My name is Jared A. Brock. Having just turned 35, I sat down to reflect on everything I’ve learned so far and made a list of the things I wish I learned far sooner. None of these are rules or commands for you to follow, just personal reflections from a decade of journaling. I hope they save you a lot of time, energy, and struggle:

1. “Save the best for last” is terrible advice.

A French monk taught me this one. Every morning, I put on the newest pair of socks in my drawer. Why wear the rattiest pair? When I sit down to eat, I eat the tastiest bits first. Why let them get cold? After every shower, I put on my favorite clean t-shirt. I have a great bottle of 10-year-old Laphroaig scotch in my cupboard, but I probably won’t drink it for months because I received two bottles of reactor-aged Lost Spirits single malt for Christmas.
Why? Because life is hard enough and we aren’t promised tomorrow. This doesn’t mean we should throw caution to the wind and “live in the moment” at all times, but it does mean we should try to find the golden middle and glean a little bit of pleasure from every day we’re blessed to live. “Save the best for last” is poverty-mentality thinking. It expects worse in the future. Enjoy the best right now — in your marriage, parenting, work, travel, faith, friendship, contribution. Keep all the chips on the table. Be ready at all times to leave without regret.

2. Tools use us.

A hammer literally cannot hit a nail without using a human. A saw cannot cut through a board without using a human. A phone cannot deliver ads without using a human.

3. Avoid false dichotomies.

When given two great options, choose both. When given two horrible options, choose neither.

4. Failure is overcome by one word.

“Next.”

5. Ambition is ruinous for your happiness.

Most goal-setters (myself included) live much of life in anticipation of tomorrow, and when that day arrives, they’re either disappointed by their failures or underwhelmed by their successes.
Instead: trust the process. Whiskey, pasta, bread, beer, and cereal all require just two ingredients — wheat and water — but the outcome is completely different based on the process. Identity precedes action. Determine what you want to be, then find the process that will get you there every single time.

6. Forget what the market wants.

Listen to your gut. Your body knows the difference between good and great. Someone said you should never record a song or code an app or write an article unless it makes you laugh, cry, or orgasm. If an idea doesn’t move you, it won’t move an audience, no matter how “commercial” you think it is.

7. Give yourself a shove.

The best way to eat more candy, drink more vodka, and smoke more cigarettes is to leave them in the middle of the kitchen counter.
You get it. Willpower is useless. Instead, line up a series of little nudges to automatically get you through your day. If you want to work out, leave your shorts by the door or your cleats in your fridge. My blue diode glasses rest on top of my laptop so I have to protect my eyes before logging online. I can’t not see my vitamins when I brush my teeth, or chia seeds when I reach for the Brita. There’s a book beside my bed, toilet, desk, and car’s gear shifter.
Line up enough nudges and you can shove yourself in the right direction.

8. Grandma didn’t use toilet paper.

She used pages from the Sears catalog. Splinter-free wasn’t available until 1935. The Romans used sponges. The Greeks used clay. Francois Rabelais recommended using “the neck of a goose.” Arabians used their left hand.
Never assume our extremely unique cultural moment is “normal.”

9. Ninety-nine isn’t enough.

Water boils at 100 degrees Celcius. The difference between 99 and 100 is the difference between zero and one. Not-boiling, boiling.
Corollary: 101 doesn’t make it any more boiling.

10. Old people know better.

Honoring our elders is one of the most underrated practices in our newness-obsessed society. Sure, there are a ton of old crazy far-right conspiracy theorists, but there are also good people who have survived four wars, six recessions, and twelve presidents and are somehow still smiling. Get to know them.
Also: meet your old-person self. I try to invent a new word every week — one of them is preflection. To ponder the present through the eyes of your future self. Take an hour in silence to listen to your eighty-year-old self. They might know something you don’t.

11. Fire all your employees.

The employer-employee relationship creates an unhealthy power dynamic between humans that simply didn’t exist when we worked cooperatively to feed our clan or village. I love my work life so much more now that I only work with independent entrepreneurs who are my equals. For me, it’s either a one-man show (my writing business), an equal partnership (my film company), or a co-operative endeavor. Life’s too short to be a boss or be bossed around.

12. Accept that you are a voracious locust of doom.

Nail a roll of paper to the wall and write down everything you consume for a year — food, toilet paper, electricity, car fuel, movies, music, social media content, other people’s time, everything. See what I mean?
Saint Augustine said that the human heart can only fully be satisfied by one thing aside from God himself: everything. All the sex, all the money, all the power, all the possessions, all the glory. All of it. Nothing short of everything could ever fully satiate the human heart. We are wired for more.
Understanding this truth is the first step toward real contentment.

13. Awkward is awesome.

My best friend says that The Office gave society a beautiful gift: the ability to embrace cringe. When you meet someone new and it’s slightly weird, pretend you’re Michael Scott. Just glory and bask in the discomfort.
You can awkward-proof your life by being bold: Ask for discounts. Ask for refunds. Ask for phone numbers. Ask for pay raises. Ask inappropriate questions at inappropriate times. Lather yourself in awkward and pretty soon nothing sticks.

14. Happiness isn’t the purpose of life.

Hitler really was following his bliss by offing millions of Jews. I’m sure Jeffrey Dahmer genuinely enjoyed the taste of human flesh. Bernie Madoff seemed content to bilk charities for decades.
Happiness isn’t the purpose of life. It’s not even in the top ten. Happiness is a seasonal fruit, not a foundational root. Find firm and fertile ground.

15. There is no ugly.

My grandpa re-proposed to my grandma on their fiftieth wedding anniversary and called her the most beautiful woman he’s ever known. Old wrinkly grandma? Yes. Because we choose our definition of beauty through our thoughts, disciplines, habits, and patterns, be they conscious or otherwise.

16. We are what we consume.

The statistical average American is a walking bodybag of sugar, alcohol, caffeine, porn, pills, and digital stimulus. Imagine how different life would be if our only inputs were nature, sleep, sunlight, organic food, and embodied human interaction?
Guard your inputs carefully.

17. We’re going to die quite soon.

Make sure you live first. Practicing memento mori will help.

18. Fame is poison.

One in four Gen Zers thinks they’ll be famous by age 25. One in 3.9999999 Gen Zers are going to have a miserably disappointing life.
Why do people desire the attention of strangers? Because we all need to love and be loved, to know and be known, but are too afraid to risk personal heartbreak to seek it out. Attention is not affection. Influence is not intimacy.

19. Boomers are to blame for half our troubles.

The Me Generation took a free ride at the planet’s expense and are hellbent on taking the rest of it with them. They’re statistically low on empathy — blame the lead, asbestos, and hairspray if you must — but at least acknowledge the reality that life is hard for everyone, and no one has it easier.

20. Children are dope.

Kids are the blood transfusion in our sick system. We need to stop manipulating, brainwashing, colonizing, and propagandizing them, and learn from them instead.

21. It doesn’t have to hurt.

Joy is a choice.

22. Watch comedy before calls and meetings.

Five minutes of gut-busting laughter will prime you for even the most tedious conference call. Your co-workers and customers all have tough lives like everybody else, so brighten their day by pre-brightening your own.

23. No ragrets.

Tattoo it on your neck. Most people play it far too safe. Instead: optimize your life for the least number of regrets and the most amount of selfless contribution.

24. There are better ways to vote.

I’ve manned several local voting stations, and I’ve also hob-nobbed with politicians in Canada, America, and the UK. The reality is that they don’t work for us. They work for their corporate sponsors and private interests.
Democracy isn’t dead. It just hasn’t happened yet, with all attempts to date being stillborn or aborted. Democracy = one voice one vote. Athens wasn’t a democracy — women, slaves, and tenants had zero say. America isn’t a democracy either — no representative system is, because it’s far too easy for private interests to buy politicians. The charade of voting is illusory. All elections are sham elections.
So what to do? Vote with your money and time and attention. One sham vote every four years versus tens of thousands of dollar-votes each year? It’s a no-brainer. My wife and I haven’t stepped foot in a Walmart in more than a decade because thousands of its suppliers are based in China, the billionaire heirs are anti-democratic tax-avoiders, and they treat their employees like indentured servants. Vote for pro-democracy third-party candidates if you must — just understand the game, and vote in the ways that actually matter.

25. Everything easy has already been done.

So run a little further.
And if it hasn’t been done, it won’t be as easy as it appears. The question to ask is: what’s been standing in the way this whole time? Achievement is all about knocking down obstacles. Just make sure what’s on the other side is rightly worth the effort.

26. Broccoli still tastes terrible.

But you’re not a child anymore. Adults do hard things.

27. Fixed-order scheduling > fixed-hour scheduling.

Discipline is great, but it’s also subject to the law of diminishing returns. Life is just too dynamic to schedule with military precision. Free yourself from the tyranny of “only people who wake up at 5 AM are successful.”
All hours are not created equal. It depends on your sleep drive and chronotype. Know yourself. Unapologetically get more sleep, then do your best work at your best time in your best state.

28. “Freedom” isn’t freedom.

America wasn’t founded on freedom. America was founded on violent autonomy.
The ancient Greeks had an entirely different definition of freedom: it was the ability to choose the right regardless of circumstance.

“We talk about freedom all the time, but we’ve stopped talking about freedom a long time ago. Now we’re talking about autonomy. Freedom is different than autonomy. Freedom has boundaries. Truth is one of those boundaries. And morality is one of those boundaries. Autonomy is the ability to do whatever you want whenever you want in whatever way you want. The problem is this: If I’m autonomous and another person is autonomous, and I have preferences and those matter more than the truth, and that person has preferences and their preferences matter more than the truth, when two autonomous preference-seeking beings come together and their preferences don’t match, who is going to win? If truth is on the bottom shelf, truth won’t decide. What will decide will be power. And isn’t it ironic that in our quest for “freedom”, someone gets enslaved?” — Abdu Murray

29. The Marines were right: slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

As teenagers, my friend Tyler and I were in a hurry to get somewhere quickly so we drove 120+ miles per hour for forty-five straight minutes before nearly crashing when the speed burned a footlong gash through the tire. By the time we replaced it with a spare, we were late to our destination by more than an hour.
But nevermind driving. Pump the life-brakes sometimes, or at least, let off the gas. You might get there faster, with less wear-and-tear on the engine.

30. The quest for wealth is destroying life.

We’ve commodified land, water, shelter, clothing, art, time, and nearly everything else. Very little remains, and it’s amassing into fewer hands.
We need a shared global vision. My invented word for it is benevitae: the sustainable flourishing of all creation. Our collective goal should be socioenviroeconomic sustainability. Where to start? We’d do well to let biology determine ecological sustainability and real democracy to determine economic fairness. Our current trajectory is worse than the Space Shuttle Challenger.

31. Most “leaders” aren’t leaders.

Celebrities, politicians, and book-hocking business gurus all call themselves leaders. They’re not.
Real leadership is influence that serves. True leaders are selfless and servant-hearted. They put the best interests of others ahead of their own. Politics and media, by comparison, attracts sociopaths like flies to firelight. Never give power to those who seek it. Nearly everyone worth following is dead.

32. Divide-and-conquer is a business model.

Near the end of high school, dozen friends and I binge-watched multiple seasons of LOST in our friend Mike’s basement. It was one of the most hilarious, riotous, enjoyable experiences we had as a group.
And it was the last show we ever watched together.
People used to go to restaurants in large numbers, to the movies by the dozen, climbing over each other for one of the limited video game controllers, packing out our churches, cheering on our sports teams by the busload. We were almost never alone, and we were far happier. Now we order in, watch Netflix, stream Minecraft, catch the highlights, watch porn, and go to bed. It’s killing us.
Resist the urge to be alone. It’s too easy, and it’s the exact opposite of what we really need. The #1 thing that’s correlated to human happiness is human togetherness.

33. Self-improvement won’t save us.

The great lie of individualist-consumerist culture is that we can improve our way to personal perfection and communal utopia. But it’s incrementalism at best.
It’s just chasing infinity.

34. We know nothing +/-.

On the scale of all that is known, and all that is knowable, our individual understanding is essentially mathematically zero. The entirety of human knowledge is a rounding error.
This is the beginning of humility.

35. The sun is not on fire

I was at an observatory in the Davis Mountains in Texas, and it was the first time I’d paid attention to astronomy since grade school. For three decades, I’d wrongly assumed the sun was a giant ball of flames.
But there’s no fire in space because there’s no oxygen in space. (It just looks like fire because of how our eyes perceive light through the atmosphere and prism.) As I stared at the real-time image of the sun on the observatory wall, I nearly wept. The sun actually looks like a giant, boiling, grey brain.
And then it hit me: I have so many assumptions to set aside and so much left to learn. So pay attention. Don’t worship the “question everything” mantra, but instead spend your life seeking truth, and wisdom, and understanding.
You know what you need to do to get where you want to be.

35 things I wish I learned years earlier

This post is mod-approved and I hope it's helpful.
My name is Jared A. Brock and today is my 35th birthday. It’s been a wild ride: I’ve walked across hot coals, swam up an underground river by candlelight, eaten bull’s testicles, and roasted marshmallows on flowing lava.
I’ve written three books, directed four films, published 400+ articles everywhere from Esquire to The Guardian to TIME Magazine, road-tripped through 45 American states and nine Canadian provinces, helped get some laws changed, and traveled to forty countries including North Korea and the Vatican.
I’ve enjoyed nearly thirteen years of marriage to my seventh-grade sweetheart, and we’ve been blessed to fundraise hundreds of thousands for charity. Though not without tons of mistakes and some major setbacks — financially, physically, emotionally, spiritually — it’s been a pretty decent trip so far.
I’m lucky, blessed, downright spoiled. And even though I certainly don’t claim to be wise in any way, shape, or form, here are 35 things I wish I’d learned far sooner. None of these are rules or commands for you to follow, just personal reflections from a decade of journaling. I hope they save you a lot of time, energy, struggle, and life:

1. “Save the best for last” is terrible advice.

2. Tools use us.

A hammer literally cannot hit a nail without using a human.A saw cannot cut through a board without using a human.A phone cannot deliver ads without using a human.

3. Avoid false dichotomies.

When given two great options, choose both.When given two horrible options, choose neither.

4. Failure is overcome by one word.

“Next.”

5. Give yourself a shove.

The best way to eat more candy and drink more vodka is to leave them side-by-side on the kitchen counter.
You get it. Willpower is useless. Instead, line up a series of little nudges to automatically get you through your day. If you want to work out, leave your shorts by the door or your cleats in your fridge. My blue diode glasses rest on top of my laptop so I have to protect my eyes before logging online. I can’t not see my vitamins when I brush my teeth, or chia seeds when I reach for the Brita. There’s a book beside my bed, toilet, desk, and car’s gear shifter.
Line up enough nudges and you can shove yourself in the right direction.

6. Awkward is awesome.

7. Ambition is ruinous for your happiness.

Most goal-setters (myself included) live much of life in anticipation of tomorrow, and when that day arrives, they’re either disappointed by their failures or underwhelmed by their successes.
Instead: trust the process. Whiskey, pasta, bread, beer, and cereal all require just two ingredients — wheat and water — but the outcome is completely different based on the process. Identity precedes action. Determine what you want to be, then determine the process that will get you there every single time.

8. The Marines were right: slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

9. Most “leaders” aren’t leaders.

10. Old people know better.

11. Fire all your employees.

12. Accept that you are a voracious locust of doom.

13. Forget what the market wants.

14. Happiness isn’t the purpose of life.

15. There is no ugly.

16. We are what we consume.

17. We’re going to die quite soon.

Make sure you live first. Practicing memento mori will help.

18. Fame is poison.

19. Boomers are to blame for half our troubles.

The Me Generation took a free ride at the planet’s expense and is hellbent on taking the rest of it with them. They’re statistically low on empathy — blame the lead, asbestos, and hairspray if you must — but at least acknowledge the reality that life is hard for everyone, and no one has it easier.

20. Children are dope.

Kids are the blood transfusion in our sick system. We need to stop manipulating, brainwashing, colonizing, and propagandizing them, and learn from them instead.

21. It doesn’t have to hurt.

Joy is a choice.

22. Watch comedy before calls and meetings.

23. No ragrets.

Tattoo it on your neck. Most people play it far too safe. Instead: optimize your life for the least number of regrets and the most amount of selfless contribution.

24. There are better ways to vote.

25. Everything easy has already been done.

So run a little further. And if it hasn’t been done, it won’t be as easy as it appears. The question to ask is: what’s been standing in the way this whole time? Achievement is all about knocking down obstacles. Just make sure what’s on the other side is rightly worth the effort.

26. Broccoli still tastes terrible.

But you’re not a child anymore. Adults do hard things.

27. Fixed-order scheduling > fixed-hour scheduling.

Discipline is great, but it’s also subject to the law of diminishing returns. Life is just too dynamic to schedule with military precision. Free yourself from the tyranny of “only people who wake up at 5 AM are successful.”
All hours are not created equal. It depends on your sleep drive and chronotype. Know yourself. Unapologetically get some sleep, then do your best work at your best time in your best state.

28. “Freedom” isn’t freedom.

America wasn’t founded on freedom. America was founded on violent autonomy.
The ancient Greeks had an entirely different definition of freedom: it was the ability to choose the right regardless of circumstance.

“We talk about freedom all the time, but we’ve stopped talking about freedom a long time ago. Now we’re talking about autonomy. Freedom is different than autonomy. Freedom has boundaries. Truth is one of those boundaries. And morality is one of those boundaries. Autonomy is the ability to do whatever you want whenever you want in whatever way you want. The problem is this: If I’m autonomous and another person is autonomous, and I have preferences and those matter more than the truth, and that person has preferences and their preferences matter more than the truth, when two autonomous preference-seeking beings come together and their preferences don’t match, who is going to win? If truth is on the bottom shelf, truth won’t decide. What will decide will be power. And isn’t it ironic that in our quest for “freedom”, someone gets enslaved?” — Abdu Murray

29. Grandma didn’t use toilet paper.

30. The quest for wealth is destroying life.

We need a shared global vision. My invented word for it is benevitae: the sustainable flourishing of all creation. Our collective goal should be socioenviroeconomic sustainability. Where to start? We’d do well to let biology determine ecological sustainability and real democracy to determine economic fairness. Our current trajectory is worse than the Space Shuttle Challenger.

31. Ninety-nine isn’t enough.

Water boils at 100 degrees Celcius. The difference between 99 and 100 is the difference between zero and one. Not-boiling, boiling.
Corollary: 101 doesn’t make it any more boiling.

32. Divide-and-conquer is a business model.

33. Self-improvement won’t save us.

The great lie of individualist-consumerist culture is that we can improve our way to personal perfection and communal utopia. But it’s incrementalism at best.
It’s just chasing infinity.

34. We know nothing +/-.

35. The sun is not on fire

This whole list began in Texas. I was at an observatory in the Davis Mountains and it was the first time I’d paid attention to astronomy since grade school. For three decades, I’d wrongly assumed the sun was a giant ball of flames.
But there’s no fire in space because there’s no oxygen in space. It just looks like fire because of how our eyes perceive light through the atmosphere and prism.
As I stared at the real-time image of the sun on the observatory wall, I nearly wept. The sun actually looks like a giant, boiling, grey brain. And then it hit me: I have so many assumptions to set aside and so much left to learn.
So pay attention. Don’t worship the “question everything” mantra, but instead spend your life seeking truth, and wisdom, and understanding.
You know what you need to do to get where you want to be.

Game Grumps 2020 Summary

This post is designed to look at everything the Game Grumps have done in the past year. Both positive and negative. Everything on this list caused a stir in the Game Grumps community. I have multiple sources and if it was a talking point in two or more of those, then it was added to the list. Anything else I deemed irrelevant/nitpicky and thus ignored. Once again, I've tried sticking to the facts, meaning my opinion has been removed as much as possible, but some may have slipped through the cracks.
To fit everything on here, a brief summary has been made, but understand that context is important, and to get all the details, check the source material. Essentially, I will give you the information, but it's up to you to interpret it. To help you, links and/or timestamps have been provided for most things on the list, and I've double checked all of them to make sure they work. Other than that, happy reading.
Due to the length, this post was split into two parts. A link will be at the bottom as well as right here:
https://www.reddit.com/rantgrumps/comments/kofsd1/game_grumps_2020_summary_part_2/

Twilight Princess Playthrough
Over a minute left in the video that was supposed to be edited out as Arin looks up what to do next (25:56-28:09)
During this, Dan talks about how he wants to do Game Grumps for fun and just make music when he officially retires, no more power hour or touring. Arin responds with "Who needs to make money anymore". (27:45-28:09)
Arin talks about how the Joker is a "mean" movie because it celebrates the type of character the Joker is. (11:12-14:03)
Arin talks about how the negativity of Soviet Jump Game and Uncle Cecil's Ghost Hunter's Club Book advertisements ruins the fun for everyone and that he was surprised by some of the negative reactions. (19:33-24:23)

More Soviet Jump Game Advertising
Arin gets "kidnapped" to promote Soviet Jump Game
Reactions continued to be mixed as the people who liked the fact that it was advertised as "A lost piece of gaming history" still liked it, but those who didn't, were still upset as Arin doubled down on the bit and refused to apologize despite him talking about how he upset his fans.
"But if I backpedal then no ones gonna be happy. Not the people who liked the bit and not the people who wanted me to apologize."
A lot of people still did/do not know that the Soviet Jump Game advertising was just a bit.
Soviet Jump Game releases for free on Steam in early access. Reviews were mixed (6 out of 10) citing no severs outside of the US, broken controller support, lots and lots of lag, crashes, bugs, and graphical issues that still persist to this day. A week after it's release, player count dropped to less then 100 (50 is the max player count per game)
Arin played Soviet Jump Game with some fans on both twitter and YouTube streams. The Twitter stream reached a max of 154 players, while YouTube reached almost 500 where he kept saying to buy the legacy version ($15 and has the same playable character as the starter pack, Lakika, so it is a waste to buy both) in both this stream and all future streams. Arin continued streaming Soviet Jump Game on YouTube 4 more times and got a max player count of 358, 316, 274, and 117 respectively.
The Soviet Jump Game Twitter said the Grumps were going to advertise the game more. One of which was a Twitter stream of both Arin and Dan which later was uploaded to YouTube as an episode. In the episode, Dan knew nothing about the game including the fact that he was in it. The player count reached 32 for this stream. Another instance was Arin and the Soviet Jump Team playing the game on an Esports stream, the player count reached 24, followed by another episode on Game Grumps where the player count maxed out at 68.
Soviet Jump Game officially releases and Arin goes on Inside Gaming to promote it, along with Soviet Jump Game appearing in ads on Youtube.
Markiplier tried to play it on Stream but the servers crashed and he spent most of his time yelling about a head of lettuce as player count reached over 1000 then immediately went back down to normal numbers as soon as he was done.
The Grumps streamed the game five more times and people were quick to criticize that Soviet Jump Game was the only game they streamed this year after streams were deemed too much effort last year. In the final stream, Arin was getting upset as people were stream sniping him.
The total advertisements for Soviet Jump Game were: three Dendy videos, two trailers, one soundtrack, one live action video, two posters, two shirts, two streams on twitter, 13 streams on YouTube (12 on the Game Grumps channel), one esports stream, one Markiplier stream, one CrankGameplays stream, one Completionist stream, YouTube advertisements, Steam advertisements and two Game Grumps episodes.
The current state of Soviet Jump Game has not changed much since release. The game is still full of bugs and constant lag, along with control issues, freezes, and shadow players (players the game thinks exist but don't, making it impossible to win.) Each time, the game is updated with a new character, the game breaks for about two weeks until a patch is delivered, or is simply not fixed at all. Recently several of the longtime players have called out the devs on this, but to no avail or response.
The current game player count for the last 30 days averages at 6.0 players with the peak players at 19. At the time of writing this, 1 person was playing in the last hour with a 11 player peak in the last 24 hours.
Players in the Soviet Jump Game Discord have bullied at least two people out of the community for not playing the game in what they deem "correctly".

The Unicorn Princess Playthrough
At 11:27-11:30 Ben added an edit that included bright flashing colours and loud noises (Do not recommend clicking and there is sound: Actual Edit) There was no warning put in the description and someone was hospitalized due to a seizure from this edit. A seizure warning was put in the description a few days later and the video was taken down several months later after some more issues with Ben.

More Dr. Cecil
Arin continues the highly negative bit from last year where he claimed his mother was forcing him to promote his uncle's new book but it was actually just Arin playing dress up to promote the "Ghost Hunter's Adventure Club" book again and again and again. As well as creating shirts for Dr. Cecil and against him, the latter acknowledging the backlash of the bit, and neither sold particularly well.
Arin cites again that his mother is forcing him and his "uncle" made a website. (Website is not secure) Then he went on to interview him, along with more and more and more and more twitter videos, followed by the uploading the complete saga on YouTube, Cecil reading chapter one (now private for unknown reasons), releasing the book on Bandcamp (Now removed for unknown reasons), more merch and an audible release, Youtube ads, a live stream of Arin reading the book, and Arin leaving an amazon review where he once again stated his mom made him do it.
The total advertisements of Ghost Hunter's Adventure Club were: Arin saying his mother is forcing him to promote his uncle's book four times (Once on Good Content, twice on Twitter, and once in an Amazon review), multiple tweets (too many to document), multiple ads at the beginning of videos, YouTube Ads, a fake twitter account for his uncle, two fake interviews for his uncle (One on Twitter and one on YouTube), 9 different voice messages, three shirts, a pin, a music video, a website, a compilation video, a video of Cecil reading the first chapter, a live stream of the Arin reading, Audible, and a digital album.

Guest Grumps with Ben Schwartz

Game Grumps finally moves into their new office
They left back in August 2019 and moved in January 2020 (6 Months)

Unpacking our show in OUR NEW OFFICE - 10 Minute Power Hour
Dan and Arin unpack boxes and call it a video. They kept and still have David Cheeseman (10 Months old that this point. Do not recommend clicking) and later made merch of him.

Mega Man 5 Playthrough
Fan favourite series as has that old Game Grumps feel.
Arin says "I got a free man" along with multiple mentions of a "1-man" in Mario Galaxy 2 (one, two, three, four) which according to Arin himself last year you can't say because it is gendered.

Good Content goes on hiatus
The reason for this is to focus more on The Ten Minute Power Hour and do more on location videos.
Ten Minute Power Hour on location videos in 2020 - 2

Arpeegees wave 2 releases

Soviet Lunch Game Stream with Arin
Arin says that modern dating sims stole UI content from Dream Daddy (21:04-21:33)

Monopoly Playthrough
The thumbnail for the finale had stolen art and the artist said they were okay with it though as long as they gave her some some sort of acknowledgement, instead the thumbnail was later silently changed with the no mention of the artist, apology, or reason why it was changed was given, even after emails were sent.
Arin eventually got in touch with the artist three days later and said he would make a tweet about it. To this day, no tweet has ever been made.
"We were stupid for not crediting the artist. We always do that." - Arin after not giving credit to Suzy for the Good Boy Coins in a Power Hour episode.
No credit was also given to the Claymation animator for a couple of merch ads that appeared at the beginning of some episodes. (Another) Here is a link to their twitter and YouTube, so they can get the credit.
Several Among Us videos also do not link to any of the guests. (One, two, three)

Arin no longer becomes the number one followed person on Newgrounds

Scarlett Mysteries Playthrough
Walkthrough was used starting in part 3
The last 20 minutes of part 4, the finale, did not record so they try to summarize the game over other people's footage.

Chrono Trigger Playthrough
Parts 1-4 is a condensed version of the Chrono Trigger stream
Part 1 was uploaded six days early with a thumbnail that says "Needs Thumbnail" and was actually part 3
Dropped after only two new episodes

Suzy makes it onto AnthonyPadilla's "I spent a day with GOTHS"

Another screenshot from someone who has come forward about the Dan accusation
In it, Dan says he is thinking about writing a song about the girl he is texting. Reddit doesn't like the link so copy and paste the pieces: pasteboard. co/IXgQPEI.jpg

Ghost Hunter's Adventure's Club Releases
Theme song
First chapter is free
The day of release, Game Grumps started selling signed copies, meaning all those who preordered were out of luck.
Evidence was dug up possibly showing that Vernon was the real author of the book, or at least was heavily inspired by him.

Arin animates for the first time in several years to promote a Game Gyaru shirt

Suzy quits her job to focus more on Psychic Circle
Her previous job was head of merch for Game Grumps and Starbomb and asks whether to keep her store open during the pandemic

Sonic 2 Playthrough
Dan stops playing as Tails minutes into the fist episode
16 minutes into Part 1 they adjust the game settings and restart
"Would you get pissed off if we make "Dan is a Furry" t-shirts? Not if I get paid."
Dan reads more fanfic (3:56-8:47 and 13:10-21:00)
Arin takes the time to unlock Super Sonic with save states which were used and abused

Daily uploads return

Real Good Touring releases limited merch to pay for their employees
A percentage of the proceeds went to NOMAD Fundraiser, but no information was released on how much and what percentage or if they ever did go to charity.

Pokemon Card Stream
Arin reveals in a, now private, stream that the Pokemon cards he asked people to send in last year for a video will be for a stream where he donates the price of expensive cards to charity.
There has been no stream or mention of this since then.

Dead Rising 3 Playthrough
A cutscene was edited out. The reason given was because of due to YouTube guidelines but people were quick to mention that the cutscene was not edited out in multiple other playthroughs of the game.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 Playthrough
Part 1 is a fan favourite
Arin talks about how he went back and changed over 50 thumbnails
Arin says that he doesn't like Yoshi in this game because "he's got too many controls" (continued)
Arin pees in the sink
The first part of an episode was cut due them saying it was too weird and not fit for the algorithm
Arin and Dan talk about how they no longer take games off the shelves and put more thought into the games they play
Arin doesn't want Dan to change his character's name in A Link Between Worlds because then they would have to change their Zelda names shirt
"Backstreet Boys reunion tour" said: 51 times (only in Mario Galaxy 2 Parts 1-9)
Parts 16, 17, and 18 uploaded out of order before part 13
Part 14 uploaded with same thumbnail as part 17 and Part 15 uploaded with same thumbnail as part 16. Both fixed a couple days later.

Dan Avidan & Super Guitar Bros Cover song CD releases

Arin streams from home for charity to help with Covid-19 relief
A total of $30,930.08 raised

Space Quest 5 Playthrough
"Who give a shit. School is meaningless."
Arin blasted "X going to give it to you" all night at full volume so his neighbours would wonder what is going on.

Resident Evil 3 Playthrough
First instant of thumbnails having real faces, that was dropped then continued later in the year
Deaths (both cutscene and player) were censored starting at part 5 with the same censor every time (Part 5 - 2:56 and 6:32, Part 6 - 11:25, and Part 7 - 7:36) Just as with Dead Rising 3 people pointed out that deaths were not censored in other playthroughs

Go Banana Go!, Brian's new children's band releases their first cd

Guest Grumps with Thomas Middleditch and Ben Schwartz
Has facecam and constant complaining that the previous recording failed

A Link Between Worlds Playthrough
Bottom screen and black box takes up the bottom third of the video (Continues up until Part 12)
Episode 16+ is post commentary as they lost the audio

Ninja Sex Party Graphic Novel Releases

Game Grumps Gachapon Boxes
Boxes of random Game Grumps merch for a discounted price. Contents included Jingle and Ghoul Grumps shirts, Game Gyaru shirts, Easter pins, and the Golden Starbomb pin that you could only receive by buying $100+ of Starbomb merch
International Shipping was $50+
Returned later in the year with "Some items may have slight defects" added to the description

House Party Playthrough
Part 6 was uploaded out of order instead of part 4 spoiling an ending in the first minute
6 minutes of dead air that was supposed to be cut but wasn't (33:02-39:09)

Ben Minor
On Ben's personal Twitter, people found that he asked a current 17 year old for nudes and claimed that he got "that plus more". After some more digging, people found that he was also tweeting oddly sexual things at this person and even got his account locked at one time. When people dug a bit further, they found out that Ben has been constantly doing this for years (One, two, three, four) and even took a picture with them when they were 14. Ben deleted the tweets when people took notice and any comments about the incident on Game Grumps videos were deleted. Eventually Ben gave a sarcastic apology, hid any negative tweets and blocked people, before finally deleting the apology.

No Game Grumps episode uploaded for Blackout Tuesday

Arin asks whether he should make a statement about BLM on the Game Grumps account
He explained that this is because he thinks of Game Grumps as a brand and that a tweet would sound hollow. Arin received backlash for this (another) with both "Arin" and "Game Grumps" trending on Twitter. Arin retweeted a tweet against white supremacy and capitalism, then said he regretted asking and that he would make a statement from everyone in the company tomorrow. The next day Game Grumps made a statement and apologized for past racism.
Suzy quickly followed, but people were quick to point out that Arin apologized years ago while she only apologized because she was afraid of the backlash. In her own words, "I didn't apologize sooner because I was scared of the pain I would get by bringing attention to it" She also addressed one of her leaked tweets from last year, which also got backlash saying that she wouldn't have said anything if no one brought it up and saying that she made it about her when she said "I don't appreciate the shaming".
Arin liked a tweet calling Jon a dickhead bigot
In a now deleted Instagram story, Vernon went out as a field medic and was arrested during the protests for throwing things at police.

Game Grumps deletes "problematic" videos
After stating they would never do this, and if they did people wanting them to go the Warner Bros route, Game Grumps started deleting videos deemed "problematic".
The videos deleted resulting in a loss of ~40 million views which included all of A Link to the Past (both Jon and Dan playthroughs, the latter of which had Arin's Subway Rant, a fan favourite), Pokemon Emerald Part 13, Banjo-Kazooie Parts 11 and 19, Animal Crossing City Folk Part 2, Sonic 06 Part 36, and all of Bayonetta. Other video titles were also changed to remove swearing.
However, people were quick to point out that the videos deleted focused on Black and no other races, completely ignoring entire years of everything from accents, stereotypes, animations, to entire bits. Arin has even said several times that returning to Endless Ocean and Dog Island is unlikely because "some of the character voices haven't aged well."
And in terms of deleting the videos, they missed a lot in the Black category, in fact, the only videos/series that were deleted were the ones included in the Game Grumps N-word Compilation, so they missed things like, Arin not wanting to edit out the N-Word in a Mario Maker comment, Dan saying "Because he's Black" in Shovel Knight, Arin dropping the N-Word in Awesome the Hedgehog, Dan saying the N-word (Bonus: Dan saying the F-word), and many many more.

This is how you DON'T play Doom 2

Sonic Heroes Playthrough
The most hated playthrough this year
First series recorded over Discord which continued up until Nov 30 with Kuukiyomi 2
Part three's thumbnail had stolen artwork and was quickly changed, but then changed back with credit in the description
This is How You DON'T Play Sonic Heroes
This is how you play Sonic Heroes

Fans name their first born child after Dan (This was not the first time a fan has named their baby after a Game Grump)

10 Minute Power Hour goes on hiatus
The show promised to return and in the meantime they claimed to have many ideas for compilations
Number of ideas for compilations - 1 (Reacting to old Game Grumps content)

Fan gets Game Gyaru tattoo

Arin and NateWantsToBattle sing Linkin Park's In The End

More info about Dan accusations
This one comes from an ex Dan fan blog, and gives the experience of several girls and the pattern Dan had including how he contacted the girls on social media and DMs, talks turn to either him or her flying out or visiting the other's room at cons, the phrase "Money is not a problem for me" and "If my life were different we would be together" thrown around, most girls being more than 15+ years younger, and after the fling, Dan would ghost them. One girl provided picture evidence of a Dan selfie as proof.

Ubisoft Ads
Ubisoft is currently going through a plethora of sexual harassments, sexual assault, and sexual misconduct claims, (Resulting in at least three top executives getting fired) so when Game Grumps did an Assassin's Creed Valhalla Ad, fans went on Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, etc, saying please don't associate with them and please don't support them. All these pleas were ignored when Game Grumps did another Ubisoft ad for Immortals Fenyx Rising a few weeks later.

ShuffleMaster
Arin launches his new unboxing channel
Common complaints are that Arin spends half the stream reading only the super chat, he will simply toss away non rare cards, refuses to do any gameplay of the trading card games, has little to no knowledge on the rules or cards he is opening including things like how to attack, and terrible thumbnails and titles.

Continued in Part 2: https://www.reddit.com/rantgrumps/comments/kofsd1/game_grumps_2020_summary_part_2/

£500 for a rainy day- A Beginners Guide to Matched Betting

I've been meaning to update this guide for a while and add in some elements about Matched Betting that people should be aware of before getting started. Here they are as follows:
(1) You can start with as little as £20 but ideally and for the sake of attaining more profit in a faster time, My Personal Reccomendation would be to start with £100-£200.
(2) If you are careless, you can make mistakes. Like with any task, you must give it the level of precision it demands, a mistake when entering figures will cost you real money. When you read the guide below you will see that the process is very simple, but that means you must take extra care not to become complacent.
(3) If you have a history with Gambling, do not come near Matched Betting. Matched Betting is not Gambling, but the fact you will be using betting websites to facilitate a profit is too much of a temptation- It's not worth it.
(4) Matched betting won't effect your credit rating, however it's common sense that it doesn't look good to have numerous transations to betting sites on your bank statement. Open a seperate virtual bank account for all your Matched betting activity (It only takes 5 minutes, details below)
With that being said, Matched Betting really is a solid way to secure £400-£500 in a very short time, it's the reason I was able to pay my first couple of month's rent when I moved to the UK and to this day still remains a handy way to pay the bills every month. Anyway, Below is the Guide:

Starting Out:
I was sceptical as hell about Match betting because a friend showed me the Facebook groups and it just looked like a giant gambling pyramid scheme. It turns out there is a decent chunk of change to be made from it, you just need to follow the guides and never ever actually gamble with your money.
Never ever Gamble? Yes That's right, you are going to be using Gambling sites to complete the various offers, but the whole idea behind match betting is that every time you "make a bet", you match that same bet on the exchange. So for example, if I bet £10 for Real Madrid to Win on the Bookie Site at odds of 2.5, I then also make a Matched bet on the Exchange (This is a separate site such as Smarkets or Betfair) where I bet for Real Madrid not to win at odds of 2.5 (or as close as I can get to those odds). In this way I am covered in all outcomes, and it allows me to fulfill the requirements of the bookies offer (For example Bet £10 and get £30 in Free bets)
What's the difference between the Bookie Site and the Exchange? On the Exchange Site you are basically being the Bookie and just like a Bookie, you have liability. If I bet £10 and my bet wins at odds of 2.5 then I win £25, so the bookies liability for this bet is £15, the extra money that they would have to give me if I win. There are calculators on the Match betting sites which you can use to calculate what Liability you need to enter on the exchange each time you make your matched bet. There is also software to help you find what games have the closest odds on both the bookies and the exchange, which is very important.
What do I do when I get my free bets? It's the same process again, You find a game that has very close odds on both the bookies and the exchange (You can do this by eye or by using odds matching software. A good site with this software is called OddsMonkey). Only this time when you use the calculator to work out your liability, you will set it to "Free bets SNR" so it knows you are not using real money. It will tell you how much Liability to use in the exchange and off you go.
How does this make me money? The fact that you have a free bet to use is what makes you money, For example a £30 free bet at odds of 5.5 in the bookies will win you £135 (30x 4.5, because the original free bet stake of £30 is not returned to you). Now let's say that the closest odds I can find in the Exchange for the same game are 6.0, I will need a liability of £112.50 to match my free bet in the bookies ( I use the calculator on oddsmonkey to work this out)
£135- 112.50 = £22.50 in Profit.
Alternatively if my bet on the exchange wins, I will lose the free bet of £30 (but it's not actually a loss to me because It's not real money) and I will win £22.50 on the exchange. Either way, I make a Profit of £22.50
What about providing card details? You can use a separate, virtual bank account for all your match betting, In this way your main banking information is not shared with any of the sites you sign up to and all of your match betting transactions never go near your main bank account. A good one to use is Revolut or Monzo, both apps are super easy to use and it only takes 5 minutes to open an account. It's also totally free to open.
Revolut: Referral (£15 referral scheme) Non Ref
Monzo non ref: https://monzo.com

Where can I learn to do it? There are some sites that you have to pay a monthly subscription to but I found one called Team Profit that is free and has a full guide of all the different offers you can complete.
I worked my way down through the list of offers, nice and handy, and having completed 20 offers at 15 minutes per offer, I came out at £470 for 5 hours total of work.
If you are new to this site and are opening a free account I would really appreciate if you use my Referral (£10)
Here is the non referral link to the page with all the offers: https://www.teamprofit.com/welcome-offers-list
TLDR: You do not need to "gamble" to match bet, in fact by definition, the bet you make is "matched" on the exchange, so it is not a gamble in any sense.
I hope this guide helps and hopefully might even get a few people out of a fix this month with bills, rent etc.
Thanks for Reading.

[English Football] How the greatest flowering of football talent since 1966 gave the tabloids a decade of material

The first four parts of this series covered Nottingham Forest, Notts County, Derby County/Leeds United, and Stoke City.
This episode in English Football Drama is going national. After four episodes diving into the circus that is Midlands football, we turn our attentions to England's national football team. This episode will focus on the 21st century up until about the 2010 World Cup, as the 'Golden Generation' of young English talent failed to achieve for country the glories that so many of them achieve for their club. There will be a bigger focus on off-the-pitch stories and tabloid scandals here, although obviously football is central. In the era before the general sanitisation of the English tabloid press, players on the national team were up there with the royal family for gossip reporting and red-top scandals. And scandals they provided.
Background
English football had something of a renaissance in the 1990s. It ceased to be a violence-ridden sport predominantly enjoy by white working class men and became a national game in the true sense.
After the glory of winning the World Cup for the home crowd at Wembley in 1966 against the Germans, England's footballing fortunes took a nosedive. England did not qualify for the 1974 or 1978 World Cups at a time when English clubs were dominant in Europe (all European Cups from 1977-82 were won by English sides, while Leeds would have likely won in 1975 if not for some incredibly suspect refereeing at a time when bribing the officials wasn't unheard of) and the national team stagnated. Performances picked up in the 1980s, but the most notable moment for the national side in this decade was a certain Diego Maradona cementing an increasingly bitter rivalry with the Hand of God in 1986.
Off the pitch, hooliganism, often called the 'English Disease', blighted the reputation of the game at home and abroad. The socially turbulent 1970s-80s created a violent subculture at the underbelly of the sport, arguably fuelled by media sensationalism, and earnt English football supporters a terrible reputation when they supported club or country in European football competitions. The darkest moment came at the 1985 European Cup final when 39 supporters of Italian side Juventus died in a stadium collapse caused when the crowd sought to flee rioting Liverpool supporters. While there were other factors at play, the horrific scene was too much and all English clubs were banned from European football until 1990. England's participation in the 1988 European Football Championship in West Germany was like a candle which drew in the unsavoury elements of English club support and there was widespread violence between English and German hooligans around the competition.
So, in 1990 a fairly unpleasant situation? What changed?
At home measures such as the general adoption of all-seater stadiums and corresponding ticket price increases killed off much of the old 'terrace culture' around clubs. The government had made it possible to ban convicted hooligans from attending any match and in some cases from leaving the country during a major international tournament. The issue was good optics for Margaret Thatcher and her general commitment in government to the traditional safe Tory issue of law and order.
The 1990 World Cup in Italy was the start of football's image change. England did better than usual, making it to the semi-final before what would become a highly common event. Losing penalties to Germany. Their success and the resonance of Paul Gascoigne crying on the pitch owing to his sheer pashun took football to a wider audience.
But in 1996, football came home. England hosted Euro 96 and a famous song by comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner epitomised the optimism of football's home nation during the festival-like competition with a sentimental nod to 'Thirty Years of Hurt' since 1966, the year that has weighed down England ever since. But above all, it showed supporting England as a thing that normal and respectable people did. The awarding of the competition to England was a major sign from world football that the 'bad old days' were over, and the competition went ahead in a positive atmosphere. There was just one small hitch, once again involving a penalty shoot out against Germany as England once again lost in that accursed format.
Things weren't perfect by the end of the decade and some of the old problems persisted. A 1995 friendly against Ireland in Dublin was abandoned owing to a riot by a group of English hooligans affiliated to various far-right organisations, and there was trouble at both the 1998 World Cup and Euro 00. But it was a far cry from previous decades, and there was a new optimism in the air about the English national team.
The Golden Generation
At the turn of the century, England had a huge amount of young and promising talent who would surely end the pain and bring the World Cup home once again. Players who would go onto become legends for their clubs such as right midfielder David Beckham, centre forward Michael Owen, central midfielder Steven Gerrard, and centre half Rio Ferdinand had all come of age. Manchester United's 1999 Champions League win was the first one for an English side since Liverpool in 1984, and it signalled a return to Europe's top competitions for English sides.
What better to signal a new era than by absolutely stuffing the main rivals? After the 1966 World Cup final, penalty agony in 1990 and 1996 and various other historical events, Germany became the team English fans wanted to beat the most. The tabloids revelled in the rivalry with their diplomatic headlines and terrace classics such as 'Ten German Bombers' and 'Two World Wars and One World Cup' remained commonplace. For their part, German fans tend to regard the Netherlands as their primary football rival.
And stuff them they did. In a World Cup qualifier in Munich in 2001, Germany suffered their first ever home loss in a World Cup qualifier as England beat them 5-1. This was a massive vindication of England's young side and the new manager Sven Goran Erikkson, who had received some scepticism as England's first foreign manager. German fans consoled themselves with the Dutch failure to qualify for the 2002 World Cup, but it marked a new era for England.
The side that humbled Germany included the core of the 'Golden Generation' with Gary Neville, Ashley Cole, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, Sol Campbell, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Emile Heskey, Michael Owen, and Jamie Carragher all appearing.
The CEO of the Football Association, Adam Crozier, publicly described this cohort as the 'Golden Generation' who would go on to do for England what many of them were already doing for their clubs.
Japan 2002
England qualified for the 2002 World Cup in Japan in true fashion, with a David Beckham free kick past Greece putting England through. David Beckham had rapidly become the poster boy for the Golden Generation owing to his skill with free kicks and his glamorous appearance and personal life, including being married to the famous pop star Victoria Beckham, known as 'Posh Spice' in the Spice Girls.
Quick stop off for the first affair to be dragged through the tabloids on the way to Japan. In the spring of 2002, it turned out that Anglo-Swedish TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson had been having an affair with Sven. The News of the World (Britain's premier sleaze rag/newspaper, known as the News of the Screws in satirical magazine Private Eye or if you're my great-granddad, as the Whore's Gazette) absolutely loved a bit of sleaze. So much, in fact, they gave Ulrika a column for the next four years so she could launch the odd diatribe at Sven and his unconventional personal life.
Sven was bullish about England's chances in 2002, in a formula which would become predictable, he expected that this year would be the year.
To be fair, it started well. A group stage tie with Argentina gave England a chance to give a bloody nose to another rival. Owing to the 1982 Falklands War and Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' in 1986, Argentina normally sits 3rd in the list of international footballing rivalries after Germany and Scotland. I remember as a fairly young child my parents explaining to me that the Argies were a 'dirty' side after the Hand of God and an acrimonious game in the 1998 World Cup and that beating them was pretty much essential. So, it was to relief all round when David Beckham scored from a penalty.
Draws with Sweden and Nigeria took England into the Round of 16, amusingly at the expense of Argentina who were 2002's shock group stage exit. England brushed Denmark aside 3-0 to set themselves up for a quarter final tie with the favourites and eventual champions, Brazil.
Was this to be England's year? Victory against Brazil would likely assure playing Germany in the final given the probability of beating Senegal or Turkey in the semi-final (so goes the England fan's logic) and we would doubtless give Jerry another pasting to make it Two World Wars and Two World Cups. The nation was abuzz. I willingly went to school early to watch it on the projector, the only time I've ever turned up a minute early of my own free will.
And Brazil won. Well, they were going to, weren't they? A good Michael Owen goal set England up for a 1-0 win and dreams of glory in Tokyo, but Messrs Ronaldo and Rivaldo put two past David Seaman to knock England out.
The circular firing squad and media postmortem was mysteriously absent. Brazil had some truly sublime talents, and surely a young side would come good and win it next time, wouldn't they?
The Road to Euro 04
A few distractions to get through before we get into the meat of England's next footballing failure. In late 2003 England played a friendly against Australia which was notable for two things. England were roundly beaten by Australia, a nation with whom England has fierce cricket and rugby rivalries but doesn't generally register in football, to echoes of condemnation. And a young Wayne Rooney became the youngest player to ever play for England, aged just 17. More on him later.
England's qualification for Euro 04 was generally uneventful, except for a shock draw to Macedonia, involving this filthy banger direct from a corner.
Rio Ferdinand managed to get an eight month ban from football by missing a drugs test. This was a blow as it removed one of Sven's two preferred centre halves from the squad. It also removed one of the main drama generators, a man who had gained notoriety in 2000, when Channel 4 aired a sex tape featuring him and fellow internationals Kieron Dyer and Frank Lampard filmed on holiday in Cyprus. Fortunately for us, his ban allowed an even more sublime drama king to take centre stage. Enter John Terry. Another new appearance was Chelsea teammate Wayne Bridge. More on them later.
Penalties, again?
Euro 04 started strong with an early goal from Frank Lampard against France. France, despite being England's rivals of choice in most fields, is not an especially strong football rivalry. The idea of France as a major footballing nation is relatively new and as far as football goes there isn't any real bad blood. Even Zinedine Zidane's injury time equaliser and winner didn't create any lasting resentment.
Comfortable wins over Switzerland and Croatia put England 2nd in the group and set them up for a draw against host nation Portugal. Of course, Portugal had their own wonderkid as the world was introduced to a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. The two sides drew 2-2 after extra time and the dreaded penalties loomed. Fear not, for dead-ball specialist David Beckham stepped up to the mark for his country.
Well.
Beckham joined Stuart 'Psycho' Pearce and Gareth Southgate in the list of players who gained notoriety for fluffing a penalty.
Sven started to come under criticism in the tabloids for his failure to deliver the goods. He came under more criticism when he, once again, couldn't keep it in his trousers, starting a proud tradition for the Golden Generation to become better known for tabloid gossip.
Young Rooney started strong as well, as it turned out that he had shagged a granny in a Liverpool brothel. Hopes of an incognito quickie with a lady of the night were dashed when a group of Everton fans (Rooney's then-club and boyhood team) found out and started chanting his name outside when he was doing the dirty.
At about this time, Ashley Cole began a relationship with the professional Geordie and pop star Cheryl Tweedy, a saga which would keep the News of the Screws engaged for some years.
Possibly the only bad thing about that sordid rag going under in 2011 is that I'm having a hell of a time finding the original news articles for this write up.
The Old Enemy Beckons
The 2006 World Cup is now on the horizon. And who is hosting it, other than Germany? What a coup it would be for the boys and England's national pride for, in a story lifted from a campy 1950s war film, our plucky boys to parachute in Berlin and win the World Cup from right under Fritz's nose?
Well, if they could get there. Northern Ireland, traditionally footballing minnows, beat England 1-0 in a qualifier. This was Sven's first defeat in a qualifier but the tabloids attacked his playing style and, being a Swede, the lack of pashun and dersiah that a redblooded Englishman would have. England did qualify with a match to spare, so surely it would be a smooth ride to Germany and for our plucky heroes to take on the Hun and win?
Like fuck it would. Sven managed to get into the tabloids again. At the time, the News of the Screws employed an undercover journalist who specialised in 'sting' stories aimed at prominent figures. Mazher Mahmood was popularly known as the 'Fake Sheikh' owing to his tendency to masquerade as an Arab oil sheikh. He approached Sven as an Arab businessman hoping to invest in English football, and Sven seemingly said told Mahmood to buy Aston Villa (a respectable Premier League side from Birmingham) as he hoped to take the Villa job after the 2006 World Cup and bring David Beckham in from Real Madrid to be his captain. The imbroglio fatally undermined Sven, who was forced to announce a resignation effective after the World Cup. Essentially working through his notice period, it isn't hard to see what impact on the squad that might have.
England turned up in Germany, and the tabloid media brought its legendary tact and diplomacy. England fans made no reference to past historic events before matches. Songs like this were condemned in the respectable press which saw them as crass chants from drunken shirtless louts, but many football fans see these chants as lighthearted banter.
On the pitch England beat Paraguay and Trinidad in the group stages before another turgid draw with Sweden, putting England through to the Round of 16 at the top of their group.
Sven began to deviate from the traditional 442 formation, using Rooney up front alone and playing a third man in central midfield, usually Michael Carrick. We'll talk a little more about the significance of 442 in a bit.
A 1-0 win over Ecuador set England up for another quarter-final tie, this time against Portugal, who had knocked them out on penalties in 2004.
Surely England wouldn't be knocked out on penalties by Portugal again would they? Curses aren't real surely?
A 0-0 snooze fest led to the inevitable. And the inevitable happened. England's players missed three penalties. This was now becoming a serious mental block, with England going out of the 1990, 1998, and 2006 World Cups on penalties as well as Euro 96 and 04.
It wasn't Sven's problem now. As agreed with the FA, he left the role thereafter. But who could replace him?
The Wally with a Brolly
After the pashunless Sven, it was time to get a proper Englishman back in charge. Enter Steve McClaren. McClaren had proper club pedigree, taking Middlesbrough to a UEFA Cup Final in 2006 after winning a League Cup in 2004.
His first media scandal came when the News of the Screws claimed Ashley Cole had taken part in a homosexual orgy. They settled out of court and retracted the stories but this was just another time in which the tabloid press pursued sensational stories about members of the England team.
McClaren gave John Terry the captaincy and dropped David Beckham from his line ups. There was a period of poor form in which England scored once in five matches, followed by when he told a press conference they could write what they wanted after a lacklustre win over Andorra because he wasn't going to say anything else. McClaren recalled David Beckham and form picked up once again. It wasn't enough though, as England lost against Russia before the final gameday of the qualification cycle for Euro 08. This meant that England had to avoid defeat against Croatia, who obligingly beat England 3-2 at Wembley while Russia took 2nd place with a win over minnows Andorra. This was the first time in 24 years that England had not qualified for a European Championship.
The Daily Mail's headline the next day became one of those legendary headlines that goes down in a country's collective pop-culture memory. The Wally with a Brolly epitomised what was then the shortest ever tenure in the England job.
Who could possibly prepare the club for the 2010 World Cup after a period sat on the sidelines of international football?
Enter Fabio
Fabio Cappello was another foreign hiring. He was widely welcomed in the English press as a notorious disciplinarian who could curb the excesses allowed under the relaxed Sven and the disastrous McClaren.
Fabio rigidly played 442 football. In England, 442 is more than a football formation, it is a way of life. 442 means standing up for traditional no-nonsense English values like work ethic, pluck, and willingness to die for the team over fancy foreigners with their poncy passing skills. This initially endeared him to the press, which demanded nothing more than the most patriotic form of football involved.
Capello saw Beckham dropped once again for his initial set of friendly matches. In goal he started to play David 'Calamity' James, who was perhaps unfairly scapegoated for being a somewhat eccentric keeper prone to errors.
In the 2010 qualification group, England did very well. They comfortably qualified, including with a win over Germany to keep the fans happy, and everyone looked forward to watching England bring it home from the first ever African World Cup.
But first, an interlude for the biggest of the tabloid shitstorms.
Viva John Terry
In January 2010 a certain individual successfully placed a 'Superinjunction' preventing details of an extra-marital affairs being published. The existence of the injunction was also not to be revealed. Another judge overruled this and the News of the Screws was free to report the information it had. Namely, John Terry had an affair with the partner of Wayne Bridge, former Chelsea teammate and current England teammate. Wayne Bridge in the end wasn't involved in the 2010 World Cup, but many were naturally shocked a captain would do something like this to a team member.
At the time there was a prominent scandal around the use of 'injunctions' by high profile people exploiting England's lax law on these issues, and John Terry was merely one of several.
In any case, the News of the Screws ended up apologising to the woman involved, in a fairly remarkable move which in hindsight was an early indication of the radical shifts in the tabloid press during the early 10s.
John Terry was stripped of the captaincy for the first time and replaced with Rio Ferdinand for the upcoming World Cup.
Germany, again?
It started so well. England was put into a relatively soft group on paper and were the clear favourites. The Sun's legendary tact once again.
Match number one of 'HMS Piss the Group' was against the USA. Again, not really a footballing nation, the expectation of an easy win was high. It started well with an early goal from Steven Gerrard before a goalkeeping error etched into my mind today. Rob Green mishandled a save, giving Clint Dempsey a goal. A frustrating 0-0 draw with Algeria indicated something was going wrong.
Were England about to be knocked out of an allegedly soft group? Fortunately a goal against Slovenia rescued it, but England finished 2nd in the group behind the USA, leading to a Round of 16 tie against Germany.
Once again, the red tops employed their legendary diplomacy
Did it go to penalties? No, but don't breathe a sigh of relief yet.
England got stuffed 4-1. Properly stuffed. The only consolation was that an obvious Frank Lampard goal was not awarded because the linesman didn't see it properly. In the days before VAR it really was that rudimentary. The reason this mattered was because England had been awarded a similarly controversial goal in the 1966 World Cup final, many Germans reassured themselves knowing that it could have gone so differently if Hurst's 2nd goal hadn't been allowed. At least they were now even on the controversial crossbar goal count.
Was this a consolation to the press?
Of course not
Once again, the red tops hounded a squad who had failed to live up to the increasingly lofty expectations.
But at least Wayne Rooney got one more romp in the tabloids out, as it turned out he had paid hush money to a high-class escort he had been 'seeing'.
Viva John Terry 2
Fabio quietly gave John Terry the captaincy back. He still had one shitstorm left in him. And it was ugly. He was accused of calling Anton Ferdinand, brother of Rio, a 'fucking black cunt' during a game between Chelsea and West London neighbours Queen's Park Rangers. After being charged by police for using racist language, Terry was once again stripped of the England captaincy, which went to Steven Gerrard.
Fabio, who had come under heavy fire after the 2010 World Cup, resigned over this. He didn't want to take the captaincy from John Terry but the FA forced his hand and he left the role in early 2012.
John Terry was actually acquitted of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand in a criminal trial, but an FA hearing found him guilty and punished him with a fairly short ban. This was controversial because of the different standards of proof. A conviction in English criminal courts needs proof 'beyond reasonable doubt', whereas the FA hearing used civil rules where guilt is based on the balance of probabilities. Terry apologised for his language, but he retained the Chelsea captaincy and never directly apologised to Anton.
Epilogue
With Fabio's departure the classic 'Golden Generation' era ended, even though players like Gerrard and Lampard still turned out for England. In the interests of time and length I shall give a summary until about 2016 before wrapping up.
Roy Hodgson managed England from 2012-6. England were eliminated in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup after losing to Uruguay and Italy and drawing to Costa Rica. Ironically Italy, the other team expected to go to the knockouts, was the other eliminated side. This was a bigger trauma than 2010, although massive changes in journalism (such as the News of the Screws closing down and far stricter regulation) meant that there was less of the constant tabloid coverage of the fallout.
2016 saw a decent showing in Euro 16, but once again the media got cocky before a tie against a theoretically weaker side only for England to get knocked out by them. Bravo Iceland.
Sam Allardyce replaced Roy Hodgson and lasted a grand total of two months before being caught telling undercover journalists how to get around various financial rules in football before criticising previous managers and some of his players.
Finally, Gareth Southgate came and has seemingly reinvented the side, making it to the semi-finals in 2018. But at least it wasn't penalties then.
Why did the Golden Generation Fail?
On paper they should have been at the top of the game. Pep Guardiola compared them to the Spanish flowering of talent which led to their 2010 World Cup win. There are a few factors here.

The team's philosophy didn't really work. There was never a coherent playing style for the national team which players would be selected around or moulded into. Rather, managers tended to make systems work around players even if they didn't gel well.
Rivalries in the squad. It probably reflects on English football well that there are several top end teams who compete for titles and European qualification, rather than the perhaps less exciting one club dominance of Germany and Italy or the duopolies of Scotland and Spain. But, Gerrard and Lampard seemed to struggle when paired and their club rivalries may have played a part. The bulk of the squad came from three clubs, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea who all won Champion's League honours at some point in the early 21st century and regularly competed for titles and domestic cups. Could they switch off the rivalries when on national duty?
Finally, the press. We have gone through the tabloid obsession with these footballers and their personal lives. We have also discussed the cycle of bullishness followed by anger which follows the inevitable defeats. Is it unreasonable for a young adult to find these pressures too much? Probably not. Above all, it is hard to escape how much better England appear to play now that the press is less hostile towards the side, that their manager is a more nurturing figure, and that the sleazy red tops have either gone the way of the dodo (News of the Screws) or been forced to fundamentally change their approach in response to heightened regulation and changing social mores.

Inside the murky world of investment advice on YouTube

First-time traders are getting a free financial education on YouTube, but not everyone is as they seem:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2021/02/13/inside-murky-world-investment-advice-youtube/
Alternative link to article: https://archive.vn/qLxkd
edit - added full article text
Kayla Kilbride decided to teach herself how to trade during a dinner at her family home in Los Angeles last November. Her sisters had been showing her their smartphones, displaying recent winnings on the trading app Robinhood and the conversation around the table kept turning to stocks.
Unemployed and in the midst of the pandemic, the 24-year-old quickly became hooked, waking up at 4.30am to study the markets before they opened, watch YouTube tutorials and simulating trades for six hours a day, four days a week.
“When I first heard the words bullish and bearish I had to Google them,” Kilbride says. “YouTube has been the most educational platform for me, which is so funny. I never thought I'd ever say that.”
Kilbride is one of hundreds of thousands of young people bored and stuck at home turning to YouTube to learn the tricks of the trade. Apps like Robinhood, WeBull, ThinkorSwim and eToro have allowed anyone to buy and sell shares and financial instruments, but many have no idea what they are doing. Top trading channels have up to half a million subscribers each, and live streams of traders studying their screens are watched by thousands at a time.
Some are drawn by clips that attract clicks with colourful thumbnail images showing the presenter surrounded by dollar emojis and green arrows pointing up. Titles like “How one 19-year-old took his brokerage account to $187,000 (£135,000) in two months”, “How I made $1,000 in 25 minutes, and “This stock is about to explode!” promise stories of traders having fun and making fortunes at the same time.
One teenage YouTuber known as Biaheza regularly posts about the money he makes on trading apps Robinhood and WeBull to his 725,000 subscribers.
In one, he lets a stray cat decide whether he should buy $10,000 worth of Tesla puts or calls - leveraged options betting against and for the stock respectively - by placing the words “puts” and “calls” on a piece of paper placed under two dishes. The cat picked puts, Tesla shares went down, and Biaheza made $1,000.
This week, the 19-year-old shared a video in which he borrowed $70,000 from Robinhood to place on Tesla, eventually making himself $5,000.
Reddit, a very different social network, has been put at the centre of the GameStop bonanza that rattled markets last month. But YouTube also lit up with videos explaining or promoting the phenomenon. One of the heroes of the saga was Roaring Kitty, a YouTuber who also worked as a financial advisor. A Massachusetts securities regulator is now investigating whether the trader, real name Keith Gill, broke securities rules by advising which stocks to buy. Arguably YouTube's broadcasts have more power over the market than forums because they hit the web as a finished product that cannot be altered, allowing one skilled presenter to broadcast to many.
Tom Sosnoff, who sold his brokerage ThinkorSwim to TD Ameritrade for $606m in 2009, has since become a hit on YouTube with his Tasty Trades channel becoming a stop-off for more risky investment strategies.
Tasty Trades is focused on grey area instruments, like leverage, options and futures. Financial experts warn that these are challenging, high risk and can be low reward. Sosnoff, says the interest in alternative trading is a reaction to the tedium of traditional financial TV.
“There was a demand for intelligent, challenging financial content, because to me, Bloomberg and CNBC and places like that were full of stuff that anybody can watch, but it wasn't intellectually challenging,” he says. “Who cares what somebody else thinks? Who cares what the news is? I'm not looking for somebody to repeat the news to me. I'm looking for somebody to explain to me how the markets work and how can I make this actionable.”
Kilbride, who now trades just one hour a day after finding a job, says YouTube creates more good than harm. When she decided to move from fake trades to real money she started small and, after one big loss, is now up around 20pc from a starting point of $500. But not everyone will take her measured approach.
“I think overall it's probably good for markets that more people are educating themselves and that you don’t need a fancy Ivy League degree to do it,” says Vincent Deluard, a macro strategist for the brokerage StoneX and Professor of finance at Saint Mary's College in California. “Information should be public.”
"The people who fall for the YouTube videos with the man standing by a fancy red car will lose money, that is just the way markets work."
Clem Chambers, chief executive of stocks, shares and cryptocurrency website ADVFN, says people are falling for “conspiracy theories” on YouTube that promise thousands of dollars. “They’re all rubbish,” he says.
Chambers, who has 30 years of trading experience, says he recognises a similar pattern as during the dotcom boom, which he says scared an entire generation off investing.
“It is a tragedy because investing in the stock market is one of the few ways a normal guy can become wealthy,” he says. “But there's a whole group of people that try to ensnare the beginner. There's a whole gauntlet of people that will strip the unwary of their money.”
eToro, a social trading app which is available in the UK, warns on its website that 67pc of retail trader accounts lose money. Even amateurs with a level head are likely to make 3pc gains at most. Those pushing between 5 and 10pc would be destined for some of the best firms in the world, not YouTube.
YouTube traders can still generate revenue from their streams even if they make a loss trading. Those with more than 10,000 views are eligible to receive a cut of YouTube's targeted advertising revenue. Many sell merchandise and some receive compensation for promoting trading apps.
“The problem is when you have got videos saying how to spot ‘hot stock’,” says Susannah Streeter, senior markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. “It’s almost like it has become a game and people are treating the market like it is a form of entertainment, not a strategy.”
Ironically, Streeter says the vast amount of videos and user commentary on YouTube is helping the industry the presenters are trying to disrupt. “I would expect that hedge funds are analysing the YouTube videos that are being posted, as they are watching social media posts,” she says. With algorithms that take into account what is trending on Twitter, it should come as little surprise.
"YouTube is completely unregulated. When you get official investment advice published by a broker then the person publishing the advice is a licensed individual who is certainly culpable for the statements that they make.” says Kevin Mak, a lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business, “And that's not really the case for YouTube broadcasters.”
YouTube says it doesn’t allow “get rich quick” schemes but did not return the Telegraph’s inquiries into what it was doing to curb "pump-and-dump" schemes where an investor hypes to stock to sell at the peak.
As regulators will attest, it is incredibly hard to prove market manipulation. Many of the accounts that appear to be spamming comment sections with the names of certain stocks are pseudonymous. The Federal Trade Commission says it is keeping an eye on influencers who promote gambling, and British politicians have called on a ban of celebrities from Love Island and Geordie Shore promoting unregulated foreign exchange trading.
Vocal critics of the disruptors fear speaking out after a social media pile-on for anyone who dared to fault them. Hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen left Twitter after his children received threats amid the GameStop backlash. Short-seller Andrew Left, whose company Citron was one of the hedge funds to spark the battle with small-time traders, said in a YouTube video last month that his company - once the anti-establishment - would no longer publish short-selling research.
Professor Joel Hasbrouck, Stern School of Business, New York University, says he occasionally finds teachings of value on YouTube, although these are few and far between.
“For better or for worse, YouTube is a repository of popular wisdom, experience and folklore,” he says. “It appeals to our affiliation tendencies. We're told that maybe if we all pull together on this one we can bend the market to our advantage,” he says.
This coordination would be prosecuted by British and US officials if it were arranged by two large banks and caught on trading room chat transcripts, he says. But don’t expect this Wild West to be tamed anytime soon.
“In this instance the players are small and dispersed,” he says, “and the coordination is loose and casual, so regulation seems unlikely.”

FAQ Megathread - Compilation of all possible questions you may have about NEXO

Table of contents:

General Information about Nexo
Buybacks
Licenses and regulations
Interest / Earning with your Crypto assets
Dividend
Competitors
Frequently asked questions
Important information

General Information about Nexo

What is Nexo?

Nexo delivers the The World’s First Instant Crypto-backed Loans, thus resolving a crucial inefficiency for the crypto world. Up to this very moment, no alternatives existed for digital asset owners to enjoy their crypto wealth except selling them. The innovative model of Nexo brings to the crypto community the best of both worlds - retaining 100% ownership of their digital assets while having immediate access to cash.

What are Instant Crypto-backed Loans?

The Instant Crypto-backed Loans are an automatic, flexible and cost-efficient way of obtaining liquidity that is secured by the value of the client’s digital assets. The whole process is completed in just a few simple clicks. No hidden fees, no capital gains taxes, no credit checks. Transparency is guaranteed through the use of blockchain technology, smart contracts and algorithmic processes executed by the Nexo Oracle.

Notes for US (United States) Customers

You will not be able to exchange NEXO within the upcoming exchange. This is NOT due to Nexo, but because of the SEC.
You can receive dividends, but paid in BTC not Nexo (Unless you're an accredited investor, then you can be paid in Nexo).
It's pretty complicated to purchase Nexo (right now) for US customers.
You can not receive the additional 2% bonus if choosing to get paid interest in Nexo.

How can I buy NEXO?

Currently, until the Exchange comes out, you will have to use a third-party platform to purchase NEXO. You can use the following:

Changelly (Via the Nexo app, click on the banner on the homepage, at the top) [Note, very high fees/interest rate, but easy to use]
Huobi.com (Not available for US customers) Send USDT, BTC, ETH to your Huobi wallet, trade it for Nexo. If you complete KYC you get a $10 fee deduction on trades.
Uniswap. You have to buy ETH first somewhere and then swap it to Nexo. Good solution for 4 figure exchanges and under, above that, there is too little liquidity.
Buy BNB from Binance, use Binance DEX to convert BNB to Nexo.
Bitmart.com exchange.
Hotbit.io exchange (very low liquidity)
ChangeNow.io - Swap to NEXO

How is Nexo connected to Credissimo?

Nexo is powered by Credissimo, a leading FinTech Group serving millions of people across Europe for over 10 years. Credissimo has always operated under the highest regulatory requirements and strictest supervision by multiple European Banking and Financial Services Regulators. Now the same Team and its Board of Advisors, empowered by the ever-growing community of Nexo supporters and the enormous demand for the Instant Crypto-backed Loans, are unlocking the value of the digital assets in a rapidly expanding token economy that will alter the very fabric of a $5 trillion dollar market.

Who are the Nexo Founders?

Nexo was founded by the Credissimo team who have been in business for over 10+ years and awarded as one of the top 100 Financial Tech companies in Europe.

What happens when NEXO doesn't have enough cash to loan out?

They can't loan out without raising money, of course. So either they have to loan themselves with better terms, raise money through other means, or steadily process the loans facing a supply drought and customer loss. I could imagine that it would be technically legal for a certain % of the collateral to be sold, just like banks are not required to keep 100% of their customers cash in liquid form, but I have quite frankly no clue how this applies to nexo and crypto assets.

What happens to the deposited BTC/ETH if NEXO fails? Who holds the private keys to them coins?

Since nexo is properly registered in the EU, and given the EU's tendency to protect customers rather than company's, Id honestly assume we would have a novelty court case over this issue, with the expected result that the collateral has to be given back out, if it is still available. But as it often happens in crypto, if the coins are sold illegally its hard to reverse that kind of damage, and its even more tough to access them if they were sent to another wallet. I do not really think that there is a reasonable possibility of this happening without nexo deliberately destroying their business/turning criminal, because of the nature of this business and the contracts, and I would assume that not turning criminal is a much, much more profitable strategy in the long run, because nexo is well positioned to assume dominance in this market for what we know so far.

What happens if people fail to pay back the money, but at the same time the deposited BTC/ETH loose value and are not able to cover the loan amount any more? (With people then realising their collateral is valued at less then the money they have to pay back, thus being incentivised towards defaulting rather than paying back to get their crypto.)

If the collateral does not cover the loan due to falling prices, the loan agreement as far as I know will be automatically terminated, with the collateral held in the nexo account. The customer must either default through the prices not covering the loan amount, or with failure of payback itself, its not really possible that both the customer fails to pay back the money AND the collateral declines in value below the worth of the loan unless the market crashes so spectacularly that the collateral cannot be automatically sold. However the outcome is technically the same, nexo itself does not lose money if the client defaults (unless prices crash faster than nexo is able to sell, or the volume is gone, et cetera., which I think at this point is relatively unreasonable to assume.), and I think the "take a loan -> buy more crypto -> take more loans" scenario is incredibly unreasonable given that you can easily margin-trade with much higher leverage and less trouble than what nexo could loan out to you, so I dont assume loans are being taken for actual crypto investments, I rather think people believe in the collateral assuming value and see it as a locked up investment with extra short term utility

How is NEXO profitable?

Lending is the most profitable crypto market segment. Businesses are now parking their idle cash with crypto lenders. This trickle will soon become a flood. Nexo is arguably the most profitable lender. NEXO made ~$20 mill profit last year, paying a $6mill dividend.

Is Nexo trustworthy?

Considering that the founders of Nexo are some of the same people behind Credissimo an established successful award winning FinTech Group founded in 2007 which is still around gives gives me reassurance that my coins are somewhat safe. At the end of the day we're all taking a risk here. I'd be very surprised if Nexo just runs off with all our money in the process tainting all the work they've put in from Credissimo to here. It is poor that they haven't done much to reassure us that our crypto/money is as secure as they say but they have a track record that seems to speak for itself. Not many other defi platforms can do the same and we are seeing that almost every second day with the hacks occurring in the ecosystem.
There are actual people behind this thing that we can hold accountable. People who have Forbes articles written about them. People who have been on the news. I'm not saying it's still not possible for a security breach but again their track record seems to speak for itself.

What happens to my assets if NEXO goes under?

In the unlikely event that Nexo goes under, yes, your money is gone. There is no insurance in the world that covers something like that I'm afraid. It's the same for Cel, CDC, or any wallet provider.. remember, not your keys not your crypto. There is always a risk.

How can NEXO afford such high interest rates?

Simple, they borrow your money for ~8% and they lend it out for ~11.9% (no loyalty, this used to be 24.9% but I guess they changed it because it made them look like loan-sharks).
The concept behind Nexo is to make Crypto as liquid as possible for clients. Instead of selling crypto you can temporarily supplement it for a small loan.
Their average loan is well above the 5.9% minimum and more people are using the service to borrow rather than lend.
They are profitable, but don't expect the stablecoin interest to remain at 8%-12% long term, it's to attract new customers! Just like Crypto.com did.
One thing to note, the business model is SOLID, but only in a stable or bullish market. If for some reason Crypto market tanks, then it'll be an issue.

What happens if the market crashes?

The Loan-to-Value (i.e. ~50% for BTC and ETH) is dynamically determined by the Nexo Oracle algorithms, depending on the current and historical volatility and market liquidity of the asset. If the assets decrease significantly in value and you do not contribute additional assets to your Nexo Wallet after receiving a warning from the Nexo Oracle, Nexo may initiate small liquidations to cover any insufficiency.

Buybacks

Nexo announced a Buyback, has it been done, how can I track it?

The buyback has started, it seems like they are doing the buyback bit by bit instead of the full amount all at once. They purchase these tokens from the open market, where there is liquidity (Huobi for instance). You can check how many tokens have been bought back so far here: https://etherscan.io/address/0x1C433CBF4777e1f0dCe0374d79aaa8ecDC76B497#tokentxns

License and Regulations

Is NEXO compliant with the SEC?

Yes: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1732097/000173209718000004/xslFormDX01/primary_doc.xml

Could SEC investigate NEXO the same way they did with Ripple (XRP)?

Nexo is registered and compliant with the SEC when they did their ICO (Initial Coin Offering), there is nothing to worry about.

What is NEXO's insurance?

Nexo use BitGo (https://www.bitgo.com/) as their cold storage provider. This includes a $100m policy that covers third-party hacks, theft, loss of keys, etc.
The safety of clients funds is the main priority for Nexo. Cold storage Wallets are provided by BitGo, the leader in digital asset financial services. BitGo Custody carries $100,000,000.00 in insurance protections through a syndicate of underwriters through the Lloyd's, the world’s specialist insurance and reinsurance market. And this premium service comes in at no additional cost (details can be found here and here).
The $100 million policy covers digital assets where the private keys are held 100% by BitGo in the event of:

Third-party hacks, copying, or theft of private keys
Insider theft or dishonest acts by BitGo employees or executives
Loss of keys

Nexo has chosen BitGo as its custodian because BitGo provides 100% cold storage technology in bank-grade Class III vaults and the BitGo platform is SOC 2 Type 2 certified. Advanced authentication mechanisms are employed to ensure the authenticity of data, and assets are distributed geographically and organisationally.
It is the account holders’ responsibility to safeguard their accounts by means including but not limited to using a strong password, enabling two-factor authentication and controlling all login credentials to Nexo. Clients remain owners of the crypto assets placed into Nexo accounts.

Why is their insurance only for $100m if they have $4B+ in assets under management (AUM)?

They don't keep the all of their assets in the one wallet.
Their custodian, BitGo, keeps funds in many smaller wallets - the likelihood of all those wallets being hacked at the same time is something approaching zero.

Is there details on Nexo's bank license?

Not yet, Nexo is not a bank yet, but it's possibly coming soon, as they just switched banks to IBS Lithuania UAB. (Not announced but since Lithuania gave Revolut a bank license it's very possible!)

What does an ISO/IEC 27001 certificate mean?

Nexo’s information security management system (ISMS) has been successfully audited by CISQ, a member of IQNet and the world’s largest provider of management system certification, and by RINA, who have decades of experience in certifications, ensuing in an ISO/IEC 27001 compliance certificate. This guarantees that Nexo's security infrastructure is of the highest standard and carries minimal risk to clients and investors thanks to rigorous security policies, impeccable risk assessment, data protection, and state-of-the-art cybersecurity.
Nexo’s ISO/IEC 27001 certificate was issued to it's Estonian entity, the subject of this certification is Nexo’s information security management system, rather than a specific registered entity. As such, it is irrelevant which Nexo entity the certificate was granted to.
Please also note that information provided on www.nexo.io is valid for all Nexo services and operations, as the aggregate of companies within the Nexo group. These include entities registered across the globe, all of which are fully compliant with local regulations.

Licenses and links

License: https://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/EntityDetails.aspx/COMPANY/1898755
License: https://mtr.mkm.ee/juriidiline_isik/236278/valjavoteEdit?tulemus=Tegevusluba
SEC: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1732097/000173209718000004/xslFormDX01/primary_doc.xml
Estonia's Business Register: https://www.teatmik.ee/en/personlegal/14520507-Nexo-Services-O%C3%9C
Estonia Approval (Allows operations to all non-estonians): https://www.fi.ee/sites/default/files/2019-03/20190304%20Hoiatusteade%20Nexo.pdf

Interest / Earning with your Crypto assets

I transferred my assets yesterday and have not gotten any interest yet???

You get your first interest payout the day AFTER you deposit. This is normal, to avoid people cheating the system.

I am not getting my 10% interest!

It may not be clearly explained within the app, but in order to get the full potential for rates, you need to max your loyalty level as well as get paid in Nexo. Depending on how much NEXO is part of your portfolio, your loyalty level changes, so to achieve Platinum, you must have at least 10% of your crypto portolfio in NEXO. The bonuses for each level are as follows:

Base = 5%* on Crypto, 8% on Fiat/Stablecoins
Silver (1-5%) = 5.25% on Crypto, 8.25% on Fiat/Stablecoins
Gold (5-10%) = 5.5% on Crypto, 9% on Fiat/Stablecoins
Platinum (>10%) = 6% on Crypto, 10% on Fiat/Stablecoins

Crypto = BTC, Etherium, etc.
Stablecoins = USDC, Tether, etc. Fiat = Euro, GBP.
They get converted to their equivalent stable coin after depositing!
All % are PER YEAR NOT DAILY OR MONTHLY.
Remember, you get paid extra if you decide to receive interest in NEXO and not in-kind (same asset, so BTC to BTC for instance). This bonus is not available for US customers.

Example of interest earned:

Assuming you have 1 BTC in your Savings Wallet on NEXO, you would accumulate 5% per year if you do not hold any Nexo as well. 6% if you hold 10% worth of a BTC as Nexo in your account.
And additionally 2% more if you choose to receive the interest in Nexo and not BTC, so then it would be 7 or 8%, but this is not available for US customers.

I am not getting my 7% every day?!!!

Just like pretty much everything in this world, interest is shown PER YEAR. This means, you get 7% per year, not per day. ANY company, regardless if it's crypto or not, that tells you you can even make 1% back per day, is a ponzi / scam (unsustainable business).

How do I calculate what I should get % per day?

Simplified, and not 100% accurate, but very close, you should take the spot price of the asset at the moment of daily payout, multiply it by your loyalty / bonus level, and divide it by 365.
A more advanced, accurate calculation would be as follows (thanks to masashi_t):
Example: BTC interest is 6% in-kind and 8% in NEXO.
If you choose to earn in-kind, take into account of compounding interest, it would give you [(1+0.06)1/365-1]*100 = 0.0159% per day, or 6% APY
If you want to earn in NEXO instead, you will get (0.08/365)*100 = 0.022% per day, or 8% APR.
BTC and NEXO are both appreciating assets, you are free to pick which one you think will give you a better return in the future.

Small note regarding compounding interest:

The daily interest rate you receive for the like-kind reward already takes into account the fact it compounds to end with the stated annual interest rate. The interest rate you see for like-kind reward only is achieved if you keep it for 365 days. If you keep it for a lesser time, you actually get a lower interest rate.
I am not sure why this isn't mentioned in the app, as far as I know.

I am not getting back interest on my NEXO assets?

You do not get interest on NEXO token assets you hold in NEXO. Instead, you get dividends. Nexo give out 30% of their profits back to their customers that hold nexo tokens. Read this article for more information.

Do my assets on Nexo get locked-up / stake period?

NO! Unlike, CDC Crypto.com, you do not need to lock in your assets with Nexo, you can withdraw them at any time.

Do I get interest on my collateral?

Any assets in your Credit wallet do not get any interest, so you can not borrow 0.5BTC with 1BTC as collateral and make interest on the 1BTC at the same time. The only asset that "technically" makes % while being in the Credit wallet is Nexo tokens, where you get dividends regardless of which wallet the tokens are in.

Dividend

What is a dividend?

To "reward" loyal customers who support the project and Nexo token itself, Nexo have decided to do (yearly*) dividends, this means they give 30% of the benefits (profits) the company earned since the last dividend back to the nexo holders. Based on how many tokens you have and knowing there is currently a fixed supply of 560 millions tokens you can calculate what % you should get. Furthermore, they have an extra "bonus" for those who have held onto the tokens for a long time. This bonus is small, but it helps differentiate those who are holders and those who purchase nexo tokens before a dividend to cash in. Read the question below about frequency.

How regular are dividends, when is the next one?

So far, dividends have been yearly, in August. There have been mentions from Nexo that they'd like to do it more regularly. As any business/stock that do dividends, the price of the token/stock decreases drastically after dividend payout. Do not be alarmed.

Do US customers get dividends?

Yes, but paid out in BTC. EDIT: Apparently, you can receive it in NEXO as well, but you must be an accredited investor. Read this

Do I need to verify/kyc to receive dividend for my NEXO tokens?

Yes, advanced verification is necessary.

Where do I need to hold NEXO Tokens, in order to receive dividends?

NEXO Tokens must be held/staked in your Nexo account (doesn't matter if it's in the Credit or Savings Wallet) at the ex-dividend date. The ex-dividend date will be communicated in advance.

Competitors

CELSIUS vs NEXO

Summarized: Celsius do a much better job at engaging with their customers, and their token CEL has performed better than NEXO, however, NEXO appears much more professional (imo of course), by taking things slowly but surely. Everything works perfectly, everything is tested, no downtimes, no trash-talking by the employees. CEL at this point seems like a cult, Nexo seems like a business.

Why is CEL so high compared to NEXO?

Visibility, marketing? Various reasons. IMO looking at their trading volume, its VERY low. If even a small-sized whale decided to sell their bags, it would crash. Basically, it's artificially inflated due to low liquidity.
Also keep in mind, Coinmarketcap and Coingecko show incorrect Market Cap data for Celsius. You can see the real value by visiting the Celsius website. It will crash soon, and hard. Again, my opinion.

Frequently asked questions:

Are there any airdrops/giveaways/freebies?

No. There are currently no giveaways. If you get contacted via Facebook, Twitter, Telegram or anywhere else, it's a scam. The only "giveaway" that is currently running is the fact that you can win 100k Nexo tokens for voting for which coin should be added next to the platform (You can do this via the app, on the home screen, scroll the top banners to the right until you find the one about voting.)

When will the Card (Crypto Credit Card) be released?

There are no official announcements yet, but all we know that is it currently in a private beta. A select few European (non UK) customers have been given cards to test the upcoming platform.

When will the Exchange be released (Buying and selling crypto within the Nexo app/webapp)?

Just like the card, there is no official news yet. All we know that there are a select few IOS users who have been given early access to test the functionality of this exchange. Currently, users are reporting a 1.5%~ spread on the exchange, which is quite high.

How long does Verification/KYC take?

Generally, it takes about 2 business days, although lately with the increase of users signing up it can take a big longer. If you don't hear back after a week I'd suggest contacting their support.

Support is not answering my emails?

One tip is to go on their website, open the live chat and type in "speak with human" "talk to agent" "human" to get transferred to a real person.

Are deposits and withdrawals free?

Yes, withdrawals are completely free, although deposits depend on which exchange you use to send your assets to Nexo with.

Difference between CREDIT and SAVINGS wallets

You must take into account that you have TWO wallets per asset within the Nexo platform. One for SAVINGS, which will give you interest on any assets you hold in it, and one for CREDIT which is basically your collateral, which you use for taking out crypto-backed loans.

Will Brexit affect UK customers?

There is no official information so far.

Does NEXO have a bonus/referral system?

No, you can not get $ or bonus for referring other users right now. The only thing you can do is share a link to the CARD page, to increase your position in the waiting list.

When are payouts made?

Usually around 12:00AM UTC, daily!

What coins are accepted as collateral?

BTC, ETH, XRP, LTC, XLM, BCH, EOS, LINK, TRX, stablecoins, PAXG, NEXO and BNB. More information

What is Collateral?

Collateral is crypto assets you would put up for a loan (if you don't repay they will sell it to cover the default). You do not earn interest on crypto that you use as collateral. If you are not borrowing from Nexo then your funds are held in a "savings wallet" where it can earn interest until it is either moved off the platform or used as collateral on a loan.
Nexo tokens do not earn interest the same way as other tokens, but do provide dividends from the profits of the company.

What are the loan-to-value (LTV) rates?

A Loan-to-Value (LTV) ratio is an indicator representing the size of a loan compared to the value of the assets securing the loan.
The Loan-to-Value percentages of each asset are dynamically determined by the Nexo blockchain oracle algorithms, depending on the current and historical volatility and market liquidity of the asset.
More info

How many confirmations does my transfer need?

BTC deposit require a minimum of 6 confirmations
All ERC20 deposits (ETH, PAXG, NEXO, USDT, TUSD, USDC, PAX, DAI) require 50 confirmations
LINK deposits require 40 confirmations
XRP (Ripple), XLM (Stellar), BNB, NEXO BEP2 and EOS - near-instant
BCH deposit requires 16 confirmations
LTC deposit requires 6 confirmations
TRX (Tron) deposit requires 20 confirmations

How can I find a list of important announcements, information?

https://support.nexo.io/hc/en-us/sections/360002501674-News-and-Updates-2020
On the sidebar, you can go back to 2018.

When will NEXO be listed on Coinbase?

It's very unlikely, because they are considered competitors. Furthermore, Nexo token is very clearly a security, based of the dividend payments and now the buyback program, these big exchanges aren't licensed to deal in securities, hence they will not list Nexo.

Will the (possible) upcoming bill regarding regulating self-hosted assets affect US NEXO customers?

No, Nexo is not self hosted. BitGo is their custodian.

How often does NEXO add new coins?

Not regularly at all.

Can NEXO be mined?

There is a fixed circulating supply of Nexo, the remainder the Team have said are locked until TBA.
So there isn't a dilution, as there are no new Nexo created - the dividend paid in Nexo needs to be bought from existing circulating supply by the company in order to be paid to holders.

Important information

NEXO's Roadmap?

Banking license: Nexo is trying to either acquire a company or get their own banking license (like Revolut and Monzo) so they have more flexibility in their operations. It would be a huge step for a crypto company to get this and shows their ambition
Credit Card: This will be similar to CDC and they'll offer generous cash back incentives of 2% when you get your credit card.
Referral Scheme: Currently Nexo has done this massive growth without incentivised referrals, and when they turn this tap the company can likely see a lot of users pouring in for their great savings rates and crypto credit lines. But take a moment to think.. who do you trust more, a company that acquirers users based on their services/product, or a company that gives out bonuses to those who promote/spam their product..
Exchanges and more Coins: The ability to exchange crypto within the eco system will go a long way to keeping users within the system. The plan is to let users buy and stake virtually any legitimate crypto asset.

And with this massive roadmap, the core principle they started with by sharing back with the community, they keep everyone's incentives aligned.

Where can I view statistics and information about Nexo?

https://nexologist.com/
https://nexostatistics.com/
https://www.hodlfire.com/go/hf-sheet/

How can I compare the earn rate of Nexo vs BlockFi/Cel/CDC/...?

https://blockscompare.com/

Important reads:

Liquidations: https://medium.com/nexo/why-liquidations-are-needed-and-how-they-protect-us-all-9d426ac70dc2
AMA from the Co-founder Antoni Trenchev: https://youtu.be/LBTrd8C5n1c
Nexo Help Center: https://support.nexo.io/hc/en-us/categories/360000766354-Nexo-Help-Center
Whitepaper: https://nexo.io/assets/downloads/Nexo-Whitepaper.pdf

Telegram Communities

Official Telegram
NEXOnians
NEXOnews
NEXOstatistics

Small thanks?

Took me quite a while to gather and write all of these if something is missing please let me know! Feel free to get me a beer if you'd like :)
(NEXO): 0xa6a87d29c362d63df60cf7667cacdfe411ee30e0

Surviving getting relationship ghosted : long but hopefully helpful to my fellow ghostees

I posted about being ghosted by my ex earlier today. I’ve put together some of the best resources and wisdom that I found on that lonely journey. Sorry it’s really long, but hope maybe bits of it help someone desperately searching for answers in the silence! x
TLDR: if you get ghosted, unless you’re violent or abusive it is a THEM thing, not you. Here are some insights that may help. The only (& most powerful) thing you can do is NC! DO NOT continually reach out.
Not texting someone back after one date is rude, but ghosting in a relationship is other level. Here are the key insights I discovered when it happened to me:
FIRSTLY

The pain you’re feeling is valid. You’re not weak or crazy, it hurts BADLY. Some say it's a form of emotional punishment/torture. You can only control your actions. Allow yourself to feel your feelings. Let tears flow if you need to.
As soon as it becomes apparent you’re being ghosted go NC. If you have been repeatedly reaching out, STOP it immediately. Forgive yourself if you cave at some point, try not to do it again.

HOPE / DISBELIEF

You are still really HOPING initially that this is all a mistake and they’ll be in touch soon. With each passing day, hope turns toward despair. When the 1 week mark comes and goes, you are bewildered.
With each small milestone you get a glimmer of hope: 'two weeks today since I heard anything, maybe today they'll reply' ... 'we had planned to be seeing each other today, surely they'll call' ... it's like a fresh dagger to the chest every time. You know they know. Yet silence.
On some level you start to realise that if they came back now, and you took them back, that you wouldn’t be able to look yourself in the eye because what they’ve done is so disrespectful. But you still get those bursts of hope even though you try to be rational.

YOUR FEELINGS

You are going through the stages of grieving a loss, with a bonus extra portion of denial. You get all the pain of rejection you get from having been dumped, but wait, have you actually been dumped or not? Is this just the silent treatment, or is it like silence forever?
The lack of closure leads to feelings of abandoned. You feel disposable. Online articles say 'no answer is an answer' but frankly, I beg to differ, no it's not. Ok, you know you're not wanted, but they have left you in suspended animation.
Breaking up is never fun, but ghosting further wastes your precious time by delaying your healing.
You have all the symptoms of heartbreak, which also manifests as a physical pain, by the way - take a paracetamol (genuinely) and some CBD oil if that's your bag.
You're suddenly deprived of the source of your happy hormones: their love, touch, texts. I suggest reading up on the chemical process that occurs in our bodies after a break up, and also about love addiction in case this applies to you. This article may help explain.
How sudden this was adds to the pain. You probably feel blindsided. Maybe you had a minor disagreement, or maybe they just disappeared. Regardless of what precipitated it, you never imagined that that would have been the last time you’d hear from them. Never knew that had been the last kiss ..

REALITY CHECK

You convince yourself that if they just came back, it’d stop the pain, you could just hug and make up. You crave this. Why don’t they want that?
Now, listen: if they did come back, they will not be the same person that left. They will not be the same person they were in the beginning either. The second they chose to ghost you, the relationship irrevocably changed. That old version of them is gone now.
For whatever reason, their mask has fallen. That is hard to accept, but: 'when someone shows you who they are - believe them’ - Maya Angelou.

WAS ANY OF IT REAL?

Now this does not mean that your nice memories of them are false or that you didn’t share lovely times with them, in fact, I’m sure you did. People will say 'if they ghost you they were secretly really unhappy' and you may question whether they ever 'loved/cared/enjoyed you' at all or if they faked every second.
The truth usually resides somewhere in the middle of the extremes.
I'm sure they enjoyed themselves, a flake like them wouldn't have stuck around so long if they were getting no pleasure. However, something flipped for them internally. Maybe it was a culmination of small things, or one big unknown thing, we will never know. Even if they did speak to you again they probably wouldn't be honest. Maybe they aren't even capable of articulating it.
Old them is a memory now though. They left you for dead, and you need to leave your fond perception of 'old them' (pre-ghosting) for dead too - grieve it. Old them is not coming back.

LET THE LACK OF HUMANITY SINK IN

You used to share with them your happy news, they were also a sounding board? Not anymore. As with any ex, the source of your pain cannot be your source of comfort.
They've let you know you're alone in this. Do yourself a favour and do not even message them to ask them for that bracelet you left at their place back. It will not illicit a response. They have wilfully noped out on all levels with no explanation.
I had this epiphany at a certain point, up until the day before the ghosting, we were sleeping together: imagine I'd found out I was pregnant and I literally have no way of contacting him, simply because he's ignoring me. He doesn't give a damn about my health. Let that sink in. They can be tapping that one day, dust the next, no Fs given for your wellbeing.

WHY DO GHOSTERS GHOST?

What goes on in their mind when they choose to do this? Because make no mistake, it is a conscious choice. Just like NC is for us. They chose that line.
Don’t they care how much this is hurting us? I would never leave a loved one hanging like this, so why would they do it to me? Taking responsibility for anything (other than their own selfish needs and desires) is not part of a ghoster's vernacular. They are cowardly too. Their sole modus operandi is their own comfort so if that means chucking you in the bin to avoid an awkward conversation, so be it.
I read posts that said stuff like: ‘if a person cares they’d be in touch, he’s just not that into you’. I had been asking myself if he was truly indifferent about me - but how could that be, when that very morning pre-ghosting things had been good.
Did I really never mean anything to him? To be able to brush me off like a piece of dust on his arm. It was unbearable to think my cuddly, sweet, intelligent man, who days before was massaging my feet while we chilled on the couch just ‘didn’t give a damn’ and 'wasn't into me'.
Humans are complex, the psychology of a ghoster is not as simple as: 'don't care, what's their name again?' Perhaps it is when ghosting after a single date, or if just texting on a dating app with someone having never even met. But for those of us that get ghosted in the context of a relationship, after there's been lots of tiny (and big) intimate moments, it's fair to assume that the majority of ghosters DO feel. Give yourself some credit.
In fact, it's likely their inability to manage and communicate whatever big feelings they are experiencing that leads to them ghosting. It may appear like their memory has been wiped, and they may indeed be adept at shutting down and compartmentalising, but they haven't forgotten your name or how good you smelled.
To be clear, I am not trying to suggesting ghosters deserve compassion. I am saying this for you, the ghostee, to validate YOUR worth and impact.

DON'T SELF-BLAME

I came to the conclusion that MY behaviour must have been so bad that I’d scared him in some way. I was so cut up. I had him on the pedestal - that old classic.
I actually reached out to my ghoster to APOLOGISE and take the blame. I thought he'd come back to me if I took full responsibility (I truly believed I deserved it by this point).
Turns out it wasn’t my fault... you can read my post about my ghosting experience if you’re curious, but suffice to say, the phone call may have precipitated the ghosting, but it wasn’t because I’d acted inappropriately - say it with me: THIS IS THEM, NOT YOU.
Also, my apology message did not prompt him to contact me - he let me sit with the guilt he knew I was needlessly feeling. He could have set me free, but no. It probably gave him an ego boost, which I'm sure he enjoyed. At the least, it didn't make him uncomfortable enough to break his silence. When he eventually breadcrumbed me yesterday, he did apologise but he didn’t take full responsibility either.

WHAT TO DO?!

Should I turn up at their door? I say this slightly tongue in cheek, but my god the thought crossed my mind so many times.
I have a new level of sympathy for the ‘crazy’ things people do when heartbroken. At one point, I had to talk myself out of doing a drive by of his place, I was telling myself it would make me feel better. That I was 'worried' something bad had happened to him (I knew it hadn’t and he was online on WhatsApp a lot, yes I kept checking..)

CONFRONTING A GHOSTER - WHY NOT TO

Remember the way they used to look at you and smile? That is NOT the look they will give you, if you have turned up uninvited.
Don’t kid yourself they’d be pleased to see you, or receptive in any way. Their ghosting is not accidental. Save yourself that further heartache and embarrassment. It actually is better for the last visual memory of their face to be that last smile.
There’s a good chance if you did go to confront them that they’d react like a hunted animal, retreat further or lash out. If they don’t threaten to call the police (not cute), they will probably get REALLY angry.
Don’t convince yourself that they would never do that, because frankly, if they are capable of ghosting you, then they have a lot more simmering away in that brain of theirs than you knew about, whether you care to admit it or not.
They have asked you (through their silence) for space - grant them their wish and go quietly. Disappear from their life and leave them with memories of all your goodness, not begging or insults, that do not show your best self. You owe this to yourself. This is not for them, it’s for you.
They don’t want to be persuaded out of their decision to throw your love away. If you need to convince them of how great it was - I’m sorry, but it didn’t have a stable foundation.
I am not saying for a second that you both didn’t have amazing chemistry. I’m not saying they weren’t loving, or that they didn’t enjoy their time with you. My ex deserves an Oscar for his performance of loving and caring bf right up until the point of ghosting.

CLOSURE

Do not kid yourself that they can give you ‘closure’. We WISH they would, there’s a million ways they could, things they could say: but they are withholding that from you. Ghosters are withholders.
You need to soothe yourself and I promise you can. It might not be a 'eureka' closure moment, in fact it probably won't be. I've had very dark thoughts and moments on this horrible journey but each day I get a bit better. You can do all sorts of symbolic things to help you process, there are lots of posts and articles on this. But only time will truly bring acceptance.

GHOSTERS ARE NOT THE FULL EMOTIONAL SHILLING

The ghosting was not caused by something that was lacking in the relationship on your side, or something you could have given them. Yes, there is a missing piece, but it is within their heart and mind.
Ghosting behaviour is symptomatic of them being broken / limited / stunted in their emotional intelligence or resources, which is actually pretty sad really. The only one that could heal them is THEM, by the way. Rarely they truly just are a bad, rotten egg, plain and simple.
At this point the ghoster probably hasn’t even identified that they have an issue. If someone was receptive and willing to work on themselves, then that’s different. But some people will NEVER get to this point - so do not waste your love by sitting in their metaphorical waiting room hoping for them to have that epiphany.
Whatever you do, don’t waste your time trying to educate them on your perception of their issues/the error of their ways. You might be bang on the money but you’re wasting your time and you’ll be met with more deafening silence.

GHOSTERS ARE FICKLE

The ghoster has shown that they are a fair-weather friend. Imagine, down the line once you were yet more invested in them, if you got seriously sick, suffered a bereavement, lost your job, or became vulnerable, and had to rely on them in any way, and they freaking ghosted at that point? You deserve a person with broad enough shoulders to be in it with you 100%.
Most people with traits that allow them to relationship ghost will never be ‘fully in it' with any person, so DO NOT do that mental gymnastics that equates them not being committed to your relationship with any reflection of a shortcoming on your personality/looks/behaviour etc.
Some ghosters are just selfish, maybe they simply changed their mind and don't have the skills to be able to communicate that. Maybe they don't even know why. And sometimes the truth is so painful, it is better not shared (or so they convince themselves).
It's not appropriate to rush to put labels on people, but on rare occasions maybe they do have narcissistic traits or are actually sociopaths. In which case you had a lucky escape, my friend. They went quietly (silently in fact lol).
Your ghoster may have an avoidant attachment style. They may be emotionally unavailable even though they seemed incredibly loving. Perhaps they have a fear of commitment thrown in there too. They are possibly severely averse to conflict and go into 'shut down' when faced with conflict. This is an excellent resource to learn more.
It is NOT your job to fix or educate the ghoster (or anyone) about themself. If it helps you to contextualise things by reading for your own education and awareness, it is a great idea, but don't share your ponderings on your ghoster’s psyche with them.

DESTINY MINDSET

Some articles say that ghosters more often have a ‘destiny’ mindset as opposed to a growth mindset about relationships. If they believe in ‘the one’ and have ‘grass is greener syndrome’ too it could explain partly how they can just cut people off like that.
People will these attributes will struggle to find contentment in a relationship. We all know there is no such thing as perfect. They keep fulfilling their own prophecy.
According to this logic, the ghoster may have been secretly 'testing' you all along, and you didn’t know it. You might have unknowingly not been measuring up to some abstract idea they had in their mind, but they did not share this with you nor try to communicate to rectify it. You were never gonna win this one, because they aren’t playing fair. They were working to corroborate their own repeating narrative.
If you didn't even know you were on trial, or that you’ve caused offence, how could you possibly even try to fix it.

NO COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Ghosters have very poor communication skills. They could have come across as articulate, they might be highly educated, successful, able to verbalise plenty of loving feelings and have friends etc. But they have a deficit when it comes to their emotional communication.
Respectful disagreements in relationships are healthy and should not END a relationship. Think back, was your ghoster a bit of a ‘yes man’ ?
Were you able to have healthy and robust discussions about issues where your opinions diverged and you compromised? If not, this might be because they don’t have those emotional tools.

RUMINATING

I read a lot of articles that say things like 'stop ruminating', 'move on'. But your brain needs to go through it's process. The silence leaves you with only the echo chamber of your mind and you will find your own way to cope. Yes, you can distract yourself, but it's unrealistic to expect that everyone can just 'snap out' of it.
It's natural to puzzle, and think through the relationship, allow yourself to do it. This is a truly excellent article, what really stuck with me was the advice to run back through the relationship like a playbook, in your mind, pay attention, don't miss anything. Were there red flags? Even if you didn't notice them at the time, there might have been intuition moments that you dismissed, that you can identify if you take your time to reflect. What can you learn?
This is about you healing and about you making healthier choices in the future. What happened is not your fault, but we need to level up.

IF THE GHOSTER REACHES OUT

If they do eventually reach out, which they may not ever do (prepare yourself for that), you will be flooded by emotions. Pause for breath, minimum 24 hours, if you can bear it. Ideally stick to NC but if you must reply, keep it brief. Keep in mind that this is likely to be the last ever time you hear from them, they are a ghost after all.
DO NOT prove them right (in their warped mind) by using this as a chance to blame/question them or give them a row. Frankly, what’s the point? They aren’t thinking of your feelings, they don't want your insight. They know they've been a toad. They haven’t cared enough about your feelings all along.
A ghost reaching out (similar to any ex) is all about them, not about genuine concern for you - their ego, their conscience, maybe idle curiosity, maybe they got dumped by their side chick. They haven't suddenly realised what they've done and come to their senses.
You remain dignified, you wish them well and you send them on their way. I repeat, in a brief message. No more than a couple of sentences. I don't care if they sent you a wall of text - they get bare minimum, if anything.
If they’ve come back apologising you ‘accept it, wish you well. bye’. If you feel you want to, and if you feel they deserve it (they probably do NOT), throw in a ‘thanks for the nice times we shared’. You are the bigger person.
You may be seething, but do not give them any access to your inner sanctum, that door is shut and locked to them. This is a long game, my friend, and the best revenge is your success and composure.
You can sob and scream privately, but do not feed their ego by revealing your suffering to them.
Being dignified, or better still not responding at all, will drive them more nuts/ intrigue them more than any wall of text. Plus, if you give an explosive/desperate response, you validate whatever (pathetic) ‘reasons’ they concocted for ghosting you in the first place .. and they’ll just ghost you again anyway!

You are loveable and you deserve an enduring love.

Best wishes and good luck.

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