#the most expensive game was new vegas at £6

[emilypemily]

bc I am turning 30 in a couple months I thought maybe I should treat myself to something big, like a PS5.

And then I remembered how expensive they are so I’ve ordered a PS3 because it turns out a lot of the games I would like to play are on the PS3 anyway and if I wanted to play them on a PS5 I’d have to either pay a lot more money or stream it

Mainly I just wanted to play fallout new vegas, but today I bought that game and a few others from CeX, where I’ve also ordered the PS3 from, so the games are new vegas, red dead redemption, mirror’s edge, and the last of us. I do kind of want to play skate 3 as well but that’s more expensive, and they didn’t have mass effect in the shop. Something I guess kind of funny buying a console for my 30th birthday that came out in the UK mere days after my 13th birthday but it’s cool that these games are new to me, and the sun total is less than £80 console included.

I actually started writing this post bc it was funny to me that the copy of the last of us that I bought features on the cover the version of Ellie that looks inexplicably like Elliot Page. Like for years I just assumed he did the mo cap for the game and probably voiced Ellie bc like, why else would that character look like that. Very weird day when I finally googled the game and found out he had nothing to do with it at all and that later versions of the game had to change Ellie’s face to look less like him.

The PS3 arrives tomorrow and I’m gonna be playing new vegas first and then I go away for a week so it might be a while before I find out if this version of the game is the Elliot Page one.

[turtlemagnum]

something i can't say i've ever seen somebody talk about is how good new vegas is about money from a mechanical standpoint. so, some context here: the way i play games just tends to make me absurd amounts of money, it's not really an intentional goal but since i enjoy the visceral feel of taking everything worth taking and hawking it to merchants, it just sorta happens eventually. to use morrowind as an example, in my most recent run i've made upwards of about 1.3 million gold at this point. the thing with morrowind is that it's wayyy unbalanced in terms of gold merchants have relative to what things are worth. the gear you get adventuring, at least at the very highest end (e.g. ebony, daedric, glass) tends to be upwards of 10k, and sometimes gets well into over 100k. that's fine in and of itself, but the thing is that merchants have 10k gold max, and often have a lot less money to go around than that. so to get the full value of whatever you're wanting to sell, you gotta do this shithead shuffle of bartering the one really expensive thing you wanna sell for a bunch of less expensive shit that collectively comes to the same price, so you can then sell those back in chunks to finally get the whole value of what you wanna sell. you definitely have the potentiality to make a fuckton of money, but you've just gotta be patient in a way that would be fixed if either the amount of gold the merchants have and/or the amount of gold the gear is worth was more balanced in regards to one another. meanwhile, new vegas

new vegas isn't an exception to making lots of money, for me. i've never become a millionaire, but i regularly get into 6 figures. and the thing is that while you can get gear that's worth a lot, the merchants tend to have a manageable amount of money, and they also naturally stock shit worth buying. in morrowind, merchants are only really useful for selling shit to because past the most basic of starting gear, anything you're gonna wanna use is gonna be found adventuring. in new vegas, merchants actually stock shit worth buying, meaning that you have something to actually spend money on. it balances beautifully for somebody like me because i can make enough money to make marcus licinius crassus jealous, and then i actually have shit to spend it on. it's satisfying in a way i haven't really seen replicated elsewhere

[datascraping001]

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[skyexchanges-blog]

Casino Business History - Reality And Legends - Part Four

According to the data provided by the specialists, Las Vegas consumes more electric energy than the whole France. Casino-hotels are side by side with each other and each strives to attract the potential client with something different that could not be found at the competitor's place: from the constructed "mini-Manhattan" with small copies of the most famous New York sky scrapers and statute of liberty to "Egypt Pyramid" with a very bright projector on the top seen from the jet planes. Casinos are competing with each other in the design of their building, shows - national finals of rodeo and prestigious contests of popular songs - are held there. But still the roulette wheel remains "engine for progress". As local people say, a few years ago there was an effort to introduce "dress code" for entering the casino. But soon the idea was abandoned - what is the difference who comes - a gentleman in the tuxedo or a guy wearing shorts, a lady in the cocktail dress or a housewife in the slippers - the main thing they are staking and playing! Rino is a little less popular than Las Vegas - "the largest of the smallest cities in the world", another gambling capital, "a small copy of Las Vegas", where luxurious hotels and casinos offer all the client wants: from "suites for just-married" (it is a whole industry in Nevada) to roulette and cards.

Where the mafia starts.

probably no story about gambling would be complete without mentioning about such its aspect as relations with the criminal world - or mafia - if you prefer it. America still remembers as on a summer evening of 1947 a US citizen Benjamin Siegel was murdered by an unknown gunman who fired a shotgun blast as Siegel sat in his apartment of the Beverly Hills. He was also knows as "Bugsy" - one of the Las Vegas mobsters, owner of a luxurious hotel Flamingo who invested in it a fantastic for these times sum of money amounting to 6 million dollars.

"Behind the underground".

Still, the experts point out that gambling may hardly be completely banned even in theory. Tom Clancy in his "Op Center" describes Japanese game pachinko: "The game is played much like a vertical version of pinball with the player shooting the ball into the game in much the same fashion as in pinball. The balls fall down between slots on the game layout and most disappear at the bottom, but some fall into special holes. This sets into motion a type of slot machine. As with slots, the player wins if three matching pictures or symbols appear. The winner gets new balls. The balls can be exchanged for prizes. Even though gambling is illegal in Japan the parlors find ways around it. The balls can be turned in for prizes at the pachinko parlor's gift shop, but also can be exchanged for merchandise that can then be exchanged for cash at a window outside the pachinko parlor. Small teddy bears cost 20 thousand yens for a bear, big toy rabbits were as twice as expensive and you could get about sixty thousand yen for a toy tiger".

The most surprising event took place in USSR in late 70s. On one of the enterprises of the former Soviet Baltic states a production of quite an interesting toy under an innocent name "swing-bingo" (loto) was launched. In fact it was a prototype of a roulette, but much smaller. All the rest was just like in real casino: playing field, ball, numbers, "red and black"... It was available in the shops. The passion for risk and hazard was so strong that even Communist ideology could do nothing about it: even in the worst times of the soviet totalitarianism there were totalizator racings. In Israel where gambling is prohibited another solution was found - in the evening a boat sails away from Eilat and casting anchor in neutral waters - opens the doors of the casino...

It is not an accident that, on leaving Rino you can see a box with one arm bandit on the first rate high way which splits the desert. The sign on the box says: "One more chance. Take it! "

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[himbeaux-on-ice]

Its funny that Vegas saw the criticism that they were weak down the middle and went after the most expensive available center and he is going to be the number one center I believe. But for the cap hit I feel like that is going to be a problem later in the season since Jack is going to be on LTIR for months due to injury (also tbh it is probably why the traded MAF, get rid of one 9 million dollar player and replace him with a 10 million dollar one lol)

See, see this is why this move today drives me insane, bc that’s NOT WHAT THEY TRADED MAF FOR.

The whole idea in the off-season was, need to reallocate some of the money being used to pay two equal starting goalies (instead of just one starter and a backup) into more depth forwards who can score, because we keep running into a scoring problem late in the playoffs when tight-checking defensive teams are able to shut down our top 6 (the “big line” and the Misfits line), and then there isn’t enough offence in the bottom two lines (aside from Nic Roy and *checks notes* OH YEAH, ALEX TUCH) to pick up the slack or draw attention of opposing defenders enough to create opportunities for the top two lines.

And they went okay, well then to solve this therefore we will essentially liquidate Marc-Andre Fleury (because he is the older and more expensive goalie of the two goalies) to turn his $7 million (not 9) in cap space into free space which we will then spend on: 1) guys like Patrick, Dadonov, Howden to reshape the 3rd and 4th line to be more offence-focused, 2) a cheaper backup goalie, and 3) re-signing Alec Martinez because he’s awesome for us. And then they even said no, we don’t think we need to chase a “true 1C”, because we believe Chandler Stephenson is that player, and has shown us he can be — what we need is more depth.

Which was like okay, cool! Great! Controversial, in many quarters, due to the whole goalie liquidation thing, but sure, as far as offseason plans go it at least has a coherent philosophy and goal that is being worked towards! You were essentially taking the cap space that was one (1) goalie and turning it into several less expensive but hopefully offensively productive forwards, gambling that you really only need one starter anyway. That would honestly be a pretty smart strategy as far as the copycat league goes, given that you’ve watched Tampa’s ability to roll four offensively potent and extremely deep lines LITERALLY beat the EXACT teams that eliminated you for Cups TWICE in the last two years.

So WHY in the name of FUCK have you now decided to UNDO some of that by re-concentrating $10 mil of cap into ONE guy, ostensibly to play in your top 6, thus making them even more top-heavy??? WHAT was the point of all that!! I hope to god Buffalo was on Fleury’s MNTC list, because that’s the only reason I can truly accept not just TRADING HIM FOR THAT INSTEAD OF FOR NOTHING. [muffled screaming into hands] I’ve heard some say that if he gets the surgery he wants and it works, Eichel could be skating in as little as 3 weeks and rehabbed up to game conditioning by the new year, possibly even back in the lineup sooner than Tuch would have been. So like, they’re GONNA need to figure it out.

Anyway with regards to the 1C thing, I’m really only half joking when I say they should either play Eichel at 3C, or move the Misfits (who I really think work better with each other than any other linemates, but Pete may fight me on this) down to 3rd line and play him as 2C with *hand wavy motion in the direction of some wingers*. Fuck it! Roll 4 lines with relatively equal minutes and let the opposing coaches struggle to decide how the fuck they’re gonna deploy against THAT (who do you glue your Phillip Danault-esque shutdown player/line to now, as an opponent? Stone Pacioretty and good ol speedy Stevie? Marchessault Karlsson and Smith? Jack fucking Eichel? The surprisingly effective Kolesar-Patrick-Dadonov 4th line? you can’t cover ALL of them and SOMEBODY is gonna score on you). I think it would be very VERY funny and just might even work. But Chandler Stephenson has earned the 1C job on this team and is incredibly effective with his linemates (just look at the one game we had this season before everybody DIED for an example), he deserves to keep it regardless of his cap hit. You don’t build lines based on price tag.

The Pens have had plenty of success out of being like “here’s our 2C, fuck you it’s Evgeni Malkin, die” for a long time. I legit double-dog-dare the Knights to try the same.

[fiddlepickdouglas]

Viva Las Vegas, Pt. 11 - De Orfeo Records

Summary: Sunset Cure AU, Willex, is there a chance?, 2.8k

@trevor-wilson-covington is the bestie who makes these lovely edits, we stan supportive friends

WARNINGS: death mention

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10

Reggie and Carlos were running around in the middle of taking down equipment after their latest gig. Luke shook his head as he wrapped cords over his arm and placed them in a storage box. Alex, however, was nervously trying not to get run into as he carried various pieces of his drum set out and handed them to Bobby in the back of the van. He could forgive Reggie not really helping out since he was taking responsibility for the kid, but also hadn’t anticipated that their energies combined would put him more on edge.

As he went inside to grab the last piece of his set, he found that Reggie had taken his flannel and tied it around his neck like a cape, with Carlos wearing his leather jacket in a similar fashion. They approached Bobby, who immediately joined their game and they pretended to battle each other. By the time Alex had finished getting his whole set in the van, they were playing out a dramatic victory over defeating Bobby.

“Guys, this is great, but we really should finish packing up,” Alex said, although he was smiling from the entertainment.

“I guess you’re the next bad guy we fight,” Carlos said in a mock-deep voice.

“We can schedule it later, Robin,” Alex teased.

“Oh, no, he’s Batman,” Reggie corrected. “I’m Robin!” He put his fists on his hips in a proud superhero pose.

A big SHHHHHH came from Luke and they all looked over at him to see what was up. He was far off by the venue office, holding a phone to his ear and writing onto a notepad. His eyes were wide with excitement, and his energy was only held back by the other hand tapping against the paper. The boys watched as his smile grew bigger and he said goodbye, barely putting the phone back in place properly.

“YEEESS!!” he cried, raising his fists into the air in celebration. They all came running toward him to see what had happened.

“Boys, we’ve got good news!” Luke told them. Looking on in anticipation, Alex gripped his fanny pack tightly. “One of the record execs that came tonight is offering for us to sign onto their label and put out some songs! He even heard our demo!”

Everyone celebrated, jumping up and down and high-fiving each other. Reggie let Carlos climb onto him in a piggyback and they both yelled triumphantly. Luke pulled Alex into a bro hug, then Bobby. Alex held his arms up and placed his hands on top of his head, unable to believe what had just happened. Euphoria filled his head like helium and he went to double-high-five Carlos, who was still perched on Reggie’s back.

“So what else did they say?” Bobby asked, still smiling.

Luke had to shake off some more excitement before he could explain the rest.

“Ahhh, so he said we could meet in a few days to discuss business and contracts and such, let us get a look at the studio and stuff. I got all his contact information and he’s totally excited to get us on. We’re moving on up boys!”

The celebration continued, and their renewed energy caused the rest of the take-down to go by much faster. They were still riding the high as they drove home. Alex listened to Luke talk about which songs they would want to record first and where they would land on the charts. He remembered that feeling he had back at the Pearl during their sound check. Doing that? For real and not just dreaming and hoping about it? They hadn’t made it just yet, but this was a change he could be excited for.

Reggie had been staying with Carlos, which the rest of the boys figured was a good excuse to not stay home. As Bobby pulled up to the house, he and Luke began climbing out of the van. Carlos and Reggie were already inside.

“Uh, guys?” Alex said, still in the back of the van. They all turned back to him. “What are you doing?”

“Oh,” Luke gestured like oh-silly-me. “We all decided to stay here for the night. It’s just a nice change from the garage and Julie’s aunt has lots of leftovers that need to be eaten so…”

“So...I’m grounded,” Alex reminded, raising his eyebrows. His parents hadn’t been happy about him sneaking out to the pier the other night.

“Screw your old man, Alex,” Bobby said.

“Yeah, he can eat my shorts if he tries to do anything about it,” Luke added.

Alex took a moment to think. Disobeying wasn’t going to do anything for or against him at this point - he kept anything truly important to him out of his parents’ reach and since he’d gotten the punching bag he could actually contend with their tempers. They couldn’t punish him in a way that mattered.

“Yeah, you’ve got a point,” he said finally, following them into the house.

They found Reggie and Carlos already raiding the kitchen.

“Alex, you’re staying too?” Reggie said when he saw them enter.

“Yes!” Carlos cried, pumping his fist. “You get to make popcorn. Tonight, the Empire Strikes Back!”

“Oh yeah, baby!” Reggie responded as the rest of the boys began following orders from Carlos. Alex wasn’t crazy about Star Wars, but eh….young Mark Hamill was hot so he didn’t mind too much. He was sure most of them would fall asleep during the movie anyway.

A couple hours later it turned out he was right. Carlos was slumped on the floor leaning back against the chair Luke was sitting in, hand still in the bowl of popcorn. Luke was leaning on his hand, breathing soundly. Alex had watched earlier as Bobby’s head flopped onto Reggie’s shoulder and the flustered look that had overcome Reggie’s face, and it was too good not to smile at. Once the VCR began automatically rewinding the movie, Alex shut off the TV.

He stared at the ceiling as he pulled the handle on the La-Z-Boy he was in and reclined into a somewhat comfortable position. Even now, weeks later after meeting for only a day, the first thing he wished he could do was tell Willie the news about the record label. He probably would have been just as ecstatic as the rest of them, if not more. Victoria would be back soon and hopefully have some news. He guessed it didn’t matter if he’d been right about the missing kid, but maybe just knowing if she got to talk with Willie would be enough.

The memory of soft brown eyes still rose in his mind. He’d been doing his best to keep that moment cemented in his brain because he’d noticed it helped him sleep. It was funny because he’d done the same thing with the guys, but staring into Willie’s eyes had been an entirely different experience. Alex wished he had the proper words to describe it, but the best he could do was marvel. Willie was clearly unaware of the strength he held, and it made Alex want to bring that out with his entire being. If he ever did get the chance, that would be something worth looking forward to.

Victoria didn’t arrive until the afternoon the next day. Since Alex felt that she had gone because of him, he made everyone else clean her house as well as they could. No traces of food on the floor, no messy beds, and the kitchen was cleaner than when they had found it. As she came back into the house, she put a hand over her heart.

“Wow!” she exclaimed. “I should take trips like this more often if you boys are this good!”

“Yes, tía, please, please, please let them babysit me again! Pleeeeaaassee!” Carlos begged with his hands pressed together.

“Ay, sobrino, no me quieres?” she shook her head.

“No, I do!” Carlos tried to recover. “But they’re fun!”

As if to make a point, Reggie rubbed a hand on Carlos’ head.

“It’s okay little dude, we’ll be back.”

Victoria pulled her wallet out of her purse.

“Well, you boys took very good care of him and I promised I would pay you, so here you go.” She handed each of them a generous amount of cash. Luke, Reggie and Bobby all whooped as they thanked her and headed to the van. Alex held back with anticipation. Victoria looked at him seriously.

“There was no connection,” she told him before he asked. “His guardian explained everything to me, and there was nothing else to go on. I wanted to know because I thought I could solve an old case, but I had to let it go.”

“Well, did you get to talk to him?” Alex tried not to sound too urgent.

“You mean Willie? No, I never saw him. After talking with his guardian I didn’t need to.”

Bowing his head, Alex made himself swallow his other questions. She had at least tried.

“Thank you,” he said. “I’m sorry if it was inconvenient.”

“I chose to go, don’t worry about it,” she assured.

Nodding and saying thanks one more time, Alex hurried out after the rest of his friends.

A few days later, the boys slammed the doors of the van shut as they looked up at the building before them. It was so plain and simple on the outside; they never would’ve guessed there was a studio there. It was likely they had driven past it many times on the way to a gig. Pushing through the door, they all looked at the logo in neon lights on the wall: De Orfeo Records.

Collectively, the boys took in awed breaths at the reality of where they were standing. This was too good to believe. Alex took in the scene, trying to imagine this being a place he came to regularly. Could he ever get used to it, or get over the sheer excitement of just being there? Luke patted him on the back, desperately trying to contain himself. They wandered through the halls a little bit until they came to a room where the door was sitting open.

“Oh, boys!” A man called as they almost walked past it. “In here!”

As they all shuffled in, the man shook their hands and pointed them to a couch where they could sit. Alex nervously stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jacket as he took a seat. The man across from them was dressed surprisingly casually, if not with obvious expensive taste. He still had sunglasses on, but their yellow tint was clearly not for actual UV protection.

“Nice to meet all of you,” he was saying. “My name is Alan, I’m one of the producers here at De Orfeo. Which one of you did I talk to on the phone?”

Luke raised his hand.

“That was me,” he said, already gushing with excitement. “How’d you hear about us, anyway?”

Alan didn’t answer, but instead looked up at the doorway as someone else came in.

“Hello boys!” Caleb Covington entered, his charismatic smile spread wide across his face. “So nice to see you again.”

Alex’s heart rate immediately sped up and he clenched his hands inside his pockets. How could it be? He thought his last chance to reach out to Willie was gone and seeing Caleb brought back everything he hadn’t been able to ask Julie’s aunt. All the guys were happy to recognize him.

“I won’t be staying for the negotiations,” Caleb said. “but I wanted to properly introduce myself as the owner of this label. I want to assure you boys the best experience as newcomers in the industry. Let any nerves that still linger walk right out the door.” His eyes landed on Alex for a moment, and it felt purposeful. “Take it away, Alan.”

Listening to the producer’s pitch was difficult to focus on now, and Alex had to fight hard against his brain latching onto the new hopes that had arisen. He was thankful that when paperwork came out, Bobby was mindful enough to have them read through it. It was taking too long, though, and Alex was already wishing he had his drumsticks in hand to help pass the time. Reggie had so many questions, and Luke had trouble understanding numerous words - at least that kept Alex occupied because he could be helpful in that. A good hour had passed going over all the information.

“This looks great!” Luke said finally. “How are we feelin’ boys?”

Each of them nodded and looked around at each other, confirming that they all agreed on every settlement. Luke grabbed a pen and pulled his copy of the contract toward him, pausing momentarily to drink in what was happening. Then he signed his name in giant letters. Alex, Bobby, and Reggie followed suit, and Alex could feel a weird tingle rush through his hand as he made the final flourish with his pen. They were all in now.

As the band began celebrating, Caleb knocked on the doorframe.

“If it’s alright with you boys, I wanted to speak with Alex privately for a moment,” Caleb said, gesturing for Alex to follow him outside the room.

His curiosity was at the point of overflowing, and he went out trying to control his trembling hands. Maybe Caleb had talked to Willie after all. This could be his way to bridge that gap and he wouldn’t have to live off of just memories.

Everyone else was still going nuts over getting the contracts signed back in the room. Standing in the lobby, Caleb was looking at him seriously, maybe even pitifully. It quickly drained the exhilaration in Alex’s chest.

“I can tell you’ve been wanting to ask me some questions,” he began. “But before you do, I thought it was best to inform you of some important details first.”

Alex looked up at him with his hands back in his pockets and gulped. Why was his heartbeat suddenly so loud? He knew Caleb couldn’t actually hear it, but it still embarrassed him. His mouth began to go dry.

Caleb furrowed his brow, as if what he was about to say wasn’t easy to get out. He bowed his head and took a breath before looking at Alex again.

“Willie,” he started. Then he paused. “Is dead.”

The trembling in Alex’s hands stopped.

He stared at Caleb, as if he could pull off the serious expression and find a joking smile underneath. It was a few moments before he remembered to breathe in, and blinking seemed to cut that moment into two as if the first one wasn’t real.

“No, no, that can’t - ” he heard the words spill out of his mouth. Why was his body so tense and ready to defend itself? His cheeks felt hot.

“I know the news is hard,” Caleb interrupted, placing a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “I can hardly bear it myself. There was an electrical fire. He didn’t make it out.”

Alex could only shake his head. Caleb’s expression wasn’t changing and for some reason it was the most infuriating sight. He could punch that face and make him bleed if he really wanted to. The adrenaline was already rushing to his fist.

“There has to be a mistake,” he said, chuckling darkly.

“There is no mistake,” Caleb told him firmly.

How was the man so calm? How could he say those words out loud and not immediately crumble to the earth? How could he have worn such a large smile earlier?

“I know you two weren’t friends for long, but he made it clear you were important to him.”

The words came through as if from a tiny speaker. They’d only gotten one day and it wasn’t enough. Willie couldn’t go like that, he simply couldn’t - not when Alex needed to know if they could’ve ever had something real. He still wanted to know so many things about him and look into those brown eyes and soften the hard edges on them. He needed to - 

He was crying. On his hands and knees, trying to get the dark shadow that had grown inside his chest to come out. It made him choke. Caleb had apparently left him alone, unable to console him, and he felt hands on his back and shoulders as he fought to properly breathe. Luke was knelt down before him, mouth hanging open in want of words but not able to form any. Bobby was gripping his hand and supporting him as he and Reggie pulled him up onto his feet.

“We need to get him in the van,” one of them was saying.

Any movement from there was not his own. All three boys were trying their hardest to help the tallest member of their band out of the building. Everything was numb - like a machine that had broken down after being run too hard.

The brown eyes faded into darkness, murky and thick. There was no air in his lungs to scream into that dark, no tie-dye, no rolling of wheels on the sidewalk, no ‘ribbit’, no more wondering and hoping.

Dead quiet. That was all.

[slade-neko]

Saw this video game tag thing pop up on my dash a few days ago. Wanted to do it.

1. First game you played obsessively? Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I believe I was 5yo. Still waiting on that FF7 Remake treatment.

2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc. Well if I play a game and like it, then I'll create sims of it. Does that count?

3. Who did you play with as a kid? My brother from the day I was born.

4. Who do you play with now? My brother FROM THE DAY I WAS BORN.

5. Ever use cheat codes? I wasn't lying when I made this post. {link}

6. Ever buy strategy guides? Yes! Mainly to look at the artwork though. (Don't need no guide!)

7. Any games you have multiple copies of? Lots of games, most being Left 4 Dead with 6 copies (3 Xbox 360, 1 PC case, 2 PC digitally.) What can I say, its a GOOD GAME!

8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection? Gold cartridge Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time (maybe that's rare?)

9. Most regrettable purchase? I don't regret my purchases, but I have received games I have never played like Cubix (PS2) no clue where that game came from, but I have it somehow. Madagascar (Xbox 360) came with my Xbox 360, never opened it from its case. And Monsters Inc. Scream Arena (Gamecube) or something... it was a gift.

10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours? No, because then I'd have to interact with people.

11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games? I'm only friends with people BECAUSE of video games, so yes.

12. Ever get picked on for liking games? No, that'd be ridiculous.

13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has? Probably a lot, I'd say Call of Duty, but I technically played CoD 1, 2, and 4. The campaign mode was alright, but I don't really care for CoD games at ALL.

14. Favorite game music? Koji Kondo and Grant Kirkhope are two BIG ones.

15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick? Triforce is the most basic option, but I'd rather not get a tattoo.

16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL? Super Smash Bros. Brawl with hacks, but that was over a decade ago.

17. Ever lose a friend over a game? No, that'd be ridiculous.

18. Would you date someone that hates gaming? No, that'd be RIDICULOUS.

19. Favorite handheld console? PSP. 3DS is great, but PSP Monster Hunter has ALL of my portable gaming memories. Like playing in school after End of Grade tests with my friend.

20. Game that you know like the back of your hand? Sims 4 I like to think I know everything about Left 4 Dead. Quite a bit about Monster Hunter, more so of a series though than a specific game.

21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now? I'd say Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. I loved it as a kid, but had a lot of complex pen & paper RPG mechanics that I never understood. I understand a lot more of it now, but its still complex as all heck. I just know you hit things, they die.

22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories? That's the only thing I wear.

23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into? Not sure so I'll list a few. Sims 4, Smash Bros. Brawl, Monster Hunter (its a series though), or Left 4 Dead

24. First Pokemon game? Leaf Green

25. Were you ever an arcade game player? No, don't like paying to play.

26. Ever form any gaming rivalries? No.

27. Game that makes you rage? I don't get mad at games, but I had a custom modded Hard Eight mutation in Left 4 Dead that is absolute bullsh*t!

28. Ever play in a tournament? No, because then I'd have to interact with people.

29. What is your gaming set up? A giant wall of video game consoles spanning from NES to Switch, 4 TVs, but I sit at a desk with a PC.

30. How many consoles do you own? "I own every console that's ever existed." - I Don't Play Games When I Play Games (My STRENTH) original song by Smooth McGroove BUT no seriously I own 32 consoles including handhelds.

31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches? Yes. 3DS gave me headaches though I only really played with the 3D feature in Ocarina of Time 3D. I think my eyes broke because I couldn't get my 3D to work very well after.

32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic? Sure I play games based on a lot of things. Literally any anime game. If I had to pick Dragon Ball Xenoverse is kinda like a dream Dragon Ball game. Oh, Attack on Titan 2 is pretty neat too!

33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games? Some SEGA plug-n-play thing once. Played it like once and now its lost to time (or my closet.)

34. Do either of your parents play video games? Yes. Mom and Dad played NES Super Mario Bros. My Dad went HARD at that game until he saved the Princess. Then he quit forever.

35. Ever work in a game store? Or do you have a favorite game shop? "Hi. Welcome to Gamestop!"I never want to hear that again, but it was my main store until I went full digital/ online orders.

36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game? No, I don't tend to get upset or emotional, but Bill dying in Left 4 Dead made me pretty pissed.

37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination? Never played it. I don't really play "bad" games, but maybe Sims 4.

38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like? The Sims 4

39. A sequel that you would die for them to make? Dragon's Dogma 2 WHICH I think is actually in development, so I'd have to say Fallout New Vegas 2. C'mon Bethesda you cowards, hand the keys back over to Obsidian so they can make another good Fallout game!

40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls? Two part question, two answers. VR Headset to immerse in world, yes. Motion Controls, no.

41. A genre that you just can’t get into? MOBAs and MMOs. I don't like paying to keep playing.

42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness? Nintendo 64 opened me up to what video games could be as a kid. Sad to say my parents' NES didn't really do that for me. And years later Fallout 3 was a big game changer for me too.

43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else? Every day of my LIFE.

44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters? None. I'd rather emulate.

45. How are you at Mario Kart? Pretty dang good. 3-STARS MARIO KART WII, BABY!

46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon? Yes, both of those. I preferred when Animal Crossing had more character to it. New Horizons looks so pretty, but feels so bland compared to classic AC.

47. Do you like competitive games? No. Not really. Usually amongst friends or if I can get competitive against AI Bots. I love my machine bot friends cause they don't cry like 10 year olds when they lose.

48. How long does it take your to customize your player character? Too long. I've seriously restarted games because I wasn't happy with my character's appearance.

49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character? Yes, I am always the magic man, my brother is always brute warrior, and my friend is the ranger.

50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create? I don't really know. Honestly, I'd rather mod already good games to make them better than create something completely new.

51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep? No, that'd be ridiculous. But I've had a friend fall asleep playing games at my house 3 different times and currently dozes off during our Minecraft sessions. So, maybe that's not a completely ridiculous thing after all.

52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid? Kirby 64 apparently. My brother tells me we had to count out pennies to buy it. I must've been too young with no recollection, but I believe it.

53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days? It's good if its not in the game's files from the beginning and is actually developed AFTER launch... and pre-order bonuses should be standard DLC a month or two later. Some games have content lost to time because of that pre-order bullsh*t.

54. Do you give in to Steam sales? Of course. If you want a game and its on sale then why not? I typically wait just for Steam sales to get games.

55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them? No? I typically make people and characters I like in Sims. I've made villains like Dio, but he's an anime villain and I don't really HATE him despite the horrible things he's done.

56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests? No. Never played that game.

57. Did you ever play a game to 100% or get all of the achievements? I try to for all the games I really like.

58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick? The Sims 4, Skyrim, & Fallout: New Vegas. Mods make them live forever. Left 4 Dead and Monster Hunter are good choices too.

59. Do you play any cell phone games? Those aren't games.

60. Do you know the Konami Code? No? But I'll take a guess. Is it make an IP and forget it exists?

61. Do you trade in your games or keep them forever? Keep forever... even the bad ones.

62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game? PS4 Pro for Monster Hunter World. It was basically for early access since the PC version was being developed and releasing after PS4, but I don't like waiting.

63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament? Sort of. Been to anime cons and walked into the gaming tournament rooms only to walk out less than 10 minutes later.

64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming? No, but I'm going to be doing that soon, hopefully.

65. Ever have a Game Genie, Game Shark or Action Replay? Did it ever mess up your game’s save file? GameShark for N64, PS2, Gameboy, and Action Replay for Gamecube, DS, 3DS. And no not really, I would cheat responsibly... but there was this one time at school my friend and I borrowed another friend's Gameboy game, loaded it up with my Gameshark, tried playing, it crashed, loaded it back up, save file corrupted... we just stared at each other jaws dropped, "Here's your game back, dude. Make sure you don't play it til you get back home!"

66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it? No, but I remember seeing them on billboards in the game DRIV3R on PS2.

67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share? Every game I play is filled with happy memories (mostly.)

68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool? These tiger plushes. My brother got white and I got orange. They were the coolest. Got a butt load of tickets from some jackpot spinning light game thing as I was good at the timing with repeated jackpot hits.

69. In your opinion, best game ever made? I've played quite a few masterpiece games, but to pick one, I'd say Fallout: New Vegas

70. Very first game you ever beat? Super Mario 64. I was a mere child on a Sunday morning and ate celebratory pancakes made by my Dad.

Wow, that was long... I get the feeling this was supposed to be a "send me ask with numbers" thing, but answering all at once is more fun.

[promosfree576]

Bankroll For $25 Blackjack

on

Bankroll For $25 Blackjack Free

Bankroll For $25 Blackjack Online

Bankroll For $25 Blackjack Game

Proper bankroll management is one of the most commonly overlooked aspects of blackjack. It’s unfortunate because almost all casino blackjack players could greatly benefit from some basic bankroll management.

Let’s look at how to build and maintain a healthy blackjack bankroll.

What Is a Blackjack Bankroll?

So, what is a blackjack bankroll?

Here are some tips for building and maintaining a healthy blackjack bankroll even if you’re new to the game. Blackjack on the Vegas Strip ain’t what it used to be. Sure, it’s the most played game in casinos. There are more blackjack tables on the Vegas Strip than any other game. According to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, there were 1,196 blackjack tables on the Vegas Strip as of December 2019.That’s slightly more than 40% of the 2,850 table games in the tourist corridor. Applying the proper blackjack bankroll management system can make all the difference between having an enjoyable playing session or a disappointing playing session where at the end of it you are playing with limited money and you are unable to split hands or double up simply because you do not have enough money to cover the extra bets.

Your blackjack bankroll or gambling bankroll is money that you have specifically set aside for the purposes of gambling. In this instance, it’s specifically for playing real money blackjack.

It’s important to eliminate any notion that extra cash sitting in your bank account for incidentals or any funds that aren’t expressly set aside for playing blackjack are part of your blackjack bankroll.

Your bankroll needs to be set aside completely. Many gamblers will open a separate bank account that is only for their gambling bankroll.

There are plenty of 3:2 blackjack games in downtown Las Vegas. Many of those games have a minimum wager under $25. When you head over to the Vegas Strip there are more casinos but there might be fewer 3:2 blackjack games with a minimum wager under $25 available. $25 limits are important for most recreational gamblers. In their pursuit of learning perfect blackjack strategy, some players often neglect to cover bankroll management. But just like with any other casino game, blackjack bankroll management is extremely important, and something that players should definitely study extensively.

Others put the money in a jar or bank bag and stuff it in a closet or bury it in their yard. I’m not sure where they put it, but it’s probably best off in the bank.

Having your gambling bankroll in a bank will make it much easier to view from your mobile app and quickly transfer funds into the bankroll on whatever schedule you set.

This also eliminates the urge to grab $50 out of your bankroll when you want to enjoy a round of golf or go out for drinks with friends. You may think never, but it can be rather easy to slowly dip into your blackjack bankroll when Amazon blasts you with Facebook ads about whatever you happen to be thinking about. Cue The X-Files music.

It’s also important not to go the other direction. If you have $1000 in your bank account and $975 in bills coming due, you don’t have a blackjack bankroll.

I’ve seen too many gamblers push rent back a week or shuffle their bills to accommodate their gambling. If it’s not a problem immediately, it’s not far from being there.

Bankroll For $25 Blackjack Free

To reiterate, a blackjack bankroll is money that is expressly and unequivocally set aside for gambling purposes.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t dip into it if there’s an emergency. Like your power being turned off or no groceries in the house, but you should absolutely never go the other direction.

Useful Tips for Building a Blackjack Bankroll

Building a healthy blackjack bankroll takes time and careful consideration. The most disciplined gamblers take the proper steps in finding exactly how they can add money to their bankroll.

One of the best ways to quickly build a blackjack bankroll is to set up a deposit schedule for yourself. This schedule will be completely unique to you and your financial situation.

Most people are paid on a twice a month schedule. Hence, many gamblers will commit to adding to their bankroll every 2 weeks or 15 days.

Setting up your bankroll deposit schedule on your paydays is a great way to increase your blackjack bankroll steadily.

However, you may have significantly more bills coming up near the 1st of the month. In this case, it’ll be better to set up a once a month deposit schedule.

The important thing is to only put money into your bankroll that you can afford to lose on the casino floor.

Some players may not have extra money for varying reasons after all bills and living expenses are paid. It’s a common issue facing many Americans and isn’t unique to casino gamblers at all.

If you fall into this category or simply want to add more to your bankroll than your current salary allows, don’t fret. Getting a part-time job is perfect for earning extra cash.

I have a friend who’s still in school and was having a difficult time-saving money for an upcoming gambling trip.

He started working a few nights a week for one of the food delivery services, and in less than 2 months, he was able to save over $1500.

It wasn’t the massive wad of cash he had hoped to take with him, but he was able to bring almost all of it home.

He’s continued to grow on that initial nest egg, and it’s primed for his next casino adventure.

Why Many Players Lose

Most blackjack players lose because they aren’t playing the game correctly. They either refuse to play basic strategy or don’t know it exists.

Either way, learning to play blackjack with the proper strategy will be vital for maintaining a blackjack bankroll.

Players will often fall into a trap of playing way too many hands. On a typical blackjack table with 3 other players, you’ll be playing 40 hands per hour.

If you’re at a table with only 2 players, that number jumps to nearly double. When you’re playing twice as many hands per hour, you’re going to be losing faster.

For obvious reasons, this can have devastating effects on your blackjack bankroll.

You won’t be allowed to slow play the table in any respectable casino, nor will you necessarily be rushed. Still, take your time on each hand. You shouldn’t be in any hurry to get the game moving.

Try to find nearly full tables; you’ll be playing much fewer hands per hour, which will greatly extend your blackjack bankroll.

Setting alarms on your phone or smartwatch can be a brilliant way to remember to take breaks. These breaks will give you chances to take a breath away from the table.

Use this time to clear your head, use the restroom, grab a snack, or check your e-mail. It really doesn’t matter; it only matters that you don’t mindlessly play hand after hand.

Why Bankroll Management Is Vital

Bankroll management is vital because this is the single biggest factor in how much time you’ll be able to spend on the casino floor.

After you’ve built a solid gambling bankroll, you need to decide what denomination you will be playing in the casino. Let’s use my friend’s $1500 as an example.

For a 3-day trip, he had $1500, or $500 per day. Let’s say he wants to play for $25 per hand. We can assume he’ll be playing 40 hands per hour and, although he’s a basic strategy player, we’ll give him the standard 1%.

So, 40 hands at $25 per hand, he’s putting $1000 per hour in play. The house edge is going to take 1% or $10.

It’s clear to see that he’ll have no problems playing blackjack to his heart’s content. Even if he encounters an extended negative swing, his bankroll will carry him.

Knowing how much you can afford to play is probably one of the biggest keys to becoming a successful casino gambler. When you drain the bankroll to zero, you’re out of the game and forced to the sidelines until you build your blackjack bankroll back up.

You may have noticed that I immediately split his $1500 into 3 equal amounts, one for each day of his trip if you walk through the casino doors with a total of $500 for 3 days and decide to play for $50 per hand. You’ll likely be broke in under 4 hours and forced to spend 2 days at the pool.

Become a master of managing every aspect of your blackjack bankroll, and you’ll become a much more successful casino gambler.

Keys to Maintaining a Healthy Blackjack Bankroll

Now that I’ve walked you through the building and protecting your blackjack bankroll let’s look at some keys to take with you to the table.

After all, nothing will do your blackjack bankroll more good than actually winning on the tables.

Bankroll For $25 Blackjack Online

The best way to do that in blackjack is by playing the basic blackjack strategy on every single hand. When you play the game this way, you actually cut the house edge to only about 0.5%.

That makes blackjack one of the best games on the floor for the casino.

Basic strategy can be touted and promoted on and on, but I’ll leave it at the following. If you aren’t playing basic strategy, you’re leaving money on the table.

Paying close attention to the table rules can also be vital for your blackjack bankroll. Not all casinos are created equal, and neither are blackjack tables.

Some games will only pay 6:5 for a blackjack instead of the more standard 3:2. Anytime you see 6:5, you should run, not walk in your search for a different table.

The 6:5 blackjack is so bad that you’re better off playing craps, baccarat, roulette, or Pai Gow Poker than blackjack.

This is non-negotiable. It’s better to simply find another casino with better rules than playing on a table that pays 6:5 for a blackjack.

Conclusion

You must learn how to build and maintain a healthy blackjack bankroll. Taking the proper time and care in this initial step can put you on a lifelong success course.

Keep in mind that your blackjack bankroll will determine how much you can play in the casino and, ultimately, how much you can win.

Bankroll For $25 Blackjack Game

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[dragonrajafanfiction]

The Yamal Mission

In the first book IV quest of Dragon Raja appears to take place immediately after Luminous is installed as the Student Union President. However, this is not the case in the novels.

In the game, right after you celebrate Luminous’s new job, you are called in for a mission from EVA that will send you on a mission with Johann on the “Luxury Cruise ship.”

However, in the novel, Johann’s mission takes place a full year after these two scenes!!! I’m not sure why they did this, your character in the game should have reflected a whole year’s worth of new dragonslaying experience. At this point, your character is not a freshman, but a student well into their second year.

It also doesn’t make sense that Johann is in charge of the mission when the School Board tends to prioritize Hybrid bloodline over experience. For example, in Book 2, Johann is reporting to Luminous in the Quest to find the King of Earth and Mountains even though Luminous is otherwise inferior in everyway. It makes no sense that on a lesser quest of investigation, he’s your supervisor.

I just wanted to clarify these things to anyone who is going to do these quests in case they become confusing later.

Anyway, below is the translation of the second half of the Story Quest for 118

72 degrees north latitude, Greenland Sea

Under the dark night, the big scarlet boat rushed through the broken ice, leaving a 20 meter wide blue-black waterway behind.

This place is well within the Arctic Circle, and it is in the dead of winter. Although the sea surface is not completely frozen, the floating ice is all over the sea surface. Only this monster-class ice breaker dared to continue to rush towards the North Pole at this time.

The YAMAL, the world’s largest icebreaker, belonged to Russia. Two heavy water nuclear reactors provided it with almost endless power. The thick armored bow can easily smash a 6 meter iceberg. Among the icebreakers in the world, except for a few military monsters who identities cannot be disclosed, only this ship has sailed to the North Pole.

The tragedy of the Titanic will never happen to the YAMAL. What is an iceberg when you can just ram into it? The crew of the YAMAL has always  thought about the problem this way, which is why they can’t be hired by other polar cruise companies after they are retired... This group of people might end up driving an ordinary ship into an iceberg just out of habit.

“Hello! Hello! This is the YAMAL. We are sailing on he 72 degree North latitude line. Is there a dear friend nearby who can chat? I hope you’re an American with a sense of humor, ha! I met one German guy before who lived in Munich and he told a really cold joke. I didn’t get it until a week after I went ashore. Everyone thought I was crazy when I suddenly burst out laughing in the middle of a bar.”

A middle-aged Russian captain drank vodka straight from the bottle and yelled into the radio system, as if he were the host of an evening radio show.

The radio remained absolutely silent, without so much as static.

This was par for the course. In this season, there may be ten ships in the world that dared to sailed openly in the Arctic Ocean. At this moment, other ships  are either docked at military ports or scattered in other corners of the Arctic Ocean and the most advanced long-wave radio can only call a few hundreds of kilometers out.

In other words, they sail in a dead end space where almost no one can reach. A crew who frequently runs this route can suffer depression if they’re not careful and the best medicine on board for this malady is alcohol.

The captain was just trying his luck after having a drink. If he happened to be able to call other polar ships, usually everyone would change voyage a little and go for a short period of time, staying close enough to each other to talk over the radio for an hour or two.

“Oh! I can’t find anyone to chat with tonight!” The captain sighed, “Then I’ll go to the casino to try my luck, Mr. Chief Officer, this ship will e handed over to you temporarily!”

He staggered out, completely unaware that the first mate entrusted with the task was drunk and had been lying on the steering wheel for half an hour.

The casino on board was magnificent. The warm air was wrapped in the rich smell of whiskey and high-end perfume. The Belarusian girl, standing 5′9″ and wearing high heels acted as the dealer. A waiter who can speak various languages enthusiastically advised the guests to experience the richness of Tibetan wine and hand-rolled cigars from Cuba. A source of enormous wealth has created a small Las Vegas in this lifeless dead-end space.

The YAMAL was originally planned to be used as a scientific research ship, and it assumed the strategic goal of the former Soviet Union to head towards the North Pole. However, after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, this strategic goal also fell into disuse. The hugely-built ship could not be left idle and was put to civilian use, transformed into a luxury gambling ship, cruising on the Arctic Ocean all year round.

The Arctic Ocean is the high seas, you can’t help but gamble. Plus, you can enjoy the polar scenery on the way. So even if the tickets are expensive, the ones for this “Christmas Journey” are sold out.

There are eleven floors on this ship. Six floors have been transformed into luxurious cabins. At the moment, these cabins are full of 1,200 tourists, plus a crew of almost 1,000 people and service personnel. This ship can be said to be a small city floating on the Arctic Ocean.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please look out from the porthole on the left. You will see a medium sized iceberg with a height of more than 25 meters. Anyone who knows ice bergs must know that only 1/10 of the volume of an iceberg will surface. The underwater part occupies 9/10. This means that the height of the entire iceberg is almost 250 meters, of which more than 200 re below the sea surface.”

The navigator’s voice echoed in the hall. “That ice berg is the giant remains of the ice sheet, and feel off the arctic Ice cap 32 years ago and is always floating in the nearby sea. In summer, it will move further north, and it winter, it will be close to the edge of the Arctic Circle. The crew affectionately calls it the “Mary Girl” but as you can see, after 32 years of melting, the once hugeg “mary Girl” has only 250 feet of ice left. This year maybe the last time that Mary Girl will accompany us on our ice sea journey. Goodbye, Mary Girl, we will miss you.”

The wall-like ice cliffs slid past the hull of the cliffs, showing a dazzling blue color The white water fowl stood on top of the Mary Girl, staring blankly at the red behemoth driving by. After that, it floats far away.

Few tourists actually went to see the last side of the Mary Girl. Sexy Belarusian girls, hot gambling games, and mellow wine, kept their eyes on the gaming table.

The captain woke up a bit from the wine, pace to the porthole, looked out and let out a faint puff of smoke.

“Is it like seeing off an old friend?” A very young voice spoke next to him, but it was low with an iceberg-like feel.

The captain raised his head and was surprised to find that there was a young man in a black suit standing beside him, with black hair and an extremely clear face, carrying an elegant suitcase in his hand and a long black bag on his shoulders. He should be Chinese, but his accent is standard American English. The captain had been standing by the porthole for five minutes but didn’t notice when the young man approached him.

“It is, isn’t it? Always sailing in such lonely waters, we give each iconic iceberg a girl’s name in our hearts. Mary is like a bright girl in white, waiting for us in this sea forever. Seeing her, we don’t need to look at the theodolite to know which area of the sea we’re sailing in.” The captain emotionally explained. “So what’s your name?”

“Chu. Chu Zihang.”

“is there anything I can do for you? Mr. Chu.”

“I want to see the captain.”

“Then you are looking for the right person!” The captain smiled and straightened his captain’s hat. “The name’s Sasha Rebarko, Captain of the Yamal. Ready to serve you!”

“No. I don’t want to se you. I want to see the real captain.” Chu Zihang said lightly.

The captain was stunned, a sharp light flashing in his pupils. But it was fleeting.

“How can there be two captains on a ship?” He shrugged. “Only when I am sick and unable to perform the duties of captain will the chief officer take over. As as you can see, I’m as strong as an ox!”

“Your real name is not Sasha Rebarko, but Alexander Rebarko. You were a major of the Alpha Special Forces of the Russian Federal  Security Service. After retiring in 2001, you were hired by the real captain. The ship’s technology is actually very rudimentary. This ship is usually managed by the chief mate, but you are a proficient marksman, skilled in unarmed combat, and practiced in using almost all military equipment. So You’re responsible for the security of the ship.”

“You have been married once, now divorced. Your parents live in St. Petersburg. You have a 16-year old sister.” Chu Zihang’s one was steady like this big ship, but the captain’s heartbeat was as steep and tortuous as the icebergs outside.

He subconsciously bent his knees slightly and leaned forward and his hands drew into his sleeves. This was an attempt to grasp the dagger hidden inside, but he felt empty.

This kind of “muscle memory” came from being trained to be very skillful with a knife. Major Alexaner Rebarko, when he was wearing the Alpha Force uniform, he would have had a dagger in his sleeve at all times.

But he hasn’t used the name Alexander in more than ten years. In order to sever his relationship with the past, he took great pains to change. He changed his address, phone number, broke off contacts with old friends and hired hackers to break into Alpha Forces serves to delete all his files. He performed a bit of facial surgery... Since then it was like Alpha Elite Major Alexander Rebarko had never existed in this world and was replaced by senior captain Sasha Rebarko.

Now the past buried by his own hands has been completely restored in the cold and plain narration of this young man, as if he were some sort of guardian angel that had seen his whole like with his own eyes.

Anyone, as long as he has existed in this world, will always leave countless marks, which can not be easily modified.” Chu Zihang finally said. “As long as the Cassell Academy is interested in anyone, they can always be investigated and found out.”

The people around them flowed like water around rocks.

After a long silence, Sasha’s body relaxed from being tight as a bow. He looked at Chu Zihang again. “Cassell Academy?”

Of course, they can’t really use force in such a public space. The offensive posture was just Sasha’s stress response.

Chu Zihang flipped the collar of his suit and showed Sasha the silver coat of arms pinned inside it. On the coat of arms was a huge tree with lush branches on one half and completely withered on the other half.

“I’ve never heard of it, and never seen that emblem.” Sasha shook his head.

“I think the captain may recognize this emblem. I’m referring to the real captain.”

“What do you want?”

“I just want to meet the captain. I know there is a hidden rule on this boat. The person who gambles the most is eligible to go up to see the captain.” Chu Zihang raised the suitcase in his hands. “I prepared funds before I arrived here.”

Sahsa glanced at the sturdy suitcase. The suitcase seemed to be right. High gamblers liked to carry such suitcases, full of two million dollars in cash. Two million dollars is not a lot. Some gamblers have subordinates to help carry a dozen or so cash boxes in and out. But if he just wants to meet the captain, two million should be fine.

“Okay,” Sasha shrugged. “It’s okay to take you to the captain, but I must first wish you good luck.”

“Wish me luck?”

The captain doesn’t like to see outsiders very much. If he sees an outsider and doesn’t like him, that guy will be brainwashed. Brainwashed people end up a little messed up if it doesn’t go right.” Sasha said. “I don’t want you to be so unlucky.”

[callunavulgari]

Year-In-Life | 2020

Or that annual New Year’s meme where I talk about what the year was like to live through. And since this is 2020 the read through below features: a whole lot of depression, frank discussion about losing my cat, and pictures of my face.

1. What did you do in 2020 that you’d never done before? Lost my best friend. I lost a hamster when I was about ten, but other than that, I’ve never lost a pet before. Losing Mal was the worst thing about an already awful year. I have lost family members that I have mourned less than her. I am still fucked up about losing her, and probably will be for a long while yet. 

Things that I haven’t done before - 2020 edition - consists of extreme depression, global pandemics, wearing a mask if I’m not either at home or in my car, having covid, being in the ER twice in one year, cutting all carbs and losing sixty pounds, spending a weekend in Vegas (in January, obvs), gambling (and winning over a thousand dollars), and probably a lot of other things that I’ve blocked out. But it’s always going to be the year that I lost Mal.

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Apparently, according to 2019 me, my resolutions were to lose weight and quit smoking. Which, strangely enough, I actually did. Who knew that going to the ER for heart issues at the age of 30 would scare me into switching some things up.So, yay! I kept my resolutions.

Resolutions for 2021 - lose the rest of the weight. End goal is only another 50 pounds away. Write something original if you can, but don’t stress if you can’t. Heal. Be happier. Breathe deep. Don’t do something you’ll regret.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? One of my coworkers had a kid earlier in the year, but nothing since.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Mal. 

5. What countries did you visit? Alternatively, what is your favorite place that you did go this year? No countries this year, because that is illegal. I did go to Las Vegas in January though, before the year turned into an absolute shitstorm. It was actually really wonderful, which I wouldn’t have expected out of Vegas. We watched our friends get married on the High Roller. Ate a lot of very good, but very expensive food. Gambled a bit and actually won money. Saw two Cirque du Soleil shows - the Beatles and water one. Saw the Bellagio fountains and maybe cried a little about it. It was really nice.

6. What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020? Well, I didn’t get a ring and we didn’t get a house, but we also made the decision to not do that this year. We did however, get a better president, so that was nice. In 2021, I would like a little more serotonin and a little less anxiety. And I’m not gonna say a damn thing about a ring.

7. What date from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? September 20th, 2020. Any other dates don’t fucking matter. 8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I lost a ton of weight and quit smoking, hopefully for the last time. Covid didn’t kill me. I didn’t kill me. I know that sounds bad, but it was a really, really horrible year.

9. What was your biggest failure? I don’t know. Not being able to save her? Not knowing that the heart abnormality had gotten that bad? Not getting her on clot busters the minute we took care of the thyroid problem.  10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I had Covid near the end of October and had regular illnesses a couple times throughout the year. I went to the ER in May for heart-related problems. And I’ve had debilitating headaches every single day since Covid, so. Yes. 11. What was the best thing you bought? We rescued a new kitten approximately four days after we lost Mal. It was too soon, I think, and if I could have done it again, I may have waited longer. But BMO was incredibly depressed after she passed and had basically stopped eating, so we were desperate. But I can’t regret getting her. She’s been the little bit of sunshine we’ve had since October.  12. Whose behavior merited celebration? I don’t know. Everyone and everything sucked this year. 13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? I don’t know, mine? I’ve come a long way this year in terms of weight loss and smoking and holding it together, but I’ve also sunken into the deepest hole that I’ve possibly ever been in since September. I will always be deeply frustrated by Nick’s mother and my mother, so that’s not really new. Everything sucked. Hopefully 2021 is better.

14. Where did most of your money go? Bullshit medical stuff. Turns out that two ER trips, countless doctor visits, and dental fuckery is really expensive. I did also go slightly crazy and bought Nick too many gifts this year, but in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t bad. Also planning on buying a relatively pricey comforter as soon as I’ve confirmed that I haven’t gotten it for Christmas. 15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? I am going to be completely and totally serious when I say that I don’t think I’ve experienced true excitement since about February. I did get a very intense, brief spike of serotonin when I saw the new Dragon Age and Mass Effect trailers. But like. I don’t know. That’s kind of it. 

Okay, no, that’s a lie. I was happy to lose the weight I did and was super proud of myself and my health was phenomenal, but then Mal happened and covid happened and it’s hard to see the good things that happened this year when I feel this fucking horrible right now.

16. What song will always remind you of 2020? Toss a Coin to Your Witcher (because yeah, that was this year, fuck). Teeth. Don’t Get Me Wrong. The Untamed theme. Well, the entire Untamed soundtrack. Dance Monkey. We Won’t Be Falling. Promare soundtrack. Own Me. Into the Unknown. Monster. Waving Through a Window. Eurovision soundtrack. 17. Compared to this time last year, are you: i. happier or sadder? So much more depressed. Which says a lot, because 2019 was not super great. ii. thinner or fatter? But hey, on the plus side my answer to this question is finally thinner. iii. richer or poorer? Probably around the same. Or maybe poorer? I had a lot in my savings last year that I had to dip into because of medical shit. 18. What do you wish you’d done more of? I wish I’d done... anything. I wish I was allowed to leave my house without worrying about infecting myself or others. I wish that I had gone to the park more. I wish that I’d travelled. I wish that I’d written more. I wish I’d cooked more. I wish I’d worked out. Spent more time with my cat.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? God, I fucking wish I’d spent less time in my apartment.

20. How will you be spending Christmas? I don’t know. Nick’s family wants to have a big gathering since his grandpa might not be around next year? But the idea of that makes me super flinchey, for obvious reasons. I mean, I’m reasonably sure that the antibodies are still in our system, so we have a smaller chance of infection, but fuck. Also, large gatherings have been giving me anxiety, also for obvious reasons. 21. How will you be spending New Year’s Eve? I hope that we’re staying home. I want to make pirozki and spend the transition into the new year on my couch, maybe playing a video game, maybe napping. 22. Did you fall in love in 2020? Still love him. He got me through this year. I don’t think I could have done it alone. 23. Best month for you this year? January through March was not horrible. I can’t remember a definitive good month of the three, but January was Vegas, which was really good, so lets go with that.

24. What was your favorite TV program? Of just 2020? The Untamed (live action and anime), The Magicians, Guardian, various Watcher Entertainment segments, She-Ra (season 5!!!), The Haunting of Bly Manor, Over the Garden Wall, Leverage, Motherland: Fort Salem...

My favorite being The Untamed, hands down. Obviously.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I don’t think I have enough energy for hate at this point. I’m just tired.

26. What was the best book you read? Favorite was probably a tie between Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth, which works out well since they’re part of the same series. I really, really loved this series and am kind of sad that I have to wait until 2022 to get the third part of the trilogy. Top ten below, because why not.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley

Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab

Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

The Last Sun (and it’s sequel) by K.D. Edwards

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Toss a Coin to Your Witcher has singlehandedly escorted me through 2020. Basically all the songs listed a couple questions up were my favorites of the year, but the Untamed soundtrack was probably my favorite. Promare soundtrack was also bomb af.

28. What did you want and got? Nick’s mom bought us nice bookshelves when we moved into the new place.

29. What did you want but didn’t get? A lot of things. Namely, I wish Mal was still with me.

30. What was your favorite film of this year? Promare, 100% Most of the other movies I watched were all rewatches. I watched My Neighbor Totoro, Onward, Knives Out, Emma, and that Eurovision movie. They were all pretty swell.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I wrapped presents on the living room floor and watched Last Christmas, which I thought was just a rom-com Christmas movie but surprised the hell out of me at the reveal that her love interest was dead the whole time? Like? That came out of left field. We then had a very quiet lunch at the Lantern, the Chinese place we go every year, and ducked into Oakland Nursery and Barnes and Noble long enough to grab some plants and books. I also got to see the Easton Christmas tree from across the street. It was snowing and honestly, a really pretty day. Oh, also I had to go to the dentist. That was less fun.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? If I’d been able to keep Mal. 33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020? I wore a lot of comfortable work appropriate clothes and pajamas. My clothes don’t really fit me anymore since I lost all the weight, but I refuse to buy more until I’m actually at my goal weight. 34. What kept you sane? Nick was very helpful every time I had an anxiety attack and/or broke down crying. It could have been a lot worse, probably, but I literally cannot wrap my mind around that right now. 35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Every single actor in the Untamed live action is unfairly gorgeous, especially Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan. Also, Henry Cavill was a shockingly good casting for Geralt and needs to be grimey all the time because he is a LOT more attractive when it looks like he hasn’t showered in three weeks. 36. What political issue stirred you the most? FUCK DONALD TRUMP IN THE EAR 20156789 2020—– This has literally been my response since 2015. Here’s to hoping that it won’t be my response in 2021. Also, children in concentration camps? Lying to the public about the pandemic? The race riots that happened earlier in the year? Literally everything else? This year has been fucking awful. 37. Who did you miss? Mal. Myself when I’m not feeling like this. 38. Who was the best new person you met? Annie. New coworker, delightful lady. If the pandemic was not a thing I definitely would have already gotten drinks with her after work.

39. Talk about a new friend that you made this year: Uh. Annie is a delightful person and brought me and Nick food when we were wasting away with covid. She also gave us toilet paper when we ran out after all the assholes in the entire country bought all the toilet paper in March/April. 

40. Post a picture from the beginning of the year:

This is me in like... February? I think? In public. Without a mask. I have lots of pictures of me in January, but all of them have someone else with me.

41. Post a picture from the end of the year:

Taken on my birthday, snatched just outside the doors of Barnes & Noble with the Easton tree across the street. Note the mask dangling from my ear.

42. A memorable meal discovered this year? Okay, so like. Two things. One- I had a meal in Vegas, that was fucking amazing. Actually I had a couple of those. Let me see if I can find pictures. Okay, so below are the two best meals I have eaten this year. The top is a butternut squash and pistachio ravioli, which came with this sweet butter sauce and it was so. fucking. good. Like, I have craved this thing since January. The bottom is the beef wellington at Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen. Which was... overpriced, but admittedly still delicious. I could have lived off that damn ravioli though.

43. What was your favorite memory this year? My birthday was actually pretty okay, all things considered. The snow was magical and I felt solidly okay for most of the day. Other than that, all of the nights in Vegas were great.

44. What are you excited for next year? So, the message to me from 2019 me for this question is about how I was really sad on December 26th of 2019 and that I hoped that 2020 would be the year that we “seized life by the horns or whatever” and like. Baby. 2019 me. I realize your depression was valid, but holy fuck, my sweet summer child it got so much worse. Though, I guess technically I did seize life by the horns for a bit. And then September hit like a bag of bricks.

Anyway, I am cautiously optimistic and hopeful that the transition of power to Biden goes smoothly. I’m hoping that things get better and not worse. I’m excited for several books, movies, and games, but mostly, I’m hoping that things are better. 

45. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020: My message from last year was this:

“I feel like my message from last year is fucking taunting me. Legit though, this is not the worst thing you’ve ever been through. You have a boyfriend who loves you, two wonderful cats that better not fucking die anytime soon, and like, I don’t know, working ovaries. A job. A car. An apartment that has a kind of shitty kitchen and a bath tub that might as well not exist, but is still an apartment! Which is more than some people have!”

Thanks 2019 Heather. It got worse. (Though admittedly, and knock on fucking wood, but 2019 me is right. It could technically still get worse. But I have hope that it won’t.)

My valuable life lesson in the year of 2020: Life sucks. Keep your head on straight. Mourn your dead and love your living like you’ll never see them again. Live life like you could die tomorrow. And don’t take the little things for granted. 46. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: I am going to make it through this year If it kills me - This Year, The Mountain Goats

(2018 me apparently quoted Singing in the Rain. 2019 quoted something sad and pretentious. 2020 me is just tired and clinging to life by my damn fingernails.)

First Fandom of 2020: January of 2020 seems to have been solidly The Magicians, The Witcher, and The Untamed. Favorite Main Character of 2020: Wei Wuxian, fuck. Favorite Villain of 2020: Wei Wuxian, fuck. Close second if that doesn’t apply - Xue Yang. Favorite M/F Couple of 2020: Does Parker/Elliot/Hardison count? Because them, holy fuck. Also, female!Byleth/Jeritza. Favorite F/F Couple of 2020: Catra and Adora!!!!! Ahhhhh!!!! Er. Also, Harrow/Gideon.  Favorite M/M Couple of 2020: Wei Wuxian/Lan Wangji. Close second is probably Ryan/Shane. Fandom That You Never Expected To Get Into: Honestly, probably the Untamed. I’m not usually crazy about live actions, but fuck, it was good. Fandom That Made An Unexpected Comeback: Buzzfeed Unsolved/Watcher. Also, in the last month I have been all over Mark/Damien(/Sam) from the Bright Sessions because I just listed to Neon Darkness. Fandom That Inspired The Most Crack: Yeah, idk. There’s crack in every fandom. Last Fandom of 2020: Buzzfeed Unsolved. And honestly, I’m still not out of The Untamed.  Favorite Fandom of 2020: Definitely the Untamed. Dipping into the Witcher was also nice.

[hawkvalley]

Broncos Regular Season Week 13

Hawk Valley

Quick Review

The Broncos lost to the Saints 31-3. Some people described Kendall's passes as lollipops. That doesn't make any sense to me. I would describe them as arcs over the incoming flights to Denver International Airport. After the first Denver drive, the Saints realized what kind of day it was going to be and called off the dogs.

The scoring sequence

In the third quarter, the Broncos had the ball on the 22 yard line. On first down, Gordon ran for 10 yards. On second down, Gordon slipped in the backfield and lost three yards. Fant caught the only completed pass of the day with 11:33 left in the third. Kendall Hinton's pass to Fant gained 13 yards. Lindsay followed that up with a run to the left for no gain. On second down, Hinton's pass was intercepted.

The Saints quarterback threw a pass that was almost intercepted on first down. The Saints quarterback dropped the ball and lost two yards on second down. On third down, the Broncos intercepted his pass.

The Broncos had to keep their running backs fresh, so Freeman came in and ran to the left for four yards on first down. Lindsay was out of the game with a knee injury. Hinton picked up 2 yards on a second down scramble. On third down, the Broncos tried a reverse with Hamler that lost 6 yards. At the 6:56 mark in the third quarter, the Broncos scored their only points of the game on a 58 yard field goal. That is why there will not be a longer review.

The Game Stats

Denver

Time of Possession

24:14

Passing Attempts

9

Passing Yards

13

Rushes

33

Rushing Yards

100

Saints

Time of Possession

35:46

Passing Attempts

16

Passing Yards

78

Rushes

44

Yards

229

Player Stats

The Running Game

* AYPC is average yards per carry

PlayerCarriesAYPCLongTD(s) Fumble(s) Gordon1231100 Lindsay921300 Freeman862300 Hinton24500 Hamler2-4-300

The Passing Attack

* He was targeted once

** He was targeted twice

PlayerReceptions%LongTD(s)Fumble(s) Fant150%1300 Patrick**00%000 Fumagalli*00%000 Hamilton*00%000 Jeudy*00%000 Vannett*00%000

The Quarterbacks

Kendall Hinton

Passing

compypaTD(s)INT(s)LongRating 11%102130

Rushing

AttYardsLongTD(s) 2750

Sacked

TimesYards LostFumble(s) 110

Hill

Passing

compypaTD(s)INT(s)LongRating 56%5012443

Rushing

AttYardsLongTD(s) 1044172

Sacked

Time(s)Yard(s) LostFumble(s) 3151

During the week

On Monday, the Denver Broncos stated a campaign to complain about their punishment. The Broncos must have issued talking points, because everyone in the media was parroting the same thing. It was unbelievable. If you've ever known someone that has had to talk from prepared statements, this is what that was, but with a vibe of a trial through the media.

The first point the Broncos made, was that the quarterbacks only took their mask off to eat and drink at the facility. The prepared defense, appealing to the common juror, suggested it was like getting a speeding ticket for traveling one mph above the speed limit. OK, they were doing well with their own defense at this point. Drew Lock even wrote a letter of apology. The NFL was just letting the Broncos fall into a trap.

Later in the week, the NFL revealed they had video evidence that the quarterbacks not only did not wear their masks, but they had caught the quarterbacks tampering with the contract tracing devices the NFL requires players to wear this season because of Covid. That ended the debate, but this upset Drew Lock's mom, who then took to social media to defend her son. *allegedly Drew's dad tried to stop her from posting. The Broncos stopped defending their quarterbacks and decided to move on.

I've mentioned it before, but I'll remind you now that the media was growing tired of Drew's responses to questions. Now, Lock was busted for tampering with NFL tracking devices. This led people on sports talk to wonder if anyone could trust Drew Lock. The NFL now has an impression of Drew.

After all of this happened, the "ownership" squabble was back in the news. Someone suggested they are growing tired of the Broncos and want to sell the team, the Bowlen kids however, don't wish to sell at this time...*allegedly. This basically reminded everyone there will be a court case in July about the ownership of the Denver Broncos.

The last thing that happened this week, was that the NFL hall of fame called the Broncos. They want something of Hinton's to put in Canton. The Broncos have agreed to send Hinton's wrist band with all of the plays on it to the HOF. The game where the practice squad receiver, that played one game in the NFL, with less than 24 hours notice... will now be remembered forever.

Looking Ahead to Future Opponents

Third Quarter Outlook

WeekTeamWinning %Wins 10Raiders55%6 11Dolphins64%7 12Saints82%9 13Chiefs91%10

Fourth Quarter Outlook

WeekTeamWinning %Wins 14Panthers33%4 15Buffalo73%8 16Chargers27%3 17Raiders55%6

A red line, might be wavy, indicates a loss.

A green line, might be double, indicates a win

*(records as of November 30)

Afc West Standings

Vs the Division

TeamGame(s) PlayedWinning %Net Las Vegas475%+34 Kansas City475%+26 Denver333%-51 Los Angeles30%-9

Vs the Conference

TeamGames PlayedWinning %Net Kansas City5100%+79 Denver560%+15 Los Angeles560%+1 Las Vegas333%-13

vs the NFC

TeamGames PlayedWinning %Net Kansas City2100%+5 Las Vegas450%-48 Los Angeles30%-15 Denver30%-53

Today's teams ranked by stats

Broncos (4-7)

31st

26th

26th

14th

12

9

21

96%

0

24

0

0

0

0

-15**

Lost 1

** Worst in the nfl

Chiefs (10-1)

2nd

1st

1th

18th

30

10

17

90%

0

15

0

1

0

2

+9

Won 6

Outlook

The above stats tell the story of this game. The Chiefs have a great offense and the Broncos do not.

I happened to notice the price of tickets for this game. The starting price, for one ticket, is $320. That makes it the second most expensive ticket in the NFL this week. A ticket to the Packer game will cost you $334.

The Broncos have a chance in this game, if the last week was just part of an elaborate ruse so that the Broncos quarterbacks could have two full weeks to prepare for the Chiefs, but... what are the odds of that being true.

The Last Four Games

The Kansas City Chiefs outscored their opponents by 35 points, 4 wins

The Denver Broncos were outscored by 53 points, 1 win

The Last Two Games

The Kansas City Chiefs outscored their opponents by 7 points, 2 wins

The Denver Broncos were outscored by 21 points, 1 win

Denver's Defense

In week 6, the Denver Broncos played the New England Patriots and they won. Since then both teams have played six games. The Patriots have won three games during this time period, the Broncos two. The Patriot's offense has outscored the Bronco's offense by 11 points during this time. The teams seem to be going in different directions though. The Patriots have been outscored by 25 points, but the Broncos have been outscored by 79. In other words, the Pats have been losing by about a field goal, the Broncos have been losing by about 2 touchdowns. I mention this because the defense gets a ton of praise for playing well.

Game Time

Sunday December 6 @ 6:20 PM MT

[breakingarrows]

Stealing this from twitter, one of those 1 like = 1 video game answer

1. Very first video game

I have hazy memories of playing Sonic on the Genesis and if not that then most likely Pokemon Red? Twisted Metal is the oldest game I own that I didn’t buy myself and just always had so maybe that one.

2. Your favorite character

God gotta be Geralt. It is hard to separate his Witcher 3 iteration from the books, which is probably the best compliment I can give CDPR’s adaptation as the more I read the books the more I appreciate how faithful that game was. Geralt’s the typical grumpy dad who puts on a show of having no emotion but really does care about others and frequently acts on that (no need to read into how that reflects myself).

3. A game that is underrated.

Tough because underrated as in metacritic or just in general like mass audience reactions? I think overrated would be an easier pick for metacritic but for mass audience underrated I would say something like Disco Elysium since it was PC only and even there seems to have found a small but dedicated niche audience. I would also say Rain World but honestly need to play more.

4. Your guilty pleasure game.

LA Noire, Alan Wake, Alien Isolation, games people are mostly either like, that was okay or didn’t like but I really love.

5. Game character you feel you are most like (or wish you were)

Damn guess its time to admit how Geralt reflects myself.

6. Most annoying character.

Got some classics like Navi (OOT), Dutch/Micah (RDR2), Ryder (GTASA), I feel like there are more good ones but I can’t find/trigger their memories.

7. Favorite game couple.

Geralt and Yennefer (Witcher), Red and her unnamed lover (Transistor), Harry and Kim (Disco Elysium)

8. Best soundtrack.

Fuck. Hyper Light Drifter, Final Fantasy VII, DOOM, Transistor, Halo Reach/ODST, Red Dead Redemption, Kingdom Hearts, Alien Isolation, LA Noire. Licensed: Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1, 2, 3, Fallout 3/New Vegas (even if they repeat way too often).

9. Saddest game scene.

Ending of Crisis Core, death of Avalanche members in Final Fantasy VII, ending of Red Dead Redemption, ending of Transistor, saying goodbye to Clementine in The Walking Dead Season 1.

10. Best gameplay.

Titanfall 2, DOOM, Hitman, Halo 5 (Arena multiplayer only), Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 (revert is king), Metroid Prime (on Wii).

11. Gaming system of choice.

PS4/3/PC in that order

12. A game everyone should play.

Disco Elysium, Bioshock 2, Rain World, Yakuza 5, Final Fantasy Tactics (either PSOne Classic or War of the Lions)

13. A game you’ve played more than five times.

lol full playthroughs Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, DOOM. Games I’ve started and made significant progress in so many times: Final Fantasy VII, Modern Warfare 2, Alan Wake, Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, LA Noire, Halo Reach, Final Fantasy Tactics The War of the Lions

14. current (or most recent) gaming wallpaper.

Wallpapers on phone have been Evangelion for years now. The rotating desktop wallpaper folder only has Alien Isolation because of how much it looks like Alien and Breath of the Wild because of how much it looks like Ghibli landscapes.

15. Post a screenshot from a game you’re playing right now.

It would be something from Apex (a win screen) or Red Dead Redemption 2 (landscape)

16. Game with the best cutscenes.

God most games have cutscenes that are really boring (shot, reverse-shot, in-game engine puppets, black bar zoom ins, economical choices because of how often they’re going to be used but so boring) so I guess Control because its got styyyyyyle.

17. Favorite antagonist.

uhhhhh the greater structure of the world in Disco Elysium? Human opponents in Apex Legends. The rain in Rain World. Tenpenny in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. Xenomorph in Alien Isolation.

18. Favorite protagonist.

I mean Geralt (Witcher), Alan Wake (the titular Alan Wake), Harry Du Bois (Disco Elysium), Red (Transistor), John Marston (Red Dead Redemption), CJ (Grand Theft Auto San Andreas), DOOMGUY (DOOM), Jesse Faden (Control)

19. Picture of a game setting you wished you lived in

Most of video game worlds are trying to kill you but Breath of the Wild, San Andreas, Kingdom Hearts, Morrowind

20. Favorite genre

Seems to be shooters, some open world if the angle is good.

21. Game with the best story.

Story as in fiction? Disco Elysium. Story as in the thing its trying to sell you on as you play? The Last of Us, Bioshock 2, Transistor.

22. A game sequel which disappointed you.

Not technically a sequel but Bioshock Infinite, Red Dead Redemption 2, Fallout 4, Metal Gear Solid V, Uncharted 4, Halo 5, Infamous Second Son

23. Game you think had the best graphics or art style

Persona 5, Disco Elysium (those portraits jesus so good), Shadow of the Colossus (PS2 version, the fog and unfocused edges make it such a #mood), Morrowind (I love the fucking early 2000s 3D graphics), Final Fantasy VII (the pre-rendered backgrounds, I could star at them for days), Control, Hyper Light Drifter, any of those Yoshi art games (crayon of Yoshi’s Island and fuzz of Wooly World are standouts)

24. Favorite Classic game

Pokemon Gold, Link’s Awakening, Doom, Final Fantasy VII/Tactics, Spider-Man

25. A game you plan on playing

boy I have a whole spreadsheet for this on but the one on my mind is Okami, Alpha Protocol, Madworld

26. Best voice acting

uh idk the expensive games, Red Dead Redemption 2, The Last of Us?

27. Most epic scene ever

when I get a win in Apex Legends with like 8+ kills overall

28. Favorite game developer

Remedy Entertainment, Respawn, uh hard to find consistency, most of my favorites have been one-offs where I either haven’t played or don’t really like the rest that developer made.

29. A game you thought you wouldn’t like, but ended up loving.

I usually don’t play games I don’t think I would like because I know my tastes and don’t waste time but I guess something like Hitman was a surprise because I had heard all the praise about it long before I finally sat down to play it myself and it was fucking great.

30. Your favorite game of all time.

God uh I mean I’ve been returning to games like Uncharted 2, Final Fantasy VII, San Andreas for like a decade now. Pokemon Gold too if I would finally buy the stuff to replace the battery in it. So I guess one of those since they’ve been part of my life the longest.

[marklandfinancial]

Inheritances can be emotional minefields

Let’s just go ahead and get this hard sentence out of the way now.

You are going to have to deal with some of your closest friends and family members dying.

Yuck.

But wait, what is that?  Is that a little.... happiness? WAIT A MINUTE, GRANDMA JUST DIED AND I AM ACTUALLY A LITTLE...happy?  How can that be?  I must be a terrible human being!

Nope.  You are just, well, a human being.  We are messy creatures, some of us more than others (I will leave that up to you to decide who is the messiest of your tribe!).  We always have conflicting emotions:

You can love the NBA and hate the Lakers

You can love JCrew and not be a big fan of plaid 

You can love your father but hate that he smokes

And you can be anguished that your nan (shout out to any Britons who follow!) has passed away and a little stoked that you can pay off that credit card debt and buy a new mattress to replace the 14 year old one you brought from your childhood bedroom.  (seriously, you probably need a new mattress).  Now, if you are calling the doctor and telling him to pull the plug on the way to the Mercedes dealership, well, THAT might mean you have some issues.  But receiving some financial windfall is going to cause a positive emotional reaction.  It just is.

But, while the emotions are normal, acceptable and human, they should be under control before acting on any inherited money, for any number of reasons.  Here is a synopsis of what I tell clients who need a game plan for an inheritance:

Go Slow

Unless the inheritance is an ice sculpture in Houston in August, you more than likely should be in zero rush to do anything with it. Even if you owe high interest rate credit card debt, the savings you will gain on paying that off 30 days earlier is not worth the peace of mind you will gain by stopping and considering all of your options.  And, unless you have a working knowledge of the will, you might be in for a happy surprise when you find out she is the 168th largest investor in Facebook or a rude awaking when you see that 98% of her wealth is going to that shady cat rescue place outside of town.  

Be Mindful

- We try to avoid buzzwords @MarklandFinancial because so much of what you should do with your money is simple and basic.  (Save.  Invest.  Don’t spend too much.  if you just followed those 6 words, you would be in good shape.)  But mindfulness is a universally positive trait that we should all aspire to have and is so useful in so many parts of our lives (gets off his soapbox, puts it away, and gets back to the topic at hand).  When dealing with an inheritance, this is usually a once in a lifetime event (not many people get 15 of the things, you know?) and it can be a game changer, for you (and others).  You want to make the most of this so consider the following before acting:

The person who you are inheriting from- what would bring them joy to see you do with the inheritance?  Would they be excited that you and 5 buddies went to Vegas for a week?  Or would that rather see it in your son’s college fund?  No judgement here; maybe Granny was a partier who loved a good foam party at the Wynn and hated kids.  Just thinking about what they would want will help you make a good decision.  They also could have loved those damn cats, so maybe a small donation to that shady cat place would be a good idea after all.

The people around you- maybe your sister’s kid could use a car repair or your favorite babysitter growing up just started a GoFundMe to move to Japan.  Much of our happiness can come from making others happy; before you pull the trigger on your third car, take a little time to see if you would actually be happier helping someone else out.

Your legacy- Maybe you are inheriting land, an expensive watch, or a beach house on Cape Cod.  Sure, you could sell those, take the money, and do whatever you want.  But you should also consider if you want little Harry to be an 8th generation rancher, if you want Joe wearing grandpa’s Rolex when he takes the Oath of Office as the POTUS, or if you want your grands to enjoy the beach house you spent your summers at.  Sometimes, inheritances are not received, they are loaned, until you in turn will loan them to your children.  Just something to think about.

Your personal needs- Paying off debt, socking it away for retirement (maybe a nicer one now!), or investing it in education, home repairs, that new mattress are always smart options that you should fund with any windfall.  Just make sure that, as you send that check off to the credit card company, you say a silent thank you and PROMISE YOU WILL NEVER RACK UP CREDIT CARD DEBT AGAIN!!!! 

Your personal wants-Okay, once you have thought about all of this, this is the fun part.  Jetski?  Sure.  Gold chain?  What is this, the Jersey Shore?  But whatever.   Have some fun with it, of course!

Get Help

If your inheritance is a 2007 Land Cruiser with 145k miles on it, $6,000 in cash, and a crusty old dog named Karl that coughs a lot, you probably don’t need a lot of help deciding.  But if you get some serious cash, stocks and bonds, or property, you ABSOLUTELY NEED a non involved person to talk with.  Talking with your wife could cause friction when you are resistant to putting Johnny’s college fund as the first priority, while OF COURSE your buddy Kevin wants you to put in that garage bar that you have been talking about for years.  Heck, even the priest might hit you up for a donation for the new parish hall.  Everyone has an angle, whether they realize it or not.  We recommend you call us (shameless plug) but it is critical you have someone you can trust who will give you honest feedback that DOES NOT AFFECT THEM.  (You spend 3 hours with us, you pay us our fee, and we could care less what you do with the money. Can Aunt Carla say that?  I did not think so).  An impartial, un-involved party is critical to helping you talk out your ideas without judgement (of course you can consider catching a flight to the Caymans and abandoning your family, just please Venmo us our fee before your flight) and without the ability to benefit from your decisions.  This advisor can help you flesh out your plans, consider all of your options and help you craft a narrative about your decisions so that you are comfortable communicating and acting up them (I guess you could pay the advisor to tell Tammy she is NOT getting the china, but that feels like a you job).  And, while any plan you put in place could involve buying stocks or mutual funds (which is a smart decision), we highly recommend not asking your broker what to do.  If they get paid based on your investments (and they do), your ONLY POSSIBLE OPTION WILL BE TO BUY THE NEWEST ETF.  You will have time to go to them, after you determine how much you should invest and then let them take it from there.  Make sense?  

Reach out to MarklandFinancial.com if you or anyone you know needs help, either due to a recent or a pending inheritence concern.