Hi, this may be the wrong sub but I though mechanics will probably know better than people who just build diy go karts So I have an old Polaris 250 trailblazer and a 5 hp push mower and I was wondering if I can just remove most of the atv, add a steering wheel and pedals and just connect the push mower engine straight to the wheels with the sprockets on the atv. For context I’m 50 kg and I’m wondering how fast it’ll go if it even runs

I need help, I’ve bought a 16hp OHV horizontal engine, with a shaft diameter of 25.4mm (or 1 inch I think), anyway I plan on building a go kart/atv kind of thing with it, but I have no idea what kind of chain or sprocket to buy to go further, I also have no idea where to buy them. I want to put the sprocket onto the engine and then connect by chain to an axel below (that’s all that’s important for this) Is this how I should do it? And how do I know what to buy and where to buy?

(Edit: formatting)I’m an American female in my 30’s - I solo travel every year and just spent 10 days in Nicaragua. I wanted to share my experiences because TL;DR - I had a wonderful time and think it’s a beautiful country.
I was picked up at the airport in Managua by a driver I’d met via my air bnb host, and had been talking to on What’s App. The airport experience was smooth - my bag had gotten flagged in the US for having too many liquids so when it got flagged in Managua I assumed it was the same but they thought I had a drone. It costs $10 to enter (you will need cash at customs). It was easy to avoid the taxi drivers waiting outside (not super pushy) and I felt safe waiting alone with my bags. The house I rented was very rural - in Pochomil Viejo - so the driver first stopped at El Colonial supermarket in Managua so I could get food to cook for the week. The store was very nice, like walking into a store in the US.
One thing I encountered, which I had read before in this thread but forgot about, is that dollars are worthless if they have ANY marks or tears. Luckily I had brought enough cash and cordobas to make do but almost 1/3 of my US bills (that I got at the bank) were useless there. I walked alone on the beach and in town during the day and felt safe. The house I was renting had a family living in the back to act as caretakers and it did make me feel safe to have locals around especially in an open beachfront property. There were wild horses running on the beach like something out of a fairytale.
I later drove down to San Jorge to take the ferry to Ometepe. The process was very easy - I had a rolly bag and a backpack and didn’t struggle. I was able to sit with my luggage on the boat. It’s 50c a ride (plus tourists need to pay for a 2nd tourism ticket, once). I had read recommendations to eat at El Navegante which is right next to the ferry building becauze they have excellent Italian food and a Milanese owner - I can confirm the food is great. It’s super easy to find transportation on both sides of the boat trip.
On ometepe I stayed in Moyogalpa at Hospedaje Soma. The place has great food ! I paid for an upgrade to have air conditioning which turned out to be useless as the power went out all three nights I was there, up to 5 hours a night. I talked with others who mentioned this was Island-wide but maybe some other hotels had better generators. (The power also went out for one night in my hotel in Granada so I don’t think it was exclusive to Ometepe. While in Ometepe there were signs everywhere to conserve water and the water did also shut off - hotel wide - for an entire night. I’m not sure if that’s common or was unique to my stay. I rented an ATV to tour the island (I decided the highway in Central America was not an appropriate time for me to learn how to ride a motorcycle, lol) and this was my favorite experience. There are so many little fun spots around the island. I decided against climbing Concepcion (actually cancelled my reservation to climb) as it was ungodly hot while I was there and I had underestimated how strenuous and lengthy it was. Paying with card at most hotels was no problem but there was always a 4% or similar fee added on. I didn’t find it hard to use or locate ATMs. Smaller places obviously don’t take card.
After a few nights in Ometepe I traveled to Granada using Gekko Trails shuttle. The service was cheap and reliable - it was a 12 passenger van with a local family taking the total to 14 people. They dropped me off directly at the hotel, I’d use them again. Granada was underwhelming, although I’ll admit I didn’t go far or do much there. It was where I felt the most on edge being alone although nothing blatantly unsafe happened to me, and I was walking to/from dinner at night. I was disappointed the cathedral was closed. The town almost seemed like a very old movie set. I did grow to love the Spanish architecture of lush, shady inner courtyards after stepping in off the hot outer street. I stayed at El Plaza Colon Hotel which was beautiful I’d definitely stay there again.
I’d recommend using In-Drive for rides in Managua and other big cities (similar to Uber). Note you’ll pay in Cordobas not via card. I also always use Pedidos Ya to order food (similar to DoorDash). I do speak Spanish but sound very white/formal and everyone I met was so nice to let me practice in jumbled Spanglish.
The people were nothing but amazing, welcoming, and friendly. I felt like they were genuinely nice people and not just being friendly to earn a buck, which I’ve felt in other places. I’m so glad I was able to experience it myself and make my own impressions and I’d love to visit again!

Scenario: I use Apple Home to manually flip my thermostat from Off to Cool or Auto. After setting it, X minutes/hrs later, I’ll notice that the temp I’ve set it to is much higher than what I selected. Either my setting change isn’t sending through to the thermostat, or my Ecobees have a mind of their own.
Troubleshooting:
A. I made sure there weren’t automatons I forgot about. I checked in Apple Home and in Home+. The latter was to ensure nothing previously deleted might be stuck in my build. Hate how Apple keeps deleted Automations around.
B. I used my partner’s phone to set the temp. Same results. They’re actually the one who pointed this issue out.
C. I reset my ATV hub. Same results. No difference if I use HomePod mini as the hub either.
Additional info:
A. I once had my thermostats connected through the app, but no longer do.
B. I’m on the latest OSs for all my devices, which is the latest that currently exist.
Questions:

1. What other troubleshooting options do I have here?
   
2. Has anyone else experienced this before?
   

I’m an American female in my 30’s - I solo travel every year and just spent 10 days in Nicaragua. I wanted to share my experiences because TL;DR - I had a wonderful time and think it’s a beautiful country.
I was picked up at the airport in Managua by a driver I’d met via my air bnb host, and had been talking to on What’s App. The airport experience was smooth - my bag had gotten flagged in the US for having too many liquids so when it got flagged in Managua I assumed it was the same but they thought I had a drone. It costs $10 to enter (you will need cash at customs). It was easy to avoid the taxi drivers waiting outside (not super pushy) and I felt safe waiting alone with my bags. The house I rented was very rural - in Pochomil Viejo - so the driver first stopped at El Colonial supermarket in Managua so I could get food to cook for the week. The story was very nice, like walking into a store in the US.
One thing I encountered, which I had read before in this thread but forgot about, is that dollars are worthless if they have ANY marks or tears. Luckily I had brought enough cash and cordobas to make do but almost 1/3 of my US bills (that I got at the bank) were useless there.
I walked alone on the beach and in town during the day and felt safe. The house I was renting had a family living in the back to act as caretakers and it did make me feel safe to have locals around especially in an open beachfront property. There were wild horses running on the beach like something out of a fairytale.
I later drove down to San Jorge to take the ferry to Ometepe. The process was very easy - I had a rolly bag and a backpack and didn’t struggle. I was able to sit with my luggage on the boat. It’s 50c a ride (plus tourists need to pay for a 2nd tourism ticket, once). I had read recommendations to eat at El Navegante which is right next to the ferry building becauze they have excellent Italian food and a Milanese owner - I can confirm the food is great. It’s super easy to find transportation on both sides of the boat trip.
On ometepe I stayed in Moyogalpa at Hospedaje Soma. The place has great food ! I paid for an upgrade to have air conditioning which turned out to be useless as the power went out all three nights I was there, up to 5 hours a night. I talked with others who mentioned this was Island-wide but maybe some other hotels had better generators. (The power also went out for one night in my hotel in Granada so I don’t think it was exclusive to Ometepe. While in Ometepe there were signs everywhere to conserve water and the water did also shut off - hotel wide - for an entire night. I’m not sure if that’s common or was unique to my stay.
I rented an ATV to tour the island (I decided the highway in Central America was not an appropriate time for me to learn how to ride a motorcycle, lol) and this was my favorite experience. There are so many little fun spots around the island. I decided against climbing Concepcion (actually cancelled my reservation to climb) as it was ungodly hot while I was there and I had underestimated how strenuous and lengthy it was.
Paying with card at most hotels was no problem but there was always a 4% or similar fee added on. I didn’t find it hard to use or locate ATMs. Smaller places obviously don’t take card.
After a few nights in Ometepe I traveled to Granada using Gekko Trails shuttle. The service was cheap and reliable - it was a 12 passenger van with a local family taking the total to 14 people. They dropped me off directly at the hotel, I’d use them again.
Granada was underwhelming, although I’ll admit I didn’t go far or do much there. It was where I felt the most on edge being alone although nothing blatantly unsafe happened to me, and I was walking to/from dinner at night. I was disappointed the cathedral was closed. The town almost seemed like a very old movie set. I did grow to love the Spanish architecture of lush, shady inner courtyards after stepping in off the hot outer street. I stayed at El Plaza Colon Hotel which was beautiful I’d definitely stay there again.
I’d recommend using In-Drive for rides in Managua and other big cities (similar to Uber). Note you’ll pay in Cordobas not via card. I also always use Pedidos Ya to order food (similar to DoorDash). I do speak Spanish but sound very white/formal and everyone I met was so nice to let me practice in jumbled Spanglish.
The people were nothing but amazing, welcoming, and friendly. I felt like they were genuinely nice people and not just being friendly to earn a buck, which I’ve felt in other places. I’m so glad I was able to experience it myself and make my own impressions and I’d love to visit again!

Here's my project: I got a free semi truck power wheels that I'm gonna build a subframe and a flatbed on it to pull a small gooseneck trailer I built. The build is also gonna be remote controlled (my son is 9mo rn lol) with a rc car controller, esc, and a linear actuator to control the steering. As of now, I'm planning on either getting a mobility scooter rear axle assembly, or going with a 1" live axle and use a chain driven 24v motor for the rear end, as I want to be able to pull the trailer even with a bunch of weight on it.
What I also really want is to make it 4x4. My problem is trying to figure out how to do either 2 electric motors on each front spindle, or 1 motor that drives a differential/axle somehow. Anyone have ideas for a heavy duty electric powered front end? I don't want the standard power wheels motors.
I haven't seen this done yet with an electric motor setup, and I've searched around quite a bit. I've seen grind hard plumbings builds, but they generally go with ATV front differential/ axles and gas motors from what I've seen. But maybe an ATV differential attached to an electric motor might work?
The fabrication side of it I can handle, I'm just not sure what I should be looking into for a front axle for it. Thanks for any help

This is long... This is very long.
I'm married, two children, my Wife is awesome. We live in a small community in a wooded/rural area. It's not Donner Pass but we are out in the boonies. We have to be somewhat able and self sufficient. It's not off grid prepper stuff but we have to be able to do more ourselves than if we lived in town.
A few years back, my Wifes Friend and I guess you'd call him a friendly acquaintance of mine moved up on the mountain. Let's call him Frank. The guy has issues, as do we all, but he's functional, intelligent, and quite handy. A decent guy to know to help get things done.
When he moved in, the property he bought was a disaster. Previous owner used to get all manner of Amazon returns and stockpile the stuff. Also anything else he could drag home for free or dirt cheap. All kinds of crap everywhere with zero organization. A couple of giant burn piles where of course he's burning just whatever, a pickup truck bed camper in disrepair full of stuff, ratty tarps and tents covering more crap. Squalor and chaos.
The property does have a functional well and **some** kind of septic system and there's power run to it. There's a small building attached to a camper but with some work it can be made liveable. So we sort of have the bare essentials covered. We just have a ton of work to do.
So I'm excited, my Wife is excited, Frank is excited as well. We all figure let's get Frank set up. Running water, working toilet, sink, wood/coal stove, major cleanup on the property, a water heater, washing machine, a shower or even a bath tub would be real nice as well. Basic stuff so he can do for himself because at this point he's showering and doing laundry and eating supper all at our house. I figure if I'm in a spot, I could go up there and have a shower or do laundry you know?
We get to work. First we have to finish even moving the guy in so he can be rid of the trailer he's renting in a trailer park. Turns out the guy is a hoarder and it's heavy. The guy has more stuff packed into his trailer then we actually know what to do with. At least it's nothing disgusting and most of it I can see at least some value in it. I can see why he'd keep hold of things like this but Man there's a LOT!!! I don't know how he can even store all this stuff so I figured let's make this easy and I bought him a 40' shipping container and had it delivered to his place. We get it there and we assemble storage racks that were left on the property by the previous owner inside the shipping container. I'm not rich but at this point I don't terribly miss the money and I figure helping this dude out will benefit me and my Family. Within two weeks, Frank is out of his trailer and everything he owns is jammed into the shipping container. It's tight but it's somewhat organized at least.
Now! Let's get to work! And we do. We start clearing out some of the actual trash. Say 15 hours and we can notice that we made a dent. Another 15 hours, it still kind of looks for shit but we can at least make sense of the place now. We're really doing something here! It's heavy and dirty and disgusting but we're having a lot of fun with it and feeling pretty good. As we're going, we find some actual decent things in the piles that the previous owner left behind and we're trying to not waste anything because we're not rich and we might need the stuff.
It gets to a point where it's starting to become really dirty work and even a garden hose would be pretty dang amazing just to at least wash up a little bit because we really don't know what's in some of these piles but Man we're digging deep into them! My Wife goes through the nonsense of getting his power turned on. Frank has enough money saved to get it turned on and to keep it going a while.
Ok, we got power and we can make some water happen now. We scrounged up a shitter and a sink, bought some PVC and got that happening. Now we can wash up and we don't have to crap in the woods anymore. We also found a decent Harmann wood/coal burner and installed that. Nothing ideal but we're looking pretty damn good compared to when we started. The stove was free. The previous owner switched to pellets and had no use for it. We had to get it out and move it of course but nothing we can't handle.
So now it's getting to at least 40 hours at Franks place, maybe 60 hours. I wasn't really keeping track. The place still looks like hell but we're making steady progress and it's more or less "liveable". Meanwhile there are things piling up at my own house. The roof needs a little attention, some work on my backhoe, vehicle repairs and maintenance. Normal everyday stuff that got put to the back burner for a while as we set this guy up but it's starting to pile up and I have to get this shit done.
"Hey Frank, you mind coming down a little while and pitching in with this or that?"
At first, yea he makes his way down and helps out. Not at the crack of dawn, say 11 AM or so. Fine and dandy. This isn't pay work and I don't start early myself, nor do I go very long and hard on these tasks. Put in a couple hours until I feel like I accomplished something and call it a day. I don't think I'm asking much.
After a bit though, he's showing up later and later. If Frank says 12-ish, it means like 2PM or something. One day I have to remove the backhoe from my tractor in order to replace some hydraulic lines. This assembly weighs about 4 tons. It's on a 1967 Case 580 CK. Not the biggest thing but it's no joke. Frank is skilled with cranes and forklifts and other heavy stuff and I figure he could just come down and help me make damn sure this thing is going to be stable. I'm going to have the hydraulics opened up and if it's not properly supported it could move on me and that might well be it for me.
So the day comes. I have my tractor in the driveway and I have the backhoe dismounted from the tractor but still hooked to the hydraulics by around 10-11AM. Now I'm sitting and waiting on Frank. Finally about 1AM he rolls in. The first thing he does is to sit down and use my blowtorch to clean out his one hitter so he can do a little wake and bake. I've been ready and waiting for a couple hours and now the dude is going to sit and get high before we're going to work with some heavy shit and he's burning my propane to do so. Yea I'm kind of annoyed and I let him know. I tried to not be too much of an asshole but I wasn't pleasant about it. I didn't yell or anything but I'm sure I came off kind of asshole-ish.
He finishes up with the one hitter, takes a few wacks off it, says he's go tot go home and crap. Lovely... He's been lighting up my toilet for a while now, what's the big deal? Anyhow he heads back home. I'm sitting there for an hour or so scratching my ass, screw it I'll figure it out. I'm scared as hell but I manage to get my lines replaced. I bring the tractor into position and get the bottom mounting pins locked in. There are two more up top of the backhoe assembly and then it's solidly mounted. I screwed up by not hooking the hydraulic lines from the tractor to the backhoe and doesn't the damn thing just sort of drop right to the ground because the boom, bucket, and dipper arm are open. I took precautions against this but I guess I didn't do very well. I didn't lose the whole show but it scared the hell out of me and I shut the tractor down and walked away for a while. It was a split second and if I was under it I'd either have been dead or wishing for it. I calmed myself down after a while and finished the job. Frank never showed back up that day.
After I got done, I was sitting there a while. After that dopamine hit from getting the job done wore off I was starting to feel pretty let down and pissed off. My Wife and I put real time, and heart and soul in up at Franks place. We'd get up there about 9AM-10AM and get to it. Half the time, Frank would be hungover and it would literally be 2-3 hours until he was any kind of mobile. We're up there at his place trying to get shit done so he has a setup and he's dragging his ass because he was up until 3AM the previous night getting shitfaced.
The plan was, after he was set, we'd get into some nonsense. Cleanouts from tenants that left an apartment full of stuff, scrapping, maybe some lawn work, plowing snow on the mountain here, whatever. Not getting rich but at least paying the bills and having a laugh. At first, Frank is all about it. The cleanouts were his idea. I never knew you actually could get some decent pay for this type of thing. After a while though Frank starts throwing up roadblocks about we need to be an LLC and have a few fairly new looking trucks before we can start when I'm watching something like "Randys Hauling" on the side of a beat up old truck going up and down the mountain and he's getting that pay. On OUR mountain and we could be easily doing this right now! He kept throwing these obstacles up on all sorts of projects. It felt like Frank was deliberately throwing wrenches wherever he could in order to halt any progress.
Eventually I tried talking with him. I told him "I'm not really feeling the return on this investment.". and Frank says "I'm sorry you feel that way.". It kind of went to shit from there. I got to the point where I didn't want anything more to do with him. I was a door mat for a long time in my childhood and it felt like I was getting played for a stooge yet again. It felt like he was also taking advantage of my Wife. But hey, she's been Friends with him for quite a while. In fact she was Friends with him before we were even dating. I'm not going to tell her she can't hang out with the guy. You'll just have to take my word that she's not the type to play around when she's in a committed relationship. Not sure if I have much faith in Frank but I have faith in my Wife.
Frank is no longer coming to the house, there are arguments between my Wife and I about the guy. All I can see is that she's getting played by the guy. Eventually, Frank has a Friend who offers him to go to a blues concert because Franks Friend has noone to go with but has an extra ticket. This is a weekend thing where you camp and party and listen to performers. My Wife is already running ragged here there and everywhere. Frank asks my Wife to keep an eye on his dogs while he's away and of course she wants to help out. She's just like that. One day, turns out my Wife is too busy to take care of it and my Daughter has to go check on the dogs. My Daughter can't find the keys to get inside Franks camper. Now don't you know I have to go up there and take on this guys responsibilities while he's out at a concert partying his ass off. I put my foot down because at this point the guy is messing with the entire Family and holding all of us up. I told my Wife that WE are done with him and shit hit the fan for a while but eventually she started to see shit for herself and we all just cut off from the guy.
This is breaking my heart. I really do love the guy and I know it's killing my Wife to cut off from a Friend. But it's a one way Friendship. Frank will jump for someone he really cares about, but us, we're just useful or so it seems to me.
3 years go by. My Wife still talks with Frank via text and I'm not thrilled with it but I'm not going to push it either. Whatever it's not holding up our show. Time goes by... I simmer down, Frank calms down. I do indeed miss the guy but I'm afraid that if I start talking it'll end up being the same crap all over again. He was good to work with when he felt like it. I work on cars all the time and this guy can look at things and see things that I don't. He's no kind of mechanic but he's already schooled me under the hood as well as setting up a guys garage door that was horribly installed.
In time, yes we do start talking again. I try to make it very clear that if we're going to do anything, we BOTH have to feel properly compensated for our efforts. Be that money, labor swapping, horse trading, whatever. If I do something for Frank and it takes an hour, Frank gets me back satisfactorily and vice versa. This has to be worth it for both of us and all of us.
Well, it happens that Frank finally decides he wants to clean up his property. His truck is not registered, insured, or inspected. His drivers license is expired. There's a lot of scrap up there. I have a road legal truck and I make a proposition. I'll pile scrap on the truck until I feel it's a decent load, he and my Wife will run the load. My wife is a capable driver. She and frank will unload the truck at the scrapyard and meanwhile I'll break the scrap down at his place and have another load ready to go. At the end of the day, the truck gets paid $1 per mile and the tank gets filled for the next day. We split the remainder 3 ways equally. We clean the property up, we all get a few dollars and after a little while he can save the money to get his own truck back on the road.
Frank says there's not enough money in scrapping. There won't be anything left to split after gassing up the truck... Sounds familiar... Ok, how about this then. Let me make a load of absolute BS scrap like old bedsprings, tin cans, and just whatever crap I can, we see how that pays and maybe go from there.
Frank says Hem and Haw, well maybe if it's just Frank and my Wife loading up the truck and they also run and unload the truck he might be in to it. Splitting it 3 ways and with the truck just isn't going to cut it. Now I'm getting confused and a little irritated because I thought the idea was to clean up, not get paid. My Wife also has a screwy elbow and if she goes hard on a job she's in pain the next day. Nope this aint happening. Let's put a pin in this and come back to it. I'm not going to push anymore and my Wife is definitely not into chucking scrap on to the truck as well as off loading it. If he wants to do something and he comes to us, we'll figure it out. If he wants to sit on that scrap, hell with it. I guess this is the Hoarder in his brain talking.
My Wife has a 1896 VW Jetta diesel. It's old and it's been around but it can be made decent. The interior is shit but we have a parts car and a pile of interior parts like carpet and trim, dashboard, and just everything you want to make the inside actually pretty good looking. She's the one that heads up the interior work. I personally hate it. At this point, Frank has no power at his place and he has a little 80cc dirtbike he'd like to use to get up and down the mountain. Private dirt road so we can drive ATV's or golf carts or whatever and it'd be handy.
I have a 300 watt solar panel that I'm not going to use and all the gear to go with it. I have some parts I can use to get his dirtbike going and I know how to get most old carburetted stuff running when it's been sitting a while. We come to an agreement. Frank will be down here working on this Jetta with my Wife until the interior is as good as we can make it. I'll give him the solar panel, help him install it at his place, and get his dirtbike going for him. Also my Wife will handle getting his power back on and a couple of other administrative things. Everyone is feeling OK with it.
We begin. My Wife and I put the first foot forward. We take the solar gear up to his place and get it working. Now at least he can charge his phone and keep a light running. Nothing major but it's something and it's damn handy. I start on the dirtbike. It's a Suzuki 80cc four stroke. The fuel tank is cracked up and leaking like a sieve. I have a tank from an old Honda CR80 and it takes me a while but I get it mounted to the bike and I didn't even have to chop the bike or the tank. The carb on this thing was sitting with fuel in it for years and it's beyond hope. Normally I can open them up and blow the jets with compressed air, maybe carb cleaner and some wires but this thing is completely jammed solid with crap and I can't get it. I have a carb on my shelf and it's actually for that exact engine. So after 6-8 hours of scratching my head and wrenching, I have his bike running just as good as ever and it holds fuel.
Now it's Franks turn. The first day, he actually shows up at a decent hour and the guy is putting his time in. They have the interior all but gutted. Seats, carpet, interior trim(what's left of it) HVAC. Just the dash is left and it's been a good 5 hours so they call it a day. Next day he's right there say 9-10AM. Dang this is working! They're going after removing the cracked up dashboard and something isn't making sense. It seems loose but it's not coming out. I'm out there putzing with my truck and my Wife asks me to come take a look. I get under the dash and I'm looking but I'm damned if I can find what's holding it up. It can wiggle but it's not coming loose. I notice some steel brackets with rivets under the dash just at the bottom of the windshield. All I can think is to cut the rivets loose and the dash will come out but it doesn't make sense because you're not going to get new rivets in when you install the new dash. There's barely room to get a chisel in to cut them loose. Frank figures it out. Frank goes out under the cowl under the hood, pulls up the drip tray and right there are two nuts on studs poking through the firewall. We pull those nuts off and presto the dash is loose! God Damn Frank you're a rock star! I'm SO glad the guy was here! Different perspective? Savant? I don't know but the guy nailed it!
Next day. Again Frank shows up about 10AM and the Jetta is coming around. The carpet is in and looking nice, the trim is installed, The seats are cleaned up and installed. This thing is actually starting to look pretty good! That was a good day. 4-5 hours and they call it. Nice job guys! Looking good!
Next day. Time to install HVAC. We did an AC delete. The Jetta was originally an AC car but most of the gear was gone. The parts car was non-AC and the heater box is much smaller, lighter, and simpler. We clean that up, do a little bit of swapping on wiring harnesses and we install it. Frank isn't here yet and it's about noon. My Wife texts him to see what's up.
Well this girl showed up about midnight last night and the way I gather they were up until the wee hours drinking and boning so he's not into working today. He doesn't know this girl from a hill of beans and about the only thing he DOES know is that she's a real easy piece of ass, I guess pretty cute, and mentally a wreck. Well... Yea I've been hard up myself so I'm trying to be understanding here. If a cute and willing young lady showed up at my place and I was lonely I think I'd take that opportunity as well. He did put some good time in on this vehicle and really saved the day when pulling the dash out. I went to work with my Wife. We got the replacement dash in, Heater installed. Everything assembled, wires routed, job done. The thing looks damn near new on the inside. It was a good 8 hours and I still feel it to day as this was just yesterday and I'm no youngster. My Wife is in pain. I just feel tired.
I can see Franks side, but a deal is a deal. I was trying to talk to my Wife that "We're kind of even right? He put in his time, he really helped out a ton. Neither owes either and we're pretty squared up right?". I wasn't really feeling that but I was willing to be convinced and sort of let it slide. My Wife however doesn't feel that we're square at all. Not only the motorcycle and the solar crap, but she spent hours on the phone and computer and Frank agreed that he'd be there from start to finish on this interior. On the last day, he ditched us because he was busy screwing and drinking with some random chick. While we were finishing up the job, Frank texted my Wife asking if He and this girl could come down to meet and greet. Or would we like to come up and have a fire? My Wife and I are dead tired, it's about 5PM. We normally have supper on the table at this time but we're close and we want to get through it. We're not into entertaining tonight. We want to finish up, get supper, get the kids to bed and crash. We're sure as hell not going up to the junk heap and sitting there at a fire watching these two make out and get tanked up. She texted him something like that. Tired, still working, still have to make supper, not happening.
That's it. If you made it through all that I admire your perseverance and I hope it at least makes sense. This is just my side of course. I have my own issues. I can be an asshole, impatient, I'm kind of obnoxious. I'm trying to work on that stuff and my Wife tells me I'm really reigning it in when I get pissed if something is fighting me. Anymore I'll just walk away and have a smoke or something. I guess I can get sort of pushy when I see shit that needs doing. I want to help but I guess I'm aggressive or too Gung Ho about it.
Anyways, it feels like this relationship with Frank is going to end up the same place as it left off before. All I can think to do is just not really seek him out anymore. If he happens to need something... I don't know... My Wife and my Children and myself are a team. We've got enough going on and we don't need someone dragging us down. I don't want this to get to the point where it did before. I feel like I screwed up even letting this guy back into my life and I'm kind of stressing.

2 weeks later Lauren and Greyson drove up to her new home with boxes and whatever she hadn’t sold. Lauren had walked through her empty home and said goodbye to each room wondering if she was making the right decision. The house was pretty much sold already and Lauren reminded herself to keep going.
“Audrey will come around Ma. She really will miss you and she doesn’t want to change. God forbid she tell you right out that she is going to miss you. “ Greyson said. Lauren hadn’t spoken to Audrey directly since she had told the kids she was moving. She had come over at one point to get some furniture and mementos and had been snarky the entire time that Lauren had been in the house. Lauren had had quite enough of it and went to the backyard to smoke until Audrey and her man of the week had taken off. They hadn’t even come out to tell her they were leaving. Lauren had had another good cry after that and then made herself margaritas with her mixer and called Natalie to come over for a good farewell bitch session. They had gotten tipsy and talked about ungrateful kids and sent nice little waves to Grace who huffed at them.
“Well, maybe she will and maybe she wont. She always favored your father and I never told her she had to pick sides but all the same she felt like she had to. The divorce was harder on her than it was you older two.She was only 8.” Lauren said lamely.
“I think Cora and I were just glad you guys weren’t fighting. Dad was great with us but he treated you terribly the last few years you were together and it was just so much easier to not hate him when you guys weren’t around each other. Audrey was definitely his favorite though and any time she came over he just made sure they did everything she wanted because he was afraid she’d hit puberty and would decide she didn’t like him anymore. Like Cora.”
“Well that makes sense. How’s you-know-who?” Lauren asked changing the topic.
“Miranda? Alright I guess. Her mom picked Liam up last night for the weekend so I could help you, says she called a month ago and sounded good. I don’t know if that means anything or not but I don’t think she is going to come back wanting to be Liam's mom. At least not any time soon. I don’t really care, she had him and that was the deal. That’s all I asked for. I’d have supported the other way too but I really hoped she’d just let me keep him. She told everyone who asked she didn’t want kids. Everyone. I kind of wonder if she’ll want to meet him and be afraid to because everyone will expect her to be someone to him.” Grayson drummed his fingers anxiously. Lauren couldn’t understand this arrangement that Grayson and Miranda had. She kept wondering if it wasn’t some form of depression or something but Grayson insisted it wasn’t. He’d had Liam all to himself from day one and never complained.
“You think taking this was too impulsive? The job? I didn’t even do a face to face interview. It was on that skype thing. Eric set it all up. It’s legit but maybe I should’ve driven up first to check it out. Maybe I’m just running scared.”
“Maybe it was but taking risks makes your life exciting. Besides, I hate thinking of you alone in the house waiting for something bad to happen.” Grayson patted her leg. “Besides you said there were discounts on cabins and I’d like that. Plus unlike the last job, if Liam gets sick he can hang out with you when he can’t go to daycare.”
“I would like that.”
They pulled onto a winding dirt road and drove another 10 miles. The woods on each side of the road pressed in on them. It was a nice feeling. It was quiet out here and Lauren appreciated it. She had thought she would be more scared to be alone out here but she found herself looking forward to it now. Settling down and maybe a beer.
The GPS took them toa large sign marked Camp Thellgar in front of a fork in the road, one marked OFFICE and the other marked CAMPING. They turned into the OFFICE fork on the left. A man sat on the porch at the first building they came up to. He shaded his eyes and stood as they approached. Lauren took a shaky breath.
“Does my eye still look weird?” Lauren asked Grayson.
“Nah, the makeup covers whatever is left. It looks a little off I guess but I don’t think anyone would guess why. You’re old, he’ll think you had a stroke more than likely” Grayson teased. Lauren let out a high pitched laugh and took a deep cleansing breath.
“Hi I’m Steven Connor, you’re Lauren Jackson I hope.” Steven stuck his hand out for her to shake.
“I am indeed. Nice to meet you, you look different in person.” Lauren said laughing. He did, he looked older than he had on the computer, tired maybe. Steven shrugged. “This is my son Grayson, he’s helping bring my stuff up for me.”
“Right, good of you to help your momma. Come right in here. This is the main office, just off of what will be your cabin. Initially they were one in the same but years back we decided the caretaker could use some more privacy when we added more cabins in. The cabins have only been part of the deal for about 15 years, before that it was just the tent sites. No electricity on those. They’re a little easier to maintain. This time of year we mainly get people who want to use the tent sites, families out for a day hike. Summer rolls around and you’ll be pretty busy. We hire help from the nearby towns, you’ll let them know what to do but you’ll need someone in the office most of the day. There’s an alarm here that will pop up on your phone, when synced with the app of course, that way you can be out on the grounds. There’s an ATV for getting around a little easier. You’ll be in charge of taking reservations and handling the payment, cleaning up the campsites when they leave, looking in on them to make sure they’re kept up. Same with the cabins. Do a thorough cleaning and dust once a week. Aspen Cunningham, that’s the girl from town, she’ll be up every other day to assist with cleaning out the cabins. Here’s the card for Aspen, the card for a maintenance guy we use, Roger, and my card if you need to get ahold of me.” Steven led her from the office which was a small front room with a storage room behind it. Off of that there was a door with a good lock that led into a small house. It came in by a small half bath and then stairs leading to 2 bedrooms upstairs and a full bathroom. Next to the stairs a door led into a small living room with a few bookshelves and a dated TV, past that a kitchen with a dining area. It was cozy and Lauren was in love immediately.
“The last guy was pretty organized, we have our own binder we put together for new employees, he made his own as well. I skimmed through it, mostly a heads up on common maintenance issues. There’s a copy of maintenance performed on each cabin and site that also goes in the main book that’s stashed in the office.” Steven handed her a heavy worn binder.
“I’ll go ahead and start bringing in your stuff mom.” Grayson said backing out the main front door that didn’t lead into the office. Lauren followed Steven into the office and he showed her where anything she could need to find would be. She watched a safety video that featured Steven’s family, made when Steven was a kid. His smiling face running around in the background.
Grayson hung out for a while after Steven left. Lauren was overwhelmed and felt exhausted. She wandered through her new house while Grayson made her spaghetti. She laid on the bed. It was firmer than she was used to but it was ok.
After they ate Grayson hesitantly left. Reminding her to call if she needed anything, asking if she was sure she wanted him to leave. Lauren had a feeling he would’ve spent the night if Miranda’s mom didn’t have Liam. There was a firepit in the backyard so she got a fire going and sat back watching the flames while she drank a beer. She thought about getting stoned but it felt too new here and she was afraid of freaking herself out. The noises of the woods were relaxing. It felt quiet. Quiet was exactly what she needed.
The next few months went quickly, Lauren got in a groove of checking all the sites in the morning and doing general maintenance. Aspen, the girl who cleaned, came up twice a week not every other day like Steven had said. She was a sweet girl and spent a few hours dusting and vacuuming the empty cabins. Lauren and her got along really well and Lauren was grateful for the company. Summer came and Lauren was busy, she barely left the office it seemed. If it wasn’t reservations, it was families asking for maps of the trails or information on the town below. It was a nice busy. Lauren had expected the cleaning to be worse than it actually was, most people cleaned up after the campsites before they left. Fall came and the people started to slow down, most of the people she saw were people hiking the trails and less camping By November she was slow again.
One day her phone went off alerting her to a visitor in the office. She jumped on her ATV and headed back up. There was a small run down car waiting when she pulled up. Lauren ran her hands through her hair as she entered the door. 4 middle aged women stood waiting patiently.
“Sorry, I was a little further out today, how can I help you? Cabin?” Lauren asked, coming around the desk.
“Where’s Jim?” One woman with darker hair asked.
“Jim? Was he the man before me? I’m afraid he doesn’t work here anymore. Just me, I’m Lauren. Regulars?” Lauren grabbed the binder from underneath the counter and flipped through until she came on regulars. Scanning the list she found a November regular, along with a few other months. “Ok, here we are. It says the Helgas, tentsite 42. Yes?”
“That’s right, what happened to Jim? I'm surprised to see that he’s gone.” The dark haired woman handed over her credit card and tapped on the table anxiously. The other women moved around like they were trying to look as if they weren’t paying much attention.
“Not sure. No one really told me and I didn’t think to ask. I’ve been here since late spring, right before the summer rush. “ Lauren felt like she was being judged by the women.
“We’re particular about our privacy.” One of the women from the back said, trying to sound casual.
“That’s no problem, I won’t need to come by until you leave.” Lauren assured them.
“Jim left the entire area alone. I mean, we prefer to be left completely alone.” She clarified. Lauren was taken aback but nodded. After they left and had driven off she looked back down at the binder.
Helgas
Camp site 42
November Full Moon
December 21
March 21
Require all sites in the area empty. 3 day reservations. Noise level low, some disturbances.
Lauren closed the binder. She’d flipped through it before but obviously hadn’t retained much information. It occurred to her that this wasn’t in the main binder. She picked up the company binder, flipped through until she found regular reservations. Nothing helpful from the last 10 years. She booted up the computer and pulled up the spreadsheet. There it was. Reservations, regular. A list of people and campsites and cabins. The program was designed to automatically block off the areas that were supposed to be reserved. Campsite 42 was not on the list for today. Maybe because it was a full moon reservation and not a specific date? Lauren flipped through December and it wasn’t in there either. She sighed. Lauren went to the main screen and added in the December reservation and it stopped her. Ok. So it's here somehow. Or it wouldn’t have stopped her. But it doesn't show up. It’s hidden. Lauren crossed her arms and dropped her head down. She wasn’t completely computer illiterate but she really didn’t know how to see this. The last guy, Jim? Jim. That guy must’ve done something to the computer system. Why would he have done that? He did all the reservations. Unless he didn’t want the company itself to see. They could log in through the main office and see what was going on up here. There was another location they owned and the computer program was designed to work with that one. Lauren shook her head and sighed. Maybe she could get ahold of Steven and ask about Jim.
Lauren opened Jim’s binder again. There were only a few regulars that didn’t have reservations that showed up in the company system. By the time she was done it was dark outside. Lauren sighed and shut everything down. She locked up the office displaying the note to ring the doorbell. The doorbell that alerted her phone to a visitor that would need checked in. Lauren wasn’t worried about it, not in November. It was warmish for November but still cold. No one hunted up here because it had too many people walking up the trails, further out maybe but they would rent a cabin ahead of time if they stayed up here and on the weekends.
Lauren went into her kitchen and got a jar of chili out of the fridge. Cora had made some and sent it home with her after Saturday dinner a few weeks ago. It was easy to heat up. She got a glass of wine and started a fire in the fireplace to warm the house up. She turned the tv on and laid across the couch until she could smell the chili. She’d had a bus day and found herself drifting off before she’d finished eating so she cleaned up and took herself to bed.
Lauren found herself awake in the forest. Barefoot. It was silent. Completely silent. Lauren cautiously spun around trying to get her bearings. She saw movement off to the right. Her heart stopped, she looked over trying to make sense in the dark. Something moved next to the trees, an animal? Lauren took a step toward it without thinking.
Someone or something stepped out wearing an animal skull. Deer? Lauren couldn’t think through her fear. The clothes were baggy and run down. Like a t shirt over loose black pants tied up with a rope and black cardigan. With a black long jacket.
“Who are you?” Lauren asked, dazed.
“I should ask you the same thing. Where is the keeper?” The thing asked, but it wasn’t said aloud, she heard it in her head.
“I-I don’t know. I just got hired here a few months ago. My friend's friend helped me get the job.”
“Then the Keeper sent you here.” The thing insisted
“I don’t think so, the man before me, I didn’t know him.”
“I see. What did they tell you about this place?” The thing asked, circling her. Lauren realized it was tracing her with a skeletal finger.
“How to take reservations and how to clean.” Lauren murmured, trying not to look as scared as she felt.
“I could tell you.” The thing offered. Lauren felt her anxiety rise up and suddenly felt like she needed to be gone. She shouldn’t trust this thing, whatever it was.
“Um, no thanks.You could-could tell me who you are though.” Lauren said instead
“I’m insulted is what I am. You’ll have to figure out who on your own.” With that he was gone and she was in bed sitting up breathing hard. The raspy voice still echoing in her head.
Lauren blinked. A dream. It was a dream. But it had felt real. She checked her feet and saw that they were clean. A dream.
Lauren’s whole day was off after that. Everything looked sharper almost and she found herself pinching her arm to make sure she was actually awake. She avoided the tent sites circling around with the Helgas but found herself inspecting the rest of them carefully, unsure of what she was looking for. After that she rode down to the cabins and did a quick inspection, checking the windows for torn screens and the doors for any sign of break in, double checking the lock. All good. Lauren was done early and decide to walk one of the trails to shake off the oddness. There weren’t a lot of trails she hadn’t already walked so she picked one of the harder ones and grabbed her backpack with snacks and water.
In the months since moving up here she had grown stronger from the work and the access to trails. Anytime she felt herself slipping into a depressive episode or started thinking too much she would go on a long trail and try to exhaust herself. At some point she had started running in the mornings although had stopped in the last few weeks because of the cold and how long it took the sun to rise. Lauren ran a few miles awkwardly with the backpack and then slowed. There was a not well used trail off to the side. She was certain she was still on the company's property but had not seen this one before so she cautiously went off the main trail and headed down it. It didn’t take long for it to grow darker with the trees overhead. There were still nature noises but they seemed almost muted. Lauren pinched her arm just to make sure, it definitely hurt. She was definitely awake. Lauren pulled her camera out of her bag and began snapping pictures of the area around her, partly to remember where she had come from and partly because she was in awe of the area around her. It was beautiful out here and the trees made her feel small and light. She checked her phone and saw that it was nearing dark. She stopped and drank some water before turning around. Lauren moved at a brisk pace as she headed back and almost missed the flash of light off to her left. But as such she had just managed to catch it and it stopped her in her tracks.
“Hello?” Lauren called out, if it was a hunter she had run into, which she didn’t think it was, not as close to the campgrounds as they were, but if it was she wanted it clear they were dealing with a person. No one answered her though. She hesitantly stepped off the trail and walked toward it. She couldn’t think of anything that would flash out here. Cameras? She wasn’t aware of any out here but it had never occurred to her to ask anyone. Regardless, she should check to see if it was a camera before she asked about there being any. She came to a massive tree. She craned her head back and light hit her eyes so that it was difficult to make out the top of the tree. The branches started low giving her a compulsion to climb upwards. Off to the side of it the roots rose up seeming to form a circle. Lauren took a few pictures of it without thinking. She got as many different angles as possible. She had seen roots that came out of the ground but had never seen one that formed a perfect circle. Lauren looked around and realized that it was dark now, she checked her phone and saw the battery was almost drained. She had been here for 3 hours. Lauren blinked and shook her head. 3 hours? That was impossible. She started shaking and spun around when she realized how silent it was, even for night time.
SNAP
Lauren gasped and took off running. She didn’t think about anything other than heading back in the direction she had come. Adrenaline coursed through her and she felt like she was running faster than she had before. It was dizzying how sharp everything was and how fast it seemed to go by her. She hit the main trail and kept running. She could feel her energy start to dip and she pushed herself harder. By the time she emerged from the woods she fell on the ground sobbing and gasping for air. She grabbed a fistful of grass with one hand and put her other palm to her mouth to stifle the sobbing, screaming sounds she was making. It felt like an hour of laying on the ground trying to collect herself. It was one of the Helgas that found her.
“Are you ok? Ma’am? Guys! She’s out!” Lauren heard the thinner of the group yelling for her friends to come help The 4 of them lifted her to a sitting position and tried to get her to respond. Eventually Lauren started to come to and her breathing returned to normal.
“What happened? “ The dark haired one asked firmly,
“N-n-nothing. I-I-I don’t know. I was in the woods and I heard… I don’t know. I’m so sorry, I have no idea what came over me.” Lauren stuttered. Trying so hard to reign her emotions back in. “Nothing, I just lost track of time there and I guess I got myself spooked. I have quite the imagination. What are you guys doing here? Was there something you needed?”
“We came up to see if you were ok, we were doing a little night hiking and saw you running and we followed you.” The dark haired one said. Lauren thought she was lying but didn’t know why she thought that.
“I could use some wine honestly, would you 4 like some wine?” Lauren felt like she was drunk as she walked back to her back door, the short one linked her arm in Lauren’s and walked with her steadying her.
“Wine sounds nice, we have some back at camp, we could get ours and bring it back.” She told Lauren in a soothing voice. A mom voice.
“Nonsense. I always stock up in town, I have plenty. I’ll get a fire going and-”
“We can get the fire, you get the wine and Addy here will help you bring out the glasses.” The dark haired one gestured to the short one who smiled and headed toward the door to open it for Lauren.
Lauren had 2 wine glasses and used regular glass cups for everyone else. She grabbed a couple bottles of red wine she’d gotten clearanced out after Halloween, the bottle had a blurry outline of trees and Lauren had felt it looked so magical she’d bought 6. Of course it wasn’t her favorite so now seemed like a good time to try to offload a little.
“I’m Lauren by the way, I know that’s Addy, who are the rest of you?” Lauren asked as she and Addy passed out glasses and poured wine in front of the fire.
“I’m Sara. “ The dark haired one said taking a generous drink from her cup
“I’m Therese.” The blond smiled and waved,
“I’m Rian.” The thin one said, pronouncing it Ree-ann.
“Is this a girls trip? I hope I didn’t mess anything up.” Lauren asked, pulling her blanket from the house tight around her. The fire was nice and warm but not warm enough to fend off the November chill.
“You didn’t mess anything up, honestly we were hoping to speak with you anyway. We knew Jim fairly well, I guess as well as you can know someone you only see 3 times a year. He had a pretty good idea of what he’d signed up for when he started but we got the feeling you didn’t and we were curious.” Sara said, watching Lauren’s face intently.
“I guess I don’t. I’m not sure what you mean.” Lauren said, wondering if they were crazy. The witchy types who came out here to dance naked in front of a fire and sing before going back home to suburbs and corporate lives with toddlers and teenagers. Lauren had dealt with those types over the summer but not very many.
“Well how did you get the job?” Therese asked, spinning the wine in her glass like she’d already had a few before they started.
“A friend of a friend. I was looking to make some changes in my life and he thought I would be a good fit here.”
“The Keeper?” Sara asked, leaning forward.
“I don’t think so. He just seemed like a regular guy. Who is the Keeper? “ Lauren asked nervously. The woods looked darker and it occurred to her that she didn’t know if she could beat them back in the house if she wanted to run. Then she remembered the Keeper comment from her dream, now hazy but still there.
“The Keeper doesn’t do a whole lot from what I can tell, not directly I mean. He just keeps information and contacts who he needs. He got Jim hired on, we don’t know much about him, we’ve personally not seen him ourselves. We’re not sure if he changes every so often but as far as we know it’s been the same person always. These woods are full of magic you see and not all of it is good magic. “ Sara explained. “We come out 3 times a year to make a blood sacrifice to Eglas. He or She, is a … something. Hungry mostly. Instead of one person we use 4 or 5 sometimes. Same amount of blood and no one dies. Occasionally one person will donate more for a favor but it’s not often.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Lauren said dumbly.
“He/She said they came to visit you last night. They said that you didn’t know much about your job. Eglas seemed very angry so we came to help you” Rian told her.
“There’s not much to your job. You keep the grounds maintained and then you make sure that we are able to do our work. I don't know what else is in the woods but I know about Eglas. My family has for at least a century come out and offered blood to keep Eglas satisfied. When they started settling the area, they disturbed a lot of spirits. Eglas was curious and found the taste of human blood to be… good I guess. Eglas would go into homes and take people, in the beginning it was a lot. Most families fled the area, but the ones who stayed came to Eglas one night and offered to give him what he wanted if he backed off. Or she, really Eglas has no real gender. It’s a fairy or demon, I’m not sure. Either way, Eglas was satisfied with a person a year but that got old quickly, not a lot of people lining up to do that obviously, they really weren’t getting a lot out of that deal back then, they could farm the land peacefully and that was it. One day a young farmer offered himself but when it came time he talked Eglas into changing the deal, a little from the strongest men in town. Eglas got the best there was and it was willingly. Eglas threw in the part about 3 times a year since the body wasn't included in the deal. That’s the lore anyway.” Sara told her story well, moving her hands and body, changing her pitch like a natural born storyteller.
“I think fairy because it makes the most sense with the woods and the deal making. You don’t have to believe us yet, you will eventually, but we come out here and do our ceremony and leave.” Addy told her.
“That sounds, nice.” Lauren said hesitantly. She drank more and could already feel the events of the afternoon fuzzing away.
“He’ll come to you again tonight, you’ll know who he is now. “ Therese said, smiling nicely.
“And you’ve done your ceremony already?” Lauren asked, trying to see if there were cuts visible. The girls nodded and Addy pulled her pants down showing off a long cut on her thigh. Lauren hissed through her teeth at the sight of it.
“Oh it’s not so bad. It hurts but it always heals quickly like it was never there. “ Addy assured her.
“Jim knew about this? “ Lauren asked, remembering a note in the binder about them being .
disturbing or something
“Yes, he did.. He knew before he started though. It kept him safe. We were a little worried that leaving you to the wolves so to speak, that you wouldn’t survive.” Rian explained.
“I’m afraid I’ve worn myself out. I think I’ll go to bed.” Lauren said, getting up carefully. The women were nice company and Lauren couldn’t think of the last time she had sat around the fire with anyone, but the conversation made her nervous. They looked at each other and nodded.
“We leave early tomorrow but I’ll leave my card on your door, you can call if you need anything.” Sara assured her.
Lauren didn’t get into bed as much as she collapsed into it. Her legs ached already and she knew that she wasn’t getting around much tomorrow. Between the wine and adrenaline wearing off, Lauren was able to fall asleep quickly.
She was out in the woods again. She must be dreaming because she wasn’t hurting.
“Do you know who I am?” The creature asked in her head again. Lauren couldn’t see the creature but didn’t feel the need to look for it either, just stood waiting.
“Eglas.” Lauren answered out loud. There was a chittering sound that somehow sounded pleased.
“Smart woman. I have been watching you.”
“I’d prefer you didn’t.” Lauren said dryly.
“You have questions.” Eglas stated.
“I can find answers.”
“I can give you answers if you ask me. It’s easy.” Eglas encouraged.
“Nothing is ever free and I have no intention of indebting myself to you. Accidentally or otherwise.” Lauren said, making herself clear. Eglas chuckled out loud and Lauren heard a swooshing through the trees. Lauren involuntarily shuddered.
“Have it your way, but you know where to find me.” Eglas said.
Lauren woke up the next morning as sore as she thought she would be. She managed to drag herself out of bed and to the bathroom and pulled on sweats that could pass as clothes. She thought that was the advantage of getting older, no one expected as much fashion wise. Lauren considered sitting on the stairs to go down but pushed through each painful step until she was in the kitchen. Ibuprofen and a freezer meal with a bottle of wine and she headed to the living room. She’d be close enough to answer any visitors if they came but she could sleep on the couch or watch tv. Lauren couldn’t find anything interesting on tv, or not enough to block out the clear dream she’d had last night that seemed to stick to her. When the ibuprofen kicked in she felt good enough to sit up, she looked around the room and noticed the bookshelf was getting dusty again. There were books on the shelf that had come with the place but Lauren had never really looked at them before. After flipping through movie selections and still not seeing anything she could find any interest in she got up and wandered over to the shelf. Reading the titles she figured out why she hadn’t wanted to read them before. History of the area mostly. Then a book about ghosts in the area, that sounded like it could be interesting. When Lauren was a kid she devoured books about ghosts. Next to it was a book without a title, it was slim and blended with the other books well. Lauren grabbed it as well, mostly curious. She settled back on the couch and pulled the blanket around her. The book was interesting, the usual ladies in the woods and drowned men, children warning of danger. Then there was a chapter that mentioned Elgas.
TRANCHLURE
He arose from the mud, hungry,ravenous.
He crept through the trees and on the strange mist observant first.
When the people came and Eglas fed He found a way to satiate the hunger and then slept for years and was awoken
He massacred the nearest town and those who lived in the woods found a way to drive him back into the caves, not dead but mostly sleeping until someone falls into his cavern, never to return.
Was it about Eglas? She didn’t think so.
Lauren went into the office and grabbed the binder that mentioned the Helgas. Even the binder was coded though obviously.
With her limited knowledge though she was thinking that they were groups of worshippers coming to celebrate differently. Lauren wondered if she could order some books on astrology to understand it better.
She opened up another book on fairies, but this had highlighted sections. A recipe for some kind of tea to see fairies. In the side there were some notes on things to leave out around the forest, offerings for the spirits. Lauren traced the handwriting and wondered if it was Jim who had written it or someone else. Apples was what it said.
There was a ring telling her someone was here. Lauren got up again carefully and headed in to the office. A man with a sleepy toddler on his shoulder stood waiting. He looked haggard and nervous.
“Cabin?” Lauren asked softly.
“Uhm, yes please.” He said.
“Any preference? You kind of have your pick this weekend.”
“Something toward the back.”
“Alright, cabin 15, more towards the middle honestly but it branches off so it’s a little more secluded?”
“Yes sounds fine. ‘
Lauren handed him his keys and a small map and sent him on his way, she then hobbled back to her couch. Sighing, she went back to the original book and started a story about a woman who had gotten lost in the forest and run into a sprit offering wishes. A wispy in between soul. Lauren noted that the spirit could be found by a landmark she knew. Slowly she started to doze.
Again she found herself barefoot in the forest.
“Hello again.” He or she whispered in her head
“Hello. Why am I here again?” Lauren asked dreamily.
“Because I am a generous soul. The man came today to ask for a favor from the fairies, he bought his offerings but he failed to realize he had put his daughter in danger. She’s gifted, she’s why he knows to come here. She’s also hit the magician and witches' radar, he needs protection.”
“Ah, and why do you care? There’s always a price.”
“I’ll protect her, for a price, obviously, just a little blood offering. From him if that isn’t clear. I need you to go and tell him my offer before his daughter is spirited away. Awaken now.”
Lauren woke up suddenly, she was annoyed and irate at being ordered around. But she got up and found a card that Sara had offered her the night before. Nervously she rang the number.
“Hello?” Sara answered.
“It’s Lauren, are you far away? “ Lauren asked, wondering how her rational world had changed in such a short span of time.
“Not far at all, maybe a mile.”
“Eglas, came to me, he wants to offer his services to a new camper here.”
“We’ll turn back around immediately.”
A few hours later Rian stood at the office smiling.
“It’s been taken care of, I didn’t realize what you being here meant. You’re the new Keeper.” Rian looked on at her with admiration.
“I don’t think so.” Lauren said firmly.
“You are, whether you know it or not, that’s why you’re here. Eglas might’ve told you that was why he was coming to you but he told us.” Lauren didn’t like the culty feeling she was getting off of Rian right now.
“Well, I don’t know what that means, I’m a caretaker, a well paid caretaker. Not a Keeper for things I don’t believe in. “
“I don't know much about the Keepers, but I have a very strong feeling that you should find the person who sent you here and ask some questions. I don’t know as much as the other girls about the magic in the forest but I do know that the fairies have an affinity for ceremony.”
After a few days of thinking, Lauren finally made a call to Eric. Eric was due up today.
Eric came to the regular front door instead of the office door.
“You’re the Keeper.” Lauren said without saying hello.
“Yes. Jim was a Keeper as well, but he… Well he isn’t anymore. You are up for the position obviously. I’m assuming you brokered a deal for someone out there if you figured it out. Which is accepting the position.”
“I don’t know about any of this. Eglas came and told me a girl was in trouble. I offered protection through another group that I know offers blood sacrifices. I feel like I’m too old to be any sort of Keeper. “
“Well it’s in your blood. That’s part of the reason you were chosen. The night you came to me I had a day of signs, then I heard about Jim. I was thinking of sending another established Keeper to this area and then I saw you. One big sign. I watched you for a few days and then I made the decision to send you up here. You have done very well so far. “
“Is there like a meeting for this? An instructional booklet? “
“I’m guessing Jim left a book of notes behind. He was good about notes in his day and when he realized he was coming to an end he told me he would leave things behind for whoever came next. I’d just look for books and binders.”
“But I don’t understand it.”
“Well you’ll have to learn fast”
“Rian said there was likely a ceremony.”
“There is an introduction. You’ll spill your blood by a great tree that connects all of the mountain. You’ll be recognized and the creatures will know to come to you.”
“What kind of fairy tale is this?”
“The kind that you’re a part of. “
“If it’s in my blood shouldn’t I know something?”
“I guess not.”
Lauren stood in front of the tree on the next full moon, freezing and nervous. The Helgas joined her for emotional support. Lauren held a sharp knife and sliced her hand to let the blood flow over the ground. Energy started from the ground and worked its way up her feet and through her body. With her feet firmly planted it felt as if she came up out of her body and rose above the trees, like looking through a microscope if she concentrated on a certain area she could see everything going on. At first she thought she saw people, but it was much too late for that. They were creatures. They roamed and played. I could see everything.
Welcome to Camp Thellgar

So as the title alludes, my wife and I just came back from our honeymoon and stayed at 5 different hotels during a total of a 10 day stay. It wasn’t supposed to be like this but due to needing a last minute change alas here we are. Wouldn’t change it for the world and had an unforgettable trip of a lifetime. Included a TLDR review at the bottom. Ask me anything
Airport Review (International): - Arrival: a breeze. Think we were the first flight there and didn’t need fast track at all but was still glad to have it (arrived on a Wednesday AM) - Departure: arrived mid morning for our flight (3 hours early) and got through in 10 minutes with fast track and checking 1 bag. Can’t say it would always be like this but thankful it was. Fast track was worth it just to skip all lines through security. Upstairs was much cooler than downstairs as they had a ton of huge fans. Before check-in lines they have a VIP lounge assistance. We didn’t know the only way to pay the $75pp to get in was tacking it on with fast track or something similar. When we asked the check-in people if there was availability they brushed us off and said no. We then knocked on the door of the VIP lounge and they let us in. I’m guessing because it was early enough in the day they let us in since it was literally empty and we were a mid day / early afternoon flight out. They did start turning people away who wasn’t on their list though about half way through our stay in the lounge. Worth every penny to stay away from the chaos. Waiting for the 10 minutes to board was chaotic, hot and crowded as everyone had warned. Our flight left on time thankfully.
Airport (Domestic travel to South Caicos): - yes, the airplanes used are small AF and gave me anxiety leading up to the departure flight. However once on the plane it was fine. As everyone mentioned try to grab the seats closest to the cockpit as there are air vents and you can see the pilots which helped calm the nerves. Both the departure and arrival process were smooth sailing. We showed up 1 hour before our scheduled departure time for both flights and had ample time to spare. It was not clear anywhere what you can bring luggage wise. To clarify, we brought one back pack each that stayed on our laps and one checked luggage each under 50lbs and that was fine. We flew Intercarribean. It’s rumored there will be direct flights from the US to South Caicos soon which I’m hoping is true. Guessing south Caicos will be revamping their airport too soon.
Hotels by my rank:

1. Sailrock on South Caicos (3 nights)
2. A true 5 star luxury hotel / romantic getaway experience that will stay with me forever. Stayed in their one bedroom villas and could not be more impressed or happy with the setup. We even had donkeys grazing on the bushes outside of our villa the day we arrived. Every single staff was extra friendly, attentive, and their communication system (WhatsApp) made any requests or buggy rides to and from the beach / dinner was excellent. Food was great and it was nice that they had a changing menu and switched their dinner location every night from The Great House to the Cove to keep change of scenery. The beach in the side of the Cove is literally breathtaking, no pictures or videos really do this place justice. We did their ATV tour which was fun too. House keeping always left extra water bottles for us and cookies during turndown service. The only slight downside is that the buggy could take anywhere from 5-25 minutes to arrive so plan ahead, especially when going to dinner (we would have walked but our villa was one of the farthest from the main building and the beach). I’m sure I’m leaving out things but bottom line the best hotel and experience by far.
   
3. Seven Stars (2 nights)
   
4. The service was really great and we loved our room that overlooked the beach. Having morning coffee on the balcony while looking at Grace bay was so peaceful. The hotel decor was more modern which is my preference but the fact they offer to change your mattress to your preferred firmness level is next level. We loved that they had an adults only pool and the beach attendants were spectacular. We did a sunset cruise (the not lady Grace one that was adults only) and loved it! We ordered room service that night which was lovely to not dress up and just eat in casual attire. Their restaurant Seven was okay. Wasn’t our favorite of all the restaurants but food was still decent. Favorite hotel on Grace Bay
   
5. Point Grace (2 nights)
   
6. If you want a much quieter, more villa like room / experience Point Grace was perfect for this while still being on Provo / Grace Bay. This was the smallest / quietest of the hotels we stayed on Grace Bay and it was great. The staff was once again excellent and attentive. The beach was perfect and not crowded because there were less people so this place felt very intimate. Grace’s Cottage food was excellent. We ate there both nights. I rate it lower than Seven Stars because I for whatever reason got a ton of bad bug bites while being there (no bed bugs but I definitely woke up with more bug bites than when I went to sleep with one night). I also think any longer than 2 nights there would have been more than enough for me given how small it is.
   
7. The Palms (2 nights)
   
8. I was expecting a lot from this hotel but it really did not measure up. The room we had was nice and it felt the most “try hard elegant” feel but in reality was full of screaming kids. Both at the pool/beach and right next door to our room…waking us up both mornings at 6am to “long live King Brett!” Some families were totally fine but most of the families there had no control of their kids and let them scream or run rampant. We mentioned this to the front desk and they didn’t do anything about it (about the screaming next door). The pool bar was cool and Parallel 23 food was excellent. We were there when they had the live music which gave a nice ambiance to dinner both nights. Their menu while the same every night had nice variety. The staff were also not as nice. We had taken the free shuttle to go jet skiing to the shipwreck (such a cool excursion and would highly recommend), and came back wanting to sit at the pool before dinner. The pool attendant barely looked at us and just told us we could share one chair despite there clearly being more available. We then saw him immediately bring towels and place them down for another couple in emptier chairs. Although it looked elegant it just felt like a nicer Cancun hotel which was not what we were looking for here.
   
9. The Sands (1 night)
   
10. clearly a few steps below the others. It was only intended as a buffer night between arriving back to Provo from South Caicos before heading back home. It was fine and definitely okay if you’re on a budget. They didn’t provide any water bottles though which doesn’t make sense in a place as hot as Turks. We went to the gym to fill our water bottles. The gym also had no AC as a heads up. Edit: Hemmingways was just okay. Food prices were lower by a bit but didn’t prefer it to any of the of the other restaurants.
    

Long story short is we will certainly be back. We’d love to try the Shore Club as the water over on that side is spectacular and the hotel from what we could see being shuttled there for Jet skiing was beautiful. Hoping the airport renovations on Provo fix the horrible crowd control issues.
TLDR: here are my takeaways / ranking of hotels. - Airport: chaotic but thanks to Reddit, expected. Try to get into the VIP lounge if you can ($75pp) totally worth it. Fast track is also worth it even if there are shorter lines if you have bad anxiety like I do. Bring lots of cash for tips. No ATMs anywhere. Hotel Ranking: 1. Sailrock - South Caicos 2. Seven Stars 3. Point Grace 4. The Palms 5. The Sands

Let's use this post to discuss the series overall. Spoilers for all episodes are in this post. Don't go down to the comments of this post if you haven't watched the series, go to the spoiler-free announcement post
IMDB for series
Other places to access the series: Amazon ($), Canal ($), Some Archive?, Reddit Post, Arr Matey!
Each episode is largely a self-contained story as various people and groups navigate a collapsing society

What would happen to our society if the system collapsed tomorrow?
Follows the trajectories of individuals, groups and families, at different times and in different places, as they seek in different ways to survive in a world and context they no longer control, in a situation of collapse.

Episodes:

1. Day 2, Le Supermarché: Tough day at the supermarket for this young clerk who tries to keep calm and do his job seriously while many products are out of stock and public paranoia rises.
2. Day 5, La Station-service: Things are about to get messy as more and more people come looking for gas to get away but unfortunately the supply is running low.
3. Day 6, L'Aérodrome: While fear takes over the world, this millionaire has an escape plan. Will he make it to safety?
4. Day 25, Le Hameau: In the midst of worldwide paranoia, a group of people walk to a country house led by a trustworthy community but as they get there, they realize that, in a paranoid world, trust is always an issue.
5. Day 45, La Centrale: The world is collapsing. So is this nuclear power plant. Shrouded in dilemma, will the workers run away or will they stay and try to avoid nuclear disaster
6. Day 50, La Maison de Retraite: It's been weeks or months since everything got apocalyptic, but even if food and supplies are running low, this retirement home is still going on, kept by only one man.
7. Day 170, L'ïle: Lost at sea after fleeing a mad collapsing world, a woman tries to reach an island where a safe haven awaits her.
8. Day -5, L'Émission: A team of researchers come uninvited to a television show and one of them manages to take part in the live debate going on in order to warn the world of what's to come.

Also check out prior book club discussions, even if this one isn't a book. If you're interested in hosting a discussion on a book, movie, etc, modmail the mods! All we ask is you post announcement and discussion posts, and engage in the comments
​
Some things to consider discussing (from ChatGPT):

1. Themes and Messages:

• What themes did you notice recurring throughout the series?
• What messages do you think the creators were trying to convey about society, human nature, and the environment?
• How does the series explore the fragility of civilization and the consequences of societal collapse?

1. Realism vs. Fiction:

• How realistic do you find the scenarios depicted in the series?
• In what ways do you think the events portrayed in the series could mirror real-world issues and challenges?
• Are there any aspects of the collapse scenarios that seem exaggerated or implausible?

1. Character Development:

• Which characters did you find most compelling, and why?
• How did the characters' actions and decisions reflect the different ways people might react in a crisis?
• Were there any characters whose arcs you found particularly surprising or impactful?

1. Ethical Dilemmas:

• What ethical dilemmas did the characters face throughout the series?
• How did the characters' moral choices contribute to their survival or downfall?
• Do you think you would make similar choices in a similar situation?

1. Social Dynamics:

• How did the breakdown of societal structures affect the relationships between characters?
• What role did power dynamics, trust, and cooperation play in the characters' interactions?
• Did you notice any parallels between the social dynamics portrayed in the series and real-world social hierarchies or dynamics?

1. Environmental Commentary:

• How does the series comment on environmental issues and the impact of human activity on the planet?
• In what ways do the collapse scenarios reflect current concerns about climate change, resource depletion, and environmental degradation?
• What do you think the series suggests about humanity's relationship with the environment?

1. Narrative Structure and Pacing:

• How did the non-linear narrative structure contribute to your understanding of the collapse scenarios?
• Did you find the pacing of the series effective in building tension and suspense?
• Were there any storytelling techniques or stylistic choices that stood out to you?

1. Ending and Open Questions:

• What did you think of the ending of the series? Did it provide closure, or leave you with lingering questions?
• Are there any unanswered questions or unresolved plot points that you would like to discuss?
• How did the ending reflect the overall themes and messages of the series?

Introduction

This guide will show you how to turn your Raspberry Pi 4 into an Android TV.
NOTE 1: When I say Android TV, I do not mean Google TV, Google's rebranding of the TV operating system. If you want a tiny, cheap device with Google TV pre-installed, buy a Chromecast with Google TV. NOTE 2: The Android TV version used here (12L) is the one that worked for me. You are free to use any other Android TV version. NOTE 3: A Google account is required to set up your new Android TV. NOTE 4: The reason that instructions are not available for the Raspberry Pi 5 is that the Android version used here (12L) has no builds for the Pi 5. There are builds available for Android TV 13 and newer.

Materials needed

• Raspberry Pi 4/5 (3 and older are not supported) (this guide assumes you have a microSD card with a size of 10 GB or more and your Pi boots normally)
• A monitoTV and a connection to it (as long as you can get video output from your Pi without any extra software on it, you should be good)
• Another computer (can be a Windows, Mac, or Linux) with the latest version of the Android Platform Tools and the Raspberry Pi Imager
• A mouse to control the Pi with (keyboard is optional, you can also use HDMI-CEC to control your Pi with your TV remote)

1: Preparing the microSD

• 1.1: Download Android 12L for your Pi 4 and save it to your Downloads folder or somewhere else
  • 1.1.1: Unzipping the package is unnecessary. The Imager will automatically recognize the disk image inside the zip.
• 1.2: Connect your microSD card to your computer
  • 1.2.1: You can use a microSD to USB or microSD to SD adapter if your computer does not have a microSD slot
• 1.3: Select the required items in the Imager
  • 1.3.1: Raspberry Pi Device: Raspberry Pi 4
  • 1.3.2: Operating System: (select the downloaded zip)
  • 1.3.3: Storage: (select the microSD, WARNING: EVERYTHING ON IT WILL BE DELETED)
  • 1.3.4: Do you want to apply OS customization settings?: No
  • 1.3.5: All data on (microSD name) will be erased ↵ Are you sure you want to continue?: Yes
• 1.4: Wait until the process completes
• 1.5: Take out the microSD, put it into the Pi, and power the Pi on

2: Put the Google software on the Pi

• 2.1: Continue through LineageOS setup
  • 2.1.1: You can use the TV remote at this point (if your TV supports HDMI-CEC) or the mouse + keyboard
  • 2.1.2: The mouse will be required later
  • 2.1.3: You must connect to a Wi-Fi network to allow the Google Apps package to be put onto the Pi
  • 2.1.4: If asked to sign in to your Google Account, do not do so, that will be done later
• 2.2: Download the Google Apps package
  • 2.2.1: This is the package that contains the core Google services needed to make your Pi look like a real Android TV
• 2.3: While the Google Apps package is downloading, turn on Developer mode
  • 2.3.1: Go to Settings
  • 2.3.2: Scroll down and select "System"
  • 2.3.3: Select "About"
  • 2.3.4: Scroll down and click "Android TV OS build" or "Build" or "Build number" or anything like that 7 times until you see a notification at the bottom saying "You have enabled development settings!" or "You are now a Developer"
  • 2.3.5: Press back
  • 2.3.6: Scroll down and select "Development settings" or something similar
  • 2.3.7: Scroll down and turn on "USB debugging" and "ADB over network"
  • 2.3.8: Note the IP address and port shown under "ADB over network"
• 2.4: The download must be done by now, so now we need to put it on the Pi
  • 2.4.1: On your computer, make sure you can run ADB commands
  • 2.4.2: In the terminal, run "adb connect "
  • 2.4.3: If the connection was successful, you should see on the computer "failed to authenticate to and on the Pi you should see a dialog box asking you to allow USB debugging. Accept it.
  • 2.4.4: On the PC, run "adb push /sdcard" then wait until it finishes
• 2.5: Now time to install Google Apps
  • 2.5.1: Go back to Settings -> System
  • 2.5.2: Click "Advanced buttons"
  • 2.5.3: Turn on "Advanced restart"
  • 2.5.4: Go back
  • 2.5.5: Scroll down and select "Restart"
  • 2.5.6: Select "Recovery"
  • 2.5.7: Make sure the mouse is plugged in while the Pi reboots to recovery mode
  • 2.5.8: In recovery mode select "Install"
  • 2.5.9: Look for and select the Google Apps zip
  • 2.5.10: Swipe to flash zip
  • 2.5.11: When that's done, click the bottom home button
  • 2.5.12: Select "Wipe"
  • 2.5.13: Swipe to Factory Reset (YOU MUST DO THIS, DEVS OF BOTH THE GOOGLE APPS PACKAGE AND LINEAGEOS SAY SO)
  • 2.5.14: Reboot system
• 2.6: Continue setup
  • 2.6.1: You may be asked to connect your remote, do not do so, just keep pressing the navigation buttons until the screen changes
  • 2.6.2: Setting up with an Android phone may not work, if it doesn't, connect a keyboard so you can enter your account info easily # 3: We still need to change one more setting
• 3.1: Turn on Developer mode as per section 2.3
  • 3.1.1: Make sure your computer has a connection to the Pi via ADB
• 3.2: In the terminal, run "adb shell wm density 320"
  • 3.2.1: This will change the display density to 320, which is the only density that most apps support
• 3.3: Press back a few times and enjoy your Android TV # Some more things to note
• If the home screen still looks boring, try going to the Apps menu. It should then change to what looks like the new Google TV UI.
• If you ever need to reboot to recovery, redo section 3 again but replace "adb shell wm density 320" with "adb shell density reset". This is because the recovery software is barely navigatable at 320 ppi density. You must then redo section 3 normally after coming back to Android TV.
• Extra Pi features, like HDMI audio, or GPIO settings, are all described on KonstaKANG's website. # Credits
• KonstaKANG: for the Android build
  • Twitter
  • GitHub
• MindTheGapps: for the Google Apps package
  • They don't have any socials

Well hey there COMO, I'm Boone Jug, born and raised in Columbia. I've been working to open a shop/studio in town over the last year. I have ADHD and OCD. I'm targeting folks of any age that, like me, struggle in conventional learning environments but everyone is welcome. I'm working to provide a family friendly space, material, tools, access to 3d printers, CNC machines, art supplies and local experts in their fields. Its my dream to empower local entrepreneurship with hands on education, business planning, procuring startup capital, filing state and federal legal paper, mentorship, ect. with a heavy emphasis on what we call the "Happiness per dollar earned ratio" or if you just want to build a random wood project once in your life we can help with that too. Last year I stood up a Non-Profit, Boone Jug's Sport Shooting Studio (name is subject to change). I'm torn between leasing a brick and mortar space or buying an old bus to build a mobile shop. Before I do either, I'm trying to gauge interest in general and what specific interests does the community have shop or studio wise?
I am extremely eclectic I enjoy welding/soldering, spent a decade doing commercial carpentry, adore woodwork, building custom match grade air guns, pistol grips and rifle stocks, hobby level electronics, have 14 years experience as a professional mixed media artist, recently I created the new McNallys and Wise Guys Pizza logos (older work can be found here https://www.instagram.com/boone.jug.art/ ). I work on cars, trucks, motorcycles, atvs, ect. I competed and coached on the Marine Corps Rifle and Pistol teams, Olympic shooting disciplines are near and dear to my heart. In my firearm safety class we teach that mental health is a massive part of firearm safety. As well as making sure consumers understand they're buying a legacy item that will most likely outlast them and its important that firearm be transfer to someone with the same understanding and safety training. This safety doctrine was ill received by the gun industry and their foundations that fund shooting teams and ranges with grants and endowments...I have every intention of coaching a youth shooting team, however funding has proved illusive given the circumstances. We are pushing forward. My desire to share my skillsets is only surpassed by my thirst for new ones.
If a community driven, multipurpose shop and studio space to learn and teach tickles your fancy, please drop a response, DM or shoot me an email at [boonejugart@gmail.com](mailto:boonejugart@gmail.com) , detailing a workshop you or your kids would take or teach, tools or machines you'd like access to, ect. If any exceedingly motivated folks out there want to be a bigger part of the Non-profit we are excepting board member applications and can use all the help we can get. There is a high probability that I end up building a mobile shop/studio out of a bus to get off the ground, depending on how many of you fine individuals we appeal to we might run a "bus shop" as a community owned CO-OP. If you have an entrepreneurial idea we would love to work with you to grow your ideas into your reality. If you want to build stuff, we do that. If your child needs tactile, hands on, learning experiences where they define their own metrics for success or failure, mine do too. Any feed back is much appreciated, stay classy COMO. -Boone Jug

The walk to Richie’s old red pickup truck was brisk. Susan tried hard not to notice the kids in the waiting room on her way. How many would be worse off for sitting in there for more than an hour with her. The question itched on her mind like an out of reach bite she wanted to ignore. The effort to forget it made it more persistent. Susan sat on the bench seat and scratched her neck, and crushed a bug of some kind, the unmistakable crumble of chitin. She flinched, and drew her hand away gasping. There was nothing on her hand. She reached for the same spot on her neck and found nothing. Richie climbed into the driver’s seat in time to hear Susan shout “Get out of my head you proto-FUCK!”
Richie didn’t immediately react. She opened a fresh pack of cigarettes from a cupholder and offered one to Susan who declined it wordlessly. Richie shrugged and placed the coffin nail in her own mouth, lighting it with one hand while rolling down her window with the other.
“You ok, sweetie?” Richie said, turning the engine over and starting out of the lot and onto the mountain road away from the hospital.
“Not really.” Susan answered, rubbing her neck again. “This thing is making me see things, hear things. It has even been making me feel insects on me. I just feel so wrong.”
“We will get you to my house. I have a good stream out back you can rinse it off in before we cleanse you.” Richie said, glancing over to Susan from the road. Richie shuddered looking at her and looked back to the road.
“I’m getting in your creek?” Susan asked. “What does that do?”
“Running water, living and wild water- it gathers up energy and drags it away. It’s also chaotic and turbulent in its own right. It strikes me as uniquely suited for our purposes tonight.” Richie gave Susan another side long glance. “You will get through this, Susan.” Richie said after another mile of dark wooded road. The old truck’s headlights were stretching into the depth of the night, more yellow than modern cars. The younger woman didn’t answer as she stared into the passing branches.
“I was hard on you earlier but you did the best you could with what you had and what you knew. For a nonbeliever, you had no business surviving today, muchless binding an Old One. Even if it was just the shadow of one.” Susan said nothing. Richie relaxed somewhat with the silence.
They rode like that for another twenty minutes through the dark. The road rose up again and they began climbing the shallow slope of a mountain side and the trees opened up on one side. Below in the valley forming beneath them were the lights of West Yellowstone town, a scant skeleton of the nearest civilization like fireflies glowing in the gloom. Richie turned off the road for a dirt track that twisted its way past a pair of spartan cabins in between old pines and a large boulder. The dirt track crossed over a small wooden bridge and followed along the stream on a gradual incline for another few hundred yards before coming to a stop in front of a large log cabin. A pair of ATVs rested below a covered out building made from old telephone poles and moving trainer panels from a company that allows you to haul your own things.
Susan looked around the property she could see illuminated by the yellow of the truck’s headlights. As her eyes strained against the dark, a low slinking shape began to move slowly across the porch. Instinctively, Susan’s hand began to move to her gun. The shape started up and appeared to stand at the same time blinding light flashed in Susan’s face. Motion activated flood lights turned on all around the house and for a moment all she could see were spots blotting her vision. After a time she could see again and there was nothing on the porch. Richie shut off the engine and withdrew the keys as she checked her phone. The headlights shut off and the engine clicked with heat as the sounds of night time insects and frogs dominated the dark woods. The sounds seemed to crowd in on the truck, a gradual crescendo building in the night.

He can really blow the lid off of this operation if any of it is true. The difference between Drake potentially owning a portion of Gamma & maybe even some splits from UMG & Michael Jackson owning ALL of ATV publishing until 1995 (when he split the shares with Sony which wasn't a loss cause Sony added their catalog to the deal & kept building the catalog) is the industry didn't fuck with Michael for it. Drake on the other-hand 👀... The industry LOVES this nigga 😂 and why is that? Cause if what we're hearing is true, he doesn't own a big enough percentage of ANYTHING to pose a threat to the big guys in the music industry like Larry Jackson who owns GAMMA. If Drake owned 50% like Michael they would want him dead.
Kendrick can breakdown how he isn't as powerful as Michael was & why he poses no real threat to the higher ups cause hes helping them more than he's taking from them. He's becoming "The industry" in the worst way possible. He can cook this nigga!! 😤
Edit: Due to dumb debates lol I'm adding this part. The point isn't just Drake owning some publishing & catalogs. The point is him being on some snake shit n these artists finding out later that Drake has been eating off them. As a artist that's some nasty shit n we expect that behavior from them old billionaires at the top of the industry

The crew has been missing for longer than they thought as forces from Aestrahd arrive in the wake of the skirmish at Felhaven. The denizens of Tyrium witness a ship try to sink itself.
[Prev][Next]
[First]
Cover
Good evening, I’m Thomas Costa and this is the 52 News.
Tonight, following the disappearance of the navy logistics vessel UNS Bornholm last month, the navy has officially ended search and rescue efforts, citing a lack of debris or a homing signal from the ship’s emergency transponder. Following the announcement, the ship has been declared lost with all hands, though multiple recovery groups have been contracted to scan the sea floor where the ship was last reported in an attempt to pinpoint any wreckage. We expect an official investigation report in the coming months.
A memorial service for the 521 sailors and marines will be held this coming Saturday at the New Commonwealth National Cemetery with a memorial plaque planned to be unveiled at the San Cruz Naval Air Base later this month.
In related news, an emergency summit of the World Meteorology and Climatology Society is scheduled for late October as scientists from around the world work to understand a new and potentially unique weather phenomena detected by the Earth Climate Reconnaissance Orbiter in the same area the UNS Bornholm went missing. Coincidence or a sign of things to come? We’ll have acclaimed m…
---
Commander Atha’riel Fenlyn, ‘Atha’ to most, furrowed her brow in frustration as she neared the edge of the forest, bringing her calex to a halt. She leaned forward and patted the thick scales on its shoulder as it growled anxiously and kneaded at the ground with its dexterous front paws. A brief twinge of anxiety ran through her in anticipation of an unknown enemy.
A little over three weeks ago, they had received news that the Styllani were riding on the coastal town of Felhaven. She had been immediately dispatched to lead a force in its defense, unfortunately, the poor condition of the roads meant that they’d likely arrive too late to help. Despite this, they carried on in the hopes of at least catching the attackers off balance as they fled, and technically, they did just that.
Several days ago, they unexpectedly captured several riders of the Theocracy as they were fleeing through the forest. When questioned, they revealed that they were indeed part of the cadre that had moved to… cleanse the town.
Gods, she despised that term.
To date, they had only accosted those that had strayed onto their lands. This attack marked the first time they had proactively gone on the offensive in defiance of the Empire’s sovereignty. Fortunately, this attack seemed to have failed, though the prisoners fearfully rambled about being massacred by beings of the Veil, able to cause untold destruction without the use of the arcane.
This was the root of her frustration. As unbelievable as it was for there to be creatures of the Veil, to her knowledge nothing like that had ever been seen before, they couldn’t detect any lies with their prisoners’ recollection, meaning they genuinely believed what they were saying. This left two immediate options. The first was that this was a case of mistaken identity, which due to their near blind zealotry was very possible. The second was that the Empire might have a completely new problem to deal with in addition to the Styllani Theocracy now encroaching on their territories.
A rustle to her left caught her attention as her head scout, Mirun, made his presence known. The lithe, seven foot tall werecat materialized out of the underbrush and pulled his hood back.
“What did you find?” The elvish commander asked.
“Many things that do not add up. Most immediately there is something above us.” He said, looking upwards as his ears swiveled forward to try and reacquire some noise so faint only he and others of his kind could hear.
Atha’s head snapped upwards as she scanned the sky through the newly budding canopy.
“What do you mean ‘something?’”
“I am not sure, it is very faint, droning like an insect, but wrong somehow. It is moving in a slow circle far above us. I could not get a good look without revealing myself. I do not think it knows we are here, if it does, it has not shown any sign of moving closer.”
“Is it hostile?”
“I cannot say, Commander.”
“Very well, something to keep an eye out for once we’re out of the trees. What else?”
“It looks like our prisoners were telling the truth about the attack. To the south, there is a series of graves just outside the treeline. I counted about forty, fresh. There are signs of a battle but none of the expected destruction to the town, it looks like something drove them off before they were able to get close. There is also some kind of structure in the harbor, man-made certainly, but not of a make I have seen before.”
“Our prisoners’ so-called Veilspawn?”
“It may very well be.”
Mirun tried his best to keep up his ever-stoic appearance, but Atha had worked with him long enough to notice the slight wrinkling of his brow, the tightening of his lips, the almost imperceptible involuntary narrowing of his pupils. In the last ten years, they had worked together policing every corner of the Empire. Like most limnals, he was confident in his instincts and usually had a pretty good read on whatever situation they had come across, resulting in him having an almost unnatural composure regardless of the circumstance.
This time, he was just as troubled as she was, and that wasn’t a good sign.
Atha sighed.
“Gods guide us, let’s see what trouble these Styllani have brought to our doorstep.”
---
“What. The. Hell.” Xander stated flatly under his breath.
When the town gate creaked back open, he had expected a sight similar to when he and Okoda had gone to meet the Styllani. This was something else entirely.
What caught his attention immediately was the sight of what he could only describe as a Clydesdale sized wingless dragon. Its dark gray scales reflected the midday sun in rippling waves as dense muscles flexed under its skin. It was still too far away to hear, but Xander could imagine the clicking its claws made against the cobblestones as it padded its way towards them, amber eyes scanning back and forth before finally settling onto the marines.
Sat atop the beast was an elf. She was clad in a mix of leather and plate armor, with the heavier armor covering her torso, hands, and legs, giving her shoulders and elbows more freedom to move. The metal of her armor was colored in the same shade of dark blue as Mira’s gambison, contrasting with its bronze trim.
As she got closer, Xander could see that she wore a troubled expression, her fair, sun-freckled skin and short cropped dark hair giving her a tomboyish appearance. Walking to the left of her mount was the mayor and the watch captain, who had gone out ahead to meet the envoy. On her right was a fairly tall werecat resembling a Siamese with piercing green eyes and wearing a set of hooded, leather and cloth armor.
Captain Sinclair had arrived several hours ago, being given one of the amulets of comprehension which he now wore around his neck, looking out of place on his otherwise spotless uniform. He, along with the rest of the marines, stiffened at the sight of the beast and its rider as the crowd made room for them to pass. The riders that followed also mounted similar beasts, though they were smaller in stature, duller in color, and just barely leaner in build than the one the elf rode.
The formation came to a stop about fifteen feet away from the marines, with the mayor and watch captain taking position off to the side, between the two parties. The elf swiftly dismounted the beast and confidently closed the remaining distance with the werecat keeping by her side. Captain Sinclair took a few steps forward to meet them, with Xander, Okoda, Mason and August following a short distance behind. While the elf and the werecat kept their composure, Xander noticed more than a few of the riders behind them tense up slightly at their approach.
The elf took the initiative, addressing Captain Sinclair with a practiced formality.
“Greetings, I am Atha'riel Fenlyn, Commander of the Alvarian Third Cavalry. From what Mayor Hadeghast and Watch Captain Ironhart have told me, it seems the Empire owes you and yours a debt of gratitude for protecting this town and its people.”
“Bradley Augustus Sinclair, Captain of the United Armed Forces Navy, in command of the warship Bornholm. It’s an honor to meet you, commander.” He stated, gesturing to his ship, anchored a couple kilometers off shore.
“It’s curious that a hitherto unknown empire sends a warship and soldiers rather than explorers to an unknown land. As much as I would like to think you protected the town purely out of the goodness of your hearts, I somehow doubt that’s the case. What is your purpose here?”
The captain contemplated for a few seconds before his expression softened slightly.
“As much as I hate to admit it, commander, I was hoping you would be able to tell us. Did the mayor or the watch captain tell you much about where we’re from?”
“Yes, they mentioned that the land from which you hail is bereft of magic, and so, you have… developed differently. They also made us aware of you and your peoples’ condition. Is it true that it does not spread?”
“I think that’s something better observed than just explained. That said, your reaction here is better than Sergeant Okoda or Corporal Douglas received from the Styllani. We did try to approach them peacefully but were attacked without provocation. Truthfully, our defense of the town was also partially self defense.”
“I see.” Atha stated flatly, eyes scanning across the mysterious humans. “And is it true you harbor no ill will towards our empire?”
“Yes, that’s true. In fact, I was hoping to foster a… beneficial relationship between our two peoples. To more fully answer your first question though, we don’t know how or why we were brought here and my only concern right now is protecting my people and finding some way to get us home. To that end I’d like to work with your… empire to see if that’s at all possible. My people and I have had a fair few of your laws and practices explained to us over the last few days, and though we may not agree on all of them, it seems we share similar ideals. Moreover, we appear to have a common enemy in the Styllani.”
Atha considered his words before she visibly relaxed.
“If what the mayor and watch captain say is to be believed, your eighteen men and women were able to completely route a Styllani cavalry charge without incurring a single casualty. Unfortunately, as much as I’d like to have such a powerful force as our allies, it’s not my call to make, but these matters are best discussed behind closed doors.”
“All I ask is that we’re given a chance.” Captain Sinclair said, extending a hand.
The hooded werecat tensed a clawed hand at the sudden movement, though the captain remained unfazed.
Atha looked at the hand for a moment. The mayor had explained their form of greeting, but she was still leery of these newcomers, despite the reassurances of the mayor.
Making her decision, she took a breath.
“Better observed than explained…” She echoed quietly, taking the captain’s hand and shaking it.
With that, the ice was broken. As nothing happened to the commander, the tension slowly evaporated from both sides, Atha gestured for them to head into the town hall which the captain acknowledged with a nod before they started walking towards its entrance.
Well, it’s a start. Xander thought as watched them enter.
---
The sky was overcast as Atha stood on the pier, glancing out towards the strange ship along with a sizable portion of the people of Felhaven and a few of the newcomers. It had been several days since she arrived and today, they would set off back to the capital. The king had been appraised of the situation and had granted the group that had defended the town an audience, though he wanted the ship kept away as a precaution.
This was the first time they had seen the ship move since the newcomers had arrived a little under two weeks ago. They hadn’t yet unfurled any sails. Knowing that they couldn’t use magic, she surmised that the means of propulsion had to be some mechanism under the water. She had seen froth kick up near the rear of the ship as well as up towards the bow as it pivoted in place as if placed on a turntable until the oddly flat stern of the ship was facing the shore.
The ship then sat still for several minutes before Atha spotted movement on its stern.
No… not on the stern, the stern itself looked to be opening down into the water.
As she and the rest of the townsfolk watched in confusion and slight panic, Atha looked on with increasing horror as the large door on the rear of the ship slowly lowered itself until it was submerged under the water, allowing the ocean access into the heart of the ship.
“They’re taking on water!” She heard someone cry as people started to move towards their boats.
Atha was springing into action when she heard something completely out of place, laughter.
Glancing around, she soon spotted where it was coming from, several of the newcomers were trying to hold people back from the gangplanks, making gestures to try to placate them. They seemed genuinely amused, the looks on their faces completely contrary to what situation warranted.
“Step aside!” Atha shouted. “Do you not care that your ship is sinking!?”
“It’s not sinking!” one of the newcomers shouted back, “Watch!” they said as they pointed towards the stricken vessel.
Atha looked on, incredulous, before reluctantly tearing her gaze away and looking towards the ship.
The voices started to quiet down as a dull mechanical whine made itself known, coming from somewhere out towards the ocean.
Heads turned as the cavernous hole in the rear of the newcomers’ ship belched a massive wall of mist, like a dragon blowing smoke. Soon after, the ship, over the course of several minutes, slowly disgorged some new, smaller vehicle. While the ship at least had the general shape of a seafaring vessel, this new contraption was comparatively boxy, with two large cylindrical projections atop one side. Wherever it went, wind seemed to race out from under it, kicking up a wall of mist around itself.
As they watched the new vessel clear itself of the ship, the large drawbridge made itself seen again, rising up out of the water before slowly settling back into place, sealing the interior of the ship once more. The new vessel, like the ship, pivoted in place until the large cylindrical objects were on its far side, facing away from the pier.
Everyone on the piers, save the newcomers, looked on in awe as the vessel completed its maneuver and started to move in earnest. It glided over the waves like a perpetually skipping stone as it raced its way towards shore.
---
Xander leaned his head back and closed his eyes, the suspension and sound insulation of his Mutt dampening the rocking of the hovercraft into a comfortable rumble. It would take a few minutes for them to reach the shore, just enough time to sneak in a little nap.
The M700-H Modular Multipurpose Utility Transport, or Mutt, was a successor to vehicles like the Humvee and L-ATV. It had earned it’s nickname as the M700-A, its original incarnation, was the bastardized compromise between many contradictory design specifications, leading to a vehicle that was spectacularly unreliable and under-powered for its intended purpose. Unfortunately, the military had sunk too much money on the project to give up on it.
Despite this, by the time the M700-H rolled off the production line, it had been refined into a rugged and efficient machine. Able to seat 5 fully kitted soldiers inside it’s sealed, armored, hull, and with a base range of 570 kilometers, the Mutt was powered by an on-board hydrogen/oxygen fuel cell and equipped with low energy condensers powered by deployable solar panels. This allowed it to fully refill its twin 25 gallon fresh water tanks over the course of 5-10 days in most non-desert environments, severely reducing reliance on established supply lines. If all else failed, the vehicle could limp along with the solar panels powering it directly, though they were fragile and would leave the vehicle at the mercy of the weather and time of day.
Right now, though, Xander was just happy that the four wheeled, blast-resistant, armored cocoon he was seated in was doing an excellent job blocking the cacophony generated by the hovercraft’s turbines. He smiled contentedly as he allowed the dull thrum of the hovercraft to carry him off to sleep for a few minutes before they made landfall.
An hour later and they were on their way to Aestrahd.
The Bornholm would stay behind at Felhaven. Only once they had gotten permission to approach the capital would they make their way up the coast, with the best estimate being that it would take about a week and a half for the ship to reach Aestrahd, accounting for unfamiliar waters. In the meantime, they would continue the little cultural exchange program that had been spearheaded by Xander and Okoda.
Being perfectly honest, Xander had been a little disappointed at the peoples’ reaction to their vehicles. Apparently, after seeing a ship voluntarily open itself to the sea and deploy a massive floating box that skimmed over the ocean with a noise to rival a dragon’s roar, all without the use of magic, the four “self-moving wagons” as Mira had so eloquently put it seemed tame by comparison.
For now, he entertained himself by watching the reconnaissance drone reveal more and more of the surrounding landscape on his tablet, like a minimap slowly being revealed in a video game. Letting his mind wander as he stared at the screen and playing with the amulets that he and the others on their excursion had been given, with the mayor’s insistence that they had, in fact, earned them. Until they could get new ones sent to them, a few of Atha’s spell casters would be taking up the slack in making sure everyone could understand each other even as the Bornholm crew learned the local language.
Rather than go back through the forest, they had decided to skirt the southern coast, using the open trails where their calexes could set a faster pace.
While it had taken four weeks for Atha’s people to get to Felhaven, with the better paths and at the pace they were currently setting, they would reach Aestrahd in a little over two weeks. Xander had to remind himself that it would still be nearly a month since Tyrian days and weeks both were longer than those on Earth. Commander Atha had ordered most of her troops to stay behind and guard the town against further attacks, leaving her with about twenty men and women. The smaller group could move much faster and their calexes had more stamina than horses of comparable build with the downside of having a carnivorous diet.
Despite their appearance, they turned out to be very well mannered creatures and extremely intelligent. When he found out that they were actually a type of domesticated minor drake, Xander had excitedly asked if he could be taught to ride one and was disappointed to learn that they were strictly reserved for select members of the Alvarian Imperial Army as well as nobility or those of the upper class.
They rode in silence for several hours, enjoying the sights of the gently rolling hills against the backdrop of the cloudy blue sky, tinged with the faint dancing lights of the aurora. The countryside had just started to flower in earnest, washing it in cascading shades of bright red, orange, teal and purple.
Eventually though, boredom set in. Prompting Xander to partake in one of the oldest road-trip traditions.
With his arm hanging out the window, he started singing the first few lines of the top song on his ‘golden oldies’ playlist.
Okoda sighted, giving Xander an annoyed glance before he too started to join in.
Before long, the four of them were belting out the lyrics to the sappy, old, pop song. They were all slightly out of tune, but they all seemed to balance each other out into something that didn’t sound horrible.
---
Atha glanced back again, as she had been doing an uncountable number of times today. As big as they were, the newcomers’ vehicles were unsettling with how little noise they actually made. Aside from the soft and continuous crunching of their wheels against the dirt, the only sound they emitted was a low hum that was easily lost in the ambient noise.
She sighed in relief as she saw the four boxy vehicles keeping up at the rear of the group, at the same time, she picked up a faint sound coming from the one in the lead.
They must have had the medallions off since she couldn’t understand anything being said, but it sounded like they were singing to pass the time.
Ever on the same wavelength, Mirun spoke what Atha was thinking.
“They are not horribly different, are they?” He said in an even tone.
“No, it seems not.” She mused with a smirk.
---
The group quickly settled into a routine, up before dawn, pack up camp, set off at dawn, travel for five hours, rest at midday, travel for four more hours until sunset, set up camp, repeat.
As the Mutts weren’t being driven anywhere near their full speed, they could easily keep up with the water demand of their fuel cells. With plenty to spare, Atha and her soldiers were pleasantly surprised when Xander and Okoda had suggested that they could keep their canteens topped off with the surplus whenever they needed, negating the need for them to find a stream or her arcanists to create water every time they stopped. They gladly took them up on the offer once they confirmed that, while the Veil still clung to, and dissipated slowly off, their vehicles, the water the M700s collected was pristine.
One night, as they settled in, Xander decided to ask a question that had been stewing in the back of his mind for the last several days.
“Hey, Nyrii? I’ve got a question, well more an observation, if you don’t mind.” Xander asked as he approached the taller than average caster.
“Of course.” She replied cheerfully with a respectful nod.
“Are these amulets transferring knowledge to us or, you know, passively helping us learn somehow? Call me crazy, but it feels like I can kind of follow the gist of some of your conversations without it now, even if I can’t understand most of the words.”
After a brief pause, Nyrii let out a laugh before shouting at someone seated not too far away.
“Hey Lan! This one figured it out!” She said as she pointed at Xander, who looked on with confusion.
An elf seated nearby at another campfire looked up, glancing between Nyrii and Xander, before he grumbled something, reached into his robe, and tossed something at her. Nyrii caught the object, which jingled suspiciously similarly to a sack of coins. A small chorus of disappointed murmurs spread throughout Atha’s troops as each realized what had just occurred. Nyrii laughed before explaining.
“Once we realized the exact enchantment on the stones, we placed bets on if any of you would clue in on what was happening or not, winner was the one that was asked.” She explained with a smug grin. “But to answer your question, yes. The version of the enchantment on those medallions is not just meant to help you understand, but to help you retain that knowledge as well. Keep talking with us and in a few more weeks you’ll not need it. Actually speaking Cadonian is a different matter entirely, you’ll still need to practice that, not to mention you’ll probably want to learn how to read and write it as well.”
So that’s why Lyrian had called them teaching aids… Xander thought as he raised his eyebrows.
“Well shit, we could’ve used these when I was deployed overseas back on Earth.”
“Your world has many languages?”
“Yeah, a lot.” Xander replied with a laugh. “Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if we had a whole bunch of other language speakers across the whole crew, aside from English I mean.”
“And how about you?”
“English, obviously, I guess it’s our version of Cadonian. Also some Dutch ‘cause of my family, though I hardly ever use it and I understand it more than I can speak it, and now a little Cadonian I guess.”
“Fascinating, I’d think the Academy would be tripping over themselves to learn of your people.” Nyrii said thoughtfully.
They sat in silence for a few seconds before Nyrii spoke up again.
“Ah! Before I forget,” She started, reaching into her newly acquired coin pouch and extracting a small stack of silver coins, “this is for you, your cut for winning the bet for me.”
“Thanks.” Xander chuckled as he pocketed the coins.
They conversed for a few more minutes before Xander returned to his squad with the new information.
---
Over the course of the next few days, the trail they were using diverted inland and took them next to a treeline along the eastern edge of the Southern Greatwood, the same forest that both the Styllani and Imperials had used to approach Felhaven.
They had passed only one other traveling group so far, a small trade wagon from which they purchased some supplies. Everyone seemed amused when they had gawked at the large machines the marines were riding around in.
They were still a week from the capital when, just as they had been preparing to set off from their midday rest, Mirun, who had been scouting ahead, came riding back in a hurry, his expression intense.
Atha picked up on it immediately.
“What’s wrong?” She asked. Okoda, who had been discussing plans with her for when they arrived, noticed the sudden change in her demeanor and looked up at the werecat as well.
“Remains of a caravan left on the road, there are bodies, recent.”
Okoda and Atha looked at each other, sharing an unspoken understanding before he sprinted back to the marines’ vehicles as she rallied her people.
[Prev][Next]
[First]
A/N: It was harder than I thought it'd be to write Mirun's dialogue without any contractions, I think I had to go back three times to make sure."

Hi, I'm taking a shot at this YT thing. I've been able to put myself in a position where I've got about a year before I'd have to go back to previous line of work.
I'm a former systems/network engineer that realized my job was going to go away fast with AI, so I'm pivoting. So what do I want to do on YouTube? It would be impossible for me to do the same type of thing over and over. Nothing wrong with that, but I would lose interest fast. When I'm passionate about something it can get intense, so I was hoping I could somehow combine my hobbies and interests into something people would enjoy. Some of those things are FPV freestyle/racing, building custom ebikes, woodworking and CNC, motorbikes, ATVs, snowmobiling, building gadgets and other useless things, and I LOVE freestyle dancing. I've been building my own version of J.A.R.V.I.S. (M.A.R.V.I.N) as well which has been pretty hilarious at times.
I've spent so much time on YouTube just thinking about how great it would be if I could do that. I was visiting home a while back and I was talking about it when a family member said "Why don't you? You do all that stuff anyway, you're just not recording it." Took me some time to realize it, but all Youtuber's were probably sitting at home thinking the same thing until they finally made the first move.
Speaking of moves, I've made several. I've got my shop/lab out in the garage with tools, gadgets, etc. Inside I've got a studio with my PC, monitors, electronic equip, leds, etc. I have a couple of cameras I can start with, but I still need some kind of action cam. I've had these spots for years, but I've spent some time making them looking visually appealing for online. I have ideas leaking from my head constantly, but that is where I'm stuck. I'm very much a social media noob which is not helpful either.
I've come to realize I work much more efficiently when I'm accountable. To be honest it would probably even be beneficial for me to have someone telling me what to do next. I'm much more of a "take action" kinda guy rather than a manager or coordinator. I've been teaching myself DaVinci, and its going well, but I don't know how solo YTbers plan, film, edit and execute on their own. My hat is certainly off to you.
Well if you've made it this far, thanks! I'm open to any advice. I'd be willing to take some photos of my setup if that would help. I'm also single with no kids and my own house to do with what I please. I'm on the fence about putting a firemen's pole down into the laundry room just because. Do these sound like things people would be interested in watching?
Thanks for reading. Take care.