Camera Lens Moisture Removal
Hey, fellow S21 Ultra enthusiasts!
I just had a frustrating encounter with moisture in my camera lens, and I wanted to share a nifty little hack I discovered to tackle this problem. If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, this method might just save your day.
So, here's the story: I was out shooting some beautiful pictures of my fishes in my fishing tank by submerging my s21 ultra but after I was done I noticed water behind my camera lenses and I did realise that may be the build quality or the adhesive quality of the camera lenses were not up to the level it should've been
After researching online and experimenting with different methods, I stumbled upon a unique technique that involved using a vacuum and a hair dryer. I was skeptical at first, but desperate times call for desperate measures, right?
Here's what I did:
First, I turned off my phone. It's crucial to take precautions to avoid any potential damage during the process.
Next, I set my hair dryer to the lowest heat setting and carefully directed the warm air onto the lens for a few minutes. The idea behind this step is to heat up the lens and the trapped moisture.
Once I felt that the lens was warm enough, I turned off the hair dryer and immediately positioned a small vacuum cleaner with a narrow attachment over the camera lens. Make sure to create a tight seal between the vacuum and the lens to maximize suction.
With the vacuum turned on, I gently pressed it against the lens and held it in place for a minute or so. The vacuum's suction power, coupled with the heated air, created a favorable condition for moisture extraction.
Afterward, I carefully removed the vacuum and inspected the lens. To my delight, the moisture was significantly reduced, and the hazy spots had vanished!
I must emphasize that this method should be approached with caution and only used as a last resort. It's crucial to use the lowest heat setting on your hair dryer to prevent any damage to the lens or other camera components. Additionally, avoid applying excessive pressure with the vacuum to prevent any mishaps.
Remember, prevention is better than cure. It's always a good idea to protect your S21 ultra from moisture by using proper watertight cases, camera bags, and silica gel packs in damp conditions. But if you find yourself facing a moisture issue, give this method a try!
Please note that I'm not a professional mobile technician, and this hack may not work for all situations. If you're unsure or concerned about potential risks, it's best to consult a professional technician or contact your phone manufacturer for assistance.
Have any of you encountered similar moisture-related issues? I'd love to hear your experiences and alternative methods for dealing with moisture in camera lenses. Let's share our knowledge and help each other capture those perfect shots, no matter the weather!
Happy shooting, everyone!

“Hey Raz, I got one!” Raz’s voice was cut by static as he called back, “Great! …at quarry …die.” Well, that wasn’t ominous at all, I thought to myself as I adjusted the rear-view mirror to check on the operator I had just blown past. They were doubled over coughing, their gas mask swayed side to side on the ground next to their feet. I don’t know what compelled me to not flatten what I had thought to be an AQ soldier, but I’m glad I didn’t.
I slammed my hummer in reverse, coming to a stop next to the helpless operator. “Hop in bud, we can get you to final exfill yet.” He slowly hauled himself into the bed of my hummer, landing with a dull thud and a groan as he fell onto his back. We cleared the gas, and I was immediately put on edge as my passenger started to gain consciousness. If he was planning anything nefarious, there wasn’t much I could do about it now. “You good back there? Normally I’d stop to send an invite but given the situation that might have just caused more problems.” He leaned through the non-existent rear window, “Nah, I understand man. When we get further from the gas we can stop and squad up. Don’t need to risk lighting each other up if things get hot at the exfill.” I couldn’t help but chuckle, “I don’t think that would be much of an issue regardless. Hey, we didn’t leave any of your friends back there, did we? I know we peeled out pretty quick.” I saw him shake his head and point to our left in the rear-view mirror. “We got split up, but they were running for a car, so I wasn’t too worried.” I followed his finger, a white hatchback cruised along parallel to us, swerving through buildings trying not to eat too many AQ bullets. “Hey boys, Dutch here is gonna roll with us to final. We’ll squad up when we get there.” I was barely able to make out one of his squad mates call out “Tight!” over his earpiece.
“Hey, listen, I’ve got friend I’m rolling with. His name’s Raz, he’s gonna meet us at final. If you see a red, white, and blue LTV, don’t shoot alright.” Raz chimed in, his radio finally clear of the static, “That’s very kind of you to tell them not to shoot me Dutch.” Before I could respond, a black turreted LTV slid out of Said City ahead of us. “Is that your boy Dutch?” I wanted to give my passenger the benefit of the doubt, it is windy in the box after all, he might not have heard me. “Nah man, wrong colour, and he didn’t have a turreted LTV last I saw.” The black LTV continued North along the main road as we cut away into the quarry proper. “Raz, company is headed your way. Looks like it’s just a solo in that truck but you can never be too careful.” “Thanks for the heads up Dutch.”
I rolled to a stop at the base of the helicopter ramp, gently flattening a couple of AQ who were getting a little to close to the bird for comfort, just shy of the battery running dry. The other two operators in the hatchback slid to a stop just down the hill from us. I got out of the hummer, a tad worried that my good fortune was about to come to an end at the hands of these fellas. As they ran up the hill, the notification finally popped. I accepted and ran down the hill to grab the hatchback, breathing a sigh of relief. “Wait, where you goin’ Dutch?” One of my clients called out. “Raz and I will run interference while we wait for the chopper to take off. Any AQ or unfriendly operators are gonna have to go through us.” “You keep talking about this Raz guy, but I’ve yet to see anyone other than that black LTV.” Almost on queue, a black LTV flew up the hill narrowly missing my hatchback. My clients went into a frenzy. “Operators pushing us! Take ‘em down!” The LTV spun in the sand in front of me, a glorious and perfectly oiled moustache glinting in the Al Mazrah sun. “Hold your fire! It’s Raz!” I called from below my clients. I sent an invite to him which he had hopped out and accepted faster than any of these guys could pull the trigger. “You see the operator that was in that earlier?” Raz shook his head, “No, I pulled up on it and they were gone. Must be out on foot somewhere.”
With 5 seconds left on the clock, there wasn’t enough time to go find them, our clients now panicking as they realized we weren’t on the bird. “What are you two doing?!” They shouted from the air as we waved goodbye. “Al Mazrah is our home gentlemen. That bird was never meant for us.” I gave Raz a pat on the shoulder as the gas rapidly approached, another successful day had come to a close.
The clack of a Kastov charging handle was almost unmistakable. We both turned to see the operator from the LTV standing there, rifle honed on us. “Well shit.” Their rifle dropped towards the dirt as they looked back over their shoulder at the nearly out of sight exfill chopper. They pushed through us, wandering towards the North side of the quarry. Raz and I locked eyes, shrugging in unison. That was one of those moments where we really wouldn’t have blamed them for their decision, whatever it might have been. “We better get back to HQ, Compton said I.T dropped off something for you.” Raz said as the gas engulfed us.
“I’m going back to the island boss.” My hands were shaking as I gripped the file folder that I.T had left for me. “Twitch.” “He’s back, it took him a bit, but he’s managed to re-take the castle and hunker down since we last saw him. And if he’s back then we might finally be able to get some proper intel on those blue tracers, direct from the source.” I handed the folder to Raz. He took it, turning to no doubt address the rest of the crew. I grabbed his shoulder, stopping him before he could speak. “Not everybody, not this time. They’ve doubled the defences; we’d be walking into a slaughterhouse.” “Well, you can’t go in there alone, we look out for our own Dutch, you know that.” Raz’s brow tightened, I could tell he was already trying to figure out what my plan was. “I’m bringing Maze and Alex. They’ll provide sniper cover while I infiltrate the castle. I still have my old uniform. As long as they haven’t drastically changed up their callsigns, I should be able to get in undetected.” I could tell Raz wasn’t convinced. “Dutch, like you said, you’d be walking into a slaughterhouse. How does you going in solo make that any better.” “After what happened in the complex…I’m not putting anyone else at risk, I can’t. The Bomb Maker…Twitch, I’ve gotta face him myself. Look him in the eyes so he knows I crawled out of Hell to drag him back down there.” “Alright, I couldn’t really stop you if I wanted to, could I?” Raz shrugged. “No, not unless you shot me, and honestly, I’d take those odds.” I punched his shoulder and started heading for the breakroom to grab Maze and Alex. “You keep that up I’ll be moving you back out to that sea can of yours.” Raz smirked.
The locks took a bit of fighting to get open. While this footlocker had only been on Ashika Island for a few months, the constant spray of salt water had worn away what little integrity it once had. The black uniform, emblazoned with the Rook and Spade of Shadow Company, was still in excellent condition, save for a bullet hole just under where the plate carrier would sit. I paused for a moment, holding it up in the air, memories of the past flooding in. “Not a lot of fond memories in that uniform I take it.” Maze called out from the catwalk in our home away from home. “I think part of the problem is that there are good memories. It’s a little concerning that such fond memories can hide out amongst so much evil.” “We’ve all done things we aren’t proud of. Some of us just did things other people also wouldn’t be proud of either.” Alex chuckled to himself as he cleaned his rifle on the cot next to me. I grimaced, mostly because he was right. I slipped into the old black fatigues and strapped on my old plate carrier. My weapons were all still intact too, I pulled my Taq-56 out of the footlocker, running my fingers over the engraving in the side, ROOK-XLIV. I cycled the charging handle a few times before loading in a fresh magazine and setting it on the cot next to me. I pulled out a pistol belt, two pearl handled revolvers, one with an ebony Rook on the grip, the other, an ebony Spade. Umbra Catavae engraved along each barrel. Maze had come down from the rafters now, a look of mixed intrigue and concern on her face, “I take it those don’t invoke fond memories.” I had done a poor job of hiding my look of disgust. “No, unfortunately they do.” I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. “Each of these was given to me for completing outstanding performance in the field. I did things I’m not proud of, and I was rewarded for it, handsomely. Holding these in my hands, I feel the same pride I had felt when they were first handed to me. It makes me sick.” I strapped the belt around my waist. The pearl handles shining against my all black silhouette. Alex piped up again, “Hey, at least you are trying to make amends for your sins, not many can say the same.” I let out a long sigh, “I suppose you’re right. You both remember the plan?” “Get to the radio towers and start lighting the place up when shit inevitably hits the fan.” Maze grinned. “Close enough.” I pulled my balaclava up and headed for the door.
The guard at the gate didn’t immediately shoot me which gave me some spark of hope that this might work. “In position!” Alex and Maze called out almost simultaneously. “Jinx, you owe me a beer!” Maze rejoiced. “What? Why would I give you a beer for that?” Alex sounded genuinely confused. “Hey, cut the chatter you two, don’t need to give them any reason to not let me in alright.” The guard held up his hand. “I don’t recognize you, let’s see your I.D.” I held up my old I.D card. “Well I’ll be damned, look who crawled out if his grave.” He pulled my mask down to confirm. “You look pretty good for a corpse, though your I.D card is out of regulation. You might want to stop by the I.T guy to get a new one made.” “Thanks, I’ll head right over.” The first thought that came to my mind was Bob. There’s no way he still worked for these assholes, is there.
“You used your old I.D?! You mad man!” Maze cackled over the radio. “Ok, I’ll admit, this wasn’t my greatest plan. I honestly thought they’d just capture me after seeing who I was.” Alex cut me off, “Go with the flow I suppose.” “Spade-499 up one-two.” The local radio channel began to drown out my squad’s comms. “Rook-3468 down one-one” “This is some odd radio traffic Dutch.” Alex quipped. I watched as a Shadow Company mercenary approached a stairwell, each step primed and ready to pop a leg off whichever unfortunate soul chose to ascend. “Spade-5454 up one-two.” “It’s how they know to deactivate the traps.” I whispered into our secure line. I approached the same stairwell. “Rook-44 up one-two.” I could hear the traps audibly click off. The guard at the to put his hand out as I reached the top step. “Sorry, no ghosts allowed on the second floor.” “Ghost? What…” He bent over laughing. “I’m just messing with you man. They said you died holding off the ULF while Bob and Twitch escaped, going out in a blaze of glory. Clearly, they didn’t have their facts straight. Glad to have you back.” I’m glad I had the balaclava on because I was struggling to hide my confusion. Last I checked I was the scape goat for the largest backstab in Shadow Company history, not a hero. I was never a hero when I worked for them. “I take it you are going to see the boss, call up two-zero, we don’t want people to be just guess on the fly, just in case someone tries to sneak in.” If only he knew.
“We don’t have eyes up there Dutch. Whatever happens, you’re on your own.” I could hear a tinge of worry in Alex’s voice. “Just make sure whoever is in here doesn’t get reinforcements.” “You got it!” Alex and Maze both called out in unison. “Jinx, you owe me another beer.” “There’s free beer at headquarters, why would I owe you a beer for that.” Alex called back clearly still confused. “Radio silence please. I’ve got a rat to kill.” I took a deep breath, pulling my Bryson from its sheath, the chrome exterior brushed over with a dull grey to blend in. “Rook-44 up two-zero.”
“Well, well, well. I was wondering when I’d see you again after our last encounter. Urzikstan and Al Mazrah clearly hadn’t kicked your ass enough so you decided to come crawling back to me for another round.” The traps clicked off. “Come on up, I’ve been looking forward to this.” I slowly ascended, keeping my Bryson trained at the top of the stairs, my eyes scanning each stair for an actual trap. As I crested the stairwell, my eyes were immediately drawn to him. His back turned to me, Trophy Systems whirring and clicking around him. “I missed you Dutch. Well, the old you. The one that would shoot through a hostage just to prove a point, the one that would dangle captives from buildings by their collar until they squawked like a bird, and then still dropped them anyways. I miss the Dutch that smoked Keller because his gas mask worked and yours didn’t when we those crazy Russian’s tried to hit us with mustard gas. I still get a little nauseous when I think about you peeling his face out of there.” “I’ve changed Twitch, I’ve moved past all that. I found a calling that doesn’t require me to be a conniving bastard.” Twitch laughed as he turned around, his hands empty. I kept my Bryson trained on him. “That’s what you think I am huh? I prefer shrewd businessman, but if that’s what helps you sleep at night.” He walked to one of the barred windows. “You really think what you and those taxi driving hooligans are doing matters?” “Clearly it does, or you and the Chemist wouldn’t be working so hard to sabotage us.” I took a few steps towards him. “Well, I suppose it matters to one of us. The Chemist and Raz go way back, but you know that. What I care about is the money, and I get a lot of money for helping that crazy bastard try to wipe out your little band of Merry Men.” “And Women. This guy just loves the sound of his own voice. Can I remove his head already? He’s looking right at me, practically begging me to pull the trigger.” I could hear the contempt in Maze’s voice. Twitch always did love a monologue. “You can still fix your mistakes Twitch. Gives us what info you have on those tracers of yours and I might consider not killing you.” I snarled. “When you went soft Dutch, you lost any respect I might have had for you. We are long past the point where you can intimidate me. Besides, any info I did have, is with the Chemist. He paid a handsome sum to get the formula, and really, it was becoming a logistical nightmare to ship enough of those little blue gems across the sea. Better for everyone to have it made close to the front lines.”
“Spade-101 up two-zero.” Bob’s voice cut through the tension. “Well I’ll be, it looks like we are gonna have a little family reunion.” Bob’s head poked up the stairs, “Hey boss, another server bank has shorted out from the sea air, I told you we should invest in better waterproofing the housings but if you still…” He trailed off as I dropped my Bryson, the sling catching it just before it hit the ground, and drawing my two revolvers. “Oh, hey Dutch. Nice to see you too.” Bob stammered. I cocked the hammer on each one, keeping one trained on each of my old squad mates. “Really Bob? Really! I understand you sticking around the day of the heist. But now? After everything that Shadow Company has done to these countries. To its own people.” Before he could respond, a siren blared over the intercom system. “Defensive positions! Hostile operators have breached the perimeter.” “Dutch you’ve got six operators approaching the castle, I think it’s time to bounce.” Maze was drowned out by her own gun fire, her Signal .50 raining death into the courtyard. “Looks like our time is up here Dutch. Since you clearly don’t have los cojones to pull the trigger, you might as well see yourself out, and let me and my men handle this.”
“Fuck it.” The hammer of the first revolver slammed down, dropping Bob instantly. I turned to face Twitch, his face a mix of surprise and pride. “Maybe I was wrong, the old Dutch still lives.” I charged forward, tackling him through the window and off the roof. Both of us lay on the ground, groaning as the chorus of gunfire roared around us. He dove for one of my pistols, but unfortunately for him, I had managed to hold on to the other, putting a round through his arm just before he could grab the gun. He rolled out of the way of the second round, bringing his one working hand up to the radio on his chest. The explosion from the castle threw both of us across the courtyard, debris raining down around us. I felt like I was reliving one of the worst days of my life all over again. I hauled myself to my feet, Shadow Company mercenaries and operators wandered aimlessly through the ashes. Everyone seemed too disoriented to fight. “I think it’s time to leave Dutch.” “I second that.” Maze and Alex were barely audible over the ringing in my ears. “Regroup at the boat. If I’m not there in 5, go without me.” I never heard a response, even if they tried, they wouldn’t have convinced me to leave, not with him still breathing.
I combed through the smoke and fire, carefully checking every nook and cranny I came across but the slippery rat was nowhere to be seen. “Looks like you 3 aren’t thick as thieves after all, eh Dutch. Poor Alex here was left all alone on the beach, no boat to be seen.” Twitch was sucking in air between words, no doubt kept standing by adrenaline. “You lay a finger on him, and I’ll make you wish you had died in that explosion.” I spat into my mic. “Don’t make me wait too long.”
I limped over a hill towards the beach where we were supposed to regroup. “Alex! Where’s Maze?” I called out as I stumbled down the sand bank. Alex didn’t respond, his head held in a tight headlock by Twitch, my second pistol against his temple. “She abandoned you both, and now I get the pleasure of killing you both after yet another betrayal. When will you learn Dutch. This world is a cruel place. Only the strong survive, clearly Maze knew that.” Twitch cut me off before I could retort. “Save the fight me with honour B.S that I know you are gonna spew.” I’m gonna kill you and your buddy and salvage what little I can of this operation. Then maybe retire to Cuba. I do love a good cigar.” “Adios, pendejo!” Alex brought his arm down, the knife concealed in his hand connecting with Twitch’s thigh. Twitch let out a high-pitched yelp, letting loose a round from the revolver which narrowly grazed Alex’s hair. Alex dove into the sand right as Twitch’s shoulder exploded in a pink mist followed shortly by the unmistakable crack of Maze’s Signal .50. I squinted trying to see where the shot came from, all I caught was the glint from her scope in the sun, the boat hardly visible in the rolling surf.
I limped forward, Bryson in hand, chrome starting to show through the worn grey paint. I kicked the revolver away from Twitch, placing a boot on his chest and the barrel of my Bryson against his forehead. He began to mumble and cry, hardly able to string together an understandable sentence. “Save it, you’re gonna need your energy for what comes next.” Our boat slammed into the shore, Maze hopping off, rifle raised and ready. “Oh shit I actually hit that!” “I’m not gonna lie, I thought you’d actually just bailed.” I laughed as she helped Alex to his feet. “You still go those claymores?” I asked Maze as Twitch continued to writhe in panic under my boot. “You wanted the old Dutch, eh Twitch. Ask and you shall receive.” Maze handed me the claymores, while Alex kept sidearm pointed at Twitch. I planted 4 around him, just far enough away that they wouldn’t go off unless he moved. I drew one of my revolvers, popping the cylinder out and emptying all but one round. I gave the cylinder a spin before flicking it closed. I tossed the revolver at Twitch. “Don’t waste that on me. You’ll only regret it in about an hour.” I took my other revolver, and hurled it towards the sea, the pearl grip glinting in the sun as it spun through the air, disappearing into the crashing waves. “Good riddance.” I sighed, that chapter of my life finally ended. Twitch was silent, his whimpering now just deep, laboured breathing. I turned back before I stepped onto the boat, watching as his hand slowly moved to the pistol in the sand next to him. “Well played Dutch, well played.”

I received this list in the mail. There were definitely things I didn't think of to bring. Are there any things that you wish you would have thought of or were essential for your dorm experience?

Which car should I buy, both the same spec, 'mint' condition 2016 car in with no mechanical problems I'm aware of:
Car 1 - £10k (I don't think I could get anything off):
Dealership sale
60k miles
Full main dealer service history
Serviced by dealer before sale
Car 2 - £10k (I think based on seller comments I could get £9.5k):
Private seller Cat N, just been repaired at local body shop, I would be the first owner since repair. Crash was front corner collision, supposedly no air bags deployed (I've seen the pictures and this seems accurate from the auction pictures)
1 previous owner
9k miles - could it be a problem if I start putting 10k miles per year? I have verified based on MOT history and it's done an even amount of miles each year
'Service due in 3k miles' according to seller
I feel that before test driving them, these cars are fairly level and equally good option (as long as Cat N is £500 cheaper), is this a fair take? I have young kids so slightly concerned about airbag problems with the Cat N, should I be worried about that if there's no airbag fault codes?
Thanks!

Welcome to all GMs and AGMs to this years' edition of the /hockey annual offseason sim!

Spreadsheets

I will be personally editing all the spreadsheets, keeping them updated throughout the sim and they can all be found on the sidebar as well as in the chat channel.

• Rosters
  
• General (Draft, RFA/UFA Lists, Trades, Depth Charts)
  

Please message sandman730 if anything is incorrect or you wish to make changes on your roster sheet.

Tentative Sim Schedule

Mon. June 12th - Sim Discord Invites
Thu. June 15th - Sim Begins and Rosters Frozen (2pm ET)
Sun. June 18th - Deadline for GMs to Submit Plans (2pm ET)
Mon. June 19th - Trade Period Begins (2pm ET) (Provided GMs have an Approved Plan)
Mon. June 19th - Buyout Period Begins (2pm ET)
Thu. June 22nd - Deadline to Submit Trades Involving Players/Prospects for the NHL Draft (8pm ET)
Fri. June 23rd - NHL Draft Rounds 1-3 (8pm ET)
Sat. June 24th - NHL Draft Rounds 4-7 (2pm ET) (No Trades Allowed)
Sat. June 24th - Last Chance to Place Players on Waivers for a Buyout (2pm ET)
Sun. June 25th - Deadline for Qualifying Offers (5pm ET)
Sun. June 25th - Buyout Period Ends (5pm ET)
Sun. June 25th - Last Chance for Clubs to Sign UFAs to an 8 Year SPC (11:59pm ET)
Mon. June 26th - Free Agency Roster Freeze (12pm ET) (Discussion allowed, but no moves finalized)
Thu. June 29th - Free Agency Begins (12pm ET)
Wed. July 12th - Qualifying Offers Expire (5pm ET)
Thu. August 3rd - Waiver Window Opens (2pm ET)
Fri. August 11th - Last Chance to Place Players on Waivers (2pm ET)
Sat. August 12th - Rosters Due (5pm ET)
Sun. August 13th - End of Sim (Reviewing Rosters/Making Recaps/Etc.)
Google Calendar

CBA

For information about the cap and CBA, read this post and feel free to ask sandman730 any questions.

IRL Moves

Since we are in sim-mode, IRL moves do not apply to the sim, except for five key exceptions:

1. Players retiring (if they retire IRL, they're out of the sim and cannot be signed),
   
2. Player suspensions (ex: Slava Voynov),
   
3. Transactions involving a foreign professional entering NHL,
   
4. An NHL player signing in another league (ex: Liiga),
   
5. Players being placed on long-term injured reserve.
   

Regarding the 3rd point, if the player announces he is officially returning to the NHL or he signs IRL with an NHL team, then he is available to sign. Until then, he cannot be signed.
Coach hirings/firings, AHL contracts, relocation, etc. are not part of this sim.

Keep it Realistic

You can't be perfect since plenty of teams could go many ways. If your team is clearly rebuilding, you should continue to rebuild and help the process.
Try not to acquire guys just for the purpose of flipping them later. We're not outright banning it since it happens IRL sometimes, but it's super uncommon, especially for bigger names. Rebuilding teams rarely take cap dumps to help out other teams in exchange for late round picks. If it is a fair trade, it can still be accepted. There will need to be incentive for teams to acquire cap dumps. Don't include unnecessary pieces or trade picks too far out (trading picks after 2024 will require a compelling reason). Don't trade the rights to retired players.
We are asking each GM for an initial offseason plan. This plan includes basic things like which direction the team is headed this summer, but with slightly more detail such as whether they will hope to pursue more options via trades or free agency, how they will deal with their cap space (or lack thereof), etc. You will not be able to sign or trade anyone until your plans are submitted and approved. If you wish to amend your plan, submit it via mod mail, including your reasoning for the amendment.
[GM Plan Form]()
Throughout free agency, the mod team will reach out to GMs to see if they are changing their plans due to transactions that have taken place in the sim (i.e. missing out on free agents, changes in the trade market, etc.).
THIS NOT FANTASY HOCKEY, DO NOT TREAT THIS AS FANTASY HOCKEY OR NHL 23 BE A GM

Trades

We realize GMs want to be more active than their real-life counterparts but we will be pretty strict on allowing trades in the sim. When you submit a trade or signing, both parties must send the trade in to the office of the commissioner (via mod mail). You also must include a justification as to why the trade makes sense for your party including how it will affect the cap, lineup and future roster decisions. Please use the below template. All players, picks, additional terms, rights to players, and salary retention amounts must be specified and identical in both parties' submissions.
Before making a trade, we encourage you to find multiple comparable trades which will convince us that the trade is realistic. Please do not compare each trade to the Matt Duchene to Ottawa trade and say "Well, it's more realistic than that one".
We will do our best to announce the trades right away as they come in. Do not post pending trades in other threads until they are posted. Please allow us at least 24 hours to approve trades and for graphics to be prepared.
Try not to blow your load, especially on the first day. Be patient, especially with trades. Just try. You'll thank us later. Those who follow this advice usually will find incredible bargains and can take advantage of other GM's mistakes.

Trade Submission Template

We would like teams to use the following template when submitting trades to ensure all relevant information is included.
Team A receives:
Team B receives:
Corresponding moves: (players sent down, called up, or put on waivers; answer "none" if not applicable)
Cap/salary implications:
Goal:
Justification:
Comparables:
Other options pursued:
Long-term implications:
I certify that I own the assets I am trading away; my team remains roster & cap compliant; I have complied with any no-trade lists; etc.

Example

NYR receives: Tyler Motte
WPG receives: 2023 4th Round Pick (WPG)
Corresponding moves: None
Cap/salary implications: The Rangers can take the remainder of Motte's $1,225,000 cap hit.
Goal: The Rangers are looking to add depth for a playoff push. The Canucks are looking to acquire future assets for a player on an expiring contract.
Justification: The Rangers are solidly in a playoff position and are looking to buy at the deadline. Motte can fill a 4th line role.
Comparables: SEA traded Mason Appleton to WPG for a 2023 4th before the 2022 TDL. MTL traded Nick Cousins to VGK for a 2021 4th before the 2020 TDL.
Other options pursued: The Rangers also tried to acquire Derick Brassard and Vladislav Namestnikov, but were unable to make a deal work.
Long-term implications: The Rangers are willing to give up a mid-round pick to add depth now.
I certify that I own the assets I am trading away; my team remains roster & cap compliant; I have complied with any no-trade lists; etc.

No-Trade/No-Movement Clauses

These will be handled by TBD. If you wish to trade a player with a No-Trade or No-Movement Clause, you must message them, requesting a list of teams a player can or cannot be traded to, or if a player would be willing to waive his No-Movement Clause. Please give them at least 24 hours to fulfill such requests.

Trading UFA Rights

We have tried this in the past and some agents felt obligated to have the UFA sign in the city that acquired the players' rights. We feel it would be best if every team gets a fair chance so this year we will NOT be allowing trading for UFA rights. This will also hopefully lead to fewer trades and more UFA signings.
Additionally, we will not allow you to sign and trade UFAs or pending UFAs.

Conditional Picks

You cannot trade picks with conditions, with some exceptions:

• Lottery protection
• Higheloweetc. of multiple picks in a given round
• Settling scenarios based on previous trade conditions

We realize it happens in real life, but it is hard to track from experience and hopefully it will cut down on the amount of unnecessary trade conditions.

Unfair Value

To avoid exploitation and chaos in the trade market, we sometimes need to step in to preserve the sim's integrity. This may be somewhat subjective, so the trade committee will discuss and vote on most trades. Your trade will go through more smoothly if you provide ample justification and can offer comparable trades. Some common issues include:

• Undervaluing cap space or salary - Since there is no real money involved in this simulation and no accountability to owners or future cap issues, people can undervalue these assets. Please provide examples of comparable trades.
• Undervaluing future draft picks - Similarly, since there is no accountability within the sim for these assets, unnecessarily adding late draft picks or too high draft picks can be problematic. Again, provide examples of comparable trades.
• Differing opinions on the value of players or prospects - These usually will go through, but may require further explanation.

Vetoes

sandman730, meatb4ll, and TBD are gonna be the “veto panel” and we are gonna take it very seriously. If the vote is unanimous 3-0 either way, then we will accept/reject the trade or signing. If it is 2-1 either way, then we will ask TBD for their opinions and votes. We will then come to a decision with the majority winning. There are a number of reasons why a trade or signing may be vetoed by the trade committee:

• Violates the CBA (ex: puts a team over the contract limit)
• Involves NTCs (i.e., the player would block the trade)
• Puts a team over the cap or roster limit (or under the floor), without them having a clear plan for how to get back under (or over)
• Violates other house rules (ex: trading UFAs)
• Unrealistic (see above)
• Unfair value (see above)
• Goes against their plan (or goes too far all-in on either the present or future)

meatb4ll will communicate veto decisions and discussions.

Entry Draft

Rounds 1-3 of the draft will take place on the chat channel on Fri. June 23rd at 8pm ET. We kindly ask that everyone attends this in the chat since it will go a lot smoother not having to wait for GMs and it is one of the most exciting parts of the sim in terms of trades and activity. This is the one day we hope to have all GMs and AGMs alike participate since we require your cooperation. Draft day trades involving players/prospects must be submitted 24 hours before the start of the draft (Thu. June 22nd at 8pm ET). Trades made during the draft (involving draft picks) must be submitted via DM to the commissioners.
On Sat. June 24th at 2pm ET, we will host Rounds 4-7 for those who would like to participate. It is not mandatory, you will just be auto-picked if you don’t show up. There will not be any trading allowed for this portion of the draft.
If a GM cannot make it either night, you are welcome to appoint an AGM to draft for the team, submit a custom auto-draft list, or respect our auto-draft list (Bob McKenzie, then Future Considerations). Please confirm this via mod mail or (if mid-draft) via DM to the commissioners.
Please make your selections as promptly as possible to ensure the draft runs smoothly for everyone. Do not delay your selection to make a meme/image (you are welcome to post them afterwards). We will allow 2 min per selection for Rounds 1-3 and 1 min for Rounds 4-7. Each team will be allowed a 2 min timeout (one per team). We also will take a brief intermission (~10 min) between rounds.
If you wish to draft players not listed on the Elite Prospects Draft Board, you must petition the commissioners via mod mail before the start of the draft.

Qualifying Offers

GMs will need to submit a list of who they are sending Qualifying Offers to, among RFAs, and who they are letting test free agency (becoming UFAs). We will have a thread for this and they will be due by Sun. June 25th at 5pm ET (don’t pull a Dale Tallon). If you have further questions about this process, read about it in the CBA post and message a commissioner or leave a comment if you have further questions.

Free Agency

We will have 3 RFA agents and 4 UFA agents who have chosen the clients they will represent. Not every RFA/UFA will need an agent and you can find the lists on the spreadsheet, but generally, if the player played 15+ NHL games last season, he will require an agent. For the rest of the RFAs (those marked "Commissioners"), if they were qualified both in the sim and IRL, we will wait until they get an IRL contract and match it in the sim; if they were only qualified in the sim, they will be signed for their qualifying offers. For the rest of the UFAs, message the commissioners (via mod mail) with a contract offer. Please include a justification as to why the signing makes sense for your party including, for GMs, how it will affect the cap, lineup and future roster decisions. Please use the below template.
When both a GM and agent have come to a finalized deal, both sides need to submit the contract offer to the mods (via mod mail).
This contract offer must include the cap hit, term, any no-trade clauses, and any performance bonuses. Please keep it realistic as it could cause a domino effect when using comparables.
There will be the possibility for offer sheets, however, right now we are not sure the best way to determine who the player would actually pick. Ideas are encouraged. That being said, it’s more likely a player would choose a contender, hometown, long contract, good place in the lineup, or high salary rather than just picking at random. We also want to mention how rare offer sheets are in real life.
Agents have been sworn under the Oath of Bettman that they will be honest, realistic, and of course fun.
NHL CBA contract rules apply (more information here). Signing a player in free agency and then trading the player is prohibited.

Signing Submission Template

We would like teams to use the following template when submitting signing to ensure all relevant information is included.
Team:
Player:
Year(s):
AAV:
Other clauses: (NTC/NMC, performance bonuses, etc.; answer "none" if not applicable)
Corresponding moves: (players sent down, called up, or put on waivers; answer "none" if not applicable)
Cap/salary implications:
Goal:
Justification:
Comparables:
Other options pursued:
Long-term implications:
I certify that my team remains roster & cap compliant.

Example

Team: Columbus Blue Jackets
Player: Jack Roslovic
Year(s): 2
AAV: $4,000,000
Other clauses: None
Corresponding moves: None
Cap/salary implications: The Blue Jackets still have ~$22.8M in cap space for 2022-23, which should be sufficient for our needs.
Goal: The Blue Jackets are looking to keep a local player who has played well for the team.
Justification: While Roslovic had an excellent 2020-21 season, he regressed in 2021-22. A short term deal allows him to demonstrate that he can continue to be a valuable player without hamstringing us with a burdensome contract should he underperform.
Comparables: Ryan Spooner signed with NYR for 2yr x $4M in the 2018 offseason. Chris Tierney signed with OTT for 2yr x $3.5M in the 2020 offseason. Ryan Strome signed with NYR for 2yr x $4.5M in the 2020 offseason.
Other options pursued: None, Roslovic was a RFA that we wished to keep.
Long-term implications: While this contract will walk Roslovic to UFA status, we hope that he continues to perform well and we are able to sign a more long-term extension with him once Voracek's contract is off our books.
I certify that my team remains roster & cap compliant.

Extensions

Players with one year remaining on a multi-year contract are also eligible for extensions. We are allowing each team to extend one such player, provided the AAV is over $6M. Message the Commissioners (via mod mail) with a competitive offer, and an explanation for why you want to extend the player.

GM vs Assistant GM

The GM is the one who makes the final decisions and who other GMs should message. You are encouraged to speak to anyone including Assistants, but for trades and updates on where they stand, please contact the GMs. The assistants are here to serve as a second opinion, fill in on things the GM might have made unclear, and ultimately serve as backups in case the GM needs to be replaced, for example on draft day.

Respect

PLAY NICE. If people act like dicks in trade/FA negotiations, particularly in agreeing to something and then going back on their word, PM the admins and we'll take care of it. Repeat offenders will get removed from the sim. Racism, homophobia, and other forms of bigotry will not be tolerated. No politics.
If you have any questions, feel free to comment below or DM any commissioner. If we need to clarify some things, we will do so.

Hey all,
Got some issues with the air condition of a 2006 Mk6 fiesta.
The air-conditioning doesn't work when I press the AC button.
Now, there's gas in the system. If I push the pin on the high gas it hisses and the gas escapes (Yes, I know I shouldn't do it).
All fuses seem OK, nothing is broken so that's not the issue.
Any other thoughts on what could be wrong?
My next step is the Air Conditioning Pressure Switch, but if anyone else has any other thoughts that'll be grand.

I've been saving and I think I will be ready to buy myself a fun ride next year.
Converible/ttop/targa/ etc Manual 1970-2000 ish $20k CAD budget Air-conditioning is a bonus but not necessary
I would want something that can be repaired and maintained easily. Nothing with super rare parts. I am not an auto mechanic, but I do fix aircraft for a living so I am decently capable.
Thanks for your opinions!

Hi there! Does anyone know if someone around is willing to apply for LMIA. My dad is a great worker and would love to move here. He’d love to get a job but it’s sooo hard to find someone to give it a try. He’s willing to do anything. He know a lot about air conditioning and plumbing.
Any suggestions would be great Thanks

If this sub is not about gear cut me. I read the rules but still I'm not sure. Yet there's a proper flair, so...
I'm planning on getting a Rode NT1A mic, IE-100 pro earphones and either UR22C or Scarlett 2i2 3rd gen for my home studio setup. I have no standard room, so my room will likely be untreated. I mostly record electric guitar and I'd like to also record vocals and my acoustic. I currently own (for about 14 years) a line 6 ux1.
As a product the UR22C appeals more to me for the following reasons:

• aesthetically / stronger box
  
• in-DSP fx (although I use vsts almost exclusively)
  
• they say something about a loopback function. I know it can be achieved through software but that's CPU intensive. It's not that I plan to use that often though
  
• Steinberg brand and drivers / sound like a reliable option
  
• daw/direct monitor mix option / but I prefer full daw monitoring if latency is ok
  

But I keep being bombarded by suggestions of getting a Scarlett 2i2. Some considerations about it:

• Scarlett is much much more popular and commercial. Is that because it's better or everyone buys it because everyone else does?
  
• Less noise than UR22C. Will that have any actual difference for my mic in mostly untreated rooms?
  
• Sweet/colored preamps + air function. Do these make such a difference? Won't most people color the sound in mixing anyway?
  
• UR22C has high headphone output impedance. Except a YouTube video stating such, I cannot confirm that in official specifications. They provide a pack with the UR22C and some unbranded headphones that are low impedance, so I guess that's not an issue (using ie100 pro low impedance earphones).
  

I like the UR22C instinctively and for the extra stuff or maybe cause I think the most commercial product isn't always the best. But if Scarlett really beats it in basic stuff (audio quality), enough that it makes a difference for my setup and needs, I may need to reconsider.

One of our 20+ year old a/c units is not working well. Probably low on refrigerant, probably a leak, possibly time to replace entire thing.
Any good and economical recommendations near Gurnee?
Thanks!

I own a 2016 Veloster turbo DCT that is having intermittent air conditioning problems. After about 15 minutes of my car being on, the air stops working and turns hot. The first 15 minutes the air can be cool and crisp. Expecially if I turn my car off after driving, then get back on the road again, my air works for a little while and then turns back off. The compressor has been changed, the thermostat sensor has been changed. There's no leaks in the cooling system and my car has been charged. The climate control unit has been changed (I forsure thought it was because of my climate control knob.)
My car shop has officially told me they cant help me anymore because they have no idea what the problem is. I went to a dealership and they diagnosed me wrong on the compressor and I am dreading going to a different dealership to figure out the issue. I'm curious if anyone has any ideas that might spark a thought. I have a two hours drive everyday back and forth from work. It gets so hot and miserable and I just want to figure out the problem so I can enjoy my car. Let me know what y'all think?

Below are my in-progress workings for a world that extends Gielinor:
Runic Altars and Faction Establishment
All Icons Runes Prayerbook Standard Spellbook Mysthic Spellbook Bosses – details Bosses – drops Bosses – attacks
In the far past there existed the elder god Jun, an ancient deity associated with thought and sentience and the only known elder god within the realm. She is believed to be the creator of this world and the entirety of its life. In the first days of its creation, she established the godless human race, alongside ten sects of beings corresponding to each of the four core elemental, four catalytic, organic, and teleportation runestones, each with specific properties and powers for the sects' followers to dedicate their lives towards. Likewise, she created the ten gods of the world to oversee their assigned followers. The runestones were held by the gods, and runic altars corresponding to each runestone were scattered across the lands for their associated followers to create personal rune supplies for their development. Soon after, the core religions were established for followers to announce their loyalty and allegiance to their associated gods. A further two runestones with modification properties corresponding to global balance were not provided with associated beings, instead being retained by Jun herself with their altars placed upon a remote land to ensure continuity of balance. With peace and unity amongst the sects as they developed functioning societies and branched into further lands, Jun returned to the elder god's realm and becoming dormant in a slumber ever since.
The twelve runic altars globally influence the climate and weather patterns, environment, and societies of the lands, with amplified local effects around their locations:
Light and Shadow Altars: Provide balance, alongside alternating pulsations to trigger global day and night cycles.

• Air Altar: Influences atmospheric composition, pressure, and winds to allow life to thrive.
• Water Altar: Influences global waters and rainfall to provide sustenance through water and aquatic life.
• Earth Altar: Provides structure to the lands, as well as nutrients for vegetation to thrive.
• Fire Altar: Influences global temperatures.
• Nature Altar: Influences vegetative and other organic matter, and provides sustenance through land life.
• Law Altar: Influences social systems and structures, as well as thought and sentience.
• Life Altar: Allows for life to be created and exist.
• Soul Altar: Provides energy to life.
• Death Altar: Allows for life to cease.
• Blood Altar: Provides vigour to life.

The initial religions corresponding to the ten gods evolved into the modern-day factions of the world, each enhanced by their altars’ powers and commanded by dedicated leaders. Although established as a godless division with no dedicated altar, over time some humans pledged allegiance to chosen gods, migrating to the lands of the gods’ followers to seek lifestyles enriched by the powers of their runic altars.
Godless Territory
Map
Breska is a temperate continent situated in the south-west region of the eastern multicontinental landmass. It is considered godless territory where the bulk of the world's human population resides, and is the only continent without a runic altar. The territory consists of two general regions: the Breskan mainland to the west, and the Breskan Intercontinental Strip (BICS) to the east. The latter connects the mainland to the eastern multicontinental landmass via the vast country of Bongola - part of the water territory of Inersia - which houses the World Gate on its south coast for passage into different worlds.
Administration is centralised within the mainland country of Bragos, housing government officials and the territory's militia. The surrounding countries act as hubs for resource-gathering for development of the territory, as well as buffer zones from potential attacks. Countries of the BICS in contrast have some degree of autonomy from the mainland's influence. They generally consist of mixed agrarian and fishing communities due to the abundance of fertile soils and fish stocks, and often supply surplus yields to the mainland in exchange for useful resources.
The natives have established a quick-travel network across the mainland after the unearthing of a strange runic obelisk in Bragos, and subsequently a further nine obelisks with similar properties in various surrounding countries. They discovered a method to tune their spellbook to each obelisk, allowing for basic teleportation capabilities across their lands. It is unknown whether further obelisks exist across the world.
Work in Progress Designs
The Gamminoxious Behemoth Sashekra Azzakari & Jixkari Oloumdra Xitaurus Runica Lokhvius Serix Aurix Gamix Nomestidon Random Workings 1 Random Workings 2
Thought I’d also share WIP images of some of the creatures that are being worked on (all done in MS Paint). They’re a mix of some outdated and new drafts, outdated art style drawings, and newer art style drawings :)
Miscellaneous World Workings
List of Countries and Continents Flag Workings Old World Map
Music Inspiration (Continents)

CONTINENT	MUSIC
AGESIA	1, 2, 3
AUNA	1
BRESKA	1
ESCESIA	1
FRISKA	1
GURESS, ONJURIN	1
INERSIA	1, 2
ORKOS	1
OSCINIA	1
PAIESIA	1, 2
TSUJINIA	1

Music Inspiration (Bosses)

BOSS	MUSIC
EMPEROR G. SINKALAKAS	1, 2
THE GAMMINOXIOUS BEHEMOTH	1
SIL'KRIA	1
ELLISUM	1, 2, 3
TUNOKUBA, SASHEKRA	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
MJAMA	1
AZZAKARI & JIXKARI	1
THE 'JHUBA'	1
OLOUMDRA	1, 2, 3
X. RUNICA	1
UMBISTA	1, 2
LOKHVIUS	1, 2, 3, 4
SERIX	1
AURIX	1, 2, 3
GAMIX	1, 2, 3
SIJINITH UTEGANJIC	1, 2, 3
HOLORYI	1
NOMESTIDON	1, 2, 3

First / Previous / Next
Helbram stared at the image of his father, the initial ache in his heart fading the longer his eyes rested on him. His father was never a cruel nor cold man, but the warmth that was present in the image’s face was… strange, unfitting for the man that Helbram had grown up with. Familial longing was replaced by caution of the unknown, and he felt his skin grow warm as anger started to boil at the pit of his stomach.
The man raised his hands, “I see this image upsets you. My apologies,” he said, his voice light, ringing with the sounds of vibrating steel.
The image faded from his sight, leaving him alone in the darkness.
“What image would you prefer then?” the voice said, now echoing throughout the void.
“I would have you take no guise,” Helbram said. He took a cursory look around him, unable to discern a source for the voice, “My memories are my own, and I will not have you wear their skin in some attempt to appease me.”
A laugh rang through the darkness, ringing like a bell, “A man of conviction, that I can respect.”
A mote of silver light appeared before Helbram, growing until it took the shape of a humanoid figure. The light faded, leaving behind a figure clad in silver armor. A winged helmet obscured the figure’s head for a moment, but it soon reached up and removed it, revealing the face of a man. Given the man’s features, Helbram could tell that he was a human, but the man’s skin was a stark white, with silver eyes that brimmed with the sheen of silver light. There was a chiseled look to his face, with his sharp, well defined jaw that was quirked from the man’s confident smile. He was tall and broad shouldered, both slightly wider and taller than Helbram himself, which gave him a natural air of intimidation that blended with the raw power that radiated from his body. His armor was of an ancient make, a blend of chainmail and plate to cover his body, yet the runes engraved onto the plate and shape of the armor itself was far curvier than anything he’d seen before, emphasizing the man’s physique as opposed to the usual bulky armor that Helbram himself would wear.
It eventually dawned on him that he had seen the armor before, in the murals that sat above the Sword.
“So what are you, the Sword or the man that wielded it?” Helbram asked.
The man cradled his helmet right above his hip and bowed, “Sadly, my previous master has long passed from this world. Consider this form a gesture of respect to him,” he looked up to Helbram with a kind smile, “and to you.”
Helbram’s eyes narrowed, “I am not sure I’m entirely pleased to receive respect that I have not earned.”
The Sword stood upright, “Oh but you have. I have borne witness to many men who have tried to prove their worth to me, and most have been found wanting.”
“Aside from me and two others,” Helbram said.
The silver-clad man nodded, “Yes, how brimming with potential must this age be to have three such worthy individuals,” he stepped towards Helbram, who kept his distance, “but even with such a bounty of strength one must stand above them all, and I believe that you are the one to do it.”
Helbram sighed, “Then why the test? Would it not have been more expedient to have Sophia come speak to me sooner?”
The Sword’s face grew grim, “That, I am afraid, was due to urgency.”
Helbram regarded the silver haired man with a flat expression, “Explain.”
The Sword started to pace, “The murals in my shrine tell the tale of a man that made the ultimate sacrifice to defeat a great evil,” he motioned to himself, “this man, which I am sure you are well aware of, but I am afraid that despite his efforts, that very same evil remains.”
Helbram crossed his arms, “Does this evil have a name?”
“There is no direct translation from the Ancient Tongue, I am afraid, but for the purposes of giving it an identity let us call it Malice, shall we?”
Helbram nodded, but frowned, “If you were aware of its continued existence then why did you not provide warning of it beforehand?”
A sorrowful expression pulled down at The Sword’s silver eyes, “Malice has always been… subtle with its touch. That is how it began, you see. Not as the overwhelming force it eventually was, but as a subtle, insidious entity with a grasp deft enough to escape even my awareness. I had thought it gone… until I felt its corrosive nature once again.”
“Thus the test.”
The pale skinned man gave a brief nod, “Precisely. Even with three worthy candidates, it is vital that I be wielded by one who was both brave enough and competent enough to face the emerging darkness.”
Helbram’s frown deepened, “So you set them off on a test without telling them what the opponent was.”
The Sword regarded him with a blank expression, “It was a test of knowledge in addition to bravery.”
“Yes, which is why you sent a young man who has not had a lick of experience in combat against a Troll,” Helbram’s eyes narrowed, “And an opportunist, waiting until her target was weakened to strike.”
The Sword tilted his head, “What are you insinuating?”
Helbram shrugged, “If you were to choose a weilder that would help you fight off a great evil, I imagine you would have someone of more… experience and prone to self sacrifice in mind.”
“You possess such experience, do you not? And from what I can tell, your purpose for going into those woods was to save, not to slay. Such actions require a certain amount of self sacrifice,” The Sword smiled at him, “Such actions are those of a Hero.”
Helbram’s eye twitched, “Flattery will get you nowhere with me.”
“I merely speak the truth,” the sword explained, “It would be rather pointless of me to show such interest in you if it was a lie, would it not?” he motioned towards his own body, “I have been held in the possession of the finest of heroes, wieldied in battles against foes that have matched that same caliber. I know talent when I see it, feel it, and within you I sense that very same potential.”
“Do not speak to me of potential!” Helbram snapped. He let silence settle between them before rubbing his eyes and sighing, “I have spoken enough of it for a lifetime today.”
The Sword looked at him, eyes alight with curiosity, “You are very guarded when it comes to speaking of such things, though the more that I look into your memories the more I can see why…”
Helbram opened his mouth to respond, but as he did he felt his body lurch, like whatever he was standing on was pulled from under him. His vision went white as he stumbled forward, and as it returned the first thing he noticed was that he was staring at his hands.
They were covered in blood.
The pain that flared from his palms told him that it was from wounds of his own, but as he made to move them closer to examine them he found that he could not do so. His hands remained still, trembling as blood trickled down from torn skin and calluses, caking the dirt that covered them in a mess of crusted mud. He made to move them again, but stopped himself when he realized that he was again bearing witness to another memory.
One that he did not wish to recall.
He could not see his face, but the size of his hands were the same as they were in the present, possessing a softness to them that had long faded from his touch. He was an adult in this memory, a fact that only confirmed the worst for him.
He was back in the training ring in front of his house. The sky was red with the fading light of the evening sun, draped over the rock that stood in front of him. Thin lines marred its surface, countless scratches that added a shade of paleness to its darkened grain. Scattered around the rock were bits of broken metal, remnants of the swords that had been dashed upon the rock.
He heaved with each breath, eyes still focused upon the rock as his vision blurred from the sweat that fell over his eyes from his brow. He wiped his eyes with his forearm, fleeing a slight sting to them, which he ignored as he knelt down, grasping at the sword that lay at his feet. Its blade was chipped up and down its profile, but still held the vague semblance of a weapon. His hands stung as they wrapped around the handle, blood beading between his fingertips as he gripped the sword with all of his might.
The blade shook as Helbram held it in front of him, slipping into the remnants of a stance that had broken from the fatigue long ago. He tried to keep himself still, but no matter how much he tried to focus the sword continued to tremble. He reared the blade back and roared, slamming the sword into the rock.
It struck stone with a weak grinding sound that sent shivers down his spine, but still he hefted the weapon back up and struck the stone again, leaving another thin scratch across its surface.
Helbram wanted to close his eyes, but the memory did not let him. Instead he could only watch himself hit the rock over and over, feeling each shock that shivered up his hands, feeling the pain in his palms flaring as more of its skin began to tear. Still his memory self continued, striking the stone in a trance, and he could feel each desperate attempt to reach for Ether that was not there… was never there.
The pace of his swings increased, each time the grating of metal against rock cutting deeper and deeper into his mind. All attempts to reach for any Ether that he desired were abandoned, and in a chorus of rage filled yells Helbram kept striking the rock. He saw nothing but his target, felt nothing aside from the increasingly pathetic desire for the stone to yield to his attacks, a desperate attempt to run from a truth that clawed at his back.
The sword was nothing more than twisted metal when the light of the sun had faded, leaving only the pale light of a new moon sky to illuminate his surroundings. He rested his head against the rock, beating it with his bloodied fist. He eventually stopped, letting his hand rest against the stone, shivering from the cold that started to chill the sweat on his skin.
He grit his teeth and stood up, hefting the warped sword into the air with a final cry before bringing it down.
Only for his hands to be stopped as his father caught them.
“Helbram stop!”
But he didn’t, he fought his father’s grip as hard as he could, but it was to no avail. The sword was pulled from his hands with ease and thrown to the side, and when Helbram still made to break from the hold his father grabbed his arms and pinned them at his sides. In his tired state, Helbram could not fight it, and was only able to shake in place.
“Deep breaths son,” his father said, “you need to center yourself.”
“What good does that do?!” Helbram yelled. He fell to his knees, his vision blurring as he felt tears start to pool in his eyes, “What good does any of this do?”
His father looked at him with sad eyes, “Helbram, I -”
“I have tried, and tried, and tried,” Helbram said in a trembling voice, “but still it meant nothing in the end. When the time came to prove myself, it was all for naught. Still was I lacking, still I remain lacking, and no matter what I do it does not matter,” he looked down at his bloodied hands, clenching them until the sting of his torn flesh dulled the aching in his heart, “It will never matter, and try as I might to run from this truth, there is no escaping it. It is hopeless.”
The grip around his arms tightened, “It is not hopeless.”
Helbram looked up, meeting his father’s eyes and seeing the steel behind them.
“It was not for naught,” he said, “your efforts will be recognized, this I swear.”
Helbram’s vision went white, and when it returned, he was back in the void, the Sword still standing in front of him wearing the guise of the hero.
He rubbed his brow, “If you mean to convince me with visions of the past, then that was a poor choice.”
The Sword shook his head, “No, I was merely showing you the source of my understanding. Years of effort, bearing no fruit, no results. While I cannot fathom the frustration that may cause, I know that such things are not easy to deal with.”
Helbram sighed, “Do you now? I suppose that you know what happened after that little embarrassment?” He looked at the Sword, a sad smile pulling at his lips, “My father set out, seeking items, elixirs that could cure my condition. For months at a time would he disappear, marked by new scars, new wounds that told me the danger that he exposed himself to, all for my sake, all while I sat still. Time warped, with days feeling like months and months feeling like days, taking any possible cure from my father, feeling just a small spark of hope when it looked like things could be different,” he snorted, “a habit that I have been unable to shake.”
His jaw clenched, “I grew to hate it. Despite my father’s intentions I could only get angrier with each new failure. I would lash out, curse him for giving me hope only to sink back into despair once more. Yet still he left, still he would try.”
He closed his eyes as his vision blurred.
“One day, when he returned, he collapsed before he could even get through the door. Poison was in his veins, its effects slowed enough by the Ether he possessed to allow him to make his way back home,” he let go of a breathe that he wasn’t aware that he held, “With the aid of my grandfather, he recovered, but it took weeks, and each night the poison would wrack through his body.”
He clenched his fists, “I can still hear his screams, his cries as he felt pains I cannot even begin to fathom. All because his son wanted to be stronger, all because of me.”
Helbram took in a deep breath and sighed, “And so I would relieve my father of that burden. When I confirmed that the worst had passed and that he was on the mend, I left. I would not have my father suffer for my own deficiencies. If I was going to chase a dream that would never come true, then I should be the one to bear all its consequences.”
He looked back at the Sword, “So yes, it had been hard to deal with such frustrations, but for some reason that escapes me, I cannot help but continue on this fruitless endeavor.”
The Sword stepped towards him, “Your efforts have not been wasted.”
Helbram frowned at him, but let the Sword continue.
“It is true, the power that is within you is stagnant, unable to be wielded by yourself,” he explained, “but, that does not mean it has not grown.”
Helbram looked at him with questioning eyes, “Explain.”
“Refer to what I have said before, that you possess the greatest potential of all those I have seen. The power that you have trained, nurtured despite your limitations is merely dormant, waiting for a catalyst to awaken. Fifteen years of effort, your efforts, your father’s efforts, they have not been in vain.”
Before Helbram could object, the Sword grabbed his arm.
Fire lanced through his body, a burning sensation that, for a moment, was intense enough that he felt a chill over his skin for a brief moment. The sensation faded and his body felt… light, almost weightless as gooseflesh trailed down his arms. He felt more… aware of his body. The Sword’s chosen form looked more defined in his eyes, the silver glow in his eyes focused into streaks of silver that danced along his irises, the runes along his armor easier to read, though he still did not know what they meant.
More than that was the awareness of the power that suffused through him. It pulsed with each beat of his heart, a rush of strength that made him tremble the more that he felt it. A sword had appeared in his hands, brimming with a soft blue light that suffused the entire length of the blade. It was Ether… his Ether.
“This is no falsehood,” the Sword said, “this is but a spark of the power that lies within you, the result of your training, your father’s aid, just waiting to be awakened,” he placed his other hand on Helbram’s shoulder, “This is why I say that you possess the most potential, for it is the truth. You just need something to awaken it,” his voice grew soft, “I can be the one to do so.”
Helbram could not look up, the sensation of the power that ran through him entrancing his every sense. He felt his vision blur, but only slightly as he could see through the tears more clearly.
It was there, it was really there.
“Take hold, Helbram,” The Sword said, “Pull me from the tree and awaken the power that lies within, the power that you deserve, that you have earned.”
With those words, the void disappeared, leaving Helbram in front of the tree once again, his hand still on the handle of the Sword. Gone was the sensation of power that ran through him, leaving only a phantom of its traces, a sense of longing left in its wake.
He stared at the blade, its silver glint dull in comparison to the brilliance that was held in the Sword’s previous guise. He felt his hands tremble, the memory of that power fresh in his mind. His grip around the handle tightened, and he could feel the muscles in his arm tense up unconsciously.
It was right there, the key that would awaken his strength.
Fifteen years of effort, all waiting to be stirred from a long slumber.
His arm flexed, he felt the blade start to slide.
The air around him trembled as a wave of emotion washed over him. Sadness, confusion… rage that threatened to pull the very breath from his lungs. He knew this sensation, knew its source.
And it was only confirmed as a roar ripped through the air.
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Author's Note: We finally have the Sword and Helbram actually talk! This arc is all about delving into parts of Helbram's mind and I think this was a good way to expose such things about the character. Its a bit shorter, but I didn't want to include anything here that would take away from what the chapter was focusing on. Let me know how I did!
If you wish to read ahead and gain access to the audiobook version of this story, consider supporting me on Patreon. If you want to leave a donation, here is my Ko-fi. More than any of that though, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and have yourself a very wonderful day! :)

I'm planning on getting a Rode NT1A mic, IE-100 pro earphones and either UR22C or Scarlett 2i2 3rd gen for my home studio setup. I have no standard room, so my room will likely be untreated. I mostly record electric guitar and I'd like to also record vocals and my acoustic. I currently own (for about 14 years) a line 6 ux1.
As a product the UR22C appeals more to me for the following reasons: - aesthetically / stronger box - in-DSP fx (although I use vsts almost exclusively) - they say something about a loopback function. I know it can be achieved through software but that's CPU intensive. It's not that I plan to use that often though - Steinberg brand and drivers / sound like a reliable option - daw/direct monitor mix option / but I prefer full daw monitoring if latency is ok But I keep being bombarded by suggestions of getting a Scarlett 2i2. Some considerations about it: - Scarlett is much much more popular and commercial. Is that because it's better or everyone buys it because everyone else does? - Less noise than UR22C. Will that have any actual difference for my mic in mostly untreated rooms? - Sweet/colored preamps + air function. Do these make such a difference? Won't most people color the sound in mixing anyway? - UR22C has high headphone output impedance. Except a YouTube video stating such, I cannot confirm that in official specifications. They provide a pack with the UR22C and some unbranded headphones that are low impedance, so I guess that's not an issue (using ie100 pro low impedance earphones).
I like the UR22C instinctively and for the extra stuff or maybe cause I think the most commercial product isn't always the best. But if Scarlett really beats it in basic stuff (audio quality), enough that it makes a difference for my setup and needs, I may need to reconsider.

I own a 2016 Veloster turbo DCT that is having intermittent air conditioning problems. After about 15 minutes of my car being on, the air stops working and turns hot. The first 15 minutes the air can be cool and crisp. Expecially if I turn my car off after driving, then get back on the road again, my air works for a little while and then turns back off. The compressor has been changed, the thermostat sensor has been changed. There's no leaks in the cooling system and my car has been charged. The climate control unit has been changed (I forsure thought it was because of my climate control knob.)
My car shop has officially told me they cant help me anymore because they have no idea what the problem is. I went to a dealership and they diagnosed me wrong on the compressor and I am dreading going to a different dealership to figure out the issue. I'm curious if anyone has any ideas that might spark a thought. I have a two hours drive everyday back and forth from work. It gets so hot and miserable and I just want to figure out the problem so I can enjoy my car. Let me know what y'all think?

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I am working on these rules with my players rn and it seems to be working well enough. We want to focus on thug shit and more of it so I am using a lot of random generators for enemies and their loot, pre-made maps on Tale Spire and rule of cool stuff.
Hivemind. When we enter combat all the players roll initiative, all my mooks roll initiative. I take the highest from each and whoever wins their group goes first. They pick who wants to do what in what order. If they wanna go first and everyone else is cool with it they just do. Next round could be totally different order. Same for my enemies. I wanna do something I do it.
EVERYONE HAS AN AGENT. Internal or external their choice. Helps with the hivemind rule. They can strategize however and whenever. Codec rules time stops.
I got a list of 100 critical injuries. No body requirements. If someone rolls 2 6s while aiming at the body, the injury is on the head, it doesn't deal the double head damage but the conditions are applied.
The other thing is I let the players choose the injury...kinda. I roll 2 d10s, say it's a 3 and a 5, and let them pick 53 or 35. Then we check the list. Last night a sniper rolled crit, they picked the numbers and we checked the list. Died laughing when the baddy was castrated by the bullet.
Don't know how we're dealing with humanity loss yet but I'm looking into 2020 where I might turn them schizoid or egomaniacal. That stuff.
Finally... if I think of something cool for the players, you can spend 1 luck to make something cool happen. Mook was running away, a brawler ran up and clocked him, I told them they could spend a luck to make a cool happen and he flew through the air, landed teeth first on the curb and died. I let the sniper do something similar after a distraction was set off and they did, the assassination target poked their head out the window to see what was up, then they spent the rest of their points on a headshot to take out the boss... but they still needed a pic of the body for payment and it was on the top floor of a building full of now alerted Tyger claws. Oops. So mixed results.
Thoughts, tweaks, recommendations? I'm loving it and we're calling it Corpse Party because the players are definitely gonna die soon and then we'll just make new characters and do it again.

So I need help editing abilities like Hanzo's Lunge, Lifeweaver's Rejuvenating Dash, and Wrecking Ball's Piledrive.
How do I edit them? Do I have to create the 2 conditions "is in air" and "event button" or is there an easier way??