Pov inspections

Been a while since I've done a Minecraft Post. I thought it be fun to make daily posts again during The Hardcore Server's week. They'll be text posts with POVs of today's members and perhaps some interesting notes and updates. There's a lot that's gonna happen so feel free to comment if something interesting happens (or someone dies in the first 10 minutes).
POVS:

• Chloe (VOD)
• Flare (VOD)
• Polka (VOD)
• Iroha (VOD)
• Aqua (VOD)
• Noel (VOD)
• Azki (VOD)
• Pekora (VOD)
• Marine (VOD)
• Botan (VOD)
• Kanade (VOD)
• Nene (VOD)
• Watame (VOD)
• Ao (VOD)
• Hajime (VOD)
• Ririka (VOD)

Some notes:

• The server has open VC installed (like Dorokei's event) so members can easily talk to each other.
• Day 1 starts with the members playing going over the rule book that is provided. (Will write down rules eventually)
• Flare is currently experiencing issues with the voice mod. It's currently being resolved.
• (According to some servers), Botan is currently making/stealing lots of beds to sell to others.
• The first night is here. Some of the members have paired up like Azki, Iroha, and Chloe; Marine and Botan; Kanade and Nenechi;
• Aqua stumbled upon an igloo structure on a beach bordering an ice biome. She thinks it was made by another person (it was generated when the server was made). She's currently checking it out.
• Flare was able to resolve her voice mod (apparently it has issues when being with Optfine), and Noel was able to stream and log into the server.
• Azki, Iroha, and Chloe are working on making a manual tree farm. Kanade, Marine, and Botan are mining underground together.
• Polka has been making a ranch of various animals (mostly cows and sheep).
• Iroha has been currently transporting a villager over to their bunker location.
• Flare has lately been exploring underground in caves on her own. She's been looking for diamonds.
• Nene is the first to die (at 1 hour 30 minutes approximately). She fell into lava. Aqua and Botan found the spot where Nene died and gathered her items.
  • After talking to Pekora, she allowed a revive to Nene, but that will be the only revive on the server (this is done as Aqua is making a grave for Nene).
• Watame has now joined the server. Pekora came over to greet her and explain the rules.
• A few of the members have been digging and found diamonds including Flare, Botan, and Pekora.
• Polka made a Take Free chest of beds for people to use. Along with a take free chest of gohan (food).
• Ao-kun has now joined the server. Pekora comes over to greet and explain the rules.
• Iroha, Azki, Chloe, and Watame are working on building an iron farm. It's why Iroha was gathering villagers earlier and why they captured a zombie.
• Hajime and Ririka are the newest members to now join the server (there's currently 16 people playing right now). Pekora goes to greet them and explain the rules.
• There's also been a lot of talk about holes, Marine's hole, Botan's hole, Aqua's hole, going into different holes, inspecting holes (shall wait for clips that are about the holes).
• Aqua and Marine have flint and were setting each other on fire (theres a small pool they keep jumping into so they don't suffer burns.
• Botan is the first to write her diary for the day. Check her stream to see what she wrote.
• Many members have been helping Iroha bring villagers over to her iron farm, but its easier said than done. One villager Iroha is trying to bring keeps going to Polka's farm to become a farmer (Polka has a compost there). Watame, Ririka and Hajime have been helping Iroha. There's also Azki and Chloe who are working to get a villager to Iroha's iron farm.
• Aqua with her flint has been setting various things and people on fire. Fortunately there's been no death but some close calls. Apparently Nene and Aqua bullied Kanade into some diamonds that were stolen and then returned (need confirmation of events and/or clip).
• In terms of deaths, there's only been some close calls including Aqua nearly dying to a creeper in a cave, Polka almost dying from a Witch, Aqua pulling a prank one morning and setting a bunch of the members on fire, and Marine nearly dying cause of her keyboard settings (fortunately Noel was there).
• Thanks to Iroha and crew, the server now has a working iron farm!!
  • Pekora went and saw the iron farm and has given her approval. As thanks for making it, she gave everyone who worked on it meat she had been collecting.
• Most members have logged off for the night, but a few are still sticking around. Flare is busy digging in the mines while Polka, Aqua, and Ao go fishing (Polka is fishing in a separate spot from Aqua and Ao). Ao caught a nametag and showed it to Aqua. Ao will give it to Iroha who needs a nametag so the zombie at the iron farm doesn't despawn.
• Flare and Aqua are the remaining ones on the server. As Flare writes in her diary in the spawn house Aqua meets up, and the two of them eat a pufferfish (they're ok). Aqua then reads the diary entries the members wrote.

PS: Here are the rules written in the rulebook of the hardcore server (Written by Pekora):

• If you die, its over
• I will write a diary after the broadcast
• Complete the mission
• Nether opening starts on the 16th
• The ultimate goal is to defeat Endora and Wither
• About Survival Diary
  • Write about the events and memories of the day
  • If the content is good, good things might happen
  • Penalty will be incurred if there is no diary
• There are nether and recreational facilities
  • Nether opening date 5/16 JST
  • Recreational facilities 5/15 JST
• chincillo etc
• You are free!
• You may build a residence
• You can equip yourself
• Survive.

Disclaimer: I have to shorten the words on this one because the chapter had gone on for to long and stole the word count limit. Every person in this section has my deepest and most sincere thanks for the art, memes, and love they have shown my series.
Thank you to: for proofreading, editing, and this art. Check his fic here!
u/Talentlessfurry for this art.
u/Roddcherry for adding Novel to the charismas party he drew.
u/everyveryever for this art.
u/Emotion-Senior for the meme.
u/Orphandestroyer99 for the comic and art.
u/abrachoo for the meme.
u/guaiwutongzhi for the art.
u/United_Patriots for the art.
u/migulehove for the art(s).
u/aMANTEIGAdo for the art.
u/SlimyRage for the art.
Thank you to each and every one of these amazing people!
CW: Accidental Substance Abuse
Memory Transcription Subject: Novel, Kolshian Scientist and Self-Proclaimed “Gamer God”
Date {standardized human time}: October 19th, 2136
The elevator ride took a lot longer than I would have liked, my excitement and anticipation making it difficult to stand still. Ada’s room was almost at the top floor of the building — along with those of the other members of my herd — making it take a bit longer to get to than most of the other Humans’ I’ve visited while here.
Seems they are keeping the various tribes in their own groups. The fourth floor has the Germans, French, Polish, and Austrians, with a few Danes and Swedes mixed in. I wonder if they did that to keep the different tribes from fighting with ones they don’t like? Doubtful really, everyone seems to get along well enough, disregarding a couple jabs here and there. Probably just makes geographical sense to put them together.
My pondering was broken with a soft ding of the old elevator doors opening. I stepped out of the elevator quickly and took in my surroundings. There were very few humans milling about the quiet halls as they went about their business. One human with comfy-looking pelts had noticed me step out of the elevator and had frozen where they stood. After a short, yet still uncomfortably awkward moment, I gave a wave with one of my upper appendages and walked down a different hall.
A few moments later, I pulled out my pad to look at the message Sindre sent me.
Room 441, hailey and i went to get some stuff for the sesh. ada will be there in a bit. see you soon, {censored}
From: Sindre(Human)
I quickly typed out my own message.
Thank you! I’ll meet you there!
From: Me
Stowing the pad, I made my way there. Along the way I encountered several more Humans, each of which having some sort of reaction to my presence. Mostly just freezing in place or casting glances at me as I walked by. Some of them recognized me, either from when we baked together, or when I was in the rec room when the news dropped and gave me a wave in return. There was one case though when a Terran exited their room, saw me, and let out a noise I can only describe as a squeal before diving back into their room.
That last one confused me to no end, as I had never seen that reaction from a human before. I considered knocking on the door before thinking better of it and continuing down the hall to my destination.
How curious… I'll have to ask Ada about that human and why they ran away from me... Heh, prey scaring predators. Not so long ago, such a concept would’ve been seen as the ultimate goal, any real-world examples derided as only that of a dreamer’s fallacy, and yet now… I don’t think I like the idea so much…
I made a mental note to apologize to them if we ever meet again and kept walking, this time with my form hunched and my pace a little faster than before so I could avoid bothering the Terrans as much. It seemed to work, and the humans seemed to look away a little faster than they had previously.
Arriving at Ada’s door, though, I composed myself as best I could, straightening my back and taking a deep breath to calm myself. I knocked on the door a few times, only for it to open a slight amount. Cocking my head in confusion, I listened to the slight groaning of the hinges before I gently pushed it the rest of the way, the door creaking loudly in resistance.
The room smelled of wax and freshly harvested Othll bark, like I had just walked into the home improvement aisle of a store. Walking further inside showed me the source of the smell, which was a set of candles sitting on top of a nightstand in the corner… next to a fire alarm with the battery taken out.
That’s a little concerning… that can’t be safe at least. I should tell her to put it back in when I see her… wherever she is.
Looking around the room some more showed it to be quite unkempt, with pelts and other junk laying strewn haphazardly across the floor. Personal knick-knacks and picture frames sat on shelves and tables around the room, making the places feel a lot more homely than the other rooms I’d been in. A large TV sat on the other side of the room across from the bed, which had been recently used, going by the blanket on the floor and the pillows tossed about. Against the wall next to the bed was a large couch that had clearly seen better paws, the top layer peeling heavily and scattering the little bits of plastic covering everywhere.
Sitting next to the TV appeared to be some sort of Terran gaming console, complete with bright colors plastered across its many faces and with several different wires coming out of it. Far more than there should be, since part of the case it was in had been smashed to fit more cabling into. Tools, used wires, and broken plastic laid scattered next to the patchwork job.
Seems they really did modify it. Makes sense, since I doubt it would normally work on our systems at all… we should really put that fire alarm back in…
Just as I started walking over to inspect it, my lower tentacle caught something soft on one of the suckers. Looking down showed it to be one of the chest pelts Ada had been wearing the paw I met her. Closer inspection showed the whole floor was covered in discarded pelts, including some I had never seen before!
I let out a sigh as I looked around at the mess… I hope she doesn't mind if I cleaned up a bit.
And that's exactly what I did as I waited for my host to return. It did not take long for me to find the garbage can and hamper she used for her used pelts. While I worked though the piles, I took note of the stranger clothes I saw. Most of them were the regular chest pelts that I’d seen every human wear, but others were completely unique or otherwise somehow unusual.
One such example was what I can only describe as some sort of winter gear? It had a very intricate design on the front made of lace and a very soft interior made of a kind of purple fabric. What made it even more strange was that I found several of these scattered around the room, meaning that she was wearing these pretty regularly too!
Hmmm… perhaps it is meant to keep their ears warm? That would explain the strap on the back, as it would be meant to go under their chin. That doesn’t explain why she would be using it though, and to have so many! It must get cold in here when the A/C kicks in, I guess. This place is really old after all.
Either way, they went into the hamper. I left the tools where they were, in case they belonged to different people, but everything else went straight into the trash. The whole process was pretty exhausting, but the room ended up looking much nicer than it had before!
Just as I finished bagging up the garbage can, the door gave a loud creak as Ada stepped in wearing some pretty comfortable-looking pelts similar to the ones she had been wearing a few paws ago, pink prey head slippers and all.
A few {seconds} pass as she starts pulling out clear totes full of what I assume to be her things before I break out of my confusion and flick her a tail wave.
“Hey Ada! Whe-”
“AAAAHHH!!!”
She screamed as she stumbled onto her back, causing me to drop the bag and jump in fright. We stared at each other for a moment before Ada spoke up.
“Nov’?! What the fuck are you doing in here?! You weren't… ya Allah, you scared the crap out of me!”
My arms and tentacles raised up in a pleading gesture after I realized what I did. “S-sorry! I-I thought you would see me! And Sindre said to meet you here? F-for the games?”
Ada took a few more moments to calm down on the floor, but eventually, she stood up and took a few breaths. “You’re fine, squiddie… Sindre didn’t mention how close you were so… oh well, doesn't matter I guess. Uh, what’s in the bag you got there? Also… where are all of my clothes?”
At her observation, I picked up the trash bag and held it up for her to see. “Well… your room was a bit of a mess, a-and you were gone, so I did a bit of… cleaning? Nothing major, just throwing away some trash and putting the pelts in the hamper.”
“Oh, well, thanks Nov. I was gonna get to that befor-” Suddenly she stops herself mid-sentence. Her eyes widen as she casts her forward-facing gaze over to the pelts’ bin.
For some reason, the human's usual light brown features darken considerably with a crimson bloom. Ada turned to look at me, and I gave my best happy expression I could muster to put her at ease. This time, the human's face twisted into an obvious forced snarl before she gave up, running a hand down her face.
“Novel, j-just a heads up for the future, it’s considered rude to go through someone's room and touch their… pelts without permission. They are, um, quite personal belongings, and we don’t let other people touch certain ones. Fuck, uh, don’t tell the other two about this either. It would be, eugh…” Ada’s snarl gets larger as she looks back to the hamper, the crimson still blooming across her face. My tail flicked curiously as I looked between her and the pelt basket.
How peculiar… Hailey seemed just fine with dumping all sorts of pelts on me when she was showing them off. Perhaps that's because she studies it, so in that case it’s seen as okay? Maybe it has more to deal with how I came in here without her supervision? Predators are known to be territorial in the wild, and the Humans seem to be that way as well with their many borders. Letting someone into your ‘territory’ must be a pretty personal thing in the first place. Which would mean that she must be upset that I just walked in here and started messing with things! Speh!
A tentacle reached out, or up I suppose, to Ada’s shoulder while my tail signaled my sincerest apologies. “I-I am so sorry, Ada. If I knew, I would have never touched anything! Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone! Do you want me to… put it back the way I found it?”
The human seemed to find my appeasement worthy as she let out a quiet laugh. “No, Nov’, you’re just fine. Thanks for cleaning up too, I guess; I was gonna do it myself, but oh well… not something we need to talk about.” She lets out another laugh as she walks over to the modified console and grabs a controller.
Yet, before she could get a word out, there was a sharp knock on the door, followed by it swinging open to reveal the last two members of our herd. Sindre came in first, carrying several different bags filled to the brim with snacks of all varieties. He gave a simple head nod and rushed over to the table by the TV to deposit his haul, dropping a few on the floor in his haste.
Hailey walked in right behind him with a plastic grocery bag over her shoulder filled with many different colored bottles of drink and a tray of small dark-brown squares covered in plastic wrap. Her free hand gave us both a wave while she walked to the table in a much calmer manner, at least when compared to her compatriot.
We both gave our own wave in return while I spoke up. “Hey guys! Welcome! What did you get from the kitchen?”
Hailey set her things down on the table. “Not much. Some dried fruit, chips, cookies, soda, juice, and even some fresh brownies someone made! I assumed they were for the taking since they had a few trays sitting out to cool down, but we didn’t really have time to ask since we kinda rushed up here. Oh, and the kitchen stinks to high hell for some reason. Might have to tell Emmanual about that.”
My head tilted curiously at the information as Ada and Sindre moved the couch over to where I was standing. Once it was in place, I took a seat at the opposite end from Hailey. “Well, I’m glad you got what you wanted! Do you mind if I take one of those, uh, brownies?”
She gave me a hand wave as I reached over and undid the plastic wrap around the treats. They were still quite warm from the kitchen! I took a small bite out of the corner to get a taste of it, only to then gobble up the whole thing in one bite.
This is amazing! It’s like strayu but… richer? With an almost cough medicine aftertaste mixed with that strange spice? Such a strange and yet fascinating combination!
“Such a weird taste… but definitely a good one! Are there any more downstairs?” I asked while covering my mouth as best I could for the sake of manners.
She took one herself and took a small bite. “Yep, at least a couple more trays from what we saw. Though I bet most of those will be gone once word gets around.”
My head nodded solemnly as I picked up another.
Might as well enjoy them while we can!
Ada walked over to me and flicked the space in between my eyes with her fingers. Her other hand passed me a human game controller before taking a seat right next to me. “Save some for us, ya green goblin! Pretty sure we’re meant to share those!”
The humans let out a soft chuckle while my face warmed in embarrassment. Luckily, they didn’t stay focused on it for long before she pointed to the controller. “So, do you need help with that? It’s not exactly built for you.”
Moving it around in my appendages was more than enough to prove that fact, but I tried to give her a dismissive tail wave while sitting down. “Don’t worry… I should be able to make this work…” I said while using all four of my limbs to hold the piece of plastic. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it’ll do the job for now.
“Not the first time I had to do this. There are a lot of different species on Aafa, and some of them have very strange, uh, manipulators… you just have to get used to it.”
There may not have been a lot, or really any other species in my home town, but that college certainly did. Me and Cloyta used to hang out with a few different herds whenever we had the time. That Tilfish remote was an interesting experience to use. Having to use smells to figure out a puzzle in a game like it was normal was really something else.
The TV and console suddenly turned on with a bright flash as Sindre held out a remote towards them both. He used his controller to navigate to a menu on the system to reveal a vast collection of Human games. I grabbed my pad out of my pack to translate some of the games as Sindre scrolled by.
Doom of Kevsar, Helldivers: Super Dating Simulator, Papa’s Pizzeria, Skyrim 2… all these seem fine, I guess. At least not super violent like I thought… A good sign!
Sindre spoke up first as he continued to look through the archive. “Anyway, we were talking the other day about which game to show you first, but we couldn’t agree on what would be the best showcase. So instead of one game voted in from all of us, we are each going to show you a game we think you’ll like best. Sounds good?”
My tail thumped against the back of the couch in acceptance. “Yup! That actually sounds really great! Get to see a wider spectrum of human ‘entertainment!’ Who’s going first?”
“Sindre is…” Hailey speaks up in between bites of her confection, “His system, his pick… still think it’s a dumb fucking game though.” He says as he stops his scrolling and arrives at a very brightly colored preview with several… Humans? Human-like creatures in what look like Dossur vehicles?
He presses a button to select the game as a grin grows on his face. “Hey, Mario Kart Galaxy 3 is a classic! You’re just mad because you’re bad at it.” Sindre turns his head to me while Hailey leans forward. “You’ll love it, I swear. Really shows off the real Humanity we have to hide from you guys.”
“That's for a good reason, you dolt. But it’s your choice…” Hailey said while wiping her hands on a napkin.
I hoped he was right as some cheerful music started playing.
{Memory Transcription Time Advancement: 19 Terran standard minutes…}
Sindre was right! This is fun!
The upbeat music continues to play as I make another turn around a corner, drifting a little to build up some momentum. The ‘Birdo’ creature in my ‘Kart’ does a little dance as I time it right and get a small speed boost, sending me further down the multi-colored track.
“Hmmhmmmhm, hmhmhmm~.” I tried my best to hum along to the music as I continued with the race.
I never would have thought that a racing game could be interesting. Cloyta and I played a few when we were much younger, but they seemed slow in comparison. Usually had a goal at the end as well, like delivering some fruits to a market, or maybe trading on spacefaring merchant vessels in the more complex ones.
It was super fun though! Competing against each other felt a little off, but I wrote it off as a Human cultural thing. A way of bonding, as with most things for them it seems. Other than that, I found the racing to be a lot of fun! There was so much going on, and yet it somehow managed to really keep you aware of everything going on at all times.
A projectile here, a fruit peel trap there, there was so much to think about that I almost forgot to pay attention to the humans! Which, if I weren’t here to study them, might have been a good thing. There were times the competitive nature of the game seemed to draw something else out of them, something I hadn’t expected.
It was… well…
“If I run into one more fucking banana, I will kick you down a flight of stairs and jump on your head from the top step!”
“How the hell did that hit ME!? Broken fucking hitboxes in this shitty ass game!”
“GET YOUR CRUSTY TOAD ASS OFF ME BEFORE I RIP YOU ASSHOLE TO ASSHOLE!!!”
…intense.
My enjoyment of the game seemed to be pretty one-sided unfortunately. Even by the already high standards of the Humans’ previous banter, this was truly something else. While I was still learning the game and slowly climbed up the leaderboard, the Humans all led the herd by taking the top 3 spots every time. They were so close together in some of the races that it was nearly impossible to tell who would win until the last moment, making their yelling even more vicious and bloodthirsty.
There were times I thought they were about to get physically violent with each other once it got to the final lap, but thankfully, it never came to that, aside from maybe some light pushing. Their… banter? Fighting? Uh… verbal abuse towards each other made learning the game a lot harder too since every time I tried to ask a question, my voice would get drowned out in all the yelling. They did show me the basic controls before we started, but it’s a little hard to ask for pointers when your coaches are threatening severe bodily harm against each other.
As I drifted around another sharp turn, my mind wandered back to what Sindre said when we’d first started:
‘Really shows off the real Humanity we have to hide from you guys.’
Was this supposed to be the ‘real Humanity’? I sure hope not… I think I’d prefer if they actually came to blows instead of continuing this barrage of foulness they are constantly spewing. They don’t even seem to be enjoying it! They have to be doing it for a reason… right?
I continued to think as I continued down the track and finished my second lap. The argument was starting to build up again as the stakes started to rise.
“Oh, yeah, of course you get a red shell in 2nd and I get fucking bananas in 3RD! Gotta love this piece of shit game!!” Hailey shouted, leaning forward like she was about to pounce on the TV.
“Not my fault you can’t aim for shit, dumbass! Just throw better!” Sindre quipped back.
“How about I throw you out a five story window?! I mean, I would if your fatass wouldn't snap the floorboards if I tried!” Ada finished it as he gave her an aggressive shove with his shoulder.
Yet, unlike how I expected, she didn’t push back. That's what makes this all so confusing! Each time they antagonize each other, the other person does it back, and they just stop! Their words sound like they mean it to hurt, and their actions reflect that… but they aren’t acting on it.
Hmm… the ‘real Humanity’, huh… Maybe I’m approaching this the wrong way? Something less about who the Humans are, so to speak, but more how they feel? They’ve been awfully emotional in every interaction I’ve ever had with them… Aggressive, too, admittedly. Maybe… maybe this is a way for them to vent some of that aggression safely? Around people they really trust with a game you can complain about, but demands too much attention to leave them to do more than yell at each other? Things have been rather… stressful, lately.
My tail thumped a few more times against the dilapidated couch, sending a few more puffs of stuffing into the air. The theory kind of lined up with what I knew, but I was here with the primary source for a reason, after all. I would just ask them, but…
“I am going to FUCKING DEEPFRY THAT FUCKING MUSHROOM {Ass Violin}!!!”
They were busy.
They seem pretty angry… but if it helps them deal with their stress, then I am just fine with it. I’m glad they are getting through it in their own… ‘special’ Human way.
In any case, it was still better than damming it all up until it overflowed and someone really got hurt. Safe in the knowledge that the Humans (probably) wouldn’t actually attack each other, I just resolved to focus on the game instead. The third and final lap was coming around, and things were starting to ramp up even further. The Humans’ false violence got even louder, and coupled with the occasional and really rather distracting limb shooting out and the rapidly intensifying music, my poor heart was not in the best condition as our racers closed in on the finish line.
But then, all of a sudden, something very strange happened. The Humans simultaneously began to curse louder than ever before, screaming and wailing as an odd blue indicator flashed along the top of the screen, indicating some kind of blue spiky ball rapidly approaching us from behind. All three of them illogically slammed on the brakes, clearly trying to dodge the oncoming projectile, but it was to no avail. The ball flew right past my ‘Kart’ and struck the center of the tightly crowded humans, unleashing an explosion of blue fire that stunned all three.
Allowing my Kart, driving at maximum speed in hopes of any shot at outrunning the projectile, to shoot right past them and cross the finish line first.
Wait… what?
A brief silence hung in the air at what just happened until my arms went up in the air
“Hey, look! I won! Hehehe! I didn’t know I would get so lucky on my first try! Is that sort of thing… common…?”
I stopped my celebration as all the Humans were giving me very intense looks with their stares. They lacked the familiar friendliness most Humans looked at me with, but instead seemed much… angrier.
Speh, right. They are still mad from before, and now I just beat them at their own race… O-okay, they don’t mean it, they are upset and need to let it out. Just have to get through it.
Seeing what was about to happen, I curled in on myself and braced myself for the barrage of verbal slurry coming my way. A moment passed as I waited for the insults to fly but… they never came? Opening an eye revealed the Human’s expressions had changed from fury to…
Amusement?
“You alright there Nov’? You’re shaking pretty bad… Was that too much?” Ada asked in a quiet voice while patting me on the back roughly. It took a moment for my brain to catch up before I could speak again.
“O-oh, uh, sorry, I thought you all were going to… yell at me? Like you did with each other?” My voice was a little shaky as I unfurled myself.
All of the Germans seemed to wince a little at that. “Yeah… fuck, sorry about that. Mario Kart is a pretty rage-inducing game. Shoulda thought about that beforehand.”
My tail attempted to signal calm while trapped behind me. “N-no, it’s fine… I did learn a lot actually. It was fun too, besides the yelling part. Um, can we move on though? I think I’ve got enough out of this one.”
Sindre exits the game with a nod while the others let out deep sighs. “Yeah, sorry Nov’. It’s one of the most popular party games Humanity ever made, so I figured it would be a good one to show you. Next is… Ada’s pick… we sure we should do this one?”
The woman turned her head to look at Sindre. “Positive. They have a vegan option in the settings, so it’s not going to get us arrested or anything. Plus, it's a cooperative party game! Feds seem to love that whole ‘herd’ thing, and Nov’ liked the last one so I’m sure it’ll be fine!”
She gave a dismissive hand wave before turning back to me. “It’ll be fine, really. I played this game as a kid all the time, no need to panic, right?” She seemed a little worried at the end of that sentence, so I tried to put on a brave face.
“S-sounds great! What’s it about?” I mentally chastised myself for my stutter and reached towards the table to grab another pastry. “Ahem. There’s nothing predatory in it, right?”
She grabs one herself and a glass of an orange fizzy drink. “Nope, none at all! Just some harmless cooking with your friends! You’ll love it!” Her enthusiasm helped me calm down as the game started booting up on screen.
Overcooked 5: Season of Seasoning.
Looks cheerful at least. Cooking is fun too… It’ll be fine, yeah.
I took a bite out of my brownie as the game's main menu music started to play.
{Memory Transcription Time Advancement: 23 Standard Terran Minutes…}
You know… I think I get it.
A soft relaxing track played in the background as the four little chefs on screen ran around doing various tasks needed to keep the kitchen functioning, like preparing vegetables, or washing dishes. A timer at the top of the screen was slowly counting down while a little ‘onion’ next to it with a Human face rambled on about something or other.
Orders start coming in quick, and all of us get to work in a flash… or at least, all of us SHOULD be.
“Can you three stop licking the dust clouds in the vents and actually do something to help me, PLEASE?!”
A trio of Human giggles was my only response as I leaned forward in concentration.
This game. This brahking game. They should use this for testing for intelligence like those quizzes we took back home, since clearly some people go brain dead trying to do literally anything that isn’t getting in my stars-damned way, or otherwise waste valuable time by huffing the gas coming off the stove!
Finishing up one order of seaweed wraps and lettuce salad, I tried to get back to the kitchen, but was immediately blocked by… a plate on the floor.
“WHO-!! Why is there a plate on the floor?! The counter is literally right there! It’s such a simple job to-” A ding rings out, showing several new orders that needed to be filled. The timer started flashing red as we reached the one ‘minute’ mark.
A deep, frustrated growl builds in my throat, causing my Humans to laugh for some reason, incensing me even further! We all get to work in completing the last orders, however. Things were going well as the Terrans seemed to (finally) get it together to actually make some good food. Sindre had just finished cooking the rice while Ada chopped the carrots. Me and Hailey were putting everything together on the other side and sending it through until—
“Is, oh my stars, did you guys really send over raw rice?! It’s not even partially cooked!! Are you all a bunch of mountain dwellers? Do you eat your dry grass with a side of brahking pebbles and pond scum?! Cook it again!” I threw the rice back, hitting Sindre in the back of the head with the pile of rice, causing his character to fall over with a cartoonish thunk sound effect.
The Germans laughed loudly at the scene, which made my face heat up in frustration. The timer was running short as we waited for the rice to actually be cooked this time.
“Nov’, I, haha, I’m sorry. I’ll get it done this time, have mercy! I thought the last one was done so I-”
My head turned just enough for my eye to be focused solely on the pale Human. “IT WAS BRAHKING RAW!! There's a bar at the top that tells you! Do you need eye surgery?? Can you even pass a driving test??”
More laughter.
“AND STOP LAUGHING AT ME!! IT’S NOT FUNNY!!”
A ding came from the pot to signify it was done. Ada immediately took it out and walked over to the counter to pass it.
“Perfect, now just- what are you doing?”
She wasn’t passing it over. Instead, she was charging up her throw way more than she needed to. I was just about to say something as the clock flashed brightly ‘till she threw the rice at full force.
Directly at my little chef. The rice beamed directly off the side of my character's head, sending me flying away from the plate and sprawled across the kitchen floor as the rice landed gently on the ground.
“ADA!!!!!”
The countdown is drowned out by the humans erupting into laughter as I desperately try and recover. Yet, just as I make it to my feet, the countdown reaches zero, and the mission ends. Defeat fills my chest while the onion man does a little dance to tally up our points.
49600… only two out of three stars…
It’s over…
I slumped against the back of the couch, fury and betrayal stirring in my chest while the predators laughed to each other for several moments. Their raucous, howling laughter eventually started dying down, at least enough for them to actually say something to me.
“Nov’, come on. It’s just a game. I’m, hehehe, I’m sorry okay? We were just having a little fun is all.” She ran her treacherous hands down my back in an effort to calm me, to little effect.
“Dumb game. Stupid… start the next mission…”
She chuckled a bit. “Maybe we should play a different game. You don’t seem real happy playing this one.”
That made my tail flick in light amusement though the frustration. “Now you sound like my Dad…” My anger at the game started to fade more and more, replaced with a growing sensation of guilt. ”I-I think that’s a good idea. Um, sorry about that.”
She removed her hand, but kept her eyes on me and the gooey trail now stringing from her hand. “Eugh… hey, you’re fine. If you can deal with us screaming at each other, then we can handle your little squeaks.”
The other two smiled and nodded in agreement while I looked at her in confusion, feeling a little offended. “My… squeaks? But, um, thank you... W-what's the next game? Hailey’s turn, right?”
On cue, she brushes her mane to the side and starts scrolling down. “Yes, actually! Unlike these two walnuts, I actually picked a relaxing game. A classic. An art piece~” Her hands did a slight flair, yet I remained unmoved.
“Hailey, that's what the other two said too. While those games were… fine, I wouldn’t call them ‘masterpieces.’ Are you sure about this one?” I asked while grabbing another brownie.
I keep eating these things, but I just feel more and more hungry… weird…
The Humans chucked as she selected her game. “Hey, have a little faith in me. I haven't met a Human alive that can say this game is bad. Just watch!”
A flash came from the TV as the game's title came into view.
Minecraft: Anniversary Edition.
“We’ll use one of the worlds we were playing on back on Earth so you can get an idea of what it’s really like. And, uh, make sure it's peaceful too, just in case.”
I took a bite of the treat and settled into my spot, preparing myself for whatever was to come.
{CONTINUED INTO THE COMMENTS}

Having read a comprehensive book detailing the Hart Family/ Stampede Wrestling, as well as books by Bret Hart, Bruce Hart and Dynamite Kid, I can say it was great to hear from someone who was spoken about in all those books. It is fascinating to see all the intersecting points of view when it comes to anything Hart Family related.
Bret Hart book
Bruce Hart book
History of Stampede Wrestling book
History of the Hart Family as documented in various books
Dynamite Kid book
This book was short and a quick read, but you could tell it was written with honesty and truth. She doesn't shy away from her own mistakes and issues while detailing the own POV on a relationship where most people have only heard from Bret.
As always, it's done in chronological order. I hope you find it as interesting as I did...
Julie had a truly wild and horrific youth experience between being sent to juvenile detention centers and dealing with genuinely abusive step parents. She is honest and critical of her own behaviors as well and doesn't like the choices she made. I grew up in the area where she spent her teenage years, and I can confirm that the seedy ghetto areas of Saskatchewan are genuinely gross and terrifying places to be when you're young and directionless.
She talks about how she was r*ped while hitchhiking as a teenager and got pregnant. She gave the baby up for adoption and tried to press charges but got cold feet and ran to another neighboring city. She was afraid the man who assaulted her would escape the charges and come after her again. She was young and naively thought that if she had just switched towns, she could escape everything. When a cop found her, he accused her of running because she was lying about the assault. This type of bullshit is why women don't come forward.
Julie was working in Regina, Saskatchewan, at the arena where wrestling was held when it came in town. That's where she first saw Bret Hart, and Bret saw her too. He ended up asking her boss Gil to introduce the two. Bret spoke about this in his book, too, how Julie caught his eye while he was in the ring. Gil later warned Julie that dating a wrestler is risky because they have a lot of "stops on the road." Julie didn't understand that Gil wasn't criticizing or accusing Bret of anything, but how he knew how wrestlers were on the road, in terms of meeting women.
Julie speaks favorably on how Bret treated her younger sister Michelle (the future wife of Dynamite Kid) but I remember in Bret's book, him describing in detail how attracted he was to the underage Michelle when he met her. Julie says Bret treated her like a sister, and her book came out after Bret's, so I'll take her word for it.
Julie moved in with Bret in Calgary just a few months into their relationship and she remembers being a wreck of nerves and anxiety ay the start, unable to cook or even attend the big Hart Family Sunday dinner. Eventually, Bret got her out to the Hart house where she met Stu and Helen Hart. Helen was a sweetheart, but she remembers Stu eying her up and down, with Julie saying, "He gave me the once over." Adding, "Stu judged women on their teeth and legs." She said Stu stared at her teeth and legs as if she were a race horse he was inspecting.
Julie remembers how Stu would turn any conversation into something about wrestling. She mentioned being a Saskatchewan Roughrider fan (Canadian football team), and Stu went on a rant about Gene Kiniski, who briefly played for the Edmonton Eskimos This made me chuckle as Stu and Gene had a but of a rough relationship since Stu gave up on Gene when he was a rookie and hurt his knee. Gene went to Toronto where "Whipper" Billy Watson essentially turned Gene into the big name star he was known for.
In Bret's book, he described the first night Julie came to the Sunday Hart dinner and when Julie passed on the salad, Bret's sister Diana Hart snapped on her saying, "What, you're too good for fuckin' salad!?" Bret says his mom responded by saying to Julie, "So you met Bret's sister Diana." In Julie's book, she describes this event as well but doesn't mention the funny line from Helen. She says Bret just took Julie and decided to leave immediately. Bret's other sister, Georgia, followed them outside and apologized on behalf of Diana and excused Diana by pointing out how pregnant Diana was at the time.
Julie actually puts over Diana quite a bit and says she actually came to admire Diana for how outspoken she was. She says Diana had a great style and was a gifted artist. After reading so many Hart related books, it's refreshing to hear something positive about Diana. Diana is the "Black sheep" who married "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. Diana would write a scandalous and legal minefield of a book in 2001 called "Under the mat." It was quickly pulled from shelves after Owen Hart's widow Martha threatened legal action over what was said about her and Owen. Bret and Bruce Hart also denounce the book, calling it mostly lies, but not everything can be written off as fiction, including stories, some wild stores about Dean Hart. I desperately need this book.
Julie said she never got over the sight of Bret Hart eating an avacado as if it were an apple.
While Bret was in Japan wrestling with his brother Keith, Julie said she spent a lot of time with Keith's girlfriend. It was Keith's girlfriend who smartened Julie up to how wrestling works. Up to this point, she believed it to be legit, and even Bret had been selling it like this to her. She was furious, and when Bret called, she told him they were done and hung up on him. The next day, Bret's older brother Bruce stopped by to help her understand kayfabe and how silly it all was. Julie says she ended up feeling bad for reacting like that and yelling at Bret, but she says he forgave her immediately. Bret tells this same story in his book, adding details of how Julie would worry and stress about Bret Hart being brutalized every night.
Here's something I dont remember from Bret's book. He knocked up Julie very early into their relationship, and Julie got an abortion. She said they both weren't ready for being parents, but Julie says she was deeply saddened by their choice. She never expressed these misgivings with Bret, and assumes Bret was relieved, she didn't make it any more difficult on them. To Bret's credit, maybe he didn't mention it in his book for Julie's benefit. Or he did mention it very briefly, and I missed it.
Julie remembers accompanying Bret on a trip overseas where they went to a freaky sex show place where they had "baby tigers and lions and torture rooms."" She says at one point Bret got tied up on a table and was playfully whipped.
On this trip, Julie remembers a woman hitting on Bret right in front of her and had to yell at her to back off while Bret laughed. Julie was pissed and made them go back to the hotel. Once there, Julie was mouthing off to Bret before he grabbed her and "bodyslammed" her into the flower bed. He offered to help her up afterwards but she told him to fuck off.
A week later Bret came home smelling of perfume and Julie says she just snapped. She said she grabbed him and dug her finger nails into his face and eyes. She says Bret later would tell her that he never saw her the same after this incident. I don't remember Bret describing Julie ever getting physical like that in his book, but he did describe a lot of shouting matches.
Julie says she and Bret got married after her younger sister and Dynamite Kid. She says they got married in secret because Bret didn't like his siblings much and said they didn't deserve to be part of it.
When Julie was pregnant again this time they felt ready to start a family. Though Bret made Julie not tell anyone for the first 5 months of her pregnancy and when he "told" his parents, it was through a letter he left on their bed before he left for a wrestling tour. Julie remembers feeling hurt by this because Bret would say his parents always wanted their children to start families with someone who had money, a significant name and an education. Julie had none of those things and while she doesn't say it, you get the feeling that she thinks Bret was ashamed or embarrassed by her.
When she got pregnant again, she says Bret was mad at her for not being more careful with birth control. She says she became very irritable and bitchy throughout the pregnancy and always found something to be mad at Bret for. She is super critical of her behavior here and doesn't excuse it.
The night she gave birth, Bret left to go out for drinks, despite Julie asking him not to in case her water broke. When she woke up at 5am to her water breaking, she was furious that Bret didn't come home yet and had to call a friend to get her to the hospital. Bret was a no-show for her entire delivery and missed his second child being born. Julie says she was furious and seriously considered divorcing him then.
When Bret started touring with WWF, he was gone for much longer periods of time and this strained their marriage. Working for WWF really put a strain on Bret and filled him with confidence issues as well. She said between his self doubt and her loneliness, their marriage was barely holding on.
She remembers how Bret would call from the road and bemoan about how lonely he was. I'm reminded of his book, how he would complain about feeling lonely, then complain that the guilt of cheating on Julie was too much.
Julie says she got a literal itch and went to a doctor who told her that she caught "something" from a public washroom. A suspicious Julie went home and threw all her bedding in the garbage and then thought to check on her suspicion. She looked through their phone bills to find that Bret was placing a ton of calls to a girl from New Jersey and that he even kept the receipt for a Christmas present he bought this girl!
Julie describes how Bret called and she just screamed "I want a divorce!" Before she hung up and ripped the phone cord out of the wall. Eventually she agreed to go meet him and they started yelling at each other in a parking lot after a show. She says at one point Bret through a can of budweiser at her head, hitting her! She says wrestler Les Thorton got between the two and tried to calm them down. She remembers screaming how she won't get in the car with Bret and Bret yelled back, "Don't be stupid, get in the car! Your embarrassing yourself!" She says Bret later said the girl meant nothing to him and Julie should be greatful that Bret isn't addicted to drugs. Wild. At one point when they were back in the hotel room, a girl called the room asking for Bret and Julie snapped, breaking a lamp.
In Bret's book, he described how he decieved both Julie and this girl from New Jersey, neglecting to tell this side girl that he was married until she was head over heels in love with him. Bret talks about how tough this was for him and says that Stu and Helen Hart talked Julie out of leaving him.
Julie says their relationship was never the same after the affair. She couldn't trust him again.
Julie says when her grandmother died a few months after the affair, Bret was calling her everyday to check in but she said "I couldn't have cared less about those calls."
Julie says it was around this time that she and Bret started to regularly do cocaine. She said the coke helped her not think about the affair and how she would ask Bret to score some if she couldn't get it out of her head. She said she would do coke and sleep in the car just to avoid Bret. She suggests this all slowed down when Vince started cracking down on coke use with drug tests.
She speaks highly of Vince McMahon, this book was written in 2013, and she is greatful for what Vince was able to provide for her family and the opportunity he gave Bret. She says when she first met Vince, he was wearing a suit and sneakers. When she asked Bret why he wore sneakers, Bret said "so he can get around." During the show she noticed Vince was all over the place during matches, never sitting still and always running around from one person to another.
Julie remembers meeting Ozzy Osbourne at Wrestlemania 2 and "marking out" because he was her idol as a teenager. After the show, she says Ozzy was present as everyone had drinks at the hotel and Dynamite Kid spiked her drink. She said she could barely stand and Dynamite just laughed at her the whole time.
Julie notes how devoted Bret was to making sure his kids had the best toys, and how Bret would drive to every toy store before Christmas and find what the kids wanted. She appreciates this but also wishes Bret didn't miss so many plays and dances and activities due to his schedule. She was starting to really resent wrestling and wanted Bret to quit. She hated having this big house that felt empty most of the time without Bret home. In Bret's book, he wanted her to get a job to fix her loneliness.
She says her 3rd pregnancy was easier than her second and Bret was very sweet to her and praised how good she looked.
Julie brings up how devastated Bret was when his brother Dean died in 1990. She remembers watching him wrestle the next night at Survivor Series ppv and seeing the pain on his face. Bret talks about how tough this was in his book and how much shame he felt. Dean needed a kidney transplant and none of the Hart brothers stepped up. Bret didn't want to derail his career. Though you can't blame anyone more than Dean himself, who was stubborn and often went against doctors orders, so even with a mew kidney, Dean may have still died.
Julie talks about continuing her partying and drug lifestyle into the early 90s when she would party with a local band and inviting them to live at her house. She said Bret was very understanding and never pushed her for details on those nights out. Some nights Bret would watch the kids all night while Julie was getting fucked up and partying.
On of those musicians, Marc, was very close with Julie and while Julie never says she hooked up, she does say her younger sister Michelle did hook up with Marc, a bunch of times in secret. She doesn't specify if this was before or after Michelle left Dynamite Kid, but she says Marc did move in with Michelle and help her with the kids. This would have been after Dynamite went back to UK, since I'm sure Dynamite would have kicked the door down and attempted to murder Marc if this were in the final months of of Michelle and Dynamite's marriage.
Julie's brother committed suicide and Julie didn't have the support system around to prevent her from spiraling into heavy drinking.
In 1996, Bret Hart was filming a movie (Sinbad) in South Africa and halfway through, asked Julie to come join him. Julie is very honest about how she was self sabatoging her life at this point but was still deeply in love with Bret. She was excited to read an early draft of some Shakespeare work that was at a museum, but Bret couldn't be bothered to go with her so she went by herself.
She says her and Bret shared a perfect moment watching the sun set, but Bret got mad at her when she decided to record it.
Julie describes sneaking cigarettes because Bret didn't know she picked the habbit up again.
The trip ended when Julie was asking Bret something but he just ignored her several times in a row. When she finally looked at what had his attention, she saw he was gawking at a topless sunbather on the beach. She stormed off to the hotel room after telling Bret to show her more respect than that. Julie says Bret followed her to the room, with him saying she always ruins these trips. When Julie started packing her bags, she says Bret pushed her hard onto the bed. She started spewing insults at him, before, she says, Bret grabbed her by the hair and threw her from the bed and onto the floor! Julie says she started crying and demanding that Bret get her home immediately or else she would find someone who would. Bret screamed at her "Get the fuck out! I've had it with you! We're fucking done! I will put you on a plane tonight, but don't expect to win me back!"
Having read Bret's book, he does mention the trip to South Africa where he filmed the Sinbad movie. But Bret makes no mention of inviting Julie on the trip and instead points out how it coincided with a WWF tour in South Africa at the same time. Bret does talk about how the Dutch found the area and how beautiful itnwas there, which was something Julie mentioned as well that Bret talked about. Bret does mention getting a lot of ladies phone numbers on the last few days of the trip and seeing a drunk Yokozuna swapping spit with some South African PR woman when they were both very drunk. Bret makes no mention of Julie being there or how he got physical with her.
The Hart's always try to shy away from controversial truths, just ask any one of them where Bruce Hart met his wife. They will all say at a wrestling show, and neglect to mention how Bruce Hart was a 33 year old substitute teacher who knocked up his 17 year old student. Gross. (I'll never not bring this up when talking about the Hart's btw)
Julie talks about Mathew Hart, Georgia and BJ's son who died in 1996 from Necrotizing Fasciitis, a legitimate flesh eating virus. From everyone's account, the poor boy suffered for 2 weeks until he died. Julie says she and Bret took their kids on vacation when the poor kid died. A lot of people act as though the Hart Family curse started at the Screwjob in 1997, but really it started with Dean in 1990 and Mathew in 1996.
Julie remembers how gleeful Bret was when he called her up and bragged about giving a drunken Vince McMahon his tag team finishing move. Julie warned Bret that Vince wasn't the type to forget that and she suspects that it played a part in the screwjob. This sounds silly imo but what do I know, I found it an interesting and unique take if nothing else.
Julie remembers the morning of the 1997 Survivor Series ppv, someone warned Bret that Vince and Shawn were seen the night before talking and getting into an elevator together.
Julie says she and her lawyer were sitting somewhere in the arena as the Montreal Screwjob happened. Julie says she got up, looking at the monitor and said, "Holy shit, that's not supposed to happen!" And her lawyer, also shocked, said, "No, it is not."
Julie says she and the layer had to sprint to catch up to Bret and Vince and she describes her scolding of Triple H and Shawn Michaels, saying the words just poured out of her. It's maybe the most memorable scene of that documentary, watching Triple H and HBK shrink into children as Julie dresses them down.
Julie says the 1997 holidays were anything but cheerful and says she was boozing a lot and doing coke "from time to time."
Julie wanted to get a nanny or house keeper but Bret refused and put his foot down on the subject.
Julie says Bret asked for a divorce in early 1998 and she handled it poorly. She is critical of her immediate response to run away from home and stay at a hotel. When she returned home for clothes, her confused daughter asked her what was going on and a rageful Julie said "Your dad wants a divorce and I can't stay in the same house as him anymore! Julie says she was so blinded by her anger she didn't see the damage she was doing then.
Julie says that the Wrestling with Shadow's documentary crew needed Julie and Bret to reshoot something that didn't come out right when they originally shot it. So Julie and Bret had to pretend to be a in a marriage again talking things out about Bret's career. Julie says her and Bret slept together after they shot the scene and she was hurt when Bret said afterward, "One for the road, I guess."
The next time she heard from Bret, he told her to get a lawyer because he had one already.
Julie says she and Bret spent many nights yelling at eachother over the phone, with Bret calling her a whore and saying he didn't take all those bumps so Julie to take all his money. This is a statement Bret would repeat a lot to Julie over the years of them fighting. He would call her a money grabbing whore and how he didn't take a bunch of bumps so Julie could end up with the money.
Just as Julie was ready to sign custody papers, Bret's personal assistant contacted Julie and told her that Bret had been seeing some girl in the States for months. The assistant said she felt guilty arranging their meetups behind Julie's back. Julie said she later told Bret that she isn't signing shit and she needed to contact her lawyers with the new developments. She said Bret first tried denying it, calling his assistant jealous and a liar. Then Bret blamed Julie because Bret said he "couldn't get past her traumatic past." What the fuck Bret, I'm pretty sure he is referring to Julie being sexually assaulted as a teenager. (He makes this clear later in the book) Then he bragged about his new girl looking better than Julie and being younger than Julie, with Bret also saying the kids will love the new girl. Bret even later said Julie was getting heavier and letting herself go.
Pretty wild story here. Julie says that Bret started neglecting the kids, even when he was in town, and often skipped out on seeing them altogether. For Canada Day 1998 Bret promised to take them out and to the fireworks. Julie says they waited all day, expecting a fun evening with their dad. But Bret didn't show up with their friend Dean, until after 9pm, (stoned and drunk according to Julie) after Julie tried to call Bret repeatedly and got no answer.
Julie isn't proud of this, but says before Bret arrived that night, Julie had sat the kids down and told them Bret was off smoking pot with a new girlfriend. Julie knew immediately she shouldn't have said it, she saw her kids starting to cry and knew she tarnished how they look at their dad.
Bret was pissed off that Julie decided to take the kids to the fireworks, and when Julie had herself and the kids in the car, an enraged Bret started punching the drivers side window until Julie agreed to get out and talk.
Bret grabbed and dragged her off around the corner of the house where Julie defiantly told him that the kids know he smokes pot and is seeing someone else.
Julie says Bret snapped, slammed her hard up against the wall and yelled, "You bitch! I hate you! I hate you!" Then Julie claims that Bret grabbed her by the throat and slammed her on the ground where he continued to choke her until their son Blade came around the corner and screamed at Bret to get off his mom!
As Julie was catching her breath, their friend Dean, who was still there and in shock, tried to help Julie up. Bret took off with their son Blade and a panicked Julie called the police. She foolishly said to the 911 opperater that her husband pro wrestler, Bret Hart, had taken her child againt her will. The police arrived and seemingly didn't know who Bret was, tried to get Julie to press charges. The police were able to call Bret and convince him to bring the kid to the police station, so the cops could bring him home. Bret makes no mention of this in his book.
Julie says Bret stopped by the next day and apologized and tried to ask her to sit down for coffee. Julie explained how they scarred their children for life the night prior and she wasn't interested in speaking to him in friendly terms yet.
Julie defends Bret a bit by saying she could see in person that she wasn't the cause of his anger and that he was just deeply angry and disappointed with things. This would be 1998 and even Bret describes how bitter and despondent he was at this time. Julie says he stopped being around the kids and it hurt them, especially their boys Blade and Dallas who started getting a chip on their shoulders and seeking conflict. One time Julie asked Dallas about Bret and Dallas said, "He never calls and is never around."
Julie says things were getting stable but she and Bret started secretly sleeping together again and complicated things. She says Bret would pick her up and drove to a seedy part of town before casually dropping her off at home after. She says she was initially amused by this but eventually began to wonder how many other women Bret does this with. It made her feel uncomfortable to say the least.
One time as she was being dropped off, Julie asked Bret if he was happy. Bret said no and that he couldn't get happy. Then Bret asked if Julie was seeing anyone, but didn't let her answer, he just said "of course you are." Julie realizes now that Bret was suffering some deep depression and at the time she mistook codependency for love.
Eventually Bret's other girlfriend caught wind of his and Julie's rendezvous and made Bret break things off. Julie could hear the woman on the other end of the line when Bret called to inform Julie that they need to set boundaries in their relationship now.
Julie says Bret once called her to say he tested for hepatitis and that Julie should get checked out as well.
Julie later found out that the girl Bret was seeing was nearly the same age as their daughter.
Julie says her and Bret continued to sleep together behind his girlfriends back though, with Bret always asking for "coffee" before making a move, which Julie always reciprocated.
Bret would break up with his girlfriend near the end of 1998 and ask Julie if he can spend the holidays with her and the kids. Julie relents, and soon they seem to be trying to salvage their relationship with Bret more present then he ever has been.
Soon after the new year, Bret and Julie take a trip together to Hawaii. Julie finally builds up the courage to ask Bret what he thinks of them getting back together, and Bret says he doesn't want to get "trapped" again. Julie snapped and said, "That's it I'm done, I can't keep playing these games with you!"
During this conversation, as Julie was walking away, Bret randomly said, "My therapist said that sometimes girls, like the ones your age when all that stuff happens to you, they like it." Julie burst into tears and ran out of the room. What the fuck Bret, to imply that that when his wife was a 16 year old girl, she liked getting r*ped!
Helen Hart died a few weeks after 9/11 in 2001. She was from New York, and Julie remembers how devastated Helen was following the September attacks. Helen went back to New York a few weeks later to visit her sister, but due to the border concerns, she was held up for hours after her plane landed back in Calgary. She wasn't able to reach her insulin and eventually went into a coma.
Helen was on an off ventilation a few times while at the hospital, and one day Alison (Bret's sister) called and told him to come visit asap, because Helen was back on a ventilator and it wasn't looking good. Bret thought Alison being an alarmist and decided to visit the next day. Julie says she wishes they had visited that night, because Helen passed away a few hours later.
One afternoon, Julie came home to find her son Dallas on the phone, when she asked him who he was speaking to, Dallas said, "It's dad, but he sounds drunk." Bret told Julie that he fell off his bike and couldn't get up. He wasn't speaking clearly and couldn't properly explain where he was. Julie and her daughter Beans, drove around looking for Bret based off his perception and directions.
Julie and Beans found him laying casually in the grass, as if he was resting. She said one of Bret's eyes was wide open and the other was closed, and half his mouth was dropping. She struggled to move him as he slurred his words and insisted he was fine. Eventually an ambulance was called and Bret was loaded in.
Julie says the stroke changed him, made him mooder and more depressed. She isn't casting judgment, just pointing out changes she noticed as she spent every day at the hospital with him, helping to feed and cloth Bret, even helping him to the bathroom.
Julie remembers one night that Bret confided in her that he feared he got a stroke as punishment for all the bad things he done. He told her that the morning he got a stroke, he was planning on signing the divorce papers.
Several months later, with Bret moving aorund more, he spent Easter with Julie and the kids, but Julie found an email from some woman in Italy, directed to Bret and it suggested some heavy sexual stuff. Julie felt stupid and used again. When she confronted him on it, he denied anything and she reluctantly believed him.
A week later as Bret prepared for a trip, she found a plane ticket to Italy, when she asked Bret where he was going, he said England. Julie drove him to the airport and told him to get the fuck out.
Bret went to Italy to be with a fan he met at a contract signing, who was obsessed with him since she was a little girl. Julie says she is exactly what Bret needed to feel like the Hitman again. After reading Bret's book, this assessment is completely accurate.
The Italian woman's name was Cynthia and she was also just a year older than Bret's daughter Jade. Julie said Jade had the hardest time accepting Cynthia, whom Bret was determined to integrate into the family.
When Bret's dad Stu died, Julie remembers how she, Bret and Stu's granddaughter Jenni all stood by the bed and watched as he passed. She remembers how she kissed his cheek and told him he could go see Helen now, he didn't need to be here and longer. I remember the speech Stu gave at Helen's funeral, with one line in particular staying with me, "I'm glad for the time I had with her," he said full of love, but his pain was on display too, "Ill never get over this" he finished solemnly, "I don't have enough time."
Julie remembers one day that their son Blade called her from Bret's house, begging for her to pick him up. Blade and Bret started arguing about Cynthia, with Bret saying to his own son, "Don't make me pick between you and Cynthia, because I'll pick Cynthia! And if you don't like it you can get the fuck out!"
Julie started calling Bret "Hitman" when he acted like this to his children, with Julie telling them that their father still loves him and not to worry about what The Hitman says, because it's coming from a broken mind.
One day after Julie bought a house, Bret randomly showed up with a turkey and tried to hit on her. Julie found it amusing and asked him if Cynthia knew he was there. Bret tried to make a move on her but Julie made it clear that won't happen so Bret left. As he left, he told Julie, "I still have cravings for you and I'm not sure I'll ever get over them." To which Julie just cooly responded with, "You will."
After Bret left that day, Julie called his assistant who confirmed that Cynthia was literally on a plane back to Italy right then. Julie laughed at how pathetic it was for Bret to say goodbye to Cynthia and then an hour or two later, show up at Julie's with a turkey and looking for sex.
Bret secretly married Cynthia and months later told the kids after the fact. Their son Blade was so furious he could barely speak to Julie when he got home and eventually blurted out, "Dad married that girl!" Their other son Dallas was also furious and explained how Bret callously told the kids "tell your mom, make sure you tell your mom." He was clearly trying to hurt Julie and used the kids to do so.
When Bret was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006, Julie insisted on going and told Bret if he doesn't find a way for her to be there, then she would call Vince McMahon herself and arrange it. Bret promised her she would be there but asked her to be discreet about it.
Julie got asked to do an online interview leading up to the Hall of Fame, and she let slip that she would be at the show to support Bret. Later, an irate Bret called her, yelling about how she was supposed to be discreet. Julie clued in on the fact that Bret didn't tell his new wife yet about Julie coming and now he was in hot water. In the end, Bret refused to allow Julie to come to the Hall of Fame to support him.
In Bret's Hall of Fame speech, he just talked about his new wife and how Cynthia was there for him after his stroke and just put her over big. He didn't mention Julie and only mentioned 2 of his 4 children. She says her children were extremely hurt by this and calls it the ultimate betrayal.
Julie started running low on money in 2008 and even attempted to be on a reality show. It was all a BS scam though and she had to invest money into it and eventually it all fell through. She speaks of this with a bit of shame while framing it as something she learned from.
Julie was facing bankruptcy and foreclosure on the house, so as a last resort, she called Bret. She asked him for 9 grand to cover 3 mortgage payments so she can sell the house. Bret chastised her for having money problems before ultimately saying no. He suggested that she rent the house out or have the kids pay rent. As they left, Julie warned him that if she loses the house, Bret may need to take the kids at him place. She doesn't say what he said to this, but she does say, "His response was too cruel to put into writing." Good lord, considering all she told so far, I wonder what Bret said that was so bad, Julie didn't want to even write it down?
Julie does point out that Bret didn't owe her a damn thing and she was in this situation by her own doing. Julie felt like she was letting her kids down most of all.
Julie would move in with her daughter Beans where they split the rent together. She got a job making $14/hour working as a janitor at a local middle school and Julie notes that she was living well below the poverty line.
Julie remembers how absurd it was for her to show up to her janitor job driving a Lexus.
Julie ended up selling her Lexus to her daughter Beans, and Julie bought herself a 1999 Sunfire. It was the first car she ever bought with her own money.
Julie's father died in 2012 and Julie says she wrote a letter to him, promising to make him proud, and stuffed it inside his coffin.
Julie says she spends most of her days being a grandma to Jade's daughter and how grateful she is to be close to her kids still.
Bret can't say the same, Julie notes how he travels alone or with his wife and never offers invites to his kids. She says it breaks her heart to see how far Bret drifted away from their children, even if all her kids insist that they don't care. This was in 2013, so potentially Bret and his kinds could have a better relationship by now.
Julie spends the last several pages of the book detailing her kids and all the ways she loves them. You can tell she is a mother first and foremost, you can tell she loves them unconditionally. Jade, Dallas, Beans and Blade, weird names for kids but I also have a weird name so I can't judge.

POV: back to MC

I finally made it to the church. The place looked empty. Except for the standing guards. I wonder if Churches on my world had standing guards in the old times? The institution should be way more important here.

I gave one the Guards the letter given by Danender, which he inspected and my guess is recognized the seal. I saw the guard shocked expression for a moment. “Please wait here a moment”.

I tried to have a little chat with the other guard but he made his best to ignore my presence. The awkward silence was killing me, I needed constant noise or anything. Keeping my mind busy was always priority. I wonder if I could get some psychological help inside the church?.
NOPE. NOPE. NOPE. NOPE. That line of thought just brought me bad memories.
I have to admit being so wary of everything is tiring. Sometimes I miss my good old naivety, the world used to look much more bright, now I only see shades of gray. God I miss my phone already. Have I always been so bitter inside? No, of course not! But when did it start? When did I become so gloomy?

I paused my mind for a moment before remembering a line from the lord of the rings books something along the lines of Elves needing entertainment like we need air. Because that would describe perfectly how I feel right now.

Im afraid my chances of becoming a drunkard on this world are quite high. I don’t really want to confront my inner demons, It was much easier to just bury them under a pile of funny memes.

Speaking of memes. I'm so glad I came to the church before the church came to me. I smiled at my own joke, remembering the infamous image of the Titan.

The first guard Finally came back and allowed me to come in.

Inside the Building there were small statues of many gods, apparently there was one god of each race here, a saw a Dwarf, a catperson (even the statue had that freagging haircut) DO THEY HAVE HUMAN EARS ON THE SIDE OF THEIR HEADS? YES OR NO? IT’S A SIMPLE QUESTION!

Of course the human god was in the middle of the hall and it was much bigger than the other statues. Sitting in a throne, overseeing the lesser gods. It looked like Zeus. I really hope its not Zeus.

A priest was standing just in front of the statue, some of the adornments on his clothes missing compared as the day we received our blessing.

“Greetings Hero, its an honor to have you here”.

“Likewise, its an honor to be here” I replied with a smile. “By any chance are you Daniel?”

“Thats correct” Said the priest while waving a hand to dismiss the guard. “Im honored that my name is already known by a hero”.

I remember the instructions from Darius and to give the letter specifically to this man. So I reached inside my clothes and pulled the letter.

“I was told to give you this recommendation letter”

The priest lifted one eyebrow. That’s really interesting, He took the letter from my hand and opened it “oh Its from Little Darius” please accompany me.
I started following the priest. He absentmindedly walked the way to the inner side of the church while reading the letter. There were a few corridors and stairs going down, I understood the building was actually bigger than it looked on the outside.

Finally we made into a room with a desk, a lot of papers neatly arranged in cabinets.

Daniel sat in his chair, and pointed to the other for me to take seat. He had been staring at the letter for quite some time now. Did it really contain so much information?

Daniel sighed and put the letter down.

“Okay, you have been deemed trust worthy By Darius. So I’ll skip all the grandiose talk and go straight to business. ”

I thought to myself: so the priest is acting like a businessman. Actually more like an investor, the no-bullshit type. I like those.

The old man made a brief pause. Resting his chin on his fist while taping his desk with his other hand “As you may know there are many Irregularities on the way you were summoned. I have been aware that Marquis Danender managed to obtain summoning stones from the black market”.

Daniel rubbed his eyes and sighed.

“We are still trying to figure out who found and sold these stones as the Adventurers guild should have been working hand in hand with us. So, someone somewhere must have accepted a hefty bribe. Problem is: Who, Where and how. There are no records, Darius is a good Spy but he is not omniscient”

I chuckled at that. The Priest raised an eyebrow to me. So I explained myself “I started suspecting he was hiding something when he gave me the letter. Im just happy to have the mystery solved”

“regarding your summon, apparently you were told you have to defeat the demon king”

I nodded, not wanted to interrupt the man again

“well… to begin with: what we call demons are just creatures inside some patches of Dark-Land. And they cant abandon it, so they don’t even represent a threat to anyone. Unless you happen to walk into their well delimited and marked territory. In which point its considered you committed suicide.”

I finally interrupted to confirm: “So, there is absolutely no need to kill this Demon king?” I made quotation marks with my hands while pronouncing it.

“There is not even a Demon king to begin with. Riches deep inside these territories? Sure, a lot of powerful magic plants, minerals and others things appear there, but that’s all.”

I had my suspicion most of the Introduction given by the Marquis was Bullshit. but understanding the extent of it? that's baffling.

So the Marquee is just sending all the kids in a fools errand? Why? If he wanted more soldiers couldn’t he just recruit more people from this world? Wont all of this be a complete waste of resources?

Daniel nodded: youre completelly right. It is a massive waste in resources, we are trying to understand his motivations but so far we only know it’s a political move to get the masses on his side. Rumors of him summoning “heroes” to fight “the biggest threat to the kingdom” are already spreading like wildfire.

We know for a fact that Danender is currently trying to expand his territory. And slowly but surely he has assimilated a few villages from our neighboring nations. Tensions have been raising but as he has only taken small and seemingly unimportant villages these nations are just asking for compensation instead of starting a full escale war.

“So… why summoning you? What is he planning? I'm afraid I cant answer these questions. But for now” Daniel pulled a scroll with golden adornments “I want you to work for me, you will receive the required training for you to become a real healer with food, shelter and coin, in exchange you will keep me informed of any suspicious activities in the city. And of course you will do social labor to help us keep our good image with the masses”.

I looked at the contract the priest gave me. And asked: “can the terms be renegotiated in the future?”.

The priest cocked his head with a quizzical look. “of course? As a trained healer your labor will be invaluable, also we will need to teach you how to read! And you wont be happy to learn that your fellow healers are getting paid more than you.”

I looked at the man and asked: “so… you’re a spy master and a politician. And you expect me to sign a contract that you know I cant read?”

The man nodded his head: “Those are fair points, and Im glad to see you’re keeping reservations towards me. But think of it like me: you're a summoned hero, with one of the most unique abilities in existence and that can quite easily gain the favor of the masses. Where do I gain more? Antagonizing you or befriending you?”

I signed. After all, a businessman telling you: “we are a business and you’re looking like a very profitable investment”. Is as honest as you can get in these situations. The fact that it came from a self appointed liar just made the absurdity of the situation borderline hilarious.

AN: I didn’t do too much editing work on this one. After getting so much approval from yesterday I decided to retake this. Thanks for your support everybody.

Hiiiiii, I’m hoping to find a longterm RP partner for a dark, high DND style fantasy plot, vaguely mimicking Tangled, with the option to double in a reversed plot for your pairing, or a new one entirely. I am looking for a FXM Jaskie Geralt and Rapunzel/Flynn dynamic.
Tropes I’m hoping to hit are…
– grumpy repressed trauma x soft who’s secretly also as fucked up and uses being happy to avoid emotions
– mage/sorcerer x paladin/fighter
– enemies to lovers / forced proximity / more in common than previously imagined
– classic fantasy-style racism and sexism (dragons vs elves vs humans)
– cross-country travel and adventure, perhaps a tug-of-war end-destination argument, with some give either way occasionally
– military personnel (hopefully a semi-disgraced folk hero, but a deserter or bounty hunter works well) / sheltered shrine keeper mage-templar
– fated mates & marks
– pining slowburn, “going against every taboo they’ve been taught” and will they won’t they, maybe some blurry lines
– long-term cultural, social and racial miscommunication / misunderstandings and knowledge gaps being bridged by both sides
– raid bride / arranged marriage / marriage of convenience
– obligatory at least once “there is only one bed + nightmare wake up, soothed back to sleep”
I am hoping to make character sheets using 5E in the loosest terms, extremely homebrew character creation mish-mashing class features and such, that will serve as more baseline for our abilities than actual rules. The stats will also serve as a way to give more randomization of what may happen, with a little wriggle room should we not like the outcome or come up with something better. I can discuss my ideas for this in more detail if you’re interested.
This Might Suit:
A forever DM, not ready to throw an entire party into a full campaign but still really want to show it off to *someone* to appreciate – this might really suit.
A player (especially one who may want to DM), who prefers RP and exploration, can’t make discord calls, and is sick of overbearing min-maxer players commandeering the plot.
A long-term online RP’er who hasn’t played D&D yet, and would like to. Maybe you tried but found it hard to learn in a call environment, or at a large table. I’ve played for 8 years and have taught multiple beginners.
I have a homebrew world we can use as a backdrop, and if you have one of your own, with similar themes, we can blend them or switch between with a pairing in each. We can double or dual RP, taking the rein as the narrative bricklayer for one, and a backseat in the other.
I have a plot in mind for my female character paired with yours, which we can easily flip gender-wise and tweak for your pairing, or completely do a new one for yours! I can play a male character if you’d like, but prefer a woman. I’d prefer we run two FXM relationships but I can do any gender romance mix if it’s really desirable. If we do a same-sex romance, my smut may be lacking, but am willing to write it and learn.
I am 20 looking for someone 18 to 25, and am uncomfortable with both higher and lower than described, thanks! Because I do enjoy contextually appropriate erotic scenes and moments, this has the potential to end up with some smut elements and the occasional lewd emotional struggle or thoughts of a character.
My timezone is AEST. I don’t mind messaging people several hours apart from me, and keep waking hours that seem to suit most folk from CST, but you might find that doesn’t work for you! I’m only looking to RP via Discord.
I am what the kids call “chronically online” and glued to my phone, so replies will atleast be a good few a day, minimum few minutes between or a few hours (6~) apart, and if I catch you at a good time for us both, we can really get a rapidfire set going.
I write at a level I believe is called lit or semi-lit, and if we click and connect to each other’s bluetooth, novella-style is even in the cards. 1-5 paragraphs is my general preference, and I would expect the same, although I understand that some simple actions and feelings don’t require you to write that much, and some things are so specific they *do* require multiple posts.
I love aesthetics and visuals – a picture tells a thousand words, so if you like to send those, all the better, as so do I. Not to say my description is lazy, but I find it bridges a gap in explanation and visualization – supplement not replacement.
As I write, I get more excited, causing more grammatical errors than normal, but I am fluent in english and do my best to be correct and punctual. For POV, I fluctuate between first and third, but can *attempt* to stick to one if you *want*, but it’s a really hard habit to lose – I have no preference on which one you stick to.
Be ready for me to become obsessed with your character(s), and gush about them. You can be certain I’ll send you things I think might suit them on Pintrest, Tiktoks that apply to them and songs for their Spotify playlist.
Talking OOC is just as important to me as the RP, and I would hope it is for you too.
Setting Inspirations include.....
Media – Game of Thrones & House of the Dragon
Games – The Witcher, Assassin’s Creed, Dragon Age, Skyrim, Genshin, Outward
Books – LOTR, Six of Crows, ACOTAR
Below is a small blurb about Belgrieve, and the general plot I’d like to take with her and your male character.
= =
Belgrieve Omenyra
Belgrieve Omenyra, not her true name but one she identifies with, was born to the elvish king Silvio Tellura and queen Vyneon Tellura of Tresluna, but soon after birth, was taken by an elvish septa / priestess and raised in a far away hidden temple. Her mother had a difficult birth and was given an experimental magical tonic, as well as being blessed by elvish god Reielle in the form of a unicorn. She was born a Brightmaid, a elf with equine – alicorn – features and a horse form she could take at will. The court priestess believed this would make her the most magically adept child of the century, and the ultimate weapon against the empire. Stolen under the guise of “being for the greater elvish good in the long run”, she remained missing to her family, instead brought up a shrine servant beingh taught magic under the guise of religion and a generouslly adopted orphan.
She at first proved a prodigy, incredibly smart and adept, but an accident with a too handsy male septon turned him to stone, and her magic began to twist in chaotic and dangerous ways. Able to manipulate blood, and lightning, and the weather, she proved too unruly and blessed for the septa’s to handle. They bound her magic inside her, making her powerless and useless – this also turned her into a blightmaid. They sealed most of her form away. Unable to give her back to the king and queen, with nothing to atleast show for their strife, they had no choice but to keep Bel around. They managed to wipe most of her memories, and kept her as a shrine keeper. But although the magic was trapped, it came out in other ways – it gave her an eerie, disturbing aura that made people uncomfortable around her. A series of terrible incidents, misfortune and bad luck began to follow Bel around as she grew up, which isolated her from her peers more than she already was, in the small and small community.
A century or so, when she was old enough to fend for herself and manage most temple duties, her peers packed up and left under the pretense of leaving her to care for it in their absence. They were supposed to come back, but couldn’t give her a concrete time frame for when this might be. They left with her a few human caretakers, who would eventually grow old while taking care of her that last bit. These caretakers, aged and died, leaving her entirely and truely alone. Belgrieve was diligent and dedicated to her temple duties, but was also obsessed with the world below.
She read everything the temple contained and stored, yearning and fantasising about travelling the world once her peers came back from fighting the war with the empire. She was also enchanted with the many moon-lantern flowers that would float on the winds to her on her birthday, and wished to find the source of them. As time went on, Bel’s seal began to weaken and one day broke entirely, allowing her to turn into her horse form. This freaked her out, and made her quite afraid of herself and magic. She researched heavily in the library of the sept for answers, and come up mostly empty. She believes this is why people didn’t like her, and why her magic is hectic. She calles herself a bad luck charm, or an omen of evil, and understands she was kept here under divine protection for her own and other’s safety.
She never dared leave, only getting to the bottom steps and looking out at the forest surrounding the mountain. She remained on task, keeping the shrines clean and the temple tidy, but would often get distracted in her hobbies. She took up learning more magic, from books left behind by her less than dutiful and rule abiding peers, and for that she was thankful. Her learning was not always straight forward, or safe, often causing small disasters and accidents.
She continued this, getting into a routine, but growing ever more worried and suspicious that her peers had gotten into trouble and she should leave – they could need help. But she remained faithful to her promise, and stayed. Occasionally, a adventurer would stumble up, and seek refuge. She would host them and badger them for news of the empire, and if they knew her peers. Rarely did they have the answers she wanted to hear, but she listened anyway. They often saw her form, a creature that is hunted to extinction in many places, and this would prompt them to attempt to murder or capture her and end up with these adventurers perishing at her hand, usually unintentionally.
Sometimes, thieves would try their best to infiltrate the temple and find themselves earning a one way ticket off the mountainside with a magical boot to the arsecheeks. But not before she took some of their things, normally rations or information such as books and magical supplies.
= =
General Plot
You are from a noble house that was once the hand to the empire, but recent misfortune has befallen your and your kin. It places you, a very loyal, desperate imperial who came from nothing, and now have everything to lose (and also someone who had hopes of making the emperor’s main guard, the Prime Daeturion) in the sights of the court and authorites. Your loyalty has been called into question. You managed to plead and claim your devotion is still true, and have been given a lenient second chance. The chance to bring honour back to your house, and gain the emperors eye and all the money you could ever want in this life if you agree to a task.
You agree, eagerly, desperate to prove yourself. You are to bring back to the citadel a religious, social or cultural artifact or a person of great importance from the elvish realms, as a raid bride, to be reduced to being a surrogate broodmare for more empire-born murderers. A trophy, or trophy bride, once boiled down to its roots.
Although you stand for the empire and all it’s values, the raid brides are something that even seems to you as needless cruelty. You opt for the artifact, also not ready to settle down, and not fond of having heirs perhaps stemming from your own family trauma and love for your own raid bride mother. You are given time to research and come across tales of an important scroll in distant elvish lands. This scroll, when translated, and arranged correctly, resembles an ancient song that calls elves together, like a musical sleeper agent. The use of such a thing in empire hands is unfathomably great. You look no further and set out for this item.
Lugging yourself across the lands, following threads of information back to it’s source, you locate the last known location of the scroll, on the edge of nearly abandoned elvish lands, for newer more resource rich areas. You travel to this dilapidated temple, after a treacherous journey up it’s path, clearly unused for centuries – which speaks well to your chances of having an easy search in an empty temple, but bad for the likelihood of the scroll remaining here. But perhaps a clue will remain, and you are too tired to head back down the stairs, so you continue up.
You make it to the top, and begin your search, still on guard. You run into many set up traps, home alone style, and things that imply someone lives here or did, recently. Classic goldilocks style, you help yourself to their things, and keep inspecting – only to open the same cupboard this temple’s last remaining shrine maiden was hiding in, with a weapon in hand.
She threatens you and demands you answer her what you are doing here, and asks if you are you from her clergy, come to tell her the war is over and they are coming back. You realise, from what you’ve gleamed around the buildings, and the trek up – elvish messages warning people to turn back, talking of a monster inside – she was left to “guard” the temple alone, years ago, by her people, under the pretense they were coming back. Presumably for some dark curse upon her, or monstrous entity within her.
You lie, taking advantage of this sheltered woman’s naivety, and claim you were sent by her people, with news of the elves' cooperation under empire rule. You have been sent to retrieve the scroll and would like to know where it is, so you may take it home. Having not seen another living soul for so long, never any one of your kind – only read about you in her books – she is both all-too-trusting and suspicious, but allows you to see it.
However, when you go to take it, she refuses to let it go alone. You must take her with you. You argue, and find out that she has never once left the temple save for when she was born and sent here. This has made her extremely desperate to experience the real world, and thus will not let the scroll leave without her. You begrudgingly agree to take her on, although entirely disgusted by her being, hoping to take it from her in her sleep, or overpower her, although you are wary of trying such a thing, given how legendary the training of her kind was touted to be before they stopped appearing on battlefields.
You leave, and take rest not far from the temple, when you are ambushed in the now almost neutral territory, no longer well patrolled by elvish forces in its abandonment. You put up a fight, but make the rare mistake and are subdued, as well as Bel. While they rifle in your things, they tear up your citizenship documents, take your weapons, destroy the items used to contact your empire, and unknowingly tear up and destroy the all-important information you came seeking from Belgrieve’s temple.
Belgrieve is forced to use old and disturbing magics to free yourselves and scare the attackers, who flee with most of the things you had. You both reel from the attack, and you are now distraught about your current predicament, and mildly terrified of your companion for her magic. The scroll is ruined, and try as you do to salvage it, the information is beyond mendable. Carefully, and quietly, Belgrieve offers you a olive branch and attempts to bring light to the moment, and brings up a long sleeve to show inky dark tattoos of arcane text wrap up her arm and disappear under her clothes.
Lucky for her, and eh, perhaps, frustratingly inconvenient for you - in her years of solitude, Bel accidentally destroyed the scroll, but managed to copy it and has painstakingly painted the text on her body. However, it is in her native and almost dead language, and refuses to translate it, seeing this as an opportunity to guarantee her safety and to see the world outside her home all in one neat ribbon of mild coercion.
Now a living scroll, she is the valuable ticket to your retirement, and repairing your house’s honor. No longer having the choice of artifact, but instead a raid-bride in the loosest sense, you bind yourself to her through the magical bond your kind does to captis qouya – telling yourself it’s only to keep her from wandering out of sight and getting damaged. Only until you get home and get the thread cut. You’ll have all the money you could want when you bring her back - maybe your brother or uncle can keep her. The empire wouldn’t let her go free, atleast.
Either way, you have no option but to work more cooperatively, as this turn of events has placed you in more equal standing - priceless artifact and handler rather than captive and captor. And stress is mounting, as you must return in a timely fashion – for you left your family as collateral in the capital court’s hands. The longer you take, the more chance there is you will be declared a deserter and your family punished in your name.
You and Belgrieve trek through both elvish lands, neutral and empire territory, all coming with their own vices and issues, as well as bonding moments – learning to coexist and get over the difficulties of the situation. Eventually, a tentative relationship slowly grows between you, as closeness breeds familiarity…. and your mission gets more complicated as your your beliefs waver and heart grows fond of your companion.
= =
If this interests you, message me!

I wrote this initially to reply to this comment
https://www.reddit.com/KremersFroon/s/Kz0NR7AJoL
but it got too long so I chose to just make it a post since I’m curious to hear ya’ll inputs about it.
Hi! So I guess although I belong to the “foul players” group that you snakily implied I'm definitely not in the group of those that are coming after you, even though we have had a pretty long discussion already.
And I do have something to say about this experience.
First, it was indeed a scary experience! I’m glad you are safe. Have you posted about this somewhere else here on Reditt? I have the feeling that I have read it before, I think it was on the sub "AppalanchianTrail"? I don't remember exactly where but I remembering reading (I believe I saw this on a comment, not a post) and found really interested, enough to upvote it. lol Good for you and your friend that you only spent hours lost and that you were able to be found before this experience became something way more traumatic or even fatal to you. And, of course, that you didn’t cross any ill intentioned man/men in your path.
K&L unfortunately weren’t so lucky.*
But what I'm here for is to say that it seems to me that you (and most of the "Losters" - payback!) think “Foul Players” can’t believe in a lost scenario because they don’t know or don’t find it possible that

• one can lose sense on a theoretically easy trail and that they can’t make a "terrible mistake that" will "lead to a bad outcome",
  
• or that the jungle is, literally, wild especially for those that have no experience,
  
• or that: “unexpected things happen very quickly out in nature with no access to help in any form, no way to contact anyone, no medical, no phones, no maps, no way to access food…basically nothing. Things can go from bad to worse in an instant in often treacherous and unforgiving nature"
  
• or that "almost any bad, split second decision could mean the difference between life and death out there.
  

Those are all legit facts and we ("foul players") do believe it's very much possible. At least, I do.
I can't speak for those that are coming for you, but I wouldn't have any problem to believe that K&L got lost if the evidences proved solid facts and provided answers and if the investigation hadn't been negligent (searches way too limited, persons of interest weren't properly investigated, fingerprints, DNAs and other vital steps were missed, etc etc), inefficient and full of inconsistencies. I wouldn't expect that a top notch A+ CSI investigation would've taken place because it's Panama, a very poor country with very limited resources. Still, more could've been done even with such limitations, this is unquestionable.
The key point (as there are many other factors) for me that makes me lean to a foul play scenario is that it's in the files that some potential witnesses (like Guide P and his hilking group of 4, two European women that Guide P claimed to have seen when he took back his first statement (that he saw K&L) with the justification that "European women all look the same", a couple at the entrance of the trail (to go past the Mirador) that Guide P claims to have observed) could've seen K&L at the Mirador which puts them in the same place and time as the girls and makes these witnesses supposedly the last ones to have seen K&L alive, however there were no searches for the people seen by Guide P and no closer inspection or interrogation on Guide P himself. Why? Doesn't that raise any suspicion for you?
For what I understand, at first it was considered that their case could've been a crime, even Guide F suggested something like this. So why is there this big gap in the investigation when these highly relevant people could provide so many other inputs and insights?
And you say:
"Wild rumors and speculation will always be fuel for mysterious events when we have absolutely no access to every detail of said event. It’s a mystery because how everything unfolded is not knowable."
which I agree with, but I'm not talking about wild rumours and speculations. This comes from statements given by witnesses that are in the file. And it doesn't matter if you believe and agree with the official conclusion that K&L were lost, it is still a very much heavy speculation what you "losters" do as well, as to why they left the main trail, how one/both suffered accidents and got injured, etc. Yet, many, if not all, seem to find it impossible that something other than being lost could've happened to the girls. **
To finish this very long post, I'd like to leave here some important questions that the book SLIP brings up and that I find to be crucial to have a better understanding of this case but have not been answered yet:

• Why do neither the clothes nor the bones show signs of abrasion by the river?
• Why were no DNA profiles taken from the finders of the backpack to compare them with those analyzed in the NFI?
• Why were no DNA samples taken from the shoes found?
• Why were mattresses found not forensically examined?
• Why did the police not inspect the red pick-up truck?
• Why didn't the residents of the Pianista know the truck or crew?
• Why were the Dutch dogs not allowed to search behind the Mirador?
• Why was Betzaida Pitti removed from office?

TLDR: people who don't believe in the lost scenario don't do it because they don't believe to be possible, it is because the evidences don't concretize this theory as they don't provide solid answers for that and there are big important gaps in the files that could indicate that something else happened but that weren't properly investigated.
ETA: * K&L weren’t so lucky to make it out alive of their experience as the OP on that post, not that they weren’t lucky because they ran into someone ill intentioned, as this is not known. Just want to make clear to avoid misunderstandings.
** When someone comes up with a foul play theory you misjudge and dismiss the pov and claim to be impossible that one might have abduct the girls, faked actions to make a cover up of a lost case, impossible that someone would lose time or put in so much effort to create those evidences, impossible that every weird or change of pattern are nothing but simply explained.

Hello!
I drive a Toyota GT86 (2015) with just over 80000 miles. For most of my ownership I have noticed a slight rumble when accelerating, particularly if I am on an open road and I’m driving it a little harder (say in 3rd gear and accelerating pretty quick, reaching say 5-6 thousand RPM)
My problem is, I don’t know what the hell is causing it. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t - but the sound is to me atleast something I should look into.
I’m pretty sure it isn’t a rod knock, because when testing the car at 3/4/5 thousand rpm at idle, you can’t hear any rumble nor knock - it sounds like a healthy engine. Also, I have had multiple oil changes and there has been no sign of any debris in the old engine oil once inspected.
I’m asking because, whenever I see a POV video of a gen 1 on track / road driving they don’t seem to have the same sound, also mine is coming across a bit louder in the driver seat.
Thanks for any advice!

Need advise. I am conflicted.
I work for local government as a mechanic taking care of the school bus fleet that the county owns. Before that I was in the Army. In 2020 I joined the county and have progressed a bit. Now the supervisor is to retire in the the next couple years maybe. There is a good chance I will be the one taking over for a couple reason: experience and internally I am the only one with college education. Unless they hire externally i'm it. Recently I was tasked with overseeing/ inspecting buses from numerous contractors as part of the states safety inspection program along side with state inspectors.
I was approached by one of them and he said "we are hiring". Naturally, I was curious. Found that I would take a slight pay cut temporarily and after a year I would get a 3 to 4$ raise, which would bring me to slightly above what I make now. That job is much easier, pay is comparable to what I would be making if I stay and benefits are about the same. Just a bump from county to state. It requires less physical labor more driving. I would get a state vehicle so would never have to drive my POV. Would not have to deal with everything I would have to oversee should I become the head of maintenance for the county schools bus.
I am conflicted because I am not unhappy with what I do. I have always been a mechanic, but would like to eventually move away from turning wrenches to something easier on the body. I have no idea how long it would take me to get to the point I am now or how progression works for them. I do know that my university education means not a lot for that position as it's more about my mechanical experience. I feel like I would be starting over and delaying my progression which btw it does scare me a bit to move up because I have ADHD and it does mess with me hard. My forgetfulness and organized chaos makes taking on a leadership role somewhat intimidating.
I just don't want to feel like I shot myself in the foot. I am knowledgeable and consider myself a great leader have great ideas, which happens often, but execution of the plans almost never goes like I imagined or even close. I don't want to switch careers because I am scared of progression. I want to switch because I believe is a better course, but I am unsure if that's what is happening. On the other hand id hate yo pass an opportunity that could lead to a better position.
I know I have what it takes. My insecurities come from a life of undiagnosed ADHD and low selfestime because of it.
Any advice would be great! Thanks!

My 1SG wants us as NCOs to go ahead and call the insurance company of our Soldiers to verify the policy is active instead of utilizing their insurance cards. This sounds like a far overreach of our authority and violating their personal information. I'm looking around in AR 600-20 but might be missing something. Can anyone provide feedback?

On re-read, I noticed that a number of the very first sentences in characters' POVs were very thematically apt for them. So I thought I would make a list to share with you!

• Bran: The morning had dawned clear and cold, with a crispness that hinted at the end of summer.
• Catelyn: Catelyn had never liked this godswood.
• Daenerys: Her brother held the gown up for her inspection.
• Eddard: The visitors poured through the gates in a river of gold and silver and polished steel, three hundred strong, a pride of bannermen and knights, of sworn swords and freeriders.
• Jon: There were times--not many, but a few--when Jon Snow was glad he was a bastard.
• Arya: Arya's stitches were crooked again.
• Tyrion: Somewhere in the great stone maze of Winterfell, a wolf howled. The sound hung over the castle like a flag of mourning. Tyrion Lannister looked up from his books and shivered, though the library was snug and warm. Something about the howling of a wolf took a man right out of his here and now and left him in a dark forest of the mind, running naked before the pack.
• Sansa: Eddard Stark had left before dawn, Septa Mordane informed Sansa as they broke their fast. "The king sent for him. Another hunt, I do believe. There are still wild aurochs in these lands, I am told." "I've never seen an aurochs," Sansa said, feeding a piece of bacon to Lady under the table.
• Davos: The morning air was dark with the smoke of burning gods.
• Theon: There was no safe anchorage at Pyke, but Theon Greyjoy wished to look on his father's castle from the sea, to see it as he had seen it last, ten years before, when Robert Baratheon's war galley had borne him away to be a ward of Eddard Stark. On that day he had stood beside the rail, listening to the stroke of the oars and the pounding of the master's drum while he watched Pyke dwindle in the distance. Now he wanted to see it grow larger, to rise from the sea before him.
• Jaime: An east wind blew through his tangled hair, as soft and fragrant as Cersei's fingers. He could hear birds singing, and feel the river moving beneath the boat as the sweep of the oars sent them toward the pale pink dawn.
• Samwell: Sobbing, Sam took another step. This is the last one, the very last, I can't go on, I can't.
• Aeron: The prophet was drowning men on Great Wyk when they came to tell him the king was dead.
• Areo Hotah: "The blood oranges are well past ripe," the prince observed in a weary voice, when the captain rolled him onto the terrace.
• Cersei: She dreamt she sat the Iron Throne, high above them all.
• Brienne: "I am looking for a maid of three-and-ten," she told the grey-haired goodwife beside the village well.
• Asha: The hall was loud with drunken Harlaws, distant cousins all. Each lord had hung his banner behind the benches where his men were seated. Too few, thought Asha Greyjoy, looking down from the gallery, too few by far.
• Arys Oakheart: The night was unseasonably cool, even for autumn. A brisk wet wind was swirling down the alleys, stirring up the day’s dust. A north wind, and full of chill. Ser Arys Oakheart pulled up his hood to cover his face. It would not do for him to be recognized. A fortnight past, a trader had been butchered in the shadow city, a harmless man who’d come to Dorne for fruit and found death instead of dates. His only crime was being from King’s Landing.
• Victarion: The wind was blowing from the north as the Iron Victory came round the point and entered the holy bay called Nagga’s Cradle. Victarion joined Nute the Barber at her prow. Ahead loomed the sacred shore of Old Wyk and the grassy hill above it, where the ribs of Nagga rose from the earth like the trunks of great white trees, as wide around as a dromond’s mast and twice as tall.
• Arianne: Beneath the burning sun of Dorne, wealth was measured as much in water as in gold, so every well was zealously guarded. The well at Shandystone had gone dry a hundred years before, however, and its guardians had departed for some wetter place, abandoning their modest holdfast with its fluted columns and triple arches. Afterward the sands had crept back in to reclaim their own.
• Quentyn: The word passed through the camp like a hot wind. She is coming. Her host is on the march. She is racing south to Yunkai, to put the city to the torch and its people to the sword, and we are going north to meet her. Frog had it from Dick Straw who had it from Old Bill Bone who had it from a Pentoshi named Myrio Myrakis, who had a cousin who served as cupbearer to the Tattered Prince.
• EDIT: Quentyn's is actually "The Adventure stank."
• Jon Connington: It should not have taken this long, Griff told himself as he paced the deck of the Shy Maid. Had they lost Haldon as they had Tyrion Lannister? Could the Volantenes have taken him? I should have sent Duckfield with him. Haldon alone could not be trusted; he had proved that in Selhorys when he let the dwarf escape.
• Melisandre: It was never truly dark in Melisandre’s chambers. Three tallow candles burned upon her windowsill to keep the terrors of the night at bay. Four more flickered beside her bed, two to either side. In the hearth a fire was kept burning day and night. The first lesson those who would serve her had to learn was that the fire must never, ever be allowed to go out.
• Barristan: "You were the queen’s man,” said Reznak mo Reznak. “The king desires his own men about him when he holds court.” I am the queen’s man still. Today, tomorrow, always, until my last breath, or hers. Barristan Selmy refused to believe that Daenerys Targaryen was dead.

Sentient object romance is strange beast. On first inspection, one would relegate them to the erotica pile, throwing them in a corner with anything Chuck Tingle adjacent. But sometimes you can find some deep and meaningful stories disguised in banana pants---even if well-written banana pants romance remains elusive. So, while Ellen Mint has failed to live up to the Legendairy writing skills of the Unhinged Miss Vera Valentine (IMO), “Why Cheese?” is still a heart melting tale full of calci-Yum.
Contents: - A neurodivergent FMC with OCD - Four werecheese MMCs (cheese by day, men by night) - Insta-lust - Single POV, present tense - Not technically Why Choose but actually polyamory - NO brie-ding kink or pregnancy epilogue. No cheese curds were created in the writing of this book. - The first representation I’ve ever read of the orgasmic sneeze phenomenon
Our story starts with Violette standing outside of a cheese shop named Goudafellas. She has inherited it from her late, beloved cheesemonger of an uncle who was nacho average person. It’s not long before we are introduced to the Muenster in the family, Mom. As it turns out, Mom is a sharp woman with a thick rind, determined to perpetually shame and infantilize her 25 year old daughter. She really grates on your nerves.
So, the plan is to sell the place, then travel back home to Mother at the Bates motel. As it turns out, the place could sell for 5-10 million dollars! Yay! But don’t celebrate just yet. There’s a quartet of naked men down in the cellar who smell suspiciously of old milk and mold. It’s like Violette’s personal boy band daydreams come true. There’s… - The soft, shy one: Brie - The shredded, wild one: Cheddy (aka Chedward) - The heart breaker: Cam - The hard, stick-up-the-ass one: Roq
They’re not too keen on the idea of selling the place. In fact, they have some really well aged cheese down there that they need to sell before Violette says good-bye. But they also have to make some fresher cheeses to accompany those matured cheeses, so Violette gets a grocery list and is charged with obtaining 50 pounds of raw sheep milk. I’ll admit, it’s at this point where I ponder the udder nonsense of this plot. Not the werecheese part. Oh, no. Never that. The whole plot feels like a string of inside jokes that I just don’t get. Like, it SHOULD be funny…it SHOULD make sense, but never manages to succeed. Casein point: foreshadowing suggests that Roq is trying a cure for this cheese curse that takes a very specific ingredient, 50# of sheep’s milk and a very specific length of time, three months. But we learn, in the end, he’s not working from a spell, just winging it and the 3 months is just…random. To be honest, Ms. Mint really bleu that ending.
What follows the cheesy boy band discovery is lots and lots of sex. Granted, the sex is, for me, quite hard to follow as I feel people randomly change places and their respective body parts seem to materialize out of nowhere. But worry not - there’s lots of cream and licking of said cream. And I admit I almost DNFed several times, but, for once, my perseverance paid off. We get to delve into past lives of our dear Hommes Fromage---from the cursed cheese origin story up to the surprise reason Uncle Cheese supposedly betrayed the boys. The writing doesn’t improve any and I remain confused as to several of the plot points. BUT, there’s honest to goodness character growth on all fronts and I did get a little teary eyed at one point. At the end, "Why Cheese?" has a magnificent epilogue that stresses the importance of self-actualization and self-respect. An epilogue can't get cheddar than that.
All in all, I enjoyed my time with Vi, Brie, Cheddy, Cam and Roq and don’t regret finishing up every crumb.