but his pace was slowed by a hair in the process, and his prey escaped.
{Two.}
You know what? Screw this. Rob whirled away from Kismet's newest location and blasted straight towards one of the lesser deities that his Party members were fighting.
He'd been too hung up on getting even with a hated foe – when there were seven other juicy morsels for him to play with. This way, Kismet would either sit back and watch as his allies were massacred, or the god would be forced to act instead of running like a goddamn cowar–
Sense Mana alerted Rob to magic gathering behind.
Pivoting, he leapt into the air. Rob superimposed himself in front of Kismet, bodyblocking the rainstorm of destructive mana that was about to be unleashed upon Riardin's Rangers.
Due to his swift response, the attack was released early. A simple Purge Divinity shield prevented him from incurring any damage. Rob still felt no sense of triumph as the mana dissipated around him. He just wasn't fast enough to kill the lesser gods and protect his Party at the same time – or at least not fast enough that he should gamble their lives on it.
Kismet disappearing a moment later didn't help matters either.
{Three.}
Frontal assaults weren't guaranteed to succeed, and targeting the other gods was a no-go. Could he take Kismet by surprise? Increase his Dexterity?
Rob contemplated mining Never Forget Your Rage for more stats, but swiftly vetoed the idea. His body was already struggling to hold itself together. Putting additional strain on a shaky foundation seemed...unwise.
Plus – at the risk of eating crow in the near future – he didn't actually think it was possible to feel angrier at the gods than he was right now. Seriously, what was left?
He hated them for sending him to a fantasy deathworld. He hated them for tormenting his friends and family. He hated them for being partially responsible for the Blight. He hated them for what they'd done to Elatra and Earth. He hated them for all the lives they'd stolen. He hated them for being the living embodiments of indifference and cruelty. He hated that they fostered good PR among the people they oppressed. He hated how monsters of such craven hypocrisy were also immeasurably powerful. He hated the sensation of divine mana crawling on his skin. He hated the unsettling sound of their voices. He hated their bizarre formless appearances. He hated them for being pompous pricks. He hated whenever they tried to relate to him. He hated whenever they didn't.
Most of all, he hated that they were still alive.
Even if he found out that they'd personally antagonized him since birth or some petty nonsense like that, it wouldn't measure up to the litany of transgressions they'd committed thus far. The blazing inferno within his soul could burn no hotter. Should burn no hotter. For his sanity's sake, if nothing else.
Kismet teleported. It wasn't in response to anything. He'd merely anticipated some sort of action – and was then baffled afterwards when he noticed the rampaging BERSERKER standing quietly in deep thought.
{Four.}
Rob advanced. While he didn't have a plan yet, he'd also learned that if he gave Kismet the slightest amount of breathing room, bad things tended to happen.
Can any of my Skills give me an edge? Unfortunately, he didn't think so. As usual, his lack of ranged options was biting him in the ass when it mattered most. Almost everything he could use required getting in close – which was the whole freaking problem – and none would be more effective than Purge Divinity, regardless.
Maybe I could set up a Waymark point, then catch Kismet's teleport with one of mine...no, that won't work either. The odds of him popping in next to a random Waymark point are slim. Could fill the battlefield with lots of Marks, but even then I have to consider the Skill's activation time. With my current Dexterity, it'd honestly be faster just to run at him.
The vast majority of his abilities simply weren't up to par in a clash with divinity. Limit Break, Purge Divinity, and Never Forget Your Rage had been specifically designed by the Skills to facilitate deicide. Something like Power Slash couldn't possibly compare to jailbroken stats and a touch of death.
As an act of defiance against his own logic, he cast Enmity, the only ability that could feasibly hit Kismet at range. The god casually shrugged off its effect before promptly escaping.
{Five.}
Like a frustrated animal, Rob snarled and gave chase. Just need to keep trying. Kismet isn't perfect.
{Six.}
Sooner or later, he's going to mess up.
{Seven.}
He's going to mess up.
{Eight.}
HE HAS TO MESS UP.
Suddenly, Kismet transformed his right hand into a blade of mana. With one harsh motion, he sliced open his own left arm.
By now, Rob had conditioned himself to never stop moving forward, even if something shocked him – which this sight very much did. His mouth dropped open, and Leveling High paused in the middle of eating its metaphorical popcorn. They still kept advancing without an iota of hesitation.
And ran straight into the mana cloud leaking out from Kismet's wound.
Rob blinked, opening his eyes to a wonderful day. The twisting plains looked dazzlingly beautiful, with fauna and plantlife lit by rays of effervescent light from the twin stars shining above. People cheerfully went about their day, happily shaking their trunks in shows of greeting, or rattling their scales to initiate merry games.
All was at peace.
Until – in unison – everyone froze. The tumult of life went quiet in an instant, replaced with pensive silence.
As if they'd been struck by the creeping, pervasive sensation of being watched.
A sound rang out. Half of them immediately fell over dead, fluids gushing from their ruined bodies.
The survivors could only lay there, crippled and in pain, as more people slowly rose into the air. Invisible fingers seemed to pluck them from the ground – and then began ripping off their limbs, one at a time, like a child dissecting butterflies–
Rob dragged himself back to the present.
It had taken much less time than before to recognize what was happening. Now that he knew what to expect, experiencing the remnant souls' lives wasn't so different from the dreamlike quality of an Attunement vision. Although...realizing that he'd witnessed the end of a world preceding Elatra did cause his thoughts to hitch for a single moment.
Which was just enough for Kismet to forge a spear of mana, then send it plunging through Rob's eye, skull, and brain. Its tip was forged to shred anything it touched, no matter how durable or Resistant.
The god whooped with glee – only to wince as the HUMAN's sole reaction was a long, drawn-out sigh. With an air of exasperation, he reached up and yanked the divine spear free with a nauseating splorch.
His eye had been reduced to a seeping red mess. He closed its eyelid. When he opened it again, the orb within had already Regenerated, now sporting an unamused glare.
It was something of a unique moment. Mid-battle events didn't typically leave both combatants feeling disheartened. The all-powerful god was losing faith that he could ever hope to stop Rob's onslaught...
And the BERSERKER didn't know if he could justify continuing on like this. His body still felt like it was pulling itself apart; if anything, the sensation was growing more pronounced as their battle progressed. While Kismet would make a fatal mistake eventually, Rob couldn't guarantee that he would last long enough to capitalize on it.
Unless he followed Leveling High's advice and–
With a howl that shook the divine realms, Rob launched his stolen spear at Kismet. His aim was true, yet it sailed through empty air, the god's afterimage tauntingly fading away.
{Nine.}
Final chance.
​
--
​
Link to Part 2

About 3 years ago I discovered my wife was cheating on me with a co worker of hers. It was what I guess you would call an emotional friend. I won't get in to the details of how I found out but after confronting her a few times over a few months she finally turned around and ended things with that person. At the same time many issues she had with me came to light and were brought up as reasons for what she did. I took all of this to heart, wanted my marriage to work, and agreed with many of her concerns. This led to a period of reconciliation between us where we we really working on things, and our relationship, love life, etc. was as good as it had been in a while. Things seemed good, I knew she was genuinely remorseful too.
That good period lasted for 9 months or so and then I noticed a change in her behavior towards me. She wanted to be out of the house more, do more things on her own, etc. This was coming out of covid so of course I understood, and supported her as I was fully committed to making things work for her as much as I could. During this time I began hearing about a new employee of hers though. His name always seemed to come up when talking about where she'd been, baseball, things for work, etc. Normal stuff, all good but coming out of being cheated on and the residual affects of that, hearing the same guys name a lot raised a lot of flags.
I expressed my concerns over this which led to a lot of defensiveness but insistence that things were good. I noticed our romantic life began to suffer during this time too, not non existent but very sporadic and noticeably different. More defensives when it came up. Generally she was much more withdrawn, emotionless towards me, just different. I also noticed my wife on her phone texting more, a bad habit from the first instance of cheating, and she always seemed to be texting with this employee. This continued throughout a couple vacations we took, constant texting, taking selfies, etc. She continued to spend more time out and later hours at work during this time too. I raised my specific concerns multiple times, tried to express I was feeling isolated, etc, but the friendship continued.
Things came to a head around that christmas. She became very angry when I again brought up my concerns. During this time she became very resistant and unwilling to make decisions together, make plans, spend time together, ets. and her mood towards me really seemed to change for the worse. I asked about marriage counselling and we did begin attending during this time. This was about a year ago and our love life ended at that time too at her insistence. So we attended counselling for about 3 months, both of us were honest and shared but after a while she pulled away from that. She became very angry and resentful, dissociated from her family and mine during this time too. Brought up past resentments with how they'd treated her in the past. Just overall very angry and negative.
The friendship continued, with her continued insistence it was innocent. over the past year I've noticed some periods of time where shes spent less time with him, less texting, but I mean any amount of it I hope people would understand is harmful to me. Things never went away though and she'd make a show of saying shes with him, etc. or he'd be there with others just so I knew she wasn't hiding anything. I feel my concerns are valid, especially given our past issues and my genuine efforts to work on the marriage and on self improvement.
Recently though on the topic of self improvement I've been noticing a big chasm between how others around me (coworkers, family, etc.) react to me and how my wife does. I feel I'm a very positive person and others react very well to this but my wife maintains this strong wall against me despite my self improvement and consistently more positive behavior in our marriage over several years now, citing past behavior on my part that led to the first affair. This has become harder and harder for me to live with. I despearately want to make my marriage work, for myself, our kids and for every other normal reason. There is just so much to lose and I know I could contribute to a good marriage if we both wanted to work towards one.
She refuses to do that though. Cites past behaviour. But stays in the marriage, etc. It hasnt added up for a while. Why the abject refusal to at least try working on things when were still together with no plans not to be? Like why not at least try. Start with small things, low stakes at the start, build the trust, etc. Doesn't make sense. So recently I've started noticing things and I've found proof after 2 years of this that she has recently been lying about spending time with this employee. Business trip inconsistencies, etc. Scrap notes talking about cuddling, etc, being kissed on the forehead, holding hands, etc. with him when she was supposed to be elsewhere with other people.
So I confronted her with my feelings that something about her recent trip doesn't add up. Can she prove she was where she said she was. I know she cant. She became extremely angry, defensive, threats to leave the marriage, to walk out over me going there. It was bad. I never laid my cards fully out though to prove I know she's lying. I wanted to see if she would admit to anything, she won't. Still insists her friendship with this person has been significantly reduced (it hasn't, again I have proof of lying and that its inappropriate). I'm not sure if its sexual, but there is a clear emotionally supportive friendship happening that is definitely walking the line.
We're at the point now where we are talking separation for the summer. So I can work on my trust issues (yeah again I'm the cause of everything). Part of me feels its ok to try. She says shes still open minded to work on things if a separation helps to improve things but she won't commit. Theres clearly a lot of gas lighting here. I'm torn if this is even worth it or if I'm out of hope. Again there is so much to lose. I love this person so much and know it could work if we were focused on the same things. And of course the impact to my kids that I desperately want to avoid. I understand the emotional cheating is to fill something she wasn't getting from me in the past. But again, lots of self improvement on my part over years now and she has acknowledged I've changed for the better and can be a good husband. But refuses to work on things (despite being together) or to even tell me what she needs different. All I get is that she's traumatized from the past.
I'm looking for advice here. I know what I'm describing is a situation most would walk away from or even not let get this far. But here I am several years later. My strong conviction and desire is to try to earn a chance to make it work together, until the wheels fall off. But I also know I'm at the end of the road now. Am I right to keep trying this last ditch effort? Or am I being misled in it too. I'm so stressed, confused and have been carrying this for years. I know most of the replies will be blunt and that I should leave her, end things, start over. But I'm looking for any advice out there too that could help me stay on the path I've been on, I still have some hope. Please help. I need reassurance I'm still on the right path.

*trigger warning SA I 32f am a mother of 4 daughters. (13,11,7,11months) And wondering if I'm overreacting over my decision to cut off my family as we are getting closer to my daughters first birthday. For context...2 years ago we found out that my step father had been grooming and sexually assaulted my eldest daughter. Right away I told my mother and did everything you need to to keep myself level headed and protecting my daughter. My mother did not want to believe this and thought I was lying as we have had our issues lately and she thought that I was saying this to keep my kids away from her. But the police confrimed my daughters report of events and had DNA evidence on top of the fact the asshat admitted to doing it during his interview with the cops. He was charged and released as he waited for the court date. My mother still didn't believe anything so I gave her the ultimatum of my kids and me or him but she couldn't have both of us in her life. She said she chose us. I was going to therapy to cope with this and bringing my eldest as well. I asked my mother to come but she said she was getting her own help. I started to distinguish gas lighting and how to create and stay firm on boundaries thanks to my therapist help and noticed holes in my mother's stories when she would come over. She said that he moved out but on occasion we would see his truck outside the house. She would say she hasn't spoken to him in weeks but yet I seen his name come up on caller id. I decided to confront her after she slipped up and said that they were going to the rodeo trip together. She then told me she was working things out with him that he's sorry and just like my husband suffers from mental health issues (ptsd,bp etc) that this was a mental health issues as well. I just hung up the phone and blocked her from everything. She tried still to reach out and dropped off gifts for Christmas and birthdays saying from Nana and Papa ( their nicknames from my kids) which would send my daughter into a meltdown. I reported it all to cops etc but they did nothing. My mother reached out via email asking if I'm done pouting that what he did was not rape and I can't keep the kids away from her cause she had rights. I told her to go to hell that what he did was rape and until she can see that she will never be in my life or the kids lives. After that point I had enough I tried filing for a RO and it was denied - I live in Canada and it's a pain in the ass to get one. I also then called , texted, posted and emailed all family members saying that I cut her out and told them if they shared my life with my kids to her they would be cut too. I had to cut two others from my life cause of that my grandmother and my favorite aunt. Since then court has come to an end as of January of this year and he was sentenced to 6 years in jail and of course sitting in the court house is my mother with him as I read the victim impact statement to the courts. It was the worse day of my life. My oldest daughter wanted a huge party this year for her 13 and I said yes. I sent out invites to all our family and her friends and out of 20 invited only her 5 school friends showed up. I was livid and called my family asking why they didn't show up. I was told it was because they didn't want to be apart of the drama between my mother and myself so they won't come to any hosted events unless I make amends. This didn't bother me till these last few weeks as we are getting closer to other kids birthdays my youngest turns 1 in June and my middle child turns 12 in July. I don't want more disappointments for my kids. Now that he's in jail should I make amends? Am I overreacting for cutting off family for supporting him? I'm still in therapy and I know that this is just manipulation but my heart can't take another special event happening for my girls and them asking why so and so didn't come.

A lot of people either say: “Stop complaining about hackers they don’t exist, they are just anyone who is better than you.”
Or they are in the camp: “everyone is hacking”
To get a better idea, like 95% accurate, just use leetify.
At the end of each match where someone was beyond sus, just check out their leetify profile and it’ll either be obvious that they are or aren’t cheating. You can see if they queue with hackers to get comms and get carried while not hacking themselves and if they had a 20 game win streak from 8k Elo to 19k Elo within two days.
After using leetify like this it showed me how many people are queuing with 1-2 hackers per each premier match to get carried. Having a 30-45% win rate with most of their friends and then having a 90%+ win rate with over 80+ games played with certain friends kinda is a red flag, and a lot of people are doing this.
It’s upsetting to hear so many people say cheating isn’t a problem and everyone’s just complaining about anyone whose better, meanwhile when you look at the leetify specs it actually looks like the majority of games above 16k have at least one hacker in them. Ranks above that are just hacker v hacker.
Also, cheats for CS2 are WAY more sophisticated than in csgo. It’s not like basic walls or aim lock, the cheats are insane — don’t believe me, look them up. I promise you that you’ll be blown away. My point in saying this is that it’s not near as obvious to spot as it was in csgo, and many people will see 36 kills 38% headshot and be like nah they weren’t hacking just look at their headshot percentage, if they were hacking it would be way higher.
No. There’s much more to it than that.
Anyway, cs2 has become an annoying mess, I’d even say unplayable when it comes to finding a decent game. You get 1 good game out of 5 it feels like. By good game, I don’t mean a win, I just mean a fair match where there’s no sus bs and just fair gamers gaming it out lol.
Before anyone says I’m just dogwater, yes I am dogwater, but I have also only solo and duo queued up to 16,800 only to be met with endless hackers and an abrupt de-rank making it very upsetting.
It’s made my friend and I want to hack ourselves (we aren’t going to) but it really makes fair players want to turn rogue as well when they are met with more hackers and unfair cheaters than legit ones.
TLDR: Use leetify as your own anti cheat to verify sus behavior, I have no idea why VAC isn’t redflagging a lot of these accounts that have clear hacking stats such as 90%+ win rates with 60+ games with only certain players and 30% win rates with others. It’s clear when they are getting carried by hackers or they are the hackers themselves based on their stats and history through leetify.

How to Manipulate Bots in Offline Practice in CS2

Bots are not that useless, at least not in offline mode. I have been using them for quite a while whenever I want to test nades, wallbangs, damage, and boosts in offline mode and I could not get a friend on. I have had some people ask me how I place, move, and stop bots, so here is a collection of commands and binds.
 
Note: I know many of you will know these and more, so let me know if I am missing anything. There are many resources already out there already (most missing a few commands), but unless you are looking for them, you wont accidentally stumble upon them. Hopefully this exposes people to using these commands!
 

If you dont want to read all that, here is a video of this: VIDEO LINK

Basic Commands

Let me know if anything is outdated.

Spawning and Kicking Bots

Basic spawning, kicking, and moving bots. You need to have console enabled to use these, which can be enabled in the settings. Also, enable sv_cheats 1 to make commands work.

• bot_add [T,CT]
  • T Spawns Terrorist bot.
  • CT Spawns Counter-Terrorist bot.
• bot kick [bot name]
  • Kick specific bot with name of [bot name].
  • Replace [bot name] with all to kick all.
• mp_respawn_on_death_ct [0,1]
  • 1 allows CTs that die to respawn.
  • 0 disables the command.
• mp_respawn_on_death_t [0,1]
  • 1 allows Ts that die to respawn.
  • 0 disables the command.

Placing and Moving Bots

Now that the bots are in the server, here is how you place them as you need.

• bot_stop [0,1]
  • Stop bots from moving with 1 and resume movement with 0.
• bot_place
  • Places bots where you are looking.
  • This can be finicky. They can spawn in the ground, walls, or not at all if there is not enough room, so make sure to back up.
  • I have not found a way to make them face the right way without using additional commands, so let me know if you do!
• bot_mimic [-2,-1,0,1,2]
  • This one is missing from most list, but also one of the most important. If you can't place a bot well, place it as best as you can, then make it mimic your movements to move into the perfect spot. Make sure they are not "stopped".
  • -2 will make them spin
  • -1 will make them copy you without moving
  • 0 Turns off the commands
  • 1 mimic your movements
  • 2 Spin again?
• bot_crouch [0,1]
  • Makes bot crouch with 1, stand with 1.

Bot Equipment

• mp_free_armor [0,1,2]
  • 0 is not armor or helmet
  • 1 is just armor
  • 2 is helmet and armor.
  • May need to kill bots a few times before they spawn with proper gear.
• bot_knives_only [0,1]
  • 1 makes bots only spawn with knives. 0 disables the command.
• mp_ct_default_primary [weapon name]
  • Spawns the CT bots with the [weapon name] as the primary weapon.
• mp_t_default_primary [weapon name]
  • Spawns the T bots with the [weapon name] as the primary weapon.
• mp_ct_default_secondary [weapon name]
  • Spawns the CT bots with the [weapon name] as the secondary weapon.
• mp_t_default_secondary [weapon name]
  • Spawns the T bots with the [weapon name] as the secondary weapon.
• bot_difficulty [0,1,2,3]
  • Changes bot difficulty.
  • 0 is easy
  • 1 is normal
  • 2 is hard
  • 3 is expert.

Binding Commands for Efficiency

If you do not want to place the bots using console or want to quickly toggle crouch/uncrouch, here is how to bind it to a key: bind [key] "[command]"
As an example, placing bots using i key: bind i "bot_place"
 
You can also make commands shift between states: bind [key] "toggle [command] [values separated by comma]"
Example: bind i "toggle bot_crouch 0,1"

Example to Practice Wallbang

1. Launch a custom map using the offline practice mode or using map [map name].
2. Enable the optimal practice server commands using this command (courtesy of GhostCap with some changes): mp_warmup_end; sv_cheats 1; mp_limitteams 0; mp_autoteambalance 0; mp_maxmoney 60000; mp_startmoney 60000; mp_buytime 9999; mp_buy_anywhere 1; mp_freezetime 0; mp_roundtime 60; mp_roundtime_defuse 60; mp_respawn_on_death_ct 1; mp_respawn_on_death_t 1; sv_infinite_ammo 1; sv_showimpacts 1; sv_showimpacts_time 10; ammo_grenade_limit_total 5; sv_grenade_trajectory_prac_pipreview 1; mp_restartgame 1;
   • This will make will ignore win conditions and stop the rounds from ending all the time. Also enables bullet impacts, cheats, respawns, etc.
   • Let me know if you want a guide for these commands too.
3. Spawn a bot using bot_add ct if no bots are present. Make sure they are on the enemy team for correct damage.
4. Depending if you want to test it on armored or unarmored opponents usemp_free_armor [0,1,2]
5. Freeze it using bot_stop 1
6. Place the bot where you want it to stand using bot_place
7. Go to wallbang spot and see where you have to aim!

Example to Practice Boosts

1. Launch a custom map using the offline practice mode or using map [map name].
2. Enable the optimal practice server commands using this command (courtesy of GhostCap with some changes): mp_warmup_end; sv_cheats 1; mp_limitteams 0; mp_autoteambalance 0; mp_maxmoney 60000; mp_startmoney 60000; mp_buytime 9999; mp_buy_anywhere 1; mp_freezetime 0; mp_roundtime 60; mp_roundtime_defuse 60; mp_respawn_on_death_ct 1; mp_respawn_on_death_t 1; sv_infinite_ammo 1; sv_showimpacts 1; sv_showimpacts_time 10; ammo_grenade_limit_total 5; sv_grenade_trajectory_prac_pipreview 1; mp_restartgame 1;
   • This will make will ignore win conditions and stop the rounds from ending all the time. Also enables bullet impacts, cheats, respawns, etc.
   • Let me know if you want a guide for these commands too.
3. Spawn a bot using bot_add ct or bot_add t if no bots are present.
4. Freeze it using bot_stop 1
5. Place the bot where you want it to stand using bot_place
6. Make the bot crouch using bot_crouch 1. If you need them to stand for even higher boost, uncrouch them using bot_crouch 0 and then jump.

 
Let me know if I missed anything! Thanks,
@Brokas on YouTube^{shameless self promo, i know}
 

Resources

• https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/
• https://blast.tv/article/these-are-all-the-bot-commands-you-need-in-cs2
• https://totalcsgo.com/commands/categories/bot
• https://www.ghostcap.com/cs2-practice-config/
• https://blast.tv/article/best-binds-for-cs2

Hello!
I'm running Pop!OS 22.04 on a T480s Thinkpad. The CPU is Intel i5-8350U (8) @ 3.600GHz and the GPU is Intel UHD Graphics 620.
I'm having trouble where the screen occasionally flickers on and off rapidly. There doesn't seem to be anything specific that triggers it. I did some research, and the most likely culprit seems to be panel self refresh. All you should have to do is disable PSR.
I looked up how to turn off PSR, but I keep running into a wall. Every time I try to follow people's instructions and use the terminal, it tells me that no such file or directory exists.
I will use this guide as an example: https://ljvmiranda921.github.io/notebook/2021/09/01/linux-thinkpad-screen-flicke
The first thing the guide says to do is enter " sudo cat /sys/kernel/debug/dri/0/i915_edp_psr_status" in the terminal. This is how I check if PSR is on before doing anything and how I'll check if it's disabled when I'm finished. When I enter in the command, the terminal tells me that there is "no such file or directory". Every thing I found for disabling PSR involves doing something with the i915_whatever folders, and every time I try, I get that same error.
So, I followed the file path. There is no dri/0, but there is a dri/0000:00:02.0. i915_edp_psr is in there, so I try "sudo cat /sys/kernel/debug/dri/0000:00:02.0/i915_edp_psr", and it says no such device exists. Weirdly, /sys/kernel/debug/dri/1/i915_edp_psr_status and /sys/kernel/debug/dri/128/i915_edp_psr_status are a thing, so I tried those too-and for them the terminal also says no such device exists. I tried opening all three to see what happens, and for each one the text editor says "error reading from file: no such device".
I googled my problem, but nothing is helping so far. Many of the solutions I found are specific to the programs that the OPs were trying to run or basic user error (typos in the command or path).
Oh, one more thing: every single way I've found to disable PSR says to do something with Grub, but I don't think Pop uses Grub? So I don't know what I'm supposed to do there, either...
Can somebody please help me? I've been at this for over an hour and I have to be missing something.

I never thought I’d see myself writing on this forum or at least I hope I wouldn’t have to. My name is Miriam Jackson and I’m looking for a friend. Her name is Jocelyn Willard and I haven’t received anything from her for over a month.
Jocelyn went to Jonesborough, Tennessee for an investigative story on Reverend Somber.
I have only 6 files she sent me while on this trip, as I sometimes help her with editing and filing notes. Hopefully, they can help give the person who’s reading this the information necessary to help find her.
Jocelyn is a freelance journalist, who delved into journalism as she sees it as “the beacon of truth” Her newest fixation was televangelism. I know… I know in this day and age who's watching cable but that to Jocelyn is what made it more interesting.
Especially when she stumbled across Reverend Somber, unlike his name Reverend Sombers is charismatic ( as most in televangelism are) and speaks with such a feverish devotion you’d think you’re hearing the voice of God speak through him. He can often be found preaching on CTN at around 2 A.M. In his words `` Jesus had not come to talk to the righteous but to those who know they are sinners, and at this time sweetheart only sinners are watching.”
What caused Jocylen to want to investigate Somber’s I don’t know.

File#1: Gas Station _Towns People_Sombers Letter.Doc

I’m about a little less than a mile out on the outskirts of Jonesborough. I make a stop at the only gas station I’ve seen since leaving Route 321 about 30 minutes ago.
As I get out of my car I take in the sun something I don’t get enough of in Seattle. The gas station still has the reminiscence of different decades passed; with its paint chipped around the brick exposing its rustic hues and the sign tilted “Whitmens Gas Station Est.1910”.
I open the door causing a bell to ring,
“Hello, what can I help you with today darlin’,” said the lady behind the counter. She seemed about 60 years old her hair not yet fully gray and her face showing the emotions she’s worn over the years.
“ Hi, I just want to fill up my tank, I’m parked at pump 1,” I said.
“Well alright, what got you coming to these parts?”
“Oh, I’m writing on Reverend Sombers I’m supposed to go follow him as he goes live tonight for CTN”
“Ain’t that a treat, I swear when I hear him preach on Sundays it’s like the Lord is speaking through him,” she said in such a way you’d think she’d seen Heaven in that man's eyes.
“Well isn’t that something…How long has he been preaching for?” I ask as I pick at the hangnail on my finger. The admiration she had for the Reverend made me uneasy but I’d figured she’d know some background on him. Oddly she didn’t.
“Oh, He came around 3 years ago, it seemed like he just popped up at the church now that I think about it, The town was nothing like the peace it is now, Sombers brought this town into prosperity I tell ya.”Her brows furrowed as though she just realized something.
“I almost forgot to tell Earl to put the gas in ya car, go wait out there I’ll go tell him.”
Taking this as my queue that the interview is over I walk over to my car and wait inside for the man to arrive. A tap on my passenger-side window snaps me out of my daydreaming.
“I filled your gas up, Ruth told me you’ve been askin bout Reverend Sombers said you’d be writin on him.” Earl said.
“Yeah, do you have anything you’d like to share?” I shift in my seat as I take in Earl. He seems a bit younger than Ruth, his hands caked with oil stains and his shirt spotting the same look. A small towel lays on his shoulder. He leans into my passenger-side window before he answers
“I ain’t too fond of him don’t tell Ruth now she’d be madder than a wet hen I tell ya.” he coughs and laughs
“What are you not fond of?” Interested in figuring out what Earl knows that Ruth doesn’t
“I don’t speak too much on him don’t want him comin round here, you best be goin now ya tank is full. Have a good stay now ma’am” He smiled his teeth showing a testament to years of tobacco use.
I smile meekly back and wave bye as I head into town. Left with more questions I know I’ve not made a dumb decision by investigating Somber.
The town is picturesque many of it still having the structures from the 1800s it’s the oldest town in Tennessee after all. As I drive through town I take in the families walking and neighbors saying hi to each other. Almost too cookie-cutter.
I parked my car in front of Jonesborough Bed and Breakfast a quaint Victorian-era cottage. The overgrown bushes cover the majority of the white picket fence. A homey cottage and a hot meal sounds great right about now. I enter and am warmly greeted by the B&B owner.
“Hi, I’m Mary-Ann you must be Jocylen only person we have booked to stay for so long.”
“Yes, that would be me. I’m wondering if you could recommend a place for lunch. I'm quite hungry.” I put a hand to my stomach. I should've grabbed a snack at the gas station I thought.
“There’s the local diner just up the street, Your room is the first door on the right upstairs. It’s the Reverend's favorite. He thought you’d like it… that reminds me Reverend Somber will be having dinner with you today and said he’d want to speak with ya before you go follow him around. He left a lil welcome basket for ya upstairs,” she said
I thanked her then made my way to my room wondering what he’d left for me.
The room has a king-sized canopy bed in the middle with a white- Linen curtain draped on top. Stands out from the rest of the room, The canopy is supported by twisted columns and the back wall of the bed is structured architecturally containing a niche with a shell decoration and four more smaller twisted columns surrounded by leaf decorations. The deep walnut wood of the bed is a contrast to the faded yellow stained floral wallpaper and average closet in the corner of the room. The bed was foreign to this room, I just knew it.
I look at the welcome basket on the bed filled with fruit, wine, a letter, and oddly finger cots. The letter stated the following
Dear, Miss Willard
Thank you for your interest in my humble serving of the lord. I’d like to take ya to dinner at The Black Olive to better acquaint ourselves before you shadow me today. I hope the finger cots give you rest from your constant finger picking what a painful nervous tick to have for the past 20 years. Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ.
Sincerely,
Reverend Somber
I felt the sweat dripping from the back of my neck and my hands shaking as I folded the letter back up. All I can think is
who the fuck is Reverand Sombers.

Okay so hey my name is vinn I’m 16 years old right now and I have been having a very weird dream these past few days and I wanted to share it cuz i wanna know if there is anyone who have gotten the same dream so let’s get into it, last night at 4am I woke up from another strange dream it was about the same girl or woman she randomly appears out of no where and smiles creepy at me while trying to hurt me in the dream I was doing regular stuff at first I was at school talking to friends and then when I went home there was this strange smell and it was the gas and I tried to do something about it but then the house was about to blow up Ik it’s weird so I ran outside and I hugged my little brother to protect him but the house didn’t blow up so my parents got in the car and left us home alone and idk what got to me but then I held my brother and we went out for a walk while we did I started crying over my other brother who was dead in the dream his alive and will in real life dw so while I was crying and walking I hear my grandfather laughing behind us so when I turned around I was mad but then my grandpa peeled his skin off and it was not my grandpa it was that girl again and she ran to me while I was still holding my brother and she started fighting me while her face was glitching like a TV with the same expression on her face so I put my brother down and I tried to defend myself but she was strong and then two other girls were walking and when they saw her they started moving like her like as if she Used hypnosis on them and then idk how but she went into a tv and she was dancing and smiling while the girls repeated this song she was singing and then I saw a big rock and I tried to break the tv but it was very hard so I got another big rock until it finally broke and the girls went back to there regular self and that is where I wake up and I have been having this dream for about 3times now and idk if it will stop but I wanted to share it to the world because I wanna know has anyone alse seen something like this or is it just me. ‘Vinn_x69’

You messaged me asking what it would take to be in my next story. I let you know I would need to see a face and dick pic to decide. You were hesitant to send a face pic but did not waste time sending a dick pic.
My mouth watered instantly. You must have the prettiest dick I had ever seen. It was long and veiny. Your pink head was perfectly curved, and your slit glistened with precum. I couldn't tell but it must have been at least 8 inches or more and I wanted to find out. I couldn’t stop looking at it. It stood at attention, swollen and full, firm with excitement and calling my lips.
I don’t usually meet someone without seeing them first and I couldn’t convince you to send me a face pic. Would I break my own rules for your girthy cock?
You convince me to meet you at a bar. You let me know If you weren’t what I expected, I could leave. If anything I would get a free drink. I hated myself for caving in but I want your dick!
On a cloudy evening I followed your instructions. You wanted me to wear black, with my hair slicked back, ready for fun. I was to meet you at 8. Once I arrived at the destination, I would travel up to the 5th floor. I was to sit at the bar opposite of the pool side and look out for you. I would know it’s you because you would wear brown shoes, navy blue slacks, a light blue button down, with no tie. You told me to make sure I looked for your rolled up sleeves and tattoos on your left arm.
I followed your instructions. Once I found my spot I ordered a drink. From where I was sitting I had a clear shot to the entrance. The bartender hands me my vodka water and I take my first sip.
It wasn’t long after I took my first sip when I saw you walk in. You walked in with a smile which was incredible. A contrast from the gloomy evening. You were taller than I expected. You had perfectly combed dirty blonde hair. Your eyes were piercing blue. Tattoos traveled down your left arm. I knew it was you.
My glare must have caught your attention. You looked over where I was sitting when our eyes locked. I politely smile and continue enjoying my drink. I did not know what you had planned.
You come over to introduce yourself. “Am I what you expected?” You ask. Confidence in a man is sexy, and you were definitely confident. “Maybe.” I responded. I was in a trance. Not only did you look great but you smelled incredible.
You order a drink and sit next to me. There was no small talk. You were easy to talk to. I laughed at your jokes and I flirtatiously rubbed your leg. I notice there was a crease in your pants and realize it’s your hard on. Although we were outside I felt warm. I became flustered looking at your cocks outline. I wanted to find out what it tastes like. I want to unzip your pants, unwrap your cock, and indulge in every inch. I wanted to suck up every last drop like I was dying of thirst.
You must have seen my want for your dick. You asked to pay our tab. Then you whispered in my ear “do you trust me?” This turns me on. I bit my bottom lip and signal yes with my head. “Then follow me.”
We get on the elevator and quietly go down. Dirty thoughts raced in my head. I want to work on your dick hard, taking it deeper and deeper while gently rubbing your balls. The doors to the elevator open. I froze for a moment when you turned and told me, “come on.” I followed you.
We walked out of the building into a fresh summer night. You take a right and walk towards a dark and less busy side of downtown. Not much was being said. It seems like you know where you’re going. I started wondering why you’d ask if I trusted you when you took a sharp turn into a dark alley. I stopped. I didn’t know you and you wouldn’t send a pic, what if this was a set up. That’s when I hear you shout out “are you coming?”
I turned the corner and not far from the street you had your slacks pulled down and your cock in your hand. I could not believe how comfortable you were to be naked so close to the public. My worry had quickly diminished when I saw how big your cock was. I looked back to see if anyone was coming, and it was clear. I slowly positioned myself to drain your balls.
I placed my right hand under your impressive dick. It was a monster cock!!! I thought 9 inches for sure. I licked my lips admiring it. It was no longer a picture but now in my face. Then with no warning, my mouth descends down your shaft. You lean back towards the wall and gasp.
I pull your drenched dick out. I began to circulate my tongue around the rim of your head. I want to deep throat you. I prepare by relaxing my throat muscles before sliding your dick down. I drag your cock along the roof of my mouth on its way to my throat. Your head stops, it is pressed against my tonsils. Your cock is so massive I need a little help to get it down my throat. You push forward, and it pops past my gag reflex. “Mmm…” I hear you moan. While my eyes release some tears.
You slowly thrust into me. Every time your head pops past my tonsils. You can’t believe I can take all your cock. No one has ever been able to do so.
There is saliva everywhere. My mouth is producing so much saliva from wanting your cock so bad. It’s all over your cock, balls and my face. It’s so slippery your cock goes in and out easily. My lips make slurping sounds from pressing up against your veiny member. You love this and let me know.
While my mouth works on your cock, my right hand rubs under your balls. You must have liked the pressure, because you spread your legs open and squat down a bit, holding yourself against the wall to make room. My fingers are now traveling down and pressing up against your hole. Your cock gets harder. You don’t stop me.
Unexpectedly, I moved my face down and went under your balls and between your legs. My tongue is in search of your hole. At first it encounters your hairy ass but eventually it meets your hole. “Oh fuck you” you exclaimed and squad even further down. I can’t believe you're holding this squad this long but it makes sense because you’re fit. In this position I take the opportunity and go in deep with my tongue. That’s when I feel your right hand push my head closer to your ass.
I can hear my saliva clashing with your hand while you stroke your cock. Your right hand never loosens the grip of my head. That’s when I hear you warn me “oh fuck! Oh fuck!!!” You began to unleash string on string of hot cum. You get it everywhere. I quickly moved my head towards your dick and tried to suck up the remaining of your cum but it’s too late. You have completely emptied your balls.
You pick up your underwear before collapsing on the floor. “I’ve never felt that before” panting and reaching for air. “How do you do that?” You ask. I smile and offer you a hand to help you up. “So I take it, you liked it?”

Alright! Look, listen…this here story is somethin’ I’m not too keen on sharin’, mainly because I ain’t got too much to say about it all but, also, because it’s more a flashback of something from my ravaged brain. Due to it being from my ravaged brain, I ain’t to certain it’s a real memory or something implanted to make me a more sympathetic type person. Either way, if you ask me to explain who I am, it might start like this: A long, long time ago…
18 years ago…
The icy clash of shattered glass mixed with the shrill scream of twisting metal as the crushing weight of the cylinder bared down on the old car. First, its hood crunched down to pop the headlights, and to make the fenders press and slice into the tires, tires already flattened by time and now made completely useless. Then the windshield crackled and the cabin crumpled. One rear tire still inflated suddenly deflated as the load of weight popped the sidewall to release a long, loud hiss. The rest of the car’s windows were missing already and, as the conveyor fed the last of the junkheap in the crusher, Alex looked on in satisfaction.
“Didn’t think we’d get that pile finished before sundown!” Alex said as he reached up to pull off his hat and wipe sweat from his brow. As he let his foot off from one actuator on the ground and, also, he let go of a large handle that sprung back into place. As he did so, the large crusher came to a slow grinding stop. When the glass settled and all was quiet, he pulled off his gloves and breathed a sigh of relief.
“You want me to get the truck?” Little Alex, his young daughter asked, her high voice came from behind to surprise her father.
He turned around with a jump. “What in the?!” He was startled, not just by his little girl, but by the fact that she was in the wrecking yard at all. “Who let you back you here?” he looked around before looking to his girl. “You know you’re not supposed be back here, LA.”
The little long-haired brunette did not shy away as she used her thumb to point over her shoulder, back at the door. “Mom said I’m big enough to be back here,” she smirked.
“Listen…” he knelt down to her, eye to eye and placed his hands gently on her shoulders. “Where the truck is at…” he nodded in that direction, over her shoulder, but was careful to keep eye contact. “And…out around the side-yard with Butch and Cassidy…yes…you’re big enough to be back there. But, look,” he pointed to a sign that said ‘Hardhat Area.’ “Signs like that are important and you need to pay attention to things like them.” He stood and took off his hard hat and looked at it as he continued. “LA, when your mom or I say the phrase ‘back there…’ well, it’s what we say when we go behind the office…it makes things easy for the customers to understand. But, you’re old enough to know the difference now, so, let me show you something.” He took the hardhat and placed it on little Alex’s little head. “First thing’s first: you’re gonna’ need one of these.”
“Are we going to get the truck?”
“Not just yet. You need to learn about the signs of danger back here.”
Only a few minutes had passed before the two found themselves standing at the back door entrance to the office. LA could hear her mom faintly talking with a customer up front, and started to reach for the doorknob, but Alex spoke up to say, “Hey, take a look at this.” LA stopped and turned to look. There, covered in years of grime and smudged with all manner of grease and oil, an assortment of signs had been nailed to the wall, adjacent to the threshold. “Have you ever noticed these before?” he looked to LA as she scanned the signs and slowly nodded. “Have you figured out what they mean?” Again, he watched her slowly nod. “Okay…” he raised his head in curiosity and pointed to a Hardhat sign, one that resembled what he had pointed out earlier near the crusher. It did not have any of the wording, it only had a little black figure of a man with a bright yellow hardhat, all surrounded by a thick bright-red circle. It did not click with LA, and Alex could see that. “Here, let me give you a hint.” He reached out and took the hardhat from her head and put in on his own, making sure to take a step sideways, just right enough to be in the same view of the sign so that LA could visually compare them.
She gasped with realization and a smile. “You need a hard hat!”
“That’s right!” Alex said excitedly as he bent down, grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up into his arms. Even being nine, LA felt as light as a leaf in Alex’s muscled arms and, with one arm, he held her close as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He was about to point to the sign about needing to wear gloves in the back but, just then, he caught the scent of something unwelcome and, with his free hand he pointed to another sign. “What’s this one mean?” He asked as he scanned the area.
LA looked at it with concentration on her face.
The sign had what she knew to be a cigarette on it with a huge red circle that crossed through the cigarette. She crooked her head in slight recognition and pointed at it, “I’ve seen that at the diner, but…”
Alex found what he was looking for, and, with a smile and raised brow, he nodded. “That’s right. Do you know what it means though?” Trying not to break LA’s focus, Alex wiggled off the glove of his free hand and began snapping his fingers towards Jim, a man standing towards the back of the room.
As Jim looked up, a cigarette dangling from his lips, Alex’s face became stern as he discreetly motioned about the cigarette.
LA thought about it and, finally, shook her head to make her pony tail lightly whip and tickle against Alex’s neck, bringing his attention back. “What’s it means, dad?”
“It means No Smoking,” he said just loud enough for Jim to hear, looking at him one more time. “Cigarettes are bad for many reasons but, back here, they can set things on fire.” He watched as Jim, dejected, snuffed out the little fire-starter. He looked back to LA, then, the sign and pointed out a couple more items. “There’s lots of things back here that can hurt you. Corrosive stuff. Electrical things…you remember what happened in Robocop 2, when Murphy grabbed that electrical box?”
LA’s eyes went wide. “His name was Alex, too!”
Alex let loose a roaring laugh. “Yes! But you’re missing my point…remember how he got fried?”
LA nodded with her eyes growing even wider.
“Well…I don’t want THIS Alex fried!” He bopped her on the nose with his index finger. “You understand?”
With a giggle and a smile, LA gave a short little nod.
Hoping she understood, Alex turned to make sure Jim had really put his cig out but found no sign of the man. He set LA down, turned and opened the door and, in an instant, he saw the orange flick of firelight flash up. Not wanting to hurt LA, but it was all he could think to do in such a short time, he kicked her in the butt to send her sailing up the hall.
LA tumbled to the floor as thunder and orange light slammed the door closed behind her, throwing off the Employees Only sign that skipped across the floor to a stop at LA’s feet.
Present day…
When I woke up, the Crossout was well underway but enough about me, that’s a story for another time…right now, we need to get to the real story of things.
It all started when…

I’m in desperate need of some guidance! I have been working on a character model in Blender for a while now, and I'm really proud of how it has turned out. However, I’m hitting a wall when it comes to texturing. No matter what I do, I can't seem to get it right.
Here’s the situation:

• I have the character model completely done and it's all ready for textures.
• I've watched countless YouTube tutorials on texturing in Blender, trying to follow along step-by-step.
• I’ve tried different techniques like UV mapping, using shaders, and applying image textures.
• I’ve experimented with different texture painting methods, but nothing seems to work as intended.
• I’m not sure if I’m missing a step, doing something out of order, or just completely misunderstanding the process.

Is there anyone here who could point me in the right direction? Maybe some resources or tips that go beyond the basic YouTube tutorials? Or even better, if someone could take a look at my model and give some personalized advice, that would be amazing.
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!
P.S. If it helps, I can share screenshots of my model and my current texturing setup. Just let me know what would be useful to see.

it sounds bad, i know. but here's the context, im 18(M) and my gf is 18(F) so here's how this happened, while cleaning the house, i told my gf to go downstairs to my sister then she asked then why? i told her "just go downstairs to my sister" but then she insisted, although later on, idk why tf but she got quite idk, mad? and kind of annoyed, i was annoyed because she's been acting like that for few days already, i asked her to go downstairs because i wanted her to rest so that i could do all the stuffs while she rest, although it was my bad for not specifying why but yeah and then after few seconds, she goes back, then she took all her belongings and i asked her why? she said this in a bit angry tone "I'm going home." then the argument started then i held her belongings to stop her then she's trying to take it back, while goin physical and it hurts too, she was always like that, she turns quite physical when shes mad or angry or annoyed, and she even sometimes raise her voice at me in public sometimes when she's really mad and we're outside, but i love her so i forgive her for that stuff and i don't really mind, but back the story, after going physical, the argument and the punching kept on till i got frustrated and i raised my voice at her sayin "WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!?!" then she's tearing and i punched the wall out of frustration then i gave her stuffs and she goes home, i felt quite guilty and hated myself for it, so AITA?

(The post is slightly altered because the original text was more personal and directed at my friend)
All of this is stuff you’ve already heard before so this is just my personal looks at the album, its meaning, and why it’s probably the best rap album we’ll ever see.
If you have listened to TPAB all the way through then you remember that in the final track, Mortal Man, it’s Kendrick and someone else talking. I put this together and it’s just the conversation they have so you can easily read it and see who is talking when.
This is how I interpret albums meaning: TPAB is about the issues that African Americans will face due to the neglect of the U.S. government. The idea of the butterfly is a person who has become famous, or has power. That’s why in tracks like Wesley’s Theory, the opening track, the person talking says, “When the four corners of this cocoon collide You'll slip through the cracks hopin' that you'll survive Gather your weight, take a deep look inside Are you really who they idolize? To pimp a butterfly.” A butterfly is a transformed caterpillar, so in TPAB the idea of a caterpillar is someone who the government, or really anyone for that matter, doesn’t care about. Once they become famous (transform) and have power, they are treated better or like a butterfly.
Also, fun fact about TPAB that you prob already know. The original title was going to be “To Pimp a Caterpillar.” This was because it would then abbreviate to “2PAC” instead of TPAB.
Now for the conversation:
Kendrick: “I remember you was conflicted, misusing your influence. Sometimes I did the same, abusing my power full of resentment. Found myself screaming in a hotel room. I didn’t wanna self destruct. The evils of Lucy was all around me, so I went running for answers. Until I came home, but that didn’t stop survivors guilt. Going back and forth, trying to convince myself the stripes I earned, or maybe how A-1 my foundation was. But while my loved ones were fighting a continuous war back in the dirty, I was entering a new one. A war that was based on apartheid and discrimination. Made me wanna go back to the city and tell the homies what I learned, the word was respect. Just because you wore a different gang color than mine's doesn't mean I can't respect you as a black man. Forgetting all the pain and hurt we caused each other in these streets. If I respect you, we unify and stop the enemy from killing us, but I don't know, I'm no mortal man, maybe I'm just another n*. Shit and that's all I wrote. I was gonna call it Another N** but, it ain't really a poem, I just felt like it's something you probably could relate to. Other than that, now that I finally got a chance to holla at you. I always wanted to ask you about a certain situa--, about a metaphor actually, you spoke on the ground. What you mean 'bout that, what the ground represent?”
Friend: “The ground is gonna open up and swallow the evil…”
Kendrick - “Right…”
Friend: “That's how I see it, my word is bond. I see--and the ground is the symbol for the poor people, the poor people is gonna open up this whole world and swallow up the rich people. Cause the rich people gonna be so fat, they gonna be so appetising, you know what I'm saying, wealthy, appetizing. he poor gonna be so poor and hungry, you know what I'm saying it's gonna be like... there might be some cannibalism out this mutha, they might eat the rich.”
Kendrick: “Aight so let me ask you this then, do you see yourself as somebody that's rich or somebody that made the best of their own opportunities?”
Friend: “I see myself as a natural born hustler, a true hustler in every sense of the word. I took nothin', I took the opportunities, I worked at the most menial and degrading job and built myself up so I could get it to where I owned it. I went from having somebody manage me to me hiring the person that works my management company. I changed everything I realized my destiny in a matter of five years you know what I'm saying I made myself a millionaire. I made millions for a lot of people now it's time to make millions for myself, you know what I'm saying. I made millions for the record companies, I made millions for these movie companies, now I make millions for us.”
Kendrick: “And through your different avenues of success, how would you say you managed to keep a level of sanity?”
Friend: “and by my faith in "all good things come to those that stay true. You know what I'm saying, and it was happening to me for a reason, you know what I'm saying, I was noticing, shit, I was punching the right buttons and it was happening. So it's no problem, you know I mean it's a problem but I'm not finna let them know. I'm finna go straight through.”
Kendrick: “Would you consider yourself a fighter at heart or somebody that only reacts when they back is against the wall?”
Friend: “Shit, I like to think that at every opportunity I've ever been threatened with resistance, it's been met with resistance. And not only me but it goes down my family tree. You know what I'm saying, it's in my veins to fight back.”
Kendrick: “Aight well, how long you think it take before n***** be like, we fighting a war, I'm fighting a war I can't win and I wanna lay it all down.”
Friend: “In this country a black man only have like 5 years we can exhibit maximum strength, and that's right now while you a teenager, while you still strong or while you still wanna lift weights, while you still wanna shoot back. Cause once you turn 30 it's like they take the heart and soul out of a man, out of a black man in this country. And you don't wanna fight no more. And if you don't believe me you can look around, you don't see no loud mouth 30-year old muthafuckas.”
Kendrick: “That's crazy, because me being one of your offspring of the legacy you left behind I can truly tell you that there's nothing but turmoil goin' on so I wanted to ask you what you think is the future for me and my generation today?”
Friend: “I think that n***** is tired of grabbin' shit out the stores and next time it's a riot there's gonna be, like, uh, bloodshed for real. I don't think America know that. I think American think we was just playing and it's gonna be some more playing but it ain't gonna be no playing. It's gonna be murder, you know what I'm saying, it's gonna be like Nat Turner, 1831, up in this muthafucka. You know what I'm saying, it's gonna happen.”
Kendrick: “That's crazy man. In my opinion, only hope that we kinda have left is music and vibrations, lotta people don't understand how important it is. Sometimes I be like, get behind a mic and I don't know what type of energy I'mma push out, or where it comes from. Trip me out sometimes.”
Friend: “Because the spirits, we ain't even really rappin', we just letting our dead homies tell stories for us.”
Kendrick: I wanted to read one last thing to you. It's actually something a good friend had wrote describing my world. It says: "The caterpillar is a prisoner to the streets that conceived it. Its only job is to eat or consume everything around it, in order to protect itself from this mad city. While consuming its environment the caterpillar begins to notice ways to survive. One thing it noticed is how much the world shuns him, but praises the butterfly. The butterfly represents the talent, the thoughtfulness, and the beauty within the caterpillar. But having a harsh outlook on life the caterpillar sees the butterfly as weak and figures out a way to pimp it to his own benefits. Already surrounded by this mad city the caterpillar goes to work on the cocoon which institutionalizes him. He can no longer see past his own thoughts. He's trapped. When trapped inside these walls certain ideas take roots, such as going home, and bringing back new concepts to this mad city The result? Wings begin to emerge, breaking the cycle of feeling stagnant. Finally free, the butterfly sheds light on situations that the caterpillar never considered, ending the internal struggle. Although the butterfly and caterpillar are completely different, they are one and the same. What's your perspective on that? Pac? Pac? Pac?!”

I was riding my bike in the freeway and it died on me. I thought it was the gas so I walked it over to pump gas but didn’t have to fill as much as I usually do.
The spark thing works it makes the effort sound but when I try to move the choke to “give it more strength” it gives out. There was one moment it turned on but was weak and then died.
If I try to spare it and rev it instantly gives up.
Can constantly trying eventually kill the battery, and will waiting somehow give it time to rest and try again? How long should I wait?

I was riding my bike in the freeway and it died on me. I thought it was the gas so I walked it over to pump gas but didn’t have to fill as much as I usually do.
The spark thing works it makes the effort sound but when I try to move the choke to “give it more strength” it gives out. There was one moment it turned on but was weak and then died.
If I try to spare it and rev it instantly gives up.
Can constantly trying eventually kill the battery, and will waiting somehow give it time to rest and try again? How long should I wait?