Do anyone else find it kind of unfair that if there are open first class/business class seats available that it goes to standby-buddy pass/employees flying who just pay taxes and fees and not the Pualani elite revenue paying customers. I recently went on a flight and there were 6 business class seats available and they were all on the standby list that were almost 26 people to japan. All of them got premium seats + extra comfort.
While even with pualani platinum they have you go through soo many hoops and almost difficulty using the certificates for first class/business class, but so easily with standby staff who are traveling for leisure.
Spoke with another traveler who frequents traveling to japan to teach hula and she expressed the same as well about how the airlines don't really value customers even their frequent loyal ones unless you are an employee. Kudos I guess that the staff gets treated well, but leaving the loyal travelers on their airlines who bring revenue to the company underwhelmed and just flying because they are left without choice to destinations where most people from hawaii fly.

(The following is just a sample plot for this setting; we can use this setting for all kinds of different stories and characters, this is just one idea we could build on).
Aleister Shohbin descended. That familiar rush kicked in, but he had to focus. His Regalia glowed brightly; a familiar cyan. The glow spread to his fingertips and his right foot like a web of energy and grinded his body against the Pillar as he slid downward. His momentum slowed until he jumped onto one of the lower levels of Victoria, level 6. The slums, as they were affectionately called.
Victoria, like many cities, was a massive metropolis that supported itself on several hundred atlas-like pillars that supported entire streets and sections of the city. These were separated into several different Levels that were suspended at different elevations. The lowest 3 levels were the first initial ones to have been built by the City Alchemists. Very few ventured down there anymore.
Victoria was about to celebrate its’ 1000th year of existence. This was undoubtedly was an incredible feat, though this was sort of bittersweet. Victoria, and essentially every City-State that currently existed had only been built because of The Fog.
The record books had been vague on a lot of things regarding the initial wave of the Fog and the Shadows that came with it. The only thing that seemed sure was that it had come about due to the chaos of magic. Pure magic, in retrospect, had been a complete betrayal of the natural order of the world. The inherently chaotic nature of pure magic brought unintended consequences and inevitably unleashed unspeakable horrors. Unwordly creatures that had suddenly appeared with the Fog, both born from excess magic that had been left unnoticed.
Some theorized the Shadows were creatures of instinct. There were records of people that believed these Shadows sometimes whispered things to them as they slept. Or visited them in their dreams.
In any case, nothing could stop the unrelenting horde. The only way they could escape were the Pillars. The use of pure magic only created more chaos and fueled the beasts, thus Mages had been forced to have their magic work hand in hand with the natural order of the world rather than defy it. This new magic was called Alchemy and it was used to create thousands of cities like Victoria.
Soon, few were old enough to remember the world below that they’d abandoned, and eventually there was no one left who’d even seen the Lower World with their own eyes.
Aleister’s steps were light as he made his way through the cracked brick streets of Level 6 and eventually to the Thieves Den, as his brother Jacob often like calling it. He touched the Regalia on the back of his hand to the crest in the middle of the large circular door. It slowly spun counter clockwise until it opened and revealed a thing metal pole.
Closing the door behind him, Aleister touched his hand to the pole. His hand clung tightly to the pole as if it had a mind of its own and it slid upward with a startling speed. His entire body rapidly shot up to the top floor of the Den, the lounge.
It was an incredible large and spacious room, and yet it had a sort of cozy atmosphere to it. His companions were all scattered around the room off doing their own tasks. Some stood around a map of Victoria and came up with strategies, some worked on various vehicles or Alchemic devices, and some simply rested. Jacob was looking out the massive one-way window with his silver telescope.
Aleister ignored his brother and simply strode last him as he noticed Agnis. She was out of her Artifice. Agnis was hardly dangerous as she was, but it still posed a potential threat that made some of the thieves a bit wary of her when she was out the large metal Alchemically made suit she normally wore.
She stared off into the distance as her body shone softly and crackled gently. She was a victim of Pure Magic, it had taken every single bit of physical matter in his body and converted it into a hot energy resembling fire. One that took her years to control properly. She’d only resorted to using Pure Magic to get back at the Nobility, it was something they could all at least empathize with.
And there was anyone of them who had a justified grudge against the elite ruling class of Victoria, it was her.
“Hey, there.” He lightly said to get her attention. Her expression suddenly changed to a forced smile as she regarded him.
“Hey, yourself. Ready for tonight?” She asked. God, the heist. It never got easier, did it? Or less nerve racking.
“Of course. We’ll likely have to deal with Terra and the Noble Guard this time, you know that right?”
Agnis offered a sincere grin this time and her entire body shone brighter and more intense as her flames grew slightly.
“Can’t wait.”
————————
(Check the pinned post on my profile for relevant images).
Hello everyone! This is an idea that I’ve been really craving to explore and flesh out with someone who loves worldbuilding just as much as I do! I left things a bit open so we can decide things together, and everything is also up to change if you have your own ideas! I’d really love to contribute to this world equally with someone and conjure up a setting and story that’ll really set our imaginations on fire!
The general idea that we’re part of a group of rebels that fight against the fascistic elite ruling class of the Alchemy-powered sky city Victoria! Whether we start at the beginning of this group’s existence or somewhere else along the line is one of the many things we’ll decide together!
I’d also LOVE for this to have an ensemble cast, I love having multiple character types working off of each other and trying out different dynamics. Obviously we’d still have mains that we focus on, though.
Ths initial idea is inspired by an image you can see in the stickied posts on my profile! It fired up my imagination and I knew I just had to do something with it!
General Requirements:
•Be an adult. Preferably 20+. The roleplay will be sfw, but I’m pretty uncomfortable with writing with someone who’s not an adult.
•Be interested in conversing and discussing the roleplay, as well as mutual collaboration. Collaborating and brainstorming together makes the rp so much more fun! OOC chatter is also appreciated.
•Be detailed and multi para. I generally average 4+ well sized paragraphs because I write a lot, but you obviously don’t have to match me exactly.
•Be willing to write multiple characters, I will do the same. We’ll have mains, but I love having side characters and stuff to make the world and story feel more three dimensional and fleshed out.
And that’s it!
DM me and we can discuss the plot and characters! Thanks for reading.

Hi, i am a hospitality student at AUT, currently working in retail. Im looking for a shift in the industry i work in to hospitality. I have a little experience of working in cafes and hosting events from my hospitality course at uni where i gained experience as a beginner barista, wait staff and other FOH activities. I have also completed a 2 week Barista course from Auckland Barista Academy to enhance my skills as a barista. I live in south auckland and I'm looking for cafe or hospitality based jobs preferably one where i can still a make coffees as it is one of my greatest passions. I have experience in Operating the POS, money handling and customer service skills I am willing to send CV and Cover letter to interested employers and would love to have an interview opportunity to discuss more on what and how i gained my experiences and how i can help with the organisations growth.

Demographics
Gender: Male
Race/Ethnicity: East Asian
Residence: Ontario, Canada
Income Bracket: 125k~ USD/yr (need financial aid, and i'm international)
Type of School: Public School
Hooks (Recruited Athlete, URM, First-Gen, Geographic, Legacy, etc.): None rly, Potential walk-on athlete?
Intended Major(s): Biology
Academics
GPA (UW/W): 3.25 UW/3.9 W (unofficial GPA, school doesn't calculate or send GPA)
Rank (or percentile): School doesn't rank

of Honors/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment/etc.: Full IBDP, AP Calculus BC (5), AP Stats (5)

Senior Year Course Load:

1. IB2 English HL
2. IB2 Chemistry HL
3. IB2 Biology HL
4. IB2 Math AA HL
   
5. IB2 History SL
   
6. IB2 French B SL
   
7. Grade 12 Physics
   

Standardized Testing
SAT: 1550 (760 English, 790 Math)
June 2023 (1st attempt, didn't retake)
Extracurriculars/Activities
List all extracurricular involvements, including leadership roles, time commitments, major achievements, etc.

1 - Senior Boys Basketball Team Member for 3 years, Regional All-star sr year

(Only received recruiting interest from Canadian Schools)

2 - Biochem Research Assistant at Local University (presented a portion of the research I completed at science fair)

3 - Local Gym Club Founder

4 - Gym Tiktok (if yk me don't dox me) (20k~ followers)

5 - Family Responsibilities

6 - Local Basketball Youth team Coach

7 - Investing

8 - Hospital Volunteer

9 - Paid Math tutor (not for long)

10 - Math Circle Member (Community)

Awards/Honors

1 - CMO Qualifier (2023) - {top quartile in 2023, invited to write IMO TST, did not go tho}

• Documented in my Rec letter from math teacher
  
• also qualified for 2024 CMO, not in app tho, did worst than last year
  

2 - AMC Distinction (2022) - {AIME Qualifier in 2023}

• also qualified for AIME in 2024 and barely qualified for USAMO (120 AMC, 13 AIME 250 index), updated unis following qualification and sent AIME I '24 score of 13 in February 2024.

3 - Regional Science Fair Bronze Medalist (2023) - Qualified for National Science Fair

4 - Canadian Chemistry Contest Distinction (2023)

5 - USACO Gold

(Updated Schools with USAMO Qualification + some other smaller Math/CS contests results in February of this admissions cycle)
++ included some lesser known math/cs contest results in additional information section
Letters of Recommendation
IB French B teacher (9/10) - super chill she let me write it, wrote a lot about me being funny and actually caring about the class a bit despite nobody gaf about french at my school
IB Math teacher (10/10) - wrote about my strength in math and problem solving, how I made the class hella fun to be in, and how im a person everyone likes to be around. Bro blessed me tf up, but tbf i was prolly the best student he ever has had in terms of math strength. I also talk to him about the NBA regularly and he talked about that too. Really well written was acc super happy he wrote me such a good letter. He showed me it and I was pre surprised that he blessed up like that.
School Basketball Coach (9/10) - wrote this myself. Short and sweet stating im a hardworking player and great teammate/leader. pre well written tbh, some anecdotes too
Research Mentor (8/10) - wrote about my professionalism and strong logic/reasoning abilities combined with my aptitude/passion for science
Interviews
Dartmouth (6/10) - 25 mins, cool interviewer but short and just asked scripted questions lmao
UPenn (8/10) - 1 hr, pre cool guy, he was an athlete and we talked about a bunch of diff things
Princeton (4/10) - 25 mins, interviewer just asked scripted questions, didn't even smile or anything so robotic and lame
Harvard (9/10) - 3 hours, Investment banker dude who loves basketball, talked about a bunch of stuff esp basketball and he told me he would put in a superb note for me
Essays
Personal Statement (9/10): Spent a lot of time on this mofo, at least 50 hours (idk why I was such a perfectionist). Topic is deeply personal but reflected my growth as a human. Semi trauma dump, but also one that showcased lots of intellect id say.
Supplements (8/10): Friends/teachers helped me edit these, i'd say they were very unique. Wrote about biotech, the basketball community and a bunch more topics. I always told a story through these. My english teacher said they were very pleasing to read.
Decisions (all RD, was super busy in the beginning of the year)
Acceptances:
Harvard
Waterloo CS (Canada)
UofT CS (Canada)
UBC CS (Canada)
some other safeties in Canada
Waitlists:
UPenn
Rejections:
Brown (applied for need as intl)
Columbia (applied for need as intl)
Dartmouth
Princeton
Yale
MIT
Amherst (LAC)
Bowdoin (LAC)
Additional Information:
Didn't care about grades in freshman year and had all barely passing grades except for math/science so like equivalent to a 1.7~ something GPA in grade 9.
but yeah. got harvard with my shitty ass transcript. IG USAMO + breadth in ECs + not applying for CS/math helped. good interview + sat also played into my favour. 21 people from my school applied and a lot of them have lame ass personalities and im sure that reflected in their essays. even though my grades sucked in grade 9, they were roughly equal to everyone elses in my school for grade 11 who applied which is the most important year i hear so yeah thats that.
got decent finaid so i will be attending.
At a certain point in February even after scoring highly on AIME, I thought I'd have no chance so I was just ready to commit to a Canadian school which is cheap and provides a strong education (i got into waterloo early bc i did rly good on all their math/cs contests and had a decent top 6 course average) Waterloo CS is like roughly equal to t5 cs in the US and is crazy for industry placements.

Hi there! I’m 26, central US timezone, and female!
SAFE FOR WORK ONLY.
Message me with your age, timezone (US Timezones Preferred), what plot idea you’re interested in, and a sample of your writing!
Partner requirements: must be 23-38 - Must play male (IRL gender doesn’t matter)- write in third person - at least two paragraphs - must be able to post once a day to every other day. Communication is key, please let me know if you are going to be busy for longer than a day or two or if you are no longer interested. NO AI ART OR WRITING.
I’ve been craving a good enemies to lovers roleplay for awhile now and what’s a better enemies to lovers roleplay than something revolving around the mafia?
Plot idea #1: Your character has recently taken over the family business. My character is a college student on a study abroad trip that happens to see something they weren’t supposed to. Y/C’s men that were handling the deal take her back to the main ‘headquarters’ and keep her locked up, leaving Y/C to deal with her.
Plot idea #2: Your character is in a small gang that is tasked with kidnapping the naive daughter of a mob boss that stole money from another. Basic idea, can be fleshed out more together.
Plot idea #3: your character would be a police officer that’s gone undercover with some small local gangs to bust a couple of drug dealers and whatnot. Having done such a great job there, he is offered a bigger mission and if he takes it, when he returns to his actual station, he will get a bigger raise, new car, K-9 unit, some sort of special thing that he’s been working towards. This bigger mission would be infiltrating a bigger mafia family that seems to be running all these smaller ones. Thanks to some forged documents, lies spread around, and some of the actual dirty work he has done over the last six months, the head of the family invites him to a nightclub to chat. The chat leads to the offering of a position within the family, a personal bodyguard for the mob bosses daughter after the situation that happened with her last one. It’s his first break through and they’re welcoming him with open arms. Does he accept?

Hi there! I’m 26, central US timezone, and female!
SAFE FOR WORK ONLY.
Message me with your age, timezone (US Timezones Preferred), what plot idea you’re interested in, and a sample of your writing!
Partner requirements: must be 23-38 - Must play male (IRL gender doesn’t matter)- write in third person - at least two paragraphs - must be able to post once a day to every other day - have decent grammar and punctuation.
Communication is key, please let me know if you are going to be busy for longer than a day or two or if you are no longer interested. NO AI ART OR WRITING. Please only use italics appropriately, not for all your actions.
The basic concept is that your character is another member of the vampiric high society and spots his rivals betrothed out on a walk looking distressed and without him anywhere. Provided in the link is a sample starter. We can go with it or create something new with the same theme.
•
Alexandra had been arranged to marry vampire prince Dimitri Ozul for a few months now. Their marriage is set for the winter solstice. It’s what Dimitri wanted, after all. Alexandra has little to no say in any of the planning. He really didn’t like her being involved in any of his business or princely duties. The feels of being nothing but a feeding bag for him was becoming harder to ignore. He often left her alone to do whatever she pleased. She’s complained to her human maids, but all they ever say is that she’s simply overreacting. They would do anything to have her life. She’s spoiled and pampered by everyone else. Dimitri even gives her plenty of other things to keep her busy and compliant. She had almost anything she could want. Almost.
It was late one night when Alexandra had awoken from a nightmare. Her schedule was still much of that of a normal human. She was not used to staying up all night and keeping up with Dimitri was harder that way. She aimlessly roams the halls until she came to find her betrothed in a darkened room only lit by the fire that was going. There sat on top of him, straddling him, was a beautiful vampire he often talked him. They were heavily making out. Alex’s eyes immediately filled with tears and she had to move away quickly. They wouldn’t notice her.
Alex took to the streets outside of the palace, a soft grey cloak with fox fur to keep her warm. She wiped her tears and kept her head down, ignoring the creatures of the night that walked past her and gave her odd looks. Alex was hardly ever out of the palace without Dimitri. He loved showing her off around others, but wasn’t in love with her in private. She wasn’t sure where she was going, but she didn’t care. She didn’t want to be there.

First off I want to say I'm not asking for a diagnosis. This is more of a brain dump where I want feedback from y'all before I take a neuropsychological test.
I feel more confident in thinking I may have ADHD or NVLD but here we go. (I have other conditions that may mimic autism too so that may be a point against it.)
Why I am thinking I may:
-Sometimes I can't tell when people are joking or not. I mean usually this is in regards to strangers like customers at work. Then they have the audacity to laugh when I am confused. If my response involves (to said joke) saying "No we don't have _____ or "No, sorry," they laugh. Sometimes I don't even get why they are laughing. Like what?!
-I interrupt and have a hard time trying to give my two cents especially if it is 2+ people. This may be ADHD thought because my thoughts are not linear. I usually know that if I say something I will have to explain how I have arrived to that thought in the first place.
-Does tenacity tend to be common with autism? If so I have been called that multiple times by my parents.
-Black and white thinking.
-My sense of humor is odd and unconventional.
-I would cry so much especially as a child in regards to loud noises. I am still pretty sensitive emotionally too.
-I hate eye contact. Hate it!!! I feel like I "look through" people's faces and not at them too. I'm not even shy, and my therapist assumed it was because I am shy, but I'm not. Even when I had bad social anxiety it wasn't because of that. I could tell.
-I have mild prosopagnosia (face blindness).
-I have poor executive functioning symptoms.
-I definitely stim.
-I listen to music on repeat as a stim too.
-I hate it when instructions or rules are not specific and literal. Unless they are clear that they're just guidelines, don't call them rules. Tht makes absolutely NO sense to me and I get annoyed when I get in trouble for not following the rules right when they aren't clear. Sometimes it's not even instructions that I take literally.
-I get upset when there are small changes in my environment or when there is a sudden change of plans. I take the same route to specific places every time I can.
-Strong empathy and my morals are ridged.
-I feel very analytical when it comes to reading body language sometimes. For example yesterday, I saw a coworker who either seemed focused, distressed, or confused. I looked at her eyebrows to decide, and my inner monolouge came to a conclusion. And sometimes I feel analytical when it comes to displaying my own body language. Definitely not always though.
-I feel like a lot for me it is all for nothing, even when it comes to being hypo or hyper sensitive. I have a high pain tolerance speaking of which.
-When I was younger, I was odd. Not just quirky. I had to shut that part of myself down when people told me.
-There was a few times I can remember a group I played with at recess would just...leave me alone and I don't remember why?
-I'm a woman and so I found it interesting that girls with autism had a "mother hen" as a common experience. This was mostly my teachers. Currently even younger coworkers of mine kind of infantalize me and "mother hen" me.
-I am quite trusting (a nicer way of saying gullible lol).
-I would get mad at my brothers for light teasing, not realizing it was the friendly type of teasing. When they got annoyed I was sensitive to it I learned to laugh along.
-I have vivid memories of mentally beating myself up for my odd behavior as a child that sometimes caused bullying and became shy and what may have been learning how to mask.
-I underestimate how many times people lie
-I cared more about changing my doll's clothes than acting out stuff with her. I had two American Girl dolls and when my friend played with me we would argue about which one to use and we were like "Well this one looks more like me, so..." lol
-I don't like talking about much other than what I am interested in. I have heard it is common for autistics to bring back convos about themselves? If that is true that is me. I try not to sound narcissistic about it, but that is how I relate and contribute to conversations.
-I have been told multiple times I am unobservant when it comes to my surroundings.
-I had fixations on thing and somewhat do still. More when I was younger however. My interests are few but deep.
-Misophonia (uggg)
-social chameleon
-I always liked autistic coded characters .
-I'm solitary.
-I accidently do rude things but it is rare enough that even a NT would experience it that often so idk if that counts.
-When I walk into work, I wonder, "I greeted this person in this way, what words should I say to the other?" Is that common?
-I have epilepsy and I heard that's comorbid.
-I have always felt like the odd one out. When I was in elementary school especially I thought I was just different from the popular kids but then I realized I was overestimating how many popular kids there were. Lol! I guess popular=NT or masking maybe?
Why I maybe don't have it:
-I have never had trouble with sarcasm, idioms, or metaphors. For the most part I am the first to get a joke and explain it to others if they are confused (save instances from my "why I may have it" list).
-I'm solitary but I love spending time with the people I know and get upset (on the inside) almost childishly when I feel like they have to leave earlier than I want them to. "Hey, how about another round of the boardgames?" "No, sorry it is getting dark out and I have to drive an hour away..." But I guess afterwords I feel like it is good to relax.
-I understand my feelings easily and why they happen easily. I don't think my affect is flat, but maybe idk because I may have masked for so long that I can't tell (if I do have autism?!). However I don't usually share my feelings. I don't really say I feel _______ unless it is a strong emotion and need to explain why I am crying, etc. Maybe it is because I'm repressing something or don't know how to talk about it. Idk! Well, I guess when I'm excited or gush about something I do mention my emotions. I'd have to do some introspection on this. Huh.
-Especially now I am not super passionate about anything that could be considered a special interest to the point where I know a ton about a subject besides what I learned in college.
-I actively start small talk and am the first person to say hi when I see someone I recognize.
-I honestly can't tell if I get facial expressions intuitively or know it from when I manually learned it out of interest as a teen? I never have had problems with common or obvious facial expressions especially. Not surprising though.
-Although I did mention about my doll I would participate in imaginary play with others. Can't remember much about it though so I can't remember if I spent more time directing it. So yeah idk about that.
-I usually can work out people's intentions.
-Patterns don't really stick out to me unless I'm actively seek them out. And when I do sometimes they have no logic to me and I don't say anything because I know it wouldn't make sense.
-I have been told for the most part I know myself well by multiple people, as in how I am feeling in my body. If I feel something is off, something is off. However, I will admit I can act anxious and like a but of a hypochondriac.
-Like I mentioned earlier, I have so many conditions that could mimic autism traits.
This list isn't comprehensive.

To start off, I’ll give my general impressions of what we received before diving into each teaser individually. Apologies if this comes across as disjointed while reading; it was a bit hard to combine all my thoughts into a cohesive order.

In general, I really like the look and vibe of the show. Clearly there’s a strong focus on action, which is good for a show like Winx Club where fighting is central to the plot. The animation is quite lovely, which assuaged my fears that it was going to be painful to look at in 3D. Clearly the animators are very skilled and decently funded and know what they’re doing. However, I will comment that that one frame of Bloom smiling at Mitzi (or at least the girl I’m 99% sure is Mitzi) looks a little creepy. I’ll also admit that the voice acting sounded a little unnatural, especially when Bloom said “That’s not good” when she heard whatever the monster was coming. It was kinda the wrong tone for the moment. Back on the more positive end of things, I really like the new version of the logo, with its added glitter effects and yellow gradient on the letters. It’s very pretty and the sparkles scream fairy dust, which is perfect. Last comment: it looks like two different versions of the teasers have appeared online! The Instagram reel version shared by the official Winx Club account seems less polished, with less attractive hair and a less decorated setting. However, what appears to have been shared by Napoli Comic Con is more colorful and put together! I’ll post a comparison in the comments. All that being said, I’m ready to overanalyze now. 

Teaser #1- Bloom’s Room
From this teaser, we get the affirmation that Bloom will definitely be discovering her powers for the first time, just like in the original Winx Club. I feel kind of bad for her, because in this reboot it seems that anything she touches with her palms catches fire. In the original, her magic came unexpectedly and then disappeared again, not causing her any property damage. Now she has to buy a whole new notebook for physics class.
Speaking of her notebook- I previously made the prediction that she was going to keep a journal of her time in the fairy world, and that the pink notebook would be that journal. Now that I see that the pink notebook was being used for regular science or math work, I realize the basis for my prediction was unfortunately wrong. It was probably a two second thing we’ll never see again.
Also, I find it interesting that Stella wasn’t present in this scene when Bloom experiments with her powers. In the original show, she was encouraging her to try them out and giving her a rundown on the fundamentals of magic and fairies. Here, Bloom might not have even met Stella yet. Despite that, Bloom still seems impressed (if a little frazzled) by her magic, and isn’t afraid of it. That feels in line for a girl who’s just learned she has magic.
In regards to the setting, Bloom’s room feels like it’s been decorated in a style similar to her dorm in the Nickelodeon dub- not like her bedroom in the original show. Not only is her “Bloom” shelf hung up like it was in her dorm, but the heart rug we see and the flower petal lamp give the impression that her room has been very stylized, focusing more on looking cool than accurately portraying the room of a typical teenage girl. There’s nothing wrong with than; it’s just an observation I made. She also has a fish now, which kind of surprised me. I didn’t take Bloom to be a fish sort of girl, but regardless, the fish tank came in clutch. I do wonder now if her having a fish means she’ll be taking said fish to Alfea. I also wonder if her having a fish means she doesn’t have Kiko, her original pet.
Teaser #2- Running This one is especially hard to wring understanding from. Not only is Bloom not talking at all, but it is also not clear where she is running from or running to, as we don’t see any destination ahead of her. However, based on Bloom’s expression of determination, I get the impression that she is neither going for a fun jog nor running from an enemy. She’s running somewhere urgently, a girl on a mission. Maybe this is the scene where she finds Stella in the woods and helps her, like in the original. Perhaps she heard a scream and is making her way to help whoever is calling. Perhaps she is aware that there is a threat ahead and is rushing to wherever it is to help prevent the situation from turning ugly.
Teaser #3- The Bathroom Confrontation

This was my favorite teaser by far, in no small part because we got our first character interaction! Now is a good time to mention how strange it is that ONLY Bloom has appeared in any of these teasers. She’s been alone (barring the fish) in 2/3rds of them, without her parents or the other Winx. 

Here, we see Mitzi, who is literally GORGEOUS. I love all of her accessories! I will say that it’s interesting that her style has changed to seemingly be a little alternative, with a belt chain and some sort of netting thing on her pants leg. However, I can’t tell if it’s really meant to be alternative or just Rainbow’s version of Mean Girl Fashion (™). She looks so sassy and I love her, even if I think I’m not meant to. For some reason, she’s mad at Bloom for doing something that she believes warrants an apology. Perhaps Bloom’s recently activated magic caused her to accidentally singe Mitzi’s stuff.

As this clip opens, we see Bloom shaking her hands and wiping them on her pants as though she just washed them. That makes sense, considering they’re in the bathroom and she’s close to the sink. She’s probably just trying to dry her hands. Mitzi comes in, clearly still fulfilling the more antagonistic role of the mean popular girl, and demands an online apology from Bloom for [insert heinous crime here]. Bloom responds that she doesn’t have anyone following her, pointing out that she wouldn’t even have anyone see the apology that way. 

This implies a number of possible interpretations of Bloom. The first and most likely is that she’s not all that popular and doesn’t have that many (if any) friends. The second is that she has social media, but simply doesn’t use it that often.
Shortly afterward, Bloom hears something and immediately grabs Mitzi, pulling them both into a bathroom stall. We see what looks to be some sort of large blue creature with a loud, angry, male voice. If you pause at the moment the stall door is open, you can see what looks like a blue nose and the shape of an eyebrow. My prediction is that this is the hunting troll that appeared in episode 1.
Interestingly, Mitzi doesn’t seem too fazed by the situation at the end of the test, which fascinates me. She treats the whole situation like an annoyance instead of some deadly or dangerous experience. We know she has to have some idea of what’s happening, because not only can she clearly hear the monster on the other side of the door, but she can also see the door shaking as Bloom keeps it closed. Additionally, there are gaps on the bottoms of the stall doors, so surely she can see the monster’s feet or something. Despite all that, this queen just rolls her eyes and gives an expression that screams “oh, great.” As though this is just something she has to deal with.
I have a wild theory as to why this is, so first I’m going to throw in a little more analysis to back it up. If you look on the bathroom floor, you see there’s a butterfly symbol with a W on the floor. Inside the stall doors, instead of the typical vulgar scribbles you see in a high school bathroom, we see a witch’s cauldron and what appears to be a witch hat!
Is it possible that somehow, this school has a strong focus on magic in some way? Maybe the school just has a witch/fairy for a mascot, or there’s a lot of fairy lore in the surrounding town. Either way, it’s a very interesting detail.
My current theory is that maybe this school is connected to Alfea in some way. Like, perhaps there’s a secret gateway inside or nearby that connects to the fairy world, and some fairies’ actions have caused the school and/or surrounding town to have magical lore/mascots. And maybe- just maybe- Mitzi could be a witch. I don’t know if it’s likely, but I will say it’s possible, based mostly off of her reaction and partially off of her character design. Something about it looks like something a character from Cloud Tower would wear. It’s also possible that Mitzi just thinks the blue monster is just some guy pulling a prank, and that’s why she’s so underwhelmed, but I personally would be freaking out just based on Bloom’s reaction, so I doubt it.
Conclusion & Bonus Predictions I have a lot of hope and excitement for this new show, and you know I’ll be binge watching it and taking notes on the lore the moment episode one drops.
Because I’m a sucker for love stories, I am already shipping Bloom x Mitzi (I will call them Blitzi), even though I know it’s stupid. They had one confrontational interaction, and gosh darn it, I’m going to spin the aftermath of that interaction into an enemies to lovers story until the reboot comes out and tells me otherwise.
I’m kinda sad that the one girl with embroidered jeans didn’t appear yet, just because I want to know more about her. Someone once said she might be Bloom’s Earth bestie, and I liked that idea.
My theory as to why the other Winx haven’t appeared yet is that the producers are either still modifying them or they want their introduction to be a surprise. For some reason, I have a theory that all 5 of them will already know each othebe a fighting team that Bloom will join.

By popular demand, here's some mediocre content! I was asked to do a live chat about guns, meat, telemarketing, all that jazz. So no big whoop.
I'll be on at 8PM Central time. Here's the link. I'll be on for maybe 90 minutes or so. Video call link: https://meet.google.com/ysd-wxdk-gzk
As I get some grocery shopping and demand letters written, feel free to ask me anything about my many interests here or on the call:
Guns
The gun business
Commercial finance
The economy
Meat
Travel
Profiting from covid19
Structural firefighting
Suing telemarketers to supplement your gun budget!
You know, things of that nature.
Fire away!
XOXO,
FC@Staples

hey guys, i’ve been looking into drop shipping and one thing i cant figure out is, how long does it take for the customer to get the product. a sample if we order from ali baba or ali express can take 15-30 days depending on the type of shipping we choose. do customers really wait that long and not cancel the order? (if the orders are coming from china lets say, directly) or a better method is to bring your products to a warehouse of your region and then have your selling platform take orders. if none of these two options are valid. how can people doing this and making profit? I apologize if my question is not making sense.

First Chapter Previous Chapter
TRAGEDY at Concert Hall.
NIGHTMARE performance by renowned violinist and orchestra.
66 DEAD & 100s INJURED in CONCERT MASSACRE!
For an entire month, the media incessantly buzzed about Gabrielle Vilonte's last performance, a relentless stream that wore on Mr. Vilonte's nerves. Reporters bombarded him with calls, clamoring for an exclusive interview. Fed up, he had silenced his phone for days, ignoring every text and call, and stowed it away in the glove compartment. Thankfully, public interest had already shifted to the next headline. The bizarre event was now a distant memory in people's minds. Except, of course, those who experienced it.
Sleep became a nightly struggle. Most nights brought a jolting awakening, leaving him trembling so fiercely that his bones rattled and teeth chattered, while his heart threatened to burst from his chest. The recurring nightmare haunted him relentlessly—the terrifying vision of blood-red waves closing in, his senses overwhelmed as he tumbled blindly and helplessly. His survival was nothing short of miraculous, requiring only a brief stay of a couple of nights at the hospital.
George had insisted he stay with them until Mrs. Vilonte and Gabrielle emerged from their coma at the hospital. Despite the kind offer, Mr. Vilonte politely declined. While he cherished the idea of being surrounded by his family's warmth during such a challenging time, he found solace in the comforting embrace of Sara's soft, ample bosom. While he often disagreed with Mrs. Vilonte's choices, particularly concerning their finances, he was grateful he had yielded to her insistence on hiring a personal assistant.
"Take a deep breath and exhale slowly,” Sara instructed, her hand gently stroking his sweaty, naked back.
He followed her guidance, and as he did, he felt the nightmare fading away, replaced by the soothing sound of her voice. The terror that had gripped him was gradually replaced by a warmth that flowed down his throat, spreading a comforting heat throughout his belly.
"I don't know what I'd do without you," he sighed, pulling her into an embrace. "I wish we could stay like this forever."
"I wish the same, but we should go visit the hospital," she replied softly, gently pushing him aside as she rose from the bed to gather her clothes scattered on the floor.
He sighed again, sinking back onto the bed, overwhelmed by the prospect of abandoning its warmth to face the demands of the day. The thought of rejoining the world outside felt daunting. What finally persuaded him to rise from the bed was Sara's assurance that she would join him on the visit to Mrs. Vilonte, fulfilling her duties as the family's loyal and diligent personal assistant. But, in separate cars, of course.
On the way, he stopped to pick up a bouquet of flowers. Upon arrival, he warmly greeted the nurses and medical personnel he had come to know. They returned his gesture with sympathetic gazes and a small smile. As he entered Gabrielle's room, he found Eric already asleep in a chair by her bedside. Mr. Vilonte's heart sank at the sight. Despite the uncertainty surrounding her condition, he found solace in the fact that her baby remained safe within her womb, miraculously unharmed.
He arranged some lilies in a vase beside her, and pressed a fatherly kiss to her forehead before departing for his wife's room that was at the end of the hallway. Mrs. Vilonte lay peacefully, her complexion a little paler than usual. Gently placing roses on the nightstand, he pulled up a chair by her bedside, ready to share the latest updates.
With a soft voice, he relayed a few light-hearted news - George's pediatric clinic continued to thrive, their granddaughter landed a role in an upcoming school play, and Gabrielle’s condition remained in stable condition, but she had yet to awaken. Once he exhausted his list of news, he veered into trivial chatter about the weather, the traffic delays he encountered en route to the hospital which explained for his lateness (though in truth, he had persuaded Sara to join him for an intimate moment in the shower earlier), and his disappointment with the soggy cafeteria sandwich he bought.
He breathed a sigh of relief when the door opened and Sara waltzed into the room, dressed in her business casual attire, every bit the dedicated assistant his wife had hired. Without saying anything, she walked over to his chair, resting one hand on his shoulder while the other caressed the sparse strands of hair on his balding head. Her touch sparked a warmth within him, kindling a fire that surged through his body.
“Do you think she'll ever wake up?” Sara asked.
“We can only pray,” he replied, then under his breath added, “that she doesn't.”
How he wished things in his life were different. He glanced at his wife, then shifted his gaze to the pillow beneath her head. A thought crossed his mind – it wasn't too late. He could grasp the pillow and silence her forever, altering the trajectory of his life for the better.
“I wonder what's going on inside of her head,” Mr. Vilonte wondered aloud, “Do you think she's dreaming or is it all just darkness?”
XXXXX
In a realm beyond the physical plane, Mr. Vilonte’s words echoed through the forest. Mrs. Vilonte, catching wind of his voice, raced forward barefoot. Her elegant dress shoes, now trapped in the mud, disappeared into the earth. Her gown had become torn and muddied from her struggles against the clutches of vines and twisted branches.
Stopping for a moment, she pondered the possibility of deception, the voice perhaps a sinister ploy by the otherworldly entity, taunting her with the mimicry of her husband's voice.
"Please, let me go home!" she pleaded, her words falling on ears that only responded with mocking laughter.
You love her…you love her… you want her to wake up…no, you loved her. Do it now. Or it's never.
She was sure it was his voice, drawing her towards him and she followed its trail.
XXXXX
When Sara stepped out in search of snacks, he stood by his wife's bedside, peering down at her sleeping figure. Inch by inch, he maneuvered the pillow from beneath her head, his hands trembling with each deliberate movement. Just as he was about to place the soft weapon over her face, he hesitated, clutching the pillow tightly as he paced the room, engaged in a fierce debate with himself.
“You love her. No, no, you loved her.”
In over thirty years of marriage, he found himself reminiscing only about the initial five years, a period suffused with warmth and happiness. The following decades, however, that love had withered away over time like a neglected rose, starved of nourishment.
If he didn't take the chance now, he may not have the opportunity to do so. He returned to her bedside, clutching the pillow. The weight of his decision bore down on him. Just as he prepared to act, her eyes flickered open, their intensity locking with his own. He gasped, stepping back in alarm and stumbling over the chair.
With a sudden jolt, Mrs. Vilonte shot upright, unleashing a piercing scream that shattered the silence of the room. Frantically, she attempted to flee her bed, only to crumple to the floor, her legs betraying her after a month of disuse, unable to bear her weight. She resorted to dragging herself with her arms, making her way towards the door.
As the initial shock began to subside, Mr. Vilonte hastily regained his footing and hurried to his wife's side.
“Isabella..." he gasped, stretching out a trembling hand to touch her shoulder, but she swatted it away.
She struggled to rise to her feet once more, using the wall for support as her legs shook beneath her. The knot of her hospital gown had unraveled, leaving it to drape loosely over her fragile, naked form.
“Gabby! Where's Gabby?” She cried, her eyes were wide and filled with terror.
“Her room's not far from here, just down the hall.”
“I have to see her.”
“No, no, what we need to do right now is to get you back to bed. I'll go get the doctor.”
“You don't understand!”
“What is it that I don't understand? Tell me!”
“The baby…”
“What about the baby?”
“It's not what you think it is.”
“What? What are you talking about? What are you trying to say?”
Mrs. Vilonte let out an angry cry of frustration. “We must put a stop to it. She's going to give birth to something…”
“Something, what?”
Without answering him, she seized the door handle and yanked it open. Despite his attempts to restrain her, she broke free from his grip, landing a sharp blow to his face with her fist. A dazzling flash of white and gold stars burst across his vision like fireworks.
A deafening scream tore through the air, its intensity reverberating down the hallway, freezing everyone in their tracks. The sheer force of it sent shivers of nausea and fear rippling through each person present. The scream jolted Mr. Vilonte out of his daze, a surge of fear flooding back as he realized it was coming from his daughter's room.
He raced to the room and found Eric cowering in the corner, his expression filled with horror as he stared up at the ceiling. Mrs. Vilonte stood nearby, her discarded gown lying on the floor, a pair of scissors clutched tightly in her hand, likely grabbed from the nurse's desk. She, too, gazed upwards. Following their line of sight, Mr. Vilonte's heart nearly stopped.
Crawling along the ceiling like a twisted spider was Gabrielle. She gnashed her teeth like a feral beast and with a guttural hiss, she leapt towards the window, breaking through the glass.
“Gabby, no!”
Mr. Vilonte rushed to the window, crying out in pain as the glass cut into his skin. Through the broken pane, he watched in disbelief as Gabrielle, somehow still alive after her jump from the fifth floor, dashed across the parking lot, dodging cars with uncanny agility.
XXXXX
“Slow down!” Sara screeched, her fingers tightening around the grab handle.
But Mr. Vilonte didn't hear her. He remained steadfast, his foot firmly on the gas pedal, propelling the vehicle forward on the freeway in a desperate attempt to catch up to the police car ahead.
Within the span of an hour, his world was once again upended and crushed by the merciless force of the universe. Gabrielle's escape from the hospital triggered a frantic response from the hospital staff. Wrestling the scissors from the hands of a hysterical and furious Mrs. Vilonte, they pinned her to the floor. Meanwhile, a nurse administered a sedative to calm her down, allowing them to carry her back to her room.
The police were called to locate Gabrielle, prompting him to join the frantic search alongside them. Sara, just returning from the cafeteria with snacks in hand, found herself swept up in the chaos, following him to the car and demanding an explanation.
He slammed on the brakes with a forceful stomp, jolting them forward and then back in their seats. Ahead, several vehicles were stacked up. The police car he had been tailing collided with one of them. Hastily unbuckling his seatbelt, he got out of the car and navigated through the wreckage of the mangled vehicles.
“Gabby!”
He spotted his daughter standing amidst the tumult of the freeway. Upon hearing her name, she turned to face him, her expression clouded with confusion.
“Dad? Why am I here? What's going on?” her voice was laced with fear.
“I don't know. But let's get you out of here.”
“I want to go home,” she sobbed.
“Of course, we'll go home, right after the doctors check you over.”
As Gabrielle moved towards him, the ground beneath them began to tremble, its intensity mounting with each passing second. Cracks spiderwebbed across the asphalt beneath her feet, and long, sinewy vines emerged from the fissures, wrapping themselves around her and pulling her down into the depths below.
Mr. Vilonte sank to his knees, overwhelmed by devastation.
XXXXX
Although the haze of sleepiness had partially lifted, she felt the weight of drowsiness still clinging to her body, like a heavy anchor. Attempting to move her hands, she discovered they were bound by leather cuffs fastened to the bedside rails.
The room lay cloaked in darkness, with only the faint, silver light of the moon filtering through the window blinds, casting a gentle glow across the space. Except for the corner by the door. A sudden drop in temperature sent shivers through her bones. A presence was in the room, and it was standing in that dark corner, watching her.
Mrs. Vilonte stayed silent for a moment, refraining from saying a single word or making even the slightest sound. She clenched her teeth, attempting to suppress a whimper, but it slipped past her lips nonetheless.
A pale foot stepped out of the darkness, then the other.
She sucked in her breath at the sight of Victoria, who greeted her with a sinister grin. Her eyes were as dark as coal. Her teeth jagged with saliva dribbling down her pink lips. Without moving her mouth, Victoria's voice echoed in her head, “The price is high, your soul to keep, give me more to eat!”
Raising her hands, she held up a beating heart, giving it a firm squeeze. Instantly, Mrs. Vilonte was struck by a violent pain in her chest. She was engulfed by wave after wave of agonizing pain, rendering her unable to scream until a brief moment of respite allowed her to catch her breath, prompting her to cry out, "If you want to kill me, do it now! Go ahead, kill me! Rip my heart out. But please, just do it quickly. I can't bear it any longer.”
The entity cackled. "Death will not come easily for you. Instead, you shall endure a long and torturous existence, my dear. A life abundant with suffering and despair, with the sweet release you crave remaining distant for many years to come.”
Its talons closed around the heart giving it one final squeeze.
Mrs. Vilonte erupted in a roar of agony, her body contorting as she strained against the restraints. A nurse burst into the room, switching on the light. Once the lights flickered on, the pain dissipated, and her body eased back onto the bed, her wrists raw from the restraints. Observing her labored breathing and the sheen of sweat across her forehead, he checked her vitals and inquired about her sudden scream and whether she experienced any lingering pain.
She moved her head from side to side. “You wouldn't believe me if I told you,” she said, choking down a sob.
“Oh, I'm sure everything's going to be fine, Mrs. Vilonte,” the nurse reassured with a gentle tone, offering comfort.
“Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?”
“I would, if I had time. I'm sorry I've got other patients to attend to.” And after a final check on her vitals, he turned off the lights and left the room.
Mrs. Vilonte cast a wary gaze toward the darkened corner, a sense of apprehension prickling her skin. A solitary tear traced its path down her cheek.

Hello! Please review my resume. Any advice is helpful. I hold a MSc in Economics with specialization in Finance and I'm pursuing career within the field of Data and Analytics, specifically in a role that blends finance with technology. Would like to become a data scientist in the future. Thanks!

Hello folks, throughout this time I have been updating my fragrance collection quite a bit. Some of them have been given away, some have been fully consumed, and some replacements have come in and I'd love to talk about them a little!
https://imgur.com/a/rfSW2gd
--Bottom Row, Left to Right--
Prada L'Homme (EDT)

• Many consider it the perfect office fragrance (and I agree) but I find it much more versatile than that. it is such a comforting, warm fragrance with strong iris and violet notes on the opening. It does smell a little like boiled carrots, but in a good way! It transitions to a powdery and soapy neroli on the dry-down. This one always makes me feel sophisticated. I wear it on days where I feel more reserved and don't expect anyone to pick up on my scent, but it keeps me relaxed every time I sniff myself. It is so versatile; it can be worn in any season, in any weather, in any occassion. There is no situation where Prada L'Homme wouldn't be able to shine. Lasts 8hr on my skin.

Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Le Parfum (EDP)

• The fragrance that got me into fragrances. Finally, I can smell the lavender on the Le Male line with this one! The vanilla in this one takes center stage. It is tart and pastry-like. Even though I didn't wear it for this occasion, this fragrance brings me fond memories of my first time in Siesta Key FL, where my family and I visited a small ice cream shop at night and I had the best ice cream of my life. The vanilla ice cream with cinnamon sticks I had in there smells just like this juice. Perfect for fancy date nights, but go easy on the sprays or else you'll get a headache! You'll be smelling like a walking dessert. Lasts about 10-12hr on my skin.

Azzaro Wanted by Night (EDP)

• Sadly discontinued here in the US, but you can probably still find it on some outlet malls. Smells very similar to Le Male Le Parfum, but this one feels a lot spicier due to a much more noticeable cinnamon note. It's barely noticeable, but I also get a shy note of tobacco and leather here. I do find it more complex than LMLP, but I use both interchangeably whenever I feel like I'm overwearing one of them. Either or rolls with me. Lasts about 9hr on my skin.

Azzaro Chrome (EDT)

• The very first fragrance I purchased with my own money. A super citrusy, white florals opening with a very distinct but easy to pick metallic note. It is a cheapie, but it's one I don't hear often about and it does a great job for how cheap it is, even if it's very synthetic. I use it for very short errands or right after a shower to smell clean. The EDP version is super nice. Lasts about 6hr on my skin.

Polo 67 (EDT)

• The newest fragrance from Polo is a simple yet versatile everyday dumb reach. It opens with a really nice citrus combo of bergamot and lemon, and really nice, candy-like pineapple. It's almost as if it was fresh pineapple slices with extra sugar on them instead of the sour taste that you can often get from them. The fragrance then transitions to a creamy, slightly woody herbal vetiver smell but the pineapple remains prominent. I love wearing this for casual going out, or for school and work. The pineapple is so sweet and comforting, it's genuinely become one of my favorites. Luckily, it is also pretty affordable for a designer fragrance, and the refill bottle is even cheaper. Lasts a good 6-7hr on my skin.

Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male (EDT)

• Surprisingly long lasting for an EDT! All I really get with this fragrance is an herbal vanilla, as if the flower were to be standing next to tall blades of fresh grass that's been rinsed with water from the nearest well. I unfortunately don't really notice the lavender much, but I enjoy wearing this one for work. The green vanilla creates such contrasting notes, but it somehow works together and leads to a powdery drydown. I got it at a ridiculous price too, but I don't think I love it enough to get another bottle. Lasts about 8hr on my skin.

Replica By The Fireplace (EDT)

• Gifted to me and I can't wait to start wearing it for the winter. Haven't dabbed it on my skin yet but on paper, it smells extremely woody and smoky, doused with gasoline and thrown on the grill. You thought I was gonna say a fireplace huh? Nope. I love the smell of a grill that's warming up, and I get a booze-like scent with this one, as if we had a Jack Daniel's bottle right next to the cookout.

--Top Row, Left to Right--
Dyptique Do Son (EDT)

• The most realistic white florals I've ever smelled on a fragrance, and the first time I ever sniffed tuberose. Fresh white blossoms, it is almost sweet with a pinch of honey to my nose, yet it is deep and complex. It is very green in its floral composition, almost as if you can smell the soil that the flower grew from. A touch of pepper and orange blossom really balances the fragrance out. Leans more feminine but even as a man, this fragrance makes me feel so confident. Makes me feel like I'm the shit when I wear it. It's so good that even my mother wants to steal my bottle! This one was my introduction to Dyptique and I'm certainly coming back. Lasts just about 6hr on me. Not my greatest performer, but it lasts for almost all the outings I choose it for.

Montale Aoud Lagoon (EDP)

• I get straight up oud the first hour or so, the name sticks true to the fragrance. It is dark and rich, very much my most "manly" fragrance in my collection. About 30min after the opening, while the oud is dominating, an incense smoke-like scent pops in, it makes the fragrance appear like one you wear at a jazz club in winter. After the first hour, the floral fruity notes start appearing. This fragrance was my introduction to 2 notes I had to look up and analyze with my nose: Osmanthus and Lotus, Osmanthus is creamy to me, almost smells a little like a ripe apricot, but still distinctly a white flower. On the other hand, after many, many profound sniffs, Lotus smells veeery slightly aquatic and therapeutic--it gives me the same emotions as neroli, but less on the soapy side.

Montale Starry Nights (EDP)

• A nuclear bomb from Pierre Montale. A super strong (but honestly very synthetic) opening of fruits. I get green apple the most on the opening, with a strong hint of rose and patchouli. It opens very masculine but Starry Nights goes through an interesting transition to musky, powdery notes on the drydown that are very feminine. You get the best of both sides with this one, and the less sprays, the better. My biggest compliment getter by far, and it's the one I chose to wear to my first nightclub right when I turned 21. A nighttime fragrance through and through, and I have a feeling that I'll create a lot of fond memories with this one. Lasts anywhere from 12-14hr on my skin.

Mancera Jardin Exclusif (EDP)

• This is another goddamn nuclear bomb. PLEASE do not ever overspray this. I made the mistake of putting on 4 sprays when I first wore it to a birthday party and I got a headache about an hour in. A ridiculously powerful fruit punch, I notice a caramel pear and peach the most on the opening. It is certainly similar to Xerjoff Erba Pura (even in terms of its performance) but this one has a more prominent balance of florals. Jasmine and rose are definitely present, it leads to this super sweet powdery drydown that resembles old perfumes of yore. Leans a lot more feminine, but when applied with the right amount, you basically smell like a delicious fruit basket surrounded by freshly picked flowers at a wedding table. Lasts anywhere from 14-17hr on my skin.

Thameen Green Pearl (Extrait)

• My most recent purchase, and it was love at first sniff. It is an herbal aromatic fragrance with a really nice citrus opening of bergamot and mandarin. A super green, fresh fragrance with tea leaves, it is almost a little watery but not in the stinky musk that I often get with true aquatic fragrances. What really makes this one shine is the green apple. It is so fresh and really balances the citrusy, sweet aspect of this fragrance. Very versatile and easy to pick up, yet it is masterfully blended. Nothing feels harsh or off-putting to my nose when I smell this. It is quality through and through, as mass-appealing as a designer fragrance but with a much higher quality standard. For some reason, it reminds me of one of my favorite songs: High Dive by Dreamgirl. Lasts about 9-10hr on my skin, but sits very close in the last 2 hours or so.

Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Forte Mandarine Basilic

• I always knew my city had an official Guerlain boutique separate from other stores, but I never knew it was the only one in the US! Mandarine Basilic was my introduction to this iconic brand, and remains one of my favorites. The freshest citrus I've ever smelled in any juice. The mandarin in here is picked fresh, at its most ripe and juicy stage from the tree, and it is then bathed in holy water by the Pope himself. It is so divine, so damn realistic. It's like that smell you get on your hands after peeling them for hours, yet you can't stop sniffing it like a curious pitbull for some reason. The mandarin is, of course, followed by a soft, earthy eucalyptus-like basil that's been crushed and grinded with a bit of honey. It is a calming and fantastic blend. The drydown gets to a super soft vanilla and sandalwood. I'm purchasing this fragrance 'til the day I die man. Lasts about 7hr on my skin.

ELdO Hermann A Mes Cotes (EDP)

• Picture an old, decaying pink rose surrounded by wet moss next to a busy highway after a heavy downpour. That's what Hermann smells like. It does not smell like the petals of the rose, but rather its green stem. A woody, spiny rose with earthy tones of moss and slightly metallic notes to my nose. I love wearing this every time it rains. I consider it my signature fragrance and for good reason. Much like Prada L'Homme, this is my comfort medicine for when I feel reserved or upset. Every time I sniff it, its scent tells me that everything will be okay and tomorrow will be another day.

Some Samples, but majority are not pictured here:

• Polo Red and Blue: These are cool cheapies, especially Red, it smells like a simpler Wanted by Night, I can see myself purchasing a small bottle of it. Blue I'm not a fan of though, I hate overly aquatic/ozonic fragrances.
• Azzaro Chrome Parfum: Smells like a pine tree after a downpour with conifers and it somehow grows lemons as well. Actually smells really good, highly recommend.
• Guerlain AA Forte Oud Yuzu, Rossa Rossa, Bosca Vanilla, and AA Herba Fresca: Want to go to nose heaven? Just smell these real quick.
• Dyptique Orpheon and Eau De Sens: Orpheon somehow smells like cotton you dabbed on something really good. Can't properly explain it. Eau De Sens smells like the pretty and fruitful backyard of your grandma's house. Both are very photorealistic with whatever smell they're trying to replicate.

And that's all! If you have any questions, let me know. Thank you! :)

I'd like to say that Finn was absolutely perfect for me, and that he's sitting on my lap or chewing on his comically larger than him bone as I write this. But I think you know I wouldn't be regaling all of this if that were the case.
He cried the entire first night, and it took Finn about a week to truly warm up to me - let me pet him on a regular basis, and put a leash on him without shying away. It took another week after that for him to finally become comfortable enough to lay with me on the couch for some light cuddling. I'm not complaining about any of that, as I truly had no problem with any of it and had actually expected it to some degree. But what I did have a problem with was his barking. It is very easy to see outside from the Livingroom of my apartment, what, with a large sliding glass door on one side of the main door, and another big window on the opposite side of the main door. From day one, anytime anyone would walk past my apartment, Finn would go crazy and bark, as if it were some intruder trying to break in. I tried some of the techniques Sarah had shown me from Finn's training, and had even used a collar, but none of it worked. My lease agreement specifically states that any pets must be quiet so as to not disturb the peace - it's actually an HOA ruling for my apartment complex, and there are a couple of people here that I do believe would complain. So as such, with every bark, my brain imagined my land lady - who I am on very good terms with; sometimes I think of her as my grandmother away from home - calling or texting me that there have been noise complaints against Finn, and that I'd have to get rid of him. I'm sure if I would have had him registered as an emotional support pet, there would have been nothing the HOA could have done to get rid of him. But, again, I have a hard time asking for things, and didn't ask my therapist or psychologist for a letter to get him registered as such.
The barking, as I wish was the only problem, unfortunately wasn't. On our walks, Finn would growl, sometimes even bark, at anyone who got too close to me - there were a few times that he actually lunged at someone that walked past us. Because of this, I was too afraid to take him anywhere, so I would leave him at home, during which he would also bark. I would even have to leave him inside my apartment just to go out and grab something I had had delivered, because he would bark and growl and lunge at the delivery drivers. And, of course, he would bark the whole time I was gone. Fortunately, treats were enough to keep him occupied as I left for work in the morning - 5:20 a.m. every morning - to keep him from barking; at least, to keep him from barking while I left. You may now be asking: Why didn't you take him to a trainer for help? Social and generalized anxiety makes it hard to have straight up interactions with strangers, and the thought of myself having to talk to new people is a very difficult thing for me to deal with.
Speaking of my anxiety, all of this just made it worse - the fear of being confronted for Finn's barking, or someone calling the law on me because he growled at them out in town, was actually worse than my OCD controlled routines being challenged. Finn became a regular hard topic every therapy session, with me unloading on my therapist about how I couldn't handle his behavior. How he was too much for me to handle. How he wasn't helpful at all, and was just making me feel worse. And I feel bad about that too, because I know it affected Finn. There would be days where he'd walk around the house super anxious and jumpy because of how anxious or sad I was. And in turn, that would just make my anxiety go up; looking back, it was a very unfortunate cycle.
After three and a half months of trying to stick it out, hoping that he would get even more comfortable with me or that his personality would change somehow, I finally decided that I couldn't handle it anymore. I remembered how Sarah had said how much she and her husband were sad to get rid of Finn, and how much they were gonna miss him, so, I decided to text Sarah to see if there was a possibility of them taking him back. I will say, in a way, I had expected her to say yes, that they would take him back. So it was very disheartening when Sarah texted that they were unable to take Finn back - a family member had recently passed, and they were too busy dealing with the estate to care for Finn, let alone, pick him up. Sarah did, however, say that she would contact the adoption agency that they originally got Finn from when he was a puppy, and see if they couldn't find a home for him. I agreed to keep Finn in the hopes of not having to leave him at the humane society - something I did consider doing if Sarah and her husband were unable to take Finn back. Here I am, talking about how bad the unclaimed dog population is here in So-Cal and how overcrowded the humane societies are, and I was ready to contribute to that problem . . .
About two and a half weeks went by before someone from ABC - what we'll call the adoption agency - contacted me with news that they had found a potential forever home for Finn. We scheduled a date for the next day at ABC headquarters , and I would be lying if I said I didn't feel some kind of relief at this. It was almost as if a weight were being lifted from my shoulders; not completely, but enough to notice. Finn and I drove to ABC headquarters, and Finn did excellent in the car; he didn't cry or freak out or throw up, just chilled in the passenger seat. I don't know if Finn recognized where we were, or if he was experiencing his own special brand of anxiety, but he was visibly nervous. And when we entered ABC headquarters, his nervousness wasn't helped by the fact that there were eight women all gushing at him, talking about his little curved tail and how cute his ears were. One of those ladies led Finn and I to a fenced-in open play area, and this was where we met his potential adopter. I don't remember much about her, other than she was wearing scrubs, and that she was visibly uncomfortable with how uncomfortable Finn was. When we entered the play area, Finn hid from everyone behind my legs. I thought I'd sit down to get on his level, to show him that everything was alright and that I was there with him. No sooner had I sat down, Finn was already crawling in my lap, digging himself deep into the crook of my crossed legs. His potential adopter tried to pet Finn, but he leaned away at every attempt. I remember one of the ABC workers went and got some hotdogs to give to the adopter, but Finn couldn't have been less interested when she tried to offer them to him. The other thing I remember is Finn's potential adopter comparing him to some other Chihuahua that she had met earlier that day, about how friendly and lovey and attention hungry it was compared to Finn. It was obvious to me that she did not like how anxious Finn was, and did not like the fact that Finn did not like her.
During the meeting, I did my duty as Finn's owner to describe his mannerisms and how he was as a dog to the best of my ability - I was nearly as nervous as Finn, and I would have hidden just like him if I could have. I made sure she understood that he was an anxious dog, and did bark when people walked in front of my apartment. I also told her how he was on walks, and that he hated pugs and poodles on site. As I was wrapping up, one of the ABC workers that was there with us said, "Tell her about kids." At this, I told the lady how Sarah, his original owner, had to get rid of Finn because he had nipped at their one year old, and was showing general disdain towards him. But, I also told her that I had had no problems with him biting anyone since I had had him, especially not kids, since I didn't have any. The ABC worker looked confused when I said this, and asked if I was Sarah's husband. I assured her that I was not, and the ABC worker simply said, "Well, who are you then?" I told the worker who I was, and how I came to own Finn, but I don't think my explanation - which made complete sense to me - was computing with the ABC worker, as she was still visibly confused.
When the meeting was over, I was almost certain the search for Finn's new home would have to continue, as the potential adopter we had just met was fairly cold to the idea of having Finn as hers. Just as we were leaving, one of the ABC workers stopped me and said that they would still continue to search for a home for him. I said that was fine if they wanted to, not thinking much of why they were putting so much effort into finding Finn a new home - I hadn't paid them to search for me, and as far as I knew, neither had Sarah. The ABC worker took my phone number and said that there was some information they had on Finn that seemed out of date, and asked if I would update it for them so they could find the best home possible. I agreed; on that ride home, Finn did excellent again, just chilling in the passengers seat. Finn finished that night with two pup-cups just before bed.

this has my vote for like top 10 most annoyingly-overused buzzwords of this decade
newsflash but most people probably weren't watching shane and ryan muck about in a haunted house strictly to see if they were going to actually catch a ghost. i wasn't interested in most youtube food content until steven and andrew came along, either.
wild concept but a lot of what they do is based on their likability to a lot of people. their livelihood is based on being presenting likeable personalities. that's the reality of their line of work.
"parasocial relationship" as a concept has been watered down/vulgarised as an easy putdown for when someone marginally gives a shit about the intricacies of a producer-consumer relationship. these men provided a service that lots of people enjoyed, and their fans got upset when they set out to change the terms of that relationship in an unsatisfactory way. to me this is the exact same as if any other business i enjoyed patronising suddenly made a change that essentially made it their customers' responsibility to keep the business afloat.

Note: This is a discussion/brainstorm for novel inference speed improvements, and not a solution. I meant to add that to the title but cannot edit it now. Onto the main post - skip to TLDR Idea below the first paragraph if you don't want to read the whole thing.
I have an interesting idea/concept for partial LLM model loading but I am unsure of its feasibility. Please note that while I am familiar with LLM applications and actually own a business that applies custom AI solutions for companies, I am not an ML/AI model building expert and this idea may be objectively stupid and uninformed. As such, I've added more reasonable approaches that would be more likely to work to the bottom of the post at the expense of potential added technical complexity. Perceived limitations for the TLDR idea are below the additional ideas.
TLDR Idea (Perceived Limitations are Below the Stepwise Idea Walkthrough and Additional More Complex Ideas):
I am curious if anyone has explored or come across research regarding a method where you don't load an entire parameter file for every query, but instead split the parameters into smaller files and selectively load only the relevant parts based on the query. This idea likely needs significant improvement via clever parametemodel splitting methodologies, potentially using things like layer-based parameter splitting and stacking but I kept it basic here because I'm sure a discussion would be more fruitful given some of your's expertise and my limited knowledge.
Main/most simple idea laid out in a stepwise fashion:

1. Upload split and chunked parameter files to a vector database and match chunked parameter embeddings to user queries. The split and chunked vector db files could be labeled with metadata and stored in a vector database. Accurate splitting without reducing next-token probability accuracy, grouping by parameter associations, and modifying the model run code, not to mention the problems/limitations labeled at the bottom, could be major barriers here.
2. When a query comes in, we could match its similarity against these chunked parameters, perhaps selecting the top 10 most relevant chunks/setting top k to 10 for example.
3. Only the parameter files who have vector DB chunks returned, suggesting that they are closely tied to the query, would then be loaded for inference using the metadata to match them.

Additional More Complex Ideas that May Work with a Similar Vector Retrieval Setup:

• Layer-based Segmentation: Segment the model by its layers, which may allow for more natural division based on the architecture, enabling selective activation per query.
• Intermediate Representations: Utilize checkpoints at various layers to save outputs. This can serve as a jumping-off point for processing queries without starting from scratch.
• Hybrid Loading: Start with a low-fidelity, compressed version of the model for quick initial inference, and dynamically load more detailed segments as required.
• Dynamic Compilation: Explore on-the-fly compilation of model segments tailored to the specific needs of a query rather than utilizing a vector DB for matching files.
  • Improved caching leveraging dynamic compilation for repeat prompts could be interesting too.

Finally - Perceived Limitations and Complexity:
I recognize the complexity of this idea since splitting a model like Llama2-13B into 13 separate 1B parameter files, for example, without significant workarounds in managing interactions between params would mean each set of 1B parameters would still be associated with the other 12B parameters. So, unless the model is pre-built in a stratified way, it could potentially reduce the output accuracy of inference results and risking poor outputs. Obviously the code that runs the models would also need to change. I've also listed some potentially more complex ideas below my main idea that are likely more robust but technically I assume more difficult.
Perceived Limitations and Complexity of Main Idea (not including the subpoint ideas as those are too technical to fit in a single reddit post):
I recognize the complexity of this idea since splitting a model like Llama2-13B into 13 separate 1B parameter files, for example, without significant workarounds in managing interactions between params would mean each set of 1B parameters would still be associated with the other 12B parameters. So, unless the model is pre-built in a stratified way, it could potentially reduce the output accuracy of inference results and risking poor outputs. Obviously the code that runs the models would also need to change. I've also listed some potentially more complex ideas below my main idea that are likely more robust but technically I assume more difficult.

“Get the fuck out of my house with this ‘ old country’ shit Sylvia, I’m serious. “ I hear my dad say from the kitchen downstairs.
“I give children and idiots three warnings. That’s your first. “ It takes me a second to recognize my aunt’s voice. I’ve only met her a handful of times, and it’s nearly 2am.
“Syl, he’s right, this is crazy. I’m Roma, I’m proud, but your part of the family, and mine are two separate things. “ My mom interjects. Her voice is calm and level.
I woke up about half way through whatever is going on, and I’m fuzzy on the details, but everyone involved is three kinds of pissed.
“So you say, but just because you ignore the other side, doesn’t mean the other side ignores you. “ Aunt Syl replies, I could never quite place her accent, but it makes her statement all the more sinister.
“Might as well make that the family motto.
Syl, there are a couple dozen other kids Nikolas’ age in the family. Half of which are already hip deep in whatever is going on nowadays, you don’t need him. “ Mom isn’t pleading, but I can hear she’s worried.
“Why are we trying to reason with your crazy aunt? Time to go Syl. “ My dad isn’t worried, he’s angry.
“That’s two. “ Aunt Sylvia replies.
I hear a chair squeak then fall to the floor.
“That’s three. “ Sylvia says, her voice is cold, and I swear I could almost hear an echo.
I can hear my dad start to quietly cough, he sounds like he’s trying to talk but can’t. My heart starts to race, I don’t understand what’s going on, but I know it’s bad.
“Syl! Jesus Christ, that’s my husband. “ Mom sounds more offended than scared now. I wish I could say the same.
I stand next to my cracked door, fear beginning to take hold.
I can hear my dad start to take long wheezing breaths, I have no idea if this is a good or bad thing.
“Happy?
Now that any hope of doing this quietly is over, Nikolas and I have a long drive ahead of us. He’s 16, he has a license, yes? “ I hear Sylvia say, sudden footsteps walking up the stairs.
“No, he’s not interested in driving. You can’t take him Syl. “ my mom sounds frantic, Sylvia’s steps are measured and heavy.
“Not interested? You sure we are related? You raise soft children. “ Sylvia ends this with a dismissive laugh.
The few minutes that followed were kind of a blur, with my mom trying to convince me that I was just going to visit family, as if I didn’t just hear everything.
It's a couple hours into a long drive in a small car when my brain finally catches up to the fact that I’m awake, and going 30 miles an hour over the speed limit.
Aunt Syl sits in the driver’s seat, she’s 40 something, olive skinned with pitch-colored hair. Her style, it’s, something.
Her outfit was the middle of a Venn diagram of hippie, punk rock and carpenter. Bracelets, flannel, paisley, and enough piercings I lost count.
“Any chance of putting both hands on the wheel? “ I say, I’m mad, but I don’t even really know why.
She holds up her left arm, and I’m shocked. It’s an ancient looking blued steel prosthetic. She flexes, the clawed, almost mitten-like hand.
“Go through too many steering wheels that way. “ She says with a smirk.
“What’s going on? “ I ask, after an agonizing fifteen minutes of silence.
“You’re a big boy, so if you want the truth, I’ll give it to you. There’s a job that needs to be done, a dangerous job. And I want you to do it.
Now, I want you, not because you’re strong, or smart, or special. We have many strong, smart, special boys.
You, I want, because you’re unknown, and, little one, disposable. “ Sylvia lets this comment hang like rotten fruit.
The next hour goes in silence, at no point do I even entertain the notion this is some kind of joke. Something about this woman’s energy, about the way she carries herself, it scares the shit out of me.
We board a plane, somehow she had all of my travel documents. Even stranger is that we get escorted past the security checkpoints, into first class.
The next words I say to Sylvia are, “You have to put that out! “ as she lights up a short, yellow, hand-rolled cigarette.
She grins, taking a long drag, it smells horrible, the cheapest roughest tobacco odor I’ve encountered.
She relaxes, a cloud of thick, grey smoke forming.
I’m stunned, not a single person says anything. At first I think maybe she’s some kind of, I don’t know, mobster or something.
But that isn’t quite right. No one is looking at her in fear, no one is telling anyone else not to say anything. It’s like no one notices what she’s doing.
“How does she do this? The little boy wonders.
I don’t come offering you a thankless task Nik. I come with an opportunity. “ Sylvia says before crushing the cigarette on the arm of a chair and tossing it into the isle.
I had questions, and between the fear and the confusion I asked every one of them.
The only response she gave me was, “You’ll see when we get there. “.
She was right.
The flight lands, and after an hour or so of driving the world’s oldest pickup through the English countryside, we wind up at an old farm house, in the middle of nowhere outside of Hammersmith.
The sign outside says “ Gritt Auctions” the letters are old, bronze and tarnished, the grounds are littered with car parts, statues, and errata of every type.
Dozens, maybe even a hundred people mill about each stopping for a moment to give a suspicious look at the interloper in their midst.
Sylvia seems amused at my nervousness. I try and give the rough looking folks around me as much space as I can.
“They’re family, mostly, by blood or marriage, with a handful of lost souls and hangers on. “ She explains.
I probably should have guessed, seeing my mom’s family name on the sign, but my brain is basically nothing more than fear, anxiety and jet lag at this point.
“When do I get to know what’s going on? “ I say, waving at a cousin of some form and receive a uniquely English rude gesture in return.
My ear is ringing, and I stumble , the left side of my face burning. I’d say Syl slapped me, but it was more of a polite punch.
“Don’t whine. You’ve been stolen from your mother, treated like a dog, and judging by Robert’s attitude, rejected by your family.
I don’t want to hear whining, you angry, soft boy? “ Sylvia stops and turns toward me. I notice the people around us stop their tasks, interested in our conversation.
“No… “ I begin, not wanting to piss her off.
I don’t even see the next slap, but it puts me on my ass.
“Next one’s with the left hand.
Are you angry Nikolas? “ Sylvia looms over me like a raven.
I feel something before I get to my feet, a hot, quick flash of hatred. A context free rage at the fucked up situation I’m in.
“Answer is still no. Because to be angry, I’d have to know a God-Damned thing about what’s going on.
But my lunatic aunt just picked me up and now I’m standing in the middle of whatever the English equivalent to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre family is.
For all I know, I’m your new King. So no, I’m not angry, I’m annoyed, and maybe a bit worried my gene pool really needs some chlorine. “ I’m shocked at what I’m saying, but I see some smiles, hear a few laughs.
Sylvia’s face seems to soften slightly.
“There’s the Gritt in you. “ She says, starting to walk to an old barn.
I catch up to her as I attempt in vain to dust myself off.
Sylvia opens a small, strangely modern looking door, inside a row of lights automatically flip on.
In contrast to the rotten wood exterior, the inside of the barn looks modern, design wise it’s half way between a hospital and a car repair shop. Equipment of unknown purpose, gurneys and cages of all sizes and types surround me.
Sylvia walks to a door at the back, then pauses.
“Before I open this door, you need to understand something.
There is no fortune telling, or reading of cards here. The cloak of the traveller, the bangles of the gypsy, these are all ways of navigating the world to us. Ways to exist on the fringes of society.
The Gritt family, we trade in the unknown. We find, we collect, and we sell. And ours is no petty collection of trinkets and tools not meant for the hands of man.
Our grift, is livestock. “
The woman opens the door, and what I see, sitting, chained in one corner of the industrial cement walled cell shakes everything I thought I knew about reality.
He's six and a half feet tall, his skin a waxy yellow, and every spare inch is festooned with black stitching, rusted pieces of metal or small splinters of bone.
His face is noseless and asymmetrical, almost as if repaired or modified over and over. One eye is a small, sinister looking orb with a red pupil, the other a massive, almost reptilian thing, wildly twitching about.
He wears no shirt, but a long, grey hide Trenchcoat hangs down to his knees. I start to shake as I see it’s made from layers of stitched human skin.
He sneers at us, long, conical teeth catch the harsh halogen light.
The thing strains against the chains, but they bind him tightly enough to the wall he can barely move.
“You’re not lasting more than 4 seconds kid. Just turn the fuck around. I’ll have you slitting your wrists in the corner by nightfall. “ The thing says, it’s voice is foul, almost a physical force. Grating, rage filled, and with a lunatic edge to it that makes me question exactly how much those chains can take.
“ 3/10, Augustus, who do you think you are scaring with that limp dick of a threat? “ Sylvia says, confidently walking up to the creature.
It snaps it’s jaws with a sound like a rifle shot. No where near Sylvia, but enough to make me jump on the other side of the room.
“If I could stop being threatened and hearing my aunt talk about dicks, I’d be a huge fan. “ I say, something deep within me, pushing past the fear and lack of sleep, “And if anything feels like just telling me what’s going on instead of being vague and creepy, even better. “
The chained thing looks to me, curious. Sylvia smirks.
“Augustus is going to be forced to fight others like him until eventually he gets what’s coming to him for years of evil.
You, are going to stand next to him while he does it. “ Sylvia begins to walk away from the thing, ignoring vile threats of both the violent and carnal variety.
I try to follow her out the door and she blocks me.
“If your still sane and alive in the morning, I was right. Good luck soft boy. “ She says before closing the heavy metal door.
Without her, I feel tiny, that spark of rage is snuffed out and replaced with a cold sense of dread.
“You’re going to have to turn around sometime kid. “ The chained creature says.
I turn, slowly, resolving to make eye contact with the thing. I manage a second or two before looking away, the creature cackles, mocking me.
“Holy shit, they sent me an honest to God pussy. Whole family full of void fucked apes and they send me you?
The best part is, you don’t even get it. I can see what you’re thinking kid, I can see that tiny collection of hormones and goo you vainly call a brain going into overdrive trying to figure this out… “ Augustus starts.
The creature kept going, I don’t have an exact count but it was at least twelve hours.
I can only describe it as a verbal assault. Augustus drew from some dark wells, how it knew half of the things it did scared me as much as it’s clawed hands or, piranha-like teeth.
I lost something that night. The fears that thing drug up, the insecurities it played on, the secrets it knew, it crushed any childlike notions of safety or understanding the world I had.
Don’t take that the wrong way, I don’t mean it toughened me up. It broke any sense of confidence I had, took away any feeling of safety. That God Damned thing in the trenchcoat, changed me.
I’ve lost track of how long it’s been since I’ve slept, but I’m brought a tin plate heaped with eggs, sausage and for some twisted reason, brown beans. And realize it’s been at least a day since I’ve eaten.
I sit around an abused, graffiti carved picnic table with an eclectic combination of family I’ve never met. Syl sips a tea I can smell from ten feet away and looks at me like I’m a used car.
“I’m always right soft boy. Remember that. “ She says.
It takes a half dozen guys built like construction workers, with Sylvia following behind whispering things that wilt vegetation, to wrangle the creature into the back of an old, reinforced horse trailer.
The inside is covered in totems, runes, and other spooky looking errata. The entity becomes sluggish and disoriented as the heavy wooden doors close, and get sealed with a massive brass lock.
My mind begins to wander on the three hour trip through the back country of the UK. The sun sets, and my brain screams for sleep. That scream is silenced by the sense of mounting dread as we get closer to our destination.
We pull up to an abandoned theme restaurant, the parking lot is full, the windows are boarded, and the walls covered in graffiti. The place is huge, more the size of a small stadium than a diner.
The parking lot is full, the sputtering, sparking neon sign flashes “Faron’s Funhouse. “
It’s a few minutes outside of a town I forgot to catch the name of. We can see lights on the horizon, but there’s a feeling of wrong surrounding the building that makes them seem a million miles away.
A half dozen ‘cousins’ of mine move Augustus into a strange, almost coffin-like box made of wood, steel and glass, covered in trinkets and symbols. The thing sneers groggily from within, it’s mismatched eyes rolling in it’s skull.
I don’t hear Sylvia approach, I notice her as she smacks me in the back of the head hard enough to make my ears ring. The old, cruel woman is walking toward the doors of this meeting place.
“Eyes forward, sneer on your face, and walk like you know where you’re going. “ Are her only instructions.
For once, they’re clear and simple. What I see inside easily keeps my attention, and I’m equal parts scared and pissed off, so looking edgy and miserable is my default state.
At one point, this place was exactly what you’d think. I know you’re all expecting it to be a run down, rat infested haunted house now, but it was, stranger than that.
The place was well kept on the inside, but everything was either in use or repurposed to house the couple hundred eclectic customers milling around. In the centre, is a massive Lucite Cube, crystal clear and housing a ball pit, jungle gym and what looks to be a functional canteen, complete with a deep fryer and popcorn machine. It’s a couple hundred meters a side, and shaped like a flawed rectangle.
Smoke hangs in the air, my aunt greets old friends in a handful of different languages, I smile and nod, still trying to understand what the hell this place is.
We see Augustus being wheeled to the Lucite box, Sylvia cuts a laughing Cyrillic conversation short, and her and I make our way to the box that barely restrains the hatred and death inside.
At the other end of the Lucite Cube I see a few people dressed in blue and maroon uniforms ( if I were to guess vintage, from when this place served shitty food instead of violence.), they surround a massive, hulking, lanky thing. It’s obscured by smoke, and poor lighting, but it’s nine foot frame, and unnatural gait are clear.
The box holding Augustus sits about ten feet away from me, inside the massive cage. The front opens, my instinct is to step backward, get as much distance between me and the thing inside as possible, but instead, I’m shoved, before I can catch my balance, a workbook clad foot is in front of me.
I fall and stumble into the cage, I turn around to try and get out as fast as I can, I’m standing inches away from the creature, but I see Sylvia closing the clear, impermeable door.
It hits me then. For the first time since this ordeal started, I realize how grim things are.
Just like everyone else here, I’ve been raised on spooky shit packaged to be marketable. Little monsters, The Adams Family, Harry potter, hell let’s throw Pokemon and the like in there as it’s basically just dog fighting with a cute hat on.
And I thought what was happening to me, was somewhere on the Venn diagram of those things.
But as I see the impassive look on the face of a woman I’ve known since I was a child, ( at a distance or no.) as I’m locked in here with God knows what, I get it. I really get it.
His laughter is like an ice pick, I turn to face him, Augustus brushes himself off, casually looking around the massive arena.
“Just hit ya didn’t it, bud? “ He says, walking over to me, his steps impossibly quick, almost insect-like, “You’re not my trainer, or my wrangler, you certainly aren’t my fucking partner. “, the entity grabs my chin between two clawed fingers, “ You’re a bait dog. Something for me and that new blooded walking pun to fight over. “
My blood runs down his thumb, his grin cracks his face like a rotten melon, the monster pulls down, throwing me to the floor.
A buzzer sounds, and a three minute timer, projected in transparent red appears on the walls of the Lucite arena.
“If I’ve got to hunt you down in this shit-hole, things are going to be a lot worse for you. Stay put, bud. “ The trenchcoat clad thing says, casually walking toward the creature on the opposite side of the arena.
Closer now, I see it clearly. Inside of a pristine uniform, is a twisted attempt at the human form. The torso is lumpen, asymmetrical, but lean. It's arms nearly drag on the floor, yellow, infected looking flesh, weeping pus like a snail’s foot.
It's eyes are black caves, with just the hint of something deep within. It’s face is blank, a torn, haggard looking grey tongue runs over rotting green teeth.
The kid beside it looks around my age, he’s big though, just as confused and afraid as I am. He wears a similar uniform to the creature, but his looks, abused, torn, blood stained. Like it's been handed down from one unlucky owner to the next.
As the buzzer rings, the lanky, disgusting creature moves in a flash, tearing off the kid’s right arm and beginning to chew it.
The blood didn’t set me off, as terrible as it was. It was the three seconds between the act, and the poor kid realizing what happened that pushed me over the edge.
He started to scream, a horrible trapped animal kind of noise. He backs away from the monster beside him, gripping the crushed and torn remains of his forearm.
Augustus laughs, his trenchcoat drags on the floor, leaving a streak of blood as he walks.
“Man after my own heart.
So, I say, we split these sides of beef for two minutes then talk shop for a bit. Fuck these pretentious apes and their show. “ Augustus looks up to the massive thing. It remains impassive, gnawing on the hand.
“Don’t be like that. We both know two halves are better than one whole . Win-win for both of us“ Augustus gets a noise that sounds like an angry sewer pipe, and a dismissive wave of a long snake-like arm in response.
The thing in the trenchcoat shrugs, turning around and stalking toward me.
“You have no luck at all kid, I was going to let you go last.
But the pinworm back there wants to be a dick about things, so looks like things are getting started early. “ Augustus grins, his mouth opening shark like.
I stare down certain death, Augustus radiating fear, seeming to become more demonic with each step toward me.
From behind him, a noise.
I would have just assumed it was some part of the worm-like, filth ridden thing eating. Augustus clears up that misconception.
He turns, shaking, body language that of a wild animal.
“Was that a fucking snicker? A giggle? Are you fucking laughing at me, you literal fucking worm. “ He’s panting, hands twitching like dying insects.
He stands, inches from the other creature, dwarfed by it, teeth grinding, muscles straining.
The worm thing casually tosses the flesh bare hand toward Augustus. As it touches his coat, the arena erupts into a kind of wild, senseless, limitless violence.
It doesn’t feel like watching a fight, it’s more like a car wreck, or natural disaster. Pieces of jungle gym turn into lethal shrapnel as the blurred, filth spewing scrum destroys them.
I see the timer, 2:15. My mind starts to catch up, and I see the other kid, pale, whimpering, and trying in vain to staunch the blood spurting from his arm.
I’m running, low and likely poorly, pulling my belt from my pants, and thanking myself for actually listening when I was forced to take a first aid course for a summer job last year.
The kid is scared, he tries pushing me away, but I’m determined, and not down a couple pints of blood. I pull the belt with two hands, pull it through again and twist, it’s ugly, it’s not perfect, but the flow of blood begins to slow, then stop.
We crawl behind a prize counter, decades old candy and stuffed animals surround us as we cower. A liquid filled roar loud enough to crack the cheap glass cases fills the room.
The kid is looking rough, blood still trickling from the torn stump of his forearm. I see some plastic bags and get an idea.
I lean over to get them, and feel something strange, at first I think I pulled a muscle.
Then there is a deep, burning pain, instinctively I pull away, and turn around.
The kid is on his knees, sanity has left his eyes, a cheap hunting knife in his remaining hand he has a look of panic and determination on his face.
“We have to win. “ he says, lunging at me with the blade.
He’s slow, and I avoid it, but not by as much as I’d like. Blood runs down my back, for a moment I wonder how bad I’m hurt, but it doesn’t really matter right now.
I retreat, but the only thing keeping us from being torn apart by the whirlwind of shrapnel caused by the creatures is the counter, I can’t escape.
It's a stalemate, I’m no athlete, and the kid is built like a rugby player, but he’s missing a hand, and delirious from blood loss. I plead, I try and reason, and I dodge crazed strikes by increasingly narrow margins.
Something large, either thrown or knocked loose destroys the counter behind me. Suddenly all is chaos. I’m thrown into the kid in the uniform, plaster dust surrounds us in a grey cloud.
By the time the air clears the kid is on top of me. I have his wrist in one hand, keeping the split tip of the blade inches from my face.
The angle is too awkward, I can’t get any leverage. It’s not a stalemate, it’s a war of attrition that I’m losing.
I catch a glimpse of the two creatures. The worm thing is striking at Augustus, who stands still, limbs moving in arcing blurs deflecting the blows and tearing off chunks of foul, tainted flesh.
The tip of the knife begins to dig into my cheek. A drop of blood hits my eye.
I grab the makeshift tourniquet with a free hand and roughly yank forward. The kid on top of me screams, bloods begins to pour. Torn flesh and a gore soaked belt hit the ground.
For a moment the weight on me eases up, and I push the knife forward. But the kid, he’s too stupid or far gone to just back off. As I feel is strength start to fade, he presses himself harder.
I expect him to back off as I begin to drive the roughly sharpened back edge of the knife into his neck. But he doubles down, leaning forward, trying to press the knife toward me.
For a moment, every other fucked up thing going on around me doesn’t matter. The world is small, silent, and consists of nothing more than the image of the knife ripping away a fist sized strip from the kids neck.
He backs off when he realizes the extent of the damage. Staring at me shocked, as if just not realizing the consequences of his actions.
He dies slowly, poorly, and within inches of me. I feel no victory, no sense of being a winner, just a dark pit in the back of my mind. The loss of something that comes with taking someone’s life.
I stand, shell shocked, staring at the corpse. My safety the last thing on my mind.
The worm thing is hurt, and attempts to dive into the ball pit, but somehow, defying physics, Augustus grabs it, holding the half ton monster out with one hand.
He arcs the thing, slamming it into the floor behind him, the spray of gore and viscera rivals pyrotechnics, the force leaves a blood filled crater in the floor.
Without missing a beat Augustus starts to walk toward me, making a token effort of flicking pieces of bone and organ from himself.
I’m frozen, I know nothing I can do could stop whatever he has planned.
The creature picks up a jagged piece of lumber, and looks at the clock, “We’ve got 45 seconds of fun left kid. “ he says with a sneer.
But as he passes the counter, and sees the corpse the look of imminent violence turns into amusement.
“How’s it feel to be a child killer, bud? “, Augustus laughs, “Not that I can’t tell from the look on your face.
Fuck me, that knocked some gears loose didn’t it? “
The thing walks forward, looking me over like a collectable.
“I can’t let that go to waste, now can I? “ he slaps me lightly, “It’s going to be a fucking blast watching you break down kid, wonder what drives you nuts first, this kid being in your dreams, or the fact that, at some point I’m going to get bored and start giving you all the pain you feel you deserve? “
Of course, I made it out alive. It’d be kind of hard to have posted this if I didn’t.
But now, I sit in a dingy room in a farm house half way across the world from home. Surrounded by family and monsters, all of which seem out to get me. Being forced to risk my life in some kind of blood sport.
Maybe I’ll be back, maybe I’ll be dead by the next time I get a chance to post anything. If anyone has any help, please, post it in the comments. I’m in a dark place here and no one else seems to be on my side.

Can you give me advice about my decision.
Im graduating high school and I need hurry up and make a decision.
I seriously don’t really know what to do afterwards, as far professional/career wise, I’m not very sure. But everyone told me that going to college is very important, so I have no choice.
I’ve been working a “crabby job that a teenager would work” ever since I was 16, can’t believe that 3.5 years have already passed by. If I continue to work here any longer, that hobby isn’t going to age well.
I know that my peers and family won't take me seriously if I don't take things seriously or enroll in college or do something else. It will be assumed by others that I gave everything up to work at a bad job if I continue to work there
I’m terrible at math, seriously, I almost wasn’t certified to graduate because of math, I got lucky with COVID and summer school, I don’t know if I should to university though.
I heard the rumors on the internet, “don’t go to university, only go if you want to be a lawyer, doctor or an engineer.” I’m for sure not going to school for engineering why would I go to just miserably surfer? Hardcore math isn’t my thing.
I can only imagine the judgement I’ll receive if I don’t do nothing after I graduate, they’ll will assume I choose to work a crappy job for life. Or what if I take a year off, I heard it’s pros and cons, the cons are most likely to occur. Taking a whole year can be leave someone unmotivated, it’s like a body builder who’s been working out since he was 15, and then he decides to take a year off at 18, not being productive and by the time his year is up, he lost motivation and willpower to work out again.
Only major that caught my eye was marketing, I’m assuming that I can study this major, graduate and just work a regular office job with my degree and make a good salary. That’s what the lifestyle I expect after I graduate with that degree, but I could be wrong, there’s people who despise the 9-5 route the “matrix route.”
But if that was the case that would be better than me working my current crappy job for life.
Then there are the ridiculous 14-year-old TikTokers in the style of Andrew Tate, who have no clue how to start their own business. They genuinely say things like, "I'm going to drop out of high school and watch every single Andrew Tate video, take notes, and by no time I'll be a millionaire." - Does that truly work, you know? or how does it operate? It seems like no one will ever post a simple solution or even a YouTube video explaining how to get out of the matrix. However, the point of this entire paragraph is irrelevant.
One more random idea In my mind, I thought that since university is so expensive, what if I had to pay an outrageous amount of money each semester or asked my parents for assistance? What if I ended up failing overall, regretted my degree, or just didn't like it? In that case, my money would be lost, and I would probably end up in debt.
But I should be ok, right? It’s not like I’m going to school for 8 years to become a doctor in Harvard University or a private expensive college. It’s a public research university that interests me is located not far from my house.
My parents have high expectations of me going to school, I don’t want to disappoint them but I also don’t won’t put them or myself in a financial disaster either.
Like I know in saying all of this random stuff, I’m just expressing my thoughts, because this time being Im making the biggest decision of my life.
This shit overwhelming me man 😔
Only major that caught my eye was marketing
I plan on majoring in marketing I have two options
🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨 But these are routes that I can take realistically speaking

1. Go to university
2. Go to community college
   
3. University- My admission has been approved; all I need to do is schedule meetings for registration and academic advising. The best part is that I may use my online "Texas College Bridge Certificates" to waive or excuse myself from taking the TSI exam. Even though Paying for university will be a little pricey, FASFA is the only resource I have to help with costs; I don't have any scholarships.
   
4. CC - If I attend a community college, I can be sure that my registration will be more convenient , but I can't avoid taking the TSI exam. My test results aren't great; I've taken it around three times. I think I can only retake it in the summer, and I might fail it again because I have trouble with math. It’s most likely that I fail the test again on my final try in the summer, I can still step foot in a classroom; I would just need to enroll in developmental or remedial courses. There are a lot of negative things I've heard about it; apparently, it's not fun. I've heard that it might slow your progress , and some of you people may be better knowledgeable about that stuff. Basically they’re like classes in kindergarten level shit.
   

What’s the best option for me or any other routes that are better. 🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨

“Get the fuck out of my house with this ‘ old country’ shit Sylvia, I’m serious. “ I hear my dad say from the kitchen downstairs.
“I give children and idiots three warnings. That’s your first. “ It takes me a second to recognize my aunt’s voice. I’ve only met her a handful of times, and it’s nearly 2am.
“Syl, he’s right, this is crazy. I’m Roma, I’m proud, but your part of the family, and mine are two separate things. “ My mom interjects. Her voice is calm and level.
I woke up about half way through whatever is going on, and I’m fuzzy on the details, but everyone involved is three kinds of pissed.
“So you say, but just because you ignore the other side, doesn’t mean the other side ignores you. “ Aunt Syl replies, I could never quite place her accent, but it makes her statement all the more sinister.
“Might as well make that the family motto.
Syl, there are a couple dozen other kids Nikolas’ age in the family. Half of which are already hip deep in whatever is going on nowadays, you don’t need him. “ Mom isn’t pleading, but I can hear she’s worried.
“Why are we trying to reason with your crazy aunt? Time to go Syl. “ My dad isn’t worried, he’s angry.
“That’s two. “ Aunt Sylvia replies.
I hear a chair squeak then fall to the floor.
“That’s three. “ Sylvia says, her voice is cold, and I swear I could almost hear an echo.
I can hear my dad start to quietly cough, he sounds like he’s trying to talk but can’t. My heart starts to race, I don’t understand what’s going on, but I know it’s bad.
“Syl! Jesus Christ, that’s my husband. “ Mom sounds more offended than scared now. I wish I could say the same.
I stand next to my cracked door, fear beginning to take hold.
I can hear my dad start to take long wheezing breaths, I have no idea if this is a good or bad thing.
“Happy?
Now that any hope of doing this quietly is over, Nikolas and I have a long drive ahead of us. He’s 16, he has a license, yes? “ I hear Sylvia say, sudden footsteps walking up the stairs.
“No, he’s not interested in driving. You can’t take him Syl. “ my mom sounds frantic, Sylvia’s steps are measured and heavy.
“Not interested? You sure we are related? You raise soft children. “ Sylvia ends this with a dismissive laugh.
The few minutes that followed were kind of a blur, with my mom trying to convince me that I was just going to visit family, as if I didn’t just hear everything.
It's a couple hours into a long drive in a small car when my brain finally catches up to the fact that I’m awake, and going 30 miles an hour over the speed limit.
Aunt Syl sits in the driver’s seat, she’s 40 something, olive skinned with pitch-colored hair. Her style, it’s, something.
Her outfit was the middle of a Venn diagram of hippie, punk rock and carpenter. Bracelets, flannel, paisley, and enough piercings I lost count.
“Any chance of putting both hands on the wheel? “ I say, I’m mad, but I don’t even really know why.
She holds up her left arm, and I’m shocked. It’s an ancient looking blued steel prosthetic. She flexes, the clawed, almost mitten-like hand.
“Go through too many steering wheels that way. “ She says with a smirk.
“What’s going on? “ I ask, after an agonizing fifteen minutes of silence.
“You’re a big boy, so if you want the truth, I’ll give it to you. There’s a job that needs to be done, a dangerous job. And I want you to do it.
Now, I want you, not because you’re strong, or smart, or special. We have many strong, smart, special boys.
You, I want, because you’re unknown, and, little one, disposable. “ Sylvia lets this comment hang like rotten fruit.
The next hour goes in silence, at no point do I even entertain the notion this is some kind of joke. Something about this woman’s energy, about the way she carries herself, it scares the shit out of me.
We board a plane, somehow she had all of my travel documents. Even stranger is that we get escorted past the security checkpoints, into first class.
The next words I say to Sylvia are, “You have to put that out! “ as she lights up a short, yellow, hand-rolled cigarette.
She grins, taking a long drag, it smells horrible, the cheapest roughest tobacco odor I’ve encountered.
She relaxes, a cloud of thick, grey smoke forming.
I’m stunned, not a single person says anything. At first I think maybe she’s some kind of, I don’t know, mobster or something.
But that isn’t quite right. No one is looking at her in fear, no one is telling anyone else not to say anything. It’s like no one notices what she’s doing.
“How does she do this? The little boy wonders.
I don’t come offering you a thankless task Nik. I come with an opportunity. “ Sylvia says before crushing the cigarette on the arm of a chair and tossing it into the isle.
I had questions, and between the fear and the confusion I asked every one of them.
The only response she gave me was, “You’ll see when we get there. “.
She was right.
The flight lands, and after an hour or so of driving the world’s oldest pickup through the English countryside, we wind up at an old farm house, in the middle of nowhere outside of Hammersmith.
The sign outside says “ Gritt Auctions” the letters are old, bronze and tarnished, the grounds are littered with car parts, statues, and errata of every type.
Dozens, maybe even a hundred people mill about each stopping for a moment to give a suspicious look at the interloper in their midst.
Sylvia seems amused at my nervousness. I try and give the rough looking folks around me as much space as I can.
“They’re family, mostly, by blood or marriage, with a handful of lost souls and hangers on. “ She explains.
I probably should have guessed, seeing my mom’s family name on the sign, but my brain is basically nothing more than fear, anxiety and jet lag at this point.
“When do I get to know what’s going on? “ I say, waving at a cousin of some form and receive a uniquely English rude gesture in return.
My ear is ringing, and I stumble , the left side of my face burning. I’d say Syl slapped me, but it was more of a polite punch.
“Don’t whine. You’ve been stolen from your mother, treated like a dog, and judging by Robert’s attitude, rejected by your family.
I don’t want to hear whining, you angry, soft boy? “ Sylvia stops and turns toward me. I notice the people around us stop their tasks, interested in our conversation.
“No… “ I begin, not wanting to piss her off.
I don’t even see the next slap, but it puts me on my ass.
“Next one’s with the left hand.
Are you angry Nikolas? “ Sylvia looms over me like a raven.
I feel something before I get to my feet, a hot, quick flash of hatred. A context free rage at the fucked up situation I’m in.
“Answer is still no. Because to be angry, I’d have to know a God-Damned thing about what’s going on.
But my lunatic aunt just picked me up and now I’m standing in the middle of whatever the English equivalent to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre family is.
For all I know, I’m your new King. So no, I’m not angry, I’m annoyed, and maybe a bit worried my gene pool really needs some chlorine. “ I’m shocked at what I’m saying, but I see some smiles, hear a few laughs.
Sylvia’s face seems to soften slightly.
“There’s the Gritt in you. “ She says, starting to walk to an old barn.
I catch up to her as I attempt in vain to dust myself off.
Sylvia opens a small, strangely modern looking door, inside a row of lights automatically flip on.
In contrast to the rotten wood exterior, the inside of the barn looks modern, design wise it’s half way between a hospital and a car repair shop. Equipment of unknown purpose, gurneys and cages of all sizes and types surround me.
Sylvia walks to a door at the back, then pauses.
“Before I open this door, you need to understand something.
There is no fortune telling, or reading of cards here. The cloak of the traveller, the bangles of the gypsy, these are all ways of navigating the world to us. Ways to exist on the fringes of society.
The Gritt family, we trade in the unknown. We find, we collect, and we sell. And ours is no petty collection of trinkets and tools not meant for the hands of man.
Our grift, is livestock. “
The woman opens the door, and what I see, sitting, chained in one corner of the industrial cement walled cell shakes everything I thought I knew about reality.
He's six and a half feet tall, his skin a waxy yellow, and every spare inch is festooned with black stitching, rusted pieces of metal or small splinters of bone.
His face is noseless and asymmetrical, almost as if repaired or modified over and over. One eye is a small, sinister looking orb with a red pupil, the other a massive, almost reptilian thing, wildly twitching about.
He wears no shirt, but a long, grey hide Trenchcoat hangs down to his knees. I start to shake as I see it’s made from layers of stitched human skin.
He sneers at us, long, conical teeth catch the harsh halogen light.
The thing strains against the chains, but they bind him tightly enough to the wall he can barely move.
“You’re not lasting more than 4 seconds kid. Just turn the fuck around. I’ll have you slitting your wrists in the corner by nightfall. “ The thing says, it’s voice is foul, almost a physical force. Grating, rage filled, and with a lunatic edge to it that makes me question exactly how much those chains can take.
“ 3/10, Augustus, who do you think you are scaring with that limp dick of a threat? “ Sylvia says, confidently walking up to the creature.
It snaps it’s jaws with a sound like a rifle shot. No where near Sylvia, but enough to make me jump on the other side of the room.
“If I could stop being threatened and hearing my aunt talk about dicks, I’d be a huge fan. “ I say, something deep within me, pushing past the fear and lack of sleep, “And if anything feels like just telling me what’s going on instead of being vague and creepy, even better. “
The chained thing looks to me, curious. Sylvia smirks.
“Augustus is going to be forced to fight others like him until eventually he gets what’s coming to him for years of evil.
You, are going to stand next to him while he does it. “ Sylvia begins to walk away from the thing, ignoring vile threats of both the violent and carnal variety.
I try to follow her out the door and she blocks me.
“If your still sane and alive in the morning, I was right. Good luck soft boy. “ She says before closing the heavy metal door.
Without her, I feel tiny, that spark of rage is snuffed out and replaced with a cold sense of dread.
“You’re going to have to turn around sometime kid. “ The chained creature says.
I turn, slowly, resolving to make eye contact with the thing. I manage a second or two before looking away, the creature cackles, mocking me.
“Holy shit, they sent me an honest to God pussy. Whole family full of void fucked apes and they send me you?
The best part is, you don’t even get it. I can see what you’re thinking kid, I can see that tiny collection of hormones and goo you vainly call a brain going into overdrive trying to figure this out… “ Augustus starts.
The creature kept going, I don’t have an exact count but it was at least twelve hours.
I can only describe it as a verbal assault. Augustus drew from some dark wells, how it knew half of the things it did scared me as much as it’s clawed hands or, piranha-like teeth.
I lost something that night. The fears that thing drug up, the insecurities it played on, the secrets it knew, it crushed any childlike notions of safety or understanding the world I had.
Don’t take that the wrong way, I don’t mean it toughened me up. It broke any sense of confidence I had, took away any feeling of safety. That God Damned thing in the trenchcoat, changed me.
I’ve lost track of how long it’s been since I’ve slept, but I’m brought a tin plate heaped with eggs, sausage and for some twisted reason, brown beans. And realize it’s been at least a day since I’ve eaten.
I sit around an abused, graffiti carved picnic table with an eclectic combination of family I’ve never met. Syl sips a tea I can smell from ten feet away and looks at me like I’m a used car.
“I’m always right soft boy. Remember that. “ She says.
It takes a half dozen guys built like construction workers, with Sylvia following behind whispering things that wilt vegetation, to wrangle the creature into the back of an old, reinforced horse trailer.
The inside is covered in totems, runes, and other spooky looking errata. The entity becomes sluggish and disoriented as the heavy wooden doors close, and get sealed with a massive brass lock.
My mind begins to wander on the three hour trip through the back country of the UK. The sun sets, and my brain screams for sleep. That scream is silenced by the sense of mounting dread as we get closer to our destination.
We pull up to an abandoned theme restaurant, the parking lot is full, the windows are boarded, and the walls covered in graffiti. The place is huge, more the size of a small stadium than a diner.
The parking lot is full, the sputtering, sparking neon sign flashes “Faron’s Funhouse. “
It’s a few minutes outside of a town I forgot to catch the name of. We can see lights on the horizon, but there’s a feeling of wrong surrounding the building that makes them seem a million miles away.
A half dozen ‘cousins’ of mine move Augustus into a strange, almost coffin-like box made of wood, steel and glass, covered in trinkets and symbols. The thing sneers groggily from within, it’s mismatched eyes rolling in it’s skull.
I don’t hear Sylvia approach, I notice her as she smacks me in the back of the head hard enough to make my ears ring. The old, cruel woman is walking toward the doors of this meeting place.
“Eyes forward, sneer on your face, and walk like you know where you’re going. “ Are her only instructions.
For once, they’re clear and simple. What I see inside easily keeps my attention, and I’m equal parts scared and pissed off, so looking edgy and miserable is my default state.
At one point, this place was exactly what you’d think. I know you’re all expecting it to be a run down, rat infested haunted house now, but it was, stranger than that.
The place was well kept on the inside, but everything was either in use or repurposed to house the couple hundred eclectic customers milling around. In the centre, is a massive Lucite Cube, crystal clear and housing a ball pit, jungle gym and what looks to be a functional canteen, complete with a deep fryer and popcorn machine. It’s a couple hundred meters a side, and shaped like a flawed rectangle.
Smoke hangs in the air, my aunt greets old friends in a handful of different languages, I smile and nod, still trying to understand what the hell this place is.
We see Augustus being wheeled to the Lucite box, Sylvia cuts a laughing Cyrillic conversation short, and her and I make our way to the box that barely restrains the hatred and death inside.
At the other end of the Lucite Cube I see a few people dressed in blue and maroon uniforms ( if I were to guess vintage, from when this place served shitty food instead of violence.), they surround a massive, hulking, lanky thing. It’s obscured by smoke, and poor lighting, but it’s nine foot frame, and unnatural gait are clear.
The box holding Augustus sits about ten feet away from me, inside the massive cage. The front opens, my instinct is to step backward, get as much distance between me and the thing inside as possible, but instead, I’m shoved, before I can catch my balance, a workbook clad foot is in front of me.
I fall and stumble into the cage, I turn around to try and get out as fast as I can, I’m standing inches away from the creature, but I see Sylvia closing the clear, impermeable door.
It hits me then. For the first time since this ordeal started, I realize how grim things are.
Just like everyone else here, I’ve been raised on spooky shit packaged to be marketable. Little monsters, The Adams Family, Harry potter, hell let’s throw Pokemon and the like in there as it’s basically just dog fighting with a cute hat on.
And I thought what was happening to me, was somewhere on the Venn diagram of those things.
But as I see the impassive look on the face of a woman I’ve known since I was a child, ( at a distance or no.) as I’m locked in here with God knows what, I get it. I really get it.
His laughter is like an ice pick, I turn to face him, Augustus brushes himself off, casually looking around the massive arena.
“Just hit ya didn’t it, bud? “ He says, walking over to me, his steps impossibly quick, almost insect-like, “You’re not my trainer, or my wrangler, you certainly aren’t my fucking partner. “, the entity grabs my chin between two clawed fingers, “ You’re a bait dog. Something for me and that new blooded walking pun to fight over. “
My blood runs down his thumb, his grin cracks his face like a rotten melon, the monster pulls down, throwing me to the floor.
A buzzer sounds, and a three minute timer, projected in transparent red appears on the walls of the Lucite arena.
“If I’ve got to hunt you down in this shit-hole, things are going to be a lot worse for you. Stay put, bud. “ The trenchcoat clad thing says, casually walking toward the creature on the opposite side of the arena.
Closer now, I see it clearly. Inside of a pristine uniform, is a twisted attempt at the human form. The torso is lumpen, asymmetrical, but lean. It's arms nearly drag on the floor, yellow, infected looking flesh, weeping pus like a snail’s foot.
It's eyes are black caves, with just the hint of something deep within. It’s face is blank, a torn, haggard looking grey tongue runs over rotting green teeth.
The kid beside it looks around my age, he’s big though, just as confused and afraid as I am. He wears a similar uniform to the creature, but his looks, abused, torn, blood stained. Like it's been handed down from one unlucky owner to the next.
As the buzzer rings, the lanky, disgusting creature moves in a flash, tearing off the kid’s right arm and beginning to chew it.
The blood didn’t set me off, as terrible as it was. It was the three seconds between the act, and the poor kid realizing what happened that pushed me over the edge.
He started to scream, a horrible trapped animal kind of noise. He backs away from the monster beside him, gripping the crushed and torn remains of his forearm.
Augustus laughs, his trenchcoat drags on the floor, leaving a streak of blood as he walks.
“Man after my own heart.
So, I say, we split these sides of beef for two minutes then talk shop for a bit. Fuck these pretentious apes and their show. “ Augustus looks up to the massive thing. It remains impassive, gnawing on the hand.
“Don’t be like that. We both know two halves are better than one whole . Win-win for both of us“ Augustus gets a noise that sounds like an angry sewer pipe, and a dismissive wave of a long snake-like arm in response.
The thing in the trenchcoat shrugs, turning around and stalking toward me.
“You have no luck at all kid, I was going to let you go last.
But the pinworm back there wants to be a dick about things, so looks like things are getting started early. “ Augustus grins, his mouth opening shark like.
I stare down certain death, Augustus radiating fear, seeming to become more demonic with each step toward me.
From behind him, a noise.
I would have just assumed it was some part of the worm-like, filth ridden thing eating. Augustus clears up that misconception.
He turns, shaking, body language that of a wild animal.
“Was that a fucking snicker? A giggle? Are you fucking laughing at me, you literal fucking worm. “ He’s panting, hands twitching like dying insects.
He stands, inches from the other creature, dwarfed by it, teeth grinding, muscles straining.
The worm thing casually tosses the flesh bare hand toward Augustus. As it touches his coat, the arena erupts into a kind of wild, senseless, limitless violence.
It doesn’t feel like watching a fight, it’s more like a car wreck, or natural disaster. Pieces of jungle gym turn into lethal shrapnel as the blurred, filth spewing scrum destroys them.
I see the timer, 2:15. My mind starts to catch up, and I see the other kid, pale, whimpering, and trying in vain to staunch the blood spurting from his arm.
I’m running, low and likely poorly, pulling my belt from my pants, and thanking myself for actually listening when I was forced to take a first aid course for a summer job last year.
The kid is scared, he tries pushing me away, but I’m determined, and not down a couple pints of blood. I pull the belt with two hands, pull it through again and twist, it’s ugly, it’s not perfect, but the flow of blood begins to slow, then stop.
We crawl behind a prize counter, decades old candy and stuffed animals surround us as we cower. A liquid filled roar loud enough to crack the cheap glass cases fills the room.
The kid is looking rough, blood still trickling from the torn stump of his forearm. I see some plastic bags and get an idea.
I lean over to get them, and feel something strange, at first I think I pulled a muscle.
Then there is a deep, burning pain, instinctively I pull away, and turn around.
The kid is on his knees, sanity has left his eyes, a cheap hunting knife in his remaining hand he has a look of panic and determination on his face.
“We have to win. “ he says, lunging at me with the blade.
He’s slow, and I avoid it, but not by as much as I’d like. Blood runs down my back, for a moment I wonder how bad I’m hurt, but it doesn’t really matter right now.
I retreat, but the only thing keeping us from being torn apart by the whirlwind of shrapnel caused by the creatures is the counter, I can’t escape.
It's a stalemate, I’m no athlete, and the kid is built like a rugby player, but he’s missing a hand, and delirious from blood loss. I plead, I try and reason, and I dodge crazed strikes by increasingly narrow margins.
Something large, either thrown or knocked loose destroys the counter behind me. Suddenly all is chaos. I’m thrown into the kid in the uniform, plaster dust surrounds us in a grey cloud.
By the time the air clears the kid is on top of me. I have his wrist in one hand, keeping the split tip of the blade inches from my face.
The angle is too awkward, I can’t get any leverage. It’s not a stalemate, it’s a war of attrition that I’m losing.
I catch a glimpse of the two creatures. The worm thing is striking at Augustus, who stands still, limbs moving in arcing blurs deflecting the blows and tearing off chunks of foul, tainted flesh.
The tip of the knife begins to dig into my cheek. A drop of blood hits my eye.
I grab the makeshift tourniquet with a free hand and roughly yank forward. The kid on top of me screams, bloods begins to pour. Torn flesh and a gore soaked belt hit the ground.
For a moment the weight on me eases up, and I push the knife forward. But the kid, he’s too stupid or far gone to just back off. As I feel is strength start to fade, he presses himself harder.
I expect him to back off as I begin to drive the roughly sharpened back edge of the knife into his neck. But he doubles down, leaning forward, trying to press the knife toward me.
For a moment, every other fucked up thing going on around me doesn’t matter. The world is small, silent, and consists of nothing more than the image of the knife ripping away a fist sized strip from the kids neck.
He backs off when he realizes the extent of the damage. Staring at me shocked, as if just not realizing the consequences of his actions.
He dies slowly, poorly, and within inches of me. I feel no victory, no sense of being a winner, just a dark pit in the back of my mind. The loss of something that comes with taking someone’s life.
I stand, shell shocked, staring at the corpse. My safety the last thing on my mind.
The worm thing is hurt, and attempts to dive into the ball pit, but somehow, defying physics, Augustus grabs it, holding the half ton monster out with one hand.
He arcs the thing, slamming it into the floor behind him, the spray of gore and viscera rivals pyrotechnics, the force leaves a blood filled crater in the floor.
Without missing a beat Augustus starts to walk toward me, making a token effort of flicking pieces of bone and organ from himself.
I’m frozen, I know nothing I can do could stop whatever he has planned.
The creature picks up a jagged piece of lumber, and looks at the clock, “We’ve got 45 seconds of fun left kid. “ he says with a sneer.
But as he passes the counter, and sees the corpse the look of imminent violence turns into amusement.
“How’s it feel to be a child killer, bud? “, Augustus laughs, “Not that I can’t tell from the look on your face.
Fuck me, that knocked some gears loose didn’t it? “
The thing walks forward, looking me over like a collectable.
“I can’t let that go to waste, now can I? “ he slaps me lightly, “It’s going to be a fucking blast watching you break down kid, wonder what drives you nuts first, this kid being in your dreams, or the fact that, at some point I’m going to get bored and start giving you all the pain you feel you deserve? “
Of course, I made it out alive. It’d be kind of hard to have posted this if I didn’t.
But now, I sit in a dingy room in a farm house half way across the world from home. Surrounded by family and monsters, all of which seem out to get me. Being forced to risk my life in some kind of blood sport.
Maybe I’ll be back, maybe I’ll be dead by the next time I get a chance to post anything. If anyone has any help, please, post it in the comments. I’m in a dark place here and no one else seems to be on my side.

Can you give me advice about my decision.
Im graduating high school and I need hurry up and make a decision.
I seriously don’t really know what to do afterwards, as far professional/career wise, I’m not very sure. But everyone told me that going to college is very important, so I have no choice.
I’ve been working a “crabby job that a teenager would work” ever since I was 16, can’t believe that 3.5 years have already passed by. If I continue to work here any longer, that hobby isn’t going to age well.
I know that my peers and family won't take me seriously if I don't take things seriously or enroll in college or do something else. It will be assumed by others that I gave everything up to work at a bad job if I continue to work there
I’m terrible at math, seriously, I almost wasn’t certified to graduate because of math, I got lucky with COVID and summer school, I don’t know if I should to university though.
I heard the rumors on the internet, “don’t go to university, only go if you want to be a lawyer, doctor or an engineer.” I’m for sure not going to school for engineering why would I go to just miserably surfer? Hardcore math isn’t my thing.
I can only imagine the judgement I’ll receive if I don’t do nothing after I graduate, they’ll will assume I choose to work a crappy job for life. Or what if I take a year off, I heard it’s pros and cons, the cons are most likely to occur. Taking a whole year can be leave someone unmotivated, it’s like a body builder who’s been working out since he was 15, and then he decides to take a year off at 18, not being productive and by the time his year is up, he lost motivation and willpower to work out again.
Only major that caught my eye was marketing, I’m assuming that I can study this major, graduate and just work a regular office job with my degree and make a good salary. That’s what the lifestyle I expect after I graduate with that degree, but I could be wrong, there’s people who despise the 9-5 route the “matrix route.”
But if that was the case that would be better than me working my current crappy job for life.
Then there are the ridiculous 14-year-old TikTokers in the style of Andrew Tate, who have no clue how to start their own business. They genuinely say things like, "I'm going to drop out of high school and watch every single Andrew Tate video, take notes, and by no time I'll be a millionaire." - Does that truly work, you know? or how does it operate? It seems like no one will ever post a simple solution or even a YouTube video explaining how to get out of the matrix. However, the point of this entire paragraph is irrelevant.
One more random idea In my mind, I thought that since university is so expensive, what if I had to pay an outrageous amount of money each semester or asked my parents for assistance? What if I ended up failing overall, regretted my degree, or just didn't like it? In that case, my money would be lost, and I would probably end up in debt.
But I should be ok, right? It’s not like I’m going to school for 8 years to become a doctor in Harvard University or a private expensive college. It’s a public research university that interests me is located not far from my house.
My parents have high expectations of me going to school, I don’t want to disappoint them but I also don’t won’t put them or myself in a financial disaster either.
Like I know in saying all of this random stuff, I’m just expressing my thoughts, because this time being Im making the biggest decision of my life.
This shit overwhelming me man 😔
Only major that caught my eye was marketing
I plan on majoring in marketing I have two options
🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨 But these are routes that I can take realistically speaking

1. Go to university
2. Go to community college
   
3. University- My admission has been approved; all I need to do is schedule meetings for registration and academic advising. The best part is that I may use my online "Texas College Bridge Certificates" to waive or excuse myself from taking the TSI exam. Even though Paying for university will be a little pricey, FASFA is the only resource I have to help with costs; I don't have any scholarships.
   
4. CC - If I attend a community college, I can be sure that my registration will be more convenient , but I can't avoid taking the TSI exam. My test results aren't great; I've taken it around three times. I think I can only retake it in the summer, and I might fail it again because I have trouble with math. It’s most likely that I fail the test again on my final try in the summer, I can still step foot in a classroom; I would just need to enroll in developmental or remedial courses. There are a lot of negative things I've heard about it; apparently, it's not fun. I've heard that it might slow your progress , and some of you people may be better knowledgeable about that stuff. Basically they’re like classes in kindergarten level shit.
   

What’s the best option for me or any other routes that are better. 🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨

Can you give me advice about my decision.
Im graduating high school and I need hurry up and make a decision.
I seriously don’t really know what to do afterwards, as far professional/career wise, I’m not very sure. But everyone told me that going to college is very important, so I have no choice.
I’ve been working a “crabby job that a teenager would work” ever since I was 16, can’t believe that 3.5 years have already passed by. If I continue to work here any longer, that hobby isn’t going to age well.
I know that my peers and family won't take me seriously if I don't take things seriously or enroll in college or do something else. It will be assumed by others that I gave everything up to work at a bad job if I continue to work there
I’m terrible at math, seriously, I almost wasn’t certified to graduate because of math, I got lucky with COVID and summer school, I don’t know if I should to university though.
I heard the rumors on the internet, “don’t go to university, only go if you want to be a lawyer, doctor or an engineer.” I’m for sure not going to school for engineering why would I go to just miserably surfer? Hardcore math isn’t my thing.
I can only imagine the judgement I’ll receive if I don’t do nothing after I graduate, they’ll will assume I choose to work a crappy job for life. Or what if I take a year off, I heard it’s pros and cons, the cons are most likely to occur. Taking a whole year can be leave someone unmotivated, it’s like a body builder who’s been working out since he was 15, and then he decides to take a year off at 18, not being productive and by the time his year is up, he lost motivation and willpower to work out again.
Only major that caught my eye was marketing, I’m assuming that I can study this major, graduate and just work a regular office job with my degree and make a good salary. That’s what the lifestyle I expect after I graduate with that degree, but I could be wrong, there’s people who despise the 9-5 route the “matrix route.”
But if that was the case that would be better than me working my current crappy job for life.
Then there are the ridiculous 14-year-old TikTokers in the style of Andrew Tate, who have no clue how to start their own business. They genuinely say things like, "I'm going to drop out of high school and watch every single Andrew Tate video, take notes, and by no time I'll be a millionaire." - Does that truly work, you know? or how does it operate? It seems like no one will ever post a simple solution or even a YouTube video explaining how to get out of the matrix. However, the point of this entire paragraph is irrelevant.
One more random idea In my mind, I thought that since university is so expensive, what if I had to pay an outrageous amount of money each semester or asked my parents for assistance? What if I ended up failing overall, regretted my degree, or just didn't like it? In that case, my money would be lost, and I would probably end up in debt.
But I should be ok, right? It’s not like I’m going to school for 8 years to become a doctor in Harvard University or a private expensive college. It’s a public research university that interests me is located not far from my house.
My parents have high expectations of me going to school, I don’t want to disappoint them but I also don’t won’t put them or myself in a financial disaster either.
Like I know in saying all of this random stuff, I’m just expressing my thoughts, because this time being Im making the biggest decision of my life.
This shit overwhelming me man 😔
Only major that caught my eye was marketing
I plan on majoring in marketing I have two options
🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨 But these are routes that I can take realistically speaking

1. Go to university
2. Go to community college
   
3. University- My admission has been approved; all I need to do is schedule meetings for registration and academic advising. The best part is that I may use my online "Texas College Bridge Certificates" to waive or excuse myself from taking the TSI exam. Even though Paying for university will be a little pricey, FASFA is the only resource I have to help with costs; I don't have any scholarships.
   
4. CC - If I attend a community college, I can be sure that my registration will be more convenient , but I can't avoid taking the TSI exam. My test results aren't great; I've taken it around three times. I think I can only retake it in the summer, and I might fail it again because I have trouble with math. It’s most likely that I fail the test again on my final try in the summer, I can still step foot in a classroom; I would just need to enroll in developmental or remedial courses. There are a lot of negative things I've heard about it; apparently, it's not fun. I've heard that it might slow your progress , and some of you people may be better knowledgeable about that stuff. Basically they’re like classes in kindergarten level shit.
   

What’s the best option for me or any other routes that are better. 🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨