Camping in Himachal Pradesh is a popular and rewarding experience for nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts. Himachal Pradesh, located in the western Himalayas of India, offers a stunning landscape with majestic mountains, lush valleys, sparkling rivers, and dense forests, making it an ideal destination for camping. Here are some key points to know about camping in Himachal Pradesh:

1. Popular Camping Destinations: Himachal Pradesh has numerous camping spots, each offering its unique charm. Some popular destinations include Manali, Shimla, Kasol, Kullu, Dalhousie, Bir Billing, and Spiti Valley. These places provide breathtaking views, serene surroundings, and a chance to connect with nature.
2. Types of Camping: There are various types of camping options available in Himachal Pradesh. You can choose from organized campsites with pre-installed tents and facilities or opt for wilderness camping, where you set up your own campsite in the wilderness. Additionally, some places offer luxury camping or glamping, providing more comfortable accommodations with amenities.
3. Best Time to Camp: The best time for camping in Himachal Pradesh is generally during the summer months, from April to June, and the autumn season, from September to November. The weather during these periods is pleasant and suitable for outdoor activities. However, it's essential to check the weather conditions and road accessibility before planning your trip.
4. Permits and Permissions: For camping in certain areas, you may require permits and permissions from the local authorities or forest department. It's advisable to inquire about any necessary permits in advance to avoid any inconvenience during your trip.
5. Safety Considerations: While camping in Himachal Pradesh, it's crucial to prioritize safety. Make sure to carry essential camping gear, including a sturdy tent, sleeping bags, warm clothing, trekking shoes, and a first aid kit. It's also advisable to travel with a guide or join organized camping groups for added safety and local expertise.
6. Activities: Camping in Himachal Pradesh provides an opportunity for various outdoor activities. You can go trekking, hiking, mountaineering, river rafting, paragliding, and wildlife spotting, depending on the location. Some campsites also offer adventure sports like ziplining and rock climbing.
7. Responsible Camping: As a responsible camper, it's essential to follow Leave No Trace principles. Respect the environment, dispose of waste properly, and avoid damaging the natural surroundings. Additionally, be mindful of the local culture and traditions, and interact respectfully with the local communities.

Remember to plan your camping trip in advance, considering factors such as accommodation availability, transportation options, and any necessary permits. Enjoy the stunning beauty of Himachal Pradesh while embracing the serenity and adventure that camping in this region offers.

How to Control Rodent in Hotel and Restaurant Areas - AZPest
Controlling rodents in hotel and restaurant areas is essential for maintaining a tidy and safe environment for guests. Rats are disgusting pests, spreading dangerous diseases to humans quickly. We will see some steps you can take to control rodents effectively:
Review and Seal Entry Points: Conduct a thorough inspection of the premises to identify any likely entry points for rodents, such as gaps in doors, wooden sheets, windows, and walls. Seal these openings using materials like steel wool, caulk, or weatherstripping to prevent rodents from entering.
Eliminate Food Sources: Rodents are attracted to food, so removing any potential food sources is vital. Store food always in tightly sealed containers and ensure that all garbage bins have tight-fitting lids. Regularly clean food preparation areas, dining spaces, and storage areas to remove unwanted scattered crumbs and spills on the floor.
Proper Waste Management: Implement a proper waste management system. Dispose of garbage daily and make sure that outdoor trash bins are kept away from the building by just a 3 to 3-meter distance and it has to be sealed tightly. Clean garbage areas frequently to prevent odors and attract rodents.
Maintain and Keep Clean: Cleanliness is mandatory in rodent control. Regularly sweep and mop floors, and clean up any spills soon inside areas. Pay extra attention to hard-to-reach areas like behind equipment and furniture. Keep the premises free of clutter, as rodents may use it as nesting material.
Install Rodent Traps: Place snap traps or glue boards in the right place where rodents are very active. Put traps near walls, corners, and areas with signs of droppings or gnaw marks. Check the traps regularly and dispose of captured rodents appropriately.
Find Quality Pest Control Company: If you found rodent activities persist there, If you need more extensive measures, Don’t hesitate to hire a professional pest control service. They have the expertise and tools to assess the situation, implement targeted treatments, and provide ongoing monitoring to ensure effective rodent control and tips.
AZPest in Tucson, Arizona, offers pest control services for different types of pests -Cockroaches, Termites, Stink bugs, Bed bugs, Mosquitoes, Rats, Scorpions, Ants, Bees, Ticks, Warms, and more creatures. Pest control Services areas include Sahuarita, Foothills, Saddlebrooke, Marana, Catalina, Green Valley, Vail, Oro Valley, and more places in Arizona.

"Get over here, gonna need your help fighting the Red Menace again." "Communists, huh?" "Worse. Tomatoes!"
In the late 70s, the United States of America were terrorized by the greatest threat they had ever faced. Tomatoes, unable to be reasoned with, unable to be stopped, unable to hold back their relentless bloodlust. It took a group of specialists put together by the president to discover their one weakness, using it to negate the fruit threat. Ten years of peace passed, aided by the U.S. Congress outlawing tomatoes, and the new generation grew up unknowing of the menace once posed. This was until Professor Gangreen found a way to transform tomatoes into personal soldiers, planning on reminding the world of why they once feared them as he became its ruler.

Legend

1 - Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
2 - Return of the Killer Tomatoes!
3 - Killer Tomatoes Strike Back!
4 - Killer Tomatoes Eat France!
C-# - Attack of the Killer Tomatoes novelization, chapter #

Strength

Killing / Eating

• Bites off the fingers of a man^C-6
• One regular sized tomato kills a woman¹
• Takes out a helicopter pilot¹
• A herd of tomatoes eat a biker¹
• A large swarm of tomatoes kill a forty foot long squid^C-4
• A giant tomato eats a kid¹
• Another one eats a kangaroo^C-22
• One tomato gets placed in a small tank with five piranhas that would otherwise be the deadliest creature on Earth, and kills and eats all of them³

Striking

• Staggers a man with strikes³
• Knocks a biker off of his bike¹
• Smash through windows at a laboratory³
• Breaks through the back of a police car¹
• One takes down a helicopter^C-2
• Presumably a group of large tomatoes knock over a tank^C-17

Other

• One rolls over an elderly soldier, squishing him flat^C-17

Durability

Blunt Force

• One tomato doesn't splatter after attacking a woman repeatedly^C-1
• Form a barrier to block and hurt a giant squid^C-4
• A pyramid of tomatoes stop several motorbikes faster than their riders expected, though those directly in the path of the bike's wheels don't survive^C-6

Other

• At the start of their first invasion, it's said that chemicals, bugs, and bullets don't work¹
  • That being said, shortly after a shotgun is able to dispatch regular sized tomatoes¹
  • The novel specifies that bullets can stop them, but they're just difficult to hit, and that the bugs mentioned are aphids^C-2
• A giant tomato no-sells a number of point blank rifle shots¹
  • They need to be shot 67 times to be made to stop eating people^C-17
• When sliced into many little pieces, a tomato continues to move, only stopping on being smeared all over the carpet^C-24
• A humanoid tomato survives being in a gas chamber meant to execute prisoners²
• Tomato juice is said to still be living^C-1

Mobility

Ground

• Repeatedly dodges knife stabs from a woman in the nick of time, with the last attack not being telegraphed by a shout^C-1
• Keeps up with a fleeing man¹
• Rolls up a flight of stairs¹
• Appears out of a sink's garbage disposal before rolling out of said sink¹

Flying / Throwing Themselves

• Throw themselves at a car¹
• Hits a helicopter pilot¹
• Hit British planes in the air^{C-22 (Redux)}
• Bounces off of a wall to hit a woman that dodged an initial attack^C-1
• Levitates around a woman while attacking her³
• Two tomatoes fly around a group with a rope, tying them up⁴

Other

• Moves through water to attack women¹

Unique Forms

F.T.

• A failed experiment of Professor Gangreen's, a large, furry tomato that leaps up to a light switch²
• Leaps into a tree and potentially gets shot out of it²
• Gets beaten up by a crowd on a street²
• Gets launched out of a sewer and hit by a truck²
• Jumps on a grenade and survives²
• Wields a paintball pistol³
• Somehow drives a car⁴
• Somehow drives a quad bike²
• Speaks English⁴

Tomatozilla

• An enormous tomato in New York knocked over buildings at it rolled around^C-25
• Takes a hit from a giant robot that knocked down buildings^C-25
• Dodges projectiles from an equally enormous robot^C-25
• Still capable of fighting after being roasted by a flamethrower^C-25
• After being cut in two, the goo on its inside rises up and is capable of dissolving a giant robot before finally disappearing. Like this, it gets splattered apart by a missile, but still burns away at metal^C-25

Other

• Tara was a humanoid tomato that was Professor Gangreen's assistant, capable of speaking perfect English, cooking 815 international dishes, performing 637 sexual acts, and using all the popular home appliances²
  • Doesn't eat vegetables, instead opting for meat or plant food²
• A giant tomato with the destructive force equivalent to 5,000 killer tomatoes⁴
  • Eats a woman⁴
  • Breathes fire⁴
• One man is killed by drinking tomato juice¹
  • This tomato juice is said to still be living, and to taste like death instead of regular tomato juice^C-1
• A man is eaten by a BLT sandwich¹
• At least one elephant-sized tomato is seen to have grown a face, arms, and legs^C-24
  • It instantly regenerated its leg when it was cut off, before sprouting many more limbs and faces^C-24

Equipment

• A tiny shuriken and nunchucks³
• Hockey masks and chainsaws³
• A tiny gun³
• Dynamite that blows up a tank and a launcher for it⁴

Music Effects

Transformation

• Tomatoes dipped in toxic waste can be exposed to music, changing into different humanoid forms based on the type of music they hear²
  • One song turns tomatoes into soldiers with guns, capable of breaking plant pots with a punch and a wooden board with a hammer²
• Professor Gangreen claims they can be made to resemble anyone existing²
• They revert back to being a tomato on hearing a strain from Beethoven's 5th, and Tara returns back to her humanoid state with the chimes of a clock²
• On being shot, humanoid tomatoes revert into their usual state as they're splattered²
• Exposure to a gas used to execute prisoners leaves a humanoid tomato unable to transform when exposed to music²

Weakness

• When subjected to the song Puberty Love, tomatoes initially retreat before being shrunk back to their regular size and being depowered so that people can freely stamp on and destroy them¹
  • Puberty Love is said to be the worst song ever made²
  • In the novel, it causes them to flee without attacking,^C-19 though they still revert to normal tomatoes with exposure^C-27
• The person who initially discovered this tossed a previously-exposed tomato to another person, saying that it had been rendered harmless¹
• One giant tomato wore earmuffs so they couldn't hear the song, but was affected nonetheless when it was shown the sheet music to Puberty Love¹

Fear Induction

• Halfway through the first movie, merely saying the word 'tomato' is enough to instil mass panic¹
• Tara changing into a tomato in a restaurant instantly incites fear and clears it out²
• A tomato's presence on a street causes a crowd to gather to try and destroy it, and for them to chase after a 'tomato lover' who tries to rescue it²
• Following the first movie, the American congress banned tomatoes²

Other Capabilities

• Communicate with an understandable, translatable language¹
  • People are capable of speaking it³
  • Speak English in the fourth movie⁴
• Undoes a screw from the inside of a vent³
• Drive a van³
• Pile up on British ships until they sink under the weight of tomatoes^{C-22 (Redux)}
  • Potentially do the same with England as a whole after overwhelming their army^{C-22 (Redux)}
• Capable of taking people hostage³

Other

• Starting with the third movie, the tomatoes have faces for some reason³
• Preceding their first attack, tomatoes began growing at an unusually rapid pace^C-1
• A cherry tomato can become bigger than a bowling ball, with other tomatoes being of a size comparable to people¹
• After being struck through, large tomatoes become stuck on a woman's limbs and don't come off^C-12
• Are capable of burning, pillaging, and raping¹
• Rendered inert by a fire extinguisher³
• Won't eat their own kind, and so a person covering themselves with ketchup won't be attacked by them³
• Follow proper martial arts protocol^C-22

For a long time, I thought there was no greater feeling of dread than clocking into a job you hate. Three days a week after school and every other weekend, there I was, standing in front of the time clock at Sunset Grove. By the time I was sixteen, my parents told me that I had to find a job and start working. Unfortunately, there weren’t many options for a sixteen-year-old looking for work in Driftwood. It was either fast food, retail, or a retirement home. For whatever reason, I chose the retirement home.
It’s not that I had a problem with starting work at that age, it’s just that scrubbing pureed vegetables and mashed potatoes off fifty plates a night, with the cook yelling over my shoulder to pick up the pace, wasn’t exactly fulfilling work. The pocket money was nice, though. There’s nothing better than being a teenager with almost nothing but disposable income.
I watched the digital clock tick over from 3:59 to 4:00, begrudgingly typed in my employee ID, and made my way to the kitchen. As always, there was a stack of dishes left over from the shift before mine that would leave me playing catch-up for the rest of the night.
Becca, a thirty-something waitress with pale skin and a slim figure, swept through the doors as I was working through my stack. She was the only member of the wait staff I knew who could manage to keep a sunny disposition no matter how bad the day got.
Her shoulders seemed to relax a little when she saw me. “Hey, Arty, I need glasses.”
“Got it,” I replied.
“Thank you!” she said in a sing-song voice as she picked up a tub of silverware and rushed back out the doors. The wait staff was always in a rush this time of day. They only had about a half-hour to set the tables before some of the early-birds started showing up for dinner.
I loaded a tray with glasses and sent them through the commercial steam washer to my left, pulling the hood down with a heavy metal clunk. Once they were done, Becca came through and took the tray out to the dining room.
Before long, the cook began setting out room service trays. I never understood why it was the dishwasher’s job to deliver room service, but nevertheless, I began loading the trays into my cart. Most room service orders came from the same residents, which meant I’d long since worked out the most efficient way to load the cart. As I was loading, I noticed one of my regulars, room 2H, was missing. It could have been that she just decided to have dinner in the dining room today, but as long as I’d been working at Sunset Grove, I’d never known 2H to have dinner anywhere but her room.
As I walked down the hallway past 2H, I realized why. There on the door was a small laminated sign with a photo of the woman who’d lived in 2H.
Lilith Holmes 1928 - 2014
That was it. Just a name and a pair of dates. Not even a “Rest in Peace.” But it got the point across. I felt a tinge of guilt at the fact that I hadn’t known the woman’s name. I’d been working at Sunset Grove for a year, and I still referred to most of the residents by their room numbers.
This wasn’t the first of these types of signs I’d seen. There had been two or three deaths in the past year, each one memorialized with a cheap laminated sign that would be taken down after a week or two. It may sound callous, but I was never bothered by the deaths. They were simply a fact of life working in a place full of people entering the final phase of their lives. It helped that I didn’t make much effort to get close to the residents. I never wanted this place to bleed into what I considered to be my real life, so whenever I was at Sunset Grove, I was in “work mode.” I would put on a kind face, greet coworkers and residents with a smile, and otherwise speak only when spoken to. It was easier that way.
​
Room 2H stayed empty for a month. The sign, as they always do, disappeared after a while. I wondered if that meant they’d already cleaned out all of Mrs. Holmes’s belongings or if they were still entombed behind that locked door.
Eventually, the day came that I had a room service tray for room 2H again. It seemed so sudden. I hadn’t heard anything about a new resident moving in. I shrugged it off and loaded the tray onto my cart, thinking it must have happened on one of my days off. I hoped the new tenant wouldn’t be a handful. I may not have known Mrs. Holmes well, but she was always nice and courteous to me when I brought her her food. It’s more than I could say for some of the other residents.
I rode the elevator up to the second floor. Room 2H was my second stop from there. I knocked and pushed open the door into the dimly lit room. The blinds were all drawn, and there was only a single table lamp turned on in the corner across the room. I could see the new tenant sitting in a recliner on the opposite wall. It was a woman, with curled white hair that fell to her hunched shoulders. In the dark, I couldn’t make out her face, but her form was familiar. As I got closer, I realized it was Mrs. Holmes sitting in the chair.
I faltered. “I... have your dinner here for you, ma’am,” I stammered.
“Oh, good,” she said. “Set it on the table here, dear.” Her tone was jovial like always, though it felt strained. As if she were forcing it.
I set the tray down on the end table beside her. As she turned to look at it, her eyes seemed to catch the tiny amount of light in the room and glowed for a split second.
“Thank you,” she chimed.
“You’re welcome,” I said, turning on my heel and heading for the door.
I stopped by the second floor nurse’s station on my way down the hall and found Ted inside. He was a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair, known around the facility for his eccentric taste in scrubs. Today’s were navy blue with a messy pattern of stars. Ted was the only nurse I knew by name, mostly because he gave me no other choice. It was common knowledge at Sunset Grove that if Ted wanted to chat you up, there was nothing you could do to stop it.
“Hey, Ted,” I said, poking my head around the door.
“Arthur!” he called, sitting back in his chair. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I saw Mrs. Holmes is back,” I said. “What happened? Why was she gone?”
“Sorry, bud, I shouldn’t really be gossiping about that.”
“I understand. It’s just... there was that sign on her door a while ago. I thought she died.”
“Oh, that,” Ted laughed. “That was a little misunderstanding. But as you saw, she’s alive and well.”
“Right,” I said. “I should go. I’ve still got a cart full of meals to deliver.”
“Best not keep ‘em waiting!” Ted joked as I left the nurse’s station.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Mrs. Holmes for the remainder of my shift that night. How could the nurses make such a drastic mistake, confusing a resident for dead? And where exactly had Mrs. Holmes been for the past month? At the hospital? With family? The whole thing irked me more than it probably should have. I didn’t like thinking about this place during my time off, but thoughts of Mrs. Holmes stuck with me all week.
I delivered room service to her the rest of the week. Each time I entered 2H, the blinds were drawn, the room kept dark. As always, I set her tray down on the end table next to the recliner, she thanked me, and I moved on to the next room.
The next stop on my route was 2K, Ms. Ganz, whose name I only knew because she had a reputation around the building for being very outwardly spoken. There was rarely a week that went by where I wasn’t overhearing the nurses laughing about something Ms. Ganz had said that day.
Most days, Ms. Ganz left her door open. I knocked anyway and passed through the open frame. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, rubbing her temples before she looked up and saw me.
“Set it down right there,” she instructed, pointing to the rolling TV stand where she took her dinner every day.
I did as she said and set the food down on the stand, forcing a smile for good measure. She scooted off the bed and hobbled over to the chair to sit down. I pushed the stand closer to her and lowered it down so she could reach. She examined the tray, then picked up the pudding cup and handed it to me.
“You take that,” she said. “I don’t need it.”
“That’s alright,” I protested. “I don’t need it either.”
Ms. Ganz pawning her desserts off on me was beginning to become a habit. As I tried to set the pudding cup back on the tray, she pushed it back toward me. It clearly wasn’t a fight I was going to win, so I relented and accepted the pudding.
Ms. Ganz got to work preparing her coffee, which she had with every meal. I always loaded her tray with three creams and three sugars, but I’d learned in time to wait until she finished mixing before I left because, more often than not, she’d ask for more.
“Is this decaf?” she asked.
“That’s right,” I said.
She grumbled. “I need caffeine. People keeping me up all night. Knocking on my door.”
“Knocking on your door?”
“Middle of the night,” Ms. Ganz exclaimed. “They come, they knock, I open the door, and they’re gone. My family doesn’t pay $2000 a month for me to get pranked all night long.”
“Have you talked to the nurses about it?” I asked.
She snorted. “They’re probably the ones doing it.” Ms. Ganz winced and reached for her forehead. “Now, I’ve had this headache all day thanks to them.”
“Sorry about that. I hope you feel better,” I said as I made my way out of the room.
It became apparent very quickly Ms. Ganz wasn’t the only resident dealing with these problems. I overheard the nurses talking about multiple residents on the second floor complaining about someone knocking on their door at night. It only got worse throughout the week, with even more residents complaining. There were more complaints of headaches, too. Some residents even started exhibiting symptoms of fever.
When I came to serve Ms. Ganz her dinner a week later, her door was shut. I knocked and turned the handle. It wasn’t locked, so I went inside. Ms. Ganz was lying in bed, a fresh sheen of sweat shimmering in the light across her forehead. She hadn’t even touched her lunch. I quietly swapped the trays, trying not to disturb her and tip-toed out of the room, stopping by the nurses’ station before I got back to work. Ted was there again, wearing a loud, floral-patterned set of scrubs this time.
“Hey, Ted, is Ms. Ganz alright?” I asked.
“She’s just a little under the weather,” he said. “She’s not the only one. There’s some kind of bug going around.”
Ted scooted his chair across the room and pulled something out of a box. He tossed me a medical mask.
“You should probably wear one of these while you’re goin’ into rooms,” he said.
I nodded and put the mask on, leaving Ted to his work. There were four more residents laid up in bed on the second floor. Weirdly, no one on the first or third floor seemed to be affected.
Things only seemed to get worse as the days went on. More and more residents were laid up with fevers. Soon enough, no one on the second floor was healthy enough to go to the dining room, which meant my room service runs were getting longer by the day. Now that I had to deliver trays to every room on the second floor, there was no way I could get it done on my own, but even with Becca helping me with runs, I was still clocking out of work an hour late most nights.
As we rolled the cart up to room 2H, Becca hesitated.
“Do you mind getting this one?” she asked.
I raised an eyebrow. “Sure.”
I had no problem bringing Mrs. Holmes her food. What caught me off guard was the way Becca seemed to give the room a wide berth as we passed and the trepidation in her voice as she spoke.
“Thanks, Arty,” Becca said. “Something about her just creeps me out. Don’t you feel that?”
“It’s a little weird how she sits in the dark all the time,” I admitted, “but I wouldn’t call it creepy.”
“So brave,” Becca teased. “I’ll bring Ms. Ganz her tray and meet you down the hall.”
“Sounds good.”
I knocked on the door and went into 2H. As expected, Mrs. Holmes was seated in her recliner with the blinds drawn and the single lamp on in the corner. Sometimes I wondered if she ever even moved from that spot.
“How are you feeling, Mrs. Holmes?” I asked through the medical mask I was now required to wear at all times while on the second floor.
“Are you a nurse now?” She asked. Her tone seemed intended to be joking, but it came across more accusatory.
“No, it’s just that we can’t seem to get rid of this bug going around. I was just curious if you were still feeling alright.”
“I’m fine,” she said flatly.
Mrs. Holmes was the only resident on the second floor who wasn’t sick. The bug hadn’t spread to any of the staff members either. A thought occurred to me.
“Have you heard anyone knocking on your door at night?” I asked.
Mrs. Holmes’s eyes shot to mine, momentarily glowing in the light as they had once before. She stared at me with wide eyes that seemed to be studying me.
Finally, her tight lips peeled apart and she simply said, “I have not.”
Suddenly, I understood why Becca hadn’t wanted to come in here. I could feel the goose flesh spreading across my arm and a shiver run down my spine. I didn’t want to linger here any longer than I had to.
“Have a good night,” I said, mimicking my usual tone, before hustling out of the room.
I grabbed the cart and pushed it quickly down the hall toward Ms. Ganz’s room where I would find Becca, but as I rounded the corner, I saw a crowd of nurses surrounding the door. Becca was standing off to the side, a distraught look on her face.
“What happened?” I asked.
“I went in to give her her food,” Becca choked out. “Her eyes were open, so I thought she was awake. So, I asked her if she had enough cream and sugar for her coffee, but she didn’t respond.”
“Oh no,” I realized.
“That’s never happened to me before,” Becca said. “I’ve never seen one of them after... after they died. Sorry, Arty, I need to take five. Do you think you can finish this yourself today?”
“That’s fine. I’ve got it.”
Becca laid her hand on my shoulder as she walked away, her other hand combing through her hair.
Becca didn’t come in the next day. With the wait staff being short handed, I had to do the room service deliveries myself. I hesitated before going into 2H, but when I reached for the handle, I was relieved to find that it was locked. Some of the nurses must have been inside, so I left the tray by the door and went on my way.
As I passed by Ms. Ganz’s room, I saw the sign.
Mallory Ganz 1939 - 2014
She was about ten years younger in the photo, smiling next to her daughter. I felt a tug inside my gut and suddenly realized I wanted to know what was happening. Where was this sickness coming from? Why wasn’t it affecting the residents on the first or third floors or the staff? And why was Mrs. Holmes the only resident on the second floor who was still healthy?
I finished delivering trays and stashed the cart in the corner. I figured I had at least ten more minutes before my boss would start wondering where I was, so I found Ted in the nurse’s station.
“Hey, Ted, are you busy?” I asked.
“Never not busy, Arthur,” he grinned. “What can I do for you?”
“You’ve heard the residents complaining about someone knocking on their doors at night, right? Do you have any idea what that might be about?”
He sighed. “Yeah, I’ve heard all about it. Best I can figure, it’s someone screwin’ around on the night shift.”
“Well, there are cameras, right? Couldn’t we find out who’s doing it?”
Ted’s brow furled. “Why are you so interested?”
“I don’t know,” I lied. “I guess it’s just that, whoever it was, they were bothering Ms. Ganz. I thought maybe we could find them and get them to stop to, like, honor her in a way.”
Ted pushed an office chair toward me with his foot. “Sit down a minute. I’ll pull up the footage.”
“Thank you.”
I sat down and watched Ted scrub through last night’s security footage. It was strange seeing the hallway so empty. During the daytime hours, there were constantly nurses or housekeepers coming up and down the halls, but at night, they were dead.
Suddenly, there was a flash of movement on the screen. Ted let go of the mouse and let the footage play out in real-time. I felt my chest tighten as I recognized the figure on the screen. Mrs. Holmes. I watched her walk down the hall, moving with an unnatural weightlessness for her age. She stopped in front of Ms. Ganz’s room and knocked on the door. Then, all of a sudden, she just faded away.
I leaned in closer to the screen. Ted sat upright in his chair.
“Was that a glitch?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he said. “The timecode looks normal, but it must’ve been. Either way, I guess we know who’s been causin’ trouble at night. I’ll have a word with Mrs. Holmes.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” I blurted out.
Ted looked at me quizzically. I didn’t know how to explain it, but I knew something was off about Mrs. Holmes. There was no telling what would happen if someone confronted her, but how was I supposed to convince Ted of that?
“Sorry,” I said. “Thanks for the help, Ted.”
I left the nurse’s station without saying another word. I could only hope that my initial warning would be enough to make Ted hesitate until I could figure out what to do next.
My heart dropped when I couldn’t find Ted the next day. He was always there. Every single weekday, he was there.
None of the other nurses had seen him either. Apparently, he hadn’t called out sick or anything. As far as anyone knew, he simply hadn’t shown up for work. But I knew better. I knew he’d gone and talked to Mrs. Holmes, and she’d done something to him. Could he still be there, inside room 2H? Was he still alive? Had he mentioned me?
I worked the first hour of my shift constantly looking over my shoulder. By 5:00, the cook started lining up room service trays. I was on my own again. Apparently, Becca was taking some time off after what she’d been through. I couldn’t blame her, but I found myself desperately wishing I didn’t have to be alone.
My heart thumped with dread every step I took toward room 2H. I prayed the door would be locked again, but no such luck. I pushed the door open slowly and let the light from the hall flood into the dim room. Mrs. Holmes was in her recliner, but as I got closer, I noticed her eyes were shut. She was asleep.
I set the tray down quietly and made for the door, but before I left, I felt curiosity tug me back. I wanted to know what happened to Ted. If there was any trace of him in the room, this might be my only chance to find it.
I inched heel-toe back through the entryway and into the bedroom. I found an antique lamp on the nightstand and flipped it on, bathing the room in a hazy yellow light. The room was pristine, not even a crease in the bedding. I didn’t know what I was looking for. Blood? A body? Just anything that would confirm the insane thoughts that were running through my mind.
I moved to the bathroom, but, like the bedroom, it was spotless. I checked every inch of it, even getting down on my hands and knees to inspect the bath mat for blood stains. I was starting to feel like a lunatic. Maybe everything that was happening was exactly what it seemed, and the rest of it was all just in my head.
Feeling a little ridiculous, I stepped out of the bathroom, gently closing the door behind me.
“What were you doing in there?” Mrs. Holmes’s voice was sharp and sent a jolt of fear through my body.
I turned and saw her standing in the corner by her recliner. She looked tall—her shoulders not slumped like usual, and her eyes were glowing in the light again.
I didn’t know what to say. “S-sorry,” I spat out, then hurried for the door. Mrs. Holmes stood motionless, watching me go.
Thanks to my little investigation, dinner was nearly over by the time I got back to the kitchen, and there was a mountain of dishes waiting for me by the sink. I shook off the unsettling thoughts plaguing my mind and got to work. It was going to be another late night, and it only got worse when the cook brought over a stack of burnt pans that would take ages of scrubbing to get clean.
It was nearly an hour past the end of my shift by the time I’d finally finished all the dishes. The wait staff had clocked out thirty minutes ago. That was fine. I was used to being the last one in the kitchen. It was the dishwasher’s job to clean the floors at the end of the night after everyone else had gone home. That night, though, I should have been scared, but the weight of being alone hadn’t hit me yet. My mind was too preoccupied with work.
I finished mopping the floor, meaning all that was left was to take the trash out to the dumpster. I gathered up all the bags and took them out into the hallway, then out the back door. I set the bags down and propped the door open with a pen. After 8:00, the building locked down, and I would need a keycard to get back in, something the facility didn’t grant to dishwashers.
I hoisted the garbage bags into the dumpster and turned back toward the building. Before I could even take a step back toward the door, though, I heard it clunk into place. I ran over and tugged on the handle. Locked. I’d have to walk all the way around the building and come in the front entrance, probably scaring the hell out of the secretary at the reception desk, who certainly wouldn’t be expecting anyone to come in at this hour.
Crickets chirped loudly in the fields around the parking lot as I rounded the building. There was no one at the reception desk when I walked in. The secretary was probably out having a cigarette somewhere. I walked through the dining room and back into the kitchen, letting the door swing freely behind me. I heard it brush across the frame once, twice, then suddenly stop. I didn’t think much of it until I heard a knock on the door.
My heart froze, fear tightening an ice-cold grip around my throat. I turned and, through the window, saw a pair of glowing eyes on the other side of the door. Ever so slowly, the door started to push inward as Mrs. Holmes crept inside. I felt like I should have screamed in that moment, but nothing came to me. It felt as though my lungs had completely deflated at the sight of her.
She stepped toward me. I stepped back until I felt my back press against the counter behind me. I wanted to run, but something told me I couldn’t outrun whatever was standing in front of me. My hands reached onto the counter and felt for anything I could use to defend myself. I felt the lukewarm touch of the porcelain plates and wrapped my fingers around the rim of one. I waited as Mrs. Holmes inched closer until, finally, I whipped my arm around and smashed the plate against her head.
She wailed and faltered a few steps, buying me enough time to run deeper into the kitchen, toward the knives. She was on me again before I could reach them. I felt a wet sting on my calf and looked down to see her there, latched on with her teeth sinking deep into my flesh.
I fell onto the concrete floor, my left shoulder taking the brunt of the impact. I tried to crawl away but couldn’t break free of her inhuman weight. With my free leg, I kicked at her head as hard as I could until she released me. Her bloodstained mouth hissed at me as I scrambled to my feet.
I ripped the largest knife I could find out of the block and spun around, ready to drive it into Mrs. Holmes’s chest, but she was gone. My eyes flicked frantically around the room, looking for any sign of her. Then I felt something drip onto my cheek. In the reflection of the knife blade, I could see the drop of blood rolling down my cheek. I looked up, and there she was.
She wasn't suspended from the ceiling; she was floating. As soon as I laid eyes on her, she dropped, falling right on top of me. I managed to raise the knife high enough and felt it pierce her gut as she landed on me. I think that was the only thing that saved me from her teeth sinking into my neck.
Mrs. Holmes reeled from the knife wound. She swung her arm out, and I felt the tremendous weight and strength behind it as it crashed into my side and threw me across the room. Pain shot through my back as I collided with the stainless steel of the dishwasher. I knew I couldn’t afford to waste time licking my wounds. I pulled myself up to my feet just as Mrs. Holmes ripped the knife free of her gut. Coagulated blood seeped out of the gaping wound like thick mud.
Mrs. Holmes hunched over like a predator waiting to pounce. My heart raced, waiting for the moment. Like a bolt of lighting, it came. She leapt across the room at me. My instincts kicked in, and I ducked to the right. I heard a loud metallic crash as Mrs. Holmes’s body slammed into the dishwasher. I looked up and saw her top half lodged in the machine. Without even thinking about it, I yanked the lever, sending the hood down just far enough over Mrs. Holmes’s thin body to activate the machine.
She howled and screeched as the steam inside the dishwasher boiled her skin. I didn’t wait around for the cycle to finish. I saddled the pain in my back and my leg and ran out of the kitchen before she had a chance to escape. I didn’t dare look back.
​
Sunset Grove closed down last year, three years after I left for good that night. I never found out what became of Mrs. Holmes, but I don’t think she ever left. The article detailing Sunset Grove’s closure cites financial difficulty after a spike in mortality rates, and there had been more than one story about staff members going missing over the years. Ted was the first of them. I would have been the second.
For a long time, Sunset Grove haunted me. I would dream about being back in room 2H, cowering under Mrs. Holmes’s impossibly tall form, her skin blistered and rubbery from the burns I gave her. In time, those dreams faded. It hadn’t seemed possible, but my life started to return to a sense of normalcy.
Reading the article on Sunset Grove brought those memories crashing back. I tried to tell myself that I was safe, but... I don’t think I am anymore. Not since I heard a knock on my door the other night. I wanted so badly to believe it was nothing, just neighborhood kids messing around, but my head has been pounding ever since I heard it, my stomach twisted in knots, my breath short. I can’t sleep through the night anymore. I find myself staring out the window, watching. Sometimes, among the twinkling fireflies at the edge of the woods, I could swear I see a pair of glowing eyes watching me in the dark.

Fun Fact To Cover Spoilers: The first Final Fantasy was released in December of 1987 and has since had 15 main game instalments (though there has been many more side games released). There has also been various adaptations across various pieces of media such as mangas, animes, and films.
CW: Gambling
Mood Warning: Positive Ending
This is a repost, it was posted on here more than a year ago by u/asakurosol . OOP's account is now deleted.
This was originally posted in FFBraveExvius so it was written with the expectation that everyone would understand certain terms. Here is a brief explanation!
Whale- Someone who spends a lot of money on mobile games
BanneEvent-Where, for a limited time, you can get special characters by using the in game currency (In this case "Lapis") to pull for the character (like a slot machine).
-
Whale of a Tale (December 13th, 2017)
Caution - Wall of text incoming.....don't say I didn't warn you....
I started playing FFBE shortly after launch in July of 2016. It was a fresh take on an old classic, my favorite series of all time, Final Fantasy. When I was 11, in 1988, living in New Jersey, I went to the Nintendo CES in New York City. Nintendo had demo booths for all the upcoming games, and the original Final Fantasy was one of them. It was the coolest game I had ever seen. I got it when it was released and it remained my favorite series of games for years. FFII and FFIII on SNES, I bought a Playstation so I could get FFVII, I got a PS3, but all I wanted to play was FFXII (I personally like Vaan).
Along came married life, kids, jobs, responsibilities, and I could no longer spend time on a console. I didn't have time to sit and play and grid out levels and complete the extra quests like defecting Ruby Weapon. Then FFBE was released. A short format game that I could play for 5 or 10 minutes and put it away. It didn't require a console or a TV, just a few minutes to play a couple of dungeon runs or a quick exploration, then I could put it away for later. It was perfect.
Expedition into the Abyss. The first banner I spent money on. I had been playing the game for 6 weeks or so and I had not found the FFBreveExvius subreddit or the Exvius Wiki, I went into the exploration blind and got wiped out. I leveled my team, I maxed my stats and I just could not win. I got to Ansel finally and beat him, but I was so low on energy. I used lapis refills just to limp past him. Then I got to the exit with the 3 bosses that kicked my but with their 10,000V attack. I was frustrated beyond belief, I had spent all my resources to pass this exploration, and I couldn't leave it like this. I broke my F2P resolve and put down $20. That should be enough to get me out of this dungeon and replace some of the lapis I sepnt so I could at least do the dailies again. I was adamant that I would not spend again.
The first Mog King event I recall was Festival of the Autum Moon, baking Mog Cakes. I spent hours, day after day, grinding the Coast for recipe ingredients. I kept my 2 ovens going, then I increased my capacity to 4 and I stayed true to my resolve, I did not spend any more money. I made it through, I got the Stellar Shield, I got the Lunar Pestle and the Rabbit's Foot. I acomplished my goals without macros, without more resources. My family though kept asking me, what am I tapping on my phone all the time? Why am I always looking at my screen?
I put the phone away and tried to limit myself, only a little while in the morning before I got everyone up for school, I would play for a little while at lunchtime when I wasn't around anyone. I would play on the toilet since I had nothing better to do while I poop. I would play after putting the kids to sleep. I was not taking anything from anyone. I was just playing a game.
I made it to November. The Crystal Tower. The release of Luneth and Refia. The best DPS and the best Healer available at the time. I had saved my lapis, I could do a 10+1 pull, I had maybe 20 or so tickets saved. I used all my resources and was trolled by a rainbow Edge. I was enraged, insenced, insistent that I get Luneth. I put in my card number into my digital wallet and upped myself $99 of Lapis. Then I pulled and pulled and pulled, and I got nothing. So I put in another $99 and pulled and pulled and I got Luneth! I could advance and defeat all new content and share the best DPS possible to all my friends.
It was only $200. I can spare that. I haven't bought a video game in 6 years. I deserve it, I earned it.
I didn't pull for the Brave Frontier cross over event. I saved my resources. I was depressed by all the Elza's I saw my friends sharing, but I was not lucky enough to pull her. I conceded that it was ok, and I could get her again in the future. I still beat the Trial of the Creator and got Maxwell. I had to work hard, but I got the Power of Creation TMR. That made my Luneth a king again.
Then came the Big Bridge. Gilgamesh. The BEST TMR you could get. I still have a 10+1 pull left after my Luneth. I had saved the tickets from the Mog King. I pulled for Greg and failed again. It was only $200 to get Luneth. How bad would that be for the best accessory in the game? I can make my Chizuru or my Cecil so strong. I put in my money again, $99....no Greg, $99....no Greg, $99....no Greg.... I took a break for a little bit. My family had plans for the day. I was angry now. How could I have spent $300 and not gotten what I wanted. When nobody was looking, around everyone, I did it again. $99....no Greg, $99...no Greg, $99...no Greg, $99.....
Finally. I had Gilgamesh. I had maxed out all of my unit inventory. I had to spend time to fuse units, I got my first Excalibur that day as well as some other great TMRs. But I finally had the Genji Golve and I could now make Chizuru strong enough to share with others. She could DPS at 350 attack and more! I could beat all the content with ease using her and Luneth. Yeah, I spent $700, but I would stop now. I had enough. I didn't want to be caught spending money I shouldn't on a video game. It was enough.
Lightning strikes, and I didn't spend anything. I was in control. I didn't need anything new. I was still in the game and doing great. So many events passed and I was still killing everything in sight with my team. I cleared all of the events and new story content. It was fun, I was not an addict, I spent time with my family, I didn't take their time away. I was on top.
Noctis, Prince of all Trades came along. I got greedy. I pulled again...another $300. I got off easy there. I was again in the lead. I was on top. I had the best attacker, best support, best all around at everything. I didn't need anything else.
The Mana Mystery Event came. I was excited! Randi, the Secret of Mana! The Secret of Mana was, hands down, one of the best games to ever come out for the SNES. Open world, exciting characters, fantastic story and fighting. The Nostalgia was incredible for this event. I had to have Randy. I had paid down most of the bill from getting Gilgamesh. I could afford it to have a piece of my childhood back, no matter what the cost. It cost me about $400. I was back to square 1 with paying my bill back. I had spent nearly $1700 on this game now, I couldn't spend any more. It was getting out of control. I unlinked the credit card and got back to my senses. I could keep playing my game. I put my maxed out Randi as my friend unit. I was determined to get the most out of him, no matter what. It was my hard earned money, I should not spend it frivilously.
I made it almost 4 months.
It was my birthday. The Brave Frontier banner was back. The Scyth weilding Queen Elza was back. It was my birthday and I wanted Elza. This was the first double 5* banner I ever tried to pull on. This was the first banner I pulled on after the guaranteed 5* base for Rainbows was announced. It was my birthday and I had to have Elza. I have to get what I want on my birthday. I charged $1500 that day to get her.
I was sick of my actions. I de-linked my card again. I now had a balance of nearly $4000, including other non FFBE related purchases. I had to find a way to stop. I transferred the balance to a new, zero interest card. My family was going on vacation and I needed to be clear to help with expenses. I had some cash saved, I was paying down my debt slowly, I had a plan, I was still in control.
While on vacation, the Veritas Banner was announced. The most anticipated unit since Orlandeau. I had an Orlandeau from tickets, it would be awesome to get a chaining partner for Orlandeau. Veritas of the Dark is the coolest, with the black armor, Dark Damage heals him, and Dark Retribution attack. Something in me snapped, and I was back to I had to have him. It was another double Rainbow banner, maybe I would be lucky this time.
$1000, no Veritas of the Dark. I had 4 Veritas of the Flame. I was angry. How could I have spent so much and not gotten the unit I wanted! Why would Final Fantasy, Gumi, Square Enix, not give it to me? How could I spend so much and not get what I want! Another $1000. I got 2 more Veritas of the Flame, another Orlandeau, a second Freviya, Olive, Emperor, but no Dark Veritas! How! Why! Now I am stubborn. I am not putting this much money out there to not get what I want. $99...no Dark Veritas, $99...no Dark Veritas, $99...a second Emperor, I almost threw my phone against the wall. $99....Finally, Veritas of the Dark. $2500, 9 Veritas of the Flame, half a dozen other 5* base, and I finally got the Veritas of the Dark.
Wait....WTF did I just do?!?!
Did I just really spend $2500 to get a little animated piece of code? What is my wife going to think? What will my kids say? I tell them I don't have much money to spare, I dutifully split my paycheck 3 ways, household expenses, savings and my spending money. I can do what I want with my spending money. I just won't get anything for myself for a year or so, pay this back to my card a couple hundred at a time.
Fuck it. I have what I want. I put in another $1000 just to keep me going with energy refils and I can play whenever and however I want.
Neir came, I pulled with the lapis I had left and got A2 and 2B. Luck is on my side now. Onion Knight, I got on 3 10+1 pulls. I am on top of the world. Gumi must have had some mercy on my account. I have all the units I need, sure there are some I want, but I can get by without Rem and Wilhelm. But who is this awesome new healer! Ayaka, dual white magic, reraise, the things I was missing for Agaion, the Robot Trial! With her, I could be at the top again. I could beat all the trials, all the new story content. It would all be a breeze. I had to get her. I moved all my debt to the balance transfer card. I have a clear card to work with. I can get it and make it go away and I can continue on as normal, just pay down the card and not spend on myself.
Next came Nyx. The Hero of Kingsgalive. I know most people thought it was aweful, but I even like Spirits Within, so hate all you want...I wanted to have Nyx. Another $400. I skipped halloween, but decided I had to have Loren for her TMR. It was a good as the Genji Golve, even better. It would make my team unstoppable for the 10 man trials. Another $500. Honestly I don't know what I spent here, I lost count.
The Tower of Zot! We can have Rubicant! Barbariccia would be cool, but Rubicant is one of my favorite enimies of all time. $99...no Rubicant, $99...no Rubicant. WTF!?! This is a 4* base! What is happening!? F&k it, AGAIN. $500, just to be sure. Get Rubicant, keep pulling for Barbariccia, don't need her, I already have 2 Trance Terra's, but why the F*%k not. Its good for the Raid Bonus.
All right! Rainbow Rate is up! EX rewards are 1.5X! Cloud is coming in December! This is the best time to put some $$ in so I am guananteed to get Cloud. Cloud is Awesome! Cloud is iconic! Cloud is the heart of Final Fantasy! I have my zero interest card at $11K, but I am paying it. I have a way of making it look like I am paying off an old debt to cover if my wife asks where the money went. I went all in. $3000 in lapis. That will last me a good long time, then I can pay off my debt and play and just let it all go away.
On December 7th, 2017, my wife asked if she could use my credit card to buy food and send it to a family member celebrating a huge accomplishment. Offhand, she asked if she could see the balance. She saw something in my response trying to dismiss it and wouldn't let it go. I asked her to go upstairs so we could talk in private. I confessed to having a balance of $5600 on my card due to Final Fantasy. A couple days later, I told her the rest of the story.
I am currently $15,800 in debt. My wife no longer trusts me. My kids, who ask me why I am playing Final Fantasy all the time, will never understand how I selfishly spent money I should have been using for their activities. Their birthdays, their festivals, their clothes, their school events, their weekends, their movies.
I have never spent more than $1000 on my wife at one time. I spent $16,000 on digital garbage in about a year. If she decides that she will not divorce me, I owe her more that I could ever repay. I am not playing anymore. I will not get Cloud. I will leave 500K lapis in an account that will stay idle. The "friends" I have will drop me as my days since last played increases. I will not get to beat Marlboro. I will not see how Chapter 2 plays out. I will not have any 7* units. FFBE is over.
I became a gambling addict over a game where there is no return, no reward, for spending my money.
I Flushed $16,000 down the toilet over a game.
TL;DR - Don't whale irresponsibly, the consequences WILL outweigh the investment.
TL;DR #2 - Some people are on this planet to be an example to others, don't be that Guy.
Edit -
Thank you all for your support and ideas. I have a lot of feedback on how I can improve the situation, I will update in some time after getting a few actions completed first.
I really appreciate each and every comment, I have read them all, and I plan to continue to read them to reinforce my resolve to keep my promise to my wife and to my family to remain open and honest.
Please be patient and OP will update.
Whale of a Tale-1 year later (December 7th, 2018)
Well....Its been a year. A year of repentance, a year of ups and downs and everything in between.
One year today marks the day my wife uncovered my FFBE gambling habit. If anyone is unfamiliar with the story, sort by Top (all time).
In the past year I have made a lot of progress. I have substantially paid down my debts, made amends with my family and worked hard to move forward. I cannot say I have been a perfect husband or father, but I would like to think I have improved in many areas. My life is changed beyond measure because of my inability to control myself playing this game.
The biggest blessing I have in my life is my wife. She looks out for me, for our family, and everyone she knows so that people are happy, do not go overboard and keep on a right path.
"Too much of anything is never a good thing" she tells me often. It can apply to food, exercise, work and gaming. I have changed my habits and work hard to include her and my children in everything, instead of trying to escape from them.
To people who wondered, I am 41, a hardware development engineer building servers and father of 3. I help get kids up and ready for school, help them with their homework and make sure bedtime and brushing teeth are enforced.
At my worst, I was pulling for Veritas of the Dark on a trip to the Aquarium with the kids and cousins, spending ~$2500 that day and ignoring my family as they joyfully wandered around looking at fish, octopus and seals. Playing raids on nature hikes with the Cub Scouts.
Now, I would like to believe I am more attentive, more present, in their lives and their mother's life.
My worst guilt is that I still want to play a game that nearly ruined my life.
I just wanted to say to everyone, thank you for your support. Thank you for your kind words, and even many of you who said outright how stupid I was. Thank you for the chance to be a part of Final Fantasy. May all your summons break into Rainbows.
Whale of a Tale - Epilogue (December 7th, 2020)
3 years ago, I posted a story of how I fell. I fell in the eyes of my family, the ones I swore to protect, opening them up to a mountain of risk and debt. Today, I have paid off my debt fully and I hope that I can leave this chapter of my life, my lies, my hidden obsession, my half truths, fully in the past.
Over the past 3 years I have seen a lot of changes. Since the pandemic began, it has been hard to watch as my children spend more and more time playing Roblox and less time playing outdoors, less time studying, physically active and spending time as a family. I realized that I set the precedent of this behavior. I do try to be a more engaged father and husband, it is a daily challenge to keep everyone happy, healthy and well fed.
As to the state of the game, I have followed what is going on at a distance. When I stopped playing, at the release of OG Cloud, a top tier DD was in the 1500 ATK range. When I started, Chizuru was a beast with a 300 ATK. Now, I see NV Remake Cloud at 5000+ ATK. Power creep is real and basically every dollar that I spent ($16000 and then some) has little to no value at this point in the META.
It has been a long period of reflection. There have been fights where all I can do is hang my head in shame as I accept the guilt of spending selfishly on a game when I could have redone the floors in my home and replaced the kitchen counters, the two of these desires of my wife have been postponed due to my lack of self control. These are my priorities now, doing things for my home, saving for my children's future, and I hope doing more to show my wife that she is the most important connection in my life. She forgave me, she supported my recovery and she kept me on the right path. She deserves all the credit for keeping our family together.
Do I miss playing? I do. I said it in the 1 year update and I will say it again. I hate that I still have a desire to play a game that nearly ruined my life. Do I regret my decision? I regret hiding what I was doing from my family and I strive to be more open and honest about what I want and what I am doing.
I don't want to ramble, so I will end here. I did it. I paid my debts. I hope that no one else falls into the same trap and spends beyond their means, or hides what they are doing from their loved ones. Good luck everyone!
-nothing
Reminder that I am not the OOP. Also brigading is not allowed on this sub.

Controlling rodents in hotel and restaurant areas is essential for maintaining a tidy and safe environment for guests. Rats are disgusting pests, spreading dangerous diseases to humans quickly. We will see some steps you can take to control rodents effectively:
Review and Seal Entry Points: Conduct a thorough inspection of the premises to identify any likely entry points for rodents, such as gaps in doors, wooden sheets, windows, and walls. Seal these openings using materials like steel wool, caulk, or weatherstripping to prevent rodents from entering.
Eliminate Food Sources: Rodents are attracted to food, so removing any potential food sources is vital. Store food always in tightly sealed containers and ensure that all garbage bins have tight-fitting lids. Regularly clean food preparation areas, dining spaces, and storage areas to remove unwanted scattered crumbs and spills on the floor.
Proper Waste Management: Implement a proper waste management system. Dispose of garbage daily and make sure that outdoor trash bins are kept away from the building by just a 3 to 3-meter distance and it has to be sealed tightly. Clean garbage areas frequently to prevent odors and attract rodents.
Maintain and Keep Clean: Cleanliness is mandatory in rodent control. Regularly sweep and mop floors, and clean up any spills soon inside areas. Pay extra attention to hard-to-reach areas like behind equipment and furniture. Keep the premises free of clutter, as rodents may use it as nesting material.
Install Rodent Traps: Place snap traps or glue boards in the right place where rodents are very active. Put traps near walls, corners, and areas with signs of droppings or gnaw marks. Check the traps regularly and dispose of captured rodents appropriately.
Find Quality Pest Control Company: If you found rodent activities persist there, If you need more extensive measures, Don’t hesitate to hire a professional pest control service. They have the expertise and tools to assess the situation, implement targeted treatments, and provide ongoing monitoring to ensure effective rodent control and tips.
AZPest in Tucson, Arizona, offers pest control services for different types of pests - Cockroaches, Termites, Stink bugs, Bed bugs, Mosquitoes, Rats, Scorpions, Ants, Bees, Ticks, Warms, and more creatures. Pest control Services areas include Sahuarita, Foothills, Saddlebrooke, Marana, Catalina, Green Valley, Vail, Oro Valley, and more places in Arizona.

I have an older PC from 2015 with windows 10. 3 weeks ago I had windows 7 and was having problems with Roblox closing out and my computer being slow, but not crashing. After installing windows 10, I got rid of a malware that I thought was causing the issue.
Since getting windows 10 and clearing the virus/malware, I have started to think that maybe the issue is my CPU/other hardware components. Other things I’ve tried are, deleting things I don’t use for storage, restarting the computer, and updating my driver a bunch. The PC has an lab cable for internet.
Here is my list of devices in the device manager.
Computer- ACPI x64 based PC
Disk Drives- I don’t use disks
Display adapters- GeForce GT 710
DVD/CD-ROM Drivers- hp DVD-RAM GH82N ATA Devices
Processors- AMD FX (tm)-4300 Quad-Core processor (it says the same thing 4 times)
Software Devices- Microsoft Device Association Root Enumerator, Microsoft GS Wavelength Synth, XBOXONE (x2)
Any help would be appreciated, if there is more info needed please list what it is in the replies. I am very bad with tech and know nothing.

Can't access Hulu outside the United States? It's as if the universe has conspired against you, demanding you provide a US credit card and asking you to physically be in the country. This becomes particularly vexing when you're on a vacation in, say, Paris, and all you want is to binge-watch your favourite show while munching on a croissant. Turns out, renewing your subscription can be as complicated as explaining the plot of a time-travel movie to your grandmother.
So here's the trick: You need a VPN. Hulu, being the sly fox that it is, looks at your IP address to see if you're within the good ol' USA. But a VPN, with its digital cloak of invisibility, lets you masquerade as a Yank, regardless of your actual whereabouts. Meaning, you could be sipping sake in Tokyo or riding a camel in Egypt, but Hulu will think you're eating apple pie in the heartland.
Through diligent labour, my team and I scrutinized over 60 VPNs designed to finagle Hulu's geoblocks. And standing tall among the crowd, we have ExpressVPN. It's the Brad Pitt of VPNs, offering multiple US servers and lightning-fast speeds to let you access Hulu without as much as a hiccup. And just to sweeten the deal, you can take ExpressVPN for a spin without any risk, as it's protected by a 30-day money-back guarantee. If it doesn't tickle your fancy, getting your money back is as easy as pie.
Getting Cozy with Hulu Globally: A VPN's Role in Your Streaming Escapades
Ever tried to access Hulu outside the United States? It's like attempting to communicate with a mime—nearly impossible and often met with an unamused silence. Hulu, with its treasure trove of binge-worthy content, unfortunately, dons an armor of licensing restrictions that keep it securely tethered to the Land of the Free. Its digital gatekeepers, aptly called geoblocks, detect the non-US IP address and give you a digital cold shoulder. And if you thought that's the end of your woes, there's more! Setting up a new Hulu account would need a US credit card, a hurdle that's hard to leap.
In these dire times, one can count on the prowess of a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Picture a VPN as a savvy undercover agent, masterfully disguising your IP address as if you're lounging on a couch somewhere in New York, even when you're actually sunbathing in Barcelona. A VPN juggles your internet traffic, directing it through a server of your choice, thereby replacing your original IP address with a shiny new one from the chosen location. This high-tech sleight of hand can bamboozle streaming platforms into thinking you're within their allowed borders.
In layman's terms, pick a VPN server located in the US and voila! You get a US IP address. When Hulu gazes upon this borrowed IP, it believes you're a proud dweller of Uncle Sam's land, lifting the barriers. Suddenly, signing up, renewing subscriptions, and accessing your beloved Hulu shows become a cakewalk, no matter where on the globe you're perched.
ExpressVPN
Imagine you're trying to sprint a marathon on stilts - pretty inconvenient and unstable, right? Now swap those stilts with a pair of world-class running shoes, and suddenly you're Usain Bolt. That's precisely the upgrade ExpressVPN offers when you're trying to subscribe to Hulu or streaming in Ultra High Definition.
In a test of virtual athleticism, ExpressVPN's New York, Dallas, and Chicago servers gave a stunning performance. Clocking in at an average speed of 91 Mbps, they fell only a hair short of my prime 100 Mbps connection. It’s like running a race and placing a close second to a cheetah. Given that you need merely a humble 25 Mbps to stream in UHD, this VPN crosses the finish line with excessive energy to spare. Even when I indulged in a hair-raising episode of American Horror Story, buffering was a foreign concept.
In addition to its impressive speed, ExpressVPN offers a roster of 24 US locations, akin to a digital buffet of options for connecting to Hulu on your world travels. Even from the other side of the world (9,153 km away, to be exact), my New Jersey server stood like a steadfast guard, ensuring my connection remained unbroken.
What's more, ExpressVPN’s MediaStreamer acts as a secret decoder ring, enabling you to watch Hulu on devices that usually don't shake hands with VPNs. PlayStation, Xbox, or even that one smart TV you got at a Black Friday sale years ago; all can be brought into the fold. The setup process was quicker than making a microwave popcorn bag. Simply jot down a code from your ExpressVPN account dashboard, feed it into your smart TV’s network settings, and voila! I found myself catching up on Hulu shows on my antiquated Samsung Tizen TV with no hiccups.
While ExpressVPN might ask for a few more pennies than its fellow VPN services, the sheer performance justifies the price tag. It's like paying extra for a VIP concert ticket - you're assured of the best experience. And with a 30-day money-back guarantee, you can test drive it on Hulu, no strings attached. And if you decide it's not your cup of tea, their customer support is there to process your refund without quibble. They’re rather nice about it, really.
CyberGhostVPN
Picture CyberGhost as the highly competent butler of your digital mansion, ensuring a seamless Hulu streaming experience. This ace up the VPN sleeve not only provides fast and reliable connections but serves them with a silver platter specifically designed for Hulu. Imagine a world where buffering is as extinct as dial-up internet, all thanks to CyberGhost’s Hulu-optimized servers. I frolicked in this paradise while renewing my subscription using their Miami server.
Using CyberGhost's Hulu-optimized servers is like walking through an automatic door; it's a breeze. The interface is as user-friendly as a Labrador puppy. A simple peck on your keyboard typing "Hulu" in the search bar under the "For streaming" tab, and you're given a list of servers that are specially designed to work magic on Hulu. Better still, some of these servers have undergone a digital personal training regimen to optimize their performance for Fire Stick and Android TV specifically.
While CyberGhost may not be as predictably consistent as ExpressVPN, akin to a weather forecast, its connections still hold strong. Think of it like a relay race with the US, UK, and Australia servers, each passing the baton without letting the speed dip below an 82 Mbps average. I was treated to uninterrupted feasts of "Santa Evita" and "House of the Dragon" in Ultra High Definition, without so much as a single awkward pause or hiccup.
Private Internet Access
Imagine a scenario where you have a myriad of IP addresses at your disposal for streaming Hulu like a monarch, that's exactly what PIA offers. This VPN is a playground teeming with server options in the US, reducing your chances of being in the middle of an overcrowded digital mosh pit. Trust me, you'd prefer your own breathing room when renewing your Hulu subscription, which I did with as much ease as butter sliding off a hot knife. With such an extensive server network, you have a buffet of alternative routes should Hulu unexpectedly pull the roadblock on one.
What sets PIA apart from the crowd is its penchant for personalization. Think of it as the bespoke suit of VPN apps. This little wonder comes with an array of widgets that are as flexible as a yoga instructor, ready to twist and bend to suit your interface aesthetic. Additionally, it hands you the reins of encryption, allowing you to choose between the Fort Knox of security - the AES 256-bit encryption, or the slightly more fleet-footed but still quite secure AES 128-bit encryption.
Now, this plethora of customization options could be a bit like being lost in a tech version of Narnia for the newly initiated. It's a lot to take in. But give it a little time, a few exploratory clicks and swipes, and you'll find the app's interface becomes as familiar and easy to navigate as your favorite neighborhood bistro.
Five Secret Passages to Hulu Land Without a US Credit Card in 2023
Juggling through the nuances of signing up for Hulu, especially without a US credit card, can make your head spin faster than a hamster on a wheel. So let's pop the lid off Pandora's box and unveil the five undercover methods to bring Hulu to your fingertips.
Before you sprint into action, let's cross off a couple of quick checks:
Make sure to equip yourself with a VPN. Any VPN on my coveted shortlist should do the trick, but I would tilt my hat towards ExpressVPN. It zips along at breakneck speeds and boasts a generous offering of US servers to select from
Now you're in the right gear, but you need to be in the right place. As Hulu only pays house visits to those who reside in the US (virtually, of course), that's where you should connect.
With these quick checks done and dusted, you're ready to proceed. Brace yourself as we unveil the five secret scrolls to gain access to the tantalizing world of Hulu.
MyGiftCardSupply: Your Key to Unlock Hulu's Magic Box
A Hulu gift card from MyGiftCardSupply is your golden ticket to the land of unlimited entertainment.
Step 1: Buying a ticket. Venture into the online bazaar of MyGiftCardSupply, and procure a Hulu gift card ranging from $25 to $100. The amount depends on how deep you want to dive into the ocean of Hulu content. Be sure to sign up if you haven't already - think of it as a friendly handshake.
Step 2: Sniff out the code. Once the gift card purchase is complete, you'll receive an email with the precious code. Open it, and gently copy the code.
Step 3: Claim your prize. Stride confidently to Hulu's redemption page, type in your hard-earned code, and create your account. Do remember to use a US address and zip code when signing up – they are quite particular about that.
Step 4: Let the show begin. Slide into Hulu's log-in page and gently type in your shiny new credentials.
Step 5: The Grand Finale. Now it's time to sit back, relax, and bask in the glory of endless entertainment on Hulu. Step into your personal streaming universe and enjoy the show!
Hitching a Ride on iTunes US: Your Unconventional Route to Hulu
Now, let's stroll down a different route, this time, a path known as 'iTunes US.'
Step 1: Set up camp in the Land of Apple. Visit Apple's website and pitch your digital tent by creating a new account. Consider this your personal American outpost in the universe of iTunes.
Step 2: Stock up on provisions. Replenish your digital coffers either directly through iTunes or via a US iTunes gift card, which is akin to your secret stash of apple cider in the cellar.
Step 3: Summon Hulu. Type "Hulu" into the search bar and download the app. Much like calling a pet, it'll come running and install itself onto your device.
Step 4: Enter the realm of Hulu. Use your iTunes funds to either get a shiny new plan or renew an existing subscription, and then log into your Hulu account. This is you officially checking into the grand Hulu Hotel.
Step 5: Savour the spectacle. With all these steps complete, you're now in a position to pay for and enjoy your Hulu account. It's time to kick back and indulge in the smorgasbord of entertainment that Hulu has to offer.
Hopping onto the Hulu Train with a Prepaid US Card: A Thrifty Globetrotter's Guide
Let's now venture down a pragmatic avenue, namely the 'Prepaid US Card' route.
The first station is "Prepaid US Card Central". You'll need to navigate your way to VISA or MasterCard, where you can choose your ticket – the prepaid card.
Next, we arrive at "Funds Station". Here, you need to fuel up your prepaid card. This can be done directly or by transferring money from your bank account, given that your card of choice supports such cheery transfers.
Having acquired your ticket and made sure it's packed with funds, it's time to board the Hulu Express at the "Hulu Account Terminal". Here, you'll need to check-in, select a subscription plan, and jot down the necessary particulars.
We're almost there. The last stop before you start your entertainment journey is "Registration Point". Here, you pay for the service using your shiny new prepaid card. Now, if this doesn't work for some reason, perhaps the ticket machine is being obstinate, don't fret – just try the gift card method instead.
With the ticketing process complete, you're all set to start watching. It's time to sit back, kick off your shoes, and let the Hulu Express whisk you away into a world of non-stop entertainment, right outside of the USA.
PayPal Your Way to Hulu Paradise: A Modern Maverick's Approach
Welcome to the "PayPal method", a trail favored by modern mavericks, digital nomads, and online shopping aficionados.
Begin this journey by constructing your own digital finance fortress – a PayPal account. You'll need to swing by PayPal and ensure you're setting up a US account. Now, it's imperative that you get this right, because Hulu can be a bit snobbish when it comes to foreign PayPal accounts. If setting up a US PayPal account starts to feel like trying to lasso a greased pig, simply revert to our old reliable – the gift card method.
Having established your PayPal account, you're now ready for the next leg of the journey. Head on over to Hulu, strut your stuff, and log in using your credentials.
Next up, it's time to pay the piper... or rather, the subscription. If your account is a newborn, fresh out of the internet womb, you can also kick off a free trial.
With these steps accomplished, it's time to kick back and start watching. Dive headlong into the ocean of your favorite Hulu shows, and swim around in the thrill of it all.
StatesCard: Your Magic Carpet Ride to Hulu Bingeing
Behold, the wonders of StatesCard, the 21st-century magic carpet ride to the land of Hulu bingeing!
Your journey starts at the port of StatesCard, where you'll need to carve out your digital presence by clicking the "Sign Up" button. Having successfully become a part of the club, add a little bit of that digital money to make it official.
Your next stop is Hulu. Log in with your carefully crafted credentials or take a bold step and create a whole new identity for yourself (strictly on Hulu, of course).
Once settled in, it's time to pay the virtual ferryman. Use the card information you secured from your new friend, StatesCard, to pay for or renew your Hulu subscription. If you do this right, you'll have successfully purchased your ticket to endless entertainment.
Having accomplished these milestones, you're now fully armed and ready to embark on the Hulu adventure. Sit back, relax, and let the world of your favorite Hulu shows envelop you.

When it comes to new construction projects, the role of a plumber is essential in ensuring the successful installation of the plumbing system. Plumbers play a crucial role in designing, installing, and maintaining the plumbing infrastructure of residential and commercial buildings. In this article, we will explore the vital role of plumbers in new construction projects, with a particular focus on their significance in Sydney's construction industry.

1. System Design and Planning: Plumbers are involved in the initial stages of a construction project, collaborating with architects, engineers, and contractors to design the plumbing system. They assess the building plans, identify the optimal placement of pipes, fixtures, and drainage systems, and determine the most efficient routing for water supply and waste disposal. Plumbers in Sydney have a deep understanding of local building codes and regulations, ensuring compliance and seamless integration of the plumbing system into the construction project.
2. Installation of Plumbing Infrastructure: Once the design phase is complete, plumbers play a crucial role in the installation of the plumbing infrastructure. They are responsible for laying out and connecting the network of pipes, installing fixtures, such as sinks, toilets, and showers, and ensuring proper functioning of water supply and drainage systems. Professional plumbers in Sydney have the expertise and skills required to handle various plumbing materials, such as copper, PVC, or PEX, ensuring a durable and reliable plumbing system.
3. Collaboration with Other Trades: Plumbers work closely with other tradespeople on the construction site, including electricians, HVAC technicians, and carpenters. They coordinate their efforts to ensure proper integration of plumbing systems with electrical wiring, heating and cooling systems, and structural components. Collaboration is essential to avoid conflicts or issues that may arise during the construction process.
4. Quality Assurance and Inspections: Plumbers conduct thorough inspections of the installed plumbing system to ensure its proper functioning and compliance with safety and building codes. They test for leaks, check water pressure, and verify the functionality of fixtures and drainage systems. Inspections are crucial to identify any issues or deficiencies that need to be addressed before the completion of the construction project.
5. Maintenance and Repairs: Even after the construction project is complete, the role of plumbers continues. They are responsible for providing maintenance services and handling any repairs or upgrades needed in the plumbing system. Regular maintenance ensures the longevity and efficient operation of the plumbing system, minimizing the risk of costly repairs or disruptions in the future.

In Sydney's construction industry, professional plumbers play a vital role in new construction projects. Their expertise, knowledge of local regulations, and ability to work in collaboration with other trades make them indispensable for a successful plumbing installation. When embarking on a new construction project, it is crucial to engage the services of experienced plumbers in Sydneywho can provide reliable, efficient, and code-compliant plumbing solutions.
In conclusion, the role of a plumber in new construction projects cannot be overstated. From system design and installation to quality assurance and ongoing maintenance, plumbers play a crucial role in ensuring the functionality and efficiency of the plumbing infrastructure. In Sydney, professional plumbers bring their expertise and experience to the construction site, contributing to the successful completion of projects and the creation of safe and reliable plumbing systems in residential and commercial buildings.

I have an older PC from 2015 with windows 10. 3 weeks ago I had windows 7 and was having problems with Roblox closing out and my computer being slow, but not crashing. After installing windows 10, I got rid of a malware that I thought was causing the issue.
Since getting windows 10 and clearing the virus/malware, I have started to think that maybe the issue is my CPU/other hardware components. Other things I’ve tried are, deleting things I don’t use for storage, restarting the computer, and updating my driver a bunch. The PC has an lab cable for internet.
Here is my list of devices in the device manager.
Computer- ACPI x64 based PC
Disk Drives- I don’t use disks
Display adapters- GeForce GT 710
DVD/CD-ROM Drivers- hp DVD-RAM GH82N ATA Devices
Processors- AMD FX (tm)-4300 Quad-Core processor (it says the same thing 4 times)
Software Devices- Microsoft Device Association Root Enumerator, Microsoft GS Wavelength Synth, XBOXONE (x2)
Any help would be appreciated, if there is more info needed please list what it is in the replies.

I'm playing SC on an i7 9700f + GTX 1660 + 32GB Ram + 2 1TB ssd drives on Windows 11. I'm playing at 1080p limited to 60 fps (my monitors refresh rate) and consistently get in the low 30's fps wise with an occasional significant dip in physics intensive situations and the cities. All settings on high except clouds which are at medium and the game plays pretty smooth for me.
As an owner of older hardware, I've been told this is pretty good. So I thought I'd share many of the numerous steps I've taken to get the game where it is for me to hopefully help any players with lower spec machines like mine. This will also be an opportunity for me to hear from others with more knowledge or experience on what I may have done wrong or could be doing better
A list of stuff I've done to improve performance in SC (as comprehensive as I could make it, but I may have forgotten some steps):

WINDOWS SPECIFIC

1. Disabled Full Screen optimization and run SC as Admin (Properties panel, Compatibility tab)
   
2. Used Reg Edit to set SC to High Priority
   
3. Whitelisted SC in your PC's antivirus
   
4. Tried playing with Game Mode on and off (Some have reported degraded performance with it on, but I haven't noticed an appreciable difference either way)
   
5. Disabled Windows Game Bar (different from Game Mode)
   
6. Moved my Page File to my second SSD and set it to 1.5x my Ram (48GB)
   
7. Used Empty Standby List to clear the Standby List on my RAM and set it to run automatically at startup
   
8. Used Winaero Tweaker to turn off Windows ad tracking and any unused features (don't need touchscreen controller if you don't have a touchscreen)
   
9. Used Chris Titus Tech Windows 10/11 Toolbox to enable Ultimate Power Performance Plan and to trim even more fat off of Windows
   
10. Used MSI Utility (not Afterburner, this is different) and made sure my Graphics card had the MSI box checked. Some people change the interrupt priority to high as well, but I've heard that can make the game significantly more unstable)
    
11. Used TCP Optimizer to boost my internet performance since SC's performance is heavily impacted by the health of ones internet connection (I have to use WiFi to connect online and average between 85 to 100 ping)
    
12. I ended up adding an AiO cooler to my rig even though my hardware doesn't technically need it and it made a world of difference (But I live in the Deserts of Arizona, USA)
    
13. Used MSI afterburner's auto overclock feature to run a mild, stable overclock (others have reported serious issues between SC and Afterburner. I personally haven't had any though, YMMV)
    
14. Used Riva Tuner Statistics (comes with Afterburner) to frame limit SC to my moniters refresh rate (60Hz/60fps)
    
15. Turned off Core Isolation in the Windows Security settings (this does leave ones device more vulnerable to malicious software however)
    

Something I didn't do because my CPU is older Gen is to turn off E-Cores in my CPU. My CPU doesn't have E-Cores
The other thing I didn't do (because the BIOS on my HP branded proprietary motherboard is hot garbage) is to doublecheck that my RAM is running at its rated clock speed (it isn't and can't)

NVIDIA SPECIFIC

1. Used DDUninstaller to remove my old NVIDIA drivers and reinstalled using NVCleanstall to remove unneeded bloat and tracking software in the drivers
   
2. Used the NVIDIA Profile Inspector (not Control Panel, different utility again) to change NVIDIA Predefined Ansel Usage to Disallow
   
3. Forced off all GSYNC features since my monitor doesn't support it and turned on all rBAR features even though it isn't unsupported on my card (improves fps anyways for some reason)
   
4. Disabled MPO (Multiplane Overlay) using Reg Edit (NVIDIA suggests doing this for their cards and even provides a script file on their website to do it for you and NVCleanstall can do it as well)
   

NVIDIA Control Panel Settings

Image Scaling OFF
Ambient Occlusion OFF
Anisotropic Filtering OFF
Antialiasing (all) OFF
Background Application Max Frame Rate OFF
CUDA - GPUs ALL
DSR (all) OFF
Low Latency Mode Ultra
Max Frame Rate OFF
MFAA OFF
OpenGL GDI Compatibility Auto
Power Management Mode Prefer Max Performance
Preferred Refresh Rate Highest Available
Shader Cache Size 10GB
Texture Filtering - Anisotropic On
Texture Filtering - Negative LOD Allow
Texture Filtering - Quality Performance
Texture Filtering - Trilinear Opt On
Threaded Optimization On
Triple Buffering On
Vertical Sync Fast
Vulkan/OpenGL Auto
I've also placed a user config file in my SC folder with commands I've found in various YouTube videos. I know that some of them either never worked as intended or no longer work, but I'm not sure which ones. So I elected to just leave them in

USER.cfg file

;Default Settings here
; Custom USER.cfg – This is a command in needed to Unlock the Console to accept Commands
Con_Restricted = 0
r_VSync = 0
r_FullscreenWindow = 1
r_BorderlessWindow = 1
;Optional Settings if you have issues
r_MotionBlur = 0
r_ssdo = 1
r_Sharpening = 1.0
r_OpticsBloom = 0
;Shader Config
q_ShaderDecal = 3
q_ShaderFX = 1
q_ShaderGeneral = 3
q_ShaderGlass = 2
q_ShaderHDR = 0
q_ShaderParticle = 2
q_ShaderPostProcess = 1
q_ShaderShadow = 3
q_ShaderSky = 2
q_ShaderWater = 1
r_enable_full_gpu_sync = 0
r_Gen12 = 2
R_displayinfo = 1
sys_spec = 4
;Below set value 1024 x GPU GB
r_TexturesStreamPoolSize = 6144
;Below set value 512 x GPU GB
r_ShadowsPoolSize = 3072
e_ShadowsPoolSize = 3072
e_ShadowsMaxTexRes = 128
e_ShadowsReScale = 40
e_GsmCache = 0
r_AntialiasingMode = 1
r_TexMaxAnisotropy = 16
r_TexMinAnisotropy = 16
r_Sharpening = 0.4
i_Mouse_Accel = 0.0
i_Mouse_Smooth = 0.0
r_DepthOfField = 0
r_ShadowBlur = 0
g_radialBlur = 0
r_HDRBrightLevel = 0
r_HDRBloomRatio = 0
r_ChromaticAberration = 0
r_ssao = 0
r_SilhouettePOM = 0
r_SSReflections = 0
r_ColorGrading = 1
EXPERIMENTAL SETTINGS
r_TesselationTriangleSize = 10
r_TesselationPreTesselateOnGPU = 1
e_Tesselation = 1
e_LodRatio = 10
r_MultiThreaded = 1
ai_NavigationSystemMT = 1
e_ParticlesThread = 1
gfx_loadtimethread = 1
;Below set Value CPU Cores x 2
p_num_threads = 16
sys_job_system_enable = 1
sys_main_CPU = 1
sys_physics_CPU = 2
sys_streaming_CPU = 4
r_FourierShadowsPoolSize = 1024
​
I know that's a lot, but it really made a significant difference in improving my SC experience. Hopefully it helps someone else as well. And like I said in the beginning, if you have any hints or suggestions on how I can improve things even further, please chime in
Fly fast, fly high fellow Citizens
o7

Can I just tighten the silver ring?

Jane Doe

Thanks to my sister for helping me create this hero.
Real name: Unknown
Backstory: Jane Doe mirrors John Doe in almost every way, except for the fact that her personality is inverted and she’s the only successful one, being stuck in a body with cashiers and low level soldiers and such.
Cards:

• Character card:
  • Character card frontside:
    • Name: Controlling Jane Doe
    • hp: 50
    • Nemesis symbol: John Doe
    • Setup: At the start of the game Jane Doe enters play Controlling side up. Shuffle the villain deck and place the top 6-H cards in the villain trash. reveal cards from the top of the villain deck until H -1 shadow cards are revealed, put them into play and shuffle the other revealed cards back into the villain deck.
    • Gametext: At the start of the villain turn, if there are no shadow cards in play, this card deals itself H psychic damage and reveals cards from the villain deck until a shadow card is put into play, put the other revealed cards under the villain deck in any order.
    • flip condition: If at the end of the villain turn there are no cards in the villain turn, Jane Doe flips.
    • Advanced: At the end of the villain turn, Jane Doe deals all shadow cards in play H psychic damage.
    • Challenge, torn personality: At the end of the villain turn play the bottom card of the villain deck.
  • Character card backside:
    • Name: Crazed Jane Doe
    • hp: 50
    • Nemesis symbol: John Doe
    • Gametext: At the start of the villain turn, if there are no shadow cards in play, reveal cards from the top of the villain deck until a shadow card is put into play, then discard the other revealed cards, shuffle the villain trash and put it at the bottom of the villain deck, afterwards, Jane Doe deals all targets except herself 1 psychic damage.
    • Advanced: increase all psychic damage dealt by H-2
    • Challenge, torn personality: At the end of the villain turn play the bottom card of the villain deck.
• Deck:
  • Card #1
    • Name: Private Jane Doe
    • Amount: 3
    • hp: 8
    • Keywords: Shadow
    • Effect: Redirect the first damage dealt to Jane Doe each turn to this card. Whenever this card is dealt damage, it deals x projectile damage to the hero target with the most hp and x/2 (rounded up) psychic damage to the villain card with the most hp. Where x on this card is the amount of damage dealt to this card the last time it was dealt damage. If this card is dealt psychic damage it deals double damage on its next attack (doesn’t stack).
    • Quote: “Fire! that is a direct order soldier!” -Jane Doe; “Lorem Ipsum” vol. 2 #5
  • Card #2
    • Name: Cashier Jane Doe
    • Amount: 3
    • hp: 8
    • Keywords: Shadow
    • Effect: Redirect the first damage dealt to Jane Doe each turn to this card. Whenever this card is dealt damage, play the top x/2 (rounded down) cards of the villain deck, then this card deals the villain target with the highest hp x/2 (rounded up) psychic damage. Where x on this card is the amount of damage dealt to this card the last time it was dealt damage. If this card is dealt psychic damage, double the amount of cards played from the villain deck, the next time it plays cards.
    • Quote: “Come on, even though you’re unsuccessful doesn’t mean I can’t use you.” -Jane Doe; “Lorem Ipsum” vol. 2 #5
  • Card #3
    • Name: Charge
    • Amount: 4
    • Keywords: One-shot
    • Effect: Play cards from the bottom of the villain deck until a shade card is played, then Jane Doe deals each villain target 1 psychic damage
    • Quote: “Charge you imbeciles!” -Jane Doe; “Lorem Ipsum” vol. 2 #5
  • Card #4
    • Name: Psychic disruption
    • Amount: 3
    • Keywords: One-shot
    • Effect: Deal each hero 4 psychic damage, play the top H cards of the villain deck then play the top card of each deck.
    • Quote: “Aaah!” -John Doe; “Lorem Ipsum” vol. 2 #5
  • Card #5
    • Name: Garbage worker Jane Doe
    • Amount: 3
    • hp: 8
    • Keywords: Shadow
    • Effect: Redirect the first damage dealt to Jane Doe each turn to this card. Whenever this card is dealt damage, play the top x/2 (rounded down) cards from the villain trash, then this card deals the villain target with the highest hp x/2 psychic damage. If this card is dealt psychic damage, double the amount of cards discarded, the next time each hero discards a card.
    • Quote: “Take out the trash you idiot!” -Jane Doe; “Lorem Ipsum” vol. 2 #6
  • Card #6
    • Name: Vitality of sacrifice
    • Amount: 3
    • Keywords: Ongoing
    • Effect: Whenever a shadow card is dealt damage, Jane Doe regains x/4 (rounded up) hp.
    • Quote: “Come on! you will give me your life as you lose it.” -Jane Doe; “Lorem Ipsum” vol. 2 #8
  • Card #7
    • Name: You’re all failures
    • Amount: 3
    • Keywords: Ongoing
    • Effect: When a Shadow card enters play, Jane Doe deals that card 2 psychic and all other targets 1 sonic damage.
    • Quote: “You idiots! You don’t do it like that!” Jane Doe; “Lorem Ipsum” vol. 2 #6
  • Card #8
    • Name: Judge, Jury and Executioner
    • Amount: 1
    • Keywords: One-shot
    • Effect: Reveal the top card of each deck, if it doesn’t have the One-shot Keyword, Jane Doe deals the Hero target, that deck belongs to H-1 psychic damage that cannot be redirected.
    • Quote: “I have sat on the most important seats, I am the court!” -Jane Doe; “Lorem Ipsum” vol. 2 #6
  • Card #9
    • Name: Scorched paper
    • Amount: 2
    • Keywords: One-shot
    • Effect: Jane Doe deals all Hero targets 1 Fire damage, Hero cards cannot move between Draw pile and Hand
    • Quote: “If you don’t like the contract, I can burn it for you.” -Jane Doe; “Lorem Ipsum” vol. 2 #5

Appearances:

• “Lorem Ipsum” vol. 2 #4+

Notes: Jane Doe has almost the exact same Backstory as John Doe, but instead of focussing to create a doorway for the voices in her head, she uses anger to push them out. Also, she is the only successful one out of the people in her head and it kinda gets to her. And when John Doe defeats her for the first time she kinda has a mental breakdown.
Meta Notes: My sister gave me the Idea for this character as a Nemesis for John Doe, kinda the same but different.
Gameplay vision: Where John Doe can destroy his shadows to hit harder, Jane Doe has to deal damage to John Doe

I've been working to systematize the digital nomad lifestyle to make the transition easier for others, but also myself.
I hope you find some of these tips to be useful or helpful.
1. Create a Digital Nomad Travel System
Every digital nomad needs a reliable travel system to make the most out of their epic journey around the world. This system should help you research travel destinations, book flights and accommodations, and pack smart.
It will help you with record keeping and serve as a valuable tool. I recommend using Google Sheets or a similar tool as the format for this system which will continue to improve as you travel.
I learned about how to create systems, processes, checklists, and workflows when I was setting up my first online business.
I highly recommend setting up a lifestyle business that generates passive income if you intend to make travel a consistent part of your lifestyle.
At the very least, this system should have:

• Policies
• Flight booking form
• Calendaplanner
• Daily life structure
• Visas
• Travel Tasks

If you don’t want to use Google Sheets, like I do, you can also use other productivity applications like Trello, Asana, or Basecamp.
This level of organization will make the life that comes with being a digital nomad much easier. You can discover more about my system in my article here: https://salvadorbriggman.com/digital-nomad-lifestyle-travel-and-life/
I realize for beginners, this might seem like a lot.
2. Make an Airbnb Checklist
Airbnb is a popular choice for digital nomads when it comes to accommodations.
To make sure you have a comfortable stay, create an Airbnb checklist that includes the amenities you need, such as a strong Wi-Fi connection, a workspace, or maybe a gym.
Not every digital nomad is an entrepreneur or business owner.
However, regardless of your work, I would go even further. Take some time to examine the types of amenities that you require to have the optimal life.
A couple of the ones that are a must for me would be:

• Building must have a gym (or be within 15 minutes)
• Ideally, close to a park or outdoor running area
• Desk to work at and chair with a back
• Must be 20 minutes from public transit
• Must have a kitchen with a stovetop
• Must have a microwave
• Ideally, has a washer in the unit

When traveling, staying in an Airbnb can be a great alternative to traditional hotels. However, unlike hotels, each Airbnb rental is unique and comes with its own set of quirks and idiosyncrasies.
That’s why having an Airbnb checklist is so important. If you plan on staying in hostels our other accommodations, I recommend a checklist for those as well.
An Airbnb checklist helps you ensure that you have everything you need for your stay and that you don’t forget anything important. It can also help you identify any potential issues with the rental before they become bigger problems.
3. Have Goals & Objectives
Setting goals and objectives for your digital nomad lifestyle will help you stay motivated and focused. Create short-term and long-term goals that align with your values and aspirations.
When traveling, it is crucial to set clear goals and objectives to ensure productivity and success. Start by identifying the purpose of your travels, whether it’s to work on a specific project, explore a new destination, or improve your language skills. Next, break down your larger goals into smaller, achievable objectives that align with your overall purpose.
Consider using SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) to ensure that your objectives are well-defined and realistic. Regularly track your progress and adjust your goals as needed.
Some examples include:

1. Visiting a certain number of countries or cities in a specific period of time.
2. Learning a new language or skill while traveling.
3. Building a network of professional contacts in a specific industry or location.
4. Volunteering or giving back to local communities.
5. Maintaining a certain level of physical fitness or health while traveling.
6. Developing a deeper understanding of a specific culture or region.
7. Creating content (such as photos, videos, or blog posts) that can be used for professional or personal purposes.
8. Achieving financial independence or building a sustainable income stream while traveling.

By setting goals and objectives, you can stay focused, motivated, and achieve a successful digital nomad lifestyle.
4. Create a Phone-Based Travel System
Your phone is a powerful tool when it comes to traveling as a digital nomad. Use apps for travel planning, language translation, and navigation to make your journey smoother. Take some time to organize your phone.
Personally, I love using Apple Notes. It’s a powerful and versatile note-taking app that comes pre-installed on all Apple devices. You can use it to organize your thoughts, to-do lists, and important information.
You can also folders and subfolders, allowing you to easily categorize and find your notes. It’s simple to add images, audio, and even sketches to your notes, along with scans of important docs.
I also like how you can lock individual notes with a password or Touch ID, keeping your sensitive information safe and secure.
5. Track Your Travel Expenses / Budget
Keeping track of your travel expenses and budget is essential for managing your finances. It’s also important for monitoring your income and making sure you’re bringing home enough dough. Use a budgeting app or spreadsheet to monitor your spending and plan accordingly.
As someone who is serious about managing my finances while traveling, I highly recommend Quicken as a powerful budget tracking tool. With Quicken, I can easily monitor all of my financial accounts, including bank accounts, credit cards, and investments, all in one place.
The software allows me to set up a budget and track my spending in various categories, such as food, transportation, and accommodations, to ensure that I stay on track and do not overspend.
I also love the alerts and reminders feature that helps me keep up with upcoming bills and due dates, avoiding any late payments or fees.
I also use Google Sheets to manage checklists of budget-related tasks that I perform each month to track my net worth.
Let’s say you’re a digital nomad and your monthly income is $5,000 after tax. You have the following monthly expenses:

• Rent: $1,000
• Groceries: $500
• Eating out: $300
• Transportation: $150
• Utilities: $100
• Internet and phone: $50
• Gym membership: $50
• USA-Related Cost: $600
• Miscellaneous: $250

To budget, you’ll want to make sure that your expenses don’t exceed your income. In this case, your total expenses add up to $3,000, leaving you with $2,000 in disposable income. You can use that money for savings, investing, or any other goals you may have.
By tracking your expenses, you can see where your money is going and adjust your budget accordingly. For example, if you notice that you’re spending too much on eating out, you can cut back and allocate that money to something else, like your travel fund.
6. Monitor Your Work Hours
It’s important to maintain a healthy work-life balance as a digital nomad. Monitor your work hours and set boundaries to avoid burnout.
To monitor your work hours effectively, start by setting clear goals and priorities for each day or week. This will help you to stay focused and manage your time efficiently.
I like using the app WorkingHours to do this.
Next, track the amount of time you spend on each task or project throughout the day using a time-tracking app or a simple spreadsheet. Make sure to also track breaks and other non-work activities to get an accurate picture of your productivity.
It’s also essential to take regular breaks and practice good time management to avoid burnout and ensure a healthy work-life balance.
As a location-independent entrepreneur, this is so important because it will allow you to maintain the same output and productivity that you had in your home country.
7. Digitize Your Mail
As a digital nomad, you may not have a permanent mailing address. You should consider digitizing your mail by using a virtual mailbox service that scans and forwards your mail to you.
One solution is to use a mail scanning service like EarthClassMail, which can receive your mail and scan it for you. To get started, you’ll need to sign up for an account and select a plan that suits your needs. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be given a mailing address to use for all your mail. From there, you’ll need to fill out a change of address form with the USPS to have your mail forwarded to your EarthClassMail address.
Once your mail is received, EarthClassMail will scan the envelopes and give you the option to have the contents scanned or forwarded to you physically. This is a convenient way to stay on top of your mail while on the go.
I would also add this address and a list of the important mail you typically are expecting to receive to your travel syste so that you can monitor it. I would also sign up for mail scanning with USPS so that you’re notified of all incoming mail.
8. Write Down Your Current Schedule
Before embarking on your digital nomad journey, write down your current work schedule and analyze it to see where you can fit in travel. This will help you create a plan that allows you to work and explore the world at the same time.
Writing down your current schedule before traveling can help you maintain key habits and routines that are important for your physical and mental well-being. When you’re traveling, it’s easy to get caught up in new experiences and neglect your usual routines, like exercise, healthy eating, or getting enough sleep.
You would document each day in your current location. A M-F schedule can be as simple as:
7:30 am – Wake up, get dressed, and have breakfast
8:30 am – Commute to work/school
9:00 am – Start work/school
12:00 pm – Lunch break
1:00 pm – Resume work/school
3:00 pm – Head to the gym for workout session
4:30 pm – Finish gym session, take a shower
5:30 pm – Run errands or socialize
7:00 pm – DinneWork More
8:00 pm – Work a bit
9:00 pm – Relax
10:00 pm – Get ready for bed
10:30 pm – Lights out
By documenting your current schedule, you can make sure you carve out time for your essential habits and plan your activities around them. This can help you stay energized, focused, and motivated, even while you’re exploring new places.
It will also allow you to plan out your weekend schedule, and which days you enjoy doing fun activities throughout the week, like checking out cool temples.
Having a clear schedule can also help you avoid overbooking or underutilizing your time, leading to a more fulfilling travel experience. It is also important if you have a job that requires you to clock in.
More Tips: https://salvadorbriggman.com/digital-nomad-lifestyle-travel-and-life/

I have an old badger that’s leaking pretty badly. However, there is no outlet under my sink and the power cable for the disposal just goes into the wall behind the cabinets. I want to replace my badger with a insinkerator 3/4 HP evolution compact. It doesn’t come with a power cable. Can I just unwired the power cable attached to the badger and screw it into the bottom of the new disposal?

I'm in the middle of replacing a range hood with a over the range 1000w microwave.
In the middle of the project, I occured to me that the hood had been wired into a 15 amp circuit shared with the kitchen lights.
I don't have the nameplate for the microwave I'm planning to install (I don't have physical access to it at the moment), but the manual says it can be on either a 15 or 20 amp circuit, and recommends (but does not require) that it be on a dedicated circuit (on the other hand, on the product q & a page, a manufacturer rep answered a question and said it draws 16 amps--i can't square that answer with what the manual says).
The lights that share the circuit include:
A single incandescent light bulb (I'm guessing 60watts or .5 amps), 5 cans (LED bulbs are currently installed, so at most another .5 amps total), and two under -counter light ballasts that claim to be .5 amps each. So the lights, as they are, should draw at most 2 amps (though if you stuck 60 watt incandescents in the cans, that would go up), so I should have 13 amps for the microwave.
By my estimates the circuit should be able to handle this without tripping a breaker. Can I just put it in and cross my fingers?
The alternatives are:
Run a wire off the 20 amp garbage disposal circuit (garbage disposal draws less than 7 amps, per it's nameplate, but it doesn't list LRA if that matters, and note that that still only gets me 13 amps, basically the same as what I'd have on the lighting circuit), or draw off the fridge's 20 amp circuit (again, fridge is rated at 6.5 amps, so it would only leave 13.5 amps for the microwave). Either of those would be a lot more work. Even worse would be having to run an actual dedicated circuit for the microwave, which would completely change the nature of the project, as this is about as far from the breaker box as you can get.
Again, my inclination is to just use the 15 amp lighting circuit that is sitting right there and hope for the best, then reassess if I trip the breaker. At least by staying on the lighting circuit I wont have to worry about the startup draw of the fridge compressor or the LRA of the disposal.

Faction:
Ironblood Kaiserreich (Imperial Federation of Germany)
​
Class:
Ersatz Yorck-class Battlecruiser
​
Background:
In an alternate timeline…
On 29 October 1918, a rebellion broke out amongst the sailors at Wilhelmshaven, with similar unrest breaking out on 3 November 1918 that led to the Kiel mutiny, these events, in which the sailors and workers in both cities began electing workers’ and soldiers’ councils modelled after similar councils of the 1917 October Revolution would be the catalyst that started the German Revolution of 1918-1919. By 7 November, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), specifically the pro-parliamentary Majority SPD (MSPD, to differentiate from the pro-Soviet-styled Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany or USPD) would take charge of the revolution, joining the calls for Wilhelm II to abdicate. Despite the Kaiser’s refusal, Germany’s chancellor, Maximilian von Zähringen, himself the heir to the throne of the Grand Duchy of Baden, would announce that the Kaiser and his son, Crown Prince Wilhelm had already abdicated.
On 9 November, Philipp Shiedemann, the State Secretary under Max von Baden was dining with Friedrich Ebert. As an SPD member was late for the meeting at the restaurant, Philipp Scheidemann would dine directly at the same table as Friedrich Ebert. It was there that both men would receive the news that Karl Leibknecht of the USPD was to announce the establishment of a Soviet Republic. While Shiedemann wanted to maintain the initiative for the MSPD by proclaiming a German Republic instead, he was talked down from doing so by Ebert, citing that the decision must be decided by the constituent assembly. ^\1]) Regardless, Leibknecht would announce the establishment of the Free Socialist Republic of Germany, followed two days later with the signing of the armistice at Compiègne two days later.
The move not to align with the USPD led to a rift between the two wings of the SPD, that would dominate the German Revolution, a fact furthered by Baden and Ebert meeting with General Wilhelm Groener, leader of Germany’s Supreme Army Command. The Baden-Groener Pact, concluded on 10 November, ensured the loyalty of the military and its support against leftist forces, and ensured that the military, limited by the Treaty of Versailles, would remain fully in control by the German officer class. This would prove handy however, as the row between MSPD and USPD deepened when far-leftist groups in the latter broke away to form the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and launch what would become the Spartacist Uprising in January 1919. The uprising was put down by the Freikorps and their leaders were effectively executed, and with the affirmation of Ebert and Baden, those responsible were not court-martialed and the worst offenders suffered lenient sentences, which made the government unpopular with the far-left.
As for the far-right however, while there were still misgivings about the new government, the fact of the matter remained that the monarchy still existed as an official institution, and indeed, many Allied and German leaders, both in support and in opposition to the war, favored transitioning Germany into a full Constitutional Monarchy ^\2]), which would be achieved with the 1919 German Constitution, also known as the Weimar Imperial Constitution. (in reference to the 1871 Constitution also being known as Bismarck’s Imperial Constitution) ^\3]) Although there were considerations to install one of the male sons of Crown Prince Wilhelm to become Kaiser, their young ages (the eldest, another Prince Wilhelm was twelve at the time) and the danger of a regency in such trying times forced the decision to instead put the Crown Prince younger brother, and the Kaiser’s fourth son, Prince August Wilhelm as the new Kaiser, becoming August I of what became known as the German Imperial Federation. ^\4])
The 1920s in Germany would be dominated by the desire to restore the prestige and privileges as to be expected by a European nation, chiefly the withdrawal of Entente troops from the Rhineland. Citing the need to ensure the status quo, the chief negotiator, Gustav Stresemann would negotiate with Britain and France to recognize and abandon its claims to German territory lost during the Great War, in exchange for a loosening of its military restrictions citing the communist threats to the east in the form of Soviet Russia, now the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the communist states that survived from it, the Hungarian Soviet Republic and the People’s Republic of Bulgaria. The result from these negotiations nearly led to a break, as France (itself slowly falling into the grip of far-left politics) not only did not wish to see Germany rearm in any capacity, but was also still keen on trying to detach the Rhineland from Germany (with the far-right even desiring its integration into France) something that had been thwarted by the limited German authorities in the zone as well as by the British who saw an attempt in 1923 and 1925 off, causing financial and diplomatic damage between France and the British. In spite of everything, many of the sides did get something out of the deal in the Treaty of Locarno, with Germany repudiating its claims to lost territories and a loosening of military restrictions in order to assist in seeing off the Communist threat. As part of the Locarno Treaty was a Naval Agreement, ratified by British Parliament and the German Reichstag that would effectively bring Berlin into the Washington Naval Treaty system, setting its maximum tonnage at 35% of the current tonnage in service under the Royal Navy, a move that would anger the French and push them closer to the Soviet Union. ^\5])
One of the results from this was the revival of Germany’s capital ship program, largely left moribund following Germany’s defeat in World War I. Initially, designs were planned for a cruiser with pre-dreadnought-sized main guns to serve as a replacement for the older Braunschweig-class pre-dreadnoughts in order to remain compliant to the old treaty, but with the new naval agreement put in place. The planned ships were canceled and instead development shifted to the construction of a new battlecruiser which was to be laid down by 1929. The design used was to be the old Ersatz Yorck-class design, retaining the 380mm main guns in four twin turrets, as well as her secondaries, twelve 150mm guns in single turrets, but would see the inclusion of Anti-Aircraft armament in the form of 88mm Flak guns in twin turrets and 37mm guns, also in twin turrets. The reasoning for why the Ersatz Yorck design was chosen in a slightly modified form was mainly to avoid stepping on the shells of the British, a design that would largely be viewed as dated by comparison (the original design was completed in 1916, and the planned lead ship was laid down that year, but was never completed due to a shift to U-Boat construction and was ultimately scrapped in 1918) but would serve as a stepping stone towards Germany among equals with the other great powers. The lead ship, which would keep the provisional name as its official name, SMS Yorck, was laid down on 5 February 1929, launched on 19 May 1931 and commissioned on 1 April 1933. SMS Prinz Heinrich (named after the Kaiser’s uncle), originally readopting the old provisional name “Ersatz Scharnhorst” and the second ship in her class would in turn, be laid down on 25 June 1931 at the Kaiserliche Reichsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven (KRW) shipyard. She was launched on 1 April 1933 and commissioned on 12 November 1934. Heinrich herself would be followed by the third and final ship in that class, SMS Friedrich Barbarossa (formerly “Ersatz Gneisenau”), commissioned on 6 January 1936. ^\6])
Heinrich’s career would be dominated by developments wrought outside of Germany. The French Revolution of 1934 by the French Communist Party and its sympathizers led by Maurice Thorez would see the final repudiation of the Versailles Treaty, and in essence began both a naval arms race between France and Germany (the Dunkerques being developed as a response to Germany’s Hipper-class Heavy Cruisers, which in turn, led to the development of the Scharnhorst-class and later Bismarck-class Battleships) and a diplomatic effort between the forces of democracy against the Communist threat posed by the Soviet Union and the newly established French Commune. This diplomatic effort would see a close friendship, though not a formal alliance between Britain and Germany. The alliance (formally known as the Central European Alliance, though informally known as the Tübingen Accord) however would be with a number of states threatened by the spread of Communism across Europe. The battlecruiser herself would find herself involved in affairs with Spain and their civil war and their participation in non-intervention patrols (in reality, supplying arms to the nationalists in the face of French arms and equipment, and ultimately, upon a near Republican-Communist victory, the withdrawal of the Spanish Nationalists and Carlists from Spain)
Heinrich would spend the second half of 1939 and much of early 1940 on drydock for repairs and refit, during which the Second Great War would begin on 6 October 1939 with the Soviet invasion of Poland, a member of the Tübingen Accord. The French, using their tanks to invade the Low Countries in order to circumvent the Westwall, attempted to catch the Germans by surprise in a move that seem like a reversal of the Schlieffen Plan the Germans used against the French in the last war, but this French thrust was kept at bay, with parts of the Province of Hanover and the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg being captured by the Communards, with one instance seeing the titular Grand Duke, Friedrich August II, captured and swiftly executed for the crime of “being born into a family of tyrants.” Fortunately, Heinrich’s refit was to be completed in Kiel, and therefore, avoided having to be evacuated when Wilhelmshaven fell on 25 May 1940.
Upon Prinz Heinrich’s return to service on 6 June 1940, she would take part in a number of convoy escort operations between Germany and Norway after the northern part of the country was occupied by the Red Army. This would become the Mannheim Project convoys, in which Norway’s facilities specializing in the production of deuterium oxide, better known as heavy water would allow the materials to be shipped to Germany for the development of a nuclear reactor, a means to combat the Bolsheviks. Support for this endeavor would be furthered with Britain’s entry into the war in October 1940, and it would be often times when Heinrich would be joined by Battlecruisers HMS Hood or HMS Renown, two ships of whom Prinz Heinrich was originally designed to counter a quarter-century prior.
On 10 July 1942, one such convoy, Convoy WL 252 would be shadowed by French naval forces, led by French battleship Solidarité ^\7]). Dudley Pound, the First Sea Lord ordered the covering force to engage this force, leading to the Battle of the Celtic Sea. This battle, which featured SMS Prinz Heinrich and HMS Duke of York as well as a number of destroyers and cruisers, saw Prinz Heinrich enter into a gunnery duel with Solidarité. While Duke of York was the one who knocked out the battleship’s superfiring and rear turret, it was Heinrich that knocked out Solidarité’s boiler room, leaving her vulnerable to a pummeling by the allied forces, with the battleship’s attempt to get away thwarted by torpedo hits from German torpedo boat SMS S223, which reduced Solidarité’s speed and allowing the battleships to continue their bombardment until, unable to flee and wracked with so many hits, Solidarité capsized and sank. Though a major surface threat was eliminated, WL 252 would find herself sunk by Soviet bombers.
The tide began to turn on the Comintern in 1943 as the British began their slog into Spain and Germany and their eastern allies began pushing the Soviets back, successfully pushing them out of Poland, with Heinrich taking part in bombardment duties in the Gulf of Riga, and providing fire support for the German aerial attack on the Soviet Baltic Fleet at Leningrad. After another brief refit, Heinrich would be sent to Königsburg to retrieve the dead body of Kaiser August after a Soviet agent successfully assassinated the Kaiser on 20 June 1944, leaving the throne in the hands of his son, Alexander Ferdinand, now Alexander I of Germany. The last major actions Prinz Heinrich would take part in was in the Black Sea, supporting Allied incursions into the Black Sea coast of the Russian Soviet Republic, and was one of the few ships that made it into the Sea of Azov, albeit paying for it with a rocket strike that crippled the ship and would spend the immediate post-war years in drydock. The war ended with a defeat for the Comintern, with the communist governments toppled and some nations winning their independence from the defeated powers.
Rapidly made obsolete by newer big gun ships such as the Victoria Louise-class (originally the O-class) and the advent of aircraft carriers, Prinz Heinrich was decommissioned on 24 April 1949. By the request of Alexander I, she would become a museum ship in Wilhelmshaven, G.D. Oldenburg as part of the Friedrich August Memorial Naval Museum.
^\1]: IOTL, Scheidemann would dine at a separate table from Ebert when he got the news. As a result, Scheidemann, of his own accord, would proclaim the German Republic, effectively ensuring that whatever happened, that the monarchy would be abolished entirely. The events in the paragraph serve as the Point of Divergence.)
^\2]: While the German Empire [and in particular the Kingdom of Prussia] did have a Constitution, the Constitution of 1871, in reality the state was always run as a Semi-Constitutional Monarchy with the Kaiser holding significant power in a system that would be popularly called “Prussian Constitutionalism.”)
^\3]: To define the 1919 German constitution ITTL, it’s the Weimar Constitution of OTL, albeit with the powers attributed to the President of Germany in the OTL Weimar Republic instead being placed in the hands of the Kaiser. In essence, the Kaiser would still retain various powers, while losing a number of powers that the position held under the 1871 Constitution. While I could’ve went with something more akin to the 1949 Constitution and have the Kaiser serve in a more ceremonial capacity from the start, the Weimar Constitution was probably the most democratic in many respects for its age, only undone by the constitutional loopholes that would be expected by a constitution for its time, as well as the various extremist groups hatred for the Republic, chiefly the far-right [and in particular the Nazis] who constantly preached that the Weimar Republic was not created by Germans but was actually imposed upon them as part of the hated Treaty of Versailles.)
^\4]: Prince August Wilhelm is, to put mildly, a fairly controversial figure among the Hohenzollern imperial family. Nicknamed “Auwi,” he was a close personal friend of Hans Georg von Mackensen, a diplomat and eldest son of Field Marshal August von Mackensen, said personal friendship implied to have “pronounced homophillic tendencies.” After the abolishment of the German monarchy, he would join conservative nationalist movements and ultimately the Nazi Party in 1930 against the wishes of his father. August Wilhelm’s adoration of Hitler would play a role in the man’s rise to power come 1933, and it was his hope that Hitler would install him or his son on the vacant throne, a hope that would be dashed after the Enabling Act and would be left in the political wilderness.)
^\5]: IOTL, the Anglo-German Naval Agreement was made in 1935, in part due to Britain seeking to limit German expansion by arms reduction, and Germany hoping for an Anglo-German alliance aimed towards the Soviet Union and France, as well as the former’s guilt over what was seen as harsh terms set on the Germans with Versailles.)
^\6]: If the dates do not sound familiar to anyone, these are the dates that the first, second and third Deutschland-class Panzerschiff/Heavy Cruiser were laid down, launched and/or commissioned, with the Ersatz Yorck, now just the Yorck-class Battlecruisers all but replacing the Deutschlands in this timeline.)
^\7]: Basically Communist Richelieu)
—
Prinz Heinrich is the Tier VII Battleship (Tier VI in World of Warships: Legends) representing the Battlecruiser tech tree in Wargaming’s World of Warships. Heinrich represents the Ersatz Yorck-class Battlecruisers, the final battlecruiser design developed by the German Empire. Originally developed as Mackensen-class Battlecruisers, lessons learned from Jutland saw the gun increased to 380mm, utilizing the same guns as the Bayern-class Battleships. Like the Mackensen-class however, the ships were never laid due to the focus shifting to U-Boat construction, and the ships were canceled upon Germany’s defeat and the abolishment of the monarchy in 1918.
​
Namesake:
Prinz Heinrich is named for Prince Henry of Prussia), the second son of Kaiser Friedrich III and younger brother of Wilhelm II (not to be confused with two other Prince Heinrich of Prussia, one being the brother of Frederick the Great (famously known as the prince considered to take the throne of the United States when that was considered) and another the brother Friedrich Wilhelm II). Henry was a career naval officer, serving for some 45 years in the Kaiserliche Marine. During World War I, he was the commander of Germany’s Baltic Fleet, and while the fleet was considered inferior in means compared to Russia’s Baltic Fleet, was able to keep them on the defensive throughout the war until the 1917 Revolutions. After the war, and with the dissolution of the monarchy, Prince Henry left the navy and would live a largely quiet life until his death in 1929.
Historically, only one ship bore the name Prinz Heinrich, a unique armored cruiser launched in March 1900. She would serve as a scouting force flagship and gunnery training ship before World War I, and would take part in the Raid on Scarborough in 1915, before crew shortages led to her decommissioning in 1916.
​
Rarity:
SSR
​
Stat Spread:
As the last of the Imperial German Battlecruisers, Prinz Heinrich sports superb firepower (S) though suffers from fairly poor HP for a Battlecruiser (B) and an atrocious Anti-Aircraft capability (C). She also carries a fairly excellent torpedo stat (A). Her speed and evasion is about average for a battlecruiser (B).
​
Abilities:

• Eisen und Kohle (Iron and Coal): If this ship is equipped with the Twin 380mm Drh LC/1913 main gun, increase this ship’s crit chance by 10% (30%) and decrease this gun’s dispersion by 3.
• I’m My Own Master Now!: Decrease the loading time of this ship’s main guns by 20% (40%). When this ship fires her main guns, fire a unique barrage with damage based on skill level.
• Let’s Race!: If sortied with an Ironblood Destroyer, increase the Speed and Evasion of all Ironblood Vanguard ships by 3 and 5% (10%) respectively.

​
Personality:
Prinz Heinrich is a woman who is shown to be very confident and inspires such confidence in others. A very sporty individual, she is an avid fan of yachting and formula racing (her namesake also being as such, with the latter having a contest named in his honor, and was the precursor to the German Grand Prix today). As such, she is very skilled in maintenance, both for her rigging and in regards to boats, planes and cars. Though she can talk at length about her interests, she does tend to space out when it comes to other matters.
​
Quotes:

• Acquisition: Guten Tag, Kommandant! My name is Prinz Heinrich, Battlecruiser of the Ironblood. Hey, your port seems big enough to fit a racetrack in!
• Secretary (Idle) 1: It’s so dull and drab here, don’t you wanna cut loose and have fun?
• Secretary (Idle) 2: Heh, I wonder how many other factions have ships that didn’t get built.
• Secretary (Idle) 3: I’ve met the other Prinz Heinrich. I like her a lot, but man, it takes a while to explain things to her.
• Secretary (Touch): Hey, it tickles!!!
• Secretary (Special Touch): Enough! You will treat an Ironblood royal with respect!
• Skill Activation: Time to claim the checkered flag!
• Affinity (Disappointed): If you don’t want to race, then stay off the course!
• Affinity (Stranger): I didn’t have a history, Kommandant. But I don’t care about it. Today, history begins here!
• Affinity (Friendly): When you’re going high speeds, it doesn’t hurt to learn to drift, gotta stay the course, even if you need a little course correct, right?
• Affinity (Like): Whether in battle, out in the open sea or in a grand prix, sometimes you’ve gotta be in it to win it! Hehe, isn’t that right Kommandant?
• Affinity (Love): Life only lasts for a fleeting moment. So why waste time looking to the past and why waste time worrying about the future? As every racer should, seize the moment and live for today, because tomorrow’s another day!
• Oath: I’m glad to hold on to this ring, now come and take my hand, I wanna go drive off into the sunset, just you and me~!
• Sortie (Mackensen): Hey, I’m not joking!
• Sortie (Zieten): Why do you have to be so cold?
• Sortie (KMS Prinz Heinrich): Woohoo! This is so much fun!!!
• Sortie (Hood): You look so graceful out there on the course, look at you!
• Sortie (Renown and/or Repulse): You two are like birds of a feather, just flocking together~!
• Sortie (Scharnhorst and/or Gneisenau): Nope, don’t look ugly to me!
• Sortie (Alaska): You look like you’re ready to punch someone’s lights out.
• Sortie (Graf Spee): Hey Deutschland, can I keep her?
• Sortie (König): I’ll show you my boat if you show me yours!

​
Design:
Prinz Heinrich is depicted as a woman in her early twenties with short white hair and bright silver, almost supernaturally glowing, eyes. Her attire borrows greatly in its inspiration from that of the Scharnhorst-class designs (in-reference to the design being used as a base for the later Scharnhorst-class Battlecruisers/Battleships) as well as her in-game namesake. A sleeveless white sweater with a black collar (which contains a pair of gold iron cross pins on each side of the collar) that runs down her torso, with detached white sleeves with black cuffs, also sporting gold iron cross pins). Heinrich wears a white skirt with black trim on the hem that runs down to her lower thighs, with white stockings and gray shoes rounding out the attire.
Heinrich’s rigging is in essence, a larger version of Mackensen’s rigging (in reference to the Ersatz Yorck’s being originally ordered as three Mackensen’s) A pair of lifelike, mechanical fish like rigging, one on each side, and each sporting two pairs of 380mm guns, with secondaries lining the side, all in a gothic-styled architecture.
​
A/N:
With the release of Tier VII's Prinz Heinrich, that marks the end of the Imperial German phase of Operation Weissenburg, as the next three ships in the tech tree (of which only Tier VIII & X will be covered in upcoming CC's) are, according to Wargaming's Cinematic Universe, designed in 1944, in the tail end of the Nazi era in Germany...
...except not really, as all three ships were actually paper designs developed during the late Imperial era, specifically various battlecruiser draft designs dated to the early spring of 1918. Shoutout to u/Hamartia_CL08 for doing the historical basis of the PR ships, as he did the basis for the design of one of these BC's, KMS Prinz Rupprecht, who is the Tier IX Tech Tree Battlecruiser. Both KMS Zeiten at Tier VIII and KMS Schlieffen at Tier X also follow this mentality, and I will get to those when we get to their concepts in the coming weeks.
As always, if you want to suggest a ship or retrofit in the future, please leave it in the comments below, you can also reach me via DM's to make your suggestions as well. Now about two years ago, I've covered a Character Concept of ARA General Belgrano, the story of USS Phoenix and her cursed career in Argentina, being on the recieving end as the second post World War warship sunk by a submarine overall and only ship to be sunk by a SSN at that. Well, it's funny how things pan out as we take a look at that self-same sub that fired its torpedoes into history, the third of the Churchill-class SSN's, HMS Conqueror (S48).
Link to the list of ships

Preface

I originally wrote this like a year ago and it's been sitting in my drive since. I really need to start busting out a lot of the half finished content I have so here's the first one! I did a fresh review of the documents and made some edits but I'm sure there's some mistakes. I have many more in store but no ETA on when I'll get to them.
Like most things I create this should be viewed as an ongoing document to be improved and carried into the future. Feel free to suggest improvements in the comments! There's already a lot of organization to be done by creating lists with a lot of my suggestions for easy reference.

Introduction

OPSEC is a ongoing assessment of your threat model and allowable risks against your implemented security measures. Threat model would be how we might get investigated by law enforcement (LE) and subsequently arrested or it might be how we prevent any malicious actors from using this info to bring you harm. Allowable risk is how much you really think you're going to get nailed for buying bark online or buying lab equipment off Amazon, it could even be how much you risk telling your neighbours who might perceive it as a meth lab and call the cops.
Not all of the factors and risks discussed in this post will apply to you but that's to be expected. The point is that you thought about it, assessed it's merit and reacted appropriately to protect yourself. Sometimes it's not about realistic threats as much as it's about piece of mind but if you find yourself constantly stressed about your OPSEC then it's time to re-evaluate your posture. If that stress is irrational, unreasonable and persisting you may be a victim of FUD; fear, uncertainty, doubt. A chronic disease that wastes away the sanity of good folk, the only known cure for FUD is cold, hard, facts preferably ingested in the form of well research studies, experiments and expert opinions.

Your Personal Responsibility

Loose lips sink ships and this remains true when you move up the chain to become your very own drug manufacturer. So let's keep this between us, the special people you hold close and curious like minded folk so they can venture on their own journey.
Depending on where you live, posting about this sort of project online in connection with your real identity could be quite costly to your future and freedom, be sure to manage this accordingly and when it doubt just shut the fuck up okay?

Location and Work Area

Simply put, if you don't own or pay for the place then I can't condone extracting in someone else's house. Please wait until you're in an appropriate living situation before extracting anything as it could land them in serious legal trouble or lead to injury as they are unaware of these powerful chemicals in their house. If you have roommates then I suggest you get their input on the matter but at the very least keep it all contained within the confines of the space you pay for exclusive access to. You should be considerate of the smells and fumes emitted during an extraction and mitigate them with sealing and ventilation where appropriate?
It is possible to easily extract on a small table in your bedroom closet for the large majority of an extraction but not every work area is suited for every tek. An A/B where you reduce litres of water would be a struggle in a bedroom closet without adequate ventilation but is perfect for a basic STB. Overall I would argue that STBs are the stealthiest form of extraction requiring the least variety of items and ingredients, don't require heating (not that any tek truly does), have the least steps and are a breeze for even the greenest novices.
Avoid leaving your extraction materials out for long periods of time, cleaning then putting them away and taking out as needed is recommended is a good hygiene practice so you're not caught with direct evidence or lots of equipment out in the open. Ensure everything is sealed firmly and packed properly when storing using padding as needed, store them inside an opaque container away from view. When you're done clean your work area by wiping it down, disposing of any garbage properly by concealing it in opaque bags, freshen the smell if necessary and conceal anything that may be left out like when evaporating solvent. When I would evap something I would simply put it in a card box outside on the desk, a mesh screen keeps solid materials out and air flowing.

Digital Safety

If you wish to bolster your digital opsec posture then https://privacyguides.org/ is one of the best resources for up to date info on software that protects your digital freedom: OS, encryption, messaging, password storage, search engines, metadata (EXIF) removal tools, etc. There is lots here.
Any OS is fine for our purposes as long as you take a few steps to guard it. Local disk encryption is a must and can be achieved easily on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android or iOS if not already on by default and ensure you have a sufficient lock screen password/pin, biometric locks are not secure since they can be used against your will. Take the time to go through your settings to ensure things like screen timeout are set to appropriate levels. Phones in particular contain a lot of data on you so take the time to ensure it is well secured.
When communicating with like-minded people I suggest you use messaging apps like Signal which has been proven effective by government subpoenas, be sure to leverage its feature set like local encryption, screen lock timeout, disappearing messages/photos and sealed sender, optionally it can be routed over Tor or a VPN but this will be overkill for almost all of you and is not recommended. When setup with a password Signal can also act as a vault for any photos you take hiding them from other apps and the view of other, simply take the picture and send to your own number and it will save as a note-to-self.
The signal app by default will wipe EXIF/metadata when a photo is saved inside the app. If you're not using Signal then I would suggest an app from this list here. For desktop I use ExifCleaner which is a great option and very easy to use but MAT2 is another method you can look at, with these tools you can also see what is being removed for comparison sake. The most important EXIF to wipe is location data if that is not already clear but camera, device and dates can also be of concern.
In my opinion nothing sensitive should remain on your phone forever. If you have photos you absolutely must (or just want I guess) keep I suggest moving them to desktop or cloud storage with strong encryption and access controls, not Google drive! Check out here for more details on encryption options. For Windows encryption on Windows you can use Veracrypt for both full disk encryption (FDE), single files and storage containers, storage containers are a great compromise for those not willing to FDE as they provide similar levels of protection but in a smaller package. I don't recommend using hidden containers unless you are an advanced user. For Debian based linux distros you can enable LUKS during install for FDE along with encrypting your home folder. Remember that encryption only works if they can't login freely so be sure to shutdown your devices when you're away from it for extended periods. Syncthing can be used to regularly move content off your phone to a safer location.
When talking encryption you absolutely must talk passwords or else all if for naught, I highly suggest getting a password manager mentioned here. Use different, long randomly generated passwords for each site and same goes for your master password, learn a but more on creating a good password here. I have passwords over 40 characters in length using Snowden's advice

• 3ATINGr1nkSnak3*[email protected]?YES!

Which translates to:

• Eating Rink Snake Stars at 2pm? Yes!

As a general example I just made up and if you want it even longer....

• 3ATINGr1nkSnak3*[email protected]?YES!3ATINGr1nkSnak3*[email protected]?YES!

Yes, that's right, just fucking double it! Simple as shit and makes your password far too long to crack. Having it written down somewhere on a destructible piece of paper until you learn by memory is HIGHLY suggested, when writing it should differ from your actual password by leaving out parts:

• 3ATINGr1nkSnak3*[email protected]?YES!

Could become:

• 3ATINGr1nkSnak3*[email protected]?YES!
• EATINGrinkSnakeStarsAt2?YEP
• Eating rink snake stars at 2 okay

Test and access/decrypt it frequently so you can get use to typing it early on. I use Bitwarden which is cloud based but I don't mind the risk as I have strong password practices and I don't have to maintain my password vault. If you would rather use local encryption KeePassXC is the best option but be warned that if you experience any kind of disaster to your storage you lose everything, you must back up your encrypted vault to offline media like a few flash drives or SD cards and keep them in separate safe locations, SD cards in particular can hidden in the smallest of spaces. Always save your created passwords/logins before entering them password into a website to avoid losing them accidentally.
For browsing, any browser using a private/incognito mode is really all you need. For enhanced protection FireFox or any other browser shown here with the correct settings is probably enough. You can also use your password manager to store links and keep them out of anyone's view. For email I recommend you use something from this list but I personally use protonmail. For enhanced security you can use multiple emails when creating login details for websites. I recommend using your real name when ordering since receiving packages in somebody else's name is about as suspicious as it comes, additionally if you needed to claim the package you would be out of luck.

Buying Supplies

Yes the screenshots of amazon suggesting us our entire equipment sets are funny but they do highlight a problem of how specific and identifiable our purchasing habits can be. Whenever possible I would suggest diversifying your spending habits, some examples of this include but not limited too

• Swapping cash, prepaid credit cards or gift cards into the mix
• Buying 2nd-hand with cash
• Mix purchases between physical stores and various online retailers.
• Buying small amounts or only what you need.

There is nothing inherently wrong or illegal about buying this equipment but in conjunction with bark and other evidence it could be construed as extraction equipment which is why cleaning and proper storage can be so important.
There's two routes you can go when it comes to DMT extraction equipment, the lab equipment route or the home equipment route. Lab equipment are purpose made so they do an excellent job and increase safety significantly when used right. Home equipment is mega stealthy and cheap but with it you are often compromising your own safety. Virtually everyone strikes a balance in this regard to suit their tek and flavour of risk, something to consider when choosing your tek.

Closing

The best judge on which scenarios to protect against is you! OPSEC should be something you own as a whole so doing some critical thinking will be necessary to achieve your goals.
When in doubt, STOP and seek help from your fellow extractors on what is your best course of action.

'sup
~Praface~
Hello and welcome to LSCCw/EX1N: FO9MYOUA! (Lisk-with-ex-ihn: fog-myoh-uh) Rolls right off the tongue.
So, you've procrastinated. Or, understandably, you've finally got the shards you need from the fragment mine. Or possibly you just lucked into an EX ticket Nora and are willing to spend 2200 lapis.
In any case, you may be wanting to rank 1 CoW while you got the time. Well, in this installment of a one part series with no prior episodes, I'll do my... best? ... my moderate amount of my capabilities with a team suggestion.
Main reason for making this was 'cause I finally managed a clear and the squad was a buncha 9 months older units and Abigail. So players are comparatively more likely to have some of these fellas EX3. Plus, they're just cool and Olive is the bestest.

THE BEAST

Boss Overview:

More informative people than I have already discussed Beowolf, so I'll just state it in a way that made my head remember while playing. The boss does a bit of a 3 turn rotation;

• Field -> Stat Breaks + Mag AoEs -> Acc down + Phys AoE(s) repeat
  
  • Exception being turn 9 where the boss will Phys and Mag AoE instead of refreshing his field.
• Intensity increases as battle goes on. More attacks, per rotation.
  
  • Notably for the physical AoEs: 1 AoE turn 2, 2 AoEs turn 5, 3 AoEs turn 8 (and one more turn 9)
• Additionally, 10% hp regen when below 50% HP
  

The Squad

Sylvie The Paladin:

• 2 100% Lightning imbue
• Lightning imbue
• 5 Mirages 5 turns
• Killers: Demon 250% ST/150% AoE
• 100% Acc if you no Nora
• Atk/Mag dispel for turn 7 with her STMR sword
• LB mod boost

Helena Nora the Explora:

• 200% Acc
• 35% Imperil Field
• AoE Killers: 150% Beast, Machine, 250% self
• 135% imperil
• LB mod boost

Kaito I only use his Brave Shift, Kaito:

• 90% Everything breaks; Atk/Mag in BS LB, Def/Spr at 150% Morale
• Killers: Demon, Machine 200% AoE
• Perfect Dispels, CD and Normal Attack (BS only)

Olive BB Olive:

• Damage
• Self Killers: 200% Beast, Machine
• 85% Breaks, 90% Spr on SLB

Chizuru RIP Samurai Mom Icon:

• Damage
• Killers: 150% Beast AoE, 250% Self

Eileen Abigail:

• Magic Tank
• Morale Gain
• Perfect Dispels

It often slips my mind when thinking about how replaceable Nora is, but the LB mod boost definitely enable Olive and Chizuru to be pretty strong units this CoW, epecially combined with their innate killers.

Turns

My favorite part of this team is how they all can EN chain, and yet sometimes none at all on the same turn.
As my notes say, Nora has EN until she's locked out with her non-damaging SLB, Chizuru only has 3 turns of it with a 2 turn cooldown on her BS, and Olive is only on SLB.
It genuinely feels like the most unsynergetic compositions I've used, but that's what made it more important, and fun, to figure out how best to coordinate them.
I mostly play by ear, so I don't have a complete turn chart, but I'll give the important stuff:
Make sure Sylvie evade and passive provokes in slot further left of Mag Tank. Don't forget to hit with Lightning, Fire or Dark every turn. Dispel the boss' buffs. Mirage and/or Omni-cover the Phys AoE turns.
Preemptive: Def/Spr Field + 50% Def/Spr buff

1. Breaks + 2x Mag AoE
   • Someone: Dispel buffs
   • Nora: Field
2. Acc Down + Phys AoE
   • Nora: Imbue, Killers, and Acc buff
   • Chizuru: Beast Killer
3. Field + 50% all stats
   • Nora: Field
   • Someone: Dispel
   • Olive: SLB
   • Chizuru: Taivas' Spirit
4. Breaks + 2x Mag AoE
   • Sylvie 100% Lightning Amp
   • Chizuru: Shift, BS LB
5. Acc Down + 2 Phys AoE
   • Nora: SLB
6. Def/Spr Field + 100% Atk/Mag
   • Burst (as in do all your damage, not the FFBE spell)
7. Breaks + 5x Mag AoE
   • Nora: Field
   • Sylvie: Amp
   • Someone: Dispel
8. Acc Down + 3 Phys AoE
   • Nora: Magnus AmpStore last action
   • - Make sure her Acc buff is up next turn
   • Taivas' Spirt Chizuru
9. Phys AoE + Mag AoE
   • burst (also not referring to the spell)
10. Boss dead or dies here or no rank 1
    • Sylvie: Fill Chizu LB with magnus if needed: Else, refresh mod buff
    • Chizuru: LB again
    • Olive: Magnus big boosts Doubleshot too.

The Chart Edit:
As per u/Kordrun's suggestion, here's basically what I did. I think slightly adjusted. Should work.

Turn	What the Dog Doin'?	Abigail	Sylvie	Nora	Kaito	Chizu	Olive
1	Breaks, 2x AoE Mag	Cover, Type-F+, Contingency Plan	Burgeoning, Vines, Bolt Egg	Entrap Field, Living4 2 (fill w/ Chizu), Burst (FFBE), something not her CDs	Deep/Destable spam	Eastern, Strong Sam, Staunch	Splash Splash Markshooter Ammo
2	Accuracy, AoE Phys	Anything that fills Morale, like her Racist miti Breaks	Cheer Cheer Cheer	Adreniline, Eso Lit, Conquer, Conquer	Keep spamming	Beast Pulvizer	Splash Splash Markshooter Ammo
3	Fields + 50% all stats	SLB	BS LB	Last with Olive; LB	Downpour, morale filling spam	Taivas	SLB
4	Breaks, 3x AoE Mag	Morale or LB fill, whichever	Blessed Lit I, Cheer, Cheer	EnFieldment, BS chains, Accuracy I guess?	Keep Morale filling spam or Downpouring	BS LB	SplashSplash, Woman Ammo, Shoot
5	Acc Down, 2x AoE Phys	Biothermal, Data Anal, something	Poach best DD, Defense, Offense	SLB	Crashing Natural Dead (90% breaks)	{something}	Gunna, Woman, Ammo, Shoot, FIRE! CANNON FIRE!
6	Field + 100% Atk/Mag	SLB	BS LB	LB	BS LB	BS LB	SLB
HP Lock Notes	Hit HP Lock here	Adjust below to	stay 50% HP before	bursting on turn 9 and 10	To avoid uneeded regen	Or burst to 39 or less	to ensure KO on turn 9
7	Breaks, 5x AoE mag	Type-F+, Cover, IDK	Blessed Lit I, Demon, Bolt Egg for turn 10	Entrap, Eso Lito, ConConQuerQuer	Force Torrent in case fail to KO turn 10. And something else I guess	Beast Pulp maker	Splash Splash Woman Ammo Shoot
8	Acc Down, 3x AoE Phys	Barja Fill I guess?	BS LB	Adreniline, Enigma twice, Tormentia	Downpour Strux	Taivas'	Splash Woman Ammo, Shoot, FIRE! CANNON! FIRE!
9	AoE Phys, AoE Mag	Methodic if evade built, else Just contingency , Barja LB Fill	Poach best DD, I dunno Clever?	LB	BS LB	BS LB	SLB
10	I don't care, if he's barking, pull the pug on him.	LB fill Chizu or support chain Nora	If Chizu unfilled, IGYB Chizu; if filled, BS LB	Eniquad Wave	Blase Storm	BS LB	stuff, stuff, stuff, FIRE CANNON! FIRE!, Dualshot

Proof of Concord kept Clear: Here
That's just about what worked for me. Just spam all the morale filling in the beginning, and when you start the big bursts, make sure to keep Kaito's breaks and killers up.
I'm sure there's better optimizations. Turn 6's burst prob doesn't even need Sylvie amp to hit the HP lock if you keep DPT up while filling up morale. Using the amp on turn 7 and 8 could help finish up the fight better.
I hope this could help someone out.
Good luck out there, Summoners!
... Or, are we Rains? Knights of Grandshelt? Visions? Gosh, this was all so much simpler in Brave Frontier.