https://hearthis.at/binar-ps/binar-96-97-drum-n-bass-vinyl-classics-mixtape-020623/
Back to the 1990s again - for me '96 and '97 saw drum n bass reach some kind of maturity - the finished article. Up to this point most tunes were between 160-170 bpm but then a kind of maximum bpm consensus was reached, around 178-180bpm, I can count how many tunes I have over this on one hand, including many thousands of tracks over the last 26 years.
This mix is very much a 4 hour journey - starting with 'dark' tech minimal tunes, then gradually getting more jump up as it flows on. If you don't have the stomach for the darker stuff I suggest you start about 2 hours in and go from there - you'll find the hip hop funk flavored jump up tunes starting there - from the darker stuff to the more cheesy and everything in between.
I tried to play around with scratching for a bit of fun so please bear with me if I'm not up to DMC mix champ standard... the point being that late 90s jump up was based very much on 90's hip hop, and the tempo halved to 85-90 bpm is where hip hop was sitting around this time too.
Anyways, here's the TL below - not definitive by any means - I made the occasional visit to Black Market Records in Soho, London but I was mostly buying acid trance techno in these years as per another mix I uploaded last year - that was what I was playing out so these tunes were more of a sideline - in the early 2000s however drum n bass totally took me over, and has been my main style ever since.
Please stream, DL and tell your mates - enjoy
TL: 1) master a-k : sample warfare part 1 [menace] 2) ed rush : density [metalheadz] 3) future forces inc : point of origin [renegade hardware] 4) ed rush - nico : technology [no u-turn] 5) undercover agent : dub plate circles (remix) [juice records] 6) renegade : midnight '96 [dread recordings] 7) undercover agent : what does it all mean [juice records] 8) unchartered territory : space invaded [penny black] 9) undercover agent : warriors [juice records] 10) untitled dub [mask productions] 11) m.t.s : international [juice records] 12) untitled dub [mask productions] 13) m.t.s : hard disk [juice records] 14) hokusai : 12 till 4 [source direct] 15) dom and roland : prisms [31 records] 16) hokusai : black rose [source direct] 17) embee : get funky in the place [juice records] 18) perfect combination : breakdown [formation] 19) brand new heavy : plastic soul [flex] 20) doc scott : the unofficial ghost [metalheadz] 21) dj trace : mutant revisited [emotif] 22) trace and nico squadron [nu black dub] 23) skyscraper : liberty [emotif] 24) concept 2 : liquid dreams [liftin' spirit] 25) nino brown : activate [phat trax] 26) ray keith : special technique [chronic] 26) nino brown : signal [phat trax] 27) ray keith : round 2 [chronic] 28) just jungle : anarchist [phat trax] 29) ray keith : who the hell am i [chronic] 30) i.q collective : a.p.b [trouble on vinyl] 31) mikey james : from da east [east side] 32) i.q collective : mode 1 [trouble on vinyl] 33) aphrodite : dub moods [aphrodite recordings] 34) fate : get the formula [east side] 35) afro kid : shooks [chronic] 36) dj rap : phaze 1 - special k remix [lowkey] 37) facs : timesout - remix [smokers inc] 38) dj rap : come forth - special k remix [lowkey] 39) under the influence : finished [influential] 40) dj rap : hardstep [proper talent] 41) dj zinc : pranksters [true playaz] 42) micky finn and aphrodite : drop top caddy [urban takeover] 42) dj zinc : reach out [true playaz] 43) e.p.s & 2-vibe feat. dj mark : hype the funk [urban takeover] 44) shy fx : call wait [ebony records] 45) the prisoners of technology : total control [fresh kutt dub] 46) shy fx : the message [dub] 47) the prisoners of technology : battle master [fresh kutt dub] 48) tommy ill : da nine 7 - dj ron remix [pimp] 49) the prisoners of technology : breakdance - flexin limbs mix [fresh kutt dub] 50) wriggler : nu lick [upfront records] 51) dj zinc : it's like that [front line records] 52) mask : you rang [dope dragon] 53) dope skillz : no diggidy [true playaz] 54) mask : better world [dope dragon] 55) keen : the battle frontier - keen remix [formation] 56) freestyles : learn from the mistakes of the past [true playaz] 57) special k : the system [trouble on vinyl] 58) freestyles : play the game [true playaz] 59) special k : danger [trouble on vinyl] 60) aphrodite and tony b : music's hypnotizing [aphrodite recordings] 61) aphrodite : style from the dark side [aphrodite recordings] 62) aphrodite and qed : woman that rolls [aladdin] 63) aphrodite and tony b : king of the beats [aphrodite recordings] 64) dj die : play it for me - remix [v recordings] 65) the dream team : fresh [joker] 66) blaze and venom : the professional [chronic] 67) roni size : it's jazzy - felix road remix [v recordings] 68) blaze and venom : that's right [chronic] 69) roni size : brown paper bag [mercury records] 70) dj hype feat. mc fats : please love & unity [true playaz] 71) firefox and suvivor : back out of dis [philly blunt] 72) dj hype : and remember folks [true playaz] 72) unknown artist : kartoons vol 1 - text side [kartoons] 73) swabe : uno dos tres [dope dragon] 74) the prisoners of technology : true born - vip mix [fresh kutt] 75) swabe : will o' the wisp [dope dragon] 76) the prisoners of technology : push da button - fresh mix [fresh kutt] 77) dj hype : plague that never ends [true playaz] 78) the scarecrow : tuttifruiti [joker] 79) dj zinc : on fire tonight - remix [ganja records] 80) natural born chillers : rip da cut [urban takeover] 81) b-jam : col' rock stuff [smokers inc] 82) natural born chillers : rock the funky beat [urban takeover] 83) dj zinc : super sharp shooter - original mix [true playaz] 84) rude and deadly : give me a dubplate - 97 remix [smokers inc]

Hello everyone! I'm looking for beta readers or a critique partner for a novel I'm working on currently. It’s not completed yet, but what I have so far is the introduction into the series and I want to see how well it works with readers. This is my first official work although I've written other manuscripts before. This novel has gone through a lot of edits. I'm looking to iron out the final kinks in the story so far so I can fix any issues and get started on the rest of the story. My plan is to create a whole series so I would say think of this part as the introduction before the main story.
Summary:
With his village plagued by a deadly disease known as the white plague, Kazone Marlock, along with his cousin Karen and villager Rai, embark on a mission to find a cure. Immune to the disease themselves, they are sent by their village elders to find a cure to the untreatable disease. Their journey takes a supernatural turn when Kazone encounters a celestial apparition—a Taurus of the zodiac—who tasks him with retrieving magical and powerful shards scattered across the globe in exchange for healing his afflicted people.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, 15-year-old Eva Sauburn's life takes an unexpected turn when she is attacked by a rogue treasure hunter. Saved by her long-lost grandfather, Elric, Eva discovers her unique ability to destroy powerful and mysterious ancient shards. Learning of her fugitive terrorist father's involvement and convinced by her grandfather about the reasons to destroy the powerful shards Eva sets out on a journey with her grandfather to uncover the truth and confront the adversaries who seek the ancient shards.
As Kazone and Eva along with their perspective comrades traverse a treacherous world, they encounter powerful allies and dangerous foes, including renowned monster hunters, corrupt officials, and enigmatic treasure seekers. Unbeknownst to them, the shadowy antagonist Stavick, driven by revolutionary ideas, seeks to collect the shards for his own purposes and has amassed a formidable following. The race to retrieve the shards becomes a high-stakes battle, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Amid conflicting emotions and the seductive allure of the shards, the protagonists must navigate their own personal struggles and confront the darkness within themselves. As their paths intertwine, Kazone, and Eva will face formidable challenges, testing their strength, resolve, and unwavering bonds. The journey will reveal hidden truths, shape their destinies, and determine the fate of their world.
In this epic tale of adventure, danger, and self-discovery, the protagonists must overcome their pasts, confront their deepest fears, and ultimately choose between succumbing to the darkness or emerging as the heroes their world desperately needs.
Feedback: I am looking for any type of feedback, positive, negative, constructive, anything that’ll help me craft a better story and become a better writer. Feedback on the plot, or character even motivations and goals literally anything and everything. If you have a thought at all please just let me know. I really appreciate harsh critiques so don’t think you're hurting my feelings or being offensive. Please ask any questions, let me know any comments or concerns. Swaps: I am really down for swaps, i would definitely love to read your work if you're interested in swapping. My story is a YA Fantasy novel, but I'm still down to read anything you have to offer. I'm free for the next few months so I have a lot of free time to read.
For anyone interested, here is the first 10 pages: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WboRZtfbKD5\_3XopfwJ4\_beDZzeqKujP-Rheh4YRAaA/edit?usp=sharing

I hope this is the right place and someone can tell me what may have been going on in my village. I moved here a few weeks ago. It's a small village in the heart of Russia and my parents and I came here because things start to get really bad in Moscow and my father lost his job. I don't know why we had to move to this isolated village, so far away from civilization. Maybe my parents wanted peace and quiet? To escape the things in that city, the poisoned minds?
The houses here had all been far below average in price. Almost everyone who lives here has moved here recently.
But, there are crazy rumors about this village that people tell each other. It was found abandoned in the mid-nineties. Where everyone went, no one knows. They say that no signs of people were found at all, nothing. But... everywhere in and around the village… strange patches of earth had been discovered, circular and smooth. Not only in the forest or on the road, but also in the dilapidated wooden houses. At our new neighbors' house, one of the mysterious spots had supposedly been found right in the living room floor, where the floorboards had been just cut away.
These rumors scare me. I am afraid of this village. But yesterday... I was redoing the floor in my room with my father and there... I found a notebook under the old boards. I hid it from my father, I don't know why... Someone must have left it there.
Last night... that's when I read it. I read it and now I'm incredibly afraid of this house and this village. Of the fields and the woods that surround me. The notebook apparently belonged to someone called Ilya Vasiliev. I have tried to translate what he wrote, hoping that someone here can help me find an explanation for the rumors. For this uneasy feeling that I have since I moved here...
***********
I am fine. I want that to be clear from the beginning. My story is strange and in huge parts troubling, but I am still in the best state of mental health.
I am fine!
My story begins seven months ago, in December 1979, when deep winter was upon our village. We were preparing for Christmas, the first Christmas to be celebrated publicly throughout the village, after years of having to practice our faith in secret because the Soviet government did not allow religions. Only in the last few years did the Reds' view loosen and they allowed small islands of faith. One of them was my village, which finally dared to celebrate and praise the Lord.
I have been a believer all twenty years of my life, an exemplary Christian, just like my parents. Faith had kept our family line alive in times of terror and misery. Death had always been close to us, as the fields where most of the population of our village had worked for generations had once brought the end of hundreds of people. Many years ago, on those fields, atrocities had occurred that had finally given them their present name: The Fields of Death.
I myself had not been born back then, not by a long shot, but my grandparents had spent their childhood there, a childhood full of hunger and depravity. My grandfather Fomenko often told me and my sister the stories he had experienced and how faith had saved everyone. There had been a long, cold winter and the grain had been confiscated by the government to be taken to the cities for distribution. After all, the grain belonged to all the people, not just those on the farms who planted it, tended to it, and harvested it. And so, the only food of that time left my grandfather's village and never came back. Some of his neighbors had once tried to hold back some grain, to hide some sacks, but when they were caught, a hail of bullets determined their fate. People lived in fear, not daring to stop working, not daring to keep for themselves the food that was destined for the common good. In those days, horrors happened in my village that I cannot truly picture today, not even when I hear my grandfather's usually clear voice begin to tremble. When I see in his eyes that he would rather forget, in order to experience a peaceful sleep once again… someday.
He told us about those horrors to warn us of how quickly life can plunge from safety into infinite terror. Winter had reigned. The grain was being hauled away. They still shot all those who tried to keep back pieces of it, be it a sack or some husks that had fallen from a cart. In time, hunger began to drive people in our village insane. Parents locked up their children so they wouldn't be taken by neighbors to feed their hunger. Friends turned their backs on each other and killed each other in fights for the last livestock that was still breathing. The streets reeked of decay and death, of misery and suffering. One day, my grandfather told us, he had hidden in the back room of his house while his parents dragged themselves, emaciated, to the fields to pick the last scraps of grain from the furrows with their dirty, half-frozen fingers. He had come across a book there, a book that had saved his life.
The word of God. An old Bible.
My grandfather had learned to read at an early age, one of the sad advantages of living in the Soviet Union.
It was in the room I now live in that Grandfather Fomenko had found the dusty book. Actually, he had been looking for something to eat, the days before he had found some sawdust. But despite his hunger and the grumbling in his stomach, eating the book was out of the question. Books were sacred, and no book as sacred as this one. He had begun to read and learned about the greatness of the Lord. Of the miracles his Son had performed. And of the magic of faith. His stomach had growled, but he had ignored it. The words gave him comfort.
The next day he immersed himself in the book again, disappearing into better worlds and times, hearing wisdom and encouragement. But around noon there was a knock at the door. My grandfather emphasized each time that he had not been afraid, that he had known that the Lord would protect him, when the old neighbor gained entrance to our house armed with a cleaver. It was clear what he wanted: Meat. My grandfather told us each time about how the neighbor had looked more undead than human, stinking and with sunken eyes, smelling like death from his mouth, the cleaver trembling in his hand.
"I'm sorry, boy," was all the man could get out.
My grandfather tried to mimic this poor man’s voice at the end of his wits, to express his pain through words so that we understood that poor fellow a little.
The Lord's words had given courage to my grandfather in his most terrible moments. He had stood up and firmly said:
"Away with you, the Lord protects the inhabitants of this house!"
But the intruder did not care, coming closer. And so, my grandfather again sought comfort and prayed. He prayed for mercy and peace and for his life. He would serve the Lord for the rest of his days. Trust Him blindly.
Suddenly, like a gruesome miracle, the famished intruder let out an inhuman groan and collapsed, lifeless and debilitated. There had been no hunger for my grandfather and his family for a week after that. My grandfather had been praying to the Lord since that day, thanking Him for His mercy. The story spread around the village and out of desperation or hope, in the next few days everyone secretly knelt in front of small wooden crosses they had made themselves and prayed to the Lord. A week later, like a miracle, the long-awaited delivery of grain arrived, along with spring. There had not been another bad time since then.
These events are the reason for the faith in our village... and our family. The psalm my grandfather had prayed as the hungry neighbor attacked had become the guiding psalm of our faith. All these years we had not been able to celebrate Christmas with the other families, but since the restrictions on faith communities had been relaxed, we had all finally decided to celebrate the holy festival in the village square. And so, we started the preparations.
There, in those evening hours, my part of the story begins. I and my younger sister Zarina, together with other youths and young adults, were fetching wood for the fire that was to burn in the center of our village. So, we went out into the night, dressed with thick pelts, to fetch logs from the edge of the fields that some men had prepared.
My breath could be seen as an icy breeze in the dawning darkness and I was already looking forward to dancing around the fire with everyone later, drinking good drinks and eating sumptuously. I was glad that we didn't have to walk across the fields themselves, but could stroll along their edge to get the logs.
You can feel death when it has hit a place. I was glad that I didn't have to work the fields myself, and had learned the carpentry trade. Therefore, I was spared from having to wander around there every day, among the echoes of past atrocities and sadness.
We were all in good spirits, strolling over the muddy ground, when all at once Zarina pointed up and into the clear night sky.
"Look, an angel is descending!" she exclaimed excitedly.
We all looked to where her outstretched hand pointed. A round light glowed in the night sky, glaring yellowish and shining strangely cold.
"It's singing! At Christmas! The Lord puts our feast under his sign!" Zarina cried.
We stopped and listened into the silence of the night. At first, I could hear nothing, at first, everything remained quiet, and only the distant beating of axes and the rustling of the wind in the treetops were audible.
But then, there in the wind, I could hear it, briefly but clearly. It was a kind of melodic whisper, joyful, yet also strange and otherworldly. It was heard only very briefly, and soon died away as the glow flew out of sight and disappeared somewhere far away.
"Let's go find the angel! Let's..." Zarina cried, continuing excitedly, but I interrupted her.
"We have to get the wood. We can report back to the village later, if it hasn't already been noticed there too," I said.
"You heard the singing! Surely that was an angel. Shall we leave it there? It may have gotten hurt, it must have hit something!" Sasha murmured.
Sasha was my oldest friend and one of the boys who worked on the fields. He had always been very caring and had always tried to help where he could. His parents were long dead and the old lady who had raised him was no longer around, either. So, he struggled along, working the fields, but the rest of us looked out for him.
"Shouldn't we go and look for it, Ilya?", Sasha continued to urge me anxiously.
We thought about it for a long time but decided to leave the decision to the others in the village. Trusting the Lord to guide our actions, we quickly moved on in the direction of the woodcutters to complete our task.
We were not the only ones who had seen the glow. When we returned to the village square loaded with logs, everyone was in great excitement and full of joy that the Lord had sent us this sign of His greatness. Not everyone agreed whether it was an angel or a return of the poinsettia that had been witnessed, but everyone was sure that the Lord had sent us encouragement. So, we celebrated our first Christmas full of joy and pleasure, with good food, dancing and singing, full of happiness and under the protection of the Almighty Lord. I will always think back to those days, always keep in my heart how I glimpsed a part of the Lord in the sky.
We all talked about the event and even the older people were fascinated and inspired. Even my grandfather and the others who had witnessed the worst death and misery in the world seemed to slowly find a spiritual peace they would never have dreamed of otherwise. They were happy and strengthened in their faith. However, we were not sure if it had really been an angel who had come down and so we hesitated to go and look for the creature of God.
But in the night, after the light had shone in the sky, I was awakened by Zarina crying in her sleep. I straightened up and slowly paced over to her bed, where in the semi-darkness she began to squirm, shaken by spasms.
"No, no, no..." she moaned painfully.
I began to shake her to wake her up. Zarina did not respond to me. Her face was like a distorted mask hiding something bad underneath. Her breathing became shallow, and she began to whimper. I was terrified and began to pray. The Lord had to save her, He just had to save her!
Zarina twitched more and more, started coughing and whimpering louder and louder. Slowly, the rest of the family woke up and my parents and grandfather huddled tightly around her, praying for her to open her eyes.
"Please, don't take our child! She has only been in your world for fourteen years..." my father cried, as panicked and desperate as I had ever seen before.
His thick, black mustache trembled with fear.
Then, abruptly, Zarina stopped convulsing.
For a terrible moment she just lay there, her hair disheveled, her face pale in the glow of the candle my mother held over her.
"Mom, Dad, Ilya, Grandpa... what's wrong?" she suddenly asked sleepily.
For a moment it was as if nothing had happened, as if I hadn't just seen my sister almost die, but then she began to cry.
"What's wrong, dear?" my father asked, just as pale in the face as Zarina.
It took a while before she found some calm and was able to talk to us.
Finally, she croaked:
"I saw the angel. I was with him."
A revelation? Had the Lord touched my sister?
We all said another prayer and finally, filled with awe, I asked:
"Where did you see the angel? Is it here? With us?"
She looked at me briefly, seemed to hesitate for a little moment, and then reported:
"I was with it… in a dream. It was in a white village, a village made of angel dust. I saw it. It didn't have wings and that's why at first I wasn't sure if it was an angel. However, soon it spoke to me."
"What did it say, Zarina?", I asked tensely.
"It said it was not God, but 'the Witness'. It sounded like a man and a woman and a child and a baby and... It felt peaceful. Calm and carefree. Then I woke up."
"An angel. Angels are the witnesses of God, that's how it must be!" my father said enthusiastically.
Suddenly, everyone seemed to be talking at once.
No one knew what Zarina's words meant, but we were sure that they contained something incomprehensible that we, as ordinary people, could not understand. But everyone was delighted. Everyone was caught in a beautiful dream.
The next day, the adults sat together in the large barn near the edge of the village, which was used for community events. Most of them found seats on the lined up wooden benches and the rest stood crowded against the old walls, some of which were already rotten. Dimitri, probably the closest thing to a mayor, sat at a heavy pine table at the end of the room, staring at the crowd, while my parents and Zarina sat on old chairs in front of him. Tensely, the crowd looked at them, waiting for someone to say something. Finally, Dimitri cleared his throat thoughtfully.
"You... all saw or heard about the falling star. It was brighter than the others that keep crossing our sky and much more... melodic. Some even heard the singing. Whoever still doubted that the Lord sent us his messenger... doubts are now useless. Zarina has received a vision. She has seen how the angel, who was sent by God, walked on our earth, and visited a village and consecrated it with its grace. She has seen the angel marching to spread holiness in these lands..."
"Are we sure?"
Mary, the dressmaker, had stood up. She was still young, my age and Sasha's, and she always wore her blond hair carefully braided, her dresses self-made, blood red and flashy, with silver embroidery. As always, she wore makeup - a luxury not many could afford. In other places she would have been considered a lady, but she was also a skeptical person, and I had not liked her very much since childhood, because she often made insinuations that seemed to go against the Lord. Also, she had never played with us outside and had always thought of herself as someone… better. I was shocked that she now so obviously doubted the Lord's actions.
"Mary. Zarina has seen a vision. The Lord spoke to her through her dreams! An angel has joined us. How can you deny it?" my father asked coldly.
"I'm not denying it, I'm just saying, what if there is something dark that the angel was sent to fight? What if it is going into battle against some unknown evil? The angel may be spreading sanctities, but we have no idea if it is trying to redeem us or defend us..."
"It said it was a witness of God," I noted.
"That's what Zarina said when she woke up."
"Then it is benevolent to us! We must find it!" someone shouted from one of the back rows.
An excited murmur began to spread through the room.
"Silence!" Dimitri thundered.
His face looked hard but determined.
"We have to get to it! If it is a message from heaven that the angel wants to bring us, we must hear it! How many can we spare? Who would even want to voluntarily leave the village? We don't know how long the journey will be, and you yourselves know how dangerous this area can be..."
A loud commotion broke out. Everyone shouted at once and volunteered. I also jumped up and loudly offered to go out to look for it.
The angel. The Witness of the Lord.
I imagined meeting it in a clearing, under a full moon. Hearing its bright voice, gaze in awe at its graceful form, and fall to my knees in prayer before it.
"SILENCE!" Dimitri shouted.
"You can't all go. The kids wouldn't make it in the deadly cold out there. Let seven go. Seven is the Lord's number, there must be seven! Seven workers from the fields! We can't spare any more!"
"You can't be serious!" I cried out.
Cold anger boiled up inside me.
"I want to go, too. We all want to. You can't just stand there and make a decision like that!"
Others joined in.
"SILENCE," Alexeij now thundered, the master blacksmith.
"We need you! Daniil, Ilya, Nikita, you have a job to do! We can't get by without you! You can't go, be reasonable!"
"But if the Lord wills it, he will make sure that everything here will work out. That nothing will happen!", I tried to argue, still boiling with anger.
"No. Winter is tugging at our huts, we need you," my father said slowly.
"So do the others. Without you, it's going to be tight. The fields lie under the snow, but everything else will be weakened by time and storms. We can only spare the field hands. Besides, they're the ones most likely to withstand the cold and the wilderness; after all, they're constantly out on the Fields of Death, toiling in the wind and rain. They'll all make the trip!"
I tried to change his mind, and several came to my aid, all those who were also forced to stay.
"You can manage without a dressmaker! I want to go too!" Mary cried defiantly, her cheeks red with anger, her nose wrinkled.
This young woman really believed she deserved the sight of the angel! She really believed her hypocrisies would deceive the Lord, despite her obvious doubts about His divinity!
Others also complained, young and old, many who didn't deserve to go and even those who did.
But it didn't help.
Dimitri was in charge. Everyone knew that. If we started to contradict him, our village would soon end up in chaos. And deep down I knew that I had to stay. That I had to take care of my sister, who would not survive a trip in the snow. That I had to repair the huts that the storms would eat away at.
Sasha was a field worker, he was allowed to go. Sasha and Sofia, Anatoly and old Igor, Ivan and Yulia and Mikhail. When the decision was made, a decision many of us accepted only with heavy hearts and which brought out deep envy in several faces, some of the chosen ones began to cry. They were happy, fulfilled... satisfied. They would see the messenger of the Lord, hear its melodious voice, sing its hymns.
Why wasn't I allowed to go? Why was the world so unfair? I had always believed in the Lord, prayed to Him, been subject to Him and lived according to His will. Why hadn't he chosen me to see his messenger? I had been so proud back when I had been allowed to learn the carpenter's trade and thus had not to go to the Fields of Death to toil there. At that time, I had felt like someone better when I saw Sasha and Sofia setting out early in the morning with all the other workers, with their old-fashioned plows and thick, shabby clothes.
Was this the punishment for my arrogance?
The Lord knew everything. He had seen what repulsive thoughts I had had, how superior I had felt to the others. Perhaps it was my punishment that I was not allowed to go. Perhaps the Lord was no longer favorable to me and I would have to prove myself to Him.
The next day, the seven set out north. They were seen off with singing and dancing; they were the center of the village’s attention. Envy threatened to drown me.
Why not me? Why wasn't I allowed to go? Why did I have to stay here?
And I knew: it was because of these thoughts. I wasn't pure enough. I had to get better, work on myself.
As the others disappeared from sight, as the small group seemed to be swallowed up by a patch of forest between distant trees, an icy chill ran down my spine.
What if they really did encounter evil? What if Mary had been right?
I prayed to the Lord that they would return home safely: Even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
He would bring them home safely, our pilgrims. I did not begrudge them their happiness. I was not a selfish person, was not complacent like Mary or some others in the village. I lived by the word of the Lord and I would not begrudge them.
They would all return home safely.
I continued to stare into the distance for a long time as my suppressed envy sought to consume me. But I was winning.
For darkness is as light to you.
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Even though the days and weeks passed, I never forgot to think of all those who had set out to witness the glory of the Lord. The cold winter had passed and frost and cold left the land, so that soon we could begin to prepare the fields for sowing. Since the sighting of the angel had caused us to let some of the farm workers leave, and they stayed away longer than we had expected, I had to join others in helping to plow the Fields of Death. The work was exhausting and made me physically very tired, since I still had to work in the carpenter's shop as well. We could not afford tractors, so we still had to resort to older tools. So, it happened that one day I was driving one of the hand plows through the dirty ground and was lost in my thoughts and full of sweat.
I was quite far away from the village, as the nearby surroundings had been worked shortly after the beginning of the thaw. The fields were extensive, partly reaching further than the eye could see. Only in one direction the dense forest extended, which introduced the beginning of a dark hilly landscape, that finally merged northward into high, alien mountains, whose white peaks rose high into the sky and, like once the tower of Babel, blasphemously tried to penetrate the heavens. But next to these distant giants there was only the plain, the vast plain that had to be tilled.
I hated the field work. And I hated the fields.
Every time I even thought about this piece of hell that had become reality long ago, my stomach turned. All the events that clung to this dark place, all the human lives and suffering that had sown the ground with death and blood here many years ago....
It was even worse when you stood in the fields yourself, truly being there on your own. It was as if I could smell it in the air, the rot of the starving and the hot blood that had watered the soil. It was as if I could still hear in the air the cries and wailing of the people who had met their end here, who had pleaded for their lives and the lives of their children and friends. It was as if I could see them in the early morning fog banks that lay on the Fields of Death, the shadows of people past, crawling and cowering, weak and starved. I had to pull myself together and look away, into the forest. A place does not forget, a place always remembers the days gone by and the cries that had been.
The plow pulled through the ground, ripping a furrow behind it. It was almost a bit comforting to imagine I was gutting this place of horror with my labor, inflicting deep wounds. Hypnotized, I stared down over and over again, watching the ground swirl to one side, smelling the fresh earth being pushed to the surface. But never could I escape my terrible feelings and the forebodings, never could I forget what kind of place I was at.
The few times I looked to the forest beside me, my thoughts wandered enviously to all those who had set out to find the angel. Had they reached it yet? Had they already learned from it what needed to be done for God's power on earth to be strengthened so that false prophets and promises could be swept away? How to drown the selfishness of the state? What needed to be done to serve the Lord?
Oh, how I would have loved to be there! How I would have loved to go with them, but I also understood the decision not to send everyone, and I understood my family's objections. I was needed here. I could serve the Lord here by tilling the fields and taking care of the soil and the sowing. I had to care for my sister.
I had already made several furrows when noon came. The sun was almost not visible, just a murky spot behind the clouds, and the fog had not lifted either. The world looked pale and apathetic. But amongst all the desolation I could suddenly hear something, something that seemed to come out of the forest.
It was at first just like a rustling in the wind that sounded a bit too regular, such that it triggered a natural uneasiness in me. I looked into the forest, but could hardly make out anything through the dense plants and the still lingering fog. That is why it was left to my own thoughts to imagine what was there, what was producing this strange noise.
I could not remember any animal that made similar sounds, was at a loss.
Suddenly, a bang echoed through the forest, accompanied by a panicked scream that broke inhumanly from the trees and spread across the fields.
Then, something new joined the sounds in the air.
The trees and bushes rustled, almost seemed to be torn apart.
Something was running through the forest, something seemed to be... coming right at me.
Was it perhaps a startled bear, an elk, or a wild boar?
Had one of the hunters from the village accidentally startled an animal, scared it in the wrong direction and now wanted to warn us with their cry? But then, why this panicked sound...?
I paused, took my hands off the rusty handles of the plow, and turned toward the forest. Still, I could only see fog, I could only hear rustling, but slowly I could also make out grunts and groans coming to me from the fog. It sounded heavy and panic-stricken.
Was I in danger? I began to pray to the Lord and ask him for assistance. I was not a fighter and so I had to hope that nothing would reach me from the depths between the trees that could easily tear me apart.
Even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
My baptismal motto gave me courage. The Lord saw me, even in my darkness, and would be with me.
For darkness is as light to you.
Then, someone burst out of the bushes and the fog and rushed toward me.
It was Sasha.
I almost didn't recognize him. His skin was pale, almost snow-white. His black hair stuck to his sweaty face. His pants and jacket were almost completely torn, so I could see his dirty shirt and his cut and bruised legs through the holes. There were also some small cuts on his face that worried me. Sasha's eyes twitched searchingly, panicked, and in his hand, he held the rifle that he had taken with him when he had once set out. Apparently, he had run through brush and thorns, had gotten scrapes and wounds from stones and branches.
When he saw me and looked at me with his big, panic-filled eyes, I became horridly afraid.
It was as if… behind his eyes there was no Sasha anymore, but only an animal. As if instinct had taken over his thoughts when an unnamable terror had entered his world. An animal inside him, which had enabled him to escape from... something.
Sasha staggered out of the forest, it was almost as if all strength left him now that he was back home. The rifle fell from his hand and dug into the mud beneath his feet. He limped slowly toward me, not taking his eyes off me. Then, suddenly, he wheeled around and looked back into the forest and the mist.
Only for a moment.
Again, he let out a shrill scream and sprinted the last few meters. When I looked into the forest myself, I saw nothing, only the fog.
But, didn't I feel a presence there, in the bushes? Between the trees?
I didn't see anything.
Sasha had reached me and collapsed. I quickly knelt down next to him and called for help. But the other field workers had already rushed over, obviously attracted by the rifle shot. I was in a trance, seeing only Sasha lying there, supporting his head. His eyes were still twitching around and despite my proximity he didn't seem to recognize me. He looked at me, confused.
"Sasha, what happened?", I asked, feeling his forehead.
Despite his paleness, he was uncomfortably hot.
A fever raged in his body. Who knew how long he had been running around there among the trees, his protective, warming jacket torn? With wounds that had not been tended and some of which were still bleeding?
Then another horrible thought occurred to me.
"Sasha, where are the others? Sasha, where are the others?"
This question apparently brought back some clarity that his gaze had not possessed before.
"They... they took them. Took all of them... All of them. All our brothers, all our sisters... all of them," he gurgled.
*********
So, this is the first part of what I found. I will hurry to translate the rest! But I will definitely stay out of the woods for now... They are still as creepy as described by Ilya in this document and fog ist still around every morning... Also, I don't know what to make of Ilya himself as well, is he just a religious nut and that is the explanation? I just don't know...

Link to the previous D3D pinned thread
We know that this will conflict with the release of Act 4, Ch 2 Pt 1 chapter, but we believe in doing our part in this protest, especially since in the end we are a mobile-based subreddit.
If you need help with the event, I ask that you check the guides and such posted by our amazing community members beforehand or jump in on our Discord Server.
Feel free to use this post to discuss this subject.

What's going on?

A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface .
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.

What's the plan?

On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.

What can you do as a user?

• Complain. Message the mods of /reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
  
• Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join the coordinated mod effort at /ModCoord.
  
• Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
  
• Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.
  

What can you do as a moderator?

• Join the coordinated effort over at /ModCoord
  
• Make a sticky post showing your support, A template has been created here you can use or modify to your liking, and be sure to crosspost it to /ModCoord.
  

Thank you for your patience in the matter,
-Mod Team

See more information here: https://www.reddit.com/Save3rdPartyApps/comments/13yh0jf/dont_let_reddit_kill_3rd_party_apps
This subreddit will be joining in the 2 day protest (Jun 12 & 13) of Reddit's API changes that will essentially kill all 3rd party Reddit apps.
What's going on?
A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface .
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.
What's the plan?
On June 12th, ANC will go dark for 2 days as a private sub. We will add a message to our description stating the reason and duration. The mods can be contacted to add users to view the posts and stickies, so we can continue to provide information to those that need it. But we will go dark on Jun 12 12am until Jun 13 11:59pm EST (times approximate). We will also start a discord discussion group so those that need information can find it there. As soon as we setup the server and populate it with a welcome message and necessary accoutrements, we'll post the invite link here and in the sub description.
On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.
What can you do as a user?
• Complain. Message the mods of /reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
• Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join the coordinated mod effort at /ModCoord.
• Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
• Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.
What can you do as a moderator?
• Join the coordinated effort over at /ModCoord
• Make a sticky post showing your support, A template has been created here you can use or modify to your liking, and be sure to crosspost it to /ModCoord.
Thank you for your patience in the matter,

• Mod Team

Hello! I enjoy video games! I’m actually going to start streaming mainly all horror games! As they are my favorite. I do play others such as stardew, RE, we happy few, cod and many more! Although games I DONT play are apex, Fortnite, Minecraft, league or Val so please do not ask. (Kindly) I enjoy the outdoors, and I love art! I don’t have a specific kind that I like that I just enjoy viewing it! I am a cat mama of two, closest thing I will have to a child. I am in the Est and it’s getting to be summer time!
So that means hiding more indoors because I don’t wanna burn but I enjoy watching John Wolfe and such. He’s actually been a big inspiration for my streaming and I can be a bit shy at first but please come on down! I have a dark sense of humor and don’t get offended easily just don’t be a creep and we will get along great! Now I don’t bite..much

This subreddit will be joining in on the June 12th-14th protest of Reddit's API changes that will essentially kill all 3rd party Reddit apps.

What's going on?

A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface .
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.

What's the plan?

On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.

What can you do as a user?

• Complain. Message the mods of /reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
  
• Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join the coordinated mod effort at /ModCoord.
  
• Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
  
• Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.
  

What can you do as a moderator?

• Join the coordinated effort over at /ModCoord
  
• Make a sticky post showing your support, A template has been created here you can use or modify to your liking, and be sure to crosspost it to /ModCoord.
  

Thank you for your patience in the matter,
-Mod Team

Obligatory pic of my favorite piece of art from this place: https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ENCHANTED-FOREST-13-1672x1254.jpg
The place has been in the news pretty recently, and it made me think of when I originally discovered urban exploring. The days of LIOddities and one-off blogs. Just post "Wild West" internet days. It made me remember a certain blog that I had come across. It was a photographer's blog, and she was somewhat interested in urban exploration, and had visited The Enchanted Forest.
She took great pictures of the place and had edited/exposed them in a way that made it look very dark, but highlighted the picture's subject matter. One of my favorite pictures was of the whale in the link above.
I would periodically check back on her blog and find more beautiful pictures she had taken, but her Enchanted Forest ones were always my favorite. And one day, I checked on the blog, and there was a post, but it wasn't from her - it was from her heartbroken husband. This was because after a battle with cancer, the photographer had passed away. The site was however, left up, and I'd go back there occasionally.
I so wish I could remember the name of the blog - it was something along the lines of "after dark" or "dark dreams" or something to that effect. I can no longer find it. I don't know if this is because it eventually got taken down, or if my lack of name is hurting my chances, or the fact that back then, her site was one of the only ones to feature the Enchanted Forest pictures in its abandoned state, and that nowadays, there are tons of articles and photoblogs with pictures burying it in search results. Does anyone remember this blog? I'd love to see it again.

What's going on?

A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface .
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.

What's the plan?

On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.
What can you do?

1. Complain. Message the mods of reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message u/reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
2. Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join us at our sister sub at ModCoord.
3. Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
4. Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.

Further reading
https://www.reddit.com/Save3rdPartyApps/comments/13yh0jf/dont_let_reddit_kill_3rd_party_apps/
https://www.reddit.com/apolloapp/comments/13ws4w3/had_a_call_with_reddit_to_discuss_pricing_bad/
https://old.reddit.com/ModCoord/comments/1401qw5/incomplete_and_growing_list_of_participating/
https://www.reddit.com/SubredditDrama/comments/1404hwj/mods_of_rblind_reveal_that_removing_3rd_party/
https://www.reddit.com/redditdev/comments/13wsiks/api_update_enterprise_level_tier_for_large_scale/jmolrhn/?context=3
edit: Open Letter regarding API pricing

So, some time ago I made a text-based game: https://adeptus7.itch.io/dominion
"Dominion of Darkness” is a RPG/strategy text game in which the player takes on the role of a Sauron-style Lord of Darkness with the goal of conquering the world. He will carry out his plans by making various decisions. He will build his army and send it into battles, weave intrigues and deceptions, create secret spy networks and sectarian cults, recruit agents and commanders, corrupt representatives of Free Peoples and sow discord among them, collect magical artifacts and perform sinister plots.
And now I am thinking about making something more original - version for two people, playing hot-seat like it he Heroes of Might and Magic. So - one person reads his paragraph, makes decision, transfers computers to second person etc. One person would be Lord of Darkness, second leader of the Free People. Decisions of one person would have impact on the story of the sceond person.
I think it is fun concept, it would enable a game of intrigue and deception of the enemy.... The problem is that I'm not sure people would be interested in something like that. It would be more difficult to play than interactive fiction for one person, for obvious reasons. That's why I want to ask gamers - if You would be interested in such game? Would You play something like that? It is it worthy developing?

1. Complain. Message the mods of /reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post. 2. Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join us at our sister sub at /ModCoord- but please don’t pester mods you don’t know by simply spamming their modmail. 3. Boycott and spread the word…to Reddit’s competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support! 4. Don’t be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible. 

Captain Khan of the UNISG second task force leaned on a windowsill and sighed. In the building ahead, the large greyish white apartment block, their enemy laid low somewhere. The famed stalker Strelok, who had been assigned as Khan's bounty target by his employers. When UNISG, the original one led by Major Hernandez, was liquidated, to Khan's dismay they had uncovered very little actual information he needed. But Strelok? He had been an advisor for official Ukrainian state researchers, and if the stories were true, he knew more about it than anyone else. Capturing him would be a jackpot, and Khan desperately needed one. His unit was a mere shadow of its former self, the blasted Redeemed had killed so many of his men, even his second-in-command Clarke had died in those reed-covered swamps by the crimson-armoured bastards.
Not that Khan really cared. Only Clarke and Bauer had been long-time co-workers of his, pushing along the Belt and Road initiative in Central Asia and dealing with potential hiccups in a very subtle ways, or running heavy-handed security on the mines owned by their benefactors in Asia. But neither was someone he considered a friend, in this line of work such was rare, and Khan was here merely to make money. The rewards were astronomical, but trapped here in an empty city, their allies having abandoned them and no clear way out even if Strelok was caught, Khan was beginning to wonder if those rewards were worth all this.
His clients wanted to gather as much information of the Zone and possibly blackmail Ukrainian authorities into co-operation, but every passing day a successful mission seemed less likely. Still, Khan was not one to give in so easily, he would see the mission through out of sheer boneheaded determination. Growing up in the vast and harsh Mongol steppe had not made him a quitter, and he had earned the nickname Khan among his peers for a reason. Khan sighed as Sergeant Němec entered the room to inform him of the squad being ready. Nine men left alongside Khan. They would have to be enough, for he did not know if their mysterious allies would ever return. Taking his rifle, Khan followed his Czech sergeant downstairs to begin the mission of a lifetime.
Not far from the UNISG hideout, Redemption squad that had caused them so much harm was on the move. And while Khan was not aware of his survival, the greatest menace to UNISG so far marched on with them. Never in his, admittedly short life, had Dimka been anticipating a fight this much. All the feelings of being tricked, betrayed and used built up to a crescendo of wrath boiling inside him, and Dimka could feel himself bursting from seams. Finally, after all this hide and seek bullshit, Dimka would face Khan in battle and hopefully kill him, avenging his fallen comrades and perhaps allowing him to find some information that made him, Sevka and Maus free men once more. Yet now was not the time to get all giddy with excitement over it, getting to that point would require winning the battle rapidly drawing closer.
"Dimka, you alright? You look a bit, eh, anxious.", Sanyok asked, walking beside Dimka.
"Sorry, it's just... We are so close to getting some closure. It's been so long that I've held my breath, being sure I would never leave the Zone alive."
"Ah, makes sense. Reminds me of the battle against Sin at the Generators, so much at stake...", Sanyok reminisced.
"And I missed it because of some Sin fucker decided to smash my arm to pieces! Suka blyat!", Dimuha groaned.
"You did get to mastermind a jailbreak of a century afterwards. And shoot bandits, which is super fun.", Dima noted.
"Aye, giving Livid the good news was satisfying, but had I been there at War Lab, perhaps... Perhaps Micha would still be alive.", Dimuha sighed, and Dimka could feel a shift in the group's mood.
"No, you would not. None of us knew what would happen there, and we all knew Micha's fate could have been our own. Had you been in his stead, we would still be inside that spatial anomaly.", Boris explained, and Dimuha seemed to ponder on it for a second before hesitantly nodding.
"Past is not something to dwell on too much. Hindsight is a wonderful tool but also a trap of thoughts and hypotheticals.", Meeker chimed in, having marched in silence beforehand.
"Robot man is right. There's things I'd wish I had done differently, but ultimately there's little we can change. Sometimes the best we can do is take heed from those events.", Rogue remarked.
"Indeed. And make those responsible pay.", Boris muttered quietly.
They continued on in silence, the conversation having turned sour for many of the veterans of the northern campaign. Dimka took the chance a look around him more carefully now, given that this could be one his last days in the Zone. They were travelling down an overgrown road, building blocks reaching for the clouds around them. A couple vehicles had been abandoned by the roadwalks, including a bright yellow DU-47 paving machine. Weirdly enough, moss had began to grow on parts of it, even those seemingly completely metallic. The Zone's flora was a wonder in itself, and especially out here in the Pripyat it seemed to take bizarre forms. Dimka felt some sadness about leaving, this truly was the frontier he had always wanted to find. But he had duties elsewhere... Or at least, he thought he had. Perhaps they would turn him into a desk jockey after this epic of a failure, Dimka pondered.
The scenery changed to a small park. There was interesting, cacophonic statue standing on a yard of a tall and dilapidated building. It was made with the finest Soviet visual styles, meaning it was as blocky as a gopnik's Lada and almost as filled to the brim with depression and broken vodka bottles. Boris signaled for everyone to spread out, and Dimka joined Sevka and Meeker on the left flank. They moved quickly through the bushy area, passing by a couple blind dog corpses. The gunshot wounds on them indicated that either Strelok's entourage had finished them off or the uninvited guests had made their way here before Redemption. Thankfully the former turned out to be the case, as a man in Sunrise/exosuit hybrid waved his hand at them. Seeing Rogue and Stitch among the squad, the man breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank the Zone, we thought you were goners. Quickly, come inside, Strelok is on the second floor.", the man said.
"We're not that easy to kill. Ran into a few hiccups on the way, that's all.", Rogue replied.
"Like locking yourself into a metal closet.", Dima mocked.
"Alright Kamaz, let the others in but keep this one out. He is a threat to our sanity above all else.", Rogue ordered, and the stalker acting as welcoming committee scoffed.
After some back and forth insults and jokes, the entire group, Dima included, made it inside. Boris ordered Dimuha, Dimka and Dima with him to Strelok's hideout. On the way, Dimka noted that the legendary stalker seemed to only have two men with him, the Kamaz fellow at the door and Yakut, a man in a SEVA suit, guarding another entry into the building. Strelok was not a fan of security, or just confident in his abilities, then, Dimka wondered. On the second floor, Boris led them into a room where Strelok was sitting on an antique, ruined sofa. Dimka was quite surprised at seeing the legend himself, the man was nothing extraordinary by the looks. In fact, had Dimka ran into him in the Big Land, he would've probably taken the man for some lowlife, given his scrawny appearance.
"Boris! I am glad to see you again. I heard Rogue and Stitch got here alright, yet the international agent problem persists?", Strelok asked.
"Indeed. And on top of that, there is a Secret Service force looking for us and them here in the city. Led by Degtyarev of all people.", Boris answered, and Strelok's expressionless face contorted.
"I see. I'm fairly certain he isn't here only because of the interlopers. He's here to bring me back to the Institute.", Strelok sighed.
"Care to elaborate? What beef do you have?", Dima questioned.
"I deserted my post there. Too much oversight yet too little reaction to when I notified the higher ups of alarming development. The complacency of Ukrainian Ministry of the Zone of Alienation is incredible, I warned them years ago that the source of emissions could be utilized as a weapon and they repeatedly denied funding to an expedition to find it. So I took matters to my own hands. I am sure Alexander would have approved personally, but he also has to fulfill his duties. Now, it seems that those duties have brought him to capture me.", Strelok explained.
"If so, you can trust on us to keep your back. I respect the Colonel, but you and I are stalkers while he is a jarhead.", Boris said in a solemn tone, but Dimka did wonder that part of this declaration had to also be related to the two UNISG fugitives within the ranks of Redemption.
"I thank you, Boris, you are as steadfast ally as ever. I hope it does not come to violence, but if we must face him in battle, then so be it. But now, let us prepare for those... UNISG, was it?", Strelok said, and they quickly formed a plan based on Dimka's insight of Khan's character, Strelok's knowledge of the surrounding terrain and Dimuha's battle instinct.
Twenty minutes later orders were barked and battle stations mounted, but just as they were rushing towards the battlefield, an announcement on PDA network made all of the group's devices beep. Pulling out his PDA, Dimka looked at the message and a picture next to it. The SSU cross clearly visible on it, the message ordered Redemption and Strelok's group to stand down as the building was surrounded. Dimka shot a glance outside, seeing men in dark blue Berill and Skat suits mount up weapon's nests and sniping spots.
"Chyort, they got here faster than expected!", Boris shouted in anger and frustration.
"There's a launcher on them, get down!", came a shout from Yakut downstairs.
"This is your last chance. Surrender now and you will face no charges of treason.", Colonel Degtyarev's voice rang in the cold morning air.
"Do we resist? What do we do now?", Sanyok asked.
"Hold the line. Strelok, get the hell out of here, he wants you captured, but we may be able to bargain with him. Rogue, Stitch, Kamaz and Yakut, cover his ass.", Boris ordered.
"But the place is surrounded!", Kamaz protested.
"Not the tunnels below. I used them once before, and I checked this place before. There is an access hatch here. Stalkers, on me, we'll flee for now. Boris, I cannot thank you enough.", Strelok said, gratitude strong in his voice, and Boris only nodded.
"What now?", Dimka queried, looking anxiously at the outside.
"Now, we go out there and convince him that it's not worth his while to be fighting us.", Boris said, grinning, and Dimka gulped.
"That's in-...", he started, but the exoskeleton frame of Boris had already disappeared through the door.
Dimka watched Boris walk over the courtyard. The SSU agents pointed their guns at him, but lowered them once the familiar helmetless Skat-wearing man stepped between them. Degtyarev looked at Boris disapprovingly, as the hiss of his exoskeleton servos and powerpack faded between the husks of buildings. Boris raised his hand as nonchalantly as possible, stopping on his tracks a couple metres from the line of various special operative weapons.
"Good morning, Colonel.", Boris greeted.
"I presume you've come to surrender.", the secret service agent said, raising his eyebrow.
"Not really. You see, we were sitting here, on a picnic, and then you decided to pop in and ruin the fun. How very rude.", Boris replied in a mockinly paternalistic tone.
"Cut the crap, Boris. You disobeyed my orders, breaking the agreement we made in Zaton. And now you're actively helping a fugitive. I know you and Strelok have history, but me taking him back to the Institute is for the best of us all.", Degtyarev said, infuriated.
"I broke the agreement? Colonel, we agreed to be allies. Then you spat on that by telling me that my men were no longer welcome, after we had fought and bled for your cause. We have been nothing but loyal this entire time, yet we are discarded us the second we had done our task.", Boris retaliated.
"It was becoming harder and harder to keep it under wraps, especially when I had to bail your man out from Zhurov's custody. He lost a lot of good men in Cordon, I was in boiling hot water afterwards. But you are right, I should have been less blunt about it. And I apologize. But I also know you are stalling. As a sign of goodwill, hand over Strelok and your men can return to Meadow unharmed.", Degtyarev proclaimed.
"No deal. Strelok himself told us that he was merely shackled by the Institute, not allowed to combat threats to the Zone and Ukraine due to big shots withdrawing funding. Yet ever since coming to the Zone, he has led an effective raid against the resurgent Monolith, blocked Sin's grand plan and is now allowing us to finally cut down UNISG by voluntarily acting as bait.", Boris countered, adding the last point as a little white lie.
"That may be true, but I have my orders, orders which I have had to bend far too much already. I'm sorry, but it has to be this way.", Degtyarev sighed.
"Then it must. Cut me down then, for I will not abandon my allies. Unlike you.", Boris spat, and he could see even Degtyarev's facade of calm splinter slightly as he flinched at the insult.
Boris held his breath, knowing that death was staring at him from the rifle barrels of Degtyarev's men. The colonel hesitated, torn between duty to the government and personal feelings towards the inhabitants of the Zone. It was as if he was reconsidering the entire fabric of his being, and what he had actually been sent to the Zone to do. Boris would never learn what his decision had been, as the rightmost SSU agent was struck by a bullet cracking his helmet open. Two grenades landed on the feet of the group, and Boris lunged onward by instinct, kicking one of them further away. The blast from the other one tossed him to the side, his Absolver armour sheltering him and the special forces operators from worst of the blast. They were disoriented and stunned by the explosion, however, and gunfire rained on them. Two more SSU agents died, when Boris began pushing them towards the building, out of the fire.
"It's UNISG, they found us!", Boris shouted over the fire as the six survivors of the ambush darted across the yard towards the building.
Sniper fire struck the ground around them, and finally the foes showed themselves. Two UNISG troopers from Khan's squad, clad in looted Monolith Nosorog armour, jerked upwards from a nearby basement and began advancing. Their movements betrayed inexperience with exoskeletons, moving too quick and risking injuries to themselves or others around them, but the venerable armours would still protect them greatly. Dimuha led a charge out of the building block to buy some time for the retreating SSU, Sanyok and Sevka blasting at the UNISG stormtroopers while Dimka, Dima and Meeker kept the heads of the snipers down. The Nosorog battleplates took a beating, but given that their armour was thicker than a renegade with brain damage, they continued on unhampered. One flicked the launcher sight on his rifle and took aim, Dimka realizing a second too late what he was attempting to do.
"Grenade, spread out!", he screamed, but just that second he saw one of the SSU agent's Skat armour take a direct hit.
Dustcloud settled over the entire yard, and gunfire continued. Through it, Boris emerged to the half-circle formed by Dimuha's trio, dragging Degtyarev behind him. Another SSU agent limped out of the blast zone as well, holding a butchered but alive operator alift. Rest of the UNISG force had appeared, and they now pushed over the yard. Dimuha's armour took a hit, yet he soldiered on despite a broken rib and kept shooting at the advancing Nosorog pair. One of his shots lodged itself between the ceramic plates, keeping enough momentum to break through and strike the man's heart. Sergeant Němec breathed his last sigh and fell down.
"Fall back inside, we can't fight them in the open at this state!", Boris ordered as Degtyarev started to come back to his senses.
"We were fools, letting ourselves get ambushed like this.", the colonel muttered.
"Well you are special forces, alright.", Dimuha growled and shot his last burst as the machine gun ran dry.
They stumbled inside, where Meeker took the wounded SSU trooper further in for emergency treatment. Seeing the ex-Monolithian after such a long time, Degtyarev gave him a slight nod and Meeker smiled faintly. The others took positions on the windows, trying to remain in cover while the building was peppered by bullets. Dimka tried to spot Khan among the attackers, but the swarm of angry lead mosquitoes made it difficult. The lone Nosorog trooper lumbered on, struggling to control the suit. Boris told Dimka to focus on him with the Vykhlop, given that it had the best chance of punching through, while the others kept pressure on the other infiltrators zigzagging between cover towards the defences.
Dimka did as ordered, waiting for the agent to make a mistake. He was clever about using cover, only exposing himself for a brief second, but his inexperience with the large machine wrapped around him showed. When darting between a broken car and the corner of commieblock, his exoskeleton shot upwards with too much force. Shocked momentarily by the strength of the machine, this second of confusion gave Dimka enough time to center the scope. Aiming between the breastplate and Spartan helmet, Dimka squeezed the trigger and felt the kick of his rifle. Blood spurted from the wound, and the man slouched down like a powerless automaton. Yelling triumphantly, Dimka cycled the bolt of his rifle and took another target. With the armoured spearhead of UNISG broken, their attack slowed down, giving the initiative to Redemption.
"Target left, Dima and Sanyok, hose it down. Dimuha, Sevka and Degtyarev, on me, let's counter-attack!", Boris shouted.
"Since when are you ordering SSU officers around, stalker?", the lone surviving SSU trooper asked angrily.
"Since when my men did not run into an ambush and require the assistance of the men they were supposed to arrest.", Boris retorted and Degtyarev groaned.
"We wouldn't be in this situation if you had surrendered.", Degtyarev commented.
"Or if you had allowed us to ambush the UNISG.", Dima replied.
"Shut the hell up, all of you, and let's drive the fuckers back.", Dimuha ordered in turn, and this time everyone shot back into attention, realizing the folly of bickering in the middle of a battle.
Boris' Absolver ran through the dust and smoke, followed by Degtyarev, Sevka and Dimuha coming out of the building guns blazing. Dimka managed to squeeze a shot between car windows into the shoulder of a UNISG rifleman, killing him on the spot. The shoe was in the other foot now, with three heavily armoured stalkers bearing down on the internationals' force, Sevka giving fire support behind the spearhead. Three UN troopers keeled over after a sustained barrage of sniper and shotgun fire, all the while Boris and Dimuha suppressed the others with their machine guns. Degtyarev was not idle either, having used the suppression to flank around using the dense bushes. He was now at the same monument Dimka had admired earlier, and his Abakan racked up a tally of two more spies when he sprung the trap. These two had been hiding behind a rusting hulk of a ZAZ car, when two bursts from the odd rifle struck them down. That was when a pack of blind dogs and pseudodogs burst from the foliage, attacking Boris' group. They had to redirect their fire towards the mutants, with Dima and Sanyok opening up on the last hideout of the remnants of UNISG.
Now, the last two UNISG troopers were visibly panicking. Having expected to smash the defenders in a calculated ambush, they had missed the Redemption squad in the building and paid for it. They took off in a desperate last ditch attempt to escape. Dimka was watching them through his scope, angling for a shot yet failing to get a proper view of them through all the junk and flora dotting the field ahead. He was sure Khan wasn't dead yet, and seeing the battle draw to a close, the hotheaded part of him let loose. Anger gripping him, he left the Vykhlop on the windowsill, grabbed his handguns and stormed out with vengeance on his mind. Dima yelled after him but Dimka was already far ahead, racing across the asphalt to be the one to strike the final blow. Memories of the betrayal, his dead comrades, the framing of his allies as traitors and the attack on the checkpoint in Jupiter flooded to his mind and quickened his pace. Gripping the guns, he made it past Boris, Dimuha and Degtyarev who were still fighting the mutants.
"What the hell are you doing?", Boris shouted to him.
"Getting my payback.", Dimka replied quickly and continued.
He heard Boris shout something more, but more gunshots masked the order. Dimka continued, unwilling to let his most hated adversary escape. The two survivors were running ahead, towards the grocery store, when Dimka opened fire. He was using both guns simultaneously, so the fire was as accurate as that of a drunk bandit, but using the time old classic tactic of "throw enough shit at the wall and some of it will stick", he managed to cut down one of the UNISG troopers. Bullet hole in his back, the man fell down face first like a ragdoll. The last survivor made it inside, jumping over the makeshift barricade and forcing the wooden doors open.
Dimka was hot on the man's heels, and soon stepped inside as well. Turning on his night-vision in the dark corridor, he found the store to be a mess of doors and small rooms. A proper labyrinth. He continued down the corridor, guns trained on any possible ambush location. But the further he went, the more nerve-wracking the experience became. He saw no sign of his enemy, yet every shadow, every dark corner, seemed to hide him. Then, crossing one corridor, three shots rang out and Dimka felt sharp pain surge into his brain like a sledgehammer striking it from the inside. Dimka dropped to his knees, blood flowing down his leg. Khan stepped through the door, where three bullet holes had now appeared on the old wood.
"Torodov? You traitorous bastard, you're helping the enemy?", Khan said in an astonished tone.
"You would know traitors, you lapdog. The blood of my comrades is in your hands.", Dimka growled.
"So? You're soldiers, we're soldiers, our task is to kill one another by any means necessary. You got bested, and now the last of your company of idiots will die.", Khan replied calmly.
"Wrong.", someone else said, and a shotgun blast struck Khan in the centre of his torso, tossing him against the wall.
Sevka stepped out into the corridor and saw Khan attempt to reach for a sidearm despite his grievous wounds. Dimka, wounded and bleeding yet still sound of mind, fired him in the limb. Khan screamed in pain and let go of the pistol.
"It's your company that meets its end here.", Sevka said, and raised the shotgun.
"Perhaps... But... We are not the only ones after Strelok. You'll... see.", Khan replied, barely able to speak due to the agony of his wounds.
Dimka had had enough, and his revolver fired once more. The last of UNISG infiltrators died with a simple sigh and .45 ACP bullet in his skull. Major Hernandez's men, the original unit of Dimka and Sevka, had been avenged. Sevka stepped next to his friend, stuck a stimpack into his arm and bandaged his wound. Once colour began returning to the Bulgarian stalker's cheeks, Sevka sighed and reprimanded his comrade.
"I thought you learned from that scuffle with Skull that rushing off alone gets you killed."
"I'm a slow learner, alright?", Dimka argued, grinning.
"That much is clear. Now, let's check his pockets for our "get out of jail free" card.", Sevka proposed, and Dimka nodded.
They went through Khan's belongings, checking through the various pockets of his Mk. II suit. There was little to find there, but in his backbag, there was a document detailing some of the mission parametres set by Khan's employers. The liquidation of original UNISG was mentioned among them, and Dimka also pocketed the encrypted PDA of the traitor, hoping that Maus could decrypt it.
"That alone should help, but this here might be a jackpot. Alright, Mr. De Luca, seems like we're off the hook now.", Dimka commented, shaking the PDA.
"Let's hope so. But what do you think Khan meant when he said there are others looking for Strelok?", Sevka asked.
"Those men in black suits perhaps? I wouldn't worry, they ran with their tails between their legs when we stormed the hideout yesterday.", Dimka scoffed.
Sevka nodded hesitantly, looking at the dead captain laying on the floor. Yet Dimka's comment was quickly revealed to be dead wrong, when the sound of a helicopter engine echoed through out the city. Outside, Boris and Degtyarev raised their eyes towards the sky, and the black helicopter they had seen leave before now approached yet again.

Important Notes:

• I do my best to include every sale, but at the same time I focus on sales that are worth a mention, meaning sales start with at least 20% and up. I usually skip anything below that unless it's a worth while title.
  
• Click on the price to visit the store page for that game.
  
• The end date of the sale isn't mentioned, you can check the store page to see it.
  
• All of these sales are based on the US store front, so some sales may not be available depending on your country.
  

~ PSN ~

(On Mobile please Swipe left/right to see the prices and tags)

Game	Price/Link	Tags
Persona 5: Ultimate Edition	$16.99 $84.99	Turn-based/Modern Japan setting/School life simulatoMystery/Monster CollectoGreat Music
STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN PS4 & PS5	$31.99 $39.99	Action/Dark Fantasy setting/Expansive skill tree/Class mechanics/Nioh-like/Loot Tiers
Final Fantasy VII Remake	$29.99 $59.99	Action/Sci-fi setting
FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster	$12.49 $24.99	Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Expansive skill tree
South Park™: The Stick of Truth™	$7.49 $29.99	Turn-based/Modern Day setting/Comedy/Mature/Dark HumoNudity/Fart Jokes
KINGDOM HEARTS III	$29.99 $59.99	Action/Fantasy setting/Crossover of Disney and Square Enix characters
ONE PIECE World Seeker	$8.99 $59.99	Action/Anime Adaptation/Open World/Beat'em up
Yakuza Kiwami	$5.99 19.99	Action/Modern World setting/Organized Crime/Comedy heavy/Drama heavy/Mini-game Heavy/Beat'em up/Open World
Yakuza Kiwami 2	$5.99 19.99	Action/Modern World setting/Organized Crime/Comedy heavy/Drama heavy/Mini-game Heavy/Beat'em up/Open World
Yakuza: Like a Dragon PS4 & PS5	$14.99 $59.99	Turn-based/Contemporary Japan setting/Yakuza life/Open World/Heavy on Drama and Comedy/Heavy on Mini-games/Class Changing Mechanics
STAR OCEAN : INTEGRITY AND FAITHLESSNESS	$11.99 $29.99	Action/Sci-fi mixed with Fantasy setting/Space travel/Resource gathering & Crafting/Social link mechanic between party members
Dragon's Crown Pro	$3.99 $19.99	Action/Beat'em up/Fantasy setting/Online Multiplayer available/Loot focused
Tales of Zestiria	$5.99 $59.99	Action/Fantasy setting/Anime style/Local Co-Op/Fantasy Adventure
Wild Arms	$6.99 $9.99	Turn-based/Wild West Fantasy/Puzzle heavy
Wild Arms 2	$6.99 $9.99	Turn-based/Wild West Fantasy/Puzzle heavy
Sword Art Online: Lost Song	$8.99 $59.99	Action/MMORPG Setting/Online MultiplayeDating-sim/Tiered Loot/Dungeon Crawlers/Boss Raids/Kill & Fetch Quests heavy
Ys Origin	$4.99 $19.99	Action/Fantasy setting/Great Soundtrack
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA	$19.99 $39.99	Action/Fantasy setting/Base Building/Great Soundtrack
Valkyria Chronicles Remastered	$5.99 $19.99	Tactical Turn-based/World War Militar setting/Tactical mixed with real-time elements/Sketch or "Canvas" art style/Build your Army with character customization/Mission based story progression/Army management
Valkyria Chronicles 4	$5.99 $29.99	Tactical Turn-based/Fantasy Sci-fi World War setting/Tactical mixed with real-time elements/Sketch or "Canvas" art style/Build your Army with character customization/Mission based story progression/Army management
Cris Tales	$7.99 $39.99	Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Time-travel setting and mechanics/Female Protagonist/Timed-presses combat mechanics
The Alliance Alive HD Remastered	$19.99 $49.99	Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Expansive Skill Tree/Character customization
Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia	$24.99 $49.99	Tactical turn-based/Grand Strategy/High Fantasy setting/Choose a Nation to play as/Conquering the world is the end goal
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure	$31.99 $39.99	Turn-based/Science Fantasy setting/Great Soundtrack/Police/Story and Lore heavy/War and Politics
Trails of Cold Steel III Digital Deluxe Edition	$35.99 $79.99	Turn-based/Great Soundtrack/Fantasy High school life setting/Dating Sim/Story and Lore heavy/Military and War
Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time	$14.99 $49.99	Action/Fantasy setting/Female Protagonist/Beat 'em up, Anime series Original source material/Magic Academy
Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force	$5.99 $19.99	Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Anime style/Comedy/Dark story/Good English dub/Power Ranger Transformation/Fan-service/Dating-sim
Demon Gaze II	$3.99 $39.99	Turn-based/First Person dungeon crawleDark Fantasy setting/Monster collection
Absolute Tactics: Daughters of Mercy	$19.99 $24.99	Tactical Turn-based/Medieval Fantasy/Class changing mechanics
Omega Quintet	$9.99 $19.99	Turn-based/Modern Japanese Fantasy setting/Idol group manager life/Fan-service
Dodgeball Academia	$12.49 $24.99	Action/School Life Sim/Sports (Dodgeball)/2D Hand-drawn Cartoon Art style
Super Neptunia RPG	$11.99 $39.99	Turn-based/Side Scroller PlatformeFemale Protag/Comedy/Fan-service
The DioField Chronicle PS4 & PS5	$29.99 $59.99	Real Time Strategy/Medieval fantasy setting/Military & WaClass mechanics
Dusk Diver 2	$34.99 $34.99	Action/Modern Taipei Ximending setting/Female Protagonist/Beat'em up/Anime visual style
The Caligula Effect: Overdose	$19.99 $49.99	Turn-based unique combat/School Life setting/Persona-like/Great Soundtrack/Female and Male Protagonist choice
The Caligula Effect 2	$29.99 $49.99	Turn-based unique combat/School Life setting/Persona-like/Great Soundtrack/Female and Male Protagonist choice
Monster Crown	$11.99 $29.99	Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Monster collectoPixel Graphics/LGBTQ+
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising	$8.99 $14.99	Action/Medieval Fantasy setting/Character collectoCity BuildeSider-Scroller
GrimGrimoire OnceMore	$39.99 $49.99	Real-time Strategy/Medieval Fantasy setting/Female Protagonist/Magic School
Tactics Ogre: Reborn	$32.99 $49.99	Tactical turn-based/Medieval fantasy/Choices MatteMultiple story routes/Class system/Dark/Politics/Remake of the SNES original
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout	$29.99 $59.99	Active time battle/Fantasy setting/Mainly about crafting (Alchemy)/Chill and Relaxing/Wholesome/Heavy on Resource gathering/Heavy on Character Interactions
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy PS4 & PS5	$29.99 $59.99	Active time battle/Fantasy setting/Mainly about crafting (Alchemy)/Chill and Relaxing/Wholesome/Heavy on Resource gathering/Heavy on Character Interactions
CHRONO CROSS: THE RADICAL DREAMERS EDITION	$13.99 $19.99	Turn-based/Sci-fi Fantasy setting/Choices MatteMultiple Endings/2 Games in 1 bundle

~ Switch ~

Game	Price/Link	Tags
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition	$9.99 $49.99	Turn-based/Cyber World setting/Monster Collector & Raising sim/Combat heavy/Satisfying grinding loop/2 full games in 1 pack
CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII– REUNION	$34.99 $49.99	Action/Sci-fi setting
DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT + A NEW POWER AWAKENS SET	$19.79 $59.99	Action Fantasy/Semi-Open World (zones)/Anime story adaptation/Beautiful animations
Megadimension Neptunia VII	$8.99 $29.99	Turn-based/Female Protagonist/Comedy/fan-service
Super Neptunia RPG	$7.99 $39.99	Turn-based/Valkyrie Profile-like combat/Sci-fi setting/Female Protagonist/Comedy/Parody/Fan-serivce
Children of Zodiarcs	$5.39 $17.99	Tactical Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Female Protagonist/Card Based/Deck Building
CHRONO CROSS: THE RADICAL DREAMERS EDITION	$13.99 $19.99	Turn-based/Sci-fi Fantasy setting/Choices MatteMultiple Endings/2 Games in 1 bundle
Death end re;Quest	$11.99 $29.99	Turn-based/Cyber world setting/Female Protagonist/Dark Fantasy/Gore/Fan-service
Death end re;Quest 2	$14.99 $39.99	Turn-based/Cyber world setting/Female Protagonist/Dark Fantasy/Gore/Fan-service
Mary Skelter 2	$9.99 $39.99	Turn-based/First-Person View Dungeon CrawleDeep & Full party customization/Female Protagonist/Multiple Endings/Horror
Mary Skelter Finale	$19.99 $49.99	Turn-based/First-Person View Dungeon CrawleDeep & Full party customization/Female Protagonist/Multiple Endings/HorroFan-service
Astria Ascending	$21.99 $39.99	Turn-based/Medieval Fantasy setting/PlatformeFemale Protagonist/Class system
Fairy Fencer F™: Advent Dark Force	$8.99 $29.99	Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Anime style/Comedy/Dark/Good English dub/Fan-service/Dating-sim
Redemption Reapers	$29.99 $49.99	Tactical Turn-based/Medieval Fantasy setting/Dark Fantasy
Arc of Alchemist	$15.99 $39.99	Action/Fantasy/Female Protagonist/Fan-service/Base-Building
Shadows of Adam	$7.49 $14.99	Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Retro Pixel Graphics
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout	$29.99 $59.99	Active time battle/Fantasy setting/Mainly about crafting (Alchemy)/Chill and Relaxing/Wholesome/Heavy on Resource gathering/Heavy on Character Interactions
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy	$29.99 $59.99	Active time battle/Fantasy setting/Mainly about crafting (Alchemy)/Chill and Relaxing/Wholesome/Heavy on Resource gathering/Heavy on Character Interactions

~ Xbox ~

Game	Price/Link	Tags
Child of Light®	$4.49 $14.99	Turn-based Fantasy/Female Protagonist/Beautiful Hand-drawn/Side Scroller
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling	$12.49 $24.99	Turn-based/Paper Mario-like/Comedy/Adventure
Digimon Survive	$41.99 $59.99	Tactical turn-based/Modern Japan setting/Monster CollectoMostly VN/Multiple Routes & Endings/Anime style/Social Link system
ONE PIECE World Seeker Deluxe Edition	$8.99 89.99	Action/Anime Adaptation/Open World/Beat'em up
DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT Deluxe Edition	$21.24 $84.99	Action/Fantasy setting/Semi-Open World (zones)/Anime story adaptation/Beautiful animations

~ Steam ~

If you want to check the games yourself:

~ Link to the JRPGs on Sale list ~

Steam Deck Icons (As explained by Steam itself):

🟦 Verified: Means that the game is fully compatible and works with built-in controls and display.
🟧 Playable: Means the game is Functional, but requires extra effort to interact with and configure .
"--" Unknown: Basically unconfirmed or still under-review.

Game	Price/Link	Tags	Steam Deck
ASTLIBRA Revision™	$19.99 $24.99	Action/Medieval Fantasy/Hack n Slash/Resource gathering/Expansive skill tree/Learn skills by mastering geaRewards grinding/Dark Story/Side-Scroller	🟦 Verified
Cosmic Star Heroine	$3.74 $14.99	Turn-based/Cyberpunk setting/Female Protagonist/Pixel Graphics	🟧 Playable
Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen	$47.99 $59.99	Tactical Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Great World Building/Fan-serivce/Comedy/War & Politics/Lovable Characters/Mystery	🟦 Verified
Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception	$31.99 $39.99	Tactical Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Great World Building/Fan-serivce/Comedy/War & Politics/Lovable Characters/Mystery	🟦 Verified
Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth	$31.99 $39.99	Tactical Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Great World Building/Fan-serivce/Comedy/War & Politics/Lovable Characters/Mystery	🟦 Verified
Septerra Core	$1.99 $4.99	Turn-based/Sci-fi setting/Female Protagonist/Isometric	🟧 Playable
Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom	$1.49 $9.99	Action/Fantasy setting/Martial arts/Puzzles/Anthropomorphic Characters	🟦 Verified
This Way Madness Lies	$7.49 $9.99	Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Female Protagonist/Lovecraftian/Comedy/Pixel Graphics	🟧 Playable
Redemption Reapers	$29.99 $49.99	Tactical Turn-based/Medieval Fantasy setting/Dark Fantasy	--
ONE PIECE ODYSSEY	$38.99 $59.99	Turn-based/Anime Adaptation	🟧 Playable
Nexomon: Extinction	$7.99 $19.99	Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Pokemon-like/Monster collector	🟧 Playable

​

~ General Recommendations (All Consoles) For Anyone Who Can't Decide ~

First off, I won't recommend big or famous games like Final Fantasy or Persona, this is more for lesser know, hidden gems, or just games where it's hard to find someone talking about them.
​

[Valkyria Chronicles]

[Valkyria Chronicles 4]

This one is really hard to explain through words alone, but just in case, the VC series is a World War 2 military setting story, where you act as the lead of a squad and take mission to drive back the enemy. The story is drama heavy and the gameplay is tactical turn-based, but it's mixed with real-time third person shooter.
You can also make your own army by recruiting different types of solders, training them and upgrading their gear. From rifles to tanks, this is a game you have to experience to understand.

[Wild Arms 1 & 2]

Great classics, and are now sold for dirt cheap, though even their full price is also a steal. If you're looking for great stories, and really interesting characters, combined with truly great puzzles, then don't miss on these 2 games. They started an entire series, and are classics for a reason.

[Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition]

2 full games in 1. If you're a fan of the series then this is a must play, it dives into the lore more than a lot of the previous games, and also has one of the biggest Digimon rosters till to day.
Even if you're not into the Digimon series, if you're looking for your next fix of Capture/Evolve/Fusion -> Grind -> Capture/Evolve/Fusion -> Grind while you listen to your favorite podcast/music, then no need to wait anymore, with hours upon hours you can easily spend just grinding and completing the game's various content from side-quests, rare monsters, arena, and even tamer team fights. The gameplay is simple, which is a great way to keep your brain off, yet it still has challenge battles now and then to make sure you're doing your job grinding and raising your Digimons.

[ASTLIBRA Revision]

If you are still itching for side-scroller action JRPGs with a good loot system and a good story and world that you can sink your teeth into, then look no further. A game that was 14 years in development and an extra year to work on this remastered version, was more than worth it. The action is meaty and satisfying, the loot is great with each item having the potential of changing your fighting style, and just so much content to explore and have fun with.
Then you add to that fantastic art work by Shigatake of Vanillaware, he worked on games like Odin Sphere, GrimGrimoire, Muramasa: The Demon Blade and others. Then you finally throw in a huge amazing soundtrack, and when I say huge I mean HUGE. With all of that together you have a really great title that any action JRPG fan shouldn't miss.

[Atelier Ryza]

Ryza can be considered a big turning point for the series, mainly because it threw out a lot of old gameplay and story elements that were trademarks of the Atelier series. For starters, the entire sub-series is about Ryza and her friends, instead of the usual way where each title in the sub-series had a different main character. Then as you have noticed, it doesn't use time limits, nor does it have multiple endings. Then add the fact that the battle system switched from turn-based like it was in the entire series until now, to now being Active Time Battle system. Finally, while the Alchemy mechanics always changed between sub-series and games, Ryza has the biggest change in crafting mechanics since Atelier Shallie.
All of these changes, plus being a game with almost no fan-service and the one with good graphics, animations, and so many new different methods being added in how you gather resources, makes it a great starting point for someone who wants to dip their toe into the series and be see if it's something they might like.

[Utawarerumono] series

This fantastic visual novel style tactical game is one hell of a ride from start to end. If you're looking for a fantasy JRPG with amazing world building and an epic of story that expands three whole games, there is no reason to not get this whole series. Drama, Comedy, Mystery, Action, Horror, Fan-service, Betrayal, Revenge, Adventure, etc... This is the whole package here when it comes to story, world, and characters. Just don't expect it to be heavy on gameplay and combat.
Prelude to the Fallen is the first game story-wise, the 2nd game is Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception and after that is Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth.

[Rune Factory 4 Special]

Don't even think too long about it, a fantastic game and a great port too, so much you play it easily with mouse and keyboard or controller.
The characters are fun and lovable, the story is interesting, and most of all, the loop is very varied and enjoyable. So much to do:

• Farming
• Cooking
• Monster Collection and Raising
• Dating and Marriage
• Dungeon Crawling
• Blacksmithing and a deep weapon upgrading system
• Fishing
• Festivals
• Town Management
• House decorating
• Resource gathering
• Monster Mounts
• Mastering different weapon styles
• Mastering Magic

And so much more. Not to mention that everything you do has a level and so no matter what you spend the day doing, you'll always be leveling something and getting better.
Do you want a game where you can cook horrible burnt food, then take said food and use it as a weapon to beat bosses, and even have said bosses then till your farm and water your crops while you're out riding cows and fighting giant chickens the same time you're on date with your favorite NPC ? Then yea, RF4 got you covered. The only thing you'll miss, is sleep while playing this gem.

As always, please do add your own recommendations, and let me know if there is mistake or if something was missing, and have a nice day.

1. Complain. Message the mods of /reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post. 2. Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join us at our sister sub at /ModCoord- but please don’t pester mods you don’t know by simply spamming their modmail. 3. Boycott and spread the word…to Reddit’s competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support! 4. Don’t be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible. 

What's going on?
A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface.
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.
What's the plan?
On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app.
An open letter on the state of affairs regarding the API pricing and third party apps and how that will impact moderators and communities.
What can you do as a user?

• Complain. Message the mods of reddit , who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
• Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join the coordinated mod effort at ModCoord also Save3rdPartyApps
• Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
• Don't be a dick. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.
• Move over to Reddit alternatives (https://join-lemmy.org/ / https://monero.house)

What can you do as a moderator?

• Join the coordinated effort over at ModCoord
• Make a sticky post showing your support, A template has been created here you can use or modify to your liking, and be sure to crosspost it to ModCoord.

Thank you for your patience in the matter,
-Mod Team
View Poll

I don't remember really enjoying that chapter previously as I found it rather dark, and I didn't appreciate it so much.
It’s clear that it is a turning point for Bilbo and a reflection on how the adventures has changed him from “lucky to escape” type character to a “competent battle hardened” character, which I missed the other times I read the book.
But what excited me most about the chapter is the contrast in writing between the dark demise of the adventure, “Requiem for a dream feel” to the introduction of the Wood Elves. Unlike the others before this chapter, “Flies and Spiders” is much more stoic and less humoured. And this is why I didn’t enjoy it, as I personally feel stories should have emotional crests and troughs, which is what I look for, and why I think perhaps I did not engage with the chapter so thoroughly previously.
However, towards the end of the chapter, when it is explained what happened to Thorin, (he is captured by the Wood Elves), is in my opinion the most “poetic” writing in the book to that point. Reading it really rolls of the tongue nicely and I can just imagine Tolkien writing this and becoming more excited as those paragraphs go on. I have not fact checked this, but I can imagine this was a moment of inspiration to him, where he found a way to write complex and beautiful sentences which would fit into a much larger story, which he did! I love how his works becomes even more interesting more I read it.

1. Complain. Message the mods of /reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post. 2. Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join us at our sister sub at /ModCoord- but please don’t pester mods you don’t know by simply spamming their modmail. 3. Boycott and spread the word…to Reddit’s competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support! 4. Don’t be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible. 

1. Complain. Message the mods of /reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post. 2. Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join us at our sister sub at /ModCoord- but please don’t pester mods you don’t know by simply spamming their modmail. 3. Boycott and spread the word…to Reddit’s competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support! 4. Don’t be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible. 

Prices negotiable. Complete collection at a discount as well as sets. Trying to downsize. Pictures upon request.
New 52 $1
New Mutants volume 4 (2020): 1-9 $45
New Teen Titans Annual, The volume 1 number 1 (1982) $10
New Teen Titans, The (Vol. 1 1980-1984) 9, 15, 28 $15
New Teen Titans, The (Vol. 2 1984-1988) 17 (1985) 45 (1988) $5
New Titans (1988-1995) Annual 9 (Bloodlines tie-in) $4
Nice House on the Lake
1-5
6 Cover A Regular Alvaro Martinez Bueno Cover
7 Cover B Variant Juan Ferreyra Card Stock Cover
8 Cover B Variant Bilquis Evely Card Stock Cover
10 Cover A Regular Alvaro Martinez Bueno Cover
11 Cover B Variant Aaron Campbell Card Stock Cover
12 Cover B Variant Andrea Sorrentino Card Stock Cover
$48
Nightwing Vol. 1 (1995): 1 (of 4) $5
Nightwing Vol. 2 (1996-2009)
#2 $8
#3 $8
#16 $4
#18-24 $3 each
#71 $3
Nightwing Vol. 3 (2011-2014) 0 ($4), 6 ($4)
Nightwing Vol. 4 (2016-):
#79 - #84 ($4 each)
85 Cover B Variant Jamal Campbell Card Stock Cover (Fear State Tie-In)
86 Cover B Variant Jamal Campbell Card Stock Cover (Fear State Tie-In)
Annual #1 (One Shot) Cover A Regular Nicola Scott Cover
87 Cover A Regular Bruno Redondo Cover
88 Cover B Variant Jamal Campbell Card Stock Cover
89 Cover B Variant Jamal Campbell Card Stock Cover
90 Cover B Variant Jamal Campbell Card Stock Cover
91 Cover B Variant Jamal Campbell Card Stock Cover
92 Cover B Variant Jamal Campbell Card Stock Cover
93 Cover B Variant Jamal Campbell Card Stock Cover
94 Cover B Variant Jamal Campbell Card Stock Cover
95 Cover B Variant Jamal Campbell Card Stock Cover
96 Cover A Regular Bruno Redondo Cover
97 Cover A Regular Bruno Redondo Cover
98 Cover A Regular Bruno Redondo Cover
101 Cover C Variant Jamal Campbell Card Stock Cover
102 Cover B Variant Travis Moore Card Stock Cover
103 Cover B Variant Travis Moore Card Stock Cover
104 Cover A Regular Bruno Redondo Cover
$5 each (85-101)
Nightwing Vol 4 2022 Annual #1 Cover B Variant Bruno Redondo Design Card Stock Cover $8
Nightwing and Huntress: 3 of 5 $2
Other History of the DC Universe, The: 1-5 $35
Peacemaker Disturbing The Peace #1 (One Shot) Cover B Variant Garry Brown Cover $5
Peacemaker Tries Hard #1 Cover C Variant Kris Anka Movie Poster Cover $5
Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger #11 (Trinity War tie-in) $3
Powers of X 1-6 (of 6) $60
Predator Vol 3
1 Cover G Variant David Finch Cover
2 Cover A Regular Leinil Francis Yu Cover
3 Cover B Variant Ben Harvey Cover
4 Cover A Regular Leinil Francis Yu Cover
5 Cover A Regular Leinil Francis Yu Cover
6 Cover A Regular Leinil Francis Yu Cover
$24
Punisher volume 10 (2014 - 2015) 1 $4
The Question Vol. 1 (1987-1990) #26 $2
The Ravagers #1 Brett Booth Variant $20
Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 1 (2011-2015) 5, 7, 12 $10
Riddler Year One
1 Cover A Regular Bill Sienkiewicz Cover $5
2 Cover B Variant Stevan Subic Cover $5
3 Cover C Variant Ben Oliver Cover $5
4 Cover B Variant Stevan Subic Cover $5
Robin volume 1 (1991): 1-5 (of 5, complete set) $20
Robin II: Jokers Wild (1991 miniseries) 1-4 $20
Robin III: Cry of the Huntress (1992 - 1993) 1 and 5
$5 together or $3 individually
Robin volume 5 (2021)
1-6
7 Cover A Regular Simone Di Meo Cover
8 Cover B Variant Francis Manapul Card Stock Cover
Annual #1 (One Shot) Cover A Regular Jorge Corona Cover
9 Cover A Regular Simone Di Meo Cover
10 Cover A Regular Simone Di Meo Cover
11 Cover A Regular Simone Di Meo Cover
12 Cover B Variant Francis Manapul Card Stock Cover
13 Cover B Variant Crystal Kung Card Stock Cover (Shadow War Part 4)
14 Cover C Variant Dexter Soy AAPI Card Stock Cover (Shadow War Part 7)
15 Cover C Variant Lynne Yoshi Pride Month Card Stock Cover
16 Cover B Variant Simone Di Meo Card Stock Cover
17 Cover B Variant Simone Di Meo Card Stock Cover
$85
Robin & Batman
1 Cover A Regular Dustin Nguyen Cover
2 Cover A Regular Dustin Nguyen Cover
3 Cover A Regular Dustin Nguyen Cover
$18
Robins
1 Cover A Regular Baldemar Rivas Cover
2 Cover A Regular Baldemar Rivas Cover
3 Cover A Regular Baldemar Rivas Cover
4 Cover B Variant Jen Bartel Card Stock Cover
5 Cover B Variant Khary Randolph Card Stock Cover
6 Cover B Variant David Talaski Card Stock Cover
$30
Rorschach (2020-2021) DC Black Label: 2 $5
Sandman Vol 2 #1 Cover F Special Edition $1
Secret Origins 80-Page Giant (1998) 1 $5
Secrets of Sinister House (2019 one-shot) #1 $10
Sensational Wonder Woman: 1 $5
Sex Criminals volume 1 $10
Shadow of the Bat (1992-2000)
0-46, 52-74, 76-77, 81-82
Annuals: 1, 2, 5
$3 each
Shadow War
Alpha #1 (One Shot) Cover B Variant Viktor Bogdanovic Card Stock Cover (Shadow War Part 1)
Zone #1 (One Shot) Cover B Variant Howard Porter X-Men Homage Retro Trade Dress Cover
$7
Showcase '93: 7, 8, 10 $10
Showcase '94 10 of 12 $5
Stark Raven 1 $1
Starman Vol. 1 (1988-1992) 9, 10 $2
Static: Season 1
1-3
4 Cover A Regular Khary Randolph Cover
5 Cover B Variant Nikolas Draper-Ivey Card Stock Cover
6 Cover B Variant Nikolas Draper-Ivey Card Stock Cover
$30
Stormwatch Vol. 3 (2011-2014, New 52) 1, 3 $5
Strange Love Adventures #1 (One Shot) Cover B Variant Amanda Conner Cover $9
Strangers in Paradise Vol. 2 (1994-1996) #1 $20
Strangers in Paradise (The Collected Strangers in Paradise) volume 1 $10
Suicide Squad Vol. 3 (2011-2014) 2, 8 $5
Suicide Squad Vol. 5 (2020-2021) 1 $5
Suicide Squad Vol. 6 (2021-): 1 $5
Suicide Squad Get Joker (2021) DC Black Label
#1-2, #3 Cover B Variant Jorge Fornes Cover
$18
Suicide Squad King Shark #1 Cover B Variant Riccardo Federici Card Stock Cover $5
Superman Vol. 2 (1987-2006, 2019) Annual #5 (Bloodlines: Outbreak tie-in) $3
Superman and the Authority: 1-4 (of 4, complete set) $20
Superman Red and Blue: 1-6 (of 6, complete set) $30
Superman & Robin Special #1 (One Shot) Cover B Variant Jorge Jimenez Card Stock Cover $7
Superman Son of Kal-El
5 Cover C Variant Travis Moore & Tamra Bonvillain Card Stock Cover
9 Cover B Variant Travis Moore & Tamra Bonvillain Card Stock Cover
$10
Superman: The Man of Steel (1991-2003) #20 (1993) $4
Superman and Wonder Woman (2013-2016) 1 $5
Super Powers Vol. 2 (1985-1986) #5 (of 6) $5
Swamp Thing Vol. 7 (2021-) #1 $4
Sword Of Azrael
1 Cover A Regular Nikola Cizmesija Cover
2 Cover B Variant Joshua Middleton Card Stock Cover
3 Cover B Variant Steve Beach Card Stock Cover
4 Cover B Variant Gerardo Zaffino Card Stock Cover
5 Cover B Variant Derrick Chew Card Stock Cover
6 Cover B Variant Walter Simonson Card Stock Cover
$24
Sword Of Azrael Dark Knight Of The Soul #1 (One Shot) Cover A Regular Nikola Cizmesija Cover $4
Tales of the Teen Titans (1984-1988, previously “The New Teen Titans”) 45, 49, 51, 53, 89 $15
Tales Of The Human Target #1 (One Shot) Cover B Variant David Marquez Cover $6
Tangent
Nightwing
Nightwing: Night Force
The Joker's Wild
$5 for all or $3 each
Team Titans (1992-1994): 8, 13, 18 $5 or $3 each
Thunderbolts Vol. 1 (1997-2003, 2006-2012) #0 $3
Tim Drake Robin #1 Cover A Regular Ricardo Lopez Ortiz Cover $4
Teen Titans Vol. 4 (2011-2014) #12 $3
Teen Titans Academy: 1 $4
Tis The Season To Be Freezin #1 (One Shot) Cover B Variant Pop Mhan Cover $10
Titans Vol 4 #1 Cover B Variant Jim Lee Card Stock Cover $5
Titans United
1 Cover B Variant Kael Ngu Card Stock Cover
2 Cover B Variant Kael Ngu Card Stock Cover
3 Cover B Variant Kael Ngu Card Stock Cover
4 Cover B Variant Kael Ngu Card Stock Cover
5 Cover B Variant Kael Ngu Card Stock Cover
6 Cover B Variant Kael Ngu Card Stock Cover
7 Cover C Variant Cat Staggs International Womens Day Card Stock Cover
$30
Titans United Bloodpact
1 Cover B Variant Derrick Chew Card Stock Cover
2 Cover B Variant Derrick Chew Card Stock Cover
3 Cover B Variant Derrick Chew Card Stock Cover
4 Cover B Variant Derrick Chew Card Stock Cover
5 Cover B Variant Derrick Chew Card Stock Cover
6 Cover B Variant Derrick Chew Card Stock Cover
$5 each
Umbrella Academy TPB 1: Apocalypse Suite $35
United States of Captain America, The 1 $5
Unity 2000 Preview Book $1
Villains Giant #1 (Villains Giant #1 is a one-shot with a cover date of November, 2019. It was published on September 13, 2019.) $5
Web of Spider-Man 129.1 $3
Weird, The: #4 (of 4 issues miniseries) $5
When Ultron Attacks (One-Shot 1999) $3
Who's Who Definitive Directory of the DC Universe
23 & 25 $5 for both or $4 each
Update '87 #1 $4
Update '87 #5 $4
$10 for all
Wolverine Vol. 6 (2014) 1, 2 $5
Wolverine Vol. 7 (2020): 1 Variant Chip Kidd Die-Cut Cover $8
Wolverine: Through the Years $1
Women of Marvel (2021) #1 $5
Wonder Girl Vol. 2 (2021): 1 $4
Wonder Woman Vol. 1 (1942-1986, 2010-2011, 2020-) #750 $10
Wonder Woman Black & Gold (2021)
1-4
5 Cover B Variant Simone Bianchi Cover
6 Cover B Variant Stephanie Hans Cover
$30
X-Men Movie Special Premiere Prequel Edition $5
X-Force Vol. 6 (2020) #1 - #9 $50
X-Men Vol. 5 (2019-2021) #1 - #9 $50
X-Men/Fantastic Four (4X 2020): 1-3 (of 4-issue miniseries) $15
Year of the Villain: The Joker (2019) one-shot $5
Young Justice Vol. 1 (1998-2003): #17 $3
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time (1994 miniseries): 4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 1, 1, 0 $25 for all or $3 each

My cat is nearly 5 years old and has been suffering with dirty, itchy ears for a couple of years now. She's had dozens of trips to the vets over this time and they're more than certain she's protein-allergic and asked me to put her on a hydrolysed protein diet plan. Can't tell for certain though until she's gone through it fully. She had her ears flushed out which was pricey but really seemed to help, probably be looking at that again in a couple months as wax is building up despite using an ear cleanser to break it down.
I'm struggling with the diet though as switching her food to the new vet food is making her sick and giving her diarrhoea, so I'm having to switch her back to ease her. Food is lacking in this area with me only finding two brands of hypoallergenic hydrolysed food in the UK, one she's not too keen on one which seems to be making her ill so I'm testing the other. She's had steroid shots to help her but she's coming off them for fear of side effects like diabetes and weight gain and is going to be a last resort treatment from now on.
She's got some tummy tablets today again to help her process her new food and will probably be put on atopica in a few weeks after her steroids have gone in replacement of them.
Anyone been down this path and been successful? Seems like a losing battle and she seems very uncomfortable with the ears it breaks my heart every day watching her struggle with them.
We're trooping through with the food with medication and I can run her to the vet anytime I'm worried it's too much and will do, but would be nice to know if anyone else has had this experience and what happened throughout it.
I'm wondering if should get a second vet opinion, but they've been fantastic with everything else and what the vet says lines up with symptoms, I'm just worried something might be missing but resources are lacking online around this issue it seems.
Thanks for any help offered ♥️
Eurgh god sorry should have proof read 😩
Oh and just to add, she'd had an ear biopsy and a full test for mites, fungus or any other diseases or dirties and seems to be all clear so those are ruled out as well.