Amazing how quickly your life can change oftentimes because of circumstances beyond your control. I remember how all this started I was there that day when those fateful words were spoken wadia have to lose guadaluz it was the 1st time I. Went to a political rally. I didn't support any candidate yet. I knew of this guy and decided I'd hear what heard him speak the more. I liked what I heard he didn't speak like other politicians. He spoke plainly like a guy. I'd meet in the sports bar in many instances. It was like he was reading my mind. I thought some of these things but feared to say them out too comfortable. Talking about him to friends and family. They were starting to storm out of the room as soon as I entered. I didn't understand their hatred of my candidate. I certainly didn't get why they were calling him racist. I knew of him before he ran for office and everybody thought he was cool. He was the symbol of success to everyone from businessmen to rappers. Of course no knowing this I gave no thought to telling my fiance I was going to vote for him she got up from the couch we were sitting. On and stormed to the back of her house I stood up and was about to follow her to the back she stopped turned and looked at me with eyes. That cut me to the bone she went into her bedroom and quickly came backup the hallway towards me seemed to be in slow motion. She never looked up at me. I could always tell her mood by her eyes when she finally reached me she pushed past me and went straight to the front door she opened the door and said get out my house James. I was shocked because we had a dinner evening planned. So I said Tiffany what are you talking about? Aren't we going to dinner? She just screamed get out of my house James with that she let me see her eyes they were full of tears. She was so angry. I could see red on her cheeks and neck which was quite a feat considering her ebony dark complexion her anger was infectious because it made me. Angry so I stormed to the front door and just as I got 1' out. She stopped me she gypsy grabbed my right hand and opened it. She kissed the Palm of my hand then placed the locket. I gave her in my hand she closed my hand over the locket and turned away from me. It was a heart shaped locket that once belonged to my mother. My mother gave it to me from her hospital bed. She told me to give it to the woman I love because my father gave it to her. My mother died shortly after giving me the locket on my nightstand for years before I met some one worthy of it. I loved Tiffany after our 1st date but I dated her for a full year before I gave her the locket. Any of the gift her giving it back in this way told me 2 things she never wanted to see me again and she still loved me that made the. Break up more painful than I couldthere was a company in Alaska that was courting me for my engineering skills. I kept putting them off because I didn't want to leave Tiffany or Chicago. But now I hated the idea of running into Tiffany again or never being able to go to my favorite places because they all reminded me of her. So I called the company and told them I could start as soon as they wanted me. They requested. I catch a flight the next morning so I packed a few things and tried to get some sleep. I turned on the only news channel that was fair to my candidate but hearing even them say he might not win against his more experienced opponent made it impossible for me to sleep I felt like I had to do something right? Then so I got the absentee ballot that I received in the mail because I wasn't sure if I'd be in town on election night. I filled it out voted for my candidate. Put it in the envelope and then I fell asleep. I awoke early the next morning grabbed my luggage and made sure not to forget my important envelope. I requested a ride shared driver on my phone and thankfully one picked up quickly. I asked him to stop by the Post Office on the way to the airport. I didn't want to risk putting my letter in a Box that might not get picked up. It was early October and I wanted to be sure my ballot got in on time. It was early October and I wanted to be sure. My ballot got in on time with that done. I gave it no more thought for the sake of my sanity. I even managed to keep quiet about my candidate sometimes having to bite my bottom lip. When people? Elated about? The liberal running. Against my? Candidate how anyone could think that liberal's promises would be kept baffled me. But I didn't have time to be angry about politics. My job kept me busy once in Anchorage they wouldn't let me leave. They made me an offer. I couldn't possibly refuse they even paid a company to pack up my apartment and put everything in storage for me. I was happy making like minded friends. Alaska was a refreshing conservative change from liberal Chicago election. Night came quickly and I rushed home at 4 PM to turn on the coverage. I bought a 5th of brandy and a bag of ice. I wouldn't let myself pour a glass until the 1st States were called. By 5 PM the projection started coming in and it was closer than it should have been today. I wish my greatest trouble was not being sure if my candidate would win but I'll get to that soon by 8 PM it was still too close to call. My bottle was close to empty and I couldn't see clearly so I went to sleep the next morning. I woke up not caring about anything but my pounding headache. My breakfast that morning was Gatorade and chicken noodle soup. A cool rag over my eyes felt like heaven. I finally got close to my normal self and reached for the remote the television shut off during the night. I knew every channel would be blasting the winner and I was afraid to find out. I hit the power button and sure enough my guy one in my naive Tay. I thought the election craft would be over and people would start to be civil again. Fortunately. It was made clear any talk of the election at work would result in immediate termination. So other than salutations no one said anything to each other for fear of triggering a political discussion. Even me saying I couldn't wait for the inauguration triggered some dirty looks and a trip to HR that day finally came and left and the. Only thing that stood out was the new president's last statement of his speech he said I have made the deal of the century you will find out about it. Soon he was definitely a showman I couldn't wait to find out what it was he done. Life went as normal and people started to chill out then our president made the announcement of naval and military training exercises. The US in South Korea would have the biggest training exercise in their history as soon as the bulk of our navy and Pacific military assets were in South Korea. China attacked and captured Hawaii Japan lost half their navy trying to protect it for us before the news could finish reporting on that we heard explosions in the. Distance shortly after that our cell phones stopped working we all looked out our windows and saw smoke rising from the port we saw people in traffic rushing away from. The port and 1st responders heading toward the port in the confusion. There were crash alarms going off and we couldn't call anyone. Then the Wi-Fi and Internet stopped working. We rushed to the televisions poping the news would tell us something the screen flashed breaking news. They showed an empty podium the words at the bottom of the screen saying president to speak soon we finally see him walking to the podium with a handful of papers as he stands at the podium he fumbles through the papers before speaking he smiles at the cameras and says it's a great day for America. Ladies and gentlemen I have done what no one else could have done. I stand here today to let you know. The US is no longer in debt. That's right the 19 trillion dollars of debt is gone all it cost us was Hawaii and Alaska that is all good people I will not be answering. Question after his speech we lost the cable signal and of course control some people were crying others were screaming at the TVI just sat at my. Desk in disbelief he talked. About? Hawaii and Alaska as though. We? Were. Used cars and what did that mean was Alaska a part of China now? The thing that broke my dumbfounded trance was the window breaking and someone jumping out people began running into the buildings. They told us it wasn't the Chinese attacking the port. It was Russia. They landed troops and tanks on the ground and were headed inland the police and National Guard were trying to stop them. But they didn't have the weapons to stop tanks. The Russians had control of the capital in hours and we're pushing few Russian soldiers came into the building killing indiscriminately just before they entered my. Office I heard a Russian scream ostentatious YA. The firing stopped and the laughter started. They cheered as they walked into my office. I reached into my desk and grabbed the only thing. I valued at that moment the heart shaped locket that 2 women. I loved had given me as they said goodbye I put it in my pocket hoping. They hadn't seen an officer walked into my office with a big smile on his face. I assumed he was an officer because the men jumped to their feet at the side of him. He said something in Russian and they left the room. He then turned his reptilian like smile towards me he said. With a very heavy Russian accent hello James how are you my friend then? He laughed as he poured himself a glass of my brandy he smiled and said take it easy my American friend your name is on door I. Couldn't help but mess with you. Do you know what is happening here today James? I didn't answer him. I just look at him then the door multiple times. He poured himself another glass then spoke while looking down into the glass mother. Russia has taken part of America's debt in exchange for Alaska more specifically the oil reserves. You wouldn't drill for to protect the Winter moss or whatever you should thank your president. I should say your former president he has made you a Russian subject. I was forced to use my skill to find them oil in the wilderness the last. The heart shaped locket. I have to find ways to hide it every day. It's been a year since that day. I hope this ends soon.

For background, I rode dirt bikes from when I was 5-17, got back in to riding a few years ago. I’m looking at upgrading my bike at the moment, currently on a Suzuki GW250, but just want something a bit more fun
So I really had my eye on a DRZ400, but I guess the biggest issue buying secondhand is that they’re mostly owned by young blokes (so, they’ve been absolutely flogged). I can’t afford to buy new
I had a bit of a look and there’s an SWM Silver Vase secondhand, fairly cheap, looks in decent enough condition. I’ve read up on their history and note the concerns about Chinese ownership, but I’m wondering, is it going to be an alright bike from a mechanical point of view? I mainly ride to the gym (10 minute round trip) and every other weekend, so it’s not seeing daily use, but I don’t want something that’s going to die in a year
Yes, I understand I might not be buying the same reliability, but surely the SWM is a bit better than a braaap or something like that? I’m not interested in buying a braaap to be clear and I’m concerned the SWM is of similar quality
Other options considered were the Suzuki DR650 or Kawasaki KLR650, but I figure they’re getting to be quite big and realistically mostly doing short commuting on a 650 seems like I’m going a bit too big

Hi! Offering a great selection of colonial coinage from Southeast Asia (and some from Dutch India). Take a look!
Pics and prices
Proof
If Imgur is warning you about adult imagery in the proof pic, ignore it. Their automatic filtering is goofy sometimes.
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DUTCH EAST INDIA COMPANY

Dutch Cochin VOC Bazaruks. Early (rarer) type from 1663-1724. Tin coins with the VOC logo on one side and a cowrie shell (used traditionally as money) on the other. Very nicely priced for their grade.
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BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY

VEIC tin doits from British-occupied Dutch Indies, 1813-14. Very neat issues from the Napoleonic Wars. I think the British were definitely ripping on the VOC trademark.
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DUTCH EAST INDIES

Bonks. Bonks were issued in the late 1700s and early 1800s in the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia, under a few different Dutch governments (you can thank Napoleon for that). Their name translates approximately to "chunk;" they were made by chopping a chunk of copper off a bar and striking it. Quality control was poor; off-center and weakly struck coins are common. Occasionally a die was engraved backwards, a coin was double struck, or a die was so badly misaligned that its design was split between two coins. Some are a bit crusty and might be further cleanable.
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PORTUGUESE MALACCA

João III (1521-57) dinheiro or soldo, crude but nice and thick
Felipe II (1598-1621) half? bazaruco, possibly later (1641) Dutch imitation, pretty nice
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BORNEO

Contemporary counterfeit VOC duits. Likely created in Southern Borneo (perhaps Banjarmasin), which had a thriving industry of copying VOC coinage. Distinguished by poor manufacture, blundered dates, and weird metal.
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NETHERLANDS INDIES

Late silver coinage. These are all minted in the USA during WW2. Latin, Arabic, and Javanese scripts.
1/10 gulden and 1/4 gulden
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Be sure to check out my other sales!
Palembang and Southeast Asian tin pitis etc
Interesting money forms - Boats and cones and coils, oh my!
Chinese, Sogdian, and Malay cash
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Terms: I can do risky shipping ($1.50) if the order is small enough, or a tracked parcel ($6) via USPS. Can't ship international at this time. Other shipping options (priority mail, insurance, signed delivery, etc) available at cost. I take Zelle or PPFF. I take no responsibility for mail lost by USPS. I pack securely, but stuff happens. In the unlikely case of lost mail, I will see what I can do to help.
Will ship by Monday.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks for looking!

Let's explore the world together. Let's cuddle up together on the sofa while it storms and hold each other when we've got no other plans. Just make the most of every moment. Ambition, a thirst for knowledge and adventure, and a little competitiveness will go a long way to help.
I come from a big family of engineers and I'm an artificial intelligence software engineer myself, so I'm more than a little nerdy. Some people find me intimidating but I'm easy to get along with. I make friends fast and I've got a pretty large group that have all been hanging out regularly since college.
Movies are a passion of mine. Good movies, bad movies, all have their place depending on my mood. My favorite movie is the new Dune, with Blade Runner 2049 being a close second. It's safe to say Denis Villeneuve is my favorite director. I like complex, immersive movies that feel like they transport me to a new universe. It would be nice to find someone who feels the same way and wants to share that experience. Let's dissect the brilliant works of art and have fun laughing about movies that are so bad they're good.
I'm also a really good cook but bonus points if you know how to cook too or would like to learn. I'd love to have someone I can cook with. Cooking and good food in general helps me relax after a long day. Food is important in my family, especially seafood. Everywhere we travel we bring back new recipes. I cook from all kinds of different cuisine but in a normal rotation and no particular order, you'll see me making lots of French, Italian, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Mexican, and more. Parties are often planned around the food with everyone hanging out in the kitchen while it's made. You'll always eat well with me around.
I have a lot of other hobbies I switch between pretty often. It helps me prevent burn out on any specific thing. I pick up skills very quickly, so that definitely has something to do with having so many. Drawing, painting (digital, oil, and miniatures), DIY projects, TTRPGs, PC gaming, airsoft, wood/metal working, and more. I've even published my own TTRPG and I'm working on two more books for it.
I should probably mention I'm mildly allergic to cats.
If you made it through that wall of text, drop me a line. I love meeting new people and so does my dog.

Anyone know of anywhere in the area with a good Indian buffet, preferably on the cheaper end? There was one I loved that was only like $11 over lunch, but they stopped doing their buffet option when the pandemic hit and haven’t brought it back.

I'll be moving there in a few months. Have a few questions about the the scene . Local agencies, pay, stuff like that..

I am going to travel to China this July. Could anyone please share their experience on how to exchange US dollars for Chinese Yuan and transfer the funds to Alipay? I am currently in California, and my bank is Bank of America. I would appreciate any advice or suggestions. Thank you!

I gotta give a shout out.
I can't seem to remember where in a top chef finale there hasn't been a white guy. (I could totally be wrong though) It's so refreshing to see a woman, Chinese-Australian guy, and lgbtq+ Mexican guy.
Go figure that when you leave the US you get a more diverse talent pool. 🙃

Hello everyone! My problem is, that i can't decide. I've started pour over a while ago, after constantly failing with presso. I had sold my presso machine, but i still use an electric grinder (cg5, catler cg 510, Russell hobbs RHCBG01, it has many names, it's a white label chinese conical grinder), so it's started bugging me, if a timemore c2 max or a kinggrinder k2 would be an upgrade, or not, in termés of flavouconsistency. I'm using a one cup V60. Thank you very much, if you can help me decide!

I grew up on Super House in West but I wanna try a new place

First time using this Sub so I dont know if this is suitable, excuse me if its not.
Me and my friends have been losing or sh*t with this chinese game that appears in one of WayneRadioTV "GameClam" conferences, and I really need to know its name. According to someone on the comments the game is (or was) on Steam, but they dont remember the name either. Some seconds before showing the game Wayne says its name, I dont know if it's the real name, but either way I can't fully make up what he's saying, if there's someone who can spell it out that would help too.
(ITS REALLY LOUD, SO BE WARNED) This is the video it should be on the exact timestamp but in case it's not: 57:41 or so.
Thanks for your time reading! If someone finds it I would be really happy.

43m 5'9", short brown hair, blue eyes, 185 lbs. I have the house to myself this weekend and would love to invite a woman over for drinks and...
Dm me, looking forward to hearing from you.

Just wondering if there are any sit down restaurants that open late here in Nanaimo. There must be some other options than Cactus Club (which is open until midnight 7 days a week).
I miss the late night (after bar) Chinese/Korean/Viet sit down restaurants. Anything like this around here that I don't know about yet?

During Mao's era, the Chinese agriculture was organized into collectives and state farms run in a very centralized manner, with the individual peasants sharing most of the decision-making and work under a single unit. But after Deng's rise to power in Beijing, the HRS was implemented as a means to decentralize the farms and create a more market-oriented environment.
The communes still exist in China, but they are more like an overreaching structure from which the peasants rent the land and equipments, while the day-to-day operation is managed at a family unit level, almost like if they were small landowning families, who individually receive the surplus from their work. This system is credited with raising the food output considerably after it's implementation, and the schedule of it's adoption (regions with critical underdevelopment were prioritized) exemplifies this tendency.
Do you believe this system to be socialistic? What about it's alleged efficiency? Could it be replicated in other places?

I've read tens of chinese novels, english novels and books, read endless manga, anime and even philosophical books of human philosophers and even religious scriptures
Yet Nothing, nada, nothing reaches the ankle of Reverend insanity.
This Novel is not a book, its a Sacred scripture, no joke.
Whenever I read any story or philosophical enquiry, I always have to brace for disappointment, I've had this with how much? 9 or 10 chinese novels, with shitty endings or deteriorating middle way, tens of english novels and books who started well but I am always left disappointed
Its like I am reading books written by stupid people or people who never put their Being into their work
That was until I put my hand on the Absolute Masterpiece called : Reverend insanity.
This Novel is the Mona lisa of novels.
Everything in this novel is Perfect. Period.
It encapsulates everything, it takes the entirety of Human myths, philosophical thoughts, the deepest questions of existence and sculptes it into a perfect sculpture, a perfect representation of the deepest human desires of transcendence
the same way a master sculptor can take a normal rock and turn it into a Masterpiece that moves your very soul
Reverend insanity moved my soul, it didnt just move me, it changed me completely
It overturned my world, it changed my perspective on human existence, on how the world came into being
it made me into a philosopher asking the deepest questions possible to a human mind and striving to answer the deepest mysteries of existence
It woke me up from Ordinary abyss in which human beings live in
This Story is simply the Pinnacle of human achievement.
Its insanely deep that most ordinary readers will probably never be able to dig deep enough to appreciate the Immense wisdom this novel offers or are too stupid to notice the subtleties and understand the underlying meaning nor think about the Philosophy of human existence
Just the Poems alone are Supreme, superb, a work of perfection.
“Infinite brilliance in the mortal realm, to the ends of the world the skies and seas stretch beyond. As the winds blow my ashes back to the earth, it is incomparable to the shining moon in the reflection of the water!” Bai Ning Bing recited a poem with a faint smile
"Forever been the Dao-seeking crazed demon, Looking up towards life, death and the universe, Through a million years of accumation, On this day, Limitless achieves True Eternal life"
"In my youth, I shined in the light of spring, horses trampled on flowers as fragrance of wine spread, love and hatred came with the waves, summer cicadas sing as I wake up in the middle of the night. Planting red lotuses in the river of time, going back until my tears run dry. Through the vicissitudes of life, I return to this stage, the myriad being anticipate a life unbound by Fate!"
Just look at these poems, how can one not be moved, I remember reading this with swaying willows and just being in awe of the beauty of these poem
And this is just talking about side characters
I still have not started talking about Fang yuan
Fang yuan is just...
I kneel
I give up
Fang yuan cannot be described.
Fang yuan is the Spirit of Humanity.
Fang yuan is the fire that burns everything.
The Absolute struggle, the blood, the tears, the catastrophies that keep befalling him endlessly
Yet Fang yuan never gives up, not a single doubt crosses his mind, this guy is the Pinnacle of what a human being can become
He transcends everything
the Entire expanse of wordly sufferings causes no ripple in him
The Entire expanse of wordly pleasure do not tempt him
The Entire expanse of worldly fear causes no ripple in him
Even if the Entire world rallied against him
Fang yuan would remain indifferent, untouched, unmoved, undisturbed
Fang yuan transcends life and death and humanity itself
Fang yuan is the Absolute Existence to which everything strives to become
Just how many trials and catastrophies have befallen him, how many times has he faced Absolute Despair?
impossible to count, the amount of despair and catastrophies that have shaped Fang yuan to be who he is are simply impossible for a human being to bear
To have the Supreme courage to give up on Everything and Pursue the One True Goal thats worth it : Eternal Life
To go against Fate, the Entire World and have no mercy.
To be Ruthless against everyone and especially to himself.
How much suffering has Fang yuan gone through in his first 500 years of life to become what he is, simply unimaginable
Fang yuan is simply the most inspiring existence ever
Fang yuan is the manifestation of Supremacy, if there was a True God, he would be like Fang yuan
His poems are breath of fresh air, a manifestion of Perfection
His Poems encapsulate so much Wisdom, so much Intelligence, that it puts you in awe
I am moved beyond words
Just the Legends of Renzu contains so much wisdom and insights into Human Existence and the human condition
This Novel is simply the manifestation of Absolute Perfection.

TL;DR**:** Hypergryph is relying way too much on Alters to give some much needed spotlight to some characters, when Alters shouldn't be a must to give low-rarity characters their own events or plots and if they continue that trend it will kill my hype for their stories, particularly in those cases where an Alter was simply not needed lore-wise before their event (A.K.A Silence Alter).

Welcome everyone to my heavily biased rant that no one but me might agree with and that will most likely be downvoted to oblivion. That's okay, you might have your own take, this is just my opinion. Feel free to disagree with everything I'm about to rant here like the madwoman screaming to the wall that I am right now.
With that out of the way and if you are still reading this, let's begin.

Alters on Arknights: A story-telling tool

...Let's talk about Alters, shall we?
Love them or hate them, they can be a tool for when an unit has potential and powers on their lore that aren't reflected on the original unit for whatever reason, or stuff that is foreshadowed on their lore that has a good reason to be relegated to an Alter unit (Texas having left the mafia for example, or Shining having made an oath to never use her sword again... whenever Shining Alter ever actually happens).
Something I liked going into Arknights is that Alters were rarely used solely as a money-grabbing scheme. They were that too, don't get me wrong, this is still a gacha game, but still... I got the sense that, unlike in other gacha games, Alters in Arknights actually had a narrative purpose, and it was one that wasn't deliberately engineered in a way that you could say that a certain event was just written in such a way to make an Alter happen (There's just 2 examples, maybe 4, of that happening in this game from what I counted, with only 3 of those released in Global right now, but we'll get to those ones in a second), but it was always born from lore that had already long existed before the Alter unit did.
With very few exceptions, all of the Alters we have gotten on Arknights actually have a reason to exist that was mentioned or at least hinted at long before their debut... Which makes those who did came out of the blue stick out all the more like a sore thumb.
To prove my point, I'm gonna list every Alter on the game so far with the exception of one, including the newly announced Executor Alter, and I'm gonna give a short summary of the lore that had been established for their existence prior to their actual release:
​

• Lava the Purgatory, Kroos the Keen Glint, Hibiscus the Purifier and Greyy the Lightningbearer: Putting all four of these together because they share the same theme, and that theme is "Young/Inexperienced Operators growing up". With the exception of Greyy, all of these were 3 stars. The Op Reserve A1 Operators have some lore going on that has yet to be completely explored, and their 3 star selves being young gives them lots of room to grow. 4 star Greyy is a literal child, so it makes sense that when he shows up again, now older and a little more experienced, his rarity would reflect that. And while all of these, particularly Greyy's, may have less of a reason to exist that most of the other Alters on this list, that's more forgivable than say, Chalter, because all these four are either welfare or have a low rarity, with both Hibiscus Alter and Greyy Alter being rather niche 5 stars, which makes them unlikely to have been just a money-grabbing decision despite being gacha.
• Skadi the Corrupting Heart: Ever since her release, Base Skadi's files already described her as a "walking Catastrophe"... despite the fact that, prior to Gladiia's existence and the modules that would make the Abyssal Hunter niche a game-breaking team, she was actually considered one of the worst 6 stars of the game, and even today she's still rather mediocre at best without her faction supporting her, particularly when compared to other 6 star units. And even though the whole Ishar-mla sideplot wasn't introduced until her debut event, there were already hints of something Lovecraftian going on (Skadi's files, Specter's files, even Operators mostly unrelated to them as of this writing like Blue Poison's files and Deepcolor's... well, everything), with lots of lore readers predicting that something was going to happen, even on this very subreddit. And even though that something being a Bard Alter with a whole alternate universe Bad Ending storyline cop-out wasn't in anyone's predictions, it still had a lot more lore build-up to it than, say...
• Ch'en the Holungday: I don't need to repeat that lots of cans of worms got opened back when she released, but in case you don't know, here's an essay from two years ago about that whole drama. There's really not much more to say about her, she exists, moving on.
• Nearl the Radiant Knight: Base Nearl's files were already foreshadowing an Alter, what with them saying that "her current gear is somewhat limiting Nearl's combat utility". So when she got one in the Near Light event, I doubt anyone was truly surprised by it. Not much else to say, really.
• Specter the Unchained: If there were any doubts about Specter getting an Alter (or at the very least regaining her sanity during the Abyssal Hunter plotline), Under Tides and the second Operator Record that Specter got in that update, in which she became lucid again for a brief period of time only to lose it again after returning to Rhodes Island, should have been strong enough hints that HG was gonna do something with her in the sequel to that event. The only issues with the idea of an Alter, of course, being that any 6 star Alter would have felt redundant to what's quite possibly one of the best 5 stars of the game, and Specter Alter indeed had to get modules after her release to make her truly worth building. But gameplay aside, Specter getting an Alter made perfect sense with her pre-established lore.
• Gavial the Invincible: If Nearl getting an Alter was obvious, then Gavial might as well have had "I'm getting an Alter one day" tattooed on her tail. Her whole lore is that she is a warrior with excellent fighting prowess who just happened to chose to save more lives by being a medic instead. And even then, unlike Shining, her files and voicelines constantly have her willing to fight people herself... despite her 3 star medic self not having any abilities that would let her deal damage on her actual in-game kit. Like, at all. So if anything, Miss "I regret not giving them a few whacks with this staff here" not getting an Alter would have felt like a waste.
• Reed the Flame Shadow: Here's another Alter that was hinted at on the files of the original Operator long before their release. Even leaving the whole Victoria plotline aside, here we have an Operator who is described on her files as having Arts that are not mere pyrokinesis, but rather the manipulation of life itself**.** And that description was in the files of... a 5-star Charger Vanguard with just a 35% of Arts attack during skill activation, and that's with that skill having a full M3. Yeah... This Alter was not a question of "if", but rather "when".
• Texas the Omertosa: The case of this Alter would be on the same boat as Nearl's and Reed's if it wasn't for a funny little detail: I could be wrong, but I think that Base Texas and Lappland have been in the game since launch. That means that this Alter had been teased since Day 1. Let that sink in for a moment. But yeah, you all know the drill with this one: Mysterious past, mafia connections being mentioned here and there, Lappland mentioning that she "might try to bring back the old Texas", how she used to fight with two swords, ect... If anything, those who saw the hints early and liked what was being foreshadowed would have to wait a long time to finally get it, though HG made sure that those who had to wait no less than 2 years for this Alter to finally happen would be rewarded with a very powerful unit. Maybe a little too powerful in fact, but that's another topic entirely.
• Executor Alter (...what was the full name of this one again? I don't know Chinese): This one is similar to Skadi's case but without any non-canonical alternate timeline shenanigans (...I hope). Our good ol' friend Federico here is a very powerful individual, a true one-man army, or so his files have always said. There's even a mention that he singlehandedly prevented a war from happening (or nearly caused it himself? The way it is written is kinda vague...), damaged six buildings while on a mission, and killed a vicious beast with his bare hands. All that while still being a rather unremarkable (Not bad, just... unremarkable) 5-star spreadshooter sniper. So him getting a 6-star Alter is not that surprising.

Out of all these Alters, only Chalter was truly gratuitous in that she is only Ch'en with a modified water gun, nothing leading up to her existing prior to Dossoles Holiday. Other than her, only Greyy Alter and maybe Skalter could be criticized for coming out of nowhere, and even then they still have a decent enough reason to exist, with Skadi having already had a whole event and pre-existing lore prior to Under Tides, her Alter, and the whole Bad Ending stuff that came with it that would eventually lead to IS3.
...Oh yeah, there's also Yato and Noir Corne randomly getting Alters as part of the Monster Hunter collab, but other than my personal take on it and how I really hope Collab Alters won't be a recurring thing... It is just a collab, what did you expect? And even then, it could be argued that it makes sense for those Operators in particular to have been given the Alters, as they are both said to be experienced and reliable ops in their lore, but are held back from fully being that in-game because of their 2 star rarity.
My point is that, so far, almost all Alters had some lore reason to be that I could agree with.
And then... Silence Alter was announced.

Silence the Paradigmatic: One step forward, two steps back

When I first saw the Lonetrail trailer and saw Silence Alter, I was hyped. Silence was getting an Alter, and not only that, she was gonna be welfare? Could this be a sign that HG is finally gonna leave the trend of Limited Alters behind? My happiness was unmeasurable.
But then, after my excitement died down and I started to think, I realized something...
Go and read all the current Rhine Labs lore Including the manga. Including OG Silence's files, especially OG Silence's files.
Now, let me ask you a question: Did Olivia Silence, as a character, needed an Alter?
Was there anything on her files, or in the manga, or on some module or an Operator Record, that said anything about her character that would require her to be stronger in-game that she already was? Or something that would need to have her change her whole in-game class or kit?
Because, and this is just in my honest, humble opinion: No. No there was not.
Silence was not some kid or teenager like Greyy or the Reserve A1 squad. She wasn't holding back any "true power" cliché nor was she currently anything other than what she was in the past, like Gavial or Nearl. Silence was just Silence: A woman, a mother, a medic.
That's not to say that Olivia Silence didn't had room to grow as a character, I for one was very hopeful for a Rhine Labs event to touch on her strained relationship with Saria once again and I'm happy that Lonetrail seems to have gone there. But unlike, say, Texas or Reed, none of the character growth that was ever hinted at with Silence seemed to have anything to do with the possibility of an Alter. There was nothing on her files or she as a character that screamed "I need an Alter".
Olivia Silence and her whole character arc didn't need her to have a sudden 6 star Alter, just as she didn't need a 6 star Alter when she left Rhine Labs in her backstory, nor after the "present day" sideplot in the manga. Just like she didn't need one in Dorothy's Vision. There was nothing, no plot or event or sequel to the manga or whatever, that wouldn't had made sense with Silence just remaining her 5-stars Medic self.
Her class, her kit, heck arguably even her rarity made sense with her lore.
But now, she's an Abjurer supporter because... she went to space? That at its core it's not that much better than Chalter existing because Ch'en went to Dossoles and Tequila sold her a water gun there...
Okay, that was just me taking the piss, but still... Look, I'm sure Lonetrail is gonna be great and that I'm gonna love reading it once it comes to Global, and might give a good explanation as to why Silence Alter exists, but that still leaves this Alter with a flaw that, as I have exposed earlier, few of the Alters in this game actually had: There was little to no reason for this Alter to exist prior to the event it came out with. Whatever lore reason Lonetrail gives, it will be a self-sustained one because the Alter is already there.
You could argue than the pre-existing lore here is Silence's already established desire of curing Oripathy. But if that alone was the case, then a lot of other Operators at Rhodes Island should also get an Alter, starting with Sussurro. That alone doesn't feel like enough of a reason for an Alter.
​

Character growth equals... Alter?

And that's when it hit me: I was not angry or disappointed that Silence was given an Alter with zero build-up to it.
I'm disappointed and a little salty because HG took a character arc I was patiently waiting for and then shoved up a good but still unnecessary Alter into it as if Alters were now obligatory, limited unit or not.
As if a low-rarity character can't have character growth or their own story arc without relying on an Alter. As if HG isn't confident enough on their own event stories without a shiny new Alter unit to help them promote them.
I like this game, and I love its characters, but I don't want to have to expect an Alter out of my favorite character just because I want them to finally appear on their own plotline. I don't want Andreana to finally appear on the next Abyssal Hunter event but as a weird Alter version of herself with the white hair and red eyes of the other Hunters like some people on this subreddit have suggested, not when Andreana's whole deal on her files is that she is her own thing: A gun-loving but normal woman who just happened to have been experimented on in the past, and giving her a more abyssal appearance or changing her class would erase that. I don't want Thorns to suddenly have a completely unnecessary Geek or Medic Alter just because I want him to have his own sidestory and have his past explored. Cuora finally regaining her memories... Okay, I guess an Alter wouldn't be so out of place there, but you surely get my point by now, do you?
You don't need Alters to tell a good story, and Alters shouldn't have to be equivalent to character growth.
"But that's just how gachas work!" Maybe. But that doesn't mean I have to like it.
​
That's all. Thanks for reading my nonsense if you reached this far, thank you.

Hi FictionWriting I am writing a fiction and am inspired by my work as camp manager. In my job I get to travel a lot and by talking with colleagues from petrol companies (mostly american) I came up with an idea I want to stick to. Just to imagine what it would be like to pull off a stunt that would get me rich if I ever have the balls to do it. It is the story of a group of expats who have the chance to steal off petrol property during the negotiation process with international banks. Here is the first page wich is a fictional first page of a newspaper:
"Black Gold Scandal in Uzbekistan:
U.S., China, and Russia Locked in Tense Negotiations as Theft of Chinese Petrol Creates Geopolitical Turmoil
In a shocking turn of events, a clandestine operation targeting internationally shared petrol production in Uzbekistan has sent shockwaves through the global community. The incident, involving the theft of valuable Chinese petroleum resources, has embroiled the United States, China, and Russia in a tense standoff as negotiations stall and tensions rise.
The Chinese government recently discovered that an independent group, shrouded in mystery, has been surreptitiously pilfering their precious "black gold" reserves. The scale of the theft has led Chinese authorities to suspect involvement from a major global power, prompting accusations and casting a veil of uncertainty over the situation.
Amidst mounting evidence and diplomatic pressure, the three nations find themselves at a stalemate in their efforts to identify the perpetrators responsible for this audacious act of resource plundering. This impasse has not only strained relations between the United States, China, and Russia but has also ignited a fierce competition for control over the disputed oil camp.
The stakes are high, as access to the oil camp provides significant geopolitical advantages in an energy-dependent world. With each nation vying for supremacy and protecting their interests, the possibility of a new war over oil possession looms ominously on the horizon.
China, aggrieved by the theft and desperate to regain control of its valuable petroleum resources, has spared no effort in launching an extensive investigation. While their suspicions have gravitated towards either Russian or American involvement, concrete evidence remains elusive, fuelling tensions between the three global powers.
On one hand, Russia vehemently denies any involvement in the theft, branding the accusations as baseless and emphasizing its commitment to international law and order. On the other hand, the United States, equally insistent on its innocence, asserts that it is dedicated to maintaining stability in the region and assisting in the search for the true culprits.
As the clock ticks, the international community watches anxiously, fully aware that the outcome of these negotiations could have far-reaching consequences. The fragile balance of power in the region hangs with a potential escalation of hostilities posing a threat to global stability.
In the midst of this geopolitical storm, the search for the perpetrators continues, and the stakes grow higher with each passing day. The world holds its breath, hoping for a breakthrough that would defuse the mounting tensions and avert a catastrophic clash over the coveted black gold reserves.
Only time will tell whether the United States, China, and Russia can overcome their differences, unmask the thieves, and prevent this volatile situation from spiralling into a full-blown international crisis. As the nations involved teeter on the brink of conflict, the world holds its collective breath, awaiting the resolution of the Black Gold scandal in Uzbekistan."
​
What I'm asking is: Do you have any information, whether it is closer to fiction or not, that I could add to the story ? I am doing this for myself with no intent to publish, so the idea is to ponder over the geopolitical dynamics of such a conflict and how would it realistically develop. Thank you !

Hey y'all I got bored and decided to make an updated masters list of all the predators caught in Washington DC. I wasn't able to find all of them but most and was hoping if anyone knew the rest that would be great.
Full segment- I am not going to give a description because Im assuming every tcap fan knows them 1. Alladin Shamoun username- the_sphinx59 2. Rabbi David Kaye- REDBD 2. Dr. Jeffrey Beck username- Gbabbnsp 4. John Kennelley- specialguy29 5. Sargent Joseph Wunderler- vamale_692005 6. Steven Bennof- Crazy4theNATS
non full segment 7.AMIR FARAHANI- zoso23117 can be seen throughout the episode although he's never seen actually talking to Chris. According to perverted justice website he had a pretty lengthy interview with Chris Hansen. Seemed really concerned about his future since he was from a different country and came to America to work hard and go to medical school. He hit the lotto because he literally lived in Fairfax County and was never prosecuted despite being in the right jurisdiction possibly because he was getting help with a doctor and also medical school is stressful.

1. Arpit "Umbrella guy" Mashewari- imagine_me7 As the nickname states he's the guy who ran as fast as he could midway through the interview. down the highway with the umbrella covering his face since he didn't come in a car midway through the interview with Hansen.
   
2. Artie Makepeace- VAMILLIONAIRE the guy with the hat who plays the good Samaritan excuse to Chris during his interview. I managed to find his last name through a white page search and I know its him because the age matches and according to where he used its the same area as well he however moved to a different state NC. couldn't find much other info about him
   
3. Dennis Thomas- photofrog1962 He was the guy seen in the military uniform throughout the episode who was an engineer for the Navy. Although its unknown if he had an interview with Hansen its very likely because in one shot its shows him walking toward the chair. Due to the fact he was in the military he was one of the cases that was unaired to be prosecuted which was through military court. He moved to Illonis according to the sex offender registry
   
4. Evan ?- evinem78 I can't find any information on him. The only reason why we know he was part of the bust because he was put on a busted list on perverted justice website before any of the convictions took place and when I try to click it its says you must be an administrator of perverted justice or law enforcement
   
5. HAROLD HIGLEY- I can't find his username anywhere. Through a YouTube video doing a background search about him recently it is known that he used to be an engineer for the military right only a year before the Fairfax Sting. He got lucky for a little because the military did not have the right to arrest him for the sting. However later on he would be busted in another sting and got placed on the sex offender list for life. Apparently his family is still really supportive of him
   
6. JOHN PHILLIP JARRELL- Sweet_Richmond_Guy Not much to say about him other than that he's the guy who just ran out the house when he saw Hansen with his arms flapping. According to white pages still lives in the same area
   
7. MARK BAGGETTE- va_breitling The male stripper who came to the house not once but twice according to perverted justice website. He came at two in the morning long after nbc stoped filming drunk and knocked on the door when Hansen's friend the retired FBI agent who owned the house and the agent gave some bs excuse and he believed it. Came the next day and said "Knock Knock" and bolted when he saw Chris. He ended up being another unaired predator to be prosecuted probably because he came twice. Why the first time he came was unmentioned on the episode is beyond me. Later was charged and convicted locally by Fairfax County.
   
8. Sean Akkrwong- kc4545_2000 He is the Asian guy who can be seen walking in one shot. He's also the one who brought the decoy dinner and shoes in the episode according to perverted justice website. Like Artie found his last name through white pages and know its 100 precent him because no one else who live/d in the area with the name Sean and has an asian last name and did a google search and yeah its him. Funny thing is he's actually from the same town as Rabbi David Kaye. Since the shoes and dinner were left at the house we can assume he probably had a Hansen interview otherwise he probably would have just taken the food with him unless he just dropped it like Mark but it doesn't seem to be the case since the food shown in the show doesn't seem to be a mess in the bag and same with the shoes unless dateline fixed it for the air but I doubt they would.
   
9. Timothy Kane- nofreeknclue He is the one who brought the pornographic tape to the bust house it is known he had an interview but how long the interview was is unknown.
   
10. Yonas Getachew- danikulu He is the guy who denied being involved with the internet chat when Chris roosted him saying "so there's just another guy name Yonas". I did a background check on him and turns out he's in the film industry and an immigrant from Ethiopia. I then found his IMD page and get this he's credited as himself as a predator lol. I will provide the link below. www.imdb.com/name/nm3557674/
    

I can't find anymore information on the other 2 however one of the men (possibly) is Nathan Proctor- "texassailor04" I am not sure if he counts because he never showed up to the sting house. But according to perverted justice he did surface at the time when they were filming dateline two. He actually got convicted since he was in the Navy and was about to go to overseas however when the military found out they arrested him.