90s wallpaper

First-time homeowner here (ahhhhhh), closing on the house soon. I had hoped for a new-ish or recently renovated house, but that plan didn't work out. I’ve made a priority list for things to do within the 5-week gap between closing and moving in. The house, built in the 1950s, is well-maintained but outdated with 90s flower wallpaper everywhere (throwing up a little). Here's the list:
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1. Rewiring: Inspector recommends replacing the National Pacific breakers. (Edit added: *Federal Pacific) I am willing to rewire the whole house if necessary. Electrician will have to come and look at it though. Budget: $7K.
2. Flooring: Want hardwood floors. Dirty old carpets in living room and bedrooms need to go. I lifted the corner of it and saw hardwood. Unsure if hardwood underneath is salvageable. Will find a contractor. Budget: $3K.
3. Painting: Plan to paint walls and ceiling white by myself. Budget: $1K???
4. Kitchen: Layout is good, but everything is outdated. Priorities:

• Countertop replacement (contract job). Budget: $3K. (The island has a stove. If I plan on replacing the stove, should I pause the countertop replacement…?)
• Backsplash installation and removing two cabinets (self-installation). Budget: $500
• Hood replacement. Budget: $600
• Considering cabinet painting. Not sure if I will have energy…though…

1. Backyard drainage: Inspector discovered drainage issues causing puddles after heavy rain. Budget: ??? $1K...?
2. Bathroom: might do some small work like repaiting the wall or changing mirror. Will be next year projects.

I am so excited but at the same time it's nerve breaking... I’ll have a three-week work break, treating it as a full-time job. I know it’s all hypothetical, but I just need to hear some opinions. Is my list achievable? Or am I completely dreaming here lol..? Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!!
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*Added info:
The house is 3beds 2baths one storage house about 1600sqf with no basement and tiny tiny unfinished attic. I live in a small town in the Midwest where things are relatively cheaper than bigger places. But who knows. Thanks for all the comments. I read every single one of them and they are all very helpful. definitely need to adjust some plans. I will share the result some time!!

I don’t know why, but I saw the Sonoma wallpaper & it made me think of the Windows XP wallpaper- anyone else? Just me?!
Of course that was years before I even had my own Mac. My 1st ever experience on a Mac was playing Oregon Trail back in the 90s in 4th grade.

Hey all, it’s me Frank Jones again. I wrote that post a while ago about why you shouldn’t be a paranormal investigator and a lot of you liked it. Since settling into my hideaway in the mountains, life has become quiet and I thought about checking in. The plague hit us like nothing and now that everyone is wanting to travel again, I thought to say hi. I want to say thanks to all of you who commented and gave me those weird pointy thingies this social media does. Some of you even figured out my post office box address and sent me letters. I appreciate it (and don’t do it again).
The common strain among your posts was wanting to know if I had ever encountered other things as an auditor. Of course I have but I have been reluctant to tell you because I don’t want to shine some sort of light on all of it or make it sound like some romantic adventure. It’s “pissing yourself” fear all wrapped up in a waking nightmare with a side of gory terror. I am one of the few who actually made it to retirement…if that’s what you could call this life I’m living now.
But, I have nothing else to do really. Carl only visits once in a while when he’s passing through and I cannot risk any other sort of company knowing I’ve pissed off a lot of people…and things. So, I’m back on this internet board and sharing. So many are curious, I thought maybe another story can scare you all straight. This was the first time complacency almost got me and another killed.
This story takes place somewhere in the 90s in a small New England town. It was one of those places nestled along the banks of a serene river, historic brick buildings line the winding streets, their facades adorned with weathered signs that hint at the town's seafaring heritage. A place where everything smelled like either the ocean or decaying fish. I’m not going to specifically name the town to protect the young lady that may still be living there but in the heart of the town, there’s a renowned drawbridge which stands as a testament to the place’s affinity for water. Its ancient mechanisms creak and groan when allowing vessels to pass through the calm waterway. It also had some of the best outdoor markets I had a chance to stop and check out.
I didn’t pass through this part of the country that often as my boss preferred me to do the long hauls across the country but there was a dead haul nobody wanted.I took it cause I wanted a change of scenery. I was already working as an auditor and part of a loose alliance of others who investigated and dealt with any weird things. I actually had a few monsters under my belt. I honestly had the foolhardy idea that I could handle anything out there. God, I was an idiot.
The supernatural never crossed my mind until that evening, stopping to fuel up my red 1992 Peterbilt 379 and paying for the gas with the attendant and restocking up on those beef jerky sticks and coffee.
That was when I noticed her. She was a young woman about in her mid 30s looking like one of the corporate types with the short hair cut and business suit. I would have not paid her any mind if it wasn’t for the touch of apprehension on her face as she talked on one of those new fangled bright yellow Nokia cellphones. Soft strands of chestnut hair framed her face, their gentle sway moving as she glanced around while talking on the phone. As I observed her, I couldn't help but notice the way her fingers trembled slightly, when trying to get money out of her pocket. I’ve seen that type of fear before. So, like a creep, I eavesdropped on her call.
“Yes, it happened again,” she had said as the nickels finally made it to the counter to pay for her snacks. “I could have sworn there was something outside the window near the edge of the forest….no, of course the security cameras didn’t pick up anything. They’re cheap. Ronald was a skinflint when it came to things like this. Hope he’s rotting in hell wherever he is.”
My mind began to drift away, more annoyed I couldn’t get a move on it. It sounded like a problem for the police and if anything, I was gonna tell her that. It was what she said next that made me stop and brought back the reality of the world.
“Yeah. like nine or ten feet tall. I’m thinking kids are playing around with scarecrows or something. Won’t come from the edge of the forest and when I check, I can see foot impressions and stuff. I already put in a call to the cops. They found nothing.“
“Did it sway a bit and its eyes seem to glint like a cats or owl?” I asked without thinking.
The look I got from both her and the gas attendant made me realize what I had done. Well, too late now.
“I’ll call you back,” she said quickly, eyeing me as she hung up the phone and slipped it back into her purse.
“You need me to walk you to your car, ma’am?” the attendant asked, staring at me.
Of course, I forgot that The Truck Stop Killer had only been arrested a few years before.
“I’m fine, thank you,” she said, quickly gathering her stuff and making for the door. I slapped the one hundred and seventy bucks on the counter to pay for my diesel guzzler ignoring the change and followed her out but making sure to not move in a way that caused the teenager in the station to call the cops.
“Ma’am,” I called out to her and she turned to me while hurrying up her pace.
“I’ve got pepper spray. Stay away from me.”
“The thing in the woods. You could have sworn you smelled fresh dirt like mulch and it seemed to sway back and forth like it could not keep its balance.” I threw it out there in desperation.
She froze and turned to look at me. Eying me up and down as I kept my distance and angled to head towards my truck.
“How do you know?”
“I…uh…dealt with something like that before. On a job in Canada.”
“Who are you?” she asked, looking at my faded shirt and company logo. “A trucker?”
“I moonlight as a problem solver. Like an auditor of sorts.”
“Who is it?” she demanded, eyes still affixed to me and hand in her purse.
“Better question is ‘what is it?’,” I answered.
I have learned to pick up on the contempt and disbelief from people who hadn’t seen what I have. I was already being dismissed as a whack job.
“You have tracks on your porch you have written off as animals, especially if you own a dog. If you did own a dog, it’s missing. Cops told you it ran away. You got a garden?”
“Yes,” the certainty had started to leave her voice. “A walled garden.”
“And anytime you’re in there, you feel like you’re being watched.”
At that, her hand came out of her purse empty and she approached me with the fear I had seen in her eyes now on her face.
“How did you know?”
“I’d rather not explain out here,” I said sheepishly running my hand through my sandy brown hair that only started getting flecks of gray. “But you got a…pest problem.”
“And you can do something about it? I’ve had exterminators, cops, nature lovers…even a priest.”
“None of those won’t do you any good and I don’t want to scare ya but it’s more active which is not a good sign.”
For a few moments, I could see the indecision in her eyes. The desperate want to dismiss me as a lunatic but whatever she had heard or seen won over.
“Fine. You can follow me to the house.”
“Mind if I hitch a ride?”
The woman started but then looked at my truck. “Promise. I mean you no harm. I really think you’re in danger.”
That was when I found her name was Isabelle Walker.
We left my truck in long-term parking after she told the attendant that I was a long lost relative and that’s why the change of demeanor. I don’t know if he believed her but at that point, I don’t think he cared. I left my truck with its metallic frame standing tall and proud amidst the rows of other vehicles.
I did not realize how desperate this woman was until we got going on the road. I had loaded myself in the passenger seat after pulling out my military backpack from the war which I also used for my auditing services and tried to look as harmless as a man of my stature could.
For the first fifteen minutes of the drive, her focus was on the lonely road, those beautiful eyes darting to me anytime I shifted my weight. I didn’t want to scare her so it was her that spoke first.
“What is it?”
“I really don’t know but the people in my profession call it a Bone Walker.”
The nose crinkled in disbelief.
“Halloween is not for a few more months, Mister…”
“Jones. Frank Jones.”
The James Bond reference caused her to snort in amusement.
“I don’t know what to tell ya, ma’am, except I’ve dealt with some pretty scary things out there. Normally I’m never this forward as most people try to call the cops on me or dismiss me as a lunatic. I mean, I could be a lunatic but I know what I’ve seen.”
“And that is…?”
“You know. Ghosts, vampires, werewolves. They’re real. They’re not common but real nevertheless.”
“Really?”
There was still the disbelief in Isabelle’s voice but I grew to ignore things like this.
“Sure. I mean, think of all the things you experienced and be open to alternate answers.”
Isabelle was quiet for a few minutes and then sighed. “Either you are telling the truth or you're the biggest liar and I’m a fool that’s not going to live through this night.”
“I promise,” I tried to reassure her. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
After a few more minutes and off the main highway, we approached her home. The large house stood resolute amidst the dense, ancient forest, its weathered exterior a testament to the passing of time. It was a grand structure, its imposing presence commanding attention. The sprawling estate exuded an air of mystery and faded grandeur, as if it held stories whispered through generations.
As we pulled in, the main house loomed before me, its facade adorned with intricate woodwork and worn stone. Ivy crept along the walls, weaving an emerald tapestry that hinted at the passage of years. The windows, framed by elegant yet slightly cracked panes, stared out into the world with a mixture of curiosity and melancholy.
To the side, a large shed stood detached from the main house, its weathered boards echoing tales of forgotten tools and lost endeavors. The wooden structure sagged under the weight of time, its roof covered in a patchwork quilt of moss. Inside, shadows danced amidst remnants of a bygone era, rusty equipment and dusty shelves attesting to the once-bustling activity that had long since ceased.
Not far from the shed, a family cemetery nestled amongst the ancient trees. Tombstones, adorned with intricate carvings and weathered inscriptions, dotted the landscape. The hallowed ground exuded a solemn tranquility, as if time stood still in reverence for those who rested eternally in its embrace. Wisps of fog clung to the grassy knolls, lending an ethereal quality to the sacred space.
At the far end of the property, an old walled garden stood as a testament to the house's former splendor. Once vibrant and lush, the garden now appeared overgrown and untamed. Stone paths meandered through a sea of tangled foliage, leading to hidden nooks and forgotten corners. Dilapidated stone benches, adorned with intricate carvings, sat scattered throughout the garden, silent witnesses to a time when laughter and conversation filled the air.
As I stood amidst the silence of the forest, the house, shed, cemetery, and walled garden formed a tapestry of history and mystery. They were a testament to the ebb and flow of life, the remnants of a bygone era that clung to the present. Within their weathered walls, secrets whispered and memories danced, waiting to be discovered by those who dared to venture into their enigmatic embrace.
“Great place to be haunted, huh?” she said with sarcasm. “My ex left it to me in the divorce. Was only going to be here long enough to sell it but no one wants it and my job wants me to move to this state anyway.”
“Where are you originally from?”
“California.”
“So, this is definitely a change of scenery for you,”
Isabelle only hummed back at me as she fumbled for her keys in the dying light of evening. I pulled my backpack closer to me as my eyes scanned the treeline where the shadows had begun to deepen. Nothing stood out against the silhouettes of ancient trees which was a good sign. I wasn’t too late.
Stepping through the weathered front door, I entered the interior of the old house, greeted by a mix of nostalgia and faded elegance. The air carried a hint of mustiness, a reminder of the countless years the house had to have witnessed. As my eyes adjusted to the dim light filtering through the stained-glass windows, I could make out the clash between old decor and the modern furniture Isabelle had bought.
The foyer, adorned with a worn, threadbare rug. The walls, once adorned with portraits and intricate wallpaper, now bore the markings of time's passage. The wooden banister of the grand staircase, polished with use, creaked softly under my touch as we made our way towards the living room.
Moving further into the house, I found myself in a spacious living room. Large, ornate windows which would have allowed slivers of daylight to filter through the heavy velvet curtains. The walls were adorned with faded wallpaper. An aged fireplace, its stone mantle adorned with trinkets and old photographs, served as the heart of the room.
“You want some coffee?” Isabelle asked, throwing her keys on to the coffee table. I sat down on her couch and dropped my backpack on it with a clunk.
“Sure.”
“Sugar?”
“A lot.”
The kitchen light clicked on and I heard her moving about setting up the coffee pot. The adrenalin was now pumping through me as my mind raced. I’m not going to go into a lot of detail on what a Bone Walker is but it’s a creature that usually haunts the western coast. It being so far out east was strange. I pulled out my old gun bag and unrolled it. My Stevens Model 520-30 “Trench” shotgun was the first thing I reached for as I popped open the internal pouch holding he high flash shells I was glad I packed. It was the startled sound from Isabelle that made me quickly look up.
She stood there with my coffee, eyes locked on the shotgun in my hand. I slowly held up one of the cartridges I was planning to load.
“Flash powder shotgun shells. No load. Just makes a loud noise and a bright white light. What we’re facing lives in the shadows and hates light…normally,” I had heard stories that they could strike in the day but it was extremely rare. She didn’t need to know that.
“Oh,” was her quiet response. “Do…do I need a gun?”
“You know how to use one?”
“No.”
“Then it’ll do more harm than good. You got any flashlights?”
Isabelle nodded mutely, the gravity of the situation sinking in at the array of weapons and items in my pack laid out in front of her.
“Go get them.”
While she was gone, I quickly unloaded the silver bullets out of my Makarov pistol (a gift from a Viet Cong officer and a story for another time) and placed normal 9mm rounds in the clip. I had it holstered under my jacket with the two back up clips when she returned with three cheap flashlights.
“One in your hand and one in your pocket.”
“Why?”
“In case you drop the one you are holding.”
The woman obeyed silently.
As night fell quickly around us, I slung my shotgun over my shoulder and with Isabelle close, we made our way upstairs. There were tell tale signs I needed to check as the only advantage I had over this thing was the fact it stuck to a pattern. If it was at the stage I thought it was, there would be signs.
“Which room is yours?” I asked.
Isabelle pointed to a door down the hallway across from a large window. Approaching it, I quickly shined my flashlight at the mahogany door frame. It was the glint that caught my eye. Deep gouges in the wood.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Claw marks,” I responded. There was no use sugar coating anything now.
“This thing was in my house?” Isabelle said horrified.
“For the last few weeks now,” I said, my nose picking up the faint odor of dirt and mud.
“Why didn’t it attack me then?”
“It wasn’t time.”
“What?”
Talking was going to be the only thing to keep her focused. I had felt the world shift a bit as night fell and I needed her not to panic.
“Bone Walkers are ritualistic creatures. They are very choosy over their prey. It can take a month or two before they move in. That’s why they are so hard to catch.”
“Criteria? Like what?”
“We don’t know.”
That was the honest truth. The only reason we knew their existence and patterns was thanks to blind luck and people surviving their encounters. I showed my light around looking for other signs. Discolored stains in the corners where shadows would naturally form, healthy moss and mold that shouldn’t be there. I found a patch around her bed. She did not notice and I did not want to tell her that it probably stood over her through the night watching her sleep. The sooner I buried this thing, the better.
“Frank!”
There was a trill of terror in Isabelle’s voice and I immediately looked to where she was. The woman was standing by her bedroom window staring out at something. I quickly moved and spotted what she saw. In the forest, at the edge of the shadow cast by the moonlight was an almost, imperceptible form. It stood nine feet, hunched over like a broken scarecrow, its owl like eyes staring back at us.
“Shit,” I muttered. Thank god we had turned on the lights as we went.
It was the flash of light and the crack of thunder that heralded the arrival of the storm. The lights of this old houses flickered which caused my belly to flop a few times. My brain was on fire as I glanced back from the lightbulb to where the creature was and found it had vanished.
“Where did it go?”
I did not have time to explain as another crack of lightning caused the lights to dim. I grabbed Isabelle roughly by the arm and yanked her back down the hallway towards the living room where I had left my stuff. We barely made it to the living room when the lights dimmed low. I grasped the glow sticks out of the bag, cracked a handful and scattered them about, their bright yellow light beginning to glow. The power then went out bathing us only in the eerie glow of the emergency lighting.
As we waited in breathless anticipation, the storm struck, its wrath manifesting in torrential rain. The mansion seemed to respond, succumbing to a power outage that plunged us into an abyss of blackness only moments before.
A trill of terror coursed through me. I knew this Bone Walker thrived in darkness, using it as a cloak to conceal its malevolence. We auditors were not sure if it actually teleported or it preferred to move in pitch darkness. I just knew that the black was our biggest threat.
For a few moments, we could only hear the ragged breathing of the two of us being drowned out by the pounding rain against shingle and glass. Isabelle had wound her hand into my jacket pocket and was gripping it tightly, I could feel her shaking with terror. I kept my shotgun gripped tightly in my hand listening for the tell tale sound of its arrival.
It was the movement out of the corner of my eye and the fact her grip got tighter on my jacket. I swiftly turned on my high-powered flashlight as I spun around and the brilliant beam pierced the obscure corner of the room. No matter what I had read or seen before did not prepare me for what I saw.
It stood there in the corner, its eight foot height engulfing that section of the house. My eyes strained as it appeared the thing was struggling to stay in focus. Its arms were too long for its body, spindly and almost to the floor while the legs appeared backwards giving it a strange forward leaning look. It wore a hunter’s long coat and trousers but through the rips and tears I could make out something squirming and moving underneath. The air filled with the stench of decaying plants and diseased vegetation. Its face was covered with what looked like the remnants of a cheap bandanna but its owl-like eyes gleaned back with malevolence.
Isabelle whimpered, her fear palpable in the room and the Bone Walker lunged toward us. Even though my fear was ripping through me like an unstoppable train, I had the sense to pull the trigger of my shotgun aimed in its direction. The flash and resounding roar painted the entire room in a brilliant black and white shadow causing every corner and edge to appear thick and vivid. The creature screamed and fell to the side into the shadow not illuminated by the weapon’s fire.
Isabelle had thrown herself on the couch and was huddled there, trembling with terror, while I moved quickly to crack a few more glow sticks and toss them into the dark corners of the room. In one, I saw its foot recoil back into the kitchen where it was darker than night itself. This was quicker than I had anticipated. The plans I had been formulating on the drive were no longer viable. I wanted to lure it to where I controlled the battlefield but that was not an option anymore. This had become a cat and mouse game and I knew this was with a predator I could not even hope to understand and had years to hone.
Out of the kitchen again this thing charged forward, relentless in its pursuit, it was trying to find a way around my light barrier which only appeared to slow it down. With shaking hands, I fired several more rounds, each blast forcing the creature to retreat and the girl to scream in terror. As soon as it retreated to a dark part of the house, I turned to where the woman of the house had been. To my horror, Isabelle's fear had gotten the best of her. In that moment of panic, she darted from the safety of the light, towards the hallway and the door outside.
“Isabelle! Stop!” I yelled trying to command her back with my voice but I doubted she heard me. Between the abject horror and the relentless rain, she was going to take her chance. A chance I knew she did not have.
I only took a step when I sensed it. The musty smell of an organic landfill overwhelmed me as the form silently darted past me, its long arm clobbering me up the side of the head. The world spun as pain burst through my brain. I felt the world tilt and fall heavily to the ground, flashlight and shotgun falling away.
As I slipped in and out of consciousness, I knew I was a sitting duck for this thing. There was no way for me to stop it from ripping me to shreds like some of the corpses I had seen. As I blinked, I came to my senses and realized I was alone. How long I had actually been on the ground, I did not know.
I sat up, my head pounding and I could see the door hanging open, the wind slamming the door on its hinges and the rain soaking the hallway floor. Struggling, I found my flashlight and gun and pulled myself together.
There was a slim chance that Isabelle was still alive. I had to think. Where would it go? I ran all the stories I could think of and then it hit me. The garden. The walled garden.
I charged into the rain-soaked night. I sprinted toward the enclosed garden at the edge of the property. As I grew closer, I saw that the rusted door was open and hope flickered in my soul. As I came to a stop, I brought my flashlight up again with my shotgun and saw it.
This creature stood there in the middle of the overgrown garden, its massive clawed hand wrapped around Isabelle’s chest and holding her up. Out from under its bandanna mask, putrid vines had appeared and led up to Isabelle’s face where they were forcing their way down her throat and up her nose. I could see the wide terror in her eyes as vines were snaking their way around her waist and I did not want to think about what they were planning to do.
I brought up the shotgun again and fired. Knowing that I had distance, the flash of light caught the creature by surprise. It shrieked as it fell back. Trying desperately not to release its prey. I did not hesitate to grab the machete at my side and hack at its arm until Isabelle fell down free of it.
It’s claw swiped at me striking me on the leg and easily tearing through my pants leaving bloody lacerations but I put the weapon point blank and fired another round. I do not know if it was the flash, the combination of the creature, or that the almighty above was looking out for me, but the creature caught ablaze from the spark.
It fell back swinging wildly as the fire spread unnaturally fast catching the plants around it on fire. Within a matter of seconds, the walled garden had become ablaze with the bone walker in the center. As I ripped the vines out of Isabelle’s mouth and dragged her towards the door, I looked up to see those owl-like eyes looking at me with such abject hatred that the look stick with me today.
I honestly don’t know how we survived. I had helped Isabelle to her porch and we both passed out against our will from the sheer terror and exhaustion. We were awoken by the sound of a siren. The lights had come back on sometime in our sleep and the rain had drifted off to a comforting drizzle. The fire was still raging in the garden but contained by the ancient walls. At least two fire trucks, an ambulance and cops were flying up the private road towards us.
This entire hunt had been ill-planned and stupid. I knew it. As the cops approached with their hand on their pistols, I knew that I had allowed my own ego to get in the way. I should have taken Isabelle somewhere else until I had done a proper reconnaissance. I shouldn’t have taken her home where it was waiting. And now, the cops were looking at two thoroughly soaked humans, one a trucker with a wound and a gun and a young lady in distress. I was pretty sure I was going to go to jail.
“Isabelle?” One of the cops and his voice caused her to sit up, relief washing over her.
“Derek!” she wailed. “We were attacked! In the garden!”
Another two cops that had arrived had taken off in that direction while Derek helped the girl up and took her towards the ambulance. The other cop with a comically large mustache looked at me with keen eyes, his hand still on his pistol, sergeant stripes glowing in the light.
“Attacked?”
“Yeah,” I said, sitting up slowly and keeping my hand away from the shotgun and trying not to show the one under my jacket. “Someone came after Mrs. Walker. They were in the garden.”
The cop watched me closely but there seemed to be a recognition in his eyes.
“You by any chance Frank Jones?”
My heart jumped and I must have looked startled as the cop’s face broke into a smile. To my relief, his hand fell away from his holstered sidearm.
“I’ll take that for a yes. My guess is you don’t remember me. Clay Wilson. Santa Fe PD, about six years ago. You helped my partner with a...problem. Nellie Nelson?”
I knew the name but the face escaped me.
“She told me you helped her audit a police union building.”
“Ah, yes,” I said, remembering dealing with the wraith and the twinge in my right arm from it’s bite.
The cop looked towards the fire that was slowly being put out by the fire fighters.
“Any chance this will be one of your audits?”
“Yeah.”
He seemed to think for a few minutes and then nodded.
“Then I think you need to grab that shotgun of yours and hitch a ride with me before too many people ask questions. Whatcha think?”
I nodded. I was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I collected my stuff quickly from the living room and made my way back out where he was waiting. As I limped with the cop to his car, I looked towards Isabelle who was being held by the other. She gave me a look of thankfulness as the cop looked at his partner with confusion.
“Her brother’s got her,” Clay said, opening the back door for me. I was not gonna argue or fight. If he took me to jail or not.
And that was it. My leg was not as bad off as I thought and wrapped it in the back of the police car. Clay only asked where I wanted to go and he took me back to my truck. With that time, I was back on the road with that small town in the rear view mirror.
I never did find out what happened to Isabelle after that, if another creature came looking for her or if she had a chance to live in peace. I just knew that we both barely made it out alive and that was due to my own stupidity. I was furious with myself for weeks after that and told myself I wouldn’t put another person in jeopardy like that again. At least, despite my idiocy, another life was saved and another monster was put in the ground...I hoped. I never did find out if they found a body.

Hello, im still on W10 and i usually try Linux for a couple of months every year, i have not yet installed Linux on my computer in 2023 and i want to try Arch Linux out.
My use case is very niche, i use a CRT Monitor as my one and only display for my desktop computer, specs: GTX 980Ti, 2x8GB Ram 3000mhz, Intel i3 10100F, monitor: Samsung Syncmaster 997MB through DVI-i to VGA pin adapter.
Here are my questions:
1) Will i able to use interlaced resolutions on Arch Linux? the latest nvidia drivers on windows removed this function, which is why i stuck with late 2016 drivers which let me use interlaced scan but wont let me run newer games like RE4 Remake, RDR2 or Detroit Become Human, can i circumvent this on Linux? so that i have the new drivers compatibility, and also the ability to use interlaced resolutions.
2) Can i record my footage reliably? i would like to record my gameplay without losing much performance, i actually cant use shadowplay on these older drivers, but i can use the microsoft native recorded which uses the encoder on my gpu, is there something like this on Arch Linux? i would like to be able to start recording gameplay by pressing Alt+F9 ingame, just like Shadowplay and Windows DVR.
3) This will sound silly, but i actually value this with the same importance as the first 2 issues: could i tune my linux to the point where there is no desktop except for just one live wallpaper? and then handle everything with the console but make the console look like 90's UI??? It's been a dream of mine to have a desktop with a live wallpaper of matrix code raining and then run everything i want with the console, but the console needs to look like Windows 95 but black and green.
4) How does custom resolution work on Arch Linux? in Windows i use Custom Resolution Utility and its super easy to create new resolutions, but Linux doesn't have this app, is there a proper equivalent? i would like to create the custom res with CVT standard so that i dont have to google every single little timing on my own, is this possible?
I will not upgrade my gpu until intel battlemage comes out, and i will not ever dailydrive a flat panel for desktop computer uses, sorry no offense.
ps: i dont have any printers or extra special hardware, i use internet directly through the wire and my mouse doesn't have any dedicated software.

Hello, im still on W10 and i usually try Linux for a couple of months every year, i haven't tried yet but now im more willing than ever to move.
My use case is very niche, i use a CRT Monitor as my one and only display for my desktop computer, specs: GTX 980Ti, 2x8GB Ram 3000mhz, Intel i3 10100F, monitor: Samsung Syncmaster 997MB through DVI-i to VGA pin adapter.
Here are my questions:
1) Will i able to use interlaced resolutions on Linux? the latest windows drivers removed this function, which is why i stuck with late 2016 drivers which let me use interlaced scan but wont let me run newer games like RE4 Remake, RDR2 or Detroit Become Human, can i circumvent this on Linux?
2) Can i record my footage reliably? i would like to record my gameplay without losing much performance, i actually cant use shadowplay on these older drivers, but i can use the microsoft native recorded which uses the encoder on my gpu, is there something like this on Linux?
3) This will sound silly, but i actually value this with the same importance as the first 2 issues: could i tune my linux to the point where there is no desktop except for just one live wallpaper? and then handle everything with the console but make the console look like 90's UI??? It's been a dream of mine to have a desktop with a live wallpaper of matrix code raining and then run everything i want with the console, but the console needs to look like Windows 95 but black and green.
I will not upgrade my gpu until intel battlemage comes out, and i will not ever dailydrive a flat panel for desktop computer uses, sorry no offense.
ps: i dont have any printers or extra special hardware, i use internet directly through the wire and my mouse doesn't have any dedicated software.

TW is for mentions of abuse and sexual assault, no intense descriptions.
I spent my 20s bouncing around living situations because my mom died without warning right before my High School graduation. We grew up dirt poor and I found out a few years ago that she was months behind on rent too, but the house was owned by my grandparents or else we would have been homeless.
A little over a decade later, I found out that a cousin had been pulling the strings behind the scenes and manipulated my grandfather to change over his will. I didn't find out about this until everything was all said and done. My college fund was taken as well, since it was in my mom and grandmother's name, so he got control of it. My cousin even got the house I was told in my teens that I would likely inherit.
The ONLY thing that didn't get stolen through elder abuse was an irrevocable trust set up in the early 90s by my grandparents. I'm the beneficary, and a certified financial planner who has been a friend of the family since the 80s is the trustee. Basically, I can't get money out of it on my own, I have to go through her and she's legally obligated to act in my best interests. Apparently, there was SOME money my cousin didn't know about that went into the trust per my grandmother's will. However, I'm no "trust fund baby". I can't go out and buy luxury items let alone rely on the Trust to pay all my living expenses for the rest of my life.
Here's another wonderful kicker: I'm disabled physically and mentally. Autism spectrum, PTSD, generalized anxiety and major depression (likely related to the trauma and distress over the years). I was born with stickler Syndrome, which is a degenerative connective tissue disorder. Marfan and Ehlers Danlos are more well-known but fall under the same general umbrella, but Stickler is basically that your body doesn't produce collagen correctly, leading to bone, heart, vision, and hearing problems varying in degree from person to person.
I already have severe enough joint problems that physical therapy can't fix. I have fissures, cysts, and completely worn down cartilage and I'm only in my early 30's. I can't walk or stand for more than 20 minutes without severe pain and risk of falls, and I'm not supposed to use stairs frequently. Even sitting for more than 4hrs a day with breaks causes pain.
I've also been having neurological issues including 24+hr headaches and week+ long vertigo that seems to crop up randomly (even today, I was staring right at my laptop screen when I suddenly felt like I was drunk for no reason) and am awaiting an appointment for imaging tests and possibly Multiple Sclerosis testing. All of these things- diagnosed and not yet diagnosed combined, primary care doctors and therapists have agreed that I should be on social security and shouldn't exacerbate some of my conditions by continuing to work (unless I can find something that's fully accommodating).
I grew up in PA but bounced all around during my housing instability. The year before Covid, I was put back into housing instability when my housemate could no longer afford her inherited home and had to sell, so I had to leave the first stable and SAFE home I'd had in almost a decade, and my accommodating job as a result. I struggled to find that stability again, and while Covid was the first time I felt like I wasn't under pressure to find that stability immediately (I was living with a friend) it did fuck up my chances of finding employment once things started opening up again. My friend wanted his rec room back and told me I needed to move out (something he says he now regrets doing, but I understand). My only option was to move with an online friend in CA.
That went spectacularly, by which I mean he turned out to be incredibly histrionic and unstable and almost rendered me homeless. Other online friends helped shack me up in a motel and then let me couch crash for a bit. I ended up losing half my stuff including things from my mom and all my art from the past decade, because he kept changing the goalposts on how and when I could come get my stuff, and technically I was living with him off his lease, and didn't want to render him and his 7yo homeless by trying to take legal action.
My partner is one of his former best friends. Former because he's completed disgusted by what was done to me, and has heard a lot of flat-out lies from this person as to what happened. Shit like saying "multiple therapists warned me about him" to make me look like a terrible person, when 1. He only had 1 therapist and she moved out of network 2 months before this went down so he had none. 2. Feeding a patient's negative thoughts about someone based on hearsay and conjecture is a MASSIVE liability and something any therapist worth their salt knows not to do.
I was working night audit at a small hotel from February of last year until December, when I was immediately pulled and put on state disability by my primary care doctor after a fall while I was alone at work. California's state disability aid is based off taxed income, so there's a limit to how long you can use it. Mine runs out July 1st and after that I have no income and can't work. In CALIFORNIA. A lot of our homeless are disabled because it's so impossible to live in this state if you can't work full time.
I will be applying for SSI, but up until last February, I had NO medical records due to not being able to afford health insurance or stay in one place long enough for appointments. I had my PTSD and depression diagnosis, but not even records of my Stickler birth defect. You need ample documentation to apply for Social Security, and with a rare birth defect and specialists often having to be scheduled months in advance, that's not quick and easy task. I'll FINALLY be applying late this summer.
I acknowledge I'm WAY luckier than most people in my situation, because of the Trust, but that's where my current hurdles are. Like I said, I can't just pull from it willy-nilly, which I'm grateful for in some ways as panic-spending might have depleted me a while ago.
Back in April, the Trustee said that I could get a mobile home in a park back home in east PA, up to 75k$ budget. There are homes in that range, but I also have to keep in mind location and lot rent. With SSI being 914$ federally (PA has no state supplement), obviously I can't go for a park with a 800+ lot rent even with assistance programs like SNAP and LIHEAP. PA isn't a rent capped state thanks to a lot of legislators owning rental properties, so landlords can legally increase rent by a hundred per year (and they have). Ever since the housing crisis, mobile home parks have become the affordable option, and some parks have been bought up by corporations who are trying to price out Social Security recipients so they can get more money from people trying to get out of apartment living but who can afford lot rents closer to apartment rent costs.
Today, my top choice home got scooped up, and the Trustee is saying that she would rather I move back and rent so I can go see the mobile homes in person rather than relying on a local friend to do the tour with me on video call. Which, yes, I agree, except...
How the fuck am I supposed to do that when no apartment- independently or company owned- will rent to me when I am not employed and my only source of income is an irrevocable Trust? My credit score is 684 and climbing, I have no debt history, my current housemates can vouch for me in terms of cleanliness, respect, and always paying rent in advance. Even with all that, landlords want things like last two pay stubs, proof of 2-3x rent in stable income, or someone else who has those things to be on the lease with me.
Room rentals? Also borderline impossible. It took me almost half a year to find my current room rental. I have a cat with an ESA letter, but that doesn't allow me past no pets policies in most room rentals. I also got ghosted more than half a dozen times when I was talking with someone about a rental and then informed them I'm transgender, which could be anything, but I'm willing to wager more often than not it was discriminatory. My physical disability also means I can't get anything that requires frequent stair use, like a basement or upper level room rental, or one of the many split-level historic homes that have been converted into the only low-income apartments in the area. There's even apartment buildings so old they don't legally need to have elevators.
Section 811 exists for disabled folks, but county and city housing agency I contacted either doesn't have it, or it requires you to already be in crisis and unhoused. Senior centers can accept up to 20% resident population that's non-elderly but disabled, but either have NYC luxury apartment prices because of the amenities, or a huge buy-in.
I'm just so. Utterly fucking exhausted.
I spent most of my formative adult years just trying to get stability, while spending my formative childhood years in deep poverty with a mother whose mental health was deeply impacted by a stroke she suffered when I was 16 who laid her hands on my throat once, would alternate between being a loving "hip" mom and screaming at me over mundane bullshit, and would constantly tell me that she could have another stroke and die if I upset her. In my housing instability, I've been sexually assaulted, verbally harassed, or just lived with couples who were constantly fighting.
I want a stable and safe home where I'm not at risk of having to move within ten years. Housing in general is ridiculous, but it's like for us disabled folks, unless we have family or a spouse to live with? Not even the housing options meant to keep us from ending up homeless are available.
I already have my plane ticket (fully refundable) back home for September 9th since I had to book early to get a good deal and lock in my cat's registration for the flight.
I'm just worried that even though I have an opportunity a lot of struggling people don't, I won't even be able to get anything.
If I'm being forced to find a rental, it would be a miracle if I find something in time that won't turn me away for having a cat, relying on Trust for income, being queer, or being unable to use stairs.
I don't want to settle for a mobile home, but likewise, I honestly just want safety and stability. I don't care if it's fucking grandma floral wallpaper and 70's bicolour shag carpet everywhere. It's mine, and the Social security administration is going to force me to spend before I hit 2k$ in assets anyway, may as well throw an entire Lowe's at it.
I know this is a lot, and I honestly don't expect anyone to read it, but I'm so fucking tired and I just want stability before I die (of old age or health, since I guess I'm genetically per-disposed to breast cancer and strokes on top of the rest of all this shit).

Wednesday, May 10 - Tuesday, May 16

Top Media and Culture

score	comments	title & link	mirrors
187	10 comments	[Media and Culture] Found an amazing map someone created in Fortnite.
175	17 comments	[Media and Culture] F.A.D.E. - Gone
2	0 comments	[Media and Culture] By Bill Luan

 

Top Aesthetics

score	comments	title & link	mirrors
538	12 comments	[Aesthetics] Brasil and Egypt [OC]
477	5 comments	[Aesthetics] The oriental dwarf kingfisher
433	5 comments	[Aesthetics] Sunset In Los Angeles
406	6 comments	[Aesthetics] Moon [OC]
402	5 comments	[Aesthetics] Chicago

 

Top Music

score	comments	title & link	mirrors
504	50 comments	[Music] This may still be shocking to some, but seeing this back in the 90s when anime was still somewhat mysterious in the states, and a lot of us seen this when we were def not age appropriate really gave you a whole new perspective on animation. GosT - 16am NSFW
305	18 comments	[Music] Baig - Noor’s Theme (80s sci-fi)	[BC] [Dzr] [YT]
282	10 comments	[Music] [Fan Video] Robocop shows Mega City Police in Detroit Police Department
206	7 comments	[Music] I've been striking out lately, but please don't give up on me just yet! I had to add a second track just as an intro to squeeze in all the footage, and give me time to blink and breath! those 80s-90s gritty sci-fi mechas were crucial! NSFW | MegaDrive - Extraction & Gun Hag
162	23 comments	[Music] Welcome to the Cornetto Galaxy... my latest synthwave/chillsynth single 🍦🌌🎶 Bandcamp codes in comments!
103	4 comments	[Music] Early 2000s
76	8 comments	[Music] This shit was intense, especially if you played the game Furi where the track is from, and man I love these art styles so much.... Some of the very best imo. | Carpenter Brut - What We Fight For
45	4 comments	[Music] Retro wave song I made. Hope you like it
14	0 comments	[Music] Make sure to watch Atomic Robo Kid‘s brillant new Darksynth Videomix „Neon Blood“!
12	3 comments	[Music] New Artist & 1st Release & little animation - Modem Noir - Rise of the Lights

 

Top Remaining

score	comments	title & link	mirrors
259	6 comments	[Aesthetics] L. A sunset
255	8 comments	[Aesthetics] Strange Landscape | Made with Glitchlab
246	7 comments	[Aesthetics] Sunset Wallpaper
195	1 comments	[Aesthetics] Found on Pinterest
76	1 comments	[Aesthetics] Wrong Side of Time by @cherik_official

 

Top 5 Most Commented

score	comments	title & link	mirrors
66	11 comments	[Aesthetics] Gallery of AI Generated Phone Wallpapers I made. Let me know what you think!
44	6 comments	[Aesthetics] 🏝️ ℂ𝕠𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕝 ℝ𝕖𝕥𝕣𝕠 𝕍𝕚𝕓𝕖𝕤 AI Art
8	2 comments	[Aesthetics] Synth Nouveau
20	2 comments	[Aesthetics] This lyric video I made for a Filipino synthwave-pop band
8	2 comments	[Music] Aesthetics (Compilation) Vinyl Record

 

Source: https://www.bungie.net/7/en/News/Article/destiny-2-g-games-23-twab
This week at Bungie, we’re getting ready to dive into the deep with some new art while also peeping some fresh rewards on the horizon for those Guardians that have a soft spot for Trials of Osiris.
Before jumping into this week’s TWAB, let’s take a quick look back at last week:

• Trials community map vote: Rusted Lands, Convergence, and Disjunction.
• Strand updates for Season 21.
• Artist reference collection updates (heads up, cosplayers!).
• Community Artist Exotic Ornament winner: GGs Witherhoard players.
• Adopt-a-Pet bundle time!

For this week:

• Guardian Games and Guardian Games Cup are live!
• Season of the Deep first look:
  
  • Key art and launch date/time reveal.
  • Details on our three new Strand Aspects.
  • Recapping big changes coming with abilities.
  • New Exotic armor focusing and stat roll details.
  • Upcoming economy and crafting updates.
  • A note on upcoming Season Passes.
  • Trials of Osiris updates
    • Sneak peek at new rewards and weapon changes.
    • Learnings from Trials Labs.
    • Updated Trials intro quest.
    • Changes to Passages of Wealth and Mercy.
    • Dominion as the new core mode.
    • Flawless gilding update.
    • New emblem reward.
    • Trials map voting results.
• New Prime Gaming gear.
  
• Getting our Oprah on (again) with more wallpaper.
  

All set? Let’s get started with Guardian Games 2023!

One Class to Rule Them All, or to at Least Get Bragging Rights...

It’s that time, Guardians! Time to show off that class pride and show other Guardians what you’re made of. Or collect Medallions because ooh, shiny! We’re not here to judge.
In case you missed it, we dropped all the info you could possibly want about this year’s Guardian Games right here. If you’re in a rush (we get it), here’s what you may have missed.
Image Link^imgur
The spirit of competition is alive and well with that familiar podium and daily crest seen at the Tower in all their glory... and Ms. Eva Levante. You simply can’t forget about Space Grandma. You know the drill by now: deposit Medallions like your life depends on it for select activities and hope your fellow class dwellers are doing the same. Whichever class has the most Medallions at the end of this year’s Guardian Games is the class that gets their tribute made in the Tower and the pride of knowing they’re simply the best. At least for this year.

Rollin' in the Deep With a Season 21 First Look

Who doesn’t love a good teaser, amiright? Here’s our first look at what Season of the Deep will have to offer starting on May 23, at 10 AM Pacific.
Image Link^imgur
And a version without text because come on, this art is dang pretty:
Image Link^imgur
We’ve got plenty to share over the coming weeks, and a lot to dive into today. Including…

We Couldn’t Strand Waiting Any Longer to Talk About Three New Aspects

Hey, Guardians. Combat Gameplay team here to spill the tea on the three new Strand Aspects that will become available when Season 21 launches. Our goal with these Aspects is to strengthen the existing Strand kits and expand the gameplay options of each class. You’ll be able to acquire these Aspects as part of a new pursuit after visiting the Pouka Pond in Neomuna’s Hall of Heroes. Let’s get into it.
Hunter Aspect: Threaded Specter
Activate your class ability to leave behind a decoy woven from Strand matter that draws the attention of nearby combatants.
After taking significant damage or when combatants approach, the decoy detonates, dealing damage and releasing Threadlings that seek out and attack nearby foes.
Pesky Cabal gunfire have you pinned down? Need a quick distraction so you can revive a teammate? Have you ever thought about what a bunch of Threadlings in a trench coat looks like? The new Threaded Specter Aspect for the Hunter Threadrunner might just be what you're looking for.
When players activate their dodge, they leave behind a decoy woven from Strand matter that draws the attention of enemies on the battlefield. Enemies will shoot at the Threaded Specter until it’s destroyed or expires, giving the Hunter and their fireteam enough time to get to safety. When destroyed, a Threaded Specter explodes into two Threadlings. Threaded Specter gives Hunter players access to Threadling generation and a new way to control the battlefield.
Titan Aspect: Flechette Storm
While sliding, activate your charged melee ability to leap into the air, knocking nearby targets away and dealing damage. While airborne, activate your charged melee again to launch a cluster of damaging, Unraveling projectiles. Repeatedly activating melee will chain additional throws.
Berserker Titans are known for their unbridled aggression. While sprinting headfirst into battle is often the best way to deploy Berserker abilities, we want to provide players with a tool that allows for more potency at range and gives Titans easier ways to unravel enemies. This is where Flechette Storm comes into play.
With Flechette Storm, Berserkers have access to a powerful new slide-melee attack that quickly launches them up into the air and blasts away any nearby enemies. While still airborne, press the melee button again to fire a cluster of tracking projectiles that deal heavy damage and unravel enemies.
Flechette Storm provides the Berserker with a ranged melee option while keeping with the spirit of their fast-paced gameplay.
Warlock Aspect: The Wanderer
Tangles you throw attach to enemies and detonate into a suspending burst. Threadling final blows create a Tangle.
Since the Warlock Broodweaver is a Strand minion master, it felt natural to explore additional ways the Broodweaver might weave life into the world around them. Enter The Wanderer—a sentient Tangle woven from Broodweaver brilliance.
When Warlocks equipped with this Aspect pick up a Tangle, they weave the Tangle into The Wanderer. When thrown, The Wanderer travels through the air, seeking targets. Once it finds a target, it soars towards them, latches on, and explodes into a Suspending detonation that deals damage and suspends any nearby enemies. To round out the gameplay loop, The Wanderer also enables Threadling final blows from any source to generate a Tangle.
The Wanderer gives Broodweavers another way to upgrade their Tangles and grants access to the suspend effect without needing a Shackle Grenade.
We’re pretty excited to get these new Strand Aspects in the game, and we hope you enjoy them when Season 21 launches. We’ll be monitoring their performance across the game and will continue to balance them over time.

Stasis, Strand, and Light Subclasses Get Their Glow-Ups for Season 21

Earlier this week, you may have seen a new blog post from our friendly Combat Gameplay team. The team dove into ability tuning changes that Guardians can look forward to with Season 21, including changes to roaming Supers that we think are pretty spiffy. From Fragment budget to a breakdown of both Stasis and Strand changes on the horizon, here’s a handy TL;DR for your viewing pleasure:

• Tuning changes to Supers, including a nice buff to damage resistance and damage dealt in PvE.
• A class-by-class breakdown in Season 21 changes.
• What we’re doing to beef up Stasis.
• How subclass keywords are evolving for Arc and Solar players.

You can read the full blog post right here to learn more about what’s around the riverbend (come on, at least one ‘90s animation fan had to sing that last part).

Economy Changes? In This Economy?! Wait...

Let’s talk about the in-game economy, shall we? We’ve got a few things to go over, including changes to our power band, crafting economy changes, Exotic armor focusing, and even more:

• For the first time, we will not be increasing the power bands in Destiny 2 in Season 21.
  
  • Power Floor (1600), Soft Cap (1750), Powerful Cap (1800), and Pinnacle Caps (1810) will not change over the course of Season 21.
    • If players hit the Pinnacle Cap during Season 20, they will remain at the Pinnacle Cap in Season 21.Exotic Armor Focusing and Decryption

We touched on this in the past but it’s worth repeating regarding Exotic armor focusing and decryption coming to Rahool at the start of Season 21:
Focusing Options
Standard Decryption

• Allows players to decrypt engrams for free.
• Players receive random drops from standard Exotic engram loot pools.
• No additional cost.

Exotic Focusing Tier 1

• Focus an engram to receive a random roll of an Exotic from the associated expansion.
  
  • Red War: Exotic Helms
  • Red War: Exotic Arms
  • Red War: Exotic Chests
  • Red War: Exotic Legs
  • Forsaken: Exotic Armor
  • Shadowkeep: Exotic Armor
  • Beyond Light: Exotic Armor
  • The Witch Queen: Exotic Armor
  • Lightfall: Exotic Armor focusing will be coming in a future Season!
• Requires ownership of the associated expansion as well as having previously acquired all armor pieces within the engram for your class.
  
• It will cost:
  
  • 1 Exotic engram.
  • 30,000 Glimmer.
  • 1 Ascendant Shard.

Exotic Focusing Tier 2

• Focus Specific Exotic Armor for high cost.
• Requires ownership of the associated expansion as well as having previously acquired that piece of armor.
• It has a higher cost:
  
  • 1 Exotic engram.
  • 60,000 Glimmer.
  • 3 Ascendant Shards.
  • 1 Exotic Cipher.

We have also taken a pass at the Exotic armor stat packages, so your Exotics should roll consistently higher stats, and with more frequent individual stat spikes starting in Season 21. You can expect the average stats to be in the mid-60s!
Lastly, since we are not raising the Pinnacle Cap in Season 21, the need for many Pinnacle Legendary rewards has dropped significantly. To help make playing in our evergreen ritual playlists more worthwhile, we are changing the rewards for the basic ‘complete activities’ challenges to a focusable Powerful Exotic engram. This gives most players 3 to 9 free, achievable, and deterministic weekly Exotic engrams, ready for focusing.
But yes, you will be losing some pinnacle drops, so reaching the Pinnacle Cap will be a bit slower for everyone. We are hoping the need for less pinnacle drops continues in future Seasons, but we will be looking at feedback and analytics, and are ready to adjust as necessary!
Other sources of focusable Exotic engrams:

• Random world drops
• Season Pass paid and free tracks (6 paid, 2 free per Season)
• Vendor reputation tracks (one each reset after the first)

You can expect additional focusable Exotic engram sources in future Seasons! Now, let’s set our sights on Deepsight activation and other crafting changes on the way.

Deepsight Activation and Crafting Economy Changes

In Season 21, we will be adding the ability to electively activate Deepsight on weapon instances to obtain pattern progress. This capability will be accessible through a new mod slot in the weapon details screen for eligible weapons.

• To perform a Deepsight activation on a weapon, you will need a new Deepsight Harmonizer currency. Non-raid weapons will cost 1 Harmonizer, while raid weapons will require 15 Spoils of Conquest in addition to the 1 Harmonizer cost.
• This Deepsight Harmonizer currency can be obtained from Season pass rank rewards, 3 in the free ranks and another 3 in the paid. This will be the sole source of this currency for the initial rollout of the feature. Additionally, only one Harmonizer can be stored in the inventory at any time—this currency does not stack.
• Not all weapon instances will be compatible with Deepsight activation:
  
  • You will be prevented from activating Deepsight for a weapon that has already had its pattern unlocked.
  • Weapons that previously had Deepsight will be ineligible. You cannot activate Deepsight on a weapon instance which had originally been acquired with Deepsight, nor can you activate Deepsight multiple times on a single weapon instance.
  • Weapon instances purchased from raid vendors will be ineligible, however weapons purchased from Xûr and the Gunsmith will support Deepsight activation.

Crafting costs will also see a change in Season 21:

• Legendary Shard costs will be removed from all crafting components. Glimmer and Enhancement Core costs will remain untouched.
• Enhanced weapon costs are based on weapon Masterwork costs, and thus will still require Legendary Shards as we are not yet modifying the weapon Masterwork economy in Season 21. ##Quality-of-Life Updates That We Think You'll Enjoy

Coming in Season 21, we have a number of quality-of-life updates we are excited to share with you! First up, let’s take a look at raid Triumphs.07-
Image Link.png)^imgur
Over the last year, the Raid and Dungeon team has added Triumphs to new raids and dungeons—Duality, Spire of the Watcher, and Root of Nightmares—which give a boosted chance to receive the Exotic weapon drop for that raid or dungeon once completed. In Season 21, we’re adding boosted Triumphs to legacy content with randomly dropped Exotic weapons to bring them up to our standard for raids and dungeons. We added them to existing Triumphs and are retroactive, so if you already have done the requisite Triumphs, you immediately start getting a boost!
Last Wish: One Thousand Voices

TRIUMPH	RATE BOOST
Petra's Run	+3
The New Meta	+2
Thunderstruck	+1
Sunburn	+1
Night Owl	+1
Habitual Wisher	+1
Challenges:Coliseum ChampionSummoning RitualStrength of MemoryKeep OutForever Fight	+1 per (5 total)

Deepstone Crypt: Eyes of Tomorrow

TRIUMPH	RATE BOOST
Survival of the Fittest	+3
Freezing Point	+1
Control Group	+2

Challenges:
Red Rover
Copies of Copies
Of All Trades
The Core Four+1 (4 total) Complications:
Resource Contention
5 Seconds to Paradise
Short Circuit
Ready, Set, Go!+1 per (4 total)
Vow of the Disciple: Collective Obligation

TRIUMPHS	RATE BOOST
Risen from the Deep	+3
Master Difficulty "Vow of the Disciple"	+2
Together in the Deep	+1

Challenges:
Swift Destruction
Base Information
Defenses Down
Looping Catalyst+1 (4 total) Complications:
On My Go
Handle With Care
Glyph to Glyph
Symmetrical Energy+1 per (4 total)
Vault of Glass: Vex Mythoclast

TRIUMPHS	RATE BOOST
Flawless Vault of Glass	+3
Master Glasser	+1

Challenges:
Wait For It...The Only Oracle For YouOut of Its WayRabid RelicEyes on Antheon+1 per (5 total) Complications:
Dragon's Den
Take Cover
Tempered Teleport
Strangers in Time
Ensemble's Refrain
+1 per (5 total)
Kingsfall: Touch of Malice

TRIUMPHS	RATE
Crux of the King	+3
One True King	+1

Challenges:
The Grass is Always GreenerDevious ThieveryGaze AmazeUnder ConstructionHands Off +1 per (5 total) Complications:
Overzealous
Brand Busters
Taking Turns
The Floor is Lava
Overwhelming Power +1 per (5 total)Finest Matterweave and Rainmaker Deprecation
As part of our ongoing efforts to simplify the economy of Destiny 2, it's time to say goodbye to the Finest Matterweave and Rainmaker consumable items. Starting in Season 21, these items will no longer drop from any source in the game. In any instance where players would have received a Finest Matterweave, they will receive 1 Enhancement Core instead. And whenever players would have gotten a drop of a Rainmaker, they will instead earn 3,000 Glimmer.
Furthermore, all existing instances of these items in players’ inventories can be consumed to directly grant their associated materials.

• All existing instances of Finest Matterweave can be Dismantled for 1 Enhancement Core each.
• All existing instances of Rainmaker can be dismantled for 3000 Glimmer.Vanguard Bounty Updates

We haven't made wide-ranging updates to Vanguard bounties in a while, so we took a pass to make them friendlier!
Daily Bounties
Existing daily bounties requiring you to get a specific type of kill—grenade, headshot, or any of the Special or Heavy weapons—now require twice as many kills to complete but can be done anywhere in the game, with increased progress in Vanguard Ops or Nightfalls. If you only plan on doing these in Vanguard activities, you should see no change in behavior.
We also added a number of new bounties:

• Killing elites, mini-bosses, and Champions.
• Kills with elemental abilities, with bonuses for killing with a subclass verb.
• Complete 2 Vanguard activities.

Regarding repeatable bounties: all enemy-type kill bounties (Hive, Vex, Taken, Cabal, Fallen, Scorn) have significantly increased requirements, but can be advanced by killing any combatant in a Vanguard activity, with significantly increased progress for killing the correct type of combatant.
We also added one new repeatable bounty—one for getting fireteam kills in a Vanguard activity.
Good Boy Protocol
Archie is returning in Season 21! Now that we’ve found him a permanent home in the Tower, we are re-introducing the Good Boy Protocol stat tracker and moving it to the Account/Career category. Your previous progress from Season 19 will also carry over!
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Important Season Pass Info Starting with Season 21
As our teams continue to invest in crafting compelling Seasonal experiences for the year of Lightfall, there’s a heads-up we wanted to give regarding a small increase in the standalone Season Pass price, beginning with Season of the Deep. Here’s what you can expect:

• Season Pass: 1,000 Silver -> 1,200 Silver
• Season Pass + 10 Ranks Bundle: 2,000 Silver -> 2,200 Silver

This will be the new pricing for Season Passes in Lightfall’s year for those looking to maximize their rewards with each new Season, and we’ll be evaluating new approaches to post-launch content in the year of The Final Shape.
Pricing will remain unchanged for the Lightfall standard edition (which includes access to the current live Season at the time of purchase) and Lightfall + Annual Pass edition (which includes access to Seasons 20-23).

Trials: These Rewards Are Flawless and Weapon Changes on the Way

Season 21 will be here before you know it, and luckily for Trials fans this means new rewards to earn are just around the corner. Next Season, Guardians will have a chance to unlock new Exotic cosmetic rewards when opening the Lighthouse rewards chest.
Hero’s Wake Exotic Ghost Shell
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Valiant Memory Exotic Ship
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Survivor’s Journey Exotic Sparrow
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But that’s not all. We also have a new shader on the horizon called Glorious Patina that players will unlock the first time they open the Lighthouse rewards chest in Season 21.
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This shader, and any shaders released in the future for Trials of Osiris, will be permanently unlocked once acquired. Transmog to your heart’s content, this beauty can be applied to any piece of equipment. Just as a head’s up: Glorious Patina will only be available to players who go Flawless during Season 21. Future Seasons will see the return of older Trials shaders (that were previously exclusive to Adept weapons) as rewards for completing the first Seasonal Flawless Ticket, and they will now be fully accessible and usable as on all your transmog-hungry gear.

SHADER NAME	SEASON AVAILABLE AS FLAWLESS REWARD
Glorious Patina	Season 21
Bloodline Feud	Season 22
Vizier Regalia	Season 23

For Season 21, here is what’s being added to Trials loot pool:
The Messenger High-Impact Kinetic Pulse Rifle
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Unexpected Resurgence Adaptive Arc Glaive
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The Adept version of Unexpected Resurgence will be first available on the weekend of June 9, while the Adept version of The Messenger will be available on the weekend of June 16.
The following weapons will be removed from the standard loot pool in Season 21, but the non-Adept versions will be available via legacy focusing with Saint-14:

• The Inquisitor Shotgun
  
• Whistler’s Whim Bow
  

  Let's Talk About Labs

In Week 8, we ran a Trials Labs to test a new style of matchmaking for Trials of Osiris. Overall, the new system worked mostly as intended, but we did discover an issue with the Lobby Balancer which was causing high-skill solo players to often feel like matches were stacked against them. For some background, since we moved to using ticket-based matchmaking years ago, we have not been tracking skill in Trials and have not been utilizing any sort of skill-based lobby balancing either.
The new matchmaking system allows us to match based on card-state and track skill, which we were planning to use for analytics purposes. Preemptively, we believed we had disabled the skill-based lobby balancing, as the intent of the new system was to maintain the randomized nature of the lobbies present in previous iterations of Trials. Unfortunately, this turned out to not be the case, and the previously latent lobby balancer came back online as soon as player’s skill values started to solidify over the weekend.
We were able to identify this issue through player reports in a timely manner and we have implemented a fix for Season 21, which will overwrite everyone in the Challenger pool’s skill with the same value, effectively randomizing the lobby balancing for all players pursuing Flawless. This fix will not be present in the Week 11 Labs during Season 20, but we will continue to monitor player feedback on the new system to make sure everything else is working as intended.
A second issue that came to our attention with the Week 8 Labs was that we did not communicate properly that, starting Sunday at reset, players who had already been Flawless could still farm Adept rewards on any 7-win card (even Flawed cards), like they could when the Flawless pool was active. For the Week 11 labs, we will be activating this feature starting as soon as Trials goes live on Friday. What this means is that, once you go Flawless, you can continue to play on that same 7-win card for the rest of the weekend (even if it is Flawed) and any win has a chance to grant you the Adept weapon for the week.
Because we have removed ticket-based matchmaking, if you want to help a friend get to the Lighthouse after you have already been, you do not need to reset your card, as the number of wins on it no longer influences the difficulty of the matches you will face. We believe this will make getting Flawless feel significantly more rewarding and should help to alleviate the friction between farming Adepts and helping other players to go Flawless.
Overall, the two soft pools system worked well, blending as needed to ensure connection quality stayed high and matchmaking times were fast, and the farming and stomp protection features both also functioned as designed in the Practice pool. For the Labs, we set the farming protection values aggressively, both to make sure they worked and to make sure that if anyone was attempting to farm, we would be able to catch them quickly before they could potentially cause issues. As stated, the intent of the system is to prevent nefarious people from attempting to abuse the Practice pool, not to prevent normal players from engaging with it if they choose to do so.
We believe we have captured the data we need to make accurate assessments, so we will be tuning the values for Season 21 to make it far less likely that any standard players get caught up by farming protection (we estimate less than 1% of the Trials population will even be eligible to trigger it moving forward, compared to approximately 5% during the first Labs weekend). This should allow the performance-based matchmaking used in the Practice pool to provide a high-quality experience for all players who choose to participate.
Anyway, enough about that. The real question is, “What is changing in Season 21 for Trials?” Glad you asked.

Trials of Osiris Intro Quest, Dominion, and More

We want to make the Trials introductory quest more of an actual introduction to Trials and less of a “do a time-consuming thing before you can play Trials.”
In Season 20, new players are currently asked to get 50 Crucible kills, raise their Power level, and reset their Valor rank once. The last step is asking a lot and serves more as a barrier to entry for the mode than we’d like, in addition to not really preparing a player for the type of experience that Trials offers. New players are also not given any real reward for completing the quest outside of Trials access, which can feel bad given the time commitment required to complete it.
As such, we have made the following changes to the introductory quest for Trials:

• Step 1
  
  • Complete your Competitive placement matches (helps to get players introduced to 3v3 and revive game modes in an environment where they will be matched against similarly skilled opponents).
  • Get 50 kills in Competitive.
  • Raise your Power level.
• Step 2
  
  • Pick up a Trials Passage.
  • Play a game of Trials.
  • Win 1 round of Trials.
  • Get 1 elimination in Trials.
• Reward
  
• A roll of the Astral Horizon Trials Shotgun!Triages Passages
  

As mentioned earlier in the Season, we are also updating a couple of our Trials Passage offerings to provide a better experience in the new system.

• Passage of Wealth
  
  • Previously granted increased reputation on wins 3, 5, and 7 on a card.
    • This is at odds with a system that wants you to continue playing on a 7-win card to get the most efficient progress and best rewards.
  • In Season 21, this passage will grant +75 Trials rep for every win, along with an additional bonus for your current major rank in Trials, up to +150 total.
    • This encourages players to stay on the same card and take advantage of the system granting more reputation for wins later in the card.
• Passage of Mercy
  
  • In Season 21, this passage will forgive 2 losses if you have not yet been Flawless for the week.
  • After going Flawless if you reset your card, it will revert to forgiving a single loss on each card.
  • This will give all players a better chance of going Flawless for the first time each week, and for those players who can go Flawless without using both Mercies, it will give them additional opportunities to play for extra rewards while their first card remains Flawless.Dominion

In Season 21, we will be moving to Dominion as the core game mode for Trials. This is not a change we are making lightly, but after several Seasons of testing it in Trials Labs and analyzing both the positives and negatives, we believe this shift is in the best interest of Trials as a whole, for several reasons.

1. Offers a choice between playing Elimination and playing an objective.
   
   1. Offering an objective for players to focus on outside of kills can allow more types of players to contribute to winning.
2. On average, games are 15% faster than standard Elimination games.
   
   1. The prevailing strategy for most Elimination games has devolved over the years to focus on passive play, waiting on someone to make a mistake and get picked, or just simply waiting for the zone to come up at the end of the round anyways.
   2. By spawning the zone earlier, it creates pressure for players to engage and fight earlier in the round and puts extreme passivity at a disadvantage.
3. Objectives promote more varied engagements on the maps, as the zones direct players around the map and establish multiple defined fronts.
   
   1. Most engagements in standard Elimination happen at a single central location, generally centered around where the overtime zone will spawn.
   2. Having multiple zones allows for different permutations of rounds, based on team and zone spawn locations, which makes gameplay less static and pushes players to experience different engagement arenas on each map.
4. Promotes a healthier sandbox variety in both weapons and subclasses.
   
   1. On weekends where we run Dominion, we see less consolidation around the general strongest elements in the sandbox and success is spread out amongst more weapon and subclass types.
   2. We have been hesitant to balance parts of the sandbox around a game mode that only rotated into Trials on occasion, but moving to it as the core mode will allow us to better focus on its sandbox and address the outliers in effectiveness that do exist.
5. Provides us with more balancing levers to change the gameplay experience.
   
   1. If a map plays poorly in standard Elimination, there is little we can do to alter it.
   2. With Dominion, we have a larger number of levers we can use to modify how a map plays to provide the best and most balanced experience possible. For example, in Season 21 we will be changing the initial player and zone spawn locations on Burnout based on feedback from the first Season 20 Trials Lab.
      1. Teams will no longer spawn at Hall inside and East Yard outside, now both teams spawn between Tumbler and Yard on the East and West sides, and the zones will run down the center of the map at Middle Yard, Center, and Altar.
   3. Having multiple zones means we can make changes to maps more quickly to address concerns about flow or balance, allowing us to better manage asymmetrical maps.

We understand that switching to Dominion may make carrying other players to the Lighthouse a more difficult challenge due to the increased premium placed on solid teamwork, but it is important to note that those experiences must be weighed against the bulk of all player experiences in the playlist when we make decisions on what changes to implement.
Gilded Flawless
We wanted to make some changes to gilding Flawless to better align it with the difficulty of gilding the Glorious title, and to focus more on rewarding players for their dedication and individual and team skill in the game mode.
The gilded Flawless requirements in Season 20 were as follows:

• Get 180 kills.
• Collect 100 Rewards.
• Go Flawless with one of the Seasonal Exotic weapons equipped.
• Carry 2 players to Flawless.
• Win 7 games on a 7-win ticket.

In Season 21, the requirements will change to the below:

• Get 500 kills.
• Earn 16 Trials ranks (reset Trials reputation once).
• Go Flawless and get 50 kills with one of the Seasonal Exotic weapons equipped.
  
  • You do not need to get 50 kills with the weapon itself, you just need to have it equipped while you get 50 kills.
• Skill of the One – While on a ticket with 0 losses with the Light for the Lost emblem equipped:
  
  • Win 20 games.
  • Acquire the following medals.
    • Double Kell (rapidly eliminate 2 opponents) – 10x.
    • Skull Breaker (deal the most total damage to opponents in a match) – 5x.
    • The Beginning (land the first elimination of a match) – 5x.
• Strength of the Many – While on a ticket with 0 losses with the Flawless Empyrean Emblem equipped:
  
  • Win 20 games.
  • Acquire the following medals.
    • Flight of the Pigeon (win a match in which your team never trailed) – 10x.
    • Paradoxically Perfect (as a team, win a round in which each player eliminates a different opponent, and no opponent is revived) – 10x.
    • Time Trials (as a team, win a round within 20 seconds) – 5x.

We believe these changes better reflect the spirit of the game mode and show a level of core competency that is worthy of gilding the Flawless title.

Yo, Dawg, Got Any More of Those Emblems?

For this new iteration of Trials, we wanted to provide a special, deterministic reward to allow players to prove their skill above and beyond simply going Flawless. This emblem will be rewarded to players when they open the Flawless chest at the Lighthouse if they did not trail during any of their wins on their Flawless run (meaning you must get a Flight of the Pigeon medal for every win). Highly skilled players may be able to achieve this feat on their first Lighthouse run, but for others, it may be a significantly more challenging achievement, and we hope the emblem will be something players are proud to show off that they have earned.
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Speaking of Trials...

Map voting results here. Too soon to call now, but Rusted is in the lead.
Guardians voted and the results are in. Go out there and make ‘ol Saint-14 proud with Rusted Lands. For those personally invested in the results of this (which… we get it), here’s how Convergence and Disjunction fared in the voting polls:

• Disjunction 30%
• Convergence 29%
• Rusted Lands 41% ##Free Prime Gaming Gear? Free Prime Gaming Gear. Let’s Do This.

Now time for some freebies. It’s that time again, time for players with Prime Gaming to snag some free gear with a new Destiny 2 bundle that’s up for grabs. Here’s what you can get for May’s drop:
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• Hit the Bag Exotic Emote
• Phalanx Exotic Ghost Shell
• Alton’s Ambus Legendary Sparrow
• Pumping Iron Legendary Ghost Holo Projection

For any Guardians that may want a refresher on what Prime Gaming even is, it is a program with Amazon Prime that offers players a select few Exotics and Legendary goodies to unlock. It’s super easy to use too. Just sign up for your Prime Gaming account and link it to your Bungie.net account. (If you have Amazon Prime, congrats! You also have Prime Gaming.) Once signed in, you can select the spiffy cosmetics link to claim them, and then they’ll be waiting for you in the Tower with Rahool the next time you log in.

You Get Free Wallpaper, You Get Free Wallpaper, Everybody Gets Free Wallpaper!

You know the drill, let’s just drop some freebie wallpaper for you to enjoy. Your computer can’t compute if it ain’t cute.
Desktop Guardian Games Wallpapers
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Image Link^{imgur** Mobile-Friendly} Wallpapers**
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Player Support Report

This year’s official DPS endorsement goes to the Warlocks.
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The games are live and so is our updated Known Issues list. Our wonderous Player Support team is back with more updates on the state of the game and what’s coming down the immediate pipeline.
Known Issues List Help Forum Bungie Help Twitter
GUARDIAN GAMES
Guardian Games has returned and will run from May 2 until May 23 at the weekly reset. Check out our Guardian Games help article for more information on the event and how to compete for your team!
HOTFIX 7.0.5.2
Hotfix 7.0.5.2 was released earlier this week on Tuesday, May 2. Players can view the full list of fixes and updates that are now live in the 7.0.5.2 Patch Notes.
UPGRADED EVENT CARD
Players who purchase the upgraded Event Card should ensure that they have opened the Guardian Games Event Pack bundle, located in their Wrapped Items or Consumables Inventory, in order to claim the instant-unlock items. Players who do not claim the bundle from the Event Card prior to the end of Guardian Games will not receive their items.
KNOWN ISSUES
While we continue investigating various known issues, here is a list of the latest issues that were reported to us in our #Help Forum.

• The node for normal Supremacy matchmaking is missing its description.
• Some Guardian Games quests are only progressing with Bronze medals, or medals from the recreational Vanguard Guardian Games playlist.
• Wish-Ender does not penetrate extended Phalanx or Hydra shields.
• In the Lake of Shadows Nightfall, wiping in the final boss room will cause some enemies and Champions in a previous room to respawn, blocking Platinum rewards.
• The Vexcalibur catalyst Triumph is not completing.
• Some gilded titles are no long

Among all the classic Star Trek wallpapers, I have always like the blue one showing Enterprise D above a planet with some kind of nebula-rift behind it (http://www.albatani.cz/images/store/wallpapers/wallpaper_016.jpg). However, it is far too small to be used in pretty much any way today, and so I thought I'd give redoing it a spin. Here's the result: https://www.deviantart.com/korax-subspace/art/A-Galactic-Odyssey-960254151
Alternative source (no account needed): https://1drv.ms/i/s!AohDmDW98tXLiqN6qY1ZVh28E3AOqQ?e=c7YHEi

We have been seeing a frequently asked question as of late: Why is it that when we see 2021 Nat for the first time she is meditating near water and wearing purple? I hope to answer that here. And I want to answer a related question, one that we have not been asking but I think we should:
Why is it that when we see 2021 Lottie and her heliotrope-clad followers for the first time she is standing near a lake, just as she was when Laura Lee died?
Contents

1. Nat, Lottie, and Laura Lee
2. Salvation
3. Ulysses, the Odyssey, and Parallax
4. Apollo and Pissedon (Sic)
5. Purple People and Heliotropes
6. Putting It All Together

1. Nat, Lottie, and Laura Lee
First, note that the characters in these scenes are central to the narrative. In “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” (S2E01) it became clear that the formation of the Lottie-Nat-Travis triangle has had some fateful fall out (not all of which we have seen yet).
But the formation of this triangle would not have been in the cards, had it not been for the passing of the fire (too soon?) from Laura Lee to Lottie.
2. Salvation
Nat, Lottie, and Laura Lee are all saviors or would-be saviors. We know from the 2021 Yellowjackets that Nat is somehow responsible for insuring that the survivors made it out of the wilderness. In 1996 Lottie saved the Yellowjackets from hunger by killing the bear. And Laura Lee, of course, died trying to save the Yellowjackets.
Each of the three scenes we are concerned with is directly related to idea of salvation or redemption. Considering that addicts often feel that they have character flaws they have to work on, we might also call this the end of a redemption arc. In any case, by graduating from rehab Nat in some sense experienced salvation.
When we first see 2021 Lottie she is talking about salvation and, more specifically, introducing the idea that one is responsible for one’s own salvation. (We will return to this idea below.)
We have already noted the obvious connection between Laura Lee’s death and salvation. What’s more, water is associated with baptism, which is itself associated with redemption.
3. Ulysses, the Odyssey, and Parallax
If you have read more than a couple of my other posts, you knew this was coming. If you feel like you more or less know what I am going to say here, you can safely skip to Section 4.
At this point I consider it a foregone conclusion that Yellowjackets alludes heavily to the James Joyce novel Ulysses, the structure of which reflects the fact that Joyce was indebted to the Odyssey. (Follow the links if you want to see me argue these points extensively.) Ulysses contains numerous uses of the words “salvation”; “redemption”; “wilderness”; “bees”; “honey”; “buzz”; “football”, which is how Joyce referred to soccer; “purple”; and most intriguing for our purposes, “heliotrope”.
The conceit of Ulysses and, I believe, of Yellowjackets is parallax. Parallax is the difference between two perspectives, which when accounted for allows for the accurate measurement of depth. It is because the human brain accounts for parallax without conscious effort that a person with two functioning eyes can perceive depth. I would not be surprised to learn that nearly every scene in Yellowjackets alludes to Ulysses. In any case, Ulysses and parallax are the keys to unlocking the significance of all its recurring imagery.
4. Apollo and Pissedon (Sic)
As I said in the post on Ulysses I linked to above, there are three baptisms in Season One—let’s call them the swimming pool baptism, Lottie’s baptism, and the plane baptism—and they are pivotal to the series. This makes sense because the pivotal moment in Ulysses is when Leo Bloom, whom Laura Lee parallels, and Stephen Dedalus, whom Lottie parallels, urinate together. The solar penumbra that frames the lifeguard’s face and later Laura Lee’s face reminds us that Leo and Steve did their business in the penumbra of Leo’s garden. (Remember how I said that there is probably an allusion to Joyce in every scene? Yes, I shit you not, that even includes the various scatalogical references in Yellowjackets.) Of course, the structure of the episode is very Joycean. Taken out of context, each of these baptisms would lose most of their significance. It is only when we compare and contrast them that the depth of their religious imagery becomes apparent.
The solar imagery is not incidental either. As u/Window1798 has noted, throughout the episode Laura Lee is associated with the sun and, more specifically, Apollo. Ulysses mentions Apollo, and in the Odyssey Apollo is the g‑d who helps Odysseus and his companions. The writers were also likely thinking of Constantine’s conversion from paganism to Christianity. Constantine had previously honored the sun as Sol Invictus, and rather ironically he is said to have converted to Christianity after seeing the sign of the cross (or a chi rho) in rays of sunlight. The writers might have also had a pun in mind—“sun” sounds like “son”, after all. Either way, it is probably not a coincidence that Laura Lee sees sunlight behind the lifeguard’s head when she is rescued from her swimming pool baptism, that the sunlight is reflected in the cross, or that in every other scene where Laura Lee is present she is wearing a golden cross.
Of course, not all the deities were on Odysseus’ side. His perils at sea were multiplied by Poseidon. In Ulysses Joyce invokes Poseidon with “pissedon” (we have already noted a connection between urine and water above). u/creaturelogic recently left an amazing comment, noting that there is a parallel between losing the white moose and Minos’s failure to sacrifice the white bull to Poseidon. This is an allusion to Ulysses’ “the white bull mentioned the Apocalypse”. There is no white bull in the book of Revelation or anywhere else in the Christian Scriptures; this was Joyce’s way of alluding to the apocalyptic fallout of Minos’s misstep, which, not incidentally, was feeding human persons to the Minotaur*. Perhaps it could also be said that the swimming pool baptism was “botched” and her plane baptism ended in death because Laura Lee failed to offer herself to Poseidon unlike Lottie, who gave herself completely to the sea. Much of the imagery invoked by Team Supernatural** is not the writers saying, “There is definitely something supernatural at work here,” but, “The lake parallels Ulysses’ sea, which is itself laden with religious significance, and the Odyssey’s Poseidon.”
(*Further evidence that the writers have been thinking about the Minotaur comes in Lottie’s hallucination in “Old Wounds” (S2E04). There is some relatively obvious Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland imagery here, and I suppose you would not be surprised to learn that Joyce alludes to Carroll in Ulysses. But seeing what Lottie sees after she goes underground while hearing Alanis Morissette sing “No return / No reason” also reminds us of the confounding nature of the subterranean labyrinth. It makes sense that Lottie, who parallels Daedalus by way of Stephen Dedalus, and Laura Lee, who parallels Icarus by way of Leopold Bloom, would both be there. After all it was Daedalus and Icarus who constructed the labyrinth.)
(**I am not on Team Rational either. I am on Team The-Writers-Are-Using-Both-Potential-Supernatural-and-Potential-Rational-Explanations-to-allude-to-literary-classics-and-that-is-hella-cool. Don’t @ me.)
All this casts other scenes of the series in a new light. For example, as u/TooCool4Shoe notes, after Sammy demands that Taissa give him back his doll Manny in “Dollhouse” (S1E02) we briefly see what looks like a cross until the camera focuses and we see that what we were looking at was sun rays entering a window. In Ulysses there is an instance of “Emmanuel”, a name Christians associate with their Father’s Son. Manny meets the same fate as the anthropophagous Cyclops Polyphemus, whose eye was gouged out by Odysseus. Polyphemus himself was the son of a g‑d, namely Poseidon. Poseidon symbolically avenges his son’s death when Taissa places Biscuit’s head and heart on the altar as implied in “Sic Transit Gloria Mundi” (S1E10). In the Odyssey Odysseus’ blood-pumping muscles are referred to as his “barking heart”. (On a related note, in Ulysses the word “dogskull” occurs in the description of a dog’s carcass.)
5. Purple People and Heliotropes
But what, pray tell, does any of this have to do with purple people and heliotrope-clad acolytes? The word “heliotrope” corresponds to more than just a color. It can refer to a mineral also known as bloodstone. It can refer to a flower; in mythology a nymph named Clytie whose love for Apollo went unrequited stood gazing at him from afar for so long that she turned into the flower. And, as u/starsneverrise1987 taught me, a heliotrope is a sextant-like device. A heliotrope is ordinarily used in conjunction with a theodolite, an instrument that uses parallax to triangulate, which is to say use two known distances to determine an unknown distance.
Obviously, all these definitions are significant in Yellowjackets, but here we need to keep in mind only three—the color, the flower, and the instrument. In the 2021 Nat’s first appearance in “Pilot”, the plane baptism scene in “Flight of the Bumblebee”, and 2021 Lottie’s first appearance in “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” the lake or sea is a prominent image, and I aim to demonstrate that the writers were invoking the heliotrope as well.
The presence of heliotrope or a similar color is obvious in “Pilot” and “Friends, Romans, Countrymen”. Note also, as u/starsneverrise1987 has done, that heliotropes work by reflecting sunlight, and in “Dollhouse” (S1E03) Lottie sees a bright flash that draws her attention to the cabin. If the bright flash was a heliotrope, this marks three occasions on which the writers have associated a heliotrope with a large body of water.
But where is the heliotrope in the plane baptism scene? We know that the writers were thinking of parallax because Laura Lee’s teddy bear Leonard (the name unsurprisingly alludes to Ulysses) has only one eye, perhaps suggesting that Laura Lee failed to look at the previous two baptisms in parallax and see the depths of her and Lottie’s predicament; in any case, that bear lacks depth perception. Further, we know that we can get from parallax to heliotropes via the theodolite, but we would like to do one better than that. The answer, I think, comes in the fact that the writers often associate Laura Lee with floral imagery. True, we also see the other Yellowjackets dressed in flowers, but Laura Lee is the one who has flowers on her pyjamas, Laura Lee is the one who has floral wallpaper in her bedroom, and in the plane baptism scene Laura Lee is the only Yellowjacket who is wearing a floral print. But the heliotrope is not on her top; it is Laura Lee who is our heliotrope. She is the one who is focused on Apollo, which is to say the sun or the Son.
6. Putting It All Together
I suspect that much as is the case with the words “heliotrope” and “sun”, the writers have been thinking about the polysemy of the word “triangulation”. They are thinking not only about how one measures a distance but about aligning oneself with another in order to best a third party. We know the creators are well-acquainted with reality television and thus with the fact that the key to surviving when stranded with a group is to build alliances.
Returning to the matter of heliotropes, there is another question we should have been asking: Why doesn’t Lottie wear heliotrope? Perhaps you have already deduced the answer. In “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” she is wearing gold. Why? She tells us why: She believes that she is the only one who can save her. She does not want her hope of salvation to be crushed again as it was when she watched her beloved heliotrope die. Like most of the other Yellowjackets she has an understanding of what one must do to survive that has not matured since young adulthood. In the same scene she tells us, the audience, that in her philosophy she has substituted herself for Laura Lee’s Father’s Son. She does not want to be a heliotrope, she wants to be the sun.
I believe that there is an irony in the plane baptism scene. Before “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” aired I had a hunch that the scene provides a clue as to how the Yellowjackets were rescued—or how they saved themselves. I felt vindicated after seeing Lottie tell her followers that a person can be saved by no one but themselves while she once again stood on a lakeside. In her death Laura Lee (unwittingly) drew her teammates’ attention to the answer, and I believe it has something to do with the fact that the only places on earth where we can see the true horizon are the ones where the water meets the sky. Originally I thought this was because the horizon is what one sees when one looks through a sextant. Could someone with a heliotrope or theodolite make use of the horizon in a similar way? (That is not a rhetorical question. If you know more about heliotropes or theodolites than I do, please let me know!) I don’t know, but I think that when the credits of the last episode roll we will see that Laura Lee came a lot closer to success than we initially realized.
There is another layer to what Lottie says in “Friends, Romans, Countrymen”. Lottie was explaining how parallax works. Within the characters we see on our screens, the characters’ true selves are buried beneath what is immediately apparent, and we must go deep if we want to understand them.
We can generalize on this and say that that goes for people in general. James Joyce’s novel is not especially didactic, but there is a moral dimension to one of the episodes (sections) within it: Joyce makes it clear that there is nothing morally defensible to be found in the views of “the Citizen”, the antisemitic nationalist who is the novel’s Cyclops. Not as an activist but as an educator, I would be remiss if I failed to point out that the timing of the series suggests that the creators have in mind this same moral dimension. As a Jew and a lesbian trans woman, I am horrified by the recent passing of draconian legislation that makes it difficult for trans people to safely exist in red states. The writers presumably did not predict this development, but they were aware of the antecedents when they wrote at a time when the COVID death count was approaching one million because the Republican Party was putting politics before human life, and make no mistake, that is exactly what they are doing with this latest round of legislation. I am a 90s girl who graduated from a Christian school in what was already one of the redder parts of the Midwest, and my Bible-quoting Republican evangelical Christian history teacher told me and my classmates in no uncertain terms that Christians should not be nationalists. It is not normal for US politicians of any major party or any major religion to embrace the term nationalism, as people like Donald Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene have done, and more importantly, it is not right. As a student of history, I can tell you we are long past the point that it is hyperbole to compare the Republican Party of 2023 to the Nazi Party of 1938. The creators are telling us that if we want to perceive like human beings and live together like human beings, we have to try to see the world from each other’s perspectives. The alternative is dying while gnawing at each other like dogs.
Until very recently I had no intention of coming out as a trans woman on this account. I felt like I faced enough transmisogyny in the offline world. But as Audre Lorde once said, “Your silence will not protect you.” I do not know where I will be or what state the country of my birth will be in when the last episode of Yellowjackets airs. If you are in the US, that is for you and people like you to decide.
Be kind to each other, lovelies. 💜
Edit: I have made some tweaks related to grammar, markdown, style, and clarity.

I posted this a while ago to no avail, but now I'm going down a rabbit hole and wondering if anyone else could help. I’m desperate and my OCD is making me crazy lol.
I have been trying to remember a website from the mid to late 90s that was based entirely around old school final fantasy games (ff4 5 6 come to mind). It was definitely made with geocities or angelfire or something, but it was actually pretty impressive with sprites and awesome pixel backgrounds that made it look like it was from a SNES game. The look and feel is VERY similar to Final Fantasy Legend 2 (SaGa II) (fantasyanime.com)
The site was built as if it were a video game map of a town, based on Moogles or Chocobos or something, there were sprites of final fantasy characters that you can click on and talk to, (I think?) seriously I think it had like pop up speech bubbles.
I’m pretty sure it was a fan website, and you can download midi music of the final fantasy games, as well as artwork, wallpaper and I even think at some point emulation stuff for translated ff games that weren’t in the US releases. It just looked like a final fantasy town or something.
Now I don’t know if I’m making this up - maybe it was a completely different site. Maybe I’m imagining it or it’s part of that made up memory thing like bearenstein / barenstein bears. Lol.
Anyway, if anyone can help me with the name of the site or if this even existed that would be awesome. I was thinking it was something like mognet , moogle net, Chocobo net or something.

NEW YORK—In a move that has sent shockwaves through the nation, Bed Bath & Beyond, the retail giant known for its cavernous stores and ubiquitous 20%-off coupons, has filed for bankruptcy, sparking a nationwide frenzy among citizens frantically searching for their long-hoarded coupons.
“We regret to announce that our reign as the monarch of the home goods kingdom has come to a tragic end,” a statement at the top of the company's website said, prompting countless Americans to sprint toward their junk drawers, glove compartments, and basements in search of the iconic blue-and-white coupons. “We're aware that many of our customers have been stockpiling our coupons for decades, and we'd like to assure you that you have three days to use them before they become as valuable as monopoly money.”
The statement also noted that, despite the bankruptcy filing, Bed Bath & Beyond will continue to accept gift cards until May 8, leading to a nationwide surge in heart rates as shoppers wondered whether to prioritize their coupons or gift cards.
“I've been waiting for this day since the 90s. My closet is a treasure trove of 20% off coupons!” exclaimed Carol McAllister of Akron, Ohio, as she dug through a stash of coupons, some dating back to the Clinton administration. “I always knew these babies would come in handy. I'm gonna buy so many towels and shower curtains, my home will look like a Bed Bath & Beyond showroom!”
As hordes of coupon-wielding customers descended upon the retailer's 360 locations, experts noted that the company's slow response to e-commerce and the rise of online shopping led to its demise. Co-founder Warren Eisenberg admitted in a recent interview, “We missed the boat on the internet,” a sentiment echoed by shoppers nationwide who were seen frantically attempting to enter coupon codes on the company's website.
The company's announcement also triggered a wave of existential crises among Americans who pondered the meaning of life without Bed Bath & Beyond coupons.
“What am I supposed to do with all these coupons now? Wallpaper my house with them?” lamented a distraught shopper in Dallas, Texas, who was seen shuffling through a binder of meticulously organized coupons. “These were supposed to be my golden tickets to home goods paradise!”
The company stated that it plans to offer deep discounts on its products as part of its going-out-of-business sales. However, some customers remained skeptical.
“I don't know if I can trust their deep discounts,” said a cautious shopper in New York City. “I need to see that 20% off in blue and white. It's the only way I know how to shop.”
At press time, Bed Bath & Beyond executives were reportedly considering rebranding as "Bed Bath & Beyond Redemption" and emerging from bankruptcy as an online-only retailer specializing in vintage 20%-off coupons.
(https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/23/business/bed-bath-beyond-bankruptcy/index.html)