How to make a star on fb status

Hello. I'm Zach, and I'd love to share a bit of my world with you in the hope of finding someone who resonates with me. I do want to firstly say I am looking for a long term relationship, someone I might want to settle down with. Physical attraction is part of the equation, so let’s be open from the start. If you’re comfortable, a photo would be great. Here are a few from me. Most Recent. 2. 3. If I still have your attention then I would love to tell you more about me.

• 5ft 11in, a burly 230lbs. Working on being active at the gym, I would love it if you could help keep me motivated.
• I work full-time as a rural mailman, climbing mountains of Amazon and swapping tires like its F1. Hours are long but I make a comfortable middle class living. 6 figures.
• I'm a huge PC gamer. As far back as I can remember I've had a SNES controller in my hands. I love looking for co-op games and would love to see your face light up every time I share one because you know that every co-op game is a confession that I want to spend more time with you.
• I love to read and write. I'm working on a book that will never see the light of day, because it's never good enough kinda vibes. I'm big into Sci-fi and Fantasy and always have my head stuck in a world that is not our own.
• I DM for D&D, have been for almost 10 years now. D&D is not just a game for me; it's a canvas for creativity and a forge for friendships. If you're also an enthusiast, we'll have endless tales to share.
• I change my bed sheets once a week.

I hope this snippet into who I am catches your eye, its only a small piece of me and I don't want this post to get too long. We didn't even talk about cooking!
Who are you? My only preferences are someone who is roughly 24-33 in age, a few years outside of that would be okay if we really connected. Someone who might be okay with distance but wants to eventually meet. Someone who is patient, kind and humble. Someone who always tries to see things in a perspective other than their own, but holds their own morals highly. Someone who doesn't mind me texting them at like 3am to go look at the stars cause then we'd both be doing it and looking at the same stars together even if were apart. Someone who lives life with enthusiasm and passion.
If you're passionate about something I really want to be a part of it in some way, If it's listening to you ramble for hours about that obscure album you just found or the new succulent you just bought or this wild spice blend you've been trying out. Whatever makes you smile, I want to understand it.
Hopefully I've created a spark and we can find warmth. I look forward to hearing from you.

Hello. I'm Zach, and I'd love to share a bit of my world with you in the hope of finding someone who resonates with me. I do want to firstly say I am looking for a long term relationship, someone I might want to settle down with. Physical attraction is part of the equation, so let’s be open from the start. If you’re comfortable, a photo would be great. Here are a few from me. Most Recent. 2. 3. If I still have your attention then I would love to tell you more about me.

• 5ft 11in, a burly 230lbs. Working on being active at the gym, I would love it if you could help keep me motivated.
• I work full-time as a rural mailman, climbing mountains of Amazon and swapping tires like its F1. Hours are long but I make a comfortable middle class living. 6 figures.
• I'm a huge PC gamer. As far back as I can remember I've had a SNES controller in my hands. I love looking for co-op games and would love to see your face light up every time I share one because you know that every co-op game is a confession that I want to spend more time with you.
• I love to read and write. I'm working on a book that will never see the light of day, because it's never good enough kinda vibes. I'm big into Sci-fi and Fantasy and always have my head stuck in a world that is not our own.
• I DM for D&D, have been for almost 10 years now. D&D is not just a game for me; it's a canvas for creativity and a forge for friendships. If you're also an enthusiast, we'll have endless tales to share.
• I change my bed sheets once a week.

I hope this snippet into who I am catches your eye, its only a small piece of me and I don't want this post to get too long. We didn't even talk about cooking!
Who are you? My only preferences are someone who is roughly 24-33 in age, a few years outside of that would be okay if we really connected. Someone who might be okay with distance but wants to eventually meet. Someone who is patient, kind and humble. Someone who always tries to see things in a perspective other than their own, but holds their own morals highly. Someone who doesn't mind me texting them at like 3am to go look at the stars cause then we'd both be doing it and looking at the same stars together even if were apart. Someone who lives life with enthusiasm and passion.
If you're passionate about something I really want to be a part of it in some way, If it's listening to you ramble for hours about that obscure album you just found or the new succulent you just bought or this wild spice blend you've been trying out. Whatever makes you smile, I want to understand it.
Hopefully I've created a spark and we can find warmth. I look forward to hearing from you.

What's going on with our man Jake?
He starred in a lot of great films, such as Brokeback Mountain, Nightcrawler, Prisoners, Enemy, and Nocturnal Animals.
Now he's making strange choices in his career, such as The Guilty, Ambulance, The Covenant, and Road House.
And now I hear that he's going to star in a sequel to Road House.
What's going on? How come he hasn't been involved in another Denis Villeneuve film? I was hoping he would be part of one of the Dune films, but he wasn't.
He's one of the best actors of this generation, but it seems he needs to fire his agent or something.

Not sure what I hope to gain from this but maybe there will be some clarity to gain from an objective opinion. That being said I will prob delete this later- but while I’m here I will try to be as detailed and neutral to the facts as I can be, but there is a lot of history in a 15 year relationship so get ready to read a small book. I M33, grew up in an abusive and poverty stricken home, naturally I escaped that situation as soon as I could (after high school in 2008) my parents would explode over the littlest thing- like the first time I recall thinking I could not rely on my dad was after witnessing him beat my sister to a pulp, and then threaten me about telling (I never did) over her bedroom being filthy. Now, between high school and meeting my now wife F34 I was in a committed long distance relationship. Not to dwell here as it has little to do with the story, that relationship ended Dec 1 2009, I made my way to a small college town and found a place to stay with a few friends I knew from high school. This could only be described as a party house that a few poor and brave folks lived. The rent was cheap and the people were good. Not to mention, it was easy to drowned my feeling with drugs and alcohol here and not be judged. This was right after the 2008 financial crisis and I had found employment delivering for a local restaurant, and was not interested in starting a new relationship. Well mid way through December one roommate decided he was moving out, which left a room open for rent. This is where I met who, at least at one point was the love of my life. Jen F34 was a recent college graduate, who comes from, what I would consider a well off family. Jen was part of some drama with her old roommates and decided she would move in. She had been accepted into a work training program that would send her to a new state 15 hours away, so she was also not interested in a serious relationship. Jen was seeing someone we will call Mark. Mark and Jen we in a non-serious sexual relationship. The moment I saw Jen something inside me said i want to be with her, but I was still fighting demons from my failed relationship. So I hung around her and was content just being a friend..well this goes on for about a month..before it happened. One drunk night and I am waking up, naked next to her..she was still seeing Mark at that point, and I had no idea what I had done. She broke it off with mark a few days later and I took his spot. As a non-serious sexual partner, well the months flew by then all of a sudden we both had caught feelings. We had finally agreed we would only see each other. Well one day I come home from work and she is cuddled up next to a guy we will call Adam. I was devastated. I confronted her and she played it off as nothing. Just passed out and woke up and he was next to her, I had my doubts but in the end believed her and forgot about it. As things got more and more serious the dread of her moving day was inching closer. We both were bothered by this. She wanted to stay, I said no. I eventually agreed I’d move to her after her training program. (She had to stay on a company campus for 3 months for training) during this time we were long distance- I worked my ass off to get ready for a cross country move and she was getting a place ready for us to live. During this time she went out with “friends” and said she would call me after. 2 am nothing, 3 nothing 4 I’m worried sick and finally fell asleep around 4:15am. My phone goes off at 5am. She calls me incoherent and making 0 sense. I thought again she may have cheated on me but again no evidence- said she got a bit to drunk and stayed out too late. I again believed her. I was able to forgive and get over it- I’m not the type to stress over anything that’s not life changing so moving day arrives. I get all my stuff in order jump on the greyhound and start my journey. Dying inside to finally see my women again, well 22 hours later I arrived. She was supposed to be there to pick me up but she was no where to be found. I text and called, she finally answered and was very short with me, and pulled up a short while later. As soon as I got in the car she was mad. Telling me I should not have come, it was a mistake etc. we get to the apartment and I’m feeling like a sucker for being there, we have some food and she apologized for her actions in the car and we moved forward. Well the next almost two years of our relationship was amazing- epic sex life, passionate about each other the whole 9. Some minor drunk arguments here and there but nothing crazy. I consider this the best time of my life. Around 3 years in our relationship we got pregnant. Over those 9 months we were closer than ever. Excited to bring a beautiful baby into to this world, scared beyond words but happy. Then one day she was in pain and pretty sure she was in labor. We get to the hospital and thus starts one of the most traumatizing experiences for her. Extended labor time, breach baby, intense pain and anxiety followed by a c-section, and a multi-night stay in the hospital. Then a long recovery process. Needless to say being young, broke, new parents is probably the hardest thing I have ever experienced and can admit that experience must have been even worse for her and while life as new parents took hold she grew into a nurturing mother while I regressed. I was over worked, underpaid, stressed out and took what was a minor drinking habit to an excessive drinking habit. This was the start of a long line of huge fights, financial problems, and ultimately leads us to know. chewing on the idea of divorce. But before I get to now, let’s do a quick life recap. My wife and I are living together with our newborn, isolated from friends and family, I’m quickly drinking more and more. I worked an over night labor job, and Jen was still working for the same company. But more of an 8 - 5 we only saw each other in passing most days. Our blessing was colic and cried constantly. We both began to feel like we needed to be close to friends so we packed up and move back after her contacted ended a year later. Back to the small sleepy college town we met. We moved back, our kiddo was 1, things were looking up, I had gotten a day job- our kiddo was finally sleeping better, really it seemed good. But since her c-section a year prior, we had only managed to have sex a few times. I thought this would be the change we could to finally revive our bedroom life. But it hardly changed, add a few more times to the few mentioned before. We went from daily to basically none, not to mention we would constantly fight about things that need to be done, money, etc. I’ll admit I did not do my part of house work. So things are starting to fall apart- I’m still drinking heavily, our bedroom was on life support and I fucked up and started watching porn, browsing sites akin to tinder. I have to say I never actually hooked up with anyone but I did get some photos sent to me. Not my proudest moment. Well I arrived home from work and Jen had found said communications and browsing history and was rightfully mad. After a week or so staying with a friend and she allows me to apologize , I assured her it was nothing more than digital and explained how I felt about our sex life, or lack of one specifically. Things kind of improved for a bit, I stopped drinking, we were being intimate, we got married, she quit working and went for a graduate degree, I had found more gainful employment. until one day Jen noticed something new on my body.. a wart to be specific. At some point I contacted HPV. Which then made me look like a liar. (I since found out it was a girl i had a one night stand with shortly before my prior relationship. (Common friend told me years later))but I had no explanation or evidence to prove my infidelity was not physical. Well after this happened things got bad, really bad. I started drinking heavily again, right into financial ruin. We were broke, rent due, hungry baby, relationship just about dead. 0 bedroom life. I never said I was the good guy here. Just trying to be honest about our past. So we need cash quick so we don’t fall behind on bills, it is eventually decided she will strip for cash until we can get out of the hole I dug us. I’m pretty insecure but we had no other choice. I was handling it pretty well, until I noticed something in her attitude. She would get home and try to initiate sex with me. It was welcome but odd- till this point we had a half dead bedroom for years. I pried it out of her that stripping turned her on and instantly felt disgust. I lost it on her, how could she- come home and fuck me smelling like alcohol and bathroom cologne. Can’t fuck them at the club easily so come home and pretend I’m someone that turns you on. Had we not had issues overall in the bedroom I would not have felt this way but this made me feel gross, betrayed, guilty, angry. She obviously is mad at me since it’s my fault she was there. We had a fight and somewhat made up. Bedroom life was slow, life went on, things are pretty crappy and one night she goes out with a friend and shows up back at our place, hammered, with a guy from the bar. Our child was asleep in the room and that man is lucky I did not shoot him. She claims he was her friends stray but she let a stranger come to OUR HOUSE. Well at this point, i was mad but eventually just got over it. Life moved on we came out of the financial hole moved to a nicer place and began work towards saving for a home. She was still stripping on and off to help save. Well then she actually cheated on me, with another girl I front of a group of guys for money. I’m died inside at this point. I fell back to drinking heavily, again sexually all but dead. I basically repressed it and allowed her to get off easy (when she found my digital infidelity years prior I had to stay with a friend for a week) over this time, things are quite- status quo- saving for our first home. After some time like this I got a new job- and we could finally purchase. So we did- just before the pandemic. Our bedroom was basically dead- only initiated by me, was pretty one sided and seemed like she was just doing it to appease me. Constantly fighting of little things like chores (if I did not do them exactly the way or time she wanted it done WW3 would break out) but we managed. The the pandemic happened. We decided we would move closer to her family so we could have some support and hopefully work on us. We were able to live with her family for the next 1.5ish years. I only recall having sex twice during this time. (Could have been more but like I said I’m still drinking at this point) we bicker constantly during this time. Mind you all I am slowly at this dying on the inside this whole time. We had a major blow up in front of everyone a few days prior to closing. Stemming from myself feeling generally put out. Stick in a sexless marriage and the fact that I had a work thing in Vegas for a week. We sign - I leave for Vegas- she organizes the movers and get everything in. We have our own space again. Now we are almost to the present day. I again found new employment and have a high stress, high 6 figure salary career we have had many of fights due to chores, and household duties etc. she was convinced it was due to alcohol so I finally quit drinking for good. The goal was to hopefully fix this relationship, have a more intimate bedroom. In fact this was agreed upon when I quit. Some of the other things that have been said in these arguments was that she is working and trying to find better work so she can financially afford to leave me. She currently works on a “less than part time” contract work type stuff but is basically is a SAHM. I pay 100% of everything. This is now 6 months after I stopped drinking and there has been no change in our bedroom life. 3.5 weeks ago: I calm Loy state that I thought we agreed on the spicing up the bedroom with more frequently maybe some lingerie. I am getting a bit frustrated with this. Her: I just started my period but I hear you. A week goes by period done still nothing. 2 weeks ago Friday: we are sitting on the couch. I am feeling very much frustrated sexually. We are watching tv together, and I make a comment about one of the people. Here is what happened : Person on TV while crying “I recently found out my body produces excess estrogen” me: must be why you’re so emotional. Her: you’re a sexist pig, a misogynist, thats a misnomer and actually testosterone does that and so many other things I forget them all but that was the gist. Just offended. I apologized and said it was just a dumb comment. Somewhat calmed down but the energy was thick. Then I made my second mistake: a morbidly obese person came on screen wearing a sold color onesie. I muttered : dude looks like a bowling ball. And that was it- I’m a disgusting pig and she is going to bed. I sleep on the couch that night seething that again no sex, again random attacks against my character, again using something like a comment about a person on screen to go to bed. Saturday: my kiddo sees me on the couch, asks “dad can you make me an omelet.” Me still upset with how the night ended with my wife- complained about not wanting to make it- and eventually agreed. While cooking breakfast - wife comes downstairs and immediately starts in on me, ignoring my advances for a hug, telling me i need to walk the dog because she doesn’t have time. I also needed to run an errand before the kiddos sports ball game. I told her kind of angrily I had shit to do as well and what is preventing her from doing it. Well she does, things are quiet, we get to the game and we are sitting there. She brings up the comments of the night before and started this whole thing in public. Trying to get me to lose my temper in public. I was able to ignore it and just finish the game. Pushed all that down and was ready to move on. We get home from the day’s activities and she does what she always does says good night to the kiddo and gets ready for bed. Again I sleep on the couch. Sunday: she wakes up and starts cleaning, I try to be nice again- making advances to hug her, kiss her etc. I walked the doggo, not asked to do so- kiddo asks me to cook some food again so I do. No complaint, but while I’m cooking she makes another comment about my character. And brings up Friday again. I lost it: I was screaming at her like I never have before. Told her I wanted a divorce, that she clearly doesn’t want this it’s why she can’t even pretend to want me sexually and that I am nothing more than an ATM for her at this point. The rest of Sunday and Monday was silent. This is when I started this novel of a post. Finally she apologized and admitted to being cold to me, promised to work on this. Tuesday, best sex we have had in a decade, Wednesday, repeat action, Thursday a 3rd time. This past Friday- I was spent this was more sex than I had in a row in years. I was happy. Saturday, family members bday and another sports game. All day gone- everything good. We get home late- she is tired no problems. Sunday Mothers Day. We had plans with her family to do some hiking the first part of the day then have lunch and play a game. Everything is going fine. It starts to get around 3:00 pm and I tell her I am ready to go home. She said we have not played the game and that she wanted to. So I agree- we play a few rounds and during the game she could see that I was getting annoyed that we had to play another round I was not being rude but just not enthusiastic about ti. She looked at me and said I need to check myself. The way she said it, the fact she said it at the table so everyone could hear. I felt disrespected, we left and argued a little but I ended up saying sorry because ok I get it my fault. So we get home and she comes into my office space (which was dirty) glasses, and tons of boxes /other recycling that had not be taken care of. She told me to do it I agreed it was gross and started picking up. She kept on about how I’m disgusting for leaving it in the first place- etc I calmly asked her to just leave it alone and drop it, I’d take care of it but she didnt after 10 mins of her spewing on me I finally lost it and told her to get the fuck out of my office if she doesn’t like it. That I’m tired of the hostility and it’s clear she didn’t actually want to fix this. She kept asking me to lower my volume while telling me why she is right, brining up everything from the prior week. I did not lower my volume I got louder and more upset till she goes to bed and I sleep on the couch again. Monday: we argue more. The general mood is “how could I blow up on her on Mother’s Day.” That she is done etc. as soon as she can financially leave she will. I said why wait and asked her to stay with her mother for a few days- she refused to, so I left to a hotel room. Today was more of the same: not accepting that she had a part in the argument. That I just freaked out over her asking me to clean up. We have eventually agreed to give therapy a shot but here I sit, in my hotel room. Contemplating life I can’t help but feel we gave it our best but we were doomed to fail. I really don’t want to lose my family. but neither of us can take the current state anymore. What does the world of Reddit think?

Chapter Two - Part One
First Half
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Outposts sprang up on Mercury and the moons of the Kuiper Belt, each a testament to human ingenuity and perseverance. The harsh landscapes of these worlds posed new challenges, but they also offered new resources and opportunities. The ability to leap across the galaxy using faster-than-light travel encapsulated the dark, relentless drive of the human spirit to explore, expand, and survive.
The network of colonies became interconnected, serving as launch pads for further exploration. The new FTL technologies transformed the galaxy into a neighborhood rather than an infinite wilderness. Each jump through space brought humanity closer to its neighbors in the cosmos, for better or worse.
The universe, once a vast, lonely place, was now a landscape of potential new homes and new challenges. As humanity spread out from the Solar System to the stars, the stage was set for new conflicts and new stories, written not in the light of the Sun but in the starlight of distant worlds.
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Humanity's march to the stars was driven by necessity and survival, stark against the backdrop of Earth's dwindling resources and rising conflicts. After World War I, the foundational theories of rocketry emerged, setting the stage for the later technological leaps that would propel humans into space. The brutal rivalry of the Cold War accelerated these advancements, pushing the Soviet Union and the United States to compete in the space race, a silent war fought with satellites and lunar landings.
The practical applications of these early missions were not just about planting flags but also about testing human limits and technologies in the harsh environment of space. The moon landings of 1969 were a global spectacle. Yet, they also underscored the sheer isolation and vulnerability of human life suspended in the cosmic void.
As the decades rolled on, the international focus shifted from competition to cooperation. The space shuttle program symbolized this new era, with nations coming together to build the International Space Station and to send joint missions to Mars. These efforts turned sci-fi dreams into reality—establishing bases on the moon and sending manned missions to Mars laid the groundwork for future colonization.
The drive to inhabit Mars and the moon grew out of a blend of fear and fascination. Habitats expanded into fully functioning colonies, tapping into local resources to create self-sustaining environments. Technologies developed for extracting water and producing air on these barren worlds were critical for long-term survival.
In the shadows of these achievements, the Alcubierre Warp drive emerged as a revolutionary breakthrough, allowing humanity to leapfrog across vast stellar distances in a blink. The UNV Pathfinder and its sister ship, the UNV Exploration, were equipped with this technology to reconnect with colony ships sent out decades earlier in the Great Exodus. These vessels carried not just new drives but also vital updates in agriculture, medicine, and communications to ensure the colonies could thrive.
Each successful mission with the warp drives was a lifeline, not only physically connecting distant colonies to Earth but also weaving a web of interstellar human culture. Resources and knowledge flowed freely, bolstering each colony's chance of success. These ships were built to endure the extremes of space. They were equipped with advanced life-support systems and autonomous navigation, and they were fortresses navigating the unknown.
Meanwhile, Earth and its solar system colonies were pushed further into space. Massive construction projects like O'Neal Cylinders and space elevators dotted the celestial landscape, marking human progress in the cosmos. Each colony, from Mars's rugged plains to the cloud tops of Venus, developed its distinct culture and identity, united by their shared heritage and mutual challenges.
Space travel was fraught with hazards. Asteroids and solar flares were just the beginning; the cosmos was a place of deep unpredictability and danger. Despite these risks, during this era, not just hundreds of thousands but hundreds of millions of people chose to leave Earth. They embarked on journeys aboard new colony ships. These immense vessels were comparable in size to or even surpassed the O'Neal Cylinder habitats in scale. These ships were behemoths, carrying the very essence of Earth and the seeds of future colonies.
The exodus reached systems like Alpha Centauri A and B, Proxima Centauri, Sirius A and B, Barnard's Star, Luyten 726-8 (BL Ceti and UV Ceti), Ross 154 (V1216 Sagittarii), and Wolf 359. These stars became the bedrock of the United Nations of Sol, the precursor to what would be known as the "Human Sphere." It was a time of unprecedented growth and prosperity for humanity, expanding further than ever before in its history.
As humans settled in these new worlds, they faced not only the physical challenges of new environments but also profound isolation and the psychological burden of being light-years away from Earth. Each colony developed its own way of life, adapting to the unique conditions of their new worlds. The challenges of establishing a foothold in these alien places were immense. Local resources were harvested, and technologies were adapted to create habitable atmospheres and viable ecosystems.
Communication between the colonies and Earth was sparse, limited by the vast distances. Each message took years to travel, even at the speed of light, making each colony effectively isolated in its own right. This isolation led to a variety of cultural evolutions and deviations from Earth's norms, which in turn led to a tapestry of diverse human experiences spread across the stars.
The technologies that allowed these pioneers to travel to and settle new worlds were monumental. Fusion drives, quantum computers, and terraforming equipment were standard on these ships. Life aboard the colony ships was a mix of awe at the cosmic vistas and the mundanity of daily life in confined spaces. Generations were born and died in transit, with only stories of Earth as their legacy.
Each new home was a gamble against the cosmos, and not all were successful. Some colonies failed tragically, and their populations were lost to space or were unable to survive in harsh new environments. But for every failure, there was a story of remarkable success and resilience. The human spirit, driven by a need to explore and expand, thrived in adversity. Humanity never gave up and, over the next century, continued to send colonists to each of these star systems and began the process of colonizing each system.
In the stark expanses of space, every new settlement humanity attempted was a stark challenge against the cosmos, and the failures were as common as the successes. Many colonies were lost—whole populations vanished into the void or succumbed to the inhospitable climes of unfamiliar planets. Despite these setbacks, for every outpost that fell, others sprang up in defiance of the odds, showcases of human resilience and determination.
This relentless push into the unknown was not powered by naïve optimism but rather a hardened will to forge a path, wherever possible, to lay claim to the stars themselves. Humanity's spirit, unbroken by repeated failures, continued to drive its expansion across galaxies. Over the decades, this resolve only hardened as each failed colony became a lesson in survival, a step towards mastering life in the cosmos.
The stark realities of space tested human resolve to its limits. Beyond the safety of the Solar System, the universe emerged not just as a vast place of exploration but as a harsh environment of extreme conditions and existential threats. The initial failures taught valuable lessons in logistics, life support, and sustainable living on alien soil, which were crucial for future endeavors.
Colonization efforts became more sophisticated over time. Humans developed technologies that could convert inhospitable terrains into somewhat livable habitats. Advanced terraforming equipment and life-support systems became standard in new colonies. These tools represented more than mere survival mechanisms; they were symbols of humanity's unyielding quest to inhabit the stars.
As colonies spread further into the galaxy, each new venture was underpinned by an increasingly detailed understanding of interstellar travel and survival. The experiences gathered from every failed settlement informed the next, creating a cumulative body of knowledge that bolstered human persistence. The drive to expand took on a rhythm of its own, a cycle of trial, error, and success that slowly but surely extended the reach of human civilization.
This cycle was reflected in the evolution of colonial policies and technologies. From the early days of rudimentary habitats to the development of massive, self-sustaining complexes that could house thousands, the growth was palpable. Each successful colony served as a proof of concept for the next. With each launch, humanity's footprint in the galaxy grew larger.
The colonies themselves varied wildly—a testament to human ingenuity and the diverse environments encountered. Some were burrowed into asteroids, others sprawled across red Martian sands or nestled in the volatile cloud tops of Venus. Each presented unique challenges and required bespoke solutions to make them habitable.
Interstellar ships, equipped with the latest in warp drive technology, ferried resources between these colonies. They were lifelines essential for maintaining the flow of essential supplies and personnel. These vessels were also carriers of culture and connection, linking distant humans across the void of space.
Despite the vast distances and slow communications, a network of human presence began to stitch together disparate points of light into a coherent tapestry of colonies. This network was more than a mere chain of outposts; it was the backbone of a burgeoning interstellar society—a network that held potential not only for survival but for a new era of human prosperity.
However, this expansion was not without its darker aspects. The harsh conditions of space required strict governance and often harsh penalties for breaches of colony protocol. Life in these new worlds was rigidly structured, a necessity to maintain order in environments where even a small mistake could be fatal.
Each new settlement was a dice roll against the vast uncertainties of space, and many did not survive. Failures were frequent; entire colonies vanished into the void or succumbed to the inhospitable conditions of their newfound planets. The loss of life was substantial, casting a shadow over the ambitious interstellar expansion efforts. However, each disaster also hardened the resolve of those who remained. The cumulative knowledge gained from these failures informed future endeavors, refining the protocols and technologies needed to endure and thrive in alien environments.
Despite the high stakes and frequent setbacks, human resolve remained unshaken. The determination to push forward, to establish a foothold in the cosmos, was fueled by necessity and the innate human drive to explore. As each failed colony became a lesson learned, the strategies for survival evolved. More robust life support systems were developed, and habitats were designed to be more adaptable to the unpredictable conditions of new worlds.
The stark reality of these endeavors was that many who left Earth would never return. They journeyed knowing the risks—trading the safety of their home planet for the promise of a new start on distant, uncharted worlds. This was the cost of progress, paid willingly by those driven by a vision of humanity's future among the stars.
With each new wave of colonists, technology and experience accumulated, reducing the risks and increasing the chances of success. Ships became more advanced, equipped with better navigation systems and life-support capabilities. Colonization techniques also improved, with genetic engineering playing a crucial role in adapting human physiology to extraterrestrial environments.
The harshness of space demanded a relentless pursuit of efficiency and sustainability. Resources were scarce, and logistical challenges were immense. The vast distances between colonies meant that each had to be largely self-sufficient. Communication lags, sometimes spanning years, forced these communities to develop a high degree of autonomy.
Over the centuries, this relentless expansion forged a new breed of human. These spacefarers were tough, adaptable, and fiercely independent. Their lives, spent on the frontier of human existence, were a testament to the species' tenacity. They cultivated their new worlds, turning barren landscapes into bustling colonies. These settlements eventually grew into hubs of culture and technology, distinct yet still connected to their ancestral home by shared history and common humanity.
Yet, the expansion was not without its darker aspects. The isolation of distant colonies often led to psychological strain and societal breakdown. In some cases, governance structures collapsed under the weight of external pressures and internal conflicts. Pirates and marauders, drawn by the wealth of fledgling colonies, became a significant threat, leading to the establishment of militarized zones and the deployment of defense forces.
As humans adapted to life in space, they also had to contend with the presence of other sentient species. Initial interactions were cautious and fraught with tension and misunderstandings. Some encounters led to conflict, others to alliances. These relationships were complex, shaped by a mix of diplomacy, trade, and, occasionally, warfare.
Humanity's venture into interstellar space fundamentally transformed its cultural and identity landscapes. As humans spread across the stars, encountering diverse environments and nurturing colonies on planets ranging from Mars to far-flung systems, the challenges of survival and the ethical dimensions of expansion pressed hard on their collective psyche.
Values long held sacred on Earth were reevaluated in the face of new realities. The discovery of life—fauna and flora—on other planets during these colonization efforts marked a pivotal shift. While no sentient alien species were encountered, the existence of alien ecosystems was profound. It highlighted not only humanity's isolation in the cosmos but also its responsibilities.
On Alpha Centauri, the first successful integration of Earth's lifeforms with alien biomes set a precedent. Genetic manipulation technologies were refined, allowing Earth's organisms to coexist with and enhance these extraterrestrial habitats. Conservation efforts were paramount; preserving the integrity and diversity of alien ecosystems became a moral imperative as much as a scientific endeavor.
Each colony, from the red dust of Mars to the lush jungles of distant exoplanets, became a testbed for these principles. They were microcosms where human ingenuity, ethical considerations, and ecological stewardship intersected. Through these experiences, humanity did not just spread through space; it grew, evolved, and redefined what it meant to be human in the vast expanse of the universe.
Through all these trials, the human spirit's resilience shone brightly. Never deterred by the enormity of their challenges, humans continued to push the boundaries of their known universe. Each colony, each ship, and each life represented a thread in the vast tapestry of human endeavor in space—a relentless march toward an uncertain but ceaselessly pursued future.
Chapter Two
Beginning of Entry…
StarDate: Redacted
Perspective: Noah Stark
Species: Human, Humanoid Mammalian Species, no tail.
Description: 5 feet 2 inches [1.6 meters] to 6 feet 9 inches [2.1 meters] average height. 185 lbs [84 kilograms] average weight.
Longevity: 70 to 500-year life expectancy with life extension medical tech.
Unique Trait: Resilience and Indomitable Will.
Vessel: ICV The Argonaut
Location: New Eden Star Cluster
Noah, his gaze locked on the viewport, watched the ancient ship float aimlessly among the asteroids. The ICV The Argonaut, under his skilled control, edged closer, enabling the deployment of EVA suits for inspection. Behind him, his mother, Gwendolyn Stark, and his sisters, Jane and Joan, prepared for the walk, their movements a blend of anticipation and professionalism. The ship, a silent relic of a bygone era, revealed no signs of life, a fact confirmed by both Shinra Hinaba and Serenity, the Argonaut's AI.
This discovery, hidden among the celestial debris, was a treasure. It wasn't just a ship; it was a gateway to unparalleled recognition for the Shinra-Stark-Daiwa Mining Group. While the Argonaut and its crew focused on this historical artifact, the rest of the fleet mined the surrounding asteroids, harvesting resources critical for the survival of distant colonies.
Hinaba's voice, laced with a mix of excitement and concern, snapped Noah back to the present. "Focus, Noah!" she said, her fist-bumping Noah's shoulder in a friendly gesture. "We've got a lot riding on bringing this ship in intact."
"I know, I know! Just relax, Hinaba! I've got this," Noah assured her, his attention riveted to the controls. His reputation as the fleet's top pilot wasn't unfounded, a fact even the skeptical private military contractors had come to acknowledge. Almost as if summoned by their conversation, the Director's face appeared on the communications screen next to Hinaba, an uncanny timing that suggested he was closely monitoring their progress.
It was then that Director Shinra Senzo's image flickered onto the communications screen, his timing almost too perfect. "What's your status, Noah?" he asked, a brief glance toward his daughter betraying his deeper concerns. Despite his reservations about Noah's closeness with Hinaba, he was willing to see where their partnership might lead, a stance influenced by discussions with Noah's father.
"We're in!" Gwendolyn's voice crackled through the comms, marking their successful approach. But their moment of triumph was shattered by a distress signal, a desperate call cutting through the static. Elaine and Beth Frost, Noah's cousins, scrambled to decipher it, their faces etched with growing alarm.
After a tense moment, Beth's face drained of color, but it was Eliane who eventually shared the grim news, which was dire: "An unknown force has attacked New Eden. Their defenses are falling…" The weight of their words hung heavy in the bridge. An unseen adversary had breached the colony's defenses, leaving them vulnerable. The realization that any hope of immediate assistance from the USSA or SFR was weeks or even a full stellar month away if at all, underscored the gravity of their situation. With the defense fleet in ruins, their only hope lay with the ICV Ishimura, and the hired PMC mercenary group onboard, initially engaged to fend off pirates, might now be their only hope against this new and formidable threat.
Silence enveloped the bridge as the magnitude of the crisis dawned on them. They were alone, far from help, facing a threat of unknown proportions. Noah felt a tightness in his jaw, anger and resolve mixing in equal measure. The prospect of what lay ahead was daunting, yet there was no room for doubt. They had to act swiftly.
Gwendolyn's voice broke the silence, her command clear. "We need to act, and quickly. Our priority is the safety of this crew and ensuring we can lend aid to New Eden. Noah, plot a course back. We have to prepare for what's to come."
Hinaba, her usual levity gone, nodded. "We have the Ishimura, and we're not defenseless. Let's make sure we're ready for whatever's out there."
As Noah adjusted the ship's course, a sense of determined urgency took hold. They were heading back, not just to confront a threat, but to defend their home, their people.
Director Senzo's voice crackled through the communication channel, his tone tinged with impatience yet seeking reassurance. "It would be great to know what the status of your progress is, Noah," he pressed, his words carrying a sense of urgency.
Noah could sense the weight of expectation in Director Senzo's inquiry. Despite the pressure, Noah remained composed, and his years of experience in the field allowed him to maintain a calm demeanor even in the face of such scrutiny. With a steady voice, he replied, "We're making steady progress, Director. I'll provide you with a detailed update shortly."

He paused as he focused on the holo-Feed in front of him and analyzed the available data in real-time thanks to his military-grade holo-NeuralSyne Implant. "We're adjusting course," Noah replied, his tone firm yet marked by an undercurrent of urgency. "Heading back to New Eden. We'll be ready." 

In the silence that followed, a collective resolve fortified them. They were facing the unknown, as the derelict ship could bring untold bounty from within its hull.
Director Senzo's command carved through the static a clear mandate that reset their priorities. "Noah, before you depart the asteroid belt, I am dispatching a Porter Tug to commandeer the derelict ship. It's our top priority... Get that ship secure before you Skip Jump back to the ICV Argos-1. That is a Prime Directive!" His voice, a blend of authority and urgency, left no room for debate.
Noah, hands steady on the controls, glanced briefly at the communications panel. The weight of the directive pressed into him, a stark reminder of the stakes involved. He turned, catching the gaze of his crew, a silent signal that it was time to adapt their plan. The crew exchanged quick, significant glances, each understanding the gravity of the order. The derelict ship, an ancient relic floating among the asteroids, was not just another find—it was a piece of history, potentially holding untold knowledge and value. The directive from Director Shinra Senzo underscored its importance, not just to their mission but to the broader ambitions of the Shinra-Stark-Daiwa Mining Group.
Noah's mind went back over the meaning of what such an order entailed. Refusing to follow the directive would most certainly spell the end of his career. On one hand, he wanted to help those in need and who were under siege by an unknown force. The New Eden Star Cluster was not just a single system but a series of star systems in close proximity to one another. Noah and the rest of the ICV Argos-1 collective fleet were mining ore around Eden-159; currently, the planets were still being colonized, but in ten years, that would change. Our job was to mine ore to return to Eden-109, one of the 1,119 star systems in the New Eden Cluster.
The directive was clear: any new discovery in the outer rims of human space takes top priority above all other mandates, and the crew of The Argonaut was ready. Despite the risks, the potential rewards were too significant to ignore. As preparations for the operation began in earnest, the sense of unity and purpose among the crew was palpable. Each member knew their role and was prepared to execute it with precision. Noah Stark, standing firm at the helm, nodded sharply. "Understood, Director. We'll secure the derelict and rendezvous with the Argos-1 as planned." His voice was calm, a stark contrast to the racing thoughts behind his composed exterior. The task was daunting, yet his confidence in his crew's abilities was unshakeable.
Shinra Hinaba, her eyes reflecting a mix of determination and concern, shifted in her search. Her fingers were already dancing across the console, setting up communication channels. Her role as the ship's specialist meant she was well-versed in the technicalities of such operations, and her confidence was discernible. "We'll need to coordinate with the tug. I can set up a direct comms link and guide their approach." Her voice, usually light and teasing in their private moments, now carried the professional edge of her role.
Gwendolyn Stark, the matriarch and seasoned explorer, nodded in agreement. "Time is of the essence. Let's secure that ship and make sure it's safe for the tug. We can't afford any delays." Her experience shone through, her demeanor calm yet commanding, rallying her children and the crew with a few choice words. "Everything is by the book. This ship could be a significant find for us," she stated, her voice firm.
Elaine, renowned for her cool demeanor under pressure, exchanged a glance of shared determination with Beth. With a nod, they moved to their stations, their movements precise and efficient, a testament to years of seamless coordination in the face of adversity.
Beth, known for her unwavering focus and quick thinking, shared a silent understanding with Elaine. Together, they pivoted to their respective stations, their synchronization seamless and instinctual. In the heart of chaos, their unity forged a stronghold of resolve, a beacon of stability amid the storm.
"We're on it, Mom," Elaine stated, her hands flying over her console, prepping the EVA suits for another walk.
Beth said decisively, "We'll be ready to assist the Tug team with anything they need." Beth nodded in agreement, both sisters moving to gather the necessary gear. Their well-honed skills in extravehicular activities made them indispensable for the task at hand.
Elaine intonated as she focused on the external sensors: "I'll keep an eye out for any debris or potential hazards for the tug. We don't want any surprises."
Grace Frost, the voice of strategy and foresight, considered the logistics. "Once the ship is secure, we'll need to plot a careful course back. The extra mass will affect our jump calculations."
Jennifer Stark, my youngest sister, a blend of youth and sharp intellect, nodded. Jennifer's hands moved to assist Shinra with the communications setup. Meanwhile, Jamie reviewed the ship's specs, ensuring they had all the data needed for a smooth operation. "Let's ensure we have all the data we need for a smooth operation," she said, her tone serious, betraying the gravity of their task.
Jamie Stark, also my youngest sister, focused on the ship's specs. Her hands moved deftly over the controls as she reviewed the data. "Absolutely," she chimed in, her voice steady as she continued her meticulous review. "We can't afford any oversights if we want this mission to succeed." Her words echoed Jennifer's sentiment, highlighting the importance of thorough preparation.
Jamie added, "I'll run a diagnostic on the derelict's structural integrity. We need to know it can withstand the jump."
Director Senzo's image flickered on the screen once more, a stern reminder of the urgency. "Even if you return now, the fleet can't make the FTL jump until all ships have returned to their hangars and docking bays. You have time to tug the derelict ship back to the ICV Argos-1."
Noah, absorbing every detail, finally responded. "Understood, Director. We'll secure the ship and ensure it's ready for the tug. Argonaut out." His voice, firm and confident, belied the racing thoughts of potential complications and the precision required for their new task.
The directive was clear, and the crew of the Argonaut was ready. Despite the risks, the potential rewards were too significant to ignore. As preparations for the operation began in earnest, the sense of unity and purpose among the crew was palpable. The bridge buzzed with activity, each member of the crew moving with purposeful speed. The Argonaut, once a silent observer among the stars, was now a hive of focused energy, ready to execute a directive that could very well shift the balance of their task. Each member knew their role and was prepared to execute it with precision. The arduous task of securing the derelict ship was directive from above; it was a challenge they were all eager to meet head-on.
"Let's get to work," Noah said, his gaze sweeping over his crew and his family. "We have a ship to secure." His statement, simple yet laden with unspoken responsibility, set them into motion, each person aware of the part they played in the intricate dance of space exploration and survival. Aboard the Argonaut, there was no room for doubt. Only action, determination, and the collective will to succeed in the face of the unknown. Then, they would make the FTL jump to Eden-109 to aid the colonists under siege.
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I accidentally posted this to my username instead of my subreddit so here is is:
The Mortgage, Part 3
“Fuck,” I said as I drove to work in the old beater that only started on the fourth try because it could tell that I was pissed off. Ray’s case started at two o’clock, and I was heading to the office to get ready. “Fuck fuck fuckity fucking fuck. Fuck.” I’d wanted to tell Angela about Ray’s case, and how I was sorry that I hadn’t wanted to help him, but now I would, I would help him, and I would win, but then I’d gotten her all riled up on something else, something totally different, something way more serious.
My wife had given me a triple ultimatum: fix things up with her father, save idiot Ray from Sy-Co Corp., and somehow find a downpayment for the place she wanted to buy, in the little townhouse infill project in Bixity. It was like demanding I do a double bank shot, and then run over to the baseball diamond and hit a home run after first pointing to where it would land, Babe Ruth style.
Angela was mad at me, seriously mad. She’d slipped out that morning before I was even awake, sliding quietly past me on the couch. I didn’t realize she was gone until I heard the faint click of the front door closing. I jumped up, tripped over a blanket, and by the time I got up and my robe on, the elevator down the hall dinged, and Angela was gone before I opened the apartment door.
I swore at myself some more and pounded the steering wheel, “I fucked up,” I said, several times as I hit the wheel over and over again, until I accidentally honked it, and then looked all sheepish when the guy in front of me gave me the finger. I reached my office without further incident, but instead of walking in the front door, I went further down the hall, and into the office of Mark Cecil-Rowe, Barrister, LL.D, the man with the finest speaking voice I ever heard. When I entered his office I forgot for a minute about Angela and her father and sleeping on the couch the night before. I forget about everything, except the reason that I had come to Cecil-Rowe’s office: to stump him with a legal problem that I had solved, but which I was pretty sure he could not. In other words, I had come to preen and to brag and to boast. No one likes a showoff, and I had come to show off. I put my hand on the door and turned the knob. After a brief pause, I flung open the door.
“I’m a goddamn genius,” I said as I strolled into the older man’s office.
I noticed the echo of a hastily closed desk drawer hanging in the air. In Aaron’s office, where I rented space, a sudden act of concealment implied cocaine, but with Cecil-Rowe, the item in question was probably a mickey of vodka. I had the sense that he’d been drinking a bit before I arrived, but his powers of observation were unimpaired, and when he looked into my face, his expression showed sympathy, and actual pain.
“What have you done now?” he said, as set the papers before him to one side, and readied himself to hear my latest tale of legal brilliance.
“I’m a genius,” I said.
“Oh dear. Have a seat.”
“No really, I am. I’m a genius. I got this case that everyone says you can’t win, but I’m gonna win it, and when I do, I’m gonna look like a genius.” Cecil-Rowe gave me a sad indulgent smile.
“Whenever you tell me you’re a genius, I am always concerned about what is to follow. When you get wrapped up in what you call your genius, you tend to ignore the more mundane things we lawyers have to do to win a case. You think you’re going to win by genius alone.”
“Let me tell you why I’m a goddamn genius.” With effort I wiped the smug, self-satisfied expression that was on my face.
“Tell me why you’re a genius,” Cecil-Rowe said, “while I pour us a coffee.” He heaved his bulky body up from his chair and shuffled over to a counter. He picked up a carafe of hot coffee sitting on a hot plate, and poured two cups. “Speak,” he said, handing me one. I took a sip of the coffee, and told Cecil-Rowe the tale of Cousin Ray: his purchase of a franchise from Sy-Co Corp, its swift demise, the crash and burn in Commercial Court, the Minutes of Settlement, the seventy-one kilometer limit, and lastly, Sy-Co’s motion scheduled for two p.m. that very day, seeking an interim injunction shutting down Ray’s place.
Cecil-Rowe absorbed all this without the need to take notes. Instead, he sat back while he eyed me, taking the occasional sip of coffee, and smiling at the extravagant flourishes and details that brought out Ray’s story to full effect.
“Obviously Ray is dead on arrival,” he said, “but I guess this is the part where you tell me how you’re going to win.”
So I told him how I was going to win, but it didn’t have the desired effect. “I told ya I’m a genius, Mr. C,” cueing him to applaud, to admit what a brilliant lawyer I was. But there was no applause from Mark Cecil-Rowe. He looked at me without so much as a smile.
“You can cling to that genius notion as a consolation prize, after you get whipped this afternoon in court.”
“No way,” I said, “not a chance. I got this thing won hands down. I’m gonna kick ass in court today and--”
“And how exactly do you plan to do that, if you don’t have evidence?”
“What?”
“Evidence, Calledinthe9os. It’s what lawyers like me use to beat geniuses like you.”
“But I’m gonna win without proof. I don’t need proof. The argument I’m gonna make, relies on simple facts that are totally obvious, so the judge is gonna--” Cecil-Rowe stuck up his hand.
“Stop right there. I know what’s coming. You’re going to ask the judge to take *judicial notice.”
And he was right. That was exactly what I was going to do.
There are some things so obvious that you didn’t have to prove them, things that everyone knew. You didn’t have to prove that water froze at zero degrees and boiled at a hundred, or that Bixity was between West Bay and East Bay.
“You got it,” I said, “judicial notice all the way.”
“You’re going to tell the judge that the centerpiece of your argument, the lynchpin of your case is a fact known to pretty well everyone, and so you don’t need proof.”
“Exactly,” I said. Cecil-Rowe took another sip of his coffee, and left me hanging in the silence for a while before he spoke.
“If that’s true, then why does coming up with that argument make you a genius?”
“Oh, I said,”I didn’t think of that.”
“It is acceptable to rely on judicial notice for minor, ancillary points. But you never should walk into court thinking that the court will take judicial notice of your entire defence. It’s just too risky.”
“But how am I going to rustle up a witness in time for this afternoon?”
“Worry about that after you leave my office. I can’t help you with that. What I want to know, is why you’re doing this at the last minute.”
“What makes you think I’m doing this at the last minute?”
“Because you never would have resorted to judicial notice if you were properly prepared. If you’d opened this case a bit earlier, you’ve have everything lined up. But you got to work on it late, and so you want to rely on judicial notice. You’ve messed up, Calledinthe90s, and you know what my rule is when you mess up.” Cecil-Rowe didn’t extend aid to me, until I admitted the error of my ways. It was infuriating, but he was inflexible. So I fessed up.
“My idiot cousin Ray’s been trying to retain me for almost two weeks, but I was putting him off because I was mad at him. So now my wife’s mad at me, and if I don’t win this case, I’m dead. Plus her dad’s mad at me too and --” My brain roared into overdrive, a mess of family and law and fear, and at the centre of it, thoughts of Angela’s anger and her father. My mind took off, and then came to an instant halt at a helpful destination.
“Yes?” Cecil-Rowe said.
“Sorry. I just realized how to solve the evidence problem. Look, can I ask you about the thing I actually came here to ask you about?”
“You have a problem that’s worse than having no evidence? What could be worse than -- oh. You don’t have a retainer. Your client doesn't have any money.”
“Exactly. How do I get paid? That’s the problem.” I explained that Ray had no money, as in none, and that if he did have money, he wouldn’t spend it on me. Instead, he’d go back downtown and throw his cash at some big firm, who would take on his case, and proceed to lose it in a calm, careful, sober manner, ending in a reporting letter to Ray telling him that he’d lost.
“Now that’s a problem I can solve,” Cecil-Rowe said.
“Really? ‘Cause I can’t see a way around it. I think I’m gonna have to do this for free, and that really pisses me off.” Cecil-Rowe shook his head.
“You may or may not get paid, but you can set things up so that if you win, you’ll win pretty good.”
“How? Ray’s a deadbeat. Tapped out.”
“But is he desperate?”
“Totally. The first time he failed, he lost his own money, but if he goes under this time, he’s taking family money with him, and he’ll be the black sheep forever.”
“And he’s using family to emotionally blackmail you into helping him?’
“Like no shit. That’s the part that pisses me off the most. I’m like a goddamn slave, being forced to work for free.”
“Never fear, young apprentice. I have just the thing in mind.” He reached into a drawer, and pulled out a form. “Fill in the blanks, and have him sign.”
I looked it over, and saw that the document was a retainer agreement. I whistled. “Holy shit. If he signs this, he’s almost my slave.”
“Close, but not quite” Cecil-Rowe said, “the Latin term for this is "contractus pro venditione animae"”. It’s the ultimate retainer agreement. Once Ray signs that, you own any cause of action he has against the person suing him. You can settle the case on any terms you like, and you get to keep whatever proceeds there are.” Cecil-Rowe placed the folder back in a drawer, and from his manner you could tell that the interview was over.
“Awesome, Mr. C. I’ll call you from Commercial Court when we’re done.”
“Commercial Court?” he said.
“Yeah, Commercial Court.”
“This just keeps getting worse. Take notes, Calledinthe90s, while I school you on Commercial Court. Commercial Court is a jungle, and without preparation, you’ll get savaged.”
“That’s what happened to Ray when--”
“Take notes, young apprentice,” he said, tossing me a pad and a pen. He started to lecture, and I took notes that I have with me to this day, in a safe deposit box downstairs in the vault at Mega Bank Main Branch.
* * *
By the time Cecil-Rowe finished schooling me, it was close to ten, and the case started at two. I didn’t have much time. I ran down the hall to my office, and called Ray’s restaurant. No answer. Then I called Ray’s house. I expected to get Ray’s wife, but the man himself answered.
“You’re not at work. Why aren’t you at work?”
“Sy-Co Corp served all my employees with a cease and desist letter. They all got scared and took off. The place is shut down.”
“You gotta fax machine at home?” He did, and asked why.
“I’m taking your case, but only if you sign the paper I’m about to send and fax it back.” I sent the fax, and five minutes later it came back signed, and it was official: Ray had sold me his legal soul.
I went out to the parking lot, got into my beater and drove fast. In less than thirty minutes I reached my destination. I knocked on the door, and when it opened, my diminutive mother-in-law poked out her head. “What a pleasant surprise,” she said.
“Sorry, Mrs. M, but I’m in a super hurry. I gotta rush to get to court to help Ray. But first, I gotta speak to Dr. M.”
“He’s not here,” she said.
“Not here?”
“He’s on his way to his bridge game. He left just a few minutes ago.”
“Where’s the club?”
“He’s walking there,” she said, and pointed down the street.
“Thanks.” I got into my car and headed where Mrs. M had pointed, passing big houses and new project with an “Opening Soon” sign. And walking past it was the figure of Dr. M.
“Hey, Dr. M,” I called out the window. He stopped and looked around, startled. But he didn’t see me, not at first.
“It’s me, Dr. M. Me, Calledin90s.” He leaned forward as if to see me better. I got out of the car.
“Is something wrong with Angela? Or the baby?”
“No, no not at all, sorry to scare you, it’s nothing like that. I need your help.”
“Oh.” He started walking again, and now it was my turn to be a bit stunned, watching my father-in-law walk away from me. I caught up with him in a few quick strides.
“Listen, I really need your help.”
“And I really need to get to a bridge game.”
“This isn’t about me. It’s about Ray.” That brought him to a halt. He turned to me, angrier even than he’d been the night before.
“Did you drive all the way out here just to make fun of me? To remind me of how you won, distracting me with nonsense about Ray’s case?”
“I mean it,” I said, “I can win Ray’s case. I can prove it in a few words.”
“Prove it, then.” So I did. I spoke words, only a few words, but they were the right words to speak to Dr. M, for the words I spoke were in his language, words that he understood perfectly.
“I understand,” he said, “you’ve come to boast some more, to prove that you were right after all.”
“I want to win Ray’s case, but I don’t have any proof of what I’m saying.”
“You don’t need to prove that two plus two is four.”
“This, I gotta prove, and I need you to help me prove it. I need you to come to court with me, as my witness.”
“I can’t do that. I didn’t witness anything.”
“As my witness. My expert witness.” Unlike a normal witness, an expert witness can give an opinion. An expert is there not to advocate, I explained to Dr. M but to instruct, to teach.
“My bridge partner won’t be very happy,” he said.
“But Ray will, and so will Mrs. M and Angela and--”
“Very well. Do you have a cell phone? We can call the bridge club from my car.”
* * *
We were on the highway getting close to the downtown exit, when my wife called my cell phone. Back then cell phone service was super expensive and my wife only used it for emergencies. Or when she was really angry. I picked up the phone, wondering which it would be.
“I’m so happy that you made things up with my father,” she said.
“How did you know?”
“My mother called. She says you took him with you, that you went out together.”
“He’s with me right now,” I said.
“Where are you going?”
“To court. Going to court to win Ray’s case for him.”
“And you brought my father with you to watch?” She was so happy, I could hear in her voice that she was smiling. “That’s a great way to bond with him, Calledinthe90s. Look, I’m sorry I got so mad at you earlier, I really am. My dad’s a bit too sensitive and--”
“Sorry, Angela, your dad’s not coming to watch me.”
“Why is he with you, then?”
“He’s my witness,” I said.
“What?”
“His expert witness,” Dr. M said, loudly enough for Angela to hear.
My wife’s anger exploded into the phone. She wanted to know how I could expose her elderly, vulnerable father to the stress of a court case. I tried to tell her how I needed him, how there was literally no one else I could turn to, that her father was an expert, a true expert, and the judge was legally bound to believe him, but Angela heard none of this.
“Look,’ I said, “I promise you that--” And then I lowered the phone and pushed the red button, terminating the call. I’d learned that the best way to hang up on someone, was to do it when I was doing the talking. That way it looked like the call had dropped.
“I’m going to steal that move,” Dr. M said.
We rolled into the parking lot. I grabbed the cloth bag out of the back of my car, the bag that held my law robes and shirt and tabs, plus the other stuff I needed for court. It was one-thirty, still thirty minutes to go, not a lot of time to get robed and ready for court. It was just past one-forty five when I, with Dr. M in tow, opened the door to a courtroom on the eighth floor of an old insurance building that had been converted into a courthouse, the home of Commercial Court.
“Commercial Court is an exclusive club,” Cecil-Rowe had explained to me earlier that day, “the legal playground of the rich and powerful. They’ll know instantly that you’re not one of them.” And he was right. It was clear from the moment I walked in that I did not belong, for I was the only lawyer in robes. Everyone else was wearing a suit, and not some cheap thing off the rack like I wore.
There were a half-dozen lawyers present, and after they saw me, they exchanged knowing looks about the stranger amongst them. I ignored them, and walked up to the Registrar. I told him the case I was on, and he signed me in.
“First time in Commercial Court?” he said, eyeing my robes. “You know you don’t have to be robed in Commercial Court.” In other Superior Courts, you always had to bring your robes and get all dressed up. But Commercial Court had its own set of rules, and in the court for rich people, their lawyers did not have to wear robes.
“You’re here on the Sy-Co case?” a young woman asked. She was a junior like me, give a year or two either way. She was dressed in the finest downtown counsel fashion, some designer thing that Angela would know if she saw it.
“Just got retained,” I said.
“You know there’s no adjournments, right? We don’t do adjournments in Commercial Court. I’m just trying to be helpful, because I don’t think you've been here before. You know you don’t have to be robed, right?
“So I heard.”
“So where’s your material? You haven’t served anything, so how do you plan to argue your case?”
“I gotta witness,” I said.
She smiled. “There’s no viva voce evidence, either. Affidavit only.”
“We’ll see what the judge says.” There was a knock from the other side of the door to the judge’s chambers, and then the man himself entered.
I was amazed to see that even the judge wasn’t wearing a robe; instead, he was wearing a light coloured suit and a bright blue bow tie. He was dressed as good as the lawyers, all part of the downtown Commercial Court club, the playground of the richest and most powerful corporations in the City.
“Commercial Court’s not like other courts,” Cecil-Rowe told me earlier that day, explaining that most cases were over in fifteen minutes or less. A plaintiff showed up with some papers, and had a short consultation with the judge. The judge signed an order granting an injunction, or taking away a man’s business, or freezing his money. Commercial Court is where you went to get quick and simple court orders that eviscerated your opponent before the case even got going.
Defendants would appear sometimes in Commercial Court, Cecil-Rowe explained, but it was usually their last time up. Defendants always died a quick death in Commercial Court.
The judge took his seat, and then looked over the lawyers before him. His eyes moved along, and then stopped when they reached me, the one lawyer who was not like the others.
“You don’t need robes in Commercial Court,” the judge said to me.
“I’ll remember that for next time,” I said.
“What case are you on?”
I told him.
“He’s filed no responding materials,” my opponent said, “nothing at all.”
“I’m just vetting the list,” the judge said, “I’ll circle back to you two in a few minutes.” I listend while the judge vetted the rest of the afternoon list: a Mareva, plus a Norwich order, with counsel on those cases sent away in a matter of minutes.
Now the courtroom was almost empty, just the judge, two lawyers, the registrar and my star witness and father-in-law, Dr. M, who sat in the back of the courtroom dressed in an old business suit, put on hastily at his place two hours earlier, when I urged him to hurry it up, to not waste so much time on picking a suit.
“Back to you,” the judge said, addressing my opponent, “I thought this was an uncontested matter. That’s what your confirmation sheet said.”
“I’m sorry, Your Honour, but I didn’t know until I got here that the case was defended.”
“I got retained at the last minute,” I said, “barely three hours ago, the day after I read the papers. But I’m ready to go, ready to argue the case on the merits, so long as you grant me an indulgence, and let me call my witness, to let him testify in person instead of by affidavit, there being no time for me to draft anything.”
Opposing counsel was on her feet. “That’s not how things are done in Commercial Court,” she said, “or any court that I know of, for that matter. My friend (that’s what they make lawyers call each other in court, ‘my friend,’ even though you might hate the other guy’s guts),” the lawyer said, “my friend should have served his responding materials and filed them with the court. Instead, he’s taken us totally by surprise.”
“I’m sorry my friend is surprised by opposition,” I said, “but then consider, it’s my client’s livelihood that’s at stake. If my friend gets her injunction, Ray Telewu’s business is dead, and he loses everything. So yes, my client opposes the injunction, and yes, I’d like to call evidence.”
The judge didn’t consult the papers before him nor the books, but instead, he looked up at the big white clock on the courtroom wall. Its hands said two-fifteen.
“How long will your witness take, counsel?”
“In chief, ten minutes.” I’d practiced with Dr. M on the way in, and I was pretty sure he could do it in five, but I gave him a bit of extra time, just in case.
“We’ve got about two hours,” the judge said, “but I want to be fair to you and your client. Let’s take a fifteen minute recess so you can get instructions. Either we go ahead today with viva voce evidence, or we adjourn, and that will give Calledinthe90s time to file responding materials.”
When everyone came back, the junior’s boss was there, Senior Counsel, a heavy weight, one of those big guys downtown. Plus they brought this guy from Sy-Co Corp, the head of some bullshit division, with some bullshit title, Head of whatever, so that’s the title I’ll give him here. He was The Head. He was the man, the big cheese, the signer of the affidavit on which Sy-Co relied that day.
“What’s he doing here?” I asked Senior Counsel.
He stared at me, all lean and steel grey, looking every inch the hard hitting lawyer that commanded the biggest fees. “If you’re calling a live witness, then so can we. The Head will give evidence today, in advance of your client, so that the judge hears it from him first.” His junior smirked at me, and the two of them sat down, delighted that they’d thought of a way to one up me.
Except that they’d done it by exposing their client to cross-examination. The judge came in, allowed the Head to testify, and when he was done, I stood up.
“Just a few questions,” I said. Senior Counsel was stunned for an instant, and then he stood.
“This serves no purpose, Your Honour. The witness has confirmed the simple facts of his affidavit, and there’s no disputing it. Ray Telewu opened a restaurant less than seventy-one kilometres from Bixity City Hall, and that’s in breach of the Minutes of Settlement he signed.”
I did not bother to respond. Instead, I just stood, and I started to ask questions.
“Have a look at that map in your affidavit,” I said, and he did. I picked up my copy, and tore the map out of it. I passed it up to him.
“What do you notice about this map?”
“That it’s accurate,” the Head said, repeating his evidence in chief, amplifying it, talking about how the map contained perfect measurement.
“You will notice that the map is flat,” I said, laying it on the witness box before him.
“Of course it’s flat. That’s what maps are. Maps are flat.”
“But the earth is round,” I said, “or more properly, a sphere.” Senior Counsel was on his feet in an instant.
“What difference does that make?” he said.
“What you’ll hear from my expert witness, is that a flat map cannot accurately show Earth’s curves. A flat map distorts distances, and in this case, reduces them.”
“But that can’t be by very much.”
“In this case, by just over twenty meters,” Dr. M said from the back of the court.
“That’s my expert witness, the esteemed Dr. M.” I didn’t actually say Dr. M. Instead, I said his real name. But I’m not going to use the real names of my family here, so I’ll just keep calling him Dr. M. “Dr. M was a professor of Physics at the University of Bixity for almost thirty years. He has published numerous papers on particle physics, and is the first Canadian winner of the Wolf Prize for physics.”

• * * *

It went downhill after that for Sy-Co Corp. My father-in-law testified, explaining in simple language, language that even a child could understand, that the Earth was a sphere, that the shortest distance between two points on Earth was a curve, not a straight line. He summarized his calculations in plain English, dumbing down the math, so that everyone present imagined, if only for the moment, that they shared his understanding of a difficult mathematical equation.
Senior Counsel tried to cross-examine Dr. M, but it did not go well, my father-in-law indulging him, gently chiding him, continuing his explanations until the lawyer sat down, defeated by Dr. M’s mastery of the subject,his own lack of preparation and his inability to improvise. When counsel said that he had no further questions, the judge addressed us all.
“I’m not going to reserve, and I don’t think I need to tell everyone why. I think it will take about a minute for me to write a decision saying that the Earth is not flat. I’ll give you some more time after that, but after fifteen minutes, I”ll be back to render my decision.” He rose, everyone bowed, and he disappeared behind the door to judge’s chambers.
I pulled a piece of paper out of my file, and slammed it on the desk before Senior Counsel and his junior. “Fill in the blanks, and sign,” I said.
Dr. M’s head shot up at the commotion, and he shuffled over to see what was going on.
“What’s this?” Senior Counsel said, picking up the paper I gave him..
“Minutes of Settlement. You fill in a number, a big number, for the costs you gotta pay me. Your client signs, and then we’re done.” Senior Counsel opened his mouth to bargain, but I overrode him.
“You know your client’s going to lose; the judge made that obvious. Hurry up if you want to settle; we don’t have much time.”
At the end of most Canadian court cases, the loser has to pay at least part of the winner’s legal fees. That’s the way it’s been since forever, and I think it’s a good rule. Sy-Co Corp had lost, so it had to pay a good chunk of Ray’s costs, and Ray’s costs were somewhere between whatever bullshit figure I claimed they were, and where they actually ought to be. Senior Counsel took the paper over to his client. There was a brief discussion, and then they came back, with the form signed, and a number written in the blank space.
I’ll give it to Sy-Co Corp and their lawyer. It wasn’t a bullshit number, a low ball number. They gave me a real number, a number more like something I’d actually accept, a number that made sense to pay me in costs, in light of the success I’d had, and how I got it. It was a respectful number, a common sense number, and I appreciated it an awful lot.
I tossed the paper back at them.
“Add a zero,” I said, continuing on when Senior Counsel blanched, and his junior retreated a step. “I know what’s going on here. Your client sold mine a bullshit franchise, one with a history of failing.” The franchise had opened up again under a new owner not long after Ray had lost it and then it promptly failed again. Like I said at the start of this story, it’s an old story. It’s how some franchise companies make money. “Your client makes more money selling bullshit franchises doomed to fail, then it does from the honest ones that make money. So add a zero to that number, or Ray’s gonna sue you, class action and all that, for all the people you’ve fucked.”
The Head stepped forward from the benches and spoke to me.
“We get threats like that all the time, but no one follows through. They don’t have the money to fight us, and neither does your client. So go ahead and sue.”
“It’s true that Ray doesn’t have jack shit,” I said, “not a pot to piss in, but he’s my cousin, Ray is, and even if he doesn’t have money, he’s got me. Ray’s family, and for Ray, I’ll sue you guys for free. Hell, I’ll even pay the expenses. Plus I’m gonna put a jury notice in, too, come to think of it, ‘cause juries--”
Senior Counsel cut me off, and moved his client to the back of the courtroom. There was a brief discussion, and then they came back. I watched as Senior Counsel wrote a single digit on the Minutes, a zero, written right where I wanted it.
“You’ll have to initial the change,” I said to the Head of Sy-C0, and it gave me great satisfaction to watch him sign.
“Don’t forget,” I said the moment his pen stopped moving, “for the settlement to be valid, I need to get the money today. Right now.”
“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” the Head said.
“Not if you want the settlement to stay in place. I’ll follow you back to your office, and you can put a cheque in my hands.”

• * * *

“What’s this?” my wife said when I entered the apartment later that day, after I’d driven Dr. M home, stopping first at a local pub for beers.
“It’s an absurdly expensive bunch of flowers,” I said, “although no flowers, however beautiful, however expensive, could expiate my--”
She took the flowers, and gave a kiss.
“My mom called. She told me what happened. You fixed things with my dad.”
“Yup,” I said. I had certainly done that. I’d made Dr. M a professor again, if only for a few minutes. Not only a professor, but an expert witness. The judge had declared him an expert in plain terms and Dr.M had beamed when he’d heard those words.
“And you won Ray’s case, too. But my mom didn’t know how, and I don’t know how you did it either.”
“I’ll tell you over dinner tonight,” I said.
“But we agreed no more dinners out; we have to save money, now that a baby’s coming.”
I passed her the envelope that I’d received a few hours before. She opened it, and took out a cheque, a cheque drawn up for an amount I specified, made payable to Mr. and Mrs. Calledinthe90s.
The moment I got that cheque, all I could think about was how my wife would react when I put it into her hands. I could not wait to see her eyes bulge, to hear her voice say “oh my god,” to hear her laugh.
She did none of these things. Instead, she cried.
“Does this mean we can buy a house?” The money wouldn’t be enough to buy a house, not nowadays, with prices being so crazy. But things were different back then in the 90s. Sure, the internet was barely a thing and cell phones were super expensive and a lot of things sucked, but I’ll give the nineties one thing: houses were cheap.
“I think so,” I said.

Content warning: a bit of not-safe references, very cringe writing, and dialogue
Memory transcript subject: Nikonus, Chief of the Kolshian Commonwealth
Date: [standardized human time] March 15th, 2131
It was that time again. A meeting of which nobody can know. There was always a bit of guilt inside me for partaking in such activities. However…
It was what was best for the commonwealth.. and best for me.
Only a select group on both sides knew the truth of this war and our societies. None of the public knew of the deal our people and the Arxur have made.
I hope it stays this way.
“Alright sir we’re here” Looking to my right I saw one of my guards holding a pristine rifle. The armor of this special unit was shiny and in the best condition.
“Let’s get this over with” I fixed my robe, it was best to look presentable. Especially for these meetings.
This space station, in the middle of nowhere, floated while being guarded and hidden from the galaxy.
We only do these meetings every so often just to get on the same page and plan what will and won’t happen. It’s nice to stay on the same page.
I remember when I first got the job of Chief I couldn’t believe this would be a part of my job. At first, I didn’t want to do this but as time went on I got used to it.
Entering the station I saw groups of Arxur, Farsul, and Kolshians all together. Some exchange intel and others keep guard. I imagine this sight would confuse anybody.
Enemies together like this.
Passing by people they greeted me and then went back to their business. Everything here was almost like a clock. Tight and on time.
“Alright Nik we can’t follow you any further” I gave a little tail flick as I stood at the door. In this room was where me and Ginzel would meet.
Everything in that room would not be known to outsiders unless they were at the top of the top.
Grabbing the door handle with my tentacle I opened it and entered. Some kind of Arxur music was playing, it was almost like one of those Paltan bands that would play in bars.
Almost soothing to the soul.
“Ah, Nikonus you’re here” Ginzel was sitting in one of the soft chairs made of that nice Fabric from Nishtal. In his hands, he was eating a bit of Venlil. “Come and sit! The chefs prepped some dine for you”
Walking over I sat down in the chair to face the Arxur. I could see different scratch marks and scars on him in different places.
He wasn’t wearing his armor like he would be in public or just in normal places. Then again looking at it, it would probably be somewhat annoying to be constantly wearing that everywhere.
In front of me was a plate of fruits handpicked from the best orchards and a glass of some exotic wine. Its coloring and density were elegantly elite.
Taking a sip the rich flavor filled every part of my mouth exploding with flavor. Yes, it was indeed elite as expected.
“So Nikonus let’s get to it. I was thinking about sending some generals over to one of those Harchen worlds, what do you think?” Thinking about it.. it wasn’t a bad choice. It could definitely have some people up in arms.
“Alright but make sure it’s not too devastating. While we can lose a few worlds here and there we don’t need everyone thinking it’s a full-blown invasion” Ginzel nodded in agreement. Our understandings and agreements were mutual.
We talked for so long about different points and plans. I talked about raiding some cattle ships so some of his people wouldn’t be fed. Mainly to boost recruitment numbers and have some good press.
However as the talk continued I found myself becoming more bored and tired, I could feel myself blanking out from time to time. Recently I have found myself just not enjoying life or my job as I used to.
Maybe I was just bored of it all, the bureaucracy, the constant news and updates, and managing the Federation had taken a toll on me.
With the constant bickering of the politicians about the weirdest matters. And the nagging of the Nevoks and Fissans about who gets what.
I just…. I don’t…
“Nikonus!” I shot up in surprise. Ginzel was right up in my face. Backing up I could feel my face turning a bright blush of purple. “You there?”
I couldn’t speak, I was in such a shock and fluster. My tail wagged at a fast pace that I couldn’t control.
“I-I uh yeah I’m fine” Quickly going up from my seat I grabbed my things and began to walk away.
Before I made it past the table Ginzel stopped me. Confusion set in as he placed me against a table.
“Ginzel what are you-!?” Ginzel silenced me and looked deep with his eyes. I could see some sort of worry on his face. This wasn’t normal or anything I’d seen before.
“Nikonus I….. don’t know what to say. It’s just that” Oh my stars he didn’t! Did he? “Ever since we first met I just…. By me this going to sound cringy but I couldn’t stop thinking about you”
I couldn’t stop blushing. What was going on with me!? This wasn’t ok, right?
“But Ginzel what about our reputations? If people find out that you… I” Ginzel didn’t seem to care, he didn’t seem to be concerned.
“Oh come on Nik we will just silence them like we always do. And… I’ve been craving some thicker meat as of late” OH STARS OH STARS I-
“Ginzel I’m not sure now is a good time” The huge Arxur backed away slightly. I could see the scars on his… huge chest.
We both looked at each other in silence. The air was still, it was hard to breathe.
As I thought harder and harder I couldn’t keep myself from grabbing Ginzel. He seemed surprised at me.
“Sorry, Nik I thought…” Putting a tentacle to his mouth I looked away. There was some kind of sadness going over me.
“It’s ok Ginzel maybe some other time might be better?” I tried to lighten things up but the Arxur in front of me seemed disappointed.
“Alright….. well till we meet again?”
“Sure”
Exiting the room I gave my guards a signal and we started to head back to the ship. Each step I took I thought of what just happened.
Should I? Should I not? As I walk I head back to that boring and tiring life I live. I think about how I feel and how I act. Maybe it would be good to let loose.
Screw it.
Stopping in my tracks I turned around.
“Nikonus?” Looking over to my guards they both seemed surprised. Their minds racing with questions.
Everyone seemed surprised and what was happening. I rushed back to the room, hopefully Ginzel was still there.
“If you excuse me I think I forgot something in the room” Quickly shutting the door I discovered Ginzel sitting there in a chair. He was facing a screen watching some sport I believe.
“Nik!” The Arxur seemed surprised as I wrapped my tentacles around him. The scaly skin felt nice.
This was going to be fun.

A few years ago, I met a guy at a convention in Phoenix who did cosplays similar to my cosplays. We got along well and eventually began to have more intimate experiences together, although he insisted it was "just friendly". Whether kissing and making out is "platonic" or not is up to the person doing it, I suppose. Anyways, we broke up a few months after meeting and the whole experience really traumatized me for a while. He had sent his friends after me and all that. Normal teenager online drama. I avoided him at all costs for a good year or two until I started pursuing cosplay as a bigger thing. I discovered that he had a big following for his cosplay on TikTok and Instagram. He followed my group's Instagram account and I realized it probably wasn't worth avoiding anymore. That was when I began noticing strange behavior between him (who is now an adult) and a 16 year old non-binary fan artist. They would publicly flirt in the comments of posts, post about how much they love each other on Instagram stories, and for a brief period of time they publicly roleplayed pregnancy on Instagram. I watched all of this go down over the course of several months and screenshotted everything even remotely concerning. I am now also an adult and currently in a happy relationship with my boyfriend. I shouldn't be so concerned with my ex-boyfriend's behavior, right? But.. this guy is showing some weird signs of possibly grooming a minor and it's getting to be really weird now. I want to come out publicly about it, but I know I can't because of my status and my career at the moment. So instead, I've spoken privately to a few people associated with the ex-boyfriend and they've all said that it's weird, but I should probably stop looking at it. This feels like something much worse developing. Am I the asshole for wanting to call him out publicly?

Disney Night or Disney+ Night isn't going anywhere so I made a list of movies I'd like to see featured.
This is really in no particular order but I found a complete list of Disney Movies so it's probably in release date order. Also some of these have been used but only used a couple times. Some of these I don’t know what song they’d use but they can come up with something but this is just Disney movie this doesn't even include other Disney properties like Marvel or Star Wars
1. Snow White- Personally never really liked this movie, Snow White’s voice annoys me but it’s the first Disney animated movie and you can’t get more classic then that. Plus with the live action one coming out I can see it happening. I can see them using Heigh-Ho, Whistle While You Work, Someday my Prince Will Come but I don’t know what style would go with that
2. Pinocchio we almost got it! We almost had it in season 31 with Cheryl Ladd and Louis! They would have had When You Wish Upon a Star. Louis is great at Waltzes and it would have been awesome! I still want it even though again Pinocchio is a movie I never really liked.
3. Fantasia- This has only been used once to my knowledge but it has so many songs that it could get its own post. I love this movie but haven’t seen it in a while since I’ve seen it but I could see them using The Sorcerer's Apprentice in again. There’s also a lot of non-Disney music in this movie like A Night On Bald, Mountain, Waltz of The Flowers (Nutcracker Suite Op 71A) they are so many more they could use.
4. Lady and the Tramp- Bella Notte is the only on I could come up with for this one
5. Sleeping Beauty- Aurora and Prince Phillip literally do a waltz while they sing Once Upon a Dream.
6. One Hundred and One Dalmatians- Cruella De Vil is another classic Disney villain song that wasn’t even sung by the villain
7. The Jungle Book- this is a movie they may have used but haven’t used it in a while. Songs like The Bare Necessities and I Wanna be Like You are awesome and deserve a spotlight
8. The Aristocats- Thomas O’Malley Cat or Everybody Wants to Be a Cat. Only reason I can think they wouldn’t want to use Everybody Wants to Be a Cat is that pretty racist moment in it. Then I just threw in Thomas O’Malley Cat cause after I read it on the soundtrack list it got stuck in my head.
9. Robin Hood- Oo-De-Lally. This was the only one I could think of when I saw the soundtrack list that might work but this is another movie that I don’t know which songs and how it would work

1. The Rescuers- Tomorrow is Another Day and Someone’s Waiting for You. These was the only song that stuck out.
   
2. Oliver & Company- How have they not used Why Should I Worry? One it’s Billy Joel who’s amazing and it’d be an easy song to make into a jive or jazz routine. Another good one could be Perfect Isn’t Easy.
   
3. Pocahontas- Just Around the River Band, Colors of the Wind, Savages all great and Savages could potentially be a good Paso
   
4. The Hunchback of Notre Dame- I kind of just want to see The Bells of Notre Dame in some way, Out There and Hellfire could be other good choices
   
5. Hercules- another movie with a lot of good songs like The Gospel Truth, Go the Distance, Zero to Hero, I Won’t Say I’m in Love, A Star is Born all great and the only one I remember being use was Zero to Hero.
   
6. Mulan- Reflection, I’ll Make a Man Out of You. I only remember I’ll Make a Man Out of You being used is with Normani
   
7. Tarzan- I LOVE Phil Collins and want more of his music and more of Genesis’s music overall. Two Worlds, You’ll Be in My Heart, Son of Man, Trashin’ the Camp and Strangers Like Me are all amazing. You’ll Be in My Heart won an Oscar and Phil Collins’s wrote it for Lily Collins
   
8. Lilo and Stitch- He Mele No this is the song played right at the beginning and I know nothing about Hawaiian culture so if anyone else knows anything about it feel free to comment. And then Hawaiian Roller coaster Ride
   
9. Treasure Planet- I’m Still Here John Rzeznik (Goo Goo Dolls lead singer) would be another good one.
   
10. Brother Bear- again I want more Phil Collins!! Look Through My Eyes, Welcome, On My Way
    
11. Chicken Little- One Little Slip good song love The Barenaked Ladies, All I Know Five for Fighting is underrated in my opinion I love him (he’s actually a solo he just uses Five for Fighting because his name is hard to pronounce) he has other good songs like Superman, 100 Years.
    
12. Meet the Robinsons- Little Wonders could be a good one
    
13. The Princess and the Frog- I’m confused as to why this one hasn’t been used more. Almost there, Friends on the Other Side, When We’re Human, they could even use the song Ne-Yo has in it Never Knew I Needed
    
14. Tangled- Same thing as Princess and the Frog WHY hasn’t this been used more? When Will My Life Begin? Mother Knows Best, I’ve Got a Dream, I See the Light.
    
15. Big Hero 6. Fall Out Boy is amazing and I want a Paso Doble to Immortal
    
16. Zootopia Try Everything.
    

I have no idea what style of song they could use I just want some variety. I would also like to see The Nightmare Before Christmas but whether that’s Disney or not is up for debate since Disney released it through Touchstone Pictures
Source: https://movienightjournal.com/disney-movies-in-order-pdf/

Reading it for the first time and I feel frustrated. We can say a million things about Raggedpelt and while he is part of the issues of the book it's not the main thing I want to focus on. Shouldn't Yellowfang get a say in becoming a medicine cat? She was basically forced into one because of her "gift," and Sagewhisker practically pressuring her. She wanted to be a warrior but all the external factors in her life took that agency away from her.
I still don't understand why medicine cats can't have families too. Like if there's someone else to take over their duties like Sagewhisker for Yellowfang. I know it was because of Mothflight but look at the video Bright Guardian Akaria made https://youtu.be/REu5lB78T0E?si=AhyAji7at61CeYlQ So all medicine cats have to be punished for an obscure rule Mothflight made?
I'm not saying all medicine cats should also become queens or whatever, but cats like Yellowfang absolutely wanted that life.
And then StarClan has the nerve to punish her when she does follow her heart (not only her with Brokenstar's birth but the whole clan). I'm religious, my church tells us how important our gift of agency is, and from that perspective StarClan almost seems like a cult, punishing those severely who step out of line.
So Yellowfang basically can't make her own decisions, and it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth how the story treats her.

I want to move up to a serving position from my current runnehost/bar position at my restaurant.
I work part-time at a fine-dining restaurant, ownemanager has 10+ years of 3 Michelin experience as sommelier and the Chef and some other staff has some 1-2 star experience. The concept is a casual fine-dining experience with a Michelin quality wine list where patrons order a starter and main with maybe dessert, we also operate a wine bar downstairs from the restaurant with the same wines and bar snacks. The goal is not to emulate a Michelin experience.
I started 2 months ago with basically 0 experience in hospitality and have been getting a LOT better at my admittedly limited responsibilities and it is very satisfying, however I have not yet been given the chance to be responsible for a set of tables which seems really fun to me. I love this job as it is a fantastic place to learn more about wine which is a passion of mine(did WSET 3) and enjoy the feeling of providing a premium service experience to our guests through our wines and positive interactions. There is no financial benefit to becoming a server this is purely because I think I would enjoy the challenge and the work of being a server itself.
In a talk with the waitstaff supervisor she said that it is normal to have to do these other things for a while in order to get used to the atmosphere and the work, however another colleague also just started with almost no prior experience got assigned a server role within 5 days of work(I know I shouldn't compare myself to others but I cant help it). She said that I am not yet very smooth with some guest interactions, forget things once in a while and am not yet very good at handling the most stressful moments. She said that some people never make it to being a proper server but she expects I eventually will and that asking about it is a positive sign.
My question is basically this: What things can I work on or do in my current position as runnehost that will show my managers that I can handle being responsible for the 10 tables in a restaurant section?
Also, how normal is it that places take this step so seriously? Is my supervisor being honest that I will eventually earn it or is this just something they say to keep me there for longer? I expect she is genuine but I would love some outside perspective from some restaurant managers :)

OK, for those of you coming back, I've done a few posts about "the perfect Money/XP base," but wanted to cover Getting through an NG+ as fast as possible for getting you your starborn powers and bugging the hell out:
So follow along :)
1) Land on Vectera 2) Run down to where you pulled the artifact, hitting Elemental Pull all along the way -- depending on how much you did for geology, you'll have a nice cache of Calumite and Beryllium. 3) Grab the digipick in the side room. 4) Fast Travel to your ship, and off to the Lodge! 5) Do a quicksave before you enter the lodge -- you can save scum and reset the weapon Sarah's about to give you as well as the inventory downstairs -- once you enter the lodge they're fixed for the rest of the playthrough. 6) Talk to Sarah, get your cutter, weapon and 25K credits. Put her in your ship as crew, do the same for Vasco. You can get Sarah to follow you if you want, or you can just solo everything -- either way. 7) Go downstairs, collect everything, unlock the Mark 1 Spacesuit, and grab it, grab the book from Cora's room 8) While you're there, hit the stove and the pharma lab -- you can't make anything yet, but go ahead and "Track the items" for the following - I usually plan on making 10-20 of each, and then combining bandages/healpaste/antibiotic into the Analgesic Poultice, so only one thing to cure most: Bandages Heal Paste Immobilizer Antibiotic Injector All the "hearts" - Black Hole, Giant etc... Panopticon Paramour
Go to the stove and track: Galaxy Lo Mein Nebula Wat Papardelle Bolognese Stellar Kebabs Star Cluster Marsala 5 of each should be plenty - for me I only really ever use them on Buried Temple.
9) Go to the Eye - Talk to Vlad, get the "assigned" temple, and the list of artifact locations -- it's ALWAYS the same six locations. 10) Go to the Bessel III-a location, but DO NOT LAND THERE 11) Bessel III-b's Temple will spawn (unless of course, it's the one that was assigned already) 12) Go do the temple on Bessel III-b 13) Go to an anomaly if it didn't "autodetect" and scan it, and grab up all the calumite with Elemental Pull 14) Use my "Free Money Guide" Post to find and build the outpost here -- at this point you probably won't build the base quite yet, as you haven't done any shopping yet. 15) If you go to Neon to shop, and you haven't done any detours, you will probably spawn Sigma on Volii Epsilon -- hit it and grab that power while you're nearby, to make sure it doesn't bug 16) I usually go to Gagarin as Clint often has all the materials necessary. He carries (not TOO rarely) Aldumite Drilling Rigs, which are the key to fast money. Sieghart, Outland, and Jae in New Homestead also carry them sometimes. 17) Build the base 18) Sleep and sell - aim for about 2 Million Creds - if you've built our 6 robots, have max surveying, max outpost stuff, this is 1 24 hour sleep cycle, depending on the mods you may or may not play with, selling all this stuff may take time -- Neon will have your best vendor density for dumping. Remember that you can carry everything in your ship, by dropping it on the floor 19) Time to get the Razorleaf -- why?? because it has a fun mechanic where spacers will freak out, and more importantly, it will ALWAYS have the same ship ID -- this is important if you're willing to use the console to fix shield and target lockon bugs -- you can use a text file and just "bat rlfix" if you always know the ship ID. 20) Go to Sirius Ib -- it will have the HE3 extraction site, and will *almost* always have spacers. One of them SHOULD drop "Secret Outpost" which will start the Mantis questline 21) Go to Denebola 1a and clear the Lair of the Mantis, and claim the Razorleaf - make sure you're looting along the way, even though you don't need creds any more, you still need digipicks to go mo fast. 22) Finish shopping, and get the AGM and Quark Degen from Sieghart in Neon, run next door to Newill for the Gastro D. 23) Go back to your outpost and rebuild the Razorleaf into a dreadnaught24) Make your food and meds -- you'll want 5-10 of each, no more, you won't be here long enough to use them now 25) GOGOGOOGOGO FAST! 26) Go gather the artifacts from the remaining locations. Most of these spots will have a skill magazine, unless you did a perfect, complete NG0, you'll probably be adding a little bit of power by picking each of them up. 27) I use a spreadsheet to track what temple spawns on what planet -- cuz I'm a nerd :) BUT as soon as you pick up an artifact, go grab the power - Alpha, Eta and Sigma are ALWAYS gonna be in this first set, the rest are random. 28) At this point you can go back to the lodge and re-recruit Sam, Barrett and Andreja 27) Oborum -> Masada -> Temple -- all the consumables are nice to make the fight go smoother -- Phased Time is totally your best friend use it early and often, and when you have the Heart consumable you can use it pretty much whenever you want. Panopticon is awesome, and the Nebula Wat makes you go noticeably faster. 28) Talk the Hunter and Emissary down -- ain't nobody got time for that fight! -- Use a Paramour before you open the temple door. 29) Go grab the rest of the temples 30) Off to Unity, rinse and repeat!

Campaign of Fur & Fang
Act:1 We are here for you “To be honest with you Mr. Speaker, as representative of my fair species, I must inform you and everyone at home watching this debate, that the Lycans only wish to help humanity with our gifts. We are here for you. Yes, times are very scary, especially for the human population that sees not one but two of cultures most feared mythical creatures in the fresh and not just frightening tales and big budget motion pictures”.
(The Rep. of the Lycans, Mr.Olaf Corvin starts the proceedings strong with a voice that demands one’s attention with his deep soothing tunes and leadership-like inflections)
“Why thank you, Mr. Corvin, for your small intro, as we all know, we are here tonight for a debate of most importance. According to the peace treaty signed by both the Lycanthrope and the Empusa. A treaty that ended thousands of years of bloodshed and horror that came into focus for humanity in the past 50 years. Both Lycans and Empusas decided that their treaty was holding both sides at bay but no more, both sides came to a way to end this fighting once and for all. Oddly enough, you both decided on a campaign in the vein of an election, one that is between the Empusa, vampires for the common human knowledge, and the Lycanthropes also known as werewolves. This will consist of a 3-night debate between Mr. Olaf Corvin for the Lycans and Ms.Elisabetha Harkin for the Empusa. At the end of the 3 nights, humanity will vote on either side on who is the dominant species, thus eliminating the other and holding power over us all. This first night will be for Mr. Corvin and the Lycan’s then the 2nd night will go to Ms. Harkin for her argument for the empusa. This being the first night we shall start with you, Mr. Corvin. So I’ll start with the question all of humankind wants to know. Just why did you and your kind think we (humans) should vote for you since we have dealt with werewolves for decades, that we know of at least? Do we have a chance in hell, pardon my speech, of continued existence”?
(The Speaker is direct and surprisingly unnerved by the intense presence of Mr. Corvin being, his stare alone is enough to make your hair stand on end.)
“First off, Thank you all for your cooperation, I know this is uncommon for anyone let alone all of you watching here and at home. So to answer your first part, Mr. Speaker, I have seen centuries of bloody battles both as a human and as a Lycan and one thing has remained constant, no matter who is doing the fighting, blood on both sides will fall and innocent lives will be lost to the violence…to end that I felt this was the better more humane way to go about it.
“So, Mr. Corvin, are you saying that this “Debate” is to determine who is to RULE over all of humanity and use us as nothing more than food and labor”?
“No, both the lycans and empusa met on neutral ground and under special conditions to ensure that no side had an advantage over the other and to hopefully come to a fair compromise to ending the rivalry that has hindered not just the Lycans, not just the empusa Mr. Speaker…but all that calls Gaia home. To the concern and the outlook for humans, do not worry, for we do not condone forced labor among anybody, although if humans wish to share in culture and knowledge we are more than willing to. We wish and welcome it. As for food, hmm, yes we do eat…meat but that's not to mean that we strictly eat humans, on the contrary many of my kind eat animals and most vegetation that the great Gaia provides us all. Not unlike humans do. Don’t forget Mr. Speaker, we lycans have learned to live among humans for generations and hope to continue to do so. Only this time, not to hide what we are and grow together”.
“Well said Mr. Corvin but on the point of what you just said about living with humans for generations. You and others have heard the legends and stories regarding depictions of were…excuse me, Lycans, throughout history and in many different cultures. My question for you is, of most of these claims and even eyewitness accounts of your kind…SLAUGHTERING humans by the thousands in the name of your God Gaia, some as recent as decades ago right here in the country alone. How can we (humans) expect to co-exist with the Lycans after all their destructive actions”?
“The horrors that humanity has both witnessed and have been a part of are not unknown to my kind. We (Lycans) want to set the record straight, as you humans have said. History has been looking at us Lycans as like a plague, a horrifying virus that is contracted through a bite on a full moon, all that isn’t true. You won’t be turned through a bite or a scratch for us. To be one of us, you must first denoise all ties to materials, all bonds for greed, to truly understand freedom…the true freedom of no restrictions to your bond to the Almighty Gaia for she has given us this blessed freedom. Us, yes my family, my pack if you will, have seen the glory of Gaia on that glorious day so many many centuries ago when she took pity on my ancestors. Seeing them in chains of iron, beaten by their masters with barbed whips and prodded with their silver-tipped rods, the great Gaia saw out of all this display of cruelty and hatred that she began to weep”. (Corvin stops and takes a minute to compose himself, turning away slightly from the crowd hiding a small swell of tears.)
“Are you telling me... that to be counted among your kind, to become a Lycan in your community one simply can’t just be bitten but has to fully give themselves over to your way of life? That is truly a far cry from the movie monsters of old have portrayed. It sounds like it is more than some affection contracted from a bite or a curse, sounds like it’s more of a religious act than anything. What is the history of your kind then? Help us understand what the path of Gaia means and how it’s the true path to walk in life”.
“Well, Mr. Speaker, the first thing to learn from us is that under the guiding hand of Gaia, we (Lycans) have lived together with no sense of division amongst our own. No civil wars between ourselves, no reason to, when we all share a common goal of pleasing the great Gaia. Her ways are not strange to anyone honestly, she first bestowed these charges to our progenitor, my father, over 324,000 moon phases ago. It was on that night my father fell in battle against his rival and at that moment, she gave him a choice. Either turn away from the folly of the false gods and temptations of man and follow the path of her grace and in doing so will unite him with his enemies and end the wars that drove them to kill and taint the grounds of her body, or to simply deny her and embrace the world as one big lie and die alone on the ground and to be nothing more but a footnote of the grand story yet to be told”.
“So he chose her over death, to be her devoted one. Her avatar to bring out and show that she is the way to peace and prosperity. Whereas others only want to destroy and claim pieces of her through war and death. She gives it freely to her children. That is what it means to be one of us. Unlike my opposition, who brings death to all, they have the sink of death on them and should not be allowed to continue…I’m sorry Mr. Speaker. I wish to not have it end the way they offer and truly wish for peace for all who LIVE…and share the gift that has given my kind such a grander way of life”.
(Corvin drinks something from his ornate flask & after a moment makes his claim for why his kind should win over the Vampires)
“To all of those who still don’t wish to join us or are skeptical, Let me make it plain as spring rain. We offer you no chains or servitude, we offer you a way to live by us not under. If you decide to choose us over them I promise you this…People will live and live well within. But, I do warn you all, if you do choose Gaia and her gifts, they come with rules and rules that help with holding everlasting peace. Rules are what separates us from the savageness that has been shown by others not blessed by Gaia. Rules are fairly simple to practice”.
( The Rules Corvin laid out were as he said, simple, yet I fear they are not ones easily practiced among most humans. 1. All those who reside on blessed Gaia must swear an oath to not cause her any harm, which includes pollution of any kind. 2. All who receive Gaia’s blessing are to at no point shed the blood of her blessed ones.[Lycan] 3. Once a year an offering to Gaia is MANDATORY. Anything offered up must be prepared for her glory and must be taken with the utmost respect and care. (examples from anything from a blood offering to a prized crop of that year.)
“With this, I offer you true purpose and a life worth living. No more war, no more famine, or even the threat of a short mortal life can be a distant dream with the gift of Gaia”.
“I’m sorry to repeat myself Mr. Corvin, but are you telling us that if we choose you we will no longer be humans? Forgive me sir, but if the humans out there didn’t want and refuse this “gift of Gaia” as you call it, then what comes of them”?
“Mr. Speaker, make no mistake, Not everyone is a good fit for most humans and the gift Gaia offers is not something easily given, but rest assured that we do not wish to persecute nor do we have any intention of hurting anyone without cause. If you don’t have the gift or refuse it as you say, Mr. Speaker, we simply wish to not have the continued harm that has already been done to our beloved Gaia. we will cease all harmful pollution that all your factories, workshops, and all the mining, It all ends under our rule. Life will return to simpler times When the sky above wasn’t flooded with false lights made to blind you from the glory of the stars that blanket Gaia like a grand tapestry”.
“So, you are saying you would see an end to all of our functionality, as we know life, and drive us back centuries in technology and advancements in medicine? This feels like a subject that would cause much strife among humans, it may even be fair to say that this declaration you just put out there, might just make you seem more of a threat to what we hold dear. Forget about phones, the internet, and neon lights. What about the people whose very life is prolonged through this technology? Like a child who lives on dialysis or in a village somewhere far away, that has no access to fresh water or healthcare that would help them. Are you telling me that under your rule as a Higher species, what you offer us is a fair replacement”?
“The simple answer to that Mr. Speaker is yes. But I’ll go a bit further in explaining it for you and everyone watching here and at home. To all those who are fearful for your life as you know it, when the rule of the Lycans is secured, our first action is repairing as much damage as possible including the humans that are at the worst. The ones who are forgotten by their own but not so easily forgotten by our blessed mother Gaia, will be the ones who have earned the gift of Gaia. She has spoken of this directly, she sees all and has a place for the ones no one loves, the ones life has done wrong by. She will embrace them and on to her, they will find peace. As for their practice, you humans have done in the name of “progress” need not fear either. We will not cut your way so swiftly, we will show you the better path through example and have you see that your harmful, hateful ways that have been around since Cain threw the first stone are not the true ways to live on Gaia. Don’t think you will continue this without a gilding hand. We will be that guiding hand and as the hand of Gaia, you will see your harmful ways are not worth the cost”.
“Thank you, Mr. Corvin, for your time tonight. We sure have a lot to reflect on with what you say. The people here, myself included, have never truly given enough thought about just how much we harm the planet…Gaia, my apologies. Your words stir quite a few mixed feelings for us and your proposal is one we shall very much consider. Just one last question before we adjourn for the week. If/When the Lycans take full control, do you plan on completely whipping out the opposition”?
{Corvin lowers his head and looks at his soal powered wrist watch and then drinks again from his ornate flask]
“To that I have only one thing to say” {Corvin smiles and looks directly into the hard camera as it zooms in closer, more distinct features show on Corvin's face. Bushy yet maintained brow that is furrowed into an angle that shows his distaste for his vampire opposite.}
“To my opponent, our agreement will stand whether we win or lose this race but win we win and WE WILL WIN. We expect you and all your kind to do what is promised and hand yourselves over to us so that we can return you to the embrace of Gaia that all your kind has turned away from. Yes, Gaia has not forgotten you as well. She sees all and will welcome you with open arms. Thank you all for your time and my Gaia bless you all”.
{Corvin waves and walks off stage right as the curtain draws and the crowd murmurs and scatters. We truly have some thinking to do and I for one will say that sleep for me tonight will not come to me easy, that for sure. That’s going to conclude our broadcast here come back in a fortnight when we have the pleasure of hosting the Representative for the Vampires, Ms.Elisabetha Harkin.}

So, me and my boyfriend (M23 and M19) have been in a relationship for a few months. We took the time to get to know each other and experiment with our relationship situation before we committed. As soon as we made it official, we decided on an open-relationship and after a bit of trial and error, we ended up setting a few rules (only making out with others is allowed, no sex and no dating).
I was the one who proposed the OR because I am a bit in the asexual spectrum (my sex-drive is very low and I have little interest in doing the act itself), and he's a very sexual person, and we both wanted to be able to experiment - he's young, and even though he's much more experienced than me, I think he still should have fun and shouldn't be denied sex just because I don't like it that much, and as for me, I've had one boyfriend before him and only a few hookups, so I wanted to be able to explore a bit more as well. But after a while, I soon realized that I didn't feel comfortable with him having sex with strangers, so we set on the "making out only" rule.
Okay, context given, now to the main story: he has this one friend I haven't met yet, and he told me that they already hooked up a few times because me and my BF talk about everything, even our hookups. He even proposed a threesome with me and his friends (jokingly, but I think he would go for it). My boyfriend goes to his house from time to time (as he usually does with some of his friends, be they straight, lesbian, etc.) and they get high together, talk about stuff and do whatever else, I never question him too much.
The thing is, I have been feeling a little jealous about this friend for a while. I keep this to myself because I don't want to come of as possessive and I absolutely don't want to alienate him from his friendships, especially because of something as trivial as jealousy. But we were talking earlier and it dawned on me that my boyfriend goes to his house at least twice a month or something like that, but keeps postponing coming here again.
Granted, the trip to his friend's house is way simpler (apx. 1 hour, as opposed to 2~2-and-a-half to my house) and my house is not at all welcoming (it is quite messy, I rarely have the time to clean it and when I do, I usually don't have the energy to do so, and we have no activities here, there's no TV or anything fun to do). I try to take into account that he might just not like coming here and doesn't want to hurt my feelings which is ok. But it does upset me that he can make time for his friend and not for me.
Well, I brought this up earlier while we were texting (in a jokingly manner) and he hasn't replied since. I hate the way I'm thinking because, quite frankly, I'm feeling very paranoid. And I hate that I'm jealous because he has been super-understanding about me and my limitations. And he has been super-open continuously. I know it's probably nothing, but every hour he doesn't respond, I just think he's talking to his friend about this and they're setting a make-out date or something, even though I know he's probably just busy. It's stupid. How can I deal with this?
TL;DR: Boyfriend has a friend (with benefits? information pending on the current status) and spends a lot of time with him. My house is a bit far and a bit filthy and it's okay to me that he doesn't come here much, but he goes to his friend's often. I'm jealous and I don't wanna be.

O.J. Simpson is gone-dead from cancer earlier this year. Rewind back to the 90's. O.J, or not O.J. depending on who you ask, stabbed his ex-wife and her boyfriend to death in Los Angeles. The whole country was subsequently held hostage with round the clock O.J. coverage in the wake of the murders*. Its all anyone talked about and there was no way to escape it. There weren't thousands of channels to flick to, or dozens of streaming services available to seek refuge-in far away from the insanity.
However, after his acquittal he seemed to simply fade from public view-absorbed back into the stained fabric of American society. That was of course before he was locked up for nine years in 2008 for attempting to rob his own memorabilia at gunpoint. So what was he doing with his freedom in the years prior?
Nothing. Well, almost nothing. In 2006, executive producer Rick Mahr, famous for the highly-cerebral Backyard Wrestling series, decided it would be a good idea to tap into the reality show boom with an MTV Punk'd themed prank show featuring O.J. Simpson.
It was a one-hour special that featured O.J. himself engaging in a series of pranks ranging from dressing in rags while selling oranges on the side of a highway, to him serving and insulting fat customers in a fast-food drive thru. At the end of the gig, he'd come clean and tell the victim with a smile "you just got Juiced!" Most of the pranks fell flat on their face: people sometimes didn't recognize O.J. or didn't understand the prank, or the whole idea was just too damn stupid.
But the icing on the cake was the skit where O.J. attempted to sell a replica of his white Ford Bronco, which incidentally was discontinued for years after the murders (but that's another story, you can see below for a few more details). The Bronco even sported a real bullet hole, which The Juice himself signed right above it.
O.J. seems to reflect on the whole Bronco chase as simply comical. Is this some dark type of new-age therapy? "It has great escapability!" he keeps informing customers. Does he admit that there was a dead body in the car? Was it him who placed it there? I have never heard O.J speak so candidly about details from the aftermath of the murders.
Here are some exchanges between O.J. and potential 'customers' as reported in the NPR This American Life episode 564-Too Soon?:

Man: Is there $10,000 in here?
O.J: Nope, Nope. No $10,000,
Man: ...You were carrying it, you know?
O.J: Naw, naw. They say that, I was carrying about $3.
Man: $3?
O.J: Yeah, that's why they never brought it up in court.

In another exchange:

O.J: It was good for me.
Man: Yeah?
O.J: Got me out of harm's way.
Man: ...Ok, I'll sit in it...there was a dead body in there.
O.J: Yeah. Well, um, hopefully there's no bodies in this thing. And I can guarantee you, the car has escape-ability. I mean, if you're ever getting into some trouble, and you've got to get away, it has escape-ability.
Man: (Laughing)

He'd be locked up soon after this aired. Apparently only about 100 DVDs ever sold, and there are no other details about the profits made from the pay per view event, or O.J.'s fee for appearing in the special.
All in all, it was a completely ill-conceived idea with even worse execution that somehow was spewed into existence. It reeks of a desperation for money from all parties involved, none of whom seemed capable of creating any well-written gags for the camera. However, it is memorable in the shock-value of seeing an accused murderer making light of the truck he rode in after he supposedly stabbed his wife and her boyfriend to death.
Most humans will live a rich, full life never knowing this even exists. For the woeful few who do see it, you can't help but leave with an overwhelming feeling that O.J. was a twisted and broken man at this point, straining to grasp at even the the slightest hint of his former celebrity and adoration.
\To most people born post 1980s, OJ Simpson was a famous athlete accused, then acquitted of murder who'd later serve time for a completely unrelated crime.*
But to the rest of us, OJ is the single most infamous athlete name of our lifetimes--the shockwave that was sent through the country when it was announced that his ex-wife and her boyfriend had been murdered in Los Angeles, was unprecedented.
Its impossible to recreate the magnitude of this mono-cultural event that was the OJ Trial, and words don't begin to describe the fall from grace of one of the most beloved sports stars ever.
We'll never be able to forget the image of the low-speed white Ford Bronco chase with dozens of police cars in not so hot pursuit, or the inhumanly long trial that fractured the country along racial lines, or the glove that don't fit (so you must acquit!).
To the younger generation: try to imagine waking up to read that one of the Manning brothers had been accused of bumping off their significant other. Maybe that serves to illustrate the disbelief that we were all hit with that one night in June, 1994.
After the 8 month murder trial (yeah, how many of you had forgotten it lasted that long?), OJ was a free man. Images of him happily golfing sent waves of anger through white America, who felt like justice was cheated by a slick defense team that highlighted the racist tactics of the LA police department. On the heels of the Rodney King video and subsequent riots, this was not only a brilliant strategy, but one rooted in a great deal of truth.
A civil lawsuit followed in which OJ was found responsible for the death of Ron Goldman and ordered to pay his family $33 million. To my knowledge, they never received a cent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOEcsIghRpg

So we heard about this pretty "reputable" group from a few guys one night on discord, heard they were pretty quick & reasonably priced but ALSO heard some negative stuff about them. So as any typical young adult - we decided to say fuck it & actually order something from these guys. I'll admit some stuff did seem a bit off but for the shits & giggles we went ahead anyway - this is everything we went through that following night
Lets start with some PROS's First
1 -Presentation ,
So Upon First Glance their group looks a bit better then other people we've seen on here, from janky weak ass screenshots to everything posted being in broken english. Makes you feel like someone knows what they're doing & how to make it work. Good layout & easy to see their work of them doing actual orders, vouches from people , & even reviews like ours! So def no shortage of content
2 - Communication / Working With Them Was OKAY! , Heres Why
So After going over their work , seeing what they had to offer & just trying to read up and sift through everything before placing a final order we decided to talk to some staff , members , & previous cusomters. They have really good energy & dont treat you like a damn dog because you're not rushing to blindly send them your $ just willingly. They also went over how everything works & answered EVERY question without needing $.
3 - The Process & How This Actually Works
So After digging & double checking every nook & cranny for proof we may have missed / talking to folks - we finally placed an order , & went on to receive a slot , ticket # , & even an update bot giving us live updates along the way! So we felt re-assured that everything was going smoothly. So YES they actually take care of people if you give them reason to trust you. We Received the media and they made sure everything was a go before moving onto their next person!
Now, We CANNOT Just Go Over The Good, There's 2 Sides To Every Story! HERE"S THE CON"S!

1. Sometimes, Updates & Content Posted Is Inconsistent

Nothing like a good service , but slow & inconsistency to ruin its image. not saying that makes them any less skilled but if youre going to manage a group of thousands of members - hire some more staff to keep it up to date. Sometimes i wonder if anyone's even doing orders some days. Makes keeping up with them a pain in the ass

1. Prices

I understand the amount of work , resources used , labor all does add up & people have to be paid for these things - but it can cost a mans left nut to bust one if you were looking for just a quick vid or 2 from that girl you had a crush on. You can't individually just pick stuff either. its either all or nothing when you want MEO pulls or Acc Access so just remember that. If you're a member or have admins vouch you're able to get a 50% off discount.
3 Crashing & Errors - Sometimes LOTS Of Them.
Now, every business has its own issues within itself, but holyyy shit when we had an issue accessing one of the folders i was close to saying fuck it and leaving it be. A simple bind costed us 2-3 hours of additional time , chatting 2 new staff members (being transfered around) & also having to free up space & update my phone to get access to EVERYTHING we got! It might not sound as bad as it seems but when you're ready to start the night & you keep getting pushed back
IN CONCLUSION >> 8.7 / 10 ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ STARS!)

• A lot of people messaged us to dive in & give our honest opinion when rating these guys. They aren't super squeaky error free but most of us aren't perfect. IF you're okay with spending a little extra for a fun night , need answers in your relationship, or just wanna screw around?

The original thread in manga is a post titled "Tsumiki Ogami & the Strange Everyday Life. - Volume 1 Cover", and it's an image of the cover art for the new series' volume 1 edition (Japanese manga chapters get compiled into physical volumes so you can read 7-8 chapters at a time in one book).
Now, I wrote in the title that the drama involves a power mod, and personally, I don't know how many subs someone can mod for before they're considered a power mod, but the redditors in this conversation mod 150+ subreddits for reference, so I consider that power mod status. One of these power mods in particular will create a new subreddit for every new Weekly Shonen Jump manga series, precisely so they can be the top mod for the subreddit and dictate how the rules go there. It should also be noted that this power mod creates a discord server for these series as well, and advertises it in the series' subreddits.
With that out of the way, the drama spawns shortly after a regular comment about the art for the volume: (regular redditors will be abbrev. as C1, C2, while power mod accounts will be Pmod1, Pmod2)

C1: BIG OL' STOMPERS. Pmod1: OgamiTsumiki gonna have a field trip with this today Pmod2[OP]: go away [links to a comment in another thread which states: "Don't listen to [Pmod1]. It's the same guy who'll shill his new subreddit for any new manga that appears."] Pmod1: Why do you hate me punpun, I thought we were besties :( C2: Spiderman pointing at Spiderman C3: battle of the power mods: who can be mods for more manga subreddits

Even though the spiderman comment was in reply to Pmod2, Pmod1 reads it and decides to respond to C2:

C2: Spiderman pointing at Spiderman Pmod1: Lol why don't u go and mald over some [Weekly Shonen Jump] series sales and [Table of Contents] shit what are you doing here xd. C2: Get help Pmod1: Say the same thing again but infront of a mirror now. C2: You're so god damn weird jfc Pmod1: Yeah sure you come and comment under my thread and I'm the weird one. Get a life bro lol reddit isn't everything. C2: Yes, you're the weird one. Maybe take your own advice to heart Pmod1: Bro lives on reddit and discord and likes to hate everywhere lol. No wonder they always clown on you, you should look deeper into yourself where it all went wrong. C2: Please get help Pmod1: I'm pleading the same for you too! Please go get help, being obsessed with others isn't good for you. C2: Yes, surely it's me being obsessed and not you. Get help, please. Pmod1: Just stop replying to me brother it's looking mad embarrassing for you [at this point]. C2: It's looking embarrassing for me when you're the one who replied to a comment that wasn't even a direct reply to you within a minute? Pmod1: Maybe stop sharing it to ur secret wicket discord server 😉 C2: This just makes you look even worse 😭 What would you have done if I hadn't made that comment here? Don't want your alt to get exposed and that's why you replied here instead of the discord even though the comment was made minutes later? Pmod1: What is bro yapping about 😭 go play with some charts or something don't disturb me now

(The way Pmod1 is talking to C2 makes it seems like C2 is a power mod, but I checked the account and they only mod 3 subreddits, so probably not? Anyways, the conversation, continued:)

C2: You are the one who started this convo man lmaoooo Pmod1: Yeah sure that's why it shows u being the one who said "Spiderman pointing at spiderman" first lol and what does that makes you? Don't say Batman u cringe af 🤧 C2: But that reply wasn't made to you? 😭 Pmod1: Indirectly it was?? 😭 Out of the two spidermans u referenced me as one too. C2: Are you really this dense? I didn't reply to you, you chose to engage in this convo so why are you now telling me to stop bothering you? Just stop replying lmao Pmod1: That's what I have been telling you too, stop being obsessed with me and this weird thing where you want to have the last reply for some reason. Just stop responding back. C2: Why would I? This is entertaining to me. Since you're apparently bothered by it, just stop replying and that's it? Pmod1: Lol bro thinks he's the main character C2: No, I just think you're a loser and clowning on you and other powermods is funny as fuck. Pmod1: Lol says the social loser who has been sitting on reddit all day. C2: You can't be this dense man. Not only have you been more active than me today specifically, you also immediately replied to a comment that wasn't even a reply to you and you are a god damn powermod. Like, the longer you keep replying the more you're embarrassing yourself. Pmod1: I just returned from office so I got more time now buddy. I can do this all day. Keep responding back and you'll keep getting a reply back. So just stop being a clown and stop now. C2: Again, why would I? You started this, not me and you also wanted this to stop and now you're changing your tune again. You keep making an ass out of yourself because you got so fucking triggered by a reply that wasn't even directed at you, that you can't help yourself but to continue this with more and more nonsense arguments digging yourself deeper and deeper into this hole.

I think that last comment by C2 really irritated Pmod1, because their replies get longer and the drama really duplicates:

Pmod1: Brother the only one who keeps falling deeper into this hole is you. It's like you're almost begging to be clowned atp. I can understand you have a lot of free time in your hand like most unemployed people, but that doesn't mean you should waste it all on reddit. If you want I can help you look for job applications. We can help you get through this, together. C2: It's incredible how dumb you are, jfc. Let me repeat: You started this. Not me. You. You immediately replied to a comment that wasn't even a reply to you. Not me. You. You're so insanely triggered by a single comment that you can't simply let it go and keep getting your ass trolled by me who's laughing his ass off at how desperate you're trying to somehow own me. It's so funny how pressed you are by a single comment, but I guess if the shoe fits... Pmod1: You literally came to the thread to start this shit and now trying to turn it on me...is this your new hobby now? From rolling in downvotes for your shit manga takes to arguing with random redditors? I'm honestly getting a kick out of it though so please continue... C2: Omfg, it has been a full weekend and you still can't let go. That's so fucking sad. You really spent the weekend doing fun stuff and then came back here just to be angry again. Please get help. Pmod1: Buddy I just forgot. But it's genuinely sad that you're still going on this after so long. Either get a life or some help. I'm feeling pity for you now. C2: Sure, you "forgot" even though you clearly have notifications on since you replied to a comment that wasn't a reply to you within a minute because it triggered you so much. Look, even if you forgot it's still incredibly sad that you can't just let go and keep coming here just to be wound up by me again. I also don't know why you keep trying to spin this when the whole conversation is publicly readable and it's clear you're incredibly mad while I've already stated that I won't stop because it's fucking funny. It takes me a few minutes at worst to respond and get you to bite while you insist on pretending like you're not actually angry even though everyone knows you are because why else would you even react to my comment like that lmao. Honestly, since you're only replying sporadically with the same "no u" garbage atp, it takes the fun out of it, so I'm just gonna block your ass and hope I'll never come across you again

So C2 in fact does block Pmod1, essentially allowing them to have the last word, right? But in a twist, Pmod1 responds to C2 with another account that is a power mod for 90+ subs:

Pmod-Alt1: Did you really think you can just have the final say and then block me and think this all ends? Well guess not. If it annoys you that much then just stop replying, it's not that deep. But ofcourse it's gonna hurt your male fragile ego because deep inside you're just a scared little boy 🥺 and that's alright. We won't judge you for being so sad, it's not your fault at all buddy. C2: I'm just gonna block that account too, lol. Wonder how many alts you have you pathetic loser Edit: Shit, you can only block once every 24 hours... Well, time to turn off notifs. Stay mad clown Pmod-Alt1: Keep malding. And stop replying back, u just clown on yourself more and make it super embarrassing for yourself. C2: No u

It appears C2 blocks that account, and through Undelete, I can see there were 2 more replies from 2 other accounts, but they were deleted too fast, so this is all you see:

C2: No u Pmod-Alt2: [deleted] Pmod-Alt3: [removed too quickly to be archived]

The content must have been similar to some of the comments in the conversation above, because C2 edits their 'No u' comment twice to call Pmod1 out:

C2: Edit: I'm literally just gonna block all of your accounts you obsessed freak. At least it seems like you've done me a favor by blocking me with your 5th alt since I can't see your reply. No one is buying your "no u" bullshit, which is why I'm making fun of it. I'm just gonna turn off notifs again and block any account of yours I see on sight. Stay mad, loser
Edit 2: What the fuck are you talking about you fucking weirdo?? You chose to engage in this convo. You always could've just stepped away, but you were too mad to do that. It's also crazy how you try to claim that I'm mad when you're the one who replied to a comment that wasn't a reply to you because it got you so triggered and are now scrambling to find your millionth alt just to get another reply in. You're an obsessed freak, basically proving me right just by how you're reacting to all this and all you can come up with is "no u" because you have no rebuttal. Back to blocking and hoping the notif suppression actually works now... Pmod-Alt4: Atleast ur doing both of us a favor and I can finally get rid of your obsession with me. Keep malding while I keep laughing!

Please note that this drama is a few months old, and as far as I can tell, the power mods are still doing their modding thing.

Hey guys! I recently received my Wacom Movink and wanted to write up a quick review type of thing since there is not a lot of info on it yet. Hope this will be helpful to someone. First of all - who am I and what is my usecase for it? - I'm a concept artist, working in gamedev and film and I needed a portable screen tablet for when I'm out of my home studio.
What am I comparing it to? - My primary device at home is a cintiq 24 touch and intous pro small. For sketching on the couch/on the go I use Samsung Galaxy tab s9 ultra which I got recently, before that I was using an M2 iPad pro 12.9, so I'll be comparing the Movink to the ipad too.
What does it come with? -In the box you'll find the tablet, angled type C to C cable and the pro pen 3.
First impressions: It's Wacom. That's basically it. If you ever used anything with the pro pen it feels the same. Great initial activation, great pressure curve, very responsive. And it's crazy thin and light. I'm testing on windows and Mac both worked without an issue after you update the driver. Movink connects with one cable if the type c port on your device can provide enough juice. If not you'll have to plug in one more type C cable to the second port on the tablet. The tablet has two type c ports on either side and you can plug in to either of them. And you can switch between inputs from both ports so theoretically you can plug in two devices. Not sure how useful this is on a mobile device but I'm sure somebody will find it useful.
How does it compare: It feels the same as my cintiq just light and small.
Compared to the ipad - if you can do everything you need to do on the ipad OS, probably you should get the ipad. For me this is not an option because I primarily use Photoshop, unreal and blender so I need a desktop PC. And I love buttons on my stylus. My biggest gripe with the apple pencil is the bloody touch surface, I hate it, I keep it disabled and I would really love to have at least one physical button. The pro pen 3 has 3 buttons and this makes me happy. So if you like the apple pencil you'll be fine with the ipad. If you need just a screen tablet for at home use our you mainly use a laptop and you like the size - get the Movink, it's the best small tablet Wacom currently makes.
Compared to the Samsung Galaxy tab s9 ultra - the initial activation rate is better on the Movink but not to the point that it's impossible to draw on the Samsung, it's very much manageable and I paint on the Samsung semi regularly just fine. Killer feature of the movink Galaxy tab combo for me is that you can connect the movink to the Samsung as the secondary screen and use the pen. This is awesome and works as a very sweet mobile painting/working combo. Just an FYI if you want to use your movink with a Samsung tablet or phone - you'll need to plug in the second cable for power into the tablet for it to work.
Another important point to mention regarding the Movink and Samsung - Movink supports all Wacom pens, meaning you can use it with the pro pen 3 that comes with it, you can use it with the pro pen 2 and with all the IMR pens that work with Samsung tablets and phones (and other IMR tech enabled devices). I personally tested out the lamy AL star Wacom pen and UNI pencil digital - works as you'll expect a stylus to work. Pretty sweet if you consider the price of the IMR pens (yes the initial activation rate is lower then the pro pen 2 or 3 but they'll do in a pinch)
My current usecase: I connect the movink and Galaxy tab to my portable mini PC (minisforum UM790 pro) as screens. To make it work with the Samsung I use the Super display app. Great app, works really well, totally worth the price. Before I switched to the Samsung I used the ipad with Luna display to achieve the same result. Why do I need the Movink if I have the ipad and the Samsung? Two screens are better then one and dedicated screen tablet is nicer then any iOS/android device. Also changing settings and calibrating the screen is easier this way. And the pro pen.
General notes: The touch works very well, I would say quite a bit better then on my cintiq. Screen is decent. I don't mind it being 1080p, I'm way more interested in color accuracy on which it delivers. Portability is 10/10
Wishlist items: I would love to have a magnetic case/cover for it something like you could get for the ipad/Samsung.
All to all I'm very happy with my purchase. Movink does everything I want it to and then some (pen support and android support are very nice features for those who need it)
If you guys have any specific questions about it, I'll do my best to reply in the comments!
Cheers!

The voices mingled around me. Some loud, some soft, some weeping while others waited in stoic silence. The lodge anxiously waiting as the last rays of sunlight flit through the bay window. The wall of stacked cars and stone lights up like fairy lights upon a wall, revealing the weaknesses of our fragile defenses. And beyond the glass stood thousands of faces, watching the last rays of light sink beyond the horizon, beyond the walls that we called hope.
The room grew quiet. A whimper was stifled from the wall as the sun gave way to the stars. Their light poking holes in the sky like the sun had revealed our defenses flaws. A flask popped open followed by several large gulps. I can't fault you. The sword on my back grows warm and her hand touches my arm. Her long, blonde braid falls past her shoulder as she turns to me. To look at me and see me. Gosh, how can she know me so well. Her hand slides down my arm and into my shaking hand.
She brings it to her lips and tenderly kisses my knuckles, even the sunken ones. "The sun has surrendered," and pulls my hand to her chest, "you are now the light that must lead us, my love."
Her fingers interlace with mine, stealing the tremble hidden upon their tips with a squeeze. That tremble climbing up my arm to escape out of my lungs at my next breath. "We can only be hammered for so long before we have to be quenched, I guess." A small, but playful smile breaks her somber face. She pulls me closer to her and presses her forehead to mine. In that small moment, the heat of her breath, the scent of her; from the moment she held me and handed me the star blade to now, she has been my light.
A small and stifled sob escapes her lips, for as she has by my beacon, I have tried to be her anchor. In our journey these last years, she has loved and feared, celebrated and cried, and we have grown. "You must be light that leads us." Her tears stain the dark wood at our feet and the tremble in her body transfers to me in at the touch of our skin.
"I must and I will." Raising her hands to my lips, returning the tender kiss she gave to me.
Turning to face the table before me, only a few are looking at what had been a private moment between her and I. The rest continue to look to where the light once had been. The heat on my back beckoned me, telling me what to do. To touch the pommel of the sword like the Forever King had done before. It was swift, but the rush of power flooded me at the embrace of my palm around the hammered piece of metal.
"So the night comes and we are like fresh pieces of paper watching spilt ink spread before us."
Eyes turn to me. Hone in on me. While still holding her hand, I turn to the west and the setting sun.
"This night, this darkness has had a long time coming and now we finally face it." Pointing at the last rays of sunlight that fade into twilight. In those last remnants of light, I can see the heads of thousands look around. Some in fear and some in confusion. The power continues to flood my body and I let go of the pommel of my sword.
Marching away from the table and to the wooden door of the lodge, my voice carries. "This story that has held us in our youth, in our entertainment, has now filled our very lives." The door glides open and I stride out, marching towards the eastern wall. A few eyes around the lodge turn towards me. My arms shake themselves out of habit, releasing tension stored within.
"Now we write the last chapters of this very war," the growl surprises me, as people step aside to let me through. There are few faces that I recognize, but the ones that I do now recognize the position I hold. The star blade upon my back now emitting a soft glow. "One more story to add to the eternal narrative that is sung among the stars."
More eyes, more faces turn to me as my voice reaches out to the gathered forces within our last bastion. My path is set and made clear in the divide of the people around me. Leading me towards the wall; towards the erected tower with an emerald, green flag and shining white sword flying in the wind above it.
"So let out story be a ballad, instead of paper waiting for someone else to write upon." The sky grows ever darker, and the twilight that normally sits around quickly is swallowed up by the oncoming night. Someone rings a bell, the warning bell. A haunting gong that sends shivers up and down my spine. They're here. Panicked voices fills the edges of the field as the chiming rings across the fortress. Men and woman rush to the walls, some armed with modern weaponry. Others with forged ones taking positions up along the wall.
Each step I take closer to the wall, my voice gets a little louder. "Let us sing, let us sing the song of the free." The bell chimes and my footfalls sound like a drum in my ears. "Let us shout, let us shout the darkness, make it fear our coming death." I move and pull up someone who is kneeling on the ground, tears coating their cheeks.
"Arise, Arise!" My fist bangs upon my chest.
Marching up the crude steps into the tower, my fist hammers the wall to the beat of my heart. The stone walls echoing with my voice within but reverberating across the field outside. "If destruction be our lot, we ourselves must be its author and finisher."
The glow from my sword spreads out from around me, slowly lighting up the tower. And as I march out atop of the stone building, I gaze out towards the wave of darkness rushing towards us from the west. I can hear the snarls and roars of the curse frothing towards us. The voice of darkness speaking its inky touch across the barren landscape beyond the walls not a few minutes away.
"So let this ballad be our last ballad that we spin." I reach for the hilt of my sword and look down at the forces defending the wall. There gaze is brief but I their eyes, and their fear. But I also see their hope. "As free men, as free woman," turning to face the forces spread out below in the fortress field before me. "By our song, we will live forever!" I rip the star blade from the half-sheath on my back. "Or die by our own hand." The light beams out towards the heavens above as my words echo across the land.
The roar spreads like fire, chasing away the shadow of fear. Spear and sword slap against shields, cracking rumbling among the men and woman. Some beat upon the stone and steal around them while others beat their chest. A vicious cry of defiance, a thunderous song echoing in my heart and ears as I turned to face the darkness.
And she was there. Right behind me as I turned to face the forces marching toward us. Her hands glowing in radiance as her spells weaved around us, casting down pillars of light spread out across the wall. I raise my sword high and can feel the air around me turn static. Darkness now clashes with the light as the hordes of the enemy crash and climb upon the wall. "Our story, our ballad, shall forever sing among the stars." Guns and artillery begin to fire. "But we are the authors of light!"
With a swing of my sword, bolts of lightning fire down from gathered clouds in the sky at the base of the wall.
~~~~~
Original Prompt by u/George_WL_
**Edits: Corrected minor gramatical errors**