When I turned 18, there was a casino about 2 hours away on a reservation that I could get into. We'd get paid on Friday night, head to the gas station near us that would cash a paycheck, pile into my crappy little Ford, then make the drive. We'd get there a little before midnight and everyone had their own game.
The second time we went, one of my friends was hypnotized by the craps table. There were 16 players standing around this sea of green, and every minute or so, you could hear them screaming at the top of their lungs like they just won a million dollars. On the way home that night, I taught him everything I learned from books I'd read about the different bets. "Smart" bets where the house edge was only 1.4%, all the way down to the risky ones where the house edge was over 10% (meaning that for every $100 wagered, you should expect to lose $10).
The next time we went, we hung around the table, trying to figure out the right way to bet. It seemed a little complicated, so we tried other games. At the end of the night, I had the last $10 and he asked if he could borrow it to go place a bet. I handed it over, then went to the bathroom in preparation for the ride home. When I finally found him again, he had a stack of chips in front of him. He had been gone for about 5 minutes and already turned $10 into a few hundred. Well, if you can turn 10 into 100, you can turn 100 into 1,000 just as easily. We left empty handed that night, but I'll never forget the rush.
I loved blackjack. I learned how to play at an early age from my uncle, who would always cheat and take my money. He'd say "I just taught you a very valuable lesson." He actually taught me two: 1) if you play against a casino, you may have a good night and win thousands of dollars, but if you keep going back, you'll eventually have nothing left. 2) My uncle was a scumbag who continually cheated and took my money, then told the family I was a poor sport and they couldn't understand why I hated doing anything with him. One of my earliest memories at the casino was running $100 at the blackjack table into $3000, which is more than I made in a month of bussing tables. I went home, paid my rent and blew the rest on useless things I can't even remember.
What does any of this have to do with $GME? Well I'm still chasing the same high as I was when I was 18. I don't go to the casino anymore, but I've got something even better on my computer. I bought $2k worth of weeklies on Jan 25. Before everything crashed, they were worth over $100k, more than enough to fix most of the problems I've caused in my life. BUT, I was still standing around that craps table. The roller had just made his 30th point in a row, $GME was on fire and couldn't possibly roll a 7! I put my 2k back in my pocket and shoved the rest on the pass line. A few minutes later, the croupier inevitably yells "7 out!" and just like that, I'm back to nothing.
Now I do what every moron around the table does. You reach back into your pocket, pull out the 2k and make a deal with your maker. "Just let it happen one more time. I won't be greedy THIS time and I'll stop when I hit 50k." I stop looking at the smart bets and start eyeing the center of the table, where hard ways are paying 10:1. Yeah, that'll be how I get back to 50k. A couple of those in a row and I can put a down payment on a house. 5 minutes later, I'm on my way out to the car and I feel like I've been punched in the gut. Again.
Every one of you in this subreddit is another person sitting at the casino. Everyone has their game. The people holding $GME stonks right now? You're playing baccarat. If you've never heard of it, it's what James Bond plays in the old movies. It's about the most boring thing you can do. Two hands are dealt and you're betting on which one wins before anything happens. There's no actual skill and it's the same thing as betting heads or tails, while losing 1% of your bet every time.
The people who cashed out and picked something else like $AMC or $BB? Those are the slot players. You had a big hit and now you're going to switch machines because the other ones are "due". You're looking for the exact same magic, thinking there was something smart in your play, when it was really just dumb luck in timing.
The people saying "If Daddy Elon or Cowboy Cuban gets in, we can trigger a squeeze!" You're the guy who spent too much money in the first 20 minutes of the trip and now you're begging everyone else for a loan.
Tldr: Nothing is happening with $GME. Stop saying "tomorrow is the day." Billionaires are not coming to bail you out. If institutional investors come in, they're waiting for this constant downhill slide to end at where the stock belongs, probably around $20. You can't trigger shit by holding. The HFs will outlast you.
Edit: Screenshots from the worst 40 minutes of my financial life https://imgur.com/a/MlTRJmx
Edit 2: JFC, some of you are takin WSB way too seriously. You should not be using reddit for DD. Also, this is not financial advice. Don't take financial advice from someone who tells you stories about chasing highs at casinos.
Edit 3: This is WSB, my dudes. I'm glad most of you were entertained by my story. For the few of you who got that worked up by a random stranger on the internet telling you that he's a degenerate, you may actually have a problem. https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/

Don't expect this to be a daily thing, I put daily, but I really meant news of the day. Also, not financial advice.

Quick major news

• Jeff Bezos will step down as CEO in 21Q3.
• $GOOG EPS at $22,30 with revenues at $56,90B.
• $AMZN EPS at $14,09 with revenues at $125,6B
• Silver went down 8%, Gamestop went down 60%, AMC went down 41,2%. Short ladder quadra-witching attack?
• Pfizer estimates that its anti-covid vaccine will generate 15 billion dollars in revenue in the year 2021.
• The banking sector is going up a lot thanks to rising U.S. government bond yields.

What to look for tomorrow

• ECB Monetary Policy Statement
• Major Earnings report : Paypal, Qualcomm and Ebay

My thoughts

New retail money and its consequences on the overall market
This whole squeezy thing made a lot of new people aware of the stock market. Most made money. I therefore predict that there's going to be a lot of new money in the market. That leads to 2 things :

• The market as a whole will go up
• The market will have much more volatility the more unemployed people there is (the more quarantined people there is also).

The first point is rather obvious in my opinion but the second one needs a little bit of explaining. It's based on the Boredom Markets Hypothesis from Matt Levine. For short : people are bored, people want fun, people see the stock market as a fun casino, people trade.
Add to those 2 points the fact that retail investors actually beat index funds during the first quarantine in 2020. This is a recipe for success for the overall market :

1. Retail investors are bored and trade fun stocks.
2. Retail investors actually made money.
3. They get their jobs back and they no longer have time to follow the market.
4. They put their money, earnings and salary into boring ETFs or blue chips stocks.

I've said basically this on this post about my 100k yolo. A little update on this : I really bought at the peak and after those great first days of the week, I barely broke even. So that sucks! Also, I might change for SPY calls as I think s&p500 will have a similar growth as Nasdaq but the SPY calls are giving better returns than Nasdaq calls for the same % change of the underlying.
Apple vs Facebook
So, hum... Facebook, with 96% of its users using the mobile app, decided to declare war against the biggest smartphone manufacturer? That's going to go well... To be fair, they don't have that much choice when the big smartphone manufacturer decides to make it very transparent what data you have access to and how much data you collect.
So, as more young people realize the extend of the data collected by Facebook, and since they're not really big fans of the app anyway, they will most probably stop using it for other more fun social medias. If they can't attract new young people, that's the death of Facebook app's growth.
Add to that more and more controversies on the whole Whatsapp-Facebook merge, more and more people more aware of alternative apps, and probably some regulations coming in this year or 2022, this is not great for Facebook at all.
But for Apple? How is Apple going down? Let's take the insane worst-case scenario for apple that Facebook stops support for Iphones. You think people will stop using Iphones just to have a social media that they've been using just as an addictive habit?
And for ther other apps in the Apple Store profiting of data collecting, I'm sure they know how lucrative the Apple market is as those customers that spend the most amount of money on phones will most likely spend the most amount of money on other things. Paid apps will do well. Ads there will do extremely well. They just need to be less shady about how they collect their data. And if you stop support for your Apple app just because Apple shows how you collect your users' data, this will not be very good PR for you my guy.
So yes, Facebook is in a lot of trouble and seems to be slowly going downhill but it's not a new trend. Apple is just the one hurting them the most at the moment. So my long-term thesis (2 or 3 years) is that Facebook will be hurt by this with a maximum upside of a stock price being flat and apple is going to do really great in the coming years.
Bye!

…The raging river, pulled them down.
Now they’ll always, be together,
In that Happy Hunting Ground…
- Running Bear by Sonny James
“Snakeyes! New roller, please, next up.” The game runner raked in the dice and chips and ignored the despair in the countenance of the most recent “high roller”. Ted shook his head and other people crowded him away from the dice pit. He was almost out of funds and it was still early. He’d budgeted his, “loss level” carefully to maximize his time at the reservation casino. It was an older one, filled with stereotypical paintings and statues intended to honor the local First Nations Tribes while fulfilling the expectations of rude tourists. He looked around forlornly for a new game to play. He didn’t care for the slots or the drawn-out and ever-shifting card games… ah, Blackjack! There was an opening at the table.
He rushed over before anyone else could snag it and bustled onto the chair. “Okay to deal me in on the next hand?” He interrupted the dealer, who ignored him until he was done dealing out the rest of the players and raking in the chips. He still did not speak but once Ted placed the minimum bet, he flipped a card down in front of him and the game began. Ted immediately started winning the straightforward game. He picked up most of his losses from his unfortunate run at craps and was finally enjoying himself. The couple at the far end of the table had apparently had enough and didn’t care for the new player. Ted liked to talk to new people and thought he was good at it. Before long, the other players had left and it was down to him, the dealer, and an older man, who wore a black cowboy style hat and chain-smoked thin cigarillos.
Ted, grinning heartily at his latest win, glanced over at the man, who had just fired up his next cancer-stick, “You know casinos, and a few bars are the last public places where anyone smokes. I remember when there were smoking sections at most places and my parents told me that there used to be no restrictions. I’ll bet you get plenty of pressure to stop from your family and friends. It’s a pretty bad habit for your long-term health…” Ted usually rambled on past any non-verbal cues that people might give him to stop talking, yet his diatribe came to a screeching halt at the look with which the stern-faced elder favored him.
The older man drew in a long pull on the firestick and then exhaled the stinking cloud into Ted’s face. He coughed a little and gagged at the odor of the raw blend of tobacco and chemicals. The old one removed the cigarillo from his mouth and tapped ashes onto the edge of the table and down onto the floor at his toes, “Sonny, nobody cares. Nobody wants your opinion, and you are not special, no matter what your mommy told you. I’ll do as I please and if you don’t like it, go bother people at another table.”
Ted gaped in shock. In his mind, the man’s words verged on an “assault”. He looked helplessly at the dealer, who just ducked his head and tried not to laugh. Indignant, he rose, took his pile of chips and fled into the depths of the gaming house in search of a friendlier table. He didn’t find one that he liked, so he finally gave up and sat at the bar. The bartender seemed to ignore him in favor of tidying up her workspace. He cleared his throat and received only a glance. He mumbled as much to himself as to her, “I just want a drink while I wait for a table to open.” He wondered at her stony silence, maybe she resents me for being…
His vocal ruminations were interrupted by a feminine voice, “What do you want?”
Ted looked up to see the bartender, mocking smile in place below shining, mesmerizing eyes. Ted simply gaped and eventually worked his jaw uselessly. The bartender shrugged and walked back to the other end of the bar. She spoke with a large man who was clearly part of the security team. He glared at Ted while she spoke. Ted wanted to avoid a confrontation. He’d been conditioned that he should seek authorities if such a situation loomed. Yet casino security was the only available authority here locally. There were Tribal Police on the Reservation, but he wasn’t sure they would want to listen to him. He finally shrugged and decided to go back over to the hotel for the rest of the night. This trip had been very unsatisfying… like all those he’d taken since he moved away from his parents’ home a few years previously.
There was an indoor walkway to the hotel, but Ted decided to go by the outdoor route to get some fresh air and enjoy the natural beauty that the builders had incorporated into the facility. As he walked dejectedly down the sidewalk, local flora pressing in from each side, he heard, from the nearby forest, a screeching wail. It startled him and he had to stop a moment to catch his breath and wait for his heart rate to slow to something more manageable. He realized that it must have been an owl or some other night bird. His father had told him that there were always weird noises “out in the sticks”.
As he plunged his hands into his pockets and determined to go to his room for rest, he caught the faint smell of burning tobacco on the breeze. It wafted over his shoulder from behind and caused him to emit a feeble cough. He looked back in annoyance. In the shadows behind him, he saw a figure. It was dark and stood still in a way that made him uncomfortable. An orange glowing circle of embers hovered around the face and rendered just enough light to illuminate the blue-grey curls of smoke as they exited the tiny conflagration and rose above the brim of a black hat. The ember flared for a moment and then flashed to the ground and was snuffed by a shadowed… foot? It wasn’t exactly clear to Ted; the figure’s lower extremities were... blurred. An even brighter flare, from a lighter or match stabbed into Ted’s eyes as the Smoker lit his next cigarillo.
Ted glared irritation but felt uncomfortable at the unnatural stillness to which the figure returned once the new fire was lit. He coughed once more, this time deliberately in a passive-aggressive attempt to communicate his displeasure and resumed his walk. He strained to listen behind him to determine whether the figure followed. He truly wished to get away from the stink and the threat of cancer or other respiratory illnesses. He slowed to listen, then gave up and looked over his shoulder again. There was no figure in the dark back near the exit to the casino. He turned to resume his walk, but a smoky black form now loomed before him! Its eyes glowed and smoked like large twin cigars as it gaped a maw that emitted pure black smoke and glowed with blue flames within the deep tunnel of the throat. Ted’s consciousness fled his body and found itself in a burning nightmare landscape that extended for as far as he could perceive in all directions.
**** * ****
Darnell, known to his public as “Murder Bush” a deliberate mistranslation of “merde bouche” a.k.a. “Deadly Rapper” for having been a suspect in a shooting back in his youth, stepped up to the dice pit as the geeky dude left. He had plenty of chips and cash to back them. His entourage was there to support him and kiss his backside as often as he wished. He rolled through six passes before he crapped out. He hadn’t over-bet, so he’d won a small amount. He picked up his latest winning chips and handed them to the hostess who had kept him well plied with drinks and snacks. He was sure that for the right price, she would take care of his other needs. He played a few card tables and finished with Roulette.
Each time he won a few chips, he passed them on to the young woman or to one of his flunkies. In the end, they had all received at least some reward for the praises they’d heaped upon him; not for any real accomplishments, but rather to curry favor with the man whom they considered to be wealthy and important: a celebrity. The girl stayed at his side and except for when he asked her questions, she said nothing. He liked that: bitch know her place, he reveled in internal satisfaction. He liked her looks too. She was medium height and a little, “thick”. She was clearly interested but hadn’t gotten in his way when he flirted with other women. He truly liked this one. The more he considered her, the more he wanted to get down to business.
Eventually, he posed the question to her, “How much for the next few hours?” His brazen suggestion that she would take money for sexual favors was the final test. If she grew angry, then she didn’t appreciate his genius…
“Whatever you think is fair. How about we see if I can satisfy you? If I can, then you may want to be generous… as you have been so far.” She hefted the chips so that the pieces clinked in her palm. “If not, I don’t deserve a reward.”
She had passed with flying colors. Might even take this one back to civilization with me, he purred in his mind. He’d always thought of himself as a Big Cat… maybe a leopard or jaguar, definitely something dangerous and sleek. His need grew more intense by the moment. He desperately wanted this woman. “Come on, let’s go to my room.” He husked in a voice grown thick with desire.
They reached his suite, his groupies having been dismissed to their own nefarious pursuits, even his bodyguard. The big man had shrugged, “Your call boss-man.” and then stumped across the hallway to his own room. Now he was finally alone with… her. He stripped off his shirt and flipped his shoes into a corner. She stood by the window and watched. The drinks he’d consumed finally caught up with him before he’d shucked his pants and drawers, “Hold on, I’ll be right back.” He was excited, which made urinating a challenge, but it had to be done, so that he could maximize his pleasure. When he stepped from the restroom, au natural, he saw that his latest conquest had done the same and now stood, bare to the world and staring out the window, all the curtains on it pushed to one side, so that the night loomed and the light of a single small desk lamp lit the room. He stalked over to her, ready to take her right there at the window in full view of anyone who looked up from the outside. He secretly hoped for an audience. He enjoyed having others watch him take what he wanted.
She turned to face him, her head lowered… no, it had sunken into her body, only her hair remained above her shoulders! A… mouth, gaping and slavering opened on her stomach, a mouth too large for her body and rimmed with rows of teeth like sharpened spikes. She stepped forward to embrace him and the screaming began… sounds that he was accustomed to eliciting from others rather than emitting from his own person.
**** * ****
“Rhino” was unhappy. He didn’t like to leave Darnell unattended. Perhaps now that his boss was in the room, he could go stand guard outside the door. He took care of some personal ablutions as he wolfed down a couple of energy bars and then walked out into the hallway. He started to settle in front of Darnell’s door, when he heard a muffled scream and faint… slobbering-gobbling noises come from the other side. He quickly tried the door, initially too panicked to think of the extra key card with which Darnell had entrusted him. He fumbled for it and soon had the door open. The interior was completely dark. The light from the hallway spilled inward but didn’t seem to reach as far into the room as it should.
He drew his pistol from the holster on his waistband and began to stalk forward, “Boss, you okay? You hurt?” The room was as silent as a tomb, he shivered a little as that thought crossed his mind. Over by the closed drapes, he smelled something awful: fresh blood and spilled entrails… recent death. His feet squelched on wet carpet. He turned around quickly. There had been no noise, but he’d felt a… presence. There she stood, arms spread wide, mouth on her gut spread wider. Rhino wasn’t one to scream or yell, even in extremis, so no others would come to this room to investigate.
**** * ****
Shelly was glad when the rowdy group left the roulette wheel that sat behind her favorite row of slots. The former “one-armed bandits”, that were now, “multiple button digital bandits” lined every available wall space, and in some spaces stood in rows that drew regulars like a dung-heap draws flies. She’d grabbed her favorite machine early in the evening and sat sliding in dollar bills and working up her points. It was called “Buffalo Dance” and featured images of American Bison and feather-bedecked hunters. The theme on the screen matched and she hoped to one day see the “White Buffalo” image adorn the entire set of images… the grand prize view. Despite the fun graphics, it was her favorite because it was near a restroom and a free soda and snack bar. She found herself ahead and on a roll. She absently lipped her dangling cigarette back into her mouth for a long draw. The smoke obscured the screen for a moment, and then she noted a shadow that lengthened across the reflective surface. Someone stood close behind her. Someone who exuded a chilly air. She paused and looked around, “Can I help you?”
There was no answer, though the shadow shifted slightly as if its caster had heard her.
Now she grew annoyed, this is just the sort of thing to break my winning streak! she raged internally. She braced her hands against the machine and worked her buttocks to make the stool on which she perched spin, so she could confront her harasser. She gaped, and nearly lost her cigarette, there was no one standing near enough to cast the shadow. No one even faced her. She chalked it up to excitement, maybe someone stepped too close when passing to go to the restroom, she thought, still a little annoyed and... chilled.
She turned back to her game and continued working the buttons, pumping in bills, and winning, a little at a time, the points now built well above her investment. This weekend is gonna pay for the last two months of losing and breaking even, she thought triumphantly. The shadow loomed across the screen once more, this time even larger, as though the figure that cast it stood closer. The shape was amorphous but hinted at anthropomorphic. She shivered as an icy breeze flowed around her, as though the air conditioning had sent out a short, cold burst, a minor malfunction…
She turned around with more alacrity and determination than the last time, mouth agape, cigarette once more dangling… precipitously and endangering the cleavage she displayed, already baked and wrinkled from years of sunbathing. The frigid air passed, and no one stood anywhere near her, though a customer approached, headed for either snacks or relief. “Excuse me sir, did you just see someone, maybe a large man, standing behind me?”
The man paused and looked at her in confusion. He had clearly been absorbed in his own thoughts, “Er, what? Uh, No. I wasn’t really paying attention, but… no.” He bustled on toward the free fountain drinks machine.
Shelly shrugged, can’t give up now, the pot is even bigger. She checked her points; she was nearing her all-time high. The winnings would pay her space rental fee at the RV park for the entire month. She pressed and played the buttons more fervently than ever, determined to break the bank on straight points or to reach that magical spin that would offer an instant reward of $10,000.00. She set her new points record and reveled for a moment. She reached for the now small stack of dollar bills the rest having been devoured by the machine. She fed in the entire remaining amount, then once more gazed at the screen. It was entirely blackened by a looming shadow.
The temperature of the air around her plummeted and she shuddered with the sudden biting cold. The cigarette was long extinguished, and she’d let the cold fag fall into the ash tray built onto the side of the machine opposite the drink holder. She was so cold, and she wanted to cry out for help, but the darkness closed in around her as the shadow enveloped her and cut off her breathing. Her fingers, paused above the “spin” button, struck and as her consciousness faded, she saw the flashing blue light and heard the blare of the winner’s siren. White Buffalo images filled all nine spaces. I won! The grand prize!
**** * ****
Terry filled his large cup and stood sipping and daydreaming. He’d lost everything he’d budgeted to lose. Yet he knew that one more try would put him back in black for this trip. He mused about what he would do with the prize money. He’d set his limit at $300.00 and had quickly lost it all on slots. Maybe he could risk just a few more dollars… skip a lunch or two until his next paycheck if it didn’t work. He was startled by the jackpot winner’s flashing light and siren that went off just behind him. That bitch! He yelled internally. Figures some old used up skank would win the big prize. He looked over at the nearby machine with anger and envy vying for control of his senses. She was gone!
He stepped over to the machine and looked around in confusion. Maybe she’d gone to the restroom? No, she’d have passed right by me. He shook his head and stepped up to look at the screen. He could still feel the recent presence of a player, the trace of warmth from a human body that might linger in a space for just a moment after the human had vacated the space. He looked around the casino floor, she was nowhere in sight. She’d been wearing a low-cut silver-spangled top that was cut way too low for her sagging, sun-ravaged bosom. She should be easy to spy, she looked like a deflated disco ball that had fallen from the ceiling to play slots. The only thing that came his way was a train of employees, led by a waitress in a skimpy outfit with purple sparkles and carrying a tray with a glass and a dark bottle. She was followed by other employees, who’d formed a sort of conga line: they sang a congratulatory chorus as they approached.
Terry gaped for a moment when he realized that they thought he was the big winner. He’d have to deny it of course. Surely the woman would be back at any moment to claim her prize. The floor cameras would have recorded who had sat at the machine, but it was too late. The group of enthused employees encircled him, and the attractive young waitress poured him a glass of champagne and snuggled up to him. The manager approached and seized his hand for a vigorous shake, “Well done sir! I see that not only have you hit the jackpot, but you’ve raised an additional $3,000.00 in points. A fabulous prize and well played I’m sure.”
Terry was flabbergasted. He’d never won anything like this… I still haven’t, not really, he reminded himself. He rarely broke even on his gambling forays, whether to the casino, or the corner store for lottery tickets and video slots. He allowed himself to be swept into the reverie and led from the machine to the bar. The employees peeled away as they approached, and he soon found himself with only the bottle and a receipt that he could cash out before he left the premises. A sullen-looking woman stood behind the bar, wiping glasses and a large, mean-looking security staffer menaced the far end. He already had his bottle, so he wasn’t sure why the staff members had deposited him with these two killjoys. He shrugged, picked up the champagne and started to walk away from the bar.
“You can’t take that with you. Either drink it here or give it to me and I’ll put it in the trash.” The bartender stated in monotone.
The security officer stood up straight from where he’d been leaning against the far wall, apparently propping up the building. He folded his massive arms in a threatening manner. Silly, thought Terry, folded arms should be a hindrance, but I get the feeling he’s dangerous regardless. He figured that he’d had enough anyway and set the nearly empty bottle on the bar, “You can keep it ma’am. I can afford another at the hotel.” Terry started to walk away from the bar, but a huge ham-like hand seized his shoulder.
Sausage-sized fingers applied painful pressure, “You apologize to the lady.” The wet heat from a mouth placed uncomfortably close to his ear and beath smelling of river bottom, sent a shiver of disgust through his body. The voice was low and deep as the river that ran past the back side of the property.
Terry decided on the better part of valor and head facing forward to avoid the obscene orifice, “Sorry ma’am, I meant no offense.”
The fingers let go and a harsh laugh sounded from behind the bar. “He don’t even know why he’s apologizing, fool. He ain’t worth the trouble, let him go.”
Terry felt a slight shove and he was sent on his way to the cash-out window. There he met with the lead cashier, an older woman in drab clothing, “I’m sorry sir, we give out only these pre-paid cards, we cannot provide cash over $1,000.00. However, you can treat them like a debit or credit card.” the cashier informed him. It seemed he had no choice, so he accepted. Thirteen grand is thirteen grand, he assured himself. He was elated, though he continued to glance around nervously, waiting for the woman in the sparkly fish-scale top to accost him and name him thief. Yet she was nowhere to be seen. The floor was full of players, some laughing, some intense, some dejected or mesmerized by the games of chance in which they’d lost themselves.
He thought about what to do with the rest of his evening. He didn’t have a hotel room; he’d planned to sleep in his station wagon as he always did before the long haul home. Perhaps he should get a room? Maybe they would take him without a reservation… he giggled a little at the unintended pun: a reservation at the Reservation… he shook his head to clear his overreaction to the silly internal joke. He decided that maybe someone on staff could help him. He approached the major domo at the front entrance that led to the interior walkway and the hotel beyond, “Excuse me sir, do you know whether the hotel will accept a resident without a prior reservation?”
The man, single dark braid wrapped in a leather holder and draped over one shoulder, looked at him gravely, “Yes, I know.” He said nothing more and did not smile as though he’d intended to be humorous.
Terry tried again, “Will you tell me please?”
The man flicked his chin in the direction of the hotel, “See the clerk at the desk.”
“Jerk, you’d think I hadn’t pissed away enough cash in this place over the past few years,” Terry muttered as he stumped toward the hotel, ensuring that he was well beyond earshot before he spoke. His head had begun to buzz a little from the champagne. Took a while for it to affect me, he mused. The hallway appeared to narrow, and his peripheral vision grew grey. He felt dizzy and as he entered the main lobby, the large room began to spin. His last view was of the sky-blue ceiling decorated with a few puffy clouds as it faded into darkness like the sun had set.
He awakened to the sounds of voices chattering happily. He looked around, his vision blurred slightly and his head feeling heavy and sore. He soon found that he could not move his arms or legs… they were bound… he was strapped to a table. He saw numerous bodies moving about in the mostly dark space in which he found himself. “Please.” He croaked, throat dry and feeling scraped. “Please, help me, let me loose. Loose me…” his perceptions cleared slowly, and he saw that the bodies that moved around him, now chanting rhythmically rather than babble-chattering, were emaciated. The owners showed as much bone through their skin as would a dead thing, long decayed. He noted spikes above a few heads… no, antlers… The rest wore… masks? Of various beasts… no, the skulls of those creatures, still filled with glistening fangs. Their dance grew ever more frantic, more energetic than they should be capable of performing. Then one of them reached out with a stick, on the end of which was a small claw, taken and preserved from some dead animal. It used the claw to gouge out a scoop of flesh from Terry’s side. He screamed in torment and horror. His screams soon matched the rhythm of the chanting and they went on for a long time before they at last faded when he’d lost too much blood to remain conscious.
**** * **** END PAGE 1 of 2

…The raging river, pulled them down.
Now they’ll always, be together,
In that Happy Hunting Ground…
- Running Bear by Sonny James
“Snakeyes! New roller, please, next up.” The game runner raked in the dice and chips and ignored the despair in the countenance of the most recent “high roller”. Ted shook his head and other people crowded him away from the dice pit. He was almost out of funds and it was still early. He’d budgeted his, “loss level” carefully to maximize his time at the reservation casino. It was an older one, filled with stereotypical paintings and statues intended to honor the local First Nations Tribes while fulfilling the expectations of rude tourists. He looked around forlornly for a new game to play. He didn’t care for the slots or the drawn-out and ever-shifting card games… ah, Blackjack! There was an opening at the table.
He rushed over before anyone else could snag it and bustled onto the chair. “Okay to deal me in on the next hand?” He interrupted the dealer, who ignored him until he was done dealing out the rest of the players and raking in the chips. He still did not speak but once Ted placed the minimum bet, he flipped a card down in front of him and the game began. Ted immediately started winning the straightforward game. He picked up most of his losses from his unfortunate run at craps and was finally enjoying himself. The couple at the far end of the table had apparently had enough and didn’t care for the new player. Ted liked to talk to new people and thought he was good at it. Before long, the other players had left and it was down to him, the dealer, and an older man, who wore a black cowboy style hat and chain-smoked thin cigarillos.
Ted, grinning heartily at his latest win, glanced over at the man, who had just fired up his next cancer-stick, “You know casinos, and a few bars are the last public places where anyone smokes. I remember when there were smoking sections at most places and my parents told me that there used to be no restrictions. I’ll bet you get plenty of pressure to stop from your family and friends. It’s a pretty bad habit for your long-term health…” Ted usually rambled on past any non-verbal cues that people might give him to stop talking, yet his diatribe came to a screeching halt at the look with which the stern-faced elder favored him.
The older man drew in a long pull on the firestick and then exhaled the stinking cloud into Ted’s face. He coughed a little and gagged at the odor of the raw blend of tobacco and chemicals. The old one removed the cigarillo from his mouth and tapped ashes onto the edge of the table and down onto the floor at his toes, “Sonny, nobody cares. Nobody wants your opinion, and you are not special, no matter what your mommy told you. I’ll do as I please and if you don’t like it, go bother people at another table.”
Ted gaped in shock. In his mind, the man’s words verged on an “assault”. He looked helplessly at the dealer, who just ducked his head and tried not to laugh. Indignant, he rose, took his pile of chips and fled into the depths of the gaming house in search of a friendlier table. He didn’t find one that he liked, so he finally gave up and sat at the bar. The bartender seemed to ignore him in favor of tidying up her workspace. He cleared his throat and received only a glance. He mumbled as much to himself as to her, “I just want a drink while I wait for a table to open.” He wondered at her stony silence, maybe she resents me for being…
His vocal ruminations were interrupted by a feminine voice, “What do you want?”
Ted looked up to see the bartender, mocking smile in place below shining, mesmerizing eyes. Ted simply gaped and eventually worked his jaw uselessly. The bartender shrugged and walked back to the other end of the bar. She spoke with a large man who was clearly part of the security team. He glared at Ted while she spoke. Ted wanted to avoid a confrontation. He’d been conditioned that he should seek authorities if such a situation loomed. Yet casino security was the only available authority here locally. There were Tribal Police on the Reservation, but he wasn’t sure they would want to listen to him. He finally shrugged and decided to go back over to the hotel for the rest of the night. This trip had been very unsatisfying… like all those he’d taken since he moved away from his parents’ home a few years previously.
There was an indoor walkway to the hotel, but Ted decided to go by the outdoor route to get some fresh air and enjoy the natural beauty that the builders had incorporated into the facility. As he walked dejectedly down the sidewalk, local flora pressing in from each side, he heard, from the nearby forest, a screeching wail. It startled him and he had to stop a moment to catch his breath and wait for his heart rate to slow to something more manageable. He realized that it must have been an owl or some other night bird. His father had told him that there were always weird noises “out in the sticks”.
As he plunged his hands into his pockets and determined to go to his room for rest, he caught the faint smell of burning tobacco on the breeze. It wafted over his shoulder from behind and caused him to emit a feeble cough. He looked back in annoyance. In the shadows behind him, he saw a figure. It was dark and stood still in a way that made him uncomfortable. An orange glowing circle of embers hovered around the face and rendered just enough light to illuminate the blue-grey curls of smoke as they exited the tiny conflagration and rose above the brim of a black hat. The ember flared for a moment and then flashed to the ground and was snuffed by a shadowed… foot? It wasn’t exactly clear to Ted; the figure’s lower extremities were... blurred. An even brighter flare, from a lighter or match stabbed into Ted’s eyes as the Smoker lit his next cigarillo.
Ted glared irritation but felt uncomfortable at the unnatural stillness to which the figure returned once the new fire was lit. He coughed once more, this time deliberately in a passive-aggressive attempt to communicate his displeasure and resumed his walk. He strained to listen behind him to determine whether the figure followed. He truly wished to get away from the stink and the threat of cancer or other respiratory illnesses. He slowed to listen, then gave up and looked over his shoulder again. There was no figure in the dark back near the exit to the casino. He turned to resume his walk, but a smoky black form now loomed before him! Its eyes glowed and smoked like large twin cigars as it gaped a maw that emitted pure black smoke and glowed with blue flames within the deep tunnel of the throat. Ted’s consciousness fled his body and found itself in a burning nightmare landscape that extended for as far as he could perceive in all directions.
**** * ****
Darnell, known to his public as “Murder Bush” a deliberate mistranslation of “merde bouche” a.k.a. “Deadly Rapper” for having been a suspect in a shooting back in his youth, stepped up to the dice pit as the geeky dude left. He had plenty of chips and cash to back them. His entourage was there to support him and kiss his backside as often as he wished. He rolled through six passes before he crapped out. He hadn’t over-bet, so he’d won a small amount. He picked up his latest winning chips and handed them to the hostess who had kept him well plied with drinks and snacks. He was sure that for the right price, she would take care of his other needs. He played a few card tables and finished with Roulette.
Each time he won a few chips, he passed them on to the young woman or to one of his flunkies. In the end, they had all received at least some reward for the praises they’d heaped upon him; not for any real accomplishments, but rather to curry favor with the man whom they considered to be wealthy and important: a celebrity. The girl stayed at his side and except for when he asked her questions, she said nothing. He liked that: bitch know her place, he reveled in internal satisfaction. He liked her looks too. She was medium height and a little, “thick”. She was clearly interested but hadn’t gotten in his way when he flirted with other women. He truly liked this one. The more he considered her, the more he wanted to get down to business.
Eventually, he posed the question to her, “How much for the next few hours?” His brazen suggestion that she would take money for sexual favors was the final test. If she grew angry, then she didn’t appreciate his genius…
“Whatever you think is fair. How about we see if I can satisfy you? If I can, then you may want to be generous… as you have been so far.” She hefted the chips so that the pieces clinked in her palm. “If not, I don’t deserve a reward.”
She had passed with flying colors. Might even take this one back to civilization with me, he purred in his mind. He’d always thought of himself as a Big Cat… maybe a leopard or jaguar, definitely something dangerous and sleek. His need grew more intense by the moment. He desperately wanted this woman. “Come on, let’s go to my room.” He husked in a voice grown thick with desire.
They reached his suite, his groupies having been dismissed to their own nefarious pursuits, even his bodyguard. The big man had shrugged, “Your call boss-man.” and then stumped across the hallway to his own room. Now he was finally alone with… her. He stripped off his shirt and flipped his shoes into a corner. She stood by the window and watched. The drinks he’d consumed finally caught up with him before he’d shucked his pants and drawers, “Hold on, I’ll be right back.” He was excited, which made urinating a challenge, but it had to be done, so that he could maximize his pleasure. When he stepped from the restroom, au natural, he saw that his latest conquest had done the same and now stood, bare to the world and staring out the window, all the curtains on it pushed to one side, so that the night loomed and the light of a single small desk lamp lit the room. He stalked over to her, ready to take her right there at the window in full view of anyone who looked up from the outside. He secretly hoped for an audience. He enjoyed having others watch him take what he wanted.
She turned to face him, her head lowered… no, it had sunken into her body, only her hair remained above her shoulders! A… mouth, gaping and slavering opened on her stomach, a mouth too large for her body and rimmed with rows of teeth like sharpened spikes. She stepped forward to embrace him and the screaming began… sounds that he was accustomed to eliciting from others rather than emitting from his own person.
**** * ****
“Rhino” was unhappy. He didn’t like to leave Darnell unattended. Perhaps now that his boss was in the room, he could go stand guard outside the door. He took care of some personal ablutions as he wolfed down a couple of energy bars and then walked out into the hallway. He started to settle in front of Darnell’s door, when he heard a muffled scream and faint… slobbering-gobbling noises come from the other side. He quickly tried the door, initially too panicked to think of the extra key card with which Darnell had entrusted him. He fumbled for it and soon had the door open. The interior was completely dark. The light from the hallway spilled inward but didn’t seem to reach as far into the room as it should.
He drew his pistol from the holster on his waistband and began to stalk forward, “Boss, you okay? You hurt?” The room was as silent as a tomb, he shivered a little as that thought crossed his mind. Over by the closed drapes, he smelled something awful: fresh blood and spilled entrails… recent death. His feet squelched on wet carpet. He turned around quickly. There had been no noise, but he’d felt a… presence. There she stood, arms spread wide, mouth on her gut spread wider. Rhino wasn’t one to scream or yell, even in extremis, so no others would come to this room to investigate.
**** * ****
Shelly was glad when the rowdy group left the roulette wheel that sat behind her favorite row of slots. The former “one-armed bandits”, that were now, “multiple button digital bandits” lined every available wall space, and in some spaces stood in rows that drew regulars like a dung-heap draws flies. She’d grabbed her favorite machine early in the evening and sat sliding in dollar bills and working up her points. It was called “Buffalo Dance” and featured images of American Bison and feather-bedecked hunters. The theme on the screen matched and she hoped to one day see the “White Buffalo” image adorn the entire set of images… the grand prize view. Despite the fun graphics, it was her favorite because it was near a restroom and a free soda and snack bar. She found herself ahead and on a roll. She absently lipped her dangling cigarette back into her mouth for a long draw. The smoke obscured the screen for a moment, and then she noted a shadow that lengthened across the reflective surface. Someone stood close behind her. Someone who exuded a chilly air. She paused and looked around, “Can I help you?”
There was no answer, though the shadow shifted slightly as if its caster had heard her.
Now she grew annoyed, this is just the sort of thing to break my winning streak! she raged internally. She braced her hands against the machine and worked her buttocks to make the stool on which she perched spin, so she could confront her harasser. She gaped, and nearly lost her cigarette, there was no one standing near enough to cast the shadow. No one even faced her. She chalked it up to excitement, maybe someone stepped too close when passing to go to the restroom, she thought, still a little annoyed and... chilled.
She turned back to her game and continued working the buttons, pumping in bills, and winning, a little at a time, the points now built well above her investment. This weekend is gonna pay for the last two months of losing and breaking even, she thought triumphantly. The shadow loomed across the screen once more, this time even larger, as though the figure that cast it stood closer. The shape was amorphous but hinted at anthropomorphic. She shivered as an icy breeze flowed around her, as though the air conditioning had sent out a short, cold burst, a minor malfunction…
She turned around with more alacrity and determination than the last time, mouth agape, cigarette once more dangling… precipitously and endangering the cleavage she displayed, already baked and wrinkled from years of sunbathing. The frigid air passed, and no one stood anywhere near her, though a customer approached, headed for either snacks or relief. “Excuse me sir, did you just see someone, maybe a large man, standing behind me?”
The man paused and looked at her in confusion. He had clearly been absorbed in his own thoughts, “Er, what? Uh, No. I wasn’t really paying attention, but… no.” He bustled on toward the free fountain drinks machine.
Shelly shrugged, can’t give up now, the pot is even bigger. She checked her points; she was nearing her all-time high. The winnings would pay her space rental fee at the RV park for the entire month. She pressed and played the buttons more fervently than ever, determined to break the bank on straight points or to reach that magical spin that would offer an instant reward of $10,000.00. She set her new points record and reveled for a moment. She reached for the now small stack of dollar bills the rest having been devoured by the machine. She fed in the entire remaining amount, then once more gazed at the screen. It was entirely blackened by a looming shadow.
The temperature of the air around her plummeted and she shuddered with the sudden biting cold. The cigarette was long extinguished, and she’d let the cold fag fall into the ash tray built onto the side of the machine opposite the drink holder. She was so cold, and she wanted to cry out for help, but the darkness closed in around her as the shadow enveloped her and cut off her breathing. Her fingers, paused above the “spin” button, struck and as her consciousness faded, she saw the flashing blue light and heard the blare of the winner’s siren. White Buffalo images filled all nine spaces. I won! The grand prize!
**** * ****
Terry filled his large cup and stood sipping and daydreaming. He’d lost everything he’d budgeted to lose. Yet he knew that one more try would put him back in black for this trip. He mused about what he would do with the prize money. He’d set his limit at $300.00 and had quickly lost it all on slots. Maybe he could risk just a few more dollars… skip a lunch or two until his next paycheck if it didn’t work. He was startled by the jackpot winner’s flashing light and siren that went off just behind him. That bitch! He yelled internally. Figures some old used up skank would win the big prize. He looked over at the nearby machine with anger and envy vying for control of his senses. She was gone!
He stepped over to the machine and looked around in confusion. Maybe she’d gone to the restroom? No, she’d have passed right by me. He shook his head and stepped up to look at the screen. He could still feel the recent presence of a player, the trace of warmth from a human body that might linger in a space for just a moment after the human had vacated the space. He looked around the casino floor, she was nowhere in sight. She’d been wearing a low-cut silver-spangled top that was cut way too low for her sagging, sun-ravaged bosom. She should be easy to spy, she looked like a deflated disco ball that had fallen from the ceiling to play slots. The only thing that came his way was a train of employees, led by a waitress in a skimpy outfit with purple sparkles and carrying a tray with a glass and a dark bottle. She was followed by other employees, who’d formed a sort of conga line: they sang a congratulatory chorus as they approached.
Terry gaped for a moment when he realized that they thought he was the big winner. He’d have to deny it of course. Surely the woman would be back at any moment to claim her prize. The floor cameras would have recorded who had sat at the machine, but it was too late. The group of enthused employees encircled him, and the attractive young waitress poured him a glass of champagne and snuggled up to him. The manager approached and seized his hand for a vigorous shake, “Well done sir! I see that not only have you hit the jackpot, but you’ve raised an additional $3,000.00 in points. A fabulous prize and well played I’m sure.”
Terry was flabbergasted. He’d never won anything like this… I still haven’t, not really, he reminded himself. He rarely broke even on his gambling forays, whether to the casino, or the corner store for lottery tickets and video slots. He allowed himself to be swept into the reverie and led from the machine to the bar. The employees peeled away as they approached, and he soon found himself with only the bottle and a receipt that he could cash out before he left the premises. A sullen-looking woman stood behind the bar, wiping glasses and a large, mean-looking security staffer menaced the far end. He already had his bottle, so he wasn’t sure why the staff members had deposited him with these two killjoys. He shrugged, picked up the champagne and started to walk away from the bar.
“You can’t take that with you. Either drink it here or give it to me and I’ll put it in the trash.” The bartender stated in monotone.
The security officer stood up straight from where he’d been leaning against the far wall, apparently propping up the building. He folded his massive arms in a threatening manner. Silly, thought Terry, folded arms should be a hindrance, but I get the feeling he’s dangerous regardless. He figured that he’d had enough anyway and set the nearly empty bottle on the bar, “You can keep it ma’am. I can afford another at the hotel.” Terry started to walk away from the bar, but a huge ham-like hand seized his shoulder.
Sausage-sized fingers applied painful pressure, “You apologize to the lady.” The wet heat from a mouth placed uncomfortably close to his ear and beath smelling of river bottom, sent a shiver of disgust through his body. The voice was low and deep as the river that ran past the back side of the property.
Terry decided on the better part of valor and head facing forward to avoid the obscene orifice, “Sorry ma’am, I meant no offense.”
The fingers let go and a harsh laugh sounded from behind the bar. “He don’t even know why he’s apologizing, fool. He ain’t worth the trouble, let him go.”
Terry felt a slight shove and he was sent on his way to the cash-out window. There he met with the lead cashier, an older woman in drab clothing, “I’m sorry sir, we give out only these pre-paid cards, we cannot provide cash over $1,000.00. However, you can treat them like a debit or credit card.” the cashier informed him. It seemed he had no choice, so he accepted. Thirteen grand is thirteen grand, he assured himself. He was elated, though he continued to glance around nervously, waiting for the woman in the sparkly fish-scale top to accost him and name him thief. Yet she was nowhere to be seen. The floor was full of players, some laughing, some intense, some dejected or mesmerized by the games of chance in which they’d lost themselves.
He thought about what to do with the rest of his evening. He didn’t have a hotel room; he’d planned to sleep in his station wagon as he always did before the long haul home. Perhaps he should get a room? Maybe they would take him without a reservation… he giggled a little at the unintended pun: a reservation at the Reservation… he shook his head to clear his overreaction to the silly internal joke. He decided that maybe someone on staff could help him. He approached the major domo at the front entrance that led to the interior walkway and the hotel beyond, “Excuse me sir, do you know whether the hotel will accept a resident without a prior reservation?”
The man, single dark braid wrapped in a leather holder and draped over one shoulder, looked at him gravely, “Yes, I know.” He said nothing more and did not smile as though he’d intended to be humorous.
Terry tried again, “Will you tell me please?”
The man flicked his chin in the direction of the hotel, “See the clerk at the desk.”
“Jerk, you’d think I hadn’t pissed away enough cash in this place over the past few years,” Terry muttered as he stumped toward the hotel, ensuring that he was well beyond earshot before he spoke. His head had begun to buzz a little from the champagne. Took a while for it to affect me, he mused. The hallway appeared to narrow, and his peripheral vision grew grey. He felt dizzy and as he entered the main lobby, the large room began to spin. His last view was of the sky-blue ceiling decorated with a few puffy clouds as it faded into darkness like the sun had set.
He awakened to the sounds of voices chattering happily. He looked around, his vision blurred slightly and his head feeling heavy and sore. He soon found that he could not move his arms or legs… they were bound… he was strapped to a table. He saw numerous bodies moving about in the mostly dark space in which he found himself. “Please.” He croaked, throat dry and feeling scraped. “Please, help me, let me loose. Loose me…” his perceptions cleared slowly, and he saw that the bodies that moved around him, now chanting rhythmically rather than babble-chattering, were emaciated. The owners showed as much bone through their skin as would a dead thing, long decayed. He noted spikes above a few heads… no, antlers… The rest wore… masks? Of various beasts… no, the skulls of those creatures, still filled with glistening fangs. Their dance grew ever more frantic, more energetic than they should be capable of performing. Then one of them reached out with a stick, on the end of which was a small claw, taken and preserved from some dead animal. It used the claw to gouge out a scoop of flesh from Terry’s side. He screamed in torment and horror. His screams soon matched the rhythm of the chanting and they went on for a long time before they at last faded when he’d lost too much blood to remain conscious.
**** * ****

Hello everyone, happy new year!
With recent release of Cayo Perico but not much else I wanted to touch base with the community holding out for GTA Online in Liberty City or Vice City, and debrief from the Cayo Perico DLC.
Even though Cayo Perico came out unexpectedly (to us), it is a small but welcome addition to the GTA Online world.
I believe that we still have reason to cling onto hope that that Liberty City will sooner rather than later, and Cayo Perico is a stepping stone to that demonstrating the map expansions are possible.
While I no longer think that we will see a remastered city come this generation of console, but we still have GTA V "Expanded and Enhanced" coming in 2021 which may have much more than just GTA V itself.

Reasons why I think that GTA V "Expanded and Enhanced" is more than just GTA V with updated graphics

1. GTA V XB1 & PS4 versions already work fine in XBSX/XBSS/PS5. It looks and runs great, similar to a PC level of detail/performance. Why would a significant update be needed if it will be much the same if they didn't have big plans on top of that?
2. Cayo Perico proves that Rockstar's idea of "Expanded" can mean land expansion
3. Cayo Perico sounds like it was more a like a side project during COVID-19 WFH than something in the works for a long time. It is not unreasonable to think that Rockstar, with all their global studios now merged together, haven't been working on something big since the bulk of RDR2 was finished.

Source: https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/gta-online-cayo-perico-heist

1. Why are they being so vague about the details, even to go as far as using a PS3 trailer for it... are they doing this because they are hiding something? Even being so far to be anticlimactic to take off the pressure from fans, and surprise us later.

What Cyberpunk 2077 has taught the overall gaming community lately is what happens when you overpromise and underdeliver. However Rockstar already learnt this lesson back in 2015 when they promised Heists in GTA Online, which kept being reworked and delayed until near the end of the PS3/360 generation and copped a lot of criticism for it.
Basically every social media comment was "Where are the Heists", fans were frustrated. From that time onwards they never released details until about 2 weeks out from launch for a DLC. RDR2 was a bit longer, but only because they had other partners to consider. For this they originally gave it 1 year from announcement to release date, but it was delayed to 2 years, with PC one more year after that (which also wasn't even announced until one month before that).
Here is a quote about what went wrong with Heists:

We aren’t ready to give an official release date yet, but we are confident they will be ready early in 2015. As you may have read on IGN, Heists were a much bigger challenge to create than we had originally anticipated. Early versions were simply not good enough and had to be scrapped more than once as we honed in on how we thought they should work. We’re happy to say that the pack we are now finalizing is something we are excited by and eager to release as soon as it is ready. We, as a company, have always been about trying to make something that is good rather than hitting a date. We apologize when this gets frustrating but firmly believe that rushing out second-rate content does not do anyone any favors. Hopefully you agree that yesterday’s new Trailer is a sign that Heists are shaping up nicely, but we still need some time to fine tune them. Because we need a little time to get Heists right, we are going to give you a small Christmas gift to keep you entertained until we are done with them.

Sources:
https://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/52366/asked-answered-gtav-first-person-experience-online
https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/12/16/grand-theft-auto-5-online-heists-finally-revealed

Reasons why I think something related to Liberty City is most likely to be the next major GTA Online expansion to come

1. GTA IV & EFLC is highly regarded as a masterpiece, it's fanbase is still strong - many still prefer it to GTA V for a variety reasons, so it is a good candidate for a remaster. They can always make the GTA IV car physics, ragdoll, etc. come back again, perhaps as a user configurable option. Having the map there is the gateway to bringing these highly valued games back to a new generation.

Their games always start with the map, source: https://www.mcvuk.com/development-news/inside-rockstar-north-part-1-the-vision/

1. The availability of GTA IV is terrible. It is only a Backwards Compatibility title on Xbox One (non Enhanced), runs like rubbish on PC - performance wise (and multiplayer is now removed), and the PS4 & PS5 doesn't have it at all. Most other GTAs are available for purchase, at least on Mobile.
   
2. GTA V is now 7 years old and the GTA fanbase is now bigger than ever thanks to GTA V & Online. A lot of new fans haven't had the opportunity to experience GTA IV because of the above availability issue. The new fans are desperate for a new (to them) GTA game, especially since it doesn't look like GTA6 is coming any time soon. Or maybe I'm wrong and 6 is coming soon as well?
   
3. GTA Online is progressively getting new content referencing to Liberty City or content ported from Liberty City (i.e The Tugboat, QUB3D), so they are not above re-using GTA IV assets or dropping hints.
   
4. It is clear that they have been taking the "lazy" route as far as making new content for GTA Online DLCs by re-using existing assets. Don't get me wrong there is still a lot of work involved, but still it is less work than starting from scratch.
   

But it would make sense that they will continue their more recent M.O. to re-use existing assets rather than start from scratch to save time, effort and cost.

• Porting the Liberty City map to GTA V engine can't be that difficult, given that even PC Modders have already been able to do it unofficially (FiveM/OpenIV), so just imagine what Rockstar can do when doing it properly.
• There were only about 10 multiplayer modes in GTA IV Multiplayer, it wouldn't be hard to bring those back to GTA Online game modes to recreate that missing experience.

1. With high profile departures of the writers such as Leslie Benzies, Dan Houser & Lazlow there is no doubt going to be a brain drain. I'm sure they were working on stuff before their departures, and I'm sure that RockstaTake-Two with all their billions of dollars will be able to find other top talent to bring GTA into a new era, but this will take time, and they can get things out in the meantime. The story of GTA IV, Map & other assets are already made, so this gives them a head start to put out games while they rediscover their Mojo to make GTA6 using new talent.
2. GTA Online is a Big Money Maker, it will make the GTA IV & ELFC remaster worth it because the remastered map will be used for both GTA IV & Online: LC (maybe slight map differences according to time period).
3. Why did they put so much effort into issuing cease and desists to OpenIV team for OpenIV's LCinV project (even though it used original game files, no piracy) if they weren't planning on doing something in this space themselves.
4. Cayo Perico aside (which is still quite small), Los Santos as the primary setting of GTA Online is still a bit stale after 7 years. They can't use 2013 Los Santos forever, surely. Not to mention that a new GTA release is already well overdue.

GTA IV Music Licensing speculation/hints

A little while back, a lot of music track licenses expired and they were pulled from the PC version, most notably Vladivostok FM was most affected with most songs removed.
They put in some new tracks to replace it, which wasn't quite as good but it seemed like that was as good as it's going to get.
But then they went ahead and relicensed the original tracks anyway so all the music is now restored again (about 16 months after being originally cut).
Why go though all that expense of relicensing all that music if they aren't planning to capitalise on it in a big way?

Cayo Perico speculation/hints

Not much here directly, but I have played with it a little bit.
The way that it's programmed is interesting. As far as I can tell, travel to the island is sharing a session with Free Mode rather than being a different game mode, which you can tell by seeing the player list stay the same as whoever is in the Freemode session you were in. There is no loading of a different game mode, it is just a cut scene. On PC you can even chat to people who are still in Los Santos.
When you look at the map, you are located South-East of LS (just past USS Luxington), and if you move the mouse you can get locations of LS show up, it's just the map itself which is hidden.
There is a glitch you can do to "free roam" the whole Island, or just go to the Beach Party standalone, it is clear that you are in Free Mode of an existing Los Santos based lobby.
When I was glitched, I was able to take a Dinghy back to LS, LS was visible. about halfway there, the whole Cayo Perico just de-spawned similar to how the USS Luxington does, and also the weathenight cycle changed instantly too.
When I was glitched but still on the Island, a whole bunch of functions were disabled like spawning cars, calling contacts, etc.
What this shows me is that perhaps they are experimenting with how integration with Future GTA Maps will look like.
Instead of loading a whole different game, or loading a different game mode, it could be one big Free Mode made up of all locations, the locations can not be directly accessed without triggering a cut scene, and the properties of how a Free Mode works can change depending on what location on the broader map you are in.
One challenge I anticipate is that they wouldn't want GTA$ earned in LS to be transferred to a totally new GTA Online area. It is well known that a lot of it glitched and they'd want us to start getting rich again. They have also been experimented with holding separate currencies such as Arena Points or Casino Chips. I could imagine that they come up with a storyline where all your GTA$ Cash gets deposited into Maze Bank but then can't be withdrawn to cash or moved to another bank, and in LC you are forced to use a competing bank like the Bank of Liberty. Basically LS = only get Maze Bank, LC = only get Bank of Liberty.
Cars/Planes etc. Can be not widely transferable (i.e. You MKII or Babushka holding a car has engine failure mid flight and crashes, or maybe you need to go to the Airport marker on food), and maybe some planes (i.e. Luxor) can enter on a visiting basis via. Cutscene of that vehicle but can't be saved at the destination into a personal hangar.

Final words

I hope this gives some good for thought.
Keep speculating! At least until we get some solid info
Here's to 2021.

22(f) and boyfriend is 22 (m)
TL;dr: me and my boyfriend got into a fight on New Years in front of his entire family.
I’m hurting and hurting those around me. I had the worst start to a new year. I just need to talk about it.
On New Year’s Eve, me and my boyfriend got into a huge fight in front of his whole entire family. It was because he snapped and yelled at me when we were playing inside the arcade. We had been fighting on this vacation with minor things before. I guess for me, it just built up and I just started tearing up and walked away from him. I walked off and he eventually caught up to me to tell me why he yelled at me, he didn’t apologize. He just explained his way of thinking and I was so upset, I just started yelling at him for yelling at me and making me cry on New Year’s Eve.
Eventually, I told him that I had been thinking about breaking up with him for a year, which really hurt him. It’s not true and I don’t know why I said it. I mean, I do think about breaking up sometimes when we fight. But when we’re happy, we’re so happy. We had just got a cat together and live with each other and I’m invited to his family vacations now. We’ve been together for 2 years now and I love him more than ever, it’s just that when we fight, there is a lot of screaming and crying. Mostly from me. I’m pretty sure I have undiagnosed BPD. I don’t want to self diagnose, but I do have all the symptoms and I had a pretty traumatic childhood with a lot of abuse and alcoholism. I don’t have health insurance, so it’s hard to pay out of pocket for help.
Anyway, somehow we slightly make up after fighting in the casino together for hours. I have dinner with his family and we both get wasted. We let each other do our own thing. I was sitting playing slots when this older man comes up to me and tells me that he thinks I’m pretty, even though I’m wearing a mask and everything. He sits and we make conversation. I wasn’t being flirty, just friendly. I keep talking to him because I’m a social butterfly when I drink. He keeps handing me his chips. He handed me $15 and I was like, wow free money and I didn’t have to do anything for it? I’m going to give it to my boyfriend.
My boyfriend comes back from gambling and I tell him what happened and gave him the chips to continue at the blackjack table. He’s furious and tells me that i flirted and whored myself out for $15 and throws the chips at me. I get so mad and I throw them back at him.
Apparently security saw, and told me that I can’t throw chips and I needed to leave. They escorted me out. His mom saw me getting escorted out. He texts me that his mom is mad at me and everyone is leaving. I’m cussing him out through text, saying fuck you, this and that. How I just wanted to give him money. This old man came up to me and just talked to me for 5 minutes, I wasn’t going to do anything with him. But who am I to say no to free money? I’m broke. But I didn’t even want it. I wanted to give it to him.
They escorted me out in front of the building, I don’t see his family anywhere in sight or know where they parked the car. I’m alone, I’m cold, my phone is dying, I’m in a city that I don’t know, I just start crying and having a panic attack. Some officers noticed and came up to me and asked me if I needed help. I told them the situation and they called my boyfriend for me. They told him where I was, and they came to get me.
I was already panicking and crying before I got in the car, but once I got into the car everything got worse. I just started hyperventilating and crying and telling the entire story in the car to his parents, his aunt and uncle, his cousin, and her boyfriend. I can barely breathe. I’m crying so hard and so embarrassed and crying harder because I’m embarrassed. His cousin is trying to comfort me. I can’t breathe at all. I cried so loud and so hard all the way back to the AirBnB.
His family was silent. It was 30 minutes before new year’s and I’m still having a panic attack. He told me he felt so bad and is so sorry and is begging me to forgive him. I’m not going to lie, I was super mad at him. I was mad at him for yelling at me at the arcade, for yelling at me for getting free money, for throwing chips at me and having security only see me when I did it, for leaving me in the casino, not even looking back to see if anything happened to me, I was so mad for so many reasons.
But his cousin worded this situation in a way that let me know that this fight is not worth it and that they all love me and care. I pulled myself together 5 minutes before New Years and counted down with them.
Ended off the night extremely drunk, my boyfriend was being very affectionate and gentle with me. Stayed up to talk and agreed that we love each other.
Woke up and everything is okay between us. I can see that he was just as embarrassed as I was and maybe still upset with me too, but overall it seemed like he just wanted us to be happy.
We exchanged gifts for New Years. I apologized to his father and thanked his cousin for helping me. His father said that it’s okay and everyone loved me here and his cousin says that she understands me, which is really nice. However, my anxiety is getting to me. Or maybe they’re just saying that everything is fine to make me feel better, but they secretly hate me.
I hate that this will be remembered. I hated that I embarrassed myself and him like that. I hate that I made myself seem like the worst girlfriend ever. I think his family hates me now too. I think his parents liked me, but today they didn’t talk to me so much. His aunt didn’t talk to me at all. His cousin and her boyfriend are neutral. I just hate myself so much for not controlling my emotions and crying in front of everyone and telling that their son hurts my feelings and is so mean to me. It was hard enough to get anyone to like me when I started dating him because I’m not white or Jewish and they really wanted him to end up with a nice Jewish girl. I hate that I almost ruined their New Year’s. I hate that my boyfriend put me through that in the first place. I hate that I made him feel so shitty and question our relationship. I hate my head. I hate my thoughts. I don’t know what to do with myself anymore.
They all went out to the casino again and I didn’t want to relive the trauma from last night, I stayed back with his aunt, who is not talking to me. I also just wanted him to have one last good night with his family, since I ruined this trip from giving everyone this memory to remember.
I just texted him that I think his aunt hates me and he just said, “it was a lot for everyone.”
Idk I just wish I could die rn

A new day, a new guide.
This is the hardest one of the guides I wanted to make, because the information is never easy to get, which is weird. So please forgive me if I missed some changes, and by all means tell me if I missed any of them or if any of them are incorrect.
Since this list is really long, this guide is going to come in parts, this part covers:

• Valkyrie Profile (PSX) vs Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth (PSP vs iOS & Andriod).
  
• Chrono Trigger (SNES) vs Chrono Trigger (PSX vs NDS vs iOS & Andriod vs PC).
  
• Star Ocean 2 (PSX) vs Star Ocean: Second Evolution (PSP) vs PS4 (JP.ver).
  
• The Last Remnant (Xbox360) vs The Last Remnant Remastered (PC vs PS4 & Switch).
  
• Tales of Vesperia (Xbox360) vs Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition (PS4/PC/Switch/Xbox One).
  
• Tales of Symphonia (GC) vs Tales of Symphonia (PS2 (JP.ver only) vs PS3/PC).
  
• Skies of Arcadia (DC) vs Skies of Arcadia: Legends (GC).
  
• Person 3 (PS2) vs Persona 3 FES (PS2 (English.ver)) vs Persona 3P (PSP).
  
• Persona 4 (PS2) vs Persona 4 Golden (Vita vs PC).
  
• .hack//G.U (PS2) vs .hack//G.U. Last Recode (PS4/PC).
  
• Final Fantasy 12 (PS2) vs FF 12: International Zodiac Job System PS2 (JP.ver only) vs FF12 Zodiac Age (PS4/PC/Switch/Xbox One).
  
• Rune Factory 4 (3DS) vs Rune Factory 4 Special (Switch).
  

Important Notes:

• This is made for Ports and Enhanced versions, so No Remakes. So this is about differences between the different versions of Chrono Trigger, and not about the differences between FF7 ps1 and FF7 Remake.
  
• The differences are taken from all over the internet, either from official sources, wikis, youtube, and even forums.
  
• I cover all the changes for a game, unless there is too many, in which case I will highlight the ones worth mentioning.
  

~ Valkyrie profile (PSX US.ver): vs Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth PSP vs iOS & Andriod. ~

Valkyrie profile PSX:

Nearly identical to the Japan version but with minor fixes in the menu screen. In the Japanese version, Characters not in the party were unable to change or learn skills nor were they able change or remove equipment. The US version allowed out of party members to change and learn skills as well as change or remove equipment without being added to the party. Also in the Japanese version, Lenneth would unequip all her skills and equipment when switching between sword and bow. The US version 'remembers' the previous setting when switching weaponry and is automatically equipped with the skills and equip. Another improvement over the Japanese version is an improved item sorting option.
There are a few instances of censoring such as Badrach's smoking.

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth PSP:

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth lacks the improvement made in US version. Rather than re-rendering the textures of the dungeon maps, TOSE cropped and upscaled the pre-rendered images to fit the portable console's screen, resulting in severe blurring in some areas. This version also removes the anime opening movie in favor of 3D CGI, animated movie. Certain key story-sequences were animated in the same style as the opening movie and can be viewed at anytime in the Gallery option in the title screen once unlocked in the story. The animated scenes include:

• Opening Movie
• Lenneth's Awakening
• Jelanda's Transformation
• Alicia witnesses Barbarossa's execution
• Lenneth's encounter with the Lord of the Undead
• Lenneth and the Homunculi
• A chance encounter between "Meril" and Lucian
• Lenneth in Weeping Lily Meadow
• Lucian's departure to Valhalla
• Hrist's Awakening
• The Sovereign's Rite
• A Ending

Other big changes are:

• An enhanced version of the original game's localization
• Square Enix cleaned up the original game's English script and additional voice over dialogue for the CG movies was recorded by New Generation Pictures, rather than the original company, TAJ Productions.

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth iOS & Andriod:

This is the PSP version being ported to iOS & Andriod, with the following changes:

• Enhanced graphics such as character portraits. >* Enhanced Text.
• Enhanced UI.
• The option to skip cut-scenes.
• In-app purchases to unlock collectibles
• Ability to turn on auto-battle.

~ Chrono Trigger (SNES): PSX vs NDS vs iOS & Andriod vs PC. ~

Chrono Trigger PSX:

Anime cut scenes created by original character designer Akira Toriyama's Bird Studio and animated by Toei Animation.
A new Extra Mode Option was added that is divided into different categories of viewable extras, that are unlocked as you finish the game, and just as shown in the picture, they are:

• Theater.
• Art Gallery.
• Music Box.
• Tech Showcase.
• Monster Data.
• Boss Data.
• Endings.
• Treasure Map.

Chrono Trigger NDS:

This version includes everything new in the PSX version, and also has big and a long list of changes and additions, which I will try to condense them as much as possible:

• Ability to play using the two screens and the touch screen, or in classic mode through a single screen.
• Added the Arena of Ages: A monster arena where You pick basic monsters and raise them to fight computer and wireless opponents.
• Added the Lost Sanctum: A sidequest during the main game. It consists of two dungeons in two different eras.
• Added the Dimensional Vortex: A extra Dungeon, available after beating the game once and appears in three different eras. Each dungeon is different.
• A lot of New Items.
• New Enemies in the new dungeons, in the form of palette swaps of old enemies.
• One New Ending after finishing the Dimensional Vortex completely.
• New Translation that changes a lot of names form the original version to something more faithful to the Japanese version.

Chrono Trigger iOS & Android:

Both versions initially were based on the NDS version, but later on got an update to make them similar to the PC version.

Chrono Trigger PC:

Everything on the NDS version is present here except there is No Arena of Ages. What they did add however is:

• Auto-Save feature.
• Higher Resolution Graphics and update UI.
• Support for mouse and keyboard controls.
• Remastered sound and music.

~ Star Ocean: The Second Story (PSX): vs Star Ocean: Second Evolution (PSP) vs PS4 (JP.ver). ~

Star Ocean: Second Evolution:

• A New Translation that changes almost everything in the game.
• New voice actors. >* New voiced acted scenes; All major story events now have voice acting.
• New recruitable character: Welch Vineyard.
• New Private Actions and 13 new Endings.
• Unlocking the Galaxy and Universe modes now require defeating a specific number of enemies in a single playthrough rather than unlocking voices in the Voice Collection. >>>* Practically all Combat Skills have been refined, some being removed (such as Cancel, which is now automatically implemented).
• The combat system has been slightly refined, now allowing all melee fighters to perform a 3-hit combo as their normal attack.
• The Super Specialty "Bunny Call" no longer allows the player to "climb" on towns and some terrains. The player now will enter a town upon approaching while in Bunny Form, and can even activate private actions.
• All items in the inventory screen are now depicted as 2D icons instead of the original 3D models.
• Many bugs and glitches have been fixed (most notably the infamous random Cave of Trials screen freeze).
• Ring of Lightspeed (called Slayer Ring in Second Story) now works on Dias Flac.
• New character designs and portraits.
• No magic combo mechanic.
• Crafting animations are now replaced by a still 2D image.

Star Ocean: Second Evolution PS4 JP.ver:

This enhanced version was released only in Japan on the PS4, with enhanced graphics and BGM, and a DLC that helps you with the gameplay.

~ The Last Remnant (Xbox360): vs PC vs PS4 & Switch Remastered. ~

The Last Remnant PC:

This version is only available to purchase in the EU SquareEnix online store as of right now:
Battles:

• Turbo Mode is now available, and can be toggled on or off while giving orders to unions in battle. When on, battles play out at double the speed.
• Crimson Flare, a new Arcana, is now available.
• New formations, such as Eremurus Rain, are now available.
• Enemies hit considerably harder.
• Rare Monsters can have significantly higher HP than their XBOX 360 counterparts.
• Arcana require substantially more AP.
• Unique Arts now require AP.
• Remnant Arts can only be performed by union leader, Weapon Arts now require high union morale.
• Offensive Weapon Arts now increase morale when used.
• Additionally, Arcana and offensive Special Arts now raise morale by a fixed amount.
• Likewise, certain Enemy Arts now lower morale by a fixed amount.
• Wards now affect the entire union.
• Attributes required for formation upgrades are vastly different.
• Healing no longer raises morale, and morale increased by Critical Hits has been dramatically reduced.
• Union morale now fluctuates based on more conditions (IE: taking an action, successfully landing a hit, receiving damage, etc.). In the X360 version, union morale stayed somewhat static, usually changing when being healed, being KO'd/terminated, executing a successful Critical Trigger. It also did not drop to 0 whenever an offensive Special Art was executed, whereas it will do so on the PC.
• Linking additional enemies together does not increase your Battle Rank further than having fought them separately.
• Special commands, such as the use of David's Gae Bolg, are no longer interrupted by being raidlocked by a different union or having targeted enemy union defeated by an ally.
• Allies now have the option to cure a friendly union's Curse status ailment via "Cure them even if it kills them!" command. This command is in the XBOX 360 version as well, but is only available when the union is Enthralled; it will not be available when the union is cursed.

Items:

• Items are color-coded in the PC version, and a new preview feature lets you see what the item looks like in battle.
• You can now toggle between viewing the stats of a weapon or shield and viewing a preview of what it looks like in battle.
• Components and consumables are now categorized.
• Items are now color-coded based on their rarity.
• Creation or customization of some items require fewer components.
• New items available via Blueprint 4.
• Various weapon stats have changed.
• Some very rare monster-specific drops can now be split from monsters (e.g., Godwood Timber, Spiritwood Timber).

Units:

• The leader limit is no longer imposed. Unions can be composed entirely of leader units if the player desires.
• Likewise, soldiers can now be set as union leaders.
• The stat cap has been lifted for all characters to allow a maximum of 255 for each stat.
• The Seven are now recruitable after completing Union of the Golden Chalice Task #70: For Our Lord.
• Rush can now be removed from the active party.
• Khrynia can learn the new Unique Art Dual Snowpetal.
• Arts can be disabled, filtering which skills a unit may use in combat.
• Leaders' requested components are displayed when viewing their stats.
• Leaders' wield style can be changed depending on their equipped weapon.
• Shields now prevent style changes mid-battle.
• The following classes now prevent style changes: Guardian, Scout, Hunter, Wanderer, Thief, Alchemist, all Mystic classes, Vagrant, Mercenary, Aristocrat, Djin, Fortuneteller, Sage and General.
• The experience required to advance Wield Style skills has been reduced, and the experience required to advance Weapon Type skills has been increased.
• Three new classes are now available: Ataraxian, Cleric, and Ninja.
• The Guardian, Fencer, and Warrior classes now require non-sovani wield styles, and are thus not available to Sovani.
• The Gladiator class now requires Power Grip and Wards.
• Hybrid classes (Item+Combat and Mystic+Combat) can now be achieved by units who do not start in one.
• Some leaders now have a different weapon upgrade path, which caused some units to learn new Weapon Arts while others lost theirs.
• Leaders can request weapons that do not coincide with their weapon upgrade path as long as they match their equipped weapon type and size.
• Soldiers can now request weapon drops.
• Some units have had their starting Unit BR level, stats, class, equipment, arts, and hiring wage changed.

Sidequests:

• The completion of At Hatred's End is no longer required in order to activate Things Unchangeable.
• Duke of Ghor now has a … icon when you speak with him between the first, third, and fifth base battles.
• The component requirements in The Assistant have lowered.
• The DLC content is now unlocked differently; the majority of the extra content now requires the completion of certain guild tasks.
• The Leader Extraordinaire guild tasks which required three units of a single class now only require one.
• The Monsterslayer guild tasks require different enemies to be defeated.

New Game Plus and Hard Mode: After the epilogue and credits, you can now save your game. When you're taken back to the main menu, you can load this save to begin a new playthrough that carries over certain elements from your previous playthrough. You will also be given the option to start the new game in Hard Mode.
Miscellaneous:

• The PC version will warn you if you cannot leave an area without a fight.
• Auto Save is now available, which automatically saves after having changed zones or having won a battle.
• Battle Rank is now viewable outside of combat, in the party menu.
• Battle Rank progression has been slowed considerably; it takes more encounters/enemy unions terminated to increase in rank.
• Characters with … icons are now identified with markers on the map.
• Enemies can no longer be respawned by saving and reloading an adjacent area.
• New saving opportunities are now available, such as before the base's boss.
• A warning message is now displayed if you attempt to save your game in an area which you cannot leave until you defeat a boss.
• Mr Diggs's digging animations are now much quicker.
• The loading screens that explained some of the game's mechanics have been disabled.
• Many areas of the game have had their spawn tables altered or repopulated.
• Starting battle music now coincides with starting morale in most battles.
• "Turn the Tide" and "Beat the Odds" now play during the second half instead of after entering Elysion.
• Union highlighting during the selection phase has been toned down (ie: ally unions don't look quite as blue).
• Leaders in reserve no longer gain skills via the Rush only skill grind trick.
• Soldiers now slowly improve their stats in reserves.
• Camera in battle doesn't swing around as wildly anymore.
• Mitra soldiers' idle stances now come in 2 varieties: the one shared by both male and female units and the one exclusive to larger male units, rather than just the "large male mitra" stance.

The Last Remnant Remastered PS4 & Switch:

Based on the PC version, also added:

• Graphics now are in Unreal Engine 4
• A new function to run faster on the overworld.
• Extra save slots.

Yes I am salty about this if you can't tell, since they removed the PC version from steam.

~ Tales of Vesperia (Xbox360): vs PS3 vs Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition vs PS4/PC/Switch/Xbox One. ~

Tales of Vesperia PS3:

• Features full voice acting, nearly twice as much voice work as the original.
• New Characters, including 2 new playable characters: Flynn (permanantly playable now), and Patty Fleur.
• New subplots, skits, and main game quests, and sidequests.
• New mini-games
• New songs
• Remodeled towns and new towns and dungeons.
• New bosses.
• The ability to replay boss fights.
• New 8 Mystic Arts.
• New artes, skills, and equipment.
• New item: the "Artes Ball", which allows an additional eight artes shortcuts to be assigned to the previous eight slots combined with the L1 button, which allows for a maximum of 16 artes
• New character costumes

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive editionvs PS4/PC/Switch/Xbox One:

Based on the PS3 version, it has everything from it and all the DLC included for free, with higher resolution graphics depending on the system.

~ Tales of Symphonia (GC): vs PS2 (JP.ver only) vs PS3/PC. ~

Tales of Symphonia PS2 JP.ver only:

• New animated sequences.
• New Mystic Arts.
• New Unison Arts.
• New Arts for playable characters and enemies.
• New Techniques.
• The frame rate was lowered from 60 frames per second to 30 frames per second.
• New customs.
• The "Synopsis" option in the menu displays newer entries at the top
• The Casino in the game is now actually fully playable with it's own mini-games, and chips to collecet and exchange for items.
• The skits are graphically more dynamic. Portraits get larger or smaller quickly, swing from side to side, shake, and so on.
• New Titles
• More post-battle animations.
• Niflheim dungeon extended and 6 new boss characters, fought in 2 new boss battles.
• Bug Fixes
• New events to help raise affection.
• Includes new side quests, new camera angles on some cutscenes, new animated cutscenes not featured in the GameCube version

Tales of Symphonia PS3/PC:

• More customs.
• Improved character textures and improved some environments.
• Dual-audio support: Japanese and English voiceovers, which neither the PS2 or GameCube versions had
• Cutscenes support voice acting in both languages, but skits only have voice acting in Japanese. If you select English, you will just see the subtitles during skits. This is not a porting issue, as this is just how the GameCube version was.
• While the original GameCube version ran at 60fps, the Japanese PS2 port which the PS3 Chronicles HD version is based off of ran at 30fps. The Steam version can run at 40FPS.
• HD graphics

~ Skies of Arcadia (DC): vs Skies of Arcadia: Legends GC. ~

Skies of Arcadia: Legends GC:

• New Ranks for the Swashbuckler Rating system.
• Random encounters occur less frequently and load considerably faster than the Dreamcast version, and EXP offered per battle is adjusted to compensate.
• Graphically, the game sports mild improvements to character models, most noticeably adding individual fingers to the designs. The modifier volume shadows and (weirdly enough) point-mipmapping from the original release are still present.
• One of the new sidequests available is Bounty Hunting. Sailor's Guilds offer information about each person on the bounty list as they are unlocked through story progression. After reading about them, they can be found in a constant location.
• There are a number of new discoveries to be found.
• Two linked sidequests
• "Pinta Quest" minigame was removed
• DLC comes with the game.

~ Persona 3 (PS2): vs Persona 3 FES PS2 (English.ver) vs P3P PSP. ~

FES PS2 (English.ver):

• A whole additional epilogue has been added, The Answer. This chapter is only available in one difficulty setting, which is supposed to be on par with Persona 3's Hard mode.
• New Personas have been added
• Secret videos of the protagonist's dorm mates have been added to flesh them out.
• Koromaru can now be taken on walks.
• Several of the Social Links have been modified slightly, such as Tanaka being available at a different time
• Several new Quests have been added.
• New costumes can be worn in battle.
• A new event involving Chidori Yoshino was added.
• Naganaki Shrine was completely overhauled.
• A hard mode was added.
• Save data from Persona 3 can be transferred into the game,

P3P PSP:

• The Answer is not included in this verion.
• Added a Female Main Character, so now you can choose between the Male and Female MCs.
• The game lacks 3D environments and character models (outside of Tartarus), all anime cutscenes are gone, the graphics and audio quality were compressed,
• The storyline of the female protagonist features many differences from that of the male protagonist, such as new social interactions as well as Social Links.
• New voiced dialogue.
• Players have the choice of selecting Elizabeth or a male-equivalent named Theodore to be Igor's assistant in the Velvet Room.
• The ability to pick who the protagonist spends the last moments of the game with. This feature is only accessible on a New Cycle
• The Desert of Doors from the Abyss of Time seen in The Answer will still appear, however, in an extra feature known as the Vision Quest. In this mode, the party can fight stronger incarnations of the Full Moon shadow bosses — save for Arcana Magician — and partake in special battles that test the party's abilities. When all of the battles have been successfully met, a second optional boss can be fought: Margaret, Igor's assistant in Persona 4 and guardian of the Desert of Doors in P3P.
• There are now two overworld save points; Aside from the log book in the Iwatodai Dormitory, there is also one on the main character's desk at school.
• In Paulownia Mall, the police station is now the only place where the protagonist can buy equipment and sell items. Aohige Pharmacy is now a buy-only store, and Be Blue V is just a part-time work site and hangout to improve the main character's condition
• From previous versions, two difficulty modes have been added: Beginner and Maniac alongside Easy and Normal in Persona 3 and Hard in Persona 3 FES:
• A new tactic, "Direct," has been added to the game, allowing control of the party members, unlike Persona 3 and Persona 3 FES.
• The "Wait" command is replaced with the "Defense" command, and will decrease the damage and any knockdown effects of the next attack the user suffers.
• The game grants "1 More" to a combatant who attacks multiple enemies not knocking all of them down; the original Persona 3 required all hit enemies to be knocked down for a 1 more.
• Party members who have been knocked down no longer spend the turn by getting up and can act as soon as they stand.
• Upon landing a critical hit or striking an enemy's weakness, party members can follow up with a co-op attack.
• Fusion Spells from the original Persona 3 are now activated from items instead of equipping a persona and selecting it like other spells.
• Allies can now take a fatal blow to the protagonist for them if they are able.
• "Dizzy" has been added as a status effect.
• Returning to the main lobby in Tartarus no longer automatically restores the party, and must now be done for a fee via the save point (this cost varies based on the date in-game and status effects currently inflicted on the party)
• Floors can be directly returned to from the entrance of Tartarus instead of being restricted to the restore point like previous versions.
• "Tired" status no longer is inflicted during Tartarus exploration, and is inflicted to all used party members after leaving (this will only drop to "Good" if the character used was at "Great" during exploration).
• Unlike previous versions, money found by party members when split up will now be given to the protagonist.
• Party members' equipment and status can now be accessed at any time from the pause menu, unlike in previous versions, which required the protagonist to speak to them while exploring Tartarus in order to change their equipment or view their status.
• You can now control Party members directly.
• The protagonists only have access to one weapon type (instead of having access to all weapon types like in P3 and FES); the male protagonist wields one-handed swords, and the female protagonist wields naginatas. As a result, the Skills "Fist Master," "Bow Master," "1hdSwdMaster" and similar skills have all been combined into a single skill called "Weapons Master." Its skill card is called "Phys Boost," and all Personas which had learned a "master" ability (like Cybele with Bow Master) now learn "Weapons Master."
• Personas now have the ability to produce a Skill Card when raised to a specific level. Each card can be used on any Persona to teach them a skill.
• The Inari Sushi in Naganaki Shrine no longer grants random bonuses for item gaining and Tartarus explorations. Instead, it offers to duplicate Skill Cards, which will take 5 days to complete

~ Persona 4 (PS2): vs Persona 4 Golden Vita vs Persona 4 Golden PC. ~

Persona 4 Golden Vita:

• Two new Social Links.
• A New Dungeon.
• A New bad ending.
• New Difficulty levels have been added: Safety/Easy/Normal/Hard/Risky.
• Several new music tracks.
• Additional voice-over dialogue.
• Chie and Teddie have new voice actors in the English version.
• New animated cutscenes.
• More Personas, including new Ultimate Personas for the Investigation Team.
• New areas can be visited.
• New events.
• The protagonist can now explore Inaba in the evening when Dojima is not home.
• The protagonist and his friends now have motorized scooters to explore various areas.
• Costumes are now available to buy at Croco Fur, in Okina City.
• New Garden and Bug Catching features.
• The ability to choose which skills can be inherited by the Persona the protagonist is fusing.
• New scene skipping function
• If the necessary criteria for at least the good ending are fulfilled, daily activities are expanded to February 14, 2012, giving more time for events and social links.
• New epilogue has been added for the True Ending.
• The list of Requests and the Fox' emas have been modified.
• Rise can now assist the Investigation Team in All-Out-Attacks.
• Added Tag Team attacks: two members can team up to perform a united attack.
• Added Cavalry Attacks: Attacks from members of the Investigation Team that are not currently in the party.
• Spell buffs and debuffs can now be used on the same character to prolong the effect
• A new gallery menu has been added: "TV Listings." It displays bonus content unlocked through the main game at any time.
• Floors and chests in dungeons can now reset by changing floors instead of leaving the dungeon and TV world, or visiting another dungeon.

Persona 4 Golden PC:

• Bug fixes
• The game will run at up to 4K resolution with 60FPS+ as opposed to the Vita's 476p resolution and 30FPS target
• Includes dual audio language and multiple text language. The anime cutscenes now also include subtitles
• In the Steam version, the player may customize their difficulty setting at any time, in contrast to the Vita version only letting you do so on New Game Plus.The player may select a preset difficulty setting, or individually alter the following parameters
• The player may select a preset difficulty setting, or individually alter the following parameters.

~ .hack//G.U (PS2): vs .hack//G.U. Last Recode PS4/PC. ~

.hack//G.U. Last Recode PS4/PC:

• A brand new episode titled Vol.4//Reconnection, which takes place a year and three months after the events of Redemption
• HD graphical update for the whole game.
• Ability to restart the battle from the beginning if Haseo dies.
• Movement speed on foot has somewhat increased.
• The item stack size has increased from 50 to 99. The maximum number of item stacks in the inventory has increased from 30 to 90
• Item menu shortcuts and sort features
• When using an item in the field, pressing the X button repeatedly will cause the item to be used again without navigating the menu a second time.
• The maximum number of Chim Spheres and Virus Cores the player can possess has increased from 99 to 999
• Platforms now include the Platform Recovery feature, recovering a large portion of the party's HP and SP. It can only be used once per visit to a field.
• Saku and Bo no longer switch the active player based on their level being even or odd. They can instead be selected as separate options in the Party screen.
• Decreased the probability of allies selling the items the player give them.
• Voice clips for returning characters and NPCs between games have been updated to use the Volume 3 clips from the beginning, except where said clips are unavailable.
• Attack power has been increased and hit stops during attacks have been reduced to speed up the battle tempo.
• Learning weapons proficiency increased and acquired experience points increased.
• Awakening scenes can be skipped using the Option/Start button.
• Some of the really tough enemies have been made a bit easier
• Skeith’s general shot bullet speed has increased during Avatar Battles.
• Enhanced battle balance and game pacing to provide an optimal experience.
• Avatar battles now show a stun gauge over the enemy's head. Red diamonds have been added around attacks meant to be deflected using scythe slashes that are in range.
• Added suspend feature during Avatar battle gameplay.
• In Volume 3, the player is given 22 "Promise" greeting cards, meaning it is possible to do the "Forever in Love" / "Best Wishes" events with all party members in a single playthrough.
• A new Cheat Mode allowing players who want to just enjoy the story to start the game with a large amount of items, best equipment, maximum money and chim spheres, and maximum level and affection for the respective volume.
• Save files from Cheat Mode plays can be converted to the next volumes.
• The videos from “The End of the World” Terminal Disc included with the limited edition PS2 release of Volume 1 are included in the collection
• A New Job Form for Haseo with a new weapon.
• A New Form for Skeith.
• Ovan joins the party.

~ Final Fantasy 12 (PS2): vs FF 12: International Zodiac Job System PS2 (JP.ver only) vs FF12 Zodiac Age PS4/PC/Switch/Xbox One. ~

Final Fantasy 12: International Zodiac Job System PS2 (JP.ver only):

• Addition of a "Zodiac Job System" featuring twelve jobs with individual License Boards corresponding to twelve zodiac signs
• Addition of a 16:9 widescreen mode with menus and HUD at 4:3.
• Addition of three new game modes: Trial Mode/New Game+ Strong Mode/New Game+ Weak Mode.
• Pressing L1 will speed up gameplay. Conversations and events continue to play at normal speed.
• Quickening doesn't consume MP. Now they use their own Mist gauge similarly to Limit Breaks from previous Final Fantasy titles.
• UI Changes.
• Playable characters' starting LP, consumables, gil, gambits, equipment, licenses, and base stats have been modified.
• You have more control over Guests now, they also gain EXP/Item/Gold.
• Many magick spells and technicks have been tweaked, renamed and recategorized.
• Obtaining Quickenings no longer affects max MP and Mist charges do not diminish when MP is consumed (unless the player is affected by a reversed Elixir or Megalixir). The player's MP is also unaffected by the depletion of Mist charges. However, effects that recover the player's MP will also restore Mist charges. One Mist charge is granted each time the amount recovered totals the player's maximum MP. Effects that fully restore a player's MP recover all Mist charges.
• You can now fully control Espers, they also require MP to cast magicks
• Almost all attacks now break the 9999 damage limit from the original by default.
• New items have been added, such as Cura Mote, Bubble Mote, Domaine Calvados, Baltoro Seed, Dark Energy and various Meteorites.
• Bacchus's Wine now has 100% chance of inflicting Berserk (previously it was 50%).
• Several equipment pieces were added, while some available in the original release were removed or tweaked.
• New Weapons added.
• Most shops had their assortments changed. Many weapons are now available from shops earlier because of the job system, and were thus made weaker.
• Treasures respawn by moving just one area away as opposed to two. Treasures were moved around, changed the items they can give, or were removed altogether. The "forbidden chest" concept was removed, that in the original prevented the player from obtaining the Zodiac Spear in Necrohol of Nabudis if they opened a wrong treasure.
• Dark Matter can no longer be acquired from the bazaar, and selling the ingredients needed to make it in the original will result in making the Dark Energy instead. The Dark Energy is an item that does not charge up with Knot of Rust or Devour Soul and always deals 50,000 damage to each enemy in range.
• Treasure chests are now in different locations and contain different items.
• There are more traps throughout the map.

Final Fantasy 12: Zodiac Age PS4/PC/Switch/Xbox One:

• Remastered HD graphical upgrade.
• English and Japanese voices (switch between them in the game configuration).
• Original and newly re-recorded background music (switch between them in the game configuration).
• Auto-save functionality added (game saves automatically when moving to each new screen, excepting boss arenas)
• Improved high-speed mode and improved play time operability during high-speed mode
• Ability to invert both the X and Y camera axes
• The game balance has been overhauled to make it easier.
• Each playable character can have two jobs at once.
• Job Reset function added; talk to Montblanc in the Clan Hall to use.
• The Effect Capacity system that limited spell-casting in the PlayStation 2 versions has been removed.
• Fire, Thunder, Blizzard, and Cure only affect a single target again.
• Espers' HP values have been doubled, but other stats kept the same as in Zodiac Job System.
• The animation for summoning Espers is removed.
• A glitch concerning Dyce's character model has been fixed.
• New Game Plus and New Game Minus are now accessible from the beginning of the game.

~ Rune Factory 4 (3DS): vs Rune Factory 4 Special Switch. ~

Rune Factory 4 Special Switch:

• HD Graphics.
• Newlywed Mode.
• Hell Difficulty.
• Additional Movies.
• Another Episode DLC.
• Swimsuit Day DLC.
• Many Town Events are now prioritized if requirements have been met. This includes Memories, which unlocks the last story arc and the events required for marriage.
• The map has been moved to the main screen and can be removed and resized with the press of a button (the Switch has only one screen) or by using the touch screen icon.
• The teleport spell has been mapped to a dedicated button. It can still be used from the touch screen.
• You can now change the voice acting language between English and Japanese.
• Many bug fixes.

This is just part 1, if you have any suggestions for titles to be in part 2, please post them here.

22(f) and boyfriend is 22 (m)
TL;dr: me and my boyfriend got into a fight on New Years in front of his entire family.
I’m hurting and hurting those around me. I had the worst start to a new year. I just need to talk about it.
On New Year’s Eve, me and my boyfriend got into a huge fight in front of his whole entire family. It was because he snapped and yelled at me when we were playing inside the arcade. We had been fighting on this vacation with minor things before. I guess for me, it just built up and I just started tearing up and walked away from him. I walked off and he eventually caught up to me to tell me why he yelled at me, he didn’t apologize. He just explained his way of thinking and I was so upset, I just started yelling at him for yelling at me and making me cry on New Year’s Eve.
Eventually, I told him that I had been thinking about breaking up with him for a year, which really hurt him. It’s not true and I don’t know why I said it. I mean, I do think about breaking up sometimes when we fight. But when we’re happy, we’re so happy. We had just got a cat together and live with each other and I’m invited to his family vacations now. We’ve been together for 2 years now and I love him more than ever, it’s just that when we fight, there is a lot of screaming and crying. Mostly from me. I’m pretty sure I have undiagnosed BPD. I don’t want to self diagnose, but I do have all the symptoms and I had a pretty traumatic childhood with a lot of abuse and alcoholism. I don’t have health insurance, so it’s hard to pay out of pocket for help.
Anyway, somehow we slightly make up after fighting in the casino together for hours. I have dinner with his family and we both get wasted. We let each other do our own thing. I was sitting playing slots when this older man comes up to me and tells me that he thinks I’m pretty, even though I’m wearing a mask and everything. He sits and we make conversation. I wasn’t being flirty, just friendly. I keep talking to him because I’m a social butterfly when I drink. He keeps handing me his chips. He handed me $15 and I was like, wow free money and I didn’t have to do anything for it? I’m going to give it to my boyfriend.
My boyfriend comes back from gambling and I tell him what happened and gave him the chips to continue at the blackjack table. He’s furious and tells me that i flirted and whored myself out for $15 and throws the chips at me. I get so mad and I throw them back at him.
Apparently security saw, and told me that I can’t throw chips and I needed to leave. They escorted me out. His mom saw me getting escorted out. He texts me that his mom is mad at me and everyone is leaving. I’m cussing him out through text, saying fuck you, this and that. How I just wanted to give him money. This old man came up to me and just talked to me for 5 minutes, I wasn’t going to do anything with him. But who am I to say no to free money? I’m broke. But I didn’t even want it. I wanted to give it to him.
They escorted me out in front of the building, I don’t see his family anywhere in sight or know where they parked the car. I’m alone, I’m cold, my phone is dying, I’m in a city that I don’t know, I just start crying and having a panic attack. Some officers noticed and came up to me and asked me if I needed help. I told them the situation and they called my boyfriend for me. They told him where I was, and they came to get me.
I was already panicking and crying before I got in the car, but once I got into the car everything got worse. I just started hyperventilating and crying and telling the entire story in the car to his parents, his aunt and uncle, his cousin, and her boyfriend. I can barely breathe. I’m crying so hard and so embarrassed and crying harder because I’m embarrassed. His cousin is trying to comfort me. I can’t breathe at all. I cried so loud and so hard all the way back to the AirBnB.
His family was silent. It was 30 minutes before new year’s and I’m still having a panic attack. He told me he felt so bad and is so sorry and is begging me to forgive him. I’m not going to lie, I was super mad at him. I was mad at him for yelling at me at the arcade, for yelling at me for getting free money, for throwing chips at me and having security only see me when I did it, for leaving me in the casino, not even looking back to see if anything happened to me, I was so mad for so many reasons.
But his cousin worded this situation in a way that let me know that this fight is not worth it and that they all love me and care. I pulled myself together 5 minutes before New Years and counted down with them.
Ended off the night extremely drunk, my boyfriend was being very affectionate and gentle with me. Stayed up to talk and agreed that we love each other.
Woke up and everything is okay between us. I can see that he was just as embarrassed as I was and maybe still upset with me too, but overall it seemed like he just wanted us to be happy.
We exchanged gifts for New Years. I apologized to his father and thanked his cousin for helping me. His father said that it’s okay and everyone loved me here and his cousin says that she understands me, which is really nice. However, my anxiety is getting to me. Or maybe they’re just saying that everything is fine to make me feel better, but they secretly hate me.
I hate that this will be remembered. I hated that I embarrassed myself and him like that. I hate that I made myself seem like the worst girlfriend ever. I think his family hates me now too. I think his parents liked me, but today they didn’t talk to me so much. His aunt didn’t talk to me at all. His cousin and her boyfriend are neutral. I just hate myself so much for not controlling my emotions and crying in front of everyone and telling that their son hurts my feelings and is so mean to me. It was hard enough to get anyone to like me when I started dating him because I’m not white or Jewish and they really wanted him to end up with a nice Jewish girl. I hate that I almost ruined their New Year’s. I hate that my boyfriend put me through that in the first place. I hate that I made him feel so shitty and question our relationship. I hate my head. I hate my thoughts. I don’t know what to do with myself anymore.
They all went out to the casino again and I didn’t want to relive the trauma from last night, I stayed back with his aunt, who is not talking to me. I also just wanted him to have one last good night with his family, since I ruined this trip from giving everyone this memory to remember.
I just texted him that I think his aunt hates me and he just said, “it was a lot for everyone.”
Idk I just wish I could die rn

Once again, I'll start off with I responded to most in the last issue of revisited. Since the last chapter I've seen a few other posts about the offerwall (Bluedan), and even a shout out / more in depth guide video from Mysidia Gaming. Since my last post, I was in the middle of moving cross country and picked games that had no time limits. I'm thankfully more established in my new residence, and knocked back a few challenges recently. If the desire is there, I may do another post, or perhaps enough push has been done already and these aren't needed anymore, either way, let me know!
-- As a bit of an extra preface, most of the games I played this time were base builders, if you aren't aware of them by now, they start off very intensely, and the more time that you're able to devote at the start, the faster your base snowballs and can finish. Expect to put in a few hours at the start, and check back after 2 hours, than 3 hours, 5 hours etc... the time continuously widens. Always try to be building your Main building before you go to sleep, use speed boosters when you wake up and continue etc.
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State of Survival - Construct a level 12 base. Game is pretty similar to build a base game. It has two types of combat, the first being troop vs troop (which is normal in any base builder game), and the second being troop vs stage (a bit of a twist, only while doing the story iirc), 2 of your units stay back shooting any zombies in range, while the third can move around to fixed points, dodging attacks and having zombies change routes.
Potential visiore 1728, this took just 2 days, finished before I saved the girl... some say she's still out there waiting for me.
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Harvest land - Reach level 20. Decided to try something a little different, this build your island farmsville clone, seems like a nice change of pace at first glance... but quickly was a nightmare to play, nearly every single action you do nets some xp, the more complex, the more you gain... however, you only gain the xp once you pick up your object you completed. So if your food inventory was full (you had 3 different inventories, food, materials, defense), and you had 86 apples on the ground, that was 86 xp just waiting to be gathered. You can try to pawn off your goods once you gain access to the ship that goes to other players islands, but this was usually a hassle, if they didn't sell, now your boat is full of whatever, and unless you use gems, you can't remove them or change their price. You also had npcs come to your island asking for a combination of goods, yielding xp and money, sometimes worth it, usually not. Who wants to give up the mats needed to continue base growth for 57 xp? when I needed over 4000. If you do decide to play this, the wandering merchant that visits your island is very worth it, either he asks for gold and gives gems/goods, or asks for gems and doubles them, or usually materials to help upgrade your inventory.
Potential visiore 768, for the amount given this wasn't worth it, I played about 1-2 hours a day for a full month and didn't even come close to completing this challenge. I hit 14/20, and the bell curve for xp was jumping up way faster than the actions I was gaining through rank ups or base building. Again, would absolutely skip and never look back.
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King of Avalon: Dominion - Construct a level 13 base. Very basic base building game, nothing wild about this, join a guild, portal to where your other members are, and build up in solidarity.
Potential visiore 1980, 1 1/2 days. Played several build a base games, unless they do something special or different, they really blend together.
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Evony: The King's Return - Epic tier or historic tier hero. A build a base with a different mission, ok, let's take a stab. The two biggest things to note are 1, building a base to 9 or higher drops your safety shield, and 2 epic tiehistoric do NOT show up in the tavern until rank 11. Unlike some base builders, the requirements for ranking up weren't to build everything. What I mean is you didn't need level 5 farm to build a level 5 tower to build a level 5 embassy to build a you get my point... it was always walls + something, so getting to 11 was pretty quick, this part only took 1 day. The problem came into play with the cost of an epic tier hero... Which was conveniently waiting for me, when I looked into the tavern, sadly she cost 10 million gold. Your city doesn't generate gold, you get a npc city that does (and can get up to 2 more and higher rarity versions, but I was way too weak to capture any, I got obliterated against a normal when the combat information said I'd easily win), and you have event quest rewards. Gathering the gold took nearly 8 days in itself, my npc city made about 15k a day... however, there's currently an event going on to touch friendly goblins on the map for treasure, opening them has a chance at 10k or 50k gold. There's also greedy and golden goblins on the map, they drop 100 - 200k gold, yet I was never powerful enough to challenge them. What I can say though, is that the game was very generous with items for resources and time skips, at one point I had 1000x 5min skips, used them all, and a few hours later had 500x 10m skips, at one point i had 50x 60 min skips. I did level my base and tavern to 13 (higher tavern had higher chance for better rates to show up. Why didn't I go higher? The requirements needed specific research among other things, and not knowing or prepping beforehand... I'd have needed to research about 8 things before getting to that point... guess what researching takes? Gold...
Potential visiore 3982, 8 days to complete. Unfortunately this game vanished from my list, and didn't pay out (I completed both epic and historic), so I begrudgingly deleted it without being bound or taking pictures.
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Guns and Glory - Construct a level 12 base. Normal build a base, pretty generous on resources and time skips. Nothing fancy or special here, probably a step back or 3 from Evony... I didn't even have a resource collection button, had to manually collect from everywhere. There are however a couple of codes that work giving you a nice hearty boost (20x 60m speed ups among other stuff!), I'll list below. You'll lose protection starting to rank up to 9, so keep that in mind. After a few quests you'll get a free 24 hour vip activation, use it, this alone lets your buildings be autocompleted from the 6 minute mark... MOST buildings can be built to 5 instantly, through the codes and other events, I managed at the end to have vip level 3, which really helped the start more so than later.
Potential visiore 1152, 1 day to complete. I actually stumbled on the codes at the very end, you're locked out from trying codes for HOURS if you fail to successfully input codes, the first list I found online were old and outdated. All four codes give the exact same thing, no complaints though, they were very much worth it. Portrait in the upper left > settings > redeem code.
Jianhaogog
icrimaxgog
historygog
abkgog
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On a separate note, I got an email yesterday stating that a challenge I initially did that was rejected got overturned 2 months later... thanks Idle Heroes. Just goes to show that you should indeed send those reports in and all the unedited pictures you can, and be prepared to wait a long long time, it may just pan out. Do note, that you have to send in the initial complaint within 30 days of your challenged completion.
supersonic- customer support @ ironsrc.com added a few spaces in case emails get wonky.
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Lastly, a guild member decided he wanted to play a bunch of the casino games, he stumbled onto this site that has a LOT of chips/coins/tokens/etc for many of the casino games listed. Maybe it's the final push to complete a challenge, maybe it's the thing you wanted to take that stab at one.
https://www.peoplesgamezgiftexchange.com/
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In case anyone needs their memory jogged, to see if a question was answered previously, or didn't get a chance to see the video Mysidia Gaming did and was curious, see below.
https://www.reddit.com/wotv_ffbe/comments/hymb6b/offerwall_revisited/ the original post
https://www.reddit.com/wotv_ffbe/comments/i1gnom/offerwall_revisted_part_2/ part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK6H8PWYluA Mysidia Gaming's video, pretty much a walk through of 2 of the challenges, he said he'd consider making more videos if the desire was there... however, I'm unsure if a second was made. EDIT he did indeed make a part 2, and a part 3!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqAy7aA4vBI part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hZ0-PJjr40 part 3

This post started out as a comment for this thread, but then it got long and I decided it warranted its own post. It's about what to do when people stare you down and say things like "I think you have AK."
I love when people do this. The person is rarely if ever being honest, and most often looking for a reaction. Similar statements include "I'm thinking of calling," "I don't feel like you have anything here," or the classic "I don't know if I can fold this."
There are basically three levels of livetell training one can have. Either untrained, classically trained, or scientifically trained.
Untrained ranges from your online player who's mixing in live games to your rank novices and even includes some livegame veterans who actually ignore their opponents for some reason. These players will often have heard generalized advice about what to look for, but you can generally assume these players don't have any kind of system in place. If you don't have a system in place, then all you have is what's called a "calling reflex." Players want to call, because they want to win. They will look for something to convince them to call. Doing anything -- smiling, laughing, looking angry, fidgeting, receiving a phone call from your mother, they'll be looking for a way to interpret it as "that means he's weak."
What to do if an untrained player says this: If an untrained player says "I'm thinking of calling" or something similar (it's usually more aggressive like "I think you just have ace high" or "I feel like you're bluffing here"), they're looking for a reaction. If you want a call, do something. Anything. Touch your face (except not now, because COVID). Shrug. Smile awkwardly. Check your cards again. Shift your weight in your seat. Make a jerk-off motion with your hand. Scream out loud and then try to hide under the table. Doesn't matter if it's weak or strong, but things actually work best if they look less deliberate. Any of these things, though, can trigger a calling reflex. If you want them to fold, don't change anything. Pretend you didn't hear them. Wait for the dealer to tell you that you've won.
Classically trained means anyone who's read one of many hundreds of books on poker tells and/or has played a fair amount of live poker. You'll recognize experience and attention to poker tells by someone who's "standardized" their poker behavior. They often try to look at their cards the same way every time. They often try to use the same hand to act. If they use a card protector or a chip on their cards, they try to do so every single hand. Most poker pros have the same advice for how to avoid giving off tells, and players that follow this advice have usually heard advice on how to find tells, as well. The advice they've heard is almost always the same -- "Strong means weak. Weak means strong."
Players like these are more likely to call you when you announce your bets and raises loudly, or throw your chips in. They're less likely to call a carefully-placed bet done silently. They think you'll stare at them when you're weak and look away when you're strong. They're looking for all these behaviors. However, when they say something to you in a big spot, they're usually not looking for any of these things. You have to know what they're looking for and what they're thinking before you can really know how to respond.
Most modern tell books and even some old ones (like Mike Caro's book) recognize the difference between what's now called controlled and uncontrolled behavior. Controlled behavior is what you choose to do -- you choose to throw your chips in aggressively, to puff your chest out, etc. These are the behaviors that follow the "weak means strong and strong means weak" rule, and because they're controlled, they're the ones that classically trained players are least trusting of. They're the most common "tells", but also the least-reliable. Someone who's read the same book could easily be doing the opposite. So they look for the uncontrolled tells. The quick, automatic glance at your chips when you have a big hand. The way your hands shake a little when you hit a monster. The partially-concealed smile when they sound like they're going to fold. They've also read, or heard, that if they stare you down longer, they often will get a reaction after 20-30 seconds that they wouldn't if they acted faster. One of the most common questions they ask is "If I fold, will you show?" This has two objectives -- first, to see if you react positively to the concept of folding or are willing to offer something to get them to fold. Players with strong hands often immediately say "no." Second, because they want to see as many hands as possible to see if they're right. These players have a system and they'll follow it until you prove them wrong, so obviously never ever show them your hand unless you've reached showdown and have to.
What to do if a classically trained player says this: If they say something implying you're weak? They're probably thinking of folding. They're looking for a positive knee-jerk reaction. They're ready to fold if you smile (especially if you try to stop or cover it), if you look at your chips, or if you somehow look more comfortable. Speaking back is a mixed bag. Saying anything makes you seem comfortable -- one of the most commonly-quoted rules is "speech means the nuts." Of course, because they said they're thinking of calling you, a lot of players will speak deliberately to change their mind, saying something like "Well if you think I'm weak, you should call," which some books will advise as weak. This is why controlled behavior is less-trustworthy, both for them to read and for you to use to get them to do what you want. You don't know what books they read or what they believe, so it's best to rely on convincingly dropping some "uncontrolled" behavior. (This is also why they're more likely to say something that sounds weak, like "If I fold, will you show?" Some books advise this to make players who speak in response more reliably strong, although almost all consider the offer to show cards to be weak.)
So if a classically trained player says they think you're weak, they're looking for comfort. If you want them to call or raise, the best thing to do is to look like you're trying to seem comfortable, but aren't. If you catch yourself smiling reflexively, don't hide it -- force it bigger. Make it seem more fake. But generally, the best thing to do is to be as still as possible, hold your breath for a bit, then "break." Start breathing again, shift in your chair, make eye contact with them, force a smile... the big gun is to touch your cards. NOT to look at them, like there's anything worth looking at there. To simply touch them. When players are considering whether to call or fold a big bet, one of the things they often do before they fold is to touch their cards, and classically trained players know this. They'll often raise you with nothing if you do this.
If you want them to fold, just be comfortable. If it helps, know that they're usually saying something to you -- anything, really -- because they're thinking of folding. You've already won, so relax. Don't hold your breath or try to hold still. Don't even worry too much about seeming nervous. The more you're willing to engage, the more afraid to call you your opponent will be. One thing that has literally never failed for me when getting one of these players to fold is to stare at them for a second and then say, in mock seriousness: "Now, I don't know everything, sure, but correct me if I'm wrong here, because I've heard it both ways... I believe that putting nipples on a butt does not make it boobs. What are your thoughts?" That won't work for everyone, but basically, classically-trained players are warned that such behavior doesn't come from players who are afraid of being called.
Scientifically-trained players are few and far between. It's expensive and rarely cost-effective to learn how to actually find tells. The reality is, classical poker tells training is easier to learn, easier to implement (requires less concentration) and is usually effective enough to get by when combined with sound poker strategy. Actual scientific training can cost thousands, requires serious dedication and takes a lot longer. Rather than looking for general rules of thumb and common tells, scientific training involves watching an individual player, cataloging his behavior over time and in various situations, and then trying to come up with a strategy and implement it. A scientifically-trained player will say, "This player looks like he's got a fair amount of table experience and has somewhat standardized all his actions. He waits till his turn to act before checking his cards every time. He'll check his cards, usually looking at them for about 1 second, then plays with his chips with his right hand before placing a chip on his cards and finally calling or raising. Three times, he called or raised before putting a chip on his cards, then remembered to put one on after. All three times, he showed a premium hand of AK or better."
These kinds of live tells can be incredibly powerful if properly exploited, but obviously, collecting that kind of information is time-consuming and requires a lot of focus. Generally, the advice for playing against these players is not to worry about them. First, you're so rarely going to encounter one, and they're not unlike card-counters in blackjack -- they may very well have a system in place, but that doesn't mean they know how to execute it. For every successful card-counting blackjack player, there are three or four who learned a little about it but aren't good enough to actually make money. If anyone's interested in how to get such training, they can PM me and I can give them some information, but keep in mind that it takes long hours of study AND a significant course fee, and for most people, I wouldn't recommend it.
If you actually WERE sitting at a table with a strong player with good scientific training on how to spot tells, you still wouldn't have to worry too much. That kind of training means you can only really watch three or four players, so selecting profitable targets is the first step. When I sit down, I'm looking for someone who 1) gets into a lot of pots, so knowing whether they're strong is more worthwhile, 2) has somewhat standardized behavior and generally stays still, so things like breath rate and blink rate are easier to watch for, 3) always checks their cards at the same time -- preferably when its their first turn to act 4) looks like they have a reasonable understanding of poker (often, I'll reference a name like Phil Galfond or Fedor Holz and see if they recognize the name, as this is a good indicator of how intently they study the game). So for a lot of players, you won't be playing the playstyle that I'm looking for anyway. If you are, you can turn me off by checking your cards at a different time in the hand -- not as soon as you get the cards, but while it's someone else's turn to act, and my attention might be elsewhere. Also, the more mercurial you are in your actions, the more differences in behaviors I observe, the harder it is to watch you. Some behaviors mean something, and some mean nothing, so the more "noise" there is, the longer it'll take me to observe you. I prefer to play against casino regulars whom I can observe over long sessions (or, most ideally, several long sessions) and so can exploit productively long-term.
If a scientifically-trained player says he thinks you just have ace-high, he's definitely fishing for a response, but most of the time, he's already made a decision. Usually in this spot you want to treat him like a classically-trained player, because he's either got you figured out or he doesn't. If he does, just don't try to bluff him so often. Introducing more noise once he knows what to look for is rarely effective. The main benefit behind scientific training is that it's pretty reliable once you know what you're looking for on a specific player, so if someone's genuinely got you figured out, it's probably not profitable to play against him. You can try to figure out what you're doing wrong and do it differently, but you'll usually just be guessing, and that's hit-or-miss. Mostly miss.
But yeah, for every player who's actually able to find individual tells on you, there are literal thousands who can't and won't, so most of the time, when you hear probing speech play, it's an opportunity. The player's looking for something to influence his decision, and figuring out what he's looking for is key in getting him to do what you want.