Me (22M) and my friends have had this group for a long time. One of them introduced us to one of his friends which is a girl (22F).
I used to think i fall in love easily (love is a big word, but feeling attraction is what i mean). I wouldn’t fall in love with anyone tho, but my relationship with girls was either falling in love with them or being completely scared to talk to them. So i implemented this philosophy that i can also have girl friends without being interested in then romantically.
Now i can easily talk to women, I have multiple girl friends and I’m not scared of talking to them as i used to be when i was younger. Since i basically had to give myself permission to not like a girl automatically just because she was cute, now idk what I am looking for.
Going back to the girl that my friend introduced us to. She quickly became part of the group and was completely chill and she basically fit in pretty easily. But i’ve always noticed, and its common knowledge that she is pretty attractive. I would never think of her romantically, i would treat her as a normal friend from the group, and i still do but suddenly my feelings for her started to change, and i may know why. The other day we were all hanging out and i would catch her looking at me a bunch of times and then looking away immediately. I feel like I’m confusing stuff and I shouldn’t try anything with her, but part of me feels i’m just avoiding it because of the rule I set myself: Not falling in love with a girl just because she’s pretty. Though, this girl has a lot more qualities to her than just looks. She has a really great sense of style, she’s a wonderful artist, is really chill to hang out with + we share some interest like anime, art, videogames (basically all reasons of why she fit in so quickly), sense of humor.
I was just so obsessed with following that rule that i forgot what makes a girl qualify as a good partner for me, and now i don’t know when i could make an exception.
Other external factors that keep me from making that type of contact is: I’ve never flirted with anyone in front of this group; There was once a girl in the group (when i was awkward and bad with interacting with girls) that i tried something and didn’t end well; even tho we are both adults, interacting with her won’t be the same when all the group finds out about how i feel.
Or i could just forget everything but i can’t seem to do that lately.

Its like any other day in the violent streets in Yeongdeungpo. The Union is growing at a notoriously fast rate, and it's suddenly popped on Charles radar. He orders Gun to go and take care of it, and just in case he needs help(lol), he brings Goo.
​
"This is so boring" Goo says. "Lets stop by that chicken place first!"
The Monster Duo orders chicken and sits and waits for it to arrive.
Meanwhile Teddy comes and brings it out. "Here's your chick-!"
He stops in his tracks almost instantly. Being a fighting maniac himself, he can almost instantly recognize strong people by their aura. And the aura that these men were radiating were off the charts.
He goes back and tells Gerard, "Hey, those two guys out there... do you know them?"
Gerard takes a look and says "No. they look like businessmen. Where are they from?"
"Don't know" Teddy states. "They're giving me really, REALLY bad vibes."
Gun and Goo discuss the objective. "The Union is a multifaceted organization that has taken control over all of Yeongdeungpo. They have schools like Ganghak, Yoosun, Daehyon, and Hyongshin under their control, along with their respective leaders." Gun states.
"Sort of like the 4 major crews? What a bunch of copycats."
"Be alert. Apparently all of the schools were united together and they all work under one man: Donald Na.
"He sounds strong."
"We'll have to go see for ourselves."
Gun and Goo leave Tteokbokki Chicken and start their venture to look for the Union. Gerard and Teddy overhear their conversation. "They're going after the Union?!?!? Are they crazy?!?" Teddy tells Gerard.
"They must have some ulterior motive for taken them down. Even so, just the two of them?" Gerards responds. "I've got a bad feeling about this. We should tell the gang."
​
Back at Eunjang, Rowan and Alex are sparring again, with Ben spectating. Gray is stuydiing with Eugene when suddenly gets a text.
Eugene states, "Some guys are here to destroy the Union?"
Ben and Alex eyes widen once they figure it out. Gray stops studying and listens. They all agree to meet with Teddy and Gerard.
Outside of Eunjang, They all meet up and talk about it. Teddy describes the two as tall, has glassses on, one is blonde and the other has black hair. Ben looks behind him and says "Is it those two?"
Surely enough, Gun and Goo are making their way to Hyongshin. Gun tells Goo "We should thank Kouji for sending us the coordinates of the schools. This makes things easy."
As they approach the front door, Hyoengshin students are flooding the streets. Grape sees them and says "who the fuck are y-"
Gun kicks him through the front door and he shatters through it. As he struggles to breathe, the rest of the students start rushing him.
Forrest is upsatirs and he hears all the commotion going on he rushes downstairs and witnesses something diabolical.
Gun runs through the students like play dough, swatting his arm back and forth and sends the students flying all over the place. He grabs a student and launches him at Forrest.
Forrest gets up and enraged, throws a wild punch at Gun.
Gun catches his fist and glares at him. "This school is too weak." he clenches his fist harder. "WAY too weak."
Forrest looks into his eyes and realizes with horror there's nothing there. Just pure, black malice.
I.... need to let the others know...about this monster. He thinks to himself.
Gun pulls Forrest towards him and hits him with a body shot that sends him flying up into the second floor of the building. He blasts through it, bleeding and unconscious.
"Sheesh! that's gotta hurt!" Goo exclaims.
"...That takes care of Hyongshin." Gun says. Next up is Yoosun."
As the duo departs, Eunjang watches in horror at the massacre they just witnessed.
Alex turns at Ben. "Ben.... what do we do?"
Bens face is shadowed with fear. "...What can we do?"
Ben hasn't seen anything like this before. Even when he was going against Donald Na, the difference in abilities and power wasnt this big.
​
They go to Yoosun. word has gotten around how Gun and Goo have arrived on the scene. Jimmy talks with Donald on the phone.
"I heard there's these two men running around wrecking everything."
"Yes. they've already got Forrest."
"Hmm. Interesting. it seems like even after all this time, we still have ants running around tying to capitalize on the castle. Stay on guard."
​
Donald talks with Kingsley. "Could they be from Mapo?" Kingsley says.
"No. Changhuis too prideful to go against our agreement like this. It has to be some outside source."
"Gather every executive and have them meet me at Yeoinaru."
"Understood."
​
Gun and Goo barge into Yoosun and starts no-diffing everyone without any problems. Jimmy comes along and attempts to sneak attack Gun.
Goo intercepts and throws a rock at him, which leaves a scar on his face.
Jimmy says, "I've heard about you guys. Guys who think they are the shit. Just wait... Ill crush you into a pulp!"
Jimmy charges at Goo and starts hitting him. Goo laughs and take everything he has with a smile on his face. "You're a feisty one, aren't ya?!?
Jimmy is baffled why none of his attacks are even fazing him. Is he like Wolf? No....even stronger. Much much stronger.
Goo then trips Jimmy and slams his knee into his face. As Jimmy attemps to get up, Goo appears behind him and chops the back of his neck.
As Jimmy loses consciousness he thinks to himself, Could Jake or Donald.....even beat these two.?
"Well that was annoying. But Yoosuns down!"
"So that just leaves Ganghak and Dahyeon... those guys are the stronger parts of the Union. Wolf Keum and Jake Ji."
"This is taking too long. I wanna watch "The Adventures of JoonGoo the swordfighter!" "There's gotta be an easier way to do this."
"If we go straight to the Union's office, we should find Donald Na. It's in Yeoinaru. Wolf and Jake would probably be there too, since word spread fast."
"Alright. let's go there."
So the two head for Donald Na.
​
​
At the office, Jake, Wolf and the Mok-Ha Duo are with Donald, discussing orders.
"They really took down Jimmy and Forrest." Wolf states. "That means they're no pushovers."
"Right." Jake says. "It's been a while since we had any sort of challenge. This could be interesting."
"ARGH, WHO CARES?!?! Dongha shouts. LETS JUST BEAT THEM TO DEATH ALREADY!"
"Quiet."
​
Donalds voice made everybody pipe down.
​
There's knocking on the door. Kingsley opens it, and to their surprise, its Eunjang.
"What are you doing here?" Donald asks.
Ben speaks up. "We know about the men who've been causing damage to all of Yeongdeungpo."
"They're really strong. Not even you could handle them by yourself."
"So why are you helping us then?"
Gray speaks up. "Chances are they're here to take over as some sort of new dictatorship. We just want to protect Eunjang."
"Hmm....Alright, White Mamba. Think of this as a temporary alliance of the Union and Eunjang."
So the Union and Eunjang work together to attempt to stop Gun and Goo."
Attempt.
While that got settled, There's a loud BOOM outside the building. Ruckus continues until a fodder comes flying through the door.
​
"Hey."
As the steam settles, two men with glasses come out of the frame.
Gun locates him and says, "You must be Donald Na."
Donald glares at Gun and says. "....This is quite the mess you've made. Do you really think you guys can handle the consequences?"
Gun smiles and takes off his glasses. "Well let's find out."
​
Meanwhile, Goo and Wolf are just getting started.
"What's up with your hair? are you a mushroom or something?"
Wolf says nothing.
1...2....3.
He socks Goo in the face.
He grabs him and attempts to take him into the abyss.
FACE! FACE! FACE!
​
After enough punches, Goo's glasses break. he kicks Wolf off him.
"This is so fucking irritating." "Who said you could break my glasses?"
All of a sudden, Goo sees a chair leg sitting around. He eerily walks toward it.
Gerard and Gray and Alex go and help Wolf, who starts to feel the danger.
But it didn't matter how many people helped Wolf.
​
Goo, bleeding and smiling, says to him,
"I think you need to be taught a lesson."
In about 3 seconds, he instantly dismantles Wolf blitzing him in angles that he couldn't comprehend. He turns around and does the same to Alex and Gerard. Gray realizes that he can't analyze Goo at all, and it's too late before Goo appears above him and kills him with one blow.
​
Meanwhile, Ben, Jake, Teddy, all attack Gun at the same time, which does nothing. Gun then Aikido flips all of them at once, sending them to the air. Jake gets up and starts fighting Gun, who isn't impressed by his skills at all. Teddy then grabs Gun from behind and him and Jake attempt to hold him still while Ben charges up a superpunch. Gun leans down and does a capoeira kick counter, then proceeds to twist his body and simultaneously take out everyone.
He appears before Donald.
"Looks like no one can save you know. You run a good crew, but it's time for you to go."
Donald attempts to attack Gun using a throat punch, and Gun uses Kyokushin-style strike to instantly crush Donald. He dies.
Gun and Goo meet up in the middle.
"They had a good crew." Gun said. "In any other circumstance, I would've taken them in and trained them."
"Eh, whatever." "Goo says." "Let's Go!"
​
​
And so Gun and Goo leave the dismantled Union.
​
​
THE END
\

Not a "for hire" post per se, but reddit requires me to put the tag on the post.
​
I've been teaching myself front-end for a bit over a year. So far I've worked on a few solo projects, however I don't have any experience on team projects.
I would like to gain experience working with a team, get the feel of how it's actually like working in the field. I'm planning to freelance however I have no experience on how a team tackles a project.
Do any of you guys plan on, or are already working on a project and you need a helping hand? Here are some of my projects I've worked solo on:
Battleship web browser game (styled for both mobile and desktop screens)
Made with vanilla Javascript and CSS, used Jest for running tests. Also used Aseprite to manually create all the pixel-art assets of the game.This project was a part of the course where the goal was to practice Test Driven Development.
Github: https://github.com/Duesenberg/battleship-game
Live: https://duesenberg.github.io/battleship-game/
Online Shop Mock-Up (styled for both mobile & desktop)
Made with React, styled with CSS. Also used Material UI for some of the components here. Used Jest for running tests.The goal of the project here was to create a web store with a responsive shopping cart. Any items you add should be shown in the cart where price is calculated. You can also remove any items from the cart.
Github: https://github.com/Duesenberg/shopping-cart
Live: https://duesenberg.github.io/shopping-cart/
Memory Card Game (styled for both mobile & desktop)
Made with React, styled with CSS. Used Material UI for most components.The goal for this project was to practice state and hooks in React. I wanted to try out Material UI as well at this point, I was using it for a lot of the components here.
Github: https://github.com/Duesenberg/memory-card-game
Live: https://duesenberg.github.io/memory-card-game/
Photo Tagging Game (styled just for desktop)
Made with React, styled with CSS. Used Firebase for hosting and storing some of the data.For this project a requirement was to use firebase for the back end. Used Firebase for the hosting, storing the game image, storing the coordinates of the map areas of the characters you have to find on the image, as well as the leaderboard. Had a bit of trouble creating a dynamic image map, that is why size responsiveness is quite limited here.
Github: https://github.com/Duesenberg/photo-tagging-app
Live: https://photo-tagging-app-b3302.web.app
CV Application Generator (just for desktop)
Made with React, styled with CSS.The project was meant for React practicing. You can create an application in which you can add various information such as personal info, education, and work experience. Then you can print out a PDF of the application. Local storage is used to store any applications you have created by clicking save. There is an option to load them as well upon page load.
Github: https://github.com/Duesenberg/cv-application
Live: https://duesenberg.github.io/cv-application/
Weather App (just for desktop)
Made with Vanilla JS, styled with CSS.Goal of the project was to practice asynchronous code and API calls. The app lets you search for a location, makes an API call to openweathermap.org to get a number of matching locations. When you click on a location it gets the weather data for that location and displays it.
Github: https://github.com/Duesenberg/weather-app
Live: https://duesenberg.github.io/weather-app/
To-Do List generator (just for desktop)
Made with vanilla JS, styled with CSS.Project was made to practice OOP. You can create separate projects, each with a due date and priority. You can add a list of tasks to the project which you can check off once you finish them. You can save and load projects to local storage.
Github: https://github.com/Duesenberg/todo-list
Live: https://duesenberg.github.io/todo-list/

I've been teaching myself front-end for a bit over a year through TheOdinProject. So far I've worked on a few solo projects, however I don't have any experience on team projects.
I would like to gain experience working with a team, get the feel of how it's actually like working in the field. I'm planning to freelance however I have no experience on how a team tackles a project. Do any of you guys plan on, or are already working on a project and you need a helping hand? Not looking to showcase my work, but for you guys to get an idea of what I've worked on so far. Here are some of my projects I've worked solo on:
Battleship web browser game (styled for both mobile and desktop screens)
Made with vanilla Javascript and CSS, used Jest for running tests. Also used Aseprite to manually create all the pixel-art assets of the game.This project was a part of the course where the goal was to practice Test Driven Development.
Github: https://github.com/Duesenberg/battleship-game
Live: https://duesenberg.github.io/battleship-game/
Online Shop Mock-Up (styled for both mobile & desktop) Made with React, styled with CSS. Also used Material UI for some of the components here. Used Jest for running tests.The goal of the project here was to create a web store with a responsive shopping cart. Any items you add should be shown in the cart where price is calculated. You can also remove any items from the cart.
Github: https://github.com/Duesenberg/shopping-cart
Live: https://duesenberg.github.io/shopping-cart/
Memory Card Game (styled for both mobile & desktop) Made with React, styled with CSS. Used Material UI for most components.The goal for this project was to practice state and hooks in React. I wanted to try out Material UI as well at this point, I was using it for a lot of the components here.
Github: https://github.com/Duesenberg/memory-card-game
Live: https://duesenberg.github.io/memory-card-game/
Photo Tagging Game (styled just for desktop)
Made with React, styled with CSS. Used Firebase for hosting and storing some of the data.For this project a requirement was to use firebase for the back end. Used Firebase for the hosting, storing the game image, storing the coordinates of the map areas of the characters you have to find on the image, as well as the leaderboard. Had a bit of trouble creating a dynamic image map, that is why size responsiveness is quite limited here.
Github: https://github.com/Duesenberg/photo-tagging-app
Live: https://photo-tagging-app-b3302.web.app
CV Application Generator (just for desktop)
Made with React, styled with CSS.The project was meant for React practicing. You can create an application in which you can add various information such as personal info, education, and work experience. Then you can print out a PDF of the application. Local storage is used to store any applications you have created by clicking save. There is an option to load them as well upon page load.
Github: https://github.com/Duesenberg/cv-application
Live: https://duesenberg.github.io/cv-application/
Weather App (just for desktop)
Made with Vanilla JS, styled with CSS.Goal of the project was to practice asynchronous code and API calls. The app lets you search for a location, makes an API call to openweathermap.org to get a number of matching locations. When you click on a location it gets the weather data for that location and displays it.
Github: https://github.com/Duesenberg/weather-app
Live: https://duesenberg.github.io/weather-app/
To-Do List generator (just for desktop)
Made with vanilla JS, styled with CSS.Project was made to practice OOP. You can create separate projects, each with a due date and priority. You can add a list of tasks to the project which you can check off once you finish them. You can save and load projects to local storage.
Github: https://github.com/Duesenberg/todo-list
Live: https://duesenberg.github.io/todo-list/

Looking for some great spots to West Palm Beach Boat Excursion in Florida? With both fresh water and salt water locations in almost every part of the state, Florida is the perfect destination for a boating or fishing excursion. It offers a chance to fully embrace the yachting lifestyle with privately owned and charter yachts berthed in gleaming rows in front of the Riviera style cafes and restaurants.

Platform(s): IOS app store, used to play on my ipod
Genre: Zombie Survival
Estimated year of release: Somewhere around 2013 ish maybe????
Graphics/art style: very old ps2 graphics like graphics i think
Notable characters: Can’t remember any of their names just remember one of the loading screen quotes that said “[character] doesn’t throw like a girl”
Notable gameplay mechanics: You would start in the middle of a trash pile with four lanes around you. One lane in front of you, two lanes to your side, and one lane behind you. Zombies would come from the end of the lanes towards you. The main goal was to kill zombies with trash from the trash pile below you in all four lanes and survive as long as possible.
Other details: I only have very faint memories of this, i remember playing it as a kid and getting scared as soon as a zombie would reach my trash pile then close the game as fast as i could.

ExpressBeautyOnline store offer a wide variety of products and services that can help you look and feel your best. Whether you're looking for hair care products, makeup, or skincare, you're sure to find what you need at a beauty supply store.

Here are some of the benefits of shopping at a beauty supply store:

​

• Wide selection of products: Beauty supply stores offer a wide variety of products from a variety of brands. This means you can find the perfect product for your needs, no matter what your budget or preferences are.
• Expert advice: Beauty supply store employees are experts in beauty products and services. They can help you find the right products for your hair type, skin type, and desired look.
• Convenience: Beauty supply stores are often located in convenient locations, such as malls and grocery stores. This makes it easy to pick up the products you need without having to make a special trip.
• Affordability: Beauty supply stores often offer lower prices than department stores and other retailers. This means you can save money on your beauty products without sacrificing quality.

If you're looking for a great place to find beauty products and services, a beauty supply store is the perfect place to start. With a wide selection of products, expert advice, convenience, and affordability, beauty supply stores have something for everyone.

Here are some of the most popular products that you can find at a beauty supply store:

​

• Hair care products: Hair care products include shampoo, conditioner, hair styling products, and wigs.
• Makeup: Makeup includes foundation, concealer, powder, blush, bronzer, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, and lip gloss.
• Skincare products: Skincare products include cleansers, toners, moisturizers, sunscreen, and anti-aging products.

In addition to these products, beauty supply stores also offer a variety of services, such as:

​

• Hair styling: Hair styling services include haircuts, hair coloring, and hair extensions.
• Makeup application: Makeup application services include applying foundation, concealer, powder, blush, bronzer, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, and lip gloss.
• Skincare consultations: Skincare consultations can help you determine your skin type and develop a skincare routine that is right for you.

If you're looking for a great place to find beauty products and services, a beauty supply store is the perfect place to start. With a wide selection of products, expert advice, convenience, and affordability, beauty supply stores have something for everyone.

I am getting a new car, I won't be driving it around the city that much, mostly on a bit longer rides, 100 kms or more. My budget is not that big, I'd like to spend up to 7-8000 euro. I've been gathing info for the last couple of weeks and oh man I've gotten so many advices from various people but something they are opposite to what i've already heard.
What do you think about getting a older honda. I'd get it to a mechanic for a checkout and also check it on carvertical.com
These 2 got my attention.
2005 Honda Civic Sedan 1.6i vtec for 4.200 EURO (it has 99500 miles)
https://www.njuskalo.hauti/honda-civic-sedan-1.6i-vtec-oglas-38912627
Description from the add:
Honda Civic VII generation 2005 year 1.6i vtec for sale
The car has been in my possession since the sixth month of 2021 and was purchased in Rijeka from the first owner. Regularly serviced and since it has been in my possession, it has been serviced at Honda Ruting Zagreb, where a major service was done a little less than two years ago at 134,000 km, and a minor service at 150,000 km and at 160,000 a week ago. In excellent condition. Registered for a year !!
The car comes with two sets of rims: a summer set of 16-inch alloy rims with new Pirelli tires and a winter set of 15-inch steel rims with Continental tires DOT 2921. In addition, the car is equipped with a Honda Civic EP3 sports three-spoke steering wheel (same generation hatchback only) and multimedia Phonocar VM012, which includes the option of Apple Carplay and Android auto and many other options. The rear exhaust pot in Lastovčić was replaced. The car also comes with a new spoiler that needs to be painted and installed, and new aibach springs that are planned to be installed and certified soon. The car also has a metal gear lever, but it is possible to return the original lever. I have two keys, one of which is with a remote for central locking.
​
​
2006 Honda Accord 2,0 Sport for 6,300 EURO (it has 130 000 miles)
https://www.njuskalo.hauti/honda-accord-2.0-sport-oglas-40429240
​
Description from the add:
Honda accord 20i,
Reg until: 14/03/24.
Regularly serviced,
Original kilometers,
Print kilometers from the technical,
Alu enkei 17 inch,
New 225/45/17 all-season tires,
16 and 17 inch tires written in the booklet,
Type with front lip + bumper and mask from non-redesign,
Last lip redesign model original from type s model,
New rear jaws,
New rear discs + disc plates,
New oil in the brakes,
New rubber carpets,
Service done, on the engine, (oil and filters,
Mtf3 oil in gearbox new, spark plugs new,)
The vehicle is in top condition and completely correct,
Without further investment,
Substitutions excluded,
I do not respond to messages and e-mails,
The price is not fixed,
More info by calling the contact mobile.

So I love looking at tier lists in games like these to find out what the meta weapon/stance/style/class/whatever is. Not that it ever really impacts my gameplay other than “let me try that thing I hated one more time since everyone loves it” before eventually returning to my playstyle
But one thing I’m absolutely in love with about this game is every tier list I find for the stances seems different. I mean theres only 5 stances so they can only vary so much, but if I just start looking at different sources they’re usually pretty different
I’ve seen tier lists that put cross guard on top for its damage output, tier lists that out double blade at top for crowd control, blaster on top for range, and dual wield on top for the skill cap
The only stance I haven’t seen hyped up is single blade but even that stance, for being the master of none option, has the best mobility imo.
I just think it speaks volumes about the combat design that no two people picked at random are going to agree on each stance’s ranking. Shit I can’t even agree with myself on a day to day basis. Today I’m favoring single and blaster but yesterday I favored crossguard and double blade.
Devs really outdid themselves on that front.

This piece recounts the first time I drank an ancient plant medicine called Ayahuasca. It comes from Amazonian tribes who consider it a sacred plant medicine with healing powers and, given what a hugely beneficial impact it has had on my life, I am very comfortable describing it as medicine.
One Saturday, in the spring of 2016 I was greeted by the medicine man himself with a big hug, let’s call him Blu. I came into his kitchen to be greeted by several women with slightly comical homemade, feather headdresses and couldn’t help but think I’d walked into a kid’s birthday party. In the garden, there was a small festival tent set up which had a hay bale altar with easter decorations.
The ceremony had around 30 other participants and 10 shamans. In the middle of the tent stood the medicine man’s wife, Sun who was very much the master of the ceremony. She had the most daring headdress, flowing orange robes and a rattle in her hand. She spoke to us with warm, friendly humour telling us that we would know the medicine had kicked in once her singing started to sound good!
She advised that each experience is unique and we should try not to have huge expectations, sometimes nothing at all happens the first time. Having waited five years for this day I was quietly confident that this would not be the case for me and boy was I right!
We went around the circle introducing ourselves and explained what we were hoping to get out of the ceremony. Focusing on your intent during a psychedelic experience is meant to help you get what you are looking for.
During my turn, I expressed my desire to regain my self-confidence and passion for the opportunities and women in my life to whom I never seem to be able to fully commit.
Once we had all shared, we learned that it was time to drink.
My heart was filled with profound forbearing and excitement as I went up to receive a small glass of harsh-tasting, brown liquid which certainly tasted like medicine!
I had a basic camping mattress and a duvet laid out for me which I snuggled into before pulling on my eye mask. I was on my back trying not to think too much about the medicine, whether it was working or maybe wouldn’t work while I meditated for an hour.
The shamans started singing and shaking rattles. One of the female shamans, Nubia had an incredibly beautiful soprano voice that stood out from the others. It was while listening to the song of the shamans that I started to feel a warm flow of energy along my limbs. I tried to dismiss it at first, thinking it might somehow be related to my fasting for 40 hours prior.
When I moved my eye mask to let some light into my eyes I saw the tent roof overlaid with a flowing grid of beautiful, metallic, geometric grids with multi-coloured light flowing through the lines. The Individual elements of the grid reflected every colour of the rainbow like oil on water’s surface and I started to feel joyful, like a child rolling through leaves on a warm autumn day.
Nubia started singing to us again and it was like nothing I’d ever heard. It was so beautiful and mesmerizing I didn’t want her to stop.
I could hear the people around me, some giggling and some vomiting or, purging medicine into their buckets. I checked myself, asking if should I purge but I felt a gentle presence speak inside of me saying: ‘No, you’re fine. Just relax.’

They call this presence Mother Ayahuasca. The reason people drink the brew is to speak with and receive her guidance.

My eye mask was back on my face and I turned into the fetal position with the duvet pulled over my head I felt exceptionally comfy with this strange yet familiar presence as I started to explore the un-intimidating hallucinogenic world within my mind. She showed me complex pictures of flowing energy with multicoloured lights in perfect alignment while I was gently gliding along, watching the beautiful colourful spectacle.
It was around this time that Sun asked into the ceremony if anybody would like a second dose. I slowly sat upright and looked around. I checked myself. Truthfully, I was enjoying the experience. I was slightly nervous that having more could take me to a deeper, darker place however I had mentally prepared myself for the full immersion experience.
The presence told me: ‘It’s okay. You can handle it. I’ll be gentle.’
So I pulled on my shoes, got up and slowly walked over feeling slightly wobbly. I was worried Sun might tell me I’d had enough but when I sat in front of her, she gave me a big smile and beckoned me towards her. The second dose was about half the previous one and tasted familiar, not quite as harsh.
After I got up I walked out of the tent into the house. Sitting in the small toilet I saw the walls gently rippling with energy and recognized the phenomenon from previous psychedelic experiences. I’ve experienced mild, LSD-induced hallucinations before but nothing quite as mesmerizing as watching bright sparks of colorful energy emerging from objects and pictures.
Snuggling back under my duvet I listened to the rattles and felt myself floating deeper into the kaleidoscopic universe seeing my own body curled up but instead of my skin and flesh, I saw myself as streaming veins of energy. Millions of thin fibre optic threads pulsated with warm healing energy which outlined my body.
I felt myself lying on the floor in the jungle with mystical symbols and ineffable tribal figures around me. I felt like I was in a different, timeless dimension however I was surprisingly lucid and could snap out of it to check myself with ease. At some point I had to giggle as my boring pragmatist made the smart-ass remark, ‘You’re not lying in the jungle. You’re in a garden less than 100 meters from the Thames estuary!’
I had my eyes closed for most of the afternoon. I was seeing ever richer patterns. When I opened my eyes the patterns were still there but they were overlaid on the reality in front of my eyes. I could change them with the blink of an eye or bring back shapes I had seen previously.
I started thanking this entity for showing me all this beauty and felt the urge to reciprocate. I revealed some personal memories but they looked so very different. It seemed like they had a photo filter applied that filled the memory with golden light as they came alive with breathtaking beauty, streaming with colourful energy. I visited various life moments and it felt like entering into a photo and suddenly being there on that day!
I was there sitting in our garden at home. Once again I was a chubby baby covering my face with baked beans. I was actually there! I was picking the baked beans off my face and pushing them, one by one into my mouth.
They say that Mother Ayahuasca is a deep ancient spirit and I always imagined her as a deeply serious, majestic queen. I started wondering what she might look like… and so she appeared.
She was stern but not an old woman. Aya was young, perfectly matched to my age and exceptionally beautiful. She had long, smooth brown hair and big beautiful eyes filled with power and inspiration. As I looked closer at her exquisite face I realized that her features were constantly changing complexion. Her skin cycled from Amazonian to Latin to Nubian to Oriental and Mediterranean. She was outlined by swirling rainbow-coloured curls of light. The rest of her naked body only came into being when I directly looked at it. I realize that she was not one woman but a combination of every beautiful woman I’ve ever felt attracted to. I wanted her. She wanted me. We kissed and whirled around as we floated through my Entheoverse. My body of swirling rainbow energy flowed into her and hers into mine and this is how we made love passionately.
I had visions of us being on a summer weekend getaway in a stylish city. We lay in luxurious hotel rooms and I remember a cream-coloured clock on the wall, with Roman numerals but no hands to tell the time. I was dressed smartly as I led her by her hand into classy restaurants that had champagne poured, waiting by our table. It was like we were on a never-ending date, teleporting from one experience into the next, eloping while taking our time to enjoy each other’s energy, and passionately loving one another.
Afterwards, she lay in my arms and I asked what else she could show me and she replied; ‘What else would you like me to show you?’ I wasn’t prepared for this and my mind went a bit blank realizing that I could do anything, go anywhere in space and time I wanted.
I asked her; ‘Can you help me find my confidence?’
There was no clear answer. Instead, I had the random idea to become the temple stem of my friend Julio’s glasses. I looked at him from the bit next to the hinge and I could see him put the glasses on in the morning, and take them off at night and in the reflection of his right eye, I saw him coming home and watched his beautiful daughter jumping into his arms. Then I saw on his eyeball the reflection of me walking into the room and a felt warm glow spread through me.
Next, I visited my baby nephew sitting in my brother’s living room, in his red chair. I crossed my hands on my chest like he does and saw my brother and his wife smiling at me giving me warm hugs but more than seeing their faces while they hugged my body I could feel the way they felt when they put their arms around me and press me to their chests.
I saw all my brother’s smiles and happy faces as we jollied about, trying to make each other laugh as we do. I visited all my closest friends, took in their smiles and one by one, as I hugged each of them, I could feel their love for me.

Later I realized that Aya was indeed trying to give me confidence by showing me how much the people in my life care for me

I visited the girl I had just started dating called Anna whose raw energy I find simply irresistible. I came into her new apartment that I’d never visited before. She was standing in sexy lingerie by a floor-to-ceiling window looking down onto the busy Tottenham Court road. I remember her turning her beautiful face as I approached, touching it with ten fingers and kissing her lips passionately as we erupted into rainbow swirls of energy.
I also visited my ex-girlfriend Jo, whose body and spiritual mind I still loved but whose soul is too damaged by the fear of rejection and tough mental armour I never managed to vanquish.
She was asleep in our white room in LA that she had so carefully decorated and I spooned my energy into her little body. She woke and we cuddled and kissed and I said I was sorry it didn’t work out between us and she replied; ‘It’s ok. I wasn’t ready for you…’
I asked Aya if we had made the right decision to stop forcing it and just be friends and felt her nod wisely.
At some point, I remember all three of us lying in bed together but instead of feeling like the king of the world, I felt like a greedy pig.
One of the underlying themes of the whole journey was how slowly gently and unhurried everything felt and I think the lesson I was meant to learn was that it’s ok to not settle right now — I thought I just haven’t found the one, the right woman to share my life with…
Aya kept giving me gentle advice throughout. I asked her about the stimulants I love such as cannabis, coffee and alcohol but instead of the stern telling-off I was secretly hoping to receive she told me; ‘You know they don’t serve you when you abuse them but they are also a part of what shaped you… Take care of the beautiful body you have been given.’
She repeated many times; Take care of yourself more… take care.
I asked Aya how I could find the power to harness my mind which has always been blessed and cursed with a distracting imagination and to keep my lack of attention from killing my dreams.
Instantly, I saw an unreal version of myself.
I was standing in something like a black shiny display window, straight out of a Mercedes advert. This guy was not merely a little bit better than I am now and I realized that the version staring back at me was my best self!
That guy is sharp, he is determined, and he dresses immaculately. That guy knows exactly what he is doing. When he enters the room, people notice his presence from the invisible halo that brightly surrounds him.
I asked Aya, how I could become him and the answer became clear. That guy works. He knows exactly where his energy comes from and all of a sudden I understood — The confident image he projects comes from the love he feels for himself which makes him look loved and successful in other people’s eyes. There is no room for distraction because that guy knows his worth and knows his purpose.
She gave me such a clear image of myself. I can still see myself standing motionless in the black, shiny shop window with rainbow-coloured fibre optic strains lighting the air that gently flowed around me.
How long I lay like that is impossible to say but I guess it was around 5–6 hours but it felt like an eternity of journeying into myself.
But it wasn’t all just warm energy and neon colours. I distinctly remember at some point realizing, it was time to go to the toilet. Afterwards, I walked back into the garden and found the Ewok-faced little terrier yapping at me. I laughed at him as I noticed the blue silver and chrome energy swirls around his head and ears. I couched down to see if I could pacify him but I suddenly became aware that his barking must be interfering with other people’s experiences. I turned to hurry into the tent as one of the shamans came out, to tell off the dog saying; ‘What’s wrong doggy, he’s alright!’ As I walked into the tent there were certainly more people sitting upright than when I had left and I read some irritated expressions on people’s faces, at least three people got up and walked out.
I lay down in shame but all my friend’s energy avatars ran up to me saying ‘It’s fine!’ as they doggy piled on top of me. It made me feel better. I felt them warm the cold shame out of me and I began relaxing again. I played around as before but the energy had markedly changed, it didn’t feel as light-hearted anymore. It was heavier and more serious. I was feeling the effects of the medicine becoming even stronger so I decided to sit up but when I opened my eyes, I saw Nubia hit the deck at my feet on a hastily arranged bed after having just purged into a bucket. I could see vomit in her black wavy hair as I started to think, ‘…oh dear if even the shamans are starting to falter, I’m in trouble.’
I didn’t know what to do. I tried to lie back down again. I asked Aya to help me, as she had several times previously when I’d gotten a little bit frightened but this time I could not sense her presence and I knew why. I had to go through this for myself.
It felt like I was sitting in a shopping trolley, rolling down a steep hill toward darkness, realizing as it picked up speed and bucked to and fro that this had been a bad decision, a dangerous idea and the only way it would end would be for the momentum to collide with suffering.
I needed help so I weakly put up my hand and within a few seconds, one of the shamans sat down next to me. She was wearing a white feather dress and occoured to me like an angel. She helped me sit up and as soon as I was sitting upright I began to retch. She passed me my bucket which I gratefully barfed into…
After I purged I felt better. My angel asked me if I felt okay again and I asked her to stay with me and hold my hand for a while longer, which she did. I gently leaned over and rested my head on her feathery bosom and felt a sense of peace and strength flow back into me. I saw my energy self, the swirling electrons of light curling my limbs as I sat cross-legged, hunched over like a bear cub being cradled by his mother bear.
She helped me lie back down and I started to return to my technicoloured dream state. I asked Aya if we could make love again and she said ‘Of course’ but it felt different, when I opened my inner eye to see the face of the person I was entangled with I saw my own. Aya had taken on my form and this might well be the strangest thing I’ve ever written but I was exceptionally attracted to myself and I realized that this could be how girls who are in bed with me see me. I could feel the burning desire a girl feels when we make love. It felt strange but also good.

They said Ayahuasca show you not what you want to see but rather what you need to see at any specific point in your life.

I visited countless friends, some people no longer in my life becouse we have grown apart and even those whose who have passed away. I visited my German grandparents and told them how much I loved them.
While I cuddled Oskar, the dog I grew up with, and played with him in our garden I looked up to see my dad approach us with tears in his eyes. I knew what he was going to say. When he told me that my grandmother had died I didn’t run away in confusion as I had on that day, instead, I went to hug my mom and for the first time, I empathized with the pain she had felt in that moment of hearing that her mother had passed.
I visited my friend Keith whose passing I have always felt a slight responsibility for since I know he read my travel blog and went to Costa Rica a month after I’d been there where he swam out to sea and drowned. I hugged him tightly and cried gently but he grabbed me firmly by the shoulders and said; ‘It wasn’t you! It wasn’t you…’
I visited my old school friend Alex who I had not been close to but whose misfortune to be on flight 447 still touched me. I told him and his beautiful fiance whom I’d never met that I was so sorry for them having been so frightened when they died but instead of me comforting them, they hugged and comforted me as I lay there silently crying for the people I missed. But it was not painful. Quite the opposite, it felt cathartic, like I was letting out the pain and healing myself.
At some point, while it was still light out Sun said “OK, I know that some of you are still on your journey but we will start having some food soon so if you want to share what you experienced now is the time.” I listened to some of the reports.
Several people said that they had a very rough ride because they had tried to fight it. One girl even said she was convinced she was dying. I felt very lucky and grateful for my gentle, warm ride through my multi-coloured Enthenoverse and wondered if I would ever return…
When it was my turn I said that I had finally been able to see how my friends and family see me and why they think I am awesome which will give me the confidence to finally believe that I am awesome (that got a laugh :). I also shared my new appreciation for how profoundly beautiful my life has been up until now and hoped that it will give me the strength to stop comparing myself to others, to focus on my own path and become my best self.

10 weeks later

My life has undeniably changed over the last 10 weeks.
The following day I drove back to my rented shepherd’s hut in a nature reserve and had an exceptionally rich experience walking through the marshes. The sun was shining and everything seemed so intensely beautiful. I was moved just by watching something as simple as a male and a female bird fly across the water in perfect sync. It made me well up emotionally.
I’ve cried a lot recently and I believe it’s a good thing. I cry on most days.
Usually, it happens when I see someone doing something kind and for a brief moment I get overwhelmed and shed a tear. But again, they are not tears of pain they are usually tears of joy and I feel like I have become much more in touch with my emotions.
It feels like bringing Aya’s female spirit into my awareness has tripped a switch in my brain making me more feminine, hence a more complete human being. I’ve also started to care more about my appearance. My mum commented recently that I looked different and she is right. I’ve been working out more. I get my hair cut more frequently and I’ve even gone and bought new clothes that dress me with more style, even when it’s not particularly necessary.
My work attitude has also changed. I find myself a lot more productive and capable of operating at a higher level while enjoying the entire experience so much more!
I honestly feel more in control of my life. I feel focused on who I am, who I can become and what I can achieve. Previously my decisions in life seemed more vague and fuzzy.
Above all, I feel the happiest that I have felt since childhood. The last 10 weeks have been almost like a too-good-to-be-true dream for me.
I’m also positively influencing the people around me. My grandfather wrote me the following sentence after my most recent visit.
You have this mysterious gift of raising the spirits of people both just by being there and by your gift of empathy.

Epilogue

I have indeed had more Ayahuasca ceremonies since I first wrote this and even though there was a 4 year gap between my 4th and my 5th experience I have felt the effect compound over time. I will be publishing more of my trip reports over on medium and would appreciate your supporting me by following me over there where I also publish contant whihc is not just psychedilic in nature. https://medium.com/@hi_niels

“Pete knows what he saw, Martha!”

“Bunch ‘a frightened children ain’t exactly the--”

A door slammed shut.

Clark Kent, only a young boy, squeezed his eyes shut until it hurt and pressed his hands against his ears until his temples throbbed.

One step after the other. Heavy. Crunching grass.

“You think I’m an idiot, Martha?!”

“Now, I never said that.”

The pained look on Clark’s face softened -- softened, so it could be remolded into a whimper while the rest of his body stiffened.

“He ain’t done nothing wrong, all I’m saying is--”

“All you’re saying is that you’d rather not talk about it!”

“There’s nothing to talk about!”

Then why wouldn’t they stop talking! All of these voices, the thousand-million voices screaming at him, and all Clark could hear were the two arguing over him! Him!

A long, creaking groan. Wood shuddering.

“CLARK!”

The word, his name, knocked the other two sources of dismay from his head, an instant of soothing comfort before the pain took hold again and even more intensely, now as if he were pressing his head against a bass booster. “Pa!” Clark cried out, only to regret it as quickly as he had acted on the impulse.

“CLARK!”

His father called for him again and, judging from what should have been the imperceptible way the wind whistled, began dashing around in search of him; it took nothing less than an eternity for Pa to finally find him and one thunderous thwump after the other to finally lay eyes on him.
Pa pulled down the last barrel of hay -- Clark had stacked some around himself in an attempt to muffle the noise -- before breathing a sigh of relief; little did he know, it was a veritable wind storm to his son. “Remember…” he made sure to whisper, his small crisis finally abetting, if only a little. “This is all you. You’re inside your own head and that’s making it so much worse. You are the one in control.”
Clark’s only response was a strangled noise and to curl up further into himself.
To that, Pa felt his own throat tighten. “So open your eyes, son, get on back to the rest of the world… I’m right here.” He extended his hand, gently nudging Clark.
Again, no response and, again, Pa’s throat tightened, twisting and winding until the strain became too much to bear, and finally snapped loose under the pressure.

“DAMNIT, CLARK!”

He burst out, the sudden snap of tension giving each word a trembling quality as it all came pouring out. And then Clark flinched, like all boys do when they’re scared or hurt or both, and the dam was suddenly closed again, sealed with a silent promise.
“Son, I--” Pa stammered, his voice the sort of wreck so mired with cracks and creaks that it was a miracle it held together at all. “I didn’t--”
It was then that Clark finally stirred, hands at last unwrapping themselves from around his head, which peaked up ever so slightly to look out beyond his hay-fort at his father. “I’m sorry,” he said, voice so small that Pa struggled to hear it.
His body screamed a thousand different things to say, but he knew that just was the last thing Clark needed right now. So, fighting back to the calm, measured tone he had managed just a scant few moments ago, Pa said, “You best not be sorry, you ain’t done nothing wrong,” and pulled his son out from his refuge.
“Seriously?” Clark seemed dumbfounded by the statement, so much so that he even resisted the tug, if only for a passing second. “You seen what’s happening back there?” He jabbed a finger towards the house. “It’s all me. Literally. They’re arguing about me. ‘Cuz I-I’m some sort of freak or something!”
Pa was quick to correct him. “You ain’t no different from any other boy I ever met.”
He was met with a piercing glare from his son.
“You know what I mean, aside from your gifts--”
“How the hell’re these supposed to be gifts!” Clark threw up his hands in his best attempt at exasperation, but even an ear without super hearing could hear how his throat stiffened with each word.
Pa smiled, shrugging. “Able to race the car, leap the barn in a single bound…”
“But I don’t want to do any of that!” he said, voice finally breaking. “And w-when it comes with stuff like… this…! I just wanna be Clark Kent: Pete and Lana’s friend. Your and Ma’s son. Not some freak!”
“Clark--!” A cross of anger and dread flared in Pa’s voice, and he caught himself from pulling Clark into a hug. Swallowing hard, he instead summoned the warmest smile he could, ruffling the boy’s hair.

“You are my son, but you are so much more than that too.”

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DC Next Proudly Presents…!

SUPERMAN: HOUSE OF EL

The Return of Superman - Part 3, Moving at Super Speed
By JPM11S
Edited by ClaraEclair & Deadislandman1
< Next>>
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To say silence hung thick in the air would have been an understatement, because even silence was something more than being frozen in a single, inescapable instant: Kal-El staring down the man clutching his throbbing hand, the man’s friend looking on flush-faced, and the rest of the establishment bracing for whatever happened next. It was a rare thing that Jon Kent found himself slipping into Bullet Time on accident -- a state of heightened awareness where the world seemed to grow still around him -- and an even rarer thing that it should happen when a bright red cape wasn’t slung around his shoulders; simply put, as an instinctual reaction to being threatened, there needed to be, well, something that could threaten him, and there weren’t very many things that seriously could: Kryptonite, which Jon was confident wasn’t in play, and being yelled at, which he couldn’t have even known.
It was then that it dawned on him, so obvious that the muscles and tendons along Jon’s arm tensed in anticipation of slapping himself upside the head before he stopped himself -- a small thunderclap born from his own embarrassment was likely to only make the feeling worse. ‘Just an adrenaline rush…’ Jon explained to no one but himself. ‘Because… you know… watching dad do… that.’ The recently appeared doppelganger of his father had broken a man’s finger to “teach him a lesson” -- something his father most certainly would not have done; what he would have done, and what Jon was currently doing, was take a deep, relaxing breath, easing the stress away so that he could “hit play” on the rest of the world.
It came as something of a mild surprise when… nothing happened; Jon panicked, doing a double take as the terrible thought sprung into his mind: What if this was something else, some time-weapon unleashed just then on the city? Or what if he had failed to slow himself down? Would he be forced to wander the world a waking ghost? Jon shook his head, knocking such silly notions from his mind -- and also getting the attention of Natasha Irons.
“Something up?” she asked, broken from her spellbound trance.
Jon blinked. “Nope. Nothing.” The Ace ‘o Clubs could be a little rough around the edges, so what didn’t even qualify as a minor scuffle at the bar hardly registered with many of the patrons, who merely kept about their business as if nothing had happened -- because, to them, nothing had. Jon shook his head again, chidding himself for thinking that a cursory glance in that general direction had been any real indication of interest; his own bias, he supposed.
Kal-El returned to the table, his sheer weight and size making it known despite the fact that Jon’s attention had been elsewhere. No one said anything, and it took the visitor from another world a few passing seconds to realize that fact -- like they were all waiting for him to do something.
Kal looked up, a look of restrained puzzlement on his face.
Lois’s lips went thin. “What was that?”
“What was… what?” Kal-El’s eyes darted across everyone’s face, searching for an answer.
Irons nudged him gently.
“Wait, really?” he almost recoiled, tilting his chin up and cocking his head, confusion finally overtaking him. “I--”
“Was wrong.” Lois finished the sentence for him. “The hell were you thinking?!”
Jon and Natasha exchanged looks.
Kal-El shrugged it off. Literally. “The way I see it, a broken finger or two isn’t going to impede him in any real way, while also being something he’s not going to just forget.”
“So that makes it alright?!” insisted Lois, leaning forward.
“...yes?” he answered. “Though I feel like that’s… not the answer you wanted.”
“That’s not how we do things here.”
At that moment, with just how each word was frozen in a block of ice, Jon could have swore his mom had spontaneously developed Frost Breath; ironically, that was what inspired him to finally intervene. “You know, mom,” he explained, “In class, the professors always talked about how different all these cultures were from each other: food, clothing, language, medicine, you get the idea… Their sense of justice, how they handled punishments and such… that was one of the big ones too. Judeo-Christian morality versus something like Hammurabi's ‘an eye for an eye.’” He paused, making sure his mom was actually listening. “So, you know, on Kal’s Earth, maybe that was perfectly acceptable. Heck, there’re a lot of people here who would agree with him.”
Lois stopped to consider her answer, though it seemed more an imitation of the action than a genuine attempt. “He’s here now, and that wouldn’t make it right if he wasn’t.”
“Listen, I’m really sorry if--” Kal-El raised his hands in apology.
“No, no,” Jon waved him off, gaze never breaking from his mom. “You can’t just force your values onto another culture.”
“Like he forced that guy’s finger back?” she countered, rising to the bait. “Seems like that’s exactly what you’re talking about.”
“If I was talking about him right now, sure, but I’m talking about you,” insisted Jon. “You’re just doing the same thing you’re complaining about him doing.”
Lois lowered her chin, motioning towards herself. “So, wait, I’m the one who’s done something wrong here?”
“The both of you, yes.”
“So you’re saying it was perfectly alright?”
“I just said it wasn’t.”
“Oh, so you’re not judging him based on your own values?”
Jon shook his head, grinning. “You’re trying to distract from the point!”
“No, I just think the entire argument is flawed, since by criticizing someone like that, you’re inherently impressing your own values on them,” she explained. “You know, the thing you’re taking issue with.”
“But you’re from the same culture as I am: he isn’t.”
“He isn’t sitting right here, yes…” Kal-El groaned.
Lois and Jon kept going like he wasn’t.
“He’s impressing his own cultural values on someone from another.”
“Right, and I agree, but I’m taking issue with you right now, because--”
“Because it’s time for this conversation to end,” Irons finally interjected, much to the audible relief of Kal and Natasha, whose shoulders visibly relaxed. “Seriously, I think I speak for all of us when I say I can hardly follow what you two are going on about.”
“We’re saying--” Jon and Lois began in unison, only to be cut off with a raised hand.
“We’ll manage without it,” he chuckled.
There was a brief lull in the conversation, a time where the most activity was Jon’s eyes scampering about the place and the beat of Kal-El’s fingers against the table. Eventually, Jon’s gaze locked onto something or, more accurately, the lack of something.
With his mouth hung open just slightly, Jon asked, “Hey, did anyone notice Mr. Bibbowski?”
“Yeah,” Natasha spoke up, glancing around the table. “Didn’t you guys’s see?”
She took the blank stares as a no.
“Didn’t you guys catch the sign-note-thing?”
More blank stares.
“Okay, seriously, two of you have literal super senses and the other two are, like, super geniuses.” Nat waved her hands around. “You know what, doesn’t matter. I’m getting off topic. Bibbo’s in the hospital. The sign was about raising money.”
“What?” Lois pressed, immediately leaning forward. “What’s wrong?”
His gaze a million miles away -- or, more accurately, only a few -- Jon answered first. “Lung cancer. He’s in Metropolis General. Room 414.”
Irons chewed his lip, then looked up directly into Jon’s eyes. “First thing tomorrow, you pay him a visit, ‘kay?”
“But I was just going to now…?” Jon cocked his head. “What don’t I know about?”
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In retrospect, the thought that Kal-El would need somewhere to stay really should have occurred to him sooner than it had -- well, that might have been putting it a little too generously: had occurred to him at all. To be fair, though, it wasn’t every day that you met your deceased father from another world, though, also to be fair, he dealt with weirder things on a regular basis.
The Fortress of Solitude, Superman’s icy abode at the top of the world and one of the scant few remaining pieces of Krypton, seemed the most logical place to house Kal while they worked on returning him -- and everyone else -- back to the proper Earth, and it seemed that Jon wasn’t the only one who thought so. Following their malaise-laiden departure from the Ace ‘o Clubs, it was the immediate destination of the not-so-merry band, traveling up across the globe to it’s frosty doorstep, where they needed Jon to heft the Fortress’s giant, golden key above his head and unlock an equally gargantuan front door. The key was made of Supermanium, a metal forged by Clark from the heart of a dying star, and weighed an incalculable millions of tons, the only security measure needed despite it sitting out in the open.
Jon slotted the end of the key bearing the Crest of El into the groove, turning it to trigger the rumblings of icy shards as they peeled back to reveal a wall of blinding, cleansing white light. The group took a step forward, entering into another world -- almost literally: born of materials not of Earth and minds born far from it, the Fortress resembled something best described as an alien, crystalline landscape. The ground was a maze of large, roughly hexagonal spires with smoothly shorn tops, each of which peaked at a slightly different elevation and tapered off in the distance to create a sheer drop; at the edge of that cliff sat a circular array of crystals gently pulsing with light and humming just barely above perception. Placed around what was assumedly the central chamber of the Fortress, judging from the hewn hallway entrances at the perimeter, were trophies and mementos from Clark’s decades-spanning career as Superman, items ranging from the mundane, like Lex Luthor’s shrinking ray, to the absurd, such as psychic sand from the dimension of Quarm, to the profound, like the precious Bottled City of Kandor, a shrunken Kryptonian city rescued from the clutches of the vile Brainiac many years ago.
Kal-El loosed a low whistle. “Wow,” he said, eyes flitting about the place, jumping from the looming pillars that came together to form an arched ceiling, to the large, gaping voids dotted around where the spires didn’t conjoin. “It’s so… clean.”
“Come again?” Jon quirked a brow.
With a flutter of his cape and a look that Jon almost mistook for melancholy, Kal-El raised several inches above the ground and began drifting between the various exhibits on display. “Clean. See, I… I live in my… Fortress of Solitude, so--”
Jon finished for him. “Like a dirty room.”
“Exactly,” Kal looked up from the display and flashed him a subtle smile. “Like a dirty room.”
Lois, unable to fly and wearing shoes ill-begotten for her husband’s arctic-O.S.H.A.-violation, carefully stepped across one hexagonal tile to the next until she finally approached the black-suited Superman. “Little lonely living at the top of the world, no?”
“It is called the Fortress of Solitude.” There was a slight edge to his voice, though Lois could tell it wasn’t one pointed towards her. “Maybe, I wanted to be alone.”
Lois cocked her hip, rested her hand on it, and considered for a long moment pressing deeper, giving in to the gut screaming at her that this was the thing to pick at. Her heart, though… her heart counseled now was not the time, and she had long since learned the wisdom of always following her heart. “If you’re looking for solitude, we might have brought you to the wrong place,” she suggested instead.
In the same manner Jon had not a moment ago, Kal quirked a brow. “What do you mean?”
“A thousand apologies.” From across the room, a voice not unlike his carried, though distorted to an almost unnatural bass and strained with what was best described as someone fighting hard against a thick accent. “If I had been expecting guests, I would have prepared something for you all to enjoy.”
The comparisons to Clark and Kal-El didn’t end with just the man’s voice; while his face and form were the same general shape, his skin was ashen and craggy, like a smooth stone. With every step forward he took, the mass of rippling, coiled muscle underneath his purple-blue Superman t-shirt strained against their confines. “Ah, I see we have another visitor, unless my brother decided death didn’t suit him.” He inclined his head, placing a large hand over his even larger chest. “For now, you can call me Bizarro.”
Natasha, a gleaming smile on her face, chimed in. “We’ve been working on choosing a name!” she said, bounding towards the behemoth and wrapping herself around one of his hulking arms.
Bizarro returned the affection as best he could. “It was Nat’s idea. We were watching Space Trek: Pathfinder one night and--”
“And I was there too,” Jon interjected.
“And Jon was there too,” he chuckled. “But one of the characters was searching for a name and, considering the circumstances, it seemed appropriate that I do the same.”
Floating over towards Bizarro, Kal-El dragged his sight up and down the man, the doppelganger of his enemy from another world, eyeing him with a mix of reservation and curiosity. Eventually, Kal paused on the Crest of El worn on his chest. “You’re not like mine.”
Bizarro nodded. “In one key respect, yes. I’m not as--”
“Dumb.”
“Slow,” he finished, correcting him with a side-eyed glance. “While Jon was working a case with the Flash, Mister Allen devised a way to ‘speed up’ my thought processes.” (Author’s Note: See The Flash #19!) Bizarro paused for several more long moments, looking at Kal like he had to him not a second ago before shaking his head, seemingly perishing the thought. “You’ve met me,” he said, smiling. “Have you had the chance to meet our other housemate?”
Kal cocked his head. “Other housemate?” He threw his eyes behind Bizarro, expecting someone else to enter the chamber, but no one came. “Another reformed villain?”
“Your cousin,” Jon interjected, taking a step forward. “Kara. She got here only a few months ago.”
The spark of joy on Kal’s face lived up to its description: appearing in a bright instant, only to vanish as soon as it came, replaced now by a deeply furrowed brow, emphasizing the lines on the man’s face. “How’s she taking the adjustment? Losing one world, then another, I can’t--” Kal cut himself off when he saw Jon’s eyes widen slightly and his mouth open in response: he didn’t need to wait for the correction he was about to receive. “She’s not from another Earth like me… Where is she? I’d like to meet her.”
Lois shrugged. “She’s busy in National City right now, if I remember correctly, but--”
Irons stepped behind Lois, his hulking form framing her. “But we’d like to wait a minute and figure out how to break the news to her first.”
“No,” Kal said, every muscle in his powerful body visibly tensing, rearing. “She needs my help! You don’t understand what it’s like! You’re not like her! None of you, not really. Only I can understand.”
With a withering look, Irons replied. “You’ve never even met her, how can you know better than her own family?”
“I am her family,” asserted Kal, beginning his ascent into the air. “I helped my Kara through this once already, I can do it again.”
“And you’re the problem! You know how much she’s going through right now?!” Irons shouted up at him. “You died! The person she was sent here to protect! Dead! And now here you are in the flesh and blood! She’s got a lot to process already without that!”
There was a lengthy bout of silence between Kal and everyone else, only coming to an end when the otherworldly Man of Steel asked, “And who’s going to stop me if I try anyway?”
Jon swallowed.
🔻 🔺 🔻 🔺 🔻
To be continued in Superman: House of El #4, Don’t Call her Supergirl!

COINTELPRO Techniques for dilution, misdirection and control of a internet forum - Reposting

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Reposting this, long read but relevant for the coming deluge of 💩
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1. COINTELPRO Techniques for dilution, misdirection and control of a internet forum
2. Twenty-Five Rules of Disinformation
3. Eight Traits of the Disinformationalist
4. How to Spot a Spy (Cointelpro Agent)
5. Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression

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COINTELPRO Techniques for dilution, misdirection and control of a internet forum..
There are several techniques for the control and manipulation of a internet forum no matter what, or who is on it. We will go over each technique and demonstrate that only a minimal number of operatives can be used to eventually and effectively gain a control of a 'uncontrolled forum.'
Technique #1 - 'FORUM SLIDING'
If a very sensitive posting of a critical nature has been posted on a forum - it can be quickly removed from public view by 'forum sliding.' In this technique a number of unrelated posts are quietly prepositioned on the forum and allowed to 'age.' Each of these misdirectional forum postings can then be called upon at will to trigger a 'forum slide.' The second requirement is that several fake accounts exist, which can be called upon, to ensure that this technique is not exposed to the public. To trigger a 'forum slide' and 'flush' the critical post out of public view it is simply a matter of logging into each account both real and fake and then 'replying' to prepositined postings with a simple 1 or 2 line comment. This brings the unrelated postings to the top of the forum list, and the critical posting 'slides' down the front page, and quickly out of public view. Although it is difficult or impossible to censor the posting it is now lost in a sea of unrelated and unuseful postings. By this means it becomes effective to keep the readers of the forum reading unrelated and non-issue items.
Technique #2 - 'CONSENSUS CRACKING'
A second highly effective technique (which you can see in operation all the time at www.abovetopsecret.com) is 'consensus cracking.' To develop a consensus crack, the following technique is used. Under the guise of a fake account a posting is made which looks legitimate and is towards the truth is made - but the critical point is that it has a VERY WEAK PREMISE without substantive proof to back the posting. Once this is done then under alternative fake accounts a very strong position in your favour is slowly introduced over the life of the posting. It is IMPERATIVE that both sides are initially presented, so the uninformed reader cannot determine which side is the truth. As postings and replies are made the stronger 'evidence' or disinformation in your favour is slowly 'seeded in.' Thus the uninformed reader will most like develop the same position as you, and if their position is against you their opposition to your posting will be most likely dropped. However in some cases where the forum members are highly educated and can counter your disinformation with real facts and linked postings, you can then 'abort' the consensus cracking by initiating a 'forum slide.'
Technique #3 - 'TOPIC DILUTION'
Topic dilution is not only effective in forum sliding it is also very useful in keeping the forum readers on unrelated and non-productive issues. This is a critical and useful technique to cause a 'RESOURCE BURN.' By implementing continual and non-related postings that distract and disrupt (trolling ) the forum readers they are more effectively stopped from anything of any real productivity. If the intensity of gradual dilution is intense enough, the readers will effectively stop researching and simply slip into a 'gossip mode.' In this state they can be more easily misdirected away from facts towards uninformed conjecture and opinion. The less informed they are the more effective and easy it becomes to control the entire group in the direction that you would desire the group to go in. It must be stressed that a proper assessment of the psychological capabilities and levels of education is first determined of the group to determine at what level to 'drive in the wedge.' By being too far off topic too quickly it may trigger censorship by a forum moderator.
Technique #4 - 'INFORMATION COLLECTION'
Information collection is also a very effective method to determine the psychological level of the forum members, and to gather intelligence that can be used against them. In this technique in a light and positive environment a 'show you mine so me yours' posting is initiated. From the number of replies and the answers that are provided much statistical information can be gathered. An example is to post your 'favourite weapon' and then encourage other members of the forum to showcase what they have. In this matter it can be determined by reverse proration what percentage of the forum community owns a firearm, and or a illegal weapon. This same method can be used by posing as one of the form members and posting your favourite 'technique of operation.' From the replies various methods that the group utilizes can be studied and effective methods developed to stop them from their activities.
Technique #5 - 'ANGER TROLLING'
Statistically, there is always a percentage of the forum posters who are more inclined to violence. In order to determine who these individuals are, it is a requirement to present a image to the forum to deliberately incite a strong psychological reaction. From this the most violent in the group can be effectively singled out for reverse IP location and possibly local enforcement tracking. To accomplish this only requires posting a link to a video depicting a local police officer massively abusing his power against a very innocent individual. Statistically of the million or so police officers in America there is always one or two being caught abusing there powers and the taping of the activity can be then used for intelligence gathering purposes - without the requirement to 'stage' a fake abuse video. This method is extremely effective, and the more so the more abusive the video can be made to look. Sometimes it is useful to 'lead' the forum by replying to your own posting with your own statement of violent intent, and that you 'do not care what the authorities think!!' inflammation. By doing this and showing no fear it may be more effective in getting the more silent and self-disciplined violent intent members of the forum to slip and post their real intentions. This can be used later in a court of law during prosecution.
Technique #6 - 'GAINING FULL CONTROL'
It is important to also be harvesting and continually maneuvering for a forum moderator position. Once this position is obtained, the forum can then be effectively and quietly controlled by deleting unfavourable postings - and one can eventually steer the forum into complete failure and lack of interest by the general public. This is the 'ultimate victory' as the forum is no longer participated with by the general public and no longer useful in maintaining their freedoms. Depending on the level of control you can obtain, you can deliberately steer a forum into defeat by censoring postings, deleting memberships, flooding, and or accidentally taking the forum offline. By this method the forum can be quickly killed. However it is not always in the interest to kill a forum as it can be converted into a 'honey pot' gathering center to collect and misdirect newcomers and from this point be completely used for your control for your agenda purposes.
CONCLUSION
Remember these techniques are only effective if the forum participants DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THEM. Once they are aware of these techniques the operation can completely fail, and the forum can become uncontrolled. At this point other avenues must be considered such as initiating a false legal precidence to simply have the forum shut down and taken offline. This is not desirable as it then leaves the enforcement agencies unable to track the percentage of those in the population who always resist attempts for control against them. Many other techniques can be utilized and developed by the individual and as you develop further techniques of infiltration and control it is imperative to share then with HQ.
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Twenty-Five Rules of Disinformation
Note: The first rule and last five (or six, depending on situation) rules are generally not directly within the ability of the traditional disinfo artist to apply. These rules are generally used more directly by those at the leadership, key players, or planning level of the criminal conspiracy or conspiracy to cover up.
1. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Regardless of what you know, don't discuss it -- especially if you are a public figure, news anchor, etc. If it's not reported, it didn't happen, and you never have to deal with the issues.
2. Become incredulous and indignant. Avoid discussing key issues and instead focus on side issues which can be used show the topic as being critical of some otherwise sacrosanct group or theme. This is also known as the 'How dare you!' gambit.
3. Create rumor mongers. Avoid discussing issues by describing all charges, regardless of venue or evidence, as mere rumors and wild accusations. Other derogatory terms mutually exclusive of truth may work as well. This method which works especially well with a silent press, because the only way the public can learn of the facts are through such 'arguable rumors'. If you can associate the material with the Internet, use this fact to certify it a 'wild rumor' from a 'bunch of kids on the Internet' which can have no basis in fact.
4. Use a straw man. Find or create a seeming element of your opponent's argument which you can easily knock down to make yourself look good and the opponent to look bad. Either make up an issue you may safely imply exists based on your interpretation of the opponent/opponent arguments/situation, or select the weakest aspect of the weakest charges. Amplify their significance and destroy them in a way which appears to debunk all the charges, real and fabricated alike, while actually avoiding discussion of the real issues.
5. Sidetrack opponents with name calling and ridicule. This is also known as the primary 'attack the messenger' ploy, though other methods qualify as variants of that approach. Associate opponents with unpopular titles such as 'kooks', 'right-wing', 'liberal', 'left-wing', 'terrorists', 'conspiracy buffs', 'radicals', 'militia', 'racists', 'religious fanatics', 'sexual deviates', and so forth. This makes others shrink from support out of fear of gaining the same label, and you avoid dealing with issues.
6. Hit and Run. In any public forum, make a brief attack of your opponent or the opponent position and then scamper off before an answer can be fielded, or simply ignore any answer. This works extremely well in Internet and letters-to-the-editor environments where a steady stream of new identities can be called upon without having to explain criticism, reasoning -- simply make an accusation or other attack, never discussing issues, and never answering any subsequent response, for that would dignify the opponent's viewpoint.
7. Question motives. Twist or amplify any fact which could be taken to imply that the opponent operates out of a hidden personal agenda or other bias. This avoids discussing issues and forces the accuser on the defensive.
8. Invoke authority. Claim for yourself or associate yourself with authority and present your argument with enough 'jargon' and 'minutia' to illustrate you are 'one who knows', and simply say it isn't so without discussing issues or demonstrating concretely why or citing sources.
9. Play Dumb. No matter what evidence or logical argument is offered, avoid discussing issues except with denials they have any credibility, make any sense, provide any proof, contain or make a point, have logic, or support a conclusion. Mix well for maximum effect.
10. Associate opponent charges with old news. A derivative of the straw man -- usually, in any large-scale matter of high visibility, someone will make charges early on which can be or were already easily dealt with - a kind of investment for the future should the matter not be so easily contained.) Where it can be foreseen, have your own side raise a straw man issue and have it dealt with early on as part of the initial contingency plans. Subsequent charges, regardless of validity or new ground uncovered, can usually then be associated with the original charge and dismissed as simply being a rehash without need to address current issues -- so much the better where the opponent is or was involved with the original source.
11. Establish and rely upon fall-back positions. Using a minor matter or element of the facts, take the 'high road' and 'confess' with candor that some innocent mistake, in hindsight, was made -- but that opponents have seized on the opportunity to blow it all out of proportion and imply greater criminalities which, 'just isn't so.' Others can reinforce this on your behalf, later, and even publicly 'call for an end to the nonsense' because you have already 'done the right thing.' Done properly, this can garner sympathy and respect for 'coming clean' and 'owning up' to your mistakes without addressing more serious issues.
12. Enigmas have no solution. Drawing upon the overall umbrella of events surrounding the crime and the multitude of players and events, paint the entire affair as too complex to solve. This causes those otherwise following the matter to begin to lose interest more quickly without having to address the actual issues.
13. Alice in Wonderland Logic. Avoid discussion of the issues by reasoning backwards or with an apparent deductive logic which forbears any actual material fact.
14. Demand complete solutions. Avoid the issues by requiring opponents to solve the crime at hand completely, a ploy which works best with issues qualifying for rule 10.
15. Fit the facts to alternate conclusions. This requires creative thinking unless the crime was planned with contingency conclusions in place.
16. Vanish evidence and witnesses. If it does not exist, it is not fact, and you won't have to address the issue.
17. Change the subject. Usually in connection with one of the other ploys listed here, find a way to side-track the discussion with abrasive or controversial comments in hopes of turning attention to a new, more manageable topic. This works especially well with companions who can 'argue' with you over the new topic and polarize the discussion arena in order to avoid discussing more key issues.
18. Emotionalize, Antagonize, and Goad Opponents. If you can't do anything else, chide and taunt your opponents and draw them into emotional responses which will tend to make them look foolish and overly motivated, and generally render their material somewhat less coherent. Not only will you avoid discussing the issues in the first instance, but even if their emotional response addresses the issue, you can further avoid the issues by then focusing on how 'sensitive they are to criticism.'
19. Ignore proof presented, demand impossible proofs. This is perhaps a variant of the 'play dumb' rule. Regardless of what material may be presented by an opponent in public forums, claim the material irrelevant and demand proof that is impossible for the opponent to come by (it may exist, but not be at his disposal, or it may be something which is known to be safely destroyed or withheld, such as a murder weapon.) In order to completely avoid discussing issues, it may be required that you to categorically deny and be critical of media or books as valid sources, deny that witnesses are acceptable, or even deny that statements made by government or other authorities have any meaning or relevance.
20. False evidence. Whenever possible, introduce new facts or clues designed and manufactured to conflict with opponent presentations -- as useful tools to neutralize sensitive issues or impede resolution. This works best when the crime was designed with contingencies for the purpose, and the facts cannot be easily separated from the fabrications.
21. Call a Grand Jury, Special Prosecutor, or other empowered investigative body. Subvert the (process) to your benefit and effectively neutralize all sensitive issues without open discussion. Once convened, the evidence and testimony are required to be secret when properly handled. For instance, if you own the prosecuting attorney, it can insure a Grand Jury hears no useful evidence and that the evidence is sealed and unavailable to subsequent investigators. Once a favorable verdict is achieved, the matter can be considered officially closed. Usually, this technique is applied to find the guilty innocent, but it can also be used to obtain charges when seeking to frame a victim.
22. Manufacture a new truth. Create your own expert(s), group(s), author(s), leader(s) or influence existing ones willing to forge new ground via scientific, investigative, or social research or testimony which concludes favorably. In this way, if you must actually address issues, you can do so authoritatively.
23. Create bigger distractions. If the above does not seem to be working to distract from sensitive issues, or to prevent unwanted media coverage of unstoppable events such as trials, create bigger news stories (or treat them as such) to distract the multitudes.
24. Silence critics. If the above methods do not prevail, consider removing opponents from circulation by some definitive solution so that the need to address issues is removed entirely. This can be by their death, arrest and detention, blackmail or destruction of their character by release of blackmail information, or merely by destroying them financially, emotionally, or severely damaging their health.
25. Vanish. If you are a key holder of secrets or otherwise overly illuminated and you think the heat is getting too hot, to avoid the issues, vacate the kitchen.
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Eight Traits of the Disinformationalist
1) Avoidance. They never actually discuss issues head-on or provide constructive input, generally avoiding citation of references or credentials. Rather, they merely imply this, that, and the other. Virtually everything about their presentation implies their authority and expert knowledge in the matter without any further justification for credibility.
2) Selectivity. They tend to pick and choose opponents carefully, either applying the hit-and-run approach against mere commentators supportive of opponents, or focusing heavier attacks on key opponents who are known to directly address issues. Should a commentator become argumentative with any success, the focus will shift to include the commentator as well.
3) Coincidental. They tend to surface suddenly and somewhat coincidentally with a new controversial topic with no clear prior record of participation in general discussions in the particular public arena involved. They likewise tend to vanish once the topic is no longer of general concern. They were likely directed or elected to be there for a reason, and vanish with the reason.
4) Teamwork. They tend to operate in self-congratulatory and complementary packs or teams. Of course, this can happen naturally in any public forum, but there will likely be an ongoing pattern of frequent exchanges of this sort where professionals are involved. Sometimes one of the players will infiltrate the opponent camp to become a source for straw man or other tactics designed to dilute opponent presentation strength.
5) Anti-conspiratorial. They almost always have disdain for 'conspiracy theorists' and, usually, for those who in any way believe JFK was not killed by LHO. Ask yourself why, if they hold such disdain for conspiracy theorists, do they focus on defending a single topic discussed in a NG focusing on conspiracies? One might think they would either be trying to make fools of everyone on every topic, or simply ignore the group they hold in such disdain.Or, one might more rightly conclude they have an ulterior motive for their actions in going out of their way to focus as they do.
6) Artificial Emotions. An odd kind of 'artificial' emotionalism and an unusually thick skin -- an ability to persevere and persist even in the face of overwhelming criticism and unacceptance. This likely stems from intelligence community training that, no matter how condemning the evidence, deny everything, and never become emotionally involved or reactive. The net result for a disinfo artist is that emotions can seem artificial.
Most people, if responding in anger, for instance, will express their animosity throughout their rebuttal. But disinfo types usually have trouble maintaining the 'image' and are hot and cold with respect to pretended emotions and their usually more calm or unemotional communications style. It's just a job, and they often seem unable to 'act their role in character' as well in a communications medium as they might be able in a real face-to-face conversation/confrontation. You might have outright rage and indignation one moment, ho-hum the next, and more anger later -- an emotional yo-yo.
With respect to being thick-skinned, no amount of criticism will deter them from doing their job, and they will generally continue their old disinfo patterns without any adjustments to criticisms of how obvious it is that they play that game -- where a more rational individual who truly cares what others think might seek to improve their communications style, substance, and so forth, or simply give up.
7) Inconsistent. There is also a tendency to make mistakes which betray their true self/motives. This may stem from not really knowing their topic, or it may be somewhat 'freudian', so to speak, in that perhaps they really root for the side of truth deep within.
I have noted that often, they will simply cite contradictory information which neutralizes itself and the author. For instance, one such player claimed to be a Navy pilot, but blamed his poor communicating skills (spelling, grammar, incoherent style) on having only a grade-school education. I'm not aware of too many Navy pilots who don't have a college degree. Another claimed no knowledge of a particular topic/situation but later claimed first-hand knowledge of it.
8) Time Constant. Recently discovered, with respect to News Groups, is the response time factor. There are three ways this can be seen to work, especially when the government or other empowered player is involved in a cover up operation:
a) ANY NG posting by a targeted proponent for truth can result in an IMMEDIATE response. The government and other empowered players can afford to pay people to sit there and watch for an opportunity to do some damage. SINCE DISINFO IN A NG ONLY WORKS IF THE READER SEES IT - FAST RESPONSE IS CALLED FOR, or the visitor may be swayed towards truth.
b) When dealing in more direct ways with a disinformationalist, such as email, DELAY IS CALLED FOR - there will usually be a minimum of a 48-72 hour delay. This allows a sit-down team discussion on response strategy for best effect, and even enough time to 'get permission' or instruction from a formal chain of command.
c) In the NG example 1) above, it will often ALSO be seen that bigger guns are drawn and fired after the same 48-72 hours delay - the team approach in play. This is especially true when the targeted truth seeker or their comments are considered more important with respect to potential to reveal truth. Thus, a serious truth sayer will be attacked twice for the same sin.
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How to Spot a Spy (Cointelpro Agent)
One way to neutralize a potential activist is to get them to be in a group that does all the wrong things. Why?
1) The message doesn't get out.
2) A lot of time is wasted
3) The activist is frustrated and discouraged
4) Nothing good is accomplished.
FBI and Police Informers and Infiltrators will infest any group and they have phoney activist organizations established.
Their purpose is to prevent any real movement for justice or eco-peace from developing in this country.
Agents come in small, medium or large. They can be of any ethnic background. They can be male or female.
The actual size of the group or movement being infiltrated is irrelevant. It is the potential the movement has for becoming large which brings on the spies and saboteurs.
This booklet lists tactics agents use to slow things down, foul things up, destroy the movement and keep tabs on activists.
It is the agent's job to keep the activist from quitting such a group, thus keeping him/her under control.
In some situations, to get control, the agent will tell the activist:

• "You're dividing the movement."

[Here, I have added the psychological reasons as to WHY this maneuver works to control people]
This invites guilty feelings. Many people can be controlled by guilt. The agents begin relationships with activists behind a well-developed mask of "dedication to the cause." Because of their often declared dedication, (and actions designed to prove this), when they criticize the activist, he or she - being truly dedicated to the movement - becomes convinced that somehow, any issues are THEIR fault. This is because a truly dedicated person tends to believe that everyone has a conscience and that nobody would dissimulate and lie like that "on purpose." It's amazing how far agents can go in manipulating an activist because the activist will constantly make excuses for the agent who regularly declares their dedication to the cause. Even if they do, occasionally, suspect the agent, they will pull the wool over their own eyes by rationalizing: "they did that unconsciously... they didn't really mean it... I can help them by being forgiving and accepting " and so on and so forth.
The agent will tell the activist:

• "You're a leader!"

This is designed to enhance the activist's self-esteem. His or her narcissistic admiration of his/her own activist/altruistic intentions increase as he or she identifies with and consciously admires the altruistic declarations of the agent which are deliberately set up to mirror those of the activist.
This is "malignant pseudoidentification." It is the process by which the agent consciously imitates or simulates a certain behavior to foster the activist's identification with him/her, thus increasing the activist's vulnerability to exploitation. The agent will simulate the more subtle self-concepts of the activist.
Activists and those who have altruistic self-concepts are most vulnerable to malignant pseudoidentification especially during work with the agent when the interaction includes matter relating to their competency, autonomy, or knowledge.
The goal of the agent is to increase the activist's general empathy for the agent through pseudo-identification with the activist's self-concepts.
The most common example of this is the agent who will compliment the activist for his competency or knowledge or value to the movement. On a more subtle level, the agent will simulate affects and mannerisms of the activist which promotes identification via mirroring and feelings of "twinship". It is not unheard of for activists, enamored by the perceived helpfulness and competence of a good agent, to find themselves considering ethical violations and perhaps, even illegal behavior, in the service of their agent/handler.
The activist's "felt quality of perfection" [self-concept] is enhanced, and a strong empathic bond is developed with the agent through his/her imitation and simulation of the victim's own narcissistic investments. [self-concepts] That is, if the activist knows, deep inside, their own dedication to the cause, they will project that onto the agent who is "mirroring" them.
The activist will be deluded into thinking that the agent shares this feeling of identification and bonding. In an activist/social movement setting, the adversarial roles that activists naturally play vis a vis the establishment/government, fosters ongoing processes of intrapsychic splitting so that "twinship alliances" between activist and agent may render whole sectors or reality testing unavailable to the activist. They literally "lose touch with reality."
Activists who deny their own narcissistic investments [do not have a good idea of their own self-concepts and that they ARE concepts] and consciously perceive themselves (accurately, as it were) to be "helpers" endowed with a special amount of altruism are exceedingly vulnerable to the affective (emotional) simulation of the accomplished agent.
Empathy is fostered in the activist through the expression of quite visible affects. The presentation of tearfulness, sadness, longing, fear, remorse, and guilt, may induce in the helper-oriented activist a strong sense of compassion, while unconsciously enhancing the activist's narcissistic investment in self as the embodiment of goodness.
The agent's expresssion of such simulated affects may be quite compelling to the observer and difficult to distinguish from deep emotion.
It can usually be identified by two events, however:
First, the activist who has analyzed his/her own narcissistic roots and is aware of his/her own potential for being "emotionally hooked," will be able to remain cool and unaffected by such emotional outpourings by the agent.
As a result of this unaffected, cool, attitude, the Second event will occur: The agent will recompensate much too quickly following such an affective expression leaving the activist with the impression that "the play has ended, the curtain has fallen," and the imposture, for the moment, has finished. The agent will then move quickly to another activist/victim.
The fact is, the movement doesn't need leaders, it needs MOVERS. "Follow the leader" is a waste of time.
A good agent will want to meet as often as possible. He or she will talk a lot and say little. One can expect an onslaught of long, unresolved discussions.
Some agents take on a pushy, arrogant, or defensive manner:
1) To disrupt the agenda
2) To side-track the discussion
3) To interrupt repeatedly
4) To feign ignorance
5) To make an unfounded accusation against a person.
Calling someone a racist, for example. This tactic is used to discredit a person in the eyes of all other group members.
Saboteurs
Some saboteurs pretend to be activists. She or he will ....
1) Write encyclopedic flyers (in the present day, websites)
2) Print flyers in English only.
3) Have demonstrations in places where no one cares.
4) Solicit funding from rich people instead of grass roots support
5) Display banners with too many words that are confusing.
6) Confuse issues.
7) Make the wrong demands.
8) Compromise the goal.
9) Have endless discussions that waste everyone's time. The agent may accompany the endless discussions with drinking, pot smoking or other amusement to slow down the activist's work.
Provocateurs
1) Want to establish "leaders" to set them up for a fall in order to stop the movement.
2) Suggest doing foolish, illegal things to get the activists in trouble.
3) Encourage militancy.
4) Want to taunt the authorities.
5) Attempt to make the activist compromise their values.
6) Attempt to instigate violence. Activisim ought to always be non-violent.
7) Attempt to provoke revolt among people who are ill-prepared to deal with the reaction of the authorities to such violence.
Informants
1) Want everyone to sign up and sing in and sign everything.
2) Ask a lot of questions (gathering data).
3) Want to know what events the activist is planning to attend.
4) Attempt to make the activist defend him or herself to identify his or her beliefs, goals, and level of committment.
Recruiting
Legitimate activists do not subject people to hours of persuasive dialog. Their actions, beliefs, and goals speak for themselves.
Groups that DO recruit are missionaries, military, and fake political parties or movements set up by agents.
Surveillance
ALWAYS assume that you are under surveillance.
At this point, if you are NOT under surveillance, you are not a very good activist!
Scare Tactics
They use them.
Such tactics include slander, defamation, threats, getting close to disaffected or minimally committed fellow activists to persuade them (via psychological tactics described above) to turn against the movement and give false testimony against their former compatriots. They will plant illegal substances on the activist and set up an arrest; they will plant false information and set up "exposure," they will send incriminating letters [emails] in the name of the activist; and more; they will do whatever society will allow.
This booklet in no way covers all the ways agents use to sabotage the lives of sincere an dedicated activists.
If an agent is "exposed," he or she will be transferred or replaced.
COINTELPRO is still in operation today under a different code name. It is no longer placed on paper where it can be discovered through the freedom of information act.
The FBI counterintelligence program's stated purpose: To expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, and otherwise neutralize individuals who the FBI categorize as opposed to the National Interests. "National Security" means the FBI's security from the people ever finding out the vicious things it does in violation of people's civil liberties.
_______________________________________________________________________
Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression
Strong, credible allegations of high-level criminal activity can bring down a government. When the government lacks an effective, fact-based defense, other techniques must be employed. The success of these techniques depends heavily upon a cooperative, compliant press and a mere token opposition party.
1. Dummy up. If it's not reported, if it's not news, it didn't happen.
2. Wax indignant. This is also known as the "How dare you?" gambit.
3. Characterize the charges as "rumors" or, better yet, "wild rumors." If, in spite of the news blackout, the public is still able to learn about the suspicious facts, it can only be through "rumors." (If they tend to believe the "rumors" it must be because they are simply "paranoid" or "hysterical.")
4. Knock down straw men. Deal only with the weakest aspects of the weakest charges. Even better, create your own straw men. Make up wild rumors (or plant false stories) and give them lead play when you appear to debunk all the charges, real and fanciful alike.
5. Call the skeptics names like "conspiracy theorist," "nutcase," "ranter," "kook," "crackpot," and, of course, "rumor monger." Be sure, too, to use heavily loaded verbs and adjectives when characterizing their charges and defending the "more reasonable" government and its defenders. You must then carefully avoid fair and open debate with any of the people you have thus maligned. For insurance, set up your own "skeptics" to shoot down.
6. Impugn motives. Attempt to marginalize the critics by suggesting strongly that they are not really interested in the truth but are simply pursuing a partisan political agenda or are out to make money (compared to over-compensated adherents to the government line who, presumably, are not).
7. Invoke authority. Here the controlled press and the sham opposition can be very useful.
8. Dismiss the charges as "old news."
9. Come half-clean. This is also known as "confession and avoidance" or "taking the limited hangout route." This way, you create the impression of candor and honesty while you admit only to relatively harmless, less-than-criminal "mistakes." This stratagem often requires the embrace of a fall-back position quite different from the one originally taken. With effective damage control, the fall-back position need only be peddled by stooge skeptics to carefully limited markets.
10. Characterize the crimes as impossibly complex and the truth as ultimately unknowable.
11. Reason backward, using the deductive method with a vengeance. With thoroughly rigorous deduction, troublesome evidence is irrelevant. E.g. We have a completely free press. If evidence exists that the Vince Foster "suicide" note was forged, they would have reported it. They haven't reported it so there is no such evidence. Another variation on this theme involves the likelihood of a conspiracy leaker and a press who would report the leak.
12. Require the skeptics to solve the crime completely. E.g. If Foster was murdered, who did it and why?
13. Change the subject. This technique includes creating and/or publicizing distractions.
14. Lightly report incriminating facts, and then make nothing of them. This is sometimes referred to as "bump and run" reporting.
15. Baldly and brazenly lie. A favorite way of doing this is to attribute the "facts" furnished the public to a plausible-sounding, but anonymous, source.
16. Expanding further on numbers 4 and 5, have your own stooges "expose" scandals and champion popular causes. Their job is to pre-empt real opponents and to play 99-yard football. A variation is to pay rich people for the job who will pretend to spend their own money.
17. Flood the Internet with agents. This is the answer to the question, "What could possibly motivate a person to spend hour upon hour on Internet news groups defending the government and/or the press and harassing genuine critics?" Don t the authorities have defenders enough in all the newspapers, magazines, radio, and television? One would think refusing to print critical letters and screening out serious callers or dumping them from radio talk shows would be control enough, but, obviously, it is not.

I'm trying to remember the phrase used as a compliment that describes someone as having a similar kind of beauty that they depict in history and art. I'm not just talking about women being seen as beautiful because they were bigger like in various Renneissance paintings, I mean how a person's facial(and sometimes body) features remind them of marble statues and Greek gods and various other 'classic' beauty standards. I also don't just mean that they look muscly like Michelangelo's David. Usually they have darker hair, darker eyes, fuller lips, broadewider faces and shoulders, prominent cheekbones... they're faces are usually very proportional too. Almost siren-like.
I feel like I've always heard it in front of 'beauty'. For example: "soandso is gorgeous. They are a _____ beauty!"
People like Morris Chestnut, Idina Menzel, Priyanka Chopra comes to mind. But I wouldn't describe Emma Watson, Keke Palmer or Ryan Reynolds with this word, even though I think them to be gorgeous as well.
I also am making this post from America and recognize this word/phrase probably has a western lense to it.

Compilation of all unedited questions and devs answers from DBD Dev Team AMA - June 07th 2023:
Q: In the past, the team had stated that there would only be human/humanoid killers in the game. Obviously with the Stranger Things license, a killer really could not be humanoid, especially given the seasons released at the time. However, with the release of Dredge and now Singularity, we have now gotten a few original monstrous killers. What changed with the design philosophy of DbD that allowed this to happen, and can we expect further creative visual designs like them in the future?
A: Well well, I'm not saying this is a lie, but the fact we said we would only do humanoid was not a design philosophy but more because of technical/scope limitations at that time. If you've been with us for a while, you probably remember us saying we'd put Christine (the car) and Cujo (the dog) in DBD if we could. Every worthy bloodthirsty creature has a space in the world of The Entity!
So what allowed us to do so? We levelled up! The team is bigger, more experienced all thanks to the growth of the community of course! Characters with different structures are definitely going to happen again as we continue to explore more possibilities in DBD.
-Dave
Q: Whatever happened to the promised Twins rework? It was talked about to be the next killer update after Legion/Ghostface though we haven’t heard anything about it and afaik Twins are still plagued by many bugs as well.
A: Due to limited space in each release and the unexpected complexity of the update needed for the Twins, the update has been delayed a LOT longer than we wanted. :D However, it's been designed and we are working on releasing something in early 2024.
-Michael
Q: Hi! Glad you guys came by to answer questions. My question in particular is about map design. I primarily play killer, and sometimes it feels like the outcome of a game is decided before it even starts depending on what map I end up on. Either when chosen via offerings or by RNG.
When designing maps, what, if anything, is done with structure and layout to make maps fair for both sides?
A: The intention when we create maps is not to favor one side more than another.
This is why we currently want to rebalance the maps. We are using data collected and feedback we get from the Community. We have started in the last year to rebalance the maps and we are going to continue and be active when it comes to maps that already exist and same with newly released maps. We want to bring the best experience for everyone to enjoy.
Example: the Raccoon City Police Station , split, the update in the Junkyard and soon Farm maps.
-Andre
Q: What was the real reason you removed Maurice initially? 🤔 I know it’s a pretty unserious question but I’ve always been curious.
A: Honestly, when Peanits saw The Dredge's lobby animation with the suspiciously familiar-looking horse head flopping out, he jumped on the opportunity.
He posted that animation on our social channels with a caption that read "MAURICE NOOO" and the community's reaction was immediately huge. So much so that we decided to to push the joke all the way, removing Maurice from the game. And the rest, as you know, is history.
-Justin
Q: What is it about the new survivor, Gabriel Soma, that makes him stand out from his fellow survivor cast?
A: Gabriel is purposefully designed so that most of us can relate to him, even though he lives in a time period that is very otherwordly to us.
The hardship he faced (even before going in The Realms of The Entity), his resolve and resourcefulness make him a fun character to play. Gabriel is also our first survivor from a possible future, making his wardrobe quite unique and pretty cool if you are into sci-fi pants and space shirts.
His story is not over, there are more unrevealed truths about Gabriel. And he's very good looking: Shirtless Gabriel when?
-Dave
Q: How long, from concept to release, does it take to design a full killer? Not including perks, survivor, or map, but just the killer and their power?
A: It fluctuates (depending on the weather!) but in general about 11-12 months overall from start to finish.
-Janick
Q: Thanks so much for doing this AMA, and happy anniversary!
Out of curiosity, were there any other concepts that the team was considering as powers for the Singularity before deciding on biopods, or was this what they set their sights on right away when brainstorming?
A: The Pods were in the concept from the beginning.
Originally, the Killer had two mechanics it could use: One involved shooting the Pods to teleport to Survivors and the other one allowed it to shoot Survivors to teleport them to its location.
Ultimately, it was deemed exceedingly disorienting on the Survivor side so we removed it and brought back more opportunities for the killer to Teleport later in the creation process.
-Janick
Q: Are there any plans to rework or change freddy in any way?
A: I can't give you any super-secret details but I can tell you that he's on our radar for killers to update.
-Michael
Q: Has there ever been any thoughts on adding alternative game modes or queues? Of course this would be a massive undertaking but I'm curious if it's ever been given any real thought. A ranked mode or mode with different rules like draft picking perks or anything honestly would be really cool to see.
A: It's an idea that has always been in the back of our minds. I can confirm this is something we are actively prototyping. We plan on starting small and doing game modes as limited time modes and building up from there. We are hopeful that we'll have more to share with you all later this year!
-Justin
Q: With the seemingly new trend of original/licensed survivors getting lobby voice-lines, can we expect to see this implemented for previous survivors aswell? So survivors like Dwight, Meg, Claud, David etc.? And would this include the possibility of original survivors interacting with each other similar to the Resident Evil survivors and Renato/Thalita?
A: Never say never. DBD is a game in constant evolution and past content is still living and evolving with it :)
-Dave
Q: Has it been considered to clean up some the more usless offerings on the bloodweb such as the ones that only slightly buff bloodpoints?
A: We are actually exploring the offerings and their system as a whole right now on the design team! I can't give you any hints about what might be changed or where we might end up yet, but we are exploring new effects and actively designing ways to make this system better overall. :)
-Michael
Q: will mobile cosmetics be ported in anytime soon?
A: We will start porting some mobile cosmetics over, starting sometime in the next year.
The first batch will be small, with just 4 outfits (2 killer, 2 survivor). Also worth noting they won't be a 1:1 port. We will make some small colour and/or texture changes before being brought into Dead By Daylight.
Lastly, to manage expectations, there will be some mobile outfits that never get ported over.
-Justin
Q: Is there a reason more survivor emotes haven’t been added yet? It feels like a no brainier since you could make a fortune from selling them and it’s not like it’d break immersion since this game is long past that point now (look at some survivor and even killer cosmetics)
I feel like even small things which could be sold like hand gestures and stuff would be such a nice addition with time however things like dances would be amazing, even better if killer could do them at some point
A: Survivor emotes was an idea we played with many years ago. We even got so far as to implement a few of them in a prototype build. Unfortunately, we found them to often either break immersion, or encourage negative gameplay behaviours. For that reason, we haven't revisited the idea for a number of years.
Never say never, but survivor emotes certainly won't be coming anytime in the near future.
-Justin
Q: Was there anything noteworthy that stuck out to the team when designing The Singularity? I love his design and I would like to get to know more about how he was designed.
A: It was a weird concept and not an easy sell as a great power originally.
(it sound bland on paper)
Although while prototyping we managed to make the pods usable in chases and realised their versitility, that is when it started to shine.
We could see how much fun and potential there was in the concept.
-Janick
Q: The mori for the Singularity is probably the most that a survivor has been actually maimed. It's brutal, disgusting, and I absolutely love it. However, it has been previously stated that moris have to avoid actually doing too much damage to a survivor's body for various reasons. Is this still within those limitations, or did something change that allows the team to make more brutal moris? And can we expect the possibility for some more of that brutality in the future?
A: We're glad you loved the mori, we do too, it was a blast to create! On the level of brutality and gore, there is one thing that we keep in mind except for the actual technical/scope feasibility of an idea. One of DBD's core pillars is that we want to be an horror that is accessible to all. This means many things for different facets of the game, but in this case it means that some brutal actions and level of gore may make the game inaccessible in some regions! We don't want that.
-Dave
Q: Will there be any plans to have more diversity in body shapes of survivors? Would love to see some more plus size representation
A: Inclusivity and representation is very important to us. Body shapes and height is quite challenging at the moment due to technical limitations and gameplay components / metrics. Thank you for letting us know that this is important to you, every voice count.
Q: Are there any plans to make Custom Games easier to set up for tournaments and other events?
It's been years since the introduction of "Custom Matches" and we haven't really had any new settings since. Options to limit item & add-on rarities, options to enforce non-duplicated perks on all Survivors, better spectator controls, etc... Any of these things would REALLY help to make DBD events faster to set up and more viewer-friendly.
A: This is a topic that has recently made it onto our radar, and one we can clearly see the value in. The Custom Matches features has been left untouched for far too long. Unfortunately, it's still too early to give an ETA on when you could expect to start seeing some of these improvements in the game.
-Justin
Q: What caused the sudden shift to add more clutter and obstructions into the new maps and reworks? In my experience it causes nothing more than frustration for both sides.
A: Hey great question! As clutter you might be referring to two different things, so I'll do my best to answer both meanings.
1- Clutter as in more objects making navigation more difficult. As our team grew during the graphical rework, a lot of details were added to make the maps richer. Lots of lessons were learned during those days (and we are still learning) on what elements and metrics makes it difficult for navigation. Our level design team is actively working with the environment artists to make sure each asset found in a map (colliders, vegetation, etc), especially when it comes to navigation, follows game metrics.
2-Finding objectives/visual clutter - As the graphic fidelity evolves in DBD so does our gameplay need to evolve in terms of visual elements, which have not always followed. We are looking into that one now. The idea is to have level of priorities in how easilly perceivable elements are on the screen. This pass will make gameplay elements POP compared to the details that are great, but less important to manage your objective.
-Dave
From the level design perspective, we are in the process of addressing the clutter issue. the focus is clarity, readability and navigation. We had this issue with the Toba Landing in PTB and are addressing that in next week's release. We will revisit all maps and themes and make sure it makes sense for everyone.
-Andre
Q: Regarding individual killer balance, will you start taking feedback from people who have spent countless hours playing them? If at least to see what they want out of their killer without being unbalanced.
A: Our external playtesting methods and processes involve a large variety of player types, all of which range widely in skill level & experience in the game.
Veteran players with many hours in DbD have super valuable feedback, especially when it comes to breaking our rules and exposing balance issues.
It's important to point out though that beginner, intermediate and casual players also have important contributions & insights to share that we need to also take into consideration and use to balance our designs.
-Michael
Q: Thanks for doing this AMA.
In the recent public test build, you guys tested out a buff to Pyramid Head which gave him the ability to torment survivors hit by Punishment of the Damned. You guys understandably walked back this buff as it allowed for some unfun situations for survivors. In the following developer update, you revealed the reason for testing this change was that you were looking for additional ways to let Pyramid Head apply torment. This would lead me to believe that the balance team has been looking to buff certain elements of Pyramid Head's kit.
I also would be kicking myself later if I did not take this opportunity to mention his addons. Pyramid Head's addons, aside from the range addons, do not feel like they impact his gameplay much at all when compared to other killers. His iridescent addons, while unique, are too restrictive in their requirements to get much value out of them. If you're looking to do something to Pyramid Head, which is the impression I got from the recent PTB, it seems that the addons would have been the first thing considered.
So can we expect any more attention for The Executioner going forward, or are you happy with the spot he and his addons are in?
Thanks again
A: You are correct that we initially wanted to change Executioner because we believe he can be improved. :) That hasn't changed and we still want to release an update for him in the future. Your suggestion about looking to the add-ons is noted!
-Michael
Q: Any updates on console to pc cross progression?
A: There's currently no further update unfortunately. We know it's something desired by the community as a whole but we cannot say if/when it will ever be able to be implemented, other than on the platforms we've already confirmed.
Q: What’s the meaning of life?
A: 69 - Mandy
420 - Andre
A great Monty Python movie. -Michael
s̵̘̀à̷̟̭̀̆̏t̶͎̀̾͛͝ǐ̴̘̗͇̜̝͘a̴͉͂̌̒̿͝t̶͍̺̻̾e̷̥̦̔̇̽ ̸̨͇̩̎͗̒͆͠h̵̲̘̫̹͉̀ŭ̵̺̽̎ṇ̴̈́g̵̦̞͆̀̆͊͛͜ȩ̵̤̽̚r̴̛̤͚̘̍̽͝ - Unknown?
Q: New unique items for survivors?
A: It just goes to show how brilliant minds think alike - we've been discussing this very recently! No concrete plans as we're still very early in the process, but we are talking about when and how we could put out some new items in the future. Plan on it (at some point)!
-Michael
Q: As the game continues into its 7th year, I think the community deserves an official comment from the devs on the flagship killer, the Trapper. The character who is on most, if not all advertising, and is perhaps the most recognizable killer in all of Dead By Daylight’s original roster has been the worst killer in the entire game for years, by an increasingly significant margin. Unlike any other killer in the game his power requires full minutes of setup, can be easily countered by good communication, and depending on the map can just entirely cease to function due to no/sparse/thin grass. Most new maps released in recent memory have no grass whatsoever, and are so large that it can add an additional minute or two just retrieving your power, which again, no other killer has anything close to that level of setup time.
All of that to say that for the Trapper, things just seem to get exponentially worse with every update. Does the dev team have any plans on reworking or updating the Trapper, which in my opinion he desperately needs? Or will he stay the undisputed worst killer for years to come?
A: I hear you. It's been a topic of conversation across our teams, but at the moment we do not have significant gameplay updates planned for Trapper. Partly because our data shows that his kill rate is pretty much where we want it to be (on average, even at high MMRs) but also because he holds a very important role as one of the simplest and easiest killers in the game. He's great for onboarding new Killers and we don't want that to change too much.
That said, we do have a small but very fun update in the works for our terrifying flagship killer! Those of you who watched the Anniversary broadcast may have seen the segment about the Naughty Bear Legendary skin coming for Trapper (which will have its own unique Mori). This will ship later in the year, along with a killer update.
-Michael
Q: Can you please hide survivor prestige levels until the end of the match? A lot of killers target and harass high prestige survivors
A: Harassment in game is a topic we are always looking for more ways to tackle, and this has been one of the ideas we've been discussing for some time. I'm going to use this question as an opportunity to re-ignite the topic and opened a new Jira request for it today.
-Justin
Q: All I have to say is thank you making this game because without it, we would not have this unique community
A: Thank you for being a part of it! We feel really grateful to have such an engaged, creative, and supportive community of players.
Thank YOU, you are the Legends!
-Andre
Q: In the past, the team has stated that maps take by far the most development time out of anything else in the game. How long does it usually take to make an original map such as Toba Landing/Dvarka Deepwood, from concept to completion? Also, how difficult is it to modify maps once they are in the game, such as adjusting the strength of loops, changing tile spawn logic, or even changing the size of the map?
A: To answer your first question: Depending on the style of the map, it can take up to 6 months to create.
When it comes to updating and modifying existing maps, we collect data non-stop and are always investigating player concerns. To use Toba Landing as an example, player feedback during the PTB helped us identify & implement certain adjustments on loops and map visibility that will be going to Live servers.
-Andre
Q: For original chapters that take place around different nations (Chile, Japan, Brazil, among others), and even around different periods of time, what’s the process like for the research and implementation of different elements to properly represent that in the lore and even inside of their respective maps?
A: Inclusivity and diversity is always top of mind for us, with a focus on making sure the representation we have in the game is as accurate as possible.
We have multiple steps in our creation process that ensure due diligence in this regard: internal & external consultation with regional partners, extensive research, and immersion are some of them.
A recent example would be with Thalita & Renato characters' cosmetics, which were designed by our very own Brazilian artist!
Fun fact: She's the one who thought of including the Caramelo tattoo on Renato's arm :)
-Dave
Q: Is there going to be an update where survivors can always recover from the dying state (like the one-off with Unbreakable)? Think I remember reading about that once. Cheers.
A: I can tell you're dying to know. (sound of crickets) Nevermind...
No, we are not planning on making that part of the base game.
If you are referring to the Finisher Mori, we tested that in the PTB but it was an early prototype test. There was a lot of feedback and we are still working on that feature, but again - we are not planning on putting Unbreakable in the survivor base kit.
-Michael
Q: Can you tell us a bit about the process the team goes through when deciding to nerf/buff an addon?
It feels so frustrating seeing certain addons getting a nerf for being popular (e.g. Twins: Toy Sword, Nemesis: Marvins Blood, Hillbilly: Engravings) when other addons are so weak/situational they are rarely worth using.
A: This is a question that has been considered heavily within our design team in recent months. We are continually learning where our priorities need to be when it comes to live balance and our process is changing as a result. Recently we have shifted to an approach that rests on three foundations:
Design Intent
Community Feedback
Data and Statistics
We watch for issues on all three of these fronts and prioritize from there. We are also cautious about vetting our changes with the community management team to get a read on how our updates will be received before release.
Some decisions (especially those based more on data or design intent) may not always be 100% clear for everyone, and that's okay. That said, we want to be attentive to the needs of our community and what will be most healthy for the game longterm.
-Michael
Q: Admist the PTB testing there were a few concerns regarding Made for This, particularly in regards to its interaction with Hope allowing survivors to keep pace with 110% killers like hag during the endgame.
Is this something the team is aware of, and will they be continuing to monitor Made For This for balancing purposes when the chapter is live?
A: We are aware that Made for This has had quite an impact.
We're going to be watching out for feedback and data once the community has opportunity to test this.
We already have plans to address Made for This (like we had for Hyperfocus) if and when it becomes a problem.
-Thomas
Q: Will you ever expand the daily rituals to give 1 survivor and 1 killer daily each day? Also would weekly or monthly rituals ever be added for a bigger payout? Thanks.
A: Nothing concrete on the roadmap (get it?) but multiple ideas have been explored to improve the system.
Thank you for your suggestion! We're open to reading the community's ideas and feedback on the topic and will be considering them when discussing next steps.
-Thomas
Q: How does the Entity choose it's victims? Both survivors and killers.
A: Who knows!
-Dave
Meatier alternative - No one knows how The Entity or why The Entity or even when The Entity? Maybe darkness in the life of the survivors and killers grab Its attention, or maybe its the other way around, maybe its the Entity's attention that makes their lives miserable. Or maybe its random! Who knows.
-Dave
Spicy Alternative- The Entity works in mysterious ways.
-Dave
Q: Will the black bubble after hooking someone be adressed soon? I like the effect, but in a ton of scenario's I cannot see if the killer is going towards me, even with the effect of kindred.
A: The intention of the bubble's design is to hide the Killer's exact position after a Survivor's been hooked.
However, it is an old design so maybe it's time for us to review if its use and appearance are still ideal.
-Dave
Q: Will there be a shift away from relying on pure statistics and instead listening to experienced players more/qualitative feedback in general?
The statistics based approach for balancing has been a huge pain point the past 7 years.
A: While data is crucial in balancing in general, it is not a substitute for player or design feedback.
Our approach to balancing is a bit more complicated than this, and I can say it does not solely rest on game design.
-Thomas
Q: Is there any discussion regarding raising killer FOV (or a FOV slider) to help reduce motion sickness for those effected?
A: Short answer: Yes!
Long answer: we have a design that is in development and the release date is in our field of vision. You can expect to see something later this year or early next year.
-Michael
Q: Are there any plans to update earlier licensed killers (Shape/Cannibal/Nightmare/Pig) with their own music tracks as has been a trend with other killers as of late? Given Ghost Face being licensed and receiving a unique chase theme last year, there's been confusion regarding this. Thank you!
A: We would love for all the killers to have this feature, nevertheless licensed content will sometime have limitation out of our control. We might get a track for all of them at some point, but no promise. Shape already as a unique music track! So enjoy that in the meantime!
-Dave
Q: I think many people would agree with me in saying that HillBilly needs some addons adjusted. But also, why is the overheat mechanic still a thing? It's pretty much a "non-factor" and there are addons to increase the overheat limit anyway.
A: I feel you. Billy occupies a squishy (albeit violent) place in all of our hearts, and we've been working on him! An update has been designed for our Billy-boy (including addons). No specific date planned for implementing this just yet, but you can expect news from us sometime in the next year.
Sharpen your chainsaws.
-Michael
Q: What's the process for figuring out general balancing and new perks as the game continues to add in new killers and survivors?
A: The process is naturally data-informed, but the major part lies with the design team, who is aware of what comes next, whether its perks, killers, or any other feature that will impact gameplay and balance.
In short, if a perk is both ubiquitous and powerful, it probably needs to be addressed in the near future.
-Thomas
Q: Do you think we can get outfits based on the later Halloween movies, or does the copy right prevent that from happening? I’ve been wanting an older Jamie Lloyd from Halloween 4 to get in as a legendary skin so bad, I made a petition about it and even asked the actress herself about it. Link to the petition and video
A: Thank you for your passion and dedication. Indeed, working on getting licenses can be a challenge!
-Dave
Q: Question for the art/design team: in the lore for Hux and Gabriel, it mentions that Gabriel damages Hux pretty severely directly before they are taken into the Fog, with flesh melting off his frame. Is the look for The Singularity we see in game the result of that damage, or is that pre-facemelt? If it's the former, is there any chance we might see Hux's original, "perfect" design he had for himself as a skin? Or was the lore even fully complete while you all were working on his design?
A: Hux's look in the trials is post-melt incident! We wanted to make sure we offered a good level of body horror with this character. We might see its "prime" look later, but keep in mind that even this would be horrid, The SIngularity is using flesh in a very wrong way.
-Dave
Q: Could you guys do something like a shirt related to Puppers in honour of him and what he brought to the DBD community?
A: Puppers' passing has been a huge loss for our whole community and has been deeply felt here on the team.
We have seen the discussions amongst players on how best to remember him and honor him, and we've been following it closely, and have been similarly discussing it within the team. While we have a strong desire to do something, it's simply too soon right now to say what we might be able to commit to.
Q: Deleted question.
A: Nothing concrete on the roadmap (get it?) but multiple ideas have been explored to improve the system. Thank you for your suggestion! We're open to reading the community's ideas and feedback on the topic and will be considering them when discussing next steps.
-Thomas
Q: Is it possible to get new moris for killers as a customization option? Not just tied to a skin.
A: Cries in Backlog

• Justin

Q: Why has the map team not advanced substantially in the balance department in the past few years? The community has been clear in that the maps are unbalanced,yet it seems the dev team simultaneously understands the issue i.e Nerfing Eyrie yet released Red Forest 2.0
A: We began the work some time ago, but recently the speed at which we're able to push it forward has been greatly improved thanks to new hires & resources on our team. Now, we're able to tackle urgent day to day tasks while simultaneously making regular progress on live balance for existing maps.
Regarding the Eyrie of Crows, the intention of our balancing efforts there was to address how strongly Survivor-sided it was. We're still monitoring the results though (data and feedback) and we wont hesitate to go back for more tweaks if we feel that they're needed.
When it comes to Red Forest, we frankly just didn't have the ressources at the time for the scope of work required. Now that we do, I've scheduled an update for both Mother's Dwelling and Temple of Purgation that will hopefully address player concerns.
Q: Any plans on improving daily rituals? A permanent 60K BP instead of the 30K we're getting now and the ability to choose between survivor or killer rituals would be nice
A: Nothing concrete on the roadmap (get it?) but multiple ideas have been explored to improve the system.
Thank you for your suggestion! We're open to reading the community's ideas and feedback on the topic and will be considering them when discussing next steps.
-Thomas
Q: The Swamp realm had a unfinished map featuring a village structure, as well as the Bloodwillow tree from the artbook, possibly related to The Wraith back when he was still part of the Swamp Realm. Is there any plans in the future to bring this map as a playable one in Dead By Daylight, maybe with a visual upgrade of The Swamp?
A: The tree will eventually make its return to The Swamp.
However, at the moment, we're focusing our efforts on bringing visual & gameplay updates to existing maps. In The Swamp realm specifically, we're going to remove the generators in the corners of tiles, as well as some elevations that don't have a significant value add gameplay-wise.
-Andre
Q: The Skull Merchant is a polarising character currently. Are you happy with how Skull Merchant turned out? Do you plan on any future revisions for her?
A: Skull Merchant has problems on live and we are very aware of that. We feel the killer is fun and interesting in general, but there are some unfortunate playstyles that make her kit frustrating to play against. 2 things to say here:
She is getting an update. We are currently trying to determine when that can go out - stay tuned. 2. Her most oppressive games tend toward the 3-gen strategy. This is problematic in our game as a whole, but especially against certain killers (Skull Merchant being the most egregious). We are currently working on a systematic solution to deal with 3-gen games, which will ALSO help with playing against the Skull Merchant.
-Michael
Q: Will BHVR fix the visibility issues? My girlfriend is color blind and cant see most colors (no the color blind features don’t help her) so it’s a bit depressing for her to realize that she’s at a significant disadvantage when playing the game. Even for me its hard to see sometimes!
A: We are definitely ramping up our attention to accessibility in our game. It's unclear if/how we will adjust our support for colorblindness in the near future, but I can say we have a dedicated UX designer heading up our accessibility efforts and you can expect to see more accessibility-centered features coming out in the future.
-Michael
Q: Are we going to have sales on characters by the iridescent shards in the anniversary
A: I'm not supposed to say, because it's a secret. But yes.
-Justin
Q: The Shrine of Secrets is used as a way to make all perks accessible to players who do not want to spend additional money for the game other than the cost of the base game, but with over 200 perks in the game now, that system is not a reliable way to acquire specific perks. This leads to arguments that players who are willing to pay extra are given an advantage over others since meta perks can be locked behind that paywall.
What are your thoughts on replacing the Shrine of Secrets with a menu of teachable perks that can be purchased at-will for the same price they currently cost on the Shrine? What are reasons that a system like that would not work?
A: I can definitely say that the problems with the Shrine are no secret.
We are very aware that the system needs an update, however it remains on the backlog for now, which means its on our radar but not being actively worked on yet. We will hopefully get to it sooner rather than later.
-Michael
Q: Are there ever plans to make totally new maps but with the same realm as old locations?
I’d love another map that uses the Snowy theme of Ormond.
A: That's absolutely something i would love to do.
We don't have any plans to do so yet, but i'd love to add maps on a few existing realms. Ormond for sure, Grave of Glenvale comes to mind as well.
-Andre
Q: Are there any plans to unlink currently linked sets for original characters?
A: Short answer: No.
Long Answer: Original characters cosmetics are locked for technical reasons. Having them mix and match would cause bugs and a variety of clipping issues or gaps in their modesl at the waist or neck lines. Unfortunately, for these reasons, we have no plans to make them unlocked in the future.
-Justin
Q: The amount of representation the game gets is great.
But when will we get Ace Visconti actually represent Argentina?
A: Hey, good point! We've had a lot of fun with Ace's personality and used it as the main driveinspiration for his outfits. Some Argentinian representation would be great!
-Dave

Messenger of Inari Ōkami, Guardian of the Shrine - KITSUNE 稻荷狐狸
Inari Ōkami is the Japanese god of rice, agriculture, metal smithing, prosperity and success. In ancient times, foxes often appeared in the fields to assist farmers in catching mice that destroy crops, so that farmers could have a good harvest. Therefore, foxes were regarded as the messengers of Inari Ōkami.
🦊
Group-buy Timeframe:
Start Date: Now
Close Date: 11 June, 2023 (SUN) 23:59pm GMT+8 (Hong Kong Time)
​

• Order Form: Link here~
• Form status: Opening
• Current time in Hong Kong

————————————————————
Style: KITSUNE
Colorway:

1. Crimson
2. Dark Violet
3. Tangerine
4. Classic Black
5. Skeleton

Group Buy Price:
US$75 /PC (Original Price US$100/PC)
US$375 /Whole Set (5PCS, all colourways included)
SPECS:

• Material: Resin
• Handmade/ Hand painted
• Cherry MX profile
• Row 1/ Esc row
• Compatible with Cherry MX and cross switches

Estimated Shipping Date: December 2023

• All orders will be sent according to the order queue.
• If the order is completed early, we will ship it early as well.

————————————————————
Hidden Version Giveaway:
In addition to the following 5 colourways, this group-buy also has a Hidden Version colourway keycap that will be given away. Please see the below for how to participate:

• Customers who purchase a whole set of keycaps only

(Will automatically be entered into a giveaway raffle, no need to fill in any additional information.)

• Giveaway raffle of Hidden version will be held after the group-buy. (13 June, 2023 Tuesday 10:00am GMT+8 (Hong Kong Time))
  
• Only 3PCS
  
• 3 Winners will be chosen by RNG and inform individually, Hidden Version keycap will be shipped with the order.
  
• You will only find out what colour the hidden version keycap is when you receive the parcel.
  

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What do you guys think about this front lip for the 2023 accord?

Looking at getting lowering springs for my 2020 wrx sport tech (which i think is the same as premium). The eibach pro kit says it doesn't work with the inverted front struts. Do I need to order the sti kit?