Friday, August 27, 2021

Lolli Partners With Stubhub — Users Can Earn Bitcoin Back on Tickets to Live Events

https://news.bitcoin.com/lolli-partners-with-stubhub-users-can-earn-bitcoin-back-on-tickets-to-live-events/

Lolli Partners With Stubhub — Users Can Earn Bitcoin Back on Tickets to Live Events (x-post from /r/Cryptocurrency)

https://www.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pd441q/lolli_partners_with_stubhub_users_can_earn/

Crypto Daily News from ZBG Exchange

1. Market Wrap: Bitcoin and Stocks Rise on Dovish Fed

Bitcoin returns above $48,000 as risk rally continues.

Bitcoin rose along with stocks on Friday after a weeklong consolidation below the $50,000 resistance level. The cryptocurrency was trading at around $48,000 at press time and is up about 2% over the past 24 hours.
On Friday, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell reiterated that the central bank could taper asset purchases later this year as inflation gains appear to be temporary. Powell’s comments contributed to a weaker dollar and higher bitcoin price as concerns about a more immediate taper, or a winding down of the Fed’s monthly bond purchases, were put at ease.
“Certain crypto analysts see tapering as an issue for bitcoin speculation as quantitative easing is thought to give investors the liquidity to invest in riskier assets,” Jonas Luethy, a trader at the U.K.-based digital asset broker GlobalBlock told.
“This summer’s main event for stimulus expectations is over, and risky assets are rallying after Powell delivered a dovish taper,” Edward Moya, an analyst at foreign exchange broker Oanda told.
Latest Prices
Bitcoin (BTC): $46,386, +2.8%
Ether (ETH) $3,064, +3.8%
S&P 500: 4509.4, +0.9%
Gold: $1,818.6, +1.5%
10-year U.S. Treasury yield closed at 1.307%, versus 1.349% Thursday
Bitcoin price pattern
There has been a clear pattern of bitcoin buying toward the end of the week and profit-taking toward the middle of the week, according to research by FundStrat, a global advisory firm.
Bitcoin is recovering from a pullback this week, and appears to be tracking the weekly price pattern as shown in the chart below. The BTC price returned to above $48,000 at press time.
“While we are uncertain what the drivers behind this pattern are, we will look to see if we can once again complete our weekly smile,” FundStrat wrote in a Wednesday newsletter, referring to the concave shape of the price pattern.

2. Square’s Jack Dorsey Plans to Build Decentralized Bitcoin Exchange

The Square and Twitter CEO first announced plans to create an “open developer platform” in July.

Square and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, tweeted on Friday that TBD, payment giant Square’s new division focused on creating an open developer platform, is planning to build a decentralized bitcoin exchange.
“Help us build an open platform to create a decentralized exchange for #Bitcoin,” Dorsey tweeted.
Mike Brock, who was named to lead the initiative, tweeted separately that “this is the problem we’re going to solve: make it easy to fund a non-custodial wallet anywhere in the world through a platform to build on- and off-ramps into Bitcoin. You can think about this as a decentralize[d] exchange for fiat.”
“We’d love for this to be Bitcoin-native, top to bottom,” Brock wrote. He also noted that the platform would “be entirely developed in public, open-source, open-protocol,” and that any wallet would be able to use it.
Brock noted “gaps around cost and scalability,” and that TBD needed “a solve for exchange infrastructure between digital assets, like stablecoins.”
In July, Dorsey wrote in a series of tweets that Square would launch the new business to make it easier to offer non-custodial, decentralized financial services.

3. Ethereum Faces Chain Split as Node Operators Fail to Update Geth Hotfix

Geth is the most relied upon software to connect to the Ethereum blockchain.

Ethereum is experiencing a chain split due a number of network validators, also called nodes, failing to upgrade their software.
On Aug. 24, the developer team behind the popular Ethereum software client Geth released an emergency hotfix to a security vulnerability in its code that would have prevented certain users from producing blocks.
The Go Ethereum team had disclosed a vulnerability on Aug. 18, saying they would release a patch, but did not specify the exact nature of the vulnerability in an effort to prevent an attack:
“The exact attack vector will be provided at a later date to give node operators and dependent downstream projects time to update their nodes and software,” wrote Ethereum team lead Péter Szilágyi in Aug. 24 GitHub patch notes.
However, it would seem some users identified the exploit that was hotfixed by the Geth team and are currently exploiting older versions of the Geth software.
Though the Geth team emphasized that all users should upgrade their software immediately, only about 30% of users have upgraded to the latest version, according to data from ethernodes.org.
As background, Geth is the most relied-upon software to connect to the Ethereum blockchain, being run by roughly 75% of the users.

4. Cardano’s ADA Token Surges as Fresh Buyers Jump In

The coming launch of smart contracts into the network is providing a boost, one research firm said.

Cardano’s ADA token surged Friday, pushing the gains this month to 112%, as the price fast approaches its all-time high.
ADA was trading at $2.84 at press time, up 12% over the past 24 hours, according to data from Messari.
The number of wallet addresses holding the asset for fewer than 30 days has increased by 10%, compared with last month, possibly a sign that fresh buyers are coming in, according to data from crypto research firm IntoTheBlock.
“With the imminent launch of Cardano’s smart contracts, ADA is experiencing a boost in short-term interest,” IntoTheBlock wrote Friday in a tweet.
Cardano’s long-awaited smart contracts feature is set to go live on Sept. 12.
“For this upside to continue, capital needs to come from somewhere,” said Denis Vinokourov, head of research at Synergia Capital.
“What I am asking is what ecosystem will capital leave to enter Cardano? Or is it going to be ‘new capital’? Who will suffer because of Cardano’s revival?” said Vinokourov. He noted that a lot of capital has gone into solona, polygon and, more recently, avalanche.
“The likes of bitcoin cash (BCH) and EOS will likely continue to underperform,” Vinokourov said. “These two behemoths are from the same era, but Cardano has managed to continue to innovate.” The chart for long-term holders — “hodlers” in crypto-speak — shows the significant growth seen in the last two months.

5. India Could Launch CBDC Trials Later This Year, According to Central Bank Governor

Deputy Governor T. Rabi Sankar said the central bank is studying matters related to security and the broader impact a CBDC would have on monetary policy.

Trials for an Indian central bank digital currency (CBDC) could begin by December, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said.
The central bank is studying matters related to security and the broader impact a CBDC would have on monetary policy, Das told CNBC Thursday.
“I think by the end of the year, we should be able to — we would be in a position, perhaps — to start our first trials,” he said.
Das said the RBI is exploring whether a digital rupee would harness blockchain technology or use a centralized ledger.
RBI Deputy Governor T. Rabi Sankar said in July that a digital rupee would reduce the use of cash and protect citizens from the volatility of cryptocurrency.
Among major economies, China is leading the way in the development of a CBDC. Its digital yuan, or eCNY, has been undergoing trials in various cities around the country for several months.
South Korea and Sweden appear the next most advanced in developing digital currency after China.

Founded in July 2018, ZBG is a Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange, a global platform of ZB.COM.

ZBG.com has quickly become one of the top 10 exchanges in the world with its innovative, efficient and global operations, and is known as a “New First-Tier” exchange.

Currently, ZBG supports 11 languages, with an average daily activity of more than 160,000, providing over 3 million users around the world with trustworthy cryptocurrency trading, contract trading and other crypto asset investment services.

In the future, ZBG will continue to expand its global market and provide stable, safe and fast blockchain project listing, diversified crypto assets and blockchain derivatives investment services to more blockchain enthusiasts around the world.

ZBG Official English (Telegram): https://t.me/ZBG_Exchange

ZBG Official Chinese(Telegram): https://t.me/ZBG_ChineseOfficial

ZBG Official Bangladesh (Telegram): https://t.me/zbgbangladesh

Twitter：https://twitter.com/ZBG_Exchange

ZBG, World’s top 10 crypto currency exchange.

Link to future value!

ZBG Team

August 28, 2021

[WTS] JSB Pours, GAW and Customer Appreciation Bar

Verification

GAW - I really appreciate all the support I have received from this community so I want to do a little give away. All you have to do is comment "GAW" and I will assign you a number. I will pick a winner on Saturday. The prize will be a JSB Beskar Trade Dollar (USA ONLY! - Will be shipped in a standard, non-machinable (hand sorted) envelope without tracking unless you combine shipping with an order or decide to otherwise pay for shipping with tracking)

Customer Appreciation - The 10 ozt Sunshine Bar is claimed, so to extend the appreciation I am just going to give every repeat customer some sort of discount. No promises on what I can do but I guarantee it'll be more than $1 lol

Details below, please let me know if you see any errors. If the price seems too good to be true, it’s a mistake and if it seems too high let me know.

*Anyone I tag that doesn't want to be tagged in future sales, let me know. I take no offense. Anyone that wasn't tagged that wants to be tagged in future sales, let me know.

***Shipping alert for new buyers - I ship orders once a week. I do this for many reasons, most importantly to ensure I have adequate time to pack all orders safely. Proper packing is the only real insurance we have. Anyone that has received a package from would attest to the thoroughness of my packaging.

$5 off Encased Coin/Round Center Cuts

$49 - 1.5 ozt (47.7 grams) Encased Zombucks Bar

$40 - 1.2 ozt (38.5 grams) Encased Star Bar

$43 - 1.3 ozt (41.2 grams) Encased ASE Bar

$36 - 1.1 ozt (35.5 grams) Encased ASE Round

$43 - 1.3 ozt (41.8 grams) Encased Silverbug Round

$43 - 1.3 ozt (43.3 grams) Encased Morgan Round

$43 - 1.3 ozt (41.3 grams) Encased Zombucks Round

$20 - 0.4 ozt (14.7 grams) Encased Libertad Round

-Prototype Cast Items

**Deep discount - $50 - 1.4 ozt (46.3 grams) - Bartering Round - This piece carries an interesting story. Basically my best friend and I met on opposing sides of the negotiation table and hated each other. Come to find out, we were destined to be the best of friends.

$120 - 2.9 ozt (90.4 grams) #1 Headband Bar (Afro Samurai)

$67 - 1.4 ozt (43.6 grams) Never Surrender

$45 - 0.9 ozt (29.67 grams) FF7 Meteor

-General Stock Cast Items

**Discount - 1 ozt Beskar Bar (Made by JSB) - $45 each

5 ozt breaker bar - https://imgur.com/XqmUT1W - https://imgur.com/Ru4NLF9 - $175 each

https://imgur.com/iAOydKS - In Grogu We Trust - $50 each

-JSB Fractional

(10) JSB Cast Gram - $2.50 each

(10) JSB Honeycomb Cast Gram - $2.50 each

(4) 4+ grams each JSB Beskar Trade Dollar - $10 each

4+ gram Antiqued Beskar Trade Dollar - $10 each

Graphite/Milled Bars

https://imgur.com/dfRkCja - https://imgur.com/Dp89HyV - 1/4 ozt JSB Card (scratches from the file ugh) - $10 each (discounted)

https://imgur.com/1dnjAKy - JSB Hammered Milled Fractional - 1/3 ozt - $12

https://imgur.com/yxxXMrb - JSB Milled Fractional - 1/2 ozt - $18

JSB Splash Bar - 5.1 ozt - $150 each https://imgur.com/6n3UVW9 - https://imgur.com/k2kXy3i -

$136 Each - ~~(3)~~ (2) 5 ozt Bars

$272 - (1) 10 ozt

Customer Appreciation - ~~$255 - Sunshine Minting Bar~~ - I will only sell this to someone that buys one or more of the 5 or 10 ozt Graphite pours, or someone that has bought hand pours from me before and buys anything else tonight.

Shipments on this sale will be USPS first class for $5 or priority for $8.

Payment by PPFF, Zelle, Venmo, Bitcoin, and ETH

Prices are subject to change at any time due to market fluctuations and in the event of a listing error or update.

Feedback – The easiest way to get feedback is to post a link to your comment on this WTS once received. This allows me to easily navigate there while on mobile

MW Wyco Wednesday Inventory Update! 1st 20 Orders get a FREE PExAA+ Hybrid, ALL Orders Today Only get a FREE Vendor's Choice, and Order #5000 Wins MILLY'S MEGA PACK v5.0! Last Week's Contest Winner Announced, Upcoming Shipping Info, and NEW This Week: Enoki and a New Pan Cyan! Restocked APEr and JMF

Just realized I posted this Wednesday update on my u/ page and not the Subreddit. No new info, just wanted this to be on the sub as well AND....We're on order #4982, so the MEGA PACK v5.0 is still up for grabs!!

www.millywyco.com **CREDIT/DEBIT NOW ACCEPTED** Also: Cash App, Venmo, Zelle, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Bitcoin and Amazon Gift Cards (US SITE ONLY)

***PLEASE NOTE*** We cannot ship active spores to CA, ID or GA

***PLEASE NOTE*** All cultivation inquiries or any mention of cultivation will result in a block, cancelled order, and invalid for any refunds, returns or exchanges. Spores are for microscopy use only.

My marvelous and magical mycophiles and mush mothers,

My oh my what a beautiful day it is! I was outside this morning gazing into the ether deep in thought, and noticed a flood of appreciation enter my energy field. It's a gorgeous day over here- not too hot, blue skies, and the few clouds that are out are so perfect they almost look fake...couldn't ask for a better day! Then I thought back to a few days ago when I had the same exact feeling when it was pouring down rain..."God, what a wonderful day! This rain is perfect...thank you"

No matter what is going on life or what the weather is that day, everything is perfect just as it is. Don't forget to take a moment and....breathe....just be in the moment and appreciate how beautiful life is every single day....all the ups AND the downs ;) You got this.

Last week, we introduced two new gourmets to the library, with Wine Cap and True Morel, but due to operator error, both cultures were not live on the website until about 7PM. That guy last week was a little slow...this guy today is ON IT! Until you realize a goof, then feel free to call me out :)

Both new ones are now live and ready to ship, and new to the gourmet library this week, we have Enoki! Enoki are some of the most interesting looking mushies we have in stock, as they look like long spaghetti noodles with teeny tiny little caps! These mushies are commonly used in Asian dishes and soups, but I'm eager to explore their full potential in my experimental kitchen. Unlike most other mushrooms that typically have an earthy and meaty flavor, Enoki (sometimes called Enokitake) tend to absorb a lot of the flavor of the dish it is used in, and can be a noodle substitute as well! Check the MW subreddit on Fridays to read up on your favorite gourmets: Enoki post coming soon!

Also new to the exotics library this week, Panaeolus Cinctulus and Panaeolus Cyanescens PHV (Purple Haustralia Venom)!

Panaeolus Cinctulus are a common active, sclerotia producing mushroom in the wild, found in Spring to Fall in the northeast or more commonly on the west coast.

Panaeolus Cyanescens PHV was created using rattle snake venom to cross a Cyan found in a tropical region in the Gulf of Mexico known as Hausteca, and a Cyan from Australia. These spores are said to have mutated purple, isolated, and had a darker and darker purple hue with each isolation...truly unique and very limited!

This coming week, I have the pleasure of joining my very best friends and better half on a farm for 4 days of freedom, appreciation, positivity and pure joy for *Bonnaroo\* :) We have been patiently awaiting this event since grabbing tickets back in 2019, and while I'll miss you all oh so very much, I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to embark on this blissful weekend :) Will I see any of you there? If anyone wants to go but doesn't yet have a ticket, a buddy of mine found out he can't go and is selling his (on the cheap) so hit me up!

Shipping will resume as usual (usually same day shipping for orders placed by 3PM) today through Saturday, but we will not be shipping NEXT WEEK AUGUST 30-SEPTEMBER 8. Shipping will resume as usual for the next Wyco Wednesday post on September 8. I truly appreciate every single member of this community for allowing this dream "job" to be a reality. I owe you guys my life <3

CONGRATULATIONS, u/ErisNoxx on winning the "Bad Poetry" contest last week! All entries were unique and some "bad" entries were actually pretty good, but this one took the cake! I'll be in touch to arrange your personalized gift :)

RESTOCKED: Albino A+, APE Revert, B+, Blue Meanie, Golden Teacher, Jedi Mind Fuck, Penis Envy #6

As always, if you have any special variety requests, please send me a message or comment below and I'll get with my team to track it down for you! Also, I LOVE TRADES! Whether it be other spores, art (especially) or anything else you have in your collection, if you're tight on funds, I'm always down for some good old fashioned trades! Mush Love <3

AUGUST 25 PROMOS: (All promos are automatic. No additional coupon codes needed, I got this)

The first 10 orders after this post will be assigned 25 rewards points to their account! Check out the new points shop on the site to get some free rewards! (Points added on Thursday)

The first 20 orders after this post (Order #4935-4954) will receive a FREE Penis Envy x AA+ hybrid syringe with their order!

ALL ORDERS AUGUST 25 ONLY will receive a FREE Vendor's Choice syringe with their order!

Orders ending in "25" the week of 8/25 (5025, 5125, etc) will win a super cool mushroom t-shirt, and a coupon code for a free 5-pack of cubensis spore syringes, swabs or gourmet liquid cultures!!

And Finally....ORDER #5000 WINS MILLY'S MEGA PACK v5.0 INCLUDING:

10 Cubensis Syringes or Swab packs of your choice
5 Gourmet Liquid Cultures of your choice
3 Fully Colonized Gourmet Agar Plates of your choice
2 Exotic Syringes of your choice
2 Penis Envy hybrids
2 Unlisted Cubensis Varieties
1 Piece of Equipment missing from your lab (Pressure Cooker, Dehydrator, Digital Air Quality Tester, Stir Plate, etc)
Mushroom T-shirt
Mushroom Tapestry
Mushie Hand-made Craft Pack (it's a surprise!)
Book off the Shelf (Ram Dass, Terence McKenna, Paul Stamets, Sam Harris, Aldous Huxley, and many spiritual books available)

PLACING AN ORDER:

All orders must be placed on the website, and all items listed as "lab samples" will give you the option of 12mL spore syringes or a 2-pack of swabs. I have several coupon codes to fit most packages, but if you have a large order or need a custom coupon code, please email me, and I'll take care of you :) You may mix-n-match swabs, spore syringes, and liquid cultures.

The most common order, and the best deal is with coupon code 5PACK, which is for 5 cubensis or gourmet syringes or swabs for $30, including shipping! Coupon code 10PACK is $60 for 10 cubensis or gourmet varieties. Use coupon code 2PACK for 2/$20, or if you need any exotics with your 5-pack, you can use coupon code NEEDMORE for 5 cubes and 1 exotic for $40. NEEDMORE2 for 5 cubes and 2 exotics for $50, and so on :)

***PLEASE NOTE*** We cannot ship active spores to CA, ID or GA

LIST OF AVAILABLE VARIETIES (list accurate at 17:00 on 8/25/21, but will change as varieties sell out):

Ajax (Alabama x Jacksonville, FL)

Alabama (Syringe Only)

Alacabenzi (Alabama x Mexican)

Albino A+

Albino Penis Envy Revert (APEr)

Amazonian

Avery's Albino (swab packs only)

B+

Big Blue (Blue Meanie iso)

Blue Magnolia Rust

Blue Meanie

Burma

Cambodian

Chitwan

Columbian Rust

Corumba Brazil

Costa Rican

Creeper

Ecuadorian

Fiji (Syringe Only)

Golden Halo (Syringe Only)

Golden Mammoth

Golden Teacher

Hanoi (Syringe Only)

Hillbilly (Syringe Only)

Illusion Weaver

Iquitos

Jedi Mind Fuck

Koh Samui

Leucistic Cambodian

Lizard King

Malabar

Malaysian (Syringe Only)

Mazatapec (Syringe Only)

Melmac Revert

Orissa India (Syringe Only)

Penis Envy #6 (Syringe Only)

PES Amazon

PES Hawaiian

Peru

PF Redspore

PF Stropharia

Red Boy

Rusty Whyte

S. African Transkei

Syzygy

Tailfeathers

Taman Negara

Tasmanian

Texas Orange Cap

Texas Yellow Cap

Thai Elephant Dung

Tidalwave

White Tailfeathers

Wikidzon (Syringe Only)

EXOTICS:

Gymnopilus Luteofolius (Yellow Gilled Gymnopilus)

Gymnopilus Spectabilis (Laughing Gym)

Panaeolus Bisporus

Panaeolus Cinctulus

Panaeolus Cyanescens (Peace River)

Ps. Allenii

Ps. Azurescens

Ps. Caerulescens

Ps. Cyanescens (Syringe Only)

Ps. Natalensis

Ps. Ovoideocystidiata

Ps. Semilanceata (Liberty Cap) (Syringe Only)

Ps. Subaeruginosa

Ps. Subtropicalis (Hoogshagenii var. Convexa/ Semperviva) (Syringe Only)

Ps. Tampanensis ATL7 (Syringe Only)

GOURMET LIQUID CULTURES:

Black Pearl Oyster

Blue Oyster

Chaga

Cordyceps Militaris

Enoki

Golden Oyster

King Oyster

Pearl Oyster

Phoenix Oyster

Pink Oyster

Red Reishi

Shiitake

True Morel

Turkey Tail

Wine Cap

***PLEASE NOTE*** We cannot ship active spores to CA, ID or GA

I am not Willy Myco.

more than 10% of young adults own bitcoin

14% of young adults in Mexico and Colombia own cryptocurrencies, while in Spain the percentage is 12%, according to data from a recent survey.

Likewise, Mexico is ranked 18th out of 27 countries in terms of adoption levels of Bitcoin and other popular cryptocurrencies. Meanwhile, Spain and Colombia occupy positions 23 and 17 on the list.

The study titled 'Cryptocurrency adoption rates, Finder Crypto Report', by the Finder firm, estimates that 6% of Mexican young adults own bitcoin (BTC). The remaining 2% owns litecoin (LTC), 2% owns bitcoin cash (BCH), and 2% XRP) from Ripple.

In Colombia, 8% of young adults own Bitcoin, and 2% for Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin, respectively. Among the countries mentioned, Colombia is where they most prefer to have BTC.

Mexico and Colombia have the same cryptocurrency adoption rate as Austria and Canada (14%), as established comparatively in the research.

As for Spain, in this country 12% of young adults own cryptocurrencies, positioning the country in 23rd place on the list.

On the other hand, the global cryptocurrency adoption stands at 19% of young adults, based on their findings. Vietnam is the country with the highest adoption of cryptocurrencies, quantified in 45% of the adult population.

Bitcoin leads in popularity, but in different proportions depending on the country

Specifically, Mexico and Canada, which share 6% bitcoin (BTC) adoption among young adults, have a lower adoption rate of this cryptocurrency compared to the global average of 10%, says the investigation.

In Spain, BTC would be a little less popular, being distributed among 5% of young adults. Spain is also the country where fewer adults have Ripple, they point out, with a percentage of 1%.

https://preview.redd.it/24v7s9t96zj71.png?width=870&format=png&auto=webp&s=5e7a7f1a7e0395cd6c676c0ec76886388328eff7

Percentage of adults in Spain, Mexico and Colombia who own cryptocurrencies. The most popular are bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH), XRP, litecoin (LTC), bitcoin cash (BCH) and others (detail). Source: Finder Crypto Report.

On gender issues, the study points out that the gap between men and women in terms of the possession of cryptocurrencies it is not different from other areas where both genders would be unequal. They indicate that 22% of men in the world own cryptocurrencies, compared to 15% of women.

Adoption in Latin America regains momentum

The Finder study does not collect information on other Latin American countries, but those who have closely followed the events this year, can intuit that the adoption of BTC and other cryptocurrencies could have rebounded this year.

Not only the news of the Bitcoin Law in El Salvador, added to the deployment and installation of hundreds of cryptocurrency ATMs in that country, are a sign of adoption in the region.

More recently, CriptoNoticias reported the approval of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as a payment method in Cuba, this Friday, August 27, 2021, a new adoption milestone on the continent.

For its part, Venezuela fell from third place to seventh place in global cryptocurrency adoption, according to a study by Chainalysis. However, it could be ensured that due to the economic and financial characteristics of the country, bitcoin has not ceased to be a useful option or tool in the economic context of this nation.

I Found my Likeness in a Torture Game: part 3 Extended Cut

Part2: https://www.reddit.com/r/Ceslystories/comments/o96nzp/i_found_my_likeness_in_a_torture_game_2_cutting/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

"Okay Daniel. You can be at the convention, but you have to stay in costume the entire time. I mean it! Don't even take it off in the restroom unless you are in a stall!

"Yes,Mam," Daniel said sarcastically.

"I mean it, Daniel!" I chided. "If The Creeper is there, he will recognize you and know we are on to him! Think of it as an undercover mission, like in one of your video games."

"Geez, Aunty, you don't have to relate everything back to video games," Daniel continued, laying the sass on thick. " I have other things in my life that define me!"

"Whatever, Loser," I retorted, hitting him in his shoulder. "Don't call me Aunty, like I'm an old lady."

"I'm heading over to The Convention Hall early. Since I 'leaked' to everybody you were going to make a surprise appearance, it will be packed."

"Fine. Off you go Watchman. Be sure to film as much of the crowds as you can. And keep this on!" I said, handing him the white mask with the ink blot pattern on it.

"It's Rorschach! Not Watchman! There isn't a character named The Watchman!" Daniel said with a good amount of nerd rage.

Of course I knew this. But I liked to tease my nephew sometimes. Maybe I was used to letting the people around me think I was dumber than I actually was. Some sort of survival mechanism, I guess.

Daniel headed out like a man on a mission. And I went to meet with Mel, Tony, and the New Guy out in the living room.

Mel stood when I entered the room, and so did the other two gentlemen, like I was some sort of royalty. I told them to sit as I sat on the couch across from them.

The giant frames of all three men looked comical across from me. Mel being the biggest of the three. His linebacker frame, dark skin, and hints of intricate Samoan tribal tats, peeking out on his wrists and neckline making him an intimidating sight.

Next to him was Tony, the friendly face of the security guard tag team. He was a retired detective, with graying hair and a pot belly. I'd seen him use his unthreatening manner to get the drop on people. He was always quick to smile and talk down a potential combatant, but if things got hairy, he was quick with a leg sweep and quicker cuffing anybody that looked at me wrong. I'd seen it happen multiple times.

Lastly, there was the new guy. Stinton was his name. And the picture in your head is exactly what he looked like. He looked like a Stinton. Lean body, square-jawed, hooded eyes, and a high and tight haircut. A Stinton through and through.

He was quick with the, "Yes, Mam. No, Mam," in a southern draw. Maybe he said it a little too loud when he replied. Probably a side effect from being in the military (he must have just got out). Or maybe he was star struck. But he seemed good to go, and Mel vouched for him.

So me and my personal army headed out to the convention downtown. All four of us in the blacked out SUV. The event coordinator knew we were coming in through the back entrance. We just needed to text him when we were close.

Tony and New Guy ( he was New Guy until he earned his name) sat up front chatting. with Mel sitting in the back beside me. His massive frame almost taking up two seats.

I was always casual with my guys, and didn't mind sharing a ride with them or listening to their guy talk. But Mel seemed nervous today. He sat ridged and alert, but not his normal alert. He somehow seemed distracted at the same time.

He rubbed his eyes by pinching the bridge of his nose with thumb and pointer finger. (You know the gesture. The international sign of fighting off a migraine.) He was clammy and breathing heavily. And I noticed his left hand was trembling slightly.

"Mel? Sweety, are you feeling okay?" I whispered to him, making sure his coworkers didn't hear me and sense his vulnerability. (I know how men like these think.)

"Yes, Sarah( fake name). I mean, I'm fine Ms. J******."

This was the first time he had ever called me by my first name in the 4 years he had worked for me. He was a steadfast professional, and never slipped. Not that I cared at the break in decorum, but it was worrisome anyways.

Maybe I was being paranoid. Well shit, I was paranoid. Some monster out there might be planning to skin me alive and I had to play Nancy Drew to stop him.

We arrived at the convention. I walked in for a surprise meet and greet for a certain comic book movie I was promoting. The crowd went wild. Faces melted. Nerd frenzy activated in mass. It made me feel like a rockstar. I loved this part of the job.

I was on a elevated stage talking to a crowd of about 150 people sitting in a convention hall. Most wore masks of assorted heroes and villains. Most were smiling or taking pictures with cameras. I even spotted Daniel in his Rorschach mask sitting to the side scanning the audience with his phone.

I answered a couple of soft ball questions from nervous fans that came up to the microphone. Nothing out of place. Except for the brave 16 year old asking me if I was still with my ex-husband or if I was single and lonely.

He got a chorus of laughter and applause and his face got as red as his Spiderman shirt he was wearing when I told him," You keep up that confidence, you'll hit the jackpot in no time, Tiger."

I highly doubt that's audio that The Monster came to use in his game.

Next came the autograph signings. People paid a good 80 bucks to stand in line and speak to me for a couple seconds. The convention gets 40 and I donate the rest to charity. I'm not stingy with money, and this is the best time to sus out our guy.

About 50 people in and I recognized the same face come up to the table to stand in front of me. At first the awkward man wore a trench coat, patchy beard, fedora, along with a prop katana and anime body pillow. It was a good meme. He could hide in plain sight by displaying his creepiness as a gag.

The first time he came through the line he was to nervous to say anything. I smiled and signed a poster he had in his hand. His face grew red with embarrassment as he obviously wanted to speak to me. He didn't. He realized he was holding up the line and shuffled off quickly.

The second time I recognized him immediately by his lanky frame, beard, and close-set beady eyes. But he was in a completely different costume. He was in a pretty professional looking, albeit loose fitting, helmetless stormtrooper costume.

"You know you're not supposed to do that," I said with a sly smile and a wink. It was usually against convention rules to double dip by getting back in line, even if you were willing to pay again.

He swallowed hard and pulled out a smudged up Android phone from somewhere behind his back.

"Do you want me to say something for your followers online?" I guessed. My heart lept a little. This guy was feeling more and more like our guy.

"Y-y-yes, Ms. J#####. I-I w-would!" The man said with a severe stutter at a volume too loud for a face to face conversation. He turned on the camera and started recording me.

I gave my practiced smile and waited for him to give me a prompt for what to say.

"C-can you s-say "I l-love you!"

"Um, I can say, "I love all my fans" is that enough?" I asked, while scrunching up my nose and feigning confusion.

"No!" came back his voice, even louder than before and without the stutter. "I need you to say "I love you!" And then say my name! It's i-important!"

Tony, who had been sitting to my left, pretending to play on his phone, stood up swiftly and leaned over to look squarely at the guy.

"I think you should move along, friend. You're holding up the line full of other fans. And I do remember you coming through earlier already. So why don't you call it quits before you create a situation you can't just walk away from."

"N-n-no!" the red faced stormtrooper stuttered in defiance to being confronted by an intimidating male presence. His nervousness made his stutter return 10 fold.

"N-n-no! You-y-you have t-to say " I l-love you-you k-k-ki-"

As enthralled as I was with what was coming next, I have to admit that Tony did his job superbly. He swiftly turned to me and ushered me to my feet

"Let's take 5 backstage Ms. J####," he asked nonchalantly and ushered me quickly behind the display wall they had set up behind me. The crowd immediately started booing the aggressive stormtroopers and pelting him with trash and empty water bottles.

New Guy got on the other side of me, bravely defending me from rogue Monster Energy cans.

Before we slipped backstage, Tony looked over to see Mel just standing there, staring out at the crowd like nothing was happening.

"Hey Partner! Can I get some help over here?"

Mel jumped to attention and looked at Tony in surprised. His 1000 yard stare gone in a heartbeat.

"Escort out the Tango on my 6 while I secure the boss lady."

It didn't take a tactical genius for Mel to figure out who the "Tango" was and Mel finally marched into action as me, Tony, and New Guy disappeared into a backstage hallway.

Staffers let the rest of the crowd of fans know I would be taking a small break and they slowly calmed down as Mel and event security removed the trouble maker.

I was super concerned. Both with Mel's behavior and Stutter Stormtroopers. The stormtrooper was definitely wanting me to call him Kilo, right?

Well whatever. The rest of the event went off smoothly. And I was confident in the fact that Daniel had filmed the whole encounter for us to analyze later. And if Mel had un-assed himself, he would have tried to get Stutter Troopers (last name change I swear) He would have gotten Stutter Troopers full name and info before the guy was cut loose from the building.

After my time at the event was over, New Guy went out back to pull the car around and Mel and Tony escorted me around to shake hands and say goodbye to certain event coordinators. I could tell Tony was upset with Mel, and Mel was embarrassed by his performance today. Nothing was said between them, but I could feel it coming off their masculin macho auras. The awkwardness was palpable, like being stuck between two stray tom cats that had to follow you around.

We entered a long service tunnel that ran towards the back of the event hall and outside into the VIP Parking area. These hallways were always tight corridors with hard angles and low lighting. I had picked up enough military jargon and reasoning from my time in war movies and listening to my guys to know they were perfect for ambushes.

In other words, it caused my security team's latent PTSD/paranoia to start itching and they would both start acting a lot more jumpy. Little did I know that I had set off alarm bells in Tony's head already. Yah, laid back, unassuming Tony had picked up on the small details showing I was more alert too. He knew something was bothering his boss.

Daniel even told me that Tony cornered him in the bathroom when Tony supposedly went on break. Tony had noticed I was looking over to Daniel dressed in his Rorschach costume a little too often, and he wanted to know what was going on.

Tony grilled Dan for a while in the restrooms before having to get back to watching me. To Daniels' credit, he didn't snitch on what our secret surveillance plan was. Daniel just made up something about doing a guerilla style internet blog about the life of a celebrity with my permission.

Needless to say, my security detail was keyed up a couple notches as we made our way down the long backstage hallway. Mel was communicating with New Guy who was securing the vehicle as we made it to the first cross section.

Tony walked quickly in front of me to step out into the middle of the cramped hallway intersection. He was being overly cautious, trying to get ahead of any trouble and look both ways to catch anyone trying to spring out and attack me.

Tony should have waited on Mel. Tony shouldn't have taken the corners alone. But maybe Tony was still a little distrusting of Mel's ability today, and stuck his neck out too far, because he was rushed from both sides.

Mel saw the attacker to his right first, and his hand went to his holstered gun slung inside his jacket. He held his free hand out and pointed.

"Don't you do it asshole!" Tony warned loudly, eyes bulging with excitement.

I couldn't see the person Tony was speaking to from around the corner, but I looked to my left and saw the big Skeletor dressed man rushing Tony from behind.

"Tony! Behind you!" I screamed, jumping backwards in fright to slam my head into Mel who was standing directly behind me.

Things got fuzzy for a moment as Mel wrapped me in his vice like grip with his massive arms. My head spun from colliding with Mel's chest as he instinctively moved forward to between me and danger.

I heard the tell-tell sound of a fire extinguisher going off in the narrow corridors and suddenly Tony was being engulfed in the white cloud of (Smoke? Powder? Whatever that white stuff is!)

Tony started coughing and wheezing as the big Skeletor man lifted up the fire extinguisher and bashed Tony right between his shoulder blades, creating an audible "Oof!" from Tony as white fog filled began stealing the oxygen from the air.

I hid behind Mel's massive frame as he stood between me and the two attackers. He coughed and wheezed as he pulled his gun free from his waistband.

"Tony! cough I can't see anything! cough cough Get clear of my line of fire!" Mel commanded.

I could hear the shuffling of feet as Tony and the two attackers struggled with each other in the thick cloud. And to my horror Mel leveled his pistol at the struggling mass of people. What was he doing? He could shoot Tony! Why was Mel behaving this way?

"Please Mel!" I screamed, banging on his broad shoulders with my tiny fists. "Don't use your gun! Just go in there and save Tony before they hurt him any more!"

Mel half turned to look at me and blinked away his confusion at the sight of fresh tears streaming down my face. Maybe something about my pleas momentarily gave Mel a moment of sanity and he tucked his gun back inside his waistband.

"Okay, Little Bird," Mel said with uncharacteristic softness in his voice as he reached out with his finger to wipe away one of my tears.

"Mel!" I yelled, getting sick of his weird shit. "What the hell? Help him!"

Mel finally turned towards his struggling coworker and the two attackers. The powdery smoke was beginning to settle, highlighting the men clearly. Now, everything was blanketed in white Mel squared up with the three men.

The two attackers had Tony on the ground and were trying to wrestle his gun away from him. It was a dangerous situation on the verge of becoming deadly when Mel came charging in like a freight train, all 300+ lbs of him, to tackle both of the attackers off of Tony.

All four men were now wrestling on the ground, and soon all four were screaming as on of the idiot had pepper spray and let it loose on Mel, Tony, and Skeletor, contaminating all of them with the burning liquid.

I was so enthralled with the scuffle in front of me that I didn't hear the third attack sneaking up behind me.

"K-keep your mouth shut a-and come with me, b-bitch!"

I spun around to see him, Stutter Trooper, wearing his helmet, one of his hands hold out a large knife, the other hand a pair of handcuffs.

"Y-you put these on and come with me! You d-do it f-fast and nobody gets hurt!"

"What do you want from me!" I demanded.

"S-shutup bitch! Put these on or I'll-"

I don't know what came over me, I saw red, and gave Stutter Trooper a swift kick to the nuts. He yelped and dropped his knife between us. He went to reach for the knife and I slid it behind me with my foot ( hindsight being 20/20, it was wrong to send a knife sliding towards the bad guys fighting behind me.)

Stutter Trooper completely lost sight of his knife though the limited visibility of his Stormtrooper helmet and must have aborted the plan. He took off fleeing past me, shoulder checking me hard in the process. He weaved between the four men fighting behind us and sprinted towards the exit at the long far end of the tunnel.

Before I knew it I was chasing after the asshole, only inches behind him. I had to do a lot of cardio to stay in shape, and this guy probably only ran in COD games. I felt a heat in my chest, heard my pounding heart in my ears. I wasn't on the back foot for once. I wasn't hiding and using others to fight for me. The creepers had come into the open, and I was going to get my answers!

That's when Stinton earned his name! He was no longer New Guy when he popped out from behind a display case and clothes-lined Stutter Trooper.

"Hold him, New Guy- I mean- Stinton!" I screamed with warrior fury!

Stinton did as commanded and rolled my would-be abductor on his back, slapping away the stormtrooper helmet and raising his fist to threaten the weirdo if he had any idea of to fight back.

This was my time! And I would be lying to all of you readers if I said I hadn't thought of a moment like this multiple times since discovering that damned game! I would fall asleep fantasizing about how it would feel to have the asshole strapped down in The Kill Room instead of me for once.

But I had to move fast. So I scooted over to lean in close to whisper into Stintons ear. He was already blushing, so this would be easier than I thought.

"Look! I'll pay you double you're rate for the whole day of you do exactly as I say and don't tell anybody. Especially your co-workers" I whispered quickly.

He looked up at me red faced and alittle confused. Then his confusion turned to anger. Damn. He was a boy scout! Money wouldn't sway him. I had to try a different tatic.

"I need somebody I can trust," I put my hand on his shoulder and peered into his eyes deeply. "I promise to explain everything, but first you must listen!"

That did it! A look of stoic determination crossed his face and he nodded curtly.

"Take a picture of his license and take his sim card!" I ordered quickly. Stutter- Trooper protested as the much stronger Stinton began manhandling him. I kicked him in the stomach when. He start to squirm too much.

"Why are you after me! Tell me now, before I get my hacker friends to turn your life upside down, and frame you for all types of bad shit! If you talk I might call off my man here from visiting your mom's house to arrange a CO2 leak!" I screamed at him.

Stinton looked at me in general horror. I was a little horrified by myself too. Being afraid for so long had transformed to overwhelming anger, which in turn scared me. But no matter, Stutter-Trooper believed me and about shit himself.

"Some g-guy on Discord!" the creep blurted, his beady eyes bulging. "Been paying with Bitcoin for the s-strangest s-stuff. Been asking for favors from the fab community. He puts a big price tag on the most obscure stuff, but he always comes t-through, and always s-shows reciepts!"

"HeraldoftheVoid?" I asked. Stutter-Trooper grimaced in confusion and continued like I didn't say anything. I guess my question would seem like nonsense to anybody who didn't know who I was referencing.

"All of a sudden, two hours before you show up to the con, he offers 10 Bitcoin for a list of voice lines he wants from you. Real weird stuff too. Said you had to be "in distress" for most of them. He says he doesn't care how we get the lines. So we were just gonna "restrain" you for a while, and let you go after we got the audio we needed. Promise!"

"So you do know anything about a video game-"

My interrogation was cut short by the deafening sound of a gunshot ripping through the hallways and past my eardrums at super sonic speed. Stinton let go of Stutter-Trooper and jumped up next to me, gun already in hand as ringing assaulted me like an aftershock.

Even through my ringing ears I could hear the distinct cries of pain coming from the cross junction in the hallway where the four person melee was happening just seconds ago.

Now I saw Nobody, but a man laying on the ground, covered in fire extinguisher powder. It was Tony!

"Tony!" I screamed in horror, forgetting Stutter-Trooper and sprinting off towards him.

"No Ma'am!" Stinton said as he pulled me behind him and began running towards his downed coworker. I held onto the hem of his coat as we made our way down the narrow hallway, all the while expecting another gunshot to come flying towards us from an unknown shooter.

I must have gone into shock. But the next thing I remember was looking down at Tony, his belly oozing blood, his face pale. I held his hand and must have asked him a million questions as Stinton called 911.

Tony pulled me close to whisper in my ear, just like I had done with Stinton seconds just earlier. Even back then it had seemed like a game, a silly adventure, a movie I would play part in. But now my friend was dying. And what he told me chilled my heart to the core.

"It was Mel," Tony wheezed. " Mel shot me and ran. He escaped with the others."

Mel was the ringleader, Mel commissioned the game, he was obsessed with me, and now he had just attempted to murder anyone standing in his way of me.

The Next Month of Crypto Movement. Guy from the Coin Bureau List all "Black" and "White" Swann Events

So first Guy from the Coin Bureau is excellent if you haven't watched his videos you need to. He is concise, details information to the way you can understand, and it is fact driven without emotion. The information in this post is directly from him and I give him all credit. I did want to synthesize it briefly and give an opinion of mine on each major event he spoke of. All the events he discussed are set or are believed to occur in the next 30-40 days. His link can be found here if you would like to watch. For each point I will insert the time stamp if you'd like more in depth explanation from Guy himself.

Black Swann Events: Guy discusses these first. Break you down first then build you back up again later. I always ask for the bad news first.

BS 1: The US Infrastructure Bill: The bill has passed the house and is set to be approved after recess is concluded for politicians (must be nice to have a vacation) on September the 20th. The bill has been slated to pass no later than October the 1st. The infrastructure bill is $1.2 TRILLION dollars of American tax payer money to improve roads, power systems, bridges and infrastructure type stuff. However, the U.S. Secretary of Treasury, Janet Yellen, slid in crypto regulations. "It requires loosely defines brokers to collect KYC on their customers" He goes on to discuss that it the treasury department noted that Miners, validators, and wallet developers will not be required to abide by this poorly worded regulation we won't know for sure until it is amended and passed as they Department has noted. (2:15)

BS 2: SEC Crypto Regulations: In short the SEC chair Gary Gensler is targeting all coins except for Bitcoin. The chair must have some on in his portfolio..... The reasoning for this is they feel that crypto are more like stocks. "You invest in them expecting profits because of what the devs are doing." In the eyes of the SEC this sort of asset requires registering with them which many projects have not. So far he has not been able to act as he requires resources and the authority from politicians who are at the beach currently. This bomb could go off as early as September 20 just like the infrastructure bill. It is likely if power is given early October would be when the killing spree began. Guy believes DEFI products will be the prime candidates for targeting due to the anonymity and functionality of these projects. Primarily, because of these projects offering the unregistered security tokens as discussed previously. (5:00)

BS 3: Stock Market Crash: "What must go up, must come down" as Guy said. This would hurt crypto. If they crash we surely will tag along for the ride. The crash could come from 2 sources. First COVID19. If it ramps up and shuts the economy of many major countries all over Europe, Asia, and America we can expect a heavy hit as we did last time this happened, just check the charts before our recovery began. (9:11, this is where he has a nice reminder for you who forgot what happened in March of last year). The other event could be the federal reserve reducing its government bond purchases. In short this increases the interest rate that individuals have to pay on debt. This could cause many issues as you could imagine. If interested check out Guy's explanation. I will note that people do not believe they would do this as it puts the US at risk on defaulting on the massive debt we have taken on. However, Guy is not convinced as the bond buying is contributing to the hyper inflation and if we continue things will go tits up. September 22 is the date to keep your eye on for this, approximately. (8:14).

OKAY. No more FUD. Lets get to the White Swanns.

WS 1: Companies Accepting Crypto: Acceptance of Crypto by some of the largest companies in the world. Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Walmart. All are looking to begin accepting crypto as payment options for goods and services. Tesla is assumed to begin accepting BTC AGAIN, yes again, once BTC mining was on more renewable energy. Well after leaving China, BTC mining is over 50% green now. This means we should expect an announcement form Tesla soon. Remember what happened last time BTC was announced to be accepted by Tesla? Once this announcement comes Guy believes other companies will follow in. Apple has been looking for an alternative payment manager since the end of May. Amazon announced it was looking for the same thing 2 days after the B-word conference. Recently, Walmart said it is looking for someone to help with its digital payment strategy. Paypal is set to launch a crypto "super app". Imagine if in a month they all announced acceptance of even just BTC. We would soar. Not only from the announcement but these companies will need to buy BTC in heaps to have to exchange with customers. When? Guy thinks weeks. 2-3 weeks is possible putting us in mid September.

WS 2: Companies Buying Crypto: We have seen companies buying. Coinbase will be buying $500M in crypto and 10% of its profits into more buys. This is bullish. Besides BTC and ETH we don't know which but alt coins will be getting some love. Fidelity. One of the largest assets manager in the world. They manage over $10.4 TRILLION dollars and assets. 90% of their largest clients want exposure to crypto. And they want to HODL. BULLISH. Guy said if this happened, the moon would be a pit stop on the way to the next galaxy. In June El Salvador made BTC legal tender and and more South American countries are looking to do it. If so those governments will have to hold BTC on its balance sheet. They also airdropped $30 of BTC to all their citizens which is an estimated $150M in BTC. Coinbase and Fidelity are expected to make announcements at their quarterly earnings reports in early to mid September. Coinbase will reveal then which altcoins it will invest in. I sure hope my alts are on the list. (13:51)

WS 3: Crypto Upgrades / Events: I will just list these (17:00)

Possible BTC and/or ETH ETF futures backed or coin backed. SEC looks to approve the BTC ETF. Early to mid late September for these

ADA smart contracts upgrade goes live. September 12th

PolkaDOT parachain slot to go live soon.

BTC upgrades

In conclusion, Guy believes that September to early October could mark the top of this cycle. I was shocked to hear this. He also said the Black Swann events could or could not happen. However, the White Swann events will all but happen for the most part. So much bullish news and a spread of some FUD. I remain Bullish but once we get deep into September and around the FUD dates I may place stop losses. Again, if you want to watch the video I marked each section for you and the link is at the top.

What do you think will happen? What is your strategy? Which coin do you hope Coinbase puts on its balance sheet? What are your EOY price predictions now? If all 3 White Swann events happen BTC to 100k is childs play.

Will ETH 2.0 Untether Ethereum From Bitcoin With a Successful Launch?

In my time in crypto, there has never been an event that has made me actually think the market could be untethered from Bitcoin. BTC brings the entire market up and down with it, and only if it's doing well will we see the beginning of an alt season. But I wonder about ETH 2.0 (with a successful launch).

Will ETH 2.0 be different? Can it untether from Bitcoin? If Ethereum 2.0 gets pushed back again and let's say begins in 1 to 3 years time, it would begin in what is predictably the crypto winter. Could we therefore potentially see ETH take off without the help of BTC? Ethereum has almost all the DApps and services built on it, making it a one-stop for most of your crypto needs (like the Google suite). And with PoS, bigger companies may be sold on the marketability of its "environmental footprint". If PoS successfully drastically reduces fees and congestion, do you believe it can happen?

Let me know your thoughts! This event has been in the making for several years (and counting).

I Found my Likeness in a Torture Game: Part 3 Extended Cut

Part 2:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Ceslystories/comments/o96nzp/i_found_my_likeness_in_a_torture_game_2_cutting/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share