Hey Hey Hey buds. We are back at it again with the Alien ER. how was your week? I hope it was good. This week we have our first glimpses of what Martinez's combat experiences were like, i do mean a literal glimpse. I have a couple of chapters to really drive home the day's events in detail later on. We also have shiksie breaking out of her shell a bit today, and get some more insight into how she treats people.
anyways let's get this bread.
---------
Regrettably for Martinez, walking Lysa back to her home would be the last part of his night he would describe as enjoyable in any way. By the time he made it back home, it was well past two in the morning; the few hours of sleep he did manage to get were restless and filled with memories he would rather forget. The events of the night had whipped him back years in his life.
Usually, Martinez would not get night terrors anymore, but they still on occasion reared their ghoulish head. Thankfully Martinez was not able to vividly recall the nightmares from today, but he knows he had them because he woke up in a cold sweat. Whenever they are vivid he feels like garbage for days afterward; He becomes little more than a writhing mass of anxiety and regret wishing if anything he could go back and change what happened. The faces of his brothers contorting and twisting in agony were seared into his mind and soul, the vivid dreams were him going through those events over and over again, as if the grim reaper was showing him a horror movie of his past.
He had been to therapy for years trying to eventually move past the memories of what happened on Verilon. The therapy did help for a while, but eventually, he stagnated and stopped going; he could not accept that he was the only one left, He could not move forward; so he just did his best to keep going on living with the memories, his brother's deaths held tightly on his soul, like a ball and chain.
He still hated that the lowest moment of his life was what the Navy decided was what he should be rewarded for. That bright gold cross on his dress blues was nothing he was proud of, it was just a bitter reminder of his failures; He thought it might as well be a cruel joke life had for him.
The last time he had thought about Verilon was a few months before he arrived here on Draun; He had heard through the grapevine that his old unit was getting ready to start building up to redeploy there. He was glad he was reassigned so he did not have to return to that hell-blasted desert world. He had his turn in the sandbox, it was someone else's chase to spend a year there.
After having woken up three separate times throughout the night, Martinez had given up on getting any sleep at all. He only had two hours left until he had to go to work anyways, the few hours of sleep would not make a difference to his well-being anyways.
He took to answering some of the questions Shiksie had given him, but focusing on the intricate details of alien anatomy while completely lacking sleep was not easy by any means, the words on the datapad were twisting and blurring into one another. Before he knew where the time went, the shrill beeping of his alarm clock had already started to fill the apartment.
As he idly went and got ready for the day, he was glad he did not try to get Lysa to stay the night. He would have hated her to see him like this, he would rather no one see him like this at all. The fact he felt this made him feel broken, and to him, a woman he had only been on one date with would certainly think the same. Sometimes life has a funny way of working out, he supposed.
Halfway stumbling into work with a yawn Martinez could not wait for the day to be over, he was planning on just going through the motions and doing his best to keep Shiksie off his back. He set himself up in his usual corner and started to read from the datapad; In all of Martinez’s experience if you looked busy, or at least looked like you were doing what those over you wanted, they would likely leave you alone.
Surprisingly the one who threw a wrench into that plan was Therin. The small avian alien had spotted Martinez as soon as he entered and scooted his chair nearby. Therin tapped Martinez on the thigh.
“So how was your night?” Therin chirped. Hoping his little ploy from the previous night worked out well. They were busy at the shop last night and he was about to leave when the police called, but the cop mentioned Martinez and his Aviex girlfriend were on a date; He just could not help himself to mess with the new guy and maybe push him towards spending some more time with someone other than Shiksie, or Ivorn.
You would know how it went you little shit, Marinez thought as he tucked the datapad back into his scrubs pocket and then turned towards his co-worker
Therin looked at Martinez, his feathers slightly puffed up. He stood on the chair and got slightly closer to Martinez Intently looking Martinez over. Therin took particular interest in the small circle of healing puncture wounds on his Human compatriot's shoulder. “What did your lady friend do to you?” He asked jokingly.
“Therin you already know what happened, I got into a fight” Martinez grumbled. Not wanting to have the prodding bird ask further into the rest of the evening. He already knew that Aveix, where hated and did not doubt Therin knowing about him and Lysa’s more intimate time, would be trouble.
“Oh come on new guy, I'm asking about after I was on the phone with the cops” Therin replied, “Did you have a nice evening?”
Martinez stepped slightly away from Therin. “Look man, I had a long night. Nothing happened after the fight” Martinez groaned
Therin shook his head and tapped his wing claw on Martinez’s shoulder. “Those little marks I can see tell me otherwise” he chirped
Dammit, I was hoping those were not visible, Martinez thought. Martinez had always worn slightly larger scrubs than he needed to out of comfort, he did not make much effort to hide the bite mark on his trap, but it's not like it's anyone else's business who he goes on a date with anyways.
“I mean it, nothing else happened,” Martinez growled. Hoping Therin would get the hint and drop the subject.
“Oh yeah, whatever you say new guy” Therin chuckled “So when is the wedding?”
“Fuck off Therin,” Martinez said jokingly, pushing Therins chair away from him with his boot “Don’t you have something better to be doing?”
Therin chuckled a little, before scooting his chair back towards the center desks of the room “Wow you really are Shiksies trainee, you are already acting just like her'' He said before tapping his wing claw on his datapad. Therin wondered what else he might be able to do to mess with Martinez about the events of last night, when he opened the list of current patients he saw his answer.
The bird has more jokes than I thought he would Martinez thought, while pulling back out his data pad. At least Therin was a good sport about who he went out with, unlike those two Urintal did. The fact Therin was giving him a little bit of shit wasn’t surprising, It was in a way customary for the old salts to poke fun at the new guy's love life. At this point, Therin was the only one who knew he had gone on a date at all, and he hoped it stayed that way at least with Skiksie; If Ivorn figured it out, Martinez doubted he would care much; Martinez had already met Ivorns chipper girlfriend at his point.
I should get back to studying before Shiksie shows up, Martinez thought as he buttoned his top up a bit higher than he preferred. Martinez did not want the others to see the hickey or dig any more into his private life than he was comfortable with.
—
Shiksie arrived at work excited, she was eager to see what Martinez had managed to study during his time away from work; She had given him what she saw as a small number of questions and things he should have been studying over the weekend. She had always done her best learning when she had a nice calm place to read, at least the new Human hopefully had that allotted to him at his own home.
If he did a good job answering what she had given him, she would hopefully be able to increase the rate of his training; She had no idea how long he was going to be here but she wanted to get Martinez certified as a basic Interspecies technician as soon as possible; Getting Martinez that certification would be a great boon for the shop, she and the others could then allow him to assess class green patients without their oversight.
When she entered, something was off in the shop. She could hear Therin and Ivorn chatting happily about their weekends, but the place smelled horrible. A rancid combination of stem cells, iron, pine, the same strange scent Martinez gave off when she knew he was agitated. She initially assumed Martinez just had forgotten to wear his scent suppressors, but when she rounded the corner and saw the massive gash and pink hemostatic gel on the human's face she knew something was definitely off.
Getting closer to Martinez, Shiksie was still nervous about being around him; She felt slight twinges of fear of him striking at her, or her overstepping and boundaries she had yet to learn. While they had managed to build a shaky but cordial relationship at best, she would rather not jeopardize what they do have.
The Human smelled like he had when they had their meeting, along with his heart pounding extremely quickly.
Is he nervous about something? Shiksie thought as she made it next to him, once again without him noticing. She wondered if she should stop sneaking around him, but she would rather not bother the Human whenever she could. Assuming her mere presence was more often than not a bother to the man.
She peered over his shoulder to catch a glance at what he was currently studying. It surprised her, he had quite a few tabs open on the datapad, but the current one was her list of questions. Most of them had not been answered, but he was flicking back and forth between the list and the other tabs searching for answers.
Shicksie could not help but feel her tail sway a bit faster, the fact that he was doing what she asked was certainly progress in repairing their abysmal start to working together. She walked past him, and headed towards her desk; With the human still not having noticed her entrance.
Shiksie decided to not dig into whatever had Martinez on edge, even if she was worried that it has him so unsettled. She assumed if Martinez wanted to talk to her about it, he would do so; most species did that after all, and humans were supposed to be rather social; even if Martinez seemed a bit more… reserved, he was still Human at the end of the day.
Later in the Morning Dr. Harnsis arrived and the crew had their pass down from the night shift regarding any patients that were already in rooms. They only had a Urintal in one of the rooms. He had a broken jaw and dozens of other fractures across the rest of his body. From the briefing, Shiksie knew the Urintal was caught up in some fight the previous night, but with no injuries that were directly life-threatening, He would be perfect practice for Martinez. The Urintal had surgery on his jaw and was still asleep from the heavy painkillers that night shift had pumped into the Lizard-like Alien.
“I will take over the treatment of the Urintal,” Shiksie said, jumping on the chance to treat the patient that was already here. The Urintal were a green species that had been in the Galactic Union for thousands of years. It would be a perfect chance to have Martinez assess a patient and go through the discharge process.
“Very well Shiksie, you, Therin, and Martinez handle that first. The patient should be ready to leave within the hour” Harnsis Chittered as he pointed at the two of them with his larger forelimbs.
Shiksies' ears twitched when Martinez groaned and muttered under his breath. It was rare she mishears someone, but she did not understand why Martinez was muttering he would rather not. She glanced over and saw that therein was patting Martinez on the shoulder reassuring him of something.
What the hell happened? Shiksie thought as she walked toward the two of them.
“Martinez, pull up the patient's charts and their species data; You will be giving myself and Therin a briefing on the species before we go into the room. Do you understand?” Shiksie asked.
Martinez pulled out his datapad, and lazily saluted “I will get it ready” he groaned, before tapping on the screen.
Shifting her attention towards Therin. The bird looked up at her and tilted his head slightly. “What's up Shiksie? Do you need something from me?” Therein chirped.
Shiksie was not sure about what happened but she had to know what she was about to step into. “Yes I do, follow me,” She said flatly before turning around and walking away. Therein following quickly behind.
Once the two of them were well out and away from the center of the shop, far enough that Shiksie was certain Martinez would not hear them. She turned around and knelt in front of Therin. The bird looked at ease like he normally did. Shiksie had never seen anything disturb Therin over the last few years; Therein always just shrugged most issues off, or would on occasion try to pull pranks at others' expense, much to her chagrin. She wanted to make sure the situation was the former and not the latter.
“Therin, does Martinez’s injury have anything to do with that Urintal?” She asked as she leaned her hands on her knees.
Therin fluttered his wings and puffed out his plumage; faking offense to the question. He did not want Shiksie to ruin his chance to see the drug-hazed Urintal being treated by the person who put them in the hospital. He was hoping that Urintal would freak out and try to run away.
“I have no idea, Martinez did not tell me anything at all about what happened,” Therin lied.
Shiksie gave Therin an ice-cold glare that was as sharp as any scalpel. She did not believe the bird at all, he was far too obvious when faking anything. “Therin, I know you are lying. I can hear your heart rate increasing, and I know you aren't afraid of me like Martinez is” Shiksie sighed.
Therin only increased his bolstering refusing to let Shiksie stop his only good joke on the new guy stop before it even started “I mean It, I don't know anything that happened, Why do you assume I know more?”
“Because your pranks are seldom if ever funny, it's clear enough you know more” Shiksie said, tapping her finger on her knee. She looked up behind Therin towards Martinez who was still diligently reading from his datapad, she did not want Martinez to be freaked out and leave. She had caused that with a new trainee once, and Therin once as well. “If anything bad happens to Martinez out of this, I'm holding you accountable, Got it?” She hissed.
Therin backed up and swallowed his spit. He would rather not piss Shiksie off but with the video of Martinez throttling the Urintal he had seen before work. He had no doubt nothing bad would happen to the Human.
“Don't worry Shiksie nothing bad will happen” Therin said.
Shiksie stood towering over Therin, She shook her head. Therin was too stubborn and she knew it, If he wanted a prank to happen it would. No matter how twisted she might think it is. She also wasn’t so stupid as to not pick up on the implied admittance she managed to get out of Therin. “Come on, you are going to be doing this assessment with him after all,” Shiksie said, gesturing towards Martinez.
Shiksie and Therin returned to Martinez as he was finishing his initial reading of the needed information. He initially hoped it was just a coincidence that another Urintal would be here, but once he saw the scans of the patient's bones, he had no doubt his next patient was going to be the man he and Lysa kicked the crap out of the previous night.
He could recall each hit he had seen on the Urintal and was able to point out what ones were his and what ones had to be Lysa’s. The amount of damage was surprising, and the number of fractures was unreal; nearly every rib, and limb had at least one fracture if not more.
Hopefully, this asshole is way too dusted to recognize me, Martinez thought as he looked up at Shiksie and prepared to give the summary of the patient and the Urintal species as a whole.
Shiksie paid close attention to every word Martinez said, Holding tightly onto them. The majority of his summary on the Urintal was accurate; A few mistakes here and there, but he did not have the summary of all the green species memorized as she had. She offered a few corrections but the errors would not affect anything.
Then the summary of the patient's wounds and needed treatment came up, Martinez gripped the datapad tightly and had to periodically pause to take a deep breath. His heart rate would suddenly accelerate. She leaned in closer and got a good view of the Humans dark bark-colored eyes, whenever he paused she saw the vibrant brown was far smaller than normal; He had that same look in his eye from when he took a fighting stance in the storage room with her.
She looked over at Therin, the bird either did not notice how uncomfortable Martinez was or simply did not care. What the hell are you trying, She thought as she started to boil. She was not about to let whatever was going on happen, at first it might have been him trying a prank, but Therins short-sightedness might get the Human or the Urintal hurt.
“Stop,” Shiksie said as she carefully reached her hand out and rested it on Martinez’s shoulder. Martinez recoiled when she touched him, being pulled back from whatever trance he was in. She gently patted his shoulder “Martinez come with me” She said flatly.
Martinez looked up at her sweat rolling off his brow. “Uhh, are you sure? We haven't even seen the patient yet?” he meekly said in protest.
Shiksie had worked with soldiers and police officers enough to know Martinez had some kind of Trauma, and these events were obviously triggering something. The patient can be handled by Therin, while she figures this out. His training be damned, his health came first; even if he likely did not want her to intervene.
“Yes I am sure,” Shiksie purred. She pulled the datapad out of his hands “I need you to come with me now”
She passed the data pad to Therin and glared at the small bird, Therin looked like he was trying to hold back laughter about the state Martinez was in.
I will pluck out your feather you little bird, Shiksie thought. She always thought Therin was a reliable nurse, and a decent friend to have small talk with; but not much else.
“Therin, go ensure the patient gets out of here,” Shiksie said.
Therin looked like he was about to protest the interruption to his idea of a joke, but even Therin did not want to mess with Harnsis’ right hand. Her icy glare had him skittering off toward the patient's room.
“Come with me Martinez, '' Shiksie said softly, doing her best to seem unopposing to him.
Martinez grumbled slightly, he did not want to have to spend more time alone with Shiksie. At least today she seemed to be slightly less forceful with him. The two of them walked out of the office, Martinez saw Shikise pull out her datapad and send a message off to someone, he assumed it to likely be Harnsis. He hoped whatever Shiksie had sent wasn’t going to reflect badly on him. He had knuckled down through his PTSD and episodes to treat patients before, he has never really had the choice not to do so, at this point it has just become a habit.
Once the two of them were out of the building Shiksie led Martinez towards one of the small gardens that was nearby to the building. It was just a simple fountain that had some benches nearby. A ring of well-kept flower beds surrounds it, this time of year they were in full bloom; dozens of vibrant colors swaying like waves as the wind gently pushed on them. Shiksie had always liked it out here, it was not uncommon for her to eat lunch or take a break out here after a particularly nasty patient or situation.
“Would you like to take a seat?” Shiksie asked Martinez while gesturing towards the nearest bench.
Martinez did not say a word, but at least for the moment his heart rate had gone down slightly and he seemed more calm. She was overjoyed that she seemed to be right on the money and that it had something to do with that Urintal that was setting him off.
“Would it be alright If I have a seat as well?” Shiksie asked, still treading carefully around Martinez and his need for boundaries.
The look Martinez gave her was a surprise, it was a strange mixture of shock and confusion. Like he was amazed, Shiksie was asking for permission to do anything.
“Yeah go ahead,” Martinez said, scooting to the far side of the bench as Shiksie sat down nearby.
“So would you want to tell me what happened with the Urintal?” Shiksie asked.
Martinez groaned, he should have figured the moment the icy cat had stopped him she knew something was wrong. He was in no way going to tell her every vivid detail of his previous night, nor did he want her of all people to know the details of what happened in his past. The fact those two events were stacked on each other was just a lot for the sailor to tackle at once.
“I would really rather not, but I assume based on my injuries you probably already know something,” Martinez said
Shiksie sighed, leaned forward, and rested her elbows on her knees. She looked away and at the fountains flowing water, already well aware that just looking at Martinez had upset him before. She wanted him to feel safe and able to talk if he wanted.
“I have my assumptions, but nothing concrete,” Shiksie replied. “I would like it if you trusted me enough to talk about anything bothering you”
Martinez wondered if she truly meant that, She had done a lot to try and help him be welcome; That does not mean she should be fully trusted though.
“Shiksie I just want to get back to work,” Martinez said with a deep sullen tone. Shiksie could still easily smell the sheer amount of adrenaline oozing out of him.
“Listen I'm not going to force you to tell me about it, I just know you want to. You would not have followed me if not” Shiksie replied, “let's just sit here for a while, you can just tell me anything you feel comfortable with, alright?”
Martinez shifted awkwardly and looked towards Shiksie. The fact she looked almost as bad as he did was something he was not used to seeing from her. She was looking off at the far side of the fountain, her tail and ears were more still than he had ever seen them.
Maybe she is not as cold as I made her out to be, Martinez thought.
The two of them sat there in silence for a while, neither certain how long it was but eventually Martinez resumed talking. Shiksies' ears twitched to listen in on what had happened. Martinez walked her through the events of the previous night, but he left out what his dreams had been about. He just told her that the whiplash of going from a nice relaxing date to being in a fight for his life had brought up bad memories from when he was in the Navy.
Shiksie was surprised by the story she heard. She did not expect Martinez to have started to date so quickly, She felt that thorn in her side remembering how badly she messed up with meeting him; Not that she wanted to date Martinez, but the fact he was so easy to get along with just showed her how badly she failed. The most shocking part was how he hospitalized two Urintal, one completely on his own. She just had a few more things about the previous night she wanted to ask.
“Why did you jump into the fight so willingly?” Shiksie asked.
Martinez sighed slightly unsure of the answer himself. He immediately thought it might have been “because it was the right thing to do” but even he knew that wasn’t the whole answer. He felt guilty about not being able to help in the past, and he would be damned if he could stop something bad before it happened.
“I'm not sure” Martinez lied, he just did not want to tell Shiksie about his previous fights with the Human Navy.
“That's alright, we don't always do,” Shiksie said. She thought back to her own parents, how she was still to this day unsure why they sacrificed themselves, or even why the accident caused that sacrifice to happen.
Shiksie looked back at Martinez for the first time since they sat down. Her usually sharp predatory features seemed far softer than before. She did not even hear Martinez’s heart run away when they made eye contact.
Martinez smiled softly back at her, his usually fiery glower a much duller blaze. It wasn't the usual inferno she saw in him, more akin to a tired dwindling flame.
Before she had a chance to say anything else she felt her datapad ringing indicating a call. Looking at the screen, her own heart sank. Why is the director calling me?
​
​
-----------
So what did you think? lemme here it I love to talk to you all. updoot if you liked.
side note: I am planning out my next project to be a offshoot set on Verilon, in the current day of the story.
​
your bud
-pirate
----------
Next:
Previous :
https://www.reddit.com/humansarespaceorcs/comments/13t55y6/human_trauma_section_eleven_blood_and_bandages/
First
https://www.reddit.com/humansarespaceorcs/comments/121mgy1/human_trauma/

Does anybody else notice a noticeable shift in playstyle, tactics and general attitude from enemy players post 10PM local time? I’m in the UK and me and my squad mates find it even more so challenging to operate/complete missions anywhere in the DMZ past late.
What’s causing this? I’d say it’s normally just bad luck to get wiped but having it happen 4 times in a row all off the immediate spawn, getting all your kit/contraband/insured wiped (no pleas accepted, of course) and then playing at an even bigger disadvantage is a bit rattling.
We had 2 separate squads in totally different games camp 2 teammates bodies for 10-15 mins a piece, doing nothing else to ensure our last went down- just an absolutely crazy concept to me tbh because surely you’d actually want to do things other than camp in DMZ…

Left a job for my current one earlier this year solely for money reasons. Loved my last job so much (best I ever had) but company policy was not to do yearly evals or raises
Basically never got more than the basic 1% or 2% COL increase and at some point even though I was happy in ever other way I started getting recruiters sending offers for jobs that paid way more and as I watched colleagues keep making jumps that benefited their families I felt pressure to do the same
I hate my new job. It’s soul draining and miserable. It’s fully remote which while I had a hybrid job before but learned now fully remote maybe isn’t ideal for my personality. I only took the job as it’s remote because the office is several hours away and I’m not doing that commute
I could get over that part except unlike my last job my access and abilities are being silo’d and the little bit of freedom you get in this kind of field is basically gone
I have to keep asking for things to do, I’ve come up with a few projects as my idea and initiated them which seems appreciated but there’s only so much I can come up with
I’ll be honest most days are spent watching my teams status and moving the mouse to keep it green so it looks like I’m busy. I have the opportunity to learn new things and am spending time digging in and self teaching but it’s not exactly stimulating stuff?
I know a lot of people not in this position would say what the hell am I complaining about, I’m getting paid well (over 120k) to be at home full time and not have to work hard. If it’s not easy, I have no idea if and what they monitor so all day is constant nerves of legitimate trying to stay busy and when I can’t, immediately assuming they are noticing I’m not and it’s only a matter of time until I’m canned. I’m also the primary income earner in my household so I don’t have the luxury of not worrying about bringing in money
I’d leave but I got a sign on bonus that has to be paid back if I leave before a year. 6 months to go so guess that’s my minimum timeline but I would be nervous about having only 1 year on a job going forward
Guess what I’m asking is:
1 - suck it up and just enjoy the high salary and stop worrying about getting fired because i am trying, I believe my boss likes me and there would probably be discussion signs I really needed to step up before getting unceremoniously dumped
2 - serve my 1 year so I’m off the hook for bonus and then leave for something that actually makes me happy
If you were in my shoes what would you choose?
Also, to anyone that has a fully remote job and perhaps similar to mine where you feel you don’t really work a lot… am I over analyzing and getting into my own head or is this not normal (I work in IT). I’ve had jobs before that had a lot of wasted unproductive time but I felt safe because I was going into an office and being seen

Hey folks! I recently purchased the Metroidvania bundle and have some leftover games from that as well as leftovers from other bundles. I'd be happy to trade for stuff from my wishlist; in case of expensive keys (like Borderlands Enhanced) I'd be able to trade for multiple games. Looking forward to your offers!
Ashina: The Red Witch Act of Aggression – Reboot Edition Aground An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire Arcade Paradise - Arcade Paradise EP AVICII Invector AVICII Invector: Magma Track Pack AVICII Invector: TIM Track Pack Bendy and the Dark Revival Bionic Commando Rearmed Biped Blasphemous Builder Simulator Calico Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Dead Island Definitive Edition Deadlight Dicey Dungeons Dishonored Don’t Starve Together DreadOut Dread X Collection 2 Dread X Collection 3 DUSK '82: ULTIMATE EDITION Eldest Souls Escape the Backrooms Evan’s Remains Field of Glory II Founders' Fortune Garfield Kart Ghostrunner Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams - Rise of the Owlverlord GOAT OF DUTY Golden Light Golf Gang Grim Fandango Remastered Helheim Hassle Haiku, the Robot Hero’s Hour Hero's Hour Hotshot Racing (Expires June 2nd) Hue Ironcast Just Die Already Legend of Keepers: Career of a Dungeon Manager Lone Fungus Lost Ruins Mega Man Legacy Collection Monster Slayers Monster Slayers – Fire and Steel Expansion Monster Slayers –Advanced Class Unlocker Morrowind (Epic Games Store) Monument Valley: Panoramic Edition Monument Valley 2: Panoramic Edition Neighbours back From Hell Newt One Nihilumbra Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus® Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee Orbital Bullet – The 360° Rogue-lite Osteoblasts Overclocked: A History of Violence Pathfinder: Kingmaker Enhanced Edition (EU-locked) Perfect Punch Club: Deluxe Edition Rain World Rebel Galaxy Outlaw Red Solstice 2: Survivors S.W.I.N.E. HD Remaster Sacred Franchise Pack (NA Region Lock) Semblance Sifu Deluxe Edition Upgrade Bundle Skully Slain: Back from Hell StarCrossed Steel Rats™ STONE Strider Stygian Reign of the Old Ones Teacup The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard The Forest Cathedral THE GAME OF LIFE The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante Those Who Remain Timelock VR 2 Tropico 4: Collectors Bundle Turok Viking Brothers 6 We Should Talk Wolfenstein: The Old Blood World of Zoo XCom 2 My IGSRep page: https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/10wdpah/covertfloberts\_igs\_rep\_page\_numbe My wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/wishlist/profiles/76561198131585105/#sort=discount

Hello everyone, after playing Dark souls 1/2/3, Bloodborne and now Elden Ring (also a bit of games that are referred to as "Soulslikes"). I would like to try a level 1 run. Although I'm not sure where to start or what to do. Currently I'm looking at Elden Ring since it's the newest one and I had the most fun with, but I'm open for suggestions and any advice for any of the games. I'm more on the casual side of playing but want to atleast try and experience it. Thank you for reading and any responses.

It started occuring yesterday and I don't know why. Here is the crash log:
AuthenticAMDS pai ny ri idQ 19041.1.amd64fre.vb_release.191206-1406 dbgcore.i386,10.0.19041.2788 F:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\PAYDAY 2\payday2_win32_release.exe C:\Windows\System32\ntdll.dll C:\Windows\System32\kernel32.dll C:\Windows\System32\KERNELBASE.dll C:\Windows\System32\apphelp.dll C:\Windows\System32\AcGenral.dll C:\Windows\System32\msvcrt.dll C:\Windows\System32\sechost.dll C:\Windows\System32\rpcrt4.dll C:\Windows\System32\shlwapi.dll C:\Windows\System32\user32.dll C:\Windows\System32\win32u.dll C:\Windows\System32\gdi32.dll C:\Windows\System32\gdi32full.dll C:\Windows\System32\msvcp_win.dll C:\Windows\System32\ucrtbase.dll C:\Windows\System32\ole32.dll C:\Windows\System32\combase.dll C:\Windows\System32\oleaut32.dll C:\Windows\System32\shell32.dll C:\Windows\System32\advapi32.dll C:\Windows\System32\uxtheme.dll C:\Windows\System32\winmm.dll C:\Windows\System32\samcli.dll C:\Windows\System32\msacm32.dll C:\Windows\System32\version.dll C:\Windows\System32\userenv.dll C:\Windows\System32\dwmapi.dll C:\Windows\System32\urlmon.dll C:\Windows\System32\winspool.drv C:\Windows\System32\mpr.dll C:\Windows\System32\sspicli.dll C:\Windows\System32\winmmbase.dll C:\Windows\System32\iertutil.dll C:\Windows\System32\SHCore.dll C:\Windows\System32\srvcli.dll C:\Windows\System32\netutils.dll C:\Windows\System32\imm32.dll C:\Windows\System32\psapi.dll F:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\PAYDAY 2\steam_api.dll F:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\PAYDAY 2\binkw32.dll F:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\PAYDAY 2\WSOCK32.dll C:\Windows\System32\ws2_32.dll C:\Windows\System32\bcrypt.dll C:\Windows\System32\crypt32.dll C:\Windows\System32\IPHLPAPI.DLL C:\Windows\System32\d3d9.dll C:\Windows\System32\D3DX9_43.dll C:\Windows\System32\dinput8.dll F:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\PAYDAY 2\PhysX3Common_x86.dll F:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\PAYDAY 2\PhysX3Cooking_x86.dll F:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\PAYDAY 2\PhysX3_x86.dll F:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\PAYDAY 2\discord-rpc.dll F:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\PAYDAY 2\libeay32.dll C:\Windows\System32\msvcp140.dll C:\Windows\System32\VCRUNTIME140.dll C:\Windows\System32\kernel.appcore.dll C:\Windows\System32\windows.storage.dll C:\Windows\System32\msvcr120.dll C:\Windows\System32\wldp.dll F:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\PAYDAY 2\XINPUT1_3.dll C:\Windows\System32\setupapi.dll C:\Windows\System32\cfgmgr32.dll C:\Windows\System32\wsock32.dll C:\Windows\System32\mswsock.dll C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\gameoverlayrenderer.dll C:\Windows\System32\bcryptPrimitives.dll C:\Windows\System32\inputhost.dll C:\Windows\System32\CoreMessaging.dll C:\Windows\System32\propsys.dll C:\Windows\System32\WinTypes.dll C:\Windows\System32\CoreUIComponents.dll C:\Windows\System32\ntmarta.dll C:\Windows\System32\clbcatq.dll C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamclient.dll C:\Windows\System32\imagehlp.dll C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\tier0_s.dll C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\vstdlib_s.dll C:\Windows\System32\secur32.dll C:\Windows\System32\CRYPTBASE.DLL C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\Steam.dll C:\Windows\System32\dbghelp.dll C:\Windows\System32\dbgcore.dll C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\CSERHelper.dll C:\Windows\System32\powrprof.dll C:\Windows\System32\devobj.dll C:\Windows\System32\umpdc.dll C:\Windows\System32\amsi.dll C:\Windows\System32\profapi.dll C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Platform\4.18.23050.3-0\X86\MpOAV.dll C:\Windows\System32\dsound.dll C:\Windows\System32\MMDevAPI.dll C:\Windows\System32\AudioSes.dll C:\Windows\System32\resourcepolicyclient.dll C:\Windows\System32\wdmaud.drv C:\Windows\System32\avrt.dll C:\Windows\System32\ksuser.dll C:\Windows\System32\msacm32.drv C:\Windows\System32\midimap.dll C:\Windows\System32\DXCore.dll C:\Windows\System32\msctf.dll C:\Windows\System32\textinputframework.dll C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\u0386458.inf_amd64_e0283e9e7966f704\B386218\aticfx32.dll C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\u0386458.inf_amd64_e0283e9e7966f704\B386218\atiu9pag.dll C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\u0386458.inf_amd64_e0283e9e7966f704\B386218\atiumdag.dll C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\u0386458.inf_amd64_e0283e9e7966f704\B386218\atiumdva.dll C:\Windows\System32\amdihk32.dll C:\Windows\System32\TextShaping.dll C:\Windows\System32\dcomp.dll C:\Windows\System32\mscms.dll C:\Windows\System32\ColorAdapterClient.dll C:\Windows\System32\Windows.Internal.Graphics.Display.DisplayColorManagement.dll C:\Windows\System32\Windows.UI.dll C:\Windows\System32\WindowManagementAPI.dll C:\Windows\System32\twinapi.appcore.dll C:\Users\hcsabesz\AppData\Local\Discord\app-1.0.9013\modules\discord_hook-1\discord_hook\a39e075dbf2\DiscordHook.dll C:\Windows\System32\hid.dll C:\Windows\System32\wintrust.dll C:\Windows\System32\msasn1.dll C:\Windows\System32\XAudio2_7.dll F:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\PAYDAY 2\mods\Borderless Windowed Updated\Borderless Windowed Updated.dll C:\Windows\System32\dnsapi.dll C:\Windows\System32\nsi.dll C:\Windows\System32\rasadhlp.dll C:\Windows\System32\FWPUCLNT.DLL C:\Windows\System32\schannel.dll C:\Windows\System32\mskeyprotect.dll C:\Windows\System32\ntasn1.dll C:\Windows\System32\ncrypt.dll C:\Windows\System32\ncryptsslp.dll C:\Windows\System32\wow64cpu.dll P28/assets/units0 eaded Renderer : DX9 threaded n":true,"height":1024,"message": eartbeat Senso t710536741 D:\jenkins\shared-workspace\builds\Payday2_Win32_Release\win32\payday2_win32_release.pdb wntdll.pdb RSDS wkernel32.pdb wkernelbase.pdb RSDSE- apphelp.pdb RSDS AcGenral.pdb RSDS msvcrt.pdb RSDS sechost.pdb RSDS wrpcrt4.pdb RSDS shlwapi.pdb RSDSM wuser32.pdb RSDS wwin32u.pdb RSDS wgdi32.pdb RSDSZ wgdi32full.pdb RSDS msvcp_win.pdb RSDSV ucrtbase.pdb ole32.pdb RSDS combase.pdb RSDSj oleaut32.pdb RSDSF shell32.pdb RSDS*v advapi32.pdb RSDS0B wUxTheme.pdb winmm.pdb RSDS samcli.pdb RSDSr msacm32.pdb RSDSiP9 version.pdb userenv.pdb RSDS dwmapi.pdb RSDS0 urlmon.pdb RSDSycHÞø² 4Ysxi winspool.pdb RSDS mpr.pdb RSDS wsspicli.pdb RSDS WINMMBASE.pdb iertutil.pdb RSDSy shcore.pdb RSDSB srvcli.pdb RSDS>y netutils.pdb RSDS wimm32.pdb RSDS c:\buildslave\steam_rel_client_win32\build\src\steam_api\Release\steam_api.pdb RSDS C:\devel\projects\bink\build\binkw32.pdb RSDSYo ws2_32.pdb bcrypt.pdb RSDS crypt32.pdb RSDS iphlpapi.pdb RSDS d3d9.pdb RSDSF d3dx9_43.pdb RSDSTA dinput8.pdb RSDS D:\CFILES\Projects\WinSSL\openssl-1.0.2h\out32dll\libeay32.pdb RSDS d:\a01\_work\11\s\\binaries\x86ret\bin\i386\\msvcp140.i386.pdb RSDS d:\a01\_work\11\s\\binaries\x86ret\bin\i386\\vcruntime140.i386.pdb RSDS Kernel.Appcore.pdb RSDS Windows.Storage.pdb RSDS msvcr120.i386.pdb RSDS WLDP.pdb RSDS XInput1_3.pdb RSDS.lM setupapi.pdb RSDS cfgmgr32.pdb wsock32.pdb RSDS wmswsock.pdb RSDS c:\buildslave\steam_rel_client_hotfix_win32\build\src\overlay\gameoverlayrenderer\Release\GameOverlayRenderer.pdb RSDSX bcryptprimitives.pdb RSDS InputHost.pdb RSDS CoreMessaging.pdb RSDS propsys.pdb RSDS WinTypes.pdb CoreUIComponents.pdb RSDS0^ ntmarta.pdb RSDS CLBCatQ.pdb RSDS c:\buildslave\steam_rel_client_hotfix_win32\build\src\clientdll\ClientRelease\steamclient.pdb RSDS imagehlp.pdb RSDSW c:\buildslave\steam_rel_client_hotfix_win32\build\src\tier0\Release\tier0_s.pdb RSDS c:\buildslave\steam_rel_client_hotfix_win32\build\src\vstdlib\Release\vstdlib_s.pdb RSDS secur32.pdb cryptbase.pdb RSDS c:\buildslave\steam_rel_client_hotfix_win32\build\src\steam2wrapper\Release\steam.pdb RSDS dbghelp.pdb dbgcore.pdb RSDS u:\p4clients\taylor_pubkeys\ThirdPartyCode\DebugNet\Release\BugslayerUtil.pdb RSDSg powrprof.pdb RSDS devobj.pdb RSDSc UMPDC.pdb RSDSR Amsi.pdb RSDS profapi.pdb RSDS MpOAV.pdb RSDS dsound.pdb RSDS MMDevAPI.pdb RSDS audioses.pdb ResourcePolicyClient.pdb RSDS wdmaud.pdb RSDS ksuser.pdb RSDS msacm32.pdb RSDSV midimap.pdb RSDS DXCore.pdb RSDS msctf.pdb RSDS TextInputFramework.pdb RSDSDl`V c:\constructicon\builds\gfx\five\22.20\drivers\cfx\build\wNow\dll\B_rel\aticfx32.pdb RSDS c:\constructicon\builds\gfx\three\22.20\drivers\pxproxy\umd9\build\wNow\B_rel\atiu9pag.pdb RSDS c:\constructicon\builds\gfx\three\22.20\drivers\dx\udx\wNow\bld\dll\B_rel\atiumdag.pdb RSDS c:\constructicon\builds\gfx\one\22.20\drivers\dx\shared\mva_vhd\mmdt\build\wNow\B_rel\atiumdva.pdb RSDS TextShaping.pdb RSDSG mscms.pdb RSDS ColorAdapterClient.pdb RSDSBZ Windows.Internal.Graphics.Display.DisplayColorManagement.pdb RSDS Windows.UI.pdb RSDS&8 WindowManagementAPI.pdb RSDS twinapi.appcore.pdb RSDS b:\b\discord_desktop\build_x86\x86_mt\DiscordHook.dll.pdb RSDSl hid.pdb RSDSnW wintrust.pdb RSDSL msasn1.pdb RSDS xaudio2_7.pdb RSDS D:\MyProject\PAYDAY2-Borderless-Windowed-Updated\bin\Release\Borderless Windowed Updated.pdb dnsapi.pdb RSDS nsi.pdb RSDS rasadhlp.pdb RSDSS fwpuclnt.pdb RSDS schannel.pdb RSDS mskeyprotect.pdb RSDS ntasn1.pdb RSDS ncrypt.pdb RSDS ncryptsslp.pdb Application has crashed: C++ exception bad allocation Callstack: payday2_win32_release (???) zip_get_name payday2_win32_release (???) ??? payday2_win32_release (???) ??? payday2_win32_release (???) ??? Current thread: Main Script stack: load() lib/managers/dynamicresourcemanager.lua:151 add_unit_by_factory_blueprint() lib/units/beings/playehuskplayerinventory.lua:139 add_weapons() lib/units/player_team/teamaimovement.lua:59 post_init() lib/units/enemies/cop/copmovement.lua:529 post_init() lib/units/player_team/teamaibase.lua:7 lib/units/player_team/teamaisound.lua:5 spawn_unit() =[C] spawn_one_teamAI() lib/managers/group_ai_states/groupaistatebase.lua:2992 fill_criminal_team_with_AI() lib/managers/group_ai_states/groupaistatebase.lua:3310 spawn_players() lib/network/base/basenetworksession.lua:1526 update_original() lib/states/ingamewaitingforplayers.lua:304 update() u/mods/WolfHUD-mastelua/MenuTweaks.lua:610 update() core/lib/utils/game_state_machine/coregamestatemachine.lua:92 original() lib/setups/setup.lua:916 update() u/mods/base/req/core/Hooks.lua:264 original() lib/setups/gamesetup.lua:804 update() u/mods/base/req/core/Hooks.lua:264 update() lib/setups/networkgamesetup.lua:21 core/lib/setups/coresetup.lua:559 System information: Application version : 1.138.187 CPU : AMD Athlon(tm) II X4 640 Processor (2 cores); SSE; SSE2; SSE3 DirectX : 12.0 GPU : Radeon RX550/550 Series / aticfx32.dll[31.0.12029.10015] Language : english Memory : 8191MB 308KB OS : 6.2.9200 () 0x100-0x1 (64 bits) Physics : threaded Renderer : DX9 threaded Sound : FxSound (FxSound Speakers (FxSound Audio Enhancer)) X0"+pY{wpY{w8S ERNEL32.DLL ERNEL32.DLL 2uX0"@pY{wpY{w ERNEL32.DLL \\.\pipe\Local\DiscordOverlay_Framebuffer_4704 C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\dbgcore.DLL12788 pai ny ri idQ 19041.1.amd64fre.vb_release.191206-1406 dbgcore.i386,10.0.19041.2788 C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\dbgcore.DLL P64t (???) zip_get_name payday2_win32_release (???) ??? payday2_win32_release (???) ??? payday2_win32_release (???) ??? Current thread: Main Script stack: load() lib/managers/dynamicresourcemanager.lua:151 add_unit_by_factory_blueprint() lib/units/beings/playehuskplayerinventory.lua:139 add_weapons() lib/units/player_team/teamaimovement.lua:59 post_init() lib/units/enemies/cop/copmovement.lua:529 post_init() lib/units/player_team/teamaibase.lua:7 lib/units/player_team/teamaisound.lua:5 spawn_unit() =[C] spawn_one_teamAI() lib/managers/group_ai_states/groupaistatebase.lua:2992 fill_criminal_team_with_AI() lib/managers/group_ai_states/groupaistatebase.lua:3310 spawn_players() lib/network/base/basenetworksession.lua:1526 update_original() lib/states/ingamewaitingforplayers.lua:304 update() u/mods/WolfHUD-mastelua/MenuTweaks.lua:610 update() core/lib/utils/game_state_machine/coregamestatemachine.lua:92 original() lib/setups/setup.lua:916 updatF:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\PAYDAY 2\payday2_win32_release.exe C:\Users\hcsabesz\AppData\Local\PAYDAY 2\crash.txt F:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\PAYDAY 2\payday2_win32_release_11113843_crash_2023_6_3T11_0_25C0.mdmp V"F:\STEAMLIBRARY\STEAMAPPS\COMMON\PAYDAY 2\PAYDAY2_WIN32_RELEASE.EXE" \Users\hcsabes P28/assets/units0 bundled_build 6.2.9200 () 0x100-0x1 (64 bits) F:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\PAYDAY 2\dieselx.cfg xinput1_3.dll y2_win32_release.db Soundtrack &vF:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\PAYDAY 2\payday2_win32_release.exe mon\PAYDAY 2\payday2_win32_release.exe ERNEL32.DLL pi-ms-win-secur ;wovider-l1-1- \\.\pipe\Local\DiscordOverlay_4704 DiscordOverlay_

I'm pretty sure you've experienced it before; your team getting pushed back to your spawn while the opponent spawn-camps them. That's an edge case, but it does bring to mind an annoyance of large numbers; the helplessness of attempting to slow the horde while you get picked off due to the sheer amount of damage you sustain.
The solution seems simple: just use Pokémon that excel in damaging multiple enemies, like Gardevior, Chandelure and Decidueye. However, all three are easily picked off when rushed; which is likely since almost every Pokémon has a dash or mobility-based move of some sort. Hell, Decidueye wouldn't even have the sight range to aim at and weaken a mob of opponents before it gets overwhelmed. You'd have to run far to get a safe distance away, and by then your opponents probably would've scored already. You could have a brave-yet-awfully-not-bright scapegoat to give Decidueye a good view, but chances are that they've prepared for it by waiting to ambush the backliners in, well, bushes. Plus, they won't be alive to provide a view for long.
Playing their own game to fight back probably won't work either since you only have so much time to react before one lane gets swarmed; and your teammates would either be too far away to react in time or already taken down by the mob of opponents. Also, when would you even be able to assimilate a large group to fight back with? This, let alone dealing with stragglers in the opposite lane with lots of points in tow.
One of the only sort of reasonable resolutions I can think of is a minor penalty for needing a large group to take down smaller groups of opponents. An example would he having their location revealed for longer and/or preventing them from scoring or defeating bosses/mini-bosses for 2.5 to 4.5 to 6.5 seconds based on their advantage in numbers, which should probably be reduced by 3s for every opponent taken down if they trickle in. A large group likely shouldn't be punished for defeating one feeble opponent though; there's an obvious reason there.
For a fancier solution, I propose a new Held Item which grants a shield that blocks 13%/14%/15% when the holder is attacked by more than 1 Pokémon on the opposing team and an additional +8%/+9%/+10% for each additional opponent.
Granted, if they were to be implemented the solution is to be a combination of both since being punished for teamwork isn't the best feeling and a Held Item that heavily reduces the damage from a group of opponents would be so powerful that all frontliners would always use it.
Take this with however many pinches of salt you'd like, I'm more of a casual Pokémon Unite player who puts it down for brief periods of time. If you think anything I said is dumb, at least bear the strength to show a degree of respect while doing so, since a response that's just a list of insults isn't something you'd intend on taking to heart.

So I use Cerave PM with niacinamade, and surprisingly it works pretty well for me. My skin doesn't get too oily with this, and I've noticed my healing time and dark spots are reduced. I wanted to try TO Niacinamade and Zinc to address some hyperpigmentation.. I had pretty clear skin when I started this product and then within 2 days I got the dreaded closed comedones breakout all over my chin. I stopped using it and I'm noticing my skin is calming back down. I spent 6$ on the serum so I really don't care to just throw it away and never use it again ... but I'm wondering, do I splurge on la roche posay and get their niacinamade serum (I've been using their products, the matte moisturizer and anthelios sunscreen which are working great for my skin) or do I just give up trying the niacinamade serums because maybe the 10% is too strong ?

​
https://preview.redd.it/wskjqv9fbs3b1.png?width=867&format=png&auto=webp&s=4c87dea813a7112d37dfc40055bc7d6a17575724
Made it on 0 behave and have a couple of thoughts.
The most easiest way to win in this hell is just take ROSH. Stupid team = forever. Bad spell casting = forever. Not a single stun in team, as always. Just the game, no matter how you stay on lane or what hero play, all comes to fight 5 vs 5 for towers. And the only way to win that fight is to take the rosh beforehand. Timing 8 min 11 max. That was the 1. Second thought is PEOPLE ALE PEOPLE STOP HITTING THIS F(!**!*king creeps. PLEASE GOD STOP. Just think about it for 1 minute all heroes farm almost with the same speed, so after 20 - 25 minutes cores have to have all they need to take fights. SO WHY NOT FOCUS ON KILLING ENEMIES AFTER. The same pattern game after game = Some heroes start fight and every single soul run trough the hole map to get in that fight. Just be smarter 1 time and try to be in that fight just from the start. don`t hit creeps and press move after your teammate. Congrats you will win dota this way. (And as you remember after kills it`s time for rosh)))
Some fluff to take into account ... 1. When enemy spawn see where they is tp. 2 when enemy carry dead IT`s 90% that he will tp for ancients => you can smoke beforehand and kill him that ULTRA TILT for him. 3 see other lanes when your hero have ability to do something ( not on every hero but even on 5 - 6 lvl it can lead to triple kills). 4 don`t take damage to get creeps!!!!!!!. If you stay 1 vs 2 just take xp or go pull creeps. even 2 vs 2 IF you weaker don`t die for creeps => break lane instead!. 5. if you tilted as hell => disconnect and play some relaxing music. 6. Just don`t die in game. That absurd I get it... But if you don`t see enemies it means they wait to kill you_) 7 don`t ever try to do something because of your teammate. you know your hero and you have to analyze every single situation before going in. 8 if you weeker just don`t let creeps get to your base, you can die under t2, you can high five on enemy base, but don`t let creeps get to towers and maybe your carry will buy bkb) 9 You can`t play DIFFERENT lanes. That`s *****. If your team show on other lane you can`t go push other => enemies will see that you are divided and (if they smart enough) kill one of you. This can take place only in the begining of the game or when enemies dead. => MAX is 2 lanes that are close but all cores have to be backed. Like with chess figures.

TWBS Previous Next
-
--- Hr3101m973S’s perspective---
---Tuesday, 31st of October, 2682 Terran Calendar---
---Southwestern Scotland---
I ride the speeder at an altitude of 307m over the rural landscape.
I have 158 other bodies making similar deliveries across Britain right now, as well as 29 in Ireland and 11 in Doggerland. Though, none of them have quite as spectacular a view as this one does so, for the moment, this is the body whose sensory feed I’m paying the most attention to.
I see a large herd of mammoths walking at the edge of the Galloway Forest.
Though it has a better view, the news I’m carrying with this body is just as grim as all the rest.
In hindsight, it’s probably a good thing that I was such a spendthrift with regard to my fleet of courier bodies… If I hadn’t been, if I’d selected abilities that let them do much more than deliver things, they may well have been requisitioned for military use… which, I suppose, they were anyway… but there’s a big difference between delivering notices on Earth and fighting on some distant planet!
Still, if sacrificing my replaceable bodies would save even a single irreplaceable life, I would definitely have done it.
The city comes into view.
Calling it a ‘city’ may be a little generous… it only has 2,507,963 inhabitants.
That may have been a respectable city in the 22nd Century but, for context, nearby Dumfries has 7,491,509 and Glasgow has 24,339,192!
Stranraer occupies a rare middleground between the historic hamlets that are allowed to exist in the countryside and the megalopoleis where around 98.32% of people on Earth live.
I land in the northern part of the town and step off my speeder.
I get some raised eyebrows as I walk from the landing pad to the residential home.
I don’t blame them!
Before the War, every single one of my courier bodies had a full suit of elastomer over their entire body, to make them seem more lifelike… Now, though, that’s considered a luxury and, so, this particular unit is walking around with its metal endoskeleton bare, bar its uniform.
The effect can be a little offputting… though, in truth, it may also have to do with the news they’ve inferred me to be delivering to some unlucky soul.
I cross the wall into the garden and begin walking up the steps, through the mosslawn shrouded by pinus sylvestris trees, to the house on top of the little hillock.
It takes me 12 seconds to reach the door from the gate… I can’t rush, I need to give this girl her due respect.
I rap on the door 3 times and hear the knocks echo through the cavernous hall behind.
A man opens the door.
I begin, speaking in the most popular local dialect of Lallans Scots that I know to be this man’s primary speech register “Greetings, Mr Baird. I don’t know if you remember me but…”
“I remember you! I’m organic, not daft! You’ve been here enough times already…” interrupts the residential care manager, his demeanour gruff and no-nonsense “…Come in, Hermes… You can wait in the kitchen while I go get her.”
I step into the building, passing below the lowest of 5 balcony walkways into an open space with a skylight ceiling, allowing in the natural light.
I let the man lead the way to a large kitchen.
He pulls out a chair for me.
“Thank you, Sir, but I believe I ought to remain standing to make this delivery.” I respond, politely.
“Suit yourself…” he shrugs before walking off, presumably to fetch the girl he knows I’m here for.
I wait several minutes before he reappears.
The girl he has in tow is the perfect match of the file photo (though a few years older). She is average height, 178cm, and has an average build. Her skin is pale, her eyes are emerald green and her hair is long, absurdly voluminous, curly and vividly red.
She looks to be in fine physical health and is making no pretence of illness or injury, though she is scowling at me.
The grey bearded man shuts the door, leaving me alone with the girl.
“Could you tell me your name, please?” I ask, already knowing.
“Esme Reid.” she answers, truculently.
“And your date of birth, Ms Reid?”
“31st of October, 2664. Come to give me a birthday present, have you(?)” she says, folding her arms, pursing her lips and looking away to the kitchen counter by the window.
“Thank you…” I say, reaching into my bag to withdraw a letter and a large holopad with a stylus attached.
I hold the letter out to her and say “This is your conscription notice, Ms Reid. Please sign receipt of it here.” indicating the holo.
Her eyes flick from the paper to the screen before she drily answers “I don’t suppose, if I don’t take that or don’t sign for it, that’d mean I couldn’t be drafted, would it(?!)”
I shake my head and respond “I’m afraid that no such loophole exists, Ms Reid… If you have a conscientious objection to fighting, you could request a nonmilitary national service. However, you would be asked to provide some proof of your conscientiousness and…”
“I’m no bleeding heart…” she says, snatching the letter from my hand, irritably “…I’ll sign for my bloody death warrant!” scrawling her name on the pad.
Without looking at the pad, I check the signature she provided against the one on file and find it a close enough match to proceed.
“Thank you, Ms Reid. Please report to your local recruitment office in Stranraer within 14 days for your physical and psychological fitness assessments. They’ll then interview you regarding your preferences for training and deployment and they’ll try to take those into account when assigning them.
“Great(!) Maybe if I can convince my evaluator that I’m cracked enough in the head, I won’t get sent off to die like my mam and dad did(!)” she quips, sarcastically.
“I don’t think you’ll have much luck with that strategy, Ms Reid… Sol’s government have had quite the interest in weeding out malingerers these past few years… I would put the odds of success below 1%.” 0.75619902%, actually, but that’s too many decimals for most biologicals’ patience(!)
She frowns up at me and demands “I’m being such a brat about this… Why are you still being so friendly!?”
I laugh “Ms Reid, though I strongly encourage you not to express the same demeanour to your drill instructors as you are with me, you are far from the worst person I’ve delivered this news to in even the last half hour!… Right now, I’ve got a draftee in Leeds who’s explaining a hairbrained scheme involving unethically cloning a replacement to fight in his stead, I’ve got one in Bristol who’s trying to beat up my body but only really succeeding in hurting herself, I’ve got one in Edinburgh that’s run away in an attempt not to be served… by comparison, a bit of scowling and sarcasm is rather tame!”
“Huh!… Guess I’m not quite the bad girl Ms. Larch always told me I was, am I(!)”
“It seems you shall simply have to work harder(!) I believe there is a leather jacket emporium in Stranraer that still does business…”
She smiles and laughs for the first time that I’ve seen.
That’s the real reason I don’t get touchy about the attitudes expressed to me by draftees: It makes my job so much easier when I soften the blow with good manners and good humour.
As unfair as it is that so many choose to shoot the messenger, it’s understandable when you consider the messages I carry.
“Ms Reid…” I start, seriously but softly “…if you truly do not wish to fight, you know there are alternatives? You can discuss them with your recruitment officer but…”
“I got no special skills, Hermes… Nothing I can do that an AI couldn’t do faster and better… The Merchant Navy’s basically as dangerous as the Navy Navy, just less armed… the Humanitarian corps has a waiting list so long that the War’d be over (one way or another) long before they got to the point of considering me… I know where I’m going… no use in fighting it…”
“Alright, Ms Reid… I wish you the best…” I say, turning to leave.
Mr Baird shows me out of the house.
Rather than walking back to the landingpad, to retrieve my bike, I walk the other way.
My bag is still heavy with conscription notices… it only makes sense to deliver all the ones in this town first…
---Oskar’s Perspective---
---Southern Doggerland---
The evening sun plays off of the calm waves of the North Sea.
It should be raining on a day like this…
This gorgeous weather is slapping me in the face and telling me to be happy, to be content…
I know the weather does not care for the happenings of people… I know that, if it rained everywhere and every day there was a funeral, the whole world would flood… I know this… and still… I hate this contrast between my grim, internal misery and the tranquil sun drenched beach where I stand, this autumn day… There’s barely even any snow on the grass…
When this War started, I was fourteen and had two loving parents…
My Father was too old to serve, at 51…
At 37, my mother was not…
Yet, it’s not my mother’s funeral I am attending right now. That was two months ago.
No… the strongly built 55 year old man, dressed in a long white robe and clutching a Norse langsverð, despite having been a fishfarmer and not a warrior, is my father… Lars ‘Walker’ Taylor.
His eyes are closed and he lies within a wooden boat, around 80cm wide and 3m long.
This boat was never meant to touch the water… I bought it from a supplier in Bankland that specialises in funerary boats for Doggerland’s Forn Siðr community.
I already recited a poem… there’s nothing else for me to do until the singer begins.
I’m not listening to the Goði prattle on about Valhalla and Ragnarök… I’m just looking at my father’s face… oscillating between hating him for doing this to me and hating myself for doing this to him.
The sermon concludes and a blonde woman, like everyone else present, dressed in snow white funeral clothes, steps forward.
One of the three men behind her brings his bow to the three strings of his tagelharpa, another raises a flute carved out of a cow’s leg bone to his lips, the last begins banging out a slow beat on his drum.
The band would definitely be larger if so many of the Hof’s musicians hadn’t been called up to serve.
The men begin playing a mournful tune and the woman begins a wailing, melismatic melody, not in English, the first language of most here, not in my father’s native Frisian, not even in New Norse, the liturgical language of his faith…
She sings in a strain of Norwegian that was spoken centuries ago, when there were barely any Forn Siðr practitioners living.
mf♫ Eg songane søkte
Eg songane sende
Då den djupaste brunni
Gav meg dråpar så ramme
Av Valfaders pant♫mf
I have a final part to play in this ritual.
The Goði picks up the torch and lights it against a flaming brazier before beckoning to me.
I step forward from the small crowd.
In contrast to most, whose clothes are pristine white robes and tunics and such, I wear the same simple white suit that I wore two months ago.
I may be a nonbeliever but no one at my father’s Hof challenged the idea that I was the most fitting person to perform this last rite for him.
I take the torch from the man and walk to my father’s side.
I hesitate before I touch it to one of the mounds of high energy, smokeless fuel that surround his body… but only for a moment…
The flame quickly takes and, before the current verse of the song is even finished, the entire boat is engulfed in fire.
I toss the torch in and step back from the conflagration.
Minutes pass as I watch the inferno consume the entire pyre.
I barely notice the music stop.
I barely notice the crowd thinning as people leave.
I just watch as the man’s existence is wiped from the Earth.
“Have you thought about what you’re going to do now, brother?” asks a voice from beside me.
Without looking at the Pagan cleric, I dully answer “I have.”
“And, what is that… if I may ask?”
“My birthday’s in January… I’ll be drafted… but I don’t have to wait… I’m going to go to the recruitment office and request an early start to my training… by the time it’s done, I’ll be 18 and they’ll be legally able to deploy me.”
“I… see… that’s certainly… an option… Have you thought about…?”
“I haven’t, Tormund. This is what I’m doing.” I state, still looking at the blaze.
“I see… I wish you well then, Oskar…” Tormund says, sincerely.
---
Support me on Patreon for to access the entire series, now.
---
TWBS Previous Next

A story I wrote a while back. (To put it more accurately, a year ago.) Submitted it for the college Magazine, and recently uploaded it to Wattpad. But it didn't do much. So I decided to just put it on here. Any kind of feedback would be appreciated.
Being the idiot I am, I'm not sure what genre to place it in. But I'd say it's an action - drama in a somewhat fantastical setting.
The Blurb is as follows:
"Undera night sky lit by two moons, a Witch loses her family, and begins to succumb to the dark, violent side of her powers - Bloodlust.
During this desparate struggle, she comes across a Bishop - a soldier of this city, whose sole purpose is to kill her kind.
Who is this Bishop? Will the Witch survive? And who am I, the being who wants to share this story with you??"
And here's the full story. I hope you enjoy.
Oh, what a beautiful night.
The two moons in an elaborate dance, one in the arms of the other as they glow amidst the darkness. Wouldn't it be a heartbreak, for the king to abandon his queen at the brink of dawn, leaving her alone and defenseless?
Of course, my king already had. Even worse, he might've even let the hunters on my tail. Just the thought sent shudders through my spine. My dear melancholy, I thought, you won't be here for long. "I've cried with you far too long. Perhaps I should send you with my lover, let his blood wrap around you while you sleep. Perhaps I should let his cries wash away all that you weep."
I wanted answers. But, a deeper, more primal part of me needed revenge. But if I wanted either, I needed to act fast. I was being hunted. The people of this world, they call us witches. They call us the spawn of the devil, to be hunted and burned alive. I know this isn't true, I remember my parents' faces as clear as day. Damn it, I wish I just had a normal life. I wanted peace, quiet. I wanted a happy life with my husband.
"You are desecrated by the demon himself!"
"Get out of my sight! Begone!"
The memory of Anton's words, curled in utter disgust.... They hurt. Once, long before this, I could almost see the smile on his face, taste the uninhibited love in his gaze, feel the steady warmth of his embrace...... And now... Why? Why, you.......... Why?
The question turned into a haunting melody, trying to tear its way through my skull with a violent cacophony, only to fade into a whisper drumming in sync with my footsteps, as I tracked him down through the shadows. Was he the answer?
Or just prey? A rat to devour?
That thought worried me. No, I-I didn't want to hurt Anton, but.... But he had done the same, was still doing the same. The streets were quiet, the houses all around closed shut. No doubt, there were hunters, the Bishops, tracking me down. But I had become accustomed to sneaking around without leaving a trace.
I wished, sometimes I could be one of those lucky women hiding in those houses, with nothing to fear but the outside. They could just stay in their homes and live the lives they wanted.
But, the increasingly manic voice from within spoke, you had that. For a while. How long did it even last, until he kicked you out and left you for dead?
My footsteps quickened seemingly running towards my prey. Or maybe, away from whispers that were becoming hard to deny. And then, I found him. Right there, in the darkness, all alone.
Ready to speak.
Or to die.
And all of a sudden, I felt my knife slide home. Blood, sweet and magnificent, rose in the air. Every cell in my body rose towards it, parched for a taste.
Just a taste.
I stumbled under the ferocity of the thirst, my will pushed to its limit to keep it under control. His life was fading out.
I had to... I had to look him in the eye. I turned him around, and it wasn't him. It wasn't him.
Oh god, it wasn't him.
It wasn't him it wasn't him it wasn't----------
"Ophelia, what the heck have you become?"
I slowly turned towards the source of the sound, knowing the horror on his face I'd be forced to see. There it was, but somewhere in the miasma of repulsive emotions.... Was it concern? Did my dear Anton still care? Did he still... still love?
Something fell on my thigh, soft, and warm, disappearing seeping through my dirtied clothes the moment it touched. And it was then I realized - it was blood. It was all over me, across my lips, on my hands, seeping into my fingernails. It was overwhelming me, wrenching sense and sanity away. Was it too late? Was I past the point of no retu------
The next moment, I realize I'm.... falling. Further and further, but I can't find the floor. I can't feel my legs, my arms, my mouth. It's as if every part of me except my soul has disintegrated, vanished into thin air. I look around me. There are so many like me. Witches, humans, the faceless, the feral. The victim and the criminal. They are all the same. WE are one and the same. I don't feel my consciousness fading away, but rather.... It bleeds, it swims around like a drop in an ocean, a single grain of pollen among thousand others flying away. It's coming all together now, fusing and joining and mixing with the others, and into the will of one great being. It's like..... Like the God accepting us into His womb, letting us be a part of His plan, and giving us one last gift- vision, His vision, to see the world as it really is............. And the ones we left behind in this world.
The process seems so painful - I can feel emotions that aren't my own, emanating from within me, while my own emotions are scattered over this pool of collective consciousness. It swirls and splashes around, slowly moving towards a source, rather than away. The closer I get, the lesser I remember about myself. I'd be concerned, unhappy even, weren't it not for the fact that along with myself, I could also feel myself forgetting the world I had lived in like an insect, while I dance around in the memories of others. It's all mine, and what's mine is also others'. There isn't an "I" anymore. There's just...... An ocean. An ocean of serenity. A desert, devoid of pain and suffering. An oasis of peace.
Just......Anton. Look after him, my Savior. And my----------------------
-Era Vulgaris-
Ah...... Another dead one coalescing into me. A woman, full of hopes and dreams soaked and squandered away by sorrow and hatred and envy. Don't fret, little one. You can rest now. Be in peace with yourself, and this broken world. Now, where were we? Ah, the woman finally lost it.
Her self-consciousness faded away the very moment that drop of blood dripped onto her tongue. What was left, was a husk of its former self, hungry for blood and power. I hated watching this, though I'd seen this a million times over. Even the part of me that was once that poor girl was undoubtedly horrified at what she'd become. It's okay, it's okay. It'll work out in the end. Trust me. Your loved ones shall come out whole from the other side.
Especially, I thought, if the Bishop beside him is truly who I think he is.
The word "Bishop" brought a bit of warranted concern to the residual piece of the girl, which meant I had to spend some more of my energy and attention to calm her down. So, I thought. Where were we?
The husk of the woman lunged for her former lover, only to be denied her prey by a sudden tackle to the ground. The assailant swiftly rolled out of harm's way, spinning around and aiming a rather large revolver right at her head.
"Freeze. Or the bullet goes in your head."
She didn't respond in kind. Instead, she... It. It, reminded the small voice that was once part of her, now just in pure disbelief at what she was looking at. It looked him dead in the eye, wailed its vocal cords out and slit its own arm, letting the blood spurt open all around her. The dead carcass beside her became her fuel, swimming towards and into heIt, as its own blood slowly morphed into clones of its own. All contorted and manic, just like the original. All at once, they converged right at the hunter, eager to churn out the flesh. One sneaky little figure, however, sneaked right out of sight and right towards its/ her husband.
Yeah, it was her husband alright. All these bright little memories sparkling from within the dark, right up until everything tore apart- Wait. Oh n-
A hailstorm of gunshots shattered the rain of noise that drenched the night. And just like that, almost all the clones were gone, fading into a cloudburst of blood from which they had risen. The husband, Anton, screamed, "The blood- it'll burn!!" But the hunter rushed through regardless, through the blood.
True to his word, the blood began to boil and corrode away all the protective plates and clothing, but the man himself was strangely unaffected. Rather, he became seemingly faster, as he kicked away the witch, the original form out, just a mere fraction of a second before it could rip out Anton's jugular. My heart was in my throat. Or at least, the newly assimilated soul felt that way.
I was more interested to as to how the Bishop appeared to have changed, as if a limiter on himself had been removed by the blood. As if a blind man had finally been given the path towards light.
By the time it could recover, the Bishop held the previous position once again- only this time, aiming at the creature's belly. That, is what I was worried about. The poor woman was pregnant when she lost control. "Now," he said. "Don't move."
The woman's soul suddenly began to wrench its way out towards her body, trying desperately to save its offspring, its child. Its only ray of hope. It took a considerable effort to keep her in control, much more than what I would once require. Well, I thought, all the more reason to let things go as they should.
Anton went to protect the thing that was once his wife, right up until the Bishop changed his aim towards him.
Anton paled, but understood the message. He returned to his previous position, his crosshairs pointed right at the woman's swollen abdomen, and waited for her to react.
She didn't.
She stilled, almost stuck between her primal urge as a creature of blood, and a maternal urge as a creature of warmth.
The hesitation was enough for the hunter to make a decision.
"Rest in peace."
The gun fired.
A single bullet exploded into a hundred smaller shells, penetrating the witch - not at the abdomen, but straight through the head. The man beside him just puked at the gruesome scene, unable to bear not just the brutality, but the heartbreak of it.
The hunter turned towards him. "Put yourself together. Besides, you put her in this situation."
The remark halted Anton from his state of disgust into a fit of near-violent rage.
"What? What the fuck do you know, you lowlife? You're the ones who kill innocent women for just the smallest suspicion of their nature. You fucker! Die in the womb you lived in you-"But, he couldn't hold on to it. Just couldn't.
Anton broke into tears, his guilt, his pain and his loss flowing down his face and falling at the cold ground below him.
It--It wasn't a nice sight to see. He cried, and cried, and cried, sometimes in reminiscence of the small moments that he'd shared with his loved one, sometimes in despair of the things he'd done. He could blame all he could, curse all he could. At the world. At hunters. At God. Even himself, but that would not bring his love back to life. It wouldn't bring his unbor---
A tiny, yet strong innocent wail interrupted his downward spiral.
"Anton. Your child." With that brief phrase, the Bishop laid a fragile infant in his arms. Crying, with hair barely formed, yet Anton could see it- It was her child. Her and his. THEIR child. But......
"IT's- It's a girl. Won't you-"
"Well, I think it would be rude of me not to turn a blind eye your way. I cannot see, after all. Besides, I think this child deserves a chance. For the mother who, in the throes of death, chose her child over revenge. And," he said, patting down the man's shoulder, "the pathetic man who still wanted to save his wife, even if she was no more. Now go. Get the fuck out of here. I gotta pick up the corpse and collect my payment. Oh, and, uh... What happened here, all of it- you don't remember a thing. Got it?"
He didn't need even the slightest of threats. The guy thanked the Bishop and, with the now smiling babe, walked away.
Another figure appeared from behind the hunter.
"Was that a good decision, Navy?"
A Faceless one. Quite devoted to the Bishop. His question held a tone of concern, but a sense of curiosity dominated his voice as he asked his question.
"Grayson," he said, placing his shotgun onto the floor as a walking stick, "I never overthi-"
"Shut up."
A careless shrug. "Alright. You got me. You want me to be honest? I.....see myself, as weird as it sounds. In that child, in that man. Even in the fuckin' witches. I kill them for a living, Gray. I wake up every morning to load a bullet carrying their name."
"You hate them. Simple as that."
"But a really small part of me..... It- I don't know, Gray. Sometimes all I do is say thanks to this stupid world we live in. A world where everyone wants to fall in love but there's no room for it, in the grand scheme of things. You know, it's times like these that make me glad. Better off believing in a dream world of love and peace, rather than knowing this nightmare of an era. An Era Vulgaris, if you will."
Indeed, in this we might just be kindred spirits. Hm... well, there's definitely a potential in him, to become what I need him to be in the future. I just.....
Well, I'll let this run its course.
After all, it depends on whether she can will herself a future worth salvaging. For there was another one spying on the hunter, another witch whose paths would cross with his. And that path would either fall in place like clockwork, or blow up every plan and contingency I'd made into smoke.
Till then, I guess it best to rest. Kick back and watch this Era Vulgaris consume itself in its vanity, and see if something will come out whole the other side. Rest well, Navidson.
And thank you.
Something settled, and that's when I realized the woman's soul had finally accepted its fate, fading into the primordial soup. Broken, scared and all bled out, and yet she put up a hell of a fight.
The human will is quite extraordinary, is it not?

Notes:

• I am EXTREMELY busy, but I check my messages and DMs at least ONCE per day. Please be patient and wait at least 24 hours for my response if I don't get back to you immediately.
  
• I buy only in Unrevealed Key Link Format or Plain Steam Keys. No gift links.
  
• For PayPal, I am in the US region and I only send via G&S. Please note there will be PayPal fees (including international/conversion and purchasing fees) to consider.
  
• All games that you sell to me should ideally be REGION-FREE. Please ensure the games are not region-locked/bound to a specific country.
  
• You must be willing to fill a spreadsheet with steam keys.
  

 
I pay with the following:
TF2 & PayPal
 

I Buy Must-Play Metroidvanias Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Blasphemous	1.1 TF2 Price Will Be Ready Soon	$2.2 PP Price Will Be Ready Soon
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night	1.4 TF2 Price Will Be Ready Soon	$2.87 PP Price Will Be Ready Soon
Haiku, the Robot	1.1 TF2 Price Will Be Ready Soon	$2.18 PP Price Will Be Ready Soon
Hollow Knight	2.3 TF2 Price Will Be Ready Soon	$4.66 PP Price Will Be Ready Soon
Rain World	0.9 TF2 Price Will Be Ready Soon	$1.86 PP Price Will Be Ready Soon
All Games Above (Special)	7.9 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games Bundle Price Will Be Ready Soon	$15.74 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games Bundle Price Will Be Ready Soon
Full Bundle (Special)	8.29 TF2	$16.5 PP

I Buy Luck of the Draw: Roguelike Deckbuilders Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Luck be a Landlord	2.4 TF2	$4.77 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	2.7 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$5.45 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	TBD	TBD

I Buy May Multiplayer Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Generation Zero®	1.5 TF2	$2.93 PayPal
Midnight Ghost Hunt	2.5 TF2	$4.93 PayPal
Northgard	3.8 TF2	$7.64 PayPal
Borderlands 3 Super Deluxe Edition	3.1 TF2	$6.19 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	7.3 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$14.48 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	7.58 TF2	$15.08 PP

I Buy Humble Choice (May 2023)	with TF2	with PayPal
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery	0.2 TF2	$0.42 PayPal
Bendy and the Dark Revival	0.4 TF2	$0.88 PayPal
Builder Simulator	0.3 TF2	$0.59 PayPal
Operation: Tango	0.4 TF2	$0.8 PayPal
Spiritfarer	1.1 TF2	$2.18 PayPal
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters	2.2 TF2	$4.28 PayPal
Windjammers 2	0.2 TF2	$0.39 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	5.5 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$10.9 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	6.78 TF2	$13.5 PP

I Buy Capcom Heroic Collection Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Mega Man Legacy Collection	0.5 TF2	$0.9 PayPal
Dragons Dogma - Dark Arisen	0.8 TF2	$1.57 PayPal
MONSTER HUNTER RISE	4.1 TF2	$8.09 PayPal
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection	1.5 TF2	$2.94 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	7.8 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$15.43 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	TBD	TBD

I Buy Easy-Going Games: White Thorn Games Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Lake	0.8 TF2	$1.51 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	0.9 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$1.73 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	TBD	TBD

I Buy Striking Soulslikes Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Salt and Sanctuary	1.1 TF2	$2.15 PayPal
Blade of Darkness	1.2 TF2	$2.47 PayPal
Mortal Shell	1.4 TF2	$2.77 PayPal
Aeterna Noctis	1.6 TF2	$3.15 PayPal
Loot River	3.3 TF2	$6.47 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	9.8 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$19.44 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	9.97 TF2	$19.84 PP

I Buy Fight 4 Your Friends Co-Op Shooters Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Warhammer: Vermintide 2	0.8 TF2	$1.52 PayPal
Zombie Army Trilogy	0.5 TF2	$1.04 PayPal
Back 4 Blood	3.0 TF2	$5.96 PayPal
Zombie Army 4: Dead War	1.9 TF2	$3.75 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	7.0 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$14.02 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	8.29 TF2	$16.5 PP

I Buy In Your Face VR Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Into the Radius VR	2.9 TF2	$5.84 PayPal
Rumble	0.5 TF2	$1.06 PayPal
Wanderer	1.1 TF2	$2.26 PayPal
Zenith MMO	2.2 TF2	$4.38 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	7.8 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$15.47 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	TBD	TBD

I Buy Humble Choice (Apr 2023)	with TF2	with PayPal
Aliens: Fireteam Elite	1.0 TF2	$1.99 PayPal
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT	2.6 TF2	$5.21 PayPal
Life is Strange 2 Complete Season	0.7 TF2	$1.33 PayPal
Rollerdrome	0.3 TF2	$0.62 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	5.3 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$10.46 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	6.78 TF2	$13.5 PP

I Buy Best of Boomer Shooters: Bigger and Boomier Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Forgive me Father	0.2 TF2	$0.45 PayPal
WRATH: Aeon of Ruin	0.2 TF2	$0.39 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	0.5 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$0.96 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	TBD	TBD

I Buy Scary Games to Play in the Dark Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Labyrinthine	1.9 TF2	$3.76 PayPal
Propnight	0.7 TF2	$1.32 PayPal
The Blackout Club	0.6 TF2	$1.17 PayPal
The Mortuary Assistant	2.4 TF2	$4.82 PayPal
SCP: Pandemic	2.2 TF2	$4.28 PayPal
Visage	2.9 TF2	$5.87 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	11.2 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$22.23 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	11.27 TF2	$22.43 PP

I Buy Humble Heroines: Warriors, Dreamers, and God Slayers	with TF2	with PayPal
Control Ultimate Edition	2.0 TF2	$3.93 PayPal
Dreamscaper	0.2 TF2	$0.45 PayPal
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice	1.1 TF2	$2.26 PayPal
Praey for the Gods	0.6 TF2	$1.16 PayPal
Sable	0.4 TF2	$0.7 PayPal
Syberia: The World Before	1.2 TF2	$2.32 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	6.2 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$12.37 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	8.29 TF2	$16.5 PP

I Buy Humble Choice (Mar 2023)	with TF2	with PayPal
BIOMUTANT	1.6 TF2	$3.12 PayPal
Hero's Hour	0.5 TF2	$0.92 PayPal
Jurassic World Evolution 2	2.4 TF2	$4.81 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	5.1 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$10.11 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	6.78 TF2	$13.5 PP

I Buy Türkiye-Syria Earthquake Relief Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
PAYDAY 2	0.4 TF2	$0.82 PayPal
Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Enhanced Plus Edition	0.6 TF2	$1.25 PayPal
Mount & Blade: Warband	0.6 TF2	$1.28 PayPal
Strange Brigade	0.3 TF2	$0.62 PayPal
Stick Fight: The Game	0.6 TF2	$1.1 PayPal
Farming Simulator 17	0.6 TF2	$1.13 PayPal
Euro Truck Simulator 2	1.1 TF2	$2.19 PayPal
Armello	0.3 TF2	$0.69 PayPal
Gotham Knights	5.4 TF2	$10.83 PayPal
Ghostrunner	1.5 TF2	$3.07 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	13.2 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$26.26 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	TBD	TBD

I Buy Unparalleled Puzzlers Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Baba Is You	1.5 TF2	$3.01 PayPal
Creaks	0.3 TF2	$0.55 PayPal
DARQ: Complete Edition	0.2 TF2	$0.47 PayPal
Dorfromantik	2.0 TF2	$3.93 PayPal
The Last Campfire	0.4 TF2	$0.78 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	5.0 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$9.99 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	5.78 TF2	$11.5 PP

I Buy Humble Choice (Feb 2023)	with TF2	with PayPal
Fallout 76	2.1 TF2	$4.22 PayPal
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous	1.5 TF2	$2.9 PayPal
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales	0.3 TF2	$0.57 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	4.4 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$8.79 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	TBD	TBD

I Buy Sim-ple Life Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Garden Paws	1.0 TF2	$2.05 PayPal
Lake	0.8 TF2	$1.51 PayPal
Staxel	0.6 TF2	$1.15 PayPal
Summer in Mara	0.5 TF2	$1.09 PayPal
Townscaper	0.6 TF2	$1.18 PayPal
Winkeltje: The Little Shop	1.1 TF2	$2.18 PayPal
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles	1.8 TF2	$3.58 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	6.0 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$11.9 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	6.08 TF2	$12.1 PP

I Buy Survival Instinct Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Chernobylite Enhanced Edition	1.0 TF2	$1.98 PayPal
The Long Dark: Survival Edition	0.4 TF2	$0.78 PayPal
SCUM	3.0 TF2	$5.96 PayPal
State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition	3.0 TF2	$5.92 PayPal
Volcanoids	1.4 TF2	$2.81 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	9.2 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$18.35 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	9.42 TF2	$18.75 PP

I Buy In Case You Missed It: Gems of 2022 Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Haiku, the Robot	1.3 TF2	$2.56 PayPal
PowerSlave Exhumed	1.4 TF2	$2.79 PayPal
Source of Madness	0.6 TF2	$1.13 PayPal
Supraland Six Inches Under	1.5 TF2	$2.89 PayPal
ZERO Sievert	4.8 TF2	$9.65 PayPal
Prehistoric Kingdom	1.5 TF2	$2.93 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	12.6 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$25.09 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	12.71 TF2	$25.29 PP

I Buy Fighting Farmers Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Forager	1.3 TF2	$2.6 PayPal
Stranded Sails - Explorers of the Cursed Islands	0.3 TF2	$0.59 PayPal
Len's Island	4.2 TF2	$8.26 PayPal
Re:Legend	1.1 TF2	$2.13 PayPal
Spirit Of The Island	1.3 TF2	$2.59 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	8.6 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$17.06 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	8.77 TF2	$17.46 PP

I Buy Humble Choice (Jan 2023)	with TF2	with PayPal
Doom Eternal	2.5 TF2	$4.94 PayPal
OlliOlli World Rad Edition	0.3 TF2	$0.53 PayPal
Tribes of Midgard	0.9 TF2	$1.8 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	4.2 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$8.31 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	TBD	TBD

I Buy Best of Boomer Shooters Bundle - Holiday Encore	with TF2	with PayPal
AMID EVIL	0.6 TF2	$1.18 PayPal
Dusk	2.0 TF2	$3.91 PayPal
Forgive me Father	0.2 TF2	$0.45 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	3.2 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$6.33 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	TBD	TBD

I Buy Fantastic Journeys: Middle Earth & Beyond - Holiday Encore	with TF2	with PayPal
Gauntlet™ Slayer Edition	0.3 TF2	$0.5 PayPal
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4	0.4 TF2	$0.79 PayPal
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7	0.6 TF2	$1.11 PayPal
LEGO® The Hobbit™	0.4 TF2	$0.89 PayPal
LEGO Lord of the Rings	0.4 TF2	$0.83 PayPal
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition	0.9 TF2	$1.71 PayPal
Middleearth Shadow of War Definitive Edition	1.2 TF2	$2.37 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	4.7 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$9.37 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	5.78 TF2	$11.5 PP

I Buy LEGO at the Movies Bundle: Holiday Encore	with TF2	with PayPal
LEGO® DC Super-Villains	0.4 TF2	$0.78 PayPal
LEGO® Jurassic World™	0.4 TF2	$0.71 PayPal
LEGO® MARVEL's Avengers	0.4 TF2	$0.78 PayPal
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes	0.3 TF2	$0.57 PayPal
LEGO® Marvel Super Heroes 2	0.7 TF2	$1.34 PayPal
The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame	0.4 TF2	$0.8 PayPal
The LEGO Movie: Videogame	0.2 TF2	$0.41 PayPal
LEGO® Ninjago® Movie Video Game	0.3 TF2	$0.62 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	3.5 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$6.87 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	TBD	TBD

I Buy Best of Stealth Bundle: Holiday Encore	with TF2	with PayPal
Aragami	0.5 TF2	$0.9 PayPal
Hitman Game of the Year Edition	1.3 TF2	$2.61 PayPal
HITMAN™2 Gold Edition	3.1 TF2	$6.16 PayPal
Styx: Shards Of Darkness	0.9 TF2	$1.76 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	6.6 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$13.06 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	6.86 TF2	$13.66 PP

I Buy Ultimate Racing Sim Bundle: Holiday Encore	with TF2	with PayPal
Assetto Corsa Competizione	2.9 TF2	$5.83 PayPal
Assetto Corsa Ultimate Edition	5.0 TF2	$9.93 PayPal
DRIFT21	0.6 TF2	$1.12 PayPal
NASCAR Heat 5 - Ultimate Edition	0.6 TF2	$1.1 PayPal
rFactor 2	3.2 TF2	$6.43 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	7.9 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$15.77 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	8.13 TF2	$16.17 PP

I Buy 2k Megahits Holiday Encore Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Sid Meier's Civilization VI	0.7 TF2	$1.47 PayPal
XCOM: Ultimate Collection	1.2 TF2	$2.42 PayPal
Mafia: Definitive Edition	2.2 TF2	$4.36 PayPal
Duke Nukem Forever Collection	0.3 TF2	$0.52 PayPal
Borderlands 3 Super Deluxe	3.1 TF2	$6.19 PayPal
BioShock Collection	1.1 TF2	$2.18 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	9.8 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$19.59 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	10.35 TF2	$20.59 PP

I Buy The Tactician's Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Phantom Doctrine	0.4 TF2	$0.85 PayPal
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus	0.2 TF2	$0.47 PayPal
Dark Deity	0.4 TF2	$0.85 PayPal
Gears Tactics	4.5 TF2	$8.93 PayPal
The Red Solstice 2: Survivors	0.4 TF2	$0.78 PayPal
Star Renegades	3.0 TF2	$5.94 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	7.3 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$14.48 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	7.48 TF2	$14.88 PP

I Buy Humble Choice (Dec 2022)	with TF2	with PayPal
First Class Trouble	0.6 TF2	$1.12 PayPal
GreedFall	0.8 TF2	$1.54 PayPal
Wasteland 3	1.3 TF2	$2.55 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	3.0 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$5.95 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	TBD	TBD

I Buy Premiere VR Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Arizona Sunshine	2.1 TF2	$4.21 PayPal
After the Fall® - Launch Edition	5.1 TF2	$10.19 PayPal
Vox Machinae	3.4 TF2	$6.78 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	12.2 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$24.21 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	TBD	TBD

I Buy Black Friday VR Voyager's Pack Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Car Mechanic Simulator VR	0.6 TF2	$1.15 PayPal
Cook-Out	0.3 TF2	$0.5 PayPal
I Expect You To Die	1.3 TF2	$2.68 PayPal
Sairento VR	0.2 TF2	$0.43 PayPal
SUPERHOT VR	2.3 TF2	$4.51 PayPal
Until You Fall	0.7 TF2	$1.4 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	6.1 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$12.19 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	6.78 TF2	$13.5 PP

I Buy Complete Your Twin Sails Collection Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Small World	0.3 TF2	$0.64 PayPal
A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Digital Edition	1.4 TF2	$2.78 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	2.0 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$3.91 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	TBD	TBD

I Buy 11 Bit Studios: The Complete Collection Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
This War of Mine: Complete Edition	0.7 TF2	$1.36 PayPal
Children of Morta	0.7 TF2	$1.43 PayPal
Frostpunk	1.0 TF2	$2.07 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	2.8 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$5.55 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	TBD	TBD

I Buy Humble Choice (Nov 2022)	with TF2	with PayPal
Eldest Souls	0.3 TF2	$0.55 PayPal
Hell Let Loose	5.2 TF2	$10.32 PayPal
Roboquest	0.5 TF2	$1.06 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	6.8 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$13.63 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	7.35 TF2	$14.63 PP

I Buy Day of the Devs Bundle (2022)	with TF2	with PayPal
Brutal Legend	0.8 TF2	$1.51 PayPal
Gang Beasts	3.0 TF2	$5.89 PayPal
Psychonauts	0.3 TF2	$0.67 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	4.6 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$9.22 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	5.78 TF2	$11.5 PP

I Buy Melee Mayhem Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Mordhau	1.7 TF2	$3.32 PayPal
MORTAL KOMBAT 11	1.8 TF2	$3.53 PayPal
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl	0.2 TF2	$0.45 PayPal
River City Girls	1.4 TF2	$2.87 PayPal
Chivalry 2	3.7 TF2	$7.45 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	10.1 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$20.14 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	TBD	TBD

I Buy Humble Choice (Oct 2022)	with TF2	with PayPal
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope	1.6 TF2	$3.12 PayPal
DEATHLOOP	2.7 TF2	$5.47 PayPal
Disciples: Liberation	0.3 TF2	$0.53 PayPal
Monster Train	0.5 TF2	$0.92 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	5.8 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$11.47 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	6.78 TF2	$13.5 PP

I Buy Serious Sam Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Serious Sam 3: BFE	1.0 TF2	$1.99 PayPal
Serious Sam 2	0.8 TF2	$1.58 PayPal
Serious Sam 4	4.0 TF2	$7.94 PayPal
Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem	2.3 TF2	$4.51 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	9.2 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$18.31 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	TBD	TBD

I Buy TinyBuild x Versus Evil Smashup Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Hello, Neighbor!	0.5 TF2	$0.91 PayPal
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire	1.0 TF2	$2.07 PayPal
Totally Reliable Delivery Service	0.6 TF2	$1.29 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	2.5 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$4.88 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	TBD	TBD

I Buy Starlight Children's Foundation Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic	0.4 TF2	$0.85 PayPal
Star Wars®: Jedi Knight®: Jedi Academy™	0.3 TF2	$0.58 PayPal
Aliens: Colonial Marines Collection	1.2 TF2	$2.45 PayPal
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast	0.3 TF2	$0.57 PayPal
Day of the Tentacle Remastered	0.4 TF2	$0.88 PayPal
Grim Fandango Remastered	0.5 TF2	$1.09 PayPal
LEGO® Star Wars™: The Force Awakens	0.6 TF2	$1.15 PayPal
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga	0.6 TF2	$1.13 PayPal
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Ultimate Sith Edition	0.6 TF2	$1.27 PayPal
LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars	0.5 TF2	$1.05 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	6.0 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$11.9 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	6.48 TF2	$12.9 PP

I Buy 2K Megahits Bundle	with TF2	with PayPal
Duke Nukem Forever Collection	0.3 TF2	$0.52 PayPal
PGA TOUR 2K21	0.6 TF2	$1.24 PayPal
XCOM: Ultimate Collection	1.2 TF2	$2.42 PayPal
Sid Meier's Civilization VI	0.7 TF2	$1.47 PayPal
Mafia: Definitive Edition	2.2 TF2	$4.36 PayPal
Borderlands 3 Super Deluxe Edition	3.1 TF2	$6.19 PayPal
BioShock Collection	1.1 TF2	$2.18 PayPal
All Games Above (Special)	9.9 TF2 + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games	$19.65 PP + You Keep Any Remaining Bundle Games
Full Bundle (Special)	10.38 TF2	$20.65 PP

 
IGS Rep Page:
https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/ggsaik/fappidydats_igs_rep_page/
 
SteamTrades Rep Page (1000+):
https://www.steamtrades.com/use76561198097671494
 
GameTrade Rep Page:
https://www.reddit.com/GameTradeRep/comments/ggrz1y/fappidydats_gametrade_rep_page/?
 
SGSFlair Rep Page:
https://www.reddit.com/sgsflaicomments/ggag04/flair_profile_ufappidydat/