Guys I have this thing, I am impossibly streaky. I will win 12 in a row than lose 12 in a row.
One week I play like a Master player and the next one I play like a platinum 4.
I am 41-39 in my past 81 games which is an absolute decent streak for a normal player in high diamond but when you check my opgg:
I have won my last 4 Lost the previous 6 Won the previous 5 Lost the previous 12 out of 13 Won the previous 3 Lost the previous 5 Won the previous 6 Lost the previous 4 Won the previous 7 Won the previous 10 Lost the previous 3
In all that streak I think I have exchanged win and loses back to back three times. I either win 3+ or lose 3+
I would love to say that it was all on the same day and I rage queued but sometimes I lose 7 games in a row in 4 days.
I used to be very very very very toxic. I used to have an account banned per weeks in season 10.
Despite this, I have been to keep the same account for the past 5 seasons, I have stopped using alternate accounts, I have not been muted or banned for 2 years. I have honor 3 for the first time.
But I am still very exhausted by wins and loses.
I love the game. I have never had this much fun in 7 years, the past 2 seasons have been rejuvinating.
But I am so goddamn streaky. I am unhappy about my losses and it seems to affect my gameplay.
I have peaked to diamond 1 100 lp 3 times this season, lost my 3 promos because I choked. Like, I had a game with a jungler with 28 kills and I choked.
I dont know what to do.
I am currently diamond 2 20 lp after going from Diamond 1 100 lp 1w-1l to diamond 3 0 lp
I fluctuate anormally.

1- Re-sign Reaves, Rui, Schroder and Dlo
These guys are essential to Lakers making a deep playoff run and getting a top 4 seed in the regular season. D'angelo should only be traded for someone like Spencer Dinwiddie, who's a better player in the playoffs than Dlo and makes less money. Lakers should not destroy their depth for Kyrie. The full MLE should go to Schroder. He carried Lakers throughout the regular season when Lebron was out and is the best backup PG in the league.
2- Sign 2 vet min backup centers
AD's most consistent season was 2020, where he played the 4 and Lakers started Javale Mcgee and Dwight Howard came off the bench. Thats not a coincidence, guarding centers and being the only rim protector makes AD tired and his offense crashes. In the playoffs, Lakers were getting destroyed in the minutes AD was out because they had no playable centers. Bamba wont be playable again in the 2024 playoffs.
The Nuggets loss showed how badly Lakers need centers. AD was burned out guarding Jokic and had nothing left in the tank in Game 4. Denver also succeeded in bringing AD out the perimeter, as their role players were scoring easy buckets at the rim. The closer AD is to the basket, the harder it is for opponents to score. In hindsight Dwight Howard was Lakers 4th best player in the 2020 WCF. He was able to play physical with Jokic (even draw fouls!) which gave AD relief. A few FA vets that can play that role: Andre Drummond, Alex Len, Frank Kaminsky and Thomas Bryant. Drummond and Len would be ideal.
3- Trade Beasley, Bamba and pick 17 for a guard/wing defender
Lakers need a wing defender to guard the Booker's and Murray's of the league. The perfect fit in my opinion is Dorian Finney Smith on the Nets. He's versatile enough to defend big 2 guards and has to be respected at the 3 point line (shot 40% from 3 in last full season). Schroder defending Murray will not work. Murray shot over him a million times and had his best series ever (33 points on 53%). I thought Troy Brown should've defended Murray, since he's bigger and wont be bullied on post-ups. Other wings that would fit are Royce Oneal and Alex Caruso.
TLDR: If the Lakers keep Reaves/Rui/SchrodeDlo, trade for a wing defender (DFS ideally) and sign 2 backup centers, they'll have the roster to play any style of ball in the playoffs. Against the Nuggets they can go Reaves/DFS/Lebron/AD/center, the Warriors SchrodeDlo/Reaves/Lebron/AD.

Made it 18 days last month, stupidly relapsed. Going cold turkey again. Just threw away all my smoking stuff. Anyone have any advice for getting through the first 1-3 days?

I picked the Optimization flair because it seemed most relevant, but I don't actually have a deck list constructed yet. Spoilers in case anyone wants to avoid the new Samwise card that got spoiled today.
With Samwise Gamgee getting spoiled today, what I believe to be the most optimal [[Protean Hulk]] pile (at least in Abzan) is now feasible. The pile will be:

• Samwise Gamgee
• [[Cauldron Familiar]]
• [[Viscera Seer]]
• [[Grand Abolisher]]

The 3-card combo between Sam, Familiar, and Seer works like this:

1. All 4 creatures ETB after Hulk dies.
2. Sam triggers off of the other 3, creating 3 Food tokens
3. Sacrifice Familiar to Seer and Scry 1
4. Sacrifice one of your 3 Food tokens to reanimate Familiar, draining the table of 1 life.
5. Repeat 3 and 4 until the table is dead.

Previously, using Familiar in the pile required me to be in at least Sultai for [[Lonis, Cryptozoologist]] and forced the use of [[Academy Manufactor]] to make Food from the Investigate triggers, plus adding white for Grand Abolisher if I wanted to protect the win. That line still works, but it also requires the use of [[Activated Sleeper]] and is just too many combo-dependent and/or dead cards for me.
So, back to my original point, I believe the aforementioned Abzan line works and is perhaps the most efficient Hulk line that allows you to grab Grand Abolisher along with it, since the combo pieces are onl 4 MV in total. Essentially, if Hulk dies and no one can counter the ability, it's game over not counting [[Otawara, Soaring City]] and similar channel-like effects. It also cuts down on dead cards like Academy Manufactor, Lonis (no hate, I love Lonis but the combo is bulky this way), and Activated Sleeper. Cauldron Familiar is useful whether it's dead or not and only costs B, Viscera Seer can also Sac Hulk in the first place, and Abolisher is busted, no explanation needed. Sam is the one combo card here, and he's only 2 MV so drawing him isn't the end of the world. Finally, the combo works through most stax pieces and at instant speed, plus you get 3 food tokens to work with at the start, so 1 Otawara activation can't even stop you alone.
Anyway, with that thorough explanation done, my question now is, "What are the best commanders to make use of this?" I haven't given this too much thought, but something like [[Thalia and the Gitrog Monster]] comes to mind for both stax and a sac outlet. Stax the board, get Hulk out, attack, game over before Thalia/Gitrog hits. The main alternative I've thought of is a T&T shell, but I'm not sure if that's the best home for this combo. So, I'm looking for community input.
What do you all think of this Hulk line? Can anyone spot weaknesses here compared to other lines? And if any of you think this is worth running, what commanders do you think would fit this well? Lemme know! I'm excited for Food synergies and am thrilled to have finally gotten the Cauldron Familiar + Hulk outlet I've been waiting for!

First Prev Next(soon^tm)

The Araknonian Emperor had decreed it himself – subjugation, or else. This was the message that the Speaker was to send to the Hedronian diplomats. The pretences of a ‘negotiation’ were clearly false the instant the Araknonians made their demand. This was, of course, to be expected. On the journey over to the planet, the Hedron scouts in the neighbouring empires had reported back some preliminary information about their new rival. They were said to be vicious, brutal, and unrelenting.
Of course, they had clearly underestimated the Hedron capacity for insight, as by inviting them to the negotiation table before even attempting to invade showed that they had concerns about their ability to control their new adversary. This was a mistake. The Hedrons had learned that Araknon never negotiated without control of their opponents’ skies, and typically the capitulation of a world or two.
By allowing the Hedrons to get into their space without being at war first gave a huge opportunity for the Hedrons to gain all they needed to know about the Araknonians. The presence of what looked to be crack shock troops was concerning, however the Hedronian’s own recon marines were already finding out exactly how many they truly had, and how capable they were. The Hedron 1st Shadow fleet had already begun an incursion into their space near where their forces appeared to be assembling, and all shipyards were poised for emergency war production and ship building, something not enacted for centuries.
If the Araknonians wanted to start a war, then Hedron will not stand it their way. They would, however, finish it.

Stardate 2295.03.05 Araknonian court, Ancom 3
Negotiations, despite the Araknonian inference that they were to be short and sweet, carried on for weeks, mostly due to our unprecedented demands for a lengthy negotiation on each and every part of this subjugation ‘proposal’ of course, we never intended to sign such an agreement, but instead to allow us time to better position our fleets for a fast engagement.
‘Stop this madness! Your weak species would be crushed under our empire’s might!’ Kolhor, and by extension the Araknonians, grew impatient. Time was up.
‘And your point is what, esteemed speaker? We were invited to negotiate on this agreement so that each party may come away satisfied, were we not?’ Silvya was not about to back down here. If the Araknonians truly wanted war, then they may as well declare it. ‘Or are we here for another reason, esteemed one.’
‘I… How dare you accuse us of playing games! You are the ones who are against the wall. Even now our fleets are ready to wipe your sorry excuse for a grand fleet out, and your Empire will vanish from the history books!’ The speaker was now shouting, screeching really. It was time, then for a recess.
‘Is that so, Speaker. In that case I must take my delegation to discuss the current state of the proposal and gain our leader’s approval for its acceptance.’ Silvya feigned a defeatist state before the speaker – she couldn’t risk them knowing the next move.

Hedron recess hall, Ancom 3
‘We have no choice, Empress. We must reject their proposal and wage war.’ Silvya was solemn in her proposal.
‘Very well then Diplomat Kant. Our forces are in adequate positioning. Ensure your marines are off world and out of sight before rejection. We have reason to believe the Araknonians seek to invade immediately.’ The Empress was ever calm. This moment had been prepared for, expected.
With plans in motion, the link cut off.
‘Well folks, you all heard the Empress. Pack your bags. We are going to war.’ Silvya resolved herself.
‘This will be a time of great struggle for our people, but rest assured, when this crisis is resolved, our time and actions here will not be seen as wasted time, but as crucial to our success and decisive victory. It is high time someone knocked these Araknonians down from their high horse. Who better than us!’

Araknonian Palace, Araknor. Stardate 2295.03.06
‘Emperor, you had better see this.’ The messenger was sheepish in his delivery.
A recording holo of the Hedronian refusal was loaded into the viewer. The envoy, Slyvia Kant, appeared.
‘Speaker! Your proposal is disrespectful to our peoples, and we have no choice but to reject it. We also formally declare to you this: You will never control us. It does not matter if you take our skies, or our governments. Our fellow Humans in the New Terra Republic and the Sol Collective will not only come to our aid, but will continue any war you choose to begin against us with vicious ferocity. You have been warned. We may appear weak, but we are the bear that you do not poke. We have not known war for centuries, but we will gladly accept it.’
‘How dare they!’ The messenger thought the Emperor might just drop dead from rage just that instant. He was evidently more furious with the idea that he might die before this puny, disrespectful race was wiped from the databanks permanently. ‘They shall crumble before us! No race in this great Empire shall rest until they come begging to us for mercy. We will not grant them it.’
‘Of course, your grace. Shall we send a declaration?’
‘No. They knew what they were doing.’ The Emperor rested, awaiting the reports from his admirals at the front.

Encidion, Planetoid 2286A, Hedron Shadow Fleet HQ. Stardate 2295.03.07
Rear Admiral Finlay Tianor gripped the lectern in front of him. The transmission had awoken him in the middle of the night, the one he had dreaded coming.
‘We stand at the verge of the most defining action to happen in centuries. It is up to us, as our nation's most prized fleet, and unknown to the enemy, to make a name for ourselves. We will be ruthless, we will be cunning, and we will cut their lines to shreds. The order has been passed down from Her Highness to jump to their lines. We are to operate on prize rules. Pick a target, call for support if required. We will strike them where they think they have complete invulnerability. Our latest upgrades mean that as of now, your homebase, our Headquarters, no longer lie here. They lie wherever you choose!’ He paused to allow the now deafening roar coming from the officers to die down.
‘So find a system with high traffic, lie dormant and wait for that grand prize to fall into your laps! This base is to be remembered in your logs only as a supply cache, indistinguishable from any other we may set up, and do set them up wherever you can. I don’t want any reports of ships returning here from combat with weapons still aboard, even if you are critically damaged! Whatever’s done that damage, it won’t hurt to give it a little nudge towards the other side in reciprocation! Fight these spineless bastards to extinction, give no quarter in combat. Fight until your cannons overheat, your railguns blow their cells and the torpedo bays glow with the heat of a hundred motors!’ He ended triumphantly, before the noise of the room overcame even his microphoned cheers.
This war was going to be bloody, just not for them.

Writers note -
I am going to to my best to post these once a week, but I won't promise anything just yet.
As before, feedback is appreciated.

I'm looking to build a "home console" type PC that can sit tucked away near the TV.
All components are available for roughly the same price at my local Micro Center, unless explicitly specified, in which case the Micro Center prices is cheaper.
Any feedback or finding issues that I've overlooked are welcome!

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 7700 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$319.79 @ Amazon
Thermal Compound	Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste	$6.95 @ Amazon
Motherboard	Gigabyte B650I AORUS ULTRA Mini ITX AM5 Motherboard	$259.99 @ Micro Center
Memory	TEAMGROUP Elite 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-4800 CL40 Memory	$72.98 @ Amazon
Storage	Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive	$69.98 @ Amazon
Video Card	ASRock Radeon RX6700XT CLD 12G Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card	$339.99 @ Micro Center
Case	HYTE REVOLT 3 Mini ITX Tower Case	$129.00 @ HYTE
Power Supply	Cooler Master V850 SFX GOLD 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply	$159.99 @ B&H
Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
Total	$1358.67
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-05-30 17:15 EDT-0400

I'll do an in-depth Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Analysis for free. Just in case you are unaware of SEO, here is just a brief explanation of what is SEO and how it can help your business online. SEO is a process in which a website is optimized to receive more relevant traffic from Search Engines like Google or Bing. SEO is very cost-effective when compared to Paid Search campaigns and organic traffic has a high conversion rate. SEO can help you to increase website traffic, get more leads or increase online sales. What is covered in the free SEO analysis? 1. Keyword Research for your website 2. Competitor Analysis 3. Backlink Analysis 4. Technical SEO Audit 5. Insights
DM if interested.

So In cory Carson Season 3 Episode 3 "Bored Games" at one point the caption reads "Nichole Echoing" when mama is talking , and I also recall in another episode "I can't remember which episode though :(" Papa talks and the caption reads "Mort" So are Mama & Papa's names Mort & Nichole ?

If your reading this I had to split my post in two because Reddits chracter limit is 40,000 and ive gone well over that. anyway have fun.
​
John Wick Chapter 3 – Parabellum
John Wick 3 starts directly off of John Wick 2 with john running through the streets. The opening clock shot gives us the time as 5.10pm on Friday Day 13.
Friday Day 13 5.10pm
· 5.10pm john running through the streets.
· Winston arrives back at the Continental at 5.11pm “I’d say the odds were about even”.
· “John Wick. Contract starts at 6pm” is announced.
· John runs into an alley (the watch makes it 5.12pm) “Tick Tock Mr Wick”.
· John gets in a cab to the NY public Library. The clock in the cab makes it 5.38-5.39pm.
· John leaves his dog and runs to the library.
· “John Wick excommunicardo 20 minutes” in the exchange.
· John enters the library at 5.41 thanks to the clock above the clerk.
· John gets directions to his book and finds it at 5.45pm
· Big Ukrainian guy appears.
· John kills big Ukrainian guy with a book in 5 mins. Time is 5.50pm.
· John leaves and runs to the Doctor “john Wick excommunicardo in effect 10 minutes”.
· The Doctor must be 5 minutes away. John arrives “I still have 5 minutes”.
· Doctor treats john and stops dead on 6pm. Contract on john goes live and texts go out.
· John finishes up and shoots the doc as requested.
· John leaves at 6.05pm
· John runs through China Town
· Chinese thugs see him and chase him into the museum.
· John reassembles the revolver.
· John kills lots of people (best scene in the film). Whole fight takes about 10 minutes.
· John leaves.
· The dog arrives at the hotel around 6.10pm which fits with the film.
· John is hit by 2 cars and runs into the stables.
· John kills lots of people and rides off on a horse (about a 20 minute fight).
· John rides on the horse and kills the motorbike assassins.
· The contract gets raised in the exchange around 6.40pm
· John makes it to the Tarkovsky Theatre at around 6.50pm.
· Conversation with the desk when he removes things and meets the director. We learn johns name is Jordarni Jonovovich (I might have that slighty wrong). They talk and she agrees to give him transport to Casablanca. Probably an hour has passed since arriving at 7.50pm.
· John leaves on a life boat.
Saturday Day 14 9.00am
· Next scene. Morning The adjudicator arrives at the hotel at 9am judging by the daylight.
· The adjudicator meets Winston at 9.10am 5 minute conversation and they view santinos body. The whole conversation was about 20 minutes.
· The adjudicator gives him 1 week to get his affairs in order. This is the first clear timeline that is established. Therefore the films big shoot out must be Saturday Day 21.
· The adjudicator then vists the Bowery King (assuming she left Winston and went straight there it probably took an hour. She seems the type).
· Adjudicator with the King “you see rats with wings but I see the internet”.
· Adjudicator brings out the gun from John Wick 2 (the one the Bowery King gave him). She could have got it before seeing Winston or after. I think before. Bowery King also gets 7 days. The time is roughly 10.30 am
Monday Day 16 3.50am USA 9.50am Casablanca.
Cut to Casablanca. Google tells me that New York to Casablanca by boat at 40 knots takes 3.7 days by sea. Seeing as it’s a shady world and the fastest boats can travel at 80 knots and, assuming they are using that boat, takes 1.3 days for john to reach his destination (32 hours) making it Monday Day 16 3.50 am. However Casablanca is 6 hours ahead so its 9.50 am when John arrives at the port which fits the film.
· John walks through the port
· Cut to evening/Night obviously it’s a very long way to the hotel from the port and hes a man of focus.
· John kills 2 guys in an alley and meets an assassin who offers him amnesty “welcome to casablanca Mr Wick”.
· John enters the continental and meet Sofia. I estimate that the time is 8pm
· Conversation with Sofia and the marker.
· Sofia gets ready “We leave in 10 minutes”. The whole thing was probably 15 minutes. Therefre 8.15pm Casblanca and 2.15 pm USA.
Cut to the next scene at night where the Adjudicator meets Zero. This is most likely during the time that Johnwas travelling so this is either Saturday Day 14 or Sunday Day 15. Im inclined to Saturday at 8pm. She seems efficient.
Saturday Day 14 8pm
· Adjudicator recruits Zero. There a continuity error where the Adjudicator says “he killed scores of men this week alone” which if youre still following is actually 13 days although can be considered vaguly accurate. I suspect she was reffering to John wick 2 though which would fit. They talk for 5 minutes.
· Next scene is back at the Tarkovsky Theatre where zero and his men attack the Russian and Director. It’s still raining so it can be assumed that it’s the same night probably an hour later. So 9pm.
· The directors conversation with the adjudicator where Zero stabs her hands. The whole thing probably was 30 mins to kill all the guards and 30 mins to talk and get stabbed so its 10pm.
Monday Day 16 8.15pm Casablanca and 2.15pm USA.
· Cut to John and Sofia. 5 min conversation and 30 minute trip to meet berrada.
· Conversation about Markers, coins and social contracts “Do you know where the word assassin comes from”.
· John learns how to meet the elders.
· John and Sofia kill lots of people.
· Berrada survives and probably 30 mins have passed.
· John and Sofia fight their way out through the gold melting vats eneterance (about 10 minutes since Berrada conversation and fight). The fight is fairly straight forward so probably on 20 minutes through there. They enter the courtyard and kill lots of people and escape in the cars. It’s a very long fight so very likely and hour and a half passes which makes the time 11.10pm casa and 5.10pm USA.
Tuesday Day 17 8am Casablanca and 2 am USA
· The next scene is john and Sofia arriving at the desert. Google tells me that Dawn in Casablanca is at 8am. Its safe to assume that they both shared the driving and got some rest for the previous 9 hours. The car is also quite a distance into the desert I assume so they’ve likely used the night to follow the dog star and get a head start on meeting the elder.
· Sofia drops john off in the desert, waters her dogs and john leaves with a thimbleful of watered backwash. John begins his walk.
· He walks all day and night and collapses around 10am Casa (judging by the sun in the sky) on Day 18 (Day 16 4 am USA).
Saturday Day 21 9am USA.
· The next scene is early am for the Bowery King and Zero guards are killing all his men. Juding by the light and that we know he had 7 days it has to be Saturday Day 21 about 9am.
This scene presents a small problem because they haven’t been seen since maiming the director on Saturday Day 14 at 10pm but maybe the adjudicator has had other duties to attend to in that time.
· The adjudicator and Bowery King talk and he gets 7 cuts at 9.30am assuming the conversation took 30 minutes.
Tuesday Day 17 11am Casablanca and 5 am USA
· Cut back to an unconious John who probably been out for an hour. Hes picked up and taken to the elder and spends time in the tent (say 2 hours (1pm)).
· The conversation took an hour (2pm) where he chops off his finger and gets a mission to kill Winston. Zayer helps prepare for Johns departure giving him a change of clothes and, its implied, help to get back so this takes longer (another 4 hours to treat his finger and recover? 7pm?). Its likely that they have methods of getting through the desert but its still a long journey but its likely they took 2 days to get back to Casablanca. Say 48 hours (because he got a car a fair way in to the desert and camels are slower) making arriving back in Casablanca Day 19 7pm Casa. If he then got the 80 knot boat back that’s then another 32 hours travel making it Day 21 3am which means that he arrives back at 9pm Saturday Day 21 usa.
Saturday Day 21 10pm
· The next scene is John getting off the train and meeting Zero and the assassins which was probably an hour later at 10pm which fits with the film.
· John conversation with Zero and escape on the bike 10 minutes.
· Bike chase across the bridge with swords. John kills lots of people. John arrives at the continental and escapes Zero on the consecrated ground after about 40 minutes making the time around 10.50.
· John meets Winston after a 10 minute wait and after talking to Zero. Zero is ruined for me at this point when he becomes an obsessive fan boy all of a sudden which doesn’t fit with his character up to this point. So its 11pm when John and Winston talks in the room of glass.
· Winston convinces John to change sides and “go to war with the high table”.
· The Adjudicator arrives 10 minutes later (11.10) “Mr Wick it is a pleasure to meet you”.
· The adjudicator deconsecrates the Contenital. The process probably takes 10 minutes to get the file and do. Adjudicator leaves and summons a kill squad which, judging by the way they arrive, she had tooled up and ready just in case.
· John, Winston and Choron the concierge tool up. The guests leave and the decronsecration order is processed. This probably took around an hour (movie land reasons for being so quick) and the kill squad arrived after everyone has left say another hour so the time is Sunday day 22 at 1.20am.
Sunday Day 22 1.20
· John and Charon attempt to kill lots of people but cant due to lack of firepower. The staff are all killed very quickly within 10 minutes of the kill squad arriving.
· It was approximately 30 seconds for john to realise that he needs more firepower and 29 minutes and 30 seconds to be able to be in a position for him to be able to get back and rearm.
· They arm up again (probably 30 minutes) and head back out hunting again.
· John and Charon kill lots of people.
· They’ve probably been fighting for an hour when the adjudicator makes her phone call to Winston where he hands up at 3.30am.
· John enters the room of glass at 3.35am and fights the two assassins who smash him into display cases. Zero taunts him and 5 minutes later the assassins are killed.
· Zero beckons John to come upstairs.
· The two respectful assassins from the raid (great films watch them both) attack and talk with Mr Wick.
· The fight lasts about 40 minutes. John leaves them alive and goes to face Zero.
· John faces Zero (fanboy worship 4.20am). The fight lasts another 40 minutes.
· Charon returns to the vault and the Adjudicator calls Winston at 4.55am.
· Zero dies at 5.15am after him and John talk “That was a pretty good fight”.
· Winston and Adjudicator are on the roof they look like they have been talking for a short while whilst the light (pre dawn) makes it about 5.30am when John arrives.
· Winston betrays John and shoots him off the roof at 5.45am. The Adjudicator leaves.
· Clean up and sorting the continental appears to start immediately but its likely the Adjudicator went to her room and packed before leaving so the time is more 7am when the adjudicator realizes Johns body is missing.
· John is picked up by Tick Tock man and taken to the Bowery King. If this is around the same time then he meets the King at 7am. The conversation lasts about 5 minutes “cos im really pissed off”.
John Wick 3 ends on Sunday Day 21 at 7.05am.
John Wick Chapter 4
We know this film starts 6 months after Chapter three which has allowed John to heal from his injuries of falling off the roof in the last film. This one is harder to pace properly because of all the travelling between places so my timeline may be out here and there but generally it should be fine. 6 months is equal to 183 days ish so John Wick 4 starts on Monday Day 205 (because John Wick 3 ended on day 22 and nothing good ever happens on a Monday (p.s it’s only a Monday because I can’t be bothered to properly work out what the actual day of the week it would be)).
Monday Day 205 7.20 pm
· Bowery King gives a speech and walks through to John walking Johns dog. John is training on a Makawara Board Which is a traditional way of making strong punches and toughening up your hands (I study martial arts and used to have one, he’s also punching with reasonable form but with a Shotokan method with the reverse hand at the hip instead of the chest). New York skyline shows its sunset which the internet tells me is about 7.20 pm in April which is 6 months from October and fits the film later on. “You ready John?”.
Thursday Day 208 6am
·Sunrise in the desert. John kills 3 people on horse back and meets the elder. This must be the desert near Casablanca from Chapter 3. Google tells me that NY to Casablanca by boat at 40 knots takes 3,7 days by sea and seeing as it’s a shady world and the fastest boats travel at 80 knots it takes 1.3 days foe John to reach Casablanca then he has to get into the desert which takes 48 hours to find the elder making it 3.3 days later or Day 208. It probably takes an hour to kill the three horsemen. John meets the elder and they talk for 5 minutes and john kills him at 7.05am. John leaves. “No one escapes the table”.
Saturday Day 210 Evening probably around 5pm
· Back in New York Continental Hotel. Assumption that news of the Elder has been notified to the relevant people and its say, two days later. The Harbinger arrives and asks Charon to speak to the manager. Approx 10 minutes later he meets Winston delivers his letter and gives a 1 hour time limit to evacuate the hotel and then leaves. They get to it.
· Next scene is in the Marquis tower Winston has obviously got things going and he and Charon have gone pretty much straight there. They meet the Marquis and talk for 10minutes and Marquis blows up the continental exactly 1 hour after the hourglass notification was given so it is 6.05 pm. Marquis kill Charon 30 seconds later. “It has been an honor my friend” and leaves a minute after that asking for Chidi (his main guy) to find Caine at 6.07ish.
Sunday Day 211 9am
·The next scene is Paris. New York to Paris is 7.5 hours by plane. The assumption is that the Marquis left and took 1 hour to airport, straight on to the plane and the straight to Paris in another hour meaning it took 9.5 hours making it 3 am in the USA. France is 6 hours ahead of America making the time 9am which fits the film. Caine is sitting listening to his daughter play violin. He then is seen going to see the Marquis so im assuming this is an hour later. They talk and Caine gets his name. It takes 10 mins and Caine leaves at 10.10 am.
Monday Day 212 10 pm
·Cut to Osaka Japan. Paris to Osaka flight time is 15 hours,1 hour to the airport and then to the hotel. The time difference is that Japan is 7 hours ahead of usa so it makes it 11 am but the scene is night so say 10 pm and say than rather than a continuity error there was a flight delay because of movieland reasons. Mr Nobody enters the Continental and meets Akira the concierge and checks in. We meet her and the manager.
Note here: There’s cherry blossom on the trees. Cherry blossom season in Japan is roughly march to April which fits with the 6 months since October but if you don’t think that then the trees are artificial or genetically altered to bloom all year round.
Nobody takes a seat after checking in (10mins) and checks his dairy. The Manager and Akira walk and talk about 20 minutes through the LED museum and the manager goes out to meet John a further 10 mins later at 10.30pm. They talk for 30 minutes.
·Chidi arrives with Caine and asks to see the manager. Nobody notices when they arrive at 11pm.
The evacuation starts immediately. Akira runs up to see the manager so it must be 5 mins later when she sees him. John waits. The manager gets his staff ready which takes about 10 mins ish and meets Chidi at 11.20 pm.
·The manager and Chidi and Caine talk for 10 minutes and it erupts into a massive rumble.
·The manager kills lots of people. The first part of the fight takes about 10 minutes until the kill squad arrives and the fight enters round 2 at 11.45 pm.
Tuesday Day 213 00.00 am
Back on the roof the kill squad find John and Akira. Must be about 15 minutes later making it 00.00am.
·John and Akira kill lots of people. Interesting note: you can clearly see John aiming for the breaks and chinks in the kill squads armour which is still bullet proof like John Wick 3.
The fight takes 20 minutes. (00.20am)
· Cut to the kitchen and the Manager. Caine is slurping noodles which take 5 minutes to make. Incidentally slurping noodles is a Japanese thing and Donnie Yen is Chinese (00.25). Caine kills lots of people.
·Cut to John and Akira killing lots of people at about the same time and Caine finishes his fight. Its quite a long fight (30 mins). The Manager arrives and saves Akira and John leaves. “Kill as many as you can”.
·John enters the LED museum and about 5 mins later is attacked by the kill squad. John kills lots of people. Another long fight which takes about 45 minutes especially with the nunchucks making the time about 2am.
·Caine arrives and they talk and fight which takes about 15 minutes until Mr Nobody arrives and tries to kill them. Note: Caine loses his sword cane sheath here because you don’t see it again from now on.
Cut to the exchange which must be the same time and Johns bounty is increased.
·Cut to John outside in a bamboo area. Its about 15 minutes since he escaped Caine so about 2.30 am. John is attacked. John kills lots of people. Takes about 5 minutes.
· John and Nobody and his dog talk for 5 minutes and john leaves. “Take better care of yourself”.
Cut to the Manager and Akira trying to leave. Caine has beat them to it and its around the same time as Johns escape. Caine and the Manager fight which takes 10 mins and Caine kills the manager at 2.50 am and Akira leaves.
·John is at the station and most likely has been for 10 minutes. He gets on the train. Akira arrives, they talk for 5 minutes and Akira leaves next stop,
·Cut to New York in the rain likely 2pm. Winston and Bowery king talk for 10 mins likely at the same time John was escaping.
Friday Day 215 12 pm
·Next is Marquis and the Harbinger in Paris. Its bright day time so likely midday. Caine and Nobody are there so they must have travelled straight from Japan. So 1 hour to airport, 15 hour flight to France and 1 hour to Paris makes it 17 hours Since Japan but its Midday because it should be 8 pm so the plane had an engine fault and there was a delay.
· Nobody and the Marquis talk and Marquis stabs Nobody and makes a deal. Note here: Why do they shake with their left hands in this scene? Marquis leaves and Cut to
Saturday Day 216 12pm
·John in New York visiting Charons grave site. Its Midday and Paris is 6 hours ahead so it has to be the following day so its Saturday Day 216. 6 days have passed since Charon was killed. I could have this slightly wrong but movieland reasons for burying him so quickly. John and Winston talk for 15 minutes. “They’re cold hard facts”. John heads to Berlin.
Monday Day 218 8 pm
·Next scene is John in Berlin at night. NY to Berlin is 8 hours ish. 1 hour to the airport, flight and 1 hour to Berlin is 10 hours. Berlin is 6 hours ahead of USA which means the time should be 6am which doesn’t fit with the film therefore there must have been another flight delay and it’s the day 218 Monday say 8pm.
·Nobody watches John enter the safe haven Church.
·John unburdens his guns and enters. He speaks to the priest who shoots him and gets taken away. “Nice Suit”. Prob 5 minutes so its 8.05pm
·Cut to Marquis at the ballet. My Nobody calls him to give him Johns location so it must be the same time.
·John awakes with a noose around his neck. He been there about 30 minutes with everyone surrounding him. Katia arrives and talks to John about age and Uncle Petior whilst continuously stringing him up. “We have a common enemy”. They make a deal to kill Killa and the whole thing took about 15 minutes. Claus smacks John. “I am Claus”.
·About an hour later John and Claus are in the club to see Killa. Note: Scott Adkins is brilliant as Killa. Claus delivers a letter. Killa and John talk. Caine arrives and joins them. Conversation about family and personal feelings and discord between old friends. Mr Nobody joins them and takes a seat. Converstaion on who wants to kill who.
·They play cards. Interesting note: Caine here looks at his cards and says what he has so therefore he must have some actual vision. By the time Killa lays his cards on the table about 30 minutes must have passed. Once he does-
·John, Caine and Nobody kill lots of people.
·Killa runs into the club and john follows.
·John kills lots of people. It’s a drawn out fight against all the men and Killa but doesn’t last that long say about 30 minutes whilst Caine and Nobody kill everyone else in Killas office.
·John kills lots of people and Killa dies at 10.40pm
·The whole club empties 5 minutes later. Nobody tries to shoot John but Caine stops him. John leaves.
·Back at the Church an Hour later (11.45pm). John gives Killas tooth to Katia and we cut to John’s welcome back ceremony. It takes time to prepare and melt gold so its another 2 hours later making it 1.45am on Day 219 Tuesday. The ceremony probably takes an hour with them burning their arms ala David Caradine from Kung Fu style. Jordani is accepted back at 2.45 am
Wednesday Day 220 12.00 pm
·Winston visits the Marquis who we know is in Paris. Theres no time difference between Paris and Berlin and theres no way to know what time it actually is so im saying midday. John is likely traveling to Paris because he shows up in a bit. Winston delivers the message and formal challenge and they talk about the old ways and rules. It’s a detailed conversation and likely takets 20 minutes. “Such is life”.
·Next scene is John walking across themarble in front of the effiel tower. Its dull so say early evening say 5 pm.
·John, the Marquis and Harbinger discuss terms of the duel. We also get a finishing time of sunrise on day 221 which is Thursday for the duel and film ending. Whole thing takes about 15 minutes. John leaves with Winston.
·Caine and Marquis talk for 5 minutes and Caine leaves.
·Cut to John in a church say 30 mins since. Caine is there and they talk and share a moment together. John leaves after 5 minutes at 5.35 pm.
·Cut to the Marquis and Harbinger talking. Its now night at about 8 pm and the conversation takes about 5 minutes.
·John arrives at the safe harbour probably at the same time and eneter the station and meets Winston and the King at 8.10. John gets his suit.
·Chidi and the Marquis talk and there a brief shot of a large clock on the wall saying the time is 11.50 so that’s the time.
Thursday Day 221 00.00am
·Chidi puts out the contract to the exchange and the radio station at 00.00am.
·All the assassins tool up. Things are going to get very busy for John.
·John gets his gun at 00.00am. “This Viper has ferocious fangs”.
·Some time later they get on the boat and 20 minutes journey to Johns destination. Converstaion about grave stones. We also discover sunrise is at 6.03 am.
·John enters the road in front of the Effiel tower at about 4.30 am. At this time the exchange informs everyone where he is.
·John kills lots of people. Some in a mustang (love that car) whilst getting his gun. 15 min fight (4uilding site house at 5.37am.45am).
·John arrives at the arc de triumpth 15 mins after that (5.00).
·John kills lots of people in a car, on foot, between traffic at the arc de triumpth. (long fight 30 minutes).
·Marquis takes a phone call from Nobody at 5.33 am (clock behind him).
·John continues to kill lots of peopleand escapes on a bike heading to the Sacre Coeur at 5.35.
·John kills lots of poepl on a bike and enters the building site house at 5.35.
·One of the best fight scenes in the film. Nobody enters.
·Nobody and john kill lots of people. Marquis call Nobody at 5.40 (Clock behind him again).
·John and Nobody continue to kill lots of people.
·Marquis calls Nobody at 5.43 $40 million.
·More assassins arrive. John kills lots of people. (top down fight love this so much).
·Nobody and john kill lots of people.
·Nobody and John fall through a hole in the floor at 5.45.
·john saves nobodys dog at 5.46.
·John escapes out the window. He looks at his watch which shows the time is 5.50am. John heads to the steps.
·John starts up the steps. The time is 5.55am. He has 7 minutes to get to the top.
·John kills lots of people.
·John gets almost to the top and falls back about half way when Chidi attacks him.
·John and Chidi fight and john falls to the bottom.
·Caine arrives at 5.59.
·Caine and John kill lots of people back up the steps.
·Nobody shoots Chidi at 6.00am. Chidi is killed by the dog and Nobody at 6.01am.
·John and Caine arrive at the church at 6.03am. Cain stabs johns hand.
·The Duel commences. It takes approximately 5 minutes. Nobody and the dog watch.
·John kills the Marquis at 6.08am.
·The Harbinger makes his announcements and takes his leave at 6.09 am
·Cain leaves after talking to John at 6.10am.
·Winston talks to John. “Will you take me home?”.
·John passes out on the church steps thinking of his wife at 6.11 am on Thursday Day 221.
Thursday Day 228 12.00pm
·Back to New York a few days have passed so im assuming a week later at midday. Bowery king and Winston are standing at Johns Grave. They talk and leave after 5 minutes .
·After credits scene assuming this is the same time as the graveyard scene. Caine is visting his daughter. Akira is going to kill him.
John Wick Chapter 4 ends on Thursday Day 228 12.00pm.

I'll briefly explain my hair loss and treatment timeline, then explain the conclusion my hair surgery and treatment clinic in New Zealand came to, as I'm curious about others thoughts on their summary.
Early 20's - Began noticing some thinning to the sides of my front hairline, and crown. Slight itching
By Mid 20's thinning got slightly more aggressive, however I also started getting a very oily and itchy scalp, but only in the locations on the scalp I was thinning, not all over. This was the first time I started to suspect that the scalp oil/itch and hair loss must be related, otherwise why would the oil/itch only be in the same spots and not everywhere like normal dandruff.
I kept the itchy scalp at bay using anti-dandruff shampoos, was still oily though. this was the way that it was for the next 13 or so years till my late 30's when I said enough was enough and looked into medical treatment again. I had looked at finasteride in my mid 20's but got scared off by the side effects, even though in hindsight the % of people who experience them is less than 5%, and I could have stopped taking it if I did get sides. Again in hindsight there was nothing to lose, shame I didn't think about it harder at the time. Anyway...
So I got prescribed finasteride 1mg from my doctor and began taking it. 3 months later there was no improvement to my hair quality (wasn't surprised as I knew it takes 9-12 months of follicle shedding/regrowth cycles to start seeing results. however, the itchy/oily scalp hadn't stopped either and because it was isolated to my thinning areas, I began to suspect finasteride was doing nothing, or wasn't strong enough.
I stumbled across dutasteride after reading about its higher potency due to the multiple 5-AR enzymes it targets and its much longer metabolic half life (5 weeks for dutasteride vs 6-8 hours for finasteride). So after approaching my doctor for an off label use prescription, I began taking 0.5mg daily. 2 weeks later, my scalp itch completely disappeared! 6 months or so later my hair quality had improved so much it looked as good at it did in my mid 20s!
I kept this dosage for the next 5 years until one day I went to fill a prescription and dutasteride had been discontinued in New Zealand, and began to panic. I reluctantly went back to my doctor and asked if he could prescribe me 5mg daily dose of finasteride as a substitute, which he gave me. However after 2 months off dutasteride and taking the elevated 5mg daily dose of finasteride, the scalp itch returned with a vengeance, and a few months after that my hair began to thin again. Eventually I contacted a hair clinic with surgeons who had offices in Australia and New Zealand. They said they could prescribe me dutasteride in Australia and have an Australian pharmacy send it to me in New Zealand. Perfectly legal so long as its personal use and no more than 3 months supply. Fine by me. So I'm back on dutasteride, scalp itch has gone again and now I'm just waiting for my hair to recover.
Conclusion from the hair clinic - They said normally dutasteride works for some people because their DHT overproduction is so high that finasteride can't keep up with it because of its short half life in your, so dutasteride stays longer in your system and builds up to give better suppression. In my case however they said the cause was probably different, and the scalp itch/oil was the giveaway.
The clinics summary was that DHT is produced in the scalp from hair follicle via the type 2 variant of the 5AR enzyme, and from the sebaceous glands via the type 1 variant of the 5AR enzyme. Overproduction of DHT in the sebaceous glands causes hyperactivity in the gland causing it to become inflamed and overproduce scalp oil. The scalp oil is a superfood for the dandruff fungus (which explains the itch). The scalp oil is apparently loaded with DHT and makes its way into the hair follicle via the oil. So their conclusion was that most likely in my case, dutasteride worked so well not necessarily because of how long it lasts in the system, but because it blocks both type 1 and 2 enzymes and therefore the DHT produced in the hair follicle as well as the sebaceous gland, whereas finasteride can only target DHT in the follicle. They said that with my condition, I could have taken 10x the daily dose of finasteride and it wouldn't likely have helped, because the cause was likely coming from the sebaceous gland over producing DHT and not the follicle. Again, this conclusion was strongly indicated by the accompanying scalp irritation and oil production which also ceased once I started on dutasteride.
So, to anyone out there who not only has hair loss in specific areas of the scalp, but also has itchy oily hair in the same areas, it's entirely possible that you could be better off on dutasteride. My suggestion aside from speaking to a professional is to try finasteride first for a few months, and if the scalp itch doesn't go away it could be time to switch gears to dutasteride and see if it helps. But try finasteride first as it's nowhere near as potent and therefore much safer.

Hey everyone! I am using the periodide method to detect glycine betaine (trimethylglycine) in plant samples, using the method outlined by Grieve and Grattan in the 1983 paper "Rapid assay for determination of water soluble quaternary ammonium compounds" (Link).
​
The general procedure is:

1. Extract QAC from dried plant matter using 2N Sulfuric acid
2. Centrifuge to separate out plant matter
3. Save supernatant
4. Take 125 µL of the supernatant and add 50 µL cold KI-I2 solution
5. Allow to crystalize
6. Centrifuge
7. Discard supernatant
8. Dissolve crystals in 1,2-dichloroethane
9. Read absorbance at 365 nm

​
And I was just wondering if anyone could explain what the reaction between the QAC and KI-I2 solution would be and what is in the crystals?
​
Note: this isn't a homework or lab question, it's for my own curiosity and I would like to know more about the chemistry behind it rather than just blindly following the procedure.

I live in the eastern part of the USA and for some reason I can’t watch any episodes of prehistoric planet season 1 or 2. The only option is to add it to up next, any idea what is going on?

The first two seasons of Baki are so good, incredible and brutal fights that aren't completely one sided and don't end in just one or two strike (coff coff season 3 coff) and focus on secondary characters that actually get damage and scars from fights and even loose limbs. Every inmate has it's own thing (Doyle the hidden blades, Dorian the rope...) and fight to kill.
The only problem is the 3d models but luckily they are rarely used and disappear completely by the first episodes of season two.
Don't know why everyone dislikes the arc. It's probably my favorite.

Out there - Patreon (for all those curious or wanting to support :))
At the Beginning
Adventure Arc - Arc 2
Wilderness Arc - Arc 3
Academy Arc - Arc 4
Previously on Leveling up the World…
 
Nil used to say that even the greatest challenge became simple once the logic behind it was unraveled. At the time, the old echo was referring to awakening trials, but vortexes were surprisingly similar. Given enough resources and information, even life could be treated in the same fashion. Dallion had a while to go before reaching that level. The current vortex, though, was a different matter.
Creating potions wasn’t an easy experience. Aside from everything else, it required a good understanding of nymph magic methods and the ability to perform them. Thankfully, Dallion’s randomly esoteric interests had prepared him for such an eventuality.
After his protective layer of magic threads was complete, he approached the sea. Same as before, a dozen tendrils shot out in his direction. Summoning his thread splitter dagger, Dallion sliced the tips off, encasing the free elements in aether spheres of his own. That was another thing about magic—it always went towards those that were stronger. One careless move and even a high-level mage might have his magic stolen, by a creature, rival, or even the vortex environment itself. However, with enough skill and ingenuity, the opposite was also true.
One by one, the bubbles of captive magic were consumed, then released again, only this time forming an entirely new set of spells.
Swords? Onda asked. That’ll hardly work.
“Think of it as a meat grinder,” Dallion replied. All he needed was a makeshift drill to let him make his way through the sea. Having his own liquid spells fight the rest of the sea was only going to grant him a bit more time. Between that and the protective magic layer, it had to be enough.
No, I mean it won’t work. The moment you—
Let him learn his own mistakes, Harp interrupted. Her tone was calm, even pleasant, but it had the effect of lightning from a clear sky. It’s the only way he can progress.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Dallion kept collecting magic threads for a few more minutes, then did another point attack. The start of a tunnel opened up on the sea’s surface. Quickly, Dallion threw all of his liquid spells inside, then followed. Same as before, the mass of the sea attempted to fill in the void, but this time it was hindered by the liquid wall of swords.
​
VORTEX BREACH
Overall stability 99%
​
Spells clashed against each other, filling the air with hundreds of purple rectangles. The damage was minuscule, and still a constant reminder of the eternal struggle between invader and realm. It was no wonder that mages were so cutthroat: there was only one thing certain upon entering a vortex: someone was going to absorb the other. The Academy’s main role was to teach novices how to survive.
Just like hunting, Dallion thought. On the other hand, he had never been the typical hunter. When it came to vortexes, there could be no offer of draw or surrender.
Twisting around, Dallion performed another point attack, drilling further into the sea. The number of rectangles doubled. Meanwhile, the size of the hold was reduced by half. The amount of spells Dallion had poured in—seemingly cast initially—was now wearing thin.
Maybe you should have spent a bit more time fathering threads, the armadil shield said.
“It’s all a formula.” Dallion did another point attack. “If the stability of the tunnel is decreased, I just need to go faster.”
All of his instincts shouted for him to split into instances, or at the very least create a few echoes to help in. His wisdom told him not to. All he had to do was remain calm. The emblems and artifacts he was wearing ensured that he’d be ejected from the vortex. Of course, there was never a guarantee. The higher the vortex level, the greater the danger it posed.
Summoning his hammer, Dallion did a double point attack, up and down, to keep the tunnel collapsing above him. He had gone so deep that the opening was the size of a coin.
“I told you it’ll work, Onda,” he said with a touch of glee. “It’s all logic and magic principles.”
No sooner had he said that than a mass of magic pierced through Dallion’s wall of spells, ending up in the tunnel. Believing his wall of swords to have been breached, Dallion unsummoned both his weapons and cast a new series of spells to plug the hole. That proved to be a mistake.
​
MODERATE WOUND
Your health has been reduced by 20%
​
What the heck? Dallion pulled back, summoning his harpsisword again.
Five feet away, the mass of magic had changed into a creature.
​
VORTEX MINION
Species: AETHERCORN
Class: MAGIC
Health: 0% HP
Traits:
- BODY 20
- MIND 20
- PERCEPTION 20
- REACTION 20
- MAGIC 40
Skills:
- ATTACK
- GUARD
- SPELLCRAFT
- ENTANGLE (Species Unique)
- RAIN OF BLADES (Species Unique)
- CHARGE (Species Unique)
Weakness: HOOVES
​
A unicorn? Dallion deflected the creature’s next attack with his weapon.
Looking at it, the minion was no different from a bladicorn, only created entirely out of threads of magic.
Tried to warn you, old man, Onda said from his realm. Vortexes adapt. You make a counter, they counter your counter.
Dallion was too busy fighting the creature to respond. Magic adaptability was well known. Having loose threads spontaneously create a creature, that was something new. No doubt there was some tome describing the theoretical process in vast detail. Seeing it in practice, though, was a lot.
Without wasting any time, Dallion flew down, then infused his harpsisword with spark, as he did an upward strike. Knowing what such a creature was capable of, his only course of action was to kill it as before it could start casting spells. The difficulty was not destroying his own spells in the process. For all the power of point and line attacks, they were going to do as much damage to Dallion’s own spells, resulting in him winning the encounter, but losing the overall fight.
The aethercorn quickly caught on, moving away and to the side of the tunnel. As long as it increased the distance and remained close to Dallion’s wall of blades, it would have the upper hand.
Sneaky bastard. Dallion cast several aether barriers.
Magic symbols covered the minion’s entire body. As they appeared, Dallion went through all the memorized spells in real time. Normally, he could tell easily what someone was casting once several of the major symbols had formed. In this case, the creature planned to create an aether explosion. In the real world, Dallion wouldn’t even bat an eye. Explosions were a lot less efficient against mages as one might think. Here, though, things were different; the minion wasn’t targeting him, but the wall of blades itself. If there were an explosion, the entire tunnel would collapse, leaving Dallion to rely on his “second skin”.
A new aether barrier appeared next to the aethecorn, then shoved it into the wall before the spell could be completed. The threads—representing aether blades in liquid form—mercilessly sliced into its body, causing the being to lose stability. The entire form burst like a popped balloon, spilling magic threads everywhere.
The moment Dallion saw that, he knew that his time was running out. Although inefficient, the vortex had found a way to breach his protective barrier. The only solution was to pass through the sea before the overall collapse.
Want a boost, boss? Lux asked. The firebird knew better than to assist uninvited.
“No!” Dallion said firmly, casting a new flight spell. “Return to my realm.”
Several more breaches occurred along the tunnel. Aethercorns emerged in front and behind Dallion. Some attacked him directly, others started casting spells to weaken the tunnel. At this point, dealing with them was an impossible task. Still, Dallion did several more point attacks, clearing out as many as possible. Unfortunately for him, that didn’t prove to be a lot. The minions were both fast and intelligent enough to keep to areas that were difficult to hit. Only the ones that attempted to outright block Dallion’s progress ended up being destroyed.
Gritting his teeth, Dallion started casting the flood spell. It was a move that verged to desperation, but the only thing that could help him right now. Within seconds, the portal emerged, then vanished behind Dallion. With a bit of luck, it was going to keep the minions occupied a bit longer.
Behind him, the top of the tunnel collapsed. The threads he had used to create his wall of swords was too thin to coat the entire space created by the point attacks. The purple sea splashed in, mixing with the water coming from Dallion’s portal.
​
MODERATE WOUND
Your health has been reduced by 20%
​
Another alicorn managed to stab Dallion’s leg with its horn as he flew by, effectively halving his health.
Leave the vortex, Harp said.
“I can do this.” Dallion had unsummoned the hammer, focusing on doing point attacks forward, while using his left hand to boost his speed. “I’m close to the end. I can feel it.”
You’re not ready for this vortex. You’re close, but you still aren’t there yet.
“I am.” Dallion insisted. It wasn’t that he had become complacent, but the last few months his progress had crawled to a stop. He might have learned a vast number of magic symbols and spells, but his magic trait remained at twenty-three. There was no way he was giving up a level four vortex, especially this one. “I am there,” he whispered.
Purple water kept seeping in. The top of the tunnel had completely collapsed. Spells created by vortex minions darted past him. Some even made contact, repelled by his protective layer of magic threads.
“Just a few seconds more,” Dallion said, more to himself than Harp.
He had been going through the sea for quite a while. As far as distance was concerned, it had to range in the dozens of miles, if not more. While space in any magic realm was an illusion, there was a limit to how much something could be stretched. Sooner or later, the sea had to come to an end.
“Ruby, create some wind,” he ordered.
Keeping firmly to Dallion’s shoulder, the shardfly flicked its wings, sending a flurry of wind slashes forward. This was by no means an elegant way to breach the tower, but as long as it worked Dallion had no intention of complaining.
Further and further down he went. His speed had increased to the point that he couldn’t see new aethercorns emerge. And yet, it all kept on going. It seemed that he had entered a bottomless pit. The sensation of doubt emerged. Was it a good move to keep persisting? If he quit now, would it all go to waste? There was no telling how long the vortex would remain. Maybe it would last for a few more hours. If he was lucky, it might appear again in another week or so.
No! Dallion told himself. If he couldn’t complete this, what chance did he stand against Grym and the traitorous battlemages? They had accumulated their magic for decades. If he didn’t take advantage of every opportunity presented to him, he might as well become a clerk at the Academy.
Point attacks kept pushing the tunnel further and further down until suddenly they didn’t. It only lasted a fraction of a second, but Dallion was able to catch it. The devastating amount of force had been effortlessly pushed to the sides, like water being poured on a mirror.
That was it—the end of the sea. Dallion had finally reached the solid barrier. At this point, he’d usually take the time to find a weakness, then slice through it and create a portal leading to the other side. With time being a luxury he didn’t have, Dallion resorted to the second best thing. Increasing the number of point attacks, he cast the magic depletion spell he had learned from Raven.
Lightning shot out in all directions, instantly ending Dallion’s flight spell as well as causing all magic threads to pull back.
“Shield!” Dallion summoned the armadil shield. “Cocoon me!” He performed one final point attack with his harpsisword.
The armadil shield expanded, becoming a metal sphere around Dallion. Half a second later, the impact tossed Dallion to the inside of it.
​
MINOR WOUND
Your health has been reduced by 5%
​
BREACH ENFORCER
(+2 Body)
Inertia and the force of will helped you breach into the tower’s core. You were lucky you didn’t go splat.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this story, consider joining my patreon or check out my other stories on redditserials:
The Scuu Paradox (a Space Opera Sci Fi)
The Cassandrian Theory (a Space Opera Sci Fi)
The Impeccable Adventure of the Reluctant Dungeon (Dungeon Core Adventure Comedy)
Uncharted Waters (An Urban Fantasy Detective Noir)
Book 3 will be available on Amazon from midnight tonight :D There will be an official post tomorrow, but here's a heads up to all impatient ones :D

I am trying to work out what Swedish bachelor's grades would roughly equate to in the UK system for postgraduate applications. Even a rough estimate or what is generally the case would be useful to know. I am mainly thinking in terms of the HHS/SSE's 5 point scale, which is as follows:
5 = Excellent
4 = Very good
3.5 = Good
3 = Pass
Can anyone tell me what grades in the Swedish grading system would equate to the following UK grades?
1st
2.1
2.2

I had a drug problem, and I lived a very chaotic live. I frequently went to bars just to do cocaine with friends and fight people in the bar.
One of my female friends was very concerned about my way of living. I said that it really wasn't that bad. But one day when I got very high on cocaine and I crashed my motorcycle in a farmfield somewhere and laid there until sunrise, I knew it was time to try to change my life. The female friend, named Emma, was very reliefed that I had the courage to ask her for help.
She immediately started to figure stuff out to help me, and after a while she told me she found a program somewhere in the mountains deep in the forest that helped people get rid of their addictions.
The name of the program was ''Pure Order''. I was a bit sketchy at first, but I love the mountains and nature so I thought I could always give it a try.
The only problem, was that I was from New Jersey, and the program was in Montana. But Emma was willing to pay along for the trip, and she'd even come with me to drop me off to make sure I arrived safely.
At the airport, a car, that was part of the Pure Order program, would take us there. The driver was a man in a suit, with combed black hair, a well kept goatee and mustache. He was wearing a dress shirt, suspenders and cowboy boots.
It was a peculiar look that I instantly noticed. It was a very hipster look, but also a very country look. It was a 5 hour, if not more, ride from the airport to the place where the Pure Order program was. It was very deep in the woods and mountains, and very far away from civilization.
When we arrived, I saw 10 feet high walls, made out of wooden beams, with barbed wire at the top. It kinda looked like a military camp to me, but also like a scouting camp. It was close to a very big lake, surrounded by a dense forest.
The big wooden doors opened, and a nice dressed gentleman was standing in the door opening. Also with suspenders, big beard, combed hair, tinted glasses, nice white dress shirt, a black Bolo tie, and a suit jacket.
I noticed some kind of dress code, but I thought that was to tell the staff members apart from the people. The man who greeted me was a very nice man, and super welcoming. Then we heard a gunshot in the distance, and I saw birds fly up from the treelines.
The man was obviously startled by the gunshot, and me and Emma looked at each other. The man said ''Its hunting season, we take the people outside hunting as one of the many outdoor activities we have around the camp'' in a laughing tone with a smile.
The man welcomed me in, and Emma was not allowed in since she wasn't part of the Pure Order program, so they politely asked her to leave. And the driver would take her back to the airport.
The man talked to me for a bit, while we walked to my bed where I could put my stuff and ''Make myself'' at home. I walked into one of those typical summer camp sleeping places, with two rows of bunk beds on each side of the walls, once again very military like.
The man noticed the look on my face and he told me not to worry, as we would only sleep here, and we would be doing activities all day.
Lastly he asked me if he could have my phone, so I'm not distracted by the outside world and we can focus on me getting better instead. I was hesitant at first, but the way he said it just made sense, and before I thought about it I handed over my phone.
Not that my phone had any signal anyway.
He asked that if I had any questions, I could always ask him. I was scared to ask questions but for some reason I just blurted out all the questions I had.
I asked about the barbed wire, why we are so far away from civilization, why I had to hand my phone over even though I didn't have any signal.
He politely told me that the barbed wire was because the wildlife would sometimes climb over the wooden walls. He told me we are so far away from civilization because they don't want anyone to get the urge to get distracted by day to day society, and fall back into our old habits.
I had to hand over my phone because I would be distracted by it, even though I didn't have any signal, they just wanted to be completely sure that I would get better.
That night we would gather around the campfire, the staff members were there, and the other people in the program. The staff introduced me, and I was kinda awkwardly sitting there, but the other people in the program were very inviting as well.
They told me about the program, they had big smiles on their faces and they looked genuinely happy. They showed interest in me, asking me where I came from, what my goal was, told me about their issues and how the program have really helped them so far.
I felt like I wasn't alone, and that I could actually be helped. Almost all my suspicion disappeared. The heat of the fire was getting a bit hot, so I took off my flannel, revealing some of my tattoos. People in the group were very interested in my tattoos.
I had a tribal tattoo that looked like waves, with a boat sailing on the waves. I said it was because one of my best friends was in the navy, and he sadly lost his life in was, and I had the tattoo out of respect for him.
One of the staff member showed me his tattoo. It was a tattoo on his forearm. It looked like a ''Phi'' symbol from the Greek alphabet, but instead of the circle, it was an eye. He said he got the tattoo when he ''Reached enlightenment''.
I didn't know what that meant, but you know, I don't judge, we all got our things, and I was just happy he ''reached his enlightenment''.
As I was getting ready for bed, one of the other people in the program came up to me and told me ''Welcome to the program, one piece of advice, make sure to smile.'' I thought he meant that we had to smile so we don't bring down the mood for the other people and we keep things positive.
So I brushed off what he said, and made sure to keep a positive mindset.
The next day we did all kinds of activities, we painted, we went fishing, we had a couple (Non alcoholic) drinks and it was a very good experience.
When I was getting another drink from the cooler, one of the staff members came up to me, saying that I had a very rough look, with the tattoos and I had a cut in my eyebrow from a bar fight when someone pulled out a knife and tried to cut my face.
I told him about the fight I've gotten in, and said that I could ''basically defend myself''. He said that if I'd like, I could sign up for a boxing match that would be happening that night. He said that they would have boxing matches, so the people could blow off some steam, and since I had a history of fighting he thought it would be something for me. I was actually very excited, so I decided to sign up.
That night I put on the boxing gloves and fought one of the other people in the program. It was a close match but I managed to win. He was laying on the ground, still consious. As I was celebrating they told me to ''End the fight''.
I had a very confused look on my face, the fight ended, he coulnd't fight anymore and I won. But every staff member kept chanting ''End the fight''. I realised I had to kill him. The man that welcomed me at the door, told everyone to be quiet and he told me ''End the fight, prove to yourself that you have what it takes to make a change. Otherwise you don't have what it takes, and we would be forced to take matters in our own hands.'' while putting one hand on a revolver. When I looked around, I saw the other people in the program just silently looking at me. Their eyes looked empty. All of them knew what had to be done, because they were once in my spot.
I realised that if I didn't kill the man in front of me, I would be the one that would not make it out of here. I looked at the mans face, he had this facial expression that begged me for mercy, but he also understood what had to be done. I shut off my mind, and my survival instinct just took over. I killed that man with my bare hands.
I came to the realisation that this wasn't a program to help people get better. This is a cult. And now that I killed that man, I had officially joined the cult.
I walked up to the man who greeted me at the gate the next day, as I got the impression that he was most likely the leader of the cult. I overheard some staff members drop the name ''Head of Order Edgar'', so as I walked towards him I said ''Edgar?'' and he looked up and asked what was wrong?
I tried to maintain calm but couldn't really contain myself and I asked ''What the fuck was that all about yesterday?'' in a very shaken voice. Edgar told me that I had to choose a new path in life, that I had to make a change in my life, and have the strength to make a life or death decision. As the was telling me these things, I noticed the ''Phi'' tattoo in Edgar's neck. The exact same one the other fella showed me before.
I looked at him with a scared but understanding face, while in my mind all I could think was ''These guys are absolutely nuts.'' I knew I had to escape somehow, even though it could be my death with all the wildlife out there, I had to at least try.
The next few days I went along with all their activities, while trying to figure out the patterns of the cult members. I managed to find an oppurtunity to escape. I noticed that every night, after all the program members would go to sleep, the cult members would gather around and they would have a few drinks.
I knew it was risky as it would be very easy to detect me if I were to sneak out, but I had to try.
So after a couple nights, I gathered the courage to sneak out. I slightly opened the door and I noticed the cult members gathered around the campfire. There were even more cult members then I thought, all dressed in the dress shirts, long beards, suspenders etcetera. I sneaked out of the cabin and the door cracked as I opened it.
The cult members heard the sound but brushed it off, but they did stay on their guard. I thought about sneaking back inside the cabin but I knew this had to be my moment, now I had the courage to make a move. I decided to keep going, and sneak towards a weaker spot in the wooden walls.
As I got closer to the wooden wall, a dog in a cage started barking at me. I panicked and kicked down the weak part of the wall and managed to get out of the walls. I felt so free, but I wasn't out there yet. I didn't have time to think and I heard the cult members scream and load weapons.
I didn't think about anything, I just started running, and I heard the screaming get further and further away. I just kept running, I had no idea what way I was running, where I was, it was pitch dark, I guess around 3 am. I heard bullets whizzing by my head, bullets hitting the trees, right next to me.
I zigzagged and all my legs could do was just run. I kept hearing the screaming in the distance, then it got closer and closer and I kept hearing bullet whizzing by. Then out of nowhere, I felt a sharp pain in my leg, I tried to get up but my leg felt heavy, I thought I was struck by as bullet, but my leg got caught in a bear trap. I tried to pry it open, I screamed from the pain, the screaming from the cult members got closer and closer. My heart was raising. And as I looked up I was looking directly into the face of a cult member, with his weapon leaning on his shoulder. He didn't look happy.
They dragged me through the woods, like I was some kind of animal. They said that they had a place for ''people like me''. They dragged me to a tiny shed deep into the woods. It had no windows, just some very small holes in the wood of the shed that let some light from the upcoming sun in.
They strapped me to a chair, and put tape over my mouth. I heard the sound of a shotgun getting cocked behind me. I felt a very cold metal rod getting pushed into the side of my head, the barrel of the shotgun. I was breathing very heavily, I couldn't scream. I felt one single tear roll down my face.
As I looked through one of the holes in the shed, I was looking at the sunrise. I heard a gunshot, and all my pain disappeared. All I could see was Edgar welcoming new people at the gate, as he smiled and said ''Aahhh, hunting season.''

Hello!
First of all, mandatory exclaimer: English isn't my native language, so I apologize for any grammar errors.
I'm not exactly sure how should I explain my "problem" with words so apologies for such an unusual explanation. The root of the issue is as follows:
I have... a difficult time making changes in my life. No matter if we're talking small or big, over 90% of my attempts have ended in failure. And what's worse, all of those failures followed the same pattern of behavior:

1. The idea - it starts with a simple "I should do X". And by X, I mean multiple things - from big ideas like finally starting to write [my hidden dream is to write a book, but at the same time I have absolutely no faith in myself] to small ones like buying a cosmetic to use on a regular basis [and failing to do it].
   
2. The work - For a certain amount of time [from one day to one month, sometimes even longer] everything is okay. Either I have the motivation that drives me forward or I just try my best to do the thing I want to do on a regular basis. And when I fail, there is...
   
3. The burnout - just like that. I fizzle out, I get discouraged and I return to my "previous" life.
   

What's worse, I feel such weird... numbness when I do things. Successes/Progress rarely motivates me and every failure for the last 3-4 years I've welcomed with a shrug of my arms and that's it. Writing down stuff/journaling doesn't me at all.
And I'm not a hopeless case, because I did manage to do some good. I've managed to lose almost 90 lbs at some point [only to regain most of it later on, but that's beside the point]. I've managed to learn and be consistent with some eating habits. I've learned to take care of my skin.
But... there is still so much I could/want/need to do. I want to lose again this weight that I've gained. I want to exercise more. I want to be fit. I've been trying for years at this point and this constant burning out is just... gah, it's annoying. I feel like I've been slamming my head against the wall for the last couple of years.
That's why I'm writing here. This sub looks like a perfect place to reach out. Could I have a discipline problem? Have I been approaching things the wrong way?
Thank you all for reading this post, and thank you in advance for any responses. I appreciate it.

Hi all. I've been binging Ted Lasso today and Apple automatically played episode after episode until S3E10 International Break. It wouldn't play. I went back to try season 1 - episodes played, season 2 episodes play. None of Season 3 plays now as of 5:15PM EST. Anyone else have that problem?

One of the most underwhelming players signings this season. 4 PL goals and 2 assists I mean come on he isn't worth half of his pricetag. I wouldn't care about it if Utd fans were just honest 'yeah he's kind of just an average winger,' but they actually hype him up and don't give him much criticism. It's kind of surprising that tracking back and working hard is all it takes for a winger to impress Utd fans.
Son has had a bad season yet he has 10 goals 6 assists to Antony's 4 and 2. Richarlison awful season yet he only has 3 less goals and 1 more assist than antony. Antony only has 1 more goal than Gabriel who is a CB, Ben white has more assists than him, bentacaur has more goals, hojberg same amount of goals, he only has 2 more goals than Chillwell and Koulibaly, garnacho has same assists and 1 less goal with three times less game time.
Utd fans say Sancho has had a bad season yet he has more PL goals and assists than Antony. Pepe was crucified in his first season in the PL yet he had more goals and assists than Antony.
Football is not all stats but goals and assists is the attackers job to win games. This guy has not had a good season like Utd fans have made out to be, since when did tracking back and working hard become the benchmark for a good Utd winger like you didn't have a front 3 of Ronaldo, Rooney, tevez. But when you bought this guy he was hyped up so much the fanbase can't go back now and so Utd fans protect him, everyone else buys it and are scared to call it out.