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Release year - 2020

writed by - Jon Gunn

Abigail Cowen

This song has a tendency to get stuck in my head. This is the type of song that should get used in church-instead of Hillsong's modern music.
So, to begin, my older brother has always been my bully. No matter what I do nothing is good enough and he finds a reason to belittle me. He also really loved Game of Thrones. However, he doesn't believe in pay-to-watch sites so he always watched GoT on those streaming sites that aren't really legal but kind of are. I watched with the family all of season 1 but during the first couple episodes of season 2 my brother would neglect to mention when they'd be watching so I always missed the episode. He lied to our parents and said that if they didn't watch the show right then it would be taken down and they'd never get to see it, and they believed him. I told them how it made me feel but they didn't really do anything to change it. My brother remains my bully and our parents continue to do nothing to help. Right before Season 4 started I got the urge to watch it again so I sighed up for HBO and binged all three seasons to refresh. During Season 4 I started watching with the family again. They were still streaming. I never mentioned I had an HBO account. As the seasons passed and the government started paying attention to the streaming sites the quality of the videos started to suck and we'd have to wait a while to watch each episode. No one else thought about signing up for an HBO though. We watched Season 8 and finished the finale, cracked some beers to recover. That's when I told them that this whole time I'd had an HBO account and we could have been watching GoT on that instead of streaming. My dad found it hilarious and gave me mad respect for waiting until literally ten minutes after the show ended forever to say something. Mom didn't care because she just doesn't care about things. My brother was pissed off because he loved the show and he wanted to know how I could do that to him. So I told him his treatment of me, and our parents disinterest in helping us grow closer and allowing my brother to bully me, was the exact reason. I've been thinking about this recently because I just got a Disney+ and my brother enjoys Disney Pixar movies and he'd like to use my account and he reminded me of the HBO debacle I guess as incentive to let him use my account. I'm pretty sure I'm an asshole but I figured I'd ask. Or was I totally justified based on their treatment of me? I was 11 when the show premiered and now 20, my brother is three years older.
https://shrturi.com/9bLAn1
1:04 GRACE.
Jeremy camp music got me through my depression Im for sure going to watch this.

This video is truly beautiful. It shows that love comes in all sizes, shapes, colors, and ways. It shows that even in hollywood, where we mostly see couples splitting every day, can truly be happy together despite what the media says. A Walk to Remember vibes 🤔. Part 1 I met with Maria in our usual café the following day at her request. I didn’t even try to make an excuse and dodge coming, because I knew she would find a way to blackmail me. When I arrived, she was already there, scrolling on her phone. She wore a cropped pink top and jeans and upon seeing me, she smiled widely and stood up to meet me. She passionately kissed me and whispered: “I missed you, Jakey. Did you miss me? ” “Yes. ” I answered like a docile animal, too afraid to hesitate. Had this been the time when we just started dating, I would have been absolutely stunned by her gorgeous appearance. But now, as I looked at her deceptive smile and dishonest eyes, I felt disgust. I could hardly even stomach the thought of being in her presence, let alone being intimate with her, but it had to be her way. “How was your day, sweetie? ” She asked. “It was… good. I didn’t really do anything special. ” I said, glancing around the place, trying to catch the attention of the waiter. “Aren’t you going to ask me about my day? ” She said, tapping her fingernails on the table, producing a hollow sound with each tap. I haven’t been with her for a full minute, and I already managed to piss her off. How the hell was I going to survive a relationship with this psychopath? “Yes, I’m sorry. How was your day, baby? ” I smiled and asked, to which her tapping stopped. “Well, just another typical day at school, you know? I had one kid scheduled for a conversation, but he never showed up. I’ll have to contact him to make sure he’s okay, though. I’m really worried about him, since he’s feeling depressed. ” She raised her eyebrows in a sorrowful manner. You lying, two-faced bitch was all I could think to myself as I nodded and agreed with her, encouraging her to leave the kid alone, until he felt comfortable to talk about his situation. Normally I would have advised differently, but right now being depressed sounded way better than being near this lunatic. “So, are you looking for a new job? ” She pompously asked, taking a sip of coffee. I stared at her for a moment in confusion and when she saw that, she put down her mug and said: “You know? Because you got fired from your old job? It’s such a shame, you really seemed to enjoy working there. But I believe you’re going to make up for the mistake you made at your old job. I believe in you and will support you until the end Jakey, because that’s what good girlfriends do. ” She smiled and reached across the table, putting her hand on mine. I smiled back, holding within me the urge to shout at her. We spent another twenty or so agonizing minutes talking about random things, when my phone buzzed on the table. I picked it up to read the message and noticed Maria greedily glancing at the screen. When I saw who the message was from, I silently started praying that Maria didn’t see it, but my hopes sank when she spoke up again: “Jake, I thought we’ve been through this already. ” When I looked at her, she had her arms crossed and was frowning at me. “What do you mean? ” I played dumb, closing the message and putting the phone in my pocket. “You know what I mean. We agreed that having friends of the opposite sex is not right for someone who is in a relationship. And last I checked, Federica was a girl. ” “Maria, please. Federica has always been a good friend of mine. I can’t just ditch her after all these years. ” “Jake, I’m trying to be supportive, I really am. But it’s so hard to do so when you’re constantly hurting me like this. ” Tears started welling in her eyes and her voice started to quiver, gradually becoming louder “I can’t be supportive of it when all I can think of was that day when you left me to be with her! How am I supposed to believe that you wouldn’t do it again?! ” She was practically screaming at this point, tears streaming down her face, much to the bewildered glances of the other guests. She buried her face in her hands and started sobbing. “Maria, please stop. ” “No! I won’t stop! ” She said between sobs, before slightly calming down and continuing “If you won’t do anything about it, then we’ll just have to go our own ways, Jake. But I’m not sure what your path would entail. ” She stood up, picked up her purse and put it over her shoulder. “Maria, wait! I’ll do whatever you want, please. ” I said. She looked at me with hesitation, wiping the tears and ruined makeup off her face, before sitting down and leaning on the table. She said: “Call her now. ” “What? ” “Call her and tell her never to contact you again. ” “Maria, I-“ “Call her! Or I’m leaving. ” I glanced around the restaurant, realizing that most of the people were sneaking glances in our direction, moving their gazes away when they met with mine. “Well? ” Maria’s unrelenting gaze was on me so intently, that I felt like it would burn a hole in my head. I pulled out my phone and dialed Federica’s number, with trembling hands. After two rings, she picked up. “Hey, J! ” She said jovially. “Hi, Federica. ” My somber greeting contrasted hers. “Is everything okay, Jake? ” She could immediately sense that something was wrong. Of course she could, even after a long time of not talking, she knew me better than I knew myself. “Jake, are you still there? ” She asked, when I failed to respond. Maria incessantly stared at me, slowly tapping her fingernails on the table again. “We can’t be friends anymore, Federica. ” I spat out as quickly as I could, feeling uncomfortable with the words. “What? Jake, I don’t understand. ” “Don’t ever call me again. ” I said and hung up, before she could respond. I put my phone in my lap and stared at it, as it started to ring with Federica’s name on the display. “Block her. ” Maria sternly said, still staring at me with her piercing look, her lips stiffening into a thin line. I declined Federica’s call and did as Maria asked. I also blocked her on all social media and once it was done, I gently placed my phone on the table and looked Maria in the eye. Her expression had shifted entirely from an angry one to compassionate. She stared at me with what looked like pity, as she put her hand on mine again and said: “I know this was hard, baby. But it was the only right thing to do. You only need me in your life, no one else. I will make you happy, I promise. ” She tightened the grip on my hand and I returned it, giving her a vague smile. A moment later, she pulled back and leaned in her chair, as she said: “Now that we got that vermin out of the way, I wanted to talk more about a serious matter. ” Her face flashed with a wide grin, as she cheerily said: “Jakey, I think I should move in with you. ” I opened my mouth to say something, but I frankly didn’t know if I should object, find an excuse or agree. “What do you think? ” She said as she took another sip from her mug. “Well, I don’t know. I mean, maybe it’s not such a good idea right now. I’m jobless after all, and when the landlord sees what you did to the apartment-“ “I thought you’d be happy about us living together. ” “I would. I mean, I am. ” I awkwardly said. “Good. Then it’s settled. I’ll bring my stuff around tomorrow. ” She took a sip of her coffee “Oh, and please try to clean up the apartment. The last time I came to your place it was a mess and I don’t want to be welcomed with things that need cleaning. ” I smiled, imagining pummeling her over and over. “I’m so excited, Jakey! ” Maria exclaimed. *** Sure as shit, Maria was there the next day. I had started cleaning and she was less than happy to see that the apartment was still a mess, despite the majority of if being taken care of. She was frustrated and started taking it out on me, calling me an incompetent half-man, but I ignored her remarks. This sort of life was not going to work. I had to find a way to turn the tables. Having Maria move in was agonizing. Not only did we spend a lot more time together, but I had to be careful about leaving my laptop unlocked, since I was sure she’d go snooping around. Living with her was utterly unpredictable, too. Some days she’d come back home in a great mood and would shower me with love and attention, while other days she’d be irritated, scolding me and shouting over anything I did wrong. As much as I hated any kind of contact with her, I preferred the first option. The only good thing that came out of this was the sex. I was a lot rougher with her than usually and even though this was good for both my mental and sexual frustration, it was even better that Maria enjoyed it too, so she couldn’t tell that it was my way of channeling anger. Or maybe she could, she just didn’t care. Either way, the first few days of her moving in I barely had any time to spend alone and think about things, but as the days went by and she mentally started exhausting me, I started to consider ways to end all of this. One day, we went to the movies and decided we’d grab dinner afterwards. While I was buying the tickets and popcorn, Maria sat in the back at a table drinking soda. “Jake, is that you? ” The young lady who worked there asked. I immediately recognized her as Helena, my high school classmate. “Helena, hi! So good to see you! ” I smiled “I didn’t realize you were back in town. ” “Yeah, just working in-between before I got back on the next cruise, you know? ” She chuckled. “Well good for you. How is working on a cruise ship, anyway? ” “Great! Lots of work, but I like it. Plus, it really helps, because my little sister needs to have college funded and since our parents are gone…” She shrugged. “I’m so sorry to hear that. ” “What about you? Is that your girlfriend back there? ” She shot Maria a glance and smiled. “Uh, yeah. ” I said, dodging a lengthier discussion about my psycho girlfriend. “Hey, I’d love to talk more, but I got other people waiting here, so how about we catch up soon? ” She asked. I nodded, took my popcorn and went back. I noticed Maria staring in my direction intently with a serious expression on her face. “You sure took your time talking to that girl. ” She said. “That’s Helena. She and I went to high school. ” I said “She actually works as a waitress on a cruise ship, but takes a break between tours. ” “Sounds boring. ” Maria said, while staring at her phone. “Yeah, but it pays well. She wants to pay for her sister’s college. ” “Whatever. Can we go see the movie now? ” I sensed Maria’s aggression, since she was rarely subtle when she got angry. I knew we would have a problem with this later and unsurprisingly, while we were in the restaurant eating dinner, Maria spoke up after being quiet for over an hour: “Jakey, do you love me? ” “Of course I love you, Maria. ” I said, reaching across the table to take her hand. “And are you planning on hurting me in any way? ” She asked, ignoring my hand. I brought my hand back and frowned, saying: “What? No, what would you say something like that? ” “Alright, good. ” She said as she took a bite of her food “Because you know, if something were to ever happen to me, it would be a bad thing. For you, I mean. And I really can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt, baby. ” I pretended to pay attention to the content on my plate, while slicing my steak. I chose not to respond and we spent the remainder of the dinner in silence. I had a horrible gut feeling the whole night and the following morning when Maria left for work, but I couldn’t really tell why. It just kept nagging at me, warning me about something. Maria came home later than usually that day and was in an unexpectedly good mood. I tried to stay on her good side for the remainder of the night. The next morning, I almost threw up my breakfast when I read the news. Movie theatre employee found dead. There was a picture of Helena on the headline. Although the details were not disclosed, it was stated in the article that Helena had been found dead near her apartment and that the police are actively searching for the killer. My first thought was, it must have been Maria, who else? But was she really capable of doing such a thing? Was she really going to such extreme lengths with her jealousy that she would kill anyone who even made mere small talk with me, even if it was a high school friend? Tears welled up in my eyes when I thought of Helena’s younger sister, who was already without her parents and now lost her sister. It was really The stakes have been raised and I had to up the ante myself, if I wanted to have even a slight chance of making it out of this hell of a relationship. I spent the following days in cafes, pretending to look for work, while actually devising a plan to get Maria off my back. She was obviously smart and thought this through to the end, step by step. I knew that the only way for me to compete in any way was to play her game. But how could I do such a thing? I didn’t have the mind of a psychopath, I didn’t even know where to begin to set her up. The one thing I could do was bide my time and build trust with her, until she fell into a false sense of security. But what then? I could use a recorder to try and get her to confess everything, but my recording in court would be weak at best, against her DNA proof or whatever else she had in store. I spent hours every day planning and came up with nothing, so I’d go home and wallow in my self-pity. This one day I came a little earlier from the café, around 2 pm and Maria still wasn’t home, since she usually doesn’t arrive until about 4. I was about to make lunch, when I heard the doorbell ring. I opened it and my eyes widened when I saw who was standing in front of me. “Hi, Jake. ” Federica grinned shyly. “Federica, what are you doing here? I told you not to contact me again. ” “Jake, you need to talk to me. What is going on? ” “Listen, you need to leave right now. ” I urged her. “Jake, we’ve known each other long enough for me to know when you’re in serious trouble. I’m not going until you tell me what’s going on. ” I hesitated for a moment, afraid that Maria may be lurking right around the corner. Eventually I gestured for her to come on in. She complied and we went into the living room. She stopped in the middle of the room and spun around to face me, with a look of judgment on her face. “So? What is it? ” She asked. I sighed and looked down, shaking my head: “I really can’t talk about it. ” “Hey, look at me. ” She took a step forward and put her hand on my cheek. The gesture disgusted me, as it painfully reminded me of something Maria would do. “We’ve known each other for years and we’ve been through hell and high water. Whatever this is, I’ll help you. I promise. I sighed once more and looked her in the eye. I really needed to tell someone, I’ve been bottling it up for so long. “It’s Maria. “What about her? ” She stepped back and looked at me curiously. “She’s blackmailing me. She’s got evidence against me for crimes I didn’t even commit. I mean geez, she framed me and got me arrested a while back for drug possession. The girl’s a psycho! ” “Jesus. ” Federica said, now staring at me with wide eyes. “I have to do everything she tells me. ” I shrugged. “Well Jake, we can’t just sit on it and let her have her own way. We have to find a way to-“ Federica started and her eyes trailed behind me, growing even wider. “Have to find a way to what? ” a female voice came from behind me. I spun around and there stood my girlfriend. She had a disturbing grin on her face stretched from ear to ear and she stared directly at Federica, with her shoulders tense. “Jakey, what is she doing here? ” Maria asked through her grin, turning her gaze towards me. “Maria, I can explain. Federica had nothing to do with this. ” I said, holding out my hand in a stop sign. Just then, my eyes fell on a glint in Maria’s hand. She was holding a knife. “Maria, baby. Let’s just calm down here, alright? ” I stepped back in front of Federica. Maria took a daunting step forward, still grinning like a crazy person. As she did so, her step turned into a walk. “I told you to cut all ties with her, Jake. ” “Hey, Jake and I are leaving. ” Federica said, as she stood next to me “And we’re calling the police. ” Maria raised the knife and rushed at Federica while screaming. She fell on top of her, knocking over the coffee table and the decorations on top of it. “Maria, stop! ” I rushed and grabbed her from behind. She swung her knife and cut my forearm, making me recoil in pain. As I did so, I tripped on something and fell, hitting my head on the wall in the process. My vision got blurry and I struggled to regain my composure. Through my blurred vision I saw that Federica and Maria thrashed against each other, both girls screaming and then, it suddenly stopped. Federica gasped loudly in horror and it took me a moment that the knife had made its way into her chest. “I told you to leave him alone! He’s mine! Mine! MINE! ” With each sentence, Maria drove the blade into Federica’s stomach, each new stab spraying blood all over the place. “Maria, no! ” I shouted, slowly propping myself and trying to stand up, but losing balance. Federica desperately tried to hold Maria back, but her strength was waning with each stab and in a matter of seconds, she stopped resisting altogether. Her arms fell limply next to her body and her head turned in my direction, her eyes staring vacantly, as blood slid from her mouth. That didn’t stop Maria though, as she continued stabbing over and over with screams, making Federica’s now lifeless body twitch at each stab. I rushed to Maria and tackled her. She screamed hysterically, demanding that I let her go so that she can ‘finish the whore’. “Stop! Just stop, goddammit! ” I shouted and she seemed to break out of her hysteria, ceasing all struggle and staring at me, while panting. I took the knife from her limp hand and stood up, turning to face Federica. It was even worse than I assumed. My friend had so many stab wounds, that it was impossible to even count, some of them even going into her neck. A large pool of blood already formed around her body. I grabbed my head with both hands, panic overtaking me: “Oh god. Oh god, no. ” I said over and over. “Look what you did, Jake. ” Maria said in a calm tone. I turned to face her and saw her covered in blood from head to toe. She had a menacing look in her eye, as she stared directly at me. “Look where your selfishness got your friend. This is your fault! Why did you make me do it, Jake? Why?! ” She became hysterical again, her mad look turning into a desperate one, as she started crying. “We have to go to the police. ” I said, panting myself. “Oh, really? ” Maria suddenly stopped sobbing “Your fingerprints are on that knife and you’re covered in blood, Jake. If you go now, there’s going to be enough evidence to convict you for life. Marijuana possession, then breaking your temporary restraining order, raping me and now killing your friend. You really think it’s a good idea to go to the police, you stupid fucking idiot? Huh?! ” I looked at the knife and then at Federica’s lifeless body once more. Tears formed in my eyes, at the sight of my best friend being gone in an instant, just like that. “Well, Jake? ” Maria demanded “If you want, I can call the police. I can easily pretend to cry. ” She buried her face in her hands and said while weeping: “It was horrible, officer! I tried to stop him, but he pushed me away and just continued stabbing and stabbing and stabbing. He has hit me before and I was too afraid to leave, because I didn’t know what he was capable of! ” She sobbed violently for a moment, before stopping and looking up at me with a satisfied grin on her face. “So? What do you want to do, Jakey? ” She asked calmly. I closed my eyes and dropped the knife. The rest of the day was a blur. Maria and I spent a long time cleaning the apartment, until it was seemingly spotless. I left the living room at one point to wash my hands and when I came back, the knife was gone. It was foolish of me to leave it with her, because now she just had extra evidence to use against me. As for Federica, Maria took care of her. She carried the dead body into the bathroom and brought a hacksaw. After what felt like hours of listening to agonizing hacking and snapping, Maria left the apartment with a few full trash bags and was gone for hours. I was pretty much on autopilot by then, just cleaning the remainder of the mess. When Maria came back, she hugged me and said: “Shhh, everything will be alright, Jakey. We’ll get through this. We only need each other. Why don’t you sit down and relax? ” I complied and slumped onto the sofa, exhausted physically and mentally. I threw my head backwards and closed my eyes, while Maria sat on the floor next to me, stroking my hand gently. I was so tired. “I know you didn’t mean to hurt me, Jakey. ” She said “I know you love me. But I still have to punish you. ” I felt unimaginably sharp, burning pain on my hand and I screamed, instantly opening my eyes and pulling away from Maria. What I saw made me scream even more, not so much in pain, but in terror. The little finger on my left hand was missing, blood running from the stump. I looked at Maria and saw her holding my bloodied finger in one hand and in the other, a pair of kitchen shears, stained with blood. I stood up, holding my hand, the pain only now starting to fully get to me. “What did you do?! ” I shouted, taking a step back. “Jake, don’t move, you’ll get blood everywhere again and we just finished cleaning! ” “Call an ambulance! ” I was in full-blown panic by now, but Maria seemed unphased by the whole situation. “You knew this was going to happen. ” She said calmly “I told you to cease all contact with Federica, but you wouldn’t listen. ” “We need to call an ambulance. ” I said, panting and already covered in blood all the way down to my elbows “They might still be able to reattach it. ” Maria seemed to get pissed off even more at this, but a moment later she shrugged and said: “Okay, Jake. You’re right. Maybe they can reattach it. Go and take it there! ” She opened the window and chucked my finger out, much to my horror. She sat down on the sofa and pulled her cellphone out of her pocket, as if nothing happened, so I took that opportunity to run outside and look for my missing finger. After an hour of unsuccessful searching, I started to get dizzy and decided to visit the hospital instead. The whole time while I was being treated by the doctors, my desperation was turning into hot-boiling anger. I was beyond mad and wanted revenge. I wanted revenge for Federica, for Helena, for my finger. If there was one thing Maria had that could be used against her, it was her short temper. I had to use it to my advantage and an idea started to clearly form in my mind. *** We were at home, eating dinner. I clumsily fumbled with my fork, trying to hold it steadily with my mutilated hand. Getting used to living without a little finger may not seem like a big deal, but it impacts your life more than you’d think. Not to mention that your grip becomes a lot weaker without the finger. I was going through bouts of depression daily, but I kept my eyes on one thing – destroying Maria. It fueled me and motivated me to continue living, until she was either dead or in prison. And whichever one it was, it would happen tonight. “So, I have something to tell you. ” She said, as she took a bite of her food. “Oh, yeah? What is it? ” I asked, staring at my plate. She put down her fork and knife and inhaled deeply. She said: “I know you’re probably not ready for this, but um…” “But what? ” I asked, getting a little impatient. My initial thought was that she would demand to get married. “I think I may be pregnant. ” She said, awaiting my response. I swallowed, trying not to show any distress. She was fucking with me, I was sure of it. Did she sense what I was about to do? I couldn’t let her fuck with my head. “Well, that’s too bad. ” I said, taking another bite of my food, as if she had just told me the most mundane thing ever. I looked up at her and her expression of curiosity turned into a frown. “Excuse me? ” She asked with a raised tone. “Yeah, it’s a shame, because I have something to tell you, too. ” I laid down my silverware and said, looking her in the eye “I met a girl. ” She stood up, knocking over the chair she was sitting on and said: “You what?! Who is she?! ” “Maria, calm down. Getting hysterical won’t help here. ” “What do you mean calm down?! Tell me the name of the girl so I can kill her! ” “You mean like you killed Federica? And Helena? ” I picked up my silverware once more and took another bite of my food “You think I didn’t know about that? You killed an innocent woman just because she happened to talk to me while I was buying popcorn. She was working to put her little sister through college, you murdering bitch! ” I raised my tone at the last sentence, feeling the rage taking me over once more. Maria looked at me with wide eyes, before continuing: “They deserved to die. And I’ll do it to every woman that comes close to you! You’re mine, Jake! MINE! ” “I know. ” I calmly sighed “I know. That’s why on the night you killed Federica, I went to the police. ” Her eyes widened even more, but I continued: “I told them everything. About how you blackmailed me with false accusations of rape, how you killed Federica and probably Helena and how you cut off my finger. They’re listening to us right now. ” I unbuttoned my shirt and revealed the wires which the police officers have attached to me. The door burst open with a loud bang and armed officers rushed inside: “FREEZE! GET ON THE GROUND AND PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD! ” They shouted. Maria spun around to look at them and then faced me, with a glint of such anger and hatred, that it actually made me feel palpable fear. She grabbed the knife and overturned the table with a loud scream. “I’M WARNING YOU TO STOP! ” One of the cops shouted, but Maria ignored them. She ran right at me and as she was about to stab me, I jumped on the ground and covered my head and a series of loud bangs filled the air, with ear-splitting amplitude. “CEASE FIRE! ” One of the officers shouted and I dared to look up. Maria was on the ground next to me, strewn sideways, riddled with bullets. Her eyes were wide and her mouth agape, as blood drooled out. “You… promised…” She barely managed to utter, before letting out a gasp and ceasing all movement entirely. “Hey, you okay? ” The police officers helped me up and the rest of the night was a blur of being interrogated in the police station. The night I went to the station I told them about everything and even though I was initially a suspect, they wanted to kill two birds with one stone, so I agreed to cooperate and help them convict Maria. They wired me and monitored me closely in the following days. The officers got enough evidence from the recording to confirm everything I said was true and let me go. The autopsy performed on Maria revealed that she was indeed, pregnant, but I felt no pity for that fucking baby. For a while, I expected some evidence to turn up in the police station which would accuse me of rape, like Maria swore, but that never happened, which got me to the conclusion that she was probably bluffing the whole time. I still have PTSD to this day and often wake up seeing Maria with a knife or kitchen shears, standing over my bed. I stopped dating too, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to get back into it. With the immense guilt I felt for allowing Federica and Helena to die, I turned to the bottle and stopped looking for a job altogether. One thing is for sure. Maria is gone, but I’ll never be the same again.

Here’s the Spotify playlist Ripping off INSPIRED BY this post by /u/ThatParanoidPenguin, here’s a collection of 57 songs that came out last year that I felt were overlooked or underrated. These writeups were posted in the Daily Discussion threads last December and I consolidate them here, now, for your viewing pleasure. There’s songs you might have missed from artists you’ve heard of and then songs/artists who are super obscure, but in general all of them slipped through the cracks and I hope you’ll find some of them worthy of attention. There’s a definite pop focus but I picked these tracks with an ear for diversity of sound/artistry so there’s a LOT of different things going on here and some picks that might make you roll your eyes, but I think there’s something for everyone! Singles: Fantastia - "Enough" from Sketchbook for fans of Aretha Franklin Fantasia has an iconic voice and this song uses it perfectly. A classic power ballad about endless love, that full voiced chorus with the guitar wailing in the background is definitely a highlight of the year. nelward - "GHOST" for fans of Dorian Electra The sonic palate sounds like a dying computer, which is unique, and the lyrics are... memorable... but these quirks give it a sort of edge that really makes it stand out from a lot of the pop scene. It verges on the edge of being bad but it manages to stay firmly charming. It’s mall goth music for the internet age. Imani Coppola - “Sage” from The Protagonist for fans of Fiona Apple On The Protagonist Imani usually cloaks herself in an armor of irony and humor, but in the middle of the album all of the smokescreens give way to reveal this song, an emotional guitar ballad about Imani’s struggle to cope with the modern world. It’s clear, cutting, and beautiful, but perhaps best word to describe this song is “cathartic. ” Her frustration and fear are palpable as she wails her way through one of the best, most anthemic choruses of the year. RIRI (feat. Junoflo) - “luv luv” from Summertime EP for fans of Ariana Grande Riri gives her best sass above an oh-so-cool synth (Kpop fans might notice the song is co-written by Hoody), assisted by a pleasantly memorable rap verse from Junoflo. It feels chic and breezy, a perfect little piece of ear candy; songs like this one are a refreshing throwback, and Riri has the vocal chops and the attitude to make them still feel relevant. Tank and the Bangas - “Hot Air Balloon” from Green Balloon for fans of Noname A relaxing r&b/soul song about taking some time to just dream and be happy. The lyrics are poetical nonsense, but Tank could sing basically anything and make it sound good and when the vibes are this good, who cares about words? This is what bliss sounds like, when this song comes on I just feel so calm. Caravan Palace - “Miracle” (link is NSFW) from Chronologic for fans of Mark Ronson The grooves here are impeccable, every piece of the song is perfectly calibrated from the twangy strings to the rolling waves of piano. Even the singer herself feels like an instrument, with the lyrics being used more for sonic pleasure than sense, but it works. It’s not just feel-good, it’s feel- cool. Ruth B. - “Slow Fade” from Maybe I'll Find You Again for fans of Julia Michaels This is a melancholic song about a slowly dying relationship but the tone is underscored by an air of peacefulness; she accepts the end of the relationship gracefully, and only asks that the conclusion be satisfying. The thumping production on the verses contrasts with the smoother production in the chorus giving the song a very neat structure, and I love the sound of her voice. An understated song, but a worthy one. Kotonohouse (ft. TOFUKU) - “Pitter Patter” for fans of Hannah Diamond This song was such a treat to find: it takes the best elements of the "anime music" style (the bright sonic palate, the dreamy atmosphere, the unique blend of innocence/peacefulness/nostalgia) but applies them to an actual song with a catchy melody. TOFUKU’s sugary vocals combine nicely with Kotonohouse’s lush production to create a track that’s wistful, but still memorable. The whole thing just feels very cozy to listen to. Diana Wang - “愛因斯坦 (Einstein)” from Moon for fans of H. E. R. It's a softer sort of song with a doo-wop twist; Diana has an airy voice that drifts over the piano and it’s the subtle details that really make the song. Her emotions translate very well despite the language barrier, but I looked up the lyrics and they’re actually very interesting! She muses that because we aspire for a love that’s universal and constant, Einstein is the most romantic man on Earth for inventing his theory of relativity. It's a weird idea but she makes it sound good. Magdalena Bay - mini mix vol. 1 from mini mix vol. 1 for fans of Carly Rae Jepsen Look… they this whole EP as one continuous video, it counts as a single. I tried to pick just one song from this EP but they’re all so good and they’re all so short and nobody even reads these so I figured why not just link the whole thing? A visual mini-album, the pop duo challenged themselves to quickly create “mini” pop songs/videos and put them out without second guessing themselves, and the results are fabulous! The album is tied together by a dreamy, synth drenched sonic palate, but within that formula they find room for a diversity of sounds. KAINA (feat. Sen Morimoto) - “Could Be A Curse” from Next to The Sun for fans of Kali Uchis A soulful bolero of all things, Kaina describes this song as being about “feeling down and not knowing if it will last forever. ” However both artists approach it with an air of gentleness that makes the song meditative rather than depressing. As their cool voices sigh out the chorus again and again over the seemingly ever descending music the effect is almost hypnotic, pulling you away from the world into a state of calm. A song about being mired in melancholy is transformed into a song about coping with it. Flying Lotus (feat. David Lynch) - “Fire Is Coming” from Flamaragara for fans of Tyler, The Creator Clever sound design and Lynch’s performance make the fairly mundane narrative extremely unsettling, giving the story a note of wrongness all the way up until Lynch’s climactic final line: “fire is coming. ” As he repeats that he fades out and Flying Lotus’s fierce electronic beats take over (this part isn't in the video) and create the soundtrack for a terrifying dance floor. I don’t know if I can call a song that’s 70% an old white man talking about a kid answering a phone a “bop, ” but whatever this is it’s listenable as hell. Blood Cultures - “Flowers For All Occasions” from Oh Uncertainty! A Universe Despairs for fans of The xx It starts off fairly unassuming with some cute indie strumming and faded out vocals but then this fantastic dance beat kicks in and we’re off on this fantastic little space voyage. The music swirls as quirky synths pop and bubble by and add a ton of fun texture to the track. There’s a touch of eeriness to the song (note the unusual inspiration) but it remains upbeat. It’s a pretty weird song, but it’s also insidiously catchy. Haiku Hands - “Dare You Not To Dance” for fans of Gwen Stefani Heavy dance beats and unison chanting combine to create a song that's completely off-the-wall in the best way possible. What genre is this even? There’s all manner of synths, drums, and drops thrown into this song, and hooks and melodies are shouted/sung with abandon. It never holds onto any one sound or structure long enough for you to get tired of it, but the constant changes are energizing rather than exhausting. It’s loud dance floor fun that feels fresh, fans of upbeat or weird pop would do well to check this out. Dinah Jane - “Retrograde” for fans of Tinashe “Retrograde” is a huge flex in how unexpected it is coming from someone like Dinah Jane. It’s got this real down and dirty energy to it and an “urban” grit that feels a tad forced, but isn’t unwelcome. She projects a “possessive ex” persona very well that provides a neat narrative for the song. It’s interesting that it’s not a particularly vocal track either, Dinah chooses to ride the trap beats in near-vocal fry and it works to make the song really memorable. Cazwell & Manila Luzon (feat. Craig C. ) - “Hella Horny” for fans of Cupcakke Neither Cazwell nor Manila Luzon are artists who I would say make “good” music, but they’re both novelty artists who understand what they are and try to make fun music rather than good music, and when they join forces for this track (along with producer Craig C. ) the combined strength of their campiness is enough to overwhelm conventional notions of “quality. ” Everything about this song is so dumb that it cycles around into greatness. The hook is monumentally insipid yet frustratingly enjoyable, achieving catchiness through sheer audacity. Yuna - “Not The Love Of My Life” from Rouge for fans of Caroline Polachek The instrumental is is sparse and dreamy, punctuated by a garbled vocal hook that adds a bit of ear candy to the song. Yuna is known for her rich and buttery voice and she doesn’t have to do much with it to leave an impression, but she still gives it her all with her performance. The verses are rife with emotions (bitterness, sadness, anger) as she explores the conflict of the relationship, so it’s downright cathartic when she raises her voice above it all to find resolution in the simple but powerful chorus. Tiffany Young - “Lips On Lips” from Lips On Lips for fans of Camila Cabello This song feels like a fairytale, a song where love is the most important thing in the universe. She describes the euphoria of a kiss so well through poetic lyrics and shamelessly upbeat music. It’s so fluffy it’s practically ear-cotton-candy, literally every single part of this song is a hook. There’s a lot of power hiding under this song’s rosy pink exterior, and when it all builds up to that final chorus and Tiffany unchains her voice to do some ad libs, wow, you’ll believe in love again. Lindsey Stirling (feat. Elle King) - “The Upside” from Artemis for fans of Halsey “The Upside” is a song from her latest album that features violin over a rollicking EDM beat, but fortunately Lindsey recognizes that sometimes you can’t beat good old fashioned vocals and she brings in Elle King to take over the main melody line of the song. Elle’s voice is every bit as fiery and evocative as the wild fiddle the line was written for, and I think the addition of singing and lyrics is a great choice because it means when the violin comes in it really shines. It’s an elegant stallion of a song, a thrill ride from start to finish. Aries - “Un Gran Puente” from Juramento Mantarraya for fans of Rosalía The track creates a quirky soundscape that sounds like a whole bunch of electronic elements tripping over each other, but it’s playful rather than chaotic. Aries has a soft but sweet voice at the center of this chaos and she lilts with the music rather charmingly. And of course there’s the hook; that refrain of “aquí hoy” (“here today”) has been hammered into my brain since I heard it. Low-key it sounds like something out of an old Japanese videogame like Katamari or Locoroco, especially on the acoustic bridge, and I can’t give praise that’s higher than that. Z-Girls - “Streets Of Gold” from Z-Pop Dream -Singing For You for fans of BLACKPINK Their corporate overlords may be hella sketchy but the Z-Girls themselves have pipes and they sell the shit out of this song. There’s a ton of fun imagery in the lyrics of this song and they really bring it all to life with their fiery performances. They’re singing about love opening a magnificent new universe, and damnit, they’re not gonna whisper! The rest of the song follows in suit, with excitable production (when’s the last time you heard a swinging blade be incorporated into the beat of a song? ) and a monster of a chorus. KYLE (feat. Teyana Taylor) - “F You I Love You” from Light Of Mine (Deluxe) for fans of Usher Blurring the lines between rap and r&b, KYLE and Teyana Taylor sing/rap their way through the ups and downs of a rocky relationship. “Troubled relationship” songs are a dime a dozen these days, but this rises above the pack by the earnestness of the lyrics and the performances. KYLE has a side hustle in acting and that works to his advantage here because his performance is nuanced, managing to transform even the cliched hook into what feels like an earnest confession. Teyana is pushing the limits of her vocal range here, but I think the airiness kind of works for the vibe. Estelle & Zach Callison - “True Kinda Love” from Steven Universe the Movie (Original Soundtrack) for fans of LOONA 1/3 This is a gentle pseudo-ballad about the power of friendship that’s dripping in heart. I’ve always loved the lo-fi sound palate that this show uses for its score and it works beautifully as the underscoring for a song, very soothing. Estelle and Zach (in his brief appearance) commit more to communicating the message of the song than to hitting all of the notes flawlessly, and the results are touching. It’s downright criminal that this show was never even nominated for any awards for its music! WALK THE MOON - “Timebomb (Ryan Riback Remix)” for fans of Zedd “Timebomb” was the kind of song that gets you out on the dancefloor, and the remix leans into that by adding a genuine dance beat to it, giving the song some muscle. Although the house beat feels a little bit awkward at first, it only grows more and more in sync with the song as it continues. Every time that drop hits it’s just so slick, cradling the already energetic chorus in piano and synths that are so pleasing on the ear. Alessia Cara - “October” from This Summer for fans of Lauv "Summer" starts to mean less and less as you grow older and all you can do is watch and hope you can hold on to it all. There’s a bittersweet, nostalgic air to the lyrics that’s reflected in the sound. Her voice is great here, her voice flows like heavy water yet she’s so relaxed and calm, as if she’s just focusing on taking on everything in. And she’s surrounded by all of these lush harmonies, a veritable sea of voices that buoy her gently into the future. Alex Newell (feat. DJ D-Sol) - “Rescue Me” for fans of Lizzo A cover of classic that's a good display of Alex’s explosive singing voice. The vocals rocket this song into bop status; through sheer force of personality the simple lyrics and hooks are made absolutely delightful. The production has a few interesting quirks as well, offering up a serviceable drop, some fun horns, and a dance friendly beat. The extended version highlights this, the whole thing just becomes one long ride of pure, joyous dance music. Ally Brooke (feat. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie) - “Lips Don’t Lie” for fans of Mariah Carey A pleasantly low-key track because of Ally's unique vocal delivery, which straddles the line between breathy whispers and full voiced belts. She plays coy very well, and the song gives her a lot of fun wordplay to heap her saucy delivery onto. Her collaborator A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie sounds cute as well, he brings a nice energy to the track even if his lyrics are nonsense. Add in a fun piano driven beat and a catchy chorus and we have what should have been a hit. Her lips don’t lie when it comes to making bops. I’ll just go now Sheena Ringo & Utada Hikaru - “浪漫と算盤 (Sun & Moon)” from Apple Of Universal Energy for fans of Lady Gaga This song is grand and mysterious in the best way. Utada and Sheena play it very low-key for much of the song, and their confidence makes it riveting. They don’t need to raise their voices to make a point and when they do, it’s at the climax of a slow burn of energy. The chemistry between the two is off the charts, they share the track like only two friends and legends can. Sheena’s scratchy, keening voice harmonizes fantastically with Utada’s clean, cool voice; the blend is even more apparent in the acoustic version. MIKA - “Tomorrow” from My Name Is Michael Holbrook for fans of Aly & AJ The lyrics are a little corny but Mika can sell anything with that falsetto of his, and his voice on the verses is pure velvet. Essentially this is a song about Mika having a booty call in the backseat of a car, but damn, does he make it sound like a beautiful experience. Mika has always gotten by on a delicate blend of optimism/melancholy/camp, but this song has a maturity (and sensuality) to it as well that makes the devil-may-care message ring just a little bit deeper than it might otherwise. It’s sexy and uplifting at the same time because he ties the carefree attitude of the situation in with a lust for life and a sense of hopefulness; who gives a shit about tomorrow when today is so much fun? Non-Singles: Olivia O’Brien - “Call Me” from Was It Even Real? for fans of Dua Lipa An up and coming “moody pop” girl, I’ll often give Olivia props on being willing to switch up her sound; this song is the perfect example of that. It’s straight up disco, and it feels like an old school disco hit right down to some cheesy spoken word peppered throughout the track. The lyrics are classic Olivia though, dealing (as a lot of her music does) with a trifling boy that she says she’s better than (in the verses) but just can’t seem to get over (in the chorus). Alaska Thunderfuck 5000 - “Land Of The Midnight Sun” from Vagina for fans of Troye Sivan Her songs are silly and stuffed with memes, but Alaska has some amazing producers behind her and when she stops joking around she can drop some damn good music. Case in point is “Land Of The Midnight Sun, ” the stunning closer to her new album Vagina. An electro-ballad about Alaska ghosting a lover, it’s as sprawling and icy as the titular state of Alaska itself. She makes dance music so slow and heavy it’s as if the dancefloor has suddenly gone into slow motion and you can feel the weight of everything you had been avoiding creeping up on you. EVERGLOW - “Moon” from Arrival Of EVERGLOW for fans of Allie X EVERGLOW debuted in 2019 with “Bon Bon Chocolat, ” which is a very good song, but this B-side track is the one that really caught my attention. In the lyrics they compare the boy they’ve become obsessed with to the dark side of the moon, hidden from them, and the production of the track is very mysterious to match. Anticipation runs through this track; pulsing synths hide pattering trap drums, with their clear voices slicing right through the center of the mix. It’s a great example of autotune used properly, as the robotic feeling of their vocals gives them an almost cutting edge. Jamila Woods (feat. Nitty Scott) - “SONIA” from LEGACY! LEGACY! for fans of Janelle Monae Critics and audiences agreed that what Jamila did on this album was undeniable, and for me this song is the crown gem. Inspired by a Sonia Sanchez poem about the pain that slave women experienced, Jamila sings of the pain she experiences in a bad relationship until she comes to the realization that these are issues all women face and like her ancestors she can overcome them. It’s a poignant message, and Jamila’s agile performance and delivery of a few catchy hooks over spacey synths make it very listenable. Rapper Nitty Scott gets the entire second verse of the song to herself, and she doubles down on the message with impeccable flow and lyrics. It’s the kind of song that sticks with you after listening, every line is truthful and quotable. Jane Zhang - “Balance Me Out” from Past Progressive for fans of Jessie Ware This is the closing track to Past Progressive, and after an album of serving huge, loud bangers, she surprises us with a low-key song that doesn’t even crack two and a half minutes and it’s so addictive! It’s a simple track (the instrumental is really just two synths and a drum) with some fun lyrics about Jane finding a guy who “balances her out, ” but it’s elevated by the use of a distorted vocal hook that literally balances her out. The end result is pure, straightforward ear candy that’ll have you jumping for the replay button. Snoh Aalegra - “Find Someone Like You” from Ugh, those feels again for fans of Amy Winehouse Snoh Aalegra perfectly captures the sensation of a love that bubbles up from inside of you and envelops you; snug, yet infinite. This is a masterclass in how to build a song: it starts off simple with just some piano but then Snoh’s warm voice fills the track and then new elements just start spilling out until everything is practically overflowing with music. It’s all pretty simple r&b/soul really, but the earnestness of the lyrics and Snoh’s performance are enough to make you believe in love again. This is the song that plays in the movie after the protagonist realizes that they’re in love and everything feels perfect, it makes me want to run around the city smiling at strangers. Sir Babygirl - “Cheerleader” from Crush On Me for fans of Lorde This song gives you everything you need: quotable lines, catchy hooks, slammin’ production, great vocals, even a hint of camp. Like, there are literally cheerleader chants in the back of this song and it works amazingly. The song brims with a thrilling, almost sexual energy, thanks in no small part to Sir Babygirl’s incredible performance. She stuffs every syllable with meaning, savors every beat, and nails every note to the wall. The production is her doing as well and it’s equally incredible, combining a bubblegum sensibility with some of the best synth work I’ve heard all year. It’s as if someone took the most sapphic moments of But I’m A Cheerleader and turned them into an '80s synth pop song; definitely one of my favorite discoveries this year. NECRONOMIDOL - “Children Of The Night” from Scions of the Blasted Heath for fans of Poppy NECRONOMIDOL are members of Japan’s dark idol metal scene, and I’m not a metalhead but I enjoy their music. This is their poppiest venture yet and it’s also, coincidentally, their first fully English track! The steady vocals aloft on a sea of shredding guitars is an old, but effective standard, and they fully deliver on it. While a lot of their songs can be sprawling and huge this one feels very tight and focused, a straightforward rocket of energy from start to finish. The chorus has been stuck in my head basically all year, maybe it’s just me but I feel like a bad bitch while listening to this. Rapsody (feat. Queen Latifah) - “Hatshepsut” from Eve for fans of Kendrick Lamar Every track on Eve is named for and inspired by a powerful black woman from history, and so for “Hatshepsut” (the ancient Egyptian pharaoh) Rapsody knew she had to call in a queen. Latifah, that is. I just like hearing Queen Latifah doing things, and she does the damn thing on this track. She rides the beat with a relaxed confidence, rapping a retrospective on her career and lending Rapsody some experience. Not that Rapsody necessarily needs the help, she easily holds her own with a legend and could probably have done the song alone, but really, if you have the option to involve Queen Latifah why would you not? There’s a mutual respect between the two and they create a great track together; it feels like there’s a torch being passed from one generation to the next. Crystal (Lauren Dyson) - “Unbreakable” from Carole & Tuesday for fans of Beyoncé “Unbreakable” is sung by this anime’s in-universe pop diva (think Britney meets Beyoncé) and it really nails that r&b influenced pop sound that was big in the late ‘90s/early ’00s, playing off of the “futuristic” vibes of the era while still sounding gloriously retro. Shamelessly velvety, as Lauren Dyson’s rich voice melts all over that dreamy production the overall effect is heavenly. There’s so many good hooks and melodies in this song, and the lyrics are surprisingly great too? Faye Wester - “Jonny” from Atlanta Millionaire’s Club for fans of Kacey Musgraves A melancholy confessional, Faye drifts from thoughts of her own insecurities to thoughts of an ex with an honesty that’s really compelling. She didn’t even bother to change the guy’s name! One of my favorite songs of the year lyrically, it’s just hard hitting line after hard hitting line. It’s heartbreaking, with a note of humor too. It helps that the chorus is quite lovely as well, sung with Faye’s country wail against the gentle backing track. There’s even a saxophone solo. What more could you ask for? Ciara - “Trust Myself” from Beauty Marks for fans of Jennifer Lopez Ciara does sexy so well, and as she coos her way through this track she’s almost breathless with desire. The gentle up and down of the melody emphasizes just the right vowels in just the right places, an excellent example of a song that’s memorable without being showy. The lyrics are simple but I actually think they’re a strong point in the song, making the sexual themes feel almost innocent and really communicating the singleminded desire that’s consumed Ciara. It’s a shameless display of bliss that only a gorgeous pop star married to a hot millionaire football player would dare to release; I’m just happy to sing along with it. Kim Ji Yeon (Kei) - “Paper Moon” from OVER AND OVER for fans of Red Velvet This is a slick city-pop tinged r&b song; the lyrics describe her stopping for a kiss with a boy on a moonlit night, knowing that he’ll be gone in the morning but still savoring the moment. She has a gentle, almost birdlike voice that she rarely raises throughout the track, in fact, she actually gets quieter on the hook. As the track patters along at a leisurely pace the end result is an almost reverence to the song, almost as if she doesn’t want to spoil the mood. It really succeeds in creating the mood described in the lyrics; fleeting, yes, but oh so sweet. Keke Palmer, Ryan Destiny, Brittany O’Grady - “Try” from Star for fans of TLC A blatant homage to ‘90s girl groups like TLC and Destiny’s Child, and even if it doesn’t offer anything fresh to the formula it at least nails it. It’s fun, it’s sexy, it’s #girlpower, and all three of the girls are bringing it in a way that would make their predecessors proud. I can’t say that I have any particular nostalgia for this era but this song hits just right, you hear that old school melody and for a second you wonder why anyone would listen to anything else. Meghan Trainor - “Foolish” from The Love Train it’s Meghan Trainor This song is a thrill ride that builds and builds and builds until the very end, it’s honestly impressive how long the song manages to hold off on climaxing, and once it does it just doesn’t stop. Much of the credit for that goes to Meghan herself for driving the song with her voice, this song is a smorgasbord of harmonies and vocal lines and she nails all of them. I don’t think her voice has ever sounded so full and flexible? She sounds cocky and confident and I’m living for it, it’s a great match for the flirtatious lyrics. FRANKIE - “Good Enough” from STA7GES for fans of Sara Bareilles Unlike the music of recent years there’s no irony here, no heavy air hanging over everything, it’s just a girl belting her heart out. It’s honestly kind of refreshing, I feel like it’s been a while since we got a really good piano driven power pop ballad like this and I didn’t realize how much I missed them. FRANKIE has a warm, powerful voice that’s really up to the task too. The Mountain Goats - “Possum By Night” from In League With Dragons for fans of Vampire Weekend This is a song written from the perspective of an opossum, and it’s beautiful. For a song about something considered commonplace and dirty there’s an air of almost magic about this, the character that they’re portraying is so full of reverence and wonder even as he sings about garbage trucks and compost piles. The song is defined as much by silence as it is by music, the hushed phrases of music scattered between hanging pauses give the song a very unique sound befitting of its namesake, almost as if they’re skittering about in the dead of night. Kehlani (feat. Musiq Soulchild) - “Footsteps” from While We Wait for fans of H. A parable of a failed relationship, the story that Kehlani tells of the cycle of struggles is downright biblical. The lines in this song flow after each other like, well, like water through someone’s fingers. The cerebral lyricism of the song hearkens back to her previous mixtape You Should Be Here, but it’s more downtempo sonically than much of her previous work. The measured percussion is much more delicate than the more pop/electronic palates she usually trafficked with and it works beautifully with her softer, more confident delivery. Musiq Soulchild is an artist I’m unfamiliar with but he makes a good impression here, playing his role as Kehlani’s foil well. Kelsey Lu - “Poor Fake” from Blood for fans of FKA Twigs This song is campy high drama, and Kelsey is clearly LIVING for every second of it. She wails this song like she’s a madwoman or a ghost stumbling through a haunted hall of forgeries, and the music sets this scene perfectly. Elegant, almost haunting classical orchestration is backed by a heavy dance beat that gives the song an uncanny feeling that’s exceptionally dramatic. This song is volcanic, starting off as just a low rumble of strings and slowly growing more intense until it erupts at the end of that gloriously stupid spoken word bridge. mxmtoon - “my ted talk (acoustic)” from the masquerade for fans of Mitski It’s a silly little song about how weird it is that mxmtoon writes love songs when she herself has never been in love, which is a strange premise but it works. A big part of mxmtoon’s appeal is how straightforward and relatable she is, and what’s more straightforward and relatable than admitting you have no clue what you’re doing? I like the acoustic version better because of how simple it is, this isn’t the kind of track that needs any kind of fancy production. Purple Beck - “Holiday” from Crystal Ball for fans of Meghan Trainor This song is like a piece of candy that I know is bad for me but it’s so sweet and easy to get down that I find myself addicted. It’s a sonic assault, but like, in a fun way! Sometimes you just want your ears blasted out by a wall of noise, and this song has a grimy chorus that’s just perfect for that. I’m doing a TERRIBLE job of selling this song but it’s like a dog whistle: shrill noise to everybody else, but if it’s attuned to your frequency then you’ll love it. CHANMINA - “Yesterday” from NEVER GROW UP for fans of Charli XCX Everything about this song makes it feel tumultuous, even before any words have been sung that wailing descending guitar riff lets us know that things are about to get emo. CHANMINA sounds great here, her crunchy autotuned vocals sound great and perfectly convey what’s happening here without me understanding a single word. Her transition between the breathy vocals on the pre chorus and the harder vocals on the chorus (which is great) works really well, and her flow when she’s rapping is great. Adam Lambert - “Closer To You” from The Velvet: Side A for fans of Adele We all know Adam can sing (he was almost American Idol after all) but his performance here is particularly touching, you can tell he really means every word that he’s singing. The lyrics of this song are so raw and powerful, I can’t believe he wrote a line like “all I wanna do is be brand new. ” He makes love sound so monumental, earth shattering. MAMAMOO - “Where R U” from White Wind & LOONA - “Where you at” from [X X] for fans of Red Velvet Similar titles but different approaches: MAMAMOO look forward to meeting someone, LOONA long for someone they’ve lost. In my mind both songs make it feel like the girls are searching the universe for this person, but the vibes are completely different. “Where R U” underscores anticipation with curious, staccato beats that are playful, almost as if the searching is a fun little adventure. Meanwhile “Where You At? ” pulses with a mournful energy, creating a slowly expanding universe of synths that seems endless and cold. These sonic playgrounds make great backdrops for both groups to play in, and each nails their assigned mood. Both groups sound relaxed, but the easy going nature of MAMAMOO’s assuredness is galaxies away from the distant yearning that LOONA project. NIKI - “urs” from wanna take this downtown? for fans of SZA I love the sound of this track, NIKI has a beautiful voice that sounds razor thin and almost fragile here, and the production is so vibey. Those simple chime sounding synths in the background are soothing and give the track a placid air, but the song actually has a fairly quick tempo. NIKI and the beat skitter around with a nervous energy as she angsts in the verses/chorus, but notice how this aspect of the song cuts out when the postchorus hits after she delivers the climactic “I’m already yours. ” Sabrina Carpenter - “Tell Em” from Singular Act II for fans of Mariah Carey There are so many different layers to this song, if you look up “lush” in the dictionary the definition would just be a link to this song. But it’s a very intimate kind of song, with Sabrina sitting firmly at the center of the track drawing you in. I think she pushes her voice too far sometimes but she holds back here and the result is perfection. She sounds smoky, heavy, mischievous, lovestruck, so many different things and all of them so effortlessly. AJR - “Finale (Can’t Wait To See What You Do Next” from Neotheater for fans of MIKA Neotheater has a unique sound that pits harsh electronic sounds against ‘40s Disney-esque style themes, a technique which is used to great effect on this track in particular. Cartoonish music opens the tracks with a note of optimism, only to be cut short by the clashing electronic verses that describe the fear and uncertainty running through the band’s mind. The two themes are foils to each other, with the Disney voices cheerfully ushering the band on towards the future even as the boys sing about how hard the situation is. As the heavenly chorus beams “we can’t wait to see what you do next” it comes off more as ominous than anything else, because how is anyone expected to live up to such sky high expectations? So there we have it! Sorry about the length, I tried to trim it down a bit but brevity has never been my strong point, but please listen some of these people because I have nobody to talk to about most of them.

Cosa mi lasci di te Movie stream new. Hi redditors, I have just joined reddit and I come from GameFAQs (please don't hate me). Previous years I have looked at Nintendo's studios and second and third party associations to try and see what we will come in the year. A lot of predictions have come true, while others have been a year off and meanwhile others were completely off base. It is interesting to speculate what will come in the year by looking at what they have released in the past. I hope you enjoy my post as much as I enjoy making it and speculating what is to come. Keep in mind this is PURE SPECULATION based on facts, rumors and past development. Known release Dates Puzzle & Dragons Gold (Jan 15) Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore (Jan 17) Rune Factory 4 Special (Jan 21) Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath (Jan 2020) The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics (Feb 4) Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate (Feb 14) Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition (Feb 20) Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection (Feb 25) Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Mar 20) Doom 64 (Mar 20) Trials of Mana (Apr 24) SuperMash (May 2020) Unknown releases for early 2020 Doom Eternal Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers Streets of Rage 4 Sports Story Murder by Numbers The Survivalists Xenoblade Chronicles Remake Axiom Verge 2 2019 Redux While 2019 was a solid year for the Nintendo Switch, there was no huge franchise drop, with the exception of Pokémon Sword/Shield that has fans divided. The other biggest title scheduled was postponed into this year (Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Mar 20). The biggest thing is that there will be a longer life on many of their titles going into 2020 with DLC. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – The final fighter of the first fighters pass is promised to be released before the end of February 2020. Also announced was the production of another 5 fighter pass to be developed. While the first fighters pass is likely to end on another third-party note, nothing is known about the new fighters pass. () Fire Emblem: Three Houses – There was an expansion pass released for US$25 which is to expand the already large game even larger. While multiple waves of releases, we have received extra cosmetics, recruits and a quest. The biggest part of the expansion is promised to be released before April 30, which includes extra story elements. () Luigi’s Mansion 3 – Coming with 2 expansion passes, each for US10. Both are multiplayer packs with the first one coming by April 30 and the second one coming by July 31. Purchasing the passes also gives you a new Polterpup for use in the main game. () Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order – There were 3 packs included in the US$20 expansion pass and the first one has been released adding Marvel Knights. The 2nd pack is ready to release just before Christmas and includes the Danger Room and 4 X-Men added to the roster. The final pack is called the Shadow of Doom and said to include Fantastic Four characters by Spring 2020. () Super Mario Maker 2 – while nothing is announced they just dropped a free DLC pack #2 in December. They have added multiplayer with friends, doubled your upload amounts and now have a Link power up for the SMB style. I would not doubt if Nintendo added at least one more free pack (or even a paid pack) in 2020, unfortunately they are overly silent on this matter. A First Place Finish (1st Party) This is a little hard to break down as when Nintendo restructured in 2015 to make the teams more fluid. The teams are typically headed by a producer and a developer. Nintendo Entertainment Planning and Development Tokyo Yoshiaki Koizumi - Previously worked on Super Mario Odyssey, he is now the deputy General Manager of EPD Tokyo. I don’t know who will replace his role as producer with this team so I am leaving the team under him. With the release in 2018 of some free DLC for Super Mario Odyssey in the form of Luigi’s Balloon World, I believe they started developing new world for a direct sequel. The same thing happened with Super Mario Galaxy and it was just under 3 years development for its sequel. Especially because the closest thing to a 3D Mario game in 2019 was Luigi’s Mansion 3 and that game only has multiplayer DLC coming. Expect a full fledge sequel to be revealed close to e3 to go head to head with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Koichi Hayashida - The other team that helped with Super Mario Odyssey also did the port of Captain Toad: Treasure Trackers. They ported the game to Switch and added some new content for Switch in 2018, likely just to add a title to the systems portfolio in that lackluster year. Most likely helping Koizumi with Super Mario Odyssey 2 to ensure they get the title out this year. Takao Shimizu - This producer helped create the NES Classic Edition and SNES Classic Edition. I am certain he and his team are responsible for the NES and SNES Online games. His team is smaller and they also assisted with Super Mario Odyssey to ensure they hit the holiday 2017. I am sure besides getting more games with the online service, that he is also assisting with the sequel to Super Mario Odyssey. Nintendo Entertainment Planning and Development Kyoto Eiji Aonuma - Known as the “Zelda team”, there are two core teams. I believe both are working under Hidemaro Fujibayashi to help develop the sequel to Breath of the Wild. Since the other director, Hiromasa Shikata’s last credits were A Link Between Worlds (2013 with his own team) and Tri Force Heroes (2015 work with Grezzo). I believe he is working with Fujibayashi as a co-producer or under him. Nintendo knows that Zelda sells consoles and what they have shown at e3 while stating in full development, I believe they want to have this game out this year to also go head to head with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox Series X. Hideki Konno - This team is the team behind the Mario Kart series. With the last game was their mobile undertaking with Mario Kart Tour. A little lackluster but Nintendo’s overall mobile plans is to have some games in play on mobile and eventually transfer the gamers to full fledge games. With Mario Kart 8 Deluxe selling extremely well and being part of the Black Friday pack in again, it is likely we will at least hear what this team has been up to since their 2017 port of a 2015 game. With Mario Kart also having some competition in the form of Crash Team Racing and Team Sonic Racing they may be ready to reveal Mario Kart 9 or a spin off such as Donkey Kong Racing. Possible but unlikely to have this team work on either F-Zero or Wave Race. It would keep them up to date with racing engines while releasing a title that would not directly compete with the evergreen title Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Hiroyuki Kimura - Super Mario Maker 2 and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe were developed under Kimura with the help of Takashi Tezuka. I foresee them making more DLC for Super Mario Maker 2 and possibly a new title in the New Super Mario series since a full 2D Mario game plays quite different from Mario Maker. Other possibilities would be the development of a new Wario Ware or Wario Land game to differentiate itself more from Mario Maker. A small group under Kimura has developed the Pikmin franchise. Things have been silent with this franchise since Hey! Pikmin on 3DS. Fans clamoured for Pikmin 4 and Pikmin 3 as a launch title on the failed Wii U system was actually quite successful breaking over 1 million sold. I think that we will see a Pikmin 4 this year and either the game will come out this year or next. Kosuke Yubuki - Previously worked on ARMS in 2017 and its DLC. This producer also worked with Konno so it is likely this team was folded back into the Mario Kart team to prepare something for this year or next. It is possible they are working on an ARMS follow up, but with the success of Smash, it is unlikely. Hisashi Nogami - This is the young producer in charge of both Animal Crossing and Splatoon series. He worked with another young producer Aya Kyogoku on Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer. With the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons due March 20 and their pennant for long lasting supporting DLC and solid online code, expect a big reveal on the game early this year with support coming constantly throughout the year, also expect big online details. I don’t see this team working on anything else while focusing on Animal Crossing. These teams are a second to none (2nd Party Studios) AlphaDream - This team created the Mario & Luigi series on Nintendo’s portables. Due to recent ports underperforming on the now defunct 3DS system, AlphaDream had incurred insurmountable debt and filed for bankruptcy in October, so it is unlikely we will see anything from them. Camelot Software Planning - Their last title was Mario Tennis Aces (2018) and its respective DLC. Being a smaller studio, it takes some time for development. While half a team was working on the DLC, they other half was probably pre-planning the next Mario Golf title. With all the DLC on MTA completed at the top of the year, they have likely been busy in full development on Mario Golf. Most likely will see Mario Golf sometime in 2020. Game Freak - They just released Pokemon Sword and Shield for the Nintendo Switch this year to mixed review. They typically have something Pokemon related out each year and they also developed their own title Little Town Hero. They likely have something new on development and will at least show something this year, however; I think with the blowback from Sword/Shield that Pokemon may take a year off and actually finetune itself for a 2021 release Grezzo - This team just release the port of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. This was their first foray into HD development besides assisting with BotW during crunch time. Most known for their 3DS ports of Zelda titles, they also developed their own title on the 3DS: Ever Oasis. They have also been rumored to be developing a port of Skyward Sword, but considering their issues with Link’s Awakening I think they will likely be developing another title using a similar engine. It is unlikely that anything from them is in development from them for 2020 so I think we will get an original title using Link’s Awakening engine for 2021. Good Feel - They released Yoshi’s Crafted World just earlier this year to mixed reviews. It is most likely they have started on the next Yoshi game as it tends to sell well and it is what they know. It is also possible that Nintendo has given them another 2D IP to work with such as Wario Land. Regardless of the case we probably will not see their development until 2021 and it will probably have a 2022 release. HAL Laboratory - Developer of all things Kirby, we have seen some smaller Kirby titles lately so expect to have a larger Kirby title ready for the first half of the year 2020. Intelligent Systems - Creators of the Fire Emblem and Paper Mario franchises. Their most recent release was Fire Emblem: Three Houses which was an incredibly large game and they have DLC for it coming by April 30 of this year. They are also constantly working on Fire Emblem Heroes mobile game. Considering they also required help by Koei Tecmo to finish Three Houses, chances are they are not far along their new title and may still be in the first stages. I think from them we will see a Paper Mario game that will return to form – especially with the Mario & Luigi studio now defunct – in 2021 or later. Next Level Games - Responsible for the critically acclaimed Luigi’s Mansion 3, they have some multiplayer DLC that they are developing that will be out by July 31, 2020. I think in the meantime they will start on a new title but that will be a while before we see anything. They have worked on everything from Luigi, to sports titles, from Metroid, to Punch Out! I think it is up to them and Nintendo which Nintendo IP they tackle next though it won’t be until 2021/2022 that we will see it or see release. NDCube - Responsible for Super Mario Party. Considering the lack of DLC for the 2018, chances are they are working on a sequel to the game that sold well. Given they have already developed the engine, questions are more likely if they will focus on the unique features of the joycon or go a more traditional minigame route as to not alienate gamers that purchased the Switch Lite console. Expect their game to come in 2020. Monolith Soft - Responsible for help with Breath of the Wild and the Xenoblade franchise. We did not hear much from them in 2019, but we do know they are releasing a remake of the original Xenoblade Chronicles in the first half of the year. in 2017 they advertised jobs for a new fantasy action-RPG which likely was transferred to their help with the Zelda franchise. Because they were hiring for work in their team for a Zelda project, I think it is safe to say that will be released in 2020 to combat PS5 and XSX. Retro Studios - This team had silence for over 5 years and is now given the reigns for Metroid Prime 4 after Nintendo was not happy with its initial development. Under strict supervision of Kensuke Tanabe and Yoshi Sakamoto, I believe whatever troubled development they previously had was shuttered to focus on Metroid Prime 4. I think they have also created a port of the Metroid Prime Trilogy which fed the rumors of the game being in development and Nintendo is sitting on the title to be closer to release on the new title. I think we will see the port of Metroid Prime Trilogy in 2020 and Metroid Prime 4 will be a 2021 title. Third Time is a charm (3rd Party) Bethesda – they are still promising to support Switch with titles they can, however; they are starting development for the next generation which will likely end up leaving the Switch SOL. We are only expecting Doom Eternal in 2020 but we could have a surprise or two from them yet. Square Enix – They have fully gotten back into the Nintendo camp and have focused not only on ports but even subverted some development resources for titles exclusive to the system. After the success of Octopath Traveler, we are receiving Bravely Default II which is officially in development. Also pushed into this year is the online title Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles HD. I am sure some surprises will come throughout the year. Ubisoft – They partnered with Nintendo in 2017 to release Mario & Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. Then in 2018 they had extra DLC for that game and special Star Fox DLC for one of their games, StarLink: Battle for Atlas. I think more collaboration is in the works and would not be surprised to see a full Star Fox title from them in 2020. They have also brought some of their older Assassin Creed titles to the Switch and have Assassin’s Creed Odyssey available through streaming in Japan. Expect a surprise or two from them in the year. Bandai Namco – They are assisting with Smash and are now helping develop more unique fighters for another fighters pass. Their “Tales of” game that was promised for Switch was shuttered for Tales of Arise for PS4/XB1 and Soul Calibur VI also picked up another fighters pass. Sitting dormant is Tekken and Ridge Racer. Either of those games may have a Switch port in the works but outside Smash, Bandai seems to not interested in the Switch console. Additionally, it was believed they had a Singapore studio that was developing Metroid Prime 4 before the project was taken away and given back to Retro Studios Koei Tecmo – Responsible for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, Hyrule Warriors, Fire Emblem Warriors, and helped Intelligent Systems with Fire Emblem: Three Houses. This third-party studio has become very close with Nintendo and their games have been successful on their platform. Nintendo co-owns the Fatal Frame franchise with this studio, I expect a game in that series to come to fruition either 2020 or 2021. Additionally, it has been a while since Ninja Gaiden has seen a release, expect to see something in that series this year while helping finishing up the TMS#FE port and MUA3 DLC. Platinum Games – Announced at the Game Awards in 2017, Bayonetta 3 has been in deep development for 2 full years. They have also worked with Nintendo on the new IP Astral Chain which was released to great critical and financial acclaim. I expect to see Bayonetta 3 this year for either 2020 or a 2021 release. They may also have an extra surprise or two to showcase but that may be a 2021 title at the earliest. Sega – They will likely have a Sonic game to tie in with the movie and because they sell best on Nintendo’s platforms, expect a Switch copy of the game. Also they own Atlus, which has said it was developing Shin Megami Tensei V and we have seen nothing on that game since 2017 but said in Feb 2018 that is in full development. Additional they have Persona 5 Shuffle (co-developed by Koei Tecmo) to release in 2020. Atlus also developed Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE which has a remake/port coming out this January.

It is lousia may alcott's novel. Am I right. You could intersperse this with bits of The Office and no one would know. Told my wife that he's my man crush. She couldn't even argue. When I see him I cant see anyone but. Cosa mi lasci di te Movie stream. I still believe Lord ❤. 2:10 girl to the right of frank makes me smile she is gorgeous. Cosa mi lasci di te Movie stream online. I met twelve-year-old Bradford only an hour ago. Now his head is smashed in and he’s lying in a pool of blood in the middle of my basement floor. The police will be here any minute to arrest me, no doubt. They’ll gather testimony from the other three boys that were here tonight, then from the nearly one hundred other boys that have visited my basement over the past seventeen years. Alright, writing that down makes me sound like a pervert, but I’m not a pervert. Let’s get that out there. This is my final confession. It all started in the year 2002. I had just graduated with a master’s in psychology and was working at Top Hat Video to pay the bills while pursuing research on Psychedelic Therapy on the side. While exiting the local Cinemark after seeing M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs on opening night, I noticed a group of four boys gathered around the ticket booth, one of whom I recognized as a neighborhood kid, Jimmy McConkie. They had just learned that the 11:15 pm showing was sold out and were trying to figure out whose mom could pick them up. Jimmy saw me and called out. “Hey Marcus! How’s it goin? ” “Jimmy, what’s goin on? ” “Signs is sold out, ” he said, visibly disheartened. “Damn, sorry man. I just saw it, ” I said. His face lit up and his friends gathered around. “Well, how was it? ” he asked. “It was horrifying, ” I said. “So good. ” “Oh man, well, we’ll have to try tomorrow, ” he said, turning to his friends. They nodded in affirmation. Then I started thinking. My latest research had been on the use of psychedelics to treat early childhood trauma. In theory, the drugs would help access a higher plane of existence, which, with the guidance of a licensed professional, could be used to gain a deeper understanding of the trauma. Of course, much of what I was studying back then is almost common knowledge in progressive psychiatric circles today. LSD, MDMA, and Psilocybin (as found in mushrooms) are used regularly in underground guided-therapy sessions nowadays, but back then, no way. In the 1960s or 70s? Sure. Early 2000s? No. On a whim, I invited the boys over to my house. I told them I’d give them a preview of Signs without spoiling too much. Since the kids still didn’t have a ride home, they accepted my invitation. They packed into my Subaru Outback and I took them to my home. For all the talk about stranger danger, these twelve-year-olds were much too confident coming with me. Though, again, I had no ill intent. I never did, at any point. It sounds so creepy writing it down like this, but a handful of willing kids was exactly what I needed to test my methods. If the combination of psychedelics and hypnosis could work for trauma, why not for fun? I served the four of them Pepsi while I got the basement ready. I set up four chairs in the middle of my unfinished basement, turned on the surround-sound speakers, and got a bell from the storage room. I ground up tablets of MDMA and fed them into the dry powder inhaler. I brought the boys down and invited them to take a seat. “I’m gonna set the scene for you, ” I said, handing them blindfolds. “Imagine you’re on a farmhouse in the middle of rural Pennsylvania. ” Once their blindfolds were fastened, I started the binaural beats on the speakers. “You are surrounded by hundreds of acres of cornfield, ” I said and rang the bell. I took the powder inhaler to each one and instructed them to inhale on my count. “One… two… three… breathe in, ” I’d say, spraying the ground MDMA. “This will help you envision the scene a bit better, ” I told them. They were giddy with excitement as I walked them through the story. I could tell when the drugs kicked in because their reactions became more animated. Once I realized my power, I’ll admit I embellished the details a little bit, but the boys were having the time of their lives. Although I wanted to go deeper, I stuck with the story, making sure to get their permission before veering into spoiler territory. I ended on a strong note then let the high wear off before driving them home. The boys decided, on their own volition, that they’d tell their parents they saw the movie as planned and that it was fantastic. They knew it was sketchy going over to a single neighborhood man’s house under the radar, so they promised each other to keep quiet. As the months went on, that same group of four boys returned a few more times, asking me to take them on some sort of adventure. Sometimes they had specific requests–I want to fly; Let’s do a haunted house; How bout a creepy version of Disneyland, etc. Other times, they let me call the shots. The process was simple enough. I played around with drug types and dosages, along with my hypnosis techniques and music. Eventually, I had formulas for every type of occasion. As that group of four boys got older, they brought their younger brothers and other neighborhood kids as a kind of sacred rite-of-passage. In 2007, Jimmy graduated high school. He went on to other things and I stayed in the same place, continuing my research. Eventually, I got a job teaching Psychology 101 at the community college. By that time, I had myself a group of about eight regulars aged twelve to fifteen that would come over about once a month and allow me to take them on whatever adventure they (or I) wanted. Again, not a pervert. After applying blindfolds, dimming the lights, putting on music, and giving each of them a couple inhales of my special powder, I told them to imagine various scenarios. I’d give only a basic level of detail and allow their drug-infused brains to fill in the gaps. I’ll admit I pushed the boundaries sometimes to see what kind of reaction I’d get. It was around the year 2015 when I made my first real breakthrough. I had a group of six boys, I think. After the regular setup, I decided to do something a little different. To the best of my recollection, here’s how the session went: “I want you to imagine you’ve arrived at an abandoned mansion in the middle of the desert. It’s the biggest house you’ve ever seen. Very dark, very creepy. You open the rusty gate that guards the property and walk through, kicking your feet through piles of moldy leaves. “You slip past what remains of the front door and walk in on a grand entrance. Double staircases, a giant crystal chandelier, granite floors. It smells of mildew and dust, like it hasn’t been touched in years. Cobwebs cake seemingly every corner. As you step in and take in the utter beauty of this masterpiece of a mansion, you hear something—the faint lull of a cello. “Intrigued, you follow the sound, taking you down long, winding corridors to a two-story library. The shelves are stocked with books, but they are dusty and rotted much like everything else in the house. The faded sun makes its way through the large stained-glass windows, giving off glares of all colors. In the center of the room is a beautiful woman. She is the composite of every beautiful woman you have ever seen. ” Each of the boys shifted, smiles creeping on their faces. I couldn’t help but smile too. “That beautiful woman is the one who’s playing the cello. She plays with such fervent passion. The way it reverberates through the library sends a chill down your spine. As you stand there, watching her play carefully with seemingly her whole body, you notice that the second-floor mezzanine is beginning to fill up with people. People you know. Friends, family, acquaintances. They wear somber looks as they take their place standing above you. None of them seem to notice you standing there. “Suddenly, you realize why they’re there. Off to the side, behind the cellist, is an open casket. Your heart sinks as you begin to understand the situation you have walked into. You cautiously approach the mahogany casket as the cello croons in the background. You lean forward to get a closer look at the body. There, with taut white flesh, closed eyes, and caked in makeup, is your dead body. ” One of the boys yelped and fell out of his chair. The others snapped out of hypnosis, ripping the blindfolds off. A couple of them had tears streaming down their faces. I turned off the music and nervously watched them compose themselves in silence. There were so many emotions in the room, I couldn’t get a good read on the boys. Eventually, once things relaxed a bit, one of the boys approached me. “I’m gonna go home, ” he said. “Okay, do you need a ride? Are you okay? ” I asked. “I’m… I’ll be fine. I just—” he paused for a moment holding back tears. “I’ve been an asshole to my little brother lately. Now I’m worried that I’ll die, or he’ll die before I have a chance to make things right. I don’t want things to end like this. I want him to know—” He looked around to the other guys and saw that their emotions seemed to match his own. “I want him to know I love him. ” He walked upstairs, out the front door, never to be seen again. A few of the other boys expressed something similar—that there were a few people in their lives that they had been jerks to, that they had lied to, that they hadn’t been nice to. They wanted to make things right. For the first time since I had begun this endeavor, I felt good about myself. It was the first time I had dared do anything meaningful with the therapy and it seemed to be effective. These boys’ lives were changed for good because of this simple session. Fast forward a few years and I have had almost a hundred different boys come to do guided psychedelic therapy sessions with me. They all understood the gravity of keeping it on the down-low—a point that tended to be baked into the initial invitation. Tonight, however, I took things too far. Rather than using the therapy as a method to help the boys explore themselves, I attempted to use it as a method to learn the secrets of the universe. Just a few hours ago, a group of four boys, two of which I had hosted before stopped by, asking if I could conduct a session. I had nothing else going on, aside from a little reading and late-night solo drinking, so I let them in. They had just come from basketball practice. They followed me into the basement and took their seats. The two boys that had been there before—Adam and Bryson—explained the process to the two new boys—Bradford and Trey. The two new boys seemed nervous, as most first-timers are, but they trusted their friends enough to proceed. I started the music, dimmed the lights, and instructed them to place the blindfolds on. I took another sip of whiskey then walked the inhaler around, giving each boy three puffs of my special sauce. Aside from generalities, I don’t usually plan these ‘adventures’ too far in advance. I suppose it was the late-night reading of Lovecraft infused with alcohol and a relentless thunderstorm that led me on tonight’s particular excursion. I started the session slowly, allowing about thirty minutes for the drugs to take full effect, all while occasionally ringing the bell. “You find yourself in the middle of the woods one evening, the pink sky filtering through thick rows of pine trees. You walk carefully, mindfully through the woods, the soft padding of fallen pine needles cushioning your every step. ” The boys slouched in their chairs as they fell deeper into hypnosis. “As you walk along, smelling the sweet smell of the pines, hearing the chirping crickets, you find a fallen wooden sign half-buried in the ground. You dig it out and brush it off. On it reads something quite peculiar. ‘This way to the end of the world, ’ it reads. You find a tree with an old rusty nail about six feet up and determine that this must be what the sign was attached to. “You continue trekking through the woods, all while keeping an eye out for whatever the end of the world might be. The further you go into the forest, the darker it gets. Pretty soon, you start to feel something. You start to internalize the gravity of the situation. Although you thought the sign was silly at first, you now believe it. You become confident that you are about to discover something groundbreaking. “The chirping crickets suddenly stop. Ahead of you is a metal stairway that leads down into a wide hole—about fifty feet in diameter. You edge closer to the hole and realize that the fading daylight doesn’t offer you enough to see the extent of its depth. “You consider turning back, but the unwavering sense of curiosity gets the best of you and you decide to descend the stairs. You go slowly at first, testing the loadbearing of each step carefully. After about twenty stairs, you feel safe and start descending quicker. Another hundred feet down, you happen upon a heavy metal door with rusted bolts and hinges. “You push the door hard and it squeaks open revealing a man playing basketball alone in an empty arena. Each time the ball bounces, it echoes through the building and into the stairwell you occupy. ” Some of the boys sit upright, smirking. “After making a long three, the man grips the basketball and turns slowly to face you. He walks to you very carefully. As he gets closer, you realize the man is huge. ” The boys grip their seats. “Once he’s about fifty feet away, you recognize him. It’s Lebron James! ” The boys laugh in excitement. One of them stands up and pumps his fist. I can’t help but chuckle to myself at my spontaneity. Lebron James is probably the only current NBA player I can name. “When he gets to the doorway, standing right in front of you, a serious look passes on his face, and he begins to speak. ” I clear my throat and drop my voice. “’I know that you think you’re just having a fun time, going on a psychedelic adventure, but you have to understand something, ’ he says. ‘This journey is important. Very important. What you are doing has the potential to unlock all the mysteries of the earth. You just have to keep going. Promise me you’ll keep going. ’” One of the boys swallows hard. All of them nod in agreement. “Then, the ball he’s holding turns to fire. He dribbles it a few times and spins it on his finger, apparently unfazed. He hands you the ball and you hold it with both hands. The flames dance around the ball without burning you. ‘This will help light your path, ’ he says, then slams the door. Lebron James is gone. You continue down the stairwell, your path lit by the flaming basketball. “After another hour of descending the stairs, you reach a second door. This one is equally heavy and rusty as the first. As you push it open, you hear the sound of waves crashing. You lean your shoulder into the door, as you did with the first one, and shove it open. Sand spills onto your feet. You look upon a beautiful endless beach of white sand bordered by blue, crashing waves on one side and lush jungle vegetation on the other. A cool, saltwater mist touches your skin. “When you hear the ding of the bell, the sun will disappear, ” I said. “One… two… three…” I dinged the bell and waited for a moment. A couple of the boys leaned forward. “You can still hear the waves crashing and feel the ocean mist, but the world is pitch black. No stars. No moon. You can only see the few feet of sand in front of you, as illuminated by the flaming basketball. As you focus on the sound, you hear someone walking toward you. When I count to three and ding the bell, the sun will reappear, and your mother will be standing there. One… two… three…” I dinged the bell again. The boys smiled nervously. “This woman brought you into the world, she fed you, clothed you, changed your diapers. Your mother sacrificed so much for you. You feel this. In this moment, you internalize an undying gratitude for your mother. You would do absolutely anything for her—you’d take a bullet for her or jump in front of a bus. Absolutely anything. ” I wait for a moment, allowing my words to marinate. “Your mom stands in the sand about fifty feet back, looking at you with a smile. She invites you in, but you can’t move—you’re stuck in the stairwell. As soon as you realize this, you see someone else approach. A man dressed head-to-toe in black emerges from the jungle with a machete. His identity is concealed by a leather black mask. “Your mom continues to smile, unaware of the man in black approaching. You try to call out, but you can’t speak. You wave your hands furiously until she pays attention. A look of fear passes over her. As she turns around to confront her attacker, the man hits her over the head, knocking her unconscious. You notice for the first time that there is a large cage in the sand behind the attacker. The man drags your unconscious mother into the cage, slams the door, and locks it. You look at her limp body sprawled out on the metal floor of the cage and are filled with rage. “You try to move again but can’t. You try to scream but can’t. The man in black notices you and approaches. When he is standing right in front of you, he dangles the key to the cage and laughs a deep, ugly chuckle. He then throws the key out of the door, over your head. You hear it clank down the staircase, disappearing far, far below you into the void. The man pulls his mask off revealing a horrific, warped face with gaping, bloody holes where his eyes should be. He speaks again: ‘one more door. ’ The door slams shut, booming into the stairwell. ” One of the boys shakes his head furiously. The others look angry. It’s working, I thought. “As you continue descending the stairs, lit by the flaming basketball, you feel brave and confident, like you can confront whatever lies in the third and final door. You can get the keys to the cage. You can save your mother and you can find the secrets to the end of the world. You have to be—” Thunder cracked outside, loud enough to make me jump and snap the boys out of hypnosis. They ripped their blindfolds off and stumbled to their feet, breathing heavily. “Oh my god, that was intense, ” Adam said. “You don’t want to keep going? ” I asked. “Man, that was enough for one night. Great trip though, I loved meeting Lebron James. That felt so real. Didn’t that feel real? ” Trey said to the others. They nodded in agreement. “Damn lightning woke you guys up, ” I said. “Well, thanks for havin’ us over Mr. Marcus, ” Bryson said, picking up his hat. As they started up the stairs, I noticed that not all of them snapped out of the hypnosis. Bradford sat still, blindfold on, still gripping his chair. “Should I wake him? ” I asked the others. This was Bradford’s first session and I didn’t want him to freak out when he awoke. “You guys go ahead, I’ll wait for Bradford to wake up, ” Adam said. Bryson and Trey disappeared a couple minutes later after making plans with Adam to meet up at Bradford’s house when. Adam then took a seat in the corner, excited to watch the session with Bradford proceed. “You continue descending the stairs, a blast of cool air blowing past you, ” I said. Bradford visibly shivered. “What’s your strategy? ” Adam whispered to me. I turned the music up, allowing Bradford a few minutes to descend the stairs. I walked over to Adam. “The key is to get each of the patients in touch with as many emotions and feelings as possible. Happy, sad, afraid, amused, etc. Then I try to create sensory experiences—exposing them to heat, cold, smells, tastes, etc. The more the hypnosis can infiltrate their brain, the more effective it is. ” “What’s your end goal with this session? ” Adam asked. I smiled. “We have five senses, right? ” “Yeah. Sight, smell, touch, taste, and… what’s the last one? ” “Hearing, ” I answered. He nodded. “But a lot of our brain is unused, right? ” I posed. “Yeah. ” “So, what if we can experience other senses, but don’t know how to activate them? ” I asked. “Like in the same sense that birds or whales know how and when to migrate. Or how any number of animals and insects can locate food or water in almost any scenario. They have these intuitions that we don’t quite understand. ” “And you think these sessions can activate those extra senses? ” “I don’t know if it’s possible to activate them in the real world, necessarily, but I do believe that we can activate them within the hypnosis. ” “What kind of senses? ” I took another sip of my whiskey. “It’s still a theory, but I think we can tune our inner antenna, so to speak, to understand the secrets of the universe. ” “Like what? ” “Like if we’re alone in the universe. Like how all this came to be. Like what happens to the souls who have passed, ” I said. Adam sat in contemplation for a moment then smiled. “Damn, well let’s hope Bradford can bring us home, ” he said. I tipped my glass to him, sipped my whiskey, then took my place at the front of the room. Bradford hadn’t moved an inch. “As you descend the stairs, you begin to hear voices calling from above. You hear your dad, your siblings, your friends. They all voice their support. You can do it! Keep going! You’re almost there! Be brave! ” Bradford sat up tall in his chair. Getting closer, I thought. “The flaming basketball finally finds an end to the staircase. You step onto a cobblestone landing and look around you. You have descended into a large silo of some kind—maybe a cave or a well—with nothing but a door of similar size and configuration as the first two against the wall. On the ground, a flicker of light reveals the location of the cage keys wedged between two stones. However, before you pick the keys up, you realize that you must first open the door. “Just then someone descends the stairs behind you, but you don’t feel scared. The person steps into the light of the flaming basketball and you realize that it’s you. You are standing face to face with yourself. He smiles at you and you smile back. ” Bradford smiled and I looked to Adam, he gave me a thumbs up. “The other you puts his hand on your shoulder and looks into your eyes. He’s almost like a more self-assured version of yourself. He’s fearless. He’s brave. He’s a hero. ‘You must understand, ’ he says. ‘You have been endowed for this mission. You were chosen long ago for this mission. Behind this door lies a cloud of knowledge. When you open the door and step inside, you will be immersed in this cloud. You will be met with a deep understanding of the mysteries of the universe. You will see the origins of creation. You will understand the immensity of all that exists. You will know these things and understand them in a way that will allow you to communicate your findings to others in the real world. ’” I took a deep breath and looked over to Adam again for approval. He nodded, a look of utter anticipation on his face. “Do it, ” he mouthed. “The other you stands aside and disappears, leaving nothing between you and the door. You understand what you must do. You take three steps forward, place one hand on the cold metallic door and apply pressure. As you do so, you feel something trickling down your upper lip. You stop pushing and wipe your nose. You are bleeding. ” Adam and I watched Bradford carefully for about fifteen seconds before he gently wiped his nose. He motioned his head to look down at his hand and opened his mouth in surprise. There was blood—actual blood—on his hands. “Holy shit! ” Adam whispered to me. Frankly, I was more shocked than he was. Bradford was my first completely immersed patient. He was in my complete control. This was not an empowering thought, mind you, it was a horrifying one. I briefly considered pulling the plug on the whole thing right then—guiding him away from the door and back up the staircase to the real world, but I didn’t. Goddamn Lovecraft. I swallowed hard and held my bell steady. “Now, I’m going to count to three and ring the bell. When you hear the bell, you will push open the door and become immersed in the cloud. After a few moments in the cloud, I will ring the bell and you will exit the cloud and close the door behind you. ” I repeated the instructions then took a deep breath. “Here we go, ” I mouthed to Adam. “One… Two… Three…” I said, then dinged the bell. Bradford jolted, flailing his arms and grunting. His chair rocked violently. I instructed Adam to steady it, so he didn’t tumble off. How responsible of me. The jolting stopped after a minute and Bradford sat still. Both his nostrils were bleeding now. “Now, when I ring the bell again, you will exit the room and close the door behind you. One… Two…” Bradford stood up abruptly, sending the chair and Adam sprawling onto the floor behind him. He ripped his blindfold off and looked around frantically, like a trapped animal. “Bradford, it’s all okay, ” I said, but I knew it wasn’t. He didn’t wake up on his own volition. Nor was there an external stimulus to wake him up—my bell, or a loud noise like the thunder before. Something inside of the hypnosis woke him up. Adam stumbled to his feet. “Bradford, it’s alright buddy. It’s me, Adam, right here, ” he said and reached for him. “No! ” I yelled. “Don’t touch him. Come here, ” I told him. Adam obeyed and stood next to me against the wall. Bradford looked around anxiously for another minute, his feet unmoving, then fixed his eyes on the concrete block wall on the opposite side of the room. “Stay here, ” I said to Adam. I walked to the other side of the room, between Bradford and the wall, the bell clutched in my hand. Frankly, I didn’t know what to do. I had to assume he was still under some kind of hypnosis, though I didn’t know whose. “Bradford, when I count to three and ring the bell, you will come out of hypnosis. Again, when I count to three and ring the bell, you will come out of hypn—” He bolted straight at me, knocking me to the side and plowing straight into the wall, headfirst. “Shit! ” I yelled, stumbling back to my feet. Adam ran over. Between the two of us, we held Bradford down. He had a large gash on his head and a steady stream of blood pouring down his face, but he didn’t seem to be in pain. “Bradford, listen to me, ” I said. He turned his head toward me, revealing jittering pupils, as if there was an earthquake behind those eyes. Adam was crying. His phone buzzed across the room, diverting our attention for a moment. “Do we call the cops? ” he asked. “Yes, call 911, ” I said, trying incoherently to piece together a story in my head. Once Adam got to his phone on the other side of the room, Bradford began seizing, knocking me on my ass. I backed up, recognizing my feeble body to be no match for his apparent raw animal strength. “Please, Bradford, breathe with me, ” I said. He again eyed the block wall and ran at it with full force, his skull crunching on impact. Blood spattered on the wall and the floor. He fell onto the ground with a hollow thud. Adam screamed. I tried to lay Bradford’s lifeless body straight when his eyes shot open, a look of pure terror on his face. “No! ” he screamed and rolled away from me. He got onto his hands and knees, breathing heavy. As I carefully eased toward him, he let out a loud grunt and began hitting his head on the concrete floor with inhuman intensity. The sound of his head repeatedly crunching against the floor like that will haunt me forever. Blood continued to pool beneath him. I backed away from him, helpless. Adam screamed in horror. After five or six hard hits, Bradford finally collapsed onto the ground, splashing in his own blood. Tears were streaming down my face. Adam was sobbing uncontrollably. A few moments passed in bone-chilling silence. “Did you call anyone? ” I asked with a shaky voice. Adam stared unblinking at Bradford’s mangled head resting on the ground. “Adam? ” He snapped out of it. “Uh, no, I—” he said, swiping through his phone. “Okay—the story—our story—” I started. Then Adam’s eyes grew wide. “What? ” I asked. “The others. Trey and Bryson, ” Adam said, staring at his phone with his hand covering his mouth. “What is it? ” I asked. “When they got to Bradford’s house, they found Bradford’s mom on the kitchen floor, ” he said and looked up at me. “She’s dead. ” “Shit, ” I said. “It’s the hypnosis. It has to be, ” Adam said. “No, that’s impossible, the hypnosis can’t control someone who isn’t under hypnosis, ” I said, nervously. “It can’t be related. No way. ” “You said that the goal is to tap into other senses, right? To activate other parts of the brain? ” Adam said. “Well, yeah, that’s a theory, but either way, how would that kill Bradford’s mom? ” “I don’t know. The only thing I can think of, is that, clearly Bradford was all-in. I mean, you hypnotized him into a bloody nose, didn’t you? Maybe when you put our moms in a cage on the beach… I don’t know, ” he said and slipped his phone into his pocket. “Which—oh shit—I need to check on my mom, ” he said and darted up the basement stairs. Now I sit here in my cold, mildewy basement with this dead boy’s body, penning my final haunting confession. For the record, I want to apologize to Bradford’s family. I take full responsibility for his death. And in the case that I am the cause of Bradford’s mother’s death, I apologize for that, too. I don’t really want to think through the scientific implications if that is the case, to be honest. All I know is that whether I spend my days as a free man or behind bars, I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to sleep again wondering what Bradford saw when he opened that door and stepped into the cloud. Something he saw drove him to this madness. That much is clear. I hear the police sirens outside now. One last note to the psychiatric community or those who may be looking to build upon my research: Some things are better left unknown.

“I work for the government. ” That’s what Ryan first told me when I asked him what he did for work. It was our first date; an old cheesy boomer diner replete with vintage 50’s décor and a post-world war 2 aesthetic. He was 27 and I was 22, and I had reluctantly agreed to the blind date orchestrated by my best friend. Truth be told, the only reason I really agreed at all was to give the appearance that I was trying, and stave off the incessant pestering remarks for grandchildren from my mom. I was pleasantly surprised when I met Ryan though. He was tall, dark brown hair with a well-kempt beard and fierce blue eyes. He was quite handsome, and I was even sort of glad I made the effort to meet him. I teased him a bit about his comment, asking whether he was a secret agent on a dangerous mission or a CIA operative. He just chuckled and shook his head. “No, it’s nothing that cool, trust me. ” He never said much more about it than that, only adding that he was contractually obligated to refrain from discussing his work in any detail. I didn’t think much of it either way, and soon after our first date we had a second… and then a third, and before I knew it, I was spending entire weekends at his home indulging in scary movie marathons and waking up to his butterfly kisses in the morning. Things moved quick between us, and I admit, I fell hard in no time. He was always cracking jokes and making me smile. Always reliable and dependent. He had his own house and clearly made good money. Sorry, I know this is probably starting to sound a little too off track, but I just think it’s important to highlight how happy we were together. It’s what made everything that’s happened recently so hard for me to understand. Ryan and I have been dating for almost two years now, but he’s now been missing for over a month. I came over one night after texting him earlier in the day, but he wasn’t home. I knew something was very wrong when I saw his front door wide open. I left the home and called the police; who arrived minutes later. They searched the property, but didn’t find him. His car and all of his belongings were there as far as we could tell. The front door was clearly forced in, but other than that there was no sign of a struggle. An odd metallic odor was lingering in the air. I don’t know if the police noticed it, but I sure did. By far the strangest thing they found was that all electronics in the house were dead. Everything from the lights and air conditioner to the toaster in the kitchen were just dead. Even his iPhone left on the kitchen table, and his Jeep Rubicon parked in the garage refused to turn on. Electricians later found that his entire electrical grid had been fried. Not from a fire though, they said it looked more like the result of a massive electrical surge. A few of the neighbor’s houses suffered damage as well, but no one could determine what had caused it. Ryan hadn’t said anything to anyone about going anywhere, and there was nothing to necessarily indicate he had been abducted or worse. They ended up rationalizing the bizarre power outage and circuit damage as the result of a freak lightning strike. As for Ryan: the police believe he went out and committed suicide somewhere hidden with the intention of not being found. I know they say that the ones who seem the happiest are often times the best at hiding suicidal ideation, but I never saw anything to indicate that from Ryan. He never spoke about dealing with mental health issues, and he left no note or anything else behind. It’s like he just got up, walked out, and never came back. For the first couple weeks I was an absolute mess. The loss was hard enough, but the prospect of just not knowing drove little daggers into my heart. I couldn’t help but feel it was my fault. Like something I had done had pushed him away. After finding the truth now, I would give anything for that to be the reality. The one piece of evidence that gave me hope was the front door, and how it seemed as though it had been breached by force. Something in my gut told me there was more to the story than my emotional side led me to believe. I scoured through his house for weeks, hoping to find something the police had missed. A couple nights ago I was looking through a photo album he had made for me one Christmas. There were pictures of all kinds in there through the various adventures we had taken together. The sorrow rolled like waves as I flipped through it, and it was all I could do to not be dragged back into the undertow. After fully depressing myself, I slid the photo album back onto the open slot on Ryan’s bookshelf. Of course, my clumsy ass accidentally hit another book in the process, causing a small grey book to tumble out and land on the floor. With an annoyed sigh I bent down to put it back. I grabbed it by the binding, and did my best to preserve the book’s condition. As I was scooping it up, I noticed something on the bookshelf where the book had fallen from. In between the slot was what looked like a hidden panel on the bookshelf. After removing more books and eventually wobbling the bookshelf aside, I realized it wasn’t on the bookshelf at all; but instead on the wall behind it. There was a knob on it, and a small 3 inch by 3 inch slit. I grabbed the small knob with my fingers, and pulled it open. The panel swiveled, revealing a small, blank metal box inside. Carefully I slid it outwards, and was surprised by the unexpected weight of it. The small metal box was only about the size of a cellphone, and maybe as thick as a bible, but was surprisingly heavy. I thought it was an iron ingot at first; and wondered why Ryan would bother hiding it behind his bookcase so secretly. But as I was fumbling around with it, I felt it slide apart. The small box separated and slid open into two halves; like some contraption machined to fit together like a puzzle. Inside was a small hollowed out compartment, a thick bundle of copper wire, and in the middle was a single USB flash drive. There was nothing extraordinary about it, and nothing to indicate what it contained, but clearly if Ryan went through all that trouble to protect it, it had to be something important. Part of me had begun to wonder whether he was involved in some shady activity, and his vague job description was just a convenient cover. I thought maybe it could’ve been money laundering or some other work of the criminal variety. It may have been a violation of privacy, but I was desperate. I had to know what was on it. After plugging it into my laptop I was met with only an error message stating that the attachment wasn’t recognized. I took it out and put it back in several times but my efforts were all in vein. Since I don’t know jack about computers, I got in contact with a friend of mine who does. He came over to my house the next day; dragging a plethora of diagnostic equipment along with him. I explained to him what I knew, and hoped he’d be able to assist in accessing the flash drive. Luckily, he identified that the reason it wasn’t opening for me was because it was in a format which isn’t normally supported by computers. He didn’t even have the equipment for it, but claimed he could get it with little issue. He commented on how odd the format itself was, as it’s not something normally utilized by coders. Once he got the equipment he needed, he was finally able to unlock the mysterious drive. The file opened to reveal several dozen different files within; most of them simple notepad documents. They were all titled in series of numbers, and there seemed to be no indication as to what they contained. There was another file titled, but it appeared entirely corrupted. Chris – the name I’ll use for my computer whiz friend who was helping me, commented on the odd find, and his curiosity seemed to pique. He tried messing with the corrupted file with several techniques but nothing he did got it to function. He said that the format of ‘NSI’ was one typically used in anti-virus software. He wondered if maybe the corrupted file was a type of malware or computer virus. Luckily the notepad documents provided some context, but the more we read the stranger it all got. The first several were all titled by dates, and seemed to contain nothing but gibberish to me. Chris recognized them as lines of code, and began scrolling through them. He opened some other programs and began copying them over, and I stayed quiet to allow him to work. I might as well have been looking at Ancient Sumerian, because I had no idea what any of it meant. Chris sure seemed to though, and I heard him gasp aloud several times. “Incredible…” He muttered while shaking his head in disbelief. “What is it? ” I asked, on the verge of dying from suspense. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. Incredibly complex and look at this…” He grabbed the cursor icon with the mouse and dragged downward. What had to have been millions of individual characters zoomed by my eyes, and the scope of the document became clear. “And there’s 37 more like this. ” I piqued an eyebrow at him. “And I’m guessing that’s a lot? ” I naively asked. Chris’ eyebrows jumped and he nodded enthusiastically. “Oh yeah… like an insane amount of code. If the other documents contain even half of what this one does than it’ll easily dwarf what most triple-A video games take for an entire project. ” I squinted at the screen, but it made no more sense than it had earlier. “Is that what he was doing? Building a video game? ” Chris paused and glanced at the screen, slowly shaking his head a moment later. “No, this is something else. ” Chris continued scanning through the files for several minutes. I asked a few questions, but remained mostly silent to allow him to do his work. He copy/pasted a large section into a separate program, and stared in silence for a moment. He then slowly turned to face me with an unnerved expression. “What did you say he did for work again? ” I shrugged. “I don’t know. ” I shot a glance back to him. “Why? What did you find? ” “All of this…” He gestured up to the screen. “If I had to guess… I’d say it’s the code for an extraordinarily complex autonomous program… a bot essentially. But we’re talking a massive bot. ” “Maybe something for Google… or Amazon. ” Chris shook his head. “What about like the NSA? Or CIA? Or some other shady three-letter government group? ” “I mean it’s possible… but it’s just so huge. I mean there’s gotta be hundreds of millions of lines of code here at the very least. Some of it’s in a script I’ve never even seen before. It doesn’t even use alphanumeric text. ” He looked me in the eye again, as if I was supposed to understand what that entailed. My blank stare must’ve told him that and he scrolled the cursor down and pointed at something on the screen. “You ever seen anything that looks like this? ” He pointed to an individual symbol within the sea of text. It’s hard to describe, but it looked sort of like a half-star with three trailing lines on the right side. Needless to say, I’d never seen anything like it. It looked more like a hieroglyphic or rune of some kind than it did a letter. We just lingered there in silence for a few moments. Chris then minimized the program he was using and returned to the flash drive folder. He scrolled through the dozens of notepad documents, and at the very bottom there was one which stood out. It was the only one titled with actual words rather than numbers. ‘In case the worst should happen’. My heart skipped a beat as I read the title, and for the first time since all of this began, I felt as though we were on the right path. Chris opened the file, and several paragraphs of text popped up. “If anyone ever finds this, than that probably means I’ve gone missing. I probably said nothing about it, and the circumstances have probably left everyone very confused. I’m not supposed to do this; and it goes against everything I signed in my contract, but I had to leave something behind. People need to know about this. I can’t tell you who exactly I work for, or what we were doing. Let’s just say they are very powerful, and simply googling the name is enough to get them looking for you. You’re not going to be able to find me; no one is. Please, just forget about me, and know how sorry I am for all this. I wish I knew how to stop it. ” Ryan went on to give the standard last testament and final wishes he wished to convey. I felt my heart break again as I read his professed love for his family, his friends, and then me. He reiterated how sorry he was, and how much he wished he could’ve told us everything. He wrote how he loved me, and wanted me to understand that none of what happened was my fault. I felt tears rolling down my cheeks as I read. Chris stayed silent, and I heard him sigh heavily under his breath. I finished reading, and wiped the tears away with a deep breath that burned like sulfur. As hard as it was to read, it told us a few things about the situation. The first thing that was obvious was that Ryan had seen this all coming, and had made at least some preparations for when it did. It was also clear he did not vanish of his own volition. He seemed to know that the people he worked for were up to some shady things, and had a great deal of remorse over his involvement. Even though he didn’t spell it out directly, he left enough info for us to delve deeper. That line about him wishing he knew how to stop it kept ringing in my head, and each time it did I felt shivers descend my spine. “You okay Kelsey? ” Chris asked. I nodded, but didn’t even know what to think then. It hurt to know Ryan had held these secrets alone for so long, and it hurt more to think he had helped these people do whatever they were doing. Chris was hesitant to go any further, but I insisted upon it. Despite what Ryan had written, I wasn’t about to give up on him that easily. We must’ve spent hours sifting through those files of code, but only minutes for my mind to start to phase it all out. Not as though I really understood what we were looking at anyways; I just hoped Chris could make sense of it. He seemed absolutely enthralled by it, saying very little as he scanned page after page and utilized some of his other programs. I stayed quiet and allowed him to work, and after a lengthy period of silence he slumped back in his chair. He then chuckled, but there was no comedic cadence within his tone. “There’s no way... ” “What? ” “I just had a crazy thought. With all this data and code, and all the secrecy surrounding it. It’s gotta be something more than just a virus or bot. I’m just wondering if maybe your boyfriend was working on an air-gapped network of some kind. ” “What is that? ” I asked, once again demonstrating my technologic incompetence. “It’s basically an isolated network that can be used to test bots before they go live. Devs use it to test for bugs - coding errors and whatnot. But this… something this big is unheard of. I can’t imagine…” A sudden thought sprung out in my mind like a daisy in the spring, and I couldn’t help but interrupt him. “A. I. ” I expected ridicule, but Chris just gave a crestfallen stare. “It’s possible…” Even though I had been the one to say it, I didn’t necessarily mean it as a possible solution. “But that stuff doesn’t exist right? I mean I thought that’s just in movies. ” Chris nodded. “For now, but it’s only a matter of time. And maybe that time has come. ” I glanced back at the screen, and the same NSI program seemed to glare back at me. The name suddenly sent shivers down my spine. “Ventriloquist… that’s like a puppet person isn’t it? ” Chris nodded. “Why would they name it that? ” Chris shrugged. “Who knows? They always have cutesy little nicknames for diabolic secret projects. Acoustic Kitty, Tempora, Blue Book…” “What if it’s like mind control? Y’know… puppet master and we’re the puppets… MK Ultra kind of thing. ” I asked; positing another wild theory. “It could be a virus developed by aliens for all we know, but without any developer notes or mission statements there’s no real way to tell aside from opening the file, which can’t happen because it is corrupted. ” He paused, and it seemed like an idea blossomed in his mind. “Well, there might be one way. ” Chris sprang into action again, beginning to search around online for a myriad of topics. He downloaded several things, and after a few minutes began opening new programs. By that point his screen was a collage of text and numbers, and I was more lost than a cat in a mirror store. “This may work. ” Chris finally spoke after what seemed like an eon of silence. I sat up in my chair, shaking the drowsiness from my bones and attempting to pay attention. Chris was loading up a program with no name. It looked pretty much identical to the command prompt; with only a black screen and white text. He messed with some of the settings, and something finally happened. “Here we go. ” The screen suddenly flashed just as he spoke, like the sight of an old pre-2000’s TV turning off. I think we both expected something dramatic, but instead the screen remained black. Chris then typed in what appeared to be a command, but then something very strange happened. The text on screen simply flickered and fizzled into nothing. I was about to speak, when suddenly the entire monitor lit up like a busy city in the dead of night. Cyan text and imagery popped in and out with unrelenting speed. Within the vortex of text emerged unlabeled graphs, blurry images of people rendered blue, various locations and cityscapes and more of those odd rune-like symbols. So many things zoomed by in seconds that I could never possibly identify all of them. Chris was aghast; mouthed slacked and eyes bulging as the torrent of images continued. His laptop began to whir loudly as the internal fan kicked into overdrive. Suddenly it seemed to coalesce, and betwixt an ill-defined miasma of text and symbols an image of planet earth itself emerged. It was colored blue like all the rest, and seemed to zoom in on the image several times over; using two lines running perpendicular to triangulate something. We realized all too late what it was doing, when I saw a bird’s eye view of my neighborhood emerge on the screen. “Oh shit…” Chris suddenly scrambled and tilted his laptop to the side, tearing the battery out from underneath. The screen went black, and the stream of images finally stopped. An uncomfortable silence then gripped us as I tried to process what had just happened. Chris was breathing heavily, and eyes stared unblinking at the blank screen. His look of horror was only further emphasized as his phone suddenly vibrated on the desk. The phone lit up from the call, and the two simple words on the screen made my blood run cold as ice. Unknown number. Both of us just stared at it as it buzzed away on the desk. A sudden thought struck my mind like a hammer to an anvil. I knew even then it was a bad idea, but I had no other option. I did it for Ryan. I grabbed the phone and held it to my ear. “Kelsey wait…” Chris begged, but it was too late. “Hello. ” There was only silence on the other end, but after a moment a faint buzzing sound began. It sounded like some weird, bug-zapper or something, but more garbled and electronic. I was about to hang up, when an automated voice spoke. “Christopher John Smith (fabricated name). Abiciendi. ” (uh-bee-see-en-dee). The line then immediately went dead. I lowered the phone from my ear, trying to process what had even just happened as my heart soared in my chest. “Who was it? ” Chris asked. I just shook my head, reluctant to speak. I had to tell him, but the words stuck in my throat. “It… I don’t… it said you. It spoke your name. ” Chris reared back in confusion. “What did? ” “It was like an electronic voice. It said something else too, but I’m not…” Before I could finish the thought a sudden burst of light emanated through the cracks on the blinds. Before either of us could react, the lights in the room suddenly all extinguished in unison. The only remaining light was a faint blue flickering from something outside. Chris sprung from his seat and approached the window, prying the blinds apart so he could glimpse what was on the other side. I took my phone out to try and use the flashlight, but realized it was suddenly dead. Nothing I tried would get it to turn back on. “Holy shit…” Chris scrambled back from the window. “What is it? ” I asked. Before he could reach his bedroom door, a calamitous bang emanated from somewhere down below us. It sounded like someone had kicked the front door in. Chris shut the door and I saw the rank terror etched upon his face. “What is it? FBI? What did you see? ” I begged. Chris held a finger to his lip and shook his head. “No… something else. ” I didn’t even have a chance to ask him anymore questions before he basically grabbed me and pushed me into his closet. I asked him what was happening but he just commanded me to hide. He shut the closet door, and as the sounds of an odd mechanical whirring grew louder, I decided I had no other option. It all happened so fast. The strange noise grew louder, until I could hear just outside the door. The blue light had gotten much more intense, and it’s luminosity increased even further as Chris’ bedroom door was flung open. I then heard three things happen in a few seconds. Two booming gunshots, a loud mechanical hiss, and a scream. After only a few seconds the only thing I could hear was the slight mechanical whirring just outside the closet. My heart was pounding, tears filling my eyes and teeth clamped onto my wrist to prevent myself from uttering a sound. It seemed like an eternity that I lingered there, with me all but certain that whatever was outside was mere seconds away from breaking down the door and ending me; but it never came. Instead, the whirring grew progressively more distant, and the blue light fainter until I was left alone in silence and darkness. I must’ve waited for close to an hour before emerging from that closet, and was only spurred to do so after I heard chattering voices outside the house. Slowly, I pushed the closet door open, and saw nothing. Neither Chris nor whatever he was shooting at was there, and the only indication they ever had been was the shotgun laying on the ground with two discharged shells lying beside it. Things were a bit of blur after that. I must’ve been in shock, because the following minutes past as little more than a haze of images and faces. I remember going outside, and finding several neighbors congregated in the street. Apparently, all power in their houses had been snuffed out, and all electronics went dead. Somebody said that perhaps the circuit breakers had been flipped, but that wouldn’t explain why my cellphone was dead. Even my car in the driveway refused to turn on; not even so much as a click when I turned the key. Everyone just stood around scratching their heads until another neighbor returned from work sometime later. His car seemed unaffected, and after being informed on the situation from his wife he phoned the police. They arrived maybe half an hour later and got the stories from everyone, but they weren’t sure what to make of it either. Far as anyone could tell, there was some sort of sudden EMP which fried all the circuits in the neighborhood. As we attempted to determine what had happened, an unlikely source suddenly spoke up. “I… I know what happened. ” A meek voice suddenly spoke through the crowd. I turned, and saw the six-year-old neighbor boy shuffling his feet as he waited to speak. The group turned to him and he nervously tried to explain. “It was a glowing man… he… he did a laser burst and all the lights went out. ” The rest of the group just sort of chuckled, but I did not. They obviously did not take him seriously, but I did. “Did you see what he looked like? ” An older man asked. The young boy nodded. “He was blue, and really, really tall. He went into that house. ” My heart sunk as the young boy pointed directly to my parent’s house. People then looked to me in a somewhat accusatory glance, but I said nothing. There was nothing I could’ve said to explain what I had just experienced. “Did you see his face young man? ” One officer asked. The young boy fiddled with the sleeves on his jacket, and then looked back to the officer with a perturbed glance. “He didn’t have a face. He didn’t really have a body either, his arms and legs just floated. ” Silence once again befell the group as no one knew what to make of his statement. “Maybe he was a super hero! ” The boy exclaimed with an excited look. He was met by a hushed chorus of chuckles and reassured smiles, but none of them were mine. I knew he had seen it. The cops had a look around - and while they did find evidence of a break in, they were unable to obtain any evidence as to who had perpetrated it. That came as no surprise, but the little boy’s description refused to leave my mind. My parents- whom I still live with and who were absent that night, were none too thrilled to return home and find every appliance and outlet in the house fried. Luckily for all of us, most of the damage is being taken care of by insurance on what has been officially deemed another ‘freak lightning strike’. There seems to be a lot of those lately. Ryan is still missing, and now Chris is gone too. Both of them taken by that thing. I don’t know how or why or what it does, I’m afraid I don’t know much more than what I’ve posted here today. That incident unfortunately fried not only Chris’ laptop, but also the USB drive. We lost all the evidence we had, and I’m not sure what to do now. As of me posting this, it’s been thirty-four days since anyone has seen or heard from Ryan. His financial accounts remain untouched, and his name has not been used anywhere. I still have hope that one day I’ll see him again, but as of right now, I’m not sure that’s going to happen. The reason I posted this here to begin with, is because this doesn’t just involve Ryan and me anymore. It involves all of us. That thing that came for us that night. I don’t know what it was, who made it or for what purpose. I don’t know if it’s being instructed or whether it’s being controlled at all. There’s only one thing I really do know about it, it’s real. The Ventriloquist is out. It tracked us in seconds, and then it came for us. It took Chris, and I don’t understand how. It left no trace. I don’t know if he was abducted or… worse. It’s got to be some kind of super weapon; some artificial intelligence super soldier or something. I know that sounds ridiculous, but what else am I supposed to think? No matter how grim things may look now, or what Ryan wrote on his manifesto, I don’t plan on giving up. If anyone reading this has any idea what Ryan was a part of or has heard of the program known as Ventriloquist, please contact me. I need answers, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to find them. Ryan, if somehow you read this. Just know I haven’t given up on you. Stay strong, and please if you can, come home.

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Recently, by chance, I ended up rewatching three movies starring Steve Carell sort of in a back-to-back fashion. I’ve always liked him a lot as an actor, but it seems he remains a bit polarizing to the masses, as some people are still unable to separate him from his comedic persona. Going over his filmography like that for me only reaffirmed what I think of him, so I decided to jot down some thoughts and make a case for Steve Carell. Short version: Steve Carell is a phenomenal actor, arguably one of the best working today of his generation. Slightly longer version: Steve Carell is a special breed of actor that is destined to be overlooked and brushed off. His performances are never flashy (his characters may be, and that’s different), but they do creep up on you in all sorts of unassuming and unexpected ways. The full version of this is a much longer stream-of-consciousness rambling on Steve Carell’s overall career trajectory, and more specifically, the type of actor that he has become; the type of actor that’s so natural and reliable that you almost forget he’s doing that acting thing at all. The three movies that I ended up revisiting were Foxcatcher, Last Flag Flying, and Beautiful Boy. Before I talk about the individual movies, I’ll start by saying that I am more than familiar with Steve Carell’s illustrious career in comedy. I used to watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart religiously, and I always liked his gawky correspondent who inexplicably was also a downtrodden green grocer, who once ate Crisco by the spoonful, and occasionally debated Stephen Colbert with great hilarity. Then Carell left the Daily Show and went on to co-create the iconic and beloved Michael Scott in The Office, the impact of which is still very much evident in popular culture today, despite ending his tenure on the show nearly a decade ago. Steve Carell is a legendary comedic performer, I think that much is established. That said, while Steve Carell made his name in comedy, his eventual venture into serious dramatic acting territory is not necessarily a complete surprise. In 2007’s Little Miss Sunshine, we caught a glimpse of Carell’s unique ability to bring out an inherent sadness that exists within a lot of his comedic characters. Carell delivered a remarkable and somber performance that put him on a list of actors to watch out for - actors with formidable potentials that just require the perfect project to kick it into high gear. Foxcatcher (2014) was that project for Steve Carell. This is where we start to see just how immensely talented he really is. Foxcatcher Foxcatcher tells the real-life story of John du Pont, the heir to the du Pont family fortune, who became obsessed with the sport of wrestling and his relationship with the Schultz brothers, a pair of Olympic gold medalists who got roped into du Pont’s peculiar world. The real-life John du Pont was eccentric to say the least, and ghoulishly bizarre to many of his contemporaries. John du Pont had a very distinct look to him, one that required heavy make-up and prosthetics for Carell to assume the role. Most famously, a large prosthetic nose. Now a lot of people will credit the prosthetics for the stunning transformation of Steve Carell to the hair-raising John du Pont. On some level, I agree. With the type of public persona that Carell has, it was essential that he looked drastically different from himself the second he steps into the frame. If we even catch a glimpse of Anchorman’s Brick Tamland as Carell appears on screen, the tone and intention of the movie would fall apart quickly. Despite the initial visual shock, Carell transcended the garish external makeover and actually produced a very reserved and silently eerie performance that effectively gave off a feeling of paranoia that’s just bubbling under the surface. Most people would describe his presence in Foxcatcher as chilling, creepy, and disturbing. They’re absolutely correct, but not many would mention that Carell did so without the crutch of any outwardly menacing demeanor. He was able to convincingly exhibit du Pont’s quiet desperation and insecurity that’s masked under a disingenuous bravado and delusion. Yet still, somehow, Carell made us empathize with how truly lonely, pathetic, and despondent John du Pont was. Carell was able to emit all those vastly contrasting qualities with just a tilt of the head, a slightly hunched over posture, a precise speech cadence and intonation, and an unnervingly stilted gaze. It was a complex and layered performance that Carell, hauntingly, pulled off way too well. Steve Carell was nominated for an Academy Award for this, and rightly so, but I sincerely believe he would have been a worthy winner as well, if not for Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler (who wasn’t even nominated) or Michael Keaton in Birdman. The eventual Oscar winner of that year was Eddie Redmayne, who produced a mechanically impressive performance, but lacked the subtlety and internal quality that I like so much in an actor. Steve Carell had that in Foxcatcher, and with time, I find this performance to be the one that leaves a lasting imprint. One that sticks in the gullet in an unsettling but brilliant way. Last Flag Flying Last Flag Flying (2017) tells the story of three Vietnam War veterans that reunite after one (Carell) of their sons perished in the Iraq War. This is a movie that’s generally been under the radar. Director Richard Linklater is a master at crafting these muted and meandering movies that rely heavily on the charm and presence of his on-screen talents to drive the story. Some people find Last Flag Flying to be slow and uneventful, but I was tremendously engrossed with the ensemble. In the movie, Laurence Fishburne played a theologically reformed man who is forced to face his past self, and he did so admirably. Bryan Cranston was rousingly memorable, though he had the benefit of playing the loudest and most boisterous character that forcibly stole every scene. Fishburne and Cranston were both highly affecting, but I was most struck by Steve Carell’s beautifully sedate and melancholic performance. Once again, he gave a very thoughtful, subdued, and wistfully authentic depiction of a grieving father, who’s a bit lost and seeking a sense of familiarity and belonging in Fishburne’s and Cranston’s characters. Carell was capable of simultaneously playing childlike in his charcter's innocence, but the soulful look in his eyes felt mournfully lived and wise. This movie is where we really see Carell’s strength as an actor who is unafraid of underplaying his roles and economically conveys the subtext in a very intense but sensitive way. This is especially apparent when he’s next to Cranston, who dialed it up to great effect, but was very on-the-nose and left little to remain in the undercurrent. I much prefer Carell’s understated and heartbreakingly bashful performance, which I think really grounded the character and the movie. Beautiful Boy Then we move onto Beautiful Boy (2018), which was not a perfect movie (far from it), but featured two incredible leading performances. The movie chronicles a father’s journey through his son’s addiction, and highlights the increasingly strained relationship between the two as the son’s addiction progressively worsen. Timothee Chalamet is an extremely gifted actor, and his performance here as the meth-addicted teenager is powerful, visceral, and at times hard-to-watch. Nevertheless, while I really respect Chalamet’s dynamic showmanship, I feel like you could take what I said above about Carell vs. Cranston, and substitute the latter for Chalamet. In fact, on repeat viewings, I’ve actually come to prefer Carell’s agonizingly downcast but composed performance. For me, I find it more heart-wrenching to watch someone tenderly hold back their discernable anguish, despair, and anger, than someone that externalizes all those emotions. Chalamet is an outstanding “externalizer”, in that he’s so adept at hitting those high-tension emotional notes using his expressions, voice, and physicality. And yet, I still find myself more drawn to Carell’s deliberately controlled and internalized portrayal of a father that’s out of depth, exacerbated, and helpless. With that we find a common thread in Steve Carell’s niche as an actor, and that is his restraint, specificity, and introspection. He’s always able to delicately render different sentiments all at once, without ever really doing or saying much. This is evident not only in his dramatic roles, but in the comedic ones as well. Michael Scott wasn’t just an incompetent fool; he always had moments of genuine kindness or flashes of genius intertwined with his idiotic antics. Carell is able to switch between those gears effortlessly, sometimes all in one take. I also find him to be an astoundingly precise actor, who can hit the right notes perfectly every time, nothing more, nothing less. He’s often disciplined and unobtrusively compelling, and very generous in allowing his screen partners to seize the moment. This is why he’s destined to be overlooked in favour of his co-stars; he’s not a flashy actor, he hardly ever demands attention (but gets them anyway). Carell excels at bringing a level of realism and nuance that invariably sits with you, and sinks in slowly, but deeply. It’s a shame that people are brushing off his recent dramatic roles as “Oscar-begging” (which is a term that I hate as a general rule), when he’s actually producing these expertly intricate and fascinating performances with very little pretense. I genuinely don’t think you can find many actors working today who are able to function at such a high level in both comedy and drama, and everything in between. Thoughts?
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Finally its coming out. Watched her film this outside my office. 2016 and this song still helps me get through hard times💖 I Still Believe In Your Faithfulness Lord 🙌🙏. Now I'm wondering if this was one of the songs Koresh actually played to the authorities... Great song. Interesting, considering I have an active distaste for the books the band bases itself on. Just because my dreams are different than yours doesn't mean they're unimportant Love this line. Cosa mi lasci di te Movie stream.nbcolympics. Cosa mi lasci di te film streaming. I'm posting here on behalf of James (Jim) Cardona to announce his release of his new code for No Good Gofers. In the same fashion as Cactus Canyon Continued, this is a complete rewrite from the ground up which includes all new code from scratch, new music and sound, and custom animations on a 15" LCD!! This is going to be sold in a kit similar to the cactus canyon continued kit that Eric produced. Below is all the info Jim has provided so far with even more details to come. Also, First State Flippers and Delaware Pinball on Twitch, is tentatively set to stream this new code on Saturday 2/1 around 6pm est. More details to come regarding the stream, but keep an eye out on First State Flippers Facebook page or follow this thread for more details. And here is the verbiage directly from Jim regarding his new code + kit: Here is what will be in the kit: Speaker panel with two 4-inch speakers 15. 6-inch LCD screen All associated wiring, metal mounting panel containing NGG2. 0 CPU, audio amplifier, circuitry Power cord(s) and depending on design, a three-way power splitter Here is what will NOT be in the kit: NOT included is a P-ROC pinball controller. You must purchase one separately in order for this kit to work. The P-ROC is manufactured by the Multimorphic company and I have no affiliation with them. You can purchase the P-ROC board from them at: Please note that Multimorphic manufacturers several different boards. Make sure you purchase the correct one. You do NOT want to buy the P3-ROC; however you DO want to purchase the P-ROC. The P3-ROC will NOT work. Also, I recommend purchasing the P-ROC mounting plate for your machine to easily mount the P-ROC. NGG is a WPC-95 era machine so be sure to purchase the WPC-95 mounting plate for your P-ROC. Any further questions concerning the P-ROC or its installation should be directed to multimorphic, not me. Here is the manual for the kit here that's still being tweaked and should help out with some of your questions: The kit is a completely new game with all new code, animations, sound effects, voice work, music, and game rules. As you can see in the videos, it has a 15. 6 inch LCD screen for the animations. There are 8 different mini modes and 2 wizard modes. The basic rules of the original game were discarded and completely written from scratch. This is a whole new game! One of the things about the original NGG that I always saw as a missed opportunity was the lack of use of the 6 balls in the trough. Why wasn't there any 6 ball multi-balls? Well no more. Of the 10 modes, 5 are multiball modes and they all have a variety of ball counts from 3-ball multiballs all the way up to 6-ball multiballs. One of the 6-ball multiballs is called Thunderstorm. All of the playfield lights go out, including the GI and lightning strikes flash all the flashers. 6-balls are bouncing around and it is pretty awesome fun. That mode is a crowd favorite so far. Another mode that you are going to like is short circuit. This is similar in idea to the original game in that bud is below the playfield eating wires. Different though is that the flippers are reversed. Hit shots and Bud gets electrocuted. NGG2. 0 is written 100% from scratch and not one line of existing code from the original game is in my code. No intellectual property of Planetary Pinball or Williams is involved here. I not only wrote the new code but also replaced all of the sounds and animations with new custom work that I either did myself or hired professionals to create. 0 has a (hopefully) balanced scoring system divided into two different main objectives: completing holes, that is to say 'golfing', and mini-games (mini-modes). Additionally, there are two wizard modes. One is obtained after completing 18 holes of golfing and the other after completing all of the mini-modes. So then, each main objective has its own wizard mode. For golfing, the player hits strokes which advance the ball to the green. Once on the green the player putts out and receives an award based on how far under or over par the player is for that particular hole. There are eight mini-modes and two wizard modes. One wizard mode is lit after completing 18 holes. The second wizard mode is lit after completing all eight mini-modes. To complete a mini-mode, the player must not only start the mode but shoot the required mode shots enough times to complete it. Each mode is explained in detail below. The golfing and mini-mode goals can be worked on independently or simultaneously in that progress toward the individual goals are separate. However, once a mode is started you do not accumulate strokes, for example, until the mode is finished. Additionally, modes cannot be stacked, that is, you cannot run several modes simultaneously. As for balanced scoring between mini-modes, I saw pretty early that making all of the mini-modes have balanced scoring when weighed against each other would be a futile effort. My solution was to have the modes chosen randomly, that is, when mode start is achieved the player does not choose which mode is played. Once the mode is completed by hitting all the required strokes, gophers, flashing lights, etc., the completed mode will not be available to play again until after all modes are completed and the final sorcerer mode is played (more on that later). The exception to the above is the ripoff mode since it is started by captive ball hits. Also unlike the original game, there are no progressive shots. In the original game, a completed jackpot, for example, was worth more each time it was hit –thus, progressive. This was the main culprit, I believe, in making the game imbalanced. In my code, jackpot shots do not increase in value. In fact, no shots increase in value just because it was hit more than once. There are other ways to increase a shots value such as lighting super jets or earning 2X by completing several cart path loops. Again, more on that later. THEME Most people described NGG as an unlicensed knock off of the movie ‘Caddyshack’ and I didn't really want to go in the ‘Caddyshack’ direction as licensed assets would need to be paid for. Instead, I stuck with an unlicensed theme and story-line which I created. The story behind NGG2. 0 goes like this: A bear wanders onto a golf course and loses his memory when hit by an errant ball. Buzz, a gopher that hates all golfers, discovers the bear, names him Bud, and convinces him that he's really a gopher too. With Bud's raw strength, Buzz hatches a plan to take the golfers out and reclaim the course as his own. The music, animations, voice work, and sound effects follow this comical and cartoon-ish vein and were made to be accessible to all. There is no profanity or anything vulgar here. Just like the original though, Buzz tends to be critical and confrontational of the player's shots and says things like “miss it, ” “hey hotshot, ” “get off our turf, ” or “you're holding your putter wrong, ” and will most certainly laugh when the player drains. Bud, on the other hand, is the comic relief of the team. He's a bear that thinks he's really an oversized gopher. Let’s just say he’s a little slow on the uptake. Game play video 1: Game play video 2:
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Cosa mi lasci di te Movie stream of consciousness. The Lord Jesus Christ is coming, my friends! Repent of your sins and put your faith in The Lord! He is waiting on you to call upon Him, He is not angry at you! The Lord died and rose again for us, so that we may live forever with Him! Judgement is approaching fast, and Jesus is the Only Way to escape since He took our punishment on Himself on the cross. He was not counting our sins, He was working to redeem us! Hallelujah! And He has! But will you receive it today by making Jesus YOUR Lord and Savior? The next hour is not promised to us, but Free Salvation in Christ is! Hallelujah! So please make the wisest decision of your life and call upon The Lord in truth today! To die without Jesus is very dangerous! Shalom, friends.

Cosa mi lasci di te movie streaming. Cosa mi lasci di te Movie streams. What Ive decided to entertain my mind with on xmas😔💔🙄alone. Not the best idea lol but I feel there is always hope.🤮🤪😅🙄. When I first got a job at the Espy Tower Cinema I expected it to be a walk in the park. An easy source of pocket money while I completed my degree in media studies. I was one of the only students who stayed home, and didn’t move into halls at my school in the neighbouring city. I stayed in the small, forgotten town of Black Farm Springs and took a job at the worlds quietest cinema. I remembered coming to the movies here as a kid. The smell of fresh popcorn and the scuffed, yet somehow luxurious, red padded seats. Espy Towers was an old school theatre, the kind with real stages and larger than life red velvet curtains that peeled back to reveal behemoth screens. Over the years and during the rise of Netflix and online streaming the once shiny and glamorous cinema went to ruin. It was barren and even the big films didn’t attract packed screens. Black Farm Springs was so small even the whole town wouldn’t fill it. But it never closed. They stopped spending money on repairs, but that’s as far as it went. Movie goers kept going; in smaller numbers than before but they still existed. That’s why when I saw the job advert I jumped at the chance, a mixture of strange job security and nostalgia led me to where I stand now - behind the popcorn warmer on yet another quiet night shift. Spending the better part of my nights in a living relic. My university schedule means that I can only work at night weekdays. I finish school at 4 and my commute back home takes an hour. I work 5 nights a week, sometimes 6, starting at 6pm and ending at 3am. Even on the weekend when I don’t have school I have the same shift. I guess it’s just when the owners need me. It’s been 6 months so far and things have been all round uneventful. My supervisor is called Arthur Spratling. Arthur was in the year above me at school, he seems to think our one year age gap and his supervisor badge fully qualifies him as an oracle of all things ever created and mentioned. He’s a condescending prick, but I don’t mind him. He is funny and he makes the shift go by quicker. A few days ago me and Arthur we’re completing a snack inventory for the owners, Betty and Ted, while the last screening was playing. It had a grand total of 3 viewers. “Make sure you double check the m&m packets Anna. I know what you’re like. ” Arthur prodded me in the back and said as I was halfway through counting the m&m packets. Making me lose count. “Shut the fuck up! It was one time. ” I sighed. It was just one time I’d miscounted, and he never let me live it down. “Don’t talk to me like that, I’m your superior. ” Arthur tried his best to look pompous but his voice cracked on the last word and he burst into roaring laughter. Despite his attitude, he’s the best coworker I’ve ever had. He didn’t discipline me for the time I showed up 3 hours late after an unplanned nap and he occasionally snuck me sweets and rang them through the till as customer comps. It was naughty but really nice. As the place was so dead we spent a lot of time together. As he threw a packet of peanut m&ms at me and sarcastically told me to do it again the little bell that chimes above the customer entrance rang. Nothing unusual. But the last showing was already taking place so anyone that enters after that time is usually confused, drunk or just trying to pick someone up. On this occasion it was none of the above. The woman’s hair hung like limp, dirty part cooked noodles by her blood spattered face. At first I thought she was homeless. But on closer inspection her torn clothes were clean and despite her distress she looked generally healthy. Tears created rivers that cut perfect lines through the blood on her face. I’d never seen such a haunted expression. Genuine real agony covered every inch of her face. “Oh my god, what happened to you? ” Arthur asked as he ran towards the woman with a chair from the lobby to sit her down on. She couldn’t speak, she tried to begin words but they just wouldn’t exit her mouth, just pained noises. Fresh blood was layered on top of dried blood and she collapsed into the chair like a mannequin that’s joints had unhinged. I dialled the police and ambulance as Arthur tried to speak to her. The packets of m&ms were sprawled across the counter, our job abandoned to care for this woman. The most peculiar thing we discovered while I frantically spoke to the emergency operator and he checked her over, was that she wasn’t injured. Not even a bruise. Her clothes were covered in large rips and torn seams and she herself was coated in thick layers of blood. But none of it appeared to be hers. There was no single source. It was hard for him to inspect her. She slapped Arthur’s hands away every time she got remotely close. Police arrived quickly. The nice policeman introduced himself as Officer Phillipson. The woman still wasn’t speaking, just making her stuttering noises of shock. The officer was gentle and calm with her but wasn’t getting anywhere. His partner sat in the car directly outside reporting back to the station. We had less idea what had happened to her than when she wandered in. The paramedics followed soon after and bundled her into the back of an ambulance. It was sad. And scary. She looked almost feral, like a rescue animal that didn’t want to hurt you but was terrified enough to. The police assured me that she would be in safe hands and that she wasn’t going to be hurt anymore. It bought me little comfort. Even as they shut the doors in the back of the ambulance and drove away her face stayed with me. I took the next day off school, but I couldn’t afford to drop a shift, and the place was too quiet to have a big enough staff pool to cover me. So I went to work. It was late and the shift was almost over. When I saw her at the door as I heard the bell ding I truly believed I was experiencing some sort of panic attack. I stopped dead still, Arthur was dealing with a disgruntled customer in screen 4 and Damon the usher was cleaning screen 2. Me and her were alone and I couldn’t do anything but stop and stare at her. She was in the same ripped clothes, had blood spatter in the same perfect patterns as the night before and was making those horrible noises again. I turned to look towards the black caves that lead to the screens for support and as I turned back she was gone, leaving nothing but the bell ringing. A few moments later Damon came out of one of the screens. He never said much. He had been in my year at school and was a nice kid, but never had many friends. His social skills weren’t the best. Occasionally he got involved with mine and Arthur’s banter but he always looked a bit intimidated by it. “Alright? ” He gestured towards me, nodding to acknowledge my shocked expression, “Last night sounded rough. ” Damon had missed the incident cleaning down screen 2. “It was. I’m good, just a little shaken up. ” I answered. “Thanks Damon. ” I nodded back. He shrugged and turned back towards the entrance to the screens, disappearing into the black cave. I told Arthur about it the next night. He looked like he was struggling too and I confessed that I’d seen her. He said he was glad he wasn’t the only one who couldn’t get her out his mind. It reassured me. Didn’t make me feel any less crazy, but at least I wasn’t crazy on my own. Later that night, the comfort was ripped away. Me and Arthur were sat by the tills, waiting for last screening to finish, it was totally empty that night but the owners wouldn’t let us lock up early. We were snacking on some popcorn that was going to be wasted as soon as we got to close the doors. Ding. The bell chimed and in she walked. I kept willing her to turn into someone else, or to just disappear. As if I’d imagined her all over again. But then I felt Arthur grip onto my arm and I knew he saw her too. She walked towards us in the lobby and collapsed in the same chair we’d pulled over for her a few days prior. The more I thought about and looked at her, the more terrifying she became. She didn’t look as healthy this time, her cheeks had hollowed and her frame looked more fragile. Arthur kept close to her and pointed to the phone with his eyes. I took the hint and dialled the police again. I explained what was going on and waited for what felt like an eternity on a dead silent line as they looked for details of the previous incident. The operator found nothing. Fucking nothing. As if it had never happened. I shouted at the poor operator down the phone, explained that police and ambulance services had attended. She was right in front of me collapsed in the chair again. Someone had to have a record of the dispatch somewhere. She tried for me. She really did, I could tell. Some people try to just fob you off when you’re agitated but she sounded really genuine. Her integrity alone couldn’t find any records though. In my frantic state I tried as hard as I could to remember the name of the attending officer. It took a while but I blurted it out. “Officer Phillipson! ” I practically screamed down the phone. The line went quiet again, the operators typing the only thing penetrating the silence. “Ma’am, there is no one on the Black Farm Springs police force by that name. We’re going to go ahead and send a car. ” I dropped the phone. I tried to communicate with Arthur but before I had the chance Damon exited the screens and saw what was happening. He looked truly terrified and jumped behind the tills with me. “Have you called the police. ” He spat, wife eyed. “Yeah. They’re on their way. ” I answered flatly, looking at the woman in pure shock. She’d barely moved throughout the phone call. As I finished my sentence her face moved, features contorted into a sinister, wide smile. Then she looked me dead in the eyes, crusted blood interrupted by dried tear rivers on her face. She laughed. She fucking laughed. Then she got up. Twisted limbs and fragile looking body clicking as she slowly walked back out of the door. ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding She left. But the door wouldn’t stop. Arthur tried to run after her but as he opened the heavy wooden door she was nowhere to be seen on either side of the street. She’d vanished. The door didn’t stop until the police arrived. The kind operator had sent a car out like she said. The officers were pissed. They found nothing to corroborate what we were saying. The woman wasn’t present and our stories about an imaginary police and ambulance unit didn’t get us much further. When they left we cleaned the place down in a state of pure confusion. Damon usually leaves at the same time as the last screening but he stayed with us and helped. We didn’t talk much, any of us. Just got on with it, we didn’t really know what to say. We finished our jobs, and went home, knowing full well that none of us would sleep that night. And that bring me to this shift. The one that I’m currently working. It’s a Tuesday. So we’re quiet again and the last screening is empty just like it was last night. The door made the ding about half an hour ago. The three of us were all concerned that it would happen again and when the last screening was 10 minutes in with no viewers we locked the door. Damn. We could all lose our jobs for this but we agreed we needed to be safe. We prayed that it wouldn’t happen, that the last few days had been a fluke and we could go on with our jobs and our lives. Unfortunately that’s not what happened. Once she realised she couldn’t get in she started knocking. It was gentle at first but it’s built up over time and now she’s pounding on the windows and doors, making the walls rattle. We tried to call the police again but the line won’t go through, whenever we dial out it makes the busy tone, no matter who we call. She won’t leave. She doesn’t seem to have attracted any attention either and I know damn well she’s loud enough to. She should have woken the whole street by now but she hasn’t. So now we’re trapped. I don’t know how long this will go on for, or what she wants, but I’m terrified. I think we could be truly fucked.

Source: This week at Bungie, we’re on final countdown for launch. It’s been a long summer of reveals, travels, interviews, and updates. Now we find ourselves in that old familiar clearing at the end of the path. This is the final weekly update that we’ll have before we blast off on another adventure. Our new launch trailer is making the rounds. Here it is if you haven’t had a chance to watch yet. Video Link Today, you’ll find us ticking all the boxes on the pre-flight checklist. There are some final items we want to cover before you set out to investigate the mysteries of the Moon. Here’s what you’ll find during a lengthy final scroll: Combat Changes Progression and Economy Changes Patch Note Preview Ritual Weapons and Perk Changes Set It Straight Wear It With Pride Bungie Rewards Let’s start the clock. Combat Changes As discussed previously, damage numbers in Destiny 2 have been a bit out of control. We’re making some adjustments so the numbers shown are smaller and easier to comprehend without affecting the percentage of damage you’re dealing. We’re also adjusting how your Power works when you go up against enemies tougher than you. Here are some more details on what to expect.  PvE Damage Numbers Display Goal: To provide players with useful and legible feedback for damage dealt to enemy combatants across many years of Power progression. Displayed damage numbers for damage dealt to non-Guardian enemy combatants are crunched Damage dealt is displayed using fewer digits to enhance readability of damage output Occurrences of displayed damage getting capped at 999, 999 should be significantly reduced or eliminated The exponential curve used to calculate damage numbers for display is replaced with a new linear curve that is built to last for many years As players grow in Power, displayed damage numbers increase at a much more measured pace than previously This is a UI update only; player damage output, whether measured as hits to kill, time to kill, or DPS, remains unchanged by this update PvE Difficulty Tuning Goals: Widen the sweet spot where fighting higher-level combatants provides a fun, challenging, and rewarding combat experience for a more enjoyable Power climb. Also, allow players looking for even greater challenges to confront much higher-level enemies. Combatants that are 10–40 levels higher take less time to kill and deal less damage Higher-level combatants continue to increase in difficulty up to 100 Power levels above the player When enemies are 100 Power levels or higher above the player, they are immune to damage Nameplate icons on higher-level combatants have been updated to reflect these changes These changes affect only higher-level combatants; the at-level or over-level experience remains unchanged Progression and Economy Changes Every Season brings with it some tweaks to the Power climb. Shadowkeep is going to deliver significant changes to how you grow in strength. We also want to make you aware of changes to various currencies and the Eververse Trading Company before you set out to power up your gear. Rewards Power and Progression All non-powerful rewards now drop 3 to 0 points below your highest equippable Power level, up from 15 to 20 below Year 2 powerful reward sources have changed to Legendary rewards These sources no longer have a chance to drop a random Exotic instead of the Legendary gear Bonus Exotics that drop from Nightfall: The Ordeal will drop at the character’s highest equippable Power level Under- and over-leveling activities no longer adjust how much Power is received from the rewards Experience no longer fuels a player’s character level, which has been changed to be level 50 for all characters Experience instead progresses the Season Pass, Seasonal Artifact mod, and Power progressions, as well as the unlocking of destinations for new characters Experience rewards have been rebalanced with the introduction of the Season Pass and Seasonal Artifact progressions The Power granted from the Seasonal Artifact is additive with the Power of the player’s equippable gear, but does not increase the Power of gear drops All existing gear has had its Power increased to a minimum of 750; new characters will begin Destiny 2 at Power 750 as well The Power bands for Season 8 are as follows Floor: 750 Soft Cap: 900 All drops up to this point will be upgrades to the most powerful item in your inventory or vault Beyond this point, only powerful and pinnacle rewards will increase a player’s Power Powerful Cap: 950 All non-powerful/pinnacle rewards are capped at 950 Pinnacle rewards are the only way to raise Power above this point Powerful rewards are equivalent to the character’s highest-equippable Power beyond this point Pinnacle Cap: 960 This is the highest Power at which gear drops; also known as the “hard cap” The Seasonal Artifact bonus Power allows characters to attain values above this level Prime Engrams Prime Engrams now gain charges more quickly, drop more frequently, and have a higher maximum charge cap (nine charges, up from six during Year 2) The Power gains have been rebalanced for the increased frequency, providing +3 Power, down from a range of +4 to +7 Players who have completed the “Prime Example” quest prior to Shadowkeep’s release will earn charges, but those charges won’t drop until the character has reached 900 Power This will help players avoid spending charges early for gains that are most beneficial during the Soft Cap to Powerful Cap range Bright Dust Bright Dust is now earned by completing Crucible, Gambit, and Vanguard weekly and repeatable bounties We chose to grant all of Bright Dust from ritual weekly bounties rather than spreading it out across the weekly and daily bounties so players could more easily earn Bright Dust without having to make sure they complete every single daily Players will be able to do the repeatable bounties as many times as they like Any Crucible, Gambit, or Vanguard completed bounties need to be turned in before maintenance begins on 9/30 as these changes will reset them; other bounties—Gunsmith, clan, Eververse, etc. —can still be claimed after Oct 1 Eververse items no longer dismantle into Bright Dust, and instead grant legendary shards and glimmer New Eververse items for Season of the Undying will become available for Bright Dust two weeks into the Season Eververse items no longer require Bright Dust to reacquire them(or re-roll perks) from Collections; instead, they cost the same materials that reward items of the same type/rarity use Fireteam Medallions have been removed from the store, deprecated into Fizzled Fireteam Medallions, and can now be dismantled into Bright Dust to recover their purchase price (50 Bright Dust) Gleaming Boon of the Vanguard price has been lowered to 150 Bright Dust Gleaming Boon of the Crucible price has been lowered to 500 Bright Dust Eververse The Season 7 Best of Year One Engram has been retired, and in its place, players can now obtain the new Season 8 Nostalgic Engram The Seasonal Milestone no longer grants a bounty; instead, it directly grants a Bright Engram The Season 8 Nostalgic Engram is no longer earned at level up Instead, the Bright Engram is now included in the free rewards of the Season Pass that are visible before level 100; it’s also awarded every 5 levels after level 100 The Eververse storefront is now available via the Director Eververse bounties (standard and IGR versions) have been deprecated; any remaining bounty notes can be broken down into Bright Dust You can still complete and turn in any outstanding Eververse bounties until they expire  Glimmer Players can now store up to 250, 000 Glimmer Glimmer rewards from the majority of sources in the game have been rebalanced Most open world sources (public events, Lost Sectors, chests) have been significantly increased Passive Glimmer gain on kill has been reduced In addition to directly awarding Glimmer on kill, combatants will sometimes drop additional Glimmer chunks Weekly bounties award a large amount of Glimmer in addition to their other rewards Spider’s Exchange The Spider welcomes new opportunities with four arms open and now deals in materials from all planets However, the Spider has noted changes in market value, and has adjusted his exchange rates accordingly: Glimmer exchange now costs 10 Legendary Shards or 20 materials, and yields 10, 000 Glimmer Tangled Shore daily bounties no longer award Glimmer, providing instead Etheric Spirals (in keeping with his competition) Weekly wanted bounties no longer award gear, but now provide between 3, 000 and 15, 000 Glimmer in addition to the Enhancement Cores currently offered Xûr Xûr’s inventory pool and Fated Engram now include world-drop Exotics from Year 2 Patch Note Preview We’ll have a bunch of bullet points for you to peruse next week. Here’s something to tide you over until then. Added rally banners to Leviathan, Eater of Worlds, and Spire of Stars  “The Shattered Throne” Dungeon is now available at all times instead of on a three-week cycle It can also be launched and reset from the Director Black Armory forges are now accessible through a Director-launched playlist on EDZ Weapon mods are now treated as reusable unlocks instead of consumables; any mods you have in your inventory will be converted to unlocks If the only copy of a mod you have is already in a gun, you will need to reacquire one to unlock it  Discarding an Enhancement Core no longer deletes the entire stack Borealis and Hardlight now match the Prism modifier when changing elements on reload, rotating through Void, Arc, and Solar Fixed an issue where the Hunter’s Tempest Strike melee ability couldn’t be performed if the sprint button/key was set to Hold The Phoenix Protocol Hearth perk will no longer award bonus Super energy on kills and assists to Warlocks inside a Well of Radiance if they do not also have the Well of Radiance (Attunement of Grace) subclass equipped Fixed an issue where allied Golden Gun projectiles weren’t going through Banner Shields Fixed an issue where the Queen’s Wrath perk for the Exotic Wish-Ender Bow wasn’t correctly highlighting players if their shield was depleted Players who’ve obtained the Salute emote in the past can now correctly select it in their collection and assign it to their emote wheel Multiplayer (buddy) emotes will now have a visible indication of where a player can stand to interact and initiate the emote Failing the first encounter for any Black Armory forge will no longer award planetary destination materials. ಠ_ಠ Ritual Weapons and Perk Changes In Season of the Undying, pinnacle weapons will become ritual weapons. They will no longer have special perks and will instead be curated rolls. A previous article incorrectly showed two new pinnacle weapons. The good news is you will be getting three ritual weapons for each of the ritual activities: Crucible, Vanguard, and Gambit. Here’s the Destiny Dev Team on why we made this difficult decision and some information on upcoming perk changes.  Destiny Dev Team: The decision to stop creating extremely powerful pinnacle weapons was made for a variety of reasons. The first was that the band in which “pinnacle” perk can exist is actually quite small, and most of them far exceeded the efficacy they should have been at. Another issue is that they cause problems in the player ecosystem, particularly in the case of the Crucible pinnacle weapons. Due to the nature of PvP and PvE, anything that works well in PvP is likely going be extremely effective in PvE as well. This forces players into the Crucible if they want the “best” loadouts. Even the title of “pinnacle” set a variety of unrealistic expectations. Rather than being the absolute height of Legendary power, they were supposed to be interesting novelties to chase. These problems became more pronounced the more of them we produced. In the end, we decided to move away from pinnacle weapons. If you managed to collect them all, we hope you enjoy them! While we’re on the subject of weapons, here are a few important notes on changes to how perks will work. Reduced the effectiveness of the following perks in PvE: Rampage, Kill Clip, Swashbuckler, Multikill Clip, Desperado, Surrounded, Master of Arms, Onslaught In general, these perks use the same damage multipliers for PvE that they did in PvP The change to Rampage does not affect the Huckleberry Onslaught and Desperado now change bullet impact values while active in PvE Surrounded no longer multiplies precision damage on top of base damage, as it was benefiting some weapon types more than others as a result Legendary weapons have become too powerful overall. In many cases, they even outclass Exotic Primary weapons, so we’re walking them all back a bit. All the way back in original Destiny, we had a perk named Crowd Control, which was Rampage’s predecessor. Crowd Control capped out at a bonus of +15% extra damage. At this point in Destiny 2, Rampage caps out at about +67%. That’s a 447% increase from the original iteration. Legendary damage perks have become so powerful, they simply invalidate non-damage related perks.  Here’s a quick preview of the three ritual weapons you can earn in Season of the Undying. Because these weapons are no longer pinnacle weapons, the quest required to earn them is not as in depth as previous seasons. Vanguard—Edgewise Image Link imgur Crucible—Randy’s Throwing Knife Image Link imgur Gambit—Exit Strategy Image Link imgur Set It Straight During the run up to launch, we’ve been dropping videos, articles, interviews, and information all over the internets. Along the way, the fact-checkers called us out a few times. Today, we’re issuing some corrections to previous transmissions. There was a shot of Trials of the Nine armor in the launch trailer by mistake. We wanted to clear up any confusion and let players know that the Trials of the Nine set will not obtainable in Season of the Undying. We also had to revise our gameplay calendar for Season of the Undying. The menu of action is the same, but we are adjusting the timing of the Nightmare Hunts. The new schedule looks like this: Image Link imgur 3. Back when we were first talking about finishers and some of the mods that go with them, we talked about how one of the mods enabled you to spawn Heavy ammo for your fireteam when you executed a finisher. That was still in flux at the time, and for balance reasons we ended up making a mod that will spawn Heavy ammo for yourself and a mod that will spawn Special ammo for your fireteam. Wear It With Pride At Bungie, our mission is to build worlds the inspire friendship. Our games become places where people—all kinds of people—can gather to share meaningful experiences. One of the most important aspects of friendship is acceptance. Earlier this year, we took to the streets as part of the Seattle Pride Parade. We also offered up a Pride Pin via the Bungie Store that was rumored to have an emblem that would come with it. The rumors are true, and we’ve chosen International Coming Out Day as the advent to deploy the in-game expression of acceptance.  Image Link imgur For the details, along with a personal story to capture the spirit of that day, here is one of our own… Hi Y’all, My name’s Nigel. You may know me from things like the Shattered Throne Ride Along, or this wonderful fan video made during our St. Jude’s charity stream. This is my first TWAB post and I’m a little nervous, so I’m going to use one of my favorite TV shows, Golden Girls, as a crutch. Picture it. Tempe, Arizona 2009.  A sophomore in college. At this point in my life, I’d never really had a girlfriend or really found myself attracted to a woman. I refused to believe I was gay. Having seen so many coming-out stories go poorly, with family and friends abandoning people they loved, I didn’t want that for myself. So I ignored it by playing video games. Dragon Age: Origins had just released, and my twin brother had been bugging me for a good week to buy it and play it. Quickly I found myself wrapped in magic and steel for an untold, but probably perfectly healthy, amount of time. During this time, I found myself conversing with one of the male party members, simply trying to raise his approval. That’s when it appeared. The option to flirt with this character. I was as the kids say, “ shooketh. ” I sat for what must have been twenty minutes before deciding to click on it. He flirted back. My heart skipped. I was a ball of nerves and anxiety as the conversation continued with another chance to confess romantic feelings to the character. I thought I was going to vomit all over a simple choice in a video game. I debated with myself, what did it mean that I wanted to flirt with this character? Why did I suddenly feel like my entire existence would be changed with this one conversation? I clicked it. And that’s when I learned about rejection. From a digital character. He wasn’t gay, and my heart sunk. But his next words were something I didn’t know I needed. “There’s nothing wrong with who you love. You are my friend no matter what. ” I spent the next two hours on the floor crying, finally feeling that it was okay to be gay. I felt more comfortable than I’d ever felt in my life. I vowed, if I ever got the opportunity to pay it forward, I would. Well I’m helping to pay it forward. I’ve spent a lot of my time at Bungie helping to make sure Destiny is a welcoming place. I have marched in the Seattle Pride Parade. I have helped set up the Trevor Foundation and other LGBTIQA+ charities. Most recently, I helped create those wonderful Bungie Pride Pins you keep seeing on our streams. I’m happy to announce that, on October 11, International Coming Out Day, we’ll be releasing a Pride emblem for your Guardian if you’ve purchased this pin. If you missed the chance to buy the pin back in June, mark your calendars, because we’ll be restocking our supply on the Bungie Store. Destiny and Bungie are places where we can foster community and work together, no matter your background. We at Bungie want to make sure no matter who you love, or who you are, that everyone belongs in the Tower. Or the Farm, if you’re into that. Nigel speaks true. Thanks for being excellent to each other. Any players who previously purchased the Pride Pin will be receiving codes for the emblems through email.  Bungie Rewards Last week, we showed off a preview of the World’s First belt and some of the emblems you can earn in our upcoming pinnacle PvE activity. We weren’t quite ready to show off the awesome jacket Bungie Rewards will be offering, but the design is ready for the runway. Image Link imgur Any player who beats the “Garden of Salvation” raid and claims their code before the weekly reset on 10/15 will be eligible to purchase the raid jacket through Bungie Rewards. We are giving you some extra time to Power up this time. We know many of you don’t enjoy rushing through content, so even if you aren’t ready to take on the raid before 10/15, any player who completes “Garden of Salvation” during Season of the Undying will be eligible to purchase a special raid T-shirt through Bungie Rewards. Image Link imgur So… the shirt has some spoilers on it, but we’ll share out what it looks like after the raid is completed. That’s not all! Players can also claim a free Eris Morn papercraft mask by completing the main Shadowkeep quest by the end of Season 8. If you’re already receiving Bungie newsletter emails, you’ll get a direct link the next day, or you can visit to redeem it. Stay tuned for more Bungie Rewards throughout the season. Full Steam Ahead Image Link Player Support is waiting in the wings to support our next launch.  This is their report. Upcoming 24-Hour Maintenance This upcoming Monday, September 30, Destiny 1 and Destiny 2 will be taken offline for extended maintenance on all platforms. This maintenance will last for approximately 24 hours, starting at 10 AM PDT (1700 UTC), ending with the launch of Destiny 2: Shadowkeep on October 1. During this downtime, players will be unable to log in to or access Destiny API features. For the latest information on this maintenance as it occurs, including download availability and emergent issues, players should follow @BungieHelp on Twitter or monitor our support feed on. Pre-loading Destiny 2: Shadowkeep and Update 2. 6. 0 Right now, all PC players can pre-load Destiny 2 on Steam, which includes pre-loading for New Light and Shadowkeep. Since New Light makes Destiny 2 accessible to everyone for free, no purchase is necessary to pre-load. Existing console players will be able to pre-load Update 2. 0 during the maintenance leading up to launch. The moment we confirm that downloads are available, we’ll sound off from the support links provided above. FOLLOW UP: Delay in Forsaken License Transfers for Migrating PC Players Last week, we discussed the likely delay of Forsaken license transfers for migrated PC players on Steam. With the announcement of our upcoming 24-hour maintenance, we hope to mitigate any possible delay in Forsaken license transfers following the launch of Shadowkeep on October 1. If any such delays occur, we’ll be sure to sound off from the support links provided above. PC Migration and New Characters on Steam Following the launch of Shadowkeep and Destiny 2 Update 2. 0 on October 1, players who link their Steam account to their profile will be able to manually trigger PC Migration. Players should be aware, however, that any new characters created on Steam before performing PC migration will be overwritten when players migrate from This will result in the potential loss of new characters and gear, as well as Silver, Eververse items, and Season Passes—if purchased on these new characters before performing PC migration. To make things as simple as possible, here’s the recommended order of operations for players who perform PC migration to Steam after Shadowkeep launches on October 1: 1.  Link your Steam account to your existing profile and initiate PC Migration. Please ensure you are linking to the same profile associated with your account. Once manually triggered, PC Migration cannot be undone. 2. If desired, enable Cross Save so your preferred characters are available when you log in to Destiny 2 on Steam. PC Migration will still transfer your characters to Steam, even if another set of characters is selected for Cross Save. This also determines which characters receive any Silver or Season Passes purchased on Steam before logging in. 3. On Steam, download and install Destiny 2. If you have not yet downloaded Steam, click here. 4. Log in to Destiny 2. 5. Your characters, licenses, and Silver will already be migrated to your Steam account, however your Cross Saved characters will appear if Cross Save is enabled. IMPORTANT: Since purchased Silver and Season Passes are applied to the first character set that players log in with after purchase, we strongly recommend that players enable Cross Save before logging in to Destiny 2 on Steam. This will ensure that your desired characters are receiving your Silver and Season Passes on the Steam platform. Cross Save-enabled characters will be able to bring their Season Passes with them to any platform after they have been applied. REMINDER: Destiny 2 and Silver Purchases on This week, we’d like to remind PC players that Destiny 2 game content and Destiny 2 Silver can no longer be purchased from the Shop. Existing PC players can continue to play on until Destiny 2 undergoes maintenance for Steam launch. Players should also be aware that in order for recent Silver purchases to successfully transfer to Steam, **players MUST log in to Destiny 2 on  ****before 10 AM PDT (1700 UTC) on September 30, 2019 ** to claim their purchased Silver. REMINDER: Code Redemption for Destiny 2 As another reminder, players should be aware that any code they possess for Destiny 2 content MUST be redeemed on their account before they perform PC Migration. Players who have already prepared for PC Migration have until the start of Destiny 2 maintenance on September 30 to redeem any unused codes—to have that license transfer to their Steam account. Players who migrate to Steam after our October 1 maintenance must also ensure that their code is redeemed before they link their Steam account. Once a Steam account is linked, their Guardians, Silver, and game licenses will be migrated from to Steam. This is a one-time process that cannot be repeated for new licenses. For information on code redemption, players should visit Blizzard’s How to Claim a Code knowledgebase article.  It’s worth noting that all content previously included in the base Destiny 2 game, Curse of Osiris, or Warmind, will be available to all players for free through the launch of Destiny 2: New Light on October 1. Steam Limited User Accounts Next week, Destiny 2 officially launches on Steam. Before it does, we’d like to make players aware of Steam’s Limited User Accounts. In short, any player whose account has spent less than $5. 00 USD on the Steam Store will have limited access to community and social features that are commonly used for spamming, phishing, and other abuse. This will also apply to any Destiny 2 player new to the Steam platform who migrates from For more information, please see Valve’s Limited User Accounts support article. Premonition Legendary Pulse Rifle Following the launch of Shadowkeep next week, players will be able to view new items added to Destiny 2 using the in-game Collections. Before then, we’d like to make players aware of a known issue with one particular weapon listing. Following the launch of Shadowkeep, the Collection listing for the Premonition Legendary Pulse Rifle will state that it is “found by exploring the Moon. ” This weapon’s specific source is actually the new dungeon, which will become available sometime after Shadowkeep’s launch. Players who encounter other issues following the launch of New Light, Shadowkeep, and Steam PC should report them to the #Help forum. MOTW Image Link imgur All right, let’s see what we got. More movies on the field. Here are our favorites this week.  Movie of the Week: Embrace your fears Video Link Honorable Mention: The Duke Video Link This is it. The last TWAB before launch. Are you ready? The entire team has been working hard on this release. We got Cross Save in your hands early and are excited to see you experience all the content in Shadowkeep. New players and veterans alike will have new characters wake up on the Cosmodrome for the first time in Destiny 2. Please welcome new Guardians who may be just joining this incredible community. Thanks for sticking with us. We’ll see you star side.  <3 Cozmo.

Who's still listening to this song in 2020 other than me. Playing in Leamington in Oct/Nov. sold out in March. the guy is awesome live. The following features a transcript from a short radio broadcast that has been picked up by various listeners across the continental United States. Many have been perplexed by its sudden appearance and how it seems to preempt whatever song or radio program they are listening to at the time. It has even been known to appear on streaming programs such as podcasts or Spotify. Listeners have described hearing different episodes and there have been many different situations and occurrences. Trevor contacted me with his story. He had heard the broadcast while driving in the southeastern United States. He spilled his story out to me in a venomous diatribe against the South. I was not sure what his vendetta against the region was. I knew that it had its problems and troubled history just like any other place in America, but he viewed it with a personal contempt that was jarring. This is his story. The Goddam South. Why oh why did my best friend have to move here? I guess these things are bound to happen eventually. You know someone all of your life: through kindergarten and junior high and high school and even end up at the same college together. But the real world comes along and so starts the job hunt and all of the offers and for some reason he accepts a job in Birmingham Freaking Alabama. There’s a big signing bonus and relocation fees and if you commit to three years at the company, you get another huge bonus. They’re practically bribing anyone with a STEM degree to come to these shitty little flyover states. I mean, we were from an almost flyover state in Pennsylvania and had gone to college at Stanford where I thought we had seen the light. The goal was to not end up in one of these places. The least he could’ve done was to go back to Pittsburgh. It’s really come a long way. For Tyler to move to a red state after all this time feels like a betrayal of all of our values and morals. I guess there really is a price tag on everything. We got really political together during our college years in Stanford. It was hard not to be. It was in the air and in the water down there, and it was a great way to make friends and meet chicks. When 2016 happened, the first presidential election that we were able to vote in, the politicking hit a fever pitch. First, when our boy Bernie didn’t get the nomination through some shadiness from the DNC and then when Trump won, whoo boy. We were full on in the whole resistance movement. It felt like we were part of something, you know? We even went to a couple of those protests in Berkeley that got a little out of hand. So after graduation when he told me the news, it was a huge kick in the nuts. What was I gonna do without Tyler? We were brothers in arms. Since kindergarten we hadn’t gone a full three weeks without seeing each other. Like hell I was going to follow him to that godforsaken hell hole. Alabama? It is possible that he moved there because of that gal he started talking to on the internet. From what little he talked of her, she was from somewhere down south. I thought it was just a one off thing, a line of communication to someone on the front lines of the resistance, but maybe not. He didn’t confirm either way when he called me and told me that things were getting serious and that he really wanted me to come meet her. The worst part of it was that he wanted me to come there. I offered to host them at my place in Portland, but he deferred my offer. “So I guess this is it, huh? You’re some kind of Southerner? ” “C’mon man, it’s not that bad. ” “Why didn’t you at least take a job in Austin if you wanted to go to the south so badly? Austin I could vibe with. ” “Austin isn’t in the South though, it’s Texas. ” “Whatever. How is it living in a third world country? ” “It’s Alabama. Not Mississippi. ” “You think you’re gonna fulfill your contract and get the hell out as soon as you can? ”“I dunno. I’m actually starting to like it here. It’s laid back. ” “Yeah, if you’re white. ” “It’s not what you think. Just come on down here and see for yourself. I haven’t seen you in a while and it would be good to hang. Things are getting really serious between me and Diane. I think she might be the one. I’d love for you to meet her and have your blessing. Make sure I’m not making a rash decision. ” “Fine, ” I sighed. “I’ll visit The Goddam South with its n-word using, gay bashing, illtierate, immigrant fearing, inbred hicks. ” “Hey man, cut the shit. You’re completely off base. You’ve never even been here. Do you even know how many immigrants we’ve got here? You know you’re really in your own little bubble out there. Cut off from reality. I didn’t see it until I moved out here, how out of touch we could be. You’re talking like some kinda “coastal elite”. How much diversity is there in Portland? How’s that homeless thing working out for ya’ll? ” Coastal elite? Ya’ll? It was really worse than I had feared. They were converting him. I knew I had to visit and soon. Not for a visit to catch up on old times and give him my blessing, but for an intervention. I apologized to him over the phone and began to make arrangements for my visit. Hopefully I could save him. **** I managed to secure some time off from work. I can’t get into the specifics just yet, but I was a programmer at a startup for a new app we were releasing that was going to involve car repairs and hopefully disrupt that industry. They were cool with giving me a full week off. I had never seen New Orleans and always kind of wanted to go, so my plan was to stay a night there and then drive up and over to Birmingham. I roamed up and down Bourbon Street alone and listened to some jazz and drank sazeracs and hurricanes and almost puked in an alleyway as I hear is tradition in New Orleans. Later, I got some beignets at Cafe Du Monde and it sobered me up enough to get an Uber back to my hotel safely. A late start the next morning on account of my hangover, I took I-59 North. I was ahead of schedule by a half day for when I was supposed to meet up with Tyler, so I figured I would drive over to Montgomery and check out this new memorial they had there. The interstates was a corridor with walls of tall skinny pines lining the sides. The walls of pines bordered large fields of brown, tufts of white popping out like snow. Cotton. The air was thick and hot and my AC was blasting. Large green vines crawled and completely covered low lying ravines and anything in their path. I could make out the shapes of trees under them that had been swallowed. I would later learn that this vine was called kudzu. Billboards appeared every now and then, advertising and sharing their messages. CHOOSE LIFE one said and had a picture of a baby on it. HOW WILL YOU SPEND ETERNITY? Asked another. Later, I would see one that read “GO TO CHURCH OR THE DEVIL’S GONNA GET YOU” and it featured a large red Satan holding a scythe. I pulled off at a large truck stop near a city called Meridian in Mississippi. I milled about for a while, looking for Southern artifacts. I saw a small area that sold T-shirts and keychains that had Mississippi flags on them and these looked like Confederate flags to me. There was a table with a couple of metal canisters with ladles sticking out of them and a sign reading “Boiled Peanuts”. I had never heard of such a thing. I peeked inside and the canister was full of slimy looking peanuts with the shells still on them, simmering in a brown liquid. Yuck. There was a fast food restaurant connected to the truck stop and the day after post drunken binge cravings were hitting me hard all of a sudden, so I ordered a greasy cheeseburger and fries. I sat towards the back of the restaurant. Maybe it was the hangover effects or maybe it was because I was in the South, but I was feeling paranoid and anxious. A big burly looking guy in a plaid shirt and a truckers cap shuffled into the fast food area, carrying a styrofoam cup full of the boiled peanuts and a plastic bag. His neck was thick and stubbled and his gut rested up against the table as he sat in a booth. He sat the peanuts down and looked at them for a long time. From the bag he pulled out a box of Benadryl and ripped it open, punching every single little pink pill out of the blister packet and onto the table. Soon, he had a small pile of pink pills as he swept the trash from the packaging aside. Next, he procured two plastic cylinders from the plastic sack and sat them next to the pills. I watched in bewilderment as he began to pick at the boiled soft peanut husks with his stubby fingers and squeeze out the nuts within. He placed these back in the styrofoam cup and tossed the dessicated shells onto the table. I watched this bizarre ritual for a while until he had shelled the entire container. The Goddam South, I thought, shaking my head. What a freak. He pinched a handful of the benadryl tablets and dry swallowed them. His Adam’s apple bobbing as he stared up at the ceiling with his eyes closed. He looked back down at the peanuts for a long time, psyching himself up. He then slid his fingers in, pulled out some peanuts, and then shoveled them into his mouth. He did it again and again, until his mouth was full, and his jaw worked and worked. What in the Dixieland fuck? I thought. He got the first mouthful down, gasped for air, and then shoved another handful into his mouth. At the top of his hairy chest I could see pink splotches starting to spread upwards and across his neck like expanding enemy territories on a map. Putting another cache of nuts into his mouth, he picked up one of the plastic cylinders off the table, flicked off a cap, and shoved it right into his arm. Through his shirt and everything. An epipen. Holy shit, this guy’s allergic! What is he thinking? The invading splotches on his skin had advanced across the stubbled territory of his neck and over the crest of his jaw line. His lips had begun to swell and bits of chewed peanut flecked his cheeks and chin, yet he still continued eating and eating. He jabbed another epipen into his arm while he was still able to see, for his eyes were now almost swollen shut, the sockets inflated with fleshy bags that formed cracks where his eyes should have been. He was huffing and puffing for air, a loud whistling wheeze that could be heard from across the room. Drool ran down his chin and neck and his eyes watered. Yet, still he chewed. Still he consumed. Still he swallowed. “Hey man, whatchoo doing? ” a bystander asked him. “You’s havin’ a reaction to them. ” The bystander reached for the peanuts, but the anaphylactic man swatted him away, his face a bloated and hideous mask with slits for eyes. He tipped the styrofoam cup back towards his swollen head and dumped the remaining peanuts down his desperate maw, chewed and collapsed onto the floor. “Ayy yo, somebody call an ambulance! ” The bystander yelled. I could still hear the man’s whistling wheeze, still could see his fat stomach rising and falling, and I thought I have got to get the hell outta here. ### I had to ask Trevor, did the guy die? He tells me he doesn’t know for sure, that he watched paramedics arrive and successfully intubate the man with the anaphylactic reaction and haul him away. He continued with his story. I arrived in Birmingham without further incident. That whole episode had frightened and disgusted me and I kept replaying it in my mind for the rest of my journey. I wasn’t used to seeing that sort of shit. Were Southerners so dumb they thought they could just eat something they were allergic to and not suffer any repercussions? Tyler lived in a revitalized urban area near downtown Birmingham. It seemed like an area that was an imitation of the trends that had started in bigger and hipper cities. There were hipster bars with craft cocktails, microbreweries, cool little restaurants, murals, and public art. I was actually surprised by it all. “You made it! ” he said when he answered the door. His apartment was nice and spacious. His girlfriend, Diane, had yet to arrive. “Barely. ” I responded. We sat for a while, drinking IPAs from cans, catching up. “So I guess this little neighborhood is pretty cool, ” I said. “Didn’t know they had anything like that down here. ” “Yeah, it’s really up and coming. This beer you’re drinking is from one of the local breweries. ” He seemed impressed by this and it was kind of depressing. We had more local microbreweries out on the coast per capita than just about anywhere. I spent weekends trying to discover them all, from Seattle to Bend, Oregon. In a couple years he’d be telling me excitedly about the local dispensaries that they had down here. I cleared my throat. I figured now was the time to talk some sense into him, not while Diane was around. “Is it like really racist here? How do you deal with it all? I mean I’ve been on Twitter a lot, reading the political headlines and I’m starting to think we should just expel this entire south eastern region. They’re dragging us down, man. All out tax dollars on the coasts helps these people and their hate out. ” “Trevor, it’s like any other place. Do you know that Oregon drafted a state constitution banning black people? I’m sure there’s racists and stuff around here, but I don’t really see any of it. As far as the red state stuff goes, do you understand gerrymandering? Voter suppression? The south east has a large black population, more cities that are majority African American than anywhere. Are just gonna expel them, too? I don’t know about you, but that sounds a little racist. ” “I dunno man, driving up here, it’s like the buckle of the bible belt. I think I’m going to hell now, by the way. ” “Just relax with all this political stuff. Quit trying to be so woke and right the world’s wrongs from your phone while you’re not really doing much else. Unplug from social media and Twitter and all of that. Start living in the real world for a change. Let’s have some fun this week. Miss ya bud, ” he said and gave my trapezius a stiff squeeze. “I've been off social media for a bit. There’s this thing the tech dudes are all doing called a dopamine fast. It involves getting off of that stuff periodically so your reward centers in your brain can reset and recharge. I haven’t seen pictures of you and Diane, yet by the way, because of the fast. ” “Welp, she should be up here shortly. ” She arrived and I must say that he had done well for himself. She was stunning and had a laid back personality and made me relaxed. I only had one main concern and it had to do with where he lived and who she was. She was black. ### I asked Trevor why that bothered him. He responded that he was “worried about prejudice and stuff” and that Tyler had “never dated anyone like that before. ” Anyone like what? “You know, like a person of color, or whatever. ” When I asked him if he could expound further on these concerns, he really couldn’t. He continued on. The visit went well for the next few days. Tyler and Diane were gracious hosts and I learned a little bit about Southern hospitality from Diane, who had been born and raised in Atlanta. They showed me the sights of Birmingham and we ate a lot of that good southern cooking. Everyone in town seemed really friendly, too. I must admit that I was starting to reverse my stance on the South. It didn’t seem like a half bad place after all. But then I would scroll through news stories in the morning about the sad state of affairs our country was in and I couldn’t help but blame the legislators and senators in this part of the country and the people that voted for them. I would get this feeling that I was in the wrong place and get the urge to get the hell out of here. Tyler and I had a bit of a guy’s night out on what was to be my last night in town. We went to a neighborhood called Five Points South and spent the night hopping from bar to bar. If you didn’t focus too much, you could be anywhere. Only thing different was the accents, and even those weren’t too bad. As the night wore on, we were feeling better and better and having more and more of a good time. We snuck into a back alley, behind this dumpster, where Tyler magically procured a spliff. “Look at you! Where did you get that? ” I asked with drunken glee. “I have my ways. ” He lit it and we took turns taking hits. It was such a good night. A sudden melancholy fell over me. These nights were no longer the norm. From here on out we’d see each other less and less and less. I felt grief and anger welling up from somewhere deep within. Tyler was laughing at something he had just said and I felt a strong urge to lash out. "Man what a night, eh? Too bad these are gonna be few and far between from here on out. It was nice knowing ya. " "Aw man, we'll still see each other. How about Diane and I fly out and visit you in Portland? " “It won’t be the same, ” I mumbled. I was quiet for a while--we both were— and stared at the dirty ground, lit orange by streetlights. I started getting more upset. “We’re never gonna be able to just fuck off and go to Thailand or whatever. Burning Man. You’re gonna be down here, getting all established with your job and your girlfriend and next thing you know you’re married to your token black girlfriend and having little half-and—” An impact flashed across my jaw and my head jerked and I was sent stumbling. I would feel the pain later, but right now I was sinking. I hit the ground and lay there, dizzy and everything out of focus. “Fuck you, ” I heard Tyler say from somewhere above me. I didn’t get up. *** I stayed on the ground for a long time, feeling sorry for myself. Why not just stay down here forever? No one would care. I got bored after a while and got up and brushed myself off and realized my phone was completely dead. I staggered out into the street. Maybe I could borrow someone’s phone and hail an uber. I had a little bit of cash. Out on the sidewalk a group of black guys were walking my way, talking loudly and laughing it up. I got a bad vibe from them, so I quickly hurried across the street and headed in the opposite direction. I didn’t want to add being mugged to the night’s insults. I found a late night donut shop where I ordered some coffee and was able to charge my phone. Between the joint, the coffee, the water and being punched in the face by my best friend, I was feeling more sober than I ever had in my life. I decided right then and there that I was leaving and after my phone charged enough I hailed an Uber to my hotel, got my things and hit the road. I was heading east to Atlanta, where I had a direct flight back to Portland. I was heading east on I-20. It was about 415 in the morning. I was letting my phone charge and the XM radio was barely audible. A voice began to speak with utmost clarity, almost like someone was sitting in the passenger seat talking to me. It was the radio, the broadcast that people have been telling you about. Goooood mornin’ folks! I’m Buck Hensley and I’m here with another episode of “The Rules of the Road. ” Oh I wish I was in the land of cotton, old times there are not forgotten, look away! Look away. I don’t remember how the rest of that fucking song goes, but boy do I wish that I was in the land of cotton. Carla and I took a little tour of the region back in the day. That southern heat sure was sultry and the windows were down while our sweaty legs stuck to the vinyl seats as we cruised down gravel roads past fields of ubiquitous chirping of cicadas filled the air, soon to be joined by a chorus of frogs in the waning evening light. It was just downright beautiful. But a kind of sad beauty, you know? Carla must’ve thought so too as the tears streamed down her face all the while she kept smiling and smiling. I asked her what was wrong, but she didn’t have to tell me. We both knew. Speaking of that dixie song, did ya’ll know it from minstrel shows? A bunch of white folk dressed up as black people, wearing blackface and everything. It was even one of Abraham Lincoln’s favorite songs. Ain’t that something? Speaking of blackface, I feel like I’m wearing white face myself these a pale imitation at that. I may have to go fetch me a new one. This one’s getting a little torn around the edges. But I digress. Alrighty, on to tonight’s rule, if at any point during your journey you pull over at a gas station or convenience store or vegetable stand or whatever and you see that they have boiled peanuts for sale, then you must buy them. Ladle up a big ol heapin cup or bowl full of them delicious goobers, pay for ‘em, and eat them right there on sight. I promise I won’t be too jealous. Trevor tells me that this was a sudden revelation to him and he thought of the man he had seen at the truck stop. An eerie feeling came over him. He continued listening. Before you go off in a tizzy, I know what you’re gonna say. You’re gonna say, “Buck! I ain’t eatin’ no dang roadside boiled peanuts. I like my peanuts honey roasted and floatin’ in my Coke bottle. Who ever heard of boiling peanuts? Nuts are supposed to be hot and roasted and saltier than my girlfriend’s attitude. My mama made me chicken strips and hot dogs every night of my life and I’m afraid to try any sort of new food. I’m afraid it might come up and bite me or taste yucky. ” And to that I say, “Fair enough. ” But you might wanna pinch your nose and go ahead and swallow those tasty legumes down. For if you don’t follow this rule of the road, then you are in for a rude awakening. A slow and creepy crawling terror might just befall you. Watch your back and don’t get too settled for too long, because it might just slowly choke you out. Welp, that’s all I’ve got for tonight. The sun’s about to come up and I’ve gotta get a move on. I’ve got so many other faces to meet and places to see and folks to inform. Ya’ll stay safe out there. Stay alert. Stay lively. Stay lonely. I’m Buck Hensley, and these are “The Rules of the Road. ” “That was weird, ” I said to myself. Did that trucker back in Mississippi hear this broadcast? He must have. Why else would he have done that to himself, knowing that he had a nut allergy? How gullible and stupid could you get? The warning seemed vague. Even if he did believe it, wouldn’t he have much rather taken his chances? I was almost to the airport and needed to fill up the rental car before I turned it back in. Sure enough, at the first gas station I stopped at they had boiled peanuts for sale. I considered the broadcast and the rule I was given. There was no reason for me to believe this, but a little good luck couldn’t hurt. I opened a crockpot full of peanuts and ladled one into a napkin. I wanted to try it first. I peeled it out of its shell and popped them in my mouth. It tasted like some sort of bean. I spit it out. “Fuck the south, ” I muttered to myself and left the gas station. *** My flight out of Atlanta was cancelled. Something mechanical, they said. The airline comped me a room. Before I left the boarding area I overheard some flight attendants and a pilot talking about the issue. “Really? That’s the strangest thing. ” “Yeah, it was wrapped all up in both engines. And that’s not the strangest part. It was all over the landing gear, climbing up the side and into the engine. Must be some sort of sabotage, I guess. How else can you explain it? ” I looked out the window at the plane I was supposed to board, but I couldn’t make out what they were talking about, just something green hanging from the jet engine. *** " So yeah, I’m holed up in this shitty hotel, killing time and waiting for my flight. It leaves out at tomorrow afternoon. I got to Googling “The Rules of the Road” and to see if it was some sort of regional radio program or what, and that’s where I found your website and your call for those that encountered the broadcast. That’s really all I have. I didn’t follow the rules. I must admit that it did make me a little paranoid reading about the encounters on your website, haha. So, you’re behind this whole thing, huh? " I tell Trevor that no, I’m not behind it. I don’t know if he believes it. He asks me if this is some sort of ARG game, what company I work for. I tell him, not that as far as I know, the rules are very, very rule. I then ask him if he is pulling one over on me. He asks, are they going to make a movie about this? We ask each other more similar questions and then end the call. I’m worried about him. He may be a douchebag and a hypocrite, prone to a strange overcompensation, but I am worried about him. The rules don’t fuck around. Do douchebags realize that they’re douchebags? Are they aware of their behavior and its negativity? Maybe not in the moment, but after a period of self-reflection do they ever look back with regret? *** He calls the next morning, frantic. “Okay, so this is all a big joke, right? The cameras are gonna burst in at any moment and we’re all gonna have a big laugh. Did Tyler put you up to this? To teach me a lesson? ” I’m groggy. “Is this Trevor? What’s going on? ” “QUIT FUCKING WITH ME, MAN! ” “Trevor, just calm down. Tell me what’s happening. ” “I woke up and there were all of these, like vines. They were covering my entire body, my legs and arms and round my neck and everything. One was starting to go down my throat. ” “I had nothing to do with this, Trevor. It’s the goddam rules. They are real. I follow the ones I’ve heard. Where are you now? ” “I’m in the motel bathroom. I managed to yank most of them off of me, but one is still around my ankle and it’s on there really tight. They’re starting to move under the door. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. ” “Can you like call 911? Give them your location? If I was a prank show, I swear I wouldn’t have you do that. ” I hear him take a deep breath. “Okay, okay, okay. ” I continue to reassure him. I tell him that I will have my phone by me and for him to please call me back. After a very long five minutes, my phone rings. “They say they’re on their way. They didn’t sound like they believed me. So I told them I had killed somebody in my room and that I was going to kill more. That got their attention. Fuck, I’m so scared. ” His voice was growing more high pitched and manic. “SHIT! My fucking ankle’s bleeding! Holy shit, I can see the bone! ” “Trevor! Stay with me! ” “Oh God, there’s so many vines in here. It’s kudzu. That’s what it is. It takes over! ” He began to laugh hysterically and hyperventilate. I could hear the clang of a toilet tank lid. I could imagine him standing on it, the vine wrapped tight around his ankle, blood running down the porcelain, greenery advancing upon him and wrapping around whatever limb or part of his body it could find. “The shower rod! Whack them with the shower rod! ” Over the phone I could hear rustling and clanging and him hollering and screaming. “Oh god, they’re up my leg! Call Buck Hensley! I’m begging you. Please, please please. ” “Trevor, I can’t. Just…” I didn’t know what to say. The rustling grew louder and I could only hear him mumbling to himself, prayers and apologies to gods and people unknown. Then, there was a sudden scream, a loud bang, and nothing. I called his name again and again, but there was no response. Silence. *** “We found him out back, by the dumpster. In the brush and weeds. He was deceased. ” The authorities had found his cellphone in the hotel room and had contacted the last number that was called. “Detective, can you tell me how he died? You can be blunt. ” “Right now, I only have a couple of ideas. His right leg was missing below the knee, just torn off real messily, but it’s weird. It didn’t look like he bled out because whoever did this had wrapped a tourniquet on that thigh, preventing the massive blood loss that would normally cause shock in that situation. ” “Hmm, ” was all I could say. “So, that’s a possibility. But he had ligature marks around his neck, all made with vines. So he may have died from strangulation. But there were also vines in his mouth, down his throat, and in his abdominal cavity. One of the strangest things I ever saw. His whole body, just covered with vines, the silhouette of a person just out there in the landscape like a goddam art project. ” “I.. I don’t.. ” I could only stammer. “Where did you say you were from? ” I told him. “Well, we’ll be in touch. Right now we suspect some type of sicko ritual murder. The killer called us from his phone, so he likely had his time with him all night before the call. We haven’t even found his leg. So our best guess is that he had his way with this poor guy, wrapped him up in vines and shoved them in every possible place and orifice he could, and then presented him. Maybe it was this Buck Hensley fella. Whatever it is, it was like he was trying to make some kind of statement. ” I told him that I would help them in any way that I could. But I knew that there was nothing that they would be able to uncover that would make sense of this whole awful mess. Not unless the Atlanta PD had supernatural connections. “It’s a weird coincidence. They grounded a plane out at Hartsfield just yesterday. Had vines all wrapped up in the landing gear and both engines. Kudzu. They’d never seen anything like it. ” ~~~[ll].

Cosa mi lasci di te Movie streaming. Ya know, I thought I was one of only a few who thought this song is great. I was wrong. so good.

 

Science, modern medecin and doctors the movie (while others prayed. When I was small I loved this song. It brings back memories. Well if it isnt Mr. Darcy. in British accent. Cosa mi lasci di te Movie.

Author: S W 1